It Hugs Back

I am afraid that I don't know too much about these four lads who make up It Hugs Back - but the name alone makes them worth checking out. There is something rather endearing about their brand of indie/pop, the almost innocent sound they put out (that sounds a bit weird I know), the keyboards that remind me of the nasty things I mucked around with as a kid, the breathy vocals, the jangly guitars, all make it feel very 'young'.

They now seem to be getting plaudits from all around so it seems these Kentish lads (or maybe lads from Kent, who knows) from my home town of Maidstone, are on their way. They are support to Wintersleep on some upcoming UK dates which will do them no harm, and their debut album, recorded at home and titled Inside Your Guitar, is out on 4AD records on 6th April. If the album is as good as singles like Other Cars Go it'll be a jolly fine affair. A number of their previously released singles (in the flesh lovingly created with hand sewn covers and all) are available via iTunes.

Web Site 4AD
Myspace It Hugs Back

Web Site It Hugs Back

Drever, McCusker and Woomble at the Union Chapel

Before the Ruin was one of my absolute favourite albums of last year and so the chance to see Kris Drever, John McCusker and Roddy Woomble perform it was irresistible. This was my first time at the Union Chapel on Highbury Corner and its reputation of being a fine, unusual and very musical venue is well founded - a great place to hear this sort of music. Whether in the pews downstairs or up in the gallery as we were, you are never far from the stage, and the sound is great in such a high and sympathetic venue.

By the time we got in we had missed probably half of the set from openers Blue Rose Code, which was a pity. They sounded fine, in good voice, and you could hear their influences (no bad thing) , especially of the now sadly missed John Martyn for whom they performed a faithful version of his song Favourite Boy.

Heidi Talbot quickly and rather diffidently took the stage next, initially accompanied only by Boo Hewerdine. Heidi's crystal clear voice can be heard on Before the Ruin but tonight she performed some of the tracks from In Love and Light her latest album, starting with the track Cathedrals - with her great voice and some excellent guitar from Boo making an attention grabbing opener. Messrs Drever and McCusky joined them for more songs, filling out the sound with their impeccable playing of fiddle and guitar. Roddy Woomble joined for the closing number, and off they went - a fine set and Heidi's vocal sounding even stronger than she does on record.

After a short break they were all back, Woomble, McCusker and Drever accompanied by Boo Hewerdine and a double bass player ( I think Andy Seward - but I can't be sure), with the album opener Silver and Gold. Heidi came back to add some welcome back up vocals and then Andy Cutting on diatoic accordian.

We were treated to the majorityof the album, a couple of very welcome songs from Roddy Woomble's album My Secret is my Silence and some tunes from McCusker, Drever and Cutting together as well as the fabulous Blackwater from Kris Drevers album of the same name. The playing and singing was uniformly superb - Woomble and Drever with outstanding voices, Drever with exemplary guitar and John McCusker on outstanding fiddle duty. In this kind of setting you see the influences that run through Roddy Woomble's Idlewild - the more straight ahead rock band inflected with the scottish folk echoes.

I could gush on about this for pages and pages, but what a joy it is to hear musicians of great quality and ability perform wonderful music, enjoying it all ( it appeared), in brilliant surroundings. Truly one of those great gigs, I was spellbound from start to finish (well the second encore when we had to run to get the last train from Paddington). Seems my folky leanings are getting stronger - last year held some magical folk-led music, these chaps, Laura Marling, James Yorkston ...

They are all worth catching, separately or in any combination. Quality will out - a fabulous gig.


Myspace Roddy Woomble
Myspace Kris Drever
Web site John McCusker
Myspace Heidi Talbot
Myspace Boo Hewerdine
Myspace Blue Rose Code
Myspace Andy Cutting
Web Site Union Chapel

Wintersleep

Sometimes I feel a bit like a sad old junky looking for the next good hit - but in my case on the hunt for another band that does 'it' for me - you know, like when you first really heard The National and you knew it was going to be a lasting love affair?

Well maybe this is the next one - Wintersleep have sort of been on the edge of my radar for a bit but I didn't take time to look them over. These Canadians have apparently been around for a couple of albums but the newest, Welcome to the Night Sky, according to some like The Line of Best Fit, sees them 'regrouped and re-launched themselves'.

Well whatever they have done it all sounds pretty damned good to me. The album is out here now/shortly under 147 Records (although their web presence is 'enigmatic' to say the least) and they have a few UK dates which sadly I can't get to.

Tracks like Oblivion is a cracking piece and maybe many will first get a hook from Wintersleep from Weightly Ghost (although its not a personal favourite, it is immediately accessible and dare I say, catchy). The UK single is apparently Archaelogists but it is tracks like Search Party that shimmer and attact for me.

Despite the post-rock tag and the faint hint of bands like REM, U2 when they were young and good, Wintersleep produce some life-affirming, 'up' and glorious sounds that are all their own and a welcome intrusion into my recent introspective obsessions - result!


Wintersleep "Oblivion" from Joshua Rainhard on Vimeo.

