J. Tillman YEAR IN THE KINGDOM
J. Tillman YEAR IN THE KINGDOM (Bella Union)
After dropping out of college in New York, Josh Tillman (b. 1981) moved to Seattle and spent a year paying rent by freelance writing and donating plasma. Befriending Eric Fisher (Damien Jurado, Rosie Thomas) while on tour in the fall on 2004, Tillman coerced him into recording what would become ‘I Will Return,’ a full-length reminiscent of the southern-gothic writings of Flannery O’Conner and the music of Nick Drake and Pete Seeger. The CD-R was distributed and promoted word-of-mouth in paper sleeves while on the road (with acts such as Damien Jurado, Dolorean and Saxon Shore) for over a year until spring 2005 when KEEP Recordings offered to release a limited, special edition run of the record. Tillman continues to record constantly, finishing a full-length with Fisher entitled ‘Long May You Run, J. Tillman.’
Aside from his role as a prolific singer-songwriter, he also plays drums for Seattle based band Fleet Foxes. Tillman’s fifth solo album VACILANDO TERRITORY BLUES featuring his mournful vocals, backed by sparse and doleful acoustic guitar with occasionally understated piano, bells and violin. He is currently touring with Fleet Foxes as a member of the full band.
I became acquainted with Tillman on the release of his last album, VACILANDO TERRITORY BLUES, a stripped-down, home-recording of immense emotional depth, and melodic beauty. While this album was released in the USA in 2008, in the UK it appeared in 2009, so this new album follows close on its heels. For me, Tillman is one of the genuine and best singer/songwriters. His songs are introspective and communicated by a voice that reveals intense feeling, as though the messages come from deep within. This album adds high production values to his superb story-telling skills.
‘A Year In The Kingdom’ opens proceedings with strummed guitar and a quivering voice high on emotional intensity. The melody is more subtle than anything on his previous album and effectively focuses attention on his beautifully clear lyrics. ‘Crosswinds’ is the first example of the vastly increased production values. There’s the ghostly sound of seagulls flying overhead, instrumental sound samples and all giving away eventually to profound guitar chords and the most beautiful vocal chorus. Finally Tillman’s voice enters, occasionally multi-layered, to communicate the most moving lyrics. The choruses see the return of those group vocals until finally the solo vocal returns and fades out to end another beautiful song.
‘Earthly Bodies’ makes more use of those gorgeous multi-layered vocals while low-key piano notes ring out. Orchestral strings and percussive sounds add drama to a darker song. Utterly beautiful. ‘Howling Lights’ offers a more complex song structure and well-crafted production as Tillman’s voice dives and soars trailed by strings, clavichord-sounding keys, hand-claps and pounding guitar notes. ‘Though I Have Wronged You’ offers a similar mix but the extraordinary thing is that songs don’t sound over-dressed, over-produced - just perfectly judged.
‘Age Of Man’ introduces a sharp-sounding banjo or ukulele in sole support of heartbreaking, expressive close-mic vocal. ‘There Is No Good In Me’ is a dramatically different and brooding instrumental arrangement with dark lyrics to match (”there is no good in me, I possess a whole new fear…”). This is the longest song here and provides time for angelic vocal harmionies to enter, sounding as if someone is being lifted to the heavens…
Tillman has created something very special here. One has to dig deep to discover the most subtle of melodies and my only criticism is that they are not strong enough. However, the instrumental arrangements and vocal performances - all superbly produced - convey a haunting emotional ambience that is both unique and compelling.
4/5
Hansard & Irglova ‘STRICT JOY’
The Swell Season, the Oscar-winning duo of Frames frontman Glen Hansard and Czech Marketa Irglova, will release their new album STRICT JOY through Anti- Records on 28th September. The album features twelve new songs and is the follow-up to their surprise hit film and gold-certified soundtrack ‘ONCE.’ The Swell Season have also confirmed a European headlining tour in November 2009.
‘STRICT JOY,’ which borrows its name from a work by Irish poet James Stephens, was co-produced by Hansard and Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), and recorded mostly at Katis’ Tarquin Studios in Connecticut, USA. In addition to Hansard and Irglova, the album features Frames members Colm Mac Iomaire (violin), Joe Doyle (bass), Rob Bochnik (guitar) and guitarist Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen), pianist Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), percussionists Graham Hopkins and Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo), horn players Steven Bernstein and Clark Gayton from Levon Helm’s band and others.
