KRISTIN HERSH @ BURNLEY LIBRARY 24 MAY 2009

Clearly the best-gig-in-a-library this year. But this could also be best-gig-of-the-year for me. It's fifteen years by my reckoning since I last saw Kristin Hersh live. How have I allowed this to happen?? After tonight's performance fifteen months to the next time will be too long.

Initial excitement about KH touring after ATP paled into horror when I realised most dates were already sold out. Relief that the nearest gig to Manchester was the only one with tickets still available then turned to intrigue when I found out the venue was Burnley Library. A library? In Burnley? All is (nearly) explained by this being part of Get It Loud In Libraries - a programme promoting music in libraries in Lancashire. Not sure why but more strength to their arm. And I certainly benefitted tonight by the intimacy of the space and the amazing sound quality.

And this literally was a gig in a library. The audience congregated in front of a small riser set up in between the Issue Desk and a bank of microfilm readers. This is not as prosaic as it sounds - above us was a magnificent stained glass dome. About 8.45pm, Kristin stepped on to the stage with guitar - the only one she played all evening with only minimal use - it appeared - of effects pedals either. However the extremes she wrought out of the instrument were astonishing. She started the set with two Appalachian murder ballads which sounds unsettling enough when delivered by this petite, polite, almost hesitantly-shy singer in a pink wool cardigan. But it was the first of her own songs 'Mississippi Kite' which really unsettled: from simple almost emotionless delivery she literally SHRIEKED the chorus and the veins on her neck leapt out. It was chilling. When she finished she smiled sweetly and thanked us all. The shell-shocked audience applauded politely.


And this was the formula for the evening: a mixture of her solo and Throwing Muses songs were interspersed with murder ballads, the raw emotion of the songs matched by the intensity of her delivery. Through out she stood stock-still with a fixed stare, only occasionally swaying trance-like. It was mesmerising. And the occasional humourous story or comment - how she had sliced her thumb when cutting bread, is she allowed to say 'dipshit' in a library? - only heightened the intensity of those songs. One theme to her between-song chat was how much she preferred England to the States: the previous night she had stayed in an idyllic bed-and-breakfast in the shadow of a nuclear power station "it was post-apocalyptic but still nicer than the States". Let's all hope she'll come back and visit again soon.

I got the set-list above at the end BUT it bears very little relation to the order in which songs played or indeed which songs were played. My best-guess is below with "AMB" standing for Appalachian Murder Ballad (the part of her repertoire I need to listen to more)

AMB x 2
Mississippi Kite
Sno Cat
AMB (in which the female protagonist is killed three times over)
Slippershell
Teeth
Fortune
Dusty Road
City of the Dead
Me and My Charms
AMB
Your Ghost
Deep Wilson
Your Dirty Answer
Tuesday Night
---
Hook in Her Head
Pearl

At the end a small group gathered to meet Kristin and someone presented her with home-made cakes. Damn. I've done that before - why didn't I think of that this time? But without presents she was still happy to sign stuff.

Support tonight was Christopher Rees who deserves mention. He plays folk-blues using electric and acoustic guitars and banjo, often stomping out rhythms with his left foot. So more murder ballads but an impressive range of styles too. He has three CDs for sale here.

MISSISSIPPI KITE
Kristin Hersh
Speedbath [BUY]

ME AND MY CHARMS

Kristin Hersh
Hips and Makers [BUY or BUY]

HOOK IN HER HEAD

Throwing Muses
The Real Ramona [BUY or BUY]

TONIGHT IN MANCHESTER: Alasdair Roberts

With so many gigs this weekend (Akron/Family and Magic Arm last night, Pains of Being Pure at Heart on Friday night - Indie Credential review here - plus Black Lips tonight and Eurocultured and Hungry Pigeon Festivals continuing), it's difficult to pick out one but this is quite special: Alasdair Roberts at Dulcimer in Chorlton.

Since his days in Appendix Out, I've had an arms-length relationship with AR - checking in occasionally over the years but never calling myself a devoted fan (I only own one of the five albums under his own name). But some of those occasional songs are magical. Here's what promoter Hey Manchester says about tonight:
Our evening-long celebration of folk music features a headline appearance from Alasdair Roberts.... If you're a fan of James Yorkston, King Creosote or Smog, be sure to check him out. We've also invited some of our favourite local folkies to play - Denis Jones, Starless & Bible Black, John Stammers and Sparky Deathcap - plus there's a rare appearance by Londoner Lora Linhares-Marx

It all starts at 6pm (£10 on the door or here in advance) and there's even talk of a BBQ. Sadly tonight I'm heading to Burnley otherwise this would have been unmissable.



SLOWLY GROWING OLD
Alasdair Roberts
Farewell Sorrow [BUY]

LASSIE LIE NEAR ME
Appendix Out
The Rye Bears A Poison [BUY]

TONIGHT IN MANCHESTER: A C NEWMAN

Carl Newman of the New Pornographers plays The Retro Bar tonight. I hope the sound serves his orch-art-pop well. Advance tickets here but there's not many left.

His second solo album "Get Guilty" is available on the excellent Broken Horse Records and is an pretty much essential purchase. Other UK tour dates on Broken Horse site too.



A C Newman
LIKE A HITMAN, LIKE A DANCER
Get Guilty [BUY or BUY]

DEERHUNTER @ THE DEAF INSTITUTE 19 MAY 2009 Early Show

The novelty of going to an early doors 6pm performance soon gave way to a sense of trepidation that this was, in fact, an under 14s performance. And I would not fit in. Or be physically ejected for advancing years and/or creepiness. Luckily it was not a U14 perf and I was not ejected.

