Nerina Pallot: Your Chance To Support!
WIN THE CHANCE TO SUPPORT NERINA PALLOT AT THE ICA IN LONDON ON OCT 21st 2009.
Over the past few weeks Nerina Pallot has been performing live acoustic and alternative versions of songs taken from her forthcoming third studio album THE GRADUATE, scheduled for release on the 5th October.
‘Real Late Starter’ was posted on September 1st 2009 and features Nerina performing the first single from her album singing and playing piano, guitar, bass and drums (dressed as a rabbit!): http://www.youtube.com/user/nerinapallottv
To win the chance to support Nerina at the first SOLD OUT London date , at the ICA, on her upcoming tour of the UK (21st October 2009), simply post your own musical version of Real Late Starter as a video response to that episode. It could be as a band, on guitar, on the ukelele, on a bass, harmonica, - anything at all - and Nerina will choose the winning performer to play a 20 minute opening support slot at the ICA.
If you don’t use youtube, post a link to your version on Nerina’s twitter page – www.twitter.com/ladychatterley or send it to her Myspace page – www.myspace.com/nerinapallot
More than three years after the platinum-selling FIRES, Nerina Pallot has shaken up her sound, shrugged off the spectre of singer/songwriter and produced an album of pop. THE GRADUATE has piano-driven songs high on happy pills, woozy electronics and beefed up bass. Where guitars would once have swooned, now they swagger and there is a new-found feistiness to Pallot’s emotive vocals. Occasionally, the Brit and Ivor Novello-nominated singer strays so far from the haunting sound of her former hit singles, she is almost unrecognisable.
Self-produced and recorded in the North London studio she shares with her husband, Grammy-nominated producer Andrew Chatterley, THE GRADUATE took shape after two turbulent years in Pallot’s life. The first found her struggling to deal with the fame FIRES had brought her and the non-stop touring that entailed. The second was a case of writer’s block caused by meeting and marrying Chatterley, who hails from Pallot’s homeland of Jersey. The problem was one not often found in pop – she was too content to want to write songs.
“The idea of me writing tortured lyrics went out the window,” laughs Pallot. “After years of living out of a suitcase, watching my personal life fall apart and drinking too much, I was suddenly happier than I’ve ever been. At one stage, I wasn’t sure I’d ever make another album. I loved just being normal, having a home to go to and finally being able to attend friends’ birthday parties. I could have written a song about my fantastic fish terrine, but I doubt anyone would have wanted to hear it.”
The impetus to return to writing came only after Pallot’s record label, tired of waiting for a follow-up to FIRES, sent her to the States to work with Linda Perry, the one-woman hit factory for the likes of Christina Aguilera and Pink. The pair recorded two songs together before Pallot fled home. Then came sessions with Rob Davis (who co-wrote Kylie’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’) and Rick Knowles (Madonna, Dido), with whom Pallot became good friends and wrote 15 songs, none of which appear on THE GRADUATE.
“I adore Rick and we work okay together, but he told me what I already knew,” recalls Pallot. “That I didn’t need to write with anyone. I do a better job on my own.” Pallot’s sense of self-sufficiency grew when she returned to material she had written on the road touring Fires, but never unfinished. Realising she already had several great songs, she set about completing them, determined to produce and programme the album herself, calling on friends to contribute, rather than outsiders and session musicians.”
“’Real Late Starter’ I began when I was touring with James Blunt three years ago,” explains Pallot. “I felt like a real loser, making my way to gigs on a train with my mate who was my tour manager while James was helicoptering in. I’d hear him arriving overhead and think ‘That’ll be me one day’ but it didn’t happen. I came home and, yes, still felt like a loser! I had so much fun when I came to finish that song because by then I was happy. There’s a real sense of ‘Yeah, sometimes life is shit, but hey, I’m actually doing okay’. Everyone feels like that from time to time and when I play it live, people love it. They seem to get it straight away.” A major shift in Pallot’s sound was down to the music she was listening to.
