Sonic Contact Album of the Year: Vampire Weekend

As Vampire Weekend's debut is Sonic Contact's Album of 2008, I thought I'd post a review of the album I wrote when it was released back in January...

Vampire Weekend are an unusual proposition- a bunch of preppy, Ivy-League educated New Yorkers with influences such as Lady Smith Black Mambazo, Kanda Bongoman, and Orchestra Baobab. However, their self-titled debut album displays an uncanny knack for pop, which is a lot more accessible than the sum of its disparate influences.

The idea of white indie kids using African rhythms to propel their tuneful tales of campus life sounds terrible in principle. It’s all the more remarkable, then, that Vampire Weekend have pulled it off with such panache.

‘Mansard Roof’ begins with some chirpy organ stabs, setting the tone for the upbeat mood of the album. So often these days bands feel the need to grab you by the scruff of the neck from the opening chord, making Vampire Weekend’s relaxed approach a refreshing change. You won’t find much angst or edginess here. Instead, there’s the kind of laid-back vibe that conjures-up images of sunny days spent sipping punch in the garden.


Vampire Weekend- 'A-Punk'





Despite having a name that sounds like it should belong to an 80’s Hair Metal band, Vampire Weekend don’t pretend to be rock and roll. Instead, in the song ‘Oxford Comma’, they talk about the finer points of grammar. The line “All your diction dripping with disdain/Through the pain” always raises a smile with its loving use of alliteration.

Sure, this is pop music, but its clever pop music. The band are all graduates of Columbia University, and aren’t afraid to bring some intellect to their art. Singer and lyricist Ezra Koenig is wilfully obtuse at times, with lines such as “Corination Rickshaw Grab” sounding bizarre, even in the context of the song. He does have a way with imagery and detail, however, describing the “pollination yellow cab” and delivering the arresting couplet: “A thousand years in one piece of silver/she took it from his lilywhite hand”.

Koenig delivers his lyrics with a relaxed vocal style that fits perfectly with his band’s music. However, while Koenig may be the frontman, the contribution of Rostam Batmanglij cannot be underestimated. His classy keyboard arpeggios are ever-present throughout the record, and he also penned the wry lyrics for ‘Campus’. Batmanglij is also responsible for the album’s crisp sound, having taken on production duties.



Vampire Weekend- 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa'




Bringing in ‘world music’ influences could be seen as a brave move for a band releasing their first album. Usually such meanderings are the preserve of well-established artists such as Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, and Paul Simon. When white artists decide to ‘borrow’ ideas from African music the results are often cringe-inducing, but Vampire Weekend have avoided this by blending their influences organically into the songs.

The band have crafted a fresh, exciting sound that sets them apart from the current crop of literary-minded US indie bands like Modest Mouse and The Shins. Originality is a rare commodity in music these days, so expect to hear much more from Vampire Weekend in the future. Who would have thought world music could be this cool?

Albums of 2008

The year has almost drawn to a close, which can only mean one thing... it's time for Sonic Contact to pitch in with it's Top Ten Albums of 2008! Here's the rundown....



10) Fleet Foxes- 'Fleet Foxes'

Seattle has been responsible for producing a lot of awesome music and Fleet Foxes are no exception. The band, who describe their music as ‘baroque-folk jams’, have made an astonishingly original debut, overflowing with deft musicianship, lush harmonies and evocative lyrics.




9) The Gaslight Anthem- 'The '59 Sound'

The News Jersey band’s second album was, as their name suggests, chock-full of stirring rock anthems delivered with a genuine punk spirit. All the usual tales of love, loss, being young and growing old are infused with an honesty and passion that makes this album truly great.


8) Coldplay- 'Viva La Vida'

From the instrumental beauty of ‘Life in Technicolour’ right through to glorious conclusion of ‘Death and All His Friends’ this was Coldplay’s most well-rounded album, and probably their best.




7) REM- 'Accelerate'

It was the return to form we’ve been waited for: stripped-down, rocked-up and energized by Stipe’s rage against the Bush administration. Incidentally, REM are still one of the most incendiary live acts you’ll ever see.

6) TV On The Radio- 'Dear Science'

This album topped many an end-of-year poll, and it’s not hard to see why. TV on the Radio may be experimental, but their songs retain a directness and accessibility that many band’s lack.



5) Radiohead- 'In Rainbows'

Many prominent publications seemed to overlook this album on their end-of-year polls. Maybe they thought it was too obvious a choice, and wanted to give the push to more underground acts. Whatever the reason, ‘In Rainbows’ might well be Radiohead’s best album yet. And as anyone who caught one of their gigs this year can testify, the ‘head are still a force to be reckoned with live.


4) The Hold Steady- ‘Stay Positive’

Craig Finn hasn't quite learned to sing yet, when your songs are as good as The Hold Steady’s, that’s not really a problem. They’re like your favorite pub-rock band, only with anthems to rival Bruce Springsteen.