Only one support for this early show: Mazes. This being early afternoon and I had already drunk a few Trof lagers on an empty stomach (being mis-advised of the start time and therefore kicking my heels) I was not best placed to assess Mazes. But. I thought they were great. Mixed melodic power-punk-pop with Stephen Malkmus vocals - given extra blues feel when sung through a toliet roll stuck on the end of the mic - honestly. All delivered by two guitars and drums with minimal fuss or ostentation. As the set when on they got more thrashy/rockabilly/less subtle but still enough for me to have my wallet ready for when their debut single(s) are issued soon.

Deerhunter came on just after 6pm. With sunlight pouring through the skylights of the Deaf Institute. It felt more like a festival appearance than a Manchester gig. Deerhunter are not a band I am that familiar with - I've listened to recent album "Microcastle" in passing - I was more intrigued by the reputation plus the timing/location. The four-piece from Atlanta is led by Bradford Cox and he makes an engaging if geeky front-man early on: cracking jokes about the hour and how he is normally asleep, listing -when challenged - his favourite Manchester bands (Magazine, Durutti Column, Blue Orchids). The band around him are fairly anonymous: bassist Josh appears bemused to be standing on a stage but the second guitarist and drummer are expressionless if not hidden. But after the first couple of short poppy songs - including the title track to the recent release Rainwater Cassette Exchange, available to buy tonight on CASSETTE TAPE - the band demonstrate what sets them apart. Their sound mixes US art-rock with shoe-gaze with an experimental, ambient streak. So soon those short songs give way to longer ones drenched in reverb and echo: My Bloody Valentine go to US college and jam. There are no guitar changes I saw but they must have a shed-load of effects pedals with them to coax such sounds out of their instruments. The set was over in 65 minutes or so but there was enough invention and noise to send me back to listen properly.


I have no evidence for my attendance this evening: no ticket stubs, photos or set-list. But trust me I was there. And I was not ejected at any point.


NEVER STOPS
Deerhunter
Microcastle [BUY]

DISAPPEARING INK
Deerhunter
Rainwater Cassette Exchange [BUY]

There are two ways to read fortune map. And I don't know either.

This is the community hall in Norway where Je Suis Animal recorded their debut album: "Incarcerated, due to the risk of being eaten alive by hungry wolves and grouchy bears, we recorded 13 songs". If you had asked me what a Norwegian community hall looked like, this is pretty much what I would come up with. But it doesn't tell you the full story of their wonderful music; it hints at the spooky psychedelia but not the glorious technicolour indie-pop side of the band.
I wrote this short review of their song "Fortune Map" in March and have been fairly obsessed by the song ever since.


And now you can buy it not just on the highly recommended album "Self-Taught Magic From A Book" (released in the UK at the end last year) but as of last month also on seven inch vinyl:

We have two 7" singles out! First up 'The Mystery of Marie Roget/Secret Place' on 7" vinyl. Available from the Angular Shop. And we also have 'Fortune Map' out on a split single with Glasgow's finest Wake The President, released on Lucky Number Nine/Electric Honey Records. Available from Lucky Number Nine Records.

Ignore my cliched reviewing and buy the singles. I don't think Je Suis Animal will gain mass appeal and owning these early seven inch singles will therefore earn you a fortune on eBay; this is just bloody good music that deserves to be played more often and by more people.

SPARKLE SPIT
Je Suis Animal
Self-Taught Magic From A Book [BUY or BUY]

TONIGHT IN MANCHESTER: Andrew Bird

Playing at Academy 3 tonight Andrew Bird. A potentially dingy venue for the "Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and whistler's" classy and hyper-literate folk-pop reveries. But nevertheless highly recommended.

Buy advance tickets here if you are quick.


THE PRIVATEERS
Andrew Bird
Noble Beast [BUY]

DARKMATTER
Andrew Bird
Live in Montreal [BUY]

Clinic Perform Autopsy

Pass the surgical gowns... Despite the wealth of Manchester gigs this week and next, how about this one in Liverpool?

Liverpool SoundCity! Festival presents a very special show at the Leggate Autopsy Theatre, Victoria Building, Liverpool University with CLINIC & THE SEAL CUB CLUBBING CLUB - EARLY EVENING PERFORMANCE 6pm - 9:30pm. Get tickets here.

And you can try winning a pair of tickets here. Winners announced 16 May so I reckon you have 48 hours tops to enter.

I can't understand how Clinic, who have worn surgical gowns from day one, have not performed in an autopsy theatre before. The band are no strangers to exotic locations: they have just returned from Austria and before that visited Mexico:


A road-trip to Leeds with Mr P was on the cards for next week to see Fanfarlo at the Brudenell Social Club. But this doesn't seem to be happening now. So maybe, all things being equal, we head the other way along the M62?

THE WITCH

Clinic
Do It! [BUY or BUY]

VERTICAL TAKE OFF IN EGYPT
Clinic
Winchester Cathedral [BUY or BUY]

AURIENTEERING
The Seal Cub Clubbing Club
Super Science Fiction [BUY]

THE BROKEN FAMILY BAND @ RUBY LOUNGE 8 MAY 2009

This is clearly not a week for gig-going without incident. No road traffic accidents tonight but we arrived as a six and only three saw The Broken Family Band play. This was no way to celebrate Ms L the younger's birthday and we all owe her another night out soon.

Support tonight was Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards. Dan is "the voice of Absentee" and this is his "new project" suggesting Absentee are still a going concern? This project though is a different proposition from that band: the Coastguards play a warm, sedate country, all pedal steel and brushed drums, given a noir-ish feel by Dan's deep, dark grumbling vocals. It's classy if a little unmemorable on first listen (but this might have been because I was impatient for the main attraction). They certainly went down well with the crowd tonight and at the end of the night Dan was doing a roaring trade at the merchandise stall. Their album "Saltwater" is out and available here.