“My tastes have definitely changed,” she says. “I’ve come to really love good pop music. Like everyone else, I was bored stiff of singer/songwriters and wanted to find something fresh. The band I became obsessed with was MGMT. I was inspired by their attitude to making music. It’s so creative. They just throw out lots of ideas, try out lots of mad sounds and have a laugh, but with the basis of really strong songs. I didn’t want to think about what would get on the radio or what’s the trendy sound right now. I just went for it and had fun.”
This first single sets sassy, self-depreciating lyrics to up-tempo piano-pop that nods to ‘70s Elton John and one of Pallot’s more recent favourite bands, Scissor Sisters.
Nerina is on tour this Autumn – tickets are on sale now
Tue 6-Oct Aberdeen Lemon Tree
Wed 7-Oct Glasgow Oran Moor
Fri 9-Oct Preston 53 Degrees
Sat 10-Oct Manchester Ruby Lounge
Sun 11-Oct York The Duchess
Tue 13-Oct Birmingham Glee Club
Wed 14-Oct Bristol Trinity
Thu 15-Oct Milton Keynes The Stables
Sat 17-Oct Tavistock Wharf
Sun 18-Oct Cardiff Glee Club
Tue 20-Oct Brighton Komedia
Wed 21-Oct London ICA
Thu 22-Oct London ICA
Sat 24-Oct Penzance Acorn
Sun 25-Oct Gloucester Guildhall
Tue 27-Oct Wakefield Theatre Royal
Wed 28-Oct Norwich Waterfront
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER Soundtrack (Sire)
Okay, I’ve got to admit I’m a movie soundtrack fan, always have been, always will be. I love thesound quality, I love the diversity of music on offer, and often they’re better than compilation albums. I wish I could say the same about going to see movies but that’s a no-no because when the lights dim, so do I - hell they’re such comfortable places to go to sleep in. So I also have to rely on the soundtracks to provide a strong hint as to what movies are about and I’ve generally found the better the soundtrack, the better the movie (yes I do watch DVD’s at home so my snoring doesn’t disturb…).
So here we have a soundtrack that sounds like it hovers below a love story, or something very similar. Track one puts me right, “This is a story of boy meets girl… you should know up front this is not a love story”. That brief, and helpful, spoken introduction leads immediately to one of my favourite female singer/songwriters Regina Spektor, and ‘Us.’ This lovely, flowing song is from 2005 but could so easily slide onto her latest and greatest album. Then a Smiths classic in ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ a madly romantic song about love at first sight and fearof asking… Never heard of the Black Lips but this heavily retro rocker’Bad Kids’ really ain’t bad. The Smiths return with ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want I Want’ and astrong indication
that the director of this movie is a diehard fan. But actually, the song seems to fit the storyline like the proverbial glove. Then it’s the Doves with an oldie but a gentle goodie in ‘There Goes The Fear.’ Now someone has done their research here because all the songs so far are almost ancient, but house very similar and relevant messages.
Hall & Oates (remember them?) are next up with ‘You Make My Dreams’which the second up-tempo song so far and great 1980’s bouncing retro rock. Hyped Australian band The Temper Trap provide the first ‘new’ song in ‘Sweet Disposition’ which I suspect is from the band’s highly acclaimed new album. It’s a softly swaying cracker! The gentle romantic vibe continues with Carla Bruni and ‘Quelqu’un M’a Dit’ sung in French and surprisingly good. Feist chirps in with one of her major hits, ‘Mushaboom’ followed by another superb Spektor track (from her last album) called ‘Hero.’ Simon & Garfunkle slide in a familiar ‘Bookends’ before Wolfmother perform a superb version of one of their best songs,’Vagabond.’
Other artist include Mumm-Ra, Meaghan Smith, and She & Him. I really like this collection of songs (old and new), and get the distinct feeling that you will need to take a box-full of tissues for what could an emotional movie experience…
4/5
Wallis Bird: NEW BOOTS (Rubyworks)
Album Release: ‘NEW BOOTS’ (Rubyworks)
Released: 7 September, 2009
The songs on ‘New Boots’ emerged partly from the most euphoric moments of Bird’s life - epiphanies and personal triumphs - and partly from the shadow of splits - with her label, with her partner - experiences that, she says, nearly broke her in half.