3) Glasvegas- 'Glasvegas'

The hype surrounding the band’s debut could well have backfired, but it turns out that Glasvegas really are something special. While James Allen writes about the harsh, gloomy realities of life, he does so with a warmth and sincerity that is ultimately uplifting.



2) Frightened Rabbit- 'Midnight Organ Fight'

Many people took this album to their hearts this year. Scott Hutchison's songs take you on a journey with honesty, emotion and humour and leave you with a goofy smile on your face. Any band that can incite a sing-a-long with the line “I’ll get my hole” deserves to be treasured!



1) Vampire Weekend- 'Vampire Weekend'

The album was released back in January, but the sheer verve, excitement and joy of songs like 'Mansard Roof', 'A-Punk' and 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' have lost none of their appeal. A small minority have scoffed at the way they have incorporated African influences into their pop sound, but the rest of us have just enjoyed it. What's more, they're even better live than they are on record.

Pipette Goes Solo

Rose Elinor Dougall, ex-singer with girl group The Pipettes, has just released her first single, 'Another Version of Pop Song.' It's pretty ace and sees her leave behind the girl-group's harmonies and develop a distinctive voice for herself. As the title might suggest, it's pop music, but has a level of sophistication and intrigue you don't come across much these days. Anyway, it all bodes very well for Ms Dougal but don't take my word for it, check out her myspace!


For those of you wondering what The Pipettes are up to these days, 'RiotBecki' has left the band as well as Rose, with Ani Saunders (Gwenno's sister) and Anna McDonald drafted in as replacements. However in late November it was announced that Anna had decided to leave as well. According to their myspace, the rest of the band are searching for the 'perfect Pipette' to replace her and still plan to record a new album...

The Return of Blur

Britpop icons Blur have reunited and are set to play two dates at London's Hyde Park on July 2 and 3. Understandably this is causing a great deal of excitement amongst those eager to relive the heady days of the mid-90s, and there's no doubt the band are going to make big bucks from the comeback. The thing is, unlike a lot of reunions, it doesn't seem like money is the main factor for the band.

After all, Damon has done well with Gorillaz and his Monkey opera, Coxon's done alright from his solo stuff, Rowntree's been standing as a Labour candidate and Alex James has been judging TV talent shows and making a name for himself in the world of cheese. From the outside, it would seem that the respective members don't 'need' to reform the band because their individual careers are flagging.

Furthermore, it seems that Albarn and Coxon are genuinely mates again, which is quite a turnaround considering the previous animosity between the two, with Coxon branding the frontman an "egomaniac".

I wouldn't consider myself a massive Blur fan, but for some reason I find their reunion an intriguing prospect. I was just on the cusp of my teenage years during the bands heyday, maybe slightly too young to fully appreciate them. When it came to the Blur v Oasis wars I tended to lean towards the Gallagher brothers, but in truth I was only really a casual admirer of both bands.

However, when Blur released the single 'Out of Time' from 2003's Think Tank I was taken aback. It was absolutely captivating, and unlike anything I'd ever heard from the band before. The sitars, Albarn's transcendent vocals, it was unlike anything else on the radio. 'Think Tank' itself was a mesmerizing work, and showed Blur had a spirit of musical adventure absent from contemporaries like Oasis.

When Blur play their Hyde Park gigs, and probably Glastonbury, they'll dust-off 'Girls and Boys' and 'Parklife' and it'll be one big nostalgia trip. There's nothing wrong with that, but what I'm really interested in is the prospect of the band recording new material. 'Think Tank' was their last record (albeit with a sparing contribution from Coxon) and it would be great to seem them progress further in that direction, instead of reverting back to the 'classic' blur sound. Time will tell.


Just so you know, not everyone is welcoming back Blur with open arms. You may remember a certain Glasgow band used to sell a T-shirt on their merch stall bearing the legend 'Blur:Are Shite'. Well, now Mogwai have sensed a business opportunity and think they could shift a few 'Blur: Are Shite Again' shirts!

Hallelujah, It's Christmas!

While the bookies will tell you that the X-Factor winner's version of 'Hallelujah' is destined to be Christmas number 1 this year, determined Jeff Buckley fans are hoping to mount a challenge. Groups have appeared on Facebook encouraging fans to download Buckley's version of the song on December 15th to compete with the X-Factor. One group now has over 3,000 members and hopes to reach the 10,000 mark by Monday. However, if that number were to join, each member of the group would have to download Buckley's cover of the song twice for it to have any chance of hitting the top spot.

While 'Hallelujah' was , or course, written by Leonard Cohen, it seems that many regard Buckley's cover as the definitive version. As a fan of Jeff I can't deny that I love his spine-tingling treatment of the song, and it would be nice to see it beat Simon Cowell et al. While it'll probably have a hard time competing with the populist juggernaut of the X-Factor, it's a noble effort all the same. I wander what good ol' Leonard makes of it all, eh?

