Having the missing uke replaced by a second guitar, coupled with Elizabeth sounding more like Kirsty McColl  than ever is, however, more than adequate consolation for those disturbed by the initial discovery.

‘Capricornia’ is our first permitted peep over the wall into the hallowed garden of the second album or, as I understand that we’re legally required to refer to it, the long-awaited/much-anticipated second album, and it duly delivers on the areas that you’d hope and expect it to. Driving bass – check. Solid drumming – check. Bouncability – check. Catchy tune – check. Fab guitar building to a crescendo – che… hold on, where’s the classic Rains guitar build up? Where’s the bit where he takes it all up a notch lifting the track to another level? Hmm, it all sounds a bit too polished, a bit too professional, very, dare I say it, radio-friendly? Or is that just my natural paranoia creeping in?

I still like it a hell of a lot though and it’s unmistakably Allo Darlin rocking out – I suppose it’s just taking me a while to get used to the way it feels compared to past efforts. The second album, you may be reassured to hear, is still as keenly looked forward to as ever, at least in these quarters anwyay.

You can buy the new single from your usual supplier of fine pop tunes. Oh, and it’s backed with the rather lovely ‘Tallulah’ as well. A great heart-rending track only previously available on the Hangover Lounge EP.

In July 2011, nine years after they formed, Manchester’s Marconi Union released their fifth album, Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) and the first for the Just Music recording label.

Marconi Union is Richard Talbot, Jamie Crossley and Duncan Meadows.  They formed in 2002 when Talbot and Crossley met while working in a record shop and the following year released their debut album Under Wires and Searchlights, on the Ochre Records label.  But it wasn’t until 2005 that they released a second album, Distance, this time on the All Saints Records label. The following year they played the Big Chill Festival and Eden Sessions, as well as giving their first interview.

Further albums were released through their official website – A Lost Connection (released as a digital download in 2008 & CD in 2010) and Tokyo (2009).

Duncan Meadows joined Marconi Union on a permanent basis in 2010 and together they released Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1). The album drifts even further in to ambient layers landscapes of serene beauty while managing to effortlessly entwine elements and whiffs of dub, electronica, glitch and even Ennio Morricone’s Spaghetti Westerns.  As with much ambient music the album plays out like an imaginary film soundtrack.

My favourite album is Distance which shows a moody, darker side to Marconi Union while they were still toying with lighter beats stimulating the soundscapes rather than the atmospheric purity of Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) that errs away from electronica and towards a contemporary classical music.

Marconi Union are making wonderfully deep, thought-provoking music that should simply be heard and appreciated by more people; which is possibly the reason why Just Music will be re-releasing their first two albums in 2012, along with plans to release a new album next summer.

Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) has six beautifully relaxing tracks that blend into one another leaving the listener in a sublime state of relaxation.

Over the past nine years Marconi Union has quietly whispered their way into the consciousness of those looking to ambient music rather than X Factor 15 minutes of fame.  No fanfares. Their fan base is growing organically through word-of-mouth, without hype.  Their music is continuing to develop a style all of its own with each release.  If you haven’t already indulged your ears in the beauty of Marconi Union, make it one of your New Year’s resolutions.

Album Re-issues
On 30th January 2012, Just Music will be re-issuing two albums by Marconi Union:
Under Wires and Searchlights & Distance.

The Eleventh Hour by The Birthday Suit

The Birthday Suit is the solo project of Idlewilde guitarist Rod Jones, while the Scottish indie-rock music band is on hiatus. This instantly sets alarm bells ringing, as a ‘band on the side’ can often mean the passion and energy necessary are missing.

The Eleventh Hour by The Birthday Suit is released on Sing It Alone Records.

However, these fears are instantly allayed as the album plays. Yes, it does have a lot in common with the Idlewilde sound, but that’s to be expected – and yet The Birthday Suit still has its own identity while lacking none of the intensity.

The Eleventh Hour was released in November and is the The Birthday Suit’s debut album. It’s a mix of upbeat and melancholy, with strong guitar riffs and melodic harmonies throughout.

