Still we wait for the new LP from the incomparable Innocence Mission. It is due sometime soon it would seem and last year's 'Steet Map' was a wonderful taster. Since The Innocence Mission are undoubtably a Spring or Winter band, they should hurry and get it released as soon as possible.
This morning, leaving the house early to go swimming I selected 'We Walked In Song' (their last LP..from 2007) on my ipod and it was perfect. Sitting on the train, watching the sun rise and listening to the most gentle, serene and moving music. The really great albums, the ones you would call favourites are the ones that you play without thinking about it, the ones you find yourself turning to automatically.
Its hard to believe we are already a third of the way through the year. We've had some pretty good releases already this year. When I think about which ones may be beyond good...albums that I will be playing for years to come, I think of M Ward's 'Hold Time' and Bill Callahan's 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle'. Callahan's LP especially, still sounds wonderful. Its one of the best sounding records I've heard in a long time. There's been some amusing discussions and differing opinions on the Smog mailing list, but for me it is one of his best albums. Other records have come and gone this year, sounded great at times, but those two are my favourites thus far.
I'll be reviewing Morrissey's re-issued, re-packaged, re-presented, re-sequenced 'Southpaw Grammar' in a few days time. For me, unlike the similarly re-done 'Maladjusted', SG was always a very good album, unfairly derided. Its easy to forget that it was released in the middle of Britpop, when lengthy, wordy, dirge style songs were the least fashionable thing going. Morrissey never did care too much for trends.
Also will be writing about the Handsome Family and Art Brut albums in the days to come.
and I have heard a whisper of some very exciting news for UK people who are fans of a T&G favourite. But I'm not allowed to say anything yet.....
Monday 27 April 2009
Thursday 23 April 2009
Great Lake Swimmers 'Lost Channels'
Previous albums by Toronto's Great Lake Swimmers have been, to my ears at least, pleasant but somewhat lacking in drive. Songs floated in and out, as light as a feather and sometimes barely there, they made early-Low sound like AC/DC. I guess they belong(ed) to this ambient-folk genre, inhabited by the likes of Iron and Wine, excellent for stroking beards to and occasionally liable to cause you to tap your foot (ever so gently) but not all that memorable.
With 'Lost Channels', GLS have changed direction slightly and moved more into folk-rock territory. Acoustic guitars are all over this record but rather than being gently picked, they weave some beautiful and catchy melodies. Singer Tony Dekker's voice sounds stronger and the band seem to have a new confidence. In particular 'Pulling On A Line' is so catchy and familiar that it could be a hit single, while 'She Comes To Me In Dreams' is poppy and a feel-good Summer song.
There are more melancholy pieces such as the mandolin-led 'Palmistry' and the heartfelt 'Everything Is Moving So Fast'. The record flows beautifully, no song outstays its welcome and the whole thing sounds, sorry to use this word, positively 'dreamy'. Fans of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes will find lots to love here.
8.4
['Lost Channels' is out now. GLS tour the UK in May]
With 'Lost Channels', GLS have changed direction slightly and moved more into folk-rock territory. Acoustic guitars are all over this record but rather than being gently picked, they weave some beautiful and catchy melodies. Singer Tony Dekker's voice sounds stronger and the band seem to have a new confidence. In particular 'Pulling On A Line' is so catchy and familiar that it could be a hit single, while 'She Comes To Me In Dreams' is poppy and a feel-good Summer song.
There are more melancholy pieces such as the mandolin-led 'Palmistry' and the heartfelt 'Everything Is Moving So Fast'. The record flows beautifully, no song outstays its welcome and the whole thing sounds, sorry to use this word, positively 'dreamy'. Fans of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes will find lots to love here.
8.4
['Lost Channels' is out now. GLS tour the UK in May]
Monday 20 April 2009
Camera Obscura 'My Maudlin Career'
I ran a 10k race at the weekend. Clearly this has little to do with Camera Obscura's new LP, except to say that melodies from these songs were bouncing round my head as I ran and at that point I had only listened to the album twice. There are some seriously catchy tunes here!
