Three Pink Monkeys

Back again

2009-03-06T13:09:00.008Z

Just stopping by. The day job is hell-ish but good, naturally. On my sick bed listening to the following

Brief post...

2007-10-28T16:16:00.000Z

...to say, how good is Jens Lekman's Night Falls Over Kortedala?

Answer: Very; mind-meldingly good.

Go and buy yourself a copy!

Gotta love the job sometimes...

2007-09-18T00:03:00.000+01:00

Not for the faint-hearted

2007-08-06T23:33:00.000+01:00

Life has been very busy; it's been an age since the last post but new jobs can throw spanners when you least expect them. I'm going to keep this one short and sweet as interesting sentences are in short supply and the sofa is calling.

Photo by James Mejia

Keeping me sane lately has been Canadian improv electronica noisemakers Holy Fuck. They seem to have a revolving door policy with drummers (Death From Above's Sebastien Grainger for example). They don't really sound like anyone but if pushed, I'd say they have something of Battles about them. Stand-out track by about a bloody mile is Lovely Allen on my DIY CD. Lovely indeed, and full of mind-altering hooks.

Can't summon up the energy to post an MP3 so do yourself a favour, go here and buy it yourself. But maybe hide the record sleeve from your mum if she's easily offended by the word 'Fuck'.

Animal Collective

2007-07-25T21:51:00.000+01:00

Animal Collective are one of those bands I know I like and yet ask me to explain why and I can find no definable reason. There's something strangely soothing about their discordant manner of address. They take winning hooks, run them through the mangler, add some feedback and electronic odds and ends and mold sounds that are truly idiosyncratic and wholly their own.

In short, I thought their last record 'Feels' was a real humdinger. But that was way back in 2005. Doesn't time fly? Between then and now there have been forays into other projects; Panda Bear explored his inner Brian Wilson with the scintillating 'Fever Pitch'; Avey Tare brought work home with wife Kristin (formerly of Múm) and 'Pullhair Rubeye' was born, sadly not so well received as his bandmate's solo outing.

Listening to the few tracks I have heard from forthcoming long-player 'Strawberry Jam' (in the shops September 10 via their new home Domino), I have every confidence that it will garner the same sort of adulation as 'Feels', if not more so.

Tracklisting looks something like this:

01 Peacebone
02 Unsolved Mysteries
03 Chores
04 For Reverend Green
05 Fireworks
06 #1
07 Winter Wonder Land
08 Cuckoo Cuckoo
09 Derek

Animal Collective - Loch Raven

(taken from 'Feels' which you can buy here)
Pre-order 'Strawberry Jam' here

Latitude Festival

2007-07-18T21:26:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. As an excuse I am currently on a sojourn from the rat race and basking in the heat of Barcelona for a few days. The rest of the blame can be placed on work as well as a temporary inertia scuttling through my brain over the past week or so.
It's thanks to work that I managed to land a last minute ticket to Latitude Festival which took place this weekend past in the rather splendid setting of Suffolk's Henham Park. I had a troupe of lady friends by my side and all in all an excellent time was had, in rain and shine (lots of shine thankfully). I even found time - sheltering from the rain - to stop in and listen to a Radio 4 recording of festival stories featuring Dylan Moran whom I like to describe as 'scruffilicous'.

Musically I enjoyed in no particular order:

Andrew Bird
The National
Cold War Kids
Elvis Perkins
Final Fantasy
Camera Obscura
Guilty Pleasures*

I think they've been trying to pitch Latitude as some of sort of miniature, middle-class version of Glastonbury. Personally I thought it was a fantastically organised affair. I've become increasingly loyal to smaller festivals; the ones where you can find your friends if you lose them, get between stages within minutes rather than hours and, more importantly, remember where you pitched the tent. Latitude made the grade for me but only just. Increase its size (as many festivals are wont to do these days) and it will lose all its charm.

So yes, I urge one and all to go to Latitude next year, so long as they don't go making it as large as Glastonbury...

* shamefully, it is mostly because of my 70s-disco-sized crush on Sean Rowley, although he does put on a fantastic club night.

Nina Nastasia & Jim White @ Union Chapel

2007-07-08T14:54:00.000+01:00

I've never been inside the Union Chapel before. It's a pretty spectacular building from the outside. One of those hidden gems nestled between Georgian terraces and tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Islington's main drag Upper Street. Enter its main hall and you are transported to a warm and cavernous idyll where wrought iron chandeliers hang perilously above your head. Stained-glass windows feature heavily and wooden pews are the seat of choice. As places of worship go, this is a pretty impressive one.

So it's a shame that the bands on stage could not make more of an impact than their rather opulent surroundings.

I think I would have appreciated the fine musings of The Twilight Sad more had the percussion not completely drowned out the rest of the band. Perhaps the drummer would have benefited from a set of brushes...

My knowledge of Nina Nastasia's work reaches as far as a handful of Daytrotter session tracks that I thought were interesting but I would never have considered myself a real fan. I guess it was the coupling with Dirty Three's Jim White (last seen with Cat Power) that lured me to this show.

For the most part, the set was excellent. I was impressed with Nina. She has a wonderfully pure and effortless delivery. Jim White is a phenomenal drummer, his movements across his kit like a well-rehearsed dance. Much of his percussive contributions seemed improvised; sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. When it did, boy was it good. The songs were winsome and lovely but didn't strike a chord. Perhaps I should have made an effort and listened to more of her records before the gig.

Then all of a sudden, mid-set, plagued by monitor and tuning issues (how can she not know how to tune a guitar?), the momentum was suddenly lost. I found myself looking everywhere but the stage; staring intently at the ornate carvings on the ceiling, studying the grandiose pulpit. What a great venue. What a disappointing show.

The return

2007-07-02T20:26:00.000+01:00

There is a truly terrifying sight outside my window as I write. The rain is lashing down in vast sheets, the vaporous clouds enveloping neighbouring tower blocks like a dense fog. It's been a fairly regular occurrence of late; umbrellas and raincoats are the must-have accessories for this (rainy) season. On days like this I appreciate the roof over my head.Keeping me smiling through the showers and grey clouds is the knowledge that after a three-year hiatus PJ Harvey will be unleashing her seventh studio record 'White Chalk' to the general masses on September 24th.

It's difficult for me to write about PJ Harvey without descending into endless superlative-laden prose but let's try. Polly is not one to rest on her laurels. She writes with fervent passion, eschewing trends and fads, instead pushing herself to make something that is demonstrably different from anything she has created before. Such passion cannot go unreciprocated; it inspires something akin to devotion.

Her struggles with the demons of depression are pretty well known. It has very clearly informed her work. The suggestion that quality of her music would diminish without it is juvenile and ignorant. People should not write about the sun but on where, what and whom the sun shines.

Don't forget the voice; boy what a voice. She may be small enough to fit in the palm of your hand but don't underestimate the sonic punch within. Her voice propels itself above the roar of drums, bass and guitar combined and can silence a room in one fell swoop. She is desired by men and inspires scores of women. How can you possibly resist?

Plants And Rags (from 'Dry')
Missed (from 'Rid Of Me')
Long Snake Moan (from 'To Bring You My Love')
The Garden ('Is This Desire?')
Kamikaze (from 'Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea')
The Life And Death Of Mr. Badmouth (from 'Uh Huh Her')

R.I.P. Fopp

2007-06-29T16:43:00.000+01:00

As reported by the Beeb...
Where will I now go for cut-price records, DVDs and books?
The world is suddenly a sad and darker place without them.

REM - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (I Feel Fine)
Super Furry Animals - It's Not The End Of The World

More Beirut - this time @ KOKO

2007-06-27T15:08:00.000+01:00

Still smiling, still dancing, still wanting to join a mariachi band, still partially deaf in one ear.
See more photos here.

Beirut in London

2007-06-26T00:34:00.000+01:00

Click on the photo for the full panoramic experience.

Tonight I awoke to the reality of two previously-maligned clichés; music really does bring people together and some of the best things in life are indeed free.

Serenading possibly the biggest crowd Queen Elizabeth Hall's foyer has hosted in quite some time, the boys (and lady) of Beirut played an hour-long set of much-loved melodies. They also found time and inclination to treat us to some new sounds, all against the backdrop of the Thames and a surprisingly beautiful setting sun. The best bit about the evening? Elephant Gun of course.

Beirut - Elephant Gun

Buy 'Lon Gisland EP' here

More photos on my Flickr.

Blanche 'Little Amber Bottles'

2007-06-22T11:36:00.001+01:00

Everyone has gone to dance in a field in Somerset this weekend. Me? I didn't much fancy the idea of foregoing sleep and good personal hygiene in order to party in wellies and a waterproof poncho. I must be getting old. Instead I am holding the fort at work and nursing yet another post-drinking sickness with a cold sausage sandwich.

In the absence of doing any actual work, I've been listening to a little bit of Grizzly Bear here, some St. Vincent there, a smattering of Electrelane and lots of Blanche.

I discovered Detroit noisemakers Blanche a couple of years back when I inadvertently stole an album sampler of debut 'If We Can't Trust The Doctors' and fell in love with the track Do You Trust Me? Banjo maestro Jack Lawrence plays with another Jack in The Raconteurs. Even with this famous association Blanche are clearly not one to pilfer from their friend's music boxes and have instead cultivated a sound that is completely their own.

Like all great albums this one is a slow-burner; don't expect to fall instantly in love. Its charms are subtler, the melody more refined. There's a banjo and a slide guitar in our midst so naturally Country & Western springs to mind and you wouldn't be far off the mark. So yes, I can picture myself wearing a stetson and line-dancing at some points during this record but I cannot help but like the image in my head or indeed the music sound-tracking the daydream.

Blanche - Scar Beneath The Skin

Buy 'Little Amber Bottles' here
Check out their pretty-looking website here

The New Pornographers @ 93 Feet East

2007-06-21T12:05:00.000+01:00

I'm not really one for surprises but last night's show was an extremely pleasurable one. Having spent several hours beforehand fuming about work-related nonsense and with a mind full of distractions I was expecting to have a torrid time of it, particularly in the notoriously balmy 93 Feet East. An hour and a half later I was all smiles and humming tunes on the journey home; all thanks to The New Pornographers.

As ever, these photos and more on my Flickr.

Andrew Bird @ The Scala

2007-06-15T20:13:00.000+01:00

Who would have thought the arrival of a niece would have such a profound effect on my blogging habits?

I've managed to tear myself away from the baby growl for long enough to watch some bands. First of whom was Andrew Bird. The last time I saw him play I had sunk too much alcohol which rendered me somewhat useless on all counts. Thankfully, I managed to stay away from the sauce for long enough to lend some support to our lovely Annie who was opening up for the aforementioned Mr. Bird.

There is some sort of hypnotic quality to Andrew Bird. He plays around with a loop pedal in a similar manner to that of Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) and sings in an effortless style. He's a in-between song talker. He's got an immensely sardonic sense of humour that I never knew Americans possessed. He wears proper suits and looks like he'll be heading to a job interview after the gig.

I'm only familiar with his latest offering 'Armchair Apocrypha' and there was plenty of presumably old material in the set-list (he does have an extensive back catalogue after all) that my ears didn't recognise. It's often hard to appreciate unfamiliar songs in a live setting but Bird made it seem less of a task and more joyful to listen, understand and love. Perhaps it's because he seems so at ease up there onstage that any unease of your own simply dissipates. It's as if he's taking you personally by the hand and saying 'It's okay. I know what I'm doing. Relax and have fun.' There's a temptation to over-complicate matters by analysing every nuance of his vocal technique, the poetic content in his lyrics and the way he sometimes holds his violin like a guitar; the actual moment when you'll really enjoy Andrew Bird is when you sit back, empty your mind of preconceptions and a lifetime of worries and just enjoy it for what it really is: wonderful, sublime walls of sound.

Andrew Bird - Plasticities

Buy 'Armchair Apocrypha' here.
Check out his website here

And here are Blogotheque's fantastic Take Away Show films of him playing on a street in Paris. They're something special I can tell you.

Shellac - 'Excellent Italian Greyhound'

2007-06-06T23:34:00.000+01:00

I had a bit of a Shellac awakening at ATP vs. The Fans. I am genuinely quite ashamed to say I was never a fan before but now, having seen two blisteringly good shows I am resolutely converted. Ever since then I've been eager to soak up as much of them as humanly possibly without actually resorting to a terrifyingly psychotic concept in my head involving transfusing my blood for that of Steve Albini, Todd Trainer and Bob Weston.

That weekend in Minehead I learned a lot about Shellac. In terms of interest they varied; the majority were mere tit-bits of gossip. Let me throw this one out now as an example: did you know that Todd Trainer runs his own shipping company? For some reason the image of him conducting a board meeting dressed in a suit and tie appears both incomprehensible and utterly unfathomable.

'Excellent Italian Greyhound' is supreme. It's probably a good thing I don't have in-depth knowledge of their previous outings to use as a yardstick. Live favourite The End Of Radio kicks off proceedings with the requisite amount of gusto. I love Albini's ironic call-out "This goes out to a special girl... There is no special girl!" From there the momentum snowballs as the album ticks by. There's even a track called Steady As She Goes which mercifully isn't a cover of that better-known Raconteurs single but is an altogether more pleasingly raucous affair.

Shellac - The End Of Radio

Shellac - Steady As She Goes

Buy 'Excellent Italian Greyhound'. You'd be crazy not to....

On the road with St. Vincent

2007-06-04T20:04:00.000+01:00

Here's a taster of what the folk of Middlesbrough enjoyed last night. More on my Flickr as always.

Blonde Redhead @ KOKO

2007-05-31T20:03:00.000+01:00

My maiden Blonde Redhead show and my my, what a show it was. Great stuff.

Check out my Flickr for more of the same sort of thing.
The Blonde Redhead website which has just launched what will become a series of ten podcasts. It's very good.
Buy '23' here.

MusicNOW as seen by Vincent Moon

2007-05-29T22:08:00.000+01:00

Some days, much like the ones we've had of late (rainy, grey; altogether miserable), I find myself yearning to be far away from the bustle of London, maybe to some far-flung sun-soaked beach, or better yet, to the New York or Hong Kong I remember in my holiday reveries.

Amongst the chaos of mediocrity and misery is a little glimmer of brightness in the form of The Take-Away Shows. I gave them column inches last week but they deserve a whole lot more. Their raison d'etre is to provide veritable visual feasts to a hungry public. They're also known the sexy French sibling to that other great site Daytrotter. Vincent Moon and company persuade some of the best bands around (Arcade Fire, The National, My Brightest Diamond, Cold War Kids, etc) to play a song or two in some otherwise unusual surroundings (an elevator, a forest clearing, a Parisian street, a roof), which is videoed in one unadulterated and aesthetically pleasing take.

This week's special Take-Away Show (its fiftieth no less) is dedicated to the MusicNOW festival, curated by Bryce Dessner and featuring such esteemed friends as Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Amina, Clogs and Sufjan Stevens. Vincent Moon has captured some truly remarkable moments set against the backdrop of elaborate frescoes and grand hallways of the Beaux-Arts Cincinnati Memorial Hall. The main film is a thirty minute opus, featuring all the main players from the festival in various rooms and guises. If only I could photograph as well as he films.

