Every time I walk down the street, from work or downtown, I have to walk past apartments I used to live in. They stare at me with blank, unreadable faces. The numbers leaning crookedly on the gate and the empty windows of light against the navy sky. My mind slips as I pass them and I catch myself on the ice.

I feel like a snail, moving so slowly, surrounded by the empty shells that used to be my homes; the lives I used to live inside of them discarded and dark.

If I walked into them now they would be empty, the phantoms of my past hovering in the corners of my eyes.

Here, against the tile, is the place he would sit and talk to me while I relaxed in the bath. My fingertips might still feel out the spot on the bathtub ledge where he would leave me chocolate oranges, raised slightly from the ceramic like braille. I would let them melt against the roof of my mouth and then he would kiss me, hands in the hot water, until I could feel him in the marrow of my bones, sweet and tangy. I would sink under the water, letting the bubbles reform above my face and hold my breath until it burned, and there he would be laughing when I emerged like a fish leaping from the water.

And there, in the kitchen, is the spot where he broke one of those free glasses that came with the twelve-packs of beer. I can still see shards of glass between the woodwork.

I can still feel him, like slivers in my skin.

Tunng – Bullets

Coney Island Sound is a new project started by Ewan Gordon that mixes found sounds and field recordings with a variety of acoustic and vintage instruments. Accordions and Harps rub shoulders with Casios and Kaoss Pads whilst 808 kicks underpin percussive sounds from found beach items and purchases from local hardware and thrift stores.

Less experimental musical endeavours with his previous group Olympic Lifts, produced a number of well received releases on Bungalow Records Berlin, Escalator and Syft Records in Japan. His music has more recently appeared on the group’s follow up album and other ex Olympian Mark’s Butternut project (both Rimeout Japan). During this time they played and dj’d extensively across Europe with the electronic acts including Royksopp, Notwist, Mina, Four-Tet, Lo-Fidelity Allstars, Hip Hop acts Ugly Duckling and Cool Herc plus occasional stadium rock bands along the way.

The debut single “Introducing Mr.Kellogg” was released on September 22nd backed with the soft drink sampling “The Lemonade Song”. This is the first release on the Radio 1 DIY Label of the Week Regular Beat Recording Company. Based in Liverpool its releases have been championed by the likes of John Peel, Steve Lamaq and Huw Stephens along the way and have most recently included Alaska in Winter and Marianne Dissard.

To date both sides of the single have picked up radio plays on NME Radio, BBC6, BBC Radio 2, XFM, BBC Northern Ireland, British Forces Radio, Resonance FM and College Radio in Canada….

A remix of Alaska in Winter’s “Balkan Lowrider Anthem” recently appeared on the  Remixes 12″ and recently i’ve remixed Brandon’s track “Berlin”. Remixes past for Escalator Japan, Skint and I Can Count Records amongst others.

More remix projects on the Horizon for 2010.

To date tracks “Nautical by Nature” and “Bring My Love’s Unwanted Arrow” have received lovely reviews as part of Kipper Records’ “Catch of the Day Vol.3″ and I Can Count Records’ “I Can Count Vol.2″. Both of these should appear in new improved three-dimensional Stereophonic sound on the forthcoming album:

Kind Words From Manchester Music about the single:

from Tasty Fanzine!

and on the Jetset records Blog:

Many thanks also to Jon Hillcock at XFM for including the single in his New Noise best of 2008 roundup which aired recently:

A handful of 7″s are still available from Regular Beat and Rough Trade. Downloads available at iTunes and amazon.com.

Fear not, the stock pot of the mixed metaphor that is Coney Island Sound has been reducing nicely and an album of soupy goodness is almost in the can.

Lots of strings and brass, cut up reels that i’ve found around second hand stores, Chopped percussion, snippets of dialogue i’ve caught from Cleethorpes to Whitby….Air Hockey Table solos….Lots of woodwind….a bit of 1950s atomic age tape and echo fun…..Moogs at lots of different speeds…..Old school Signal generators, accordions and melodicas……A bit Tornados here a bit Beach boys there….and hopefully a bit Warp-y in the middle. There may even be some singing at some point…..perhaps by someone more competent than I……

Much Love From The Island

I’m sure there must be lots more lovely Christmas stuff, but I can’t seem to find very much of it. Nuts to New Year. This is the West Midlands, not Scotland.

Standard disclaimers: I can’t ensure that these events will go ahead, that they’ll be good, or that I will be going to them. This is just a list of things I found that looked like they might be interesting, so please do not contact me to ask for your event to be included. That’s not the way it works.

Until Saturday the 6th of Feb – “George’s Marvellous Medicine” (Birmingham Stage Company) @ The Old Rep, Birmingham – Mixing up everything in your medicine cabinet is not recommended at home, kids. Unless you’re genuinely thirsty.

Until Saturday the 9th of January – “A Christmas Carol” (Birmingham Rep Theatre Company) @ The Rep Theatre, Birmingham – Seems fair to me to say that “Marley was dead: to begin with” is the second greatest opening line in all of literature.

