Chimpomatic

Harrisons

No Fighting In The War Room

Melodic

Clearly, the challenge to anyone reviewing (or listening to) The Harrisons' debut album will be to not think of the Arctic Monkeys. Thing is, it's spikey, indie guitar music with a bit of a dancefloor edge sung in a Sheffield accent and peppered with the Yorkshire flavoured lyrics. How's that NOT going to sound like the Arctic Monkeys?

Unfortunately this puts the Harrisons very much in the shadow of their more famous counterparts - however good the songs might be, they're just not as original or as tight as the AM's brand of New Yorkshire. Believe me, this is not merely lazy journalism - check it out for yourself and add your comments if you don't think it sounds like the Monkeys.

But where Alex Turner and co have brought a snappiness and progressive edge to their sound, the Harrisons fall on traditional indie songwriting and rhythms which end up being several stops short of original. I don't think this will hold them back too much - already established with the NME crowd and getting radio sessions, I'm sure they'll do okay, but if spikey indie pop is your thing you might be better off waiting for the next Young Knives album.

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#HarrisPilton

7th Jan 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Torchwood

Season 2 Episode 1

Didn't really get into the first series of Torchwood - have to admit, Doctor Who's passed me by for the most part, so a spin-off didn't really excite that much. And the ones I watched felt like they were relying too much on the ooh! shock! factor with their swearing/snogging and not enough on either the sci-fi or characters to make it work.

Maybe my expectations were lowered, but the first ep of the second series (on BBC2 Jan 16) is a big improvement on what I've seen before. It's snappier, tighter, and feels like they've listened to the critics and tried to fix the problems. You've still got a Cardiff that's pretty much empty, and the odd shot of Cap'n Jack jumping up on a rooftop (a character trait they point out) and some of the trademark polysexual kissing. But on the other hand, they've drafted in James Marsters - Spike from the mighty Buffy.

Now, it may be that it all goes down the pan again further on in the series when he's not around to beat the crap out of Jack, but it's a pretty inspired cameo, even if he is basically playing the very Spike-like "rogue Time Agent Captain John Hart". He's got real presence, and has obviously got used to delivering lines about odd creatures and made-up fantasy blah with real intensity over the years. He also looks a bit like one of Adam's Ants, circa Kings Of The Wild Frontier.

They also cram in some Star Wars references, a nice "where are the blondes on your team?" Buffy gag, and even almost get you to forget all those annoying appearances from Barrowman on Strictly Come Dancing, Jonathan Ross and BBC Breakfast etc.

Am all in favour of the BBC working on new genre pieces like this, and do think the return of the Who enterprise has on the whole been a good thing - even if it's really more of a teatime kids treat than the multi-level fun that US shows like Buffy managed to create. Hope it continues to get better from here - Captain Spike is back for a few more eps, along w Alan "Jim from Neighbours" and Martha from the Tardis later on.

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#chimp71

4th Jan 2008 - 7 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

City Of Vice

Pilot

Channel 4

Ian "The Emperor" McDiarmid and Iain Glen star in this new cop drama following the real-life efforts of magistrate brothers Henry and John Fielding to start a police force in 1753 London.

Henry was of course the author of Tom Jones, and so was pretty well known in the 18th Century by the time he set up the Bow Street Runners to try and stamp out the rampant vice in the city at the time. In the first episode, they're nipping all over London, as they investigate the brutal murder of a prostitute in the first episode, boozing it up on the job as much as McNulty (although it's wine rather than beer for these cops).

Does suffer a bit from a lack of budget for extras and extensive sets, but they get round it with some jumpy NYPD Blue camerawork and also the nifty use of map graphics to show the fledgling unit working the case across London. For once, you get to see the cops who actually did write the book on police procedure, although it wasn't quite up to CSI level at the time. Makes a change to see a costume drama that's about guvnors on manors rather than governors and manners for once.

Starts Monday 14 Jan, 9pm, Channel 4. 5 episodes.

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#chimp71

2nd Jan 2008 - 5 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Reaper

Pilot

E4/ CW

"Sam didn't even go to college!"
"Yes he did Kyle and we're very proud of him for trying... It's just that college made him sleepy..."

Like this new Slacker meets Men In Black (he's the man in slack) where hell on earth turns out to be the local DMV (where you get your driving licence in the States) and Ray Wise (Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks) is a smooth soul-searching Devil.

Bret Harrison is the DIY store goof-off who finds out on his 21st birthday why his parents have been letting him cruise through life so far - they sold his soul before he was born (thinking they could get out of the deal on a technicality - not having kids).

During a weird birthday, he gets to grips with his powers, gets tooled up by the Devil, and sent out on his new mission, to return any escaped dead people to hell. You can see how this is going to pan out, with a bit of working out who the hell dude of the week was when they were alive, while still dealing with the rest of the schmucks at work and his folks etc, but it's played for fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, and skips through the nonsense fast enough to make it watchable.

Also has one of the best bits of product placement on TV for a while - he gets to use a Dirt Devil mini-vac to suck the wandering souls back to hell.

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#chimp71

30th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Pilot

Fox/Virgin 1

"Half an hour. One bag, plus the guns. I'll make pancakes."

Entertaining attempt to string out the Terminator franchise into a Littlest Hobo/Hulk style TV show - they're on the run, they've got to solve some mystery, help some local fools down a well, move on again at the end of the episode etc etc.

Summer Glau- who played the kooky mystic River in Serenity and Firefly gets the T:2.5 upgrade here delivering the "come with me if you want to live" line as the good Terminator, which is no doubt going to be a bit confusing for young John Connor (Thomas Dekker- the geek who hung out with the cheerleader in Heroes until he had his mind wiped). She's the same "age" (well, built to look like she is), his uptight mum keeps making him swap schools - surely she's the only candidate he's going to be allowed to hang out with?

Lena Heady - who was tough Queen Gorgo in 300 does a good job of taking over from Linda Hamilton as the tooled-up Sarah Connor, keeping family life running at a fairly paranoid pace, no doubt checking in with some of her survivalist pals as the series goes on. No Arnie or even Robert Patrick obviously, but the other bad Terminator (Skynet has obviously got its future factories busy churning out some new models) is OK, chasing after them, pulling guns out of his legs etc; and there's also a human cop chasing them (just like the Hulk) who's figured out that something weird might be going on with these pesky Connors who keep getting into explosive trouble.

It's set sometime after T:2, and ignores T:3 (wise move), with the Connors and "Cameron" (the friendly Terminator) trying to track down Skynet and figure out how to take control of the future. Again.

Would have liked them to keep it as a period piece in the 1980s (where we start out) - not to spoil things too much, but there is some (budget-friendly) time-travelling to get things into the noughties (where sets are easier to build I guess). Much better than the Bionic Woman reboot, the other new cyborg-babe show vying for your attention in 2008.

#TV
#chimp71

30th Dec 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

The Shadow In The North

BBC1

The BBC continues their adaptation of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart series with this follow-up to last year's The Ruby In The Smoke.

It's another enjoyable Victorian mystery, with Billie Piper's Lockhart on the trail of a dastardly Scandinavian villain (Jared Harris) and his steam-powered weapon of mass destruction, the Hopkinson Self-Regulator.

Like Ruby, this plays out like a modern version of classic BBC kids' viewing like The Phoenix And The Carpet - taking itself just seriously enough to convince, but still having an edge of campy pantomime twinkle-in-the-eye humour: pretty decent family viewing all-round really.

No-one to match Julie Walter's turn last time, but there's a enjoyable cast including JJ Feild, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Matt Smith, John Standing and Hayley Atwell.

Apparently it was shot at the same time as the last one, so it'll be interesting to see if they're able to get Billie P back for more now that she's signed up for another series of Secret Diary Of A Call Girl and will be back in next year's Doctor Who at some stage.