For those of you unfamiliar with Buckley's warbling magic, enjoy.....

Unsigned Scottish Talent on TV

Anyone who has been watching T4's Orange Unsigned show will have noticed that some exciting Scottish talent has been winning plaudits. Tommy Reilly, a 19 year-old from Glasgow, has wowed the judges with his enchanting songwriting and fellow Glaswegians Hip Parade have also impressed with their power-pop stylings.

To be honest, there's a lot about the T4 show that grates. It's a bit like an 'indie X-Factor', as it tries to spice-up proceedings with backstage happenings and dramatizes the ups and downs of each act's fortunes. The criteria the judges use to assess the acts also comes across as a tad superficial and it often seems like they place as much importance on the band's look or onstage posturing as they do on music.

That being said, I can understand why the show is produced in this way as without the 'soap opera' element a lot of casual viewers would turn off. Ratings are important, and I guess a show that airs alongside re-runs of Friends as part of a major channel's teen programming needs to pander to a wide audience.

I'd never heard of Tommy Reilly or Hip Parade before the show aired, and now these talented young musicians are getting national exposure. That's got to be a good thing. What's more, they weren't the only talented Scots on the show- Dundee folk rockers Luva Anna and Glaswegian goth-disco outfit FANGS also impressed the judges before they were voted off last week. I have to say, I admired both bands for refusing to compromise their music or style in any way for the judges approval and they both reacted to their exit with dignified nonchalance. Perhaps it was the satisfaction of knowing that while they didn't fit into the show's agenda they now have the chance to build on the national exposure it gave them.

Here's some footage from the show of young Tommy Reilley performing 'Give Me A Call'. Go on yersel wee man!

Matt Berry- Man of Many Talents

Tonight heralds the comeback of comedy show The It Crowd and with it the return of Matt Berry as psychotic sex deviant and corporate head honcho Douglas Reynholm. What has this got to do with music? Well, in addition to being an actor, Matt Berry is also a musician. Around a year ago he performed a gig at Glasgow King Tut's to a rapturous reception, laying down some funkadelic beats and synth-heavy grooves. In terms of sheer entertainment it was probably one of the best I've been to, and while there were plenty of comic moments, the music could stand-up on merit alone. I talked to Mr Berry before his gig, and I've posted the finished interview below. It's a year old but hopefully still of interest, particularly with the It Crowd returning to our screens! In the interview Matt mentions that he plans to release a new album called Witch-hazel but it's yet to surface. However, a quick perusal of his myspace page indicates that the album is 'coming soon' and features a rather delightful track from it called 'Take My Hand'. Hopefully it'll see the light of day soon, but in the meantime enjoy the interview!

There’s something disarming about the first time you speak to Matt Berry. That rich, booming, dramatic baritone he displays on ‘The IT Crowd’ is conspicuous by its absence. Instead there is a soft, laconic North London accent. Lounging on a settee in the backstage area of Glasgow King Tut’s, the actor is the definition of self-assured composure. Not only is he a fast-rising comic talent, but also an increasingly popular musician. Later this evening Berry and his band will play to a rapt audience, but for now he is happy to talk.

Matt Berry is something of a rarity these days; an actor who also turns his hand to music. In doing so he joins an elite group which includes such diverse names as Denis Waterman, Steven Segal, and William Shatner. Indeed, Shatner’s version of the Elton John classic ‘Rocket Man’ is so bizarre it has to be heard to be believed. Berry, however, is dismissive of the Star Trek legend’s talents. “I don’t think he covered that song with the intention of being funny” he says. “I think he thought that was good. Now I think he realises he can make money out of it so he sort of plays along.”

Berry is familiar to most for his portrayal of Douglas Reynholm in The IT Crowd, but he first appeared on TV screens in the cult hit ‘Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place’. Berry played the part of actor Todd Rivers, who himself played the part of Dr. Lucien Sanchez, a charming doctor who has a habit of losing lip-synch. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace was essentially a show within a show. Mathew Holness played horror writer Garth Marenghi, who penned the script for Darkplace, a show from the 80s that was so ‘ahead of its time’ that it was withdrawn by Channel Four before its first episode was aired.

During the show there are frequent cuts to Garth giving commentary on various scenes. They often include his character Dr. Rick Dagless, who has to combine his fight against the forces of darkness with the day-to-day demands of running a modern hospital. While Darkplace didn’t attract huge audiences, it became revered amongst those who did tune in. Word-of-mouth spread, and in October 2006 Channel Four repeated the show, whilst simultaneously releasing it on DVD. Darkplace is close to Berry’s heart, but while he is delighted with its rise to prominence, he wasn’t surprised by its lack of initial success.

“It’s like Only Fools and Horses” he says. “The first series of that did absolutely nothing. I’m not saying anything I’ve done is as good as Only Fools and Horses, but when something’s completely different people don’t know what to think. If you’ve come back from a day at work and just want to sit down and watch something which makes you laugh immediately, then you’ll watch someone like Catherine Tate. You don’t need to use your brain, you just sit there and enjoy it. But if there’s a concept behind the comedy then only a certain number of people are going to be interested.”

