When ‘Majestic’, the opening track on Wax Fang’s debut album spun through my speakers for the first time, I feared the worst I have to admit. Not that the track is dull in any way or with any lack of musical creativity, it just came across to me as a bit over dramatic and perhaps wishy-washy. However, the longer ‘La La Land’ progressed the more I grew into it.
Musically it is certainly more of an upbeat record, even if track titles such as ‘World War II (Part 2)’ and ‘Black & Endless Night Revisited’ suggest otherwise. The former almost blending in from the first track show that these guys mean business and ‘La La Land’ continues in this sort of vein on many of the tracks. We come across some magnificent guitar playing on this record. Founding member Scott Carney displays a sort of technique that may be reminiscent of Warren Ellis of The Bad Seeds and Dirty Three fame, or the orchestrated feel of Do Make Say Think. ‘Doctor Will See You Now’ and the instrumental prog rock number ‘Avant Guardian Angel Dust’ are fine examples of this. His vocal technique is interesting of which the sound kind of reminds me of David Tibet of Current 93, although I sometimes end up thinking that he should maybe focus more on his guitar playing.
As well as the upbeat tracks, the Kentucky trio provide us with a more melodic side to expand on the sounds variety. The gorgeous instrumental soundscapes of ‘At Sea’ would be fitting on a film soundtrack and again they effectively blend the track in with the next song ‘Cannibal Summer’. Another example of the slower side of Wax Fang include ‘Woh, Recklessness’ which for me gives a less stronger impact that some other tracks may do.
So a vital tip to be given when listening to a band for the very first time, and that is to never judge an act by one track, as I really did think I was going to hate this after the first song. But you know what? It’s not that bad.
This Bay Area four piece are gearing up for the release of an album that could well excel these guys to the heights they deserve. It just feels like the right time to be coming out with a record like 'Warm Slime,' It's dirty, scuzzy and loud. The sort of relief that's needed as the lo-fi scene is simmering down somewhat and people are wanting more than just echoed nonchalant vocals and jangly guitar lines. Thee Oh Sees aren't new on the block, this will actually be their eleventh album but with a ton of bands such as Wooden Shjips careering this sort of desert psych noise with great success (having just supported Pavement)and heads have been turning for a little while now. With a prolific performance at last week's ATP to which anyone who was there will argue was one of the highlights of an excellent weekend, by the time Thee Oh Sees head over to these shores in June people will be talking about the next step for the Lo-Fi band and this could very well be it.
screeching guitars are played over bluesy bass lines and space age synth noises which, mixed together creates a sound that is as awkwardly pleasing to the ear. Warm Slime is a bold statement if nothing else, about how confident this band are, you only have to look as far as the opening title track, a fourteen minute groovy psych frenzy to realise what they are capable of. We're let off the hook a little with the next track 'I Was Denied' a much more palatable affair still ripe with fuzz before John Dwyer and his twelve string beast get into full swing for 'Flash Bats' with feedback more piercing than a Sonic Youth concert and 'Mega-Feast' which is indeed a tasty feast of noise.
The more I listen to Thee Oh Sees the more I start to think how easily this album could end up in my top ten for the year, it improves with every listen.
Here we have the latest single from Laura Marling's critically acclaimed second album 'I Speak Because I Can.'
As we have come to expect from Marling the song is carried by her stunning voice backed by subtle folk influenced acoustic guitar works creating a truly heart-warming three minutes, despite the fairly bleak lyrics.
Marling has already achieved so much, having collaborated with The Rakes, Mystery Jets and Noah and the Whale despite being only just 20 and Rambling Man is another fine example of maturity in her song writing ability.
Intense psychedelic desert vibes coming from the ultra exciting label 'In The Red,' the same people who brought you Black Lips, Vivian Girls and one of my recent favourites Thee Oh Sees. In the fine stylings of lo-fi we have dirty, fuzzed up guitars, vocals distorted almost beyond reproach and songs that rarely reach over three minutes. The sinister approach to new album 'American Crow' has essences of when Eighties Matchbox were recording good music.
It’s that time of the year again, May is here and with that comes the start of the long festival season and what better way to start it than with quite possibly the best festival this country has to offer, ATP. It offers the avid festival goer a chance to see the best, most eclectic of lineups, whilst having a roof over your head and a chance to get drunk and go swim in the sea amongst many other things. If you’re reading this site then chances are you’ve already heard of/ been to ATP on a number of occasions, let’s face it, it’s not the industries best kept secret any more but for those who haven’t, it’s set in Butlins and it is simply a delight from start to finish. Where else on earth do you have the opportunity to watch an intense set by Broadcast or Boredoms with seven drummers and then chill out in the Jacuzzi? Blowing the dust off of my swimming shorts knowing fairly well that the only way these babies would actually get wet over the weekend was if I accidentally spilt beer on them (the intentions were there) I headed from London as far west as possible without stumbling into Wales for yet another amazing weekend.
One thing I love about the festival is the intimacy of the whole event, I only needed to pull into the Tesco’s just round the corner from the site to see hoards of people I knew, some of which I’d seen a few days ago, some I hadn’t seen since last ATP but all were asking that question would the man himself, Matt Groening be there? And although I didn’t have the answers at that point I did pose the question, would a man who has just been asked to curate a three day party involving all of his favourite bands and whose music tastes span as far wide as the Tiger Lillies and The Residents really want to be stuck in a studio somewhere in downtown L.A. drawing cartoons? I don’t think so.
