Music to drink tea by
Archive for year 2010
Allo Darlin’ – My Heart is a Drummer
1The rise of Allo Darlin’ continues apace with the band releasing single number four from their debut album. Something that should really be pushing it for a record that only has ten songs on it in the first place. My Heart is a Drummer isn’t the strongest effort from it, but the opening verse alone makes it well worth it regardless. It says a lot about Allo Darlin’ overall that even their weaker singles are far more interesting than anything most bands are doing.
Above is also the gloriously silly video for the song. While I’m slightly disappointed that it doesn’t follow the pitch perfect Super 8 style of the previous singles, it’s a whole lot of fun in it’s own right. Few bands could take crawling through boxes and playing to an audience of dancing hearts and not manage to demean themselves in the process.
The single is released on November 15 via Fortuna POP! and the band will be playing Cargo with the also wonderful Grave Architects on November 17.
Great British Hopes: The Felt Tips
01 year ago
The first word I etched on a desk with a pen was Morrissey
And the first time the words meant as much as the music was Morrissey
And the moaning that came from my room everyday was Morrissey
And the reason my Mum had to ask was I gay, yes Morrissey.
There’s probably a hundred songs out there by bands trying to articulate their feelings toward Morrissey. To a great many of them he was a hero to them musically, even if he has a penchant for doing some very stupid things. The conflict between the idealised version of the man that came from his early songs and what he now appears to be is difficult for fans to reconcile. Dear Morrissey by The Felt Tips is one of the better efforts in this area. There’s clearly a great respect and love for him, even if now they will now “leave you to your slightly questionable ways”.
As a song, it epitomises what The Felt Tips are about. Musically they slot right in to the current indiepop canon, but lyrically is where the band comes alive. The band seem to have no time at all for abstract concepts or talking in vagaries. Engaged for a Visa is exactly what the title suggests and Silver Spoon deals directly with paralysis after an accident. Lifeskills, by some margin the longest song on the record, spends nearly five minutes bluntly discussing blowjobs in the park.
Now this style of songwriting may not suit everyone, and certainly it’s not the most cohesive work as an album. Looked at instead as a collection of short stories though and it’s far more appealing. It’s a remarkably assured release as a debut album, and one that signals that current line of great Scottish indiepop bands shows no sign of coming to an end.
Remy Zero – ‘Til the End
01 year ago
in MP3s
It seems odd to be writing about Remy Zero. The first time I ever heard of them was all the way back in 2002 when they were announced as the support for Weezer on their current tour. The Southampton leg of the tour (which I was at) was certainly interesting. I hardly knew any Remy Zero songs aside a few I’d found online and was largely indifferent toward, and wasn’t familiar with Smallville either, the show that used their song Save Me as it’s theme. As such, their set fell a little flat with me. Which was nothing compared to the way the rest of the crowd reacted. The crowd spent most of the time ignoring the band, barely even registering them between songs. Eventually the set came to a close with the lead singer seemingly storming off of the stage in the middle of a song. I have no idea if this was the case or just how their sets usually conclude, but given they were the first band I was ever seeing live.
After that I explored the band a bit more, liked a few songs, and disliked plenty more. Then I stopped giving them any thought whatsoever. So I was slightly surprised to get sent a press release for a band I hadn’t heard anything about in at least seven years. It seems that the band’s drummer passed away earlier in the year, and this spurred them into reforming to play a few shows and put out some new material. ‘Til the End is the first of these songs, and sounds like something that could have easily come off of their 2001 album The Golden Hum. It’s also really good, and a very impressive effort for a band that’s been apart for the best part of a decade.
La Sera – Never Come Around
11 year ago
in MP3s
La Sera is Katy Goodman, who is apparently part of the Vivian Girls, a band I’ve heard of, but have never really listened to. So if you’re looking for any insight into how this compares or the such, I have absolutely no idea. The most surprising part of this to me is that I actually like it. Dream pop doesn’t do much for me on the most part, as I like something to latch onto in my music, and the nature of the genre makes that rather difficult when it’s all swirling sounds and hushed, distorted vocals. I think the fact that this barely clocks in at two minutes works in it’s favour, and I may well have found it grating had it run on and on. Whether I could sit through an album is another matter, but as a song in it’s own right, I like it very much.
The song will be released on 7″ (of course!) on November 16 via Hardly Art, which I’m really hoping is a Thermals reference. A full album will follow next year.
Love Ends Disaster! – There’s Room In My Tardis For Two
01 year ago
in MP3s
I’m not a big fan of live versions of songs, but I’m willing to make an exception here. City of Glass, the debut album by Love Ends Disaster! has very much become a favourite of the year so far (in an already spectacular year), and while there’s some stunning songs on it, it’s this one that stands out. Conventional wisdom would suggest I was swayed by a Doctor Who reference, but there’s more to it than that. That might have got my attention in the first place, but it’s just a really good song regardless. There’s the kind of melancholy vibe that always works for me, but it also has the “this should really be a hit anthem” quality to it too. Throw in some actual TARDIS sounds as well and you’re on to a winner.
