Explorer 23 For April 30

TW LW #W
01 09 02 Darwin Deez - Radar Detector
02 03 05 She & Him - In The Sun
03 02 04 These New Puritans - Attack Music (2x#1)
04 01 05 Mumford & Sons - The Cave (1x#1)
05 05 03 Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
06 14 02 The Antlers - Sylvia
07 07 04 Hold Your Horses - 70 Million
08 08 03 Fang Island - Life Coach
09 16 02 Morning Benders - Promises
10 04 05 Frightened Rabbit - Nothing Like You
11 20 02 The Salvadors - Atacama Disco
12 10 06 Wild Beasts - We Still Got The Taste
13 06 06 The Twilight Sad - The Room
14 12 04 Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Get Better
15 -- 01 The Soft Pack - Answer To Yourself
16 -- 01 MGMT - Flash Delirium
17 18 03 Stornoway - I Saw You Blink
18 19 03 Kate Nash - Do Wah Do
19 -- 11 LCD Soundsytem - Drunk Girls
20 22 02 Joy Formidable - Popinjay
21 -- 01 We Are Scientists - Rules Don't Stop
22 13 04 Tegan & Sara - Alligator
23 -- 01 The Last Dinosaurs - Honolulu


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No Fluffy Bunnies, These New Puritans in Bitterzoet April 28th, 2010

That Bitterzoet wasn’t even sold out for These New Puritans is beyond me. But then again confusion and uneasiness seem to be an emotions linked to TNP like feeling nothing is to let’s say… Matchbox 20.

Touring to support their fabulous ‘Hidden’ album the foursome left an impression that will not be forgotten easily. If it was a great show? I couldn’t honestly tell you. Depends on what your definition of a great show is. If a concert is supposed to make you feel more happy afterwards than they failed miserably, if a concert is supposed to evoke strong emotions than they passed with flying colors and it will easily be one of the best shows of the year so far.

My biggest question beforehand was how they would recreate the sounds and atmosphere of the album and most of all the beats. With one tight drummer and one smashing drums half of the time while working samplers at the same time this was no problem. Battery songs is what frontman Jack Barnett calls them and ‘Attack Music’, ‘Three Thousand’ and ‘Drum Courts’ made you feel like you were at one time back in the late 70’s at a Joy Division concert but at the same time in that dancing scene from the Matrix movies. Keyboard player Sophie Sleigh-Johnson’s never changing facial expression definitely added to a more gothlike atmosphere. A band playing this tight is a sight to behold and summons up memories of Battles and Shellac. The amount of improvisation is something I did not expect at all. Loops with last longer or shorter, the guitar sounds was different but it all came together.

Barnett was at most times inaudible, due in part to huge echo on his microphone. If you didn’t know what the album was about you could still feel that it wasn’t about daisies and fluffy bunnies but about something more serious. Confusion was only added when Barnett kept saying it was the last song for about 5 songs.

War is serious but will also leave you with scars for the rest of your life. TNP is serious and it will leave a scar for a very long time.

Explorer 23 For April 20

TW LW NW
01 02 04 Mumford & Sons - The Cave (1x#1)
02 01 03 These New Puritans - Attack Music (2x#1)
03 03 04 She & Him - In The Sun (Kimmel Live)
04 05 04 Frightened Rabbit - Nothing Like You (Telegraph Tv)
05 10 02 Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
06 04 05 The Twilight Sad - The Room (405 Session)
07 09 03 Hold Your Horses - 70 Million
08 14 02 Fang Island - Life Coach
09 -- 01 Darwin Deez - Radar Detector
10 07 05 Wild Beasts - We Still Got The Taste
11 08 05 The Soft Pack - C'mon
12 12 03 Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Get Better (5:19 show)
13 16 03 Tegan & Sara - Alligator (The Current)
14 -- 01 The Antlers - Sylvia
15 06 07 Surfer Blood - Swim
16 -- 01 Morning Benders - Promises
17 11 06 The XX - VCR (Le Live De La Semaine)
18 19 02 Stornoway - I Saw You Blink
19 23 02 Kate Nash - Do Wah Do
20 -- 01 The Salvadors - Atacama Disco
21 -- 01 Dan Sartain - Atheist Funeral
22 -- 01 Joy Formidable - Popinjay
23 -- 01 General Fiasco - Ever So Shy

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

War seems to be good subject for albums this year. These New Puritans already made a unique album with ‘Hidden’, a vibrant collection of interlocking songs about war and interspersed with the sound of a sword going in or out of a sheath. It was also a big step up from an already great debut album. Much of the same can be said about Titus Andronicus’ second album ‘The Monitor’, a collection of songs about the American Civil War woven together with bits of spoken word quotes. Both albums are two of the best of the year so far but that’s where the comparison ends.