Friday
When we finally arrived and sorted our room after a minor incident involving showing Liars my arse we headed straight to Centre Stage, a venue that usually caters for acts such as Peter Andre abreast with cool flashing lights and poles surrounding the venue. Something that would usually be lost on the embarrassing number of people that normally traipse here to see some ungodly pop act but it seems to fit the mood just right for many acts over the weekend. First up was historical set by Broadcast, a band in which you seldom see live, in the grand scheme of things a music lover is more likely to get a press pass to a Pink Floyd reunion than a Broadcast gig so it felt pretty special watching the duo and although the first half of the set which was described as really good background noise by a friend, it was totally overshadowed by the second half where the on stage experimentation with sound and truly beautiful motion on a big screen flourished. They pulled of a magical set ploughing through a vast collection of great songs with the bar being raised unbelievably high for the weekend.
Cold Cave were one of my highlights of late last year playing dark, fuzzed up Kraut Rock inspired dance and whilst it didn’t seem to appeal to everyone I thought they were fantastic, although their three way synth noise blasts would have catered better later on in the evening or even the last act rather than the afternoon.
After a much needed fast food hit it was time for the main event of the day, Iggy and his wonderful Stooges playing ATP’s main stage, the Pavilion. The man is a living legend and one of the most charismatic lead singers in the business, he just seems so at home on stage throwing himself about the stage and at one point getting masses of fans on stage and wandering around going ‘hey man, stick around, take a picture, it’s cool,’ he had the crowd hanging off his every word and when ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ dropped, the place erupted.
For a band that has been going over 25 years I found it amazing that I had never heard of Shonen Knife before (although due to the fact I was at ATP I pretended I had as I’m sure many did) but as with every ATP, this would be a weekend of many discoveries and this Japanese punk pop trio are high on my list of bands to Spotify.
In what seemed like thirty seconds between bands we had one of the highlights of the weekend. Liars, fresh from the shock of seeing my arse earlier took the infamous 1 am slot. Their full frontal intensity did not let up, ploughing through a career-spanning set of new and old. Considering my love for 2007’s ‘Liars’ their new album hadn’t caught me yet, but after hearing material from their latest album Sisterworld live I have most certainly realised the error of my ways and finally got it! I haven’t stopped listening to it since. The highlight for me was, ‘Plaster Casts Of Everything’ which set me off in a frenzy of dancing and jumping as with ‘Clear Island’ their set was unlike any I have ever heard live, Angus Andrew didn’t stop moving, hurling himself around the stage, commanding the crowd before him. Liars have cemented the fact that their live sets are a force to be reckoned with.
Friday was a quiet night, in fact this ATP was relatively quiet compared to others which was a shock as it’s probably the strongest line-up I’ve seen for a long time (that said, they do surprise me every year.) Myself and some friends stumbled upon a party that would turn out to be talk of the weekend, a chalet that was turned into some kind of ‘Club Tropicana’ esq bar with dj’s, big lights and a properly schooled bartender serving up wicked cocktails for free. We later found out that the party was put on by Diesel, unbeknownst to the good people that put the festival on. It’s kind of cool knowing that the only way corporate sponsors can infiltrate ATP’s walls is by literally buying a ticket, turning up and hoping for the best.
Saturday
Saturday started with possibly the best hangover cure known to man. Boredoms performing Boadrum. A nine piece ensemble featuring seven drummers one being carried through the crowd partway through the first song, never have I seen such an intense performance with each drummer pounding the hell out of their kit whilst the front-man switches from some form of eight way guitar and various obscure percussion instruments. It really has to be seen to be believed.
Friday After that all I could do was sit and let music wash over me a bit so thankfully the next few bands provided the perfect relief. Danielson played fairly unimpressive indie pop but it did allow time to get my head together before Deerhunter who really test the limits of the Pavillion stage, their music fit that mid day time slot so well with old favourites ‘Nothing Ever Happened’ and ‘Never Stops´ waking the crowd from their sombre state.
Despite being around forty years, this was the first I’d heard of The Residents and they blew my mind. With a stage show vaguely resembling that of an early Genesis show if Peter Gabriel was a psychotic old man writhing around the stage in his underpants (no...Not Phil Collins.) Their performance art was a thing of beauty and craziness.
Amadou and Mariam provided the pavilion with a chance to dance like hell to their cheery array of African Samba beats which certainly lifted the mood after The Residents freakout.
Thanks to a tip off from a friend who works for the festival we headed to the rarely used ‘Jumpin Jacks’ club to see a one off jam with J. Spaceman, some of the Boredoms drummers and Konono No.1 which was great to watch although Spacemans contribution was nothing more than creating feedback over some otherwise awesome world music.
Thee Oh Sees were one of the highlights of the weekend, the four piece create psychedelic party rock which set the pit off into a state of frenzy, the thirteen minute ‘Warm Slime’ showed that this band can really kick out the jams creating well executed noise and feedback through lead singer John Dwyer‘s twelve string monster of a guitar.
Keeping the tempo well and truly up, James Chance provided a set of truly dirty New York funk, with his huge quiff and white suit he proceeded to wow the crowd with his unrelenting sax playing and dancing.
