Posts tagged Stagecoach

Top 24 Songs of 2010

1
1 year ago
in ,

The song list this year has a lot of crossover with the records list from yesterday.  I suppose that is to be expected to a certain degree, but I get it’s a little repetitive for me to be banging on about the same bands over and over again.  Still, that’s the nature of these lists, and I’m not going to throw in other things for the sake of it.

1. ! – A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State, or, Letters from Me to Charlotte

Los Campesinos! manage to win the double, taking both best record and song of the year.  If I’m perfectly honest, the song choice is pretty arbitrary.  Letters from Me to Charlotte just about stands out in front to me, but it could have just as easily been The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future or In Medias Res.  Or about half of the album to be honest.

2. – Fairweather Friends

Another one where I spent a fair bit of time trying to decide exactly which song from the record to go with, before settling on Fairweather Friends.  It’s probably best represents the EP, as well as the Superman Revenge Squad project as a whole.  The usual topics are on the agenda here: death, looking back on past relationships and irritating people at gigs.  All topped off with some beautiful strings.

MP3 Superman Revenge Squad – Fairweather Friends

3. – Dancing


Dancing is probably the most personal song on the Standard Fare album, yet it still sums up the band perfectly.  You’ve got heart on sleeve verses about breakups and getting back together interspersed with rapid sections about how dancing will make everything okay.  If any band could sum up the state of the current indiepop scene, it’s this.

MP3 Standard Fare – Dancing

4. – Say No to Love

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart just bring good feelings.  I was slower to warm to them than most, but in the past year, I’ve fallen for them completely.  Say No to Love is a lovely little bridge between the first and second albums, and while it doesn’t mess with the formula too much, it’s just too wonderful for me to complain about that.  Quite possibly my favourite current band for videos too.

MP3 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Say No to Love

5. – Try Try Try

This song pretty much hit me out of nowhere in the summer when I saw Antarctica Takes It! live twice in a couple of days.   I was only familiar with their first album at that point, so Try Try Try was quite a surprise as there’s nothing like it on there.  The vocals on it might not be as strong as some of their others, but the lyrics and the way it’s constructed more than make up for that.

6. – Rabbit Kids

I love pretty much everything on Life! Death! Prizes! so you get Rabbit Kids pretty much entirely because I love the video so much.

7. – Harriet, by Proxy

It’d be easy to dismiss Johnny Foreigner at this point.  Two albums in and they haven’t achieved the success they rightly deserve, but hopefully a shift to the plucky Alcopop! will give them a new boost.  The brilliantly titled new EP You Thought You Saw A Shooting Star But Yr Eyes Were Blurred With Tears And That Lighthouse Can Be Pretty Deceiving With The Sky So Clear And Sea So Calm shows the band exploring newer territory too.  Harriet, by Proxy is the most obviously JoFo song on there, and reminds us exactly why we were so excited about the band in 2007.

Listen on Music Fan’s Mic

8. Allo Darlin’ – Dreaming

Allo Darlin’ could do no wrong this year, and Dreaming was the pinnacle of their work.  The song features the guest vocals of Monster Bobby that gives this a rather Heavenly-ish vibe, which is no bad thing.  The video was shot during London Popfest last year and is just lovely.  Wandering around London late at night has never looked so enjoyable.

9. – Smash Hits

Quite possibly the oldest song to be included here, but I only discovered it this year, and it was on Kid Canaveral’s debut album this year, so I’m going with it.  A brilliantly snobbish tale of the horrors of dating a girl whose “music taste’s shite” that’s just great fun.

10. The – I Need Your Mind

I came late to The Broken Family Band party, so I’m jumping in early with Singing Adams, the new band of BFB front man Steven Adams.  If you’re already familiar with his former band, you know what to expect here.  The alt-country leanings may have been toned down considerably, but there’s more than enough of the same catchy pop sensibilities and witty lyrics to go around.  As a debut single, I Need Your Mind is remarkably self-assured and firmly cements the band as one to go to big things this year.

