One of my thingies is not to read up on bands before I listen to them. I think it makes for better listening when you don’t know anything about them and your head is clear of pigeon holing and stereotypes to enjoy the music.
When I sat down and listened to the neat 4 track debut EP from Gunning For Tamar, what I got was a tight and visceral helping of angular rock, where the vocals are thoughtful yet punk and the jagged edges of bass and tapped guitar all add up to something I could go mental too in a club and later on enjoy figuring out what it’s all about.
‘Time Trophies‘ EP, released on Alcopop! covers more ground in four songs than most rock bands do in a full length LP.
‘Chocolate Hooves‘ slaps you round the face and then caresses it, winding up like a spring and ejecting walls of addictive complicated melodies.
The old pub piano led ‘Astronaut-Abort‘ twinkles below and mournful yet busy exterior and climaxes as well as any epic guitar led crescendo I’ve heard.
The jewel in this EP comes last though, when the boys let their creativity shine with the electronic sounds of a remix of ‘Time Trophies‘, buzzing and clicking, enphasizing the whirring vocal melodies and as with every song on this handful of beauties, is as tight a as a bum and as well deserving of the success I’m sure is awaiting them.
Presenting LuxembourgianVictor Ferreira aka Sun Glitters‘ first EP ‘ High‘. A crossover between the sounds of James Blake, Gold Panda and Holy Other, it features remixes by MMOTHS, Jewelers and Sumsun and is released via new art label music/is/for/losers.
The EP consists of 4 tracks ‘ High‘ , ‘It Takes Me‘, ‘They Don’t Want To Let You Know‘ and finally an outstanding and daring remix of ‘It Takes Me‘ by Jack Colleran aka MMOTHS.
I particularly enjoy how Ferreira manages to perfectly blend intense yet blissful beats with delicate, eerie sounds.
His pitch shifted and ghostly vocals, dubbed out melodies will be absolutely necessary in summertime. His EP cover is definitely representative of the music: it’s all about letting the sunshine in.
When tickets went on sale (very quietly) for Gotye’s gig at the small and gorgeously historic Wilton’s Music Hall, I had a hunch it would be my first and last chance to see Australian wonderboy Wally de Backer. The buzz was building (thanks to that ubiquitous music video) and pretty soon it would mean bigger venues, worse sound, and higher ticket prices. A friend had speculated that it might be a dull show (“just a guy and a laptop of samples”) but I went with high hopes to the worn music hall.
Wilton’s Music Hall is what all old great venues wish they were—unrestored. There are water stains on the vaulted ceiling, little paint left on the carved balcony, exposed brick walls and rough wooden floors. It is the oldest grand music hall in the world, built in 1858, and has since been used as a Methodist missionary, rag warehouse, and shelter during the bombing of London. It now gets occasional grants for restoration and maintenance, but I hope they don’t ever get around to fixing it up too much. That day it had been announced that “Somebody that I Used to Know” had reached #1 in the UK, so I felt pretty lucky to see Gotye with only about 150 other people.
The stage setup seemed a bit strange until I remembered that Wally is first and foremost a drummer, since his time with Melbourne rock trio The Basics. The layout (a nearly-full kit sideways at the front of the stage) allowed him to drum from standing, when not singing or sampling. After charming and adorable opener Gabrielle Aplin’s acoustic set, Gotye kick-started the show with “Eyes Wide Open,” the galloping first single from 2011’s ‘Making Mirrors‘. It was an ideal opening tune because Wally got to do a bit of everything—sing, twiddle with a sampler, and drum viciously. Between that and the fully-involved band, any concerns of the guy-with-a-laptop scenario were quickly dispelled.
The set included a great mix of highs and lows in terms of tempo and energy—slow jams like “Smoke and Mirrors” and “Bronte” (the latter performed with help from TheWebb Sisters (Leonard Cohen’s vocalists) punctuated the upbeat romps that give the album its joyful Motown feel. The only real downside was the flow of pushy-shovey photogs nosing in front to get their shot, but I guess that is to be expected the week you go #1.
I was curious to see how the band would tackle “Somebody that I Used to Know” without Kimbra to vocalize the second half; my YouTube trolling had told me that either A) Kimbra would surprise us all and slink out from backstage to great squeals of audience excitement, or B) they would line up her vocal tracks and the band would awkwardly bob along. But when the moment came, Wally introduced a friend from Belgium, none other than Noémie Wolfs of Hooverphonic, to sing the part. She was perfection from the first note to the last wail, and actually looked a fair bit like Kimbra, so the song had all the lively energy and stage chemistry you could ask for.
The energy of the set and the audience seemed to increase throughout, so by the time they left the stage for four minutes to let you wonder about an encore, the hall was buzzing with anticipation. Gotye wisely capitalised on this excitement with an encore performance of three of the brightest, most clap-happy uptempo songs in his repertoire: “In Your Light” and “I Feel Better,” with audience participation hand claps, and finally “Learnalilgivinanlovin.” The last, from his previous album, has a Golden Oldies sound with a driving drum track—the perfect closer for a show that had ranged through the last six decades in terms of inspiration, samples, and feel.
