The CUR1350 Music Blog

Patrick Wolf @ The Junction, 10/03/09

2009-03-15T19:55:00.006Z

With no glitter upon my face or hair, I felt somewhat underdressed for seeing Patrick Wolf. Never have I been to a gig where the crowd has been so female-dominated: this wouldn’t bother me if it wasn’t for the fact that most of them were clearly in the sub-18 bracket, so I was feeling decidedly old. The support-act Micachu and The Shapes didn’t help matters: the threesome looked like they had only just reached puberty. In fact, I remarked to my friend that the singer looked like a 15 year-old Bob Dylan: at which point my friend told me that the singer was a she. I spent the next half hour debating this, whilst listening to some pretty bizarre noise rock, which consisted of a battered acoustic guitar with a piece of string for a strap, percussion comprising paint pots, wine bottles and lots (LOTS) of cowbells, some bass-heavy synths and an overdriven electric guitar. Every song seemed to have its own nuance which kept the set interesting, but Mica’s flat, expressionless voice did mar things somewhat. Hey Dylan was never a tip-top singer, but you could never call his vocals dull: learn a lesson Mica!

And then came the main man himself. Initially sporting a wide-shouldered black cloak, this was quickly shed to reveal Wolf dressed up as some kind of human porcupine. He even shed his hair: a ponytail which had on first glance appeared o be quite real was torn off and thrown into the crowd, taken by a guy who seemed a little too grateful.

As he pomped his way through the opening four songs (which included Tristan and three new songs) I found myself thinking of Wolf as the new Adam Ant. But of course, he can’t be pigeonholed nearly so easily. The mid-set wisely lowered the tempo (just as well as I’d been pushed back about six rows by overexcited teenagers) whilst turning up the intensity. Of the numerous new songs put out on trial, Blackdown was the most impressive: an emotional piano ballad which transformed halfway through into a rousing instrumental stomp.

The latter end of the set threw in some old faves: Accident & Emergency was stopped halfway through so that the song could be made “more CBGBs”: out went the drum machines and synths, and in came the electric guitars. It worked much better than you might imagine, however staged it may have been. The main set closed with another newbie and forthcoming single Hard Times: with an almost Iron Maiden-like gallop, it’s possibly the ballsiest-sounding thing Wolf has come up with yet, and another feather to his cap (or whatever else he wants to add to his hair).

The inevitable encore ensued and, after a lengthy costume change, Wolf returned as what could only be described as a metrosexual vulture. Another new song (aptly entitled Vulture) followed, before the night was finished on a crowd-assisted Bloodbeat. It had been a pretty dazzling performance which, along the way, had also incorporated a lectern and a goat skull mask. One of my friends was less enamoured by the performance, feeling that it had catered too much to the teen-boppers in front of him. It was true enough that Wolf had been more showy than when I had seen him two years ago, even by his highly eccentric standards, and perhaps one or two of the new songs (Battle being the main culprit) were a little heavy on fist-pumping and a little low on substance. Nonetheless, much of the new material had impressed, and to use an old footballing cliché, you can only play what’s in front of you. There’s little denying that with his neo-classical electro-pop in combination with his sheer stage presence, Patrick Wolf is in a field of one.

Geoff Travis speaks for Phoenix Society: 06/02/09

2009-02-07T14:16:00.006Z

Friday night saw Churchill College, Cambridge invite back one of its more famous graduates in Geoff Travis, founder of the still-going-strong Rough Trade record label. An amiable and approachable fellow, Travis needed little encouragement to divulge over a riveting hour in what made him set up the label and shops in the first place, the fine balance between staying afloat without selling out, and the importance of always looking forward, never back.

Having freshly graduated from Churchill, Travis went into teaching, a career he became quickly disillusioned with. One day he made a "roll of the dice" decision whilst he was waiting for the bus: if it didn't arrive on time, he would fly out to Canada to try and track down an old flame. Sure enough, next day he was on the other side of the Atlantic, and over his travels across North America he collected a pile of hard-to-find records. This, along with the records his brother had brought back to the UK from his overseas travels, meant that when Travis returned to London around the break of punk, he was in the right place at the right time and with the right resources to set up a record shop. The rest, as they say, is history.

Travis went on to speak about the importance of which artists he brought onto Rough Trade. "Trophy" artists - those with big hits in the past but had become bereft of creativity- were and remain a no-no. Only artists that Travis and his business partner Jeanette Lee believe have their best days ahead of them get a consideration. Travis stated that nostalgia is generally a bad thing: bands which reform to sell-out gigs are often a shadow of their former selves (he cited a Velvet Underground performance as an example) and ultimately take attention and ticket sales away from up and coming talent.

Even the most sincere independent record label has to have a degree of commercial sensibility, in order to survive and Rough Trade is no exception: let's face it, they've had their ups and downs over the years with losing and subsequently regaining their independent status. Travis recalled how he quickly lost the Go-Betweens from the label when he told them, in the nicest terms possible, that whilst he liked their forthcoming single at the time, he didn't see it being a hit. But he believes that writing hits should be an organic process: the best and most sellable form of art should not be that which you make purely with commercial success in mind, but that which you like so much you find it very hard to part with. He also vented his frustrations over Radio 1, and its failure to serve the nation with the likes of Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens and British Sea Power, artists that he quite rightly sees as having serious hit potential.

With regards to the influence of the internet and the days of digital downloading and P2P, Travis feels that ultimately the artist should be allowed to profit from their own work. But far from an industry-killing beast, he said that the internet can only be a good thing for music, giving fresh acts the kind of exposure they would surely have never received a decade ago, even if it now means that labels such as Rough Trade have to be that much quicker off the mark in signing them.

Looking at the Rough Trade roster now, which includes the aforementioned Arcade Fire, BSP and Sufjan Stevens, as well as the Strokes, the Fiery Furnaces, Belle & Sebastian and many more, its pleasing to see an old school independent label still packing a commercial and creative clout, and having seen that Travis has lost none of his vision or his ideals, it provides some hope that the music industry isn't as ailing as it makes itself out to be.

Something Old, Something New, Something To Look Forward To (January)

2009-01-25T01:35:00.009Z

Okay, so here are my first trio of recommendations for 2009:

Something Old: Minutemen – Double Nickels On The Dime

This section of my recommendations seems to have become synonymous with albums stuffed to the seams with songs (see previous entries Alien Lanes and Pink Flag), but this 1984 milestone from the San Pedro, CA punksters eclipses them all. Wanting to answer the magnum opus of SST labelmates Hüsker Du’s Zen Arcade, the Minutemen crammed DNOTD with an incredible 43 songs so that it spanned 70+ minutes. There’s a remarkable array of styles, including the boom-chicka-boom of Corona (later used on some TV show called Jackass), strange, Pop Group-style tribal noise (You Need The Glory), leanings towards their jazzier tendencies (Don’t Look Now), surf-rock (Political Song For Michael Jackson For Sing), even intricate acoustic pickings (Cohesion). Despite the economical nature of their succinct songs, the trio were all accomplished musicians, not least the late singer/guitarist D Boon, a true guitar hero with the ability to switch between abrasive Gang Of Four-style clang to inventive speed-of-sound solos at the drop of a hat.

If you like this, try: Gang Of Four – Entertainment (1977), Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

Something New: Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Is there anything left to say about this album that hasn’t already been said? Amidst delirious levels of hype and acclaim, Animal Collective have delivered an astounding album which culminates the best bits of their entire career: the shimmery, ethereal feeling of first album Spirit They’re Gone Spirit, They’re Vanished combined with the energy of recent releases, all dressed up in lavish electronics, extraordinary levels of bass and layers of sound effects which ooze detail. What makes it feel like the work of humans rather than machines is the enthusiastic vocal interplay between Panda Bear and Avey Tare, coupled with their best and warmest lyrics to date. Along the way, they re-invent glam rock, minus the guitars (Summertime Clothes), rave music (Brother Sport), and much more besides. For sure it’s their most accessible and cohesive album thus far, but to call it their “pop” album does an enormous injustice to the levels of creativity, and AC’s typical neglect for conventional songwriting. Merriweather Post Pavilion sets a ludicrously high benchmark for the rest of the class of ’09 to follow and with the decade drawing to a close, this is right up there with the best the last 10 years have had to offer.

If you like this, try: Panda Bear – Person Pitch (2007), The Ruby Suns – Sea Lion (2008)

Something To Look Forward To: Beirut – March Of The Zapotec/Holland

February sees Beirut – aka 22-year old Zach Condon – release a duo of EPs. The first, March Of The Zapotec, sees Zach move his cultural leanpost from East Europe to Mexico, as he recruits a 19-strong funereal marching band to capture the sounds of Mexican small-town folklore. On the second offering, Holland, Zach resumes his old guise Realpeople, which he used before Beirut for his bedroom projects. Holland promises to eschew the world-music aesthetics of his other work in favour of synth-pop reminiscent of his heroes The Magnetic Fields before they got too concept-heavy with their albums: Zach claims that when he runs into writers block under the Beirut moniker, this is his default setting. Both should add to what is becoming an astonishingly prolific and diverse body of work for one so young.

If you like his earlier work, try: A Hawk And A Hacksaw: The Way The Wind Blows (2006), The Magnetic Fields – Get Lost (1995)

Jason's Albums Of '08

2009-01-01T23:20:00.022Z

Well, another year has passed, and although it was slow to get going music-wise, 2008 turned out to be a pretty good year, providing you dug deep enough to find the hidden gems. This is by no means definitive (even as I type this I'm listening to The Walkmen's You & Me for the first time, and will be moving onto Whys Alopecia later), but, for the time being at least, here are my top 20 albums of '08.

20. Volcano!: Paperwork

19. F*cked Up: The Chemistry Of Common Life

18. Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours

17. Deerhoof: Offend Maggie

16. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend

15. Ponytail: Ice Cream Spiritual

14. Dodos: Visiter

13. The Whiskers: The Distorted Historian

12. Plants & Animals: Parc Avenue

11. Department Of Eagles: In Ear Park

10. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Dig Lazarus Dig!!!

Continuing a creative hot streak which began with 2004’s Abattoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus, the 50-plus Nick Cave continued to defy all expectations (nay, rules) with a rip-roaring collection of songs, which successfully directed the new-found energy from the Grinderman project into Cave’s usual musings on religion, life and death. The Bad Seeds themselves were on superb form, with Warren Ellis especially coming to the fore, and never has it sounded like the band have had so much fun. Nowhere was that more evident than on the title-track, relocating the biblical character’s revival to modern-day New York, whilst We Call Upon The Author (“Prolix, prolix, nothing a pair of scissors can’t fix) sits right amongst the very best of the Bad Seeds illustrious canon.

9. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra & Tra La La Band: 13 Blues For 13 Moons

Over the years, A Silver Mt Zion have developed (both in name and in sound) from a modest but serene three-piece, to a muscular and aggressive septet, increasingly disparate of the post-rock tag which they are so often dubbed with. 13 Blues For 13 MoonsBlack Waters Blowed/Broken Engine Blues and the genuinely uplifting refrain of “some hearts are true” for the closing BlindBlindBlind. The questionable singing abilities of Efrim Menuck, here more prominent than ever, remained key to this band’s enjoyment, but in many ways they embodied this album: ragged, earnest, impassioned.

8. Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping

Kevin Barnes and his alter-ego Georgie Fruit jumped aboard his/their Blueberry Boat for this wildly schizophrenic offering. Sounding simultaneously like everything and nothing Of Montreal have ever done, with song titles that were merely suggestive segmentation, and featuring a narrative that, aside from hilarious snippets about Crystal Meth-loving rivals and being “queered out forever”, was largely indecipherable, Skeletal Lamping was predictably divisive for old and new fans alike. Take one step back though and, providing this doesn’t become the template for all subsequent Of Montreal releases, it really was quite a marvellous individual achievement.

7. {{{SUNSET}}}: Bright Blue Dream

Forming from the ashes of The Sound Team, this Austin, Texas-based outfit received little to no fanfare, but in Bright Blue Dream provided an impressive breadth of styles, and subsequently one of the year’s most complex and intriguing albums. Opener Dear Broken Friend sounded like We Will Rock You whilst played on downers, whilst highlights/lowpoints entitled Diamond Studded Caskets and Man’s Heart Complaint suggested a band with a less than happy mindset. However, on I Love My Job, the band suggested that their outlook is more sardonic than glum, and the subsequent release of The Glowing City, a decidedly less difficult and more upbeat record, reaffirmed this.

6. No Age: Nouns

Matching youthful, but bratty energy with a suitably lo-fi sound, Nouns could merely have been an enjoyable but otherwise disposable collection of songs. Why it is, in fact, one of the year’s most enduring records owes to the band’s surprising versatility: the bolts of electricity such as Miner, Sleeper Hold and Brain Burner are awash in MBV-style guitar soundscapes, and unexpected moments of finesse such as Things I Did When I Was Dead. With the single Eraser, No Age offered the complete package, its patient and graceful build-up and its subsequent pay-off all somehow occurring within little more than two-and-a-half minutes.

5. The Ruby Suns: Sealion

New Zealand-based the Ruby Suns made one of the year’s most summery-sounding albums, all the more accomplished for being released back in February. The tribal drum patterns, hard acoustic strumming and all-round jubilance (Exhibit A: Tane Mahuta) was all very reminiscent of Animal Collective circa-Sung Tongs, as well as fellow Australasians Architecture In Helsinki, but other influences shone through too, from the Flaming Lips-esque digitised feel to Kenya Dig It (unofficial winner of the Best Song With An Awful Title award), to the transformation of the closing Morning Sun into a synthpop belter the Magnetic Fields would have been proud to have wrote.

4. Portishead: Third

A staggering return from a band that nobody expected to hear from again, Third was also a major deviation from the band’s perceived dinner-table music of old (though I would love to see somebody trying to serve drinks with Machine Gun as accompaniment). Embracing Kraftwerk-like electronics, industrial music and krautrock made for countless memorable moments; the tense opening sequence to Silence; the introduction of the synth arpeggio to The Rip; the Joy Division-aping riff of We Carry On to name but a few. Thanks to the fragile vocals of Beth Gibbons, however, there was never really any doubt as to who it was playing on Third. Let’s just hope the next album won’t take nearly so long (Guns ’N’ Roses, on the other hand, can take all the time they want).

3. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes

Unquestionably the year’s most discussed new act, Fleet Foxes made good on their hype with a hauntingly beautiful debut that sounded loosely like early My Morning Jacket relocating from their barn to an enchanted forest. The beautifully layered vocal harmonies (which helped make White Winter Hymnal one of the songs of 2008 with the minimal use of wordage), combined with the perfect balance of Robin Pecknold’s acoustic work and Skye Skjelset’s sinewy electric guitar helped make it the one album this year that could transcend all tastes. But even when Robin Pecknold goes it alone (as on Oliver James and Tiger Mountain Peasant Song), he is able to conjure up something every bit as special.

2. Deerhunter: Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.

The second half of last year’s Cryptograms, along with the Flourescent Grey EP hinted at Deerhunter’s love for shoegazer-indie, but nobody could’ve anticipated at Microcastle’s blissed out dream-pop. In a busy year for Bradford Cox, the two halves of the title-track served as the perfect separating line between Deerhunter and Cox’s other project Atlas Sound. It would become even busier when Microcastle leaked almost half a year early: the band subsequently added Weird Era Cont. to the official release, a second disc of material which, with its darker edge, greater range of sounds, and looser feel, was arguably even better than Microcastle.

1. TV On The Radio: Dear Science

TV On The Radio have perhaps been a band that’s easier to admire than love in the past, but Dear Science set the record straight by being by far their most accessible effort to date, without trading in too much on the experimentation. Lyrically, the band were certainly more transparent than ever more in depicting a dysfunctional America, whilst getting down with tha funk made for some genuinely danceable songs (Red Dress, Golden Age and the Prince-like Crying). David Sitek ensures that the multitude of sounds (including horns, hand claps, flutes and much more) never becomes bogged down under its own weight, and helped ensure an album that cements TVOTR as one of the decade’s essential acts.

Fleet Foxes @ The Junction 11/11/08

2008-11-16T13:29:00.004Z

Fleet Foxes played to a sell-out crowd at the Junction on Tuesday night. Their self-titled LP needs little introduction, but any fear that it might translate into anything less than an entrancing live experience was utterly quashed on a night where the band gave about as generous and memorable live set as a band with such a slim discography could possibly give.

It’s unfortunate that I can’t really say the same for the support act J Tillman, who is in fact the Fleet Foxes drummer. The guy’s not short of charisma or humour, but it’s a shame that he couldn’t purvey that in his music: just one man playing fairly sparse acoustic guitar to the same plodding tempo over and over. At least he may have a future career in comedy. Oh yeah, and possibly in Fleet Foxes too.

Fleet Foxes were a marvel. Opening seamlessly with the intro of Sun Giant bleeding into Sun It Rises and a rollicking Ragged Wood, the band instantly portrayed a great understanding of how to provide their songs with enough instrumental, vocal and percussive flourishes to distinguish them from their album counterparts. The sound balance between Robin Pecknold’s acoustic pickings and Skye Skjelset’s sinewy guitar lines was perfect throughout. And then of course there was those vocal harmonies, those wonderful vocal harmonies.

Not that Robin Pecknold is incapable of holding things up by himself. Halfway through the set, the rest of the band left the stage, allowing Pecknold to shine with the stunning Oliver James. Its intricate pickings followed by the way those final vocals seem to hang there forever were a reminder after J Tillman’s deathly dull ramblings of what one man and an acoustic guitar can achieve. A similar sense of awe was achieved during the encore with Tiger Mountain Peasant Song.

When the band rejoined the stage for the main set, Skye Skjelset awkwardly announced a marriage proposal for one lucky(?) member of the audience. It was a night of considerable interaction with the crowd, not all of it good, owing to certain members of the crowd insisting on making idiots of themselves. The band handled it all admirably, however, and not without a fair share of humour. As they closed out the night with a personal fave Blue Ridge Mountains, I took heart from knowing this was just one of many sold-out nights they had played on this tour. That a band that plays music this blissful and distinctive can attract the commercial attention to match the critical acclaim gives me some faith in the human race in general. It’s just a shame that lewd, heckling comments such as “did you f*ck him?” go some way towards erasing that good vibe.

Time to grow up: Black Kids@ the Junction 28/10/08

2008-10-29T00:03:00.013Z

Before anything else, apologies go to Ladyhawke. Due to other commitments, I ended up stumbling into the gig as Black Kids opened their set, and missed the entire support set. I gathered though from the general murmur of the crowd, that Ladyhawke were pretty good. Possibly better than Black Kids.

Not that Black Kids were especially bad, but just that in spite of all their polish and sheen on record, Black Kids are decidedly rough around the edges live, and not in a good way. The energy was there, right from early highlight Hit The Heartbreaks, but the execution was a little lacking. The biggest culprit was Reggie Youngblood, his tone-deaf yelping at times painful, and even threatening to derail I've Underestimated My Charm before its inspired coda came to the rescue.

The real issue though, is that a band which initially showed so much potential seem to already have hit a wall. Towards the end of last year, the band released the quite fabulous (not to mention free) 4-song EP The Wizard Of Ahhhs, which sounded like the Cure at their happy-clappiest mixed with boy-girl vocals and doo-wop melodies. One successful album later and there's no sense that the band have moved on: tellingly, all four songs were included on Partie Traumatic, as though the band were admitting they were playing their strongest hand right from the off. Over four songs, the formula works a treat, but over the course of an album, or indeed a live set, their glitzy, technicolour indie-pop runs pretty thin pretty quickly. They introduce one song as a ballad, but after about 8 bars, the song reverts to type, pinching the plinky-plonk keyboard from the Cure's Close To Me whilst it's at it. A new song and (supposedly) a Magnetic Fields cover whizz by without making any lasting impression.

The set wasn't without its highpoints: even a lowly one-song encore was sweetened considerably by the bitter-sweet drama of Hurricane Jane, and was probably the best performance of the night, and what the band deliver remains a cut above the exasperatingly dull and generic pap which seems to spawn from our shores. The crowd certainly got into parts of the set, with crowd-surfing aplenty from very early on, but when the band left the stage after Hurricane Jane, there was a general feeling of disillusionment. The band need to find more dimensions, and quickly, if they want to avoid being (an admittedly very colourful) flash in the pan.

I'll See You On The Dark Side Of The Moon

2008-10-26T01:55:00.008+01:00

Cambridge will perhaps never be thought as being one of the great musical hubs like, say, Liverpool, London or Manchester, but it did spark one of the most striking and enduring unions between music and art to be found anywhere in the world. The artwork of Storm Thorgerson has become synonymous with the albums of Pink Floyd. Starting with 1968’s A Saucerful Of Secrets, Thorgerson has subsequently provided the artwork to pretty much every Pink Floyd release, creating some of the most iconic album covers of all time.

As part of The City Wakes, a week of events in homage to the life of Syd Barrett, Cambridge is holding an exhibition of Thorgerson’s Floyd-related artwork, entitled Mind Over Matter. Go see it on the second floor of the Grand Arcade shopping centre. Be inspired.

