Edward Sharpe – free shows today after last night’s bonkers brilliance

I’m nowhere near recovering from last night’s marvellous and madcap show at The Lexington by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.  Holy moly, it was a real riot; and the good news is you have another three chance to see these guys in the flesh today:  a special acoustic performance on the bandstand in Victoria Park this afternoon between 2 and 4pm, an in-store gig at Rough Trade (they’ve recently signed to Rough Trade Records) and a performance at Koko’s Club NME tonight.  The first two are free, and Koko costs just a fiver, although life inside is never cheap…  

Bring a picnic for Victoria Park if the weather holds, or perhaps a flask of gin, and enjoy music how it once was.  The bandstand is next to the Lido field, in the Hackney Wick end of the park. Best entrances are through Crown Gate East – opposite the Crown Pub - or through The Royal Gate East, which is the one beside the Royal Inn on the Park.  There’s more details and a map on the event page on Facebook.  I thoroughly advocate taking the afternoon off whatever you’re doing, and heading along.

The Rough Trade show’s at 7pm, and wristbands can be collected up to an hour before in the shop.

What to expect?  Well, judging by last night, just about the most mesmerising show imaginable: with 10 people packed on to the stage, ES&TMZ are as visually exciting and chaotic  as they are aurally thrilling.  It’s like a little itinerant town on stage, full of quirky, bonkers artistic types who trip over each other’s wires, graze accordions on tambourines, and giggle (except for one very sober guitarist) and gabber in glee while making a delicious din.  Make sure you’re in the front row, too: Edward himself likes nothing better than acquainting himself with new fans during ribald instrumental sections.  Theirs is a honkytonk, helter-skelter kinda rock, and richly varied: gospel one minute, country the next, a trumpet here, accordions there, and most percussions in between, with the constants of cutesy lyrics and rooting-tooting choruses that’ll soon have the stubbornest square jigging along in reluctant glee. It’s pandemonium with panache, a psychedelic shot of the good stuff, and more life-affirming than an ice bath in Siberia.   Hit these guys up!

Live dates:
Fri 21 Aug – Victoria Park Bandstand, Hackney (details here)
Fri 21 Aug – Rough Trade East, Brick Lane (details here)
Fri 21 Aug – Koko, Mornington Crescent (tickets here)

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros on MySpace
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ website

Buy Up From Below here (iTunes store)

MP3s:
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Carries On (zSHARE)
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – 40 Day Dream (zSHARE)
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Janglin’ (zSHARE)

The Cribs – can I like them?

 I’ve never been much of a fan of The Cribs – they seem to hail from the mainstream, student-night world of which I’m a bit suspicious, and have always seemed a tad too polished for my slightly dishevelled tastes.

But my goodly friend and respected musical tipster Adrian has forever nagged at me to listen to Gary Jarman and co, and so recently I caved in, my collapse encouraged by the addition of Johnny Marr to the band’s line-up – he having apparently finished his tenure with Modest Mouse.

Marr’s heavily involved in The Cribs’ new album, Ignore The Ignorant, out on 7 September.  With first single We Were Aborted having besieged recent airwaves, the band have just released a video of the record’s second single, Cheat On Me:

So what do I think?  It still sounds a bit, well, produced, for my liking - in the sense that it seems so calculatedly catchy and radio-friendly, with choruses in the right places, a succinct 3½-minute length and nice, but not too complex, lyrics.  All of which means a pedestrian, unpredictable pop sensibility – dispiriting for me, someone who rather likes not knowing where a song’s going to go. 

That said, this is a thumping riproarer of a tune.  The primal, slightly burnt-out sound at the end of each chorus is delicious, as are the various levels through which the band climbs to reach those peak, like a car joyously clicking through the gears. Marr’s influence is plain for all to hear, too, not least during the closing grungey thud of guitars.  There’s much to like, then, and Adrian may just have a point after all…

The Cribs perform Cheat On Me live (dodgy recording from distant spot alert): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wC3J2fMe70 

The Cribs on MySpace
The Cribs’ website

MP3: The Cribs - We Were Aborted (zSHARE)
Cheat On Me’s not available as a free mp3 yet, but do check back in a week or so in case things change…

Delays – older, wiser and dancier?

