Royal Festival Hall
11 May 2010
Ah Joanna, Joanna - what is there to say?
Strange you should ask, as a few things do occur. Apart from the nagging suspicion that she would still have a lovely conversation even if she were alone in the room, and the obvious thoughts about bending her over and so on, she does seem to be a bit of a wonder. The great and the good were there to see for themselves, with a number of groovy popsters spotted in the audience, also the Boosh one who isn't Noel Fielding.
Despite having to learn a new singing style after vocal chord nodules a year ago, the endless torrent of lyrics streamed forth, importance to the oeuvre demonstrated by the dedicated book of words in the album box set, all impeccably, and clearly, sung. However, unlike many lyrically-focused artists, there is now - an improvement on Ys - an equal balance between the musical and lyrical interest, with the musical scope broad and inventive, faultlessly played by the band. Encompassing country, folk, jazz, blues, pop and classical elements - often in a single song - there was no shortage of fantastic, spellbinding music to thrill the passing blogger; thoughts that Good Intentions Paving Co is likely to be my song of the year lasted only until encore Baby Birch (although I do claim the right to revert that title).
My one complaint was that several times before the lengthy harp-tuning/Q&A interlude, and occasionally afterward - questions were invited from the audience, but "Who do you think should be the new Chancellor of the Exchequer?" was a bit of an ask, to be fair - the band drowned out JoNew, which kind of defeated the object, lovely as the arrangements were.
All of which magnificence, in case I have not made my feelings clear, was in marked contrast to the support act from "legend" (presumably in the footballing sense i.e. lazy shorthand for 'once thought to be quite good by his mum') Roy Harper, who really did make me want to kill myself *.
A bloke and a guitar - well, two guitars, but he only played one at a time - and he somehow contrived to have more sound problems than JoNew and her five musicians. Only two hours to soundcheck, he bemoaned, but go figure - one man, one mic, two electro-acoustics. Moving, then, swiftly beyond the forgotten words and the lost plectrum (just strum it!), suffice to say it was hard work to sit through this ego trip, although to be fair he can play a fine blues guitar. Unfortunately I find blues guitar to be a predictable idiom, and don't enjoy it.
There was enough reverb on the vox to muddy much of his singing, although despite the potential benefits of this, during a song that he had introduced as being about his 'bohemian' love life I am sure I heard the line "I saw you have your first daisy chain". I know which of the evening's artists I would rather feature in that mental image....
On that happy note, this is post no. 100; a suitable point at which to cease and desist. Thanks for stopping by.
* Please note that I did not kill myself in response to Roy Harper's performance.
5 May 2010
High Places, Bachelorette, Chen Santa Maria: mine's a pint. Oh, it isn't.
Cargo
4 May 2010
The last time I visited Cargo was for the terrafrastic Tune-Yards show, but yesterday at the same venue the experience was pretty much the polar opposite.
Opening act Chen Santa Maria were making such an awkward noise, at such a high volume, that the only option was to be somewhere else, so we did exactly that. Experimental noodlings can have their merits, but I couldn't find room in my heart for that lot.
After this, laptop-wielding Bachelorette seemed convinced that she was only there to make up the numbers, thanking us for being there to see High Places; fair enough, I suppose, as until she learns how to put across a live set then I don't want to pay to see it. If she is going to put herself on stage then she really shouldn't be so apologetic about it. The music itself had its moments, the best of which were like Yazoo tracks with Julianna Barwick-style vocals applied, which in theory sounds like a winner all the way. At least there were some visuals to help the performance....
... unlike High Places, who underwhelmed completely. With no stage presence to speak of, despite the duo now having moved out from behind the bank of kit seen on previous tours, the lack of any other visual aid was sorely missed. When combined with a 'difficult' sound scenario, it was impossible for any atmosphere to build on the night.
It seemed to be rather a struggle to actually deliver the set - despite constant negotiations with the sound man, the trademark clattering beats were usually overwhelming and only rarely did the layers of more delicate sounds become clear. All too often the vocals and guitars disappeared in the mix, a great shame as these were basically the only 'live' elements. Overall it seemed to be too great a challenge just to put all the sounds in place for each track, which really didn't do justice to their repertoire.
And all this grumbling dissatisfaction without even mentioning how poorly Cargo operates as a bar! Don't get me started...
4 May 2010
Opening act Chen Santa Maria were making such an awkward noise, at such a high volume, that the only option was to be somewhere else, so we did exactly that. Experimental noodlings can have their merits, but I couldn't find room in my heart for that lot.
After this, laptop-wielding Bachelorette seemed convinced that she was only there to make up the numbers, thanking us for being there to see High Places; fair enough, I suppose, as until she learns how to put across a live set then I don't want to pay to see it. If she is going to put herself on stage then she really shouldn't be so apologetic about it. The music itself had its moments, the best of which were like Yazoo tracks with Julianna Barwick-style vocals applied, which in theory sounds like a winner all the way. At least there were some visuals to help the performance....
... unlike High Places, who underwhelmed completely. With no stage presence to speak of, despite the duo now having moved out from behind the bank of kit seen on previous tours, the lack of any other visual aid was sorely missed. When combined with a 'difficult' sound scenario, it was impossible for any atmosphere to build on the night.
It seemed to be rather a struggle to actually deliver the set - despite constant negotiations with the sound man, the trademark clattering beats were usually overwhelming and only rarely did the layers of more delicate sounds become clear. All too often the vocals and guitars disappeared in the mix, a great shame as these were basically the only 'live' elements. Overall it seemed to be too great a challenge just to put all the sounds in place for each track, which really didn't do justice to their repertoire.
And all this grumbling dissatisfaction without even mentioning how poorly Cargo operates as a bar! Don't get me started...
4 May 2010
The Wilderness of Manitoba: someone call Simon Raymonde
Windmill
3 May 2010
In the back garden, Seamus, kindly providing charred things for everyone to eat, was protected from the cooling May breeze by his BBQ duties in outdoor conditions that WoM described as comparable to November in Canada, where, despite the bucolic nature of their name and music, they are in fact from urbane Toronto and not the untamed boonies.
Using a variety of instruments that included a little wooden owl whistle giving an authentic-sounding backwoods hoot, and two sizes of Tibetan singing bowl, WoM sit somewhere between Low Anthem and Fleet Foxes in style, which I appreciate is a fairly fine distinction when taking the broader view. There were harmonies a-plenty, and everything was beautifully crafted and delivered, although it was a little hard to find anything to get really excited about - until the set was drawing to a close, when a they played a crafty pair of aces to bring things nicely to a head.
Evening, written by lead singer Will Whitwham's late mother and reworked by the band, is a fine song indeed, with a touch more bite to it than their other songs, but the knock-me-down-with-a-feather cover of Timber Timbre's Demon Host was as if the Mamas & Papas had dropped out of the sky and landed on the slightly sticky floor of the Windmill. Stunning.
I hope that someone from Bella Union catches the band while they are here this week, as their roster is full of exactly this kind of thing.
3 May 2010
Using a variety of instruments that included a little wooden owl whistle giving an authentic-sounding backwoods hoot, and two sizes of Tibetan singing bowl, WoM sit somewhere between Low Anthem and Fleet Foxes in style, which I appreciate is a fairly fine distinction when taking the broader view. There were harmonies a-plenty, and everything was beautifully crafted and delivered, although it was a little hard to find anything to get really excited about - until the set was drawing to a close, when a they played a crafty pair of aces to bring things nicely to a head.
Evening, written by lead singer Will Whitwham's late mother and reworked by the band, is a fine song indeed, with a touch more bite to it than their other songs, but the knock-me-down-with-a-feather cover of Timber Timbre's Demon Host was as if the Mamas & Papas had dropped out of the sky and landed on the slightly sticky floor of the Windmill. Stunning.
I hope that someone from Bella Union catches the band while they are here this week, as their roster is full of exactly this kind of thing.
2 May 2010
Micachu & The Shapes with London Sinfonietta: no bricks required
King's Place
1 May 2010
The pre-show whispers from back-stage included the phrase 'bricking it', understandable for a one-off special performance in the august surroundings of Hall One at Kings Place. All very grown up it was, with some informal in-the-round performances in the sunken lobby spaces as people gathered, including the mesmerising Six Marimbas by Steve Reich, played on six... oh, you're there before me.
The opening part of the performance proper had the LS playing a series of very minimal pieces, some of which, it was explained, were written as improvisations to be played within certain parameters. Themes and methods explored here turned out to inform the second half of the concert, when M&TS joined the by now 7-piece Sinfonietta on stage.
Playing a series of continuous structured improvisations between each song, the LS effectively became a kind of living sequencer, able to deliver all manner of tones, timbres and rhythms to support the typically inventive range of scratchy scrapings, strums, beats and crashes from the band. None of the music played came from Jewellery, although I am not sure whether any of these songs were written just for the occasion.
The collaboration was clearly a live experiment, as it was designed to be, but there were a number of truly sublime and delightful passages, not least when using several musical bottles as novel wind instruments, and smiles onstage acknowledged the success of this and other of the climactic moments. At the close, with typical modesty, there were just a couple of bows and then the players left the stage, despite the applause ringing on for much longer.
Projected visuals were edited live by Dori Deng, integrating Micachu's signature geometric scribbles into stylised live footage from the stage, and was an effective addition; hopefully a film of the event will be available at some point, as there was a full-on AV presence recording the proceedings.
