CSS / 1990s / The Rogers Sisters @ The Scala, 14 November

You know the gig's a hot one when you can't see the band for the photographers at the start of their set. And the band's reputation had obviously preceded them - the bouncers were moving into their positions at the side of the stage well before CSS took to the stage. But before talking any further about everyone's favourite Brazillian electro-poppers, let me cast my mind back to earlier in the evening.

The reason I was so excited about this gig wasn't just the oh-so-hot headliners. It was a prety impressive triple bill. I was particularly keen to see The Rogers Sisters again. Their Invisible Deck has been one of these albums that I've kept going back to througout this year, and their gig at ULU in April was excellent. And sure enough, it was another fine set from the Brooklyn garage rockers. Particularly memorable was their cover of Captain Beefheart's Zig Zag Wanderer, and the closer, my favourite Sisters track, the mighty Your Littlest World, where they wrung every last drop of goodness out of their guitars before leaving the stage. Phew, what a start! And The Scala is still filling up.


Download: The Rogers Sisters - Why Don't You
Download: The Rogers Sisters - Your Littlest World

Buy The Invisible Deck

Next up are Glasgow's 1990s, and mates of CSS. This band aren't going to win any beauty competitions, but they will surely rock many venues like this for at least a while to come. I had got these guys wrong. Somehow I had them down as some sort of post-punk-funk outfit or something like that. But there's a lack of angular guitars. Instead I heard big meaty riffs, chunky basslines and singaling choruses. These guys, alumuni of other Glasgow indie bands The Yummy Fur and V-Twin, have partying on their minds, and come across like a slightly poppier Primal Scream (the current Scream, not the Screamadelica-era lot).

They're definitely a good live band, particularly on top tunes like their forthcoming proper debut single You're Supposed to be My Friend, but I'm not entirely sure what they will sound like on record - hopefully not like the Fratellis. I fear a little. It's quite amusing to hear their Glasgow accents creeping through the mid-Atlantic style they affect for their songs. Particularly on the ba-ba-ba bits. A qualified success then.

I would have liked to post some 1990s songs, but since their only release has been a long sold out 7 inch, you'll have to be content with their myspace. The new single is out on Monday.

Everyone is really waiting for CSS. About halfway through their set, Adriano (the only bloke in the band) apologises for them not reading the manuals for some new equipment they'd bought. Maybe that explains something. Because I don't know what it was, but CSS's set doesn't quite soar the way I'd expected. Maybe it was because it was more well, rock than electro-pop-rock. Maybe the audience was a little less wild than I thought they were going to be. Or maybe I just had mentally built the gig up to a level it couldn't reach.

But don't get me wrong, it was a great show. CSS are the best type of live band - out for a good time, to give their best, and most of all they have in Lovefoxx a real pop star in the making. She totally lives up to the tales, spending a considerable amount of time either surfing above the crowd, or in amongst the sweaty bodies, getting down with the kids. She doesn't remain still for a second. The great thing about her is that despite her obvious charisma, she seems seriously lacking in ego. When she joined the 1990s for backing vocals on one song, she didn't disappear back into the dressing room - she headed into the audience, made her way to the front, and spent the rest of her mate's set clearly enjoying herself.

CSS play pretty much the whole of their self-titled debut album. They don't have much else to play, so the set is short and sweet. But despite Cansei de ser Sexy only having been out for a few months, it's clearly a well-loved record already. Alcohol is a natural singalong "You like alcohol in this country" Lovefox says. Yep. Their "R 'n' B number" (of course it is) Music is My Hot Hot Sex is totally thrilling, and the biggest cheer is saved predictably for Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above, their last song and messy exit. They do return though for an encore - a cover of L7's Pretend We're Dead, which considering how rubbish L7 were, is surprisingly good. And then CSS really are gone. But they'll no doubt be back soon to entertain and excite us.

Download: CSS - Alcohol
Download: CSS - Music is My Hot Hot Sex

Buy Cansei De Ser Sexy

Look at my photos of all three bands at my Flickr photostream

Contrast and other stuff

After being aware of the Contrast Podcast for a while, I finally got round to listening to it last week. It was No. 32 - When? It was great. The people who talked up Contrast were right. So I had a go at contributing to the next one. No. 33 came out today, and I'm on it, along with a heap of others. The theme is Album Openers. Check it out.

I'm also making a guest appearance on Sweeping the Nation. Or at least I did last week. It's part of their series Songs to Learn and Sing, where basically they invite other bloggers to contribute a lesser-known classic that they think everyone should hear. Mine is Willie Hightower's amazing version of Walk a Mile in My Shoes. Read more of my praise here.

I'm finally getting round to updating the links on my sidebar. I've been annoyed with particularly the music blog links for a while. I've got a whole load of great British music blogs bookmarked that I read regularly, which weren't in my links. It's a bit of a work in progress, so there will be more added shortly. I just wanted to single out a couple of them.

Firstly, possibly my favourite (newish) blog of the moment is The White Noise Revisited. Not for them the heat of buzz bands, or the lure of the well-in-advance mp3. No, it's just top-notch writing about good, interesting, new or obscure music.

Another even newer blog is Three Pink Monkeys. I have a bias on this one, because I know her, but I think it's a good blog, and well worth a read.

And finally, lazily, an mp3. No real reason apart from that it popped into my inbox at the end of last week, and I like it. Hot Chip remixing Plan B's Who Needs Actions (the title track of his album). Think Plan B. Think Hot Chip. Put them together and you've got the idea.

Download: Plan B - Who Need Actions (Hot Chip Remix)

Low take the Violet Path

When I was back at my parents' place in Scotland a couple of weekends ago, I was rudely awoken on the Friday morning by a friend's phone call. However I wasn't mad at having my lie-in disturbed - I got some important news that needed action! That news was that Low is playing at The Spitz on 15 February next year and that there were tickets still going. That's Low. At The Spitz! I rushed to find an internet connection, but by the time I had logged on, the tickets were gone. So no intimate evening for me and 249 other people, with Low playing in the middle of the room. Shame.

