Justice ‘Audio Video Disco’

A lot has changed since the French twosome Justice were in their pomp and considered the coolest thing since le pain en tranches. It is no longer 2007 (or 05/06 if we’re to truly going to get on our Nathan Barley shaped high horses here). We’ve now got bigger fish to fry than birds with flu, Zinedine Zindane’s monstrous and brilliant butt is a thing assigned to the recesses of youtube memory and Obama is now more debt plan than Batman. Importantly, the kids who were spearheading lovey-dovey mosh pits at Justice concerts- all neon-ed up and feeling invincible off their first and best taste of MDMA- are now older, wearier and probably unemployed in recession Britain/World.

The point being that it’s hard to see where Justice- whose music was always quite schlocky and emptily bombastic- fits in now. Whereas the irresistible hooks and jerks of ‘Cross’ made it easy to overlook their occasional tackiness, on ‘Audio Video Disco’ Justice sound to have run out of both steam and ideas.

There’s definitely a strong rock theme here, particularly in ‘Horsepower’ and ‘Canon’, for example. But unfortunately this doesn’t remind you of Daft Punk rocking the fuck out on ‘Robot Rock’, rather it makes you think of James Hetfield in the 90s, waking up and feeding himself with cocaine and booze for breakfast while wondering how he became such a pastiche of himself. Washed up is the phrase I think.

Strangely on ‘Audio Visual Disco’, everything is wrapped in layers of references and duplications, creating a strange context. Metallica? The Who? Queen? They’re all in here. But it’s not like Justice use notable samples or re-edit old songs, rather they create an odd, sticky layer of sound which pastiches old rock songs. Often they just sound like some West End rock musical which strains to suggest certain songs- imply a musical era or style- without ever infringing on copyright by doing full on cover versions.

‘Audio Video Disco’ does have some highlights to pick out of the rubble. ‘On ‘n’ On’ stands out with its cool, clipped funk and quasi-gangster bounce. ‘Parade’ is another semi-gem (even if it does sound a bit like Carlos Santana riffing over Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’) with its sinister build up and reasonably satisfying eventual beat drop.

Unfortunately these moments are too few and far between to make this album anything more than a strange mismatched collection of half arsed and meandering electro songs. Four years is a long time between first and second albums (particularly in the hyper-accelerated world of electronic music) and Justice would probably have been better off just attempting ‘Cross’ pt2 rather than the limp, crude ‘Audio Video Disco’.

This is some of the music I’ve been grabbing at like a chubby fingered kid at the pic ‘n’ mix stand:

I’m late to the Fool’s Gold party, but fuck it; being late, being fashionable- it still means something in this mixed up world right? Anyway, this is a great collective who are really quite impressive purveyors of the sacred art of having slightly intellectualised, but  no less pleasurable, fun.

Fool’s Gold are part of the increasingly popular school of bands who do not create music drawn exclusively from a vacuum of the western world and (for all the success of Vampire Weekend, El Guincho, Beirut et el) they actually manage to make something rather original of their tropical, worldly influences. Fool’s Gold create uplifting, interesting music to stimulate the mind as much as ardent dancing feet, and when Luke Top’s rich, phlegmy Hebrew vocals enters each song, there’s really something worth getting excited about.

Fool’s Gold- ‘Nadine’

http://www.myspace.com/foolsgold

Coming over all light headed and summery at the start, George Fitzgerald’s ‘Don’t You’ builds until it is, eventually overcome with the dark, dull thud of the bassline and the shrouding, reverberating waves of synth. Keeping himself in the good company of Joy Orbison and his label Doldrums, it perhaps isn’t surprising that Fitzgerald is already showing signs of mastering the ways of finely tuned, subtle, loving and soulful dance music which echoes a sort of nostalgia whilst very much pushing things forward.

George Fitzgerald- ‘Don’t You’

http://www.myspace.com/georgefitzgeraldmusic

Being caught in two minds isn’t often a good thing. Missing opportunities, looking like an idiot, breaking down: these things can happen to you when you dilly dally, undecided on the perimeter of some fast approaching important decision. However, when, on ‘Bang Bang Cherry’, Hook and The Twin don’t seem to be able to decide whether to internally implode in a fit of crippling anxiety or just dance like Ian Curtis being tasered, it ends in some unusually fantastic results.

Hook and the Twin- ‘Bang Bang Cherry’

http://www.myspace.com/hookandthetwin

There’s something immensely interesting and magnetic about ‘Fire Dream’ by Patten, especially in the way the song is constructed. The minimal beat is surrounded by hazy streams of fuzz while the blurred, indecipherable vocals wrap themselves perfectly around the wobbly, forlorn bass. The pumping dread of isolation in this song is both produced and defused by its encompassing nature- like being in a room full of hedonistic pleasure seekers and feeling alone yet an integral part of the masses.

Patten- ‘Fire Dream’ (c90 Demo)

http://www.myspace.com/pattensongs

Pretty self explanatory really. Like everyone man and his dog has done, here’s my favourite albums of 2009. Little mentions should go out to: The XX, 5 Years of Hyperdub, Bombay Bicycle Club, Atlas Sound, Fanfarlo….your albums are very good. But not top ten good.

10. White Denim- Fits

Fits, the follow up to White Denim’s stunning first effort Workout Holiday, built upon the foundations placed down on that first album and turned them into a much more intricate, sprawling collection of songs. From the devilish ‘Say What You Want’ through to the shimmering ‘Regina Holding Hands’, the band attacked a number of genres with great venom in their Texan tails to produce an album that is fun, sexy, emotional and often totally bonkers.

9. Arctic Monkeys- Humbug

For a band that is basically the biggest contemporary guitar act in the country, any new release is always going to be weighed down with the heavy load of very close scrutiny and expectation. The third album form the Arctic Monkeys got a mixed reception from fans and critics alike and, personally, I thought it was pretty much a sprawling mess of half baked ideas on first listen. However, given the chance, Humbug really gets under your skin and leaves the previous two albums by the band seeming slightly immature and one dimensional. The stylish little guitar lines know to place themselves on perfect occasions throughout the songs, the atmosphere of the whole affair is much darker and the sublime drumming of Matt Helders comes second only to Alex Turner’s consistently intriguing but vivid lyrics.

