Thursday, June 30, 2005
Thoughts and Opinions
Trapped in a sodden Glasgow and working until I ache, I'm too exhausted to write cohesively. So here are some thoughts by irregular Stayfun writer Dermot Fitzsimons...
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I get obsessed with songs, as you may know, and currently my obsession is with 'Girl Anachronism' by the possibly perfect Dresden Dolls. I could go on. I think I will. I realise discussion of music just always boils down to the rather dull "it's all just musical taste, innit?" argument, so this should be avoided at all costs, I feel, if possible, if anyone has anything to say about it, as that's the one thing guaranteed to make me shoot everyone in the world including my cat, yes.
There's something about the sheer excitement of listening to the Dresden Dolls that's genuinely inspiring, I think. The main point is it's just music to dive into, that seems as exciting for the people playing it as the listener, it's thrilling to know it's about to come on, and the passion is there, slapping you in the face, but most of all, it's fun, it's a celebration of something you don't expect when you walk down the street passing people - you're in a different place because of the music in your ears. It's not so much to do with the music being any rather dreary definition you want to pick of the word "real", rather, it's just sincere, and there's a huge difference; it's precisely this distinction that confuses me when I see - obvious choices, probably, but they are so prevalent these days as "artists", I think they're still fair game - Coldplay or Keane.
My main problem with their music is I don't hear anything in it. It's almost as if they actually don't need songs any more. Like with U2, the songs don't exist in themselves as separate entities, they exist as a kind of conglomerated lump of what it is to be Coldplay, to be U2, to be Keane. The songs are the adverts for the other songs which are also adverts for the album and the huge sales and the Glastonbury coverage and the relationships and the clothes - it's all the same thing, but if you try and pull away a song from this greasy mess and examine it, there's nothing there - it kind of dies away from the rest of what it needs to exist. They're so "real", they hurt, but there doesn't seem to be a way of allowing any sincerity to poke through, any rough edges or ideas or sounds or words to peak the interest, even for a second.
I see anguished high-notes on Chris Martin's face, or er, ..Bob...Keane's face, I see the rest of the band looking at their instruments as they play yet another suspended 4th (will it be resolved in this bar or the next one?! I can't wait to find out!), and I see the album covers, the videos, the TV appearances, and so on, and it all seems, well...freezing cold, and withered to me, like there's no difference between playing their music and not playing their music, putting the CD on, not putting the CD on, walking down the street listening to it, skydiving and listening to it. It'd make no difference. There's nothing in it that tells you that they want you to have ideas when you listen to their music. That's the problem I have with the Keanes and Coldplays, I think. It's not so much that the noise they produce (and I heard most of the Coldplay album last night in Borders) is boring (which it is, dreadfully so) but it's that it seems to have no idea why it exists to start with. And it amazes me so many people seem to like something which seems to be willingly designed to cause as little inspiration and as little imagination as possible in as many people as possible.
Dermot Fitzsimons
:: Posted at 9:59 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Saturday, June 25, 2005
VerUitDeMaat Festival
T'was the night before Metropolis, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...
apart from all the roaring noise from the VerUitDeMaat Festival by WORM, taking place on the Delistraat and Sumatraweg in the south of Rotterdam. Yes, heart breakingly once more I'll be out of town, but check this line-up...
DDAMAGE
FM3
HARAKIRI SISTERS
NORA KEYES
DAN GEESIN
LOUISA LILANI & JOHN PROP
ILSE LAU
THE HIPLESS 3
PFAFF
UW HOND
It's enough to fulfill all your underground musical needs for months. So remember, July 2, Rotterdam, 5 euro.
:: Posted at 4:21 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Gone Bald
Exotic Klaustrofobia
Gone Bald are one of Amsterdam's greatest talents. They'll probably never get the credit for it and they'll probably never care. That just makes them even greater in my book because Gone Bald are pretty much unstoppable. Now in their 11th year, guitarist/vocalist Razorblade Jr. has always refused to let the band die, and with their current line-up, they've probably never been stronger.
