You have the briefcase

Frightened Rabbit interview - Bold bunnies in spotlight, not headlights

2009-06-05T11:22:00.007+01:00

This is an interview from The Herald I did with Frightened Rabbit that appeared in the paper on December 20, 2007. Since I couldn't find it anywhere online as I prepared to preview them for STV's RockNess coverage this year (expect some more articles up there soon), I thought I'd put it onto this here blog. They're doing pretty well now, for which I of course claim full credit... Though strangely I've not seen any royalty cheques yet. Enjoy!

They are a hotly tipped act for 2008 who thrive on the crackling electricity of their live performances, and who trade in delicately charged alt-indie

music laced with emotion. With that in mind, it makes much more sense for the Borders-based Frightened Rabbit to release a song attempting to sum up those intrinsic festival season sentiments than it does for your usual flash-in-the-pan novelty act.

While their song - It's Christmas So We'll Stop - isn't exactly aimed at taking the band to the top spot of the pop charts (that position seems permanently rented out to The X Factor nowadays anyway) the low-key 7" single that came out on Monday does reflect one of the real reasons behind celebrating the annual occasion on which you used to think Santa Claus was coming to town.

"It's about just accepting the things you would usually complain about; pausing for Christmas," explains singer and guitarist Scott Hutchison. "It can be as simple as just making up with people. On Christmas Day it's easier to get along. It's a nice thing, and kind of essential."

Referring to the band's home town of Selkirk, he adds: "Where most of the song comes from is the fact that on Christmas Eve everyone goes up to this one pub at about eight o'clock, and you find people that well, perhaps you hate them, but it's all good. What have you been up to?' Well, I'm in a band.' It's fine, but it's not like on Boxing Day you're going to phone them up."

The three-piece - who signed to the respected Brighton-based record label FatCat earlier this year - had been debating whether to release the song now at all or hold it back for inclusion on their impending second album The Midnight Organ Flight, which has already been completed and is due for release early next year. Eventually, they decided it marked a nice stepping stone between their new effort and their debut album Sings the Greys.

Originally put out by the band themselves, It's Christmas So We'll Stop was re-released on FatCat last month with some supplementary recording and mastering. Sings the Greys has also just been re-released, which has put the band in the slightly strange situation of working on the new material in New York with Interpol/Mercury Rev producer Peter Katis, then returning home to promote a debut that originally saw the light of day in May 2006.

Drummer Grant Hutchison, Scott's brother, admits: "It was very odd because we went out to record and get into the second-album mindset, and then we come back and all they're talking about is the first album, which is slowly creeping into people's heads."

But, as Scott explains, it was important that the songs on Sings the Greys didn't just disappear. "I always feel like those songs are the mainstay of our live set," he says, "and for them to just get lost - as might have happened that would have been a shame, if we couldn't have played those and have the audience know them."

"It would have been frustrating as well, knowing how good those songs are," adds Grant.

It's been a fast-paced couple of years for Frightened Rabbit. They've transformed from a teeny-weeny local band doing everything off their own backs into a fully fledged touring act, signed to an internationally renowned label, who just this month were on the road as main support for popular indie-rock upstarts We Are Scientists. The band started out with Scott performing solo as support for his friends, the skewed dance-punk collective Shitdisco - who have seen a similar rise in fortunes during 2007. He roped in Grant as he realised gig-goers would be in an upbeat frame of mind for the main act, and then guitarist Billy Kennedy to fill out the sound - and because "he was coming to all the gigs anyway, so we thought he may as well not have to pay."

It was the anarchic intensity of the trio's shows that soon gained them fans by word of mouth, although - as anybody who has heard their debut will attest - Frightened Rabbit are an equally intriguing recorded proposition, with subtleties and intricate layering waiting to be discovered within the mix.

The band are keen to make the most of the separate advantages offered by each medium of making music. Scott explains: "I definitely see the two things playing live and recording in the studio as completely different. It seems pointless to have these two spheres that are completely different, and not use them in separate ways."

Grant adds: "When we first went to America to record the new album, one of the first things the producer asked us was, Do you want to make this album as a three-piece?' And we said, We want to include everything. We want to make this the best album we possibly can.'"

After the successful endeavours of the past year, the band are eagerly anticipating their last show of the year tonight - not least because it will give them a chance to catch up with old acquaintances and new friends alike.

Their label has decided to throw A FatCat Christmas at the Arches in Glasgow, in celebration of the considerable Scottish contingent on their roster. Frightened Rabbit will be joined by another top tip for 2008, The Twilight Sad (the two bands actually performed together in Glasgow last Christmas at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut), as well as the acclaimed Edinburgh-based folk singer Vashti Bunyan, for what promises to be a night of some magnificence.

"We've done a lot of touring in the second half of the year," Grant says, "and a lot of our gigs haven't been in Glasgow, so that's going to be one of the biggest things - seeing a lot of our social group we won't have seen in so long."

Tonight will give them a chance to relax with friends before, in a few days' time, they meet up with those they see so rarely at their local pub and - however briefly - pause for Christmas.

It's just as well they're allowed a moment to absorb everything that's happened in their career thus far. Next year promises to be one on fast forward for Frightened Rabbit.

Observe and Report the rapid rise and fall of anti-comedy

2009-05-05T11:32:00.003+01:00

Can you call something a comedy when it doesn't seem primarily intended to be funny?

Observe and Report is the latest effort from director and writer Jody Hill, who has previously turned his hand to the recent successful HBO series Eastbound & Down - in which protagonist Kenny “You're fucking out, I'm fucking in” Powers went about as low as you can go in the conventional comedy format - and slow-gestating cult feature The Foot Fist Way, which also starred Danny McBride, this time as a horrifically socially inept karate sensei.

Like both of those, the main character in Observe and Report is hard to empathise with, and you'd be more likely to find yourself identifying with Michael Jackson (well, pre-Black Or White anyway) than Seth Rogen's loathsome and lecherous misfit Ronnie Barnhardt.

The boundary-pushing blitz of bad taste ‘gags’ seem to escort to its logical conclusion the gutterward path of cringe comedy, which has boomed since The Office and its numerous versions found itself an ardent worldwide audience, though in the US it seems to have also melded with the earlier, more purile-minded work of the Farrelly Brothers.

Now we're given comic archetypes whose character arcs propel them instead towards tragedy - as would most likely be the case in real life - when before the bizarre characters and scenarios would have been presented with a more optimistic hue. It's a twist playing on your expectations of the genre, which is where the humour is supposed to be found.

(Forest Gump as played by Seth Rogen would most likely have caught a venereal disease courtesy of a catastrophic misunderstanding involving a couple of prostitutes, become an unwitting drug smuggler for Pablo Escobar, before running into the path of a locomotive long before he got the chance to use any similes involving some Milk Tray.)

However, doesn't that level of self-knowingness mean that it's going to be too self-referential for mainstream audiences to digest, requiring a deeper understanding than most are likely to want to invest if they’re just looking for some light-hearted chuckles?

They're unlikely to go along to a comedy to have their preconceptions challenged, and they may already have certain expectations from a Rogen vehicle that are sure to be shattered with Observe and Report. (Well, apart from the fucking cuss words.)

Given that it's been trounced in the box office by the similarly themed but decidedly more audience-friendly (and more dunder-headed) Paul Blart: Mall Cop, movies like Observe and Report are likely to be limited to smaller audiences in future, though they’ll still be a welcome addition in terms of offsetting the more nauseating studio blockbusters which merely challenge the boundaries of good taste through their sheer awfulness.

And anyway, it’s perhaps just as well, even as a fully grown adult I still shudder at the time I tried to sit through Bad Santa with the parents last Christmas...

Critic's choice - July 17

2008-07-17T20:05:00.000+01:00

The Butthole Surfers
Sun, 7pm, ABC, 300 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, £16, 0870 4000 818

Though they may join the likes of The Pixies and My Bloody Valentine on the list of influential indie icons making a comeback with their legendary line-ups, the Butthole Surfers still seem a band built for the underground rather than larger stages such as the ABC. But it's their anarchic streak which makes the Texas-based alt-rock sonic terrorists still so intriguing, and which should ensure your devoted attendance on the most holy of weekdays - even if most of the sludgy sounds bound to assault your ears are likely to be anything but godly.

