54 posts tagged “sally”
Jarvis Cocker: this pasty, lanky man from Sheffield, what is it about him?... it's not a traditional attractiveness; it's a combination of about seven things (give or take a few). That awkwardness, those frantic dance moves, and of course... those flailing limbs.
You have to hand it to him, others would have given up long ago, but Jarvis stuck it out. I probably don't need to say it, but Mr Cocker started his career as the frontman for the amazing English band, Pulp. If you are familiar with them, i reckon like me, you probably first heard them around 1995/1996? But NO! Pulp's first gig was at a Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980 (the month I was born - yeah scary). So really, they'd been at it 16 years until they released Different Class, causing a vast number of people to jump on the (literal) bandwagon.
My theory for why these songs are instantly likable is not just because of the catchy tunes, but because Jarvis has an amazing knack to lyric writing. He has an acute talent for writing songs with lyrics that are clearly from experience as opposed to the usual "I'm pining for lost love" or "I've got a girlfriend, she's super lovely, she's not yours, you lose" drivel. These are all songs that the average person can identify with in some way or another. Another thing that I'm sure I mention a lot, is that I love the fact that if you happen to be listen to any Jarvis-written songs on earphones... you have to be quite careful who you sing out loud (and how loud) in front of.... "so she bought a toy that can reach the places he never goes".
I can't help but think that if Pulp kept on going at it, it wouldn't have ended gracefully in any way (although I'll probably get physically beaten for saying that Pulp aren't together anymore by a certain crazed Pulp fan i know). Anyway, i could talk about Pulp all day.... the purpose of this here article today, is to talk about Jarvis and his solo albums.
The
songs themselves are less poppy than Pulp, a bit more laid back and
slightly depressive. Without a doubt, there are a few gems that need to
be mentioned.
Dont Let Him Waste Your Time,
is one that catches my attention. As a "lady" who is getting on a bit
and being occasionally hassled by a certain nanna who is constantly
wondering "am i going to ever see you get married?", the lyrics of this
song grab me, and more than anything, make me laugh. I think nanna and
Jarvis could have a good conversation about the topic though.
Black Magic is
another that stands out. This song has probably the best chorus on the
album. It's one that slightly sneaks up on you. The versus are quiet
and minimalist, but the chorus then hits you, loudly.... nice. Gosh,
I'm listening to the album as i write this and although i loved the
album before, I'm listening and picking up on things I'd never noticed
before.
The
song that only made is as the "secret song" at the end of the album is
probably one of my favourites. Even though it contains the only word i
will not say out loud, Cunts Are Still Running The World, is both catchy and speaks the truth lyrically. It's true, when are nice people going to get a look in?
"Sometimes a well chosen swear word is the only thing that will do" Well put, Mr Cocker.
The newer album, Future Complications,
is his second helping. I realise that it's not overly new anymore, but
with Jarvis imminent arrival on our fair shores someone needs to
mention it (although, I'm sure I'm not the first). Further Complications
is much the same as the previous album. With all those years of musical
experience, there's not a whole lot of growing musically that Jarvis
can do. He's got the whole "writing catchy songs" thing down pat. I
would like to say that Further Complications has a
different feel to Jarvis, it's slightly more dramatic sounding. More of
those sad sounding minor chords, slower and more quiet.
The first single, Angela,
hated by some, loved by others, could easily be a Pulp song. In my
opinion, it's quite danceable, but the element that makes it Pulp-esque
is the subject matter. "Making four-fifty an hour, Complimentary shower" Is it what I think it's about? (I'm always the first person to miss the point)
I must admit though, reluctantly, that there are a few songs on Further Complications that almost bore me (this is a product of my lack of attention span rather than the songs actually being boring). Slush is long and slow. It's not a bad song by any means, it's just a bit too mellow for it's own good. You're In My Eyes....
what's going on there? My dislike of this song could have something to
do with the disco-ness of it all. Admittedly, it is quite danceable, so
it claws back a few points in that respect.
Listening to both of these albums, I feel as though I'm slightly seeing into the private life of Jarvis. I wonder "Did fat children really take his life?". But what about the beard, Jarvis? That's the real question.
Listening to both of these albums, I feel as though I'm slightly seeing into the private life of Jarvis. I wonder "Did fat children really take his life?". But what about the beard, Jarvis? That's the real question.
Tour dates?.. oh yeah, he's coming to Australia...
9 Nov - Village Underground, London
10 Nov - Village Underground, London
11 Nov - Village Underground, London
2 Dec - Town Hall (Wellington), Wellington
4 Dec - Powerstation, Auckland
5 Dec - Hi Fi Bar, Brisbane
7 Dec - Metro (Sydney), Sydney
8 Dec - Metro Freo, Perth
10 Dec - HQ, Adelaide
11 Dec - Forum (Melbourne), Melbourne
12 Dec - Meredith Festival, Meredith
More info?
That's all?
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Britpop ♥ Flyer (11/07/09) |
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BRITPOPCAST #3: WELSH BRITPOP BANDS
This show was recorded on Saturday morning at 12.30am with Sally. I was half tired and half unprepared... but lots of fun on this episode about Welsh Britpop bands.
Welsh bands we focused on: Super Furry Animals, Manic Street Preachers, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Catatonia, Stereophonics, and 60ft Dolls.
The second part, which is more like a post script is that Sally will be DJing Jarvis Cocker/Pulp music for an hour on December 5th in anticipation and celebration of Cocker touring in Australia around that date. Come stalk her in Sydney, more details on britpop.com.au.
Below is the interview Sal did with singer Gruff Rhys from SFA, originally published in Kill the Cod fanzine.
BRITPOPCAST #3: WELSH BRITPOP BANDS
This show was recorded on Saturday morning at 12.30am with Sally. I was half tired and half unprepared... but lots of fun on this episode about Welsh Britpop bands.