However, Berry is slightly reticent when asked whether Darkplace was genuinely ahead of its time. “Well, I don’t know” he says, “But I am really proud of it, because we weren’t told what we could and couldn’t do. We were all unknown then so Channel Four just left us to it. I think they just thought- ‘If it catches on we’ll look like geniuses. If it doesn’t- fuck it, just forget about it.’ Because it didn’t come back for a second series and it didn’t get that many viewers, they just wiped their hands of it.”

After Darkplace Berry played the part of sinister villain Dixon Bainbridge in ‘The Mighty Boosh’, but left after the first series. Since then the show has garnered strong viewing figures and much critical acclaim. However, Berry has found mainstream success of his own in The IT Crowd alongside his old Darkplace cohort Richard Ayoade.

A third series of the show is due to start filming in March. For both men it’s a far cry from their offbeat beginnings. Indeed, with viewing figures of four million for the second series, there is no doubting The IT Crowd’s mass appeal. “When you compare it to the things Rich and I did before, you couldn’t get more mainstream” Berry admits. However he is quick to point out that the show itself is not typical comedy fare. “It’s written by Graham Lenehin, so the comedy’s never going to be that broad with him involved. He did Father Ted, which I love. I love Graham as well, he’s such a nice guy.”

Berry entered the show in the second series as Douglas Reynholm, the son of Denholm Reynholm. Douglas takes over Reynholm Industries when his father commits suicide after a scandal involving the company’s pension scheme. Denholm was played in the first series by notorious satirist Chris Morris, and Berry admits to being slightly daunted by the prospect of stepping into his shoes.

“Everyone must have been thinking ‘Who the fuck is this guy, I thought it was going to be Chris Morris’” he says. “But you can’t let it worry you, you’ve just got to do your thing and do it as best as you can.” While he concedes that taking on the role was “scary”, Berry is remarkably frank about his lack of reverence for Morris.

“I don’t hero-worship any comic to be honest. I never have.” he states. “I don’t go- ‘Oh man, it’s him, shit, what am I going to say’ I don’t really care enough about the genre. I was more concerned about the fact that the audience was looking forward to seeing Chris. Y’know, how fucked off would they be when he died and they get the guy from Darkplace instead?”

He needn’t have worried. Berry has been embraced by The IT Crowd’s audience and was nominated for Best Male Newcomer at the 2007 Comedy Awards. While he lost out on to James Cordon from ‘Gavin and Stacey’ for that particular award, there’s no doubt Berry is in the ascendancy as a comic actor.

However, while being better known for his TV work, he is adamant that his first love is music. In 2005 he released his second album ‘Opium’, the belated follow-up to 1995’s “Jackpot”. Berry describes Opium as a spoken-word concept album about “the horrors of the city.” He is unwilling to elaborate much on these sketchy details, but says the album is semi-autobiographical.

“When you’re writing certain things happen to you which give your songs similar themes” explains Berry. “For me there were two or three large themes that affected most songs.” When it comes to identifying what these themes are, Berry is intriguingly vague. “Just degradation” he says. “Over-doing things. Horrible things.” It would seem Berry is no stranger to the libertine tendencies he often portrays on screen.

In addition to recording and performing live, Berry was able to combine his musical and comedic talents in the show ‘Snuff Box’. He wrote and starred in the show with his friend Rich Fulcher, and took it upon himself to write all the music. “I loved it because it was quite quick” he says. “I cheekily used one of the songs from Opium as the theme tune and did a variation on that for the whole show. The new songs I wrote came together quickly as well, because I wrote them all with a particular scene in mind.”

Set in a ‘gentleman’s club for hangmen’, Snuff Box aired on BBC Three in 2006. While it was not to everyone’s taste, Berry says the BBC have commissioned Fulcher and himself to write another show. “They’ll be more of a narrative this time” he says. “We’re not going to be hangmen anymore but they’ll be a similar dynamic between us”

Berry’s solo musical endeavours also continue next year with the release of a new album called ‘Witch-hazel.’ “It’s ninety per cent written” he says. “This time it’s going to be about the horrors of the countryside."

The title of the album refers to Witch-hazel oil, which Berry used as a child to get rid of spots. “It’s an extract from the plant Witch-hazel which you put on your face” he explains. “I always thought it sounded really creepy. But it worked for me, to be honest.” So was Matt Berry an acne-scarred teen? “Well…as much as any kid is at that age” he responds hesitantly.

There was no plan to go into acting in his youth. “I did fine art when I was at college” he recounts. “I got bored of that and then I was in some bands. But a mate of mine was acting and there were a lot of girls involved, so I decided to give it a go. I thought the best way to be a good actor would be to do stand-up.”