Remember the Delays?  Once upon a day they were the next big thing – on NME ‘Sound of the Summer’ CDs and providing Match of the Day soundtracks.  It never quite happened, though, and the band have rather drifted since parting company with Rough Trade in 2006.  A three-year tenure with the more mainstream Fiction Records produced only one proper album, and the Southampton four-piece are seemingly now going it alone.

A listen on MySpace suggests the Delays have mellowed with time.  Along with top-20er Long Time Coming and 2003 debut hit Nearer Than Heaven, a few new songs are available for streaming.  Wanderlust shuffles pleasantly along, with a nice chirpy riff and a wistfultone far from those belters of yesteryear.  The brief demo of Hold Fire feels similarly autumnal, with a timid piano intro and vocal echoes.  Lost In A Melody is much faster, but its power pop sensibilities are overshadowed by a kicking little effect that sounds like an old door being furiously shaken on its ancient hinges.  That’s a good sound, by the way.  The dance element is continued on We Together Make A City, an electronically-based song with samples and sleepiness a million miles from Long Time Coming.

Not being a Delays expert, I’m not certain how new these particular tunes are.  But given the low play numbers on MySpace, they seem likely to represent the contemporary Delays sound.  I do hope so – they make for a great listen, and bode well for the band’s forthcoming London show.

Live date:
Wed 21 October – The Borderline, Soho

Delays on MySpace

MP3: Delays – Long Time Coming (zSHARE) (M4A)
I’ve asked Delays if they might provide one of the tracks I think’s more recent

Live in London – Clues

Here’s one I’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for – a London date for Clues.

Clues are a Montreal-based rock act comprising Alden Penner (formerly one half of the much-revered Unicorns) and Brendan Reed (previously in Arcade Fire) plus friends Ben Borden, Lisa Gamble, and Nick Scribner from the Montreal art and music scenes.  They make multi-instrumental bruisers that combine pleasant low-key sections, urgent, jump-for-joy choruses, Alden’s murmurous or screaming vocals and delicious melodies that sound fresher each time than the last.  Apparently when live, the act often incorporates multiple drummers to enhance their fast-pace.

Clues also come with some old-fashioned mystique.  For a long while after the band’s conception in summer 2007 was revealed and they played a few unannounced but well-received gigs, no news surfaced. Then finally came the release of Perfect Fit, a multi-faceted peach of a track.  Then, lots more nothing.  Earlier this summer a self-titled album came out to little fanfare and a few more low-key American shows took place.  To this day, Clues’ MySpace page still carries only that initial song, and has scarcely any information and no facility for friend-requests. There’s never been an official website. It’s all about the music.

All the more reason to make sure you’re free when Alden and co come to town, playing the ever-cooler Lexington bar on Pentonville Road c/o the hip people at Bird on the Wire.

Live date:
Sun 25 October – The Lexington, King’s Cross (tickets here)

Clues on MySpace

MP3: Clues – Perfect Fit (zSHARE)
MP3: Clues - Ledmonton (zSHARE)

Buy Clues’ self-titled album here.

Live in London – Castanets

Another day and another exciting show to look forward to at The Relentless Garage.  With such a steady flow of quality musicians being announced, it’s becoming fairly obvious why the venue embellished it’s name from The Garage.

This time the act in question is Castanets, which comprises Portland-based singer-songwriter-founder-oracle Raymond Raposa, and a roster of supporting players.   Raposa offers what TRG calls “a beautiful musical concoction of traditional music styles (folk, country) and modern intuition (avant-garde, psychedelia)”.  I couldn’t put it any better myself, other than to suggest there’s a strong element of blues, and to argue that Castanets’ sound is more melancholia than psychedelia – full of considered, sombre melodies and maudlin quietude, along with the odd frenetic, electronic section.  The beats may initially underwhelm, but they’ll stick in your head and reward a little more with each listen. Each is a bit different, too.  On Good Friend, Yr Hunger, available below, there’s a real country-and-western twang;  You Are The Blood is more intense, echoey and deliberate, with rather gothic hooks before a cheerier conclusion using what sounds suspiciously like castanets the percussion instrument.

Live date:
Tues 10 November - The Relentless Garage, Highbury & Islington (tickets here)

Castanets on MySpace

MP3: Castanets – Good Friend, Yr Hunger (zSHARE)

Buy Castanets’ albums here.

Certain songs, and the places they take you to – Tiny Vipers and Wye Oak

Certain songs, for certain people, conjure up an atmosphere all of their own.  When they come on you’re instantly transported to the ideal scenario in hearing them, if everything fell magically into place.