1 May 2010
The pre-show whispers from back-stage included the phrase 'bricking it', understandable for a one-off special performance in the august surroundings of Hall One at Kings Place. All very grown up it was, with some informal in-the-round performances in the sunken lobby spaces as people gathered, including the mesmerising Six Marimbas by Steve Reich, played on six... oh, you're there before me.
The opening part of the performance proper had the LS playing a series of very minimal pieces, some of which, it was explained, were written as improvisations to be played within certain parameters. Themes and methods explored here turned out to inform the second half of the concert, when M&TS joined the by now 7-piece Sinfonietta on stage.
Playing a series of continuous structured improvisations between each song, the LS effectively became a kind of living sequencer, able to deliver all manner of tones, timbres and rhythms to support the typically inventive range of scratchy scrapings, strums, beats and crashes from the band. None of the music played came from Jewellery, although I am not sure whether any of these songs were written just for the occasion.
The collaboration was clearly a live experiment, as it was designed to be, but there were a number of truly sublime and delightful passages, not least when using several musical bottles as novel wind instruments, and smiles onstage acknowledged the success of this and other of the climactic moments. At the close, with typical modesty, there were just a couple of bows and then the players left the stage, despite the applause ringing on for much longer.
27 April 2010
Bear In Heaven: the Campaign for Drummer's Rights starts here
Windmill
26 April 2010
This one is going to have be tagged as follows:
BIH were one of those bands who needed the drummer to thrash away like a bastard to supply the goods, whilst the other two dudes on guitar or keys needed only adjust a knob or a dial to whack up the effects as required. How unfair is that? I suppose it is good exercise to be crashing around on the drumkit, but he seemed extremely hot and I was a bit concerned.
As long as no other well meaning entity has already claimed the acronym, the CDR starts right here RIGHT NOW. Music world be warned, I've got my eye on you lot now.
However - whether the tall dudes will be back next time is perhaps open to question, as the set somehow didn't quite deliver on its promise; no real problems, but somehow it was a slightly plodding affair that didn't quite have the lightness of touch of the recordings, and it didn't help that there was little communication from the band. Maintaining enthusiasm for the show was, ever so slightly, an effort, so I think I will just stick with the album in future.
26 April 2010
This one is going to have be tagged as follows:
BIH were one of those bands who needed the drummer to thrash away like a bastard to supply the goods, whilst the other two dudes on guitar or keys needed only adjust a knob or a dial to whack up the effects as required. How unfair is that? I suppose it is good exercise to be crashing around on the drumkit, but he seemed extremely hot and I was a bit concerned.
As long as no other well meaning entity has already claimed the acronym, the CDR starts right here RIGHT NOW. Music world be warned, I've got my eye on you lot now.
Have you seen these being used in a cruel and vindictive way?
Anyway - despite it only being April, the sold-out Windmill was hot, stuffy and smelly, but, regardless, pleased to see BIH at the finish of the short UK leg of their tour, and the average height of the crowd was way too tall, indicating the degree of in-the-know interest in the event, at least according to my own crude theory on the matter.However - whether the tall dudes will be back next time is perhaps open to question, as the set somehow didn't quite deliver on its promise; no real problems, but somehow it was a slightly plodding affair that didn't quite have the lightness of touch of the recordings, and it didn't help that there was little communication from the band. Maintaining enthusiasm for the show was, ever so slightly, an effort, so I think I will just stick with the album in future.
25 April 2010
Polar Bear: hair, thair and everywhair
Front Room, QEH
23 April 2010
At what could be called pub o'clock on a Friday, the kind folk of the Southbank Centre can often be found opening their doors to the public for free events in varying parts of the complex. On this particular sunny Friday, the Front Room performance space was absolutely mobbed for a magnificent full-length set from Polar Bear, fresh from appearing on Later last week.
Directed from the back of the stage by drummer and band-leader Seb Rochford, who periodically added a few customarily soft-spoken comments and explanatory thoughts, the band were a joy to watch, from the obvious - the sonorous resonance of Tom Herbert's double bass, to the more discreet diversions of Leafcutter John, who at different points, not content with playing guitar and laptop-driven electronics, also used a deflating balloon, a PS2 (or 3, what's the difference?) and a Wii.
Most pleasing to see, as ever, was Mr Rochford, who, whilst driving forward the precisely constructed rhythms, maintained an expression of absolute calm that belied the blur of the drumsticks. Surely the most amazing thing about him is that his hair isn't the most amazing thing about him? Although, of course, I write as someone for whom the idea of choosing a hairstyle is a historical irrelevance...
In the jazz-ist manner there was room for individual extemporisation, and happy dialogues between the twin saxes, and looped bass-lines, before falling back into the mould of the tunes, which on new album Peepers continue to feel as much like ensemble rhythmic exercises as they do musical explorations, with no one instrument really taking overall lead. Combining tunes and dissonance, solo flourishes and neat combinations, syncopation and polyrhythms, it was an exhilarating journey through one part of a lively musical intelligence.
23 April 2010
At what could be called pub o'clock on a Friday, the kind folk of the Southbank Centre can often be found opening their doors to the public for free events in varying parts of the complex. On this particular sunny Friday, the Front Room performance space was absolutely mobbed for a magnificent full-length set from Polar Bear, fresh from appearing on Later last week.
Directed from the back of the stage by drummer and band-leader Seb Rochford, who periodically added a few customarily soft-spoken comments and explanatory thoughts, the band were a joy to watch, from the obvious - the sonorous resonance of Tom Herbert's double bass, to the more discreet diversions of Leafcutter John, who at different points, not content with playing guitar and laptop-driven electronics, also used a deflating balloon, a PS2 (or 3, what's the difference?) and a Wii.
Most pleasing to see, as ever, was Mr Rochford, who, whilst driving forward the precisely constructed rhythms, maintained an expression of absolute calm that belied the blur of the drumsticks. Surely the most amazing thing about him is that his hair isn't the most amazing thing about him? Although, of course, I write as someone for whom the idea of choosing a hairstyle is a historical irrelevance...In the jazz-ist manner there was room for individual extemporisation, and happy dialogues between the twin saxes, and looped bass-lines, before falling back into the mould of the tunes, which on new album Peepers continue to feel as much like ensemble rhythmic exercises as they do musical explorations, with no one instrument really taking overall lead. Combining tunes and dissonance, solo flourishes and neat combinations, syncopation and polyrhythms, it was an exhilarating journey through one part of a lively musical intelligence.
21 April 2010
Caribou, Gold Panda: animal magic
Corsica Studios
20 April 2010
On the day new album Swim was released, Caribou's excellent set was in marked live-action contrast to its book-ends: Gold Panda before, and a short DJ set from Keiran Hebden afterwards.
Switching between keyboards, guitar and percussion Dan Snaith led his band through a mix of old and new material, showing in fine style how to deliver his genre-avoiding output in the live setting. The set was well judged, peaking in intensity at points throughout, especially when the percussion was double-teamed, which also helped to finish the encore with a bang. Refreshing to see that live dance music doesn't have to be laptop or turntable based.
On a side-note, the band won 2-1 in the game of 'spot the false ending' - the crowd remained still when Memory Day paused for breath, but on two other occasions the song picked up again when applause had started; a room full of premature appreciators? It was a little bit like a Haberdasher's Aske's 5-year reunion in there....
It is usually unsatisfying to see solo knob-twiddlers play live, and unfortunately Gold Panda's donning of a panda hat during his earlier support set didn't quite add enough interest to make it a worthwhile spectacle. I do enjoy what I know of his music, but this set was maybe a bit ill-judged for the event, perhaps better suited to a club than a gig, and didn't really engage. And, slightly strangely, only about 40 people stayed on after Caribou to hear an admittedly firework-free wind-down set from Mr Tet, who settled on African flavours after some housey tunes to see us through.
20 April 2010
Switching between keyboards, guitar and percussion Dan Snaith led his band through a mix of old and new material, showing in fine style how to deliver his genre-avoiding output in the live setting. The set was well judged, peaking in intensity at points throughout, especially when the percussion was double-teamed, which also helped to finish the encore with a bang. Refreshing to see that live dance music doesn't have to be laptop or turntable based.
On a side-note, the band won 2-1 in the game of 'spot the false ending' - the crowd remained still when Memory Day paused for breath, but on two other occasions the song picked up again when applause had started; a room full of premature appreciators? It was a little bit like a Haberdasher's Aske's 5-year reunion in there....
It is usually unsatisfying to see solo knob-twiddlers play live, and unfortunately Gold Panda's donning of a panda hat during his earlier support set didn't quite add enough interest to make it a worthwhile spectacle. I do enjoy what I know of his music, but this set was maybe a bit ill-judged for the event, perhaps better suited to a club than a gig, and didn't really engage. And, slightly strangely, only about 40 people stayed on after Caribou to hear an admittedly firework-free wind-down set from Mr Tet, who settled on African flavours after some housey tunes to see us through.
16 April 2010
Davíð Þór Jónsson, Ólöf Arnalds: it must be something in the water
Cafe Oto
15 April 2010
Iceland must be the best place in the world, as - fact - 100% of all Icelandic performers I have seen are the happiest, jolliest folk imaginable.
Laughing and joshing between songs in an impressively bi-lingual manner, all was sweetness and light, and even the welcome-to-the-dark-side revelation that the body of a 10-string mandolin-type instrument was actually an armadillo shell was balanced by Ólöf's claim to be satisfied with an afterlife as a musical instrument should she step outside and be flattened by a bus.
