Trouble Books – Gathered Tones

Trouble Books - Gathered Tones

There is undoubtedly something magical about a great lost album. Even when you discount the dirty pleasure of indie snobbery, there is still something warming about a really special piece of music which you share with a small number of similarly enlightened souls. Ohio band Trouble Books’ last effort, The United Colors of Trouble Books was a thing of almost impossible beauty which fell squarely into that category, missed as it was by many. Given the delicate, unhurried nature of their sound, it is perhaps fitting that the acclaim for the band is starting to swell ever so gradually, including a recent spot in The Guardian’s New Band of the Day column, meaning their fanbase is starting very slowly to expand. … Continue Reading

Midlake – The Courage Of Others

Midlake - The Courage Of Others

In the three and a half years since the release of what eventually proved to be their breakthrough record, The Trials of Van Occupanther, Midlake have seen the musical landscape shift in a manner which is unquestionably favourable to them. The sort of beardy, woodsy Americana they specialise in has swelled to a wider popularity with the successes of the likes of Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear and Bon Iver. It could reasonably be argued that the slow-burning success of Van Occupanther paved the way for these artists to reach mass acclaim. This has made The Courage of Others a much-anticipated album, all the more when you consider the lengthy wait we have endured for its arrival.

And really, there’s no doubt that it has been worth the tantalising wait. What they have delivered to us is a quite different record from Van Occupanther, but one which is ultimately an even more enriching and rewarding listen. It might be less immediately obvious than its predecessor (which in itself is hardly an instant hookfest), but the more it slowly seeps into your consciousness, the more spellbinding it is. … Continue Reading

The Tailors – Come Dig Me Up

The Tailors - Come Dig Me Up

As the years glide by, trends come and go in music. As the artform which is most easily misused as a fashion statement only to be quietly discarded when the tide of public opinion changes, this is of course inevitable. Increasingly (and equally inevitably) bands will eschew the choppy seas of ‘the scene’ in favour of that gently drifting stream which ultimately doesn’t really lead anywhere but which is blissfully unaffected by trendy crosswinds. This waterway is often navigated by the sort of bands who make simple, unassuming pop music.

There are the likes of Left With Pictures, who are devastatingly adept with a simple melody. Then there are the sort of interchangeable and pointless scumbags who smash the bland-o-meter and thus invariably end up on Radio One six times a day. And then you have the likes of The Tailors who sit right in the middle of middle-of-the-road. This is a term which is often used as an insult, but in this context an insult is not what I mean. Equally though, on approaching Come Dig Me Up, their second album, it is important to go in with your eyes open. What you will get will be a pleasant and often pretty half an hour of music, but it is unlikely that it will ever be a particularly rewarding experience.

The album takes its cue from American alt-Country records, as it bobs along gently on arrangements lead by delicately strummed acoustic chords and piano. Singer Adam Killip’s care-worn voice sits perfectly with its backing, but at the risk of promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, I can’t help but think that it would benefit from a slug of whisky and a few fags to make it sound a bit more lived in, and give things that all-important bit of edge. ‘Impossible Wonder’, for example, is a well-constructed ballad which, like the rest of the album, can’t be faulted for competency, but would be all the better for being a little more scuffed up.

Notwithstanding the faults of Come Dig Me Up, it isn’t without its high-points. The slightly insipid opening track ‘Pictures of Her’ is washed away by ‘Bow Road’ and its jaunty, carefree refrain. There is also penultimate track ‘Crocodiles’ which appears to tell the tale of being disembowelled by the titular animals. The song is carried by a delicate melody which is at odds with the gruesome (although admittedly probably metaphorical) imagery.

‘Crocodiles’ segues into ‘Flying Blues’ which is an oddly jarring way to end the album. The band bare their teeth for the first time with crashing drums and power chords, which would be a welcome slice of diversity but for the fact that it all comes across very disjointed. The little quiet bits in the middle before the guitars kick in sound like they belong in a different song. It’s a strange way to finish off the record, and doesn’t really reflect what The Tailors are as a band. If you hadn’t been paying attention for the 28 or so minutes that precede it (sadly something which is not entirely impossible to imagine), and just dipped in at the end, I suspect you’d be left feeling pretty disoriented.

Ultimately, The Tailors are quite obviously good musicians. They clearly know how to write what most people would term a good song. They just need to consider the fact that this alone will not make them a good band. There’s potential here, but they need to shake off some of their niceness if they want to be truly memorable.

Los Campesinos – Romance Is Boring: Track by track

In the two years since their debut, Los Campesinos! have come to embody all that is good about British guitar bands. This means that the arrival of their third (yes, the last one does count) long player in February is a big deal. But does Romance is Boring live up to expectations? Well, let’s have a listen, posting knee-jerk track by track reactions as we go, shall we? … Continue Reading

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Newcastle Academy

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

December 3rd 2009

When you’re an indie luddite like me, it becomes a bit of a rarity to attend a gig which involves you running the gauntlet of vultures touting ill-gotten tickets outside the venue. Tonight’s appearance by Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Newcastle Academy is such an occasion, where the presence of a parade of scum-sucking touts serves as a reminder of the scale we’re dealing with here. The band have grown out of their days as NME hype victims into a permanent fixture in the indie big league. And rightly so, given the consistently high standard of their three full-length records.