Between Tuesday the 1st and Saturday the 19th – A whole tonne of Capsule stuff to celebrate ten years of ‘em @ various venues in Brum – There’s loads of stuff. I’ll list the lot (and just link to their event pages) for the sake of completeness, so this doesn’t mean I’m seriously recommending SunnO)))~!111: Monotonix, Esquilax, Beestung Lips and Cum Dogs at Vivid in Digbeth on the 1st; Tunng, Six Organs Of Admittance, Lightning Dust And Bella Emerson at the Town Hall on the 2nd (this is the one I’m most looking forward to); Lightning Bolt, Tweak Bird and Pete Prescription at Vivid on the 8th; Sunno)))}}}]]] and Om at The Asylum in Hockley on the tenth; Pram and Light Trap at Vivid on the 11th; a free afternoon film showing at Vivid on the 13th with a buffet and pictures provided by 7 Inch Cinema; Beak, Einstellung and Thought Forms at Vivid on the 16th (Edit: That one is cancelled. Poo.); some sort of evening social or suchlike at Vivid on the 17th; and a final partay with Modified Toy Orchestra, PCM, Calvados Beam Trio, Una Corda and Stinky Wizzleteat at Vivid on the 19th. You owe me a pint if I’ve managed to put all of those links in without cocking up the code at all. (EDIT: There’s also one in association with Heat And Light at Vivid on the night of the 13th, with Sudden Infant and Nic Bullen).

Tuesday the 1st – Alice Cooper @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Giving a golf seminar, perhaps.

Thursday the 3rd till Saturday the 12th (but not the 7th) – Aston Hall By Candlelight @ Aston Hall, Aston, Birmingham – This year themed around the Victorian household entertaining a royal visitor.

Thursday the 3rd till Saturday the 5th – “The Just Price Of Flowers” (Stan’s Café) @ A.E. Harris, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham – Inspired by Brecht, but not actually one of his (apparently there has been some confusion). Parallels are drawn between modern-day financial nuttery and 17th century Dutch tulip nuttery.

Friday the 4th – Chris Addison @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – Ollie Ollie Ollie, Oi Oi Oi.

Various dates between Saturday the 5th and Saturday the 19th – Verdi’s “Othello” (Birmingham Opera Company) @ The Argyle Works, Bordesley, Birmingham – Birmingham Opera Company’s version of “Idomeneo” last year was greater than great can be. Judging by the postcode, the venue for this should be somewhere in the general vicinity of here.

Friday the 5th – Frank Sidebottom @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – Fantastic showbusiness.

Saturday the 5th – Boxing (dunno who’s promoting) @ The Hilton Hotel, Coventry – Including Max “Max” Maxwell vs Martin Concepcion, in what must be Max’s 381,789th Midlands area title match (EDIT: or 4th, if you want to be boring and accurate).

Sunday the 6th – Madball @ Busk, Birmingham – Hardcore for tuphguyzzz. I will forever maintain that “Droppin’ Many Suckers” is one of the greatest names that anyone ever has called and ever could call an album.

Monday the 7th – The Unthanks @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – North-Eastern folkifiers formerly known as “Rachel Unthank And The Winterset”. I’m glad they’ve changed their name. OtherUnthankSister didn’t outwardly appear to do any less than Rachel, so it’s fairer this way.

Tuesday the 8th – Jodi Ann Bickley @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Interesting and endearing poetry, happening at the same time as the ’Freestyle’ photography exhibiton.

Wednesday the 9th – Alexander O’Neal @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Or rather “80s soul nuisance Alexander O’Neal”, as the in-joke that you won’t get has it.

Wednesday the 9th – Seth Lakeman @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – Frequently fancied fiddler fascinates folks (with) folk.

Wednesday the 9th – The Bookhouse Boys @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Like Tindersticks on holiday in Hawaii, or somesuch.

Wednesday the 9th – “Arc” (with Graft) @ The Vaults, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham – The first of a new monthly art night, with a different set of artists each time. Here ‘Graft’ (whoever they might be) will bring a Jewellery-with-other-meanings exhibition from “The Institute Of Meaningful Interaction” and artist Mark Baldwin appearing as part of the structure of the building. Apparently. All very vague as a result of the fact that no sod seems to have a web presence because… I don’t know why not. I love The Vaults, though, it’s a great place.

Thursday the 10th – Madness @ The Academy, Birmingham – Mavva Brahn’s got her knees up, presumably in the process of skanking. This one is (unsurprisingly) sold out, but they’re also at The Civic on the 17th.

Friday the 11th – “Resistance, Revolt, Rebellion: A Double Bill of Civil Disobedience” (Kindandgenerous Productions and Emma Purshouse) @ The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – In Love And Taxes, current Brum poet laureate Adrian Johnson and Jessi of Eastfield bring songs and stories recalling the popular opposition to the poll tax. In “Are You Sitting Comfortably?”, Emma Purshouse tell poems of “rebellion, revolution and armchair inactivism”.