It was raining today in Manchester after a week of sunshine (ahem). Had Cambridge's finest brought the wet fenland weather with them to match their indie melancholia? Well we can't really blame them for the weather. Or for the 10.30pm curfew due to a club night following (but we can blame the promoter for the latter. Shame on them for charging us full price but cheating us on the running time). Live The Broken Family lose the country-tinged melancholia (in the main) and deliver an energetic, hard-edged indie-rock sound. They are phenomenally well drilled: hats off to drummer Mickey Roman for a stunning performance throughout. Tonight started with a few slower numbers before picking up the pace. The set then took in older numbers including the now traditional audience sing-a-long to "John Belushi" - singer Steven Adams caustic comment: "you all bought THAT album didn't you?". If some of the audience are still hooked on "Welcome Home Loser", 'that album' from 2005, the band aren't with plenty of later songs including seven from the new album.

Steven Adams is a wry charmer of a front-man but tonight he was short on banter given the time constraints. One exception: "if there's a disco afterwards and we stay, we want a roped off VIP area". BFB attempt rock-god swagger but their lack of pretension and even vulnerability mean it is nothing more than ironic wise-cracking. But given the quality of their song-writing and playing they really do deserve a metaphoric roped-off area in contemporary music-making.

Live the anger and bitterness of the songs comes out rather than the melancholy - and the band are never less than compelling in their playing. But overall the evening didn't match expectations - nothing to do with the band or their delivery. But something about the muted crowd, the lack of atmosphere in the Ruby Lounge, being reduced in party size and then the race to beat the curfew meant the whole thing felt rushed and over just as it was starting to hit its pace. However this is also comparing tonight against some earlier, exceptionally good shows. If you've never seen BFB live I'd urge you to do so - remaining tour dates are here.

The Set List:
We nearly didn't get "It's All Over" but the band were given a few minutes reprieve. But we definitely lost 'Please' ('Yourself' presumably).

DANCING ON THE FOURTH FLOOR

The Broken Family Band
Hello Love [BUY]

ST ALBANS
The Broken Family Band

Please and Thank You [BUY]

BISHOP ALLEN @ CAFE SAKI 6 MAY 2009

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour ... but heaven knows I didn't expect to be involved in a late-night road traffic accident on the way home from a Bishop Allen gig. Review first, accident report second.

Bishop Allen played here about 18 months ago. And in my book that's just too long between gigs even if they do have the excuse of living in Brooklyn. Since that gig Cafe Saki has been renovated/extended/changed and the club venue is now a bar on the ground floor with the band playing in the pool room/conservatory (no really) off the main room. Probably takes about 100 and tonight, a joint promotion from Underachievers Please Try Harder and Football, was decently full if not sold out.

Bishop Allen play an ornate indie-pop with delicate orchestral flourishes and settings. Live they are harder edged but a shiver of excitement did run through me as the xylophone (or was it a glockenspiel?) was set up. Touring Bishop Allen are a five piece - songwriters Justin Rice and Christian Rudd on guitars with Darbie Nowatka on xylophone, melodica, percussion, backing vocals plus drums and bass (sorry no names). Touring to support their third album "Grr...", I knew they wouldn't be playing everything I wanted to hear but seeing the set list before they started I was pleased to see at least some of the favourites there. I only realised the omissions later.

Opener 'Another Wasted Night' from first album "Charm School" set the tone for what followed in the next hour or so: songs delivered in a no-nonsense belt-them-out power-pop style only slowing in pace for the two songs sung by Darbie ('Butterfly Nights' and 'True or False'). There was minimal banter but a palpable warmth and amiability from the band - you get the sense they couldn't be happier anywhere else but playing music live in small, sweaty student bars and clubs.
The set took in songs from all three records (plus one of the 12 'calendar' EPs). Plenty of highlights including 'The Monitor' and 'Rain' but sad not to hear 'Dimmer' and 'Olkahoma' from the new album (picky, picky). Sea-shanty singalong 'Shanghaied' followed by 'Middle Management' worked particularly well to close the main set. They then returned to romp through 'Pentitentiary Bound' and a cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Second Hand News' (Bishop Allen's songs are better) before finishing with a blinding version of 'Flight 180'. Was it just me or was everyone in the crowd singing along by the end of this? Top stuff. More please and soon.


The Set List:
Another Wasted Night
The Ancient Commonsense of Things
Cue The Elephants
Empire City
The Monitor
Rain
Like Castanets
Butterfly Nets
True or False
Click Click Click Click
Busted Heart
The Same Fire
Shanghaied
Middle Management
---
Penitentiary Bound
Second Hand News
Flight 180

Support was from Amida who I missed and Married To The Sea who I would heartily recommend. They are a four-piece from Liverpool playing intelligent, US college rock-influenced indie-pop with great harmonies and a relaxed confidence that was hugely appealing. And they all swapped instruments for one song which always impresses me. They were selling their EP at the end. Now in the past I have been more than happy to part with two pounds for a no-brand CDR with felt-pen scrawl and photostat cover. But Married To The Sea give you three songs on a professionally pressed CD with a very smart full-colour cover for your two pounds. Lead song 'Great, Now I'm In Love' is worth the admission price alone. Ones to investigate immediately.

