Blood sugar sex magic
BLOOD RED SHOES / KING ALEXANDER / THE TOY BAND, 1ST FEBRUARY 2007, CARDIFF BARFLY
What's with the oldies wandering around? Are they parents or - more likely - A&R people? If the latter, then they're probably taking a keen interest in The Toy Band. Whilst with hindsight my thoughts of "calculated careerist indie" the last time I saw them appear rather harsh, my first impressions are generally confirmed: they have the swagger and ability, but - crucially - not the songs. It's probably only a matter of time, though. And in any case, despite being cut from a different cloth to the other bands on tonight's bill, they soon win over a sizeable chunk of an originally indifferent crowd.
Last time I saw Richard Arnold, I very nearly literally bumped into him coming out of his house round the corner from ours in sunny Splott. The time before that was when he was fronting The International Karate Plus at a gig in Birmingham. Before that, he was in fuzz-pop minor deities Mo-Ho-Bish-O-Pi. And now here he is, back behind the drumkit after something of a hiatus with his new outfit King Alexander.
If there's one thing Cardiff is particularly hot on, it's bass-heavy noise-punk bands, and in King Alexander the city's got another. The difference is, though, that they're female-fronted and are rather more ambitious in their twin-vocalled arrangements. The opening of their set is blighted by technical problems, but thereafter they show definite signs of promise, if not always delivering. "Buy a badge and save a whale", they implore on 'We Are A Good Egg', but when I mosey on over to the merchandising table later all I can see are copies of their superbly named debut EP Despot Chic which, according to their website, "includes hand made packaging, animal sex and a drawing of a man's cock done by a girl"...
Cast your mind back to a time before Jack White grew a moustache, dated Renee Zellweger, started wearing a top hat on stage and made an advert for Coke. The White Stripes were a thrilling pretentious-free live prospect. It also escaped no-one's notice that there were only two of them. They awakened people to the possibility of a bass-less rock group - so it's them we've got to thank for the likes of Brighton's Blood Red Shoes. And thankful we should certainly be.
In this boy-girl duo, though, the roles are reversed: it's kohl-eyed beauty Laura-Mary Carter who plays guitar and the enthusiastic Steven Ansell who drums. It's also worth pointing out that, unlike Meg White, Ansell can actually sing, too...
Just like twopiece Winnebago Deal did when I was last here, the drumkit is placed right at the front of the stage, and so we're privileged to watch the chemistry between the two at close quarters. They talk about having played in a church on their last visit to Cardiff. Little wonder they're enjoying themselves much more this time around - their claustrophobic punk is far better suited to this sort of cramped, awkward space than to the airy and spacious Point.
If you had to suggest where Britain's answer to Yeah Yeah Yeahs would come from, Brighton would be fairly near the top of the list, and Carter manages to be both Nick Zinner and Karen O in one. Singles 'You Bring Me Down' and 'I'm Getting Bored By The Sea' also call to mind Sleater-Kinney and The Gossip, though are gratifyingly grittier than either.
After the encore, for which the pair swap instruments before crashing through a splendid surf guitar meltdown, Ansell heads to the back of the room to man the merchandising stall. As I curse my lack of a turntable (they've only released 7"s so far), he tells me what's next: three more weeks of touring Britain, then a few days off, then Europe, then recording on the album which isn't due until October (it's going to be a long wait...).
[Cheap excuse for a pun alert - yes, Ken, I've been watching and learning...] One can guess how the entries in the Blood Red Shoes diaries might read for tonight: came, saw, conquered.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Just like honey
The Jesus & Mary Chain to reform for Coachella Festival in April. And then stay reformed for Glastonbury in June. Please please please...
(Thanks to Jonathan for the tip-off.)
The Jesus & Mary Chain to reform for Coachella Festival in April. And then stay reformed for Glastonbury in June. Please please please...
(Thanks to Jonathan for the tip-off.)
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Achosion I Laweni
Having been born in Nottingham and later resident in Birmingham, Silent Words Speak Loudest has now been Cardiff-based for a year. What better way to commemorate that than by continuing the Achosion I Laweni series in praise of all that is good about the Welsh capital with a triple bill of fine drinking establishments?
#8 - Shot In The Dark
An atmospherically dimly lit bar where you can avail yourself of shots until late - you see what they've done there?
That said, the shot involved could just as well be of espresso, because Shot In The Dark is just as much a coffee house as a bar, if not more so.
Situated in the unlikely location of the rough and ready City Road, Shot In The Dark rather bizarrely has a few tables and chairs set out on the grimy pavement outside next to the busy road.
But if that's a strange attempt at recreating European cafe culture in an inappropriate environment, then inside is much more successful. The food is tasty, the seating is plentiful (on two floors - though it does get busy) and the service is friendly.
So bag yourself a sofa, snuggle up and glide smoothly from cup of coffee to glass of red wine to glass of red wine to glass of red wine as the clock hand moves stealthily around unnoticed.
#9 - The Waterguard
The Waterguard is one of our most recent discoveries.
Enjoying a leisurely day off down by the Bay on Friday, we had been foiled in our attempt to visit the Butetown History & Arts Centre (a possibility for Achosion I Laweni in future, if it's actually open next time we wander down that way...), and had once again failed to find our way onto the barrage. Mercifully, consolation was near at hand.
We'd been told about the Waterguard but even upon walking in couldn't quite believe it was a pub. It's the imposing Victorian front that does it, seemingly modelled on a medieval castle, but inside, beyond the two snug rooms, it's like a stylish Tardis, boasting smart modern decor and plenty of space.
Once at the bar, it's an unexpected delight to find that the pub is affiliated to the Samuel Smiths brewery, and that as a result an impressive range of beers, ales and ciders is served in such swish surroundings. The only problem is deciding what to choose. Having come across very few pubs in Cardiff other than those serving the unimaginative selection of Brains bitters, we took an age to come to a conclusion, much to the amusement of a barman who rightly took pleasure in being able to offer much better than the standard city centre watering hole fayre.
#10 - The Glamorgan Staff Club
Like the Waterguard, the Glamorgan Staff Club caters for the real ale enthusiast - but that's about where the similarities end.
Accessed from a front door on Westgate Street opposite the main entrance of the Millennium Stadium and backing onto Womanby Street (home of the City Arms, Dempseys and Clwb Ifor Bach, and hence my favourite street in the city), it's an impressive red brick building that is as characterful on the inside as it is on the out.
Apparently you are supposed to be a member to drink in there, but we flout the official rules as members of Cardiff Friends Of The Earth, one of the many groups to hold their meetings for free in the upstairs rooms (incidentally, one of the others is the South Wales Anarchists - one wonders what they're doing organising meetings in the first place...)
A firm favourite with local CAMRA members (and duly named as the Best Real Ale pub in Cardiff on at least one occasion), the Club prides itself on serving an ever-changing selection of ales from around Britain, with at least three available at any one time. The pricing policy is equally genius: £1.75 a pint if it's under 5%, £1.85 if it's over 5%, and £1.95 on very special occasions.
With those prices being written in white plastic lettering pressed onto a black board, it's as though it's stuck in a time warp - and a quick glance around at the faded wallpaper, carpet filthy with ingrained stains, broken and battered furniture and seats with chunks of leatherette and foam missing does nothing to dispel that impression.
The Club is populated by chainsmokers with eyes both lazy and glazed, though a quick burst of Michael Jackson on the ghetto blaster in one of the downstairs rooms has been known to inspire a burst of movement. That might have been convulsions, mind. Waiting at the bar before one meeting, we witnessed a fight between two fat middle-aged men - probably over who got the last bag of pork scratchings.
Salubrious? No. Unique? Yes - and in a good way.
Having been born in Nottingham and later resident in Birmingham, Silent Words Speak Loudest has now been Cardiff-based for a year. What better way to commemorate that than by continuing the Achosion I Laweni series in praise of all that is good about the Welsh capital with a triple bill of fine drinking establishments?
#8 - Shot In The Dark
An atmospherically dimly lit bar where you can avail yourself of shots until late - you see what they've done there?
That said, the shot involved could just as well be of espresso, because Shot In The Dark is just as much a coffee house as a bar, if not more so.
Situated in the unlikely location of the rough and ready City Road, Shot In The Dark rather bizarrely has a few tables and chairs set out on the grimy pavement outside next to the busy road.
But if that's a strange attempt at recreating European cafe culture in an inappropriate environment, then inside is much more successful. The food is tasty, the seating is plentiful (on two floors - though it does get busy) and the service is friendly.
So bag yourself a sofa, snuggle up and glide smoothly from cup of coffee to glass of red wine to glass of red wine to glass of red wine as the clock hand moves stealthily around unnoticed.
#9 - The Waterguard
The Waterguard is one of our most recent discoveries.
Enjoying a leisurely day off down by the Bay on Friday, we had been foiled in our attempt to visit the Butetown History & Arts Centre (a possibility for Achosion I Laweni in future, if it's actually open next time we wander down that way...), and had once again failed to find our way onto the barrage. Mercifully, consolation was near at hand.
We'd been told about the Waterguard but even upon walking in couldn't quite believe it was a pub. It's the imposing Victorian front that does it, seemingly modelled on a medieval castle, but inside, beyond the two snug rooms, it's like a stylish Tardis, boasting smart modern decor and plenty of space.
Once at the bar, it's an unexpected delight to find that the pub is affiliated to the Samuel Smiths brewery, and that as a result an impressive range of beers, ales and ciders is served in such swish surroundings. The only problem is deciding what to choose. Having come across very few pubs in Cardiff other than those serving the unimaginative selection of Brains bitters, we took an age to come to a conclusion, much to the amusement of a barman who rightly took pleasure in being able to offer much better than the standard city centre watering hole fayre.
#10 - The Glamorgan Staff Club
Like the Waterguard, the Glamorgan Staff Club caters for the real ale enthusiast - but that's about where the similarities end.
Accessed from a front door on Westgate Street opposite the main entrance of the Millennium Stadium and backing onto Womanby Street (home of the City Arms, Dempseys and Clwb Ifor Bach, and hence my favourite street in the city), it's an impressive red brick building that is as characterful on the inside as it is on the out.
Apparently you are supposed to be a member to drink in there, but we flout the official rules as members of Cardiff Friends Of The Earth, one of the many groups to hold their meetings for free in the upstairs rooms (incidentally, one of the others is the South Wales Anarchists - one wonders what they're doing organising meetings in the first place...)
A firm favourite with local CAMRA members (and duly named as the Best Real Ale pub in Cardiff on at least one occasion), the Club prides itself on serving an ever-changing selection of ales from around Britain, with at least three available at any one time. The pricing policy is equally genius: £1.75 a pint if it's under 5%, £1.85 if it's over 5%, and £1.95 on very special occasions.
With those prices being written in white plastic lettering pressed onto a black board, it's as though it's stuck in a time warp - and a quick glance around at the faded wallpaper, carpet filthy with ingrained stains, broken and battered furniture and seats with chunks of leatherette and foam missing does nothing to dispel that impression.
The Club is populated by chainsmokers with eyes both lazy and glazed, though a quick burst of Michael Jackson on the ghetto blaster in one of the downstairs rooms has been known to inspire a burst of movement. That might have been convulsions, mind. Waiting at the bar before one meeting, we witnessed a fight between two fat middle-aged men - probably over who got the last bag of pork scratchings.
Salubrious? No. Unique? Yes - and in a good way.
Monday, February 05, 2007
"Like Pop Will Eat Itself, only shitter"
Newly uploaded to the Vanity Project interviews site: my interview with Cardiff fuckheads Gindrinker, probably the only band ever to cite Godflesh, The Fall and Les Dawson as sources of inspiration. The interview is prefaced by a review of the duo's debut demo - I say "review", though really it's more a straightforward description because the songs sell themselves.
My thoughts on The Drones' Gala Mill - a sprawling, bloody and uniquely Australian take on Southern Gothic - are also now up on the main Vanity Project site. Their last album was called Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By...
Newly uploaded to the Vanity Project interviews site: my interview with Cardiff fuckheads Gindrinker, probably the only band ever to cite Godflesh, The Fall and Les Dawson as sources of inspiration. The interview is prefaced by a review of the duo's debut demo - I say "review", though really it's more a straightforward description because the songs sell themselves.
My thoughts on The Drones' Gala Mill - a sprawling, bloody and uniquely Australian take on Southern Gothic - are also now up on the main Vanity Project site. Their last album was called Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By...
Don't look back in anger?
This week on The Art Of Noise I can be found prosecuting one of my pet hates, Britpop - currently a chastening experience, as I'm witnessing what happens when you savage a sacred cow. Oh well, it was fun to write...
This week on The Art Of Noise I can be found prosecuting one of my pet hates, Britpop - currently a chastening experience, as I'm witnessing what happens when you savage a sacred cow. Oh well, it was fun to write...
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Bad cover version
Pitchfork's Ryan Schreiber lists his 25 Worst Album Covers Of 2006. Those named and shamed include TV On The Radio, Lupe Fiasco, Mew, Rod Stewart and The Who.
Meanwhile...
Watch the YouTube footage from The Arcade Fire's acoustic rendition of 'Wake Up' in the foyer of Porchester Hall in London last night and wish you were there.
On a rather different note, I'm still not sure whether this and the site it appears on is a spoof or the work / thoughts of a genuine nutter. Perhaps it'd be best to take the man's advice and steer clear of all the named bands, especially Elton John because he's "really gay". Thanks to Abbie for the link either way.
Pitchfork's Ryan Schreiber lists his 25 Worst Album Covers Of 2006. Those named and shamed include TV On The Radio, Lupe Fiasco, Mew, Rod Stewart and The Who.
Meanwhile...
Watch the YouTube footage from The Arcade Fire's acoustic rendition of 'Wake Up' in the foyer of Porchester Hall in London last night and wish you were there.
On a rather different note, I'm still not sure whether this and the site it appears on is a spoof or the work / thoughts of a genuine nutter. Perhaps it'd be best to take the man's advice and steer clear of all the named bands, especially Elton John because he's "really gay". Thanks to Abbie for the link either way.
Feel good hits of the 2nd February
1. 'Bacon Pt 2' - Gindrinker
2. 'Total Trash' - Sonic Youth
3. 'Sixteen Straws' - The Drones
4. 'By Number' - Anathallo
5. 'Paint Nothing' - Idlewild
6. 'I'm Getting Bored By The Sea' - Blood Red Shoes
7. 'We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives' - Los Campesinos!
8. 'Breaker' - Low
9. 'On' - Bloc Party
10. 'The Greatest' - Cat Power
1. 'Bacon Pt 2' - Gindrinker
2. 'Total Trash' - Sonic Youth
3. 'Sixteen Straws' - The Drones
4. 'By Number' - Anathallo
5. 'Paint Nothing' - Idlewild
6. 'I'm Getting Bored By The Sea' - Blood Red Shoes
7. 'We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives' - Los Campesinos!
8. 'Breaker' - Low
9. 'On' - Bloc Party
10. 'The Greatest' - Cat Power
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Let them drink gin!
SPACE IN THE 50S / GINDRINKER / EVILS, 25TH JANUARY 2007, CARDIFF CLWB IFOR BACH
I may have narrowly missed out on tickets for the Blood Brothers / Help She Can't Swim gig, but that wasn't going to stop me going to Clwb tonight. You see, while the godfathers of screamo and the Brighton punks are doing their thing upstairs, there's plenty to enjoy downstairs too, courtesy of Kruger.
Evils, for a start.
Jamie Hale's music has found favour with everyone from Radio 1's Steve Lamacq, Rob da Bank and Huw Stephens to Hot Chip and Akira The Don - and it soon finds favour with me. Hale may perform from within a wendy house, but there's nothing remotely fey, drippy or Belle-&-Sebastian-influenced about the often playful but occasionally sinister electro that he creates within (for evidence of the latter, just check out the opening to 'There Is No Santa Claus' on the Evils MySpace page...).
Above Hale's brightly coloured plastic temporary accommodation, images of primitive computer equipment are projected onto a screen, and footage of Jeremy Beadle on 'Eureka' follows. Often playful but occasionally sinister, as I said.
Once the wendy house has been dismantled and returned to its flat-pack state, it's the turn of Gindrinker to pick up that same playful-but-sinister thread and run with it - something the maverick duo do with relish. They open with 'Ian The Dog Murderer' and follow it up with 'Covered In Bugs', the latter (concerning the discovery of a dead child) embellished with a genius additional couplet: "Two weeks of piano lessons WASTED! / They paid upfront DAMMIT!" As introductions go, it's rather more offensive than "How do you do?"
Thereafter there's a message from Kim Jong-Il, two fingers up to Tom Jones, the customary Q&A session, mutterings about being "a milksop" and "a dog trapped in a man's body", a song about 'Bullseye' and another about a local pub which manages to include both the catchphrase-in-waiting "EFFING AND FUCKING JEFFING?!" and a reference to Dionne Warwick.
Imagine if Chris Morris was a fan of Big Black, and you'll be close. This is the third time I've been exposed to Gindrinker's unique brand of terrorism, and I'm fast becoming convinced they're the most entertaining band in Cardiff.
After complaining that local bands were unjustly overlooked at the Kruger Christmas party, I'm pleased to report that the line-up the magazine had assembled for their first gig of the new year was entirely Cardiff-centric. Kruger had an additional reason for wanting to promote Space In The 50s' debut live performance, though. In the most recent issue, they point to several bands who (they suggest) were killed off by "The Curse Of Kruger"; these include Death From Above 1979, Clor and The Martini Henry Rifles - and two thirds of tonight's headliners used to be in the latter. An attempt to make amends, then.
For guitarist / vocalist Chris Warlow and bassist / vocalist Fudge Wilson, Space In The 50s don't mark a significant departure from their earlier exploits - no matter how many times between songs Warlow mentions the band name as if to stress the Martinis are dead and this is something new. There's not quite the same intensity and brick-in-the-face brutality that terrified a whole host of delicate Young Knives fans back in March, but the songs are still driven by low, meaty bass riffs and contain copious quantities of abrasive guitar.
I remain pretty much unmoved by their twenty minute set, though, not least because drummer Marvini Phillips often struggles to keep up with the necksnapping pace set by those in front of him. That said, the partisan and expectant crowd hardly cares - and perhaps these glitches will have been ironed out by the time they come to play their next gig at Buffalo in a couple of weeks' time. I might well be there to find out...
SPACE IN THE 50S / GINDRINKER / EVILS, 25TH JANUARY 2007, CARDIFF CLWB IFOR BACH
I may have narrowly missed out on tickets for the Blood Brothers / Help She Can't Swim gig, but that wasn't going to stop me going to Clwb tonight. You see, while the godfathers of screamo and the Brighton punks are doing their thing upstairs, there's plenty to enjoy downstairs too, courtesy of Kruger.
Evils, for a start.
Jamie Hale's music has found favour with everyone from Radio 1's Steve Lamacq, Rob da Bank and Huw Stephens to Hot Chip and Akira The Don - and it soon finds favour with me. Hale may perform from within a wendy house, but there's nothing remotely fey, drippy or Belle-&-Sebastian-influenced about the often playful but occasionally sinister electro that he creates within (for evidence of the latter, just check out the opening to 'There Is No Santa Claus' on the Evils MySpace page...).
