Best Of ClashMusic Music Features and Interviews

APSE - Track By Track

Robin Murray — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:16:15 +0000

There's probably no more reviled term in modern music than 'alt rock'.

For a start, what exactly is it an alternative to? Most alt rock groups are scoring high on the Billboard charts these days, with British fans swarming to the likes of Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective for their thrills.

It takes groups such as Apse to remind us how illicit and thrilling rock music can be. Blending heavy metal with post rock, shoegaze with dream pop the band crash through barriers like a drunk man attempting the hurdles.

New album 'Climb Up' is Apse' first for ATP Recordings, and is perhaps their most complete document to date. By turns anthemic and intimidating it is truly alternative music - existing in its own universe it is an alternative to just about everything.

ClashMusic tracked down the band's Robert Toher for a track by track guide...

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Blown Doors

In many ways a bridge/connection between the worlds explored on Spirit and Climb Up. Rips through from the world of Spirit into something new but initially has traces of where it came from. Some earlier cuts of this track are 6 and 7 minutes long and there are tons of different versions. Lots of fun sounds and drum machine beats, I wanted it to be a bit clubby in places. My piano parts and Jed's horns really make the ending big for me. I love this as a fall tune and it's one of my favorite tracks on the record.

3.1

First demo I made upon returning from a 6 week European tour in 2008. I was tired of playing the material on Spirit and Eras and I wanted to write something totally visceral and to the point. The final cut is a lot more polished than the demo but it retains some of the original grittiness. Just at the end of each verse, low in the mix there's an effected sample Jed took of a motorcycle that acts as a grout to bring in the choruses.

All Mine

Originally written in a string of very different demos I was working on early upon relocating to cape cod. Together Michael and I we expanded on the demo again and again for over a year. Jed wrote a beautiful piano part and Brandon laid his drums over the existing netting of electronic and looped percussion. The song used to be almost twice as long and was hugely reliant on chance and experiment in the first year it was around.

Rook

Based off of Aaron's bass parts from some improvised live recordings we'd made, this song was originally a guitar song. Then I worked on an all electronic version of it for a few months and finally Brandon pushed for it to come back to it's original essence as a guitar song. Excited to play this one live and I'll probably post that electronic version of it as well as demos and alternate versions of the other songs on our C.R.A.F.T. blog (http://apsecraft.tumblr.com) sometime after the album is released.

In Gold

Michael penned this song originally and had been working on version after version on his own for a long time. I ended up doing a lot of the vocals - adding to what he already had in place and layering it. I am in the fore for most of the song but Michael's voice is pertinent and strong in the final section. Brandon did the drums and Jed added a lot of narrative with his manoeuvring bass and piano parts.

Michael: It grew out of a demo that was written months prior and redone into what it is now. After getting some of the structure down, the lyrics became about the need for help and being stuck in something you can't get out of. In it's initial demo stage it was titled 'Gallows' after the Leadbelly/Led Zepplin song and shared some of the lyrics. It has since mutated into something else and I like that it shares something with blues music but still has it's weird way.

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Apse - Wind Through The Walls

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The Age

This was one of the first tracks that I had sounding polished early on. I was housesitting in Connecticut for a while in December and I had reworked the beginning 1:30 dozens and dozens of times. I thought it might even be a single at first. It decidedly got shelved until about 4 months later when Jed took it and reordered the parts, adding and removing layers, in effect almost sort of remixing it. I really enjoyed arranging the violin / radio bits in the beginning and layering the baby grand at the end which is pastoral and reminds me of something that might be found on our first EP.

Tropica

I had recorded layers of my voice into a loop station and one day in the spring of 08 - one of those spring days where it really feels like summer will come at last - Michael and I were screwing around with making drum samples. Michael took the vocal loop I had generated (for an entirely different song/idea) and played with the reverse button while I recorded it. We aligned the fucked up vocal sample with the drums and laid out a loop ad nauseam. Then we did dozens of simultaneous live overdubs improvising. Sometimes on hammond and wurlitzer at the same time, sometimes two guitars at the same time, sometimes mixing and matching or singing or just doing whatever with what we had around - but never rehearsing - all of the little melodies and things were by chance which was exciting. We layered and layered and then I spent a what added up to nearly triple-digit hours over the next few months mixing it, making hundreds of tiny node-adjustments across the duration of each of its working tracks. With submixing and all there must be around 45+ tracks in the song.

The Whip

Another song based off of Aaron's bass riffs and structured around a guitar riff I had played for the choruses but ultimately took out for the final version. In the final days of working on the song I had spent a lot of time in the same place not leaving the house listening to it over and over again and I must have been out of it because I put in a horrible 'calling out the bad dudes ' almost eminem style soliloquy in at the end that in my haze I thought was great and groundbreaking. A few days after giving a mix to the band with this new section Jed and Brandon confronted me and made me realize how terrible and cheesy and solipsistic the part was. Needless to say I'm grateful it didn't make the final cut. I'd be eating shit for a long time if it had.

Lie

Had been around for a long time as just a guitar/vocal thing and once we decided it was going to be on the album it needed richer instrumentation. We added mellotron choir, piano, live drumming, acoustic guitars, ebow, wah, harmonium and a clarinet section among other things. I'm really fond of the way it ends / final note that just holds until it dissipates. The song/lyrics are inspired by and borrow from a track by the band Frankie Sparo on their album 'Welcome Crummy Mystics' called 'This Lie'.

The Return

This was a demo that Jed presented in the spring of 08. It went through a lot of reworking between myself and Michael and Jed back and forth again and again. The track is more of a Jed track than anything else on the record and he plays a lot of the instruments and did a lot of the mixing. It features violin by violinist Sarah Parkington, a cape cod native and long time friend of Jed's. The lyrics, which were written by myself and Michael address one having self-identity issues in the midst of a relationship.

Climb Up

This was originally attached to the end of the working version of 'Lie' which made for too long a track. It is still however the same bpm as 'Lie' and features the core electronic drum part/meter at the bottom of the drum mix. When I was housesitting one night after creating the simple 4 chord progression it must have been 3 or 4 am and I started singing to the track...out came a mix between my own lyrics and part of the lyrics from the last song on Jonathan Fire Eater's 'Wolf Songs For Lambs' called 'Inpatient Talent Show'. Their song had always been of strong sentimental value to me and at that point in the early morning, by myself in this big house and after a lot to drink I recorded the first version of the vocals...as it is about someone who I care for dearly I became emotional as I was recording and had to keep retaking the vocals. Every time I heard it for many days after I would become emotional and I didn't want to deal with that so I shelved it and revisited after a few months, adding more instrumentation, Jed added piano and harmonium, Michael added slide guitar and backing vox and eventually it was decided by the suggestion of Jed that the working title for the song 'Climb Up' could very well be the album title - which made perfect sense as this song in specific - and the entirety of the rest of the record is about recovery.

Closure

I'm nearly 28. It took me a long time to get a grip on the Beatles for whatever reason. And even when I did it took me a long time to catch on to Sgt. Pepper's. And when I did I immediately wanted to make something that had a pop feel to it in that vein. The first 0:37 of this song was part of the version of 'Closure' that was my attempt at making something like that. The rest of the song changed but still had a related overall idea. It would be the last song on an album. It would be a pop twist to finish things out...sort of like when you're really listening to a record - not sitting in front of your computer but really listening to something, maybe not paying too much attention to what track you're on or how many are left and you hear a song (in this case its climb up) that you think it's probably the last song on the album, but then just as you're about to get up and stop the turntable something starts up unexpectedly, uninvited but decidedly welcome. Something of a party at the end of a record, a positive note and a color that hasn't been shown on any other part of the album thus far, and with all that - a little bit of hope, even if it's a kind of wistful hope. In fact, I would say that the album in whole is about a kind of hope.

'Climb Up' is out now

Singles Round Up - October 19th

Robin Murray — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:07:26 +0000

It's raining in Dundee.

The kind of rain that rattles on the windscreen, gets down underneath your skin and comes pouring out under your fingernails.

With the rattle of October storms on the window ClashMusic gets stuck in about another batch of singles. With new releases to be dissected from the likes of Copy Haho, Green Day, Broken Family Band and more it looks as if we've got plenty to keep us busy.

Be nice if this rain would go off though...

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Single Of The Week

Bonobo – The Keeper

There was always more to Acid Jazz than corduroy and Jay Kay’s stupid, stupid furry hat. Spawning a generation of crate diggers, Bonobo seem keen to follow on this legacy. No doubt familiar with the lush grooves Isaac Hayes was perpetrating on a daily basis in the early 70s, ‘The Keeper’ is all smoky bass lines and twinkling xylophone – a statement ClashMusic really doesn’t get to say often enough. Ninja Tunes signing Andreya Triana turns the whole thing into an effecting lament on love lost, a reminder that a relationship with a jazz musician is never the best bet. With a new album due early next year, January could shiver to Bonobo’s rhythm.

Bonobo - The Keeper

And the rest...

Copy Haho – Wrong Direction
OK so electronic beats can shift the most stubborn of hips but there remain a noble few who like to dance to guitars - preferably with acerbic, puzzling lyrics over the top. Copy Haho’s new seven inch is the latest nugget to drop out of the band’s seemingly inexhaustible bag of stubbornly brilliant songsmithery. Stick it on and dance like an idiot – nobody’s watching anyway!

Green Day – East Jesus Nowhere
And lo! In an act of calculated self-harm on the Eighth day God created Green Day. The punk trio then release a single ridiculing the structure of Christianity within American society, which conversely promotes the religion in the usually atheist driven rock scene. And God saw the irony, and chuckled.

Broken Family Band – Cinema Vs House
So this is it. After six years of countless gigs, several unjustly ignored albums Broken Family Band have decided to call it quits. A typically thoughtful slice of songwriting it sees the group bow out with the same grace and elegance that drove their career.

Fink – See It All
Listening to ‘See It All’ it’s difficult to believe that Fink was a latecomer to the world of the acoustic guitar. A proficient producer, Fin Greenall is a stunning songwriter whose honey dripping tones wrap themselves around threatening lyrics. A superb introduction to his talents, ‘See It All’ is the perfect soundtrack for darkening days.

My Tiger My Timing – I Am The Sound
Taking inspiration from the crossover period between disco filth and the electro pop perfection offered by The Human League, My Tiger My Timing’s latest offering nods to the 80s without being drowned in retro reference points. Gently rocking, ‘I Am The Sound’ is a signal of things to come without ever seeming to fulfil the potential of My Tiger My Timing.

Local Natives – Camera Talk
Hailing from California, these brainy indie poppers will no doubt be pushed as a follow up to Vampire Weekend. Sure, the inventive songwriting and harmonies are all in place but ‘Camera Talk’ suggests that Local Natives have spent more time listening to Pavement and the Beach Boys than compilations of forgotten Nigerian funk warriors. Debut album ‘Gorilla Manor’ seemed to sneak under the radar, hopefully this new single will see Local Natives given the credit they deserve.

Local Natives - Camera Talk

Fanfarlo Top Ten

Robin Murray — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:32:47 +0000

Fanfarlo like to keep us on our toes.

After a handful of acclaimed singles released via some of the country's top indie labels, Fanfarlo upped sticks and moved to the States to work on their debut album.

Returning with a work of breath-taking ambition, the band then shunned major label advances to release it themselves. Priced at a startlingly low $1 Fanfarlo recently justified the price by claiming that would be all they would make from each copy under a standard record contract.

Set to feature highly in those up coming 'End Of Year' polls, ClashMusic recently asked Fanfarlo musician Justin Finch to come up with his top ten tracks of the moment.

A man with somewhat eclectic tastes, the Fanfarlo star has returned with a list titled 'Top Ten Tracks to stalk around a Norwegian Forest to'.

Containing a variety of extreme metal favourites alongside some innovative classical piano playing, this shows another quite unexpected side to one of the year's indie rock breakthrough acts...

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Top Ten Tracks to stalk around a Norwegian Forest to:-

EMPEROR - In the Wordless Chamber
This song is pretty much the sound of horses running into battle. The horns bring a sort of hunt to mind.

ULVER - Capitel II: Soelen Gaaer Bag Aase Ned
Ulver's early records are half medieval sounding folk and half Black Metal. Some of the tracks have the sound of footsteps in the forest as intros so pretty much perfect I think you'll agree.

Ulver - Capitel II: Soelen Gaaer Bag Aase Ned

BURZUM - Det som en gang var
The originator of Atmospheric Black Metal. The Norweigan forest and the connected mythology inspired Varg Vikernes to help shape this musical genre. Later he sadly murdered his band mate in cold blood and was only recently released.

ERIK SATIE - Gnossienne, 1. Lent
Some eerie as hell piano work from my favorite Dadaist.

IMMORTAL - Beyond the North Waves
This tune is huge. Lyrical themes of norse warriors going into battle in the icey north. The outro to this is about as epic as it comes that bring mountains, fjords and forests to mind.

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM - Arimanic Trance
This band of radical enviromentalists for Olympia, WA all live on a farm and channel their energy from from mother nature to make their 'Purifying Black Metal'. Beautiful stuff.

ERIK SATIE - Gnossienne, 3. Lent

BLUT AUS NORD - Disciples Libration (lost in the nine worlds)
French Avante Garde atmospheric black metal. Epic sounding melodies that would suit the grandness of a Norweigan forest.

ENSLAVED - Storre Enn Tid - Tyngre Enn Natt
Guitars that sound like a running stream and monk like chamber vocals.

ERIK SATIE - Gnossienne, 4. Lent
The 4th part of my favorite piano work by Satie. As an antidote the all the noisy black metal the simplicity of this would be welcomed.

ERIK SATIE - Gnossienne, 4. Lent

Single Of The Week - September 28th

Robin Murray — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:09:35 +0000

Two heads are better than one...

