Stoned Immaculate

Moving

2008-05-11T17:38:00.002+01:00

back soon @ stonedimmaculatev2.wordpress.com

I have decided to move and 'reinvent' the blog to cover other things than just music. I have partly decided this because I no longer work in the digital music industry, and am therefore not getting anywhere near as much exposure to new music as I used too. As I now work in the games industry, I'm involved in a new area, and my love for games, coupled with my job, means I am constantly online checking out games related news as well as working within the area, and therefore I want to comment, and share, this on the blog too. I've also tried to write about film a little on here, and I want to develop that too, so this blog will be more concentrated on media, rather than purely music.

I'm also hoping to find a new format on the new blog in order to keep me posting much more regularly - and I'm afraid I lost a little bit of time and effort in the previous months, and with it a bit of love for the blog, and now I want to rectify that.

v2 will be better, more focused, and hopefully with more concentrated effort I can create a blog that people may even visit...haha, I tell myself I jest there, but I don't...

I've set up the blog on wordpress, but I have yet to do anything, I'm going to play with the layout and new functions for a while before I enter the first official blog entry on v2, so I wouldn't visit yet, as it's on a generic creation page that appears for any new blog.

I'll be posting online again real soon though.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you on the new blog.
back soon @ stonedimmaculatev2.wordpress.com

The Raconteurs - Consolers of The Lonely

2008-03-30T19:48:00.004+01:00

I'm seriously fucking pissed right now - not because of this album, as it's a blinder, but because twatting Blogger doesn't have a recover/undo button and I've just lost the previous opening paragraph I wrote for this update. I'd created the world's best opening paragraph for an album review ever, and now it's lost to the world, and it'll never be a better place for that genius writing Blogger has helped me to lose...I had even dropped in a few jokes too...hhhmph!

I'd written something along of the lines that The Raconteurs hadn't marketed the album, until it was released, and even now they haven't really advertised it to any great degree...I'd added a gag about inserting a 'difficult second album' allusion, and had even listed every single genre and musical style that had been inserted into the album - well okay that last part was a lie.

Every song on the album is very different from the previous one, thus meaning the album is a strange beast of contrasting styles and influences; where many albums seem to share a thematic style, this is chameleon-esque collection of tracks.

Instead of going on and on about it (as I want to listen to it again), I'll say one more thing - just go and buy it. steal it, borrow it...whatever, but go and insert this album into your life! Also, check out the video for Salute Your Salvation before you go.

Let The Woman - Andy Davis

2008-03-25T19:55:00.002Z

Just got an email from the guys at IODA recommending a guy called Andy Davis, and I was definitely intrigued enough to find out more from the three short samples below:

Andy Davis
"Let the Woman" (mp3)
from "Let the Woman"
(bigHelium Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

Andy Davis
"Brown Eyes" (mp3)
from "Let the Woman"
(bigHelium Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

Andy Davis
"Beautiful Day for Bad News" (mp3)
from "Let the Woman"
(bigHelium Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

...so I'm off to listen to some of his music properly, I can't promise it'll all be good, but I'm sure it'll be worth your while in some regard if you decide to join me; if so, then let's all hold hold hands and trot towards it together (unless you've heard it before, that is) with joyous gaiety.

Digging for Superabundance

2008-03-10T19:51:00.004Z

Yes I've been crap, procrastination has been my bedfellow these past few weeks, and to be honest I've loved every second of it. However, I have missed writing about music, but I have also more importantly missed listening to it. I bought all those albums weeks ago and they've only had a meagre handful of listens. Not because any of them are bad albums, it's just because I've been so busy at work (and at the moment I'm addicted to a particular online console game, that I can't play whilst listening to music also, as the game demands you pay close attention to the sound effects - that gives me an idea about writing about the use of music in games, but hey that's for another day). I do enjoy winding down with music, but I can't solely do that at the moment, I come home wired, and need to do something else to stimulate my mind apart from listening to music. Shame I know, but I haven't lost my appreciation for it, just my appetite momentarily.

However, the last two albums I have got my grubby hands on, have really hit home how much I enjoy listening to a great album. Today The Young Knives latest Superabundance was in my porch when I got home, and from the very first song I was hooked. Seriously, I frigging love this band. Their debut album Voices of Animals & Men was a cracker (and their previous collection of EP's ...Are Dead...And Some provides some really great moments too) and they've followed this up with a superb nod to their previous work, whilst tying in some new elements.

The almost new-wave punk/pop sound from previous songs remains, however there is also a playful insertion of prog-rock elements. Now when I say playful, I mean this, there is no pretension, there are no aspects that make you think they've gone all 'hippyfied' (not that this would be a bad thing), I can just imagine a mischevious twinkle in their eye when writing songs such as Current of The River, 'wonder if the indie-kids will get this' kind of attitude perhaps. These guys aren't out to court the hip crowd, they make the sounds they want to, and I love them the more for it. If you want to listen to some really clever new-wave inspired pop-punk, then you should make a bee-line for this album, it's super-fucking-abundant-in-awesomeness!

Check out - Up All Night and Terra Firma

There's been quite a bit of talk about the what the latest Cave/Bad Seeds album would entail, after the foray into pure dirty spanking blues ridden rock with Grinderman who knew what would happen next? The last Cave/Bad Seeds album was 2004's Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus , which was a delight by all accounts. This latest installment of tattered tales is a vivid and inspiring account of how majestical this collection of gifted artists is, I can't help but be surprised each and every time I hear an album they've created.

Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! features a wide array of musical variations and influences, but at it's very heart it's pure Bad Seeds, with lyrical and vocal verve supplied by the grandmaster that is Nick Cave. Gushing much am I? That's rhetorical by the way...yes I bloody well am! But these guys deserve it; album after album they don't fail to deliver the goods, and I'm in awe of a band that can continuously raise the bar ever fucking higher.

Listen to this and see for yourself and if you don't agree then don't tell me, as I don't give a damn - it'll be your loss not mine - Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!

I never did write a review for the following albums, so here I've decided to write a very short summary for each of them, check out my minimalism.

Radiohead - In Rainbows

How do they do it? I mean they've split their fans down the middle since the release of Kid A, but I truly believe that these guys get better with time. Hail to The Thief to my mind has been their strongest offering to date, but this is another fantastic album which produces some of their finest moments on record. Must have album. Check this - Reckoneer

Drive-by Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

Perhaps my second favourite band of all time (behind The Doors), these guys have produced some truly great moments of good old southern rock 'n' roll/country throughout their career, and this album is another collection of greatness. I love this band hard, and you can fucking quote me on that.
Check this - Two Daughters and A Wife (I would have linked more, but this is the only video from the album I can find).

Finally, I'm really digging this video, and have just got hold of the debut album, so will be listening to that later, but I really like these guys, and actually agree with the various sources that say they're a band to watch this year. Enjoy MGMT with Time To Pretend.

The joys of posting

2008-02-07T21:06:00.000Z

I honestly do enjoy posting here - for the few people that bother to visit - but I'm aware that my posting to date has been sporadic and for that I apologise. Once my body clock re-adjusts itself to working again (three months of redundancy doesn't do well for body regulation, in terms of sleep that is) I'll feel more awake when I get home from work and therefore post more in-depth, but at the moment I'm not writing nearly as much content as I'd like.

I'm aiming to post the albums of 2007 list very soon, as well as post more comprehensive album reviews, but in the meantime you'll have to make do with the snippets posted I'm afraid.

Today I bought two more albums (Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, and Jason Isbell's Sirens of The Ditch), so at some point I really do have to share my thoughts on these - as well as the ones I got last week - however for now I wanted to post a playlist of songs that I've been playing a lot of in the past few days. There seems to be common elements to these, mostly that they're slower and more introspective, perhaps because that's how I'm feeling of late, but I think it's just one of my 'phases'. When I say phases though, I don't mean in the sense of the word as applied to teenagers, as in 'I'll grow out of it', I mean as in phases of the moon; ebbs and flows and all that shit. I listen intently to one style of music, or theme, for a while then move on, but I'll always come back later...I don't neglect albums in my collection, they all have their time and place. Anyway, for the pupose of this post please enjoy the first playlist of a continuing series, the first being Mediations of introspection:

Jason Isbell, Dress Blues (taken from Sirens of the Ditch)
Kimya Dawson, Tire Swing (taken from Juno OST)
Dan Sartain, Flight of the Finch (taken from Join Dan Sartain)
Beirut, The Penalty (taken from The Flying Club Cup)
Mugison, Murr Murr (taken from Is This Monkey Music?)
Gram Rabbit, Devil's Playground (taken from How To Start A Cult)
Weezer, Say It Ain't So (taken from 'The Blue Album')
Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit (taken from Surrealist Pillow)
The Drive-by Truckers, Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife (taken from Brighter Than Creation Dark)
Radiohead, Videotape (taken from In Rainbows)

Got milk! Well, when I say milk, I mean gig tickets

2008-01-30T13:14:00.000Z

So yesterday morning I saw Gogol Bordello tickets advertised for their April 2nd gig at Brixton Academy - which was a nice surprise, as I had no idea they were playing - and therefore in an excited frenzy I ran and got tickets in my lunchbreak...it may be an under-estimation to say I'm somewhat excited. I've read nothing but good reports of their live performances, so for me there is an overload of pre-gig excitement; something I haven't had for a while.

The 'gig-lust' built up so much that I also ended up buying tickets to see Serj Tankian's headlining gig at The Forum which occurs the following night. Such a hardship to go and see him again, I know, I know...two artists I love, in two succesive nights. Bring on April I say!

I also want to say again how amazing the Juno soundtrack is; I have played this non-stop for the last two days, and am still yet to get sick of it (although as I always do with albums I love, I will play it to death, and therefore need a break from it). If anybody has seen the advert for the film on television, please, please, do not pay heed to the two Hoosiers songs they play on the trailer, these are NOT in the film, and do fit in the the style of the soundtrack in any way, shape or form. Why the marketing people chose those songs I will never, ever know. Way to go fuckrags...I realise this type of thing is not that important to most people, so it won't effect their choice of going to see the film or not, but they are such overly jaunty, and distracting, songs, and not in keeping with the thematic feel of the soundtrack, that it really jars with me. Minor rant over.

Following on from my last post, I got hold of The Moldy Peaches self-titled album (and rare cuts) and it's really, really good, I also forgot that Adam Green (whose solo stuff I really like) is the other main person in the band apart from Kimya Dawson, so I did kinda know about them, inadvertently at least.

In celebration of getting tickets to see them, Gogol Bordello - Wonderlust King:

Juno, for me and you, and you and you...

2008-01-28T21:50:00.000Z

So, it's been a while huh?

It's been hectic in my world of late, I have a brand spankin' new job, and therefore coming home again every night at gone seven, and then cooking, eating and trying to unwind has taken it out of me a bit. Sob, frigging sob, I know, I know. The thing is, I'm not working in music anymore (I'm now working in the games industry), so I am even less exposed to music than when I was at home after Virgin Digital was closed down, so I poke around new music even less. I will be outwardly getting myself more involved again, so please have patience whilst normal service starts to resume.

This week will see new album reviews posted, as I had a mini splurge of late, getting myself all friendly with Drive-by Truckers latest Brighter Than Creation's Dark, Radiohead's In Rainbows (I waited for the physical copy, so much for digital huh?) and The Mars Volta's The Bedlam In Goliath. I'm also going to be doing (what may end up being a two-parter) my list of favourite albums from 2007...and believe me there's a freakin' lot! So over the next week, I aim to get a lot of new content on here.

In the meantime, I'm going to introduce you to what already could be the best soundtrack of 2008 - Juno. I watched the film last night, and was blown away by a witty, beautiful, and captivating film, and more importantly perhaps, a fantastic soundtrack, which accentuated each and every nuance contained within the film. Half of the soundtrack is lifted from Kimya Dawson (the female contingent of the Moldy Peaches - a band I had yet to listen to, until last night...wow, what a mistake that has been, a firm new favourite band for me there in the making I think), and her lo-fi 'anti-folk' is the perfect backdrop for a film that is subtle in its character portrayals. I actually had to go out today and buy one of Dawson's albums (I'm Sorry That Sometimes I'm Mean) and it's a whimsical, affecting affair, with some endearing (yet sometimes faintly eerie) children vocalists joining in the good fun. These guest children often add an air of fun, however they also heighten the meaning of some of the lyrics, especially on Hold My Hand: "abuse and neglect are highly contagious, so I called the social worker up and I said 'hey lady you're outrageous', she said 'smarty pants you want a gold star' and I said 'no I wanna smash your head in with a crowbar', but the cycle of violence has to end somewhere". I strongly recommend her poignant, heart-warming tales.

Onto the soundtrack then; it's not resplendent with just Dawson's songs - two under the guise of Antsy Pants, complete with child backed choruses - it features other great tracks from artists such as The Kinks, Buddy Holly, Cat Power, Belle & Sebastian, Sonic Youth doing a grand job of covering The Carpenters' Superstar as well as two particularly great additions to the soundrack; The Moldy Peaches track Anyone Else But You and the two leads Michael Cera and Ellen Page with their rendition of the same song, which plays out the end of the film. The latter song is especially great, but not because the vocals are particularly special, it's just because they sound so honest, and real, and this is all in keeping with the film's beauty. This version packs an emotional punch, and gives me a little tear in my eye every time I hear it.

Each and every song adds another layer to the film's soundtrack, ultimately leading to accomplishing a feat I'd never thought possible - actually being on a par with the two greatest soundtracks ever made; Easy Rider and The Big Lebowski (of course this is all my opinion...). I've always wanted to be responsible for curating the music for a film soundtrack, and this is one of those rare soundtracks that make me think when it's done right, it's as near to the ideal of what perfection is (in an album) as is possible. As wanky as this will sound, good music is truly a special gift, and this album is as close to that as I think is possible.

Well, on that especially soppy note, I'll leave you be with The Moldy Peaches original version, enjoy:

Christmas Hiatus

2007-12-22T20:09:00.000Z

So it's the festive season, and it's time to take a lil' break.

I will be resuming normal service very soon, and the next post will reflect my choices for the best albums of 2007. It was a cracking year for music, but I will go into much more depth when I post next, but I know what's on the list (I actually posted some of them on the allmusic blog in response to the editor choices), well, mostly.

Anyway, this is the last post before Christmas, so I've posted a video of my favourite christmas song. It's a song probably nobody has heard, but I love it (it was released back in 1997) and whilst this is not an official video - there was never one released - this will have to do. Enjoy the Fountains of Wayne with I Want An Alien For Christmas:

Merry Christmas all!!

The White Stripes - Conquest

2007-12-10T11:17:00.000Z

The latest White Stripes single is doing the rounds now, and the video is a very apt depiction of the lyrical content of the classic Patti Page song. What is ultimately a 'battle of the sexes' song, is given added poignancy due to the garage rock makeover, however the transformation doesn't end there. With mariachi brass and flamenco rythyms added, the song is a high tempo and ballsy track, that is for me the standout track from the Icky Thump album.

Jack White's vocal performance on this track is perfect, his pitch and tone intensifies the whole song, and the guitar playing is frantic in places, which is where it all started for the 'Stripes. Even though they have delved into country, blues, flamenco and mariachi influences on previous albums Get Behind Me Satan and Icky Thump, the garage rock basis of the band will always remain. Whether directly or indirectly, the spirit of this genre is always present; and a large part of that will always be Jack's ability to thrash his guitar whilst Meg plays out a solid drum backing (in this case, when backed with brass and duelling guitars).

There's an album that I listened to a few weeks a go that I should point you to, because it's a great collection of weirdness, from an artist I confess to knowing nothing about. Buckethead has been around for some time though, and is considered something of a hero in the experimental stakes; often combining metal with funk, playing with fusion, prog-rock and other sub-genres of the more heavy variety. The latest album is not that new - it was released in 2005 - but I stumbled onto it because Serj Tankian sings on a few tracks, and it appears on his record label Serjical Strike. It's a fascinating listen, and whilst not always compelling in places, it is a worthy listen and well worth some of your time. It does make me want to check out the back catalogue - which Allmusic informs me comprises of 27 records, although I think many have them have been reissued in the past couple of years, although I could be wrong about that. It just seems that way on the discography. Anyway give it a whirl and see what you think.

Buckethead & Friends
"We Are One" (mp3)
from "Enter The Chicken"
(Serjical Strike Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon
More On This Album

Grammy nominations are in...

2007-12-06T19:22:00.000Z

and as usual it's a varied fare of categories and nominees, which is the allure of the event. Perhaps the most comprehensive of all the music awards, due to it's listing of 110 categories - yes you read that right...110 - and a good indication of what great music has been released in the past year.

What other award shows include categories such as Best Bluegrass Album, Best New Age Album and Best Tejano Album sitting alongside Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Song Of The Year? None, and that's the beauty of these awards. All genres are covered, and things like sound recording, and even packaging can be recognised, such is the depth of scope. For a full list of the nominations and categories check here.

Top of the nominees is Kanye West with a full eight nominations (including Album Of The Year, Best Rap Album and Best Rap Solo Performance), but our very own Amy Winehouse isn't far behind with six nominations herself, with four of them coming in the 'big four' categories (Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist). To clarify the difference between Record Of The Year and Song Of The year, record is for artist and producer, whilst song is for the songwriter solely, I had to look that up, as I wasn't sure myself.

Whatever you think about her antics, Winehouse is an immense talent, and I wish her well in getting herself better, and hopefully she'll take an honour or too from our friends across the pond.

I'll be following this post with my further thoughts on the categories (probably not all of them though) once I've had a chance to peruse them completely.

For the moment enjoy this great track by the talent that is Amy Winehouse:

Need some Wax in your life?

2007-12-04T16:16:00.000Z

Yes you do, in the form of Soulwax's latest album Most of the Remixes... (ready for the full title? - Most of the remixes we've made for other people over the years except for the one for Einstürzende Neubauten because we lost it and a few we didn't think sounded good enough or just didn't fit in length-wise, but including some that are hard to find because either people forgot about them or simply because they haven't been released yet, a few we really love, one we think is just ok, some we did for free, some we did for money, some for ourselves without permission and some for friends as swaps but never on time and always at our studio in Ghent.).

You shouldn’t need introducing to Soulwax by now, the brothers Dewaele – David and Stephen, otherwise known as 2 Many DJ’s. Although sometimes it’s hard to define where Soulwax ends and 2 Many DJ’s begins due to the two infinitely influencing each other, as this collection exemplifies.

Excelling at mashing together various tracks, which on paper would defy logic in some instances, into stunning examples of multi-layering perfection is an art form that the brothers have clearly mastered, regardless of which moniker they use. This album features a second disc highlighting their mashup skills, but the real standout tracks are featured on the first disc of remixed favourites. Tone is everything in a great remix, as well as the juxtapositions in the songs skilfully taken apart and lovingly morphed back together, and this is a pulsating and breathtaking example of that.

There are highlights aplenty on this album - from opening tracks the Gossip’s Standing In The Way Of Control with it’s high tempo bass line cranked up to reverberate through the bones, and LCD Soundsystem’s Daft Punk Is Playing In My House modified with fuzzy nuances and electronic accompaniments - right through the playlist. The clever sample layering is augmented throughout the album, but excels on the remix of DJ Shadow’s Six Days, which in itself takes the main hook from Colonel Bagshot’s 1970s track Six Day War.

Other highlights include transformed pop dance nuggets Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and Round Round, with the former transformed into something much more menacing; the lyrics combining with the dark bass line and synth layers to create a morphing, energetic composition, which is pounding and unsettling. Whilst the later is given added attitude, through a forthright underscore of bassy reverb, superbly complementing the song’s basic structure.