Dreamer by Tiny Vipers (aka Jessy Fortino from Seattle) is one of those tunes for me.   I imagine listening to it being performed in a cosy, dimly-lit room, the few lights there are all illuminating Jessy.  She’d be sat on a small, humble stage and the audience, comprising 20- and 30-somethings in shirts and jumpers, quirky knitwear and the odd accessory (stylish, but not showily so), would be sat cross-legged or sprawled on the floor, a heady red wine or vodka tonic within reach, a lover not far distant, and life, at least for in this little passage of time, blissfully okay.  As the aptly-named slowburn song builds gently towards it magnifcent crest, eyes close and minds go a mite dizzy, drifting away with the existenstial lyrics and finding solstice or familiarity in the hopeful message, and rather enjoying the tragic concluding lines as Jessy’s voice soars high and harkening.  And when the number ends, suddenly and modestly, there’s a moment’s pause before the reality of gentle, intoxicated applause.

It seems something close to this vision has already occurred too – watch this video of Tiny Vipers playing a darkened den in Gronigen (Dreamer is about 4;50 in): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd5WGTdFW4Q

Another such track is Take It In by Wye Oak, a boy-girl duo from Maryland.  It hums along balletically, the odd thrashes of a drum and rips on guitars become steadily louder and more constant, but never quite drowning out Jenn Wasner’s vocals.  At first I find myself in another darkened room (helped by the fact that I have a live acoustic-sounding version), swaying my shoulders and forgetting my troubles again; then later, as the instrumentals get rowdier, it’s as though I’m in the midst of a noisy, perfect storm, yet completely safe as long as I can hear Jenn’s voice, a beacon of hope that reassures me everything’ll be alright in the end. 

Again there’s video footage available of Wye Oak playing this song, although this time not quite in the surround I describe – on a bigger stage in North Carolina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm_UfJIQqDE

Silly I know, but I think all of us are capable of being so totally transported by the right piece of music for our ears.  At least I hope so, and it’s not just me?

Better yet for me, I’ll soon have the opportunity to try and achieve these fantasies, or at least have a comparable experience, as both Tiny Vipers and Wye Oak are playing live in darkish London venues soon – the latter supporting the excellent Okkervil River upon their return to Scala…

Live dates:
Tiny Vipers: Thurs 3 September – The Slaughtered Lamb, Clerkenwell (tickets here)
Wye Oak:  Mon 14 September – Scala, King’s Cross (tickets here)

Tiny Vipers on MySpace (Dreamer lyrics here)
Tiny Vipers’ website (Sub Pop Records)
Wye Oak on MySpace
Wye Oak’s website

MP3: Tiny Vipers – Dreamer (zSHARE)
MP3: Wye Oak – Take It In (Live) (zSHARE)

SWIMMInG

While waxing lyrical about Bear Hands recently I omitted to mention that the excellent SWIMMInG were supporting them for the forthcoming show at The MacBeth.   No wonder it’s a Levi’s OnesToWatch night.

A five-piece from Nottingham, SWIMMInG are perpetrators of  cheery, but slightly ethereal pop, some songs boasting an indie element, and some much more inclined towards dance or dreaminess, such as the blissful Pacific Atlantic.  The constants are zealous melodies and a rather euphoric, soaring feel – one no doubt enhanced in the flesh by a few glasses of sauce.  

I’ve no idea about the significance of the lower case ‘N’ in their name, however – anyone got any idea?

Live date:
Thurs 3rd September – The Macbeth, Hoxton

SWIMMInG on MySpace
SWIMMInG’s website 

MP3: SWIMMInG – Pacific Atlantic (zSHARE)

London Live Dates – Noah & The Whale, Lightspeed Champion, The Big Pink & more

There’s been a bevy of exciting, forthcoming London live dates announced recently – and here they are:

Noah & The Whale
Pioneers of graceful, gorgeous shoegaze epics that refuse to leave your aural memory, Noah & The Whale will be performing what sounds like a very special set at Pure Groove records with a “full string section” in support.  Quite how many performers can fit on that tiny stage remains to be seen, but it promises to be quite a show.  This being Pure Groove, it’ll be free.
Mon 24 August – Pure Groove, Farringdon (details here – scroll down about halfway)
Noah & The Whale on MySpace
MP3: Noah & The Whale – The First Days Of Spring (zSHARE)

