Halls – ‘Fragile’
Originally written for and published on The Line Of Best Fit…
The elusive Halls is a creator of his own blend of electronic music that is gloriously spacious, yet introspective and gripping. Almost two years in, the project finds its introverted protagonist Samuel Howard clutching an impressive self-titled and self-released EP, his double-sided single Solace/Colossus and a stash of credible remixes including those for his self-confessed objects of admiration Patten and Gold Panda.
Away from his bedroom – or indeed the university halls from which his moniker is derived – in Fragile Howard has created a series of interconnected looping cinematic soundscapes, which immediately bear witness to a newfound confidence and skill. At just 15-minutes long, with each track progressively increasing in length, Halls packs in an astonishing amount of details and textures into a short space of time. Fragile is a four-track exploration of the boundaries that Halls can push against: there’s certainly less crackle and fuzz than his previous ventures, and his vocals are more frequent and crisper, yet his lyrics remain subtle and indecipherable, a technique that feels entirely purposeful.
It is Howard’s vocals that truly add an affecting depth to music that would perhaps segue succinctly within the dubious post-dubstep genre. Fragile also succeeds in simultaneously presenting a huge growth of confidence in both Howard’s ability to construct immense instrumental compositions, but also the self-assurance to apply his voice to his recordings. Yet his vocals always appear to come secondary to the driving beats that are cast over them, heard most obviously in ‘Sanctuary’ – the record’s repetitive, synth-soaked introduction. Swelling and replete with his muted vocals, it sweeps seamlessly into second track ‘Lifeblood’ which features a classical piano, rather than electronic keyboards that Halls is accustomed to. Meanwhile the deep, displaced vocals and bouncing beat glitches sound as though it could easily have been a b-side to Radiohead’s The King Of Limbs.
As the first song to be showcased prior to the EP’s release, third track ‘I Am Not Who You Want’ fits into the record as wonderfully as it did when originally played as a singular passage of music last year. It is within this particular track that Howard’s echoing vocals really stand out, with the pitch reaching haunting higher heights than the characteristic lower register that he tends to use through the rest of the release. The sound of strings trickling through from the song’s background as the track progresses continues to further its depth and foster Halls’ foray into the cinematic.
Fragile’s final track ‘Fade To White’ begins with two minutes of repetitive eerie synth drones and faint syncopated beats, before a sole treble piano line comes into play, adding texture and contrast to the song’s backbone. Layers of throbbing percussion and jarring glitches become more apparent with each and every listen, and as the only song on the release to be entirely instrumental, it makes a fitting outro. It’s murky, but succeeds in expanding its spaciousness yet retaining its focus, and as the song ends abruptly – particularly when placed alongside the fluidity of the rest of the record – it is somewhat surprising.
You can listen to Halls’ ‘Fragile’ here:
While aesthetically, his artwork, videos and design is completely in keeping with atmospheric, earth-orientated landscapes, musically, Fragile – and indeed Halls’ previous recordings – are soundtracks to the gloomy winter elements. This uniformity of visuals alongside a complementary sound is reinforced by the similar backing drone present throughout each track, as well as the gapless transitions between songs, all which accumulate to give an enormous sense of cohesion, and a body of music that works as a cyclical, continuous piece of composition. Enchanting and intricate, trance-like and translucent: together these distinctly different elements clash and create something beautiful, for Fragile is a collision of the ambient, whilst being wholly accessible. As its title suggests, Fragile is graceful, delicate and subtle, yet harbours all the markings of Halls – past and present – and heralds a future for Howard as a British electronic mainstay.
All photographs and music used with permission...
Originally written for and published on The Line Of Best Fit…
“I wanna change, but I wanna stay the same,” Kurt Vile sings on ‘Peeping Tomboy’, the gorgeously effortless eighth track on Smoke Ring For My Halo. As his fourth solo full-length release to date, the prolific Vile demonstrates a renewed, progressive sound without compromising his distinctive loose n’ lazy, distorted vocals, and his lingering lyrical wit.
Both time transcending, yet distinctly American, Philadelphian Vile creates guitar music at its modern best. Smoke Ring… bears witness to fuller instrumentation, particularly on the electric eccentricity that is ‘Puppet To The Man’. The occasional smattering of a harp and piano – especially effective on the rambling ‘Society Is My Friend’ and ‘On Tour’ – shows Vile’s versatility, while the repetitive marrying of percussion and strings on ‘Runner Ups’ is full-bodied and blissful.
