I remember being handed a flyer at a Bonnie Prince Billy gig announcing a new album by a band called Okkervil River. It described them as a mix of tindersticks, nick cave and american music club. After reading that, I didn't exactly have any choice but to buy their album.
'Down The River of Golden Dreams' (9.2) turned out to be a lovely album. A mix of the lush orchestration of tindersticks and the overwrought angst of Bright Eyes. Vocalist Will Sheff is a great storyteller and this album was one of my favourites of 2003. It led me to check out their earlier album 'Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See' (8.5) which was not quite as great but did contain the epic 'Listening To Otis Redding Alone at Christmas' which was worth the price of the cd on it's own.
2005's 'Black Sheep Boy' (7.4) was a bit of a disappointment, to Tracksandgigs anyway. The lush melodies were largely absent and the tone was dark. All in all it felt like quite a depressing listen, although it did have some nice songs, Tracksandgigs objected to the production which made the record sound as if it was recorded in a dungeon.
So, The Stage Names is finally out. Well sort of. Its not actually released until August but if you pre-order the cd from their record company, you receive a free digital download of the album. TracksandGigs has done this, so that you don't have to.
So, this 'review' must come with a warning. TracksandGigs have listened to this album TWICE so far. Both times on an ipod. So, until proper listening (on a record player at home) has taken place, this review is a work in progress, but I feel sure enough to say that this is a return to form! The Stage Names is a very lovely album.
Opening with the epic and just fantastic Darkness-esque 'Our Life is Not a Movie Or Maybe' the record sets out to entertain. The opener is nothing short of thrilling. Will Sheff's voice reaches hights that you never thought it could reach and listening to the song is genuinely exciting. 'Unless It's Kicks' follows in the same vein, with a really catchy guitar riff and you realise that most of these songs are about performance or acting or at least playing a part.
Track 4, 'Savannah Smiles' is simply lovely. The music is pretty, with a xylophone throughout, although the lyrics are dark. Tracksandgigs would like to say Hi to Amber at this stage, since she is a huge Okkervil River fan and her sister is named Savannah...
Of the remaining songs, 'A Girl At Port' is gorgeous, reminding me of old style OR track 'Yellow', 'You Can't Hold The Hand of a Rock Star' and 'Title Track' are, so far, a little disappointing but the closing song 'John Allyn Smith Sails' is great.
This is a really good album, that much is clear. Tracksandgigs likes the lighter feel of the album and the return to the more acoustic sound of earlier OR records, however the standout tracks are two rockier numbers...
This review is a work in progress and I will update again next week when I have listened more, but at the moment The Stage Names is a 9.0
Friday 27 July 2007
Tuesday 24 July 2007
Tindersticks 'BBC Sessions'
It has been over four years since the last Tindersticks studio album and it has been a difficult time for devotees of the band. Amid rumours of a split, Stuart Staples released two solo albums, with assistance of Tindersticks Neil Fraser and David Boulter and it seemed that the band were no more.
Now it seems that there will be a new Tindersticks album and tour next year, but mysteriously three founder members of the band may not be present. The plot thickens...
Fans of the band can listen to this compilation of BBC radio sessions while they wonder what on earth is going on in Tinderworld. These recordings were made during various Radio 1 sessions, mainly with John Peel and Mark Radcliffe, between 1993 and 1997, which is considered by many to be the band's heyday. The band have handpicked the selections themselves, Stuart Staples has designed the cover-art and David Boulter has provided interesting sleeve notes.
Although, almost every serious Tinderfan will own these songs in at least one other guise, there is still plenty here of interest. In fact, some of these recordings are better than the original album versions of the songs; 'My Sister' is superb, reminding me of hearing the song live at ATP 2004, 'Tiny Tears' is string-less and sounds all the better and sharper for it and 'Raindrops' is simply stunning and heartstopping.
There are also some radically different versions of classic Tindersticks songs. A piano-led version of 'Her' is just marvellous and duets 'Travelling Light' and 'Buried Bones' sound very different when sung solo by Stuart.
This compilation has made me all the more excited about the possible return of the band and has reminded me of the massive contribution David Boulter makes to Tindersticks. He is at the forefront of many of these recordings, something which doesn't always happen on studio albums, and his keyboard and piano work is one of the highlights of the cd. It is a shame that none of the band's later work was captured in this way because the three albums Tindersticks released after 1997 were also very special indeed.
This compilation would serve as a reasonable introduction to the uninitiated, as it contains many of their finest songs, but for connoisseurs of Nottingham's finest this is a simply essential purchase.
9.5
Now it seems that there will be a new Tindersticks album and tour next year, but mysteriously three founder members of the band may not be present. The plot thickens...
