Month: November 2009

Gig Review - Second Hand Marching Band, Benni Hemm Hemm, Applesofenergy, Meursault

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Stereo, Glasgow - November 29th 2009

Sunday night saw a wonderful little line up put together by From A Stolen Sea and I was fortunate enough to be invited along to review things. So it was that wrapped up nice and warm I headed down to Stereo to catch some bands and indulge myself in a couple of drinks with the good Mr. Peenko.

The Second Hand Marching Band kicked off the night, and were as fun as always. I’ve seen them quite a few times now and it says something for them that each time I can hear a little something that I’ve not noticed before, a bit like when like a film, but are rewarded with bits you’ve missed upon rewatching. I’m always quite surprised and equally impressed that a band this size, despite the air of impending chaos, are really pretty tight on stage. Part of the fun of seeing them is you feel that you are just one bum note away from catastrophe, but the bum note never comes. It’s always a pleasure seeing the Second Hand Marching Band, they never fail to put a smile on my face.

Benni Hemm Hemm were entirely new to me. Their website claims that the band has around 300 members, which is quite frankly just showing off. Rather than trying to pack 300 people on stage frontman Benedikt H. Hermannsson instead brought along a stripped back line up, and teamed up with some Second Hand Marching Band members for his set. Starting off with a song which was, I’m told, sung backwards in Icelandic (and if it turns out it wasn’t, I was lied to) is an interesting way to set out your stall. Despite my initial doubts, and a struggle to stop thinking of Denace The Menace due to Benedit’s red & black stripey jumper, Benni Hemm Hemm won me over pretty quickly. If you can imagine something like Belle and Sebastian, The Flaming Lips and Sigur Ros (of course) put through a blender you wouldn’t be too far off. Let’s hope the 300 people thing didn’t give the Second Hand Marching Band any ideas though.

theapplesofenergy was a bit of a reviewer’s nightmare, in a really good way. Considering that Steven Gribbin’s experimental project is the main reason I got invited along, I’ll clearly need to try to work my way through the nightmare a bit better than that though!
After the multiple members of the preceding two bands it must have felt a bit lonely up there as Steven took to the stage on his own, but his one man show didn’t need any help from others. theapplesofenergy music goes for the kind of ambient, experimental soundscape style of music that I wouldn’t generally seek out on my own, usually I’d need a nudge to get me to listen. Having been given that nudge a little while ago I’m very glad I got it. The style of music is most likely quite divisive love it or hate it material, but after the performance of last night I’m planting my flag firmly in the love it category. I’m aware I’m glossing over the actual music here, but that’s simply because it isn’t something I can accurately describe in text. Steven mixes guitars, drums and electronics, and mixes up musical styles too. There are tones and echos of numerous different bands in theapplesofenergy sound, but none that ever force their way to the forefront, leaving theapplesofenergy to sound like, simply put, theapplesofenergy, not anyone else.

Finally the evening draws to a close with Meursault. This is my first experience of the band live, lie so many other bands something has always gotten in the way of me catching them before. Glad I finally put that right. Sometimes I find myself admiring more than enjoying Meursault on record, not often, but just sometimes. I’m never sure why, I like their songs and think they are a fantastic band, I just occasionally have an odd disconnect with the recorded product. I’m pleased to say that I had no such issues with their set in Stereo though. In fact let’s not mince words, I didn’t just enjoy it, I was blown away by how good they were. You probably don’t need me to tell you that Meursault are a great band, that Phillip Quire, the one member of the band I have seen before as Debutant, is a wonderful guitarist, or that Neil Pennycook has a spine tingling, booming foghorn of a voice, but I will anyway. Tonight everything combines perfectly as the hushed crowd gathers round to watch and listen to a band that are surely set for great things. Beautiful, wonderful stuff.

After that it’s back on with the coat and a return to the freezing weather, Only this time the bitter cold is fought off by the warmth inside me that comes from seeing four cracking acts.

This Week’s Happenings

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Happy St Andrew’s Day people. Time for the usual Monday round up of what’s out and what gigs look good this week.

