Bowlegs

Beach Fossils head for Europe

Bowlegs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:06:46 +0000

Beach Fossils, one of our favourite bands of 2010, have announced a pretty extensive European tour starting in October, you can check all the dates, and whatever else the band are doing, by clicking here: Beach Fossils in Europe

James Blackshaw – Callback

Bowlegs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:14:10 +0000

There aren’t many out there who can throttle as beautiful sound out of a 12-string than James Blackshaw. His beautiful instrumental work has real beauty and depth to it, with layer after layer of unpretentious sounds ready to charm the socks off you. Don’t believe us? Check out his latest album, ‘All is Falling’, out on Young God Records.

We thought it only right to get him in for a Call Back.

Bowlegs: Which album has been a major influence in your life, and why?

James: Just one? Wow, okay, this might not come as a massive surprise, but hearing John Fahey’s ‘Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes’ was the first album I heard of someone playing solo acoustic guitar, back when I was seventeen years old, and I guess you can say it left a lasting impression on me. If it hadn’t been for hearing that one particular album when I did, it’s possible I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing at all. It’s still one of my favourite Fahey albums, although it’s been a long time since I last listened to it.

Bowlegs: What was the last album you bought?

James: I bought this John Buck Wilkin LP called ‘In Search of Food, Clothing, Shelter and Sex’ off eBay a couple of weeks ago, on the strength of this one amazing, harrowing song that features in Dennis Hopper’s ‘The Last Movie’. Unfortunately, that track isn’t on this album, but it’s still a really solid Californian, early 70s downer singer-songwriter record with lovely string arrangements and some great songs. He was in Ronny & The Daytonas prior to that. Somebody should seriously reissue this record.

Bowlegs: Which bands have you been listening to this week?

James: I’ve been listening to Catherine Christer Hennix’s ‘Electric Harpsichord’ incessantly, which is a lovely overlooked minimalist piece from the 70s. I finally figured out how to stream WFMU this week too, so I’ve been tuning in intermittently to that.

Bowlegs: Name an up-and-coming band Bowlegs should look out for?

James: You’re asking the wrong person, I live in a bubble, ha! Last few recent things I listened to which I really liked were Nancy Elizabeth, Endless Boogie and the new Swans record, all for totally different reasons. One seriously underrated composer from NYC you need to look out for is Dan Joseph: he’s incredible.

Bowlegs: What was the last gig you went to?

James: I went to see my friend Keith’s band, Hush Arbors, support Sleepy Sun at Bush Hall two nights ago. Fun was had, or at least as much fun as I seem to be capable of experiencing these days.

Bowlegs: Who is the best band you have ever shared a bill with?

James: Not a band, but I played with Lubomyr Melnyk at a festival in Estonia last year I think. Totally mesmerising pianist and composer. I was already a massive fan and got to meet and chat with him. He was an incredibly lovely guy.

Bowlegs: What was the first gig you ever went to, and who did you go with?

James: Sebadoh, supported by Snow Pony at the old Astoria in London, I believe, with two friends. We were 15 and we managed to persuade some adults to buy us beers. We crowd-surfed to Sebadoh – yeah, pretty weird match, but exhilarating nonetheless.

Bowlegs: What made you realise that being a musician was the career of choice?

James: Nothing ever did, I sort of fell into it. I always loved music and just got lucky, I suppose. If I wasn’t doing this, I’d likely be flipping burgers, because I dropped out of school after some rather average GCSE results.

Bowlegs: What is your favourite music documentary?

James: I loved the Arthur Russell documentary (‘Wild Combinations: A Portrait of Arthur Russell’) that came out a few years back, very touching. The one about Anvil (‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’) was also pretty great, again for very different reasons.

Bowlegs: What was the last film you saw, and was it any good?

James: I watched ‘A Boy and His Dog’ a few nights back. I really liked it. It’s a very underrated and pretty unobtainable low-budget post-apocalyptic film from 1975, with a very black sense of humour. Last recent truly great movie I saw was ‘The Road’ – I guess I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff.

Bowlegs: Name three great books Bowlegs must read?

James: ‘House of Leaves’ by Mark Z Danielewski; ‘Solaris’ by Stanislaw Lem; and Richard Brautigan’s ‘So The Wind Won’t Blow It All Away’.

Bowlegs: What do you see when you look in the mirror?

James: Low self-esteem personified.

Bowlegs: Name a song that takes you back to a certain time in your life?

James: I used to play Harry Nilsson’s ‘Jump Back In The Fire’ constantly on my parents’ turntable. I still love Nilsson and that song, and hearing it definitely reminds me of my parents. Anything by Elliott Smith makes me think of ex-girlfriends.

Bowlegs: What is your favourite album cover of all time?

James: Toshi Ichiyanagi’s ‘Opera From The Works Of Tadanori Yokoo’ from 1969 – with artwork by Tandanori Yokoo, who was a fluxus inspired Japanese artist. It’s eye-poppingly gorgeous and incredibly rare, and even I don’t own an original copy.

Bowlegs: What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

James: My friend Holly. Also, some of the Guardian columns written by Charlie Brooker, who is utterly brilliant, and a Saturday Night Live parody of Insane Clown Posse’s ‘Miracles’ video, which was funny enough to begin with.

Bowlegs: Do you think music videos are important and do you like making them?

James: I’ve never made one and no, I think they are totally irrelevant, except as a marketing tool.

Bowlegs: Are albums still important or is it more about individual tracks?

James: I’ve always really loved listening to albums all the way through. I think there is less emphasis on making a good LP that flows and works as a whole now, at least in mainstream music and it’s a shame, if you ask me (which you did).

