Oh My Heart, the end of REM

So the band that made me love music have called it a day. Like everything in their career they did it their way; no fall-outs, no acrimony, no lawyers, just a time to end.

Before I was blown away as a teenager on seeing the video for Losing My Religion, music was around but not in my soul. Like most kids, I would tape the top 40, and wonder who had the top spot, but it was more like an obligation for me resulting from expectation, and the tapes never got any replay. With that song and video, for the very first time I was struck by the notion that popular music could have intelligence, that it could be art. Unlike all the other tunes there seemed to be no marketing force at work, I wasn't being targeted as a demographic, they weren't being moulded into a product. They were doing what they wanted to do and if people liked it, so be it. I could instinctively tell this and it was immediately empowering and liberating. Liking it was a choice by me and not my being subject to an advertising trick as the rest made me feel.

I quickly mined into their back catalogue, starting with Murmur simply because it was a cheap tape in Barnsley's Casa Disco. What on Earth was going on here? What were these tunes? Where did they come from? The quality of the six albums that preceded Out of Time also gave me the everlasting confidence that popularity did not equal quality, indeed as I learnt more about REM and their peers, it was apparent that the most intelligent work was below the radar of popular radio. That not appealing to the common denominator should allow such freedoms seems a given now, but until REM I had no access to the underground. Suddenly the manhole cover was off and my life of trawling the dark corners of music had started. Due to collaborations, support acts and notable musician fans, I quickly expanded into Kristen Hersh and the Throwing Muses, The Breeders, The Pixies, 10,000 Maniacs, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey and so on. All this before I had even heard of John Peel.

But REM remained the absolute core of my music. Everything I picked up just seemed to be written for me to like. It all just resonated in me. I couldn't believe the consistency of this band. I remember reading later that Fables had been deemed a below par affair, a blip in their IRS years. Well, it was dark and paranoid yes, but while a couple of tunes could have been described as 'just another REM song', below par seemed like an overstatement as they were still great. This was my first taste of a problem for a band that was noted for originality; that producing good songs wasn't good enough, you had to 'remain different'. No pressure then.

Another problem was the popularity. Although through REM I was introduced to the concept that the good stuff was usually hidden away, it was only REM's arrival on the world's stage that introduced the band to my teenage musically-isolated self. However, just attaining this level of popularity meant that for many an inhabitant of the underground scene the band had already 'sold out', somehow become contaminated because the club was no longer exclusive. This to my mind is merely an issue of social context, and in itself has nothing to do with the music, which is actually the only thing that matters, everything else is peripheral, but it is a periphery that can take some cutting through once your head is above the parapet and the merits of your tunes are being debated by Average Joe. I came across an interesting nuance of this mind trap recently in a retrospective article in The Guardian, which associated the rise in fame of the band with Out of Time and Automatic For The People with 'more conventional music' than what had gone before. This is clearly absurd, a perspective fogged by the passage of time. As Stipe himself said, 'If you're a band trying to write a huge cross-over hit, you don't immediately reach for the Mandalin'. I still know people today who have tried but just 'don't get' Out of Time, sometimes there is something in a name. Likewise Automatic while accessible is hardly conventional, a sparse and dark collection of beautiful tunes, prefaced with the foreboding and chorus-lacking Drive. Certainly upon their releases, these albums were not described as convential. It is more testimony to REM that they turned the unconventional into the conventional by skilfully walking a very thin line.

But all of these discussions are curious traits of an artform intricately woven through our media-drenched lives. I have often thought of the relative freedom of jazz and world music artists, and rock and pop artists who remain below the radar, who can happily produce album after album and never be subjected to accusations and being 'past it', selling out, or having 'return to forms'. But for popular rock and pop, ever since the 50's and 60's, we have been sold an image of the vibrancy of youth with a guitar strapped alongside. This coincides with the energy and irreverence if youth, that most bands will soon quit and get 'proper jobs'. This is true for the fans too. From the teens to the end of the Tweens, with a wide social scene, disposable time and income, music becomes a part of the social oil, defining people and linking them together. When personal circumstances become more limiting, or move on from the social collective, to many music becomes a background activity if it remains an activity at all. I know of many who were once keen music followings in their own genres but who have no such passions today. Alongwith new tune lovers arriving every day, this keeps the wheel turning and drives the need for the new.

In this context, where does this leave bands with internal stability and and a knack for a good tune? It becomes, solely for the bands who have pierced the social conscience, almost a special genre (nobody chats about when will Low or The Fall call it a day or 'return to form'). The media and public will watch like a hawk because either way it's a story, it's chat for when a tune passes on the radio. This is a necessary part of the popularity it's true, but forevermore the band is trapped there as lesser sales won't return the freedom, instead it becomes an albatross through which they will be remembered.

But what about the dwindling sales, dwindling quality is the obvious take, but at this level dwindling interest needs a mention. For REM, Out of Time and Automatic were followed by Monster and a world tour that kept them in the news, by the time they were finishing up, New Adventures, a 14 song hour long LP was already in the shops. Now this album has stood the test of time pretty well, although it is overlong and suffers a little from being too like it's predecessor, there is no real quality issue. For me, this is much more about fan and media fatigue and over exposure. At this time I remember the news of another 5-album record deal being greeted with groans by many not welcomed; the Zeigiest had simply moved on. At that level it takes constant marketing to keep the momentum going, with hyperbole often being fuel to the fire. In general terms it simply isn't the case that popular music has the tunes and the underground doesn't, merely that at a certain level bands get a bunch of marketeers behind them whose job it is to push, push, push. However, these people will carry on pushing while they can get away with it, they will still push a polished turd as long as they feel the momentum is there, they have no quality control until the public start pushing back and the product doesn't sell. The problem is that we the public are not totally stupid, and quickly realise how to spot the approaching turd, hence we push back. Beyond that, we're less likely to believe the promises of brilliance, we remember the turd. And even in REM's case there have been some turds...

Yes, don't worry, I'm not going to say that the quality remained as high as before in the final 5 albums, but it is significant that they started from this point of saturation, and it was never in REM's style to try and maintain a U2 patented ubiquity. The final 5 albums while absolutely being justified by quality tunes within them (well for 4 of them anyway...) have been patchy, and for this I solely lay the responsibility at the door of Mr Bill Berry.

Not that I am blaming him for leaving. I am merely acknowledging his influence in the bands temperments. While REM have always had an experimental nature, there has been much written about how it would be that Berry was the one to rein it in, to remind them that they were also making entertainment, and for my money reminding everyone that less is more in terms of album length (OK, he was still there for New Adventures, but maybe by this time his mind was drifting to his tractor too much). Berry was effectively REM's rudder. He was also an essential part of the social glue. Having a work ethic much akin to Buck's, he stabilised Buck's temperament in the studio by also arriving early and getting on with things. This helped prevent the more laid back attitudes of Stipe and Mills from frustrating Buck, something that helped cause an apparent split during the recording of Up, and that kind of thing is never going to help the music. Indeed, part of REM's success has always been their internal democratic credentials. However, once the balance was off, inevitable tensions followed.

