“It is with heavy hearts that we tell you all that Aereogramme have decided to split up. Reasons are multiple and complex. It is however fair to say that the never ending financial struggle coupled with an almost superhuman ability to dodge the zeitgeist have taken their toll, ensuring that we just don’t have any fight left in us.

We are immensely proud of the four albums that we made over the past seven years. We hope that they continue to grow in your hearts. We plan to honour and celebrate the beautiful friendships we have made along the way with these final shows over the summer.

MAY
30th Aberdeen Musichall*
31st Edinburgh Potterrow*

JUNE
1st Glasgow Barrowlands*
16th Glasgow QMU
23rd Hurricane Festival. Scheesel, Germany
24th Southside Festival. Neuhausen, Germany

JULY
27th Omas Teich Festival. Grossefehn, Germany

AUGUST
31st Connect Festival. Inverary, Scotland.

*Main support to Biffy Clyro

We would like you all to consider our headline show at the QMU in Glasgow to be our farewell UK show and to view The Connect Festival in Inverary as a damn fine opportunity for everyone to see The Jesus And Marychain.

The Omas Teich festival is ironically our first festival headline slot. We would love to say goodbye to as many of our German friends as possible here. Flowers will be graciously accepted at all performances.

Finally we want to thank you all for listening to our music and coming to our shows over the years. You have given us a glimpse of something truly special.

Aereogramme. x.”

Well, it’s not like I didn’t see this coming at all. Having been following the band through most of their career arc, I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen them live many, many times in many different venues and cities and countries. Every album has seen a progression for the better and I know the music has affected a lot of people. But sometimes that’s not enough to fund a business that pays any bills, let alone the bills.

So I’ll travel back for the Glasgow show. I’d already considered doing so, as I was longing to see the band one more time in front of the home audience–it really is a world away from the audiences I stand amongst in Holland, and normally for the better. There’s not much chance of me heading to any festivals, and I’m not sure that’s the way I’d like to see the band anyway. A good show in Glasgow in suffice.

Anyway, since it finally forced my hand to get back to posting on the site, I figured I better include some token music. And since this is what the band is doing this summer, here it is…

mp3: Aereogramme - Dissolve

So it’s been quiet here lately. There was work–lots of it, every single day for ages and ages. Then there was holidaying and taking in gigs in numerous countries. Then there was the brutal flu. And then more work.

Throughout it all, Andrew Bird has been a helpful factor. Maybe sometime I’ll write about his recent show in Brussels, or blackmail Dermot into doing so. And hopefully sometime I can write about Armchair Apocrypha, his new album, which I adore more than I ever thought I would/could.

So I’m rather excited about him returning to NL in May, possibly Dosh-less, though this doesn’t seem to have been fully established yet:

22/05/07 : Rotown - Rotterdam (NL)
23/05/07 : Tivoli (De Helling) - Utrecht (NL)
24/05/07 : Paradiso - Amsterdam (NL)

mp3: Exits

website: http://www.aereogramme.co.uk

So tonight is the night.  I haven’t had an Aereogramme show since July 2005, and even that was only a brief support slot. Plus tonight is my first taste of new Aereogramme: less screamy, an extra computer manipulator, and a lot more percussive, so I hear.

Just in case you’re clueless as to who or what the band are (even though I go on about them all the time), this is what I knocked out for the newspaper last week:

“There seems to be a growing notion that this dynamic Scottish rock quartet have undergone a change of direction in recent times. It may be true to an extent. While the band have traditionally attracted followers from the heavy music scene, and have enjoyed links to metal titans like Isis–last autumn saw the release of a collaborative mini-album as part of local distributor Konkurrent’s long-running In the Fishtank series–their brand new album My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go does away with much of the loud guitars and guttural screams, replacing them with layers of strings, piano and poignant lyrics. The flipside of the coin is that these elements were always a major part of Aereogramme’s make-up, only the moments of raw intimacy were always countered by furious eruptions of noise. With much of that direct aggression removed, the metal fans are left scratching their heads. For the rest of us still bewitched by their cinematic efforts–the album title is taken from The Exorcist novel, while many tracks take inspiration from celluloid moments–this is surely the out-of-town gig of the week.”

So I’ve stuck an mp3 online in tribute. Titled ‘Exits’, it’s one of the softest tracks on the album but it’s really nice. There were a couple of other tracks I immediately considered, but they were a tad too epic, and the band aren’t as progressive about sharing music online as I am, so I’d have felt a little guilty using the album’s cornerstone tracks on a blog. Still, ‘Exits’ is lovely and gives a good taster for where the band are at these days. And if you like it, there’s even better stuff on the album.