Welsh bands we focused on: Super Furry Animals, Manic Street Preachers, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Catatonia, Stereophonics, and 60ft Dolls.
The second part, which is more like a post script is that Sally will be DJing Jarvis Cocker/Pulp music for an hour on December 5th in anticipation and celebration of Cocker touring in Australia around that date. Come stalk her in Sydney, more details on britpop.com.au.
Below is the interview Sal did with singer Gruff Rhys from SFA, originally published in Kill the Cod fanzine.
KILL THE COD INTERVIEWS GRUFF RHYS
Whilst attending a smashing concert at Newcastle Uni (25th.Feb), i managed, as well as being able to watch three of my favourite bands (Lavish, Super Furry Animals and Custard), i was able to have a chat to a Mr Gruff Rhys, the lead singer of the Super Furries. So here is the story of that night....................................................................................*sally*
What's the deal with all the Welsh bands that have been touring Australia lately?
It's really funny, you know, we used to share the same amps as Catatonia and we shared drummers, we've known members of Catatonia since I was...you know...
So you lived near them?
ah...Catatonia are from North Wales and we're from South Wales...your in bands for years playing along and it's...so surreal, you know...we'll be playing in Melbourne the same night as Catatonia and we'll probably meet up with them after...and I saw them in a pub in Cardiff before coming over...
So it's just coincidence that you, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers have all decided to tour Australia at the same time?
Yeah...cos Wales is a small place...you bump into everyone and you meet everyone...the music is quite different...you know? Everyone does their own thing, so no one is in competition with each other...it's great you know...to meet up in exotic locations
How do you like playing with Lavish and, tonight, Custard?
well...I haven't heard Custard and I hadn't heard Lavish until last week
How do you feel about not being the headlining band tonight (Newcastle Uni)?
That's fine...yeah...I mean we've never played in Australia before and no one's heard of us practically...you know..we sort of have just started out in Australia, so it's great to be number 1 and number 2...it's good to have an audience...I don't care about headlining...you know, I think that's secondary to the music true true...
So how did the Super Furry Animals form?
ahh...we started recording in Dafydd's house about five years ago (points to Dafydd)...this doesn't translate on tape..um..that short guy with the brown shirt..um..we had a home studio..we spent a few years writing songs and before that me and Dafydd were in a band called Ffa Coffi Pawb, Guto and Bunf were in a band, and Cian had his own band and Cian is Dafydd's brother so he used to hang out with us...and by this time me Cian and Dafydd had moved down from North Wales to Cardiff and we knew Bunt and Guto from the days in Ffa Coffi Pawb, we were all in Welsh punk rock bands you know..then we spent two years in the house writing songs and playing around and um...then we decided to start playing live...we did a few gigs and then we got together to release a single on a label called Ankst and so it's one of those freaky things...we'd played about two gigs and we sent a copy to the NME or something and we got a slot in a pub in London and about 10 journalists came to see us and wrote rave reviews...we went to London again the week after and played in another pub and there was about 40 record companies and they all wanted a piece and...it was really strange and easy and then we did an album for Creation...we've been in bands for 10 years making music and suddenly you get offered this chance to record the albums of your dreams you know..and come to places like Australia to play
Are you enjoying Australia?
Yeah...I didn't know what to expect at all and it's a good place and um...i'm looking forward to coming back...yeah I want to come back
I don't know if you've ever been asked this but...i've got a game called Actua Soccer at home..
..oh yeah...
and I notice a SFA team with you running around the field...so how did you get into that?
well...we were making a video and we didn't have many pictures and we wanted to walk into the screen and change into football players and so we got in contact with these people and they did it free for us and...but they fucked up cos..we selected a team of all our heros..um...we had..i think Che Guevara was in goal, Nelson Mandella on the wing..i think Lou Reed was in the team and...Fidel Castro and...Frank Zappa on the wing, etcetera, etcetera and the five of us...apparently they've put like..Stalin and Ghengis Khan on the team and it's horrible cos they lost the piece of paper we sent them so they put all these wankers in, you know...it's really bad...so we're all embarrassed it's still an alright game though I prefer Fifa 98
yeah...me too... What football teams do you support?
Bangor City...their in the league of Wales............ah a bug (on the ground).........yeah..i support Bangor City in the league of Wales and I support Cardiff City who are in the third division of the English league even though it's a Welsh team...um...I support Barcelona and Bilbao in the Spanish league...who do you support?
I support Arsenal and it's not just because they won the FA cup and that, I had been supporting them for years, so don't get any ideas
o.k....i know some Arsenal fans
What is your favourite telly show ever?
well...Calimero...it's like a Czech cartoon. Calimero is a little black chicken with half a shell on its head and um...I did have a photo of him (searches his pocket and wallet)...he's like the only black chicken in a family of yellow chickens and it gets translated into Welsh so we used to watch it in Welsh on Welsh TV and i've met Japanese people...it's been translated into Japanese and Italian and in Scotland it's in English with an Italian accent so Calimero's catch phrase is "It's an injustice" (in an Italian accent) and um..in Welsh it's (Welsh words-sorry ) which is "there's no flavour to life"..it's this depressed chicken..it's a cartoon for kids but, you know...Calimero...god guy..one of the greats
How do you Kill the Cod?
Are you an active fisher?
it's actually out of the Goodies
Ah yeah...i saw a band a few weeks ago and they've got Graeme Garden's son on keyboards...he's got the same smile...that's quite amazing..i don't'know if I endorse killing cod..so maybe we should let it swim..you know.
Whilst attending a smashing concert at Newcastle Uni (25th.Feb), i managed, as well as being able to watch three of my favourite bands (Lavish, Super Furry Animals and Custard), i was able to have a chat to a Mr Gruff Rhys, the lead singer of the Super Furries. So here is the story of that night....................................................................................*sally*
What's the deal with all the Welsh bands that have been touring Australia lately?