ClashMusic's singles round up comes courtesy of twin talents this week, with the team putting their heads together to rummage around the deep and dark cardboard box we like to call 'singles'.

It's a bumper crop this week with the mysterious world of Canadian dancehall seeming to take precedence. How long until the Mounties start growing dreads? WE DEMAND TO KNOW.

Anyway, without further ado...

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Single Of The Week

HEALTH - Die Slow

To call HEALTH’s use of sound as ‘awe inspiring’ could sound like a cliché yet few bands seem to invest as much time into the presentation and delivery of their noises as this LA dwelling bunch of sonic terrorists. At points ‘Die Slow’ resembles some analogue beast doing exactly that yet at others its chirpy industrial percussion ebbs and flows with surprising nimbleness. For a band labelled ‘noise-core’ in many quarters their sound is infected with splashes of colours that merge and swell upon one another with more melody than most conventional bands can muster. They also pull of the important trick of not really sounding like any other band meaning that they will be cruising for recognition as big as their own psychedelic wailing walls of music.

HEALTH - Die Slow

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Hell feat P Diddy - The DJ
Hands up who likes a long edit? Well you are in the right place. Although not quite taking things to Beta Band indulgence (they recorded a single at 44.59min the longest legally an EP can be) – Hell here celebrates the long version with P Diddy as they send a very clear message to: ‘the mother fucker who plays a 4 minute version.’ Adding that you: ‘can’t get even get into your thing with a 4 minute version.’ Means that we are delivered into 11 minutes of twisted narcotic, nocturnal deep acid techno. It’s great though as is every track on his recent ‘Teufelswerk’ LP earlier this year from which this inspired. I’d be impressed though to see which DJ in this age of short attentions, fussy crowds and Serato orgies will actually play the whole of the bastard.

Poirier - Run the Riddim
Ninja blast out another dancehall maestro in the form of the long impressing and particularly dextrous Poirier. Here Montreal’s daddy of the dancehall grabs four vocals from around the world from Canada, London and naturally Jamaica to stampede into our record boxes the kinda rough hybrid electro offspring that Modeselektor and Phon.o have been perfecting for years. If Poirier keeps delveloping and diversifying at this same rate he’s made man. Haemorrhaging hip hop, broken beats, electronica and his own version of Pan European club bangers inspired by jah he’s hot to trot and looking dangerous.

La Roux – I’m Not Your Toy
La Roux has had an incredible summer, with her pomade fixed quiff lurking on main stages throughout the festival season. Returning with hints of the Caribbean on ‘I’m Not Your Toy’ the single is a little like the teenage romance she reminisces about – short, confused and ultimately unfulfilling. Wafer thin synth pop that will no doubt propel her to greater levels of fame, more’s the pity.

Lou Barlow – The Right
With the Dinosaur Jr re-union proving that sometimes really can go home again, it’s probably time for Lou Barlow’s solo career to have a bit of a renaissance. In their own way Sebadoh were arguably as influential as the nascent grunge gods who preceded them, with Barlow inspiring a generation of geek-rockers. With his voice still as world weary as ever, ‘The Right’ is a fantastic winsome tale nabbed from his equally spectacular album ‘Goodnight Unknown’. No wonder dinosaur became extinct.

Ungdomskulen – Idunno
Norwegian! Three piece! Who shout a lot! Make punk-funk noise! Like D Boon useta! The bass trips over the drums! The guitar lines scatter like Slash being chased down an alleyway! Then the whole thing drops down a notch… letting the Scandinavians take a breather… before ripping back into uncontrollable rhythms! What you gonna buy this week? Idunno!

Crookers – Put Your Hands On Me
In which the electro dons grab some red, gold and green and start rockin’ de soundsystem in a dancehall stylee. Cultural imperialism or golden cross breeding? Whatever, with rude riddems and synths designed to pierce the night with lazer accuracy it’s the inclusion of Kardinal Offishall that turns ‘Put Your Hands On Me’ into three minutes of sheer, unadulterated filth. A track so steeped in cardinal references it will no doubt raise the pregnancy rate in dancehalls across the globe, this is baby making music of the highest order.

Crookers - Put Your Hands On Me

The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing
Summer’s gone. You can put the sun block away and give stick the flip flops back in the cupboard because – for the Scottish office at least – the thermometer is set to take a massive drop below zero. It’s a good thing The Drums can perfectly capture those moments in July and August when the sun arrives and all seems right with the world. Gleeful, joyous and completely uncomplicated ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ is pop the way it used to be made – all thriller and no filler.

Graham Coxon - Brave The Storm / Dead Bees

A highlight of his recent album 'The Spinning Top' the new single from the Blur guitar plucker sees Graham Coxon come over all folkie. Except this ain't no finger in the ears situation, with Coxon digging out forgotten records from the likes of Davey Graham, Anne Briggs and more. Otherworldly fun from a man who seems to get more daring as he grows older.

Singles Round Up - September 21st

Nick Annan — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:49:09 +0000

A week dominated by big pop releases this week with Lady GaGa, Shakira, VV Brown and Kid Cudi. Thankfully we have Rammstein, Lethal Bizzle and Ian Brown to even things out. No clear winner for single of the week this week but Browny takes it on points.

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Ian Brown - 'Stellify'

The master at made up words, (see ‘Solarized’), Browny is back with another, ‘Stellify’. It’s pounding keyboard and drum motif kicks things along nicely, with some horns sprinkled later in the song for variety. It’s not Earth shattering but good for what he does, watch the video for a good summation of how this track feels. While a marching band and massed flag wavers follow him around Manchester, Ian does his best to look disinterested and limit his movement to a half hearted point for the line “I’m miles high”.

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Shakira - 'She Wolf'

Admirably strange, Shakira returns with a European disco kinda thing with her trademark ‘distinctive’ wordplay. Fair enough, English isn’t her first language but the strangest thing is the half arsed wolf howl she delivers in the chorus. With a suitable remix this could be rather entertaining.

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Rammstein - 'Pussy'

Further strangely accented musings , this time from Germany’s Rammstein with ‘Pussy’, apparently a satirical take on sex tourism. Despite the sludge of guitars, the synths lift the song enough to create a decent, dare I say ‘radio friendly’ chorus. Mind you, teamed with the pornographic promo video (directed by Jonas ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ Åkerlund), ensures you won’t be hearing this one too much. A shame really. Head on over to YouTube, sign up to prove you’re over 18, and enjoy (or watch above ;-))

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Lady GaGa - Lovegame

Another artist obsessed with sex, but playing within the rules, is chart topping Lady GaGa. Centering around the refrain “Let’s have some fun, this beat is sick / I wanna take a ride on your disco stick”, it’s more of her risqué dance pop fodder. The fact that it’s the third from her album should give you an indication, sliding scale style, of it’s quality. Given her background as a behind the scenes pop minion, I’ve never sure whether to admire her subverting of the industry or ignore her on the grounds that she should know better.

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VV Brown - 'Game Over'

Whereas Lady GaGa scraps the bottom on her album barrel for her new single, VV Brown keeps the best for last with ‘Game Over’. Equally, the fourth single taken from the parent album, here she just seems to hit high gear with a suitably ostentatious ‘Best of British’ video to fill out the package.

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Kid Cudi - 'Make Her Say'

Did you ever hear the original of Cudi’s ‘Nite ‘n’ Day’? A pretty bog standard R’n’B effort that clearly shows how much Crookers contributed to the songs chart success. ‘Make Her Say’’s hook is a clip from an acoustic version of Lady GaGa’s ‘Poker Face’ and boasts both Kanye West, Common and Dj A-Trak. Yet, even with all that heavyweight talent onboard, the most interesting thing is their names and that ‘Poker Face’ sample leaving me still unsure of Kid Cudi’s own talent. Best I can say is, he has loads of talented pals.

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Lethal Bizzle - 'Going Out Tonight'

Not sure where it’s for the streets or the charts, ‘Going Out tonight’ has, on the plus side, a dubstep bassline and Bizzle’s proven lyrical skills, and, on the down side, a naff female sung chorus and a babes and bling video. Maybe the video is tongue in cheek, “deconstructing the Hip Hop stereotype” but I can’t keep up. Either way it’s full of girls in bikini’s washing a bling-ed out Range Rover.

Singles Review Roundup - September 14th

Joe Zadeh — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:06:35 +0000

September 14th can go down as one of 2009's busiest days for singles. Paloma Faith, Coldplay, Maps, Deadmau5, Moby, F*ck Buttons, Thom Yorke, Florence & The Machine, Speech Debelle and Hadouken to name a few. With much deliberation, hesitation, appreciation and vilification, we have whittled down our six for attention.

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Single Of The Week

Maps – I Dream Of Crystal

'I Dream Of Crystal' truly is a marvel to behold. James Chapman (Maps) has flicked his emotion switch and delivered an electronic insight to a wayfaring mind, and the kind of swinging states induced by pills, thrills and, as the press release states, “chemical stimuli”. With the natural flow of an M83 mood setter, 'I Dream Of Crystal' bursts in numbers for each chorus. According to Chapman, “The tracks for this album never seemed to stop flowing from the day I began working on them”. Which suggest the prospective LP will be one of 2009's surprise underdogs.

Coldplay – Strawberry Swing

A year on and Viva La Vida is still being milked for all it's Brian Eno produced worth. It shall go sour soon, but fortunately, not just yet. 'Strawberry Swing' is one of 'Viva La Vida''s hidden dimensions. An exquisitely crafted reminder that Coldplay's epic stadium rock persona is just one facet of many. The tribal drum beats that highlight last years album continue to run through the veins of this track, but at a reserved and timid pace, beneath high pitched guitar chimes. And unlike previous monumental impressions left by 'Violet Hill' and the title track, 'Strawberry Swing' ebbs and flows with the measured subtleties of Martin's lyricism. The release also coincides with an innovative and inspiring short film by the visual artist team Shynola, which accompanies the track (as seen below).

Speech Debelle – Spinnin'

So the Mercury Awards was a surprise yet again this year. Which I suppose means its becoming predictable. Predictably surprising. Our artist in question, Speech Debelle, took the big award ahead of a reinvented Horrors, an energetic Friendly Fires and an 'insert positive adjective here' Glasvegas. And with all critical eyes on Debelle's first release since the awards, it is perhaps justified that it is one that floats with infectious crowd appeasing melodies, as opposed to her usual barbed quippery. Produced by Mike Lundsay of Tunng, 'Spinnin'' is one of Debelle's rare moments of pure pop. This is the bait that shall hook you onto 'Speech Therapy'.

Deadmau5 vs Melleefresh – Attention Whore

So far this duo of superstar laptop user Deadmau5 and diva (apparently?) Melleefresh has given us two decent songs, one pretty plain song and today's 'Attention Whore'. One could call it an unspectacular union. By the 8th second you've heard the beat drop about as hard as it will, so after that, all we really have to look forward to is Melleefresh's lyrics. These lyrics stutter somewhere between annoying and dumbing, with an awkward, 'too old for this game' Liz McDonald type sex appeal. With the recent airings of the fabulous 'Ghosts n' Stuff', and the intriguing techno direction of forthcoming release 'For Lack Of A Better Name', Mr Zimmerman (Deadmau5) can, and will, do better. Contrary to this opinion, it is still being championed by such luminaries as Pete Tong and Judge Jules, so, no doubt, the veteran clubber who gushes of when “one pill was enough” and “Ibiza used to be much better” will lap this up.

Moby – Mistake

Few doubted the unabridged talents of Moby would fail to produce anything short of superb on his new material. And with an almost patronising consistency, Moby's return to the basics (reportedly rejected a major label offer to seek his own) has resulted in the eerie purity and punching vocal track of 'Mistake'. Hear a remix of this track on our Track Of The Day.

Florence & The Machine – Drumming Song

Florence and her machinery are continuing to carve a delicate niche in to a breach opened by so enigmatically in the past, by artists like Kate Bush and Siouxsie. And its fair to say, there is nothing quite like Florence about just now. Despite the laid bare construction of bellowing drums and quite choral vocals 'Drumming Song' manages to explode in an audacious boom, led by the unmistakable resound of Florence. For those wishing to investigate further, the song has been brilliantly remixed by the prolific beat junkie; Boy 8-Bit. Make sure to check the video, in which the reality is affirmed that even in the most dramatic and expensive of music videos, nobody can run in heels without looking like a modern day Bambi. You can see the official video here, or watch the Boy 8-Bit mix below.

Single Review Round Up - August 31st

Robin Murray — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:59:33 +0000

Hey you!

Don't read that, read this! ClashMusic returns to the darkest lair of the office, the space reserved for those promos which we mark 'singles'...

The Cribs return with their new Johnny Marr enhanced effort whilst we also dig out the critical microscope for the likes of Manchester Orchestra, The Heavy, Dawn Landes and Bibio. An eclectic bunch? Why thank you.

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Single Of The Week - August 31st

The Cribs – Cheat On Me

Why hello Johnny Marr! The addition of the former Smith to the Wakefield boys was met with no small measure of raised eyebrows. One, a revered guitarist and studio addict while the other liked their songs raw and bruised. Yet, somehow, ‘Cheat On Me’ carries elements of both. Marr’s chiming guitars are clearly evident yet he never swamps The Cribs, with Gary Jarman’s throat once again left raw by another raucous chorus. A stunning return – The Cribs could finally be about to break through into the mainstream.

The Heavy – How You Like Me Now
In which The Heavy prove that while God can take James Brown up into his heavenly bosom He just can’t stop the funk. Taken from their recent album ‘How You Like Me Now’ is a stomping, snarling party anthem with just a hint of malice. Mean and moody, it came as a jaw dropping surprise that these soul brothers are actually a buncha Limeys! Funk fakery or impassioned pastiche? Who cares with a beat this sweet.