8. Jamie T- Kings and Queens

After nearly falling into a pit of obscurity with the barely noticed single ‘Fire Fire’, Jamie T seemed to pull his socks up and get his game on. The resulting album, Kings and Queens, is a fantastic piece of JT style pop which takes on a plethora of genres from Dylanesque folk to ska via rap (sometimes all in one song). This album has so many emotions and points of view in abundance- gritty, bitter, regretful in equal measures to upbeat, life affirming and light hearted. It could be easy to dislike Jamie T, but in reality he’s far too loveable for that and deserves every crumb of success that falls his way.

7. Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest

This is an absolutely fantastic album, I’ll let this do the talking.

6. The Maccabees- Wall of Arms

In a year when second albums quite consistently became the glorious step up they should be (rather than the confused messes they often turn out to be), The Maccabees shone as brightly as anyone. Developing their sound into something much bigger, bolder and often darker- Wall of Arms saw The Maccabees weave love songs in epic, heart swelling proportions while always swimming in sincerity and conviction. Beautiful stuff.

5. Micachu- Vulture

This album- by whizz kid Mica Levi- is one of thrilling opposites and contradictions. Simultaneously minimalistic and complex, equally ridden with “POP SENSIBILITY” as it is falling down Left field tangents and strangely familiar yet paving very new directions. Highlights such as ‘Golden Phone’ and ‘Calculator’ show Michachu’s impeccable sense of fun with the truly nutty structures and tangents never straying too far from the catchy core of the song.

4. Fuck Buttons- Tarrot Sport

The second album from the distinctively un-rock star duo Fuck Buttons is a masterpiece of droney, experimental noise. Each song builds gradually with rhythmic beats, darkly fuzzy synths and cutting screams of distortion all layered very carefully around each other. This otherworldly music perhaps isn’t for those with a short attention span or in need of instant gratification, but spend some quality time with this record and it will transport you far from the ups and downs of everyday life. Whether shuddering  and contorting in barely controlled panic (‘Rough Steez’), syncing the galloping beat into an earth shudderingly euphoric drop (‘The Lisbon Maru’) or gradually building up the force of a steam roller falling down a steep hill (‘Olympians’)- the songs on Tarrot Sport simultaneously expand and blow the listener’s mind.

3. The Horrors- Primary Colours

Not a lot can be said about this album that hasn’t already been mentioned a thousand times. Such is the massively overwhelming consensus that the second album by The Horrors is, often unexpectedly so, absolutely fantastic. With the heady guitars whirring around the kraut-esque synths and Farris Badwan’s nonchalantly delivered vocals and dark, smirking lyrics- the whole band pulled very firmly together in the same direction to create a fully rounded, brilliant album. From the opening waves of ‘Mirrors Image’ to the final shimmering, swirling psychedelia of ‘Sea Within A Sea’, Primary Colours never dips below excellence. For an album which has had so much said about it, maybe singer Faris Badwan should have the last word here. In an interview he likened ‘Sea Within A Sea’ to taking lots of good ecstasy and running down a hill really fast on a sunny day. That, as far as I can tell, seems to be as much of a perfect description for this album as any other.

2. Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion

Released at the very start of the year, this was almost instantly heralded as what would be one of the albums of the year. But back then I don’t think anyone quite knew how good this was. Although perhaps poppier than previous Animal Collective albums, MPP is most definitely a grower and, as time went on, this album soared in popularity, taking the name of Animal Collective with it. With African style rhythms, sing-song melodies, 60′s style pop filtered through for an electronic generation, moments of calm, points of pure exuberance, psychedelic plates of bass, many overlapping vocal parts and so much more besides, this album is like having unrestricted access to the fragmented consciousness of someone tripping balls on acid. Most importantly though, Merriweather Post Pavilion is an album painted with such rich detail and with so many textures, it leaves you discovering new things about it on the 200th listen just as much as you did after the 2nd.

1. Wild Beasts- Two Dancers

The second album by Wild Beasts saw them up their game considerably and, finally, get the credit they deserve. From the carefully constructed, heavy hearted opener of ‘Fun Powder Plot’ through to the glorious curtain closer ‘The Empty Nest’, Two Dancers is a consistently breathtaking album. What may have seemed initially like slightly duller moments of the album gradually revealed themselves to be most striking (the sad, scary lyrics about being gang raped in the title track springs to mind) and what were the most instantly accessible songs (‘All The King’s Men’, ‘Hooting and Howling’) only got better with time. This is an album of incredible strength where immense sadness, an unbeatable idea of fun, deep introspection, celebration and a wonderful sense of humour are all articulated with alarming precision. This is my album of the year because it is strikingly unique yet  often fun and always captivating. It is, quite simple, a beautiful and magical album.

First up is this young man, one Ernest Greene A.K.A Washed Out from South Carolina. Almost sounding like a cheesy 80s throwback, Washed Out drapes gorgeously dreamy synths around sturdy beats and hazy vocals to create something akin to feeling warm, gooey chocolate run down your throat. With songs like the phenomenally blissed out ‘Feel It All Around’, Greene smoothly and consistently creates songs which simultaneously draw a reaction from your brain, your heart and your feet.

Let that dipping chocolaty audio goodness seduce you NOW.

Here, now, sitting on a scruffy red sofa outside some sort of retail establishment, we have the one man band from Leeds- Spectrals. This plucky young lad seems to have an overwhelming penchant for music created long before his, and indeed probably most of our, time. Combining early doo-wop with rockabilly and surf only projecting it through walls of fuzz and tinny recording, Spectrals has a fine way of half hiding his prettily constructed pop songs. When something sounds like the Pulp Fiction soundtrack but performed and recorded in an abandoned warehouse in Northern England, it can only be a good thing.

Here’s that good thing.

London’s superb Trailer Trash Tracys dress the bare, stark bones of their songs with the beautifully swelling voice of Susanne Aztoria and the raw majestic quality of Jimmy Lee’s enveloping guitar. They released ‘Candy Girl’ as a single on No Pain In Pop this September and, if this is anything of an indicator, 2010 should see them sweep slowly but surely into the hearts of music fans via both lonely bedroom sessions and live venues.

Sweep sweep.

