The Saturday Surf #20

Did you notice it - the most important and momentous piece of news across the internet this week?

No, not that in the UK nearly 1 million young people aged under 24 are now unemployed, nor worldwide that President Obama has promised the 'toughest sanctions' on Iran over the alleged bomb plot, nor even the celebrity news that Beyonce was accused of faking her pregnancy with a false bump. There was something that surpassed all of this.

The Breaking More Waves twitter account reached tweet number 10,000.

That’s a lot of useless babble on the internet.

To mark the occasion we originally had big plans to create a flash mob event where hundreds of music bloggers ran naked into the cold UK south coast sea holding signs reading ‘STILL BREAKING MORE WAVES’, but eventually settled for something a little easier and wrote a blog post about it instead.

However when we weren’t tweeting our life away proclaiming our love for Nicola Roberts we were discovering the goodness of new music and as usual on a Saturday have brought together a few of the finds that nearly got washed away in the tide as we surfed .

Rizzle Kicks – When I Was A Youngster (Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer Remix)

If you’ve spent any time at UK festivals away from the main stage the chances are you’ll have come across the fine English gentleman that is Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer and his banjolele. On a one man mission to introduce hip-hop to the Queen’s English this Chap-Hop superstar has turned his attention to Breaking More Waves favourites, regulars and now bona-fide UK chart stars Rizzle Kicks. As Mr B says himself let’s rock, ideally with some cucumber sandwiches and a cup of tea, or maybe a sneaky sherry. Splendid.

Rizzle Kicks - When I Was A Youngster (Mr B "The Gentlemen Rhymer" Remix)

Dan Mangan – Post-War Blues

A Breaking More Waves blog post regular in 2009, Canada’s Dan Mangan returns with a new album Oh Fortune which sees Mangan stretching his sound and working with the likes of free-jazz experimentalists and a near orchestra. Not that this means that the results are unlistenable. In fact Post-War Blues positively bristles with both commercial and creative energy, taking Mangan’s highly recognisable gravel soaked voice to a chest-thumping, rabble-rousing, mightily-muscled piece of indie folk rock glory. Did we say it's free to download? It is you know.

Dan Mangan - Post-War Blues

My Tiger My Timing – Written In Red

From blues to red and the danceable indie flavours of My Tiger My Timing. Lead singer Anna’s soft and delectable purr keeps all the chiming guitars and the boogie groovy beats together nicely with something that sashays its way onto the indie dance floor without resorting to throwing in a dubstep wobble or power chord. Written In Red is released on November 14 through Snakes & Ladders.

My Tiger My Timing - Written In Red

Paper Crows – When Friend Survive (Discopolis Remix)

When Friends Survive is the new single from Paper Crows – it’s their third but the first to be released on Pete ‘Weekend Starts Here’ Tong's resurrected label ffrr. When Friends Survive sounds like an opening statement, it’s more experimental and less song based than their previous work, revolving around repetitive beats and some bigger dagger like synth sounds. Earlier references to Kate Bush and Bat For Lashes can be thrown out the window.

You can hear the original here but we’re particularly fond of a remix put together by Edinburgh’s Discopolis which goes from smooth sorcery to rave fist-puncher to dirty-disco floor-banger in just over three minutes. It’s free to download below.

Paper Crows | When Friends Survive (Discopolis Remix)

Torches – Little Ice Age

Finally if you’re anywhere near The Old Blue Last in London this weekend the chances are you’ll probably be able to spot a new music blogger hanging around somewhere. The clues? The iPhone, the constant tweeting, the surprisingly unfashionable clothing (“because it’s all about the music man”) and the ability to nod appreciatively at a bored looking man pressing one button on a laptop whilst two singular notes come out of it and melt into each other on stage. The reason the hype of bloggers will be loitering around Shoreditch drinking expensive dodgy pints? Because of Binnacle.

Binnacle is a ‘micro-festival’. In the olden days it would be called ‘an all-dayer ’ but micro-festival sounds so much cooler doesn’t it? And let’s face it this is East London, so it has to sound cool otherwise it’s worthless and to be sneered at. It also bills itself a festival of ‘future-sounds’ which could almost be seen as ironic when you listen to some of the very old fashioned reference points some of the artists playing appear to be influenced by. As is fashionable in the blog-base world these days there’s lots of ambient / electronic acts playing and a fair few underground bands as well. Torches (who are appearing at Binnacle) sound a little bit like Wild Beasts covering Hurts whilst looking for the anti-depressants , or any cold faced band that wore a long grey overcoat in the 80’s. As terrible or amazing that sounds depending on your perspective, it’s actually pretty good.

Torches - Little Ice Age