Two French Robots and a Black Guy walk into a bar....

No, this is not the set up for classic 'walked into a bar' based racism, it is the latest Adidas Originals World Cup advertisement.

Watch as Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg, Ian Brown, David Beckham and one of the guys from Oasis are transported into the Star Wars cantina scene.



While rap fans should enjoy seeing The Doggfather do some damage with a lightsaber, football fans will love the line, to David Beckham

He [Jabba The Hut] saw you play a long time ago for a Galaxy far, far away.

This is Happening: LCD Soundsystem release final album

This is Happening is LCD Soundsystem's first album of new music since 2007's massively successful Sound of Silver, and it is also reported to be the last album they will ever release.

Album opener Dance Yrself Clean starts with three minutes of quiet insecurities sung over pitter-patter rhythms, before... (Spoiler Alert, skip the next few lines if you have not heard this track) ...the beat drops, the synthesizers turn up to eleven and everything goes mental. Yes, this album is going to be great.

Lead single Drunk Girls has been described as "Drunk North American Girls Are Playing at My House", clever (yeah?) and probably fair as the track is not particularly original and by far the album's weakest moment.

The mid section of the album is rock solid: I Can Change is full of swirl-in-your-head pop, Pow Pow is dance funk at its best, while One Touch is never enough. On You Wanted a Hit, front man James Murphy sings "We don't do hits" but I don't believe that for a second. This is Happening is 100% hits.

LCD Soundsystem have never hidden their musical influences and where previous albums used late 70's post punk as a reference point This is Happening goes a step further. Blatantly borrowing from David Bowie (Heroes) and Iggy Pop (Nightclubbing) on All I Want and Somebody's Calling Me respectively.

Epic closer Home layers percussion on beat on percussion on beat, like much of the album the effect is simple and repetitive but far from boring.

If This Is Happening is to be LCD Soundsystem's final album it is a more than fitting farewell.

How To Destroy Angels

Reviews can wait: Surely I am not really back on Bawley until I have written my first Nine Inch Nails related post.

Last year Nine Inch Nails played their final tour. At the time front man Trent Reznor did not rule out working on new Nine Inch Nails material but said to expect some new non-NIN stuff. Now, he has teamed up with his wife Mariqueen Maandig and longtime Nine Inch Nails collaborator Atticus Ross to form How To Destroy Angels.

A few mp3s have already started circulating the interwebs and there is more to come. On June 1st How To Destroy Angels will release their debut EP as a free download - better if you pre-order from howtodestroyangels.com as you will get an advance copy of EP track The Believers.

If you want to know more about the band you can ask them yourself via facebook/howtodestroyangels or check out a complete deconstruction of how a How To Destroy Angels song is made courtesy of Wired Magazine. (The iPad version of the magazine also has an interactive element. Eds Note: this probably the only useful thing I have heard you can do with an iPad)

Back in the Game

I have been busy of late but between a intercontinental house move, a month long walk across Patagonia, sudden catastrophic laptop failure, and my increasingly desperate attempt to find a house, I have had plenty of time to listen to new music.

Sadly, plenty of time to listen does not mean plenty of time to update Bawley.

The next few weeks will be catch up time, come back for reviews of:

• Hot Chip - One Life Stand
• Massive Attack - Heligoland
• Delphic - Acolyte
• LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
• Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
• Josh Pyke - Live in Bristol
• Deftones - Diamond Eyes
• Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
• The National - High Violet

The early word is that 2010 is becoming the awesome year we all hoped it would.

Would you watch 1000s of sad men pleasure themselves for some new Holy F**k?

Holy Fuck's new single Latin America is streaming on random internet chat sensation Chatroulette, you just have to find it - Next.

R.I.P. Sparklehorse

Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse has taken his own life. His family has released a statement saying,

"It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There's a heaven and there's a star for you."

Linkous who has been releasing wonderful alt-blues records under the name Sparklehorse since 1995 was also a keen collaborator working with Fennesz, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits and of course Danger Mouse on last years Dark Night Of The Soul.

In unrelated (and infinitely more positive) news EMI have announced that Dark Night Of The Soul will get an official release in the middle of the year.

God Save 6Music

This morning The Times reported that two of the BBC’s digital radio stations 6Music and The Asian Network will be shut down as part of corporation wide cut backs.

Scriptwriter, journalist, broadcaster and sometimes 6Music DJ Andrew Collins put together this great piece covering the reasons behind any closure and why the loss of 6Music (and The Asian Network) is bad news for everyone.

Just some of what we will all be missing if 6Music were to close down.

• Little Boots and Gary Numan
• The Adam and Joe Podcast
• Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service, and
  
• the most diverse playlist of any station anywhere (listen online)