Sunday the 13th – Basement Jaxx @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Let’s all have a disco, let’s all have a disco.

Sunday the 13th – Depeche Mode @ The LG Arena, Marston Green, Birmingham – A band who I’d say have been quite the unsung influence on quite a fair bit of music in recent years.

Tuesday the 15th – Public Image Limited @ The Academy, Birmingham – Given that my LOTTSADITWM often feature metal and boxing, it seems only too apt that a band who put out an album called “Metal Box” should be in here. Also: post-punk legends, Country Life butter etc.

Wednesday the 16th till Sunday the 20th – “The Snow Queen” (Screamingvoiceyouththeatre) @ The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – Screamingvoice etc.etc. are absolutely ace, they really are.

Wednesday the 16th – Nile @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – Ancient Egyptian themed death metal, and I can’t see how you could possibly think that isn’t the best idea ever. Nothing I’ve ever heard by them is quite as good as the concept, but Krisiun are on the bill too and they’ll blow your earwax free (I mean that in a good way).

Wednesday the 16th – The Pogues @ The Academy, Birmingham – [Slur]Dirty old Towwwwwwwwwwn…[/slur]

Friday the 18th until Friday the 9th of January – Funworld @ The NEC, Marston Green, Birmingham – I don’t see how anyone could dislike a world of fun. It’s a huge indoor funfair (including, apparently, a “300ft bungee slingshot”. Indoors, I’ll repeat with vague concern) and has to win the all-time title for “event I’ve been handed the largest number of the same flyer for”.

Saturday the 21st – The Beat’s xmas party @ The Asylum, Hockley, Birmingham – 30 years since they started, apparently (see also the 27th).

Monday the 21st – The Wildhearts @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – My unbroken run of not managing to see any Wildhearts or Wildhearts-related gigs since 2001 will definitely continue here. They’re still ace though.

Monday the 21st – Musical Youth @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Don’t take the mick, you know which way you need to pass it.

Wednesday the 23rd until Sunday the 3rd of January – “The Gruffalo (Tall Stories) @ The Town Hall, Birmingham – They had The Gruffalo plodding along as part of the Reindeer Parade in town recently. I thought he was cute.

Friday the 25th – IT’S CHRIIISTMUUUUUUS!

Sunday the 27th – Drongos For Europe’s xmas party @ the Asylum, Hockley, Birmingham – 30 years since they started, apparently (see also the 21st).

Just because Tunng is noticed by the Daily Telegraph as;

Pitting finger-picking acoustic guitars against gentle synthesised beats, East London’s Tunng present an aural collision of past and present, which has often been labelled “folktronica”.

Three years ago last night, I was James K Polk. Preparation for that night was snorting, smoking and swigging (which, probably quickly devolved into slurping and from there further into supping, then slipping, then, somehow, scabies.). It lead to some questionable decisions but from what I recall, it was a pretty fun night and, miraculously, somehow also a manageable next day. Last night, I was a C.H.U.D, and I poured a few more than a few drinks down the pipes and today I could barely get out of bed. Three years difference. The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir know what I’m talking about.

“Aspidistra” is from The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir’s self titled album.

And I was going to do a post on songs that use interesting alternatives to standard drumset percussion, but I realize that, while I had a lot of those, the whole post would really be an excuse to talk about how much I’ve recently stumbled into love with Tunng. There’s so much to say about this band that I don’t even know where to start.

Tunng are a band weighed down with whimsy. The words they sing are violent, detailed and quite strange, obsessed with the body, physical injury, and death. Yet, in a way I can only think of comparing to Monty Python, the product of such dire and cutting thoughts never feels belabored or even especially sad- there’s a sense of humor and levity that floats through singer Mike Lindsay telling you, in his pleasant deadpan about stars getting stuck in his swollen throat, or the way he catches bullets in his teeth, back, and head, or the way he would cut off his own fingers, and his reasoning for the severing.

The other fascinating thing about many of Tunng’s songs is how cutting edge they are in a wonderfully subtle way. It’s easy to point to music that is on the fringes of listenable and call it cutting edge. There is no question that groups like Black Dice, Dalek, Liars, Grouper and Zu are making sounds that almost noone else is, and that almost noone else wants to listen to. These groups are so intent on breaking through an established limit, either of structure, volume, or length, that they often have to disregard any semblance of accessibility, at least to all but an openminded listener (Full Disclosure: I like all the groups/artists I listed above a lot, so they obviously are having some kind of impact).

There is another way of working to dismantle those same structures, and this way is more subtle, and, on a certain level more subversive. Tunng don’t destroy melodies, or rip up verse chorus verse, and they certainly don’t overstay their welcome just for the sake of overstaying. What the group does is tweak the elements, synthesizing organic instruments with ramshackle percussion and skittery electronic manipulation. Listen to what happens to the guitar part of “Arms” over the course of the song, or the way the moaning vocal sample works it way into “Bullets”. By simply rearranging things, messing with them a little bit, Tunng are able to maintain the coherence and listenability of their pop brethren while also drawing attention to the structures they must operate within, and the limitation of those structures.

