It took 200 blog posts to reach REM. I think they were the sort of band that suffered a bit from over familiarity, like U2 or Coldplay. They were also, allegedly, quite middle of the road and mainstream, certainly in their mid to latter period. I don't know much about them to be fair but know they hit the mainstream big around the time of this album (their 8th released in 1992), and the predecessor Out Of Time (1991). Prior to that they were more indie in that '80s guitar mumble rock sort of way.
In an aside I once went trekking in Nepal on my "gap year" (1992) as you do, with a Canadian gentlemen called Ray. He had 3 cassettes in his rucksack (and some speakers which he'd hook up each night at a guesthouse on the trail). One was Jimmy Buffett, one was Neil Young's Harvest Moon, and the third was Automatic For The People. We all got very familiar with those three records after a fortnight of repeat plays.
Will REM receive a reassessment at Bamyasi HQ, rather like post OK Computer Radiohead did? It is unlikely. Despite being moved to dig out this album after seeing an impressive Glastonbury rerun (like I did with Radiohead actually) I haven't got any other of their CDs as far as I know (I used to have Monster, and Out Of Time on cassette but they are long gone) and despite the top tunes on Automatic For The People, which most likely represent their peak, I'm not moved to delve further. Good on them for retiring early whilst still relatively near the top.
Matthew E White - Fresh Blood
War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
Cocteau Twins - Treasure
Nick Cave - Abattoir Blues
REM - Automatic For The People The Comet Is Coming- Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Great Mystery
Abattoir Blues is a very powerful and most excellent Nick Cave album. It may actually be my favourite. I'll give the sister album The Lyre Of Orpheus a spin too next time.
I discovered Daft Punk through the animated film Interstellar 5555. The film tells the story of a band who are kidnapped by an evil dictator who wants to rule the world, or something. I'm not sure, but anyway, seeing this (or hearing this) in the cinema (with surround sound at earsplitting volume) was an invigorating experience. At the time I had no idea who did the music to the film, and little idea who Daft Punk were. It transpired that the whole film uses the Discovery album for its soundtrack.
Not surprisingly neither the album, or the DVD of the film, are quite as mind blowing as that first cinematic experience. The latter, with its bright colours, would certainly benefit from some pharmaceutical enhancement. The album is however still a great piece of work and stands perfectly alone without its associated film.
This week's blog features three artists across the broad folk/rock spectrum. We have the first sighting of the accomplished acoustic guitar troubadour Laura Marling, sandwiched between the traditional yet original folk song of the Unthanks sisters and Midlake's easy going yet dark brand of Americana.
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1. Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim
2. The Unthanks - Here's The Tender Coming
3. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
4. Midlake - The Courage of Others
5. The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
6. Robert Plant - Band of Joy
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With Thanks For The Unthanks
It is great to come across something very new and exceptional while researching and writing this blog. I was vaguely aware of The Unthanks via their stunning cover of Starless by King Crimson (both respectful of the original yet very different too). But hearing Here's The Tender Coming has taken my admiration to a whole new level.
It's this sort of music
The heavily accented folk singing took me a few plays to tune in to. On very first listen it sounds a bit twee and too much "finger in thy ear down the Irish pub" type stuff. But once I got it the power of the songs (mostly covers or trad. set to spare arrangements of strings, brass, and piano) quickly won me over.
Very strange to be reminded of King Crimson and Yes!
Strangely one of the bands they remind me of is actually Islands era King Crimson. Also equally strangely fellow proggers the Jon Anderson fronted Yes, and Efterklang and Philip Glass, plus more obviously a bit of early Fairport Convention too and the more edgy and discordant Incredible String Band. But overall it's the type of music that makes me think of pagan festivals and dancing around in animal masks in TheWicker Man.
.. and this sort of music
The title song refers to the name of the ship, "The Tender", coming to press gang men to sea:
Here's the tender coming, pressing all the men Oh dear hinny, what shall we do then? Here's the tender coming off at Shield's Bar Here's the tender coming full of men of war Hide thee canny hinny, hide thyself away Hide thee till the frigate makes for Druridge Bay If they take thee Geordie who's to win our bread? Me and little Jackie better off be dead
One of the best albums I've heard so far this year. The Unthanks will be making an appearance in the Best New Discovery section of my Year End Review when it comes around.
