Music-wise I'm glad 2009 is over. For a couple of creeky months at the end of the year I fell out of love with music for a bit. Hitting one of those spells where nothing I played made any sense and walking round listening to podcasts for most of the time. I was in a rut, caused at least partly by a bunch of sub-standard albums that I'd hoped for better from. Music for a while felt stale and lifeless.
I was dragged out of this rut by the exceptional new Tindersticks album (more on that very soon) and listening to the Velvet Underground. Music is starting to make some sense again.
I don't think that 2009 was a vintage year but there were some records that did more than tread water or cover old ground. These were the records that I kept returning to and the ones that I'll treasure from a pretty bad year for new music...
God Help The Girl 'God Help The Girl'
A superbly crafted pop record. It told a story but more importantly than that, it was great to listen to, revealing a little more each time you played it and introduced the wonderful vocal talents of Catherine Ireton. The closing track spoke to me a lot too and became a real comfort. A truly accessible, imaginative and quite splendidly fun record.
Camera Obscura 'My Maudlin Career'
There are similarites between my first and second choices and that is no coincidence. In a year when so much was dull and worthy, these records had a spark. Tracey-Anne Campbell and Camera Obscura produced their most finely crafted album yet, catchy melodies and tunes with heartfelt, personal lyrics that tugged at the heartstrings. Effortlessly good.
Mark Eitzel 'Klamath'/ 'Live From Copenhagen'
Eitzel's studio album was difficult and took a while to click with me. The mix of acoustics and electronics sometimes hiding great songs but they crystalised eventually and like every Eitzel record this had some stunning songwriting and also some pretty melodies. 'Live From Copenhagen' was not a real album (see my full review) but it was the most powerful live recording I have heard in years, the sound of an amazing songwriter singing his songs.
The Duke and The King 'Nothing Gold Can Stay'
I kept returning to this. Its such a listenable mix of folk and soul, lovely melodies, great songwriting but sounding so modern and unique. I really regret not seeing them play live yet.
Bill Callahan 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle'
A major return to form as Bill "gets dark again". Just great songs and moods.
The Mountain Goats 'Life Of The World To Come'
Great idea (each song was named after a bible verse), superbly executed. Some of these songs provoke an awful lot of thinking, deeply personal and beautiful songs from John Darnielle. The piano and vocals pieces were particularly heartbreaking.
Mentions should also be made of records by Hope Sandoval, M Ward, Morrissey (massively under-rated that one), The Twilight Sad and The Duckworth Lewis Method, all of which were really good.
As it stands, 2010 looks like being a quite incredible year. The Tindersticks album is incredible and there are albums to come from The Innocence Mission, Arcade Fire, Low, Radiohead and others. I am personally really looking forward to seeing Tindersticks play abroad for the first time and seeing Pavement play in May.
Lets hope 2010 lives up to expectations...
Showing posts with label bill callahan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bill callahan. Show all posts
Friday, 1 January 2010
Saturday, 13 June 2009
top 5 records of the year so far...
Its pretty much halfway through the year, so I though, in time honoured tradition, that I would list my 5 favourite records of the year so far. 2009 has been a 'steady' year so far, not quite the same excitement of the new (bon iver..fleet foxes..) as last year but some really good albums all the same. Lots still to come too with Wilco, Twilight Sad, Innocence Mission, MeCo and Mark Eitzel records on the horizon and the T&G diary positively full with gigs I'm attending in July/August. Anyway, the five best so far..
1. Bill Callahan 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle'
A clear winner thus far. A graceful set of songs from Mr Callahan, his finest for many a year. From the simple beauty of 'Jim Cain' to the quirky brilliance of 'My Friend' and 'All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast'. Best of the lot though, is the stunning 'Too Many Birds' with the stare-at-the-sky-beautiful unravelling of the line "if you could only stop your heartbeat for one heartbeat" being the musical highlight of the year so far.