More on The City Wakes project, which is running from October 22nd until November 1st, can be found here, whilst Thorgerson’s work can be viewed here.

Something Old, Something New, Something To Look Forward To: October

2008-10-06T23:14:00.010+01:00

October’s trio of recommendations:

Something Old: Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On (1997)

How Built To Spill aren’t more of a big deal is a mystery to me. Fairly popular in the U.S. but something of an anomaly on these shores, Doug Martsch and his pals have been crafting intricate and muscular, yet melodic and uplifting (Martsch uses the word “sun” more than any lyricist since Brian Wilson) guitar music for 15 years now. The high watermark is ‘97’s Perfect From Now On, a sprawling 8-song 54-minute epic, whose impeccable craft and attention to detail is second to none. Martsch is a true guitar hero and knows how his effects pedals to their fullest, but it’s his ability to arrange so many guitar parts so expertly and create mighty walls of guitar sound that make him so unique. The deployment of mellontrons and cellos are significant, lifting the climax of Made Up Dreams to impossible levels of loveliness, and giving album centrepiece Velvet Waltz real gravitas even before it moves into it’s phenomenal coda of layered guitar noise and crashing drums. Add to that Martsch’s endearing vocals and starry eyed lyrics contemplating the afterlife (Randy Describes Eternity) and, of course, the sun (Kicked It In The Sun), and you have one of the finest guitar albums of the 90’s. See it played in its entirety at the London Koko on November 4^th: I bought my ticket almost 6 months ago!

If you like this, try: Modest Mouse – The Moon & Antarctica (2000), The Halo Benders – The Rebel’s Not In (1998)

Something New: TV On The Radio – Dear Science

As wonderful as TV On The Radio’s last album, 2006’s Return To Cookie Mountain was, it was a pretty challenging listen that was never going to float everyone’s boat. Dear Science then, is the best response the avante-garde New Yorkers could have possibly made, an album that manages to be both their most ambitious and accessible to date. As pleasingly unclassifiable as ever, the hybrid of angular guitars, buzzsaw synths, looped effects, tribal drumming mixed with clattering drum machines, and the unique soulful vocal combination of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone all remain in place but Dear Science adds even more layers to the TVOTR sound, with horns and plucked strings in clear evidence: just check out rousing first single Golden Age. That none of the songs collapse under their own weight is thanks to the production work of the band’s own David Sitek, who makes this a less harsh sounding album than previous works, and yet crisper sounding at the same time. There’s a looser, funkier approach to many of the songs here, most notably on Red Dress and the Prince-like Crying. Then there’s the grace of the ballad Family Tree, which could so easily have been a botch-job, but is handled with due care and attention. Lyrically too, this is less opaque than on previous outings. There’s the feeling of a state-of-the-nation address when Adebimpe raps the opening lines “he's a what?/he’s a what?/he’s a newspaper man/And he gets his best ideas from a newspaper stand”. It’s often an angry album, perversely put alongside the most uplifting music they’ve made. Not only is Dear Science one of the very finest releases of the year, but it might, just might, replicate Arcade Fire’s Funeral to become an instant classic.

If you like this, try: Talking Heads - Remain In Light (1980)

Something To Look Forward To: Deerhunter - Microcastle

If you’ve kept a close eye on internet music ‘zines such as Pitchfork, you will probably be all too familiar with the skeletal figure of Brandon Cox. Revered by some, reviled by others, the man behind Deerhunter and Atlas Sound knows how to make a name for himself, whether it’s slagging somebody off, revoking said slagging, or, perhaps more endearingly, posting music on a near-daily basis on his blog. After the intermittently great first Atlas Sound album Let The Blind Lead Those Who See But Cannot Feel, my interest has shifted back to Deerhunter and their forthcoming follow-up to last year’s excellent LP Cryptograms and subsequent EP Flourescent Grey. Those two releases saw the band seemingly develop as they went along: playing them back-to-back saw the band seamlessy move from kraut-rock to ambient psychadelia to dreamy guitar pop. The first, rather tasty single, the loosely Pavement-esque Agoraphobia seems to maintain that momentum, and makes Microcastle’s release at the end of this month all the more highly anticipated.

If you like their earlier work, try: Liars – Liars (2007), {{{SUNSET}}} – Bright Blue Dream (2008)

Something Old, Something New, Something To Look Forward To: September

2008-09-08T23:17:00.009+01:00

After a few months absence, a return for my trio of recommendations of old, new and forthcoming releases for those seeking the alternative.

Something Old: This Heat-Deceit
Very much overlooked (by me included), the influence this short-lived London-based experimental band cannot be underestimated. Released in 1981, Deceit was the band’s second and ultimately final album. It’s chilling lyrics depict a damning view of the potential devastation of the Cold War (the cover is a collage of images of mushroom clouds, Ronald Reagan, Nikita Khrushchev and the like), but musically this was light years ahead of its time, and remains remarkably fresh and unsettling. The tribal drumming and angular guitars of Sleep paves the way for the monstrous Paper Hats, whose repeated discordant outro is like a template for the current crop of experimental noise/punk bands on the other side of the Atlantic (see Liars and Oneida). Elsewhere, strange, seething tape loops (Radio Prague), metallic percussion and unlikely instrument combinations (Triumph) make this a less than compromising listen, but Deceit skilfully weaves these attributes around genuinely memorable songs. SPQR genuinely rocks with its fierce guitars, and if you only hear one This Heat song, make it the phenomenal A New Kind Of Water, a genuine anti-anthem, and lyrically the most clear-cut (“acrid stench and festering tongue/New York, Moscow, Nairobi in flames”) in its condemnation of nuclear war.
If you like this try: The Pop Group: Y (1979), Liars: Drum’s Not Dead (2006)

Something New: Ponytail-Ice Cream Spiritual
One of the most outright fun albums to come out this year, Ice Cream Spiritual is an explosive blend of sugary melodies, bulldozer guitars and insane vocals. Ponytail share many of their best traits with fellow art-rockers Deerhoof: the sweet, almost child-like innocence of the tunes contrasted with the maniacal guitars and heavyweight percussion, the breakneck speed at which they can play, the surf-rock undertones, the female vocals. On the last point, however, the two bands do in fact differ: whilst Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki sounds like a Japanese schoolgirl, Molly Siegel shrieks, growls, squeals and generally throws a fit at the mic, and never actually sings as such. This all adds to the band’s appeal of course, particularly on the head-spinning opener Beg Waves, and on Late For School, where one of the other band members pipes up with the line “Oh no, I’m late for school!” and the song aptly descends into chaos. At 34 minutes, Ice Cream Spiritual is merciful enough not to pound you into the dust, but leaves you out of breath and knowing you’ve been on a heck of an ordeal, one you won’t mind experiencing again and again.
If you like this try: Deerhoof: Reveille (2002), Melt Banana: Bambi’s Dilemma (2007)

Something To Look Forward To: Of Montreal-Skeletal Lamping
Part of the anglophilic Elephant Six Collective (the source of cult acts such as Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control and the Apples In Stereo) so enthralled by late-60’s psychedelia, Of Montreal had churned out album after album of colourful whimsy and daft song/album titles for the best part of a decade, before they finally came of age with last year’s outstanding Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer. Following the break-up of singer Kevin Barnes’ relationship with his girlfriend, Hissing Fauna charted the bitterness and self-destruction of a clearly fragile persona. It was by far the band’s most ambitious effort, putting genuine substance behind the irrepressibly camp and chirpy nature of the band’s work (and backed up by a bizarre live show which could probably best be described as a homo-erotic take on Peter Gabriel-era Genesis). All of which makes next month’s follow-up Skeletal Lamping (for me at least) one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year. The album apparently continues the narrative from their last album, which sees Barnes descend into his androgynous alter-ego Georgie Fruit. Echoes of Ziggy Stardust anyone?
If you like their earlier work, try: The Beatles: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Olivia Tremor Control: Dusk At Cubist Castle (1996)

Mindless Self Indulgence – Roundhouse, Camden – 11.07.08

2008-08-09T21:33:00.001+01:00

First up on tonight’s electro-themed line-up is duo Robots in Disguise, bringing their girl punk band vocals to catchy yet silly electro-pop. With songs like “The Sex Has Made Me Stupid” and an energetic cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” they serve as a perfect opening to the evening.

Next up, a move towards rave as IAMX and his band, dressed like true cabaret stars in glitter, heavy make-up and frills, take the stage and boom out some heavy-beat, synth-infused dark dance. Lyrics are mainly about parties, sex and sexuality – “Wanna be a sailor?” – but the audience laps it up and with surprising enthusiasm for a support band.

And then, Mindless Self Indulgence take the stage and fill all of it with their presence. Little Jimmy Urine leaps from the shadows to begin a frenzied rendition of “Shut Me Up,” complete with perfect high squeals for the phrase “knock me up.”

Any parents accompanying hyper-14 year olds would at this point be wondering just what they’ve let themselves in for. And that’s when Jimmy decides to introduce the show. “Tonight, people, we’re going to abuse you like hard drugs! What kind of drugs are you?...Love? Love?! Eugh! Get the f*** out of here, you hippy!” And welcome to the general repertoire of abuse that is to be the main part of the on-stage banter for the evening.

Mindless Self Indulgence love to insult their audience. They want a reaction. Frontman Jimmy spends an embarrassingly long time between songs informing us on just how ugly and stupid we are. At one point, the audience is “held hostage” – he refuses to play on until someone hands him a £20 note. Which some unwitting and most likely drunk fool does. A fool who is now £20 less rich.

But all of this adds to the sense of juvenile joy that Mindless Self Indulgence put into their music. Even though they play their most well-known material at the beginning, causing to a slight dip in atmosphere towards the end, their performance cannot be faulted on its raw energy. Steve Righ? swings his guitar around, mancially eyeing the audience. Drummer Kitty grins wildly. Bassist Lyn-Z arches backwards until her head almost touches the floor before springing two feet into the air. And Jimmy is like a kid having drunk 8 litres of Coca Cola.

Crazy lyrics and crazy stage antics? A gimmick? Many would think so. But then many take music far too seriously. MSI write songs that are bizarre, and quite frankly hilarious. And they just happen to be damn catchy. “Never Wanted To Dance,” a strange combo of electro-industrial-rock, is ironically one of their best dance songs. “Bitches” verges on rap, with repetitive bass and disjointed lyrics. “Faggot” gets the entire audience squealing hopelessly out of tune and chanting gleefully “I’ve been denied all the best ultra-sex.” What other band could get an audience to chant such things willingly?

And this is the essence of Mindless Self Indulgence. They’re like no other band and they’re a whole lot of fun.

Wherever you go Hugo: Urusen @ The Boathouse 01/08

2008-08-03T11:38:00.011+01:00

Friday night saw the upcoming Urusen play at the Boathouse. Hotly tipped by the musical press, and shortlisted as one of the twenty bands vying for a Glastonbury '09 slot via the Rockstar '08 competition, they very much warrant the "one to watch" tag. But the night wasn't their's alone, as they were supported by a crop of local acoustic talent.

First off, my apologies to Lonnie Story, who I arrived too late to see. I was, however, fortunate enough to catch Cambridge-based Tallis Anne. If her quiet, fast-spoken words between songs and the occasional bum note suggested a hint of stage nerves then her incredibly powerful, emotive singing voice suggested otherwise, and I hope to see her become a regular on the Cambridge music scene, and maybe beyond. Next up was Peterborough-based Alex Hel and his mischievous guitar Timothy, which caused him no end of grief, as it went in and out of tune at the drop of a hat under his hard, fast playing. To his credit though, the charismatic Alex kept the crowd entertained at all times, and rallied well towards the end to play The Forester's Lament, which was denied from him earlier in the set by Timothy's erratic behaviour.

Finally it was the turn of the headliners. The only full band lineup of the night (although even they were a man down, missing double-bassist Jay Darwish), their rich, full sound captivated throughout. Urusen certainly boast an interesting and unique setup: the twin vocals and acoustic guitars of Ben and Peter interlink effortlessly, Nick adding another layer of sound with his cello, and Kieran providing drums and, later, keyboard. It was impressive to see the host of additional instruments which embellish Urusen's sound, most notably the Charango (imagine a twelve-string guitar in lute form). Each song seemed to have its own interesting background: Hugo ponders what it would be like to travel around with Venezualan president Hugo Chavez, whereas a long introduction to Impossibly revealed it to be the story of an embarrassing two-year teenage crush. The band was rapturously received, and returned for a one-song encore.

A good night of acoustic music at the Boathouse then, and there are plenty more ahead: check out here and http://www.myspace.com/acousticstage for the latest acoustic delights at The Boathouse and other local venues.

The People!!! The People!!! The Music@The Junction 26/06/08

2008-06-29T00:39:00.004+01:00

Term-time may be over in Cambridge, but that doesn’t mean the music scene grinds to a halt, and whilst not playing to a packed-out Junction, there was, as the night progressed, a healthy turn-up for The Music. First up though were support act Exit Calm. Heavy on guitar delay and reverb effects, they proved functional, but ultimately felt detached from the audience, never achieving the big, atmospheric sound they were clearly striving for. Lacking any kind of stage presence, the singer uncomfortably mumbled “this is a brilliant song that nobody knows about”, only for the subsequent song to be largely indistinguishable from those preceding it. Sure enough after three or four songs, I was thinking less Exit Calm, and more Exit Stage Left.

Thankfully, the main act were very soon to follow. Although entering the stage in trousers baggy enough to make Madness look twice, with his now shaven head, Robert Harvey from The Music looked less like the Madchester castaway of old, but in many ways, in spite of their Leeds roots, that’s what The Music's sound still resembles: crunching riffs from Second Coming-era Stone Roses, with the shuffling beats and dance influences of the Happy Mondays. Live, however, there’s no denying that their songs, the singles in particular, pack a real clout. They wasted no time, opening with Take The Long Road And Walk It, much to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd, and whilst Exit Calm were devoid of stage presence, Rob had it in bucketloads, deftly dancing with precision timing to the music.

Showcasing material from their new album Strength In Numbers, it was clear that whilst The Music haven’t digressed very far from their initial trajectory, they’ve added a couple of strings to their bow. The fluid bass work of both Drugs and Idle both hinted at a more new-wave direction, the former reminiscent of Blondie’s Heart Of Glass, the latter, along with Human off their first album, showing a subtler but slinkier side of the band which sorely needs to be fleshed out. Other more muscular songs from Strength In Numbers, such as the title track and The Spike were business as usual.

Still, if The Music become stuck in a rut musically, it will all have been worthwhile to have written a song as good as Getaway, saved as the penultimate song of the set, and sending the crowd into a frenzy (one diminutively-sized guy next to us making a particular idiot of himself). Finishing off the night with a wondrous version of Bleed From Within, complemented with an array of additional percussion, the band left the stage in triumph, whilst we were left to trudge into the night rain, smelling, thanks to an over-zealous crowd of Strongbow cider.

The Subways - Live at The Junction June 8th

2008-06-11T10:08:00.004+01:00

“I wanna see you go f***ing crazy, Cambridge!” screams topless frontman and guitarist Billy. He strikes a chord and eyes the audience slightly manically. It’s clear he’s pleased to be back on the road.

And The Subways are back, touring in support of their forthcoming album “All or “Nothing.” With several setbacks, including an operation on Billy’s vocal chords, it really seems an all or nothing effort. The title track itself is full of the energy which is so characteristic of The Subways: upbeat, bold rock – simple, in-your-face and above all, fun. It’s a fantastic formula – it’s reflected in the diversity of the age ranges here tonight. Sure the fourteen-year olds are bopping around but the forty-year old men are also giving it their all.

The accessibility of The Subways’ music means that the atmosphere here tonight never falters, despite many not having heard the new material. Current single “Alright” receives a few nods but by the end of new track “I Won’t Let You Down,” the chorus is on everyone’s lips. “Shake! Shake!” is so catchy that it’s frustratingly familiar from the opening bass line to the chorus during which Charlotte lends her vocals, as she does far more regularly on the new record.

It’s been three years since The Subways’ first effort “Young For Eternity”, a fact of which they’re evidently very conscious. “I don’t know if any of you remember it” says Billy. But there’s no need as the crowd goes wild. “I Want To Hear What You’ve Got To Say” invokes a mass crowd sing-along. The hyper kids at the front even attempt to mosh to “Mary,” which is jaunty enough to dance to, but with a chorus that consists of the lyrics “I’m so lonely,” it doesn’t seem to quite warrant full-scale headbanging.

It seems a short while before it’s encore time. With just a guitar, Billy walks onto stage and strums out the beginning of new track “Strawberry Blonde”, before Charlotte and drummer Josh join him for the chorus. Next up, “Girls and Boys”, a rock track with a riff to demolish buildings to, followed by the immensely popular “Rock and Roll Queen.” The crowd are left euphorically chanting the words.

The Subways gave us all the energy they could give. And Cambridge did indeed go crazy for them.

Flav for Prime Minister: Public Enemy address the nation. Cambridge Junction 24/05/08

2008-05-26T23:10:00.015+01:00

Cambridge. A curious place for one of the most pivotal bands of all time to perform what is widely regarded as the finest album of its kind in its entirety, especially given the selectivity of the tour (Manchester, Dublin, Nottingham, Glasgow and London were the more conventional choices). But if you were to believe the rantings of the larger-than-life Flavour Flav (adorned with his equally large clock), playing in Cambridge means a lot to Public Enemy, and on the basis of this monumental night, who could disagree?

Entering the stage to the sound of air-raid sirens, Public Enemy quickly got the packed Junction crowd moving with the invincible duo of Bring The Noise and Don’t Believe The Hype, the opening tracks of the seminal It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. The unique dynamic of Chuck D’s hard-hitting rhymes and Flav’s comic additions were every bit as exhilarating live as they are on album, and age has done nothing to tarnish their intensity or rapping abilities (Chuck D’s referral to Flav as “the world’s oldest teenager” was right on the money). Stirling support was supplied by DJ Lord, who honourably assumed the name of his predecessor Terminator X on Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic, whilst showcasing his own formidable scratching skills in a remarkable solo display towards the end of the night. The instrumental tracks meanwhile, provided the menacing looking S1W the chance to strut their moves.

There was plenty of in-between-song banter, with Chuck D promising the Cambridge crowd that they were receiving their own unique rendition of It Takes A Nation…: certainly, this was not simply a by-numbers performance, and a good deal of improv was evident. The bruising metal underpinnings of She Watch Channel Zero?! was arguably the highlight of the set, and even as the album’s finale Party For Your Right To Fight came to a close, PE were far from finished, launching into a range of hits both new and old. Finally bringing the set to a close with a brilliant rendition of Fight The Power, Flavour Flav clearly felt that Public Enemy’s political agenda wasn’t clear enough, with an impassioned rant to the crowd ensuing, and some rather unflattering comments on certain political figures made. Few bands are capable of pulling off such preaching with dignity, but Public Enemy are certainly one of them. Rant over, and the time 11:30pm: a full 30 minutes after curfew time. Perhaps the powers that be were looking at the hands on the stationary clock around Flav’s neck. But then who would want to bring a night like this to a close?

The Big Bang: Explosions In The Sky curate All Tomorrow’s Parties 16/05/08-18/05/08

2008-05-26T22:34:00.010+01:00

ATP festivals and life as a Cambridge student are two things that generally don’t go hand in hand: after all, deciding to hold your festivals in the middle of May doesn’t tend to fit too well into anyone’s exam schedule. Fortunately, having dealt once and for all with exams (apologies, I don’t wish to rub it in), I was in the fortunate position of being able to attend the Explosions In The Sky-curated ATP festival (apologies again). With just 6,000 attendees, chalet accommodation next to a seaside resort, and three indoor stages, this is far from your ordinary festival, as one look at the lineup would also confirm. Here’s a roundup of the best of the three days:

FRIDAY

Papiere Tigre: Whilst their music has its limitations, French art-punk three-piece Papiere Tigre delivered a ferocious and highly convincing set of dischord and punishing (in a good way) percussion.
Sunset Rubdown: In spite of multiple broken guitar string moments (why didn’t you bring spare guitars guys?), Spencer Krug’s wonky indie-prog parade triumphed with an energetic set capturing all the best moments from last year’s superb Random Spirit Lover.
Explosions In The Sky: The hosts were no disappointment, bringing their tense mix of pretty guitar shimmers and earth-shattering freak-outs to a rapturous audience. Whilst consistently falling just short of greatness on album, live they a different (and very loud) proposition.
The Octopus Project (left): The most fun set of the festival came from the instrumental/noise/pop/electronic collective The Octopus Project and their strange ghost/cat things. Plus a load of illuminated balloons. And a theremin.

