NYRM loves Wye Oak.  They are great.  They are playing a show.  If you want to go to a show tonight, go to this one.  Hooray!

MP3: “Family Glue” – Wye Oak

Bjork—Selmasongs
One Little Indian, 2000

Like the film Dancer in the Dark did for the musical, “In the Musicals” reinvents the musical number. It has all the rising, uplifting trajectory of the best Rogers & Hammerstein tunes without being cheesy and overbearing like those were. Sure, musicals were the thing back in the forties, but it can be safely said that their popularity and credibility are slipping these days. Back then, it was easier to convince people that everything would be okay if you kept a smile on your face and a song in your heart. After all, everyone was petrified of nuclear war, and if it wasn’t “smile and sing”, it could just as easily have been “duck and cover”. Though people are a little less like sheep now, Lars Von Trier takes this idea to a whole new level in his film, a level that might not be for everyone (it makes Terms of Endearment look like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids). It’s fortunate, then, that Selmasongs stands up as a great album all on its own. Granted, one who has not seen Dancer might become curious as to what exactly the “107 Steps” are, and the film opens up entirely new dimensions to songs like “I’ve Seen It All”. But even after viewing Dancer, Selmasongs retains elements of mystery. Any way you look at it, the two are separate entities, and the album represents Bjork at her best.

The National—Boxer
Beggars Banquet, 2008

The National make up part of the Williamsburg scene, but were it not for this, they might not seem so hip. After all, they are all actually from Cincinnati, OH. Plus, Matt Berninger’s deep baritone simultaneously recalls Leonard Cohen and the crooners of old, and it’s never been cool to listen to your parents’ music. If his lyrics didn’t so candidly reflect the nomadic hearts of today’s youth, The National’s songs may not work as well, and Boxer might not be as near-perfect as it is. As with most of The National’s music, much of Boxer seems to play with the idea of things falling together, whether or not it is in the desired form. The unique chemistry of the band—a morose yet controlled chaos—coupled with the indifferent confusion of Berninger’s lyrics provide the perfect soundtrack for embracing helplessness. As Berninger sings on “Racing Like a Pro”, “Sometimes you get up and bake a cake or something, sometimes you stay in bed/sometimes you go la de da de da de da until your eyes roll back into your head.” Never have mundane tasks done so much for the greater good.

Field Music—Tones of Town
Memphis Industries, 2007

Field Music write and record music when they want to, and claim the band is a “by-product” of their existence and not their “reason for it”. With that said, Tones of Town is a truly great record, one that many will attempt to emulate for years to come. If the members of Field Music don’t even make the band a top priority in their lives and STILL create pop music this adventurous and memorable, they should be waiting to pull another masterpiece out of their ass and two more out of each ear here pretty soon. This album pushes the limits of all of its elements—everything from the Brian-Wilson-meets-Andy-Partridge arrangements and the recording of the songs to the way we listen to them is challenged in some way. Specifically, Tones of Town should be considered a ProTools blueprint for all engineers or aspiring ones. The way the band plays with the endless possibilities of the program (as with the reverse effects of “A House Is Not A Home”) still sounds fresh. The songwriting is angular without being overwrought, catchy without sacrificing originality, and effortlessly melodic. Most importantly, at just under 32 minutes, Tones of Town avoids outstaying its welcome; and if it under-stays it, what’s left is the urge to start the whole damn thing over again.

Back in 2007, I got very very obsessed with the sophomore album from Sunderland’s Field Music, a 30-minute progressive punk art rock odyssey into the mundanity of small-town life. In borrowing the least lifestyle elements of Steely Dan and fusing them to a jerkiness that recalled Wire, the then-trio (comprised of the two brothers Brewis, and their friend Andrew Moore) created a masterpiece that provided concise chunks of song that packed in a multitude of musical ideas – from Billy Joel-esque piano, to crisp beatboxing. Tones of Town was magnificent, and its lack of fame was nigh-upon criminal. When the band announced they were going on hiatus, I practically cried myself to sleep.

Well now, via several intriguing side projects, they’re back. And in a more expansive mood, clearly, because their forthcoming third album, entitled Field Music (Measure), is a double album, with twenty songs that aren’t afraid to be less cohesive, in a manner apparently styled after Tusk and The Beatles. Predictably, I’m very excited, especially since the band (now a four piece, sans Moore) are whetting our appetites with two choice cuts from the album.

The first, “Each Time Is A New Time”, cruises in on a liquid bassline and some pretty FM-rock guitar, backed up by typically intricate drumming. When the vocals come in, the way they harmonise and interlock is sophisticated and aurally pleasing. Halfway through, the song cuts to a stripped-down passage that builds back up with insistently mellifluous guitar figures, wordless chanting and military percussion, before breaking straight back to the original riff. And then, in true Field Music style, it’s over.