Above Hale's brightly coloured plastic temporary accommodation, images of primitive computer equipment are projected onto a screen, and footage of Jeremy Beadle on 'Eureka' follows. Often playful but occasionally sinister, as I said.
Once the wendy house has been dismantled and returned to its flat-pack state, it's the turn of Gindrinker to pick up that same playful-but-sinister thread and run with it - something the maverick duo do with relish. They open with 'Ian The Dog Murderer' and follow it up with 'Covered In Bugs', the latter (concerning the discovery of a dead child) embellished with a genius additional couplet: "Two weeks of piano lessons WASTED! / They paid upfront DAMMIT!" As introductions go, it's rather more offensive than "How do you do?"
Thereafter there's a message from Kim Jong-Il, two fingers up to Tom Jones, the customary Q&A session, mutterings about being "a milksop" and "a dog trapped in a man's body", a song about 'Bullseye' and another about a local pub which manages to include both the catchphrase-in-waiting "EFFING AND FUCKING JEFFING?!" and a reference to Dionne Warwick.
Imagine if Chris Morris was a fan of Big Black, and you'll be close. This is the third time I've been exposed to Gindrinker's unique brand of terrorism, and I'm fast becoming convinced they're the most entertaining band in Cardiff.
After complaining that local bands were unjustly overlooked at the Kruger Christmas party, I'm pleased to report that the line-up the magazine had assembled for their first gig of the new year was entirely Cardiff-centric. Kruger had an additional reason for wanting to promote Space In The 50s' debut live performance, though. In the most recent issue, they point to several bands who (they suggest) were killed off by "The Curse Of Kruger"; these include Death From Above 1979, Clor and The Martini Henry Rifles - and two thirds of tonight's headliners used to be in the latter. An attempt to make amends, then.
For guitarist / vocalist Chris Warlow and bassist / vocalist Fudge Wilson, Space In The 50s don't mark a significant departure from their earlier exploits - no matter how many times between songs Warlow mentions the band name as if to stress the Martinis are dead and this is something new. There's not quite the same intensity and brick-in-the-face brutality that terrified a whole host of delicate Young Knives fans back in March, but the songs are still driven by low, meaty bass riffs and contain copious quantities of abrasive guitar.
I remain pretty much unmoved by their twenty minute set, though, not least because drummer Marvini Phillips often struggles to keep up with the necksnapping pace set by those in front of him. That said, the partisan and expectant crowd hardly cares - and perhaps these glitches will have been ironed out by the time they come to play their next gig at Buffalo in a couple of weeks' time. I might well be there to find out...
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Posts win prizes
Just to say that I for one am very glad that Mike - with the assistance of several other bloggers, including Swiss Toni and Jonathan - has resurrected Post Of The Week, particularly as the vaguely regular SWSL Blogwatch feature has gone into hibernation.
I'm just not getting the time to read as many blogs as I'd like at the moment, so I'm grateful for any pointers to the best bits. Of course, the danger is that I'll be introduced to more blogs whose quality will demand that they become essential reading...
Anyway, Post Of The Week is no longer just a feature on Troubled Diva - it's now got its very own site.
Allow me to take this opportunity to mention the Nottingham blogmeet Mike's co-organising with Lisa of Rullsenberg Rules, due to take place on the afternoon of 10th March (full details here). Unfortunately it looks as though I won't be able to make it back to the East Midlands for the occasion - but if things change I'll be doing my darndest to be get over there. Anyone who's wavering can be sure Mike'll treat them to some of the city's numerous delights - it's not all guns and binge drinking, you know...
Just to say that I for one am very glad that Mike - with the assistance of several other bloggers, including Swiss Toni and Jonathan - has resurrected Post Of The Week, particularly as the vaguely regular SWSL Blogwatch feature has gone into hibernation.
I'm just not getting the time to read as many blogs as I'd like at the moment, so I'm grateful for any pointers to the best bits. Of course, the danger is that I'll be introduced to more blogs whose quality will demand that they become essential reading...
Anyway, Post Of The Week is no longer just a feature on Troubled Diva - it's now got its very own site.
Allow me to take this opportunity to mention the Nottingham blogmeet Mike's co-organising with Lisa of Rullsenberg Rules, due to take place on the afternoon of 10th March (full details here). Unfortunately it looks as though I won't be able to make it back to the East Midlands for the occasion - but if things change I'll be doing my darndest to be get over there. Anyone who's wavering can be sure Mike'll treat them to some of the city's numerous delights - it's not all guns and binge drinking, you know...
Quote of the day
"With the relaxation that comes from not being in any particular hurry, I flash my lights to allow an oncoming Range Rover to turn right. It is HM The Queen driving, with her husband HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. She has her headscarf on, like she does in the pictures.
There are two ways in which you can behave when you see a well-known celebrity person. You can gawp and goggle and point, or you can be all cool and not particularly acknowledge them. As HM The Queen is a class act, she does the latter. So does her husband HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. That is breeding for you."
Her Maj has a close encounter with blog royalty in the form of JonnyB.
"With the relaxation that comes from not being in any particular hurry, I flash my lights to allow an oncoming Range Rover to turn right. It is HM The Queen driving, with her husband HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. She has her headscarf on, like she does in the pictures.
There are two ways in which you can behave when you see a well-known celebrity person. You can gawp and goggle and point, or you can be all cool and not particularly acknowledge them. As HM The Queen is a class act, she does the latter. So does her husband HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. That is breeding for you."
Her Maj has a close encounter with blog royalty in the form of JonnyB.
"When you play Pass-The-Parcel with human body parts / Somebody might get a head but someone will get hurt"
It's been a while since there was any Los Campesinos! pluggage here on SWSL - so how's about I tell you to go to their MySpace site to see the colourful, unsettling and rather ace video for 'We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives'? It's out on Wichita on 26th February as a double A-side with 'Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s)'.
It's been a while since there was any Los Campesinos! pluggage here on SWSL - so how's about I tell you to go to their MySpace site to see the colourful, unsettling and rather ace video for 'We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives'? It's out on Wichita on 26th February as a double A-side with 'Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s)'.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Intoxicating
DRUNK GRANNY / LILY GREEN, 22ND JANUARY 2007, CARDIFF DEMPSEYS
Tonight's gig is the first organised by new-kid-on-the-promoting-block The Mad Hatter. The very late withdrawal of support act Truckstop Bandits could have derailed things right from the start, but in the event it gives the DJ duo (of whom the frontwoman of The Physicists is one) longer to entertain us with a brilliant sequence of songs including Sonic Youth's 'Silver Rocket', Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Miles Away', Le Tigre's 'My My Metrocard' and The Raveonettes' 'That Great Love Sound'.
The live music kicks off with Lily Green. Since I last saw her perform her solo material, when she was making her debut in Cardiff, Lily's played a Meltdown event and become a favourite of BBC Radio Wales' Adam Walton and the Peppermint Patti team, as well as having her CD named Demo Of The Week by Organ Magazine. Suffice to say that tonight's performance suggests her star will be in the ascendancy for some time to come.
The most striking thing about Lily - aside from the way her lightning fast fingers attack the keyboard - is the sheer passion and intensity of her performances. Whether she's playing the relatively difficult and experimental electronica-tinged tracks or lightening the mood with a simpler but no less poignant song about a ladybird (which, with its sense of inquisitiveness, humanity and wonderment at the world, is reminiscent of The Flaming Lips), she is equally spellbinding, and the audience unanimously affords her due respect in the form of complete silence.
Drunk Granny, however, are a different prospect altogether. Like Gindrinker, the duo have been terrorising venues in and around Cardiff for some time now, steadily acquiring fans and cult status in the process.
The kind of drunk granny they conjure up isn't one who is mildly sozzled on sherry and who falls asleep on the sofa on Christmas Day. No, it's one who takes the occasion of her granddaughter's wedding to down glass after glass of wine, polish off a few G'n'Ts and then stand on the table, flash her knickers to the assembled guests and loudly announce she's coming out. Before falling face first into the cake.
But, intriguingly, they're not just the chaotic post-riot-grrrl blitz that that might imply. Beneath the looseness of the performance and the song structures themselves, there are melodic ambitions and some great tunes fighting to get out, like ferrets in a sack. A little bit of spit here and polish there, and songs like 'Care Home Rock' and 'Secret Garden' could buff up nicely.
DRUNK GRANNY / LILY GREEN, 22ND JANUARY 2007, CARDIFF DEMPSEYS
Tonight's gig is the first organised by new-kid-on-the-promoting-block The Mad Hatter. The very late withdrawal of support act Truckstop Bandits could have derailed things right from the start, but in the event it gives the DJ duo (of whom the frontwoman of The Physicists is one) longer to entertain us with a brilliant sequence of songs including Sonic Youth's 'Silver Rocket', Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Miles Away', Le Tigre's 'My My Metrocard' and The Raveonettes' 'That Great Love Sound'.
The live music kicks off with Lily Green. Since I last saw her perform her solo material, when she was making her debut in Cardiff, Lily's played a Meltdown event and become a favourite of BBC Radio Wales' Adam Walton and the Peppermint Patti team, as well as having her CD named Demo Of The Week by Organ Magazine. Suffice to say that tonight's performance suggests her star will be in the ascendancy for some time to come.
The most striking thing about Lily - aside from the way her lightning fast fingers attack the keyboard - is the sheer passion and intensity of her performances. Whether she's playing the relatively difficult and experimental electronica-tinged tracks or lightening the mood with a simpler but no less poignant song about a ladybird (which, with its sense of inquisitiveness, humanity and wonderment at the world, is reminiscent of The Flaming Lips), she is equally spellbinding, and the audience unanimously affords her due respect in the form of complete silence.
Drunk Granny, however, are a different prospect altogether. Like Gindrinker, the duo have been terrorising venues in and around Cardiff for some time now, steadily acquiring fans and cult status in the process.
The kind of drunk granny they conjure up isn't one who is mildly sozzled on sherry and who falls asleep on the sofa on Christmas Day. No, it's one who takes the occasion of her granddaughter's wedding to down glass after glass of wine, polish off a few G'n'Ts and then stand on the table, flash her knickers to the assembled guests and loudly announce she's coming out. Before falling face first into the cake.
But, intriguingly, they're not just the chaotic post-riot-grrrl blitz that that might imply. Beneath the looseness of the performance and the song structures themselves, there are melodic ambitions and some great tunes fighting to get out, like ferrets in a sack. A little bit of spit here and polish there, and songs like 'Care Home Rock' and 'Secret Garden' could buff up nicely.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Quote of the day
"What I did come to realize was this: that the strangest behaviours are always answering some very normal human need - for love, for religious meaning, for a place in the world. And that the 'weird beliefs' themselves never stood in the way of me making a human connection, be it however briefly, with them."
Louis Theroux reflects on weirdness.
"What I did come to realize was this: that the strangest behaviours are always answering some very normal human need - for love, for religious meaning, for a place in the world. And that the 'weird beliefs' themselves never stood in the way of me making a human connection, be it however briefly, with them."
Louis Theroux reflects on weirdness.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Every Rose has her thorn
ROSE KEMP / UNDERGROUND RAILROAD / THE PHYSICISTS / LLAN CLAN, 20TH JANUARY 2007, CHAPTER ARTS CENTRE
Llan Clan take to the stage early - probably a good thing, too, as it's sure to be past their bedtime before long. The bilingual fivepiece are on the youthful side, y'see - long-haired drummer Tomos Ayres in particular can't be much older than fourteen, and it's proud parents who make up the first few rows.
But the sprightly indiepopsters have been personally selected to play by promoters Peppermint Patti for a reason, and whatever they lack in years (and occasionally in timing) they make up for in freshness and enthusiasm, closing with a heartwarming paean to their hometown Blaenau Ffestiniog. You see, Daily Mail readers - being a teenager isn't all smoking glue and sniffing crack. No, the kids are all right.
Whereas The Physicists are all wrong - but in a good way. The quartet, who count ex Bikini Kill star Tobi Vail amongst those they've impressed, are purveyors of thrashing, brattish punk songs that snarl and bite and are about "homosexuals and crack and dogs".
What really distinguishes them, though, is a guitarist who's keen to kick out warp speed AC/DC riffs and thereby divert them from towing the narrow riot grrrrl party line, and a gobby frontwoman with a sense of humour: "I just looked into the crowd and thought someone had their back to us. Then I realised it was their face. Is that bad?" Er... Anyway, The Physicists: it ain't rocket science, it's only rock 'n' roll - but I like it.
As if Sonic Youth weren't marvellous enough already, now it seems as though they can justifiably claim responsibility for effecting a 21st century entente cordiale between England and France. For Underground Railroad, whose members met in Paris but who have set up home in London, recreate the sound of the angry discordant Youth of the mid to late 1980s, just as they were working their way up to Daydream Nation.
There's a case for saying that guitarist Marion Andrau takes things a little too far into hero worship, Kim Gordon her role model in everything from dress sense to onstage movement to vocal style. After all, didn't the New Yorkers once say something about killing your idols? But I for one am glad that it's resurrection and not murder that's going on here, though their sound is murderous enough - a kicking, screaming and thoroughly satisfying racket.
And so to the headliner - not, as one wag at the bar downstairs puts it, Ross Kemp, but Underground Railroad's labelmate Rose Kemp, the daughter of Steeleye Span's Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp.
Two things are likely to dog the 22-year-old, whose album A Hand Full Of Hurricanes is released on One Little Indian early next month: firstly that her prominence is down to her parentage; and secondly, particularly given the fact that she has taken up residency in Bristol, that she is the new PJ Harvey. The first isn't anything she can control and so is grossly unfair; as for the second, she does at times court the comparison, but it's far too lazy to leave it there.
What tonight's show demonstrates is that Kemp has a raw talent of her own, most vividly apparent when she performs two solo songs (one of which, 'Fire In The Garden', can be heard on her MySpace page), sampling herself to create a choral effect, and later following them up with a breathtaking acapella song delivered from the front of the stage unassisted even by a microphone.
But it's a different matter when her backing band (consisting partly of members of one of her other groups, experimental doom-metallers VILNA) are involved; her voice is all too often submerged and lost beneath the muddy guitar sludge. Perhaps it's the fault of the sound technicians rather than Kemp's hairy cohorts themselves, but either way it's frustrating that this rough diamond is allowed little opportunity to shine.
Afterwards we're lingering downstairs before leaving when we catch Llan Clan guitarist Sion Jones being hoisted up onto someone's shoulders in order to unpin a bill poster as a keepsake. A spot of light-fingered liberation - and who could blame him? Apart, of course, from the Mail reader muttering "Damn hoodies" under his or her breath...
ROSE KEMP / UNDERGROUND RAILROAD / THE PHYSICISTS / LLAN CLAN, 20TH JANUARY 2007, CHAPTER ARTS CENTRE
Llan Clan take to the stage early - probably a good thing, too, as it's sure to be past their bedtime before long. The bilingual fivepiece are on the youthful side, y'see - long-haired drummer Tomos Ayres in particular can't be much older than fourteen, and it's proud parents who make up the first few rows.
But the sprightly indiepopsters have been personally selected to play by promoters Peppermint Patti for a reason, and whatever they lack in years (and occasionally in timing) they make up for in freshness and enthusiasm, closing with a heartwarming paean to their hometown Blaenau Ffestiniog. You see, Daily Mail readers - being a teenager isn't all smoking glue and sniffing crack. No, the kids are all right.
Whereas The Physicists are all wrong - but in a good way. The quartet, who count ex Bikini Kill star Tobi Vail amongst those they've impressed, are purveyors of thrashing, brattish punk songs that snarl and bite and are about "homosexuals and crack and dogs".
What really distinguishes them, though, is a guitarist who's keen to kick out warp speed AC/DC riffs and thereby divert them from towing the narrow riot grrrrl party line, and a gobby frontwoman with a sense of humour: "I just looked into the crowd and thought someone had their back to us. Then I realised it was their face. Is that bad?" Er... Anyway, The Physicists: it ain't rocket science, it's only rock 'n' roll - but I like it.
As if Sonic Youth weren't marvellous enough already, now it seems as though they can justifiably claim responsibility for effecting a 21st century entente cordiale between England and France. For Underground Railroad, whose members met in Paris but who have set up home in London, recreate the sound of the angry discordant Youth of the mid to late 1980s, just as they were working their way up to Daydream Nation.
There's a case for saying that guitarist Marion Andrau takes things a little too far into hero worship, Kim Gordon her role model in everything from dress sense to onstage movement to vocal style. After all, didn't the New Yorkers once say something about killing your idols? But I for one am glad that it's resurrection and not murder that's going on here, though their sound is murderous enough - a kicking, screaming and thoroughly satisfying racket.
And so to the headliner - not, as one wag at the bar downstairs puts it, Ross Kemp, but Underground Railroad's labelmate Rose Kemp, the daughter of Steeleye Span's Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp.
Two things are likely to dog the 22-year-old, whose album A Hand Full Of Hurricanes is released on One Little Indian early next month: firstly that her prominence is down to her parentage; and secondly, particularly given the fact that she has taken up residency in Bristol, that she is the new PJ Harvey. The first isn't anything she can control and so is grossly unfair; as for the second, she does at times court the comparison, but it's far too lazy to leave it there.
What tonight's show demonstrates is that Kemp has a raw talent of her own, most vividly apparent when she performs two solo songs (one of which, 'Fire In The Garden', can be heard on her MySpace page), sampling herself to create a choral effect, and later following them up with a breathtaking acapella song delivered from the front of the stage unassisted even by a microphone.
But it's a different matter when her backing band (consisting partly of members of one of her other groups, experimental doom-metallers VILNA) are involved; her voice is all too often submerged and lost beneath the muddy guitar sludge. Perhaps it's the fault of the sound technicians rather than Kemp's hairy cohorts themselves, but either way it's frustrating that this rough diamond is allowed little opportunity to shine.
Afterwards we're lingering downstairs before leaving when we catch Llan Clan guitarist Sion Jones being hoisted up onto someone's shoulders in order to unpin a bill poster as a keepsake. A spot of light-fingered liberation - and who could blame him? Apart, of course, from the Mail reader muttering "Damn hoodies" under his or her breath...
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Know Your Enemy
"There really has to be an end to the celebration of stupidity and ignorance."
Lorraine Kelly attempts to land a left hook in the anti-Jade backlash. Shame, then, that her comments appeared in the Sun, that esteemed organ of news which appears to be dedicated solely to such celebration. Not so clever now, are we, Lorraine?
"There really has to be an end to the celebration of stupidity and ignorance."
Lorraine Kelly attempts to land a left hook in the anti-Jade backlash. Shame, then, that her comments appeared in the Sun, that esteemed organ of news which appears to be dedicated solely to such celebration. Not so clever now, are we, Lorraine?