“Bullets” and “Arms” are from Tunng’s album Good Arrows.

See also: the video for bullets.

Also, I saw Vic Chesnutt with his 9 piece backing band a little whiles back (with Guy from Fugazi and a buncha people from Godspeed You Black Emperor and A Silver Mt. Zion), and was awestruck. I mean, it was a shattering experience, uncomfortable at moments, but also extremely moving from begining to end.

Who? Squanto

What? Lo-fi folk with samples et al.

Sounds Like? Mount Eerie, Tunng

I’m not gonna use a lot of a words on this nice after summer day. Just head over here and download the album.

That’s it.

This cartoon animated video is super cute and who can say no to a little Tunng?

from Youtube:

Directed, animated and produced by James Bates
http://www.jamesbates.com
http://www.atomweb.net
http://www.tunng.co.uk
Made with love, magic and woodland secrets
www.myspace.com/thisistunng
www.fulltimehobby.co.uk

As always these days, I am running behind myself and only getting to this now…

That time of year again for a post-mortem of the Electric Picnic weekend with highlights and lowlights…quite a few highlights even if there weren’t as many new groups for me to catch this year.

Not much new in the setup of EP site either so it was fairly straightforward to run between the gigs…although the mud did mean that I got a little bit more exercise than I had intended!

Friday

Hit the massive tailback on the way down and with being in a campervan had to wait to be towed into the site…well I should say that the mates had to wait since we were close enough to the gate and I legged it in!  Had already missed Peter Broderick and I wasn’t going to miss any more….

The Temper Trap- Crawdaddy. Had liked some of their tunes beforehand but wasn’t convinced of the full album.  Saw most of the set and that was turned on its head- they have a great vibe and put energy into each and every track.  Of course Sweet Disposition was the one that everybody knew and it was excellent live.  Catch them if you can!

Villagers- Body & Soul. Heard the blog love for them but never caught them around town- feck me what a great voice the lead singer has and great instrumentation.  Have to catch them again!

Lykkey Li- Crawdaddy.  Can sum up in one word-disappointed.  Maybe it was just the tune she was playing when I came in but lacking energy and no vibe what-so-ever.  When she asked the crowd if that was too slow for them I think she could sense it but the next tune was just as lifeless.  Maybe too much touring but based on that I wouldn’t be catching her again.  Thankfully her Button Factory gig was excellent.

Major Lazer- Little Big Tent. Maybe expectations too high but distinctly average tunes and only stayed for the 2.

Dark Room Notes- Thisispopbaby.  Still love their sound and even though the sound was a bit booming in the tent they still have the energy after the last couple of years.  Only stayed for the first three but great energy and beats as always.  Seeing how I am probably their number 3 fan/stalker at this stage  (my two sons being 1 and 2) I won’t go on anymore.

Efterklang- Cosby Stage.  There appeared to be some sound issues when I first came in so they hadn’t started playing yet.  Unfortunately because of that the set seemed rushed and none of the lingering on the instruments that is their trademark.  No sign of the old battered instruments either that they would use for a distinctive sound which for me was noticable.  Some new tunes although only one really seemed to work.  Still a good set but disappointed they didn’t come off better.  As with Ms Ly the Button Factory gig was a hundred times better.

MGMT- Main Stage.  Have always missed them in town with all the hype and thankfully so since they only have the two good songs.  Was walking past the main stage and when I heard them I kept on walking.

Duckworth Lewis Method- Crawdaddy.  Like Neil Hannons voice so popped in there- only stayed for the one tune in the end since it seemed mawkish and over done.

Dinosaur Jr- Cosby Stage.  Again only popped the head in and it was pretty much out just as quick- maybe it was the tune and they got better later but not pleasant on the ears.

Buraka Som Sistema- Little Big Tent.  Two drummers-hell yeah!  Great tunes, great beats and rocked my socks off!  One girl with hands that were a little too ‘friendly’ though and embarrassingly was asked by another guy to get ‘my girl’ under control since she was grabbing everybody.  That aside the best set of the night!

Diplo- Little Big Tent.  Was expecting to stay here for a while but to be honest fairly standard dance beats and certainly none of his remixes so only ended up staying for a few tunes.

Orbital- Main Stage.  Ho hum- I liked Orbital but maybe it was the sound at the main stage- it wasn’t long before I was walking again.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela- Electric Arena.  First time seeing them live and have to say they are captivating- great chords and beats and such energy!  The visuals of them playing from unusual angles on the screens behind them really added to their performance- might not be my cup of tea to listen to at home but live I would certainly catch them again.

Japanese Popstars DJ set- Little Big Tent.  Que to actually get in this one and again overly friendly girl-must be something in the water around this tent;-)  Wouldn’t know their tunes but mate said some of them were their own and have to say they have a great vibe and energy.

Arcadia & Pussy Parlour- ended up between the two of these with the mates and danced the night away…well until half 3 at least!  Just as well I ran into the mates since I didn’t know where the campervan was parked!