However events opened in a slightly moody and uncertain fashion when the tall, bearded Davíð Þór Jónsson first turned off one of the few lights over the stage, and then inserted strips of card between the strings of the baby grand. Without ceremony he sat and started playing a kind of sub-Keith Jarrett solo improv, which was perfectly nice but caused Moments Of Audience Tension when he occasionally rose, almost stopped playing and plucked the piano strings or removed some of the card strips - time to clap? are things going wrong? what do we expect here? - but then, during a quiet and still moment he turned round and said 'Bless you' to someone who had sneezed, nicely breaking the mysterious spell.
His second improv segued into the introduction for Ólöf, who he then accompanied throughout; they rolled straight into her set, a tactic which worked really well, with many and various often slightly improvised delights duly unveiled, including an unamplified song discussing love (with no words, obvs), a song of serenity written on the day the krona lost 50% of its value, and a song in Japanese (how predictable). Ólöf really inhabits her songs, acting them out in a non-operatic and wholly believable way, and unlike much folk-type music these twinkly, sparkling songs never had a sense of predictability, which was really quite an achievement.
They were even kind enough to provide a mid-set interlude for bar/bog action to which they provided a gentle countrified accompaniment. Top that tonight, Plan B....
15 April 2010
Laughing and joshing between songs in an impressively bi-lingual manner, all was sweetness and light, and even the welcome-to-the-dark-side revelation that the body of a 10-string mandolin-type instrument was actually an armadillo shell was balanced by Ólöf's claim to be satisfied with an afterlife as a musical instrument should she step outside and be flattened by a bus.
However events opened in a slightly moody and uncertain fashion when the tall, bearded Davíð Þór Jónsson first turned off one of the few lights over the stage, and then inserted strips of card between the strings of the baby grand. Without ceremony he sat and started playing a kind of sub-Keith Jarrett solo improv, which was perfectly nice but caused Moments Of Audience Tension when he occasionally rose, almost stopped playing and plucked the piano strings or removed some of the card strips - time to clap? are things going wrong? what do we expect here? - but then, during a quiet and still moment he turned round and said 'Bless you' to someone who had sneezed, nicely breaking the mysterious spell.
His second improv segued into the introduction for Ólöf, who he then accompanied throughout; they rolled straight into her set, a tactic which worked really well, with many and various often slightly improvised delights duly unveiled, including an unamplified song discussing love (with no words, obvs), a song of serenity written on the day the krona lost 50% of its value, and a song in Japanese (how predictable). Ólöf really inhabits her songs, acting them out in a non-operatic and wholly believable way, and unlike much folk-type music these twinkly, sparkling songs never had a sense of predictability, which was really quite an achievement.
They were even kind enough to provide a mid-set interlude for bar/bog action to which they provided a gentle countrified accompaniment. Top that tonight, Plan B....
14 April 2010
Bits of James Murphy are all over the internet
Here's one:
LCD Soundsystem-Dance Yourself Clean
I don't really understand the deification of LCD. But sometimes, as happens here at 2:57, it makes you go ooof yeah. Not that clever, and by no means subtle.... but I'll just put that on repeat and ask no more silly questions.
Rather a shame it is apparently the last album for this project, but you can't argue with 3/3.
9 April 2010
Summer Camp, Spectrals, Babe Shadow: after you
The Lexington
8 April 2010
I saw Babe Shadow play as a duo in February, supporting Music Go Music, and thought they sounded promising on the basis of a 2 x guitar-and-voice half-band gig, and anticipated a full band set with interest - however any of the subtlety or art I thought I had heard previously was sadly absent from their unimaginative indie pop, where adding bass and drums somehow managed to diminish the creative possibilities, which is an achievement of sorts, I suppose.
Next!
Spectrals offered a fairly literal version of 60's-style surf pop, lightly flavoured with a more contemporary US tang in the slightly drunken wavering on-then-off-key guitar line thing going on. Not bad, if you are reconciled to pseudo 60's tunes in 2010, but definitely missing a trick as they somehow managed to deliver bounce-free tunes - no zip, no zest, no other words starting with z; with little or no variation to the pace of each song it all seemed rather lifeless.
Next!
We like Summer Camp round here, yes we do, but could do without those bright lights shining right in our eyes, thanks. (Hint: YES REALLY. Jeez.) Cracking version of Round The Moon (happyface), but off stage and waiting to do an encore after 20 minutes? Headline show, not a showcase....
8 April 2010
Next!
Spectrals offered a fairly literal version of 60's-style surf pop, lightly flavoured with a more contemporary US tang in the slightly drunken wavering on-then-off-key guitar line thing going on. Not bad, if you are reconciled to pseudo 60's tunes in 2010, but definitely missing a trick as they somehow managed to deliver bounce-free tunes - no zip, no zest, no other words starting with z; with little or no variation to the pace of each song it all seemed rather lifeless.
Next!
We like Summer Camp round here, yes we do, but could do without those bright lights shining right in our eyes, thanks. (Hint: YES REALLY. Jeez.) Cracking version of Round The Moon (happyface), but off stage and waiting to do an encore after 20 minutes? Headline show, not a showcase....
5 April 2010
Those were the days
Some of the finer new songs floating on The Internet lately have an unusually timeless quality, as if they have been around forever - ie any time since the '70's. The common theme is perhaps that they don't feel the need to follow current fashions, one of which is, ironically, to borrow wholesale from times past, so modish drum patterns and 80's synth chords are mercifully absent.
1stly: Leisure (not to be confused with The Leisure Society, of whom the same comment could certainly be made)
Leisure - It's Alright (On The Suez Canal)
2ndly: The Morning Benders, who do have a little grizzly touch here and there due to producer Chris Taylor, but what's an echo or two between pals?
The Morning Benders - Promises
3rdly: Blitzen Trapper
Blitzen Trapper - Heaven And Earth
Gilbert O'Sullivan, where are you now?
29 March 2010
Friends. And ranting.
These two subjects are not, in this instance, related.
A recent peep at Department of Eagles' MySpace page showed that, as if being perfect in every other respect wasn't enough, they also had the perfect number of virtual friends.
Well ain't that a surprisingly consecutive numerical thing.
On the subject of ranting, this is just an advisory note to say that 'rant' is being added as a label, in case the subjects of my ire might be worth appraising in a single viewing. This will be retrospectively applied to the couple of previous posts that included especially displeased comment, as distinct from minor sniping.
A recent peep at Department of Eagles' MySpace page showed that, as if being perfect in every other respect wasn't enough, they also had the perfect number of virtual friends.
On the subject of ranting, this is just an advisory note to say that 'rant' is being added as a label, in case the subjects of my ire might be worth appraising in a single viewing. This will be retrospectively applied to the couple of previous posts that included especially displeased comment, as distinct from minor sniping.
25 March 2010
Soap&Skin, Jack November
24 March 2010
Alhambra, Paris
Today was full of gig-related sightings. I spotted Anja out and about a couple of times during the afternoon - darkly moody singer secretly cheerful in her spare time shocker! - and her band ate in the same restaurant that I did. So I was well primed for the show.
Initial unsatisfactory impression of the venue for the usual queueing/bag search/water-in-the-bin-buy-more-expensive-water type reasons. Despite these modest but sadly predictable failings, I was then considerably less impressed with seats that somehow managed to not give enough room for my legs - when the seat was folded down, there was about 7cm between the front of of it and the back of the chair in front. Come on people, measure a knee, I bet it is more than 7cm. What the fucking fuck is that all about? For a €25 seat I would hope to be able to accommodate my limbs as part of the deal; perhaps that charge was specifically to provide a temporary residence for my derriere, and I was supposed to make my own arrangements for other body parts I was foolish enough to have with me.
Incroyable.
Some further specifics:
- talking of legs, Ms Plaschg has a fine pair. Must be a contender for Angel Deeradorian's claim to the best pins in music.
- support act was a very attractive blonde young woman, who was a kind of parallel universe S&S mini-me, performing under the name of Jack November, mostly with a harmonium. If you ever get the chance to see her, don't bother unless it is a guaranteed two-song set.
- much anticipated headline show with band of 2 violins, cello, double bass, brass player and a backing vocalist/ melodica contributor. (I can confirm to you that these people do indeed eat food, and speak German.)
- I think the ensemble were slightly under-used, as at a few points their impact was thrilling - sometimes a shock of violin, sometimes the rumble of the double bass - but there was still a reliance on beats, hisses, clicks etc BOOMING out from the laptop. If she added a percussionist to her band that might allow the laptop to just be used for emails and so on.
- a predictably wonderful performance, dramatic and intense, sometimes even spine-tingling. And one of these days she is definitely going to break out into full-on robot dancing.
- I would really like to see all the instruments unamplified at the Union Chapel show, with just voices and laptop run through the PA. I may start a Facebook campaign, but then I'd have to join...
Alhambra, Paris
Initial unsatisfactory impression of the venue for the usual queueing/bag search/water-in-the-bin-buy-more-expensive-water type reasons. Despite these modest but sadly predictable failings, I was then considerably less impressed with seats that somehow managed to not give enough room for my legs - when the seat was folded down, there was about 7cm between the front of of it and the back of the chair in front. Come on people, measure a knee, I bet it is more than 7cm. What the fucking fuck is that all about? For a €25 seat I would hope to be able to accommodate my limbs as part of the deal; perhaps that charge was specifically to provide a temporary residence for my derriere, and I was supposed to make my own arrangements for other body parts I was foolish enough to have with me.
Incroyable.
Some further specifics:
- talking of legs, Ms Plaschg has a fine pair. Must be a contender for Angel Deeradorian's claim to the best pins in music.
