There Will Be Fireworks- 'There Will Be Fireworks' (The Imaginary Kind)
From the very start of There Will Be Fireworks’ self-titled debut, you know you’re in for something a bit different. Atmospheric clicks and noises give way to an elegiac ascending guitar melody as Stornoway poet Kevin MacNeil enters with a spoken-word monologue. ‘There Will Be Fireworks’ he promises in his buccaneering tones, ‘And they will light-up your eyes.’ It’s a bold way to open any album, never mind your first, but it soon becomes apparent that There Will Be Fireworks are not your average band.
The sleepy, low-key meanderings of ‘So The Story Goes’ is followed by the melancholic majesty of ‘Midfield Maestro’, as Nicholas McManus sings ‘Your unravelling in my arms’ while Gibran Farrah’s guitar wails in the background. The pretty guitar arpeggios of ‘Guising’ then segue into a maelstrom of distortion, as ‘Off With Their Heads’ explodes with the sound of a band rocking-out at full-force.
‘A Kind of Furnace’ features an achingly beautiful piano part while ‘We Sleep Through The Bombs’ is swept along by propulsive drum rhythms and soaring vocals. It’s the sheer scale of musical ambition on show which is most impressive. There’s a real spirit of experimentation, with piano, strings, brass, accordion, glockenspiels and swirling feedback all being used to serve the texture of the songs. However, on an album with such a lush sonic palette, ‘Foreign Thoughts’ still manages to stand-out. ‘She says she barely sleeps/and when she does it’s fitfully’ sings McManus over a startlingly evocative guitar refrain.
It’s rare for a band to have such a daring artistic vision for their first album, but There Will Be Fireworks have pulled it off spectacularly.
'There Will Be Fireworks' can be ordered from the band by going here
It seems everyone’s been falling in love with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart of late. The band’s gloriously pure pop songs carry a kind of blissful optimism, even when the lyrics hint at a more melancholic undercurrent.
The Pains’ lead singer Kip tells me the band all share an affection for noisy pop music. “We were friends before we started the band” he recalls. “We were all pretty amateur to begin with-Alex had never played bass before- but we just enjoyed making music together.”
The band’s first gig was at a Brooklyn warehouse for keyboard player Peggy’s birthday party, alongside fellow New Yorkers Titus Andronicus and The Manhattan Love Suicides. “Our aim was to get good enough at our instruments to play at the party” says Kip. “We ended up playing and had a lot of fun!” As for the origins of their name, it came from the title of an unpublished children’s story written by a friend of Kip.
In the beginning the band only had three members and played with a drum machine. “It was a bit of a problem because we could only program the drum machine to play one beat!”Kip remembers. “It got a little bit repetitive after a while, things definitely improved when we got Kurt to drum for us! “ The Pains self-released their first EP as a three-piece in 2007 before Kurt came onboard for their self-titled debut, which was recorded in Brooklyn. The album was released on renowned American indie label Slumberland in February and has received a warm reception, drawing comparisons with bands like The Field Mice and My Bloody Valentine.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- 'Everything With You'
While The Pains hail from New York, the band has a very strong appreciation for Glasgow’s musical heritage. “The music coming out of Glasgow has been incredibly influential for us” he says. “We all love bands like Aztec Camera, The Pastels, The Jesus and Mary Chain. We love Teenage Fanclub as well, they’re an incredible band for just playing great melodic pop music.”
Indeed, the band’s devotion is such that the last time they were in Glasgow they made a pilgrimage down to Mono “to shake Stephen Pastel’s hand”. Kip continues to name check other Glaswegian favorites, as he gushes over the likes of Camera Obscura, Belle and Sebastian and Wake The President. “The thing that amazes me about Glasgow is how many great bands there are for its size” Kip says. “I always say that if we formed in Glasgow we would be maybe the 27th best band there!”
While Kip is passionate about Glasgow bands, he’s also enthusiastic about the musical vibrancy of his hometown. “Yeah you’ve got lots of good stuff like the Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls, Titus Andronicus and The Manhattan Love Suicides” he says. “We’re friends with those bands and we really like their music.”
Certainly the New York music scene is nothing if not diverse. For example, the Pains’ good friends Titus Andronicus have a raucous, spiky punk sound which is a far cry from their more twee leanings. “Some people might find it surprising that I’m into a band like Titus Andronicus but the music you love is not always the same as the music you make” notes Kip. “You know, I’m really into glam rock stuff like Suede and T-Rex but I could never make that kind of music myself, it just wouldn’t be me!”