Recorded in varying locations - a rural Germany studio close to where she lived for 18 months; her home in London; her parents’ house back in Ireland - Wallis even utilised her family as backing vocalists on some of the songs. “Having family and friends take part makes it more personal, both for me and for the listener,” she says. “I feel that music can die if we don’t keep it intimate.”
Together with her band, Wallis has dug deep, fought hard and alchemised pop gold, creating an honest, bold and predictably unpredictable album. None more so than on the stadium-sized acoustica of ‘To My Bones’, a song that has already pricked up the tuned-in ears of our mainstream radio airwaves.
An impassioned performer often likened to Janis Joplin and Ani DiFranco, much of the live energy of Wallis’ shows is captured on ‘NEW BOOTS.’ Listeners might be surprised by the 5ft 2in bundle of white heat who throws herself around the stage with wilful abandon, breaking strings and shredding her fingers from the sheer force of her playing, urging the crowd into a collective sing-a-long, and throwing her entire soul into each performance.
The album opens, somewhat appropriately, with ‘Can Opener’ (with worms the size of pythons) and if one had any doubts about the voracity of her PR blurb, this song will dispel them in a single swipe. It’s hugely rhythmic; a bold musical statement; with a vocal performance that belies this lady’s tender age. It’s a bluesy, soul, rocking bone shaker and the lady gives it some welly. Marvellous opener. ‘Travelling Bird’ is an altogether more complex song with a distinctly jazzy vibe, rampant pace and a vocal that sounds like she’s dancing around away from the mic as she records - already I’m wanting to see this firecracker perform live. I’m struck by the way that Bird usesd any musical device to make her point - there’s adventure in these grooves. ‘To My Bones’ is, rightly, the first single off the album due for release on the 30th August. It’s got melody to burn and pop sensibility by the truckload. But it’s an intelligent love song with some very original touches including a winding guitar passage that leads to the song to a crashing final crescendo, complete with rebel yells.
‘Meal Of Convenience’ changes tack by adopting a rocky folk vibe complete with beautifully judged banjo and hand claps. Bird’s vocal is up to the task as she adapts it to communicate the message. Superb. ‘Made Of Sugar’ offers another slant as she whispers the excellent lyrics, over a jazzy guitar backdrop, with great expression. The song travels slowly and is one beautiful, moving ballad. ‘An Idea About Mary’ offers yet another musical recipe and in so doing reminds of that great singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco. Already the diversity of music here is mind-blowing, the performances some of the best I’ve heard from a female singer/songwriter in 2009 - a brilliant album release year so far. Melody drives this song along like a freight train - fabulous!
‘When We Kissed, The World Fell In Love’ has a jagged vibe as she sings about a bittersweet love affair. Once again the sound is different; more radio-friendly but adventurous with it. The vocal is wondrously expressive as she travels the musical scale. But the lady can have fun too - check out ‘LaLaLand’ with its brass intro, catchy choruses and dance vibe. This has to be the next single given a bit more bass oomph. It’s irreverant, funny and wholly compelling. ‘Berlin’ another more complex beauty with wandering piano notes and amusing backing vocals that vary from ‘bum, bum bum, bum’ to ‘toot, toot, toot.’ Wonderful.
‘Measuring Cities’ opens with a charming acoustic guitar passage before a sensual close-mic vocal enters followed by some lovely string orchestration. It’s a medium-paced, contemplative song where Bird seems to be having a conversation with an ex-lover. It’s utterly compelling, with an outro of vocal harmonies and plucked guitar that is quite beautiful. ‘Your Morning Dream’ is back down Ani DiFranco ally and is again sung in thoughtful style. But then it builds to the most enormous crescendo with a pleading vocal before that solo guitar makes its return and the vocal slows to a seductive crawl, before that fabulous, passionate crescendo returns. There are many highlights here but this one is my favourite.