- support act was a very attractive blonde young woman, who was a kind of parallel universe S&S mini-me, performing under the name of Jack November, mostly with a harmonium. If you ever get the chance to see her, don't bother unless it is a guaranteed two-song set.
- much anticipated headline show with band of 2 violins, cello, double bass, brass player and a backing vocalist/ melodica contributor. (I can confirm to you that these people do indeed eat food, and speak German.)
- I think the ensemble were slightly under-used, as at a few points their impact was thrilling - sometimes a shock of violin, sometimes the rumble of the double bass - but there was still a reliance on beats, hisses, clicks etc BOOMING out from the laptop. If she added a percussionist to her band that might allow the laptop to just be used for emails and so on.
- a predictably wonderful performance, dramatic and intense, sometimes even spine-tingling. And one of these days she is definitely going to break out into full-on robot dancing.
- I would really like to see all the instruments unamplified at the Union Chapel show, with just voices and laptop run through the PA. I may start a Facebook campaign, but then I'd have to join...
15 March 2010
Grizzly Bear, Beach House: floating on an effervescent sea of loveliness
The Roundhouse
13 & 14 March 2010 (both nights, lucky ol' me)
The Grizzlers were predictably sumptuous; they are completely at the top of their game, and The Roundhouse gave them scope to let rip.
Above and beyond delivering their set in immaculate fashion, there seem to be some developments afoot. Segways have now started to appear between some of the tunes, rather than treating each song as a complete stand-alone entity. Subtle variations are also apparent in some of the arrangements, and where I had felt at previous shows that precisely replicating the recordings was the aim, the signs are that a gently developing approach is being taken to live shows as a new opportunity. I hope that this route is pursued, as they are clearly up to the task of finding a parallel life for their music in the live forum.
I could witter on about how some concerns with a slight imbalance in the sound mix on Saturday were fixed on Sunday, but that kind of thing is a bit dull, frankly. Instead I shall mention that there were just a couple of changes to the set list between the two nights, and that when the boys were joined by Victoria from Beach House the quintuple harmony was breathtaking. Harmonies generally are widely documented as a strong suit of live Grizzly action, but 5 > 4. My personal good fortune has been to see Victoria join the band now on four of the five times I have seen them.
So - is a ticket to Latitude required to catch the next installment, or will there be a London show to help balance the books? Hmm....
Oh, and Beach House. They do have a few good songs, and they make a nice sound, but the music is rather one-paced, so an extended hearing doesn't really help distinguish one thing from another. Zebra and Gila stand out, from the current and previous albums, but a certain dynamic is lacking.
And because it made me so happy on Saturday, I crossed my fingers and hoped that the same treat would be in store for us as encore on Sunday, and it was. So - my first attempt at a video: All We Ask
Grizzly Bear, London, Sunday 14th March 2010 from Gone Tothedogs on Vimeo.
13 & 14 March 2010 (both nights, lucky ol' me)
The Grizzlers were predictably sumptuous; they are completely at the top of their game, and The Roundhouse gave them scope to let rip. Above and beyond delivering their set in immaculate fashion, there seem to be some developments afoot. Segways have now started to appear between some of the tunes, rather than treating each song as a complete stand-alone entity. Subtle variations are also apparent in some of the arrangements, and where I had felt at previous shows that precisely replicating the recordings was the aim, the signs are that a gently developing approach is being taken to live shows as a new opportunity. I hope that this route is pursued, as they are clearly up to the task of finding a parallel life for their music in the live forum.
I could witter on about how some concerns with a slight imbalance in the sound mix on Saturday were fixed on Sunday, but that kind of thing is a bit dull, frankly. Instead I shall mention that there were just a couple of changes to the set list between the two nights, and that when the boys were joined by Victoria from Beach House the quintuple harmony was breathtaking. Harmonies generally are widely documented as a strong suit of live Grizzly action, but 5 > 4. My personal good fortune has been to see Victoria join the band now on four of the five times I have seen them.
So - is a ticket to Latitude required to catch the next installment, or will there be a London show to help balance the books? Hmm....
Oh, and Beach House. They do have a few good songs, and they make a nice sound, but the music is rather one-paced, so an extended hearing doesn't really help distinguish one thing from another. Zebra and Gila stand out, from the current and previous albums, but a certain dynamic is lacking.
And because it made me so happy on Saturday, I crossed my fingers and hoped that the same treat would be in store for us as encore on Sunday, and it was. So - my first attempt at a video: All We Ask
Grizzly Bear, London, Sunday 14th March 2010 from Gone Tothedogs on Vimeo.
14 March 2010
Summer Camp @ RoTa
Notting Hill Arts Club
13 March 2010
Photo: Anika
A full-band run out this time for SC, as they gradually emerge from their chrysalis into the hazy light of early spring; as basement clubs in Notting Hill don't feature much in the way of daylight, so perhaps it was a suitable setting. When I saw their recent first live appearance it was unannounced, this time they were listed under an alias that was only made semi-public in the hours before the gig, via twitter to people who presumably already knew. They aren't exactly an epic-scale supergroup so these measures seem a bit extreme, but no harm done.
Their launch strategy has been fairly well calculated, as following the internet teaser campaign starting last year, and now these shows on the QT, they seem to have landed fully-formed and well able to deliver on the promise, with no real hitches evident. And in singer Elizabeth Sankey they have a glamorous focal point with a cool stare, which is always a Good Thing. Although there is a sense of nervousness behind the deadpan facade, the no flim-flam approach suits her well.
The slick dance-pop songs are not exactly revolutionary, but are elegant, catchy and well conceived, and were cleanly delivered and sounded great. If it continues to come together well in the full-sun glare of Texas next week, they may not need to build their own on-line buzz anymore, as others will do it for them.
13 March 2010
Photo: Anika
A full-band run out this time for SC, as they gradually emerge from their chrysalis into the hazy light of early spring; as basement clubs in Notting Hill don't feature much in the way of daylight, so perhaps it was a suitable setting. When I saw their recent first live appearance it was unannounced, this time they were listed under an alias that was only made semi-public in the hours before the gig, via twitter to people who presumably already knew. They aren't exactly an epic-scale supergroup so these measures seem a bit extreme, but no harm done.
Their launch strategy has been fairly well calculated, as following the internet teaser campaign starting last year, and now these shows on the QT, they seem to have landed fully-formed and well able to deliver on the promise, with no real hitches evident. And in singer Elizabeth Sankey they have a glamorous focal point with a cool stare, which is always a Good Thing. Although there is a sense of nervousness behind the deadpan facade, the no flim-flam approach suits her well.
The slick dance-pop songs are not exactly revolutionary, but are elegant, catchy and well conceived, and were cleanly delivered and sounded great. If it continues to come together well in the full-sun glare of Texas next week, they may not need to build their own on-line buzz anymore, as others will do it for them.
12 March 2010
Panda Bear, Kurt Vile: thank you for smoking
Heaven
11 March 2010
In some danger of receiving terminal doses of reverb, the only sensible thing to do was to go to the pub between acts, so we did; thank you, smoking regulations - drifting in and out of the venue could not have been simpler. And as The Forces of Information Dispersal had made it known that there would be a 75 minute DJ set from Kode 9 between the evening's live performers, so an additional amount of proper beer could be administered. Sorry Heaven, if you ask £4 for a can of Red Stripe that has up to 15 minutes wait attached, well, there are simple solutions to that issue...
Kurt Vile was all alone for this show, and was finished by 8, which is fine as long as you have picked up the tip, but seemed unhelpfully early. He fuzzed and jangled along, with trademark loose approach to sticking to the tune - 'singing through the note', would be the jazzy term - matched in his guitar playing with either unexpected tunings or deliberately awkward chord constructions, making a kind of pleasing tuneful dissonance.
Film from Berlin concert in January, Animal Collective cover
There is a willful suspension of disbelief needed, if I may refer back to my Eng Lit studies, with AnCo related live action. The often fairly accessible songs, in fact arguably simple enough to be comparable to nursery rhymes with added electrowonk, become something darker and less structured; longer can be spent in the transition between songs than on the version of the piece itself, and patience is required for the spectacle to develop into occasional climaxes separated by burbling experimental diversions.
As with his group project, Panda Bear treats his solo live sets as a place for experimenting with songs, concentrating on as-yet unpublished new material, with only an occasional reference back to familiar territory. The songs were perhaps not deconstructed to quite the extent of an Animal Collective show, although the forthcoming album will undoubtedly be more concise and focused than the live performance, which was at times mesmerising, working well with the video projection, but also sometimes underwhelming. I look forward to the album, but would also be very interested if anyone is actually able to tell me the address of the Emperor's tailor.
11 March 2010
In some danger of receiving terminal doses of reverb, the only sensible thing to do was to go to the pub between acts, so we did; thank you, smoking regulations - drifting in and out of the venue could not have been simpler. And as The Forces of Information Dispersal had made it known that there would be a 75 minute DJ set from Kode 9 between the evening's live performers, so an additional amount of proper beer could be administered. Sorry Heaven, if you ask £4 for a can of Red Stripe that has up to 15 minutes wait attached, well, there are simple solutions to that issue...
Kurt Vile was all alone for this show, and was finished by 8, which is fine as long as you have picked up the tip, but seemed unhelpfully early. He fuzzed and jangled along, with trademark loose approach to sticking to the tune - 'singing through the note', would be the jazzy term - matched in his guitar playing with either unexpected tunings or deliberately awkward chord constructions, making a kind of pleasing tuneful dissonance.
