weltschmerz

It's the long-awaited début of SotM on this new blog, and it's a 2-for-1 offer on modern British rock.


Elastica - I Want You

from The Radio One Sessions (2001)

Elastica were widely and rightly regarded as one of the finest Britpop bands of the mid-90s. Their self-titled début stormed into the public consciousness in 1995, beating the sales record set by Oasis and Definitely Maybe, thanks to dynamic, catchy riffs (copied, Elastica's detractors complained) in songs like Connection and Waking Up. Frontwoman Justine Frischmann's well-publicised break-up (and relationship) with Damon Albarn of Blur didn't do the band any harm.

One can only wonder how I Want You never appeared on a proper Elastica album. Frischmann's vocals simmer with detached sexuality and angular hooks abound. The current generation of angular-rock merchants (yes, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, I'm looking at you) owes a debt of gratitude to bands such as Elastica. Have a listen, thanks to Fluxblog.


Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict A Riot

from Employment (2005)

Speaking of the current generation, I Predict A Riot is the signature single of the Kaiser Chiefs. It's fair to say that they've graduated from "Next Big Thing" to "Big Thing" in the last few months. Named after a South African football team and hailing from Leeds, the five-piece have even tasted success in the US with this propulsively catchy track. Cheers to Salon Audiofile, via *sixeyes.