POTS #4 - January 2007
By: Thomas Hannan, Thomas Hannan
SOFIE JENKINSON -
Is it possible to lay eyes on something and believe that you can never be without it? A sentiment often echoed in the throws of new parenting between screams I believe. To compare a record to a new born baby is probably a little rash, but to say that life makes a little more sense since the moment it hit your ears drums is not. a perfectly crystallised version of what your eyes longed to hear in that and every subsequent second.
Like an old friend The Shins swoon their way into your life again with 'Wincing The Night Away'; your head knows you have never heard this before and but your heart knows every line. The wonky bundle of off-kilter lyrics and light hearted guitar work pluck every string beautifully, as always. Buff shines my heart until they smile back at themselves and leave me smiling now...and forever.
At times it's like the pie without the custard, but leaving all things Arab Strap related to one side as is necessary, Malcolm Middleton Middles takes the passion in the things that piss him off and throws it full force into trashing out at his angry Scottish balladry. It's sublime in the most wonderful and ridiculous way, soothing in others. Opener 'We're All Going To Die' sets the tone perfectly, an extreme slice of negativity vs. all the upbeat rowdiness of the track itself. With some surreal and many layered moments from the supporting cast this album offers some seriously beautiful moments. Perfect for despairing and epiphanies; chirpy and foul moods alike. carves his own niche so well with 'A Brighter Beat'. Through all the fog small droplets of wisdom and hope slide their way down the seemingly negative lyrics.
Oh Subpop. How I love you. You bring me all these wonderful bands. Every year you make me a label sample that costs mere pounds and is CRAMMED with some of the best music I have inevitably heard all year. And this band, Fruit Bats, are ridiculously overlooked I feel. I like the idea of bats and I quite like fruit, so this name nestles close against my thumping heart. The band being so lovely, slipping you into deep state of bliss like notes skipping through a breeze, is just a bonus. The kind of rose tinted old school sounds of yester year prick the ears in the most joyous way. If Subpop is a cloud on heaven, put me on the guest list now please. Hang me upside down and stick a fork (the little fruit salad kind) in me, I'm done.
Los Campesinos'! 'You Throw Parties, We Throw Knives' is one of the only sounds in the world to make my heart feel as though it is about to collapse with pure unadulterated joy. The combined efforts of Gareth Campesinos! twee white boy rapper skills and the collectively zingy noise of Team Campesinos! as a whole will get you up and dancing whether you like it or not. As beautiful notes of violin floats around the outskirts of the jerky off-balanced pop Aleks Campesinos! voice slips right through the centre and gives you goosebumps in all the right places. This will be their first offering from a shiny new Witchita record deal and god LORD I am excited.
CHARLIE POTTER
Well, this month, whilst everyone else is undoubtedly still happily chewing away on their hefty Tom Waits albums, and enjoying the refined delicacies of the new Joanna Newsom album (even my boss has it), I once more have no money and have not even been lucky enough to hear these albums all the way through, so yet again it's back to the old favourites and my housemates albums for me. Luckily this a selection good enough to contend with even all those lucky little devils that did get the Tom Waits album for Christmas.
First, Cylob's 'Lobster Tracks' and 'Mood Bells'. I didn't have to think hard about it this month, after hearing bits and bobs of Cylob notably on a free download of a live recording of 'Acid on Sea' available from Ceephax's website, (http://www.ceephax.co.uk) where there are loads of amazing downloads, stuff to read and the like. But anyway, the album in question is off beat acid genius, all the sounds are perfect and Cylob shows himself to be a true master of rhythm layering. 'Lobster Tracks' is a pretty gratifying album which makes a brilliant counter part to his more recent album 'Mood Bells' which is just stripped back, synthesised mood bell sounds. It's one of the most relaxing yet exciting and intense albums, and is made all in the acid tradition.
Secondly, Philip Glass's 'Akhnaten'. It's INCREDIBLE. If you're like I was and have heard tell of Phillip Glass as one of the biggest operating minimalist composers, not really knowing what minimalist music sounds like, to put it bluntly minimal music is not minimal at all!. If this album is anything to go by it is well maximum, mate. But once again if you're a fan of rhythm it's here - polyrhythms, crazy time signatures, accent shifts - the lot.
