SoundsXP.com - indie, folk and alt-country reviews

Scout Niblett: It’s Up To Emma

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:59:02 PST

Strip away all the unnecessary adornment from a record and what’s left should be, if the story is convincing, charged with an emotional potency that leaves you reeling. This is the case with Emma Louise Niblett’s sixth record, an account of relationship breakdown and her response to it - opening with the stark and scary revenge fantasy ‘Gun’, and ending on the tender, soulful and resolved ‘What Can I Do?’.

The story arc moves from betrayal and raw hate to understanding and self-reliance, via every angsty point between, producing in its nine tracks a record as sore as a poked-at scab but as satisfying as a narrow escape: “you took your love from me/ and I am thankful, everyday” (‘Gun’). It’s an oppressive atmosphere: 'My Man' is a break-up song addressed to the departed, just slow-burning guitar and moans rather than words, like an animal in agony; ‘Woman And Man’ has a militaristic drumbeat in the verse and then a short, angry, grungy chorus. It's sequenced, though, so that things get better and more positive. Niblett's version of TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’ is slow and sad but not angry, suffused with a Southern soul feel that displays an inner strength. Meanwhile the minimal ‘Could This Possibly Be?’ is whispered, wishful thinking, a note of hope concluding the record.

Scout Niblett is well known for her minimalism; guitar and drums feature here as on previous albums but she breaks out shards of guitar or adds just the right quantity of strings to add an emotional emphasis. It’s empowering, in the same way as Polly-Jean Harvey and Cat Power, and confirms by the end of this impressive album Nietzsche’s adage that what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.

Parlour Flames

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:33:23 PST

Like an expectant father, I have been walking up and down the corridors of music awaiting the arrival of this self-titled debut album and now I have it in my hands. I have heard snippets of a single and I have seen moments of a video and now I have the album in its entirety. I am not sure where to begin.

I guess at the beginning. Parlour Flames are Paul Arthurs and Alan Wilkes better known as the guitar genius Bonehead and the legendary lyricist Vinny Peculiar. This album is a reflection of their impressive combined experience in the music world over the decades. Both have worked together before but this is the first outing as a joint venture, as a band.

Wherever Paul Arthurs goes a familiar guitar sound follows and so it is inevitable that you can find evidence of it on the album. I have reviewed many a Peculiar album and so I am very familiar with his work. He is one of the most talented lyricists out there in my opinion. All of the songs on here are written by Arthurs and Wilkes and so I am looking forward to stories captured in songs that have been constructed to music perfection and I am not disappointed.

Tracks like the beautifully piano driven, ‘Never Heard of You’ (a music star who does not seem to understand that his star has faded as he tries to enter a club and is denied entry) is both painful and a delight to listen to with lyrics like "I’ve got my very own radio show/I’m exactly the kind of person you ought to know". Vinny’s vocals carry the words perfectly. As I listen, I am standing in that queue. I am cringing as Vinny says "I want to speak to the manager".

On the flip side of that we have ‘I’m In A Band’ where arrogance treads all over the proceedings. "I am the brightest star/You can shove your Monet and your Degas" and "I am the genius, you are the crowd". Though the sentiments behind the words are aggressive, the music is a gentle affair. There are some haunting guitars but the words take residence here. On ‘Get In The Van’ Vinny talks his way through the lyrics, almost detached, while that signature guitar kicks in: "This is the flip side of the dream".

This album touches on the blessings and curses that come with being in a band but that is not the only subject matter to be found for musicians were children once. Childhood memories are captured in a beautiful fashion with songs such as ‘Sunday Afternoon’ reflecting on a time when "I become somebody else on a Sunday/I get out of myself".

My favourite track on here is probably the psychedelic outing that is ‘Jump The Brook Ruth’. It’s dark and a little twisted and plays on that whole playground theory that boys are mean to girls that they secretly love. The narrator, a little boy, wants to injure the girl in question though we are never quite sure why and the lyrics simply suggest, "Jump the brook Ruth, play the game/ I really like you in a way I can’t explain". The track that follows, ‘Pop Music, Football and Girls’ could not be more different if it tried. It is a welcome relief as gentle strings and keys accompany the more important things is life such as, er, pop music, football and girls of course!

Looking at the artwork and the words inside the album which state, "Recorded in the North of England at long last" and the opening track ‘Manchester Rain’ (the nearest you will get to a guitar anthem on here) you can see that this is a ‘Manchester centred’ musical outing. From the weather to the ache and regret that love can bring. From boys growing into rock stars and ending up has-beens. From childhood to death itself in the heartbreaking track ‘Too Soon The Darkness’ (a deeply moving homage to Vinny’s uncle). This album is like a musical biography that will resonate with any lad growing up in Manchester (or anywhere else for that matter). It also resonates with this female Londoner, all grown up, because the beauty of this album is that ultimately it is about love, life and memories and who cannot relate to that?

The Orwells - Other Voices free MP3.

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:32:10 PST

Young Illinois garage-punks The Orwells must be doing something right. They've caught the ear of TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek who will be producing forthcoming material for them. Here's their original version on 'Other Voices'.

