It’s that time of year again when voting commences for the “Record of the Day Awards for Music Journalism and PR,” which this year takes place at the Gibson Rooms, Rathbone Street, London on November 26.
We (ie me), are up for Best Blog prize! Not bad eh? For what is essentially a one man blog. All awards are voted for by the public but hopefully not the same public who watch the X-Factor. So if you fancy voting for the ‘little guy’ and help him mix with the great and the good and maybe even get on that GMTV sofa of inanity, or hang out with those crazy gals on “Loose Women” then go to the website HERE and vote in the best blog category for The Von Pip Musical Express….because every time you vote for another blog, a kitten dies….probably…x
Saying you don’t particularly ‘ get’ The White Stripes usually elicits the same sort of incredulity and anger normally reserved for somebody who decides to drop their trousers and shout “Hallelujah!” whilst receiving Holy Communion at church on Sunday. But the truth is I never really had much time for The White Stripes, Ok so “Hotel Yorba” had a certain rough-hewn rustic knock about charm, but for some reason they reminded me of Timbuk 3 (anyone remember them! ) and I never quite managed to sever that ludicrous mental connection. As the popular music press salivated over each new White Stripes release I would offer the same indifferent shrug I normally reserved for the latest Foo Fighters tune. After hearing Mr White’s rather woefully misjudged James Bond /Alicia Keys rock-warble hybrid I felt a shameful sense of schadenfreude “not quite the godhead you’re often made out to be eh Jacky boy ?” I thought. However despite my resistance to all things JW I could appreciate that he is an amazing, innovative guitarist but I believed that the premature anointing of Mr W as some sort of musical deity was somewhat over the top, but hey, ho, I didn’t lose much sleep over it and I’m damn sure Jack didn’t, – I didn’t dislike The White Stripes they just kinda washed over me and I concluded that some bands you just don’t ‘get’. And so The White Stripes existed -I didn’t bother them, they didn’t bother me, everybody was happy. Then along came The Raconteurs, and I admit I was initially seduced by ‘Steady As She Goes’ and we briefly held hands but when I listened to the full album I realised we were never likely to consummate our musical relationship and so it seemed that another Jack White project was to pass me by … I must admit I did feel I was missing out, but couldn’t quite work out how or in what sense??…..
But now Jacks really gone and upset my apple cart …he’s only gone and produced a sleazy slice of rock n’ roll that even I could not fail to be moved by. His latest single “I Cut Like a Buffalo” from yet another of his ever expanding side projects, The Dead Weather, is the song that really changed everything for me, it became a musical jemmy that opened a mind that was seemingly forever hermetically sealed to all things Jack White… after listening to this track everything slowly started fall in to place, suddenly I started to “get” the Dead Weather and it proved “I don’t know Jack!”
Alongside Jack, The Dead Weather’s dirge rock is the product of Dean Fertita (Queens Of The Stone Age), “Little” Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes) and Alison Mosshart (The Kills) “I Cut Like Buaffalo” is their latest musical calling card from their debut album ‘Horehound’. It’s a track which perfectly captures their gritty rock & dirty blues sound. It’s a dark, organ grinding number containing a Stranglers inspired intro which fuses “Peaches” with “Hanging Around” before crossing over into Clash territory whilst managing to retain that whiskey sodden blues quality that sounds utterly authentic, natural and completely uncontrived. Apparently The Dead Weather formed as the result of a Raconteurs jam session and it kind of has that rough and ready vibe, a raw untreated feel, like it was recorded in a New Orleans crack house on Halloween. Visceral guitars and juddering beats circle Jack and Alison’s vocals like a pack of hungry wolves as he snarls “Is that you chokin’?/ Or are you just jokin’? I’ve no idea what “Cuts Like A Buffalo” actually means, some say it’s a euphemism for death, others that it’s a slightly unpleasant term for bleeding during sexual congress(nice), but I prefer to think of it as somebody who is thick-skinned -difficult to upset, hurt, or insult-tough, a bit like Mr T. It’s a tune that has been playing around in my head for weeks, and is a song destined to one day join the canonised classics. It may well also be the catalyst which inspires me to revisit the White Stripes in the hope that the penny will finally drop …..8/10
Danish duo Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner, The Raveonettes to you and I, return with a bang, both in the literal and the figurative sense! ‘Bang’ is the first single from the bands 4th studio album “In And Out Of Control” and is a track that once again demonstrates the bands effortless ability to produce stellar pop songs of shimmering brilliance.
Released as a double A-side alongside ‘The Last Dance,’‘Bang’ finds The Raveonettes swapping their effects pedals in favour of surfboards to compose a glistening melodious sound which owes more to Beach Boys harmonies than to the Mary Chain guitar thrash of old. On this track at least, it appears the Raveonettes aren’t fixing to ‘Kill Surf City’ just yet, although beneath the veil of ice cream sweetness there lurks menace, “barbed wire kisses” and darkness at the core. Despite the sometimes disturbing lyrical ambiguity of lines such as “Bang! / You’re so vicious baby / Bang! / You sure know how to control me” and “When I scream out baby / Bang! You know I love it all the time” the Raveonettes still manage to leave an overall impression that you’ve just been listening to the perfect upbeat end of summer tune. Yet again they provide a shining example of how to produce pristine pop that is timeless, yet modern.