2. M. Ward 'Hold Time'
Still not as magical as 'Transistor Radio' but 'Hold Time' is a retro feast for the years. Beautifully recorded and with some great tunes, Ward is the finest troubadour we have.
3. Broken Records 'Until The Earth Begins To Part'
Not for everyone. Your love for this record will depend on how you feel about windswept Waterboys-esque epics...sung with a Scottish accent. For me though, this is a fiery, passionate delight and I can't wait to see them play live.
4. Camera Obscura 'My Maudlin Career'
More Scots! Sad, lovelorn songs but strangely uplifting due to a sprinkling of fine tunes and Tracey-Anne Campbell's warm vocals. Perfect pop as it should be.
5. Fanfarlo 'Reservoir'
Out of nowhere this London based band produced a fine record of pop masterpieces, mixing the multi-instrumental sound of Beirut with the passion and drive of Arcade Fire. Great stuff and 'Comets' is the ballad Chris Martin wishes he'd written.
There's the five. Yes I know Bonnie Prince Billy didn't make it...and nor did Morrissey.
stay tuned.
1. Bill Callahan 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle'
A clear winner thus far. A graceful set of songs from Mr Callahan, his finest for many a year. From the simple beauty of 'Jim Cain' to the quirky brilliance of 'My Friend' and 'All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast'. Best of the lot though, is the stunning 'Too Many Birds' with the stare-at-the-sky-beautiful unravelling of the line "if you could only stop your heartbeat for one heartbeat" being the musical highlight of the year so far.
2. M. Ward 'Hold Time'
Still not as magical as 'Transistor Radio' but 'Hold Time' is a retro feast for the years. Beautifully recorded and with some great tunes, Ward is the finest troubadour we have.
3. Broken Records 'Until The Earth Begins To Part'
Not for everyone. Your love for this record will depend on how you feel about windswept Waterboys-esque epics...sung with a Scottish accent. For me though, this is a fiery, passionate delight and I can't wait to see them play live.
4. Camera Obscura 'My Maudlin Career'
More Scots! Sad, lovelorn songs but strangely uplifting due to a sprinkling of fine tunes and Tracey-Anne Campbell's warm vocals. Perfect pop as it should be.
5. Fanfarlo 'Reservoir'
Out of nowhere this London based band produced a fine record of pop masterpieces, mixing the multi-instrumental sound of Beirut with the passion and drive of Arcade Fire. Great stuff and 'Comets' is the ballad Chris Martin wishes he'd written.
There's the five. Yes I know Bonnie Prince Billy didn't make it...and nor did Morrissey.
stay tuned.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Bill Callahan UK dates
Finally...the man responsible for easily the finest album of the year so far is touring the UK. Bill Callahan returns to the Union Chapel on August 19th. Having seen him play there back in 2003 and enjoyed a stunning gig, I will be there in August. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketweb.
He will also play Duke of Yorks in Brighton on August 18th, the Stereo in Glasgow on the 23rd andthe Thekla in Bristol on the 26th.
Hope Jim White is on the drums..
He will also play Duke of Yorks in Brighton on August 18th, the Stereo in Glasgow on the 23rd andthe Thekla in Bristol on the 26th.
Hope Jim White is on the drums..
Monday, 27 April 2009
treasure
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.....
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.....
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]
Friday, 20 March 2009
Bill Callahan 'Eid Ma Clack Shaw'
At last, TracksandGigs has heard some genuinely touching and inspired new music. Perhaps the song of the year so far.
Drag City has posted a free taster mp3 from the new Bill Callahan album and it is quite incredible. Musically rich with piano and strings, it is the writing and the singing that has floored me. Callahan sings of trying to forget the memories that are "fucking me down" and of trying to find a way to move on from them, he then dreams the perfect song, scribbles it down and then sings it. The twist is that "the perfect song" is complete meaningless gibberish, albeit sung beautifully and with feeling.
Callahan sounds like he did on 'Supper' or 'Knock Knock' era-Smog here. Absolutely superb. Cannot wait for the album.