It sounds like it too, with the opening track 'Past Vs. Present Vs. Future' sounding more punchy, loud and insistent than anything on their previous album Soul Vacation in Rehab Clinic. Partly it can be put down to the production of Exotic Klaustrofobia, which captures Gone Bald with a new clarity, but there's just that additional sense that the trio really are channelling completely in the one direction, making the album so enjoyable.
Noise-rock has always been the best way to describe the band's music overall, but as a tag for this album it doesn't really do them full justice. Filled with hooks, dynamics and bubbling with emotional content, Gone Bald may never have sounded so accessible. They're still miles away from pop, but I can only enthuse about the new ground the band have covered across these five tracks. Having existed for so long, you'd get the idea that anyone who had wanted to hear Gone Bald would have by now, but if the band are new to you then Exotic Klaustrofobia is an ideal starting point.
Website: http://www.gonebald.net/
Live: July 6 - Maloe Melo, Amsterdam
:: Posted at 3:34 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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FAOjesus
tsetse fly jihad
Scotland's FAOjesus are an unusual band to write about. Actually, they're an unusual band to listen to also, because although I find this album fascinating, the problem I've had is finding the right moments to listen to it. A dark piece of electronica, it makes for uneasy listening. Even when a song is rolling along smoothly and you think you understand where it's going, something is likely to crunch suddenly on an unexpected beat, shocking your ears and making you wary of complacency.
Their cast of weapons includes '80s synths and drum machines, a '90s sampler, a semi-acoustic guitar, an old laptop, and apparently a 1930s twin-lens reflex camera. Yet there's no retro feel to tsetse fly jihad. This is the sound of technology being warped beyond the imagination of its original creators to create challenging and sometimes even menacing soundscapes. Not in the sense of musicians like Venetian Snares who digitally distort and cut everything to the extent that you're pounded into submission. With FAOjesus, their real power comes from the atmospherics they create, allowing your mind to be your own worst enemy.
Like a good horror film, the album won't always fit into your daily listening schedule, but when the time is right it will get you. Have a go at the samples on their site, look out for them in the darkest corners of the Scottish scene, and if you're up to the challenge, take on the full album because it is genuinely intriguing.
Website: http://www.faojesus.com
MP3: 'There is Beauty'
Live: July 6 - Sub Club, Glasgow
:: Posted at 2:55 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Peril Hill
Scream at the Jackdaw, Make Him Stop
You may not have heard of Peril Hill yet. I wouldn't have were it not for their connection to English folk outfit Deerpark. Even now, I still get drawn into the delicate web of Deerpark's It Made Her Look Spidery mini-album, so the chance to hear Peril Hill, which features Jonathan Marshall and Fiona Kennedy from the band, wasn't to be turned down.
Taking centre stage, however, is the songwriting of Marc Gardner, dealing in gentle acoustic folk styles. Precise strums and carefully woven arpeggios soothe your ears throughout the EP's six tracks, while the backing cast layer the recording with soft backing vocals, understated banjo, viola and harmonium. With a slow pace throughout, the best thing you can really do is lie back and relax as the music and tales casually unfold.
As a bonus, the beautiful brown card packaging and artwork set as much of a pretty mood as the music itself, meaning the CD is great value at only 7 pounds from Singing Knives Records.
:: Posted at 2:29 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Thursday, June 16, 2005
Sons and Daughters
My fandom of Glasgow's Sons and Daughters has long been established on Stayfun. I like to think of myself as an early adopter of the band, falling in love with their music long before Franz Ferdinand and Domino got in on the action. Well their new album The Repulsion Box was released in the last couple of weeks and I had pretty much forgotten about it due to being caught up in other albums. Anyway, it's now ordered online and I've grown to really like the new songs that I've heard after an initial response of ambivalence.