Above you’ll find a video of the band performing the song on the BBC Introducing.. stage at Reading back in August (the Introducing stage? Seriously?) and below you’ll find an mp3 of a completely different live version of the song.
MP3 Love Ends Disaster! – There’s Room In My Tardis For Two (live)
That said, I wholeheartedly encourage you to seek out the original version on the City of Glass album. It’s out now on Warning! Records, but seems to only be available physically from Rough Trade.
The Just Joans – Stuart’s Got a Dirty Book
11 year ago
in MP3s
The Just Joans are a band that I’ve never been able to completely embrace. I’m not entirely sure why this is, and the most logical reason could simply be that I just haven’t heard very much of their material. From what I have heard, I’ve liked some, and disliked others. At their best, they manage to combine brutal honesty with humour (see Hey Boy… You’re Oh So Sensitive), while at the other end of the spectrum they can prove to be too pessimistic even for a miserable sod such as myself.
I have no idea where this new EP is going to fall on that spectrum, though the title Your Pain is a Joke Next to Mines is perhaps something of a hint. On the merits of Stuart’s Got a Dirty Book though, I’m looking forward to hearing the full thing. It’s a glorious tale that manages to combine two somewhat conflicting topics: religion and masturbation. It’s hard to imagine many bands that could get away with lyrics like “struggling with the word of god / a hand on my bible, a hand on my knob”, putting The Just Joans into a rather unique position.
MP3 The Just Joans – Stuart’s Got a Dirty Book
Your Pain is a Joke Next to Mines is available to pre-order now from the ever delightful WeePOP! label, and best of all, it’ll only cost you £4 including delivery.
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The Lucksmiths – Get-to-Bed Birds
01 year ago
in MP3s
I came to the Lucksmiths party ridiculously late. So late in fact, they had just broken up at the time. I’d been vaguely aware of them for a while, and as is always the way with such bands, the size of their discography always kept me away from them. Earlier this year, I was finally convinced to give them a listen and it was something of a revelation. Starting with Warmer Corners and working roughly backwards, I’ve now picked up nearly all of their albums, and continue to lament the fact I didn’t bother earlier.
Get-to-Bed Birds i doesn’t tread any new ground, and nor should it. It’s a song that would feel right at home on any of the band’s previous records. It’s gentle, melancholic and reflective. In other words, a perfect coda for a band that disappeared just a bit too soon.
MP3 The Lucksmiths – Get-to-Bed Birds
The Get-to-Bed Birds 7″ is released sometime soon on the lovely Matinee Recordings in the US and Lost and Lonesome in Australia. If you live in Europe, you presumably toss a coin.
Shrag – Rabbit Kids
01 year ago
in Videos
Shrag’s latest album has become an unexpected album of the year contender for me. I never much liked them in the past and while I quite liked the first album, it didn’t really manage to grab me. I picked up the second on a whim though back in July and it’s hardly left my car CD player since. Likely much to the chagrin of anyone else travelling in it. So a new video from Shrag is the perfect excuse to remind you exactly how bloody good it is and that you should give it a listen. It helps that the video itself is excellent too, featuring what must be the most apathetic game of pass the parcel ever. As a song, it’s perhaps no their strongest effort, lyrically being just a little too random, but it still manages to be horribly catchy.
Life! Death! Prizes! is out now on Where It’s At Is Where You Are. The band will be starting a short tour of the country starting on Monday, and I implore you to seek them out. Such a fun band live!
Superman Revenge Squad – Dead Crow Blues
31 year ago
in Videos
Things have been quiet on the Superman Revenge Squad front for a while, so it was a nice treat this evening to discover a new video from the upcoming Dead Crow Blues EP. The video takes the title track and rather simply animates it with the words in speech bubbles, which gives an ideal spotlight to Mr. Parker’s songwriting talents. The song also seems to continue the gradual development of the Superman Revenge Squad sound, with beats being added alongside the now established cello.
The Dead Crow Blues EP will apparently be available to order from October 18, though word on the street suggests that if you’re at the excellent International John Peel Day event in London next month, some copies will be available there.
Tigercats – 1985
11 year ago
in MP3s
It seems that you can’t move around in London at the moment without somehow arriving at Tigercats gig. From recent listings, it appears that if there’s an indiepop gig happening, they will be there to support. Which isn’t a bad thing because it shows they are taking this lark seriously and because they are really quite excellent, particularly for what is ultimately a new band. Of course, the grand irony in all of this is that I still haven’t managed to see them.
Following on from their great (and brilliantly timely) Konny Huck single, the band are back with a new release that was apparently only finished up last week. Gone are the days when you waited months for a release to be sorted out, now they are with us a few days after a band finishes them. Anyway, Easter Island doesn’t really deviate from what the standard set by Huck, which is fine as the band are sounding increasingly assured in what they are doing.
MP3 Tigercats – 1985
Easter Island is out now in physical form and on the wonderful Bandcamp, where you can buy all three songs for a mere £1. It’ll follow on iTunes and other such services on October 1. It’s being released by Haircut Records.
