Basia Bulat/ Liz Green

Cafe Oto
25 November 2009

Lucky me: this evening allowed both a second chance in the space of a few days to hear Liz Green, and another go at grabbing a clearer picture of her mask. Success! (note: term redefined to include terrible low-res pictures):

I am sure you will agree it is a fine mask, although the risk of hat-hair is high, as well as alliterative. Throwing such stylistic concerns to the wind, the song about doves that requires the mask was the first played, resultant wonky fringe or no. Bravo.

The set felt rather different to last week, perhaps due to the crowd who were mainly there to see Basia. It was also a touch rushed, and although she did start to build a receptive atmosphere it didn't allow time for Liz to create the mood that would happily carry the intense Antony Hegarty song she sang on Friday.

Basia, with mini-band in tow (drums and viola/vocals) was bright and smiley and very professional, especially when working around the sound problems which were many, although the band needed the crowd to tell them about it.

Skip this bit if you don't like grumbling - the piano mic failed two bars into Snakes and Ladders, but apparently the sound guy didn't notice.... and throughout the set there were problems with the mix levels, although there were mostly only 2 or 3 lines to juggle. I don't know if the room is difficult for sound, as I have seen problems there before, or if the equipment isn't up to it, or maybe it's the other thing.

These issues notwithstanding all was well, very well in fact, although as at her solo show in May Basia complained of jet lag, but if her performance was diminished it didn't show, she knows how to deliver a set, no problem there. Someone build an extra day into her schedule next time please, for her sake as well as ours, and what's more I'm sure she is good for more than just a single-show flying visit.

Tune Yards - Hatari

Super-nice film that everyone else is posting, so why not.

Einstein, a dinosaur and a loop pedal, what more does a music video need? I'm pleased to see that Merrill has finally found a shirt that coordinates with her make up.


tUnE-YaRdS "Hatari" from dublab on Vimeo.

Liz Green/ Homelife/ Denis Jones: Passion, drama, knitting

Downstairs @ The Kings Head
20 November 2009

A home-made pack of Liz Green CD's that I bought at a show in February. Nice, you may think, but what of it? All will become clear.

I usually try not to describe acts by making comparisons to others, unless it's a key point of reference. So:

Denis Jones could be described as Magic Arm's slightly wonky older brother, who has been through a few things but has emerged smiling, more or less, the other side, and has kicked the habit but still sees the crew from time to time, and has a restless need to pursue the next sound, the next rhythm, the next tune, to which end he has refined his guitar, looping and processing skills to such an extent that it really seems he can call into being the exact tone or rhythm he is looking for without a pause, and when he finds it he turns it into surprisingly soulful songs that speak of something entirely other than a pub basement in Crouch End. There is a new album cooking, look out for it.

Homelife could be described as sounding like a nasal Glenn Tillbrook if he forgot how to write good songs*, with seriously grating unsupported tenor vocals and a lamentable fondness for 1970's synth sounds. Ye gods! Although if they chose to work with a decent singer then it could be quite a different matter.

Liz Green, I have finally realised, sounds like a scratchy 78rpm blues record, all covered in dust so you can't tell if the vibrato in her voice is due to the age of the recording or is there on purpose. It's a mesmerising sound, her voice has an amazing, stylized, rich timbre and she generally sings about death and destruction which is a good use for a nice voice. When I have seen her play before she has been a bit bolshy, this time she was rather shy and uncertain and maybe a bit more open - perhaps the bolshiness came from not having the confidence to relax, and maybe she is now on the way there; making your own pigeon head mask to wear when singing about pigeons would suggest that day is at hand. Final encore was a cover of Antony's Hope There's Someone which was quite literally fantastic, and for the first time that voice was really used properly, not just in the stylized 'Liz Green' way, a real pleasure at the last.

* I'm talking about 30 years ago

Dan Mangan/ Hafdis Huld/ Sweet Baboo: an evening in 3 moods

The Lexington
18 November 2009

Sweet Baboo - grumpy
As most of SB's pithy songs contain some humorous aspect, even if only of the gallows variety, it seems odd that he should have a song chastising a reviewer for finding his songs funny. Takes himself quite seriously, does this one. Pretty good chops on the guitar, but as he himself observed, not much variation in style throughout his body of work. He should listen to Liz Green; she does something similar, but rather better.