Bowlegs: What do you have planned for the next six months?

James: A lot of touring and hopefully starting work on my next album.

Bowlegs: What is on your iPod?

James: 60 GB of music, of which about 4 GB I ever listen to.

Villagers – That Day

Bowlegs — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:58:34 +0000

The third single from the rather impressive debut from Villagers – a band currently touring as much as any band on the planet it seems – so catch them whilst you can!

Marnie Stern UK Tour

Bowlegs — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:47:39 +0000

To coincide with the release of Marnie Stern’s self-titled third album on the 18^th of October on Souterrain Transmissions, the New Yorker will be taking to the stage across the country during a string of headline dates. To find out where they are just click here: Marnie in the UK

Belle and Sebastian Track

Bowlegs — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:43:52 +0000

Twee-core specialists Belle and Sebastian are back and they’re offering the title track from their new album as a free download. ‘Write About Love’ will be officially released on October 25, and it features guest vocals from Brit actress of the moment, Carey Mulligan. You can download it for a limited time from their website, or right here: ‘Write About Love’.

Interpol – Interpol

Bowlegs — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:26:42 +0000

The past weighs heavy on Interpol. Two albums of raw, urgent, post-punk energy with immense rhythm and aspiration will do that to a band. Third album ‘Our Love to Admire’ was a letdown, however gentle. It felt overdressed, losing the heart and soul of the band for the sake of glossy production and epic realisations. And after a year of cancelled support slots with U2 and the departure of bassist Carlos Dengler (he played on the album), their latest is now carrying more than just expectation; people need to know that everything is going to be alright. To be honest, Bowlegs can’t be sure it will. This is another grand statement of polished recordings, that remain, as always, highly listenable, yet, like their last, far from vital. The single ‘Lights’ was a fair indicator – its beating bass drum, heart-strung strings and drawn out ending – all seemingly built for the stadiums and Top 40. If you listen back to ‘Antics’, any track will do; then pick a track from here it is like they have got an additional ten members – all armed with glistening guitars, orchestral manoeuvres and reverb pedals. Lead singer Paul Banks used to be in the room with you, now he is in a hall with a few backing singers close by (or clones of the lead singer). ‘Barricade’ and the slow tilted ‘Memory Serves’ are decent tracks, yet the urgency is lost on the echoed ghosts. Things pick up considerably on the back half of the set – the stripped and simplistic first half of ‘Safe Without’ meets expectation. It is followed by tracks of effective introspection and slow moving cinema (a new direction that seems to work). It is hard to criticise a band focused on wider landscapes, and ‘Interpol’ is by no means a failure. But the bottom line is that it is not as good as those first two albums. GD

Donavan Quinn & The 13th Month – Your Wicked Man

Bowlegs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:52:13 +0000

‘Your Wicked Man’ is Quinn’s second full length as a solo artist (with his backing band of course). It’s full of slurred vocal lines, jagged beats and bumpy bass lines; all working in unison for a burnt out psychedelic come down. The album shares the highs of bands like The Papercuts (whose lead man Jason Qeuver is part of the 13th Month), retro organs and all; making it a great long player that is well worth checking.

Phosphorescent Tour

Bowlegs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:36:42 +0000

Phosphorescent’s UK tour starts tonight, coinciding with the re-release of this years’ ‘Here’s To Taking It Easy’ today through Dead Oceans.

Sonny & the Sunsets – Tomorrow is Alright

Bowlegs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:18:13 +0000

Sonny Smith’s ‘Tomorrow is Alright’ had a limited vinyl release last year, and now Fat Possum have picked it up just in time for the lazy end of late summer. With the help of his loose group of Sunsets (including Kelley Stoltz, and assorted members of Citay and The Fresh and Onlys), Smith pays tribute to the teenage rock ’n’ roll and doo-wop sounds of the 50s, as filtered through the ragged garage of the Velvet Underground and their honourable disciple Jonathan Richman. It’s Richman’s breakthrough Beserkley period that has the greatest influence on Sonny & the Sunsets, from Smith’s casual vocals (all ‘uh huh’ and ‘oh yeah’ sighing) and the Sunsets’ relaxed swing to the album’s boxy, practice-room production acoustics – a dead ringer for the peculiarly intimate sound Richman achieved on ‘Rock ’n’ Roll with the Modern Lovers’. Hearteningly though, Smith doesn’t fall back on faux naive lyrics and wilfully slack musical ineptitude, which really would have stuck in the throat. Instead, his literary training (Smith has tried his hand as an author, playwright and artist) sees ‘Tomorrow is Alright’ make space for sci-fi short stories (‘Planet of Women’), deconstructive autobiography (‘Chapters’) and, on perhaps the album’s sole lyrical misfire, Ween-style double entendres (‘Death Cream’). As a whole, ‘Tomorrow is Alright’ is a winningly charming album, with some lovely, direct songs from Smith (‘Stranded’) and many entertaining vocal interjections from the Sunsets. Closing number ‘Lovin’ on an Older Gal’ finally sees Sonny & the Sunsets plug in the electric guitars for a hypnotic VU finale, with Smith and the band trading lines and riffs to the ‘Waiting for the Man’ rhythm, and rising above an admittedly unpromising song title through Smith’s affectionate metaphor of the object of his desires as a ‘loving tree’. A hidden gem of an album, deservedly given a second chance. SH

War on Drugs

Bowlegs — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:15:15 +0000

‘Future Weather’ is the forthcoming album from The War On Drugs, and if it can match their debut, Wagonwheel Blues, it is good news all round. Here is a free track off the album, it’s called ‘Comin’ Through’ and is great – The War on Drugs Track