SATURDAY

World’s End Girlfriend: An unexpected highlight of the festival, Japanese act World’s End Girlfriend is just one guy (Katsuhiko Maeda) and his thunderous touring drummer. Somehow encapsulating serene oriental beauty, crushing guitar noise, jazz and electronica into the space of one 45 minute set, World’s End Girlfriend proved a revelation
A Hawk And A Hacksaw (right): Ex-Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes fronts the Balkan-infused trio AHAAH with some lavish accordion skills, and equally accomplished violin and mandolin accompaniment. Limited in scope, perhaps, but highly enjoyable over 45 minutes nonetheless.
Okkervil River: Contrary to my prior worries over Will Sheff’s supposed vocal fragilities, OR delivered a superb set of their brand of literate folk indie-rock, with Sheff himself in particularly good form.
The National: As with Okkervil River, I had heard somewhat discouraging accounts of The National as a live act. Thankfully, these proved completely unfounded, with the National injecting a lot of extra oomph factor to expand the songs from last year’s stately Boxer. The highlight came with the set-closing Abel.

SUNDAY

Animal Collective: After a slow start to the day (admittedly I’d missed Jens Lekman earlier, which might have changed matters), AC laid down a bewildering hour of electronics, flashing lights, screams and tribal percussion which the acoustics of the centre stage could barely cope with. With just two songs taken from last year’s Strawberry Jam, the set suggested yet another new musical direction for this ever-evolving band.
Broken Social Scene (left): Headlining the Pavilion stage on the final night, BSS fittingly provided the highlight of the festival. As if their own numbers weren’t enough, the band were joined by Explosions In The Sky, The Constantines and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. At the same time. Bolstered by lots of trumpets and the irrepressible charisma of Kevin Drew, this was a performance of true greatness.
Lichens: Robert Lowe a.k.a. Lichens used just a guitar, some strange vocal effects and a handful of electronic sounds to build up his 30-minute set from scratch. With just enough variation to keep it fresh, this was a strangely compelling performance.
Battles: In spite of playing two sets across the weekend, the queue into Battles was enormous, and subsequently we missed the first half of the set. What we did catch though, was a band of ever increasing powers in fine form, turning the hitherto difficult genre of math rock into something altogether cooler. Worth the hype
Envy: The final set we saw of the festival was also the loudest, with the Japanese post-rock-metallers throwing everything into their ferocious set in front an impressively packed out Reds stage. A most satisfying end to a most satisfying festival.

Sure, with festivals like this, you’ll always have the odd pretentious and horribly self-indulgent performance (Atlas Sound, much to my horror, definitely fell into this category), but the array of genre-pushing sounds and the general sense of community between both festival goers and the bands/artists are not to be missed. Unless you have exams. But hey, there’s always the Nightmare Before Christmas ATP in December: beach shorts are not a recommendation.

CUR1350 interviews Operahouse

2008-05-25T01:51:00.006+01:00

Emerging talent Operahouse played the Cambridge Portland Arms on May 6 – CUR1350's Chiara headed over there armed with a recorder & mic to get some words from the boys; here's a transcript of the interview:

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Chiara: All right, just to begin with, do you want to give a quick introduction to who you are and what sort of music you make?

Johnny: My name’s Johnny, I play guitar in Operahouse and sing.

Jim: Hi, my name’s Jim, I play bass... and do a bit of singing myself – but not as importantly as Johnny.

Johnny: Not as much as me.

Jim: I’m second frontman, really.

Johnny: I wouldn’t even…

Jim: ...say that.

[laughter]

Jim: I try, I try and get closer to the front than him.

Johnny: He’s not though, ‘cause I stand in the middle. You stand on the left, makes you less important than me.

Jim: Okay.

[more laughter]

C: So you guys are from London originally, or are you just hanging out there for the time being?

Johnny: We’re just hanging out there for the time being...

C: Is that because it influences you as a place or is there something that really speaks to you about London, or is it just kind of the thing that upcoming bands do nowadays?

Johnny: I don’t know, I went there before we started the band.

Jim: Yeah, I moved down about five years ago to go to art school and uh -

Johnny: ...about four?

Jim: Yeah, we grew up together in the midlands. And then you uh – you needed a bass player or something.

Johnny: Yeah and I asked Jimmy. And he said yes.

Jim: Yeah. As a temporary, but I stuck around.

Johnny: ...and now he’s frontman.

[laughter]

C: So, you guys are signed to Marrakesh Records and the label kind of prides itself on having once upon a time signed the Killers. Do you ever feel that people because of that get a preconception of you like ‘Oh, it’s just another indie band’ – is that in any way limiting, or did you purposely sign to Marrakesh Records or do you not really feel that at all?

Johnny: Don’t really feel any presence from the Killers at all.

Jim: I think some areas of press sometimes say that as their first thing, like instantly so that people can compare you to someone else just because you’re an indie band, so therefore we must -

Johnny: I don’t think we sound anything like the Killers.

Jim: No, I don’t think we do either. I think my mom does.

Johnny: Yeah, so does my mine, but I mean uh -

Jim: She also says we sound like the Magic Numbers, so…

Johnny: It’s very difficult.

[laughter]

C: So who are some of your influences then?

Johnny: Velvet Underground, David Bowie -

Jim: I used to listen to a lot of Led Zeppelin.

Johnny: Led Zeppelin. The new Management album. [MGMT?]

Jim: Yeah, that’s good.

Johnny: I don’t know. Radiohead.

Jim: Yeah.

Johnny: Everybody but the Killers, pretty much.

Jim: That’s the one album I’ve got that I’ve never listened to.

Johnny: I don’t think I’ve heard it, either.

Jim: Got about three copies, cause of the label...

[laughter]

C: Is there anything in particular that you want to do with your music?

Jim: We just want to get into a position where we can get the album out. We know that’s going to happen, but it’s always just worry that it... wouldn’t... that it’s not gonna -

Johnny: I think we just want to get the record out and build up our live presence and get more people, play bigger venues.

C: So what are your immediate plans for the future then?

Johnny: This tour finishes tomorrow, then we’re doing a load of festivals in May –

Jim: ...and July, and stuff.

Johnny: We’re recording the album in June and then yeah, doing stuff in July, then might go to Ibiza to do some stuff.

Jim: Yeah that’d be good.

C: Is that going to be productive in any way?

Johnny: Probably not.

Jim: I think if we do go, it’s like we’ll be there for a week and we’ll do six gigs, in the same place every night. Should be good. So yeah, we gotta remain professional.

[laughter]

C: So you guys are an up and coming talent – do you know any other bands that maybe we should be watching out for?

Johnny: I don’t know. It’s really hard because you don’t really see any of the other bands who are sort of in your own position because they’re doing their own shows.

Jimmy: There’s a band called the Brute Chorus from London, they’re doing quite well anyway I think – getting a bit of momentum anyway. They’re really good.

Johnny: We’re just really concentrating on what we’re doing at the moment... [laughter] ... we’ve played in front of like four people on this tour in different towns, so you just gotta keep going at it. These are all the towns we’d never done before, so we knew it was going to be really hard. Some of them have been great, but some of them have been... disastrous. So we’re just focusing on what we’re doing at the moment.

C: So this is your second UK tour?

Johnny: Yeah.

Jim: Yeah.

Johnny: Second as headliners. It’s a bit early for us to be headlining, I think.

Jim: Yeah – we did a few good support tours back at the beginning of the year and we sort of think that’s the way and we want to go back to that. It’s a bit more fun. You’re not responsible for the amount of people in the room.

Johnny: Yeah – there’s a lot of pressure on us to sell tickets and stuff. And obviously various towns had never heard of us, and they wouldn’t have done ‘cause we’re not on the right radio stations or haven’t had the right press there or whatever. It’s tough.

C: Do you have anything you want to add to that?

Johnny: Diane [single] came out yesterday, May 5th – it’s available on itunes.

Check them out - www.myspace.com/operahousehq

Black Lips @ the Junction 2 (the Shed), Cambridge, 11.05.08

2008-05-19T07:29:00.009+01:00

Openers White Williams sound and look as if they've been asked to perform at one of their parents' wedding anniversaries. Their music is lustreless, their performance listless. Attempts at spicing up the dull glam-pop with randomly thrown in digital sound effects are ill-advised and the entire performance falls flat on its face as everyone in the room and on stage, including Williams himself, simply looks bored. In short: a spectacularly strange and failed choice of opening band.

It's a good thing, then, that garage punks Black Lips are more than ready to bring some buzz into the Shed – expectations are running high as these boys have gained quite a reputation for themselves with their often rather raucous live shows and stage antics.

As the opening notes to I Saw A Ghost (Lean) sound out the air is suddenly crackling with energy and it doesn't take long for the first drink to get thrown (in a positive sense). From scenester stillness to head-bopping and foot-tapping, from swing dancing to the obligatory group of crazy teenage boys jumping around and taking down anything in their way: every possible audience reaction is represented – the common denominator being enjoyment of the show.

Slight technical problems involving the bass drum somewhat interrupt the performance early on, but the Lips have brought along a repertoire of samples, jams, and witty banter to seamlessly patch over the bumps (good thing, too – read on!).

Anyone who has ever been to the Shed knows that it's not usually a space made for rock gigs. Yes, the central area of seating has been removed and turned into a standing area, yes, a stage has been erected, but no, no barriers have been put up. During the initial stages of the show, a lonely Junction employee stands on his own against the knot of bodies moshing around and slamming against the front monitors (there are even some attempts at crowd-surfing in a 'crowd' hardly dense enough to be called such).

The situation escalates as the Black Lips launch into their new single Bad Kids and a full-blown stage invasion runs its course. The Junction security man doesn't even attempt to get the dozen or more young boys off the stage, realizing that his endeavours would most likely be fruitless. There is much jumping about, dancing, and getting tangled in leads but the Lips play on bravely – even as half the drum kit (including the bass drum) ends up being thrown into the audience (I know. Wow.) and only cease when the PA system is cut in an attempt to restore some order amidst the madness. The above-mentioned filler is put to good use as kids are unceremoniously returned to the audience, equipment is returned to the stage, a short search for the bass drum pedal is undertaken, and the drum kit is reassembled. Everyone always says the Black Lips go crazy on stage, but there's just the slightest possibility that the Lips have been beaten at their own game tonight. As singer/guitarist Cole Alexander would later say - “Man, we were singing a song called Bad Kids, we couldn't really turn around and tell them to stop.” Some of these crazy kids even showed up in a big white limo.

The show must go on, and after what seems to be every Junction staff member on duty that night is called in to act as a human barrier the Lips resume their performance. Despite some of the audience members' most valiant attempts, the Junction staff manage to prevent any further major stage invasions (though once or twice a particularly resourceful individual manages a victorious few skips on the stage). Even a rather small and frail looking girl complete with flower in her hair is among the Junction employees now standing in front of the stage, but the kids are respectful enough not to slam into her – instead Cole takes the opportunity to crouch down behind her mid-performance and give her a kiss on the cheek.

Other stand-outs of the show include a smashing performance of Cold Hands, as well as the fantastic Hippie Hippie Hurrah whose whooshing noises are always good fun, particularly as the boys like accompanying them with ominous arm motions and finger-waving almost as if attempting to cast a spell over the crowd (which they do).

Drummer Joe Bradley’s faces are a sight to behold, guitarist Ian St.Pé's trademark gold teeth glint in the stage lights, bassist Jared Swilley's moustache is reaching impressive proportions, and Cole enjoys pulling his spit-in-the-air-and-try-to-catch-it stunt – basically, the Lips are on top form. Sharing vocal duties they seem to be having a blast on stage, and the fun is infectious.

What is remarkable about their performance is that despite their (admittedly recently toned-down) antics, they manage to pull together and slam home a set that is musically impressive and instrumentally quasi-flawless (disregarding technical issues). In short, the Black Lips are definitely a band to be seen should the opportunity ever present itself – you'll be sure to get a memorable night all around.

---

The (improvised) set list was comprised mostly of material of the two most recent studio albums (Let It Bloom 2005, Good Bad Not Evil 2007) with a few other tracks thrown in.

(Not complete, and definitely not in order):

Hippie Hippie Hurrah
Cold Hands
I Saw A Ghost (Lean)
O Katrina
Buried Alive
Juvenile
Boomerang
Bad Kids

---

(left to right: Cole, Jared, Joe, Ian)

---

(the reviewer apologizes for any mistakes that may have inadvertently been made courtesy of useless memory, esp. re. setlist)

Something Old, Something New, Something To Look Forward To (May)

2008-04-29T00:08:00.011+01:00

The second of my regular installments to this blog: in turn, a golden oldie, a recent release and a forthcoming work worth getting your teeth into.

Something Old: Wire-Pink Flag

Released in 1977, and like last month’s recommendation, Guided By Voices’ Alien Lanes, Wire’s debut is an example of how the saying “less is more” doesn’t always ring true, at least in terms of the number of songs: Pink Flag packs 21 into 36 minutes. Unlike the gleeful mess of Alien Lanes however, Pink Flag is a lesson in economy: songs are short, sharp and very much to the point, never stretching an idea beyond its worth, and every bit as minimalist as its cover art might suggest. A post-punk monument (and the first of a stunning trio of albums which would include Chairs Missing and 154 within just two years), this was/is a massive influence to so many artists, with Elastica being the most famously indebted band to Wire’s work (listen to Connection next to Pink Flag’s Three Girl Rhumba. Hmmmm, similar, non?).

If you like this try: Mission Of Burma: Signals, Calls, and Marches EP (1981), Elastica: Elastica (1995)

Something New: {{{ SUNSET }}}-Bright Blue Dream

I’m not quite sure where this band has arisen from, and bar their myspace, there seems to be precious little information available on them. What I do know is that with Bright Blue Dream, they’ve put together what will remain one of the most beautiful, albeit unsettling, albums of the year. The collection of sounds is wide-ranging, from the funereal drones of Moebius, the melancholy piano of Golden Reverie, the krautrock influences of Diamond Studded Caskets, to the oddly affecting country of Old Sandy Bull Lee: every track throws up something different, and yet the album works best as a near-seamless whole. The centrepiece is the stately 14-minute title track, which evokes the comparison of Pink Floyd at their most human. Perhaps not to be listened to if you’re down in the dumps, but listen to this sombre masterpiece late at night (or at sunset perhaps?) with headphones, and it will really get underneath your skin.

If you like this try: Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1975), Deerhunter: Cryptograms (2007)

Something To Look Forward To: My Morning Jacket-Evil Urges

The Arcade Fire’s Funeral aside, Z, My Morning Jacket’s masterpiece-to-date was my favourite album of 2005 (Funeral really came out in 2004 in any case). Z expanded their reverb-drenched (the stock phrase for describing MMJ) alt-country rock and folk and took it successfully in a wide range of directions. Evil Urges, scheduled for release in early June, should see the band expand their sound further, with several new tracks played at their recent SXSW performance taking a more R’n’B and soul slant, allowing Jim James’ already wonderful voice to hit new heights. The band are playing a number of UK dates in the summer, including a performance at Glasto: I hope to catch them in July at the London Forum. You’d be mad to miss them: one check of their performances from their Okonokos set should confirm MMJ as one of the finest live acts around, and up to now they’ve certainly delivered on CD too.

If you like their earlier work, try: Fleet Foxes: Sun Giant EP (2008)

CUR1350 meets Does It Offend You, Yeah?

2008-04-11T16:10:00.004+01:00

Does It Offend You, Yeah?, fresh off the NME tour, are one of the hottest new bands. CUR1350 chats to Morgan Quaintance, guitarist and singer to find out more about them and what they’ve been up to…

The Klaxons were said to have invented new rave, a term they disavow. Electro-meets-punk-meets-indie-meets-rock outfit, DIOYY? are also not too fond of the label. Comment on guitarist/singer Morgan Quaintance’s multicoloured shoes as “very new rave” and he’ll tell you off, and that wearing colours does not amount to “new rave.”

As for the music? The label “new rave” works in terms of covering the repetitive aspect of DIOYY?’s more electronic-sounding songs, such as “Let’s Make Out” and “With A Heavy Heart.” But it doesn’t explain how live this is music which people can mosh to as much as rave, as the sweaty, heaving crowd, spilling over onto stage only too well demonstrated this evening at Bournemouth ibar. As Morgan explains after much deliberating in response to “define yourselves”, they make electronic music with guitars.

After the show, CUR1350 catches up with Morgan Quaintance to find out a bit more about the band…

CUR1350: Tell me briefly how it all started.

Morgan: Basically Dan [synths] and James [bass/vocals] started the band in their bedrooms and decided to make some sort of electro music. And then bizarrely, they got signed. It’s like some sort of Pinnochio-fairytale existence. They got signed straight away…About a few weeks after that, I met them in a club, and we were talking – “We got signed” “Oh that’s cool” – and then we just hung around for about year. And then they were like “We’re gonna do a band, and we need people to join.” So I decided to join. Basically, Dan and James started it first, and then me and Rob [drums] came in and got involved.

So do you have a main songwriter or do you share songwriting duties?

The main songwriter for this project [Does It Offend You, Yeah?] is James, really. My main focus is arranging and organising the live setup. So when you see us live….I sorta coordinate the show and direct it. It sounds so like a production of The Lion King or something – I direct how it’s supposed to go!

So where does the name Does It Offend You, Yeah? come from?

The name of the band comes from, they were watching the Office or something, and they were looking for a name for the band, and then Ricky Gervais said “Does it offend you, yeah? My drinking?” so they were like “OK, put “Does it offend you, yeah?” and cut out “My drinking?” It’s really strange cos loads of magazines are having a go at us for being pretentious.

Ricky Gervais is from Reading and you’re from Reading, so there’s a connection there.

I’m not personally from Reading – I live in London. But the other three are from Reading.

So are you the oddball?

Oh no, I’m just the coolest one out of them.

London tops Reading, doesn’t it?

Of course, yeah! Sorry Reading people!

How is your throat after that gig?

It’s all right, not bad, it’s holding up. Basically, what happened, when we played South By South West, we played six gigs in three days, I think.

That must have been intense. How did it feel to play it though? Was it an achievement to go out there?

Yeah it was amazing. But kinda annoying. Cos we f***ing smashed South By South West. We f***ing smashed it, man! But there were no f***ing camera crews, nobody checked us out, nobody was like “does it offend you?” And it was just sometimes – oh I don’t wanna get on my high horse – but, yeah, it did offend me. We f***ing worked our f***ing arses off, man. We went to a lot of shows and people were just f***ing standing there. We did shows like that every day but more intense than that, but I dunno. Whatever though. Cos the people who were there saw it, and that’s what counts.

So how did it feel to play the NME tour? Was that like a landmark moment?

Yeah, it was like a landmark. It was like our first big, mature step into professionality or whatever. We did a month’s worth of gigs. We got better at playing as a band, and we got better at handling hangovers!

How have you found the reactions to your album? Have you read a lot of reviews?

We’ve read a lot of reviews. And they’re split really. Some say it’s good, some say it’s shit. To be fair, I don’t really give a f***.

Isn’t it good to get a reaction?

Yeah, it’s good to get a reaction. And also it doesn’t really matter what journalists say. It just matters that people turn up to see what you do and see what you play. I think journalists have their own kind of agenda which is outside the arena of music. Which is like when you read a review, they’re really communicating with other journalists, and perhaps their employers and perhaps – I’m going to get in a lot of trouble [laughs] – and perhaps, it’s a dialogue with other journalists to show how much they know and how much better they are and how much they need to keep their job. Music is really something you come to see and experience, it’s not something you read about. I’m guilty of reading about it though; I buy the NME, I buy Mojo. I love those magazines… I don’t think we’re too fussed about reviews. Obviously, if they’re really bad…I don’t mind what anyone says but if they’re personal, it’s not very nice.

Yeah, when it goes beyond the music. Just to conclude – plans for the future? What’s happening the next two months? Busy schedule? You’re playing a few festivals, aren’t you?

We’re touring, touring constantly. We’re finishing here, then we tour Europe, then we tour America with Yo Majesty. Then we come back, we do Coachella festival, Reading festival, Glastonbury , Lollapalooza, Summersonic in Japan. Just constant touring. Gatecrasher Summer Soundsystem. We’re just trying to play as many shows as we can.

Last question. What is with the anime theme on your drum kit and the Pikachu on your guitar?

Basically, I bought that Pikachu on my guitar about 8 years ago. I don’t know if that’s good or not, but I bought it before Pikachu was famous…

That’s good. It makes you the trendsetter…

…or the weird guy who likes anime. The Japanese thing on our kickdrum is….we went to Japan a few weeks ago to do a couple of shows out there, and our record company in Japan designed the Does It Offend You logo in Japanese. And we were like “Wow, amazing!” so we got it printed. It’s awesome.

Thanks for chatting to CUR1350.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Ibar - 22.03.08

2008-04-11T16:07:00.004+01:00

With an inventively named line-up consisting of George Pringle, Cut Off Your Hands and of course, headliners, Does It Offend You, Yeah? it looked as if the night was to be an interesting one. Which indeed it was.

First up, George Pringle turns out to be a girl. Unfortunately for her and the audience, technical difficulties – namely a dodgy mic – means she spends the majority of her set slagging off the soundman. Maybe her Mike Skinner-esque rapping over music from an ipod was actually good, but nobody heard it nor cared after the on-stage saga.

