, 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
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.
ar 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
o 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.
To say their set made a deep, lasting impression on me would be something of an understatement.
Puzzlingly, they are currently unsigned – but on the strength of the tracks on their myspace page and their live performances, this should not be the case for long. They look cool, they sound cool – oh and they play like gods as well.
Their influences include (according to their myspace):Jim Jones, Heidi Klum, Dirk Wears White Sox, Sex at Bus Stops, Ritilin, The Pleasure Principle, Velour Tracksuits, Black Monk Time, Diminutive Front Women, S & M, Adolescent Sex, Mesopotamia, Felatio, Jackie Onassis, Flush The Fashion, Androgeny, Soldier, Julio Iglesias, Breakfast In America, Giacomo Casanova, Propaganda, Dov Charney, Gold Und Liebe, Big Bam Boom, Jesus, Trans-Europe Express, McCartney II, Liberace, Controversy, Hot Space, Bad Taste
…do you think someone’s taking the mickey, ever so slightly?
Anyway, Billy the singer, Karen the drummer, guitarist Kevin and very friendly bassist Matt make a glorious riot of noise, as will be proved when you listen to their myspace. ‘Two Page Spread’ ‘ sounds great, as in ‘future single’ as does a track called ‘Yummy Mummy’ which they sent me later on in the week.
Then come back and tell me what you think. They’ve been working with Chris
(Picture taken from the matador website. Looking for photographer to credit)
Things must be busy around the Matador offices right now. NOt only are the Cave Singers set to release their new album, as is Jay Reatard BUT so are Times New Viking, whose new album will be out on September 21.
The avant-rockers, consisting of guitarist Jared Phillips,
drummer Adam Elliott, and keyboardist Beth Murphy, have a new album which is entitled Born Again Revisited, and Matador have just made a track available for download entitled ‘No Time, No Hope.’
See what you think of this:
Times New Viking -‘No Time, No Hope.’ mp3
If you like that, then you should check out last year’s rather excellent Rip It Off, in which the band tear t
The best bands have distinct personalities and the feel of a gang. Even better, they feel like they’ve arrived that way by themselves rather than being put together by a manipulator, sorry, svengali. And that’s the feeling I get from Peter Parker, as I meet them at the Captain’s Rest in Glasgow, before they wander onstage for their single launch.
They are: Roz on vocals and guitar, English teacher by day and glam goddess 24-7; Jane on bass and vocals, sister of John Mckeown from the 1990s and possessor of a wicked sense of humour; drummer Tori who has a mass of gorgeous red hair and is quite quiet in the interview, and guitarist Jeremy, who doesn’t turn up for the interview. They’re friendly and gratfeul for previous coverage I’ve given them, which is always nice.
We start by discussing the new single ‘Swallow The Rockets’ which is their first release as band, though they have all been involved with different acts before, most noticeably Lungleg and Josephine. It’s a classic-sounding debut, getting some great reviews, inclduing The Daily Record. They say proudly that as well as being a download it’s is a limited edition of 500 7″s (and they give me one at the end of the interview. Lovely folks). The b-side ‘Temper Temper’ sounds like it could be an a-side in its’ own right, always the mark of a great singles band.
So, Do they feel part of a scene in Glasgow?
” There’s lots of different scenes in Glasgow,” they point out quite reasonably. They mention a sort of scene around clubs like Stereo and Nice ‘n’ Sleazy’s. They speak warmly of Steven McRobbie, the legendary frontman of The Pastels and proprietor of undoubtedly Glasgow’s finest record shop, Monorail. They’ve also been working closely with Erik Sandberg of Wake the President, who runs Lucky Number 9 Records and who have put out the debut single, in conjunction with Say Dirty Records, and Peter Parker have supported them.
Not only that, but for people who clearly acknowledge the importance of The Fire Engines (‘there’d be no Franz Ferdinand without them!’) they’re thrilled that their next single ‘Get Over It’ will be a split single with the Sexual Objects, Chief Fire En
gine Davey Henderson’s new band. This will be out before the end of the year.
Though the Glasgow music scenes have clearly helped nurture them, they don’t want to be playing Glasgow too much, and indeed they are due to play seminal London indie night Twee as Fuck before the end of the month. They’ll also be working on their debut
album, chuffed to have found a twenty four track studio in Banchory ‘that’s digital but sounds like it’s analogue.’
On stage later they demonstrate a sense of pop fun, along with a glam sensibility. From my notes I’ve written down: Think the Fire Engines meets Sleater-Kinney (only even more fun). Think: how Kenickie might have turned out. ‘Swalow the Rockets’ packs an even mighties punch than it does on vinyl.The aforementioned ‘Temper’ and ‘Black and Blue’ demonstrate that they have quite a few tricks up their sleeves. Most of all, it’s the sheer fun of it all.
Like Peter Parker’s alter ego, there’s something else lurking here. Let’s watch and find out.
‘Swallow The Rockets’ is out now on 7″ single and on download (on both iTunes and eMusic).
for this…but all of a sudden, I had to look for ‘Hey Matthew’ by Karel Fialka.
This was a hit in 1987…catchy, unusual and ever so slightly creepy. As an eleven year old I grasped a bit of what was being implied about watching violent TV, but not necessarily the bit that seems to be about politicians and blacklisting.
I recall him doing this on Top of The Pops, with him doing his bits in the studio and the video of Matthew. My Mum was heard to comment ‘It’s such a positive song, why does he have to keep glaring at the camera?’
All together now – ‘I see the A-Team the A-Team.’
Karel Fialka -‘Hey Matthew.’
This had been seen the previous year, again on
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Top Of the Pops. It was my Dad who grasped the stor
