Se muestran los artículos pertenecientes a Febrero de 2007.
01/02/2007
Antirock abre su Songstore
Tracey Thorn - Out Of the Woods - Virgin 2007
Suena como | bedsit disco torch songs |
Después de oír “Temperamental” me esperaba lo peor, pero no. Es un buen disco, claro que viendo sus “inspiraciones” entiendes que Tracey (de Ben dudo) siga haciendo cosas interesantes
So my solo album is finished! Been working on it for almost a year. When I say solo that doesn't mean it's just me and my guitar again, but it does mean that it's not an EBTG record. After years of making records with Ben, it just seemed time to take a break, and do something fresh..
I've got together with a few different producers/collaborators, and we've come up with a record that (I hope) is a true reflection of who I am right now and what I love right now.
There's some serene techno emptiness from Martin Wheeler (Vector Lovers), a bit of modernist heartbreak house from Alex Santos, an amazing pastoral arrangement of flutes and flugels by Charles Webster.. I've done 2 songs with cagedbaby (Tom Gandey) one a kind of shimmery piece of Scritti Politti-style pop called Raise the Roof, and the other a downtempo lament about gay teenagers getting bullied at school, called A-Z.
But my main collaborator/producer is Ewan Pearson, and we've done seven tracks together. A cover of Arthur Russell's Get Around To It, featuring some wonky freakout sax from Gabe of The Rapture. A new song called It's All True, co-written with Sasse and Darshan Jesrani (Metro Area), which is pure early 80's New York dance pop. A piano ballad which Ewan says sounds like "The Carpenters on acid". Also a cover of King's Cross by the Pet Shop Boys, which isn't on the actual album (had too many songs!), but will be available as a bonus track somewhere, and downloadable from iTunes. The first single, "Its All True" has been out there in the clubs for the last few weeks. Mixes from Martin Buttrich, Kris Menace, Escort, and a great dub from Ewan, Sasse and Darshan. Went straight to Number 1 on the Buzz Chart, Zzub chart and Cool Cuts chart. Pete Tong hammering it on the radio, lots of DJ's giving it a big thumbs up on the dancefloor.
It's All True will be released in the UK on Feb 26th. Video is finished - directed by Si and Ad, it features a heavily stylised monochromtaic dance routine, in which i feature almost invisibly....(which suits me just fine). I hear it has already been seen on MTV, so look out for it. I can't give release dates for the rest of the world yet, I'm afraid, as I don't yet know what the plans are from the label in other territories. I do know that Astralwerks will be releasing the album in the US. And in the UK the album will be out on Virgin at the beginning of March - I'll give you the exact date when I can find the bit of paper I scribbled it down on. Come on, you know what I'm like by now.... Time now for another music change up here - have just uploaded the Escort mix of It's All True. This lot are from Brooklyn, and they have basically turned the notion of remixing on its head, by delivering an entirely re-played version of the track, on real instruments, like, uh, guitar and whatnot, and call me an old soul girl if you must, but it is pure boogie heaven. Hand me my slingbacks someone, I NEED to dance to this, and will somebody PLEASE buy me a martini? Hope you like.... luv T xx
Inspirations. Nicos Chelsea Girls, the Au Pairs live, Pete Shelley, Scritti Politti, Im still waiting by Diana Ross, Young Marble Giants, Patti Smith, Postcard records, Sandy Denny, Pet Shop Boys, Ceremony by New Order, Sufjan Stevens, Bless the Weather and Solid Air, Joanna Newsom, Evelyn Champagne King, Gypsies Tramps and Thieves by Cher, The Specials, Blossom Dearie, Aretha Franklin, The Smiths 1983-85, Jonathan Richman, Massive Attacks demos on cassette 1993, Judy Garland, Dusty Springfield, Mike Skinner, Low, Rufus Wainwright, Astrud Gilberto, Shannons Let the Music Play, Bjork and Polly Harvey at the Brits, Cocteau Twins, Arthur Russell, Roisin Murphy, Beth Gibbons, Phoenix, Vic Godards Whats the matter boy, and singing with Fairport Convention at Cropredy and Jeff Buckley at Glastonbury..
02/02/2007
Kristin Hersh se hace rubia
¡y dedica canciones a Peggy Lee! (sin duda "Peggy Lee" es lo mejor de su nuevo lp) ¡Y hace instrumentales de piano! ¡Y titula el disco "Learn To Sing Like a Star"! (que, dicen, debe su título al asedio continuo de un spam con ese título en el asunto)
Kristin Hersh's new album Learn To Sing Like A Star is released on 23rd January on Yep Roc in the USA, and on 29th January on 4AD everywhere else. It will be preceded, on January 22nd, by the In Shock EP, which features three exclusive non-album tracks. Learn To Sing Like A Star was produced by Kristin, recorded by Steve Rizzo and mixed by Trina Shoemaker. It features former Throwing Muses bandmate David Narcizo on drums, and beautiful string arrangements courtesy of Martin and Kim McCarrick .
