A funky-dance-off from the South coast, abridged. The wings of this riffed tale are clipped, but the ankles twist a little faster to make up for it. Choruses and story change shape every second in this blur of guitar, colour, noise and drum.
“Unknown” is little faster, sharply focused, and more direct. A song suitable for that fast-editted lo-fi Drag-Race film that Quentin Taratino plotted on the back of a beer-mat. The Sticks are impressive in their range, and frightening in their simplicity.
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See this page for gigs by bands I’ve written about in the last few months, playing dates all round the U.K.
Picks of the week:
1st April:Fanfarlo — White Heat w/ El Guincho [Spain] and Munch Munch — London, London and South East
Experimental (and occasionally droning (= good)) sounds of the landscape waking rather abruptly after an Ice-Age, getting to it’s feet and stumbling lazily to the sea. The Hamilton Yarns sing a harmony over the event and they sound like they are singing a story of the land. All of their pastoral music is like the soundtrack to the film before it has even been dreamed up: It’s subtle, beautiful and minimal in that sort of way.
Villains and endings isn’t what Brighton’s The Hamiliton Yarns need, although they definitely like stories. Bess drifts, but just like seasonal drift it’s not something you need to make a big deal out of, just something worth a little of your appreciation, understanding and time.
Thank you for the suggestion Jane. Play some folky music in Sheffield some time again soon, Ja?
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If liked that, you might like these:
16nd February: Held By Hands: “electric-guitar feedback shreds the stars and moon and scatters a light…a disconnected lofi-shape that is too infectious to not get excited about.”
2nd February: The Matinee Orchestra: “big sounds and samples delivered this morning through a soaking shower of lost, organic and journeying acoustic instruments”
NEW: Bands reviewed on Nothing But Green Lights who are playing shows in the next few days….
In the future this information will have a dedicated page. It’ll also cover the next few weeks/months: not days. So: those of you not fortunate enough to live in the U.K will not have to be subjected to a great list of dates every time I post. But the time is nigh! Go see some bands and buy yourself a t-shirt.
29th March: Frightened Rabbit: Barfly : Glasgow Johnny Foreigner: Cockpit w/Blood Red Shoes: Leeds Jonquil: Matadero Viejo w/ Matt Elliott: Huesca, Spain Puzzle: Pilgrim with Super Tennis: Liverpool Slow Club: Thekla w/ Duke Spirit: Bristol The Accidental: Cecil Sharp House: London Elle SAppelle: @ Joseph Well: Leeds, Northwest
30th March: Slow Club: G UNITs night: sheffield The Wave Pictures: The Luminaire w/ Darren Hayman: London Jonquil: Sala Zero: Tarragona, Spain
31st March: Slow Club: The Enterprise w/ The Wave Pictures: London The Wave Pictures: The Enterprise supporting Slow Club: London Jonquil: Cafe la Palma: Madrid, Spain
1st April: Frightened Rabbit: Bodega w/ Make Model: Nottingham Johnny Foreigner: Cavern Club: FREE entry: Exeter Jonquil: Radio3 / La2 TV: Madrid, Spain Nancy Elizabeth: The Ruby Lounge, supporting Efterklang: Manchester Owen Duff: The Goldhawk Sessions@The Goldhawk: London Mathew Sawyer: 93 feet east: London Fanfarlo: White Heat w/ El Guincho [Spain] and Munch Munch: London, London and South East
Tune up your musical life with a British musical pit-stop…
Here’s a digest of what some mp3 blogs across the world have said about British music recently :: The stuff I’m missing.
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Mp3 Blog Jungle Overlord Chris @ Gorilla Vs Bear likes Stricken City: “The band’s lo-fi demos vaguely recall new-wave pop… ultra-catchy pop jams”. Jams + Pop are words that get me interested immediatly.
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20 Jazz Funk Greats is a blog far in the distance, and you look at their lap times and your jaw just drops. How do they do what they do!? Revenge of Shinobi is told as so: “…erasing the memories of those who had been born and lived and loved and hated and come to rest under this ground, still together and guarded in their sleep by silent inhabitants of the woods who would never forget, I am giving you their song now.”
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Portishead @ Said The Gramophone :: Dan posts an irresistably light new track: “even Portishead, the dreamiest of underwater trance-weavers, is sometimes awake, at the table, making music to a crumby morning”
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Irish blog The Torture Garden writes about Fanfarlo. I could never find the words to describe or try to sell this song to you but as Shane says “there’s a chance some of you have yet to fall victim to its super sweet charm.” Trust him.
Over at The Morning News a one Paul Ford attempted to write six word reviews of 763 mp3s that South-By-South-West used to promote the music playing. He gave this Fanfarlo track one grey dot out of five and said “Wanders. More instruments than ideas.” - not neccessarily negative though - is it? And that’s a five word review, so due to the laws of the internet, it can be disregarded.
This South-Eastern bright and chirpy, indie-pop music washes straight through you. It knocks you under the waves with a power rarely experienced on these shores. And as you hit the water your legs struggle to keep you afloat and you start seeing strange shapes, colours, bubbles and blinding light above (or below) as you balance between sand and sky. This is what The Joy Formidable manage: a balance a dream-like disorientation with the measured chaos of pop music.
Screaming Tea Party charm, swoop and generally be very bird-of-prey like, hovering above watching everyone else struggle to string a few notes together down below, effortless going down for the kill. This London three piece sound familiar, but with added lo-fidelty venom, a few more high notes and a wider range they sound different to the last deja-vu. They’ll seek out and take you down with an impatience and to stick-it-to-you-ness. Run breathless, but they’ll catch you.
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Go listen to slower, but still awesome “Cracked up Dietrich” @ myspace. And buy their stuff @ Stolen.
"...Afrobeat has gone all desert-storm, with instrumental precision: an assault of funk and drum... the sandstorm churned up behind it betrays kilowatts of energy and a solar rhythm" [11th May: more] | [Photo credit]
"It’s fresh and exciting in a way that doesn’t sound bedroom produced, ill-considered or lost on a journey to nowhere and back. It’s thoughtful and soulful, and there’s not much better to prepare you for a night of excitement, fireworks and bonfires than a some low-key electronica."
[5th November 2007: more]