The first track, Do You Ever? is one of the rockier pieces of the album, which often strays into a more of a folky sound before heading straight back again. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and it draws you to listen to the rest of the album.

Their track On My Own is the type of song you just can’t help but find yourself nodding your head to. With the lyrics ‘And I don’t care if you don’t care for me no more’, it tells of the end of a relationship and the struggles with moving on alone. You’ll find yourself agreeing with the sentiment within the first chorus.

This upbeat track is directly followed by Sell it All, which is a shock to the system with its almost gloomy intro. It soon picks up a little though, and the poetic nature of the piece works well with the sincere empathy of the record.

Overall, the album is honest and appealing. Through Rob, it’s retained many of the elements that made Idlewilde so popular in the first place, while showing off a whole new side – especially in the form of female vocalist Jacqueline Irvine. This is definitely not just a side project to stay entertained – the heart and soul in obvious throughout.

The Eleventh Hour is available to buy now for £7.99 via The Birthday Suit’s website.

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Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon

I first stumbled across Kings Of Leon in 2003 with the release of their debut album, Youth and Young Manhood.  The album was as raw as a rare-cooked slab of meat with edges rougher than a stubble-chinned kiss. The band received critical-acclaim in the UK and the album peaked at #3 though fared less well in their homeland.

The second album,  Aha Shake Heartbreak was released a year later.  Musically it was much the same as the first, though I sense a slight turn away from rough, garage-ready sound towards a more studio produced sound that in time would become more commercial and veer away from alternative indie rock to become a mainstream stadium-filling and festival headlining pop rock that would see the Followill brothers & cousins become one of the most successful rock bands on the planet.

Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon is a very candid documentary based on interviews with the group and their families.  Explaining how the boys were brought up in a strict and religious environment citing how Caleb Followill was going to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a preacher man before escaping the poor, country small town existence to front one of the biggest rock groups in the world.

Caleb explains how one day he and brother Nathan was home alone and decided to rig a home-made aerial to the only television set which was only used to play computer games.  They were excited to watch Sesame Street.  Tongue-in-cheek he jokes how he will surely go to hell for that escapade. But there is a darker side to the documentary.  The band is shown arguing amongst themselves.  Insults are thrown as they appear fractious and at times without the brotherly love their external persona suggests. Caleb admits openly having had problems with alcohol and other drugs, though suggests he is over that part of his life.

Talihina Sky charts their lives from their humble beginnings in the deep South, through personal troubles and ultimately their love of music that would make them superstars, to signing a record deal and selling out stadiums worldwide.

Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon features interviews with the full band – Caleb, Nathan, Jared, and Matthew Followill  plus exclusive footage of other family members and influential figures in the band’s lives and career, this is the first time their tremendous journey has been documented. Talihina Sky is the definitive story of the Kings of Leon, told in their own words.

“10 years ago I witnessed the creation of this family band in their mother’s Tennessee garage. Even then, I was fascinated by their strict Pentecostal upbringing and the eccentric and colourful characters that make up their family. There was no doubt in my mind that they would become one of the biggest rock bands in the world. My goal with this film was to document the roots of their music and how rock-n-roll transformed their lives. I am proud and honoured to share the story of Kings of Leon.” – Stephen Mitchell, Director

Talihina Sky: The Story of the Kings Of Leon is released by Revolver Entertainment on DVD & Blu-ray.

Win a copy of Talihina Sky: The Story of the Kings Of Leon.

First on tonight were a new band, Fever Dream, who played to around twenty people or so. A three-piece adopting the classic 1-1-1 formation of bass/drums/guitar. While the whole band are probably fans of  the Joy Division/Echo and the Bunnymen post-punk style, I think it’s fair to say that the singer/guitarist has heard the occasional showgaze record,  The simple bass/drum backing allowing him to unleash the full range of on-stage antics. If he could summon up this amount of effort and drive for such a volumetrically-challenged crowd, I wondered what he’d get up to if it was packed.