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#chimp71

30th Dec 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Extras

Christmas Special

Feature-length outing to finish off Ricky Gervais's second sitcom. Andy Millman's now a big enough star to be able to skip ahead of Hale & Pace at the Ivy, while Maggie's had enough of arsing about in showbiz and is working as a cleaner. Millman gets seduced by the idea of getting an agent who isn't hanging out with Barry from EastEnders all day, and then finds out fame isn't all it's cracked up to be?

In some ways, this works much better than the series, which seemed pretty myopic in its scope - effectively Gervais writing about getting The Office off the ground. Here, he steps back from the process to show that making it isn't that great either. Not really much of a revelation, perhaps, but there's just enough in the final rant against our worship of micro celebs to make it interesting. Along the way, they cram in more self-deprecating cameos from George Michael, Gordon Ramsey, Dean Gaffney, Lionel Blair, Clive Owen etc etc - which makes it feel like they hate themselves for not being able to resist getting all these people in the show.

Be interesting to see what he comes up with next, and it is admirable that he's been able to pull the plug on another pretty big show. Just hope it's not another TV show about TV; think we've had enough of those now thanks - even ITV's getting in on the mediacirclejerking next year with their sitcom (Moving Wallpaper) about the making of a soap (Echo Beach) that you then get to watch.

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#chimp71

27th Dec 2007 - 4 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra

Bournemouth International Centre

Jools and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra are in mid-U.K. tour. They now total nineteen performers with the addition of his brother Christopher on Hammond organ. Tour guest artists are Lulu and Ruby Turner.

The band went through a wide range of numbers from boogie-woogie to blues to big band and back, to great effect. Each member is a star, able to lead pieces, which they all did superbly. One of the best was the ska and reggae trombonist and vocalist, 73-year-old Rico Rodriguez.

Lulu still looks absolutely great, which was just as well as most of the ladies in the audience were of similar age, and were clearly there to check her out. Luckily, she still sings well too, including the obligatory Shout. However, she faced stiff competition from Ruby Turner – she of the phenomenally powerful blues voice, honed over the years boosting many a fading rock star. Her rendition of the Otis Redding classic Try A Little Tenderness was superb.

However, the star of the show is inevitably Jools himself. He compered proceedings with his usual wit and charm, but he remains at his best with his effortless piano renditions of boogie-woogie – and ever other type of rhythm music you care to mention. My parents were fans of the great Fats Waller and always used to amuse me with the comment “Just listen to that left hand”. After this concert, I now know exactly what they meant.

#Music
#Gig
#Puskas

23rd Dec 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Bruce Springsteen

O2 Arena

I was not without trepidation approaching this show. Springsteen has been top of my “most wanted gigs” list for longer than I care to remember. A bit like a kid who has been saving his pocket money for months, when it came to the crunch did I have the guts to go through with it? What if it couldn’t match my expectations?

Three tracks in and all fears had been completely dispelled. The opening chords of Radio Nowhere, from this year’s album Magic, made the hairs on 20,000 necks stand sky high. No Surrender and Night quickly followed and then he spoke for the first time. “Hello London. This is a really big building…but that’s okay…cause we’re the big building killers” And he was right. Despite the size of the show, both Springsteen and the E Street Band pulsated with the raw energy you imagine they had back in New Jersey 30 years ago. The political fervour from that era is also still there, denouncing the current US administration in the lead in to Magic “Its not Magic. It’s tricks”

It speaks volumes for an artist who has been recording and producing this long that half the show was made up of tracks written and released this side of the millennium. Magic and 2002’s The Rising produced songs that were as well received as all the classics we had come to hear.

The tempo of the night was perfect as we were taken up and down at all the right moments, never tired of rocking, or weary of some truly moving ballads. Racing in The Street was a particular highlight, with rasping vocals over Roy Bittan’s piano. The main performance closed with a rousing Badlands with the entire audience calling out the background vocal.

So to the encore, with a plethora of some of the best hits still not heard. It was Jungleland that raised the bar again. Piano leading the whole band into a mass of power and expression on stage with Clarence Clemons’s incredible saxophone. And then more, Born to Run, Dancing in the Dark, and American Land. Finally, Christmas hats were thrown on stage from the audience for Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. We felt like he'd already arrived.

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#Gig
#CJ

20th Dec 2007 - 5 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Best of 2007

BC

Albums
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The album really lived up to the hype of it's release and it's proving to be their most consistent album yet.
LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
This is a shock favorite. Probably the most played album of the year
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
They had a lot to live up to after Funeral but their second album was bigger and better. One of the few followup albums to actually expand on what made them so good to start with.
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
This was no surprise, they just did what they always do and it wins every time.
The National - Boxer
Some of the richest music put out this year, a near perfect album and just what we wanted after Alligator.

Honorable Mentions
Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
The More Shallows - Book Of Bad Breaks
Pela - Anytown Graffiti
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls

Songs
All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem (Sound Of Silver)
Atlas - Battles (Mirrored)
Slow Show - The National (Boxer)
(Antichrist Television Blues) - Arcade Fire (Neon Bible)
John Allyn Smith Sails - Okkervil River (The Stage Names)

Gigs
Beastie Boys - Brixton Academy
Wilco - Shepherds Bush Empire
Beirut - Camden Roundhouse
Black Mountain - Cargo

TV
Sopranos
Flight Of The Conchords
Heros
Prison Break
Entourage

Turkeys
Death Proof (This needs it's own category)

Disappointments
Ian Brown - The World Is Yours
Couldn't even review this as it would mean I'd have to listen to it more than once.
24 - Day Six
Thank God for the writers strike and the incarceration. Although I was pleased to see Keifer taking one for the team by opting for a Christmas sentence so he can be free for shooting next year, that's Bauer would have done.
The National - Shepherds Bush Empire
An album of the year but didn't translate well live.

#Music
#BC

20th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Best of 2007

chimp71

Top 5 albums
1 Radiohead - In_Rainbows
Just instantly sounded better than everything I'd heard for months - and for once in our instant preview/early release/download era, an album felt like an event.
2 Devandra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
Love the 70s laid-back vibe here, traversing rock, folk and tropicalia effortlessly.
3 LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
Beyond the hipster hype, an album with something to say, and a fresh way of saying it.
4 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Warm rock, the perfect soundtrack to a snow-bound expedition. Great solos too.
5 Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times
They disappointed live, but any album that kicks off with a good 7 minutes of slow-burning driving music is a winner round these parts.

Runners Up:
Justice - +
Demented production, great inventive dance/pop that felt like it could only have been released in 2007.
Brazil 70
OK, it's a compilation of post-Tropicalia freak-outs from 70s Brazilian, but most of it was new to me this year.
Burial - Untrue
Intriguing dubstep with soul
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Bit like eating a whole chocolate cake after a while, but still great in small chunks.

Top 5 gigs
1 The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang - The O2 August 26
They still rule. Billed as the last-ever tour too, glad to have finally caught them.
2 Prince - 3121 - The O2, August 31
Unstoppable showmanship, amazing guitar, huge catalogue of hits to draw on.
3 Wilco - Shepherd's Bush Empire, May 20
Possibly even better live than on record.
4 Beastie Boys - Brixton Academy, September 4
Good to see the BBs again, still got the skills to pay the bills.
5 Black Mountain - Cargo, December 5
Great introduction to a band I'd only heard on one track before - might have been higher in this list if I'd been able to sing along more.

Also: Cornelius/Matmos - Royal Festival Hall
Laptops, psychedelia, rock-outs and pure pop. RFH refurb works too.
The Vitamin Trip reunion, Joyce Is Not Here, September, Hong Kong
Just about pulled it all together again after ten years.