The Swell Season generated a wave of acclaim during the 2008 awards season picking up two Grammy nominations and an Oscar win for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly.” The duo performed the song at the Oscars ceremony and Irglova provided one of the most memorable and poignant moments of the evening when host Jon Stewart called her back to the stage after an ad break to give her acceptance speech. The success of ‘Once‘ also led to a sold out world tour for The Swell Season, which was captured for an upcoming documentary.
‘STRICT JOY’ TRACK LISTING
1. Low Rising
2. Feeling the Pull
3. In These Arms
4. The Rain
5. Fantasy Man
6. Paper Cup
7. High Horses
8. The Verb
9. I Have Loved You Wrong
10. Love That Conquers
11. Two Tongues
12. Back Broke
EUROPEAN TOUR
Nov- 8 UK, London, Shepherds Bush Empire
Nov-9 France, Paris, Bataclan
Nov-11 Belgium, Brussels, Ancienne Belgique
Nov-12 Germany, Dusseldorf, Savoy Theater
Nov-13 Germany, Berlin, Passionskirche
Nov-15 Germany, Dresden, Alter Schlachthof
Nov-21 Italy, Milan, Teatro Dal Verme
Nov-23 Italy, Rome, Palladium
Nov-26 Holland, Amsterdam, Paradiso
Nov- 28 Sweden, Stockholm, Filadelfiakyrkan
Nov- 29 Sweden, Gothenberg, Trädgårn
Dec- 1 Denmark, Copenhagen, DR Concert House (16.30 get in)
For more information please visit:
http://www.myspace.com/theswellseason
This Link is to NPR Music, Tiny Desk Concert Video which includes some new songs from the album:
(33 minutes and great!)
The Victorian English Gentlemens Club Love On An Oil Rig
The Victorian English Gentlemens Club is an indie rock/art punk rock band which formed in 2004 in Cardiff, Wales. The band consists of Adam Taylor (vocals, guitar), Dan Lazenby (guitar), Louise Mason (bass, vocals) and Steph Jones (drums). The band was formed by Taylor, Mason and drummer Emma Daman, who left the band in early 2009 and after her departure the band expanded to include Lazenby and Jones. LOVE ON AN OIL RIG is the band’s second album.
Fed up with over-polished, over-produced, squeaky-clean, indie radio-fodder? Then step on board folks for a bumpy ride, make sure your seat belts are firmly engaged and just get those airbags checked… The reason becomes pretty obvious with the briefest of opening salvos, ‘Love On An Oil Rig.’ Sweet, youthful vocals welcome you in before thrashed guitars and drums quickly see you out the door. ‘Parrot’ progresses under a deathly, hammered drum rhythm and bellowing bass guitar, while vocals are freestyle including far-flung football crowd backing harmonies. ‘Watching The Burglars’ sees the band employ something called a melody, backed by a hasty drum rhythm that actually slows as it approaches the end of the song. The solo and backing vocals seem to operate to something resembling a plan - not bad. ‘Bored In Belgium’ is one of the album’s highlights - it should be called the ‘la,la, la, la, la, la’ song with the amount of it that goes on here. Actually it’s a rampant romp underpinned by a tangible melody and a very different set of solo punk vocals.
Yup, I’m still here… ‘Worker’ employs Tex-Mex guitar underbelly that you’d expect to find in a Tarantino movie. Over the top is a vocal rant. The final track is the album’s standout track. ‘I Say What I Want’ is a rhythmic stunner that tracks like a semi-trailer trying to navigate a rocky beach. The vocals are the best on the album and one is actually able to hear what’s being sung. The swooning backing vocals are tremendous while the band has allowed Mr Melody back in. A fabulous foot-stomping track!
These guys are doing things their way and I hope they live to tell the tale because they deserve to. No, it’s not a great album but it’s a balsy and honest one with a couple of very strong highlights that I would (and have) played on my radio show. There’s a bewildering range of sonic experiences here too and you really can’t predict what’s coming next. I’d like to see the band perform live to see the audience reaction. My guess is that a photo pass would be next to useless because I wouldn’t stand still long enough to take a single steady shot.