Saturday

Noon-ish tweetup with some twitter heads @FrankieP @NiallOK @bngr @ anthonthymcg @jasonroe @benkenealy @dinglesurf @debbiemet and others I will have to come back and add.  First time to meet some and a catchup with others- chatty bunch both online and off!

Cap Pas Cap- Electric Arena.  Excellent off kilter tunes as always and the first time I have heard them with the new female lead.  Kind of missed the old male lead but have to say that she has as much energy and her voice is just as catchy with the tune.  Great crowd there for them considering the size of the tent and time of day.

Tunng- Main Stage.  Have been trying to catch these guys for the last few years.   Surprised they were on the main stage just as much as they were.  Some great sounds from them and all my favourites but the synth was far too loud and drowning out the rest of the instruments.

Julie Feeney- Cosby Stage.  Only caught the last half but feck me that was good- such a sweet voice and with the strings playing she is just captivating.  A must for the Sugar Club gig in Oct!

The XX- Electric Arena. Having listened to the full album and really only liked the one tune Crystalized I wasn’t particularly looking forward to their set.  Unfortunately the tunes seemed just as lifeless live and I left after Crystalized which was thankfully very early in the set!  Ran into few more mates though so it wasn’t a total loss!

Low Anthem- Cosby Stage.   Another group I have been trying to catch over the last year and it was worth it.  Sound wasn’t the best in the tent and they didn’t play my favourites Charlie Darwin and Ticket Taker but still a great set.  Still not convinced of the rockier numbers but the slow ones really show the quality of the voices.  Hopefully back somewhere more intimate soon!

Marina & The Diamonds- Cosby Stage.  Note to artists- do not mention possible wardrobe malfunctions involving a desert animal at the beginning of your set since you will have the crowd waiting for it to happen!  So trying NOT to concentrate on the possible camel toe and her singing instead- damn she has a great voice and can she belt it out on some of the tunes.  Had heard some of her tunes a while back and they still sound fresh and invigorating.

Bea Band- Body & Soul.  Well I wasn’t up in Body & Soul for them but for Tiny Vipers-  an intrepid gig goer asked the sound guy what the story was and thankfully I then asked her- Tiny Vipers was postponed till the next day.  Have to say this was the pivotal moment of the weekend and with one conversation leading to another I now have an excellent new friend who I spent the rest of the weekend with running from tent to tent.   As to the band I hardly noticed them- not really into traditional music but served as a good backdrop to the chat!

Lisa Hannigan- Main Stage.  Went to meetup with another group and poor Lisa seemed lost on stage- she was giving it her all but to be honest the sound was just not up to it and she would have been much better in a smaller tent.

Bat for Lashes- cancelled and major disappointment.  David Kitt replaced her but not the same at all at all.  Have memories of her from two EP’s ago at least.

James Murphy- of LCD Soundsystem- Little Big Tent.  Went along given who he is but he was playing fairly average dance tunes.  Of course you want to hear his own stuff more so we just headed off.

Brian Wilson- Main Stage.  Of course went to hear some Beach Boys classics and the band he has with him were bloody good with the sound.  As for Mr. Wilson I have to say I felt sorry for him, being up close enough I could see that he was reading the lyrics from a monitor and not even particularly singing the lyrics but saying them.  He was propped up behind a keyboard but his hands were just hanging by his side and he was more a bystander with his own tunes.  Have to say the vibe was good though and the 5 tunes we stayed for were good thanks to the band.

Dark Room Notes- Thisispopbaby.  Yep- saw them again since I had said I would pop down on the Saturday to one of the band members.  Stayed for the first three again- same set and same great vibe!

Explosions In The Sky- Crawdaddy.  Post-rock when played badly is dreadful but no worries here since fucking hell  they nailed each and every moment!  Best set of EP and by god I hope that they are back in Dublin soon!  The first time of the weekend that I heard ‘one more tune’ which saying at a festival is always a waste of breath…but for once I wish they had!

Chic- Electric Arena.  Popped in there quickly for the last of their set and dancetastic it was- great vibe in the tent and dancing with randomers.

Four Tet- Crawdaddy.  Some really lovely dark dance tunes being put out and yet again more moving!

2 Many Dj’s- Main Stage.  As with most of the main stage acts this weekend I kept on walking- sound pumping out but just a bit too much of a rave feel for me.

Tunng- Body & Soul.  Re-hash of their earlier set in much better surroundings and sound.  Synth not as loud and you could hear the excellent playing by the rest of the group.  Freak folk it may be but damn good tunes and think it was the tune Soup that was played in a heavier style and extended.  Bullets to end and what a great punch it has!

Village Green- ended up there with friends of friend and boggied the night away with a great mix of tunes…closer to 4 that night methinks!

Sunday

Tiny Vipers- Body & Soul.  Wet start and friend and I the only two there for a couple of minutes with a freezing looking Tiny Vipers up on stage.  Thankfully a few more came and after some banter with her it turns out she was suppose to be on at 6 in the afternoon but it had been scheduled wrong.  Aside from her freezing and being slightly worried about electrocuting herself with all the rain she had a great set- simple playing on the guitar with some sublime vocals.  She will be around Europe for a bit so hopefully back here soon for an indoor set soon!

