I'd forgotten how hard this working lark is. I think I prefer being a student dosser on the whole. Getting a decent pay cheque again was nice though.
Saturday evening after work me and my Mum propped up the bar in the local. It was pretty dead and we just sat there talking to my sister who was working. Pretty damn ace. I love my Mum and it was nice to have a conversation that wasn't about football for once.
Reviews as promised. I'm knackered so these will be brief. Band name followed by album title.
The Twilight Sad - Here it Never Snowed, Afterwards It Did
Typically Scottish indie band make new version of tracks from their album. If Anything these versions are better then the originals. Bigger and somehow more atmospheric. Really beautiful.
Wavves - s/t
Noisy for the sake of being noisy. There's a lot to be said for that. So much distortion it's almost just a racket. Almost.
P J Harvey & John Parish - A Woman A Man Walked By
It's P J fucking Harvey. It's amazing. Seriously, it is even if I am monstrously biased and blinded by my love of her. A really interesting and varied album and big improvement on her previous album.
The Broken Family Band - Please and Thank You
I'm not sure about this one. I love TBFB but I don't think this is their best effort. Not as immediate anyway and seems to lack any distinctiveness. It will get listened to because I convinced they can't make a bad record but I haven't got into this yet.
Telepathe - Dancemother
I love this. First saw them being totally weird at the Great Escape last year and the album doesn't disappoint. No idea what to compare this too, I guess it's kind of similar to some krautrock bands but with hip-hop influences. Maybe not consistent enough to make a great album but loads of good tracks on it.
Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone!
Lots of indie hype about this one and with some justification. They are meant to be amazing live and you can hear that on the record. It is shed loads of fun. Maybe lacks a little originality, it sounds a lot like a lot of other vaguely indie-punk bands with jangley guitars. Good for dancing too though. Bonus points for the name too.
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
The most intense band in the world. I can't get rid of the idea that they must be ridiculously serious in real life. The album just about carries that off though. Took me a little while to get used to as I wasn't sure it matched up to their first album (which is incredible). It is worth the effort though. Loud, shoegazery brilliance.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - s/t
Sounds exactly like the Pastels and thus it's brilliant. Seriously. The most indie name ever and music to back it up. That I think this is great probably says an awful lot about me.
Doll and the Kicks - s/t
Another record that probably says a lot about me. In this case my weakness for female fronted, pop-punk bands. This is another record that is loads of fun that I suspect that I shouldn't like. However they are local, they funded their debut album themselves and they haven't yet given into what I think maybe a weakness for funk so they are in my good books currently. I'll even forgive them touring with Morrissey.
Marth Wainwright - I know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too
Their are loads of really interesting female singer-songwriters about at the moment. MW is definitely one of them. Never goes anywhere near blandness or sameness.
The Thermals - Now We Can see
No where near as catchy as the previous album. Really can't get into this. Not really sure why. Maybe it's just that I played the previous album to death and that this is similar but not quite as good.
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Rock
It's a folk-rock concept album. It shouldn't work. It does. It's crazy. I love it.
The Virgins - s/t
At first I didn't really understand this. It seems too cool and too conceived. Not quite dancey enough and not quite rock enough either. As an album it drags a bit and makes me want to punch them. However when I get odd songs on my shuffle it is amazing. Definitelly a singles band.
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Beautiful, miserable tweeness as ever. No radical changes from previous albums but that's not always such a bad thing.
Sorry I haven't said very much about any of them. I'm rubbish at intellectualising why I like the music I do.
Saturday evening after work me and my Mum propped up the bar in the local. It was pretty dead and we just sat there talking to my sister who was working. Pretty damn ace. I love my Mum and it was nice to have a conversation that wasn't about football for once.
Reviews as promised. I'm knackered so these will be brief. Band name followed by album title.
The Twilight Sad - Here it Never Snowed, Afterwards It Did
Typically Scottish indie band make new version of tracks from their album. If Anything these versions are better then the originals. Bigger and somehow more atmospheric. Really beautiful.
Wavves - s/t
Noisy for the sake of being noisy. There's a lot to be said for that. So much distortion it's almost just a racket. Almost.
P J Harvey & John Parish - A Woman A Man Walked By
It's P J fucking Harvey. It's amazing. Seriously, it is even if I am monstrously biased and blinded by my love of her. A really interesting and varied album and big improvement on her previous album.
The Broken Family Band - Please and Thank You
I'm not sure about this one. I love TBFB but I don't think this is their best effort. Not as immediate anyway and seems to lack any distinctiveness. It will get listened to because I convinced they can't make a bad record but I haven't got into this yet.
Telepathe - Dancemother
I love this. First saw them being totally weird at the Great Escape last year and the album doesn't disappoint. No idea what to compare this too, I guess it's kind of similar to some krautrock bands but with hip-hop influences. Maybe not consistent enough to make a great album but loads of good tracks on it.
Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone!
Lots of indie hype about this one and with some justification. They are meant to be amazing live and you can hear that on the record. It is shed loads of fun. Maybe lacks a little originality, it sounds a lot like a lot of other vaguely indie-punk bands with jangley guitars. Good for dancing too though. Bonus points for the name too.
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
The most intense band in the world. I can't get rid of the idea that they must be ridiculously serious in real life. The album just about carries that off though. Took me a little while to get used to as I wasn't sure it matched up to their first album (which is incredible). It is worth the effort though. Loud, shoegazery brilliance.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - s/t
Sounds exactly like the Pastels and thus it's brilliant. Seriously. The most indie name ever and music to back it up. That I think this is great probably says an awful lot about me.
Doll and the Kicks - s/t
Another record that probably says a lot about me. In this case my weakness for female fronted, pop-punk bands. This is another record that is loads of fun that I suspect that I shouldn't like. However they are local, they funded their debut album themselves and they haven't yet given into what I think maybe a weakness for funk so they are in my good books currently. I'll even forgive them touring with Morrissey.
Marth Wainwright - I know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too
Their are loads of really interesting female singer-songwriters about at the moment. MW is definitely one of them. Never goes anywhere near blandness or sameness.
The Thermals - Now We Can see
No where near as catchy as the previous album. Really can't get into this. Not really sure why. Maybe it's just that I played the previous album to death and that this is similar but not quite as good.
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Rock
It's a folk-rock concept album. It shouldn't work. It does. It's crazy. I love it.
The Virgins - s/t
At first I didn't really understand this. It seems too cool and too conceived. Not quite dancey enough and not quite rock enough either. As an album it drags a bit and makes me want to punch them. However when I get odd songs on my shuffle it is amazing. Definitelly a singles band.
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Beautiful, miserable tweeness as ever. No radical changes from previous albums but that's not always such a bad thing.
Sorry I haven't said very much about any of them. I'm rubbish at intellectualising why I like the music I do.
VIEW 8 of 8 COMMENTS
as always, it's trying to find the right balance for dossing about...