Archive for June, 2012


Copper Blue

Filed under: Albums — 3 Comments
June 27, 2012

Album of the Week: Sugar – Copper Blue

Hey there you! Yes, you, Scottish new music blogger! What the hell are doing writing about an album that came out twenty years ago by some band that split up donkeys ago?!?

Well I guess that’s a fair question, but unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ll have seen that this record – and its follow-ups Beaster and FUEL – have been remastered and repackaged for release this summer.

Erstwhile frontman Bob Mould has even been playing the album live under his solo banner of late and while it ain’t new it means a hell of a lot to me and is well worth looking at in its latest form.

Now I’m not going to witter on about how much Copper Blue means to me or how it changed my life. It actually didn’t, back in 1992 I saw it as a very good album indeed, but not a patch on Nevermind or Ten and it was at least another five years until I owned my own copy as opposed to a worn out cassette recording.

But things have changed. The albums from that era (I was a semi-professional grunge kid) that I fish out regularly as a 30-something slacker throwback aren’t Nevermind, Ten or Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger, it’s Dirty by Sonic Youth, Green Mind by Dinosaur Jr and this.

Why?

Put simply, this is a classic. It’s up there with Grace, Unknown Pleasures, Loveless and OK Computer. There is songcraft on offer here that pisses over 99.9% of all bands that have ever existed.

Sure, Hüsker Dü (Mould’s old band for those who don’t obsess over his career in the way I do) had quality and creativity seeping out of every pore and orifice but they never quite created an album that from start to finish could be held up as a 10/10 job. And could the gentleman at the back please sit down and stop waving round that copy of Zen Arcade, please?

And what a start it has. The Act That We Act has one of the greatest guitar riffs that I’ve ever heard and it’s that sound that gets the hairs on the back of your neck up straight away. It’s a stunning opening gambit, heavily as hell and the only song that really seemed to fit in with that era of American rock music. Sludgy, distorted evenly paced and melodic, the card-carrying lumberjack shirt brigade (that would be me at 14 AND 34 by the way) loved it.

A Good Idea is next. I’m pretty sure I heard this on the old Evening Session (pre-Lammo) before getting hold of my penny pinching tape copy and that’s what piqued my interest in the first place. Again, it’s that intro, THAT David Barbe bassline and that twitching, frantic building outro. No bloody wonder my ears flicked in the direction of the radio when I first heard this.

Mould’s voice has always had a distinct quality – too ragged to really drive the band into the mainstream, but enough charisma and individuality to guarantee instant recognition without the risk of slipping into self parody. The next brace of tunes – Changes and Helpless are a one-two of pure pop charm and encapsulate the optimistic feel of this album compared with Hüsker Dü and Mould’s early solo work. Both boast sneakily catchy guitar melodies and sing-a-long lyrics and still sound fresh 20 years on.

Then there’s a the curveball. Hoover Dam with its acoustic guitar and stabbing keyboards sounds more like a forgotten sixties psychedelic pop classic. Ridiculously, it works, even when a big guitar solo breaks out. In the eyes of many, it’s the best thing on here.

The Slim is considerably more ragged and closer to the bottom of the list when I recall the songs on Copper Blue. On revisitation, however, it actually sounds bloody great – a steady rhythm and riff, with Mould getting increasingly loud and agitated as the song pushes towards a rough conclusion.

So then to If I Can’t Change Your Mind. If any song here is out of place, it’s this. Maybe it’s overfamiliarity with 6 Music playing it regularly. Maybe it the simplicity of melody and lyrics. But if there’s ever a track we’d consider skipping it’s ‘the one that everyone knows’, which unhelpfully appears twice more on this disc as a solo acoustic B-side and a similar-sounding radio session.

Fortune Teller feels like the poor cousin in the package, the only Copper Blue song not featured on the live disc. I’m honestly perplexed as to why. It’s a rocker in the vein of Changes, and arguably Mould’s strongest vocal. The affectations that make Fortune Teller “fortune teheheheller” are utterly charming. This was an instant standout for us in 1992 and it’s still strong.