The overall feel of their sound was one of something vaguely dark and angst-ridden. An impression that was somewhat undermined by an altogether too chipper sounding ‘Thanks!’ as each song drew to a close. I say ‘angst-ridden’ but in all honesty the whole set could have been about shopping for ingredients for the perfect beef bourguignon for all I could tell. Possibly not, though.

Also, a personal gripe here, aimed not solely at Fever Dream. Why do bands say ‘thanks’ immediately the last chord is struck? You don’t know what might be coming your way. We might all start jeering or booing or walking out. At least wait until one person starts to clap before thanking us!

On a more positive note, I did enjoy their last number, which was apparently on the Darren Hayman’s Vostock 5 release recently, or so they informed us. I’ll be trying to track that one down, anyway.

In the gap following Fever Dream, I moved to a spot near to the mixing desk for a good view of the two bands I’d really come to see. Glancing around, as you do, I noticed that the sound guy was watching football on his laptop. On asking what the score was, he told me that it wasn’t England but Italy vs Uruguay. He was deeply unhappy with the fact that Italy were losing 1-0 at home as well. Seeing him later I couldn’t help but notice more than a passing resemblance to a 1968-era Peter Bonetti.

For reasons I still don’t quite understand, I’ve managed to miss every London show by Pocketbooks since first coming across them at the 100 Club two years ago. Their debut CD ‘Flight Paths’ was my favourite of 2009 and has had frequent repeated visits ever since. In fact, I’m so fond of it that I almost didn’t want to hear the follow-up ‘Carousel’ when it came out recently. I’d managed to convince myself that they’d not be able to match the quality of the first one. When curiosity did eventually get the better of me, I was confused. Where were the jangly upbeat songs that littered every step of their debut? What’s with all this melancholic restraint and slow, stripped-down stuff? Convinced I was right to pre-judge it, I returned it to the shelf and moved on.

Giving it another try a few weeks later on, it slowly started to click, initially with ‘Promises, Promises’, which wouldn’t be out of place with their earlier work. Further listens allowed the real beauty, depth and craftsmanship of both the song-writing and the execution to reveal themselves. I was drawn in so tight that it started to hurt. Although definitely preferring Emma’s voice to Andy’s, if there’s a better songwriter around at the moment than Andy Hudson, I’m not aware of them. Take a bow, Andy – you’re a man with rare talent. Suffice to say that ‘Carousel’ is an exceptional album and is now playing more frequently than its predecessor ever managed, which I didn’t think would ever be possible.

So, with that in mind, I was more than slightly looking forward to seeing them live again. ‘Falling leaves’, ‘Not going out’ and ‘Harbour lights’ got things underway in a delightful manner before they added four members of The Little Orchestra to the mix. If you’re familiar with the Lexington, you’ll know that the stage is not the biggest and it now had nine people on it. And four violins need a reasonable amount of space, to reduce the risk of eyes being taken out on the more upbeat numbers.

The expanded line-up then gave us the achingly beautiful ‘Sparklers’ (an absolute gem of a song in a year full of superb releases), the aforementioned ‘Promises, promises’, ‘End of the pier’, ‘Sound of the carnival’ and old fave ‘Fleeting moments’.

While the band did nothing particularly wrong tonight, it never really got into top gear. Perhaps it was the meagre attendance or the more mellow nature of the newer material. Maybe it was down to me building them up too much in my head. Maybe it was because Italy lost 1-0 and the resultant sound was more than a bit muddy – who knows? It just seemed, I don’t know, slightly subdued. Enjoyable? Absolutely, but I was left with the feeling that so much more was, and should been, possible. Ah well, I won’t leave it two years until next time.

A late substitution at the mixing desk resulted in an instant and dramatic improvement in the sound quality when Shrag restarted the fun. The contrast was marked and the songs immediately hit home with a massive impact. As you can probably tell, I love Pocketbooks dearly but tonight Shrag kicked even their shadows right off-stage from the first number, a new one that seemed to be played on one chord throughout.

