POTS #6 - March 2007
By: Thomas Hannan
ALEX LEE THOMSON - STAFF WRITER
This past month I have been mostly listening to Patrick Wolf, The Crimea, Babyshambles, Kubichek!, The Beatles (again), Joy Division, Shuffle, The Futureheads, Kewis Ned, The Taste, The Network, Kaiser Chiefs, The Holloways, Fields, Cursive, The Departure and Battle. But to elaborate that into a lurid and evocative Pick Of The Stereo; The Magic Position by Patrick Wolf has easily been my album of the month and looks set to become my album of the whole bloody year and reminds me why I fell in love with music. It's monumental; emphasis on 'mental', beauty is matched only by its exceptional production and musical quality. Paddy is one of the finest songsmiths around and at the risk of sounding perverse, could be the sexiest bloke to ever hold a violin, and proves the value of comprehension.
The Crimea's follow up to 'Tragedy Rocks' exploded onto the scene recently and along with it a sh*t storm of astonishment. Taking some six months to record and maser it really has been a labour of love for Davey Macmanus and every second he's spent gruelling over it shows, relating brilliantly with their debut. This awesome lyrical display is also a labour of love for the reason that it's being released as a free to own piece of work, a remarkable ploy to get The Crimea where they deserve to be... on everybody's CD player.
Babyshambles' Janie Jones (see The Clash for original, you 'tard) was two of the best minutes of music to come out of 2006 and still sounds too good to turn off. It's one of those songs that you can hear all day every day and still be somewhat aroused by, giving your ears a metaphorical semi. I can gladly listen to this all the way to work and back without once flinching over the skip button and I'd like to think that's because the 'Shambles have done it justice along with some musically inclined friends of theirs... it's a sweet example of how to do a cover song.
'Nightjoy' and the containing album 'Not Enough Night' by Kubichek! is giving Bloc Party a ruddy good run for their money. Who'd have thought that they were capable of such a well conceived and delivered album? Well, some of us maybe, but for the majority of the nation this band is seriously going to make some waves and have all the relevant tools in their arsenal to become one of the biggest bands in the UK... at last.
'Xmas Steps' by Mogwai from their 'EP+6' is an amazing song, with amazing production, and much better than the version on 'Come On Die Young'. Find this track and listen to it. Incredible.
I have also been listening to; Deerhoof - 'Friend Opportunity', Tom Waits - 'Orphans', Malcolm Middleton - 'Into The Woods', Animal Collective - 'Feels', and Sonic Youth - 'Daydream Nation' (yes, I'm going - I'm a lucky boy).
David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold The World' reminds me strangely of Black Sabbath. Rick Wakeman's 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' is absolutely hilarious - this won't disappoint you. And then there's the Deftones' 'White Pony'. Seriously, it's a really good album.
Lastly, Secret Chiefs 3 and 'First Grand Constitution and Bylaws'. Really, if you liked Mr. Bungle then you will like this - it's all the members of Bungle except Mike Patton, and it has a sort of world music feel to it. It's probably the best of their four albums.
Like pretty much every other music fan out there March was Arcade Fire month for me, and thankfully 'Neon Bible' didn't disappoint. The Springsteen similarities were a pleasant surprise and as with everything else they do they are pulled off in an entirely unique and god damned beautiful way.
Along with The Arcade Fire there is LOADS of new material just out or soon to come from bands I love. While a little disappointed by Bloc Party who seem to have lost their tunes, I have been loving the new Bright Eyes EP and enjoying Jesse Malin's third album 'Glitter In The Gutter'.
On a similar Americana wavelength, The Tailors debut album is one of the best British alt-country records I have heard and they deserve a following of at least cult proportions, if not world-domination size. 'Wakey Wakey' had rarely left my stereo/computer/car since I first heard it, but that has all changed now, as I just got my hands on the new Kings Of Leon album. While it is still early days, I am pretty sure it is the best record I've heard this year and for quite a long time before that. I won't say anymore yet, but watch this space.
As far as up and coming bands are concerned, I am really liking The Strange Death Of Liberal England whose single 'A Day Another Day' is out in a couple of weeks. Apparently they put on quite a live show too so I'm looking forward to experiencing that. I have also been put on to a new Sheffield/York based band called Avida Dollars and if the songs on their myspace are anything to go on, they are going to be huge with a capital H. Though only young, they sound like they should have been rocking CBGBs in the 70s. I say get in there now while no one's heard of them!
TOM HOCKNELL - FUTURE SOUNDS EDITOR
One great thing about i-tunes is the unpredictability of the shuffle. While my ipod may have an uncanny inclination to play The Beloved every other song, i-tunes throws up greater variety. Songs absolutely shine again. It might be the lack of anticipation about what's next. Perhaps this surprise is the closest you'll get to the novelty of hearing an old favourite that first time. Most importantly it plays songs you might otherwise skip, thinking you've heard them too often. But it appears you are wrong and i-tunes knows best, there're still some oldies you haven't heard too many times. The cocksure rock-disco swagger of U2's 'Even Better Than The Real Thing' recently came on and just blew me away, posing the question, should over 30's play air guitar alone? Hell yes, never, ever in company. For Sweden's Shout Out Louds to follow on successfully with 'Very Loud' says a lot about this astonishing band, whose follow up to their debut album will not be a moment too soon. Then, if Erland Oye's driven and dreamy electronic heartache of 'Ghost Trains' isn't enough to believe in an i-tunes god, then I'd like to know what is.
On the album front its Tracy Thorne's 'Out of the Woods' that won't shift, I wouldn't say it's glued to the turntable, if it was I'd never get t listen to side 2. Despite the time lapse this album picks up somewhat where EBTG left off, with their last album, 'Temperamental' setting the high tide mark of their forays into pure electronic, this is a slight step back, and strong for it, mingling old song-writing strengths with piano, acoustic guitar, strings, beats and suburbia, a reminder that electronic music is equally suited to dancing, as it is to reflection, which despite its relation to the good times, has always provided an easily manipulated back drop to the lonely musing of the blues. This varied album succeeds effortlessly with strong melodies, crisp production, deep-electronica, Italo-disco, searching vocals and even relevance. It's drenched cab-ride disappointment all the way home from the club.
Second album terror - Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Maximo Park, everyone's bloody got it. But the most successful second albums seem to come from people who refuse to admit they're at all important, that anyone paid attention in a first place, or that there's anything particularly special about what they're doing whatsoever. The most successful ones seem to not even acknowledge being in a band. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem comes across like that, and his second album under that name eats for breakfast even the fine follow up LPs that the aforementioned trio provided. 'Sound Of Silver' is full of Depeche Mode and Talking Heads references, nine minute long dance rock epics, and some of both the funniest and most life affirming song writing you'll hear all year. I still berate Matt Tomiak for only giving it three stars - it's a five if ever there was one, boyo.
From a modern classic to a rediscovered old one, it wouldn't be POTS without multiple David Bowie references. How f**king brilliant is 'Young Americans'? And not just that superlative title track either, every note of it (apart from the unnecessary cover of 'Across The Universe' - Dave really should have made Lennon sling his hook after doing his bit on 'Fame') is injected with some kind of genius, and that includes the bonus tracks, this being the swanky reissue with the DVD we got through, you get me? All the vocals were done in one take, he was probably so off his face he can't remember doing it and I can now say I've got a record with Luther Vandross on it. Priceless.