It's really funny, you know, we used to share the same amps as Catatonia and we shared drummers, we've known members of Catatonia since I was...you know...
So you lived near them?
ah...Catatonia are from North Wales and we're from South Wales...your in bands for years playing along and it's...so surreal, you know...we'll be playing in Melbourne the same night as Catatonia and we'll probably meet up with them after...and I saw them in a pub in Cardiff before coming over...
So it's just coincidence that you, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers have all decided to tour Australia at the same time?
Yeah...cos Wales is a small place...you bump into everyone and you meet everyone...the music is quite different...you know? Everyone does their own thing, so no one is in competition with each other...it's great you know...to meet up in exotic locations
How do you like playing with Lavish and, tonight, Custard?
well...I haven't heard Custard and I hadn't heard Lavish until last week
How do you feel about not being the headlining band tonight (Newcastle Uni)?
That's fine...yeah...I mean we've never played in Australia before and no one's heard of us practically...you know..we sort of have just started out in Australia, so it's great to be number 1 and number 2...it's good to have an audience...I don't care about headlining...you know, I think that's secondary to the music true true...
So how did the Super Furry Animals form?
ahh...we started recording in Dafydd's house about five years ago (points to Dafydd)...this doesn't translate on tape..um..that short guy with the brown shirt..um..we had a home studio..we spent a few years writing songs and before that me and Dafydd were in a band called Ffa Coffi Pawb, Guto and Bunf were in a band, and Cian had his own band and Cian is Dafydd's brother so he used to hang out with us...and by this time me Cian and Dafydd had moved down from North Wales to Cardiff and we knew Bunt and Guto from the days in Ffa Coffi Pawb, we were all in Welsh punk rock bands you know..then we spent two years in the house writing songs and playing around and um...then we decided to start playing live...we did a few gigs and then we got together to release a single on a label called Ankst and so it's one of those freaky things...we'd played about two gigs and we sent a copy to the NME or something and we got a slot in a pub in London and about 10 journalists came to see us and wrote rave reviews...we went to London again the week after and played in another pub and there was about 40 record companies and they all wanted a piece and...it was really strange and easy and then we did an album for Creation...we've been in bands for 10 years making music and suddenly you get offered this chance to record the albums of your dreams you know..and come to places like Australia to play
Are you enjoying Australia?
Yeah...I didn't know what to expect at all and it's a good place and um...i'm looking forward to coming back...yeah I want to come back
I don't know if you've ever been asked this but...i've got a game called Actua Soccer at home..
..oh yeah...
and I notice a SFA team with you running around the field...so how did you get into that?
well...we were making a video and we didn't have many pictures and we wanted to walk into the screen and change into football players and so we got in contact with these people and they did it free for us and...but they fucked up cos..we selected a team of all our heros..um...we had..i think Che Guevara was in goal, Nelson Mandella on the wing..i think Lou Reed was in the team and...Fidel Castro and...Frank Zappa on the wing, etcetera, etcetera and the five of us...apparently they've put like..Stalin and Ghengis Khan on the team and it's horrible cos they lost the piece of paper we sent them so they put all these wankers in, you know...it's really bad...so we're all embarrassed it's still an alright game though I prefer Fifa 98
yeah...me too... What football teams do you support?
Bangor City...their in the league of Wales............ah a bug (on the ground).........yeah..i support Bangor City in the league of Wales and I support Cardiff City who are in the third division of the English league even though it's a Welsh team...um...I support Barcelona and Bilbao in the Spanish league...who do you support?
I support Arsenal and it's not just because they won the FA cup and that, I had been supporting them for years, so don't get any ideas
o.k....i know some Arsenal fans
What is your favourite telly show ever?
well...Calimero...it's like a Czech cartoon. Calimero is a little black chicken with half a shell on its head and um...I did have a photo of him (searches his pocket and wallet)...he's like the only black chicken in a family of yellow chickens and it gets translated into Welsh so we used to watch it in Welsh on Welsh TV and i've met Japanese people...it's been translated into Japanese and Italian and in Scotland it's in English with an Italian accent so Calimero's catch phrase is "It's an injustice" (in an Italian accent) and um..in Welsh it's (Welsh words-sorry ) which is "there's no flavour to life"..it's this depressed chicken..it's a cartoon for kids but, you know...Calimero...god guy..one of the greats
How do you Kill the Cod?
Are you an active fisher?
it's actually out of the Goodies
Ah yeah...i saw a band a few weeks ago and they've got Graeme Garden's son on keyboards...he's got the same smile...that's quite amazing..i don't'know if I endorse killing cod..so maybe we should let it swim..you know.
10/24/2009 20:06:30 ♥ vu (
) ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
Yawn.
Doesn't
really conjure up images of excitement, does it? I nearly wrote this
band off before even listening to them (a very sally thing to do).
Well... look at the cover art.... i thought "ooh, some sort of
horrendous metal band". Who ever said i jump to weird conclusions?
The best part is that you can download the EP for free on their website and that would be right HERE.
Not a great deal of information on these guys (maybe my detective skills aren't up to scratch), but according to their MySpace page, they come from Chicago, are influenced by after-birth and biblical murals, and used to be called Metrovox, but have since changed direction musically and hence required a new name. I wouldn't say Yawn is a fitting name, but who am i to make that call?
As
far as i can tell, this is their self-titled debut EP. The music?
Simply, it's indie pop. I wont say cute, but there's some really
quirky, but well put together songs. The music itself is thick, layers
of indie guitar pop intertwine with a whole realm of unusual sounds
(I'm sure there's a kookaburra in there somewhere - mmm well known as
the greatest songbird in history *ahem*). Seems a bit novelty-esque; a
bit Vampire Weekendy, very similar sounding vocals, same sort of
whimsical feeling, same bouncy beat, but just that little bit more
quirky. Favourite track? Empress. Makes me feel as though I'm on
a beach drinking cocktails out of coconuts (not that I've ever done
that.... or really want to, come to think of it).