But anyway, what of these final 5 albums? Well first along was Up and the brave or stupid opener of Airportman. I actually quite like it, but I somehow doubt Berry would have said, 'yes, let's open with that!'. Up has survived the test of time pretty well, although like it's predecessor it is too long and has some filler which in Up's case are overproduced, slow and just plain dull. Overall filler dilutes the whole effect, which is maddening when it's there on a 14 song LP. Anyway, with Up, we do have Lotus, Hope, At My Most Beautiful, The Apologist, Sad Professor, Walk Unafraid, Daysleeper, Why Not Smile and even Falls to Climb that are all solid works and show that a 10-song effort would have had much more impact (insert your preferred 10th song here).

Reveal is more problematic, the guys wanted to create an album with a constant mood, which they did admirably, but it came across more as a dirge, suffering more severely from the overproduction that began on Up. Still, tunes such as I've Been High, All The Way to Reno, The Chorus and the Ring, Imitation of Life and I'll Take The Rain show that the old magic is there. Unfortunately they are bogged down by abysmal efforts like the supposed anthemic openers The Lifting and She Just Wants To Be which both sound like they died on the mixing desk, neither helped by Stipe's furnishings, further examples of his patchy forays into 'Hey teenager, you'll be fine' subject matter of latter years. This began all the way back with Everybody Hurts, but was to continue awfully with these two on Reveal, better with Imitation of Life, but awful again on Accelerate's Supernatural Superserious (more later).

First we have to deal with the real black sheep of the family, the mutant zombie killing black sheep to be precise, the 'creative' nadir of Around The Sun, if only we could have got NASA to do precisely that. While the lead single of Leaving New York was fine enough, and for me Wanderlust has worth, these are small islands in a bubbling sea of waste, and on other islands these would have been part of the furniture not the main attractions. Around The Sun just feels like it never gets going. There are good ideas present, Electron Blue for example feels like it was going somewhere, but the execution of every single song has problems. It's all too spacey, polished and slow. There is no edge here, no grip and ultimately no interest. Apparently Buck walked out on the album while it was still in the studio. It's little wonder, but Stipe and Mills are not men to be left alone with an unrestricted budget and a reverb button. Buck's puriety was a big factor in REM giving us Monster after the chamber records, but in the 3 piece his frustrations were ultimately despairing rather than creative. This LP shows a band not comfortable in their own skin and it gave a big dent to their confidence and to that of their fans. Urggh, let's move on.

So, Accelerate. Grrr!! Action! Fast! Accelerate!! Argh! It could also be called, Don't Worry It's Not Shit Like The Last One, It Has Some Fast Songs On It! And so it does, with palpable relief on REM's side and ours, it opens with the onslaught of defiant Living Well is the Best Revenge which like a bombing run comes in quick, does its dirty work and exits before you have chance to recover. It is immediately followed by Man Sized Wreath, another superb full throttle guitar fest designed to disarm you and it works fantastically. So far, so great. However, the trio of fast-openers is completed by another teenager-reassurance effort from Stipe, the cringe-inducing Supernatural Superserious. Apparently it's a sequel to The Lifting from Reveal, if ever a song didn't need a sequel. Guess what teenager, you'll be fine! Yes Michael, as long as they can press skip. Still, it isn't all that bad, but Hollow Song, sorry, Hollow Man, up next, is. This one would fit perfectly on Around The Sun and that is a bad thing. It has a slow-fast structure and some Stipe 101 lyrics on what will happen if you're too passive (God, you'll end up being a Hollow Man!). It's everything that can be irritating by REM without the magic that coverts it to something special, and yet again a terrible single choice by the lads, let's move on. Wow, Houston. The 5th song on Accelerate is a fine and rich example of the dark brooding REM can do so well and is reminiscent of Country Feedback. Houston is a simpler song and as such it is wisely kept short, but along with the openers, it entirely justifies the rest of the LP, which is good because it kind of needs it. The rest isn't bad, and it's certainly no Around The Sun, it just isn't very inspiring. Until the Day Is Done and Sing For The Submarine are interesting, but their full potential isn't reached. Mr Richards overstays its welcome as it never develops from its opening structure, and the 'fast' closers of Horse To Water and I'm Gonna DJ are ramshackle drunk party songs that sound like live tracks circa 1983, and just don't feel like they have the gravitas for LP tracks. Overall then, Accelerate was a much needed life-saving transfusion as REM lay prostrate on the operating table, but it would take a little time and luck in recovery before they would be up to their old tricks.

And then along came Collapse Into Now, aaahhhhh. Who knew? Who knew they had one of these in them still? No excuses, no apologetic analysis, this is simply put a good album. The whole thing just sounds as if they were confident and free in its making. No pressure, no baggage, just let's get together and make some good music. I do wonder if they'd already decided this would be their last studio work and that'd given them a sense if liberation. Whatever the reason, it works. The opener of Discoverer is an addictive layered guitar riff overlaid with some quirky Stipe lyrics and delivery. OK, there are some moments of Stipe 'feeling calm', but my hat off for 'with a little bit more finesse, I'd have made a little less mess, but it was what it was, let's all get on with it, nowwww!'. This is surpassed however in the worthy follower All The Best, a solid, rousing, storm of a song with the surely autobiographical tour de force directness of 'I hold the mirror up, you tell me what is what, you tell me which part of my story baby is stuck, stuck, stuck, I'm in a part of your dreams that you don't even understand, it's just like me to overstay my welcome, bless, let's sing in a rhyme, let's give it one more time, let's show the kids how to do it, fine, fine, fine, I just had to get that off my chest, now it's time to get on with the best, all the best, all the best, all the best, best, best, best, it's just like me to overstay my welcome, bless'. Wow, bullseye Stipe, bullseye. Already with a big smile on your face, this falls beautifully into Uberlin with its wonderful clean country guitar from Buck and fragile but engaging collective lyrics from the Stipe. Add to that the Berlin context and the improvised Aarin Johnson featuring London video and the song is lifted to being a modern classic, good lads. There then follows a 4th blinder with Oh My Heart, and you start to think the patchy years were your imagination. Oh My Heart is a grand fairly slow number seemingly about belonging to a geographical place with all that it brings and the song features the best harmonies from REM since Out of Time. Wow. OK, so there is a little dip after this amazing opening, with It Happened Today and Everyday Is Yours To Win (I'm guessing Mills, anyone?), but they're worthy of a place. These are followed by the fun of hopefully metaphorical Mine Smell Like Honey with its swirling guitar and vocals which would have been a blast live. Walk it Back, a slow and simple piano piece I initially didn't like but it has grown on me especially after seeing the rather odd video! Next up, Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter is tremendous. It's a stomping guitar party reminiscent of the gang ramshackle of Horse to Water and I'm Gonna DJ but here it's really well executed and is one of the album highlights, 'I feel like a contradiction, i'm a walking science fiction' sings guest vocalist Peaches, yes! From there we have a dip with the fast but shallow That Someone Is You and the pedestrian Me Marlin Brando, Marlin Brando and I, but it's not long before Blue comes along to smack us in the face. Blue is a dark fuzz of noise in the vein of country Feedback and Houston, but here Stipe's accompaniment is a spoken word stream of consciousness that includes the album's namesake and is joined by none other than Patti Smith as she adds the only actual singing on the track. It is a fine thing to behold and it is a fitting end to the album (unless you count the curious reprise of Discoverer which works too). All in all this is an album that I find myself returning to time and time again, which is exactly how it should be. Once again, it is a latter day REM album which would benefit from being a 10 song album, for my money dumping That Someone Is You and Me Marlin Brando Marlin Brando and I, but altogether it stands up very well.