Joy Orbison is a DJ/Producer from London who is beginning to create some discernible ripples among the world of music. Not only has he he made the most underrated (outside a few pretty specific circles) single of the year in ‘HYPH MNGO’, he’s also a possible name to eventually be whittled down to the shortlist of the BBC sound of 2010.  Much more importantly than all that though, the aforementioned ‘HYPH MNGO’ adds something often lacking in Dubstep, colour. The song rockets around with enough bass and heavy beats to drive the dance floor, but it also offers waves of optimism and snippets of euphoria within  its fantastically crafted structure.

Listen to J- Orb.

It would be easy to make lazy comparisons to other female centric bands, but there’s no need to cheapen Wetdog with this as they’re more than capable of standing up on their own two legs. Their fast, art school-esque post punk is driven by the bass guitar with the drums and guitars seemingly running doggedly after it. The vocals, meanwhile, flit between ironic and knowing delivery to theatrical, flourishing  singing just as the songs themselves trotter off happily down whichever tangent their impulses seem to take them.

Check it out HERE.

Although this is the blog’s fourth edition of Spotted Dick this is my first contribution to a feature which has unarguably taken the music world by storm since it’s conception and put a previously little known music application firmly on the map. Recently blogging has been part of my life that has been severely neglected and I’m sorry to say, dear readers, there’s no narcotics addictions or short lived love affairs for me to blame this on. In fact I have little to no excuse for leaving the fate of INFTC almost entirely on the very capable and far more consistent shoulders of Mr. Gavin Williams who I sincerely thank for taking the role of a pushy mother and not letting a day go by without leaving a nagging post on my facebook wall.

Apologies aside it’s time to let you know the music and news that’s been tickling me this week in playlist form. The world of pop has had a pretty turbulent one this week with stars facing actual real problems like being punched in the face by avid fans and dying but rest assured my sympathy does not stretch far enough to listen to their shit music and, therefore, it doesn’t appear on the playlist. Dying at 33 is pretty lame though so included is a picture of Stephen Gately to give you the opportunity to take a moment to remember him in his curtain haired and puppy eyed glory days. Once you’re done with that look and listen to what’s been happening in real music this week.

Pavement-Cut Your Hair It’s not often in music that being predictable an pay off but when you work with the selection of bands ATP works with that predictability becomes reassuring like a old arm chair that you know will never let your comfort needs down. So when last week Pavement announced, after years of hinting, that 2010 was definitely definitely the year they would reform and come to the UK it was a matter of minutes before forums everywhere began speculating the possibility of them taking part in an ATP event. And low and behold the band are curating the second weekend of the May festivals but with Matt Groening curating the first weekend that comfy chair now has a rival and with limited arse to go around there’s a difficult choice to be made.

Tubelord-Night Of The Pencils It’s been well over a year now since we first started blogging about the Tubelord boys so it’s amazing to see them finally moulding their angular teen angst sound into their debut album ‘Our First American Friends’. The recording may be a bit clean for my tastes but it’s still a great record with a unique pop punk sound. Be sure to get your hands on a physical copy of this one as they’ve gone all Willy Wonka on us leaving 10 golden tickets in the albums with the recipients getting free entry to a Tubelord show of their choosing. YAY!

Johnny Foreigner-Sofacore Another INFTC favorite, only a year after their debut album, this birmingham based trio are ready to hit us with another full length release which suggests, as they’ve been almost constantly touring, this band has barely had time to breath in the last twelve months. With the release and an instore at rough trade coming up in two weeks I would have left it until then to sing my inevitable praises of both their live show and the record if it wasn’t for their appeal for a microphone stolen at a recent show in Leeds. Any news on the microphone, which has sentimental value, should be sent to johnnyforeigner@hotmail.com.

Pixies-Where Is My Mind Last week saw Pixies take up a four day residence at Brixton Academy when the tickets got released back in June I pulled my usual stunt when a big band I love comes to play and decided the tickets were too expensive and when I realised my idiocy all four dates were, of course, sold out. Some friends of mine who had the intelligence to buy tickets at the time were stung by the postal strike and spent four days battling with touts and eventually managed to get tickets for the only night the band added ‘Where Is My Mind’ to the Doolittle set list. This song is for the rest of the world who weren’t there.

Kraftwerk-Computer Love Few bands can get away with remastering and re-releasing their entire back catalogue in one week but with electro weirdo pioneers Kraftwerk that notion is far from an issue. Especially when they pulled off a headline slot at Bestival with what appeared to be the greatest of ease. The fact that a certain English music website decided to go ahead and review every single one of these re-release has meant I’ve been going back to Kraftwerk more and more this week and hopefully this will encourage you to do the same.

Yo La Tengo-Sugarcube This is the second of three ATP inspired songs which I realise is a little lame but they’ve just been pushing all the right musical buttons of late so I’m in no way ashamed to continue. The Nightmare Before Christmas line-up has had me looking into some bands I didn’t know as well before and surprisingly it’s not professional bellends Primal Scream who have caught my ears the most (sorry Kevin). The album which features this track ‘I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One’ is an absolute treasure and I fully encourage you to check it out.

Fever Ray-If I Had A Heart (Fuck Buttons Remix) This is one of two remixes on Spotify unfairly representing the entirety of Fuck Buttons work. This representation is false and by no means shows the genius of the noise duo whose second album ‘Tarot Sport’ was released on ATP this week. However, I couldn’t let this record go unmentioned as it has already firmly earned a place in my albums of the year so you’ll have to stick with a remix which will hopefully push you to find and listen to more of their music if you haven’t done so already.

Animal Collective-In The Flowers New EP out by the end of the year. Why not refresh your ears with their ever growing brilliance? Nice.

Spotted Dick

I recently did a phone interview with Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees and while he literally couldn’t have been nicer, it was slightly frustrating to see the interview printed in The Nottingham Evening Post as a very edited, fragmented and watered down version of the original. So here is the interview with him in all its original, more music geeky form. It is pretty Nottingham-centric but suck it up and deal if you’re not from the lovely city Robin Hood and Brian Clough and other such duckehs.

 

Firstly, let’s talk about the new(ish) album “Wall Of Arms”. Your first album “Colour it In” received a lot of praise and gained you a lot of fans so it seemed you could have easily suffered difficult second album syndrome. “Wall of Arms” was a great success though, how do you think you avoided the pressure and managed to make such a great album?

 

Orlando: ‘Oh, thank you very much. Well, all of us were a bit older and had the opportunity to play our instruments a lot and- particularly the other boys have got so competent… and not just competent- they really get it. They really know how to play their guitars and stuff so well. So maybe that’s it, everyone’s just got a bit better with experience.

