Category: Albums


Leviathan

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May 17, 2012

Album of the Week: The Son(s) – Leviathan

After the success of their/his self-titled debut album, the mysterious beast known as ‘the Son(s)’ is back with a six track mini album.

Now we know what you’re thinking: ” HEY TIDAL WAVE OF INDIFFERENCE, YOU ONLY REVIEW ALBUMS!!!’ Well, it’s a fair cop. We made an exception with Homework’s six tracker last year because it was bloody good, and that’s why we’re also covering this. So there.

Anyway, we’re digressing a tad. Leviathan is by no means a progression from last year’s album, but given how close that came to achieving perfection you’ll find no complaints over at Tidal Wave Towers over this.

Half a dozen tracks of sleepy psychedelia, the Son(s) and their label (Olive Grove) have take the novel approach of putting it out on tape. Now, we’re not big fans of the unreliable, hassle-some format, but kudos is due for thinking outside the box.

Musically, Roaring Round the House is a beautifully arranged piece, capturing chief Son Karl’s fractured voice amongst delicate guitar and organ. If I Hear You Talk in Apostrophes Again comes across more like a Northern Soul stomper at first before bringing in multi-layered harmonies, a bloody great melody and even a rough guitar solo.

Cocksure Boys has a calmer feel and Half Lived is a dreamlike affair with a steady, constant rhythm throughout. Shot Out A Cannon, may well be the pick of the bunch, evoking a Beach House/Grizzly Bear kind of vibe, and every bit the equal of both.

The Son(s), as with everything else they’ve produced, can be very proud of Leviathan. If we could only talk them into playing some shows (and trust us, we have BEGGED them), they could become one of Scotland’s finest musical assets.

We had another chat with “Karl” a few days ago.

Welcome back! What have you been up to since the first album?

Since the first album we have been growing, writing, recording, packing, drinking, sleeping, haversacking, moving back to Aberdeenshire from Edinburgh, then more packing and back to Edinburgh from Aberdeenshire. Experimenting with facial hair and quite obscure archtop guitars (separately and in combination), semi-stalking Withered Hand and briefly meeting RM Hubbert after some dodgy dim sum.

What’s inspired Leviathan?

What inspired the songs or the name? The songs all came, one after the other, in the order they are on the record. I was staying in Edinburgh through that winter working away from home down here. Course I missed family, home and friends back up north a lot. Not constantly moping mind, coping manfully. For a few months I stayed in one of those amazing georgian flats that Edinburgh has more than it’s fair share of. It was so empty and it sounded so good. Then the weather was unbelievable! It stopped the trains and closed the roads and trapped me away from home. So those sort of feelings came out in those 6 songs. Not that you’d sit down to write that sort of song deliberately, that would be miserable. As for the name, well it took ages to settle on a satisfactory name and a cover, but I’d read a little about the history of the SS Leviathan/SS Great Eastern and then happened upon the painting you see on the cover. I like the story of the ship – endeavour made redundant.

Is this a stop-gap release or were you just desperate to get the tunes out?

Well neither. There’s only so much appetite for new songs by any band isn’t there? Especially so for a wee band like us. Even if you had the money you’re a fool to pump out song after song, record after record. That’s simply irritating, at least I find that sort of thing massively irritating. But an EP or a mini LP seemed like an interesting thing to do, and it seemed like we’d left a decent period of quiet since the last time we were out mithering folk. I was also keen to use a format other than CD, and as we can’t really afford to do vinyl or 8 track cassettes we thought we’d do a tape. These songs having come pretty much together, together, reinforced the EP/mini LP idea. And anyway, personally I prefer shorter 6-9 song albums to longer, bloated ones.

Sooooooo……. World tour for this one?

World tour? No…. (Stu – can you drum?)

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Endless Knocking

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May 10, 2012

Album of the Week: Jesus H. Foxx – Endless Knocking

“This seems to be becoming the narrative of the album release” says Michael Hunter of Jesus H. Foxx when pressed about why it’s taken so long to get Endless Knocking out. It’s a fair question.