So I departed Fallowfield happy if a little tipsy. After a short bus journey home I crossed the road that leads to Folly Towers only to be hit by a motorcyclist. On a motorbike. He and his bike went skidding along the road and I went flying into the gutter. Both of us were uninjured but were advised to stay prone by the crowd of passers-by who suddenly appeared. This crowd turned out to be plain clothes police. All of them. What had they been doing?? The initial novelty of appearing in what felt like a scene from "The Wire" was short-lived as we then had to wait for an ambulance and then wait longer to be checked over by paramedics. Luckily we both walked away from this. And I now know what the inside of an ambulance looks like.

Tonight should have been an outing for Mrs A but she was otherwise engaged. Shame because in life she is my ears and my eyes. And tonight she would most certainly have stopped me walking out in front of that motorbike. Remember: stop, look, listen.

FLIGHT 180
Bishop Allen
The Broken String [BUY or BUY]

SHANGHAIED
Bishop Allen
Grrr... [BUY or BUY]

TOMORROW I'LL DO THE RIGHT THING
Married to the Sea
Married to the Sea EP [BUY]

SPEEDING MOTORCYCLE
Yo La Tengo
Fakebook [BUY]

MY FIRST TOOTH AND TWEETS

I associate the rather special Alcopop Records with, as their name suggests, fizzy and intoxicating short, sharp shocks (goFASTER, Stars and Sons etc.). But here is something of a different strength and flavour: My First Tooth. The band are formed around core duo of singer-songwriter Ross Witt and violinist Sophie Galpin but on record and on tour increase (up to) an eight-piece. I reviewed their six song debut EP ' My First Tooth and The Rubies' here, finding much to admire in their "wistful, warm-hued indie-folk not unlike the acoustic Americana of an Okkervil River or Wilco".

For a first record and a young band they are remarkably mature and accomplished song-writers - more single malt whisky than WKD. Definitely ones to watch.



And continuing the Alcopop-related news, the label are releasing another of their Alcopopular compilations this month and I have just signed up to this venture:
We’re looking for a limited number of people based on Twitter, who fancy getting their reviewer hats on and tweeting reviews of each song (in 140 characters or less) each day in run up to the release.
I've been experimenting with Twitter for a few weeks now trying to work out whether it is fun, fraud or the future. Still unsure. But in the meantime this daily tweeting/reviewing will help me reverse the sad decline from regular to less regular to irregular tweets. I hope.

TYPEWRITERS
My First Tooth
My First Tooth and the Rubies EP [BUY]

MANCHESTER GIGS IN MUSIC - May 2009 Pt.1

Oh me oh my. A month packed full of gigs and music festivals in Manchester. Overwhelmed by choice and limited of time and resource, you may like me have to make some difficult decisions about what to miss.

Here's the usual to help inform decisions: a 52 minute music compilation of some highlights of live shows this coming month: download link in post below this one. Could have easily made another 50 minute compilation there's so much on offer.

Bishop Allen Oklahoma (6 May Cafe Saki BUY TICKETS)
A C Newman There Are Maybe 10 or 12 (20 May Retro Bar BUY TICKETS)
Titus Andronicus Titus Andronicus (25 May supporting The Soft Pack Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
The Broken Family Band Salivating (8 May Ruby Lounge BUY TICKETS)
Jason Lytle Yours Truly, The Commuter (26 May Academy 3 BUY TICKETS)
Mi Ami The Man In Your House (2 May Retro Bar BUY TICKETS)
Deerhunter Nothing Ever Happened (19 May Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart Young Adult Friction (22 May Chorlton Irish Club BUY TICKETS)
The Acorn Crooked Legs (3 May Ruby Lounge BUY TICKETS)
Viking Moses Little Emma's Smile (4 May supporting The Pictish Trail Kings Arms BUY TICKETS)
Great Lake Swimmers Palmistry (19 May Dulcimer BUY TICKETS)
Alasdair Roberts Hazel Forks (24 May Dulcimer BUY TICKETS)
Vivian Girls Damaged (20 May Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
Phosphorescent Not A Heel (30 May Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)

And not forgetting:
5 May Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard Club Academy 3 / 7 May M83 Deaf Institute / 10 May Holy Fuck, It Hugs Back Academy 3 / 11 May Experimental Dental School Retro Bar / 12 May Dan Auerbach Club Academy / 12 May Retribution Gospel Choir Deaf Institute / 13 May Andrew Bird Academy 3 / 13 May Melt Banana Satan's Hollow / 14 May The Mae Shi, Abe Vigoda Deaf Institute / 19 May Handsome Family, Liz Green Ruby Lounge / 23 May Akron/Family Ruby Lounge / 24 May Black Lips Academy 3 / 26 May The Aliens Deaf Institute / 29 May Pagan Wanderer Lu Fuel

And then there's the festivals:

Sounds From The Other City 3 May
including SoPhIeS pIgEoNS, Sweet Baboo, The Invisible, Banjo or Freakout and Young British Artists.
Line Up / Tickets

MAPS Festival 1 - 4 May
including Alessi's Ark, Spokes, The Brute Chorus, iLiKETRAiNS and Liam Frost.
Line Up / Tickets

Futuresonic 13 - 16 May
including Philip Glass solo, Murcof, Johan Johansson, Ariel Pink and Crystal Antlers.
Line Up / Tickets

Hungry Pigeon 22 - 25 May
including Karima Francis, Misty's Big Adventure, Nine Black Alps, Ten Bears and The Travelling Band
Line Up / Tickets

Looking forward to a quiet one in June ...

MANCHESTER GIGS IN MUSIC - May 2009 Pt.2

The download link is here [58MB]

CAMERA OBSCURA @ CLUB ACADEMY 22 APRIL 2009

Two word review: "pure class". Camera Obscura are dapper in appearance, accomplished in playing and blessed with songwriting skills by the (tartan) bag-load; tonight's performance which drew almost exclusively on material from the current and previous albums, managed to recreate the sumptious sounds of both records beautifully.