The Hot Melts – Red Lips
Sounds a bit like Rocket From The Crypt in places this. But only if said LA punks had every shred of originality removed. In actuality, it sounds like Shed Seven gone heavy, big thumping choruses that scream ‘anthemic’ at the top of their voices. Probably good live, but that won’t help them in a singles round up will it?

Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts
Well this is cheeky. Those with long memories might remember that The Noisettes initially signed a deal with Motown, before being chucked away like a broken toy. Having found stardom with ‘Don’t Upset The Rhythm’ the trio return with a song that, well, sounds like Motown - at least until the growling guitars appear. Hitting a Fresher’s Week near you like a half price bottle of Apple Sourz.

Manchester Orchestra – I’ve Got Friends
In these Yankee fixated isles, it’s a little surprising to find an American act who have named themselves after the sunny climes of Manchester. No Roses or Hacienda nostalgia on this track, however, with ‘I’ve Got Friends’ being sublime piece of geek-pop. A bit like Kings Of Leon without the muscles, Manchester Orchestra mix festival pleasing chorus lines with great big slabs of rock riffs.

Dawn Landes – Romeo
Dawn Landes has one of the finest voices in modern Americana, so quite what possessed the dude in this song to stand her up is a mystery to us. Gorgeous country flavoured pop, Landes might not be able to find her ‘Romeo’ but then look what happened to that romance. Her heartbreak is our pleasure.

The Wave Machines – Punk Spirit
‘Punk’ has to be the most abused term ever crafted. With the music quickly spiralling outwards of any attempted definition some bright folk decided to talk about a ‘Punk Spirit’. In other words, non-conformist, profoundly honest, guitar-led songs written by people on the margins on society due to the way they choose to live their lives. Sounds a bit like The Wave Machines, in other words. Good tune, like.

The Wave Machines - Punk Spirit

Bibio –Maybe They Appear In Graveyards EP
All this talk of Warp turning 20 has turned the ultimate futurist label into a feeding ground for nostalgia. Remember Nightmares On Wax? They were good. But Bibio is better. The American producer returns with this EP of head-spinning electronica that doesn’t so much deny the past as kick it into the bin. A vast collage of samples pieced together into a delicately ornate structure which seems as if it could shatter at any moment.

Oasis - Behind The Split

Robin Murray — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:26:47 +0000

Did you hear? Noel has left Oasis. I’ve read about it. Happened yesterday – or the day before, I forget.

Few would have expected Noel Gallagher to leave the band he helped steer to global fame, yet is seems that his departure has been met with some degree of nonchalance. With the group’s past history of in-fighting and splits it seems that the ever loyal fans of Oasis are duping themselves into believing that they’ll wake up tomorrow and everything will be as right as rain. Well dig this: NOEL GALLAGHER HAS LEFT OASIS.

In many ways, we should have seen it coming. Liam Gallagher has always been a firebrand, capable of defending with his fists the rights of the band he founded. After inviting his brother to join the group Oasis began to pick up steam, achieving a record deal after a legendary slot in Glasgow. Yet this didn’t help placate the chemistry between Noel and his younger brother Liam.

An early interview with the NME resulted in a string of foul mouthed observations, with the pair almost coming to blows. Released via Fierce Panda as ‘Wibling Rivalry’ it’s well worth seeking out, if only to shed some light on the recent puzzling events. With a chart-shattering debut album under his belt Noel Gallagher reached breaking point while on tour in America during 1995. Retreating from the group it seemed that Oasis were finished, yet after talking things over he realised that the group revolved around the dynamic between the two brothers. Remove one, and all is lost.

That moment of introspection resulted in some of Gallagher Snr’s finest work, and some of Gallagher Jnr’s best vocals. ‘Talk Tonight’ and ‘Acquiesce’ regularly feature in fan’s lists of their favourite Oasis tracks, despite being hidden away as flipsides. However the next rift between the two would not end in such glorious tunesmithery.

After the catastrophe that was ‘Be Here Now’ Oasis lost Paul McGuigan and Paul Arthurs in quick succession. Removing twin stalwarts left the Gallaghers to work on the subsequent album ‘Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants’ by themselves. An under-rated work, Oasis later recruited Gem Archer and Andy Bell, before a European tour saw them scrape back from the wilderness.

Yet despite this, the Gallaghers could not get along. After a postponed show in Barcelona during 2000 Liam Gallagher began drinking, and later caused an argument with his brother that has repercussions to this day. Noel Gallagher revealed to Q Magazine back in 2005 that Liam not only abused him, but he questioned the legitimacy of his children.

“I’ve never forgiven him because he’s never apologised” revealed the guitarist. "He's my brother. I hope he's reading this and realises that. He's my brother but he's at arm's length until he apologises for what he's done”.

Liam Gallagher later backed down, but in an interview earlier this year Noel revealed just how estranged the two are. Speaking once more to Q the songwriter claimed that Liam has never been into his house, and that he wouldn’t let the singer meet his kids.

Yet Oasis seemed to go from strength to strength. Last year’s album ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ sold more copies than any since their Britpop heyday, even breaching the upper echelons of the Billboard chart. But it could be this success that has been their undoing, with heavy touring straining the band.

Announcing an enormous British tour, Oasis have not been able to leave the controversy behind. A report in the Daily Record claimed that Liam Gallagher stayed in a different hotel from the rest of the band, while the singer’s onstage verbal assaults became legendary. At Leicester’s Ricoh Arena the frontman berated the crowd after clapping too long, while the group’s set at The Roundhouse was peppered with foul mouthed ranting from Liam Gallagher.

Later, Noel would shrug off the incident stating that his brother was “on his man period”. Encouraging the wrath of Liam, it was the latest in a series of public spats. Noel Gallagher’s insistence on discussing a possible solo album was met with fury by his sibling, while Liam Gallagher himself used the launch of a fashion label to showcase his emerging songwriting talent. The most recent interview with Liam Gallagher saw the singer snarling from the cover of the NME, stating bluntly that it “takes more than blood to be my brother”.

Ultimately, Oasis belongs to neither one of the Gallaghers. However unlike in 1995 the pair don’t ‘need each other’, as the chorus of ‘Acquiesce’ once so triumphantly put it. Noel Gallagher has played solo shows, and fans have warmly greeted the possibility of an album under his own name. By way of contrast, Liam Gallagher is rapidly blossoming as a songsmith, with his own strict views on what constitutes an Oasis track. Could the differences in style – and in attitude - be what is driving the pair apart? We may never know, but it is hard to imagine Liam Gallagher arguing passionately for a 20 minute Krautrock inspired remix, as Noel recently did.

Cancelling an appearance at V Festival, Oasis told fans that Liam Gallagher had laryngitis. Whether that was true is impossible to say, but a later fight before Rock En Seine in France has left the band crippled. Noel Gallagher has written of his “great relief” at leaving the group, adding an air of finality to proceedings. Whether Oasis can continue or not is up to the remaining members, but with the group being former Clash Magazine cover stars it is heart-wrenching to watch the songwriting team that defined British music for a generation to be so cruelly ripped apart.

Single Review Round Up - August 24th

Robin Murray — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:41:28 +0000

Here we go again...

Another week, another batch of singles. After a dry run to start the year off the quality of singles being released throughout the summer has been stunning, with superb seven inches flying every which way.

This week Noah And The Whale claim the honours, with their new track 'Blue Skies'. Named after an Old Testament story there is something Biblical about the scale of 'Blue Skies', the first taste of their sensational new album 'First Days Of Spring'.

File alongside The Horrors under 'stunning comeback'. The race for Album Of The Year is on...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Single Of The Week

Noah And The Whale - Blues Skies

Well this is unexpected. Alright, so Noah And The Whale had previously excelled at chirpy indie-pop but the sheer emotional weight of ‘Blue Skies’ is breath-taking. Backed by a choir singer Charlie Fink‘s voice drips with sentimentality, of missed chances and regrets. Painfully personal, it seems to draw something out of you. Hugely cathartic ‘Blue Skies’ hints at the glorious orchestral vision of Arcade Fire yet seems uniquely British. An astonishing primer for their new album ‘First Days Of Spring’ Noah And The Whale have suddenly become one of the most interesting bands in the nation.

Noah And The Whale - Blue Skies

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And the rest...

Biffy Clyro – That Golden Rule
As many Clash readers will no doubt already know, we have one office in Scotland and one in London. Whilst living in Jockland has its benefits, there are also numerous drawbacks – dreadful football teams, near constant rain and Biffy Clyro. Seriously, you will hear this band everywhere you go. A trek to the Outer Hebrides will no doubt come across the Lewis branch of the Biffy Clyro fan club. ‘That Golden Rule’ is a decent slice of alt-rock, which is set to adorn the CD player of virtually everyone North of Hadrian’s Wall.

Black Lips – Drugs
There are few new groups as well equipped to sing about narcotics as Black Lips. Having digested more pharmaceuticals than a cocaine fixated racehorse the band dwell on the topic with their new single ‘Drugs’. Two minutes of psych-punk follows, in what is actually one of Black Lips more cohesive statements. Perhaps lacking the visceral edge that made ‘Good Bad Not Evil’ so entertaining, ‘Drugs’ is nonetheless a superb tribute to the wonders of the chemical world.

Dananananaykroyd – Some Dresses
Duelling drummers, two frontmen and tunes to die for. Dananananaykroyd were dealt a blow recently when singer John Baillie Jr broke his arm when touring Down Under, but nothing can hold this Glaswegian gang back for long. Pounding drums, huge vocals and a song which continually evolves, shifting and changing without ever losing its turbo-fuelled energy. Forget all about the post-hardcore mechanics and the much talked about live show – this is gleeful pop music, pure and simple.

Pearl Jam – The Fixer
A Pearl Jam single? In 2009? Thing is, ‘The Fixer’ is a dose of perfectly adequate grunge, albeit lacking something in the way of invention. Pearl Jam have become the grand old men of American alt rock, but the music seems to be matching their hair – slightly unkempt and pretty grey.

Dizzee Rascal – Holiday
Summer ain’t over until Dizzee Rascal says it is. Having conquered the charts the UK’s most mental MC could well have control over Mother Nature, after all he’s got a famous way with the laydeez. Over some trance synths Dizzee Rascal tells us all to head off on holiday. In the middle of a recession? No chance, it’s a caravan in Bognor Regis for me. Another smash hit in the offing, rather limp rhymes mean you can’t help but feel that Dizzee Rascal is sleepwalking his way through this.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Come Saturday
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are awesome. ‘Come Saturday’ is the new single by the Brooklyn group. Therefore it, too, is awesome. Gently rocking in a tame version of My Bloody Valentine kind of way, ‘Come Saturday’ is all fuzz guitars and half-sighed vocals. Pretty heavenly, in other words.

Tiny Masters Of Today – Real Good
There’s probably milk in my fridge older than Tiny Masters Of Today, which makes ‘Real Good’ all the more remarkable. The band have won admiring glances from Sonic Youth and Karen O, which is down to their talent rather than the novelty of their age. Chiming 60s style guitar pop put through a shredder, Tiny Masters Of Today are youthful without being fey, innocent through simply being honest. ‘Real Good’ is, well, real good.

Art Brut – DC Comics And Milkshake
Eddie Argos has always talked a good game, yet Art Brut’s clattering punk inspired racket has often fallen short of greatness. Taken from their recent album ‘Art Brut Vs Satan’ new single ‘DC Comics And Milkshake’ is diverting enough, but if these post-Fall types are our last line of defence against the scaly one then Lucifer could well have the upper hand.

Passion Pit – To Kingdom Come
Anyone remember when Clash put Passion Pit on the cover? Well, ‘To Kingdom Come’ is yet another spectral delight from debut album ‘Manners’ and showcases everything that is great and good about one of the year’s finest newcomers. A great big massive ‘we told you so’.

Passion Pit - To Kingdom Come

Top Ten - Forthcoming 2009 Albums

Mike Diver — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:44:36 +0000

ClashMusic has guided you through our favourite albums of the year so far – click HERE to read last week’s content, provided by our key editorial players. Now, we’re looking ahead: to the album releases that may well matter most over the coming months.

Here’s ten that spring fairly immediately to mind. Of course there’ll be more – many more – that tickle our fancy parts between now and the year’s end. But we’ve not heard them yet, so…

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The Big Pink
‘A Brief History Of Love’
(4AD, expected September 14)
The London-based duo of Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze are hitting the festivals hard this summer, treating the sweaty throngs to waves of soul-trembling sonic might – it’s shoegaze gone gooey, at times blistering of brutal beat but always warming of atmospheric wash. Their flirtations with unsettling electronic aggression shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as Furze was once a member of Alec Empire’s band, but The Big Pink’s sensitive appreciation of pop dynamics ensures that never do they alienate via excess confrontation. Indeed, at times this is as close as one can come to being hugged tight by sound.

The Big Pink – ‘Velvet’

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The Twilight Sad
‘Forget The Night Ahead’
(FatCat, expected October)
Already identified in our in-depth preview article as a potential UK album of the year – well, that was until we’d heard the new Wild Beasts album for the fourth or fifth time (although we need more time with this, too) – the second album from Scottish masters of ear-bleeding volume is a triumphant progression, a record that sees them stepping out from the shadow of Mogwai and Arab Strap to emerge as a seriously influential creative force from north of the border on their own terms. Full of dramatic tension and build-and-release arrangements that leave the listener numbed into admiration, ‘Forget The Night Ahead’ is a powerful statement of intent from a hungry young band perhaps yet to peak.