It really is years since “the Foxx” (not be confused with Jesus H. Christ or John Foxx) have put out any new music and gigs have been sporadic at best. We can only think of a Come on Gang! support slot and a Song, by Toad Christmas bash where we’ve seen their name on a poster.

As Hunter goes on to say, there are a myriad of reasons behind this but thankfully it’s largely worth the wait.

They’ve expanded their line-up since those early EPs and rather than the rawer sound of old, Endless Knocking is mostly intricate chamber pop with one eye on the US, with the smattering of folk fairy dust that you’d expect from a band making heavy use of violin and glockenspiel.

Hunter’s even baritone brings a sense of calm to the occasion, his voice eminating an air of both exasperation and a feeling he’s seen all this before.

Even when the music whips up a storm – like the climax to So the Wind Won’t Blow it All Away – his delivery suggests little more than a raised eyebrow and a knowing look. Permanent Defeat settles into a smart little groove and the similarly languid backing vocals of multi-instrumentalist Tallah Brash get a run-out on Elegy for the Good, as does her charming cornet.

That song in particularly exemplifies the album with it’s incredibly tight instrumentation and stylistic changes throughout its running time. You’ll get the feeling that the Foxx aren’t unfamiliar with the work of Grizzly Bear and there’s even a dose of Los Campesinos! and Slow Club in the mix. All good though, and certainly not derivative.

Even when slide guitar and Afrobeat rhythms are slipped into the same song it somehow works and again, Hunter doesn’t seem remotely bothered at the threats of being eaten alive in the lyrics, be they literal or metaphorical.

For all it’s genre mixing, this is a markedly less challenging listen that the other recent Song, by Toad release, An Eagle to Saturn by The Leg. Endless Knocking could be seen almost as a companion piece – the bands share a city, a record label, a work ethic (sorry, I’ll stop now…) and a playful feel to them.

This is certainly the calmer of the two albums and a pleasant reminder of what Jesus H. Foxx were all about all those years ago.

Sorry again, here’s that interview with Michael Hunter.

Dear god, you’ve been around for years. Why has it taken so long to get an album out?

This seems to be becoming the narrative of the album release. Basically, loads of reasons – Steve moving to Australia was a big one, day jobs, changes in sound and personnel… above all though, we just wanted to do it right, and perhaps got kind of weighed down by that. In retrospect, the Matter EP probably should’ve been the first album, rather than the first half of one.

What’s been the biggest influence on Endless Knocking?

I think the beauty of there being so many of us in the band is the ragbag of influences -  I think people can hear loads of different things in the band, and its pretty hard to dismiss this record as a straight up rip-off of someone else, which is great. I mean, we could go through the record bit by bit and point out all the stuff we’ve ripped off and mention Animal Collective, The Boredoms, Death From Above, Deerhoof, Paul Simon, Dirty Projectors, The Beach Boys and Zapp and Roger and  so on and  so on and so on but that’s probably a bit of a self-defeating exercise. In saying that, Talking Heads, R.E.M. (1981-86) and Jonathan Richman were and have always been enduring influences.

Jesus H. Foxx live in 2009 (!!) by Markus Thorsen

Do you think your sound has changed since your earlier recordings?

Yeah, I think that’s pretty evident! I guess you could say there’s a lot of reasons for this. Primarily, it has a lot to do, again, with the personnel. On the first single, we were a classic/basic four-piece – guitar/guitar/bass/drums, and we’ve got a lot more flexibility now. We agreed whilst continually adding members – we’re back up to seven, at last count – that it was extremely important that more instruments did not simply equal “louder”, but rather more dynamic. We didn’t want to fall into the trap of everyone playing all the time, so restraint is important, kind of more like a pop orchestra, where instruments drop in and out, and everyone has their parts and cues. I think, conversely, the more members we’ve added, the quieter it’s allowed us to become, simply because we have more options. Also, the longer we’ve been playing, the more confident we’ve become – in the early days, I think we were falling into that trap of trying to play so fast and loud that the audience couldn’t talk over us, I just kind of presumed that’s what you had to do. It was a show by Rob St. John, actually, that really changed my mind on this – watching him play Acid Test to a silent, rapt audience proved to me you could play quiet at a local show and people would listen.