In the meantime, I'll have to console myself with the news of their new album, tentatively called The Violet Path, next spring. I love Low. There are always times when I need the slow-burning beauty of their songs in my life. Their last album The Great Destroyer was, in my humble opinion, their best yet, so I'm expecting great things of the new one. Alan Sparhawk told Pitchfork "Near as I can tell, it's all about killing. I was kind of realizing the other day that a lot of the songs deal with either killing someone or dying." So a radical departure then, from the people who started their classic Things We Lost in the Fire with the lyric "When they found your body..."

To add to the anticipation, the new record will include Murderer - the lead track from their 2003 limited edition 10 inch EP, which also contained an early version of Silver Rider (from The Great Destroyer). So I've dug it out, given it a listen, and posted the two rarer tracks for your listening pleasure. Murderer can whet your appetite for The Violet Path, and you can enjoy From Your Place on Sunset, a lovely long ponderous song which may not crop up anywhere else again.

Now, can anyone get me a ticket for The Spitz?

Download: Low - Murderer
Download: Low - From Your Place On Sunset

Buy The Great Destroyer and Things We Lost in the Fire

Disco Pogo for Punks in Pumps Vol 12

So I was thinking “I better push on with finishing off the Jockey Slut Disco Pogo series before the end of the year. Maybe even before the end-of-year lists mayhem that will descend in December”. So I reached up to the shelf, picked up the CD case for Vol. 11 (the next one in line), and what’s inside? Nothing. No CD. Aargh! Is it inside another CD case? Is it rattling around somewhere in my house? Who knows, but given the size of my CD collection, it could be quite a while before I find it. So in advance of that happy day, I’m going to skip one ahead and give you volume 12.

This isn’t the best Disco Pogo, with more than usual average or below tracks, but there are still some goodies to be found. Note that although this year saw the final triumph of Justice vs. Simian’s We Are Your Friends (even against the might of the blubbering Kanye), the track – here under its original name Never Be Alone – was on this comp, way back in November 2003. There’s also is some nice glitchy folky tunery from The Books (though after the plea on their website, I’m a bit reluctant to post this, oh well, it came on a free comp), some butt-shaking bleeps and beats from The Juan Maclean and grumpy techno overlord Dave Clarke, soulful indie from Riow Arai.

As you can see, Peaches was on the cover and in the mag, doin’ her durty thing as usual. There was an audience with Bobby Gillespie, The Glimmers (then The Glimmer Twins). Album of the month went to Dave Clarke. The weirdest bit though was the introduction to this new band Kasabian, who were described as “The Creation produced by Four Tet” (for Processed Beats at least). Ha ha, I wonder if anyone would put Kieran Hebden’s name anywhere near the dreary pub rock Kasabian churn out these days.

Download: The Books – Motherless Bastard
Download: Grand National – Peanut Dreams
Download: Riow Arai – Break Roads (re-edit)
Download: Justice vs. Simian – Never Be Alone
Download: The Juan Maclean – By The Time I Get To Venus
Download: Dave Clarke – The Wiggle

Devastating?

Heads up Nick Cave and Tindersticks fans! Tired of waiting for their new albums to come out? You could do worse than to check out fellow Aussies Devastations, who peddle a very similar brand of melancholy rock music. These are the obvious reference points, and maybe Devastations are fed up of being compared to them already. But then again, they have toured with Stuart Staples and Co, as well as Nick Cave compatriots Dirty Three.

Although I've only recently become aware of Devastations, their new album Coal is actually their second. And it seems like they've been working hard, moving from Australia to Berlin (ooh - so cool) in 2003 and touring all over Europe since then. Coal was recorded in Prague, Berlin and back in Melbourne. Right now they're in the US. Surely the hardest working Germany-based Australian band around? I see they're in London in support of Damian Jurado on 10 December. Could be worth a date.

Coal is often quite delicious, but lacks something of a bite that makes it that little bit more special. The comparisons with other bands that could be made, aren’t always quite right. They don’t have the grandeur of Cave, or the pleasing awkwardness of Dirty Tree, nor the anthemic splendour of The Arcade Fire, nor the soul of Tindersticks. However they do have a fine, sweeping sound, with a few decent, even lovely piano ballads (one featuring Kiwi chanteuse Bic Runga). But they’re at their best on the likes of Take You Home and What's A Place Like That Doing in a Girl Like You?, when they introduce squally guitars whilst the sweet piano and strings keep the melody intact. Overall then, not an album to take you to new musical places, but one to put on, and let it wash nicely over you. We don’t need our lives changed every day. Sometimes we just need to be soothed. This will do the trick nicely.

Download: Devastations – Take You Home
Download: Devastations – What's A Place Like That Doing in a Girl Like You?

Buy Coal

Beirut & Calexico @ The Roundhouse, 5 November

You know there’s a bit of a buzz about a band when a venue the size of the Roundhouse is fairly packed for a support slot. And that they’re given a 45 minutes set, must signify some expectation. But then it is Beirut, championed by the blogosphere until the word spread further, and people everywhere stood up and took notice. 4AD certainly did. This gig is the day before they officially release Beirut's album Gulag Orkestar in the UK, and clearly there are a lot of people who want to see them. But then again, this is the first ever chance that Londoners have had to catch them live.

I’m one of them. I like Calexico, but I’ve seen them twice this year already and I’m not that desperate to see them again. However, a triple bill featuring the Arizona desert-rockers, Beirut and A Hawk and a Hacksaw is pretty appealing.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get there in time to see AHAAH, so I’ll just have to console myself with their fine recent album When the Wind Blows. But members of the group are also part of the mighty ensemble that is Beirut. I'd read loads about the prodigy that is 20-year old Zach Condon, but live Beirut are much more than a solo show. I think there's about 11 of them in total, coming and going on stage. Playing all sorts of brass and horns. And strings. And accordians. And hitting drums and other random bits of percussion. You may well like Gulag Orkestar, but their live show is something else. Condon and co. manage to take music that sounds beautiful, but quite mournful on record, but turn it into something utterly celebratory and truly exciting live. They seem to play the bulk of Gulag. They play an unreleased, untitled number, which naturally sounds great. And best of all they play Elephant Gun, the lead track on the new Lon Gisland EP, which doesn't mess with the Beirut formula but may be the best thing they've done yet. It's all a total treat. Talk about living up to expectations!