Sunday
After such a crazy night for all involved there was no surprise that Sunday was the quietest day of all, after finally dragging ourselves out of the chalet we went and saw Tiger Lillies, introduced by mr Groening himself, the ultimate avante-garde trio started off with a few slower numbers which got me a little weepy but thankfully once lead singer picked up his accordion the gig became more of a creepy cabaret show. There is nothing else like these guys.
Spiritualised looked really epic but to be honest it never really caught me. After such a crazy Saturday I’m not sure many of us were up for the underwhelming sounds and despite a full orchestra and choir we gave them the standard fifteen minutes and then moved on.
Playing the second of two shows The XX were a big surprise, partly because I had seen them the night before and was unimpressed but secondly because there was hardly anyone there. By this point it was a mixture of people already gone home, were crashing out or watching The Raincoats downstairs but either way, seeing The XX play to about 200 other people was pretty special, with so much hype about them last year it was great to see them pull it off to a crowd of people who really don’t like hyped bands.
Cocorosie took the final slot of the weekend and filled it with some of the most delicate, beautiful songs of the weekend. Their amazingly charming catchy tunes mixed in so many genres, it was such a pleasure to watch.
I arrived back home a shadow of my former self, a broken man. I extended my deadlines, checked myself in at the doctors, bought the entire Broadcast back catalogue and can’t wait until the Christmas events. Once again ATP has proved that it truly is the best music festival in the country.
Here is the very cool promo video for the new Unkle Sleepy Sun collaboration out on June the 7th. Follow Me Down is the first single to be taken from new album 'Where Did The Night Fall' and will be accompanied by a short film directed by Paul Williams (London to Brighton, Cherry Tree Lane).
You’d be hard pressed to find a more well-suited venue for the Kept Impulses Bristol show than St. George’s. Simultaneously grand and understated, and possessed of fantastic natural acoustics, its surrounds perfectly mirror and enhance the music echoing through the hall this evening. The three musicians collaborating are all known for fully exploring the possibilities of acoustic instrumentation, each with a unique vision but sharing a common sense of space and freedom. So although they may not initially seem the closest bedfellows, James Blackshaw’s dense clouds of twelve-string guitar tone and Nancy Elizabeth’s hushed folk forms complement one another surprisingly well, while Hauschka’s dual purpose piano – responsible for both melody and percussion – provides a sinuous rhythmic backdrop.
Two of Blackshaw’s own pieces open the first half of the show, and as they progress each sinks into what could only be described as a whirlpool of sound. His use of a twelve-string acoustic guitar creates a resonance far beyond the possibilities of a six-stringer, and as open tunings allow earthy drones to fill the lower end, his folksy melodies gradually sink beneath a thick broth of harmonic overtones. It’s heady and hypnotic stuff - as mystical as it’s possible to be when you’re from Kent, I suppose - though a slow and unassuming start. Alongside Elizabeth’s first song they open proceedings on a curiously muted note, perhaps due to nerves or simply a neat trick of structuring: by the time Hauschka begins a teasing out brittle bottletop rhythm to accompany the stomp-clack motion of her own ‘Feet Of Courage’ such concerns are banished.
The show’s second half proves infinitely more rewarding, and far more cleverly integrated. A trio of Hauschka’s own compositions appear early; wonderful, melancholy things that touch on minimalism without ever reaching cool austerity. All are self-accompanied by all sorts of strange insectoid clicks and muted thuds, thanks to his piano preparations – gaffa tape, bottletops and coffee tins amongst other odds and ends litter its strings. He’s nothing if not a showman, in an eccentric and slightly cheeky way, as his final piece sees him fill the house grand piano with a huge bag of ping-pong balls. The result is to generate a thick soupy haze of fuzz around its soft melody, drawing an immediate parallel with Blackshaw’s similar attitude towards the guitar.
The finale and encore draws all three’s music further together, the main set ending on a gorgeous collaborative piece named ‘A Thousand Angels’ that shifts from jaunty continental shuffle to heavy folk strum. One re-emergence later all three play the single piano simultaneously, Elizabeth with drumsticks, Hauschka with his army of noisemakers and Blackshaw teasing out a delicately pivoting high theme. It ends too soon, and everything feels slightly grey for a while afterward.
I was recently commissioned by New Zealand magazine Chew to create a cover for their latest issue which includes a two page interview and was also contacted by awesome design site Hello You Creatives for a chat. Both interviews can be read underneath.
Here we have the new video from Baltimore's noise pop trio Double Dagger. They will be on tour throughout May.
Wed 12 Nottingham Spanky Van Dykes (w/Friendship) Thu 13 Leeds Nation Of Shopkeepers (w/Friendship) Fri 14 London The Lock Tavern (w/Friendship) Sat 15 London The Rest Is Noise (w/Friendship) Sun 16 Bristol Start the Bus (w/Friendship) Mon 17 Cardiff Arts Centre Tue 18 London Cargo (w/Ganglians and Real Estate)
Wichita favourites Sky Larkin have released a three track EP available to download from their site for free in the build up to the release of their sophomore ‘Kaleide’ in August.
Here we have another brilliant 4AD session featuring three fantastic tracks from Ariel Pink plucked from their amazing new album Before Today out June the 8th. Watch, enjoy and see why this band will very soon be one of the most talked about bands of the summer.
Seattle based Jaguar Love are kindly offering you the chance to Remix their track 'Polaroids and Red Wine' to be featured as part of the single's digital release.