Recordatorio del mejor libro sobre la escena indie UK de los 80
My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry For The Prize: The Creation Records Story - Dave Cavanagh.
Didn't read this when it came out as I was put off by its sheer size. Despite the queasy feeling of genuine nostalgia in reading of events and people I know (or know of) this is one of the best music books ever.
(Pete Wiggs de Saint Etienne en saintetienne.com)
03/02/2007
The Sound of Old Scotland (1977-1984)
Al parecer este es un cd que salió en el 2006 y es semipirata. Lo editó un sello llamado Kilt By Death y es bastante difícil de conseguir. En el blog de The rain fell down dice que Mono lo tiene (imagino que se refiere a Monorail, la tienda que trabaja Stephen Pastel en Glasgow). La canción de The Suede Crocodiles –“Stop The Rain”- la ha colgado en el blog con muy buena calidad de sonido. Title: Kilt By Death: The Sound of Old Scotland
Format: Triple CD
Label: Kilt By Death
After two decades of punk compilations mining increasingly small claims (Bloodstains Across Andorra, anyone?), here?s a collection encompassing the full wealth of the Scottish new wave (1977 to 1984). From punk, to pop, to art, and all points in between, including live nuggets and previously unheard demos. Full color graphics inside and out, and with a twelve page booklet of liner notes. Eighty-seven songs by eighty-three bands: 35mm Dreams, Alleged, Alternative, Alternators, Another Pretty Face, Article 58, AVO-8, Aztec Camera, Basic Unit, Battery Boys, Beat Necessity, Bee Bee Cee, Boots for Dancing, Brills, Buba and the Shop Assistants, Andy Cameron, Cheetahs, Commercials, Crimedesk, Defiant Pose, Delmontes, DNV, Drive, Electric Personalities, Electrix, End Result, Exile, Exposure, External Menace, Fakes, Fegs, Fire Engines, Fire Exit, Flowers, Freeze, Fun 4, Jesus and Mary Chain, Johnny and the Self-Abusers, Jolt, Josef K, Laughing Apple, Mentol Errors, Metropak, Neon Barbs, Noise Annoys, One Takes, Orange Juice, Passionate Friends, Pastels, Prats, PVC2, Red Letters, Restricted Code, Rezillos, Scars, Scrotum Poles, Significant Zerøs, Simple Minds, Skids, Skroteez, Square Peg, Squibs, Story So Far, Strutz, Subs, Suede Crocodiles, T.P.I., Thermometers, Those Intrinsic Intellectuals, Threats, TV21, Twisted Nerve, Urban Enemies, Valves, Venigmas, Victims of What?, Visitors (Dundee/Edinburgh), Wake, Wayward Skylabs, X-S Discharge, Zips, Zones."
04/02/2007
Vaughan Oliver At The Stanley Picker Gallery
(Foto del artista realizada por Michelle Turriani)
Vaughan Oliver needs no introduction to 4AD fans. Over the last 25 years, he has built up a unique body of work, creating seductive and extremely influential graphic designs for 4AD and for other clients too.
His work combines word and image into a distinctive visual vocabulary which has accompanied and enhanced the careers of 4AD artists like The Pixies and The Cocteau Twins; more recently, his work has appeared on releases by Scott Walker and TV on the Radio, amongst many others. His designs form part of the Victoria & Albert Museum collection and have been exhibited in Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Athens.
A new exhibition at the Stanley Picker Gallery in Kingston - entitled Slightly off the Ground - presents a personal selection of Vaughan's iconic music posters, covering the entire period for his earliest work with 4AD to the present day. It appears in a specially devised gallery installation, which hints at the street setting where many of the posters would have been first encountered, and which was designed by Vaughan together with his long term collaborator Chris Bigg. The music that inspired the designs will be playing in the gallery throughout the exhibition.
The exhibition runs until March 3rd. You can find out more at the Stanley Picker Gallery website.