Whilst ‘Bang’ may be the more commercial, radio friendly number, it’s ‘The Last Dance’ that is the stronger of the two tunes on offer here. Initially it appears to be an innocent song laced with melancholia dealing with traditional Spector-esque prom night gone wrong style heartbreak, but closer scrutiny reveals there are darker themes at play. This isn’t just any old last dance this is the final dance in the true “God putting Patrick Swayze in the corner” sense. Thematically it’s almost like a Ronettes influenced relative of “Girlfriend In A Coma” as Wagner and Foo sing “And every time you overdose I rush to intensive care / Another sad eye stare before you disappear / If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance / Then save it for me baby.” It’s classic Raveonettes, hauntingly dark lyrics drenched in a gorgeous melody infused with a sense of bruised nobility and doomed grandeur.
The Raveonettes thankfully have not tried to reinvent the wheel here, they are doing what they do best, producing effortlessly brilliant fifties and sixties influenced rock n’roll which puts many of the jejune bandwagon jumping revivalists in the shade. Long may they continue to “Rave On”.
Tour Rider (def) -The rider is a list of requests for the comfort of the artist on the day of the show. Sometimes this document is provided along with the technical rider; other times, it is provided much closer to the performance date.
“Absolut” Power Corrupts Absolutely ! And those nice people at Absolut vodka are on a mission to find out if you can match some of the craziest riders in Rock n’ Roll history. It’s simple, just provide details of yourdream rider, and you could win it ! Simply clickHEREand let your inner diva go cloud cuckoo stark raving crazy. Remember they can only provide things, not experiences ….shame really cos mine involved a rather fetching domina…..actually lets not go there .
To inspire you here are some of the more outlandish riders of recent times
Van Halen’s now legendary demands for large bowls of M&M’s with all the brown ones removed seemed more Spinal Tap than Spinal Tap. Their riders were also notorious for the sheer volume of alcohol stipulated. One rider specified that their dressing room was to contain a case of beer, a pint of Jack Daniel’s, a pint of Absolut, a 750 ml bottle of Bacardi Añejo rum, three bottles of wine, small bottles of Cointreau and Grand Marnier, and a 750 ml bottle of one of five specific premium tequilla. Oh and six limes, margarita salt, shot glasses, ingredients for Bloody Marys, and a blender. Plus a goat called Alan.
Britney Spears rider demands a private phone line in her dressing trailer –fair enough but she’ll also fine the promoter a mere $5,000 if the number leaks and anyone calls her. Pity I can’t do the same to Indian call centres who invariably ring when I’m eating my tea . Otherwise, the Britster’s tastes are rather, like the lady herself, quite simple: Froot Loops, and Pop Tarts (You are what you eat.)
This is my favourite from good old Uncle Iggy Pop who made a bizarre request for seven dwarves. He also demanded American Spirit cigarettes (which he doesn’t smoke) and broccoli (which he hates). Questioned about this bizarre request, his response was that he wanted the broccoli in order to throw it in the bin –a visual representation of his utter contempt for the green hued relative of the cauliflower family one would imagine …Mind you, we dare not contemplate what he wanted the dwarves for…
Mariah “doesn’t do stairs” Carey is known as queen of the Divas and some of her demands have included bunny rabbits, puppies, and kittens to keep her company backstage, Cristal champagne, and obviously a box of bendy straws to sip it with, and the requirement of a special attendant to take care of all her needs, including insuring her favourite colour of toilet paper was in stock, lovely.
Read my interview with Charlotte, exclusive to Altsounds.com HERE
The thing that’s always impressed me about Charlotte Hatherley is she’s just so bloody good at what she does. She’s a great guitarist, an innovative songwriter, runs her own record label, is beautiful, has been a member of Ash, Client, Bat For Lashes and I’m quite sure she could bring about world peace if she put her mind to it.
In a world where people are being happily manipulated into believing the “X-Factor” really is the definitive bench mark of true musical talent it’s difficult to know if Charlotte’s third album “New Worlds” will shift any more units than her previous releases. Should such a scenario transpire then it really would be criminal as it certainly deserves to be heard by a wider audience and result in her fanbase expanding at the same rate as Jamie Oliver’s waistline. It’s definitely her strongest and most accomplished work to date.
“New Worlds” demonstrates not only Charlottes’ gifts as a great lyricist and guitarist but it also showcases her ability to effortlessly merge and slip into various musical genres and styles whilst still producing an album that works as a cohesive whole. Album opener ‘White,’ is all angular, with jagged guitar riffs that are underpinned by driving rhythms that could quite easily be Elastica if they’d managed to produce better tunes. Latest single ‘Alexander’ starts off innocently enough with a melodic, slightly twee acoustic intro but the song really explodes into life when the chorus kicks in, whilst ‘Straight Lines’ is pure melodious jump up and down new wave/punk. Thematically the album appears to be centred on a quest for veracity, a desire to slowly peel away layers and reveal some kind of inner truth whilst colours are deftly employed as an important descriptive tool, used to highlight moods, emotions and personality traits.