(Appeared in The Herald on July 17, 2008)

T in the Park 2008 review

2008-07-14T17:59:00.001+01:00

Friday
Los Campesinos provided an ideal start to the weekend, with a perky, motivational brand of indie that seemed designed to get people into the right mood. But even they were a timid beast compared to Alphabeat who followed in King Tut's Wah Wah Tent, their unashamed pop stylings gloriously received by a crowd obviously craving a bit of camp.

The Radio 1/NME stage headliners The Chemical Brothers provided the sort of euphoria probably more suited to a final night. The ascendant guitar riff of Leave Home was just part of a frankly fearsome onslaught comprised of electronic beats and neuron-shredding noises.

Saturday
The disposition of Eddy Grant was so sunny that it managed to transcend the cloudy conditions overhead. Grant's reliably reggae-tinged rendition of Baby Come Back found the lunchtime Saturday crowd in their usual resplendent form. By contrast, Gun looked a little wary as they followed on the main stage. Recently reformed, their early-90s pomp rock seemed out of place and out of time, though their spirited cover of Cameo's Word Up is always guaranteed to get things going. In contrast, The Stranglers were living proof that classic songs breed longevity. King Tut's Wah Wah Tent was so full for their set that it proved impossible to get in for their glorious rendition of Golden Brown.

Even without their toplessness Biffy Clyro would have stunned onlookers on the main stage; it was a record-breaking eighth appearance for the Ayrshire band who should have even brighter days to look forward to if the rock-sodden, fist-punching finale of set standout 57 was anything to go by.

Erol Alkan provided an upbeat soundtrack in the Slam Tent, but main stage headliners Rage Against the Machine didn't so much crush the competition as sit astride them like giant rap-rock goliaths, reminding everyone of what they have been missing these past few years. Know Your Enemy and Vietnow were incendiary enough that the onslaughts should have been preceded by a safety warning. The highlight was the brilliant chaos of Killing In The Name. Vicious though it may be, it was a perfectly cathartic way to celebrate the festival's fifteenth anniversary.

Sunday
Sunday opened to some welcome glimpses of sunshine. Sadly, though perhaps with good reason, Bowling For Soup provided a shocking, painful hangover cure for the unfortunately unwary who sidled up to the main stage early on.

The US band's luridly juvenile pop-punk at least provided a nice contrast to the more welcome spasmodic metal lurchings of Mindless Self Indulgence, who created some entertaining moments of sheer unpredictability over at the Radio 1/NME stage.

A particular highlight came when the appropriately named Jimmy Urine batted away a thrown-on plastic pint cup of dubious contents. What better way to get things going early on a Sunday afternoon at T in the Park?

A euphoric presence manifests itself to a grateful audience in the form of British Sea Power, whose anthemic No Lucifer provides a suitably seismic explosion of epic indie-rock. After that the Slam Tent takes centre stage, where Miss Kittin and The Hacker initially dazzle with a live rendition of accessible techno-pop before the mighty Justice floored onlookers with an opening gambit of Genesis and Phantom (Part One). That Pendulum were on at the same time (in the Wah Wah Tent) was a pleasure almost too much to bear.

On, then, to the Relentess Stage, for two acts destined for much bigger things in the future. Holy F*** were simply a revelation, their organic take on electronic music building to such a crescendo that it's almost insulting to see it staged in such cosy environs. And The Presets, despite some technical hiccups, were a suitably exceptional end to the festivities, My People and I Go Hard, I Go Home proving particularly joyous.

Critic's choice - July 10

2008-07-10T09:57:00.000+01:00

Red Sparowes

Thu, 7.30pm, Stereo, 20-28 Renfield Lane, Glasgow, £7, 0141 222 2254

Not so much a gig as the chance to experience first-hand a stunning, mind-altering sonic soundscape, Red Sparowes are not the sort of proposition you should use to aid a descent into some messy midweek binge drinking. They hail from Los Angeles, but you wouldn't know it from the swirling, gloomy post-rock they manage to parade on an epic scale, almost unimaginably grand given that the band are merely a superbly dextrous four-piece rather than a hundred-strong rock orchestra.

(Appeared in The Herald on July 10, 2008)

Critic's choice - July 3

2008-07-03T11:41:00.000+01:00

My Bloody Valentine

Thu, 7pm, Barrowland, 244 Gallowgate, Glasgow, £22.50, 0870 220 1116

With some returns popping up you might be able to see one of My Bloody Valentine's comeback shows. If so, you'll catch the band who gave birth to shoegaze and whose influence can be felt years after the release of their last album, 1991's Loveless.

Forsaking the melodies that made their recorded work so enthralling, Kevin Shields's crew left fans clutching their grateful ears at the end of shows by employing deafening noise levels. Bring the ear plugs.

(Appeared in The Herald on July 3, 2008)

Critic's choice - June 26

2008-06-26T11:17:00.001+01:00

Hey You Get Off My Pavement
Sun, noon, King's Court, Glasgow, £18.50, 0141 552 9458

Bored of those immersive long-haul festival treks? Here's a handy solution, with Hey You Get Off My Pavement taking over King's Court in Glasgow's Merchant City to deliver a delightful selection of slightly off-kilter acts to either enthral or enchant. There's worthy local headliners in the shape of indie-tweesters Camera Obscura. Also included in the day's proceedings is the driving folk-indie scuz of Foxface, the precisely intricate pop machinations of School of Language and the twisted rhythms of Felix Kubin. It'll be like a grown-up village fete with better music and more beer, though without as many flower stands. More's the pity.

(Appeared in The Herald on June 26, 2008)

Critic's choice - June 19

2008-06-19T12:41:00.000+01:00

Goose

Thu, 7pm, Classic Grand, 18 Jamaica St, Glasgow, £6 (£7 on the door), 0141 847 0504

While retaining their usual low profile, the Belgians are becoming increasingly adept at delivering finely honed synth-rock acts to the grateful wider world - bands with the ability to fuse dance-inspired electronic beats and distorted instrumentation together, with surprising success. Slowly building up a fanbase since the release of debut album Bring It On through scintillating live shows, the quartet delve into the same sort of slick genre side-stepping as fellow countrymen Soulwax. As a pre-festival warm-up performance, tonight should be good both for Goose and for a gander.

(Appeared in The Herald on June 19, 2008)

Critic's choice - June 12

2008-06-12T13:24:00.000+01:00

Errors

Fri June 13, 8pm, Stereo, 20-28 Renfield Lane, Glasgow, £5, 0141 222 2254

Residing on Mogwai's superb Rock Action Records, Glasgow electro-indie mob Errors have just this month unveiled debut album It's Not Something but It Is Like Whatever, and what better way to celebrate than by playing a launch show right in the heart of their home town? It's an intriguingly intricate and complex work, subtly utilising synths while twisting them instrumentally into the sort of melodies that would do their label-owners proud. There's a very real chance that this could be a breakout year for the band, and deservedly so.

(Appeared in The Herald on June 12, 2008)

Rock Ness review

2008-06-10T12:17:00.001+01:00

Rock Ness, Dores, near Inverness
4/5

Despite unheralded rain, Friday night turned into such a party - with an amazing ceilidh performance in the Wrong Ness tent - that Saturday already had a hangover vibe about it. A disappointingly dreary set by Hercules and the Love Affair didn't help (their initially intriguing retro-80s disco let down by lackadaisical execution), and electro duo Digitalism's biggest hit, Pogo, was curtailed after they appeared to have run over time.

It was Soulwax that turned things around, their remixes of Justice and Daft Punk pulled off with aplomb, and a tangible electricity sparking up their set. Two of them also perform as 2 Many DJs, playing a variety of crowd-pleasing anthems. Felix Da Housecat also provided some visceral thrills, with Mr Oizo's Flat Beat received with satisfaction by the Fat Sam's tent attendees. It's a nice contrast to the flaccid flailings of Fatboy Slim, whose set lacked any real sense of vitality.