Plenty to please your mince pies and jugs of beers at East End Live 2013

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:36:04 PST

Anybody fearing that the lack of a 1-2-3-4 Festival this year had left a hipster shaped void in their life can stop worrying. East End Live 2013 looks set to fill the bill but at a very reasonable £10 cost for early birds.

The following bands have been lined up:

Toy, Comet Gain, The Monochrome Set, Throne, Bong, Neils Children, Blurt, Teeth of the Sea, The Proper Ornaments, Charles de Goal, Charlie Boyer & the Voyeurs, Wet Nuns, Sauna Youth, Purson, Grass House, Filthy Boy, Charles Hayward, Scott and Charlene's Wedding, East India Youth, Shopping, Limb, Dethscalator, Skinny Girl Diet, Grumbling Fur, Indesinence, Mickey Gloss, Los Cripis, Weird Menace, Good Throb, Perspex Flesh, Ashkelon, Jospeh Coward, Moon Zero, Niqab.

The event will take place across venues across Shoreditch. It is being held on the same day as the Independent Label Market at Spitalfields.

Mountains live

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:13:39 PST

First up on an evening of immersive live music at the ever-brilliant Cafe Oto, was Cam Deas; a solo acoustic guitarist combining composed works with gripping improvisation. He wrings such a diversity of sound from his instrument that I would doubt it was the work of one musician if I wasn't stood in front of him. His music is incredibly inventive; utilising savagely bent chords, pretty bird-like trills, noisy atonal slashing, Country influenced melodies, melted blues, and sustained psych raga. An extraordinary artist, Cam Deas is a must-see for anyone interested in exploratory guitar music.

The main act of the night, Mountains, was no less immersive. A duo of modular synthesizer operators that occasionally weave in guitars; the band began with some chattering machine process before progressing into a smeared and dreamy post-rock of looped guitar ambience that built to a crescendo of noise. Curtains of shimmering guitar effects were fed into an opaque fog of humming electronics and at the climax were left to perpetually repeat through pedals and wires that chopped and atomised the vibrating strings into a stunning maelstrom of drone. A final brain shaking, chest rattling crescendo singled the end, replaced by the clamour of an appreciative audience.

No Middle Name - When Forever Ends free MP3

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:20:05 PST

This is an unusual one. No Middle Name is an experimental project by one of the guys from The Title Sequence. On 'When Forever Ends' he pilfers a bit from The Beatles, adds some lounge music and a dreampop backing.

Crocodiles shoe in LP and Euro tour

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:52:51 PST

Crocodiles have announced their new album Crimes Of Passion will be released on August 20th On Frenchkiss Records (August 19th in UK/EU via Zoo Music) and details of a European tour.

Tracklisting:

1. I Like It In The Dark
2. Marquis De Sade
3. Cockroach
4. Heavy Metal Clouds
5. Teardrop Guitar
6. She Splits Me Up
7. Me and My Machine Gun
8. Gimme Some Annihilation
9. Virgin
10. Un Chant D'Amour

You can hear the track Cockroach here

Euro Tour dates:

June
29 – MIV Festivals – Pordenone, Italy
August
24 – Broadcast – Glasgow, UK
25 – Sneaky Petes – Edinburgh, UK
27 – Brudnell Social Club – Leeds, UK
28 – The Ruby Lounge – Manchester, UK
31 – End of the Road – Larmer Tree, UK
Sept
2 – Sticky Mike’s – Brighton, UK
3 – Le Nouveau Casino – Paris, France
5 – Music Hall – Barcelona, Spain
9 – Kutxa Kultur Festibala @ Igeldo Amusement Park – San Sebastian, Spain
10 – Indie Summer Party @ Magnolia – Milan, Italy
11 – Blah Blah – Turin, Italy
12 – Block Out Rock ClubVia Casilina – Rome, Italy
13 – Looop – Padova, Italy
14 – Hana Bi – Marina di Ravenna
16 – Arena / Dreiraum – Vienna, Austria

Japanther - Stolen Flowers free MP3

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:23:23 PST

Noisy lo-fi punk duo Japanther have a new album out this week which is called 'Eat Like Lisa, Act Like Bart'. So it's reasonably safe to assume they're not ready to grow up just yet. Here's free track 'Stolen Flowers'.

The Black Angels: Indigo Meadow

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:46:36 PST

The fourth album from the Austin, Texas band is neo-psychedelia with strong echoes of classic psych sounds from the '60s: in here you'll find elements of the Doors, Love and, especially, fellow Texans the Thirteenth Floor Elevators. It's heavy on the fuzz, the phasing and the reverb, and the Vox Continental and Farfisa organs, and it combines equal parts melody and strangeness for a supreme pop-psych experience.