The second sample, the title track, “Measure”, explodes from a suitably baroque string arrangement into a clanging, rustling, piano-led groove. The band has not lost its knack of combining the ancient with the modern, as the vocal interplay and hand claps (which sit alongside the strings, and some very steely guitar) will testify. The mood is wistful and meandering, interspersed with occasional shouts that recall Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac. As the song fades out to looped strings and a thrumming beat, I can’t help but feel a wave of relief that the band has stretched away from the brilliant style they had previously perfected, in order to explore new ground.

Both songs are little gems, and, wonderfully, both are available for free, from the band’s charming website. Field Music (Measure) is released 16th February 2010, on Memphis Industries, and promises to be one of the year’s most intriguing albums, not only in terms of scope and scale, but also in terms of the fascinating, filigree-like music it will contain.

(L-R): P. Brewis, D. Brewis, Andrew Moore (who left the band and is now training to be a chef. True fact)

“So rather this than talk, grab your keys and get to work / Cos them that do nothing make no mistakes” – Field Music – Them That Do Nothing

I’ve got this sneaking suspicion that Peter Brewis is a bit of a genius.  Make sure to watch him during a Field Music set – the care and precision with which he works his way through odd but wholly methodical, inside-out drum patterns, the adeptness with which he plays every instrument, his seeming immunity to error – the way he conducts and encourages the new band members, guitarist Kevin Dosdale and bassist Ian Black, cajoling them with conspiratorial looks and broad grins.  Also check the solo album he produced during Field Music’s hiatus, as The Week That Was (why did it take me so long to work out how good that record is?

We’re a few months ahead of the release of the new album, which the band have decided to call Field Music, even though their first album was also called Field Music.  Somebody somewhere has added the word Measure in brackets to distinguish the two.

The group play a lot of new material during their 90-minute set and are typically eager to thank their audience for the opportunity.  Let’s call it an advance road-test, at a very reasonable door tariff – £7  is not a lot more than you pay to see a bunch of no-marks at a ‘showcase night’, over at the dear old Night & Day.

At first listen, the new stuff sounds definitely, proudly English, in a way that not many groups do any more, since it became the overwhelming cultural norm to draw almost your entire sphere of influence from the American underground and canon.  Field Music have never sounded remotely American and for that, they should be applauded.

There’s a streak of the seventies running through their sound, very definitely a touch of early Roxy Music, even a little Pink Floyd (a group whose sound and ethos I’ve always rejected). I once met Peter at a Futureheads concert – I still feel guilty for distracting him as he tried to enjoy the headliners – and remember being somewhat stunned when I asked who their main influences were and he just said ‘Queen’.  Full stop.   Queen were, to me, everything that was wrong with music.  Yet here was a group whose intriguing, canny music was giving me so much pleasure and there was the influence, from right out of the Red Zone, as far as I was concerned.  Balls, another preconception to be dismantled.

Back to the Deaf Institute show. For now, it’s hard to unpick the lock of the new material.  It’s dextrously played, never formulaic, riddled with ideas, time signature changes, unexpected twists.  That prog inclination rears its head when Dosdale and David Brewis play twin lead guitar with slightly abashed smiles (‘are we actually allowed to do this?’). The odd dip into the back catalogue rewards the faithful, but there’s no Closer At Hand, no You Can Decide – a particularly vivacious rendition of the latter moons ago at The Roadhouse is still one of my favourite ever live moments.  We do get Shorter, Shorter, If Only The Moon Were Up and an encore of It’s Not The Only Way To Feel Happy, but plenty of gems are missing – which is a great sign in itself.

Now I’ve been fortunate enough to hear the new record, I can tell you it’s a double album, which is something in itself.  Who makes double albums?  Since punk orthodoxy became the default, the idea of a rock album that doesn’t fit onto one side of a C90 has been somewhat verboten.  Double albums were pomp-rock excess and prog long-windedness.  But iTunes and so forth changes the concept of the album, which can now be as long or as short as you like.  If you don’t like a track, just deselect it.  Re-order the tracks, if you want.  Fuck it.  An album’s just a collection of songs.  The group give you a proposed order, but once you have it, it’s yours to deconstruct.

If Queen are OK, everything I have ever believed must be reassessed. Even YES might be acceptable...

Independence, goddamnit!  Field Music have their own studio, they produce music as they like.  They talked seriously about getting proper jobs, so they didn’t have to bother with the PR duties that go with being a ‘professional band’ and could just work at home in the evenings.  They’d do music whether they made money out of it or not.  They don’t think they’re rock stars.  They don’t want to be rock stars.  Peter’s defiant chorus line from the superb new track Them That Do Nothing sums them up very nicely indeed – that attitude is what I love about them.