Here's the link to some wonderful images and equally wonderful words

Clogs - Ostinato-FiveFour (from 'Lantern')
My Brightest Diamond - Gone Away (from 'Bring Me The Workhorse')
Sufjan Stevens - Vito's Ordination Song (from 'Greeting From Michigan - The Great Lake State')

The National @ The Astoria, London

2007-05-23T17:06:00.000+01:00

Clearly I am a glutton for punishment. Not content with a whole weekend of gig-action and the associated fun and frolics that only a Butlins holiday site can offer, I spent last night watching The National showcase material from hours-old new album 'Boxer' at their first London show for, ooh, ages. My last vivid memory of these guys was at Camden's Barfly; Matt Berninger clinging to the air-conditioning unit millimetres from his head, on the verge of pulling it and the ceiling down upon our sweaty heads, all whilst serenading us with impassioned words from the then-current album 'Alligator'.

Yesterday was a magnificent night. The setlist was predictably 'Boxer'-heavy, punctuated with much cherished old favourites. Matt has the voice of an angel, albeit one who sounds like he has spent too many lonely late nights in dive bars drinking whiskey by the bottle and smoking a packet of twenty in ten minutes. Two encores later and the sold-out crowd (and I) were still baying for more material.

Fear not those who couldn't make this show. They've just announced a full UK tour:

Stoke Sugarmill (July 10)
Nottingham Rescue Rooms (11)
Glasgow ABC (November 2)
Sheffield Leadmill (3)
Manchester Academy 2 (4)
Birmingham Irish Centre (6)
London Shepherd's Bush Empire (7)
Bristol Anson Rooms (9)
Portsmouth Pyramids (10)

Buy 'Boxer' here.
Check out their official homepage here.
Also take a look at the album's site here and see some snippets of the forthcoming Vincent Moon documentary of the band.

Photos from yesterday:

Grizzly Bear ATP beach party

2007-05-22T15:36:00.000+01:00

Quite fortuitously I stopped into my chalet on Sunday evening and saw the news flash on ATP TV saying Grizzly Bear would be serenading punters somewhere in the Butlins vicinity hours before their own official slot at midnight. Nearly an hour later, on the beach across the road, about fifty or so folk braved the sea air and sand dunes to witness three-quarters of the band perform four tracks acoustically, all of which were filmed by Vincent Moon aka Take Away Shows mainman.

The experience was quite magical. Another special moment to add to the numerous others that made my weekend unique. Unfortunately I didn't get any recordings. It's probably just as well. I'd much rather wait for the Take Away Show footage.

Grizzly Bear - Knife
Taken from 'Yellow House' and you can get that from Amazon.

ATP vs The Fans - Picture Postcards

2007-05-22T12:49:00.000+01:00

My first proper night's sleep in many days and I still feel like someone has taken a sledgehammer to my frontal lobe. I haven't quite regained full control of my motor skills so don't expect any words for a few days...

Thanks to the lovely folk at Hermana, I managed to get access to photograph some of the excellent bands that played at the weekend. I've posted the majority on the old faithful Flick r although there's still some more to come in the next few days. In the mean time, here's a few of my favourites:

Bat For Lashes:
Battles:
Shellac:

Slint:

My Flickr
If anyone does fancy using my photos please credit me or I shall be suing your behind.
Back to work....

ATP Vs. The Fans - The Aftermath

2007-05-21T16:23:00.001+01:00

I have just returned from one of the most surreal weekends I have encountered in many years. I drank far too much red wine and vodka, wore impractical shoes, ate Burger King every day against my better judgement and saw some of the best live performances of the past few years.

It's going to take an age to sift through the many photos I have from the weekend, and even longer to mentally rifle through all the strange and frankly magical moments in Minehead. I shall endeavour to get something down here in the course of the week. In the meantime here's a brief breakdown of my personal highlights, in no particular order:

Ducklings nesting underneath our chalet's stairwell; witnessing one attempt to jump onto the doorstep, fail and ricochet in quite a dramatic fashion back to the ground.
Watching Daniel Johnston taking a late-night walk from our chalet; him seeing us watching him; me waving at him; him waving back (not really).
Giving dish-washing advice to the Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav
Watching Vincent Moon film Grizzly Bear perform on the beach at sunset
Both Shellac sets. Great hippy jokes.
Watching most of Mogwai's set from Burger King whilst eating a Chicken Royale meal with Sprite.
Daniel Johnston on stage with Yo La Tengo
Battles
R Kelly's 'Trapped In The Closet' followed by South Park's Scientology episode. A piece of programming genius.
Men outnumbering women 10:1. Never a dull moment.
Proper beds, showers, running water, flushing toilets, leather sofas, the widescreen TV and the DVD/VCR combo.

My brain is liquefied. I'm going to soak in the bath until my fingers go wrinkly.

Amiina - 'Kurr'

2007-05-17T18:15:00.000+01:00

I bought this album on a bit of a whim, post-Lent, to celebrate the end of my self-imposed record-buying fast. For completely superficial reasons I like this band for the quirkiness of the album artwork. As a fellow knitter I feel a certain affinity to this gem of a knitted piece. I can appreciate the intricate nature of the old knit-one, purl-one.

Probably better known as the string section for Sigur Ros, Amiina comprises María Huld Markan (violin), Hildur Ársælsdóttir (violin), Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir (viola) and Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir (cello). They actually play other instruments as well but don't expect it to be a nu-classical genre being invented here. Sonically it's not completely unlike Sigur Ros but it would be a lazy comparison to make and they are more deserving of that. Essentially there are some very pleasing sounds being made on this record, like elaborate musical jewellery box and nursery rhyme soundtracks. I like it very much.

They play tonight at the Purcell Rooms in London. I shan't be there because I forgot to get a ticket and I have to pack for my little weekend jaunt to Minehead for some ATP action....

Amiina - Rugla

Buy 'Kurr' from their online shop. That's where I got hold of mine.

Brightblack Morning Light @ Cargo

2007-05-16T20:39:00.000+01:00

Too dark to take any decent photos, sorry. Instead, here's a really great one taken by Thomas Campbell.

Last night I attended at excellent Brightblack Morning Light headline show at Shoreditch's finest venue, Cargo. Along with the Matador crew, we were treated to some ambient psychedelic tunes in front of a backdrop of what can only be described as terrifying kaleidoscopic graphic sequencing. After ten minutes I was entranced by the band and left in a buzz-filled hypnotic trance by the visuals.

I can only imagine that the only thing that could heighten the experience would be a good dose of LSD and/or 'shrooms.

Brightblack Morning Light - Everybody Daylight

Check them out on the rest of their practically-carbon-neutral tour:

Wed, 23 May: UK, GLASGOW, THE ADMIRAL

Thu, 24 May: UK, LEEDS, BRUDENELL

Sat, 26 May: NETHERLAND, ROTTERDAM, ROTOWN

Sun, 27 May: BELGIUM, BRUGGES, CACTUS CAFÉ

Mon, 28 May: NETHERLAND, AMSTERDAM, PARADISO

Tue, 29 May: BELGIUM, BRUSSELS, ROTUNDE, BOTANIQUE

Sat, 2 Jun: SPAIN, BARCELONA, PRIMAVERA FESTIVAL

Thu, 28 Jun: NORWAY, HOVE FESTIVAL

Sat, 30 Jun: SWEDEN, STOCKHOLM, ACCELERATOR

Official site

Battles

2007-05-15T17:56:00.001+01:00

Finally 'Mirrored' reaches the shops this week. I feel like the wait has been far too long. A bit like waiting for a delayed train but with none of the sense of foreboding that the subsequent journey will be spent in a highly stressed state of claustrophia, inhaling a suited man's armpit.

I'd like to say that I've run out and bought a copy but I haven't. Not yet anyway. I have been listening to it via the marvel of shared iTunes libraries without which I would never have discovered R Kelly's Rise Up, his song for the victims of the recent US college massacre.

'Mirrored' is as exhilarating an experience as you would expect from them. Don't mention math rock. Do mention Burkino Faso and Anjelica Houston. If you have no idea what I mean, get hold of this month's Plan B magazine who have dedicated a massive cover feature to those NY protagonists.

Another band to look forward to seeing at ATP this weekend....

Battles - Leyendecker

Buy 'Mirrored' here

Battles homepage

Good things come to those who wait

2007-05-15T00:30:00.000+01:00

This blog is fast becoming the St. Vincent Appreciation Society and for that I apologize. I am listening to other music, honest.

Anyway, all that needs to be said (if it's not been said elsewhere already) is that after she finishes playing with John Vanderslice and The Arcade Fire, the little Texan lady with the big voice will haul her musical paraphernalia over to the UK to do what she does best. One gig-worthy note is the Scala show as she'll be opening up for Andrew Bird who I've been swooning over lately, in a musical sense obviously....

The dates:

Homefires IV - Conway Hall, London (June 2)
The Maze - Nottingham (5)
Regal Room - London (6)
The Scala - Kings Cross, London (7) *supporting Andrew Bird*

So if you know what's good and proper you will get yourself a ticket. They're available from the usual folks. See you down the front.

St. Vincent - Now, Now

Now, Now is taken from the forthcoming 'Marry Me', out this summer (sorry, can't remember the date).

St. Vincent's MySpace, official site and Annie's blog

Electrelane @ The Scala

2007-05-11T12:30:00.000+01:00

Playing to an ardent crowd resembling a tin of sardines, Electrelane's headline set was possibly the best I have ever seen them perform in the short years I have been a fan. Smiles all round from the band and the punters, the latter of whom cheered and went as nuts as only Electrelane fans can.

Hard Wood Lesson

2007-05-06T11:55:00.000+01:00

The Henninghams with their creative wares

I have a great group of friends that live a hop, skip and jump away, the majority of whom are so many leagues ahead of me in terms of intelligence and creative ability that I am often reduced to an embarrassed state of confusion for my relative ignorance. David and Ping* Henningham are two friends who fit this mould. They are two hugely talented artists who operate under the monikor Henningham Family Press. One of their spare rooms (the one not occupied by our friend Lizzy) is home to their studio, complete with gaffa-taped makeshift wood flooring; their printing press studio lives in David's mum's home. They make beautiful books. They have also done work for Daytrotter.

On May 18th the Henninghams will be publishing another book which is the poem 'Hard Book Lesson'. The run is limited to twenty, available from their website and the launch will be at their home (hooray, another party). Below is the trailer, starring David and some excellent aeroplane exhaust action.

Check out their blog and be their MySpace friend.

Visual feasts...

2007-05-03T11:31:00.000+01:00

Feeling kind of basic today, so I'm just going to post some promo videos that get the TPM nod...

Battles - Atlas (from 'Mirrored'. Reserve your copy here)

Beirut - Elephant Gun (from 'Los Gisland' EP. Buy a copy here)

Feist - 1234 (from 'The Reminder'. Buy a copy here)

Cat Power + The Dirty Delta Blues Band @ The Forum

2007-05-02T11:02:00.000+01:00

Last night Chan was joined by her Dirty Delta blues band comprising Dirty Three members and other such venerable music types. Very good show indeed. If you weren't there, here's an idea of what you missed:More photos on my Flickr...

Due to unforeseeable circumstances I had to cancel my trip to last weekend's Dirty Three curated ATP. Here's footage captured by kelp00 of Chan's show for those, like me, who missed out:

A Silver Mount Zion @ Scala

2007-05-01T15:33:00.000+01:00

Photo by Matt Durutti (not of last night's show)

Last night I reluctantly dragged myself away from my friends to go solo and see the 131st live show of Thee Silver Mount Zion Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band at The Scala. This is now the second time I'll have seen the Godspeed! side project and in the very same venue as my first encounter. That first gig rates as one of the best live shows I have seen in my life.

It didn't begin particularly well. I got the wrong bus and ended up in Clerkenwell (how could I have got that wrong?) so I turned up late to an already bulging crowd of enthusiasts. The queue was long and slow. Before I even got inside a plucky security person banished my camera to the prison of the box office, so no photo opportunities. Also, having the genetic misfortune of shortness meant I couldn't get a clear view of Ephrim in all his bouffant-madness.

Five minutes into the show, none of that mattered, in fact it all seemed embarrassingly trivial in comparison to the event itself. The troubles of the day paled into insignificance. No words can really do justice to it. I didn't shed tears but I was pretty overwhelmed. Lots of new songs were given an airing. They said they'd be back in London, as long as London was still here. How suitably pessimistic. Never before have I seen such an ardent collection of men look as excited about anything other than the usual football or scantily-attired ladies...

Silver Mount Zion web page
Constellation Records website

Went to the movies tonight...

2007-04-29T01:06:00.000+01:00

...and I think I'm in love with a crack addict. I've become Kate Moss.

Celebrate Celebration

2007-04-27T10:59:00.000+01:00

Photo by Meaghan Montagano

Several miles south of the lingering aroma of burning man-made fibres that still permeates the air around Soho I am sat at my desk with an alcohol-induced sickness, listening to the latest Celebration record to soothe the gremlins bouncing about in my head. It sounds - to paraphrase the person who gave me said record - 'like fireworks going off in your mind' and they're not wrong.

Baltimore-based threesome Celebration are another of those Marmite bands and I love Marmite. They garner praise and derision in equal measure. You just can't sit on the fence and that's probably why I am such an admirer. Their hypnotically energetic live shows are carnal, primitive, psychedelic affairs, where the line between artist and audience is not just blurred but completely eradicated.

No idea when 'The Modern Tribe' will be unleashed but it'll be worth the wait.

Celebration - Holiday taken from their debut 'Celebration'. Buy a copy here.

Celebration Myspace + official site

Beach House

2007-04-17T09:30:00.000+01:00

Photo taken by Elizabeth Flyntz

When I posted the Beach House track Master of None last week, I spared little thought to the fact that it might - days later - install permanent residence in my cerebral cortex in such a manner that I now find myself quietly humming its refrain as I go about my daily business. It's deceptively beautiful. Even now, I am itching to grab my copy (not even my copy, my friend's) and air that song. I'm an addict. This can't be normal.

The genesis of Baltimore locals Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand, the rest of their album - self-titled - follows the same path as this track. Legrand's vocals are very reminiscent of Nico. I think this album is extremely visceral. What I mean by this is it induces some sort of synesthesia; conjuring up all sorts of images, moods, colours whenever you listen. Sonically there is something very dream-like in its make-up and I like it very much. Listen to this in the sunshine of a Springtime afternoon...

Download: Beach House - Master of None (can't hurt to post it again...)

'Beach House' will be get a UK release some time this year through those nice former Cocteau Twins members at Bella Union. Check the website for more info on release dates and all that jazz. In the meantime you can get your hands on a copy here.

Beach House homepage
Beach House MySpace page

The Polyphonic Spree

2007-04-13T15:40:00.000+01:00

I'm quite happy to stake my questionable reputation - vested interests aside - that St. Vincent's forthcoming debut 'Marry Me' is going surprise everyone when it is released this summer. It's a wondrous composite of timeless songs. Her richly melodious voice sounds so at home on this record. I cannot say enough good words about her.

Photo by Hal Samples

But let's not forget the band that brought Annie Clark to the fore, her day job I guess. Remember The Polyphonic Spree, with more members than you could count with both hands and feet, resplendent in multi-coloured robes, playing endlessly optimistic pop-infused songs that reduced us all to broad smiles and laughter?

I admit I was an inconsistent lover. The first encounter was an exhilarating joy-ride; the singles were uplifting anthems, the live performances were a joy. The second encounter was a reality check. The spontaneity and jubilation seemed forced to me. The songs appeared to have lost their sheen and over-familiarity was starting to leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Was it all over?

I thought it best to give second record 'Together We're Heavy' a miss. Then yesterday I came across a track posted by You Ain't No Picasso. It is pure sonic heaven.