The growling, downtuned guitars, feedback and ba-ba-bas of Slick take us back to flickers of grunginess. Lyrics like “I hate your face/I’m sick of staring at the wall” were also catnip for angry teens. Far more upbeat is Man in the Moon, which is more like a sequel to Hoover Dam with synth breaks and lyrics barely the right side of cheese. It’s a fantastic ending to a most wonderful album.

But of course, this isn’t just about the original ten track record, there are bags of other goodies to be had. Rounding out the first disc are a clutch of B-sides and a radio session. B-sides include the upbeat pop of Needle Hits E and Try Again. Both are decent enough and their inclusion is a treat. It’s not hard to see why didn’t make the cut, though which is where the ferocious Clownmaster comes in. It’s an aggressive, fizzing instrumental and Malcolm Travis’ drum sound trumps anything on Copper Blue. Within the radio session sits a version of Hoover Dam shorn of its flourishes, bringing it back down to garage rock level. The fresh mix also flushes out Barbe’s backing vocals, before he takes the lead on When Diamonds Are Halos, another competent but unspectacular non-album track.

The live disc is a breathless, frantic full show from Chicago in the summer of 1992, right at the peak of their powers. 90% of Copper Blue is aired in raw form, alongside a few more non-album curios. The real treat comes with Beaster highlights JC Auto and Tilted, however – clearly demonstrating that much of its follow-up was kicking around at the same time as Copper Blue – and a scowling version of Iggy Pop’s Dum Dum Boys. Utterly priceless.

There’s also a short DVD featuring videos of Helpless (umbrellas and super-soakers), Changes (artfully shot live footage) and – once again – If I Can’t Change Your Mind (a sepia-tinted house performance with fleeting glimpses of the couple at the heart of the song). Nineties music videos, eh? You can almost hear Beavis and Butthead huhuhuhing in the background.

They’re followed by an energetic performance of Helpless from The Late Show, the same faintly pretentious late night magazine show that justified its existence with their utterly legendary ‘No Nirvana’ special featuring memorable appearances by Jane’s Addiction, Rage Against the Machine and the Smashing Pumpkins.

A couple of genuinely interesting interviews follow with the surprisingly staid atmosphere of MTV UK actually drawing some decent chat from the famously prickly Mould, with Travis and Barbe also having plenty to say for themselves. And finally, there’s a sizeable booklet including full lyrics, pictures from around the time of the release and the story of the album in the words of the band and label boss Alan McGee. Finally here we see hints of Mould’s difficult reputation as Barbe and Travis recount some difficulties during the recording process.

All told this is a fascinating package, value for money and stuffed with incredible music. When it comes to looking at our album of the year chart in December, I’ll obviously be looking at the new stuff. But this is the bar against which they’ll all be measured.

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The Plot Against Common Sense

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June 19, 2012

Album of the Week: Future of the Left – The Plot Against Common Sense

So then, another Future of the Left album, another slab of abrasive guitars mixed with cutting humour?

Oh, absolutely.

The merest glance at the track listing (Sheena is a T-shirt Salesman; Failed Olympic Bid) is a clear indication that Andy Falkous is out to assault our funny bones as well as our ears.

And it takes about a split second of Sheena… to demonstrate that our ears are truly in for a bashing. It’s two minutes of distorted noise masking the fact that there’s a really catchy chorus lurking under the riffs.

Falkous has been doing this for years. This is the third Future of the Left album and while they still haven’t hit the levels of critical appeal that’s been foisted on McLusky before they folded (pity no one cared at the time, eh?), it was this kind of combination of melody and noise that keeps bringing people – the Tidal Wave of Indifference included – back to the bouncy psychosis of McLusky Does Dallas.

Has Future of the Left’s time come? Well they they’re doing it without original bassist Gelson Mathias who quit after Travels With Myself and Another. His place is taken by Julia Ruzicka (ex-Million Dead) with a fourth member, Jimmy Watkins also adding a second guitar.

You genuinely won’t notice much difference in sound. Falkous always played loud enough for three guitars anyway, but Ruzicka has also brought some synths to the mix which add a welcome splash of sonic colour to tunes like Cosmo’s Ladder which also boasts the rather splendid line I’ve seen into the future / Everyone is slightly older.