11. – Euston Station


12. Belle & Sebastian – I Want the World to Stop


One of the few bright lights from a horrendously disappointing album.

13. – Are We Lovers or Are We Friends?

Playful enough to be a nice easy listen, while also resonating a little more for those who have been in such a situation.  Exactly what any good pop record should be doing then.

MP3 Acid House Kings – Are We Lovers or Are We Friends?

14. – I Don’t Like You (‘Cos You Don’t Like The Pastels)

This Many Boyfriends continue the long indiepop tradition of entirely songs based around references to other bands.  Not just the Pastels either.  Springsteen, The Go-Betweens and if I’m not mishearing, The Cribs all manage to get themselves mentioned in the song.  There’s not much more to it beyond these references, but it still has a rather endearing charm to it.  It sounds rough and ready, which is about the only style you can go with when your spending three minutes comparing music tastes with a loved one.

MP3 This Many Boyfriends – I Don’t Like You (‘Cos You Don’t Like The Pastels)

15. – Boyfriend Devoted

16. – Not Even Giles Would Say We’ll Be OK

Not Even Giles Would Say We’ll Be OK (which the nerd in me really hopes is a Buffy reference) may be their finest release yet, striking the perfect balance between 90s US indie rock throwback and their own sound.  If any band has a chance of making it big in 2011, it’s Stagecoach.

17. – Stuart’s Got a Dirty Book

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

18. – The Winter Stories

Listen on Myspace

19. – Afraid of Everyone

20. – Whitechapel Boys

Listen on Myspace

21. Soda Fountain Rag – Are Philosophers Lonely?

Short and to the point, Are Philosophers Lonely? addresses exactly what the title suggests.  Are philosophers destined to be by themselves?  Moving between wryly comic images (philosophers eating tv dinners) and something rather more melancholy (“even their sweethearts don’t know what they’re talking about”).

MP3 Soda Fountain Rag – Are Philosophers Lonely?

22. – There’s Room In My Tardis For Two

City of Glass, the debut album by Love Ends Disaster! was a favourite of the 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.

MP3 Love Ends Disaster! – There’s Room In My Tardis For Two (live)

23. – I’ve Just Been Told That a Woman Fancies Me

I’ve Just Been Told That a Woman Fancies Me is literally what it sounds like, a joyous celebration of the fact that a woman seems to like our narrator, despite the fact he knows absolutely nothing about her. Why let pesky details like that get in the way? That we end up with lines like “I can’t wait to tell my girlfriend” makes it all the more perfect.

MP3 Roadside Poppies – I’ve Just Been Told That A Woman Fancies Me

24. – The Bike Song

The Grave Architects really don’t sound like anything I’d expect a band (presumably) named after a Pavement song to sound like.  The first part of the song might just get away with it.  A little on the quaint side perhaps, but what do you expect for a song that starts “the first love of my life was not a girl, it was my very first bike”?  It tells a fun little story of learning how to ride a bike and falling in love with cycling.  Then about a minute in, it turns into, of all things, a rap epic.  Yes, rap.  And somehow it gets away with it.  Nothing I can say here is going to do justice to a terribly white man with his fluorescent shirt and cycle helmet rapping about evil motorists cutting him up.  Of course, that’s not it.  It then decides to just rock out a bit, proclaiming, with full earnestness “I love my bike!” over and over.  It’s all utterly stupid, but every time I watch the video above I find myself grinning from ear to ear.  I think my favourite part of it is actually watching the people biking in the background and their reaction to the singer’s antics.  Brilliant stuff.

Johnny Foreigner and Stagecoach release split single

1
1 year ago
in

It’s been an odd period for of late.  There seemed to be a period where they were destined to actually breakthrough and become the next big thing.  This never seemed to quite work out for them for whatever reason, and the band started to look like they wouldn’t grow beyond their small, if incredibly dedicated, fan base.  Changes now seem to be afoot for the band though, most notably a change in record labels as the band jump from Best Before to Alcopop Records.  Certainly a hell of a coup for Alcopop, and the DIY nature of the label should hopefully suit the JoFo ethic rather more than their old home did.

