The most exciting news for years. It is finally confirmed that Tindersticks are back (well, three of them are) and 'The Hungry Saw' is out on April 28th!
For now, you can hear a new track here...
http://www.myspace.com/tindersticksofficial
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
Sunday, 27 January 2008
p.s
i forgot to mention 'Autoclave' which is maybe the most poppy and at the same time, inventive thing John has ever recorded.
you're going to love this record Mountain Goats fans!
you're going to love this record Mountain Goats fans!
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Blood
After reading some threads on the Mountain Goats forum, I decided to delay writing my review of the new album until nearer to the release date, but since receiving the promo on Wednesday I've been listening to little else and couldn't resist at least making a few observations.
Firstly, it is way different to 'Get Lonely'. Whereas that record was beautiful, subtle and understated, this one is powerful, angry and exciting. The last few TMG records have all focussed on a specific theme, here it is harder to pinpoint but there seems to be a lot of lyrics about monsters, impending doom and destruction and war, an awful lot of imagery and metaphors too.
The band sound really tight, the drums sound great, the guitars are loud and there's a lot of cello too. There are some really fast songs with the 'shouty' vocal that we haven't heard from John in a while mixed with some slower songs including a really beautiful one called 'Tianchi Lake' which reminds me a lot of 'Idylls of the King' from 'Tallahassee'.
Of the faster songs, 'Sax Rohmer #1' is a highlight with it's wonderful "I am coming home to you/ with my own blood in my mouth" hook, but possibly the best song here is the incredible 'Lovecraft in Brooklyn' which has to be heard to be believed and is now my joint favourite song of the year along with AMC's 'The Sleeping Beauty'.
This may be my favourite Mountain Goats album. It's a blast, it's enjoyable and it's beautiful. It mixes all the elements of my favourite TMG records and brings them all together into one fully formed album. I love it.
Full review coming in Feb. and yes, I shall be buying the full 4AD cd (and probably LP) too as soon as it is released.
Firstly, it is way different to 'Get Lonely'. Whereas that record was beautiful, subtle and understated, this one is powerful, angry and exciting. The last few TMG records have all focussed on a specific theme, here it is harder to pinpoint but there seems to be a lot of lyrics about monsters, impending doom and destruction and war, an awful lot of imagery and metaphors too.
The band sound really tight, the drums sound great, the guitars are loud and there's a lot of cello too. There are some really fast songs with the 'shouty' vocal that we haven't heard from John in a while mixed with some slower songs including a really beautiful one called 'Tianchi Lake' which reminds me a lot of 'Idylls of the King' from 'Tallahassee'.
Of the faster songs, 'Sax Rohmer #1' is a highlight with it's wonderful "I am coming home to you/ with my own blood in my mouth" hook, but possibly the best song here is the incredible 'Lovecraft in Brooklyn' which has to be heard to be believed and is now my joint favourite song of the year along with AMC's 'The Sleeping Beauty'.
This may be my favourite Mountain Goats album. It's a blast, it's enjoyable and it's beautiful. It mixes all the elements of my favourite TMG records and brings them all together into one fully formed album. I love it.
Full review coming in Feb. and yes, I shall be buying the full 4AD cd (and probably LP) too as soon as it is released.
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
another favourite thing
It should be pretty obvious from this blog that music is one of my favourite things, but there are others.
Today is a good day, despite the fact that I didn't sleep all that well last night and despite the fact that I am at work and will be for another two and a half hours. This is because (if the postal service have done their job) my promo copy of the new Mountain Goats album will be waiting for me when I get home. Can't tell you how excited this makes me. John Darnielle is one of those artists who has never recorded anything that has disappointed me; although if I had to choose, 'The Sunset Tree' is still my favourite 'Goats album. I've heard that this album combines the lush production of recent releases with the raw intensity of the lo-fi recordings of old. I'm all for that. Anyway, I plan to write a track by track review of the album as I listen to it. I shall be doing this tonight (post permitting) on my all new laptop, which doesn't yet have an internet connection, so it will hopefully be posted here tomorrow.
Reason 2 for my mellow mood is that I had my swim this morning and it was a particularly nice swim. I swim everyday, at least a mile. It is hard to explain to people why I love swimming so much, so I won't try. But I will say that, for me anyway, there are roughly three parts of a mile long swim...