Field Music are starting to become an English institution and we’re well short of those.  That they went on ‘official hiatus’ after their second LP, Tones of Town, was worrying for the state of the musical nation; that they are back is a great relief.  Their originality, work ethic and commitment is an inspiration.  Hopefully, that lengthy hiatus has had the desired effect and they’ll kick on from here.

I just have to put this band up here. They are a great combination of electronic and acoustic music. The video for this tune is ace as well!

Jets to Brazil – Starry Configurations
Harry Nilsson – Let The Good Times Roll
The Long Blondes – Weekend Without Makeup
Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire
Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream
Wilco – Kicking Television
The Boomtown Rats – Lookin’ After No. 1
Bjork – Who Is It (Carry My Joy On The Left, Carry My Pain On The Right)
Super Furry Animals – Carbon Dating
The Specials – Doesn’t Make It Alright
Elvis Costello – Little Triggers (Live)
Pop Levi – Pick Me Up Uppercut
Roxy Music – A Really Good Time
Delta Spirit – Streetwalker

Vinyl Countdown – Top 5 Songs of the Week

5. Marissa Nadler – Rosary

4. Yura Yura Teikoku – Dekinai

3. Field Music – Measure

2. Cold Cave – Life Magazine

1. Avi Buffalo – What’s In It For?

I didn’t think it would happen but Field Music have announced a new double album due out next year. It’s called Field Music (Measure).

You can get your hands on a couple of the tracks here if you care http://www.field-music.co.uk/ which therefore means I am listening to them right now

The inaugural Split Festival, the first event of its kind in the city, saw hundreds gather for a celebration of Sunderland’s finest in entertainment, from live music to comedy. The day kicked off with sets from some of some of the North East’s top new and upcoming comedy talents. Fresh from his debut show at the Edinburgh Fringe Tony Jameson introduced the acts to a tent which had yet to fill.

All the acts proved popular with those who had arrived early enough to catch them, but it could be argued that, despite how funny it was, half one on a Sunday afternoon was a bit early for John Whale’s ‘Joesph Frtizl’ related material, himself admitting “if it was 8pm, you’d be pissing yourselves.”

After a brief break, it was onto the music, opening the NARC Stage were Sona Di. However, their powerful atmospheric rock almost felt out of place on this bright Sunday afternoon.  Next up on the main stage were O’Messy Life with a folk pop sound which those in the crowd instantly warm to, as the energetic David Alexander bounds about the stage. The organisation of the day, meant that once the live music began, there was always a band on stage, right up to The Futureheads headline set, a method which proved popular as the crowd made the short journey from one stage to the other. Other highlights during the festivals opening hour included Sea Of Glass, Jeans Go POP, who battled through broken microphones and persistent wasps to deliver his experimental, lush pop sounds and Coal Train, making their debut and containing members of the now disbanded, but still loved, This Aint Vegas. In addition to music, the street theatre, market stalls and face painting really helped towards creating the friendly atmosphere that was ever present throughout.

As the day continued, the music showed no sign of letting up as Frankie And The Heartstrings were next to take to the main stage.  The tent begins to fill up as the band play through an energetic set, during which it becomes clear why these have been winning fans up and down the country. Having just finished supporting Florence & The Machine, they appear delighted to play their hometown again.  Everyone’s favourite North East bird based band were up next, and as always B>E>A>K really help get the party started. As their infectious bird mask wearing instrumental hardcore (thanks Pete) has members at the front of the now busy tent jumping and chanting along:”get your beak on.”

After a solid set from Milky Wimpshake at the NARC Stage, comes one of the most highly anticipated acts of the day. Performing their first gig since announcing a hiatus in 2007 and with a new line up, Field Music take to the stage in front of an eager crowd. The Brewis brothers, alongside new members Kev Dosdale, Ian Black, play masterfully through tracks from the first two Field Music albums and the School of Language effort.  They sound so tight and so at ease that it’s difficult to believe this is a band that haven’t played these songs live in two years. The crowd are treated one new song from the recently recorded third Field Music album, and it suggests a heavier, even more complex sound.