Also, if you happen to be in Chicago, you might be interested to hear that they are playing a show (with Megachurch... great band name!) on the 31st October at Snack Manor (I'm imagining this place has an abundance of cheese toasties).
Short and sweet today.
Sally
Feel free to have a go at me, but yes, I think it's taken me these four years to realise that Art Brut are
not about catchy tunes and immaculate sounding vocals; they're about
the lyrics. The reason why the lack of tunefulness within the lyrics
previously irritated me so much is because they are at the forefront of
their overall sound. There's no avoiding them; they're clear and
coherent. According to various sources, it seems that Eddie's lyrics
have even been the subject of lecture at a Berlin university entitled "The Depressive Dandy: the
Lyrics of Eddie Argos"; a description that has apparently cause
confusion to the man himself. But all the same, says a lot about the
lyrics.
Why
are they special? Well... let see. They aren't pretentious; they're
to-the-point, describing exactly what is being said. No poncey
metaphors. It's like a story is being told in each song; most commonly
describing various life experiences: a love of public transport, going
home with someone you don't quite fancy after an alcohol-fuelled
evening, having annoying songs stuck in your head and embarrassingly
singing them in public, drinking just that bit too much and waking up
the next morning with all manner of mystery bruises. (he sounds a bit
like me actually... except my love of public transport is probably not
as strong... ha!)
"I can't remember anything I've done. I fought the floor and the floor won." Love it.
There a some parallels with Eddie's lyrics and those penned by Jarvis Cocker.
That is, the fact that they evoke images of situations that most of us
would find ourselves in, which is possibly why he has once been
described as "the new Jarvis" by NME.
What strikes me about Art Brut Vs Satan,
is that the lyrics are more melodic than previously, as though there's
been some effort put into creating a more tuneful record rather than
just the voice with the english twang speaking over what could be
mistaken for a completely unrelated backing band. Before I get my arse
kicked, in addition to a marked improvement in the vocals, the
melodies, harmonies and overall sound of Art Brut as a band have improved immensely. Simply... This album is fairly excellent indeed.
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16 Oct 2009 -Cambridge, MA, Middle East
17 Oct 2009 - Hoboken, NJ, Maxwells
18 Oct 2009 - Washington, DC, Black Cat
19 Oct 2009 - Carrboro, NC, Cats Cradle
20 Oct 2009 - Atlanta, GA, The Earl
21 Oct 2009 - Tallahasee, FL, Club Downunder
22 Oct 2009 - Birmingham, AL, The Bottletree
23 Oct 2009 - Baton Rouge, LA, Spanish Moon
24 Oct 2009 - Houston, TX, Walters On
25 Oct 2009 - Austin, TX, The Mowhawk
27 Oct 2009 - Tucson, AZ, Club Congress
28 Oct 2009 - San Diego, CA, Casbah
29 Oct 2009 - Pomona, CA, Glass House
30 Oct 2009 - San Francisco, CA, Café Du Nord – 2 shows
31 Oct 2009 - Davis, CA, UC Davis
01 Nov 2009 - Portland, OR, Holocene
02 Nov 2009 - Seattle, WA, Nuemos
03 Nov 2009 - Vancouver, BC, The Biltmore
05 Nov 2009 - Salt Lake City, UT, Urban Lounge
06 Nov 2009 - Denver, CO, Bluebird
07 Nov 2009 - Lawrence, KS, The Bottleneck
09 Nov 2009 - Minneapolis, MN, Triple Rock
10 Nov 2009 - Chicago, IL, Lincoln Hall
11 Nov 2009 - Oberlin College, IL, Oberlin College
13 Nov 2009 - Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Bowl
14 Nov 2009 - Baltimore, MD, Ottobar
15 Nov 2009 - New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom
Sally
If you've progressed through the years with this four-piece from sunny Leicester, you would have to agree that since their first (and self-titled album) album Kasabian have really grown as songwriters. Indie rock at it's finest.
For example, there were some absolute gems of songs on the first album; catchy as they come, but West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is just amazing. You have the first single Fire with it's shifts from the mellow, through to it's loud and catchy chorus (be careful of that volume shift when you're listening on some sort of earpod arrangement) and then back again.
You also have songs like Underdog that you may have first seen on some sort of television ad and thought "Hang on, that sounds like Kasabian, but it's much more awesome than I recall them ever being before!"; Where Did All The Love Go?, Vlad The Impaler and Fast Fuse, which each have incredibly catchy guitar riffs and completely splendid underlying basslines; foot-tappingly so.
On the other hand there's tunes like Happiness and Thick As Thieves (I quite like the pronunciation of the words 'Thick' and 'Thieves' - listen for yourself), which although less danceable than those tracks just mentioned, still have that awesome composition of sounds that runs through the entire album.
So many melodies that are just going to stick right in your head and not shift for a good hour. You'd best fire up the vacuum cleaner now, or get in the car and go for a 51 minute and 59 second drive.... the perfect soundtrack for either.
A couple of little tidbits for you:
1. if you head here: http://www.kasabianasylum.com/ you can play a splendid little game.
2. If you gaze down there and do a little clicking you'll notice a Mr Noel Fielding from one of our favourite telly shows The Might Boosh in a promo video for Vlad The Impaler.
