Girls- Scala 23/02/10

I just went to my first gig by myself- unintentionally so it was a bit tragic. 'No, my plus one won't be coming'... not the most comforting thing to say. Girls weren't on for another half an hour and as I sipped my Corona scanning the crowd of haircuts, fur coats and leather jackets,  I worried I'd committed myself to trendy-gig hell. The band came on in all their hairy glory- the singer in a pvc hat, which only confirmed my suspicions...

BUT, they started out with 'Laura' and were a lot more bluesy than on the record. I sighed a sigh of relief. The boys in Girls can play good gee-tar. I could only fault it for lagging a bit in the middle and the singer saying 'this is the best song I've ever written' and it being the worst song of the set- it was about love, it was about a french girl, I didn't recognise it from the album but it was pretty dull. Hellhole Ratrace was a breakthrough- the tempo picked up and they broke into big boy guitars. After that it did start to lag- it might be because I needed a wee though. I got lost through some doors into this mad VIP lounge with a big glass screening area- much better than being crushed down on the floor- it was absolutely packed. I stayed for Lust for Life- my favourite song off the album. It was actually fairly so-so, which was surprising as it was the song that got me out into the cold to go and see them.

Overall I was impressed though- for songs I didn't think I would be. They are definitely worth catching at a festival or if they are supporting someone. Not sure I would go to one of their own gigs again though.

Check out their NSFW video- singing into willy's- inspired.
http://pitchfork.com/news/36932-nsfw-girls-lust-for-life-video-hardcore-xxx-version/

Little Cover Gems

 A cover song is a tricky little thing, is it better to depart so much from the original that it's almost unrecognisable to put your 'spin' on it or risk murdering it?
 A bad cover shows not only that you're a bit shit but that you think you're as talented as who you are covering and often this is proved not to be the case (Shakira- Back in Black... really?)

Nevertheless, a good cover can make a band- Nouvelle Vague produce albums almost entirely made up of covers and do it pretty well. Jimi Hendrix is most famous for his cover of Bob Dylan's 'All Along The Watchtower' and Alien Ant Farm pretty much just covered 'Smooth Criminal' by Michael Jackson and slipped back into anonymity (for me anyway... maybe they were very successful, meh).
By far the best album of Cover versions I've ever come across is the Stereogum edition of OK Computer by Radiohead. You can stream it here: http://stereogum.com/okx/

Stand Out Tracks: No Surprises by Marissa Nadler, Karma Police by John Vanderslice and Electioneering by Cold War Kids.

Incidentally if you like your favourite songs reinterpreted in the medium of smooth jazz(yazz flute), look no further... check out Smooth Jazz All Stars on Spotify for a whole evening of fun (it's actually pretty good, if not for their determination- they've whacked out about 60 albums of hip hop covers. Genius.)

Here are some good-un's...

Taken By Trees- Sweet Child 'O Mine (Guns & Roses)


God Guns'n'Roses are annoying, but this is a bearable version of a relatively hard song to cover without me wanting to claw my eyes out.



Hot Chip- Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye)


They've gone for it and completely Hot Chip'ped it up... Much as I love the original, I think this pays off...



Ex Lovers- Wicked Game (Chris Isaak)


Just love this song.



Nouvelle Vague- Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)


Good cover of a great song. Not as good as the original but a good shot.



CallmeKAT- The Lovecats (The Cure)
 Great original, nice little cover. Check her out on Spotify.




Klaxons- No Diggity (Blackstreet)


Niiiiice.





Arcade Fire- Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)


Not the best cover in the world but it's my favourite band covering my favourite band...




White Stripes- I don't know what to do with myself (Burt Bacharach covered by Dusty Springfield)


Ace cover, ace video.

Folk Rocks!

I've become musically enchanted by all things American. Listen to the Schpotify playlist below...

My latest find is Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros- their single 'Home' has such a wholesome, comforting sound- perfect for those miserable tail-end-of-winter days, like a musical Irish Stew. I hope they make it big here, it's an excellent song.
There are about ten of them in the band and you get a real familial vibe from the choons, they burst into cheerful banter and laughter. The mixture of brass, whistling, guitars, banjos and keyboard work in harmony creating a happy, boisterous noise without becoming jumbled.