Hatherley isn’t afraid to experiment either, for example the slightly kooky ‘Firebird’ is the sort of quintessential eccentric English pop song that recalls Ray Davies with his modus operandi setting cranked up to “whimsical.” It shouldn’t really work, yet Hatherley pulls it off with great charm and skill. The albums title track ‘New Worlds’ is part XTC, part Chrissie Hynde yet remains unmistakably Charlotte, and it’s when Charlotte “rocks” that her unique guitar playing style can really be appreciated. There’s not a bad track on the album and songs like ‘Full Circle’ and ‘Little Sahara’ merely serve to confirm the view that we should really bestow the title of ‘national treasure’ on Ms Hatherley and give thanks that the music world is still home to innovation and genuine talent. The albums final track ‘Wrong Notes’ make you want to grab Cowell by his aesthetically ignorant lug holes and roar “Damn it man, THIS is real music, not Robson and f***ing Jerome!”
“X-Factor” may be the drug of choice for many people and as Oscar Wilde wisely deduced “Public opinion exists only where there are no ideas” but there are alternatives, there are fresh new ideas. We really should count our blessings that despite not having massive budgets or huge PR campaigns we still have artists like Charlotte Hatherley who are brimming with ideas, talent and passion and who make music that really does matter. This is a ‘New World’ that should not be left undiscovered, go play in the fresh snow kid.
This review was originally written for Altsounds.com which you can read here
‘Alexander’ starts off with a whimsical, almost folksy acoustic intro, which for some reason conjures up Britt Ekland’s body double prancing about the bedroom in the ‘Wicker Man’ as a bulging eyed Edward Woodward almost gives himself a hernia trying to subdue the beast within (sadly this probably says more about the reviewer than it does about the song). The track sees Charlotte trying to elicit a sense of openness from the chap around whom the song centres, it would seem he is unwilling or unable to provide our Charlotte with the reassurances she is seeking and his reticence to give himself totally to the relationship seems to be something that deeply troubles Ms H. One can’t help but feel that Alexander’s attempts to keep things to himself have somewhat backfired and must rank up there with Rod Hull’s “I’ll just pop up on the roof to adjust the TV aerial” as a “bad idea” in the “Bad Idea Hall of Fame!” You see unfortunately for Alex, Charlotte’s gone and written a song about it now and it’s been on the radio and everything…and it’s not only Ms Hatherley wondering- ‘what kind of dreaming you do behind your innocent eyes’ -it’s the nation!! That’ll teach you eh ?
The song essentially deals with honesty and emotional depth within relationships. We never find out exactly what Alexander is hiding but Charlotte definitely senses there’s another side to his character which he is keeping hidden. Can she trust him? Just what is he holding back? Does he disappear come the full moon and return somewhat disheveled with a craving for raw steak? Or worse, is he a young conservative?! Of course it’s perfectly plausible that Alexander, resplendent might I add, in his suit of royal blue, has nothing sinister to hide at all, he might be an avid trainspotter, attend the odd Star Trek convention (is there any other type?) or simply enjoy the unrivaled adrenaline rush provided by secretly collecting horse brasses. Who knows?
‘Alexander’ is the sort of song that slowly draws you in before it hooks you with a fantastic chorus but the real surprise is just how good the accompanying ‘Black N Red’ remix is. I don’t normally enjoy remixes but this I’m afraid is absurdly good, it might not quite do for Charlotte what Weatherall did for Primal Scream with ‘Loaded’ but it’s one of the best remixes you’re likely to hear this year. If you’re planning to buy the album but have maybe decided to skip the single, rest assured it really is worth a couple of quid for this version alone….. and here’s an idea….. how about a remix album?
This review was originally written for Altsounds.com which you can read here
Free download “Clown Tit Fun” By Lulu And The Lamshades here
A girl called Lulu and her friends the dancing lampshades?? Good grief! It sounds like something that might have been commissioned for kids TV during the 60’s and early 70’s , a time when the counter-culture and consumerism collided and bizarrely kids TV seemed to be laced with none too subtle drug references There was the visual equivalent of the ‘Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test ‘in the disturbing somewhat freaky form of ‘HR Pufnstuff’.We had ‘The Magic Roundabout’ , replete with hallucinogenic imagery and moral corruption ,which introduced a generation of youngsters to some rather dubious characters including a tripped out rabbit called Dylan who, one suspects, was germinating something rather more powerful than carrots in his “vegetable patch !” And what of ‘Ludwig’? , This terrifying cartoon had “bad acid” writ large throughout and led to many children needing psychiatric help . I kid you not….
However I digress, Lulu And The Lampshades, aside from their name, have little in common with any of the above. They are in point of fact a musical collective best described as quirky folk rockers with a whimsical sense of playfulness and an ear for a great tune. A word of caution however, their live shows really do contain scenes of dancing lampshades which some people may find disturbing . Hallucinogenic drugs are not recommended!
The free spirited ethos of Lulu And The Lampshades is apparent on their debut single “Feet To the Sky” abeautiful ode to escapism “For too long emotional extremities have been uncharted territories” sings Luisa as she seeks to shake herself from “the things I think that make me whole” It’s a call to arms, challenging people to look at things from a different perspective, to shake things up, to do something out of the ordinary and to put as little trust as possible in tomorrowand seize the moment. “Feet To the Sky” is a fabulous introduction to the bands clever word play and sense of fun and will no doubt delight fans of Emmy the Great, Peggy Sue, Laura Marling et all, they are a band who quite literally, get the furniture dancing!!