First Aid Kit- Body & Soul.  How sweet is sweet? Listen to these girls and you will know!  Great harmonies  and some good tunes.  They seemed slightly at odds with the sound crew behind them but otherwise a great set!

J. Tillman- Body & Soul.  Still in Body & Soul since some other friends to chat with came along- a guy was chipping in a few bits and pieces into the conversation as well and funnily enough I found out later that he is a friend of a friend- small country as always!  As to the tunes from Mr. Tillman- an excellent voice and some low key tunes only stayed for a few but if he is every touring solo without the Foxes then he would be one to catch.

Micachu And The Shapes- Cosby Stage.  Damn-what an excellent voice!  Much stronger live than on the album with all the quirkiness there.  Great tunes but only stayed for the first half- wish there wasn’t a conflict but hopefully she will be back around soon.

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble- Little Big Tent.  Oh deary me-friend told me she had 3 missed calls from me during this set…and she was standing in front of me.  Was I moving that much?  Damn straight I was!  Not the type of tunes I would listen to at home but man when they are played live they get you moving.  Think it was 7 brass players and the drummer and with an excellent mix of jazz and hip-hop you would have to be a stone in order not to move.  Great vibe in the tent and definitely one of the best of the weekend.

Okkervil River- Crawdaddy.  Caught them before in town at what turned out to be a dreadful venue for them.  Maybe it was timing but they didn’t sound that great in the tent and I honestly couldn’t stick it so stayed for the one tune and skidaddled.

The Acorn- Cosby Stage.  Hadn’t heard of them before but that is certainly rectified now!  Another two drummer setup and there were some great layered tunes there.  One that I will definitely have to check out!

Ebony Bones- Little Big Tent.  Wow- anybody looking for a show with some energy go no further!  Great powerful voice and bouncing around the stage along with her two shortly statured dancers.  Only stayed for a few but wish I had stayed for the full set.

Simian Mobile Disco- Electric Arena.   Packed tent and middling tunes so not feeling the vibe at all- said hello to the mate I met there and skiddadled.

Bell Orchestre- Cosby Stage.  Ohh just what I needed at this time of the day- some great instrumental modern classical tunes to clear the mind- didn’t see full set but they are quite good and tunes did the trick.

Florence And The Machine- Electric Arena.  Oh I hate hype but it was Flo who I saw last year and really enjoyed her set.  I think that her new album has been overproduced but I still enjoy her earlier tunes- thankfully Kiss With A Fist was the second one up so left the masses after that for some peace in Leviathan.

Fleet Foxes- Electric Arena.  Another popular band of the moment and I can understand why- some great tunes there!  Unfortunately the problem with being popular in a big tent is that you are going to have the audience singing along to all of the tunes and that they were- tis a bit of a problem when you have 5 part harmonies and a crowd that can’t hit any of them.  Stuck it out this time but really wished I didn’t- am sure they were a hundred times better at Vicar St the following night.

The Jimmy Cake- Cosby Stage.  Only there for the last half of a song but this being The Jimmy Cake it still lasted about 10 mins.  Good size crowd that were getting into though!

Passion Pit- Cosby Stage.  Waited for them but still a bit too early for them- went off to discover who the surprise act in Body & Soul was and by the time I came back the tent was bonkers.  Stayed for half a tune anyway but there was just something about the voice that was cloying and seemed to be at odds with my tinnitus which was not a good thing!

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble- Body & Soul.  The  surprise act which I came back to- good crowd and vibe but not as good as their earlier set.  Seemed like they gave the earlier one their all and were slightly tired for this one.  The only time I have heard the crowd say ‘one more tune’ at EP and one actually being played!

Ebony Bones- Thisispopbaby.  Since I had missed the rest of her earlier set I wanted to catch her again.  Unfortunately this was not the tent for her- something about the booming sound that was covering her voice so didn’t stay for too long.

Quite a bit of free time here actually so with friends of friend again chatting away- met some other new friends as well including a member of The Rumours who is a sound guy indeed.

Anonymous Androgynous- Body & Soul.  Just happened to be there when they were on and they have a great buzz about them- long time since I have seen a flute being played on stage!

The Rye- Salty Dog.  Wow- at a very late hour on the Sunday night trying to find the Salty Dog was a challenge!  Made it there and found the friends and even more friends there so this was the spot to be!  More of an Irish rock/trad band, The Rye were rockin away until the early hours and they were pretty damn good.  Not what I would usually go to listen to at a festival but the tunes just kept coming and everybody kept dancing!  Think they had about 6 last tunes since they kept on being given more time.

DJ Poppy was then on with some great 50 and 60s tunes to rock us into the wee hours of the morning- think it was about 5 when we finally left there to go crawling back to the campsites but man that was good!

