Richard Thompson has a new album out, which is always a cause for celebration.
Click here to read my review of it over on Louder than War
Album Review: Richard Thompson
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Monthly Archives: February 2013
Album Review: inc
Inc. -‘No World.’ (4AD)
Blimey, when the brothers Andrew and Daniel Aged decided to name their band inc. they clearly weren’t intending on makin it easy for people to look for them using search engines, were they?
Well, that aside, may I suggest that you make every attempt to track down their debut album, No World, because it is absolutely gorgeous. According to the press release it’s inspired by their love of r&b and soul music. There was a time when it would have seemed unlikely that 4AD would be putting out albums like this, but it makes sense in 2013, if we can talk about the last few years as being post-hypnagogic… *blush*
To me, what messrs Aged and Aged have done is a record that takes the aforementioned soul and r&b influences, adding a love of Prince, Cocteau Twins and Boards of Canada (don’t believe me? Well, you’d better listen to the album, then, hadn’t you?) and produces a debut that at first listen might seem slight but by the second or third will hook you in.
Tracks like ‘Black Wings’ and ‘Desert rose (war prayer)’ might be the highlights but I want to go back and play it again. Now. If there is any justice, this will be not just a critical hit, but a commercial one, too. It’s up to you…
****
No World is out on 4AD on February 18.
The return of Kurt Vile
Yay! Maker of one of 2011’s finest LPs, Smoke Ring For My Halo, Kurt Vile will release the follow-up, Waking On A Pretty Daze on April 8.
It’s a 69-minute long double album (presumably that’s vinyl, rather than CD, but that’s what we prefer around 17 Seconds towers, anyway). The tracklisting is as follows:
Side A:
1. Wakin On A Pretty Day
2. KV Crimes
3. Was All Talk
Side B:
4. Girl Called Alex
5. Never Run Away
6. Pure Pain
Side C:
7. Too Hard
8. Shame Chamber
9. Snowflakes Are Dancing
Side D:
10. Air Bud
11. Goldtone
Below here is a video for the opening track ‘Wakin’ On A Pretty Day’ (almost a title track, check the spelling!). This is not the official video for the track, which will apparently be revealed in good time.
New from The Postal Service
This is probably heresy in blogging circles -where though shalt worship Arcade Fire and Death Cab For Cutie seemed to be unwritten rules over the last decade, but of all the projects that Ben Gibbard has ever been involved in, my favourite remains his collaboration with Jimmy Tamborello as The Postal Service.
The Postal Service’s sole album Give Up was released in 2003. The Shins went on to cover ‘We Will Become Silhouettes’ while Iron & Wine covered ‘Such Great Heights’ the latter appearing on the soundtrack to Garden State. The album is shortly to see a re-release and this is one of the ‘new’ songs that will be on the re-issue package, entitled ‘A Tattered Line Of String.’
There are live dates happening, though sadly none in Scotland 🙁
Album Review: Fuzzy Lights
Fuzzy Lights -‘Rule Of Twelfths’ (Little Red Rabbit)
Fuzzy Lights’ previous, sophomore album Twin Feathers, was critically acclaimed when it appeared in 2010, and they’re no doubt hoping for the same with this latest release.
On the plus side, there are a lot of interesting ideas going on here, and a willingness to experiment. By and large there are two main features of this album: One, a pastoral folkiness, Two, a noisy post-rock. The downside is that while there’s lots going on, the end result doesn’t seem to hang together terribly well to these ears. Over the course of several listens I’ve found myself to be getting into something, only to then find myself completely confused by something that then comes in and doesn’t actually seem to work.
So yes, some interesting things to investigate, but rather hard going as an album…
**1/2
Rule Of Twelfths is out now on Little Red Rabbit
Album Review: Eels
Eels -‘Wonderful, Glorious’ (E-Works)
This is, amazingly, Eels’ tenth album, in a line that started off with the excellent Beautiful Freak over fifteen years ago. Back in those days, Eels were a band rather than the vehicle of E (Mark Oliver Everett to his parents), but Eels has developed in time from being what would have been described as an ‘alternative band’ (who, nonethe less had several chart hits in the UK) into a being a vehicle for E’s fantastic songwriting. Hell, when a songwriter’s songwriter like Tom Waits is quoted as saying ‘I eagerly await each new release’ you must be doing something right, er, right?
Well, make no mistake, E still has plenty of ideas and no shortage of great songs to share with his listeners. Before Christmas, when the cool-as-you-like ‘New Alphabet’ started doing the rounds as a track, it was a sign that this was an album worth watching out for, and so it has proved.
Sure album opener ‘Bombs Away’ and ‘Stick Together’ might be amongst the standout songs here, but over the course of the album, the quality remains that high, with new things revealing themselves to the listener on successive listens. With an album this good, it’s not just Tom Waits who’s awaiting the next release.
****
Wonderful, Glorious is out now on E-Works
The return of…Sparrow and the Workshop
I’ve featured Sparrow and the Workshop in times past, they’ve made my Festive Fifty and it’s great to report that ahead of their third album, they are releasing their new single via 17 Seconds Pals Song, By Toad!
They’re picking up radio play for this, too, which always feels nice when it’s a) bands you like b) people you’ve championed and c )coming out on a friendly record label. They’ve always been good, and they’ve evolved, less folky than the sound on their first two records, if this track’s anything to go by…
It’s called ‘Shock Shock’ and it’s out on Song, By Toad Records on March 11:
Not only that, but Song, By Toad records have released a sampler for 2013 of what they’re up to. And it is lip-smackingly good…
The continued rise of Chvrches
I can’t take any credit for discovering Chvrches, but I’m glad that since they were shortlisted for the BBC SOund of 2013 poll, they still seem to be making waves. I’ve written about them before, and if they continue to produce excellent music like they have been doing, I see no reason why I won’t continue to be blogging about them in the future.
This is their new song, entitled ‘Recover.’ I have no idea when this is out – but it has been doing the rounds since yesterday, and logging up a lot of listens. Hopefully this will turn into a lot of sales very soon.
You can buy ‘the Mother We Share’ single online at iTunes, eMusic etc..
Presenting…The Android Angel
The Android Angel is one of the two musical projects of multi-instrumentalist Paul Coltofeanu from Reigate, Surrey, in England. (The other project, by the way, is Free Swim).
His new track is the Spiritualized/Air ‘Her Shoulders.’ This is simply breathtakingly beautiful.
It’s taken from his forthcoming album Lie Back And Think Of England which is due out later in 2013.
Also featured on said album is the rather different (but suggesting that this may be a multi-faceted album) ‘Chicago John.’ This one’s got a little bit more of a garage rock influence…
There seems to be increasingly more blog love for this act. As ever, I would like to know what you think…
Forthcoming at Dalkeith Arts Centre
Just one of the bands coming to Dalkeith over the next few months…
As part of the day job working for Library Services, I am involved in putting on some gigs at Dalkeith Arts Centre, just south of Edinburgh.
In the last three months of 2012 we had King Creosote, Bwani Junction and The Last Battle, and looking ahead to the next five months we have the following:
March 20: Cancel the Astronauts + Carter Damm + Testing the Water
May 15: Sophie Bancroft and Tom Lyne Duo & Kevin Mackenzie
May 17: Midas Fall + Tom Morris (Her Name is Calla) + Glassbooks
May 29: Blueflint (playing two sets)
June 26: eagleowl & Wounded Knee
Tickets are all £7 (£5 concessions). I’ve supported many of these acts on these pages before (I even used to work alongside members of eagleowl and Blueflint and indeed Wounded Knee himself!)