I read a review the next day in the Standard by John Aizlewood that was more than usually bad. Normally I’d chalk that up to the generally poor quality of anything that finds its way onto the pages of that evening-commute shoe-rag, but I’ve seen this review circulated and used by many other sites and papers. The bit that bothered me about this review was that Aizlewood attempted to steer Gotye in the direction of a one-hit wonder, the wide-eyed Aussie startled by commercial success with his one fantastically popular single.
He literally suggested that Gotye would have trouble filling the 70-minute set, since surely the crowd would only know that one song. The problem with his theory is that this show at Wilton’s sold out in less than 2 hours back in November—long before “Somebody That I Used To Know” was charting anywhere but in Australia. His assumption must also seem silly to any who attended the show, since the highlight of the night, the song that really brought down the house, was actually “Hearts a Mess,” the haunting single off Gotye’s equally stunning but more downbeat album ‘Like Drawing Blood‘, released back in 2006.
I also read an idiotic review by someone from the Guardian who referred to “Somebody That I Used To Know” as having “minimal production.” Now, no Gotye song could possibly deserve such praise, since a track crafted entirely through production and post-effects hardly qualifies as ‘minimal’ in the production department. Secondly, Wally willingly admits that the single itself took 9 months to prepare and get exactly right, even before adding Kimbra’s vocals—longer than anything else on the album.
I guess if I had to throw stones at every concert review written by a journalist who knew very little about the band in question, I’d have, well, killer biceps on my throwing arm.
The new album, ‘Sweet Sour‘, by Band of Skulls is not for the faint of heart. They are a trio that makes no bones about it. This is not pretentious music – it’s lowbrow rock n’ roll with attitude and aggression to boot.
Stylistically, they are still doing what worked on their debut ‘Baby Darling Doll Face Honey’: making rock songs that border on cliché, but just end up being cool. Who can argue with that? But there are some hints at what could come. Particularly, the unexpected breakdown on “Lay My Head Down” may be evidence of a more sophisticated sound that’s less ‘in-your-face’ and more ambient.
‘Sweet Sour‘ is out now on their own label, Electric Blues Recordings under exclusive license in the U.S. to Vagrant Records
In my head, record shop instores are meant be like the final scene of Empire Records- with a band playing on the roof and slackers rolling kegs down the street. In reality, this never ever happens, and perhaps that’s a good thing as no one really ever wants to see Renee Zelwegger sing more than once in their lives. And in spite of my shattered teen movie dreams, sometimes, in record stores, with their poor sound systems and randomly congregated audiences, in stores can be truly quite remarkable gigs. Craig Finn’s recent performance at Rough Trade East definitely falls into that category.
As a huge Hold Steady fan, I did (wrongly) wonder if Finn’s debut ‘Clear Heart, Full Eyes’, was just going to be an album of ‘not making the grade’ Hold Steady outtakes. Instead, it is full of wonderfully unique country-esque songs, with simple guitars focussing topics such as on punk rock wisdom (‘No Future’) and the dying days of a relationship (‘Not Much Left of Us’)- much more contemplative than some of the party tales of The Hold Steady but with all the lyrical brilliance.
Playing at Rough Trade with just a slide guitarist as back up, to a small audience of pre-sale album buyers, journalists and the odd hipster who had stumbled in off Brick Lane, Craig Finn still managed to bring new beauty to stripped down versions of the highlights from ‘Clear Heart Full Eyes’. Songs such as ‘Sarah, I’m Surrounded’ sounded beautifully melancholic, and ‘My Friend Jesus’ provided a humorous interlude.
Considering this, perhaps then the main outcome of the Rough Trade East, is actually something quite awe-inspiring: whilst The Hold Steady are undeniably one of the greatest live bands around, this short set demonstrated that with a very different set up, with a different array of material, and without a full band, Craig Finn still has the ability to host an enchanting live show. It’s not just the party soundtrack of The Hold Steady he has up his sleeve, but now its an album and live show of truly beautiful, enigmatic songs.
I’m pretty sure no one from the cast of Empire Records couldn’t even come close to that achievement.
Chairlift seem to do what most electro pop bands cannot, and that’s edit themselves. The critically acclaimed ‘Does You Inspire You‘ along with its heavily promoted single ‘Bruises‘ was subtle in it’s use of synthesizers and reverberated sound.
The Latest album ‘Something‘ is comprised of much lusher and moving arrangements with a backdrop of retro midi synths and themes of uncertainty and human greed. The eighties reverberation only reinforces the darker shades from this era from the unshakable motivational moods of the times, to the corporate greed and oppression.
This album is in no way claustrophobic though, it is exceptionally wide and poignant, evidence of a band at the top of their game and brimming with confidence. The warmth of this this record is what shines through and I’m sure Ghandi would’ve have something irritatingly wise to say here.