Reason to be cheerful
According to researchers at the University of Michigan, cynicism can increase the risk of heart disease. A bit unfortunate, really - I mean, it's hardly the sort of news cynics need, is it? Optimists could have taken the revelation in their stride, whistling along to 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life'...
According to researchers at the University of Michigan, cynicism can increase the risk of heart disease. A bit unfortunate, really - I mean, it's hardly the sort of news cynics need, is it? Optimists could have taken the revelation in their stride, whistling along to 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life'...
Feel good hits of the 23rd January
1. 'The Race Is On Again' - Yo La Tengo
2. 'Metronomic Underground' - Stereolab
3. 'Your Face Looks All Wrong' - Hot Club De Paris
4. 'Jealous Girls' - The Gossip
5. 'Headache' - Underground Railroad
6. 'Suspicious Character' - The Blood Arm
7. 'Patience' - Lily Green
8. 'Half Time' - Mogwai
9. 'Luna Phase' - The Fuzz Birds
10. 'Care Home Rock' - Drunk Granny
1. 'The Race Is On Again' - Yo La Tengo
2. 'Metronomic Underground' - Stereolab
3. 'Your Face Looks All Wrong' - Hot Club De Paris
4. 'Jealous Girls' - The Gossip
5. 'Headache' - Underground Railroad
6. 'Suspicious Character' - The Blood Arm
7. 'Patience' - Lily Green
8. 'Half Time' - Mogwai
9. 'Luna Phase' - The Fuzz Birds
10. 'Care Home Rock' - Drunk Granny
Word up
Hurrah! News to warm the cockles just as the temperature has plummetted: BBC2's 'Balderdash & Piffle' is back for a second series this spring. Don't be a plonker (earliest recorded usage: 1966) or a tosser (earliest recorded usage: 1977) and get watching.
Hurrah! News to warm the cockles just as the temperature has plummetted: BBC2's 'Balderdash & Piffle' is back for a second series this spring. Don't be a plonker (earliest recorded usage: 1966) or a tosser (earliest recorded usage: 1977) and get watching.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Dairy good
RICHARD HERRING'S 'SOMEONE LIKES YOGHURT', 19TH JANUARY 2007, CHAPTER ARTS CENTRE
Last March, Stewart Lee came to Chapter to film a DVD of his '90s Comedian' show. Now his former comedy partner Richard Herring has decided to follow suit, enlisting the services of independent Chapter-based DVD production company Go Faster Stripe and resurrecting his 2005 Edinburgh show 'Someone Likes Yoghurt' before the cameras and a select few punters - ourselves included.
Herring launches straight into a routine about Rudyard Kipling's 'If', carefully unpicking and taking issue with it with his familiar dogged persistence and incision. Unfortunately, it's not particularly funny and makes for a fairly flat and disappointing opening to the show.
It's not until he moves onto the second section, where there are some easier laughs about The Monkees having sex with monkeys, that he starts to hit his stride, making much more of the material than most comics would. The careful and exhaustive analysis of the magpie-related nursery rhyme 'One For Sorrow, Two For Joy' which follows is equally clever and hilarious. Somewhere in there Jimmy Carr is dismissed as having "no moral compass", and Peter Kay is amusingly caricatured as a comedian who "talks about things from the 1970s and school that you thought you'd forgotten but hadn't really", while subtle references to "skelingtons" and Tony Blairs" are worked in for the benefit of comedy nerds like myself.
By the time Herring gets to the fourth section of the first half, he has the bit firmly between his teeth, savaging Catholicism to brilliant effect. It's a reminder of the intelligence that underpins his most offensive and puerile observations, and of his ability to make sharp satirical points even with the bluntest of instruments. Despite having performed the show once already tonight, his energy levels are high and there's a real sense of performance in the way he harangues members of the audience (even a 16-year-old girl, on the subject of sperm the size of trout...), introducing an element of confrontation. Like Lee he is unafraid of making people feel uncomfortable - indeed it often seems to be his objective.
Herring too enjoys reflecting upon and dissecting the way comedy works as part of his act, as is most evident in the second part of the show, and the material that gives it its name. We witnessed an early prototype version of the yoghurt diatribe two years ago, and not much has changed except for its elongation and the addition of some clever references back to material from the first half of the show. As an exercise in wringing out as much humour as possible from an ostensibly trivial incident, it's perhaps slightly self-indulgent but, in fairness, also essentially the sort of thing he does as a matter of routine, albeit taken to an extreme - and, though it tries some people's patience, I'm laughing along heartily throughout.
Links:
SWSL interview with Richard Herring
SWSL review of Herring's 2004 Edinburgh show 'The Twelve Tasks Of Hercules Terrace'
Herring's thoughts on the two Chapter shows on his blog Warming Up
RICHARD HERRING'S 'SOMEONE LIKES YOGHURT', 19TH JANUARY 2007, CHAPTER ARTS CENTRE
Last March, Stewart Lee came to Chapter to film a DVD of his '90s Comedian' show. Now his former comedy partner Richard Herring has decided to follow suit, enlisting the services of independent Chapter-based DVD production company Go Faster Stripe and resurrecting his 2005 Edinburgh show 'Someone Likes Yoghurt' before the cameras and a select few punters - ourselves included.
Herring launches straight into a routine about Rudyard Kipling's 'If', carefully unpicking and taking issue with it with his familiar dogged persistence and incision. Unfortunately, it's not particularly funny and makes for a fairly flat and disappointing opening to the show.
It's not until he moves onto the second section, where there are some easier laughs about The Monkees having sex with monkeys, that he starts to hit his stride, making much more of the material than most comics would. The careful and exhaustive analysis of the magpie-related nursery rhyme 'One For Sorrow, Two For Joy' which follows is equally clever and hilarious. Somewhere in there Jimmy Carr is dismissed as having "no moral compass", and Peter Kay is amusingly caricatured as a comedian who "talks about things from the 1970s and school that you thought you'd forgotten but hadn't really", while subtle references to "skelingtons" and Tony Blairs" are worked in for the benefit of comedy nerds like myself.
By the time Herring gets to the fourth section of the first half, he has the bit firmly between his teeth, savaging Catholicism to brilliant effect. It's a reminder of the intelligence that underpins his most offensive and puerile observations, and of his ability to make sharp satirical points even with the bluntest of instruments. Despite having performed the show once already tonight, his energy levels are high and there's a real sense of performance in the way he harangues members of the audience (even a 16-year-old girl, on the subject of sperm the size of trout...), introducing an element of confrontation. Like Lee he is unafraid of making people feel uncomfortable - indeed it often seems to be his objective.
Herring too enjoys reflecting upon and dissecting the way comedy works as part of his act, as is most evident in the second part of the show, and the material that gives it its name. We witnessed an early prototype version of the yoghurt diatribe two years ago, and not much has changed except for its elongation and the addition of some clever references back to material from the first half of the show. As an exercise in wringing out as much humour as possible from an ostensibly trivial incident, it's perhaps slightly self-indulgent but, in fairness, also essentially the sort of thing he does as a matter of routine, albeit taken to an extreme - and, though it tries some people's patience, I'm laughing along heartily throughout.
Links:
SWSL interview with Richard Herring
SWSL review of Herring's 2004 Edinburgh show 'The Twelve Tasks Of Hercules Terrace'
Herring's thoughts on the two Chapter shows on his blog Warming Up
Bloody hell
Just popped into Spillers to discover I was too slow off the blocks for tickets to Thursday's Blood Brothers / Help She Can't Swim gig. Very annoying - partly because, with Blood Red Shoes and The Blood Arm among the bands I'll be seeing in the next few weeks, it would have made for a curious coincidence.
On a different Cardiff-music-related note, my review of the Twisted By Design compilation This Town Ain't Big Enough For The 22 Of Us is now up on the Vanity Project site.
Just popped into Spillers to discover I was too slow off the blocks for tickets to Thursday's Blood Brothers / Help She Can't Swim gig. Very annoying - partly because, with Blood Red Shoes and The Blood Arm among the bands I'll be seeing in the next few weeks, it would have made for a curious coincidence.
On a different Cardiff-music-related note, my review of the Twisted By Design compilation This Town Ain't Big Enough For The 22 Of Us is now up on the Vanity Project site.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
All change
So there I was, bumbling along happily enough.
Until a few days ago, when I made the potentially fatal mistake of deciding to give into Blogger's pressure and sign up for the New Super-Duper Upgrade. Oh dear.
I had naively believed the hype when they said it would all be smooth and trouble-free, and so was rather concerned to find that the Silent Words Speak Loudest homepage would no longer load properly and the archive links had disappeared - though mercifully the links to archived posts in the sidebar still worked.
So today, in a bid to recover my archives, I followed the advice of the Blogger help page and customised my template - the first significant change to my template since the blog was set up in October 2002. That would explain why it feels like you're in unfamiliar surroundings, then.
The problem with having done that, of course, is that my enormous and carefully constructed sidebar index has been lost. I've set about reinserting the links, but the new interface is a pain in the arse, only allowing you to order your links how you want with extreme difficulty. I've started, and believe me I will finish - but in the meantime SWSL is likely to be something of a building site.
What's more, I've lost all your comments (my comments facility was Haloscan rather than Blogger), and with the installment of the new Blogger facility I think you'll be obliged to sign in, for which I apologise - I wanted it to be as open as possible. And my Sitemeter hit counter has gone too.
The upgrade is supposed to have made it easier and more user-friendly for those who don't want to have to get to grips with the basics of HTML.
Excuse me while I go and pull my hair out.
Normal service will be resumed soon. With any luck.
So there I was, bumbling along happily enough.
Until a few days ago, when I made the potentially fatal mistake of deciding to give into Blogger's pressure and sign up for the New Super-Duper Upgrade. Oh dear.
I had naively believed the hype when they said it would all be smooth and trouble-free, and so was rather concerned to find that the Silent Words Speak Loudest homepage would no longer load properly and the archive links had disappeared - though mercifully the links to archived posts in the sidebar still worked.
So today, in a bid to recover my archives, I followed the advice of the Blogger help page and customised my template - the first significant change to my template since the blog was set up in October 2002. That would explain why it feels like you're in unfamiliar surroundings, then.
The problem with having done that, of course, is that my enormous and carefully constructed sidebar index has been lost. I've set about reinserting the links, but the new interface is a pain in the arse, only allowing you to order your links how you want with extreme difficulty. I've started, and believe me I will finish - but in the meantime SWSL is likely to be something of a building site.
What's more, I've lost all your comments (my comments facility was Haloscan rather than Blogger), and with the installment of the new Blogger facility I think you'll be obliged to sign in, for which I apologise - I wanted it to be as open as possible. And my Sitemeter hit counter has gone too.
The upgrade is supposed to have made it easier and more user-friendly for those who don't want to have to get to grips with the basics of HTML.
Excuse me while I go and pull my hair out.
Normal service will be resumed soon. With any luck.
Monday, January 15, 2007
The hit parade
It may be mid January, and everyone else has long since seen 2006 disappearing in the rear view mirror, but it would be remiss of me not to make mention of some of the end-of-year lists to be found elsewhere simply because my own was so tardy. So...
Special mention must go to the one-man blogging phenomenon that is Simon, whose output on Sweeping The Nation throughout December was little short of extraordinary. Amongst all the goodness, there was a review of 2006 as well as single and album of the year lists (with each of the Top 30 albums given its own post throughout the month). Simon also compiled a poll of UK Blogger Albums Of 2006, to which I and many others contributed.
Meanwhile, Swiss Toni came up with an end-of-year project of his own, enlisting the help of his readers and guest editors to compile a list of the Earworms Of The Year 2006. Not unsurprisingly, none of my Top Five made it into the Top Twenty-Five: Los Campesinos!' 'You Me Dancing!', The Icarus Line's 'Getting Bright At Night', Cat Power's 'The Greatest', The Long Blondes' 'Weekend Without Makeup' and LCD Soundsystem's 'Losing My Edge'.
And now for the best of the rest (in alphabetic order):
Are The Stars Out Tonight?: Records Of The Year / Gigs Of The Year
Casino Avenue: End-of-year Playlist
Danger! High Postage: Albums Of The Year
Expecting To Fly: Albums Of The Year 2006
funfunfun: Favourite Albums Of The Year (15-11 / 10-6 / 5-1)
Me And My CDs: The Best Of 2006 (also available in the form of a podcast)
Parallax View: Albums Of The Year 2006
Silence Is A Rhythm Too: Top 20 Albums Of The Year
Troubled Diva: Best Albums Of 2006 / Rockin' Mike's Gigs Of 2006
And just to round things off, Nick Southall of Stylus presents his Top Ten Albums Released Since Stylus Began That I Did Not Realise Were Great Until It Was Too Late To Vote For Them In End-Of-Year Polls, which includes Sonic Youth's Sonic Nurse, Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People and Electrelane's The Power Out amongst others.
And so what of 2007? There's plenty of crystal-ball-gazing on Sweeping The Nation and funfunfun, while Kenny has linked to this article from the Times, one of many in which industry bigwigs predict who will shoot to prominence over the next twelve months.
But ultimately all you really need to know is that The Arcade Fire's new album Neon Bible is out on 5th March and you can hear snippets of the new material here.
It may be mid January, and everyone else has long since seen 2006 disappearing in the rear view mirror, but it would be remiss of me not to make mention of some of the end-of-year lists to be found elsewhere simply because my own was so tardy. So...
Special mention must go to the one-man blogging phenomenon that is Simon, whose output on Sweeping The Nation throughout December was little short of extraordinary. Amongst all the goodness, there was a review of 2006 as well as single and album of the year lists (with each of the Top 30 albums given its own post throughout the month). Simon also compiled a poll of UK Blogger Albums Of 2006, to which I and many others contributed.
Meanwhile, Swiss Toni came up with an end-of-year project of his own, enlisting the help of his readers and guest editors to compile a list of the Earworms Of The Year 2006. Not unsurprisingly, none of my Top Five made it into the Top Twenty-Five: Los Campesinos!' 'You Me Dancing!', The Icarus Line's 'Getting Bright At Night', Cat Power's 'The Greatest', The Long Blondes' 'Weekend Without Makeup' and LCD Soundsystem's 'Losing My Edge'.
And now for the best of the rest (in alphabetic order):
Are The Stars Out Tonight?: Records Of The Year / Gigs Of The Year
Casino Avenue: End-of-year Playlist
Danger! High Postage: Albums Of The Year
Expecting To Fly: Albums Of The Year 2006
funfunfun: Favourite Albums Of The Year (15-11 / 10-6 / 5-1)
Me And My CDs: The Best Of 2006 (also available in the form of a podcast)
Parallax View: Albums Of The Year 2006
Silence Is A Rhythm Too: Top 20 Albums Of The Year
Troubled Diva: Best Albums Of 2006 / Rockin' Mike's Gigs Of 2006
And just to round things off, Nick Southall of Stylus presents his Top Ten Albums Released Since Stylus Began That I Did Not Realise Were Great Until It Was Too Late To Vote For Them In End-Of-Year Polls, which includes Sonic Youth's Sonic Nurse, Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People and Electrelane's The Power Out amongst others.
And so what of 2007? There's plenty of crystal-ball-gazing on Sweeping The Nation and funfunfun, while Kenny has linked to this article from the Times, one of many in which industry bigwigs predict who will shoot to prominence over the next twelve months.
But ultimately all you really need to know is that The Arcade Fire's new album Neon Bible is out on 5th March and you can hear snippets of the new material here.
Seachange?
What is significant about Marks & Spencer's announcement of a five-year "eco-plan" today is not so much the plan itself - though its scope is impressively wide-ranging and its incorporation of checkable targets laudable. No, as the BBC's Business Editor Robert Peston points out, it's the thinking that has prompted the adoption of the plan in the first place.
On the one hand, it is depressing that decisions regarding environmentally and ethically conscious practices haven't been taken for their own sake. However, the fact that M&S and its chief exec Stuart Rose are convinced that the plan makes sound business sense is nevertheless enormously encouraging.
Big business has long been suspicious of and resistant to measures designed to protect the environment in the long term because they are perceived to have an unacceptably negative impact upon profit margins in the short term - so it's significant that Rose feels the changes brought about by the implementation of the plan will actually pay for themselves (the costs won't be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices) and indeed create extra revenue.
It'll be interesting to see how it all works out, and whether other business leaders hear Rose talking about environmentally conscious practices in the only language they understand (that of money), but in the meantime fair play to M&S for being the first major British retailer to make a meaningful move.
What is significant about Marks & Spencer's announcement of a five-year "eco-plan" today is not so much the plan itself - though its scope is impressively wide-ranging and its incorporation of checkable targets laudable. No, as the BBC's Business Editor Robert Peston points out, it's the thinking that has prompted the adoption of the plan in the first place.
On the one hand, it is depressing that decisions regarding environmentally and ethically conscious practices haven't been taken for their own sake. However, the fact that M&S and its chief exec Stuart Rose are convinced that the plan makes sound business sense is nevertheless enormously encouraging.
Big business has long been suspicious of and resistant to measures designed to protect the environment in the long term because they are perceived to have an unacceptably negative impact upon profit margins in the short term - so it's significant that Rose feels the changes brought about by the implementation of the plan will actually pay for themselves (the costs won't be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices) and indeed create extra revenue.
It'll be interesting to see how it all works out, and whether other business leaders hear Rose talking about environmentally conscious practices in the only language they understand (that of money), but in the meantime fair play to M&S for being the first major British retailer to make a meaningful move.
Mustn't grumble
Thanks to Jon for drawing my attention to this Guardian article discussing the disjunction between personal contentment with one's life and public dissatisfaction with the wider world - and the role of the media in fuelling or even creating the latter. No news may be good news for us, but not for those whose existence depends upon flogging us papers...
Thanks to Jon for drawing my attention to this Guardian article discussing the disjunction between personal contentment with one's life and public dissatisfaction with the wider world - and the role of the media in fuelling or even creating the latter. No news may be good news for us, but not for those whose existence depends upon flogging us papers...
A text from a friend received late on Friday night: "Just got pushed out the way by Kevin Rowland". Oh well, I suppose having written 'Geno' excuses that sort of behaviour.
Apparently Kev was wandering around the Civic in Wolverhampton wearing "some odd pseudo-biker gang outfit kind of thing". Obviously moved on from donkey jackets, dungarees and women's clothing...
Thursday, January 11, 2007
SWSL Top 10 Albums Of 2006
Late, very late, I know, but hopefully forgiveably so - the acquisition of a number of albums around Christmas having justified delaying the list so it reflected a broader survey of what the year had to offer.
As with most years, though, I spent much time catching up on what I missed out on last time around - as well as albums from much further back in time. LCD Soundsystem, The Duke Spirit, REM, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Silver Jews, Editors, The Wedding Present, Yourcodenameis:milo and The Vaselines have all been among those whose non-2006 albums I played to death.
And as ever, there is a shamefully long list of records I haven't heard which, judging by what I've read of them, might conceivably have made an impact on the Top 10 had I done so. Deep breath...