Contest Rules:
1. You can either download stems and remix using your own software or work online with the Tracks & Fields sequencer....the choice is yours! And don't forget you can form discussion groups with your fellow remixers to share inspiration, tech talk or anything else!
2. Publish your remix at Tracks & Fields. You are not allowed to publish/post your remix or the stems from this contest on any other site - you may only use Tracks & Fields widgets for this purpose. Any user found to be doing so will be disqualified from this contest.
3. Do not infringe anyone's copyright: only use your own or royalty free/creative commons licensed material! Fat Possum / Jaguar Love remain the sole copyright owner of the song 'Polaroids and Red Wine' and all audio stems from this contest.
4. Jaguar Love/Fat Possum will choose the best remix - the entrant with the most votes will not necessarily win this contest.
Prize:
CONSIDERATION FOR DIGITAL RELEASE!
Go to here for further details and to download the files.
In addition the duo will be touring the UK this month kicking off with the Great Escape in Brighton on thursday:
UK Dates:
13 May 2010 The Hope Brighton (Great Escape)
21 May 2010 Jaguar Shoes London (Stag And Dagger)
22 May 2010 ABC2 Glasgow (Stag And Dagger)
23 May 2010 Night and Day Cafe Manchester (Stag And Dagger)
24 May 2010 Hoxton Bar & Kitchen London (Headline)
MB: So introduce yourselves to our readers, who you are what you do and define your genre...If you can
A: We’re Grasscut, I’m Andrew
M: I’m Marcus
A: We’re a duo and we play a sort of English hybrid of electronic and classic and various other types of music
M: Lots of kinds of music, I don’t know what we are in genre terms. We’re signed to Ninja Tune so you can go to their site and you can decide for yourselves and tell us, send us a message on Myspace.
A: Ninja think that we’re folky, with electronic knobs on.
MB: I like that
A: Yeah I like it too.
MB: They do seem to be going down a bit more of a folky road at the moment
M: Yeah they’ve got a very broad roster for bands at the moment, I think of late it’s spread out quite a lot, I mean we just did a remix for my favourite Ninja act Jagga Jazzist, I saw them recently very cool,
A: It kind of goes a bit more towards modern classical, its intense stuff and it fits in really well with us I think. The remix is quite out- there
MB: So how did you guys form Grasscut, where did you meet, how did it all come about?
A: Grasscut came about through us meeting in another band a few years ago in a more traditional, kind of singer songwriter folky band but we were touring together and I just started experimenting with my laptop and talking and a few months later we just decided to start up Grasscut but we’ve got a lot of similar influences musically and in terms of books, cinema so it seemed a sort of natural progression to make it into a mouthpiece for both of us.
M: It also has quite a strong cinematic base as Andrew’s done an enormous amount of film and tv composing and I played in lots of bands and we’ve played together in various bands.
'Audio pervert, that’s how I define myself.'
A: Yeah the music is very cinematic it was always sort of the idea to have something that sounds widescreen, have a big impact and use lots of sampled voices from old films and gramophones from way back in the past, a lot of the music addresses ideas of memory that go back into the past and bring them right up to the present so cinema has played a big part in that
M: And then the other vocal samples come from snooping around with our mobile phones and stealing little bits of conversation off people like a pair of, whatever the audio equivalent of a peeping tom is.
A: Audio pervert, that’s how I define myself.
M: I think actually as a genre ‘Audio Perversion’ is about right.
MB: I think that could catch on now.
M: Especially in Soho which is where we are right now.
MB: This time next year you have every journalist talking about where you started the term ‘Audio Perversion’
A: We could start our own label called Audio Perverts
M: There is Audio porn...Never mind. No we’re different we’re more classy we’re no mere bit of pornography
A: Darker and deeper?
M: Don’t ever say that again
MB: That’s a good name for a porno actually,
M: That’s the second pornography reference we’ve had in about 20 seconds
MB: When in soho....
M: That’s the third.
MB: Straying away from porn just for a minute. So Andrew having composed scores for films etc how did you go from that to Grasscut, was that an organic process?
A: Yeah it was an organic process going from composing into Grasscut, I produced quite a few records as well and I think the thing is I had quite a lot of things I had enough work behind me of my own that I started to sample bits of my own work and make tracks which is quite a weird and also technology has allowed live performances to move forward massively in the last five years it’s like going from doing a show with a whole range of keyboards and synths to doing a whole show out of a laptop, for us that’s what it’s all about you know playing and creating this big sound but without the need for so much kit but you’re still in control live and can be experimental and I think that’s really what has made Grasscut happen in the last two years rather than five, some of the ideas I’ve had for years but we haven’t been able to realise them until now, it’s a great time to be playing live.
M: A key part of it is that there is only two of us on stage we’re playing as much as we can, so Andrew is singing, playing guitar, playing keyboards and Ableton and I’m playing double bass and lots of keyboards so we do as much as we can but in the same time it does all easily fit in the boot of a car and there’s no need to get a big van, we’ve done that before with other bands so the whole point of it is to do something that comes out of Andrew’s film composition and background and for that we do use a whole studio of instruments and Andrews studio is absolutely cluttered with hundreds of instruments and the whole point about this is that we don’t need all that, we can take it out live and just unpack it straight away.