That’s the kind of silliness we’re dealing with here. There are some serious themes but the message is lost in amongst the funny.

Let’s look at Robocop 4: Fuck Off Robocop. Pirates of the Caribbean 47 / Johnny Depp stars as the robot pirate who lost his wife in a game of poker and has to win her back with hilarious consequences / At least Harry Potter has a proper story / In the sense that the characters crave an ending / If only to release poor Billy Corgan from his role as the titular characters nemesis. The whole song is a hysterical rant against film sequels, howled over some nasty, muddy guitar sounds.

We’re going to pick out Goals In Slow Motion as a track to adore though. Yes it does seem to be about football, albeit a rather sardonic take, it actually sounds as if it could soundtrack a goals montage on Match of the Day – it’s the right speed, in the right key and has a big soaring chorus. Pity about the big distorted bass rumble that would have Adrian Chiles choke on his own smugness.

To be honest The Plot Against Common Sense probably won’t take Future of the Left to a wider audience despite the critical acclaim it’s getting (9/10 in NME and a Skinny album of the month award to name but two) and the fact that it’s easily their most accomplished album so far. They can be our little secret, like our witty brother that we’ve broken out of a psychiatric hospital only to realise that he is in fact a dangerous lunatic after all.

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Bandcrush: The Bad Books

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June 15, 2012
Well, this one’s been a while coming. Chatter around the Bad Books kicked off shortly after Michael Morrison (guitar; ex-Come on Gang!) and Graeme Anderson (vocals, synths, guitar; ex-Kays Lavelle) signed up for a pub gig in Leith months ago, but have remained defiantly under the radar, even refusing to pop any music up online. Well, until now, but don’t worry we’ll get to that.
So we were delighted to see an advertised gig earlier this year surface through the usual channels with Cancel the Astronauts and Fuzzystar also on the bill. It was an absolutely blinding night, with the Bad Books the pick of the bunch. So much so that they were pretty much signed up to play Tidal Wave 3 on the spot.
Their punchy brand of melodic indie rock sounded much more polished than a band with only a handful of gigs under their belt had any right to. Time has clearly been spent on the songs, Anderson is a charismatic and charming frontman and despite their claims of consistently avoiding  practice, they’re tight as the proverbial insect’s sphincter muscle.
So then, to Tidal Wave 3, taking place at Edinburgh’s Wee Red Bar on the 23rd of this month (but you knew that because you’re already coming aren’t you?). The Bad Books play their first headline set with Loch Awe, The Spook School and The New Fabian Society completing an absolute beezer of a line-up.
Did we speak to them? Yes we did!
So who the hell are you?
Michael Morrison: We are Michael, Graeme, Andrew (Brodie – drums) and Scott (Finnigan – bass/vocals) - four music loving boys.
Describe your sound in ten words or less?
Graeme Anderson: Space Pop with a twist of anger!
MM: That’s a pretty good definition actually! Or ‘Anger Pop with a bit of space…’
How did you guys begin making music together?
GA: I had an offer from our pal Andy Tucker of performing a wee solo slot at Nobles and when writing some tunes for the evening, thought they would sound better with a full band. I managed to rope in Michael and Scott to play too, then Michael roped in Andrew and The Bad Books were born. We gelled surprisingly fast and had an absolute hoot at nobles that evening. We pushed on and have been writing, playing gigs and avoiding practises since.
MM: Graeme plied me with drink until it seemed like a good idea. He was right though, it was a good idea.
Are these fresh tunes or was anything brewing before Come on Gang! or the Kays Lavelle folded?