3.5/5
Absent Elk CAUGHT IN THE HEADLIGHTS (Amazon)
In Grimstad, on the southern coast of Norway, there wasn’t much local music to interest Kjetil Morland. As a teenager his eyes and ears were set southwestwards, towards Britain. He channelled The Beatles and Blur, The Clash and Nick Drake. As soon as he could leave, he would…
In Shoreham-By-Sea, on the southern English coast, for as long as they can remember the only thing school friends Ross Martin (guitar, piano/keyboards), Mike Hillman (guitar), James Penhallow (bass) and Ric Wilson (drums) wanted to do was write music. They gigged relentlessly around Brighton and London. They worked on their songs, and their live shows. Several singers came and went. As soon as they could give up their day jobs, they would…
By 2005, Morland was studying Graphic Design at Kingston University in London. He gigged around the capital’s dive-bars and grot-clubs, a fresh-faced troubadour with a great line in stunning melodies. But there were a lot of singer-songwriters in Pete Doherty trilbies cluttering the London scene. Plus, Morland had written a lot of his ideas with whole band arrangements in mind.
As it happened, Morland’s girlfriend was from Shoreham. She knew Martin, Hillman, Wilson and Penhallow had just lost a frontman. The timing was perfect. Introductions were made at a beer festival in Shoreham.
“As soon as we met him we decided to go off and rehearse together, see what happened,” recalls Martin. The Shoreham boys had a bunch of instrumental pieces they’d written – could this Norwegian come up with some melodies? Equally, would these English strangers be able to help Kjetil’s ‘folky’ compositions burst into colourful, clattering, noisy life?
Wilson still remembers Morland’s first song that day. “He sat down and you’d think he might have been nervous, playing in front of four strangers. But he sat down and sang this song he’d written, an early version of ‘That’s All’. I got goosebumps. I filmed it on my phone and kept playing it.”
Absent Elk then spent two years writing, gigging around the UK, and creating their own DIY buzz.
Working with producer Toby Smith, Absent Elk have now crafted their debut album, which will be on the shelves on the 19th October 2009.
The camaraderie that comes of five best mates who’ve come together with a shared, intense enthusiasm for their music is immediately apparent. “We’re all from seaside towns on southern coasts,” notes Morland in his impeccable English. “I feel we’re all kinda similar personalities, and that’s one of the reasons we clicked.”
As Martin puts it, “we’ve come a long way together, but we like to think this is only the start…”
So, a boy meets band story, but has it really worked? Open up the first song, ‘Sun & Water’, and the answer has to be a resounding yes. It’s a glorious, epic, anthemic slice of pop-rock that should be the band’s first single (but isn’t). Stunning melody and performances, fabulous production that wrings out every lovely nuance of this composition. Next track ‘Emily’ goes further down the pop route and adds a driving rhythm to another strong melody, top vocal and harmonies… difficult to fault if one’s looking from a radio-friendly perspective. ‘My First Guitar’ treads a more medicocre path but the band comes back strongly with the first single from the album due for release on the 30th November 2009. It’s a reflective, slow-paced song with an especially pleasant and expressive vocal performance from Morland, and is driven by hook-laden choruses that will no doubt be sung by audiences at live concerts.
‘Let Me Know’ opens with an attractive acoustic guitar strum before Morland arrives with another very strong vocal performance that meanders along before soaring the heights. There’s another strong melody in a song that is epic in scale, and will be another live and radio favourite - shame about the awful backing vocals that seem totally out of place. Twinkling piano notes introduce the bouncing pop of ‘Cannibals’ but before you know it those dreadful ba-la-ba-ba backing vocals intrude and certainly don’t help in rescuing a pretty ordinary song.
‘Queen Of Hearts’ and ‘Where I’d Rather Be’ fail to improve things with the most mediocre lyrics and no other redeeming features. ‘Comfort Or Amuse’ is a slow, simpler, contemplative ballad with another excellent vocal contribution from Morland and some ethereal string moments. ‘That’s All’ repeats the formula pretty much but with a stronger melody and lyrics. The final track, ‘Nothing I Can Do’ comes close to achieving the standard set by a couple of earlier tracks. It’s a mix of dark and light but the lighter moments are over-emphasised and yes, those dreadful backing vocals almost relegate the song from premier league to 1st division. But it just about survives as one of the best songs here.