The tent now full, we get to tonight’s headliners, The Futureheads. They play a healthy mix of old favourites from the self-titled debut album, and some brand new tracks from the forthcoming album. Song such as opener ‘Le Garage’ and ‘Robot’ sound just a fresh and exciting as they did on record.  Singles such as ‘Decent Days And Nights’ and ‘Skip To The End’ are met with big cheers.  Then Barry Hyde offers us the chance to have a “genuine Futureheads festival experience” ahead of ‘Hounds of Love’ as the crowd is split in half to take part in singing along, it leads to the days loudest cheers and biggest sing-along. ‘ManRay’ brings to an end a frantic set and the audience are invited outside to a firework display which closes the first ever Split Festival. A great day for the people, and the city of Sunderland. Roll on next year.

http://www.splitfestival.com/

Just thought you would all like to know what my favourite song is.

It’s this one:

(if that doesn’t load, it’s In Context by a little band called Field Music, from the album Tones Of Town)

I only completely decided this morning that this was probably my favourite song of all time. I’ve known it for about 3 years, and I listen to it at least once a month. I think this is a fair amount to listen to your favourite song, but I think I could even listen to this once a week and still not get sick of it. I’ve listened to it twice today.

Check out the bassline. It’s fuckin’ IMPROVISED. You can’t just IMPROV’ THIS SHIT!!

It’s astonishing. Completely mindblowing. Even if you don’t like the song (yah rite), the video is mental good as well.

-Ellie.

This just in! Below is something I put together all about Azwan Badruzaman. It’s a mashup on the best of Azwan. This is on my new YouTube membership, username erploco2. The theme for this channel is everything that doesn’t quite fit on the regular erploco, I will add to this one.

I asked cherlovestrong if she’d been getting the most recent Sierra Grille shows. She hasn’t and the same here, although she did mentioned that she uploaded a video of her playing w/ a fish in a bucket.

Niles came by today, knocking on the door first thing in the morning and me causing a ruckus in the neighborhood, no saying though. I dug out some old files on music and artwork. I wanted to start scanning some stuff in so I began w/ some videotape covers and photographing record albums. I’ve recently been listening to “A Cry From The Earth – Music of the North American Indians” on vinyl.

A Cry From The Earth

This brings back memories since this was an influence on me to create the CD Primitive Vibes, a collection of pseudo-tribal music similar to the one on the record. I played to record for Niles and we’ve been listening to it off-and-on.

Primitive Vibes CD

Most recently, I emailed Al Williams @ NCTV about airing films from UbuWeb on the station. He sent back UbuWeb’s About section detailing that their films are public domain and granted to be used by anyone for educational and noncommercial purposes. That said, I plan to send down a copy of some William S. Burroughs films as well as Bunuel/Dali’s “Un Chien Andalou.” The latter I already knew was in public domain, I was really hoping to get Burroughs’s “Towers Open Fire” aired this coming week. Below is the front of the DVD case for “Un Chien Andalou.”

Un Chien Andalou

Cutting Through The Cinema CD

Below that is a CD I put together for my film class finals. It’s an album featuring songs based on films I saw in class. One of the songs, “Snuff Film Babies,” was about a student who walked out of a screening of Fassbinder’s “In The Year of 13 Moons” after seeing the infamous “slaughter house sequence.” Surprisingly, he was also the film reviewer for the Daily Collegian newspaper and later sent in a scathing review to the TA.

———-

Also, I just recently uploaded onto archive.org an audio recording of The Big Bad Bollocks performing @ The Taste of Northampton in 1995. This was when the Taste had actually been a major event in city of NOHO (this, as well as the Transperformance, Tri-County Fair and the Pride Parade). The Bollocks first performed @ the Taste in 1991, promoting their first album “Hanged At Gibbet Rock.” They also played a show after the 1995 one (see previous post). The Taste is no longer happening, sadly, but these recordings still live on.

It’s been ages. I was looking down my “Recently Played” playlist trying to decide where the cutoff should be; 10, 20, 30 or 40. Then I thought, well I guess it depends on how much commentary I put with each track.

So I’m going with a Top 40. Reason – I have several new CDs to review so I’ll save my energies for that. This will be a list. Just a list. No comments.

This goes from most recent to most distant!