GA: A couple of tunes are ones that I have had tucked away for a bit but they needed a fresh input and a bit of inspiration, which the rest of the band have in bucketloads. Recently we have managed to get a few tunes written during practise. Michael and Scott are really creative and Andrew seems to add that bit of oomph with the drums that brings it all together.
MM: All fresh stuff. Graeme’s a really good songwriter and I’m more than happy to add to and help shape his ideas. Plus if I came into practise with an old cast-off Andrew ‘Show Me The Rock’ Brodie would probably batter me.
How do you think the Bad Books differ from acts you’ve played in before?
GA: My previous bands have always had a bit more of a serious feel to them. The Bad Books are more fun! I also think that the songs that we have just now are much better than anything I’ve worked with before plus all my previous bands didn’t sound anything like this.
MM: Yeah there’s a healthy sense if fun to this. Though the music’s a bit darker, I think it comes across live that we’re just having fun doing our own thing. The Bad Books are louder than my old band, and this is the first time I’ve played music with men with beards. Plus I think both Graeme and I were keen to play very different stuff from our old bands, so the middle-ground seemed to be loud. I just want to be in a rock band…
What are the key influences that have been brought to the table?
GA: It’s strange because the bands that I love and that have made me want to get into music are ones that I don’t think we sound like – stuff like The Flaming Lips, Super Furry Animals and Grant Lee Buffalo. Each member of the band has different taste in music and think we each put that into our song pot.
MM: I agree. I always think it’s more fun to play off the influences that aren’t your favourite, as anyone can rip off a style they’re really into. So the stuff I bring to the band isn’t really my default, just what fits the tunes, the same as with Come on Gang! I’m aiming for messy, busy guitars – Dinosaur Jr, Television, Pavement, a bit 80s, mainly American indie I guess.
Bloggers turned promoters…… discuss!!!
GA: Ha ha! I can answer that properly after the 23rd. Edinburgh is in serious need of some good promoters though.
MM: Yeah let’s see how sweaty the 23rdgets! Yeah Edinburgh gets a bad rep for not having enough venues but really the problem is a lack of promoters –after yourself, Nick at Sneaky’s and the Limbo guys (there are others of course – Ed), it’s pretty slim pickings.
Can we expect an official release anytime soon?
GA: Yeah! We’d love to have something out by the end of the year so we’re planning to record after the summer and release it in November or December time. A stocking filler for Crimbo.
MM: It’ll be dead festive.
Where do you think the Bad Books will ultimately take you?
GA: Not sure about this one. I’d love to get the chance to play some decent gigs and festivals with the band. I think playing live is what we’re all about. Would also love to get an album together.
MM: An album would be good once we fine tune a few more songs. It’s a nice feeling not being rushed to release anything we’re not happy with. Got a lot of time for bands like eagleowl who would rather do things well than rush them, so we’ll most likely be busy behind the scenes squirreling away.
And so to the music. With thanks to Mike from Manic Pop Thrills who did the original recording, the Tidal Wave of Indifference proudly presents Year of the Cat by the Bad Books, yours to download for free below. It’s from the Sneaky Pete’s gig mentioned above and is a bit rough and ready, but this is the only place you’re going to get to hear the Bad Books before June 23 and potentially some time after.
Enjoy! And do come along to Tidal Wave 3, it would be bloody lovely if you did. You can get tickets HERE.
Download problems? Email thetidalwaveofindifference@gmail.com if this isn’t working. I’ve probably bawsed it up.
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Lo-fi Disgrace

