| Author | Message | ||
     Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4776 Registered: 03-2005 |
Fontaines D. C. - Skinty Fia I think I'm a bit late to this one. The first track is a jaw-dropping genius piece of work stirring together what sounds to me like medieval Catholic liturgical chant and muscular rock. Grian's Irish brogue in this context creates such an evocative image of "Irish poetry so black" for this clueless west coast American that my only question would be whether it is as brilliantly archetypal as I think or if actual Irish people might think it overdone. This is a question for the likes of Pádraig or fsh. What would be side one of a vinyl version is pretty strong all the way through. What would be side two seems to lose steam about halfway through and--for me--"Nabokov" is a noisy snooze but further listens may adjust my viewpoint. For a third album in such a short time I consider this a surprisingly good one. But I offer my usual advice here: slow down on releases from this point forward to make sure everything is fully developed and ready. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2130 Registered: 10-2006 |
Nick Wheeldon's Demon Hosts – No One's, Never https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAFjsUDQ vtA Even the stuff I don’t think sounds French at all turns out to be French-based, since Nick W resides there, it seems, and records for Le Pop Club Records. Nice little song, maybe it’s the piano that gives it that extra kick and colour. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4777 Registered: 03-2005 |
Stuart, for me, the next song youtube pitched up had more appeal: Nick Wheeldon -- Hand Habits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S33nb0rO lW8 His voice sounds familiar to me but I think I'm just mixing him up with the lead vocalist to Miracle Legion, Mark Mulcahy. Checking his name on Discogs does not connect him to a band I recognize. Recording in France is always a good idea. I suspect his personal music library has ample chunks of Dylan and also Harry Nilsson. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2131 Registered: 10-2006 |
I was trying to work out who his voice reminded me of too, Randy - in the end, I think there's a George Harrison inflection to a lot of his phrasing, at least in No one's! Maybe a mid-solo period George feel to the song itself as well. | ||
| Burgers Member Username: Burgers Post Number: 201 Registered: 05-2005 |
Courtney Marie Andrews - Loose Future. What a run she is on. An immense talent. | ||
| Simon Withers Member Username: Sfwithers Post Number: 711 Registered: 08-2005 |
Ask Johnny Dee by the wonderful Chesterfields. I saw them last night at the Louisiana pub in Bristol - the first time I'd seen them since the 1980s. (When I was young and healthy and with a full head of hair. Happy days indeed!) This is a perfect slice of 1980s jangly indie pop, and talking to the band afterwards, I found they're big fans of the Go-Betweens. One of their new songs namechecks the Go-Betweens so it seemed likely that they might be. They were headliners of a triple bill, for which I paid £6.50 - it really was like a step back a decade or two. And they signed my origingal copy of Kettle, complete with its £5.49 Our Price label... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwsImzf- wrs | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2133 Registered: 10-2006 |
Dominique A – Au bord de la mer sous la pluie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv6VSoK- rnI DomA back with a new album, Le monde reel. Just a quick browse so far, but nothing to convince me that he might one day ever give us something as great as Vers les lueurs. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4778 Registered: 03-2005 |
Simon, I've gotten the new Chesterfields. It's quite solid and enjoyable. I am always envious of U.K. performance ticket prices. Yes, I realize your six and a half was unusually low but I was looking at songkick for possible gigs to see while I'm in London next week and found a double bill of the Orchids and Jetstream Pony(!) for £16 including songkick's fee. I opted out because it was on a night that I'll be sharing with a person who won't be into it. I would be hard pressed to find a concert in Los Angeles for that. Stuart, I agree with you that Vers les lueurs is probably going to be his high water mark. But I seem to have a much greater tolerance for his subsequent more traditional chanson arrangements. After all he can't stay young forever. Thanks for the heads up about the new album. It's nice to hear him with musicians again. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 1483 Registered: 04-2005 |
Ah just bought the new Dominique A last night ! And the latest Pomme CD for my partner (she'a a bigger fan than me). We already have tickets for the shiny domed one in December. When you've done something as perfect as the 3 mins 9 seconds of "Rendez-nous la lumière" it must be difficult to top that ! | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2134 Registered: 10-2006 |
