POTS #1 - September 2006
By: Thomas Hannan
September 2006, and here's how we prepare for the upcoming winter. With these sounds:
YOUSIF NUR:
First off, I'd like to introduce you to a Swedish two-piece named AK-Momo. They're reminiscent of Coco Rosie and Portishead, but with Kate Bush on vocals. Fear not, it's about ten times better than it sounds and they at present have no UK record deal! Check them HERE.
Plan B's album 'Who Needs Actions When You Got Words' is also immense - so nitty-gritty, chronicling real life tales of urban London, and stunning at Basement Club last month. Also still enjoying the Arctic Monkeys album, a lot of drama surrounding whether it was any use handing them the Mercury Music Prize, but kudos to them in the face of adversity from their critics. They made a great LP amongst a great shortlist of Hot Chip, Sway, Thom Yorke et al.
Other stuff: The Lemonheads' 'Come On Feel The Lemonheads', XTC's 'The Black Sea', Missy Elliott's Greatest Hits compilation 'Respect M.E.'...
But finally, I couldn't let pass a little bias with my first two releases on my new label, Rekabet Records with Neat People's 'Baby I'm Bored', Simon Mastrantone and the first Noise mini-album. Chelmsford/Colchester's Neat People are quite simply put the best pop band in Britain bar none. Their gorgeous hooks, 4-part vocal harmonies and boyish good looks are things that money just can't buy. As for Simon, he's lo-fi genius mixed with a little Tim Buckley bleakness which has to be heard to be believed.
Check out the Neat People video on YouTube HERE.
CHRIS PRATT -
Encyclopedia's 'So Hot Right Now' - Pretty perfect electronic power-pop duo from Yeovil! Like Weezer and The Cars playing NES together!
Half Handed Cloud (the album's called 'Halos And Lassos') is one of Sufjan Stevens' co-conspirators, and sounds like Sufjan played at twice the speed! Nineteen super-twee yet great songs in twenty-something minutes.
Cats and Cats and Cats are a quirky post-rock gang from Staines, and have an ace mini-album called 'Sweet Drunk Everyone', recalling everyone from Cursive to Explosions In The Sky, but better. Beautifully written lyrics to boot!
Anamanaguchi's 'Power Supply' is an
unbelievably melodic seven-tracker from some NY-based chip/indie/rock instrumentalists - one of the few instrumental records that you can shout along to!
Red! Nice Guy? - 'Stolen Cider Ghetto Pop!'
Technological post-hardcore dance party time! So many twitchy rhythms and absurdly huge choruses are crammed into these three tracks!
Being poor (I know everyone always says that, but seriously, I'm desperate here), I have taken to downloading free podcasts from the amazing PODOMATICsite.
The best one I've found is John Olson from Wolf Eyes' 'Inside Inzane Studios', which he does with his wife (Tovah Olson - the other half of Dead Machines). They haven't posted a new one for a while, so at the moment I'm listening to 'Homemade Alien Music' by a guy called Hal McGee.
On his podcast, Hal plays tapes of home made recordings made by some really obscure eighties bands. He's is a very thorough guy, and tells you everything you need to know should you want to find out more about these bands. They aren't all amazing, but there's excitement in the diversity of the show - you get the feeling they could do anything that is audibly possible, as long as it has some tape hiss on it. If there's a theme to this music, it's a weird cross between avant pioneers The Residents and 80's British electro-pop bands. There are 14 of them to get through, all running about an hour each. I've only listened to a few, but have found myself becoming more and more addicted to them.
Anyone who has not subscribed to a podcast yet? Do it. The satisfaction of getting a little gem of culture straight to your computer as soon as it comes out is a unique and fantastic experience, whether it be music, comedy, videos or stories.
GARETH ROBERTS
We've been listening to downloads, early demos and singles from Good Shoes in the office on an almost constant loop for the past few weeks. It never gets boring, and they're the best new band around (in my opinion).
Also, after being initially sceptical, the self titled album from CSS is full of excellent pop songs. I listen to it on the train home from work a lot, and have to literally concentrate on my limbs to stop them from dancing.