Lulu And The Lampshades also share a deep love for their namesake, the humble lampshade, they nurse a deeply held belief that it is a vastly unappreciated item of furniture and should be celebrated. Thus intrigued I decided to have a chat with Luisa about the moral implications of fusing music with soft furnishings and attempted to shed some light on what made the band tick…The results were somewhat illuminating
VP: Hello there, how did the band come about? Who is Lulu and how did she meet her Lampshades??
Lulu: Hi hey hello. Lampshade past? Well I wanted to be in a band for ages, but I didn’t know anyone to be in a band with, so I made one up, and called it Helouisa (mine and Heloise’s names combined, clever no?). We went to school together and it was the name we gave to all our entrepreneurial failures: t-shirts, cakes, hoodies with cushions inside the hood (another good idea I think) … After a while it occurred to us to try singing together, but everyone said the name was rubbish and they were right. Jemma agreed to play with us one night and we convinced her to stay and Dan we found at a furniture convention where we bonded over our love for lampshades and decided we would strive to see their appreciation in modern day society … more or less.
VP: I know it’s difficult to describe your own music, but who said this was going to be an easy interview …
Lulu: Well I really like harmonies and I really like percussion, so, erm, harcussion music? Or Parmony music?
VP: You’re about to release a single “Feet to the Sky”, which was written apparently whilst cycling to Paris on a whim. At 4am. On New Year’s Eve. As you do
Lulu: Kiiiind of, a few details to be remedied. It was whimsical in as much as we decided to do it the day of departure, a few days earlier so that we’d get there in time for New Years Eve. We left at four because we thought we’d miss our ferry, but that was the dumbest thing ever because it doesn’t get light for ages and we were suddenly on a dual carriageway in the pitch black with lorries whizzing by, very scary, we had to sit in a bush on the hard shoulder and wait for sunrise, we played ping to stay warm. Aside from that it was completely magical, a perfect bit of escapism in cold winter.
VP: What are you doing to celebrate its release?
Lulu: We’re having party! 26th of October at Passing Clouds just off Kingsland Road. Details coming, Melodica, Melody and Me are playing, who I love so I’m very happy about that, and some others confirming … come, it’ll be grand.
VP: Aside from recording your debut single what have you been up to musically in 2009?
Lulu: Forming a band. This time last year it was still just me, garage band, and any boy I could get to strum a guitar with me on open mic’s. Now there are permanent members, new songs, lots more gigs and the like. We spent the last few days making a video which we’re very excited about, Dan is dressed as a Duracell Bunny, Heloise is Little Bo Peep, and Jemma is Marie from the Sound of Music. I wish they could dress like that all the time.
VP: What has been your most memorable gig so far?
Lulu: Maybe one of our first for first times sakes… The Lock Tavern earlier this year, it was the first one with Dan and the first one where two of my friends agreed to dress as lampshades and dance for us. We were so nervous and excited and we inevitably messed up loads, but it was so much fun. When we got an encore we just had to sing Elastic Limbs again because we didn’t have any more songs.
VP: Who are your musical heroes and why?
Lulu: It’s mostly just been a series of female solo singers, starting with Billie Holiday who I was massively obsessed with when I should have been into much cooler music. The other biggest one I reckon is Lauryn Hill. Apparently I’ve never been so excitable as when I saw her play at Exit (which was otherwise horrible). I made sure I was at the front and was reduced to the screaming fan I never thought I’d be. She came on an hour and a half late, and shouted her songs over a ska beat, rubbish, but I didn’t care in the slightest.
VP: What’s your poison, Facebook, Myspace? Twitter? Or do you get out occasionally?
Lulu: If we’re referring to interspace vices then I’ll be specific and say Facebook threads. When I was writing my dissertation we started a Facebook message to plan summer whilst we were stuck in libraries, but then everyone got a bit hooked and it became my salvation, it was literally my life for about two months… so dependable, somebody was always there! We started referring to it as a real person and christened him Malcolm, Dear Malcolm, today I … and so on. Now he is embodied in a little red caravan. Malcolm is my poison.
VP: If the government could appoint a minister for cool, who’d get your vote?
Lulu: As a testament to how cool Brazilians are, they’re minister of culture is world-renowned musician Gilberto Gil, basically a minister of cool if ever one did exist. We compare thinly.
VP: What are the five most important words in Lulu And The Lampshades dictionary
Phew, it’s been a busy old time at VP Towers, what with promoting a new music night (as above) band management, photo shoots, interviews, secret deals, and clandestine assignations, highs lows and everything in between. All in all it’s been a giddy whirl !!
Normal service will be resumed shortly but as ever it’s music that fuels our imagination, adds the grist to our musical mill and provides the lead for our pencil!! So here’s what we’ve been getting our groove on to lately.
And a blast from the past, possibly even more relavant today in the sense that we have more musical “puppets” than ever before. Maybe Milo could update it ?