Lightspeed Champion
Much less has been seen or heard of Lightspeed these last 12 months after his break-out year in 2008, but he surely remains an engaging performer, and those old catchy songs with their sawdust sound still delight.  Moreover, I’d imagine he’ll be playing oodles of new stuff, and some fabulously inventive covers like the raucous fiddle & filthy strings version of MJ’s classic available below.
Fri 28 August – The Relentless Garage, Highbury & Islington (tickets here)
Lightspeed Champion on MySpace
MP3: Lightspeed Champion - Thriller (Live) (zSHARE)

Peter, Bjorn & John
The original Scandi popsters are on tour to promote their most recent album, Living Thing, which, from the little I’ve heard, offers more of the same: catchy pop with dainty loops and hangdog beats leading to livewire choruses.   These guys have a HUGE following now, so tickets will disappear before you can say we don’t care about the young folks.
Thurs 01 October – Electric Ballroom, Camden (tickets here)
Peter, Bjorn & John on MySpace
MP3: Peter, Bjorn & John – Nothing To Worry About (zSHARE)

Zoot Woman
A little-known but very worthy and talented band, Zoot Woman produce a sort of moddish indie, all recurring rhythms, electro fizzle and the beguiling vocals of Johnny Blake.  They remind me slightly of Three Colours Red, but on a weirder, dancier tangent.
Mon 5 October – Dingwalls, Camden (tickets here)
Zoot Woman on MySpace
MP3: Zoot Woman – It’s Automatic (zSHARE)

The Rest
Sometimes sounding fiddly and fey like Placebo and sometimes like the most heavenly angels, The Rest’s low-key indie is as captivating as it’s capricious. They should thus be perfectly suited to the OBL’s intimate upstairs room, where anything seems to delightfully go.
Mon 12 October – The Old Blue Last, Shoreditch
Tues 13 October – The Dublin Castle, Camden
The Rest on MySpace
MP3: The Rest - Apples & Allergies (zSHARE)

The Big Pink
A pretty post-rock band that I bigged up ahead of Field Day only to miss their show like a regular pillock.  At a guess I’d say their lavish soundscapes would sound better in an intimate venue and the Electric Ballroom’s definitely that.
Thurs 22 October – Electric Ballroom, Camden (tickets here)
The Big Pink on MySpace
MP3: The Big Pink – Tooyoungtolove (zSHARE)

The Dodos
If you’re into good old-fashioned guitar licking, soft and seductive melodies and honest songwriting, The Dodos are for you.  They’re also for many people, though, so you’ll need to move quickly to get tickets for this one.  Mind you, Scala’s never short of a tout or two if you do fancy leaving it to the last minute.  Failing that, they’re also playing in Pure Groove for 30 mins on Thurs 3 September.
Sun 15 November – The Scala, King’s Cross (tickets here)
The Dodos on MySpace
MP3: The Dodos – Red & Purple (zSHARE)

Brick Lane Takeover – did you go?

I’ve not blogged about the one-day Brick Lane Takeover festival taking place yesterday because: a) I only heard about it this week, and b) I’d scarcely heard of any of the acts.  Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip is always an entertaining listen, but beyond that.. erm, Filthy Dukes and Noel Fielding were DJing??  The rest are all new names to me.

However, I imagine there was some real talent on show, such is the quality of the East London music scene right now.  So if anyone attended and feels like passing on some tips, about bands or the festival itself, that would be excellent!

Don’t Wait Animate remix The xx

Isn’t it amazing when a pair of your favourite acts unexpectedly hook up?  It’s like two of your best friends making a surprise announcement that they’ve been secretly dating for weeks, or when you find out that garlic and Nutella taste INCREDIBLE together.  In this instance the happy union comprises Don’t Wait Animate and The xx - DWA having remixed a new song by the trippy pop quartet.

Don’t get your laddered tights in a delighted twist just yet, though – this collaboration is currently only available in video form (released as a MySpace bulletin by Don’t Wait Animate) and lasts but a measly minute and 19 seconds.  Just when it’s hotting up, and you’re undoing that top button, capisch, it’s over, and silence fills the room, a cool wind blowing over your presumptiously-exposed neck…

I’ll let y’all know the moment a full version, or an MP3, becomes available.

Don’t Wait Animate on MySpace
The xx on MySpace