Moving swiftly on, Cut Off Your Hands prove to be a lot more fun. Lead singer Nick immediately launches himself into the audience, who obligingly bop along. In fact, it’s hard to resist their catchy powerpop, especially as the band are so enthusiastic. Albeit their songs all began to sound pretty similar but they serve their purpose perfectly as a warm-up for Does It Offend You, Yeah?

For those familiar with DIOYY?’s single “We Are Rockstars,” you will know that it is the dance-rock tune of the moment, with vocoder-galore and a great big dirty bass line. Now imagine this in a tiny, underground room, a foot-high stage, no barrier and one hundred people ready to rave their asses off. A recipe for mayhem? You betcha.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? get up there on stage and ferociously play their instruments with wicked glee, singer and guitarist Morgan Quaintance bouncing around on stage. And the audience respond just as energetically by….er, not exactly dancing – impossible in the crowded conditions – but moshing. It would seem that DIOYY? have succeeded in creating what Morgan describes as “electronic music with guitars.”

The repetitive “With A Heavy Heart (I Regret to Inform You)” with semi-shouted lyrics builds the atmosphere to a near frenzy when the song reached its crescendo. Instrumental “Battle Royale” is also clearly popular, complete with all the brrrps an electro fan could want. In a similar vein, “Attack of the 60ft Lesbian Octopus” could actually be off the “Return to the Forbidden Planet” soundtrack as it musically narrates the exact subject of the title.

“Let’s Make Out,” a particular crowd favourite, is delivered with full power high-pitched yelps from Morgan, despite him expressing concern about his voice. But nothing matches the reaction for finale “We Are Rockstars.” Bassist James Rushent and main songwriter, dressed in a bright green hoody, delivers vocals whilst staring trance-like into space. It’s a sharp contrast to the exuberant, forever-grinning Morgan, who earlier in the set, stripped his top off whilst singing Nelly’s “It’s Getting Hot In Here.” It’s an odd pair of frontmen. Yet the evident energy that all four members put into the show is what makes Does It Offend You, Yeah? one of the best live experiences of the moment.

Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles

2008-04-08T14:21:00.002+01:00

I have been waiting for this album for over a year, not for lack of material posted on the interenet: Crystal Castles is truly a band of the Myspace generation, but more for a definitive collection of their work. The album ‘Crystal Castles’ is a success in this sense: 16 tracks of unadulterated electronic bleeps, but to me its the linking of each singularly awesome track together that lets it down. Crystal Castles as an act need to decide whether they are the kind of band that produces 3 minute or so gems of songs clearly definable from one another or if they are DJs, mixing them together to make a cohesive whole. In some cases, links between songs are more than tenuous: between Crimewave and Magic Spells, both of which are great songs comes a noise that sounds like a bin falling down the stairs: not good. Links aside, each tune on the album is great: ranging from chilled out ambience (Good Time and Magic Spells), to angst ridden, noisy electro (Alice Band Love and Caring and Xxzxcuzx Me). How do you sum up the sound of Canadian electro-rockers Crystal Castles? To me, their music evokes the sound your computer would make if it were alive, in the manner of the Transformers and the like: bizarre and robotic.
Stand out tracks: Alice Band, Crime Wave and Knights.
www.myspace.com/crystalcastles
If you like what you hear, they’re going on tour courtesy of NME and Topman in May.

Something Old, Something New, Something To Look Forward To: April

2008-04-01T23:28:00.012+01:00

I’ll try and update this at least monthly, but here’s the format: I’ll post three alternative/leftfield album recommendations, one past classic, one new release, and one forthcoming release to anticipate. Also included are further recommendations by different artists, should you like these choices, or need some kind of reference point.

Something Old: Guided By Voices: Alien Lanes

It’s hard to believe that something this lo-fi sounding could’ve been recorded in 1995, especially when it is so steeped in 60’s brit psych-pop and 70’s metal and FM rock influences. But Guided By Voices were famed for this sort of thing, and while the shabby home production lends this a certain charm, these songs could’ve been recorded in any form and would still sound great. At 28 songs and 41 minutes (many songs don’t even hit the minute mark) it’s not an album that allows you to get comfortable, but more songs just means more great pop hooks, and when they’re as strong as the ones on Game Of Pricks, Motor Away, My Son Cool, My Valuable Hunting Knife etc. etc. that can only be a good thing. Alien Lanes is an album that seems to hit upon a brilliant tune almost by accident, only to discard it and immediately find another equally brilliant one to replace it. If you dig this, be sure to check out its even more stunning predecessor, Bee Thousand.
If you like this try: Times New Viking: Rip It Off (2008), Pavement: Slanted & Enchanted (1992)

Something New: Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band: 13 Blues For 13 Moons
Starting off as just the trio A Silver Mt Zion almost a decade ago, as the band has swelled in members and sound, its name has followed suit. Lead-member Efrim Menuck was the guitarist for the Canadian post-rock titans Godspeed You(!) Black Emperor(!), and his strained, off-key shrieks might make you wish he’d stuck to the instrumental rock of his old band. If you can overcome this barrier though, you’ll find that Efrim’s unabated vocal stylings are well suited to the apocalyptic drama offered here. 13 Blues is the band’s heaviest, most ferocious album to date, four quarter-hour songs that pound and grind away with visceral guitars and equally visceral cellos for the album’s first half, before moving into shuddering noise (Black Waters Blowed/Engine Broke Blues), and an unexpectedly uplifting finale with BlindBlindBlind. The songs have been honed over recent live performances, and as a result, the album is best enjoyed as a whole. The band are playing two consecutive nights in early April at the London Scala: I’ve got my ticket and if you like this album, I strongly advise you get one too.
If you like this try: Godspeed You Black Emperor!: F♯A♯∞ (1997), Arcade Fire: Funeral (2005)

Something To Look Forward To: The Microphones: The Glow Part 2 Reissue
Okay, so this isn’t exactly a new release: The Glow Part 2 was originally released in 2001, but is being re-released in April with a bonus cd of extra material. This is something I would normally be cynical of, but The Glow Part 2 is one album deserved of more recognition. In short, a cult classic: a startling mixture of achingly pretty indie-folk, crushing distortion (just listen to Samurai Sword), a wide range of other instrumentation, and Phil Elverum’s plaintive vocals which at certain points can make the hairs on your neck stand on end. Sonically, there are very few albums that can match this, its incredibly bare production make it one of the most stunning headphone albums ever conceived, and the opening salvo of I Want The Wind To Blow, the title track and The Moon are nothing short of mind-blowing. If you’re unfamiliar with the Microphones, this is a great place to start, and probably their definitive release, and if you like this, the album’s narrative continues into the band’s final release Mount Eerie (also the name of Elverum’s subsequent project).
If you like this try: Neutral Milk Hotel: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)

Daunting horrible subjective lists:1 , Chiara:0 (a.k.a. The Top 10s of 2007)

2008-01-07T01:55:00.001Z

I was almost hoping Sandy wouldn't be doing any of this "Top of 2007" stuff because it kind of forces me to, too. And I find it a very daunting task. Where did 2007 even start? I have awful medium-term memory and the years blend together. Not to mention it'll still take at least until this summer, maybe longer, before I get a chance to properly listen to all the things I want to that have been released in this past year. Who can keep up with all this, anyway? I need a little dark room with awesome sound equipment, the only disturbances CD- and occasional food deliveries. And throw in a far better memory for good measure.

Right. Enough of the whining. Count to three hold your breath one two three - BUT 1) I refuse to give useful descriptions for most of these as they're my top 10 and I don't feel like ripping into them critically and I also don't feel like trying to describe them for the sake of assigning pretty words - good music refuses to be written down, so just go listen to it, will you? 2) I refuse point-blank to order mine, thus, in no particular order (except alphabetical) - here goes:

*Note: artist names link to myspace pages because I am efficient like that and like to make life easier for you.
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CHIARA'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2007:

Amy Macdonald - This Is The Life (Vertigo)
What a talent. This girl, her smoky voice, insightful lyrics and haunting pop-folk tunes perfectly combine underlying melancholy with an often (but not always) upbeat glazing. Not to mention the production and layering is flawless.
Standout tracks: Youth of Today, This Is The Life, Poison Prince

Blonde Redhead - 23 (4AD)
This album had me from the first time I ever heard it. A surreal dreamscape constructed of ethereal sounds that flit away before you can really grasp them, leaving a soft aural glow in their wake.
Standout tracks: The Dress, 23, Top Ranking, Spring And By Summer Fall

Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (Saddle Creek)
I didn't like this album when it was first released: I felt that Conor Oberst does tortured introspective better than political protest or anything moving beyond the scope of just him. I've since changed my mind - while it's far from my favourite Bright Eyes album, it certainly delivers. The American folk roots take up an ever greater and more obvious space - hints have always been there, and the full-out expression of them on certain of these tracks is like magical release that has been waiting for years. Conor's voice remains melancholic and heartfelt as ever. If you didn't like Bright Eyes before, you won't like them any more after this album; but if you did, then this is a worthy addition to any record collection. Just pretend the track 'Make A Plan To Love Me' doesn't exist.
Standout tracks: No One Would Riot For Less (this is the track that convinced me to give the rest of the album another try), If The Breakman Turns My Way, I Must Belong Somewhere, Middleman

Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta (SideOneDummy)
"Gypsy punk"! - faster, stronger, crazier, more energetic than previous works. The added excitement comes at a price: there are fewer anthemic songs on here than there were on 'Gypsy Punks - Underdog World Strike' or 'Multi Kontra Cult Vs. Irony' , in part due to the lesser Gyspsy influences (there is also less singing in Eugene Hutz's trademark mixture of Ukrainian/Romani/Russian/insert any other language here) - but not to worry, there are plenty of other spices thrown into the mix, from traditional italian music all the way to dub. Leaving racing hearts and sweaty bodies, the entire album barely leaves room for breathing - except the ode to 'Alcohol' that leaves you just enough time to indulge in the song's subject. Party.
Standout tracks: Tribal Connection, Super Taranta!, Forces of Victory, Wonderlust King

Interpol - Our Love To Admire (Capitol)
This is as polished a masterpiece as has been created this past year. Songwriting as tight as this is difficult, but Interpol have managed to beautifully assemble elaborate aural constructions in which not a single note is out of place. Some of their previous works ultimately failed, trapped in the claustrophobic quagmire of an OCD sufferer's sock drawer. Instead, 'Our Love To Admire' easily soars above all this with the ability to both fill large empty spaces as well as seep into the tiniest cracks in the world's fabric.
Standout tracks: Pioneer To The Falls, Rest My Chemistry, Pace is the Trick, Mammoth, The Lighthouse

Lovers Electric - Whatever You Want ( - )
Most of the tracks on this album are remakes of previously released songs - remakes that are fuller and more elaborate than the previous stripped down keyboard-guitar-voice arrangement. Combining pop sensibility with a well-crafted repertoire of electronic sounds and singer Eden's stunning voice, this album will tear your heart out. I'm ignoring the technicality that the album is only available as online pre-release for the time being.
Standout tracks: Honey, Morning Sun, Whatever You Want, Love Waits, Could This Be, Stay Awhile, Closer........

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (Epic)
This album will never ever bore you, moving smoothly between soft crooning and loud aural attacks without stopping to take breaths inbetween - there is something pure and raw about this album and its energy; this is chaos with purpose that strikes hard. Enough said.
Standout tracks: Florida, Spitting Venom, Fly Trapped in a Jar, March Into The Sea

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (Interscope)
Trent Reznor did desolation best, now he does apocalyptica and dystopia best. It is difficult to keep up a consistent level of quality throughout a concept album, but NIN have certainly managed (I'll accept criticism that says the album doesn't quite reach the same level of intensity as older works, but what can you do? It's still more than anyone else has given us in the past few years in that area). Chaotic electrical noise, anxiety-inducing beats and entrancingly interweaving guitar is overlayed with the occasional glints of hopeful beauty in a note or melody here or there to form an industrial soundscape made up of sharp corners and edges of glass glittering softly in cold light; Reznor's voice is as loaded full of poison and sex as ever.
Standout tracks: In This Twilight, The Great Destroyer, My Violent Heart, Capital G, The Good Soldier

Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet (Roadrunner)
I said I wouldn't name a number one on this list, but this may well be it. Putting words to this would be a futile exercise.
Standout Tracks: all of them.

Ok, that was the first 9. For the 10th, pick any of the following:

Bedouin Soundclash - Street Gospels (SideOneDummy)
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing!)
Fanfare Ciocarlia - Queens and Kings (Asphalt Tango)
Oi Va Voi - Oi Va Voi (V2)
Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position (Loog)
The Scare - Chivalry (Below Par)
Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound (Touch and Go)

Other Mentions:

DeVotchKa - How It Ends (ANTI-) -- for finally getting its European release this year.
Tina Dico - Count To Ten -- this hasn't been released in the UK yet (only her native Denmark), so I'm saving it for next year's list.

Things That Would Probably Make It Onto The List Once I Get A Chance To Properly Listen To Them:

Tegan & Sara - The Con (London)
Jason Webley - The Cost Of Living (11)

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CHIARA'S TOP 10 EPs AND SINGLES OF 2007:

Aqualung - Cinderella (Epic)
Aqualung prove once more that they do 'beauty' like no other. (And for once, a single edit beats an album version.)

Beirut - Lon Gisland EP (Ba Da Bing!)
Zach Condon's drawl and the masterful instrumentation of this is like a post-rain day in the countryside, dancing around in still-soaked grass. Or maybe an evening walk through the dimly lit streets of an old town in a music box.

The Blood Brothers - Set Fire To The Face On Fire (Wichita)
Masterful chaos with no barriers in sight? You know it makes sense.

Channel One - Permissions EP (SFR)
Dark, apprehensive, fervent, manic tension woven into an electronic soundscape with threads of breathy vocals that runs smoothly into aural explosions before stripping down to nothing... and back again. Side-effects may include accelerated breathing or no breathing at all as well as a feeling of anxiety.

The Killers ft. Lou Reed - Tranquilize (Mercury)
Why I would suddenly take a liking to the Killers was a mystery to me until I realized it was far more Lou Reed than Killers even style-wise. This song makes me alternately melt and shake. It's almost disappointing that they didn't collaborate for more tracks. This might be number 1 on this list.

Laura Marling - My Manic and I EP (Virgin)
I kind of want to avoid saying anything about her age - it seems to be the fate of young artists to get "they sound great despite their age" reviews - but, well, despite her age Miss Marling could easily keep up with some of the most accomplished female folk singers, and she does it with a freshness and charm that is inescapable.

Manu Chao - Rainin in Paradize (Because)
Reminiscent of his earlier Mano Negra days, this track is upbeat, bouncy, energetic, driven, fun, smoothly combining various influences into a colourful patchwork soundscape as only Manu Chao can do.

Oi Va Voi - Yuri (V2)
Combine Klezmer and electronica, screw together using plenty of musical talent, spatter some humour on top and fire off into space.

My Passion - BooMan ( - )
Punk, disco, 80's synths, a healthy dose of hairspray and you'll be ready to dance the night away.

Queens of the Stone Age - Make It Wit Chu ( Polydor)
Few people do sexy as well as this. Note that strictly speaking the single version of this would probably go under the honourable mentions, and only the album version (the guitar solo is the key point) would actually make it into this top 10. Details.

Honourable Mentions:

Battles - Atlas (Warp)
Editors - The Racing Rats (Sony BMG)
Evelyn Evelyn - Elephant Elephant EP (11) -- so, it's Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, in one. Enough said.
Marcus Mumford - Feel the Tide Turning ( - ) -- not technically a single release (yet?) or any release at all, but a massive talent.
Mark Ronson ft. Lily Allen - Oh My God (Columbia) -- for being the track that has probably gotten stuck in my head the most times this year.
The Outside - Something Urgent EP ( - ) -- Ok, so I like 90s alternative rock with an occasionally raw grungy element, and these kids have just brought it to the future. Particularly the intricacy of the drumming deserves pointing out, as does the emotional capacity of singer Tree's voice. Track Gravity Never Buckles, The End Is Always Near is another contender for this year's number 1 spot. [see, this is where I messed up. This was actually a 2006 release, but since I wrote all that I decided it deserved a spot here].
Silversun Pickups - Pikul EP (Dangerbird) -- this was released a while ago in the US but only just got a UK release. Fantastic.
The Smashing Pumpkins - Tarantula (Warner) / Doomsday Clock (Warner/digital release only) -- the former for being elaborate and wonderful and showing the kids of today how it's done; the latter for being as good as anything the Pumpkins have ever released. Neither are in the top 10 because I hold a personal grudge against them for raising my hopes as regards the rest of the album.
Stateless - Bloodstream (K7)

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No, Radiohead is not on this list.

Conclusions:
+ 2007, despite pro-offering a few gems, was overall not a great year for music. The upside to this is of course that I had a lot of time to delve back and seek out older things.
+ Sandy and I, while we can co-exist quite peacefully, really don't have all that much in common when it comes to the fundamentals of our music taste.

So, what am I anticipating most about 2008?
Amanda Palmer's solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer? of course.

Chiara over and out
lovelovelove

The Obligatory Best of 2007 According to Sandy - Albums part 2

2007-12-31T16:48:00.001Z

So at last we come to the end - the 5 best records of 2007. Seek these out and you shall find aural pleasures beyond your wildest dreams. Listen and love...

5.Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future

Overhyped by certain music publications this is nonetheless a great debut album. A mess of sounds crafted with some sublime production into a whole that somehow manages to cling to coherence by its fingernails, this is a high-pitched manic record that rattles along at a frenetic pace. Full of high pitched vocals, manic yelps and slightly out of tune harmonies this is not a purist musician's album, it's about the whole being more than just the sum of its parts. Forget the labels, don't even try to dance to it - just stick it on loud and try to work out how the hell it works. I dare you.

Key Tracks: Atlantis To Interzone, Golden Skans, Gravity's Rainbow, Two Receivers

4.Mumm-Ra - These Things Move In Threes

Just when you though nobody could make a proper British starry-eyed pop album anymore these guys create an absolute masterpiece. This albums is all about two things- tunes and enery and it as more than enough of both. Theres a sweet childlike innocence on display here - everything is full of sunshine and glee throughout with no real dark moments. Don't mistake this for a lack of depth though, the lyrics are neat and never trite and the songwriting has a real sophistication behind it. Like a well produced kids TV programme, they have made something enjoyable for kids and parents alike. This is the years perkiest album that is irresistable in tis enthusiasm. Just listen to 'Out Of The Question with a group of friends and odds are you'll all be daning around the room like a bunch of loons before even having a drink. If you are looking for an album that is fun, unadshamedly poppy and yet doesn't get boring, irritating or predictable after a few listens this is undoubtedly what you are looking for.

Key Tracks: The Sick Deal, Out Of The Question, Light Up This Room, Starlight

3. Reuben - In Nothing We Trust (Hideous)

One of my favourite bands ever returned with a third album that did not disappoint one single bit. At both the most visceral and the tenderest they have ever been this is a heavy rock album unafraid to be varied and original in it's approach. Freed of their label and going it alone Jamie, Jon and Guy take themselves to te next level, in the process creating one of the most complicated and groundbreaking rock abums in quite a while. From the brutal social commentry of 'We're All Going Home In An Ambulence' and the crazed genius of 'Deadly Lethal Ninja Assasin' via the tender acoustic duet of Good Luck and possibly the worlds first guitarless piano metalpopcore track in Agony Agatha (which shouldn't work yet somehow really really does), this is an album that runs the entire spectrum of emotion in the most innovative and varied manner full of light and shade yet still maintains an honsty and directness that only Reuben can bring. It's a monster of a record and deserves its place in the hearts and minds of every rock fan out there and quite a few others besides.

Key Tracks: Good Luck, We're All Going Home In An Ambulence, A Short History Of Nearly Everything, Deadly Lethal Ninja Assasin, Blood Bunny Larkhall

2. Frank Turner - Sleep Is For The Weak (Xtramile)

A far cry from his screams at the front of Million Dead, Frank Turner's debut album is an acoustic masterpiece. Steering clear of the trite ramblings of many a singer-songwriter this is a wonderfully direct, charismatic album with plenty of force where needed and a genuine emotion behind it. With a clever wit and brutal honesty this is possibly the most human album of the year as well. Add to that a voice with real power that sets him apart form many of his wimpier, moaning peers and songs so personal in their nature that somehow they become universal and you're left with something irresistably anthemic and individual. Its an album full of contradictions that pulls everything together into something so complete that even after almost a whole year stands out, as well as having the most defiant track of the year in the closing 'The Ballad Of Me And My Friends'.