Hockey’s debut album “Mind Chaos” has been a long time coming, there have been a few false starts along the way but ultimately it’s been well worth the wait. Described by the band as “new wave soul”“Mind Chaos” is an album that draws on a myriad of musical styles and melds them together to produce an album that is danceable, exciting and coherent. Any concerns that such an eclectic variety of influences could produce an uneven album lacking in direction and focus are quickly allayed as “Mind Chaos” serves to reinforce the view that bands diversity and ability to surprise is in fact their strength.
The album kicks off with their recent debut single, the soaring “Too Fake ”, a rip roaring anthem that seems to be fuelled by anger and regret, yet conversely still manges to sound upbeat and euphoric. It’s exactly this kind of juxtaposition of conflicting emotions coupled with their innovative collision of styles and themes that is rapidly becoming Hockey’s trademark. “3Am Spanish” is full on funk attack and sounds like The Beastie Boys hanging with MGMT down at Studio 54 , whilst “Wanna Be Black” could be Bob Dylan jamming with LCD Soundsystem as Isaac Hayes asks that age old metaphysical question “Can you dig it?” (Quite clearly they can!) Elsewherethe ludicrously infectious Spingsteen-esque“Song Away” is a festival anthem in waiting with a vocal delivery reminiscent of how Lou Reed may have sounded if he’d stepped into the light and dropped a few “Es!” As if the album isn’t varied enough Hockey even throw in a few a country infused numbers, a particular highlight being “Four Holy Photos” which recalls the ghost of a less dissolute Tom Waits minus the throaty atmospheric croak. Throughout the album the guitars veer from Nile Rodgers “get on down” influenced disco funk to 70’s infused Paul Kossoff guitar riffs all underpinned by the funkiest bass lines since Grandmaster Flash and Funkadelic got their funk on at the worldwide festival of funk on National Funk Day .
Free Download
Hockey // Learn To Lose (Labyrinth Remix)
“Mind Chaos” is a debut that announces just what Hockey have to offer, it’s full of smart lyrics, gritty vocals and phat 80’s grooves and it deftly manages to pay homage to a variety of styles and eras but isn’t restricted by them. Who said bike riding vegans can’t be hip ? If Huggy Bear had opened an ice cream parlour in Antarctica it wouldn’t be half as cool as “Mind Chaos”. To paraphrase the cult Inspiral Carpets T-shirt of the late 80s,“Mind Chaos” proves Hockey are “As Cool As Puck”, success it would seem is just a “Song Away” 8/10
This Week : Echo And The Bunnymen announce new single and album, Sound Of Guns New EP Plus Dubai Sound City, Marina & The Diamonds – AwesomeRemix! Metric- Amazing Free Remix! Mumford And Sons Album Art and Tour, The Bon-Bon Club, Delphic, Kill It Kid, Cosmo Jarvis, Academy Live and Alela Diane
Released on 26th October 2009 on Ocean Rain Records
‘Think I Need It Too’ is the brilliant new single from the mighty Echo And The Bunnymen, and the first release from their forthcoming album ‘The Fountain’. It’s a joyous, uplifting, utterly infectious slice of luscious pop and Mac’s voice sounds stronger than ever. “I’m just a better writer and better singer these days,” he says. “My voice has got more… honest.” The B side will be a new track entitled ‘November’
The single’s widescreen, crystalline sound is the work of Scottish producer John McLaughlin, who produced the whole album, and whose credits may come as a surprise to some Bunnymen fans.“He’s done work with Busted and Five, who I loved! ” smiles Mac. “I just became reallygood friends with him. I really wanted a big, solid undertow beneath the lyrics.
‘The Fountain’, due for release in November, is a powerful album that sees the Bunnymen back to their very best and with a truly modern sensibility that should see a whole new generation discover one of the UK’s most iconic bands.
There will be a special free gig in Liverpool on Monday 2nd Nov as part of Liverpool Music Week. Sound Of Guns will be headlining in Alma De Cuba, a converted church, the band will be playing on the altar. Not to be missed.
Sound City Dubai
Sound City Liverpool takes over Dubai in November, Sound Of Guns will be joining Doves, The Wombats, Happy Mondays, Echo & The Bunnymen, Super Furry Animals….
And the band release a new EP “Elementary Of Youth EP”, on 26TH October, which will be available on limited double 7” vinyl with free cd and digital download.
Here’s a picture of Marina and The Diamonds beacuse a/ we love her b/there’s a fantastic new fansite dedicated to Ms D -HERE and c/ Black Teeth have produced an amazing remix of “Mowgli’s Road”. It’s pretty darn awesome so have a listen and vist Black Teeth’s myspace right about… here.
Adam Freeland has done an amazing remix of Metric’s song “Sick Muse” from their outstanding album “Fantasies”.
Those lovely people at Hype Machine are offering the song as a free download in the site’s first ever download promotion.
Mumford & Sons – Limited Edition Version Of “Sigh No More”
Mumford & Sons have announced details of a special limited edition version of their forthcoming debut album, which is being made.
The fabulous debut ‘Sigh No More’ is released through Gentlemen Of The Road/Island Records on the 5th October, but fans will be able to buy the limited-edition copy in a special ‘lyric book’ hard-cover, which will also feature exclusive photographs of the band, on their UK tour which kicked off on Saturday 12th September in Glasgow.