‘Don’t Play With Guns’ must sound immense live, great fuzzy psych pop with an anthemic, killer chorus of laser-beam precision. ‘Evil Things’ isn’t really evil, but has an insistent organ riff slicing through the fuzz to addictive effect and the title track is a sort of break-up song full of clanging guitars adding a sinister tone but maintaining an almost singalong feel. The purest psych comes with ‘I Hear Colors (Chromaesthesia)’, the pulsing, driving beat and the accelerating keyboards almost creating a light-show in your head, a very Arthur Lee-inspired tune with some excellent collective humming! ‘Holland’ is a mellow and melodic acid-psych comedown but darker still is the Doors-like ‘Broken Soldier’, reflecting the confusion of war with the admission “it’s hard to kill when you don’t know which side you’re on” and finding peace only with your partner, all accompanied by oppressive drones and effects. And to dispel the darkness, ‘Black Isn’t Black’ is snakey, beguiling psychedelia with some great guitar weirdness, that proves Henry Ford’s colour maxim wrong: “everywhere I look girl, blackness everywhere/ now here you come all dressed in white”.

On the one hand, you get what you expect from people coming from the town that runs the Austin Psych Fest and its associated label the Reverb Appreciation Society. But on the other, you get a band that use a format that has maintained its potency for nearly 50 years now, applying their fevered imaginations to twist familiar elements into strange, impassioned and catchy new combinations. Tune in and turn on.

Big Wave - GW Bridge free MP3

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:11:38 PST

We picked them out as ones to watch at the end of last year, and now Torquay's Big Wave have announced their new single. Out today is 'Goldmine' which comes backed with the ace free track 'GW Bridge'. In honour of the occasion, the band will be live streaming a gig from their front room! It's at 8pm today (Monday 20th May) and you'll be able to watch from this site.

Victoria and Jacob: Festival

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:53:09 PST

When I first heard of them, Victoria Harrison and Jacob Mayfield were a lo-fi, very indie folkatronica duo, and a decent one at that. Now they’re preened and polished almost to a major label (or, at least, a big indie) sheen and clearly heading for beyond-indie stardom. ‘Festival’ is shimmery, melodic, euphoric, Balearic electropop, of the sort usually cooked up in some expensive Swedish music factory, yet it’s out on the small but perfectly formed WIAIWYA/Fika. It’s not my usual bag of dolly mixtures but it has a clear pop quality that will take them far. And if the A-side is too sweetly pop, the flip, their cover of The Church’s 'Under the Milky Way', will more than compensate, a peach of stripped-down pop in the XX-style, with a delicate electronic pulse beneath a gently twanging guitar and Victoria's emotion-choked 3am voice. Quality.

Crayola Lectern: The Fall And Rise of…

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:50:31 PST

Crayola Lectern is Brighton’s Chris Anderson and The Fall And Rise Of.. is described as his “five year labour of love”. It’s an album of whimsical English psychedelia and the softer side of prog, with its echoes of Pink Floyd, Soft Machine and the Cardiacs (Bic Hayes, Jon Poole and Bob Leith play on this). There’s much to admire, like the Syd Barrett-meets-Monty Python-ish ‘I Forgot My Big Idea’ and Alistair (Sons of Noel And Adrian) Strachan’s brass contributions are outstanding. Meanwhile, the standout piano compositions ‘Ultrasonicmetaglide’ and ‘Wholetoner’ share a melodic sensibility with ex-Cardiac William D Drake, which can only be a good thing.

There’s humour in the lyrics (‘Slow Down’ notes that “you move around just like you’ve got a rocket up your arse”) but Anderson’s voice is the weakest element of the record, like a poor man’s Robert Wyatt, which he recognises by adding lots of distortion on the vocals. Thankfully there are more instrumentals, although the album about one-third too long, at 62 minutes. It’s a little too epic for the number of ideas it carries and eventually starts consuming itself, but not before hitting a couple of bullseyes.

Revere: I Won’t Blame You

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:44:13 PST

Revere are a London 7 piece whose epic sound is less stadium rock and more music for a Moonie mass marriage ceremony. Their sound seems to comprise elements of post-punk, post-rock, Morricone soundtracks and revivalist gospel, all built up in layers that include strings, brass, glockenspiel and squidgy synths on top of the standard rock set up. It ain’t subtle but ‘I Won’t Blame Up’ is effective, that layered sound sweeping over you, tsunami-style, as Stephen Ellis’s Scott Walker-ish vocals convey a powerful sense of melancholy: “you can’t save me”. A band to watch if you like big, expressive pop.

Umlomo - #60 free MP3

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:57:34 PST

London-based artist Umlomo doesn't give his songs names, he prefers to use numbers as this disassociates the songs from the subject matter. Yes, Umlomo writes a lot about loss and heartbreak, so if using numbers means it's possible for him to create DIY alt-rock like '#60' then that's OK by us.

Camera Obscura - Fifth In Line To The Throne free MP3

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:03:22 PST

The day is nearing for the new album by Scottish indiepop heroes Camera Obscura. 'Desire Lines' is out on June 3rd, until then, here's gorgeous free track 'Fifth In Line To The Throne'.

Books of Love - Space Time Bandcamp

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:19:15 PST

Hook & The Twin - That Was A Day free MP3

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:49:15 PST

Here's a little new-wavey track from Hook & The Twin. It's called 'That Was A Day' and will be on their debut album which is out on June 24th.

