Watch Sticker Star and Tape video by Sam Isaac

Not a lot to say about this post other than it’s Sam Isaac, taken from the “Sticker, Star and Tape EP” out now (on our cheeky label) and it’s directed by Ben Hilton from Low Fat Films. Oh, that and it’s bloody brilliant! Sit back and watch, and marvel at a video that’s possibly even better than its Sideways counterpart (which if you haven’t seen yet, you really should)!

Sam Isaac and CTBW release awesome EPs today! Your soundtrack to the credit crunch…

The 29th of September has always been a special day for me – and now I know why! The climactic explosion to our massively busy summer run of releases see’s the 5 track ‘Sticker Star and Tape EP’ from Sam Isaac and 6 track ‘Revert, Restart, Reset EP’ from Cut the Blue Wire hit the shelves (and our online shop) today. While the former will fill your heart with ‘pounding love pop’ joy and charm – the latter will romp you through 15 minutes of breathtaking catchy aggressive pop that’s undeniably ‘seven shades of awesome’. Both just £5 each from here!

Now I’m no music reviewer (well not with Alcopop stuff anyway as I’d simply be oozing with praise for every disc that i reluctantly let slip from my clammy hands to the good, good people amongst you) but in true Zeitgeist style, I’ve prepared a brief sentence or two on what these EPs will mean to you if (like the rest of the population) you’re worried about the credit crunch, and why the five pounds invested in these shiny discs will probably be the best money you’ve ever spent for your mental health and wellbeing…(hmmm, driving sales with discussion of the disastrous economy – it’s no wonder Natwest enjoy numbering Alcopop as one of their account holders so much – mwahahaha)

Sam Isaac ‘Sticker Star and Tape’: This lustrous EP will make you wonder why you every worried about money in the first place. Sure, so cold-hearted investment bankers may be haemohragging cash all over the place, and returning home to find trophy wives with bags packed and massive alimonies in the offing, but hey… who cares? Take the time to go a wandering, hang out with friends, pick up your old dusty guitar and pen a tune that will make you laugh, cry and remember everything that’s truly good about the world.

Cut the Blue Wire ‘Revert, Restart, Reset.’ – If you’re feeling sorry for yourself, this immense slap in the face of an EP will make you realise that everything you ever lived for, everything you ever wanted is fuckin attainable – if you just keep believing. Honestly, I”ve been listening to this in my car all day, and I’ve just been buzzing. If this CD was an animal it would be a magnificent, yet friendly, rhino – who would rampage you up and down the serengheti all day, only occasionally stopping to chuck you in a big pile of cool mud.

Yes indeed

Makes sense to me anyway….

They do polite warnings properly up North!

This is probably my favourite bit of garage door painting I’ve seen in ooh – at least a week… Captured as I ducked out of the surprisingly thrilling 2-2 draw between Guisely and Garforth (it’s amazing the glamorous locations lo-fi indie record labels find themselves in), I thought it summed up the effect that a ‘direct’ bit of painting can have… I certainly had no intention of sticking my car within 15 feet of it (that’s clearly a lie ).

Expect to see ‘BUY YOUR RECORDS FROM ALCOPOP’ scrawled on a garden fence near you soon!

Punktastic rate CTBW as the best yet… Pavilion hit the charts!

Ah – what a week, and apologies for lack of updates once again. In-between plenty of gigs with my own band, the This City release show and trekking across the country to pick up records, CDs, meet with management et al – and now find myself in the unenviable position of coming by a ticket for tomorrows FA Cup Qualifying Round 2 match to see the mighty Garforth Town take on Guisely AFC. A firecracker in store for sure, and almost certainly worth the 7 hour round trip it’s bound to take to get up to sunny Yorkshire.

And it’s good news on several fronts in the Alcopop stable too, with the good steed Pavilion whinnying particularly proudly after snaring #13^th place in the official indie charts some month after releasing their exceptional record ‘Spoils of War’.