Yet Smoke Ring… is as spacious as it is densely packed. This is Vile’s trademark finger picking acoustic song writing, yet fully fleshed and evolved, as Vile makes the transition from his previous home-recorded, crackling efforts towards a more polished collection, while losing none of the rawness that makes his music so charming and timeless.
From the haunting demise of ‘Ghost Town’, through to the astonishingly upbeat ‘Jesus Fever’, and the immense beauty of ‘Baby’s Arms’, Smoke Ring For My Halo is an album that can only be bettered in a live environment, alongside his band The Violators, and surrounded by his silent, enraptured fans.
You can discover and read the rest of The Line Of Best Fit‘s top 50 albums of 2011 here…
The Line Of Best Fit Albums Of The Year: #30 Rustie – ‘Glass Swords’
Originally written for and published on The Line Of Best Fit…
With four years behind him, 2011 was the year that Glasgow-based producer Rustie finally unleashed his debut album. In Glass Swords Russell Whyte – under his alias of Rustie – has created a modern dance album for people who don’t even like ‘dance music’ in its standardised form. Each track is varied and versatile, complete with epic build-ups and breakdowns, and a dizzying array of influences. Released via Warp, Glass Swords is a constant 46-minute high, demonstrated most audibly in standout tracks ‘Surph’, ‘All Nite’ and ‘After Light’. Indulgent yet effective, Glass Swords is pure euphoric escapism.
You can discover and read the rest of The Line Of Best Fit‘s top 50 albums of 2011 here…
Mariachi El Bronx – KCLSU, London, 17/12/11
Originally written for and published on The Fly.co.uk
“How’re you motherfuckers doing tonight?” Matt Caughthran’s opening words are not exactly the welcome you’d expect from a mariachi band, but then Mariachi El Bronx are not quite your typical mariachi act. Schizophrenic in their musical output, Mariachi El Bronx is the four-year strong endeavour of punk quintet The Bronx. Tonight, The Fly is witnessing the Californians in their newer transformation, and despite reservations about their punk-meets-mariachi mix, all sceptical thoughts are cast aside once they begin to play.
Comprised of a nine-piece band – made up of trumpets, accordion, charango, gritos, drums and a viola – all members’ trademark tattoos are covered and swapped for full-on traditional costumes. Beginning with ‘48 Roses’, Caughthran dedicates the song to Craig David. This humour continues in all pauses: ‘Matador’ is dedicated to “all the sex shops,” then ‘Great Provider’ is played in honour of “Big Ben… and Chevy Chase,” much to the audience’s delight.
Both albums’ material is equally represented, yet the best crowd reactions are saved for the immensely brass laden ‘Slave Labour’, ‘My Brother The Gun’ where group vocals are employed to supreme effect, the evident instrumental skills of ‘Cell Mates’ and ‘Silver Or Lead’, where Tim Kasher of Cursive joins the band on stage.
Returning for the encore with the rarely played ‘Fallen’, Caughthran prolongs the song’s ending, revelling in the applause. This is a front man who knows exactly how to fire up his rapturous crowd: “This is dedicated to all the punk rockers out there,” he yells as they start their final song ‘Quinceniera’, rather aptly considering the band are set to continue their night across London as The Bronx. This initial performance is sold out, and the elated crowd are clearly here for both shows, proving that four years down the line, Mariachi El Bronx is certainly no hoax.
Image sourced using Creative Commons...
The 405 Albums Of The Year: #1 Brontide – ‘Sans Souci’
Originally written for and published on The 405…
Despite Brontide’s formation in 2008, this year finally saw the release of their long-awaited debut album. While Sans Souci may have been a long time coming, its intense, continuous flow of instrumental punches are both arresting and astounding, and completely capture the chaotic cacophony of the live shows that have retained immense interest around the band since their inception. Simply put, Sans Souci was completely worth the wait.
You only have to watch the three-piece live once in order to witness their onstage sense of urgency and raging rapport, and with Sans Souci Brontide succeeded in securing their instrumental explosions on record, while simultaneously achieving the perfect blend of brutality and beautiful melodies. Meanwhile, the continual, cyclical nature of the album ensures that the band demonstrates their ability to create a well-crafted, ongoing passage of music – yet for all the focus on the record as a entire piece, it speaks volumes that each and every track on the album can be enjoyed as individual entities.