‘Faux coda’ followed and the band were in full-on rocking mode. Other new songs were aired and all sounded great. Older songs such as ‘Habit creep’ with its killer bass line, ‘Ghosts before breakfast’ and the mighty ‘Rabbit kids’ hit their marks admirably. There’s obviously a great friendship between all the members of the band as they spent as much time chatting among themselves as they did to the audience and it’s apparent that they are really happy doing what they do best.

The number of eagerly awaited new albums for 2012 is growing longer and the new Shrag one is definitely high up on that list.

All this for a mere £7.00. “Top entertainment”, as a Stoke-based vicar once said. And who am I to argue with him?

Again, work prevented arriving any earlier than seeing Tender Trap tying their shoelaces and heading out on to the track. The place was pretty full from the off and they served up slice after slice of great tunes. Dual-guitars and female harmonies are always a good starting point in my book but when you chuck in the know how to produce a decent melody and arrange a song, you end up in a pretty fab place indeed.

Tender Trap (c) Robin Halls

They are, somewhat inevitably I suppose, underpinned by the same drive and thrust as Tallulah Gosh but with different layers over the top. Less heads-down fuzz-thrash and more reflective craftsmanship these days, I feel. A more mature approach you could say. Their last album ‘Dansette, Dansette’ was a good ‘un and provided the basis for half of the set, the remainder presumably coming from their forthcoming one, which they excitedly told us they were starting to record the next day. Yay! Another one to look forward to. 2012 is shaping up to be a good year for albums already.

Darren Hayman and his Secondary Modern were next on and also went down well. The again, when there’s a good sound and you’ve written more good songs than most other people have even heard, why wouldn’t you be well received? Hefner’s ‘Hymn for the postal service’ got us off to a promising start and ‘Essex Arms’ and ‘Pram Town’ were raided for much of the rest of the set. I can only recall them playing one track from the latest CD but, as it’s piano based, perhaps the songs aren’t quite suited for a live performance with the full Secondary Modern backing.

Darren Hayman (c) Robin Halls

Darren was on fine form and is a natural raconteur; the chat between songs being almost as entertaining as the songs themselves (but in a good way, not cos the songs were crap).

The basic three chord arrangements remind me in some ways of Lou Reed’s style. Not so much lyrically though. Instead of tales of transvestites and drug abuse, we get songs about the mundane, ordinary things in life. Things we can all relate to at some level. Unless of course, it’s just me and Darren that don’t live lives like Lou Reed. Just a thought, like.

An excellent performance ended with ‘Good fruit’ with Amelia Fletcher joining in the fun on backing vocals – wonderful!

After fifteen minutes or so of pre-recorded video messages from many different bands, all wishing Sean Price (El Presidente of F-Pop) congratulations, attentions turned to Allo Darlin for the final act of the three day-treat. Whoever chose the bands to play (presumably Sean) chose well and Allo Darlin fulfilled the requirements of ‘festival headliners’ admirably.

Elizabeth from Allo Darlin (c) Robin Halls

I’ve written a few reviews of their live shows before on this site and will keep this one short as I don’t want to repeat myself (and I’m struggling to find new ways to praise them). Suffice to say, they were well up to their usual standard and that second album can’t come soon enough.

Cheers, Sean. I hope you enjoy doing what you do as much as everyone else enjoys what you do.

Here’s to the next fifteen years.

Although the temptation to buy a three-day season ticket was an almost irresistible itch, the need to maintain a modicum of domestic stability restricted attendance to first and last night only. When negotiations to attend were underway and the words ‘well, you can do what you like’ were uttered in a tone that would have Jack Frost reaching to nudge the thermostat up a degree or two, it’s better to admit defeat.

Sadly, the demands of earning the money to enjoy little trips like this meant arriving too late for the evening’s opening act, Malone Alone, and the first few minutes of Bearsuit. Their ‘Phantom Forest‘ album has been one of my highlights this year and their set was, understandably, taken almost entirely from it. The fair-to-middling crowd nodding along in quiet appreciation as Norwich’s finest did their thing. Lisa’s delightful black feather headgear (I’m not sure that ‘hat’ is quite the right term to describe it) and general bouncy behaviour being the visual focus point, as she cheerfully admitted being dressed as a chicken.