The second disc’s contribution to proceedings is to take most of the songs from the first disc, with a few additions along the way, and combine them into one seething mass of energetic hysteria. Listening to Arthur Agent’s Hold Your Head Up transform into Daft Punk’s Robot Rock before then dragging out Human Resource and 808 State is inspirational, and the tempo never dips or flounders, even when wielding this many samples.

With remixed tracks of Muse, Klaxons, Justice, Lords of Acid and Felix Da Housecat amongst the ranks, this is an album that has something for everyone, and a little bit more. Great energy, infectious hooks and bass lines, and some excellent electronic mastery, this is a fine record indeed.

Here's the track Round Round, not the real video but you get to hear the tune at least:

I wanted to post this video too, this is completely music unrelated, and nothing to do with Soulwax in the slightest, but I thought this was pretty special. Next time one of your mates does the 'wanker' handsign, or pretend jerks for more than the split second that the sign usually entails then I urge you to please do this to them. Priceless...

Broke Up The Time

2007-11-28T11:06:00.001Z

My tickets for The Futureheads gig tomorrow have arrived, and I'm a tad exciting, seeing as they're playing in an 'intimate' venue. So to celebrate I've posted a video for the new single Broke Up The Time, which is a great reminder of the spiky post-punk they have mastered. These guys are the (somewhat) modern equivalent of Gang Of Four and therefore they should be treasured as an important part of the UK's musical heritage. Hopefully in time this will be so.

I was going to review the Queens of the Stone Age gig that I went to on Monday night, but I'm not too sure I want to, because ultimately I was a bit disappointed. Whilst I like the new stuff, it really has suffered since Nick Oliveri was forced from the band. They played very well, the few old songs they played sounded good (although they played nothing from the debut album...not even Regular John, which is criminal to my mind) and the new stuff was well received by the crowd, but it lacked a certain atmosphere. Maybe that was my fault, maybe I projected my own expectations (I saw them last on the Songs For The Deaf tour and that was an incredible gig) onto them, and that in turn affected my feelings on the night. Either way it was a good gig from a great band, but personally I felt it lacked something, and therefore I can't do them justice by writing anymore about it.

Enjoy this Futureheads video, and I think it's safe to say I'll be a bit moist by the end of tomorrow night...seriously.

Foo Fighters - 02 Arena

2007-11-23T11:47:00.000Z

I've seen most of my favourite bands over the years, but it took until last week to see the Foo Fighters for the first time, and it was certainly worth the wait. Dave Grohl has come a long way since the days of drumming in Nirvana, and as a frontman he has certainly shown that he is one of the most charismatic performers there are. Not only is he one of the hardest working men in music (he has contributed to, and been a member of, at my last count 14 bands/artists work, including Queens of the Stone Age, Killing Joke, Liam Lynch and Tenacious D amongst others) he is a gifted musician and writer, and an awe-inspiring proposition live on-stage.

However, before I get too far ahead of myself, the support wasn't too shabby either. Serj Tankian was performing songs from his debut solo album Elect The Dead, which were actually well received by most parts of the crowd. I say this because on some occasions the support largely goes ignored, or met with an air of indifference, and when I saw System of a Down a few years ago, their support act The Eighties Matchbox b-line Disaster (who I was really looking forward to seeing) were given such a torrid time by the crowd, that they stormed off the stage after only four songs (never great to witness a hissy fit like that, but I can appreciate why they did it). So it was encouraging to see Tankian actually get the crowd behind him.

As a solo performer he exudes more presence than when he sung live with SOAD, and there is more theatricality to his solo show; adorned with a top hat he came across as part singer, part ring-master for some crazed carnival. In the run up to this gig, as much as I was looking forward to seeing Foo Fighters, I was more excited about seeing Tankian's solo material for the first time and I was certainly not disappointed. He stormed through the album, and each song was given justice, even though the sound wasn't as good as it should have been (although the Foo's didn't seem to have the same sound problems) and highlights for me where the impressive Lie Lie Lie and Beethoven's C**t. The piano heavy elements from the album - which really sets his solo material apart from his former band's - really held up in a live capacity, and I can genuinely say that his set was flawless...but then again what else would I have expected from the musical genius called Serj. My only complaint...that he didn't have more material to plunder therefore allowing him more time onstage. However, he was of course only the support, so it was only fair, I guess.

I was trying to find some good videos of his set, but they were all too short or of too poor a quality, so instead I wanted to share the video for Lie Lie Lie, (which is the highlight of the album for me):

So, to the main event. Leading up to the show I did have reservations that it would be full of the Foo's newer material, and very few songs from their back catalogue, which would not have been a problem really, but I'm a much bigger fan of the older material than the new stuff. As much as I liked Echoes... for me I will always prefer the debut album and The Colour & The Shape; so it was pleasing that whilst they played a few songs from the new album, and the obvious hits from previous albums, they also had time to roll out some classics. For the hardcore Foo fans, they must have gone a bit moist of pant, when Grohl announced that they would be playing a song they hadn't played for over ten years...My Poor Brain, and whilst the following video doesn't do the performance justice, I can attest that it was one of the best moments of the gig.

You may notice that the crowd don't seem too into the song, well that I'm afraid is true, whilst I was 'rocking out' perhaps a tad too much, others around me didn't seem to comprehend the 'moment' they were witnessing. This is one of the more ferocious Foo's songs, one that hadn't been played live for over ten years, and quite a few people seemed content to let this moment pass without so much as even a few high tempo taps of the foot at the very least. I put it down to them not owning the album, but this in itself is criminal. As much as I try not to judge other's choice of music (too often), I'll always be dismayed at those Foo's fans who don't have the first two albums...these are essential albums, especially as the tone of those albums has not been replicated by the band since.

I'll always remember this gig for being a perfect example of why this band are so successful; they can do loud and grungy, they can do balls to the wall rock, and they can also perform a well rounded ballad-esque song, and they bloody well know how to please their fans. I've already mentioned that Grohl is one of the most charismatic frontmen out there, but it's a point that needs to be reflected on some more. This man loves to play, he loves to perform, and he does it incredibly well. When a band looks like they're really enjoying themselves it makes for a much better gig, and some of my favourite gigs have been because the band have let themselves go rather than wield an air of superiority. Grohl and co certainly play for themselves and their fans, such is the jovial nature of the way they strut across the stage.

There were many highlights to this gig, Stacked Actors was lengthed with a midpoint jam session, where Taylor Hawkins exemplified just why he's one of the best drummers out there, an extra stage was lowered halfway through the gig so that the band could reposition themselves in the middle of the crowd to play an acoustic set of tracks, and they played one of the finest encores I've ever seen. With some nice backstage camerawork, Grohl and Hawkins played up to the crowd by asking how many songs they should play, and when they did finally take to the stage again it was obvious that because this was the last show of the UK tour, they were ready to let their hair down a bit more. The first song consisted of guest instumental guitarist Kaki King joining Grohl for a performance of The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners and then being given the stage by Grohl to display just how talented this finger picking guitarist is. This was my first exposure of this very talented woman, as I'm sure it was for many people, and I was blown away. Again, the following video won't do much justice to her playing, but trust me when I say it was incredible to see live:

The encore continued with a solid rendition of Arcade Fire's Keep The Car Running (as they were also playing that night in the city, was Grohl's justification), which was a personal highlight, and then they brought Serj onto the stage to run through a song they had previously performed together only once at the MTV VMA's, Holiday In Cambodia. Not only was this a good song performed with great energy, it really was a standout moment to see these two frontmen combine forces.

To close the show, and the UK tour, they rattled out Best Of You, and whilst this has never been one of my favourite songs, played live it becomes a very different beast. On record it seems too perfunctory for my liking, but live, and incredibly loud, it's the ideal song to close a show with, perhaps for the pure fact that it is a very easy song to sing along with, even more so at the top of your voice; and it's when your voice has practically gone at the end of the show that you know you had a damn good time.

1000 Albums to hear before you die...

2007-11-17T13:21:00.000Z

...according to The Guardian. What a brilliant idea, my favourite newspaper writing about great music albums. The only problem is, who is telling us that these are the albums you have to listen to...answer: it doesn't matter. There is no authority on music, some people and publications are far more reputable than others, and people inside the industry may argue that they have more right than anyone, but everyone has a right to share their views, and compile such a list; music is a subjective beast after all.

I share many tastes with my friends, but for every album they love too there are about five that they detest. Such is life, such is music.

The first supplement of this continuing feature declares the intentions from the outset "1,000 albums that are well worth your hearing. What it is not is the best 1,000 albums of all time Instead it's a cross-genre, cross-era look at some great music" Fantastic! So whilst I was perusing through this first selection of albums I thought I'd see how many of these I owned, how many I'd heard, and see what other thoughts came to mind as I read through. Therefore this post is sort of like a real-time update/game of sorts, as I'll be adding notes to this post as I read through the paper.

Helpfully it's in alphabetical order (the only real way a CD collection should be kept), and starting at the logical point, of the A's I own two albums, Tori Amos - Boys For Pele (still my favourite album of hers to date, although American Doll Posse was very close to trumping it) and Arcade Fire - Funeral. I have heard Acoustic Ladyland - Last Chance Disco, Air - Moon Safari, Lily Allen - Alright, Still, Arctic Monkeys and The Avalanches - Since I Left You. Amongst those I have yet to hear through in full are, Above The Law - Livin' Like Hustlers, AC/DC - Powerage, All Saints - All Saints (yes, this album really is there, but the reasons are good, because the album cemented them at the time as the top girl group, and perhaps one of the best pop bands of the time too...although I don't see it myself) and Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain...so far I don't feel like I'm missing much.

The B's gain me three on the 'owned' list, with Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill, Bjork - Debut and Bloc Party - Something For The Weekend joining the party. However, I can extend the 'listened to' list even further. Bad Brains - Banned In DC check, Beck - Mellow Gold check, Blur - Parklife of course (I had it on tape, and never upgraded to CD), Big Black - Songs About Fucking...oh my, I love this album, and now realise I have never bought a copy of my own, I'll be rectifying this very soon! Breeders - Pod, Boards Of Canada - Music Has The Right to Children (an inspired album title) and Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering follow on, therefore completing the list. Oh yes, and of course Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love is present in my collection too, nearly missed that one.

Finally it's the C's and again I'm falling short in this list. Johnny Cash - At San Quentin, Cat Power - The Greatest and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus all come to my aid. However, looking through I can only see a few albums that I should perhaps give a listen, but I'm beginning to see that the list is for fun, and crosses a lot of genres, and even though I whore myself out to many genres, I have my loyalties. Therefore I see no errors in my judgement (thus far). There is one question mark on one decision for me though, they've added Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man, when everybody knows it should be Songs of Leonard Cohen instead (well I think so at least), but perhaps that is too obvious for them. Anyway so far it's been a good list to read through, I hope some of you have read the feature so you can play along too.

Can't ever neglect the chance to end with a Johnny Cash video.

Just a quick technical note

2007-11-14T11:43:00.000Z

All the samples I provide on here are legal and all you need to do to listen to the songs is to right-click the highlighted song title, select open in a new window or tab and then select run from the new window. This then gives you the full track to listen to through your designated media player (not keepsies) and then you can decide if you want to buy them.

I just wanted to point this out if anybody wasn't clear on that. So now I'm providing you with videos and song samples, good to you aren't I?

Another guilty pleasure...

2007-11-14T10:44:00.000Z

...what is going on with me at the moment?

I'm still listening to the Serj Tankian album with great interest, it's truly sublime, but I want to do a really thorough review on it, so I'm plodding through that and it should be up very shortly (the only problem is as it's that good I just want to bounce around when listening to it, not staying still and writing about it, but I will, I promise I will). I've also got a new album by a band called o'death, who could be described as gothic/country/punk - well they are described as that on their myspace page anyway - so I'll be reviewing that soon also.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this guilty pleasure with you all and I'm absolutely certain everybody knows this song, I mean it's of some seriously high cult status after all. The reason I share this with you today is because it was the first video I saw on E4 music this morning and now it's in my head and will not leave it. I actually realised when watching the video this morning that I do like the song (for whatever reason whish isn't entirely clear to me) but I do seem to have a penchant for cheesy 80s songs. In all seriousness this guy has a pretty good voice, right? With so many filmstars releasing music side projects (but that's a whole other post - Billy Bob Thornton, John C. Reilly, Bruce Willis, Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe and many, many more) I'd have thought today's video contributor would have tried to release/create something else.

Also as a bonus, this version of the video has the lyrics across the bottom, so turn it up and sing loud to your heart's content! (but you knew the lyrics word for word anyway didn't you?)

Anyway, enjoy:

Finally just a quick post about a new compliation that has been released in support of FINCA, this is a cracking album which was complied by Natalie Portman, who is an Ambassador of Hope for the foundation, and even better it's for a worthy cause.

With songs from artists such as Beirut, The Shins, Brett Dennen, Sean Hayes and Devendra Banhart it's full of some truly great music and as Portman herself said "I am honored that so many of my favorite artists have so generously lent these beautiful songs in the name of ending poverty". Give this album the attention it deserves and download it from the following sources:

Sean Hayes
"Turnaroundturnmeon" (mp3)
from "Big Change: Songs for FINCA"
(ioda)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

Today's guilty pleasure

2007-11-09T12:33:00.000Z

A video came on E4 music today that I have seen before and hadn't really formed much of an opinion on, and now I've heard it a few times I have to confess that I really like this song. Thing is, many would consider this to be a guilty pleasure. Let me introduce Palladium's High 5, and you can judge for yourself...

This is by no means the kind of music I would usually listen to, and whilst the beginning and verses aren't that great, I really have a soft spot for that chorus. I can't say these guys are wholly original, even though they have something of a unique angle (although I'm not sure what that exactly is), but hey I like something that's quite mainstream and for once I'm alright with that.

Elect the Dead arrived today!

2007-11-08T12:39:00.000Z

I was very excited to open a package this morning and finally have my hands on the swanky looking deluxe edition of Serj Tankian's debut album Elect The Dead. For those who do not know, this is the lead singer from metal band System of a Down, who are perhaps the most surprising, and often misunderstood, metal band for many, many years. Sometimes derided for their kooky riffs and sometimes inane lyrics, but there is much more to the band - often layered into their music - going largely unnoticed by some reviewers and critics.

Anyway, this was just a quick post to exclaim my excitement about receiving the album, and even though I have it pounding out now (my neighbours must love having me home during the days, the music I subject them to), I want to give it a few proper listens before I announce any thoughts on it (it's pretty excellent thus far though). I've attached a video of one of the new songs, The Unthinking Majority, so please enjoy it, whilst I enjoy the album, and the exclusive website access thrown in for buying the deluxe edition. It may not be worth it, but I'll fill you in on that side of it also.

In a few...

Battles and chalk

2007-11-01T10:39:00.001Z

Huh? What a random title, man this guy who writes the titles here is weird...wait, that would be me...um, moving on.

Due to not being directly embedded in the digital music industry as I was, I am no longer receiving album promos and the like, weeks, and as sometimes happened, months, in advance of release dates, and therefore I am back to a similar place I was when I started the blog. Which is not a problem at all, it just means I have to be wiley again when it comes to getting the music as early as possible. Also due to my current employment status (that is at present being a 'man of leisure') I am not fully focusing on scouring for music, but I hope that will all change soon enough.

So the music I am writing about this post isn't entirely new, but these are albums that I went and bought a few days ago and wanted to share my feelings about.

First off I got hold of Mirrored by experimental rock band Battles, who are comprised of drummer John Stanier of Helmet and Tomahawk fame, keyboardist/guitarist Ian Williams from Don Caballero, guitarist David Konopka of Lynx, and finally solo musician Tyondai Braxton, of which I confess I'd only heard Stanier's bands before (I love Tomahawk!). However, the genres of music covered by this lot could well be best described as a melting point of angular rock, and crazied sonic experiments of noise, which is nothing but a good thing.

Which leads nicely onto how to attempt a overview of this band and their music; so in my opinion we get the kind of visceral math rock heard by many experimental bands (I hear music as diverse as Fantomas, Pelican, Fourtet, late career Radiohead and even a bit of Sonic Youth-esque noise rock), but all played with a jarring edge, that often leads into creepy otherwordly arenas of music. The first time I heard this album was a few days before a Halloween party I went to last weekend, and this album would have been great playing behind the facades of horror fancy dress...it's disturbing, and because no one song ever seems to stay on course for a linear narrative of sorts, the very moment you feel comfortable with a song, they rip the fabric of it from underneath you and jam in some searing guitar riffs that can really unsettle. Or, they shove some experimental keyboard sounds that fail to compliment the other music playing - yet works in it's own uncomplimentary way - which surprises and confuses, but ultimately makes for an album that really does take you on a journey. I don't mean an emotional journey, or even a typical narrative journey, I just mean that the soundscapes played feel more like landscapes of a Tolkien-esque journey...this picks you up and takes you wandering for miles and miles. Check out the following video of Tonto for more of an idea:

On a different musical endeavour the other album I wanted to write about was PJ Harvey's latest White Chalk, which is another album that challenges what we've come to expect from the genius. Or should that be that it confirms what we know about her work; it will be challenging, and more often than not, a removal in sound and genre from the last album. The blues ridden affair that was Uh Huh Her has been replaced by a stripped down piano led collection of songs.
This is an unsettling collection of songs too, but for different reasons to the aforementioned Battles album. This has a gothic feel to the piano ambiance portayed, and maybe because of Harvey's freshness to the piano (she's only recently learnt to play) it all feels fragile and delicate, yet dark and haunting, and all the more powerful for that.

I'm actually struggling to write about this album whilst it plays in the background, as I'm drifting off with her etheral vocals and emotive lyrics...which is fantastic, as that's what it's supposed to do. Harvey doesn't have many peers in the sense of thematic and stylistic qualities, and this album exemplifies that thought perfectly. I've always felt she was in a similar vain to Kate Bush and Tori Amos, and I think to that little band you can add Natasha Khan (of Bat For Lashes fame), but really only in the sense that they are all great female artists who possess not only great vocals, but a genuine 'voice', and they are fearless when it comes to explotaion and experimentation. I'm not trying to lump these artists together when I write this, because they do differ from each other in many ways, it's just that with so many female artists in the more mainstream side of music all trying to sound different, whilst not, here we have an artist - and artists - who do it so effortlessly. White Chalk is an engaging and breathtaking album, and is well worth settling down with and devoting some time to. I found this live version of the single White Chalk for you to take a gander at:

I also wanted to link to a couple of albums that I've really enjoyed, and are now available for download, so if you have the time check out both of these following albums then do so, as they're both very good.

Múm
"Dancing Behind My Eyelids" (mp3)
from "Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy"
(Fat Cat Records)

Buy at InSound CD Pre-Order
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

Asobi Seksu
"Thursday" (mp3)
from "Citrus"
(Friendly Fire Recordings)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Napster
Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

A nifty new addition...

2007-10-20T14:29:00.000+01:00

...to the site comes courtesy of IODA Promonet. I can now link to mp3 samples which you can follow directly to the buy option on certain download sites. I'm over the moon about this little addition and I hope it adds to the experience of being here.

This is purely a short first post back from a short break, and I'll be back in a few days with more to write about.

Please enjoy the following sample from Beirut's new album The Flying Club Cup and although I've only listened to the album once through I can tell you it sounds good to me.

Beirut
"A Sunday Smile" (mp3)
from "The Flying Club Cup"
(Ba Da Bing!)

Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
More On This Album

Today's post is sponsored by the letter F

2007-10-10T12:55:00.000+01:00

Well it seems that way at least. I am focusing on three artists that start with the letter 'f' and whilst it's unintentional I thought it was kind of amusing. The other reason the post is in conjunction with the letter 'f' (some of my favourite words begin with this letter by the way; flatuation, fluxtuation, flagellation, foppish...I don't use them often, but I like them) is because I have neglected this place a little of late and that really 'f''s me off (eff's me off, is that how it should be written?), and whilst I am currently redundant and looking for a new job that is no excuse. The fact I have had no internet connection for a week is a good excuse though. But either way, I'm hopefully going to resume normal business until the weekend when I am away for a week, getting some R and R with the family down in sunny Devon. Anyway...onto the f'ing artists!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Finian Greenhall (Fink) over a month ago now, and the album Distance and Time was finally released last week, and I urge you all to go out and give it a listen, because you'll probably end up buying it, such is the beauty of the album. It only occured to me after listening to track four Blueberry Pancakes that I interviewed him in the very pub the narrative of the song takes place, and I'm hoping it was even at the table that he mentions. Not sure why I want that, but it feels like the interview and subject matter was relevant to him because it took place in a venue that holds memories for him and that means something more to me than just meeting an artist at any old place (not that that is a bad thing by any means).

The album kicks in with the broodingly beautiful Trouble's What You're In and from the outset you know you're in singer-songwriter territory, but with a subtle difference. One is that it's nothing like the deluge of whiny recent additions to the genre such as Blunt, Morrison et al, and two, it's very, very good emotive acoustic led music, that pretty much dares you to categorise it and then laugh in your face when you fail. I can't tell you what this music is; it's acoustic, it's bluesy, it's folksy, but what exactly can you define it as? I can tell you for sure that it's a man with a guitar, some great lyrics, a good ear for a tune, which all makes for an album that asks you to wear it on your sleeve.

As with any artist who lends their music to a television advert, a lot of people will go 'oh the mastercard advert guy' (This Is The Thing) and this could be detrimental to other careers, but I have no doubt that this is nothing but a good thing for Fink, and whilst this is a great song, it is refreshing to write that it sits alongside it's eight fellow companion songs on the album as an equal not a singular standout track. There is no particular standout on this album, all the songs are assured and demand listening to, but my preference has to be for the aforementioned Blueberry Pancakes, which serves as a note of personal experience from Greenhall but also a song that can become very personal for many people who have shared such a moment (which is more than likely most of us at some point in our lives). I read a piece from another music blogger who said that "the lyrics for Blueberry Pancakes are too literal and obtrusive to get past ", but I think that's missing the point. It's supposed to be a strict telling of the story, rather than a whimsical recollection, with more subtle (airy) lyrics. That's the beauty of the song, and the strong, yet quietly insistent drum work on the song really highlights the simplistic nature of the song's structure.

As you can probably tell I'm somewhat of a fan of this album, and if after listening to it you want to listen to more of his work, then go out and find Biscuits For Breakfast because that's a worthy album too.

So the Foo's have returned with their sixth album, and whilst it's not plumbing any new undiscovered depths of the band's music, it is a strong album, and not one to dissatisfy any fans I'm sure (it certainly hasn't me at least). Lead single The Pretender is a brilliant, crunching song, and whilst their music is becoming more clinical than earlier efforts - especially compared to debut Foo Fighters and The Colour and The Shape -the band still produce some great rock moments with all their albums, including Echoes. The reason I say clinical is because they seem to have lost some of the fun from their work. One case in point is that their videos no longer take the humour edge of previous efforts (the most recent exception to this is the dark 'homemade' video made by Grohl and Jack Black for the song Low), instead being more mainstream affairs of posturing and much seriousness.

This clinical feeling does seem to seep into the nature of the music, whilst the album is full of well constructed songs, with some great riffs, they all feel too safe for my liking. I certainly appreciate that a band grows with every album, but I do often finding myself harking back to the days when the Foo's were still fresh and more abrasive. However, with all that, I have listened to the new album on repeat a fair few times, and I'm not in the slightest sick of it, so it's doing its job thus far. I'm going to see them in November (being supported by System of a Down singer Serj Tankian, which I am slightly wet about) and I can say with assurity that I'll look forward to seeing them plunder all of the back catalogue, but I will also be looking forward to hearing the new batch of songs live too.

The next two albums (Shellac's Excellent Italian Greyhound and Future Of The Left's Curses) are interlinked for me because of a few reasons, firstly Shellac, whilst being a fiercely independent band, have influenced a few other independent noise-rock bands, and one of them in my mind was Mclusky, and Future Of The Left are formed from the ashes of both Mclusky and another noise-rock band Jarcrew. Secondly, I saw Mclusky support Shellac a few years ago and so my mind now has them woven together as one memory, and thirdly, Steve Albini produced Mclusky's second and third albums (Mclusky Do Dallas and The Difference Between Me And You Is That I'm Not On Fire).

This album comes seven years after 1000 Hurts, and whilst it has been some wait for fans of the band, this album does not disappoint in the slightest. Steve Albini's guitar work is as ferocious and discordant as ever, whilst Bob Weston weilds great big slabs of bass noise, whilst grounding the songs melodically, and the drumming by Todd Trainer flits about as mercurially as possible, moving from rythmic foundations, to flights of explorative fancy. It is no doubt that these three work alongside each other in a manner that is totally befitting to the music; whilst all sounding very different, their music is galvanised by the musical eforts of each man. It shouldn't work...noise-rock really shouldn't work, but it often does when in the hands of bands like Sonic Youth and Shellac. If you like your rock rythmic and predicatable, than this band is certainly not for you, but if you are open to rock that comes at you from many sonic directions, then pop Excellent Italian Greyhound into your player and let opening track The End Of Radio embrace you and take you for a ride.

With two members from Mclusky (Andy Falkous and Jack Egglestone) and one from Jarcrew (Kelson Mathias) it's so easy to concentrate on those elements when talking about Future Of The Left, and to be honest now that I've mentioned that it's time to move on, and I'll try not to mention it again.

Curses is a weird beast of an album, combining elements of noise-rock, with a lot of extra synthesiser work, instead of maximising Falkous's guitar skills, but it works all the more for it. There is a great sense of an off-the-wall nature, due to the crazied lyrics, changes in style and direction, and often screeched vocals, and this is more than welcome. I often like my rock to be nonsensical in it's manner and delivery, and this album fits the bill. It will make you move and shake, it will grab you by the scruff and make you smile and enjoy yourself, unless you have no soul...

Seriously though, it is an album that will be much like marmite, and whilst fans of the two previous bands (sorry I had to allude to them once more) will probably get their jollies off on this stuff, I think many others wouldn't. And that's a damn shame. Everybody needs to hear a song (Fuck The Countryside Alliance) that features the lyrics 'tories, tories, thanks for the tories, you sleep with devils and we'll wash our hands' and 'take a man to his nightmares in a landrover'. This isn't your standard rock by any means, but this is far better; taking noise-rock and throwing it together with a punk setiment and adding a few elements of post-hardcore for good measure. This is purposeful and effective rock that throws up walls of sonic noise and slams them into your senses with a fair amount of torque. Fucking excellent album!

Finally, I'm also listening to this great album at the moment by Devendra Banhart and it's a great mix of many, many different variations of musical styles...this is as mad as anything Frank Zappa did, but all in the stylings of a new folk master on the horizon. All I will say for the time being is to give it a listen, and maybe even let me know your thoughts about it?

That is all for now, you may go.

Wipe away a tear...

2007-09-24T11:06:00.000+01:00

So long VD, it was fun whilst it lasted!

For the sheer hell of it...

2007-09-17T17:33:00.001+01:00

...I present a music video by Queens Of The Stone Age. There are two reasons for this; firstly, because I wanted to and secondly, because I am in need of something uplifting and inspiring. Recent events have led me to seek something out, and I want to be inspired while I do that (ambiguous huh?). This is one of my favourite music viedos of all time, it (as the name implies) flows, and ignites onto the screen in a mass of vivid red hues and that disturbing ever present black. Such a striking video, I can't help but be inspired by it.

Please indulge me and enjoy:

Time for some Sci Fi Lo Fi

2007-09-14T10:37:00.001+01:00

This album is the first in a spin-off series of albums from Soma records, which follows on from the Sci Fi Hi Fi compilation series they released. Volume One of Sci Fi Lo Fi is complied by Andrew Weatherall and is as diverse as including tracks from the '50s and '60s, incorporating rock 'n' roll and continuing through to '80s new wave punk infuenced bands, and back again.

The compilation starts with a classic slice of what you'd expect from a rock 'n' roll song, with Joe Boot and The Fabulous Winds easing you in with Rock N' Roll Radio. Snake Pit by Hipbone Slim and The Knee Tremblers is another standout song from the same era, which is a great slice of northwest grease, featuring some gritty, dirty beats and mournful vocals. This is lounge music seated in the depths of hell. Fucking great stuff. This is then followed by the classic Jungle Rock by Tav Falco's Panther Burns which is a great addition to the album, driving those deep rythyms and drums into your very core. The pedastal for this first part of the album though has to be given over to the original version of I Want Candy by The Strangeloves (which incidentally takes root from Bo Diddley's Bo Diddley Beat) and I managed to find a video clip of the footage and sound cobbled together, it's not perfect, but serves as a great reminder of what a classic song it is.

It is from this song onwards that the compilation takes root in the post-punk sounds of The Fall, The Tropics Of Cancer and The Cramps, and this then serves to highlight the musical direction that Weatherall's solo album The Bullet Catcher's Apprentice of last year was taken. This compilation also compliments the material that he has worked on for the forthcoming Two Lone Swordsmen album, which explains the electic choices on volume one of this new series. Perhaps the best song on this second segment of the album is Spilled Your Pint by The Flaming Stars, partly because I had not heard of this band before and partly because it follows The Fall's Big New Prinz and does very well to sound just as great as the infamous post-punkers.

The album closes with a track of Weatherall's own, taken from The Bullet Catcher's Apprentice which displays how deeply the tracks on the second half of this album have influenced that body of work, Feathers is not only a great song, but it is a great way to finish this extraordinary album. It'll be very interesting to find out how the first half of the album influences the forthcoming work, and whilst the album musically doesn't quite fit togther, thematically it kind of makes sense; it's a great collection of tracks that is worth listening though in it's entirity. I don't think I can find a phrase that better describes it as the one used by the label themselves: “B-movie sci-fi crossed with the sin and sleaze paperbacks of the 50’s and 60’s”. Perfick!

Bat For Lashes - What's A Girl To Do

2007-09-13T15:10:00.000+01:00

So I felt that I had no choice but to post this following video, because not only is it a damn good song, it's a damn good video. Bat For Lashes has received great press since the release of the album Fur and Gold, and she is an artist that we can expect lots of good things from. She's quirky, clever, and has a good eye and ear for what makes a good song, and music video. This video especially really captures the haunting nature of the song What's A Girl To Do and without spoiling anything for you, the first time you realise the extraordinary thing about the video, it'll stay with you for a while, it's a great concept and a brilliant package.

Enjoy -

Too much like too much?

2007-09-12T17:46:00.000+01:00

This is how I currently feel...like a painted image of someone who's been captured in a swirly devlish world of garish colouration...or it's actually just that I want to scream because I've got so many albums I want to write about, but not enough damn time!

Okay so I've got loads I want to talk about, but I am also waiting for some snazzy images from the record labels for the majority of the albums I want to mention, so today's post is just to 'touch base' really (what a wanky term) with y'all, and list the albums I will be focusing on in the next few updates. Oh, also I'm testing the video feature too, but because I have yet to have any videos on my hardrive, I'm embedding from YouTube, so if you get a nice white box with a red cross I apologise...I'm still learning.

I have recently interviewed Cutting Pink With Knives and Akala for work, and these will be posted on here in the coming weeks too, albums I have received and loved recently (apart from the two artists mentioned already) are from Fink, Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Joe Henry, Thurston Moore, Cutting Pink With Knives and Future Of The Left. I will be writing more about these in due course, but for the first video experiment I present Future Of The Left's adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood -

Laters y'all!

So the winner is...

2007-09-04T22:20:00.000+01:00

...a genuine surprise, but a band that released a damn fine album...step and take the applause Klaxons!

What a messy, manic speech, and that's part of their charm...the celebrations are going to be crazy tonight I'm sure. The live performance wasn't on a par with the album, but they can't be blamed for that, the ceremony did seem quite sterile, but I guess that's industry award shows for you, it's not fitting to be seen getting down with the music I suppose. One of the 'critics' said 'this isn't the album that defines the year', and whilst that seems harsh, I kind of get what he meant. It's a stonker of an album and fully deserving of the award though, and I do love this band and the album. Their cover of It's Not Over Yet is perhaps one of the best covers in recent years, and it's nice to see an album that gyrates it's way into your heart from start to finish win the award.

The panel did indeed pull the wool over our eyes, and I'm thankful that this year they really did confound people's expectations. Klaxons...well done!

Tonight's the night for Mercury, plus an interview with Fink

2007-09-04T16:00:00.000+01:00

So tonight is when we find out who win's this years award, and the nominees are an intriguing bunch this year. Amongst more well known artists like Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys, Amy Winehouse and Klaxons, are New Young Pony Club, The View, The Young Knives, Bat For Lashes and Jamie T, as well as the usual leftfield (largely unknown artists) choices, who this year are Maps, Fionn Regan and Basquiat Strings.

When this list was announced in July I had two thoughts, either a previous winner would snatch it, i.e. Dizzee Rascal, or Arctic Monkeys (I still have a feeling that they may make history by giving it to the Sheffield lads two years on the trot) or that because it was time for a female vocalist to win it (PJ Harvey and Miss Dynamite won it in consecutive years in 2001 and 2002 respectively) they would surely give it to Winehouse. However, how damaging have her recent drug expolits been? Will they be detrimental to her standing as the favourite, which has been the case since the nominations were revealed? The bookies seem to think so, as they are now giving the nod to Bat For Lashes (perhaps they seem to think like myself, that it's time for a woman to walk away with the prize). That is not to say I think it has to be a woman who wins this year, I'm just going on gut feeling, because I anticipate that's what the panel will go for...however that pesky panel like to challenge everybody's expectations, so it really is there for the taking for any one of the twelve nominees. Well, the hours are counting down, and the winner will be revealed later on tonight.

A couple of weeks ago I met with Fink to do an interview for work, and I had a really interesting chat with the man behind the moniker. So for your pleasure I present a chat with the man behind recent single This Is The Thing:

You started out as a DJ, what was it that made you decide you wanted to play your own music instead, and why the move from electronica [Fresh Produce] to acoustic blues led material [Biscuits For Breakfast]?

It was mainly the fact that clubbing was moving away from me and there were better DJ’s than me, coming up that were younger than me and hungrier than I was. I used to love hanging out in record shops on a Saturday, but I was really starting to tire of it [gathering tracks etc] and simultaneously I was working with singers and really talented artists who were really inspiring me with the power of their songs and I was producing them, and I was developing singer-songwriters, and I thought maybe I should develop me instead.

The fact that singer-songwriting is quite revealing and you give a lot away about yourself, and Dj’ing and electronic music is the absolute opposite of that, you can get away with being completely faceless, you can just be a press-shot if you want and be all elusive. Which is actually to be honest, the buzzword for being really fucking boring. I mean it. Kraftwerk are elusive, well they’re not boring, they’re Kraftwerk, but a lot of electronic musician guys are just really boring geeks who play around in the studio. I was one of those guys for ages, and I really enjoyed it. That was the only thing I was a bit scared of a lot of you on display, but actually the good thing about it all, as long as you’ve channelled your talent right, than that’s okay. If you get applauded after a good DJ set they’re applauding how cool it was and how cool the records were and how cool you are for finding them and playing them. But if they applaud you after a gig of your own material they’re applauding a lot more.

It’s much more personal.

It is more personal, they’re giving you more of a personal judgement on their part, but as long as I don’t have any agenda hitting the stage, like ‘fancy me’ or ‘buy my single’ or whatever the agenda is for pop acts. A lot of singer-songwriters are rubbish and it’s really shocking. A lot of albums are coming out right now that are all exactly the same and yeah they might be pretty, or handsome, or have a lovely voice, or be 21, but the music is essentially the same record getting put out over and over again, and they should go and listen to a Joni Mitchell album.

I loved Biscuits For Breakfast, what can we expect from the new album Distance and Time (released October 1st)?

You’re gonna really like the new one, It’s definitely better, the songs are better, I’ve got more confidence as a singer-songwriter and lyrically it’s tighter, and vocally [after 200 gigs or so] it’s better. You can’t go to the guitar shop and buy a confidence pedal, it just comes from loads of gigs, and I’ve got it now; enough people have clapped for me to go ‘actually you’ve got a nice voice’.

The new album is definitely like a singer-songwriter led band who’ve just been on tour for a year, rather than I’m a producer whose got some singers in, so that’s why it’s better, and that’s why the material is better. The recording experience was so much more of a pleasure than on Biscuits, because we’d played them live already and it was just get into the studio and do them again.

Because on Biscuits it was the other way around wasn’t it?

Absolutely yeah, which was really tough, it was a real learning curve. This new one at least, when you play the new one, and you come and see us live it’ll sound kinda the same, which is good because on Biscuits it really didn’t. There were no triggers, or electronica or pedals, or even effects on the stage it was just three acoustic players, me on acoustic nylon guitar, bass player Guy on acoustic bass, and the drummer with a stripped down jazz acoustic drumkit.

So all those sounds that perforate the background…

…we had to do it another way. Which was really good for our musicianship because there’s only three of you and it’s all acoustic with no tricks, that’s tough, there’s a lot of music coming at you. No distortion to hide any mistakes, or big drum solos to give everybody a break, it’s full on music happening all the time. There’s no escape and no break and no fancy shit, it’s tough, but a really great way to get your confidence. We banged Distance and Time out in a month, we were just so rehearsed and just come off tour, so we were really tight.

Listening to Biscuits For Breakfast for the first time, I was surprised by Hush Now, as it’s not something I would have expected to hear on the album. However, listening to the album repeatedly, it’s obvious it’s integral to the album, as it helps to highlight the blues influences. Where did the idea come from that song?

We were just watching O’ Brother Where Art Thou? where we nick the chorus from and there was so much great music in it and we wanted to do something like that, plus I’m really into John Lee Hooker, and the basic loop, the basic sample on it was from an old John Lee Hooker record that I’ve always wanted to sample for myself. Tina’s voice is really fantastic and very kind of old and frail, but strong. It’s a different voice, you can tell she’s not some seventeen year old cutie , she’s been around. Her stuff with Nitin Sawhney is always fantastic. I didn’t write the lyrics, they’re all Tina’s to be fair, they’re all kind of her pain and stuff. I would never put the word sin into a song of my own, because I don’t really go into that kind of thing, but she did. We really pushed to put that on the record because we wanted a palate cleanser right in the middle, we just thought there’s too much Finn in one dose.

You recently played with Nitin Sawhney at the Royal Albert Hall for the Proms, how was that experience for you?

Immense. He introduced the show and then it was my track straight away, first track of the show, which was a cover of Roy Ayers’ Everybody Loves The Sunshine which we note with terror has been used on the new MacDonald’s advert. To do that track though with a band that good, and a sixty piece orchestra in the Albert Hall is pretty immense. Looking out onto the Albert Hall, full [5,500 capacity] and it goes right up to the rafters it is amazing. I was looking around, because I couldn’t leave the stage and I did my song and had to sit for ten songs and then do my last song, so I had a lot of sitting around time on that stage to check it out and soak it up, and it was the biggest gig I’m sure I’ll ever do.

Definitely one of my proudest moments, even though it wasn’t a Fink gig, just to guest on another man’s gig. Anoushka Shankar, an incredible sitar player, was mind-blowing, and Reena the Bollywood singer has got a voice like porcelain, just unbelievable skill and vibe and a venue like the Albert Hall is built for a singer like that. A beautiful Indian woman comes onto the stage dressed in a beautiful gold outfit looking a million dollars, and then she opens her mouth and it is heart-breakingly right on the money, and everyone was crying. To share the stage with such talented musicians was incredible.