Singer Tracyanne delivers her country-soul-pop songs with an unchanging facial expression but a voice every bit as gorgeous as on record that conveys deep emotion and grand drama. The six piece band behind and around her are never showy or obtrusive (other than some occasional disconcerting staring) and live recreate the lush textures just as effectively as Tracyanne's singing. Last time I saw them I remember being disappointed by the thin sound and lack of atmosphere - I think both had more to do with the venue (Jabez Clegg). Tonight the keyboards at times sounded like a full string section. And what a joy it is to hear a trumpet live.

And the band are as stylish in dress as they are musically: three of the five men in waistcoats or ties and the women in classy vintage-style dresses - more Madmen than Oxfam. Accessories included a swan brooch from Traceyanne and a white clamshell belt for Carey (that's enough on the fashion review, thank you).

It was an audience of all ages, shapes and sizes - certainly on this showing there is not an obvious CO fan 'type'. There were a couple of (single white) males at the front who appeared to be a bit too obsessive in their attention on Tracyanne. Overall the crowd were quietly reverential during the new material and whooping with recognition at songs from Let's Get Out Of This Country. That is except for a couple of Red Stripe drinking irritants who persisted in having a conversation throughout several songs including during Country Mile. If Mr P had been there he would have tore a strip of the young whippersnappers. I only caught the last few minutes of Attic Lights but was pleasantly surprised. For some reason I was expecting blokish landfill indie but they sounded closer to Teenage Fanclub. Worth listening to more...

The Set List:

My Maudlin Career
Tears For Affairs
Honey in the Sun
French Navy
Let's Get Out Of This Country
James
Forests and Sands
Swans
Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
If Looks Could Kill
Country Mile
You Told A Lie
Razzle Dazzle Rose
---
Eighties Fan
Come Back Margaret

SWANS

Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career [BUY]

IF LOOKS COULD KILL
Camera Obscura
Let's Get Out Of This Country [BUY]

"I could meet you at the foot of the mountain, dressed as a mountaineer": THE BROKEN FAMILY BAND and other Monday releases

Well yesterday was the release day for five much desired albums in these parts: The Broken Family Band's 'Please and Thank You'; Camera Obscura's 'My Maudlin Career'; Art Brut's 'Art Brut vs Satan'; Brakes's 'Touchdown' and Jeffrey Lewis's 'Em Are I'.

That's too much of a wallet-bashing for one week so I have adopted a spread-the-burden approach. Specifically: buying the first a week early from Rough Trade, planning to buy the second at tomorrow night's gig (therefore including this as 'gig spends' as opposed to 'record spends'), buying the third today (mission accomplished - importing to iTunes as I type), and relying on Mr P to buy the last two. Hmmm. Might be waiting a bit for this.

So whilst the last three are currently unheard, I can highly recommend both The Broken Family Band and Camera Obscura albums as being worthy of your hard-earned cash. The short review for both is: if you liked the album that preceded this (either 'Hello Love' or 'Let's Get Out Of This Country') you'll love this. But let's talk more about 'Please and Thank You'.

When BFB announced last year they were leaving Track and Field their home and label since 2003 with no immediate deal in place ("we are now officially the hottest unsigned band in Britain") I was deeply troubled by the apparent lack of a plan and what it might mean musically. But I needn't have worried. A new home (Cooking Vinyl) does not mean a radically altered sound even if the label blurb suggests otherwise:
Eight years in, The Broken Family Band have gradually shed the accordionists, the cute girl singers, the banjo players, even the American drawl, and reduced themselves to the unchanged core of Adams, bassist Gavin Johnson, guitarist Jay Williams and drummer Micky Roman. And they’ve made their best album so far.

Now I LIKED the accordian, the banjo, the female vocals and the American drawl but none of this disappeared overnight for this album. (Hence me saying if you liked 'Hello Love' etc etc.). So this album doesn't feel like a sudden departure, more a gradual development. But is it their best album so far?? Better than 'Balls' or 'Welcome Home Loser'??

Well it's just too early to say - I think you need to live with a record for a good couple of months before saying this with any confidence (cop out I know). But after the first few listens it definitely has plenty to recommend it. It combines Steven Adam's smart lyrics (by turns lascivious, sarcastic or humorous) with a strong, confident band sound that is closer to 'indie-rock' than 'indie-pop'. So over 12 songs there is only one that is close to a ballad (album closer 'Old Wounds') and the rest are more uptempo. So this means there is no equivalent to earlier, classic, songs like 'Give and Take', 'John Belushi' or 'It's All Over'. Well re-listening to the album there is love plea 'Mimi' ("I'm thinking you may be the one") and mid-tempo chugger 'You Did A Bad Thing' but these do not have as much presence on the album as the more 'rockin' tunes, most with great hooks, singalong choruses or both. And of these I could have posted any: indie survivors anthem 'Don't Bury Us', the sordid encounter tales of 'Please Yourself' or 'St Albans' (the latter a hoot) or first single 'Salivating' for instance. This is one of the strongest songs to my ears and easily stands up without the typically mocking approach to video promo below. Play this five times and you should be hooked. If not, this probably isn't for you...

So as ever with The Broken Family Band this new album just gets better with each listen. I'll be able to say in June whether it's one of their best. And in the meantime they are touring in April and May and there's some live footage of their March gig in Glasgow available courtesy of Jack Daniels.

