Tag Archive: 6music


Swim

Filed under: Albums — 1 Comment
April 27, 2010

Album of the Week: Caribou – Swim

Swim

Those of you who have been following closely (and you do exist, I have proof!) may remember that for the last two years my Album of the Year has been won by mammal-related bands, namely Frightened Rabbit and Grizzly Bear.

So what chance of three-in-a-row? Well, Band of Horses have an album out next month, some bunch called Avi Buffalo are meant to be good, and maybe this year I’ll get my musical project Badger or Banana?* off the ground.

In the meantime don’t bet against Dan Snaith’s latest effort under the name of Caribou.

It’s a pity that, like those Rabbit and Bear-related bands there isn’t a catchy adjective to go with the band – but if there was, it would have to be ‘funky’.

This record makes me want to dance, something which has been witnessed on the nation’s dancefloors only marginally less than Canadian reindeer getting their groove on.

Hopefully you’ll have heard Odessa already. My beloved 6 Music have been playing it, and various websites, including this one, have made it available to download for free.

If you haven’t, it’s a gem, all aquatic beats and swooning vocals and track two (Sun) keeps the theme going nicely.

Kaili storms in on thundering synths before breaking down into something much woozier with some nifty percussion going on deep in the mix.

Swim has been talked up as a change of direction for Snaith, which to an extent is true, but there was signs on 2007′s Andorra that dancier elements could work well when mixed in with that album’s intelligent psychedelia, namely Sundialling and the closing Niobe.

It’s not all keyboards and breakbeats either. Found Out has some gentle guitar scattered over it and Bowls has more time changes than Battles covering Miles Davis, while still remaining dancefloor-friendly.

I don’t do dance/techno/electronica in a particularly big way, but every so often an act pops up to remind me that there’s more to life than guitars – Caribou are one of them.

*May not actually exist, ever.

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S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor

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April 7, 2010

Album of the Week: Serena-Maneesh – S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor

I’ve always considered Serena-Maneesh to be one of ‘my’ bands. Known to very few people in my wider circle of friends and liked by even less.

It’s listening to bands like this that have cemented my reputation as a pretentious music obscurist. It’s a reputation that’s probably well-founded and that I’m happy enough to carry, but that doesn’t mean I want bands like Serena-Maneesh to stay within my orbit only.

However, I’m not daft either. For example, album opener Ayisha Abyss – with its mumbled vocals, driving percussion and growly bass - is unlikely to be troubling JLS or Tinny Temper in the charts any time soon.

But just because you’ve recorded your second album in a Norwegian cave, never get played on the radio (not even 6 Music!) and that hardly anyone ever writes about you, doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve a bit of exposure.

2006′s eponymous debut was a fearsome proposition, with the bass-y rumble of Don’t Come Down Here and Your Blood In Mine in particular, reaching eardrum-worrying levels of volume.

There were quieter moment on there too and this belated follow-up is cut from the same cloth.

Hilma and Emil Nikolaisen’s tender vocals lend the record a little more subtlety, lending creedence to the My Bloody Valentine comparisons that the band have been repeatedly (but fairly) hit with.

Sufjan Stevens is apparently on here too, but I’ll be damned if I can hear him over the white noise.

Serena-Maneesh

Serena-Maneesh - my Norwegian valentine

Musically, like MBV, the album veers from the crushing squall of Reprobate! to the dreamier sounds of Melody for Jaana; Blow Yr Brains In the Mourning Rain (nice!) sounds like it could be the Stooges.

Honeyjinx is probably the best thing here, blending sweet melodies with howling feedback – but you can even hear guitar strings being plucked in the effects-heavy mix.

If there’s a complain to be made, it’s that it feels a little slight. It clocks in at around 37 minutes, not actually all that short, but features only eight tracks… I just felt that an extra track might have made it more of an event, particularly when the band have been away for almost four years.

No matter… it’s a great listen, and hopefully it’s not just me that’ll buy it. They’re on 4AD, a stronghold for unique indie bands, and that ought to give their profile a bit of a boost.

Their performance at Reading in ’06 was captivating and shamanic – would it be too much to ask for an appearance at Latitude this summer?

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Sixed Up

Filed under: Random Nonsense — Leave a comment
March 27, 2010

I’ve not written about 6 Music in a wee while. The initial flurry of publicity that met the BBC’s short-sighted proposal to axe it, has long since passed, but that’s not to say that issue has gone away.

Far from it, actually.

After some spectacular vomiting I spent pretty much all day in bed yesterday listening to 6 – Shaun, Lauren, Nemone and Lamacq. Great stuff and the variety and quality of music made me feel much better.

It also feels appropriate to come back to the story on the same day that some kindred spirits are protesting outside Broadcasting House.

I can’t see that today’s affirmative action will be on the same level as the poll tax riots, but it ought to send a strong message to Mark Thompson and his cronies that 6 Music fans haven’t forgotten about their outrageous plans.

Adam Buxton will be there, and hopefully a few other ‘celebrity’ fans will join him. There’ll be live bands too, and even though I’m sure Thompson won’t be in his office, the protest – equally, a celebration of great music – will send a strong message to the BBC board.