‘Yer Daddy’ is a live and exhuberant affair that closes one superb album - check out the male hip-hop passage. Wallis Bird has achieved something quite incerdible with this second album, and the major label that deserted her will be (or should be) grinding its teeth. The diversity of sound is mind-boggling, the performances are stunning (from both Bird and her band) and put just about every other UK female singer/songwriter in the dark shade. A good album? No not at all. It’s friggin’ brilliant and a new star has been born.
5/5
Wallis Bird Live:
August 30 Solfest, West Cumbria
September 2 Koko, London (supporting Rodrigo y Gabriela)
September 12 Jimmy’s Farm Festival, Ipswich
Wallis Bird Talks NEW BOOTS
“Your first album - you have your whole life to do your first album. Some of the songs on ‘SPOONS’ were written when I was 12. So obviously this was gonna be a good bit different.”
Read more 
Damon & Naomi THE SUB POP YEARS
Following up on last year’s reissue of MORE SAD HITS, Damon & Naomi release a one-CD anthology of tracks drawn from their Sub Pop Records years: THE WONDROUS WORLD OF DAMON & NAOMI (1995), PLAYBACK SINGERS (1998), DAMON & NAOMI WITH GHOST (2000), and SONG TO THE SIREN, LIVE IN SAN SEBASTION (2002).
The original 1992 release of MORE SAD HITS on producer Kramer’s label Shimmy Disc caught the attention of Sub Pop’s Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt. They signed Damon & Naomi to a recording contract despite the duo’s pledge never to perform their material live - a pledge they would break shortly after the release of THE WONDROUS WORLD OF DAMON & NAOMI, upon their first offer to play in Japan.
For those initial dates, Damon & Naomi invited the Tokyo band Ghost to join them on stage. Both bands forged a partnership which tranformed their performing and recording career, and which continues into the present. The duo subsequently made live performance an integral part of their music, touring throughout the mid to late 90’s as an unaccompanied twosome (they went on the road with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and collapsible Indian harmonium). Their next album for Sub Pop, PLAYBACK SINGERS, achieved an elaborate sound even though recorded in their living room.
On a subsequent tour of Japan, Damon & Naomi reunited with Ghost and decided to record a new album together. DAMON & NAOMI WITH GHOST became their most critically acclaimed release on Sub Pop. The song writing was still characteristically D & N but the sound was no longer homemade. The album would mark the start of the next phase in D & N’s recording career, since followed by increasingly elaborate and orchestrated studio albums THE EARTH IS BLUE (2005) and WITHIN THESE WALLS (2007).
First, however, there would be their soyanara to Sub Pop, 2002’s CD/DVD package SONG TO THE SIREN: LIVE IN SAN SEBASTIAN, which documented the tours they undertook as a newborn power trio with ace electric guitarist Michio Kurihara (Ghost, Boris, White Heaven). Damon & Naomi’s live and studio work with Kurihara is perhaps what they have been known for in recent years - his alternately sighing and searing lead guitar has continued to contribute heavily to their music. However, as Damon & Naomi reveal in liner notes to THE SUB POP YEARS, LIVE IN SAN SEBASTIAN is actually a fake concoction, recorded initially as a way for the trio to document arrangements developed on the road together. Only later - at Jonathan Poneman’s mischievious suggestion - was this ‘live in studio’ tape combined with an actual audience bootleg from one of the trio’s shows to create LIVE IN SAN SEBASTIAN…
Note that the DVD portion of Sub Pop’s 2002 release, Naomi’s video tour diary SONG TO THE SIREN, will be re-released later this year by the new NYC DVD label Factory 25, as part of an anthology of Damon & Naomi video titled 1002 NIGHTS - completing this 2009 retrospective of their musical catalogue.
