Monthly Archives: October 2008

Baby, I Can’t Wait

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‘Always different, always the same.’

‘I spurn [people who do not like them] with my toe.’

John Peel on his favourite ever band, The Fall.

How excited am I about seeing The Fall tomorrow night?

Oh, you know, it’s only got me through the more difficult classes that I’ve had this week and given me the opportunity to re-read Mark E. Smith’s autobiography, and play Slates this afternoon and re-listen to Live At The Witch Trials as I type. It should be noted that this album was not a live album (though obviously there have been live debut albums before, MC5, Jane’s Addiction and 22-20s spring to mind…)

The autobiography is great, taking no prisoners and making no apologies. It’s not a conventional autobiography but then, this is Mark E. Smith we’re talking about here, what do you expect?!

One of the things that clearly irritates him is people who think that his former wife Brix Smith was responsible for bringing a poppier element to The Fall when she joined in 1984. He is also clearly irritated by people who haven’t done their research.

This post kind of ties those two ideas in together and focuses on the ‘Lie dream Of A Casino Soul’ with its’ b-side ‘Fantastic Life’. Released a handful of months before their seminal Hex Induction Hour LP in 1982, this 1981 single’s a-side is, surprise surprise, talking about the famous Wigan Casino, the home of Northern Soul. According to the sleevenotes of the re-issued Slates, Smith was getting fed-up of people who only seemed to have just discovered soul. Surprisingly, he did like Dexy’s Midnight Runners. The b-side is gloriously poppy, and this is before he even met Brix…

The Fall -‘Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul.’ mp3

The Fall -‘Fantastic Life.’ mp3

This Fall website is unofficial but seems to be fairly comprehensive

The Fall on wikipedia (I own thirty Fall albums and I feel like I’m still only scratching the surface!)

A wet Friday night

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…in Edinburgh.

Delighted to be home with Mrs. 17 Seconds,
frustrated that the boiler has broken down again.
Fed up with trying to motivate a handful of students.
Ecstatic that there’s week until I’m on holiday.

On nights like these I just want to crawl into bed and sleep…

But there’s music to keep my spirits up as ever. I spent years trying to get hold of this at an affordable rate, did people really pay £7 for a CD single ten years ago? I shure as heck didn’t…

Laptop -‘End Credits.’ mp3

Album Review: Beatglider

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Beatglider – ‘Witches’ (Enraptured)

Shoegazing -let’s not shy away from that word here -is known in the US of A as dreampop. And that makes sense when you listen to a record like the third album from Beatglider. Not only does their name evoke My Bloody Valentine, but the sounds -and I mean this as a compliment – definitely owe much to those seminal albums Isn’t Anything and Loveless.

Another influence on this wee gem of an album is Fotheringay, the fabulously flawed band fronted by Sandy Denny after she left Fairport Convention and before she embarked on a solo career. There’s an influence of Pagan imagery here too, though I’m going to have to put my hand up and admit that that’s something I’m far from an authority on. It’s a very English sounding record and beautifully dreamy.

Will it change the perceptions of those who are not heavily into dreampop/shoegazing? Sadly, probably not – but that’s their loss. For those of us who like to focus on their music and almost live in their soundtracks, this is a record for the likes of us. It’s a record that seems to live in another place in time, rather than being retro, existing in its’ own little world, and all the better for it.

***1/2

Beatglider website/myspace

Album Review: Jay Reatard

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Jay Reatard – ‘Matador Singles ’08’ (Matador)

The idea of putting out a handful of singles then collecting them together on an album is not, it must be said, a new one. In 1982-3 The Cure reinvented themselves with a trilogy of singles then collected them together with associated with b-sides on the album Japanese Whispers. In 1992, the Wedding Present released a 7″ a month then collected them together with their b-sides on the Hit Parade albums.

What is slightly different about this album by Memphis boy wonder Jay Reatard (just how many great bands can one label have?!?! -and it’s been a phenomenal year for Matador) is that each 7″ has been released in a succesively smaller run worldwide. Thus, April’s single #1 ‘See/Saw’ was released in a worldwide edition of 3,500, while September’s ‘No time’ was limited to just 400.

A hype gathering exerise for those who play e-bay like the stock exchange? Oh ye of little faith and much cynicism! The thing is that this actually realy works as an album in its’ own right. And whilst it is painfully cliched to say that an album works like a collection of singles…umm, well it is, but also, it does. The tracks flow together, and I’ve found myself playing this repeatedly over the last two weeks.

All eyes have been on the Kings of Leon as southern wonders of late, as they chart all four of their albums in the UK chart. But those eyes should divert their attention here. As Pitchfork pointed out, ‘in this short space of time, Reatard has cranked out more memorable songs than some alcts do in their whole careers.’ Know what? They’ve got a point. A wonderful confection of punk and garage pop-gems that still feels fresh and exciting on every listen. Dammit, what more can you ask for?

****

Matador Singles ’08 is out now on Matador.

Jay Reatard -‘See/Saw.’ mp3

Jay Reatard -‘Always Wanting More.’ mp3

(have now sorted out the links)

Jay Reatard’s myspace

Album Review: A.Human

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A. Human -‘Third Hand Prophecy.’ (Wall Of Sound)

As I work through a large pile of stuff (sure I don’t have to review everything I’m sent, but as I’m trying to get my own record company up and running, I think there’s a sort of karma involved), it’s inevitable that there are some albums that have kind of dropped to the bottom of the pile.