This Is The Thing has been in the UK consciousness for a while now, due to a certain television advert, how did that come about, and you must have had reservations at first about going through with it, what made you decide to go through with it?

The money! If they had said could we use it for free, we’d probably have said yes, because it’s like having a TV advert for your track that you don’t have to pay for! Our only fear, we didn’t want to get a car ad because then it’s just a pretty car, not for any ethical reason, but other than the ad will never be ever more inspiring than ‘here’s a nice looking car’. When we saw the Mastercard ad that they were putting it to we really liked it, because it was homemade. The sentiment is quite glorious actually, and that is fuck it apply for a Mastercard and fuck off somewhere interesting, why not? So we actually watched the ad and could see that it wasn’t a slick, corporate ad. Whether it’s real or not I honestly don’t know, whether they really did send people out with the cameras I really don’t know, but it feels like they did and that’s kind of nice, so to have my track on an advert that isn’t really shit, and is actually a nice concept – discover the world, discover our product - we were actually quite proud of it.

Live shows galore!

2007-08-27T12:46:00.000+01:00

Okay, so it's not exactly live shows galore, but I have caught two shows in the last couple of weeks, which isn't bad going really. I had the good fortune to see Spoon at the London Cargo and Billy Talent at Camden Barfly for a matinee gig...yes you read that right; a one-off gig in a small venue, in the afternoon! Surreal, but damn good.

Having never been to Cargo before, I was surprised by how damn nice it is, set in what I assume was once a storage yard for the nearby railroads, the venue has a unique feel about it. The stage is set up in a largish room, but I would say no more than five hundred people could get in the room where the band played out. It was quite an intimate affair (in fact both gigs were) and the band were incredibly tight, which led to a damn good night. They rattled through a lot of material from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but also played a lot of fan favourites to keep the flock happy. I have had a few Spoon sessions of late to aquaint myself with the older material, so I actually recognised most of the songs they played, and I'm sure the die-hard fans were kept as happy as the newbies like myself. Don't Make Me A Target was sublime, and was my personal highlight, but in fact every single song was a moment of magnificence, and this has to have been one of the best rock gigs I've been to in a while.

As for the Billy Talent gig, well it was fantastic. I managed to see them back in '03 when their debut had just been released, and they were electric then...well this time, they were...well for want of a better phrase, 'more betterer'. They have really raised the bar for their performances, and the atmosphere was intense. This was probably down to the fact this was a gig for hardcore fans, tellingly exemplified by the fact that there were very few people who weren't singing along to every word, of every song. However, the intimacy of the venue was also a contributing factor. The crowd was cramped together, but not in the way where you were positioned next to your neighbours in all manner of compromising positions as can often be the case - especially at metal gigs - because there was actually quite a lot of space, it was more that everybody was moving together as the band thrashed out their set. And thrash it out they did, every song was well received, but Devil In A Midnight Mass, Try Honesty, Worker Bees and Fallen Leaves got the most fervent reactions. It was strange though, after seeing the gig and having a few beers, to leave the venue to be greeted by the afternoon sun...felt like the day had been rewound, but then again that could be attributed to the beer.

I've started a feature series on the work site, profiling new and upcoming artists, and so far I have had the pleasure to interview Ciruits and Fink. I met with the guys from Circuits whilst they were busy recording the debut album, which they tell me they hope to get out for the start of next year (wise to miss the pre-Christmas rush, and the slight post-Christmas slump), and I have to say they were bloody nice blokes. Benny and Nick were left in the studio to record more of their bits, so Simon and Nicky took me to the local round the corner from RAK studios and we had a natter over a couple of beers. Afterwards they showed me round what was their little corner of the studios for those weeks, and just generally had a little natter with them. Below is the scrutinising questioning, or inquisition if you will, I subjected them to.

So how are you guys finding the transition from busting guts working the support scene, to possible chart botherers?

Si: Dunno yet ask us in about three months. At the minute we quite like playing support still, we haven’t actually done any support gigs for a couple of months or so, but we did two fairly decent tours earlier on in the year and it’s kind of better being main support. We actually quite like being first on, as there’s not as much pressure, and the other bands worry about going on after us, rather than us worrying about going on after them.

Nicky: We were only about six and seven months old when we did those tours, although we always thought we were pretty good, it would almost be wrong of us to want to be doing headline slots because we’re that young [as a band] we’re still learning what we’re doing. Even when we’re doing the records we’re still finding the intricacies, and what our sound is all about. I don’t know about chart botherers either, it’d be nice though. Especially when we’re doing it all ourselves, that’s one of the main ethos of the band. I’m from a very much punk-rock background, I always grew up with sticking my own records out, or getting friends records out, so I think as long as we can carry on doing it, and as long as we feel we’re doing it justice by doing it ourselves, we’ll carry on doing that.

I loved the quote by The Guardian which stated ‘Circuits could be huge, conquer stadiums and save rainforests’ what is the best quote you have read about the band?

Si: There’s been some really funny ones that have centred around looks more than anything. Benny gets a lot of random ‘you look like such and such’, Like Matt Willis, or a squashed Jimmy Carr.

Nicky: I quite like the one from Teletext [a posted message], which simply said ‘amazing’.

Si: That’s it.

Nicky: Nothing else needs to happen.

On your MySpace page it alludes to a ‘devastating gig that brought the coolest of Paris crowds to their knees’, is this your best show so far, and if so what was it that made it so special? Any other favourite gigs?

Si: It was kind of out of the blue, we went on tour with another band, The Cinematics, earlier in the year and they’d gone over and played this gig and the promoter asked for any up and coming bands, and they mentioned us. So we got there, and they treated us like kings, and the venue itself was amazing, 2,500 capacity and we went on at about 1.00am and by that time everyone was pissed and loosened up. The first band that went on was a French band, really kind of folky, and we were so different. This was back in May, and our songs had got that little bit more punky, more aggressive, and a lot louder basically, and this folk band had gone on, and we just turned everything up and went for it, and they absolutely loved it.

Nicky: Then we got ‘papped’ by the Swedish paparazzi, and they thought we were the biggest band in the world.

Si: It was 4.00am and we were absolutely leathered.

Nicky: It really was amazing, that whole weekend was brilliant, we’d played a gig the night before in Northampton and it was absolutely rammed and the kids were trying to pinch my guitar peddles from the stage. That gig was great too.

Si: That’s probably not my favourite gig, I think the best gig was King’s College in January, and we just played out of our skins.

10 tracks recorded in the last five days, been a pretty hectic week at Rak studios then, how has the experience been for you?

Si: We’ve been in Rak before so we kind of knew, but the first time we recorded there we were a little bit stage-struck because we knew who had recorded there, on exactly the same equipment and stuff. [Talking to the guys at Rak afterwards, they told me who had recorded in the studio the Circuits were in, and this included Suzi Quatro and Television]. This time we were like ‘we’ve gotta get a job done’, so there was more pressure. We’ve actually been really good, we haven’t been drinking and messing around, it’s actually been quite professional.

Nicky: We rehearsed for about a week before for about fourteen hours a day, so it’s actually been quite relaxing coming to the studio.

Si: It’s cool to be working with Kevin and Jonathan (the production team at Rak) as they’ve been around for about twenty years doing this, so they know exactly what to do. It challenges you a bit, there’s a certain amount of give and take, and fighting you own corner, but as it’s turned out they’ve cottoned on to exactly what we wanted.

Nicky: The best thing that’s come out of this experience is that we’ve gone through the album and realised maybe that song isn’t right.

Si: There was one song which has always been our favourite track, it’s like the loudest and fastest, most aggressive track we’ve got, and we said that you can fuck around with any song you want, but not that one, that one stays exactly as it is. As it turned out we decided it wasn’t right.

Nicky: The problem was that we couldn’t replicate it [it was recorded previously] and we couldn’t do it the same justice we did before.

Si: It’s a track we can thrash out on stage, and people love it because of the way we play it [safe to say that's fairly loud] and how much enjoyment we get from playing it, but it was too difficult to get that down on record.

As an upcoming band, much of the press you’ve received tends to draw comparisons to other bands, for you guys it has been The Clash, The Police, The Specials, and Elvis Costello. How much does this bother you? It’s obviously nice to have your name mentioned against such artists, but do you think it detracts from your own intentions?

Nicky: I don’t know, it’s difficult because no matter what you do someone will compare you to something, and I’d rather we’d be compared to those bands, some of my favourite bands of all time. To a certain extent if someone uses those reference points, that’s absolutely fine with me.

Si: It’s taken a while to find our own sound, we’ve been developing it, and developing it, but when the new stuff comes out, when the album comes out, we’ll give the bigger picture of what we’re all about. We’ve never set out to sound like anyone else, but growing up we did all listen to The Clash, The Police and The Specials, so what’s come out on record is kind of what we like, what we feel like playing naturally. [The nods to these bands are certainly there, but I would say it’s well worked into a sound that’s all the bands own].

Nicky: It is strange that we have those comparisons, because looking at all four of us individually, Nick our drummer loves Foo Fighters and that kind of music, Si’s into like Queens of the Stone Age, and I like…

Si: weird shit…

Nicky: yeah, weird shit, and Dire Straits. Ben’s, well couldn’t even tell you what Ben likes, he’s quite eclectic. There is a common thread though, the more and more we play together, the more we find that… well not really a reggae thing, but that different way of playing that is based on those kind of bands. But then you can’t take the punk rock out of us because we all love that heavy stuff. There’s nothing like switching your amp up to ten and going for it, you’ll never take that out of us.

Changes afoot...

2007-08-15T16:34:00.000+01:00

hioch Okay so I've decided to try and stop myself from posting so infrequently here, that I'm setting myself a target of sorts, I'm going to aim to post every couple of days; as long as I have something I feel worth saying that is. It's not that I've neglected this site, it's just that I've been concentrating on bigger updates, but because of that I always seem to push an update back a bit because I guess, I got lazy. Well the procrastination has to stop, and therefore as well as blogging like crazy on the work site, I'm going to also plunder my upcoming band interviews for work and air them on here too. So soon I will feature interviews with Circuits, and Fink.

Anyhow, a few things to mention, I received two great albums yesterday, MF Doom's MM..Food, and Vatican DC's Make It Ride... and I would recommend giving them a whirl. MF Doom has a groovy back catalogue, and has done excellent work with Danger Mouse on the Dangerdoom album, and this album is just as good. Throwing in slices of comic references, cartoon references, Muppets samples, and some generally good humour, there is a nice relaxed tone to these hip-hop proceedings.

The Vatican DC album is a good fusion of punk sensibilities, with some great rock backings, and the odd pop tone thrown in for good measure. Each song almost sounds like a different band, but they are all played in a manner that ties them all togther nicely. There are some sublime female backing vocals on three of the songs, which mix very well with lead singer Steve's harsh, but well executed vocals. This is often noisy and raucous, and is all the better for it.

The final band I want to mention in this update is Bobbie Peru, who I saw live for a work event, and have been liking their music ever since. They sent me a link to the gig I went to, and whilst it's not the best quality, you'll get the idea - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWvPZ4--sSY

I like their style; it's a good combination of rock and punk-rock, that harks to bands like Shellac, Mclusky and Sonic Youth, in differing measures. I urge you to check them out, I hope they get a record deal soon.

This week I heart...

2007-07-11T18:16:00.000+01:00

There are eerie and troubled undertones to the subtle trumpets that play in the background of Hell of a Year by Sage Francis; his vocals delivered with a commanding air, and it is these sounds that perforate the room as I type this. It’s such a rousing song; it grabs me by the scruff and works its narrative into the very core of my brain, I’m hypnotised by this man’s music, this song is like modern day jazz fused with hardcore rap…it’s so intoxicating.

Again my friends at Epitaph have sent me some great albums, which are serving me very well indeed, and I’m very thankful. Human the Death Dance is a fantastic album; Sage Francis is a rap incarnation of a preacher, such is the fire behind his words. It's been marketed as his most personal album, but it's much more than that; it's a truly great album, regardless of any critique or classification; it stands alone as a iconic speakerbox of Sage Francis's viewpoints. A refreshing 'hip-hop'/'rap' album, that defies convention(s) and speaks its mind; fearsome, rousing and occasional confrontational.

Also in the postroom was a lovely new copy of Bad Religion's New Maps Of Hell their umpteenth album thus far. After twenty years together you'd forgive the band if their standards dipped a little, but that wouldn't be Bad Religion's style. They'd give up if they thought they had nothing else to say. Thankfully they do, and with this album comes a slight leaning towards some heavier fare.

Opening track 52 Seconds has the basis of some truly hardcore guitar work, with the band's usual punk rock taking to the wings for a brief moment. It returns for the majority of the album, but that hardcore edge, that sheen of frenetic guitar work, nudges and winks at you every now and again. Honest Goodbye could be mistaken for a '90s rock anthem, but not in a way that dates the song, it just shares that sentiment, that fuck you attitude that alternative rock in the '90s had. Grains Of Wrath is a familiar style of Bad Religion song, it's reminiscent to Sorrow, and Destined For Nothing, from 2002's Process of Belief; a telling narrative and a well constructed punk rock anthemic song. This album is not a death cry from pioneers of a now dilluted scene, nor is it a farewell album, this is another accomplished and relevant collection of songs from a band that have never been more relevant. Punk rock isn't dead, it has a fair number of turgid bands crowding the scene yes, but when Bad Religion releases an album, it serves to highlight just how turgid those other bands really are. Pioneers, and flagbearers, Bad Religion have made another cracking album.

My Gogol Bordello album arrived twice last week, one bought and one not (I'm of course passing my other copy onto a good friend) and to top that off I was offered tickets to see them in December...needless to say I jumped at that chance, so I'm seeing these crackpots in a few months time...cannot wait (I also secured tickets to see Arcade Fire in November, which was a great score too!).

Anyway, Gogol Bordello, another album, and this time a more restrained (hah...can I even use that word in regards to this band, well no, but it is a bit more restrained than previous albums) approach. The gypsy heritage is evident in all of their previous releases, yet this has always been played against, not alongside, the punk revivalist sentiments the band also weave through their music. This contradiction of musical styles isn’t supposed to work, but does so incredibly well. Now however, with personnel changes, the band is even more multi-national than before, so there are even more heritages to be influenced by this time round. This is perhaps the most interesting point about the band; whilst often ramshackle, the music does actually find it’s natural sound amongst the ensuing chaos. The chaos and disorder is what cements the music and band together.

From the way Zina-Marina kicks in with it’s old school rock beat and then quickly becomes a violin and trombone led song, to the way Harem In Tuscany starts - as what I can only describe as the beginning of an old cowboy soap on an American cable station back in the 40s/50s - only for it to transform itself into something you could imagine played at a Romanian wedding, this is a varied album. This is the genius of the band, there are so many influences and sounds that whilst there are times that the ideas could run away with themselves, they don’t. The music feels like it isn’t on a tight leash, it's like it could snap away, free to be running around creating mayhem at any point, but the fact is there is a clear direction and there is restraint…it just hides itself well beneath the craziness. Essential.

I'm going to be a whore and direct you, if you'd oblige me, to my work blog, as I've just posted my recommendations for my favourite albums released in June, so please visit and read more of my thoughts, I know it's on my work site, but it is still my views, unchanged from how I write here...it is an extension of my being. Ha! Whatever. It's still me, is all I'm trying to say - http://blog.virgindigital.co.uk/mikeck/july/junerecommendations.htm

'Til next time...

Some awards ceremony from last night...

2007-06-19T19:13:00.000+01:00

So last night saw the Mojo Awards being handed out to those musicians deemed worthy of the necessary accolades, and for once I was actually interested in some of the winners. I'm not saying awards aren't valid, but I am usually not interested unless someone I like wins something...I have a selfish affair with awards ceremonies - I care when it suits me.

Therefore I was pleased to see Bjork win the Mojo Inspiration Award, because she is perhaps the most innovative (and distinctive) artist out there, Arcade Fire won the best live act award, and my favourite band in the 'whole-wide-world' The Doors won the Mojo Hall Of Fame Award. There weas also an award for Seasick Steve as the breakthrough act which was a pleasant surprise.

Now, last update I mentioned how I was concerned as to what would happen here in terms of my posting, well for now I can certainly say that I'm going to continue, because hell, I enjoy it too much not to. Also I'm blogging a lot on the work site and that's given me impetus to start doing the same here too. Because of the amount of music I'm subjected to work I need two formats to get my thoughts across on. So you can visit my work blog (I decided that because on both sites I use the same blog name there is no conflict of interest if I divulge where I work) at http://blog.virgindigital.co.uk/mikeck/

My lovely contact at Epitaph sent me two new albums from the Anti- label that they assured me would be my two new favourite records...and well, they were right.

The first album is from DeVotchKa (called How It Ends), a self-described 'eastern bloc indie rock band' who have (I had to find this out from their website) combined elements of traditional Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero, and Mariachi music with a foundation of indie rock. They joined Gogol Bordello on the soundtrack of Everything Is Illuminated and they successfully scored most of the soundtrack for Little Miss Sunshine (some of which is featured on this album). What I can tell you with a large degree of certainty...is that is is a gorgeous and extremely emotive album. This would be down to the authentic roots taken from the influences mentioned earlier that are played on truly authentic instruments (I didn't know some of these were instruments), we hear theremin, guitar, bouzouki, piano, and trumpet, violin, accordion, and more piano, and sousaphone and double bass...yes that's right a sousaphone(?!). Whatever it is it must sound good, as it's part of the album, and it's a sublime and wonderous gem of an album.

The second of my favourite records at the moment, is GaGaGaGaGa by Texas indie rockers Spoon. This was my first listen to any of the band's material, and this is their sixth album (ooops)...well from the first track Don't Make Me A Target I was hooked, a strong guitar rhythym plays out with some determined piano notes thrown liberally over the top, whilst singer Britt Daniel's vocals throw their weight with the lyrics. I find this album quite hard to describe actually, I know I like it, I know it's a tight affair, with good production and great playing skills, and it's indie rock, but it's not...but then again, it kinda is. Sigh. Anyway, whilst my descriptive powers allude me I will leave you with this nugget about the album...it's darn good.

I've joined Last.fm ('the social music revolution') so I've now put a player on the side-bar of the site, so this may replace the 'Spinning On The Home Decks' section...then again it may not, but it has for this week anyway.

Until next time...

A Bank Holiday with Johnny Cash...

2007-05-27T13:40:00.000+01:00

I hadn't intended to post again so soon after the last update, but I woke up this morning and had an urge to do nothing but listen to music today. I don't mean just have music on in the background as I do other things, I mean actually take the time to fully appreciate some of the CD's in my collection (altough I write this with the Monaco Grand Prix on mute in the background...go Hamilton!). This happens quite often with me, that I get the urge to just listen, however on most occasions I don't get the chance...but today's rainy and generally manky Bank Holiday weather gives me the chance to break out some favourites from the collection and spend some time with them.

I don't know about you but I sometimes get a little sad when looking through my CD's because I will take note that it has been some months since I last listened to a specific album, and then notice that one, and another...and so on and so forth...and it becomes quite endless. Too many CD's and not enough time to give them all the attention they deserve. So there are times when I have a day to myself, with no commitments, and I just kick back and relax with some great music. Today was going to be spent with a great deal of albums and artists, but then I broke out Johnny Cash's Unearthed and sat present it's taken up the day so far.

This beast of an album - well actually I should say collection, as it's five CD's of largely unreleased tracks from Cash's sessions with Rick Rubin - is a great representation of the work he did with Rubin which gave Cash a huge visibilty before his saddening death. I love Cash's voice, perhaps more so than any other recording artists throughout history (the only equal I could say would be the voice of Nick Cave), and it is a real pleasure to spend time enjoying listening to the barritone maestro pour his emotions out through songs that have a real narrative and emotional journey.