A:I always remember when I was a kid and we had Kraftwerk and they turned up with a suitcase and the lighting and sound was all in this suitcase and you were just left thinking ‘Jesus Christ how is this possible?' and nobody at that point knew what that was but I remember the idea that you could somehow just condense it to put on a show, I mean we do have double bass, electric guitar and other additional instruments and that’s just as important as well but it’s just important to have this sound that’s really mobile and excitingly fresh and we can put on a show really quickly
M: It’s very much the whole point of Grasscut that you know, there’s lots of samples and glitchy electronics going on and at the same time there’s loads of live instruments because the point is that there’s not just two people with laptops. Two people with laptops can be great but I think the days where you can command a whole show like that are probably over and visually and also you need that element of risk you need to know that basically things can fuck up.
A: You need that as a performer as well, I mean if you’re essentially playing back the same show every night and not miming but playing over the top of it you need to know that things could fall through at any moment and then you raise your game.
'There's a whole world of poetic imagination that’s what were both trying to tap into.'
MB: Ok so talking about this sort of style of music, with live instruments and samples is that what you wanted to explore live?
A: Yeah, I wanted to explore the idea of using lots of spoken vocals in the conflicts of a song so with melody, with beats but in a sort of unique way. To be honest with you it took quite a while to get the voice right and I think we talked a lot about it, finding what we had in common to slightly distinguish it and explore that reserve. It’s just given us a really rich area to sort of film history of England and Britain, traipse back on English pop rather than American pop, that’s the mode we’re in, Brian Eno, Robert Wyatt these giants of independent English pop, I think we see ourselves in that sort of tradition.
M: Somewhere in-between that and the electronic contemporary composing tradition of Gavin Bryars who’s also a big hero of both of ours and quite a formidable double bass player as well, I don’t know where we are in all of this but it’s the same idea,
A: I don’t know there’s a whole world of poetic imagination that all those people have and I guess that’s what were both trying to tap into, a sense of finding your place in the history of music. MB: Set yourselves some goals then eh?
A: Yeah well I guess fail gloriously rather than succeed easily I suppose or succeed gloriously
MB: Andrew are you still composing as well now? Or is this the main thing now or is Grasscut more of a side project?
A: For us it’s not really a side project, for me the composing and the music kind of fit into each other and that’s really where I wanted to get to so that one. The aim is for Grasscut to take more of our time.
Grasscut- Swallow The Day
MB: Yeah sure so what else do you do apart from Grasscut?
M: I’m a music journalist; I play in another band as well, more jazz, left-field rock. I mean that’s just the way that it is, when we’re selling out the Royal Festival Hall, we’ll be able to put more time into this but it’s only really the beginning. We’re also working on some more visuals that will come into our shows so there are always things to work on.
A: It’s kind of an obsession really that runs along everything else, I mean when you’re not working on something else you’re working on this and it’s just fun, you get to do something you love doing, it doesn’t feel like work really.
MB: How did the whole signing to Ninja Tune come about?
M: I sent them a track which we’d done and it just got through, we didn’t know them or anything and in fact that track hasn’t ended up on the album it ended up as a B side but they liked it, so we sent them another track and it went on like that.
A: They came to see us at a tiny gig at a community centre in Brighton and it was like ‘yeah let’s do it’ I think we originally signed to them on a small scale but once they heard all the material, I wrote a few new songs and we developed it live I think it became a lot more serious for them and they wanted to sign a more comprehensive deal which was great but the downside is you have to delay your releases as you’re waiting for things to go through and the profile to rise, I mean the album was meant to be out last October. They’re a great label, a really great combination of really on it but really ramshackle, friendly people.
M: I mean they’ve been going for 20 years, people like Amon Tobin is a big one for us, Cinematic Orchestra, all big influences.
We're trying to find a musical language and lyrics to describe how it feels to be around ‘now,’
MB: Ok so talk me through the album, who produced it, did you do it yourselves?
A: Yeah I produced it and recorded it at my studio Marcus played bass and we’ve got friends guesting on drums and various other musicians, string players.
M: David Bramwell from Oddfellows Casino sings on one tune, Andrew produced his album as well.
A: The album is kind of, well someone wrote about it and said it’s like a sort of state of the nation piece and I quiet like that, it’s like a journey into different parts of England, Englishness and just sort of explores that. A lot of it is set in the Sussex South Downs landscape and it’s just trying to find a musical language and lyrics to describe how it feels to be around ‘now,’ it’s deliberately abrasive, there’s a lot of left turns its really trying to get away from the way that pop music generally tends to be stylised and you just feel like things are happening because of a particular style but this is more we’re making it up as we go along. Turning left when you should turn right.
M: Breaking traffic laws left right and centre. No respect for the green cross code, it’s total chaos.
A: A lot of it’s about memory I mean we’ve got samples of a Victorian poet hilaire belloc as the lead vocals on one who I sampled off a 78’ and there’s a guy from 1927 known as ‘the people’s tenor,’ I’m speaking on some, my mum’s speaking on one so it’s always different.
M: The idea is, there’s only two of us on stage we’re both doing lots of things, there’s not meant to be the normal ‘rockist’ vocal role, it’s not there. Andy doesn’t spend that much time with one foot on the monitor and one hand on his cock. Not that much...Enough. Medallions, chest wig you know.