CINEMA VS HOUSE
BORROWED TIME
The Broken Family Band
Please and Thank You [BUY]

RECORD STORE DAY(S)

So tomorrow is Record Store Day. And I will be 121.5 miles away from Piccadilly Records, Vinyl Exchange, Beatin' Rhythm etc. And probably at least 50 miles from the nearest independent record store. Here's what Piccadilly Records are laying on tomorrow.

Here at Piccadilly Records we have a fun filled day too, throughtout the day we'll have the cream of local labels and club nights DJing instore, the line-up is as follows:
10.00-11.00 - FINDERS KEEPERS (DOM THOMAS)
11.00-12.00 - THAT AMAZING THING (FRANCIS WOOFF)
12.00-12.30 - CLINT BOON
12.30-13.30 - AKOUSTIK ANARKHY
13.30-14.30 - THE UNABOMBERS
14.30-15.30 - UP THE RACKET
15.30-16.30 - EL DIABLO’S (NEIL SCOTT)
16.30-17.30 - BALEARIC MIKE
And as if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, the lovely folk from the Sweet Tooth Cupcakery will be selling rock'n'roll cup cakes, we'll be giving away free bottles of Glacéau Vitaminwater and there's a fortune cookie 'lucky dip' with loads of prizes to be won.

So to celebrate Record Store Day some random memories from me of music I have discovered in record shops plus a recommendation for those of you like me not in physical proximity to a record shop.

First up: Selectadisc in Berwick Street, Soho (now sadly defunct). I 'happened' to be in there one day in 1993 when the music they were playing over the PA stopped me dead. It turned out to be a 10 minute track that STARTED with a countdown to an ending with a flurry of flute, guitar and strangeness. And then got stranger. I stood and listened for 20 minutes to the whole of the first side of Mercury Rev's 'Boces' and then bought it. Never regretted this for an instance. And that first song 'Meth of a Rockette's Kick' still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

A few years ago I was in Vinyl Exchange in Manchester when the same thing happened. Something was playing that stopped me in my tracks. A few minutes later I was the proud owner of 'Milkman' by Deerhoof. And earlier this year I walked into Piccadilly Records with the intention of listening to and probably buying 'The Airing of Grievances' by Titus Andronicus - and what was playing as I walked in? Well it was an omen not be ignored.

Thinking about these three songs/bands, the music is all loud and unhinged. Maybe that's what stands out. But I wouldn't have come across them without being in record stores. And let's not forget all the times that record stores have stocked/listed/recommended music and I've come across it in other ways. In these times of recession and music industry paralysis, let's celebrate and support record shops every day and not just tomorrow.

And if you can't make it to your nearest shop, how about taking up this offer and supporting the online shop for Drift Records?

Between Saturday 18th April and Monday 18th May DRIFT RECORDS will offer '3-for-£10' on our entire back catalogue. Albums by: The R.G.Morrison, Thirty Pounds of Bone, Birdengine, Matt Eaton, Tandy Hard, Thomas White, Le Reno Amps and the critically acclaimed 'Drift Collective' sampler will be available at just £5 each or 3-for-£10. As if that weren’t enough, for the special price of £25 you can purchase the entire back catalogue, plus an exclusive Drift Record Shop 'bag for life' and badge set.

My thoughts are on the Matt Eaton are here. It's easily worth £10 of your money but with this deal you could buy it six times for that prices. An offer you can't refuse?

METH OF A ROCKETTE'S KICK
Mercury Rev
Boces [BUY]

MILK MAN
Deerhoof
Milkman [BUY]

MY TIME OUTSIDE THE WOMB
Titus Andronicus
The Airing of Grievances [BUY]

AS LONG AS THE ROAD
Matt Eaton
Finish Your Chips [BUY]

I started out in search of ordinary things ... 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle' - Bill Callahan

My relationship with Bill Callahan/Smog albums goes through ups and downs. After the career highs of 'Red Apple Falls' (hushed magnificence) and 'Knock Knock' (art rock magnificence) came 'Dongs of Sevotion' and 'Supper' which to my ears were just so-so. Then in 2005 he released 'A River Ain't Too Much To Love' which knocked me over with it's stripped-down folk take on the Smog sound. But the follow-up 'Woke on a Whaleheart' (the first album where he dropped the 'Smog' moniker) I never really 'got' and stopped listening to fairly quickly. So what to make of the release this week of 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle'?

Well after a couple of listeners, it's definitely a keeper and may even be up there amongst his very best. And it's not a 'return to form' - it's a subtley different and new development. It takes the assured, philosophical songs of 'A River..' but places them in a beautiful, gossamer-light orchestral arrangements. Drums, bass and guitar play their part but hovering in the background are these delicate strings and horns that reflect the beauty and wonder the songs find in nature.

Bill never likes to make it easy - biographical details are scant, his lyrics can be highly ellipitical, he is taciturn when performing or in interview. But on this record whilst the lyrics are still quasi-philosophical ("how can a wave possibly be?") they are sung by a man who sounds at utter peace with the world. This sense of ease, the wonder at the natural world (birds, winds, trees inhabit every song) and the inventive musical flourishes that give each song a unique identity combine to a winning formula. Some of those flourishes: 'The Wind and The Dove' starts with arabic horns, 'Eid Ma Clack Shaw' is a graceful march, 'Rococco Zephyr' has piano suggesting water ripples and wavering strings suggesting the breeze. And the final eight minute song 'Faith/Void' is almost soulful in its repetition of the phrase 'It's Time To Put God Away' over sweeping strings; it's like Al Green turning atheist. Poetic, accessible and wholly beguiling, this is probably going to be one of my favourite records of the year. (I'm just not looking forward to the follow-up).

