Collaborative Music Blogging Project
Thursday night in Dalston and I head down to a residential side road to recently reopened Shacklewell Arms; a reputedly once sketchy local boozer-turned into a bustling pub/music venue. It’s one of those nights and one of those places where everyone here could be (and in most cases, probably are) in bands. Despite the aching…
Continue reading Ungdomskulen (supporting Civil Civic) @ Shacklewell Arms, Dalston, 9.06.11
Youthful Canadian four piece Braids are band that like to let their music do the talking. They met a few years ago while still at high school and have moved across their homeland perfecting their sound. And what a sound it is: big shoegaze-infused dream pop fills the room. It sounds surprisingly lush in…
Continue reading Braids @ Lexington, London, 24.05.11
Album: Thurston Moore Demolished Thoughts Label: Matador Released: 23.05.11 Writing about the solo record of someone you have long-admired objectively is never an easy task. There is always the possibility of being a bit too fawning and fan-ish (mind you, this is fanzine) or criticise more heavily as the weight of expectation is on it.…
Continue reading Album Review: Thurston Moore: Demolished Thoughts released 23.05.11
Tonight is an evening of contrasts, we’re here in one of the last surviving old rock and roll venues and yet the stage is bedecked with a grand piano and an impressive array of noodling devices. By which I mean pedals and miscellaneous kit that emits strange and wondrous noises. It’s a curious juxtaposition…
Continue reading Hauschka and Samuli Kosminen @ 100 Club, London 10.05.11
It’s the night before the royal wedding, London is awash with bunting and the subjects of our little island are hurtling themselves into four day weekend reverie. I decide I need a little respite from the patriotism and head to the Ja Ja Ja night for some Icelandic indie pop instead, in the shape of…
Continue reading Feldberg @ Lexington, London, 28.04.11
Someone once mused that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, well, I’m going to do both, kind of. Melbourne indie-synth merchants return to the UK for the first time in four years, and I have to battle my way through a mixed throng of local hipsters and die hard fans. They admit that coming…
Continue reading Architecture in Helsinki @ XOYO, London, 12.04.11
Hauschka ‘Salon des Amateurs’ Released 11.05.11 Label: Fat Cat records Pianist and composer Volker Bertelmann marries two main styles in his latest record: classical and dance. Not an obvious combination, but there is nothing awkward in this musical relationship. Sometimes with instrumental albums it’s harder to…
Continue reading Album review: Hauschka ‘Salon des Amateurs’
Hello folks, it’s springtime: hurrah! The air is blossom-scented and sweet and the humdrum of the winter is at an end. So, did anyone get a newspaper from Thom Yorke this week? No, nor did we. Anyway, I digress, I do that a lot…here are a few things I would like to share with you…
Continue reading Music News & some tasty audio morsels
Just another excuse for a high fidelity-style list. Here are five songs that I like that pay homage to other bands and songs. 1) Camera Obscura – Hey Lloyd, I’m ready to be heartbroken Indie disco-floor friendly response to Lloyd Cole’s ‘Are you ready to be heartbroken?’ (which itself mentions Arthur Lee). And lo, the…
Continue reading Five song-within-a-song tributes
Comic actors Paul Rudd, Bill Hadar and Kevin Corrigan (and unless I’m mistaken Mr John Oliver too) star in the Canadian indie super-ensemble’s video for ‘Moves’ It’s like MTV Cribs-meets-spinal tap in an elaborate short tale of band debauchery and the backlash and is typical group vocal fayre. The single is take from their 5th album…
Continue reading New Pornographers (and some notable pals) have got the moves