Records:
Night Noise Team release their debut single, Menolick, as a download. It’s a new version of the song that appeared on the first Night Noise Team album, a live version also appeared on the Limbo Live Vol. 1 compilation. You can find it at all the usual download places, iTunes, Amazon etc.
The Wildhouse have an EP out, released by our pals 17 Seconds Records. Precise Running Order - The Wildhouse Sampler compiles tracks from The Wildhouse’s two previous albums, both due to be reissued by 17 Seconds in 2010, and another track, Ficca. This one is slated for a review some time this week, so check back if you want to now what I thought of it.
Tango In The Attic release a new single too, Seven Second Stare. Check the usual download places for that too, and here’s another handy Amazon link, because I’m clearly shameless this week.
Duelling Winos released a single at the tail end of last week, but I forgot to flag it up in last week’s round up, so I’m doing that now. Someday/One For The Weekend was released on Friday, and all proceeds from it go to Teenage Cancer Trust.
We Were Promised Jetpacks, fresh from playing King Tut’s last night, release a double A-side single, It’s Thunder And It’s Lightening/Ships With Holes Will Sink.

Gigs:
Trapped In Kansas and The Whisky Works are both big favourites round here, and both bands share the bill on Thursday at the Oran Mor as part of The Mill gigs. Text MILL62K to 82500 for tickets.
Strictly speaking this one should go in next week’s round up, but just so you have plenty of notice, I’m throwing it in a week early too. Monday December 7th sees The Gothenburg Address launch their critically acclaimed debut album with a gig in Mono. Support comes from The Bucky rage and Loss Leader, with Aiden Moffat doing some DJing for good measure. You du not want to miss the Gothenburg Address album, you can order it here if you can’t make the gig.
He Slept on 57 and City of Statues are also playing on the 7th at King Tut’s.

As usual, give me a shout if I’ve missed anything.

EP Review: Sparrow and the Workshop - Into The Wild

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Monday saw the release of the second EP by Glasgow based but hailing from all over the place three piece Sparrow and the Workshop. Since I really enjoyed their last EP (or are the mini albums? I’m not sure) Sleight of Hand, I picked up the new one too and now, somewhat obviously, I’m going to write about it a wee bit.

First of all Into The Wild, like Sleight of Hand was, is really good.
The band have a real chemistry together, which is obvious right from the off on opener You’ve Got It All. Jill O’Sullivan has a really powerful, but never overpowering, country tinged voice which is nicely complimented by Gregor Donaldson’s vocal contribution.
The songs are dramatic, melodic and unpredictable, often taking twists and turns in the instrumentation that you never saw coming. Add all the parts together and you get something quite thrilling

Swam Like Sharks is probably my favourite of the songs on offer here, starting out gently, before morphing into something altogether rougher. It’s only a slight nudge away from being all out metal at times, and all the better for it. There’s not a bad song in the bunch, and enough variety across the seven tracks to show that Sparrow and the Workshop won’t be going short of ideas any time soon.

As is befitting of a band with members hailing from America and Wales, as well as a Scot, there’s no chance of Sparrow and the Workshop ever being tagged as just another Scottish band. Their sound is very distinctive, and stands out a mile from the also rans. They are one of those bands who bring to mind plenty of other songs and other bands, without ever sounding like anyone but themselves.

Into The Wild more than delivers on the promise of Sleight of Hand. Now, can we have something longer next time please?

Sparrow and the Workshop MySpace

Into The Wild is available as a download now from all the usual places. A physical release is due to follow on November 30th. Sparrow and the Workshop have a few gigs coming up, including a freebie in Glasgow for The Mill. Check their MySpace for full dates.

Loch Lomond/The Builders and the Butchers - Split 12"

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As promised, I’m attacking my inbox and doing all that stuff I was meant to do ages ago, but forgot about.

I’m not going to claim this is a review, because I don’t have an awful lot to say about it, but I will throw in a wee bit.
Before that i should really tell you what I’m talking about first, shouldn’t I? Well, it’s a slightly unusual release in that it’s a vinyl split 12″. It’s hard to make a 12″ CD or download after all, although if you buy the 12″ you will get a CDr thrown in, which is handy for folk like me that don’t have working record players anymore.
The bands involved are Loch Lomond & The Builders and the Butchers, each contributing four songs. Neither of them are Scottish (although with that name Loch Lomond can at least claim a connection), hailing instead from Portland over in the good ole US of A. Why am I covering the release then? Well firstly because I’m allowed to write about stuff that isn’t Scottish if I want, I’m not under a trade embargo you cheeky git, but mostly because the 12″ is released over here by Song, by Toad Records. So there.

Both bands featured here are new to me, but after hearing this I’ll be doing a bit of hunting down of their other stuff now.
Loch Lomond’s songs are both gentle and lovely yet also at times a bit creepy and sinister. In that way they remind me a bit of Lambchop, even though the two sound nothing like each other.
The Builders and the Butchers are a bit rowdier, but the songs are just as good. Their first songs throws a bit of a mariachi flair into proceedings, before Vampire Flair, which you can sample below, goes off in another direction, almost putting me in mind of The Pogues.
Any release that can make me think of both Lambchop and The Pogues is a sure fire winner in my book.