With that ambition Berry started performing at an Islington pub called the Hen and Chicken. “I used to play these really horrible rude, childish songs because I wanted to keep the music going” he says. It was there that Berry met his future Darkplace collaborators Matt Holness and Richard Ayoade, as well as Noel and Julian from the Mighty Boosh.

While he has come far from those obscure beginnings, Berry harbours no desire to make the jump to mainstream TV. “It depends, if I go and lose all my money or whatever then I guess I’ll have to” he muses. “You’ve got to be sensible I guess. But I wouldn’t do anything I’d be embarrassed of. You want to die knowing you’ve done decent stuff.”

Compromises have been made however. Most notably, Berry lent his voice to ‘George the Volcano’ in the ads for Evian mineral water. “ I needed some money to buy my first flat” he explains. “It was only my voice! I wasn’t like I was holding the bottle of water and saying- ‘drink this’.”

It’s clear that, while voiceovers are a means to an end, Berry is more motivated by creative satisfaction than commercial gain. “The most important thing is to stick to your guns” he says. “It’s about doing the thing that really makes you laugh as opposed to seeing what the comedy trends are. I think it shines through if you mean what you’re doing.”

Later this evening Berry takes the King Tut’s stage with a sleazy swagger. The relaxed demeanour of before is replaced with Douglas Reynholm’s cocksure arrogance as he greets fans with that distinctive booming voice. Judging by the reaction, they’re pleased to see him. Matt Berry may be an accomplished musician, but he shouldn’t give up the acting just yet.

Smashing!

If you're a fan of alt-rock legends the Smashing Pumpkins they you may be interested to know that they've released a live DVD called 'If All Goes Wrong' which features a documentary about the band's reunion, as well as concert footage from the band's residency in San Francisco. Looks like Corgan is milking this reunion for all it's worth: not content with releasing a shoddy album (Zeitgeist) and a pointless EP (American Gothic) he's now cashing in on a DVD which, by looking at the tracklisting, is not exactly an essential purchase. But hey, make up your own mind, here it is...

01 The Rose March *
02 Peace + Love *
03 99 Floors *
04 Superchrist
05 Lucky 13
06 Starla
07 Death From Above
08 The Crying Tree of Mercury
09 Winterlong
10 Heavy Metal Machine
11 Untitled
12 No Surrender *
13 Gossamer *
14 Zeitgeist

*previously unreleased

Hmmm, looks like there's quite a lot of new songs on there. I suppose that's cool if you actually like any of the new stuff , but personally I think it's a pale shadow of what Corgan's capable of. In any case, it seems like the band are still touring relentlessly and in all fairness they put on a pretty awesome show when I saw them at the SECC in February. It lasted about 2 and a half hours (probably the longest gig I've ever been to) and the setlist was basically a 'Greatest Hits' with a few new songs thrown in. At the end of the show there was also a hilariously rambling rant from Billy, during which he took pot shots at Linkin Park(?) as well as comparing the SECC to a car manufacturing plant (pretty accurate).

There is one new Pumpkin song I've heard that sounds pretty badass, but unfortunately it seems the only way you can hear it is if you buy the new Guitar Hero game. Anyway, here's some live footage of G.L.O.W. Check out that evil sounding bassline!


If you want to relive the good ol' days there's a cool live version of 'Starla' from Pisces Iscariot on their myspace

Democracy Comes To China...

So, it seems like the impossible might actually happen. After years of fervent speculation, canceled release dates, line-up changes and dodgy ginger-cornrow hairstyles, Guns and Roses are going to release Chinese Democracy. Well, maybe it would be more accurate to say that Axl Rose is going to release Chinese Democracy, as it's his 'Perfectionism' which means that this is the first G'N R release for 15 years. I suppose the big question is, does anyone care ? Well, we're going to find out on November 23.

Chinese Democracy has been a running joke for years now, so that fact it actually has a set release date feels a little surreal. Nonetheless, I can't help being intrigued. I'm a G'N R fan, and while I'm not expecting an album of the calibre of 'Appetite for Destruction' I haven't written off Axl just yet. He's one of rock's great eccentrics, and from the snippets of new material that I've heard he can still hold a tune. While there's every chance Chinese Democracy will be a self-indulgent mess, I'm hopeful there might be at lease some flashes of brilliance...

Stereophonics

Let's face it, the last thing you should do if you want to make your music blog seem cool and edgy is write about the Stereophonics! Despite this, there's no denying the band's enduring popularity and they continue to sell out arenas across the country.
The Welsh rockers have released their best-of album 'A Decade in the Sun' this week, so it's seems like an appropriate juncture to look back on their career. They were one of the first bands I got into, and in my opinion their first two albums are absolutely blinding. Trouble is, their third effort 'Just Enough Education to Perform' sounded like it was from a different band. Sure, Kelly Jones' nasal whine was present and correct, but the invigorating rawness of their sound had been replaced by something more polished, mature, and lifeless.