And so there you have it. That Ladies and Gentlemen, was REM. To paraphrase Burt Bacharach, the art of attending a party is knowing when to leave. Maybe the lads hung around a little too long for some of the guests, but it was a great party and they still had a good circle of people around them laughing along even if the odd punch line missed. Just like with Stipe's hero, Andy K, maybe they were never there, but in trying you have the possibility of attaining a special place. It's worth a shot.

Why not smile?

Music

I have decided to start up a specific music blog and blog all such related items there rather than here. Hopefully, it won't just be me but will be a community including some music appreciating luminaries that I fortunate enough to know. It all starts here.

Lake District 2007

As part of my "Show Sonia That Scotland Is Not All Where It's At" campaign, we took off to the Lake District this September (this followed a fantastic gig by soon-to-be-huge web-project Amplifico at the Moorings Bar, Aberdeen that I keep meaning to blog about, but frankly it's looking unlikely...).



Day 1 - Sunday 16th

Anyway, things started off well enough with torrential rain from the second we set off. We then called in at The Horn (between Dundee and Perth) so I could have one of their lovely 'Pig in a bun' bacon sandwiches, mmm. Then Sonia informed me that her scrambled egg was the worst thing she had ever tasted. I bought her a scone. She scraped off the sugar and then nibbled one crumb before that went on the "no" pile. Ach well, onwards!

Eventually, through the rain we could make out the England sign. A land of chips open, supporting other-UK teams and safe pubs, but no Scottish notes accepted in payment! Pulling in to Kendal, we went for food at The Peddler Café, an organic safe-haven recently featured in G2's 'avoid motorway services' guide. Nice it was, if you want to spend £7 for a full meal that is; too much of a complete lack of snack-level food for me. Nevermind, the walk around Kendal was very pleasant, including as it did the odd house decor shop, the whisky shop and the second hand shop.

With this first day moving on, we hopped back into our laden car and I took us over the impressive Wrynose and Hardknott pass in more pouring rain. This single-lane road is a serious undertaking measuring 30% for continuous stretches with tight-turns to boot; Sonia oddly kept her eyes closed most of the time! Once through, we made our way through many little hamlets until eventually we drove up Wast Water (at 79m the deepest lake in England) and into The Wasdale Head National Trust campsite, where thankfully we hitched the tent in the day's single dry spell. After all our travelling the dinner could only be in the pub, and so we jogged up the road to the wonderful Wasdale Head Inn to ensure we made the food-order limit. The food and the ale were both up-to-scratch, so we were a happy duo as we walked back in some more rain, for our first night under canvas.



Day 2 - Monday 17th

After a day of rain, the Monday was much finer, which is more of what could be said for our moods as a series of frustrations beset us. Firstly, in order to not have to shop on the Sunday, I had said we would have breakfast in a good café I know in Ambleside. However, after many early mornings in recent time, Sonia insisted on a lie-in. Not so bad in itself, but combined with a request to avoid the Hardknott Pass, meant we had to take the long way round leading to us turning up in Ambleside after noon, and then having to cope with trying to find a car space in this busy little town. Once in the café, a desperate for the loo Sonia then had to cope with the café's policy of getting the toilet door's code only on your receipt! Not an impressed little curly-top I can tell you!


Good views toward Scafell Pike in the morning:



And over Wast Water:




After thankfully being fed, I had wanted to have a look around, but the extortionate parking fees meant that a return to the car was necessary. This took us straight to Windermere for some shopping (always a relaxing past time) before we could move on to my next target, the Kirkstone Pass Inn, the highest pub in England. Things then seemed to be going our way, as we sat with open paper and a pint of a very fine porter. But the smug self-satisfied landlord, after regaling another customer with tales of his 4am mucking-out, asked us nonchalantly to drink-up as he was closing early. Grrrr. Strangely, one of his tales to this poor other customer was how they had no idea how to run a pub as they'd never liked them. This was meant to be a joke, but it was sadly spot-on. A great venue ruined by, well, a twat.

The remainder of this day consisted of a brief visit to Grasmere, which actually almost didn't occur when it appeared we'd have to pass £3 merely to leave the car for 15 minutes, and then back to Ambleside for some chips to put us on until our campsite cooking in the evening. Even this could not pass without incident! Standing calmly in the Old Smithy chip shop, a customer in the seating area started complaining that food was not brought to the table but the customers were called to collect them. A fine complaint in a fine-dining restaurant, but not in a chip shop. The customer was immediately aggressive, freely volunteering that he was on holiday and had had a couple of pints. The proprietor's calm response was to tell him to piss off, to which the customer retorted that he was going to build an anti-Old Smithy chip shop webpage. Onlookers looked-on bemusedly as the customer in question stormed out with his refund. Mine and Sonia's order came and we left, with me telling Sonia calmly that this kind of thing always happens in English chip shops...


Famous house-on-a-bridge in Ambleside:



Good record shop venue, poor range:



The Kirkstone Pass:



The Kirkstone Pass Inn:



The door slapping me in the ass as I left:




Day 3 - Tuesday 18th September


At last, hiking! Here we go...

