And now (admittedly a little belatedly) on to Understated. All that can be said is that this is a quite beautiful album which, with minimal debate, can surely be said to be able to stand alongside the best of Edwyn and Orange Juice. Such a statement would be impressive in relation to any artist thirty plus years into their career but must be considered especially so given the well documented health problems which have afflicted Edwyn Collins over the last ten years or so.
Almost every track leads the listener through a masterclass of what makes up perfect indie pop & rock whilst never once drifting into the generic sounds and subject matter that might be expected from lesser artists. A thorough return to (or should that be maintaining of) form in the very truest sense of the word.
On a very much related topic, I purchased the new Edwyn Collins & The Heartbreaks record store day 'What Are You Doing Fool' 7" single on Saturday which is also absolutely superb. Any fans of either absolutely need to hear it, particularly as the b side is a wonderful new version of Untitled Melody.
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
The Strokes, Edwyn Collins
I've spent a reasonably large amount of time over the last couple of weeks listening to, and by extension attempting to get to grips with a couple of new releases. Namely 'Understated' by Edwyn Collins and 'Comedown Machine' by The Strokes.
Starting with the latter I should say upfront that I am a fan of The Strokes and don't necessarily adhere to the oft repeated mantra that their releases have been moving steadily downhill since Is This It revitalised the indie rock scene (for want of a better expression) and indeed the music industry in 2001.
Having said that I did approach Comedown Machine with some trepidation caused in no small part by the disappointment of Angles and the realisation that the dynamic and recording process of the band appears to be that of five individuals who don't particularly get on and would ideally spend as little time as possible in the same place together!
As a result the first listen of the album left me a little bemused as it wasn't at all what I had been expecting. Aside from two or three songs (out of 11) the sound is so far removed from the lo-fi garage rock that we have become accustomed to that I suspect most music fans on the street would struggle to guess the band if played a selection without having already heard it. Once the initial shock faded however I realised that this is actually a pretty good collection of songs. Set free from the (semi self imposed) self conscious New York hipster aesthetic the band are free to explore a broader landscape that takes in surprisingly funky grooves, the occasional foray towards wedding band territory, and the odd experiment with tinny electronic drum kits. It was only after a couple of runs through the entire album that something struck me; the least successful songs are those (no doubt destined to be singles) that try to hark back to The Strokes of old, but just end up sounding like a band bored of not being allowed to move on from past glories. To my mind the album could have been more exciting if the band had gone all out with the change in direction rather than keeping one foot safe and ending up with good rather than potentially great.
Having initially wondered if The Strokes had become tired of being The Strokes and made Metal Machine Music it turns out that they have perhaps finally realised that not everyone has to be Lou Reed at all and music can in fact (dare I say it) sometimes be enjoyable, so all is not lost.
Starting with the latter I should say upfront that I am a fan of The Strokes and don't necessarily adhere to the oft repeated mantra that their releases have been moving steadily downhill since Is This It revitalised the indie rock scene (for want of a better expression) and indeed the music industry in 2001.
Having said that I did approach Comedown Machine with some trepidation caused in no small part by the disappointment of Angles and the realisation that the dynamic and recording process of the band appears to be that of five individuals who don't particularly get on and would ideally spend as little time as possible in the same place together!
As a result the first listen of the album left me a little bemused as it wasn't at all what I had been expecting. Aside from two or three songs (out of 11) the sound is so far removed from the lo-fi garage rock that we have become accustomed to that I suspect most music fans on the street would struggle to guess the band if played a selection without having already heard it. Once the initial shock faded however I realised that this is actually a pretty good collection of songs. Set free from the (semi self imposed) self conscious New York hipster aesthetic the band are free to explore a broader landscape that takes in surprisingly funky grooves, the occasional foray towards wedding band territory, and the odd experiment with tinny electronic drum kits. It was only after a couple of runs through the entire album that something struck me; the least successful songs are those (no doubt destined to be singles) that try to hark back to The Strokes of old, but just end up sounding like a band bored of not being allowed to move on from past glories. To my mind the album could have been more exciting if the band had gone all out with the change in direction rather than keeping one foot safe and ending up with good rather than potentially great.