The 12″ has a very pretty drawing by Matthew of Song, by Toad on the front too.

Downloads:
Loch Lomond - A Field Report
The Builders & the Butchers - Vampire Lake

Buy from Song, by Toad Records

Album Review - Cuddly Shark

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First of all, Cuddly Shark is a brilliant name, therefor to pull off such a name, your band has to be pretty great too. Good thing that Cuddly Shark manage it then. I’ve had this album a few weeks, and it that time it’s had plenty of listens, but as is the way with me it has taken this long for me to get round to writing up a review.

Cuddly Shark caught my attention earlier this year with a trio of very promising singles, some tracks from them make a reappearance here on the album, so I was rather looking forwards to hearing this self titled debut album.

Right from the off the album grabs you and yells in your face, opening track Bowl of Cherries is all thrashy, shouty vocals and even - hurrah - hand claps. I’m a sucker for hand claps, ever since Kenickie released Come Out 2Nite.
From there on in the album is packed with fantastic riffs, razor sharp lyrics and most of all a massive sense of humour, at time the lyrics are so tongue in cheek it’s amazing anyone can actually sing them.
Influences are worn of sleeves, but Cuddly Shark have so many different influences that throwing them all together brings out something quite special.
It isn’t all manic riffs and shouted vocals either, the band switch things up often enough to keep things from getting stale, showing on Whiteoaks that they can be tender as well as tongue in cheek, and throwing in a cover of old country song Boney Fingers for good measure.

Along with all that this album contains both my favourite celebrity diss of the year with “Jamie Foxx on Later With Jools Holland”, and my favourite sweary moment of the year on last single “The Sheriff of Aspen Bay”.
AND there’s an old fashioned hidden track at the end.

Brilliant stuff quite frankly. Cuddly Shark are clearly having a fantastic time on this record, and so am I.
The album might not have been out for long, but it has already forced it’s way into my favourites of 2009.

As a wee sampler here’s Cuddly Jim, which was a b-side to The Sheriff of Aspen Bay single. I’m picking this instead of something from the album because (a) it is fab, and the album tracks can be heard on MySpace and (b) it’s got my name in it, obviously.

Download Cuddly Shark - Cuddly Jim

Cuddly Shark MySpace - Website
Buy the album here.

This Week’s Thing

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You know the deal with this post by now. Records out this week, a few gigs I like the look of and so on. It’s essentially my shopping list.

Records:
Starting off with a freebie, Steve Mason (The Beta Band/King Biscuit Time) has a single out, called All Come Down. You can buy it, but it’s also available as a free download here.
Sparrow and the Workshop follow up last week’s download single with a new EP, Into the Wild. Digital release is today, CDs will be out next week.
eMusic has a reissue of Malcolm Middleton’s Waxing Gibbous, which includes his “girl band” covers of The Saturdays, Girls Aloud, Ladyhawke and Joan Osbourne. The extra songs are also available without the album, on the Girl Band Pop Songs EP.
Some Scottish wummin off the telly has an album out too I think. Haven’t heard much about it, don’t expect it to shift many copies.

Gigs:
I’m not expecting to be out this week, in a desperate attempt to save money, so I haven’t paid a whole lot of attention. Still, there’s a couple that are tempting me.
On Thursday Make Sparks launch their new EP with a gig at Bar Bloc. Support comes from Little Yellow Ukuleles I mostly missed Make Sparks when they played Define Pop 2, so I might try and catch them this time.
Pin Up Nights takes place on Friday and it is having it’s 6th birthday to boot. Playing live are The Dirty Cuts, Always Me, Me, Me as well as a pair of Aye Tunes favourites in We’re Only Afraid of NYC and Mitchell Museum.
Our other good looking gig this week is on Sunday. The Second Hand Marching Band, Benni Hemm Hemm, theapplesofenergy and Meursault are playing at Stereo. Looks like a good one.
If you are in Dundee or thereabouts on Sunday, why not go along to the latest Manic Pop Thrills Presents night? There’s more bands Aye Tunes love playing, like Kid Canaveral and Panda Su.
Also at the weekend there’s all that Homecoming stuff going on. Tickets should be easy to get, if you fancy it. I’m still half expecting it to be downsized into taking place at the train station next to the SECC.