Fans of the band can listen to this compilation of BBC radio sessions while they wonder what on earth is going on in Tinderworld. These recordings were made during various Radio 1 sessions, mainly with John Peel and Mark Radcliffe, between 1993 and 1997, which is considered by many to be the band's heyday. The band have handpicked the selections themselves, Stuart Staples has designed the cover-art and David Boulter has provided interesting sleeve notes.
Although, almost every serious Tinderfan will own these songs in at least one other guise, there is still plenty here of interest. In fact, some of these recordings are better than the original album versions of the songs; 'My Sister' is superb, reminding me of hearing the song live at ATP 2004, 'Tiny Tears' is string-less and sounds all the better and sharper for it and 'Raindrops' is simply stunning and heartstopping.
There are also some radically different versions of classic Tindersticks songs. A piano-led version of 'Her' is just marvellous and duets 'Travelling Light' and 'Buried Bones' sound very different when sung solo by Stuart.
This compilation has made me all the more excited about the possible return of the band and has reminded me of the massive contribution David Boulter makes to Tindersticks. He is at the forefront of many of these recordings, something which doesn't always happen on studio albums, and his keyboard and piano work is one of the highlights of the cd. It is a shame that none of the band's later work was captured in this way because the three albums Tindersticks released after 1997 were also very special indeed.
This compilation would serve as a reasonable introduction to the uninitiated, as it contains many of their finest songs, but for connoisseurs of Nottingham's finest this is a simply essential purchase.
9.5
Wednesday 18 July 2007
Elvis Perkins 'Ash Wednesday'
As every single review of this album will doubtless tell you, Elvis Perkins is the son of actor Anthony Perkins, who died of an AIDS related illness in 1992, while his mother Berry Berenson died on September 11th as she was on one of the planes that were flown into the World Trade Center.
Much of Perkins' debut album touches on the subject of death, as well as life after death but the tone is never sombre or mournful.
The real problem with this album is that the first three songs set a standard that it is almost impossible for him to maintain. 'While You Were Sleeping', the six minute long opener, is simply brilliant. It starts off quiet and acoustic but builds into something of an epic with an orchestral sound. Perkins' voice is a delight, you can never be sure where he is going to go next as he rejects standard singer-songwriter territory to let the emotion of the song carry him along. The lyric concerns the simple pleasure of waking up every morning to start a new day, while reflecting on a night of fearful dreams.
[ Anyone who's anyone,
Has that same dream.
Were you falling,
Were you flying,
Were you calling out,
Or were you dying?]
Its a wonderful opener.
'All the Night Without Love' which follows is almost as good. A violin-led upbeat pop song it maintains the album's momentum into 'May Day!' which is a joyful 70s stomper and a lot of fun.
Unfortunately Perkins can't quite keep up the momentum from here on. He falls into standard acoustic singer-songwriter territory on a couple of the more forgettable tracks ('Moon Woman II' and 'It's Only Me' and the album drifts off course in the middle.
It is not all bad news though; 'Emile's Vietnam in the Sky' is lovely and heartbreaking all at once while tracks like 'It's A Sad World After All' recalls the edginess of early Sparklehorse. 'Good Friday' closes the album on a high point and leaves the listener wondering which direction Perkins will take his music on next.
This is a really promising debut. He may well have been better off losing a couple of the mid-album songs and reducing the length of the album a bit because it does sometimes struggle to last the pace, but the highlights here make this album well worth checking out.
7.6
Much of Perkins' debut album touches on the subject of death, as well as life after death but the tone is never sombre or mournful.
The real problem with this album is that the first three songs set a standard that it is almost impossible for him to maintain. 'While You Were Sleeping', the six minute long opener, is simply brilliant. It starts off quiet and acoustic but builds into something of an epic with an orchestral sound. Perkins' voice is a delight, you can never be sure where he is going to go next as he rejects standard singer-songwriter territory to let the emotion of the song carry him along. The lyric concerns the simple pleasure of waking up every morning to start a new day, while reflecting on a night of fearful dreams.
[ Anyone who's anyone,
Has that same dream.
Were you falling,
Were you flying,
Were you calling out,
Or were you dying?]
Its a wonderful opener.
'All the Night Without Love' which follows is almost as good. A violin-led upbeat pop song it maintains the album's momentum into 'May Day!' which is a joyful 70s stomper and a lot of fun.
Unfortunately Perkins can't quite keep up the momentum from here on. He falls into standard acoustic singer-songwriter territory on a couple of the more forgettable tracks ('Moon Woman II' and 'It's Only Me' and the album drifts off course in the middle.