Having initially wondered if The Strokes had become tired of being The Strokes and made Metal Machine Music it turns out that they have perhaps finally realised that not everyone has to be Lou Reed at all and music can in fact (dare I say it) sometimes be enjoyable, so all is not lost.
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
London Popfest
I spent part of last weekend (Saturday and Sunday having sadly missed the Friday) attending London Popfest, an annual multi day indiepop extravaganza created and curated by Fortuna Pop!, Spiral Scratch, and WIAIWYA.
The Saturday lineup was; Big Wave, the Tuts, the Garlands, Martha, September Girls, This Many Boyfriends, Speedmarket Avenue, Standard Fare, and it must be said that all in all it was an utterly fantastic all dayer.
On a personal level I was tremendously happy and ultimately excited to see a couple of noisier than usual bands on the bill, almost drifting closer to a slightly darker punky or arguably indie rock type of sound. Perhaps the subconscious influence of Odd Box records is reaching a wider audience than I'd realised... The Tuts, who I have to love if for no other reason than their Clash cover, This Many Boyfriends (who had been supporting Kaiser Chiefs at Brixton Academy the previous night) and Martha in particular who I absolutely have to see much more often, played raucously engaging sets full of sing alongs, some pretty wild dancing and even the occasional mini moshpit!! Quite something for what was at times both the middle of the day and a fairly largely hungover crowd!
Finally seeing Big Wave again was absolutely worth arriving early for. They were just as good as I had hoped that I remembered them being last year, quite probably better in fact considering that I'm now a little more familiar with a couple of their songs. Just a beautiful constantly evolving dreamy pop sound. Slightly later in the day the fuzzy retro look noise of September Girls suited the day perfectly and simply must be heard by everyone, and seen if only to witness the power of so many perfect fringes on stage at the same time!!
Ultimately though, and wonderful as the entire lineup was, the day must be considered to a degree as a quite lovely send off for Standard Fare. Everyone in the sold out, and therefore jam packed and sweaty, 100 Club were as into the set as it's possible to be, singing every word, bouncing away, being melancholy and generally loving every second left with a truly original and perfect band. So many great songs and such a perfect end to the night and sadly to the band. There will certainly be an extremely large gap in the indiepop schedules now that they are no more.
An unbelievably great day, so many happy people... One line seems to have stayed with me though...'I want to tell you how I feel but I don't want you to know'.
More on the Sunday later.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
In extraordinarily fantastic news the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a new song out, which means that, amongst other things, I can stop wondering whether or not the band still exists!
Anyway, the new song is immediately recognisable as YYYs but is as always a development of the sound which we last heard on It's Blitz! and can be heard here. I certainly have very high hopes for the new album (released on 16th April I understand) and already have my ticket for Alexandra Palace on the 4th of May (tour dates)
Anyway, the new song is immediately recognisable as YYYs but is as always a development of the sound which we last heard on It's Blitz! and can be heard here. I certainly have very high hopes for the new album (released on 16th April I understand) and already have my ticket for Alexandra Palace on the 4th of May (tour dates)
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Veronica Falls
I managed to get out to see Veronica Falls play an in store gig at Rough Trade East last night, which was fantastic as I am entirely unable to catch them at Shoreditch Church tomorrow night (8th February). Frustration and tremendous jealousy leap to mind with regard to anyone who is going to the (I believe sold out) show!!
The set last night was skewed fairly heavily towards the new album, which was perfect as far as I'm concerned. Having only listened to the album a couple of times beforehand it was an absolutely ideal way to get to grips with some of the new songs. The thirty minute or so set flew by in a haze of jangly feedback, perfectly wonderful harmonies and retuning of guitars which all added up to the mysterious retro modern sound that is Veronica Falls. Also it was extremely enjoyable to see them play a small venue now that their tours are likely to get bigger and bigger. Hearing the album and catching them live wherever you are is an absolute must...I guarantee that you won't be disappointed.
Friday, 1 February 2013
Allo Darlin' 6 Music Session
It was quite unexpected and fantastic to hear a new Allo Darlin' song during a live session for Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music last night. They played Capricornia, Darren and Bright Eyes (the aforementioned new one) which is nothing to do with the Art Garfunkel Watership Down song (as far as I know!) or as it turns out Bright Eyes the band, but does involve Paul Rains singing alongside Elizabeth and an instrumental jam crescendo! A lovely song, I can't wait to hear more.