Camera Obscura's fourth album is a lively mix of upbeat 60s sounding pop tunes and torch ballads. It is an almost perfect 50/50 mix. Lyrically, the album is concerned with matters of the heart, generally the bouncy, upbeat tracks document love arriving and blossoming whilst the ballads are usually 'maudlin' break up songs. Most notably, 'James' is a real heart-on-sleeve tearjerker, sung beautifully by Traceyanne Campbell, and if it is a true story, she pulls no punches. Its a song about what to do when love disappears and whether it is possible to still be friends. The answer seems to be "no". 'Away With Murder' and 'Other Towns And Cities' chart a similar course, mixing sadness with bitterness over swooning strings.
Elsewhere though, 'My Maudlin Career' is full of joyful, vibrant sounds. 'French Navy' is a stirring, buoyant account of falling in love and 'Swans' is just the catchiest thing you will ever hear; a song extolling the virtues of travelling the world, with more than one catchy melody and a central one that sounds like it should be used as the theme to a kids tv show.
The downbeat ballads probably just about hold sway, meaning that the record has a predominant sense of melancholy with fleeting glimpses of joy. The music is lush throughout though, the strings and rich vocals give the record a cinematic sound and it feels like a throwback to the music of the 60s. It feels good and it sounds great.
9.0
['My Maudlin Career' is out now on 4AD]
Camera Obscura's fourth album is a lively mix of upbeat 60s sounding pop tunes and torch ballads. It is an almost perfect 50/50 mix. Lyrically, the album is concerned with matters of the heart, generally the bouncy, upbeat tracks document love arriving and blossoming whilst the ballads are usually 'maudlin' break up songs. Most notably, 'James' is a real heart-on-sleeve tearjerker, sung beautifully by Traceyanne Campbell, and if it is a true story, she pulls no punches. Its a song about what to do when love disappears and whether it is possible to still be friends. The answer seems to be "no". 'Away With Murder' and 'Other Towns And Cities' chart a similar course, mixing sadness with bitterness over swooning strings.
Elsewhere though, 'My Maudlin Career' is full of joyful, vibrant sounds. 'French Navy' is a stirring, buoyant account of falling in love and 'Swans' is just the catchiest thing you will ever hear; a song extolling the virtues of travelling the world, with more than one catchy melody and a central one that sounds like it should be used as the theme to a kids tv show.
The downbeat ballads probably just about hold sway, meaning that the record has a predominant sense of melancholy with fleeting glimpses of joy. The music is lush throughout though, the strings and rich vocals give the record a cinematic sound and it feels like a throwback to the music of the 60s. It feels good and it sounds great.
9.0
['My Maudlin Career' is out now on 4AD]
Friday 17 April 2009
Thursday 16 April 2009
Record Store Day reminder
There will be a reviews of the Fanfarlo and Camera Obscura albums in the next day or two, but just a reminder that this saturday is RECORD STORE DAY. There's loads of limited edition vinyl being released on the day and loads of bands playing in shops. It should be a brilliant day. TracksandGigs will be at Rough Trade East, Pure Groove and Sister Ray and will report back on Sunday. Find your nearest participating shop here:
http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home
I'm currently reading a great book called 'Last Shop Standing - whatever happened to record shops' and, despite being a brilliant read, it is enough to make you weep. Get out and support your local record shop on Saturday - they need all the help they can get.
http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home
I'm currently reading a great book called 'Last Shop Standing - whatever happened to record shops' and, despite being a brilliant read, it is enough to make you weep. Get out and support your local record shop on Saturday - they need all the help they can get.
Tuesday 14 April 2009
Single of the week
Camera Obscura 'French Navy'
"Spent a week in a dusty library
waiting for some words to jump at me"
Even if Camera Obscura's new single had ground to a halt after those fantasic opening lines, it would still have been 'single of the week' this week.
Luckily, however, it continues and blossoms into a 60s sounding, glorious pop classic, perfect for the first few weeks of Spring. Plenty of hooks, sweeping strings and the only slight disappointment is the harsh fade-out. Otherwise its a mix of Spector-pop, Belle & Sebastian circa- The Life Pursuit and The Pipettes circa-before they had umpteen line-up changes and became rubbish.
The album's out next week and by the sound of this, it will be ace. Plus, they're on 4AD now and thats always a bonus.
single of the week. It will make you want to eat strawberries by the river, or something.
"Spent a week in a dusty library
waiting for some words to jump at me"
Even if Camera Obscura's new single had ground to a halt after those fantasic opening lines, it would still have been 'single of the week' this week.