Film from Berlin concert in January, Animal Collective cover
There is a willful suspension of disbelief needed, if I may refer back to my Eng Lit studies, with AnCo related live action. The often fairly accessible songs, in fact arguably simple enough to be comparable to nursery rhymes with added electrowonk, become something darker and less structured; longer can be spent in the transition between songs than on the version of the piece itself, and patience is required for the spectacle to develop into occasional climaxes separated by burbling experimental diversions.
As with his group project, Panda Bear treats his solo live sets as a place for experimenting with songs, concentrating on as-yet unpublished new material, with only an occasional reference back to familiar territory. The songs were perhaps not deconstructed to quite the extent of an Animal Collective show, although the forthcoming album will undoubtedly be more concise and focused than the live performance, which was at times mesmerising, working well with the video projection, but also sometimes underwhelming. I look forward to the album, but would also be very interested if anyone is actually able to tell me the address of the Emperor's tailor.
7 March 2010
Champion Lyricists: Abner Jay
"She fascinated me,
'cos I liked to run my fingers through her....
money"
from St James Infirmiry Blues
A beautiful sentiment, elegantly expressed; if only all marriages worked as smoothly.
Abner Jay-St. James Infirmiry Blues
'cos I liked to run my fingers through her....
money"
from St James Infirmiry Blues
A beautiful sentiment, elegantly expressed; if only all marriages worked as smoothly.
Abner Jay-St. James Infirmiry Blues
5 March 2010
Is Tropical, Glasser, Milk: one step forward, two steps back
The Lexington
4 March 2010
Towards the end of a slightly un-together set, openers Milk mentioned that this was their first gig, which was a modest surprise - the proceedings had been a bit haphazard at times, especially with one apparently mucked-up drumbeat, but overall no real train-wreck. More bothersome than their performance was their apparent arrival straight from 1984; patterned puffy-sleeved shirts buttoned up to the neck may, perhaps, be forgiveable, but sounding similarly retrospective is less appealing. Why bother being in a band that just sounds like a composite of an edition of the David Kid Jensen show? For all that, they seem to have something about them, and if they can get over the 80's thing they still might find what they are looking for, ho ho.
Glasser also surprised with their unexpected costumes, which seemed to signify that they weren't confident in just going out and playing, which was also reflected in the absence of any chat whatsoever. They whacked out a massive, fuzzy, unclear, overly bass-heavy sound that did themselves no favours at all; I have tracks of theirs that could probably work with being beefed up (dumbed down?) for live shows, but not to this extent. Whether it was down to the sound guy or their own preference is hard to say, but all subtleties were lost in the mess, which was a shame. Apply was one of my most-played tracks of last year, and I was hoping to come away from this with more to enjoy, but not on this showing.
Then after that mis-firing version of The Future, we again went straight back in time - Is Tropical hardly made a sound that couldn't be identified with another era, although they managed it in fairly diverting fashion. Despite the extremely simple melodies the set blared along well enough, with epic guitar & synth-driven sounds and inevitably crashing drums to the fore, but on principle I have to be a bit suspicious of a band whose best track seems to be inspired by Eye Level from The Simon Park Orchestra.
4 March 2010
Towards the end of a slightly un-together set, openers Milk mentioned that this was their first gig, which was a modest surprise - the proceedings had been a bit haphazard at times, especially with one apparently mucked-up drumbeat, but overall no real train-wreck. More bothersome than their performance was their apparent arrival straight from 1984; patterned puffy-sleeved shirts buttoned up to the neck may, perhaps, be forgiveable, but sounding similarly retrospective is less appealing. Why bother being in a band that just sounds like a composite of an edition of the David Kid Jensen show? For all that, they seem to have something about them, and if they can get over the 80's thing they still might find what they are looking for, ho ho.
Then after that mis-firing version of The Future, we again went straight back in time - Is Tropical hardly made a sound that couldn't be identified with another era, although they managed it in fairly diverting fashion. Despite the extremely simple melodies the set blared along well enough, with epic guitar & synth-driven sounds and inevitably crashing drums to the fore, but on principle I have to be a bit suspicious of a band whose best track seems to be inspired by Eye Level from The Simon Park Orchestra.
1 March 2010
Marina vs Graphics: A philosophical analysis
I have seen Marina in person, and can confirm that apart from the make-up, the dental veneers and the various depilatory activities she is a fine example of a human, pretty much as nature intended.
So why, on the cover of her new album, does she seem to be made of felt?
28 February 2010
Summer Camp pitch tent at Owl Parliament
Union Chapel
27 February 2010
Compton Terrace saw a lot of musical activity on Saturday, with 9 acts listed to play at the 2nd folky/acoustic one-day fest from promoter Platforms:live.
Go Away Birds / Photos:Anika
Plus points included Blue Roses, and a fine early set from Pete Roe, new to me, followed by personal favourites Go Away Birds, who could never be less than delightful, although maybe only scored a 50% success rate with their attempts, on two or three songs, at a bigger sound to try and fill the volume of the chapel - didn't need to push it, would have been perfect without straining....
Summer Camp
Main highlight of the day was the 10th, unannounced, act; a not un-forseeable detour during Jeremy Warmsley's set where he was joined for two songs by Elizabeth Sankey for Summer Camp's live debut, part of their warm-up routine for SXSW. They seemed happy with their efforts - not unreasonably, as they came across very well - with just the 2 voices and guitar making a decent stab at the smooth dance-pop recordings in circulation. (One here.) I don't know too much about JW, but seem to enjoy his collaborations more than his solo work, and have come to find the Summer Camp tracks extremely pleasing. Look forward to more.
The other scrap-book item was Emmy The Great, who I can pretty much take or leave, being joined for a 'fans choice' song by Darren Hayman, who appears to have Minor Legend status, but I must have been looking the other way whilst it was being earned as I don't think I've ever heard a note of his output. Apparently as many as 5 or 6 votes were cast for a Girls Aloud song to be the nominated cover, and with good grace they went with it, albeit correcting the lyrics firstly for A) grammar, on grounds of understanding that double negatives and abbreviations aren't proper English, and B) driving-related content, on grounds of taste. Can't argue with either refinement, although in performance it ended up as a keyboard-led electro-popper which may or may not have been an improvement on the original; I am as uninformed on this point as I am on so many others.
27 February 2010
Compton Terrace saw a lot of musical activity on Saturday, with 9 acts listed to play at the 2nd folky/acoustic one-day fest from promoter Platforms:live.
Plus points included Blue Roses, and a fine early set from Pete Roe, new to me, followed by personal favourites Go Away Birds, who could never be less than delightful, although maybe only scored a 50% success rate with their attempts, on two or three songs, at a bigger sound to try and fill the volume of the chapel - didn't need to push it, would have been perfect without straining....
Main highlight of the day was the 10th, unannounced, act; a not un-forseeable detour during Jeremy Warmsley's set where he was joined for two songs by Elizabeth Sankey for Summer Camp's live debut, part of their warm-up routine for SXSW. They seemed happy with their efforts - not unreasonably, as they came across very well - with just the 2 voices and guitar making a decent stab at the smooth dance-pop recordings in circulation. (One here.) I don't know too much about JW, but seem to enjoy his collaborations more than his solo work, and have come to find the Summer Camp tracks extremely pleasing. Look forward to more.
The other scrap-book item was Emmy The Great, who I can pretty much take or leave, being joined for a 'fans choice' song by Darren Hayman, who appears to have Minor Legend status, but I must have been looking the other way whilst it was being earned as I don't think I've ever heard a note of his output. Apparently as many as 5 or 6 votes were cast for a Girls Aloud song to be the nominated cover, and with good grace they went with it, albeit correcting the lyrics firstly for A) grammar, on grounds of understanding that double negatives and abbreviations aren't proper English, and B) driving-related content, on grounds of taste. Can't argue with either refinement, although in performance it ended up as a keyboard-led electro-popper which may or may not have been an improvement on the original; I am as uninformed on this point as I am on so many others.
24 February 2010
jj: smokin'
Nice lil video for Let Go, with smoking and bare flesh and a dog; elegant yet inexpensive - perfect.
We even have sight of a face, so we can recognise them when they actually get round to playing that show they were booked for the other week, and then we'll all be happy.
23 February 2010
Dent May's mobile fun-fest
The Lexington
21 February 2010
Forgive me, my public - hello Ulla! - a temporary pixel shortage meant there was no room on The Internet for this one until now.
After what must have been a less-than-smooth approach to the event, which had originally been due to also feature Toro Y Moi and Jeremy Jay, at a reduction of £1.50 we instead had as sole support a diffident chap called Slushy Guts (why?), who sometimes sounded a tiny bit like Sleeping States used to, but couldn't really be described as a remotely adequate replacement for anyone.
Dent May played with help from a one-man choir/ rhythm section, and they tootled through his quirky, perky ukelele-led repertoire, which went down well with the crowd, who mostly looked and danced as if they were a Sunday School teacher's outing, which was both odd and funny.
It really is almost impossible to hear DM's bouncy songs without head-nodding and foot-tapping, but even so it did wear a touch thin after a while, as there proved to be little variety in the tone or pacing of tune after tune. From his first album only Meet Me In The Garden did more than just chug along, with its doo-wop diversions and more developed song structure, and was the clear stand-out for those reasons.
Some quite interesting new countryfied material also featured, in part describing the mis-haps of a hopefully fictional Maloney (?) if memory serves, with the uke rested - no bad thing - for a battered guitar, which all sounded promising for the next album.
