It took me a while to learn to love the Fleet Foxes but when I did I quickly became completely hooked and 'Fleet Foxes' was undoubtably one of the top three albums of last year. Its success and the recent Radio 1 airplay given to 'Mykonos' meant the band were able to sell out three nights at the Roundhouse and I saw them on Monday night.
I thought the evening was quite a strange mix because the band were superb and the performance would have made for an absolutely incredible gig at a smaller, more intimate venue. As it was, the size of the Roundhouse meant that actually seeing the band was quite a challenge for those of us who are somewhat shorter than 6ft and it meant that there were an awful lot of people there who seemed more interested in chatting to friends or talking on their mobile phone than actually enjoying the music.
That said, the music was superb. Opening with 'Sun Giant' and 'Sun It Rises' set the scene nicely, 'Ragged Wood' sounded great, the solo acoustic covers were very pretty. Best of all for me though was 'Oliver James' which was so spellbinding that even the chatting ceased and 'Your Protector' which built beautifully to a really powerful ending.
This gig made me wish I had the seen the band when they played the smaller Shepherds Bush Empire last year and I certainly don't think Fleet Foxes' music would suit any bigger venues than this but still a great night. 9/10 for the band...5/10 for the venue and the chatterers in their business suits.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Barzin 'Notes To An Absent Lover'
The first thing I noticed about this album, before playing it, was that there were a couple of song titles that seemed to reference Dylan titles. There's a song called 'Queen Jane' and one called 'Words Tangled In Blue'. The latter seems appropriate because in many ways this record sounds like an alt.country 'Blood On The Tracks'.
Barzin is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has escaped my attention until now. Many of his recordings have been completely solo but here he is joined by various helpers including one of the Great Lake Swimmers. The title is certainly not misleading, this is a break-up album with 9 songs reflecting on a lost love. Lyrically it sounds like a Trembling Blue Stars album, musically it is more like Tindersticks or The National's more mellow moments.
The arrangements are subtle, dignified and pleasing on the ear. Lots of strings, pedal steel and banjo appear, complementing the low-key guitar and drums, Barzin has a strong, deep voice and sings his melancholic songs well, especially the mournful opener 'Nobody Told Me' and the wsitful 'Soft Summer Girls'. The only difficulty I had with the album is that, while the songs are almost all short, beautifully arranged and performed, the mournful tone remains throughout with little or no sign of optimism or perspective and this becomes a bit wearing. On closer 'Dreams' Barzin sings "Come back home Suzanne" with such an air of desperation that you begin to wonder if this album is all a true story...although earlier on 'Queen Jane' he sits "with a broken guitar/ longing for Queen Jane to bring me a song". Suzanne or Jane then?
It doesn't really matter whether any of this is a true story or not though. Barzin does an excellent job of reflecting on the pain, loneliness and moments of poignancy that occur after a break-up. Its a pretty album, well crafted and performed that will be pleasurable listening for fans of bands such as Low, The National and Tindersticks. Barzin is obviously a Tindersticks fan, having covered 'Mistakes' in the past, and you can hear that in his songs, but you can only hear the melancholy and that is only a small part of Tindersticks' sound. With more variety and range of emotions this could have been a great album, rather than just a very good one. A good listen, but hard work.
7.3
['Notes To An Absent Lover' is out now on cd and lp on Monotreme Records']
Barzin is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has escaped my attention until now. Many of his recordings have been completely solo but here he is joined by various helpers including one of the Great Lake Swimmers. The title is certainly not misleading, this is a break-up album with 9 songs reflecting on a lost love. Lyrically it sounds like a Trembling Blue Stars album, musically it is more like Tindersticks or The National's more mellow moments.
The arrangements are subtle, dignified and pleasing on the ear. Lots of strings, pedal steel and banjo appear, complementing the low-key guitar and drums, Barzin has a strong, deep voice and sings his melancholic songs well, especially the mournful opener 'Nobody Told Me' and the wsitful 'Soft Summer Girls'. The only difficulty I had with the album is that, while the songs are almost all short, beautifully arranged and performed, the mournful tone remains throughout with little or no sign of optimism or perspective and this becomes a bit wearing. On closer 'Dreams' Barzin sings "Come back home Suzanne" with such an air of desperation that you begin to wonder if this album is all a true story...although earlier on 'Queen Jane' he sits "with a broken guitar/ longing for Queen Jane to bring me a song". Suzanne or Jane then?
It doesn't really matter whether any of this is a true story or not though. Barzin does an excellent job of reflecting on the pain, loneliness and moments of poignancy that occur after a break-up. Its a pretty album, well crafted and performed that will be pleasurable listening for fans of bands such as Low, The National and Tindersticks. Barzin is obviously a Tindersticks fan, having covered 'Mistakes' in the past, and you can hear that in his songs, but you can only hear the melancholy and that is only a small part of Tindersticks' sound. With more variety and range of emotions this could have been a great album, rather than just a very good one. A good listen, but hard work.