I really hope I don't sound too old before my time...but it's not often these days that artists can really capture their audience with genuinely lyrical tales that provide a real sense of story. That's not to say all songs should portray a story, or have a narrative with a climactic pay-off (how can I say that when I still enjoy listening to bands like The Bloodhound Gang and Hayseed Dixie), but it is a rare thing these days. I actually feel like I have been thrown inside of Cash's mind and world today and it's been a real treat to spend time enveloping myself in the redemptive world of his songs.

The other album that I have ear-marked for a listen today is Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's Summer In The Southeast which is one of the best live albums I have had the pleasure to enjoy. I have always found the live album to be a difficult one for some bands (when I was a massive fan of Blink 182 I bought the live album, and whilst it captured the ramshackle nature of the band, it was a poor comparison to the studio versions of the tracks) and generally if I'm going to buy live material of an artist I will get it on DVD so that I can watch the permances. However, this album proves that some artists are just so well suited to live performances.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (Will Oldham) albums are generally very quiet and sparse affairs, however for Summer In The Southeast the songs have been amped up by the touring band Oldham uses, and the tempo for most of the songs has been turned up a few notches, giving a real sense of playfullness and abandonment. Album favourites such as Master And Everyone, Wolf Among Wolves, I See A Darkness and Death To Eevryone are cranked up and played with rambunctious revelry. Whilst I love the original incarnations of these songs, there is a welcome tone to these live versions that gives a new, and exciting edge to the songs. For a live album to capture the essence of the material but add a new twist to it (which ultimately I would say live cconcerts are about, giving a new edge to existing material, although some artists tend to neglect that) without leaving an unwelcome taste in the mouth is a very special thing indeed.

So apart from sharing that with you, and the albums below which I didn't have time to write about last time around, that is all for this update. I'm off to carry on the day with Messer's Johnny Cash, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and (to round off the day) Nick Cave.

Spinning On The Home Decks:
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Knives Don't Have Your Back

An album full of introspective tracks tempered with a quiet melodic approach, this album does share comparisons to the music of Cat Power, Ane Brun and Feist but is also quite obviously in a direction all of Haines own making. Delectable and joyful in an infectiously delivered manner.

Asobi Seksu - Asobi Seksu
A band that hails from New York but has a lead singer that sings both English and Japanese, therefore creating this illusion of a band imported from the Far-East. However, upon first listen it is obvious that they are part of the same scene that gave rise to Interpol, Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo. To me they quite often evoke the sounds of the last Sleater-Kinney album The Woods...mercurical and bouncy in places, but very often escaping to walls and noisescapes of thrashing and wailing guitars. It's hard not to like this band, especially if like me, you're a fan of Sonic Youth, Shellac and Interpol.

Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers
A fantastic compilation that collects music either originating from the Balkans or taking influence from Eastern-European gypsy music. Unsurprisingly Gogol Bordello make an appearance, and amongst the other delights on here, there is a stand-out track from Romanian band Fanfare Ciocarlia with their violin tinged refrain of the James Bond theme (that is the infamous incidental music, not the ever-changing title track). Original gypsy music influenced tracks at their finest and this album also features four remixes too, a great package for those intrigued by Balkan musical influences.

Alberta Cross - The Thief & The Heartbreaker
No not another female singer-songwriter, this is actually two guys with backgrounds lying in the music of folk, blues, roots and gospel. This is an album that clearly takes great influence from the more ragtag world of music (I have always considered blues, country and roots to be the troubled cousins/black sheep of the musical world) and combines it with the social landscape of present day London. Not exactly a concept album, but an album that develops this concept all the same.

The Rakes - Ten New Messages

This isn't intended to be a slight on any part, but this is the album where The Rakes have grown up. Whilst I absolutely loved the debut album Capture/Release, Ten New Messages develops the debut sound into a more refined composite. More attention has been paid to structure, and this is evident by the fact the album sounds like a complete album - not as sometimes is the case with albums, a collection of unrelated songs - each track has it's place next to the other, and this album is very socially conscious. The Rakes have taken the new polical lanscape in London since the 2005 bombings and raised many a question through their new album.

Patti Smith - Twelve

I have to admit to have never owning a Patti Smith album before now, I know of the first lady of punk-folk, but not her music. The reason I was intrigued by this album? It's a covers album, and I am a sucker for a good cover. When I say good, I don't mean a very good rendition of the original, I mean a good re-working of the original track. NOTE - If you're an artists and you want to cover a song, rework it or don't bother. I have listened to great covers from artists who have rekindled an old favourite; Tori Amos, Nick Cave and the afforementioned Johnny Cash mastered this art, however there are many artists (normally niave mainstream artists) who always take a song and royally cock it up. Smith however, is a music veteran, and therefore when she takes tracks by Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, The Doors (she covers one of my favourite ever Doors tracks Soul Kitchen) and Jefferson Airplane she does a damn good job. If you only listen to one track from this album make sure it's her version of Smells Like Teen Spirit, it's an absolute gem.

Procrastination, change and a clutch of great albums

2007-05-16T19:42:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since my last update, but it hasn't all been because of procrastination actually - the title betrays the truth somewhat - there has been a change in the air and my patience has been rewarded. I'm finally going to get paid doing what I love; writing about music. I'm not going to reveal exactly where I will be plying my trade, but it's in the 'digital music downloading' realm (just a little hint) and therefore I'm not sure just yet how this will impact the blog. It's not going away, that's for certain, but I know it will go either of two ways; I'm either going to bust my hump more and update with more regularity, or I'm going to become more slovenly...I hope it's the former choice, but time will tell I suppose.

Anyway, this update features all the albums I've become attached to in the last month; some albums are from bands whose promo I happened upon, one was word of mouth (and very grateful for that heads up was I...) one I had been wanting for a few months and finally got my hands on, and the rest were latest releases from favoured artists.

So, this month (in no specific order) I have mostly been listening to:

The Nightwatchman - One Man Revolution
The Nightwatchman aka Tom Morello, the guitar meastro from Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave, dons an acoustic guitar and rallies against the world's wrongs. Under the guise of The Nightwatchman, Morello has developed a simple and truly affecting style of penmanship and musical delivery. His politcally motivated folk/rock, conjures comparisons to 60's songwriters such as Dylan and Cohen whilst combining this with a socialist stance similar to that of the agit-prop movement. Emotional, challenging and fiercely rousing, this is a great reminder that sometimes we all need to be a little more mindful of the world around us. Hmmm, I seem to have gone all hippy-like.

Ben Harper - Both Sides Of The Gun
I'm not sure how surprising it is that this album has two discs of widely differing styles, hence the clever title I would imagine, but I can tell you one thing with assurance, it works. The first disc features Harper singing soul and folk infused acoustic songs, against a second disc that amps up the volume and tone of the album with songs leaning towards funk and rock elements. As a continuation from the first disc, the second follows in a seamless transition from soothing vocals, strings and acoustic slide guitar to a rambunctious combination of vocal screeches, piano, deep funk infused bass and haunting tambura strains. The two albums can also serve as two very different companion pieces to be enjoyed for differing moods and occasions. A diverse album in more ways than one.

Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block
Even if you don't know the name, you know these Swedish musicians through 'that whistling song' which has featured on various television adverts. It starts with a tuneful whistle that you will have found yourself whisling on more than one occasion...go on ask yourself, have you? I'd be slightly surprised if you haven't , even if you didn't know it, you must have...right? Anyway I mention this as most people know the song and enjoy it's friendly and warming rhythm and the album manages to keep this warmth throughout it's duration. Young Folks (the whistling song, to give it it's real name) is one of the highlights, but it is bested by the whimisically reminiscent Objects Of My Affection, which reminds me of a few different bands, but names allude me. Popfolk, folky-esque pop, rockpopfolk...I'm at a loss to label this, but suffice to say it has pop sentiments, basic folk staples, and rock (prog) undertones. A joy to listen to.

Bjork - Volta
Whereby the Icelandic 'mentalist' returns triumphantly after two experimental (you could read outright barking at times into that) forays. 2004's Medulla saw Bjork combine with Mike Patton, human beat-box Rahzel and The Icelandic Choir for an album completely devoid of any instruments (albeit with some computer programming thrown in for good measure), whilst the 2005 soundtrack for (artist and partner Matthew Barney's) Drawing Restraint 9 was challenging, frustrating and full of moments of genius in equal measure. Volta combines the mecurial sense of wonder toyed with in the aforementioned albums with a return to the pop sentiments of Post. There is a return to a more 'narrative' sense of structure to the songs and album, but the nuances are accentuated through a wide variety of instruments and techincal tinkering that was mastered in the two previous offerings. For fans of Bjork this album is essential, there is no doubt that she is a treasure to the world of music, and for those yet to be fully enraptured by the pixie genius this could be the album to sway your opinions.

Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
I have to confess to having had a musical affair with this lady since 1992's Little Earthquakes, and I was very excited about this new material; thankfully it was worth every fevered moment of anticipation. Opening with Yo George, a piano led lament about the loss of America's innocence, Amos gallops through a strong collection of blues, rock, pop and at times gospel, inspired tracks. Amos has always handled her music with the utmost of care, she could have traversed the 'kooky' label quite safely throughout her early career and beyond, but with age has come a shift into dabbling with everything that has clearly influenced her. Rather than making for a cluttered mess, which in the hands of other artists this could easily have been, it sounds like a polished and exceptionally masterful album. The varying tracks flow into one another, and there are no real blips in quality either, and whilst to me this album sounds like an older sibling to 1996's Boys From Pele, it is far more accomplished. This is the masterpiece album that should cement Tori Amos's place as a pioneering singer-songwriter.

Hazmat Modine - Bahamat
An obsession of late...this album will not leave my consciousness, no matter how far I try to distance myself it's there...on my computer at work, at home, on my MP3 player...and more importantly in my head. I've read this described as whorehouse blues, and whilst that first made me chuckle, it kinda fits. This is a rustic slice of contemporary blues, yet evoking a nostalgic air, I can understand why this has been described as whorehouse blues...I can see the flaking sun-bleached paint curling itself away from the outer walls of the desolate whorehouse. I can see buxom women canoodling with their guests of honour, whilst they are all swilling copious amounts of beer and bellowing gusts of cigar smoke into the thick, humid air. These are images I get when listening to this ballsy, yet soulful album. This is technically a blues album, but it is not pure blues; this plays with a gypsy sense of authentication set amongst the roots laden blues, and there is a real sense of horseplay and camaraderie behind the music that gives it a more mellow and humanistic edge. This is without a doubt my favourite album of the year.

Nikolas Barrell and The GinClub
I don't know much about this guy, nor his band and I found this album as a promo at work and gave it a listen and took an immediate liking to it. Turns our Nikloas Barrell and companions - that would be the Gin Club then- are all weathered members of the music scene and that's obviously the reason why this is such a stiring, and assured album. This is also a warmth inducing album, comprising of melodic country blues, with a twist of roots influence...not bad from an artist based in Brighton. Probably best enjoyed as the dusk settles to a murky haze, this is a great album for a warm night by the beach, or in at worst a garden (or 'yarden' as I have at home). I'm not sure why I feel this is the time when it's best listened too, but it just feels right, and it stays with you and makes you feel welcome like an old friend. That's how deep the warmth is to this album. I suggest you all seek this band out at their current home on MySpace to find out more.

I was going to write about a few more albums, but as this post is turning into a beast, I'm going to concentrate on the next update rather than overstay my welcome on this one. I'm away soon for a nice break in the surf and sun of South France, but when I return I should have some more words to hurl in your direction.

Until next time...

The Kings (Of Leon) are back...

2007-04-10T20:20:00.000+01:00

...and they return on fine, fine form.

Even though this is a massive release I was a little surprised that I could not find a decent image of the album cover to swipe for the blog, so instead I found this nice little image. It does the job and it's well designed, so for that - whoever produced this image - I thank them for it's pleasing aesthetic look.

The Followill boys are back , and dare I say they have returned with their strongest offering to date. But please do not misunderstand me; the previous two Kings of Leon albums were cracking, from the bluesy-tinged garage rock of Youth and Young Manhood to the americana influenced Aha Shake Heartbreak they have offered two strong albums with genuine singles that force themselves into the consciousness (Red Morning Light, Molly's Chambers, The Bucket and Four Kicks are great examples of this).

Because Of The Times amplifies the previous albums whilst removing the countrified twangs and blues roots and replacing them with blistering garage rock, producing an album that feels more complete then ever before. Age has certainly favoured the Kings, and the album sounds like they have evolved into a more ferocious beast. My only regret towards it...that as yet I have been unable to see them live, but I'm sure that will change at some point...oh please, I frigging hope so!

Everything about this album breathes maturity and serves as an assurance that they are one of the finest bands around, and it would be a shame if this album does not get the recognition it deserves. First single On Call highlights the progression in sound, with a more electronic feel than ever before, and as the third track on the album it completes the opening salvo of this more focused direction in sound that is started by the first and second tracks Knocked and Charmer. It's always a pleasant surprise when a band serves up a more distinct direction in musicality from previous works, but with Because Of The Times it feels so much sweeter as Kings Of Leon are treading their turf with an assurity that is well founded.

The next new album that I have had the pleasure in purchasing and listening to is by the English electronic pairing of Soulsavers; however on this occasion they are joined by the haunting gravely vocals of Mark Lanegan, with further guest vocals by Wendy Rose, Lena Palmer and a stunning cameo by Will Oldham (the man behind Palace Music and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy).

Normally it would seem like an unlikely collaboration between an electronic group and a man known for his work with Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age and his own solo albums, but on this occasion the quiet soundscapes are a fitting muse for Lanegan's vocal apptitude. Perhaps his recent work with Isobel Campbell on Ballads Of The Broken Seas has led the way for him to take chances with new directions, but whatever led him to sign up with Soulsavers for this album we should be thankful as It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land is a masterpiece collection of quiet yet forcefully engaging ballads.

I was also hoping to have been able to review Bill Callahan's first offering under his own name, you may know his previous work under the guise of Smog, but my copy of Woke On A Whaleheart has yet to arrive in the post so this will appear in my next update.

In a saddening turn of events, one of my favourite bands of all time the Drive-By Truckers have parted ways with guitarist and vocalist (fans will know the band have three fine vocalists) Jason Isbell. Paterson Hood had this to offer on the DBT website "It's with a wide range of emotions and feelings that I'm announcing that we have parted ways with Jason. The split, which I consider extremely amicable is the result of a period of personal and artistic growth from all sides which has left us with differing dreams and goals." Hood continued "It is my sincere and and adamant hope that everyone will support all of us, and by that I mean our band and Jason's, as we deal with this transition. Jason's tenure in this band has been one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me on a personal and musical level and our love for him and his music is in no way changed or endangered by our collective decision to move into different directions".

Whilst I love all the songs offered by the three singer-songwriters, some of my favourite DBT tracks have been penned and sung by Isbell, so it is some comfort that he will be releasing his solo album Sirens Of The Ditch through New West Records on July the 10th. I have faith that both his solo album and the next DBT album will be rocking, so whilst this is sad news, I'm sure there will be great music to come from all involved in the months to come.

Forthcoming album releases to get excited about:

Tori Amos - American Doll Posse (April 30th)

Bjork - Volta (May 7th)

The White Stripes - Icky Thump (June 18th)

To carry on with my slight foray into film views on the site, the latest film I have enjoyed at the cinema was Zack Snyder's 300. I had seen countless trailers of this film in recent months and my levels of anticipation were at a high, and I threw caution to the wind and ignored all the venomous media reviews of the film (not that I ever really take their comments with more than a pinch of salt these days), especially an particularly harsh review in The Metro (filled with spiteful accusations of inherent racism, homophobia and unfair comparisons with the current US fixation with the Middle-East). Without going off into too much of a tangent you can tell when a reviewer has studied too much film theory (how a film set in ancient Greece can be compared to the current political climate in the Middle-East bemuses me), this is a film based on Frank Miller's graphic novel interpretation of the historical account and is not intended to portray the actual events.

Other disparaging criticisms have included how it is all style and no substance (remind you of some of those Sin City reviews?) and that the characters have no emotional depth...perhaps we were watching different films? Okay to be fair this isn't the most in-depth movie in terms of emotions and complex storylines, but this is a blockbuster (of sorts) and I was engaged with both the story and the characters.

As a cinematic experience this is almost unparrelleled, great action scenes, cinematography that treads new ground (I wouldn't say that this is as groundbreaking as Greg Tolland's cinematographic triumphs on Citizen Kane) and great use of sepia-toned backdrops. It is hard for me to fault this film, but then again I am in the right demographic for this film, so I would urge those who have a leaning towards the 'geekier' things in life to go and visit your local cinema and kick back and enjoy.

Spinning On The Home Decks:

Beirut - Gulag Orkestra
A strange album to describe...man from America takes a trip through Europe and produces an album of Balkan influenced traditional music coupled with more melodic Western fare. Highly recommended.

Boy Omega - The Black Tango
My Swedish love affair continues...yet another gloriously melancholic, indie/folk music album, with the occasional electronic (drum machine) loop thrown in for good measure.

From a Neon Bible to Jesus Camp

2007-03-14T19:26:00.000Z

Well it was almost to the day a year ago that I started this blog, and for better or worse I, and it, are still here; so thanks to me for perservering with writing it and to you for perservering through reading it (or skimming through it if that's more of a pertinent description). Anyway, less jabber about that and onwards with the update.

With 2005's awe-inspiring album Funeral, Arcade Fire unleashed one of the great debut albums of all time. It is never an easy feat for a band to follow up with the much documented 'difficult' second album at the best of times, and it's no overstatement to say that these talented guys and gals had their work cut out to match the sheer audacity and craftsmanship of their first album. Therefore it is of the greatest testament that they had suceeded in releasing another exemplary collection of songs.

There's more of a polished feel to this second album; the rawness and urgency captured on Funeral has been replaced for a more mediated outlook on Neon Bible, and whilst this is far from being a negative, it does jar slightly against the more authentic feel dictated by the debut album. The meandering strings and lengthy, almost lackadaisical, orchestral sections have been replaced by the urgent and abrasive organ accompaniments that run as a theme throughout this album. That is not to say Arcade Fire have diverted away from the sound that brought them to attention, rather they have tweaked it somewhat and started to play away from what we have come to expect from them. However, that is also an unfair statement, as they have only released one EP and one album and therefore they have yet to establish a 'trademark' sound.

There is no right way for a band to mark their return through a second album, however many bands will do well to follow in Arcade Fire's footsteps. They have staged the second album like a preacher's sermon; it's loud and obnoxious, and swaggers with the self-belief that those who are listening do so because they want to. And swagger they should. Neon Bible, Intervention, The Well and the Lighthouse and No Cars Go are all extremely rousing, and only once was I reminded of Funeral, and that was because Keep The Car Running was as typically Arcade Fire as any of the songs from the first album. It's hard to fault this album in any way...it's no Funeral, but then again who wanted another Funeral anyway?

Ultimately this is a majestic album with soaring anthems that will imbed itself into your consciousness, and I will certainly be playing this album to death and anticipating what I suspect will be another cameleon-esque third album.

The second album to impress me greatly recently is the new release from four of the members of the Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds stable, however this time Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos are recording under the moniker of Grinderman. Apparantly they 'grind' on this album, or at least that is what I have read in their interviews with the music press.

I'm not sure by what they mean when they say they 'grind', but they do kick some ass for a change. Whilst I love Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds work, it's about time they turned their hand to something a little more bluesy and dirty, and that's precisely what they've done with Grinderman. It all feels so playful and sordid - the cover also captures that feeling through the impish green and red lit simian friend - and this seems to be the perfect foil for Cave's vocals and lyrics. A while back I reviewed Adam Green's latest album, and that was one of the things I mentioned in my comparision of the two troubadours; whilst vocally alike, thematically they're very different. Whilst that is still true, I can just feel the devil(ish) may care attitude in Cave's deliveries resonate through these songs, in almost the same manner as Green.