Thirdly, Animal Collective's 'Here Comes the Indian'. At least three of us at rockfeedback (myself, Michael Lewin and Tom Hannan), were all lucky enough to see Animal Collective a the Astoria last year and separately all cultivated the decision that this was a very moving night, an incredible gig to behold and an important gig for the band. They are another one of the bands on the cusp of the trendy avant-rock scene of America (that I am a very big fan of), a band who are so close to moving into a newer bigger area, and deservedly so. This is one of their less poppy EPs and is incredible. 'Here Comes The Indian' is such a lovely friendly calm and then hyper record, but one that also somehow manages to be genuinely terrifying. Well, maybe not, but it at least invokes some very confusing nightmare inducing aesthetics - this is a good thing, believe me.
Fourthly and lastly, David Bowie and his 'Space Oddity. After the recent traumatic experience of going for a job interview at Fopp and not getting the job - and this is hard for me to come out and say - because of my appallingly patchy 'Best of' knowledge of David Bowie, I have decided to work through all the albums in chronological order for my sins. I had a bit of a job getting hold of the first album, so moved on to 'Space Oddity', which has some really good bits on it. It's pretty weird and fittingly spacey, but if someone was to make a spacey album now it would be much more electronic than this, so it's even weirder in the way it's quite spacey but quite straight forward. Yeah, at times it reminds me of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
TOM HANNAN
Apart from what seemed like endless queues and it being in the middle of nowhere and there not being adequate transport back and the beach not being as nice as the one at the other site and there not being a fancy dress shop any more (aaaand breathe...), ATP last month was bloody incredible. Sheesh, I got to see the Melvins twice in the space of twelve hours - how much of a treat is that? Now, that band have been one I've admired for a long time, but I've been wary of really taking them to heart because they're the favourite band of one of my oldest, dearest friends - that Charlie Potter up there - and it would feel like stealing. But these sets were so good that I now cannot help but count the Melvins as amongst my favourite artists. Their current record, the incredible '(A) Senile Animal', is one that I actually get physical cravings for. With its new found two drummer assault and the band's best use of dual vocals yet, it's their heaviest for a while, but also contains breakneck riffs and happy go lucky sing-along choruses that keep the 'hook' fan in me sated. It's just so, so special.
I've always known that The Clash were the best band ever, yet I felt they weren't of 'my time' enough to claim them as my favourite band. Then, my Dad and I (unwittingly) got each other a copy of Chris Salewicz's excellent 'Redemption Song', the definitive biography of Joe Strummer. Having raced through the first 400 pages of it, mostly whilst listening to the incredible box set of all their seven inch singles my delightful lady purchased for me over the Christmas period, and after agreeing on a deeply political / emotional / personal level with every sentiment it contained, I can now say conclusively that not only were the Clash the best band ever, but they're my favourite. Name me a better band, go on.
You're WRONG.
Stumbling around Soho square late one night after visiting various central London drinking establishments (I can't remember where, heck, we were in Soho Square - something must have gone wrong), the sight of an approaching person of no fixed abode or noticeable hygiene isn't something you usually encourage. But this one seemed a little different. This one tried to bargain with me. He tried to sell me a copy of ESG's double 12" compilation 'A South Bronx Story'. He wanted a fiver. Having literally no money on me (honest, it wasn't like those times where you just tell tramps that you have no money because you don't want to give them any money), I had to pass. The bloke, seemingly fed up with carrying the thing about, just mumbled, thrust the record in to my hands, and ran off in to the dark, wet night. It was only when I woke up (next to the record), like something out of 'The Snowman', that I realised that the whole event had actually taken place. Whoever you were, mystery man, and on the off chance that your cardboard box has an internet connection, thank you dearly for this record. It's fantastic, nineteen seventies two-note bass line dark funk from a New York band that constituted an entire family and whose influence I can hear in everyone from PiL and The Clash to Outkast and Prince. Next time I see you mate, I'll hand you that fiver.