If there is one word to describe TA’s stance towards war it’s confusion: how war makes everything black and white, us versus them, the devil versus the Lord. War brings forth the same confusion as alcohol, the second theme of the album. The listener is being pushed into another time and place before returning to a basement of a Garden State with the help of alcohol, as in a weird musical version of Slaughterhouse 5. This time traveler also travels between songs, appearing in the guest-star heavy ‘To Old Friends and New’ where he lectures us on the morality of war and religion. He’s chased around by the enemy who is everywhere on the album, like he is everywhere in war.

TA’s music has much less musical depth than TNP. Their style is almost shoddy punkrock that on this album has drifted more into the field of singer/songwriters. Think of Conor Oberst, the early years, with a rougher edge. Especially ‘Richard II’ and ‘A Pot in which to Piss’ could have easily been on a Bright Eyes record. The Conor Oberst sound at times sounds too obvious, but at least they copied someone worth copying. A big departure from their usual music is the almost nine minute song ‘Four Score and Seven’, a shouted ballad complete with bagpipes that if played a faster would be a good Pogues or Dropkick Murphys song.

From a band who’s named after a Shakespeare play you can really only expect smart songs and the Monitor is exactly that. It’s like an episode of Family Guy: if you know a lot of movies you will constantly see references. On ‘The Monitor’ TA refers to authors like Camus, Whitman, names Civil War sites and literally quotes songwriters like Billy Bragg and Bruce Springsteen. The Boss is quoted in the opener ‘A More Perfect Union’ in which they make no big deal about being from New Jersey as well. He’s also name checked in the closer ‘Battle of Hampton Roads’ which clocks in at 14 minutes. If there is one bad thing to say about the album it is that is about 14 minutes too long. But you have to listen to the album in it’s entirety to grasp the whole concept.

Titus Andronicus have catapulted themselves to the upper echelons of American indie rock with “The Monitor”. 2010 is a great year for music so far in my humble opinion. In May they will play in Amsterdam, a double bill with another new great band Surfer Blood (reviewed before). Could be a legendary show…

Explorer 23 For April 10

OK, OK! It's two days late. Winers... be happy it's spring!

01 01 02 These New Puritans - Attack Music
02 05 03 Mumford & Sons - The Cave
03 07 03 She & Him - In The Sun
04 08 04 The Twilight Sad - The Room
05 11 03 Frightened Rabbit - Nothing Like You
06 02 06 Surfer Blood - Swim
07 06 04 Wild Beasts - We Still Got The Taste
08 03 04 The Soft Pack - C'mon
09 17 02 Hold Your Horses - 70 Million
10 -- 01 Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
11 04 05 The XX - VCR
12 18 02 Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Get Better
13 09 04 Field Music - Them That Do Nothing
14 -- 01 Fang Island - Life Coach
15 10 05 The Antlers - Bear
16 16 03 Tegan & Sara - Alligator
17 23 02 Fanfarlo - Harold T. Wilkins
18 -- 01 Fixkes - Rock 'n Roll
19 -- 01 Stornoway - I Saw You Blink
20 12 06 Blood Red Shoes - Light It Up
21 19 02 Local Natives - Airplanes
22 13 06 OK Go - This Too Shall Pass
23 -- 01 Kate Nash - Do Wah Doosh

Explorer 23 for March 30

01 -- 01 These New Puritans - Attack Music
02 01 05 Surfer Blood - Swim (live on KEXP)
03 02 03 The Soft Pack - C'mon (live on KEXP)
04 07 04 The XX - VCR
05 20 02 Mumford & Sons - The Cave
06 09 03 Wild Beasts - We Still Got The Taste (Jools Holland)
07 12 02 She & Him - In The Sun
08 10 03 The Twilight Sad - The Room
09 11 03 Field Music - Them That Do Nothing
10 04 04 The Antlers - Bear
11 18 02 Frightened Rabbit - Nothing Like You
12 05 05 Blood Red Shoes - Light It Up
13 03 05 OK Go - This Too Shall Pass (backwards)
14 16 03 Hungry Kids of Hungary - Let You Down
15 13 04 Beach House - Norway
16 19 02 Tegan & Sara - Alligator
17 -- 01 Hold Your Horses - 70 Million
18 -- 01 Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Get Better
19 -- 01 Local Natives - Airplane (not official)
20 -- 01 Yeasayer - O.N.E.
21 -- 01 Sunderbands - We Only Can Because We Care
22 22 02 Liars - Scissor
23 -- 01 Fanfarlo - Harold T. Wilkins