Key Tracks: Wisdom Teeth, The Ladies Of London Town, Father's Day, The Ballad Of Me And My Friends

1. The October Game - Box Of A Billion Lights (Carmandie)

Despite technically being released last year this is without a doubt the album of 2007 (I't my list and I'll break the rules if I want to...) I've reviewd this album at length elsewhere on this blog but from start to finish this is the most absurdly brilliant thing I have heard this year. From its forceful rhythms through it's serpentine guitars to it's passionate, thoughful vocals and artful lyrics this is a triumph in every respect. This album takes my breath away every time I hear it, and every time there is something more to love. Seek it out and you will find something truly rare and special

Key Tracks: Gatherers Hands, No Time For Feelings, Satellites, Serpentine and every other track on there

Honorable Mentions: Feist - The Reminder, Paramore - Riot!, Roisin Murphy - Overpowered, Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City, Yourcodenameis:Milo - They Came From The Sun

Conclusions

So what have we learned from this year then?

~ British unsigned/independent label music has some fantastic talent (making up over a third of these lists and taking both number one spots is a real achievement)
~ The Barfly is already better than the Loft was
~ Cambridge has some damn good gigs going on at all levels
~ Reuben can do no wrong
~ Bjork and Tori Amos can unfortunatly
~ Mark Ronson is turned on by horn sections. There's no other explanation for it
~ British indie has moved back about 3 steps. Everyone wants to be Oasis again dammit (see The Enemy, The Twang et al)
~ Being Northern doesn't make you automatcally cool (see above)
~ Biffy Clyro can do the mainstream - who'd have thunk it?
~ The Young Knives hit bum notes occasionally
~ Mumm-Ra ooze fun from every pore
~ The new album from the Automatic will be interesting...
~ Amy Winehouse will somehow live until the ripe old age of 89
~ Pete Doherty is still a c***

oh and 2008 is going to be great - look for our ones to watch very soon

Happy New Music y'all!

The Obligatory Best of 2007 According to Sandy - Albums part 1

2007-12-30T22:10:00.000Z

Creating a good album is much harder than making one perfect single. Producing a great album is an incredible feat. It's not just the fact that there are more songs on it that makes producing a worthy long-player so tricky. Its about the way the piece works as a whole, the

We've been spiled for the last three years with some incredible music and for me, as with the singles this year represented a little bit of a downturn on the whole. Follow-up albums from big artists have often been rather disappointing, while a proportion of the fresh takent as taken a step backwards, following successful formulae to some extent but never managing to find something original or great (just look at the tonnes of Arctic Monkeys/Libertines/Oasis copyists out there at the moment and you'll see - I won't name names here).

That said when the highs came they really were high. The best albums of this year stood out like fireworks above the darkened ground showing us that there was plenty of flash and bang in 2007 yet. 2007 wasn't a bad year. It gave us these...

10. Bat For Lashes

In a year when the big singer songwritresses have largly disappointed this album shone brightly. Etherial, dangerous and tribal this is not the sort of album you would expect to come out of modern Brighton but it carries itself with a real sense of flair and mystgery that cannot help but pull you into it's warped worlds and enchant you with its menace and beauty. Natasha Kahn is a lady with a mesmerising voice and real individual character and all of that shows through in this superb debut.

Key Tracks: Priscilla, What's A Girl To Do?, Tahiti

9. Joey Nightmare - Polytechnic (4Real)

Proving that you don't have to be American to produce a great pop record with guitars Joey Nightmare have created an album that takes a subtly different tack from the crowd and produced an album that belies their youth. Putting the simple riffs and empty hooks to one side instead we get an album built around some fantastic tunes and chiming guitars that is subtly direct and never overly or falsely angsty. These guys have the talent to go far and deserve a much bigger following than they have, and on the strength of this should get it too.

Key Tracks: Pirate Disco, Nothing, We're Down AT Polytechnic

8. Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures

Quite a few critics gave Maximo Park's sophomore album a rather lukewarm response but I think they're entirely wrong. Taking a step backwards from the raucous, jerky sounds of 'A Certain Trigger', 'Our Earthly Pleasures' is the sound of a band that have refined their songwriting to an immense degree. Just listen to album highlight 'Books From Boxes' and you can hear why. Subtle twisting guitars and a greater dimension of feeling mix with their original energy, wit and charm. Without a doubt one of the years best returns

Key Tracks: Books From Boxes, The Unshockable, By The Monument

7. Puggy (Talkio)

A quirky album full of Gallic charm from this Belgian-based three-piece , boasting some great little acoustic guitar led ditties with plenty of delicacy, power and complexity. Some fantastic European sounding guitarwork and a powerful vocalist in Matthew Irons make this album quirky, underrated winner. Only available online at the moment from the band's website this is well worth seeking out.

Key Tracks: Chez Madame Louise, Burned, Insane, Lonely Murder

6. Biffy Clyro (14th Floor)

One of the surprises of the year - Biffy Clyro go mainstream! This was an album that alienated quite a few songs with its embracing of the big pop chorus and a much lighter, less vicious and complicated sound to its predecessors this also gained them some new ones, bringing their complex rock sound to the masses. While never rocking out and screaching like a true Biffy album should there are some luscious songs here (check out the stunning 'Love Has A Diameter) mixed in with some of the most aggressive twisting rock singles to ever hit mainstream success (Who would have ever predicted that 'Living Is A Problem...' would become such a big hit?). Where they go from here will be intersting but this album deservedly has a lot more people joining in the chorus of 'Mon The Biffy!'

Key Tracks: Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies, Love Has A Diameter, Semi-Mental, Who's Got A Match?

The Obligatory Best of 2007 According to Sandy - Singles part 2

2007-12-29T22:09:00.000Z

So we reach the top of the pile - the final five!

5. Stateless - Bloodstream (!K7)

Piece together a truly haunting piano riff that toys with your spine as it swirls around with a sultry, slow chilled beat and desperate, sorrowful vocals that sound a little like Thom Yorke had his sinuses cleared up and this is the glorious result. This is not the sort of track you normally expect to see come from a dance label but what you have is a beautiful plaintive song that benifits from some superb production and subtle shifts in tone to create one of the most moving songs of 2007.

4. Air Traffic - Shooting Star (EMI)

If you want a single that soars higher than an eagle strapped to a jumbo jet this is the only choice. What could have been an utterly saccharine piece of indie-pop turns out to be a hearfelt classic with a chorus that can blow hole in walls and a finishing guitar solo that ties you in knots before pulling the ropes and unravelling you in one gleeful spinning burst. Giddy joy in just over four minutes.

3. Laura Marling - My Manic And I EP (Virgin)

This was so close to the top spot. Laura Marling is a girl with phenomenal talent. In person she is like a ghost, yet put a guitar in her hands and a mic at her doisposal and the only thing epherial is the music. Haunting, moody acoustic tremors delived by a vocalist that can send the most lovely shivers up the spine are her trademark and this EP shows them off at her best so far ahead of a debut album in February. Live she is a revelation as well, transforming a room in the space of a few notes. We were lucky enough to have her in session too and even going solo these songs have the capability to leave you in a totally different dimension. Hunt down the atmospheric 'Night Terror' or the the multi-faceted 'My Manic and I' and see for yourself.

Right here you might expect to find number 2. but there was a problem. However much I tried I couldn't seperate these two singles out. Both of these have been so important to me this year that I couldn't decide so in a complete departure from the rules - I give you my joint #1's:

1.. Arthur - The Blue EP (unsigned)

Ok so technically this wasn't released or recorded in 2007 but to me this is very much a 2007 record and so makes the list (it's my best of 2007 and I can break the rules if I want to). I first found out of this band early in 2007 after hearing their singer would b guesting on the new Reuben album. I had a spare few minutes, checked out their myspcae and was immediately blown away by 'Heart Stopping Specialist'- the lead track from this EP. A few weeks later they were all over the station and topping our charts. Pretty good for an unsigned band still at 6th Form College!

Why is this EP so good? Quite simply it is the best 4 track EP I have ever heard. Fantastic tunes, a voive that is destined to make every teenage kid fall in love with Hannah Shark without even seeing her face, energy and maturity all rolled into an impossible whole this is irresistable. Listen to the desperate coyness and come-hither smile of Heart Stopping Specialist or the heart-breaking chimes of self-deprication of Mirror and if you tell me it doesn't touch you then I won't believe you. It's as simple as that

1. Dead Letter Society - Mr Profound/On Too (unsigned)

Dead Letter Society are Cambridge's best band. Period. And the fact that they are unsigned is absolutly criminal. And to be honest any of their tracks could have got to the top of this list but once again this is one that has shaped my year on CUR1350 - listen to almost any of my shows on even a semi-regular basis and you will have heard this for no other reason than that it is fantastic. Proper British pop music with some lush guitarwork, brilliantly used piano flourishes and a vocalist in Matt Start with rare style and charisma to go with the powerful voice and lyrics.

2007 wouldn't have happened anything like it diod for me without this band and their music. That's why it deserves its place with Arthur at the top of this tree. The album is on the way early next year and I cannot wait - 2008 is theirs. Don't forget where you heard them first

Honorable mentions: Fish Go Deep - The Cure And The Cause, Pendulum - Granite

So the singles are out of the way - tune in from tomorrow for the big ones - thealbums!

The Obligatory Best of 2007 According to Sandy - Singles part 1

2007-12-28T22:02:00.000Z

Singles-wise 2007 has been decent if not extraordinary - I'm not sure why, maybe it's just the last 3 years of awesomeness catching up with us. That said it was still tricky to narrow it down to just ten absolute bangers.

Be warned nothing on the singles list appears on the albums list starting in 2 days time. When it comes to the albums I will be noting down key tracks and singles so don't think you're going to be missing out on that front.
Ok so here goes - singles 10 through 6 of the best 10 singles of 2007 according to
Sandy that are not on the 10 best albums of 2007 according to Sandy.

That was a bit of a mouthful (or would have been if I wasn't typing)

[Disclaimer - all lists here are entirely subjective, if you disagree or want to give us yours then comment away - that's what it's there for. Who knows we may even do a listener's best of sometime!]

10. The Duke Spirit - Lassoo (Vital)

'Cuts Across The Land' had some great singles on it (check out the sublime 'Love Is An Unfamiliar Name') but this is the way to announce your return. Leila Moss' vocals show their true power and potential here over some sumptuous horns and striking crescendos, all building to to a brash and forceful chorus that is enough to take the wind out of any indie kid's sails

9. The Pistolas - Take It With A Kiss (unsigned)

This tune that had me breaking out into falsetto in the studio every single time I played it regardless of who was around (Just ask my co-presenter Ella on The CUR1350 Music Show). The Pistolas gave us a single that just screamed at us to get our asses on the dancefloor with some ridiculously high vocals and a bassline capable of shifting tectonic plates in a funky manner. Unashamed frenetic fun for three and a half minutes, and we all need that sometimes don't we. These guys promise a lot for the future.

8. Sky Larkin - One Of Two (dancetotheradio)

If you have listened to CUR1350 Berakthrough you will know that Leed's dancetotheradio is one of the best independent labels out there and these guys are one of their best new signings. 'One Of Two' is an odd, intense little pop gem that stands out like a diamond with a gorgeous tune delivered with a gorgeous urgency and softness.

7. Kosheen - Overkill (Pinnacle)

After inexplicably choosing to follow up one of the greatest dance albums of the decade with a collection of indie-ish misfires this single finally announced that Kosheen were back to what they do best - supremely atmospheric dance music with a real spine and big tunes. Sian William's vocals are on mean form here, slithering along like a Welsh cobra before rearing its head and spitting brashly at you in glorious fashion. Combine that with some dangerous sounding samples and 'Kokopelli' is finally forgiven.

6. Operator Please - Leave It Alone (Brille)

By far the spunkiest single of the year, these Australian kids gave us a song that hits you repeatedly in the face with a bat made of fun and doesn't stop until you're well and truly shattered. This track boasts one of the choruses of the year in a quickfire banger with vocals that put Beth Ditto to shame and enough speed and energy to leave you exhausted when it's done. Making violins sound cool again and not just those sweeping instruments you use when trying to be all emotional and stuff is no mean feat. Infinatly more fun than a high-school orchestra.

Tune in tomorrow for the final five...

The Obligatory Best of 2007 according to Sandy - Starting tomorrow

2007-12-27T21:24:00.000Z

At this time of year every magazine, radio show and blog this side of Mars (and probably quite a few on the other side too)is counting down their favourite tracks and albums of the past twelve months. There are a lot of reasons why this is such a popular practice. Some albums and singles take a while to properly "get" - in this business immediate repeated listening is a luxury rarely afforded to us as there is always something new that requires attention. This way after a few months we can truly laud those that we may have missed alongside those we managed to get first time around. It's also a chance to show off tastes and draw attention to those things others may have missed and deserve a wider audience. Finally, let's face it all the new releases dry up at the start of December and we need something to do...

Tying to do this though is often an exercise in near futility. Trying to rank albums is a stupidly hard thing to do - do you go with musical complexity, personal meaning, emotional evocation or just which album has the biggest horn section (in which case Mark Ronson wins hands down). What the hell does "best" even mean? (Hell I'm a philosopher and I don't even know!)

That said over the the next 4 days I'll be unveiling my top 10 singles and albums of 2007, 5 each day, singles first. These lists have been painstakingly compiled from absolutly everything I have heard that has been released over the last 12 months, carefully ranked and reviewed in a paletable reverse order just for you

Just don't ask me how I compiled it...

What Happens In Aldershot...

2007-12-24T23:02:00.000Z

I tend not to travel too far for gigs. I don't have a car and most public transport shuts down just after 11 so quite often it's just not much of an option for me. However when I heard that Reuben were putting on a Christmas spectacular in Aldershot and Arthur were supporting I couldn't resist so my friend Adam and I made the 2 1/2 hour trek from the sussex coast.
So after a long drive in thick fog and a long wait in the carpark (missing the rush hour made so much sense before we arrived 2 hours early) playing I-Spy (I won hands down). We finally got in. Tickets were like golddust, anticipation was high and the venue was intimate and great. So far so good

First up were Extravagatron. Drafted in as last minute replacements for the original openers Audit, nobody knew what to expect. What nobody expected was a lead singer wearing only kneepads, black briefs and a luchadore's mask. I would post a picture here but I realised that would mean having a picture of a muscled, sweaty, near naked bloke in his pants on my laptop and I didn't really want to have to explain that one to my girlfriend, so you're just going to have to imagine this one. The music itself was very varied, ranging from cock-rock to jazz in neat little bursts with lyrics as filthy as the space under my 19 year old brother's bed. Never taking itself too serriously these guys are no maestros but for a bizare 30 minutes I just didn't care. Needless to say this performance was an experience, and a damn fun one at that. See them live and you won't regret it. Unless you feel the need afterwards to scour your eyes.

So onto Arthur. I've been supporting this band for a long time on CUR1350 and for good reason. Arthur have produced some of the finest indie/pop tunes I have ever heard. Youthful and exuberant somehow combining raw energy and passion in a way few bands ever havce into three minute blasts of bliss, this was my first time seeing them in the live arena and I was a little bit worried whether they would live up to my expectations. Cue one magnificent performance to put any doubts to rest within 2 tracks.
The set tonight is wholly build around their newer material, showcasing a greater complexity in their songwriting than previous EPs and it pays off superbly. Tortured Artist' is a manic uncontrollable hook twister while old favourite 'Me and the Minister' is revamped into a new twisted electro shape and seems to like it. The new material is waht stands out tonight though with a song about rocket ships impressing with its brilliant flicks between sections and one of the best vocal hooks I have heard in ages. Even after one listen it sounds like a classic. On record Hannah Shark's vocals are magnificently emotive. Live they have the ability to melt spines and break hearts at will. An most people would gladly let them. To take a crowd of rock fans and make such a good impression is a big feat especially for a band whose members are still in 6th Form college but they really won over the crowd. I've said it a million times. This band deserve it all.

Tonight is Reuben's night though. This is a band on the top of their game after the release of the superb 'In Nothing We Trust' and tonight it is their party. Blitzing through a set made up of material from accross theoir back-catalogue we were promised something special and boy was it delivered. Live debuts for the Brutal 'Crushed Under The Weight Of The Enormous Bullshit' and a passionate 'An Act of Kindness', a rocking little Beatles cover and plenty of tracks that didn't get an outing on the last tour were mixed in with the more familiar singles in a setlist that satisfied the purist and kept faith with those that have just boarded the Reuben train. Combine that with some between song banter that many stand-ups would be proud of and a real regard for the people in front of them Reuben have the crowd around their little fingers but like true gentlemen never take advantage of it. The big fireworks were saved for the end though with a starting with a voice destroying 'No One Wins The War' that threatened to bring the house down from the crowds singing alone. A rare outing for the classic 'Words From Reuben' that breaks your heart before showing you true love and fan favourite 'Everytime A Teenager Listens To Drum and Bass A Rockstar Dies gave way to the most surprising ending that could have been hoped for. 'Shambles'stopped the heart of everybody in the room with its passionate poigniancy befoer exploding in joyus desperation. Faithfulness, and dare I say it, love distilled into sonic form. I could barely speak afterwards and that wasn't just because I'd been singing so hard.

I've reviewed these guys live on this blog before and the effect was the same. A crowd so moved by music that nothing could snap them out of their trance until the band left the stage. On home ground they had nothing to prove. But they damn well did it anyway. What Happens In ALdershot doesn't just stay in Aldershot. When it's this good the experience stays with you for the rest of your life.

[Photos curtesy of the cameraphone of my good friend and chauffeur Mr Adam Pellett]

Xmas Music

2007-12-22T23:01:00.001Z

Goddamn I hate Xmas music. Every year it's the same old songs and every year. Endlessly. In shops, on the radio and the torturous adverts that permeate every 10 minutes of television. Its wrapping paper thin lyrics, overabundance of sleighbells, and false cheeriness grate at me more than almost anything in the world. Lets face it, a good christmas song is as real as Santa

And this year is no different, another X-Factor winner and The Pogues getting overplayed more than usual due to a fuss over something that was right before people started objecting to it.

I woke up in the middle of the night two nights ago with Cristmas songs in my head and a pain in my arm swearing I would crucify the next radio, TV set or shop tannoy playing Slade Wizzard or any of that sorry repetitive bunch.

Wrong holiday I know but it feels appropriate

So this Xmas I'm turning my radio off and listening through some albums that I've missed in my musical education so far. Just because there's nothing new out, it doesn't mean that there's nothing new to be found at this time of year. Looking back is sometimes as good as looking forwards

I can't remember who said it, but "If I ain't heard it, it's new to me!"

rant over, tune in this week for a very special gig review featuring one of our favourite bands on CUR1350, as well as my obligatory single and album reviews of the year

Everything else shuts down and we start back up - I'm a natural pedant

Sandy

SRA-ing-ing-ing.

2007-11-16T23:51:00.000Z

As those of you reading this may or may not know, CUR1350 has just returned triumphantly from the 2007 Student Radio Awards bearing TROPHIES! Yes! One of our presenters, Kat Godfrey, nabbed 'Best Female Presenter', while all of us collectively got to storm the stage and claim 'Station of the Year' (also, a Bronze award went to Charles Lyons for 'Best Entertainment Program'). The rather grimy-looking, fingerprint-covered piece of precious glass in mine and Sandy's hands is the award in question. Yes, I realize this post is not exactly music-related, so what's my point? Infinite happiness, a need to yell about CUR1350's achievement, and a handy opportunity to give you a look at the faces behind the blog so far. For those of you who are confused by the rather androgynous nature of Sandy's name, the caption to this should read: (from left to right): Sandy, Chiara.

Anyway, Sandy and I will be back soon with more music rants served up freshly typed for your enjoyment. Lovelovelovelovelove to everyone reading and obviously everyone who in any way whatsoever contributed to that thing ending up in our grubby little hands for the photo opportunity above.

-C

Newsflash, kids: Cambridge HAS a gig scene.

2007-11-12T02:42:00.000Z

I must echo Sandy's apologies concerning this long drawn-out blog-silence, and have no apologies to offer up except copious amounts of work. And ladybirds (but we won't get into that).

So, what has Chiara been up to, if not sitting before pale blue PC light bringing you all the news from the music front? Well, she has been busy being at the frontlines of the music itself. Yes yes, kids. And there is a reason for this blog title: namely that you Cambridge kids don't appreciate live music nearly enough. So, here's my little push to get you out and dancing and blowing your minds. This term has already offered up a wealth of great gigs of various scales, and there is more to come. Here's a few highlights:

The Bosun's Locker Tour (Cambridge Barfly, 06/10/07)
If you've been listening in to CUR1350 Breakthrough at all, you will no doubt have heard myself and Sandy ranting and raving about this gig, which took place at the new Cambridge Barfly (formerly The Loft). Opener was Marcus Mumford, who took us on an acoustic journey of dreamily incredible proportions. With a sweet voice of every imaginable emotional nuance, he lulled us into smiles and made our hearts ache. Following this was King Charles, maniacally twisting and jumping around on stage, tangling himself up in his cords and attempting a rather impressive guitar-playing-with-his-legs-wrapped-around-a-column stunt, all the while delivering fast paced rhymes that move smoothly between a number of musical influences. Then came Noah and the Whale with some absolutely awesome folk-y-indie sounds: a feel-good infusion. Then of course the beautiful Laura Marling with her smoky voice and folk acoustic songs that reach far beyond her years (is that a fair comment to make? Should age play a role when debating talent/skill? I don't know. All I know is that it certainly humbles me. And it sounds good). Finishing is Jesse Quin , who delivers a number of stunning acoustic tracks and finishes on a track ('More To Life') that has the entire room singing along: "lalalala-la-lala..." . Did I mention that all of these kids play in each other's bands and are constantly switching instruments? It's a musical circus of pure happiness and talent and I hope it reforms for another tour.

