My Sad Captains – Here & Elsewhere

I have been waiting for MSC debut CD for a long time now. Having first heard them on the defunct Music Exchange between Steve Lamaq (Radio 1) and Nic Harcourt (KCRW) and then seeking out a handful of download tracks (see posts passim) I have been awaiting more in a rather impatient manner. Well at last their first full length item is here.

You know how it is sometimes that waiting in anticipation can leave you a little deflated when the product arrives? Well I am afraid that this was my first feelings on listening through Here & Elsewhere. Nothing really wrong but then again not the euphoric thrill I had been hoping for these long years. Not wanting to admit to disappointment I left writing a post for a few days and kept spinning the disc.

Now a few more plays in I feel a bit different. Initially I was going to say that the album finishes more strongly than it starts, but I am not so sure anymore. Truth is that this is a bit of a slow burner for me, gradually giving up its charms – and it is a charming set of tracks. I knew Bad Decisions, All Hat and No Plans and Ghost Song of old but now Good to Go, You Talk All night and Hello Bears have also plugged themselves in.

The things that make MSC so charming (there we go again) may well be the things that failed to hit an immediate punch. They still sound, like they did on early demos, as if they have rather haphazardly thrown it all together in their bedrooms; the Pavementesque vocals, the sense of reaching the end of songs almost by accident at times, the jingly jangly-ness of it all.

But a few listens reveals the really rather good songs, and a greater sense of purpose than is apparent at first glance. It has an odd combination of jolly summeryness and a whiff of melancholia – not at all unpleasant and I suspect it will become all quite endearing and more durable than I feared on first listen. Bless the little blighters – now how about heading somewhere westward for a show or two?

MSC Myspace

MSC website

Stolen Recordings website

Scott Matthews in Wolverhampton

Scott Matthews debut album made a big impression on me when it was first released, being on heavy rotation during a French holiday. I missed a couple of chances to see him and regretted not making more of an effort.

The advent of his second CD, Elsewhere, saw Scott hit the road again, this time with a couple of ‘intimate’ show in his hometown of Wolverhampton. So I snapped up a couple of tickets and went along with the 'international decorator supremo'

Intimate it certainly was, Newhampton Arts Centre squeezed in perhaps 80/100 people onto comfy(ish) chairs around table-clothed tables with tea lights (when did they stop being nightlights?). We nabbed a table right up front, feet from the modest stage, with a couple from Cannock Chase – there seemed an unhealthy obsession with Jelly Belly jellybeans, I am not quite sure why…

James Summerfield provided support for the night – a sweet voiced, folky singer-songwriter and served up a very pleasing set, slightly shyly delivered with a little light-hearted banter. I do so enjoy someone performing on their own, no gizmos or gimmicks, just a sense of their real talent. Of course CD’s were purchased from James at the make-shift merch stand in the hall, duly signed in case of future mega-stardom

Back at our seats for the main event (oh and two bottles of Speckled Hen at £4 the pair… not the nutso prizes of your regular gig bar). Scott shambled through the crowd and onto the stage – like a crazily talented cousin playing for the family in the front room. Clearly pleased to be back playing his home town, Mum and dad in the audience and no doubt sundry other friends and family

The set was punctuated with jokey comments ( not least about it being a ‘fu**ing good start’ to discover his guitar was wrongly tuned for the opener), unhurried re-tuning and more domestic vibes with everyone at their tables all being chatty and sociable with one another, a strange but welcome and comfortable ambience

Live and alone Scott plays beautiful, delicate and emotional guitar with his extra-ordinary voice (seemingly at odds somehow with the body from which it emanates) showing what a substantial talent he is. If anything I prefer the stripped back versions of his newer songs, with their greater immediacy and emotional punch

Of course there were welcome selections from the first CD, including the stunning ‘Elusive’, which not unnaturally got some of the greatest reactions of the evening. Surprisingly some of the more obvious tracks from the new CD didn’t get an airing, perhaps not being as appropriate for this solo, acoustic approach