I think the line at the time was that the Stereophonics had grown-up, and sales showed that the record buying public approved. I remember reading in the press that Kelly Jones felt the album was vastly superior to the first two, and even confessed to being slightly embarrassed by the songs from the first album. That seemed strange to me, as Jones was already a more than accomplished songwriter on 'Word Gets Round'. His lyrics were finely crafted reflections on small-town Welsh life and they often had a world-weary quality which belied his youth.

After releasing 'JEEP' the bands popularity continued to grow, with all three of their subsequent albums topping the UK charts. On the whole their efforts have left me cold, although I have to admit to being fond of their smash hit Dakota from 2005's 'Sex, Violence, Language, Other'. The thing is, I'm sure Jones is still capable of writing the kind of classic record their earlier two albums promised. There's no doubt the band have firmly established themselves as one of the most commercially successful in the UK, so maybe now there's less pressure to write Black Crows-aping, radio-friendly fodder.

'You're My Star' is one of two new tracks the band have recorded for their best of, and it's not half band. Sure, it'll keep the masses happy, but it also displays a warmth and sincerity that has been missing from the band's material for a while. Or maybe I'm just getting old!

Either way, it'll be interesting to see what Jones and co. come up with in the next decade....

Rival Schools!

Back in May, one of my all time favorite bands Rival Schools made their return to the live arena and played an awe-inspiring gig at King Tut's. Their one and only album-'United by Fate' was released in 2001, and won them many fans before they parted ways in 2003.

Well, the band are back together and writing new material and hopefully, despite the extended hiatus, they can win over more fans with a new record!

Check out my review of the King Tut's gig on Real Buzz!

Ryan Adams in Edinburgh

Edinburgh's new Picture House will be the venue for Ryan Adams' band The Cardinals tomorrow night. The new album 'Cardinology' is forthcoming, and tracks like Magik and Fix It sound steller already. It seems that the cardinals are more of a proper band these days, instead of just backing musicians, and in recent interviews Adams has been keen to point out that they write together as a group. However the word is that Adams will continue to make solo records as well as Cardinals records- it'll be interesting to see how the two differ.

Adams does have a reputation for being an erratic live performer at times, but there's no doubting that the man's talent and charisma is hard to beat if he's on a good night. Here's hoping!

As a taster, here's some footage of new Cardinals track 'Fix It'....

Chillis Singer Gets His Own TV Show!

Red Hot Chilli Peppers singer Antony Keidis is to get his own show on US channel HBO.
Based on Keidis' autobiography Scar Tissue, the show will focus on Keidis formative years with his father Spider, who was the top drug dealer on the LA music scene.

As a Chillis fan, and a fan of HBO shows like Six Feet Under, I'll be interested to see how this one turns out- apparently, it's going to be an "offbeat comedy"! I've not read his book, but I do know that Keidis did have a pretty crazy childhood so I'm sure they'll be plenty of material to work with.

Manics Reveal New Album Details

The Manic Street Preachers have revealed that unused lyrics penned by Richey Edwards will be used for their next album. According to Nicky Wire, all of the album's songs will use lyrics Richey had written before his disappearance. He said: "It finally feels like the right time to use them."

The album will be recorded on analogue without any digital technology by legendary Nirvana producer Steve Albini and Wire hopes it will be released next spring.

Aidan Moffat- agony uncle?

For those of you who haven't already become aware of this gem, you've got to check out Aidan Moffat's agony aunt column on The Quietis. It turns out that the former Arab Strap man has a talent for dispensing sage advice to those who are having trouble in their love life. I tell ya, it's a real education!

Pelle Carlberg

...is a Sweedish singer-songwriter who has released an excellent album called 'The Lilac Time'. If your a Belle and Sebastian fan or just a fan of twee pop in general then you'll love it! Heck, even if that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea you might like it anyway. After all, quality songwriting is quality songwriting, and this guy's lyrics always bring a smile to my face. Oh yeah, and just in case you were worried your Sweedish is rusty, Pelle sings in English!

I reviewed the album for Is this music? a couple of months back. Check it out!