 

The album has a much fuller and ambitious sound, was this a pretty conscious thing or more of a natural progression?

 

Orlando: I think we definitely wanted to push it in that direction and the ethos of that first record (‘Colour It In’) was almost to get the best and tightest live sounding thing possible, you know? With the first album we were writing songs just so we had something to play to people. But with ‘Wall of Arms’, we knew it was going to be a record and were aware it was being written to be recorded so we knew there would be an opportunity to double track stuff and fill it out and have guitars that we wouldn’t have live necessarily and have brass we didn’t know if we’d have live. We were just sort of able to push it a bit and fill it out.

 

As you just mention, “Wall of Arms” features some brass parts, will you be bringing these to the live shows?

Orlando: Yeah, we’ve managed to get that into the budget. So- there will be brass!

 

When you played Nottingham about two years ago, it seemed as if you’d deservedly graduated to such a big venue-Rock City- do you think it’s been easy to remain at that level or have you had to build back up to it a bit?

Orlando: I’m not sure, I guess …I mean, I think you just play to as many people and as full a place because it means that the atmosphere is great. I’m not sure what the next sized venue up is in Nottingham but maybe if it was real big it would feel empty and that would change the atmosphere which wouldn’t be helpful. We’ve always felt that we’ve thrived on things being a bit tight in wherever we play and having that sort of hubbub, you know? It doesn’t really bother us so much where we play- I’d just rather it was full of people who enjoy it. 

 

 

How do you find playing Nottingham? You always seem to get a great reaction, do you enjoy playing here?

 

Orlando: Yeah, 100%. We’ve always been received very graciously by people there and I feel people in Nottingham always put up a stand for us, you know? We also have good nights out as well- it’s a really good town.

 

If/when you get a chance, where do you like to hang out in Nottingham?

 

Orlando: Well I think one year I became a member of the Riley’s Snooker Hall and that’s pretty good there man! They do a pretty mean BLT. I was there a bit and snooker’s pretty good for when you’re on tour as it kind of relaxes you. Especially if you’re feeling a bit nervous or whatever, go and play a game of snooker and just remember that you’re particularly shit at a sport and everything else pales in comparison! And quite often we get invited down to The Social and go down there. We always have a great time in Nottingham, it’s a good party down there.

You’re friends with Nottingham actor Matt Horne. How do you know him?

 

Oralndo: Erm, I think we met him about three years ago when he came to see us. Well he came to see Interpol and we were playing with Interpol and we met him after then and we’ve been friends ever since.

 

He seems a big fan of yours, are you fans of his TV work?

 

Orlando: Yeah absolutely. I think he’s a very, very clever actor. He’s one of the last gentlemen, 100%.

 

He was in the video for your single ‘No Kind Words’ as well, how did that come about?

 Orlando: We needed someone to act and we knew him and he said he’d be up for doing it and I really think it worked. I knew I wanted to do something that sort of echoed the Smith and Jones talking heads thing and it just kind of made sense to do it with him (Matt Horne). He was available and up for doing it and because he was a mate…he did it cheap! We got a really good actor and he kind of did a favour, so we owe him but I don’t know how he’d ever get that back.

 

 What kind of music do you like listening to?

 

Orlando: Well, when I was walking down to the café I’m at now- I haven’t listened to The Band for a while, so I listened to that. You know when you haven’t listened to a band for six months or something? Then your eye kind of catches it and you think ‘yeah, I can deal with that now’. And you listen to it and it’s great! But now I kind of have that little dread that I’ll listen to it so much that it means that after a week, it’ll have to be another six months. But I guess that’s how it works otherwise you’d just listen to the same thing over and over again. And after that, I’ll go to something else.

Are there any new bands that you’re into at the moment?

 

Orlando: I can’t wait to hear the Mumford and Sons record. A couple of the boys have copies of that but I haven’t and I’m jealous. I really like the Bombay Bicycle Club album- it sounds beautiful and it’s pretty brave. I dunno apart from that, I feel like I should have more! Well, the Peggy Sue album must be coming out soon which is pretty exciting.

 

 

You’ve got this Autumn tour coming up, what’s the plan after that?

 

Orlando: Then we go away to Europe with The Editors for six weeks until Christmas. Then we’ll come back and I guess it’ll then depend on what happens but we’ll start thinking about what we do next. But at the moment we’re just really thinking up until Christmas.

 

Have you started writing or jamming any ideas for new songs?

 

Orlando: Well, it’s been a pretty hectic summer- I think we’ve done twenty something festivals- and because of the way we write all together and everything, it doesn’t really lend itself to writing on tour. But I know everyone’s got bits recorded separately on their computers and stuff.

 

You mentioned playing a lot of festivals, which have been your favourite to play this summer?

 

Orlando: For me, I really enjoyed Lowlands. Kind of mainly because I went there as a punter when I was about 20, 22 and it was just kind of nostalgic. You know, I saw Snoop Dogg and Peaches and stuff like that. I always feel like if you go to a festival and see loads of stuff you’ve never seen before then you’re ticking boxes.

 

I saw you at Glastonbury this year and remember a massive crowd that knew all the words and we’re really into it even though it was quite an early slot.

 

Orlando: Yeah, it was a bit of a shocker for us! Yeah, I think we were as shocked as maybe you were or as anyone. It felt real good man. It felt real nice.

 

The Maccabees start the tour on Wednesday and all dates can be found here.

The Maccabees- ‘Young Lions’ (XFM Session)

Simian Mobile Disco- Temporary Pleasure

 

 

After releasing their debut album Attack Decay Sustain Release in 2007, Simian Mobile Disco have gone on to become the unlikeliest pair of geeky superstar DJs in the world. While that album might not have quite been ingrained into the minds and dance floors of a generation in the same way as, say, the debut from Justice, it definitely occupied a firm and happy place in many a hardcore clubber and music fan alike.

So, after honing their live show to absolute perfection over the past couple of years, have they managed to do the same with the recorded side of things?

Temporary Pleasure, surprisingly, doesn’t start with some sort of mad, acid house stomper but, instead, opts for something slightly different. ‘Cream Dream’ is a slick slice of electro pop perfection. Featuring the near heavenly guest vocals of Gruff Rhys, the song wobbles with delicate synths before the beat drops neatly into sync to create something of a crossbreed between an 80s power rock song fit to soundtrack The Breakfast Club and the sound of Daft Punk headlining the whole of France…Basically, it’s a right old four minutes.