Will you be marking the release with a run round the festival circuit and a world tour?

If Dunfermline, Coatbridge and Stirling constitute a world tour, then absolutely. I’d really love to tour the Highlands, its a pretty long-held ambition of mine. Though its purely selfish, I’m really hoping we can do that.

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Dream of the Inbetween

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May 2, 2012

Album of the Week: French Wives – Dream of the Inbetween

The Tidal Wave of Indifference and French Wives go back a fair bit, not least after the band’s rousing performance at the Tidal Wave of Indifference Presents last year.

We’re unashamed and confirmed fans, at least of their live performances, so a chance to get an advance listen to their long-awaited debut album was a no-brainer. It would have been a little awkward if it wasn’t any good, but thankfully the band haven’t put us in a difficult position.

Produced by Tony Doogan (Mogwai/Belle and Sebastian) over the last year or so, Dream of the Inbetween is an accomplished statement of intent. Doogan’s production has worked wonders for the band and the faintly tinny sounding early EPs are long forgotten, with a big, boisterous sound right from the start.

Stuart Dougan’s vocals are right at the top of the mix throughout and from opener Modern Columns onward, the value that Siobhan Anderson’s violin adds is finally clear – not something which has always been obvious live, or on previous recordings.

So yes, they have a violin, and also a nice line in sweaters, but this is a million miles away from the template of Scottish folk pop that’s becoming a little wearing. Album standout Numbers has some tasty guitar sounds that you certainly wouldn’t hear this side of an Aberfeldy album.

There are quieter moments like Back Breaker and Younger is a delicate almost-ballad that hits a rousing chorus, before crashing out on huge-sounding coda.

The stop/start rhythms of a rearranged Me Vs. Me takes them into Franz Ferdinand territory and other motifs do subtly reference other notable Scottish bands – Admiral Fallow are a clear influence – but the songs on Dream of the Inbetween are good enough for this to be an instantly forgivable misdemeanour.

French Wives have taken their time over the album in an effort to get it absolutely right. And it’s paid off. With a trip to SXSW in March and being named in the Bloggers Alternative Sound of 2012 list (yes, we voted for them!), they have both ambition and good will to go with the songs. Don’t bet against them being this year’s breakout Scottish band.

We spoke to guitarist Scott Macpherson, meaning that French Wives join a dubious roll call of bands interviewed twice on the Tidal Wave of Indifference.

How was SXSW? Suitably knackered I hope?

South By was a great experience. We’re really privileged that we were able to go. Obviously we don’t know when or if we’ll ever be back so we really wanted to make the most of being out there. And I think it’s safe to say we definitely did! The famous Texan hospitality treated us rather well. In the weeks following it we definitely were knackered, but we’ve been back for like a month now, so it’s very much back to reality. For example, I’m currently writing this from the bar I work in. There are only two customers in, both of whom are eating scotch pies I substandardly heated for them. It kind of puts the cutting about like a rock star for a month into perspective!

The album’s out at last! A good feeling?

Yeah it’s a great feeling, but also a terrifying one. People often talk about how it’s like letting your children go to school or whatever and I’m beginning to understand that now. I just hope it’s good and people don’t bully it in the playground! But in all seriousness we’re really excited for people to hear it especially after we spent so long working so hard on it. We’re all really eager to hear people’s take on it, as it might be a bit different to what some people are expecting.

Will you be hawking your wares on the festival circuit this summer?

Hopefully, but we’ve nothing confirmed just yet. All the work for the US tour and the album launch tour have left us lagging behind a bit, but hopefully it’s not too late!

What’s next then?

I suppose we just have to see how this record goes. I mean, we’ve got ambitions for stuff we want to do and places we want to go, but it’s all a bit up in the air depending on the level to which the album is received. All going well, hopefully a LOT more gigs during the second half of the year.

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CYRK

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April 26, 2012

Album of the Week: Cate le Bon – CYRK

There’s something gleefully odd about Welsh songstress Cate Le Bon. We first heard her, of course, on Gruff Rhys’ faintly bonkers Neon Neon project, adding sweet vocals to a concept album about a car-making playboy-cum-crook.