1. Why Does The Rain – The Loft
2. Help You Ann – The Lyres
3. The Smallest Church in Sussex – British Sea Power
4. Killed By Death – Motorhead
5. Ten Feet Tall – XTC
6. Games of Diamonds – Deerhunter
7. My Sex – Ultravox!
8. Easy – The Beta Band
9. We’ve Got Time – Broadcast
10. French Tickler – Sonic Youth
11. Got To Get The Nerve – Field Music
12. Jacqueline – The Durutti Column
13. Ignoreland – The Forms
14. Atrocity Exhibition – Joy Division
15. Unlit Hallway – Mark Kozelek
16. Insight – Joy Division
17. So Far Gone – The Early Years
18. Honey – Spacemen 3
19. Babys – Bon Iver
20. Pumpkin Gets A Snakebite – Animal Collective
21. Everyone – The Aliens
22. Ten – The Soviettes
23. Voodoo Ray – A Guy Called Gerald
24. Mt. – Super Furry Animals
25. One Half Hour Ago – Rain Parade
26. The Bells of Dunwich – Stone Angel
27. Fade Away – New Age Steppers
28. Macbeth – Ciccone Youth
29. Went Crazy – The Teardrop Explodes
30. Oh Lonesome Me – M. Ward
31. Concrete Heaven – Blitzen Trapper
32. Last Words – 23 Skidoo
33. Senor Nachos – Dustball
34. No Motion – Dif Juz
35. You Used To Call Me Sadness – Stereolab
36. Remember Me – British Sea Power
37. It Was A Pleasure Then – The Velvet Underground
38. Falling Down Around Me – The Teardrop Explodes
39. And Then Again – A Certain Ratio
40. Married, 2 Kids – The Fall

Woosh. Done. I’ll pick a few out of these to comment on tomorrow. Settling down now to watch England vs Croatia!

P

Shorpy

In an effort to turn the misery around, I’ve decided to share some music with you each week.

First off, “In Context” by Field Music. (James Bolam, Black Cats and Field Music=all great things from Sunderland.)

Fab video obviously. But you must listen to the lyrics: their brilliantly heart-breaking. (Okay, I know that’s a bit miserable but I can’t change overnight.)

Ok here’s some things I’ve been listening to recently, no particular connection between one and the next, but you might end up liking them all the same! Wouldn’t that be something?

I’ve fallen back into a heated, passionate, illicit, dream-like love affair with Field Music again. Because they’re one of the best bands to ever have existed. Their music is so well-laid out, every piece carefully picked and placed. And the absolute blissful melody of vocal and instrumentation is pretty much a you-had-me-at-hello. And if you don’t go and listen to all their music and love it, like let’s say I meet you somewhere and you come up and you’re like “eh, I listened to that Field Music band you wouldn’t stop gushing about, and I thought they were bent. Just a pack of benders” then I’ll never talk to you again.

FIELD MUSIC – IN CONTEXT (from the album “Tones Of Town”)

FIELD MUSIC – IF ONLY THE MOON WERE UP (from the album “Field Music”)

They’ve split up, which is a massive shame, but are all involved in each others’ solo work, The Week That Was and School Of Language. So here’s a couple from those, which are also breathtaking.

THE WEEK THAT WAS – LEARN TO LEARN (from the album “The Week That Was”)

SCHOOL OF LANGUAGE – THE ROCKIST (from the album “Sea From Shore”)

Browsing the videos on youtube I came across this song which is one of the best things I’ve heard in a while, along with the song I’m going to post afterwards.

LE LOUP – PLANES LIKE VULTURES (from the album “The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nation’s Millenium General Assembly”)

GROUPER – STUCK (from the album “Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill”)

That’s it, I’m going to listen to some Field Music. Get bent!

First of all, apologies for the lack of updates. I’m afraid not all of us have eight-week terms, and the last few weeks have been criminally hectic.

Now, a lot of my friends have highlighted my lack of knowledge of recent pop music. It’s true that I don’t listen to what’s in the charts, and I’m sometimes surprised when I tune into the radio and hear something I never imagined would have entered the pop universe – M.I.A., for instance. I had no idea she had become so big. Scanning down a list of the current UK Top 40, I have never knowingly heard a song by The Saturdays, Lady GaGa, Taylor Swift, Akon, Alesha Dixon, James Morrison, Tinchy Stryder, Jason Mraz, Leona Lewis or Lemar. It doesn’t bother me, but it does bother others.

What does frustrate me is the terribly low expectations of pop listeners. Why does it require a trailer for a bad stoner comedy to get people listening to M.I.A.? There’s nothing excessively pretentious about her music; it’s hugely entertaining; random sonic effects bounce out of speakers – put simply, there’s no excuse not to go and listen to her songs. I’m incredibly glad that she’s now receiving some mainstream love, but of course there are countless other artists whose music would be perfectly palatable for a pop-loving audience, but who have never received that big break. Music critics often talk of a band writing “great pop songs”, without mentioning that the pop breakthrough has so far eluded the band in question.

Here, then, are some artists who I would sorely love to see gain more exposure in the wider community, because there’s nothing unreasonably difficult about their music, and because they write great pop songs. If you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably heard of most of these bands. But go and tell your pop-loving friends about them, in the hope that they too will come to appreciate better, more intelligent pop music.