Despite its release in May, Sans Souci has remained omnipresent throughout the year, presenting itself as one whole seamless glissando of heaviness, whilst crucially retaining its accessibility. As the year’s progressed, so has the band’s popularity, and consequently Brontide’s non-stop showcase of Sans Souci – densely packed with thundering riffs, intense drum patterns and textured guitar work – has continued to whip up its listeners into a staggering maelstrom of immediacy until the very end.
You can read the rest of The 405‘s Album Of The Year picks here…
DIY Tracks: Bear Cavalry – ‘Roman Summer’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
Gosport-based four-piece Bear Cavalry are back, having freshly re-released their ‘Maple Trails’ EP this week. Both vibrant and uplifting, ‘Roman Summer’ – a song that, as its title suggests, exudes summery shimmer – ripples with layers of intricate guitar melodies, soft yet technical drumming, and a brilliant brass and keys section. Vocally, the track switches from falsetto melodies through to tenor tunes, before finally incorporating exuberant group vocals towards its end. This vocal variety cumulates in a crescendo of a chorus, which surprises nicely with its contrasting volume. Spirited and sparkling, both Bear Cavalry and ‘Roman Summer’ are guaranteed to banish the winter blues.
See and hear the rest of This Is Fake DIY’s Tracks picks for 16/12/2011 here…
DIY Tracks Of 2011: Lykke Li – ‘I Follow Rivers’, M83 – ‘Midnight City’ & I Break Horses – ‘Hearts’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
#35: I Break Horses – ‘Hearts’
Shoegaze revivalist duo I Break Horses, AKA Fredrik Balck and Maria Lindén, are the latest Swedish act to sweep British audiophiles into a frenzy of hushed electronic fandom. Pulsing and incredible, ‘Hearts’ – the second track from their debut album of the same name – showcases everything that makes the band so special, and indeed sets them apart from their musical peers: from their irresistible looping melodies through to powerful synthetic drumbeats, consuming electronics and Lindén’s distinctive soprano notes that flow endlessly in the background. Simultaneously commanding and charming, ‘Hearts’ offers a mesmerising introduction to one of 2012’s ones to watch.
#9: Lykke Li – ‘I Follow Rivers’
Lykke Li’s wonderful second album ‘Wounded Rhymes’ may be an record shrouded in heartbreak and regret, but this isn’t a quiet, reserved album full of banal balladry: this is a full-throttle explosion of sentimentality, exposed most evidently in uplifting tracks such as ‘I Follow Rivers’. It’s Lykke’s unique voice – strong, yet delicate – that continues to hold focus, while clashing with her more despondent lyrics. It may well be powerful, with thundering kettle drums announcing the song’s arrival, yet ‘I Follow Rivers’ signals a complete change in direction for Lykke, one that accurately demonstrates her increased evolution as a songwriter and a performer.
#16: M83 – Midnight City
Perhaps 2011 will be remembered for being the year that reintroduced the world to the joy of a saxophone solo (see Bon Iver’s beautiful ‘Beth/Rest’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Edge Of Glory’). Either way, French dance-pop outfit M83’s long-awaited return with the dreamy ‘Midnight City’ this July thrilled with its euphoric electronic melodies, and that sax ending. Initially serving as the first taste of what would become one of the year’s very best records, ‘Midnight City’ is one of Anthony Gonzalez’s finest tracks to date, one that builds, transforms and truly captivates both on record and in a live environment.
DIY Albums Of The Year: #45 Iceage – ‘New Brigade’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
Arriving pre-tagged as the latest ‘saviours of punk’ and amid tales of notorious live sets, Danish four-piece Iceage were always destined to be divisive. Densely packed into 23-minutes of raw post-punk, their debut album New Brigade is relentlessly varied and savagely fractured. Dissonant and down-tuned, primal simplicity reigns: from its ominous instrumental beginnings, through to the visceral ‘Total Drench’, and anthemic ‘White Rune’. Soaked in steely modernity and amongst 80s odes such as ‘Remember’, hollow-voiced singer Elias confronts throughout with his demanding lyrics. Bold, powerful, yet tinged with youthful naivety, New Brigade may split opinion, but it’s also an undeniably exhilarating journey.
The rest of This Is Fake DIY‘s top 50 albums of the year can be read about online here, or in the winter issue of DIY’s print publication.