Well, trekking up the M5, with all the related joys, on a Friday evening was well worth the effort. An unusual, personal gig of beautiful music performed with skills and integrity. Give me a gig like this anytime over dozens of over-blown stadium shows – this is what live music should be like

James Summerfield MySpace

James Summerfield Website

Scott Matthews MySpace

Scott Matthews Website

Idlewild at Dingwalls

There is still something profoundly exciting about lining up for a gig, appropriating your selected spot and waiting in anticipation with a few hundred others for your chosen band. This time we had to trek up to Camden Lock and Dingwalls for the third and last night of Idlewild’s residency where there were playing all their albums over three nights – something they did last year at King Tuts in Glasgow.

Although I would have been more than happy to try and make all three nights (with the first performance of Post Electric Blues, the self released - almost - new album) the lad and I could only make the last night Make Another world and The Remote Part, in part as celebration of the end his exams

Idlewild have been a long held favourite of mine, generating the kind of personal allegiance only a very few artists can. There is something about the unavoidable Scottish-ness of the band and its music, not just the lyrics or Roddy Woombles vocals, but the chord structures that make it resonate so deeply.

Anyhow with a prime by-a-railing-on-a-kind-of-balcony position we stood ready with our over priced pints in hand. Make Another World was the first half of the set, and whilst I have always found it to be perhaps the patchiest of their albums, live it came imbued with more punch and drive; punchier than when we saw them tour the album first time around.

The 450 in the crowd were obviously going to be paid up supporters and responded accordingly. A Ghost in the Arcade and If It Takes You Home being personal and crowd favourites it seems.

A short break and they returned to play The Remote Part - fired up for this harder but still melodic set of tracks. Clearly this was what the crowd anted and very fine stuff it was as well. You Held The Whole World In Your Hands, American English, A Modern Way of Letting Go – breathless, punchy stuff – the final track Scottish Fiction saw them leave with the tape of Edwin Morgan speaking out his poetry.

The encores largely went back to earlier !00 Broken Windows and Hope Is Important tracks – Fireworks and Captain earning particular grateful shouts, and then all too soon it was over. A great night, sounded brilliant, band seemed happy and relaxed.

Its always a worry hoping a band lives up to your expectations or hopes – how great it is when they exceed them. The long but elated drive home, an evening very well spent

Idlewild Wikipedia

Idelwild Web SIte

Idelwild MySpace

Dark Night of the Soul

The album of tracks put together by Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) and Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse), titled Dark Night of the Soul, looks like it might never see the (official) light of day thanks to 'legal issues' with EMI.

How is it that you could get so far - 13 tracks completed with quality collaborators from the Flaming Lips, Strokes, Iggy Pop, Shins, Vic Chestnutt etc; a teaser poster campaign at SXSX, a booklet of stills photos from David Lynch etc, and fall at this hurdle - what a waste.

The CD is currently (but perhaps not for too long) being streamed by NPR (although the site is pretty hard to bring up right now), apparently the only place where the album can be heard in its entirety. I am sure that if you dig around enough a Torrent copy of the CD could be downloaded - not of course that I have tried :)

NPR Website

Andrew Bird at The Thekla

Noble Beast has been the default album of choice these last few months, rapidly working its way into the old psyche so that frequently one its songs will be rattling around my heading in the morning. The prospect of seeing Andrew Bird was already more than tempting but the 09.30 Club show put out by NPR only confirmed that it had the potential to be a special event.

Strangely this was my first show at the Thekla (largely I guess because my usual gig buddy son is still oh-so not quite 18 and so unable to access this old tub) and what an oddly endearing venue it is, deep in the insides of some hulk of a ship laid up in Bristol’s Mud Dock (ah the romance of the name) for which there is bound to be a rich history that I am ignorant of.

Peering out of one of the oblong ‘window’ apertures on the balcony level made me feel a bit like an extra in a nasty west end musical but it did at least afford me an excellent view of the stage not 10 feet away – a stage that it must be said is microscopic, the kit of the two bands filling it to the brim.