ALEX LEE THOMSON
Inescapably, I always end up hearing whatever song I select as my MySpace profile backing track throughout the course of any given month and January has seen some beauties, firstly Semisonic's 'Closing Time', a tune I had almost forgotten about. A brilliant example of what Semisonic were about way-back-when, it's a James-like 90s power-pop song with a flashing chorus and some harmoniously bouncy vocals that made them so hot in their day. Although 'Secret Smile' gave the band some deserved interest and cred, I think it's Closing Time that sees them on form and for me anyway, it's the superior track.
I
t turns out that Brighton has something else to offer besides gay burlesque nightclubs... in the form of The Maccabees, a group I saw live for the first time at a recent Sunshine Underground gig in London. I thought that their Larrikin Love laid back approach to some flaming and head-bopping music was exciting and 'Precious Time' really got me going, even before an overpowering amount of booze had time to riddle through what's left of my post-adolescent liver. It's sharp, beautiful, swelling and memorable and although has similarities with other modern bands of an analogous ilk has a directive carriage that's rigid, enchanting and engaging... big things for the Maccs, surely!
Meat Loaf's back everybody... get in! This guy changed the course of my life when I was a child as 'Bat Out Of Hell' was the first album I remember listening to and introduced me to a little thing called rock 'n' roll. It may be cheesy at times and a wee bit futile these days, but listening to the Loaf's earlier work such as 'Dead Ringer', 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' and the perpetual 'Bat Out Of Hell' itself, you can't deny the impact that this guy had on rock music... and what's more, his new stuff is f**king cool as well. 'The Monster Is Lose' is particularly enthralling and a must-hear for any Loafers out there.
I went out into the night; I went out to pick a fight with anybody... OK, I didn't... to be honest I'm a bit of a wuss, but somebody who did was Win Butler, one of the most talented men in music. While the Arcade Fire are preparing for another attack on British culture, an assault that's sure to blind, baffle and bend the minds of anybody that it's aimed at, I've been reacquainting myself with some of their profound and imagery filled music circa Funeral. 'Rebellion (Lies)' is an inexorable powerhouse of unprocessed swelling clout and authority and can make even the most sober of Englishmen feel quite intoxicated while its some eight members go through the motions of one of the greatest rock-operatics of the past three hundred years.
KEVIN MOLLOY
So I joined the tech-savvy commuter club, and got an mp3 player. Not an ipod though, I didn't get that far. And I still don't understand how a free podcast is different from a free mp3 download. But I digress. What it really means is I get to listen to more music, and so for the first time will offer you the pick of my (mp3) stereo.
First up is Brendan Benson's 'The Alternative to Love'. It's just like Semisonic, which is really confusing. Hearing what you swear is the riff to 'California' opening the latest LP from the coolest singer-songwriter garage-rocker around, well, it's just a bit weird. And nowhere does Benson ever get down to really fucking things around, balls-out rock, or even the acoustic-dominated La Palco stuff. It's just sleek, swish, sexy polished production on Benson's straight ahead songsmithery. Great for an intelligent sunbeam on the rainy bus. I'll come back to it in a month to see if the polish is a veneer over chipboard, or if you can sand it down to a beautiful, splinterful piece of wood.
The other advantage of the mp3 thingummy? I might actually get some reviews in on time. But out of guilt and compulsion, I've been listening to all those albums that I'm too late to review: those poor artists, Kevin Molloy's word might have made them. On the list of albums that will torture my soul if they don't make the impact they deserve are The Mountain Goats' 'Get Lonely', Duke Special's 'Songs From The Deep Forest', and Kathryn Williams' 'Leave To Remain'.
I heard Duke Special on the toilet circuit in the midlands five years ago, we jammed with his percussionist Chip's vast chest-full of weird and wonderful drums 'til it was light outside after the gig. It's a shame that 'Songs from the Deep Forest' doesn't quite live up to those fond memories. The songs themselves are exemplary, but somewhere between the intimate, fragile depths of his live show... the rootsy interim EPs... and this final, slick product, the magic has been lost. 'Freewheel' is still awesome though, but Duke Special should dig his heels in a bit on his road to recognition, to make sure he keeps what makes him recognisable.