Review
THE SUB POP YEARS (1995-2002), Released 7 September 2009
Arguably, the greatest thing about being involved in the business and art of music is that of discovery. I have never heard Damon & Naomi before this review and I wish I had - much earlier. But, better late than never, as they say, and this is a great place to start the love affair. Opening track ‘Eulogy To Lenny Bruce’ (written by Tim Hardin and from the 2000 album DAMON & NAOMI WITH GHOST) is a delicate affair with softly flowing and piano notes introducing the fragile tones of Naomi’s voice. The piano notes rise and fall and the ambience created is mournful, sorrowful. I’ve not heard the original song but this interpretation really works for me as a sincere and moving tribute. 1998’s ”I’m Yours’ (from PLAYBACK SINGERS) opens with the most subtle guitar backdrop and a distant vocal. The glacial pace and ambience created reminds me of earlier Low music and I’m left wondering if D & N actually influenced Low… It’s a gorgeous song that builds so, so slowly to its final instrumental crescendo. ‘Forgot To Get High’ is from 1995’s THE WONDROUS WORLD OF DAMON & NAOMI and is my introduction to Damon’s equally soft and fragile voice. The song sounds as fresh as today with its flashes of spoken commentary, and the mournful guitar wail that continues throughout the song. And underneath it all is the most subtle melody. I’m blown away by this…
‘New York City’ (from 2002’s SONG TO THE SIREN) is a wistful, lighter tune with another featherlight and understated Naomi vocal. ‘Eye Of The Storm’ (from 1998’s PLAYBACK SINGERS) offers up a more solid sonic experience with guitar and vocal sounding more assertive and clear. Around the middle-eight there are weird and wonderful instrumental samples that sound like the instruments are playing in reverse… It’s one of the album’s standout tracks. ‘Judah And The Maccabees’ (from DAMON & NAOMI WITH GHOST) is a prime example of the association with the Japanese band, its intuitive drumming and sparse piano notes adding another fascinating dimension to the duo’s music. It’s another of my favourite album tracks.
‘Tour Of The World’ sounds like a live track from THE WONDROUS WORLD OF DAMON & NAOMI (but could easily be sampled for the song). It’s a sweet, meandering, melodic song performed with such a rare, light touch. Towards the end there’s an extended vocal and instrumental crescendo that completes the song in fine style. Other songs include ‘Son To The Siren’, ‘The Navigator’, ‘The Mirror Phase’, ‘How Long’, ‘The New World’, ‘The Great Wall’, ‘In The Sun’ and ‘Turn Of The Century.’
I have seldom heard such musical integrity demonstrated. There are no gimmics, no massive overproduction, just simple contemporary folk music and overtly sincere performances. This has been a revelation for me and I believe it will be for many who have never been exposed to Damon & Naomi’s music before. The other major thing that struck me was how fresh this music sounds, and remember some of these songs and performances are up to 14 years old. I am both moved and impressed.
4/5
The Gospel Of Filth: Halloween ‘09
Fab Press and Cradle of Filth to release dark art and culture book The Gospel of Filth on Halloween
For decades, music writers have been penning tell-all artist biographies and their personal interpretation of rock history. But on Halloween 2009, Fab Press will unleash a book that takes readers on a much deeper and darker journey into the inspirations behind the world of rock music.
Entitled The Gospel of Filth, this coffee-table-sized volume is an all encompassing compendium of all things dark and taboo, written by renowned music journalist Gavin Baddeley (Dissecting Marilyn Manson, Lucifer Rising) and Dani Filth, the outspoken vocalist of British shock rock band Cradle of Filth.
The history of Cradle of Filth is but the linchpin that ties the expansiveness of The Gospel of Filth together. With over 500 pages of content, the book reveals the unspoken and debaucherous dark side of humanity as it relates to culture, media, literature, art, film and music. It unearths the mysteries behind our insatiable fascination with vampires, werewolves, serial killers, and the occult, tracing the traditions of depravity - from folklore to pop culture.
Says Baddeley of the work, “The Gospel of Filth must be the most ambitious project I’ve ever undertaken. Exploring every aspect of Cradle of Filth was just the first step in a journey which takes us to the furthest reaches of the dark side. The result is, I believe a definitive Gothic guidebook, an unholy text of truly biblical proportions!”
The Gospel of Filth includes interviews with all members of Cradle of Filth, past and present, offering their own personal takes on the world of the macabre. In addition, it contains edifying narratives from many of today’s dark music ringleaders, including H.I.M., Type O Negative, Within Temptation, Paradise Lost, Slayer, Gorgoroth, Behemoth, and many others.