Singles ‘Sidewalk Safari’ and ‘Met Before’ are fantastic examples of this production along with the modern chic indie pop, lying somewhere between Cocteau Twins ethereal ripples and Blonde Redhead‘s stylish cooing. ‘I Belong In Your Arms’ is bold and concise and, much like the whole album, is unbelievably catchy.
The addictive bass lines from ‘Amanaemonesia’ and ‘Wrong Opinion’ should back the single pillars from this album perfectly, offering not only a record that would suit a cult 1980’s B-Movie, but also a dose of dream pop to shake your arse to wildly.
A household name in their native Norway and a fair section of Europe, sassy 4-piece Katzenjammer hit the UK festival circuit earlier this year at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival and Bestival, becoming Steve Lamacq favourites and enticing a whole new horde of admirers along the way.
Word must have gotten out, because fans squashed into their gig at the LondonMonto Water Rats until they were packed in like a tin of sardines. Yet when Turid, Anne-Marit, Solveig and Marianne squeezed onto the rather tiny stage, the irritation of being jostled around soon gave way to something a lot more pleasant.
The four multi instrumentalists vigorously delivered a set that scoped from the tinselled folk of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’, through the gypsy, Gogol Bordello-esque crowd favourite ‘A Bar in Amsterdam’, to a hugely entertaining honky tonk cover of Genesis’ ‘Land of Confusion’.
It is a rare band who can pull off such a dizzying swap of instruments without seeming pretentious, yet Katzenjammer take it all in their stride. They also prove to have four very competent lead singers, but Marianne’s earth-shattering vocals, at times angelic and at others reminiscent of a Deep South soul diva with a 40-a-day habit, deserve special mention.
Soon enough they have the entire crowd singing along to their contagiously fun camp ditties – infused with a jumble of influences from Balkan Gypsy Folk to Cowboy Blues to Burlesque and everything else in between. Very obvious musical talents underpin their flair for colourful showmanship, preventing them from sounding like a novelty act.
Closing the set with sing-to-the-rafters, 4-piece a cappela ‘God’s Great Dust Storm’, they demonstrate how to shift from a lighthearted pop romp to blowing the roof off a cathedral in one move, leaving many a dropped jaw in their wake. Those searching for live entertainment of the highest caliber need look no further.
Made the Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2011 list here
The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Made the Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2011 list here
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
As a die-hard Ryan Adams fan – hello! – I have nothing bad to say about his latest creation. He can do no wrong. He’s always had the ability to defy genre, and his forte is in crafting timeless classics. And by classic I mean, modern day Neil Young – there I said it.
This time around, on ‘Ashes & Fire‘, he discards all pretense, offering up a series of stripped down ballads and a few crystallized pop songs (see: “Lucky Now”, “Invisible Riverside”, “Chains of Love”).
If you’re a sucker, like I am, for his folk-Americana roots, then be sure to give the title track a few spins. There’s nothing like those few opening verses. I don’t know what’s more thrilling – that or the laid-back love song, “Dirty Rain“.
If his “Wonderwall” cover taught us anything it’s that Ryan Adam‘s can be at his best when he pulls back, and for the most part ‘Ashes & Fire‘ is one of those albums: it’s strength is in its subtleties.
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Made the Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2011 list here
Little Dragon – Ritual Union
Yukimi Nagano’s vocals give major soul to this otherwise electro outfit, and the resulting combination is thoroughly modern. This Swedish band’s recent collaborations with the Gorillaz and SBTRKT are only bringing more attention to their own releases – and rightfully so. Nagano delivers a current take on R&B that’s outside the mainstream.
Must hear: “Little Man”, “Please Turn”, “Nightlight”.
My Morning Jacket – Circuital
Rich and free-wheeling rock n’ roll with masterful arrangements. “Circuital” is an overall solid album, full of peaks and valleys, providing the listener with a complete experience.
Key Tracks: “Victory Dance” “Circuital” “Wonderful” “Holding On To Black Metal”
Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde
The Smith Westerns self-titled debut album came as a breath of fresh air in all its fuzzed-out, adolescent glory. So with the release of the more fully realized ‘Dye It Blonde‘ there was a bit of an adjustment. Though the sound got cleaned up all the flirtatious lyrics and wonky guitar remain.
Yuck – Yuck
Wilco – The Whole Love
How do you begin to review a new Wilco album? This is a band that’s tended to the hearts and minds of listeners everywhere for 17-freakin’ years! They’re in a class of their own.
What stands out is how inventive they are. This album in particular explores some ambient noise moments that would be space-age if not leveled by Jeff Tweedy’s down-to-earth vocals. ‘The Whole Love‘ is a rhythmic dreamscape that covers a lot of turf. It’s masterfully refined pop and melancholia sandwiched between two starkly different 10 minute tracks, beginning with a wicked melt-your-face guitar solo and ending gently with a lullaby. Delicious!
The Kills – Blood Pressures
Made the Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2011 list here
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