Category: Music

BF are a super cool band from Japan, and I idly tap away at my keyboard, I’m listening to the lovely tunes from their album ‘New Rock’ – I really can’t recommend it enough. Its hard to find mind you, but you can have a look at amazon and at thier official sites for euphorica which I think is the latest release. I just love the fuzzy guitars, analogue keyboards and top vocals. There… got that off my chest – they’re brill – and nobody I speak to ever seems to have heard of them – what’s going on people!

Yeah we all love The Flaming Lips and I have to say that there’s nothiing around at the moment to match the sonic assault that is At war with the mystics – its fantastic. I do hope that before I shuffle off one day, I’ll get the chance to see the Lips in concert for myself – lots of beautiful photos from the gigs – it looks about as much fun as you could possibly have.

Great new record from Euros Childs  who is usually standing at the front of the stage for Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci. I thought it might be more of the same, but its real fun, and Euros seems to enjoy the freedom of a solo record. Look out for Donkey Island, another little gem in an album that surprises and entertains.

Richard James is also about to release a solo album, and you can find out more information at Boobytrap. I use to belong to the singles club and spent a year listening to all sorts of strange welsh offerings, I don’t recall too many hits, but it was good fun waiting for this little brown envelope to pop through the door once a month.

Aidan Smith’s Fancy Barrel is out now on Analogue Catalogue and finally, after the nibbles, the entree and the aperitif, this is the main course. There are some wonderful songs, the bittersweet of “Alone Askew”, the fun of “Love Song (With Aneurysm), old favourite “Everything is Boring” and some daft moments “Jam will suffice”. Apparently album number 2 has already been penned and is being recorded this winter. There are some tour dates, but none down our way just yet. In the meantime, there’s this super record to enjoy. It’s a fancy barrel all right and it’s worth having a rummage in the sawdust, you never know what you find.

Early as the Trees is a mini-album from Aidan Smith and what a gem it is. There’s something of the white coated Lab worker about the way he executes the songs, with little experiments, a workshop of ideas where you emerge blackened from the explosion as sounds mix with each other. Its test tubes, bunsen burners and those Liebig condenser things you had in science. The result are intriguing, delicate songs that make your kidneys chuckle, your eyes glisten and your heart twinkle. I know someday we’ll have light orchestrations and grand production, but for there’s no rush, really. There’s a touching delicacy to the music and some great one-liners, its a winning combination.

Its Aidan’s first release for new label Analogue Catalogue run by former Twisted Nerve employees who’ve taken Aidan Smith and Supreme Vagabond Craftsman with them to a new home. Its a home for escaped artists. I’ve had a few email chats with Rob who set up the label with his missus. They love the low-tech approach and are interested in a homemade and intimate atmosphere where everything is recorded “…like they were in the good old days”. We wish them all the best and we’ll check in occasionally to see what’s new. Aidan should be out on tour soon,and when I get some dates, I’ll let you know.

So I’ve had this ipod for a couple of years and you have to learn to balance your musical tastes, it can make you a little less sharp about the things you like. Maybe this loosening up is a good thing and it means you can be a little more schizo in your choices. I’ve tried a few fun experiences, listening to everything in alphabetical order for instance. And somedays you’re ipod seems to know instinctively what you want to hear and everything it gives you has the right flavour, just matches your mood.

Enjoyed this article in The Observer featuring Kitty Empire’s Ipod I really like some of her choices, but then again its just the selection you might feel like listening to that day.

Insults flying from Toothpaste for Dinner Good T-shirts here

I don’t know why all my posts seem to be about music, maybe there’s lots of good stuff around at the moment. Since we got a little digital radio the spectrum has opened up and apart from zane lowe and Rob da Bank, there’s lots on xfm including Eddie Cooper Temple Clause (as John calls him) where I’ve heard lots of strange things, also just to round up with Mark Radcliffe and the occasional bit of 6Digital.

So, Face the Truth is the new record from Stephen Malkmus its less polished than the last one, but still thoroughly enjoyable. I noticed that Malkmus is on tour, but still won’t be able to catch him. He’s playing a load of stateside gigs, including Slims in San Francisco where we’ll be in August. It would be great to go and watch some bands when we’re out there, so if anyone has any recommendations they would be much appreciated.

Saw Teenage Fanclub at The Wedge, with good support from Lucky Luke who are named after a comic book that I used to read when I was little. Lucky Luke could shoot faster than his shadow, was in constant battle with The Dalton Brothers and the final frame was always the same, riding off into the sunset singing “I’m a poor lonesome cowboy, and a long way from home…”

So, I got the new Teenage Fanclub record and its very good and shines through much more than seeing them live – maybe they need a quiet venue, where the intimacy and delicacy of the songs can be more readily distilled. The did look a bit like four lecturers at a College of Higher Education, and you can still hear inflections of grunge mixed with lush Byrds harmonies. I have to admit, a return is a bit of a treat…

Also, they’re one of only three bands that Gorky’s deem linkable…you’ll have to look here to find out about the other two.