Sunday provided the strongest music, with sunburn-inducing conditions to boot. If Red Light Company were acceptable indie festival fodder and pop-rockers Team Water Polo irritating even before some ill-advised white-boy rapping, Does It Offend You Yeah? were exactly what was required, in-vogue nu-rave done extraordinarily well. Brattish, but in a vital way, they provided some great dance music mixed with the almost-Rage Against The Machine metal breakdown of With A Heavy Heart (I Regret To Inform You).

An impressively robust performance from Simian Mobile Disco followed and there was an equally deft set in the same tent by Roisin Murphy, whose sultry left-field pop leanings must have captured many hearts besides mine.

Possibly the best set of the weekend was in the Skins arena by Boyz Noize, unveiling the dirtiest techno tunes with an intelligently designed, crushing mix set, and after a brief interlude with Annie Mac, Underworld entranced with the perennial Born Slippy, a suitably sunny climax to a weekend blessed with fine weather and some fine music.

Sunshine, glorious sunshine

2008-06-07T19:17:00.001+01:00

So into the midst of the Saturday we are, and it's been far more fun than should be allowed, thanks in large part to the weather. We'll see how it holds up tomorrow, when the forecast was oh so much bleaker...

The music's been a bit so-so, things kicking into life as we speak with Digitalism at the Soulwax tent, bringing some much-needed energy and vitality to proceedings.

That particular part of the site seems to be the place to reside at afterwards, with Soulwax and 2 Many DJs to follow after. Perhaps a short trip to see Digitalism within the confines of the Myspace bus at 10, seems like something that should not be missed it I can wheedle my way on, especially given their performance. Actually, maybe best to go properly experience the rest of the show...

Rock Ness - the first day...

2008-06-07T18:05:00.000+01:00

As starts to the Scottish festival season go, Rock Ness has already got off to a splendid start, so much so that last night felt more like the event's finale that the mere Friday night prelude.

Some unexpected rain didn't dampen proceedings too much - see what I did there? - with various tents at the main site open into the early hours. The highlight was an amazing ceilidh set, which led to a rather wonderful combination of dancing fiends jumping along and the more bold attempting some proper Highland flings. Engagement with the former crowd led me to believe I'd sprained my foot in an act of foolish impetusousness, but - no! - my dancing days here are far from numbered. Much as some attendees might wish they were... Oh, and a special mention to the biggest conga line I've seen in my stupid little life, twisting inside the tent until I felt compelled to join in, if only I hadn't a drink in my hand. Forsooth!

But yes, here I am, and the weekend's just about to begin...

Critic's choice - June 5

2008-06-05T11:36:00.001+01:00

Rock Ness
Rock Ness Sat-Sun, from noon, Dores, near Inverness, £50-£115, www.ticketline.co.uk

With the recent resplendent weather we can welcome the Scottish festival circuit back with open arms. Rock Ness returns at one of the most scenic locations imaginable, on the banks of the Highland-based body of water that may just harbour a big timorous beastie. Though headliners Fatboy Slim and Razorlight may not match the jaw-dropping might of Daft Punk last year, there's more than enough talent around to demand your attendance. Make sure to catch electrifying dance-punk duo Digitalism, incendiary party-starters Simian Mobile Disco and sultry disco-pop goddess Roisin Murphy.

(Appeared in The Herald on June 5, 2008)

Critic's choice - May 29

2008-05-29T11:20:00.002+01:00

Sauchiehall Crawl
Sunday, 7pm, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, £15, 0870 4000 818

Much like London's infamous Camden Crawl, this inaugural event sees acts performing at various venues on Sauchiehall Street, 10 Scottish acts in total taking to the stages of the Beat Club, Nice and Sleazy and ABC2. All the bands are worthy of your attention, though you should particularly be present for the electro-experimental stylings of Galchen, hotly tipped indie troupe Make Model, above, and brooding headliners the Twilight Sad, who should prove reliably sweeping as they gear up to release superb new EP Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did on June 9. Hopefully, this is one crawl set to run and run.

(Appeared in The Herald on May 29, 2008)

Critic's choice - May 22

2008-05-22T12:43:00.003+01:00

The Hazey Janes
Tonight, 7.30pm, Oran Mor, Glasgow, £5, 0141 357 6200; tomorrow, 7pm, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, £6, 0131 220 6176

Looking for some power-pop to perk you up before the weekend's debauchery? Look no further than the Hazey Janes, whose laid-back summertime vibe should really see them hailing from across the Atlantic, rather than the slightly less sunny climes of Dundee.

So it makes perfect sense that they decamped to New Jersey to record forthcoming album Hands Around the City, teaming up with Sonic Youth producer John Agnello. Their single New York - which was released on Monday - merrily blazes along with such momentum that I can only hope their amiable attempts to lay claim to a place in your record collection succeed with similar swiftness of pace.

(Appeared in The Herald on May 22, 2008)

Connect news

2008-05-21T13:02:00.003+01:00

I'll dispense with the witty headline and introduction, and just paste the press release instead, like a good little boy. But yes, Joan As Policewoman, should be good, very good, and a special hurray for Optimo and Soma being there, makes things look all the more promising:

The latest addition of audio delights have been confirmed today (Wednesday 21^st May) for the Hydro Connect Festival which will take place at Inveraray Castle from 29^th – 31^st August.

The Young Knives, Black Lips, Joan as Police Woman and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks have all been added to the festival line up and promise to add their very own twist to the proceedings. Up and coming festival favourites’ The Young Knives will add flavours of indie punk rock to the festival’s musical melting pot, shaking up the waters of Loch Fyne in the process! Joining them will be Brooklyn three piece Joan as Police Woman with front woman Joan Wasser’s mystical, soulful sound and poetic libretto set to provide festival goers with a chance to get lost in a breathtaking set and amidst heather clad hills.

The addition of Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and Black Lips will be a rare delight for music fans with Black Lips being renowned for their phenomenal live shows and many festival goers being familiar with Stephen Malkmus from his days in cult band Pavement.

Additionally, DJ’s from Soma and Optimo have been confirmed as curators for The Unknown Pleasures tent and will be booking some of the hottest electronic talent around as well as programming in performances from top club nights Vegas! and Club Noir. It’s safe to say the lineup will be second to none!

There will also be a plethora of alternative entertainment available throughout the festival weekend including activity from Red Bull, Kopparberg and Havana Club.

Deep in the heart of the forest, Red Bull will be throwing a party that forgets it's 2008. Leave the shackles of the 20th century behind and lose yourself with a hearty slice of music, dancing, drinking and merry making, keep it quiet though, this is an experience that is for you to discover! But before you embark on your journey, remember the forest can be a dangerous place, so beware of highway men...stand and deliver!

Kopparberg will be providing music fans with the ‘One Big Tree’ chill-out experience under the amazing natural canopy of the ‘Kopparberg Tree’ which is situated in the Grand pavilion tent. With live DJ’s playing throughout the day and into the night, revelers can relax and enjoy an ice-cold Kopparberg in the ultimate fairytale atmosphere of this sumptuous area.

FULL LINE UP SO FAR:

Franz Ferdinand, Kasabian, Bloc Party, Paolo Nutini, Sigur Ros, Manic Street Preachers, Goldfrapp, Amy MacDonald, Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Grinderman, Duffy, The Gutter Twins, Elbow, Gossip, Spiritualized, Mercury Rev, The Coral (acoustic), The Roots, The Breeders, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Levellers, Asobi Seksu, Foy Vance, Howling Bells, Camera Obscura, Sia, Beardyman, Gomez, Joan As Police Woman, Black Lips, The Young Knives.

Tickets for Hydro Connect 2008 are on sale now. Weekend tickets are priced £120 and weekend tickets with camping are £140. To buy, log onto www.connectmusicfestival.com or call Ticketmaster on 08444 999 990. Bespoke camping packages and travel are also available from the website or by calling Ticketmaster.

Critic's choice - May 15

2008-05-15T14:07:00.003+01:00

Jens Lekman
Thu, 7pm, Oran Mor, Byres Road, Glasgow, £10, 0141 357 6200

There's a lushness in suave Swedish singer Jens Lekman's songs that means they greet you like a big warm fuzzy hug from a friend, so if you need your mood lifted before the weekend begins, there's no better place to be tonight than Oran Mor. Lekman's rich, sensitive croon nestles among the layers of ornate orchestration that help sweep you off your feet, placing you firmly within his beguiling flights of fancy. In an alternate, far better reality he'd be charming us all from atop the charts, so take your chance to see him in such intimate environs.