But even when first solo album Me Oh My emerged in 2009, there was clearly something that set her aside from the slew of humdrum female singers that have been kicking about in the last few years, and CYRK (Polish for circus) is a further leap away from your Marlings and so on.

There’s something undeniably retro about opener Falcon Eyed. With its jangly guitars and, ahem, groovy rhythms it feels like it straddles the late sixties and early eighties and appropriately is an absolute peach.

Le Bon has already endeared herself to the Scottish indie cognoscenti with an appearance at last year’s Homegame festival in Anstruther, an inspiring visit to Eigg and Eyes So Bright being covered by Tidal Wave favourites FOUND. It’s hard to grasp instantly what the link is, but it’s heartening to hear her singing in her own accent throughout, a concept Scottish indie is more than familiar with.

Well, we think it’s her own accent. On the pleasingly psychedelic Julia, she sounds positively otherworldly; certainly a million miles away from her hometown of Penboyr.

And perhaps it is that otherworldliness that truly marks her out as a genuine talent. There’s nothing put on about this quirkiness and thankfully it’s endearing rather than tiring.

Musically, there’s a wide variation at play here. Not everything hits you with the same pace as Falcon Eyed. Greta is positively funereal and Fold the Cloth pitches more at a Kinksian vibe, build on some nice subtle organ playing.

All told, a bit of a throwback then. But CYRK will surely continue to build Le Bon’s budding fanbase and bring this fascinating talent to the ears of more people.

CRYK is out on April 30 through Turnstyle.

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An Eagle to Saturn

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April 17, 2012

Album of the Week: The Leg – An Eagle to Saturn

Continuing a long line of genuine Scottish eccentrics that stretches from the Sensational Alex Harvey Band through Billy MacKenzie, up to the Aliens, comes Edinburgh mob the Leg.

Formerly known, among other things, as Desc and counting former Dawn of the Replicant man – and fellow curio Paul Vickers – among their previous collaborators, An Eagle to Saturn is Daniel, Pete and Alun’s third album as the Leg, and as well as being utterly hatstand, it’s also a belter.

In truth, things start conventionally enough with the title track, but after two minutes of gentle strumming, singer is screeching “I don’t what a twitching stick is!!” on, yes, Twitching Stick. The resemblance this charming little ditty has to the theme from South Park is almost certainly a coincidence, but it echoes the cult animation’s establishment-baiting feel. Even the more adventurous 6 Music DJ will be hesitating over putting some of this stuff on air.

Bouncing from genre to genre often in the space of a single song (highlight Freda Bolt switching from Lightening Bolt-esque fury to fade out on mournful strings deserves a special mention here), the Leg are untroubled by such commercial concerns, having existed in one form or another for almost fifteen years.

The juxtapositions are unyielding, from the dark lyrics of Bake Yourself Silly (“there are no stitches, cos there was no operation“) over some light-touch psychedelia to the beautiful strings of The Birds Are Falling, utterly spiked by some hissing, distorted vocals. Even when you’re tempted to dismiss a song as superfluous (Jingle Bells in the Summertime), up pop some superb chamber pop melodies.

Somehow, it all holds together. Just. When it’s all over you’ll find yourself on the floor, blinking, liked Spaced’s Brian Topp after an imaginary gun battle with friends, stuck with disbelief about what’s just happened.

Eccentric? Yes. Brilliant? That too. Like some of the acts we mentioned earlier, it seems that madmen continue to make cracking albums.

One of the aformentioned madmen, Daniel Mutch (guitar/banjo/vocals) was available to explain. In a surprise move, it turns out he and his bandmates are also pandas, at least according to the below pic… 

The Leg – in one form or another – have been around for a long time. How do you think your sound’s changed?

We have played together since 1998. There used to be lots of other musicians involved but, with one thing and another, we became a three piece. We never actually made a pact but it has come to feel like we did. This is most notable to us when playing older songs – they tend to become more to the point. 