Calexico were going to have to be super special to beat that, and tonight I'm not into them. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe I've seen them too often this year. Maybe it's because they were never going to top that sizzling 100 Club gig in April. Maybe it was the Beirut factor. I don't really know, but as I stand and watch them, even though hugely impressed by the sheer virtuoso proficiency of the band, I'm not feeling it. Don't get me wrong. There are definitely highlights. Back Heart, Minas de Cobre and El Picador (as ever). And I'm glad I stuck around to hear Guero Canelo just before Calexico went off stage for the first time - the mariachi and stabbing synth combo was probably my highlight of the gig. But Mrs Growl says she's bored, and I'm kinda with her. So we leave whilst Joey Burns and co have just started their encore. Apparently there was a big 'supergroup' version of Crystal Frontier. That would have been good, but I'm not that bothered. On the way out I saw notices about the show being filmed. That might explain the lack of songs off Garden Ruin, and the general 'greatest hits' setlist. Oh well, maybe I'll check out the DVD when it comes out. Might be good.

Download: Beirut - Elephant Gun
Download: Beirut - Brandenburg
Download: Calexico - Guero Canelo
Download: Calexico - Black Heart

See more of my pictures at my Flickr photostream.

Buy Gulag Orkestar. You're spolt for choice with Calexico albums, but why not start with The Black Light and Hot Rail

PS I'm trying out a new file host. Let me know if there are any problems with downloads.

Sufjan Stevens @ The Barbican, 3 November

Pros and cons about gigs in concert halls. On the plus side the sound is almost faultless. Well, it would have to be. The Barbican is the home of the London Symphony Orchestra after all. The sound system has to catch every nuance of a whole host of instruments normally, so Sufjan's big horn section and everything else is in perfect balance.

However on the minus side, there isn't the celebratory atmosphere that maybe Sufjan was expecting, given the huge piles of inflatables on stage - a pile of Supermen on one side and an even bigger pile of Santas on the other. Maybe it's the concert hall vibe, but when Sufjan started tossing the Supermen into the crowd at the start of The Man of Metropolis, I think he was expecting people to start bouncing them around in a fun kinda way. Instead the lucky audience members just catch and keep them. When he chucks the Santas out later in his set, during That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!, he has to encourage the folks in the stalls to go for the flying Santa participation thing. It lasts for a few minutes, and from our position up in the gods we look down on an oddly comical flurry of flying red and white Father Christmases, wheezing as they go. But then the concert hall vibe kicks in again the funny flights stop.

These things aside, the gig (or should I say concert) is pretty amazing. Sufjan's not one to trot out the same live show again and again. This is a far cry from his Bush Hall gig a couple of years ago when he was armed with an overhead projector, a map of Michigan and swan wings. It's even different from last year's cheerleaders shows and the string quartet gigs at Kings College. He's an artist that seems to want to keep trying new and interesting things. So he's here with a full horn section augmenting the rest of his band. It all sounds fantastic, with Sufjan leading the pack of butterfly-winged players, whilst sporting his own eagle wings. The big brass sound doesn't suit every song – the quieter songs like Casimir Pulaski Day don’t need their beauty augmenting, but on the likes of Seven Swans, it’s stunning, adding an element of awe to the apocalyptic imagery of the song.

The songs Sufjan and the band play mostly come from Seven Swans and Illinois. But he also plays a new song – Majesty, Snowbird which certainly lives up to the first word of its name – a glorious, spine-tingling 10 minutes of wonder. Much like the rest of the gig.

Sometimes I wonder about the appeal of Sufjan Stevens. How can a man whose songs celebrate America and strongly reference Christianity hold an indie audience in secular, too-cool London so rapt? But he does. There’s no idle chat during songs tonight. And he gets a standing ovation, which he follows with a three-song encore, which I’m not sure was all totally planned. As he stands there playing guitar or banjo, rocking backwards and forwards, his wings flap gently, as if he’s warming up for flight. He may as well have. Tonight he really does soar.

For the interested, here's the setlist, with some downloads (thanks to Sufjanfans for the info)

1) Sister
2) The Transfiguration
3) Metropolis
4) The Tallest Man
5) Casimir Pulaski Day
6) All the Trees in the Field will Clap their Hands
7) Detroit
8) The Predatory Wasp
9) John Wayne Gacy Jnr
10) That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
11) Seven Swans
12) Majesty, Snowbird
13) Chicago

Encore

14) Corncerning the UFO Sighting
15) The Dress Looks Nice on You
16) Jacksonville

Buy Michigan or Illinoise or Seven Swans or The Avalanche

Credits:
mp3 of Majesty, Snowbird from ryspace
decent photo of Sufjan from freekorps' Flickr photostream. The crappy one at the top of the post is of course, mine - all the way from the upper circle

Emmy and friends @ The Luminaire, 30 October

A combination of a delayed train back from a weekend in Scotland and a strong need to eat meant that I arrived at The Luminaire too late to see Morven Callar. But I did arrive just in time to hear Duncan Brown’s literate acoustic strummings. I’m sure he said something about William Blake. He’s even got a song on his myspace about New England puritan John Cotton. Pretentious? Maybe, but I liked his stuff – he’s got rich vocals and subtle but disarming tunes. A good start to the show.

Download: Duncan Brown - Trip to Spain

The crowd tonight at this special Drowned in Sound birthday gig, curated by Emmy the Great, aren’t really a compliant lot . The well-meaning signs put up by the venue asking people not to sit in front of the stage were ignored, as were the (many more) signs requesting quiet during performances. Poor Duncan. He wasn’t the only one to suffer their rudeness. London’s indie folk scenesters are obviously too polite to challenge. What we really need is for some hard people to sort them out. Shame there's none of these around tonight.