Skipping a generation

2008-05-14T17:40:00.070+01:00

As I was watching Madonna take to the stage on Saturday at 'Radio 1's Big Weekend', via the BBC's iPlayer - the oddly wrinkle-free queen bee of pop violently thrusting her groin at all and sundry as she performed a six-song set - a rather disturbing thought hit me.

I'd assumed that the middling reviews for Hard Candy were mainly due to it being a less-than-stellar release, which is frankly fair enough when you're 11 albums into your career. You're bound to have a few small blips here and there.

But watching the performance I realised that she's redesigned herself for an age group that - for the first time in my own experience - is younger than my own, meaning that more than likely I'm just not going to 'get it'. Instead I am left to gloomily mumble about how much better she was when Vogue came out, or when she had Sacha Baron Cohen starring as Ali G - you know, if you can cast your mind back to pre-Borat days - in the video for Music. By hooking up with Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams she's latching on to a previously clueless audience who would have little idea about her 80s, 90s or even early 21st-century heyday, and who might otherwise balk at the prospect of buying music made by a 50-year-old multi-millionaire mother, someone who has been performing for well over 25 years.

However, Mrs Ritchie's move is perfectly understandable in one sense, I guess she doesn't want to become irrelevant and long past her sell-by date, as Paula Abdul, Cyndi Lauper and so many of her former peers did long, long ago. Haggardly miming along to Holiday on one of those 'Stars of the 80s' package tours wouldn't bear thinking about, never mind trying to belt out Like A Virgin with any degree of sincerity. It's just a shame that instead of maturing and developing as an artist in a dignified fashion - while refusing to capitalise on her past glories - she's instead splaying her legs gracelessly and prancing about like a stroppy A.D.D.-addled teenager, all while pretending to seduce someone half her age. Not that I can really talk about such things, but I at least I need a good bottle of whisky first to get into that sort of state.

Critic's choice - May 8

2008-05-08T14:34:00.004+01:00

Silver Jews
Fri, 7pm, ABC, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, £15, 0870 4000 818

A seminal alt-rock troupe that's seen cameos from many of the scene's luminaries - including Pavement's Stephen Malkmus, Lambchop's Tony Crow and Will Oldham - Silver Jews have been guided by David Berman, pictured, for going on 18 years। Only starting to tour in the last few years, this is a rare chance to catch the band live and revel in the sardonic glory of their singer's lackadaisical lyricism, soon to be given another airing in the good old recorded form through next month's release of their sixth album Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea.

(Appeared in The Herald on May 8, 2008)

Steady tiger

2008-05-06T13:23:00.004+01:00

Fife may not have the reputation as a musical hotspot, but it is increasingly the place to be every May, with Tigerfest again taking grip on the area this year like some sort of mammal of the Felidae family (thanks my wondrous Wikipedia skills for that 'hilarious' quip).

Fret not if you're in other parts of Scotland though, as the event has long since spread its, uhh, legs to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and this year is coming to Aberdeen (with the marvellous A Hawk and a Hacksaw performing). The events at Carnegie Hall are especially worthy of mention, the two marvellous three-band line-ups on the 15th and 17th both must-sees; if you're looking for up-and-coming bands then make sure to check out Fangs, Dirty Summer and The Scottish Enlightenment.

Elsewhere there's the stunning Stars of the Lid and Caribou, but anyway, take a look at the listings for yourself. If there's any time for an introduction to the finest alternative musical talent Scotland has to offer then it's surely in these next few weeks:

Dunfermline / Fife

Fri 2nd May, Monty’s

Molly Wagger, Hippo, + Joint Chiefs of Staff (DJ set), 9pm, £5

Sat 3rd May, The Greenside (Leslie, Glenrothes)

Root System, Bombskare, Big Hand, 8pm, £5

Fri 9th May, Tower House

The Manicdotes / System Arcade / Established, 7pm, £2

Thursday 15th May, Carnegie Hall

Twilight Sad / Frightened Rabbit / Dirty Summer, 7.30pm, £8

Friday 16th May, Carnegie Hall

Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake / The Pearlfishers’ David Scott, 7.30pm, £10

Saturday 17th May, Carnegie Hall

Idlewild / Foxface / The Scottish Enlightenment, 7.30pm, £18

Sunday 18th May, Carnegie Hall

Paul Haig / Fangs / Laki Mera, 7.30pm, £10

Fri 30th May, Monty’s

Yoshi / Ives / Chameleon Jersey, 9pm £5

Aberdeen

Monday 12th May, Tunnels

A Hawk and a Hacksaw/ Benjamin Wetherill, 8pm, £8

Thursday 22nd May, Tunnels

Caribou / Born Ruffians, 8pm, £10

Fri 23rd May, Tunnels

Stars of The Lid / Remember Remember / Glissando, 8pm, £9

Edinburgh

Sat 3rd May, Cabaret Voltaire

fourteenhours / The Stantons, Cabaret Voltaire, 7pm, £5

Sunday May 4th, Voodoo Room

Ulrich Schnauss / Funkspiel / Keser, 8pm, £9

Wed 21st May, Cabaret Voltaire

Caribou / Born Ruffians, 7pm, £10

Thu 29th May, Cabaret Voltaire

Vetiver + support, 7pm, £10

Glasgow:

Thurs May 8th, Stereo

ballboy, Popup, How To Swim. 8.30, £5 (more)

Thurs May 15th, 13th Note

Sonny Marvello, Das Contras, Little Kicks. 8.30, £4

Critic's choice - May 1

2008-05-01T22:32:00.002+01:00

Gemma Hayes
Sat, 7.30pm, Oran Mor, Byres Road, Glasgow, £12, 08444 999 990

If you need an injection of loveliness in your life - and who in this weird world of ours doesn't? - then look no further than the absolutely enchanting Gemma Hayes, an Irish singer-songwriter so sweet that the mere mention of her name makes most grown men swoon like the protagonist of a Mills and Boon novel. She's been teetering on the brink of mainstream success for some time now, and her upcoming third album should see her set for the big time, providing it's as full of mesmerising pop-rock gems as her previous releases.

(Appeared in The Herald on May 1, 2008)

Triptych: day three

2008-04-28T16:24:00.012+01:00

And, after seven rather dizty little years, Triptych ended with something of a bang. There was some razmatazz to bring the Last Ever Party at Arches to a close with soul singer Candi Staton, bringing the love to a rather rowdy audience. Other highlights were Four Tet, who played at eardrum-bashing volume but with consummate style, the retro-indie singalong stylings of 1990s (perfect festival fodder), and a rather touching take on Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart by The Parsonage. Leaving just as Derrick May was taking command of the dancefloor, it was a fine finale to the weekend, tempered by the slight sadness that things will never again be the same... still, not such a bad way to go.

Triptych: day two

2008-04-27T16:26:00.021+01:00

The Tramway it was yesterday for the day-long show headlined by Mogwai, though unfortunately late arrival meant that I missed the first few acts - including an apparently superb Frightened Rabbit - though I did manage to catch Errors' rousing electro-rock finale with a frenetic Mr Milk. Their upcoming first album is one to watch out for...

Dirty Projector, who recently signed to Domino Records, were a lovely, technically accomplished skewed take on pop music, complete with a mesmerisingly manic drummer. Malcolm Middleton provided a more sedate prospect, the former Arab Strap musician's songs complemented and perhaps even enhanced thanks to the sparse arrangements that had double bass and Jenny Reeve from Strike the Colours on violin. Clinic were disappointingly bland despite the bright Hawaiian shirts worn on stage, and for most of the time they seemed rather lazy, only briefly hinting at the songwriting suss that saw them championed by Radiohead some years ago.

Mogwai were as sublime as you might expect, premiering new songs which bode extremely well for their next album. Saying that they were epic is to hardly encompass the expansiveness of their sound, a breathtaking Like Herod just one highlight of the set. We'd got seats on the balcony, which made things strangely civilised, a suprisingly pleasant way to spend a Saturday night in Glasgow. It makes the thought of having to stand on my own two legs at The Arches tonight almost too much to bear...

