Kris Drever, John McCusker & Roddy Woomble – London Union Chapel 13/2/09
An admirable focus on the whole prevails this evening. It would have been easy just to have played this Scottish trio’s recent Beyond The Ruin LP in full and have everyone go home happy, but they insist, worthily, on challenging their audience as much [...]
Entries from February 2009
February 27, 2009
Drever, McCusker, Woomble – London Union Chapel 13/2/09
February 26, 2009
its a buffalo – Don’t Be Scared
its a buffalo – Don’t Be Scared (Akoustik Anarkhy)
Best buds – should they be in a band together? The stupidly-named its a buffalo all live in one house and play all day, by the sounds of it. This is, undoubtedly, lovely and a reason why their debut LP sounds so unified in purpose, but is [...]
February 25, 2009
Asobi Seksu – London ICA 19/2/09
With their beautiful third LP, Hush, released just days before this show, Asobi Seksu have every reason to be confident. They excel tonight, delicately pacing the set and balancing it with spectral, detailed renditions of new material and thunderous assertion of older tunes. Of course, now that their sound has shifted from the pop glee [...]
February 24, 2009
M. Ward – Hold Time
M. Ward – Hold Time (4AD)
M. Ward remains irretrievably in the thrall of his influences. This has not always been the case (his earlier work on Howe Gelb’s Ow Om label, though derivative and sketchy, contained a spark and twang all his own), but the emerging status quo for recent recordings. Brian Wilson, commissioned songwriters [...]
February 23, 2009
How’s Your Week? – The Long Lost
The Long Lost are just lovely (read our review of their debut LP here), and Albert and Laura were kind enough to answer our silly questions. Also, this is the second week in a row someone’s used a ‘-tic’ word to sum up their week. Good one Dent May! Next week, Bono describes his week as, [...]
February 20, 2009
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – The Century Of Self (pt.2)
Part two, whee! (You can have a read of part one here).
The aggressive, joyful and beautiful harmonies on Fields Of Coal provide the mid-session entertainment, with sheer vitality buoying things along just as much as the circulating pianos and helicoptering double-drums, proof that trying to consciously write singles on the last couple of albums has [...]
February 19, 2009
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – The Century Of Self (pt.1)
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – The Century Of Self (Richter Scale Records)
Most concluded that …Trail Of Dead were lost at sea with their last two releases. Both Worlds Apart and So Divided, similar in title and sound, were blusterous affairs, and apparently subject to occasional label interference. Singles needed [...]
February 18, 2009
Sad Day For Puppets – Marble Gods/Big Waves
Sad Day For Puppets – Marble Gods/Big Waves (Sonic Cathedral)
Surely this current trend for evoking guitar bands of the early 90s has to stop soon? It’s so enjoyable at times, this constant reminder that The Lemonheads and Dinosaur Jr existed, but is there enough substance among these continual re-hashers to make this movement anything more [...]
February 17, 2009
Seeland – Tomorrow Today
Seeland – Tomorrow Today (LoAF)
Blankets of stinging warmth, the kind of warmth you feel when you’ve gotten on the bus after waiting in the bitterest cold, waits for you in Tomorrow Today. Slouched in its aural beanbag, it resembles the quirks and musical accents of Scott Walker, but has urgency enough to be as brief [...]
February 16, 2009
How’s Your Week? – Dent May
Dent May, along with his trusty ukulele, is an utterly worthy step on a tightrope between cabaret and heartbreak, but when your rope’s made of Serge Gainsbourg’s chest hair. For a more serious summation, have a look at PM’s review of his newly-released debut LP, here. After that, learn about Dent’s week below!
In a word, [...]