The first thing the band is releasing at their new home is a split single with Alcopop stalwarts .  There’s only one original song here, entitled Tru Punx (below) and it’s just about what you’d expect from a Johnny Foreigner single.  It’s hard, it’s fast, and features some great lyrics that will take you a lot of listens to pick up entirely.  As a taster for their upcoming and awesomely titled You Thought You Saw A Shooting Star But Yr Eyes Were Blurred With Tears And That Lighthouse Can Be Pretty Deceiving With The Sky So Clear And Sea So Calm, it’s ideal. And yes, the EP really is called that. Good luck tagging it correctly in iTunes.

Tru Punx – Johnny Foreigner by alcopop

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Stagecoach are a band that have seemingly gone from strength to strength over the past year.  Ever since their superb We Got Tazers! single was released, they’ve started appearing all over the place, with slots at Reading/Leeds and End of the Road over the summer.  They also managed to put out one of my favourite songs of the past year, the superb Break, and now they are back with their own contribution to the split single.  Not Even Giles Would Say We’ll Be OK (which the nerd in me really hopes is a Buffy reference) may be their finest release yet, striking the perfect balance between 90s US indie rock throwback and their own sound.  If any band has a chance of making it big in 2011, it’s Stagecoach.

Not Even Giles Would Say We’ll Be OK by alcopop

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The Love In 7″ will be released November 15 (that’s this Monday) via the ever superb Alcopop Records.  The single also includes Johnny Foreigner covering Stagecoach’s Good Luck With Yr 45 and Stagecoach covering JoFo’s classic Salt, Peppa and Spinderella.  As you might expect, both of these versions are awesome.

22 Songs

1
2 years ago
in ,

I’ve missed far too much music in the past year to make a proper best of list, so instead, here’s a list of 22 songs that I’ve loved from 2009. Listed in alphabetical order, not preference. Even though all of them are bloody good.

– Preaching to the Converted
So 2009 didn’t turn out to be the year that 4 or 5 Magicians finally “made it”. They did manage to put out their first proper album though, and despite a few missteps, it’s an excellent start. Dan Ormsby’s great talent as a songwriter shine through throughout, perfectly chronicling both a struggling band and the state of the country side by side.
Obama is your new Che Guevara / Scouting for Girls are your new Nirvana / You’ve written ‘Free Tibet’ on the back of your hand / But you figure Tibet is a part of Iran
Youtube

Allo Darlin’ – Henry Rollins Don’t Dance
Pretty much the song of the year for me, although The Polaroid Song put in another strong effort for Allo Darlin’ Seemingly going from strength to strength at the moment, I’m half expecting them to be everywhere this year.
But in my head you’re Patrick Swayze / You drag me from the corner and call me ‘baby’ / But baby you don’t even wanna see Dirty Dancing
Youtube

– Another City, Another Sorry
The album as a whole never quite lived up to the promise, but The Answering Machine did manage to deliver some superb individual songs. Kind of what the Arctic Monkeys might be sounding like now if they hadn’t turned to shit.
I’m sort of lacking certainty / Situations tease the drunk out of me
mp3

– Demons Out!
Three albums in and Art Brut seem to be stuck in a holding pattern. No real advancement in terms of songs or abilities. A set of decent songs that are a hell of a lot better when performed live due to the natural charisma of Eddie Argos. I suspect Art Brut are about as a popular as they are ever going to be at this point. Which is why we can expect plenty more songs like Demons Out! in the future.
How am I supposed to sleep at night when no one likes the music we write / Record buying public, we hate them / This is Art Brut vs. Satan
Youtube

– French Navy
2009 seemed to be the year that Camera Obscura finally came into their own, to the extent that after 13 years, the band were finally able to give up their day jobs. Each album has seen the band grow considerably, with more complex and elaborate arrangements making their way in. It might have taken a while, but they certainly aren’t the “female Belle & Sebastian” any longer.
Spent a week in a dusty library / Waiting for some words to jump at me
Youtube