My Morning Jacket – prone to lengthy jams in live shows, their studio albums have got progressively more pop, without really sacrificing on the quality. Often, it’s just straight up rock and roll, with a smattering of reverb, and some alt.country flavourings. It never fails to lift my mood. (Download now: Wordless Chorus, Gideon)

Belle & Sebastian – this Scottish troupe have been around for years, never making any great inroads at mainstream success, despite the fact that they write beautifully charming, witty, unpretentious songs that reference everything from folk, to electronica, to Motown and soul. Once again, it’s truly uplifting, engaging music that doesn’t make a great show of its intelligence. (Download now: Step Into My Office Baby, The Blues Are Still Blue)

Calexico – who doesn’t want to hear mariachi-tinged Americana that takes in elements from dub, folk, krautrock and popular indie rock? Over the course of their career, they’ve made some of my favourite, and most consistently enjoyable, albums, which are packed full of diverse ranging songs that evoke a singular image of the deserts of California and Arizona. (Download now: Writer’s Minor Holiday, Dub Latina)

The Decemberists – like MMJ, they can get quite progressive, but when they write sweet, romantic ditties, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t get played on the radio. No one can fail to love “Summersong” on the first listen. (Download now: Summersong, The Perfect Crime #2)

Deerhunter – Their earlier work was aggressively ambient and shoegazy, but their recent album, Microcastle, is a triumph of pop melodies, inflected with tortuously beautiful guitar fuzz. In Bradford Cox, they have one of the most beautiful, troubling and haunting voices in music, but when he harmonises with the rest of the band, the result is sublime. (Download now: Heatherwood, Agoraphobia)

Field Music – I feel like I’ve extolled this Sunderland three-piece’s virtues way too many times. They no longer make music under that name, but their second album in particular is a masterpiece of indie pop, with strange vibes of Genesis and 80s prog rock, but all contained in three minute songs. (Download now: A House Is Not A Home, She Can Do What She Wants)

The National – framed with beautiful orchestral flourishes, this band’s genre-less music is wonderfully evocative, employing tasteful U2-isms and Springsteen-isms with the dark brooding mood of Interpol. (Download now: Fake Empire, Secret Meeting)

The Shins – darlings of the indie world, but why has nobody else heard their musically diverse, exceptionally well-written pop songs? They even had their music sprinkled through the film Garden State. (Download now: Kissing The Lipless, Phantom Limb, Sea Legs)

Spoon – what more can I write? Their music is beautifully sparse and minimalist; no song ever carries on where it’s not necessary; the lyrics are funny and insightful; even their albums are strangely brief. They’re just the complete band. Their music was featured in The O.C., as I discovered when I played an album to some friends. But why didn’t anyone follow it up? (Download now: Don’t You Evah, The Way We Get By, Stay Don’t Go)

There’s simply no reason not to spread the word of the gospel.

[Talkin' the best songs of 2008.]

None of the year-end best-of lists I’ve encountered have recognized The Week That Was’s terrific eponymous debut — a reminder that, like the All-Star game and the Pro Bowl, those lists are largely vapid popularity contests.

Few songs gave me more pounding-the-steering-wheel pleasure this year than “Scratch The Surface,” the album’s closing track. It’s a hammering prog-pop anthem executed with German-like precision. I have no idea what the song is about (band leader and former Field Music fella Peter Brewis says the whole album was inspired by the fiction of Paul Auster), but different bits from the song grab you by the lapels and shake: “It’s only a scratch, but you’re crying like a girl,” “I’m not responsible for how I react,” “It’s strange that we compete in this way” and, especially, the refrain: “Give to me some purpose, you’ve only scratched the surface.” And if you’re unemployed like me, the video (below) is a sobering reminder of what awaits you when you return to the Force.

It’s appropriate that Popmatters chose to run my review of the eponymous debut of Brit rockers The Week That Was on a Friday. A side project of Peter Brewis of the excellent pop band Field Music, this is one of the best albums you won’t hear anything about this year. Fans of Eno, XTC and nervy 80s British pop, take note.

NME nennt es one of the oddest beauties of the year so far, Dem kann ich mich im Fall des gleichnamigen Albums von The Week That Was nur anschließen. Wer mehr so auf knackige 3-Minutensongs mit bratziger Gitarre und klarer Aufteilung in Strophe, Refrain, Strophe steht, ist beim Soloprojekt eines der beiden Brewsterbrüder – auch bekannt von Field Music – sicher nicht richtig. Wer sich aber gerne auch mal die Zeit nimmt, ein Album von hier geschmeidigen 33 Minuten mehrmals am Stück durchzuhören und sich reinzufinden, dabei auch zunächst komplexere Songstrukturen mag, dem sei The Week That Was extrem warm empfohlen. Ohrwurm zum warm werden ist Scratch the Surface.