They remind me of a band I saw recently at Union Chapel called Moriarty who were supporting Andrew Bird who looked like they'd rocked right out of a traveling caravan. They put on an amazing show though; they were really magnetic to watch- the lead singer oozed confidence and mystery and they all crowded around the microphone gazing intently at the audience playing their harmonicas and strumming their banjos. 

There are plenty of really good folky exports making their way over from the Big Pond. One beginning to see success here is Local Natives- intricate, laid-back folk rock with melting harmonies and excellent facial hair. I've been hooked on their debut 'Gorilla Manor' on wintery walks to work.

Cat Power remains one of my favourite American 'folk rock' artists, so I've added a couple of her tracks on there too. She was notoriously unpredictable live due to alcohol problems and messy relationships, which adds to the magnetism. She's all about the breathy vocals and her songs have an oldy worldy feel to them. I love this photo of her- Not Safe For Work though!

I can't write about modern American folk without mentioning Bon Iver. For Emma, Forever Ago was a phenomenal album. The songs conjure up images of him sitting in that log cabin up the mountain, staring out at the wilderness with a big log fire strumming away... This is still the perfect soundtrack for cold, wintery walks.

It's not really folky but I've also added a Beach House track to my American gems playlist. Ethereal as fuck- I really like the new album 'Teen Dreams'.

I can't figure out how to add music to this bad boy yet so check the playlist out on Spotify if you've got it...(I sneaked some Sufjan on there). Enjoy.

spotify:user:ronniemeade:playlist:3bnL0b9TLE86crU47nrJyZ

Vampire Weekend- Contra

I hated Vampire Weekend's last album. They struck me as wanky, preppy, rich boys which got my back up from the get go. 'Oxford Comma' cut right through me with that ridiculous swoopy vocal thing he does. But on a sneaky listen a few months later I had to concede it's a pretty good album... 'A Punk' is energetic, shouty fun and 'Walcott' was a more than decent track as New York Indie goes...

Fast forward to Contra: Calypso infused pop (the term afro-pop has been bandied about a lot) teamed with ridiculous lyrics and a preppy girl in a Ralph Lauren shirt on the cover (apparently it's some chick from the 80s they feel 'matches their image'- need I say more?) .... but, contra (ha) to all reason, I really like it.

The lyrics sometimes seem obscure for the sake of it, 'In December drinking horchata, I'd look psychotic in a balaclava'- no one knows what the hell horchata is (admittedly I've had it in Spain because I'm a cultured biatch- it's delicious). But at the same time there is a sense of them really sticking to their guns on this album, not pandering to the hate mob (which formerly included me). What I think was lacking on the self-titled first album is a certain sense of humour towards it all. They  are a bit ridiculous but they don't really give a shit.

'Diplomat's Son' is a fantastic song- the  'cha chada cha' loop in the background, the uplifting calypso beats and the pretty interesting lyrics... 'That night I smoked a joint with my best friend, we found ourselves in bed, when I woke up he was gone'- this all about a Diplomat's son (in 81). This song touches your happy place.

'I think Ur a contra' is beautiful when taken in the context of a love song- there's a hint of a political subtext in there, which is unclear (bizarrely, a 'contra' is a Nicaraguan counterrevolutionary guerrilla force).

Other highlights include:
'Giving Up the Gun'- a deep bass line accompanied by what sounds like a triangle-cum-xylophone.
'Cousins' is probably the most like the former album- the frantic energy is like a teenager having sex or something- fast, bewildering and... well it's a short song.
'Run' is also a great little song- about being stuck in a job and wanting to run away from it all with your girl and 'a powered radio'. Nice.
'California English' is like an afro-beat Animal Collective but has the potential to become annoying.

I like 'Horchata' despite the silly lyrics- it's initially the catchiest on the album.

Overall: 7/10

Noughtie Girl

Ok this is a bit posthumous but it's my first blog... felt only right to do a round up of the noughties...

When I was compiling my Best of the Noughties list on Spotify it struck me that there was no stand out genre- in fact I had a veritable mix of alt rock, indie pop, folk, electro, hip hop and the mysterious 'Other' (much better than the endless new genres created for bands transcending different styles).