Broken Records

@ The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 17/08/08

Support band Jesus H Foxx don’t make much effort to impress with showmanship and simply focus on their tunes. To be fair you can understand it, as the musical complexity of their songs must require a fair amount of concentration to pull off. Odd time signature changes are thrown into their frenetic beats and propulsive rhythms and clever, often discordant guitar parts are laid down over playful bass lines.
Comparisons with the likes of Talking Heads, and Pavement are justified, and on songs like ‘Tight Ideas’ they also seem to be tapping a similar indie-dance vein as The Rapture. However, the erratic vocal style of their singer irks somewhat. While the vocals are probably intended to suite the jerky quality of the band’s music, you can’t help but wonder what they’d sound like if the singer made more of a concerted effort at being melodic.
There’s a palpable air of excitement tonight as Broken Records take the stage. The hype has been building very nicely for the band of late, with industry types and the music press foaming at the mouth over their commercial potential. Broken Records might be the hottest unsigned band in Britain right now but they carry the weight of expectation very well.
The band’s seven-strong line-up results in a rich, expansive, sound that fills up the liquid rooms with ease. There’s no denying that much of Broken Records’ appeal lies in the way they utilize instruments associated with traditional folk music in a fresh and exciting way. Violins, accordions and ukuleles are all used in their sweeping, bold arrangements, immediately setting them apart from the guitar-orientated songwriting of most indie bands.
However while its tempting to focus on the band’s folky-leanings and draw lazy comparisons with the Arcade Fire, it would do them a disservice. Songs like ‘If the News Makes You Sad, Don’t Watch It’ have the strength and depth to stand up to repeated listens, long after the novelty of the violins wears off. For all the interesting instrumentation, it’s the superb vocals of Jamie Sutherland that really adds something special to the Broken Records sound.
It’s also apparent the band are as interesting lyrically as they are musically. ‘If Eilert Lovborg Wrote a Song’, one of the band’ s most enchanting numbers, is about a character in a 19^th century Norwegian play by Henrik Ibsen. Willfully obscure? Perhaps. A rollicking good tune? Absolutely!
‘A Good Reason’ , the band’s folk-infused take on punk rock, gets the sweat flying in the crowd before they wrap-up with the sublime ‘Slow Parade’. It’s hard to imagine a more majestic, grandiose or apt closing. During the set Jamie, the singer, mentioned between songs that their management think they “need a single”. There can only be two possible explanations; they haven’t heard ‘Slow Parade’ or they’re tone deaf.

You can also check out this review on the website 'Real Buzz'

http://www.realbuzz.com/en-gb/Broken_Records%2C_The_Liquid_Rooms%2C_Edinburgh/index?pageID=18774

'Poke' Live

Here's a video of Scott's performance of 'Poke' at the Liquid Rooms. Cheers to ' Susied89' for capturing this special moment...

Emerging from the Twilight

Following on from the gig review below, I thought I'd post an interview I conducted with the Twilight Sad back in April. Enjoy!

Upon the release of The Twilight Sad’s debut ‘Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters’ critics were quick to praise its multi-layered atmospherics and dark intensity. However while the album was released in April of last year, it was only in the latter half of 2007 that the band started getting serious attention.
Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters topped more than one end-of year poll, and was even given the dubious honour of being included in the News of the World’s top ten albums. “That was completely daft” laughs singer James Graham. “We were up there with people like Girls Aloud and the Klaxons!”
Clearly the seal of tabloid approval hasn’t gone to James’ head. “It’s been one of those slow-burning kind of albums” he concedes. “The critics liked it when it first came out, but not many people came to the gigs! But people picked-up on the reviews, word-of-mouth spread, and more people started coming to see us.”
Andy McFarlane, bassist Craig Orzel, and drummer Mark Devine intend to start work on their second album soon, but to tide fans over in the meantime they’ve decided to release an EP ‘Here, it never snowed Afterwards it did’ on June 9. “It’s basically different versions of songs from the first album, with one brand new song added” explains James. “The idea for the EP all started when we played this place called the Union Chapel in London. There were noise restrictions which meant we couldn’t play at our usual volume, so we had to re-work our songs to make them quieter.”
To help with recording those quieter versions the band enlisted the services of ex-Aerogramme bassist Campbell and Laura from My Latest Novel on violin. “I wouldn’t say it’s an acoustic album” says James. “Even though it’s quieter Andy couldn’t help noising things up a bit!”
For their live shows, the band recently recruited Dak, another former Aerogramme man, to add organ, samples and guitar. “We’re still as noisy live as ever” assures James. “Having Dak there just moves it up a level and adds more layers to the sound. It also gives Andy more freedom to muck about.”
It’s clear to anyone who has seen them that The Twilight Sad are a different beast live than they are on record. “It would be impossible to pull-off everything on the album live” James says. “Anyway I always think its boring when you see a band live and they just replicate the record. We made a conscious decision to make our live performances a different experience from the records. It’s more visceral”
The band’s recent sold-out show in Glasgow King Tut’s shows they’ve now built-up a strong fanbase on their home turf, but it was America where they got their first taste of recognition. “It was the label’s decision to send us over there and we got great reviews” says James. “We got the chance to play some great festivals and support some great bands. Then we’d go home and we’d be playing in Nice N’ Sleazy’s in front of our mums and dads and a few of our mates!”
In the past Scottish bands like Teenage Fanclub and My Bloody Valentine have made their mark Stateside and now The Twilight Sad are doing the same. Perhaps then its no surprise that James has a great affinity for American bands. “A lot of the best music right now is coming out of the States, I’m really into Animal Collective and Panda Bear” he says. “The National as well, they’re a great band. I think a lot of UK music’s a bit shit at the moment to be honest.”
Contentious words, but maybe he has a point. If the UK music scene is not all it could be then perhaps we need bands like The Twilight Sad to redress the balance, and its evident James is anxious to return to the studio. “We’re proud of our first album but we just want to move on and better ourselves with the next one.” he says. “We don’t want to replicate what we did on the first. Hopefully we’ll have a new album out by this time next year.”
So, what are Twilight Sad’s hopes for 2008? “I hope we can get through the next year without killing each other!” laughs James. “Touring around in a van all the time does something to you!” He estimates the band played around 160 gigs last year and 2008 looks like it could be even busier with a European tour and a summer of festivals ahead.
However, despite the van-induced homicidal tendencies, touring does have its perks. “We were supporting Beirut on tour, which was amazing because I’m a massive fan” recalls James. “When we were in Denmark I actually got the chance to sing three songs with him, which was mind-blowing!”
It turns our life on the road isn’t so bad after all. “Honestly, even though we’re not making much money at the moment, it’s great just to be able to do this for a living” says James. “It’s a privilege, although I admit I still sign on now and then!”