So another year over and some new groups to catch up on!  Not so many this year which is probably just as well as I have been dying with a cold the day after I came back.  As much as I love EP the festivals in Spain are looking better by the minute for next year…warmer, drier and cheaper with the same great groups so it might be a runner!

Have to say though that no matter the weather, EP always has a great vibe and it was good to chat with friends old and new!

by Tunng is today’s song. How many times haven’t I danced to this? The video is pretty cool as well.

Today I’ve been relaxing as much as possible. I’ve been laying on the cliffs by the summer house, enjoying the sound of the waves and the sun. The blackberries are about to get ripe any day now. Right now the blueberries and raspberries are at their best, and soon lingonberries will come as well. Harvest times are good times.

I realised that what I’m wearing today sort of look like a female version of an old-fashioned gymnast outfit. You know, with cornflower blue shorts and a white tank top. My father agreed and confirmed that that was what they were wearing back in the days when he had P.E at school.

By the way, I have been thinking about the future of this blog. I started it as something to do now during summer, something to keep my mind off things. Summer is coming to an end however, and I’m thinking, should I continue? I will be living in an apartment without having much access to my garden so where should I take my photos? To be honest, I was thinking about just quit blogging. But then, a certain someone (who are you?) calling themselves Diwhite posted something very encouraging on my “about me” page. I reckon that I have to continue and solve the garden problem somehow. After all, there’s a forest not too far from my apartment. Besides, summer is not quite over yet…

Top NoaNoa, skirt TopShop, shoes Atmosphere, necklace random street shop in Shinjuku, belt gotten from sister (caption: around the summer house)

If it can be broke then it can be fixed, if it can be fused then it can be split. It’s all under control.

July jungle mix – broken amen heavy ragga jungle sounds from all your favourites – Stivs, Jahba, Enduser and DJ /rupture – featuring latest sick remix from Stiv alongside Scion and Ed Cox, Bun Down Di System – plus a sick tune from the mysterious Drugray, Man Don’t Mean No Prublem – also high time for pulling out the Billy Jean jungle mix from DJ C – and a big electronica intro – bigups to all the artists.

DOWNLOAD

62:31, 143.4MB, 320k mp3

1. Melissa Juice – Boards of Canada
2. Where Bluebirds Fly – Radiohead
3. Tale From Black – Tunng
4. Civil Disobedience – Ghislain Poirier
5. Theme From Fuck-Daddy – Hellfish & Producer
6. Not Drowning But Raving (Album Version) – The Baghdaddies
7. Lonely Soul – UNKLE
8. Punk Not Dead, Cave Good and Strong – 1-Speed Bike
9. The National Anthem – Radiohead
10. Dancing Demons – Kid Spatula
11. Gone A Version – DJ C
12. President of Hoochie Land – Ward 21
13. K-Hole – Ghost
14. Soundgun Emergency (feat. Aceyalone & Jah Orah) – DJ C & Zulu
15. No So Distant Drums (Line47 Remix) – Enduser
16. Man Don’t Mean No Prublem – Drugray
17. It Gets Worse (feat. Pamela Kurstin) – DJ C
18. Bun Down Di System (Dog Shit Crew & Scion Mix)- Collie Buddz
19. Donald Gorgonald – Kanthem – Jahba
20. Descarriada – DJ /rupture
21. Tundra – Squarepusher
22. Vordhosbn – Aphex Twin
23. Retreat (Stiv n Scion Remix) – Garnett Silk
24. 1000001 Style – Amen Andrews
25. Billy Jungle (feat. Shinehead) – DJ C
26. Footprints – Twinhooker & Paulie Walnuts
27. Midnight in Melksham – The Zen Hussies
28. Dreamy Days SFA Dub – Roots Manuva

Pukkelpop vorig jaar.

Pisblom regelde onze eerste ontmoeting en het was meteen raak.

Vorige vrijdag, op de Dijlefeesten te Mechelen zag ik hen opnieuw en diezelfde ‘coup de foudre’ dook weer op. Al was het ditmaal liefde op het tweede gezicht, in een andere, sfeervolle omgeving en met een even gezellige bende.

Qua sfeer past het bij iets dat ik terug vond in de oude doos:

Hopla, we zijn weer in de wereld gesprongen. En hoe! Beentjes in de lucht, beentjes op de grond, beentjes in het rond. Hopla hopla, hé!

Ziggie ziggie, woewoewoe, boemtsjaktsjak!

Plakkerige jurken, plakkerige lijven, zwierig in het rond, omhoog omlaag niet op de grond. Eén twee drie vier en draai en zwaai en hup en hop, hope this drive will never stop.

Hopla, we zijn weer in de wereld gesprongen. En óf! Gimme gimme, hup hup hup.

Dancing queens verstopten zich in meisjeslichamen,

Voldaan zingen we: Aaamen

Ondertussen ben ik al lang niet meer hun enige minnares. Menig ander hart werd reeds gestolen. Maar ik deel mijn idolatrie graag met anderen dus bij deze…

Kijk, luister en oordeel zelf…Ik koos ‘Jenny again’, omdat ik toch iets moet kiezen.