Top 5 films
1 Inland Empire
Unhinged Lynch. Not sure there's anywhere for him to go after this, but it's hard to beat for showing the extremes of cinema possibility; great performance from Laura Dern too.
2 The Lives Of Others
Brutally sharp in its dissection of recent state madness, and the ways people surprise and disappoint.
3 Superbad
McLovin!
4 Knocked Up
Great way to play both sides of the romcom gender split.
5 Disturbia
Enjoyed the tight scale and execution of this MySpace generation Rear Window.

Runners Up:
2 Days In Paris
Night Of The Sunflowers
Zodiac
Smokin' Aces
The Bourne Ultimatum

Most Disappointing threequel - Shrek The Third
Sucked as much as the first two rocked.

Top 5 tracks
1 Seahorse - Devendra Banhart
2 Bodysnatchers - Radiohead
3 Dear Dead Friends - Von Südenfed
4 Keep the Car Running - Arcade Fire
5 505 - Arctic Monkeys

Plus:
Ghost Ship - Menomena
Ponytail - Panda Bear
I Got Lost - Dinosaur Jr
Tenderoni - Chromeo
Love Your Man, Love Your Woman - The Broken Family Band
Veni Vidi Vici (Diplo Mix) - Black Lips
I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance - Black Kids
Is There A Ghost? - Band Of Horses

Top 5 TV shows
1 The Wire - FX/HBO
Just gets better and better. Does it really have to be the last series next time round?
2 Heroes - Sci-Fi/BBC2/NBC
Took a while to put everything in place, but this was one of the most fun shows around this year.
3 Entourage - ITV2/HBO
Vince and the gang are on a roll.
4 Flight Of The Conchords - BBC4/HBO
Jokes? Present. Songs? Present. Something new worth quoting.
5 30 Rock, Five/NBC
Didn't think this would be as funny as it is - Alec Baldwin's timing is great.

Runners Up:
Party Animals - BBC2
Lead Balloon - BBC2
Saxondale - BBC2
Comics Britannia - BBC4
Californication - Five
Five Days - BBC2
The Sopranos - E4/HBO
South Park - Paramount/Comedy Central

#Music
#chimp71

20th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Best of 2007

Harris Pilton

Top 5 Gigs

1. Beastie Boys - Roundhouse, Chalk Farm
2. Melvins - Patronaat, Haarlem, NL
3. Fu Manchu (and Valient Thorr) - Underworld, Camden
4. Steely Dan - NIA, Birmingham
5. Prince - 02, Docklands

Top 5 Albums

Love's Miracle by Qui as my fave album of the year. I didn't hear it until it had been released a while so missed the boat on a review. But it's a corker...very original, complex, anguished, not an easy listen.

Beyond that, it's a hard one...not because there was so much choice, but because in real terms nothing released this year replaced older releases in my regular playlists. I must be the only music reviewer on the planet not to have heard (or attempted to hear) the Radiohead album. Not that I'm anti-Radiohead or anything, I just didn't go out of my way to hear it.

So, even the bands who released albums which I like didn't really release anything truly classic this year. I should give honourable mentions to Big Business for their album Here Comes The Waterworks (very original), and Fu Manchu for We Must Obey (not very original, but totally rocking), and Beastie Boys' The Mix-Up, which I did play more than any other new album this year.

Top 5 tracks (listened to this year, but not released this year)

1. Skull of a German - Jesus Lizard
2. Velouria - Pixies
3. The Warden - The Cows
4. Get on Down - Eddie Harris
5. Blood Witch - Melvins

Top 5 movies

Also not a good area for me. Only went to movies twice as far as I can remember. The Simpsons movie (which I thought was really poor) and Transformers, which impressed me with its humour and bludgeoning special effects. I expect I would have liked the new David Cronenberg film, and maybe even Lynch's Inland Empire, but I couldn't be arsed to go and see them. Will probably go see the new Wes Anderson next week (again, if I can be arsed). For me, the audio visual entertainment of the era is video games - hence...


Top 5 Games

1. Call of Duty 4
2. The Orange Box (half life 2 etc)
3. Guitar Hero II
4. Bioshock
5. Medal of Honour Airborne

#Music
#HarrisPilton

20th Dec 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Best of 2007

CSF

2007 has been a great year for music. The internet is finally paying off, with dozens of bands hitting the global mainstream through grass roots word of mouth and diy publicity. But it's not just the new boys bringing out the good stuff, with most of my current favourites putting out new records.

Wilco's Sky Blue Sky was a mild disappointment next to A Ghost Is Born, but was still a great album and an even better live show - but while the Kings Of Leon's Because of the Times started the year on a high their live show cut things down to size. The Beastie Boys instrumental Mix Up was a low-key release, but they still delivered the goods live - way past expectations. Band of Horses surprise second album didn't quite hit the highs of Everything All Of The Time, but their live show was barnstorming - proving they've only just got started. Arcade Fire also followed up their debut with an outstanding second album, and Eddie Vedder went semi-solo with his soundtrack for Sean Penn's movie Into The Wild.

Radiohead's In Rainbows has to get a special mention for the world's biggest band's adoption of guerilla marketing, genuinely lighting a fire under the record industry like only a massive band 7 albums deep could do.

Led Zeppelin are the clear winner in terms of stars, but I think it's fair to say that Best Of's don't qualify, so my top five albums of 2007 are:

5. Blonde Redhead - 23
Probably the only surprise in my list - for me certainly - Blonde Redhead's 23 found the low-key indie band hitting their stride and turning in a richly rewarding album.

4. Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls
After getting their instrumental callings out of the way with Axes, Electrelane returned and surpassed the sound of The Power Out for their fourth album.

3. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Spoon's sixth album matched it's conceptual title with a mix of complex songs and catchy pop. Nice to interview them too.

2. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Daft Punk Is Playing At My House always struck me as catchy but superficial, and the lead single from LCD's second album - North American Scum - did little to change my mind. Repeat listening peeled back the layers however and Get Innocuous! or All My Friends are unbeatable. Their 45 minute megamix makes for a great bonus track too.

1. The National - Boxer
After finding their feet with third album Alligator, The National turned things up a notch with the superb Boxer. Eschewing the bombast of hits like Secret Meeting, the album is dark and rich - so layered that it takes several listens to even break open.

Gigs
Some pretty good gigs this year too:

Wilco - Shepherd's Bush Empire
A long time coming. With their new squad Wilco could hardly be a better live band.

Beastie Boys - Brixton Academy
After the dismal 1999 Wembley show, the Beasties seemed destined to stay mainstream - but a self-initiated return to their roots has paid off nicely. Still got Time Time To Get Ill.

Black Mountain - Cargo
While still notably nostalgic in sound, these retro rockers blew the socks of Cargo with their forthcoming album In The Future. See next year's best-of list for more info.

Movies
Disturbia - Great modern spin on Rear Window
Bourne Ultimatum - A solid finale to the modern Bond
Knocked Up - Perfectly capturing the stupid antics of a group of friends.
Jesse James - Not up their with Mallik of Leone, but Andrew Dominick's second feature was a grand attempt.
Zodiac - Although long and flawed, David Fincher's 70's epic was an entertaining ride.

TV
Curb Your Enthusiasm - Still cracking me up, six seasons in.
Flight Of The Conchords - Guaranteed entertainment from the Kiwi troubadors.
Entourage - Aspirational TV from Ari, Drama and the crew.

Biggest Disappointments
Kings of Leon live - While the 'seats' were the problem, this band seemed out of proportion for their sound and style.
Death Proof - the worst film I have possibly ever seen. Seriously.