This article originally appeared on the website 'Real Buzz'
http://www.realbuzz.com/en-gb/Emerging_from_the_Twilight/
index?pageID=18554

Twilight Sad/Frightened Rabbit

@ The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 14/08/08

Taking the stage, John B McKenna is visibly nervous. While he admits that he isn’t used to playing to such a “big room”, he needn’t worry too much. McKenna’s subtle vocals pull you in and it quickly becomes clear he is a songwriter with a maturity which belies his youthful appearance. He has a way with words too; ‘Tequila, Sugar, Tomato’ features the arresting opening couplet “The cat’s let out of the bag/walking past the robot farm”. The main let-down of the set is that he has to compete with the chatter of the crowd. While this is often the fate of the warm-up act, the punters would do well to pay more attention to McKenna’s performance. If they did they might realise they’re in the presence of an intriguing and highly promising talent.
There probably isn’t such a thing as a bad Frightened Rabbit gig, but if there is this certainly isn’t one of them. What’s so refreshing about the band is their complete lack of pretension and the downright enthusiasm with which they perform. To put it simply, they’re a fun band; they enjoy playing their music, and want you to enjoy it too. That doesn’t mean they don’t take their songwriting seriously, however. Feelings of despondency, self-loathing and heartbreak feature heavily in Scott’s lyrics but they’re exorcised in upbeat, energising songs with humour and panache.
The band’s time slot may be short but they make the most of it. Songs from their new album ‘Midnight Organ Fight’ are given an impressive airing, with ‘Square Nine’ being the only nod to older material. The high-energy bluster of ‘I Feel Better’ and ‘Fast Blood’ set the pace, but the highlight of the set is a solo acoustic performance of ‘Poke’ by Scott. Standing on the edge of the stage, with an unplugged guitar and no microphone, he brings a hush over the crowd. It would be hard to pull off this trick in a venue much bigger than the Liquid Rooms, but tonight it works perfectly. The audience listen so intently that you could almost hear a pin drop.
‘Keep Yourself Warm’ brings the set to a satisfying conclusion. ‘It takes more than fucking someone you don’t know to keep yourself warm’ offers Scott in the chorus, as the Liquid Room punters sing along with gusto. Frightened Rabbit may not be the most technically gifted musicians, or particularly cool, but I challenge anyone to find a band which plays with more heart.
While they may be label-mates and good friends, there’s still something slightly incongruous about Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad playing on the same bill. While one offers a feel-good sing-a-long, the other will take you on an intense, ear-blistering ride through the dark recesses of your soul. Okay, maybe that sounds a bit over-dramatic, but as The Twilight Sad take the stage to a loop of an expletive –laden answer phone message, there’s no doubt the mood darkens considerably.
You won’t get much friendly banter or jolly japes from these lads. Oh no. What you will get is the kind of brooding, menacing energy that few bands have the power to conjure-up. James Graham’s vocals have a raw, cathartic quality which cuts right through you. When he delivers haunting lines like ‘does your fear not grow/ when you see that you’re all mine /with a knife in your chest’ they linger long after they’re uttered.
The multi-layered, subtle textures of the band’s recorded output are given a more direct, stripped-down treatment in the live arena. Andy MacFarlane’s tense guitar lines are punctuated by ungodly volleys of distortion, imbuing songs like ‘Mapped By What Surrounded Them’ with a starkness and ferocity which is absent from their studio versions
The band are going to be supporting Mogwai on their forthcoming European dates, in what could be one of the most tinnitus-friendly pairings in music ever. Make no mistake, the Twilight Sad enjoy bringing the noise; listening to them live is a brutalising, frightening, and transcendent experience. I suggest you try it.

You can also check out this review on the website 'Real Buzz'


http://www.realbuzz.com/en-gb/The_Twilight_Sad_and_Frightened_Rabbit%2C_The_Liquid_Rooms%2C_Edinburgh/index?pageID=18772