I was hoping I would get there in time to see Johnny Flynn. I was so glad I did. His song Tickle Me Pink has been going round in my head ever since my last post about him. He plays it tonight, as his last song, with a backing band – guitar, bass and backing vocals boosting Johnny’s singing and strumming and making it sound totally fantastic. That’ll be another couple of weeks in my head then. Before that he played a few more fine folky numbers, one of which featured Johnny on violin, all of which only confirmed his promise as a songwriter. Can’t wait to hear more.

Since my file host has disappeared since the last time I posted this song, here it is again.

Download: Johnny Flynn - Tickle Me Pink

Next up was the intriguingly-named Annie Frank Sinatra who turned out to be a bloke in a hat gaffer-taping a cassette player to the mic which gave us a stream of electronic warblings for ten minutes or so. People started off listening and facing the empty stage, before realising that things weren’t going to change much, and got back to drinking and chatting.

Noah and the Whale turns out to be the band led by a guy called Charlie (who may also be called Johnny Hatracket), who I first saw playing ukulele and furry bass with Emmy the Great at the End of the Road Festival. He plays ukulele again, and acoustic guitar. He’s accompanied by a couple of other people as well as Emmy doing backing vox on one song. There's probably not enough ukeleles in music today, so that may be reason alone to recommend him. Though his songs are good too.

Download: Noah and the Whale - 5 Years' Time





Tom Hatred departs from the night’s normal instrumentation by plugging in an electric guitar, but his music still has that measured folky flavour, though it does seem he’s a fan of Morrisey and the Smiths, both in his tuneful inflections and lyrics (his myspace confirms this). Another short set. Another enjoyable and promising artist. Check him out.

Download: Tom Hatred - One of Your Adventures


There's a problem with Emmy the Great’s set tonight. It’s too short. Judging by the hushed venue and number of people who seem to disappear after she left the stage, Emmy was the star attraction. But I guess tonight was, as it was billed, Emmy and friends. She hasn't even put herself in the headline slots, and she's basically showcasing a load of her friends, which so far have been all very good. Together with Charlie, Jeremy Warmsley and a guy on violin, she treated us to gorgeous versions of Edward is Dedward, Secret Circus, Aiko and Absentee. One bonus though – the first, very short song was new to me. This turns out to be her contribution to 50 minutes, (a new charity compilation with 50 one-minute tracks). I'll be adding that to the 'to get' list then.

Download: Emmy the Great - My Party is Better Than Yours


Headlining were The Mules, a band I've been meaning to check out for ages. They're great. The word 'gypsy punk' has been much misused this year, being used to describe everyone from Gogol Bordello to Larrikin Love. All you need to be tagged is to use fiddles or accordians. I'm not going to call The Mules gypsy punk, but I'm not sure what to call them. The band, focused around drummer Ed Seed who sings and whacks the skins in an increasingly manic fashion from centre stage, have elements of spiky post punk, fast fiddly folk music, bits of country rock, frantic waltzes and seemingly boundless supplies of energy. The one thing they don't do is quiet and slow. They're a bit of a contrast to what's gone before them, but are a total blast. Heck, the indie-folksters of North London are almost dancing. Long may The Mules dance their raucous jig.

Download: The Mules - Problems With Exits

The odd couple

A colleague sent this to me today, and I had to post it.

I so hope that this gig really did happen. If it did, and if you were there, I'd love to hear about it!

Best of October

Well, it's that time of month again. Cast the mind back over the musical happenings of the past 31 days and pick out a few gems for your listening pleasure. Here's some of my favourites.

Album of the month

Jeremy Warmsley - The Art of Fiction

So he's gone and done it. Well, almost. A few months back, someone at Drowned in Sound said (on a podcast) that that this album was the best one released by a solo artist this year. I'm still not sure about that, but come the reckoning, in a month and a bit's time, I'm sure The Art of Fiction will be there or thereabouts for me. It starts with a blast on 5 Verses, and then proceeds to weave its way through different musical styles, complex arrangements and literate lyrics. It's not straight pop music, but there's something immensely satisflying about immersing yourself for a while in this album. From it, my current favourite - the sweeping, soaring Modern Children.

Download: Jeremy Warmsley - Modern Children

Buy The Art of Fiction

Songs of the month

1. Epic Man featuring Plan B - More is Enough

OK, so this isn't that new, but I have only recently laid my hands on a copy of this beauty. For once, Plan B isn't rapping about urban grit 'n' squalour. This time it's partying, pure and simple, while Paul Epworth lays down stabbing synths that make this tune more 'new rave' than Klaxons.

2. Jamie T - If You Got The Money

In which the cheeky chappie from Wimbledon delivers the goods yet again with another tale of urban life. If he keeps getting better at this rate, he'll be a world beater next year.

3. M. Craft - You Are The Music (Playgroup Remix)

Trevor Jackson's Output Records may have gone, but the man's still got what it takes on the remix duty. He's taken Martin Craft's wonderful You Are The Music, already a firm Daily Growl favourite, and done a remix that not only changes the song and fits it for the dancefloor, but keeps its feel just the same. No mean feat.

4. Simple Kid - Serotonin

My memories of the song are firmly in the woozy delights experienced when I first heard it at the End of the Road Festival. Listening to it on Simple Kid's new album 2, it still sounds great - coming on like Neil Young's Heart of Gold taking a delivery of hip-hop beats, then sloping off to laze around in the English countryside on a warm summer's day. Lovely.

5. Lavender Diamond - You Broke My Heart

The Queens of Noize folk CD introduced these LA folkies to me. The track on the compilation was just a warm-up for the simple ethereal beauty of this track. Y'know, sometimes hippies are alright.

Jamie T at the Barfly

A couple of weeks ago I didn't go to see Jamie T at the Barfly. But I did record the gig off Xfm later the same night (another one of John Kennedy's XPosure Live shows). After seeing Jamie doing his solo acoustic thing earlier this year, I was keen to see what he'd be like with a backing band. Good though the solo show was, I felt that his songs could have done with being a bit more fleshed out. So I was surprised to see that Time Out had said that his band makes him sound a bit pub rock. A bit unfair, I thought.