Luckily, however, it continues and blossoms into a 60s sounding, glorious pop classic, perfect for the first few weeks of Spring. Plenty of hooks, sweeping strings and the only slight disappointment is the harsh fade-out. Otherwise its a mix of Spector-pop, Belle & Sebastian circa- The Life Pursuit and The Pipettes circa-before they had umpteen line-up changes and became rubbish.
The album's out next week and by the sound of this, it will be ace. Plus, they're on 4AD now and thats always a bonus.
single of the week. It will make you want to eat strawberries by the river, or something.
Sunday 12 April 2009
Bill Callahan 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle'
Bill Callahan’s first album under his own name, rather than ‘Smog’, was a disappointment when compared to his previous work. ‘Woke On A Whaleheart’ had some great moments but was an odd mish-mash of styles and moods and never settled enough to be a rewarding listen.
Here, from the opening ‘Jim Cain’, Callahan seems to have returned to playing to his strengths. Most of the songs here are grounded in acoustic guitar with piano and strings as embelishments, similar to the sound of his last great record, 2005’s ‘A River Ain’t Too Much To Love’. He sets the tone with the lyric “I used to be darker/ then I got lighter/ then I got dark again”. While this is no return to the misery of ‘The Doctor Came At Dawn’, the occasional frivolity of his last record is gone.
He hits the ground running too. ‘Jim Cain’ is a beautiful introduction and ‘Eid Ma Clack Shaw’ which follows is marvellous. Wanting to find a way to “shake a memory”, Callahan dreams the perfect song and then presents it: a couple of lines of gibberish. It all sounds a lot better on record than I can describe it here. Some traditionally dusty country ballads follow, with Callahan’s voice as low as it has ever been, rightfully taking centre stage and delivering some truly great lines and imagery. “I used to be sorta blind, now I can sorta see” he sings on ‘Rococo Zephyr’, a lovely, lazy ballad with some harmony vocals. ‘My Friend’, is unusually jaunty with predominant electric guitar and drums but the lyric is a tribute to Callahan’s dog and he delivers the hook line with a growl.
Perhaps best of all is ‘Too Many Birds’, which starts off as a simple tale of a blackbird looking for a place to rest but builds with the help of some graceful cello into a stirring crescendo with Callahan gradually unravelling the line “if you could only stop your heartbeat for one heartbeat”. It is soaring, affecting music on a par with the best songs he has ever written.
The album closes with ‘Faith/Void’, a lengthy coda with the repeated line “Its time to put God away”. Callahan sings of almost everything under the sun in the 48 minutes of this record. Of love, loss, death, friendship and as always the natural world, birds looking for a home is a recurring image. He has created a consistent sounding record that will move and inspire you. Undoubtably a career highlight from one of the best songwriters working today. Album of the year so far.
9.7
[‘Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle’ is out now on drag city on cd/lp]
Here, from the opening ‘Jim Cain’, Callahan seems to have returned to playing to his strengths. Most of the songs here are grounded in acoustic guitar with piano and strings as embelishments, similar to the sound of his last great record, 2005’s ‘A River Ain’t Too Much To Love’. He sets the tone with the lyric “I used to be darker/ then I got lighter/ then I got dark again”. While this is no return to the misery of ‘The Doctor Came At Dawn’, the occasional frivolity of his last record is gone.
He hits the ground running too. ‘Jim Cain’ is a beautiful introduction and ‘Eid Ma Clack Shaw’ which follows is marvellous. Wanting to find a way to “shake a memory”, Callahan dreams the perfect song and then presents it: a couple of lines of gibberish. It all sounds a lot better on record than I can describe it here. Some traditionally dusty country ballads follow, with Callahan’s voice as low as it has ever been, rightfully taking centre stage and delivering some truly great lines and imagery. “I used to be sorta blind, now I can sorta see” he sings on ‘Rococo Zephyr’, a lovely, lazy ballad with some harmony vocals. ‘My Friend’, is unusually jaunty with predominant electric guitar and drums but the lyric is a tribute to Callahan’s dog and he delivers the hook line with a growl.
Perhaps best of all is ‘Too Many Birds’, which starts off as a simple tale of a blackbird looking for a place to rest but builds with the help of some graceful cello into a stirring crescendo with Callahan gradually unravelling the line “if you could only stop your heartbeat for one heartbeat”. It is soaring, affecting music on a par with the best songs he has ever written.