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The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Newcastle Academy 2

TPOBPAH

December 2nd 2009

It’s been a hell of a year for New Yorkers The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. They’ve triumphantly ridden a wave of blog-driven hype for the whole of 2009, picking up a legion of plaudits for their effortlessly wonderful debut album which has culminated in a top 10 place in our very own albums of the year poll. I had them far higher than 8th in my own personal list, but hey, such is democracy…

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Matthew Friedberger – Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School

Winter Women / Holy Ghost Language School was originally recorded and released back in 2006 by Matthew Friedberger. However, due to all manner of troublesome distribution issues, a mere trickle of copies found their way to these shores. So, three years later, it gets a full release complete with shiny new packaging and four new bonus tracks.

Throughout his time working with his sister Eleanor as The Fiery Furnaces, one of the most wonderfully batshit bands we have, Friedberger has never shied away from musical excess. Therefore, nobody could honestly claim to be surprised to learn that his debut solo effort is a sprawling 33 track double album, which can be broken down into two (slightly) more bite-size individual records Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School.

Winter Women bounces along merrily on chirpy piano and bubbly drums as Friedberger embraces his pop sensibilities more fully than he ever really has before. The blissful feeling of a carefree summer’s afternoon hangs around the record, particularly in the wide-eyed simplicity of ‘Theme From Never Going Home Again’. It’s the sound of a man comfortable in his own skin, issuing a timely reminder that he still knows his way around a melody. … Continue Reading

Talons – Songs For Babes

Talons

Have you ever wondered what the best record you’ve never heard is? Well, you might as well save your brain the work, because it‘s probably The United Colors of Trouble Books by Trouble Books. It’s a feast of gentle ambience which will bathe your brain in a soothing, delicate fuzz.

One of the main protagonists of Trouble Books is Mike Tolan, who, not content with recording beautiful music under one moniker, also issues solo(ish) records as Talons.

Under this name, Tolan has released a number of home recorded CD-Rs, and we now see his first full release, Songs for Babes. It’s a concept record of sorts, with each song apparently named after a different woman. But don’t worry, it sounds nothing like Kelly Jones. With most songs featuring just Tolan, his guitar and miscellaneous background chirruping (of which more later), it’s not a million miles away from his work with Trouble Books.

On Songs for Babes, he certainly manages to capture the same sense of warmth that made The United Colors… so captivating. As the songs are crafted from such minimalist elements, there is a fragility about them which is almost uncomfortable at times. ‘Erin’, for example, is a short but devastatingly beautiful song which juxtaposes the mundanities of day-to-day life with crushing, world changing horror with particularly affecting results: “It’s kinda like the feeling you get when you’re peeling the flag magnet off your car/Oh, when I think of 9/11, I wish I would’ve followed you home”.

There are so many moments on this record which show Talons’ impressive command of the nuances of song construction. Coming from him, the gentlest lilt of the voice or trickle of melody can have a massive impact. The acapella ending to ‘Taz’ and gossamer-thin delivery of ‘Angela’ are just two examples from an endless list of possibilities.

The emotional pull doesn’t just come from the words, or Tolan’s fragile, careworn voice, but also from what lies under the surface of the songs. What lifts Talons above the clichéd hell that apparently automatically dictates ‘man + guitar = emotion’ is the gently bubbling ambient undercurrent. Weird, noodling effects combine with everyday background noises like police sirens, seagulls and chattering friends to create an incredibly intimate feel, as though Tolan is singing to you and nobody else.

‘Songs for Babes’ is an album to wrap around yourself while the wind and rain batter your windows. It is further proof of Mike Tolan’s peerless ability to create spacious beauty, seemingly without any effort at all. He is one of music’s best kept secrets. For now.

Styles Make Fights, Newcastle Cluny 2

Styles Make Fights

November 4th 2009

Barely two weeks ago, we extolled the virtues of The Cluny. Well, Newcastle’s greatest gig spot recently said a commendable ‘fuck you’ to the recession and commandeered the former theatre next door, turning it into a mini-Cluny, called, of course, Cluny 2. The place is imbued with as much character as its big brother, and is a fitting addition to the family.

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Dananananaykroyd, Newcastle The Cluny

Dananananaykroyd

October 21st 2009

It faces increasing competition from corporate monsters, state of the art music halls and University dives, but really there will never be a better place to see a band in Newcastle than The Cluny. Not content with just being a lovely pub, it is also the most character-filled gig venue for miles around. Alas, without the right bands to turn a small empty room into a shindig, all this would count for nothing. For the opening night of Dananananaykroyd’s Hugtober tour, the right band and the right venue coalesce in glorious and electric fashion.

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