Hafdis Huld - hyperactive
Almost manic, to be honest - although great fun - but nobody should ever give her a strong coffee. Despite being unable to persuade her guitarist to join her dance routine, boundless energy and good humour radiate from the petite singer. Great voice and all the personality in the world go a long way for her - to no.1 in Iceland, only to be the (other) victim of Michael Jackson's demise - but the songs all seem charming if a bit twee. Called back for an encore, even though not the main act - score!

Dan Mangan - happy
Very well supported by a large Canuck contingent, DM was almost playing to a home town crowd, and knew it from the start; his smile was from relief as much as anything. Unpretentious and also quite funny, he hopes to return with a band next time, which would be worth seeing, as decent arrangements might lift his songs above and beyond being mostly pleasant. Stand-outs were Sold, Indie Queens and an as-yet untitled tune, but overall it felt as if each strong song was followed by something slightly indeterminate, but that may be the drawback of trying to imply a band with just a six-string.

Mood-based accounting method for this show rendered not entirely successful at the last, as Mr Happy had a proper, miserable Smiths cover as his second and final encore.

Lucky Dragons do it for the kids

ICA
14 November 2009

The most artistically fashionable assembly I have been at in a good while, quite different to a  muso crowd, were able to join in with rattling shaking squeezing and generally mucking about with Lucky Dragons' lucky dip method of performance, which involves passing interactive musical tools to the crowd for experimentation to combine with artist-controlled electronic fiddlings; lo-5's between adjacent folk turn out to be musical contributions rather than dubious greetings. Swelling and pulsing rhythms build up, with plenty of reverb to paper over the cracks, often sounding similar to Julianna Barwick's layered compositions for a while, then moving on to some new improvised territory.

Unlike last time I saw him perform, there was also a nameless vocalist (yes, I accept she probably does have an actual name but it was not made known to we mortals EDIT: Sarah Rara would be the singer, thanks for that!) adding wordless chants to the mix, which worked well, and a pair of screens showing visuals of, alternately, aloe plants or hillside villages wobbled in and out of focus for added ambient wooziness.

Reach for the sky: Go Away Birds

Windmill
12 November 2009

With just an electro-acoustic guitar - no effect pedals, no loops - this is an exercise in singing and songwriting pure and simple. Thematically the main concern is love, generally seen in the past tense, feeding many elegantly phrased, often wistful observations on the splashes encountered in paddling in the murky depths of relationships.

What to praise first? There seems to be a perfect balance to the songs, an equal importance for both words and music, a surprisingly rare achievement. And the songs are delivered so wonderfully, with a musician playing and a singer singing; again, not so common as might be supposed. But the singing!  Catherine Ireton's voice is expressive, clear and well articulated; it simply shines. Outstanding.

All the songs aren't perfect, and the constraints of the duo format only allow a certain amount of ground to be covered, but that seems to be more of a creative constraint than a handicap. The recordings add extra layers of sound, but the songs are clearly good enough to travel light.

I can only guess that geography counted against them on the night, as on merit they should be top of any bill they play.

Those who live by Camille, die by Camille: Majiker/ Ebb

ICA
9 November 2009

The staging of Majiker's high concept Body-Piano-Machine (the last is a 1986-vintage synth) album was highly polished, endlessly inventive and packed full of clever ideas both musically and visually.

It would take a major essay to describe the show as so much was included, although that is not going to happen here; briefly - close up video footage was projected on screen, all kinds of lighting scenarios including wrist- and head-mounted LED's, bad jokes, telephone calls taken mid-song, a mask, role playing, hats, body paint etc. Lots of Stuff, all of it as camp as a row of tents.



Best known for producing Camille's last two albums, as well as touring as part of her live act to promote Le Fil, there is much common ground in his music with the clever body-centric techniques used for those recordings.

Majiker, however, is no singer, unlike Camille who is quite possibly the best performer I have ever seen, and more crucially the songs just aren't as good. If they were better then the whole theatrical staging would surely not be needed - the first couple of times I saw her, Camille's stage set was a simple length of string at waist height across the front of the stage. The convincingly articulated driving concept was there, but rather than becoming the defining element of the album, and performance, it underpinned the work, which could speak for itself.  Majiker seemed to need to use his concept as a crutch to support an end product that was clever and well done, but not really engaging. If you ask people to dance, as he did, and they don't, then that is surely the most telling measure.