ABSENTEE – Schmotime
...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD - So Divided
ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT – Derdang Derdang
BARDO POND - Ticket Crystals
BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY – The Letting Go
CALEXICO - Garden Ruin
CAMERA OBSCURA - Let's Get Out Of This Country
CANSEI DE SER SEXY – CSS
DEAD MEADOW – Feathers
THE DEARS – Gang Of Losers
THE DELGADOS – The Peel Sessions
DRESDEN DOLLS – Yes, Virginia
EVENS - Get Evens
THE FIERY FURNACES – Bitter Tea
FORWARD RUSSIA! – Give Me A Wall
GUILLEMOTS – Through The Window Pane
ALBERT HAMMOND JR – Yours To Keep
HOT CHIP – The Warning
THE HOT PUPPIES – Under The Crooked Moon
ISIS - In The Absence Of Truth
KELIS – Kelis Was Here
LCD Soundsystem – 45:33
JENNY LEWIS WITH THE WATSON TWINS – Rabbit Fur Coat
LIARS – Drums Not Dead
THE MAGIC NUMBERS – Those The Brokes
THE MELVINS – (A) Senile Animal
METRIC – Live It Out
MIDLAKE – The Trials Of Van Occupanther
MISSION OF BURMA – The Obliterati
MUSE – Black Holes And Revelations
PINK MOUNTAINTOPS – Axis Of Evol
THE PIPETTES – We Are The Pipettes
PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES - Elan Vital
THE RAPTURE – Pieces Of The People We Love
RED SPARROWES - Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Sun
SERENA-MANEESH – Serena-Maneesh
SOPHIA - Technology Won't Save Us
TAPES 'N' TAPES – The Loon
TILLY AND THE WALL – Wild Like Children
THE VICTORIAN ENGLISH GENTLEMENS CLUB – The Victorian English Gentlemens Club
JAMES YORKSTON – The Year Of The Leopard
YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE! - Hit The Floor!
You might well be wondering what I DID hear in 2006. Well, here are the honourable mentions, those albums which I enjoyed in part or wholly, some of which grazed the Top 10:
BECK – The Information
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE – Broken Social Scene
ISOBEL CAMPBELL & MARK LANEGAN– Ballad Of The Broken Seas
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
CLINIC – Visitations
THE CONCRETES – In Colour
GRAHAM COXON – Love Travels At Illegal Speeds
DEATH OF FASHION – Hello Movement
THE DRONES – Gala Mill
ENVY – Insomniac Doze
THE FLAMING LIPS – At War With The Mystics
THE FUTUREHEADS – News And Tributes
THE GOSSIP – Standing In The Way Of Control
THE GRATES – Gravity Won’t Get You High
THE LONG BLONDES – Someone To Drive You Home
LOVEMAT – The Fearless Hair Days Of Youth
MOGWAI – 'Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait' soundtrack
PETER BJORN & JOHN – Writer’s Block
SECRET MACHINES – Ten Silver Drops
THE SHORTWAVE SET – The Debt Collection
SPOTLIGHT KID – Departure
THE STROKES – First Impressions Of Earth
TV ON THE RADIO – Return To Cookie Mountain
VARIOUS – This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The 22 Of Us
WE ARE SCIENTISTS – With Love And Squalor
THOM YORKE - The Eraser
YOU & THE ATOM BOMB – Shake Shake Hello?!
THE YOUNG KNIVES – Voices Of Animals And Men
Of those, News And Tributes was probably the biggest disappointment, lacking the bite and vivacity of its predecessor (though perversely the quieter more reflective songs like 'Thursday' and the title track were the ones to make the greatest impression) - but a few spins of the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album have not been enough to divulge the magic it's alleged to contain; the robo-funk nadirs of At War With The Mystics continue to leave a bad taste in my mouth; Clinic seem content to repeat the trick of previous records; and Voices Of Animals And Men never matched up to my (admittedly high) expectations, the clutch of excellent singles dragged down by the truly horrible 'Tailors' in particular.
Most frustrating? Both Broken Social Scene and Writer's Block have moments of brilliance, but I found both rather too patchy for real satisfaction. Meanwhile, it took me a long time to decide I did actually like Ten Silver Drops, its proggy pomposity eventually either being excused or winning me around - I'm still not sure which.
Closest to scraping into the Top 10? That would be Someone To Drive You Home, The Long Blondes' sharp and stylish debut packed full of art-pop magic. The fruit of Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan's unlikely union came close too, though it wasn't quite dark enough for my tastes. And I seem to have been alone in admiring the Strokes' third album, on which they edged away from the template and Julian Casablancas' lyrics became more intriguingly self-lacerating.
So, to business...
10. YEAH YEAH YEAHS – Show Your Bones
The NY threesome's sophomore effort took time to bed in, lacking anything as riotous as 'Date With The Night' or as unexpectedly sublime as 'Maps'. But, with bands like The Grates queueing up to fill the void, YYYs withdrew from the cheap, loud thrills of Fever To Tell and discovered texture and tone - and in the process created an album with hidden depths, rather than just glassy surfaces in which to admire one's reflection and off which to snort Columbia's finest.
Key track: 'Dudley'
9. GIANT DRAG – Hearts And Unicorns
In an NME photoshoot, Annie Hardy (Giant Drag's one remaining member now that Micah Calabrese has left) was captured with a Love Heart reading "Fuck" on the tip of her tongue. Rather appropriate, really - after all, her band's breakthrough album featured a song called 'You Fuck Like My Dad'. Hearts And Unicorns is eleven potent rock songs clad in a thick jumper of guitar fuzz of the sort shoegazery types like me would love to have got for Christmas. And that's not to mention the bonus track, an incendiary cover of Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game'...
Key track: 'Kevin Is Gay'
8. YO LA TENGO – I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
There's often a late gatecrasher - last year it was Field Music, this year veteran trio Yo La Tengo, to whose charms I was finally awakened by their gig at The Point in November. Of course it helped that they had an excellent album to showcase - from the serene sweep of 'I Feel Like Going Home' and the gently propulsive 'The Race Is On Again' to the joyous levity of 'Mr Tough' and the equally unexpected rockabilly gallop of 'Watch Out For Me Ronnie'. And all bookended by two brilliant excursions to the outer limits of their art. Where have they been all my life?!
Key track: 'Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind'
7. MOGWAI – Mr Beast
Glaswegian noiseniks Mogwai released not one but two albums in 2006. With much of the quieter, more languid and experimental material portioned off for their soundtrack to 'Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait', Mr Beast had a mighty roar. If songs like 'Glasgow Mega-Snake' and 'We're No Here' were a cartoon superhero, they would be the Hulk, stretching, ripping and bursting their way out of their clothes, the trappings of civilisation not quite able to contain them. That said, the likes of 'Team Handed' indicated they still had a firm grip of poise and elegant restraint. My lukewarm Vanity Project review was rather premature - consider my placing it seventh equivalent to donning a hair shirt.
Key track: 'Glasgow Mega-Snake'
6. SONIC YOUTH – Rather Ripped
After Yo La Tengo, another bunch of nearly-pensionable Hobokenites - and you're probably well aware where this lot have been (nearly) all my life: in my heart. Rather Ripped (their twelvtieth, by all accounts) took 2004's superb Sonic Nurse and compressed it into an even more concise - and, yes, poppy - form. And did it brilliantly. Was it really just six years ago that they opened their All Tomorrow's Parties headline set with a half-hour-long unreleased song called 'New Drone'? It could possibly have ranked higher, but, unfortunately for them, their consistency has bred my complacency: I expected - or rather knew - it would be great, and indeed it was.
Key track: 'Incinerate'
5. ANATHALLO – Floating World
The person who first introduced me to Anathallo, Simon of Sweeping The Nation, would probably regard the inclusion of Floating World in this list as rather contentious for the simple reason that it is still awaiting an official UK release. Certainly there can be no quibbling as to the quality of the record itself, astounding in its ambition and scope, frequently breathtaking in its execution. Surely Floating World won't be allowed to sink without trace on its way across the Atlantic?
Key track: 'Hoodwink'
4. SEMIFINALISTS – Semifinalists
Like Floating World, Semifinalists' debut LP was an extraordinary feat of imagination. With Wayne Coyne and company handily sidetracked by the sort of pastiche funk for which Beck was briefly lambasted, the trio - who met as students at film school (of course) - stole in and turned out this near-masterpiece which, like The Soft Bulletin, lies on its back looking at the heavens, humble and awestruck. And yet, far from being a series of ponderously lengthy meditations (see Secret Machines' Ten Silver Drops), the record weighs in at just over half an hour. It's only dissatisfying in the sense that the listener is left thirsty for more.
Key track: 'Show The Way'
3. CAT POWER – The Greatest
When it came to the stateliness and subtlety of the instrumentation, no other record in this year's Top 10 could match Cat Power's The Greatest. Chan Marshall's search for the perfect musical foil for her wonderful voice took her to Nashville. Just a shame she didn't bump into Mark Lanegan on the way, and that, on 'Hate' in particular, she couldn't help herself from drifting into an unnecessarily maudlin and melodramatic self-loathing. So, The Greatest wasn't quite the greatest of 2006 - but it certainly came very close.
Key track: 'The Greatest'
2. MY LATEST NOVEL – Wolves
As with Anathallo, it's to a fellow blogger that I owe my acquaintance to My Latest Novel - so step forwards and take a bow, James. Such was the quality of the Scots' startling debut that even that indier-than-thou name and over-familiarity with the works of Belle & Sebastian couldn't stop me from succumbing to its strange charms. The sound of The Arcade Fire, Arab Strap, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, a marching band and a children's choir meeting in the woods at night for a screening of 'The Wicker Man'.
Key track: 'Sister Sneaker Sister Soul'
1. HOWLING BELLS – Howling Bells
A debut LP released by former Cocteau Twins Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie's Bella Union label with something of the night about it? It's fair to say that Howling Bells' self-titled album had a lot in common with Wolves, the record it narrowly edged out for the top spot. So why did it triumph, what made it so special? Well, it conjured up the dusty highways of their native Australia without any attendant emotional aridity; they looked like the house band from the bar in Nick Cave's 'The Proposition'; Joel Stein's guitar-playing was perfection; and his sister Juanita had the sort of voice that could lure sailors to their death, even if Chan Marshall was sat singing on a neighbouring rock. But the fact that the album's centrepiece was called 'A Ballad For The Bleeding Hearts' pretty much told you all you needed to know. Scuffed, bruised, battered, bittersweet - but beautiful with it.
Key track: 'A Ballad For The Bleeding Hearts'
Lest we forget - this being the fifth year of the SWSL Top 10...
2002:
10. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - BRMC
9. THE HIVES - Your New Favourite Band
8. CAVE IN - Tides Of Tomorrow
7. IDLEWILD - The Remote Part
6. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - Songs For The Deaf
5. GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR - Yanqui UXO
4. ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD - Source Tags & Codes
3. SONIC YOUTH - Murray Street
2. INTERPOL - Turn On The Bright Lights
1. SPARTA - Wiretap Scars
2003:
10. EELS - Shootenanny!
9. CAVE IN - Antenna
8. HOT HOT HEAT - Make Up The Breakdown
7. RADIOHEAD - Hail To The Thief
6. YEAH YEAH YEAHS - Fever To Tell
5. THE STROKES - Room On Fire
4. MOGWAI - Happy Music For Happy People
3. EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
2. THE MARS VOLTA - De-Loused In The Comatorium
1. THE RAVEONETTES - Chain Gang Of Love
2004:
10. CLINIC - Winchester Cathedral
9. KELIS - Tasty
8. PJ HARVEY - Uh Huh Her
7. THE ICARUS LINE - Penance Soiree
6. INTERPOL - Antics
5. THE FIERY FURNACES - Blueberry Boat
4. FRANZ FERDINAND - Franz Ferdinand
3. SONIC YOUTH - Sonic Nurse
2. THE FUTUREHEADS - The Futureheads
1. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus
2005:
10. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - Lullabies To Paralyze
9. FIELD MUSIC - Field Music
8. EELS - Blinking Lights And Other Revelations
7. FRANZ FERDINAND - You Could Have It So Much Better
6. BLOC PARTY - Silent Alarm
5. THE RAVEONETTES - Pretty In Black
4. MAXIMO PARK - A Certain Trigger
3. SIGUR ROS - Takk
2. LOW - The Great Destroyer
1. THE ARCADE FIRE - Funeral
Late, very late, I know, but hopefully forgiveably so - the acquisition of a number of albums around Christmas having justified delaying the list so it reflected a broader survey of what the year had to offer.
As with most years, though, I spent much time catching up on what I missed out on last time around - as well as albums from much further back in time. LCD Soundsystem, The Duke Spirit, REM, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Silver Jews, Editors, The Wedding Present, Yourcodenameis:milo and The Vaselines have all been among those whose non-2006 albums I played to death.
And as ever, there is a shamefully long list of records I haven't heard which, judging by what I've read of them, might conceivably have made an impact on the Top 10 had I done so. Deep breath...
ABSENTEE – Schmotime
...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD - So Divided
ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT – Derdang Derdang
BARDO POND - Ticket Crystals
BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY – The Letting Go
CALEXICO - Garden Ruin
CAMERA OBSCURA - Let's Get Out Of This Country
CANSEI DE SER SEXY – CSS
DEAD MEADOW – Feathers
THE DEARS – Gang Of Losers
THE DELGADOS – The Peel Sessions
DRESDEN DOLLS – Yes, Virginia
EVENS - Get Evens
THE FIERY FURNACES – Bitter Tea
FORWARD RUSSIA! – Give Me A Wall
GUILLEMOTS – Through The Window Pane
ALBERT HAMMOND JR – Yours To Keep
HOT CHIP – The Warning
THE HOT PUPPIES – Under The Crooked Moon
ISIS - In The Absence Of Truth
KELIS – Kelis Was Here
LCD Soundsystem – 45:33
JENNY LEWIS WITH THE WATSON TWINS – Rabbit Fur Coat
LIARS – Drums Not Dead
THE MAGIC NUMBERS – Those The Brokes
THE MELVINS – (A) Senile Animal
METRIC – Live It Out
MIDLAKE – The Trials Of Van Occupanther
MISSION OF BURMA – The Obliterati
MUSE – Black Holes And Revelations
PINK MOUNTAINTOPS – Axis Of Evol
THE PIPETTES – We Are The Pipettes
PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES - Elan Vital
THE RAPTURE – Pieces Of The People We Love
RED SPARROWES - Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Sun
SERENA-MANEESH – Serena-Maneesh
SOPHIA - Technology Won't Save Us
TAPES 'N' TAPES – The Loon
TILLY AND THE WALL – Wild Like Children
THE VICTORIAN ENGLISH GENTLEMENS CLUB – The Victorian English Gentlemens Club
JAMES YORKSTON – The Year Of The Leopard
YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE! - Hit The Floor!
You might well be wondering what I DID hear in 2006. Well, here are the honourable mentions, those albums which I enjoyed in part or wholly, some of which grazed the Top 10:
BECK – The Information
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE – Broken Social Scene
ISOBEL CAMPBELL & MARK LANEGAN– Ballad Of The Broken Seas
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
CLINIC – Visitations
THE CONCRETES – In Colour
GRAHAM COXON – Love Travels At Illegal Speeds
DEATH OF FASHION – Hello Movement
THE DRONES – Gala Mill
ENVY – Insomniac Doze
THE FLAMING LIPS – At War With The Mystics
THE FUTUREHEADS – News And Tributes
THE GOSSIP – Standing In The Way Of Control
THE GRATES – Gravity Won’t Get You High
THE LONG BLONDES – Someone To Drive You Home
LOVEMAT – The Fearless Hair Days Of Youth
MOGWAI – 'Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait' soundtrack
PETER BJORN & JOHN – Writer’s Block
SECRET MACHINES – Ten Silver Drops
THE SHORTWAVE SET – The Debt Collection
SPOTLIGHT KID – Departure
THE STROKES – First Impressions Of Earth
TV ON THE RADIO – Return To Cookie Mountain
VARIOUS – This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The 22 Of Us
WE ARE SCIENTISTS – With Love And Squalor
THOM YORKE - The Eraser
YOU & THE ATOM BOMB – Shake Shake Hello?!
THE YOUNG KNIVES – Voices Of Animals And Men
Of those, News And Tributes was probably the biggest disappointment, lacking the bite and vivacity of its predecessor (though perversely the quieter more reflective songs like 'Thursday' and the title track were the ones to make the greatest impression) - but a few spins of the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album have not been enough to divulge the magic it's alleged to contain; the robo-funk nadirs of At War With The Mystics continue to leave a bad taste in my mouth; Clinic seem content to repeat the trick of previous records; and Voices Of Animals And Men never matched up to my (admittedly high) expectations, the clutch of excellent singles dragged down by the truly horrible 'Tailors' in particular.
Most frustrating? Both Broken Social Scene and Writer's Block have moments of brilliance, but I found both rather too patchy for real satisfaction. Meanwhile, it took me a long time to decide I did actually like Ten Silver Drops, its proggy pomposity eventually either being excused or winning me around - I'm still not sure which.
Closest to scraping into the Top 10? That would be Someone To Drive You Home, The Long Blondes' sharp and stylish debut packed full of art-pop magic. The fruit of Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan's unlikely union came close too, though it wasn't quite dark enough for my tastes. And I seem to have been alone in admiring the Strokes' third album, on which they edged away from the template and Julian Casablancas' lyrics became more intriguingly self-lacerating.
So, to business...
10. YEAH YEAH YEAHS – Show Your Bones
The NY threesome's sophomore effort took time to bed in, lacking anything as riotous as 'Date With The Night' or as unexpectedly sublime as 'Maps'. But, with bands like The Grates queueing up to fill the void, YYYs withdrew from the cheap, loud thrills of Fever To Tell and discovered texture and tone - and in the process created an album with hidden depths, rather than just glassy surfaces in which to admire one's reflection and off which to snort Columbia's finest.
Key track: 'Dudley'
9. GIANT DRAG – Hearts And Unicorns
In an NME photoshoot, Annie Hardy (Giant Drag's one remaining member now that Micah Calabrese has left) was captured with a Love Heart reading "Fuck" on the tip of her tongue. Rather appropriate, really - after all, her band's breakthrough album featured a song called 'You Fuck Like My Dad'. Hearts And Unicorns is eleven potent rock songs clad in a thick jumper of guitar fuzz of the sort shoegazery types like me would love to have got for Christmas. And that's not to mention the bonus track, an incendiary cover of Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game'...
Key track: 'Kevin Is Gay'
8. YO LA TENGO – I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
There's often a late gatecrasher - last year it was Field Music, this year veteran trio Yo La Tengo, to whose charms I was finally awakened by their gig at The Point in November. Of course it helped that they had an excellent album to showcase - from the serene sweep of 'I Feel Like Going Home' and the gently propulsive 'The Race Is On Again' to the joyous levity of 'Mr Tough' and the equally unexpected rockabilly gallop of 'Watch Out For Me Ronnie'. And all bookended by two brilliant excursions to the outer limits of their art. Where have they been all my life?!