Laura Marling (Opening for The Maccabees at the Junction, x/10/07).
Not satisfied with the dose of Laura we got, Sandy and I headed down to see her again only a week later. This was a completely different setting from the intimate Barfly. And a completely different (scary) crowd. I felt old. Ancient. Laura & co braved the stage in a most admirable fashion, with very polite requests for at least a minimum of silence for her acoustic tracks to be heard (let me just say: had I been in her shoes, many many things would have gotten broken on stage, and possibly some bones in the crowd as well). Massive credit to her & band, and her singing even went up a notch in power which was nice to hear. Anyway, it's not every day you get to see multiple crowdsurfers to acoustic folk. We skipped the Maccabees, in case anyone was wondering.

The October Game (the Portland Arms, 30/10/07)
Sandy has already said all that can be said about this (see previous post). It was good. It was more than good. It was mindblowing. And sooo sooo disappointing that not more than a dozen or so people turned up. Seriously, Cambridge kids, shame on you! You missed out. Catch them next time, and you might be forgiven. Also keep an eye out for their first single, which should be coming out sometime next year.

2Hot2Sweat, The Puncture Repair Kit, Pony Up (Cambridge Barfly, 07/11/07)
So, I have a definite weak spot for Pony Up, which means I wasn't about to miss them on their way through Cambridge. Have I ever mentioned that I generally go to gigs on my own? You're right if you're thinking I'm about to head towards another bit of 'GO TO GIGS KIDS' propaganda. It is perfectly possible to have a good time watching live music on your own, so don't feel like you should miss out just because none of your friends will come along. Anyway, back to the point: opening up are young duo 2Hot2Sweat with their own brand of spunky, quirky electro-pop. The song-writing talent and creativity is all there, but lead singer Mia's voice falls flat. It's obvious her voice is untrained: it lacks strength and more often than not is quite a bit off. Mind you, off-tune voices can be convincing, but only if they have a certain amount of power behind them, and only for particular types of music. In conclusion: if you're going to make plastic disco pop, you need a polished voice to go along with it. Following these two kids are Cambridge-based ensemble The Puncture Repair Kit. The mere memory is happiness-inducing. Bringing out everything from your traditional acoustic guitar/bass/drums to a glockenspiel to a flute to various sizes of recorders to a melodica to a cornet (that tragically decides it has 'had enough' and disintegrates into parts halfway through the first song and is replaced by something that may or may not have been a xaphoon)... these kids have it all. Led up by a fiery red-headed girl and a lanky blond boy, they are full to the brim with mischievous and fun talent and energy, playing off each other and each other's individual personalities with smooth ease that makes the entire thing more like a theatre performance than 'just' sound. They put the life back in music and a wide grin onto everyone's faces. They will be supporting Emma Pollock (remember The Delgados? Yes. That Emma Pollock.) on December 5 at the Cambridge Barfly, and I expect anyone who is in Cambridge to be there. Finishing are Canadian girls Pony Up who deliver everything a good girl band (that capitalizes on that image, anyway) should: they are sexy, playful, and provocative with lots and lots of attitude. It's all keyboard-driven indie-pop-rock about the perils of life, love, and being a girl in general. Standout for me is probably the bitter-sweet-angry-sad (I know: quite an emotional spectrum. They pull it off, somehow.) non-album-track 'Wet' about getting turned on by a rock star. Rawr.

My Passion, Plastic Toys (Man on the Moon, 11/11/07)
My first encounter with My Passion was a bit less than a year ago at this very same venue. I had showed up to check out Cambridge band This Is My Honesty and consequently found what would be one of the most-played bands on CUR1350 Breakthrough as well as my own stereo (well, laptop). It's easy to attempt to discredit these guys purely on the basis of their style and (excessive?) use of Myspace and emphasis on current trends, but take all that away and you're still left with innovative song-writing and tight, rock-solid live performances. Taking elements from punk and disco and mixing them with 80's synths before welding the entire thing together into what the kids nowadays are calling new-wave(/rave?) using a massive electric shock (they say it's hairspray, but I think that's a lie), they present us with an explosive audio assault that is exciting, pushes boundaries, moves bodies, and is basically really f***ing good. Frontman Laurence Rene seems poised for stardom, not afraid to touch hands with the screaming fangirls in the front row and get up close and personal. The five of them redefine what 'playing your heart out' means, leaving sweat, blood, and possibly tears on stage and leaving the heads of those present reeling. I was lucky enough to catch up with Laurence post-gig for an interview that should be airing on CUR1350 Breakthrough this Sunday (18/11/07) so tune in between 9-11 PM on www.cur1350.co.uk . These kids are going big. [photos | 1 | 2 | 3 ]. Also playing on the night were Plastic Toys, another band that I've spun a few times on CUR1350 Breakthrough if you've been paying attention. They deliver grimy but shiny disco tunes with a metal/industrial inflection and damn, their lead man is sexy. Another one to look out for, basically, in every sense of the phrase. There were even some long-haired headbangers in amidst the emo kids watching. [photos | 1 | 2 ].

Conclusion #1: Cambridge live music contains many many precious gems just waiting to be found and admired and tasted, which is why you should be out there taking advantage of our venues for absolutely fan-f-tastic nights out.
Conlusion # 2: People who go to gigs and won't shut the hell up should be strangled using the closest lead . Preferably while it's still plugged into the closest instrument. We'll call it a murderously experimental performance. The NME will be all over it.

That's it from me for now, folks.

lovelovelove.
-C

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Coming up shortly: a review of Oi Va Voi at the Cambridge Junction (13/11/07).

Upcoming gigs you shouldn't miss: The Raveonettes at the Cambridge Barfly, 16/11/07 ; Emma Pollock & the Puncture Repair Kit at the Cambridge Barfly, 5/12/07 ; My Passion at the Man on the Moon, 14/12/07 and at the Cambridge Barfly, 29/02/08 .... and probably a lot more that you can quite easily find by just sniffing around a little on the internet. GOGOGOGOGO!

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Soundtrack ---> Neil Young

A Shot Splits The Air And I Am Found...

2007-11-02T23:29:00.001Z

So the buzz has been a little quiet around here for a little while. I wish I could give you a reason other than 'we were really really busy'but that really is the truth after arriving back at the station to find a pile of discs up to my shoulder (I'm 6'3" or so and not exaggurating at all) as well as college work. The original plan was to write 3 work reviews of everything we have had in. That may still happen at some point (just to show you how much there was) but here's a list of the best stuff that is well worth hunting out:

Stateless - Bloodstream (Oh ye gods this is beautiful - sparce and haunting)

The Delta Fiasco - Paperhouse (big old 80's style pop - yeah!)

Elle Milano - My Brother, The Astronaut (like a british Panic! at the Disco with a Forward Russia chaser)

Paramore - Crushcrushcrush (not so guilty pleasure)

Remi Nicole - Rock N Roll (Acoustic stumalongs should not involve DJ scratching and work goddamit)

Laura Marling - My Manic And I (this lady can do no wrong. stay tuned for the rundown from myself and Chiara on her very very soon. Next years big thing without a doubt)

there's proably a few more - I'll add them when I remember them....

Anyway, on to more recent matters. Chiara, Louis and I were lucky enough to catch a band called The October Game down at the Portland Arms last Tuesday. We've been playing them on Breakthrough for a while now and about a week ago I finally got to hear their album - Box of a Billion Lights.

And it's one of the best things I have heard all year

Blending the complexity and beauty and scale of the best post-rock with fantastic vocals, accesable tunes and a rare sense of vulnerability these guys are superb.

We've been playing 'Gatherers Hands' with its brooding feel and explosive choruses for a while now on Breakthrough and it still shines but what is wonderful si that every single track on this album manages to come close to it's heady heights in some way or another. Take 'Blue Shift' with it's dual personalities, 'No Time For Feelings' and its contrasting strummed and twisting guitars or any other track here and there is something superb to latch onto and all the while there are crisp, desperate vocal and scything, incisive guitars that wring every last gasp of triumph and despair out of the songs. It's a massive and yet accessable listen, a trick that is isanely hard to pull off yet is done time and time again here without ever repeating itself too much.

Not only this but for a band to self record a record that sounds as good as this in their own homes is astounding. The sound is great and the production so deft I was convinced until a couple of nights ago that this was done in a studio with a professional producer rather than being a complete DIY job.

As you can imagine I was rather looking forward to this gig then

Live they guys were great as well, very tight and atmospheric with those shining vocals really taking centre stage on tracks like 'No TIme For Feelings'and forthcoming single 'Heartlines' to great effect. However it was a massive extended rendition of 'Satellites' that stole the show for me with it's stadium sized chorus, sweeping solos and massive bassy underpinnings that lit everything up.

Anyway the moral of this story is: give this band a listen and stay tuned because hopefully we'll be bringing you more from them soon

Remember where you heard it first kids!

Sandy

ps. that's here in case you're wondering :D

A Question

2007-10-06T08:38:00.000+01:00

Why are there no good albums coming out in October?

Apart from Radiohead of course but still....

I Lost It A Little Bit...

2007-09-24T23:10:00.000+01:00

Unlike Chiara I spent the entire summer holiday gig starved. So it was a great relief when finally last week I got to break my shameful abstinence and got myself down to Brighton for some live music. Even better, I was taking my wonderful girlfriend to her first gig. Even better, it was Reuben.

So first things first, support bands. According to everyone else there were sound problems with Enjoy Destroy that made their vocalist sound weird. However I was wearing earplugs and had no such problems. It's one of the reasons I always wear them at gigs - not only do earplugs protect your hearing (tinitus pisses me off no end) but it actually clarifies the sound by removing most of the sound that bounces around off the walls. In short everything sounds much better and you can hear the next day. Anyway, Enjoy Destroy prved themselves definately ones to listen out for. Sounding like an English Jimmy Eat World and although they're young and a little inexperienced on the stage there's some good potential there

Kill Kenada are a little disappointing. It's good streaight up rock, really well performed but they kinda failed to set me tingling. Not sure why

So onto the main event. I've seen Reuben live twice before and they are without a doubt one of my favourite bands but tonight they are on form. From start to finish for 16 songs over the space of a single hour they are utterly midblowing, delivering material from their new album 'In Nothing We Trust' as well as some older fan favourites. That soiunds like the sort of thing you hear in a lazy NME review so i'll try to put it into more detail.

Two minutes into opener Suffocation of the Soul there is an outcry. Almost every person in the crowd is singing along at what can can only be described as a climactic moment. Not just singing it, but engaging in it. Surrendering to it. All this to a short section of a seven minute song that 2 months ago nobody there had heard before.

To say this sets the tone for the evening is an understatement.

The new songs sound fantastic. ' We're All Going Home In An Ambulence', 'Agony/Agatha' and all whip the crowd into a frenzy. Despite being a small band whose new album is only a couple of months old these songs not only sound great but get a rapturous reception, even inamongst older songs ranging from live favourites 'Lights Out' and 'Everytime A Teenager Listens To Drum And Bass A Rockstar Dies', to some of the less poppy first album tracks such as 'Fall Of The Bastille'. There's even a bit of a nod to older fans with an airing of an early Reuben classic in the shape of 'Crimson'.

Yet the visceral, distorted passionate and complex rock songs Reuben have made their trademark are tempered at times beautifully by ssome starkly emotional slower numbers. 'Nobody Loves You' and In Nothing We Trust highlight 'Good Luck' with people standing enraptured, singing along to every word as if they have connected them and the feelings behind them as if they are burned into their very souls.

By the time set closer 'A Short History Of Nearly Everything' rings out I was left with the impression that this was what a gig was truly about. Not just sharing a performance or the songs, but the feelings behind them with a packed room full of people going through exactly the same things every day.

I'm biased i'll admit - I love this band with a passion as all those who know me will testify but this is the thing with Reuben. They inspire such passion in their fans that such feelings and atmosphere are possible. And this is what makes them, and this particular show so goddamned special.

Want to know more? I was lucky enough to meet the band beforehand and grab an interview with them. We also managed to tape it so watch this space for CUR1350'd very first video interview very very soon. You even get to see my face in it you lucky people!

My Tasteless Venture? My Troubled Vision?

2007-09-16T14:49:00.000+01:00

I am glad I am currently being spared the torture Sandy is being exposed to (his last blog entry is clearly a cry for help) but I am getting my very own brand of mainstream fun over here in Milan. Because yes folks, yesterday was MTV Day here in Italy - and not just any MTV Day, but MTV Italia's 10th birthday. Let us have a minute of silence here (switch brain dial to mourning or awe at own discretion). In honour of the occasion (as every year, really, but this year was advertised as being extra-special) a free day of concerts was held both in Rome and in Milan, the line-up this year consisting exclusively of Italian acts (other years artists such as the Black Eyed Peas performed, apparently).

These events are always both special and irritating in their inescapable nature because they are held on the 'piazza' (square) in front of the famous Duomo. This place is the absolute central hub of the city - wherever you are going and whatever you are doing, you are likely to pass through it or at least near it. A bit like Cambridge market place, just a few times bigger. So, MTV monopolized this for three days - day one occupied with building up the stage, day two with soundchecks, and day three with the event itself. This means they really went all out - usually, stages are set up the night before or even on the day itself, and dismantled immediately afterwards. Having a stage up for three days is, I think, a never-been-seen-before thing, unless I'm just completely oblivious.

Because they are obviously marketing geniuses (otherwise, we would no longer have MTV) the people in charge refused to divulge any more details on the line-up except which artists would be there: the order of appearance was not announced, and much less the time of each performance. Considering I was just interested in one act out of the 6 or 7 that would be playing between 16.30 and 23:00 or later, this was more than a little annoying.

I headed into town for just after five and found myself smack bang right in the middle of every 15 year old scenester the city and all surrounding cities could offer up. Having assured myself that the singer I wanted to see wouldn't be on for another while, I decided to make my escape from amongst the kids attempting to hand me 30 Seconds To Mars flyers or plastering me with Tokio Hotel stickers. One coffee and a walk later, I found myself close to Piazza Duomo again where I found this: so much better than what was going on just around the corner. This is what music is about: our human minds automatically drawn in and fascinated and compelled to dance. Dear MTV, by all rights the world should not need you and your overblown flashyness. So it goes. At the same time, there is a certain compelling nature to this twisted union between the epitome of pop culture and history, and it's worth attending these events just for the feel of being there. I mean, do you get open-air gigs in the middle of the city in London (parks don't count)?

Anyway, I eventually settle down on a corner and witness Italian super-pop-star Tiziano Ferro's rather shameful appearance - whether it be due to the technical difficulties they were having earlier or simply because of his/MTV's stupidity, he played all of three songs (Ti Scattero Una Foto, Stop! Dimentica, and one whose name I don't know). Whoever came over just to see him (and I am sure there were many) must feel endlessly cheated now. He also goes into a lengthy glorifying thank you to MTV for modernizing Italy's attitude to music - to be fair, I do not doubt that they had a fair bit to do with the international success he has had, and in the end who can blame him? It's always difficult for non-English-speaking acts to break out of their home country in terms of fame.

The problem with MTV and particularly MTV Italia is that everyone loves to hear themselves talk far too much. The presenters on MTV Italia are celebrities in their own right, and there is a massive cult of personality around them. The breaks inbetween acts are filled with boring interviews that are mostly opportunities for the presenters to flirt with the artists and of course a bit of 'making the audience feel special' isn't missing as someone prowls down the front of the crowd with a microphone asking people the standard 'so where did you travel from today' MTV-popularity-asserting questions.

Following Tiziano are Italian hip hop (often merged with rock) act Articolo 31 (who don't appear to have an official myspace page) who are fun to watch simply because they seem to be having such a good time on stage. I don't really have anything else to say about them, except that from the limited amount I've heard their songs do actually contain a fair amount of lyrical value.

Inbetween acts, the lights on stage spell out predictably clichee slogans from 'action' to 'dreams' to 'beats' to 'pop', 'rock', 'metal', 'hiphop', 'dieci' (ten), 'ten yrs', 'disco' , 'mtv' and of course 'milano'.

Finally (at around 21:45. Figures.), the woman I've been waiting for takes the stage: Carmen Consoli (who doesn't appear to have an official myspace page, either). The woman plays pop-rock often with distinct roots in traditional Italian music and has the voice of a fallen angel. It's what I tend to appreciate about famous Italian female singers: their voices are unique and character-filled, so that you'd never mistake one for another. She steps out on stage in a flowing purple dress with a red little glowing heart in her hair, looking absolutely adorable. The performance falls a little flat in parts, and I am predisposed to blame the setting and MTV get-up for it (call me a pretentious scene kid when I say the atmosphere just wasn't quite right). But overall, she doesn't fail to enchant in consideration of the circumstances and her voice is if anything more compelling live. Essentially, this has been a little free taste and next time she has a concert in Milan I'll (hopefully) be getting a ticket....

I decide to skip the remaining interview idiocies as well as last act because I've more than had my fill of MTV for the day: when even live music manages to look and sound a bit too plastic and manufactured is when I start to worry.

An Open Letter To Sean Kingston

2007-09-13T21:36:00.000+01:00

Dear Sean Kingston

Please shut up and go away you whiney self-depricating git. Since doing work experience at a station that plays your current number 1 single 5 times a day I find it popping into my head regularly during the past week and a half. I wouldn't mind so much if it was not such Usher-lite R'n'B by numbers lamenting why beautiful girls leave you. If you are anything like your hits I can see why - Smooth production, and an 'I'm so emotional' exterior entice them in but ultimatley they see that there is very little behind it, which let's be frank doesn't make for a stable long-term relationship built on a foundation of meaningful conversation, shared experiences and the mutual attraction derived from this.

Did you ever consider that the reason that all of these relationships fail is not the fault of the women you date but because of the deficits in your character and errors on your judgement. After all you do seem to be the only common factor in the demise of this succession of relationships. To put it bluntly you need to grow a pair and deal with the reasons why your experiences with women, however pretty, fail instead of perpetuating an unfair psudo-stereotype about ladies with looks in an attempt to absolve yourself of the blame for your romantic inadequacies

It might also make you sound more like a man too.

All the best

Sandy

soundtrack: bloody Sean Kingston running around my head again goddamn it

**** You Lady That's What Stairs Are For!

2007-09-04T18:22:00.000+01:00

Many apologies for the radio silence from me recently, a combination of working at Galaxy FM in Yorkshire and at the same time being struck down with a really bad cold had kinda left my will to post up in the air

So on to business then

Last week, like Chiara, I took a trip up to London. Unlike Chiara I didn't go to some hipster rcok show, I went to see a musical, Avenue Q.

Now before we begin, lets set the record straight. Avanue Q is no ordinary West End show (although I do know and love a lot of these having been brought up on them by my mum). Firstly it's performed by puppets. Proper, Muppetlike (although not affiliated with the Jim Henson Creature Shop in any way) puppets up the arse of which many of the actors stick their hands. While this may seem really gimmiky it actually works fantastically well. The puppets are set up so that the movements the actors make with their free arm are directly mimiced by the puppets

Full of puppets it may be, but this is not a musical for kids. Dealing with very adult issues such as coming of age, the desperate search for purpose in a seemingly disparate and meaningless existence, the denial of ones own sexuality and the effects of a declining economy on those at the bottom of the ladder, the issues it deals with are decidedly adult

Or maybe it's the content of songs such as 'The Internet Is For Porn' and 'Everyone's A Little Bit Racist' along with the swearing, drinking and occasional whore. Oh and the onstage puppet sex. Don't forget the puppet sex

At heart Avenue Q is a comedy and a fantastic one at that. The songs are as good as the titles with some wonderfully sharp lyrics (I could quote any number of them to you at an instant they are that fantastic and memorable) and a way of tackling potentially edgy and offensive issues in a brillintly childish and blunt manner that carries a hilarious charm

Whilst often being irreverent, rude and outright hilarious, at the end of the day the serious themes of the show still pack a major punch showing the production is by no means style over substance or an excuse for cheap gags. It may seem odd but what shines through the most in Avenue Q is a real sense of humanity. It's weird but for the course of two hours a group of puppets (with live action support) manage to be a whole lot more human than a lot of people and performers can be. As they say in the opening number - 'This Is Real Life' , and it's true of the whole package - sidesplitting or serious

My review has ben ratehr serious which is almost a shame. Avenue Q is a fantastic shpow and one of the funniest things you'll ever see with some killer gags alll set to music and a really well thought out choreography and set. Simply put, it's so goddamn funny most of the audience sounded like they were peeing their pants after nearly every song. If South Park and Sesame Street ever had an illegitiamate daughter, forced it to take piano lessons until it was 7 and then decided to let it fend for itself on the streets of London as a stand-up comic you might get somewhere close. Or nowhere near. One or the other. Or neither. You know whatever's good

Want to see for yourself and get a clearer view of what I mean- I found a video of a TV performance of one of the songs ( It Sucks To Be Me - a personal favourite of mine) below. Then go see the show yourself and remember what the internet is really for:

Spreading the word about great music whatever it is

And porn

Idroscalorock 2007

2007-09-04T16:07:00.000+01:00

Idroscalorock, September 1 & 2, 2007

Half an hour's bus ride outside Milan there is a massive recreational complex with greenery and an artificial lake. For the past few years at the start of every September, a two-day music event has been held there. Last year was a massive line-up that included the likes of Iggy & the Stooges, the Damned, the Buzzcocks, the (I) Noise Conspiracy, Pennywise, Rise Against, Gogol Bordello, and so on and so forth (I think you get the picture). All that for no more than 40 quid. Yeah: it was fantastic. This year, the organizers changed, things were a little more low-key and more than a little smaller. Still, I wasn't going to miss this, even though it was the weekend after Reading Festival and my stay in London, making me, in theory, far too exhausted.