The tour-only album is limited to just 1000 copies.
The Bon Bon Club are Reenie (bass, vox), Kim (keyboards, vox) and Claire (drums, vox). Reenie is better known for her previous role as bassist in glitter-rockers The Long Blondes whilst Claire also plays in Slow Down Tallahassee and Angular Recordings post-punkers Navvy.
Their second release is a trio of covers, served on a 3” mini-CD that comes wrapped in a sweetie-bag with a beautiful postcard designed by noted Sheffield comic artist Oliver Allchin.
First the girls cut away the bombast from the Kings of Leon’s “Sex on Fire” and replace the swinging dicks with swinging hips, turning it into a laser guided love missile.
Next up is a versioning of unheralded Dubstar deep-cut “The Day I See You Again” which dons mask and performs lipo on the slightly obese original for full emotional impact.
Finally most of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours classic “Dreams” is wrestled away from the banshees (and Jim) of The Corrs and magically transformed into a grinding, echoing beast that’s finally lulled into sleep by massed endlessly fractal vocal harmonies. It’s disco edit as live band.
The tracks that make up the “Sex on Fire” single were produced by legendary Sheffield producer Alan Smyth (Pulp, The Arctic Monkeys, Reverend and the Makers, The Long Blondes) at his 2Fly studios in Sheffield.
Debut eponymous album Digital/CD/LP out 5th October on One Little Indian
“Their’s is a vibrant blend of The White Stripes, barn dances and the Stephanne Grappelli – like fiddle-frenzy jazz/blues” – Q Magazine ‘Uncontrived, Kill It Kid are a brave, raw talent’ -BBC Introducing ‘Thrillingly unaffected, delightful’ -Music Week “Demands attention from the off… the strength and depth of their songs belie their age” – Clash Magazine
Kill It Kid are spending the summer gearing up to the release of their debut album on 5th October with more shows through the summer and a taster single, ‘Burst Its Banks’ out next week (3rd August). The band have just announced a fresh set of October dates, a co-headline with Sparrow & The Workshop, as follows:
2nd BATH Moles 4th MANCHESTER Night ‘n Day 5th CARLILE Brickyard 6th YORK Fibbers 7th EDINBURGH, Cabaret Voltaire 8th GLASGOW Captain’s Rest 9th DERBY Rockhouse 10th OXFORD Jericho Tavern 11th BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds 12th GUILDFORD Boilerrom 13th LONDON Lexington 14th SOUTHAMPTON, Hamptons
Fronted by the gorgeous two-part vocal harmonies of singers Chris Turpin and Stephanie Ward, the lyrical intimacy of the songs is rendered all the more powerful by the interplay between the pair, Turpin’s singular and distinctive voice seemingly arriving from another time and place, while Ward’s softer, huskier tones form the perfect foil. Buttressed with strings, keys and slide guitar, Kill It Kid blend delta blues and roots to striking effect, producing blistering, unapologetic rock’n’roll one moment and a smoky film-noire ambience the next. The band have already drawn comparison to Tom Waits, Frank Zappa and Zeppelin, as well as more recent examples Gomez, Mumford & Sons and The Raconteurs, but it’s on the strength of the songwriting throughout this debut that the deal is ultimately sealed, and with an average age of only 21, the band are apparently in possession of a musical wisdom well beyond their years.
Kill It Kid is: Richard Jones (violins/backing vocals), Adam Timmins (bass guitar/guitars), Stephanie Ward (vocals/piano), Marc Jones (drums/percussion) and Chris Turpin (vocals/guitars/harmonica). www.myspace.com/killitkid
Cosmo is described as “raggedy troubadour” (The Guardian) who sits somewhere in the triangle between Mike Skinner, Billy Bragg and Half Man Half Biscuit. Young and angry, he splits his time between writing tiny rough-round-the-edges nuggets of pop gold and creating strange – often funny – short films. Check out the first few chapters of his work here – http://www.cosmojarvis.com/
Murray James + The Dukes Jetty + Stephen Langstaff + Viva City
Monday 28th September: O2 Academy 2 Newcastle
Tuesday 29th September: O2 Academy 2 Liverpool
Wednesday 30th September: O2 Academy 3 Birmingham
Thursday 1st October: O2 Academy 2 Islington
Tickets available from www.ticketweb.co.uk / 0844 477 2000 / Venue Box Office
Academy Events are pleased to announce the return of Academy Live, with the fifth tour taking four new bands on a rock ‘n’ roll journey around the UK. As a pioneeringforce in developing new music, Academy Events have secured a dynamite line up and will bring a diverse range of acts to O2 Academy stages this autumn.
Murray James, The Dukes Jetty, Stephen Langstaff and Viva City are geared up to play the shows which give each act the opportunity to play in areas outside of their hometown, culminating in an exclusive London showcase at O2 Academy 2 Islington on Thursday 1st October. The bands from Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham and Londonwill headline the O2 Academy venue in their region as part of the tour.