Key track: 'Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind'
7. MOGWAI – Mr Beast
Glaswegian noiseniks Mogwai released not one but two albums in 2006. With much of the quieter, more languid and experimental material portioned off for their soundtrack to 'Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait', Mr Beast had a mighty roar. If songs like 'Glasgow Mega-Snake' and 'We're No Here' were a cartoon superhero, they would be the Hulk, stretching, ripping and bursting their way out of their clothes, the trappings of civilisation not quite able to contain them. That said, the likes of 'Team Handed' indicated they still had a firm grip of poise and elegant restraint. My lukewarm Vanity Project review was rather premature - consider my placing it seventh equivalent to donning a hair shirt.
Key track: 'Glasgow Mega-Snake'
6. SONIC YOUTH – Rather Ripped
After Yo La Tengo, another bunch of nearly-pensionable Hobokenites - and you're probably well aware where this lot have been (nearly) all my life: in my heart. Rather Ripped (their twelvtieth, by all accounts) took 2004's superb Sonic Nurse and compressed it into an even more concise - and, yes, poppy - form. And did it brilliantly. Was it really just six years ago that they opened their All Tomorrow's Parties headline set with a half-hour-long unreleased song called 'New Drone'? It could possibly have ranked higher, but, unfortunately for them, their consistency has bred my complacency: I expected - or rather knew - it would be great, and indeed it was.
Key track: 'Incinerate'
5. ANATHALLO – Floating World
The person who first introduced me to Anathallo, Simon of Sweeping The Nation, would probably regard the inclusion of Floating World in this list as rather contentious for the simple reason that it is still awaiting an official UK release. Certainly there can be no quibbling as to the quality of the record itself, astounding in its ambition and scope, frequently breathtaking in its execution. Surely Floating World won't be allowed to sink without trace on its way across the Atlantic?
Key track: 'Hoodwink'
4. SEMIFINALISTS – Semifinalists
Like Floating World, Semifinalists' debut LP was an extraordinary feat of imagination. With Wayne Coyne and company handily sidetracked by the sort of pastiche funk for which Beck was briefly lambasted, the trio - who met as students at film school (of course) - stole in and turned out this near-masterpiece which, like The Soft Bulletin, lies on its back looking at the heavens, humble and awestruck. And yet, far from being a series of ponderously lengthy meditations (see Secret Machines' Ten Silver Drops), the record weighs in at just over half an hour. It's only dissatisfying in the sense that the listener is left thirsty for more.
Key track: 'Show The Way'
3. CAT POWER – The Greatest
When it came to the stateliness and subtlety of the instrumentation, no other record in this year's Top 10 could match Cat Power's The Greatest. Chan Marshall's search for the perfect musical foil for her wonderful voice took her to Nashville. Just a shame she didn't bump into Mark Lanegan on the way, and that, on 'Hate' in particular, she couldn't help herself from drifting into an unnecessarily maudlin and melodramatic self-loathing. So, The Greatest wasn't quite the greatest of 2006 - but it certainly came very close.
Key track: 'The Greatest'
2. MY LATEST NOVEL – Wolves
As with Anathallo, it's to a fellow blogger that I owe my acquaintance to My Latest Novel - so step forwards and take a bow, James. Such was the quality of the Scots' startling debut that even that indier-than-thou name and over-familiarity with the works of Belle & Sebastian couldn't stop me from succumbing to its strange charms. The sound of The Arcade Fire, Arab Strap, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, a marching band and a children's choir meeting in the woods at night for a screening of 'The Wicker Man'.
Key track: 'Sister Sneaker Sister Soul'
1. HOWLING BELLS – Howling Bells
A debut LP released by former Cocteau Twins Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie's Bella Union label with something of the night about it? It's fair to say that Howling Bells' self-titled album had a lot in common with Wolves, the record it narrowly edged out for the top spot. So why did it triumph, what made it so special? Well, it conjured up the dusty highways of their native Australia without any attendant emotional aridity; they looked like the house band from the bar in Nick Cave's 'The Proposition'; Joel Stein's guitar-playing was perfection; and his sister Juanita had the sort of voice that could lure sailors to their death, even if Chan Marshall was sat singing on a neighbouring rock. But the fact that the album's centrepiece was called 'A Ballad For The Bleeding Hearts' pretty much told you all you needed to know. Scuffed, bruised, battered, bittersweet - but beautiful with it.
Key track: 'A Ballad For The Bleeding Hearts'
Lest we forget - this being the fifth year of the SWSL Top 10...
2002:
10. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - BRMC
9. THE HIVES - Your New Favourite Band
8. CAVE IN - Tides Of Tomorrow
7. IDLEWILD - The Remote Part
6. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - Songs For The Deaf
5. GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR - Yanqui UXO
4. ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD - Source Tags & Codes
3. SONIC YOUTH - Murray Street
2. INTERPOL - Turn On The Bright Lights
1. SPARTA - Wiretap Scars
2003:
10. EELS - Shootenanny!
9. CAVE IN - Antenna
8. HOT HOT HEAT - Make Up The Breakdown
7. RADIOHEAD - Hail To The Thief
6. YEAH YEAH YEAHS - Fever To Tell
5. THE STROKES - Room On Fire
4. MOGWAI - Happy Music For Happy People
3. EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
2. THE MARS VOLTA - De-Loused In The Comatorium
1. THE RAVEONETTES - Chain Gang Of Love
2004:
10. CLINIC - Winchester Cathedral
9. KELIS - Tasty
8. PJ HARVEY - Uh Huh Her
7. THE ICARUS LINE - Penance Soiree
6. INTERPOL - Antics
5. THE FIERY FURNACES - Blueberry Boat
4. FRANZ FERDINAND - Franz Ferdinand
3. SONIC YOUTH - Sonic Nurse
2. THE FUTUREHEADS - The Futureheads
1. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus
2005:
10. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - Lullabies To Paralyze
9. FIELD MUSIC - Field Music
8. EELS - Blinking Lights And Other Revelations
7. FRANZ FERDINAND - You Could Have It So Much Better
6. BLOC PARTY - Silent Alarm
5. THE RAVEONETTES - Pretty In Black
4. MAXIMO PARK - A Certain Trigger
3. SIGUR ROS - Takk
2. LOW - The Great Destroyer
1. THE ARCADE FIRE - Funeral
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Electioneering
Caesium and water, vodka and tomato juice, sandals and white socks, Tim Westwood - things that should never mix. But what about music and politics? The latest installment of the In The Dock feature on The Art Of Noise finds me defending the idea of musicians dabbling in politics. Just a shame for my chances of victory that "dabbling" was originally my choice of word...
Caesium and water, vodka and tomato juice, sandals and white socks, Tim Westwood - things that should never mix. But what about music and politics? The latest installment of the In The Dock feature on The Art Of Noise finds me defending the idea of musicians dabbling in politics. Just a shame for my chances of victory that "dabbling" was originally my choice of word...
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Quote of the day
"There's no worse sin as an artist than hiding behind cliches and abstraction. If you have something to say, it should be able to be understood by everyone. So I wanted to make sure this album had a real centre."
Kele Okereke of Bloc Party talks to the Observer's Craig McLean about their forthcoming second album A Weekend In The City, due out at the beginning of next month.
Okereke comes across as intelligent and articulate, but also as nervous, confused and paranoid. There's the familiar lack of levity; everything said seems earnest and considered. McLean suggests that he may be "beginning to grasp that he has made a brilliant album - and to worry about what that will mean in terms of personal exposure", alluding to the more personal nature of the lyrical material.
McLean's implication that A Weekend In The City is Okereke's work alone is rather disconcerting - he is part of a band, after all - and it's also a bit concerning that he is happy being interviewed in isolation from the others. Whatever, the fruit of their joint labours is high up on my shopping list for 2007.
"There's no worse sin as an artist than hiding behind cliches and abstraction. If you have something to say, it should be able to be understood by everyone. So I wanted to make sure this album had a real centre."
Kele Okereke of Bloc Party talks to the Observer's Craig McLean about their forthcoming second album A Weekend In The City, due out at the beginning of next month.
Okereke comes across as intelligent and articulate, but also as nervous, confused and paranoid. There's the familiar lack of levity; everything said seems earnest and considered. McLean suggests that he may be "beginning to grasp that he has made a brilliant album - and to worry about what that will mean in terms of personal exposure", alluding to the more personal nature of the lyrical material.
McLean's implication that A Weekend In The City is Okereke's work alone is rather disconcerting - he is part of a band, after all - and it's also a bit concerning that he is happy being interviewed in isolation from the others. Whatever, the fruit of their joint labours is high up on my shopping list for 2007.
Know Your Enemy
"Explaining rather than simply asserting Eliot's power as a poet and his theory of impersonality is the task of the critic, but it is a task which Raine continually shirks."
You can always rely on trusty old Tom Paulin for some sharp comments. This comes from his review of Craig Raine's new biography of T. S. Eliot, with which he is rather less than enamoured.
"Explaining rather than simply asserting Eliot's power as a poet and his theory of impersonality is the task of the critic, but it is a task which Raine continually shirks."
You can always rely on trusty old Tom Paulin for some sharp comments. This comes from his review of Craig Raine's new biography of T. S. Eliot, with which he is rather less than enamoured.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Quote of the day
"I think it's useful to seem responsible. It means I get an office at the BBC, when really they shouldn't trust me further than they can kick me".
Armando Iannucci, in conversation with Mark Lawson on BBC Four last night.
Sandwiched between the Alan Partridge Christmas special 'Knowing Me Knowing Yule' (which Iannucci co-wrote and produced) and the Christmas special of his political satire 'The Thick Of It', the hour-long interview was packed full of fascinating stuff - not least the details of his first meeting with Chris Morris, in which they met at BBC Television Centre and then drove round and round it for a couple of hours chatting because there were no parking spaces. The beginnings of a beautiful friendship indeed. For someone who, like Morris, seems to get a thrill out of being provocative, in many ways Iannucci came across as quite a conservative person, as well as an unashamed comedy enthusiast (less surprisingly).
Perhaps most revealing was Iannucci's evident unease at Partridge's infamous 1996 interview with Tony Blair in front of a youthful audience, one which was (as he said) entirely "on-message". Ten years later, and he was spoofing Blair's assassination in 'Time Trumpet', as part of The Terrorism Awards presented by Peter Snow and Philippa Forrester...
And what of 'The Thick Of It', the second series of which follows later this year? Well, there was an obvious need to keep Hugh Abbot, the bumbling minister played by Chris Langham, out of things, but what was good to see was that the programme didn't collapse without its centre.
Instead, Olly Reeder (Chris Addison) and Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi, in superb vein-popping form) took the lead, with the latter's near-breakdown particularly effective, and we were also introduced to the Shadow Minister Peter Mannion (Roger Allam) and his team, pretty much a mirror image, for whom the biggest issue of the day was nothing to do with social affairs or citizenship but whether or not Mannion should be seen wearing a tie in public.
If I had one reservation - and I never thought I'd say this - it would be that much of the humour (more than in the first series) relied upon the vulgarities exchanged between the characters. The dialogue could I think have been sharper and more witty had the emphasis not so often been on simple verbal crudity as a comic device. It perhaps had more of Jesse 'Peep Show' Armstrong about it than Iannucci himself, so it'll be interesting to see how the second series pans out.
"I think it's useful to seem responsible. It means I get an office at the BBC, when really they shouldn't trust me further than they can kick me".
Armando Iannucci, in conversation with Mark Lawson on BBC Four last night.
Sandwiched between the Alan Partridge Christmas special 'Knowing Me Knowing Yule' (which Iannucci co-wrote and produced) and the Christmas special of his political satire 'The Thick Of It', the hour-long interview was packed full of fascinating stuff - not least the details of his first meeting with Chris Morris, in which they met at BBC Television Centre and then drove round and round it for a couple of hours chatting because there were no parking spaces. The beginnings of a beautiful friendship indeed. For someone who, like Morris, seems to get a thrill out of being provocative, in many ways Iannucci came across as quite a conservative person, as well as an unashamed comedy enthusiast (less surprisingly).
Perhaps most revealing was Iannucci's evident unease at Partridge's infamous 1996 interview with Tony Blair in front of a youthful audience, one which was (as he said) entirely "on-message". Ten years later, and he was spoofing Blair's assassination in 'Time Trumpet', as part of The Terrorism Awards presented by Peter Snow and Philippa Forrester...
And what of 'The Thick Of It', the second series of which follows later this year? Well, there was an obvious need to keep Hugh Abbot, the bumbling minister played by Chris Langham, out of things, but what was good to see was that the programme didn't collapse without its centre.
Instead, Olly Reeder (Chris Addison) and Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi, in superb vein-popping form) took the lead, with the latter's near-breakdown particularly effective, and we were also introduced to the Shadow Minister Peter Mannion (Roger Allam) and his team, pretty much a mirror image, for whom the biggest issue of the day was nothing to do with social affairs or citizenship but whether or not Mannion should be seen wearing a tie in public.
If I had one reservation - and I never thought I'd say this - it would be that much of the humour (more than in the first series) relied upon the vulgarities exchanged between the characters. The dialogue could I think have been sharper and more witty had the emphasis not so often been on simple verbal crudity as a comic device. It perhaps had more of Jesse 'Peep Show' Armstrong about it than Iannucci himself, so it'll be interesting to see how the second series pans out.
Feel good hits of the 3rd January
1. 'Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind' - Yo La Tengo
2. 'Objects Of My Affection' - Peter Bjorn & John
3. 'Heartbreak Stroll' - The Raveonettes
4. 'Giddy Stratospheres' - The Long Blondes
5. 'El Caminos In The West' - Grandaddy
6. 'On The Beach' - Neil Young
7. 'Schizophrenia' - Sonic Youth
8. 'Old Flame' - The Arcade Fire
9. 'Black Spider' - Mogwai
10. 'Crip To Be Square' - Sweet Baboo
Incidentally, my top five Earworms of 2006 (ie not necessarily 2006 releases), as drawn from a year's worth of Feel Good Hits posts, were as follows:
1. 'You Me Dancing!' - Los Campesinos!
2. 'Getting Bright At Night' - The Icarus Line
3. 'The Greatest' - Cat Power
4. 'Weekend Without Makeup' - The Long Blondes
5. 'Losing My Edge' - LCD Soundsystem
Not surprisingly, none of them made the Top 25 as compiled by Swiss Toni...
(And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my own increasingly tardy Top 10 Albums Of 2006 list - it's being hastily thrown together as I type. Well, not almost - I'm not quite that good at multi-tasking...)
1. 'Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind' - Yo La Tengo
2. 'Objects Of My Affection' - Peter Bjorn & John
3. 'Heartbreak Stroll' - The Raveonettes
4. 'Giddy Stratospheres' - The Long Blondes
5. 'El Caminos In The West' - Grandaddy
6. 'On The Beach' - Neil Young
7. 'Schizophrenia' - Sonic Youth
8. 'Old Flame' - The Arcade Fire
9. 'Black Spider' - Mogwai
10. 'Crip To Be Square' - Sweet Baboo
Incidentally, my top five Earworms of 2006 (ie not necessarily 2006 releases), as drawn from a year's worth of Feel Good Hits posts, were as follows:
1. 'You Me Dancing!' - Los Campesinos!
2. 'Getting Bright At Night' - The Icarus Line
3. 'The Greatest' - Cat Power
4. 'Weekend Without Makeup' - The Long Blondes
5. 'Losing My Edge' - LCD Soundsystem
Not surprisingly, none of them made the Top 25 as compiled by Swiss Toni...
(And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my own increasingly tardy Top 10 Albums Of 2006 list - it's being hastily thrown together as I type. Well, not almost - I'm not quite that good at multi-tasking...)
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Blogwatch: in brief
If you read one blog post this week, let it be this one in which Abby aka Girl With A One-Track Mind reflects on her "weird year" and in the process reproduces one of the charming emails sent to her in early August by Nicholas Hellen, (Acting) News Editor of The Sunday Times, shortly before the paper exposed her identity. The odious cunt.
And from a blog celebrating its third birthday to one that's less than a week old:
If you read one blog this week, let it be The Last Bus Home, the brand new home of an old friend.
If you read one blog post this week, let it be this one in which Abby aka Girl With A One-Track Mind reflects on her "weird year" and in the process reproduces one of the charming emails sent to her in early August by Nicholas Hellen, (Acting) News Editor of The Sunday Times, shortly before the paper exposed her identity. The odious cunt.
And from a blog celebrating its third birthday to one that's less than a week old:
If you read one blog this week, let it be The Last Bus Home, the brand new home of an old friend.
Short(er) fiction
Wired Magazine asks a host of sci-fi, fantasy and horror writers to follow in Ernest Hemingway's footsteps and write a six word short story.
My favourite? Either Margaret Atwood's "Longed for him. Got him. Shit", Neal Stephenson's "Tick tock tick tock tick tick" or Brian Herbert's "Epitaph: He shouldn't have fed it".
That said, Hemingway's original is probably better than them all: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn".
Feel free to leave your own efforts in the comments box...
(Thanks to Simon for the link.)
Wired Magazine asks a host of sci-fi, fantasy and horror writers to follow in Ernest Hemingway's footsteps and write a six word short story.
My favourite? Either Margaret Atwood's "Longed for him. Got him. Shit", Neal Stephenson's "Tick tock tick tock tick tick" or Brian Herbert's "Epitaph: He shouldn't have fed it".
That said, Hemingway's original is probably better than them all: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn".
Feel free to leave your own efforts in the comments box...
(Thanks to Simon for the link.)
Sunday, December 31, 2006
SWSL Top 20 Singles Of 2006
Or, rather, not.
You see, the problem is this. I don't listen to radio (not even Radio 6, though I know I should) and no longer read the music press (aside from the occasional copy of Plan B - which I must write about at some point) so I've completely lost touch with the singles charts, and with the concept of singles altogether. Most years I can say I bought a carrier-bag-full of singles, but this year it was little more than a handful.
Even though the internet (and MySpace sites in particular) mean that music is more readily available and easily accessible, even that of relatively obscure bands, I am ashamed to say I make little use of this fantastic resource at my disposal. In the main it's albums I read about online, so it's albums that take my fancy and are subsequently acquired.
All of which means that I don't feel at all qualified to pass serious comment on this year's single releases in the form of a list. This doesn't necessarily signal the end of the SWSL Top 20 Singles - it may be back next year - but, given my listening, reading and purchasing habits are unlikely to change dramatically in 2007, it's a distinct possibility.
Anyway, in lieu of a bona fide list, allow me some brief scattershot reflections on some of those singles I DID hear...
Were I to be persevering with a Top 20, Howling Bells would probably be this year's Arcade Fire, having released a string of consistently excellent singles (including, inevitably, 'Setting Sun' and its massive chorus) - though The Young Knives ran them close. Meanwhile, Graham Coxon's 'Standing On My Own Again' nearly repeated the trick of 2004's 'Freakin Out'.
Straight out of nowhere came Autons' 'Snakes', to which far more people should have been exposed. On the R'n'B front, only Rhiannon's 'SOS' really grabbed me, and that was mainly down to its inventive appropriation of 'Tainted Love'.