Saturday, September 1 : After a little trouble with getting off at the right bus stop that has me traipsing around fast lanes not really intended for pedestrians, I finally make it to the idroscalo shortly after 16.00 where Wet Dog have just started their set. They're a trio full to the brim with girl power, but while they look absolutely kicka*s on stage they have so many sound problems I'm still not sure what exactly they sound like live. They, along with the next few bands, also deserve the utmost respect for courageously playing sets to no more than a few dozen people out in the daylight, most of which are relaxing on the ground some distance away from the stage (yes: the first day did not draw many people this time around). Following them are Chin Up Chin Up [ photo ] from Chicago who deliver a soft rock/hard pop sound with a somewhat folksy inflection perfect for relaxing in the summer sun. After them Italians Hot Gossip [ photo ] take over with their own brand of punk pop rock (with surprisingly fluent and correct English lyrics - that's a rarity). There's nothing overly new or original here, but the three of them are simply fun to watch on stage: three distinct individuals with character and charisma to spare, delivering funky dance moves along with their energetic beats. After a short breather, Irish rockers Humanzi [ photo | 2 | 3 ] take over. You want to check these guys out. Now. Nownownow. After their first song, frontman Shaun takes a good look around before admonishing "This is a fu*king rock show, so get up off the ground!" That's better. Humanzi play rock n' roll that has the rock attitude but doesn't sound like it's been taken off the dusty shelves from rock's golden days - instead, they manage to bring something fresh into their sound that hits you like a punch in the face. Yes! Here's where I have to throw in that their label Sound Foundation Recordings also plays host to one of my personal favourites Channel One (which I only found out after seeing them, so don't take that as influencing my views but rather a definite reinforcement of first impressions of awesomeness). Basically, the music scene needs kids like these, and it doesn't hurt that they're also sexy to boot. Following them is Italian band Il Teatro Degli Orrori (translated: the Theatre of Horrors) and they are... horrific. Somewhat tragically they are also the first to draw a larger crowd ready to really get into it - somehow not entirely surprising as their tracks are politically motivated screaming (in Italian, of course, and we all know how passionate the Italians get about their politics) layered over disjointed stuff I don't really want to call music. So it goes. I walk off to protect my ears, but obviously return to catch London kids Blondelle [ photo | 2 | 3 ] : I had pretty high expectations for these kids when I found out that their stuff is being released on Rude Records, the same label that handles the Italian distribution of SideOneDummy (label of Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, The Casualties, Bedouin Soundclash... am I making myself understood?). And they don't disappoint. Stepping out on stage looking like a bunch of 11-15 year olds - in truth, they are apparently 19/20, though I still find that extremely difficult to believe (if they ever happen to read this, sorry kids... I bet you get ID-ed all the time) - they are electrifying and immediately win everyone's hearts. Ginger frontman Will is so scrawny that skinny jeans are loose on him, but his eccentric red jacket makes everything okay as do his stage antics: the kid is all over the damn place! This is the sort of music you can't stand still to. A beam of sunshine to the heart. Whazzam! Seriously: infectious melodies, witty lyrics, and a wacky energetic performance... what more could you want? High expectations met. One does have to wonder how much inspiration Will draws from Eugene Hutz as far as stage antics go - I do love his later mini-cameo in Gossip's set when he skips across stage during Standing in the Way of Control decked out in a Gogol Bordello shirt. Next up is The Lost Patrol Band [ photo ] . I remember Dennis Lyxzen's other band, The (I) Noise Conspiracy, being great fun to watch last year, but this... simply bored me out of my mind. With almost every song being in the same time signature and stupidly cheerful and happy, the performance simply became a drag. "Did you see those kids Blondelle? They're half my age and twice as good," he jokes and is very tragically right. Taking over the stage from them are Gossip [ photo ] who I was admittedly very curious to see. You know when you wonder what a singers' voice sounds like when they're talking? I can now tell you that Beth Ditto's voice is the epitome of girly, and she is simply...well, *cute* with her attempts at Italian and complaints about the mosquitoes - "Zanzaye?" (actually, zanzare, but she's getting there). Performance wise the woman is definitely a power-pack on stage though music wise some of the songwriting could use a little work - if all you have to work with are beats, low guitars that do little more than add more rhythm and a (admittedly fantastic) voice, you need to kick up the variety in melody a little or else run the danger that all your songs sound more or less the same. The crowd is fantastic: from flipped out kids all the way to the middle-aged homosexual couple next to me, it is a pleasure to see them all jumping and dancing like mad. Criticism: if you're campaigning for sexual freedom, you might do well not to alienate the straight kids by announcing half of your songs as "gay" or "gay love song" or "for gay people". We all love in the same ways, don't we honey? An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, and at some point things just get plain silly. I assume it's just her not keeping her head in the stage talk, and if so, it's time she learned. After quite possibly the longest soundcheck in the history of music, Editors [ photo | 2 ] take the stage to finish off the night. It's bliss in the form of smooth sounds and flashing lights while Tom Smith pours all the passion he possesses into his voice...and his crazy hands/fingers. Whether it's a subconscious performance tic or done purposely, it ends up being just a little disconcerting. It's a good set with standout tracks still being the old classics, which perhaps does not bode too well for the new album (that might just be personal opinion, however). Happy and exhausted, I get on the bus back to Milan. Never trust bus drivers in Milan: at the airport where I need to change and am for a minute afraid I've missed the last bus, I am told that no no, it's okay, just take the next one that arrives over there. I do, and end up at the end of the line somewhere in the periphery way outside the city limits, stranded along with a lesbian couple who were given the same faulty indications (it turns out that they had travelled to Milan especially to see the Gossip, as this was their only Italian date). Taking mercy on our poor souls (his is the last bus to pass that way), the bus driver (somewhat illegally) takes us back to the city and drops us off back in 'civilization' where at around 1 am exhausted little me stumbles into a pub to meet up with some friends (the party never stops).

Sunday, September 2: I wake up exhausted and with the mother of all hangovers after only stumbling into bed at around 7 am the night before. More music festival? Now? Initially the plan is to drag myself out in time to catch Ignite whose set at Reading Festival was quite impressive (it can never hurt to watch good bands again. And again. And then some more), but it wasn't to be. While I couldn't find anyone interested in coming along for day 1, the same friend who did Reading with me is coming along for day 2 and she's (mercifully) a little lazier than me and decides it's okay if we just get there for an hour later...meaning sometime shortly after 5. My camera is dead, so there are no photos. Sunday, partly due to the very different line-up and partly due to there now being two stages, has drawn out a lot more people (probably way over ten times more) and an entirely different crowd from Saturday: many many many Italian punks, half of which are young and the other half decidedly middle-aged, plus those geeky looking types who don't cultivate Mohawks but listen to NOFX. You know which ones, to stereotypically slap labels on them. We laze around in the grass catching a few songs of Persiana Jones' show on the main stage: this is good, solid, Italian ska-punk-rock. It's hard to capture the exact atmosphere of this place, but it is special - I've never lived anything like it in England. It may have something to do with different cultural attitudes (don't try to argue when I say that Italians are generally far more laid-back than the English). Ska is massive in Italy, and it is a type of music perfectly suited to large stages outside with its full, energetic summer sound. This is happiness, this is the life (this is way better than lounging on the grass in the arena at Reading). Neville Staple tragically cancelled his performance last-minute due to personal issues. Shame, but Sick Of It All make up for it with a performance that packs more power than I could have imagined, plus emo-bashing thrown in for free: "I want to see you jump! You think you're too cool to jump? I'm sorry I don't have tight black jeans and a white belt and one of those [he makes an accompanying hand gesture to cover half his face] fringes." Ah yeah, myspace also gets its share of the criticism, as does the internet - "I like you Italians because you can still appreciate live music. You come out to shows! You don't sit at home in front of your computers watching videos of the live shows and then criticize them without having lived them." Amen to that. I think I also have to say at this point that I'd never put on a Sick Of It All album to listen to in my room, but that live show was incredibly good. Live music is the way, kids. Have a look at what's going on in your town nownownow, and gogogogo! - small, big, doesn't matter. Turbonegro starts off promising, and their instrumental musicianship is doubtlessly good, but the vocals irritate the hell out of me. So, off to get more drinks it is, and more lounging on the grass, paying attention only here and there. In retrospect, they probably deserve way more credit than I'm giving them, but tired on a sunny Sunday afternoon I simply didn't have the nerve to deal with that distinct kind of nasal whine (it's worse live than on studio recordings). I will say that the songwriting itself is impressively good. As a sidenote, the two bands that have played on the smaller stage since our arrival - Strength Approach and Sottopressione - are both easily missable after a song or so, but that might just be because I'm not knee-deep into my hardcore (and definitely not deep enough to like Italian hardcore). This may sound like I'm not having a great time, but I assure you that I am, very very very much so (think back a few sentences and remember what I said about live music: it makes me a happyhappyhappy bunny). Next up is the definite highlight of of my day: The Locust. What a show. The most surreal of surreal experiences: all it takes is three kids dressed up in bodysuits including hoods and masks with their instruments and a few lights. They take you places you didn't know you could go, and with a mastery of their instruments of choice and more importantly a coordination and sense of time and rhythm that leaves you staring wide-eyed, mouth gaping open, jaw on the floor, brain disintegrated. This is not a comfortable show; this is something that pushes boundaries. My friend excuses herself, saying "This is really good, but it's starting to make me feel a bit sick". I urge you: should you ever get a chance, catch these kids and see for yourself, because words are really failing me here. That only leaves NOFX and god they are unbearable. While I could have perhaps sat through their songs (the performance of which also strikes me as weak), it's their inbetween-song banter that really ticks me off. Sure, they're parodying themselves and all of the punk rock that falls into their category (at least I hope it's self-mocking humour, otherwise I think the apocalypse and resulting end of humanity maybe can't come soon enough), but I really don't need to hear about their hairy backs ("Does anyone here have some wax? Cause, look at this!") or the standard alcohol/drugs fare, or.... well, you get the image of the typical teen jackass (which they no longer qualify for). Tongue in cheek or not tongue in cheek, it's just neither funny nor interesting nor anything else. I spend my time getting acquainted with a random Italian punk kid instead ("I have an idea: come home with me tonight." Thanks for the offer honey, but really, no). Day 2 concluded, I find my friend from among the NOFX crowd and we happily head back to Milan (right bus, this time).

It hasn't been as big or as impressive as 2006's edition, but it's been good and I'll definitely be there next year (if they run another installment...). Is it worth travelling to Milan for? Check the line-up first - if it's to your liking, ticket price-wise, definitely yes. As of now, I can't say whether anything will even be happening next year due to this year's massive cut in size and also the weak turnout for day 1, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Any questions etc, email me darlings, and I'll try my best to answer.

For more photos (not taken by me): click here, look among 'Settembre 2007'

Rocking Out in El Capitale

2007-09-04T13:11:00.000+01:00

The Scare @ Buffalo Bar, London, August 28, 2007

Reading Festival leaves me a dazed and confused mess wandering the streets of the capital for a while, consolidating experiences and thoughts and memories. Having had three days of almost non-stop live music, leaving the festival is like losing an anchor: a massive come-down, an aching hangover. The cure? Artrocker night at Buffalo Bar close to Highbury & Islington tube in London. Who's playing? Two bands I know nothing about, and The Scare. The venue is underground, underneath a pub called the Famous Cock (ah, good old UK). Descending a set of stairs leaves you in a small room filled with random columns and a red glow bouncing off the walls. I walk in to catch the last few songs of The Taste - a German girl/boy ensemble on guitar & vocals/drums. It's indie rock that tries hard but fails to grab attention for long despite short-haired singer Maria's cute jumps and dance moves (she even makes a short venture onto the bass drum). It's simply not quite interesting enough and her voice isn't quite strong enough to win over anyone but the drunken loons who would by this point dance madly to anything. After them, The Scare are on and ready to take over. What was stationary before is now moving as they electrify those watching into a convulsing, moving mess. Frontman Kiss swaggers and stumbles around, mane of messy black scarecrow hair covering his face as he howls into the mic, like an image straight out of the dictionary from under 'rock n' roll' . Drummer Sam bangs away as if there was no tomorrow and eventually Kiss drops down for his almost obligatory floor-rolling madness amidst the audience members. Sweat, blood, and tears; sex, drugs, and rock n' roll? All too soon it's over, and the Australians make way for New Zealand four-piece So So Modern and their countless synthesizers who step out in gray capes. Theirs is a surreal vision, full of seemingly random electronic beats pieced together into time-switching assemblages and soundscapes that seem a little too technical and a little too constructed to truly win me over. It's cool to watch, but it lacks the sort of passion I love. Either way, I'd recommend them if you're into that sort of thing. Rumour has it Mika made a short appearance, but I can in no way confirm that myself. All in all: music levels in blood: replenished; mind: contented.

Love,
-C
-----

Soundtrack -----> The Scare: If I'm Choking, Make A Scene

A Belated Report: Chiara 'Does' Reading '07

2007-09-03T17:17:00.000+01:00

Kids, kids, kids... I am home and sitting down for a prolonged period of time for the first time in over a week. It feels damn good. I'm ready to breeze in and give you a few snippets and lap up the scene points Sandy has dropped. I won't even try to pass this off as an objective review for Reading Festival - an impossible task, really, seeing as from the start you pick and choose what bands to see. No, this is pure pure Chiara at Reading and nothing more and nothing less. So, ok hold your breath go.

Intro: on the getting there and setting up.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007: Yes, this is me about to loose my camping-music-festival-full-package virginity. If we were to use arguably inappropriate metaphors, I've tasted alcohol (gigs), marijuana (1-day-festivals) and am about to move on to cocaine. Heroin, I presume, would be the equivalent of something like Sziget. So, on Wednesday I board a plane from Milan to the dear old UK, and here's my Note of Advice #1: it is not recommended to fly from different airports on different airlines to different airports than your friends, as it may result in you spending hours at Paddington station knotting bracelets, watching countless people file past with tents, wellies, and sleeping bags, and being offered copious amounts of free pepsi max samples by some guy who has taken pity on your lost soul. Finally, the partner in crime arrives, and we train over to Reading where said friend's friend is kind enough to host us. Alcohol is drunk, setlists are examined, preliminary plans are made. Note of Advice # 2: if you have some time to spare, compile the set times from the festival site and print: it's not as pretty and not laminated, but saves you the extortionate 8 quid a program costs at the entrance (unless of course you're someone who treasures such souvenirs more than simply relegating them to a dusty corner under your bed, never to be seen again).

Thursday, August 23, 2007: Rise early, be bright and shiny, grab your stuff, and face the daunting trek over to the festival site. A friend of my friend's friend (yes: we were a group made up of numerous degrees of separation. Probably 6, if myth holds true.) has saved us a camping spot in Orange (the car park turned camp site due to the copious amounts of water and mud rendering some of the other areas unusable). Setting up the tent turned out to be relatively painless - and yes, it stayed up for the entire weekend. Note of Advice # 3: cut-out paper stars fastened to your tent are a pretty useful landmark to recognize your camp site in all conditions. Unless of course it rains on your starry parade, but luckily we didn't face that problem. A trek to the outside and more grueling weightlifting ensures us a plentiful supply of alcohol. The surprisingly quick ticket-for-armband exchange queue completed (it looks long but moves fast), we are left shortly after noon with nothing to do but sit around, drink, wait, and watch people slowly streaming in around us. Note of Advice # 4: bubble guns make for endless entertainment, as does knotting bracelets and making clover chains.

And So It Begins... the music, the life, the party.

Friday, August 24, 2007: Note of Advice # 5: if there is a band on at 12 that you want to see, leave sufficiently early to face the morning queues and initial rush into the arena. Already late, we rush over to the NME Stage to watch Australian punkers The Scare [ photo || myspace ] . I knew I had to see these kids. I've been pushing their recent single (Bats! Bats! Bats!) on Breakthrough and I went to see them at the Camden Barfly in May where they ripped the place apart. I was not disappointed as they delivered a solid set bursting with energy, though their show failed to live up to the same standards - lead singer Kiss Reid's manic twisting jumping floor-rolling audience grabbing antics are simply better suited to a small dark room rather than an open tent in the daylight. All the same, definitely keep an eye out for this lot. I am now definitely hyped up and ready to relish the rest of the weekend. We stick around the arena for a while, basking in the sun (yes: no rain. Wellies are completely superfluous) before eventually heading over to the main stage to watch The Long Blondes. [ photo || myspace ] I am pleasantly surprised: jumping around in a gray pencil skirt that most girls would struggle to pull off, bright red shirt and stylish sunglasses, Kate Jackson not only looks cool but also has the voice to back up the act. Hits Once and Never Again and set-finisher Giddy Stratospheres are feel-good infusions and along with the sunlight make for a happy, relaxed atmosphere. I make my way to the very front to see Gogol Bordello [ myspace ], long-time favourites of mine. It is 14:35 and as they kick into their set, the previously stationary crowd plunges into madness. After a few minutes, us girls are decidedly in the minority in this sweat-dripping, bouncing, pushing, kicking, screaming mess of an audience. As ever, frontman Eugene is a charismatic ball of energy, gray-haired violinist Sergey makes the strings on his violin bow rip and fly, showgirls Pamela and Elizabeth are colourful figures that appear to be all over the stage at once, and the entire band is simply a pleasure to watch. When I can catch a glimpse over the madness of the mosh pit, that is. (Sidenote: wellies in the head from crowd surfers don't hurt). These guys deliver one of the best live sets you could ever imagine and never fail to electrify all those watching with their energetic joie de vivre (I mean: how many bands can get a crowd jumping and screaming at Reading this early in the day?). Content, dizzy, and exhausted, I emerge a sweat-drenched mess and make my way back to our campsite for a well-deserved drink (that I hold with shaking hands) and rest. Just before 6 pm, it's back to the arena to watch Maximo Park [ photo || myspace ] on the main stage. I have tried very hard to understand why people like this band, but despite repeated listens of their albums and now seeing them live, their songs still all sound the same to me and boredom ensues. I leave after two and a half songs and head over to the NME stage to catch the end of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. 's set [ photo || myspace ] . I should have gone straight there, as Sam Duckworth has the crowd's hearts inflamed with a passionate performance as he delivers his emotional anthems and turns us all into misunderstood teenagers. I stick around to say hello to a friend before making my way over to the main stage to see Interpol [ photo || myspace ]. They are... phenomenal. A minimalistic light show compliments their straight-edge suits: this is all about the music, the exquisitely arranged tunes with not a note out of place. A certain twisted humour is not missing once you see past their brooding, dark exterior with songs like 'No I in Threesome'. If the old albums (off which they perform some of the classics such as Evil and Slow Hands) were good, their new album is fantastic and perfect in its live execution. Simply put: aaaaah bliss. Still somewhat hypnotized, I wander off and around for a while, before heading to the Carling stage at 21.30 to see Patrick Wolf [ photo || myspace ] . The tent is packed with everything from genuine fans to curious faces all the way to the disgustingly ignorant. "Oh my god, is he a poof?" is the first thing I hear from behind me as he makes his glorious glittery entrance in a gold sequined top. Oh honey, you make my head hurt. But all is forgotten as Patrick launches into his show, full of flashing lights, ingenious instrumental arrangements, thumping beats, and his incredibly talented voice. From the psychedelic to the dark and broody, Wolf takes us on an up and down journey through the walks of life and the world and a dreamland only he can see. What a wunderkind. I am left dazed and blankly stare at a friend's face who I run into on the way out for at least 10 seconds before he says hello and snaps me out of it 'oh hi, what are you doing here?' . Unwilling to head back to the campsite but even more unwilling to watch Razorlight, I catch half each of Ash and Jimmy Eat World's sets. Ash [ myspace ] has packed the NME tent and surrounding area and deliver a convincingly great set that shows off their talents as well as experience and career but Jimmy Eat World [ myspace ] play to a sparse crowd at the Lockup Stage - maybe because it was their second set of the day? I won't go into what a silly silly idea that was and how desperate it makes them look, but there, now I've said it. So it goes, and so the day ends. At some point during the night I make Peaches Geldof's acquaintance (she's funny in an 'I'm laughing at you, not with you' way) and also manage to get lost on the way back to our campsite. Note of Advice # 6: even if you think you know the way back to your tent, remember that things look very very very different in the dark. A bit like the apocalypse, in fact.