Well, you can see what you think. The tracks are posted below. I can kinda see where TO are coming from. There's a quite lot of guitar in some of the tracks, and if there's one thing we really don't need, it's another spiky guitar band. The reason we love Jamie is because he sounds nothing like them. But hey, the lad's pretty good anyway. These tracks give me a decent impression of his live band show, and I'd still love to see it. Maybe sometime soon.

Download: Jamie T - Calm Down Dearest (live)
Download: Jamie T - NWA (Not Without Apology) (live)
Download: Jamie T - Ike & Tina (live)
Download: Jamie T - Pacemaker (live)
Download: Jamie T - So Lonely Was The Ballad (live)
Download: Jamie T - Northern Line (live)
Download: Jamie T - If You Got The Money (live)
Download: Jamie T - Salvador (live)
Download: Jamie T - Sheila (live)

NB These are posted on YSI, since my usual file storage (EZArchive) seems to have given up the ghost. If the file has expired or exceeded its download limit, let me know and I'll re-post.

Update: I've re-uploaded these on a more permanent host - so they should be around a while longer

The pic above isn't from the Barfly gig. I couldn't find any suitable ones so I used my photo of him at Summer Sundae instead.

Danielson movie trailer

My last post on Danielson got quite a good response, so I thought I'd post the trailer for the movie. This is a Daily Growl first - the first time I've done one of these embedded YouTube thingys (it's been more complicated than I thought it would). Here it is.



And while I'm at it here's another track. I've been advised by a few people now to check out Fetch the Compass Kids. So I used some of my eMusic downloads to get it. It's certainly less accessible than Ships, and a lot more shrill, but there are still many pleasures to be had. Particularly if you give it some time. Here's one of them.

Download: The Danielson Familie - Sing to the Singer

Buy Fetch the Compass Kids

Also - a note to the person who asked about tickets for the Danielson movie screening (and anyone else who's interested) - there's no advance tickets. Just turn up on the night. There will be a suggested donation.

iLiKETRAiNS / The Early Years @ Cargo, 17 October

iLiKETRAiNS and The Early Years. Two bands I've seen fairly recently and written about on this blog. Playing a gig, somewhat fittingly together. But a few things have changed since I last saw them.

First thing is that The Early Years seem to have got a bass player. Last time I saw them, they were sans bass, which at the time didn't seem to be a bad thing, but the difference is noticible. It does sound better. But maybe that's also to do with something else that's changed - the venue and the sound system. I always thought that the band would sound better at Cargo than Madame Jo Jo's and I wasn't wrong. They sound pretty amazing tonight. And as well as their normal wonderfully noisy fayre, they play Brown Hearts off their new self-titled debut album, which is surely an indie anthem in a fairer word. It prefectly models the quiet/loud dynamic, and is post rock with better tunes. The other major thing that's changed for me is that since my last review, I have started to listen to some Krautrock. Neu! seemed like a good place to start, and goodness me, what a place! And you know what? After all that wondering I did before - I can now totally see where TEY are coming from. You just need to hear the start of Hallogallo to realise that. It's probably made me appreciate The Early Years even more.

What's changed with iLiKETRAiNS is that they're the headline band, and therefore have more time to play more of their moody atmospheric rock, full of swirling guitars and lyrics addressing arcane subjects such as Captain Scott's Antarctic expeditions, former chess champion Bobby Fischer and cutbacks to the British Rail network in the 1960s. So it seems that vintage British Rail jackets they wear are not just a reference to their name, but a dedication to certain specialist interests in the band. This is also augmented tonight by projections from an old-skool slide projector and reel-to-reel projector providing introductions to each song, and slides or film clips in jerky sepia to accompany the music, all handled by the trumpeter in between loud blasts of his instrument. Sometimes he plays and projects at the same time. There's a cracking encore where the band invite members of the support band and other friends onto the stage to act as a kind of male voice choir to recreate the spooky backing vocals to The Beeching Report. It all works rather well.

The other big thing to change for iLiKETRAiNS is unrelated to tonight's gig, but they have signed a deal with Beggars Banquet, so hopefully next year, their dark brooding charms will be more widely available. Who knows, the nation's indie kids could even acquire a liitle more specialist knowledge. Which may help with Trivial Pursuit.

Both The Early Years and iLiKETRAiNS are bands with a carefully constructed sound, lots of layered guitar noise, and not a lot of variation in their style. Both will hopefully go on to greater things, but wide mainstream appeal will surely elude them. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. And despite what I predicted in my previous review, TEY didn't quite blow iLiKETRAiNS off the stage at this gig. But they definitely edged it.

Download: The Early Years - All Ones and Zeros
Download: The Early Years - Brown Hearts
Download: iLiKETRAiNS - Terra Nova

Buy iLiKETRAiNS' Progress Reform and The Early Years

Disco Pogo for Punks in Pumps volume 10

It's high time I got back onto the Disco Pogo series. Are we at volume 10 already? Yep - the one from the September 2003 edition of Jockey Slut. This time my picks of the CD are: Cody ChesnuTT's ace bluesy hip-hop, Jon Kennedy's drum-tastic The Lodger, the haunting electronica of Soulsavers, the afro-tinged beats and skewed jazz of Modeler, the punky techno of Legowelt, and my favourite of the bunch, Brooks' reworking of Willis' Paper and Stone, passing the gritty soul of the original thorough a electonic filter to magnificent effect.

In the magazine the Chemical Brothers introduced their greatest hits, we were introduced to Cody ChesnuTT, Chris Clark (back now with a new album), The Psychonauts, and had a Q&A with the national treasure that is Norman Jay (MBE of course). Single of the month came from techno pioneers LFO and album of the month came from Richard X, a man who was quite the thing back then, but seems surprisingly quiet these days. Or maybe I'm just missing something.

In related news, I finally managed to track down a copy of Dummy magazine, which is being apparently run by some of the same people who did Jockey Slut. And it's really quite good. I'm going to do a post on it soon, so hang on there. In the meantime, check out these beauties.