Making its debut in 2007, Academy Live has helped launch the careers of some of the most exciting acts on today’s new music scene. The Hot Melts who represented Liverpool on the tour’s first outing have supported rock giants Eagles Of Death Metal, stormed the stage at South By Southwest and are currently on their own headline tour of the UK to coincide with the release of their self-titled debut album.
Other acts to benefit from Academy Live include The Volt who were crowned champions of MTV’s ‘Get Seen Get Heard’ competition and Soft Toy Emergency who are currently storming festival stages with slots at the summer’s best music events including Glastonbury and Reading And Leeds.
THE BANDS Murray James
What a voice – with his soulful tones Murray James gives Otis Reading a run for his money! This London singer/songwriter has been working with the magnificent Brendan Lynch (Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene, Primal Scream) on what is no doubt going to be a spectacular debut album.
The Dukes Jetty are a four-piece band from the Midlands featuring Brothers Lee and David Hambridge, Steve Hemming, and Chris Webb. Their debut album, ‘Fine and Dandy’, was released and celebrated with a sold out launch party, quickly drawing in new fans and recognition from BBC’s Alex Lester, Nihal and the legendary Janice Long.
With an army of fans, three albums of music and record breaking gigs under his belt, Stephen Langstaff is rapidly becoming one of the UK’s most prolific singer songwriters. He recently became the first unsigned singer songwriter to headline O2 Academy Liverpool’s main room. www.myspace.com/stephenlangstaff
Viva City
Viva City are a Newcastle alt-electro-indie four-piece, produced by legendary dance artists Kosheen. Their debut single ‘Kate Bush’ charted at No.4 in the official independent Singles charts last year and acquired them a legion of Kate Bush fans plus a well received Newcastle HMV in-store which saw them enter the charts above The Charlatans.
Alela Diane is teaming up with Alina Hardin and releasing a 10” split EP and digital download called ‘Alela and Alina’ through Names Records next month.‘Bowling Green’, one of the tracks from the EP is available for download below.
You wait years for a decent electro band to turn up and then a whole fleet come along at once! The latest to cruise down our very own “Electric Avenue” and gleefully twiddle our musical knobs is Katsen. They are a duo who take the best of the darker side of 80’s electronica, deconstruct it and produce perfect futuristic D.I.Y, pop noir. Electronic music has often suffered from heavy handed over production which has often turned a blind ear to the maxim “less is more”, but the fact isyou don’t always have to throw everything from the “effects arsenal” into the mix to produce great music. Alas many big name producers behave like the salesgirls who work at your local department store’s makeup and perfume counter. You know the ones, orange-hued lasses who deem it necessary to daub every single product they stock, all over their faces and whose ghastly over painted visages owe more to Coco the Clown than to Coco Chanel. It’s therefore a refreshing change to find a band like Katsen whose minimalist approach ensures the essence of their songs remain intact, unsullied and not buried within a flashy gimmicky over produced avalanche of over elaborate synth effects and ego driven ostentation.
Their debut album “It Hertz” draws on many influences and melds them into a glorious, dark , D.I.Y. electro pop extravaganza, mixing a haughty sexy electronic aloofness with real emotion and demonstrates the duo’s innate understanding of just what elements are required to produce great pop song! It’s an album which at times sounds as if members of Cabaret Voltaire, The Human League and Strawberry Switchblade have surreptitiously met to forman avant garde, Kraftwerk influenced, musical collective. It mixes wistful melodies and strident vocals with relentless, hypnotic beats, beneath which runs an undercurrent of Orwellian paranoia. If “Bladerunner The Musical” ever hits the stage, Katsen should be commissioned to score the music! Their love of all things Casio is evident throughout “It Hertz” and whilst the likes of Little Boots and La Roux are being feted by the populist media as the acceptable face of “the new wave of the square wave ™,” you’ll find Katsen lurking in the dark shadows of nightclubs, nursing strong drinks and bruised hearts quietly making plans to subvert the electro pop mainstream with their own special brand of noir electronica. We spoke to both parts of Katsen, Donna Grimaldi and Chris Blackburn to find out more…
VP: The story goes that you met whilst selling clothes at craft fairs, that your musical union survived Donna running away one summer to join the circus, and Chris teaching acting to ballet dancers….So what’s the truth ?
Donna: It’s the truth… seriously! I was head costumier and showgirl in a travelling circus and Chris was an acting teacher at a drama school
Chris: Yes it’s all true! As if we’d lie to you!
VP: Katsen? What does it mean, and given your album cover would it be safe to assume you are fond of all things feline?
Donna: The name Katsen came from the packaging of a toy I bought for my Siamese cats. Yes, we both love cats but I am pretty obsessed and have a growing collection of 1950’s porcelain ornaments of them.
Chris: It’s actually a mis-spelling of KATZEN (German for cats)… I liked the idea of a band called the cats… but with a nice Teutonic twist. I changed the spelling because the z looked wrong in the font I wanted to use. and there are a lot of German cat websites for us to get confused with. But, yeah, we like cats. I’m a fan of pumas, personally.
VP: Talking of your album “It Hertz” has just been released, I’ve heard it and think its fantastic, but how would you describe it to those who are new to Katsen?