Triptych: day one

2008-04-26T13:52:00.006+01:00

My adventures at the final-ever Triptych kicked off in style yesterday with Sebadoh's gig at The Classic Grand. The reformed indie trio were in fine form, a belligerent burst of noise, with discussions beforehand over whether my memories of them appearing on Top of the Pops were yet another figment of my fickle imagination. But no! They were indeed on, performing Flame - according to the sloppy and carefree internet search I've just performed - meaning that I can rest easy... Copy Haho were first on, and the Stonehaven band looked right at home performing as part of such a stellar line-up, the sardonic musings of Joe bringing some welcome deadpan commentary to proceedings.

The revelation of the night were Pram, who I'd never heard before, mesmerising percussive grooves sublimated by slinking brass, the synthesis of digital and analogue suitably discombobulating, aided by unsettling accompanying visuals. If Twin Peaks was throwing a party this would be the soundtrack, as it would if David Lynch reimagined the cantina scene in Star Wars. Either way, they were sublime, a true, unexpected delight. Enjoy:

A matter of profile

2008-04-25T11:20:00.092+01:00

Oh, last.fm seemed like such a wonderful concept when I joined not so very long ago. The music site would miraculously create my perfect radio station through the mysterious 'scrobbling' of those tracks played on my computer and MP3 player, its player providing me with the songs I already adore, mixed with unknown little gems that would lead me on to acts that I would subsequently worship and adore. Not only that, but it could recommend artists to listen to, videos to stare goggle-eyed at, gigs to go to, badges to adorn my man bag with, and other such useful things. What's not to love?

My last.fm music profile, that's what. Initially I thought it was a great idea - sometimes I still do - enabling me to easily list the musicians I actually listen to, rather than coming up with my own crummy, clumsily written attempts. (One that I'd initially have to update constantly to correct the multitude of mistakes, before then getting bored and leaving it to become increasingly, embarrassingly out of date.) Yep, I could use the power of Web 2.0 to ensure my thousands of social networking buddies - all close, close friends - could look at my 'Top Artists This Week' and, by then visiting the actual page, could then view my 'Top Artists Overall', thus providing an unadulterated, no-holds-barred account of my listening habits, good or bad.

But such transparency doesn't allow for the vicious streak of vanity that seems to splatter my guilt-sodden soul. My last.fm page became an online representation of myself, and - just as with other things of this nature, such as unflattering profile photos and revealing friend comments - suddenly the gimcrack, unedifying reality of my actual existence turned out not to be what I was wanting represented.

For instance, previously

I could quite enjoy those rare moments when I was walking around and a Limp Bizkit track came on thanks to random play (hey, there's only a couple of their tracks on my MP3 player - the one rhyming nookie with cookie and another unreleased, unintentionally hilarious dazzler about Fred Durst's 'relationship' with Britney Spears - both of which are strictly for entertainment value, you understand). Sometimes Too Funky by George Michael would gloriously introduce itself and I'd gleefully play some of his Greatest Hits, inwardly cackling at how amusing it was that no passers-by could possibly be aware of the camp ridiculousness being streamed directly into my ear drums.

No longer. Instead I worry about those anonymous, unseen spectators who - in a successful bid to boost their own sense of superiority - browse my statistics while online, only to find out that I often listen to the sort of dreck that would make even H from Steps feel a little dirty on the inside. My secret shame is there for all to see, and yet I perversely feel too honour-bound to try and manipulate the data being fed into the system, leading to an acute and painful self-awareness that I am indeed a complete dufus who can't possibly look down on anybody else's listening tastes. Ever. Again. Not even that guy who listens to Type O Negative, because now he can find out that I listen to Black No. 1 with alarming regularity.

Then there's the problem that some artists are played way more than others because of track length, or aren't even recorded because the track length was too long, such as on single-track dance mixes. Therefore Dave Clarke appears pretty much nowhere, and I dare not listen to any Napalm Death (not that I did previously though, to be fair). Indeed, DJs doing remix albums are unlikely to feature as they rarely remix their own tracks.

And those artists I listen to when I trying to get to sleep get a disproportionate airing, their records repeatedly repeating as I snore contentedly away. If no one can hear them, are they making a sound? Such cod philosophy matters not to last.fm. I mean, I do like Camille, but not nearly so much so that she has triumphantly trounced all comers to officially top my 'Top Artists Overall'. She'd be, maybe, at about 43 or so. I think. People must also think I'm a huge Battles megafan as well, when in reality I'll be asleep long before the midway point of Mirrored, so can't even name any of the latter tracks off their debut album. Goodness, I don't even own any of their famed first EPs, which is going to prove really embarrassing when the guitarist - you know, that guy with the hair - shows up on the doorstep to present me with a limited edition signed balaclava or something.

(I won't even go into how egotistical I think it must make me appear that the two acts I am a part of appear sandwiched in between Camille and Battles, right at the top of everything I've apparently ever listened to ever. Shame certainly feels like an appropriate emotion.)

Oh, plus I get uber-frustrated when putting something on a player that's not going to record my choice for posterity - you know, like one of those there car stereos that isn't hooked up to the internet. It's as though I'm being cheated out of the recognition that I so desperately feel I deserve, especially if it's something really, really cool that might just boost my flagging rep (I now get openly laughed at in the street, by gormless gonks able to glean that I've been listening to the new Korn album many, many times over). The foreknowledge infuriates me so much that sometimes I'll simply sit in silence instead, getting all cross and huffy like a stroppy, emotionally illiterate teenager, as my entire day is again ruined by the supposed evolution of our information age. Perhaps it's time to reclaim that refreshing anonymity the internet initially offered up and get rid of my profile page: at least then only I'll be aware of how rubbish my music tastes really are...

Baaaaad

Gooooood

Critic's choice - April 24

2008-04-24T11:37:00.002+01:00

Last Ever Triptych Party

Sun, 5pm, Arches, 253 Argyle Street, Glasgow, £21, 0141 565 1000

After eight years of providing Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen with a cavalcade of intriguing artists from around the world, Triptych signs off with a shindig featuring folktronica supremo Four Tet, ex-Arab Strapper Aidan Moffat and Detroit dance pioneer Derrick May. Once it's gone, the festival is likely to be hugely missed.

(Appeared in The Herald on April 24, 2008)

Back to skool

2008-04-21T23:20:00.001+01:00

Right, on one hand this is me just lazily copying and pasting a press release, but on the other hand it's well worth it - if you are free and available in Glasgow this Friday during the day. (I will be, so it's probably worth it just to bask in my glorious prescence.) Anyway, without further ado:

Soma Skool 2008

The Arches, Glasgow, 25th April, 12.30 - 4pm, £5/£2 Students
www. somaskool. com

One of Scotland’s leading dance labels Soma Records will be hosting a day of music and software demos, Q&A sessions and panel discussions with industry professionals next month, providing young people from across Scotland with an insight into the workings of the music industry.

Soma Skool will focus on the process of producing a finished piece of music - from demo to finished product, and covers topics such as the design and impact of visual and graphic artwork, filming and editing a video and the development of marketing and business plans.

The event which has been supported by the Scottish Arts Council’s Youth Music Initiative aims to promote the vibrancy of the Scottish creative industries in a compelling way to educate, motivate and inspire young people and present the exciting career options in the sector.Soma has put together eight highly successful day-long Soma Skool events since 2003 which have attracted over 3500 attendees.

While the event primarily targets 16-25 year olds, it attracts a wide range of age groups due to the diverse range of activities and demonstrations.This year’s event features contributions from: Dave Clarke - one of the most respected and idiosyncratic techno DJs and producers of the modern era with a brand of straightahead techno with the ferocity of hardcore, yet the sublime feelings of classic Detroit techno.

Anja Schneider – Label Owner (Mobilee Records), DJ, producer and radio presenter. Despite its short history, Mobilee has grown into one of Berlin’s most closely watched and stimulating labels.

DJ Sneak - One of the second wave of influential Chicago house producers and a legendary member of the vanguard of late-'90s American house producers, Sneak's new sound revolutionised house music with inspirational sounds and rhythms never heard before.

