It's no secret that we're big fans of the tweet machine here at iknowasong.com and it's common knowledge that when you ask you will receive - oh yes, we do requests... Here's a few choons to say thank you. Don't hesitate to tweet us --> https://twitter.com/#!/weknowasong

I had to chuck this video on here, I loved it! And from what I hear, it's popular amongst the followers... Now for some tunes;

Soulja Boy - My City

It's not 'rack city' but I like it just as much... Big up the Gotta Dance Dirty team for getting this out.

Tommy Trash - Cascade

THIS IS THE BEST TRACK I'VE HEARD IN TIIIIME!! Electro / house fans will love this - I've loved everything that Tommy has put out but this is a standout - it is really, really classy.

Vaski - Hardstyle

Erm dubstep yes... I like dubstep! Big up the boys at daftwho.com for this.

Chipmunk - Woo Freestyle

I can't say I was taken by any of that 'oopsy daisy' stuff but at the end of the day, it's tracks like these which make sure that not a bad word is said against this man...

Twitter fans give us a holla! Let us know what you fancy. Enjoy. Tree Boy xoxoxoxo

Unfortunately they didn’t make it to number 1 in the UK album chart, but 4th is not bad for such an un-mainstream act such as Enter Shikari. I can imagine that some of the sales were from people jumping on the band wagon, which is fair enough, but I really can’t see how those people alone would drag them so far up the charts. There are too many people that would surely hate this kind of music; therefore you have to conclude that it is the sheer fan base that has propelled them so high up the charts.

Constantly pushing the boundaries of post hardcore and all genres really when you look at the instruments used and the sounds produced by them,
I’m not even sure that you can stick a label on this band, and I don’t think
that you should. 

I’m not being biased; they are one of my favourite bands and have been since they essentially changed my musical life when I first heard them in
2006. Back then they were changing things, and they have continued to evolve over the next 6 years. They have gone from mixing their heavy rock with dance to mixing it with the ever popular dub step sounds, they have moved well with the times. If you think that the album versions are too heavy for you, then I wouldn’t suggest seeing them live. I’ve seen them live about five times and from their live show you can tell why they have been such a hit across the pond as well. Their music is so energetic and their live shows transcend that, if it’s possible. 

Enough of me blabbing on about how much I adore this band, let’s get down to ‘AFFOC’ itself. It is very much politically based, in terms of lyrics, this is something that has crept into their music over recent times and it is now the dominant topic. Again this shows how up to date the band are, not just in the style of music but the content on which it is based. 

The album opens with a bang, you can see how the opening skit ‘System…’ is going to work live, as it gently builds and builds before the first full song
‘…Metldown’ begins. This is followed up by the very aggressive single ‘Sssnakepit ‘.

The political and social themes are in abundance in the songs ‘Search Party’and ‘Gandhi mate, Gandhi’, which call for real social and political change, something that I think a lot of people can relate to at the moment. This really is an album for the people, it’s not full of love songs and that crap that we get from a lot of acts, pop and rock alike, it touches on a lot of very poignant subjects. 

I guess you can take it either way; you can argue that it’s a bit pretentious and why should we care what their opinion is? But I think it’s good for a band like this to voice an opinion, not to make youths angry and hate the world… (we’re not emo anymore) but to send a message to their ever growing fan
base through their music.

It’s very much a fuck you to governments around the world, touching on subjects from social unemployment to climate change. (yes the subject matter is heavy as well)

It depends how you want to listen to an album like this, you get taken in by the lyrics or you can get caught up the musicality of it, enjoying the heavy rock / dub-step through to the chilled ballads such as‘stalemate’. Again I think that it is good for an album to have these two factors, it gives it depth and longevity. Long live Shikari.

But enough from me, if you haven’t gone out already and bought this, and you are a fan, shame on you. If you are only just hearing of this band and fancy something new, then get ready for a musical revolution. 
 

Cheers.

Vizzle.

A new week, a new song of the week, although much like last week - we have an emotional number for you.

If you were reading iknowasong.com back in early 2011 you might remember me tipping James Blake's self titled debut album as a future contender for album of the year. I'm certainly not saying it was my endorsement that led to it, but James Blake became an international star last year pioneering his unique twisted, girthy, dubstep music with fine vocals to boot. "The Wilhelm Scream" was certainly an album highlight.

You may also recall that James Blake was very anti-remix. He openly confessed that he'd refused offers from various producers wanting to remix his work because the songs were simply what they were. And I applaud that sentiment, don't fix it if it's not broken and all that. But James' theory surely can't withstand this remix from Gina Turner - this is the one good reason I've found for bootlegging James Blake. It picks up the tempo of the original but not so much that it loses meaning - and this I like. It's moody, emotional, but carries that subtle house flavour that inevitably makes the track more listenable. And by that I mean you have to be in a certain frame of mind to really enjoy James' album, whereas Gina Turner's remix suffers no such minor flaw. This track will inevitably crawl its way up my playlist. 