The band’s songwriting process starts with Kip recording rough demos in his bedroom. However, he feels the songs only come into their own when he takes them to the rest of the band. “Everyone in the band contributes to making the songs sound good” he says. “I wouldn’t want to take too much credit for writing the songs because they only become special when the whole band plays them.”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's self-titled debut is out now on Slumberland
The Cutaways- 'Earth and Earthly Things' (self-released)
Jagged guitar sounds compete for space with shouty vocals and pounding synths on the debut from Belfast trio The Cutaways. The boy-girl vocals of guitarist Paul McIver and keyboardist Grace McMacken work well, particularly on tracks like ‘Milo of Kroton’ and ‘Lovers are Lunatics’. I Spilled Your Drink So You Broke My Heart’ is also a well-executed pop song, featuring such quirky lyrical gems as ‘If the ground hasn’t already swallowed anybody whole could it please start now’
‘Earth and Earthly Things’ is certainly one of the more upbeat albums you’ll hear and there’s almost a scatter-gun approach to some of the melodies, particularly on ‘Weapon of Choice’ and ‘Wrong Cause, Right Words’.
At times the songs have a feeling of barely contained chaos but the band still manage to retain a sense of coherence to their overall sound as their pop sensibilities shine through. The album’s highlight is probably ‘I Don’t Understand What You Don’t Say’, which is a bit less frenetic and features some nice vocal interplay and funky guitars.
The pace never lags throughout and there’s enough unexpected interludes and odd tempos to keep things interesting. All in all, ‘Earth and Earthly Things’ is a very likeable effort, and I imagine The Cutaways’ energetic indie-pop makes them an exciting proposition live
Peter Parker- 'Swallow The Rockets' (Lucky Number Nine/Say Dirty)
Peter Parker’s debut single has an infectious quality that grabs you right from the start, as Roz Davies’ rapid vocal delivery combines with a deliciously scuzzy guitar riff. Roz’s vocals are pleasingly punchy and abrasive, a bit like when you’re in a bad mood and want to start an argument for no reason.
Everything about this song-the vocals, guitar, bass and drums- just sounds right. ‘Swallow The Rockets’ is the kind of exciting, messed-up pop that makes you want to pogo like a hyperactive child who has just smashed theirneighbors’ window with a football. There’s nothing contrived, no fancy bells and whistles, just a band who know what a killer tune sounds like. And make no mistake, ‘Swallow The Rockets’ is a killer tune.
‘Temper Temper’, the B-side, is pretty nifty as well. From the disjointed, punky verse to the catchy-as-hell chorus, it’s a brilliantly addictive, sharp-edged pop song. More of this please!
With their emotive vocals, driving guitars, and finely crafted melodies, The Xcerts is a name you’re going to be hearing more of. Their debut album ‘In the Cold Wind We Smile’ displays a maturity of songwriting that belies the fact that the average age of the band members is around 20.
Singer-guitarist Murray Mcleod and bassist Jordan Smith formed the band while in High School in Aberdeen before moving down to Brighton, which Jordan describes as being like “Aberdeen in Technicolor”. There they met Tom Heron, who joined the band on drums when their original drummer left.Although Brighton is still their base, Murray says they haven’t been back in months. “To be honest our tour van is more like our base these days” he says.
The Xcerts have certainly done their fair share of touring and have supported the likes of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Make Model, Fighting With Wire and Twin Atlantic as well as performing at a variety of festivals including T in the Park, Rock Ness, The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, and Connect. As a result of their relentless gigging the band have developed a formidable live reputation “We’ve always worked hard as a live band” says Murray. “If you put in the effort when you play a gig then word of mouth will eventually spread.”Jordan is adamant that playing live is what the band does best. “When someone comes to us and says they really like a recording of one of our songs, I always tell them ‘come to one of our shows because you’ll enjoy it even more live’.”
However, the band feels that ‘In the Cold Wind We Smile’ has captured the energy of their live show better than previous recordings. “I think the new record is definitely closer to what we do on stage” says Murray. “Having said that, we don’t want it to be identical to our live performances. In the studio you’ve got the scope to do whatever you want to enhance your sound and I think it’s important to make use of that so you can produce the best album you can.”
The Xcerts- 'Just Go Home'
The man enlisted to help achieve this was Dave Eringa, who has produced the likes of Idlewild and the Manic Street Preachers. “Dave’s a fantastic producer” says Murray. “He’s just got a really good ear for rock sounds. As a band we all loved his production on Idlewild’s ‘100 Broken Records’ album but he decided to take a bit of a different approach for us. He knew we needed more of a polished pop sound.”
Judging by the emotive lyrics on ‘In the Cold Wind We Smile’ it’s clear a fair amount of angst was involved in the songwriting. “There was a lot of personal tragedy, heartache and other nasty stuff that was going on in the lead up to recording the album” Murray admits. “It was unintentional, but we’d had a bad year so all this dark stuff ended up pouring out of us. Hopefully the next album will be a nice happy record!”