The Mountain Goats are just wonderful. I can't remember a single track from 'Get Lonely' after playing it, but I feel warm and fuzzy inside, and just ever so slightly hollow. They're sad, sad songs, and they hang together as a picture of melancholy, like a Pink Floyd album without the whirring bits, and more song-y songs.
And then lastly 'Leave to Remain'. I've never really got Kathryn Williams, even on 'Little Black Numbers'... but this is the closest I've come to what most of my musical acquaintances see as my eventual falling in love with the girl. 'Sustain Pedal' is my favourite. And this is a feature not a review, so I don't have to tell you why. It's probably because it's so great. Some of the songs do drag a bit, the problem with slowing everything down so much is that sometimes there's not enough material to stretch, and you come out with ladders in your tights. I'd definitely say yes to a coffee, though.
KERI KENNEDY
Despite being really strapped for time - hence the brevity - I've been listening to The Good, The Bad & The Queen LP. It's fantastic, and reminiscent of the melodies of 'Modern Life Is Rubbish. It makes me want the Blur reuinion to happen even more now!
GARETH ROBERTS
The Noisettes' 'What's The Time Mr. Wolf?' really took me by surprise. Having never previously been all that interested in Shingai and co, I was immediately drawn in by the varied nature of the songs on this record, one moment you're dancing around the room playing air guitar, the next you're solemnly staring into the distance contemplating life's many questions. A great record, and one I know I'll return to again and again.
I
'm From Barcelona's 'Let Me Introduce My Friends' has been out for a while, but I only got around to buying it last week, and it's been a bloody enjoyable week ever since! Not being burdened with the novelty value of the Polyphonic Spree has undoubtedly done them the world of good, yes, there may be something like 500 members in the band, but they make music that is in no way over-elaborate, and always fun.
Many people's choice for album of 2006, including us at Rockfeedback, was TV On The Radio's 'Return to Cookie Mountain'. I, again, was a late-comer to the kaleidoscopic and soulful world of TVOTR. This delivers something different on every listen, and I only wish I'd heard it sooner (although all these reviews don't leave much time for recreational listening, Mr. Hannan!)
JOSHUA K
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, greetings from NYC. Lend me your ears... For this has been a great month of listening. Herewith, the brief highlights:
First off, one of last year's underrated gems has still been wearing out my headphones. That's right, 'tis 'Dreams,' from The Whitest Boy Alive, aka Erland Oye (aka the speccy one from Kings of Convenience). But, unlike Kings or Oye's DJ Kicks release, this is full-on, plugged-in indie rock. Picture the sound of four concussed Norwegians trying to play funk. And brilliantly so.
And speaking of funk, we've also been turning this mutha out at Joshua K mansions to the sound of 'The Magic of...' - the recent best-of comp from coked up '70s dance maestros Boney M. 'Daddy Cool' is indescribably naff but ace at the same time, and I DARE you to find the video for "Rasputin" on your favorite local video uploads site...
Moving along from old to very new is 'Burning Birthdays', the forthcoming debut EP by Harlem Shakes. Based on their live gigs over the past year, they've already established themselves as New Yawk's next band to wet your knickers over. Think The Housemartins meets post-rock at Phil Spector's house and you're not far off. (Go ask your cool uncle.)
And while we're on a wall-of-sound odd-pop tip, I'd be remiss not to mention Super Furry Animals lead man Gruff Rhys' new LP, 'Candylion'. It's quirky. And damn it's good. Check it out. Nuff said.
Likewise, Cold War Kids. Yes, on 'Robbers and Cowards' they sound like the cool kids' version of Maroon 5. But unlike those pop pussies, there's nary a ProTools vocal reworking in sight. This boy can actually sing, and when the band really kick it up, it sounds like he's being backed by The Walkmen... from before they started messing around with mariachis.
I've also had the chance to preview LCD Soundsystem's 'Sound of Silver'. The pre-release buzz is that James Murphy hasn't made any kind of great leap forward. And that's true. But that's like saying all the DFA's production jobs sound alike. Sure they do -- but they're frickin' quality. Say to hell with the trainspotters and enjoy this one when it drops in around six weeks.
And finally, I tried to give 'U218 Singles' a spin. It's great - NOT! (As Borat would say.) Sorry Sir Bono, it's into the rubbish bin you go... Wanker.