Well, I just moved house. And I'm funny about things like this, I wanted the first song that I heard in my new house to be something really special (just like when my lovely girlfriend bought me a turntable for my last birthday, the first track I had to play on it was 'Birthday' by Blur, because I had to). So what better than 'My New House' by The Fall from their brilliant 'This Nation's Saving Grace' LP? It worked brilliantly. The house felt warmed instantly, and the rest of the record gave me a great unpacking soundtrack. Totally incredible.
In my new house, we're not going to have house parties, we're gonna have a 'Housequake', like Prince does. I picked up 'Sign O' The Times' for all of two quid in a charity shop recently, on well loved double vinyl, and its probably the most ambitious, open minded, excellently eclectic record I own. Plus, I can't have sex unless I'm thinking of Prince.
Kitchen music now, and the upcoming Sparklehorse record 'Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly of a Mountain' has been the soundtrack to the construction of many an omelette, and not only because it features Tom Waits. They sound fuzzier than ever.
My parrot Kenny, back in the front room, really didn't appreciate David Bowie's 'Scary Monsters' much, but I did. The first post punk record, anyone?
MICHAEL LEWIN
Fallen in love with Sol Seppy. She used to be the cellist for Sparklehorse, and earlier this year released a beautiful, Mazzy Star-raping lo-fuzz militant-and-depressed lesbian sounding debut. She's a beautiful, elegant thing, and her oh-so-silly nom de plume is still better than her unpronouncably complicated real name.
Immersed myself in the mannered 60s smoke-blurred Americana of Theme Time Radio Hour with your Host, Bob Dylan. They're simply fantastic voyages through pop history, and (by dint of his autistic knowledge and absorption in music) are vastly better than the decent Modern Times.
Broken my pelvis dancing to Les Georges Leningrad's Sur le Traces de Black Eskimo - I just can't get over them. They're that permanently lingering ex-lover who hovers in and out of your life, promising one last all-consuming night of fuck-it-all fun.
Tried to work out how to sell Frog Eyes. The pre-album EP they released this year was incomprehensibly wack, but The Folded Palm is gorgeous, sinister and sexy, as well as theatrical. Criminally underrated, lover.
JOSH HALL
I'm a Surrey boy by birth, and often find that my home county seems to get almost entirely overlooked when it comes to new music. This could, of course, be something to do with a particularly high volume of Chili Peppers imitations. However, there are a few commuter-belt bands that you should probably be introduced to.
First up is thebigsleep, from Reading. Think Mogwai crossed with Explosions In The Sky and you're on the right lines - huge instrumental soundscapes and mammoth loud/quiet climaxes. Have a listen HERE.
Also, please, please, please listen to Meet Me In St Louis. They've just signed with Big Scary Monsters an are the best band on their roster by about eight million years. If you're into Minus The Bear, Fugazi, At The Drive-In or (bizarrely) Archie Shepp, you will love them. They're also an almighty live band and they play virtually every day (or so it seems), so do go and see them. Listen HERE.
First from me, Silversun Pickups and their LP 'Carnavas'. I've been praising this LA based band for over a year now, thanks to their fantastic EP release in '05, 'Pikul'. The angst and intricate layerings are similar to early Pumpkins, with less of a metal influence. Heavy, raw, real and fantastic. They may be headed across the pond in the very near future, so keep eyes and ears peeled as their live shows have been some of the most highly rated in the U.S. of late, including their show stopping SXSW showcase.
Another LA band, The Warlocks released an album called 'Surgery' last year, and fit cosily into that cluster of groups celebrating fuzzy effects. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols, Riff Random, and even Serena Maneesh come to mind. 'Evil Eyes' and 'Just Like Surgery' - these two songs have been on 'repeat one' a hell of a lot the last few months thanks to a fantastic mix someone gave me. The swell towards the end of the latter really does feel like morhpine surging through your veins post-op (I only know this because I have actually had surgery), and is nearly as addictive.
Finally, Fields and their '4 From The Village' EP. Managed by the same group who look after Bloc Party, The Zutons and The Streets, this band is in great hands as far as 'the biz' is concerned. Making critics and popsters alike swoon with their blend of folk, fuzzy shoegazing and rocking angst, they're darker than your Magic Numbers, and more electro than Ride. Don't be fooled by their pastoral tendencies in namesake and twee photo shoots, they'll still bust your balls at a live show, as over 6,000 people in the NME tent at their Reading Festival debut can testify.