I counted 3 good songs, 2 average and rated the rest as mediocre. I have no doubt that the good songs will give this album a substantial sales lift through airplay, but it’s just not enough, in one of the best album release years ever, to lift this above the gathering crowd. I would also have liked to see a little more adventure but perhaps that will come with album number two. I hope so…
3.5/5
Little Claw HUMAN TASTE (Ecstatic Peace)
Little Claw was born in Detroit, Michigan during the Great Eastern Seaboard blackout of 2003… having nothing to do, nowhere to go, Heath Heemsbergen and Kilynn Lunsford began playing their acoustic guitars and singing into the darkness. An auspicious beginning to be sure… Even now, Little Claw are still strumming and screaming into the void.
Formed originally with Jamie Easter from the Piranhas on drums, the band played a string of shows, starting with their debut performance with legendary Ohio art-punks the Bizarros, which then led to the recording of the first Little Claw LP with Warn Defever (His Name Is Alive). The album was released by Ypsilanti records in 2005. Jamie left the band in the summer of 2005 and after one show as a duo, Hendrik Deherder joined up on the drums. A second LP was recorded with Matthew Smith (Outrageous Cherry) in his Hamtramck living room mid-2006 and was subsequently released by Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label in 2007. Later that year, there was a release of a split 7″ single with Michael Yonkers on X! records.
Little Claw’s move from the urban nightmare of Detroit to the more subtle cloudy terrors of Portland, Oregon prompted some more augmentations to the line-up: Adam Svenson (of Seattle improv band Du Hexen Hase) took over the caveman beat on the drums, freeing up Henrik to bang the synth and add additional percussion. On the road and on recordings, the Little Claw sound is graced by the touch of Toledo native, Damon Sturdivant (Puffy Areolas, Tyvek) on additional percussion and synth.
Are you ready for this? HUMAN TASTE opens innocently enough with the title track’s rapidly strummed intro and the distant vocal (that really sounds like it’s recorded in another room, hell another planet even…). There’s a strong melody and coherent lyrics underpinned by a seriously powerful rhythm. Imagine raw and then some… ‘Frankie’ opens with a nightmarish electric guitar thrash, pile-driving snare drum rhythm before a male vocal appears way out in the distance. This song is as deathly dark and angry as anything I have ever heard. ‘Frozen In The Future’ gets dirtier and angrier with no real separation between instrumental and vocal sounds. The overall impression is one of raw emotion through a one-take recording and a sound that batters the senses. Now we all know grunge music, well we thought we did anyway. ‘Modern Vampire’ proves that grunge – in its strictest meaning – is alive and kicking. It’s the only way I can describe this astonishingly raucous and raw track. What’s all the more astonishing is that behind this disturbing sound is a strong melody, mind-blowing rhythm, astounding instrumental performances and unique set of vocals that sound as though they’ve been mashed up in a commercial blender.
‘Lay To Waste’ opens with a single chord guitar strum, tribal drum beating out a warning message. In the distance a strangled vocal eventually disappears, the pace slackens and the song dies. ‘Breathing Tale’ sounds like some nightmarish fairytale or skipping song being played out in hell’s playground. ‘Golden Boy’ is the most conventional song here (well, sort of…) with its acoustic guitar strummed rhthmic backdrop and a vocal performance that can just about be heard. But it’s the instrumental sound that hits you and especially during the song’s later moments when instruments take over completely. It’s an absolute mind-fuck.
I’ve lived with the album for a couple of weeks now and each time I play it more is revealed. And I don’t think I’ve heard anything that comes this close in modern rock to self-expression – it’s brutal, self-mutilation through music. It’s not easy to listen to but immensely rewarding none-the-less. I dare you…
4/5
Samara Lubelski FUTURE SLIP (Ecstatic Peace)
“Songwriter-singer-multi-instrumentalist-improviser-engineer Samara Lubelski is not what anyone could call ‘pigeonholed’ in the climate of contemporary music.”
In 2007 longtime fan Thurston Moore recruited Samara and her violin skills for his ‘Trees Outside the Academy’ album and tour. Familiar with the solo work, Thurston wanted to hear a new type of record from her: more confident, bolder. He offered an Ecstatic Peace! release if he was allowed to produce. Samara poached drummer Steve Shelley for her band, adding the missing backbeat to a swarm of overdubs. Thurston produced the mix sessions; lying sick on the couch calling out for more and more elements to be louder until a wonderfully aerodynamic version of the songs flew forth. The result is FUTURE SLIP.