Had My Latest Novel's 'Sister Sneaker Sister Soul' been released this year, it would have probably walked it - and had I heard it last year it would certainly have grabbed a spot in the upper echelons of the Top 10.
Of the few 2006 singles to which I was exposed, two stood out.
The first was 'Weekend Without Makeup' from The Long Blondes, which demonstrates perfectly why the fivesome are Sheffield's answer to Franz Ferdinand and Blondie. Strident arty pop infused with sass, style and attitude. Their debut LP Someone To Drive You Home was very unfortunate to miss out on the SWSL Top 10 Albums Of 2006 (coming soon...).
The second was Semifinalists' extraordinary 'Show The Way', its twinkling and sparkling opening passage smashed to smithereens by a riff that appears from nowhere. More on the record on which it appears in the albums run-down...
But if we're talking the SWSL Song Of 2006 (rather than Single Of 2006), then there's only one winner: 'You Me Dancing!' by Los Campesinos!. Essentially their signature tune, this was the song that stirred up a blog frenzy early in the summer. An A&R scrum inevitably followed, the youthful Cardiff troupe eventually signing to Wichita. 'You Me Dancing!' is an unashamedly joyous celebration of legendary local indie disco Twisted By Design. I challenge you to hear it and not grin insanely.
Lest we forget (aka "back when it were all proper lists"...):
2002:
10. THE VON BONDIES - 'It Came From Japan'
9. INTERPOL - 'PDA'
8. THE DATSUNS - 'In Love'
7. THE ICARUS LINE - 'Feed A Cat To Your Cobra'
6. THE CORAL - 'Dreaming Of You'
5. THE WHITE STRIPES - 'Fell In Love With A Girl'
4. YEAH YEAH YEAHS - 'Master' EP
3. THE MARS VOLTA - 'Tremulant' EP
2. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - 'No One Knows'
1. SUGABABES - 'Freak Like Me'
2003:
20. THE CORAL - 'Pass It On'
19. THE RAPTURE - 'House Of Jealous Lovers'
18. HOT HOT HEAT - 'Bandages'
17. RADIOHEAD - 'There There'
16. FRANZ FERDINAND - 'Darts Of Pleasure'
15. THE FUTUREHEADS - '1 2 3 Nul!' EP
14. THE STROKES - '12:51'
13. YEAH YEAH YEAHS - 'Date With The Night'
12. THE DARKNESS - 'Growing On Me'
11. INTERPOL - 'Say Hello To The Angels' / 'NYC'
10. OUTKAST - 'Hey Ya!'
9. THE WHITE STRIPES - 'Seven Nation Army'
8. MEW - 'Comforting Sounds'
7. JANE'S ADDICTION - 'Just Because'
6. ELECTRIC SIX - 'Gay Bar'
5. THE DELGADOS - 'All You Need Is Hate'
4. MICHAEL ANDREWS AND GARY JULES - 'Mad World'
3. BEYONCE FEAT JAY-Z - 'Crazy In Love'
2. THE RAVEONETTES - 'That Great Love Sound'
1. JOHNNY CASH - 'Hurt'
2004:
20. SCISSOR SISTERS - 'Comfortably Numb'
19. THE FUTUREHEADS - 'Decent Days And Nights'
18. FRANZ FERDINAND - 'Michael'
17. PJ HARVEY - 'The Letter'
16. THE STREETS - 'Blinded By The Lights'
15. THE LIBERTINES - 'Can't Stand Me Now'
14. KELIS - 'Milkshake'
13. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - 'Nature Boy'
12. THE FIERY FURNACES - 'Single Again'
11. THE WALKMEN - 'The Rat'
10. THE RADIO DEPT - 'Why Won't You Talk About It?'
9. GRAHAM COXON - 'Freakin Out'
8. RACHEL STEVENS - 'Some Girls'
7. INTERPOL - 'Slow Hands'
6. MORRISSEY - 'First Of The Gang To Die'
5. THE ICARUS LINE - 'Up Against The Wall Motherfuckers'
4. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - 'Breathless' / 'There She Goes, My Beautiful World'
3. KELIS - 'Trick Me'
2. BRITNEY SPEARS - 'Toxic'
1. FRANZ FERDINAND - 'Take Me Out'
2005:
20. NINE BLACK ALPS - 'Not Everyone'
19. SIGUR ROS - 'Hoppipolla'
18. EELS - 'Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)'
17. THE RAVEONETTES - 'Love In A Trashcan'
16. BLOC PARTY - 'Two More Years'
15. THE MAGIC NUMBERS - 'Love Me Like You'
14. THE DELGADOS - 'Girls Of Valour'
13. LOW - 'California'
12. MAXIMO PARK - 'Graffiti'
11. FRANZ FERDINAND - 'Do You Want To'
10. GOLDFRAPP - 'Ooh La La'
9. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - 'Little Sister'
8. INTERPOL - 'Evil'
7. SUGABABES - 'Push The Button'
6. THE ARCADE FIRE - 'Rebellion (Lies)'
5. MAXIMO PARK - 'Apply Some Pressure'
4. THE ARCADE FIRE - 'Wake Up'
3. THE ARCADE FIRE - 'The Power Out'
2. THE FUTUREHEADS - 'Hounds Of Love'
1. BLOC PARTY - 'So Here We Are'
Or, rather, not.
You see, the problem is this. I don't listen to radio (not even Radio 6, though I know I should) and no longer read the music press (aside from the occasional copy of Plan B - which I must write about at some point) so I've completely lost touch with the singles charts, and with the concept of singles altogether. Most years I can say I bought a carrier-bag-full of singles, but this year it was little more than a handful.
Even though the internet (and MySpace sites in particular) mean that music is more readily available and easily accessible, even that of relatively obscure bands, I am ashamed to say I make little use of this fantastic resource at my disposal. In the main it's albums I read about online, so it's albums that take my fancy and are subsequently acquired.
All of which means that I don't feel at all qualified to pass serious comment on this year's single releases in the form of a list. This doesn't necessarily signal the end of the SWSL Top 20 Singles - it may be back next year - but, given my listening, reading and purchasing habits are unlikely to change dramatically in 2007, it's a distinct possibility.
Anyway, in lieu of a bona fide list, allow me some brief scattershot reflections on some of those singles I DID hear...
Were I to be persevering with a Top 20, Howling Bells would probably be this year's Arcade Fire, having released a string of consistently excellent singles (including, inevitably, 'Setting Sun' and its massive chorus) - though The Young Knives ran them close. Meanwhile, Graham Coxon's 'Standing On My Own Again' nearly repeated the trick of 2004's 'Freakin Out'.
Straight out of nowhere came Autons' 'Snakes', to which far more people should have been exposed. On the R'n'B front, only Rhiannon's 'SOS' really grabbed me, and that was mainly down to its inventive appropriation of 'Tainted Love'.
Had My Latest Novel's 'Sister Sneaker Sister Soul' been released this year, it would have probably walked it - and had I heard it last year it would certainly have grabbed a spot in the upper echelons of the Top 10.
Of the few 2006 singles to which I was exposed, two stood out.
The first was 'Weekend Without Makeup' from The Long Blondes, which demonstrates perfectly why the fivesome are Sheffield's answer to Franz Ferdinand and Blondie. Strident arty pop infused with sass, style and attitude. Their debut LP Someone To Drive You Home was very unfortunate to miss out on the SWSL Top 10 Albums Of 2006 (coming soon...).
The second was Semifinalists' extraordinary 'Show The Way', its twinkling and sparkling opening passage smashed to smithereens by a riff that appears from nowhere. More on the record on which it appears in the albums run-down...
But if we're talking the SWSL Song Of 2006 (rather than Single Of 2006), then there's only one winner: 'You Me Dancing!' by Los Campesinos!. Essentially their signature tune, this was the song that stirred up a blog frenzy early in the summer. An A&R scrum inevitably followed, the youthful Cardiff troupe eventually signing to Wichita. 'You Me Dancing!' is an unashamedly joyous celebration of legendary local indie disco Twisted By Design. I challenge you to hear it and not grin insanely.
Lest we forget (aka "back when it were all proper lists"...):
2002:
10. THE VON BONDIES - 'It Came From Japan'
9. INTERPOL - 'PDA'
8. THE DATSUNS - 'In Love'
7. THE ICARUS LINE - 'Feed A Cat To Your Cobra'
6. THE CORAL - 'Dreaming Of You'
5. THE WHITE STRIPES - 'Fell In Love With A Girl'
4. YEAH YEAH YEAHS - 'Master' EP
3. THE MARS VOLTA - 'Tremulant' EP
2. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - 'No One Knows'
1. SUGABABES - 'Freak Like Me'
2003:
20. THE CORAL - 'Pass It On'
19. THE RAPTURE - 'House Of Jealous Lovers'
18. HOT HOT HEAT - 'Bandages'
17. RADIOHEAD - 'There There'
16. FRANZ FERDINAND - 'Darts Of Pleasure'
15. THE FUTUREHEADS - '1 2 3 Nul!' EP
14. THE STROKES - '12:51'
13. YEAH YEAH YEAHS - 'Date With The Night'
12. THE DARKNESS - 'Growing On Me'
11. INTERPOL - 'Say Hello To The Angels' / 'NYC'
10. OUTKAST - 'Hey Ya!'
9. THE WHITE STRIPES - 'Seven Nation Army'
8. MEW - 'Comforting Sounds'
7. JANE'S ADDICTION - 'Just Because'
6. ELECTRIC SIX - 'Gay Bar'
5. THE DELGADOS - 'All You Need Is Hate'
4. MICHAEL ANDREWS AND GARY JULES - 'Mad World'
3. BEYONCE FEAT JAY-Z - 'Crazy In Love'
2. THE RAVEONETTES - 'That Great Love Sound'
1. JOHNNY CASH - 'Hurt'
2004:
20. SCISSOR SISTERS - 'Comfortably Numb'
19. THE FUTUREHEADS - 'Decent Days And Nights'
18. FRANZ FERDINAND - 'Michael'
17. PJ HARVEY - 'The Letter'
16. THE STREETS - 'Blinded By The Lights'
15. THE LIBERTINES - 'Can't Stand Me Now'
14. KELIS - 'Milkshake'
13. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - 'Nature Boy'
12. THE FIERY FURNACES - 'Single Again'
11. THE WALKMEN - 'The Rat'
10. THE RADIO DEPT - 'Why Won't You Talk About It?'
9. GRAHAM COXON - 'Freakin Out'
8. RACHEL STEVENS - 'Some Girls'
7. INTERPOL - 'Slow Hands'
6. MORRISSEY - 'First Of The Gang To Die'
5. THE ICARUS LINE - 'Up Against The Wall Motherfuckers'
4. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - 'Breathless' / 'There She Goes, My Beautiful World'
3. KELIS - 'Trick Me'
2. BRITNEY SPEARS - 'Toxic'
1. FRANZ FERDINAND - 'Take Me Out'
2005:
20. NINE BLACK ALPS - 'Not Everyone'
19. SIGUR ROS - 'Hoppipolla'
18. EELS - 'Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)'
17. THE RAVEONETTES - 'Love In A Trashcan'
16. BLOC PARTY - 'Two More Years'
15. THE MAGIC NUMBERS - 'Love Me Like You'
14. THE DELGADOS - 'Girls Of Valour'
13. LOW - 'California'
12. MAXIMO PARK - 'Graffiti'
11. FRANZ FERDINAND - 'Do You Want To'
10. GOLDFRAPP - 'Ooh La La'
9. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - 'Little Sister'
8. INTERPOL - 'Evil'
7. SUGABABES - 'Push The Button'
6. THE ARCADE FIRE - 'Rebellion (Lies)'
5. MAXIMO PARK - 'Apply Some Pressure'
4. THE ARCADE FIRE - 'Wake Up'
3. THE ARCADE FIRE - 'The Power Out'
2. THE FUTUREHEADS - 'Hounds Of Love'
1. BLOC PARTY - 'So Here We Are'
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
SWSL Top 10 Live Performances Of 2006
No big festival this year (though Summer Sundae certainly exposed me to plenty of bands I may not have been sufficiently curious about to have bought gig tickets for) and I've done less travelling in pursuit of live thrills, but I think it's fairly safe to say that in 2006 I've been to more gigs than ever before.
What's more, they've been of an increasingly local, small-scale nature. During my time in Nottingham and Birmingham (in the latter, mainly thanks to the influence of Phill and Kate) I saw many local bands perform supporting roles but never really immersed myself in the "scene" in the same way that I have in Cardiff. Perhaps it's partly a consequence of there being so much good stuff going on here (see the recent Twisted By Design compilation for evidence), and long may it continue.
That said, the list which follows is still dominated by out-of-towners...
10. LOS CAMPESINOS!, Cardiff Dempseys, 16th September
"The seven-strong student outfit might only have played a handful of gigs, but it's no wonder that the likes of NME, Moshi Moshi and countless MP3 blogs have been foaming at the mouth about them like a rabid Roy Hattersley. Quite simply, they are absurdly good fun, and much more than the sum of their parts: American indie riffage, British tweeness, pop singalongs, wicked humour (a song with an opening line about playing pass the parcel with human body parts, anyone?) and boundless energy.
Excitable frontman Gareth chastises us for "cheering the hits", but in truth nothing is received with anything less than fervour. 'Infinite Lives' and the wittily cutesy 'It Started With A Mix' are ace, closer 'Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks' is even better (climaxing with drummer Oliver standing on his kit and leading the crowd in the chant of "One blink for yes, two blinks for no...") but once again the irresistible 'You Me Dancing!' steals the show - how could it not, as the second musical tribute of the night to Twisted By Design (after Shake My Hand's 'Indie Disco')?
Of course, it's all over far too early. The only people left relatively unmoved by the preceding half an hour are the parents stood directly in front of me. I want to tap the bemused pair on the shoulder and say "Don't worry - they really are amazing"..."
(Also seen at Cardiff Point and Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach)
9. THE YOUNG KNIVES, Summer Sundae Festival, 12th August
"After the lull of Tuung, THE YOUNG KNIVES (Outdoor Stage) are mercifully on hand to inject a bit of much-needed life and energy into the afternoon. One glimpse of the local heroes (well, almost – they’re from Ashby-de-la-Zouch originally) and Alison’s smitten – particularly with bassist The House of Lords, who’s looking somewhat streamlined, presumably as a result of this year’s punishing touring schedule. There’s more than enough from their forthcoming debut proper Voices Of Animals And Men to suggest that it’s going to be an essential purchase – the singles in particular (‘Decision’, ‘Here Comes The Rumour Mill’ and closing duo ‘She’s Attracted To’ and ‘Weekends And Bleak Days (Hot Summer)’) are marvellous, as is ‘Loughborough Suicide’ (HoL: “I had a letter from the Loughborough Echo this week saying ‘You can’t call a song that’. But have you been there?”). That said, none of the B-sides aired – ‘Elaine’, ‘Guess The Baby’s Weight’, ‘Current Of The River’ – signal a drop in quality. Having seen them back in March, this time around I’m even more struck by the Futureheads parallels – but, with the Mackems apparently having lost their sense of humour for second LP News And Tributes, there’s more than enough room for The Young Knives to thrive. And thrive they certainly deserve to."
(Also seen at Cardiff Barfly)
8. DEAD MEADOW, Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach, 26th May
"Whereas appearing before Mogwai on Rock City's biggest stage they seemed a little lost and remote, in this intimate room packed full with an enthusiastic Friday night crowd, and on a stage shrouded in green smoke, they are instantly at home.
Jason Simon's lyrics are barely audible given the noise they kick out, but no-one's bothered as the trio kick into another twisting, grooving jam that has my guitar-playing companion drooling into his beer and the rest of us nodding in time like dazed but deliriously happy puppets. Behind the kit Stephen McCarty, who appears to have gone feral, gradually morphs into John Bonham as the set progresses, and bassist Steve Kille hops his strange hop in front of an audience lapping up what his band are feeding us.
A fine way for Kille to celebrate his birthday, and a fine way for us to spend a Friday night."
7. THE LONG BLONDES, Summer Sundae Festival, 13th August
"There’s another full day of band-watching in store. And what better way for it to kick off than with THE LONG BLONDES (Outdoor Stage)? The Sheffield quintet are an impeccably cool art school wet dream of a band hell-bent on teaching the indie kids to dance again, sounding like a Pulp for the post Franz Ferdinand set while also referencing Blondie and 60s girl groups. ‘Weekend Without Make Up’ – a serious contender for SWSL Single Of The Year – is brilliant mid-set, while its arch B-side ‘Fulwood Babylon’ open up and the singles ‘Giddy Stratospheres’ and ‘Separated By Motorways’ also feature. Snake-hipped frontwoman Kate Jackson, wearing extremely high heels and matching turquoise neckerchief and socks, is a cross between Karen O and Mick Jagger. Can you tell I’m in love? If you haven’t heard of them yet, don’t worry – you soon will, as soon as their Steve Mackay produced debut album hits the shelves."
6. HOWLING BELLS, Summer Sundae Festival, 12th August
"Our paths have never quite crossed before, much to my annoyance, but now, finally, a chance to catch HOWLING BELLS (Indoor Stage) live – and they don’t disappoint. “They look great”, says the compere (oh yes – cowboy hats and scuffed boots for the boys, a short floaty dress and black tights for Juanita Stein), “they sound even better” (damn right), “their debut is being hailed as the album of the year” (I’d find it hard to disagree)… ‘Blessed Night’ is the opener, and between that and a fiery ‘Low Happening’ we get all bar four tracks from the aforementioned record. Occasionally there’s that sense of mystery demystified, of seeing how a delicately flavoured and lip-smackingly delicious meal has been rustled up in the kitchen, but there remains something obscure and enigmatic about them, the dark space of De Montford Hall ideally suited to their exquisite gothic blues. Stein’s voice, it gives me great pleasure to report, is as arresting in the flesh as it is on record, and she and her guitarist brother Joel are magnetic presences on stage. The real highpoint of the set – and, for me, of any set I’ve seen so far this year – is ‘A Ballad For The Bleeding Hearts’, when I get goosebumps on the goosebumps on my arms. Sublime."
5. THE MELVINS, Cardiff Point, 10th December
"Massively influential, then, but what do The Melvins actually sound like? Well, when pondering how to go about defending Birmingham's musical legacy recently, I considered posting just two words: "Black Sabbath". And it's Ozzy and company from whom Osborne and company most obviously take their cue, though it's also fair to say that the echo of Henry Rollins' Black Flag is ever-present in their fusion of metal and punk. The Melvins are unlikely to win any prizes for sophistication and subtlety, but for sheer no-nonsense wrecking-ball riffage they're hard to beat.
It's only for their latest album (A) Senile Animal (released on Ipecac, the label set up by Faith No More and Mr Bungle man Mike Patton with whom Osborne founded Fantomas) that The Melvins have expanded to a foursome - and there's a certain irony in the fact that it's a band called Big Business who have been swallowed up. Warren and Willis bring extra oomph, thump, thwack, weight. In particular, the effect of having two drummers contributing to every song - and not always simply mirroring each other, either - is quite incredible.