Download: Cody ChesnuTT - Serve This Royalty
Download: Jon Kennedy - The Loafer
Download: The Soulsavers - Runblefish
Download: Willis - Paper & Stone (Brooks' Paper Cuts Remix)
Download: Modeler - Island Life
Download: Legowelt - Sturmvogel

Danielson comes to London

Danielson is coming to London! Not only is there a rare appearance in the capital from the elusive New Jersey family/band (at the Luminaire on 3 December - with anti-folker Jeffrey Lewis), but there's a documentary about them being screened not long before the gig. Actually, I have a personal interest in the showing of the film - Danielson: A Family Movie - because my friend Ping* is putting it on. It's happening at 8pm on the evening of 26 November, at Shoreditch Church in er, Shoreditch (the big white one at the junction of Old Street, Kingsland Road and Hackney Road - map here).

There'll no doubt be more about the film on this blog in the next few weeks until the film is shown, but for now here's a short blurb about it. I've not seen it but Ping* assures me it's very good and I trust her judgement.

The movie was produced between 2002 and 2006. The Shoreditch screening is only the second time it has been shown in London (and the third time in the UK). According to the press release, the film is “a documentary about unbridled creativity vs. accessibility, Christian faith vs. popular culture, underground music vs. survival, and family vs. individuality. The film follows Daniel Smith, an eccentric musician and visual artist, as he leads his four siblings and best friend to indie-rock stardom.” OK, maybe stardom’s putting too fine a point on it, but certainly some kind of underground cult following.

According to director JL Aronson, he approached main Danielson man Daniel Smith in May 2001 because he was “fascinated with the contradictions of an earnest group of country kids wearing their faith on their sleeves and playing to a room full of cynical, atheistic city-dwellers.” What is it that makes a band who are both Christian and a bit weird accepted by secular indie music fans when they have been poorly received by many in the church?


The film also features Sufjan Stevens, a friend of Daniel Smith, who Aronson initially intended to be “my appointed stand-in as an outsider learning more about this eccentric family”, but who goes on to much greater fame. Probably more than the Danielson Family would want for themselves.

Anyway, I’d probably better not say too much more about this as I’m cribbing all this from the press release and director’s statement to make it sound like I know something about it. Which I don’t, apart from praise from friends who have seen it. I can’t wait to see it though. Roll on 26 November!

Since we're on the subject of Danielson, here are a couple of tracks from their latest album Ships. It's the only Danielson album I have, and it's one that I've recently returned to. But I'm finding that I'm loving it more with each play.

Download: Danielson - Two Sitting Ducks
Download: Danielson - Five Stars and Two Thumbs Up

Buy Ships from Amazon.

Autumn

The weather in London's been so temperate lately that I've not really though of it as being autumn. None of that classic seasonal morning chill in the air yet. So it came as a bit of a surprise to me to look out of my window on Saturday and see the tree outside was well on the way to losing its leaves. My first real sign of autumn. Then it got me thinking. Autumn songs. Here are some songs for autumn. Or at least songs with autumn in the title. A lazy post maybe, but the tunes are good at least.

Download: Coldcut - Autumn Leaves (Irresistable Force Remix)
Download: Lambchop - Autumn's Vicar
Download: Yo La Tengo - Autumn Sweater
Download: Devendra Banhart - Autumn's Child
Download: Roddy Frame - Autumn Flower
Download: The Flaming Lips - My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion

Just one magic trick

Collaborations - eh? Sometimes they're great. Sometimes (like for loads of hip-hop albums) they are just a futile exercise in sprinkling stardust over mediocre songs. However in the case of the new M. Ward album, it works a treat.

He's got some guests in on his latest album Post War. There are a whole heap of them, most I've never heard of, but of those I have, Neko Case, Jim 'My Morning Jacket' James and Howe Gelb are there to lend a hand with instruments and stuff. Not that M. really needs them, but they've contributed to what seems to me like an unusually celebratory album for the man called Ward.

Not that I'm massively familiar with the back catalogue, but I do have the last couple of albums. And when I caught him live a couple of years ago, it was a lovely, if melencholy experience, as we we regaled with his downbeat (actually there weren't any beats, it was solo acoustic), and slightly spooky music. Post War however, finds him almost rocking out. Sure, there are plenty of past occasions when he's upped the tempo a bit, but here he seems to have a new lease of life. In a funny kind of way it reminds me of the CD on the Johnny Cash Unearthed box set where he's backed by the Heartbreakers. The American series is full of quiet and beautiful songs, but you get the impression that Johnny, Tom Petty and the boys are just having enormous fun changing the pace to rock 'n' roll. It seems a bit the same with M. Ward on Post War. I've posted the best examples of the rockin' tunes, but the melancholy M. Ward is still there as good as, and maybe better than ever, with the likes of the sublime title track and Eyes on the Prize. If you've ever wanted to check out M. Ward, this is album definitely the place to start.

Download: M. Ward - Right in the Head
Download: M. Ward - Magic Trick

Buy Post War at Amazon

The Early Years

This is another one that should have gone up ages ago. I've had a copy of The Early Years' self-titled debut album for over a month now, and am just getting round to posting on it now. Shame on me. Then again maybe it's not such a bad thing. You see, the more I listen to this album, the more I like it. It's not that it's particuarly 'difficult' and needs repeated plays to appreciate all of its complexities. Far from it. There are strong melodies, some great bits of guitar noise, and heck, at times it even strays close to that particular strand of melodic indie rock that's so popular these days. But it's never bland. The songs are too good for that.

I guess there are two main influences - one I can see, one I can't. The one that I do get is the obvious homage to early 90s indie, particularly the recently-repopularised 'shoegazing' bands. Sorry guys if that sounds cliched, but I can definitely hear echoes of the likes of Ride et al in there. Lovely, measured, chiming guitars on the slow songs. Magnificent layered guitar noise on the louder ones. But I can also detect a faint whiff of the likes of the Stone Roses too. So far, so good. And for many music fans of my age, so nostalgic.

The other one is Krautrock. Now, I'm at a bit of a loss here, because I've never really heard much of this kind of music. The likes of Can and Neu! have always been somewhere out there in the realms of legendary bands that I know I should check out, but never really get round to. So all these people who talk up the Krautrock connection, I bow to your superior judgement. And of course to the band themselves who acknowledge the influence explicitly. Maybe the (appropriately-titled) song Musik Der Fruhen Jahre is the closet I'm getting at the moment to that elusive genre.

