**Video** Breton – Interference

Breton are releasing their second single, on Fatcat Records  March 19th. It’s another massively accomplished sonic offering, featuring the sampled strings of Breton hero, German composer Hauschka. Check out the B-side ‘Plastic Boxes’ here.

The band’s debut album ‘Other Peoples Problems’ is due for release on March 26th and they’re going to be playing out and about a bit aswell -

Dates:

23rd March – La Cartonnerie – Reims, France

27^th March  – Academy 2 – Dublin, Ireland

28^th March  – Corsica Studios  – London, UK

29^th March – Islington Mill – Manchester, UK

30^th March – A Nation of Shop Keepers – Leeds, UK

31st March – Kulturfabrik – Esch-Sur-Alzette – Luxembourg

1^st April  – La Cave Aux Poetes  – Roubaix - France

3^rd April  – Point Ephemere – Paris, France

4^th April  – La Laiterie – Strasbourg, France

10^th Aprill – Le 106 – Rouen, France

11th April – Botanique – Brussells, Belgium

13^th April – Epicerie Moderne – Lyon, France

14^th April – Caprices Festival – Crans-Montana, Switzerland

16th April – Hafenkneipe – Zurich, Switzerland

18th April – Intro Magazine Presents – Bi Nuu – Berlin, Germany

19th April – Oor Magazine Presents – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands

20th April – Prinzebar – Hamburg, Germany

21st April – Rust – Copenhagen , Denmark

In No Particular Order

Always avoided lists, but this year I’ve decided to feature twenty of my favourite tunes from 2011. All that’s required is that they were released this year and I found myself going to back to them again and again. It’s a strange mix, but then there’s no accounting for taste. As the title suggests, the tracks listed aren’t in any particular order, just as I remember them.

I’ll see you in the New Year x

1

2

The Weeknd – House Of Balloons

3

Switch Ft Andre Martin – I Still Love You

4

Jane’s Addiction – Irresistible Force

5

Bart B More & Tommie Sunshine – Bodywork

6

Fatboy Slim Vs Moguai – Ya Mama (Push The Tempo)

7

Patterns – Induction

8

Cicada – The Things You Say (Mr Miyagi Remix)

9

The Whip – Secret Weapon (Alex Metric Remix)

10

11

Breton – The Commission

12

The Joy Formidable – Whirring (Innerpartysystem Remix)

13

14

120 Days – Osaka

15

16

Marlene Shaw – California Soul (A.Skillz remix)

17

18

Justice – Civilization

19

20

M83.Ft Zola Jesus – Intro

 

{Music Video} Breton – Edward The Confessor

Here’s a new short film for ‘Edward The Confessor’ the soon to be released debut single from Breton. It features the work of photographer and film maker Niall O’Brien, who shot the kids in the film at 1000 frames per second, in order to capture and also exaggerate the ‘undiluted anger’ of his subjects. Set behind the images are the bands lyrics, which are taken from a recording of two men, discussing the frustrations of immigration and living in a foreign country. Put together they add up to a visually captivating piece of work.

Niall O’Brien’s Anger installation will be showing in London in Spring next year and Breton’s debut album will be released through Fatcat records in March.

You can catch Breton on tour with Ghost Poet:

8th November – Mine – Leeds, UK

12th November – Digital – Brighton, UK

And on:

21st October – SWN Festival – Cardiff, UK

11th November – London Calling, Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands

2nd December – Trans Musicales – Rennes, France

Breton – Kensington System/Edward The Confessor

Love this. ‘Kensington System’ is one side of the debut AA side single from Breton. It’s a multi-layered offering, underscored with depth charge bass, manic keyboards and a lyrical loop that is already deeply embedded in my head, even though I couldn’t tell you in a month of Sundays what they were singing about. Like ‘The Commission’ that we posted a while back, ‘Kensington System’ is all about the atmosphere.

Breton – Kensington System

The single is out 21st November on FatCat Records and Breton are out on tour with Ghostpoet. Their live show is meant to be well worth a look, incorporating self shot movies, cut and edited in real time by their very own VJ.

Dates -

22nd September: Arts Institute – Cardiff, UK

30^th September: O2 Academy 2 – Oxford, UK

1^st October: Start The Bus – Bristol, UK

4^th October: O2 Academy 3 – Birmingham, UK

6^th October: The Registry – Portsmouth, UK

7^th October: Rescue Rooms – Nottingham, UK

8^th October: The Harley – Sheffield, UK

9^th October: Deaf Institute – Manchester, UK

10^th October: Digital – Brighton, UK

11^th October: Leeds University Union – Leeds, UK

12^th October: The Duchess – York, UK

13^th October: Scala – London, UK

Breton will also be playing the following festivals:

21^st October – SWN festival, Cardiff, UK

11^th November – London Calling, Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands

2nd December – Trans Musicales. Rennes, France

 

 

Breton – The Commision

Someone once said that ‘writing about music is like dancing about architecture’ and they were spot on. Personally I find it really difficult to describe a tune, because a lot of the time it’s more about how the music makes you feel than anything else, more tangible. I’ve been listening to a lot of Wu Lyf recently and if anyone asked me to describe what it sounded like, I’d have to tell them that I wasn’t sure, but it made me feel all tribal. Lester Bangs would have done a better job, I’m sure, but then I’m not working for Rolling Stone. Writing every now and then for a music blog is hard enough work, for the musically illiterate, without someone paying me to do it and for it to have to make any sense. Gonna have to learn to dance Grand Designs, I suppose

This brings me to Breton’s ‘The Commisison’, which I heard, loved and then struggled to get a hold on, descriptively. I retired to the garden, with a ciggy and headphones and watched the sun go down over the cows in the field, behind my house. I pretty quickly realised that there wasn’t a whole lot I could say, beyond urging you to listen to it, in the right place and in the right mood. Because it really is quite special.

Breton – The Commision

Or you could watch the video, by BretonLABS and Stuart Sinclair and see how the band themselves visualise it.

Breton’s debut album ‘Other People’s Problems’ is due for release in February 2012 on Fat Cat Records, following on from the critically acclaimed EP ‘Counter Balance’ that was out last year. Tom Vek had them as support on his recent UK tour and if that isn’t a ringing endorsement of what Breton are about, then I don’t know what a ringing endorsement is.