MB: Would you say there’s a whole trend at the moment with creating music with totally different instruments, household objects etc. Do you think there’s a reason that this sort of sound has come about recently?
M: I mean there are lots of people doing it at the moment but there have been for a long time. I think there’s quite a long tradition of making horrendously leftfield music, we’re actually quite pop compared to some of these but there does seem to be something going on at the moment, I mean I really love Battles I think they’re excellent but then again Tyondai Braxton’s dad Anthony Braxton who was making very weird music himself.
A: I think it’s partly an online thing because if you’re good you can get to an audience quite quickly. Everyone always moans about making money out of music but I think it’s good for the health of niche music, more experimental music I mean more people have a broader vocabulary on their Ipod than ever and that’s got to be to do with Myspcae
M: Left-field music has been around for a long time is what’s changed of late is the structure has broken down, mainstream music must be less important now than it’s ever been, the reasons for that are manifold but there isn’t even Top of the Pop’s any more the whole focal point of one big main genre are gone, I know you look back and everything seems to be marginalised by the effects of time but.
A: I don’t think that, I think what’s happening is that once upon a time in the mainstream you’d be playing about with the margins and you’d get mainstream artists with the odd bit of experimentation on the side but I think with an act like Grasscut we’re an experimental band but we’re playing about with the mainstream so we’re taking little bits of pop and bringing them into our world and that’s become almost like another instrument, the conventions of pop and in some ways have been turned on its head and I love that idea. Same with Fuck Buttons, less obvious than us but it takes on confrontational risks and it’s still pop. You can have the most insane sounds and a lot of that is to do with r & b production it’s very experimental yet people accept it.
M: And these are the days where all these crazy sounds are readily available online so you get a situation where you can add all of your niches from around the world and create something that maybe ten years ago you couldn’t and both these bands are brilliant live, in particular Battles so as the music industry crashes and burns you still have the live scene that’s flourishing and so you get people like that who doing really unusual stuff that sound amazingly compelling live and bigger shows, Animal Collective just did Brixton Academy you know. So if all of those people would like to buy a few hundred copies of the Grasscut album each then we’ll be alright, I don’t think that’s a reasonable request.
This thursday see's the first day of Brighton's annual three day music showcase with over 300 bands playing across 34 venues on the South coast. Tickets are still available at a bargain price of only £55 for 3-days. Can't go wrong! Purchase here
Further analysis of of the weekender will be up on Middle Boop after the festival.
Here are videos of just some of the artists we feel you should definetely check out if you're in Brighton this weekend.
The Vancouver duo who released my personal favourite LP of 2009 'Post Nothing', are once again about to head these shores later this month kicking off with 2 appearances at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton.
In the meantime, Japandroids will be releasing the second installment of this years five part 7" series following on from the recent 'Art Czars/Racer X' single in the near future. (details to be announced soon!)
Japandroids will be playing these forthcoming shows in Europe, and if you get the chance to catch them, DO IT!
Japandroids UK Tour 5/13 Brighton, UK @ Revenge (The Great Escape Festival) 5/14 Brighton, UK @ Audio (The Great Escape Festival) 5/17 Sheffield, UK @ Discover - The Harley 5/18 Oxford, UK @ Jericho 5/19 Southampton, UK @ Joiners 5/20 London, UK @ The Garage 5/22 Lausanne, CHE @ Le Romandie 5/23 Bern, CHE @ ISC 5/24 Bologna, ITA @ Locomotiv 5/25 Rome, ITA @ Circolo degli Artisti 5/26 Milan, ITA @ Magnolia 5/28 BARCELONA, ESP @ Primavera Sound Festival 6/29 ARENDAL, NOR @ Hove Festival 7/2 ROSKILDE, DNK @ Roskilde Festival
For those less familiar with the music of David Kennedy, the artist more commonly known as Ramadanman – or Pearson Sound, depending on which side of his output you investigate – the rest of 2010 may prove to be an eye-opener. One of the founders of the increasingly influential Hessle Audio imprint, which so far this year has put out rising star James Blake’s gorgeous The Bells Sketch EP alongside a set of dubstep nocturnes from co-founder Pangaea, Kennedy’s own productions are as eclectic in style and substance as the music his label releases. Over the last six months or so he’s managed to refine his style further, creating a heavily stylized dance hybrid that’s as unnerving as it is exciting. His drum patterns have to be heard to be believed, managing to combine the space and restraint of old-school dubstep with the sort of manic energy you’d usually associate with early jungle. And all with a wildly futurist edge that brings to mind the rapid-fire chaos of the information age.
This last month has seen the release of three new sets of Kennedy’s tracks, each of which explores an entirely different side to his sound. Last month’s Ramadanman EP came out through his own label, and stuck closely to the hallmarks Hessle have made their own over the last couple of years – abstract rhythms that borrow heavily from two-step, and the same chilly, minimalist aesthetic that made the earliest dubstep so brutally compelling. ‘I Beg You’ is mournful to the point of unnerving, as is the jungle-influenced jitterbug motion of ‘A Couple Of Years’, and the overlapping layers of sound in ‘No Swing’ cascade over one another like a waterfall. At the opposite end of the scale are his collaborative tracks with Midland, released this week on Will Saul’s Aus Music label, both of which explore slower, moody house tempos. Think Todd Edwards, Joy Orbison and Mala battling it out in an abandoned car park.