Each and every song is duly met with joy unrestrained by the fans at the front, whose behaviour - forming a moshpit, stagediving, throwing devil horns, lobbing half-full cans of lager about - is not that which one imagines occurs very often in churches, even those deconsecrated and converted into gig venues like the Point.
As for myself, I'm utterly transfixed by the way the spotlight illuminates Osborne's extraordinary hair (think a poodle perm exploded into a mushroom cloud) swaying and falling as he nods his head. The excruciating stiffness of my neck at the end of the night, after one final drum duel between Willis and Crover, is enough to indicate that I too have been nodding away furiously - and that I've been treated to a rather fine introduction to a rather fine band."
4. MY LATEST NOVEL, Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach, 23rd March
"Ambient opener 'Ghost In The Gutter' and 'Pretty In A Panic' drift by before things really catch fire with the climax of 'Learning Lego', four of the five band members shouting in unison into their mics as the music gradually fades out. This is followed up with 'The Job Mr Kurtz Done' and 'When We Were Wolves', both of which depend for their impact on a similarly impassioned chorus effect, before the slight but beautiful 'The Hope Edition' and 'Wrongfully, I Rested' appear to soothe.
It's a near-perfect platform for last year's quite remarkable debut single 'Sister Sneaker Sister Soul', which begins life with an indiepop twinkle in its eye before revealing a real fire raging in its belly. A suitably stirring rendition of 'The Reputation Of Ross Francis' and its rousing chorus about "fighting tooth and nail" later, and that's it, drummer Ryan King - unfortunate to be obscured throughout by his front-of-stage bandmates - unscrewing his cymbals to scotch any possibility of an encore.
Never less than impressive, then, and with flashes of absolute brilliance."
3. YO LA TENGO, Cardiff Point, 7th November
"McNew it is who is vital to the ten minutes of sheer bliss that make up the opening song, locking down the groove with an insistent bassline to allow Kaplan to venture off into the fantasy world of the unfettered lead guitarist. If that isn't enough to win the crowd over, then the nods to local heroes certainly are - Megan of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci appears to accompany them on the violin, and Kaplan tells us that the acoustic guitar he's using belongs to Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals and has been lent to them for the occasion because "it has a nicer pick guard" than their own.
You want song titles? 'Fraid I can't help you there, really, though they definitely play 'The Weaker Part' from their splendidly titled new LP I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, and I'm pretty certain 'I Heard You Looking' is in there somewhere too. There's a bit of a lull mid-set, I feel, when they overdose slightly on the avant-jazz and lightweight pop-rock stuff - though it has to be said they have a more catholic aesthetic than Sonic Youth, and that these songs do provide welcome textural variation. But the medley which brings the main set to an end is intense, thunderous and thrilling. Don't just take my word for it - how's about asking the hairy young man in the Eagles T-shirt moshing away at the front like his life depends on it?
They return for a low-key four song encore and, although (sadly) 'Today Is The Day' never puts in an appearance, at last there's a song I know and even own, 'Let's Save Tony Orlando's House' from 2000's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. Two of the others are covers: the first 'The Readymades' by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, whom they are delighted to have seen at St David's Hall the previous night; and the second (the last song of the night) an unnamed Welsh folk song performed with a sublime gentleness of touch.
One of those nights when everything suddenly becomes crystal clear, then. Not quite gig of the year - but certainly well up there."
2. MOGWAI, Cardiff Coal Exchange, 2nd April
"'Hunted By A Freak', the gorgeous opener from 2003's Happy Music For Happy People, marks a significant shift in gear and suddenly we're in a different place. 'Summer' is its usual transcendent self, raw power and grace married to perfection, while '2 Rights Make 1 Wrong' is reworked in line with the tone of Mr Beast - in other words, the banjo and choir are dropped in favour of an excess of violently throbbing electronic bass that has the floor shaking, trousers flapping and sphincters loosening (as my companion remarks, "If I'd had a curry last night, it would be game over"...).
And then, either side of the brief break between main set and encore, we're treated to some of the heaviest and loudest riffs Black Sabbath never wrote. 'Glasgow Mega Snake' sets ears bleeding, and 'Ratts Of The Capital', even after three or four minutes when they're off stage, does nothing to staunch the flow. The set ends in the same way as Mr Beast, with 'We're No Here''s six minutes of absolute power.
Four members then leave the stage not to return, but Braithwaite and guitarist John Cummings aren't finished, instead conjuring up a fearsome racket of feedback and what sounds like a chopped-up and robotically repeated AC/DC riff accompanied by an ever-varying array of coloured strobe lights. I think it was Michael Gira of Swans who once said he wanted to play so loudly that it made people sick. Well, that certainly seems to be Mogwai's objective. We're a hardy crowd, though, and most of us stick with it, putting ourselves through the punishing closing stages of the evening in the knowledge that the inevitable tinnitus will be extreme."
1. BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, Cardiff Point, 29th August
"What is most remarkable is that despite their being formed from fragments of other Toronto contemporaries (a fact reflected in the band name), they manage to cohere in perfect harmony. What we’re witnessing is evidently a whole host of incredibly talented musicians at work. But there’s none of the virtuosity and self-indulgence that that might imply, and there’s no room for chinstroking amongst the crowd – this is a party!
It’s great to see the likes of Spearin cutting loose (during ‘I’m Still Your Fag’ he wanders among the audience playing the trumpet), while Whiteman is a pleasure to watch throughout, throwing shapes and pulling moves like a teenage boy living out his rock band fantasies in the bedroom mirror.
But for the most part it’s Drew who’s the focus of attention. Fuelled by continual gulps of red wine, his onstage banter is relaxed and often hilarious. On being robbed: “Someone’s smoking crack on us tonight, ladies and gentlemen”. On it being Spearin’s first visit to Cardiff: “He was telling me that he played Newport with Do Make Say Think, and when they came out of the venue there were lots of little men beating each other up. And enjoying it”. On The Rolling Stones (who are busy playing the Arena): “This one’s for Keith Richards. I’d like him to live forever. Not the others, though. I don’t give a shit about them. Well, maybe Charlie Watts”.
By the end of a two hour set which leaves us and them exhausted (returning for one of the encores Peroff says into the mic “You won’t break…”), Drew is desperate for a joint, and his inability to remember how to play a solo song indicates that the wine has taken its toll. One final hurrah and then we’re out into the night, the clock having ticked past midnight.
Without a doubt the best £12 I’ve spent for some time."
Every other band / artist I've enjoyed (or, in some cases, endured) this year: Acid Mothers Temple / Adzuki / Attack + Defend / Autokat / Autons / Belle & Sebastian / Big Business / The Blockheads / Calexico / Camera Obscura / Isobel Campbell / Neil Casal / Cave In / Circa Regna Tonat / M Craft / Dedd Zebra / Deguello / The Delays / Delta Red / The Disciples Of Tone / Drei / Elbow / Bela Emerson / Field Music / DJ Format / Forward Russia! / Stephen Fretwell / Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family / Gender Fascist / Gindrinker (x2) / Jose Gonzales / Lily Green (x2) / Guillemots / Richard Hawley / The Keys / Seth Lakeman / Larrikin Love / Little My & Friends (x3) / Lone Pine / The Loungs / Lovemat / The Loves / The Martini Henry Rifles / Minotaur Shock / Morning Runner / My Passion / Nouvelle Vague / Noxagt / Porchlight / Porn (The Men Of) / Semifinalists / Shake My Hand / Shy Magnolias / StrangeTime / The Stray Borders / Taint / Threatmantics / The Toy Band / Truckers Of Husk / Tuung / Venus Elixir / The Voices / Voice Of The Seven Woods / The Voom Blooms / The Wave Pictures / Danny George Wilson / Winnebago Deal / You & The Atom Bomb / Zumbar
This being the fifth year of the SWSL end-of-year lists, I thought perhaps it might be worth looking back at previous lists.
2002
10. FUGAZI, Nottingham Rock City
9. J MASCIS, Nottingham Social
8. GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR, Hackney Ocean
7. THE WHITE STRIPES, Glastonbury
6. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, Nottingham Rock City
5. THE ICARUS LINE, Leeds Festival
4. JANE'S ADDICTION, Leeds Festival
3. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, Glastonbury Festival
2. SONIC YOUTH, Shepherds Bush Empire
1. GUNS 'N' ROSES, Leeds Festival
2003
10. THE DELGADOS, Birmingham Academy
9. YEAH YEAH YEAHS, Leeds Festival
8. MOGWAI, Glastonbury Festival
7. EELS, Birmingham Irish Centre
6. THE RAVEONETTES, Birmingham Academy
5. THE FLAMING LIPS, Glastonbury Festival
4. JANE'S ADDICTION, Nottingham Rock City
3. LOW, Birmingham Academy
2. SIGUR ROS, Glastonbury Festival
1. RADIOHEAD, Glastonbury Festival
2004
10. MUSE, Glastonbury Festival
9. FRANZ FERDINAND, Birmingham Academy
8. P J HARVEY, Glastonbury Festival
7. THE ICARUS LINE, Nottingham Rock City
6. THE FIERY FURNACES, Nottingham Stealth
5. MOGWAI, Nottingham Rock City
4. SPIRITUALIZED, Nottingham Rock City
3. THE FUTUREHEADS, Birmingham Academy
2. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS, Wolverhampton Civic Hall
1. SONIC YOUTH, Brixton Academy
2005
10. MERCURY REV, Birmingham Academy
9. THE PUBIC FRINGE, Birmingham Flapper & Firkin
8. DRESDEN DOLLS, Glastonbury Festival
7. THE WHITE STRIPES, Glastonbury Festival
6. DIRTY THREE, Birmingham Academy
5. MAXIMO PARK, Glastonbury Festival
4. SIGUR ROS, Birmingham Academy
3. THE FUTUREHEADS, Glastonbury Festival
2. LOW, Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
1. BRIAN WILSON, Glastonbury Festival
No big festival this year (though Summer Sundae certainly exposed me to plenty of bands I may not have been sufficiently curious about to have bought gig tickets for) and I've done less travelling in pursuit of live thrills, but I think it's fairly safe to say that in 2006 I've been to more gigs than ever before.
What's more, they've been of an increasingly local, small-scale nature. During my time in Nottingham and Birmingham (in the latter, mainly thanks to the influence of Phill and Kate) I saw many local bands perform supporting roles but never really immersed myself in the "scene" in the same way that I have in Cardiff. Perhaps it's partly a consequence of there being so much good stuff going on here (see the recent Twisted By Design compilation for evidence), and long may it continue.
That said, the list which follows is still dominated by out-of-towners...
10. LOS CAMPESINOS!, Cardiff Dempseys, 16th September
"The seven-strong student outfit might only have played a handful of gigs, but it's no wonder that the likes of NME, Moshi Moshi and countless MP3 blogs have been foaming at the mouth about them like a rabid Roy Hattersley. Quite simply, they are absurdly good fun, and much more than the sum of their parts: American indie riffage, British tweeness, pop singalongs, wicked humour (a song with an opening line about playing pass the parcel with human body parts, anyone?) and boundless energy.
Excitable frontman Gareth chastises us for "cheering the hits", but in truth nothing is received with anything less than fervour. 'Infinite Lives' and the wittily cutesy 'It Started With A Mix' are ace, closer 'Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks' is even better (climaxing with drummer Oliver standing on his kit and leading the crowd in the chant of "One blink for yes, two blinks for no...") but once again the irresistible 'You Me Dancing!' steals the show - how could it not, as the second musical tribute of the night to Twisted By Design (after Shake My Hand's 'Indie Disco')?
Of course, it's all over far too early. The only people left relatively unmoved by the preceding half an hour are the parents stood directly in front of me. I want to tap the bemused pair on the shoulder and say "Don't worry - they really are amazing"..."
(Also seen at Cardiff Point and Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach)
9. THE YOUNG KNIVES, Summer Sundae Festival, 12th August
"After the lull of Tuung, THE YOUNG KNIVES (Outdoor Stage) are mercifully on hand to inject a bit of much-needed life and energy into the afternoon. One glimpse of the local heroes (well, almost – they’re from Ashby-de-la-Zouch originally) and Alison’s smitten – particularly with bassist The House of Lords, who’s looking somewhat streamlined, presumably as a result of this year’s punishing touring schedule. There’s more than enough from their forthcoming debut proper Voices Of Animals And Men to suggest that it’s going to be an essential purchase – the singles in particular (‘Decision’, ‘Here Comes The Rumour Mill’ and closing duo ‘She’s Attracted To’ and ‘Weekends And Bleak Days (Hot Summer)’) are marvellous, as is ‘Loughborough Suicide’ (HoL: “I had a letter from the Loughborough Echo this week saying ‘You can’t call a song that’. But have you been there?”). That said, none of the B-sides aired – ‘Elaine’, ‘Guess The Baby’s Weight’, ‘Current Of The River’ – signal a drop in quality. Having seen them back in March, this time around I’m even more struck by the Futureheads parallels – but, with the Mackems apparently having lost their sense of humour for second LP News And Tributes, there’s more than enough room for The Young Knives to thrive. And thrive they certainly deserve to."
(Also seen at Cardiff Barfly)
8. DEAD MEADOW, Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach, 26th May
"Whereas appearing before Mogwai on Rock City's biggest stage they seemed a little lost and remote, in this intimate room packed full with an enthusiastic Friday night crowd, and on a stage shrouded in green smoke, they are instantly at home.
Jason Simon's lyrics are barely audible given the noise they kick out, but no-one's bothered as the trio kick into another twisting, grooving jam that has my guitar-playing companion drooling into his beer and the rest of us nodding in time like dazed but deliriously happy puppets. Behind the kit Stephen McCarty, who appears to have gone feral, gradually morphs into John Bonham as the set progresses, and bassist Steve Kille hops his strange hop in front of an audience lapping up what his band are feeding us.
A fine way for Kille to celebrate his birthday, and a fine way for us to spend a Friday night."
7. THE LONG BLONDES, Summer Sundae Festival, 13th August
"There’s another full day of band-watching in store. And what better way for it to kick off than with THE LONG BLONDES (Outdoor Stage)? The Sheffield quintet are an impeccably cool art school wet dream of a band hell-bent on teaching the indie kids to dance again, sounding like a Pulp for the post Franz Ferdinand set while also referencing Blondie and 60s girl groups. ‘Weekend Without Make Up’ – a serious contender for SWSL Single Of The Year – is brilliant mid-set, while its arch B-side ‘Fulwood Babylon’ open up and the singles ‘Giddy Stratospheres’ and ‘Separated By Motorways’ also feature. Snake-hipped frontwoman Kate Jackson, wearing extremely high heels and matching turquoise neckerchief and socks, is a cross between Karen O and Mick Jagger. Can you tell I’m in love? If you haven’t heard of them yet, don’t worry – you soon will, as soon as their Steve Mackay produced debut album hits the shelves."
6. HOWLING BELLS, Summer Sundae Festival, 12th August
"Our paths have never quite crossed before, much to my annoyance, but now, finally, a chance to catch HOWLING BELLS (Indoor Stage) live – and they don’t disappoint. “They look great”, says the compere (oh yes – cowboy hats and scuffed boots for the boys, a short floaty dress and black tights for Juanita Stein), “they sound even better” (damn right), “their debut is being hailed as the album of the year” (I’d find it hard to disagree)… ‘Blessed Night’ is the opener, and between that and a fiery ‘Low Happening’ we get all bar four tracks from the aforementioned record. Occasionally there’s that sense of mystery demystified, of seeing how a delicately flavoured and lip-smackingly delicious meal has been rustled up in the kitchen, but there remains something obscure and enigmatic about them, the dark space of De Montford Hall ideally suited to their exquisite gothic blues. Stein’s voice, it gives me great pleasure to report, is as arresting in the flesh as it is on record, and she and her guitarist brother Joel are magnetic presences on stage. The real highpoint of the set – and, for me, of any set I’ve seen so far this year – is ‘A Ballad For The Bleeding Hearts’, when I get goosebumps on the goosebumps on my arms. Sublime."
5. THE MELVINS, Cardiff Point, 10th December
"Massively influential, then, but what do The Melvins actually sound like? Well, when pondering how to go about defending Birmingham's musical legacy recently, I considered posting just two words: "Black Sabbath". And it's Ozzy and company from whom Osborne and company most obviously take their cue, though it's also fair to say that the echo of Henry Rollins' Black Flag is ever-present in their fusion of metal and punk. The Melvins are unlikely to win any prizes for sophistication and subtlety, but for sheer no-nonsense wrecking-ball riffage they're hard to beat.
It's only for their latest album (A) Senile Animal (released on Ipecac, the label set up by Faith No More and Mr Bungle man Mike Patton with whom Osborne founded Fantomas) that The Melvins have expanded to a foursome - and there's a certain irony in the fact that it's a band called Big Business who have been swallowed up. Warren and Willis bring extra oomph, thump, thwack, weight. In particular, the effect of having two drummers contributing to every song - and not always simply mirroring each other, either - is quite incredible.
Each and every song is duly met with joy unrestrained by the fans at the front, whose behaviour - forming a moshpit, stagediving, throwing devil horns, lobbing half-full cans of lager about - is not that which one imagines occurs very often in churches, even those deconsecrated and converted into gig venues like the Point.
As for myself, I'm utterly transfixed by the way the spotlight illuminates Osborne's extraordinary hair (think a poodle perm exploded into a mushroom cloud) swaying and falling as he nods his head. The excruciating stiffness of my neck at the end of the night, after one final drum duel between Willis and Crover, is enough to indicate that I too have been nodding away furiously - and that I've been treated to a rather fine introduction to a rather fine band."
4. MY LATEST NOVEL, Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach, 23rd March
"Ambient opener 'Ghost In The Gutter' and 'Pretty In A Panic' drift by before things really catch fire with the climax of 'Learning Lego', four of the five band members shouting in unison into their mics as the music gradually fades out. This is followed up with 'The Job Mr Kurtz Done' and 'When We Were Wolves', both of which depend for their impact on a similarly impassioned chorus effect, before the slight but beautiful 'The Hope Edition' and 'Wrongfully, I Rested' appear to soothe.
It's a near-perfect platform for last year's quite remarkable debut single 'Sister Sneaker Sister Soul', which begins life with an indiepop twinkle in its eye before revealing a real fire raging in its belly. A suitably stirring rendition of 'The Reputation Of Ross Francis' and its rousing chorus about "fighting tooth and nail" later, and that's it, drummer Ryan King - unfortunate to be obscured throughout by his front-of-stage bandmates - unscrewing his cymbals to scotch any possibility of an encore.
Never less than impressive, then, and with flashes of absolute brilliance."
3. YO LA TENGO, Cardiff Point, 7th November
"McNew it is who is vital to the ten minutes of sheer bliss that make up the opening song, locking down the groove with an insistent bassline to allow Kaplan to venture off into the fantasy world of the unfettered lead guitarist. If that isn't enough to win the crowd over, then the nods to local heroes certainly are - Megan of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci appears to accompany them on the violin, and Kaplan tells us that the acoustic guitar he's using belongs to Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals and has been lent to them for the occasion because "it has a nicer pick guard" than their own.