The tour for ‘In the Cold Wind We Smile’ has taking the band on some exotic jaunts so far. They recently spent a week in Japan and played their first show there to over a thousand people alongside The Fratellis. “That was pretty crazy considering we’d never set foot in Japan before” laughs Murray. “We were like a ‘buzz band’ over there! They were all taking pictures and wanting autographs and stuff. We met one girl who actually had an original 7-inch of our first single! It was pretty good for the ego. We’ve got allies in the embassy over there now so hopefully we’ll be able to go back soon!”
The recent launch party for their album was also a novel experience, as it took place on board a boat in Loch Ness. “That was strange” recounts Murray. “For some reason the boat started speeding-up halfway through and it got pretty rocky onboard. I was finding it hard to sing because I was practically in hysterics!”
Bassist Jordan also had problems. “I’d be pogo-ing, and when I came back down the floor just wasn’t there” he says. “I’m glad it was just our friends and family who were there and it wasn’t some sort of showcase with all the heads of the major labels. Maybe next time we launch an album we’ll play on a plane or something!”
It looks like 2009 will be a busy year for The Xcerts. There will be another single from the album in a couple of months, some festival dates, and a headline tour is also on the cards. However, the band have their sights set on the end of the year. “I think that deep down in every band’s heart, all they really want is to write a classic Christmas song” says Murray. “It doesn’t matter how left-field you are. I mean, look at Shane MacGowan- he’s got enough money to buy all the Guinness he needs. He’ll never be thirsty again!” We’ll have to wait and see whether The Xcerts write a Xmas classic to rank among the likes of Slade, Wham, and Cliff Richard but ‘In The Cold Wind We Smile’ is sure to win them many new fans in the meantime.
‘In The Cold Wind We Smile’ is out now on Xtra Mile Recordings
Nu-twee favourites Foxes! are a Brighton-based trio so deliciously sweet they’ll make your teeth tingle. They’ve been perverting electro-toy instruments to a shambling mutiny of shimmering guitars and heavenly vocals since 2006, and the band have already enjoyed popular releases on hip indie labels like Shifty Disco, Alcopopular, and Sounds eXPerience, supporting the likes of Art Brut, Emmy the Great, and Wild Beasts along the way.
New single 'Who Killed Rob?' will be released on the 1st of June and is taken from the band's forthcoming debut album 'Boxes'.
Hot on the heels of Hinterland, the stag and dagger festival runs from 6pm till late in Glasgow this Saturday (23 May) and Tickets are £16.50. Here's the line-up...
Captain's Rest The Mae Shi: 11.15 - 11.45 Dananananaykroyd: 10.30 - 11.00 Tubelord: 9.45 - 10.15 Paper Planes: 9.00 - 9.30 Miles Benjamin- Anthony Robinson: 8.15 - 8.45 Blue Roses: 7.30 - 8.00 The French Wives: 6.45 - 7.15 Over The Wall: 6.00 - 6.30
Classic Grand Black Lips: 9.45 - 10.30 Mika Miko: 9.00 - 9.30 Gringo Star: 8.15 - 8.45 The Elvis Suicide: 7.30 - 8.00
Nice 'n' Sleazy Hot Club DJs: 11.00 - 3.00 Cursive: 9.45 - 10.30 The Gay Blades: 8.45 - 9.15 Findo Gask: 7.45 - 8.15 Boycotts: 7.00 - 7.30
Stereo Men & Machines DJs: 2.00 - 3.00 JD Twitch (Optimo): 00.30 - 2.00 Men & Machines DJs: 11.00 - 00.30 The Aliens: 9.45 - 10.30 Bmx Bandits: 8.30 - 9.15 Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers: 7.45 - 8.15 St Deluxe: 7.00 - 7.30
The Art School Club Art Of Parties: 2.00 - close Dolby Anol: 1.00 - 2.00 Record Playerz DJs: 11.00 - 1.00
The Art School Downstairs Dolby Anol: 1.30 - 3.oo Art of Parties: 00.30 - 1.30 Record Playerz DJs: 11.00 - 00.00 The Joy Formidable: 10.30 - 11.00 Chew Lips: 9.30 - 10.00 Lemonade: 8.30 - 9.00 Everything Everything: 7.30 - 8.00 Record Playerz DJs: 7.00 - 7.30
The Art School Upstairs Konx-Om-Pax: 2.30 - 3.00 Clark (Warp): 1.30 - 2.30 Konx-Om-Pax: 1.00 - 1.30 Tim Exile: 00.00 - 1.00 Konx-Om-Pax: 11.00 - 00.00 Phantom Band: 10.00 - 10.45 White Denim: 8.45 - 9.30 Jacob Yates & the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers: 7.45 - 8.15 Meursault: 7.00 - 7.30 David Barbarossa DJ: 6.30 - 7.00
I've contributed to such publications as The Herald, The Big Issue and the News of the World amongst others. I also write and sub-edit for the website 'Is this music?'. I hope Sonic Contact will be an entertaining addition to the deluge of music-related insights that already exist on the vast, amorphous plane known as the blogosphere!