The Twilight Sad – ‘I Became A Prostitute’

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Arctic Monkeys
‘Humbug’
(Domino, expected August 24)
With a greater psychedelic vibe to their third studio album, it seems Sheffield’s most stupidly-named pop successes have embraced the weirdness present on some of their parents’ records – that, and recording in the desert with Josh Homme can’t have kept them entirely on the straight and narrow in a mental sense. Frontman Alex Turner told Clash earlier this year that the band had been listening to Cream and Hendrix while writing ‘Humbug’, and while those influences aren’t exactly obvious on the end product, there’s no doubt the Arctics’ palette has been broadened considerably. Read our first impression piece on the album HERE.
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Jay-Z
‘The Blueprint 3’
(Roc Nation, expected September 11)
Shawn Carter hasn’t let his various concerns not immediately related to music stand in the way of him delivering another studio album – this, his eleventh, is the third in his Blueprint series, following on from 2001’s initial collection and the following year’s sequel, ‘The Gift & The Curse’. Carter – known to millions as Jay-Z (pictured), of course – has stated his intent to make this release the definitive piece of his record-releasing puzzle, saying: “I wanna make it beyond and above. I'm gonna take my time with it. I don't have any quotas, and that's a good thing. It may be too freeing. It's a good thing and a bad thing. You know, I think I need some restrictions.” With no boundary considered too daunting to traverse, this new release could well elevate Jay-Z to a level he’s not yet reached… although the very thought of that is pretty terrifying. Lead single ‘Death Of Auto-Tune’ is very, very tasty – confrontational but perfectly assured.
- - -

Vampire Weekend
Title TBA
(XL, expected October/November)
There’s not much to say on this second album from the celebrated New Yorkers just yet, but Clash heard a couple of new songs at a special XL showcase ahead of the band’s support slot with Blur at Hyde Park, and we can safely say there’s a more ambitious percussive edge to Vampire Weekend’s forthcoming material, alongside familiar guitar passages. One of the two tracks we heard – played live by the band, no less – sounded a lot like something Animal Collective might have concocted around their ‘Feels’ period, certainly with regard to the dizzying drum patterns. Songs are said to include ‘Little Giant’, ‘California English’ and ‘White Sky’, although we’re not ruling out the chance that those are just working titles.
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Muse
‘The Resistance’
(Warner Bros., expected September 14)
Muse show no signs of slowing down their progression into areas distinctly proggy, with their fifth album allegedly likely to contain plenty of orchestral flourishes beside its adventures in electronic sound. There’s a three-part, 15-minute track called ‘Exogenesis’ set to close ‘The Resistance’ – have they gone Mastodon, or what? – and the first confirmed song title was ‘United States Of Eurasia’, which was soon followed by the likes of ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘Unnatural Selection’. They’re smiling all the way to the bank while also pushing into the outer limits of the public’s rock tastes… the bastards. Be afraid: the prog is coming in a big way.
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Antipop Consortium
‘Fluorescent Black’
(Big Dada, expected September)
Reformed bands rarely deliver the goods so far as new material goes – that’s Dinosaur Jr. one, Pixies nil (and please, let’s try to not think about the Smashing Pumpkins) – but acclaimed hip-hop crew Antipop Consortium’s first non-collaborative studio LP since 2002’s Warp-released ‘Arrhythmia’ finds the reunited foursome in fine form. At least, the free download single of ‘Apparently’ suggests they’re hitting all the right notes – the proverbial proof will be in the equally proverbial pudding as and when we wrap our ears around its forthcoming parent LP. That said, when have APC disappointed in the past? Exactly. When they got back together in 2007 they stated their intention to create a mighty fine new album, and one gets the feeling they’ve probably succeeded.
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The Flaming Lips
‘Embroyonic’
(Warner Bros., expected September 29)
The Wayne Coyne-fronted experimental indie-popsters’ twelfth (twelfth!) studio LP is their first double album – although they have, of course, previously issued a brain-befuddling four-discs-at-once set (‘Zaireeka’ – don’t try it unless you’re feeling brave). Guests are said to include MGMT and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, and the album was largely recorded at the home of member Steven Drozd’s house. Dare we suggest that this is an album without any label restraint, a record that’s been crafted to a singular sound free of external interference? Like the band in question would have it any other way. It promises to be quite the adventure, and if it doesn’t recapture the commercial highs of ‘The Soft Bulletin’, who cares!?
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Beastie Boys
‘Hot Sauce Committee’
(Capitol, expected September 15)
The New York rap trio’s eighth LP is, on first listen, a close cousin of catalogue classics ‘Ill Communication’ and ‘Check Your Head’, mixing live punk and funk sounds with rough-edged rhymes sweetly entwined as only the Beasties can. The group’s first vocal release since 2004’s comparatively introspective ‘To The 5 Boroughs’, ‘Hot Sauce Committee’ sounds more playful than its predecessor, as if the fun’s returned to the threesome’s studio sessions. One thing that’s certain is that they got the most out of their time recording, with an album’s worth of material beside this release ready to be unleashed whenever the powers that be decide the time’s right. Look out for a full feature on the Beastie Boys in a future issue of Clash Magazine – they were in mischievous mood when we spoke to them, and that’s an air exuded by this new long-player.

Beastie Boys – ‘Lee Majors Come Again’

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Wild Beasts
‘Two Dancers’
(Domino, expected August 3)
Maybe – just maybe – we’ve saved the best for last here; personally at least, I don’t think a forthcoming album has made half the impact of this on my current listening habits. While Wild Beasts’ debut of last year, ‘Limbo, Panto’, was a fine album indeed, its idiosyncrasies were also its undoing, as certain listeners couldn’t hear past the peculiar vocals to discover the pop perfection within the Kendal band’s arrangements. These hearts beat faster and swell bigger on ‘Two Dancers’ though, a fairly lusty-of-lyric offering with punchy beats and itchy guitar lines coming to the fore and carrying the listener into a skewed reality where music like this is the mainstream and Svengali-controlled girl groups reside in the margins. From the album’s very beginning one is immersed in intoxicating melody of a very singular fashion, and it’s sequenced so wonderfully well – pace managed and tone balanced – that the whole piece demands your fullest attention. Sensual, suggestive and just the right kind of strange, it’s not ridiculous to imagine this named as the album of the year in some quarters when December rolls around. It’s escapist pop at its most bewitching. (ALBUM REVIEW NOW LIVE)

Wild Beasts – ‘Hooting And Howling’

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We’ll also be keeping our ears open for new album releases from the likes of Andrew Weatherall, Jamie T, Maps, Foals, Fiery Furnaces, Klaxons, HEALTH, Missy Elliott, Why?, Calories, Lovvers, Johnny Foreigner, Crookers, Amy Winehahaha, and many more besides. It seems set to be a great second half to the year.

Read our best albums of the year so far HERE.

Top Ten - Nouvelle Vague's Bad Cover Versions

Mike Diver — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:56:37 +0000

French outfit Nouvelle Vague are a group that know a thing or two about cover versions, what with their three studio LPs to date basically being just that: collections of covers, primarily delivered in a slow-mo bossa nova style.

The difference on new album ‘3’ – out now on Peacefrog – is that the band has collaborated with a handful of original songwriters. So, you have Martin Gore guesting on Nouvelle Vague’s take on Depeche Mode’s ‘Master & Servant’, Barry Adamson on their version of Magazine’s ‘Parade’, and Ian McCulloch appearing on Echo And The Bunnymen’s ‘All My Colours’. Among the other songs covered, we have Gary Numan’s ‘Metal’, Simple Minds’ ‘The American’, and Talk Talk’s ‘Such A Shame’

To mark the album’s release, Clash asked the band to compile a top ten of bad covers – seems they’ve come up with nine. And they actually like some of them. Close enough.

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Nouvelle Vague and Martin Gore – ‘Master & Servant’ (audio only)

- - -

Marie Laforet – ‘Marie Douceur’
Well, this cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint it Black’, recorded in the ‘60s by great French singer and actress of the time Marie Laforet, has one quality: it makes you laugh (especially if you understand French lyrics). LISTEN

Patrick Topaloff – ‘The One That I Want’
We had some very funny things in France, back in the ‘70s – sorry, this is gonna be something of a ‘private French pick’ – like this Patrick Topaloff (more a comic than a musician, actually) rendering of Grease’s ‘The One That I Want’. The translation in his version was "where is my grey shirt?" LISTEN

Shirley Horn – ‘And I Love Him’
A Beatles cover on a very slow bossa nova beat. It’s got great vocals – I discovered this song like this and it’s very difficult now to listen to the original! LISTEN

The Stranglers – ‘Walk On By’
Covering this classic of Bacharach/Davies in a very psychedelic way was a brilliant idea: it sounds as if The Doors, on acid, had written the ultimate pop song. LISTEN

Claudine Longet – ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’
This is a really funny version, with Claudine is speaking on the verses with her incredibly strong French accent. I must admit, though, that the chorus is not that good... LISTEN

Caetano Veloso – ‘Billie Jean’
A great cover of a huge hit, this cover made me pay attention to the lyrics for the first time! There was even was a rumour in France that this version was actually the original one, and that Jackson had stolen it. It’s tres Nouvelle Vague. LISTEN

Stina Nordenstam – ‘Purple Rain’
Crazy, free cover of this classic from Prince, completely deconstructed by this great Swedish singer. It brings another meaning to the song. The whole of Stina's album of covers, ‘People Are Strange’, is great. LISTEN

Jo Lemaire + Flouze – ‘Je Suis Venu te Dire que Je M'en Vais’
This is a beautiful version of a Serge Gainsbourg song, recorded in the ‘80s by Belgian new wave artist Jo Lemaire. Here, the synths and programming make you cry even more than when listening to the original. LISTEN

The Specials – ‘Gangsters’
Almost nobody knew at that time that all the 2 Tone bands were having their first huge hits doing covers of Jamaican ska music. Strangely, they were recording versions quite close to the originals.

The Specials – ‘Gangsters’

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Nouvelle Vague’s ‘3’ is out now; find the band on MySpace HERE and see them live as follows…

July
10 Guildford Guildfest

October
16 London Roundhouse

So Far, So Good - 2009's Best Albums To Date (Part 5)

ClashMusic — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:26:29 +0000

All week, ClashMusic.com has been marking the halfway point of 2009 with favourite album selections from our dream-team editorial five. That’s our online ed, reviews ed, news ed, deputy ed and, today, the top dog himself, The Editor.

These albums aren’t arranged in any order – they’re simply listed like this for our own enjoyment, and hopefully yours. Our five articles will also come in very handy when Clash is making its important end-of-year decisions. After all, come November it’s very easy to forget a classic of February.

Below are the choices of Clash editor Simon Harper; find four different (but equally quality) lists by following these links:

Mike Diver, online ed
Nick Annan, reviews ed
Robin Murray, online news ed
Matthew Bennett, deputy ed

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Micachu - ‘Jewellery’
(Rough Trade, released March)
My esteemed colleague Mike Diver, he of questionable tastes, included this in his top picks the other day, so either his judgement is improving or I’ve been subjected to his bookish chat for far too long. Either way, Micachu never fails to liven up the day - anyone who can make music this good from a discarded vacuum cleaner deserves playing on the Clash stereo continuously. A bit of an experience seen live too - don't forget your hard hats.

Micachu – ‘Lips’

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Ben Kweller - ‘Changing Horses’
(ATO Records, released February)
I’ve been a fan of Ben’s since his first solo album, and every release since always sounds gloriously familiar - not in the sense that they all sound the same, but in the way that when I play it I instantly feel at home and wanna totally immerse myself in it. No one was more overjoyed than I when he fully embraced his country influences for ‘Changing Horses’, employing new friend Kitt Kitterman to add pedal steel and dobro throughout its rustic charms. I saw him live at the Union Chapel in London just before Christmas when he performed acoustically with Kitt and these songs, stripped bare, were just magical.

Ben Kweller – ‘Fight’

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Grizzly Bear - ‘Veckatimest’ (pictured)
(Warp, released May)
Is this set to garner the most votes in this week’s So Far, So Good lists? Quite possibly, and deservedly so. Just as Radiohead invited the feel-good Brooklynites on tour with them, I want to extend the offer to them to come and serenade the Clash HQ, starting with ‘Veckatimest’ in its entirety. I’ve lost myself a couple of times in this album and look forward to repeating that experience throughout the rest of 2009 and beyond.

Grizzly Bear – ‘Cheerleader’ (fan video)

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Gossip - ‘Music For Men’
(Columbia, released June)
The first time I heard this album was in the Clash office when a Columbia minion came and watched as we all tried to listen while hard at work. Needless to say its impact was limited - it’s hard to gauge the quality of an album when its sound is obscured by the deputy ed’ shouting down the phone at the water delivery people. However, a week or so later when my own copy came in, I was able to digest it properly, and it was then I discovered the fantastic pop hooks and relentless melodies that are abundant in ‘Music For Men’. ‘Heavy Cross’, ‘Love Long Distance’ and ‘Four Letter Word’ have been my standout tracks all along... and I still love them.

Gossip – ‘Heavy Cross’

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Various Artists - ‘Dark Was The Night’
(4AD, released February)
Clearly I’ve gone for an easy option here - having to whittle my favourite albums down to ten meant I tearily waved goodbye to the likes of The Phantom Band and Bruce Springsteen, but with the sneaky inclusion of ‘Dark Was The Night’ I’ve managed to squeeze about thirty more artists in there. This compilation is the latest in the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series, which means that by buying this not only are you letting into your life great tunes by Feist, Bon Iver, The National, Iron & Wine, Beirut and the brilliant My Morning Jacket, but you’re also contributing to a very worthy charity. That’s called instant karma, folks.

The National – ‘So Far Around The Bend’

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Phoenix - ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’
(V2/Cooperative, released May)
Phoenix were ironically in danger of losing me after ‘It’s Never Been Like That’, their 2006 album that just didn’t sparkle as brightly as ‘Alphabetical’ or their debut, ‘United’. But when the band let ‘1901’ out of the bag a month before its parent album was due, I was literally salivating at the prospect of their return. It’s glossy pop at its best, and of course it’s touched by that delicious je ne sais quoi that certain French bands are lucky enough to exude. ‘Lisztomania’ is another single that’s bound to stand the test of the year, and the unofficial video for it that’s on YouTube has to be seen. It’s Eighties-tastic.