Paris / Bataclan, France - 23/10/09
Lyon / Le Radiant, France - 24/10/09
Toulouse / Le Bikini, France - 25/10/09
Köln, Live Music Hall, Germany - 28/10/09
Bochum, Zeche, Germany - 29/10/09
München, Germany - 31/10/09
Hamburg, Germany - 01/11/09
Berlin, Huxley's, Germany - 02/11/09
Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena, UK - 10/11/09
Aberdeen, AECC, UK - 11/11/09
Glasgow, SECC, UK - 12/11/09
London, Wembley Arena, UK - 14/11/09
London, Wembley Arena, UK - 15/11/09
Liverpool, Echo Arena, UK 16/11/09
Nottingham, Trent FM Arena, UK - 18/11/09
Birmingham, NIA, - UK 19/11/09
Manchester, MEN, - UK 20/11/09
Cardiff, International Arena, - UK 22/11/09
Sheffield, Arena, - UK 23/11/09
Links - http://www.kasabian.co.uk - http://www.myspace.com/kasabian
Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com
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This is the first of the crappy-named Britpopcast,
the idea being that we'll discuss about various Britpop bands from the
short-lived movement that was so inspirational to us. Sally, Kristen,
and I, we all consider ourselves to be a pretty hardcore Britpop fan,
owning, tracking, obsessing over various bands from that time period.
The structure I wanted to keep this: 1. The origin and definition of what Britpop was. 2. It's ultimate demise, our theories on why it went away. 3. Survivors of Britpop, bands that are still around today, including Blur, Radiohead, Oasis, etc. We ended with what song would best sum up what Britpop was. While we had a two-to-one Blur vote, I do think that Kristen's suggestion of "Common People" made a lot of sense.
While I would admit that based on repeated playing of this song, that I've gotten sick of it, it's hard to ignore that the song is a really great song. It's about meeting a rich student, and in typical Jarvis Cocker-reality/vengeful lyrics, tells the student that basically she would never understand what's it is like to be living in poverty like himself, like common people.
The song was king at the time of its release in 1995, and remain to be the band's most popular song. I'm pretty sure the song's been covered a few times, these are two popular ones: William Shatner and Libitina.
The actual show length is about 30 minutes, but I liked all the random topics, that I kept some of them in the first portion. If you like that randomness, stay after the "Common People" and you will be treated to some These Animal Men, Powder, Lush, and Salad. I'm sure none of these bands will be played at Sydney's Britpop Night, as I'm not sure enough people like them.
I'm hoping to have another Britpopcast in a month or so, let me know if you would like to join in on the discussion.
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The structure I wanted to keep this: 1. The origin and definition of what Britpop was. 2. It's ultimate demise, our theories on why it went away. 3. Survivors of Britpop, bands that are still around today, including Blur, Radiohead, Oasis, etc. We ended with what song would best sum up what Britpop was. While we had a two-to-one Blur vote, I do think that Kristen's suggestion of "Common People" made a lot of sense.
While I would admit that based on repeated playing of this song, that I've gotten sick of it, it's hard to ignore that the song is a really great song. It's about meeting a rich student, and in typical Jarvis Cocker-reality/vengeful lyrics, tells the student that basically she would never understand what's it is like to be living in poverty like himself, like common people.
The song was king at the time of its release in 1995, and remain to be the band's most popular song. I'm pretty sure the song's been covered a few times, these are two popular ones: William Shatner and Libitina.
The actual show length is about 30 minutes, but I liked all the random topics, that I kept some of them in the first portion. If you like that randomness, stay after the "Common People" and you will be treated to some These Animal Men, Powder, Lush, and Salad. I'm sure none of these bands will be played at Sydney's Britpop Night, as I'm not sure enough people like them.
I'm hoping to have another Britpopcast in a month or so, let me know if you would like to join in on the discussion.
09/05/2009 20:12:16 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
The Drones
Just a quick one here. After being on the scene for quite a few years now, I've never been a huge fan of the Melbourne band, The Drones; just not my thing. But don't get me wrong, The Drones do what they do (epic, dreamy, well-constructed rock) extremely well. So they are very much worth a mention. The news that I'm wishing to share with you is that although their latest album Havilah was released months ago (March 2009) in Australia The Drones have added US dates to their upcoming Havilah Tour. Support includes Model/Actress (USA) and Bridezilla (Aus), so well worth nipping along.
There's
no shortage of dates, so whether you be in the US or, it seems, in any
city in Europe (slight exaggeration), you'll get a chance to see them
in the near future. Some of the closer dates include:
September 9 - Bell House - Brooklyn, NY
September 15 - Schuba's - Chicago, IL
September 16 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA
September 17 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
September 18 - Cafe DuNord - San Francisco, CA
Just a little sample to whet your appetite, have a listen to the tune, Nail It Down, from their live album recorded at The Hi Fi Bar in Brisbane. The live record is set to be released later this year.
http://thedrones.com.au/
http://www.myspace.com/thedronesthedrones
http://atpfestival.com
I've always had a soft spot for Dappled Cities although I must admit I've kinda let me interest slide over recent time. Have they been hiding? or has living in suburbia alienated me that much?
What's to love about Dappled Cities? Well... many things. What I mostly value about their music is the variety in their songs. From mellow, soothing, chill-out type tunes to feel-good pop songs that force you to get up and have a little dance. I must also say that, as a bonus, they do put on a splendid live show.
So what's the news? It seems I haven't really been that out of touch after all, the band have been spending time in the US... I can't be expected to be keeping up with all this news!. The big news is that this Sydney band have recently released their third album, Zounds, which happened to debut at #1on the Australian Independent Music Charts... and will be released in the US on September 15th. (An interesting fact: all 12 songs on the album feature the sounds of a "Gakken" – a $40 build-it-yourself cardboard synthesiser from Japan)
If you happen to be in Perth, you are in luck. You can catch the final show of their Wall of Zounds tour tonight at the Norfolk Basement in Fremantle... run!
http://www.myspace.com/dappledcities
http://www.dappledcities.com
Look at these guys, awww.... everything appearance-wise about The Grates oozes cuteness and fun (feel free to look at their website for further evidence), but don't be fooled too easily. There's a definite rawness to The Grates, guitar-rich pop songs, complimented by the voice of Miss Patience Hodgson, which can sway from sugary sweet to rock vixen-esque in a matter of seconds within the same song.