Download: The Polyphonic Spree - Section 19 (When The Fool Becomes A King)

It's all quite a timely moment of rediscovery and reconciliation. The merry bunch are back with a new record 'The Fragile Army' (out in June) and the signature robes have been replaced with streamline black and red military uniforms. The Polyphonic Spree website is streaming a new track from the forthcoming album all day, every day.

Buy 'Together We're Heavy' here

Passover? Pass-out more like...

2007-04-13T10:21:00.000+01:00

People celebrating Passover, many years ago. Presumably we won't be wearing those clothes tonight. I hope.

Tonight I will be attending my very first Passover meal. For those of you who are not Jewish (before you ask, I'm not either) and/or unaware of this festive celebration go here and be enlightened on the subject. Scrupulous followers of religious dates will also be aware that it's a little late to be hosting this meal but I've always held a fairly liberal attitude when it comes to dates. Besides, it's more like a demonstration than a celebration. My Jewish friend will reenact the meal with us, her friends; the same meal she shares with her family every year. I have every intention of enjoying the evening, particularly after learning that I will have to consume - as part of the ritual - the best part of a bottle of red wine.

It got me thinking about the reason why Jews around the world eat this meal; the Israelites in slavery, an unrepentant Egyptian Pharoah, Moses and Aaron, the ten plagues, death of all first-borns and the subsequent emancipation of the enslaved Israelites.

Naturally, thoughts turned to music and to the 4AD and Artangel 'Plague Songs' compilation released as part of the Margate Exodus exhibition last year. For the compilation ten musicians were asked to compose a song about one of the plagues. The results are a bit of a mixed bag but one can't fault the motivation behind such a concept.

Seems right to post the one track that relates directly to the meal I'll be enjoying tonight.

Download: Rufus Wainwright - Katonah (Death of the Firstborn)

Buy 'Plague Songs' here

Enjoy an Evening with Pete Doherty?

2007-04-12T15:30:00.000+01:00

Last night, homeward bound on a 277, I couldn't help but notice an unusually large crowd of pseudo-cool Hoxton types tripping over one another to get out of the Hackney Empire, only to stop a mere five yards from the door to light up a presumably medicinal cigarette. It was a strange sight; as if they had got lost on their way to another trendy bar/club/warehouse party and found themselves next to Hackney Town Hall, two miles away from their regular hive of activity.

The reason behind the invasion was down to a one-man show residency for East London dweller Pete Doherty; famous for having been in an over-exposed and over-hyped band; famous for finding certain narcotics a little moreish; famous for having relations with a supermodel; infamous amongst most of the Metropolitan police force. Love him or hate him, he's clearly here to stay.

NME.com are keeping track of tonight's proceedings here.

Surprisingly, I don't have any Libertines or Babyshambles music on my iTunes. A strange oversight.

Here's something a little more down my street:

Download: Beach House - Master of None taken from the brilliant 'Beach House'. Buy it here

Beach House homepage

Beach House MySpace

Danielson: A Family Movie (again)

2007-04-10T12:37:00.000+01:00

Many thanks to my friend Reverend War Character for the heads-up on this one...

At long last, the day has come when we can get our eager mitts on a copy of Danielson: A Family Movie on DVD. As great as it was to watch it in the reverent surroundings of a much-loved church, there is something to be cherished being at liberty to watch the film in the relative comforts of home surrounded by books, knitting projects and various indoor flora.

To celebrate the occasion Pitchfork have just posted a long-lost scene here featuring Daniel, Megan, the world's longest sofa, choir outfits and Sufjan someone-or-other. Presumably up until now this snippet of film has spent its days languishing discarded on the cutting room floor of one JL Aronson (Sonny to his friends and Danielson director extraordinaire), hoping to be put to good use.

As far as I can tell it's not being distributed outside of the US. If, like me, you are geographically impeded, head to Amazon who will happily send you one for a fair exchange of cash.

Download: Danielson - Kids Pushing Kids

Danielson: A Family Movie official site

Danielson homepage

Danielson MySpace

Freebies

2007-04-08T20:52:00.000+01:00

Hooray for Easter Sunday! Let the record-buying frenzy recommense!

I'll admit that working for a label and having a few well-connected friends has meant that I haven't been completely starved. So maybe next year I'll give up alcohol and see where that gets me.

A couple of weeks ago I got hold of a copy of X-Press 2's new single Witchi Tai To which features vocals by The Polyphonic Spree's Tim Delaughter. It's a cover of a long-forgotten 50's classic by Jim Pepper featuring some excellent tradition native American chanting. I haven't heard the original so I have nothing with which to compare it although my honourable flatmate has played me a similar sounding version of this very same song by her friend's band Ambulance (not to be confused with Ambulance Ltd.). It's a catchy enough tune - maybe not on the same wavelength as their David Byrne collaboration, but I'm sure it'll shift a few copies when it hits the shelves on at the end of this month.

Download: X-Press 2 - Witchi Tai To (2 Lone Swordsman remix)

X-Press 2 website

Daytrotter - the end is nigh....

2007-04-01T10:58:00.000+01:00

I have just woken from a 14-hour marathon sleep. After doing something good for a change (forsaking a night's slumber), I found myself at a wedding of some friends, drinking wine and champagne on a empty stomach, photographing moments and struggling to stay awake, all whilst wearing a pair of ridiculous shoes that were slowing melding my toes together. Inexplicably, I am still exhausted. So the next best thing to do (aside from going back to bed) is to do a spot of blogging....

If you count yourself as a friend no doubt you will have already heard about this (many round-robin emails later). If not, then please direct yourself over to the fine home of Daytrotter of whom I've already rhapsodised about at length, where they have seen fit to publish a lovely little piece about My Brightest Diamond by little old me (previously seen here, albeit without the excellent illustration). MBD's label Asthmatic Kitty also mentions it in passing in a news post congratulating Daytrotter on reaching its first year on the inter web world.

Download: My Brightest Diamond - Something Of An End (from 'Bring Me The Workhorse')

Lent - current progress...

2007-03-30T12:12:00.000+01:00

As you might have read (if you got that far through that post), I decided to give up a most treasured past-time of mine - record buying - for Lent.

So far it's been a surprisingly pleasant walk in the park. This bout of abstinence has proved a good thing; I've finally found the opportunity to trawl through a dusty pile of records (still encased in cellophane) that have so far eluded the CD player.

A couple of nights ago I went to a fancy launch dinner for the second edition of Shytstem (an irregularly shaped cardboard box filled with excellent things made by excellent artists). For the ridiculous sum of three pounds per head a small number of the arty cognoscenti were treated to a fine three-course meal plus as much wine as you could coerce from the friendly waiting staff. Even in my lateness, I still managed to sample the lamb stew and chocolate cake with orange cream. It tasted better than most meals I've had in restaurants and proved that it is possible to make a great dinner for next-to-nothing.

Having satisfied my hunger sufficiently I made the journey back with the latest copy of Shytstem and a wallet ten pounds lighter. Careful examination of the contents at the kitchen table revealed - amongst the screen-prints, ping-pong balls and hand-made booklets - a CD...

Horror of horrors; I have inadvertently bought a CD! Does this mean I've broken Lent? Please discuss....

Download: Sparklehorse - Getting It Wrong (from 'Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain')
Download: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Got A Thing On My Mind (from 'Dap-Dippin' With...')
Download: Neutral Milk Hotel - The Fool (from 'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea')

Electrelane & The Arcade Fire @ Brixton Academy

2007-03-27T10:35:00.000+01:00

Tickets for this four-night residency sold out long ago, mostly to insidious touts eager to make a quick buck from desperate fans. So it was good fortune that I managed to secure a couple of tickets and bring along a friend.

With the memory of the St John’s show still firmly ensconced in my mind, we couldn’t help but ponder aloud the prospect before us. Back in January these new songs were strangers to us, our very enjoyment of the night compromised by an unfamiliarity with three-quarters of the set. Now, mere months later, these songs have settled themselves into our homes, made themselves comfortable in our stereo speakers, stealthily penetrated our hearts. They may not tick the same personal and emotional boxes of ‘Funeral’ but the more I hear ‘Neon Bible’ the more I find myself singing a poor (wo)man’s accompaniment to Win, Regine et al. So could a better understanding of the new record make a difference tonight?

To temporarily suspend those thoughts opening act Electrelane takes to the stage to provide ample distraction. This is the first of many nights they will share the same stage as that ever-expanding group of Canadians. The vast sloping room is half full and steadily growing in people when they creep noiselessly on-stage and launch into The Greater Times (opening track from the forthcoming ‘No Shouts, No Calls’). Despite some minor feedback problems (and who needs eardrums anyway?) the new tracks sat comfortably amongst the old. The band seemed at ease on the vast soundstage. The complete antithesis of The Arcade Fire in terms of physical presence, they don’t throw shapes or gesticulate wildly, let alone stage-dive into a baying crowd. The four ladies are happy to let the music speak for itself and it does, rather loudly in fact. The audience appeared to love it and so did I.

At the very moment the many members of The Arcade Fire take to the stage I am installed in the photographers’ pit wondering how many photos it’s possible to take in a two-song period (answer: not many). In the lull before the storm, there’s time to regard the stage and its host of instruments. There’s a silver double-bass on the right; a miniature organ on the left; giant red projection boxes and fluorescent strip lights everywhere; the by-now familiar ‘Neon Bible’ logo projected against the backdrop. It’s a far cry from the minimal chaos of the ULU show.
The collective roar of the crowd could bring down the walls of Jericho. The sound is pretty awe-inspiring actually. The first two songs go by in a blur, as do the majority of my photos. Back in the bosom of the audience it’s clear that for all the virtuosity the band may possess in performing the new tracks, it’s ‘Funeral’ we all want to hear. With arms aloft, bodies joined in a mass frenzy and voices crying out in unison, it’s akin to a religious revival of Pentecostal magnitudes. It’s just a shame the sound system couldn’t match the crowd (and the band)’s enthusiasm. Incredibly, it being the third night of a four-night residency, the set was plagued with sound problems. Layers of feedback intermingled with the complex arrangements coming from the stage. Ten minutes in the photographers’ pit left my ears ringing. I dread to think what an hour and a half’s worth of virtually incessant monitor squealing would have done to the band members. Not that the audience seemed to care; simply sharing the same oxygen as their heroes was sufficient.

Sound issues aside, there was much to cherish about the night. The new material shone and I suddenly grasped here what I was never able to fully gather from listening to ‘Neon Bible’ at home. These songs are fantastic. Tracks from ‘Funeral’ are like old friends. They still stir the heart and strike the same chords. This music is the kind of which I will never ever tire.

There are very few bands who manage to transcend a sub-culture (one for whom music is like drug) to mainstream acceptance and The Arcade Fire are the latest band to make the leap. It was inevitable; their music lends itself to being performed in music halls of such an ambitious size, and it works. But what would I prefer? Would I want them at the vast Brixton Academy with the usual assortment of drunken fools and chatterboxes? Or would I rather be struggling to breathe in a sweat-saturated student union whilst simultaneously worrying that one band member will fall off the inadequately sized stage? It’s a tough call to make. Personally speaking, I’d take the student union, every single time.

Download: The Arcade Fire - Intervention

Buy 'Neon Bible' here or any good reputable record seller...
Arcade Fire homepage

Where did the week go?

2007-03-23T13:48:00.000Z

One minute I'm scrambling around the office trying to do everything at once, the next minute it's Friday, I'm hungover and sat at my computer wondering how I managed to acquire that unopened packet of Bachelor's Super Noodles currently lying in state on my bedroom floor. Oh, the joy to be found in alcoholic amnesia...

Last night I saw Andrew Bird play at my favourite west London haunt - Bush Hall. Unfortunately I can't recall much of the performance due to an overabundant intake of red wine (hence the pain I'm in today). There are a couple of things I do recall about the evening; 1) he put on a great show, and 2) he doesn't look like Rupert Everett in real life. I guess this means I'll have to go and see him again in June, minus alcohol.

On a happier note, I'm mere days away from joining the world of web from the comfort of my bed/sofa/kitchen table/bath (scrap that last one, very irresponsible having electrical equipment near water). It's only taken three months...

Download: Br. Danielson - Physician Heal Yourself

Taken from the marvellous 'Brother Is To Son' which you can buy direct from the label, Sounds Familyre.

Be Danielson's friend on MySpace
Andrew Bird's MySpace

Sufjan supports St. Vincent in London

2007-03-20T12:41:00.000Z

Yes, you read that right. Hot off the press, it's been announced by NME.com that banjo enthusiast Sufjan Stevens will be playing Homefires IV festival this June at the tiny-but-charming Conway Hall, albeit with the lovely St. Vincent, providing what I can only guess to be some excellent banjo action. Annie Clark, you may recall played with Mr Stevens on his last tour so it seems rather nice of him to return the favour.

Other acts confirmed include Bat For Lashes, Emmy The Great and Nina Nastasia.

Excuse me, I need to go and lie down now, I am slightly overwhelmed...

St Vincent MySpace

St Vincent Barbican live review

Busy as a bee

2007-03-20T11:01:00.000Z

The day job is getting in the way of the joys of life (don't you just hate it when that happens?), hence the lack of words recently. Until the 'To-Do' list gets smaller, I am only capable of posting a couple of photos from my only gig outing in the past few days - last Friday's Arcade Fire and Electrelane show at Brixton Academy. There'll be some more ..

Electrelane:

The Arcade Fire:

Daytrotter - independent traders

2007-03-13T12:46:00.000Z

One advantage of being permanently chained to a desk eight hours a day is the numerous opportunities to scour the web under the flimsy ruse of research. Occasionally I'll stumble across something that is too good to keep under wraps. Daytrotter is one of them.

The brainchild of Sean Moeller, Daytrotter is hardly your run-of-the-mill music site. There is the usual excellent prose in the form of reviews and features but the real joy is to be found in the Sessions they broadcast. They coax some unsuspecting bands to spend a couple of hours at Futureappletree Studio in Rock Island, Illinois to record four tracks of existing material, new material or both. It's all done in one-take - mistakes and all - onto analogue tape (just like in the good old days) and the results are magically transformed into computer-friendly MP3s for the likes of you and I to download from their site and enjoy for the princely sum of nothing. Free music! Hooray!

Generally, the online trend is to make everything look as slick, shiny and aerodynamic as possible. I value Daytrotter for being the complete antithesis of say Nike, Apple, or closer to home, NME. There's a complete lack of pretension and sycophancy in its editorial. It looks gloriously homespun and aesthetically-pleasing with its hand-drawn illustrations.

Suffice it to say it's great. Well worth bookmarking for future reference. Particularly since a certain someone is now being let loose upon it. All a shameless plug then!

Be their MySpace friend

Panda Bear @ 93 Feet East

2007-03-09T10:47:00.000Z

I couldn't see the stage let alone get near enough to take photos. Here's an appropriate alternative.

Last night I enjoyed the discordant electronic beats and distorted Beach Boy dronings of Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear. There was much about the set to get your head nodding, hips swinging and toes tapping which surprised at least one person (me). Cutting a solitary figure up front, there was little in terms of visual distractions (unless you count Noah's strange choice in headgear) and for those of us standing at the back it was a bit of an uninspiring performance. To all intents and purposes I could have been listening to the CD over the sound system and would have been none the wiser. A lot of it had to do with the choice of venue. Would it have been any better at Cargo? I like to think it would.

Venues aside, I cannot and will not fault the main man - it was an excellent set.