The Lake District: Scafell Pike (E1) and Great Gables (E7)

Walk date: 18/09/07
My Munro #'s: N/A

Pronunciations - translations - heights:
Scar-fell Pike - distortion of "pikes of scafell" - 977m
Great Gable - a great gable - 899m

Statistics:
Duration - 12:00 - 19:30
Distance - 15.7km
Total ascent - 1421m
Weather - Started fine and warm, moved to cloudy, moved to light rain, moved to apocolyptic drenching and then some...
Team - with Sonia
Other hikers: many of Scafell Pike, one on Great Gable


The descent off Great Gable was improvised!





Starts well, with breakfast in glorious sunshine:



First up then was Scafell Pike, the highest point in England, and we strutted out confidently from the campsite due east up a good path with good ol' English stiles. After a brief snack at the splitting of the paths (WP2533 on my map pic), we decided to head up the 'more fun route' of Mickledore, which includes the slightest of scrambling. As we started this, we met an impressive gent of 83, who had planned to give Scafell a go, but had decided against it due to the cloud on top! He was dressed in everyday shoes and trousers, with only his raincoat suggesting he was into this stuff at all! Anyway, after Mickledore, the summit is a brief stroll on the flat. Although the cloud was down at this point the pretty obvious path meant that navigation was minimal.


Scafell Pike in the middle and Scafell to the right:



Sonia models Great Gable:



Rising on that good path:



What a hunk! (Wast Water in the background):



Sonia points out Mickledore:



And there she goes:



Crags in the mist:



Mickledore up close:



As the summit resembled the general meeting of the Strange Hat Society, we quickly moved on taking the generally north route as we headed toward Sty Head and Great Gable. The way was straight-forward apart from the 'Corridor Route', which is a brief gentle scramble but with some exposure to one side. Despite initial hesitation Sonia dug-in with gusto and coped well, but the couple behind us saw the route and opted to take the river route (NW) down inside.


Sonia on top of England:



Looking down to Lingmell as we start descending:



Looking over to Broad Crag, not for today:



Sonia on the descent:



Quite a steep descent in places:



Great Gable approaches:



Wasdale from Sty Head:



Anyway, we were soon at Sty Head and made the decision to carry on and take in Great Gable. The route is steep but going was well, at least before the rain came; first light enough to convince us the waterproof trousers weren't necessary, and then so heavy that you wondered if any where on Earth was still dry.

As we got to the summit, a good dose of misery had already been slapped on us. Sonia particularly would have welcomed our instant removal from the hill, possibly into a warm bath. This wasn't helped by the fact that in all the weather I couldn't see the path off SW that I had plotted us to do. As the NE path was way-marked, in combination with the fact that I had done it before and knew that it was safe, and remembering how the unknown path Paul P and I had taken off Scafell and how that turned out, I stood my ground and directed us down to Windy Gap (214105). From there it was a simple western jaunt to Beck Head and then SW to Gavel Nesse by which time we were finally below the cloud again, but still as wet in the continuing rain.

So what it's a summit?! Get me home!



Soaked to the skin, but happy to be in the approach home, we stomped onwards into dusk and then dark as we entered Wasdale Head. Despite how good a pint would have tasted at that point, continuing past the Inn, back to the campsite to get into dry clothes so we could return in time to order food was a much better idea, and then it tasted even better. By the time we got to dessert, we had managed to get a place by the fire and sat almost sleeping over sticky toffee puddings. Wonderful, except that our rainy-experience was far from over...


Finally, Wast Water in view again!



Lord, we are thankful for pubs!




Day 4 - Wednesday 19th September


... Well, the rain didn't stop all night long, and we couldn't sleep for the noise of it! At 3:30, Sonia even raised concerns of where exactly the river was running! We woke up to find a new lake in the Lake District, right outside our door! And it was still raining!


Lake Campsite, fishing licences available:



Now that was a close one!



As the outlook was for more rain, and our bedding had gotten wet, we faced the truth that it was probably for the best to pack up and head for a drying out session at my folks' in Barnsley. With the car full of wet gear then we started our leisurely way out of the Lakes, first touring through Honister Pass and Borrowdale and then taking a fine stroll along Derwent Water (in dry weather!) before returning to Kendal, where we had a fine pub lunch with fine ale alongside.


Local traffic was bad around Buttermere:



Sonia tackles the slopes of Derwent Water:



Derwent Water in sun, that's SUN!



So not-awful weather it was time for a paddle:



The conversation was scintillating:



Back home, we sadly went out for yet another fine pub meal before retiring into my Dad's shed for some further fine ale and some Macallan Cask Strength. And everything was dry! Awful, simply awful.


My Dad's shed, no really!



Day 5 - Thursday 20th September



Not to be undeterred by the weather, after a little lie-in Sonia and I made off for some more camping, this time to the delightful Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. Taking a leisurely trip over, we have a brief look at the village before pitching up at the Wood Nook campsite 2km out. Then, with our complementary coffees we set about walking into the village via some of the lovely limestone countryside for a gentle evening of, would you believe it, real pub food and real ale with it (I think it was the Old Hall Inn and then the Black Horse)!


Sonia enjoying her free drink from Wood Nook:



After a very pleasent night out, it was time for a pleasent walk back, except that we didn't get it as this was the exact moment that the rain from the Lake District found us again! There wasn't the same river danger as in the Lakes as this rain only lasted for a half hour, but it was the exact half hour our walk took! Ah well, that's camping for you!


Day 6 - Friday 21st September

My intention for this day was a full look around York, but with all our newly wet gear we were not in the mood for a quick departure. Instead then, we had a long and satisfying breakfast at the recommended Cobblestones Café back in Grassington before hitting the sweetshop and getting over to York by early afternoon. By which time we obviously needed a coffee and as such accidentally found the wonderful El Piano Spanish café where beautiful freshly ground coffee is served to you in a jug! It also helped that I found a Morrocan lampshade there which I promptly bought for my hallway!

Enjoying a walk by the Ouse:

The rest of the afternoon was spent indulging ourselves in the myriad of unique shops that York has to offer. I bought a still from Kes printed onto canvas at Freaky Friday's in the always-impressive Shambles, I almost lost Sonia in a few Country Living type shops, and then she almost lost me in a beer emporium, where somehow I managed to cut down my shopping cart to contain a mere six bottles from the 'stouts and porters' section!

Me in The Shambles:

Sonia in The Shambles:

After the shops we sat in a marque set up for the Food & Drink festival that happened to be going off before we met up with an old work colleague of mine in the recommended-to-me and as-of-now-recommended-to-you Lendal Cellars. This pub is literally within the cellars of a large townhouse and there were around seven real ales to chose from. The ever-suffering Sonia then drove yours-truly home as I played DJ on the iPod!