An Eagle to Saturn sounds like the culmination of multiple influences and more than a smattering of your own lunatic ideas. Fair comment? Our influences are rather varied and it’s not easy to say we are influenced by this or that. The songs now tend to form over a long period of time, during which various obsessions come and go. Also we are each influenced by different things and it’s all used (sometimes it’s invisible) when it feels right. We started working on An Eagle to Saturn five years ago and finished it a few months ago. At the beginning of that time the Harry Smith anthology was the thing, by the end it was all Arabic music.
 
 
Tell us a little about what you’ve got lined up for the launch gig (details below)?
 
God willing, we will have a string section and the venue is a place of historical significance in the world of dancing.
 
Flying an eagle to Saturn is going to be rather impractical for multiple scientific reasons. However, our challenge to you is to think of a far flung destination and means of travel that’s even more ridiculous than your raptor/planet concoction – go!
 
If you threw a copy of our record at a falling monkey, the monkey would land on it and be transported into a parallel universe. It would be very dizzy but would eventually arrive in Edinbellow, the capitol of Skitland.
 
An Eagle to Saturn is out on April 30 via Song, By Toad with details of an intriguing launch night here. Their label has also made bake yourself silly available as a free download, which is awfully kind. Go get it over here.
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Who’s up for the Scottish Album of the Year?

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April 12, 2012

The recent announcement that the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) was creating a Scottish Album of the Year Award has been met with mostly positive noises from the industry and bl*g*sph*re. With some big cash prizes backing up the prize, this does, in our eyes at least, look like the long-awaited, high profile means of recognising Scottish music that many of us have been looking for.

The longlist is now out with full details below. We’ll be honest, we’re not familiar with a fair few artists here, but that’s the beauty of a diverse judging panel (we’re not on it by the way, so please direct that roll of twenties elsewhere, thanks). There’s plenty of great stuff in there though, including no less than five albums that made Tidal Wave’s own top 25 last year, plus a rather nice surprise in the shape of Happy Particles.

There’s one band in there that if they win, we’ll probably leave the country in disgust, but we’ll let you work that one out. We’ll probably be going for King Creosote or Mogwai in the public vote, the winner of which will guarantee themselves a place on the shortlist, due for publication on May 17, to be followed by the winner’s announcement on June 19.

Interesting stuff and we hope you’ll support this initiative and its noble aim of supporting great Scottish music.

The longlist is as follows:

- 6th Borough Project “One Night In the Borough”

- Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat “Everything’s Getting Older”

- Bwani Junction “Fully Cocked” 

- Chris Stout’s Brazilian Theory “Live In Concert”

- Conquering Animal Sound “Kammerspiel” 

- FOUND “factorycraft” 

- Fudge Fingas “Now About How” 

- Happy Particles “Under Sleeping Waves” 

- Jonny “Jonny” 

- King Creosote & Jon Hopkins “Diamond Mine”

- Mogwai “Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will”

- Mungo’s Hi Fi “Forward Ever” 

- Muscles Of Joy “Muscles Of Joy” 

- Remember Remember “The Quickening”

- Richard Craig “Inward”

- Rustie “Glass Swords”

- Steve Mason & Dennis Bovell “Ghosts Outside”

- Tommy Smith “Karma” 

- Twin Atlantic “Free” 

- We Were Promised Jetpacks “In The Pit Of the Stomach”

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Beware and Be Grateful

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April 10, 2012

Album of the Week: Maps and Atlases – Beware and Be Grateful

Chicago’s Maps and Atlases, band of choice for “those who know” are back with their second album proper, with a few things burdening the four-piece.

Firstly, there’s the weight of expectation. The expectation that Beware and Be Grateful will be even better than 2010’s Perch Patchwork and propel the band towards bigger venues and the same rung of the ladder that’s occupied by Yeasayer and Beach House.

And vaguely linked to that, there’s also the band’s direction. Early recordings were squarely math-rock influenced, while Perch Patchwork was considerably more accessible. The assumption was that Maps and Atlases were going to get even poppier.

So what does Beware and Be Grateful actually give us? Simple – a pop record that’s certainly better than Perch Patchwork. And that’s something worth celebrating.

Sure, those tightly wound arrangements and time changes are still present and correct (the band haven’t been labelled ‘math pop’ for nothing), but in the likes of Fever and Winter, there are energy-filled pop songs bursting through.