Saturday, August 25, 2007: Betraying the festival camping spirit, we head back to my friend's friend's house early in the morning for a shower and a cooked breakfast. Note of Advice # 7: for luxury and bliss, make friends with someone who lives in Reading. We get back in time to catch a part of the Noisettes' [ photo || myspace ] set on the NME stage. As ever, Shingai's outfit steals the show as she prances around in a massive feathery headdress, her voice deep, strong, and pure sexy. I head over to the main stage to catch the Eagles of Death Metal [ photo || myspace ] - it's early afternoon by now - and as far as entertainment value goes, they probably take the cake out of the bands I've seen so far. Josh Homme stays pretty low key in the background, but lead singer Jesse Hughes has no trouble filling the large main stage and is all over the place from the very left to the very right and everywhere inbetween with energy and charisma literally dripping off him. I start off as the only one clapping and jumping in my vicinity, but by the end everyone around me has been infected by Hughes' rough American charm and it's a pleasure to see, and a pleasure to see him genuinely relish in being on stage and performing. He feeds off our enthusiasm and we feed off his. "This is probably the largest crowd I ever played to, and man, I'm quakin' in my boots." Oh, darlin' ! And they have the rock n' roll skill to pull it off, too. Cherry Cola still plays in my head as I think back to it. By now, it is unbearably hot, and I wander around the stands to buy myself a sleeveless shirt as my t-shirt is just too much to bear. I watch all the pasty English people around me toast to red crisps, not used to sunlight after the rainy summer. After a brief drinking stint back at our tent, I head back to the arena to the Carling stage to watch Shiny Toy Guns [ photo || myspace ] at 18.30. I had to see them as some of their songs (along with caffeine) provide the perfect accompaniment for sleepless nights spent working or simply being an insomniac. While hits Le Disko and You Are The One do live up to the promise of restless electronic beats, much of the rest of the set falls a little flat and is not very memorable. Shame. After they are done, I step outside to catch a song or two of Bloc Party's [ photo || myspace ] show, which leaves me mostly cold. Next up on the Carling stage are the Silversun Pickups [ photo || myspace ] who, on the other hand, are incredibly impressive. Watching them perform is like coming home: a sensation of comfort and general contented happiness; a well-rounded rock sound that finds me unable to leave. That means I miss the start of Arcade Fire [ photo || myspace ] which I don't regret in the least. They turn out to be the biggest disappointment so far: I like their records, and their live shows have been incredibly hyped up to me, but all I see is a lot of people on stage with not much to show for it. No energy, no passion, not much movement, nothing. Despite liking the music, I just can't really get into it. My friend leaves halfway through their set. If anyone feels like they can say anything to redeem them, please do so, because I'm still a little bit in denial about how undeniably shit they were. Following them are the Red Hot Chili Peppers [ myspace ] who start off their set with a jam session before launching into Can't Stop but a verse into the song they stop short. Sound problems? Very possible (maybe that's why Arcade Fire sounded shit? I'm still hopeful...). But, only moments later they restart and everyone is swept up and swept away. No encouragement from Kiedis & co. is needed: all hands are up in the air, all bodies are jumping. Instead the intervals between songs are spent with more jamming and strange little spoken anecdotes and jokes whose entertainment value is questionable ("What do you call a sheep with no legs?" "A cloud..."). They go through everything from the classic Give It Away to legendary Californication to the new She's Only 18. By The Way probably gains the largest audience support and loudest singing, but they leave out songs such as Under The Bridge and Otherside entirely which many moan about in retrospect (not me, I am perfectly happy, but then I have seen them before). Kiedis leaves the stage and the rest of the band end the set on a longish jam session the likes of which very few bands indulge in nowadays, particularly at festivals. The Chilis have nothing to prove, but prove it anyway. I spend the rest of the night wandering around, blowing bubbles (great conversation starter for attracting drunken British guys, apparently) and dancing at the Juice Bar-turned-Rave.

Sunday, August 26, 2007: We wake up to more of the same unbearable heat as our tent has become a veritable sauna. The night still makes our breath cloud, but the day burns like mad. Apparently, there are also a lot of mosquitoes as many of my camp-mates complain of infected bites, but I guess my blood isn't sweet enough to be attractive. All in all, the elements are kind to me, which I am very grateful for. Soon after noon, we head over to the arena to the grating happiness of Hellogoodbye [ photo || myspac e ]. I don't really remember anything about them. It's sunny and people are chilling and basking (baking?) in the sun. My friend and I avoid the almost disgustingly Indie-ridden NME stage (a little more variety would have been nice) and head to the Lockup Stage instead. We watch Municipal Waste [ myspace ] , a thrash band who are so stereotypically thrash it makes for incredible fun and entertainment. "This is a song about ripping your fucking face off!" (Headbanger Face Rip) and so on and so forth. Thrashing Is My Business, And Business Is Good indeed. After that, we initially thought we'd watch Billy Talent [ photo || myspace ] on the main stage, but after two songs of Benjamin Kowalewicz irritating, irritating, IRRITATING voice (is it like that naturally or does he alter it into an unbearable whine purposely?) we find ourselves literally running away. Can't say we didn't try... Instead, it's back to the Lockup Stage to watch Ignite [ myspace ] - a group of pretty straight-edge not-so-young kids who deliver 'soft' punk. A lot of it is politically and socially do-good motivated, and they dedicate songs to Doctors Without Borders, those who have lost friends and relatives in Iraq, as well as playing a cover of Sunday Bloody Sunday for all those caught on the frontlines of some conflict on this day (and they pulled it off, too). Lead singer Zoli has a surprisingly good voice: powerful and versatile and most importantly, never off-key. There is nothing new here, but they are a pleasure to watch and listen to. (Yeah, you could probably quite easily take this guy home to your parents). Following them are The Casualties [ photo || myspace ], a young punk band going for the old school punk vision led by a guy with a massive orange Mohawk (you probably wouldn't want to take this guy home) and they really set loose. It's fun and energy and jumping, but of course not lacking the obligatory stereotypical anti-government-punk-political-statement in songs like Under Attack . I'm a little sorry my cynical self can't take these things more seriously. Following them are the Cancer Bats [ myspace ] and my musical ADD kicks in around 20 seconds into their first song. Given some time to get into it, I can watch almost anything live and in some way or another enjoy it, but these guys actually give me a headache and I have to flee. Enough said, really. I catch Funeral For A Friend's [ photo || myspace ] set opener Into Oblivion , but it's not really good enough to entice me to stay and watch more so I head back to our campsite instead. A few drinks and hours later, I head back to see Lostprophets [ photo || myspace ] . I used to be really into these guys a few years ago and still think their second album Start Something is a masterpiece in that it holds together from start to finish and if you're going to listen to it, you listen to the entire thing from front to back. They surpass any and all expectations I might have had, partially because their performance is solid musically, but far more importantly because Ian Watkins is a showman who knows how to involve a crowd. "Tonight on the news I want to hear that Lostprophets got everyone jumping at Reading Festival." Really? All right, honey, we can do that. And everyone does jump for (I think it was) Last Train Home , or maybe Last Summer . It doesn't really matter, what matters is that I haven't seen anyone except maybe the Chili Peppers get this many people moving at Reading yet. Encouraged by the audience participation, their next task is to create the biggest circle pit ever. I don't know if it was, but it was big, and there were two: one in front of the stage, and one behind the middle barrier. I feel like I'm 13 again. They leave to tumultuous and well-earned applause and I manage to snag a place right at the middle barrier. This is the key: an absolutely perfect view. My heart races in anticipation as we watch the stage being prepared for Nine Inch Nails [ photo | photo1 || myspace ]. Objectively speaking, I think I'd have to say theirs was the best performance of the weekend (Sandy has already alerted you to which it was for me subjectively speaking...wait for it). They start off their set with new track Beginning of the End amongst a flurry of smoke and lights, Trent stationary at the microphone, bassist Jeordie White standing somewhat off to the side while guitarist Aaron North skips and runs around the stage much like a witch doctor or possessed maniac, all messy hair and spidery legs. NIN are masters at their game, and anyone who says Trent Reznor has lost intensity with age is sorely mistaken as he announces the end of the world with perhaps more power than ever. The only thing that has apparently changed is his sense of fashion as my friend later alerts me to a detail which I missed: it seems dear Trent changed his shirt around two or three times throughout the show. Their masterfully crafted music and his incredible voice are complimented by one of the most impressive lightshows I have ever witnessed, perfectly crafted to underlie the concept of their new album Year Zero : starting off with conventional lights, they move to standing in front of a screen that alternately flashes between apocalyptic images and snowy disturbance (yes, like a TV with bad signal) and their silhouettes appear to become electrical signals themselves until, a song later, they have actually faded into the screen - or rather, moved behind the strings of lightbulbs that make it up and all that remains is faded figures. It is the perfect illusion and the perfect illustration. Genius. Pure fucking genius. They smoothly move through Head Like A Hole, The Hand That Feeds, Closer (which drives everyone into a frenzy), Eraser (with its incredible tension build-up), Survivalism, March of the Pigs (we all scream along "I want to watch it come down!"), Dead Souls (one of the best covers ever recorded - Joy Division, for those not in the know), Me I'm Not and maybe some things I have missed out. At some point Aaron White trips and falls, launching him into an angry mess of guitar throwing and smashing but it still all sounds fantastic. Suddenly everything goes black, and all that remains is the massive NIN logo being flashed out at us from all screens and sides and for a moment we are caught up in Trent's apocalyptic vision of the end being near. The lights go back up and there he is at a piano for set finisher Hurt that has everyone singing along and many (me included) in tears. Then, a wait, another tension build-up for me. By now, the crowd behind us is massive and you can almost taste the anticipation in the air. It seems to take forever to set up, but finally The Smashing Pumpkins [ photo | photo1 || myspace ] take the stage and I'm gone. I don't want to sickeningly gush, but aaaaah (I am also at this point glad Billy Corgan and Trent Reznor haven't killed each other backstage if rumours of their conflicts and mutual bashing hold true to this day). I had been waiting for this moment thinking it would never come. Years. Their white-clad figures start off with an instrumental intro before launching into Doomsday Clock (I could be wrong on this, I'm sorry...hazy memory). The sound is momentous, as are the lights accompanying it - whining guitars and elaborate drumming and electronic sounds and echoes and most of all Corgan's voice. Corgan is back with a vengeance and leads us from the very new straight down a nostalgic venture into Today, which has everyone singing along. It is far from their best song, but it is a symbolic anthem that announces their return to the world loud and clear. Today may really be the greatest day I've ever known. Corgan is incredible as ever on guitar, Jimmy stupidly fantastic on drums, and the new line-up stands up to this test well in my eyes: all clearly talented musicians. I am an incoherent mess and couldn't for the life of me remember the order of the songs they played or even, shamefully, all of them. United States is a mammoth of a song with distorted guitars and sounds and some sweet improvisation, new single Tarantula garners quite a warm response, Tonight, Tonight has everyone singing and overly emotional, Stand Inside Your Love, Zero, 1979, That's The Way (My Love Is) are all solid performances. A choice that is perhaps a little strange is Glass and the Ghost Children and I'm afraid its fuzzed out distortion eventually lost all but the most die-hard fans' attention. In fact the crowd's enthusiasm was generally severely lacking, and as Billy cuts out halfway through Bullet With Butterfly Wings expecting the audience to carry the chorus I am the only one in my vicinity left singing until others eventually catch on. "That ...wasn't too bad, but let's try that again," he goes before repeating the chorus, this time helping us along a little. Sorry, Billy. We once again let him down when he announces a song off the new album, with the resulting applause rare and far inbetween, and even I can't find it in myself to scream. "Off the new album, Zeitgeist. It's called Zeitgeist, you fuckers," he repeats himself twice before giving up and instead starting the soft piano-driven tune of Death From Above (one of the tracks involved in the shameful marketing scheme that puts them only on one of four possible versions of the album... sickening ploy). An angry and twisted rendition of Heavy Metal Machine lifts my heart at Billy's genius - "Are you ready to die for rock n' roll?" he asks, and yes, yes, I might just be - dying right now in this crowd while watching the Pumpkins wouldn't be such a bad way to go, really. He changes the chorus to 'heavy metal resurrection machine' and inserts a piece about 'sometimes you just need some fuckin' cash' - a tongue-in-cheek lash out straight back at those criticizing the Pumpkins' reformation. You get what you ask for. As does the girl in the crowd who thinks it's a great idea to pull up her shirt and flash everyone as the camera is on her - Billy launches into a joking tirade about "We all know how the women are in England. I'm just kidding. The women in America are sluts too." Would it be wrong of me to say I love this man? They end on the much-anticipated Cherub Rock : the epitome of rock anthems and everyone screams out the rest of their shredded lungs while singing along, finally finally the crowd seems alive once more, and it is an incredible conclusion to this weekend. "Who wants honey, as long as there's some money" plays in my head over and over and over again for the next few days. Thank you, Billy, thank you. Luckily my friend is there to drag my almost feverish self back to our campsite (otherwise I might still be standing there). The temperature has dropped more than just a few degrees and our breath clouds as we freeze in a small huddled circle, watching the madness unfold around us as things go up in fire whose exact nature we would rather not think about. Then it's morning and packing up and goodbye, leaving shambles behind but (to end on a very very clichee note - don't tell me you didn't see it coming) carrying happiness in our hearts. Goodbye, Reading Festival 2007.

Don't You Just Love Us?

2007-08-26T00:12:00.000+01:00

So while it seems once again as if half the country is at either Reading or Leeds I'm stuck at home again. I'm going to lose cool points for this but despite being really into my music and Head of Music at a radio station, I've never actually been to a festival, as much as I really want to. Next year is going to be my year though...

Chiara's out there right now though, so watch out for a mega-post from her soon. No doubt it'll fawn over Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins' headlining set so just make sure you are ready ok.

So with everyone else having fun and me stuck working in a supermarket I decided to cheer myself up with some new CD's. Unfortunatly this summer has been rather deader than usual for new releases. The upshot of this though is that this is one of the few times on the year I can work through the 'list of music I really want but never seem to have enough cash to get it because I get distracted by something shiny and new'. So, seeing as I'm avoiding going to sleep right now, heres a list and some quick reviews of the stuff I've been listening to the past few weeks:

MC Mastercuts - Chilled Lounge: So I've recently bought CD decks (more on this in another post) and am starting adventures in DJing, and since doing the chillout set at Wolfson June Event in June I've really got into my chillout stuff (101 CLub anthems was b=purchased with a similar idea in mind). This is a pretty decent compilation for just a few quid actually and has given me a few good tunes for later sets. The best by far though is 'The Sensual Woman' by The Herbaliser. It sounds like a woman reading the dirty pages from Cosmopolitan magazine over Ron Burgundy's 'Yazz flute' from Anchorman. So wrong and yet hilarious. Worth ti just for the looks on other peoples faces when you play it to them

Slipknot - Volume 3 - The Subimimnal Verses: I nicked this from my brother and it's surprisingly good. People often dismiss this band but this album has held up pretty well. There's even some actual singing. And 'Vermillion' is an absolute stormer.

Kosheen - Kokopelli: Resist is one of the best dance albums ever so the logical step is to go indie right? Pretty disappointing but the new stuff is sounding frickin' awesome so for the moment they are forgiven. Give it a listen here

Million Dead - A Song TO Ruin: I love Frank Turner's solo album of acoustic folk tracks so thought it was time to delve into his heavy rock roots. Stuff from the second album should be a little more melodic and to my tastes (it's on order at the moment) but this is fine, angry stuff, even if it lacks the charm of his solo stuff. Just buy 'Sleep Is For The Week now folks - it's the best album of the year so far and I can't wait to see him live again in September. The myspace is here if you need convincing

Mew - Frengers: oh ye Gods yes! One of the most stunningly beautiful albums I have ever heard. Full rant on these guys coming soon but just know that this record soars in every single way.

Dammit that wen't on a little - never mind, I'm on holiday so can afford these long leisurely posts.

Join me later this week when I will be reviewing a musical - those scene points are slipping away as we speak...

YCNI:M is dead

2007-08-22T22:13:00.000+01:00

And I was hoping the first post proper would be a happy one...

"Indefinate haitus"

Two words which more often enough mean only one thing - 'thats's all folks, you may hear from us again, but it's unlikely'

And so the fantastic Yourcodenameis:Milo get added to the list of haitees (that probably isn't a word but we probably need an adjective for those who are on haitus so who cares - answers below please). No reason given, no warning, no reason to think things amiss. Suddenly they are gone. Such is the music industry sometimes.

Quite frankly this sucks. YCNI:M were a fantastic band in my mind. Quirky and complicated with some of the sharpest, clearest vocals around. Live they were fantastic as well. I was lucky enough to catch them on their last trip to Cam supporting BIffy CLyro and they blew me away with a wall of sound as tight a musical noose, even when executing the most audacious tempo changeto end the set. They even bettered Biffy that night, and that is no mean feat

Seriously, if anybody listening like their rock a little bit on the experimental side of things with lots of time and tempo changes and complex song structures you could do far worse than get yourself a copy of either of their superb full albums - 'Ignoto' and 'They Came From The Sun'

Even if you don't at least give them a listen at their myspace

ly really got into the band properly at the end of easter term but I; never forget cutting my head open on Producer Charles' ceiling playing 17 from Ignoto. Even with a bloody head it stil sounded great.

There's a picture floating around somewhere now I think of it.

A little tip - if you want to be the centre of attention at a party, bleed a lot

Come back soon guys, don't let it be the type of haitus that never ends

soundtrack - Yourcodenameis:Milo - I'm Impressed (from the album 'They Came From The Sun)

Enter Light.

2007-08-19T20:44:00.000+01:00

Introducing the players of the CUR1350 Music Blog: Part II .

Chiara (italian): light –adjective
24. having light or illumination; bright; well-lighted (source)

Illumination -noun
5. intellectual or spiritual enlightenment. (source)

Hence: if Sandy as Sandman brings dreams, I bring enlightenment.

I function as Music Resources Manager at CUR1350 , the background of which station Sandy has so nicely outlined below. In very simple terms, I get to function as one of Sandy's hands in his Head of Music position (I am currently liking the evoked Rayman image...). I also spend a good amount of my time sniffing out music that doesn't neccessarily reach our mailboxes as being too odd. I'm a staunch believer in the "if it's good, I WILL make you listen to it" philosophy, so expect much 'gogogo!'-ing from me.

Thus, the blog: prime platform for myself and the other music team members to throw our opinions at those of you interested in reading and with a sufficient attention span to absorb them - but also prime platform for you to rage and rave right back at us via the comments, and please do. To continue on Sandy's premise: if your shouting doesn't echo, you're clearly not shouting loud enough.

Love,
C.
---

Soundtrack ----> DeVotchKa: How It Ends

Enter Sandyman

2007-08-18T21:12:00.001+01:00

And so it begins...

Welcome one and all to the brand new, fresh out of the box, still carrying that new webpage smell CUR1350 Music Blog. We all know that the internet is full of people yelling about music, but we can offer something just a little bit different. This blog is brought to you by people actually inside the music industry(even if it is only student radio)

So introductions are in order I think :)

So what the hell is CUR1350? For anyone that doesn't know we're a student radio station operating in the Cambridge region of England, serving both universities (Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin) in the region. Give us a listen if you havn't before. We're pretty good at what we do - giving people a chance to learn the craft of radio and bringing you guys (the listeners) some great shows and music. But of course I would say that wouldn't I...

My name is Sandy and I'm probably in charge of this corner of the webisphere. My official role is that of Head of Music at CUR1350. This basically means I'm in charge of the stations music policy and playlists, which means not only do I get to listen to and judge a lot of new music, I get to do it way before most people even get hold of it. This is my first blog though so be gentle

I'm mostly a rock/indie/alternative music kinda person, although I occasionally like to dabble around a bit in things like Drum&Bass, British Hip-Hop and whatever else comes along. I guess at heart if it's got a good bit of a tune and some depth behind it it usually ticks all the right boxes. Of course the best way to find all that out is to listen to my shows but seeing as I'm out on holiday at the moment I'll leave the blatent show-plugging until later.

You'll be hearing from the other members of the music team soon enough, for now all that I can encourage you to do is to get ready to take aim and fire at everything we say. Comment, agree, dissagree and generally bitch with us please. The only thing better than great music is sharing it with/ forcing it on others. We're taking every oppertunity we can get.

In a world where anyone can shout, all you have to do is shout louder