Download: Panda Bear - Bros

My Brightest Diamond @ Bush Hall

2007-03-01T18:16:00.000Z

Today I feel like the movie 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'. Certain memories are rapidly disappearing, losing their vibrancy. In desperation I try to recollect certain moments but they pass like liquid through my fingers and away down some allegorical drain. I know I experienced something quite unique one night last week; I'm just having trouble recalling the ins and outs of the night. So in an effort to abate the decaying process, I have to write this now...

Shepherd’s Bush has never been a part of London with which I would claim familiarity, let alone affection. I only ever venture that far west for gigs under the cover of darkness with at least one person for company and protection. So it was with some trepidation that I found myself alone travelling on the Central Line. Having bought two tickets and used only one, the evening's prospects were looking somewhat bleak. Surely as a bonafide grown-up I should be mature enough to attend something as person-heavy as a gig and not feel like a leprous outcast. Right?

Despite my completely irrational dislike of Shepherds Bush, one of its saving graces for me is Bush Hall; a little slice of Edwardian heaven incongruously situated on Uxbridge Road. The hall’s opulent ornamental friezes and chandeliers place it firmly above the archetypal toilet-sized music venues I seem to be frequenting lately. There is so much to admire about it. Regard the smoke-free auditorium, and rejoice non-smokers! See the potpourri-scented restrooms with toilets in full working order. Speak to the friendly staff manning the non-corporate-sponsored bar. It’s a far cry from its popular big sister over by the green but then I am a sucker for the underdog.

Having been waylaid by a certain delicious meal at a favourite sushi haunt, I happened to miss the opening band and saw a mere ten minutes of the second. Those ten minutes however, was sufficient time to come to the conclusion that they were not my metaphorical cup of tea.

As the soothing sounds of Sonic Youth played over the newly installed sound system, a crowd crept silently towards the stage, like a fog descending over the city post-Christmas, albeit leaving a respectful breathing space for the headline act.

Shara Worden in three dimensions is as diminutive as the main protagonist she sings about in Robin’s Jar. Dressed in vivid emerald green, hair intricately twisted and pinned in haphazardness, she resembles Titania from a latter-day Midsummer Night’s Dream. Like Titania, she casts a spell and puts us in a hypnotic state, inviting the audience to enter a very different realm to the one outside of these four well-decorated walls.

Beneath that serene face and slight frame lies a voice that makes grown men weep tears of joy, hearts sigh in adoration, and silences the incessant chatterboxes in the back. I am in awe of anyone in possession of a mere modicum of musical prowess and Shara is blessed many times over. Hers is a voice that effortlessly traverses time and form. I can’t help but be completely overawed as she thrashes her body across the stage, narrowly missing her fellow performers. Yet for all her classical training and experience, you never feel that she is flaunting her talent for show. In fact, I felt she kept that side of her under wraps, only revealing tantalising insights of what she is capable; a vocal operatic flourish here; an ad-libbed piano moment there.

So many thoughts spring to mind; such as how I never noticed that she sounds like a female Jeff Buckley during White Rabbit; the usually impossible feat of an entire audience rendered silent save the whirrs and shutters from numerous electronic devices eager to capture a piece of what we are all experiencing; how I long to possess such a voice for long enough to charm an audience in a small west London hall; my incredulous wonder that there isn’t a queue of fanatical admirers stretching the length of Uxbridge Road to see what I’m seeing.

Alongside renditions from ‘Bring Me The Workhorse’, such venerable stalwarts as Prince, Led Zeppelin, Nina Simone and Roy Orbison were given a My Brightest Diamond treatment. Like a magnifying lens to her mind, these songs reveal something of the vast spectrum of music that inspired her to create something monumental, music that elicited the same joy in her as her music brings to us.

All too soon, the band takes their leave. I feel like a child deprived of its favourite toy and banished to a slumbering prison. Appropriately, as I leave the heavens open and I feel the weight of a steady downpour of precipitation. The spell is broken and I’m alone again, in Shepherd’s Bush.

Download: My Brightest Diamond - Magic Rabbit

Taken from the sublime 'Bring Me The Workhorse'. Buy it here.
My Brightest Diamond official site + MySpace

Hallelujah! Rejoice!

2007-02-28T17:38:00.000Z

The good news has arrived. Miss Annie Clark has signed on the dotted line with Beggars Banquet. Smiles keep creeping across my face. I am full of joy and delight. My depressing week has been brightened by this 100-watt news. We welcome you to the fold Annie.

Download: St Vincent - These Days

If you're not her friend already, where have you been? Go do it now. Or else.

The Ponys @ The Legion

2007-02-27T16:18:00.000Z

The Chicago quartet flew over to London for a whirlwind visit and played a frankly blistering set on Friday at the now-essential Sonic Cathedral night in the heart of Hoxton. For some reason the majority of my photos were unspeakably out of focus so here's the best of a bad bunch: C- (must do better)

The band's debut release 'Turn The Lights Out' lands on the shelves of every reputable record shop on March 19th via those lovely people at Matador. Go and pre-order it here. It's very good, honest.

Check out The Ponys' official site
Be their friend on MySpace
More info on Matador's website

The Early Years + Wolf & Cub @ The Luminaire

2007-02-27T12:58:00.000Z

Forgot to post these last week....

The Early Years:

Wolf & Cub:

Go forth and be friends with The Early Years and Wolf & Cub
More photos like these on my Flickr
Check out The Daily Growl for a comprehensive review of the show.

The week that was...

2007-02-21T13:26:00.000Z

Sorry for lack of posts recently. What with the annual excitement of the Brits, aborted cinematic Valentine adventures, depressing Turkish films, dealing with a flurry of Friday feline-related email conversations and consuming many pancakes, I have been somewhat distracted, at least enough to find the time to write anything interesting.

Society is overwhelmed by an intense desire to reward mediocrity, don't you agree? So not only did we have to suffer Valentine's Day, we also had to endure the Brits on the same night. It truly demonstrated just how far we have come in the evolutionary chaos that is life. Be honest, do you really care who took home a Brits statue? No, I didn't think so.

Moving swiftly on, the bank balance has been taking a blow recently. Some girls like to buy shoes; I buy records.

Patrick Watson - 'Close To Paradise'

There must be something in the water out in Montreal. If it isn't everything on Constellation's roster then it's the wonder of The Arcade Fire. Patrick Watson, a native Montreal-dweller (via California), is the latest to add to an already illustrious list of talented musical exports. His latest album 'Close To Paradise' is making waves back home (to paraphrase a friend, "he's quite big in Canada"). His colourful musical background encompasses everything from electronica, ska, choir-boy orchestrations, jazz, classical piano and pretty much anything else you can conjure up in your heads. It clearly informs his creative output. He sings like a latter day Jeff Buckley, plays Philip Glass-esque piano and adds abundant ethereal and peculiar moments to a record that is passionate and exquisite in equal measure. I lose concentration after the fifth or sixth track but that's because I have the attention span of a small rodent.

Download: Patrick Watson - Daydreamer
Buy 'Close To Paradise' here

Patrick Watson MySpace & main website

The Earlies - The Enemy Chorus

One of my favourite records of 2004 was 'These Were The Earlies' and the aforementioned sprawling collective have been rather quiet of late, presumably recording the follow-up. This band had the uncanny knack of offering the general populace something new and interesting rather than a mere pastiche of musical styles. Their record quietly lingered in the abyss awaiting a warm welcome and a Chinese whispering campaign gradually claimed converts.

They've been away, having worked on various side projects in the interim (The Late Cord, Windmill, to name a couple), returning together to pool their musical resources together to create something sonically marvellous. The resulting work, 'The Enemy Chorus', proves that there's no such thing as difficult second albums in The Earlies' camp. Interwoven with electronic loops, keys and effects aplenty, plus a smattering of wind instruments and psychedelic-laden guitars, this is just as bombastic and spectacular as 'These Were...'.

Download: The Earlies - The Enemy Chorus
Buy 'The Enemy Chorus' here

The Earlies official site & MySpace

Frankie Sparo - Welcome Crummy Mystics

One of a myriad and wonderfully under-the-radar Constellation acts is Frankie Sparo, or Chad Jones as his mother likes to call him. I was first introduced to his third record 'Welcome Crummy Mystics' whilst a poor-but-musically-passionate university student but it was only this week that I managed to track down a copy of my own. His dark and often desperate baritone delivery thinly disguises a backdrop of desolation, discordant soaring strings, spartan keys and strung out guitars. This is a record for the downhearted in which to delight, to swim in a pool of misery and meditation. I love it.

Download: Frankie Sparo - My Sistr
Buy 'Welcome Crummy Mystics' here

Frankie Sparo Constellation page

It's Ash Wednesday - the start of Lent - so for the next forty days and nights I have decided to give up.... buying records. My palms are sweating and the heart is palpitating at an unusual rate as I write this. I am going cold turkey. No more forgetting what records I've bought, or own for that matter. Goodbye Amazon. So long Fopp. Catch ya later Rough Trade. On the upside, I'll save a ton of money.

More Scout action

2007-02-19T16:38:00.000Z

So unbearably busy that I am incapable of doing anything useful here apart from a little smug back-slapping in the form of this little video captured by me at last week's Scout Niblett show complete with shaking hands and blurred vision:

Scout Niblett @ Shepherd's Bush Empire

2007-02-12T11:27:00.000Z

Supporting the venerable Will Oldham in his current guise Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Scout delighted one and all with her raw and quirky lamentations.
See my Flickr for more photos.
Scout Niblett MySpace
Too Pure website

Electrelane support Arcade Fire on forthcoming tour

2007-02-08T18:16:00.000Z

Purveyors of post-rock Electrelane have announced they will be supporting The Arcade Fire on a substantial chunk of their European tour. They also have a new record coming out in the not too distant future entitled 'No Shouts, No Calls' which I've heard is worth a spin or three. Here's the dates they'll be doing with those strange and wonderful Canadians:

03/16 London, England Brixton Academy
03/17 London, England Brixton Academy
03/19 Paris, France Olympia
03/20 Paris, France Olympia
03/23 Stockholm, Sweden Circus
03/24 Oslo, Norway Centrum Scene
03/25 Copenhagen, Denmark Vega
03/27 Berlin, Germany Postbahnhof
03/28 Munich, Germany Elserhalle
03/31 Lyon, France Transbordeur
04/01 Cologne, Germany E- Live Music Hall
04/02 Utrecht, Netherlands Vredenburg
04/04 Brussels, Belgium Halles de Schaerbeek
04/05 Lille, France L'Aeronef

Download: Electrelane - On Parade - taken from 'The Power Out'
Download: The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)

See what I did there?

Who knows if there's any tickets still awaiting owners but if there be any, best snap some up sharpish.

Buy The Power Out here and Funeral here.

Electrelane MySpace
The Arcade Fire page

Urban snowscape

2007-02-08T11:05:00.000Z

It's funny how a smattering of snow can reduce even the most disenchanted Londoner to their former infantile selves. This is the scene I awoke to this morning. The outside world resembles a cake dusted with icing sugar. Despite all the subsequent public transport commuting misery I had to endure I cannot help but delight in the sensation of crunching powdery iciness underfoot and the transformation of the otherwise unremarkable surroundings into something not unlike a Disney animated fairytale. All I want to do today is make angels, throw snowballs and construct precarious ice sculptures. Instead I'm stuck behind this computer.

So with such a wintry landscape on the mind, here's some songs about my favourite form of precipitation:

Download: Thee Silver Mountain Reveries - There's a River in the Valley Made of Melting Snow
Download: Black Mountain - Heart of Snow
Download: Captain Beefheart - Steal Softly Thru the Snow
Download: Tilly & The Wall - The Ice Storm, Big Gust, and You

There's a River in the Valley Made of Melting Snow is taken from 'Pretty Lightning Paw'. Buy it here.
Heart of Snow is taken from 'Black Mountain'. Buy that one here.
Steal Softly Thru The Snow is from 'Trout Mask Replica'. Go here to buy.
The Ice Storm, Big Gust, and You can be found on 'Wild Like Children'. Buy here.

Noah Georgeson

2007-02-05T13:24:00.000Z

Photo by Lauren Dukoff

Having spent the weekend putting off the inevitable work-related appraisal form completion insanity (still ongoing) via a surprisingly enjoyable Saturday of gender role reversal, I feel the need to prolong the procrastination.

My first encounter with Noah Georgeson occurred some time way back in the none too forgetful past. As head mischief-maker for Devendra Banhart he helped shape and create the psychedelic sound-scapes that charmed an unwitting hard-hearted populace. Production muscles were also flexed on his lady Joanna's record The Milk-Eyed Mender (that's Joanna Newsom by the way). Lucky witnesses to Devendra Banhart shows would have heard Noah unveil a self-penned track, Find Shelter, a glorious shining melody with enough rhythm to have even the most uncoordinated throwing shapes.

It was inevitable that he would finally get the opportunity to air his musings through the kind generosity of Plain Recordings. Find Shelter (the album, not the track, although the track does feature) pulsates from a similar vein as his friends' outputs in sound. Leaning on the right side of folk it features sweet harmonious orchestration but still retains a sense of the magical and homespun. Unlike the live rendition of Find Shelter (the track, not the album) with its waves of Mediterranean-infused rhythms, its recorded sibling is stripped down to acoustic barest. His warm baritone voice sends conflicting chills through the body, its resonance strikes such a chord. It is reminiscent of a Walker Brothers' Scott Walker and transcends the whimsy of Devendra and Joanna to something that is much more of an internally edifying proposition. It's a piece of inner peace.

Download: Noah Georgeson - Find Shelter

Buy Find Shelter here, or from your local record shop, although not Reckless Records because they've gone into liquidation. The beginning of the end is nigh...
Noah Georgeson MySpace
Devendra Banhart MySpace
Joanna Newsom MySpace

It's official...

2007-02-01T10:37:00.000Z

An artist's interpretation of me on the phone to o2 this morning

I hate o2 for taking my money unethically and blaming it all on my incompetence. I am not incompetent, it's your friggin' undertrained staff. They should be ashamed of themselves. Instead they are probably swimming in a pile of cash quaffing Bollinger from crystal glasses.

Bastards.

Download: At The Drive-In - One Armed Scissor
Download: Brakes - Mobile Communication
Download: Howlin' Wolf - Evil

Buy 'Relationship Of Command', 'The Beatific Visions' and 'Chicago Soul, Electric Blues, Funk and Soul : The New Sound of Chicago '. They're all very good. Much better than O2 anyway.

Future Of The Left @ 100 Club

2007-01-31T13:22:00.000Z

If you liked mclusky or Jarcrew, you'll probably have heard of Future of the Left (an amalgam of the two, minus a few guys), and if you've heard of Future of the Left you'll know just how great they are. Playing to a packed crowd they literally blew my eardrums out to the power of three with a crunchy discordant guitar turned up to eleven. No noodling guitar solos here. Brevity was the watchword of the day as they reeled off head-banging song after head-banging song. Andy Falkous, ever the eloquent spinner of yarns, kept us suitably entertained between songs. One to keep an eagle-eye on...

They've just released a limited 7" double A-side single Fingers Become Thumbs / The Lord Hates A Coward. I don't have an MP3 to post (sorry) so do the right thing and lend some support by spending a few pounds on a nice bit of vinyl here.

Future Of The Left's MySpace has an excellent blog that will keep you entertained for minutes.

Neon Bible...

2007-01-30T18:12:00.000Z

So I have a hastily burned copy of the new Arcade Fire album from someone at work. My initial thoughts regarding it are, in no particular order:

(Antichrist Television Blues) sounds like Springsteen.
So does Windowstill.
Ruairi was right, they do have a bit of the Deacon Blue about them.
This version of No Cars Go is better than on the EP - bit more climactic
My Body Is A Cage is awesome. The organ is a voice in itself.
I wish I'd heard this record before I saw them yesterday.