Vaughan Oliver At The Stanley Picker Gallery Cover
07/02/2007
El paréntesis de Francoise Hardy
La verdad es que no pensaba ni molestarme en escuchar el disco de duetos de la Hardy, más que nada porque el nombre de Julio Iglesias me tiraba para atrás, pero leyendo la crítica del Rock de Lux, me he animado y me ha encantado. Es cierto que suena todo, como corresponde a la edad de todos los implicados, muy mainstream y todo muy calculado, pero la elección del repertorio es tan sabia, que merece la pena y la profesionalidad bien entendida termina por ser un plus. Claro que otra cosa es escuchar las mismas canciones en sus versiones originales...
Por cierto, me he encontrado este blog/web que es una maravilla http://totally-hardy.over-blog.com/
Francoise Hardy's long successful journey from teen idol to Grand Dame of French pop music has always been marked out by a thoughtful choice of material. The songs on 'Parentheses' are no exception, favourites chosen because they touch the singer's heart. This is an album of duets for which Hardy has assembled an astonishing supporting cast spanning several generations. The presence of husband Jacques Dutronc is no surprise and the eleven other guests range from veterans Henri Salvador and Alain Delon to Benjamin Biolay and the young English singer/songwriter Ben Christophers with whom she performs his own song ' My Beautiful Demon'.
tae won yu is a stellar portraitist
Nouvelle Vague - Late Night Tales
Como era de esperar, la selección de Marc Collin para la serie de “Late Night Tales” es realmente buena (Y trae sorpresas como la versión del “ I love Her” de The Beatles realizada por Shirley Horn, que me parece soberbia). ¿Habrán intervenido sus amigos MAGIC!os / Spring en ella? Tracklisting:
1. The Special AKA – (What I Like Most About You Is Your) Girlfriend
2. Nouvelle Vague – Come On Eileen
3. Os Mutantes – Baby
4. The Pale Fountains - Unless
5. Charlie Rich – San Francisco Is A Lonely Town
6. Tones On Tail – Movement Of Fear
7. Phoebe Killdeer – Chaos
8. Avril - Urban Serenade
9. Shirley Horn – And I Love him
10. Gavin Bryars – The Vespertine Park
11. David Sylvian – A Fire In The Forest
12. Art Bears – Civilization
13. Peggy Lee / Sy Oliver & His Orchestra – You’re My Thrill
14. Glen Campbell - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
15. Isabelle Antena – Le Poisson Des Mers Du Sud
16. Anja Garbarek - The Last Trick
17. Les Petroleuses – Nicole
18. Cibelle - Phoenix
19. This Mortal Coil – You And Your Sister
20. Julie London - Lonely Girl
21.David Shrigley - What I Ate
08/02/2007
Dexys Midnight Runners - The Projected Passion Revue
The Projected Passion Revue captures virtually everything Dexys Midnight Runners recorded in 1981. Comprising of three single A and B sides, a BBC Radio 1 Session and a BBC In Concert recording, The Projected Passion Revue finds the group at the peak of their game artistically. The line up Kevin Rowland built around him had to display 100% commitment; as he says in his introduction "Something happened and the sound of this group became spiritual, much more than the previous line-up." To take this group to the people, Rowland devised a show which would only play in theatres, where Dexys would be supported by a dance troupe and comedians. The shows found the group transcending the boundaries of live performance and delivering memorably intense sets. Aside from their three 45s, the group was never properly captured on vinyl. This CD, with its artwork based on the Projected Passion Revue programme is a fitting tribute to one of the most singular bands of all time. As Rowland adds, "what we were doing at this point was peculiar to us and nobody else and we meant every word." The Projected Passion Revue will be complemented by a 25 Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Too Rye Ay in July 2007. Kevin Rowland and Dexys Midnight Runners are currently working on their first record of new material since 1985 09/02/2007
Reeditado el mítico From Brussels With Love
A través de LTM, aparece el recopilatorio que Crepuscule editó en cassette en 1980. El disco contiene desde entrevistas (Jeanne Moreau, Brian Eno) a piezas minimalistas (Harold Budd, Michael Nyman) pasando por sonidos Factory /The Durruti Column, The Names) y así como los estetas del momento (John Foxx, Richard Jobson etc) Verdaderamente curioso. Precisamenre buscando información sobre la cinta, me he encontrado esto en el blog de Thomas Dolby
“Possibly the rarest of any of my releases is this one. It was a (cassette-only) compilation released in 1981 by a Belgian label called Crepuscule. It included a demo version of ‘Airwaves’, recorded in my back room in London well before I got a record deal. I was approached recently by a company that wants to re-release it on CD and is trying to clear all the rights. I own the masters (unusual!) so I plan to say yes. The line-up on the album is terrific.”