Oh, and despite my killer schedule lately, I managed to revamp their official site recently - nothing fancy, but it represents their new album artwork pretty well. So feel free to click on the link at the top and check it out. There aren’t many websites that let you kill off band members by clicking on their picture, but I think it’s a growing market. Course, I did all this after the band went out on tour, so they probably haven’t even remembered that they have an official website. There goes my chances of picking up all the free swag. Bah.

Buy.

I have this recurring idea that 2007 can only lead to musical disappointment for me because the expectations are so high. January brings a new Kristin Hersh album, February brings Aereogramme, then March brings Andrew Bird. And to make matters more exciting, all of them are touring within the next two or three months. But in the back of my mind, I’ve also been aware that a new Neil Finn album has been scheduled for March, and while I’ve remained sceptical of it actually being released then–I continued to worry he’d scrap it all and go re-record it–it stands a chance.

The thing with the Neil Finn album, however, is that I’m desperate for him to take some chances. I want something more edgy and artistically challenging, and at this moment, I’ve no idea what to expect. But he did record the bulk of the record at Real World Studios in England with Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Ray Lamontagne), so there remains a tiny chance that it won’t be entirely sugar coated.

But this solo album has also been recorded with ex-Crowded House member Nick Seymour, and throughout the collaboration in 2006, a number of media stories broke claiming it was the beginning of a Crowded House reformation–something rubbished by the majority of fans, and put down to the media jumping to conclusions. But were they? Maybe it was excited leaks from record label personnel more than just fiction.

The point is, a Crowded House reformation is on. It was certainly an unexpected thing to wake up to this morning, but the Australian press are carrying the story, with confirmation from Peter Green–the fans’ closest connection with the band. So yes, Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and (the wonderful) Mark Hart will be touring together (seemingly) as Crowded House in 2007.

There are still many unanswered questions at this stage. Is the solo album due in March still regarded as a solo album? Will it be toured first as a separate entity? Who will play drums?

It’s an unexpected decision, because of all the things Neil Finn can do, reforming Crowded House doesn’t have to be one of them. Especially after drummer Paul Hester committed suicide back in 2005. Which itself is something that will divide fans, because many will claim the band can’t and shouldn’t exist without Hester. I’d have to disagree, purely for the fact the two occasions I saw Crowded House live were after Hester had originally left the band, yet both shows were magnificent and life changing for little old 16-year-old me.

Of course, the chances of any new reincarnation of Crowded House moving me like they did then are slim. But there’s a magical chemistry about those guys on stage, and as much as I loved their songs as songs, it was the live experience which raised them to another level altogether–the simple reason that I still have hoards of bootleg CDs taking up entire racks in the shelving behind me.

Anyway, it’s looking like I’ll get to relive some old times in 2007, as well as soaking up the more ground breaking material from a selection of my favourite artists. I’m not quite excited about the Crowded House aspect just yet, mainly because I’m waiting to see how it unravels, but it does add an unexpected twist to my musical year.

mp3: Nightmares

website: http://www.aereogramme.co.uk (designed and ruined by me, until Chemikal Underground bother to make them a real site. well I’ve gotta promote it. it’s not like I’m getting the lifetime supply of free t-shirts or DS games I was promised)

Yes, my third Aereogramme post in recent times, but this one comes with actual music.

I was actually going to write it last night, but it’s just as well I didn’t, as the song (hosted by Pitchdork) got pulled today at the request of Chemikal Underground. Yesterday it was ‘Barriers’, which is due to be released as a 7″ single in January, so they weren’t so keen on it being up for free. I don’t think I’ve heard the finished version of ‘Barriers’ yet–and I can’t remember if I have an older acoustic version–but I do know the initial comments were a tad sarky/uncalled for: ‘it seems Aereogramme are headed into dangerous Coldplay/Snow Patrol waters. It’s a sprawling legato, lushly orchestrated and romantic, without a hint of menace.’ Anyway, I’m really too old to feel bothered by anything I read on a webzine.

On the whole I’m grateful that Pitchdork are taking the time to host an exclusive mp3 of a band I love. And getting back to the point, the song available today is ‘Nightmares’; a song that I’ve loved for quite some time in its acoustic form, and it’s fascinating to hear it come to life with a full band. There are lots of strings, lots of mood, and lots of lyrical hope. I’ve been good so far and haven’t been listening to mp3s of the album (My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go), but of the little bits I have heard, and from all I’ve read, I know this track is fairly representative of their current direction. And I also know that Craig’s voice has really come out of its shell this time round, coming to the very front of the mix and sounding stronger than ever, which must be reassuring having lost most touring opportunities last year through vocal problems.