Day 7 - Saturday 22nd September

Day 8 - Sunday 23rd September

Day 9 - Monday 24th September

These last few days then were spent around Barnsley and Nottingham. On the Saturday my Dad and I took Sonia to her dancing meet in Hartington and then the two of us had a good hike (and pint) in the Goyt Valley. On Sunday I picked up Sonia and then raced over to Nottingham to collect Lisa and Neil and hit Selectadisc before it closed! We had a fine raid on the excellent little shop, the purchases from which are listed over at Lisa's. After that we compared our buys in the ancient Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem before retiring for tea and odd filmness in the ever-brilliant Repo Man. And finally, on the Monday there was just enough time for another pub lunch before the day-long return to Aberdeen. A holiday that the weather turned off-piste a little, but one that was all the more fun for it. Great stuff.

That windy Goyt Valley:

... riding through the glen:

Them folks:

'n wi' lass:

PJ Harvey is back

... and on form

Song Lyric 1

Just thought I'd jot down the odd song lyric when they catch my attention.  Here's my starter for 10...

"Well, Americans:
What, nothin' better to do?
Why don't you kick yourself out?
You're an immigrant too."

The White Stripes - Icky Thump
From Icky Thump 2007

Nice to see the guy even verging on the political.

Oh, and I'm back.

Mainstream-o-meter

Thanks to Lisa for this. Your music tastes as per your Last.fm profile can now be assessed in terms of its mainstreamness. From my friends list Sonia comes 'top' with the least mainstreamness at 15.28%. My weakness for R.E.M. and The White Stripes rack me up to 17.71%, but I'm still particularly impressed with Superqueens' score of 0.01% mainsteam; I'm so down with the kids!

Me (151george) - 17.71%

Sonia (Myrtles) - 15.28%

Lisa (Rullsenberg) - 19.03%

Cloud (cloud-1729)- 15.89%

Simon (sdlatham) - 23.58%

Camera Obscura

Aah, due to continuing healthy sales of their third long player, Let's Get Out of this Country, this Friday saw me get a second chance this album to see the wonderful Camera Obscura play in Aberdeen, this time graduating from The Tunnels to the above-ground Lemon Tree.

What a pleasant time it was, a fine happy atmosphere from all present as would be expected from the Twee Indie demographic. Support was from 'Scura friend Ned Collette hailing all the way from Melbourne. Brooding, padding, haunting guitar with a fine voice to match. Just imagine, his myspace page lists Robert Wyatt and George Orwell as some of his principle influences... Ned treated us to a short series of his longer songs, as he said 'Aberdeen seemed like a long song kinda place'. I'm not sure what that means, but he's right! A fine live event, but I did wonder how much I would play the record. Maybe a lot, but I wasn't moved to invest in finding out.

After a refreshingly short break, The 'Scura were steeping onto the stage, Carey and Tracy Anne in classy 60's vintage, and it was great to see how relaxed and happy they seemed, quite a change from the bustling and more challenging Tunnels venue. Standing but a metre or two away, the good vibes were infectious as they opened with Come Back Margaret and old super-favourite Suspended from Class from second LP Underachievers Please Try Harder. They were even interactive enough to ask for more light to be thrown onto the crowd, joking that it was nice to see so many people after the previous night in Inverness, playing to one man and his canine!

The set continued with the crowd around getting bouncier, new (or old obscure) song Lemon Juice and Paper Cuts sounding fine and soon moving on to a fantastic Keep It Clean, a mellow Books Written For Girls (at one point changing the line 'You see through this perfect smile' to 'They talk through this perfect song' in reference to the usual bar limpets still chatting away!) and a crowd-pleasing Hey Lloyd. A fine run including If Looks Could Kill, Let's Get Out Of This Country and Teenager lead to the closer, Razzle Dazzle Rose with an amazing crescendo of noise that left the crowd in rapture.

The video to 'Hey Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken':


The video to 'Let's Get Out of this Country':



After a performance as good as that, an encore was guaranteed and the band came back with Eighties Fan, a favourite from their debut, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi, that had consistently been asked for throughout their set. Having met all our expectations, The 'Scura were finally allowed to leave, and did so to prolonged applause and cheering. From the shy band that peered into our consciousness through the days of Peel, Camera Obscura now have the appearance of a band totally at ease with themselves, and this can only mean good things for future releases. Bring them on!



I got a playlist revealing the bands
nicknames for their own songs!

Ash Grove Volume 9 - Xmas 2006 Disc 1

Well, at long last, it's about time I got to reviewing at least one of Lisa & Neil's superb Christmas compilations!! The compilations in general have been going ever since I met the Dudes at the back end of 2002, and each further chapter makes a very welcomed addition! So quick, before any more DIY or mountains get in the way!


1. The Tiny - Know Your Demons
From: Starring; Someone Like You (2006)

Taken from The Tiny's second LP, this track starts the compilation off sweetly and innocently enough, the beautiful voice of Ellekari Larsson coming in over gentle piano notes. However, with the first run of the title line, an unbalanced edge comes into Ellekari's delivery, and you start to feel that this might not be as billed. Sure enough, futher returns to this line are accompanied by equally unbalanced backing vocals and crashing of drums, culminating in a swirling endgame as your gentle stream suddenly becomes full-on rapids. Indie, but flavoured sweet, odd, unbalanced and Scandanavian. If this track isn't on the soundtrack to 'The Golden Compass', there's no justice..


2. Felix - Death To Everyone But Us (Meredith's Version)
From: What I Learned From TV (2006)

Offbeat Nottingham festerers. Discordant piano. Muttering. Feedback here and then there. No complaints. They seem almost embarrassed to be articulate but in doing not so they create a tension and an envelope that you're suddenly on the inside of. Like Lorna in a psychiatric ward, or possibly Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia without the loud bits.


3. Beirut - Scenic World (Version)
From: Lon Gisland EP (2006)

Suddenly, this comes in and gets the place moving. Hip young thing Condon, lover of electronic and Balkan music alike, tinkers with no set rules and is clearly having a fine time. His vocal delivery is restrained but emotional, but the rich music tapestry behind it is infectious and overall means that this is an upbeat ride. A fine thing. A jotting down of the name for further investigation...


4. Eleni Peta - Only When I Lose Myself
From: A Greek Tribute to Depeche Mode (2005)

Only Lisa could find an album by this name, and yet it all makes sense. A fine cover from a niche within a niche. This Depeche Mode number benefits a reworking by this Greek star and general 'not entirely unattractive lass'.


5. Low - Back Home Again
From: Take Me Home: A Tribute To John Denver (2000)

Some people don't 'get' Low, finding their 'Slowcore' numbers to be definite downers. I feel sorry for these people. Maybe my emotions resonate in the slow spectrum, but they always have quite an effect on me and this is a fine example. A cover that definitely justifies itself and probably this compilation's centrepiece.