Dawn McCarthy and Bonnie Prince Billy Songs the Brothers Sang

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:11:20 PST

Dawn McCarthy & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - hat's the way to do it

Somewhere in the world there are probably Will Oldham completists. I don’t envy them. It must be a nerve- and money-sapping thing to be. Like a tribble-herder. I’ve got bloody loads of his stuff myself, but every time you look around there’s another 10” popped into being, a contribution to a double-A side 7” or even, as here, a full-blown collaborative covers album.

Oldham has linked up with Faun Fables’ Dawn McCarthy before, most notably on The Letting Go. This time they tackle their highlights of the Everly Brothers songbook (though perhaps not the most celebrated ones). It’s no irony-fest either. Oldham’s love for the Everlys has been documented before - their compilation albums where they knocked out re-recorded versions of their own earlier hits was the inspiration for his auto-iconoclastic Greatest Palace Music album. And of course they have some rather great songs, to which the pair do full justice.

While it might be difficult to muster the cash and energy to keep pace with Will Oldham’s prodigious output, this proves yet again that when you can catch up with him, it’s always worth your while.

kmfdm kunst

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:42:16 PST

KMFDM - "an army of tits" apparently

Yep, they’re still going. KMFDM were one of the instigators of the industrial metal/dance sound that flourished in the late 80s early 90s with Ministry as the most visible standard bearers. The sound is very much intact, less po-faced and heavier on the dance and the synth stabs than Al Jourgenson’s crew. There’s plenty of groovy goodness going on from PWEI beatscapes to Goldfrappian glam stomps. Americanised they may be, not least with a new(ish) female vocalist, but there’s something fundamentally European about their straightforwardness and lack of cool. That comes through in the idealistic sloganeering. If their commentaries are a bit too cartoonish to carry any real weight then at least they’re doing it, and as Pussy Riot - to whom they dedicate a whole song – show that can sometimes be what matters (after all a cowardly and stupid regime can make the flimsiest dissenters look brave and clever).

Most of all though the album is a big pile of unabashed, noisy, rather camp fun. In fact it’s what I always hope the Eurovision Song Contest will sound like but never does. Rather fab then.

The Sound Of Antler - Them Bones album review

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:07:23 PST

When does arty, experimental, DIY pop music change from being quirky and interesting to being quirky and annoying? Some may argue that the dividing line between the two comes on this album from Joceline Colvert, AKA The Sound Of Antler. On debut album 'Them Bones' she aims for imagery of traditional British life: "sailors, pot-boiling teatime detectives, pensioners who should know better, Indian summers" and much more. These tales are partly inspired by the people she meets on the hospital wards where she works. Joceline honed her skills as a sound engineer for arts station Resonance FM. All we can say is that radio station must be a little... esoteric.

There are some very sweet, slightly quint folky indiepop numbers here, all kept very simplistic. 'Poirot' is quite lovely, the simple 'Cooper' is too, and likewise 'Smoke'. Other interesting tracks include the brass and accordion instrumental 'Niewe Tsorg' and the old-fashioned piano-led 'London Road' which includes a pensioner bemoaning the youth of today. At other points there are (what could loosely be termed) songs that will be the reserve of people looking for something a bit, let's just say, different. 'Fourteenth In Flames' sounds like a delightful song, but you can barely make it out as it seems to be played quietly in the distance, with perhaps a roaring campfire in between. You get more flames than music which could lead to the temptation to crank up the volume, and in turn lead to ear-splitting volume when the more conventionally recorded 'Yakuza' follows it.

'The Moore' is a brief intermission where radio static plays, again with faint vocals in the background; 'We'll Meet Again' is some random chatter from a tea party with some organ stuck on the end; 'Quiet Now' is little more than faintly interesting found-sounds; 'Love In The Old Folks Home' does just sound like someone pissing about with some instruments to make a somewhat comical song. All of which leads us to conclude that 'Them Bones' is an album that some may love, some may not give a second listen too (or even make it to the end) and others will choose to pick through the album and isolate the tunes they like. It's unquestionably an interesting listen, and one we're still not quite sure what to make of.

Them Bones by The Sound of Antler

Marie Lalá - Without You free MP3

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:58:36 PST

Today's free MP3 is some fab Swedish indie from singer Marie Lalá and the excellent single 'Without You' which you can download from this page.

There's no business like Monkee business with new boxset

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:35:23 PST

Rhino Handmade have announced a rather fetching sounding bumper re-issue of The Monkees' The Monkees Present but with loooooads of extra tracks.

Here's the blurb:

By October 1969, things were radically different for The Monkees. Their NBC show had left prime time, Peter Tork had left the group, and Top 40 hits were no longer a sure thing. It was in this atmosphere that Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith exerted more creative control to record THE MONKEES PRESENT. The resulting album is one of the group's most varied, from the iconic single, "Listen To The Band," to Micky's anti-war anthem, "Mommy And Daddy," Davy's lush "French Song," and Michael's Nashville-tinged barn-burner, "Good Clean Fun."