Shimmering guitars, electric wails and siren calls, threatening basslines and troublesome lyrics all come to the forefront of these songs, and with songs like No Pussy Blues this album is an enticing affair. "I've got the no pussy blues" Cave wails on this particular track, like an angsted teen, or brooding elder statesman, looking for a furtive hump with the next willing female to offer herself. Cave is the master of the musical tale and has very few peers in this regard, I would say only Tom Waits can match his melancholic fables, and this latest album again shows a master of his craft on top form, whilst more than ably joined by his three stablemates. Dirty, languid, bluesy-garage-rock at it's best.

Now I've been meaning to start writing about films for a while on this blog, as a sort of side-dish to the music writing I offer, and whilst I hadn't fully decided to commit to this endeavour, I just had to write about a documentary I recently saw whilst on my travels in Sweden. This US documentary had bypassed me in the UK, but on one of the more liberal and forward thinking Swedish television channels I happened upon this very intruiging, and to my mind, extremely disturbing documentary.

The film in question regards something that troubles me deeply; the mis-use of religion. This documentary regards some bright, yet misguided, children raised under the religion of fundamentalist christianity. Now before I launch into my overall feelings about the film I have to state I am no fan of religion. I fear it. Mainly, because it will lead to the destruction of this planet. That may be just my opinion, but it will...no one religion will be the cause of it, it will be the responsibility of them all, but ultimately the next global war will destroy this planet, and that will happen because of the ructions caused by religions clashing.

Now I realise that for most religious people, their religion gives them hope, it gives them faith, not only in themselves, but friends family and for countless faceless others, and it also gives them something to believe in. However here's what I believe in; equal respect for all, and evolution...scientific fact, hard evidence about how we were created. Now this is largely what compelled me to dispair at Jesus Camp; most, if not all followers of fundamentalist christians dispute evolution, they have their own scientific fact...creative design or creationism if you will. Evolution is wrong, plain and simple to this branch of christianity and the worrying statistic the film highlights is that 75% of home-schooled children in the US are fundamentalist christians, and they are not taught evolution, they are taught only creative design in their biology lessons. If fundamentalists want to believe this then that's their concern not mine, but you have to give children another side to the story (preferably the scientific and correct one), they have to see all the angles, and worryingly these children are being left blind by their home-schooling. Children are extremely impressionable, and there were no signs of the usual unnerving and endless questioning behaviour you would normally find from bright children (I also want to add that the children in this film were warm, loving and clever), which makes this all the worse, as to me the way these children have been almost force-fed their parents religion is tantamount to child-abuse. That may sound extreme, but there are many forms of child-abuse apart from the more documentated physical abuse cases we read about almost daily.

However, the worst aspect of this film for me was the fact that children as young as 7 0r 8 were sent to a summer bible camp, hence the film title, to be preached to and given the chance to repent sins and be reborn. Cue to many scenes of children wailing, weeping and entering trance like states in the effort to impress their maker and the camp's founder. Now please permit me to add as a sidenote here, that I am usually very objective about films, especially documentaries, however I can't really keep my own feelings about this film in check that well, my composure was slammed against the wall during this film, and even now writing about it a week later I am feeling very aggreived. It is a sad, sad sight to see a young boy of eight declare that at the age of five he decided he needed to be reborn as his life was going nowhere. Where is the childhood for these children?

As a documentary exercise, the filmmakers were objective to the last degree and didn't use the clinical methods of some to highlight their own adgenda. There was no attempt to lead the viewer through emotive voiceovers and it was put together with the care and love a classic film should be. However, my own conclusions were drawn the instance I saw children pleading to their god for forgiveness, with tears streaming down their face and asking for a second chance at the age of eight years old. If there is one documentary to see before you meet whomever your maker is, this has to be it. A compelling, and for those in the same frame of mind as myself, a frightening look at how religion is developing in the western powerhouse that practically dictates foreign policy across the globe (don't forget George W. Bush is a fundamentalist christian).

So that's the end of another update, a more diverse one than usual, but one that implements the direction I intend to take this blog, same musical witterings, but now to be peppered with more film and cultural references and writings, oh yes and a slightly tinkered with 'Spinning' section. Until next time...

Spinning On The Home Decks:
The Walkmen - A Hundred Mile Off

Cracking garage-rock, with a hint of revival, and country-esque twangs in the background. The latest album, but not the first.

Joanna Newsom - Milk Eyed Mender
Yes, the album with the song from the Orange advert (blackout in NY) and the predecessor to Ys, self-assured and as bittersweet as usual. Newsom has a voice that could melt a Yeti's heart.

Calexico - Garden Ruin
The latest from the americana rabble, not as playful as Feast Of Wires and lacking the mexicana angle, but still a strong and very listenable album.

The Piney Gir Country Roadshow - Hold Yer Horses
Another country band that I've just encountered, Piney Gir leads her boys through foot-stamping singalongs, very catchy and extremely joyful. I challenge you to listen to this and not smile throughout.

The Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
Oh look it's 'nu-rave'...bollocks. Ignore the NME catered for tag, ignore the kids jumping on the bandwagon, this is an accomplished debut album comprising of indie rock that will leave you in indie rock nirvana.

Save the Astoria

2007-02-19T19:50:00.000Z

Whilst surveying my kingdom from upon my porcelein throne a minute ago, I read an article in Time Out suggesting there are plans afoot to demolish yet another London music venue (we shortly say goodbye to the Hammersmith Palais), of course this news saddened me. I have frequented this venue a few fair times, and I have experienced some of my more sweaty gig moments here. It is also home to not only some of my favourite gig memories, but also some fond memories of the people I went with, and I am certainly not alone in those regards. This is not only a venue close to my heart, but many, many others, and this is also an important part of London's musical history and cultural memory.

I have paid witness to Mike Patton's Fantomas displaying vast soundscapes of noise whilst I radiatiated a nice warm weed influenced buzz; I have also found myself moshing (which I try to avoid these days, only because I have anger-management issues) together with fans years younger than I, to the short frenetic bursts from the likes of Reel Big Fish and The Vandals. All in all, I have had great fun there and it would be a real shame to take that away from me, you, your friends, their friends etc etc. A lot of people will miss out; and that's not even counting those not yet old enough (or not even born yet) to experience their first gig, let alone their first Astoria gig.

Take an interest in helping to do your bit for this great venue (I really don't mean to sound preachy) and visit this site http://www.savetheastoria.org/home.html and whilst you're there you could do well in signing the petition.

Spinning on the home decks:

Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike

James McCann - Last Night I Met The Devil

Mugison - Mugimama, Is This Monkey Music?

System Of A Down - System Of A Down

Tenacious D - Tenacious D

Tobias Froberg at Bush Hall

2007-02-15T21:04:00.000Z

On Monday the 12th I visited Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush to pay witness to the smallest gig I have ever been privy too. Bush hall reminded me of a school assembly hall, albeit a very luxurious one. I don't ever usually pay attention too much to a venue's decor - although Brixton Academy with it's castle-esque proscenium and Koko's lavish theatre interior are stand out venues with real atmosphere - but because of the small scale of Bush Hall I couldn't help but take frequent lingering looks around. It would be a pretty obvious statement then for me to tell you it was an intimate affair.

Kate Walsh provided good support at the start of the night, whilst her songs were fairly standard (that's not to say poor in the slightest), they were far from shabby on the ear, and were sung with a beautiful and confident voice. I couldn't help but find myself smiling pretty much throughout the whole set, partly because of the joy behind her performance and partly because of Walsh's sweet, and almost coy, manner. There were moments where it seemed like this was her very first time in front of an audience, because of instrument tweakings or nervous chats between songs, however there was also a quiet confidence that exuded from her as her set went on.

For the first gig of the year then, this was a good start. Soon then to be confirmed by Froberg's own set. As he took to the stage, I got the feeling that this was going to a little bit special. Usually you can watch a gig and not get a real sense of the personality of the artist or band, however Froberg is instantly an affable host. I was reminded of a Swedish friend of mine, due to the dry wit (which I have an inkling could possibility be a cultural trait), which hit me with a wave of familiarity. The album features a small variety of instruments and effects, and also two apearances by guest singers, yet Froberg came to the stage with only two guitars and a piano; flitting seamlessly (apart from a one-legged hop between guitar and paino, due to his broken foot) between the instruments for this acoustic affair. I was looking forward to the possibility of someone filling in for Ann Brun's appearance on Love and Misery, but Froberg's unaccompianied rendition gave a brittle edge to the song. Froberg was on fine form and vocally he was exceptional. He ranged from cracked and hurried, to barely audible yet assured, whilst also proving he could also holla like the best of 'em.

Everything about the set highlighted the warmth in both his manner and songs, it could have been a hippy love-in - except there was no hot mixture of marijuana and incense hanging in the air - because the of the way Froberg spread his charm across the glorified school hall. The only other thing that could have joined the imaginery weed-slash-jasmine scent in the air was the self-satisfied stench seeping from the 'arty' crowd. Actually thats not really fair as there were only a few groups of these smug bastards, and it didn't really bother me, but something about them must have crawled up my ass, or else I wouldn't be writing about it. Anyway, this was a cracking gig and if you get the chance, please go and see him, he's a generous host.

Due to my proscratination in writing here for the past month I'm going to update again very soon, as I've recently accumulated a pentiful amount of promos and albums; quite a few in fact to be found below.

Spinning on the home decks:

The Klaxons - Myths of The Near Future

Lone Official - Tuckassee Take

James McCann - Last Night I Met The Devil

Vista Le Vie - A Futuristic Family Film

Norma Jean - Redeemer

Willy Mason - If The Ocean Gets Rough

The Piney Gir Country Roadshow - Hold Your Horses

Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City

Goose - Bring It On

...there went 2006.

2007-01-16T20:55:00.000Z

So it's a new year, and hopefully it will be yet another year which throws out some great music. This year there was a more than a handful of great albums released, by established and new artists, and quite a few that for me will be personal favourites for years to come. There were artists that were releasing work that developed their sound and style; artists who courted new aspects of reinvention, transformation, or elaboration, and artists who introduced themselves with an assured first album. It can be said, that it was a good year for music.

Therefore, as a new year means another 'albums of the year' list, there was some consideration put into the following list of personal favourites of the year. I decided to add my own 'quirky' (also see 'wacky' and 'zany') categories, as in a best of year 'awards' list found on music websites and magazines, for this list. It just had to be done, and there's no apologies I'm afraid...sorry [ah, shit].

Albums of 2006

Early contender of the year
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad of the Broken Seas

Best solo album
Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Best genre 'unclassifiable' album
Warren Suicide The Hello

Creativity (craziness) award
The Mars Volta - Amputechture

Best rock album
The Futureheads - News and Tributes

Best 'dirty' rock/metal album
Eagles of Death Metal - Death By Sexy

Best rockabilly album
Dan Sartain - Join Dan Sartain

Best Mike Patton' album
Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom

Best Swedish album
Tobias Froberg - Somewhere In The City

Best country/blues album
Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

Best country/bluegrass album
Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World

Best alt-country/folk album
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go

Getting back the 'old magic' award
Tom Petty - Highway Companion

Best compilation
Strange Country

Best Drive-By Truckers album
Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing & a Curse

Best album I haven't heard, but want really want to
Ton Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

Best 'have no image to host' album
Joanna Newsom - Ys

These albums are all loved in one way or another - they all make me slightly moist - and I think they are the stand out albums of the year. Of course I've missed some notable albums out, but these were the albums chosen by gut-instincts and multiple listens.

For the next coming months we can look out for new releases from Arcade Fire (Neon Bubble, 5th March), The Klaxons (Myths of the Near Future, 29th January), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues Tour (29th January), Kings of Leon (TBC, April) and Grinderman (5th March), as well as the usual batch of albums that come unannounced and leap into your life.

Well, for now...on to 2007!

Mugison

2006-12-23T21:48:00.000Z

I watched this fascinating film the other day called Screaming Masterpieces, which documented the blossoming Icelandic music scene. It featured many different artists covering a range of genres, and two of my favourite's were featured; through footage of Bjork and Minus. The unexpected highlight for me however was a short acoustic piece by the artist Mugison, which pretty much blew me away. It was a simple, yet highly enchanting and bewitching song, but the strained vocals and haunting melody commanded my attention and I played this song through three times before carrying on with the rest of the film.

The song in question was called Murr Murr and I suggest that anyone who is susceptible to 'ambiant pop weirdness' should go and get a copy of the album Mugimama - Is This Monkey Music? upon which it can be found. I say ambiant pop weirdness with my tongue firmly in cheek, but I suggest the description should stand true, as Mugison weaves Radiohead-esque (post OK Computer) electronica and combines it with an Icelandic twist of alt-country and a rawness that Tom Waits would be proud of. A BBC quote suggested Mugison was "Badly Drawn Boy gone feral" whilst also hurling adjectives such as growly and guttural, and I have to agree. There are two other albums I've managed to get my hands on also: Lonely Mountain and Niceland and I've spent some hours lost in the magical world Mugison conjures through his majestic soundscapes. Haunting, spooky...how many more superlatives can I throw in his direction?

Just go and listen for yourself, I promise you it's worth it.

www.mugison.com/

Playlists and Jack Daniels

2006-12-19T21:04:00.000Z

I’m currently listening to a random selection of tracks through Media Player, as I try and formulate some kind of mix that will suit all the players for Thursday’s first Jack Daniels ‘Holmside Invitational’ Poker Night (I just bought a Jack Daniels embossed Poker set, so it has to be used immediately!). Thus far it’s proving a tough challenge for me, seeing as all the participants listen to a wide cross-section of genres, but despite the time it’s currently taking, it is do-able.

It’s hard because I don’t want to alienate anybody, and I want everybody to enjoy the musical offerings, but I don’t want to worry that my selections will fail to impress. Actually impress is definitely not the right word; I just want the music to ‘work’ for the occasion. Hard drinking, aggressive playing, good conversation, and coercive banter for good measure. I also have to fit some tracks that will adhere to the likings of a couple of R&B lovers (no not the true Rhythm & Blues meaning of the term, the new definition unfortunately), as well as a couple who are not fully aware of the full repertoire in my collection. Whilst I can get away with throwing in my usual fare of randomness, this has to be an exercise in diplomacy too…so some more mainstream fare will have to pay an appearance. Not that I have too much of that, but I do have quite a lot of tracks and albums that are more accessible than others.

I think I’m just getting carried away with how I imagine the night should be, ever since finishing my Film Studies degree I have become adjusted to thinking in images, and due to my passion for music too, those images always have a soundtrack. Therefore I imagine a lot of The Doors, Johnny Cash, Mike Patton songs (from across the full spectrum of his bands), Miles Davis etc, artists that you can imagine living to some sort of excess, and that’s where I want this first night to go…drunken excess and a damn good time. For me, the music is a large part of that. This task has only led me to consider the idea I’ve had for some time that I seem to be fairly good at choosing the right music for any particular moment. Most likely because of this, I’ve often considered that I’d like to be the person that chooses the soundtrack for films. To be able to express what the director and screenwriter is portraying onscreen with the right musical accompaniment; I think would be a truly rewarding job. The only thing is I have no idea how to go about being that person.

I often listen to songs and think how good they would be for a specific scenario, or I find myself thinking that I should write a scene with that track as the background music. I find that music is an integral part of my life, and it’s always irked me somewhat to see in films that people don’t listen to music (as well as never going to the toilet also, but that’s another matter)…the first thing I do when I walk into my room at home is annoy my flatmates by playing something at an unreasonable level (I’m only sharing after all), so I want to see this realism portrayed onscreen also. For example, what music would Travis Bickle have been listening to whilst gearing himself up in the mirror (‘you talking to me’ whilst Black Sabbath’s Iron Man blares in the background) in Taxi Driver? It makes a difference in my opinion; I want to hear music play in the scene, not over it. Incidental music has a place, but I want to see music play an integral part in the world I see play out before me. I think it’s a real skill to be able to emphasise the underlying feelings in a scene, but that’s not always the reason I think a certain song is perfect for a certain situation. Sometimes it can be just as simple as it’ll work, without being able to explain why, it just suits the mood.

Which leads me back to the mix for the Poker night, it’s not just about picking songs that I like, they’ve got to work together, and form some kind of cohesive playlist. However, this is far from the work of a skilled DJ, who can seamlessly mix songs together to get people dancing; this is more about encapsulating an evening with my housemates and friends through Jack Daniels, poker and music.

On a separate note, I was hoping to get some feedback if possible from whoever may be reading this blog. I’m not looking for praise or constructive criticism; I’m just trying to see who is out there reading this and how you stumbled upon this blog. I would also be interested to see what you may like to see on here. I’m thinking of updating weekly and having a weekly album review, and having a monthly feature at the end of every month, so that it gives me a deadline to work too, for all the feature ideas I’ve been storing over the past few months. I may also add regular sections such as relevant upcoming album releases, as well as regular gig postings, but these are just ideas at present. I enjoy writing this blog, and I just hope there are actually people out there enjoying reading it. Please don’t think I want anybody stroking my ego , because I’m really not looking for that, I just want the feedback I’ve asked for above. Please send me your feedback to the email address in the contact me section in the right-hand column of the site. I look forward to some replies, but not the possibility of the silence that will speak volumes…

Next time, I will have my list of what I consider to be the best albums of 2006.

Spinning on the home decks
Muse – Black Holes and Revelations
Smog – Red Apple Falls
Smog – The Doctor Came At Dawn
Mars Volta – Amputechture
Billy Talent – Billy Talent II
N.E.R.D. – In Search Of
Gogol Bordello – Multi Kontra Culti

Delving deep Part 2

2006-11-29T21:57:00.000Z

So as a quick continuation of the last post, I am still swamped with lots of music I have yet to give a thorough listen to, and whilst I may have given the last small list of albums in the last post some more attention, others have landed in my lap and the whole process is starting again. Not that I'm complaining, it's so good to give my attention to music, I'm constantly playing something whilst pottering around at home.

Giving more attention to my Media player (the source of many albums copied from friends...I am such a scurge to the music industry) has led to further appreciation of Martha Wainwright's self titled album, Beth Orton's Comfort Of Strangers, Junior Boys' So This Is Goodbye amongst countless others, but those are some highlights. I am aware it is nearing the end of the year and therefore I turn my thoughts to my favourite albums of 2006, however in no way can I publish this list until the final releases of the year, just in case a miss an album or too. I have let myself down in a way by trying to broaden my horizons even more, as some album releases from artists already embedded in my collection have yet to be bought and listened too. Therefore I have to go away and reacquaint myself with these releases before I can give a comprehensive list of my favourites of the year. Also this has meant I also have to get up to speed with my year lists for the rest of this decade thus far...therefore lists from 2002-2005 will also get posted shortly (that at least is the hope); maybe not before the 2006 list, but I will get up to speed in the coming months.

I also have realised I have not been to a single gig since Drive-by Truckers in April , which by my standards is very poor indeed (in June/July of 2003 alone I went to about 10 gigs), so I have been looking for upcoming gigs I must go to; whilst there are loads out there I dearly want to go to, I am limiting myself to seeing bands/artists I have yet to see at all, therefore I will be making outings to Tobias Froberg, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, a New Years bash with The Young Knives and Larrakin Love and hopefully Bonnie 'Prince' Billy from now until February...hopefully more if money allows.

Spinning at home of late:

Joanne Newsom - Ys

Tom Petty - Highway Companion

Marie Antoinette OST

Tobias Froberg - Somewhere In The City

CSS - Cansei De Der Sexy

Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites

Delving deep...