7.3
['Notes To An Absent Lover' is out now on cd and lp on Monotreme Records']
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
TracksandGigs goes away for one day and......
PAVEMENT GET BACK TOGETHER!!!!
well almost.
Turns out that all of Pavement except Spiral Stairs played one song (not a Pavement song) at a wedding reception over the weekend. Surely this is going to happen soon, its like they're just teasing us now.
T&G saw Fleet Foxes at Camden Roundhouse last night. Full thoughts on the gig tomorrow but The Roundhouse is a terrible venue. Too big, too many posts and although this isn't the venue's fault, last night it was full of people who were just too damn busy doing other things to listen to the Fleet Foxes. Chatting, texting, phoning people etc were all vitally important to some people who bothered to get tickets to last night's gig. I guess this is what happens when a band gets a lot of press attention. Full review tomorrow.
well almost.
Turns out that all of Pavement except Spiral Stairs played one song (not a Pavement song) at a wedding reception over the weekend. Surely this is going to happen soon, its like they're just teasing us now.
T&G saw Fleet Foxes at Camden Roundhouse last night. Full thoughts on the gig tomorrow but The Roundhouse is a terrible venue. Too big, too many posts and although this isn't the venue's fault, last night it was full of people who were just too damn busy doing other things to listen to the Fleet Foxes. Chatting, texting, phoning people etc were all vitally important to some people who bothered to get tickets to last night's gig. I guess this is what happens when a band gets a lot of press attention. Full review tomorrow.
Friday, 20 February 2009
4AD/ The Red Hot Organisation 'Dark Was The Night'
I remember buying 'No Alternative', a similar alt-charity record for the Red Hot foundation, on its release in 1993 and it was this album that led me to discover Pavement, so it will always hold a fond place in my memory. Sixteen years later it is interesting to see how different an 'alternative' compilation sounds. Back in '93 grunge was in vogue and most of the songs on 'No Alternative' were loud and guitar heavy. The most obvious difference between the two albums is that on 'Dark Was The Night' you probably hear twice as many acoustic guitars as you do electric, reflecting the current trend for alt.folk or whatever it is called these days.
4AD have certainly pulled out all the stops for this compilation, curated by The National. Containing 30 tracks and featuring some of the biggest names in US indie, this undoubtably serves as a excellent document of the times. The problem is, and it is a problem on all compilations of this type is that there is a reason that artists have left these songs off their own albums, or deamed them expendable enough to not keep them for insertion on a future album....they are often not that good.
This holds true for the contributions from Bon Iver (dull enough to be on 'Blood Bank'), Arcade Fire (ok, but nothing thrilling), Iron and Wine (very slight), Beirut (could have been a b side) and The Decemberists. Elsewhere, The National offer a decent new song about a girl lost in New York who is "praying for Pavement to get back together"), Spoon provide some welcome humour and a jaunty melody and My Morning Jacket contribute a light, charming waltz.
The most successful contributions are from artists who do something a little different. Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch reworks an old Scottish folk song into a pretty and touching song with a lyri he wrote to sing at his Church. It is lovely and the best thing here by some distance. Conor Oberst re-records 'Lua', his lonely tale of drug-addicted lovers, with Gillian Welch. As a duet it works perfectly, sounding fragile, broken and tired. Finally Blonde Redhead join with The Devastations on the hushed Bjork-esque 'When The Road Runs Out'.
The compilation would probably have been better had some of the less essential stuff been ommitted and the running order been cut from the pretty exhausting 30 tracks. There is something for pretty much everybody here though and it is such a worthy cause that if you are only interested in a couple of the songs, it is still well worth buying. Those artists who have made the effort to have provided something interesting rather than just providing something, should be applauded most loudly.
['Dark Was The Night' is out now on cd from 4AD]
4AD have certainly pulled out all the stops for this compilation, curated by The National. Containing 30 tracks and featuring some of the biggest names in US indie, this undoubtably serves as a excellent document of the times. The problem is, and it is a problem on all compilations of this type is that there is a reason that artists have left these songs off their own albums, or deamed them expendable enough to not keep them for insertion on a future album....they are often not that good.
This holds true for the contributions from Bon Iver (dull enough to be on 'Blood Bank'), Arcade Fire (ok, but nothing thrilling), Iron and Wine (very slight), Beirut (could have been a b side) and The Decemberists. Elsewhere, The National offer a decent new song about a girl lost in New York who is "praying for Pavement to get back together"), Spoon provide some welcome humour and a jaunty melody and My Morning Jacket contribute a light, charming waltz.
The most successful contributions are from artists who do something a little different. Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch reworks an old Scottish folk song into a pretty and touching song with a lyri he wrote to sing at his Church. It is lovely and the best thing here by some distance. Conor Oberst re-records 'Lua', his lonely tale of drug-addicted lovers, with Gillian Welch. As a duet it works perfectly, sounding fragile, broken and tired. Finally Blonde Redhead join with The Devastations on the hushed Bjork-esque 'When The Road Runs Out'.