FUTURE SLIP is an enigmatic record with hushed vocals rising just above simple drum, keyboard and guitar backdrops. The pace is always leisurely, the ‘under-the bed-covers’ ambience reminds of little girls whispering to each other behind hands in a quiet corner. ‘Culture King ‘66′ opens the collection in a folk-pop style that is sustained throughout the album. There’s a tangible melody and a voice that’s so muffled lyrics are difficult to hear. ‘Empire’s Dream’ offers brighter sounding instruments and a clearer vocal as the song travels at faster pace driven by a stronger melody. At this point I have to say that I’m having difficulty in establishing what this artist and music are about… ‘Evolution Flow’ has a pleasant guitar strum and polite drum rhythm opening, but as soon as Lubelski starts to sing I’m lost - each song so far has sounded pretty much the same and I wonder if it really matters. As I hope for something more tangible ‘Future Hold’ opens and I’m still none-the-wiser. ‘Headships Down’ sounds as if someone has realised that the volumes were set too low because it’s a lot louder and sharper giving a better idea of what the lady’s voice is really like. In reality it reveals little more.
I’ve listened to this album several times to try and discern something I can hang my hat on, but it’s a fruitless exercise, although final track ‘Field The Mine’ offers a more solid musical experience. There’s nothing wrong with self-indulgence in music, in fact I wish there was more of it. But to me it just doesn’t work here at any level, and I’m as musically adventurous as the next man. I’m pretty sure that there are some interesting messages and stories here, problem is they’re dressed in the wrong clothes… You may think differently.
Animal Kingdom SIGNS AND WONDERS (Warner)
Signs And Wonders is released on 28 September 2009
This USA rock quartet’s debut album has met with virtually universal acclaim from the UK press. Almost inevitably, the comparisons have been made (Radiohead, Coldplay) while NME proclaimed, “…Will have Sigur Ros quivering with envy.” I often wonder why PR companies send out promos accompanied by the most favourable reviews of the so-called ‘majors.’ Do they think it will influence what we will say, or perhaps tempt us into actually playing the CD? Personally, as soon as I see this level of media hype I get suspicious, not curious.
Animal Kingdom is Richard Sauberlich (vocals), Wayne Yardley (guitar), Hamish Crombie (bass) and Geoff Lea (drums). While the comparisons come thick and fast my view is that this band has a distinctive sonic signature, not least through Sauberlich’s youthful voice. But wait, reading through the PR blurb I see the band is also being (loosely) compared to Mercury Rev, The Cure, The Flaming Lips, Smashing Pumpkins and the uncomparable Grandaddy. Confused? I am…
So, let’s listen to the record Tone (that’s me) and see what it’s really like. ‘Good Morning Mr. Magpie’ has a promising opening strummed guitar intro passage, but the song then descends into pop-rock mediocrity with only a few occasional rock instrumental flashes to liven it up. ‘Signs & Wonders’ repeats the dose. Then things begin to look up with the band’s first single ‘Tin Man.’ There’s a darker vibe, much stronger melody and the first sign that this band has a distinctive sonic signature. Lyrically it’s good, while the song’s choruses are designed to be stapled into one’s brain and hummed incessantly… ‘Silence Summons You’ is an elegant and charming acoustic song, while ‘Into The Sea’ is an epic pop tune underpinned by dominant, pounding piano notes and the band at full strength. Sauberlich’s voice is remarkable as it soars above the impressive instrumental arrangement. ‘Two By Two’ is back to something more ordinary followed by a faintly more interesting ‘Home.’
Things start to improve again as one comes into the home stretch with the glorious contemplation and darker mood of ‘Mephistopheles.’ It’s one of the most compelling songs I’ve heard in 2009. The vocal is at almost talking pace, the instrumental arrangement is subtle and sublime, while underneath it all is a melody made-in-heaven. ‘Yes Sir, Yes Sir’ has an underlying bass vibe that gives the song a darker, threatening texture. ‘Dollar Signs’ and ‘Chalk Stars’ end the album on an emotional high. Both songs are stripped down and reflective with the most expressive and moving vocals on the album. The choruses are glorious, hair-raising and beautifully judged.