The Arcade Fire @ St John's Smith Square

2007-01-30T10:18:00.000Z

Come and worship at the altar of The Arcade Fire
[sorry couldn't resist a cheesy line]

Interesting Optimus Prime projection

The previous two occasions I've seen this group of Montreal natives have been in incredibly sweaty conditions with very little space to move, or breathe. Both were exhilarating spectacles, nothing short of extraordinary in fact; the memory of one (ULU) will remain indelibly with me to recall wistfully to various offspring (forthcoming nieces included).

The special three night residency at St John's Smith Square began last night. A grandiose church standing rather awkwardly in the middle of a square surrounded by Westminster offices. A strange place for them to play; the venue is usually habituated by more classical fare. Perhaps the loose connection to the new album 'Neon Bible' was the motivation. Whether it was an inspired move is yet to be decided.

It takes a brave band to showcase so many new tracks to a relatively unsavvy audience. Clearly, The Arcade Fire laugh in the face of danger. Launching into new single Black Mirror it became clear was not going to be an occasion to reminisce about the good old times of 'Funeral' but to look forward to the new dawn of 'Neon Bible' and the greatness that lay within.

It's always a challenge to listen a much-loved band play new material without immediately comparing it to its more familiar work. My immediate reaction to tracks such as Ocean Of Noise and Keep The Car Running wasn't to the same degree as when listening to 'Funeral' for the first time (something akin to a spiritual awakening is not far from the mark). Perhaps it's indicative of 'Neon Bible'. Maybe it's - to use a cheesy term - a grower. One reassuring thing that did strike me was the way they still retain the propulsive energy on stage. Whilst it didn't really transfer to the penned-in crowd, it was still there.

The new tracks still seem to address the same issues of isolation, love lost, searching for the intangible and familial discontent. Musically, there's less of the feeling that they - or in fact we - are on the verge of some sort of apocalyptic disaster but it remains as fast-paced and energetic as before. There's a brass section to add to the burgeoning strings. They haven't scrimped on dramatics. No Cars Go (originally from an EP released back in the day) and church organ-driven My Body Is A Cage are just as ambitiously realised as anything they've ever done on 'Funeral'.

Obviously, it was the hits the audience were hankering after. Rebellion (Lies) and Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out) sounded as good as ever, like coming home. As expected, old material was few and far between so no airing of In The Backseat, Crown Of Love or even Cold Wind.

Grabbing instruments and rushing (in a controlled manner) out of the side door, the band treated us to a beautiful acoustic version of Wake Up. As we sang along, we really did feel like those children immortalised within who just don't grow up. In a good way of course.

The set list:

Black Mirror
Keep the Car Running
No Cars Go
Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
Haiti
My Body Is A Cage
Ocean Of Noise
Rebellion (Lies)
Intervention
Windowsill
Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)
The Well And The Lighthouse
(Antichrist Television Blues)
Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)
---
Wake Up

Download: The Arcade Fire - No Cars Go

This version of No Cars Go is taken from an EP from yonks ago that you can buy here
Pre-order your copy of 'Neon Bible' here

Those photos are taken by me on my new camera phone which aren't as good as The Daily Growl's whose are much better because he used a proper camera.

Emmy The Great @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen

2007-01-26T10:40:00.000Z

Brevity is the buzz word of the day....

Great show last week. Sugary treats provided by the lovely folk at Viva Cake plus some fantastic support from Noah and the Whale and Laura Groves (plus someone called Kevin [enter surname here]. I couldn't remember) and the lady herself. Most of the audience appeared to be suffering from an acute form of verbal diarrhoea during most of the evening but we managed to hear enough above the cacophonous crowd of Hoxtonites to know these bands are worth checking out in the very near future...

Incomprehensible photos taken by me. (from top) Noah and the Whale, Laura Groves, Emmy The Great

Download: Noah and the Whale - Death By Numbers

More photos on my Flickr.
Be Emmy The Great's friend on MySpace
Check out The Daily Growl for a more comprehensive - and better - review of the show.

Joanna Newsom @ The Barbican

2007-01-25T10:18:00.000Z

It seems so appropriate to see Joanna Newsom play such a beautiful venue. Perhaps it’s due to her choice of instrument being so traditionally classical that it suits the auditorium perfectly, like cheese suits crackers. Or perhaps it’s because the music she produces is intricately composed in such unique shades that it requires a special environment in which to enjoy that isn’t the everyday run-of-the-mill, beer-stained, sweat-fragranced London toilet venue.

This very special concert had all the trappings of a classical event. There were row upon row of chairs lined in a semi-circle onstage waiting to be occupied by the London Symphony Orchestra. Kettle drums and an enormously impressive xylophone stood proudly behind the aforementioned seats. Stage centre a harp stands expectantly, awaiting its owner. The only objects that belie the classic façade are the haphazardly arranged drum kit and guitar and banjo paraphernalia sandwiching the harp, fighting for attention.

Alasdair Roberts was lending support. He has a wonderful voice, warm and cut through with his trademark Scottish burr regaling his acoustic Celtic folk tales. Unfortunately, I can’t really say much more else about his set. Thanks in part to a long day at the grindstone together with a muted lighting scheme and some deceptively comfortable seats in the back (again, just like at my previous Barbican outing), I found myself succumbing to a slumber-like state listening to Roberts’ enchanting and slightly hypnotic music. I can only apologise to Alasdair for being so rude. I promise the next time I see you I will drink plenty of coffee and swallow copious amounts of Pro-Plus beforehand.

Having been sufficiently revived by my cat-nap, I was well prepared for the lady herself. With the orchestra being conducted by Van Dyke Parks (the composer with whom she collaborated on ‘Ys’), Newsom played her latest album in its entirety. Listening to the record at home, I’d always felt as if her parts and the orchestra felt more like separate entities fighting for audio space. It was nice then to hear the two composites meld together so comprehensively. Some of the harder-to-comprehend parts of the record really came alive in this performance as the layers of disjointed strings and horns came together to compliment Newsom’s musings about monkeys and beans.

Photo courtesy of The Daily Growl.

However it seemed a little overwhelming for the senses after an hour. Perhaps it had a lot to do with the constant movement of her fingers on the harp and the pause-free vocals during some of the songs. Much of the time Newsom’s harp seemed to be drowned out by the orchestra thus losing some of its charm. Maybe those watching downstairs would differ in opinion. It felt like a full audio workout and I found it hard to maintain concentration through the more intense moments.

Joanna Newsom has a couple of USPs; her voice and her harp. Her voice is like Marmite (you either love it or hate it). It’s unique; firmly based in the upper octaves with a slightly squeal-like quality; a voice that is not to everyone’s taste. Yet, in the context of the subject matter she sings about – something unearthly and whimsical – with the unique manner in which she plays her harp (like a guitar it seems), it works magnificently. What I love about her music is that she can transport you to another world with the minimum of instrumentation and whilst I love the ambitiousness of ‘Ys’, it doesn’t really compare to its comparably low key predecessor; for me at least.

After a ten minute interval Joanna returned to the stage alone to play tracks from ‘Milk-Eyed Mender’. Merely one bar into the first refrain of The Book Of Right-On was enough to elicit loud cheers of approval (and recognition) from the audience. Oh, such joy was to be had seeing this quirky young woman sitting alone plucking her chaotic rhythms with only a guitar and sparse percussion for company! Set finale Sadie was wonderful. Newsom's vocals are stronger than they were when she recorded this track and they've lost some of the high-pitched awkwardness that were her trademark but it stills resonates well against the backdrop of the undulating pizzicato harp.

Don’t get me wrong; I loved listening to the live performance of ‘Ys’ but it was the 'Milk-Eyed Mender' material that really got to me. I'm extremely glad I went, but sometimes things are best enjoyed when they are kept simple. Back to the Bull and Gate then...

Alasdair Roberts website
Joanna Newsom fan site

Another track from Santa Sufjan

2007-01-17T16:06:00.000Z

When I posted a new Sufjan track from his latest collection of Christmas songs (Gloria!), I had a flurry* of emails from incredulous friends who thought it selfish to post one measly track and not say, the album in its entirety.

So, having been gently persuaded** to reveal more, here's another one:

Download: Sufjan Stevens - Go Nightly Cares

Buy the other five volumes 'Songs For Christmas' from Amazon or download from it from eMusic.

* two
** press-ganged

Gigs...

2007-01-17T09:52:00.000Z

Last night I saw my lovely friend's band and subsequently lost most of my hearing. That's a sign of a good gig right? Or at the very least, a very good sound system. Now that I've experienced post-gig deafness for the first time this year, I feel fully inaugurated into 2007 and the bounty of shows I am destined to frequent in the forthcoming dozen months.

Tomorrow night I will be seeing the lovely Emmy the Great at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen. She's been the talk of all excellent blogs for quite some time and yet I haven't seen her in the flesh*. She's playing so near to home I could hardly say no.

Download: Emmy The Great - Paper Trails

I didn't realise a Joanna Newsom Barbican ticket was such a sought-after commodity. I clearly underestimated the allure of this diminutive young lady. When she played at All Tomorrow's Parties last year, her sweetly strange vocals were drowned out by an inconsiderate crowd (from where I was standing at least; thanks to all those gas-bags in the back for spoiling the show; didn't you know it's bad manners to talk?) and I spent the vast majority of the set getting increasingly frustrated with the aforementioned bags of gas. This time around, with a full orchestra in the Barbican, expectations are extraordinarily high and Ms. Newsom will have the undivided attention of a deferential audience.

Download: Joanna Newsom - The Book of Right-On

Emmy photo by Tom
Joanna photo by Pete Newsom

* Technically I have, if you can count standing in the overspill outside the tent she was playing at Truck Fest last year where I could hear very little.

Today is boring

2007-01-16T12:38:00.000Z

A very slow day; one of those dull and uninspiring grey ones that seems so quintessentially British. There is nothing left to do but trawl through my iTunes and wallow in the melancholia currently intoxicating the city.

Download: The Breeders - Off You
Download: Cat Power - Cross Bones Style
Download: Celebration - Diamonds
Download: David Holmes - 69 Police
Download: Handsome Modelling School - The Truth
Download: My Brightest Diamond - Gone Away
Download: St. Vincent - These Days
Download: Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son

Off You is taken from 'Title TK' which you can buy here.

Cross Bones Style is taken from 'Moon Pix'. Buy it here.

Diamonds is taken from 'Celebration'. Purchase here.

69 Police is from 'Bow Down To The Exit Sign' and you can get it here.

Gone Away is taken from 'Bring Me The Workhorse'. Buy that here.

These Days is taken from 'Paris Is Burning European Tour EP' and you can buy that here.

You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son is taken from 'Apologies To Queen Mary'. Get that here.

Or, if you're more technically-orientated, download them from the good people at eMusic.

That photo was nicked from juliaclairejackson's Flickr who probably has no idea I'm using it...

Global Cool for cats

2007-01-15T13:46:00.000Z

You've read it all in the papers by now; global warming is increasingly becoming a reality. The fact that it's the middle of winter and I've still not resorted to wearing full winter wear speaks volumes. I like to think I've done my bit to reduce my carbon footprint; recycling all sorts of household rubbish, using energy-saving lightbulbs, recycled loo paper, buying local produce instead of food flown in from Outer Mongolia, sponsoring trees, that kind of thing. It's a small effort I'll concede, but a little goes a long way and if it can make a difference for the better I'm all for doing it and much more.

[Fret not, this is a music-themed post. I'm coming to it now, see.]

The whole of the Third World has the likes of Bono and Sir Bob Geldof fighting their corner but who's looking after Mother Earth? Wiping out Third World debt will be rendered redundant if there isn't a world left on which to live.

Thank goodness then for the likes of Global Cool who are leading the war on CO2 with a 10-year initiative to dramatically reduce carbon emissions. To help, they've enlisted some high profile people from the musical fraternity to raise some much needed awareness and motivate us lazy lot to get into action and do something. Who are these musical types? Well for a start, Sonic Youth, Dirty Pretty Things, Blackalicious, Bloc Party, Broken Social Scene, Keane, The Killers; in a nutshell, loads.

Taking advantage of the Inter-web-net and all the good things you can do with it, Global Cool are webcasting an exclusive 30 minute set by KT Tunstall who will be performing at post-Golden Globe awards bash The Golden Green Party in Los Angeles. The performance is being broadcast tomorrow (Tuesday) at 3pm (UK time). It's worth a gander that's for sure.

Check out Global Cool's website for more information on the webcast and how you can lend your support.
Listen to KT Tunstall on her MySpace or better yet, buy her records from somewhere like Amazon.

Blonde Redhead return

2007-01-15T12:19:00.000Z

I think my copy of 'Misery Is A Butterfly' sat amongst a malingering pile of records for a good couple of months before I actually got around to giving it the time it deserved. Those of you who have already delighted in it will be well aware it is a gorgeously morose record and I kick myself constantly for overlooking such a great piece of audio bliss.

Celebrations all round then as Kazu, Simone and Amadeo are set to roll out the next installment, '23'. Like its predecessor, it is interwoven with intricate melodies and lush vocals. The trio paint remarkable epic dream-scapes. My personal favourite is Silently.

It's probably more than my life's worth to post tracks from the record but I'm sure I can get away with this:

Tracklisting for '23':

23
Dr. Strangelove
The Dress
SW
Spring And By Summer Fall
Silently
Publisher
Heroine
Top Ranking
My Impure Hair

Buy 'Misery Is A Butterfly' online or download it from eMusic. Preorder your copy of '23' from somewhere; anywhere; just do it.
Check out their website for more news about '23'

Kristin Hersh @ Arts Theatre

2007-01-12T10:31:00.000Z

Last night Kristin Hersh treated us to a wonderfully intimate show in the heart of London's Theatreland. Having never seen her perform before now, I had little idea what to expect but I was really impressed. Her unique voice jumps between sweetly haunting to a gut-wrenching growl. There's a familiarity to her songs that's quite comforting. You know when you're listening to a Kristin Hersh record. They bear a signature that is unique only to her.

She previewed a lot of songs from her forthcoming record 'Learn To Sing Like A Star' but it was the two encores that really got the audience excited as she trawled through her illustrious back catalogue and played some real gems. Great stuff...

I might get in trouble for this

2007-01-11T14:57:00.000Z

According to superstition, any person still bearing yuletide decorations on themselves or otherwise are destined to spend the year in the mud (figuratively-speaking). So I wonder, does playing a Christmas record after the fact also count towards breaking that hallowed myth?

Someone slipped me the latest volume (no. 6) Sufjan Songs For Christmas record 'Gloria!' and I've been giving it a few spins of late. It features members of The National, Dessner brothers Bryce and Aaron. It's full of festive magic as you might expect from Santa Sufjan but playing it post-Christmas when I am in the midst of abstinence and detoxing from season's excesses seems slightly strange; like sitting on a beach eating ice-cream on a winter's day.

Download: Sufjan Stevens - Barcarola (You Must Be A Christmas Tree)

Introducing...

2007-01-10T16:13:00.000Z

It came along rather unassumingly at first. Just before the festive season got into full swing, a friend ushered me over to his desk to listen to a record by someone or some people called Windmill. That same friend lent me a copy of 'Puddle City Racing Lights' and after playing it a million times over I am completely hooked.