Y ésta es la hoja promocional:
Originally released as a deluxe cassette/book package in November 1980, From Brussels With Love featured 22 exclusive tracks from the international avant garde and new wave, as well as the celebrated Factory Records roster. Then, as now, the contributing artists include Gavin Bryars, Harold Budd, Dome, The Durutti Column, John Foxx, Martin Hannett, Richard Jobson, Bill Nelson, New Order and Michael Nyman. The programme also includes extended interviews with Brian Eno and iconic French actress Jeanne Moreau. This new CD edition has been digitally remastered from the original master tapes, and features 76 minutes of material. Most of the tracks featured here remain unavailable elsewhere. For reasons of space just one has been deleted from the original cassette (A Certain Ratio), although this track is available on LTMCD 2443. The 20 page facsimile booklet features original artwork by Benoit Hennebert, Claude Stassart and Jean-Francois Octave, as well as archive images and detailed liner notes.
En este enlace, se puede leer el texto interior que lleva el cd: click here
12/02/2007
Un hit Tontorrón: Gruff Rhys Candylion
Es el single del nuevo lp del cantante de The Superfurry Animals. A mi la verdad es que los galeses siempre me han dado cierto repelús, pero la cancioncilla en cuestión es pegadiza e incluso bella en su ingenuidad. Ver/Oír aquí: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jOQZFfTTl4 Eso si, el lp es insufribleRareza de Yo La Tengo
“¿¿¿¿¿¿él es gay???????”
Yo La Tengo han publicado a través de iTunes en Estados Unidos un EP exclusivo. El lanzamiento incluye tres temas de los de Ira Kaplan y una versión del clásico garagero “Luci Baines” de los American Four (grupo Pre-Love) de Arthur Lee.
Los temas que incluye el EP son:
“El Es Gay”
“Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind”
“The Weakest Part”
“Luci Baines”“
El es gay” es un instrumental surf-punk y “The Weakest Part” es una versión más lenta de la ya conocida
Catherine Howe
Esto si que es una sorpresa. Numero Group (la compañía que se dedica a reeditar las maravillas más desconocidas del universo pop) ha reeditado el primer lp de esta cantante-actriz americana al parecer hiperbuscado por los enteradillos de la jet set del soft pop. “El santo grial”, he llegado a leer; un disco que ha alcanzado los 2.000 dólares en subastas y que ahora se edita por primera vez gracias a Keith D´arcy –otrora rey de la indiepoplist y del fanzineo indie y ahora rey de los enteraos del soft pop-, ya que según los de Numero Group, “The original tapes were, of course, lost. Most likely tossed out during the spring cleaning of 1985 at London's Trident Studios. We were however able to secure a clean source copy from renowned soft-psych collector Keith D'arcy.” El caso es que la música de esta chica “It's a real rainy day affair” , una maravilla que mezcla a Carole King con el folk, pasando por bonitos arreglos jazzies. Bonito de verdad. Aquí pego la hoja promocional de Numero Group y la crítica de Uncut de Marzo del 2007 012 Catherine Howe: What A Beautiful PlaceWe wanted to make a really simple record. After a year of being plagued by complex compilations, multiple trips to Detroit, and a hellacious move, The Numero Group wanted an easy autumn lay up. Our office white board was overflowing with projects, the stereo crowded with LPs, 45s and spindles of little silver discs, while memorabilia sat stuffed in already too full filing cabinets. Pick one. Pre-war Ethiopian jazz? Complete field recordings of Ecorse, Michigan? We could go on and on. In Catherine Howe's case, we just loved her record.
At the time, it didn't even warrant a file. The sum of our knowledge was one CDR that sat semi-regularly wedged in the "Disc 3" position for the bulk of the summer. Slots 1 & 2 are generally reserved for current projects, but two hours into our day we would be pleasantly alarmed by the opening chimes of "What A Beautiful Place." It's jarring, almost, like something you would here at the beginning of a children's program on PBS. "Dun. Dun. Dun-dun-den. Deng," with slight reverb. And then Catherine Howe's 20 year old voice whispers post-adolescent poetry into your ear. It's a push back the chair moment.
We've never made a record like this before, but our shelves are littered with similar efforts. "Folk" might not do it justice, and "soft-pop" seems like the kind of label you might give to a contemporary Rod Stewart album. If you employ a "Jazz-folk" section in your filing scheme, now might be the time to put it to use. Tuck it in between "Bryter Layter" and "North Star Grassman And The Ravens," or more recently "Central Reservation." It's a real rainy day affair.