I can assure you that these guys put on a splendid show and i whole-heartedly advise you to pop along if they happen to be swinging through your neighbourhood. Check there website (or their MySpace page for show dates).
http://www.myspace.com/thegrates
http://www.thegrates.com
http://www.twitter.com/thegrates
Originally from Queensland, The Scare now spend a great deal of time in the UK. The other day i managed to pop along to the album launch of their new release Oozevoodoo. I must say I was concerned that I'd have a terrible time. Just reading about them before the show... "It is abrasive but clear, we like being noisey but channeling it in a fashion that you can still make out the melody", I was a little apprehensive that it'd be some kind of horrid punk monstrosity. But what do you know! It was excellent. I haven't heard the album itself, but what I can say is The Scare are an excellent live band. The tunes are a bit more heavy than i'm used to, but there was no absence of melody, which i loved.The frontman, Mr Kiss Reid, channels enthusiasm and entices the crowd to feel the tunes rather than just stand there watching like a stunned mullet.
Sept 5 - Hobart - Republic Bar Sun
Sept 6 - Launceston - Hotel New York
Sept 9 - Albury - Sodens
Sept 10 - Wollongong - The Harp
Sept 11 - Sydney - Gaelic Club
Sept 12 - Central Coast - Coaster Festival
Sept 17 - Adelaide - Fowlers Live
Sept 18 - Perth - Rosemount Hotel
Sept 19 - Bunbury - Prince of Wales
Sept 20 - Fremantle - Newport Hotel
Sept 24 - Maroochydore - Sands Tavern
Sept 25 - Gold Coast - Miami Tavern
Sept 27 - Brisbane - The Step Inn
http://www.myspace.com/thescare
http://oozevoodoo.blogspot.com/
And with that... it's time to bake some scones.
Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com
Things.... things! Things have been
piling up, waiting for my attention. Today is the day, for me to share
these things with you. Lucky, yes?
ASTREETLIGHTSONG
Just wanted to give you an update on how this Sydney-based trio are doing; a few interesting tidbits, in case you were curious.
Looks like the boys are on the road... showing off some of the songs soon to be presented on their first album. So yes.... if you're in Sydney on the 5th of September (and you aren't planning to be dancing like a crazy person at Britpop) mosey on down to Spectrum and you can see the boys playing to their home crowd; sure to be a splendid evening.
The following week you can catch them in Brisbane, playing at Big Sound (music industry summit and showcase - ooh! quite a lot of splendid bands playing).
Buy tickets here: http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=29844
Bridezilla
A band I've heard lots about, but not heard lots of. I thought it was time i paid some attention. I know they've been around for a while, but i didn't realise how incredibly young they were (and still are, i assume). After releasing their debut EP in 2007, Bridezilla have become a favourite at Triple J and independent radio; being compared to bands such as the Dirty Three and Cat Power.
The band was hand picked by Nick Cave to play at the recent Australian ATP Festival and will now share stages with some of the world's biggest acts at ATP Festival in New York in September.
Based in Sydney, Bridezilla have reportedly been locked away in rural NSW recording their debut album with US producer Kramer. Recording has finished, and the album is set to be released in the US in 2010. Now they are a bit older; more mature their debut album is sure to be a success with their already large fan base. The album is due to be released in the US in 2010 (not sure about Australia though).
So....
I've been presented with their self-titled EP (I'm assuming it was
shunted my way, being Australian and all), which was released in
Australia ages ago (2007).... What's it like? Well... it's sound-laden,
smooth and haunting. Sweeping chords, embellished with violin and a
spot of saxophone. It's not the sort of music for those with short
attention spans or itching for a dance, although St Francine and Brown Paper Bag are slightly more upbeat
As well as an upcoming show at the Hi Fi Bar in Melbourne (September 5th), I've also got some US tour dates for you:
Sept 12th - All Tomorrow's Parties - New York
Sept 14th - Bowery Ballroom W/ Sleepy Sun & Autolux - New York
Sept 10th - Club NME - The Annex, NYC
Sept 17th - The Echo W/The Drones - LA
Robin Guthrie
If you like elevator music than Robin Guthrie is for you. I'm reading about this guy and what the internet tells me is that, amongst other things, he's been a "massive" influence on bands such as My Bloody Valentine and M83. Interesting no?
But anyway, 28th of September sees the release of Robin's new album, Carousel. What I've been given is a single off this album, Some Sort of Paradise. Pleasant enough, but i must admit, after getting about 2 minutes into the track i was thinking "i hope this song has a hard-hitting, catchy chorus (the sure-fire way into sally's heart)"... but no. Yeah, the song is instrumental, but not even a catchy interlude (which I'm sure is the completely intention of Robin and highly appealing to a great swathe of people).
I haven't heard the rest of the album, and I do feel slightly terrible considering the resume of Robin, but listening to Some Sort Of Paradise with my eyes closed I could have sworn I was sitting in the toilets down at Marrickville Metro. Great hangover tune.
Feel free to have a listen and disagree with me.
http://www.robinguthrie.com
Have a splendid day!
Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com
Just wanted to give you an update on how this Sydney-based trio are doing; a few interesting tidbits, in case you were curious.
Looks like the boys are on the road... showing off some of the songs soon to be presented on their first album. So yes.... if you're in Sydney on the 5th of September (and you aren't planning to be dancing like a crazy person at Britpop) mosey on down to Spectrum and you can see the boys playing to their home crowd; sure to be a splendid evening.
The following week you can catch them in Brisbane, playing at Big Sound (music industry summit and showcase - ooh! quite a lot of splendid bands playing).
Buy tickets here: http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=29844
There's a new tune available on iTunes, Remind Me. Not bad, not bad. The same predominant electronic sound as anyone who had already jumped on the ASTREETLIGHTSONG bandwagon
would be accustomed to, but i think it's got the level of catchiness
that I'm sure will lure others onto this said bandwagon. You'll also
get a free copy of this single if you buy a ticket to their shows
through moshtix. Bargain!