Explorer 23 for March 20

01 02 04 Surfer Blood - Swim
02 07 02 The Soft Pack - C'mon
03 01 04 OK Go - This Too Shall Pass
04 03 03 The Antlers - Bear
05 04 04 Blood Red Shoes - Light It Up
06 10 02 These New Puritans - We Want War
07 11 03 The XX - VCR
08 12 02 Futureheads - Heartbeat Song
09 14 02 Wild Beasts - We Still Got The Taste
10 16 02 The Twilight Sad - The Room
11 18 02 Field Music - Them That Do Nothing
12 -- 01 She & Him - In The Sun
13 06 03 Beach House - Norway
14 18 03 Girls - Morning Light
15 05 03 Deep Sea Arcade - Don't Be Sorry
16 22 02 Hungry Kids of Hungary - Let You Down
17 09 03 Washington - How To Tame Lions
18 -- 01 Frightened Rabbit - Nothing Like You
19 -- 01 Tegan & Sara - Alligator
20 -- 01 Mumford & Sons - The Cave
21 23 02 Tunng - Hustle
22 -- 01 Liars - Scissor
23 -- 01 Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn ;)

Explorer 23 for March 10

For everyone who has been waiting a while now: Explorer 23 comes out every 10th, 20th and 30th of the month ;).

New list, new entries, new #1. All thanks to an instantly legendary video. Enjoy!

As always, look for the Wide Eyed Explorer on Facebook and Twitter.


01 04 03 OK Go - This Too Shall Pass
02 08 03 Surfer Blood - Swim
03 01 02 The Antlers - Bear
04 06 03 Blood Red Shoes - Light It Up
05 12 02 Deep Sea Arcade - Don't Be Sorry
06 03 02 Beach House - Norway
07 -- 01 The Soft Pack - C'mon
08 02 02 Girls - Morning Light
09 06 02 Washington - How To Tame Lions
10 -- 01 These New Puritans - We Want War
11 -- 01 The XX - VCR
12 -- 01 Futureheads - Heartbeat Song
13 07 02 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
14 -- 01 Wild Beasts - We Still Got The Taste
15 15 05 Jonsi - Boy Lilikoi
16 -- 01 The Twilight Sad - The Room
17 10 04 Tocotronic - Macht es nicht Selbst
18 -- 01 Field Music - Them That Do Nothing
19 20 02 John Butler Trio - One Way Road
20 09 05 Bettie Serveert - Deny All
21 05 06 Vampire Weekend - Cousins
22 -- 01 Hungry Kids of Hungary - Let You Down
23 -- 01 Tunng - Hustle

These New Puritans - Hidden

Maddening, mindboggling and absolutely brilliant.
These New Puritans first album “Beat Pyramid” was a fine record which I played quite a few times. With their second album “Hidden” they have gone far beyond their debut. Far beyond anything released this year in fact. It’s not an easy album, in fact it is still driving me crazy while I write this. An moviescore opening followed by a collection of songs that all are related to war. This war is an all-encompassing war, a war of words, a war or worlds, an attack on the mind and this is the soundtrack. War has no logic, and “Hidden” has no logic. Beats that are like bombs, sometimes leveling an entire city, sometimes just severing a toe. Music that goes from attack music to classical interludes, or the crazy person in his own jazz world (“Hologram”), not knowing what is going on around him. It’s a 21st century post-modern album for a 21st century post-modern war where you are not exactly sure who the enemy is, what the cause is and what you are fighting with. From bombs to swords to words, everything is used to the same effect. An album for lovers of classical music, 80’s industrial rave and 90’s hip-hop. Even Phillip Glass chord changes can be heard. “Hidden” is maddening, chaotic, mindboggling but absolutely brilliant album. This will definitely end up on a lot of end-of-the-year lists.