First Nu Folk From Laura
Purely coincidentally, in this week of suffragettes and women's rights celebrations, the delectable Unthanks singing is flanked by two other (mostly) female voices. First we have Laura Marling with her 2008 debut album Alas I Cannot Swim (I was surprised to learn this was her debut thinking she had been around a lot longer than ten years). She is no doubt a special talent with a nice voice and an original guitar technique employing interesting tunings.
This album is pretty good. Essentially just guitar and voice but some tracks are fleshed out with string arrangements and several more upbeat numbers employ a full band with bass and drums like the jaunty Cross Your Fingers. Occasionally she goes off into one of those "sing really fast and fit as many words into a breath as possible" type moments most annoyingly advocated by vocal gymnasts like Joni Mitchell.
Intriguing artwork from Laura Marling's debut album
There is a bit of the pagan tradition too in this music and some Alice in Wonderland like line drawings in the artwork but the imagery evoked by the music is not so vivid as that of the Unthanks. I think it's called nu-folk. Marling can be forgiven the close association with the very mainstream Mumford and Sons who appear in part on this album, but as folk music goes I actually find the traditional old-folk of Here's The Tender Coming much more appealing.
I've Now Heard Rumours
On the other side at slot 3 we have the first appearance in a CD player of mine of Rumours - the first Fleetwood Mac album with lead vocalist Stevie Nicks of course. I actually wrote a few months ago about having never heard this album before. Well now I have and it is pretty good. Of course I recognise at least half the songs but there are surprises on here too. It represents a well trodden path of light AOR* (what an awful term that is) but is an excellent example of such.
Stevie Nicks with Mick Fleetwood
The Courage To Go It Alone
Keeping up the standard (and character) of this most enjoyable week we have another excellent album from a band I've not heard before. Fronted not by a female voice, but the very gentle tones of Tim Smith, Midlake are an americana/folk rock band from Texas.
The vibe on The Courage of Others is again on the pagan side starting with the hooded figures on the cover (as was also the case on the striking cover of their debut album The Trials of Van Occupanther).
The music gently rocks along and the sound is excellent. They so remind me of another band or artist generally and through particularly tracks. I just can't quite nail who I'm thinking of. I've considered Fairport Convention, The Flaming Lips, Fleet Foxes, Wilco, Iron and Wine, and Bear's Den. Bring Down sounds just like a track off of Radiohead's OK Computer and Fortune is very Simon and Garfunkel. Or perhaps overall they remind me of John Grant which wouldn't be too surprising as they played on Grant's debut solo album The Queen of Denmark.
It's those laid back breathy harmonised vocals most of all - the vocalist does seem to give a band most of it's character and on listening to some of their other music including a KEXP session I figured they weren't sounding quite as good as on The Courage of Others. Further investigation revealed that lead vocalist and songwriter Tim Smith had left and under slightly mysterious circumstances.
Apparently a follow up to The Courage of Others had been recorded over a couple of years and was almost ready for release but did not come up to Smith's painstaking standards (he was only happy with one song). Smith decided to leave to pursue his own path and the remaining band scrapped the complete recording and rewrote and reproduced a completely new album in only six months.
Musically we didn't see things the same way... you can hear from their new album our tastes and sensibilities are quite different and always have been.
The new album became Antiphon and with guitarist Eric Pulido taking on lead vocals Midlake had become yet another band (after Genesis and Can who I have discussed recently) choosing not to replace their main vocalist:
Antiphon is the most honest representation of the band as a whole, as opposed to one person's vision that we were trying to facilitate.
You can sense some frustration and resentment in Pulido's words.
Antiphon - Midlake's third
What of Tim Smith's new project? Well not much so far. It seems something is restricting his output and it isn't clear whether this is perfectionism, personal issues, or plain old writer's block. The website for his new project Harp leaves this message -
I'll give another update when there's something more to say, but if you don't hear from me for a long time that only means I'm still at it. Thanks for understanding. Peace and Love, Tim
For me this fuels the mystery further and I'll certainly be intrigued with whatever he comes out with. It's displaying all the hallmarks of being a masterpiece!
"I've never been one to rush the process of making music."The enigmatic Tim Smith in his home studio.