Growing up in the New York club scene, Turner describes her sets as miminal techno and plays her house 4/4. That's not a field I'd readily associate with female DJ's but she's by no means a new girl on the block having already collaborated with the likes of laidback luke. Now based in LA Gina dj's for 3 radio shows and is turning her attention to production. We look forward to hearing a lot more of this. Enjoy. Tree Boy xoxoxoxo 

And for those of you interested in catching the stunning original from James Blake, check out the video below; 

And here's a taste of what many would say was Blake's best work (although don't forget it's a cover of the Feist track!)...

I'm not sure that 'song of the WEEK' does this justice. This could be a lifetime musical highlight for me.

Matt performed this track live on Triple J radio yesterday and it overloaded the text line of the international radio station with people saying things like 'I've had to pull over on the side of the road because I started crying', 'it's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard', 'this song has restored my faith in music'. 

I don't think for one minute that any of those comments are simple hyperbole. I too was driving when Matt played this, and the butterflies it gave me were akin to those I only get when I hear something truly special. For me personally, it was a reminder that the purpose of listening to new music is to find an artist like this.

What really gave this track the edge was the timid nature of Matt recounting the heartbreaking story that inspired the song. Matt admits that he doesn't make a habit of discussing the orgins of this track (as becomes apparent in the video below) as he doesn't feel that it's right to capitalise on an event which has upset him so much. However he did open up to breakfast show hosts Tom & Alex (the clip of which you can listen to below) claiming that the song is about a fight between him and his closest friend, and how much he regrets everything that he did, and what's worse - this argument remains unresolved and his friend probably has no idea that this song is for him. And so the track is aptly titled 'Brother'... 

I think fans of artists such as 'Mumford & Sons' or 'Black Keys' will fall in love with Matt. Fans of Mumford & Sons especially so because Ben Lovett from that band, who runs the UK indie label 'Communion', signed Matt whilst he was based in London working in coffee shops. The track also has that crescendo finish which many people will associate with Mumford's biggest hits.

You'll get much more of a feel for what this track is about by playing this short clip from Triple J radio;

And without further ado I provide you with the track which Triple J have podcasted, for your listening pleasure;

And if you fancy listening to Matt's cover of the Black Keys track 'Lonely Boy' you can get it here;

And if you'd like to find out more about Matt, download some of his tracks for free and purchase his EP 'into the flame' which has now gone gold in Australia, visit his site here.  

And just for luck, here's an audio clip of the track 'Brothers' with full instrumentation which you can expect on the EP... Enjoy this. Tree Boy xoxoxox

I had to upload this video, it's jokes, and I think you'll all love it. Set for release on the monster 'Mad Decent' label this 24th Jan, Rusko delivers with this track...

Enjoy. Tree Boy xoxoxo

Fourteen more bands added to the Download line up

''This is the news you’ve been waiting for all year! You wanted more bands added to the Download 2012 line up – and we went and added a bunch. Fourteen, to be precise. All of them true behemoths, set to blow your MIND at Donington in June!

Subbing our headliners on the 2012 bill are none other than Electronic / Dubstep duo Chase and Status, who will play on Friday just before The Prodigy hit the stage, with Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro returning to Donington for the 5th time on the Saturday ahead of Metallica’s prolific return to the hallowed turf.

Chris Cornell and the rest of Soundgarden play Donington for the first time EVER on the Sunday, taking to the Main Stage just before Black Sabbath’s headline set.

“We are beyond psyched to play Download 2012,” said Matt from the band. “It will be a huge year for the band and what better way to celebrate than bring it all to our UK family at Download. See you there!”

Also revealed in this announcement are Machine Head, Tenacious D and You Me At Six, PLUS we’ve also added the likes of Trivum, Lamb of God and DevilDriver to the line up too.

You’ve also got The Devin Townsend Project, reformed UK rockers Little Angels, thrash icons, Anthrax, as well as Ugly Kid Joe and August Burns Red, completing what is an announcement of epic proportions.

Sounds like it’s going to be a heavy one. See you in June.

Posted on Monday 16 January 2012''

(Downloadfestival.co.uk)

Tenacious D alone means I will be making the trip to Donnington Park for the first time this year.

What does everyone else think?

2011 was a good year for electro, you only have to click through our archives to hear it for yourself. That said, I'm sure 2012 can top it, with festival season just starting over here in Oz land, all the club heads have got reasons to be cheerful - and here's a few more; free electro /house downloads. Enjoy! Tree Boy xoxoxox

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Dream On

Possibly not the most appropriate post to start the year as TEED has just cancelled his Australian tour! That means festival-goers will miss the UK producer at Falls, Southbound and Field Day. But the good news is he's on a headline UK tour in February, plans to come back to Oz in late 2012 AND has produced this track; 

Treasure Fingers - Take My Hand

A lovely bit of disco house here from the Atlanta producer Ashley Jones. Seriously, this guy has put out some massive releases but still seems very US-centric. That's despite him remixing the likes of Chromeo and Miike Snow and is getting front page coverage on 'Dj' magazine... If you're not into this guy in a big way yet, we'll be doing our best to change that.

Chris Lake - Sundown (Lazy Rich Remix)

Scottish producer Chris Lake was there very near the beginning of my electro obsession with his 2006 track 'Changes'. The guy's gone on to do huge things, he's putting out remixes for the likes of Lady Gaga nowadays and runs the two labels 'rising stars' and 'rising trax'... Not a lot has changed since back then, I still love what he's putting out...

Bingo Players vs. Daft Punk - Rattlogic

A bit of fun to end things off, I actually really like this as far Daft Punk bootlegs go, it's gonna be a guilty listen this one! Laters.

We are getting closer to the release of Young Guns second album on the 6th of February, but fortunately for us they released the video for their second single yesterday. The single is 'Bones' which is also the title of the album. 

The band explained on Twitter yesterday that they were very proud of how the video turned out. For me it is very similar to their other videos, they never seem to have much narrative and essentially just show them playing the song. I guess there is no problem with that and the song itself is what you want to listen too. 

So 'Bones' as a song is classic Young Guns, a rock ballad with a hard hitting chorus that you really want to sing along to. Heavy riffs that entwine perfectly with the vocals.

Anywho I will let you all be the judge of the video and the single. 

For more info on Young Guns head to;

http://www.facebook.com/#!/younggunsuk
https://twitter.com/#!/YoungGunsUK

Cheers.
Vizzle. 
 

We're taking the liberty of giving you all something to unwind with. Relax & enjoy. Tree Boy xoxoxoxo

Real Estate - It's Real

Hailing from New Jersey, this 5-piece were picked up a few years back by Pitchfork media. This track is fit-for-all, it's a must-download! Fans of Fleet Foxes or Local Natives ought to like this especially.

Is it wrong to put Alex Winston tracks up time and time again so we can re-use this same picture? I don't think so, and I'm sure you'll agree after downloading this lovely number...

Mansions on the Moon - Leaves Fall

I love this. You might not want to play this if you're already upset, but it's a perfect track to lament with, reminisce to, maybe even cheer you up, who knows - But I'm sure you'll find a use for this, and use it over and over again. Great track.

The Decemberists - January Hymn

From one of the defining albums of 2011 'the King is Dead', the Decemberists deliver a track here which is perfect for this time of year in every sense. You may detect hints of an old acoustic Greenday track with this, and it may just provide that little bit of escapism you need as you settle into to 2012.   

Miike Snow - Devil's Work

Miike Snow are a team fave here at ikas.com, we cannot wait for their second album 'Happy to You!!!' to drop this March 26 on the guys own record label INGRID founded with fellow Swedes Lykke Li, Dungen & Peter Bjorn and John. This track is a radio rip that should feature on the LP but the band are keeping cards close to their chest stating that 'there will be no information on track listings, singles, or anything involving the Devil's Work'. If the tracks are half as good as this, and any of the tracks on the guys debut self-titled EP, we will be loving it!

A filthy new year to you all. The year 2012 is the year of WUBWUBWUB FILTH at iknowasong.com! Get into it... 

Excision & Downlink - Crowd Control

This was a recommended download from the boys at daftwho.com - couldn't agree more

Foreign Beggars - Contact (Trolley Snatcha Remix)

One of the biggest tracks for me last year - this went off...

Bassnectar & Jantsen - Red Step

It's Bassnectar - we need know no more.

Sub Focus ft. Kenzie May - Falling Down

Are we not pulling out the stops today?! We've got all the big names for you eh - this track has quickly become one of my all time faves from Sub Focus.

Skrillex & Feed Me - Loud Noises

We had to end this post, and start the ikas.com 2012 dubstep instalments with two of the filthiest producers on Earth sampling the film 'Anchorman'. I am teetering on the verge of falling out of love with Skrillex, but I'm consciously trying to avoid becoming a dubstep snob, a dubsnob - (I'm coining that, p.s.) but this track rekindles our passion for now. The quality is bad (sound wise as opposed to content wise this time) and so my apologies... Much Love.