The compilation would probably have been better had some of the less essential stuff been ommitted and the running order been cut from the pretty exhausting 30 tracks. There is something for pretty much everybody here though and it is such a worthy cause that if you are only interested in a couple of the songs, it is still well worth buying. Those artists who have made the effort to have provided something interesting rather than just providing something, should be applauded most loudly.
['Dark Was The Night' is out now on cd from 4AD]
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Morrissey 'Years of Refusal'
This week I saw an interview with Morrissey where he acknowleged the devotion and loyalty of his fans and was asked if he worried about letting them down by making a bad album. "No" was the answer.
He is probably right to feel confident that his fans will stick with him. There seems to be an unspoken agreement that runs somewhat like this:
1. Morrissey releases an album every 2-3 years which will have a great cover, be heralded as his best since....and will contain at least a couple of tracks good enough to appear on a 'best of' (one of which will also be released every couple of years).
2. Fans buy at least two of the numerous formats and special editions made available.
3. Morrissey tours and plays enough Smiths songs to keep the fans happy and the cycle starts again in a couple of years.
If all this sounds cynical, it probably isn't. It is just that none of this has much to do with creativity and sometimes a Morrissey album reminds me a little of painting by numbers. There are several standard verse/chorus/verse songs here on which Morrissey appears to be on auto-pilot. 'Thats How People Grow Up' must have been on at least two of his previous albums surely? The same applies to three or four other songs, the band play the same tune (or sound) and Morrissey sings about the usual things over the top. You've heard it all before.
Yet...yet....there is 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull' which is just thrilling. A critique of modern life, sung with legitimate passion and edge. And there is 'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris', nothing new but a catchy feel-good (well as feel-good as any song with the line "only stone and steel accept my love" can be) Morrissey single done well. On 'Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed' he sympathises with a woman driven to distraction by the modern world and 'On You Were Good In Your Time' he sings a lament to a hero who is percieved to be past his best. I wonder who he is referring to?
Lyrically Morrissey is generally on good form here. He attacks and he criticises hatred and greed and settles old scores, he seems to revel in his isolation. Its just a shame that the mid-section of the album is dragged down by stodgy, predictable anthems where Morrissey sounds bored. Musically the only variation of the drum and guitar heavy sound are a few brass flourishes here and there. Morrissey and his fans (of which I am one. I will be at the Albert Hall in May to see him) were probably hoping for five or six songs good enough to fit well into his setlists for the year and he achieves that easily but this lacks the consistency needed to be his first truly great album since 'Vauxhall and I'.
7.0
['Years of Refusal' is out now on various formats including a cd/dvd with a conversation between Morrissey and Russell Brand which is far from essential. Morrissey tours in May and T&G can confirm that a Morrissey gig is almost always a lot of fun]
He is probably right to feel confident that his fans will stick with him. There seems to be an unspoken agreement that runs somewhat like this:
1. Morrissey releases an album every 2-3 years which will have a great cover, be heralded as his best since....and will contain at least a couple of tracks good enough to appear on a 'best of' (one of which will also be released every couple of years).
2. Fans buy at least two of the numerous formats and special editions made available.
3. Morrissey tours and plays enough Smiths songs to keep the fans happy and the cycle starts again in a couple of years.
If all this sounds cynical, it probably isn't. It is just that none of this has much to do with creativity and sometimes a Morrissey album reminds me a little of painting by numbers. There are several standard verse/chorus/verse songs here on which Morrissey appears to be on auto-pilot. 'Thats How People Grow Up' must have been on at least two of his previous albums surely? The same applies to three or four other songs, the band play the same tune (or sound) and Morrissey sings about the usual things over the top. You've heard it all before.
Yet...yet....there is 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull' which is just thrilling. A critique of modern life, sung with legitimate passion and edge. And there is 'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris', nothing new but a catchy feel-good (well as feel-good as any song with the line "only stone and steel accept my love" can be) Morrissey single done well. On 'Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed' he sympathises with a woman driven to distraction by the modern world and 'On You Were Good In Your Time' he sings a lament to a hero who is percieved to be past his best. I wonder who he is referring to?
Lyrically Morrissey is generally on good form here. He attacks and he criticises hatred and greed and settles old scores, he seems to revel in his isolation. Its just a shame that the mid-section of the album is dragged down by stodgy, predictable anthems where Morrissey sounds bored. Musically the only variation of the drum and guitar heavy sound are a few brass flourishes here and there. Morrissey and his fans (of which I am one. I will be at the Albert Hall in May to see him) were probably hoping for five or six songs good enough to fit well into his setlists for the year and he achieves that easily but this lacks the consistency needed to be his first truly great album since 'Vauxhall and I'.