Dave Davison’s distinctive voice is at the top of the production throughout, with a mixture of backing harmonies and vocal loops just as prominent, complimenting the juddering drums and angular guitar just nicely. 

We mentioned Yeasayer before, and that band’s blend of Afrobeat-informed odd-pop with soaring vocals isn’t a bad place to start a game of ‘Sounds like…’, especially on Silver Self. Such a comparison is fairly cosmetic, however, and we can’t think of anyone else you could truthfully say sounds like Maps and Atlases.

Oh, and if you’re worried by the phrase ‘Afrobeat-informed odd-pop’ and are thinking ‘Vampire Weekend’ as you slowly back away, fear not. A breezy tune like – oh yes – Vampires has more ideas and charm in its 2’33 run time than the Columbia Uni boys managed over their entire second album.

So make sure you find your way to Maps and Atlases, this could yet turn out to be one of the year’s best albums.

We spoke to guitarist Erin Elders over the weekend.

How do you think your sound has changed since Perch Patchwork?

I think Beware and Be Grateful sort of continues what we were doing with Perch Patchwork. But textually we experimented with a lot more effects this time around. We’ve never really been an effect-heavy band so I think dabbling in that world definitely led to some crazy ideas. I also think this album has more of a looseness to it. The songs on our previous recordings tended to tie themselves up nicely, whereas these songs kind of run wild.

Vocals seem as crucial an ‘instrument’ on the album as anything else – was that a deliberate move?

The songs on this record are the most focused we’ve written thus far and the vocals and lyrics are a crucial part of that. We wanted them to stick out a little more in the mix. Also, a lot of the weird sounds on this record are actually vocal loops.

What are the key influences you’ve brought to Beware and Be Grateful?

We’ve always been pretty influenced by artists like David Bowie and The Talking Heads and I think this album leans toward the Brian Eno-era Bowie records. Some of the songs started off very keyboard heavy and had sort of a “Low” vibe.

 Do you expect to be back in the UK after your April shows – a festival or two perhaps?

We have no definite plans yet but I’m sure we will be back to the UK in the relatively near future.

Maps and Atlases are in the UK next week. Catch them at the following dates:

Bristol Cooler, April 16

London Garage, April 17

Manchester Night and Day, April 18

Glasgow Nice ‘N Sleazy April 19

Leeds Brudenell, April 20

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The Seed

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April 4, 2012

Album of the Week: Plum – The Seed

Sometimes a music scene that you think you know like the back of your hand still manages to pull out the odd surprise.

Example: We were utterly oblivious to the existence of Shona Maguire, aka Plum, mere days ago, but we’ve now found ourselves waxing lyrical about her latest album, The Seed.

It’s hard to put your finger on precisely what defines Edinburgh music at the minute – it’s certainly not a bunch of beardy folkies, if it ever even was – but being home to multi-instrumentalist female solo artists probably wasn’t at the top of your list of ‘things wot I know about Embra music, likes’. And yet, here we are.

Mixing gently strummed guitars and light beats is far from a new trick (see Tidal Wave’s favourite Czech folktronica exponents Fiordmoss for a start), but on The Seed it’s neatly executed, throwing the laid back The Truth and The Knife, up against some sneaky beats elsewhere.

If we’re being picky, we’d actually have wanted some of these beats to be thumped a little bit harder, like the latest Fever Ray and Bat for Lashes albums, but perhaps Shona’s voice, more melody-driven and less spectral than the aforementioned ladies wouldn’t lend itself so well to such sounds

And yes, it’s a little poppier, but that’s also one of its strengths. Tunes like the opening title track are instantly accessible and there’s radio-friendly tunes throughout.

So, Plum. A bit of a hidden gem? Here’s hoping not for much longer. And here’s hoping as well, that those beats do indeed thump that little bit harder live. On that note, Plum will be launching The Seed on Saturday (April 7) at the Electric Circus. We suggest you get along. In the meantime, here’s a wee interview with the titular lady.

What are the key influences behind The Seed?

