Monthly Archives: July 2011

Album Review – North Sea Radio Orchestra

Posted on by
Reply

north-sea-radio-orchestra

North Sea Radio Orchestra -‘I A Moon’ (Household Mark)

Those pesky genres and categories, eh?

Every so often, along comes an act – in this case North Sea Radio Orchestra – who manage to defy what people’s expectations are, and leave them scratching their heads. In the best possible way. If trying to pinpoint what sort of an act NSRO are, I might pinpoint the place where folk meets classical, and where independent music (as in: thinking outside the box and not as in:shorthand for guitar based rock).

If this makes it sound like this album has more in common with the pastoral sounds of Vaighan Williams and Benjamin Britten than your usual chart fodder indie…that’s because it most definitely does. In a way that is accessible, and very, very listenable, without ever ending up as MOR. Pastoral is the word you are looking for.

One of the most unisual and original albums you are likely to hear this year. Do take the trouble to do so.

****

I A Moon is out now on Household Mark.

North Sea Radio Orchestra -‘Heavy Weather.’ mp3

Scotland by SXSW

Posted on by
4

image002

Tonight on BBC2 there will be a documentary on Scottish bands at this year’s SXSW festival. This will go out at 9PM.

A whole host of Scottish acts, many of whom have been featured here at 17 Seconds will be on the programme, presented by Vic Galloway. These include King Creosote, Unicorn Kid, Kid Canaveral, and Withered Hand.

Here’s a trailer – and I will link to the programme once it is up!

The return of Seafieldroad

Posted on by
Reply

seafield-rd

Following on from last year’s rather fine There Are No Maps For This Part Of The City album, Seafieldroad -The project of Andrew Eaton-Lewis from Swimmer One- will issue the follow-up album this November.

They have made the following single available to download for free until the release of the album. The first track ‘ Cramond Island Causeway’ is very lovely indeed, as is the ‘b-side’, a cover of Empire Of the Sun’s ‘Walking On A Dream.’

The album is as yet untitled; there will be a live show at Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms on November 20.

Enjoy!

Album Review – Shonen Knife

Posted on by
Reply

shonen-knife-2

Shonen Knife -‘Free Time (Damnably)

This is, in fact, ver Knife’s fifteenth album. Having always admired what bits I got to hear (and I still play my 12″ single of ‘Riding On The Rocket’ nineteen years later), by the end of the opening track ‘Perfect Freedom’ I want to own the other fourteen…

Japanese three-piece Shonen Knife first formed in Osaka back in 1981. Despite numerous line-up changes over the years, they have gone on to gain numerous famous fans (Kurt Cobain and John Peel, to name but two) and mastered their own brand of Ramones-inspired indie punk pop brilliance. This album is a non-stop load of sheer energy.

The afore-mentioned ‘Perfect Freedom’ sets the tone brillaintly. There are two songs inspired by food -‘PYO’ was inspired after they visited a pick-your-own farm in Sussex, England; while ‘Rock’n’Roll Cake’ seems to be about just that. ‘Rolled Cake, I want to sleep in it…like hibernation.’ OK!

It is delightfully noisy and – in the best possible way – the aural equivalent of being fed too much tartrazine and sugar when only other people have to suffer the side effects.

I’m looking forward to their Edinburgh gig very much indeed…

****

Free time is out on July 11 on Damnably.

Presenting… Givers

Posted on by
1

givers-1pwkc3a

According to Wikipedia, Givers are “an indie pop group from Lafayette, Louisiana. The band is made up of vocalist and percussionist Tiffany Lamson, vocalist and guitarist Taylor Guarisco, drummer and vocalist Kirby Campbell, bassist and guitarist Josh LeBlanc, and flautist, saxophonist, and keyboardist Nick Stephan.”

The single ‘Up Up Up’ is out on July 4 in the UK, it’s their debut and I know very little more about them than that.

It does have summer anthem written all over it. In a review I’m writing of the single, I’ve commented ‘Imagine if Vampire Weekend and Gang Gang Dance got together and created a song that you could dance to, and could even imagine hearing on daytime radio – if the programmers weren’t so bloody conservative.”

There’s an interview with them here at This is Fake DiY.

I’m getting kinda excited about this…

“Up Up Up” by GIVERS by Glassnotemusic

The album In Light is out now.