Comment: Make This Work - Magistrates

It's only electronic in the sense that some of the intruments are plugged in, but fuck it, absolutely nothing is pleasing BlackPlastic as much right now as a four piece from Essex known as The Magistrates.  'Make This Work' is like Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together' but made in 2008 by a bunch of skinny white british kids and it makes BlackPlastic want to tear off his clothes and go skinny dipping in a lake on a beautiful summer's day.

What's more these fucking crazy kids give you all this FREE... Just sign up for some spam at http://www.magistratesband.com/ and you'll get the track plus an acapella for nada.  If you're prescious about you email address and don't take BP's word on the value here head over to the band's MySpace to preview the goodness.

BP x

Comment: Hadouken! don't give a damn about their friends...

Hadouken took an innovative step when they launched their 'Aerials' members club earlier this year - £24 got you an advance download of the album, a limited edition physical release, a t-shirt, discounted merchandise, competitions and access to ALL (yes ALL) of the remixes and b-sides that for the album.

Except it didn't.

Many didn't get the t-shirts for ages... Some still not at all... And no-one got all of the remixes with the sought after remixes to 'Declaration of War' never getting distributed.

BlackPlastic doesn't think this is cool and so, until this is resolved, they won't be covered here.

If you're going to invite your fans to be your friends don't turn around and mug them.

And labels wonder why people pirate...

BP x

Comment: Close to the edge...

The Roots are without doubt one of Hip-Hop's greats - principally a live band and when BlackPlastic says live, it means it: If you have never listened to a Roots record they are a revelation - live instruments stand in for the DJ that stands in for live instruments on most hip-hop records and the Things Fall Apart album is easily one of the best records of all time.

Please take a minute to read this article over at The Guardian - it basically sounds like they're getting fucked by the label. There's a first folks.

Please don't let a great band die - the new album Rising Down is out on Monday. Why not lay down a tenner on it and help sustain something great? And whilst you're at it pick-up Things Fall Apart and Phrenology - you'll thank us.

BP x

Feeling Feisty - Van She remix 'out there'

Every now and again you hear a track and you like it. You like it so much you have to cheekily skip back to the beginning once it ends. This happens to BlackPlastic 2.23 times a week.

Every now and again a track fulfills the above requirement but you also find whenever you get in your car you just have to stick this tune on before playing anything else. This happens to BlackPlastic 1.45 times a month.

Every now and again you find a track so utterly delicious you can't help but play it again and again. You want to subject everyone you know to it. You want to hear it as soon as you get up, you want it to be the last thing you hear at night. You want to make it your mobile ringtone but you'd never be able to answer your phone again because you wouldn't want to stop the sound. This hardly ever happens.

Ladies and Gentlemen, go forth and listen to the Van She remix of Feist's 1234.

Brilliant, no? This sounds like about four of your favourite songs playing at once and yet it still sounding right. It is dripping in summer. It makes BlackPlastic's heart flutter.

Enjoy.

P.S. If you like this check out the Postal Service remix of 'Mushaboom' (covered by BlackPlastic here). Also shell out some cash on Van She's gorgeous 'Kelly', it's on eMusic and probably iTunes.

Comment: Everything is beautiful again

BlackPlastic is suffering from man-flu but has been pondering the fact that music is once again more exciting than it has been in years. Not since 2003 have things felt so positive. Even the over-rated bands ('Hi there Klaxons!') aren't half bad.

This week BlackPlastic has been getting excited about:

1. The Teenagers. This shit is beautiful. A Wonderful mix of lo-fi post-punk wobbly-ness and nu-rave attitude. They'll own the world one day, mark my words. Go over to Hype Machine and check out the ice-cold 'Homecoming' and the heart stopping 'Starlett Johansson' (you're no-one unless some random band has written a song in your honour these days). The Teenager's MySpace.
2. New Young Pony Club. They may have had their slutty sounds all over Intel in their recent ad but BlackPlastic still loves them. New album Fantastic Playroom is out soon and there should be a review shortly. New Wave Nu Rave is so hot right now. New Young Pony Club MySpace.
   
3. Mr Derry. No real idea what this is about but it dropped through BlackPlastic's letter box a few weeks ago and their single Goodnight/Beasts and Pearls is out soon. It's good ol' Rock 'n' Roll in the vein of The Kills and when the sun is beating down it sounds freaking awesome. If BlackPlastic worked in TV advertising and had a hip young mobile brand or something 'Goodnight' would get picked up quick smart.
4. Shy Child. After releasing the enjoyable One With The Sun album a year or two back Shy Child have returned with Noise Won't Stop which features a couple of tracks from their debut re-tooled and upgraded (obviously their sleeper hit 'Noise Won't Stop', formerly with a 'the', is one of those cuts). One With The Sun reminds BlackPlastic of the chaotic and frenetic energy of the sorely missed Test Icicles. Album out now, review soon. Shy Child MySpace.
5. Everything else: Ed Banger still banging; Indietastic discovering this absolute gem of a track by Spoon - spooky electronics abound; new Interpol material and remixes of Rihanna that go off like a flash-bomb.