Der andere der beiden Brewsterbrüder ist ebenfalls solo unterwegs – Überschneidungen sind kaum überhörbar. Im Gegensatz zu seinem Bruder dürfen die Gitarren bei David Brewsters Projekt School of Language allerdings mehr ran, während der kleine Bruder Peter bei The Week That Was mehr auf das gute alte Piano setzt.

Zusammen waren – und hoffentlich sind – die beiden Brüder Field Music. Sicher auch nicht unbedingt was für den genuinen Arctic Monkey-Enthusiasten. By the way: Soweit ich weiß, hatte Field Music auch Gäste von Maximo Park an Bord. Richtig?? Please confirm. Ihr Album Tones of Town erschien im Jahr 2007 und war auch not übel, really, wie auch das Video zu You’re not supposed to zeigt. Für alle drei genannten Projekte gilt: Ist was für Kopf und Herz, Herz und Kopf. Don’t only scratch the surface…und viel Spaß dabei!

Korrektur: You’re not supposed to stammt vom B-Seiten-Sampler Write your own history.

Nachdem der Release-Termin des Albums von Peter Brewis’ (Field Music) Projekt “The Week That Was” einige Zeit verschoben wurde, sind das gleichnamige Album “The Week That Was” und auch die zweite Single “The Airport Line” seit heute zu haben. Da es sich hier um eine Herzensangelegenheit von uns handelt legen wir euch ein Probehören unbedingt nahe, verweisen noch einmal auf unsere Review und unser Interview mit den Futureheads, die auch ein wenig über Peter und “The Week That Was” plauderten.

Hier auch noch einmal das Video zu “Scratch The Surface”:

Myspace von Peter Brewis

Ariane WhiteTapes

Remix contests are getting more and more popular around the internet as more and more people like you and me are getting their hands on fancy music software. Now Tokyo Police Club ask you to follow the likes of Dntel, Field Music and RAC, and remix one of their tracks. So sum up you creative skills and give Graves, taken from their Elephant Shell album, a nice rework and impress the guys to earn a spot on one of the future Tokyo Police Club releases. The individual tracks are available for download here, and there’s more information to get at the Tokyo Police Club Myspace on where to send your remix. Oh and if you create anything I’d love to hear it, so be sure to post a link in the comments if you stop by!

Tokyo Police Club – Be Good (RAC Remix)

The Week That Was
Nota: 4,5 / 5

Trabalhei durante alguns meses escrevendo pra SLANT Magazine – substituindo um rapazinho que andava meio doido da cabeça. Durante esses poucos meses, virei grande amigo de uma colunista e blogueira da revista – Alexa Camp. Desde então, vira e mexe recebo por correio, de presente, coisas que nunca encontraria por aqui: CDs, DVDs, livros… uma infinidade de coisas bacanas. Sexta-feira chegou uma correspondência internacional, e, dentro, um CD. Remetente: Alexa Camp. Dentro, um CD com uma capa bacana. The Week That Was. What the fuck?

Coloquei o CD (sou fanático por CDs, mesmo sendo muito mais simples baixar…) logo que chegou e achei uma porcaria. Coloquei uma segunda vez, e achei outra porcaria. Daí pensei… “A Alexa não me manda porcarias”. E prestei mais atenção ao disco que tinha em mãos: uma obra extremamente conceitual, original, e que, ao mesmo tempo que é inspirado no estilo de contar histórias de Paul Auster (as letras são todas sobre assassinatos, conspirações da mídia, mas tudo envolvido em um só enredo, uma só história – mesmo que a cada música você fique mais confuso), é musicalmente ultra-pop, evocando David Bowie, Kate Bush e Genesis, com pegadas rock’n'roll de primeiríssima qualidade.

Pesquisando na net, ainda descobri que é um projeto paralelo de Peter Brewis, do Field Music. São 32 minutos de música pop altamente conceitual e de qualidade, e que conta com, pelo menos, two tracks viciantes: “The Airport Line” e “Scratch the Surface”. Esta última, você pode escutar aqui mesmo:

Cool ao extremo.

Urban and Eastern, in partnership with the Star and Shadow Cinema, are delighted to announce that they will be promoting a weekend of film, music and visual art curated by Field Music on November 14 and 15 2008 at the Star and Shadow Cinema.

Field Music: Peter, David and Andrew

Field Music are Sunderland brothers David and Peter Brewis, with their friend Andrew Moore. Uncut called them ‘the garage Beach Boys’ and Mojo made Peter’s The Week That Was debut their album of the month. In short, Field Music are the most vital pop artists in Britain in 2008. More details will follow soon, but following the success of the Cinema’s St. Etienne festival in February, and with The Pastels to come next year, this promises to be another great crossover between the worlds of pop, film and art.