‘Cream Dream’ is actually a pretty good representative of the album as a whole. Flitting happily between bassy, dirty club stompers to roll your eyes revoltingly around your head to and moments of wonderfully pure pop is something Temporary Pleasures excels at throughout without ever losing continuity. 

It’s hard sometimes to remember you’re not in a club when playing this album. Listening to ‘10000 Horses Can’t be Wrong’, for example, you can positively feel the strobe lights mesmerizing you, the E’d up twat stood next to you bumping you every other beat and the wave of arms going crazy as the song stops prematurely before dropping back in with an almighty pounding of bass.

On the other side of things, Simian Mobile Disco have still got the dance pop on lock down. ‘Turn Up The Dial’ sounds like a drum ‘n’ bass remix of a Flo Rider song and it’s pretty damn hard not to love every disgustingly RnB flecked second of it.

Another of the album’s highlights is the Alexis Taylor (of Hot Chip) appearance on ‘Badblood’. The song fits Taylor’s voice so perfectly, perhaps because of it’s absolutely bonkers nature. From the jumpy synths to what sounds like little snippets of a didgeridoo player on acid, the song fits the singer like a glove. Similarly, the inclusion of Beth Ditto’s sultry vocals on ‘Cruel Intentions’ is, to make a wild understatement, a fine choice. The song bubbles along sexily like a 90s house anthem only spruced up with the relevant sounds of a late nouties dance song.

Overall, Temporary Pleasure is an excellent, fully formed and exciting album. Simian Mobile Disco, once again, prove they are masters in effortlessly genre hopping, providing an album to soundtrack a thousand different occasions and all the time keeping a great sense of ambition and intrigue. It’s a real, real strain to keep away from using a dodgy pun involving the title of this album, but- to put it simply- this is a collection of songs which won’t get old any time soon.

Whitest Boy Alive – Rules

‘Rules’ is, Berlin based four piece, Whitest Boy Alive’s second album since their debut ‘Dreams’ was released in 2006. This record sees their Royksopp-esque laid back electro develop into a much more individual style. The expansion of their repertoire of sounds, which include an inticing range of synth sounds along with intricately delicate drum beats all kept together by subtle garage influenced bass line shows they’ve taken a more ambitious approach. Where ‘Dreams’ was stripped down ‘Rules’ is brilliantly indulgent and shows the band to have made a progression rather than sticking to what was a definite winning formula. What does remain the same is the vocals of Erland Oye (who also lends his talents to Kings of Convenience). He still adds a tint of his Norwegian accent to create a smoothness which is fast becoming a trade mark of these euro hipsters.

The album sees its high points in it’s more upbeat tracks such as ’1517′ and ‘Intentions’ as this is where their developed style is most apparent, especially in the case of ’1517′ where the melodies effortlessly carry a mix of sounds and beats to create something both poppy and complex. When the band explore a slower pace it’s easy to switch off or mindlessly drift into the next track as there’s much less going on at what can be quite a monotonous pace. For example, ‘Rollercoaster Ride’ is anything but the trilling experience it suggests. Over all however, ‘Rules’ is a success for Whitest Boy Alive and with a fuller sound the album definitely hints at an interesting and more active live performance and has steered them away from the ‘difficult second album’ label.

Website

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]]> http://www.itsnotforthecock.co.uk/2009/03/27/its-not-for-the-cock-its-for-the-skinny-white-boy/feed/ 1 http://www.itsnotforthecock.co.uk/2009/02/19/its-not-for-the-cock-its-for-doing-favours/ http://www.itsnotforthecock.co.uk/2009/02/19/its-not-for-the-cock-its-for-doing-favours/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:58:36 +0000 Gavin Williams http://itsnotforthecock.dlpwd.co.uk/?p=904

Favours for Sailors interview

With the credit crunch, the recession, the worst winter for two decades and, probably, the imminent end the world being shoved in our faces and down our throats pretty much relentlessly by the media, anyone creating music in these dark times could be forgiven for coming across a bit bleak and depressing. Not Favours For Sailors though.

Favours for Sailors, a four piece from London, deliver their up lifting, slightly off kilter (yet firmly grounded) pop sensibilities with a reckless abandon and a brilliant lack of pretentious stiffness- perhaps something like The Cribs or Weezer covering an early Beatles song. Perhaps not. Perhaps a little bit, though. Their somewhat cheeky guitar pop- bursting with “woahs”, soaring choruses and a passionate delivery- is gaining them quite a bit of (whisper it) industry hype. With any luck, as the grey, muddy slush that used to be snow thaws out in the spring sun, Favours for Sailors will be on hand to soundtrack a sumer of last exam euphoria, drinking in the sunny park and playing football with your mates in slow motion whilst constantly smiling. Big, bouncy fun is what they excel in. Their ep/mini album/little offering to us, “Furious Sons” comes out 2nd of March- it features some of the aforementioned sun kissed bounciness.

It’s Not For The Cock caught up with the band and chatted about things such as recording, touring with names such as Danananakroyd and Foals and singing Snoop Doggy Dog  in falsetto……

Firstly, could you introduce yourselves- who plays what etc and how did you all meet and what made you decide to form a band?

MF: I am Maltese Falcon – I forced my way into the band using a yellow sock as a gift after seeing the other guys play as a three piece with a different drummer (Metin – MMA)

DSS: I am DSS, the Department of Social Security. I replaced the previous drummer, Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) in 1998, and was myself replaced in 2001 by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

AKDB: I play bass – met Jon at university… We have pretty much spent the last 8 years in various states of inebriation dreaming of being able to give up work and make music.

JRC: I guess i’m the Gary Barlow figure, I write the songs and eat too much. In my spare time (when not inebriated with Al) I play guitar and sing too.

You’re now signed to Tough Love, how did this come about? Did you talk to many other labels and what made you decide to sign to Tough Love?

AKDB: They probably saved us from giving up pretty much – we had been slaving away with no real interest from anyone for a while – Tough Love came along and we were galvanised – since then pretty much everything has fallen into place really quickly – from zeroes to heroes in under 6 months…

JRC: Yeah, thanks!

