Music to drink tea by
Archive for June, 2010
Well, shit
01 year ago
in Site News
I appear to have an ear infection.
Which means I can’t hear very much.
Which means I can’t really listen to music.
Which means I can’t really post about music.
Which means I’ll probably be back sometime next week.
(I will however still be rambling away on the Twitter.)
The week in music bloggery
01 year ago
in Linkage
A quick round-up of what’s piqued my interest musically from around the internet in a week where I’ve been so busy, tired and hot that blogging has been pretty damn slack.
Reviews
Young and Lost Club Compilation on Pigeon Post.
Soda Fountain Rag – Reel Around Me on Eardrums.
Pulled Apart by Horses self-titled on The Line of Best Fit.
Operator Please – Gloves on God is in the TV.
Broken Bells live at the Royal Festival Hall on The Line of Best Fit.
Interviews
Betty and the Werewolves on Indietracks Blog.
Pulled Apart by Horses on The Line of Best Fit.
The Primitives on Indietracks Blog.
Miscellaneous
The Indietracks CD is out tomorrow, full tracklisting and how to order on Indietracks Blog.
Video: Tender Trap – Do You Want A Boyfriend?
01 year ago
in Videos
Tender Trap are back, continuing their fine tradition of making videos with seemingly no budget whatsoever. At least this one is rather less creepy than the previous one. Here we have a fun set of vignettes set around the iconic gig venues of London, including The Lexington and The Betsey Trotwood. As a song, it fits neatly into the Tender Trap canon, featuring Amelia Fletcher’s iconic vocals front and centre, along with some excellent call and response vocals from the rest of the band and some wonderfully fuzzy guitar.
Dansette Dansette will be released on July 12 via the mighty Fortuna Pop!. The band will play a free instore at Rough Trade East on July 14, as well as headlining an indiepop spectacular at Brixton Jamm on July 22, on a stacked bill that also includes Shrag, Betty and the Werewolves, Antarctica Takes It! and Pocketbooks. All for only £5 too.
Drew Danburry – Nirvana, by Kurt Cobain
01 year ago
in MP3s
You know how something that doesn’t work for you suddenly just clicks? That’s my evening with Drew Danburry. I’ve been aware of the guy for a while but have never taken much notice of him, even when people were writing incredibly nice things. I had a couple of his songs in my library so I must have somewhat liked what I heard before, but I’ve never explored much of it. Earlier this evening Nirvana, by Kurt Cobain popped on and it just hooked me. It’s a simple little song, just Drew and his guitar, but it has this pleasant little sound of despair. Which should be something of a conflict, but it seems to work. Maybe Danburry’s music requires the right mood, but something works for me now. Now I fully intend to spend the next couple of days getting hold of as much as his music as I can.
MP3 Drew Danburry – Nirvana, by Kurt Cobain
Goodnight Dannii is out now and can be purchased from Drew directly for only $8 via his website.
The week in music bloggery
01 year ago
in Linkage
A quick round up of what’s piqued my interest musically from around the interwebs this week.
Reviews
Uffie – Sex Dreams & Denim Jeans on The Line of Best Fit.
The Pernice Brothers – Goodbye, Killer on Clicky Clicky.
The Great Escape Festival 2010 on The Daily Growl.
Love is All live at CAMP Basement on The Line of Best Fit.
Allo Darlin’ and Standard Fare live at The Lexington on MJ Hibbett’s blog.
Cats and Cats and Cats – If I’d Had An Atlas on God is in the TV.
Meursalt – All Creatures Make Merry on The Daily Growl.
The New Pornographers live The House of Blues, Boston on Clicky Clicky.
Interviews
Everybody Was In The French Resistance… Now! on Indietracks Blog.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart on The Line of Best Fit.
Miscellaneous
Music industry lobbyist calls for death penalty for pirates on Boing Boing.
One Happy Island – Cave City Sunrise
0One Happy Island are an indiepop band from Boston that “write pretty good songs and then bang them out on an electric ukulele, a rudimentary drum kit, and a hollow-body guitar that won’t stay in tune”. Which is pretty much exactly what they sound like. While other indiepop bands are content to wallow in their bedrooms, One Happy Island remember to bring the fun. Their entire album is so wonderfully ramshackle that it sounds like each song was thrown together on the spot and that everything could fall apart with a moment’s notice. All of which is a very good thing.