6. Maps - Don't Fear
From: Now Hear This! 47 (2006)

Northampton electronica-indie outfit. A simple and uplifting refrain repeated over relaxed but building music that without realising it, you're bobbing along to. The Polyphonic Spree meet The Jesus and Mary Chain.


7. Lullaby Arkestra - Unite!!!!!!!!!
From: Ampgrave (2006)

This piece from Toronto's newies starts innocently enough, but for a song with nine exclamation marks, you just know there's going to be some shouting before too long. Sure enough it comes in abundance in choruses and then in trading cross-fire, as the music seems to lose all control and brakes through every genre-boundary it can find, sounding simultaneously like thrash metal and eastern european folk. These people can only be a welcomed edition.


8. Dead Can Dance - Cantara
From: Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun (1987)

A fine outing from old skool Dead Can Dance. Tense and echoing guitar gives well to fine eastern vocals and rousing strings. This is simply great music.


9. A Hawk And A Hacksaw - In The River
From: The Way The Wind Blows (2006)

Another great piece from eastern folk stalwarts A Hawk and A Hacksaw. Wonderful rich music with a delivery that could fit any lyric to any music and make it an essentially part of the song.


10. Ludovico Einaudi & Ballaké Sissoko - Chameaux
From: The Festival In The Desert (2003)

The folk theme continues with this well-crafted piece. I really hope these people know how well they play!


11. Superágua - Stylish
From: The Rough Guide To Brazilian Electronica (2003)

I have all the patience in the world for electronica with soul and this has it. No thundering dark beats like the home grown stuff, but instead a welcome marriage of sounds as more traditional music comes in, finishing on upbeat notes fading out to...


12. Orishas - A Lo Cubano
From: A Lo Cubano (1999)

Well, this livens things up! Cuban hip hop with great beats and vocal delivery, both upfront and with the backing. Stands up in its own right as well as bearing many cultural clues to its origin, and no bling in sight...


13. Gilad Atzmon & The Orient House Ensemble - Exile
From: Exile (2003)

Bringing the heartbeat back down is the saxophone stylings of Gilad Atzmon et al. A gentle track but still with a distinctive flavour.


14. Felix - Back In Style
From: What I Learned From TV (2006)

See no.2. It still has muttering. It still has melody. It's still dark. It's still brilliant.


15. Saturday Looks Good To Me - Typing
From: All Your Summer Songs (2003)

Sweet female vocals and slightly unhinged indie accompaniment is always a good mix and this is no exception. Makes me think of Lorna again, but you know, once they've been kicked out of school.


16. Sarah McLachlan - Dear God (cover of XTC)
From: A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs OF XTC (1995)

Sarah McLachlan takes on XTC and wins. What can you say? She bags it.


17. Saint Etienne (feat. Stephen Duffy) - Fake '88
From: Sharks Patrol These Waters: The Best Of Volume Too 2 (1995)

Ash Grove compilation stalwarts St. Etienne round up this chapter with a depressing look at how the 80's will be remembered. 'Wet look gel'. Enough said.


Good work dudes. Maybe we can get one of those signs like with twinned towns? 'The Dudes Music, twinned with George's Aberdeen, for cultural enrichment!'

Regina Spektor

Well, last Monday night Sonia and I tripped off to Glasgow to check out the wonderful Regina Spektor at the Queen Margaret Union. See the post that shows up below this one when you search for previous discussion re this fantastically original and quirky artist. After queueing and being frisked on entry (!), we safely stood in this rather good venue at our favoured 'just-in-front-of-the-mixing-desk' spot awaiting our heroin.

Support came from fellow New Yorker Only Son, a solo man-with-guitar effort, which didn't fill us with joy as he stepped out, but who in fact proved to be an extremely talented and likeable young chap, with a gift for melodies that shone through his less than original 'I'm sad and lonely, I miss my girlfriend' type lyrics!

But, after a refreshingly short wait, we were cheering to the appearance of Regina herself, clad amusingly in a bright red Borat T-shirt. The girl walked straight up to the central microphone and, with all attention fixed on her, started what to me was a brand new song, a bare voice and microphone-tapping ode to her lover in a far away place, sung in her trademark powerful wail. Hell of a way to kick things off. Next, she moved over to the grand piano and began 'Summer in the City'. It's hard to think of situations when the opening lyrics of 'Summer in the City, means cleavage, cleavage, cleavage...' would seem more inappropriate than a wet February night in Glasgow, but somehow Regina made it work.

The set continued with a fantastic 'Poor Little Rich Boy', played with a drumstick against a chair accompanying the piano. Excellent. After a good number of solo pieces, including another new song commenting that 'the non-believers will eat dirt and the believers get to spit in their graves', nice, her band joined her on stage for a heavier segment, including rousing versions of 'Better', 'Hotel Song', 'On The Radio' and 'Your Honor', sounding even better than they do on record, which really is saying something. By this time even the usual 'Twats-Still-Talking-At-The-Bar' were shocked into silence.

But time moved on and somehow an hour had passed and Regina and her cohorts were leaving the stage. Of course the crowd were not going to take that and put forward one of the most convincing 'they'd better be an encore' cheering demonstrations I'd seen in a good while. And so Regina alone came back to join us, playing for another half hour of piano, guitar, and just voice solos, clearly enjoying herself. The particular encore highlight was the expected wonderful 'Us' and also the closer, a new song in a Country style, showing that Regina remains as playful as ever.

Noted absentees were the favourites of Sonia and myself, 'Pavlov's Daughter' and 'The Consequence of Sound' respectively. But with a performance as enjoyable as this, there was no reason for complaining with respect to Regina herself. The gig was as good as we could have hoped for, with the crowd captivated throughout, and we look forward to all future actions from this girl. I did however, find myself wanting to grab the photo/video phones off about four or five individuals placed between us and the stage, and plunk them all into a pint of warm Tennent's lager. Is this a sign of me becoming officially old? I don't know, but why don't these people just enjoy the gig and experience it themselves. In this age of YouTube, I guess we'll just have to get used to it, but don't expect video posts of music at this url!!

2006 Music Review

Here is a review, in no particular order, of what's been the soundtrack to my year. I hope you enjoy!

CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy



Possibly the best find of 2006 for me, Sao Paulo's CSS's had their first release for Sub Pop this year with the eponymous 'Cansei de Ser Sexy' or 'Tired of Being Sexy' (aren't we all?); apparently named after a quote from that most interesting individual, Beyonce! The band formed in 2003 as an excuse to meet up and drink, and back then only the drummer could play! CSS are refreshingly unashamed of having fun with their music and making people dance without needing to prove that they can do it with an intellectual slant, or in a nonchalent cooler-than-thou poise for camera as seems to be synonymous for 'indie' here in the UK. CSS don't so much deliver fast, funky, sharp guitar licks as throw them in your face and down your throat. Cast-off your indie-boy essay baggage as per Pitchforkmedia and enjoy the slices of attitude that are served up for you here. Opener 'CSS Suxxx' tells you immediately how it's going to be, with the title chanted mantra-style over a wrestling-stage of guitar noise. Before long, you're concerned at your inability to hold your feet still to the dirty groove of 'Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above' and the album centrepiece 'Art Bitch' with its absurdly dirty lyrics such as 'I am an artist/I am an artsy bitch/I sell my paintings to the man I eat' and 'Lick, lick, lick my art-tits/Suck, suck, suck my art-hole', and all in a Brazilian accent. CSS mainly sing in English, but my Portuguese girlfriend assures me that their native tongues are just as dirty, with lines such as 'Underneath the covers I moan in D-minor'. Nice.

The album is by no means a seminal album, but to look at it that way is missing the point. I won't even say that the album is solid, although everything is fun, you do sometimes find yourself 'waiting' through some of the lesser tracks for the big-boys (those big-boys being 'CSS Suxxx', 'Patins', 'Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above', 'Art Bitch' and 'Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex'). In that way, CSS can be reminiscent of 'Chicks On Speed', but the playfulness and freedom is needed to allow for the moments where everything comes together. What this album is is a tonic, an indie ex-foliator, a murk-detergent. Just stop writing about it and dance man!

Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope



What more can be said of the ever-wonderful Regina? 2006 saw a welcomed return for this Russian-born New York songstress with the confident and competent Begin to Hope. As would be hoped, the LP reflects the intelligence, wit, classical-training and offbeat, quirky humour of this unique performer, with the songs often taking handbrake-turns from simple piano riffs and gentle vocals to ivory car crashes with warbling moans to match, but always keeping you on side; no need has Regina for living in the back of beyond with her harp and a gothic veil, this is a New York city girl, and while the characters in her songs are richly drawn and doing some frankly confusing stuff, it's all with a knowing wink and a come-along-for-the-ride invitation, and hey, you're free this afternoon, so why not?

The songs that make up Begin to Hope struck me as being slower-paced in general than those of previous outings, but that's not to say there's no spice here. Just check out 'On The Radio', in which Regina muses over melancholy meanings of life, before asserting, 'No, this is how it works/You peer inside yourself/You take the things you like/And try to love the things you took/And then you take that love you made/And stick it into some/Someone else's heart /Pumping someone else's blood/And walking arm in arm/You hope it don't get harmed/But even if it does/You'll just do it all again', 'Hotel Song' with its direct and honest 'Come into my bed/I've got to know/Know know you' , the raucous 'That Time' with its closing verse of 'Hey remember that time when you od’ed?/Hey remember that other time when you od’ed for the second time?/Well in the waiting room while waiting for news of you I hallucinated I could read your mind/And I was on a lot of shit too but what I saw, man, I tell you it was freaky, freaky', and the pounding 'Edit' seemingly condemning you because 'You don't have no doctor Robert/You don't have no uncle Albert/You don't even have good credit/You can write but you can't edit '. Sorry Regina, I did try.

However, fear not the slower works between these towers, for each has a life of its own. Opener 'Fidelity' explains just how much these form part of the fabric of Regina herself , with 'I never loved nobody fully/Always one foot on the ground/And by protecting my heart truly/I got lost in the sounds I hear in my mind/All these voices/I hear in my mind all these words/I hear in my mind all this music'. Samson seems to suggest that even the infamous Nazirite would bow to Regina in the bedroom with 'Oh I cut his hair myself one night/A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light/And he told me that I'd done alright/And kissed me till the morning light/The morning light/And kissed me till the morning light'. Warning: this does not occur on a Norah Jones album. Nor does this from closer 'Summer in the City', 'Summer in the city means cleavage cleavage cleavage/And I start to miss you, baby, sometimes/I’ve been staying up and drinking in a late night establishment/Telling strangers personal things'. Well, how did Joe Cocker miss that one?

Simply put, this is another great work from Regina, and one in which a fuller sound and maturity has seemed to come about. This is Regina's time, and we await further news with great expectations. If you haven't discovered Regina yet, then the time could not be riper.

Tom Waits - Orphans
Or: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards



One album just wasn't enough for Tom this year. Some artists occasionally feel the need for a double-album, but when Tom was feeling particularly profilic, he just leap-frogged that and went for the triple. The set is a collection of 24 rare and 30 brand new songs. Each disc working as a separate collection; the first disc 'Brawlers', with the more roughcut rock and blues cuts, the second 'Bawlers', the more melancholy tunes and ballads, and the third disc 'Bastards' having the more experimental songs & spoken word pieces. Needless to say, with how much I loved 2004's 'Real Gone', my favourite of these is 'Bastards', but everything here works.

Particular favourites include 'Road to Peace', a scathing and accurate critique on nothing less than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 'Long Way Home', 'Shiny Things', 'Take Care Of All My Children', 'What Keeps Mankind Alive, 'Children's Story', 'Army Ants', 'Dog Door', 'Nirvana', 'Dog Treat' and 'Missing My Son'. If you know Tom Waits and it's not for you then fair enough, but if you are into the contempory scene, but have so far not considered the great man, then acquaint yourself now. If the triple daunts you, then go for 'Real Gone', but note here that I'm waxing about his two most recent works; this man's aged muse is in exceptionally good health.

Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis

2006 saw a welcomed and overdue full return for the Pulp frontman. While I will open here by fully admitting that I haven't spent enough time with this album to give a complete assessment, I can guarantee for you that single 'Don't Let Him Waste Your Time' and centrepiece 'Fat Children' show that JC is still a 5-star artist. Both of these songs demonstrate that Jarvis knows exactly who he is, where he is, and where he's been. This is no Oasis-style cling to the big times, but a brave new flag and a true course toward the new horizon, which is exactly what you'd expect from someone of Jarvis' ability and intelligence. Fat Children caustically assesses the lack of cornerstones in the new society, with 'Well they wanted my brand new phone with all my pictures of my kids and my wife/A struggle ensued and then, fat children took my life' and 'Well some passer-by took me to the station/The police force were somewhere else/Putting bullets in some guy's head for no particular reason'. Ow.

While it may not be Pulp, this is an album with distinct merit, and anyone who was ever into Pulp as more than a brit-pop sweep-along will find some solace here. I look forward to mining it for more.

Joanna Newsom - Ys

There are two main camps on this one. The first goes 'What the fuck?', and the second (disturbingly now found in The Guardian, The Independent and every half-hip art/music magazine in the country) goes 'This is the most seminal album since the wax cylinder was invented, it takes roughly 700 listens to get it, but when you do IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER, and all the people who don't get it will relocate underground whilst us higher intellects will attain a higher plain'.