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June 12, 2012

Album of the Week: Laurence and the Slab Boys – Lo-fi Disgrace

The Cinematics, having played a number of big festivals slots and supported the likes of Editors, once looked to have a big future.

As is so often the case though, it never quite happened, and arguably, their time had passed long before their split was confirmed last year. History will state that 2007 debut album A Strange Education was their creative and critical peak, but the story’s not quite over yet for guitarist Larry Reid.

Inspired by the loneliness of being stuck in Berlin after the band imploded, Lo-fi Disgrace is Reid’s debut album as Laurence and the Slab Boys. It’s not a huge surprise to find some shared musical DNA with the Cinematics, who at their best, had a knack for a decent guitar melody and chorus to match.

First single Mushroom – referencing the nuclear cloud rather than the fungus – picks up that torch and runs with it. Well, we say run, it’s more of a slo-mo swagger, its laconic, apocalyptic words undercut with choppy guitars.

Do For Diamonds is a more melancholy affair (well, everything’s relative – as a piece, Lo-fi Disgrace is predictably short of cheer) and so far there’s absolutely no sense, musically at least, that this was recorded by just one guy in a German bedroom. Lo-fi it most certainly is not and having produced the Cinematics latter material, Reid has shown again that he has genuine talent behind the desk.

Musical references abound. The presence of Ian McCulloch and his Bunnymen echoes throughout and the Psychedelic Furs are also a neat reference point. Shoegaze is an over-used description these days, but pretty much every song is soaked in reverb and minor chords, and it’s a most agreeable affair. We’d been wondering why a song by Irish ’90s cult heroes Whipping Boy had been coursing round our head earlier but made absolute sense when we listened to Naive again – very similar but no pastiche, and as we worship at the temple of Whipping Boy anyway, entirely forgivable.

A final mention to K.E.O., probably the most upbeat thing here with a catchy guitar riff and probably Reid’s strongest vocals on the album with some smart drumming buried in the mix. Just one highlight in a very strong first effort.

We spoke to chief Slab Boy Larry this week about the album.

What inspired the album?

My old band collapsed without warning, after I felt I’d given it my all. We’d all enjoyed the Berlin summer, perhaps a little too much, when we were supposed to be working on an album. Then winter came and two of the boys decided they wanted to ditch the band and head back to Scotland. They might have been wise to do it, I don’t know, but at the time it felt like a rejection, like I’d wasted years of my life and the world had cut me loose and left me behind, isolated in a foreign country. I never wanted to be a pop star – I just wanted to write and record music that I liked – and I felt I was being punished for it, like some lo-fi disgrace, if you will.

Have you any contact with the rest of the Cinematics?

Not a great deal, to be honest. Not for any sinister reasons, though – it’s not like we hate each other or anything. They are good people and I hope they do well. I speak to Adam (Goemans – bass) occasionally. He’s still in Berlin, and I think he’s the only one of us with proper interpersonal skills!

Larry Reid and one of his Slab Boys

Was it a daunting prospect recording Lo-Fi Disgrace yourself?

I didn’t really think about it at the time. I didn’t necessarily set out to make an album, but it was so cold outside and I could barely speak the language, so I had little to do with my time besides messing around with music equipment in my big, empty apartment. I recorded a load of songs – some new and some that I’d written before but none of the rest of the band liked – then let a few people hear them. Everyone said that it was the best stuff I’d done and pushed me to shape it into a record.

Any shows on the horizon?

We’re going to play a few small UK festivals over the summer, and there’s talk of a tour in autumn. I don’t want to over-do it, though. The last band seemed to be always on tour, which can be pretty lucrative, money-wise, but I don’t think it’s the best thing for creativity. I never truly enjoyed touring all that much. I like seeing new places and I enjoy making loud noises, but I’m not very good with strangers and every compromise in the sound or set-list feels like a punch in the gut. I’m probably too sensitive for the road.

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Bandcrush: The State Broadcasters

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June 12, 2012

Having successfully returned to an old favourite in the Son(s) a few weeks back, Olive Grove Records have shown they’re not content to rest on their laurels and have picked up the State Broadcasters.

Who they? Well, you could be forgiven for asking, with barely a peep from the band since their 2009 debut album The Ship and The Iceberg, which itself followed some impressive support slots and no little critical acclaim.

The band will return with an expanded line-up and new album in September, but to whet our appetite, first single Trespassers is available now for free download with a launch gig at Glasgow’s Captain’s Rest on Thursday (June 14).

It’s part of the West End Festival which we understand is some kind of cultural celebration of being Glaswegian. Support comes from Jo Mango and Randolph’s Leap, so if you’re from that neck of the woods you’d be nuts to miss it, not least because Trespassers picks up where the last album left off – moody, downbeat indie folk sounds that go down very well indeed at Tidal Wave Towers.

We spoke to the band’s Graeme Black about what’s in store.

So who the hell are you?

We are State Broadcasters, formed in Glasgow in 2004 by two people and now, eventually, we are seven people. First album released in 2009, second album due September 2012 on the wonderful Olive Grove Records. It’s called Ghosts We Must Carry and it’s rather good.

Describe your sound in ten words or less!

That graffiti on that toilet wall says it all.

You’ve had an awfully low profile of late – what gives?

Well………uhm…. I can’t really explain that, haven’t we always had a low profile? I think it’s important sometimes to take a bit of time to think about stuff, it shows we care doesn’t it? I’ve never really liked this idea of just churning out everything you record just because the technology now allows you to do that, I find that a bit insulting to fans. So, I hope people will understand that we’ve taken our time in an effort to make music that has been thought about and that we worked hard on.