7.0
['Years of Refusal' is out now on various formats including a cd/dvd with a conversation between Morrissey and Russell Brand which is far from essential. Morrissey tours in May and T&G can confirm that a Morrissey gig is almost always a lot of fun]
Monday, 16 February 2009
M Ward 'Hold Time'
What do we want from our favourite artists?
I've been wondering this quite a bit lately. Once we've discovered an artist, do we want them to keep on making the same record over and over again to remind us why we liked them in the first place, or do we want them to challenge us and make us fall in love with their music all over again?
One of my favourite records of all time is M Ward's 2003 album 'Transistor Radio'. From the first moment I heard it, I just loved the sound of it. Recorded in analogue and sounding like a record from the 50s or the 40s it was a collection of torch songs and feelgood stompers that made you smile and swoon. the music was so rich and varied that it did feel like turning the dial on an old radio (like the one my Grandparents had that always seemed to find Radio Luxembourg) and hearing different sounds drift in and out. The real clicher was 'Fuel For Fire', as sweet a song as has ever been written about the joys of late nights alone with old books and scratchy records.
When Ward followed this up in 2006 with 'Post-War', I was ever so slightly disappointed. It was a really good album but didn't have the same feel and I didn't love it as much, although it did well for him and I told myself that it would be rude to expect another 'Transistor Radio'.
Well, I've been listening to M Ward's new album 'Hold Time' over and over and somehow he has managed to make a record as rich, as evocative and as utterly gorgeous as that album that made me love his music to start with. The record is luxurious, the soul in Ward's croon mixing with the folk, americana and blues of the arrangements but the added piano, strings and synth make this sound far richer than most records of the same genre.
Highlights? That would be most of it. 'Stars of Leo' builds from an acoustic strum to a fuzzy, anthemic pop songs with a lyric about mortality. 'One Hundred Million Years' is a traditional Ward ballad returning to the same subject ('the lights that shine tonight/ will burn on when we die'). He has some fun on 'Never Had Nobody Like You' which sounds like a Roy Orbison song with some great electric guitar to liven it up and 'Rave On', a fun arrangement of a Buddy Holly song with Zooey Deschanel sharing the vocals.
Before I run the risk of mentioning each and every song (and I should not have got this far without mentioning the great pure pop of 'Epistemology') I should talk about the two stand-outs. 'Oh Lonesome Me' a cover of a Neil Young song, sung here as a duet with Lucinda Williams is as dusty and heartfelt as any Americana you will hear this year, whilst the title track is almost unbelievably beautiful. Over layer upon layer of richly arranged strings, Ward sings his most beautiful love song building to the last line of "I wrote this song just to remember/ the endless endless Summer in your laugh".
This is a marvellous album and it plays just as an album should, to be listened to as one piece of music. Songs drift in and out like a series of dreams, taking in a dazzling array of styles. There is so much to be enjoyed and loved here. This will take some beating for record of the year.
9.2
['Hold Time' is out now on cd and LP with download code on Merge/4AD]
I've been wondering this quite a bit lately. Once we've discovered an artist, do we want them to keep on making the same record over and over again to remind us why we liked them in the first place, or do we want them to challenge us and make us fall in love with their music all over again?
One of my favourite records of all time is M Ward's 2003 album 'Transistor Radio'. From the first moment I heard it, I just loved the sound of it. Recorded in analogue and sounding like a record from the 50s or the 40s it was a collection of torch songs and feelgood stompers that made you smile and swoon. the music was so rich and varied that it did feel like turning the dial on an old radio (like the one my Grandparents had that always seemed to find Radio Luxembourg) and hearing different sounds drift in and out. The real clicher was 'Fuel For Fire', as sweet a song as has ever been written about the joys of late nights alone with old books and scratchy records.
When Ward followed this up in 2006 with 'Post-War', I was ever so slightly disappointed. It was a really good album but didn't have the same feel and I didn't love it as much, although it did well for him and I told myself that it would be rude to expect another 'Transistor Radio'.
Well, I've been listening to M Ward's new album 'Hold Time' over and over and somehow he has managed to make a record as rich, as evocative and as utterly gorgeous as that album that made me love his music to start with. The record is luxurious, the soul in Ward's croon mixing with the folk, americana and blues of the arrangements but the added piano, strings and synth make this sound far richer than most records of the same genre.
Highlights? That would be most of it. 'Stars of Leo' builds from an acoustic strum to a fuzzy, anthemic pop songs with a lyric about mortality. 'One Hundred Million Years' is a traditional Ward ballad returning to the same subject ('the lights that shine tonight/ will burn on when we die'). He has some fun on 'Never Had Nobody Like You' which sounds like a Roy Orbison song with some great electric guitar to liven it up and 'Rave On', a fun arrangement of a Buddy Holly song with Zooey Deschanel sharing the vocals.