Phoenix – ‘Lisztomania’ (official video)

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Passion Pit - ‘Manners’
(Columbia, released May)
Passion Pit are, to date, the first band to feature on the cover of Clash before their debut album has been released. They were the only band from the glut of lists produced in January of this year proclaiming the Next Big Things that actually excited me - there was no pretension, and no massive hype surrounding them just because they had boobs. The music was totally honest, organic and, most importantly, totally fun. I DJ every week in London, and have been playing tracks from ‘Manners’ since before its release, always to a great reception. People continue to ask who it is and I’m continually delighted to tell them. ‘The Reeling’ is a firm favourite. Terrible video, though.

Passion Pit – ‘The Reeling’ (is it so terrible?)

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Bat For Lashes - ‘Two Suns’
(Parlophone, released April)
This time last week I would have put Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘It’s Blitz!’ in this list, but after watching footage of Natasha Khan at Glastonbury this year I just had to revisit ‘Two Suns’ and fall head over heels in love with it once again. That voice is magnificent - it’s incredible on record, but seeing Natasha recreate the same wonderful tones live on stage was breathtaking, and gave the album a whole new dimension. ‘Pearl’s Dream’ is a suitably hypnotic slice of synth pop, and ‘Daniel’ is similarly fantastic. Khan do (groan - MD).

Bat For Lashes – ‘Pearl’s Dream’

- - -

Animal Collective – ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’
(Domino, released January)
Again, Mr. Diver put this in his list, which is worrying. Next thing you know I’ll be copying his dubious Edward Scissorhands hairdo. This was a grower on me, but then I didn’t have much choice, considering Mike and Matt would relentlessly stick this on the office stereo. I just thought the braying compliments were unjustified, and that everyone was jumping on the Animal Collective bus without actually buying a ticket. Repeated listens in the comfort of my own home, however, revealed the depths to ‘Merriweather...’ that deserve to be explored at any opportunity. So consider me on board the Animal Collective submarine.

Animal Collective – ‘Summertime Clothes’

- - -

Neil Young - ‘Archives Vol.1’
(Warners, released June)
To date, the first volume from Neil Young’s ‘Archive’ series is the only album to score a full ten out of ten in Clash Magazine. And it was me what scored it. And for good reason. Some might say this project - ten DVD/Blu-Ray discs or eight CDs - is self-indulgent, but I say it’s a fan’s wet dream. For a whole day I was drowning in Neil Young, listening to the unreleased demos and classic songs while trawling through the treasure chest of home movies and unpublished photos, and it was as close to heaven as I’ve ever been while sat in this office. Neil Young is a maverick genius. Fact. Don’t call me a Luddite because I included this on my list and not something by pop’s latest darlings - just introduce your senses to the magic of Neil Young and your life will never be the same again.

Neil Young – ‘Archives Vol. 1’ trailer

- - -

Read our other top tens:

Mike Diver, online ed
Nick Annan, reviews ed
Robin Murray, online news ed
Matthew Bennett, deputy ed

So Far, So Good - 2009's Best Albums To Date (Part 4)

ClashMusic — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:23:36 +0000

Our fourth top ten list of albums of 2009 so far – it’s the halfway point in the year, y’see – comes from Clash deputy editor Matthew Bennett, now just about over Glastonbury and able to string a few coherent sentences together.

His list, below, comes after similar contributions from ClashMusic.com ed Mike Diver, ClashMusic.com news ed Robin Murray, and Clash reviews ed Nick Annan (links follow this article); tomorrow, we’ll have our final ten from the editor himself, Mr Simon Harper. If he’s not smashed after getting merry to Blur tonight. (Jealous? You have no idea.)

So, why not see who’s come up with your favourite ten tomorrow, and send them a lovely present? Our address is easily found by clicking ‘Contact Us’ at the bottom of the screen, and all deliveries of cake are appreciated.

On with Matt’s list…

- - -

Wave Machines – ‘Wave If You're Really There’ (pictured)
(Neapolitan, released May)
The musical machine of Liverpool is delightfully inconsistent – it often doesn’t know whether it needs a shit or a haircut. Yet Wave Machines surf the recent crest from Scouseland as their whimsical and sunny blend of falsetto electro-pop and quirky kaleidoscopic indie spirals has repeatedly seized back the stereo after a disastrous morning of wading through epically shite promo CDs. Their sugar-spun rock adventures make things better. Don’t just take our word for it. Go seek.

Wave Machines – ‘I Go I Go I Go’

- - -

Broken Records – ‘Until the Earth Begins to Part’
(4AD, released June)
Yet more Scottish upstarts steal our wanton hearts with their thrilling indie-rock weft of Caledonian souls; and they aren’t afraid to wear the ginger round their battling necks. Some grumble their studio work has blunted their edge, yet they’ll wade back into the breach and make 2009 theirs – of that we are sure. Fiddles and cellos have attracted lazy comparisons with Arcade Fire, but there’s more bounce in their step as they feint the morose nature of their Canadian peers to bring a hearty party to remember. Epic promise.

Broken Records – ‘Lies’

- - -

Schlachthofbronx – ‘Schlachthofbronx’
(Disko B, released June)
Slightly off-piste, admittedly, yet thunderously effective: these strangely named Germans have sloshed parts of this debut around dance music’s darkest corners, and its already stormed its way into my favourites. The Munich lads are ripping their name a high spot right at the top of dance music’s fluttering flag, with their sound resembling a mutant and disrespectful offspring of Berlin’s increasingly jump-up bass scene. Schlachthofbronx dismember baile funk, techno, house, rap and dancehall in a no-holds-barred sonic wrestling match. Modeselektor’s crown may wobble.

Schlachthofbronx – ‘Bretto’

- - -

The Wooden Birds – ‘Magnolia’
(Morr Music, released May)
Is Morr Music one of the best labels in the world? Yes sir, it most certainly is. Tip-toeing a line between sublime electronica, folk, post-rock and ambient, its velvet corridors have witnessed some of the most beautiful music these blessed ears have ever heard. And they have refused to stop with The Wooden Birds, a.k.a. Andrew Kenny, previously famed for his American Analogue Set contributions. Yet he’s surpassed himself with ‘Magnolia’ and its sweeping simplicity, which is a winner all the way.

The Wooden Birds – ‘Seven Seventeen’

- - -

Paul White – ‘The Strange Dreams of…’
(One Handed Music, released June)
Flying Lotus, Rustie, Prefuse 73, Dabrye, Hudson Mohawke, Bullion... The new wave of abstract hip-hop artists is certainly rolling with some incredible names. Welcome, then, Paul White, bizarrely incongruous through conventions of his birth certificate. His shattered grooves, sample-drenched landscapes and crushed rhythms are a brave tonic against the exhausted traditions within hip-hop, and for that we stand at the foot of his bed with our cap in our hands.

Paul White – ‘City Bright Lights’ (audio only)

- - -

DJ Hell – ‘Teufelswerk’
(International Deejay Gigolos, released April)
Helmut Josef Geier has certainly done his fill of rave duty. At one point he was credited with starting electro-clash, but that just turned out to be a nasty rumour. In 2009 though, after having released an officially insane amount of records, he unleashed a double album which may just be best remembered. Alternate CDs bring us ‘Day’ and ‘Night’: the former is a krautrock-inspired foray into the lighter side of his life, whilst his nocturnal creation is a narcotic and slithering slice of dance culture drawing on many moments experienced in Hell’s near-eternal career. Dirty dancin’ boy, go bathe in the Styx.

DJ Hell – ‘U Can Dance’ (audio only)

- - -

Moderat – ‘Moderat’
(Bpitch Control, released May)
Much awaited by cultish dance types, Apparat’s string-laden beauty was destined to be the Yang of Modeselektor’s stomping club Yin. Their drastically contrasting trajectories have at last collided over an album, and the fallout possesses a unique tone and sweeping, if gritty vision. Distant dubstep reverberates under clouds of synths, whilst the spacious rattle of Berlin’s inner-city techno tremors are gifted unusual partners in ambient orchestration and deep, heart-splitting strings.

Moderat – ‘Rusty Nails’

- - -

Anathallo – ‘Canopy Glow’
(Anticon, released May)
Some would say this is cheating. Originally released two years ago in the US, its persistent quality has now seen it crisply grace our shores. How seven musicians can sound so elegantly refined must be a monumental exercise in restraint, as Anathallo soar with their folk and softly thrummed country. This is as beautiful as it’s got in the first half of 2009, and the record rightly deserved a 9/10 in our pages.

Anathallo – ‘Bells’

- - -

Toddla T – ‘Skanky Skanky’
(1965 Records, released May)
Long awaited and eagerly grabbed, young Tom Bell’s Sheffield-forged sonic edifice comprises dancehall, dashes of garage, the local sounds of niche and some good old toasting. This accomplished debut shows too what a delightful young man Mr Bell is, as he hooks up with Roots Manuva, Tinchy Stryder, Artic Monkeys’ Matt Helders, Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, infamous Rasta poet Benjamin Zephaniah Herve Herve. Bastardised and melted down, Toddla T has the future sound of dance dripping from his every jacking move.

Toddla T – ‘Soul Tape Killing’

- - -

Harmonic 313 – ‘When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence’
(Warp Records, released January)
The most underground man in electronic music returned with his 23rd recording moniker - and it may be his best. Mark Pritchard deployed crunchy J Dilla-inspired wonky hip-hop beats with seething inner-city rhythms that lurked between post-jungle, dubstep and his beloved old rave styles. This man will be designated a god in 1,289 years time by a glitchy and slightly cyborg-orientated race of digital freaks obsessed by mid 1990s hip-hop, blunts and incredibly distorted time signatures. I could go on. Just buy this.

Harmonic 313 – ‘No Way Out’

- - -

Check out more top ten lists from our editorial team:

Mike Diver
Nick Annan
Robin Murray

So Far, So Good - 2009's Best Albums To Date (Part 3)

ClashMusic — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:31:46 +0000

What with us reaching the halfway point of 2009, near enough, all week ClashMusic.com is bringing you the best albums of 2009 so far. Five top tens from five different writers – five opinions that, come Friday, will come together to give us a great impression of the year ‘til now.

Think of these pieces – each written by one of Clash’s five key editorial staffers – as a reminder of all the great records released over the past six months. They’ll certainly serve as useful tools to us in another four or five months, when we’re starting to think about our end-of-year best-of list.

Here, ClashMusic.com news editor Robin Murray takes us through his ten choices. Then part 4 and 5 will follow, from Clash top-dogs Simon Harper and Matthew Bennet.

Read Mike Diver’s ten HERE.
Read Nick Annan’s ten HERE

- - -

Future Of The Left – ‘Travels With Myself And Another’ (pictured)
(4AD, released June)
Sprinting past like Linford Christie in his heyday, Future Of The Left demonstrate that rock ‘n’ roll is still the most fun you can have with your clothes on. With riffs as sharp as their wit, this is one band you don’t want to get on the wrong side of.

Future Of The Left – ‘The Hope That House Built’

- - -

Graham Coxon – ‘The Spinning Top’
(Transgressive, released May)
Swapping his Swell Maps seven-inches for some Witchseason LPs, Graham Coxon turns all folkie on our ass with a series of freak-folk offerings. Yet despite the myriad nods and glances towards talents from the past, the guitarist’s unmistakable songwriting talent bursts through in one of his most complete solo statements.

Graham Coxon – ‘Sorrow’s Army’ (live)

- - -

Toddla T – ‘Skanky Skanky’
(1965, released May)
With the dubstep scene retreating further into experimentation and cliché, Toddla T’s warped dancehall has proved to be a golden dancefloor tonic. Lewd and crude, but with a glint in his eye, the Sheffield producer’s debut marks the arrival of a filthy new talent.

Toddla T – ‘Shake It’

- - -

Franz Ferdinand – ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’
(Domino, released January)
A long time in the making, Franz Ferdinand ditched pop dream-team Xenomania in favour of this journey into the leftfield. Electro, afrobeat and much more go into the melting pot as the Scottish giants make an ambitious return in a year dominated by run of the mill indie releases.

Franz Ferdinand – ‘No You Girls’

- - -

Dananananaykroyd – ‘Hey Everyone!’
(Best Before, released April)
Britain’s best live act made it clear that they can cut it in the studio. Having replaced their first singer with an even more berserk Scotsman, the Dans (the Dans? – Ed) prove that they are more than just novelty on-stage tricks with a series of fun-filled rock hijinks. But we still can’t say their name (less of the ‘we’ – Ed)...

Dananananaykroyd – ‘Pink Sabbath’

- - -

Passion Pit – ‘Manners’
(Columbia, released May)
If it still needed to be proved that machines do indeed have a soul, then Passion Pit’s collection of glitch-pop anthems show that those LCD displays have more heart than most axe-wielding musicians. Strikingly uplifting, ‘Manners’ is perhaps the year’s most complete debut album.

Passion Pit – ‘The Reeling’

- - -

The Prodigy – ‘Invaders Must Die’
(Take Me To The Hospital, released February)
Bloody nu-rave. Novelty t-shirts obscuring the majesty of great music when the original scene was all about... well, the same thing, really. The Prodigy’s return reminded us that at least some of the innovators from way back when still care about blowing ear drums.

The Prodigy – ‘Warrior’s Dance’

- - -

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘It’s Blitz’
(Polydor, released March)
Another big hitter producing the goods, Yeah Yeah Yeahs risked fans’ ire by ditching the guitars in favour of synths; but the move paid off with possibly their most emotionally involving effort yet. That said, ‘It’s Blitz’ still contains more than its fair share of dancefloor shakers.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Heads Will Roll’

- - -

Manic Street Preachers – ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’
(Columbia, released May)
One of the most unusual projects undertaken in this or any other year, blending Richey Edwards’ lyrics with new music could have resulted in a tragic failure. However the band remained true to themselves, their younger counterparts and, of course, their missing comrade with one of their most striking collections in a decade.