So, a mixed bag that just about secures my vote, but it is too close for comfort from a band capable I believe of much, much more. That said, radio airplay beckons - big-time!
3.5/5
The Blizzards DOMINO EFFECT (Island)
Released 12 October 2009
This is the second album from this Irish quintet, but I’m not sure that it signals a much higher level of popularity here in the UK - perhaps with a fair wind and airplay…
‘Buy It Sell It’ opens the album in cracking rock-pop style and reminds me of The Editors. There’s a huge melody, great choruses, good lyrics, wonderful solo and backing vocals, and production that really couldn’t be much better (co-produced by Michael Beinhorn - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Korn and Marilyn Manson). The band’s first single is ‘Trust Me I’m A Doctor’ and unfortunately isn’t a patch on the first song. It’s hook-laden but is throw-away, radio-friendly garbage. ‘Money Doesn’t Buy You Class’ is much better with its military drum rhythm, harmonica moments, rabid pace and great vocal harmonies. ‘Fantasy’ has a punky vibe, clever changes of pace varying from a speeding bullet to virtual standstill. The Beach Boys style vocal harmonies lift the song dramatically.
‘Three Cheers For Modern Medecine’ is another pop highlight here and could easily be the next single with its powerful rhythm, monster melody and another set of memorable vocal harmonies. The band has won a couple of Irish Meteor awards as best live band and I would really like to see them reproduce this performance on stage. ‘The Reason’ has an altogether darker vibe complete with Gospel style vocal harmonies, and sweeping solo vocals from leadman Niall Breslin. There’s also a stronge rock vibe with blanket guitar riffs dominant throughout. Not bad. ‘Postcards’ holds the darker ambience in a more reflective bettersweet love song but cheers up a tad in the explosive choruses. ‘Domino Effect’ reminds me of a typical USA teen market band and doesn’t leave its mark.
‘Miss Fantasy Preaches’ ups the stakes slightly, while ‘Silence Is Golden’ is obviously Queen inspired and works pretty well. Final song, ‘Trouble’ is another highlight with its stronger, jagged rock vibe and more excellent, soaring backing vcoals.
Unfortunately the promise shown in the opening track doesn’t fully materialise - three good songs out of eleven just isn’t good enough. This is a frustrating record in that despite the band having the required skills; a wonderful and distinctive sound; the song writing lacks ambition and maturity. I’m also unsure as to which audience the band is aiming their music. In fact it sounds like a record aimed primarily at securing airplay at the mainstream level, and is certainly one of the most radio-friendly records I’ve heard this year. I think this band is capable of going much further, but they have to realise that they could be playing themselves into a generic corner that’s difficult to escape and develop from (despite what BBC Radio 1 & 2 presenters say). Guys, look around you and see what’s coming out of Ireland, and learn…
3/5
12″ Dance: Definitive Collection
12″ DANCE: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION
RELEASED OCTOBER 5TH 2009
3CD’s of the most iconic dance anthems of all time. 12” DANCE brings together the biggest and best12” singles ever as Rhino presents a megalithic album of the biggest, best and most iconic dance anthems of all time - 12” DANCE.
All the unmixed cuts on this album are the original 12” versions, in many cases hard-to-find and long deleted. 12” singles were the life blood of the global dance scene – and 12” DANCE throbs with the pulse of classic after classic.
Stradling 3 decades of Dance and Club culture, CD1 focuses on the explosion of the iconic 12” single mix onto the embryonic club-scene of New York and Chicago in the 70’s and its eventual take over of the world’s dance-floors with timeless, powerhouse disco anthems from Chic ‘’Good Times’, Sugarhill Gang ‘Rappers Delight’, Sister Sledge ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’, The Trammps ‘Disco Inferno’ and Blondie’s timeless ‘Rapture’.
CD 2 leads us into the 80’s, evoking neon blooded rebellion and the rise of Pop, Rap and Techno/House featuring classic mixes from Grandmaster Flash ‘White Lines’, to Miami Sound Machine ‘Dr Beat’, Inner City ‘Big Fun’ to Donna Summer ‘I Feel Love’, S’ Express ‘The Theme…’ and of course the biggest selling 12” single of all time New Order’s seminal ‘Blue Monday’.