The Black Dog - Highly regarded as one of the most influential figures in the British electronica scene, The Black Dog are synonymous with the rise of electronic music in the UK. Their rhythmic inventiveness coupled with their deep and innovative approach to music made them pioneers of UK techno, heralding a new breed of music.

Vector Lovers - Martin Wheeler’s lovingly crafted output engages the listener with an attention to detail and emotional resonance seldom found in purely synthetic music. From derelict neon soundscapes to future robot funk, Wheeler’s fusion of deep, quirky electro and precise melodic intuition has won popularity beyond the confines of any genre.

Octogen - Pseudonym of acclaimed Glasgow producer Marco Bernardi who has made a name for himself through his association with Rotterdam’s pioneering Clone label. Prior to his association with Clone he released on Tom Churchill’s Emoticon imprint and with Claude Young on former Glasgow label Under the Counter, cementing his credentials as part of the new breed of electro-tech manipulators. He is also an established studio engineer and has worked with Percy X on his recent ‘The Separatists’ project on Soma.

Commenting on this year’s Soma Skool, David McDonald, Youth Music Manager at the Scottish Arts Council said: ‘The Scottish Arts Council’s Youth Music Initiative is delighted to support this year’s Soma Skool event which will provide a wonderful opportunity for young people to engage with the professional music industry and support their progression in independent music making.

Mystery Jets interview

2008-04-18T14:13:00.002+01:00

The following is an audio interview with the Mystery Jets, who played Glasgow's ABC last night as part of Smirnoff Electric Cabaret, which also featured New Young Pony Club, Pete And The Pirates and other assorted entertainment (the contortionist squeezing himself through two tennis rackets and two trapeze artists swinging each other around to Welcome To The Jungle get honorary mentions). It was certainly a night unlike any other I'm likely to experience this year, and all bands were in impressive form, Mystery Jets obviously in confident mood following last month's release of new album Twenty One. I talked to the band about their sophomore effort, click below to access the interview and enjoy!

Critic's choice - April 17

2008-04-17T16:28:00.002+01:00

Blood Red Shoes

Fri, 7pm, ABC2, 300 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, £7, 08444 999 990

Mixed-sex duos seem to be all the rage in the rock scene at the moment, and few come much more raging than Blood Red Shoes. Laura-Mary Carter leads the charge on guitar and vocals, backed by the thunderous jolt of Steven Ansell's drum-addled din, and within their minimalistic dynamic they're supremely adept at the sort of fuzz-ensconsed singalongs that recall a poppier take on the heady nineties heyday of grunge.

If you get there early enough, make sure you catch support act Copy Haho, the Stonehaven quartet who are gaining quite a reputation thanks to their subtle grasp of dynamics and twisting, accessible arrangements.

(Appeared in The Herald on April 17, 2008)

Ruminating on what May have been, or what should be...

2008-04-16T23:57:00.000+01:00

Good old Brian May is back in the news today, announcing that 'Queen' are in the process of creating a follow-up to their hugely successful musical We Will Rock You.

So there we have it; one of my guitar idols, from one of my favourite bands of all time, has again set about desecrating Queen's legacy. Not only that, but he’s doing it with such consummate ease that it wouldn't surprise me if we were to lift up his luxurious bouffy hairdo and find Chesney Hawkes hunched up in there at the controls - a bit like Remy from Pixar flick Ratatouille - the 80s pop flop deciding that he hadn't damaged the world of contemporary music enough during his own personal heyday, and had to go undercover to bring down the whole shebang from the inside.

I can almost understand May and drummer Roger Taylor - bassist John Deacon gracefully bowed out of the entire shambles long ago - trying to keep their band's legacy alive, but collaborations with atrocious boy bands such as Five and dire comedians such as Ben Elton? If they had at least a modicum of taste I could perhaps understand what was going on. A hook-up with Rufus Wainwright could actually work a treat; indeed the use of Don't Stop Me Now in Shaun of the Dead was inspired, and probably brought them exactly the sort of attention they want, just like Bohemian Rhapsody did when it was featured in Wayne’s World.

But for most of the time it's Mr Elton ludicrously trying to construct a futuristic narrative out of their best-known hits, or the absurd spectacle of them recruiting Paul Rogers and disastrously deciding to record a new album with the Queen name, even though only half of the actual band are left, an act stripped of the iconic singer that everybody associated them with. And just in case you think the forthcoming long-player could actually compare to the band's best efforts, I present you with the following evidence:

Before (one small but significant reason why the 80s didn't suck):

After (as a game, see how long you can endure the painfully obvious social commentary being offered up, on Al Murray's show of all things):

The main thing that I don't understand is that Brian May is an astrophysicist and the newly installed chancellor of Liverpool John Moores, so with his evidently enormous intellect he can surely come up with something better than this tired and trite claptrap? Maybe he and the similarly smart stand-up Dimitri Martin could come up with a complex and yet side-splitting explanation as to why Queen songs actually explain the origins of the universe, or the guitar-slinging mastermind could construct a new robotic front man who'd sing the band's songs in an identical vocal timbre and with the exactly the same onstage strut as Freddie Mercury, all while simultaneously beating Gary Kasparov at chess and making the perfect Potato dauphinoise for Gordon Ramsay to salivate over. Now THAT's how you keep Queen at the cutting edge, rather than appearing like hackneyed has-beens.

Track of the week:
Copy Haho - You Are My Coal Mine

http://www.myspace.com/copyhaho

A band that seem to be playing every which way you look at the moment, I've seen Copy Haho since before they even laid claim to that name, which makes their genesis into a great alt-indie act all thesweeter - mainly because I can now tell most people I saw band before they did. Anyway, they're playing about ten bazillion shows in the next couple of months - that's a scientific estimate - so check them out if you possibly can, it'll be well worth it. You Are My Coal Mine is especially beguiling with its incessant drive and spindling guitars lines, possessing such confidence that they’ll be more than a match for Sebadoh when they support them at The Classic Grand next Friday.

The downsides of selling out

2008-04-12T10:56:00.000+01:00

The fuss about Glastonbury not selling out straight aways pretty bemusing, with a small media meltdown meaning that we had numerous articles asking if Britain's best-known festival has 'lost it', and whether the choice of headliner Jay-Z in some way contributed to the whole darned fiasco.

But why exactly should it need to sell out so suddenly? There were many comparisons to the Leeds and Reading festivals, which sold out in hours, but little objective explanation that the complicated and extremely secure registration process for Glastonbury prevents bulk purchases, and means that those who get the tickets are actually required to use them, rather than then punting them on eBay for obscene amounts. Indeed, the increased success of the system may actually account for the slower take-up of tickets for Glastonbury compared to their competitors.

Also, more time to buy tickets means that, rather than a frenzied rush of those swept up in the hype, those who have properly surveyed the line-up will be more likely to go along - as will those younger cash-strapped kids of the generation that Michael Eavis wants to see adding vitality to his annual shindig. It seems that we need everything to be an instant smash hit sell out nowadays or else it's perceived as a failure, but surely the slow road is often the most satisfying, even if it doesn't allow for such shocking headlines.

Track of the week

Broken Records - Nearly Home
http://www.myspace.com/brokenrecordsedinburgh

A lot of people may already have latched on to the hype, but for those who haven't here's a band you're bound to hear much more of in the next year. Their string-saturated, epic sweep has drawn comparisons to Arcade Fire, but there's something quite different here, a rather satisfying Scottishness imbuing the track with a tender melancholic edge reminiscent of fellow Scots Frightened Rabbit. Billowing brass and menacing percussive hits build up the song into something of sublime beauty for a band still in the early stages of their career.

Video of the week
Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating

John Barrowman review

2008-04-11T01:27:00.000+01:00

John Barrowman, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

Star Rating: 5/5

There are people who are merely multi-talented, and then there's John Barrowman. Prowling the stage like a sultry panther procured from the depths of Hades, he need only expend the energy to extend one leg outwards - during the show's opening song It Better Be Tonight - to wheedle wild whoops from an expectant audience. When he then turns his back to them to wobble an entire toned buttock a few seconds later, the consummate showman has already ensured most of the crowd have had their money's worth.