Windmill is the brainchild of Matt Dillon from good old Great Britannia and 'Puddle City...' is slated for release over here in March on Melodic. Dillon pours out his heart with earnest, swerving between a medicated Daniel Johnston and Wayne Coyne accompanying the sweet melancholic piano-driven tunes.

Produced by The Earlies' Tom Knott, I think this strangely discordant record deserves a lot of attention. Let's hope it gets it.
Download: Windmill - Fit (sorry, had to take this one down)

Check out the Windmill MySpace for more info about release dates, tours and other associated menagerie. I've been reliably informed that they'll be streaming a track from the album in the run-up to release so it's worth a visit purely for that...
Visit Melodic who are the lucky folk putting the album out.

For some reason, that album sleeve has come out in negative. It's actually murky shades of black rather than white.

Lenny Smith @ Pete's Candy Store, Brooklyn NY

2007-01-08T12:45:00.000Z

One highlight of many from the Big Apple was going to a gig. I have this intense fascination with seeing bands in foreign countries. I love being able to compare and contrast the audience, the venue, the interaction between musician and punter, the smells, even the toilets to how it is at home. So when the opportunity came about to see a great musician playing in an inconceivably small venue I found it too much of a temptation to turn down.

Battling fatigue I dragged a few friends to Pete’s Candy Store, an unassuming Brooklyn bar concealing within a wonderfully intimate and inviting room no bigger than a train carriage with a slightly elevated platform serving as the stage. You may not have heard of Lenny Smith but you will probably be more familiar with his children – Daniel, Rachel, Megan, Andrew and David – otherwise known as Danielson Famile. Like his eldest son, he writes songs that are about, and informed by, his Christian faith.

I think I knew it was going to be a good show the moment we walked in and were greeted personally by Lenny as if we were being welcomed into his home. Playing an acoustic guitar and ably assisted by Evan on accordian and other random instruments, Lenny infected us all with his magnificent compositions. It was a delight to see a man whose music is so effortlessly warm, comforting and beautiful. This is someone who has played music for more years than I’ve lived on this earth and he played with such confidence, conviction and with a real sense of pleasure and pride in doing so that you couldn’t help but be impressed. Musically the songs are folk-driven, full of impassioned and joyful words with many paeans to his wife (sadly not in attendance). Encouraging the audience to sing we became performers ourselves and not one face could be seen without a 100-watt smile emblazoned on them during each and every luminous moment of this brief headline set.

Suddenly it all makes sense. If you want to know where the kids got it all from, check our their dad.

Download: Lenny Smith - But For You

Buy 'Deep Calls To Deep' from Sounds Familyre and check out New Jerusalem Music, the publishing company Lenny runs.

Back to work...

2007-01-08T12:19:00.000Z

Happy New Year! First post of the new year. It feels like going back to school albeit without the uncomfortable and oversized blazers and sparkling new stationary from WH Smith.

The reason for the lack of posts over the festive period was in some part due to a short break to New York to say hello and welcome to 2007. I won’t bore you with holiday details. It’s enough to say that a long-standing ambition was realised and the sooner I go back the better. Here's one of many photos from that great city:
Download: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Yeah! New York

Buy Fever To Tell online or lend some support for your local record shop.

'Tis the season to jump on bandwagons...

2006-12-19T18:15:00.000Z

Everyone else is doing it, so why can't I?

Prepare to raise some eyebrows and lower your expectations; it's time to roll out the inaugural

Three Pink Monkeys' List Of Records That Have Come Out This Year That I Thought Were Quite Good (Although Some People May Beg To Differ)

Rough Trade have their Top 100, I have my Top 15. In no particular order of importance:

Cat Power - 'The Greatest'

I have waxed lyrical already but what the hell, I may as well write some more... To use a cliche that most writers will have used in describing it, this really is the greatest in every single way and what a triumphant slice of Memphis soul it is. Uplifting, euphoric, heart-rending, melancholic, introspective; the whole shebang. The whole record seems to have been effortlessly constructed. The girl done good.

Sparklehorse - 'Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain'

Mark Linkous et al have yet to release a bad record. If anything, they should get a reward for consistency. This is brimming with the beautifully sparse instrumentation and sorrowful vocal musings that have become something of a signature. Listening to this is like drinking tea from your favourite mug. Reassuring, relaxing, comforting and just an absolute pleasure.

Final Fantasy - 'He Poos Clouds'
I saw Owen Pallett play a miniscule set in an equally-sized London venue earlier this year. It was incredible. I literally had to prise my jaw off the floor. He entranced the audience with his voice, a violin and a loop machine. This second outing is brilliantly ambitious and occasionally pompous, full to the brim of outlandish orchestral arrangements. On tape it doesn't really do his live performances justice but it's not far off. Plus extra points for the best title...

I would rhapsodise about all of the following but I simply don't have sufficient time or words to do so. Suffice to say, they all share equal billing with the other three so don't go thinking I have my favourites...

Danielson - 'Ships'

Beirut - 'Gulag Orkestar'

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'Show Your Bones'

My Brightest Diamond - 'Bring Me The Workhorse'

A Hawk And A Hacksaw - 'The Way The Wind Blows'

Various - 'The World Is Gone'

TV On The Radio - 'Return To Cookie Mountain'

Bat For Lashes - 'Fur And Gold'

Joanna Newsom - 'Ys'

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go

The Knife - 'Silent Shout'

Ali Farke Toure - 'Savane'

Special award: Sufjan Stevens 'Songs For Christmas'

Why? Because it's unashamedly cheesy, twee and has the best added extras of any record anywhere. Anyone who criticises this record for being awful is missing the whole point of Christmas!

That's all for this year. Three Pink Monkeys is closing up shop for the Christmas holidays in order to celebrate my birthday tomorrow and eat my body weight in mince pies and cheese every day until New Years Day. Have a lovely Christmas filled with merriment and roast dinners.
Here's something to keep you going in the meantime:

Download: Sufjan Stevens - Sister Winter
Download: Final Fantasy - Many Lives -> 49mp
Download: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lay And Love

Buy all these and the rest from the lovely folk at Rough Trade.

A cornucopia of MP3s

2006-12-15T10:13:00.000Z

Slow day today...doing a bit of early morning blogging. Trust me, 10am is early. It's nearly Christmas (and very nearly my birthday) so what better than to offer some treats for all...

I found this one on Pitchfork...
I'm not even going to pretend I have ever heard of High Priest [left, pic pilfered from Pitchfork], because I haven't. He was formerly part of Anti-Pop Consortium of whom I am equally unaware. Shamefully, the only part of this musical collaboration of which I have any knowledge is TV On The Radio. Tunde Adebimpe and Jaleel Bunton lent vocals and instrumentals respectively to this track. Funnily enough, I do now remember someone extolling the greater pleasures of Anti-Pop Consortium at a TV On The Radio gig but I think I was too many pints gone to have taken much notice. After listening to this solo track, I think I might just have to get hold of 'Born Identity' and explore Anti-Pop Consortium's back catalogue.

Download: High Priest featuring TV On The Radio - Keep Time

Bearing in mind the whole unintentionally humourous Karen O/Dave Sitek episode, this comes like a welcome breath of fresh air from the TVOTR camp.

No doubt I'll get in trouble for this but here's new track Intervention by The Arcade Fire, nicked from You Ain't No Picasso, who ripped said MP3 from Zane Lowe's Radio One show. It's good. That's all you need to know. Get it while you can.

Download: The Arcade Fire - Intervention

The perfect thing to whet the appetite for their impending London shows. How excited am I about seeing this glorious band play again? Boundlessly, hopelessly, utterly in raptures.

Check out Arcade Fire's website, be their friend and also buy 'Funeral' if you don't already have it.

Oops, nearly forgot to mention the great festive present that
The Knife have posted on their website:

Download: The Knife - Christmas Reindeer

Buy 'Silent Shout' online, you won't regret it.

It all makes sense now...

2006-12-14T10:58:00.000Z

Soy Milk - it makes you gay apparently. Who knew.

When I first read this, I thought I'd stumbled upon an Onion derivative. An amusing, if slightly alarming piece of journalism.

Thankfully, soy sauce does not make you gay. That's good to hear.

Thanks Gerard for the heads-up.

Download: Antony & The Johnsons - For Today I Am A Boy
Download: Final Fantasy - Do You Love?

The Asthmatic Kitty love-in starts here...

2006-12-12T12:35:00.000Z

On a brighter note (after yesterday's glumness), Mr Postman finally delivered 'Songs For Christmas' last week. It is, as my Matadorian friend Ruairi says, the twee-est looking record in the history of twee records.

I've been listening to it at work in order to enrich my sardonic heart with some much-needed Christmas cheer. At present it's only inspired me to haphazardly deck my computer with boughs of cheap metallic tinsel. Although I am envisaging gathering the family around the stereo, photocopied song sheets in hand, to perform yuletide karaoke carols before sitting down to watch the Queen's Speech with a stack of mince pies and a keg of mulled wine. And because I sang this in a church choir carol service last year:

Download: Sufjan Stevens - Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming

Also in my Asthmatic Kitty package was 'Bring Me The Workhorse' by cheerleader captain of the Illinoisemakers, aka Shara Worden, aka My Brightest Diamond. I'd heard dribs and drabs about her on the grapevine so I figured I should give her a go, particularly since the record's insanely inexpensive if you buy it from AK direct (with the current exchange rate favouring us Brits).

Initially it doesn't really grab you. I left it off the stereo for a couple of days slightly disappointed. Then the other day I went back to it, determined to give it another try. I'm so glad I did. Give it a few more spins and it gradually begins to reveal a truly captivating quality that was hitherto unnoticed. Shara possesses classically-trained vocals reminiscent of a forlorn chanteuse, the kind you'd find in a smoke-filled Parisian cellar cafe. Add to it spunky electric guitars juxtaposed against a tremulous string section and the resulting combination is utterly spellbinding. Freak Out has a very pleasing PJ Harvey vibe about it and being a bit of a Polly Jean connoisseur any comparison to that great lady is a good thing.

How could I have dismissed this record so hastily?

She's coming to town in February for a show at Bush Hall. Snap up a ticket while you can. It's going to be very special, I can feel it in my bones.

Download: My Brightest Diamond - The Workhorse
Download: My Brightest Diamond - Freak Out
Download: My Brightest Diamond - Gone Away

Buy both from the Asthmatic Kitty online shop and support a good independent label. Because they're worth it...

Whatever did we do before MySpace?

2006-12-12T10:10:00.000Z

For the past week at work, I've been greeted with this pleasant message:

! COMPANY POLICY VIOLATION !

You have accessed an Internet site blocked by your company policy:

http://www.myspace.com/

This site is categorised as:

blacklist

All because of some insignificant worm being imbedded in QuickTime players apparently. For most people in the office it's had no real effect on their ability to work, function and generally go about their daily business. For the rest of us it's become a situation a few shades shy of catastrophic. Deadlines have been missed, jobs cut, innocent lives lost, all invertebrate species vanished, polar ice caps liquified, all Western capitalist countries toppled, whole Third World communities decimated.

(above) What I imagine the IT department feared would happen to my computer. I don't know what they were so worried about. Those worms look quite harmless. It's the computer I'd be more concerned about...

So bring out the parade, sing for joy, lay out the red carpet because today, holiest of Tuesdays, hallowed access to everyone's friend Tom was returned to us mere organ-grinders. How many messages did I get in all that time? One.

Download: Sufjan Stevens - Dear Mr. Supercomputer

Jeffrey Lewis & Danielson @ The Luminaire

2006-12-07T17:39:00.000Z

"This next song is called Five Stars And Two Thumbs Up, and that's what we think of you"That Daniel Smith is a charmer. He knows how to work an audience.

I always view Sunday as being a strange day to have a gig. Perhaps it's because by the time most bands take to the stage I am, at the very same instance, in the midst of the dreaded Sunday-night-syndrome, gearing myself up for a new and unremarkable week at work, hoping that some mystery ailment will render me useless and allow me to spend Monday in bed eating Krispy Kreme donuts watching The Jeremy Kyle Show.

Somehow, despite it being the day of rest I was unusually enthusiastic about going to the Luminaire. Perhaps it's something to do with it being my maiden Danielson gig, perhaps it's to do with the fact I was with many good friends, perhaps it was because it was at one of my favourite venues.

Jeffrey Lewis has been a part of the underground lo-fi anti-folk something-or-other scene for a while and his shows are eagerly talked about. He is a great lyricist, filling the melody with reams and reams of words, endless words. Intelligent words. Ironic words. Hilariously well-observed words.

Flanked by a bassist pal and percussionist buddy, Jeffrey played an awesome set, rocking out surprisingly more than I expected.

He is as well known for his comic-book creations as he is for his music and tonight's were as suitably lo-fi as his music. Crouching by his laptop to give us his rudimentary Powerpoint presentation, we were guided through some incredibly funny and touching drawings accompanying his sparkling repartee of a commentary. His song about a potted history of China was insightful and well-observed. Funny too.

Suffice it to say I was really impressed. Particularly when he actually played Don't Let The Record Company Take You Out For Lunch. Let it be a warning to all budding musicians... He's a must-see and it is definitely worth buying one of his records (and a comic too) should you ever have the opportunity.

I find it really difficult to describe Danielson because there are so many conflicting elements fighting for supremcy in their music. It's probably a testament to the band that they can't be pigeon-holed and anyone who dismisses them on the basis that they're dull Christian band are really missing the whole point. I guess they could be described as a Marmite cult band by virtue of the way in which they divide opinion into such extremes. People who don't like Danielson despise them; people who like them love, adore and worship them (I'm in the latter party FYI). It might be to do with Daniel Smith's vocals. He possesses a voice that scales falsetto screeches and descends to crackling baritone, irritating some, delighting others. It's quite reminiscent of his namesake and cult legend Daniel Johnston. Not all the time but occasionally I hear similarities.

Danielson took to the stage as a considerably paired-down Famile outfit than previously expected. No ladies tonight. Probably due to various childcare duties (future members of the Danielson dynasty perhaps?) but missed all the same. John Ringhofer of Half-handed Cloud lent a hand on bass with regulars Chris Palladino, David Smith and Daniel Smith. My disappointment at the absence of the lovely female members of Danielson soon abated once the band got into their stride.

It must be said, London crowds are notoriously hard to please. Getting an audience to applaud after each song can be hard enough. Getting them to dance nigh on impossible. Audience participation? Clapping and singing? I don't think so. Isn't that what the band's job? Bah Humbug.

Thankfully, Daniel Smith possesses incredible powers of persuasion. He managed to convince even the most embittered and cynical city-dwellers (ie. me) to dance, clap in unison and sing their little hearts out. That is what makes Danielson such a great live beast. They have the unique ability to make members of the public feel like they're a part of something greater than the sum of their parts. It's a gig sure, but you actually feel like you're participating, contributing to the fabric of the evening. The line between band and audience is blurred. There is no 'Us', there is no 'Them' and there's certainly no 'Versus' in the middle.

Maybe I'm talking utter tosh but that's what I thought. All you need to know is that I smiled throughout the set and were I less self-conscious I would have po-goed along to Did I Step On Your Trumpet? just like those two guys standing stage left.

Download: Danielson - Five Stars And Two Thumbs Up
Download: Danielson - Did I Step On Your Trumpet?

Buy 'Ships' online or from your local record shop.

The Arcade Fire return...

2006-12-07T16:27:00.000Z

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I have an excuse on a piece of paper but I think the dog ate it. Either that or I did. Anyway, I have a Danielson review in the pipeline but computer gremlins are somewhat of a hindrance at the minute. I will have it out soon, that's a promise.

