july skinny!

and it's not even july yet! madness!

as you can see, united fruit are on the cover, as part of a run down of the bands playing T-break at this year's T in the Park. Plus interviews with tom vek, leftfield, and that lovely fella from IT crowd.

and my input, you ask?

- the pains of being pure at heart live review (read here!)
- MEN live review (read here!)
- tune-yards live review (read here!)
- over the wall live review (read here!)
- danananaykroyd review july's singles (i'll have this up on the site in two shakes of a lamb's tail)
- benjamin francis leftwich - 'last smoke before the snowstorm' album review (read here!)
- diva - 'the glitter end' album review (will be up soon!)
- junior boys - 'it's all true' album review (read here!)
- gardens & villa - 'gardens & villa' album review (read here!)
- shonen knife - 'free time' album review (read here!)
- richard youngs - 'amplifying host' album review (will be up soon!)
- foster the people - 'torches' album review (read here!)
- cell 211 film review (read here!)
- the great white silence film review (read here!)

loooooooads basically.

cor blimey it's almost our flipping birthday!

reviews: benjamin francis leftwich, puzzle muteson, gardens & villa

Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm (***)

Two warmly-received EPs aside, Benjamin Francis Leftwich is best known for an appearance on Dermot O’Leary’s Saturday Sessions, the radio slot responsible for Athlete’s God Only Knows (egads) and Orson’s take on Hall and Oates (shudder). Leftwich’s Arcade Fire cover was meek, insipid and reminiscent of every acoustic guitarist who’s ever claimed an open mic free pint via a wet ‘reinterpretation’.

Thankfully, his own material is considerably better; what was trite on Rebellion proves affecting here. It’s occasionally a bit O.C. soundtrack, although Leftwich balances out the clichés: when he croons “I’m yours tonight” on Don’t Go Slow, a moody montage of Seth and Summer gurning with desire dances to mind, but lines like “my bones were wrapped around you” locate a more interesting lyrical angle. Musically, a gentle folk waltz reigns uninterrupted, but the likes of Atlas Hands have a redemptive grace, keeping Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm enjoyable throughout.

Out 4th July

Puzzle Muteson - En Garde (**)

There are positive ways to be musically ground-breaking; by pushing things further than anyone previously dared, for example, or innovating something brand spanking new. There are also negative ways: for instance, redefining the limits of boredom, as Puzzle Muteson threatens to do on his debut. Thirty seconds into opener I Was Once a Horse and the record has exhausted its range: though gorgeously rendered, the remaining forty one minutes barely shift its stresses, with only the title track rustling up a second gear.

It’s the equivalent of Shakespeare jotting down ‘If music be the food of love…’ then forcefully underscoring it hundreds of times with his quill rather than playing on; a shame, since Muteson’s tremulous vocals and gossamer melodies contain the seed of something enchanting. Take a slender slice of En Garde and you might fall in love; consume the whole thing and you’ll more likely fall into a coma.

Out Now

Gardens & Villa - Gardens & Villa (**)

Gardens & Villa’s debut album is frustratingly half-baked, rendering successes such as Thorn Castles’ Shins-esque ditty and opener Black Hills’ Yeasayer-style atmosphere ultimately moot. First, the good: Orange Blossom is excellent, its peculiar timbre topped by an unlikely flute solo. But when the flute later resurfaces for Sunday Morning, the rot has long set in, yielding uninspired, plodding prog-lite.

The Californian quintet’s biggest foe is their lack of consistency, which produces an accumulative cloud of boredom despite the aforementioned flashes of inspiration. Chemtrails barely holds together, its echoey sighs recalling early My Morning Jacket to substantially lesser effect (Tennessee Fire’s rare beauty is leagues ahead of this bundle of nothingness), while Carrizo Plain could be rechristened Band of Geldings, such is its dulled placidity. Luckily, closer Neon Dove restores some spark, so while Gardens & Villa is an undistinguished first effort, they’re not to be written off quite yet.