Wintersleep Myspace
Wintersleep Website
Line of Best Fit blog
147 Records blog

Wooden Birds and Tigers That Talked

I was a fan of American Analogue Set (AmAnSet to their friends) and was sorry only to have caught them just prior to their desolving. But from the ashes, or rather with one of the AmAnSet founders Andrew Kenny, comes Wooden Birds. Kenny's vocals are indeed recognisable from previous days, including a stint in Broken Social Scene that I had missed, and now he has some extra mates along in the form of Chris Michaels, David Wingo, Leslie Sisson, and Michael Bell. An album, Magnolia, is due out on Morr Records in Europe early this year. I am endebted to Burn the Bowery for bringing Wooden Birds to my attention...

Once again I must give thanks to another blog, Dany Sloan's Exitfare, for mention of Tigers That Talked (how does a chap 'loafing' in the Californian sunshine get to uncover so many British artists that are just under the rader - he must indeed be an avid Anglophile). The charmingly named Tigers hail from that current swirling mass of creativity that seems to be Leeds, but sound rather different to what I normally ascribe to that fair city - this isn't so much crashing agsty youth noise, but a much more layered and interesting affair, likened to bits of Elbow and faint edges of Arcade Fire... well we'll see... But their single 23 Fears has already grabbed the ears of Steve Lamacq and Zane Lowe so presumably their star is in the ascendant. Currently in the studio recording their debut album seems the Tigers might be well worth watching out for

Myspace AmAnSet

Myspace Wooden Birds

Blog Burn the Bowery

Blog Exitfare

RCRD LBL

Rather than me write a pale imitation of someone else's blogpost, below is the opening paragraphs from a Rollo and Grady recent post - its well worth visiting for the whole post and the attached interview. The whole RCRD LBL project is also worth investigating:

"Peter Rojas is one of the world’s most famous bloggers. He’s also a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard and received his Master’s in Critical Theory at the University of Sussex in England. Before his launch into the blogging business, Rojas worked in his native California for Red Herring Magazine until he was laid off after the dot-com bust in 2001.Then he moved to New York City where things started changing for him. Quickly.

In 2002 Rojas started Gizmodo and in 2004 he was hired by Weblogs, Inc., the world’s largest blog network, to start Engadget. Both Gizmodo and Engadget are focused on consumer electronics for the tech-savvy and quickly became the two most successful blogs ever. Not long after his arrival at Weblogs Inc., Rojas was made Chief Strategy Officer and when AOL purchased them in 2005, blogs became further validated as a viable revenue stream. The sale also made Rojas a “blog-millionaire”.

In November of 2007 Rojas moved to combine his two passions, technology and music, to launch RCRD LBL with Downtown Records. RCRD LBL has taken a completely different approach to the music business; it’s an online record label that offers all digital, all-free MP3’s for streaming or download that are DRM free. It’s a powerful combination. Since then he has quickly emerged at the head of the pack, leading the music industry towards a new and more progressive business model. While that model is clearly still being defined, RCRD LBL is breaking new ground and signing emerging and established artists including Dinosaur Jr., Public Enemy, Moby, Spoon, Dead Confederate, Bon Iver, White Denim and the Felice Brothers."

Photo credit : Rollo and Grady

Kitchens of Distinction

I have long harboured a fondness for KOD and especially the 1990 album Strange New World. I really don't l know why they didn't make it much bigger than they did, but their 10 year stint ran out in 1996.

They were genuinely ahead of their time (how often do you hear that?) but the swirling wash of guitars and vocal style wasn't to see its like again until the advent of Interpol and more especially Editors, who took up the baton - whats that, almost 10 years after the demise of KOD.

A post on the blog Ryan's Smashing Life reminded me of KOD again and helpfully gave a couple of jumping off points to follow, first through Braggin Billys Music Blog and then to the site of Patrick Fitzgerald the former singer/bass player and songsmith of KOD. Mr Fitzgerald now trades under the monicker Stephenhero ( James Joyce character I think?) and has been producing more music for the theatre and stage and again largely as a solo artist. From his site you can download a free EP that contains a couple of tracks not put on his recent CD '57 Stars of the Air Almanac' (no, I have no idea what that means but it reads well)

There are also a few, now slightly bizarre, but welcome vids on YouTube that bring back those jangly days of the early 1990's including the brilliant 'Quick as Rainbows'...



Stephenhero Myspace
KOD Myspace
KOD Youtube

Goldheart Assembly

Courtesy of Steve Lamacq's blog I was alerted to the welcome and jolly sound of Goldheart Assembly. The stylee does sound very retro but there is still a fresh twang to it, and how good is to hear some great tunes and melodies. Comment has been made that they wouldn't be out of place as a Fleet Foxes support slot, but in an odd way the song structure sort of reminds me of early Squeeze - thats supposed to be a compliment! Anyhow they are just the thing to boost a grim grey and wet Friday - they are out on tour in the UK in March with a slot at the Croft in Bristol - might just slide along...