Tell us a bit about the new single!

Trespassers, it is called. It’s really about two people born in the cold, dark miserable winter of Scotland who are madly in love with each other. They can’t possible imagine ever being apart and this is the one simple message. A simple love song really. The best kind.

How did you get involved with Olive Grove?

They heard our new album. They liked it. We liked them and then they liked us and then we all cried and then we dried each others tears on each others handkerchiefs then gave each other high fives (well the rest of them did I’d never indulge in such churlish behaviour) and the union was sealed.

How’s the album looking?

We’re really pleased with it. I think we’ve managed to distill the sounds we liked from the first album to make something more cohesive. Better playing, better singing and better songs. I’m very proud of it. There is a clear sense of melancholy throughout the album but I hope the listener can hear the warmth and hope hidden away in the corners of the songs.

What can we expect to see at your launch gig?

Well it’s been a while since we’ve played so we’re really excited. We’ll be playing live with a drummer for the first time ever, which is something we’ve thought about a lot over the years but never been brave enough to do. We think it works well and gives us a new dynamic without damaging the more fragile elements of our sound. It’s also a great bill with Randolph’s Leap and Jo Mango playing sets too. Being honest we should be opening up for both of these acts and not the other way round!

BBC aside, who’s your favourite state broadcaster?

I’ve heard North Korean television is very good.

Bzzzzt. Wrong! The correct answer was in fact Russian news agency TASS.

You can download Trespassers for free now and listen below.

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Bandcrush: Rick Redbeard

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June 7, 2012

As singer with the Phantom Band, Rick Anthony has been at the forefront on Scotland’s indie scene for a number of years now. Now with anticipation for the Phantom’s third album building, Anthony has made the obvious choice and…… decided to do something completely different.

Anthony’s solo guise – the faintly piratey sounding Rick Redbeard – isn’t new, but has lain dormant for a while now. Altogether more countrified, as opposed to his main band’s mix of whirring electronics and pounding drums, his crisp baritone is unmistakable and to hear his latest songs you’d just assume that the Phanton Band had been listening to Waylon Jennings.

Not so. Rick Redbeard’s latest two songs are seeing the light of day via Gerry Loves Records on a split 7″ with Tidal Wave favourite and looping maestro Adam Stafford.

This is a combination every bit as exciting as the last Gerry Loves release that hit our radar – their PAWS/Lady North split – and knowing the amount of care and attention they put into presentation, we’d put money on the vinyl being a rather lovely piece of collectable plastic.

After having a natter with Redbeard around the release of The Wants in 2010, it was a delight to catch up with him once again.

So who the hell are you?

My name is Rick. I sing in the Phantom Band and have a going concern as a solo artist named after a pirate who sings (mainly) sad songs about sex and death. And occasionally other stuff.

Describe your sound in ten words or less!

See above!

Redbeard (l) pictured with partner in crime Adam Stafford

How do you feel your solo material differs from the Phantom Band?

Well, it tends to be more intimate – the songs a bit more delicate and, in some cases, personal; the lyrics maybe a bit more direct. There is a clarity to it that comes from it being the product of one mind. That said it is also probably more ‘traditional’ sounding than The Phantom Band. I guess the two projects share some metaphorical office space; frequent some of the same bars.

How did you hook up with those drunken buffoons at Gerry Loves?

They got in touch randomly through email and asked if I was into doing a 7”. I thought it would be fun to actually release something for a change rather than just record songs and make cdrs for friends. And they are very into music as an artifact; in trying to preserve the physicality of music and that appealed to me. I have had the pleasure of one night out with them but have yet to fully experience the extent of their buffoonery.

Did you know much about Adam Stafford ahead of the release being planned?

I had met him at festivals when both Phantoms and Y’All Is Fantasy Island had played and he seemed like a nice guy. What I’d heard of his music was cool; quite singular. Great lyrics.

What can we expect from the short tour you have lined up?

I think they are pretty small venues so probably a bit of sweat. Maybe some tears. It’s the first time I’ve done something like this solo so maybe I’ll have learned my songs by the end of it.