Strictly limited to 5,000 individually numbered boxes, the newly re-mastered and expanded THE MONKEES PRESENT is the latest release in Rhino Handmade's lavish Monkees boxed sets. Packed with a whopping 85 tracks (60 previously unreleased!) over 3 CD's, Monkees historian and reissue producer Andrew Sandoval has raided the vault, pulling previously unheard songs, alternate versions and backing tracks from the original master tapes. THE MONKEES PRESENT also includes an exclusive bonus 7" vinyl single for "Good Clean Fun (Alternate Mix)" b/w "Mommy and Daddy (Mono Mix)" in a picture sleeve.

THE MONKEES PRESENT ships in late July, but is available now for pre-order exclusively at The Monkees website. This box is not available from any store or other online retailer and is sure to sell out, so reserve your copy now.

Track List:

DISC ONE:
1 Little Girl
2 Good Clean Fun
3 If I Knew
4 Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye
5 Never Tell A Woman Yes
6 Looking For The Good Times
7 Ladies Aid Society
8 Listen To The Band (fake stereo mix)
9 French Song
10 Mommy And Daddy
11 Oklahoma Backroom Dancer
12 Pillow Time
13 Time And Time Again (November 1969 stereo mix)
14 Down The Highway (November 1969 stereo mix)
15 Steam Engine (November 1969 stereo mix)
16 If You Have The Time (November 1969 stereo mix)
17 Angel Band (November 1969 stereo mix)
18 Rose Marie (November 1969 stereo mix)
19 I Never Thought It Peculiar (No strings & backing vocals - August 1969)
20 Of You (November 1969 stereo mix)
21 Kicking Stones (1969 mix)
22 If I Knew (Bill & Davy's stereo mix)
23 The Crippled Lion (November 1969 stereo mix)
24 My Storybook Of You (Tommy & Bobby's stereo mix)
25 Carlisle Wheeling (November 1969 stereo mix)
26 French Song (LP master with alternate ending - stereo)
27 Hollywood (stereo)
28 My Storybook Of You ("New" 1969 stereo mix)
29 Circle Sky ("New" 1969 stereo mix)
30 Kool Aid spot

DISC TWO:
1 The Monkees Present radio spot
2 If I Knew (TV Mix mono)
3 Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye (mono)
4 Looking For The Good Times (mono)
5 Ladies Aid Society (1969 mono mix)
6 Listen To The Band (single mix)
7 French Song (TV mix mono)
8 Mommy & Daddy (1969 mono mix)
9 Circle Sky (1969 "New" mono mix)
10 Penny Music (TV mix mono)
11 Apples, Peaches, Bananas And Pears (1969 mono mix)
12 Of You (1969 mono mix)
13 I Never Thought It Peculiar (1969 mono mix without overdubs)
14 Kicking Stones (1969 mono mix)
15 Listen To The Band (LP version true mono mix)
16 If You Have The Time (1969 mono mix without Moog)
17 Midnight Train (TV mix mono)
18 My Storybook Of You (mono)
19 Steam Engine (mono)
20 Time And Time Again (November 1969 mono mix)
21 Mommy & Daddy (7/1/69) stereo mix 3
22 I Never Thought It Peculiar (September 1969 mono mix with overdubs)
23 Bye Bye Baby Bye (July 1969 stereo mix)
24 If You Have The Time (1969 mono mix with Moog)
25 Mommy & Daddy (7/2/69) stereo mix
26 Time And Time Again (November 1969 alternate mono mix)
27 Monkees Greatest Hits radio spot

DISC THREE:
1 Little Girl (take 7)
2 Calico Girlfriend
3 If I Knew (take 11)
4 You're So Good (alternate mix)
5 Little Red Rider (alternate mix)
6 If You Have The Time (take 4)
7 Music Bridge "We'll Be Back In A Minute" (take 12)
8 Listen To The Band (alternate stereo mix)
9 French Song (take 3)
10 Mommy And Daddy (May 13, 1969 stereo mix 9)
11 Thank You My Friend (backing track - take 4)
12 Pillow Time (Takes 8 & 9)
13 How Can I Tell You
14 Steam Engine (1969 rough stereo mix)
15 Time And Time Again (take 1)
16 Good Afternoon (take 14)
17 Opening Night
18 Lynn Harper (backing track - take 8)
19 Music Bridge "We'll Be Back In A Minute" (take 18)
20 The Good Earth (alternate take)
21 London Bridge (backing track - take 4)
22 Music Bridge "We'll Be Back In A Minute" (version three)
23 A Bus That Never Comes (backing track - take 9)
24 Omega (backing track - take 8)
25 13 Is Not Our Lucky Number (backing track)
26 Michigan Blackhawk (backing track - take 4)
27 Little Tommy Blues (backing track - take 5)
28 Till Then (backing track - take 2)

VINYL 45:
A Good Clean Fun (alternate mix with extra percussion)
B Mommy & Daddy (7/10/69) mono mix

Phil Chevron of the Pogues makes cancer announcement

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:11:04 PST

It is with great sadness that we print that Pogues guitarist Philip Chevron has revealed that the head & neck cancer for which he received treatment in 2007 and a clean bill of health in April 2012 has in fact returned. In August 2012, Chevron and his doctors noticed a new tumour and this one is in a position whereby treatment is seriously ill-advised and would almost certainly cause Stroke or worse. The cancer is, in short, inoperable and will prove fatal in time, though it is at present impossible to measure life expectancy. Chevron, who was last year part of the releases "The Pogues In Paris" on Polydor and the Radiators' "Sound City Beat" on Chiswick, is currently taking a break from both the Pogues and his other band, the Radiators From Space. The Pogues are on a prolonged time out, emerging only in support of matters relating to their 30th anniversary this year. In recent times, Chevron has accepted several theatre music commissions, including the Old Vic Theatre in London and Galway's Druid Theatre.