I know that ‘intimate’ venues always look impossibly small yet seem to cram in more people than you imagine, but it seemed to me (perhaps mistakenly) that both bands were a tad underwhelmed by the venue, maybe expecting something a little larger.

Anyhow Cortney Tidwell (you would do something about the name wouldn’t you?) and her band took the stage and knocked out some frankly rather good stuff – I knew nothing of them and apart from rapidly saying their individual names, saying they were from Nashville and have a new CD due out on City Slang, I learnt little more from them. Cortney has a fine voice reminiscent of Bjork on occasions, the band did some fine stuff and I found myself transfixed by the drummer – this sometimes happens to me I have noticed, not through any weird homo-erotic leanings but my own absence of rhythmic ability draws me to wonder at those who have it in spades. Anyhow some fine stuff, the last track being especially affecting (whatever it was called), I of course got the last CD – Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up - and hope to rediscover some of the stuff they played through this.

Mr Bird was as hoped, an extraordinary chap. He looks like a regular IT technician, slightly geeky and gangly (in a good way!) but has an immense talent – guitar, vocals, the violin and of course his trademark whistle. OK he may not be the first person to use those natty loop machines to build up layers of sound but good grief he does it with majesty – complex layered loops of violin snatches, bits of whistling, hand claps, guitar riffs overlaid with his pitch perfect vocals. I can safely say I have never seen anyone produce this sort of quality, creativity and emotionally engaging music all on his-ownsome. Of course the addition of a drummer/keyboard/knobs and buttons man plus a bass saxophonist and a far-back guitarist only adds depth and richness but it is still Andrew Bird that produces the great majority of the wonderful sounds. At times it was hard to know whether to concentrate on the music or be absorbed by his darting between pedals and buttons, guitar and violin – stabbing, pressing, twiddling without losing a beat and generating a seamless stream of magic (ooph, better ease up now looks like I am getting carried away….)

The hour and a half set of course ran through many (but far from all) tracks from Noble Beast, and pleasingly several from Armchair Apocrypha plus no doubt some from other albums that I don’t know. A cover of a Smog track and an apparently old gospel song added different facets to the mix, all welcome.

His closing, solo encore was jaw-dropping and I am unable to describe it adequately – not a track that I know, but a staggering mix of virtuoso violin playing, mastery of the loop technology, guitar and the voice and whistle. Quite exceptional – as Ms Butterworth said on the stairs on the way out – perhaps the gig of the year so far?

Cortney Tidwell Myspace

Andrew Bird Website

Andrew Bird Myspace

Thekla Website

Miscellany - Too Many Bands/Too Little Time

Sorry bit of a rubbish post this - but I keep making short notes of bands to mention and then not getting around to it - so here goes for a few short sharp comments and names for future exploration:

We Were Promised Jetpacks

A Scottish foursome are really worth the effort if for nothing other than their excellent name. With touches of Frightened Rabbit and a bit of a disturbing (visually) video.

Myspace

We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices

Pink Mountaintops

A bit of psychedelic, gospel type stuff from British Colombia - happy, trippy, hairy

Myspace

Hands and Knees

Loving the slightly untidy, jangly nature of this lot from Massachusetts, especially the You Got Pop You Got Style

Myspace

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Poppy, experimentalisty chaps from Staten Island NY - inevitably sound a little bit Pavement-y (but then doesn't everyone?)

Myspace

Mt St Helens Vietnam Band

I know I have a thing about bands from the NW USA and so here's some more from Seattle

Myspace

Airship

Just to prove that I am not entirely US obsessed here's some British chaps! The Spirit of the Beehive EP is well worth getting... this Youtube clip isn't really all that typical but kind of fun all the same - the Channel M Session is worth a look

Myspace

Channel M Session

Dark Side of the Moon Quad Mix

Mmm this is a bit techie/geekie but bouncing over my RSS feeds I came across a posting from NPR, that fine institution, flagged 'Attention Pink Floyd Fans'.