Most interesting though, and highly recommended for anyone interested in checking out Ramadanman’s material out for the first time, is the Glut/Tempest 12” on Hemlock. Raved about by Gilles Peterson and Mary Anne Hobbs, both tracks here feel like the natural culmination of everything he’s done so far. ‘Glut’ hits the dancefloor buttons, setting a rattling vocal sample bouncing back and forth over a huge, euphoric build, and the understated ‘Tempest’ crafts a maelstrom of melody appropriate to its name. What’s so impressive about Kennedy’s music is how seamlessly it reconciles each separate aspect, creating a single entity that prioritises floor action but never at the expense of musicality. With more new bits to come over the next few months, it would be a shame if his name didn’t begin to find its way far further than the niche scene he’s typically associated with.
The Wave Pictures return with the ‘Sweetheart EP’, out 7th June on Moshi Moshi Records. New European live dates have been confirmed too, including a headlining show at Bush Hall on 16th June,plus details of festival appearances at Primavera, Green Man and Bestival amongst others.
May Thu 27th Barcelona, Spain, Primavera Festival June Sat 12th Tarragona, Italy, Gea Festival Wed 16th London UK, Bush Hall. July Sat 10th Canterbury, Lounge On The Farm Fri 30th Asturias, Spain, Salina Longboard Festival Sat 31st Ponteverda, Spain, Soundlabs Festival August Fri 13th Leicester UK, Summer Sundae Sat 14th Brussels, Belgium, Summer Festival Fri 20th Brecon UK, Green Man Festival September Fri 10th Dorset UK, Bestival
North-West London's very own Foxx Bandits will be playing some special shows in the next month, kicking off tomorrow at the Hope and Anchor in London.
After headlining the Camden Barfly in March the band have been plugging away in the U.K live scene. Including a headline slot at the much-loved ILL-FIT night at The Social near Oxford Circus. As well as playing various gigs the band have had a feature on BBC Introducing for BBC Radio London and will be playing a much anticipated in-store at Pure Groove Records on 26th May.
As well as a host of shows in the capital, if you're lucky enough to live near Leeds, Kidderminster and Brighton you can catch them at the following venues on these dates:
06/05/2010 – Hope and Anchor, London 15/05/2010 – The Gaff, London 23/05/2010 – The Good Ship, London 26/05/2010 – PureGroove Records, London 28/05/2010 – The Elbow Rooms, Leeds 03/06/2010 – The Swan, Kidderminster 05/06/2010 – Prince Albert, Brighton 08/06/2010 – Catch, London 10/06/2010 – Purple Turtle, London
Future Islands are a band that I have been into for well over a year now, I just didn't know it. My first experience came way back last summer when I was working on Dan Deacon's merch stand in London, there was a great support band playing very energetic, synth driven pop with this charismatic lead singer who had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand but as I was working I didn't manage to catch their name, despite being very impressed. Fast forward six months and suddenly I'm getting emails about a trio of synth driven popsters doing things a little differently who recently signed to a new label and the pieces started to fit together.
Future Islands first release since relocating to Baltimore and signing to Thrill Jockey sees the three piece tackle that very oversubscribed genre of synth driven noise by truly adding something different to the mix. First of all vocalist Samuel T. Herring is unlike most you will ever hear, growling and screaming feverishly throughout as layers of synth and programmed drum beats ooze from track to track track tied together by William Cashion's Peter Hook influenced basslines creating a surprisingly feel good summer soundtrack.
Each song has been passionately put together, each with great beats and fantastically oddball sounds. The catchy-as-hell 'Tin Man' with it's fuzzy basslines and synths swirling and echoed like steel drums showcase a band that, despite calling themselves 'Post Wave' can actually write a good pop song. Inch Of Dust and Vireo's Eye both holler back much more to a retro vibe sounding almost as if the Cure could write a happy song and stand out song An Apology showcases their dynamic take on old school and new styles.
Future Islands are a very hard working band and this record will hopefully catch the right peoples attention as it so deserves.
So rarely these days, does a band or artist release two quick-fire releases with such contrasting musical sounds. Due to the ever evolving technology available to musicians, time has become more frequently available to spend, sometimes years at a time to release one album to another. Luke Temple has in just over a year followed up his debut self-titled Here We Go Magic album that combined noise, drones and epic sounds capes yet still managed to hold its indie-pop sound. However, the Brooklyn quintet, has now gone back to a more traditional sound with structured songs that will become more accessible to the audiences that have witnessed their live performances alongside the likes of The Walkmen and Grizzly Bear. Coinciding with headlining slots as well at SXSW, CMJ and various shows in New York City, they have earned well deserved acclaim.
In the form of Pigeons, this is where I feel we will see Here We Go Magic gain the plaudits they deserve on this side of the Atlantic as well. It is an album which we recognise their sound more as a full band rather than a Luke Temple solo project with a backing band behind him.
Pigeons begins with ‘Hibernation’. An ironically titled opener considering how busy the past year has been with regards to touring and promoting. The hypnotic bass loop provides a 1980’s pop feel to the track before the subtle keyboard drones relaxingly in the background. The first single titled ‘Collecter’ is psychedelic pop at its finest and is probably the standout track on this album for me. Other notable numbers on this release include the wonderful keyboard pop of ’Old World United’ which draws all the positive elements of a Paul McCartney fronted Beatles track. In addition, the minimalist percussion in penultimate track ‘Vegetable Or Native’ is a rare example that is highly reminiscent of the debut Here We Go Magic record and it reminds the listener of what they can still do.