#Music
#CSF

20th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Best of 2007

HHG

It's been a good year for Hip Hop I'd say. The head to head of two heavyweights, Kanye West and 50 Cent, was entertaining. Fiddy claimed he'd retire if West's Graduation topped his. Seeing as it smashed the pants off Curtis, keep an eye out in a charity shop near you for 50 doing volunteer work. The Beastie Boys released a curious instrumental album, but rocked Brixton like it was 1987, then just as you thought the year was over the mighty Wu-Tang do a Spice Girls and reform with awesome results. As usual though it was the underground scene (if there still is one) that really inspired.

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Probably his most approachable yet, but uncompromising none the less. Album of the year.

Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
Six years since 36 Chambers and the Clan return with a deeper, darker and superior  slice of Wu wizardry.

Sage Francis - Human The Death Dance
Not quite as dazzling as some of his other work but Sage continues to pull away from the crowd of wack MC's in his wake.
  
Busdriver - Roadkillovercoat
This will piss off a few hardcore fans but Busdriver's slight step away from the relentless word assault has created some of his best moments here.

El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead
A worthy follow up to Fantastic Damage, fast, furious and relentless.

Songs
Aesop Rock - Coffee
Jay-Z - Hello Brooklyn
Wu-Tang Clan - Unpredictable
Timbaland - Oh Timbaland
Sage Francis - Hell Of A Year

Gigs
Beastie Boys - Brixton Academy
El-P - Dingwalls
Cadence Weapon - Amersham Arms

#Music
#HHG

18th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Qui

Love's Miracle

Ipecac

The duo Qui consisting of Matt Cronk (gtr/vox) and Paul Christensen (drums/vox) have a unique sound - formed seven years ago, they've recently gained more attention with the addition of veteran vocalist David Yow, formerly of Scratch Acid and Jesus Lizard. It's a great match - a perfect marriage between two already established styles, underlining the fact that this is not just Yow's "new band".

Sonically, it's right in the room with you. There's no bass player, and unlike The Pyramids the bottom end is well provided by beautifully tuned drums and Cronk's guitar which reaches down good and low. In fact, the lack of bass guitar draws your ear to the astounding guitar playing, the well recorded drum kit and the vocals from all 3 members. Musically, the influence is the California freak scene of the late 60's, with the inclusion of two cover versions (Zappa/Beefheart's Willy The Pimp and Pink Floyd's Echoes), each of which gets the spirit of the originals just right. The utterly strange New Orleans has a melody which also hints at early Mothers of Invention, but for something truly declaring itself as different, look no further than opening track Apartment:- a jagged funk with a wicked club foot, light and shade, and a melody which makes sense of the whole thing. Yow's voice has never sounded better, and it's great that such a talented lyricist and frontman gets to make fresh great records without being forced into a "Jesus Lizard II" situation, so five gold stars to Ipecac for putting this out. Oh, and great cover art, too.

#Music
#HarrisPilton

18th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Wu-Tang Clan

8 Diagrams

Bodog

Six years on and one Dirty Bastard down and the Clan are back. 8 Diagrams, Wu-Tang Clan's 5th studio album was long in the making and comes with the expected dose of controversy and talking points you'd imagine from this group. Leading up to the release of 8 Diagrams Raekwon stirred things up with a much publicised interview where he openly critisised producer RZA for the direction he was taking the group and accused him of being a "hip-hop hippie." Then like a bunch of bickering little girls Ghostface Killah weighed in protesting the timing of the record which was due to be released at the same time as his own The Big Doe Rehab. It's clear from the first listen of this record that Raekwon and Ghostface Killah don't know shit. RZA might have taken the Wu sound in a more subtle direction but in doing so he's created one of the hip-hop albums of the year.

Since their first release Enter The Wu (36 Chambers) way back in 1993, The Wu Tang Clan quickly established their own unique sound and all the many solo projects that followed have only served to elaborate on this. RZA, with his fingers in many pies would never have been content to continue this progression so despite the twittering of a few back-benchers he's rejected the hard-hitting beats of old and painstakingly crafted a record dripping in mood. It's a dark, reflective and densely produced piece of work that uses strings, guitar, live instrumentation and more soul vocals than ever before. It has no clear single and will alienate many die hard Wu fans but RZA's new, introvert style of sound provides richer pastures for his band of merry MC's.

Campfire kicks things off with a beat that oozes through your speakers like molasses, while Get Them Out The Way Pa is smoother than any Wu sound you've heard. This easing off the heavy beat pedal doesn't soften the impact that this group have been keen to cultivate but lets it sink in slower and more profoundly than before. The thick, plodding beats and rich instrumentation shifts the emphasis away from violence to menace and fear. So when the big guns do come out they are sharper than ever. Rushing Elephants and Unpredictable are the proud figureheads of this record and inject a sense of urgency with their apocalyptic beats and epic heist-movie horns. The production goes from minimal to claustrophobically complex and the MC's raise the tempo with furious spitting. Unfortunately this tempo is not maintained and throughout the middle section you start to think that maybe RZA's critics had a point. The beats start to go from brooding to just plain soft and the focus on melody and singing comes dangerously close to diluting the Wu ethos. Gun Will Go embodies this perfectly - it counts itself in with a rhythm that promises greatness then is smoothed over with soft melody and the`tantalisingly old school snare simply fades away.

Thankfully, RZA is anything but self indulgent and always has a plan. He cleverly manages to steer his crew out of this slow patch and they emerge triumphant, in fact he starts by going solo over a slow jazz background in Sunshine then continues to bring this album back to the dark side with steady cuts like Weak Spot and and Tar Pit. The late O.D.B's presence is definitely felt on this record with the tribute song Life Changes and the closing track 16th Chamber.

8 Diagrams is certainly not what you'd expect from a group such as this after a 6 year absence but who needs another thugged-out beat-fest? These guys created this genre so who better to lead us out of it into a new dawn? Thankfully this is no sunrise and the gloom still hangs heavy over Clan territory. 8 Diagrams might not be as head on as albums like 36 Chambers, but it's weight will eventually seep through and it will, in time, emerge as one of the hip-hop albums of 2007.

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18th Dec 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Sole

Sole and the Skyrider Band

Anticon

Like a man coming up for air Sole's 4th album sees him spout an overwhelming torrent of words that have been kept quiet for so long. After his recent Mansbestfriend project where he managed to hold his tongue in favour of delicately crafted electronica the Anticon founder has gone and got himself a band and with their help he delivers an uncompromising piece of work and as a follow up to Poly.Sci.187 - released earlier this year - it proves there really is nothing this artist can't do.

This album is similar in intensity to records like 2003's Selling Live Water but The Skyrider Band provide valuable warmth with the live instrumentation. The beats are still fierce but don't crowd the ever flowing lyrical machine-gun like delivery. Sole's work is never less than impressive but can sometimes be way to suffocating as the layers of sound are piled to a dangerous height. This is addressed to a certain extent here and the result is a more spacious and textural record. But I wouldn't want to mislead you by implying that this is in any way an easy ride. Sole's rhymes take deep breaths and bore their way into your skull with a relentless perseverance, he has zero sense of humor  whether he spits over slow, plodding beats like One Egg Short Of The Omelette or frantic, stuttering glitch as on The Bones Of My Pets he means to burrow deep and he seems to do it all with a single breath.

By enlisting the help of The Skyrider Band, Sole is taking his sound to new and richer pastures. This is an intelligent piece of work that has thought of every detail. His relentless tone can sometimes prove hard going but with the addition of such varied music behind him there is much meat on the bones of this newly resurrected Sole.

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17th Dec 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Flight Of The Conchords

Season One

HBO

New Zealand's Brett and Jermaine bring their band, The Flight of The Conchords, to New York City - and with the management help of Murray, a moonlighting member of the New Zealand consulate, they attempt to break out. Band fights, a central park warm up tour and an ill-fated record deal split provide distraction along the way.