21 February 2010
After what must have been a less-than-smooth approach to the event, which had originally been due to also feature Toro Y Moi and Jeremy Jay, at a reduction of £1.50 we instead had as sole support a diffident chap called Slushy Guts (why?), who sometimes sounded a tiny bit like Sleeping States used to, but couldn't really be described as a remotely adequate replacement for anyone.
Dent May played with help from a one-man choir/ rhythm section, and they tootled through his quirky, perky ukelele-led repertoire, which went down well with the crowd, who mostly looked and danced as if they were a Sunday School teacher's outing, which was both odd and funny.
It really is almost impossible to hear DM's bouncy songs without head-nodding and foot-tapping, but even so it did wear a touch thin after a while, as there proved to be little variety in the tone or pacing of tune after tune. From his first album only Meet Me In The Garden did more than just chug along, with its doo-wop diversions and more developed song structure, and was the clear stand-out for those reasons.
Some quite interesting new countryfied material also featured, in part describing the mis-haps of a hopefully fictional Maloney (?) if memory serves, with the uke rested - no bad thing - for a battered guitar, which all sounded promising for the next album.
18 February 2010
Pluck me: here comes Joanna
Much breathless excitement on The Internet lately regarding Joanna Newsom, due to the impending release of her triple album Have One On Me, out on March 1st; also on the battle to buy show tickets via the Southbank's feeble website. Worked for me, if a bit creakily, front stalls centre thankyouverymuch, so that was just about ok...
In advance of the album, four new tracks have been made public, streaming for a week at a time. Pleasingly but naughtily, someone has ripped and posted my favourite of these, Good Intentions Paving Company with a slideshow selection of Ms N's extremely easy-on-the-eye photos. Oh yeah.
In advance of the album, four new tracks have been made public, streaming for a week at a time. Pleasingly but naughtily, someone has ripped and posted my favourite of these, Good Intentions Paving Company with a slideshow selection of Ms N's extremely easy-on-the-eye photos. Oh yeah.
16 February 2010
Tune Yards, Trash Kit, Think About Life: Merrilly, Merrilly, life is but a dream
Cargo
15 February 2010
What a stunning show! It will prove to be one of the best of the year, without a doubt.
Think About Life and Trash Kit did their respective thing nicely enough, but have a looong way to go - which they should hopefully realise, as they were all at the side of the stage, eyes fixed, for Tune Yards' bravura performance.
Photo: Anika
From the off it was clear that the sell-out crowd were friendly, and whilst the set that Merrill and bassist Nate Brenner played was well judged, it actually just took flight from the very first chords, and I have never seen such rapt attention for an act that is fairly loud and doesn't need total hush to be heard. Something in the air, perhaps.
Unlike their last London show, supporting Dirty Projectors at The Scala, which was, y'know.... good 'n all, this time it was a fantastic confluence of mood and sound and energy, all making for the best atmosphere I have seen in, probably, 30 visits to Cargo. And it wasn't complicated! There was no percussion rig for Nate to play this time, so it was just live and looped uke, drums and voice by Merrill, with bass from Mr Brenner. And it was like magic; even a re-started song - technical reasons - didn't break the flow, which ultimately earned the longest and most honest ovation I have seen, which wasn't missed by the performers.
And then we were even treated to a rare live version of Sunlight as one of the encores. You quite literally had to be there; I was, you weren't. Get with the programme.
15 February 2010
What a stunning show! It will prove to be one of the best of the year, without a doubt.
Think About Life and Trash Kit did their respective thing nicely enough, but have a looong way to go - which they should hopefully realise, as they were all at the side of the stage, eyes fixed, for Tune Yards' bravura performance.
From the off it was clear that the sell-out crowd were friendly, and whilst the set that Merrill and bassist Nate Brenner played was well judged, it actually just took flight from the very first chords, and I have never seen such rapt attention for an act that is fairly loud and doesn't need total hush to be heard. Something in the air, perhaps.
Unlike their last London show, supporting Dirty Projectors at The Scala, which was, y'know.... good 'n all, this time it was a fantastic confluence of mood and sound and energy, all making for the best atmosphere I have seen in, probably, 30 visits to Cargo. And it wasn't complicated! There was no percussion rig for Nate to play this time, so it was just live and looped uke, drums and voice by Merrill, with bass from Mr Brenner. And it was like magic; even a re-started song - technical reasons - didn't break the flow, which ultimately earned the longest and most honest ovation I have seen, which wasn't missed by the performers.
And then we were even treated to a rare live version of Sunlight as one of the encores. You quite literally had to be there; I was, you weren't. Get with the programme.
10 February 2010
Music Go Music: everything but the kitsch in sync
9 February 2010
Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
You have to just roll with it, to some extent, when watching M Go M, or else risk overload trying to level out all the references, nods and winks they bring into play. From their appearance - Vanilla Ice on keys? Keith Moon on drums? Rhys Ifans, or is it Tom Petty, on guitar? - to all the seemingly familiar-sounding phrases and riffs that pepper their songs, it is like an endless game of Name That Tune.
I have seen husband and wife David and Meredith Metcalf play the same venue before, as their other band Bodies of Water, and then, as on this occasion, was blown away by their ability to deliver a demanding set in immaculate fashion. This time it took until the third song before the lead vocal was correctly mixed, but once it was, we were away. Unfortunately keys and backing vox struggled for parity, which was a shame.
Catching flavours of, amongst others, The Sweet, Lynyrd Skynrd, Blondie, Roy Wood and Radiohead at different times, the bulk of the set could have been based on making a song by combining Knights of Cydonia with Summer Night City into a rollicking up-tempo dance-y rock romp, and then layering something extra on top. That aspect was actually in danger of getting a bit boring - and then one of the really good songs would surface, and you could see what it was all about.
The best songs usually had a bit more Abba, and a bit less Muse, and also had a stronger single direction - country, or disco - than the others, and were damn near disco-pop (or country-rock) perfection. Imagine how great they could be if they took it seriously - but that would defeat the object....
I left smiling, and very impressed.
N.B. - while writing this, I went here, for double-checking purposes, and discovered that Muse have reached levels of kitsch that Music Go Music can but dream of.
Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
You have to just roll with it, to some extent, when watching M Go M, or else risk overload trying to level out all the references, nods and winks they bring into play. From their appearance - Vanilla Ice on keys? Keith Moon on drums? Rhys Ifans, or is it Tom Petty, on guitar? - to all the seemingly familiar-sounding phrases and riffs that pepper their songs, it is like an endless game of Name That Tune.
I have seen husband and wife David and Meredith Metcalf play the same venue before, as their other band Bodies of Water, and then, as on this occasion, was blown away by their ability to deliver a demanding set in immaculate fashion. This time it took until the third song before the lead vocal was correctly mixed, but once it was, we were away. Unfortunately keys and backing vox struggled for parity, which was a shame.
Catching flavours of, amongst others, The Sweet, Lynyrd Skynrd, Blondie, Roy Wood and Radiohead at different times, the bulk of the set could have been based on making a song by combining Knights of Cydonia with Summer Night City into a rollicking up-tempo dance-y rock romp, and then layering something extra on top. That aspect was actually in danger of getting a bit boring - and then one of the really good songs would surface, and you could see what it was all about.
The best songs usually had a bit more Abba, and a bit less Muse, and also had a stronger single direction - country, or disco - than the others, and were damn near disco-pop (or country-rock) perfection. Imagine how great they could be if they took it seriously - but that would defeat the object....
I left smiling, and very impressed.
N.B. - while writing this, I went here, for double-checking purposes, and discovered that Muse have reached levels of kitsch that Music Go Music can but dream of.
8 February 2010
Super Furry Animals
In the near future I am going to see Polar Bear, and Panda Bear, and Bear In Heaven, maybe twice. And Grizzly Bear, definitely twice.
I would like to include Pearl and The Beard in this beastly list, but a) they aren't on tour over here, and b) it would be cheating, albeit arguable on a technicality. So instead of this, here they are being jolly:
However, here, featuring quite literally a cast of several, and including their interpretation of when ET met Thelma and Louise, are some of the few bears not on my immediate agenda:
I would like to include Pearl and The Beard in this beastly list, but a) they aren't on tour over here, and b) it would be cheating, albeit arguable on a technicality. So instead of this, here they are being jolly:
Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith Medley from Goddamn Cobras Collective on Vimeo.
However, here, featuring quite literally a cast of several, and including their interpretation of when ET met Thelma and Louise, are some of the few bears not on my immediate agenda:
2 February 2010
Let's dance
The whole world has gone disco crazy, in a slightly woozy way. A welcome move, I must say.
Get this:
Summer Camp-Ghost Train
(The Internet has stopped talking about who Summer Camp might really be, so clearly the news is out, although hasn't reached me. However - that sounds to me like a Dan Lissvik bassline.... could be just a sample though, I suppose....) EDIT: in fact the news broke publicly a week later, with Jeremy Warmsley (!) and Elizabeth Sankey identified as the dudes in question. Who'd a thunk it?
And this!
Miracles Club-A New Love
(A little nod to Voodoo Ray at the start there?)
This one, obviously:
Caribou-Odessa
And for good measure:
Yeasayer-O.N.E.
Get this:
Summer Camp-Ghost Train
(The Internet has stopped talking about who Summer Camp might really be, so clearly the news is out, although hasn't reached me. However - that sounds to me like a Dan Lissvik bassline.... could be just a sample though, I suppose....) EDIT: in fact the news broke publicly a week later, with Jeremy Warmsley (!) and Elizabeth Sankey identified as the dudes in question. Who'd a thunk it?
And this!
Miracles Club-A New Love
(A little nod to Voodoo Ray at the start there?)