You want song titles? 'Fraid I can't help you there, really, though they definitely play 'The Weaker Part' from their splendidly titled new LP I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, and I'm pretty certain 'I Heard You Looking' is in there somewhere too. There's a bit of a lull mid-set, I feel, when they overdose slightly on the avant-jazz and lightweight pop-rock stuff - though it has to be said they have a more catholic aesthetic than Sonic Youth, and that these songs do provide welcome textural variation. But the medley which brings the main set to an end is intense, thunderous and thrilling. Don't just take my word for it - how's about asking the hairy young man in the Eagles T-shirt moshing away at the front like his life depends on it?
They return for a low-key four song encore and, although (sadly) 'Today Is The Day' never puts in an appearance, at last there's a song I know and even own, 'Let's Save Tony Orlando's House' from 2000's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. Two of the others are covers: the first 'The Readymades' by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, whom they are delighted to have seen at St David's Hall the previous night; and the second (the last song of the night) an unnamed Welsh folk song performed with a sublime gentleness of touch.
One of those nights when everything suddenly becomes crystal clear, then. Not quite gig of the year - but certainly well up there."
2. MOGWAI, Cardiff Coal Exchange, 2nd April
"'Hunted By A Freak', the gorgeous opener from 2003's Happy Music For Happy People, marks a significant shift in gear and suddenly we're in a different place. 'Summer' is its usual transcendent self, raw power and grace married to perfection, while '2 Rights Make 1 Wrong' is reworked in line with the tone of Mr Beast - in other words, the banjo and choir are dropped in favour of an excess of violently throbbing electronic bass that has the floor shaking, trousers flapping and sphincters loosening (as my companion remarks, "If I'd had a curry last night, it would be game over"...).
And then, either side of the brief break between main set and encore, we're treated to some of the heaviest and loudest riffs Black Sabbath never wrote. 'Glasgow Mega Snake' sets ears bleeding, and 'Ratts Of The Capital', even after three or four minutes when they're off stage, does nothing to staunch the flow. The set ends in the same way as Mr Beast, with 'We're No Here''s six minutes of absolute power.
Four members then leave the stage not to return, but Braithwaite and guitarist John Cummings aren't finished, instead conjuring up a fearsome racket of feedback and what sounds like a chopped-up and robotically repeated AC/DC riff accompanied by an ever-varying array of coloured strobe lights. I think it was Michael Gira of Swans who once said he wanted to play so loudly that it made people sick. Well, that certainly seems to be Mogwai's objective. We're a hardy crowd, though, and most of us stick with it, putting ourselves through the punishing closing stages of the evening in the knowledge that the inevitable tinnitus will be extreme."
1. BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, Cardiff Point, 29th August
"What is most remarkable is that despite their being formed from fragments of other Toronto contemporaries (a fact reflected in the band name), they manage to cohere in perfect harmony. What we’re witnessing is evidently a whole host of incredibly talented musicians at work. But there’s none of the virtuosity and self-indulgence that that might imply, and there’s no room for chinstroking amongst the crowd – this is a party!
It’s great to see the likes of Spearin cutting loose (during ‘I’m Still Your Fag’ he wanders among the audience playing the trumpet), while Whiteman is a pleasure to watch throughout, throwing shapes and pulling moves like a teenage boy living out his rock band fantasies in the bedroom mirror.
But for the most part it’s Drew who’s the focus of attention. Fuelled by continual gulps of red wine, his onstage banter is relaxed and often hilarious. On being robbed: “Someone’s smoking crack on us tonight, ladies and gentlemen”. On it being Spearin’s first visit to Cardiff: “He was telling me that he played Newport with Do Make Say Think, and when they came out of the venue there were lots of little men beating each other up. And enjoying it”. On The Rolling Stones (who are busy playing the Arena): “This one’s for Keith Richards. I’d like him to live forever. Not the others, though. I don’t give a shit about them. Well, maybe Charlie Watts”.
By the end of a two hour set which leaves us and them exhausted (returning for one of the encores Peroff says into the mic “You won’t break…”), Drew is desperate for a joint, and his inability to remember how to play a solo song indicates that the wine has taken its toll. One final hurrah and then we’re out into the night, the clock having ticked past midnight.
Without a doubt the best £12 I’ve spent for some time."
Every other band / artist I've enjoyed (or, in some cases, endured) this year: Acid Mothers Temple / Adzuki / Attack + Defend / Autokat / Autons / Belle & Sebastian / Big Business / The Blockheads / Calexico / Camera Obscura / Isobel Campbell / Neil Casal / Cave In / Circa Regna Tonat / M Craft / Dedd Zebra / Deguello / The Delays / Delta Red / The Disciples Of Tone / Drei / Elbow / Bela Emerson / Field Music / DJ Format / Forward Russia! / Stephen Fretwell / Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family / Gender Fascist / Gindrinker (x2) / Jose Gonzales / Lily Green (x2) / Guillemots / Richard Hawley / The Keys / Seth Lakeman / Larrikin Love / Little My & Friends (x3) / Lone Pine / The Loungs / Lovemat / The Loves / The Martini Henry Rifles / Minotaur Shock / Morning Runner / My Passion / Nouvelle Vague / Noxagt / Porchlight / Porn (The Men Of) / Semifinalists / Shake My Hand / Shy Magnolias / StrangeTime / The Stray Borders / Taint / Threatmantics / The Toy Band / Truckers Of Husk / Tuung / Venus Elixir / The Voices / Voice Of The Seven Woods / The Voom Blooms / The Wave Pictures / Danny George Wilson / Winnebago Deal / You & The Atom Bomb / Zumbar
This being the fifth year of the SWSL end-of-year lists, I thought perhaps it might be worth looking back at previous lists.
2002
10. FUGAZI, Nottingham Rock City
9. J MASCIS, Nottingham Social
8. GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR, Hackney Ocean
7. THE WHITE STRIPES, Glastonbury
6. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, Nottingham Rock City
5. THE ICARUS LINE, Leeds Festival
4. JANE'S ADDICTION, Leeds Festival
3. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, Glastonbury Festival
2. SONIC YOUTH, Shepherds Bush Empire
1. GUNS 'N' ROSES, Leeds Festival
2003
10. THE DELGADOS, Birmingham Academy
9. YEAH YEAH YEAHS, Leeds Festival
8. MOGWAI, Glastonbury Festival
7. EELS, Birmingham Irish Centre
6. THE RAVEONETTES, Birmingham Academy
5. THE FLAMING LIPS, Glastonbury Festival
4. JANE'S ADDICTION, Nottingham Rock City
3. LOW, Birmingham Academy
2. SIGUR ROS, Glastonbury Festival
1. RADIOHEAD, Glastonbury Festival
2004
10. MUSE, Glastonbury Festival
9. FRANZ FERDINAND, Birmingham Academy
8. P J HARVEY, Glastonbury Festival
7. THE ICARUS LINE, Nottingham Rock City
6. THE FIERY FURNACES, Nottingham Stealth
5. MOGWAI, Nottingham Rock City
4. SPIRITUALIZED, Nottingham Rock City
3. THE FUTUREHEADS, Birmingham Academy
2. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS, Wolverhampton Civic Hall
1. SONIC YOUTH, Brixton Academy
2005
10. MERCURY REV, Birmingham Academy
9. THE PUBIC FRINGE, Birmingham Flapper & Firkin
8. DRESDEN DOLLS, Glastonbury Festival
7. THE WHITE STRIPES, Glastonbury Festival
6. DIRTY THREE, Birmingham Academy
5. MAXIMO PARK, Glastonbury Festival
4. SIGUR ROS, Birmingham Academy
3. THE FUTUREHEADS, Glastonbury Festival
2. LOW, Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
1. BRIAN WILSON, Glastonbury Festival
Monday, December 25, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Do I know it's Christmas?
Well, yes I do, but not that you'd realise it from the Earworm selection I've contributed to Swiss Toni's Place this week. Instead of being a litany of festive tunes, it's a healthy mix of songs about no-good men, witches and Jim Bowen. Cheers to ST for the invite.
In case you were wondering, the SWSL end-of-year lists will be appearing here some time before New Year. Behind the times as usual...
Well, yes I do, but not that you'd realise it from the Earworm selection I've contributed to Swiss Toni's Place this week. Instead of being a litany of festive tunes, it's a healthy mix of songs about no-good men, witches and Jim Bowen. Cheers to ST for the invite.
In case you were wondering, the SWSL end-of-year lists will be appearing here some time before New Year. Behind the times as usual...
Quote of the day
"The past is a distant, receding coastline, and we are all in the same boat. Along the stern rail there is a line of telescopes; each brings the shore into focus at a given distance. If the boat is becalmed, one of the telescopes will be in continual use; it will seem to tell the whole, the unchanging truth. But this is an illusion; and as the boat sets off again, we return to our normal activity: scurrying from one telescope to another, seeing the sharpness fade in one, waiting for the blear to clear in another. And when the blear does clear, we imagine that we have made it all so by ourselves."
Julian Barnes
"The past is a distant, receding coastline, and we are all in the same boat. Along the stern rail there is a line of telescopes; each brings the shore into focus at a given distance. If the boat is becalmed, one of the telescopes will be in continual use; it will seem to tell the whole, the unchanging truth. But this is an illusion; and as the boat sets off again, we return to our normal activity: scurrying from one telescope to another, seeing the sharpness fade in one, waiting for the blear to clear in another. And when the blear does clear, we imagine that we have made it all so by ourselves."
Julian Barnes
Monday, December 18, 2006
You throw parties, I throw knives
THE LOUNGS / AUTOKAT / THE TOY BAND / LITTLE MY, 14TH DECEMBER 2006, CARDIFF BUFFALO BAR
(A caveat: Notes for this gig were hastily scribbled down under the increasingly severe influence of Staropramen and in between accosting members of Cardiff's indie fraternity...)
The occasion is the Kruger Magazine Christmas Party, and this is the third time I've seen Little My - and the first time I've realised that the man beneath the tiger headdress is Graf, guitar mauler with Gindrinker. Little My's stock-in-trade - winsome indiepop gems that are over almost as soon as they've begun - is a far cry from what he's used to in his day job.
He and the other members of the collective do their best to squeeze onto the small stage, and the Guess Who? board makes a welcome reappearance. We're advised (unnecessarily) that if we tilt our heads it's in tune - the vocals from 'Sellotape My Hands' have already worked their magic, charming us to within an inch of our lives. And there's even a suitably shambling cover of 'Little Donkey' to get us in the festive spirit.
As at the recent Twisted By Design CD launch gig, what follows is something of a contrast. In place of Little My's lovingly worn frayed jumper of a set, we have a very tight and precision-machine-stitched pair of jeans courtesy of The Toy Band. There's no label as yet, I don't think, but it's surely only a matter of time. Personally speaking, though, there are a few moments of genuine interest, particularly towards the end of the set with songs like 'Lily', but for the most part I'm struggling to banish thoughts of The Kooks and calculated careerist indie from my head.
A quick trip downstairs to witness Tom, Gareth and Neil Los Campesinos! making their DJing debut (complete with turntables and Neil Young LPs), and it's back upstairs for Manchester's Autokat. This is when things start to go a bit awry.
The foursome are a very average rock band. There's more than a hint of Interpol in their dark motorik manoeuvres, but despite glimpses of promise they unfortunately don't have the songs or individual personality to live long in the memory - particularly a memory like mine, which by this point has been subjected to a large quantity of lager and is less like a sieve than a funnel.
Likewise headliners The Loungs, who are also from the North-West and record for Akoustik Anarky (sometime home for the likes of Nine Black Alps and The Longcut). Perhaps we're over-hasty in disappearing downstairs at little more than a flash of tank tops and trombone, but in our defence the first two songs do nothing to prolong our stay.
Some (more sober) post-gig reflections:
Our departure obviously didn't help matters, but the lateness of the hour (Little My didn't take to the stage after 9.30pm) and it being a Thursday meant that the crowd had already thinned very considerably for the two bands of out-of-towners, seemingly consisting mainly of people who'd travelled down to lend their support. Surely it would have made more sense to shift things to earlier in the evening, or to at least schedule it so that a local band headlined and Autokat and The Loungs weren't forced to suffer the indignity of playing to a bunch of friends in an unfamiliar venue?
Also, and at the risk of suggesting it should have been "a local gig for local people", there's nothing necessarily wrong with inviting outsiders to perform - but, as the Twisted By Design CD and gig have underlined, there is plenty of local talent around, and as a Cardiff-based publication Kruger could have easily sourced enough to put together a better bill and given a bit of extra exposure to some of the more interesting and unique bands on its doorstep.
Ultimately, though, all this is rather churlish, and at a time of giving I don't want to come across as ungrateful: the gig was free, as is the (very readable) magazine; my perspective was to an extent warped by alcohol and my increasingly partisan and hardening conviction that Cardiff is a hotbed of great bands; and, whatever I thought of the bands, I enjoyed myself.
THE LOUNGS / AUTOKAT / THE TOY BAND / LITTLE MY, 14TH DECEMBER 2006, CARDIFF BUFFALO BAR
(A caveat: Notes for this gig were hastily scribbled down under the increasingly severe influence of Staropramen and in between accosting members of Cardiff's indie fraternity...)
The occasion is the Kruger Magazine Christmas Party, and this is the third time I've seen Little My - and the first time I've realised that the man beneath the tiger headdress is Graf, guitar mauler with Gindrinker. Little My's stock-in-trade - winsome indiepop gems that are over almost as soon as they've begun - is a far cry from what he's used to in his day job.
He and the other members of the collective do their best to squeeze onto the small stage, and the Guess Who? board makes a welcome reappearance. We're advised (unnecessarily) that if we tilt our heads it's in tune - the vocals from 'Sellotape My Hands' have already worked their magic, charming us to within an inch of our lives. And there's even a suitably shambling cover of 'Little Donkey' to get us in the festive spirit.
As at the recent Twisted By Design CD launch gig, what follows is something of a contrast. In place of Little My's lovingly worn frayed jumper of a set, we have a very tight and precision-machine-stitched pair of jeans courtesy of The Toy Band. There's no label as yet, I don't think, but it's surely only a matter of time. Personally speaking, though, there are a few moments of genuine interest, particularly towards the end of the set with songs like 'Lily', but for the most part I'm struggling to banish thoughts of The Kooks and calculated careerist indie from my head.
A quick trip downstairs to witness Tom, Gareth and Neil Los Campesinos! making their DJing debut (complete with turntables and Neil Young LPs), and it's back upstairs for Manchester's Autokat. This is when things start to go a bit awry.
The foursome are a very average rock band. There's more than a hint of Interpol in their dark motorik manoeuvres, but despite glimpses of promise they unfortunately don't have the songs or individual personality to live long in the memory - particularly a memory like mine, which by this point has been subjected to a large quantity of lager and is less like a sieve than a funnel.
Likewise headliners The Loungs, who are also from the North-West and record for Akoustik Anarky (sometime home for the likes of Nine Black Alps and The Longcut). Perhaps we're over-hasty in disappearing downstairs at little more than a flash of tank tops and trombone, but in our defence the first two songs do nothing to prolong our stay.
Some (more sober) post-gig reflections:
Our departure obviously didn't help matters, but the lateness of the hour (Little My didn't take to the stage after 9.30pm) and it being a Thursday meant that the crowd had already thinned very considerably for the two bands of out-of-towners, seemingly consisting mainly of people who'd travelled down to lend their support. Surely it would have made more sense to shift things to earlier in the evening, or to at least schedule it so that a local band headlined and Autokat and The Loungs weren't forced to suffer the indignity of playing to a bunch of friends in an unfamiliar venue?
Also, and at the risk of suggesting it should have been "a local gig for local people", there's nothing necessarily wrong with inviting outsiders to perform - but, as the Twisted By Design CD and gig have underlined, there is plenty of local talent around, and as a Cardiff-based publication Kruger could have easily sourced enough to put together a better bill and given a bit of extra exposure to some of the more interesting and unique bands on its doorstep.
Ultimately, though, all this is rather churlish, and at a time of giving I don't want to come across as ungrateful: the gig was free, as is the (very readable) magazine; my perspective was to an extent warped by alcohol and my increasingly partisan and hardening conviction that Cardiff is a hotbed of great bands; and, whatever I thought of the bands, I enjoyed myself.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Blogwatch
Welcome...
Tired Dad (via Troubled Diva)
Congratulations...
JonnyB, whose blog has been named as the second best in the UK. That it would have won the Best UK Blog Written By A Norfolk-Based Anti-Post-Office-Closure Campaigning Serial LTLP Maimer category, had it existed, is of course beyond doubt.
Meanwhile...
Reluctant Nomad is off to live and work in Holland in the New Year - very best wishes, mate! Nottingham's loss is Amsterdam's gain.
Elsewhere...
Jonathan reviews the interesting-sounding first novel from Greg Stekelman (aka TheManWhoFellAsleep), 'A Year In The Life Of TheManWhoFellAsleep', and in the process alerts me to the existence of Greg's web-savvy publishers The Friday Project.
In a Troubled Diva-esque merchandising move, the ever-ace Indexed is now offering a range of T-shirts - this one particularly appealed to me...
Salvadore Vincent spots a glaring instance of a paradox and is thus inspired to write a Timewaster Letter.
And finally...
According to this piece from the BBC site, the popularity of blogging is slowing and will level out in 2007. An "analyst" is quoted as saying: "A lot of people have been in and out of this thing". How articulate of him. Well, dear reader, I can assure you that, despite significant Real Life changes occurring in the next few weeks, I will continue to be in "this thing".
Welcome...
Tired Dad (via Troubled Diva)
Congratulations...
JonnyB, whose blog has been named as the second best in the UK. That it would have won the Best UK Blog Written By A Norfolk-Based Anti-Post-Office-Closure Campaigning Serial LTLP Maimer category, had it existed, is of course beyond doubt.
Meanwhile...
Reluctant Nomad is off to live and work in Holland in the New Year - very best wishes, mate! Nottingham's loss is Amsterdam's gain.
Elsewhere...
Jonathan reviews the interesting-sounding first novel from Greg Stekelman (aka TheManWhoFellAsleep), 'A Year In The Life Of TheManWhoFellAsleep', and in the process alerts me to the existence of Greg's web-savvy publishers The Friday Project.
In a Troubled Diva-esque merchandising move, the ever-ace Indexed is now offering a range of T-shirts - this one particularly appealed to me...
Salvadore Vincent spots a glaring instance of a paradox and is thus inspired to write a Timewaster Letter.
And finally...
According to this piece from the BBC site, the popularity of blogging is slowing and will level out in 2007. An "analyst" is quoted as saying: "A lot of people have been in and out of this thing". How articulate of him. Well, dear reader, I can assure you that, despite significant Real Life changes occurring in the next few weeks, I will continue to be in "this thing".
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