DIY Albums Of The Year: #12 The Horrors – ‘Skying’
Originally written for and published in the winter issue of DIY magazine…
To see the rest of DIY’s top 20 Albums Of The Year, featuring the likes of Kurt Vile, Bon Iver, The Antlers, Lykke Li, St Vincent, PJ Harvey, The Weeknd, Wild Beasts and more read it online or pick it up in paper from one of these locations…
Despite Primary Colours’ 2009 Mercury nomination, Skying has emerged as the ever-evolving The Horrors’ most powerful, inventive release yet. From the echoing beginnings of ‘Changing The Rain’ and the hypnotic ‘Still Life’, through to the final pulses of ‘Oceans Burning’ Skying is as ethereal as it is euphoric, as immediate as it is wandering.
With their unwavering DIY attitude – no producers, a handcrafted recording studio and homemade instruments – Skying is a labour of love that rewards. With its 80s-soaked synths, guttural guitars and Faris Badwan’s unmistakable baritone vocals, Skying removes you from both time and place in a way that only the finest records can, firmly establishing The Horrors as one of Britain’s best bands.
Image and video used with permission...
An Interview with The Joy Formidable
Originally written for and printed in Zero Core magazine…
2011 has been The Joy Formidable’s year. Since the release of their debut album ‘The Big Roar’ in January Ritzy Bryan, Rhydian Dafydd and Matt Thomas have been touring relentlessly, accumulating an ever-increasing fanbase along the way. Returning fresh from an American tour, where they performed on Letterman and right before they head back again for shows supporting Foo Fighters, they’ll return to the UK. So are they excited about their homecoming shows?
“Absolutely. It will be our last UK tour this year and also our biggest shows to date, so it feels very special,” Rhydian explains. “We’re going to mix things up, play some tracks that people haven’t heard yet and do things differently – to keep both us and other people on their feet. The UK’s where it all started, so it just feels great to be back on home soil.”
But just what is it that makes the band so embraced abroad? “Every band’s different. I think that we had nice timing, it seems as though everything’s just progressed naturally,” he explains. “Not too much hype or anything like that, no setting ourselves up for any bullshit. It’s always just been loads of shows and things have all just seemed to fall into place.”
There might not have been ‘hype’ as such enveloping the band, yet the explosion of their presence at festivals and in the press is undeniable. Yet great record or not, the band’s incessant commitment to touring is one thing that surely increased their success. “I know there are lots of bands that are afraid to tour as much as we do,” he laughs. “But we love being on tour and the variety that being out on the road brings. We’ve done a lot of shows and that’s a big part of the fabric of the band. That will never stop.”
Amongst other accolades, the trio have also just been nominated for the Welsh Music Prize, yet remain unfazed about making the shortlist: “I don’t like getting too involved, but I think that what’s nice about it is that we’re a band from Mold in North Wales, and it would be nice if we could put that on the map a little bit. Somehow we always get tied into across the border, people think we’re fucking Scousers or something! But we have our own identity so I think it’s important that that gets recognised.”
“We’ve had a great year. We’re very proud of what we’ve done creatively with the album, that’s the core of it all for us really,” Rhydian elaborates, when queried on their highlights so far. “There’s been loads – our first Glastonbury, playing with Paul McCartney at the Millennium Stadium on our home turf and especially performing with the Manics.”
It’s certainly been an eventful year, but what’s next for The Joy Formidable? “We’re always writing – I think it’s important to document everything. We’re looking to put out an album next year, which we’re really excited to be sharing with people,” he continues. “We’ve also got loads of shows next year, it’s more of the same really! It’s a heavy schedule ahead, but happily so.”
Let’s hope 2012 is just as rewarding.
The Joy Formidable’s new EP ‘The Big More’ is out now via Atlantic Records.
Dananananaykroyd – KCLSU, London, 12/11/11
Originally written for and published on The Line Of Best Fit…
When Glasgow noise-botherers Dananananaykroyd announced in September that their latest tour would in fact be their very last, the news was met with a sigh of mournful surprise from their fans. With final record There Is A Way garnering universal critical appeal and an album support tour that saw the six-piece tighter than they’ve ever been, things certainly appeared to be looking bright.
Yet after five years together, tonight is Dananananaykroyd’s last ever show in the English capital and they’re in the sweaty club room of Kings College London’s Students Union which reeks of snakebite-fuelled nights and drunken dancing. It’s this party aspect of the venue that is particularly apt. Branding themselves as “party hardcore” all these years hasn’t been for nothing: Dananananaykroyd have cemented their reputation for chaotic and energetic live shows with an underlying sense of camaraderie and the pleasantries that undercut many of their contemporaries’ brutality and macho mayhem.
