Our next gig is announced: Bodebrixen, The Grave Architects and Our Lost Infantry to play The Lexington on January 31st

Bodebrixen

How much good news can a person take in just a few small hours? Might as well push the boundaries a little bit, or at least that’s our outlook. We’ve got Bodebrixen, The Grave Architects and Our Lost Infantry on the bill for this night and you’d be a mega-idiot to miss it.

It’s happening at The Lexington on Sunday January 31st, and tickets are available from this link: The Lexington on Sunday January 31st, and tickets are available from this link: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/68997 … Continue Reading

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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Allo, Darlin’ – The Polaroid Song

'Allo Darlin'

There’s a special place in every girl’s heart for twee pop. The Cardigans doing ‘Carnival’, Belle and Sebastian doing, well, any of their songs – it’s enough to make any red-blooded chick wear Hello Kitty slides in their fringe, get a uke and wear their boyfriend’s ratty brown cardigan.

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The Lovely Eggs, The School, MJ Hibbett set to play London’s Buffalo Bar on October 30

Pic 'n' Mixx

Confession, confession: this night is something of a Muso’s Guide offshoot. But hey ho, what better excuse than that to shout about it and tell you a little bit more?

Pic ‘n’ Mixx is launching at the Buffalo Bar on Upper Street, London (nearest tube: Highbury and Islington) on Friday 30 October at 8pm. There’re five bands playing and there’s DJing after all that’s done ’til 4am. There’ll be stuff like Heavenly, Pavement, The Smiths, Los Campesinos! to keep you on your toes.

And what’s more, you can win CDs made by Frightened Rabbit, Internet Forever, Lucky Soul, Amelia Fletcher, The Clientele, Pocketbooks, Xfm’s John Kennedy, Everett True, Luis from Elefant Records and a selection of other taste-making know-it-alls if you contribute one of your own on the way in. … Continue Reading

Girls, Leeds Cockpit

Girls

October 15th 2009

Tonight’s opening act Swanton Bombs are a highly impressive two piece who, in an alternate reality, would be enjoying the success of fun-but-essentially-talentless acts like Wavves. The room may have been pretty desolate so early in the evening, but the Bombs remained engaging with the perfect blend of ferocious drums, impressively proficient guitar chops and big vocal hooks. Song structures were interesting and the two band members had enough technical musical ability to enable themselves to rock out harder than lots of bands with fuller instrumentation. The riffs and beats pounded hard right up until the final song (presumably entitled ‘Get Your Tanks Off My Lawn’) which took an impressive and welcome slide to the almost soulful allowing the band to flex its impressive musical muscle a little more.

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Indietracks, Midland Railway – Saturday

Camera Obscura necklace, by Tatty Devine

Oh, Indietracks; if I was in my own indiepop band I’d write a song about how lovely you are. It’d be written in the form of a love letter, sealed with a red lipstick kiss and attached to a packet of lovehearts wrapped up in ’50s wallpaper. I don’t want to be in the modern world anymore, it’s not lovely enough.

Little My, the first band on our schedule, are a chaotically twee delight. There’s as many of them on the stage as’ll fit, and they’re playing wooden spoons against barriers and all sorts. They’re all dressed in at least animal-ears, be in the form of a bear suit, rabbit ears or some sort of furry mask. Never in fact have a band more accurately described themselves than Little My: “like walking in on a primary school music lesson”.

The next find in the series of endless loveliness is Sucrette, all the way from Japan. The so-cute-you-want-to-put-her-in-your-pocket (in a non-creepy way) singer is brilliant, her vocals softer than um, MJ Hibbett’s heart. It’s like the soundtrack to Eurotrash if it was presented by Lawrence circa Go-Kart Mozart rather than Antoine de Caunes. Absolutely lovely.

Corkian joy is found in The Frank and Walters‘ set. Last.fm says they were supported by Radiohead in Glasgow in 1991 – blimey. In 1992, it was Suede. Some history, and it’s a good job that their songs are made of the most beautiful, erudite, emotional pop heard all weekend. Given this writer was only five-years-old back then, it’s now time catch up.

Camera Obscura over on the main stage are delightful; Tracyanne Campbell even cracks a smile – and gosh, it seems like she’s been through it lately. My Maudlin Career isn’t exactly the cheeriest album, but it’s made of a warm heart here in the open air. ‘Hey Lloyd…’ is storming, Carey Lander’s opening organ line a fanfare to the eyes. The peak is the expected set-closer ‘Razzle Dazzle Rose’, the tremolos at the end showing just how beautiful (seriously, how many synonymns for ‘beautiful’ can be found before the end of this review?) an arrangement the song is. Nearly tear-jerking, actually – or maybe that’s the cider talking.

Now, Emmy The Great – Emma Lee-Moss plays a superb set, the unhinged cracks andbetween-song banter disarmingly honest. It’s something new in this era of re-hash and rehearsal, for sure. All the same, she does herself no favours by coming across as such a dismissive character. The set itself is brilliant, ‘First Love’ sounding even easier and sharper than on the record. ‘Abstentee’ and ‘We Almost Had A Baby’ are yet more effortless (yes, more!), the parts dashed and thrown together for fun into something so… well could it be called anti-precise? Is this turn of phrase as irksome as the previous criticism? Only if you consider that she’s anything other than the female stage persona of a younger Adam Green. … Continue Reading

Slow Club – Yeah, So

Slow Club

So yeah; Yeah, So is the hotly anticipated debut from Sheffield based duo Slow Club. Having previously whetted our appetites with a couple of upbeat singles and an EP, those of you who’ve experienced snippets of this band will be pleased to finally have an accomplished album from the pair.