JIM CAIN
EID MA CLACK SHAW
Bill Callahan
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle [BUY]

TONIGHT IN MANCHESTER: Loney, Dear

Photo: Sara Axelsson

Emil Svanängen plays Night and Day tonight in support of the new Loney, Dear new album Dear John. It's another set of Scandinavian lovelorn orch-pop beauty that gets better with each listen. As I type I can't believe I'm going to miss this,but sadly too many over-lapping commitments. BUY TICKETS



I WAS ONLY GOING OUT
Loney, Dear
Dear John [BUY]

And there is a Daytrotter session of songs here too.

THE WAVE PICTURES @ THE ROADHOUSE 10 APRIL 2009

When I asked Mr P if we were going to the see The Wave Pictures this Easter Bank holiday his response was "definitely definitely definitely". Given other commitments this month, this was good to hear. And it also turned out to be good news given how good - if short - this gig was.

Seeing The Wave Pictures were playing Manchester had the edge taken off slightly: firstly they were playing The Roadhouse with its occasionally iffy sound; and then secondly they were touring in advance of the new album ('If You Leave It Alone' coming out 4 May). However I'm glad to report the sound tonight was spot-on plus the set took in a range of songs old and new, including two I cannot place (any assistance gratefully appreciated), with the new album on sale early to boot.
Even if on record The Wave Pictures can at times be a bit too casual (if 'Instant Coffee Baby' was sequenced differently, lost two tracks and included the earlier single 'We Dress Up Like Snowmen'/'Now We Are Pregnant' it would have been the hands-down Album of the Year), I had forgotten just how good they are live. The make-up-the-set-list approach might be a bit casual, their playing certainly isn't. The drumming is phenomenally tight, the bass-playing over this fluid, almost jazz-like and David's guitar playing soulful and intense by turns. It all combines beautifully and even songs on the new album like 'Tiny Craters in the Sand' which on record are more whimisical are given extra muscle live. Potentially the best live band in the UK??

Sadly with a club night following, the gig was curfewed early and the band finished a ten song set without even an encore. Highlights for me included 'Friday Night in Loughborough' and new song 'Strawberry Cables' plus drummer Jonny singing 'Now You Are Pregnant'. Towards the end of the set the travelling Geordie contingent in the crowd joined in the singing on 'Our Perfect Lovers' with comic effect and rude words. Getting their revenge for their claim The Wave Pictures never play Newcastle? David's response "it's a long way from Loughborough".

The Set List:
Canary Wharf
("I was drunk and I was blind")

Friday Night In Loughborough
Tiny Craters In The Sand
I Swam Out To Greet You
Strawberry Cables
Now You Are Pregnant
("She had cinnamon on the tip of her tongue")
Our Perfect Lovers
Leave That Scene Behind

The UK tour continues until 15 April with some dates in Spain following. The band are back in June with a date at The Deaf Institute already on sale. Do not miss.

LEAVE THE SCENE BEHIND
The Wave Pictures
Instant Coffee Baby [BUY]

TINY CRATERS IN THE SAND
The Wave Pictures
If You Leave It Alone [BUY]

The Benefits of Mailing List Subscription: Downloads For 'F' All

Making myself feel popular through the daily receipt of automatically generated emails is always a pleasing distraction from life's slings and arrows. And so I always go out of my way to sign up with band/record label/promoter lists whenever and wherever I can. And this week, said subscriptions lead not just to a full inbox but to some free music.
From the Merge Records newsletter:
With one critically acclaimed record under their belt and a highly-anticipated sophomore album Outer South on its way, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band are set to release the documentary One of My Kind on Wednesday, April 15th. One of My Kind will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s journey over the past year and a half. Watch the trailer for One of My Kind. Download a free MP3 of "Nikorette" from Outer South. Pre-order Outer South on CD and LP in the Merge store.

From Art Brut and Cooking Vinyl:

Simply enter your email address below, and we'll send you a PIN code for a free download of: "Weird Science".

The song is a bonus track to accompany release of new album 'Art Brut' vs Satan on 20 April (pre-order here). The first single 'Alcholics Unanimous' was released yesterday.



And finally from the Chemikal Underground newsletter:

It's only fair that Chemikal Underground subscribers get their hands on a Lord Cut Glass track first, so we duly and proudly present 'Even Jesus Couldn't Love You' - in full and for free!
Just cast your eyes right-ward to the 'Downloads For 'F' All' section and do what comes naturally...

Plus
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Aidan Moffat has rendered us his interpretation of Katie Melua's (how should we put this...timeless classic, yes, timeless classic) 9,000,000 Bicycles. Not only that, but we're going to give you it for free. Why? Because it's you and that's how we roll, that's why. You can summon the track to your computer by visiting our new feature, 'Downloads For 'F' All' below...
Well you have to follow this link rather than 'below' but make sure you sign up for the newsletter whilst visiting for future news and music. Cuz otherwise that would be cheating ...

And the eagle-eyed of you kind readers may have noticed I have added an email subscription box to this blog for those (both of you) who are still struggling with RSS. You won't get anything other than notification of posts here. But that way you won't miss out and a slightly fuller inbox may be just what the doctor ordered (at least for the needy and less well-adjusted out there. Come and join me).

The Wonderful Dexterity of Hannu Mikkola

There are three things I know about Finland, namely:

1. It is the home of Nokia
2. They drink a lethally strong liquorice flavoured vodka
3. It is the home of rally driver Hannu Mikkola
The second fact I can thank Mr S of Salford for - but my knowledge of Hannu's wonderful dexterity (which makes me want to shake hands with the whole of that nation) comes from Half Man Half Biscuit and the opening line to 'Architecture, Morality, Ted & Alice'.