OK, I'm exaggerating. A little. Where I stand is somewhere inbetween these two. As someone who adored 2004's 'The Milk-Eyed Mender', I was psyching myself up for just how good 'Ys' would be, and at the same time trying to ignore the hype (which is why unheard of bands are so nice), and as a result I am now still in the fog. Maybe I do need to get up to 700 listens, and I'm resistant to come out with a quick 'The Milk-Eyed Mender was better', but it was certainly simpler (and that's saying something). There are only five tracks on 'Ys', but it comes in at over 52 minutes, and it does not consist of post-rock landscapes with crashes guitars and avalanches of white-noise to perk you up. Instead there are harps and warbles of medieval poetry that go on for quite some time. Reading lyrics, you start to pick out characters of interest, and repeating listenings do deliver hooks, but if you're new to Joanna, I'd recommend that you seek out the BA of MEM. If this then tickles your lute, get ready for some post-grad pondering as lesser types around you hit the easy fix of Meredith Brookes.

Tilly and the Wall - Bottom of Barrels

Coalescing from several floundering Omaha groups in 2001, Tilly and the Wall take their name from children's book "Tillie and the Wall", written by Leo Lionni, with their surreal and childish album artworks being very much in the vein of Lionni's own covers. It's little surprise therefore that the music continues in the same thread. However, although the tracks here are full of wonder at the world and the 'come along' gusto that goes with it (especially centrepiece 'Sing Songs Along'), there is suffused through this work a dark underside; the 'Tilly kids' do not get things easy...

Take coming of age track and opener 'Rainbows in the Dark', changing the usual 'He broke my heart' scenario and adding 'Oh, and my face too', with 'Then I met a man with a fist for a hand/Held me flat on my back, taught me how to give in/Some phrases were shot, pretty roses got tossed/The gift of a fat-lipped grin'. The second track 'Urgency' gives us an idea of how Tilly see themselves amongst all this with 'A protester's sandwich board in the park/Said you know the world is big and got a loose heart/You've only got what you've just polished clean/So you either start screaming or start singing'. Singing it was then.

Lesser bands trying this level of pretension, with well-formed lyrics or no, would foul it up, and come down on the wrong side of the saccharine divide. However, Tilly wrap it up in such clattering pop numbers (complete with a tap dancer instead of a drummer) that it all usually comes together well, with the lacklustre tracks being the ones where the music takes a back seat and the lyrics are left awfully bear (ballads 'Love Song' and 'Lost Girls'). Despite their originality, the band remains easy to place as very much an American indie emergence in terms of arrangements, style and content; no British band would have the boldness or the ability to pull this twee/serious balance off. Our nearest, the wonderful Belle & Sebastian, would never resist the temptation of infusing some self-aware cleverness and maybe some stories about a gay 10-year old playing with marbles that only they knew the true meaning of. And that is a very good thing. Tilly's tweeness is bold and direct and in the throngs of 'Sing Songs Along', you really don't want them to be more self aware, you don't want to sit and ponder whether you're really being hoodwinked or not, you just want stand up, kick-out and sing along right there with them. Go do it.

Ladytron - Extended Play



A short note on this one just to say that in a year when the mighty Ladytron released no original material, they did at least come out with a compilation of remixes, mainly taken from their tight 2005 release, 'The Witching Hour'. From the tensed 'Everything You Touch' to the throat-clutching re-vamp of 'Sugar', this is worthy stuff. Throw in the dark atmospherics of 'Citadel' and 'Tender Talons' and this becomes an entity in its own right, which is of course how remix albums should be.

Nina Simone - Remixed and Reimagined

With the myriad of best of's and 'Ultimate Cool Worth-The-Price Boxsets with Booklet' Nina Simone outings, it was perhaps inevitable that a remix LP would come along. However, it was very pleasing to discover that as with the Ladytron release, this is worthy and inventive stuff. Of course, you have to sit through 'that one from the Muller advert', but skip it and you have a beat-heavy and honourable set of reworkings of this grand master. It'll even suit for one of those 'fader to low' evenings...

Superqueens - Royal Shit



Awesome stuff. Avidly looking forward to all future material. Let's just hope that continued success doesn't calm the nerves of acerbic Michael Conray and lead the 'Queens to release an album of love ballads. Unlikely.

Here is the review I gave out in September:

Following Rullsenberg's feature on the new Superqueens album, The Royal Shit, I just had to join her in singing the praises of this mancunian project and its continued success. After catching their debut Cheap Shots via His Peelness, I had high hopes for the follow-up and even though snapshots such as The Ghost of Billy Whizz and the superb Rat Poison (featuring which pre-release almost got us into trouble with the band!) were excellent, it was still with some trepidation that I started to play The Royal Shit.Thankfully, there was no need for the worry as the album is solid. Continuing their trademark bitter urban poetry over piercing beats and dark synths, Superqueens weave their way through eight entertaining dark tales, achieving an accuracy far beyond any of Frank Skinners coy-boy musings. Take Rat Poison's bleak observations of social decay and disregard by the powers that be, 'Maybe it was something that he ate, or sniffed or soaked up from TV, That made his eyes flash "It's late, It's feeding time", In the restaurant of the dead community' or Spinning Leaf, a rival for Rat Poison's crown and a reckoning of society's advancements, 'I've been thinking about the Egyptians and their slaves, How the Pharaoh's tomb meant their mass grave, And I've been thinking about England, and us'. Add to this titles such as Per Ardua Ad Strangeways, Mister You're A Lapdancer, Not For All The E's In England and The Ghost of Billy Whizz ('Billy Whizz is dead. Long live the new dealer, Go crown yourself in Nike and Fila, Good luck, make money, mac, marina, He got harpooned by a hypo in the sunny afternoon') and you can see the general direction of the Superqueens' duo's outlook. My only regret here is that the album version of Rat Poison buries the siren effect far down in the mix whereas the BBC session take had it as a prominent feature, but really that's just splitting hairs when the quality level is this high.

Nina Nastasia - On Leaving



A new release from the Peel favourite, hipper-than-thou Nina Nastasia. Yes, it's less orchestral than we'd like, yes, the songs don't change from quiet spaces of calm to crescending emotional implosions in the space of a few seconds (well, not as much), and yes, it's a little short, but with pieces like 'Settling Song' making my girlfriend cry on first listening, this girl still has it all.

And finally....

Amplifico - coming soon...

Edinburgh-based web-project Amplifico's self-funded independent debut album with me on the sleeve will be released early 2007!! Watch this space. It's going to be GOOD!