Now imagine my surprise when clicking the facebook link on the Harpband website I am taken to a post showing Tim Smith in a Brighton pub last April! He was over here recording some music with a local band Hollow Hand who I've not heard of but will certainly be checking out. The intrigue deepens.
Charity Corner
I do love discovering new music and to think this rich seam of sonic gold from Midlake was mined from a punt on a £1.49 charity bin album. By the way to continue my log of the most common charity bin albums it is only fair to add these two perennial repeat offenders:
A #CheeseAlert apology to start. All Christmas music is tripe. This includes both the sickly pop songs we are battered with in all public places for at least two months before the big day (I'd be mightily relieved if I could be spared ever hearing The Fairytale of New York again, or anything by Slade or Wizard), and Christmas Carols with their piercing singing and questionable lyrics (give me some John Tavener choral songs any day). Is there any decent Christmas music out there? Please let me know! So apologies that I've had to have some topical fayre in the family player just for this week. Just for this week.
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1. Guildford Cathedral Choir - The Christmas Carol's Album
2. Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
3. John Grant - Queen of Denmark
4. War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
5. Various - Resident Sampler #10
6. The Felice Brothers - Tonight at the Arizona
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So on to the proper music:
Still loving Richard Hawley's Truelove's Gutter album. A true masterpiece of understated gorgeousness - probably his best album.
Four new albums this week courtesy of Santa (and Resident Music):
John Grant
Last May I was lucky enough to catch a surprise solo gig by John Grant at Brighton's intimate Sallis Benney Theatre as part of the 2017 Great Escape Festival. I knew about his lovely rich baritone voice but was unaware of his interesting piano playing with its skillful arpeggios and unexpected key changes.
Previously with alternative rock band The Czars, Queen of Denmark is his much vaunted solo debut. Most of the songs are fundamentally piano based but are fleshed out with orchestration or band. Several employ electronics (which become more prominent on his later albums) like the typically personal JC Hates Faggotts:
I've felt uncomfortable since the day that I was born
Since the day I glimpsed the black abyss in your eyes
There's no way you could make all of this shit up on your own
It could only come from the mastermind of lies
I can't believe that I've considered taking my own life
'Cause I believed the lies about me were the truth
It will be magic to watch your transformation when you realize that you've been had
It's enough to make a guy like me feel sad
'Cause you tell me that Jesus
He hates fruit loops, son
We told you that when you were young
Or pretty much anything you want him to
Like sitcoms, paedophiles and kangaroos
And you tell me that Jesus
He hates homos, son
We told you that when you were young
Or pretty much anything you want him to
Like Cocoa Puffs, red cars and Jews
Standouts include Marz and the moving title song:
The War on Drugs
An odd name for a band this. An odd name for a "war" too, as was the one on "terror". The original phrase was actually coined by Richard Nixon's government in the early 70s. I had assumed it was a much more recent thing.
Anyway the band The War on Drugs were formed in 2005 but this is only their fourth album. The format follows the basic 4 beat rock laid down so successfully in their tremendous Lost in the Dream outing (a great album for long car journeys). It's not too challenging - just good straight forward rock music done well.
Early listens to this new album, which features in many Best of 2017 lists, indicate some typically catchy riffs and extended guitar solos but don't immediately reveal any tracks quite as exciting as An Ocean in Between the Waves from Lost in the Dream but, as that one was, this will be a grower too. If you've got a good sound you don't have to change too much.
Neil Young, they say, only has one guitar solo, but it's a good one.
I really like the series of live sessions by Seattle radio station KEXP. The one below from War on Drugs showcases four tracks from the new album. I also recommend the previous session from the band when they were touring the Lost in the Dream album.
The Resident Sampler
This sampler CD from Brighton store, Resident Music, came free with the above purchase of the War on Drugs album.
These free sample CDs rarely stand up as independent standalone musical entities of course and this is no exception even though the varying styles are somewhat grouped and there is some logical sequencing, but they do serve to introduce new bands, which is the point after all.
Nearly all these bands are new to me. I only recognise one - No. 8, Broken Social Scene.