– Horoscope
The album was a little patchy, but Horoscope is an excellent little song. Mattias Björkas’s voice is the standout attraction here. He may sound like a Euro-Morrissey, but it’s incredibly easy to drift away in his voice.
I don’t believe in happy ever after / A pyramid scheme, I keep telling you
mp3

– Pink Sabbath
A band that creates such a ruckus that they require a whole new genre has to be created for them (fight pop). Dananananaykroyd’s album was an assault on the ears from start to finish, but in a good way. If such a thing is possible.
Buy it, run it, kick it, fuck it, yeah
mp3

– First Love
It took her the best part of five years, but Emmy the Great’s debut album just about lived up the high expectations. Boldly leaving off a number of “old favourites” in favour of a more structured collection, the album is a grower, but worth investing the time in.
You said I have a room / At the top of the stairs / I have a room with a view
Youtube

– Something Global
Possibly the most exciting band that I came across this year, I can’t think of album that has anywhere near as much play on my car stereo. And boy does it sound superb when bombing along at speed. Wonderfully unhinged.
So give me my hook / I know it might sound lame / Do you like my new look? / Waistcoats are so today
Youtube

– The Year of Letting You Down
The first of two songs on this list to feature Catherine Ireton, who quickly became one of my favourite voices. A small start for someone who deserves to be huge.
I met with a little success in my work / You wouldn’t call it taking off / But you wouldn’t call it starving
mp3

–
..and here’s the second. For some reason that’s baffling to me, the Gold Help the Girl album didn’t seem to get the acclaim I expected it to. The fact it’s not showing up on many end of year lists is deeply confusing to me, but I suppose you can’t win them all. The song choice here is pretty arbitrary, as it could have just as easily been I’ll Have To Dance With Cassie, Musician Please Take Heed or a handful more.
The dawn will touch me in a way a boy could never touch / Their promise never meant so much to me
Youtube

– Choose Yr Side and Shut Up!
An excellent song from what was an ultimately disappointing second album. Don’t get me wrong, I do like it and all, but it doesn’t even come close to Waited Up Til It Was Light. This album opener hints at the bigger things in store though. Short and to the point, it has anthem written all over it.
So we scattered pretty / Arcs across the city / Turned pockets of doubt / Into blankets of hope
Youtube

Let’s Wrestle – We Are The Men You’ll Grow To Love Soon
A slightly disjointed debut album from Let’s Wrestle still brought us a bunch of excellent little songs, if nothing incredibly exciting. Still, a band very much of their time. Few others can so perfectly articulate life in modern Britain.
We’re going down the job centre / And soon we’ll come out with a job
Youtube

Loney, Dear – Airport Surroundings
Typically late to the party with stuff like this, I never got into Loney, Dear (is there a comma or not?) much when the critically loved Loney, Noir came out. I absolutely love Airport Surroundings though. You’d think that would inspire me to check out the rest of the album, but I still haven’t got around to it. One day.
The last pain got away when I gave up myself / I bought a ticket to hell when I met up with you
mp3

! – The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future
Utterly, utterly perfect. The album is quite good too. So I’m told.
I ask her to speak French and then I need her to translate / I get the feeling she makes the meaning more significant
mp3

– Footsteps
The debut album from Pocketbooks delivered on all of the promise of the past few years. One indie pop gem after another, it makes me very excited for the future. From their adoration soaked performance at Indietracks to high profile support slot of God Help the Girl, bigger things are almost certainly in their future.
From the supermarket aisles to the dance floors of provincial towns / I’d occupy my vacant hours just waiting for something
mp3

– Molten Hearts
It always great when you discover a great band that is still rocking as if it’s 1994, and that’s exactly what Projekt A-ko do. Distortion, lazy vocals and even the odd “woo”. More like this in 2010 please.
I’ve got no fashion sense / I haven’t got any sense / I’ll never make any sense
Lastfm

– Break
Another band unashamedly influenced by the 90s US indie rock scene, Stagecoach bring the sound of Seattle to Brighton. Break is three minutes of song perfection, from a band we’ll be hearing a lot more of in the near future.
It’s not like her to cross the line / But she crossed it before and she’s gonna cross it one more time / Shit breaks / I kick in her face
mp3