And more fool me, because this debut from A.Human is fantastic. I’ve played it several times, and each time I do, I hear something else, another pleasant connection made, another great riff that strikes me. It’s got pulsing bassliness and analogue synths that evoke the best records of the early eighties. There’s eleven fantastic tracks here, quirky, without being annoying and damn wonderful too. ‘Black Moon’ for example, is the tale of a woman with knives for hands. ‘Third Hand Prophecy’ is an excellent opener. And If you’d told me that a dance re-working of America’s ‘Horse With No Name’ could work, I wouldn’t have believed you…but now I do.

Evoking early Simple Minds, Death In Vegas, Primal Scream circa 1997-2002…this is a brilliant record. Once you hear it, you will want to hear it again. And again.

Don’t make the same mistake I did, check it out. Now.

****

Third Hand Prophecy is out now on Wall Of Sound

A.Human website/A.Human myspace

A.Human -‘Third Hand Prophecy.’ mp3

A.Human -‘Black Moon.’ mp3

Album Review: The Chap

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The Chap -‘Builder’s Brew’ (Loaf Recordings)

This has to rate as THE worst album I have heard all year*, and I have heard around 150.

The problem with The Chap is that they think that a) they’re intelligent and b) that they are being post-modern and ironic (or moronic, for short). Unfortunately, all they are is bloody irritating.

The Chap have reportedly received praise for sources as diverse as Vice and The Wire, and been played by Stuart Maconie. Frankly speaking these people need their ears clearing out. This is a festering turd of a record, frankly. It’s actually quite offensive that people are given money to make music this bad.

It finishes with their cover of ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ yes, the Tina Turner cheese-fest. Which apparently has been demanded by their fans for years. It makes The Residents’ mauling of ‘satisfaction’ seem like a worthy statement.

Words cannot express just how bad this record is. There is no need for this to exist. Go away. Leave me the hell alone.

*

The Chap -‘Proper Rock.’ mp3

*yes, even worse than Black Mountain

Album Review: Eugene Francis Jr

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Eugene Francis Jr -‘The Golden Beatle.’ (Legion)

Umm, I’m feeling a little bit bad about this. A few months ago I wrote about Eugene Francis, after his record company had been in touch, sent a few mp3s etc.. And I wanted to hear more, and so I asked for the album to be sent and it was…

…and the problem is that I just find this fairly boring. Alright, so the cover art doesn’t help. Nor does the title. but even if i’d been sent this in a plain cover nd it had been an untitled release, I still would have to say the same thing: this is a fairly boring album. It’s not hideously awful, like The Chap’s latest release, but it just doesn’t do anything. The production makes it feel fairly safe, there’s no wow factor. It’s fine as background music, but when you start to pay attention to it (which if you’re reviewing it, I reckon that you SHOULD be), after a couple of tracks it starts to get fairly annoying.

So yes, I asked for it to be sent. I’m sure blood, sweat and tears have gone into this. But it just leaves me cold.

**

Eugene Francis Jr -‘The Beginners.’ mp3

Eugene Francis Jr’s myspace

Album Review: Nik Freitas

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Nik Freitas -‘Sun Down’ (Affairs Of The Heart records)

Every so often, along comes a record that has no pretensions, but just gets on and does its’ job and is wonderful in itself. And right now, that record is the latest album from Nik Freitas.

Recently on tour in the UK playing guitar for Conor Oberst as part of his Mystic Valley Band, there are certain parallels with the sound of Mr. Oberst and his alter-ego Bright Eyes. But one thing Nik Freitas has over Coor Oberst is that his voice seems less strained, and somehow more natural. In fact, natural is very much the style of the record. Nothing seems forced here, and even the epic moments don’t seem too grandiose. And that’s a real feat.

This album has been written, played, engineered and produced every note by Nik Freitas. Now that’s what I call independent. Right from the opening notes of the album’s opener, the title track, this is an album that doesn’t mess about and gives us a nice warm feeling when it comes to an end forty minutes later. It doens’t re-write the rulebook, or sonicallly challenge you, but sometimes you don;t want that anyway.

Make sure you check it out.

***1/2

Nik Freitas’ webpage/Nik Freitas’ myspace

Sun Down is released on October 6 on Affairs of The Heart Records

Nik Freitas -‘Sun Down.’ mp3

Nik Freitas -‘Sophie.’ mp3

Oh yes, oh yay…

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…finally, I’ve got tickets to see The Fall today. I’ve been a fan for many years, but I’m really stoked about seeing them in Edinburgh soon.

Not least because supporting them is John Cooper Clarke.

I’m not an authority on JCC, but the stuff of his I’ve heard is fab, of which I include a selection below.

A few years ago, My Da came up to Edinburgh for a wedding of a family friend. He’d been asked to read John Cooper Clarke’s ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ which I’m told is now a set text for the English GCSE syllabus, or at least, was at any point.

My Da is many things, but quite possibly the only two things that he and JCC share is that they were born in the same decade and were born north of the Watford Gap. Anyway, using a handful of punk compilations and rehearsing we got it sorted for the big day.

I knew those years of listening to punk was going to pay off some day. My Da had it so damn well sorted he got an even bigger cheer than the bride and groom. Serious respect.

So, can John Coooper Clarke read as well as my Da? I’m waiting to see…

John Cooper Clarke -‘Psycle Sluts (Part 1).’ mp3

John Cooper Clarke -‘Suspended Sentence.’ mp3

The Massed Carnaby St John Cooper Clarkes (sic!) -‘The Day My Pad Went mad.’ mp3

John Coooper Clarke website/Myspace