Tracks that have jumped out initially (and it has to be only an initial impression to encourage further investigation as there are a lot of tracks here and I haven't got all week!) are one or two electronic ones around the middle of the set. Actually let's be more generous and take my role more seriously with a quick run through of each:
1Zola Jesus - Exhumed
High ghostly girl vocals over a stirring string based riff which initially sounds like the CD is stuck. 2Alice Coltrane - Rama Rama A ghostly chant over more wavering string based electronics (some recalling Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine! at least to my ears, would you believe) with a sitar and tabla. Unusual. 3Big Thief - Shark Smile Pleasant Belle and Sebastian type pop. Not my favourite type of laid back/lazy singing. 4Girl Ray - Stupid Things 60s flavoured piano pop. Velvet Underground gone soft. 5Carmen Villain - Red Desert
What is this - Vienna? More breathy ghostly (dare I say laid back and lazy again) girl vocals? Come on guys. Whereas the over enunciation of news readers in the wake of the ridiculous Robert Peston annoys, the complete opposite by many singers these days, who barely move their lips, does the same (X-Factor anyone?). There is a fine line between being effortlessly great and effortlessly a bit rubbish. If you can sing like John Martyn slurring is fine but otherwise (call me old fashioned) I'd like to hear the words. Nice hook though.
6Ema - 7 Years Same again. Some of these tracks could indeed be the same band. This one, with it's flangey guitar, has that classic Cocteau Twins sound going for it.
7Broken Social Scene - Hug Of Thunder Girl singer trying too hard this time.
8Sinkane - Telephone Pappy pop again. 9Kelly Lee Owens - Lucid Come on guys. Where are you? Ditto. But wait, half way through the singing stops and the track changes into a nice gated synth groove. 10Grandbrothers - Bloodflow Here things get more interesting. This is an excellent piano/electronic instrumental which builds very gradually and then fades again, in the style of Hidden Orchestra. Will investigate this one further. 11Barr Brothers - Defibrillation This sort of music sounds a bit over produced to me with everything including the kitchen sink thrown in and there is so much of it about now. Similar to Phosphorescent / Sigur Ros. It's just occurred to me - ethereal, that's the word I've been looking for throughout this CD.
An ethereal singer
12Gulp - Search For Your Love This is fun. I like the underlying riff and foot tapping percussion. Sounds a bit like a more poppy Portishead. 13Physics House Band - Calypso Not sure what this is. It sounds like heavy rock jazz prog electronica. I can hear a 100 bands in this but it's consequently a bit all over the place. I have to turn this CD off at this point if my wife walks into the room.
14Blanck Mass -The Rat This continues from the previous track. Heavy electronic dance music. The only thing I can think of in my collection that this reminds me of is Death in Vegas. 15Lower Slaughter - Bone Meal Punk. Girl shouter. Riff. 16Moon Duo - Creepin'
A little more focussed heavy pop Ramones style.
17Acid - Acid
The heavy theme continues with a bass riff themed track with a very heavy metal style singer who reminds me of Rainbow, Whitesnake or The Darkness. In contrast to the very smooth orchestrated pop tracks above this one actually sounds very under produced.
Ok, thanks Resident. That's probably enough of all that for now. Initial impressions are confirmed with favourite track no. 10 and honourable mentions for nos. 2 and 12, with not a lot else to follow up with urgency. So putting my links where my mouth is let's see who Grandbrothers are >>
The Felice Brothers
Much of the above CD may be described as ethereal. The Felice Brothers' lose the ethe and can be described as just plain real.
As regular readers will know I really rate this band of brothers mostly on account of exciting live performances I've seen on Youtube. Unfortunately I've yet to catch them live myself; a UK tour last year was cancelled on account of leader Ian Felice's health. Since then however he has managed to release a solo album and has made some limited UK appearances to promote it, so I guess he is ok for now. But will we see the full Felice Brothers band in the UK again soon, and will they still be at the peak of their powers as demonstrated by the songs on their raw, ramshackle and invigorating 2016 album Life in the Dark? I hope the moment hasn't passed.