It’s a concept album – about the seed of an idea. Everything from the notation, the textures, the samples (like the main vocal loop in Myriad is a slowed down version of the backing vocals in The Truth andThe Knife) were about the way an idea can grow and take on its own life. The lyrics were about a specific idea that was planted in my mind in childhood, which has been left to grow. And in trying to unfold it all, and understand myself, I slowly but surely traced everything back to this one sentence that was said to me when I was about four or five years old. The point is that any idea, once the idea is planted will grow and take on its own life. I find that really interesting and was really inspired to write with the concept once I unearthed the roots of how one simple sentence could shape my thoughts and feelings so much it became part of who I was, it grew into the bones of my personality. It’s so powerful. Both terrifying and inspiring. 
 
Do you think your sound has changed in the last couple of years?
 
Definitely. When I was in music production college I swore I would never sing live. I was so shy, I would record vocals as quietly as possible in case anyone would hear me. The first track I wrote was entirely electronic – I sampled a little girl who sat next to me on a train from Edinburgh to Londontalking about how she was going to fill her shed with toys. Since I picked up a guitar at 15 I have always written songs, and they were always cathartic, personal and difficult to perform in front of anyone. The first EPs (The Whispering Chamber and The Glory Feast) and the album (Different Skin) were part of a big journey of getting over the fear of singing… and of expressing my thoughts and feelings… folktronica they called it. After Different Skin, I was really keen to have something more fun to perform live. I wrote more upfront stuff and moved into a different genre – not sure of what it is exactly – but Electrofuzztronica, and Indie-Scotchtronica are my current favourites. 
 
Who or what inspires you musically?
 
Ideas inspire me the most. Anyone doing anything unique. Nothing is more sad than people trying to follow what’s “in” or “now”, it’s the opposite of progress. I am currently head over heels for Grimes – the lass is my musical kindred spirit. I think we write in a really similar way, but she does it in a sweeter, lighter way.  I’ve always loved Bjork for music and lyrics, and general forward thinking, I’m big into Buck 65 for his lyrics. I love Feist. Fever Ray. Skrillex. Imogen Heap. Tori Amos. I could go on. 
 
Are you planning on taking the record out on the road?
 
I am dying to take the record on the road. I will play anywhere for food, transport and somewhere to kip. I can’t wait!
 
 
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Valentina

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March 28, 2012

Album of the Week: The Wedding Present – Valentina

Staying power is a wonderful thing, and something the Wedding Present have buckets of. While other popular 80s-born indie bands have long floundered, David Gedge and co have just banged out their eighth album in 27 years.

That period includes a hiatus when Gedge regrouped as Cinerama of course, but you could be forgiven for thinking there was no more to the band than Kennedy being played on repeat on 6 Music (this is a GOOD THING by the way).

But they’re still going strong, and the follow-up to 2008′s El Rey not only builds on that album’s success but also takes a more direct route into your subconscious. If you haven’t heard lead single You Jane, it’s classic Gedge with guitars set to ‘jangle’ and canny lyrics seeped in relationship woes.

But as anyone who’s heard the Steve Albini-produced Seamonsters will know, the Wedding Present have always been about more than bubblegum pop songs and indeed you’re exposed nice and early to some similarly shredding guitars on You’re Dead, a rumbling opener that presents the new line-up in full flight.

Ah yes, the new line-up. We’re not into Fall-esque revolving door band members territory, but this is an almost completely different set of musicians to the group that created El Rey. Among them is Swiss bassist Pepe LeMoka who adds cooing backing vocals throughout, most pertinently on The Girl From the DDR in an appropriately Teutonic fashion.

Back A Bit… Stop is a punchy number with a huge chorus and would have been an equally fine choice for a single as You Jane, while Deer Caught in the Headlights revisits the sharp guitar sounds we heard at the start.

With their first three albums – George Best, Bizarro and the aforementioned Seamonsters – Gedge could have walked away from music with his head held high, knowing that he’s left a strong legacy that will continue to get powered out on 6 Music on a regular basis. While the songs on Valentina are unlikely to generate the same levels of long lasting affection, to see a ‘veteran’ still turning in high quality albums makes us very happy indeed.

And what’s more, we were supremely honoured to grab a word with Mr Gedge this week.