Not limiting itself to the world of music, the book features expansive discussions of dark art, poetry, and other things uttered in hushed tones, accentuated with exclusive interviews with English historian Peter Ackroyd, filmmaker Dario Argento, photographer/author Sir Simon Marsden, and artist JK Potter. If that weren’t enough, The Gospel of Filth is textured with rich, decadent testimonials by Guy de Maupassant, Anton LaVey, Stephen King, Marianne Faithfull, HP Lovecraft, Aleister Crowley, and other cultural luminaries.
Filth elucidates on the immensity of this labor of blackened love,”This book is the result of five years of painstaking research and investigation into the far-flung corners of the occult, the realms of literal darkness and all things fun, fearful and macabre. From scream queens to fever dreams and everything in between, this black grimoire uncovers the secrets and history of the esoteric and forbidden and is an absolute must for any lost soul curious about the darker side of life - be it a craving for vampirism, witchcraft, horror movies, serial killers, femme fatales, illicit fiction, exotic sex and drugs, black masses, or gothic fairytales. Making Halloween last all year or just a passing interest in the musical macabre, this book stands like a roadmap to Hell and beyond.“
The Gospel of Filth is a reference book, a pop culture retrospective, a literary guide, and a biography all wrapped into one all-encompassing tome with content that spans nearly all of recorded history.
The first pressing of the book is a signed and numbered, leather-bound, hardcover volume featuring a bonus chapter written entirely by Filth and is only available online at www.thegospeloffilth.com. It will be followed by hardcover and trade paperback editions with different cover art. The hardcover edition will also be limited to online availability, and the paperback (which does not contain the bonus chapter) will be sold in retailers worldwide.
Lethal Bizzle: Going Out Tonight
Lethal Bizzle - New single “Going Out Tonight” out on 21st September
Lethal Bizzle is set to release the second single to be taken from his forthcoming third album. “Going Out Tonight”, which has already received plays from Radio 1’s Zane, will be released on Sept 21st 09 on the Search and Destroy label, on CD, as well as a download bundle.
Watch “Going Out Tonight” video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmYhl7dth2w
Bizzle has also just announced 5 shows around the UK in October, in addition to his appearance at the Reading and Leeds festivals.
Quoted by the Guardian as the ‘best known rapper in the indie scene’, Lethal has been embraced by rock’s elite- working with Babyshambles and Gallows in the studio. His new album “Go Hard” will be released on October 5th, and includes work with producers Donaeo, Mark Ronson, Dexplicit, Youngstar and Gallows.
Lethal Bizzle is the most prolific, exciting rapper to emerge from the UK underground scene. Previously a member of More Fire Crew, and with a UK No. 7 chart hit ‘Oi’ under his belt, he formed his own Lethal Bizzle Records imprint in 2004.
At the end of the year, he released the comeback single “Pow! (Forward),” also known as “Forward Riddim.” Produced by Dexplicit, which entered at 11 on the U.K. charts and earned him a MOBO award for Best Single (he was also nominated for Best Newcomer).
Bizzle was swiftly signed to V2 Music to release his solo grime debut album Against All Oddz, released in mid-2005. His next set of singles, including “Uh Oh! (I’m Back),” and “Fire” also made it onto the UK charts and paved the way for his solo debut, establishing him as one of the UK’s most popular underground artists.
The live dates are as follows:
October 2009
Wednesday 7th - Liverpool Academy 2
Thursday 8th - Bristol Academy 2
Friday 9th - Birmingham Academy 2
Sunday 11th - Sheffield Academy 2
Monday 12th - London Islington Academyhttp://www.myspace.com/lethalbizzlemusic
Ticket prices are £8.00 (£10.00 London)
Doors are 7.00pm
Atreyu New Album Coming ‘09
NEW ATREYU ALBUM ‘CONGREGATION OF THE DAMNED’ TO BE RELEASED OCTOBER 26
The long wait for Atreyu fans is over. The Orange County rock pioneers have completed the follow-up to 2007’s highly acclaimed Lead Sails Paper Anchor. The album, titled Congregation of the Damned, produced by Bob Marlette (Airbourne, Ozzy Osbourne) and mixed by Rich Costey (Mars Volta, System of A Down, Rage Against the Machine), will be released October 26. The band will perform at the Reading & Leeds Festivals here in August.