In my review of HMHB's Manchester gig I suggested (an unoriginal demand) that Nigel Blackwell should be made Poet Laurate. His powers of observation, satire and sarcasm are brilliant and equally matched by his genius use of language. And all this is celebrated in Chris Rand's exceptionally good HMHB Lyrics Project site. There may be others but as Chris says:

Trouble is, like darts in soap operas, most of them are so wrong. So with too much time on my hands, obviously, I’m trying to rectify the situation, and not only build a complete set of lyrics, but actually get them right (with a lot of help from your comments and corrections). It may take years. Should you have already transcribed any lyrics yourself, and want to contribute them, please email me and contribute to the cause.


So as well as "120 pop songs picked over by pedants" which you can search by song or album, you can leave comments, subscribe via RSS or email for updates, view news updates of HMHB lyrics in the media, info on gigs and bootlegs and even contribute your PBRs (“life is a Perpetual Biscuit Reference”). My favourite of these is from 'Jan' on 27 March this year:

"Sometime ago, Number One Daughter was invited to Avebury at Halloween. She came home full of tales about the folk she had met, and handed me a present, a little notebook made from handmade paper. “Oh, lovely,” I cried, “but why this? What is it?” “Mother,” she retorted, “I’m shocked. Don’t you know a quaint notepad for weekend pagans when you see one?”"

If you don't get this go here and listen below.

Now surely this is what the interweb was invented for? Andy (from Everything's Swirling) wrote a couple of months ago (OK nearly a year ago) about his favourite fan sites many now sadly neglected. He is also the creator and author of the pretty-much-definitive Galaxie 500 fan site A Head Full Of Wishes which, although with not as many laughs as the HMHB Lyrics Project, is still worthy of your attention and your bookmarking. In these days of corporate ownership of 99.9% of the internet, it's great to be reminded that there are people like Chris and Andy who are selflessly using the web and associated technologies to share and celebrate what they (and we) love.

And a final HMHB-related item from me. Ms N's upcoming birthday was celebrated recently with the presentation of some ornamental Joy Division Oven Gloves.

Let's leave the last words to Nigel via Chris's site:

I’ve been here and I’ve been there
In me Joy Division oven gloves
I’ve been to a post-punk postcard fair
In me Joy Division oven gloves
Ooh ooh Nagasaki towpath
Ooh ooh tickling the laird
Ooh ooh checking out the Quantocks
In me Joy Division oven gloves
In me Joy Division oven gloves
Joy Division Oven Gloves

Although the last word may actually go to Mrs A who has taken recently to leaving comments referencing HMHB lyrics. Not that she needed any more ammunition, but I think I may have just muzzle-loaded a large blunderbuss...

ARCHITECTURE, MORALITY, TED & ALICE
Half Man Half Biscuit
Back in the DHSS [BUY]

TWENTY FOUR HOUR GARAGE PEOPLE
Half Man Half Biscuit
Trouble Over Bridgewater [BUY]

MANCHESTER GIGS IN MUSIC Pt. 1

A 42 minute music compilation of some highlights of live shows this coming month in Manchester: download link in post below this one.

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone Optimist Vs The Silent Alarm (20 April Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
Jenny Lewis The Big Guns (24 April Academy 3 BUY TICKETS)
PJ Harvey & John Parish Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen (24 April The Ritz BUY TICKETS)
Dirty Projectors Knotty Pine (with David Byrne) (1 April Mint Lounge BUY TICKETS)
Camera Obscura My Maudlin Career (22 April Club Academy BUY TICKETS)
Loney, Dear I Was Only Going Out (15 April Night & Day BUY TICKETS)
Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele 26 Miles (1 April Trof NQ BUY TICKETS)
The Wave Pictures We Dress Up Like Snowmen (10 April Roadhouse BUY TICKETS)
Brakes What's In It For Me? (13 April Ruby Lounge BUY TICKETS)
Art Brut Sound of Summer (27 April Academy 3 BUY TICKETS)
My Latest Novel The Reputation of Ross Francis (9 April Deaf Institute BUY TICKETS)
The Sons of Noel & Adrian Violent Violet (24 April Klondyke Bowls Club BUY TICKETS)
My First Tooth Typewriters (11 April Kro Bar BUY TICKETS)
The Zombies Maybe After He's Gone (24 April Bridgewater Hall BUY TICKETS)

And after compiling this it appears the Jenny Lewis gig is not happening. Shame.

And not forgetting:
2 April A Place To Bury Strangers Ruby Lounge / 3 April Marble Valley Chorlton Irish Club / 6 April Wildbirds & Peacedrums Dulcimer / 7 April Bat For Lashes The Ritz / 10 April The Leisure Society Ruby Lounge / 10 April The Loves, the Bobby McGees Black Lion / 10 April Fujiya & Miyagi Deaf Institute / 12 April Keith Ruby Lounge / 16 April Trembling Bells Deaf Institute / 17 April Sparkwood + 21 Carlton Club / 18 April Earth Islington Mill / 19 April The Whitest Boy Alive Ruby Lounge / 21 April The Veils Ruby Lounge / 22 April Health Deaf Institute / 23 April 65 Days of Static Deaf Institute / 24 April Bridge & Tunnel Kro Bar / 27 April The Von Bondies Ruby Lounge / 27 April The Nightingales Night & Day / 29 April The Juan Maclean Deaf Institute / 30 April Richard Swift Night & Day

And for something different this Friday - art or music? Or both?

MANCHESTER GIGS IN MUSIC Pt2.

Download here [47MB]