How do you think the band has changed since El Rey?

We seemed to have acquired a somewhat rockier line-up! I’d like to take all the credit for this and say that it was by design because I knew we’d be playing ‘Seamonsters’ live this year… but it was just good fortune, really. That being said, I think there was a desire to move away from the more poppier sound of El Rey, anyway. This happens after every album… you feel like you want to go somewhere else for the next one.

Is it hard to balance the ‘nostalgia’ side of the Wedding Present (reissues, tours, etc) with making new material?

Initially, I did think that that might be the case… but I’m totally used to it now. Ever since we did ‘George Best’ live in 2007, in fact. I’m now as happy to re-investigate the history of the group as I am thinking about the future. It sort of feels to me now that I’ve been in about eight different bands since 1985 and each fits into the overall culture of The Wedding Present in its own way. It’s kind of fascinating, actually.

Are there any particular influences that went into Valentina?

Graeme Ramsay, the co-writer and guitarist on Valentina plays drums as his first instrument… and I think that probably had an effect on the parts he came up with and influenced the structure of the songs. Some of them have quite odd arrangements! Plus, I wanted to utilise the fact that our bass player, Pepe le Moko is Swiss… so I wrote our first bilingual duet!

Any UK festivals lined up this summer?

We get offers all the time, but you have to be careful of over-exposure. So far we have confirmed The Chilli Festival at Bath Racecourse and Sound City in Liverpool for May. And, of course, there are my own annual ‘mini-festivals’ in Brighton and Holmfirth for August!

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Interstellar

Filed under: Albums, Interviews — 1 Comment
March 20, 2012

Album of the Week: Frankie Rose – Interstellar

A few years back, Frankie Rose and the Outs would have been lumped in with Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls and other lady-fronted purveyors of fuzzed-up girl group whimsy. That Ms Rose was a member of both acts merely enhanced the first and only Outs album’s inability to shake off their legacy.

Well, Ms Rose is back (sans Outs) and is doubly keen to shake off such comparisons, instead aiming to create something a little more widescreen with Interstellar.

But wait! Don’t toss away that effects pedal just yet, Mama Rose! Where some of the groups mentioned above flounder due to an inability to mix it up a bit, Interstellar actually retains plenty of guitar-based… Let’s call it Mary-Chaining, shall we… with an increased sense of melody and pop fun.

The Shirelles, the Ronettes and other such groups that this little sub genre claims to hold as an influence would be rather proud of tunes like Pair of Wings with its echo-y vocals and low key synths.

But Veronica Falls would equally sell various appendages to get their mits on the monstrous title track, room-shaking drums, hook-some harmonies and all.

This is a lovely record, full of beautiful songs, with plenty of muscle, ensuring a confidence that Frankie isn’t just setting her controls for the Planet Florence. Aye, sure, there’s maybe a bit of that, but in all 154 seconds of Night Swim, there’s enough pop creativity to render Flossy’s entire second album redundant. Crackling guitars and shiny synths? Yes, we’ll have that thanks.

Why the Outs have been dispensed with is unclear, but the very fact that this album trumps the debut shows that Frankie Rose can stand alone.

You can give key number Gospel/Grace a spin below. Infectious guitar pop at its best, we challenge you not to just keep hitting the repeat button.

We also had our usual probing chat with the titular lady, as you’d expect…

How do you think your sound’s changed since your last album (that would be French electro-pop chappie Le Chev)?

This album is much bigger, cleaner, and is much more cohesive then my last album.

Was there a fresh approach to recording with the new producer?

Oh yes! He helped me make decisions that I absolutely would not have made on my own. I knew I had to find someone with very different taste then me to make the record I wanted. I also knew I needed someone who could “think big” that would push me to uncomfortable places , but also be okay with me pulling on the reigns.

What happened to ‘the Outs’? Have you stashed them in a cupboard?

Yes they are locked in my closet. I was thinking about releasing them come summer maybe.  The ladies are fine and are all still playing music in and around Brooklyn!

Can we expect to see any UK shows – or a cheeky festival or two?

One or two “super cheeky” festivals and also an entire uk tour in July!

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