This togetherness presents itself in numerous ways. First there are the beginnings of ‘Pink Sabbath’, where dual vocalists Callum Gunn and John Bailey Junior make everyone on ground level sit and crouch down before summoning them to rise at the song’s climax. Initial crowd surfers are scolded and comically pushed off the stage to prevent the danger of hurting other audience members. Then there’s the inevitable wall of hugs, Dana’s take on metal’s own wall of death – an act that sees the band split the audience twice, creating a mass of sweaty smiles and entangled limbs.
With a set list that comprises both familiar and recent songs alike – featuring ‘Watch This!’, ‘Pink Sabbath’, ‘Infinity Milk’, ‘Some Dresses’ and ‘Chrome Rainbow’ – the band satisfy even the most hardcore fan. Newer tracks such as ‘E Numbers’ and ‘Muscle Memory’ gain as rapturous a reception as many of the band’s older and more popular material – reminders that they should have perhaps stuck around for longer.
Dananananaykroyd – E Numbers by WorkItMedia
At the heart of every Dananananaykroyd’s gig is fun: from Gunns’s be-cloaked Golem-esque introduction through to JBJ’s dancing on speakers and the whole band taking turns to burst into the crowd and share their drinks, the boys are clearly hell-bent on enjoying their final shows together. There’s yet another line-up change – new drummer Paul is here tonight – but if there’s any animosity behind the split, it’s not evident on-stage. The entire band are full of smiles with JBJ and Gunn displaying the same amount of gusto and energy as ever, their vocals alternately contrasting and blending in a deliciously cacophonic manner.
Before the band exit the stage, they all sit around the drum kit, one by one, intermittently sipping beers, and share a laugh, taking in their enraptured audience. From the unbarriered front row, and the masses behind them, through to the wall of people in the gallery above, Dananananaykroyd take a moment to soak up their surroundings and enamoured crowd for one of the last times before they gradually trickle off stage.
Their last post on their band website – the one that announced their split – finished with the words: “We’re going to convert all that sadness into a million joyous moments for these upcoming gigs!” On this promise they certainly delivered. The encore is one big sweaty send off, one that sees us embraced in yet another wall of hugs to fan favourites ‘The Greater Than Symbol And The Hash’ and the closing notes of ‘Black Wax’, and both the audience and the band wouldn’t have it any other way. R.I.P Dananananaykroyd, you’ll be missed.
Image sourced using Creative Commons...
Islet – The Lexington, London, 16/11/11
Originally written for and published on The Line Of Best Fit
After a brief pause in their recorded output of late, the glorious Islet are back on the road, showcasing an even wilder exaggeration of their frenzied, psychedelic compositions. The Cardiff four-piece are a band notorious for their luxuriant, frenetic live performances as they are for their more reclusive ways of dealing with press and all social media matters. Yet while their recordings remain wonderfully shambolic and, until very recently, wholly self-recorded, there is nothing remotely scruffy about their production – it’s controlled chaos that outpours most visibly in their performances.
The lore and magic that encompasses an Islet live show is its necessity for audience interaction – willing or unsuspecting – throughout. Tonight they begin with a sequence of handheld chiming bells in and amongst the crowd, barely audible at first until their movement alerts the room to their presence. One by one Emma, Mark, John Thomas and Alex take to the stage and assemble with their chosen instruments – for now at least.
Mark commences the set with an intense ensemble of vocodered vocals, eerily singing the words “You are a Romeo” in his deep bass voice. Next Emma kneels on the floor, as Alex switches to bass, and Mark chants, “Shadows cover my face.” There’s dual drumming on display from the very start, another of Islet’s much-loved trademarks. As the first song ends, Emma pulls the crowd forward, closing up the gap between members and audience, something that allows their full intensity to permeate The Lexington’s surroundings, particularly as they begin a loud, bluesy track, complete with frenetic guitars and an organ ending that shows off just how versatile and varied they are. With a lack of space between songs, each new track swims into the next and blurs any semblance of defined genre, beginnings or endings. It’s to Islet’s credit that the audience are as responsive to their new material as they are to their older, more familiar songs.