The production for me is one of the stand out features throughout this release. Where their last album may be given for being drowned in noise, Pigeons however, features extensive use of overdubs and production techniques but are relatively low in the mix that it allows you to properly listen to the record and discover something new with every play. Tracks such as ‘Surprise’, ‘F.F.A.P.’ and ‘Land of Feeling’ aren’t the most up tempo and attention grabbing pieces on first listening but make up for in production value.
Pigeons is proven evidence that you can make a follow up record in a short space of time without it sounding rushed. And Luke Temple (be it on his own, or with a group) is a man who has that unique ability to bash out release after release that sound completely different, yet manage to still sound like his own.
London based duo BITCHES are quickly gaining themselves a reputation as an exciting and energetic live band and with dates included on the recent NME Radar tour and supporting bands such as Double Dagger and Future of the Left these two look set for a great year.
15/05 - The Rest Is Noise, London w/ Double Dagger, Friendship 29/05 - The Smell, Los Angeles w/ Captain Ahab, Batwings Catwings, Back To The Future The Ride 31/05 - Perhspace, Los Angeles w/ Nicole Kidman, Forts 08/06 - McWorld, Los Angeles w/ Foot Village 24/07 - The 1234 Festival @ Shoreditch Park, London 31/07 - Ladyfest @ Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich
The opening salvo of Love is All’s Two Thousand and Ten Injuries could well have been cribbed straight from The Strokes’ game-changing This Is It. ‘Bigger, Bolder’ announces itself with same chugging one-note guitar riff as Last Nite, the wheedling lead work a dead ringer to Albert Hammond Jr. It’s in more or less in that opening ten seconds that the similarities end, the introduction of a bobbling bassline the first clue Love Is All are reaching for something far removed then The Strokes managed in their stunted pomp.
Gushingly described by Pitchfork as one of the era's punk greats, Love is All have always had aspirations beyond the garage rock template. For starters, Josephine Olausson is the kind of singer that cries out to be noticed. Hers is a yelp that can arouse ambivalence but more often praise, her lyrics putting her alongside a proud lineage of crucial female singers.
An ebullient mix of haphazard sweetheart and pored-over confessional, little is lost in translation here, Olausson veering from the comic: "Straight out of bed / I smashed my head on a bookshelf!"; to pining nostalgia: “I know I was acting a fool/ I remember you calling me cruel/ Well that was ages ago/ Oh how I wish I could prove how I've grown."
More than just cutesy pop, Two Thousand and Ten Injuries is richly varied, the yearning fiddle-strum of ‘Less Than Thrilled’ the perfect foil to Olausson’s high-pitched wit: “I didn’t expect you to be here/And now I don’t know what to say/I’m less than thrilled you’re OK.”
Delivered with the kind of ramshackle indie charm all bit unheard of recently, don’t be fooled by the adolescent veneer – there are nuggets aplenty of plain-spoken wisdom and nagging hooks throughout, Love is All continuing to develop along ever exciting lines on their album number three.
Welsh indie rock trio The Joy Formidable who recently signed to Black Bell Recordings, run by Passion Pit's Ayad Al Adhamy are just about to release their 8 track EP on May the 4th and have this great track to offer.
Here is the first offering from quirky 60's influenced pop outfit The Like's new album Release Me.
Produced by Mark Ronson, The Like have already toured with the biggest of the big guns Muse, Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys so the chances of this being the last you hear of them are slimmer than the jeans of any of the bands I've just mentioned. They capitalise on a sound that is really fashionable at the moment and the single when released late May is sure to do well.
The delightfully fun San Franciscan collective Still Flyin' are about to embrace us with some West Coast sunshine and good times in May, including The Great Escape, the Pavement curated ATP as well as three exclusive London shows.
Still Flyin' are signed to Moshi Moshi Records where the track 'Good Thing It’s A Ghost Town Around Here single' features on the latest Moshi Moshi Singles Club Compilation as well as their brilliant debut LP Never Gonna Touch the Ground.
May live dates: 13th Great Escape @ Freebutt - Brighton (10pm) 13th Great Escape @ Duke Of Yorks Picturehouse (12am) 15th ATP Pavement - Minehead 18th Bardens Boudoir - London 20th The Flowerpot - London 21st Stag And Dagger @ Jaguar Shoes - London
Southampton based singer-songwriter Thomas George is kindly giving away the stunning free track 'The Lion and the Wolf' on soundcloud. The former Waiting for Sirens/Towers frontman moves in a more softer direction to the Pop-Hardcore singalong anthems that the South Coast cult heroes had been familiar with.
Details of his debut solo record are hopefully due in the near future.
The Publishers Club will be teaming up with the Inkygoodness Live Draw tour to put on a live screen-printing and networking event for illustrators and artists in the Manchester area.
The Middle Boop blog is devoted to promoting the best new music, design and illustration around.
Over the last year we have gained a huge cult following online and the team has now grown to regular contributors including:
Gordon Reid,
Freddy Rothman,
Joseph Head,
Rory Gibb,
Finn Scott Delany,
Rob Hakimian,
Adam Parker,
If you would like to write for us or feel there is something we need to know about, contact
freddy@middleboop.com
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