Manic Street Preachers – ‘Jackie Collins Existential Question Time’

- - -

White Denim – ‘Fits’
(Full Time Hobby, released June)
Kaleidoscopic head-expanding jams from this Austin, Texas trio. By turns straight ahead rockin’ and blisteringly experimental, ‘Fits’ shifts between genres with a series of intense and blistering songs. Never pausing to take a breath, White Denim are the heirs to the freak-scene throne vacated by Roky Erikson.

White Denim – ‘I Start To Run’

- - -

Check out more top tens from our team, by:

Mike Diver
Nick Annan

So Far, So Good - 2009's Best Albums To Date (Part 2)

ClashMusic — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:56:51 +0000

What with us reaching the halfway point of 2009, near enough, all week ClashMusic.com is bringing you the best albums of 2009 so far. Five top tens from five different writers – five opinions that, come Friday, will come together to give us a great impression of the year ‘til now.

Think of these pieces – each written by one of Clash’s five key editorial staffers – as a reminder of all the great records released over the past six months. They’ll certainly serve as useful tools to us in another four or five months, when we’re starting to think about our end-of-year best-of list.

Here, Clash reviews editor Nick Annan takes us through his ten choices. A different ten will follow tomorrow, and then another, and then one more. Get it? Easy. These lists aren’t ranked or anything – they’re more for fun than anything else.

Read Mike Diver’s ten HERE.

- - -

Yppah – ‘They Know What Ghost Know’
(Ninja Tune, released May)
One out of left field for me, Yppah's second album landed in May with a dream team of DJ Shadow-esque cut ‘n’ paste beats, lo-fi woozy electronica and a whole museum of guitar textures. This young Mexican America, Joe Corrales Jr, conjured up a rockier take on his influences here than on his 2006 debut ‘You Are Beautiful At All Times’ (also on Ninja Tune), making more apparent his love of shoegaze alongside his years as a turntablist. Sweeping from mad-dash guitar grinds to Boards of Canada melancholia, 'They Know What Ghost Know' dominated May's highly contested walk-to-work iPod time.

Yppah – ‘Playing With Fireworks’ (audio only)

- - -

Trentemøller – ‘Harbour Boat Trips 1: Copenhagen’
(HFN, released June)

Initially put to one side as another DJ mix CD, a glowing recommendation saw this grudgingly promoted to the temperamental Dundee office stereo. The fact that the CD player refused to recognise it further hampered our budding relationship until, it was safely loaded onto the iPod and the heavy petting began. A wonderfully encapsulating experience, a selection inspired by Copenhagen harbour, this is the best kind of compilation: sending you off to the internet to find out more about unheard artists (check out Grouper and I Got You On Tape). Oh, and I do believe that the Four Tet mix of Caribou's 'Melody Day' could some stop an axe murder at ten paces, such is its loveliness.

Caribou – ‘Melody Day’ (Four Tet remix – from ‘Harbour Boat Trips 1’)

- - -

Odd Nosdam – ‘T.I.M.E. Soundtrack’ (re-issue)
(Anticon, released May)

Anticon stalwart Odd Nosdam (a.k.a. David P Madson) recorded this material two years ago as the soundtrack for a skate film, 'This Is My Element', apparently viewing early footage and composing pieces to reflect the riders’ styles. Now I haven't seen the film (and have no real desire to) but this is a welcome case of a soundtrack standing on its own proud hoofs. For fans of Odd Nosdam the audio here isn't a particular revelation, but the brief of scoring to video seems to have brought focus to his trademark hazy, hip-hop-on-downers sound. Combining for a woozy one-two with the Yppah album, I was audibly stoned all May.

Odd Nosdam – ‘Top Rank’ (audio only)

- - -

Fink – ‘Sort Of Revolution’
(Ninja Tune, released May)
Another May release, 'Sort Of Revolution' was Fin Greenall and chums' third album, following Clash Dundee office fave 'Distance And Time' (even if track nine had a habit of sending the CD player into meltdown. Like I say, it was a favourite: we wore it out). The best description of Fink's music is also the statement of fact that he's a singer/songwriter signed to Ninja Tune. Think how that might sound... Yep, that's him. 'Sort Of Revolution' is an easy companion piece to 'Distance And Time', and although it isn't up to its predecessor's standards it's still a 'glad to see you, old friend' listen.

Fink – ‘Sort Of Revolution’

- - -

Phoenix – ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ (pictured, top)
(V2 Records, released May)
Seeing as this is a list with an emphasis on the first half of the year, it seems appropriate that this choice is all about its first half. Yep, much as I love Phoenix and this album, I have to admit that focus wanes on the second half of its ten tracks. Thankfully the first five have enough quality to leave a lasting impression: 'Lisztomania' could make anyone dance like they're in 'Footloose', while '1901' and 'Fences' show the band perfecting their spotless, robotic funk pop, and 'Love Like A Sunset' (parts one and two) cover an impressive scope in their combined eight minutes. The remainder of the album is good, but it's the opening clutch of classics that make this a sunny morning staple.

Phoneix – ‘1901’

- - -

Doves – ‘Kingdom Of Rust’
(Heavenly Records, April)
After waiting four years for 'Kingdom of Rust', my expectations were unreasonably high. The pre-album release free download of 'Jetstream' did nothing to quench my thirst and I have to admit that on first listen I wasn't blown away by 'Kingdom Of Rust'. But with further investigation, through the good grace you feel you owe your favourite bands even when they seemingly let you down, it revealed itself to be Doves’ best album yet. All was present and correct, with the added ghosts of their Sub Sub existence seamlessly blended into the mix. I still feel bad for doubting them.

Doves – ‘Winter Hill’

- - -

DJ Hell – ‘Teufelswerk’
(International Deejay Gigolo Records, released April)
I used to be out all night, dancing at clubs of ill repute. Honest. Nowadays I have an aversion bordering on agoraphobia about being in small, dark rooms with groups of gurning strangers. Thankfully DJ Hell makes dance music that even us past their dancing days can enjoy and proclaim great in younger company. Acclaimed by pretty much everyone, 'Teufelswerk' really is an album (over two discs, 'Day' and 'Night') that has the scope and depth to impress those not au fait with the latest going-ons in Berlin's clubland. It might even spark a Bryan Ferry renaissance.

DJ Hell – ‘Disaster’

- - -

The Deer Tracks – ‘Aurora’
(Despotz Records, March)
A would-be audio accompaniment to the Aurora Borealis, The Deer Tracks hail from Gävle, Sweden and share a palette with the likes of M83, Múm and Mew. The male/female duo sings as one over pretty folktronica that occasionally works itself into an impressive tizzy, as on album opener and blog favourite 'Yes This Is My Broken Shield'. As an aside Gävle built a 40-foot straw Yule Goat (it's a Swedish thing) in the city square, which local youths doggedly try to burn down before Christmas. I can report with some relief that album track 'Christmas Fire' doesn't featured the sound of distressed goats.

The Deer Tracks – ‘Slow Collision’

- - -

The Beastie Boys – ‘Check Your Head’ (re-issue)
(Capitol Records, released April)
I feel guilty choosing another re-issue when there has been so much good music this year, but if we're talking personal choices then the expanded release of 'Check Your Head' made my day. 'Check Your Head' was my reintroduction to The Beastie Boys back in 1992: I missed 'Paul's Boutique' but was on board for their 'License to Ill' debut, and it opened up a new world of sound to this youngster, brainwashed by US hip-hop's normally rigid listening manifesto. It seems kinda daft now, but the fact that they were playing those funky instrumentals was big news to me, while their reckless attitude to sampling - dropping a Dylan line into a track to complete a rhyme and bargaining him down to $700 for its use - remains genius.

The Beastie Boys – ‘Time For Livin’’

- - -

Raphael Saadiq – ‘The Way I See It’
(Columbia, released April)
While we may all be a bit 'fatigued' with the whole retro soul movement (can you call Amy Winehouse a movement?), those who know their soul were more than welcoming of this release. The danger with those who seek to emulate sounds of the past is that, by doing it too faithfully, it is rendered a museum curio. Saadiq however does a Jurassic Park on the golden age of soul, proving that this is a living, breathing sound with plenty to offer in the 21st Century ('Big Easy' reflects on a post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans). Even an appearance by Joss Stone doesn't spoil it.

Raphael Saadiq – ‘100 Yard Dash’ (live on Jimmy Kimmell)

- - -

Tomorrow: another ten from a key Clash editorial type. Maybe even our head honcho Mr Harper if he ever gets his shit together…

Read ClashMusic.com ed Mike Diver’s ten HERE.

- - -

Check out a playlist containing tracks from these albums on Spotify HERE.

So Far, So Good - 2009's Best Albums To Date (Part 1)

ClashMusic — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:04:48 +0000

Believe it or not, it’s nearly July – that’s it, on Wednesday, the first day of the seventh month. Which makes this week, ish, halfway through the year. Which means we’re well within our rights to bring you: the best albums of 2009 so far.

Think of these pieces – each written by one of Clash’s five key editorial staffers – as a reminder of all the great records released over the past six months. They’ll certainly serve as useful tools to us in another four or five months, when we’re starting to think about our end-of-year best-of list.

First up: ten from ClashMusic.com editor Mike Diver, since you’re looking at this site an’ all. A different ten will follow tomorrow, and then another, and then another, and then one more. Get it? Easy. These lists aren’t ranked or anything – they’re more for fun than anything else.

- - -

The Horrors – ‘Primary Colours’
(XL, released May)
Reinvigorated, the band once tarred with the style-over-substance brush (wrongly accused, says I) returned to releasing ways with a second full-length so wonderfully evocative of a time recently gone by and brimming with enthusiasm for their new sound that every critic in the country rightly fell off their high horse. The Horrors won’t ever be to everyone’s tastes, but ‘Primary Colours’ is the kind of album that we all should try at least once.

The Horrors – ‘Who Can Say’

- - -

Animal Collective – ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ (pictured, top)
(Domino, released January)
The one album from 2009 to feature in our Essential 50 countdown of earlier this year (LINK) was present and correct for one simple reason: it’s brilliant. Distilling some of their more peculiar sounds, the stateside collective created their most instantly engaging long-player yet – dizzying of design and awesome of ambition, but also delivering foot-stomping beats and rushes of delightful euphoria.

Animal Collective – ‘My Girls’

- - -

Micachu and the Shapes – ‘Jewellery’
(Rough Trade, released March)
Twisting pop into whole new forms by completely disregarding all that’s come before, structurally, Micachu lynchpin Mica Levi has created a sonic world of wonderment on this debut LP, ably assisted by the Shapes (Raisa Khan and Marc Pell). While it is something of an acquired taste, to say the least, allow ‘Jewellery’ to get down under the skin and all resistance will crumble, for within these skewed arrangements lurk barbed hooks aplenty.

Micachu and the Shapes – ‘Golden Phone’

- - -

Grizzly Bear – ‘Veckatimest’
(Warp, released May)
While the Brooklyn outfit’s last album, 2006’s sublime ‘Yellow House’, was a critical success, its elegance didn’t translate to the mainstream. That’s changed with ‘Veckatimest’, an album recorded purely for its makers, in relative isolation away from their hometown, but one rich in crossover elements. It’s every bit as accessible as Fleet Foxes, but listen longer and deeper and its many textures place it several leagues above such peers. Truly otherworldly excellence.

Grizzly Bear – ‘Two Weeks’

- - -

Mastodon – ‘Crack The Skye’
(Warner Bros., released March)
While The Mars Volta lap up the plaudits for reinventing prog-rock for a modern metal market, true believers recognise that it’s their Atlanta-based brothers in head-scratching structures who are really pushing the envelope of expansive sounds. Mastodon’s latest – their fourth album in total, and second major-label release – is a mystifying monster of layers so dense that it’ll be several listens before it fully takes hold. But once it does, don’t expect to be released ‘til they issue another full-length.

Mastodon – ‘Oblivion’

- - -

Dananananaykroyd – ‘Hey Everyone!’
(Best Before, released April)
Britain’s best live band – I think that’s official now – could’ve easily come a cropper on their debut full-length, but they’ve transplanted their ferocious on-stage energy onto disc well. It’s still something of a flyer for the main event, which’ll always be the Scottish sextet’s explosive gigs, but what a flyer. Your ears can’t have much more fun than when this album is in them.

Dananananaykroyd – ‘Black Wax’

- - -

Willie Isz – ‘Georgiavania’
(Lex, released June)
Following a collaboration on a Shape Of Broad Minds EP last year, rappers/producers Jneiro Jarel and Goodie Mob member Khujo Goodie decided their chemistry was too good to restrict to a simple short-play release: so, now we’ve this, the debut Willie Isz album. Trading surreal raps as freely as they do real-world observations, the duo lay down a thick collage of intoxicating rhymes atop squelching and popping beats reminiscent of the best Outkast. On paper it’s a recipe for potential disaster, what with the conceptual overtones (the fifty-first US state of ‘Georgiavania’ and all), but the reality is all silken soul and future funk mixed with the deftest lyrical delivery. It’s dazzling.

Willie Isz – ‘Autopilot’ (audio only)

- - -

Let’s Wrestle – ‘In The Court Of The Wrestling Lets’
(Stolen, released June)
Simply the most fun album on this list, or anyone else’s over this week – a rough-edged gem of indie-pop songwriting at its most apparently effortless, with perfectly pitched lyrics analysing the minutiae of the everyday beside flirtations with the completely absurd. The deadpan delivery of the words might alienate those preferring their pop glossed so that they can see their own faces in it, but if it’s gritty reality you’re after, things don’t get much more DIY than this… even if it isn’t that gritty. I mean, some of it’s really quite sweet.