I know you’ve got an EP ready, is there an album in the pipeline? What are your plans in general for 2009?

MF: Album, gigs, more songs, more gigs, more radio, more fans… more money – more problems.

JRC: We’re amassing songs for an album i guess, yeah. Maybe another single first. Think some of our new stuff will be far superior too… For example, an insanely poppy song (more so than ‘I Dreamt’) about a cannibal so misanthropic he can’t even bring himself to eat human flesh… perhaps.

Where did you record the ep? How did it compare to when you’ve recorded before?

MH: We recorded with Rory Attwell (ex-Test Icicles) and it was the most fluid and lurid recording experience I think any of us have ever been through. For example my guitar parts took about 50 minutes to record in total. Rory really knows how to subtly tease the best or beast out of us.

DSS: the drums were recorded in Rory’s old studio that looked like it may have previous been used to murder people. Then when my services were no longer required we moved to plush premises off Hoxton Square.

JRC: Nothing to say but good things about Rory and the way he works!

I can hear quite a lot of different influences in your music- I really love the Beach Boys style harmonies and and the poppy/60s style in particular- what would you say are your main influences?

MH: Melodic songs with a bit of bite and cool lyrics – whether that is blatantly melodic like The Beach Boys or the sort of chaos melodies you get in Afro-beat tunes.

DSS: John Donne. John Milton. Jon Crawford.

AKDB: We all like different things for me it is Television (the band not the medium) and lots of 60s songs – The Band, The Ronettes, The Who. We all love some nineties rock too – Pavement, that kind of thing. The Beach Boys are amazing (especially sunflower) but I don’t think we sound like them (that would be hubris)…

JRC: Soulseek.

You’ve played/are playing gigs with a lot of amazing bands (Dana, Tubelord, Calories etc etc)- how did this come about, it must be exciting to be going on tour with Danananakroyd as they have such a good live following?

MH: Before I joined this band they had already played with Foals, Islands and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. The more recent amazing line ups we’ve been on has been down to a combination of certain Dananana members enjoying our stuff and us just thinking more carefully about the gigs we play.

AKDB: It will be our first proper tour (except an ill fated Scottish jaunt when we played to one man in a Hawaiian shirt in Aberdeen) so it is really exciting and hopefully we will get to play to lots of new people and we won’t drive each other bananas…

What other bands do you enjoy playing and touring with the most and why?

MF: Other than the bands that you’ve already mentioned, a Dutch guy who goes by the title of PFAFF is amazing to play with. He does live divorces and your’re not allowed to clap when he finishes. We played a great gig through our label with William and Situationists a while back too.

Which current bands, if any, do you feel an affinity with? You don’t seem to fit obviously into any particular music “scene” right now, though this can only be a good thing surely?

JRC: Not saying we’re special or anything but sometimes I think we’re a bit too lighthearted to fit in with some of the “cool” bands out there, but then maybe too wayward and obtuse for the straight-ahead indie pop thing. Possibly doomed.

MF: I used to live with Mike Lord from Stars and Sons and me and him have an affinity which involves cute baby animals and Mike being brutally lewd.

You seem to be experiencing quite a lot of support and positive press right now, with things like an XFM radio session and a lot of excited chit-chat on music boards etc, how aware of this are you? Does it effect how the band works at all?

MH: Its great to finally feel like what we’re doing is reaching more people, that we are not just going deaf by ourselves…

DSS: All this attention has made four very lazy and lethargic people inordinately energetic and well organised.

JRC: Yeah it’s really good, things seemed a little dark for awhile – now there’s a purpose.

You mentioned before that you were having to clean up some songs for radio 1, this sounds exciting- tell me more…

AKDB: I had a hideous moment just after we had recorded, I was listening to the album at my friend’s house and thinking that it sounded pretty catchy and might even get radio play… Then I realised we had laced pretty much every song with profanity. People started to get interested and it became a necessity to make versions that could actually be played on the radio before 11 at night…

JRC: We always joked about shooting ourselves in the foot in some stupid way… And taking out a couple of “fucks” isn’t really compromising artistic ideals.

Do you enjoy recording as much as playing live? How do the two compare for you?

MH: Personally I prefer playing live but as long as I’m with my brothers it doesn’t matter which!

JRC: I probably prefer recording as you see less people and can have long lunches. Also I’m a bit of a geek at heart despite my crude grasp of technology and party-girl exterior. Live can of course be fun though.

Lastly, what has been the funniest or oddest thing that’s happened to you since starting Favours for Sailors?

MH: For me it is getting back to Clapton (north london) with Jon and getting off the bus to meet a guy called Obafemwu who told us he wanted to learn bass and then preceding to do the bassline to Beautiful by Snoop Dogg/Pharrel whilst me and Jon falsettoed our way along the murder mile.

DSS: When Alex stayed over at mine, woke up acting like Klaus Kinski, made one of my other friends dress as a ghost while he dressed as a giant crab, and, at knifepoint, made the other guy wake me up – at knifepoint.

AKDB: When we played 3 gigs in Scotland we went up there in a van with a wooden screen separating the front (very plush with a CD player but only 2 seats) and the back (pretty much just a floor with no seats, hardly any light and a whole heap of equipment bouncing around). Whoever was in the back heaped scorn on the aristocrats in the front of the van and visa-versa. What developed was pretty much the master slave dialectic with positions and roles being continually reversed as we all took turns in the front and back.

JRC: The funniest bit of that tour for me was having to pay this weird sex-pest man who’d been following Alex around in Aberdeen £2 to go away and then speeding off in the van. It was probably not a high point for Alex though, the man was pretty creepy and I believe he had made some out there propositions. We’re not trying to give Aberdeen a bad name!

Favours for Sailors have a selection of gigs planned over the next few months, check them out at:

http://www.myspace.com/favours4sailors

“Furious Sons” is released on 2nd March and is a belter. Buy.

“I Dreamt That I Dreamt That You Loved Me In Your Dreams”

Gavin: A lot happened in 2008. It seems so long ago now. Like any blog worth it’s salt and peppa though, we have decided to put together our best/worst gigs and albums of the year and used our clever little thinking boxes in our heads to have a guess (/dictate?) who will be floating boats in the next twelve months or so. Have a read and put us in our place about your favourite albums and who you think will storm 09…

Albums:

Bon Iver-For Emma, forever ago

Gav: From the brooding, elegant “Flume” right through to the mellow closer of “Re: Stacks”, this is a simple but greatly effecting album of heartbreak and recovery. The choice single, “Skinny Love” highlights what is truly great about Bon Iver: it could have been written at pretty much point in time from the 1920s onwards, but it is this timelessness that strikes such a chord with so many people.