2006-11-13T21:48:00.000Z

I've realised that I have a lot of albums saved in my Windows Media Player that I really haven't given much time of day for, and that's pretty sad really as I've got a lot of albums there that deserve more than a fleeting cast of the ear. It makes me wonder how many other people do the same? Is it common for people to accumulate so much music that they haven't really had a chance to absorb the album fully? I don't think it is really, and it's quite frustrating for me to have collected so many albums recently on my computer and not be able to appreciate them as intended. Therefore I have given myself the task of giving these albums my complete and undivided attention, and just listen to them, without distraction, and let them take me somewhere else.

The only problem with this is, will I ever have the time to write about them fully? I hope so, I really do. For the time being, as it will take me a while to get through them all I have decided to list some of them, so maybe you can go out and listen to them in the meantime too...let's give these albums our full attention, shall we?

Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning (I'm actually listening to this as I type this, and so far, so very, very good. Vocally Conner Oberst has a very fragile sentiment; he sounds like he'll crack at any time, yet, coupled with some very heartfelt lyrics, this is a very moving and emotionally affecting album).

Cat Power - The Greatest
Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers
Tom Petty - Highway Companion (At first listen this sounds like classic Petty; already I think I'm infatuated with this album).
Sufjan Stevens - Greetings From Michigan, The Great Lake State
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out Of Season
Outkast - Idlewild

This isn't to say that I'm going to stop buying more albums in the meantime, as already this month I have added a fair few more to the collection, but it makes me think should I stop for a while?...But then I think, if I stop buying or borrowing more music, I'm missing out, however, the argument to that is if it takes me so long to listen to them, I'm missing out anyway. It's a tough predicament to be in. Ideally I'd like to be able to listen to two albums, one for each ear, independently from the other and then maybe I'd get through all the albums I want to listen to quicker. Plus, this isn't even accounting for the hundreds of other albums in the collection, the old favourites and the albums I still haven't given enough airplay to...I just can't stop accumulating all this music, and there just aren't enough hours in the day for them all. If only I didn't have to sleep, then I could get through a lot more music.

Anyway, so this month I have gathered and added the following albums to the collection, and due to time constraints I will add just a quick blurb about them:

Dan Sartain - Join Dan Sartain

Another great collection of rockabilly, country/blues infused madness by the man called Sartain. This man deserves a large following and I'm sure as the album title suggests you will join (the cult that will be) Sartain. His songs are lyrically absorbing and challenging, the songs are epic, without overdoing it, and it's hard for me to say exactly why I think this, but just listen for yourself and I'm confident you'll know what I'm trying to convey to you. You can't help but loose yourself in reckless abandon and stamp you feet and holla your lungs out...who knows you may even start handling snakes, shaking and seeing premonitions, followed by devout bouts of preaching the joys of Sartain to the ignorant masses!

Nick Oliveri & The Mondo Generator - Dead Planet: Sonicslowmotiontrails

The third album from Mondo Generator (albeit with a change of name) and the first since Oliveri's split from Queens of the Stone Age, and perhaps there has been some sort of hangover since those heady days. The previous Mondo album had more to offer than this album, although this is still a damn good listen, and maybe the influence of QOTSA was a factor in the previous two albums. When Oliveri was still a member he had less of an outlet for the screamy incantations he brought to the QOTSA stable, and therefore when releasing Mondo albums these frustrations had a place to be aired, now that Mondo is his main focus, it seems like he is trying little bit harder than before, and that does take the edge off from this collection of songs. The hectic and maniacal screamings are still in force, but for some reason the poignancy has been reduced, still a stiring album, but something niggles about this, as if it's almost saying I could do better...

Tobias Froberg - Somewhere In The City
Right from the first bongo beat I could tell I was in for something special, sometimes you just know when an album is going to effect you in somewhat magical way. Seems weird to write that, but when an album draws you in like that you're in trouble. This is my pleasure of late, since I got this album a week ago, a day hasn't gone by without me listening to part of, if not all, of the album. His fellow Swedish compatriot Jose Gonzalez seems to be getting all the plaudits of late, and whilst he has a great voice and some haunting songs, my vote would go firmly in the favour of Froberg. At present I have his duet with Ane Brun as my profile song on myspace, defintely my flavour of the month.

Spinning On The Home Decks:
(Apart from the three albums listed above)

Warren Suicide - The Hello
Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye

Music for a task...

2006-10-23T22:12:00.000+01:00

Okay I haven't written anything in over a month, so by way of an explanation (for my task this month has been searching for a new job, to no avail thus far) I am listing the albums that have played mainly during this, as yet, fruitless task.

So go and listen to them, whilst you wait with baited breath for the next update...

Young Knives - Voices Of Animals And Men

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing...

Louise Attaque - Louise Attaque

Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World

Arcade Fire - Funeral

New Young Pony Club

2006-09-18T19:32:00.000+01:00

Wow, aren't you the lucky ones eh? I have updated again, already, I mean come on what's going on here?!

This post was intended to alert you to the fact a great new single was due to be released very soon by an infectious new band called the New Young Pony Club. In actual fact this single was released on the 28th of August so I've well and truly missed that boat. However that does not stop me from demanding that this single deserves a damn good listen to.

It's fair to say that this will not be that many people's cup of tea, as it's aimed at the dance crowd more than anybody, but there's a certain indie/rock feeling to it that means the 'trendies' will adopt this as some kind of anthem for the remaining months of the year. It's repetitive, not wholly inventive and doesn't produce anything really new, but it's infectious, unashamedly to the point, and damn good fun...we don't always need to be so serious with our music do we (that's a dig directed at myself also)?

Also, I have neglected to write anything worthwhile or substantial about the Mercury Music Prize as again I feel they dropped the ball, not that there's a whole lot wrong with T'Artics win, I mean it's not like it was a surprise was it? But, yet again Thom Yorke makes a trip to the awards only to leave empty handed...and my personal favourite for the award (although I knew the album had no chance) Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan's Ballads of The Broken Seas was snubbed, so again, again, again I'm left dispondent at their choice...but I'm no industry insider so my opinions count for nowt right? Well done to the obvious choice and boo-hiss that yet again the strongest album(s) miss out.

That's it, for once I kept it short, but then again I could start...

...nah, until next time.

Strange Days

2006-09-11T18:22:00.000+01:00

I’m feeling a little spaced out as I write this, so maybe that’s why I’m feeling slightly…erm…odd about an introduction to this update. I’m not coming from any specific direction, nor do I feel I have much in the way of purpose to offer. However, I feel the need to update, so here again is a collection of my recent thought on albums that have grabbed my attention…

Adam Green - Jacket Full of Danger
I finally got hold of this album, a few months after it’s release, and it’s a mighty shame I didn’t get this sooner, as I feel like I’ve been robbed of a few extra months of this beautifully playful album.

It has to be said, and it does pain me to make such an obvious reference, but Green’s voice could have been torn directly from the throat of Nick Cave. The resonance, the eerie intonation, and the deep effectual bass to his voice are all uncanny by comparison with the Australian troubadour. However, Green uses his voice to weave tales of excess and darker endeavours with a more friendly and playful manner than Cave. Both are masters of descriptive and evocative narrative led songs, and both deal with dark, yet doubly light-hearted tales, but songs like Hairy Women show Green is setting his stall out a few hundred yards away from Cave.

Lyrics like “embarrassed by injustice that slams the door on hairy women” and “I have praise for every fantasy that braves a hairy nipple” highlights the humour Green gives his songs; his outlook is one of a penetrating warmth that will pierce the hardest of hearts, and this is clear in his vocal efforts. There is a general mercurial feeling to this album.

This album conjures images of lavish parties, gatherings of drunken reprobates and dancing crowds, with it’s confident swagger through the showcase of pop sensibilities, lounge-esque backings, and clever sing-along lyrics. Although I don’t want this make this sound like an album of ’popular’ music. I could only describe (I should add loosely to that sentence) this album as some tripped out combination of when Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds met The Doors, and that ain’t no bad thing. It’s a real feel-good album - I can’t help but smile, shimmy and sway along to these songs - and a cracking and justifiably self-assured album.

Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks (Underdog World Strike)

This has been played continuously on my stereo for weeks now and due to the spaced feeling aforementioned, and the fact the song Start Wearing Purple featured on Everything Is Illuminated which I watched the other day, I decided to highlight this album with a lil’ paragraph or two.

There’s been a few articles surrounding this band appear in some recent publications of late, but I can’t profess to know anything really about this band, apart from there’s some ex ‘Eastern Bloc’ heritage awash with some authentic gypsy roots within the members of the band. It seems that this point has to be mentioned by whoever writes about them, and that’s more than likely because it does go some way to highlighting where the origins of the band’s sound lie.

Amongst the acoustic guitar, guitar, bass and drums line-up there is a versatile use of violin, accordion, acoustic guit and…wait for it…fire buckets (on the frantic Think Locally Fuck Globally); which creates a maniacal and intriguing sounding album. This is fairly bizarre stuff, and I love it for that. I find myself drawn to obscure, weird music, and for the most part this ‘weird’ sound can be summed up in a single splutter…inventive. When a band can be influenced by so many genres, and backgrounds of musical heritage then this can only lead to an optimistic outlook to their output. Rather than raising eyebrows to bands such as Gogol Bordello, ears should be cocked in their direction.

It’s easy to make a point about the ’gypsy’ sound that seems to weave itself throughout the album, and almost patronising also, however it’s undeniable in a sense. This is a rambunctiously diverse album, and almost impossible to give justice to through a written description, but it’s obvious that the backgrounds of the members of the band has seeped itself into the consciousness of the music they create highlighting the diversity and genuinely exciting sound Gogol Bordello produce.

Viva Voce - Get Yr Blood Sucked Out

I really don’t help myself when trying to write about the albums I’ve been listening to, and admiring, when the music played out is so diverse it makes it a real hardship trying to convey successfully what the hell is actually going on. Yet again, I’ve found a really thoughtful and imaginative album but find it hard to actually pin down what it is that makes this album so good.

Is it the strange mix of rock, pop and orchestral sensibilities? Is it the assured and satisfying blend of genres and sub-genres? Is it the fact that this band can sound like The Pixies, Arcade Fire, Gram Rabbit and Jefferson Airplane (and yet have a sound that is all of their own)? I ask and I ask, but the answers do not come. I have to say there’s a great sense of wonder that accompanies this album, simple and infectious hooks are joined by undercurrents of electric guitars and crescendos of well balanced rock rifts that make you question how an album like this can be made and remain hidden from view?

This album hasn’t been out very long at all, but already it seems to have avoided the mainstream radar, and whilst this can be said to be a good thing, this album does need to be listened to by more people than undoubtedly will stumble across this masterful album. If you’re looking for an album that will keep you in good company for an evening, or a sun-dusked road-trip, then this album has to be an essential purchase.

Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself

This is an album that was released back in 2004, that had so far escaped my attention, and yet I felt the urge to give this a listen the other day, and again I’ve found myself kicking lumps out of my shins, because another album I’ve fallen in love with had thus far alluded me.

How I missed the three storming single releases from the album (Godhopping, Lounger and I Love You ‘Cause I Have To) I will never know? These are the first three songs on the album, and I instantly recognised them, and found myself overcome with joy at the blatant reminiscences to the most dubious of musical decades…the eighties. However, as much as this decade is scorned and derived, there were some classic songs and bands around (for the gamers out there Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is made even better because of the setting and huge array of ‘dodgy’ eighties tracks embedded in the in-game car stereos) and it’s no doubt that Dogs Die In Hot Cars have a passion for the more accomplished offerings from those years.

There has been a revitalisation in recent years for the electronic sounds that were the mainstay during the eighties, with bands like The Bravery and The Killers vying for popularity with fans of Duran Duran and the like, but this band didn’t seem to grab as many headlines as their peers. I can’t profess to know why this would have happened, and nor can I understand it, to my mind this is the band that takes influence from the eighties and the ideas explored and runs with them…Please Describe Yourself is a slice of eighties nostalgic perfection.

I’m so tempted to give myself a goal for the next update, and yet again say I have an idea for an update and then of course not get around to it, as is my way…and it is my way, but I don’t want to restrict myself to ‘having’ to follow through…again. So it may be an update regarding my favourite albums of 2002, to carry on with the series, it may be an article about Mike Patton (which I have been meaning to do since the Peeping Tom album was released) and all his related bands, or more than likely it will be another random collection of musings. We shall see…

Spinning at home of late:

(Apart from the albums mentioned above)

The Sleepy Jackson - Personality: One Was a Spider One Was a Bird
Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales
Incubus - Unplugged and Live
Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
The Puppini Sisters - Betcha Bottom Dollar (I have to review this album soon)!
Jefferson Airplane - The Best Of

On the flip side we shall meet again...

The countdown of albums continues…

2006-07-20T13:53:00.000+01:00

So it’s onto the second instalment of my ‘riveting’ series regarding my favourite albums of the 00s so far. I had a hard time coming up with my choices on this occasion, as I haven’t actually bought too many albums from 2001 (must have been a lean year) and staying true to my criteria I really should own the albums I choose, rather than try and wing it. So onwards we go…

Clutch - Pure Rock Fury
If the name of this album were different then I could easily describe it as being an onslaught of ‘pure rock fury’ without fear of accusations about lazy, and obvious, writing. Never a truer album title has been picked as a direct advertisement of the music contained within, and therefore I can’t get away with such laziness. However, this album provides exactly what it states on the cover. Neil Fallon’s voice growls, rages and chews the lyrics over a background of dirty distortion and base infused riffs, in the grungiest yet funkiest depiction of stoner rock (to date). There is such ferocity in Fallon’s delivery that I’d swear there is trapped inside the man some fabled creature from a mythological age long past, raging to get out from the humanly bonds. Renouned bedtime storyteller Fallon is not. The whole album flows from one ferocious outburst to another, almost tearing the fabric of the songs apart at the seams, as it rampages towards the end of the album. This then is where you are finally released from it’s maniacal grip, and are left feeling a whole lot better for experiencing it
Essential Track – Pure Rock Fury

System Of A Down - Toxicity

Madder than a bag of wasps…
and then some. With this second album came a more refined sound, however none of the ingenuity, or intensity, from the debut album was lost. The only slight downside to this development of a more honed sound was that media interest was piqued and SOAD started to get more mainstream airplay. However, unlike most other bands that hit these ‘dizzy heights of stardom’ [sigh] they have to this date never succumbed to more commercial fare, to cash in on the rise in popularity. So the media interest actually became a good thing, as I firmly believe, the more people appreciate bands who challenge genre conceptions, the more chance there is of a prolonged forward drive in terms of diversity and exploration within music. This album offers exactly that; explosions of hardcore/metal fit snugly against the progrock-esque expositions, and SOAD are not scared of alienating listeners, tellingly shown by the sheer lunacy of the whole album. Vocally, Tankian exerts every fibre of his being into each song, his voice whilst incredibly powerful, often sounds strained and weary, emphasising the meaning behind the largely political charged lyrics. If any of the bands albums offers a glimpse into their beliefs, motivations, and perhaps more astutely psyche, then this is certainly it.
Essential Track – Prison Song

Tori Amos - Strange Little Girls

Another artist is tempted down the path of the celebratory 'covers album' concept, but this time it's an artist who doesn't really need to revamp a flagging career, as Amos has always been on the edges of the muscial radar anyway. Like most albums along the same lines, a mixed bag of artists are given a peer's loving fixation. Joe Jackson, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Depeche Mode and Eminem (a cover which adds untold emotion to an already powerfully emotive '97 Bonnie & Clyde) are treated to favourable renditions by Amos's stripped down style. It has always been her simple but provocative piano style and evocative vocals that have shone through in her previous albums, but here on Strange Little Girls these songs are given a really sparse, but imaginative makeover. Most ambitious is her rendition of Happiness Is A Warm Gun, which is spliced with actual recordings of newscasters describing the details of Lennon's murder, which adds a very unusual, but poignant, twist to this McCartney/Lennon song.

Essential Track - Time

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ease Down The Road

With I See A Darkness Will Oldham left himself with the challenge of trying to eclipse such a magnificent album. So it's with a smile that I find myself loving this album even though deep in my heart I know it is not as inspired as it's predecessor. I understand thereotically it's not necessary (and oft frowned upon) to refer back to and compare with an artist's previous work, but it's hard not to, especially when trying to write with a genuine love and enthusiasm for the work on offer. Ease Down The Road feels more celebratory than I See A Darkness, there's more obvious joy within these songs as oppose to the more melancholic tales from older brother, and that's a refreshing addition. However, there's something deeply compelling about Oldham when he bemoans his more desperate songs, whereas the joyful tales - whilst compelling in their own right - don't draw you as deep into Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's world perspective. This album is definitely for when you want your alt-country delivered in a package wrapped with warmth and a skip in it's step; certainly the best alt-country album of 2001.
Essential Tracks - The Lion Lair / Mrs William

Rival Schools - United By Fate

United By Fate was a firm kick in the ass for the 'emotional-rock/hardcore' genre (sickeningly referred to as emo by a contingent of the misguided youth of the 90s/00s) that was a mess of bands pumping licks of teenage angst and squeals/yaps of emotional dirge to uninformed masses who lapped it up without question. Without directly contrasting this album to the genre (although it's hard not to) this is a prime example of how this 'genre' should sound. Guitars may wail, but they do so whilst being eloquently guided, and the vocals sound reminiscient of The Eels leadsinger E, without the air of self-restraint and emotional control, which in the context of a genre that accentuates this loss of control is quite breathtaking to listen to. However, the other redeeming feature of emo (when mastered) is the rock/hardcore undertones which Rival Schools have manipulated sucessfully; ultimately beneath the wet-eyed sentiment lies a very self-assured rock album.
Essential Track - The Switch

Tomahawk - Tomahawk

Mike Patton's first foray with new band Tomahawk, one of a clutch of bands Patton is involved with since Faith No More's demise, is a dark and challenging place to be. I can imagine Chuck Palahniuk writing his next novel to this music (if you've read Haunted you will understand what I mean). The main reason for this statement is Patton's vocal style, which covers practically every pitch and range possible. A few songs have Patton singing the lyrics twice, in both a high and low pitch and then playing simultaneously, which adds an unnerving quality to the music. Each song sees Patton deliver a ferocity and sense of malice that you could attribute to a lion toying with it's half-dead prey even though it's had it's fill for the day. There is a similar sense of unnerve and unease throughout the album as it jumps from intense rock and metal, to Western-style serenades of desert inspired rock. No song on this album feels out of place, yet there's no central muscial style to gel the songs together, which far from being a flaw is another signifier of the unsettling feelings that lie deep within this album's structure. Like most of Patton's output, the key word here is diversity.
Essential Track - Laredo

Spinning On The Home Decks:

Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks

Tom Waits - Nighthawks At The Diner

Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom

See you around the corner somewhere...

Well...there is no specific point this time.

2006-06-28T12:29:00.000+01:00

This post is going to come across as very random and unstructured, but then that’s because life generally is that way. I was going to write about the handful of albums I have had the pleasure of listening to of late…but the moment seems to have passed now (maybe I’m just being lazy though). Anyway I did want to at least acknowledge them so…hop to the end of my last post and you’ll find them listed in the ‘Spinning at home’ section. However, I do want to pass comment on one song from the storming Futureheads album News and Tributes.

The song in question is Cope and the most intriguing aspect to the song, apart from the fact it is a furious burst of garage-rock, is the story told therein. Cope sounds like it has been written with a certain music 'celebrity' in mind...one who has had frequent run-ins with the law and a certain type of Class A drug, and now seems unable to handle the pressure of life in the public eye. Now bear in mind this is only my interpretation...I cannot speak on behalf of the band, yet everytime I hear the song I can't help but think of a certain Pete Doherty (I'm going to restrain myself from a vitriolic outburst about him, but you get the picture). The other thing that strikes me is that Cope highlights how The Futureheads will always eclipse the work of The Libertines and Babyshambles, these two over-rated bands should be firmly laid to rest. Don't let News and Tributes pass you by.