On The Blog:
This week I’ll attempt to pick out anything in my email I’ve been meaning to cover but have forgotten about, and possibly catch up on some reviews. There’s a vague plan to revive the old A-Z that fell apart back in May, and sometime over the next few weeks I’ll be writing about some of my favourite releases of the year. You can make your own Al Megrahi jokes regarding that last one.

Single Review - eagleowl: Sleep The Winter

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Somewhat luckily for me I came to the eagleowl party quite late. While all the people that have loved them since their last release, For The Thoughts You Never Had, have had to wait ages for a follow up I only got that EP recently, when the band offered it as a free download (which you can find here) so my wait for new material hasn’t been long at all.

Even without the long wait, I was still terribly excited when the new single popped up in my inbox a bit ahead of release.

First reaction? Pretty much just “wow”. Followed a few listens later by “this is bloody gorgeous”.
I’ve listened to the single quite a few times since last night, and those two reactions haven’t changed. These songs are bloody gorgeous.
On A-Side Sleep The Winter Bart’s cracked voice is complimented perfectly by Clarissa’s sweet, gentle tones. Likewise guitar and strings work perfectly together. What starts off dark and broody soon becomes warm and uplifting around halfway through, all courtesy of just a few simple changes.
B-Side Laughter is no less gorgeous. Again it keeps things simple, there’s no histrionics, no showing off, just a great song.

Your one word review? Back to that first impression then. Wow. You’ll struggle to find a more perfect seasonal release.
Now, like all the cool kids who picked up the first EP way back last year, I’m eagerly awaiting more new material from eagleowl. With a second EP due next year, hopefully the wait won’t be too long…

The Sleep The Winter 7” single will be launched with a show at The Bowery (2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9SU) on Friday, December 11th. Doors open at 7.30, entry is £5, and early arrival is strongly advised, so’s not to miss the amazing special guests.
From December 14th the single will be available from select independent record stores, and to order via www.eagleowlattack.co.uk and www.kilterschmilter.co.uk. You also can listen to and buy it below.

eagleowl MySpace

<a href=”http://eagleowl.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-the-winter-single”>Sleep the Winter by eagleowl</a>

Facelift

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As you might have noticed I got bored and repainted.
I don’t think I broke anything this time, let me know if I did.

Gig Review: The Kays Lavelle & Beerjacket

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Glasgow PodcART Live Session, with The Kays Lavelle and Beerjacket.
The 13th Note, Glasgow - 18th November 2009

For someone who claims to hate doing gig reviews I do seem to write an awful lot of them at the moment. The thinking is that if I make myself do them I’ll stop hating them so much, and get better at them. I always think my writing is awful, so that second part is down to you fine readers to judge. I’ll try not to bore you with details of every gig I go to, and I’ll be getting back to the other rambly posts soon.

Last night was another of Glasgow PodcART ‘s live session gigs, with, as you probably worked out by now, The Kays Lavelle and Beerjacket.

Oh look, it’s Chris Lee-Marr, again. I’d forgotten that Chris plays drums with The Kays Lavelle. I swear I’ve seen him more times recently than I have most of my family members. Anyway…
The Kays were up first, and this was my first time seeing them, or hearing any more from them than a couple of songs on MySpace, so I was looking forward to it. I’m actually more familiar with singer Euan as a blogger than a musician, thanks to his blog TheSteinbergPrinciple, which you should all go visit (after you’ve finished reading me, of course).

Happily, I wasn’t disappointed in them. From the way they sound they are instantly recognisable as an East Coast band. They don’t sound much like Broken Records, Meursault or the like, but I can certainly hear them as part of the same “family”, for want of a better word. That’s a bit of a refreshing change for much. As much as I dearly love all my Glasgow bands that I go to see, something a bit different helps break things up a bit. Song names I’m hazy on, so I’ll settle for the one that I do know as a highlight - not just because I know it, but because it was great - in the shape of Aftermath. Live the band sounded fantastic, and I’m really looking forward to their album, due out next year. Euan unintentionally talking about his mum’s sex life added a laugh too.

There’s not much I can say about Beerjacket that many others haven’t said before me, and probably better than me. He is a fantastic artist and as a bonus a really nice man too.
Last night was no different than normal on that score, as Peter battered through his last album Animosity (my review of which we shall never speak of again - love the album, hate my review), threw in a fantastic sounding new song, played that cover version, and treated us to Barricade. A few times Peter berated himself, but I’ll go ahead and speak for everyone that was there by saying that no matter what he thinks of himself, he and his songs are brilliant. Here’s hoping Beerjacket gets his new material out before he starts hating those songs too!

Links:
Glasgow PodcART
The Kays Lavelle
Beerjacket