More importantly is this news: The Arcade Fire are returning to the UK to play what are sure to be some incendiary live shows. Predictably, Pitchfork were first off the mark to tell all, followed hours later by NME.com. Check their websites for the tour info. I would put them on here but I really can't be bothered. Sorry.

St John's is an amazing space. I took my mum to a classical concert for a birthday treat and I have to say, not many churches leave me lost for words. The acoustics are awesome. It will be the perfect setting to see one of the best live bands I have seen.

Best put Ticketmaster on speed-dial and set your alarm for 9am tomorrow morning. I know I will be...

Download: The Arcade Fire - Wake Up

More love for Danielson...

2006-12-01T13:52:00.000Z

The Danielson movie the other night was a perfect warm-up to their show this Sunday. I'm super-excited about seeing them in fully-dimensional form at The Luminaire, especially since the awesome Jeffrey Lewis will be lending his considering playing skills (plus comic book menagerie) to proceedings.

Tickets for the show sold out, ooh, ages ago so unless you possess the power of teleportation there's very little chance of getting in. Although Andy (head Luminaire man) will probably keep a few aside to sell on the night at the door.

Download: The Danielson Famile - Good News

And because it's such a fitting song (to me anyway):
Download: Jeffrey Lewis - Don't Let The Record Label Take You Out To Lunch

Buy 'Fetch The Compass Kids' and 'It's The Ones Who've Cracked That The Light Shines Through' or support your local independent retailer. There's far too many going out of business...

Monade @ The Luminaire

2006-12-01T10:53:00.000Z

For the uninitiated, Monade started life as Stereolab front-lady Laetitia Sadier's pet project and has now, two albums down the road, grown into a fully-formed eight-legged being. Go and check out the last record 'A Few Steps More' if you want to know more.

Laetitia and co were on top form last night, charming the crowd with their combined Gallic loveliness and treating us to some new tunes.

Download: Monade - Pas Toujours ; Encore

Here's some pics from the show:

Johann Johannsson @ Cargo

2006-11-28T13:33:00.000Z

Another work show but it was worth the hassle of a roundabout journey from Shoreditch for a choir rehearsal (more on that later) to home to eat a toasted pitta and then back to Shoreditch.

Last night, Cargo played host to an Icelandic collective known as Kitchen Motors. Headliner Johann Johannsson played tracks from debut record "IBM 1401 - A Users Manual". The record is a paean to one of the first computers to be imported to Johannsson's home country, the very same computer for which his father worked as a chief engineer. It's an incredibly affecting composition touching on the themes of nature and artifice whilst featuring beautifully epic strings and haunting electronica (can electronica be haunting? answers on a postcard).

Onstage Johannsson was supported by a string quartet (plus a man playing percussion and hi-tech machines) lulling us into a state of bliss with his beautiful electronically-rendered classical melodies. I was brought up on classical music (listening and playing) which might go some way to explain my post-rock leanings. Nonetheless, I revelled in the glorious harmonies and the strange juxtaposition before my eyes (classical vs. electronica, modern classical music vs. hip rock/dance club).

Here's who played:
Johann Johannsson
Matthias Hemstock
Una Sveinbjarnardottir
Greta Gudnadottir
Ivar Ragnarsson
Gudmundur Kristmundsson

Download: Johann Johannsson - The Sun's Gone Dim And The Sky's Turned Black

Buy IBM 1401 - A Users Manual online or go see your friendly record shop owner for a copy.

Secret Wars

2006-11-28T10:14:00.000Z

Totally forgot to mention what I got up to on Saturday. Rather than spend an evening in permanent residence on my sofa with eyes transfixed by Strictly Come X Celebrity Takeaway, I put on some semi-clean clothes for an evening in my regular stomping ground of Shoreditch for a graffiti battle...Inkie (left) and Rich T (right) in the thick of their battle

Juno Bar in Shoreditch has been playing host to Secret Wars for a good few months now (sponsored by loads of companies that I have either never heard of or can't remember). According to the website, the aim of the game is to give "new and old artists an interactive form of expression within a fresh environment."

It's a one-on-one fight to the bitter end. The artists are given an hour and a half to create something good on one of the whitewashed walls with only black and white as the accepted colour scheme.

I like to think of it as a tennis tournament: instead of a ball and racquet they use black marker pens, paint and a white wall; instead of strawberries and cream we got beer and cocktails; instead of Cliff Richard serenading an unsuspecting Wimbledon crowd we got DJs and an MC obsessed with time-keeping ("14 minutes to go!") and selling merchandise ("Get your T-shirts here!").

I was there to support my friend's friend Inkie, who's been a graffiti artist for nearly as many years as I have lived. He's a very talented man. On the left is one of the many amazing pieces he's created. It's my personal favourite. He was up against Rich T. I'll be quite frank: I've not heard of either of them. Then again, I don't really hang with the graffiti crew. Nonetheless I could appreciate the skill and artistry involved (I could never draw like that anyway, let alone with fifty people watching my every move) and I was really impressed by Inkie's ability to cover such a large surface so quickly, and with some amazing graphics. The results from both sides was truly excellent.

Who won? I think this picture says it all....

Danielson comes to Shoreditch

2006-11-27T10:29:00.000Z

We came, we saw, we ate,
we went to the pub...

Last night, the lovely folks at Grace Church Hackney hosted a free screening of JL Aronson's great documentary Danielson: A Family Movie. Aside from some minor sound difficulties (a bit too loud at the front; a bit too quiet at the back; although it must be said the sound system wasn't as advanced as say, an Odeon cinema multiplex) and the discomfort of sitting on hard-back wooden pews for nearly two hours, I would say it went quite swimmingly.

There were just under 150 in attendance, all of whom seemed fairly excited about the prospect of viewing this film in such a unique setting. I think it went down well. I mean, I didn't go round and do a clipboard survey afterwards, but the general feedback from my friends was positive. The only criticism was the movie felt overly long, some scenes certainly felt unnecessary and perhaps could have been edited out. I'm not sure if the opinion was exacerbated by the aching posteriors but given the fact I'd also seen this in the comfort of my own home (and sofa), I was surprised quite long the movie felt in comparison to the home preview I experienced.

Afterwards, we were all treated to some fantastic looking (and tasting) Danielson gingerbread men decked in traditional nursing garb. No photo of them I'm afraid - I was far too busy eating them...

For those who didn't make the screening, I believe it's coming out on DVD sometime next year. So go on, treat yourself. Otherwise, here's a clip from the movie:

My friends The Daily Growl and Henningham Family Press have also written some sterling words about it, please read them too.

Josef K - Entomology

2006-11-23T17:30:00.000Z

More Downloader stuff here.

My review this week is the fantastic Josef K anthology 'Entomology' and it's one of The Downloader's Lead Albums. Here's a taster:

Download: Josef K - It's Kinda Funny

Buy 'Entomology' or go to a record shop - they're open late tonight.

My hero

2006-11-23T12:19:00.000Z

I fell off the wagon last night

2006-11-23T10:57:00.000Z

...and feeling very fragile and acidic today. Somehow I managed to drag my body out of bed and get to work but I left my spirit snoozing at home. I've been listening to Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Sparklehorse at a low register. Obviously, I am in no mood to write so here's some tunes to soothe the head:

Download: Antony & The Johnsons - Fistful Of Love
Download: Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man - Mysteries
Download: Black Mountain - No Satisfaction
Download: DJ Shadow - Stem/Long Stem
Download: Radiohead - The Tourist
Download: Sigur Ros - Untitled 3

Buy 'I Am A Bird Now', 'Out Of Season', 'Black Mountain', 'Endtroducing', 'OK Computer' and '()'. They're all really good, so get them all.

PLUG nominees

2006-11-21T18:17:00.000Z

Okay, so it's an American thing, but seeing as our own award ceremonies are being completely swamped by some questionable acts like Razorlight, Keane and The Kooks, I figured it would make a refreshing change to look at one featuring quality bands I actually liked.

I first found out about PLUG through work (I think some of our bands were playing/nominated last year) and this year there are a whole host of people nominated who I think richly deserve to win.

I can't be bothered to list them because you can just pontificate over them here. So in a highly self-indulgent manner, let me tell you who I would like to see win.

Album Of The Year
Tough one this category. It's a toss-up between Cat Power's 'The Greatest', Joanna Newsom's 'Ys', The Knife's 'Silent Shout' and Beirut's 'Gulag Orkestar' but I think it has to go to Ms Marshall and her Memphis Rhythm Band.

Download: Cat Power - Hate

New Artist Of The Year
Based purely on the scintillating performance at their one - and only - London show where they completely upstaged the headliners I would give this to Beirut without a doubt. 'Gulag Orkestar' is a work of such maturity, assuredness and brilliance that translates to the stage effortlessly. Remember this when you listen to the record: Zach Condon is just twenty years old.

Download: Beirut - Bratislava [FYI Bratislava's airport is one of the most depressing places in the world. Avoid if at all humanly possible]

Female Artist Of The Year
I'm still waiting for My Brightest Diamond record to come through from Asthmatic Kitty otherwise I suspect I would go the way of Shara Worden. Joanna Newsom has released a masterful new record recently but it's too late in the year and I think my head and heart are going to pip for Cat Power once more. She's been through the mill this year and come out smiling on the other side which is enough of a reason for me to see her win.

Male Artist Of The Year
I think a lot of my friends will automatically assume I will choose Sufjan Stevens by virtue of my unrequited love for the man. They would be wrong. As much as I think he's the bees knees I don't think that the release of a "shamelessly compiled" selection of out-takes is justification to win. Especially when you look at the calibre of men who are jostling for the prize. So with that in mind, my gong goes to Bonnie 'Prince' Billy aka Will Oldham for his great record 'The Letting Go'.
Download: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Cursed Sleep

And then some more (or at least, the ones with which I can make a qualified decision):
Avant Album Of The Year: Liars 'Drum's Not Dead'
Artist Of The Year: Cat Power
Song Of The Year: Hot Chip Over And Over
Record Producer Of The Year: Steve Albini
Music Video Of The Year: Danielson Did I Step On Your Trumpet
Album Art/Packaging Of The Year: Joanna Newsom Ys

And the one that I should have trouble choosing because I technically work for two that have been nominated...
Record Label Of The Year
I think I'm going to have to go for Domino...

Anyway, here's something fun to watch by everyone's favourite family called Danielson:

All Tomorrow's Parties 2007

2006-11-21T16:24:00.000Z

I know that we've got ages to go before it actually takes place but I got so excited by the line-up that I had to write about it now. Yes, I do know that there's one taking place in the very near future (Nightmare Before Christmas). I just can't be bothered to mention it now. I'll do it another time. Maybe.

My experience of the legendary ATP festival is limited to two, both of which were erm, this year. I spent a crazy 24 hours watching Oneida, TV On The Radio, Celebration and curators Yeah Yeah Yeahs (all good), the sunrise on the beach (beautiful) and the clock (boring) so we could get the first morning train back on Saturday looking like shadows of our former selves.

One week later I was back again watching Joanna Newsom, The Decemberists and Teenage Fanclub. For the most part though, my memories are obscured by afternoon cocktails in Chalet 61 and avoiding the outside in general for fear of drowning in the torrential rain. I did have a fantastic weekend even if the joy came purely from the novelty of sleeping in a proper bed and having a shower, flushing toilet, television and tea-making facilities within close proximity to the aforementioned bed. So nothing to do with the music then...

Next year's proposition looks set to be even better than its predecessor. For one thing, the festival is re-locating from the beautiful Camber Sands in Rye, East Sussex to the even more lovely Butlins resort in Minehead, Somerset. I have been informed by an ex-pat that Minehead is nothing more than a glorified disused quarry but I'm sure he's lying. I mean, there's a huge wave pool with slides, ten-pin bowling, fencing and outdoor bowls on-site. Surely nowhere with that calibre of facilities can be that bad.

Obviously, what everyone wants to know if who's playing...

First up is The Dirty Three-curated ATP. Here's who will be appearing so far:
Nick Cave (solo)
Grinderman
The Dirty Three (naturally)
Low
Papa M
The Drones
Faun Fables
Brokeback
Tara Jane O'Neill
Magnolia Electric Company
A Silver Mount Zion
Devastations
Felix Lajko
Bill Callahan (of Smog fame)
Josh Pearson
Mick Harvey
Shannon Wright
Conway Savage

As with most ATP line-ups I think I have only heard of half of these people. Oh well.

Despite this, I am in an infinite state of euphoria about the prospect of seeing the wonderful A Silver Mount Zion [pictured left in usual live pose]. Comprising Godspeed members Ephrim, Sophie and Thierry (plus some other like-minded musicians picked up along the way), ASMZ have released some beautiful records through Constellation including my personal favourite '"This Is Our Punk Rock", Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing'. Just like Godspeed, they have done away with time-keeping, taking their time and pleasure to create chilling post-modern choral and orchestral pieces that meanders effortlessly, never once traversing into tragic prog-rock territory.

I saw them play an awesome show at the Scala a couple of years ago. I spent the whole set utterly transfixed by the semi-circular form of individuals harmonising over layers of sweeping strings and guitar feedback. My (male) friend was so overcome by the experience he cried through most of it. It was, quite simply, beautiful. One of those gigs that you remember so fondly that recalling the experience is like reliving it all over again.

Now this is the one that has got some work people and I quite excited. Who's playing? Here's who:

Built To Spill

Sparklehorse
Akron Family
Notwist
Echo and The Bunnymen
Do Make Say Think
Death Vessel
Brightblack Morning Light

Small line-up, I hear you say. That's because the nice people at ATP are leaving it up to us - the fans - to cherry-pick our most-wanted, much-desired bands to fill the rest of the line-up. How exciting. Voting begins here on 24th November. That's this Friday so put the date in your diary.

Some bands I'd like to see playing:

Download: Pavement - Drunks With Guns
Download: Mogwai - Hunted By A Freak (pretty much a dead cert I reckon)
Download: Portishead - Roads (please please please let them play)
Download: Bat For Lashes - Prescilla
Download: Fugazi - Cashout

Buy these off the Rough Trade Online Shop or better yet, try their brand new digital store. How lovely.

[I've lynched those ATP logos off the website. Sorry if I'm not supposed to do that.]

The Downloader

2006-11-17T11:33:00.000Z

Someone stupidly let me write some reviews for this great website. Thanks Matt!
Go on have a quick peek over a cup of tea and biscuits...

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Cold and Wet
Cyann & Ben - Words
Graham Coxon - What You Gonna Do Now?

And because I'm having a bit of a down day (even though it's a Friday), here's a few tunes that suit my mood:

Download: Bright Eyes - Nothing Gets Crossed Out
Download: Mogwai - Like Herod
Download: PJ Harvey - Snake

Buy Lifted, Young Team and Rid Of Me at Amazon but I think you should go and support your local record shop...

More TV On The Radio...

2006-11-16T11:28:00.000Z

I couldn't resist putting more photos up from their KOKO show seeing as I had some really good ones that I thought were worth sharing. It's mostly just as an outlet for me to show off and say, "Look, I took these and they're in focus!" more than anything else though...

Danielson: a Famile movie

2006-11-16T10:36:00.000Z

I am fairly new to the delights of Danielson Famile. In fact, I pretty late on the uptake. They've been in existence - in one guise or another - since 1995. That's eleven years I've missed out on. Damn...

Siblings of the family named Smith and led by big brother Daniel, these New Jersey natives were brought up by a father who encouraged them to use their creativity as a form of expression of faith and individuality as well as community. Daniel initially began an early version of the band as a part of his college art school project but, clearly realising the great potential of his fellow siblings, decided to continue.