Philip has issued thanks to his friends, colleagues, family and management team for their enduring support and hopes to make some notable musical contributions before, as he puts it, the cancer becomes "lethal".

Kazyak - Pieces Of My Map free MP3

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:20:25 PST

Here's some majestic, baroque Americana from Texan artist Kazyak's new album 'See The Forest, See The Trees'. It's called 'Pieces Of My Map'.

French Pop Dream - Eurostar the Musical video

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:21:00 PST

Fair Ohs - Green Apple Milk soundcloud

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:02:30 PST

The Walkmen among latest to leg it over to End of the Road

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:52:33 PST

More bands have been added to this year's End of the Road bill, including The Walkmen:

The Walkmen
William Tyler
Crocodiles
Jessica Pratt
The Graphite Set
Trembling Bells & Mike Heron
Landshapes
Duologue
Filthy Boy
Anna Von Hausswolff
El Perro Del Mar
Daniel Norgren
Frontier Ruckus
Broken Twin
Black Yaya
Braids.

And the winnners of their application bands are Wall, Evans the Death and Tiger Cats.

Full details of each band can be found on the event's website

Temples - Colours to Life video

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:38:39 PST

Pure X - Things In My Head free MP3

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:10:10 PST

Hazy desert-rock gets mellowed out and dabbles with electronica on this track from Texans Pure X. 'Things In My Head' is taken from new album 'Crawling Up The Stairs'.

Mikal Cronin - Weight free MP3

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:10:39 PST

Ty Segall associate Mikal Cronin has a new album out this week. It's jolly good. Here, have a free download of 'Weight' and see for yourself.

Teardrop Explodes - Wilder (Deluxe Edition) review

Sun, 12 May 2013 20:36:38 PST

Recorded in late ‘81, The Teardop Explodes’ second album Wilder was always going to struggle to match the commercial success of the frothy west coast tinged post punk of debut Kilimajaro. Unlike its predecessor the sophomore effort’s songwriting credits were solely credited to frontman Julian Cope, a man in the midst of a marriage breakdown and struggling mentally to handle not only the domestic disputes but also frequent conflicts within the band. It’s perhaps no surprise that under those circumstances it’s far less exuberant in mood, the collection of mildly psychedelic pop not dripping in too many obvious singles, unlike Kilimanjaro. However what it lacked in instant appeal, its more subtle charms rewarded those willing to persist. Passionate Friend is one of Cope’s finest moments; emotional lyrics (“Celebrate the Great Escape / Carry My Soul Away / From Sufferance Intolerance / Leaving You Today”) coupled with strident uplifting horns. It also features the pah-pah-pah-ing vocal accompaniment of the Tamworth moptop, an approach he also uses heavily with the joyous singalong The Culture Bunker. Pure Joy sounds like it should be on Kilimanjaro with its urgent percussion and catchy hooks but in the main the material is gloomier and more thoughtful.

Wilder proved to be their final album as the tensions, drugs and musical differences tore the band apart. This release is a 2-disc deluxe version with plenty of b-sides from the time and alternative versions taken from BBC session recordings, etc. Many of the bonus tracks are Cope and the band at their most experimental and moody but there are still some decent ones amongst them, in particular the pacey electro of the brilliantly named The In-Psychlopedia, the funky 80s new romantic single You Disappear From View, a track that was recorded for the never completed third album, and the maudlin Soft Enough For You. One very interesting inclusion is the version of Wah’s classic Better Scream as part of a medley with Make That Move. The original of Better Scream featured Cope on organ but here he fronts it.

Overall, this is one of the more worthy reissues; a classic album of its time repressed with a dozen and a half extras. Plenty to reward inquisitive newcomers while satisfying long term fans too. Which is the way it should be.

Tracklisting
Disc: 1
1. Bent Out Of Shape
2. Colours Fly Away
3. Seven Views Of Jerusalem
4. Pure Joy
5. Falling Down Around Me
6. The Culture Bunker
7. Passionate Friend
8. Tiny Children
9. Like Leila Khaled Said
10. .....And The Fighting Takes Over
11. The Great Dominions

Disc: 2
1. Christ Versus Warhol
2. Rachael Built A Steamboat
3. Suffocate
4. Window Shopping For A New Crown Of Thorns
5. Ouch Monkeys
6. East Of The Equator
7. Sleeping Gas (Live)
8. In-Psychlopedia
9. You Disappear From View
10. Soft Enough For You
11. Pure Joy Wins Out Again (BBC Session)
12. Like Leila Khaled Said (BBC Session)
13. I'm Not The Loving Kind (BBC Session)
14. The Culture Bunker (BBC Session)
15. ....And The Fighting Takes Over (Richard Skinner session)
16. Better Scream/ Make That Move (Richard Skinner session)
17. Bent Out Of Shape (Richard Skinner session)
18. Screaming Secrets (Richard Skinner session)

Ready teddy go for Darren Hayman's new album

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:06:05 PST

Darren Hayman has shortened his Long Parliament and returns with a new album of seventeenth century folk songs called Bugbears, which is due out on Fika Recordings on July 15th.