We're not going to paraphrase our copiously researched liners, but we will tell you a little about the history of the little orchestral English folk record that couldn't. Produced by semi-legendary jazz pianist Bobby Scott, the oft-mistaken concept album was issued by the tiny UK imprint Reflection Records in 1971. Issued to the media. Reflection went belly up before the record even hit the racks, killing the momentum created by Radio One airplay and dooming the record to an area that Numero specializes in: beyond obscurity.
The original tapes were, of course, lost. Most likely tossed out during the spring cleaning of 1985 at London's Trident Studios. We were however able to secure a clean source copy from renowned soft-psych collector Keith D'arcy, and a demo of "In The Hot Summer," which was intended to appear on the album. In addition, we conducted hours of interviews with Howe and Reflection Records owner Phil Gillin, and unearthed half a dozen unpublished photos. We sat in brutal Los Angeles rush hour traffic, ate sushi at the Santa Monica Airport, and on a related/unrelated note DJ'd a Chingy record release party. Somehow this took three months.
UNCUT MAGAZINE
It’s that strange time of year when not a lot of new albums are coming out, and the ear gravitates toward whatever offbeat material shows up in the mailbox. And so my unlikely obsession for the last week or two has been the reissue of What a Beautiful Place, an almost uncategorizable album by an English singer named Catherine Howe.
The set is due on January 30 from Numero Group, a wonderful Chicago archival label that to date has unearthed a dozen wild-ass records encompassing ultra-obscure soul, Caribbean music, gospel funk, and power pop, among other things. Howe’s collection – which essentially went unreleased back in 1971, thanks to the collapse of its label – may be the most unusual item in Numero’s eclectic catalog.
What a Beautiful Place doesn’t just exist outside its time – it was of another time at the moment it was created. In the late ’60s, Halifax-born Catherine Howe was a not unsuccessful theater and TV actress with a large portfolio of unrecorded songs. Her main writing model was Burt Bacharach; on her own website today, Howe speaks admiringly of his hit “The Look of Love,” and indeed Dusty Springfield’s 1967 recording of that tune sets the template for Howe’s composing and vocal styles.
She eventually hooked up with Reflection Records, an independent label with distribution ties to giant CBS. In 1970, What a Beautiful Place was cut in four days of hurriedly arranged recording sessions with producer Bobby Scott. A well-traveled jazz pianist in his own right, Scott had roots in an older style of pop. His sticky theme for the 1961 film A Taste of Honey had been covered by the Beatles at one of their first sessions. He had also authored the Hollies hit “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.”
The album the 20-year-old singer and the 33-year-old producer concocted could not be called a mainstream affair of its time. Made in an era when singer-songwriters were flexing their rock muscles and Carole King’s Tapestry ruled the charts, What a Beautiful Place is a lush, heavily orchestrated record that feels more a product of the early or mid-’60s. In its day, it would have sounded square, but it may be that very squareness that plays compellingly now.
It’s an off-the-wall mixture of slightly shlocky old-school pop and neo-trad English folk (though Howe denies such leanings), with some jazzy seasoning provided by Scott’s own stabbing, bluesy piano work. At its center is Howe, whose chilled, half-swallowed, vibrato-free vocals maintain a sustained, charming purity.
From a description of the music, one might imagine that What a Beautiful Place is a twee piece of work, but there’s a bracingly dark undercurrent to the album; it may not be working Nick Drake territory, but it sure isn’t Melanie, either. The tone is struck in the opening moments, when – after a six-note series of orchestral chimes that acts as a linking device throughout – Howe intones, “A tiny child knelt before a flower and he touched what he saw. Someone from a strange place stopped, saw the flower, and the petals withered and perished before his dying eyes.”
Whoa. The gloom of this opener is not dispelled in the songs that follow, which are marked by the blunt pessimism of “Nothing More Than Strangers,” the cool appraisal of a paradise lost in “What a Beautiful Place,” or the unsettling madhouse warblings of “Words Through a Locked Door.” It’s hard to say what people would have thought of this jarring blend of pop gorgeousness and interior gloom, but What a Beautiful Place never really made it into the marketplace.
Howe had a brief moment of pop success in the mid-’70s, and she emerged with a new album in 2000. I don’t know what the other work sounds like, but What a Beautiful Place indicates she’s a fitting subject for further investigation.