1. The first ten lengths or so. This part is nice because you get the pleasureable feeling you get when you start exercising and also the water in font of you tends to be quite calm so it is easy to get up to speed.
2. Lengths 20 to 40. This is my least favourite section. Your muscles start to ache and you start to think about how many lengths you've got left. When I get to 26 it normally starts to feel like really hard work. I usually try to think about other things at this stage to take my mind off the swimming.
3. Lengths 40 to 64, particularly from 50. My favourite part. You get to a point where you know you are nearly there and your muscles relax and you stretch out in the stroke more. I tend to just focus on the bottom of the pool at this point because I am less obsessed with getting through each length. It is really relaxing when you see the spray under the water and you can't hear anything going on around you. This happened this morning and it made me feel that the day had started well.
and so I thought I would blog about it.
even though it wasn't a track or a gig.
Today is a good day, despite the fact that I didn't sleep all that well last night and despite the fact that I am at work and will be for another two and a half hours. This is because (if the postal service have done their job) my promo copy of the new Mountain Goats album will be waiting for me when I get home. Can't tell you how excited this makes me. John Darnielle is one of those artists who has never recorded anything that has disappointed me; although if I had to choose, 'The Sunset Tree' is still my favourite 'Goats album. I've heard that this album combines the lush production of recent releases with the raw intensity of the lo-fi recordings of old. I'm all for that. Anyway, I plan to write a track by track review of the album as I listen to it. I shall be doing this tonight (post permitting) on my all new laptop, which doesn't yet have an internet connection, so it will hopefully be posted here tomorrow.
Reason 2 for my mellow mood is that I had my swim this morning and it was a particularly nice swim. I swim everyday, at least a mile. It is hard to explain to people why I love swimming so much, so I won't try. But I will say that, for me anyway, there are roughly three parts of a mile long swim...
1. The first ten lengths or so. This part is nice because you get the pleasureable feeling you get when you start exercising and also the water in font of you tends to be quite calm so it is easy to get up to speed.
2. Lengths 20 to 40. This is my least favourite section. Your muscles start to ache and you start to think about how many lengths you've got left. When I get to 26 it normally starts to feel like really hard work. I usually try to think about other things at this stage to take my mind off the swimming.
3. Lengths 40 to 64, particularly from 50. My favourite part. You get to a point where you know you are nearly there and your muscles relax and you stretch out in the stroke more. I tend to just focus on the bottom of the pool at this point because I am less obsessed with getting through each length. It is really relaxing when you see the spray under the water and you can't hear anything going on around you. This happened this morning and it made me feel that the day had started well.
and so I thought I would blog about it.
even though it wasn't a track or a gig.
Friday, 18 January 2008
forgetting one's ipod
I forgot my ipod this morning.
The journey to work was odd to say the least. I've been listening to the AMC album on the train this week and today I was deprived.
I've owned a walkman type thing constantly for about the last 20 years now. I had all manner of cassette walkmans, then briefly a cd one (although I never got on with that), then a minidisc walkman (they were fantastic) and then since 2004 an ipod. I never forget to bring it with me.
This morning I had a lot to remember: my swimming gear (there wouldn't have been a lot of point getting to the swimming pool without it), my lunch, thinking of things to say at the meeting I have this afternoon, remembering to buy some sandwiches in tesco before I catch the shuttle bus etc etc etc..... but none of these things excuse forgetting my ipod and I am starting to worry that my priorities are getting mixed up.
There are solutions of course. I could listen to some music on MySpace, but that isn't the same. I could listen to the Pulp cd that I just found in my bag (no idea why it is there) but I hate listening to music through computer speakers and besides I have no headphones with me.
This is going to be a strange day. I don't like it.
The journey to work was odd to say the least. I've been listening to the AMC album on the train this week and today I was deprived.
I've owned a walkman type thing constantly for about the last 20 years now. I had all manner of cassette walkmans, then briefly a cd one (although I never got on with that), then a minidisc walkman (they were fantastic) and then since 2004 an ipod. I never forget to bring it with me.
This morning I had a lot to remember: my swimming gear (there wouldn't have been a lot of point getting to the swimming pool without it), my lunch, thinking of things to say at the meeting I have this afternoon, remembering to buy some sandwiches in tesco before I catch the shuttle bus etc etc etc..... but none of these things excuse forgetting my ipod and I am starting to worry that my priorities are getting mixed up.