Are there any further solo shows planned?

Nothing concrete yet but I’m putting out a solo album soon so I’m sure I’ll be around and about.

What news of the third Phantom Band album?

We are writing it at the moment. Songs are starting to take shape and we are starting to test-drive some of them live. Don’t know yet when we’ll actually record it but, suffice to say we’re on it.

The Rick Redbeard/Adam Stafford 7″ is out on June 25 (buy it HERE!), with the pair playing the following dates in support:

Edinburgh Henry’s Cellar Bar, June 21
Glasgow Captain’s Rest, June 22
Aberdeen Cellar 35, June 23

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Light of the North

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June 6, 2012

Album of the Week: Miaoux Miaoux – Light of the North

There was always an air of inevitability around Miaoux Miaoux (aka Julian Corrie) teaming up with a big outfit like Chemikal Underground. His polished brand of beats-led pop has won him many fans around his Glasgow base in the last few years, and now that first full-length record has landed, we’ll wager on him getting plenty more.

Light of the North is stuffed full of pounding synths and gentle guitar riffs and Corrie’s voice is strong enough to hold things together, thus avoiding sounding like Hot Chip. Like a supercharged James Yuill or a more vocal-led Four Tet, Miaoux Miaoux takes guitar-y dance music to a new place and is music to get both feet moving and brains churning.

Not one of the songs that has provoked much of the positive pre-release commentary, Cloud Computer sits at the heart of the album and is potentially the diamond in a bag of gems. It’s like LCD Soundsystem’s Tribulations, just without the vocals. Oh, and better too.

Bookending it are the superior dance-pop of Better For Now, which arguably would have been a better single than the album’s weakest point Hey Sound, and the first of Light of the North’s guest appearances, Is It A Dream, an intelligent brew of cut-up vocals by Maple Leaves’ Anna Miles.

Edinburgh rapper Profisee pops up for some Q-Tip-esque mumbling over some thumping beats on Virtua Fighter before taking over the song entirely towards the end. From the epic Stop the Clocks onwards the album winds down with a post-club vibe* taking over from the high tempo first seven songs making it sound like a complete record as opposed to a bunch of songs just lobbed together.

With the Scottish Album of the Year competition hotting up for an announcement later this month, we fully expect this to be in the reckoning next year. It’s a bloody great record. And we’ve not mentioned the fact that Miaoux Miaoux sounds like a cat once. Ah crap.

We spoke to Miaouser-in-chief Julian about the release.

How did you get involved with Chemikal Underground?

I guess they’d been following me for a while – I’d put out my first album, an EP and a single on my own label and was trying to do things off my own back, then Stewart (Henderson) and Paul (Savage) came to see me play at Stereo supporting Adam Stafford. We had a chat in the bar afterwards and Stewart mentioned working together, I think I was far too excited and a bit pissed, so tried my best to not make an idiot out of myself. Thankfully I got away with it and here we are.

How does it feel to finally be releasing an album?

Really great – this marks the culmination of about two years’ work, so it’s immensely satisfying to see it finally come to life. I honestly couldn’t have finished it without the help of Chemikal, and Paul in particular – if I’d mixed it myself it’d probably still be unfinished, but having Chemikal behind me and Paul’s skills gave me the impetus to finish it. Plus he made it sound better than I ever could!

How did the collaborations come about?

Well Anna and I used to play together in a band called Maple Leaves, and shortly after I left I wrote a tune that I thought she’d be perfect for. She nailed it in an hour, she has such a great voice. Profisee was a friend of a friend and I’d really liked what I’d heard of his stuff, so he was the first person I thought of when I needed a rapper. Again, he smashed it. I’m very grateful to have such talented friends.

Tell us about you launch shows!

Okay! So the Miaoux Miaoux band will be playing Mono in Glasgow and Electric Circus in Edinburgh. We don’t often play as a band together (I usually do solo shows) so it should be great fun. We’re being supported by the awesome Conquering Animal Sound (who have new material on the way that will blow your mind) and the newly reformed and brilliant Mitchell Museum. Plus a couple of great DJs - Auntie Flo at the Glasgow show, and Killer Kitsch in Edinburgh.