This one, obviously:
Caribou-Odessa
And for good measure:
Yeasayer-O.N.E.
31 January 2010
Real Estate, Colours, Yuck: NJ 1 - N1 0
The Lexington
30 January 2010
A busy night in Angel. If I didn't know better I would have guessed it was a themed fancy dress night - women had to dress like a Vivian Girl, while the blokes used Daniel Day Lewis in My Beautiful Launderette as a style guide. Not quite what I had anticipated when considering my own wardrobe; I hope I didn't clash with the mood.
Openers Yuck are a bit of a name to drop lately, but not for any reason that I could discern. Playing in a generic style familiar to most post-punk pub-rock bands, albeit with a hint of an 80's mid-American flavour (Tom Petty?), I was surprised that, when greeting the audience, the singer spoke with an English accent. Competent, but deeply uninspired.
By comparison, Colours were a breath of fresh air, delivering their set with a sense of energy that Yuck had completely lacked, but after a bit the songs all blended into each other, the only variety coming when they played exactly the same but a bit faster. I wonder if using two rhythm guitars but no lead stops the songs from being developed? Pleasing enough fuzzy sound, to me, but rather one-dimensional.
Real Estate, on the other hand, and slightly against expectations - mine, at any rate - showed that they have a load of good pop songs that just happen to be wearing today's vogueish dressing. Bridges, choruses, hooks, and sometimes even harmonies; those are the traditional components hiding under there. And when they hit a particular setting for the guitar, the layers of reverb became a spatial event and not just a device to hide a gap. Best song was the first of two as-yet-nameless new tunes, and best moment was the first high yelp added to Fake Blues.
How nice to have the recordings make more sense after seeing a live show.
Convinced.
Real Estate-Fake Blues
30 January 2010
A busy night in Angel. If I didn't know better I would have guessed it was a themed fancy dress night - women had to dress like a Vivian Girl, while the blokes used Daniel Day Lewis in My Beautiful Launderette as a style guide. Not quite what I had anticipated when considering my own wardrobe; I hope I didn't clash with the mood.
Openers Yuck are a bit of a name to drop lately, but not for any reason that I could discern. Playing in a generic style familiar to most post-punk pub-rock bands, albeit with a hint of an 80's mid-American flavour (Tom Petty?), I was surprised that, when greeting the audience, the singer spoke with an English accent. Competent, but deeply uninspired.
By comparison, Colours were a breath of fresh air, delivering their set with a sense of energy that Yuck had completely lacked, but after a bit the songs all blended into each other, the only variety coming when they played exactly the same but a bit faster. I wonder if using two rhythm guitars but no lead stops the songs from being developed? Pleasing enough fuzzy sound, to me, but rather one-dimensional.
Real Estate, on the other hand, and slightly against expectations - mine, at any rate - showed that they have a load of good pop songs that just happen to be wearing today's vogueish dressing. Bridges, choruses, hooks, and sometimes even harmonies; those are the traditional components hiding under there. And when they hit a particular setting for the guitar, the layers of reverb became a spatial event and not just a device to hide a gap. Best song was the first of two as-yet-nameless new tunes, and best moment was the first high yelp added to Fake Blues.
How nice to have the recordings make more sense after seeing a live show.
Convinced.
Real Estate-Fake Blues
28 January 2010
Basia Bulat: keeping quiet by keeping quiet
27 January 2010
Underbelly
Although it was initially disappointing to see that she would be playing solo, Basia in fact played a warm and enjoyable show, sounding really centred and in great voice. The last couple of times I have seen her play there was, ever so slightly, a sense of running to keep up with herself, which wasn't at all the case on this occasion, and it made the fairly simple show seem like a lovely snug fit.
The set was not particularly aided by the location - although the sound was spot on - where too many noisy chatterers really weren't letting the fact that they were at a fairly quiet show interfere with their conversations. During The Shore, a particularly quiet tune played on an ancient omnichord that seemed to have a built in kalimba (or similar), the talking reached such a pitch that it seemed to distract Basia to the extent that she almost lost her way mid-song. Cunningly, the next song was on a baby uke, and she sang unamplified, so even the noisy ones responded and kept it down.
It did seem that the strongest songs were from the first album, but Pilgriming Vine and Snakes and Ladders manage to be both immediate and long lasting, so if she can match them in the future then she will really be proving herself. I'm not sure if Heart Of My Own, just released, could be said to improve on Oh My Darling, but let's live with it for a while before making judgements.
Basia made a few comments about which of her instruments were approved of by customs, but I think she may have been confusing them with raw meat or some other restricted item - I am not aware of stringed instruments which contravene travel regulations, however this is probably just another gap in my knowledge.
Basia Bulat-The Shore
Underbelly
Although it was initially disappointing to see that she would be playing solo, Basia in fact played a warm and enjoyable show, sounding really centred and in great voice. The last couple of times I have seen her play there was, ever so slightly, a sense of running to keep up with herself, which wasn't at all the case on this occasion, and it made the fairly simple show seem like a lovely snug fit.
The set was not particularly aided by the location - although the sound was spot on - where too many noisy chatterers really weren't letting the fact that they were at a fairly quiet show interfere with their conversations. During The Shore, a particularly quiet tune played on an ancient omnichord that seemed to have a built in kalimba (or similar), the talking reached such a pitch that it seemed to distract Basia to the extent that she almost lost her way mid-song. Cunningly, the next song was on a baby uke, and she sang unamplified, so even the noisy ones responded and kept it down.
It did seem that the strongest songs were from the first album, but Pilgriming Vine and Snakes and Ladders manage to be both immediate and long lasting, so if she can match them in the future then she will really be proving herself. I'm not sure if Heart Of My Own, just released, could be said to improve on Oh My Darling, but let's live with it for a while before making judgements.
Basia made a few comments about which of her instruments were approved of by customs, but I think she may have been confusing them with raw meat or some other restricted item - I am not aware of stringed instruments which contravene travel regulations, however this is probably just another gap in my knowledge.
Basia Bulat-The Shore
26 January 2010
Owen Pallett, Nico Muhly & Sam Amidon, Lightspeed Champion
Union Chapel
25 January 2010
I was hoping to start this with a comment along the lines of "Better the Dev you know", but instead will mention the FUCKING SHAMBLES that occurred simply trying to get into the venue. Very badly handled indeed, confusion reigned and I spent time in four queues rather than the more traditional one. I didn't hear many people express themselves contentedly around that time; safe to say that someone made a bad call*.
Dev Hynes played an odd opening set (although perhaps normal from his point of view, to be fair), starting and finishing with Elvis covers, during which he spent too much time singing in a higher register than he seemed comfortable with. All the more strange as when he did sing in his more natural range, towards baritone territory, his voice was great - smooth and rich. New songs from a forthcoming album featured, but I doubt I'll be rushing off to buy it. Solo and live may not be the best way to feel the magic, perhaps, especially as he didn't seem sure how best to approach a couple of the tunes.
Nico Muhly and Sam Amidon, joined by Beth Orton for a couple of songs, also with Owen Pallett for one of these, were a much more adventurous offering. With stuttering rhythms and improvised transitions between Muhly's piano and Amidon's acoustic guitar or violin when alternating the lead, they were playing with the sounds they could make, and some really beautiful moments were found. A very happy pairing, taken to an interesting, but simpler, place when they were joined by their high-profile pals, but most arresting just as a duo.
Owen Pallett - no longer known as Final Fantasy - was initially not exactly smooth with his trademark looping, slightly missing the effortless, floating quality of his new material ("not prog-rock, not a concept - an album!") but found his stride soon enough. Although there was the occasional miscue, he delivered a deftly sumptuous set, in sometime tandem with drumming/whistling/guitar playing buddy Thomas Gill who added, as one might expect, thumps, toots and twangs. Despite the high points there is some danger of his falling into Andrew Bird territory, where fine musicianship is not in question, but things do get just a little samey. Not one for every day of the week, but a pleasure now and again.
* Understatement replaces vile abuse
Photo by Anika
25 January 2010
I was hoping to start this with a comment along the lines of "Better the Dev you know", but instead will mention the FUCKING SHAMBLES that occurred simply trying to get into the venue. Very badly handled indeed, confusion reigned and I spent time in four queues rather than the more traditional one. I didn't hear many people express themselves contentedly around that time; safe to say that someone made a bad call*.
Dev Hynes played an odd opening set (although perhaps normal from his point of view, to be fair), starting and finishing with Elvis covers, during which he spent too much time singing in a higher register than he seemed comfortable with. All the more strange as when he did sing in his more natural range, towards baritone territory, his voice was great - smooth and rich. New songs from a forthcoming album featured, but I doubt I'll be rushing off to buy it. Solo and live may not be the best way to feel the magic, perhaps, especially as he didn't seem sure how best to approach a couple of the tunes.
Nico Muhly and Sam Amidon, joined by Beth Orton for a couple of songs, also with Owen Pallett for one of these, were a much more adventurous offering. With stuttering rhythms and improvised transitions between Muhly's piano and Amidon's acoustic guitar or violin when alternating the lead, they were playing with the sounds they could make, and some really beautiful moments were found. A very happy pairing, taken to an interesting, but simpler, place when they were joined by their high-profile pals, but most arresting just as a duo.Owen Pallett - no longer known as Final Fantasy - was initially not exactly smooth with his trademark looping, slightly missing the effortless, floating quality of his new material ("not prog-rock, not a concept - an album!") but found his stride soon enough. Although there was the occasional miscue, he delivered a deftly sumptuous set, in sometime tandem with drumming/whistling/guitar playing buddy Thomas Gill who added, as one might expect, thumps, toots and twangs. Despite the high points there is some danger of his falling into Andrew Bird territory, where fine musicianship is not in question, but things do get just a little samey. Not one for every day of the week, but a pleasure now and again.