Bluejuice
Recently announced nominees of a J Award for music video of the year, Sydney band Bluejuice are all over the shop at the moment. I really just want to point you in the direction of the video that accompanies their latest single, Broken Leg. Despite being an incredibly catchy song, the video is hilarious.
The information sitting before me also says that September 18th is the release date for the new album, Head of the Hawk.
http://www.bluejuice.info/
http://www.secret-service.com.au
http://www.dew-process.com
Something a little more interesting.... the bands previous single, The Lighthouse,
has had a very splendid music video created for it. Stemming from a
collaboration between the Polish visual artist, Karolina Glusiec
and members of the band, the video is being featured on Rage as Indie
Video of
the Week, but you can watch it right now if you click right here.
www.myspace.com/astreetlightsong
Bluejuice
Recently announced nominees of a J Award for music video of the year, Sydney band Bluejuice are all over the shop at the moment. I really just want to point you in the direction of the video that accompanies their latest single, Broken Leg. Despite being an incredibly catchy song, the video is hilarious.
The information sitting before me also says that September 18th is the release date for the new album, Head of the Hawk.
http://www.bluejuice.info/
http://www.secret-service.com.au
http://www.dew-process.com
A band I've heard lots about, but not heard lots of. I thought it was time i paid some attention. I know they've been around for a while, but i didn't realise how incredibly young they were (and still are, i assume). After releasing their debut EP in 2007, Bridezilla have become a favourite at Triple J and independent radio; being compared to bands such as the Dirty Three and Cat Power.
The band was hand picked by Nick Cave to play at the recent Australian ATP Festival and will now share stages with some of the world's biggest acts at ATP Festival in New York in September.
Based in Sydney, Bridezilla have reportedly been locked away in rural NSW recording their debut album with US producer Kramer. Recording has finished, and the album is set to be released in the US in 2010. Now they are a bit older; more mature their debut album is sure to be a success with their already large fan base. The album is due to be released in the US in 2010 (not sure about Australia though).
If you like elevator music than Robin Guthrie is for you. I'm reading about this guy and what the internet tells me is that, amongst other things, he's been a "massive" influence on bands such as My Bloody Valentine and M83. Interesting no?
But anyway, 28th of September sees the release of Robin's new album, Carousel. What I've been given is a single off this album, Some Sort of Paradise. Pleasant enough, but i must admit, after getting about 2 minutes into the track i was thinking "i hope this song has a hard-hitting, catchy chorus (the sure-fire way into sally's heart)"... but no. Yeah, the song is instrumental, but not even a catchy interlude (which I'm sure is the completely intention of Robin and highly appealing to a great swathe of people).
Feel free to have a listen and disagree with me.
http://www.robinguthrie.com
Have a splendid day!
Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com
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Schnitzel lover, Sally, joins us once again to talk more Britpop! Is there a britpopcast in the future?
Talks centers around Jarvis Cocker and Pulp, Suede.
Pulp started in 1978, but did not garner fame until His N Hers in 1994, followed by the international hit album, Different Class the following year. "Common People" is perhaps Pulp's biggest, most well-known hit song. By the time This is Hardcore came out, towards the end of the Britpop era, people had become disinterested in the band (although I thought This is Hardcore is a great album).
By 2002, the band released We Love Life and ultimately broke up, however singer and songwriter, Jarvis Cocker continued on by himself. It made sense, really, he was the creative driving force since the very beginning. So far, Cocker released two solo albums, Jarvis (2006) and Further Complications (2009).
Stay tuned after the "Angela" song (which is a free download from jarviscocker.net) for some even more random thoughts: the state of music and the kids, "Sally's music shop", music magazines, and Oasis.
Schnitzel lover, Sally, joins us once again to talk more Britpop! Is there a britpopcast in the future?
|
|
Pulp started in 1978, but did not garner fame until His N Hers in 1994, followed by the international hit album, Different Class the following year. "Common People" is perhaps Pulp's biggest, most well-known hit song. By the time This is Hardcore came out, towards the end of the Britpop era, people had become disinterested in the band (although I thought This is Hardcore is a great album).
By 2002, the band released We Love Life and ultimately broke up, however singer and songwriter, Jarvis Cocker continued on by himself. It made sense, really, he was the creative driving force since the very beginning. So far, Cocker released two solo albums, Jarvis (2006) and Further Complications (2009).
Stay tuned after the "Angela" song (which is a free download from jarviscocker.net) for some even more random thoughts: the state of music and the kids, "Sally's music shop", music magazines, and Oasis.
08/16/2009 18:24:58 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
Something old, something new, something good, something... well... something pleasant-ish. A few things that have been on my radar in the last week that i feel need to be shared.
The Pretty Faces - Another Sound
Another album that has been in my possession for several weeks now and another apology to accompany that statement. The Pretty Faces are two brothers and a married lady (married to one of the brothers obviously, hence the common surname of the three), originally from Canada, but now based in Florida. Another Sound, it seems, is their second album. It's tight, tight garage pop. I don't know what it is, the vocals or the style, but there's something very unmistakably North American about it, especially the title track, Another Sound. Yeah, you're right, it's probably just the accent. I dunno, I'll probably get shot down in flames for writing this, but they sound slightly Weezer-ish to me.
The tracks themselves are very guitar heavy, dirty and best played loud. If i had to pick a my favourite track (and it's my opinion that counts, right?), I'd go with Sinking Ship, more bass heavy and noisy than the others. Raw, but polished at the same time. Also, a special mention for the track Elephant; love the vocals and harmonies of guitarist Hannah Thorslund, possibly the only track that stands out from the rest.
