‘Don’t Take My Sunshine Away’ is a cute, sweet, subversive effort at a love song that works pretty well on the whole with the simple declaration that “Baby you are my sunshine/Please don’t take my sunshine away” ruling the chorus and a well disguised ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ moment two and a half minutes involving a heavily distorted guitar solo ripping through the absent serenity that the majority of the track creates.
Whether this signifies a corruption of the love that Mark Linkous seems to be battling so hard to retain, or if he just thinks it sounds cool, I know not. I suspect the latter, and you know what? It does sound cool.
‘Ghost In The Sky (2006 version)’ and ‘Knives Of Sumertime’ are further confirmation that Linkous is a one-man, good mood construction machine. Like perhaps a snow machine at a particularly sparce Winter Olympics, he can pump out spring and summertime, on demand, like they’re the only seasons that exist. “You need summer? I’ve got summer,” is the kind of thing he’d say before blasting you with warm, glowing, relaxed sonic waves that make me think of gleeful spring-stepped children running in hay fields. He makes me feel like I’m getting a sun-tan in my cold room, in my bad chair, with a bowl or warm soup – and I cherish him for that.
Clearly he must live in his own world of niceness and joy, a different world to mine for sure, but whatever world that may be, I am certain that they are fully aware how talented he is.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Single Review. Babyshambles and Friends - Janey Jones.
Babyshambles are still going, up to a point, and given their strife recently, this offering will do nicely in keeping interest and awareness in the music buying public – and it’s for a good cause too, splendid.
It’s not just them though, members of Test Icicles and The Paddingtons (among others) are reportedly on the track - not that you’d notice, given that the only people you can hear are Pete Doherty and…Carl Barat. Hearing Pete and Carl vocally spa again (sort of, they recorded their parts separately) won’t fail to bring out any Libertines sentiment that may be sitting in your soul., and the track sounds great.
Pete is a bloody mess, no doubt, but for anyone still holding a torch for the little scamp this will be a joy. He was born to cover The Clash, he’s probably been doing it since his blood ran clean and free. Let’s just hope that cover versions aren’t what it’s come to.
It’s not just them though, members of Test Icicles and The Paddingtons (among others) are reportedly on the track - not that you’d notice, given that the only people you can hear are Pete Doherty and…Carl Barat. Hearing Pete and Carl vocally spa again (sort of, they recorded their parts separately) won’t fail to bring out any Libertines sentiment that may be sitting in your soul., and the track sounds great.
Pete is a bloody mess, no doubt, but for anyone still holding a torch for the little scamp this will be a joy. He was born to cover The Clash, he’s probably been doing it since his blood ran clean and free. Let’s just hope that cover versions aren’t what it’s come to.
Album Review. Battle - Back To Earth.
If I ever encounter Battle, I’ll be sure to ask them about their favourite Cure and Smiths albums. I won’t patronise them though, oh no. Instead, I’ll compliment the classy, synth-backed homage of ‘Tendency’, the gloomy wit when pondering “how can you ever chase happiness when you don’t have the heart to be hurt” (in ‘I Never Stopped’) and the piercing dance-ability of ‘Isabelle’.
Then, I’ll eliminate the question in my notebook regarding their slim output and failure as yet to provide a full length debut, privately forgive them and explain the extent to which I appreciate how British this seven track mini-album sounds without it descending into half-witted, pub-rock nationalism.
Indie disco etiquette should dictate that this lot become large.
Then, I’ll eliminate the question in my notebook regarding their slim output and failure as yet to provide a full length debut, privately forgive them and explain the extent to which I appreciate how British this seven track mini-album sounds without it descending into half-witted, pub-rock nationalism.
Indie disco etiquette should dictate that this lot become large.
Album Review. The Long Blondes - Someone To Drive You Home
The words ‘style’ and ‘substance’ sprang immediately to mind on first encounter with this ultra-trendy, Sheffield-heralding, girl/boy garage outfit. Having cynically suspected the former to dominate I was delighted, after inspection of the fresh-from-Debbie-Harry-wannabee-school Kate Jackson, to deliberate over and decide that she might just be a British Karen O.
Elderly sister wiser-than-thou witticisms and advice-from-experience word smithery ensure she bubbles with kudos – and she can sing too, “nineteen, you’re only nineteen for God’s sake/you don’t need a boyfriend” her impressive pipes clamour on the ludicrously enjoyable ‘Once And Never Again”. ‘Giddy Srotospheres’, ‘Seperated By Motorways’ and ‘Weekend Without Makeup’ continue the indie-pop romp with choruses so darn catchy that involuntary movements of one’s body can virtually be expected.
Jackson is an all singing, all hip twitching, one-woman therapy group for indie-girl singletons. This woman will be a hero and if their hits carry them far enough, maybe they all will.
Elderly sister wiser-than-thou witticisms and advice-from-experience word smithery ensure she bubbles with kudos – and she can sing too, “nineteen, you’re only nineteen for God’s sake/you don’t need a boyfriend” her impressive pipes clamour on the ludicrously enjoyable ‘Once And Never Again”. ‘Giddy Srotospheres’, ‘Seperated By Motorways’ and ‘Weekend Without Makeup’ continue the indie-pop romp with choruses so darn catchy that involuntary movements of one’s body can virtually be expected.