ISLET // This Fortune by TheArtOf…
After this series of unheard tracks from the band’s long-awaited debut album Illuminated People comes ‘This Fortune’, the latest song to be debuted by the band. Its opening drumming intensifies the audience’s rapture as their ears pick out the first faint waves of familiarity as ‘This Fortune’ incorporates Islet’s characteristic primal chants and schizophrenic drumming with renewed cohesion. A track that sees bassist Emma take over the majority of the vocals, from soft alto verses through to swelling, soaring soprano choruses, this particular song sees her very much becomes the front woman, as her moves, and assured vocals cement the band’s own faith in their new material.
Older track ‘Horses And Dogz’ comes next, its thunderous bass line the catalyst for the chaotic movements unfolding on stage. Here Islet very much reinvent themselves as their older incarnation, a result, perhaps of their comfortable familiarity with the songs and it’s in these that they really come alive. Mark begins to clamber all over the speakers and proceeds to poke the front row his his drum sticks: Alex starts to bash his drums sticks against the amps above him. The drumming erupts, before Emma takes over the kit from JT for the remainder of the show, rather than their hitherto practice of switching endlessly between songs, another trick that shows their set’s growth and renewed structure, without compromising any of the excitement.
After their first and only pause, 45-minutes into their set – where Islet talk with warmth and humour and genuinely remark “What are you all doing here when Frozen Planet’s on TV?” – the band recommence with the doom-laden introduction of Wimmy opener ‘Dust Of Ages’. The off-kilter vocals and cacophonous harmonies collide with prolonged organ notes and the reappearance of those initial chimes, bringing a change of pace and dynamics to tonight’s set list. Penultimate song, and live favourite ‘Iris’, contains a unusually prolonged introduction, complete with two tambourines and jarring guitar notes, and the song gets more and more manic as it progresses until ultimately the four of them stand up and scream in their audience’s faces. The band end their tremendous hour-long set with another new song that they introduce as ‘The Bear’, its plodding keys intro suiting its title. With its two opposing keyboards, initial lack of guitars and frantic instrument swapping, this final song encapsulates all of Islet’s eccentricities, energy and oddness into one.
Islet are a band about the break into more widespread public consciousness, on the very cusp of even brighter things to come. Despite the musical intricacies and intense attention to detail in their entire performance, throughout the set you can see them laughing, and genuinely having fun while they’re at it, particularly as Mark ends his set appearance by diving face-first into the audience and crawling on the floor bare-backed. It’s always exciting to see one of your favourite bands play unheard songs before the record is released, and even more so when those songs prove to be absolutely phenomenal. And as the band’s first exposure of new material, the tracks showcased from Illuminated People tonight whets your appetite for that long-awaited debut full-length even more, while simultaneously showcasing themselves as not only one of the UK’s very best live acts, but one of the UK’s best underrated bands.
DIY Tracks: Niki & The Dove – ‘Mother Protect’ (Goldroom Remix)
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
Niki & The Dove have had an incredible year, one that’s been complete with high-demand shows and two stunning EPs. Now Goldroom, aka Binary’s Josh Legg, has reworked ‘Mother Protect’, the Swedish duo’s most euphoric track to date. While Malin Dahlstrom’s soaring vocals remain largely untouched, the tribal tremor of the original is transformed and extended into a seven-minute floor-filler. Alongside heavily placed piano lines and its disco-based, beat driven direction, ‘Mother Protect’s multi-faceted sonic alteration fuses 80s-electronica with clattering cowbells and fantastical fairy-tale lyrics, which all coexist to create this thoroughly elating take on a song that’s already dazzling in its own right.
See and hear the rest of This Is Fake DIY’s Tracks picks for 18/11/2011 here…
DIY Tracks: Islet – ‘This Fortune’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
With their recent expansion into a five-piece, Cardiff’s Islet are back, showcasing an even wilder exemplification of their frenzied, psychedelic compositions along the way. A track that sees bassist Emma Daman take over the majority of the vocals – from soft alto verses through to swelling, soaring soprano choruses – ‘This Fortune’ incorporates Islet’s characteristic primal chants and schizophrenic drumming with renewed cohesion. As the band’s first release in a year, ‘This Fortune’ will whets your appetite for that long-awaited debut full-length even more, while simultaneously cementing themselves as not only one of the UK’s very best live acts, but one of the UK’s best underrated bands full stop.