Before I run the risk of mentioning each and every song (and I should not have got this far without mentioning the great pure pop of 'Epistemology') I should talk about the two stand-outs. 'Oh Lonesome Me' a cover of a Neil Young song, sung here as a duet with Lucinda Williams is as dusty and heartfelt as any Americana you will hear this year, whilst the title track is almost unbelievably beautiful. Over layer upon layer of richly arranged strings, Ward sings his most beautiful love song building to the last line of "I wrote this song just to remember/ the endless endless Summer in your laugh".
This is a marvellous album and it plays just as an album should, to be listened to as one piece of music. Songs drift in and out like a series of dreams, taking in a dazzling array of styles. There is so much to be enjoyed and loved here. This will take some beating for record of the year.
9.2
['Hold Time' is out now on cd and LP with download code on Merge/4AD]
Friday, 13 February 2009
Tiago LA 'Tiago LA is losing the plot'
A quick word about this EP on Lex Records...
Tiago LA is singer songwriter Drew Brown and this, his debut release, is a nice mix of folk and electronic sounds. 'Tiago LA' seems to be a persona Brown has created and many of the lyrics are self-referential. The predominant sound is acoustic guitar and piano with electronic flourishes and samples in the background. Brown's hushed vocal is remiscent of Elliot Smith or a young Grant Lee Phillips. There's no real stand-out songs here but the six songs fit together nicely and its an enjoyable listen. If you're a fan of Beck's 'The Information' LP, you'll probably like this. One to keep an eye out for.
(M Ward and Morrissey reviews coming really soon.....)
Tiago LA is singer songwriter Drew Brown and this, his debut release, is a nice mix of folk and electronic sounds. 'Tiago LA' seems to be a persona Brown has created and many of the lyrics are self-referential. The predominant sound is acoustic guitar and piano with electronic flourishes and samples in the background. Brown's hushed vocal is remiscent of Elliot Smith or a young Grant Lee Phillips. There's no real stand-out songs here but the six songs fit together nicely and its an enjoyable listen. If you're a fan of Beck's 'The Information' LP, you'll probably like this. One to keep an eye out for.
(M Ward and Morrissey reviews coming really soon.....)
Emmy The Great 'First Love'
Have finally got round to giving the new Emmy The Great album the attention it deserves.
I saw Emmy (Emma-Lee Moss and assorted helpers) play at Union Chapel at the end of 07, supporting The Mountain Goats. I could have done without the nervous chat between songs (sometimes the band would chat amongst themselves, making the audience feel like they were sitting in on a rehearsal) but the songs were great; clever and witty lyrics sung well, over minimal backing of acoustic guitar and violin. This album has taken an age to arrive and Emmy has missed at least two windows of opportunity where UK female singer-songwriters were in 'vogue' but no matter because these songs have nothing to do with any particular trend.
'First Love' is interesting to me because it is a curious mix of the old and the new. On the one hand, the arrangements are old-fashioned low key folk mixed with some 60s pop influences and there are lyrics referencing Dylan, Cohen and old-school mix tapes. On the other hand, this feels like a modern record and not just because of the references to 24 and MIA. I like the fact that a number of songs mention listening to music and different songs soundtrack some of the stories on the record, this is taken almost to extremes on 'MIA' where a mix-tape continues to play after a car crash.
Quite often 'First Love' reminds me of early Belle & Sebastian. Its the mix of intelligent lyrics and simple, acoustic arrangements. The song 'Dylan' is a witty attack on the Dylan phase that every bloke seems to go through, with cutting lines such as "reading an Italian novel from the 13th century is not that hard to do", 'First Love' is an account of just that and a re-write of 'Hallelujah', which ironically captures more of the spirit of the original that most of the recent cover versions. Best of all is 'We Almost Had A Baby', a Spector-ish pop classic with harmonies and a killer melody.
'First Love' is a great debut, intelligent without taking itself too seriously and losing its sense of fun. Emmy did well to take her time over this record, it comes over as assured and confident.
8.0
['First Love' is out now]
I saw Emmy (Emma-Lee Moss and assorted helpers) play at Union Chapel at the end of 07, supporting The Mountain Goats. I could have done without the nervous chat between songs (sometimes the band would chat amongst themselves, making the audience feel like they were sitting in on a rehearsal) but the songs were great; clever and witty lyrics sung well, over minimal backing of acoustic guitar and violin. This album has taken an age to arrive and Emmy has missed at least two windows of opportunity where UK female singer-songwriters were in 'vogue' but no matter because these songs have nothing to do with any particular trend.
'First Love' is interesting to me because it is a curious mix of the old and the new. On the one hand, the arrangements are old-fashioned low key folk mixed with some 60s pop influences and there are lyrics referencing Dylan, Cohen and old-school mix tapes. On the other hand, this feels like a modern record and not just because of the references to 24 and MIA. I like the fact that a number of songs mention listening to music and different songs soundtrack some of the stories on the record, this is taken almost to extremes on 'MIA' where a mix-tape continues to play after a car crash.