The album closes with ‘Faith/Void’, a lengthy coda with the repeated line “Its time to put God away”. Callahan sings of almost everything under the sun in the 48 minutes of this record. Of love, loss, death, friendship and as always the natural world, birds looking for a home is a recurring image. He has created a consistent sounding record that will move and inspire you. Undoubtably a career highlight from one of the best songwriters working today. Album of the year so far.
9.7
[‘Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle’ is out now on drag city on cd/lp]
Saturday 11 April 2009
God Help The Girl / Twitter
I previously reported that a new Belle & Sebastian record was due this year, a concept album about a girl who falls in love with a swimming pool attendant.
Turns out I wasn't quite right. The record is a "story set to music" and it is created by Stuart Murdoch, as a solo project of sorts, albeit one with several guest vocalists. It is called 'God Help The Girl' and is out on Rough Trade in June.
You can hear a track from it, called 'Come Monday Night', at http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/
Its rather lovely and a nice taster for the LP.
In other news, TracksandGigs is now on Twitter, username: tinderplank. I may post first impressions of albums and gigs etc there, so should you be so inclined you could check that out.
A review of the new Bill Callahan album should appear here in the next couple of days.
Turns out I wasn't quite right. The record is a "story set to music" and it is created by Stuart Murdoch, as a solo project of sorts, albeit one with several guest vocalists. It is called 'God Help The Girl' and is out on Rough Trade in June.
You can hear a track from it, called 'Come Monday Night', at http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/
Its rather lovely and a nice taster for the LP.
In other news, TracksandGigs is now on Twitter, username: tinderplank. I may post first impressions of albums and gigs etc there, so should you be so inclined you could check that out.
A review of the new Bill Callahan album should appear here in the next couple of days.
Tuesday 7 April 2009
The Hold Steady 'A Positive Rage'
Two summers ago, I was listening to The Hold Steady pretty much every day. They seemed exciting, fresh and new despite clearly owing a lot to bands and artists from the past. At some point after their headlining show at Shepherds Bush Empire though, the agenda seemed to change. Last year's 'Stay Positive' album was a huge disappointment, sounding rushed and tired at the same time, the sound of shoulders shrugging and voice asking "will this do?".
This live album was recorded back in October 2007, right at the end of a huge world tour in support of 'Boys and Girls in America' and right at the start of the writing and recording of 'Stay Positive'. My hope was that this would capture the band at their absolute peak, sounding as good as they did when I saw them play in London in July of that year. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, this album doesn't come close to capturing the excitement and euphoria of a Hold Steady show in 2007.
Singer Craig Finn sounds jaded and occasionally stumbles over his words. While pitch perfect singing has never been in a factor in THS's appeal, his weak rendition of 'First Night', their most beautiful song, is a real let down. Secondly, the production and sound are awful. Just like 'Stay Positive', the album is mixed far too loud. Having a rock'n'roll, in-your-face sound is one thing, but there is no subtlety whatsoever in the sound, the louder, guitar based songs just sound like a big muddy mess and then, inexplicably, Tad Kubler's solo in 'Lord I'm Discouraged' is virtually inaudible.
It is good to hear a live version of 'Ask Her For Adderall', a song that was omitted from 'Stay Positive' in favour of the clunky 'Constructive Summer'. 'Same Kooks' and 'Barfruit Blues' sound as frenzied and exciting as ever, but overall this is a missed opportunity. I'm sure for all those in attendance in Chicago on the night, this was an amazing gig, but here it just sounds flat and tired.
5.0
['A Positive Rage' is out now on Rough Trade]
This live album was recorded back in October 2007, right at the end of a huge world tour in support of 'Boys and Girls in America' and right at the start of the writing and recording of 'Stay Positive'. My hope was that this would capture the band at their absolute peak, sounding as good as they did when I saw them play in London in July of that year. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, this album doesn't come close to capturing the excitement and euphoria of a Hold Steady show in 2007.
Singer Craig Finn sounds jaded and occasionally stumbles over his words. While pitch perfect singing has never been in a factor in THS's appeal, his weak rendition of 'First Night', their most beautiful song, is a real let down. Secondly, the production and sound are awful. Just like 'Stay Positive', the album is mixed far too loud. Having a rock'n'roll, in-your-face sound is one thing, but there is no subtlety whatsoever in the sound, the louder, guitar based songs just sound like a big muddy mess and then, inexplicably, Tad Kubler's solo in 'Lord I'm Discouraged' is virtually inaudible.