“I wrote the line ‘congregation of the damned’ for one of the songs on the album and it got me thinking,” says vocalist Alex Varkatzas. “It kind of feels like in a lot of ways that we, as members of a society, are just gathering around and collectively getting fucked over. When you look at what’s going on in our economy and how other people treat each other, it’s kind of like we’re all just lemmings. We’re lined up blankly staring blindly at nothing and just going along with the flow like a congregation of the damned. So this record really reflects my thoughts and feelings about that in every possible way.”
While Congregation of the Damned addresses some dark, troubling subject matter, creating the album was far from a struggle. The band starting writing new material in January 2009 and by the time they entered Henson Studios in Los Angeles with producer Bob Marlette, they had 25 new songs. “I think this is the longest our band has ever had laser-like focus on an album,”
Varkatzas says. “We were all working together really well and we had a great time in the studio with Bob, who we called BeelzeBob. He’s this jovial cigar-smoking, goatee-sporting dude from Nebraska, and he really helped us fine tune the material and nail our best performances.”
Congregation of the Damned features some of the band’s heaviest riffs ever on tracks like “You Were the King, Now You’re Unconscious” and “Bleeding Is A Luxury”, but it also contains some truly delicate and sentimental moments, including piano ballad “Wait For You.” “That one’s just a beautiful song, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have a heart,”
Varkatzas says. “I’d say that this album is a mix of everything we’ve ever done. For every song that’s more melodic or rock-driven there’s a total shitkicker, and I think that’s what makes us a well-rounded band.”
Besides the Reading & Leeds Festivals, Atreyu kick off a US tour with Hollywood Undead in October and will remain on the road throughout most of 2010. “The new set is gonna feature a lot of songs from Congregation plus a bunch of other stuff,” Varkatzas comments. “We’re just really happy with the album and we can’t wait to play it for people live!”
Congregation Of The Damned is the follow up to Atreyu’s 2007’s release Lead Sails Paper Anchor which has sold over 300,000 copies to date in the US. The disc rocketed onto Billboard’s Rock and Hard Rock Album Charts at #1 and into Billboard’s Top 200 at #8, making it the highest-charting album of the band’s career.
Chuck Ragan: GOLD COUNTRY
On Sideonedummy and Released 31 August 2009
It’s always a pleasure for me to discover an alt country singer/songwriter who can sit happily alongside some of the true greats. Chuck Ragan is one such artist and one I’ve not heard before, despite the fact that he has several albums already under his gunbelt.
GOLD COUNTRY is Ragan’s fourth album as a solo artist and after listening to this I’m sorely tempted to go out and buy the rest. ‘For Goodness Sake’ is a fine and exciting introduction. Hammered guitar notes, gritty vocal,
stonking melody and memorable choruses, driving pace and great lyrics are what’s on offer here. Vocally, Ragan reminds me of Springsteen… ‘Glory’ repeats the performance albeit with added country fiddle and pop sensibility. ‘Rotterdam’ is a slower paced narrative with a simpler instrumental arrangement that includes flashes of lyrical fiddle and wonderful backing vocals. The traditional country vibe is stronger and another powerful melody drives it along.
‘Done And Done’ fairly rushes along with acoustic guitar chasing the vocal delivery as if participating in 100 metre dash. Hand claps join in during the powerful choruses, and it’s fabulous! ‘The Trench’ reeks of exhuberance, sincerity and the simple joy of performing. ‘Don’t Say A Word’ is an altogether darker song that crawls along with plucked banjo and bass guitar partnering an emotional and thoughtful vocal that compels one to listen. ‘10 West’ ups tempo with a driving guitar dominating proceedings. Ragan introduces various vocal noises to add spice and fervour. ‘Ole Diesel’ provides the most beautiful, gentle respite with piano notes ringing out alongside wonderful, wandering, mournful fiddle passages and underpinned by the song’s guitar rhythm and the most moving and expressive vocal on the album. Superb. ‘Cut Em Down’ is an epic polemical narrative delivered in pulverising country rock style. ‘Let It Rain’ fairly races along with a hefty dose of pop sensibility with catchy choruses and joyful fiddles.