- Not even Crowded House gets a 90/10 split!
- Don't they?
- No. 80/20 maybe, but 90/10's unheard of.

Part comedy, part musical, it's easy to pick flaws in Flight of the Conchords. It's simplistic and a bit thin, but with the duo's regular musical interludes there are consistently hilarious moments in nearly every episode - whether that's the New Zealand take on urban hip hop, courtesy of the Rhymenoceros and the Hiphopopotamus, Murray's attempts to woo the leggy blonde or the guidance provided by the ghost(s) of David Bowie through the ages.

We'll have to wait and see how well the concept stretches out to a second series however, with the creator's themselves admitting that they have already tapped their best songs. For now, it's essential viewing - for Brett's sax-fueled angry dance solo in the final episode if nothing else. Flippin' Awesome!

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14th Dec 2007 - 4 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Radiohead

In Rainbows (Disc 2)

If you were expecting this addition to the most talked about record of the year to be to In Rainbows what Amnesiac was to Kid A you will be slightly disappointed. This is 8 songs but only 26 minutes long and serves as a worthy accompaniment to the original record. It differs both in pace and mood to In Rainbows and seems more like preparatory sketches after being dazzled by the finished painting. They don't have the same level of rich production, they are of a much more relaxed tempo and lack the same breadth of direction that their counterparts have. Having said that they manage to take all the uncharacteristic warmth of In Rainbows and turn it inward to the more haunting and desolate place we are used to seeing this band.

Where the first disc ends this one picks up with the opening Mk1's solemn piano chords echoing Video Tape. Many of these songs use the piano to create the sombre mood that dominates this record and with the help of soaring strings like on Go Slowly, Amnesiac's Pyramid Song becomes the main comparison for the first half of the album. It's not until Up On The Ladder that the mood shifts. This is a lip-curling rumble of a song that plods along full of tension on the minimal beat and deep guitar and though it threatens to explode it exercises merciless restraint and just fades away. The explosion is left for the following song. A crowd favorite at last years live shows Bangers And Mash is the muscle behind this record. Grinding guitars and Yorke's frenzied vocals lift the tempo at a vital point and as it all collapses in a heap of exhaustion the dust settles on the sublime closer 4 Minute Warning. It's a cavernous and empty song with the vocals brought right forward to an intimate closeness. It finishes this mini album off in the manner by which it started. Sedate and withdrawn, these songs are the less approachable and introvert cousin of the first record and actually have more in common with the haunting and empty feel of Kid A or Amnesiac than any of the more recent songs.

Having lived with In Rainbows for some time now it is emerging as one of the most complete Radiohead albums to date and for that reason it's hard to add anything to this. But this second disc avoids the 'add on' feel and shows us the darker underbelly of its predecessor. The disc comes with a generous helping of Stanley Donwood in the form of more than 60 digital artworks and even more behind the scenes band photos. The whole disc box is a treat to explore and really reignites the lost art of the record sleeve. The throwaway nature of the albums initial release is reversed with this exquisite packaging and elaborate presentation. It will probable go away into the cupboard now but will be something to treasure none the less.

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12th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Metros/Holy Ghost Revival/The Draytones/The View

1965 Records Xmas Party, ULU, London

For a label that has only been going for a couple of years, 1965 Records have built up quite a stable of bands, and with the success of The View's debut album Hats Off To The Buskers, quite a following. What better then, than a Xmas knees-up to put those bands on show? Taking over the whole of the University of London Union, the party kicked off at 4pm running right through till gone 11 with DJ's and stand-up comedy, plus live performances from all the major bands on the label.

With The Monks Kitchen seemingly imploding just before blast off, plus our own late arrival things got started with 80's comedian Frank Sidebottom, before new signings The Metros stepped info their live set. A boundless, energetic live show got the crowd buzzing and  they clearly already have a substantial following worshiping their every move. The cheeky upstart from South London thing may have seen done before, but there is little doubt that these guys are the real deal - and with a catalogue of songs building fast in anticipation of 2008's debut album, The Metros made a bid for success as the most obvious contenders to follow in The View's footsteps.

Seattle's Holy Ghost Revival were next up and their quick-starting set caught many punters who had snuck out for a beer off-guard. With the band in full-swing it was hard to see who was singing, when suddenly a ruckus in the crowd picked out singer Conor Kiley writhing around on the floor, before pushing a few people around, spilling a few drinks are squealing his way back to the stage.

Most comparable to Guns 'n' Roses or even The Stooges, the band's incendiary show takes in heavy rock, over-the-top solos and even a spell of Axl style piano crooning. The anything-can-happen atmosphere of fun and fear is notably missing from many crowd-controlled concerts these days and the security guards here were visibly struggling to keep things on an even keel, literally reeling singer Kiley back in by his mic cable. Hopefully that volatile energy will come across on their album, Bleeding Light - due early 2008.

As a more established act on the bill, The Draytones were one of the more disappointing acts of the night. Their blend of 60's British Psychedelia seems to offer little new and their picture-perfect reconstruction of a one-hit-wonder from that time places them more like extras from a film that a real, functioning rock band. There's little about them that is dislikeable or offensive, just little of note amongst the other more original bands on the bill.

As one of the breakout bands of 2006, The View were always likely to steal the show and with ever more hits behind them they seem to go on from strength to strength. From the opening bars of Comin' Down the crowd went wild and the energy and professionalism of the band swept the audience. The old downside of "giving everyone a go" that so many newer bands seem obliged to caused a few problems, with bass player Kieran Webster's spot in the lead singer position causing a notable lull in the show. Kyle Falconer is the more charismatic leader and when he's up front singing Wasted Little DJ's, Same Jeans or Superstar Tradesman The View seem unstoppable.

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11th Dec 2007 - 4 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Anthony Reynolds

British Ballads

Hungry Hill/Spinney

Anthony Reynolds doesn’t like going out. In his third album, British Ballads he looks out at a world of ‘buses, cafes, people’s dead faces’ and says ‘no, no thanks’. ‘What’s the point of going out?’; well not a huge amount if it’s to experience Reynold’s gloom ridden landscape.

This singer-songwriter prefers to stay at home. He proudly announces that he doesn’t read the papers or watch TV and experiences life through the pages of his library. So far so misanthropic. The opening track to this album, however, defies expectations with its bouncing musical optimism. ‘I’ve been around but I’ve got myself nowhere’, he sings in ‘I know you know’ and there is a bittersweet edge to the way the lyrics are coupled with lush orchestration, free flowing keyboard and staccato hand claps. Reynolds has a honeyed voice which is a pleasure to listen to. It’s a shame then, that clunking lyrics and tired metaphors undermine much of the rest of the album.

‘Love feels like stealing and stealing is a crime’. What the hell does that mean? ‘The last bar on lonely street’? God no. I can see the misty eyed sincerity with which these songs were composed but the result feels heavy handed. ‘I’ve never loved like I love you’; ‘a girl and a boy’; ‘noisy city streets’; ‘I'm down and keeping count’; there are hackneyed phrases and analogies which glow radioactively at the heart of too may of these songs. The ambition is laudable but instead of perceptive social commentary, you’re left with the bed-sit sincerity of a guy who rejects the world and probably doesn’t wash himself.

The melodrama of Reynold’s vision comes complete with tolling bells and disjointed piano solos. It aspires to the painful beauty of Jeff Buckley at his most introverted but leaves me thinking instead of 80’s singer songwriters Nicks Heyward and Kershaw. There is even an inkling of the album Regeneration; the Divine Comedy at its least comedic.