You can read the post as well as I can but the link off to Croz.FM had an interesting link to a download of the quadroponic mix for Dark Side of the Moon. Rather sceptically I went ahead and as Croz says the issue is not whether or not you can listen in quad (!) but the difference in the mix of the album.

I have to say that it is really noticably different (better?) - as the man says - more open, better instrument separation, effects mkore to the fore etc. BTW the site also has a great range of downloadable live shows (OK maybe not cutting edge 'now' bands but real quality)

Photo by =edmunn

Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind

I am somewhat taken aback that I don't seemed to have put a post before about Mono. Thanks must go out to the Peeblemeister for introducing me to them (or is it the other way around?) not long after he entered the madness that is JISCworld.

This Japanese four-some produce some of the most staggeringly beautiful music around - frequently long'ish tracks of sweeping, crashing waves of sound with the most haunting of underpinning tunes. Their earlier post-, or math-rock label seems to have been replaced by rock/experimental/classical on their Myspace and their latest work - Hymn to the Immortal Wind - merits this change of nomenclature.

Their music has always had this soaring, epic quality and previously been characterised by the quiet/loud thing - exhilarating as that was, and often very loud. This work however seems somehow more complete, more consistent and although it still has its quiet/loud moments is more abot tonal changes in the sound - more dark/light, the orchestration and variety of subtlely used instruments add the nuances and depth.

A truly fabulous set of music, I admit to being a tad worried by the story ( eerily reminiscent of Murakami type storytelling) that accompanies the CD (no vocals of course!); were they really buying into the whole concept album thing? Well to a degree they have and rather like the superb Hazards of Love album by the Decemberists, they have pulled it off with style and grace.

Mono, and this set in particular, produce the sort of music that makes the soul soar - cinematic without the sacherin, epic without too much pretention, glorious life-affirming stuff. True it's not necessarily the sort of stuff you play day in and day out, but when the time is right and you have the space and concentration to devote to it, this music cannot be bettered.




Mono Myspace
Mono Web site

Lonely Dear

I have been living with Dear John the new Lonely Dear album for a little while now. Originally I got drawn in by the opening track Airport Surroundings after Lonely Dear had been lurking on the edge of my aural world for a while. Lonely Dear is in fact Swede Emil Svanangen who does everything apart from the ocassional guest appearance (Mr Andrew Bird appears briefly for instance)

Airport Surroundings has that insistent air about it that I couldn't ignore. Somehow there is something undeniably Swedish/Scandinavian about the whole sound, apart from the obvious Scandinavian accented vocals - the stye of the mutlitracked synth work, the rather melancholic flavour on even the most upbeat sounding tracks.

Initially it was the opening few tracks that were most appealing, the most quickly involving, but as time goes by the later tracks slowly give up their pleasures, progressively more whistful, sadder, aching. There is an undeniable sense of loss, a sort of homelessness in an odd way, behind all the songs but despite this I don't find it a 'down' album at all, really rather the reverse.

Live Mr Svanangen is clearly supplemented by a few mates to reproduce the full sound which if the NPR podcast of a recent show is anything to go by (bundled with the fabulous Andrew Bird gig), they manage to do very well. In the UK in April, maybe I will manage to get to the Birmingham show…

MP3 Airport Surroundings - Lonely Dear

Myspace

Web site

NPR Podcast

Elbow in Bristol

Bit slow off the mark on this post, but last Tuesday saw us at the Colston Hall again seeing friends Elbow for the third time in 12 months. By this time of course The Seldom Seen Kid is now the stuff of legend, the Mercury prize well under their belt and Mr Garvey et al are of course everyone's favourite band from, oh heavens, years ago...

The audience was that rather unsettling mix of youngsters with a thinking brain, old gits like me who read something personal into every lyric and the those couples out for an evening in town who vaguely heard One Day Like This on Radio 2 sometime or other. Naturally it is these that get on my wick something rotten - not remotely interested in the support band, think its quite appropriate to talk through and over everything just like they would watching The Bill on TV, dressed up to the nine's in their sub Top Shop garb and frankly only there to irritate the c**p out of me.... breathe out, count to ten ...