Undoubtedly I’ll be revisiting Aereogramme again over the next couple of months, because as the tag says, they are one of my favourite bands. I hope my enthusiasm encourages you to check them out (or give them another go).

Ah, my hairy darlings have finally announced a new tour for the release of their album My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go. I have seen Aereogramme many, many times in the past, but it’s been a long time since the last occasion so I’m quite excited. They already played London last week, and I had to be rational and stay home to work. Anyway…

All dates in February 2007:
Sun 4th, UK, Leeds, Josephs Well
Mon 5th, UK, Manchester, Night & Day
Tue 6th, UK, London, 93 Feet East
Wed 7th, UK, Southampton, Joiners
Thu 8th, UK, Oxford, Zodiac
Sat 10th, UK, Nottingham, Social
Sun 11th, UK, Birmingham, Bar Academy
Mon 12th, UK, Glasgow, Classic Grand
Wed 14th, Belgium, Brussels, vk club
Thu 15th, Holland, Hertogenbosch, W2-concertzaal
Fri 16th, Holland, Groningen, Vera
Sat 17th, Holland, Haarlem, Patronaat
Mon 19th, Germany, München, Backstage Werk
Tue 20th , Germany, Nuernberg, Hirsch
Wed 21st, Germany, Frankfurt, Batschkapp
Thu 22nd, Germany, Bochum, Zeche
Fri 23rd, Germany, Berlin, Postbahnhof
Sun 25th, Germany, Hamburg, Markthalle
Mon 26th, Germany, Cologne, Buergerhaus Stollwerck
Tue 27th, Germany, Saarbruecken, Garage
Wed 28th, Germany, Karlsruhe, Substage
(and all written out by guitarist Iain, so they’re probably spelled wrong)

mp3: Winter

website: http://www.throwingmusic.com 

So there’s a new Kristin Hersh album due out at the start of 2007 (end of January/start of February). I’m looking forward to it, as it’s been 3 and a half years since I last got a proper Kristin solo album, and I’m looking forward to the subsequent touring even more. I haven’t seen Kristin play solo since the spring of 2001, and that’s a long time in the world of an artist who is almost perpetually touring. But the only European shows outside those with her band 50 Foot Wave have been in London, and that’s just not been the most accessible place for me in recent times. Plus a day spent there and you come home with the inner lining of your nose all black.

Now I have been fortunate enough to hear a couple of tracks from the new album, called Learn to Sing Like a Star, as at the beginning of the month she did a session with the (very cool) radio station KEXP in Seattle. It sounds very good too, and very different–even though I was expecting something different, it really is a turn I couldn’t have predicted. But that’s Kristin for you. Nothing ever sounds the same.

It would be unfair to post an actual album track at this point based on a radio show recording, but I have included one of the acoustic tracks she played live on the show that day. And it’s nice to hear her strumming away so hard as she does in this track because it reminds me of many of the live gigs I’ve seen her play over the years.

I’ve not mentioned them in ages simply because they’ve been off the road for so long, but one of my favourite bands are back with two albums.

The first was the recently released In the Fishtank EP with Isis. I’ve been a fan of many Fishtank releases previously (particularly Solex & Maarten Altena), and the fact that this one involved two bands I really love, well, I’d been excited since before it was recorded in Amsterdam last summer. What came out was only three songs, and the results are particularly ambient to an extent, but the opening track, ‘Low Tide’, especially is a beautiful piece of work and does the rich catalogues of both bands proud. The CD can also be picked up pretty cheaply, and while you can search around other music blogs for a sample, most are only carrying ‘Delial’, which is the shortest, heaviest and least representative burst of what the session was about.

Perhaps more importantly, I returned from a trip to Scotland yesterday to be reminded that not only is Aereogramme’s new album out in Japan this month, but it’s also leaked on the internet. Titled My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go, it poses a huge temptation for me because I’d love to wait till I own the real thing, but a European release on Chemikal Underground is not scheduled until January. And while I have held off for now, there’s no guarantee I can keep it up while lesser fans around the world are getting to revel in my music already.

Anyway, for full details of the release visit the official site. Not only is it an excuse to see another website lovingly created by myself (before they nail it to a cross and carry it off over the hill), but certain band members have actually remembered how to post on the news page, and spend all their spare time on the forum talking about how shit their own songs are.