I just hope they get the numbers. Sadly, limited funds preclude me from being there, but I’ve signed the petition (now 60,000 plus), emailed the BBC directly AND taken the time to complete the official consultation on the issue.

And I’ll be aiding the drive to get Half Man Half Biscuit to Number One.

That’s right… if you haven’t already heard, getting that band’s Joy Division Oven Gloves to Number One in the UK charts is the latest wheeze dreamt up by 6 Music listeners to demonstrate the strength of feeling against the planned closure of our favourite station.

Now I can’t profess to be the world’s greatest Half Man Half Biscuit fan, but the concept of the idea – get an obscure British band who you’d be unlikely to hear on any other station – is a sound one. Want to hear more? Then go to: http://www.joydivisionovengloves.co.uk.

The campaign starts officially on April 6 and the hope is that it will have the same impact as when a similar demographic pushed Rage Against the Machine to the top spot at Christmas.

That glorious moment in music history had it cynics – the idea of a Simon Cowell song being kept off the top was pleasing, but the (same) major label status of Rage sat uneasily for some.

It didn’t bother me.

The only concerns I have over this campaign is that a) it fails (HMHB have always been low profile and not getting them to the higher echelons of the charts could be counter productive) and b) that forcing Radio 1 to play a 6 Music song will homogenise the stations and justify the BBC’s decision.

Clearly, my second concern is of a facetious nature – but it would be a cruel irony, wouldn’t it?

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6 Music: The Battle Goes On

Filed under: Random Nonsense — Leave a comment
March 6, 2010

So it seems like the bloggers, the musos, the tweeps and the musicians could be winning their battle against the planned 6 Music closure after all

Narked of Musselburgh* may well win out against the under pressure but misguided BBC management after Trust chair Sir Michael Lyons stated that he would be open to a rethink.

Hurrah!

But it shouldn’t stop there.

If we’re to stop Mark Thompson’s heinous act of cultural vandalism, then there needs to be an unprecedented response to the formal public consultation.It needs to be measured, articulate and very clear. We will not tolerate the removal of a station that on Thursday peppered half an hour’s airtime with the National, Pixies, Kraftwerk, Bauhaus and Junior Murvin. Not all to my taste, but fantastically diverse and exciting music, a range of which cannot be found elsewhere.

Now let me be clear. I bear no ill will towards Mr Thompson. It is clear from every word he has uttered on this matter, either to camera, or in print, that he is utterly convinced of his motives.

But that doesn’t mean to say he’s right. I don’t know if he’s read the responses to his own blog (available to read here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/2010/03/putting-quality-first.shtml), I doubt it, but if he did, he’d detect an unbelievable strength of feeling toward maintaining 6 Music.

At the time of starting to write this a few days ago there were 349 comments, with some particularly insightful thoughts placed at 53.

I obviously haven’t had time to read all of them, but a quick skim through suggests that 99.9% are against the closure of 6 Music.

Does he care? Who knows. But if I were him I’d be sitting a little uncomfortably just now.

If the Trust rejects these proposals, then surely he ought to resign. It’s not his first mis-step (see Gaza appeal and Sachsgate) and speaking as a licence payer, and therefore technically his boss, I don’t have much confidence in him.

But this isn’t about one individual. This is about ensuring the most entertaining, original and diverse radio station in the UK remains open.

I’ve just spent the whole day listening to Liz Kershaw, Richard Bacon and Jon Holmes. Hugely entertaining and fabulous music. 

Respond to the consultation here: https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view

Sign the petition at www.love6music.com.

On Facebook and haven’t joined the Save 6 Music group? Do it.

On Twitter? Keep using the hashtag and add a twibbon.

We WILL save 6 Music.

*Okay, okay thousands and thousands of Facebookers, Tweeps, musicians, culture vultures and intelligent commentators might have helped me out on this one…

 

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6shooting (slight return)

Filed under: Random Nonsense — Leave a comment
March 1, 2010

So it seems I’m far from the only one ranting about BBC 6music’s potential closure.

Hardly unexpected, but I’m still delighted. 

It didn’t take long for the campaign site www.love6music.com and its associated petition to come into being.

It’s well put together and maturely written and, bless them, has even linked this site on its blogs page.

Last time I looked, the petition had more than 15,000 signatures – certainly a good start.

The Twitter hashtag #save6music is being used repeatedly. Chris Addison, Lauren Laverne, Phill Jupitus and Jon Holmes are among the BBC-associated ‘celebs’ lending their support to action on 6music, with Ms Laverne being a DJ on the station.

The smarter newspapers are generating plenty of copy on the issue and even Ed Vaizey seems to have lent his support to the campaign.

We should probably write off that final point as political opportunism, but this is all encouraging stuff.

So go sign the petition. On Twitter? Get the twibbon and use the hashtag. Write to your local MP. Complain to the BBC. Blog about it. Spray paint ‘Save 6music’ on your dog.

But if you remotely care about music in any way, shape or form, ferrgawdssake do something!!

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