- Chris Morris Uncut - March 2007
14/02/2007
The Hit Parade y el Rock de Lux
Hay cosas que no se entienden muy bien. El Rock de Lux en su vida había escrito ni una palabra sobre The Hit Parade y este mes “The Return of The Hit Parade” es uno de los lps del mes... Esto son extractos de la crítica firmada por Nando Cruz: “Estamos ante un notición como el que supuso el “My Dark Places” de TV Personalities... Estamos ante un disco que despertará comentarios del tipo: en un mundo justo sus canciones liderarían las listas de ventas... Yo me he pasado cinco canciones al ipod... Pero la reproducción aleatoria no las programa con la frecuencia deseable. Quizá debería introducir cinco canciones más. O directamente hacer trampa. El Mundo es injusto.”
Y tanto, rock de lux, y tanto.
Tracey Thorn se encuentra a Neil Tennant en una fiesta y...
“Estaba en una fiesta típica del mundillo hace unos años cuando Neil Tennant me dijo: “¿qué estás haciendo con esa preciosa voz que tienes?” y yo le dije: “Pues mayormente gritar a los niños. Cuando volvía a casa pensaba: “¿qué estás haciendo?” Y decidí grabar un disco.
(Tracey Thorn al Mojo de Febrero del 2007)
I Could Be In Love With Anyone de Butcher Boy
Hoy día de los enamorados, proclamo que estoy enamorado de I Could Be In Love With Anyone (¡Qué canción!), que la conozco en versión demo. Hasta Marzo no sale el disco.
The last time I saw the band play, I ran into Stuart Murdoch and Stevie Jackson afterwards, both of whom seemed very impressed (“What a voice!” said Stuart). Ian Watson
15/02/2007
Weekend – La Varieté por Kevin Pearce
Kevin Pearce (sí, él) hace la crítica en el Mojo de Febrero de la reedición que Cherry Red ha hecho del único lp editado por Weekend (con 9 bonus tracks, incluyendo demos, versiones maxi de los singles 'A View From Her Room' y 'Drumbeat For Baby', y liner notes escritas por el propio grupo. De todas maneras los bonus tracks ya fueron editados en su día. Las demos por Vinyl Japan en 1995 y las versiones largas por Rough Trade en la primera versión Cd que hizo en 1990.) Pearce puntúa con “La Varieté” con 4 estrellas (sobre 5 posibles)
“Esta grabación de Rough Trade fue lo más cool de la época hasta tal punto que Weekend fueron considerados como los líderes de la nueva bossanova, siguiendo a Vic Godard en crear easy listening subversivo en contraste con el brillante nuevo pop y el sucedáneo soul que se hacía por entonces. En realidad las miras de Weekend eran más amplias y alcanzaban hasta el folk, los ritmos africanos, la samba y el pop francés de los 60. Su gran activo era la forma de cantar de Alison Statton que casaba perfectamente con la visión del nuevo jazz que hacía el acólito de los Scritti Simon Booth. El disco ha envejecido bien, gracias a la naturalidad que impuso el productor Robin Millar, pero son los bonus tracks lo que realmente cuentan. Los primeros singles son añadidos y ellos muestran su lado más oscuro, más triste.”
17/02/2007
La versión de Camera Obscura del I Love How You Love Me de The Paris Sisters
Bonita versión escondida en el single de vinilo de If Looks Could Kill. Merece la pena18/02/2007
The Honeydrips - Ah Karolin
Preciosa canción de un grupo sueco de Goteborg liderado por un tal Mikael Carlsson que formó parte de los desaparecidos Dorotea. Y poco más se sobre el tema. Todas las referencias que he encontrado están en sueco y su sitio en myspace no dice mucho, salvo su lema: "it's better to be lost than to be found”. Eso si, sus amigos son todo un lujo (Dusty, Felt, Claudine, Nichols, St.Christopher, Vashty, St Etienne etc). En un weblog he acertado a ver que la relacionan con la BSO de Enmanuelle y si, la verdad es que parece recrear ese tipo de canciones tipo Manuel Alejandro, pero me quedo con la duda de si es una versión de Emmanuelle o una recreación. En todo caso, una delicia. Aquí se la puede uno bajar gratis http://www.box.net/public/myi6ceyc9n ANTIROCK ABRE FOTOLOG
19/02/2007
Los indies mayores regresan
Ya no tienen 20 años precisamente (ver la foto de The Orchids...) pero siguen con ganas y vuelven gracias a dos sellos españoles.
The Orchids regresan vía Siesta. Sólo he escuchado el tema de “Erre que erre”, pero Alistair Fitchett ha escrito en Tangents que “Good To Be A Stranger is certainly great Pop; is an album that grows in stature with repeated plays; an album with a depth and maturity that rewards extended exposure and that sends out its tendrils of tender beatitude into the very deepest recesses of your heart. It’s one of the very finest albums of this or any year and it would be criminal to miss it. Don’t let our middle-age go to waste.”