They've expanded their line-up with husbands, wives and friends. One of them was Sufjan Stevens...

Their last record Ships got a 9.1 Pitchfork review. Not bad for a band who are relatively unknown (on these shores at least). I read an article somewhere saying that Daniel Smith was a man before his time whose influence can be seen in some of today's critically lauded musicians. That's high praise indeed.

I'm digressing. What I am meaning to do is tell you about this great great film that has been made about them. JL Aronson (Sonny to his friends) has made the brilliantly poignant and funny Danielson: a Family Moviecharting their progression as a band and a family over three-ish years. It features Sufjan pre-Michigan pre-global-superstar as well as cameos from some indie legends like Steve Albini and Daniel Johnston. There is an hilarious scene involving Sufjan and Daniel Smith in conversation about death. Yes, I know what I just wrote and no, I'm not sick or being morbid. It really was quite touchingly funny.

Still taken from the movie. That's Daniel Smith on the right, Sufjan on the left.

My friends are screening the film for free in Shoreditch this month and you are all invited. Yes, even you over there in the corner. The details are as follows:

When: Sunday 26th November
Where: Grace Church Hackney (Shoreditch Church), Shoreditch High Street, E1
At: 8pm (doors 7.30pm)
FREE ENTRY (donations welcome)

There might be some sort of informal discussion about it which you're welcome to join in on and voice your opinions. Of course, you are also welcome to give your brain cells a rest and go home to bed (as I will probably be doing also). I would also recommend wearing warm clothes. It's an old church with very inadequate heating so best wrap up to prevent hypothermia.

For more information about the film itself go here and you can see some trailer tasters too.
If you don't know anything about Danielson, go do some homework. I want an 800 word essay by next week please. No excuses.

The Rogers Sisters @ The Scala (supporting CSS)

2006-11-15T18:16:00.000Z

Saw the lovely Rogers Sisters last night. They played a cracking set at The Scala and an even better one at White Heat. Annoyingly, the batteries I was using ran out after ooh, five minutesso I am forced to post these sub-standard photos...

I mean, they're not that bad, a bit blurry maybe. I guess that's what you have to expect when you try to photograph a band who are far too energetic to keep still. I'm just a bit of a perfectionist that's all.

A Hawk And A Hacksaw + Beirut - Zach @ The Luminaire

2006-11-15T13:10:00.000Z

So you probably all know what happened. Beirut frontman Zach Condon was taken ill at the weekend, forcing the cancellation of an appearance at Parisian festival Les Inrocks and - sadly for us - their first headline show in London. Hope you're on the mend Zach. Having seen them triumphantly win over the crowd at The Roundhouse just seven days previously, it was genuinely disappointing not to be able to see the 10-ish strong crew up close in an intimate setting (and potentially falling off the very small stage). I was almost tempted to turn around and head back to the ‘hood were it not for the draw of A Hawk And A Hacksaw.

Rather than cancel the show altogether, fellow Beirut collaborators and supporting act for this evening AHAAH stepped up to the vacated mark and treated the crowd to a scintillating set that more than made up for the absence of the main attraction.

Their latest outing ‘The Way the Wind Blows’ is a lovely record. It’s of the same ilk as Beirut (AHAAH came first mind) although more mournful and sombre with more instrumental moments which on occasion have the potential to scare me*. Obviously I’m not an expert on traditional eastern European music but I can imagine some of this stuff being pumped out over the sound system of some Romanian cafe and the locals being none-the-wiser. I’m probably talking absolute rubbish though.

I think I had given the record a couple of spins before the show and I was still completely unaware of what to expect, particularly after viewing the advice given in the footnotes of the album sleeve (“Headphones are recommended for this recording”). Would that automatically mean that they would be awful live? Plus, there are two of them – Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost – so how on earth would they go about recreating the gypsy-folk wall of sound?

In reply to those questions:
No, it doesn’t and, quite easily actually.
[It’s probably worth pointing out that it’s only been couple of weeks since the pair headlined this exact same venue. So they probably had a heads-up about where the toilets were located, that sort of thing.]

With accordion strapped onto his person, Jeremy is quite clearly the leader of this duo whilst partner Heather provides harmonious strings and vocals. Surprisingly, bearing in mind they are a two-piece, they managed to envelope the room with their music quite emphatically. It was the introduction of the pseudo-one-man-band paraphernalia that transform this show from a good one to a great one.

The only real way to illustrate what Jeremy looks like is to show you this photo (which doesn’t actually give a lot away).
Here he is sitting at a rudimentary drum kit. Suffice to say, the hat is not just for decoration. It has a drumstick attached to the side with which he hits a cymbal. What you can’t see from the photo is he also has another drumstick strapped to one leg hitting another drum part and three miniature bass drums or something to that degree. So he does all that whilst playing out a tune on his accordion and singing. You really have to see it to understand but it’s really impressive.

Together with tea-drinking Heather the audience was treated to something quite magical on the eyes and the ears. The sweeping rhythm of the accordion meld with the strings and carry you along – dancing feet and all – through the gamut of their repertoire, briefly visiting mariachi marching bands, Romanian funeral processions and travelling gypsy carnivals along the way.

The glorious sight of remaining Beirut members taking up their non-fatal weapons to join in on the last few songs was just what the doctor ordered. They traversed the audience, encouraging punters to sing and play and generally have a laugh with them. They really lifted the mood of this already quite happy crowd and left them crying out for more.

It certainly kept me smiling on the lonely journey home and begging to put ‘The Way the Wind Blows’ on my stereo. Now that’s the sign of a good band don’t you think?

Download: A Hawk And A Hacksaw - The Way The Wind Blows
Download: Beirut - The Bunker

Do yourself a favour and get The Way The Wind Blows and Gulag Orkestar from Amazon or get it from somewhere like Rough Trade where the staff are quite friendly and knowledgeable.

* Not in the same way that Scott Walker’s latest one frightens the living daylights out of me. Those of a nervous disposition would do well to have other people in the house when playing ‘The Drift’. I nearly fell over in the kitchen because of it.

TV On The Radio @ KOKO

2006-11-15T13:03:00.000Z

Do you remember your first time?

9th June 2004. Bush Hall, Shepherd's Bush, London. My first TV On The Radio live show. What was it like? Sweaty, claustrophobic, hypnotic, glorious; an exhilarating sensory experience. It was like a spiritual awakening and a musical turning point in my life. Suddenly everything I thought I knew was turned on its head. Never again would I settle for music that played it safe and failed you challenge you on every level. Aside from a slightly misguided foray in Magic Numbers territory I have pretty much stayed good to my word.

There are very few bands that excite me as much as this one. On tape they are phenomenal; live: something else entirely. The thing that gets me about them is that they really sound like no other. If you try to pigeon-hole them you fail in the attempt. I have seen TV On The Radio about four or five times (possibly more, I forget) and every time I have left the show completely dumbfounded with the sensation of having experienced something really quite special.

Their show at the venue formerly known as Camden Palace was their biggest headline one in London to date. As befitting a pre-Club NME Friday night, the band were scheduled to play an early show. Thankfully I had a heads-up with stage times so we weren't caught short. Pre-show the air was thick with bodies and anticipation. I nervously fiddled with my camera in the pit feeling slightly out-of-my-depth amongst the professional photographers who not only had more impressive equipment but clearly knew how to work them (unlike me).

I have to admit that for the first few songs I was slightly distracted attempting to take these photos but, from where I was standing at least, the sound was just perfect. I couldn't help noticing that the photographers were heavily focused on Tunde Adebimpe, following his every move in minute detail. I don't really blame them. He is a physically imposing man and on-stage he reacts to the music like a man possessed by a supernatural power. Who wouldn't want to capture the spirit of someone who can command an audience's attention purely by the sound of his voice? He's like a freakin' gospel preacher who is just overflowing with passion.

Let's not forget the rest. Kyp Malone looking every inch the Ewok (sorry Kyp) strums his guitar and lends harmonizing falsetto/bass vocals in his signature effortless manner whilst Gerard Smith appears to seek comfort away from the bright lights illuminating his comrades-in-music. Jaleel Bunton (he plays the accordian in his spare time, did you know that?) drums with intent, his beats propelling the band forward and the audience from side-to-side as they get caught up in the spellbinding rhythms he churns out. Dave Sitek, maverick producer to the stars, sampling wizard and photographer of many strange and wonderful things, grapples his wind-chime bedecked guitar forcing those heavy yet soaring chords out into the restless atmosphere. It all combines into an impressive wall of sound that few can ignore.

Wolf Like Me is a favourite of mine, particularly as it features the feline vocals of the wonderful Katrina Ford from Celebration. Without Ford in attendance the song seems less like the rounded masterpiece it is usually, as if there is a vital component missing. It still sounds magnificent but it's like a different beast to me. I find myself singing her parts out loud in defiance. Songs from 'Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes' are reworked and revitalised (not that they needed it), greeted by the entranced audience like old friends.

Sadly missed from the set was Ambulance. At previous shows they have played this song a cappella with Sitek beat-boxing for a good ten minutes. It is a beautiful rendition of a poignant love song so I was gutted they left it out. I guess I'll just have to make do with the memories of previous performances.

Download: TV On The Radio - Ambulance

Buy Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes and Return To Cookie Mountain from Amazon or why not go buy them from a nice record shop person instead?

I do solemnly swear....

2006-11-13T17:20:00.000Z

...to post something that isn't work-related this week. I really will. This blog is in great danger of becoming a platform for me to be overbearingly sycophantic about work bands.

So it means that I won't be reviewing the lovely Rogers Sisters' shows tomorrow night (first playing with CSS at The Scala and then hot-stepping it to the brothel-chic of Madame Jo Jo's for a late night White Heat set). I'll probably post a few photos on here instead.

So expect a few things about Joanna Newsom, Karen Dalton, Danielson Famile, My Brightest Diamond, White Flight, Cyann & Ben and whatever other records I end up buying with my pitiful excuse for a pay-check.

Having said all that, watch this space for TV On The Radio & Beirut/A Hawk And A Hacksaw gig posts...

Tapes 'n Tapes @ Kings College

2006-11-13T11:28:00.000Z

Bit of a proud moment for me. See these photos? I took them. Quite nice if I don't say so myself. No need to pilfer from other people's websites anymore. These are all mine, and if anyone wants to nick them they are more than welcome to do so. For a handsome fee of course...

Seeing a band at the Kings College is a good indicator of a person's general fitness. If you can manage to haul your body up the endless Escher-style flights of stairs to the venue without passing out or falling over, it means you've probably got a good few years of over-eating, drinking and smoking to go before you need reach for the running machine and mung beans.

I arrived, slightly breathless, during the support act's set. I didn't manage to find out the name of the band which was just as well as I was slightly underwhelmed by their performance. They were like a Ryan Adams tribute band with added flute action. Being a rusty flautist, I fully appreciated its presence in a rock setting. It's just a shame that they failed to utilise it in an exciting and original way so overall they didn't really impress me. Technically they played well - no complaints there - it's just that they lacked the extra oomph to push them onto the 'Bands I Should Check Out When I Have a Minute Or Ten List'. *

On to the main attraction. Every blog worth its salt, pepper, vinegar, fish and chips has written about Tapes 'n Tapes. Superlatives have been bandied about by the shed load. There have been sold-out SXSW gigs, A&R scrambles, buzz, buzz and yet more buzz. As a general rule I am always slightly reticent about joining any sort of musical bandwagon of appreciation. I prefer to let the music speak for itself rather than some press release (no offence PR friends).

It was quite a pleasant surprise therefore, when I got my spindly digits on a copy of 'The Loon' courtesy of work folk, to find it to be a finely crafted, perfectly nuanced thing of loveliness. I was expecting it to be something a bit more trendy, I guess. More hipster, more flash-in-the-pan cool. I couldn't have been more wrong. There's elements of Pavement in there and something else I can't quite pin down. Sure, it's nothing ground-breakingly spectacular but after every listen it starts to slowly burn itself into your synapses. They don't really deal in the whole verse-chorus-verse-chorus business which although better, means that someone like me, who can remember very little at the best of times, even at maximum mental capacity, forgets the song titles and ends up feeling a bit stupid about it.

As I mentioned before, the last time I saw them play was in a support slot at the Forum supporting Franz Ferdinand. The sound wasn't really up to scratch that night. Everything sounded a bit muddied from where I was sitting which was a pity. If I knew more about sound engineering what-not (and I know a little bit) I would be able to explain exactly what was wrong. Basically to sum up, it was a disappointing performance.

Here at Kings College, the brothers Tapes had the luxury of time and good acoustics to exhibit their wares to full advantage. Taking to the stage to a very warm reception they launched into some buzzing renditions of tracks lifted from 'The Loon'. This time the sound was perfectly pitched to register every single note coming from Josh Grier's gleaming red guitar and Jeremy Hanson commanded his drumkit like a Brains possessed (am I the only one who thinks he looks a bit like Brains from Thunderbirds?). The tunes sounded so much meatier. Listening to the record after the performance, you realise how much of the live energy from the stage has transferred onto tape and it makes listening to it again even more pleasurable.

The clincher for me was, and always has been, Insistor. I HEART this track. I know it was a single and it's really uncool to like the tracks that are singles** but I don't care. It's just the best four-plus minutes of Pixies-flavoured toe-tapping, head-nodding, arse-jiggling stuff. So when they launched into this one I was ecstatic (keeping it well hidden Brit-style) and so were the rest of this sold-out crowd who got the closest they could to moshing without actually resorting to the sweaty act itself.

Now to tackle those stairs....

* Coming to a blog near you, when I'm having a slow day. Imminently then.
** I don't actually know if this is true. Maybe someone told me this as a joke and I was gullible enough to believe them. Answers on a postcard please. About singles, not my gullibility.

Something for the weekend...

2006-11-10T14:01:00.000Z

I know that I'll probably be vilified for posting this but it was too tempting an opportunity to resist grabbing by the horns and throwing at your heads.

Ladies and Gentleman, please be upstanding for the King and Queen of St Tropez Land, Jordan and Peter Andre and their stunning rendition of A Whole New World:

Download: Peter Andre and Jordan - A Whole New World

Yeah, I'd stick to the er, day job if I were you Jordan. I think that's where your ahem, assets lie...

Sufjan Stevens Barbican Set List

2006-11-09T12:23:00.000Z

I promised I'd get it and thanks to Ben @ Rough Trade Records I have it here. I think I'll just cut and paste this because I'm in a lazy frame of mind today:

THIS EARTH, THIS GLORY, THIS ENGLAND!
London Nov. 3, 2006

Sister
Transfiguration
Metropolis
Tallest Man
Supercomputer --- i think he might have skipped this!
Casimir Pulaski
Trees of the field
Detroit
Predatory Bird Wasp
John Wayne
Worst Christmas Ever
Seven Swans
Majesty Snowbird
Jacksonville
Chicago

UFO
The Dress Looks Nice on You

Now I'm sure they finished on something else but memory is deteriorating as the days go by so can't be sure.

As an aside, I found out the other day that Bryce Dessner from The National was playing in Sufjan's band at The Barbican and will be with him for the duration of this tour. Obviously I would have noticed him had I been sitting closer to the stage but as you will probably know already I was up in the heavens. I also discovered in the same breath that not only was Bryce playing with Sufjan that night but my colleague Roger was in attendance in the second-bloody-row downstairs amongst the flying Santas and Supermen. He was so close he could reach over and touch them all. Doesn't bother me one jot, really.