Cut the Blue Wire too have been receiving a fair bit of nice press in the dawn of their new EP ‘Revert Restart Reset’, Punktastic stating “Every time I hear a new BSM/Alcopop band I proclaim them my new favourite on the label. It’s usually lazy journalism, but I’m serious – Kev and co seem to outdo themselves with every release”, while New Noise have asked for “More please. Much, much more.”

In time boys, in time!

And now away with me – for I’m off to enjoy a good night of dancing too ‘Feeling Gloomy at Oxford Zodiac’ – oh and incidentally, anyone in the Oxford locale next week, do pop down to The Regal on Wednesday for a floor-filling night of Alcopop DJs busting out massive tunes, and This City playing live… I can barely bloody wait!

Oh – and finally – it’s good news brought to us by The Rambler, who says… “So the Rudd Government (Kevin07 for the kiddies playing at home), has finally admitted that the alcopop tax introduced in April of this year is a big flop and has been outed was what it was designed for all along – another revenue raiser.”

Yeah – have that taxman…. Surely one of the worlds most evil professions! Need proof? Just look what they did to Superman – bah!

We Move out today – This City single available!

Coming to the end of a pretty bangin’ UK tour – with a show at London Barfly tomorrow (congratulations to Niall and Thomas who won pairs of tickets by the way) – it’s good news for us at Alcopop Records, as today sees Brighton rockers This City release limited edition 7” (to 500) single ‘We Move’… Today!

Full of the kind of heavy disco-based rhythms that have made the boys such a favourite with the likes of Kerrang, NME, Radio 1, XFM and all the other hip places that have taken them to heart – we’re lucky enough to be working with them now before they hit unimaginable heights!

You can get the vinyl from the band when they play live (best), direct from us (awesome), or from any good record shop or your favourite digital music retailer (still bloody ace – you have magnificent taste), and add something a bit sexy to your record (or MP3) collection…

Meanwhile, any internet savvy types may have noticed that Sam Isaac has been somewhat dominating the blogosphere this week, with a whole heap of blogs getting involved with the awesome remixes crafted by James Yuell and Rod Thomas. MP3 Hugger, Zombie Attack, Alter the Press, indierocker.net are just some of the gents in the know.

Also, exciting news to come in the next few days as Alcopop have signed one of THE hottest properties right now, to release his [a gender-based clue there] debut single before the end of the year… Oh, and I’m currently in some form of musical infatuation (as if I wasn’t already) with Andrew WK – whose gig on Saturday was magnificent, and saw me pop backstage to talk to great man himself, and be gifted with a number of his beers. What a gent…

Win 2 tickets to go see This City @ London Barfly on Tuesday 23rd!

Recorded music is all very well (I mean, let’s be fair – indie record labels like ourselves bloody love it) but there’s nothing quite like witnessing people rock out live. And we’re dealing with a whole heap of incredible live acts at the moment – and we really want you to see them…

Therefore, in association with our pals in the band (who are both handsome and witty) we have managed to procure two pairs of VIP guestlist passes for the This City gig at London Barfly on Tuesday (take a hot girl/boy – imagine how impressed they’ll be on the door)– pour vous with the gracious love of Alcopop Records….

All you need to do to win them is correctly email us (at ilovealcopop@googlemail.com) the title of the B-Side from the band’s latest single (coming out on Alcopop on Monday) – for clues you can either check the shop, or the bands MySpace… We’ll be announcing the two winners on Monday evening (maybe Tuesday morning depending on how lazy we are) – and 2 runners up will get a pint bought for them by Jack Alcopop if they happen to be at the gig anyway.

So enter immediately if you fancy a bit of a rock out in London on Tuesday, and we’ll see you at the front… We Move is out on Monday too on very limited edition 7” vinyl…  Fuckin’ buy it!

Andrew WK live in London THIS SATURDAY!!!