Jackson is an all singing, all hip twitching, one-woman therapy group for indie-girl singletons. This woman will be a hero and if their hits carry them far enough, maybe they all will.
Album Review. Various - 30 Years Of Rough Trade
Rough trade are good at compilations and they duly create many, each it would seem with its own peculiar trait. This particular double disc of self-appraisal celebrates the shops thirty year history by asking famous fans and members of the label (Jarvis Cocker, Bjork, Thurston Moore, Bobby Gillespie, James Murphy) to pick their favourite offerings and we are presented with a chronological catalogue from almost every year from 1976 up until 2005 that Rough Trade has been releasing records.
Right from The Modern Lovers verbal gold – “some people try to pick up girls and get called assholes/this never happened to Pablo Picasso” – I was listening. A sonic safari ride through girl pop-punk (Kleenex), murder soundtrack schizophrenia (The Mekons), super funky, thrust-defying groove (Afrika Bambaataa And The Soul Sonic Force) plus a personal introduction to Adam And The Ants and I was the proverbial child in the also proverbial candy store of un-tapped resources of musical history – not to mention the fucking Pixies. Well you would put the Pixies in a compilation if you could, wouldn’t you eh? Disc one, then, is complete.
High praise indeed so far, and I actually prefer disc two: from Joe Strummer gone solo; cowbell enhanced, guitar-lick-heavy trip-hop (Stock, Hausen and Walkman), deep, dark, experimental electronica (Stereolab and Nurse With Wound); to the aching serenades of Lal Waterson and Oliver Knight; the trembling beauty of Karen Dalton’s fragility and the ring-leading, woman admiring, sex-licked, circus freak show of James Luther Dickinson, it’s a relentlessly entertaining trip trough a small section of the Rough Trade archives that repeatedly transcends genres. It dips in quality occasionally, but provides so much of interest that it’s really hard to take any issue with that – and anyway, of course it does, it’s a double-disc compilation.
A number of things became clear to me throughout this celebration: firstly, the mass of quality artists that Rough Trade have had on their books over the years, and thus how influential they have been, to listeners and creators of music alike. Secondly, that as a label - whilst retaining a commendable ethic - they have deftly moved with the times, swapping from the dirty, dangerous, obnoxious punk-rock/butt-rock of the seventies, through hillbilly gospel (The Carter Family), overtly homosexual, sadistic clamourings to be fucked by a sailor (The Frogs), up to and including the way too well observed wit-fest of LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Losing My Edge’.
I knew I liked Rough Trade, but not this much. This is the best compilation I have heard this year, and I recommend you get yourself a copy, especially if you think you might like to hear Schneider TM vs Kpt. Michi. Gan turn The Smiths’ ‘There Is A Light’ into a slowed-down, synthed-up , ambient bleepathon. You might think this is a good thing, you might not.
Right from The Modern Lovers verbal gold – “some people try to pick up girls and get called assholes/this never happened to Pablo Picasso” – I was listening. A sonic safari ride through girl pop-punk (Kleenex), murder soundtrack schizophrenia (The Mekons), super funky, thrust-defying groove (Afrika Bambaataa And The Soul Sonic Force) plus a personal introduction to Adam And The Ants and I was the proverbial child in the also proverbial candy store of un-tapped resources of musical history – not to mention the fucking Pixies. Well you would put the Pixies in a compilation if you could, wouldn’t you eh? Disc one, then, is complete.
High praise indeed so far, and I actually prefer disc two: from Joe Strummer gone solo; cowbell enhanced, guitar-lick-heavy trip-hop (Stock, Hausen and Walkman), deep, dark, experimental electronica (Stereolab and Nurse With Wound); to the aching serenades of Lal Waterson and Oliver Knight; the trembling beauty of Karen Dalton’s fragility and the ring-leading, woman admiring, sex-licked, circus freak show of James Luther Dickinson, it’s a relentlessly entertaining trip trough a small section of the Rough Trade archives that repeatedly transcends genres. It dips in quality occasionally, but provides so much of interest that it’s really hard to take any issue with that – and anyway, of course it does, it’s a double-disc compilation.
A number of things became clear to me throughout this celebration: firstly, the mass of quality artists that Rough Trade have had on their books over the years, and thus how influential they have been, to listeners and creators of music alike. Secondly, that as a label - whilst retaining a commendable ethic - they have deftly moved with the times, swapping from the dirty, dangerous, obnoxious punk-rock/butt-rock of the seventies, through hillbilly gospel (The Carter Family), overtly homosexual, sadistic clamourings to be fucked by a sailor (The Frogs), up to and including the way too well observed wit-fest of LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Losing My Edge’.
I knew I liked Rough Trade, but not this much. This is the best compilation I have heard this year, and I recommend you get yourself a copy, especially if you think you might like to hear Schneider TM vs Kpt. Michi. Gan turn The Smiths’ ‘There Is A Light’ into a slowed-down, synthed-up , ambient bleepathon. You might think this is a good thing, you might not.
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