The Verdict on Intimacy

HOT NEWS: After a lightening quick listen of Bloc Party's new album Intimacy upon it's release late on Thursday night, the early verdict is in. It is good. In fact, it is better than good. It's safe to say bawley's faith in Bloc Party has been restored. From the upbeat Trojan Horse to the aching lovesong Biko it is almost a perfect combination of Silent Alarm and A Weekend In The City proving that the mix of Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee working together is nothing but a good thing.

Mercury is the worst track on the album. What a relief.

Expect a blow by blow review from the bawley team in the days to come. We are sated.

The Golden Age

Mini Post: With new releases on the way from Bloc Party, Deerhunter, Mecruy Rev, and Deftones the next few months could be the beginning of the new Golden Age, or this could just be an excuse to post a link to the new TV on the Radio single Golden Age from the album Dear Science, due out on September 23rd.

Bloc Party share their 'Intimacy'.

So Bloc Party make the shock announcement that their new album will be made available this week as a cheap download only available from the band's website, before a physical version (with extra tracks) is released later on.

Did anyone say 'Radiohead'?

The album, called 'Intimacy' can be preordered from Bloc Party's website here. Half of it wass produced by 'Silent Alarm' producer Paul Epworth, with the other half (including recent disappointing single 'Mercury') was produced by 'A Weekend In The City' producer Jackknife Lee.

Bawley is currently hoping that it'll be at least half good.

More on that Choke soundtrack story

The press release for the Choke soundtrack features a song by song commentary by Choke's director/screenwriter Clark Gregg, which is worth reproducing in its entirety:

Ben Kweller - "The Rules"
Ben Kweller kicks ass. These lyrics feel like Victor Mancini's rowdy, pissed-off subtext. I love that it starts off the soundtrack with some slamming indie rock and that it comes in during the colonial village while we're looking at all the puffy shirts and bonnets.

The Natural History - "Don't You Ever" (rare)
I only found this band recently, but I listened to them all through post. Max Tepper's vocals are superb. I actually prefer this version to the one by Spoon and I'm a huge Spoon fan. The band broke up a few years ago. I'm going to picket their houses until they get back together.

Fiery Furnaces - "Navy Nurse"
This groove just takes your breath away.

Radiohead - "Reckoner"
Like most people, I am a huge Radiohead fan. The adaptation took me years to write so I wrote it first to Kid A, then Amnesiac and then Hail to the Thief. Later, I learned from Chuck Palahniuk that he had written the novel while listening to their song, "Creep." In Rainbows came out while we were editing and I used almost every track in my early temp cuts of the movie. They all fit really well, but I particularly loved "Reckoner." The tension between Thom Yorke's keening vocals and Phil Selway's brilliant, driving drum track fit so perfectly that it worked almost like score. I was truly dreading the day when we'd have to take it out. Somehow ATO Pictures producer, Johnathan Dorfman persuaded their manager to show the band some footage and to our shock they were generous enough to let us use the song. It's a monumental addition to the movie.

Alap Momin - "Sin Terror"
I love this jam. We needed music for the strip-club scenes and music supervisors Lyle Hysen and Ken Weinstein knew Alap Momin from the band Dälek and he was kind enough to cook this up just for the movie. He even tailored the tracks to the scenes. The driving discordant build they layered into this piece feels like it's feeding the tension between Denny and Victor.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Satan Said Dance"
I loved their first album and we needed something dark but not too heavy for Victor's sudden rollercoaster ride back to the dark side. Hysen and Weinstein pitched this song and when we saw it over the scene it was just right.

Buzzcocks - "Orgasm Addict" (rare)
This is the anthem. I sort of grew up loving The Buzzcocks, moshing my way through their songs in the East Village. I must have played it every day I was writing "Choke." I always thought we'd open the movie with it, but it didn't work out. In any case here is a cool alternate version with a more deadpan feel and at least it made it on to our soundtrack.

Death Cab For Cutie - "No Sunlight"
What can you say, they're just really, really good.

Blitzen Trapper - "Wicked" (unreleased)
We listened to a lot of Blitzen Trapper during the crazed five-week summer shoot. It just seemed to fit with spending your 18-hour days in a sweltering mental hospital. They've got some excellent chaos going on.Ms. Tyree Sugar Jones - "If You Feel It"This plays in another tricky scene where everything we tried felt wrong. And then I got turned on to the soulful sexy stylings of Ms. Tyree "Sugar" Jones. You put this on and you know some clothes are coming off.

My Morning Jacket - "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt 1"
We're all big Jacket fans. Listened to them constantly during the shoot. Very proud to have them on here.

Shout Out Louds - "Bicycle" (rare)
Nothing like a little kick ass Swedish indie rock. They're like The Shins' attitudinal Scandinavian cousins.

Twilight Singers - "There's Been An Accident"
One of the producers, Contrafilm's Beau Flynn, and I have been Greg Dulli fans for years. I listened to The Twilight Singers a lot when I was writing the script. The song is really moving in a haunting, portentous way that really works for the movie.

Nicole Atkins - "Crystal Ship" (unreleased)
Brilliant. She's got a great torchy, Peggy Lee sound with just enough tongue in cheek to feel like a perfect citizen of the Palahniuk world.

If the film's have as good as the soundrack, it'll be well worth a look.

Lies! Lies! Lies!

The Fine Print: Yesterday we were salivating over the prospect of Radiohead scoring the film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's Choke. - NOT TRUE.

Radiohead will be contributing Reckoner to the soundtrack but the film score has been put together by Nathan Larson, head to fasterlouder for full details.

MORE LIES - We were also off the mark with our Falls Festival MGMT predictions/wishes; The first line up announcement sans-MGMT can been seen here.

Choke on the Music of Radiohead

Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk has leaked news that Radiohead have composed the sound track for the movie adaptation of his novel Choke, staring Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston.

A public fan of Radiohead, Palahniuk told 6Music’s Shaun Keaveny:

“Clark Gregg, who directed the movie version of Choke, he knew that I’d written Choke while listening to Pablo Honey... So Clark got Radiohead to contribute a song...Apparently Radiohead liked the movie so much, they’ve written the score, ... So it’s ‘Choke – with the music of Radiohead’“

Choke is out later this year - watch the trailer here (featuring Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Satan Said Dance).

Movies of Palahniuk’s books have a history with alternative music: The Pixies’ Where is My Mind famously closed Fight Club which was otherwise scored by The Dust Brothers, and Nine Inch Nails have been linked to the still unfinished adaptation of Survivor.

What else has Palahniuk been up to? His latest novel Snuff is out now. It is the story of Cassie Wright, a porn priestess wanting to cap her legendary career with the world record for serial fornication.

Shock Me Like an Electric Eel: MGMT Tour Oz

MGMT have announced they will be taking their psychedelica filled live show down under, scheduling dates across Australian capital cities in December.

With Meredith and any number of other parties kicking off in December it would be way too soon to confirm Bawley’s previous hunch that MGMT will play the Falls Festival this NYE, but don’t rule it out.

Dates so far are:

Saturday 6 December-Perth
Belvoir Amphitheatrer
with Luke Steele, Tame Impala, Death Disco
SHOW TYPE: 18+

Tuesday 9 December -Sydney
Enmore Theatre
with Luke Steele, Tame Impala
SHOW TYPE: All Ages

Wednesday 10 December - Brisbane
The Tivoli
with Luke Steele, Tame Impala
SHOW TYPE: 18+

Thursday 11 December - Melbourne
The Palace
with Luke Steele, Tame Impala
SHOW TYPE: 18+

On sale 19th August or presale here.