Honed from a lifetime in musicals (and later television exploits), a sharp and sparkling Barrowman - resplendent in tight grey suit - brings the sort of schmaltzy bravado that immediately enraptures those who have come to see his first solo tour. His remarkable rendition of Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time is an early showstopper, the delicate interpretation preceded by an emotional monologue about a Louisiana friend having to come out to his family while also letting them know he was HIV positive.

And despite Barrowman's bubbly nature - obviously emotional, he straight away sniffles into an audience member's tissue and tells them they can make £600 on eBay for it - it turns out to be a night filled with teary-eyed moments.

Dispensing at times with his usual American accent, the song-and-dance man's back in the town of his birth - where he lived until an early age - and reverts at times to a seamless Scottish accent. He even has his own family in attendance. In a heartbreakingly sweet moment, he takes his 73-year-old mother on stage to sing a duet for The Wedding, to an emotion-filled reception. As one avid fan notes: "JB is as JB does," and, for one glorious night, it seems that Barrowman can do what he wants with most of Glasgow cheering him on.

(Published in The Herald on April 11, 2008)

Critic's choice - April 10

2008-04-10T11:54:00.000+01:00

Adam Green
Thu, 7pm, Oran Mor, Byres Road, Glasgow, £9
0141 357 6200

As one half of filthy anti-folk heroes The Moldy Peaches - who recently received belated recognition through the Oscar-winning indie flick Juno - the last thing anyone expected was for Adam Green to transform himself into an upmarket crooner performing the sort of songs Sinatra would have swooned over. A rich baritone meandering over melodic backing that comes criminally close to lounge-act accompaniment, his playful, charming sense of humour saves him from stooping too much into Mike Flowers-esque irony. It doesn't hurt that Green's also a natural-born entertainer, as anyone who's seen his mischevious, drunken appearance on German TV via a viral YouTube video will attest.

(Preview appeared in The Herald on April 10, 2008)

A small but significant recommendation...

2008-04-09T02:16:00.001+01:00

Apologies for the lack of a bigger blog recently, but work has been busy busy busy... I'll try and come up with something of some significance (if of little relevance) soon.

In the meantime, here's a little recommendation for Wednesday April 9 - which in all honesty is too short to do the band involved any justice at all - if you can make it to Glasgow in time. Future of the Left formed from the ashes of the mighty, mighty McLusky, and their debut album Curses the best British rock album of 2007. Seething with vicious intent and an amazing, wry humour, it also contained some of the best pop hooks ever that you'll never hear any elderly relatives humming along to, as you can experience if you make it to the 2min 45sec mark of this relatively inoffensive little ditty:

Anyway, the price is £7 , the time is 8pm and the venue is Stereo, quite possibly the best venue of its size in the city at the moment. Hopefully I'll see some of you there - if not I'll shed a tear in silence while my ear drums are tormented in the most tremendous of fashions - in the meantime here's some compelling evidence to secure your attendance:

PS Is there a petition to stop Channel 4 showing new Shameless? It sullies the first couple of series so, so much...

Getting something for nothing

2008-04-04T15:15:00.000+01:00

Unlike that recent 'sperm for festival tickets' fiasco, which turned out to be nothing more than a highly successful PR stunt, the Winning Sperm Party website actually follows through on its promise of offering free downloadable tracks from some of Scotland's best new bands.

Today's latest offering is the Dirty Summer EP, a blissful lo-fi clatter of buzzing synths and other unhinged instrumentation, their strangled yelps over the top of Friday Night At The JJB certainly compelling (if not a little scary when listened to with all the lights off in your flat). It'd be highly worth recommending as a paid-for release, so given that you pay nothing you really have no excuse at all not to visit the site and get your pretty little digital hands on it:

http://winningspermparty.com/dirtysummer/

Oh, and while there you should also get the Shibboleth single by rock demonoids Dead or American, who were rather fantastic at Bloc in Glasgow last Friday. You won't regret it, and even if you do, you already have your money back.

Connect line-up starts to trickle in...

2008-04-03T15:50:00.000+01:00

After the twin headlining wonders of Bjork and Beastie Boys last year - Primal Scream were squeezed inbetween at the three-day event, but I was too ensconsed within my own personal festival madness then to notice - it was hard to see whether Connect could follow up with an equalling compelling reason to attend in 2008. Today's initial announcement isn't quite as mouthwatering yet, but there's still some intriguing acts already confirmed.

Sigur Ros alone are a very, very good reason for going along, their sweeping, epic magnificence ideally suited for the scenic surroundings of Inveraray, and their performance will likely be something of wonder, as anyone who saw them at the Academy on their last visit to Scotland will attest. The return of adopted Scottish sons Franz Ferdinand should receive a suitably unhinged reception; their upcoming third album may have by then provided a storming comeback, but even if not they have enough singalongs to thrive on the main stage.

The mere mention of Kasabian's name makes me want to throw myself out of the nearest window on to a bed of foot-long spikes, the pain providing blissful relief from the continued existence on Earth, though I'm sure some people will welcome them with slightly more positivity. Their presence is perhaps a sign that things are going a bit more mainstream after the apparently disappointing ticket sales for Connect last year, with Paolo Nutini, Duffy and Manic Street Preachers also acts dragging themselves along who are likely to attract a wider audience.

Elsewhere, Nick Cave shall be stalking the stage with Grinderman, sleazy rock'n'roll greatness seaping out of his very soul, and there's some fandabadozy female representation through Sia, Amy MacDonald, The Breeders and The Gossip, with Beth Ditto always an enthralling and wonderful spectacle even when the group's blues-tinged racket drags slightly. The return of the Club Noir and Vegas nights is welcome, their shows providing blissful post-headliner relief at Connect's debut outing, providing continued partying into the early hours without having to constantly trip over sleeping camper's tents as you stumble around the site. Other acts include:

Coral, The Levellers, The Roots, Elbow, Mercury Rev, Spiritualized, and Camera Obscura

So far it's not a stellar line-up, but there are enough indications that the festival will be well worth going along to once more acts are added to the bill, and I'll definitely be there - what an enticement, I know - just to catch some of this live:

Weekend choice - April 3

2008-04-03T11:23:00.000+01:00

Holy Fuck
Sat Apr 5, 7.30pm, Stereo, 20-28 Renfield Lane, Glasgow, £7, 0141 222 2254

Forget the attention-grabbing appellation, once you’ve actually heard Holy Fuck you’ll discover their name is quite possibly the least interesting thing about them. An awesome electronics-focused improvisational outfit, the Toronto experimentalists build up their instrumental numbers with wondrous ease, a delirious dance-infused momentum somehow hewn from alt-indie sensibilities and an ethereal post-rock otherness. Goodness, they even became Lou Reed’s favourite new band after a peerless performance at this year’s SXSW, when it was generally assumed that he didn’t like anything any more.

DeVotchKa
Sun Apr 6, 8.30pm, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent Street Glasgow, £8.50, 08444 999 990

Originally a backing band for burlesque shows, DeVotchKa have managed to keep things just as colourful while branching out on their own. The Denver quartet's alt-indie sound is infused with Romani, Bolero and Mariachi influences, to name just a few. This rich mix is all the more delectable thanks to a devilish drive which helps them temper accessible gypsy-punk stylings akin to Gogol Bordello with a more subtle swing reminiscent of A Hawk and a Hacksaw.
Already reputed for their soundtrack to Little Miss Sunshine, DeVotchKa's future success may not be a done deal, but their chances are certainly bright.

(Appeared in The Herald on April 3, 2008)

The rather wonderful Bon Iver...

2008-04-02T23:14:00.000+01:00

Um, my words will add little, so just savour this and then go buy his album:

News exclusive: Michael MacLennan remixes Radiohead

2008-04-02T01:51:00.000+01:00

The idea of me remixing Radiohead may have made a good April Fools joke, but the time has long since passed for such tomfoolery (oh, by a good half a day at least, until 2009 comes calling). So the facts are these: just over an hour ago I received an email from Radiohead’s website that went something like this (well, exactly like this actually, since I’ve lazily copied and pasted it):

To celebrate this week's single release (we still have those in England) Radiohead have broken up the song 'Nude' into pieces for you to remix.