– Super Sad Morgan
Pretty much any song from the supremely talented Ben Parker could have made it onto the list. I actually debated placing a Nosferatu D2 song on here, but it seemed to be pushing things a little. His songs are a masterclass in the writing of lyrics. Quite why a label hasn’t snapped him up is completely beyond me.
If someone mentions Woolworths again I think I’m gonna combust / We stole all of the Pic ‘n’ Mix from out her hearts
Lastfm

– Black Heart Blue Eyes
One of the most beautiful songs of the year from a band I really need to listen to more of. Black Heart Blue Eyes has such a wonderfully theatrical sound to it, topped off with some perfectly snappy wordplay.
Bigotry’s obligatory around here / There’s nothing for me to defend / Just got to go
mp3

– Berlin, Without Return…
Everything that the debut album should have been but never managed. Ramesh Srivastava’s vocal is as pitch perfect as ever, once again with a song worthy of his talents.
Do you spend your whole life trying to get back home? / Where do you go?
Youtube

– The Wolf
Now a fully formed band, The Young Republic may not be the same band they were a few years ago, but they know exactly what they want to be. Shifting from orchestral indie pop to Americana isn’t the easiest leap, but they’ve pulled it off with style. Incredibly self assured.
It hasn’t been this bad since my grandpa was a kid / He made it through, he never told us what he did
Youtube

New Stagecoach – Break

1
2 years ago
in

Stagecoach

Each time I hear a new song from , they seem to have planted themselves even more firmly at the heart of 90′s US indie. This could easily be seen as a lazy thing to do, but I suspect we’ll see more of this as the people that grew up with The Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer and, yes, Pavement form and refine their own sounds.

The funny thing is, I probably would have hated this back in those days. Break is a little more bombastic and aggressive than what I listened back then. Rivers Cuomo singing about “kicking in a face” would have been mildly absurd. It sort of works here though. Break is very much a song that has a feel of “we don’t give a shit”. It is what it is.

It’s an incredibly efficient little number too. Barely reaching three minutes, it manages to get a couple of verses in, rise, fall, show off some impressive guitar work, and still finds time for a shouted “Go!”. It’s all done before the bands of the indie “scene” these days are halfway through their “moody” instrumental introduction.

I’m doing a terrible job of selling this band, partly because there isn’t one particular hook here that works. It just all comes together into a perfect bit of powerpop.

The We Got Tazers! EP will be released on October 5 via Alcopop.

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Stagecoach don’t need guns; they’ve got tazers

3
2 years ago
in
Stagecoach

Nothing I can write about is going to sum them up better than they do themselves:

We’re a band from various villages in the Surrey Hills. We started off as a 2 piece and added a new member every year until we felt we could comfortably rock a stadium. I guess we formed the band because we’re no good at sports and don’t have any other hobbies apart from maybe skimming stones. We wanted to make Country music but things evolved around the time we rediscovered our tape collections from 1993. The songs are about the usual stuff, hot dogs, girls, cars.

They aren’t kidding about the 1993 thing either. We Got Tazers perfectly evokes certain elements of the early 90s American scene. Which isn’t to say they are one trick ponies by a long shot. That influence is seemingly combined with something a little more modern. Vocally I can hear a fair number of British indie bands from the past few years, but nothing so close that I could pin it down.

This is good, direct indie that cuts straight to the point. Nothing here is flashy, every element serves a purpose. Exploring new territory should be encouraged, but when you’re this confident about what you are doing right from the start, it makes sense to not risk what works. There’s a definite populist streak in here too. I doubt we’ll be hearing We Got Tazers on Radio 1 in the immediate future, but maybe that dream of rocking a stadium isn’t quite so unlikely as it initially sounds.

We Got Tazers is featured on Alcopopular Vol. 3, the new compilation from Alcopop. Which happens to come in the form of a treasure map in a bottle. You heard me.

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