Goldheart Assembly Myspace
Web site

Vacilando Territory Blues - J Tillman

Whilst I am in an introspective and reflective mood, it seems like an ideal time to mention Vacilando Territory Blues by J Tillman. Mr Tillman does the drum thing for the Fleet Foxes but also has a (short) track record all of his own.

He more than held his own as support for the Foxes earlier this year when we saw them in Bristol, sitting alone for most of time on the stage, delivering his songs to a suitably hushed and supportive crowd. At the time he mentioned his upcoming solo album, and finally here it is

Naturally thoughts and comparisons turn to the now uber-trendy Foxes, but this is rather unfair it seems to me. Whilst there are inevitable parallels in some ways this music is his own. He has a fine voice, and one that stands up extremely well live.

The album is achingly beautiful; understated songs of real charm, delicately played, so sparsely played that they almost disappear at times. Quality playing abounds, aided and abetted with a couple of Foxes for good measure. 'New Born' stands out as does 'Steel on Steel' and 'Barter Blues'. The super-laid back mood only changes for 'New Imperial Grand Blue' which gives a glimpse of Tillman et al being capable of 'rocking out' a little more.

I know reviews have been mixed but really this is a fine album, and one which plays well for me in my current inward looking state. What a shame he only has one UK date on his short promo tour, and that of course in London

J Tillman Myspace

Web Site

Solid Gone - John Martyn

And there goes another one – dead at 60 seems way too early, I know he lived it up and I guess his body paid the price of too much booze and too many substances. But what a genius, the voice, the guitar… Solid Air has already gone down as one the great albums and despite its age (1973) it still bares up extremely well. 

I know there are all the other albums but I am afraid it’s still this one that does it for me. The title track apparently written about that other musical genius, Nick Drake, who died even sooner, quite masterful. The whole album helped reposition the folk thing and helped it cross a number of borders.

I only saw him once at the tender age of about 18 when he still had echoes of the svelte and good looking man he had been. Somehow he came and played in the hall of my college in North London one night. There we were a clutch of unsuspecting spotty oiks sat on the wooden floor, on he strolled (well maybe staggered a little) guitar in hand and a large spliff stuck in the machine heads. After a couple of songs another chap slipped onto stage and sat behind a drum kit. Phil Collins was well known even then but hadn’t gone overblown pop diva mode, and I was still in awe of his drumming skills. The two of them played away, Martyn knocked back some drink, partook of another spliff and then was gone.

Listening back now, as I inevitably had to be, to Solid Air and the wonderful ‘I Don’t Want To Know’ in particular, I can’t help but hope that against the odds this isn’t the only life (although the Lad, with the brusque certainty of youth, is adamant that this is it) and that somewhere John Martyn will still be doing his thing

The Acorn

Sometimes you hear a song or an album that you know is extraordinary, somehow obviously deeply felt, one of those pieces that come from somewhere deep in the artist.

A few listens to The Acorns ‘Glory, Hope, Mountain’ triggered those sorts of feelings without really having absorbed or understood the lyrics. An album that is a folkie-indie affair, slightly ramshackle, a plethora of picked guitars and banjos, occasional spacey blips with fragile vocals and harmonies, a mash-up of music from other cultures.

Although I didn’t get to it until 2009 this is definitely another or those ‘interior’ bands and albums that typified 2008 for me. Music that is intimate, close and personal, private and delicate.

All these sentiments are magnified when you learn that Glory Hope Mountain is dedicated to the life of Gloria Esperanza Montoya (Glory Hope Mountain) who is the mother of Rolf Klausener the lead voice and songwriter.

Gloria has lead an extraordinary life: nearly dying at birth, orphaned in Honduras, leaving at 12, ending up in Canada, nearly drowning in a flood, a husband who died with brain cancer and so on and so forth. Klausener knew none of these details until his mother talked it all out with him, resulting in this album. More details can be found in several places including at Pitchfork.

Mp3 The Acorn - Crooked Legs

Dead Confederate

This bunch of chaps from Athens, Georgia certainly aren't in the market for making happy-go-lucky, jolly stuff. Intense and doomed-laden their music is, but often enjoyable for all that.

A mix of southern sounding, slightly psychedelic, rock with some guitar sounds that are remiscent of Pink Floyd. The grunge meets psychedelia works best on tracks like The Rat and their debut album has a distinctly other-timely length track Flesh Coloured Canvas clocking in at over 12 minutes.

Some tracks from The Wrecking Ball album are streamed on MySpace and they have a clutch of videos on their own YouTube site of course. KEXP in Seattle are obviously fans of Dead Confed given that they had a video as their video of the week on the KEXP blog recently

Photo credit: Skylar Reeves

Mp3 Dead Confederate - Goner

Max Richter - Music for Mobiles

Max Richter is a UK based composer with references to Philip Glass, Arvo Part and the like and has produced music for films and and an claimed set The Blue Notebooks with readings by people like Tilda Swinton, available through Amazon etc

His most recent work is called 24 postcards and is a fascinating set of work centred around writing music for mobile ringtones. Some really beuatiful pieces that make so much more sense than the usual rubbish most of us have on or phones.