It is not all bad news though; 'Emile's Vietnam in the Sky' is lovely and heartbreaking all at once while tracks like 'It's A Sad World After All' recalls the edginess of early Sparklehorse. 'Good Friday' closes the album on a high point and leaves the listener wondering which direction Perkins will take his music on next.
This is a really promising debut. He may well have been better off losing a couple of the mid-album songs and reducing the length of the album a bit because it does sometimes struggle to last the pace, but the highlights here make this album well worth checking out.
7.6
Monday 16 July 2007
ratings
a quick note about ratings:
every album TracksandGigs has ever heard has received a rating between 0.0 and 10.0 and this rating will be given every time an album is mentioned as well as when a new review appears. For example Dexys Midnight Runners 'Don't Stand Me Down' scores 10.0, while The Fiery Furnaces 'Rehearsing My Choir' scores 0.8.
every gig TracksandGigs reviews will be given a rating between 0 stars and 5 stars.
every album TracksandGigs has ever heard has received a rating between 0.0 and 10.0 and this rating will be given every time an album is mentioned as well as when a new review appears. For example Dexys Midnight Runners 'Don't Stand Me Down' scores 10.0, while The Fiery Furnaces 'Rehearsing My Choir' scores 0.8.
every gig TracksandGigs reviews will be given a rating between 0 stars and 5 stars.
Grant Lee Buffalo
The re-issue of the first and third Grant Lee Buffalo albums, has given me a chance to look back on this band.
When I first heard Fuzzy (9.3) I thought it was one of the best albums I had ever heard. It got quite a lot of attention at the time too and there was a lot of talk about it's 'cinematic' sound. The mix of acoustic and electric guitars and Grant's style of vocals which made him sound like he was narrating a state of the nation address made the record sound unique. It still sounds great now and has aged really well, the mix of angry political songs and touching balladry is just as appropriate as it ever was.
Their second album, which strangely has not been included in the re-issue series, Mighty Joe Moon (9.6) was even better but got less attention from critics. It is a kind of concept album about the state of the USA at the time (1994) with topics such as the Waco siege and the death of Kurt Cobain. It is also a beautiful, heartfelt album and the sound of a band at the top of their game. It is timeless and if you have never heard this record, you should go out and buy it now. 'Mockingbirds' remains one of TracksandGigs' favourite songs of all time.
If they were ever going to make it big, MJM would have been the time, but it never happened. Grant Lee Buffalo were in many ways a band out of time. It would be interesting to see how they would have done now, at a time when a band like Arcade Fire have made it so big on the back of word of mouth. Their next album Copperopolis (8.7) veered into more traditional alt.rock territory, moving away from the cinematic sound. It still had some wonderful moments but was a sign that GLB could not quite keep to the amazing standards they had set themselves. After that, the end was in sight. Paul Kimble left and the final album Jubilee (7.9) was made under strict record company instructions to find a radio-friendly hit single. They found several candidates including the catchy 'Truly Truly' but typically radio was not interested and the group disbanded.
Grant Lee Phillips' solo career has been patchy. After a beautiful acoustic EP Ladies Love Oracle (8.8), the first album proper Mobilize (7.5) suffered from the lack of a band, Grant played all the instruments himself and there was a synthetic sound to the record that didn't suit his voice. The critically acclaimed Virginia Creeper was a step into alt.country territory and it delighed fans of that genre but it had no edge or passion, to these ears anyway, hence (4.5).
The latest LP Strangelet (8.0) is a very nice album indeed. The passion and anger of the past are gone but the songs remain strong and the album is extremely listenable.
Incidentally, Tracksandgigs saw Grant Lee Phillips play live at Shepherds Bush Empire in 2002 and a wonderful show it was too. Grant is a fine performer and always puts on a good show whether solo or with a band......which is why TracksandGigs is so disappointed that Grant's Dingwalls show in August sold out before I managed to get a ticket!
When I first heard Fuzzy (9.3) I thought it was one of the best albums I had ever heard. It got quite a lot of attention at the time too and there was a lot of talk about it's 'cinematic' sound. The mix of acoustic and electric guitars and Grant's style of vocals which made him sound like he was narrating a state of the nation address made the record sound unique. It still sounds great now and has aged really well, the mix of angry political songs and touching balladry is just as appropriate as it ever was.
Their second album, which strangely has not been included in the re-issue series, Mighty Joe Moon (9.6) was even better but got less attention from critics. It is a kind of concept album about the state of the USA at the time (1994) with topics such as the Waco siege and the death of Kurt Cobain. It is also a beautiful, heartfelt album and the sound of a band at the top of their game. It is timeless and if you have never heard this record, you should go out and buy it now. 'Mockingbirds' remains one of TracksandGigs' favourite songs of all time.