MP3 One Happy Island – Cave City Sunrise
One Happy Island’s self-titled debut album will be released on July 5 via Odd Box Records.
Video: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Say No To Love
01 year ago
in Videos
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are knocking it out of the park video wise of late. Following on from their superb one for Higher Than the Stars last month, they’ve now got one for their recently released single, Say No To Love. What I love about Pains videos is that they are always absolutely perfect for their music. While I am a fan of the band, if I’m honest, I occasionally find them a little samey on record. Each of their videos has been so utterly perfect for the song it attaches to. Each is different, yet they all seem to have a consistent style to them. I can’t really describe what it is, but I really like it. I’m not the greatest fan of music videos, but if there was a DVD released of Pains videos, I’d buy it tomorrow. You hear that, Fortuna Pop! or Slumberland?
The Middle Ones – For Giving
01 year ago
in MP3s
On Tuesday night I went to the Allo Darlin’ album launch at The Lexington. It was an excellent night all round. Allo Darlin’ played to the packed and appreciative room that they deserve and Standard Fare continue to get better each time I see them. Nothing I say though is going to sum up the night in as lovely a way as this. The third band on the bill were The Middle Ones, who I wasn’t familiar with. I tend to be pretty sceptical of opening bands. Mostly you just get someone local thrown on the bill to make up the numbers, but every now and again you get a real gem. It’s these gems that still encourage me to always try and see every band that is playing at a gig. Thankfully this was one of those cases and I walked away from their set completely charmed.
The Middle Ones are a two-piece who make very stripped down acoustic pop songs. It all seemed a bit ramshackle at first, but within a couple of songs I couldn’t help but be utterly won over by them. Both of the band members seemed a bit awkward on stage, though their later comment that the night was like “playing a stadium” to them explained that somewhat. It’s all very gentle, slight stuff, where even sequences of whistling doesn’t seem out of place, but it’s all pulled off with such conviction that it’s near impossible to not go with it. Wonderful.
MP3 The Middle Ones – For Giving
The latest release by The Middle Ones, entitled Things Grow There, is out now on Where It’s At Is Where You Are. Both of their previous releases, including the excellent At the House of Boursnell (which you can stream in full below) are available for free download from Bandcamp. Of course, the band will also be playing at Indietracks which is only 36 days away. 36!
The Soft City – 15 Years
01 year ago
in MP3s
The Soft City started out as a solo project for Phil Sutton, former drummer of the legendary Comet Gain. I’ve only got into Comet Gain fairly recently as part of my ongoing catch up of everything indiepop from the past couple of decades. Still, it meant that when The Soft City dropped into my inbox, I immediately took notice of them.
What started as a solo project has since expanded into a full band, with Sutton moving to New York and handing over vocal duties to Dora Lubin. Lubin has one of those gentle, sweet voices that tends to suit indiepop of this nature. Her voice also seems to have a certain reservation in it, which moves The Soft City from out and out sunny pop to something with a tinge of sadness attached. The Soft City don’t do anything particularly new with the sound, but they pull it off well enough that it’s worthwhile regardless.
The Soft City’s self-titled album is out now on Plastilina Records. Their slogan is “we like indiepop in Peru too!”. Pretty awesome.
The week in music bloggery
01 year ago
in Linkage
A quick round up of what’s piqued my interest in a week where apparently some kind of soccerballing tournament was taking place.
Reviews
The National live at The Electric Ballroom on Faded Glamour.
The Great Escape festival on God is in the TV.
This Many Boyfriends – Getting A Life With EP on SoundsXP.
Allo Darlin’ – Allo Darlin’ on Eardrums.
Singles released in May on Faded Glamour.
Jeffrey Lewis live at The Windmill on The Line of Best Fit.
The School – Loveless Unbeliever on SoundsXP.
We Are Scientists – Barbara on God is in the TV.
Interviews
Allo Darlin’ on Indietracks Blog.
Miscellaneous
RATM ‘fans’ acting like twats on Shut Up, Bands.
A mix-tape made by Rooney (remember them?) on I Am Fuel, You Are Friends.
New song from Stars on I Guess I’m Floating.
The Great Arcade Fire Hoax on Song, by Toad.
Darren Hayman’s ‘Indie Fan’s Guide to Trains’ on Indietracks Blog.