For those of you who enjoy this sort of thing, you can buy the separate components or 'stems' (bass, voice, guitar, strings/FX and drums) and remix your own version of the song. You can do this by adding your own beats and instrumentation or just remixing the original parts. More information here: http://www.radioheadremix.com/information/

You can buy the stems here: http://www.radioheadremix.com/buy/

You can upload your finished mixes here http://www.radioheadremix.com and be judged and even voted on by 'the public'.
You can also create a widget allowing votes from your own website, Facebook or MySpace page to be sent through too.

Hope you enjoy it

For those of you who aren't that way inclined, Nude is also available in its entirety on CD and 7 inch (UK release) at the usual retail outlets.

The indie-rock demigods aren’t the first band, nor even the first global goliaths, to do such a thing. Nine Inch Nails are nowadays renowned for allowing fans to take the constituent components of many of their songs and go as wild as their feverous imaginations will allow, and I can’t even begin to describe the regret experienced when I realised far too late on that there had been a chance to massacre my favourite Peter Gabriel track Shock the Monkey, all for the chance to win a SSL Duende (I’m not entirely sure what that is, but it sure sounds impressive enough to have bragged to friends about were I to have been victorious).

However, is there really much point in presenting these possibilities? (Apart from a most-likely lucrative link-up with iTunes...) It seems a bit like Da Vinci creating the Mona Lisa, then providing a cut-out-and-paste pack of the different body parts to newsagents around the country so the general populace could try and improve upon his mesmeric masterpiece. Do there really need to be any alternate takes, doesn’t it indicate a lack of belief in the original copy by the artist(s) involved?

However, music is probably a little more open to interpretation than other art-forms; 2006’s dancefloor anthem We Are Your Friends came about as a result of Justice entering an open contest to remix Simian’s song, their rendering so vastly superior that it seemed an entirely natural result. Also, a slew of cover versions have shown that even when a track can barely be improved upon, someone else’s sensibilities can provide new meanings and/or musical moments that may in many instances be preferable.

Things seems a little more difficult in this instance though, given my stunning lack of talent combined with the small fact that I regard Nude to be one of Radiohead’s finest-ever tracks. Should I even bother paying for the track’s ‘stems’ in the first place when it shall most likely be an entirely pointless endeavour?

Actually, that should just embolden me; if it’s in human nature to be destructive, then once it all goes horribly wrong at least I can take great pleasure in applying some synthesised didgeridoo, blackboard scrapes and belligerent belches, subsequently ruining the song for anyone else unfortunate enough to hear my maniacal butchery. Beats drawing a pencil moustache on the flawless model adorning a nearby magazine cover, or knocking over a poor kid’s sandcastle once summer arrives, in terms of energy expended if nothing else. Plus it keeps me safe off the streets.

Track of the week: Super Adventure Club - ‘Built-in Redundancy’

Performing at Bloc on Saturday, Super Adventure Club were quite simply one of the most exciting and intriguing Scottish bands I’ve seen in ages. (Which admittedly shouldn’t be too hard when I mostly work night-shifts and can’t actually attend many shows, but still.) The idiosyncratic Edinburgh outfit superglue such disparate influences as Pavement, Frank Zappa and The Paper Chase together with ease, while apparently having so much fun the main post-gig regret I had was that I couldn’t be in the band myself. (Hopefully I can ruin their recorded achievements with a rubbish remix soon.)

Built-in Redundancy is a more laidback track than some of their other riff-heavy numbers, blessed with a breezy and welcome laziness that’s reminiscent of Stephen Malkmus, and replete with a slinky guitar solo that unexpectedly peppers the end of the track, provding a welcome indicator of their boisterous unpredictability. With worrying rumours of them moving to foreign climes in the near future, best catch them while you can.

Automatic for the presses

2008-03-25T02:20:00.000Z

So REM are the latest band to harness the awesome power that the internet has granted publicity-hungry rock bands in perilous danger of being past their prime, letting technology-savvy freeloaders listen to fourteenth album Accelerate at no expense at all until Wednesday (at which time the world will wait in sombre silence for its proper release on April 1). Streamed in its entirety through the iLike service that can currently be found residing on many user's Facebook accounts, super-serious singer Michael Stipe has said that: "We wanted to do something superfast and super real... Accelerate is our turbo-charged response to the times we live in."

Coming as it does after The Raconteurs' recent decision to rush their new album Salute Your Solution on to the shelves, and the obvious example of Radiohead's canny record label-defying manoeuvres last year, the urge to get music out to 'the fans' is starting to seem less like an altruistic gesture than a macho sprint to the finish line - where a frenzied media just happen to be ready to adorn them with adoration and some much-needed attention. What can we expect to see next: Bono barely able to finish his final vocal for the new U2 album before he has to sprint solo over the North Atlantic Ocean to personally stock copies of the resultant release in stores, carried along only by the goodwill of the world's eternally grateful citizens? (Walking on water should surely be little trouble for a star of his stature...)

Though it could be absurd, at least it would be entertaining (just imagine the sunburnt singer midway through his trip, trying to beat away baying sharks armed with nothing but his trademark sunglasses and an inflated sense of self-worth), which is at least partially the remit of the music industry.

What better way for Jamie Oliver to combat our nation's obesity problems than by getting 10 up-and-coming bands to try and produce a full album in record time, the winner alone receiving an ever-so-enticing recording contract. Any overweight musicians participating wouldn’t dare eat a chicken dipper for fear that their lacklustre work rate could cost them the competition. Such will be the excitement at the super-speedy turnover that few people will care when the resultant LP is about as listenable as two gigantic jackhammers being juddered into your unprotected ear drums.

After all, a lot of pop music is so instantly disposable that we can barely look at many of the genre's acts for even the requisite 15 minutes without our eyes becoming very, very heavy and our brains suddenly wondering whether it was Jennifer Aniston or Courteney Cox who appeared in that Bruce Springsteen video - you know, that one where she gets on the stage in wacky fashion and bops along innocently? Why not just get it over and done with as soon as possible, so we can move on from the inevitable disappointment of another subpar release and instead enhance even more our almost delusional expectation levels over some other album, one which has yet to let us down by making the miserable leap from a wonderful world of idealistic fantasy into the grim gutters of rock 'n' roll reality.

Track of the week:

Over The Wall - 'Grand Defeat'
http://www.myspace.com/overthewall

Electronic music always used to centre on such a menacing mechanical clank that it was mostly reminiscent of horrific futuristic nightmares - if it was to assume a physical form then it would be the skinless Arnie skeleton from the end of the first Terminator, clawing and clambering its way towards you with a grinding, gurning insistency.

Thankfully Over The Wall are one of those new breeds of bands who embrace technology with a big warm hug and a mug of hot chocolate, and thus they should remind you more of the super-sweet android Haley Joel Osment from A.I. - though hopefully with a longer-term career in front of them, and without any jaw-droppingly dull extended endings.

For the moment we can revel in the Glaswegian duo's latest musical offering for public consumption, Grand Defeat, which sinks its initial plaintive guitar plucks into a sorrowful sea of mournful synths and oddly moving lyrics about 'the Holy Ghost burning his toast'. One of the most likeable live bands you can witness in Scotland at the moment, their touching lo-fi electronic nuances give us all a reason to look to the future with a glint in our eyes. (At least until the new Terminator movie gets us all depressed and paranoid again. Or just plain depressed, if it turns out as abysmally as its director's effort Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.)

That all-important first post...

2008-03-25T02:15:00.000Z

Okay, so a friend said that I couldn't just fire into my main post, that I need a starting point. Something for you all to read so you can get some sort of handle on where I might head in future.

Personally, I think it's a bit pointless, especially as I'm terrible at mission statements (I can't handle too much sincerity without stooping into sarcasm). But here we are, so I must have thought he was on to something. This will at least follow the next post I'm about to make soon afterwards, so you'll know I'm writing about music. I like some of that, though it might not always appear like that. I live in Scotland. I like some of that, though it might not always appear like that. That's pretty much the basics. Apart from the fact that I might not always write about music. I'm unsure as yet. So yes! Hope you enjoy everything that follows...