Out 4th July

reviews: foster the people, junior boys, shonen knife

Foster the People - Torches (***)

Foster the People’s sudden popularity and indie-disco affinities have prompted comparisons to MGMT, a resemblance sustained by their debut’s lop-sidedness. Just as Kids and Time to Pretend enveloped everything in their vicinity, lead single Pumped Up Kicks (already a sizable hit in the US and enjoying considerable radio play here) has the potential to extinguish the rest of Torches. It’s a cracking summer jam (if you overlook grim lyrics detailing a Columbine-style massacre), and is comfortably Foster the People’s choicest four-minutes. But, also like MGMT, the Californians deserve credit for not clinging too tightly to a tested template, with Helena Beat rocking a Peter, Bjorn and Justice vibe; Don’t Stop (Colour on the Walls) recalling The Kinks at their most perky; and Call It What You Want entering Scissor Sisters territory. Sadly (again, alas, like MGMT), their debut is ultimately underwhelming, but they’re nonetheless off to a decent start.

Out 27th June

Junior Boys - It's All True (****)

It’s All True was written and recorded in Shanghai, Berlin and Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton goes without saying; it’s the town the Boys call home. Berlin too: what electronic artist hasn’t spent time in the city? (Incidentally, Kick the Can echoes Krautrock stylings to great effect). Shanghai is a less obvious locale, though its influence is felt on opener Itchy Fingers, particularly a middle-eight featuring Chinese musicians that interjects novel textures to the shuddering synth and bass workout.

The globe-trotting is typical – Junior Boys have never stood still. Their influences are legion, and their ability to amalgamate sharply-honed. It is therefore unsurprising that Playtime jumps track, and though its minimal, morose ballad is less immediately satisfying that the opener, it establishes the album’s scope. But the real highlights are left for last: ep ploughs a seductive soul groove, while single Banana Ripple shimmies through nine opulent minutes of premier disco-pop.

Out 4th July

Shonen Knife - Free Time (****)

Despite multiple line-up changes, Shonen Knife’s set up and style has been unswerving across their thirty year existence: three girls, three chords, and an irreverent streak a mile wide. On An Old Stationary Shop, remaining original member Naoko Yamano mentions buying a notebook so she can write down lyrics, and they’re keepers alright – her first all-English set, they’re characteristically bizarre and childishly charming. “Rolled cake, I want to sleep in it” goes Rock n Roll Cake, while Monster Jellyfish turns the tables on their kaiju foes by recommending “the more you chew them, the more flavourful they become.” Amongst such fluffy nonsense, the title of Economic Crisis stands out, but fiscal soothsaying is swiftly quashed by a riff cribbed from Ace of Spades and some rough feedback. They continue to be deep as a puddle, but stupendously so; here’s hoping that they refuse to grow up for another thirty years.

Out 11th July

dvd review: the great white silence

When an earlier cut of Herbert Ponting’s remarkable record of the British Antarctic Expedition was screened for George VI in 1914, the king declared everyone should see it so as to keep “the spirit of adventure” alive in the nation’s youth. Jokes aren’t Ponting’s strong-point (“an epidemic broke out on board” an intertitle announces, “…of HAIRCUTTING!”), and the anthropomorphised penguins expend their appeal, but in all other respects, Bertie’s recommendation remains valid. The tragic outcome of Captain Scott’s ill-fated venture is well-known, but it’s never been so vividly presented as in this excellent restoration: Simon Fisher’s exceptional score enhances both the wonder and dejection of Scott’s extraordinary journey, with tinted stock emphasising the otherworldliness of the terrain. The first iceberg encounter is truly breath-taking, while the excitement felt by crew-members watching the iron hull shattering ice flows is keenly felt. But the fascination is as much in the details, with sub-zero soccer matches as unforgettable as the grim conclusion.

tune-yards @ captains rest, 15 june

Thousands’ dual acoustic lullabies evoke gentle breezes, sun-dappled lakes, and other lovely things that unfortunately, placed against the abundant personality of tonight’s headliner, try patience interminably. File under: wrong time, wrong place for an introduction.

Do You Wanna Live? opens tUnE-yArDs’ set raucously, with a packed Captain's Rest responding to every variation of the question with affirmative bellows. “You are a party in a can” Merrill Garbus croons, a sentiment handily reversible: few performers are so inherently likable, whether appropriating wallets or admiring Glasgow’s rhythm. Saxophone stabs and loose bass runs build the revelry, but the most important instrument is Garbus herself, who plies her malleable voice in remarkable ways.