Lisa the chicken (c) Robin Halls

Their performance underlined just how strong their recent material is over some of their earlier, less polished, work. I know Lisa’s distinctive vocals are not to everyone’s taste but I’m usually up for a bit of shouty screaming and enjoyed every minute of them. I hope they maintain their current momentum in 2012. They left us with a spirited run through ‘Charger’, which is always a good thing to hear.

Cinema Red and Blue replaced them and manic off-kilter pop was replaced by a huge wall of 60’s swirly organ, jangly guitars and trumpet. Authentic haircuts, tear-shaped guitar, dodgy ‘tache (one to rival that sported by Ian Bearsuit) and a Rickenbacker semi-acoustic were all bang on the retro-beat money. However, the drummer and bassist seem to have defied the party whip , attired in a more muted and contemporary manner. Still, the overall powerful sound was good with ‘Walking to the cemetery’ standing out as a highlight.

Cinema Red & Blue (c) Robin Halls

After a while, several members of the seven-piece ambled off, to be replaced by various parts of Aislers Set to finish off the slot. They showed an alternative approach to a 60’s revival and were my band of the night (I bet they’ll be delighted to hear that). Others obviously agreed, as they were the only band to perform an encore. Great stuff!

The Aislers Set (c) Robin Halls

A quick mention here about the sort of people that tend to go to gigs like this. They are, in my experience, almost all, very well-mannered and polite.  This was brought home to me by someone accidentally knocking my pint over. To put this in to some kind of context, it was pint of pretty tasteless lager of some kind – not something to get particularly worked up about. However, said person immediately apologised profusely and offered to buy me another. Does this sort of thing happened at other gig genres? I suspect not. You’ll no doubt be relieved to hear that I declined her kind offer. Just thought it worth mentioning as it reaffirmed my thoughts that indie-pop kids are more sophisticated bunch that you may come across elsewhere.

Anyway, beerless as I now was, it was time for the Primitives to give us a run for our money and they appeared to the strains of Camper Van Beethoven’s eighties-classic ‘Take the skinheads bowling’. Which was nice.

Primitives (c) Robin Halls

Tracey may well be on the small side of petite but she’s (still) got all the necessary attributes to be a band leader, which she proved convincingly by leading the band as they raced through ‘Dreamwalk baby’, ‘Really stupid’ and my personal fave ‘Spacehead’ before anyone really had time to think ‘they’ve still got it, you know’.

A quick pause for breath and we were off again: ‘Thru the flowers’, ‘Stop killing me’ and ‘Sick of it all’ quickly followed. Although there was a decent-sized crowd in, I did notice that it seemed to be only people in their 40’s who were singing along. That’s probably what happens when you split up for over ten years – you lose touch with the kids.
The Prims always did have the ability to come up with a decent tune. It seems they’ve not lost this talent either, as their Fortuna Pop debut ‘Rattle my cage’ went down a storm with old and young alike, sounding excellent in to the bargain.

Inevitably ‘Crash’ rounded things off and got the biggest reaction of the evening, although personally I’ve always found it one of their less-worthy offerings. All in all, most enjoyable and I look forward to a new album before much longer and it’s great to have them back with us.

Any sign of a Dog Faced Hermans reunion yet?

Bonnie Prince Billy - Wolfroy goes to town, album review

The new Bonnie “Prince” Billy album “Wolfroy goes to town” is a spare and haunting piece – 10 tracks only of sombre alt-country which will not be seen as a departure by fans of his work. But novelty is now what you expect from Will Oldham who has been ploughing his distinctive furrow for 15 plus albums now under various different guises.

Opening track “No Match” sets the introspective tone for the rest of the record – beautiful harmonies underlie the repeated “No Match” refrain of the title, juxtaposing opposing statements like, “I’m no match for those who love the lord and they are no match for me” and “You can be a match for me I’ll be a match for you.”