Quite often 'First Love' reminds me of early Belle & Sebastian. Its the mix of intelligent lyrics and simple, acoustic arrangements. The song 'Dylan' is a witty attack on the Dylan phase that every bloke seems to go through, with cutting lines such as "reading an Italian novel from the 13th century is not that hard to do", 'First Love' is an account of just that and a re-write of 'Hallelujah', which ironically captures more of the spirit of the original that most of the recent cover versions. Best of all is 'We Almost Had A Baby', a Spector-ish pop classic with harmonies and a killer melody.
'First Love' is a great debut, intelligent without taking itself too seriously and losing its sense of fun. Emmy did well to take her time over this record, it comes over as assured and confident.
8.0
['First Love' is out now]
Saturday, 7 February 2009
J. Tillman 'Vacilando Territory Blues'
Its taken me ages to review this because the record took some time to unravel and the more it did, the more I wanted to discover before writing about it.
J Tillman has been a singer/songwriter long before he was Fleet Foxes drummer and harmony singer. I remember him touring with Denison Witmer a few years ago and I admit I did have him down as just another acoustic guitar playing singer songwriter. However, whereas Witmer's last album fell back on easy melodies and cliched lyrics, Tillman's fifth has better songs and takes a few risks.
The first half of this album does concentrate on hushed acoustic ballads, sung and played by Tillman mainly on his own. The best of these, the mournful 'No Occasion' and the funny/sad 'James Blues' are superb examples of the type of lo-fi acoustic recordings that the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy and Jason Molina produce. In particular Tillman sounds like 'Didn't It Rain'-era Molina...sparse instrumentation and a warm, strong voice. Late night, lonely, tender ballads of the highest quality.
Just when you think you've got the record figured out though, Tillman changes things round on side B with some full band recordings that offer a different feel. 'Steel On Steel', is a tragic story but with a catchy melody and hookline, 'New Imperial Grand Blues' is a stomping rocker with booming drums and best of all, 'Master's House' is confident, laid-back blues which Tillman plays and sings beautifully. It is gloriously unhurried and sparse.
Tillman has showed that he is capable of turning his hand to a number of styles and this is a superb album. The core of the album, certainly, are the hushed, acoustic ballads but he sounds like he could well make a similar move to Jason Molina and make a more expansive album like 'Magnolia Electric Co' next. How he will find time to do all this whilst continuing his day job of being in one of the best new band's in the world is anyone's guess!
7.6
['Vacilando Territory Blues' is out now on CD/LP on Bella Union]
J Tillman has been a singer/songwriter long before he was Fleet Foxes drummer and harmony singer. I remember him touring with Denison Witmer a few years ago and I admit I did have him down as just another acoustic guitar playing singer songwriter. However, whereas Witmer's last album fell back on easy melodies and cliched lyrics, Tillman's fifth has better songs and takes a few risks.
The first half of this album does concentrate on hushed acoustic ballads, sung and played by Tillman mainly on his own. The best of these, the mournful 'No Occasion' and the funny/sad 'James Blues' are superb examples of the type of lo-fi acoustic recordings that the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy and Jason Molina produce. In particular Tillman sounds like 'Didn't It Rain'-era Molina...sparse instrumentation and a warm, strong voice. Late night, lonely, tender ballads of the highest quality.
Just when you think you've got the record figured out though, Tillman changes things round on side B with some full band recordings that offer a different feel. 'Steel On Steel', is a tragic story but with a catchy melody and hookline, 'New Imperial Grand Blues' is a stomping rocker with booming drums and best of all, 'Master's House' is confident, laid-back blues which Tillman plays and sings beautifully. It is gloriously unhurried and sparse.
Tillman has showed that he is capable of turning his hand to a number of styles and this is a superb album. The core of the album, certainly, are the hushed, acoustic ballads but he sounds like he could well make a similar move to Jason Molina and make a more expansive album like 'Magnolia Electric Co' next. How he will find time to do all this whilst continuing his day job of being in one of the best new band's in the world is anyone's guess!
7.6
['Vacilando Territory Blues' is out now on CD/LP on Bella Union]
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Single of the Week.....Morrissey!
The best thing about Morrissey releasing a new album is it means that he will tour. The last couple of albums have been...good, but not 'Vauxhall and I' but the gigs to accompany them, especially the Palladium in 2006, have been superb and great fun.
By all accounts the new LP is pretty good so I'll be reviewing that in a couple of weeks. The new single 'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris' is what you'd expect. A bit of a stomper, solid verses leading up to a catchy, singalong chorus. Better than 'You Have Killed Me' and it'll be good live. Morrissey has fun in the video too, with a dog and a tambourine.
So, come on, what more could you ask? Out on cd/7"/digital with a variety of b sides too.
In other news, the Emmy the Great review has been slightly delayed due to the postal service being disrupted by the snow here. Expect a review on Sunday or Monday. I still haven't got my head round the J Tillman album enough to review it either.