Hailing from the romantically sounding Catskills Mountains region of upstate New York (it sounds romantic but is probably pretty grim) The Felice Brothers channel The Band and Bob Dylan. The Woodstock Festival was held just down the road and The Band's famous Big Pink House, where they wrote much of Music From Big Pink and recorded Dylan's Basement Tapes, was located in Saugerties on the Hudson River. Dylan was a famous resident of the area in the 60s but grew tired when it became overcrowded with “dropouts, druggies, moochers and goons". Van Morrison was a near neighbour but apparently never met Dylan much to his disappointment. This did not stop him celebrating his new found domestic rural bliss with "Brown Eyed Girl" wife Janet Planet on his Tupelo Honey album. Of course it wasn't all that and they separated in 1973:
I had this album cover years ago, Tupelo Honey, where there was a horse in it. So the myth then was that I was living on a ranch and had horses on that ranch. I didn't have a ranch; I didn't have a horse. I don't have a farm, and I never will. I mean, this is all part of the f**king mythology.
Three iconic albums synonymous with Woodstock
Fast forward nearly 40 years to Tonight at the Arizona and the cover of the Felice Brothers' second proper album finds them walking across the Catskills in the snow dressed as The Band.
The Felice Brothers in full Band garb
This is mostly acoustic and closer to another solo Ian Felice album than some of their more recent full band outings. I bought it on the strength of the first two tracks: Roll on Arte, and The Ballad of Lou the Welterweight. Two of the Felice's greatest ever songs. The first is heartbreaking...
...the second starts with one of the best opening lines ever:
Powder your nose, pull off your pantyhose Let me love you from behind, my Darling
Barnstorming live favourite T for Texas is also in the collection.
Perhaps I was too hasty condemning all Christmas music - I've only just noticed there is a track entitled Christmas Song on this album! And, of course... it's good.
I've been playing quite alot of reggae and reggae/dub recently. This culminated in seeing the reggae covers band Easy Star All Stars a couple of weeks ago - a band that plays covers of Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, Beatles and Radiohead - check out their cover of Paranoid Android for something completely different.
The Trojan set contains a wealth of music I'm not familiar with like The Upsetters, King Tubby, Gregory Isaacs and Tommy McCook. I don't know if these versions are extra "dubbed" up or are originals (I expect the latter). I've also just got back from a mini-road trip in France where my fellow travellers were playing a lot of reggae and dub on the blue tooth.
1. Various - Trojan Dub 3 CD Box Set - CD no. 2
2. Bob Marley - Catch a Fire
3. The Doobie Brothers - The Captain and Me
4. Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street
5. War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
6. Afro Celt Sound System - Anatomic (vol. 5)
Of course Bob Marley is much more common, but maybe not this album so much. Although considered a classic, or even his best by many, this album came earlier (1973) than the more famous hits. But more the better for it - it's much more rock than I was expecting, with guitars and organ, but with that easy groove. And what a fantastic cover with the extra thick spliff. Way to go Bob. My kids saw his son recently at a festival.
Bob Marley rolls up on Catch a Fire
Thank you to facebook junky Arthur P for The Doobie Brothers recommendation. Named as one of his two most favourite albums ever I had to hear it. It's right up my street, but I don't know if it will prove a stayer. Stand out track to date is Long Train Runnin'. Intiguing cover too. Another similar (I imagine) band we were playing a lot of in France was The Allman Brothers. I had no idea their tune Jessica was the theme tune to Top Gear. I like discovering trivia like that.
Anyway back to this list and the lovely Kings of Convenience. This was also inspired by something I was playing on my Ipod on the plane over - The Whitest Boy Alive. I think both bands have interchangable members, and they certainly sound very similar. The Kings project are more acoustic and with their vocal harmonies sound alot like Simon and Garfunkel. There is a beautiful track near the end where they are joined by a female vocalist. I think they are from Scandinavia somewhere, possibly Norway. Speaking of Scandinavia I am off to see Swedish band Goat next week, that should be interesting.
The War on Drugs record is one of the best rock albums of recent years - it was my Record of the Week in another post. It's been a go to album for a couple of years now.
I'm also seeing Afro Celts sometime soon. Can't remember this album at all - they are all very similar and indistinguishable in my experience so far. Time to familarise myself in the run up to the gig.
This week's selection is a marvellous traditional rock album by oddly named band War on Drugs. On first listen the Lost in the Dream album seems rather primitive with basic one-two-one-two drum beats, flangey guitar, Neil Young solos, and Dylanesque vocals. But it's a tremendous grower jam packed with catchy tunes and won Album of the Year at our local Resident Records in Brighton for 2014. Check out the powerful An Ocean In Between The Waves, from the excellent KEXP live sessions series below:
