Sooner or later, it all comes round again.
What, vinyl records?
Oh, you’re so 2004 and that’s if you ever stopped buying them, which if you read this blog regularly, you’ll know was not true of me.
But ace scots indie band Mitchell Museum are set to release their second single ‘Tiger Heartbeat’ on mp3 and…cassette single. Four limited editions of them, to be precise. I’ve heard great things about this band, particularly from matthew at Song, By Toad, so now it’s over to you…
and the video…
Lou Barlow is not a man to let the grass grow between his feet.
Not content with having rejoined Dinosaur Jr for two albums now, and the reissuing of albums by his (originally) post Dinosaur jr act, Sebadoh, he is due to return as a solo artist with a new album, on Domino, in October, entitled Goodbye Unknown.
This track has been made available as a free mp3. See what you think…
Lou Barlow – ‘Gravitate.’ mp3
…so will we see a return of Folk Implosion too? Time will tell…
The Big Pink have announced details of their next single ‘Dominos’ which is available now if you sign up to their mailing list and will be available as a 7″ on September 7.
A week later they will release their hotly anticipated debut album A Brief History Of Love. The tracklisting is as follows:
‘Crystal Visions’
‘Too Young To Love’
‘Dominos’
‘Love In Vain’
‘At War With The Sun’
‘Velvet’
‘Golden Pendulum’
‘Frisk’
‘A Brief History Of Love’
‘Tonight’
‘Countbackwards From Ten’
And the videos for the previous singles…
The Big Pink -‘Stop the World.’
The Big Pink -‘Too Young To Love.’
The Big Pink -‘Velvet.’
Isa & the Filthy Tongues -‘Addiction’ (Re-issue) (Circular)
Isa & the Filthy Tongues released their debut album back in 2006. It’s a fantastic album, and it has now been re-issued. Hopefully this time it will get the acclaim that it clearly so richly deserves. With the band provoing the theme tune to ‘new Town Killers’ surely their time must be here.
The band were formed out of the ashes of Angelfish (whose singer was one Shirley Manson), who themselves had been formed out of ex members of Goodbye Mr. MacKenzie (who also included one Big John, who had been in The Exploited. Keeping up? Good). Topped off with the very cool, very sexy and ever so slightly scary vocals of Stacey Chavis, this album combines good old-fashioned rock’n’ roll with a country slant and scots indie attitude. How cool is that?
The bonus tracks on the album are recent single ‘Big Star’ a cover of Lou Reed’s ‘I Can’t Stand It’ and the remix of ‘Finders Fuckers’ that is entitled ‘Finders Freakers.’ So essentially what you get is an album that is bolstered from the addition of a few more tracks making it even better. Did Psychocandy suffer when it was re-isssued with ‘Some Candy Talking’? Did it hell.
For me, the stand out track is still ‘Education’ which I wish I could play to evey single class at the start of the year, with it’s refrain ‘You don’t know nothing about me.’ The chant of E.D.U.K.A.S.H.U.N. reminds me of an American female Molesworth…oh, never mind.
What you need to know is that this album is cool-as rock’n’roll and that if you dind’t buy it the first time round, you most definitely should. Because I say so.
****
Addiction (Special Edition) is out now on Circular.
Isa and the Filthy Tongues -‘Education.’
Hibee Nation was a group consisting of Kris Needs, Irvine Welsh, Wonder, Sarah Jane Harrison and Henry Cullen. The single ‘Life Of Dance was produced by Kris Needs, and appeared in 1997. Yup, that Irvine Welsh, as in Trainspotting.
Alas, it seems to have pretty much disappeared without trace; the label it came out on, Eruption, were part of Creation who were a little more preoccupied with Oasis’ ultimate white elephant of an album, Be Here Now.
But it’s a fun track where Irvine Welsh gets to play judge, something he clearly still would like to do. And of course the band were named in reference to Hibernian FC.
Yeah!
Hibee Nation -‘Life Of Dance.’ mp3
…a giant leap for indie-pop.
It is indeed forty years ago since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
How to mark that here? Posting ‘Space Oddity’ (which itself is forty years old now) by David Bowie with its’ sort of sequal ‘Ashes to Ashes’ as well?
Too obvious.
‘I’m the Urban Spaceman’ by the Bondo Dog Doo-Dah band?
A great track, but someone’s probably thought of that too.
So…I give you one of Japan’s finest bands…Shonen Knife.
Shonen Knife -‘Riding On The Rocket.’ mp3
I’m currently trying to put together to the mother of all best of scottish playlists on the iPod. The condition is that each band only gets one song, though related acts can qualify (for example, Edwyn Collins is on there as a member of Orange Juice, solo, and collaborating with Paul Quinn). There are currently 280 acts on there (including Rod Stewart, not including Sandi thom, Runrig or Danananackroyd, for aesthetic reasons).
Belle and Sebastian made the list early, of course. Isobel Campbell makes the cut as member of Gentle Waves, her early side project and as a solo artist.
Gentle Waves -‘Falling From Grace.’ mp3
Isobel Campbell -‘Time Is Just the Same.’ mp3 (featuring Eugene Kelly of Vaselines/Eugenius fame).
Though not eligible for the best of scottish playlist, she has also made two phenomenal albums with Mark Lanegan (of Screaming Trees fame) Ballad Of The Broken Seas and Sunday at Devil Dirt.
…oh, go on then!
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan -‘Deus Ibi Est.’ mp3
So…another year passes by, and the 17 Seconds blog is three years old!
In the course of the last year, I’ve interviewed several artists included Jennifer Herrema, Peter Parker and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, and set up 17 Seconds Records. The label has so far signed Aberfeldy, X Lion Tamer, Escape Act and most recently, The Dirty Cuts.
Sure, there have been a couple of bands that we’ve tried to get and haven’t, a few run-ins with the dreaded DMCA, and occasions when I thought I was banging my head against a brick wall. But thn again, this year has also seen the 17 Seconds Night at Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh, a nice little article about the blog and label in the List magazine, and support from so many friends both on the net and here in the real world. Particular mention must go to the wonderfully loyal and supportive Mrs. 17 Seconds, ‘Diamond’ Dave who helped me re-work the website and transfer it to its’ new home, my parents, my business partner laurent and Scott who does a lot of work for the label, Matthew at Song, By Toad, Jim at the Vinyl Villain and Steve at Teenage Kicks. God bless you all, God bless Les Paul.
There’s also now a 17 Seconds page at last FM. Still figuring out how to use it all, so please bear with me!
The title track to the album that gave the club night, the blog, and latterly the label its’ name:
The Cure -‘Seventeen Seconds.’ mp3
17SEC2:
X Lion Tamer -‘Life Support Machine.’ mp3
…and from 17SEC4:
Escape Act -‘God Says (Uber Glitterati mix).’ mp3
Keep it tuned to 17 Seconds.
Oh boy am I excited!
Our fourth signing – joining Aberfeldy, X Lion Tamer and Escape Act on the label – is The Dirty Cuts.
Mrs. 17 Seconds and I drove over to Glasgow last night to meet with the band at Glasgow’s rather nice Tinderbox cafe.
We’re hoping to be able to hve a single out in the next few months.
In the meantime, check them out on their myspace and go and make friends with them!
Oh, and for those of you living in Edinburgh, you can now buy 17SEC5 from Avalanche Records, the 17 Seconds t-shirt.
XX
The Implosion Quintet -‘The Future Sound Of Yesterday (Cookshop)
When I was a kid, one of my favourite activities was doing dot-todot pictures. Not creating them – I don’t think the average six year old can do that – but I loved seeing how these seemingly random dots would make something when it all came together.
I mention that because on paper this album might sound like something that should never get further than the drawing board. The three most obvious things I hear running through this album is traditional sounding Eastern European music, electronica and sludge rock. Sounds like chocolate and salmon mousse, topped off with broccoli? Well, on paper, yes BUT somehow James Baker is a visionary who can actually see a link between all these different things and make them work, quite often in the same song.
It may sound like two or three different bands and songs coming together in the song – but it’s the link and the way it comes off so smoothly, like Malcolm McLaren seeing a link between Hip-Hop and Opera or whatever, and working over the course of an album. There is no obvious single here – but that absolutely doesn’t matter. This is an album that is very much the sum of its’ parts, that will reward and still very intrigue with every listen.
****
The Future Sound Of Yesterday is out now.