Bugbears will be come encased in deluxe packaging and accompanied by a massive booklet of Darren’s notes, lyrics along with artwork by various artists; the 13 songs are illustrated by 13 artists, including Ant Harding of Hefner, Jonny Helm of The Wave Pictures, Pam Berry of Black Tambourine, Dan Wilson of Withered Hand, Robert Rotifer, Sarah Lippett of Fever Dream, Louise Clark, Joe Besford, James Paterson and Matthew Sawyer.

Following The Violence, which concerned itself with the East Anglian witch trials during the English Civil Wars, Hayman became fascinated with that period of English history. Not only did he release a follow-up EP Four Queens about songs about a quartet of English Queens (Elizabeth 1, Henrietta Maria, Lady Jane Gray and Eleanor Of Aquitaine), but he also embarked on a project unearthing folk songs of the seventeenth century and Stuart era.

Two of the songs he found appear on The Violence album: ‘When the King Enjoys His Own Again’ and ‘A Coffin for King Charles, A Crown for Cromwell and a Pit for the People’. He did not seek to achieve forensic detail when finding these songs but was keen to have a sense of the flavour of the music of the era. Whilst writing The Violence, he started to record and adapt some of the songs, which are collected here.

Bugbears can be considered an accompanying volume to The Violence. Although Darren did a fair amount of research, these are not meant to be definitive or historical readings of the songs. He has revised, edited and even rewritten in places.

Hayman will also be performing a series of monthly shows at The Vortex Club in Dalston. Each show will feature a mix of sets showcasing different albums, themes and special guests. This is not your standard indie gig: The first of Darren Hayman's Occupation is centred around Witches & Bugbears on 11 July 2013 The Vortex. There will be two sets based around the Essex Witch Trials during the English Civil War. One set of songs from Darren's album "The Violence" and a second of English Civil War songs taken from its sister album "Bugbears".

Teleman offer sound and vision

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:27:18 PST

Teleman have announced their new single ‘Steam Train Girl’ will be released on July 1st through the band’s own imprint Encona Records.

Produced by Bernard Butler - who the band also worked with on their debut single – ‘Steam Train Girl’ kicks off with pulsating guitars before the rest of band gradually join in, layering psychedelic-tinged synths over Thomas’ striking vocals and rhythmic drums.

It is backed by B-side ‘Please Kill It’, a delicate track that reinforces Teleman’s skill for crafting exquisite and immediate pop songs.

Their debut single ‘Cristina’, was released earlier this year and achieved radio plays from Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, Jen Long and Phil Taggart, B-listed at 6Music and Playlisted at Xfm.

The four-piece have been confirmed for Suede’s European tour as well as a string of UK festivals including Glastonbury, The Great Escape and Latitude. Additionally; they will headline London’s The Lexington in June.

Upcoming live shows:

18th May - The Great Escape Festival, Brighton
24th May - Dot to Dot Festival, Manchester
25th May - Dot to Dot Festival, Bristol
26th May - Dot to Dot Festival, Nottingham
14th June - The Lexington, London *Headline show*
28th June – Glastonbury Festival, Somerset
19th July – Latitude Festival, Suffolk
21st July – Tramlines, Sheffield
16th August - Green Man Festival, Wales
30th August - End of the Road Festival, Dorset
26th October - O2 Academy, Leeds w/ Suede
27th October – Barrowlands, Glasgow w/ Suede
28th October – Olympia, Dublin w/ Suede
30th October – Academy, Manchester w/ Suede
31st October - O2 Academy, Birmingham w/ Suede
1st November - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels w/ Suede
2nd November - den Atelier, Luxembourg w/ Suede
4th November – Bikini, Toulouse w/ Suede
7th November – Coliseum, Lisbon w/ Suede
8th November – Coliseum, Porto w/ Suede
9th November – Riviera, Madrid w/ Suede
12th November – Transbordeur, Lyon w/ Suede
14th November – Estragon, Bologna w/ Suede
15th November – Gasometer, Vienna w/ Suede
16th November - Lucerna Hall, Prague w/ Suede
18th November – Huxleys, Berlin w/ Suede
19th November – Tonhalle, Munich w/ Suede
21st November - E-Werk, Cologne w/ Suede
23rd November – Paradiso, Amsterdam w/ Suede

For The Lexington tickets: WeGotTickets

Teleman are Thomas Sanders (vocals, guitar), Hiro Amamiya (drums), Jonny Sanders (synths) and Pete Cattermoul (bass).