‘Good Enough For Rock And Roll’ is a rollercoaster of a song with fabulous, exhuberant instrumental interludes and compelling choruses. Final track ‘Get Em All Home’ is a contemplative piece that relates the story of a soldier going to fight in a strange land. It’s a deeply moving song made even more dramatic with a stunning harmonica passage, wailing fiddles and Ragan’s pleading vocal. It’s a stunner and could soon become the anthem for those who want their loved ones back in the warmth and love of home. This one moved me to tears.
All I can end with is if you love country music (and even if you don’t), you NEED this record. Essential.
4.5/5
Dot Allison: ROOM 7 1/2
Released 7 September 2009.
Back in 1999/2000 I interviewed Dot Allison in Leeds prior to her show at the Cockpit. I remember the interview well for two reasons. First we both tried to get the club bar manager to switch off the music so I could record the interview (he didn’t, the bastard). The second reason is that it was shortly after the release of her excellent AFTERGLOW album, the reason behind me wanting to interview her. Since then she has remained a bit of an enigma to me and mainly because she’s continually shifted and turned musically so I never quite know where she’s heading, or even how good she really is…
So here we have her latest album and once again she seems to have taken a different musical route! This time it’s an intimate, understated, raw, acoustic direction, and I’ve got to admit that it’s rather good. ‘Cry’ opens with a simple piano refrain meandering along below Allison’s breathy, fragile vocal. Now this lady can write songs, and this is a good example. It houses a strong melody, moving lyrics and a beautifully judged instrumental arrangement. The more I listen, the more I like. ‘Paved With A Little Pain’ moves along at faster pace in a light country and western style. There’s another strong melody, catchy choruses and more assertive vocal.
The standout track comes next in the form of ‘I Wanna Break Your Heart.’ Now so far there’s no real adventure just easy, understated songs. This one breaks the mould in that it opens as though Allison is in her kitchen singing to herself complete with guitar glitches which are corrected. Her voice is at it’s most fragile (and remains so throughout). Then Pete Doherty arrives and things take a different turn. The choruses are wonderful, Doherty talks and sings, the melody is gargantuan, and I’m playing this little beauty one on my radio show next Sunday night! ‘Buzzing Round The Honeypot’ features some of the most delicate finger-picking and singing I’ve heard in a while. It’s a pretty song where Allison’s vocal reminds me of one of my all-time favourites Beth Gibbon. Utterly beautiful.
‘Room Seven And A Half’ is as close-mic as you can get (hell you hear every breath). Allison gives a gorgeous vocal performance that rises and falls as the song builds in the chorus. The instrumental arrangement is sparse and magical. Melody has always been Allison’s forte and this one is a monster. Wonderful. ‘Fall To Me’ is a slow, bolder song with firm piano notes behind another expressive vocal. It’s another highlight here and one that grows on one the more it’s played. ‘Love’s Got Me Crazy’ features a duette with Paul Weller which is charming in the extreme. The song meanders along like a mountain stream, and is a delight. ‘Montague Terrace (In Blue)’ trundles along at snail’s pace as Allison’s voice drops a few notes in another song spiced with country. It sounds like she is in contemplative conversation with the scraping acoustic strings. ‘Jonny Villain’ takes on a traditional folk vibe. The song is punctuated by hammered bass, the vocal is bolder as the tune fairly races along at a constant speed.
This is an interesting and entertaining album. Allison’s voice adapts well to each song’s message, and I think the album represents some of Allison’s best song writing to-date (certainly since AFTERGLOW which was exceptional). Dot Allison fans will love this and I suspect it will attract a much wider buying audience.
4/5
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