If they were ever going to make it big, MJM would have been the time, but it never happened. Grant Lee Buffalo were in many ways a band out of time. It would be interesting to see how they would have done now, at a time when a band like Arcade Fire have made it so big on the back of word of mouth. Their next album Copperopolis (8.7) veered into more traditional alt.rock territory, moving away from the cinematic sound. It still had some wonderful moments but was a sign that GLB could not quite keep to the amazing standards they had set themselves. After that, the end was in sight. Paul Kimble left and the final album Jubilee (7.9) was made under strict record company instructions to find a radio-friendly hit single. They found several candidates including the catchy 'Truly Truly' but typically radio was not interested and the group disbanded.
Grant Lee Phillips' solo career has been patchy. After a beautiful acoustic EP Ladies Love Oracle (8.8), the first album proper Mobilize (7.5) suffered from the lack of a band, Grant played all the instruments himself and there was a synthetic sound to the record that didn't suit his voice. The critically acclaimed Virginia Creeper was a step into alt.country territory and it delighed fans of that genre but it had no edge or passion, to these ears anyway, hence (4.5).
The latest LP Strangelet (8.0) is a very nice album indeed. The passion and anger of the past are gone but the songs remain strong and the album is extremely listenable.
Incidentally, Tracksandgigs saw Grant Lee Phillips play live at Shepherds Bush Empire in 2002 and a wonderful show it was too. Grant is a fine performer and always puts on a good show whether solo or with a band......which is why TracksandGigs is so disappointed that Grant's Dingwalls show in August sold out before I managed to get a ticket!
Thursday 12 July 2007
stuff coming up
by way of a preview of sorts, I thought I should mention the things that I intend to write about in the next week or so. They would be the new Buffalo Tom album, the new Broken Family Band album and I will write something about why Tindersticks are the best band in the world ever.
The Hold Steady
here is a review I wrote of The Hold Steady at Shepherds Bush Empire. This was published in the reader reviews section of The Independent newspaper.
The Hold Steady at Shepherds Bush Empire – 2nd July 2007
The Hold Steady’s frontman Craig Finn declared from the stage that this was the biggest headlining gig they had ever played but they will certainly have the opportunity to top the billing at larger venues still if they continue to put on shows like this.
The Hold Steady’s third album ‘Boys and Girls in America’ is causing quite a stir on both sides of the Atlantic with its heady mix of literate storytelling and Replacements and E-Street band style anthems and the audience at Shepherds Bush Empire seemed ready for an evening of celebration. Finn set the mood when he arrived on stage and declared “we are the Hold Steady and we are going to have some fun tonight” with a wide grin across his face already.
The anthems arrived immediately. Opener ‘Stuck Between Stations’ sounds like Born to Run era Springsteen, a huge windswept anthem with some humorous lyrics (“she was a really good kisser / and she wasn’t all that strict of a Christian”). It set the tone for the evening and when new single and massive sing-along anthem ‘Chips Ahoy!’ arrived just a few songs later the atmosphere in the Empire was incredible. Finn is a ball of nervous energy, when he isn’t singing he is mouthing the words he has just sung or holding his hands out towards the audience. He is a supremely engaging and energetic front man and it is impossible not to be swept along by his obvious pleasure and excitement at being able to sing these songs to so many people.
The Hold Steady are also extremely accomplished musicians though. Guitarist Tad Kubler put in an extraordinary performance, showing himself to be a highly versatile lead-guitarist and keyboardist Franz Nicolay was as enthusiastic and entertaining as his front man..
It is a testimony to the quality of the band’s music that only three albums into their career they can produce a completely consistent 90 minute set and still leave the audience wanting more. Repeated song requests from the audience were met with a deadpan “yes those are all songs that we wrote” from Finn. They played the whole of ‘Boys and Girls in
After closing the main set with ‘Southtown Girls’ and the incredible ‘How A Resurrection Really Feels’, the encore started gently with a mellow, acoustic ‘Citrus’ before one of the moments of the night as epic ballad ‘First Night’ filled the room. It would have been an ideal closer but after a lengthy ‘thank you’ speech from Finn they finished on a high with ‘Killer Parties’. Finn circled the stage, seemingly wanted to thank each member of the audience individually. He seemed to want the concert to go on forever and the huge ovation he received showed that all those in attendance felt exactly the same way.
5 stars.
tracks and gigs
Welcome to Tracks and Gigs, a blog for reviewing and commenting on music releases and gigs. I aim to update this as often as I can (which isn't much of an aim when you think about it, but still)
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