We’ll be putting up a number of acappella versions of our new tracks over the next few months for free download.  The aim of this is that any budding your producers or musicians can do their own version of the songs.  We’re open to hearing all sorts of interpretations of the songs – we honestly don’t care how fucked up you make them.

When you’ve remixed a track please email it to us and we’ll host the best ones up on the music section of our website.

To start you off here’s the acappella for JUDICIAL DUEL to download and play with… Enjoy!

JUDICIAL DUEL (ACAPPELLA FOR REMIX) by The Jane Bradfords

Mike Mormecha is responsible for one of the finest songs I’ve ever heard by an Irish artist.  Its a twisted Indie pop song called ‘Stark.’  When I first found it on myspace I listened to it a dozen times in a row and then downloaded it from itunes.  ‘Stark‘ made me sick with jealousy but I loved it.

When Mike sent me a copy of Clown Parlour’s debut album I was stunned that the song wasn’t featured.  He told me that it was dropped because he’d written too many songs since that needed airing.  “Lunacy” I cried inwardly.

This was before I’d listened to “The Sum of Sounds,” the most daring and exciting debut album that I’ve heard in a long time.  Mike is wired differently to most songwriters I know.  His songs flit from laconic to meandering, delicate to catastrophic in a matter of minutes.  When the album kicks in (3 tracks in, after lulling you into a false sense of security with 2 lush instrumentals), it does so with a heart-attack inducing ferocity.

From then on in its a mind-fucking rollercoaster of odd that somehow, somehow always maintains a resolute structure.  I’m left with an image of Mike as some kind of MacGyver of music – lock him in a room with a kazoo, some tin cans and tennis racket and he’ll come bursting out armed with a track capable of blowing everyone and everything away.

You MUST own this album.

Clown Parlour – “The Sum of Sounds” is available to download for free from the band’s bandcamp page. ‘Stark’ is available for download from itunes.

Here’s your chance to get a sneaky listen to some of our new material on Tuesday 13th April in Belfast.  We’ll be playing a few new songs acoustically as well as letting people hear some of the recordings off our new album.  There’s a chance to ask us questions and give your opinions about the new songs.  It’s free in and we’ll be giving away copies of our previous album to the first 10 people in!

It starts at 7pm in the Oh Yeah Building and runs until around 9.30pm, places are limited so please come early!

So…. the new songs have had a bit of airplay by now!   Rigsy and Paul at ATL have played both tracks as has Rory McConnell on Radio 1 and Stephen McCauley on BBC radio Foyle!  Thanks guys!  We’re very grateful for the support.

Most recently we’ve featured on the Sentric Music podcast along with loads of other great unsigned acts so please take some time to check it out:)

We’ve just done a podcast for Smalltown America records.  As well as featuring some great music from Three Tales, Robyn G Shiels, Clown Parlour  and the National, it also has two brand new songs from us.

The songs are called ‘Judicial Duel‘ and ‘More than This‘ and they give a good indication of the new direction we’re taking with album two.  Contrary to what some people have thought we are not (or never were) planning to turn into an alt-country act.  The new stuff is however less synthy and a bit heavier than the first album.

‘Judicial Duel’ is a bit more snarly and guitar laden than our older stuff.  ‘More than This’ is almost like two songs in one and  lasts nearly 6mins.  I hope you enjoy both!

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Opinions are like arses, so they say…  instead of bitching about other lists i’ve just come up with my top 50 albums of the decade.  I would be surprised if anyone agreed with it!

1. Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
2. Arcade Fire – Funeral (2005)
3. Sufjan Stevens – Come on feel the Illinoise (2005)
4. The National – Alligator (2005)
5. Eels – Daisies of the Galaxy (2000)
6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (2005)
7. Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump (2000)
8. Interpol – Turn on the Bright lights (2002)
9. National – Boxer (2007)
10. The Unicorns – Who will cut our hair when we are gone? (2003)
11. The Strokes – is this it (2001)
12. Mercury Rev – All is Dream (2001)
13. Flaming Lips – Yoshimi battles the pink robots (2002)
14. Sigur Ros – Ágætis byrjun (2000)
15. Beirut – Flying club cup (2007)
16. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (2007)
17. Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
18. Stars – Set yourself on fire (2004)
19. Air – Talkie Walkie (2004)
20. Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)
21. Beirut – Gulag Orkestar (2006)
22. Devendra Banhart – Niño Rojo (2004)
23. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (2007)
24. White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
25. Broken Social Scene – You Forgot it in People (2003)
26. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain (2007)
27. Antony and the Johnsons – I am a bird now (2005)
28. Interpol – Antics (2004)
29. SFA -  Phantom Power (2003)
30. The Postal Service – Give Up (2003)
31. Weezer – Green Album (2001)
32. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (2008)
33. Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning (2005)
34. Devotchka – How it ends (2004)
35. Fourtet – Rounds (2003)
36. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell (2003)
37. Bon Iver – For Emma Long ago (2008)
38. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (2008)
39. Beck – sea change (2002)
40. Vitalic – Ok Cowboy (2005)
41. Emiliana Torrini – Me and Armini (2008)
42. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (2007)
43. Brian Wilson – Smile (2004)
44. Soulwax – Nite Versions (2005)
45. Royksopp – Melody AM (2001)
46. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008)
47. Smog – A river ain’t too much to love (2005)
48. Final Fantasy – He Poos clouds (2006)
49. Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances (2008)
50. Avalanches – Since I left you (2001)

I’ve raved and raved to anyone willing to listen (not many people to be fair) about the Three Tales debut album.   Its sobering, its uplifting, its one of my favourite albums of the last few years and its Northern Irish.

Anyways, I’m not here to talk about three tales debut album, but rather their brand new EP – the brilliantly titled ‘The Hidden Possibilities in All Things.’  Its  a slight departure from the debut album (maybe more pavement/wilco/Lemonheads than Will Oldham this time) but all the ingredients that made it so brilliant are there.  Ben McAuley’s voice has its trademarked understated whisper with that sibilance that I loved so much on the album.   This isn’t a review so suffice it to say that I love it.

The EP has three songs and the whole thing clocks in at under 8mins.  Ben has decided to forgo the usual pleading for sales pitch that all of us other local bands have to go through in favour of putting it out as a free download.  You can get if from the Three Tales Bandcamp site.

I really can’t recommend this band highly enough.  Ben, I hate you you hatefully talented and charming man.

It is with a heaving dollop of glum that we have to announce that Dave Frecknall, our beloved Guitarist STROKE bassist STROKE vocalist STROKE keyboardist has had to leave the band.  Dave, the man of a million faces, all of which are super cheery wants to concentrate on his own brand of electro-pop loveliness releasing under the name Nakatomi Towers.  We all love and miss Dave but wish him the absolute best in the future… and if you haven’t done so already, you’d be a complete nincompoop if you didn’t immediately check out his music.

Things are not all glum though.  The JBs album is almost ready to enter mixing stages with Ruairi recording his violin parts (there’s a lot of them) and the wonderful Katie Richardson gracing us with her fabulous vocal skills.  Excitement in buckets.  We also have not one, but two new faces that will be replacing the irreplaceable Dave but more about those two rapscallions in the next update…

“I’m afraid. I’m afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I’m a… fraid”

An update in how album no.2 is progressing is long overdue I guess!

Last Sunday we supported the mighty DeVotchKa in Belfast and used it as an opportunity to try out some new tracks.  All in all our set had 1 old track and 5 new ones.  It was daunting and we probably weren’t at our tightest but the crowds reaction and general feedback was great:)

This weekend I have taken 9 tracks back to my parents house in Castlederg (a tiny town in NIreland) and have been making myself sick listening over and over.   Only got here yesterday but already want to get back to my studio to work on the tracks… I reckon the album will be ready for mixing around the start of November…. that is if i don’t go crazy and scrap all the new songs like i did in May!!!!