Eva On The Western Castle Island - Shaolin Punk free MP3

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:10:46 PST

'Shaolin Punk' is from 'The Wrong EP' by Eva On The Western Castle Island, a Finnish group who came together after Malaysian popstar Eva escaped her fame in her home country after becoming disillusioned with the plastic pop she was having to sing. Smart move, you can download their whole EP from the links below.

Helado Negro - Invisible Life album review

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:06:17 PST

As opening track 'Llumina Vos' buzzes and throbs into action, it feels as though you're about to embark on an dreamy and exotic adventure, in part down to the vocals not only being in Spanish, but having an almost tribal feel to them, especially with the voices in the background. It almost sounds like, for his third album, Helado Negro is successfully transplanting sounds from around the entire globe into one universal musical mass. This theory is given credence by press release quotes like "Helado Negro is a bilingual tour guide into the transcendent zone of wavelength where music is mutually transacted bouncing between artist and listener."

Is that a load of old cobblers or a genuine message that this album is about exploring the power music can have on the mind, body and soul? It may sound pretentious but as we move into second song 'Lenamente' you can totally understand where he's coming from, and this is music of power and incredible individuality, and it does resonate with you in a strange way. He switches to English (this is his first album that's not totally in Spanish) for 'Dance Ghost' and all is going well, you're just waiting for the magic to spring from the album somewhere, for that extra connection that is seemingly the plan.

As you move through more and more songs you begin to realise that perhaps this plan has hit a snag. 'Invisible Life' isn't a drone-rock album; it doesn't work by capturing you in its hypnotic repetitiveness, all the songs are different, but not by much. Interest begins to wane as each track passes by at an almost identical slow pace, with perhaps 'Catastrophe' or 'Junes' being the only tunes to alter things. There aren't any songs here that are bad, and many are very good, but with ten tracks of near identical tempo, boredom begins to set in. 'Arboles' would be a great song in isolation, but it passes by in a blur with the rest of them here. It's difficult to fault someone for attempting something new and doing it in an accomplished way, but unfortunately it's also difficult to get through 'Invisible Life' in one sitting without your mind wandering elsewhere.

Invisible Life by Helado Negro

Honeymilk - Situations Of You free MP3

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:45:10 PST

Looking for some Swedish indie with a pinch of US alt-rock and grunge? If so then you'll find it on 'Situations Of You' by Honeymilk.

Princess Chelsea: We’re So Lost

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:38:36 PST

Chelsea Nickel, of New Zealand rather than Stamford Bridge, and not in any royal line as far as I know, makes kaleidoscopic psychedelic pop of a quite unnerving quality; ‘We’re So Lost’ is electronica twittering fretfully underneath an otherworldly little-girl-lost voice, with fruity bursts of melody. She’s on tour with Alt-J, which might indicate the thoughtful, off-kilter pop that she produces. The B-side 'When The World Turns Grey' is better though, a dip into her psyche: she plays piano and sings (a little like Regina Spektor perhaps) while a synthesiser tone-shifts rhythmically, against a backdrop of sinister, spooky soundscape drones. Her previous single ‘The Cigarette Duet’ was cute and quirky but ultimately a novelty, while her more electronic style (to be heard on forthcoming second album The Great Cybernetic Depression) seems to suit her strange ideas (think a playground full of sulky robots) very well.

SKATERS - Armed free MP3

Fri, 10 May 2013 07:36:56 PST

If 'Armed' was just the B-side to recent single 'I Wanna Dance (But I Don't Know How)', then NYC band SKATERS must have some belters ready to go on their album when it's complete.

solyst lead

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:17:49 PST

‘Lead’ is Krautrock drummer veteran Thomas Klein’s second album under the name of Solyst and his instrument elevates this album above the usual synth worship. It’s a pleasant surprise to hear synths wrapped around something other than the standard kosmiche hum or John Carpenter pulse.

‘Magellan’ is a twitching tribal dance gradually drenched in bass grumble and sent wheel-spinning down a dusty forgotten motorik backwater, an autobahn replaced with a dirt track. ‘Pierbourg’ is full of loping steely menace. ‘Glass Danger’ has squealing rusted metal repetition and a steadily built voodoo rattle of percussion. ‘Lead’ is a tech-church funeral of organ hum. ‘Polar’ is constructed around melancholy bass tones and dub echoes with the album’s signature percussive invention.

‘Lead’ is an excellent electronica album: imaginative, evocative; unafraid to reach far away from the usual signifiers and clichés; not content with letting the machines rumble away with minimal steerage. Klein’s drums are all over the record without smothering it. The drones, echoes, high ringing sighs, all benefit from their mixture with such diverse and inventive rhythmic structures, ranging from a sacrificial blood lust to stately procession or complex polyrhythms.

This is tribal music for astronauts’ descendants stranded on a bleak asteroid, worshiping their forebears’ crumbling technological artefacts.

High Pop - Loner free MP3

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:24:00 PST

One for all you fans of scuzzy, lo-fi rock out there, this is 'Loner' from the new album by High Pop.