Support act, label-mate Ebb was unfeasibly dreary; Sweden's Manifest prizes would seem to be as meaningful as the Mercury's. My heart sank every time he started another song.

Beth Jeans Houghton's tales of germs and the sexual mores of the nation's teenagers

The Windmill
5 November 2009


After the first song of the set, a fine version of The Barely Skinny Bone Tree, with reduced band as with the first few times I saw her play, Beth decided to share a 'fact' with us. Grinning hugely, she advised that if you lick someone's arse you will contend with less germs than if you kiss their mouth, which - ooh ooh! - reminded her that a friend of hers has a boyfriend who likes to apply a rectal digit during moments of intimacy; the friend who possesses the invaded bottom isn't actually too keen on this, but failed to mention it to the boyfriend at an early enough point in the relationship and now has decided it is simplest just to live with it.

An entertaining and unexpected way to build rapport with an audience. 10/10.

As usual the set was great fun. Beth was running at about 70% of full power which was probably about right for the Windmill, not a venue I would automatically think she would suit. She has continued to iron the kinks out of her live performances and looked calm and in control, showcasing new songs Janet (abbreviation?) and Sicko, due on the forthcoming album. All sounding good, possibly the best show I have seen from the band, despite the absence of violin and trumpet.

An audience vote on whether to call the album Little Veal (Sicko) was split, with a not unreasonable shout for Sicko gaining credence with part of the crowd. The nation holds its breath.

Guitar Hero II: John Vanderslice/ Choir of Young Believers (but no Basia Bulat)

Relentless Garage
2 November 2009

I don't get it, although I am sure it is just one of my many failings.

Go and see The Acorn, same thing happens. Glory Hope Mountain is a thoughtful and carefully constructed album, but they play the songs live and suddenly it's all wailing licks.

Similarly, JV starts with Too Much Time, his new single, a poignant and beautiful track. Nicely done, but why peak so soon? And then it all goes guitar-centric.... maybe all the sensitive singer-songwriters are really just frustrated rockers? There is a film somewhere on The Internet of the JV band playing quite recently in a bookshop (?) in Montreal/Quebec/somewhere, which of course I can't now locate, that I happily watched all the way through. Unlike last night....

COYB do some niceish things, albeit predictably - harmonies, cello - but are mainly going for epic hugeness, baby. *looks elsewhere*

EDIT: I forgot! Where was Basia? If you fuckers sell and promote gigs with performers names attached, why is it ok for the bands to be changed at the last minute with no publicity? Nice! (or should that be Wankers!)

Grizzly Bear/LSO: Democracy in action

Barbican
31 October 2009

Photo:Anika
Half the internet are elsewhere arguing about whether it was OMFG or half-arsed; it should be remembered that most GB songs climax well before the music finishes, which doesn't necessarily help those looking for "epic gig moments" (hello Twitter!).

I thought it was great, almost prize-winning, but not quite. The specially contrived arrangements, which did create terrific effects in places, were not always successful; as the Grizzlers are SO tight as a live band, when the focus was shifted it occasionally destabilised the power and intensity they generate.

Obvious candidates like Southern Point and Foreground worked brilliantly with the orchestra, and perhaps less predictable successes were Dory and He Hit Me, while the nominally band-only Two Weeks, with the addition of only Nico Muhly's piano and some magic dust from the harp, gained a subtle and effective embellishment.

Less successful was a skittering strings effect used in some in- and outro's, and although While You Wait was also noted as 'band only' on the set-list, the admittedly minimal additions to it weren't beneficial. At times the orchestra couldn't be heard that well (were they amplified to match the band?), which would clearly have undermined their efforts.

The band tend to let their music do the talking by not accentuating themselves as personalities on stage - no spotlights on lead vocalist, for example - and certainly no attention-grabbing behaviour, just a few friendly comments from whoever feels like it. Perhaps their well-documented democratic ethos generally, and musical methodology specifically, further extended by opening their work to Nico Muhly for adaptation, doesn't always help them maintain an easy identifiable central focal point for those who need it.

9.5/10

EDIT: as if by magic a film of Southern Point from Saturday has appeared; sound is not that great - use headphones if you can - but it does give a fair idea of proceedings. Share & enjoy.