* Understatement replaces vile abuse
Photo by Anika
21 January 2010
Memory Tapes, Fitness Club Fiasco
The Luminaire
20 January 2010
FCF didn't offer much beyond a perky stage presence. Weak singing, predictable drum patterns, and no tunes to speak of does not a happy 80's revival make, no matter how witty your singer. Synth-pop is vogueish, but it makes no sense to embed a new project so firmly in such an ill-favoured retrospective style. Their last song was good enough to merit applause, but the rest....
Memory Tapes were much more the thing, with a winning set of danceable tunes that - praise be - didn't need to be compared to some other act or era to attempt to find justification. Finances, or concise planning, meant that the bassline, keyboards, choir and extra percussion were delivered by laptop, an increasingly common practice, even if not exactly what a live show should ideally consist of, with just drums and guitar/vocals the only live elements. All very well put together, and smoothly delivered on the night, although the guitar was sometimes lost in the mix.
It is rather a shame when so much is pre-recorded, as it means we all know there is no scope for the music to flex and respond to the live setting. However this is early in MT's career, so plenty of room for building the live experience. No help needed with the music itself though, which is nicely under control.
20 January 2010
FCF didn't offer much beyond a perky stage presence. Weak singing, predictable drum patterns, and no tunes to speak of does not a happy 80's revival make, no matter how witty your singer. Synth-pop is vogueish, but it makes no sense to embed a new project so firmly in such an ill-favoured retrospective style. Their last song was good enough to merit applause, but the rest....
Memory Tapes were much more the thing, with a winning set of danceable tunes that - praise be - didn't need to be compared to some other act or era to attempt to find justification. Finances, or concise planning, meant that the bassline, keyboards, choir and extra percussion were delivered by laptop, an increasingly common practice, even if not exactly what a live show should ideally consist of, with just drums and guitar/vocals the only live elements. All very well put together, and smoothly delivered on the night, although the guitar was sometimes lost in the mix.
It is rather a shame when so much is pre-recorded, as it means we all know there is no scope for the music to flex and respond to the live setting. However this is early in MT's career, so plenty of room for building the live experience. No help needed with the music itself though, which is nicely under control.
20 January 2010
Gil Scott-Heron: Me and The Devil
Here, fallen from the sky, is something from Gil Scott-Heron, apparently his first single in more than a decade. The video is in two parts, with the first section sung over Massive Attack-style beats, while zombie kids roam and skate in a Walter Hill stylee. So far so emptily portentous.... and then, magnificently, from 3.30 in, Gil revisits The Vulture, a track he sang, in a voice carrying just a shade of Lou Rawls, on 1970's Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, but here his sonorous tones incant in spoken form those same lyrics, with all the depth and profundity absent from the first part of the video.
Quite a return to form.
18 January 2010
Four Tet: There Is Love In You (stream)
There Is Love In You by Four Tet
What a public spirited thing to do, Mr Tet; in advance of next week's album release here is a full stream.
Turn it up and bliss out.
What a public spirited thing to do, Mr Tet; in advance of next week's album release here is a full stream.
Turn it up and bliss out.
16 January 2010
Champion Lyricists: Owen Pallett
Due to recent events I have decided to send my interpretation and analysis glands away for a full re-bore and service. Please be aware that until this work is completed there will be an even greater than usual absence of worthwhile opinion at this location.
So, ignoring any semblance of considered appraisal, here is a for-once timely post, as Owen Pallett's new album Heartland is on sale from Monday, and he is playing at the Union Chapel on the 25th, although I gather that is now on the point of selling out.
Anyway, regarding the Good Bit Of Lyrics - which is why we are here, after all - Pitchfork, in their review, highlight "the night is split by the whistle of my amber whip" from Lewis Takes Action. Nice enough, but the phrase that caught my ear was:
"a concatenation of locusts
and the farmers are losing their focus"
from Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
It just sounds good. I like it. Much better than Pitchfork's, you will agree I am sure. Although let's not get into debating how locusts might concatenate - it is probably Imagery, or some other writer's trick.
For the moment the album is streaminghere (not any more).
So, ignoring any semblance of considered appraisal, here is a for-once timely post, as Owen Pallett's new album Heartland is on sale from Monday, and he is playing at the Union Chapel on the 25th, although I gather that is now on the point of selling out.
Anyway, regarding the Good Bit Of Lyrics - which is why we are here, after all - Pitchfork, in their review, highlight "the night is split by the whistle of my amber whip" from Lewis Takes Action. Nice enough, but the phrase that caught my ear was:
"a concatenation of locusts
and the farmers are losing their focus"
from Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
It just sounds good. I like it. Much better than Pitchfork's, you will agree I am sure. Although let's not get into debating how locusts might concatenate - it is probably Imagery, or some other writer's trick.
For the moment the album is streaming
11 January 2010
6 January 2010
Esben and the Witch, Grasscut
Madame Jojo's
4 January 2010
The most interesting thing about this show was the event itself, featuring an increasingly widely tipped band in one of the first potentially noteworthy gigs after the inevitable seasonal lull. Well attended by fashionable young things - some of whom were Quite Tall - and most of whom seemed quite interested in the music, including, possibly, a Geldof, but clearly I need to pay more attention to Heat magazine, as even after several minutes occasional squinting from arm's length I couldn't tell if the late-arriving but early-departing blonde person was Pixel (or Trixel).
The main event, E&TW, didn't really seem to capture the sound of their EP 33, which I am quite enjoying, and which is available for free download here. Rachel's lead vocal was rather forward in the live mix, which didn't do it any favours, as there did seem to be certain issues with her, um, pitch control; overall it seemed a bit too much, on the night, for the trio to capture the textures of the recordings, and it all felt a bit ponderous.Where Siouxsie, Liz Fraser and even Florence would be better reference points for swooping vocal goth-y drama, instead I was mentally making comparisons to Sian Alice Group, who are a decent band but not exactly heading my itunes play count.
Support from Grasscut's cultured electro-pop (in a non La Roux sense) was promising, and would be improved greatly by adding a proper singer, but they are definitely one to investigate in more depth.
4 January 2010
The most interesting thing about this show was the event itself, featuring an increasingly widely tipped band in one of the first potentially noteworthy gigs after the inevitable seasonal lull. Well attended by fashionable young things - some of whom were Quite Tall - and most of whom seemed quite interested in the music, including, possibly, a Geldof, but clearly I need to pay more attention to Heat magazine, as even after several minutes occasional squinting from arm's length I couldn't tell if the late-arriving but early-departing blonde person was Pixel (or Trixel).
The main event, E&TW, didn't really seem to capture the sound of their EP 33, which I am quite enjoying, and which is available for free download here. Rachel's lead vocal was rather forward in the live mix, which didn't do it any favours, as there did seem to be certain issues with her, um, pitch control; overall it seemed a bit too much, on the night, for the trio to capture the textures of the recordings, and it all felt a bit ponderous.Where Siouxsie, Liz Fraser and even Florence would be better reference points for swooping vocal goth-y drama, instead I was mentally making comparisons to Sian Alice Group, who are a decent band but not exactly heading my itunes play count.
Support from Grasscut's cultured electro-pop (in a non La Roux sense) was promising, and would be improved greatly by adding a proper singer, but they are definitely one to investigate in more depth.
3 January 2010
Words of the moment: cassette and list
First word: Cassette
Now really, what is all this about?
The gradual return of vinyl as medium of choice for some can be explained, if you move beyond the trend factor, by a difference in sound quality, which, whilst overall somewhat anachronistic considering our miniaturised ultra-portable ipod-toting contemporary living habits, is an argument that holds water.
However in recent months there have been a number of bands releasing cassette tapes, ranging from scenester wannabees right through to fairly established Brooklyn indie royalty. I wonder where the impetus came from? Maybe the junk shops were selling cheap tape decks and someone thought 'Oooh!'. And then so did someone else....
Cassettes appealed, once, on two levels: firstly, they were the most mobile source of self-determined music in the days when all the kit we now take for granted did not yet exist, and secondly you could buy blanks and record (and edit) onto them.
They served a purpose but I am surely not the only one who remembers when hissy, temperamental and physically vulnerable cassettes were the only option; I doubt anyone who recalls using them would be looking to do so again.
Young people - STOP IT.
Other word: List
Everyone - STOP IT.
Now really, what is all this about?
The gradual return of vinyl as medium of choice for some can be explained, if you move beyond the trend factor, by a difference in sound quality, which, whilst overall somewhat anachronistic considering our miniaturised ultra-portable ipod-toting contemporary living habits, is an argument that holds water.
However in recent months there have been a number of bands releasing cassette tapes, ranging from scenester wannabees right through to fairly established Brooklyn indie royalty. I wonder where the impetus came from? Maybe the junk shops were selling cheap tape decks and someone thought 'Oooh!'. And then so did someone else....
Cassettes appealed, once, on two levels: firstly, they were the most mobile source of self-determined music in the days when all the kit we now take for granted did not yet exist, and secondly you could buy blanks and record (and edit) onto them.
They served a purpose but I am surely not the only one who remembers when hissy, temperamental and physically vulnerable cassettes were the only option; I doubt anyone who recalls using them would be looking to do so again.
Young people - STOP IT.
Other word: List
Everyone - STOP IT.
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