Let’s Wrestle – ‘We Are The Men You’ll Grow To Love Soon’

- - -

Future Of The Left – ‘Travels With Myself And Another’
(4AD, released June)
Britain’s most important rock band? There are critics who believe so. Me, I just love having the sound of this album – the Welsh trio’s second – really, really, ridiculously loud in my ears when I’m navigating the city. It makes me feel invincible, like I could swat away anyone asking me to turn the racket down. You get the impression frontman Andy Falkous probably does stamp on children for fun, if the confrontational tone of much of this LP is anything to go by – that he’s most likely a lovely guy in ‘real life’ just shows you how possessed by magic this record is.

Future Of The Left – ‘The Hope That House Built’

- - -

Bibio – ‘Ambivalence Avenue’
(Warp, released June)
A late entry on this list – oh, for room enough to squeeze in Fever Ray, Sonic Youth and Dirty Projectors (not to mention Tortoise, The Invisible and Passion Pit) – Bibio’s latest studio LP revealed itself only the other day to be an understated masterpiece of ambient delights, wonderfully suited to a warm weekend’s lounging (when one should be cleaning, of course). Stephen Wilkinson – for he is Bibio – has sequenced a collection of individual tracks in such a way so that the sprightly numbers land precisely when you need them – ‘Fire Ant’, for example, shakes the whole into life after a couple of woozy dream-folk shuffles with Fly-Lo vibrancy. ‘Ambivalence Avenue’ is a splendid album that will, I think, increase its hold on me with further listens.

Bibio – ‘Fire Ant’ (audio only)

- - -

Coming across the week: top tens from Clash’s Simon Harper (editor), Matthew Bennett (deputy editor), Nick Annan (reviews editor) and Robin Murray (ClashMusic.com news editor).

Read Nick's top ten HERE.

The Twilight Sad - Exclusive Album Preview

Mike Diver — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:29:28 +0000

Scottish foursome The Twilight Sad made quite the impact with their ferocious debut album of 2007, ‘Fourteen Autumns And Fifteen Winters’. Balancing fiery post-rock-kissed cacophonies with passages of utmost introspective tenderness, the band delivered on all the promise they’d show to that point, and some. How the album didn’t make the Mercury Prize list is, honestly, beyond me, and live they swiftly developed from an onslaught for the ears to an act with a greater control of nuances and textures.

They’re still loud, though, as attendees of their forthcoming shows in Edinburgh and London will find out. Seriously: pack the plugs.

Gig-goers are sure to hear selections from the band’s forthcoming second album, ‘Forget The Night Ahead’, which Clash is pleased to preview here. Released in September, the 11-track long-player has been on the office stereo for much of the day, and here’s our initial thoughts on what’s still ringing in our lugholes. We’re keeping things vague for now, as cursory listens can’t get us anywhere close to discovering all the delights contained on this anticipated disc.

‘Forget The Night Ahead’ was recorded in Chem 19 studios in Scotland by guitarist Andy MacFarlane and mixed by Paul Savage (formerly of The Delgados); it's due for release in October via FatCat. Find the band’s studio diary, exclusive to ClashMusic.com, HERE.

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What’s immediately striking about ‘Forget The Night Ahead’ is how confident the band sounds – while their debut was recorded essentially for themselves, here they know they’ve an audience, and are looking to challenge it with a brutal, almost Nine Inch Nails-like introduction by the name of ‘Reflection Of The TV’. The drums pound powerfully atop minimalist guitar tones, a rumbling bass driving the piece towards its first encounter with James Graham’s vocals. As expected, the singer’s accent is thick, but his delivery exudes a warmth that counters the icy edge of the music around him, making ‘Reflection…’ a stirring reintroduction to one of the country’s most arrestingly combustive bands.

That said, the greater compositional variety on this album has produced fewer of the band’s trademark slow-build-to-massive-explosion arrangements, and familiarity never becomes an issue. ‘I Became A Prostitute’ could pass for Biffy Clyro if the Johnston brothers were trying to out-roar a jet engine, all hypnotic swirls and considered percussion, with Graham raising his voice only when prompted by the swell from MacFarlane’s super-amplified six strings. If My Bloody Valentine had ever fully embraced pop structures, and brought a Scottish singer into the fold, this would be the glorious result.

A brief breather is presented with the segue between ‘Seven Years Of Letters’ and ‘Made To Disappear’, but before long the listener is tossed once more into the maelstrom – in terms of volume the first four songs on ‘Forget The Night Ahead’ are as powerful as anything on the debut, but so much greater is the detail in each offering, the separating of elements so that each instrument has a clearer space within which to flex, that it’s almost immediately apparent that it’s a substantial step forward – several, even – in their songwriting development. Graham is more forceful here than on the debut, too, getting his messages across with pointed precision for the most part.

While tumultuous, tracks like ‘Birthday Present’ and ‘The Neighbours Can’t Breathe’ (the latter like an angry Idlewild, ‘100 Broken Windows’ era, with a red-hot poker placed somewhere sensitive) display newly-refined edges of accessibility – newcomers are sure to discover hooks beneath the instrumental murk, and existing fans will of course revel in this record’s dramatic turns from hair-prickling noise to stripped-back melancholy. The album closer, ‘At The Burnside’, must rank as one of the band’s greatest achievements yet – a stark piano opens, but the piece grows and bulges and splits, ‘til all is bloodshot and boiling; as it cools, the sounds in your ears caress like ripples of steam rising from a beast entirely spent. It is a riveting exercise in articulating powerful emotions through sound.

And that is all we’re saying, for now: Clash will have more report on this record, and The Twilight Sad, in the future. But so far as first impressions (okay, and second and third impressions) go, it’s safe to say the quartet can be confident of a winner with ‘Forget The Night Ahead’. It already sounds like one of the year’s finest domestic long-players.

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The Twilight Sad – ‘Reflection Of The TV’ (audio only)

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The Twilight Sad (MySpace) release ‘I Became A Prostitute’ as a single on August 3, and play live as follows…

July
2 Edinburgh Bongo Club
4 Kent Hop Farm Festival
9 London ICA
12 Balado T In The Park
18 Newcastle The Cluny

Photographs: Nic Shonfeld

Clash Comment - Michael Jackson Dead At 50

Mike Diver — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:40:42 +0000

Waking this morning to the news of Michael Jackson’s death filled me with muddled emotions. I was shocked by his passing, reportedly from a heart attack, but this sensation soon gave way to something approaching anger – at having one of the world’s finest pop writers taken before his time, and also at the questions which will now forever remain unanswered.

While Jackson’s death at 50 years old is saddening – he won’t see his children grow, and maybe have children of their own – there’s no doubt that the man as a creative force was past his prime. He leaves us in opposite circumstances to Kurt Cobain, another voice of the same generation – not in terms of manner of death, but because Cobain certainly had more to give, whereas Jackson’s last album of critical note was ‘Bad’, released 22 years ago.

A high-profile (and high-endurance) comeback was on the cards in the live arena. The 50-date stretch at London’s O2, due to begin in the middle of July, could have refreshed Jackson, stirring him into producing an eleventh album that could match his ‘80s successes of ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’. Ostensibly a money making exercise, with Jackson set to earn in the region of £50 million, the live dates were nevertheless set to be hugely significant – to fans and the artist himself. Who knows what could have happened next, if he enjoyed the performances and was stimulated enough to step up his studio game.

And as for the allegations regarding child abuse: nothing of such severity sticks without a certain amount of truth involved, and the 2003-broadcast documentary Living With Michael Jackson opened the public’s eyes like never before to the darker side of Jackson’s past. While he was acquitted of several charges of abuse in 2005, his $23 million payment to another accuser in 1993, made to avoid “a long, drawn-out affair, like O.J. [Simpson]”, left a question mark hanging over him up until his death. Was he a paedophile? Was he not? Should he be sitting in a cell right now, like Phil Murdering Fucking Bastard Spector? Now, we may never know for sure.

What’s certain is that Jackson’s legacy should be all about his music, which – from 1979’s ‘Off The Wall’ through to ‘Bad’ – was near faultless until the proverbial shark was jumped with the self-indulgent Moonwalker movie of 1988. The film’s cringe-worthiness was absolute, and while next album ‘Dangerous’ (1991) was a huge commercial success, none of its singles sparkled quite like ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Rock With You’, ‘Thriller’… the list goes on and on. Jackson’s final studio album, 2001’s ‘Invincible’, contained only flaccid reminders of his former glories – it sold well enough, shifting around ten million copies, but comparatively even that level of success was perceived as a failure.

Ultimately, Jackson’s death leaves a massive hole in the pop world, but less so the wider one beyond it. When he was at his best, few could touch his talent, and the man made a positive impression on millions of people around the world. Those who cherish his music will today feel distraught, some as if a member of their own family has died. Others will take a moment to consider his massive influence on today’s chart artists – Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears are among the stars to have expressed their sadness. Some will say good riddance, but they’re sure to be a minority – while his star descended due to the weight of so many court appearances and various non-music-related mishaps, Jackson’s best songwriting remains forever bright.

I won’t be dwelling upon his death – once this is published, that’s it for me; that confused annoyance has subsided. Many more important people than Michael Jackson will have died by the time we turn our calendars to 2010, and artists new to us now will become just as significant as the years pass. But you can’t deny the man had an ear for a tune, a cracking voice and a decent dance move or two. It’s enough – just enough – to ensure his legacy will not be tainted. MD

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As an aside, I wonder what Steven Wells would have written on this.

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Michael Jackson TV on MUZU.

Tortoise - Album Track-By-Track

Mike Diver — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:51:15 +0000

Ahead of its release this coming Monday, June 22, Clash asked Tortoise’s Jeff Parker to provide us with an invaluable track-by-track guide to the seminal Chicago band’s latest album ‘Beacons Of Ancestorship’.

Look for a full feature on the influential post-rock-cum-jazz-cum-whatever-they-want band – completed by Dan Bitney, Doug McCombs, John Herndon and John McEntire – in issue 40 of Clash Magazine, and a review of ‘Beacons…’ on these very pages next week.

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‘High Class Slim Came Floatin' In’
“This tune was introduced to the band by John Herndon. He played us a demo version he'd recorded of it at his home studio. The Tortoise reinterpretation remained relatively faithful to his initial demo, the only differences being that we added some more harmonies on the bridge, and stretched out the ending. He composed it in the Tortoise style, which is to take two or three different ideas for songs and then smash them together to try and make one song.”

‘Prepare Your Coffin’
“The initial melody and chord changes were introduced by John McEntire. He had a pretty good idea of the direction that he thought the song should take when he presented it to us. Doug McCombs' bassline ended up becoming the countermelody that serves as the introduction before the proper melody comes in. I doubled it up on guitar at practise one day, and Dan suggested we use it as another part separate from the melody. ‘Coffin’ is a lot of fun to play live...”

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Tortoise – ‘Prepare Your Coffin’

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‘Northern Something’
“A holdover from the ‘BUMPS’ session that McEntire, Herndon and Bitney did for Stones Throw a couple of years ago. The bassline sounds like some type of a freaky keyboard, but it's actually a filtered bass drum.”

‘Gigantes’
“Another holdover from the ‘BUMPS’ session. This one was from Dan Bitney. The song went through a lot of transitional phases before we finally settled on the finished version. Once John McEntire put the hammered dulcimer part down, the whole thing really came together.”

‘Penumbra’
“Extrapolations on an idea that John Herndon came up with on the MPC 1000.”

‘Yinxianghechengqi’
“This was a holdover from the sessions for ‘It's All Around You’. John McEntire came up with the chord progression on a great little push-button chord organ called the Omnichord. We've been playing this tune at shows for probably about five years. It's nice to finally have it on one of our records. Employs use of ‘The Wilhelm Scream’. Look it up.”

‘The Fall Of Seven Diamonds Plus One’
“Introduced to us by Doug McCombs. This one kind of came out of nowhere. Very creative percussion work by Johnny Herndon. It started as a duet with Doug on guitar and Dan on bass guitar, and then we built it up from there. Josh Abrams plays a little bit of acoustic bass on this track.”

‘Minors’
“Introduced by Jeff Parker. This whole song is based on a minor chord (hence the title) that was sampled and then moved around. I came up with the chord progression while riding in the back of a van, up a twisty mountain road in Slovenia, which is why it sounds kind of twisty. I improvised over the chord changes, and it ended up becoming the melody of the song. The intro came later, and employs the ‘hocketing’ technique, which was interspersed throughout our last record, ‘It's All Around You’.”

‘Monument Six One Thousand’
“Basically just beats, a synth bassline and the melody comes from some sampled JP guitar phrases, which were later recreated in the studio by JP and McCombs. Inspired by the late, great James Yancey, a.k.a. J
Dilla.”

‘de Chelly’
“Introduced by Doug McCombs. A small guitar melody brought to life with great organ chords.”

‘Charteroak Foundation’
“Introduced by JP. Started out as the guitar arpeggio, recorded at home with Ableton Live. I dropped in a drum break, and the way said break was interpreted by the program set the rhythmic foundation of the tune. It was a happy coincidence and after that, everything fell into place. We came up with the bridge of the song during practise one day.”

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‘Beacons Of Ancestorship’ is released on June 22 via Thrill Jockey; find Tortoise online HERE.

Words: Jeff Parker
Photo: Jim Newberry

Copy Haho Tour Diary

Mike Diver — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:59:00 +0000

We love Scottish indie foursome Copy Haho, and Copy Haho seem to love writing. They also like to tour, and here they’ve written about just that: touring. And, because we love them, here are the words on ClashMusic.com. It’s a TOUR DIARY! Shazaam…

(Words by Richard and Joe)

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May 12; Southampton, Joiners

Richard leaves Aberdeen at 6am, arriving in Glasgow at 8.30am… we haven’t risen this early since school, and unfortunately a full evening of Google Maps Street View and Tim & Eric has allowed us a total of three-and-a-half hours sleep. Having hauled our equipment down a stairwell covered in wet paint signs we leave Glasgow for Southampton at nine, dreading the drive ahead and wondering whether our gargling van will reach the other end of the country.