Trembling Blue Stars también están a punto de editar su nuevo trabajo a través de Elefant: "The last holy writer" es el sexto disco de TREMBLING BLUE STARS, un disco oscuro, íntimo, melancólico y nublado, pero traspasado aquí y allá por rayos de luz y melodías inspiradas. SLOWDIVE y THE CURE siguen siendo buenas referencias, pero se quedan muy cortas para describir el sonido único de TREMBLING BLUE STARS, dispuesto a mezclar el pop melódico y sensible con multitud de sonidos electrónicos y trucos sonoros (distorsiones, ruidos, estática, incluso grabaciones de campo), arreglos envolventes que rodean las canciones y las tiñen de nostalgia. THE RAIN PARADE, MAZZY STAR o GALAXIE 500 aparecen aquí y allá: en este disco hay folk, hay electrónica, hay avant-country y hay influencias de los 80, y por supuesto que hay pop de muchos quilates.”
Se prepara un tributo a Grant McLennan
ver myspace.com/rarevictory
LOVE GOES ON!
A TRIBUTE TO GRANT McLENNAN and THE GO-BETWEENS
"Baby, You Won't Find It Again""
Love Goes On - A Tribute to Grant McLennan" is Rare Victory Records' testament to just how much of an effect the Go-Betweens had on an entire generation of music fans and musicians. These new versions that we're hearing as they trickle in are, well, dazzling. And they seem to conjure up the very spirit of what Grant and Robert were after - picking up a piece of the past and making it live again. G.W. McLennan, we miss your songs, your craft, but most of all we miss your ability to make us feel life is more often than not worth living.
THE BATS
Brookville
THE CLIENTELE
GB3/Glenn Bennie
LUKE HAINES (THE AUTEURS)
Paul Handyside (Hurrah!)
KELMAN
Steve Kilbey (The Church)
MELLOW DRUNK
The Orchids
PORTASTATIC
Trembling Blue Stars
PHIL WILSON (THE JUNE BRIDES)
Stay tuned as further artists' contributions come in....
20/02/2007
Nuevas canciones de Edwyn Collins
Parece que ya está totalmente recuperado. Es una gran noticia. Realmente pone los pelos de punta leer el texto de la portada que su mujer colgó en http://www.edwyncollins.com/ Ahora parece que todo ha pasado y que incluso ya hay canciones nuevas colgadas en el myspace que su hijo le creó: http://www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomedwyncollins22/02/2007
¡Jim Ruiz vive!
Nueva actualización del blog de Chickfactor con post realmente sorprendentes. (¿¿¿un campamento internacional de riot grrrls??? ¡y la cosa va en serio!). Lo más destacable –aparte de la impagable foto de Lupe Pipas embarazada- es una entrevista a The Legendary Jim Ruiz:
what are you doing?
I’m still working at the public library and I am also the president of my neighborhood association, the west bank community coalition.
where is the next album?
after a couple of years doing practically no music, I bought a 16-track digital recording thing. that really became my band and I’ve been working songs out on that. I’ve been fortunate enough to get help from friends and people who I would call “old jazz guys.” so my goal is to have 10 songs that I’m really happy with, I’m recording #9 now and writing #10, although I have some options for #10.