Ein schöner warmer Tag im Mai, eine etwas längere Fahrt nach Offenbach und ein leicht mulmiges Gefühl bezüglich der Zuschauerzahl – so machte ich mich am späten Nachmittag auf den Weg. Würden entgegen aller Befürchtungen doch ein paar Leute ihren Weg in den Hafen 2 finden? War vielleicht der ein oder andere doch neugierig geworden?  Bei Einlass sah es jedenfalls so aus, als seien mein Begleiter und ich die einzigen, die wegen der Musik da sein sollten. Die freundliche Dame am Eingang war für meinen Geschmack auch ein wenig zu erfreut, als wir sagten, wir wollten Karten für das Konzert kaufen. Beunruhigend. Und zu allem Überfluss saß die Band auch immer noch draußen am Plaudern.

Der Club selber war noch leer. Man versorgte sich also mit Getränken und wartete geduldig. Um 20:30 Uhr hatte das Konzert beginnen sollen. Mittlerweile war es nach 21:00 Uhr und nichts tat sich. Auch nicht im Zuschaueerraum – wenn man mal von einem einsamen älteren Herrn absieht, der sich wahrscheinlich eher in den Club verirrt hatte, aber trotzdem auf den Anfang des Abends wartete. Eine weitere gute halbe Stunde später begab sich dann endlich der Support auf die Bühne. Die Castanets. Ein etwas ulkiger, bärtiger Mann und eine zierliche Geigerin, die allerdings kaum zum Einsatz kam. Nicht viel später wurde auch schon wieder umgebaut. School Of Language hatten es wohl aufgegeben, noch länger auf eventuelle Besucher zu warten. Ein Blick in den Zuschauerraum verriet: 11 Leute – wir zwei WhiteTapes.de Vertreter, der ältere Herr, sowie zwei weitere Mutige. Der Rest dürfte der Clubbelegschaft zugehörig gewesen sein. Die Stimmung war trotzdem nicht übel. Es war ruhig. Die wenigen Zuschauer tänzelten sogar auf der Stelle. Es wurde auf die Ansagen David Brewis’ reagiert – man kann auch ein schwierigeres Publikum haben, allerdings auch ein volleres. Die Band schien jedoch ihren Spaß zu haben. Was, denke ich, nicht zuletzt an dem wirklich erstaunlich guten Sound lag! Man kennt das ja, ein kleiner umgebauter Club, mäßiges Equipment. Aber weit gefehlt. Was ich persönlich nicht wirklich erwartet hatte, war der Druck und die Energie, mit dem Stücke des Debutalbums vorgetragen wurden. Das Album wurde bis auf die mittleren zwei “Rockist” Parts in exakter Reihenfolge durchgespielt. Manch einer mag das als langweilig bezeichnen. Fakt ist jedoch, dass sich die Musiker meistens doch auch etwas bei der Reihenfolge der Songs gedacht haben. Dafür, dass es das erste School Of Language (Interview) Konzert überhaupt war, kann man wirklich nicht meckern. Man hat echte vollblut Musiker auf der Bühne gesehen, die voll und ganz hinter ihrer Musik stehen und sich nicht mit mittelmäßigkeit abgeben wollen. Ein wenig schade, dass niemand das Roxy Music-Cover “If There Is Something” zu erkennen schien. War doch das Publikum, bis auf zwei Mittzwanziger, eigentlich im richtigen Alter. Einziger Kritikpunkt (ein persönlicher): das Licht war unakzeptabel. Bei einem solchen Sound allerdings zu verzeihen, hat sich der kleine Club doch vermutlich in Unkosten für diese hochwertige Anschaffung gestürzt. Schön war nach dem Konzert zu erfahren, dass die Band keinesfalls ernsthaft enttäuscht war. David hatte nicht viel erwartet, war in der Tat überglücklich als jemand eine CD von ihm kaufen wollte. Er würde auch für die noch folgenden Konzerte in Hamburg und Berlin nicht viel erwarten. Hauptsache, alles würde zufriedenstellend ablaufen. Und wenn der ein oder andere einen guten Abend verlebt hätte, wäre es alle Mühe wert gewesen. Persönlich bleibt mir zu sagen, dass ich School Of Language (Myspace) nur noch mehr in mein Herz geschlossen habe und hoffe, dass David nicht doch zu enttäuscht war von den ersten Erfahrungen in Deutschland und wie versprochen vielleicht im Herbst tatsächlich wieder kommt.  Ein gelungener Abend, ob mit oder ohne vollem Haus. Und eben das macht eine gute Band aus!

mehr Fotos hier

Ariane WhiteTapes