The musical exuberance is reflected sartorially in face paint and feathers, evoking a child-like joie de vivre. But to infantilise would be to overlook how sexy these songs can be: for instance, the Prince-like groove of Powa, or the sassy odd-funk of Es-so. Bizness predictably prompts the loudest squeals, but selecting highlights from such a consistently excellent set is somewhat arbitrary. The final lines tonight goad us to ‘watch me, watch me, watch me more’; if only that were an option.

reviews: driver drive faster, elan tamara, trapped mice

Driver Drive Faster - Open House (***)

If Open House sounds extraordinarily professional for a self-funded debut, it’s worth noting that three of Driver Drive Faster’s four bodies formerly performed as Polytechnic, who graced 2007 with indie-pop gems like Pep, but ultimately lacked the depth of material to build on such sprightly foundations.

Now the trio (plus drummer David Schlechtriemen) prove themselves as proficient penning dream-pop as the snappy indie nuggets of yore, with first single It’s All Over It’s Everywhere a well-chosen calling-card, breezily recalling nostalgia-loving Aussies The Sleepy Jackson.

Elsewhere, Missing Out’s Bowie-inflected lilt impresses, charming to its final deadpan line, but unfortunately, like their former guise, Driver Drive Faster eventually settle on the solidly unspectacular, albeit with greater potential for future brilliance: if they can achieve this in shared digs off their own steam, they’ve surely got the chops to turn heads on Driver Drive Faster 2: Driver Drive Fasterer.

Out Now

Elan Tamara - Organ EP (****)

Elan Tamara is a Brit School graduate, but try not to hold it against her. Seems despite the institution’s strong track record for cultivating chart monsters – Adele, Winehouse, Jessie J, er, Dane Bowers – there’s often a kneejerk suspicion towards its precocious progeny. Organ’s press release counterclaims that Tamara stands out from any crowd you care to place her amongst, with a degree in ethnomusicology and a passion for Balinese music offered as proof of wider horizons, but if a cloud of suspicion still lingers, this third EP does a spiffing job of vaporising it. Tamara manages to evade pigeonholing while remaining broadly accessible, with opener Runaway the boldest realisation of her burgeoning sound. Top of the class, Miss Tamara.

Out Now

Trapped Mice - Waving and Pointing EP (***)

After Portrait of the Great Father saw Edinburgh’s Trapped Mice set out a confident but fairly conventional indie-rock stall, Waving and Pointing sees the quintet open out their sound. The title track’s jaunty synth riff helps counter its somewhat plodding pace, though the EP may nonetheless have benefited from a few more ups and downs.

Which is why final track Ghostwriter Blues is the obvious stand-out: its raucousness isn’t entirely convincing, but as it’s the first time the Mice have bared their teeth on record, it’s a notable development that bodes well. “Make me famous!” lead mouse Ian Tilling roars sarcastically, and while they’ve a way to go, Waving and Pointing makes their real ambitions that little bit clearer.

Out Now

june playlist

the music played on saturday night in nice n sleazys is as follows:

1. wild beasts - loop the loop
2. solange - stillness is the move
3. over the wall - shifts
4. gil scott heron - the revolution will not be televised
5. foster the people - pumped up kicks
6. okkervil river - wake and be fine
7. teenage fanclub - about you
8. television - see no evil
9. joe jackson - happy loving couples
10. elvis costello - pump it up
11. men at work - down under
12. architecture in helsinki - contact high
13. future islands - before the bridge
14. caribou - odessa
15. tv on the radio - caffeineated consciousness
16. the beastie boys - so whatcha want
17. the strokes - machu pichu
18. devo - peeakboo
19. bill butler - right track
20. the velvettes - needle in a haystack
21. lucky soul - white russian doll
22. the primitives - crash
23. the b-52s - 6060-842
24. lush - single girl
25. eux autres - salut les copains
26. buzzocks - why can't i touch it?
27. roxy music - angel eyes
28. belle and sebastian - come on sister
29. the lemonheads - if i could talk i'd tell you
30. elvis - burning love
31. janis and her boyfriends - bang bang
32. ersel hickey - you never can tell
33. outkast - ms jackson
34. janelle monae -cold war
35. tune-yards - bizness
36. jackson 5 - i want you back
37. toots and the maytals - broadway jungle
38. jimmy cliff - the harder they come
39. the velvet underground - what goes on?
40. associates - that first impression
41. prefab sprout - faron young
42. modern lovers - i wanna sleep in your arms
43. felt - the day the rain came down
44. depeche mode - i just can't get enough
45. patti smith - rock n roll nigger
46. idlewild - roseability
47. kenny rogers and the first edition - just dropped in
48. bruce springsteen - badlands
49. fleetwood mac - go your own way
50. charles and eddie - would i lie to you?
51. andrew wk - i love new york city
52. dananananaykroyd - muscle memory
53. r kelly - ignition (remix)
54. david bowie - sound and vision
55. peter gabriel - sledgehammer
56. prince - when doves cry
57. dead kennedys - too drunk to fuck
58. abba - lay all your love on me
59. blondie - call me
60. magnetic fields - california girls
61. sam and dave - can't you find another way
62. the supremes - you can't hurry love
63. pavement - gold soundz
64. paul simon - you can call me al
65. spin doctors - two princes
66. ivor cutler - badabadabada