You can download the mp3 for free at www.dragcity.com
Drag City has posted a free taster mp3 from the new Bill Callahan album and it is quite incredible. Musically rich with piano and strings, it is the writing and the singing that has floored me. Callahan sings of trying to forget the memories that are "fucking me down" and of trying to find a way to move on from them, he then dreams the perfect song, scribbles it down and then sings it. The twist is that "the perfect song" is complete meaningless gibberish, albeit sung beautifully and with feeling.
Callahan sounds like he did on 'Supper' or 'Knock Knock' era-Smog here. Absolutely superb. Cannot wait for the album.
You can download the mp3 for free at www.dragcity.com
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
new Bill Callahan LP
Bill Callahan aka Smog releases a brand new album, the wonderfully titled 'Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle' on Drag City at the end of March.
T&G has heard a few tracks, thanks to Mark Riley who has been giving the promo a spin on 6 Music.
I was a bit disappointed with 2007's 'Woke On A Whaleheart' which I found patchy and in places a bit corny. Initial impressions are that 'SIWWWAE' is a return to the form of 2005's 'A River Ain't Too Much To Love' which was a masterclass in laid back alt.country beauty.
Best track I've heard so far is 'My Friend', which starts off with gentle guitar picking and builds into something of an epic with Bill managing to growl and whisper at the same time whilst singing the chorus. Very fine indeed. Put me down as very exited about the album and eager for some UK dates this Spring.
T&G has heard a few tracks, thanks to Mark Riley who has been giving the promo a spin on 6 Music.
I was a bit disappointed with 2007's 'Woke On A Whaleheart' which I found patchy and in places a bit corny. Initial impressions are that 'SIWWWAE' is a return to the form of 2005's 'A River Ain't Too Much To Love' which was a masterclass in laid back alt.country beauty.
Best track I've heard so far is 'My Friend', which starts off with gentle guitar picking and builds into something of an epic with Bill managing to growl and whisper at the same time whilst singing the chorus. Very fine indeed. Put me down as very exited about the album and eager for some UK dates this Spring.
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Happy New Year
A Happy New Year to all TracksandGigs' readers, whether accidental or deliberate.
Here's hoping 2009 will be as good a year as 2008. Things T&G are looking forward to in the early months of the year:
- New M Ward LP (due Feb) and UK date.
- New Morrissey LP and UK tour
- New Bill Callahan LP (the wonderfully titled 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle')
- Fleet Foxes UK dates
..and of course all the great surprises we don't know about yet. Amazing to think that this time last year we knew nothing of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes!
A quick word for what I believe to be the most under-rated album of 2008, even by TracksandGigs...
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks' 'Real Emotional Trash' has rarely left the T&G stereo in recent weeks. It is a really superb album and a joy to listen to all the great guitar breaks and jams. I gave it an 8 in my review but it definitely deserves a 9. Which leads me to the T&G new year's resolution....which is to wait a little longer before reviewing albums...to live with them for a while more before jumping in with an opinion. Sometimes it is hard to wait when you think you have an album figured out, but T&G will try to this year!
Happy New Year everyone.
Here's hoping 2009 will be as good a year as 2008. Things T&G are looking forward to in the early months of the year:
- New M Ward LP (due Feb) and UK date.
- New Morrissey LP and UK tour
- New Bill Callahan LP (the wonderfully titled 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle')
- Fleet Foxes UK dates
..and of course all the great surprises we don't know about yet. Amazing to think that this time last year we knew nothing of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes!
A quick word for what I believe to be the most under-rated album of 2008, even by TracksandGigs...
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks' 'Real Emotional Trash' has rarely left the T&G stereo in recent weeks. It is a really superb album and a joy to listen to all the great guitar breaks and jams. I gave it an 8 in my review but it definitely deserves a 9. Which leads me to the T&G new year's resolution....which is to wait a little longer before reviewing albums...to live with them for a while more before jumping in with an opinion. Sometimes it is hard to wait when you think you have an album figured out, but T&G will try to this year!
Happy New Year everyone.
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