We like cats. And you’re the latest cat-friendly sounding band to appear on Tidal Wave. Is Miaoux Miaoux an ACTUAL feline reference or are you alluding to anything else………

I love cats! It was kind of cat based, but was supposed to be more of a kind of ‘whatever happens, happens’ sort of name. Deliberate nonsense, in a way. Plus it’s easily googleable, although not quite so easy to spell right.

Light of the North will be released on June 11 on Chemikal Underground and will be marked by gigs in Glasgow (Mono) on June 7 and Edinburgh (Electric Circus) on June 14.

*We feel at pains to point out that we haven’t been in a ‘club’ in about ten years, but we’re pretty sure that’s what it feels like…

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Bandcrush: The Spook School

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Filed under: Interviews — 3 Comments
June 1, 2012

Despite releasing just one single and a short collection of home demos, the Spook School (Adam, Anna, Naomi and Niall) have created a few waves in their home town of Edinburgh.

Performing a brand of cheery lo-fi pop, they’ve attracted the attention of 17 Seconds and Edinburgh Man, and we’re delighted to add the Tidal Wave of Indifference to their list of fans.

So much so that we’ve asked them to play The Tidal Wave of Indifference Presents: Numero Trois later this month alongside the Bad Books, Loch Awe and the New Fabian Society at the Wee Red Bar. Their intelligent hooks and fine choruses are a perfect fit for what’s shaping up to be a very exciting night of guitar pop.

We decided to find out what makes them tick and caught a word with singer/guitarist Adam this week.

So who the hell are you?

We’re The Spook School, and there’s four of us.

Describe your sound in ten words or less!

Inept pop.

How did you guys get together?

Naomi and I are siblings and have been attempting to write songs ever since Naomi got a guitar. Then I went to uni and met Anna and Niall while attempting to do some silly student comedy. We thought it would be fun to try and make some noise together even though three quarters of us have no idea how to work these things. Miraculously some people seem to be enjoying it.

Interesting band name – how did you happen upon it?

It’s the name of Charles Mackintosh’s wee gang of artist pals. Well, people used to call them that to slag them off. We thought it would be quite cool to re-capture it and kind of change it a bit. Also, I really likes Mackintosh. To the point that I decided to study architecture for a bit at uni, but then they just kept going on about pyramids, and pyramids are boooorriiiing. They’re just big triangles.

Bloggers as gig promoters – discuss!!

Yes please! Some of the best gigs we’ve done have been for bloggers. They’re generally people who actually care about music and in turn want to put on a really good show while also supporting the bands they like. It’s really great. We’ve been lucky not to have any bad experiences with promoters (yet!), but it seems like a really good idea for bloggers to put on stuff just cause they really like music. That should be the only reason anyone puts on gigs really.

What can we expect from your live show?

We sound better live. More of a ramshackle punchy noise. A nice bit of feedback and some singing and shouting. Sometimes we dress up. Sometimes we cover ourselves in glitter. I have a bad habit of bleeding all over my guitar, and Niall will probably get naked. But you can ignore that if you like.

Can we expect to see a full length release soon?

Nope. We’re not ready really. We’re still learning a lot. We do have a very exciting release coming up though. We can’t really believe it’s happening.

If there was such a thing as an ACTUAL Spook School, which famous dead folk would make the best teachers?

Oh wow! Bert Jansch, Marc Bolan, John Lennon, Poly Styrene and Tchaikovsky could do music lessons. That seems like a good mix. Bolan could also teach fashion (cos it would be a hip school that did that kind of thing). Suppose The Four would have to do art & design since the school’s named after them. Picasso could help them out. He seemed like a cool guy. Einstein would do science. Kafka and Oscar Wilde literature classes. And Buster Keaton would do PE. There would be no sports, just falling over, running away from things. This sounds pretty good.

The Spook School play Edinburgh’s Wee Red Bar on June 23 alongside The Bad Books, Loch Awe and The New Fabian Society. You can get tickets HERE and there are Facebook-y things HERE. They probably have some other gigs too, but we’re sure you can forgive us for not being desperately interested in those at the minute. Head over to their website for more info if you’re so inclined, though!

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