I'm not 100% sold on this album yet, maybe a few more listens and it'll grow on me. It does test my attention span, with not one specific catchy riff or melody that has gotten stuck in my head after several listens. I reckon these guys would be excellent live though. I can imagine standing in a packed room, beer in hand tapping my foot along (I'm very civilised, you see) to these tunes.
For more info, including tour dates and where to by Another Sound:
Official Website: http://www.theprettyfaces.com/
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/theprettyfaces
The Laurels - Hopetoun Hotel, July 18th
After arriving to catch the second last band (out of four), first thing i should say is that as amazing as shoegaze can be, it's all to easy to find shoegaze bands who are just plain boring and or, for want of a better word, wanky.
So.... the first band I caught were Warhorse. They had the right idea, but sadly, I was unimpressed by the frontman and his wailings. I just didn't think his vocals gelled with the rest of the band. Also... i found the football hooligan-esque guy on the theremin quite perplexing; slightly out of place, but you have to admit, that a dedicated theremin player in a band is kind of cool. Long, loud songs, i reckon they only played about 4 during their set.
I hadn't realised that I had seen The Laurels before until I actually arrived. How excellent are they? This was the launch of a new 7" containing the tracks: Art School Girl and Wandering Star (you can also download these tracks for free at http://magneticrecordingcouncil.com/). FREE!
The melodies are excellent, the harmonies are spot-on and there's not an ounce of pretentiousness. Shoegaze at it's finest. Love it.
Links:
Warhorse: www.myspace.com/warhorserocknroll
The Laurels: www.myspace.com/thelaurels
Maps - We Can Create
The past week or so I've been re-living 2007; in particular, a song that I acquired on a compilation CD many moons ago that I've really only recently discovered an unnatural love for. Along the same shoegazey theme as the previous writings, Maps is a solo project of a Northhampton-based musician by the name of James Chapman. The song is named Elouise and the album it comes from is We Can Create.
I finally got around to acquiring the whole album, and yes, I'm not disappointed at all. It's quite electronic, but still quite mellow. Slow paced, lovely melodies. If having music playing whilst i was trying to get to sleep not drive me insane (yeah, I'm not sure why either), I'd probably use this album as a sleeping inducing soundtrack; not because it's boring, moreso because it's just so calming.
I've also discovered at least three more songs that I'm probably going to begin obsessively listening to, specifically, To The Sky, Lost My Souls and You Don't Know Her Name; the more poppy songs on the album.
Keep your eyes posted (and look at the show poster up there) for shows in the UK in the near future and keep your ears alert, looks as though there's a new album (Turning The Mind) on the horizon.
Links:
Official Website: http://www.maps-blog.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mapsmusic
That's enough for now!
Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com
Another album that has been in my possession for several weeks now and another apology to accompany that statement. The Pretty Faces are two brothers and a married lady (married to one of the brothers obviously, hence the common surname of the three), originally from Canada, but now based in Florida. Another Sound, it seems, is their second album. It's tight, tight garage pop. I don't know what it is, the vocals or the style, but there's something very unmistakably North American about it, especially the title track, Another Sound. Yeah, you're right, it's probably just the accent. I dunno, I'll probably get shot down in flames for writing this, but they sound slightly Weezer-ish to me.
The tracks themselves are very guitar heavy, dirty and best played loud. If i had to pick a my favourite track (and it's my opinion that counts, right?), I'd go with Sinking Ship, more bass heavy and noisy than the others. Raw, but polished at the same time. Also, a special mention for the track Elephant; love the vocals and harmonies of guitarist Hannah Thorslund, possibly the only track that stands out from the rest.
I'm not 100% sold on this album yet, maybe a few more listens and it'll grow on me. It does test my attention span, with not one specific catchy riff or melody that has gotten stuck in my head after several listens. I reckon these guys would be excellent live though. I can imagine standing in a packed room, beer in hand tapping my foot along (I'm very civilised, you see) to these tunes.
For more info, including tour dates and where to by Another Sound:
Official Website: http://www.theprettyfaces.com/
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/theprettyfaces
So.... the first band I caught were Warhorse. They had the right idea, but sadly, I was unimpressed by the frontman and his wailings. I just didn't think his vocals gelled with the rest of the band. Also... i found the football hooligan-esque guy on the theremin quite perplexing; slightly out of place, but you have to admit, that a dedicated theremin player in a band is kind of cool. Long, loud songs, i reckon they only played about 4 during their set.
I hadn't realised that I had seen The Laurels before until I actually arrived. How excellent are they? This was the launch of a new 7" containing the tracks: Art School Girl and Wandering Star (you can also download these tracks for free at http://magneticrecordingcouncil.com/). FREE!
The melodies are excellent, the harmonies are spot-on and there's not an ounce of pretentiousness. Shoegaze at it's finest. Love it.
Links:
Warhorse: www.myspace.com/warhorserocknroll
The Laurels: www.myspace.com/thelaurels
The past week or so I've been re-living 2007; in particular, a song that I acquired on a compilation CD many moons ago that I've really only recently discovered an unnatural love for. Along the same shoegazey theme as the previous writings, Maps is a solo project of a Northhampton-based musician by the name of James Chapman. The song is named Elouise and the album it comes from is We Can Create.
I finally got around to acquiring the whole album, and yes, I'm not disappointed at all. It's quite electronic, but still quite mellow. Slow paced, lovely melodies. If having music playing whilst i was trying to get to sleep not drive me insane (yeah, I'm not sure why either), I'd probably use this album as a sleeping inducing soundtrack; not because it's boring, moreso because it's just so calming.
I've also discovered at least three more songs that I'm probably going to begin obsessively listening to, specifically, To The Sky, Lost My Souls and You Don't Know Her Name; the more poppy songs on the album.
Keep your eyes posted (and look at the show poster up there) for shows in the UK in the near future and keep your ears alert, looks as though there's a new album (Turning The Mind) on the horizon.
Links:
Official Website: http://www.maps-blog.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mapsmusic
That's enough for now!
Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com
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