Pushing on into the hedonistic electro-dance fuelled melon twisting 90s with a momentum that will leave you breathless for the next installation, CD3 features classics from Adamski ‘Killer’, Beats International ‘Dub Be Good To Me’, Jamiroquai ‘Space Cowboy’, Happy Mondays ‘Step On’, Deelite ‘Groove Is In The Heart’, C&C Music Factory ‘Everybody Dance Now’, DNA feat Suzanne Vega ‘Tom’s Diner’ and Snap! ‘Rhythm Is A Dancer’!!
With the ultimate 24 carat track-list, crossing a plethora of genres from disco, soul, new wave, pop, rap, house, techno and beyond, stretching across 3 decades and numerous generations of youth & club cultures, 12” DANCE cannot fail to pull the heartstrings and evoke dance-floor moments for people across the nation.
CD1 70’s
1. Chic - Good Times
2. The Sugarhill Gang - Rappers Delight
3. The Trammps - Disco Inferno
4. Sister Sledge - He’s The Greatest Dancer
5. McFadden & Whitehead - Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now
6. Sheila B Devotion - Spacer
7. Cheryl Lyn - Got To Be Real
8. Blondie - Rapture
9. Donna Summer - I Feel Love
CD2 80’s
1. New Order - Blue Monday
2. Miami Sound Machine - Dr. Beat
3. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - White Line’s (Don’t Do It) (Part 1)
4. Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
5. Bomb The Bass - Beat Dis
6. S Express - Theme From S’Express
7. Inner City - Big Fun
8. Soul II Soul - Back To Life
9. Womack & Womack - Teardrops
10. Chaka Khan - I’m Every Woman
11. Farley Jackmaster Funk - Love Can’t Turn Around
CD3 90’s
1. Adamski - Killer
2. Beats International - Dub Be Good To Me
3. DNA feat. Suzanne Vega - Tom’s Diner
4. Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
5. Robin S - Show Me Love
6. Utah Saints - Something Good
7. Happy Mondays - Step On
8. Primal Scream - Loaded
9. C&C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat
10. Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer
11. Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman
12. Jamiroquai - Space Cowboy
13. Everything But The Girl - Missing
The Raudive GHOST BOX (Sugarbeet Stallion)
“Ghost Box is the debut release by The Raudive, a band named after the scientist Konstantin Raudive, a Latvian writer and intellectual with a particular fascination with parapsychology. His “Ghost Box” was based on an idea that by recording dead air, or the white noise emenating from an ill-tuned radio, you could pick up the voices of the dead. Raudive himself was convinced that he was hearing them, ’speaking five or six languages at a time’.”
The band were brought together just over a year ago on a similar pairing of indie-rock and science and since conception they have been building on their craft ever since. The band has drawn influences from the lo-fi indie-rock of Sebadoh and Sonic Youth, as well as a healthy regard for 80’s luminaries such as Mission Of Burma and The Replacements. The band is Marc Atkinson (vocals, guitar), Danny Davies (bass) and Chris Watson (drums).
GHOST BOX is a mini album of six songs, I suspect designed as a prelude to a full-length album, and a living, breathing example of the band’s style and sound - which is distinctive and adventurous. Opening track ‘Warning’ provides a chilling, dark foretaste of what’s to come. After a deathly instrumental intro the song lifts its pace to settle on a relentless, almost monochrome, ambience. There are long rock instrumental passages, a vocal that sounds detached, almost incidental. But there’s also a subtle melody under the dense layer of drum and guitar sounds. I imagine a song like this appearing in one of those dark movies like The Matrix…
‘Margins’ offers a slightly lighter ambience, subtle changes of pace, and a more tangible melody as it drives along. ‘I’m Control’ goes even further upbeat and is the most ‘commercial’ song here in that it follows a more conventional indie rock path. The vocal takes on leading role above a powerful bass rhythm, winding guitars and an even stronger melody. ‘Under The Willows’ repeats the formula, while ‘For The Crows’ opens with a German language talking sample before a wonderful indie rock sound takes over with enhanced melody and another set of simple, intelligent lyrics - an album highlight. ‘Torch Song’ concludes the album on a reflective but optimistic note, and for me is the most adventurous song here.
What makes this band stand out is the generally homogenous state of the indie market that surrounds it, especially in the UK. The Raudive is different and more so because the music they play creates its own space, its own unique ambience while remaining accessible to many. That’s quite an achievement.
4/5
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Shakenstir Photo Supplement |
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