Looking forward to seeing The Mozz at the Albert Hall in May!
By all accounts the new LP is pretty good so I'll be reviewing that in a couple of weeks. The new single 'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris' is what you'd expect. A bit of a stomper, solid verses leading up to a catchy, singalong chorus. Better than 'You Have Killed Me' and it'll be good live. Morrissey has fun in the video too, with a dog and a tambourine.
So, come on, what more could you ask? Out on cd/7"/digital with a variety of b sides too.
In other news, the Emmy the Great review has been slightly delayed due to the postal service being disrupted by the snow here. Expect a review on Sunday or Monday. I still haven't got my head round the J Tillman album enough to review it either.
Looking forward to seeing The Mozz at the Albert Hall in May!
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Albums I should have listened to on Spotify first....
Wednesday afternoon, 'readers'. At work but with no fewer than three potential distractions...
1. Blogger. I wanted to get this post written this afternoon if possible.
2. Cricket. West Indies v England starts in just over half an hour. Am very tempted to try and listen to TMS without anyone noticing.
and the biggest distraction of all...
Spotify.
T&G is well and truly in love with Spotify. As detailed in previous posts I am very much opposed to file sharing and the like but Spotify is something different. Its a throwback to the days where I would ask the staff of 'Sounds Good To Me' or Andys Records to let me listen to an album so I could decide whether or not to buy it. In the last couple of years, I have probably been purchasing 50% more music than in the past, all because I no longer have a local record shop where I can test things out. Spotify is one big online jukebox where I can listen to those albums that I'm curious about, but not totally decided on buying. Superb.
This will only punish those artists who make albums that aren't good enough. I have no desire to listen to music on a computer so anything that I hear on Spotify that I like, will be purchased on LP or CD for 'proper' listening. My view is that Spotify will actually encourage artists to try to make better music!
Anyway....a couple of albums that I bought recently that would have benefited from a pre-purchase-spotify...
Bruce Springsteen 'Working On A Dream'....'The Wrestler' is not at all representative. Much of the rest of this album is throwaway pop/rock. Whether or not some of it is tongue in cheek is debatable but also irrelevant. I'm sure Bruce and the guys had a great time making this record, but I had a terrible time listening to it. 4/10
Animal Collective 'Merriweather Post Pavillion'....I sort of knew I wouldn't like this. Just not my sort of thing. But the unbelievable amount of hype and excitement made me think this might be some sort of new 'Yoshimi'. Not at all. It makes your head spin certainly and some of it sticks in your mind, but to me it is no more than reasonably pleasant background music.
Am still assessing the J Tillman LP. Check back in a few days for my review of 'First Love' by Emmy The Great.
now, Cricket, Spotify or Work??
1. Blogger. I wanted to get this post written this afternoon if possible.
2. Cricket. West Indies v England starts in just over half an hour. Am very tempted to try and listen to TMS without anyone noticing.
and the biggest distraction of all...
Spotify.
T&G is well and truly in love with Spotify. As detailed in previous posts I am very much opposed to file sharing and the like but Spotify is something different. Its a throwback to the days where I would ask the staff of 'Sounds Good To Me' or Andys Records to let me listen to an album so I could decide whether or not to buy it. In the last couple of years, I have probably been purchasing 50% more music than in the past, all because I no longer have a local record shop where I can test things out. Spotify is one big online jukebox where I can listen to those albums that I'm curious about, but not totally decided on buying. Superb.
This will only punish those artists who make albums that aren't good enough. I have no desire to listen to music on a computer so anything that I hear on Spotify that I like, will be purchased on LP or CD for 'proper' listening. My view is that Spotify will actually encourage artists to try to make better music!
Anyway....a couple of albums that I bought recently that would have benefited from a pre-purchase-spotify...
Bruce Springsteen 'Working On A Dream'....'The Wrestler' is not at all representative. Much of the rest of this album is throwaway pop/rock. Whether or not some of it is tongue in cheek is debatable but also irrelevant. I'm sure Bruce and the guys had a great time making this record, but I had a terrible time listening to it. 4/10
Animal Collective 'Merriweather Post Pavillion'....I sort of knew I wouldn't like this. Just not my sort of thing. But the unbelievable amount of hype and excitement made me think this might be some sort of new 'Yoshimi'. Not at all. It makes your head spin certainly and some of it sticks in your mind, but to me it is no more than reasonably pleasant background music.
Am still assessing the J Tillman LP. Check back in a few days for my review of 'First Love' by Emmy The Great.
now, Cricket, Spotify or Work??
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Beirut 'March of the Zapotec/ Holland'
T&G has been trying for some time to learn to love Beirut. Zach Condon's previous two albums have been interesting and wonderfully arranged but have felt slightly cold to me and I have admired the music rather than loved it.