It is good to hear a live version of 'Ask Her For Adderall', a song that was omitted from 'Stay Positive' in favour of the clunky 'Constructive Summer'. 'Same Kooks' and 'Barfruit Blues' sound as frenzied and exciting as ever, but overall this is a missed opportunity. I'm sure for all those in attendance in Chicago on the night, this was an amazing gig, but here it just sounds flat and tired.
5.0
['A Positive Rage' is out now on Rough Trade]
Sleeping Years London gig
Sorry for the lack of updates, followed by lots of updates, like, all at once. We moved house this weekend and I am just returning to sanity/normality and only now is music entering my thoughts again.
Here's something to look forward to though. T&G favourites The Sleeping Years, led by Dale Grundle, are playing at The Borderline in London on 29th April. First I should say that The Borderline is a lovely little venue and I have fond memories of seeing Micah P Hinson and Denison Witmer playing there one summer's night in 2004. TSY aren't headlining, they are supporting someone called Ella Edmondson, who I admit is completely unknown to me, but I shall familiarise myself with her music.
A must-attend gig, just for TSY though!
[update, 5 minutes later.....OK, so she's Ade Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders' daughter!]
Here's something to look forward to though. T&G favourites The Sleeping Years, led by Dale Grundle, are playing at The Borderline in London on 29th April. First I should say that The Borderline is a lovely little venue and I have fond memories of seeing Micah P Hinson and Denison Witmer playing there one summer's night in 2004. TSY aren't headlining, they are supporting someone called Ella Edmondson, who I admit is completely unknown to me, but I shall familiarise myself with her music.
A must-attend gig, just for TSY though!
[update, 5 minutes later.....OK, so she's Ade Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders' daughter!]
Fanfarlo
I somehow managed to miss this great band. From London, but led by Swedish musician Simon Balthezar, Fanfarlo are a nice mix of Arcade Fire, Grandaddy and a bit of Tindersticks. Very orchestral and lush.
Hear more here:
http://www.myspace.com/fanfarlo
they are self-releasing their debut album. review soon...
Hear more here:
http://www.myspace.com/fanfarlo
they are self-releasing their debut album. review soon...
Wednesday 1 April 2009
Stephen Malkmus - Daytrotter Session
He recorded one of the albums of 2008, he plays a mean game of scrabble....and he is going to reform Pavement soon (I sincerely believe), yet Stephen Malkmus has still found time to record a Daytrotter session! Hurrah.
Awfully good it is too. You can listen to it right here:
http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/stephen-malkmus-and-the-jicks-captain-of-the-puzzle-gang-concert/20030557-6729.html
Track 1 doesn't count. Track 3 is 'Wicked Wanda' from 'Real Emotional Trash' which is a slight disappointment because he could've gone for the title track, 'Baltimore' or 'Gardenia' (my favourites basically), but still. Track 2 is a super version of 'Vanessa For Queens' from 'Pig Lib' and the last track 'Funk 49' is a brand NEW song, which is really groovy and loose and Malk sounds just great. As do The Jicks of course.
In nearly-related news, one of the vinyl only releases coming out on the fantastic RECORD STORE DAY (April 18th) is a Pavement live LP from Germany in 1997. Still awaiting news on whether this will be available in UK RSD-supporting record stores, but I hope so, since I will be spending the whole of that day in London looking for rare items and just spending as much time as possible in as many record shops as I can find!
Awfully good it is too. You can listen to it right here:
http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/stephen-malkmus-and-the-jicks-captain-of-the-puzzle-gang-concert/20030557-6729.html
Track 1 doesn't count. Track 3 is 'Wicked Wanda' from 'Real Emotional Trash' which is a slight disappointment because he could've gone for the title track, 'Baltimore' or 'Gardenia' (my favourites basically), but still. Track 2 is a super version of 'Vanessa For Queens' from 'Pig Lib' and the last track 'Funk 49' is a brand NEW song, which is really groovy and loose and Malk sounds just great. As do The Jicks of course.
In nearly-related news, one of the vinyl only releases coming out on the fantastic RECORD STORE DAY (April 18th) is a Pavement live LP from Germany in 1997. Still awaiting news on whether this will be available in UK RSD-supporting record stores, but I hope so, since I will be spending the whole of that day in London looking for rare items and just spending as much time as possible in as many record shops as I can find!
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