See and hear the rest of This Is Fake DIY’s Tracks picks for 11/11/2011 here…
DIY Tracks: David Lynch feat. Karen O – ‘Pinky’s Dream’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
After 2010’s collaborative ‘Dark Night Of The Soul’ with Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse, film auteur David Lynch is poised to release his debut solo full-length ‘Crazy Clown Time’. This is not the first time that Karen O has contributed to celluloid sounds, as her varied soundtrack for Where The Wild Things Are proves, yet ‘Pinky’s Dream’ showcases the Yeah Yeah Yeahs front woman’s wild transitions from yelping and whispering to soaring soprano to perfection. A song where the filmic truly collides with melody, ‘Pinky’s Dream’ welds synth-led menace and driven drum beats to accumulate in a manic noir nightmare that only Lynch can conjure.
See and hear the rest of This Is Fake DIY’s Tracks picks for 04/11/2011 here…
DIY Tracks: Johnny Foreigner – ‘(Don’t) Show Us Ur Fangs’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
“We’ve been wasted lately.” And so begins the opening sentiments of ‘(Don’t) Show Us Ur Fangs’, the first single from Johnny Foreigner’s forthcoming album ‘Johnny Foreigner Vs Everything.’ Yet far from being the whirlwind, punch-drunk flurry of growling guitars and stylised shouting that we’ve come to expect from the Birmingham three-piece, the guitar lines are more delicate and less visceral, the pace slower without losing its kinetic pulse. The characteristic girl/boy vocal harmonies of Alexei Berrow and Kelly Southern still remain, alongside the driving beats of Junior Elvis Washington Laidley, while the inclusion of softly-used glockenspiels and the ever-personal lyrics make this one of their very best songs to date.
See and hear the rest of This Is Fake DIY’s Tracks picks for 04/11/2011 here…
H. Hawkline – ‘The Strange Uses Of Ox Gall’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
The first time I listened to H. Hawkline was upon discovering his debut album around this time last year. As its warm title suggests, ‘A Cup Of Salt’ invited me into Huw Evans’ solitary musical world, a psychedelic insight into the alliance between Evans and his acoustic guitar, often interplayed against samples, looped electric organs and occasional flutters of full-blown choirs.
A year later – and typical of Cardiff’s multifaceted music scene – Evans is now a core member of fellow Welsh band Islet, and has also expanded his own moniker of H. Hawkline to encompass a full-band set up, featuring the likes of Sweet Baboo and the beautifully-voiced Cate Le Bon. It is in this extension and more electric sound that listeners can uncover the biggest changes within H. Hawkline’s second album, ‘The Strange Uses Of Ox Gall’, a cryptically titled record that gives way to the even eerier eccentricities it contains within.
While ‘A Cup Of Salt’ began with a frankly terrifying introduction of an old woman singing high-pitched and croakily, followed by a frenzy of chiming bells and cackled wailing, so does ‘…Ox Gall’ continue this trend by opening with the sounds of a creaking gate and child laughing on ‘Cofio’, sounds which are again reprised on central track ‘Giât’ and at the very end of the album. This use of everyday sounds is nothing new: indeed H. Hawkline’s recordings have always encompassed a natural sense of recording. Where older songs captured these glimpses into the ordinary with the sounds of footsteps and slamming doors, on ‘…Ox Gall’ this is demonstrated most effectively by samples of children counting and singing on closing track ‘It Takes A Lot Of Gall To Make Ink’, as well as intermittent bursts of laughter throughout. It is in this immense attention to detail that much of the album’s charm lies, and is one of the defining characteristics that ties H. Hawkline’s two very different records together.
The second transformation is the accumulation of more structured vocals and lyrics. While Evans’ debut focuses principally on acoustic-led guitar melodies, awash with organ lines and smatterings of rumbling bass lines, it was almost completely instrumental. It is in this vocal addition that even more personality can be discovered on ‘…Ox Gall’, principally through Evans’ whimsical portraits of love through his lyrics: “You say you love me but you don’t love yourself/ So how can you say you love anyone else” and “You’re like the leaves that are left in my cup, you tell me nothing,” on ‘You Say You Love Me.’ These lyrics and vocals are as much a part of the songs as the guitar parts – a far cry from his prior solo incarnation – and add depth and structure to his songs. Indeed ‘My Dreams’ could almost be a Beatles track, with its jovial group harmonies and gradual slow pace, whereas the repetition of “Time can fly, let sleeping dogs lie,” during ‘Two Ghosts At Sea’ showcases one of the album’s more conventional moments, and ‘Surf Pond’ adds colour and distinction with the inclusion of Evans’ falsetto vocals.