The noughties were the years of the mash up; online, remixes became more popular than the singles released. This led to potent (and rather delicious) musical cocktails- electro muddled with rock, techno and hip hop until everything became undefinable.


I've managed to squidge the list down to my top 10 albums of the decade:

1. Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)- Interpol.
What an album...
Joy Division on Ketamine. The dense yet intricate guitar with drums moving from sludgy to frenetic, topped with Paul Banks' haunting voice, build into a wall of sound that creates a heart-wrenching atmosphere of sadness. This is most apparent on 'NYC' which explores his relationship with the city that constantly lets him down... 'I'm sick of spending these lonely nights training myself not to care'... Fan-bloody-tastic.

Stand Out Tracks: Untitled/NYC

2. Funeral (2004)- Arcade Fire.
The infectious optimism on this album was so refreshing when it came out. The energy running through the album is palpable; the instruments clamour over each other in a joyous, hopeful tangle right to the end.

Stand Out Tracks: Wake up/Rebellion (lies)

3. Cross (2007)- Justice.
Relentless- each song captivates you from the start and the tension continues to build until you are gagging for the climax. One of those albums that is virtually impossible to define- rocky?funky?electro?house? AWESOME.

Stand Out Tracks: D.A.N.C.E/Waters Of Nazareth

4. Elephant (2003)- White Stripes.
They can do no wrong in my eyes. Simple rock'n'roll with a bit of a country twist. Jack White is mesmerizing, his voice is like sex chocolate.

Stand Out Tracks: Hardest Button to Button/ Girl, you have no faith in medicine

 

5. Kid A (2000)- Radiohead.
One of my favourite openers to an album- 'Yesterday, I woke up sucking a lemon'. If they had released this with just 'Idioteque' on it, it probably would still have featured on my list.

Stand Out Tracks: Idioteque/Optimistic/Everything in it's Right Place

6. (Come on feel the) Illinoise (2005)- Sufjan Stevens.
This album is more like a grand performance. It's what I imagine would be the musical equivalent of traveling through the States and drinking in all the different sights and sounds.
 No bell or whistle is spared- an uplifting explosion of brassy, happy noise accompanied by Sufjan's soothing tones. The songs move from sadness ('John Wayne Gacy Jr') right through to sheer ecstacy ('Come On! Feel the Illinoise!...). Again I wouldn't know where to start putting this album into a category.
But Sufjan, seriously dude, sort out those titles.

Stand Out Tracks: Chicago/ Decatur/Jacksonville/Casimir Pulaski Day

7. Late Registration (2005)- Kanye West.
The man was robbed (I know he's a prick but I would be too if I made this shit happen). You can't really go wrong with Jay-Z, Nas and Common helping out...
Heard' Em Say is the sound equivalent of sunlight trickling through your window. 22 Tracks=excellent bang for your buck.

Stand Out Tracks: Heard 'Em Say/Touch The Sky

8. Original Pirate Material (2002)- The Streets.
Proper grime like. One of the most original things to come from a British artist in a while... At times dark and troubling, the cheeky wit of Mike Skinner keeps it from becoming too depressing. You get a realistic picture of how 'sex,drugs and on the dole' can drag you down but he sounds pretty happy... Difficult subject matter but he keeps it listenable.

Stand Out Tracks: Has it come to this?/Lets Push Things Forward/Stay Positive

9. Marshall Mathers LP (2000)- Eminem.
I couldn't resist adding this, an angsty teenager's dream of an album- the soundtrack to millions of middle-class kids wanting to rebel. I know knew all the words...  Actually decent on a recent re-listen- can I at least say the lyrics are good? Please?

Stand Out Tracks: Kill You/Stan

10. Deadringer (2002)- RJD2.
Atmospheric as hell... Feel-good brass and beats mixed in with something much darker. Just get yourself some decent scenery, a bus window and you've got yourself an hour of bliss with this one.

Stand Out Tracks: Ghostwriter/Chicken-Bone Circuit/Good Times Roll part 2/Smoke & Mirrors