There are solutions of course. I could listen to some music on MySpace, but that isn't the same. I could listen to the Pulp cd that I just found in my bag (no idea why it is there) but I hate listening to music through computer speakers and besides I have no headphones with me.
This is going to be a strange day. I don't like it.
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
American Music Club- The Golden Age
Some albums hit you right between the ears on first listen and become instant favourites, whereas some creep up on you slowly and you become hooked over time. I always find the latter scenario more rewarding.
AMC's brilliant last album 'Love Songs For Patriots' was immediate and unusually (for them) upbeat. Songs like the anthemic 'Home' and the sprawling epic 'Patriot's Heart' became instant AMC classics and the album remains one of my all time favourites. The first couple of times I listened to 'The Golden Age', which was recorded with an almost entirely new band - only Mark and Vudi remain, I felt slightly disappointed. It sounded nice enough but there were no really catchy numbers and nothing immediately stuck.
It is only after playing the album for a week or so that I have come to understand what a wonderful record this is.
Without a doubt it is a change in style. The music is generally softer and so are Eitzel's vocals, rarely does he even raise his voice. There is less anger than on 'Love Songs For Patriots' and the songs are more reflective. Opener 'All My Love' is very pretty indeed, with lots of gentle acoustic guitar touches and whispered vocals. The third track 'Decibels and the Little Pills' is where things really take off. A witty lyric about rock n roll excess and a beautiful melody with feedback at the end that reminds me of Wilco circa Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
'Sleeping Beauty' which follows raises the bar even higher. Originally recorded for Eitzel's 'Candy Ass' album, it is rightly reworked here to give it the larger audience it deserves. It is a autumnal love song with incredibly vivid imagery
"As I drove away
Over the dead leaves....
in the mirror I saw you wave....
I thought oh well, this could be the last time I see
your beautiful hands
your frozen hands"
To my ears it is one of Eitzel's greatest ever songs, on a par with 'Firefly' and 'Western Sky'. 'Beautiful' is an overused word in this badly written blog but it is a seriously beautiful song and I can't stop listening to it at the moment.
Elsewhere, other highlights include the upbeat, jaunty 'All The Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco' and 'The Dance' a strange song which appears to tell a girl meets boy story with the quirk being the fact that the boy is a cop who has just been given his first gun. That's how it sounds to me anyway, it is an affecting and empathetic tale with another nice melody. Along with 'Sleeping Beauty' the other major standout track is 'The Windows of the World', a spoken word (well he kind of half sings and half speaks) about meeting a friend in New York- it may well touch on 9/11 too. Its an interesting song and the Wilco-style feedback ending makes a welcome return.
There is so much to discover in this album that I just can't stop playing it at the moment. It reveals itself to you slowly and you gradually find yourself hooked. I can't really compare it to any other AMC album, I suppose the most similar is 'California' but really this one has a sound all of it's own.
It is early days but this might just be my favourite AMC album yet. Can't wait to hear these songs played live in February.
9.6
AMC's brilliant last album 'Love Songs For Patriots' was immediate and unusually (for them) upbeat. Songs like the anthemic 'Home' and the sprawling epic 'Patriot's Heart' became instant AMC classics and the album remains one of my all time favourites. The first couple of times I listened to 'The Golden Age', which was recorded with an almost entirely new band - only Mark and Vudi remain, I felt slightly disappointed. It sounded nice enough but there were no really catchy numbers and nothing immediately stuck.
It is only after playing the album for a week or so that I have come to understand what a wonderful record this is.
Without a doubt it is a change in style. The music is generally softer and so are Eitzel's vocals, rarely does he even raise his voice. There is less anger than on 'Love Songs For Patriots' and the songs are more reflective. Opener 'All My Love' is very pretty indeed, with lots of gentle acoustic guitar touches and whispered vocals. The third track 'Decibels and the Little Pills' is where things really take off. A witty lyric about rock n roll excess and a beautiful melody with feedback at the end that reminds me of Wilco circa Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
'Sleeping Beauty' which follows raises the bar even higher. Originally recorded for Eitzel's 'Candy Ass' album, it is rightly reworked here to give it the larger audience it deserves. It is a autumnal love song with incredibly vivid imagery
"As I drove away
Over the dead leaves....
in the mirror I saw you wave....