Other ramblings I wanted to share; an old work coleague of mine passed me an EP of his quite a while ago and I've only just got around to listening to it (sorry buddy), now I regret leaving it so long! Stuart Smith's Seven Days Till Midnight features five songs that are best described as country-punk. Now as ridiculous as this label sounds, please keep an open mind as the country-esque staples that are delivered throughout this mini-album merge brilliantly with the playful, rousing way the music is played, which ultimately means the country-punk tag is very fitting indeed. He joked with me once that Willy Mason stole his market, and whilst I know what he meant, I have to disagree. Smith's work is akin to that of Mason's (largely due to strikingly similar voices), however Smith brings a more rockabilly feel to proceedings - in a similar vain to Dan Sartain - and this is quite removed from the often depressive feel of Mason's work. It has to be said that the songs on Seven Days Till Midnight feel as if they have been produced by someone working within the realm of Americana, not some essex-geezer (haha, sorry man) from the UK.

The song that really struck me was Money Honey; due to the frantic quitar playing that almost threatens to run away from Smith (think of the scene from Deliverence where Drew plays Duelling Banjos with the young southern kid and eventually loses his way because the boy's banjo playing becomes a blur of speed-picking). However, Smith's frantic delivery is purposeful and is not a sign of poor guitarmanship, rather it plays on the sense of losing inhabitions which all good music generally does. I would dearly love to share this music with y'all, but I cannot. However, if anybody is intrigued enough then contact me and I'll pass you through to him...because that's the kind of guy I am.

Okay, undisciplined and unstructured post over, next time I will follow up my albums of 2000 with - surprisingly (?!) - my favourite albums of 2001. I also have a semblance of an idea regarding music as an integral part of childhood memories and how it helps shape your musical outlook as an adult (to some degree), so hopefully I can find some shape to that sometime soon.

Spinning at home of late:

Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

The Tindersticks - Curtains

Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy

Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene

(I have to point out that the albums I highlight in this section aren't necessarily new to me, it's more a reflection of my mood. However that said, usually some of the albums featured are either new releases or are new to my ears. In this instance Springsteen's album is a new release (I'm not a fan of his other work, but this record is a country/blues tour-de-force) and The Tindersticks album I hadn't heard before.

Until next time...

Expanding your horizons...and some favourites from the turn of the millenium

2006-06-06T15:52:00.000+01:00

In light of my aim to list my favourite albums so far this decade, I realised just how much my taste in music has developed since I first seriously started to listen to music. Now hang on a minute…that’s not really a surprise is it? Yet so many people’s taste in music hasn’t developed much beyond their adolescent years, and whilst some would have dabbled a little during adulthood to coincide with whatever general trends have shaped those genres concerned, that’s not moving far from the roots that were bedded in during those adolescent years. However I’d like to think that this is changing, and that attitudes regarding a compliance to one genre (and respective sub-genres) will slowly crumble and eventually people will embrace what could be the new ruling monarchy of music…eclectic(ity).

For years I’ve always sneered at people who would describe their taste in music to be eclectic…for fuck’s sake it sounds so damn pretentious; yet I’m beginning to fully understand the ethos behind the overused adjective. If we can forget about the pretentious connotations surrounding the word eclectic and just concentrate on what can be garnered when embracing what could be a new era of music celebration and enjoyment (I’m not saying an eclectic taste in music is a new idea, as it blatantly isn’t, but it does seem to have become a different kind of beast now).

Music stores are stocked with examples from every genre and sub-genre nowadays, online retailers offer an even more diverse selection of music, and music magazines seem to be ever shifting in regards to the styles of music and artists they champion. Meaning that at long last there is no excuse for anybody to only stick to one genre of music. And I don’t even want to hear any counter arguments about people sticking to the music they love, as music will always change and so will the music buyer, therefore everybody should get out there and delve into genres that are completely alien to them. You don’t have to change what you listen to altogether, but at least give something new a chance.

I would never have believed at the age of 14 that my future self would be listening to country and folk ten years on. Nor would I have believed it if you told me that the amount of metal and hardcore albums I would be buying would steadily decrease and account for a smaller proportion of the genres bought (not that I don’t still listen to those genres, as sometimes there is nothing better to listening to some Norwegian hardcore that’s gonna cause bleeding from every conceivable crevice). However, the days of listening to only heavy guitar bands are over (and I’m more than thankful for that). The past ten years of my own musical journey has been enlightening, and I sincerely hope I will be around for many more years to enjoy future releases from both old favourites and the new ones that are bound to arrive.

It’s truly amazing that as we get older not only our intellectual capacities grow, but so do our abilities to evolve our appreciation for new styles of music…and I don’t mean going from listening to hard music to slowing down and donning a pipe and slippers and engaging in nothing but Mozart. Obviously there are people who do not want to evolve a better appreciation of music, but then we can cast them aside and resign ourselves to the fact there will always be people who actually want to own a James Blunt album. Nevertheless, nearly everybody’s tastes change, and I’m thankful that my mind opened up and allowed to move on from my indie/skate punk/metal roots to discover many pioneers of rock/country/folk and all those cool little sub-genres in-between (plus the other genres that I omitted in order to avoid making this post more like a list).

Even at 14 I mixed my Blur, Bad Religion and Nirvana albums with those of Tori Amos, The Doors and The Beastie Boys so I suppose there was a sense of eclectic(ity) already inherent. But now these albums are amongst others as far ranging as Johnny Cash, Old Crow Medicine Show, Shellac, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Mogwai , Peaches, Jurassic 5 and De La Soul. Again I am trying to avoid listing excessively, and apart from illustrating my overall point, this list would serve to highlight that you can never stop discovering good music and artists that you wished you’d discovered years ago.

Ultimately the only point to this ramble is that if we don’t try things we aren’t accustomed to then, inevitably, listening to music will lose it’s sense of purpose. I for one don’t want to listen to the same albums I was listening to in the mid-nineties, although it’s nice to break them out every now and again, but music is about evolving sounds and trying to surprise your audience isn’t it? I mean if it isn’t then what is the point…?

With all that said it is my intention of providing a list of my favourite albums from each year so far this decade. Not all the albums featured in each year’s list would have been bought in that particular year – I frequently get my interest piqued in a band after the initial buzz, or years later and then I have to go and search for that artist’s back catalogue – but that does not change the validity of my choices. So to start we will return to the start of this decade. As some sort of disclaimer I have to say these are my choices, and my choices alone, and whilst I will undoubtedly miss out what you may think are great albums, these choices reflect my own feelings, gut instincts and what resides in my CD collection.

Albums of 2000

Minus – Jesus Christ Bobby
An interesting, and often brutal, foray into the world of Icelandic metal to start this year’s selection off, with this fantastically mental band. It’s a real challenge to begin to describe this band’s output, but if I throw at you the words: bag of wasps, high-voltage blender, thrashed guitars, electrical distortion and banshee-esque vocals you may get an indication of what to expect from this album. The noise created throughout this album - not just in terms of decibels, but the depth and range musically – is scary by comparison when up against the majority of the metal bands out there. Most metal bands hamming it about now are either clichés, pastiches of bands from an era long passed or they quite simply suck ass. This was a definite rallying cry to show the world that there was still life in the metal scene (apart from the 1999 debut album by System Of A Down, metal seemed to have no new avenues to follow) and it is amazing that Minus are one of the only metal bands out there that were driving the metal scene to much darker and weirder territories.

At The Drive-In – Relationship Of Command
This was the album that finally cemented ATDI as the kings and conquerors of the post-hardcore scene, Relationship Of Command took all the great elements from previous releases, trimmed off what little fat there was and unleashed it upon a largely unsuspecting public. What resulted was what I would consider to be one of the greatest guitar-driven albums of all time. This was ATDI in full unstoppable flow, and is far more brutal than either of the two offshoots of this now defunct band, Sparta and The Mars Volta. Omar’s guitar work shines within the confines of the post-hardcore model (his recent work with The Mars Volta magnifies his expertise within any genre) and the vocal screams that emanate from Cedric unify the band’s blistering musicality perfectly. I would categorically state that this was THE album of 2000.

Shellac – 1000 Hurts
When Steve Albini gets out of his production mind-set, straps on his guitar and rounds up his posse then it usually means there’s a-trouble-a-brewing and that a good album is to follow in the ensuing process; with that said Shellac’s second long player was no exception. How only three guys can make such a cacophony of noise escapes me, but I’m thankful they can (and so should y’all). Shellac’s brutal rock explorations are intense, and it shows how it isn’t just only metal and hardcore bands that can unleash songs drenched in pure rage, although Shellac are a far more intricate band than that. This is an album full of songs that are clever, well developed expositions with a volatile anger protruding throughout, and this album overshadows the more commercially ‘viable’ rock/metal bands that peddled their wares at the height of 2000 and beyond.

Radiohead – Kid A
If we’d all believed the music press’s first reactions at the time of this album’s release then Radiohead are dead…they are no longer producing explorative and imaginative albums; luckily for us however, all those shit-rags were wrong! OK Computer was the instigation behind Radiohead’s transmutation, and Kid A showed the band stepping into the breach, leaving behind the somewhat over-rated OK Computer and raising the bar that was set by that album. Whilst OK was a strong album, Kid A proved the band had finally found the best direction to follow, and this material far eclipses the previous work so fervently raved about by most critics and fans. It’s hard to imagine that this album was made by the same band that released Creep and My Iron Lung, when compared with all material released after 2000. It’s as if they were kidnapped by their future selves and asked, “do you want to be known for whiny-depressive rock, or for innovative electronica-rock?” and when faced with that decision would you want to be known for pushing forward and breaking barriers, or being labelled as Morrissey’s rockier cousins? From the very first warning bell that sounds out from Everything In It’s Right Place this album breathed new life into being a Radiohead fan and shaped (at least in my experience) the musical landscape to come.

PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
Okay so I have to put the Mercury Music Prize to one side, and forget it ever acknowledged this album (only because the majority of the time Mercury get it SO wrong and it’s not fair to lump Harvey’s album with substandard work), but then again it does serve as recognition that for once Mercury got it right. What can I say about this album that hasn’t already been said? Harvey’s voice shines, I mean she’s frigging worlds apart on this album (maybe because of the production values, which have never been of this high a standard) and this collection of songs is without a single blemish…it’s too hard to describe this album without gushing; so I’ll stop as I will undoubtedly tread that path no matter how hard I try not to.

Queens Of The Stone Age – Rated R
This is the most mainstream sounding album of the QOTSA back-catalogue, but that does not mean it doesn’t serve as a great example of desert and stoner rock, and three of the scene’s key figures, Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan, combine their creative forces to produce this consistently strong album. That two of them are founding members, and one frequently guests, is of no coincidence; QOTSA are the pick of the bunch when it comes to gritty, and downright dirty, stoner/desert rock (although there are other bands, especially Clutch, that are snapping at the asshole of QOTSA). Some radio-friendly songs appear on the album, and they fare well alongside songs that develop upon the rawness found on the debut album. The mood behind this album is a playful one, and this is best emphasised by the crescendo of frantic trumpets that brings the album to a close.

Johnny Cash – American Recordings III: Solitary Man
This is another coloration between Cash and producer Rick Rubin (I will stop myself from launching into an impassioned rant about Rubin’s extensive and often genius production masterpieces as you should already have discovered this for yourself) and another fantastic collection of Cash originals and covers. Given the treatment this time are Tom Petty, Will Oldham, Nick Cave and (unfortunately) U2 – although Cash does wonders with One and removes the turgid aftertaste that Bono et al left behind – and Petty and Oldham made the effort to come and give support to their own songs. This is not the most imaginative collection from the American Recordings series (Cash and Rubin set themselves a very high bar to navigate over) but that does not mean it is inferior to its two older brothers, and it is a testament to the quality of this series of records that Cash’s career had the revival it did, and that it bagged a small handful of Grammy’s in recognition for this body of work.

Rage Against The Machine - Renegades
The final swansong for RATM and fuck…what an album to end a band’s output with. This album swaggers from start to finish and everything about this album screams self-assurance. The tracks have been carefully considered (every song here is a cover) to ensure that all the bases behind the band’s influences are covered. MC5, Bob Dylan, Minor Threat and The Stooges are the more rock-based influences here and make up one half of the rock-funk-rap fusion that this album creates. The old-skool funk/rap sound comes from covers of classics by Volume 10, Eric B & Rakim and EPMD, with a blistering version of brothers-in-arms Cypress Hill’s How Could I Just Kill A Man? as the only song covered of a recent band; which highlights the fact that RATM were pioneers of their period. If ever there was an album that’s going to persuade you to get off your ass and jump around like a rabid loon then this my friends is it.

Spinning on the home decks:

The Futureheads - News and Tributes

Eagles of Death Metal - Death By Sexy

Gram Rabbit - Music To Start A Cult To

Upcoming releases to look forward to:

Billy Talent - Billy Talent II (due for release the 26th June)

Johnny Cash - American Recordings V (due for release 3rd July)

Thom Yorke - The Eraser (due for release 10th July)

Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope (due for release 10th July)

Jurassic 5 - Feedback (due for release 24th July)

Better late than never...

2006-05-17T15:09:00.000+01:00

So I've decided to not mention in advance what I intend to post next time I update, or even suggest when the next update will be, because I just suck at meeting deadlines...even ones that aren't imposed by others! The Violent Femmes gig review would have been great, but I didn't make notes and I only have sketchy memories of that gig...it was pretty darn good though! So for next time...who knows what (and when) will appear. Onwards with this update anyway...

An Evening with Drive by-Truckers: Camden Koko, Tuesday 11th April

It has to be said that seeing DBT (yes it’s DBT to the fans…) live is always a joy and they will always be one of my favourite live bands (and recording bands for that matter), with tonight being no exception. Camden Koko is a great venue and a fitting setting for the airing of the new DBT material, taken from the album A Blessing And A Curse. The Koko is an old theatre that has been given the magic touch-up and is now a sublime venue for live gigs…it also wouldn’t look out of place in a David Lynch film, and it really gives a great sense of atmosphere for a live concert.

DBT are a band that can sing a narrative led song about death, lost love and the folklore/history of the American South without making you reach for the litre bottle of JD and start drowning those sorrows. This is due to the rock undertones that grab your attention firmly by the scruff of the neck and won’t let go until you’re grinning like the Cheshire Cat suffering a speed-induced episode. It’s rare to find such well told songs that often caress the brink of depression and desperation whilst letting you rock out…personal hell has rarely sounded so good. (Although that’s not to say that there isn’t an abundance of feel-good songs too).

The current line-up of DBT ensures the band sound better than ever before (only recording together in the current incarnation since Dirty South in 2004) and Brad Morgan (drums) and Shonna Tucker (bass) are the consistent and steady backbone to Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell’s guitar and vocal heroics. Each of the three storytellers has a distinctive voice that frames and drives the songs onward fittingly. Cooley’s dark baritone sings tales of illegal gambling and drinking in the days of prohibition (Where The Devil Don’t Stay), battling the bottle (Women Without Whiskey) and life spiralling out of control (Gravity’s Gone) that command the audience’s attention with the air of a master in full flow.

If Cooley is the dark voice of the band, then Hood’s vocal range is the antithesis; his voice (whilst sometimes cracked and strained live) brings life to his evocative narratives. A man’s struggle to support his family – set perfectly against the backdrop of the Reaganite presidency – (Puttin’ People On The Moon), defending the family home – passed down generations – from the ‘banker-man’ (Sinkhole) and a personal story of Hood’s mother struggling through depression, only to find love in the unlikeliest of places (18 Wheels Of Love) are all sung with a raw emotive energy and controlled sense of angst that really explode in a live setting.

Then we have the soft Southern drawl of Isbell lead the tales of feudin’ families (Decoration Day), corporate America and the fear of losing Southern values (Outfit) and the deep regret of losing a loved one (Goddamn Lonely Love). Isbell’s voice falls somewhere between his fellow vocalists, a drawl suited to darker expositions yet softened and complimented by an assured higher vocal range. Perhaps, the finest moment of the night was Isbell returning for the encore unaccompanied to sing the previously unaired song Dress Blues. This lament for a friend who didn’t come home from the Iraq War was beautifully delivered and apart from being an emotional highpoint, this served as a reminder to me to go and seek Isbell’s solo material. A poignant song that highlights the futility of war and the impact upon those left at home longing for a loved one’s return.

It’s refreshing to see a band that comfortably switches between vocalists, without it feeling gimmicky and false, especially as all three vocalists are equals in the band; there is no troupe leader for the audience to direct it’s attention to. Another DBT speciality is the lack of a set-list – obviously certain songs will usually appear – so with seven albums to draw from, there can, and will, be surprises to any expectations. It’s even more surprising how seamlessly the band flows between songs when there is no obvious direction to proceedings.

Normally when a band tours a new album many crowd-pleasers can be left by the wayside to give maximum exposure for the newer, shinier material. Whereas, in the case of DBT they just play for longer – although strictly speaking they always play long sets and substitute the need for support bands – and tonight the new material felt like old favourites. Easy On Yourself left a lasting impression after one verse and chorus and is bound to become a live highlight; especially due to Isbell’s magnificent delivery. Feb 14, Aftermath USA and Gravity’s Gone were also well received upon first airings, but perhaps the pinnacle of the new songs is reached by Hood’s stirring deliverance of A World Of Hurt with it’s underbelly of shimmering guitar rock.

Each of the five members of DBT shine tonight and the personable nature they exude onstage is reflected through the ease in which they all wield their instruments; they make it all seem so effortless. There’s no way that I can mention any highlights from the evening, as it was as close to perfection (whatever the criteria for that may be…?) as I imagine a gig could be. I do however have to mention one gripe…there was a significant lack of three songs that would have undoubtedly caused me to get a little moist. I’ve yet to see any evidence (live or recorded on film) that they will ever play My Sweet Annette – possibly my favourite DBT song – and they omitted to play Danko/Manuel, which was definitely the highlight the last time I saw them at Lock 17 in April 2005. I was also ever hopeful, to the very last seconds, that they would play their cover of Dylan’s Like A Rolling Stone; a fine version sung by Hood, Cooley and Isbell with a cameo on lead vocals for a verse by Tucker (about bloody time!). It actually seems pointless to mention a lack of three songs as a downside, especially as there’s no blips in quality through the set-list, but then again I can be a tad obsessive…

Visit them please, they are feckin’ great! www.drivebytruckers.com

Spinning at home of late:

DBT – A Blessing And A Curse
Louise Attaque – Louise Attaque
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Ballad Of The Broken Seas (album of 2006 so far)
The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers (review up next update)

Find of the moment – Received a promo copy called Strange Country at work, a great country compilation, and was really surprised at the depth of quality. However the highlight of this assorted collection is Dirty Horse by Gram Rabbit. A strange mix of desert blues and country rendered by a great narrative of The Devil and Jesus shooting the breeze and settling old grieviences…a really infectious song.

Warm welcomes

2006-03-10T15:07:00.000Z

Well I've finally gotten around to starting my own blog...I never thought it would happen, due to my own laziness, but I have actually surpassed my own expectations which is always a bonus.

Hello to those of you who have wandered into this barren wasteland, which will become over the coming weeks and months a monolithic music blog (yeah of course)!

I am working on my first few 'proper' posts and once they are ready and raring to go you will see them appear. I have a review of Sufjan Stevens latest album (out for a couple of months, but I have only just got around to it), a gig review from the Violent Femmes recent gig at Sheperds Bush and then I will rundown a year at a time, my favourite and what I consider to be the essential albums released from the years 2000-2005.

So I'm going to stop my musings and explanations and get back to the grindstone and by the middle of next week, my first official music related post will be up.

Later Gators!