For Emma

British Sea Power-Do You Like Rock Music?

Gav: Released right at the start of 2008, this album is pretty underrated and understated. “Do You Like Rock Music?” is a glorious celebration- equally wistful and triumphant. The way it floats elegantly from storming, epic soundscapes such as “Waving Flags” and “Down on The Ground” to serene, reflective ballads like “The Great Skua” and “Open The Door” will make sure it’s etched permanantly in many music fan’s hearts.

Deerhunter-Microcastle

Lauren: It’s predecessor Cryptograms was exciting to say the least but with Microcastle Deerhunter found a more complete yet simple style which is almost impossible to fault. Their ambient psychedelic sound is executed perfectly on the album especially on tracks ‘Little Kids’ and album opener ‘Cover Me (Slowly)’ which hint a completely overwhelming live experience.

Deerhunter-Little Kids

Goldfrapp-Seventh Tree

McAsh says: If you like Goldfrapp then you should listen to Seventh Tree, as it is rather good. If you don’t like Goldfrapp then you probably won’t like this album, as it is by Goldfrapp.

Goldfrapp – Some People

Los Campesinos!-Hold On Now, Youngster.

Lauren says: An album by music geeks, about being a music geek, written for music geeks. We spend hours online debating the best Sonic Youth ablum, we hate all the bands YOU like and when we fall in love or get our hearts broken it always has perfect musical accompaniment. What Los Campesinos! have captured in this album is everything involved in being a kitsch, pretentious arsehole and put it to music that sounds like Arcade Fire having a go on a play school’s collection of musical instruments, a huge, yet totally twee sound.

Los Campesinos!-My Year In Lists

M83-Saturdays=Youth

J_S_Peach: A surprise topper of one particular music site’s album list, Anthony Gonzalez 5th album took a rather unexpected turn following it’s predecessors Digital Shades Vol. 1 and Before The Dawn Heals Us. Taking inspiration from the films of John Hughes, M83 built on their intense electro shoegaze sound by popping it up to the max. That’s not to say this album is at all for the masses. The second album really pushes the boat out in terms of really minimalist build ups and long, drawn out pieces. The album’s closer, Midnight Souls Still Remain, nods towards the Brian Eno-esque tones of Digital Shades Vol. 1 suggesting that Gonzalez still has more to offer. Sturdays=Youth is one of the most complete albums of 2008, really pushing the boundaries of accessible contemporary music.

M83-Graveyard Girl

Sigur Rós-Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Lauren says: To say this album isn’t the Icelandic four piece’s finest piece of work is far from an insult as they are so consistently brilliant that what isn’t their best is better than most bands can ever hope to ahieve. This, the band’s fifth studio release, saw the them explore new directions, most notably with the poppy, tribal wonder that is Gobbledigook which has not only fueled some unbelievable live performances this year but has also got thousands of adults at a time standing perfectly still singing ‘lalalalalalala’ in unison.

Sigur Ros-Gobbledigook

TV on the Radio-Dear, Science

Gav: TV on the Radio returned in 2008 with one of the most exciting and eclectic albums imaginable. “Dear Science,” is the sound of an uncountable set of ideas ricocheting from funk to rock, via dance and electronic music. It’s clever, ambiguous, witty, heartfelt and a million and one other things besides.

Golden Age

Youthmovies-Good Nature

Phil: With Youthmovies having been around for a good part of this decade, it’s hard to imagine that last year saw the release of their debut album. Good Nature is their most accessible work to date and Youthmovies bring their take on progressive rock into the mainstream, with one of the most poetic and stunning albums of the year.

Youthmovies – Archive it Everywhere (Live at ATP)

Why?-Alopecia

Phil: Based around songwriter Yoni Wolf, Why? manage to put some of the most vivid imagery concocted on to record; their third LP, Alopecia, is no exception. Despite not quite reaching the bar they set with Elephant Eyelash, they have returned with a more immediate album that still delivers a highly unique listening experience.

Why? – These Few Presidents

Gigs:

British Sea Power/Rescue Rooms/22.01.2008

Gav: Without this great gig, The Courteeners would have been the last band I saw for around three and a half months. Obviously not an optimal situation to be in at all. As it was, the bunch of English eccentrics that British Sea Power are blew the roof off Rescue Rooms in one of the best barn storming gigs of the year. Showcasing most of their excellent third album, “Do You Like Rock Music?” as well as a delving into the old back catalogue, this was an event of great fun and celebration between band and fans. The gig finished with a thrilling climax as guitarist Noble left the flag draped stage to climb the balcony and then drop onto the heads of the crowd as numerous musicians flooded the stage to create a fist pumping and emotional finish.

British Sea Power-No Lucifer

The Mae Shi/Dot to Dot Festival/24.05.2008

Gav: The combination of a bunch of LA punks shouting and slamming their instruments into overdrive whilst mostly positioned in the crowd as a big sheet envelops everyone made for one of the best sets of this years dot to dot. Fast and intense but also big and fun. Kind of like the Flaming Lips on crack (*insert other lazy music journalism cliche at your own disposal*).

Heartbeeps

Jay Z-Glastonbury Festival/28.06.2008

Gav: After Signor Eavis’ clever little trick of telling us something along the lines of “a New York hip hop star will headline Glastonbury…but it’s definitely not Jay Z…” *winks* and Noel Gallagher saying it just wasn’t cricket to have rap music at the festival, there was something of a buzz around this performance. Almost every band that performed on the Saturday urged their crowd to go and see Jay Z that night and it seemed it was either going to be utter shit, on the scale of the Fiddy bottling at Reading, or it would be amazing. Of course, it was amazing. The fact is, it felt like you were part of something people would talk about for years and just seeing the endless crowd of the Pyramid stage all singing along to “99 Problems” was worth the ticket price alone.

Dirt Off Your Shoulders

Interpol/Sheffield Academy/09.07.2008

Lauren: Interpol are a band who’ve never afraid to admit there are times when their live shows are for nothing but the Benjamins but this warm up show for Latitude festival this summer seemed to be all for the fans. A more than generous set, some rarely played songs and some even rarer smiles from the band all made the show one that you couldn’t help but walk out of on air rather than sticky Sheffield Academy floor.