I thought oh well, this could be the last time I see
your beautiful hands
your frozen hands"
To my ears it is one of Eitzel's greatest ever songs, on a par with 'Firefly' and 'Western Sky'. 'Beautiful' is an overused word in this badly written blog but it is a seriously beautiful song and I can't stop listening to it at the moment.
Elsewhere, other highlights include the upbeat, jaunty 'All The Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco' and 'The Dance' a strange song which appears to tell a girl meets boy story with the quirk being the fact that the boy is a cop who has just been given his first gun. That's how it sounds to me anyway, it is an affecting and empathetic tale with another nice melody. Along with 'Sleeping Beauty' the other major standout track is 'The Windows of the World', a spoken word (well he kind of half sings and half speaks) about meeting a friend in New York- it may well touch on 9/11 too. Its an interesting song and the Wilco-style feedback ending makes a welcome return.
There is so much to discover in this album that I just can't stop playing it at the moment. It reveals itself to you slowly and you gradually find yourself hooked. I can't really compare it to any other AMC album, I suppose the most similar is 'California' but really this one has a sound all of it's own.
It is early days but this might just be my favourite AMC album yet. Can't wait to hear these songs played live in February.
9.6
Monday, 7 January 2008
new year [same] old music
Happy New Year to any regular or (more likely) accidental readers of this blog.
I am writing this in my local library as I am off sick from work due to having the cold, chest thing that EVERYONE in the country has had (its official, we've all had it. if you haven't had it, go and see your GP....now!) and we have still not managed to get ourselves organised enough to go and buy a laptop. When we do, you'll be sick of hearing from me.
I am aware that I have not yet posted my top 25 LPs of 2007 list. The list is done, I will post it in full soon. Innocence Mission's 'We Walked In Song' was the narrow winner, with 'Boys and Girls in America' by The Hold Steady in second and 'In Rainbows' by some band called Radiohead third.
This year I have so far been mostly listening to Art Brut's 'Its A Bit Complicated' album, which I bought on a whim with a festive giftcard. It hasn't disappointed, as it is a heady mix of literate indie-rock, sounding something like a cross between Pulp and The Hold Steady if that is in any way possible. We are going to see Art Brut in London in a few weeks' time so that should be ace. In other gig-going news, I am seeing Low on a boat in Bristol in April.
I have managed to get a promo copy of the new American Music Club album 'The Golden Age'. I am extremely excited about this and I gave it a listen today. On first listen, it is very good. Much more mellow than 2004's 'Love Songs For Patriots', more like a cross between 'California' and an Eitzel solo album. It will inevitably take a few listens to get used to all the songs, but I think it is safe to say that if you are an AMC fan worried by the line-up change....don't fret, you won't be disappointed. Full review soon.
Lastly, my tip for 2008....Emmy The Great. Household name by the end of the year. Hope so anyway.
I am writing this in my local library as I am off sick from work due to having the cold, chest thing that EVERYONE in the country has had (its official, we've all had it. if you haven't had it, go and see your GP....now!) and we have still not managed to get ourselves organised enough to go and buy a laptop. When we do, you'll be sick of hearing from me.
I am aware that I have not yet posted my top 25 LPs of 2007 list. The list is done, I will post it in full soon. Innocence Mission's 'We Walked In Song' was the narrow winner, with 'Boys and Girls in America' by The Hold Steady in second and 'In Rainbows' by some band called Radiohead third.
This year I have so far been mostly listening to Art Brut's 'Its A Bit Complicated' album, which I bought on a whim with a festive giftcard. It hasn't disappointed, as it is a heady mix of literate indie-rock, sounding something like a cross between Pulp and The Hold Steady if that is in any way possible. We are going to see Art Brut in London in a few weeks' time so that should be ace. In other gig-going news, I am seeing Low on a boat in Bristol in April.
I have managed to get a promo copy of the new American Music Club album 'The Golden Age'. I am extremely excited about this and I gave it a listen today. On first listen, it is very good. Much more mellow than 2004's 'Love Songs For Patriots', more like a cross between 'California' and an Eitzel solo album. It will inevitably take a few listens to get used to all the songs, but I think it is safe to say that if you are an AMC fan worried by the line-up change....don't fret, you won't be disappointed. Full review soon.
Lastly, my tip for 2008....Emmy The Great. Household name by the end of the year. Hope so anyway.
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