The beauty of H. Hawkline is Evans’ ability to sidestep any expectations of the direction in which his music will go. Each track mutates throughout, even though each song structure in centred round a single repetitive melody. Yet this repetition is far from monotonous. Take ‘Funny Bones’, one of the album’s defining tracks. Beginning with a soft duet with Le Bon, layered over electric guitar melodies and erratic piano notes, ‘Funny Bones’ completely transforms after a pause, throwing the song into waves of 70s psychedelic prog rock that makes it sounds like a completely altered song altogether. Then there’s ‘Mind How You Go’, which evokes more than a fleeting resemblance to electric-era Dylan, particularly with its accompanying accordion lines and waves of guitar feedback. It is this ability to simultaneously incite repetition with contrast and unpredictability that comes to epitomise the entirety of Evans’ music, and his marriage of different musical styles, paces and psychedelic touches are what makes H. Hawkline such an exciting prospect.
Although the staggering amount of repetition throughout ‘…Ox Gall’ may grow wearisome for some – particularly during moments such as ‘Big Red’, which encompasses two minutes of shouting “Burn your hands off/ Burn your feet off” – yet for those prepared to delve deeper and grant the album renewed listens there’s much rewarding material to be uncovered. Indeed Evans’ popularity is certainly growing, as demonstrated most clearly by the long queues snaking outside his venue during this month’s Swn festival. Hopefully with the new addition of his full band – both on record and during his live shows – as well as the recent sense of expansive direction for his music, H. Hawkline is a musical entity that is set to go even further, hopefully cementing Evans’ name and talent outside his native Welsh surroundings along the way.
All photographs sourced using Creative Commons...
DIY Tracks: Olympians – ‘Wake Up Old’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
Freshly signed to Barely Regal Records, Olympians’ first release through the Cardiff-based label is the wonderful ‘Wake Up Old’. After a reversed move that saw the band slowly trickle their single’s remixes before the original’s release, ‘Wake Up Old’ showcases the Norwich four-piece’s characteristic guitar-pop along with a sense of immense evolution in their song writing and instrumentation. Smatterings of brass and tinkles of glockenspiels are set against syncopated rhythms and vocal harmonies, while its slow, woozy pace and the uplifting inclusion of keys and glocks combine to make it the perfect track for easing yourself into the gloomy winter months.
See and hear the rest of This Is Fake DIY’s Tracks for 28/10/2011 here and check out Olympian’s ace video for ‘Wake Up Old’ here…
DIY Tracks: Polinski – ‘Tangents’
Originally written and published on This Is Fake DIY…
Polinski is purely Paul Wolinski – one quarter of 65daysofstatic – and ‘Tangents’ is the first song to be disclosed from his debut album ‘Labyrinths’. Although a continuing core member of 65, and fresh from their ‘Silent Running’ soundtrack performances, Polinski is a means for Wolinski to unleash his own sci-fi fuelled visions and commit them to sound. Armed with his laptop, ‘Tangents’ begins with piano-led melodies that recall ‘Radio Protector’-era 65, before seamlessly mutating into something altogether different. Electronic, yet inventive ‘Tangents’ is distorted dance music: a guise that sees its central character lose that postrock tag once and for all.
See and hear the rest of This Is Fake DIY’s Tracks for 07/10/2011 here…
Photograph by Sebastien Dehesdin...
DIY Tracks: Esben & The Witch – ‘Hexagons II (The Flight)’
Originally written for and published on This Is Fake DIY…
Not content with starting 2011 with one the year’s most hauntingly beautiful debuts, Esben & The Witch are set to return with their new EP ‘Hexagons’ on November 7. ‘Hexagons II (The Flight)’ is the first track to be debuted, introducing a more pulsing edge, filled with electronic drumbeats and a minimal use of guitars. From Rachel Davies’ breathy beginnings, through to her double-tracked, soaring chorus, ‘Hexagon II’ transforms throughout and encompasses everything that you’d expect – eerie lyrics, chiming bells and atmospheric electronica – yet with an evident sense of evolution, all whilst successfully retaining their penchant for the magical and magnificent.
See and hear the rest of This Is Fake DIY’s Tracks for 07/10/2011 here…