They are due to make their Rotterdam debut at Metropolis on July 3. Within walking distance of my house, I'm gutted that I can't make the gig (and equally gutted about some of the other bands I'll be missing), but the bitterness has subsided a little after Ekko in Utrecht have reported them scheduled in for September 2. I had really hoped they would be back fairly soon for a full Dutch tour, and hopefully they'll pay proper attention to Europe over the coming months.
:: Posted at 12:38 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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The Delgados
So the Delgados broke up in April. I was on holiday when it happened so reported no reaction here, but really I was indifferent to the news beyond the initial first few minutes of shock. Sure, I was disappointed as they're a band I've grown to really like and respect over the years, however, there was an element of it just feeling like the right time to go separate ways. As I was fortunate enough to catch them live in Rotterdam last December (and quite a few times in Scotland previously) I had no unresolved feelings about the band.
Of course half of them have gone on to work as Malcolm Middleton's touring band as he promotes his new album Into the Woods. I haven't heard any of that new solo stuff yet, but I would be tempted by the show just by the backing band alone. His tour rolls into Paradiso on July 3.
Anyway, the real news is that yesterday it was announced former vocalist Emma Pollock has signed a deal with 4AD and is due to release her solo album sometime next year. Who knows how it will turn out? Many of her previous songs have carried the burden of Glasgow dourness with fleeting glances out of the shadows. Course if you look to Universal Audio, songs like 'Everybody Comes Down' are upbeat and fun. It will be an interesting wait to see what she does and I'll look forward to finally hearing it.
:: Posted at 12:25 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Tuesday, June 14, 2005
That Dam Magazine
My copy of That Dam Magazine arrived yesterday with the traditional postcard stuck on the front asking me to pay extra postage. Bring it on TPG, you'll never get that 2 euro out of me.
The current issue is #9,99 dealing in 'Covers' and featuring a CD of Sonic Youth's Evol being covered by Dutch bands (Blues Brother Castro, zZz, Pfaff, Gone Bald, Gifkip, Makazoruki, Petrified Host, the Hitmachine, Fine China Superbone and Franco Formica). As always things are interesting inside too, and this time they even got Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo to contribute.
Weirdly there's also an 'article' by a certain 'Steve McCarron', which is mainly lighthearted and fictional, sitting in amongst work by more talented people (and if I needed any consolation at having my name missing a little N, Lee Ranaldo's was misspelled worse).
I currently don't have the guts to read the story I sent in, but if you decide it's pretty weird, well it was written a matter of hours after a long haul two day road trip to the Grand Canyon back in May. Anyway, for 4 euro the magazine is a real bargain. Order via their site or check Amsterdam record shops. In fact, just subscribe. It's great value and then all you have to worry about are the reminder postcards from TPG asking for money.
:: Posted at 12:13 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Furtips
Arnhem band Furtips apparently have a new album out now titled We Are Communications. I can't really comment too much on the songs as I only have one working speaker currently, however, the sample songs are poles apart. 'Deconstruction Love' offers a manic post-punk edge, whilst 'I Would Rather Be a Catholic Now' shows their melodic laid back side. Judge for yourselves.
:: Posted at 11:46 am by Steven McCarron ::
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John Wayne Shot Me
I remain a big fan of John Wayne Shot Me. In fact, I was enjoying The Purple Hearted Youth Club again just a couple of days ago. Unfortunately I've never had a chance to catch them live, and that run continues this week as they come to Rotterdam for the first time in what seems like forever and I find myself in Amsterdam instead.
For those who share better fortunes, JWSM will be performing live at Kaatje P (part of the Hogeschool Rotterdam) this coming Thursday (June 16).
:: Posted at 11:35 am by Steven McCarron ::
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13 & God
Working on concert listings for the newspaper last week, I came across 13 & God for the first time. I now know it's a lovely project featuring members of the Notwist and Themselves, and I keep playing this MP3 of 'Men of Station' over and over. To me it's like a much mellower and listenable alternative to the Postal Service.
Anyway, they'll be playing Paradiso on June 21 and Nijmegen's Valkohof Affaire on July 19.
:: Posted at 11:30 am by Steven McCarron ::
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