The show can be found here, the session starts around 45 minutes in but I'd say the whole show is worth a listen if you have time.
The show can be found here, the session starts around 45 minutes in but I'd say the whole show is worth a listen if you have time.
Friday, 18 January 2013
Fortuna Pop! Winter Sprinter 4
Now to Evans the Death, making a late challenge for the noisiest opening act upstart Fortuna band playing the Winter Sprinter, and they are certainly right up there in the reckoning. A fantastically good fun set, albeit created out of a somewhat shambolic performance which, as far as I could tell, only helped to endear the band to the crowd even more than usual! A couple of great sounding new songs got an airing alongside the more established stuff from the debut album, and only one bass guitar got broken...another rip roaring start.
Next up came Milky Wimpshake. For want of a better expression they can only be described as a proper indie band, and I mean that as a strong compliment. Plenty of up and coming, and frankly plenty of longer established bands could stand to take a long look at how Milky Wimpshake go about the business of being a band. So many great memorable songs, a close to perfect live sound and a lightness of touch that somehow managed to ensure that everyone watching and listening had a great time throughout the set.
The final band had to come around eventually with this being the final day of the four and it seemed that time had come with the arrival onstage of Comet Gain, who proceeded to produce a masterful set of indie perfection combined with music hallesque put downs and comic interludes whenever seemed appropriate...and certainly in response to repeated increasingly philosophical song requests from the crowd! The band are simply spectacular when in full flow and really shouldn't be missed if the chance to catch them happens to present itself. They remain absolutely adept at drifting from indie pop to freak out psyche jams and everything in between at the drop of a hat. Quite a thing to behold. You can hide your love forever was especially strong and a little moving, perhaps it should represent the four days alongside Memorabilia. Even after the set had ended the fun didn't stop, as David managed to start up an accidental encore while attempting to retrieve his guitar from the stage. A fitting end to the week.
After a truly epic four day stand somehow held together by Fortuna, wiaiwya manfully manning the merch table / cubbyhole, and, last but not least, the bench seating upstairs at the Lexington it can only be said that the entire event has set the bar extraordinarily high for every other gig that I attend this year. While the first night unarguably left the strongest impression on me I've been startled at the sheer quality of the 12 bands who played, and in fact all the DJs who leant their services. Without doubt this stands as the strongest consecutive lineup that I've witnessed and quite possibly the most fun that I've ever had so early in January!
This was the kind of thing that people should realistically only be allowed to dream might happen.
Next up came Milky Wimpshake. For want of a better expression they can only be described as a proper indie band, and I mean that as a strong compliment. Plenty of up and coming, and frankly plenty of longer established bands could stand to take a long look at how Milky Wimpshake go about the business of being a band. So many great memorable songs, a close to perfect live sound and a lightness of touch that somehow managed to ensure that everyone watching and listening had a great time throughout the set.
The final band had to come around eventually with this being the final day of the four and it seemed that time had come with the arrival onstage of Comet Gain, who proceeded to produce a masterful set of indie perfection combined with music hallesque put downs and comic interludes whenever seemed appropriate...and certainly in response to repeated increasingly philosophical song requests from the crowd! The band are simply spectacular when in full flow and really shouldn't be missed if the chance to catch them happens to present itself. They remain absolutely adept at drifting from indie pop to freak out psyche jams and everything in between at the drop of a hat. Quite a thing to behold. You can hide your love forever was especially strong and a little moving, perhaps it should represent the four days alongside Memorabilia. Even after the set had ended the fun didn't stop, as David managed to start up an accidental encore while attempting to retrieve his guitar from the stage. A fitting end to the week.
After a truly epic four day stand somehow held together by Fortuna, wiaiwya manfully manning the merch table / cubbyhole, and, last but not least, the bench seating upstairs at the Lexington it can only be said that the entire event has set the bar extraordinarily high for every other gig that I attend this year. While the first night unarguably left the strongest impression on me I've been startled at the sheer quality of the 12 bands who played, and in fact all the DJs who leant their services. Without doubt this stands as the strongest consecutive lineup that I've witnessed and quite possibly the most fun that I've ever had so early in January!
This was the kind of thing that people should realistically only be allowed to dream might happen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)