Anyway, the album is totally great, and well worth your money. It seems to have slipped out quietly, without much fanfare or even critical trumpting by the press. Or maybe I've just missed it. I hope so, becuase The Early Years deserves as wide an audience as possible. After seeing them live a few weeks ago, I was a little surprised at how quiet some of the recorded tunes were in comparison to the wonderful effects pedal-laden noise they kick up live. But that's no bad thing. A fine album, and an equally fine, but different, live show. A band with more than one trick.

You can catch them supporting iLiKETRAiNS on a short UK tour at the moment. They're in London at Cargo next Tuesday. iLiKETRAiNS are good, but if The Early Years are on form, they might blow just the headliners off stage.

According to this interview, Song for Elizabeth is the band's favourite, so here it is, with The Simple Solution.

Download: The Early Years - Song for Elizabeth
Download: The Early Years - The Simple Solution

Buy The Early Years

Bits 'n' bobs

Looks like I came in 17th in the Digital Music Award for music blogs. I guess that’s not too bad. Not as big as the Streets or Madonna, but at least I can say I’m bigger than Lemar. More importantly, well done to my more illustrious British blogging peers – headphonesex, Nothing but Green Lights and Indie mp3, who are all bigger than Madonna.

Have you been to music like dirt for his amazing Alright, Steal post on all the tracks sampled by Lily Allen on Alright, Still? If not, what are you doing? Get over there right away! It’s a very fine compilation that he’s giving away.

After the sad demise of the Blue Room radio show, Rob da Bank is back on Sunday nights (well Monday mornings really) with a new show. Heard it for the first time this week. It’s pretty good. Much like the Blue Room, except without any pressure to be Balearic (whatever that is). Listen to it here.

And a week after returning from Sicily, and I’m still missing the Sicilian sun (that's some of it in the photo above). Especially when I’m looking out of the office window and seeing a storm of Biblical proportions appear on the horizon. Well, at least it’s not cold yet. I’ve got a few photos of sunnier times there on my Flickr photostream. And being where it was, mention of the holiday is a perfect opportunity to post some music from the Godfather.

Download: Nino Rota – The Godfather Waltz
Download: Nino Rota – Love Theme

Balkan hot step

First Beirut, now A Hawk and a Hacksaw. Well, it really should be the other way round. AHAAH actually have two albums already - the eponymous debut from 2004 and last year's Darkness at Noon. Then earlier this year, the blogosphere went mad for Beruit, who does a very similar line in Eastern European folky music, full of meandering accordian, mournful trumpet and weeping violins. I say that without a very firm grasp on the full output of Jeremy Barnes, the man who calls himself A Hawk and a Hacksaw. The best I've really got to go on are a couple of mp3s that have been lying in my inbox for a while now. But I have listened to them. And yes, I like them. And yes, they do sound a bit like Beirut. But maybe that's not really surprising, since Barnes and Heather Trost from AHAAH are also part of Beirut with Zach Condon. Oh, surely the world of US-based indie Balkan gyspy music is a small one.

Here are the tracks. They're from the new AHAAH album, The Way the Wind Blows, which is out now. It could be well worth checking out.

Download: A Hawk and a Hacksaw - In the River
Download: A Hawk and a Hacksaw - God Bless the Ottoman Empire

Buy The Way the Wind Blows


Speaking of Beirut, Gulag Orkestar is getting its official UK release on 4AD on 6 November. It's going to be accompanied by an EP called Lon Gisland. I found this out because Daily Growl correspondent reverend war character picked up a promo copy of Gulag and the EP in one of his many forages in the bargain basements of London record shops. For a quid too. There are four tracks on it - three new, one a different version of Scenic World off the album. STG has already posted on Elephant Gun, which is the best track. So I'll give you Carousels. It's another fine example of Beirut's lovely take on East European folk-pop. Good to see he's got more good stuff up his sleeve. Even if it's not new tricks, then at least it shows he can keep up the high quality of what he does already.

Download: Beirut - Carousels

Buy Gulag Orkestar

And to top it all off nicely, Beirut and AHAAH are both supporting Calexico on their forthcoming UK tour (5 November in London). I'll be getting to the Roundhouse early! You can also see Beirut headlining at the Luminaire on 12 November.

The Aliens & Jeremy Warmsley @ The Barfly

Another late gig review, but hopefully this one’ll be worth it, as there are live audios below. As I previously hinted, I went to the last Xfm Xposure Live gig at the Barfly with Neil music like dirt. It was a good gig. It didn’t start out too well though, with a kind of what-was-that-all-about set from someone called Oxen of the Sun. However things got better when Jeremy Warmsley took to the stage.

It was only just over a week since I last saw JW at the End of the Road festival. This time he was sans band, doing a solo acoustic slot. The good thing about this was that stripped of the band’s extra bits, the songs still stand up well. His short set, although very good, was a bit too short really. Crafty dog – leaving us wanting more like that. Well, thankfully his album is out today and I’ve just got it. Oh, and since the last time I saw him he also had a haircut. If there was an indie Heat magazine, that may have made it in.



I was looking forward to The Aliens even more. I was officially one of the biggest Beta Band fans around (I was at the gig with my vintage Patty Patty Sound t-shirt). I was gutted when they split up. So what is almost a re-incarnation of the Beta Band is bound to be appealing. At the core of the Aliens are former Beta Band-ers Robin Jones (who plays drums)and John Maclean (on keyboards and synths), as well as Gordon Anderson, aka Lone Pigeon, aka brother of King Creosote, and founder member of the Beta Band before dropping out in the early days. He's on vocals and guitar.

And guess what? The sound like the Beta Band. At least a bit. It's funny, because on their debut EP Alienoid Starmonica, they managed to be both more experimental than the average BB song (Hey Leanne features a country song and church organ in the middle of electronic glitchery) and more poppy (Robotman with it's four word lyric and joyous Beta Band meets Primal Scream choruses).