Interpol-NYC

Sigur Rós/Latitude Festival/18.07.2008

Lauren: Just as with their albums, Sigor Ros’ live shows are consitantly brilliant but below a setting sun melting into a clear night sky surrounded by the woods of Latitude Festival they delivered a life changing performance. Dressed in the splendor of what looked like mythical woodland creatures the four piece were backed by twenty or so similarly attired backing musicians it was like witnessing a party from another world.

Sigor Ros-Festival

Dananananaykroyd/All over the country/2008

Phil: I think it’s pretty apparent that us folk at INFTC like to dip our toes into the world of Dananananaykroyd from time to time. Without trying to kiss ass, I think it is safe to say that they are the best band I saw live last year. If you have seen them you will know what I mean, if you haven’t then go see them, now.

Dananananaykroyd-Some Dresses

Worst Gigs:

These New Puritans/The Bodega Social/15.02.2008

Lauren: Just because you’re pretty and your photos been in the observer doesn’t mean you no longer have to give a shit.

Glasvegas/Dot to Dot Festival/25.05.2008

Phil: After people were queuing out the door for Santagold, it was hard to believe that a half empty rescue rooms were waiting “the most important band” of this generation and the “best band out of Scotland for 20 years“. Glasvegas played for only 20 minutes but this was enough for a significant amount of people to leave. That really all that needs to be said; they were just poor.

Remixes: We wont write so you wont read, lets both just dance!

Friendly Fires-Paris (Aeroplane Remix Feat. Au Revoir Simone)

M.I.A.-Paper Planes (DFA Remix)

Metronomy-A Thing For Me (Breakbots B-live Miami Mix)

Dizzee Rascal-Sirens (Wargames Remix)

Bloc Party- mercury (herve_is_in_disarray_remix)

Tips For 2009:

Calories-Myspace

Phil: What more could you want from a band? Huge pop hooks, noisy riffs and more energy then three people should ever have. Last year they played shows with the likes of Tubelord and Johnny Foreigner, this year they have a debut album out in March. Expect to see the name Calories a lot this year.

Calories – Adventuring

CFCF-Myspace

J_S_Peach: Mike Silver, better known as CFCF, spent a lot of ’08 remixing for artists such as HEALTH, Crystal Castles and Genghis Tron but 2009 sees the release of his first EP-Panesian Nights. Having already recieved positive reviews in his native Canada it can only be a matter of time until you find yourself dancing to his beats at a club near you.

Bathtub Clash (CFCF Remix)-CFCF

Dananananaykroyd-Myspace

Gav: I’m jealous of anyone yet to see this band live becuase they will be instantly, repeatedly and joyously blown away. This six piece are charismatic yet refreshingly unpretintious, combining great wit and ridiculously exciting crowd participation. Most of all though, they have tunes which tear you apart, put you back together again, give you a little cuddle, push you around a bit then leave you sweaty, deaf and grinning like a tit. I’m pretty sure for some of their more Shoreditch oriented fans, their gigs are probably the first time they’ve had genuine fun in a long time. Details: Album, “Hey Everyone!” out in April, lots more tour dates (including supporting Kaiser Chiefs at the likes of the o2 Arena, mental etc) and hopefully some insane festival appearences.

The Greater Than Symbol and the Hash

Dolby Anol-Myspace

Lauren: Take one sixth of Dananananaykroyd (we quite like them if you hadn’t already guessed), a lovely man names Graham Peel and a shit load of wires and you’ll find yourself listening and throwing yourself about to the bizarre electro of Dolby Anol.  They’ve remixed everyone from The Futureheads to Beyonce and like their Danana friends their performances result rooms full of sweaty chaos. Definitely to dance outfit to look out for in 2009.

Dolby Anol – Dolby & Gabbana (Cuz we are Dolby Anol)

Passion Pit-Myspace

Gav: From the beautifully ambient, same-cooking-pot-as-Postal-service “I’ve Got Your Number”, to Holy Fuck bumping uglies with Prince to create “Better Things”, Passion Pit are a genuinly great little five piece of nerds from Massachusettes. “Sleepyhead”, meanwhile, is just biding it’s time before it becomes a globally accepted classic and a must for any indie disco DJ to put on at the end of the night for everyone to dance/slip around in beer to while hugging each other and crying slightly.

Passion Pit-Sleepyhead

Pulled Apart By Horses-Myspace

Gav: Riffs/melodies/riffs/shouting/FUCKING RIFFS. Ignore the fact that the singer can sometimes, ever so slightly sound like Jimmy from South Park having a screaming fit, Pulled Apart By Horses are a rough, raw slaying machine combining metal with something slightly more fun and accessible. And RIFFS, obviously.

Pulled Apart By Horses-I Punched A Lion In The Throat

Tubelord-Myspace

Lauren: A band we’ve never been afraid of showing love for in the past, Tubelord are a trio of oddballs who, through what we can only assume was a bizzare sequence of events, got themselves into a band to play to the world their own brand of pop-punk as loud as anyone will let them. 2009 will hopefully see the release of an album so pretty soon you can play it as loud as you parents/neighbors will let you.

Tubelord-I Am Azerrad (Huw Stephens Session)

Youves (Formerly Mirror!Mirror!)-Myspace

J_S_Peach: Following successful performances at events such as Dot to Dot and shows with the likes of INFTC favourites such as Dananananaykroyd in 2008, Nuneaton punk-funkers Youves have put in the groundwork for an exciting 2009. With a name change and new EP Cardio-Vascular on the way through Holy Roar Records in May these boys are a hot tip.

White Lies- m’space

Just like how porn keeps sex pests, miserable old men and horny teens happy in a legal and safe way, stadium/pop rock should serve to keep little cretins off our music. White Lies will be big. Probably huge. This is fine.

Women-Myspace

Lauren: Despite their self-titled debut being released last year INFTC predict 2009 will see the rise of Canadian four piece Women. The band create lo-fi dreams that float out of your speakers somewhere in between Black Lips and Deerhunter, the latter they were set to support if it weren’t for illness.  You can still catch them with Wavves around the country in March and, in what is fast becoming my favourite London venue, The Lexington on the 3rd.

Women-Black Rice