Yes, Randy, I do tend to like a solid upfront melodic imprint in there, perhaps the Dome is getting too sophisticated for me as he develops and explores. Not that I will ever give up on him, I think. Still, as I said, just a quick browse through a few tracks so far, I'll have to give the whole album a chance. Ah, Andrew, lucky man, I really hope to catch him live one day. Destiny almost led me to France at one point, my Doc Martens more or less hovering over the step of a long-distance coach. Musically, it might have made a lot of sense in the end! But perhaps only musically. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4780 Registered: 03-2005 |
Stuart, catch him live while he's still vital. I am forever grateful for the fact that I took a detour to Paris to see him perform on what was otherwise a London/Prague holiday some years back. He was like the Go-Betweens in that he played songs from across his vast (and now only more vast) back catalog. You will not regret such a venture. Maybe someday you could choose a show attended by your fellow Scottish expat! Unless Scottish expats like to keep some distance between each other, of course. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2135 Registered: 10-2006 |
Not an unastute observation, Randy. Perhaps you have observed the male expat Scot in the wild? About 20 years ago I met a very chatty lass in a design studio here who turned out to be married to an English bloke. “Oh you and your wife must come over for lunch! Ian would love to meet you! What about Sunday?” Then she went home and told Ian, who howled in agony. “Why? Why would you do that? It’ll be awful! What will we talk about? We’ll probably hate each other. Oh god, the whole afternoon!” She refused to cancel, over we went, and a great time was had by all. Ian and I have very little in common apart from a passion for music, the local white wine and dogs, but that seems to be enough. He’s from Norwich, though. Some time later, a specialist I was seeing had a sister who was getting married to a Scots bloke; they were about to move back here. “You’ve got my number,” I told her, “pass it on to him, anytime he wants we can go for a drink or something.” Never heard from him. I’m hardly Mr Sociable myself: my one close Scottish friend is an old school mate and a woman. | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 548 Registered: 05-2005 |
Saw Fishbach in Liège. I quite liked her first (acclaimed) album. Her voice sounds like Catherine Ringer (Les Rita Mitsouko). She is more better than the singers to whom she is sometimes associated (Barbara Carlotti, Juliette Armanet, not my cup of tea...). The concert was a pretty one. Next are Marissa Nadler, Dinosaur Jr, Nada Surf. | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 549 Registered: 05-2005 |
Sorry, it was the name of Clara Luciani I wanted to drop, not the beloved Barbara Carlotti. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4782 Registered: 03-2005 |
The Magic Mor - Abstract Minds in Complex Mazes For some time now I've been raving to annoyed listeners that Spain is the global epicenter of indie pop. As another exhibit to support my point, here is a band from ancient Phoenician breakwater Cádiz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsZh6_0J rYY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dODWvyem pSk My recollection of Cádiz is of a sleepy seaside town, though this is admittedly the superficial impression from one single day trip in May 2019 to escape a punishing heatwave in Seville. The Catholic cathedral and Spanish imperial architecture defined the skyline and oysters could be had in the central market. Near the beach I crossed paths with a body builder who would have fit right in at Los Angeles' Venice Beach. I like the idea of this music erupting seemingly unbidden from such an unlikely place. It seems so typical of the Spanish music scene. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4783 Registered: 03-2005 |
Stuart, those are funny stories about the expats. It makes a sort of sense to me that there is a self-selecting tilt toward a form of escape mindset for expats of any sort. I consider how many times I and my friends have groaned and retracted our heads into our shoulders upon hearing the accents of another American in a small overseas nook. "Oh, can't we please be the only Americans here?" And you and Andrew have both built your lives in your adopted countries. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 1454 Registered: 03-2007 |
Jim Nothing - In The Marigolds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWhUT0e0 xUM Solo project of Jim Sullivan who was a member of the Salad Boys who hailed from Christchurch, New Zealand. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2148 Registered: 10-2006 |
Serge Gainsbourg – Sous le soleil exactement Great SG song, plus a scrumptious arrangement from Arthur Greenslade – who also did “Je T'Aime…” and Shirley’s “Goldfinger”, the piano on "You Really Got Me" and lots of other cool stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFpRXxdc 4Ms |