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10th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Pyramids

The Pyramids

The Pyramids are an offshoot from the Archie Bronson Outfit - and are a duo consisting of guitar/vocals and drums. The flavour here is lo-fi, Krautrock-inspired experimentalism, with very strong overtones of label-mates Clinic and a vocal style that most recalls John Lydon's PIL years.

It's rather good, and seems to give not a toss for conventional song structure and recording techniques, but it's not one of those albums which will win you many friends if you force people to listen to it in a state of sobriety. I got a sense of early CAN from the opening item Pyramidy which gives way to the first proper track A White Disc Of Sun. The standout track for me was Gala In The Harbour Of Your Heart where their sound all comes together in a jagged slice of melody and noise.

The only thing that's really missing is some low end:- I thought my stereo was fucked, and went checking the cables to my sub before finally accepting the fact that I wouldn't be hearing any bass guitar, and frankly, it could do with some. I'm sure that half the point of this music is that it was written and recorded in a short space of time, and that they are a duo rather than a full band, but that lack of bass leaves a big gap in the sound, and it needn't - The White Stripes manage very well without a bass guitar.

So, be prepared for something scratchy and nervous, and rather thin sounding. If you're into Clinic I think you'd enjoy this, not only for the atmosphere it creates but also for its obvious uncompromising attitude and intent.

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10th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Akron/Family

Cargo, London

Due to limited means of transport and living south of the river, it took me an hour and half to reach Cargo in the east end, arriving just in time to catch Phosphorescent coming to the end of his support set. Phosphorescent - the one man band also known as Matthew Houck - came across as another addition to the pained country/folk singer songwriter. A deep and soothing voice was not enough to leave much of an impression but maybe that was due to my own agitation.

By coincidence this is the second consecutive gig where the band were minus one. Akron/Family have recently lost a member to Buddhism which would come as no surprise if you are familiar with any of their material.

Even before the band graced the stage, I was entertained by their choice of motivational tracks. No whale songs or tribal chants - just a blast of early Prince and the dogfather himself, Snoop Dog. This playful and lighthearted approach was incorporated into the Akron/Family’s set, which made for a very enjoyable Sunday evening.

The confidence and ease of each of the three remaining band members was evident in the banter and the pleasure they seemed to take from the performance. Their appealing lack of self-consciousness was emphasised by the inclusion of what they called their first 'children’s song', and I am still not sure if this was sincere or a joke. Not unlike on record, the songs were variable and inconsistent in pace. A gentle acoustic song was sandwiched between the more energetic numbers and my only criticism was that the uneven pattern of the set did take away some of the initial impact.

They did produced a emphatic finale, finishing with one of the highlights from this years Love Is Simple, Ed The Portal. For the first time I did not cringe at a band’s attempt at crowd participation which was to lead into the last song.

The biggest compliment I can give is that you will not fail walk away with the feeling you have been entertained.

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9th Dec 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Phosphorescent

Pride

Dead Oceans

There must be a moment in the sleep process and indeed the death process that is akin to the waking up, a moment where the two states cross over and if this moment were to freeze it would be near impossible to tell whether the body was regaining consciousness or receding. Phosphorescent's 2nd album is cleverly placed in this moment and though it is one of the loneliest and barren records I've heard since Bonny 'Prince' Billie's I See A Darkness it is clearly frozen in a state of waking up. This is not a conclusion I've arrived at easily. Any hint at the direction this record is taking is subtle to say the least, but that is where it's success lies.

Phosphorescent is the work of Matthew Houck and though this sound is comprised of many voices and musical accompaniments it is Houck who leads this choir. Like the afore mentioned Prince Billie, Houck's voice quivers and shakes like a fragile flame. His music is stark and minimal. The production is hollow and there is very little in the way of bass to provide you with any warmth. Periphery noise is often prominent with voices and shuffling creating a sense of emptiness behind Houck's intimate whispering. These are prayers set to music, some people would call that a hymn but these are more intimate and personal than that. 2005's Aw Come Aw Wry was a different affair from Pride, full of marching bands and evangelical fervor but here Houck takes the same sentiment but expresses it in a far more subtle and mystical way. The result is a more spiritual-sounding record.

The start of the album is very different from the end. A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise and Be Dark Night conjure up the most desolate of landscapes. As cold, dark nights loom we huddle round these saddest of Christmas carols for a glimpse of warmth. Wolves is a divine piece of work. With the help of a gently plucked ukulele Houck starts off, "Mama there's wolves in the house, mama they wont let me out." In this song we see the albums aim to ward off this approaching death. "They make for my heart as their home."

By the time you get down to My Dove, My Lamb the approach has shifted. This song and the next - Cocaine Lights - are twice the length of their predecessors and serve as a total immersion in this prayer. They stubbornly take their time in a Dylanesque repetition of verse and chorus and they are simply dazzling. Were it not for the closer Pride which is over six minutes of wailing these two songs would end the album in uncompromising beauty.

This record creates this bleak image of cold and dark and yet at its heart there is so much warmth. It shows you the world outside but subtly gathers around you and holds you close. Houck's final line on Cocaine Lights ends this truly special album perfectly and sees this vulnerable, flickering flame show encouraging signs of burning bright. "I will recover my sense of grace, and rediscover my rightful place, yes and cover my face with the morning."

Buy this album now.

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6th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Citay

Little Kingdom

Dead Oceans

Like a beachside campfire jam on the Led Zeppelin caravan holiday, Citay conjure up nostalgic memories of long lost summers or mythical acid trips  ... only problem is, Robert Plant got stuck in traffic so his vocals are being filled in with little more than hushed 'ums' and 'ahs'. Perhaps strangely however, that problem's just not a problem at all and the resulting record is a timeless work that glides and shuffles along beautifully, more or less defining the mission statement for new label Dead Oceans.

Taking their cues from the unplugged side of 70's rock, Citay are a sprawling ensemble that would sit as easily on the same bill as The Byrds or CSNY as they would with more contemporary instrumentalists like Explosions In The Sky or Mogwai. The long, expansive tracks rise and fall, swirling around your headphones and soaring off in different directions. Over-the-top is not an option.

It's impossible to pick stand-out tracks form this album, which works much better as a un-interuupted single piece. Just crack open a few beers, stick it on and relax.

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6th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Jens Lekman

Night Falls Over Kortedala

The master of disguise is back with an even more cloaked album than 2005's fantastic Oh You're So Silent Jens. Night Falls Over Kortedala is 12 songs packed full of bone dry wit, ludicrously surreal observations and expert irony. But as usual they all come heavily masked in cheese and do their best to convince you they're nothing but throwaway tat. His skill is two pronged. He undercuts his grand notions of love by filling them with the common-place, but then he'll sing about the common-place using enormous, sweeping musical arrangements. No one but this guy could construct such wonderfully heartfelt love songs while mentioning avocados and asthma inhalers, or explain the tax repercussions of secretly running a beauty salon from your own apartment by way of the most perfect, floaty pop song.

Kortedala refers to a neighborhood in Jens' hometown of Gothenburg in all its depressing insularity. In his own words Jens explains, "My record basically never leaves the 30 square metres that I live on until the very last song when I take a short bus ride to the countryside in Friday Night At The Drive-in Bingo." The deep irony of these songs lies in Jens' ability to create some of the most uplifting and buoyantly joyful sounds while describing this suburban hell he lives in. He goes on, "Everyone goes to bed at nine, after that you can't see one single window lit up...But it's the atmosphere and the small incidents that scare me. The guys who yell faggot at me when I pass their balcony, the Nazis hanging out in a nearby garage...In Kortedala everyone minds their own business. And I'm slowly turning into one of them so as soon as I've finished this record I will get the hell out of here."