After a debut album focussed on an Eastern-European sound and a follow up that veered towards French baroque pop, this third album flies off in two completely separate directions and nobody could accuse Condon of taking the easy option or resting on his laurels.
This is essentially two distinct EPs that are tagged together to make a less than cohesive LP. The first EP is stunning. Condon joins forces with nothing less than a 19 piece Mexican Funeral band to create a set of songs that simply overflow with warm, rich brass sounds. The record is rich with trumpet, horns, ukelele and tuba with some wonderful drums and cymbal crashes. Condon sings mournfully over the top of all this, although there are some frequent instrumental passages, particularly on standout track 'The Shrew'. To some extent it all sounds like something you might hear playing at half time at a football match over Christmas but it is a splendidly full sound and a real joy to listen to.
The second EP changes tack radically to move to a 1980s disco sound! This is a return to Condon's solo recordings of old and the sound is heavy on synth and electronic drums. It concludes with 'No Dice', an overly long electro pop ditty which sounds like something you might hear at the Eurovision Song Contest.
This may well be a willful attempt from Condon to produce two utterly distinct EPs and to challenge the listener. If that is his intention, he certainly succeeds. The trouble is, when you are capable of producing a glorious mix of Mexican and Balkan sounds, 1980s euro-pop is always going to be a disappointment.
'March of the Zapotec' - 8.0
'Holland'- 5.0
['March of the Zapotec / Holland' is out now digitally and on cd from 16/2]
After a debut album focussed on an Eastern-European sound and a follow up that veered towards French baroque pop, this third album flies off in two completely separate directions and nobody could accuse Condon of taking the easy option or resting on his laurels.
This is essentially two distinct EPs that are tagged together to make a less than cohesive LP. The first EP is stunning. Condon joins forces with nothing less than a 19 piece Mexican Funeral band to create a set of songs that simply overflow with warm, rich brass sounds. The record is rich with trumpet, horns, ukelele and tuba with some wonderful drums and cymbal crashes. Condon sings mournfully over the top of all this, although there are some frequent instrumental passages, particularly on standout track 'The Shrew'. To some extent it all sounds like something you might hear playing at half time at a football match over Christmas but it is a splendidly full sound and a real joy to listen to.
The second EP changes tack radically to move to a 1980s disco sound! This is a return to Condon's solo recordings of old and the sound is heavy on synth and electronic drums. It concludes with 'No Dice', an overly long electro pop ditty which sounds like something you might hear at the Eurovision Song Contest.
This may well be a willful attempt from Condon to produce two utterly distinct EPs and to challenge the listener. If that is his intention, he certainly succeeds. The trouble is, when you are capable of producing a glorious mix of Mexican and Balkan sounds, 1980s euro-pop is always going to be a disappointment.
'March of the Zapotec' - 8.0
'Holland'- 5.0
['March of the Zapotec / Holland' is out now digitally and on cd from 16/2]
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Single of the week...
No surprises here, single of the week is..
Fleet Foxes 'Mykonos'
Possibly their most commercial sounding song and absolutely essential for the "brother you don't need to turn me away.." part alone. Plenty of hooks and a great showcase for Robin Pecknold's amazing voice.
Was playing the lovely 7" version yesterday. The b side is a cover of a Steeleye Span song 'False Knight On The Road'. I admit to never having heard much of the veteran UK folksters but my girlfriend's mum and dad are huge fans and apparently this stripped down, mellow version of the song is way different to the original. Undeniably very nice though.
If you opt for the soul-free, disposable download version of the single, you get a live version of 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song' which is so gentle and spine-tingling that T&G officially now CANNOT WAIT for the Fleet Foxes Roundhouse dates later this month. Best band in the world at the moment? Could well be.
Absolutely loads of stuff coming up in the next 2-3 weeks....new Morrissey LP, new M Ward LP, J Tillman LP (that I already have but still need to listen to) and an Emmy The Great album (at last)...plus those aforementioned Fleet Foxes gigs. Phew.
Fleet Foxes 'Mykonos'
Possibly their most commercial sounding song and absolutely essential for the "brother you don't need to turn me away.." part alone. Plenty of hooks and a great showcase for Robin Pecknold's amazing voice.
Was playing the lovely 7" version yesterday. The b side is a cover of a Steeleye Span song 'False Knight On The Road'. I admit to never having heard much of the veteran UK folksters but my girlfriend's mum and dad are huge fans and apparently this stripped down, mellow version of the song is way different to the original. Undeniably very nice though.
If you opt for the soul-free, disposable download version of the single, you get a live version of 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song' which is so gentle and spine-tingling that T&G officially now CANNOT WAIT for the Fleet Foxes Roundhouse dates later this month. Best band in the world at the moment? Could well be.
Absolutely loads of stuff coming up in the next 2-3 weeks....new Morrissey LP, new M Ward LP, J Tillman LP (that I already have but still need to listen to) and an Emmy The Great album (at last)...plus those aforementioned Fleet Foxes gigs. Phew.
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