Santa Maria
maria eriksson is santa maria. she is mostly known as guitar player, singer and songwriter in the swedish popconstellations the concretes and heikki. even though the 'santa maria' album is crammed with brilliant pop songs, the musical content is not very related to the pop music of the concretes. santa maria is significantly more multi-faceted; she mixes intricate singer / songwriter-tunes with deeply progressive pieces, intelligent and distinctive dance anthems with stunningly beautiful tracks. the musicians involved in santa maria are some of the most creative and sharp sweden has to offer. bass player, as well as the producer of the album, is johan berthling. besides being a member of the internationally acclaimed electronica-act tape, he also plays with artists like nicolai dunger, tenniscoats and bill wells. on guitar, keyboard and vocals we find the frontman of laakso, markus krunegrd. and on drums another member of laakso, lars skoglund. he also plays with moneybrother - and is rightfully considered to be the greatest talent of the new generation. also featured on the album are guest performers like: the tiny-members ellekari larsson (vocals) and leo svensson (vocals), anna maria espinosa (vocals), sara wilson (vocals) and eric malmberg of sagor and swing fame (organ). cd only on her own slottet label. Más indie sueco: Armas Mikkola
Poco se sobre Armas Mikkola. Sólo conozco las canciones de myspace, y son agradables. Según dice sus influencias son: iskristaller som glittrande små lampor i snön under gatlyktorna, the free design, stereolab, scarface, prince och big pu, pero el asunto suena a Saint Etienne. Bueno, yo diría más, me recuerda a Cola Boy, por el aire ensoñador y melancólico y el extraño rap que hay en medio de “Paradis”. www.myspace.com/armasmikkola23/02/2007
Dos blogs a tener en cuenta y la reedición del primer Lp de The House of Love
Los dos, a juzgar por la temática tratada, los llevan gente de mi quinta. ¡Cuarentones al poder! Lo cual quiere decir que tienen querencia por el pop independiente de los 80. Fire escaping talking http://fireescapetalking.blogspot.com/ comenzó en Julio del 2006, aunque me acabo de enterar ahora de su existencia. En el último post, se habla de la reedición del primer lp de The House of Love: The House Of Love have announced details of the re-issue of their seminal self-titled debut album on 3rd September 2007. The band are also set to perform the first album in its entirety when they play London’s Koko on 13th September as part of the Don’t Look Back series of gigs.They are additionally set to re-release a compilation of early singles and rare tracks on September 3rd. This record, also self-titled, was initially released in 1988 as an import only through Rough Trade Europe and collected together the A & B sides of the bands first 2 singles, Real Animal and Shine On, plus some previously un-released tracks. The re-issue will also feature the A & B sides of the band’s seminal single, Destroy The Heart, which didn’t appear on the original album.
The band’s debut long player was first released on Creation Records in 1988 following their much-acclaimed single, Christine. The 10-track album, featuring classic tracks such as Hope, Man To Child & Love In A Car was quickly hailed as one of the definitive independent releases of the late 1980’s.
Long out of print, the re-issue will come lavishly packaged in a card gatefold sleeve featuring the definitive original artwork plus extensive new sleeve notes.
El segundo blog lo descubrí gracias a los links de Fire escaping talking. Se llama Dusty Sevens http://dusty7s.blogspot.com/ y es de reciente aparición. Un badge de Josef K, un homenaje a Sombrero Records (¡Bob!) y una recuperación de una entrevista de Orange Juice al NME de 26-09-1981, hacen de este blog de obligada visita
The Arctic Monkeys versionean a Barbara Lewis
La he descubierto gracias al recién mentado blog Dusty Sevens y está incluida en la cara B de su último single “Leave Before The Lights Come On”. La canción de Barbara Lewis, “Baby I´m Yours”, alcanzó cierta relevancia por estar incluida en la BSO de “Bridges of Madison County”. Una delicia, tanto la original como la respetuosa versión de los Monkeys. Ya en youtube el clip de "Add Your Light To Me, Baby" de Lucky Soul
El amor está muerto
La bestia ha vuelto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4adzzRE8oAk
Se acabaron las baladitas nocturnas con piano; Es hora de sacar la bestia a pasear. NO PUSSY BLUES24/02/2007
Pauline Murray, the post punk princess
27 años después de su publicación uno descubre a la post-punk princess... Gracias a los blogs, en concreto a éste: //www.londonlee.com/2007/01/pauline.html “Playing Phil Spector to her Ronnie, Martin Hannett gave Pauline Murray an ornate and expansive wall of sound with a freedom to breathe she never had with Penetration. It's a shimmering dream of record, like someone throwing a disco in a cathedral.” Verdaderamente brillante “Dream Sequence”. El single pop que Factory Records (diseño de Peter Saville, producción de Martín Hannett) nunca editó... 25/02/2007
The Innocence Mission - We Walked in Song
We Walked in Song continues the band's unmistakable sound, with a pump organ sifting in and out. The entire album was recorded and produced by the band. Karen Peris wrote all eleven tracks on We Walked in Song, each with a tinge of sadness and reflection. Karen lost her father in 2006 when she began writing songs for the album. Badman Records writes, "Sometime after the passing of her father, Karen began to write some of the most beautiful and heartfelt material I have heard from the band. I believe she turned to songwriting as a way of coping with this great loss, which was compounded with the loss of her mother a few years ago, and celebrating those she loves in her life.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtSq3xm_Ptc&eurl=27/02/2007
Jean Louis Murat
Nuevo lp llamado “Taormina” (ciudad de la costa siciliana).
Lo mejor el single:http://youtube.com/watch?v=VOvH2G1WXgs
28/02/2007
I Love You You Imbecile
Simpática canción del ex miembro de Edson. Sale en Labrador. Aquí te la puedes bajar: http://www.indie-mp3.co.uk/2007/02/pelle-carlberg-i-love-you-you-imbecile.html
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