Thankfully, it does! Ten hours later we arrive in Southampton, feeling slightly strange and hoping we’ve not completely missed our soundcheck. We meet the JoFo and Calories guys while unpacking our gear – everyone seems in high spirits, which is encouraging! Soon enough, 9 o’clock rolls around and we play to an attentive crowd. The fact that we’re all painfully knackered renders our performance a little lacklustre, but as our set draws to a close we wake up a little.

Calories take to the stage a while later, followed by Johnny Foreigner. I enjoy both immensely, and start to realise how much potential fun could be had on this tour! I will be buying t-shirts and records by both bands as soon as possible. Post-show we drive to a travel lodge in reading (exciting right?!) and I fall asleep listening to The Best of The Carpenters. Oh Karen, you were a sad lady.

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Loading up in Glasgow

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May 13; Birmingham, The Victoria

Uh oh, we’re in Reading… how did that happen? Blast! We have a bunch of time to kill, so spend the afternoon visiting a chemist (situated on ‘smelly lane’) and a music superstore. Flying V’s are ridiculous and yet every time I see one up close I seriously consider buying it with imaginary digital credit card money. Instead I buy a guitar cable – nowhere near as exciting, but it does feature ‘encapsulated soldering points’ and ‘oxygen-free copper conductors’. I figure that these features will improve my playing considerably.

We drive to Birmingham. I sit in the back on my own listening to Julie Dorian, writing this diary and chopping up bad demos in Logic. We arrive at the venue and are fed chilli, good chilli. Nice. Everyone seems real swell. Later on we play to a fairly packed room of friendly Brummies (?) who kindly nod and clap. We play a new song tonight for the first time ever, and it sounds very new – in a slightly unfinished way, but it’s fun to have conquered it live. My Telecaster-induced rash re-appears halfway through the show, and unfortunately this means I’ll have to start wearing a sweatband on my forearm – not a good look.

Once again Calories and Johnny Foreigner wow the crowd. The more I get to know their songs, the more I dig them. Post-show we head back to Kelly and Junior’s house, curry-down, watch an odd TV programme about caffeine overdoses and fused eyelids, then fall sleep.

May 15; Leicester, Sumo

We had a day off before this show – wishing to stay in the cheapest possible Travelodge, and conserving precious, precious fuel, we ended up staying in Leicester for two nights. ‘Highlights’ of the day off included watching The Devil Wears Prada and Congo back-to-back, and me convincing Joe that we’d done a runner from an eatery (the truth was that I’d paid for it when ordering at the bar). Rikki and I also went to a casino, which had no bar staff and a rigged roulette table (I put £10 on black, it was red, WTF?). The next day was a lot more fun – nice weather and a trip to a museum which, for some reason, had a whole floor dedicated to interactive games equipment. Shooting hoops in a museum should happen more often.

We play with Tubelord for the first time tonight, and have a childish time (I’m afraid to say the drawing of penises was involved, sorry Mum) in the ridiculous dressing room (the venue floods apparently, so you’ve got to climb over a wall of sandbags to get to the wet, dark, backstage area. The Spirit of Dunkirk saw us through). Post soundcheck we visit an emporium of fish and salted chips. The woman at the till tells her staff how inconvenient they are, in a jovial-come-serious way that makes everyone a bit nervous. By then the venue is creaking into action, so we eat in the van while recording a podcast-interview-type-thing (featuring some unnecessary sound effects and screaming). Back at the venue, a somewhat hesitant crowd gradually eases itself into the evening. I get the impression that, initially, some people don’t really know what to make of us... Perhaps it’s the accents? People clap politely, some nod along, and later on a handful of people even buy our records. Not bad at all. Good show, good turnout, standard Travelodge sleep.

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Standard Travelodge sleep

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May 16; Carlisle, The Brickyard (w/ Mitchell Museum)

So the only two things I knew about Carlisle prior to our arrival is that a friend from school studied there for a bit and that the town used to be part of Scotland, sort of. I can see why Scotland may not have wanted Carlisle: the one chip shop I could find had a terrible menu selection. No macaroni pies? No deep-fried Mars bars? Grow a pair, Carlisle! Heart disease is IN. I get lost in a ridiculously big second-hand bookshop and Joe gets excited about the number of mirrors in the dressing room (not from a narcissistic point of view, it just ‘looked good’).

The show – as is to be expected when a little band plays in a little town for the first time – is a quiet affair. Joe asks what there is to do in Carlisle, member of audience replies with “fuck sheep”. Joe hears this as “flock sheep”. This is the funniest thing that happened in Carlisle.

May 17; Manchester, The Deaf Institute

We’re in Manchester! Home to Ryan Giggs, who it turns out is actually Welsh? It sure is a crazy mixed up world, huh? Anyway, The Deaf Institute is by far the nicest venue we play on this whole tour. The walls of the venue are covered in fancy wallpaper AND they seem to be serving Sunday roasts downstairs in the bar.

By the time we play it’s still light outside – that coupled with a tiered seating area at the back made for quite a strange atmosphere. Regardless, we secretly turn up a little on stage and play a relatively solid show. Later on in the evening I end up speaking to a handful of people at the merch table, all of whom are really nice – I think I like Manchester.

Post-show we drive through to Liverpool to stay with massive top notch blokes Hot Club de Paris. Many things happen, the details of which will never be divulged. Huge doughy pizza and beers. Win!

May 18; Sheffield, The Harley

Despite the fact that Sheffield boasts such musical luminaries as Pulp, Cabaret Voltaire and The Human League, there is a distinct lack of enthusiasm in the air. It’s suggested that exam timetables were preventing a bunch of people from venturing out to the show, which is unfortunate, but understandable. The promoters of tonight’s show are very kind – they feed us well, which is very much appreciated! Despite the fairly hilarious turnout we actually end up playing quite a good show. A few people mention post-show how much they enjoyed the new songs we played, which is way excellent.

Feeling a little deflated, but not altogether down in the dumps, we load out and start making our way up to Glasgow. Unfortunately we run into a few late-night problems. Epic fail.

May 19; Glasgow, Stereo (w/ Times New Viking & Crystal Antlers)

As we’re in a band that’s on tour, we have to do really clichéd things like have a van which breaks down. We chose to do this just outside of Sheffield. A few hours later and a grumpy AA man arrived. We get back to Glasgow at silly o’clock (around 7am, maybe?), so to say that we’re all pretty tired (Mini more so, he did all the driving) upon arriving for soundcheck is an understatement. This, coupled with a fair bit of alcohol (sorry Mum) results in a below average performance on our part, but people still clap and buy stuff afterwards, so consider yourself fooled, Glasgow!

It’s awesome to play with Times New Viking again, and Crystal Antlers are ridiculously friendly. All three bands head out afterwards, and we get our crunk on (can I get away with saying ‘crunk’?) at a nearby late bar. TNV introduce us to a new phrase: “Let that bitch off the chain”. Apparently you’ve to use it in pretty much every situation. They’re convinced it’ll be a hit over here. I’m unsure that saying “let that bitch off the chain” before Granny opens her birthday present is going to go down well.

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A live gig drawing from Glasgow show, by Jenny Soep

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May 21; York, Fibbers (w/ Johnny Foreigner & Calories)

I’ve spent a lot of time in York with my parents, so it’s always a bit weird to come and play here – knowing a place really well but not knowing anyone is a strange combination. It’s a bit like going to Disneyland for the tenth time, only not as good.

The show was good – the small (I mean small) handful of people who saw our first York show ages ago still come along to see us, which is very heartening. One of them ( I can’t remember who so I’m not going to attempt a guess at which one of you it was, sorry! ) bought a t-shirt, so he’s the best person in York.

We stay with the friendliest, and other best man in York, Joe Coates. Despite not having any formal connection to our band (eg he’s never put us on before, etc) – we met him at a gig/through a shared love of Distophia – we’ve ended up staying at his house after our last two shows in York. He’s the kind of guy that not only lets you stay at his house, but cooks you breakfast and makes sure that you’ve got enough bedding. The best of British! The bacon was Danish obviously.

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Joe’s cat in York

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May 22; Wakefield, Escobar / Leeds

We start the evening in Wakefield at the Escobar. The venue is covered in framed photographs and signed Kate Nash t-shirts. I scour the walls for a band or musician I recognise but have no luck, oh well – perhaps I’m a little out of touch. The venue is quite small, but not too small, and by the time the first band takes to the stage it’s near full with a very local crowd (mums and dads, et cetera). I haven’t seen middle-aged housewives dance, well, ever – quite a spectacle.

Our set goes relatively well and a handful of kids nod along enthusiastically at the front while their parents keep an eye on them. I find the fact that ten or so kids in Wakefield know the words to our songs quite, quite shocking. We then throw everything back in the van and wizz through to Leeds to meet our good friend Doug (this evening’s host!).

Tonight is the Leeds leg of Stag & Dagger and, luckily, friends we haven’t seen in a long time are playing the festival. After a series of grandiose high fives, clinking glasses and fond farewells, we hit the sack.

May 23; Newport, The Meze Lounge

Though the drive down from Leeds is a bit of a mission, we arrive in Newport just in time to check in to our horrible hotel for the night and head to soundcheck. My first impressions of South Wales are good,: it looks a bit like Scotland only the weather’s a lot better. Later we’re taken to an Indian restaurant – the walls are covered with pictures of Tom Jones wearing really odd ‘70s/‘80s clothes. Unfortunately tonight turns out to be the last of our shows with Johnny Foreigner and Calories, we’re all secretly quite sad about this, but hold back the tears.

As far as the show goes, turnout wise it wasn’t great, but that didn’t seem to matter a jot. Calories play first and I hop on stage to feel awkward and sing along to slacker hit ‘Drugged’. The awkwardness does eventually give way to a feeling of accomplishment and pure joy – what a time! We then proceed to play a fairly shambolic set to a small group of people. Regardless, a few are singing along at the front, which makes the whole thing worth doing. Alexi joins us at the end of ‘Bookshelf’ on vocals, which actually works really well! Fun! Johnny Foreigner then hit the stage and chaos ensues. A slightly bigger and slightly drunker crowd coupled with faulty microphone stands and alcohol makes for an engaging performance! At one point a Bruce Springsteen look-alike forces me to ‘crowd surf’ which was, considering the size of the crowd, absolutely terrifying. We load out, say some long goodbyes and return to our Etap ‘hotel’. I sleep on a concrete floor, absolute luxury!

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Crowdsurfing on Springsteen (?)

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Day Off (Barry Island / Cardiff / outside Milton Keynes)

We were meant to play Northampton on this date, but the show got cancelled – no idea why, but let’s say it was due to the venue exploding. Something exciting and out of our control, certainly. Left the Etap (barf) in Newport, after a quick complaint to the staff (long story, but it resulted in a refund on the room AND a free stay in the future). Half expected to see some of Goldie Lookin Chain working at the hotel, but no dice. That’s not the reason we complained, though.

Head to Barry Island (not actually an island). Ridiculously hot weather – when we arrived at the beachfront it felt like a proper day off. Not like that shoddy day off in Leicester. Use band money to buy ice cream. Mini and I concoct some ridiculous tale about how babies in Wales are born (don’t worry it’s not xenophobic/derogatory – it evolved out of seeing a small child crawl out of a hole in the sand and drag herself along the beach…). I go into the arcade from Gavin and Stacey. Nobody else seems that bothered, but Mini obliges and takes my photograph outside. “Something to impress the parents with,” I think. They weren’t impressed. Quick stop off in Cardiff at the overpriced-to-the-max Buffalo Bar to meet a friend quickly, then onto Milton Keynes, where we encountered the receptionist who wins ‘biggest jobsworth in the Travelodge empire’ award. Nevertheless, Joe still manages to sneak into the three-person room. Natch.

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Barry ‘not really an island’ Island

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May 25; London, Old Blue Last (w/ 4 or 5 Magicians & mistakes.in.animation)

Last day of tour, guys! Which is incredibly convenient for the two drivers in the band, given Glasgow’s close proximity to London. Buh. Dump equipment at venue early afternoon, and spend the remainder of it sweating like four Scottish people in hot weather. Mini runs out of t-shirts, I conveniently have my No Age one that shrunk in the wash. Catch up with the fantastic Janine Ellis, who puts us up for the night, again! She has saved our skin with places to stay in London many a time, so props – mad props. The show is ok-ish, could have been busier (though this is true for all gigs that aren’t sold out, right?). However, the hot weather and bank holiday doesn’t put Spike Jonze off from being at the show. That’s right, Spike Jonze. Bet you wish you sacked off the park and rocked out with us now, huh? He’s really friendly and unassuming.

After the show we head to the Dalston Jazz Bar, which is fast becoming the official Copy Haho post-London-show hangout. It’s amazing. Who else do we bump into in the near-deserted bar than Crystal Antlers! After some impressive hugging (on their part, we got crushed in their grizzly bear grip) there’s just enough time for a little dance before they have to head off to France. Go to sleep a bit later, wake up, drive back to Glasgow. I then get a train back to Aberdeen. Tour over, let’s do it again sometime. In June to be precise.

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THINGS WE LOST ON TOUR: A wallet (since recovered), a shaker (broken in Glasgow), a new pair of trousers (thanks for ruining them, by the way, laundrette in Glasgow), our minds.

THINGS WE GAINED ON TOUR: Some mild debt, AA cover for 12 months.

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Copy Haho play shows and release things this year – keep track of what’s what via MySpace, and find our review of their excellent ‘Bred For Skills And Magic’ EP, released in the spring via BSM, HERE.