After the opening swell of the string section in And I Remember Every Kiss, Jens' glorious croon caries us through this modern-day kitchen sink drama with unfailing optimism. During tragic anecdotes like The Opposite Of Hallelujah's line "I picked up a seashell to illustrate my loneliness, but a crab crawled out making it useless," Jens maintains this rosy outlook. Tales of love are never cut and dry with Lekman, whether he's fallen in love with his barber in Shirin or pretending to be the boy friend of his lesbian friend during a difficult dinner with her father as in Postcard To Nina. The upshot to this fateful dinner is explained in Lekman's line "Your father's mailing me all the time, says he just wants to say hi, I send back out-of-office auto reply."

Each of these delightfully tragic stories is told in a myriad of high-kicking, tongue-in-cheek musical ways from cheap calypso to full on Strictly Ballroom drama. If you fail to recognise the irony in Lekman's work then it will be lost to you and the one criticism of this record is that this irony is more disguised than ever here. The cheery campness of the music can sometimes be too much to bear. But I guess it all depends on the mood you're in. This album presents Lekman as a truly unique talent. It has all the dry wit of a loved-up Morrissey but dresses it all up in the most hideous sunday best.

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6th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Bishop Allen

The Broken String

Dead Oceans

In 2006 this Brooklyn quartet released an EP every month and became self-made legends in blogs the world over. The Broken String is the bands sophomore album and is comprised of nine reworked songs from the EP's and 2 new cuts. The urgent time restrictions imposed on the EP songs shine forth here in simple, direct songwriting - but benefit greatly from the rich face-lift that The Broken String gives them.

From the slow building majesty of opening track The Monitor to the bar-room sing-along of closer The News From Your Bed, this album is simply a joy to be in the company of. The songwriting is very much in the vein of contemporary American icon Ben Folds, with it's piano driven melodies but has the quirky dark side of Eels. The 12 songs span a refreshing array of musical moods. Click, Click, Click, Click is an up-beat lesson is in joyful pop while Flight 180's string section and soaring vocals hints at the latent power this band possesses. The glorious Like Castanets hints at a feel good factor last seen in Loney, Dear's Sologne - and Choose Again's sadness makes it clear that this band aren't just here to make us feel better.

Using simple programming, banjo, piano, guitars and the good old hand clap Bishop Allen prove that good song writing is really all you need to make an album of this quality. It's hard to think of a single negative thing to say about The Broken String and after such an ambitious year last year the mind boggles at what these guys can produce when they give themselves less Sufjan-like deadlines.

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6th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Bobb Trimble

Iron Curtain Innocence / Harvest Of Dreams

Secretly Canadian

Growing up in the Worcester, Massachusetts suburb of Northborough, Bobb Trimble was a teenager listening to the likes of Pink Floyd, Queen, Bowie and The Beatles. Trimble began recording music and became known amongst Worcester's 'Wormtown' scene of the late 70's/Early 80's and went on to self-release these two records in miniscule quantities.

The records quickly became obscure, but an unauthorised re-issue by British label Radioactive kept them alive. With the rise of the internet, Ebay trading was taking the albums up to the $1500 mark and the time appeared right for an official re-release by Secretly Canadian.

Bobb Trimble's songs are deceptively complex - layering stings, multiple guitars, bass and vocals with ahead-of-their time samples and effects. His vocal's are strangely most reminiscent of Naomi Yang and the highlights of the album hit the same tone and atmosphere as some of Damon & Naomi's best work - although Trimble's multi-layered production is a long way from their stripped down sound. Iron Curtain Innocence sees Bobb merely finding his stride. When The Raven Calls is the highlight - a 6 and a half minute song, that cuts in on a guitar solo, giving you an idea of it's scope.

The relative commercial failure of 1980's Iron Curtain Innocence did nothing to stop Bobb Trimble's music and by 1982 he was back with an even more complex and multi-layered album. Harvest Of Dreams finds him with even bigger, more ambitious ideas. Take Me Home Vienna is a haunting, ghostly masterpiece while Another Lonely Angel is like a piece of lost 60's history. Paralyzed is the most memorable track however, cooking up a mesmerising, unforgettable sound that seems near impossible to describe.

That rich, layered sound is let down by the poor treatment of time, which gives away the original release date of these albums - 1981 and 1982 respectively. While they have been remastered as well as can be expected, the fact is that these days anyone with a computer can release a studio quality album, but back in the analog days getting an album out at all was an achievement - and an achievement that Trimble financed on his own. Not so much lo-fi and certainly not low in ambition, just low budget. These arrangements deserved the big screen treatment to fully express how much details there is in these songs - as like an Arthur Lee for the 80's Trimble is a true lost treasures, rightfully resurrected.

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6th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Sunset Rubdown

Random Spirit Lover

Jagjaguwar

With their third album Sunset Rubdown present you with 2 options. (A) You could buy the album and listen to it a lot of times or (B) You could attach a balloon to a hose pipe, turn on the tap as far as it could go and put your face close to the ever expanding sack of tension. The result would be the same except for one difference. With option (B) you would get a more than refreshing blast in the face as the balloon bursts showering you with water. With option (A) the balloon would burst every 30 seconds and instead of a torrent of water pouring out, great birds of prey would launch forth from their captivity showering gold dust from their outstretched wings on any one lucky enough to witness this magical splendor.

Random Spirit Lover tests the elastic limits of both the album as a structure and your listening patience. It is crammed full of the most complex and intricate music heard since their last record and by building tension constantly it looks you square in the eyes and asks "how much are you willing to take?" Spencer Krug is the tour de force behind this project and it was his exquisite turn of phrase that dazzled in last years Shut Up I Am Dreaming. This time it's the grand musical arrangements that sweep you up in their daunting majesty and carry you away to lands never seen by the human eye. The songs give a fleeting glance to convention hinting at chorus and verse but bleed into one-another so completely that it would be impossible to separate this record into singles.

From the word go The Mending Of The Gown comes out of the blocks at an alarming pace. and the pounding piano and screeching guitar do their best to keep up with Krug's impatient vocals that tumble out like a rapid stream of consciousness. The songs are crammed with more instruments than are healthy and with multi layered vocals an all-encompassing wall of sound is created. This is where the listener can easily become overwhelmed but the album is cleverly paced with just enough pauses in this sound barrage to keep you onboard, like the opening drum/vocals on The Courtesan Has Sung. This slight glimpse of space makes the monstrous guitar that welcomes back the wall of sound seem even more thrilling.

Krug's work is always high drama and this album more than most has an unquestionable theatricality to it. His lyrics are steeped in antique narrative and invoke wild, fairy-tale imagery of magicians and courtesans or riding around on leopards throwing dead birds in the air. But with the addition of the music Random Spirit Lover is more akin to an opera both in its scale and ambition and in the fact that quite often you don't have clue what is going on and frequently think about leaving. And this time will come for us all believe me. The first prong of this attack is with the arrival of Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns. It is obviously the stories dream sequence where all rules are forgotten and the song descends into an unbearable spiral of synthesizers that never let up. And they continue through the next track like a nightmarish approach of madness. Thankfully the albums crowning glory rises triumphantly from this hell like a winged savior. The Taming Of The Hands That Came Back To Life is is the song to bring this record back to life. It;s a galloping, sword wielding knight riding into adversity. But sadly its bravery is soon overcome by Trumpet, Trumpet, Toot! Toot! Having been kept at bay for so long the fierce wall of sound returns bigger and fiercer than ever. It's wrath quashes our brave Knight into dust as the sound swells to terrifying levels and the entire structure of this record is threatened more than ever.

As you can see this music brings out the drama in us all and that is why it is such a special thing. It's like a girlfriend you just can't stay with but have to make yourself leave. It's a high maintenance ball buster that sometimes you just want to strangle but its ability to thrill at a moments notice and to transport you to far off places makes it virtually impossible to dismiss. It wont be the one you'll settle down with but it will claim a place in your heart forever.