r.i.p. clarence

COME TO THIS TONIGHT IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU

pains of being pure at heart @ the arches,

Last time Wake the President supported Pains of Being Pure at Heart in Glasgow, the former’s debut was only a few months old; two years later, it’s time to showcase its forthcoming successor. On tonight’s evidence, the band has corn-fed existing strengths and added moxie, rousing Potus not with a gentle nudge but an almighty clatter.

The headliners have already taken the sophomore album plunge, and the unfolding performance confirms they’ve successfully sidestepped any would-be slump. Nothing lifted from Belong jars when set against Young Adult Friction et al, but the newer material nonetheless carries a distinct charge: brighter, bolder and evidencing sharpened song-writing skills. Beneath surface noise they wring fresh excitement from decades-old inspirations, with the likes of Heavens Gonna Happen Now a nigh-perfect refinement of their talents.

Closing the main set with This Love Is Fucking Right, they re-emerge almost immediately to append one final slice of textbook indie-pop and invite the Arches for a post-set White Russian or two. There’s no attempt at any pre-encore ‘will they/won’t they come back on’ nonsense – a lack of pretence neatly indicative of their unfussy aesthetic more broadly.

MEN @ nice n sleazy, 9th june

Last year, Michael O’Neill discussed MEN’s live aspirations. "We believe a live show should be much more than playing songs on a record," he declared, promising "multi-media, mostly in the form of visual sculptural elements." Presumably plans changed en route to Glasgow; a cardboard house-hat and natty homemade threads aside, tonight’s entertainment is firmly conventional.

With support acts AWOL and the room half full, spectacle might have helped spark the evening into life a little more promptly, though with hooks galore, it’s only a matter of time before limbs loosen. A midway Who Am I To Feel So Free feels like the turning point, with Credit Card Babies building the momentum and being duly rewarded with copious shape-throwing. JD Samson and co close with a cover of Bikini Kill’s Double Dare Ya – a respectful nod to fellow Le Tigre member Kathleen Hanna which unfortunately highlights this evening’s comparative lacklustre.

over the wall @ nice n sleazy, 3rd june

It’s day 78 of Over the Wall’s ‘Around the Isles in 80 Days’ tour, and there’s a suitably congratulatory atmosphere building. John Knox Sex Club open tonight’s homecoming in fine fettle: Sean Cumming’s patter is equal parts hellfire-evangelist, bothy-residing bard, and electrifying beat philosopher, and just when their brooding demeanour threatens to become overly serious, he ventures forth to distribute hugs – casting the devil out but putting a little love in its place.

Over the Wall take to the stage to boos, geniality temporarily suppressed thanks to an introduction from Richard Todd, whose dubious potted history of the band’s adventures to date includes the tragic tale of a spatula-headed boy’s cruel dismissal at the hands of Gav and Ben. But the negative vibes are in jest: Shifts disperses the mock-jeers and we’re off, through spiffing mini-epic A History of British Welfarism 1945-1984, all the way to consummate closer Thurso. As chants of ‘ONE! MORE! TUNE!’ morph into ‘KEY. BOARD! HEAVEN!’, the duo reappear to give the people what they want. “We’re having an Arab Spring right here!” declares Gav, as their ode to deceased Casios concludes the evening’s journey victoriously.