Live, the first few songs surprise again - it's all psychadelic rock, with added fun and silly spacey clothes. Then there's the mighty Robotman, stretched out, slowed down and with massive grooves. And of course, new single Happy, which maxes out the pop factor even more. The final number (called Rocks, I think) sees the return of Robotman, mixed up with half-covers of Higher Than the Sun and Helter Skelter. It's basically an extended jam, but an immensely enjoyable one. With Anderson going mad on the mic and throwing himself round the tiny stage. The performance is a bit rough round the edges, but that's OK. The songs are good enough and there's plenty to show that The Aliens will be a great live band. Maybe even as good as the Beta Band. And I for one would be very happy with that.

The gig was broadcast on Xfm later the same evening. I managed to record some tracks which are below. There are a few wierd digital glitches in some tracks, but hopefully not enough to spoil your listening pleasure.

Jeremy Warmsley

Download: Jeremy Warmsley - Dirty Blue Jeans (live)
Download: Jeremy Warmsley - I Believe in the Way You Move (live)
Download: Jeremy Warmsley - I Knew That Her Face Was a Lie (live)
Download: Jeremy Warmsley - I Promise (live)

Buy The Art of Fiction

The Aliens

Download: The Aliens - Setting Sun (live)
Download: The Aliens - Only Waiting (live)
Download: The Aliens - Robotman (live)
Download: The Aliens - Happy (live)
Download: The Aliens - Rocks (live)

Buy Alienoid Starmonica EP

I've got a few photos of the gig on my Flickr photostream. So has music like dirt.

Best of September

Late again, this month, but this time I've got an excuse. I've been on holiday! But now I'm back and before it gets any later into October, here's my best of September.

Album of the Month

CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy

I assidiously ignored all the initial bloghype around this band, but last month I eventually succumbed to their cheeky electro-popping charms. It really is a great album. In particular, this track's joyous post-punk meets R 'n' B is the highlight. And despite the saucy title, it's really just about being obsessed with music. Which is appropriate for me then.

Download: CSS - Music is My Hot Hot Sex

Buy Cansei de Ser Sexy

Songs of the month

1. I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona

So I've also succumbed to the happy silliness of the 29-strong group of Swedes. I think seeing them live before hearing their record made me more favourably disposed to them than their often-too-twee music deserves. However, this is still a great tune, live or not. Altogether now, na-na-na na-na-na na.....

Buy Let Me Introduce My Friends

2. Jeremy Warmsley - I Believe in the Way You Move

You may well have heard me going on about Jeremy Warmsley before, but this'll certainly not be my last post on the young man in braces. This is his latest single, which I've had going round in my head for weeks, and promises great things for his new album. Emmy the Great sings on it too!

Pre-order The Art of Fiction - out next week.

3. The Aliens - Happy Song

More happy stuff. Heck, you'd think I'd spend the month in some sort of giddy haze. But again, this is pretty irresistable stuff from former Beta Band-ers The Aliens. Maybe a song for particular moods, but the insane catchiness of it makes it stick in your brain and refuse to leave. In a good way. Not as good as the ever more lyrically minimal Robotman, but then there is a chunk of Robotman in this very song. Or is it the other way round?

Buy the Happy Song 7" or The Alienod Starmonica EP

4. Dani Siciliano - Why Can't I Make You High

She's back! After 2004's fine Dani Siciliano Likes... this is the single off her intriugingly-titled new album Slappers. It's a kinda jazzy electro knees-up, with backing vox support from teen rockabilly sensations Kitty, Daisy and Lewis. No doubt there'll be more about both them and Dani on The Daily Growl soon.

Buy Slappers

5. The Blood Arm - Suspicious Character

I was wrong in my last Blood Arm post. This is the song that Nathanael Fregoso sang from inside the ladies' toilets in The Macbeth. Appropriate? I'll leave that for you to decide. Anyway, it's got another one of these ridiculously catchy choruses, and you'll have to watch you don't sing it too loud outside the safety of your own home. It may be true for Nathanael, but I'm not sure about me. Or you.

Pre-order the new album Lie Lover Lie - out on 16 October

My Morning Jacket @ The Astoria

This is another one of these posts which should have gone up way earlier, but as before, I was thwarted by internet problems and going on holiday. Now that I'm back I can try to put things right. So apologies to reverend war character for putting up his review of the My Morning Jacket gig at the Astoria almost two weeks after it happened. It's still worth posting though. Here it is.

My Morning Jacket at the Astoria 22 September 2006

I first saw My Morning Jacket at ‘The Metro’, a small basement club with a capacity of 175 on Oxford Street in London . Towards the end of the show the electricity generator broke down. Jim James calmly took his acoustic guitar, stepped into the crowd and played a cover version of ‘Suspicious Minds’. He held the crowd spellbound and you knew this band weren’t going to be playing small basement bars much longer.

Fast forward a few years to the Astoria with a sold out capacity of 1600, just around the corner from the Metro. There have been a couple of line up changes since The Metro gig but MMJ are still about Jim James. They pretend they are not - no central mike, no spotlights - but he holds the stage and directs the band. Part muppet, part rock god, part southern gentleman, Jim James is MMJ. He dominates the stage and again holds the crowd spellbound. When he says, ‘You touched my heart’ we believe him; when he puts his foot on the monitor and points his Flying V at us, we believe him; when he unleashes another furious solo we believe him. MMJ are a band who fetishise the guitar - the riff is all, the groove is king.

The first twenty minutes of the show are perfect - celebratory, transcendent, shock and awe rock and roll. The band are playing the final night of a European tour - relaxed, tight and taut. Mid set the audience drift off (is 2 hours too long for a rock and roll show?) only to be wrenched back into MMJ’s world by the sound of Jim Jones’s keeningly beautiful (yes, beautiful) voice and the sight of a band whose jamming can make Crazy Horse look like a Mildly Eccentric Pony.

And then it’s over. They flew home. Slint, Will Oldham and My Morning Jacket? Louisville, Kentucky must be some town

Download: My Morning Jacket - Off the Record
Download: My Morning Jacket - What a Wonderful Man

btw, the reverend doesn't take pics at gigs, so the above photo is nicked from hoschiewan's flickr photostream. Hope that's OK mate.