Donna: Thank you! It’s very difficult putting a label on our own music but I suppose others would describe Katsen as electronic pop. Although, saying that, we envisage ourselves more a member of the ‘indie/ alternative’ scene than of a strictly electronic one. We’re pretty D.I.Y and lo-fi, creating all of our own videos and artwork as well as producing our own music. I think this enables us to be in control of all elements of Katsen and this in turn makes the process more intimate & personal.
Chris: It’sa twelve track sweet and sour electronic tingle.
VP: Where can people order the album?
Donna: The album can be ordered via our website or Thee SPC’s. It’s also available at Rough Trade, Norman records and Rounder Records (in Brighton.) It’s about to be released in the US by Shelflife, this version has a slightly different track listing and will feature “Start As You Mean To Go On” instead of “Cactus
VP: What sort of music/artists are you fans of, which artists would you say had the biggest influence on you growing up?
Donna: I loved lots of 80’s music and was a big fan of the Cure in particular as well as New Order; Siouxsie & the Banshees, Soft Cell and Dépêche Mode whilst growing up, and still am! Many of the bands I adore were making amazing music in the late ’70’s and early ’80’s. A melody and a catchy tune with a dark under current generally gets me going. I also loved lots of early 90’s indie such as Pop Will Eat Itself, The Cranes, The Sundays, PJ Harvey …. I love front men/ women that have a strong look & persona, almost like comic book characters. I also have a very soft & nostalgic spot for Sheep On Drugs.
Chris: Oh crikey! From the age of 9 to about 13 I only ever listened to a combination of “Unknown Pleasures”, “Low”, “Replicas” and Peter Gabriel’s first 4 albums. I was a right laugh! The most memorable moment for me musically was when, at age 3 or 4, I heard Wendy (then Walter) Carlos’s Brandenburg concerto (can’t remember which one). I just sat there in awe, not knowing where all these exciting, sounds came from, with all their different personalities, not knowing what a synthesizer was. It was like listening to pure imagination coming to life!
VP: What’s the greatest album ever released …and why?
Donna: This is a really difficult question but some of my favourite albums are, Adult, “Resuscitation”, Siouxsie & the Banshees, “The Scream”, Soft Cell “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”, The Cure “Head On The Door“, New Order “Power, Corruption & Lies”… all of these albums have an uncontrollable effect on me, I can’t help but dance and sing along.
Chris: Whaaaaat?!? Oh blimey… er um… I’m sorry; I really can’t answer that… too many greatest albums all for different reasons. Nope, I’m gonna have to rebel on this one!
VP: And talking of song writing how do you go about it as a unit, do you write separately or together? Do lyrics come first or is it the melody? We demand you reveal the secrets of your musical alchemy!!
Chris: This is different for each song. We work separately at first, and then come together at the end. A song can emerge very quickly, with most of the words and music happening together (“Let’s Build A City” and “Where Nobody Can Find Us” more or less were finished in minutes)… with clear themes, or messages. other songs will take longer… “Constellation” was an instrumental for ages… I just wanted an oblique song vaguely about international travel, avoiding reality, and our place in the cosmos… that finally got written on the train to Brighton to see Donna. When we come together, it comes together. Something we strive for is interesting lyrics which can be read in several ways. We try to avoid boring love songs. They are all love songs, however.
VP: Now, I know it’s an unassailable fact, that people who produce electronic music love gadgets, so what gadget couldn’t you live without?
Donna: My very expensive soup blender
Chris: Unfortunately, that list of toys is largely in my mind at the moment… there’s lots of stuff I’d like to be using… I’d particularly like a Sid Station and a Mopho… but the toys I couldn’t live without are the toys i’ve always had… my Roland sh-1, my collection of Casios… hmmm… missing them… might go up and give them a stroke in a minute…
VP: Your highlights of 2009?
Donna: The release of our debut album! Being released not just by Thee SPC in the UK, but Shelflife in the US too. Being album of the week on Steve Lamacq’s show on Radio 1.
The Jesus & Mary Chain
Marina And The Diamonds
Howling Bells
Echo And The Bunnymen
Joy Division
The Raveonettes
Sound Of Guns
The Big Pink
The Clash
Fight Like Apes
Emmy The Great Lush
Thomas Tantrum
Nicole Atkins
The Bookhouse Boys
The Indelicates
Rock City Sixteen
Art Brut
The Smiths
Half Man Half Biscuit
The Hot Puppies
Those Dancing Days
Weezer
The Wedding Present
The Pixies
The Ramones
Pony Up
Blondie
Charlize
Special Needs
Lucky Soul
The Sex Pistols
Editors
The Wonderstuff
The Duke Spirit
The Music Of Phil Spector!
The Pogues
Watch videos at Vodpod and other videos from this collection.
– I didn’t dislike The White Stripes they just kinda washed over me and I concluded that some bands you just don’t ‘get’. And so The White Stripes existed -I didn’t bother them, they didn’t bother me, everybody was happy. Then along came The Raconteurs, and I admit I was initially seduced by ‘Steady As She Goes’ and we briefly held hands but when I listened to the full album I realised we were never likely to consummate our musical relationship and so it seemed that another Jack White project was to pass me by … I must admit I did feel I was missing out, but couldn’t quite work out how or in what sense??…..