Remember that day when Andrew WK said “Also, will you tell me more about Alcopop? I really like that name a lot.” – No? What… It was less than a year ago… Well while you’re refreshing your memory of one of the best days of my life by following this link b’yere… May I also point your attention to the fact that the aforementioned Party King of rock is back in the UK, and playing his first gig in 4 F**KING YEARS, this Saturday at Push Club in London Town!

Quite how excited I am, I can’t quite express, only to say that anyone who has even half a soul, ever lifted a glass in party celebration or would like to wrestle a rabid wolf in moonlight just for kicks – should DEFINITELY be there… Tickets can be purchased for the quite frankly unbelievable price of just 8 quid, and there will DJs (including Pull Tiger Tail and the Semifinalists) before and after, presumably playing party Hard, The Wolf and Close Calls with Brick Walls back-to-back (although I may have made this up).

For more info, pop over to those charming folk at Push Club over on MySpace, and I’ll see you at the front!

Hush the Many (Heed the Few) pen a new chapter…

Some bands die, others evolve – and that’s exactly what is currently happening to Alcopop favourites Hush the Many (Heed the Few), who released single ‘Revolve’ with us a few months back.  “Blend[ing] aggression and beauty in unique fashion, hitting like a bolt of lightning across a barren landscape” said the Daily Mirror – and by gum they were right…
 
But now, a sensational tour, unbelievable amounts of cracking press and much general adulation later – it seems that the next chapter is upon Nima – and like a book you can’t put down, I’m pretty much salivating at what it may contain… For Hush the Many (Heed the Few), now sans Alex sadly, has nonetheless happily morphed, evolved, and become Arrows of Love.
 
Apparently, “some songs you will recognise, some half-recognise, and some will be new – and in a bold move that will no doubt intensify this bands cult status, they aim to “remain outside the realms of myspace, facebook, keeping a creative focus, and our music only live for the moment.”
 
The lineup is pretty exceptional too, featuring…
 
Nima (Hush the Many’s lynchpin, creative force and all round hero) – vocals & guitar
Luis (from Eraserheads & Jamie T) – electric guitar
Clayton (from Kid Harpoon) – bass
Wim (from Loverman & Eraserheads) – drums
Sarah – synths, piano & vocals
Kate – cello
 
We’ll keep you updated with what’s happening – and can only heartily recommend going to see them at The Scala on the 14th October. We’ll be there… Meanwhile, if you want to snap up a piece of where it all started, get yourself to the shop and you can pick up revolve for just £3. It’s limited to only 500 copies, and there aren’t many left – and it’s one of the most gorgeous songs of the year… Check it out here. Oh, and look at this nice ‘arrow of love’ photo too – courtesy of drp on Flickr…

More Cowbell DJ – More Cut the Blue Wire!

Oh my goodness! Some sites are good, some are magnificent (like this one for example) and some are so superb that there is no doubt they will revolutionise the internet for the good of all mankind…  MoreCowbell.dj is one of them.

A regular criticism of Alcopop’s releases in the press (and lets be fair, it is a regular criticism of an awful lot of music) is that they don’t have enough cowbell in. After all, what’s better than a rollicking good thrashing of such a humble instrument all the way through a track. Cut the blue Wire? Sam Isaac? This City? Come on lads take note… Hehe

Therefore, in the interests of science, the web and everything that’s good about the world – I’ve taken the liberty of ramping up the FREE downloadable CTBW track ‘Forced Enjoyment’ by about ooh… 65% cowbell and 77%  Christopher Walken (yes, another option!) and here it is, in all its digital delight below. If you like the song, head to the shop and buy the EP – then you can add as much bloody cowbell as you like!

Listen and love…

Incidentally…..

I couldn’t help noticing that Rod Thomas, the handsome hero who remixed Sam Isaac’s Sticker Star and Tape last week (see blog post for full details) looks uncommonly like the Alcopop and BSM dynasty’s very own founder Kevin Douch…. And I’ve never seen them at play together… Hmmmm