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6th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Black Mountain

Cargo, London

December 5th 2007

Gigs don't get much better than this. 2005 favourites Black Mountain have put the side-projects to one side and got back in the ring with a new album In The Future - due January 2008. Having been enlisted to play this weekend's ATP Festival, the band lined up a few warm-up dates around the UK - with the London gig happily a mere two minutes from our office. Just when this gig couldn't get any better, one of this year's favourites - Miracle Fortress - get lined up to support and for the first time in a long time, not missing the support act became a priority. You can read a quick review of their performance here.

Singer Amber Webber introduced the band through the haunting Night Walks, before Stormy High got things really moving. This classic heavy number may be new, but there was no reluctance to get into it from the crowd. Songs like Lighting Up The Sky and Evil Ways find the guitar and bass onslaught building a wave of noise that is impossible not to get swept up in.  Old favourite Satisfaction was requested from the crowd but given short shrift as the set-list was strictly warm-up, consisting of all but two of the new album tracks, plus Thirteen Walls from a tour 12" on sale at the show and only a couple of older numbers.

Where the debut album showed great potential, the new material really finds the band hitting their stride and the power behind these songs is immense. Blood Meridian front man Matt Camirand is a supporting player here, providing a solid bassline from the back, along with the powerhouse John Bonham-esque drumming and moody moog electronics. While Stephen McBean is clearly the leader of the band, they all have a strong input into the stage presence - all mic'ed up for backing vocals and all happy to chip in with the stage banter. McBean has a great voice however and the change in pace for the accoustic Stay Free provided a chance for him to reclaim centre stage.

Not unlike getting mugged in slow motion, the non-stop onslaught is a strangely rewarding experience. Without being cheesy or predictable, the songs hit the highs and lows in all the right places - just where you expect them. As songs like Tyrants wind down, you find yourself hoping for one last barrage of guitar thunder, but you still aren't prepared for the ferocity with which it is delivered.

The earlier call for Satisfaction was addressed as the band came back on for a riotous rendition of that debut album favourite plus another oldie No Hits. Hopefully they're now feeling suitably warmed, as I'm certainly ready for more.

#Music
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#CSF

6th Dec 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Miracle Fortress

Cargo, London

December 5th 2007

Following the release of their superb debut album, Miracle Fortress were over in Europe for a brief mini-tour, with this support slot for Black Mountain being one of two London shows. It's not often a support band becomes unmissable and Miracle Fortress did not disappoint.

A brief delay in sound checking was worth the wait, as the bombastic sound of Five Roses was energetically recaptured in their live show. Although the album is essentially the work of one man, the live band is a fully fledged unit with plenty of power. Whirrs, Maybe Lately, Little Trees, Fortune - all sounding like organic, melodic, hypnotic cacophonies. The only problem with much of this whirling wall of sound approach is that it's often not that entertaining to watch on stage, as without a strong stage formation and with the disadvantage lot of instrument changing there tends to be a lack of focus.

Once underway however, they seemed unstoppable - taking in a John Cale cover and a new track in addition to a good chunk of material from Five Roses. A great album, from another great Canadian band.

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#CSF

6th Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

(dir. Andrew Dominik)

Warner Bros

With much of the gang captured and brother Frank heading into retirement, the outlaw Jesse James leads a rag-tag bunch of thieves through Missouri. Robert Ford has big hopes for his position in the gang, but the lack of respect he is paid leads him to turn on the leader in a search for his own fame.

The traditional aspects of the Western take a back seat in this movie, which instead deals with the end of the gunslinging era and the beginning of the media age. Celebrity and fame come into consideration, as Robert Ford clamours for a taste of Jesse James' celebrity - before his own fame leads to his downfall. That's not to say there aren't any shoot-outs however, or an atmospheric train-robbery which makes the most of Roger Deakins' photography.

Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell put in excellent performances as the two Ford brothers and Brad Pitt is chilling as the quiet, bullying, megalomaniac gang leader who steps into his brother's shoes and spreads utter paranoia through the entire gang. This paranoia makes for the films strength - building massive tension in the lead up to the final act.

Chopper Director Andrew Dominick took some five years getting this film together and it is clearly a project that a lot attention has been paid to. While the mood and tone is suitably slow however, something is missing from this film which holds it back from hitting either the elegiac magnificence of Terrence Malick or the high-tension drama of Sergio Leone that it so clearly aspires too.

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3rd Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

John From Cincinnati (Season One)

(creator. David Milch)

HBO

The arrival of a mysterious, verbally challenged stranger in Southern California's Imperial Beach has a profound effect on a multi-generational surfing family and the residents around a motel where they are based. Mitch Yost is out of the game and his self-indulgent behavior finds himself arguing with his overbearing wife and floating off the ground, while former champion Butchie Yost battles his junkie addictions and tries to prevent prodigy surfer son Shaun Yost signing himself away to the corporate devil of Luke Perry's "Stinkweed" surf brand.

Following David Milch's winding up of Deadwood, expectation was high for this series and it got off to a good start. The production values of the show are fantastic, with the cinematography and setting perfectly capturing the so-cal beach culture in a way that is so easy to get wrong. The acting has also been universally good, with Ed O'Neill, Luiz Guzman, Luke Perry and young surfer Greyson Fletcher putting well cast and Brian Van Holt in particular putting in a great cold-turkey laden performance trough the entire series. Rebecca De Mornay came across as obnoxious and overbearing, which hasn't won me over to her but certainly worked for the troublesome Cissy Yost.

The near Shakespearean delivery made for interesting viewing, but while the show was in some way swell written the basic momentum of the story lets things down in the end. The mood and atmosphere were almost enough to keep things going but the feeling of hoping it would all be leading to some climactic event was never realised and while the finale almost met my hopes of reaching the legendary finale of Big Wednesday, the show was been left with nowhere to go and has not been renewed for a second season.

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3rd Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Futurama - Bender's Big Score

(dir. Dwayne Carey-Hill)

Comedy Central

In the words of Hubert Farnsworth, Planet Express Delivery's resident  mad scientist, "Good news everyone..." Futurama is back. The much overlooked second project from The Simpson's Matt Groening and David X Cohen has been reactivated after those dummies at the fox network cancelled it in 2003 after just four seasons. Comedy Central (with Fox's blessing) is backing 4 feature length DVD release films which it intends to air broken into episodes with added material. For those of you with a region 1 DVD player, the first feature is available to buy now - together with bonus featurette "Everyone loves Hypnotoad". And the news is, indeed, good. Original voice cast, same look to the animation, same writers - and just like Planet Express, it really delivers.

Without giving too much away, the first feature serves up a generous helping of what the fanboys want. All the familiar faces are present - in addition to Fry and Leela, Prof Farnsworth, Zoidberg, Hermes, Amy, and the ubiquitous Bender "bending unit" Rodriguez, the much loved supporting cast are all present and correct, from Nibbler through to Morbo (and even pre-Simpsons Groening creation, Binky the one-eared Rabbit).

The gags come thick and fast - and the plot, well, that gets a little confusing. The 80 minute story arc may be hard to swallow for the uninitiated since it concerns time paradoxes and multiple copies of central characters. It might actually work better in the episodic format that Comedy Central intend to show it. Fans, however, will lap up the whole thing in one juicy helping.

So, perhaps this is where Matt Groening's creative talent has been concentrated. It's so much more snappy and adult than the Simpsons which (let's face it) is limping in the manner of an exhausted battle hero. Maybe time to give the yellow guys a few seasons off, eh? It hasn't hurt Futurama.

#Film
#HarrisPilton

1st Dec 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet