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Best Music 2011: Gym Class Heroes Pick Their Favorite Album Of The Year

Becky Bain — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:00:17 +0000

We’ve had the honor of Patrick Stump, Ellie Goulding, Skylar Grey and Oh Land treating us with their picks for the year’s best music, and now Travie McCoy and Matt McGinley of Gym Class Heroes tell us which albums made their 2011 totally rock. It goes without saying that this year was a big one for Gym Class Heroes — after taking a break so that McCoy could drop his solo LP, Lazarus, the hip-pop-rap group returned to release The Papercut Chronicles II, scoring a Top 10 hit with their single “Stereo Hearts”, which has a permanent spot on our stereo.

So what killer tunes did Travie and Matt love the most from the past 12 months? Jump below to find out.

Matt kept it in the Fueled By Ramen family when picking his favorite album — The Swellers’ Good For Me. “It feels like a genuine reproduction of a band I would have loved in high school,” he tells us. “Right now, they’re one of the bands that’s interesting me the most.”

As for Travie, he was a huge fan of Submarine, an EP from Arctic Monkeys member Alex Turner — particularly the track “Stuck On A Puzzle”. “From a lyricist standpoint, he’s just so straightforward with his lyrics,” he says. “There’s no tricks — everything is so relatable.”

Did you also get caught up with The Swellers’ and Alex Turner’s tunes? And did Gym Class Heroes’ latest LP make your year spin? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Twitter and Facebook!

Gym Class Heroes’ The Papercut Chronicles II is out now on Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen. Purchase it on eMusic.

Fire Caused By UK Riots Destroys Stock Owned By Adele’s Label And Other Indies

Robbie Daw — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:20:53 +0000

A fire caused by rioters in the London, England, borough of Enfield has swept through a warehouse holding stock owned by many of the country’s independent labels and destroyed the goods. The BBC reports that the building is owned by Sony DADC and is the main headquarters for Pias, the UK’s biggest distributor of indie music — including, says NME, the labels XL Recordings (Adele, M.I.A.), Domino (Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys) and Wall Of Sound (Röyksopp, Penguin Prison).

Pias issued the following statement: “Pias is working closely with Sony DADC who are implementing their emergency plans. Pias’s UK offices in London and all other areas of our business are unaffected.”

This morning, Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos tweeted, “Thoughts go out to all the labels who have lost their stock in Pias fire.”

Violent rioting broke out in London on Saturday following last Thursday’s police shooting of Mark Duggan, 27, in the ethnically diverse suburb of Tottenham, as Duggan was seated in a taxi cab.

CNN reports that officers from a metro police unit that deals with gun crime stopped the cab during an attempted arrest, and shots were fired soon after. London police have said the resulting rioting and looting in other parts of the city were “copycat” events carried out by opportunists and criminals.

“This is not about the black community and the police, it’s about young people and the police,” said a statement circulated by the office of London Mayor Boris Johnson. “And let’s not beat around the bush and pretend this is some type of social justice protest — it’s sheer criminality.”

About 525 people have been arrested so far since the violence started rolling out over the weekend.

The Arctic Monkeys Emerge From The Hype Machine, Slightly Scarred

Maura — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:56 +0000

Our look at the closing lines of the week’s biggest new-music reviews continues with a roundup of reactions to Humbug, the third album by onetime Next Big British Things the Arctic Monkeys:

• “Turner’s gift for the telling detail remains acute, especially in ‘Cornerstone,’ where his ex appears like a mirage in every pub he trolls. The band in many ways is playing better than ever, with guitarist Jamie Cook trying out plenty of new voicings and drummer Matt Helders expertly navigating the zig-zag turns in the arrangements. But there’s a problem when the tangents are more plentiful and intriguing than the melodies. On Humbug, texture and atmosphere trump tempo and tunes — and not always for the best.” [Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune]

• ”Humbug isn’t better than either of its predecessors, but it expands the group’s range and makes me curious where it might go next. It also demonstrates a great deal of staying power for a band that could have imploded before it ever got this far.” [Joe Tangari, Pitchfork]

• “So there you go. Humbug is a pretty good album that’s pleasingly incongruous amongst the pre-fab boredom of much modern Brit indie. It’s eminently not astounding but it is inventive, and likeably so. Re-insert into the context of once-megaselling band Arctic Monkeys’ career, worry about notions of perversity, bravery, what this all means and how this will affect their futures and it’s a bit of a headfuck. Isolate and you have an entertaining record; let’s maybe just content ourselves with that.” [Andrezj Lukowski, Drowned In Sound]

• “If ‘My Propeller’ was the foreboding opening overture, then ‘The Jeweller’s Hand’ is its fellow bookend. The trip is over. But rather than the veil of madness lifting, we follow the piper’s tune over the hills into Mad Land. ‘A procession of pioneers’ proffers Turner, pausing again mid-sentence with priestly authority as the ground gives way beneath us, ‘all drowned.’ Well, of course they did, you cynical bastards. No-one gets out alive in the Arctics’ world. They’re fatalistic, smirking sceptics who’ll never, ever take the soft option. They’re exactly the sort of rock’n’roll band you shouldn’t put your life in the hands of. And that’s exactly why you should love them even more.” [Gavin Haynes, NME]

Reading And Leeds Try To Keep Things Current

Maura — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:30:00 +0000

Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Fall Out Boy, the Prodigy, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are among the acts playing this year’s Reading and Leeds Festivals, the twinned festivals that will be held in the UK during the last weekend of August. The Guardian notes that unlike other outdoor extravaganzas in the UK, Reading and Leeds are not sowing the oats of nostalgia, picking for its headliners acts that have actually had albums come out during the latter half of the ’00s. Progress sure looks funny these days! Full bills after the jump.

Reading Aug. 28 / Leeds Aug. 30:
Kings of Leon
Kaiser Chiefs
Placebo
Fall Out Boy
Deftones
Funeral for a Friend

Reading Aug. 29 / Leeds Aug. 28:
Arctic Monkeys
The Prodigy
Maximo Park
Ian Brow
The Courteeners
Enter Shikari
Eagles of Death Metal

Reading Aug. 30 / Leeds Aug. 29:
Radiohead
Bloc Party
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Vampire Weekend
Brand New

NME Radio 1 Stage (no dates yet)
Gossip
Glasvegas
Jamie T
AFI
White Lies
Friendly Fires
Gallows
The Maccabees
Florence and the Machine
The Gaslight Anthem

Reading and Leeds headiners announced [Guardian]

The “NME” Will Not Let You Forget That It Loves (And Loves To Hate) Oasis

Maura — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:30:00 +0000

Nominations for the NME’s annual addition to the bonfire of British awards shows, the Shockwave Awards, were announced today, with longtime darlings Oasis scoring seven nods—including a Worst Band nomination—and Arctic Monkeys/Last Shadow Puppets frontman Alex Turner amassing six. Of course, the biggest belly-laughs come in the Hero and Villain of the Year categories. The lights of positivity in the NME’s world are Turner, the Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Brit comedian Noel Fielding, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher… and Barack Obama, while the big bad guys (and gal) are Amy Winehouse, George W. Bush, Gordon Brown, John McCain, and Pete Doherty. (Obama, sadly, is the only Hero contender who didn’t also get a “Best Dressed” nod; he’s replaced in that category by some British “it girl” who isn’t Kate Moss or Sienna Miller.) Full slate of nominees after the jump.

Best British Band
Bloc Party
The Last Shadow Puppets
Muse
Oasis
Radiohead

Best International Band
Crystal Castles
The Killers
Kings Of Leon
MGMT
Vampire Weekend

Best Solo Artist
Ladyhawke
Laura Marling
Lightspeed Champion
Jay-Z
Pete Doherty

Best New Band
Glasvegas
Late Of The Pier
MGMT
Vampire Weekend
White Lies

Best Live Band
The Killers
Kings Of Leon
Muse
Oasis
Radiohead

Best Album
Bloc Party, Intimacy
Glasvegas
The Killers, Day & Age
Kings Of Leon, Only By The Night
Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul

Best Track supported by NME Radio
Kings Of Leon, “Sex On Fire”
The Last Shadow Puppets, “The Age Of The Understatement”
MGMT, “Time To Pretend”
The Ting Tings, “That’s Not My Name”
Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”

Best Video
The Last Shadow Puppets, “My Mistakes Were Made For You”
Late Of The Pier, “Heartbreak”
Oasis, “The Shock Of The Lightning”
Radiohead, “House Of Cards”
Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”

Best Live Event
Glastonbury
Isle Of Wight
Reading and Leeds
T In The Park
V Festival

Best TV Show
Gavin & Stacey
The IT Crowd
The Mighty Boosh
Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Skins

Best Film
The Dark Knight
Juno
Quantum Of Solace
Twilight
Wall-E

Best Dancefloor Filler
Bloc Party, “Mercury”
Crystal Castles, “Courtship Dating”
Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris, “Dance Wiv Me”
Friendly Fires, “Paris”
Late Of The Pier, “‘Bathroom Gurgle”

Best DVD
Arctic Monkeys, At The Apollo
Foo Fighters, Live At Wembley Stadium
Kaiser Chiefs, Live At Elland Road
Muse, HAARP
The Rolling Stones, Shine A Light

Hero Of The Year
Alex Turner
Barack Obama
Brandon Flowers
Noel Fielding
Noel Gallagher

Villain Of The Year
Amy Winehouse
George Bush
Gordon Brown
John McCain
Pete Doherty

Best Dressed
Alex Turner
Alexa Chung
Brandon Flowers
Noel Fielding
Noel Gallagher

Worst Dressed
Amy Winehouse
Brandon Flowers
Johnny Borrell
Katy Perry
Pete Doherty

Worst Album
Britney Spears, Circus
Coldplay, Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer
Razorlight, Slipway Fires
Scouting For Girls, Scouting For Girls

Worst Band
Fall Out Boy
Jonas Brothers
Oasis
Scouting for Girls
Tokio Hotel

Sexiest Male
Carl Barat
Keith Murray
Matt Bellamy
Miles Kane
Pete Doherty

Sexiest Female
Alison Mosshart
Hayley Williams
Kate Jackson
Lykke Li
Stephanie Dosen

Best Website
Bebo
Facebook
Last.fm
MySpace
YouTube

Best Venue
Brixton Academy
Manchester Apollo
London Astoria
Glasgow Barrowlands
London O2 Arena

Best Album Artwork
The Cure, 4:13 Dream
Guillemots, Red
The Killers, Day & Age
Muse, HAARP
We Are Scientists, Brain Thrust Mastery

Best Band Blog
Foals
Lightspeed Champion
Little Boots
Noel Gallagher/Oasis
Radiohead

Shockwaves NME Awards 2009 Nominations [NME]

The NME Awards USA Are Not Over For Some

anthonyjmiccio — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:00:00 +0000

How could we allow this to happen in America? The Klaxons have been accused of keeping an award won by the Arctic Monkeys at the NME Awards USA last month. The Next Big Things behind “Fluorescent Adolescent” couldn’t make it out to the LA event, so a Klaxon and Mark Ronson ambushed the stage when model Agyness Deyn announced the Monkeys had won Best “International” Album, swiping the trophy and shouting “We’re up for it and we’re having a laugh!” When I ask how could this happen in America, I’m not saying we don’t allow people to jump the stage at award shows. I’m noting that an stateside award ceremony controversy involving Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Mark Ronson, and a model named Agyness Deyn obviously breaks the Third Amendment. Throw a Shawn Colvin or a Kanye in that mix, NME, or keep it on your damn island.

Arctic Monkeys, winners of the Best International Album at the NME Awards USA, are yet to get their trophy back from Klaxons.

The Sheffield band were unable to attend the Los Angeles ceremony last month, so Jamie Reynolds from Klaxons got up onstage and swiped Arctic Monkeys’ award from model Agyness Deyn when it was handed out (pictured).

Alex Turner and co have yet to be handed their award, and Reynolds caused further confusion on the night (April 23) by jokingly telling NME.COM that Klaxons’ 2007 debut album ‘Myths Of The Near Future’ deserved the prize more than ‘Famous Worst Nightmare’.

“Are you telling me that their second album is better than our first?” he asked during an interview on the night.

No, we’re telling you we don’t care! Until a British act writes a hit ballad, they are not allowed to caper and cavort at award ceremonies on this side of the Atlantic (Franz Ferdinand are the exception that proves the rule). If you like, you may play a handful of industry-heavy live dates in major metropolitan areas, as a full-scale tour is rather tiring for you English scamps. But get that visa early. We’re watching you.

Arctic Monkeys still missing their NME Award USA [NME]
John Ashcroft [YouTube]

Jess Harvell — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:45:11 +0000

What we’re currently missing at this evening’s Brit Awards thanks to the almost-up-to-the-minute magic of the Guardian’s (snoozy) liveblog: “20.10: Despite actually showing up this year, and doing so in fancy dress, Take That just won Best Live Act over the Arctic Monkeys.” Ah, sweet justice. [Guardian]

Liner Notes: The Verve Continue To Vex

Brian Raftery — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:00:20 +0000

- The Verve is reuniting, with a few catches: Guitarist Simon Tong will not be performing, and on select dates, Richard Ashcroft will be replaced by John Ashcroft. [NME]
- Lily Allen, Dizzee Rascal and members of both Klaxons and Arctic Monkeys have joined up to form a supergroup, tentatively named Temple Of The Snog. [MTV UK]
- “Squirrel Nut Zippers Mulling Reunion Album.” Stop mulling! For God’s sake, STOP MULLING! [Billboard]

How High Will The Arctic Monkeys Climb On The Charts?

Maura — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 05:00:08 +0000

The Arctic Monkeys’ Favourite Worst Nightmare is making history on the charts across the pond, and it’s currently at No. 3 on the US edition of iTunes and No. 6 on Amazon. But will US audiences’ recent warming-up to Brit artists like Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen translate to a big first-week tally for the NME darlings?

Arctic Monkeys Climbing All Over The British Charts

Maura — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:15:38 +0000

Thanks to the new rule governing the UK charts that counts single-song downloads alongside “proper” single releases–and the fact that the singles charts across the pond count 200 tracks, instead of the States’ paltry 100–the Arctic Monkeys are on the cusp of making chart history once again. Every song from the NME darlings’ new album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, is set to make its mark on the UK singles chart:

The midweek sales figures show that 10 tracks from Favourite Worst Nightmare, released this Monday, are already in the top 75, while the remaining two – The Bad Thing and If You Were There, Beware – are at 77 and 114 respectively.

If the chart placings hold until the weekend, the Monkeys will claim the record for the most tracks on the chart at any one time. They could have as many as 18 in the top 200 thanks to the reappearance of other tracks from the band’s earlier releases, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not and the EP Who the Fuck are the Arctic Monkeys? It is also the first time a band has ever had an entire album feature in the singles chart.

Meanwhile, in the States, the “Brianstorm” single also topped the singles sales charts–although we’re guessing that it’s thanks to it being one of the few physical singles available, since it only needed a sales tally of 900. Still, it’s baby steps, right?

Arctic Monkeys head for new chart record [Guardian Music]