Profound stuff; although I can’t unravel the meaning it’s beautiful all the same. The song ends on a hopeful note;

“Well, age may be a match for you but its no match for me”

The pattern is set by this first song – obtuse lyrics – which might repay repeated listening, and lovely singing, in particular by Angel Olsen who intones, with Oldham, on “New Tibet”

“As boys we fucked each other, as men we lie and smile”

A bird motif emerges in this song;

“Birds fight, birds hate”

And, crops up again later; “Soiled doves are my birds”….. And, in the download only single “Quail and Dumplings”; “Fuck birds in bushes!” he implores us….

As a whole the album is slow paced and introvert, but Oldham lets rip a little (handclaps!!) on the single, instrumentally more complex and dramatic.

“Black Captain” is a lament for lost love and a touching high point of the album, lyrically less oblique, haunting and beautiful.

This is a tender, touching collection of songs; a wonderful record. The best since “I see a darkness” which was the first under the “Bonnie Prince Billy” name, back in 1999.

Bonnie Prince Billy – Wolfroy Goes To Town tracklist:
1. No Match
2. New Whaling
3. Time To Be Clear
4. New Tibet
5. Black Captain
6. Cows
7. There Will Be Spring
8. Quail And Dumplings
9. We Are Unhappy
10. Night Noises

Wolfroy goes to town by Bonnie Prince Billy is released on Domino Records.

The Unkindness of Ravens

Underground electro band The Unkindness of Ravens new double A-side, Virus/Viper is a preview to their debut album, due out sometime in 2012. The Unkindness of Ravens is Nina Wagner and Ben Raine, the single has elements of The White Stripes with a darker, sexier side to it.

The first track Virus uses Nina’s sultry tones over Ben’s simple hooks, mixed with a beat to make you unable to do anything but get up and move. The repetition of the line “you have to be the cure” creates an almost out-of-body experience, and you find yourself nodding along and agreeing within seconds.

The slightly more melodic track Viper is just as haunting. It’s a confident, in-your-face piece, with Ben’s vocals complementing Nina’s at crucial moments.

Having spent early 2011 writing, recording and touring Germany, the duo then returned to the UK in order to produce this razor-sharp double A-side. Since releasing singles including Dead Air and White Road, the band have received excellent reviews, and have been covered by magazines such as Rock Sound and Artrocker.

This is no clean, simple electro pop sound. It’s dark, it’s dirty, and it’s downright captivating. After just one listen, it’s easy to see why they’ve been described as ‘The Kills on acid”! With such a soulful yet futuristic taster of what’s to come, it’ll leave you on tenterhooks for the albums release.

The Unkindness of Ravens return with a brand new double A-side single Virus | Viper was released on 3rd October 2011 via Sonic Fire Records.

They are not everybody’s cup of tea – The NME slated current single “Be a doll and take my heart” I am sure that does not bother them or their fans one bit….those here tonight listened attentively to a set which leaned towards their more introverted folk material, in the quieter moments there was an atmosphere of hushed reverence and the songs were received enthusiastically for the most part.

An upbeat highlight was the title song of the recent album Strange Moosic performed as a sing-along with support Sean Flinn and others, as well as “Tell me something I don’t know” from the same record. These songs seem more in keeping with their various Fortuna Pop label mates but they are not typical, most of the material they played tonight having a folkier feel and at times it put me in mind of Sufjan Stevens and Jonathon Richman.

Incidentally, they are notably absent from the 3 day Fortuna Pop celebration of the label’s 15th anniversary at the Scala next month – maybe they don’t quite fit in?

Singer David Ivar’s voice is Marmite; somewhat reedy and high pitched for some but it suits the whimsical folk that predominate tonight rather well. I have heard it described as a scando-parisian yodel(David is Swedish I think)….Overall this is breezy lightweight stuff played with more precision than passion – It makes for an enjoyable rather than exhilarating gig. The warmth between an audience clearly familiar with their songs and a band appreciative of the response was striking.

A good night for Herman Dune and their fans, perhaps less compelling for the casual listener.