Well the support was worthy of real attention - The Acorn delivered a great set from their Gloria Esperanza Montoya album, sounding tight, and in fact quite rocky for such a delicate set of songs. They would probably be better suited to a more intimate venue but they acquited themselves well, injected a bit of banter with the crowd and left having made some new priends, if there is any justice in the world.

The Elbow set was a pretty well established one now, but no worse for that. The four string players adding warmth and depth, the band rock solid and all clearly at the top of their game, and the staging a little more interesting than last time but nothing to distract you from the main interest.

Of course they played much of the current album but also some welcome stuff from the three previous albums including the majestic New Born. For many in the audience, and especially the male contingent it seems, found it an almost religious experience - even chaps up with us in the balcony. I hadn't really twigged before what a strong male following they encourage - with followers knowing the words, the actions and revelling in the rare occasion to connect with some male sensitivity as delivered with aplomb by Guy Garvey. I do understand the almost religious overtones but mine must be a more introspective worship - my loss I fear.

A fine show, a great band with quality music and playing - who can deny them their well earned place a the top of the heap. Lets hope the polyester couples bog off to summat else next time.

Point Juncture WA

In the same way that others seem to have a bit of an obsession with bands from Leeds (step forward Mr Dany Sloan ' Exitfare ) I have to 'fess up to something similar for bands from the NW USA - Seattle/Portland etc.

New to me is Point Juncture, WA hailing from Portland, thanks to Burn the Bowery for the trigger. Whilst I am in confessional mode I had better admit to not being a big fan of female vocals in a band setting (sorry, its just how it is, not anti-girlie or anything...). But here Alison Spring and Victor Nash share and blend their vocals in a way that fits PJ's music perfectly.

The band has apparently been around for five years or so and their latest release, Heart to Elk, is their third self released offering and re-released courtesy of Mt Fuji Records (available on iTunes, streamed off their web site and for sale via Amazon). In addition to the usual instruments you get to hear a bit of vibraphone, some brass and the like, that really add colour and depth to their sound and their melodies.

A personal favourite is Sioux Arrow with its insistent drum drive, some fab loopy distorted guitar and echoey Rhodes-type piano sound contributing to the great aural atmosphere - grand stuff. The video is a slightly mad mix of home vid footage, local shots and live footage.


SIOUX ARROW from Hart Ryan Noecker on Vimeo.

Myspace Point Juncture, WA
Web Site Point Juncture WA

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

I have to say that Andrew Bird's Noble Beast album has really got to me. The quite winning combination of violin, vocals and whistling really can't be beaten and combined with melodies that dig under your skin and sufficient wackiness to be charming but not irritating, means that this has been on heavy rotation of late.

Some apparently find his rather beautifully constructed lyrics a tad knowing but frankly its a joy to have some lyrics that both tell stories but also employ some out-of-the-mainstream words: for goodness sake just listen to some of the unutterable rubbish on the new U2 effort, I know which I would rather listen to.

There is something oddly timeless about Birds music, despite the unusual combinations, loops and noises; perhaps it is the use of older instruments - violins, semi-acoustics, glockenspiel, cor anglais etc that give a depth and richness to the sound. Of course it is a joy to hear someone able to whistle with accomplishment - a skill sadly lost to me - and the whole builds to a wondrous combination of folk, rock, traditional soundscape.

NPR have a great, full length concert from the 9.30 club in Washington that is available both to stream and get on podcast. Bird's ability to play several instruments, whistle, sing and control numerous loops etc means that he can play with only a couple of additional musicians yet accurately produce his full sound.

I have squirrelled away my tickets to see him when he reaches the Thekla in Bristol in May this year - by all accounts it should be a show woreth seeing..

Andrew Bird with Mucca Pazza - "Fitz & The Dizzyspells”


Andrew Bird Website
Andrew Bird Myspace
NPR Concert