We’ll start at the beginning, with the opening track ‘When I Go’. Sounding uncannily like the kind of song that appears on adverts for popular brands of cheese biscuits, it comes as no surprise to learn that it was recently used to promote a popular brand of cheese biscuit in Canada. Anyways, enough with the trivialities. The lyrics concern that old adage that goes something like, “If we’re not married by the time we’re 30…”. It’s a gentle opener: folky, delicate and appealing. It sets an alluring tone for the remainder of the album.

Next up is ‘Giving Up On Love’. This one finds SC in upbeat musical territory, despite the sombre lyrical message. It’s rolling and quickly builds to a superb, albeit brief chorus. It’s one of a few tracks that demonstrate SC’s ability to hook us in with catchy harmonies.

The album follows a pattern much like that of a Friday night/Saturday night/Sunday morning formula. Rambunctious, drunken sing-alongs are followed by sobering and lugubrious-yet-sweet dirges that gently sway. Despite their PR bumpf extolling the upbeat melodies of Soft Club, it’s often the more melancholy tracks that stand out. Songs such as, ‘I Was Unconscious, It Was A Dream’ and ‘There Is No Good Way To Say I’m Leaving You’, highlight SC’s ability to write poignant and meaningful songs. The aptly titled, ‘Sorry About the Doom’ follows this blueprint, and stands out as a haunting, sobering lullaby in which Rebecca’s vocals shine. ‘Apples and Pears’ is lazy, but not in a bad way. Building then relaxing again into a dreamy reverie, much like curling up in bed on a lackadaisical Sunday morning.

The vocals largely consist of the pair harmonizing; occasionally one of the two takes sole vocal duties, and with promising results. The sparse production lends itself well to their harmonies and amusing lyrical nuances. The simplicity with which the songs glow allow the listener to concentrate on what’s being said, and the songs remain arresting.

The album continues to tread neatly between sugary pop and reflective ditties. Quite often it may appear unfocussed, muddled even, unable to decide upon its mood. However, it’s not all sobering and many of the tracks provide an uplifting listen. ‘Trophy Room’ is optimistic, finding the pair occasionally yelping in delight, talking about escaping to a life in the sun, maybe Rio de Janeiro.

This young optimism is frequently reflected in songs such as ‘Because We’re Dead’ and ‘Come on Youth’. Many, if not most of their songs deal in some way with lost/potential love, but never step over that annoyingly angsty line. The album contains enough of a jumble of music to remain fresh, quirky and youthful enough to stay compelling.

So, yeah. A definite soundtrack for the summer and a band we’ll be keeping tabs on.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, London Cargo

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

June 10th 2009

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Cryptacize, London Union Chapel

Cryptacize's Nedelle Torrisi

May 28, 2009

Preceding a sublime Final Fantasy set is Asthmatic Kitty’s Cryptacize, all the way from lovely Oakland. Featuring ex-Deerhoof guitarist Chris Cohen and the wistful, rueful vocals of Nedelle Torrisi, their songs somehow strike an awkward balance between too much and not enough.

The extremely comprehensive set evokes Camera Obscura circa Underacheivers Please Try Harder (particularly ‘New Spell’ – grammer-lover’s- dream), Beirut’s Balkan folk through soft focus and the rhythms of American vaudeville. So to go back to that earlier point, it’s strange that it should feel any part of ‘not enough’ – to expand on the point a little further, the problem lies with the way every component is conveyed with such a sense of sparseness, making it ever-difficult to engage with the variety.

Song structures veer between comfortable and predictable even though the rhythms and misnomer of an upbeat are far from easy; the performance just feels a tad tentative. Yet while maintaining this sense of perhaps deliberate restraint, parts also feel indulgent.

Cohen’s detuned guitar is mythical, almost, and Torrisi’s electronic interludes are disorientating, but the ordering of the set needs context or to be sped up.  ‘Blue Tears’ is opened with a wonderful syncopated collaborative effort, which then eases off into something too consciously psychedelic; ‘Mythomania’ is delightful but feels like a half-baked effort at showcasing Torrisi’s vocals; ‘One Block Wonders’ is strikingly stark but lacks the drive to fully carry it off. And the staticness of the bassist and drummer simply adds to this confusing dichotomy. … Continue Reading

Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Leeds Cockpit

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

May 21, 2009

Earlier this week, a review appeared on this site for the London show of this stint of dates that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are playing in the UK. The write up was quite gushing; describing the gig as “fucking brilliant” with the crowd singing along in “almost tangible unity” [Ed - and it really was]. It just goes to show how wildly perceptions can differ between shows just a few days apart. A remarkably well attended crowd fill the Leeds Cockpit tonight but POBPAH put on a show that is merely likeable and comfortably received rather than expletive invoking.

When you think of how POBPAH have been setting the internet on fire over the past few months with their twee and adorable debut album, it seems odd that they choose to open their set with a little known non-album track. It’s a move that scuppers their own momentum from the off and is never clawed back throughout the duration of the set. Each song is met with polite clapping and subdued cheers and, even though the crowd are clearly pre-established Pains fans, the band fail to stir up much of a sense of occasion or excitement. Despite the fact that the band are appreciated enough to provoke an encore, the whole affair has a definite feel of restraint to it. … Continue Reading