Niet dansbaar denk je? Wacht tot je hun optredens meemaakt, wedden dat – al is het maar een tinteling in dat linkerbeen – er iets bewogen wordt?

Rosie has made a montage of  drawings to illustrate a track by Tunng from the Imagined Village CD….Take a look here on youtube!

“Bullets” by Tunng

I’m working on getting something else ready to post this morning but am working against a bitchy keyboard and my own poor organizational skills so for now here’s one of my favorite songs and the really cool vid to tide you over. Enjoy.

-Steph Gerolimatos

I came across Tunng a few years ago, they are a pretty cool uk folk band that embrace modern electronics and pretty much anything else they can get their hands on, including seashells and glass bottles to create nice quirky tracks. Another cool band I found, were Sleep Whale (formally MOM), from Texus, these guys are pretty similar, using classical instruments, samplers and programs like Ableton to create what they call ‘folktronica.‘
Worth a listen.

Tunng – Tales from the black

This is an experimental folk band from the UK, their music style is also defined as folktronica [beacuse of their electronic influences in some of their works]. One of their most known music is ‘The Pioneers’, a cover of Bloc Party, and both versions were included in one of the episodes of the TV show The O.C. .

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Tunng é uma banda experimental de folk do Reino Unido, os etilo musical deles também é definido como folktrônica [devido as incurssões eletrônicas em algumas músicas]. Uma das músicas mais conhecidas do grupo é o cover de Bloc Party da música ‘The Pioneer’, inclusive ambas versões foram incluídas num episódio da série The O.C. .

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Good Arrows – Tunng

1 – Take
2 – Bricks
3 – Hands
4 – Bullets
5 – Soup
6 – Spoons
7 – King
8 – Arms
9 – Secrets
10 – String
11 – Cans

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The download link is on the comments above.
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O link para download está nos comentários acima.
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Your humble correspondent has spoken of Tunng on many occasions prior to this and has even at times been known to express absolute bloody adoration for their trip-folk weirdonica (oh yes, howsabout that for description). A collaboratory tour was organised (by the Contemporary Music Group) involving them and Malian desert-blues (that one is theirs, not mine) sorts Tinariwen and unsurprisingly I was hugely looking forward to the Birmingham gig, promoted by the good people behind the Moseley Folk Festival. They, incidentally, have the beginnings of their line-up for Mizoke Fizolk 2009 on flyers if not yet on their website: Jethro Tull, St Etienne, Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy with Dave Swarbrick, and Adrian Edmonson’s band, amongst various others.

To The Rainbow’s Warehouse venue, then, on Saturday the 28th of March. I’d never been to this larger annexe of The ‘Bow before but found it to be quite funky on arrival, bathed as it was in wall-projections (the roses blooming and folding back up were especially pretty) and spots of light from a mirrorball. Are the murals by the same artist as the ones at The Victoria in town? They seem to be a similar style. It was a lot nicer than most big venues, although it had the inevitable big-venue style donkey chaos at the bar (albeit in a different way to usual) – it was mostly bottles only, but had one (count ‘em, one) pump selling a Purity bitter I forget the name of. Since people quite naturally don’t want to pay the £9,381-per-round that is standard for bottle bars, there was something of a demand for the pints poured from that one (count ‘em, one) pump. Why the bloody hell would someone install a bar like that?

Tuareg turban-clad Tinariwen took to the stage (after what felt like at least six weeks of DJ-ing) to do a couple of songs on their own before being joined by Tunng. They sounded sort of familiar, but more like one might expect from a Middle Eastern band than an African one. It’s bad enough to use stereotypes and probably even worse to get the wrong one, though, so I’ll leave that there. I wish I could be more specific but I simply don’t have the frame of reference. I can say that I’ve always found the term ‘world music’ to be spectacularly patronising – Anglophone and Western European pop gets to be divided into a myriad of sub-genres, but everything from anywhere else is just ‘world music’. Craziness.

Tunng joined them, and then commenced what was modestly described from the stage as an ‘attempt to play each other’s music.’ It was wonderful, as I’ve no doubt you’re expecting me to say. I’m familiar with Tunng’s songs, and so the effect of Tinariwen on them was easier to calculate than the effect of Tunng on Tinariwen – a fair few compositions ended up sounding more choppy and syncopated than usual, certainly more in number than those that seemed to gain the aforementioned ‘Eastern’ feel. Some, of course, were largely unaltered bar an extra bit stuck in the middle.

Everything was nonetheless great. Force me to pick highlights and I’ll mention the heaviest version of “Soup” that I’ve ever heard (complete with pan-continental duelling guitars), a rhythmically enhanced version of “People Folk”, a fairly uptempo Tinariwen one that I unsurprisingly don’t know the name of, and a lovely big singalong for “Bullets”.

I realise a lot of people will find it only too easy to sneer at this sort of thing and automatically assume that it would be little more than an exercise in worthiness, but A) nuts to them; B) it wasn’t in the least bit like that; C) there was no reason in advance to assume it would be like that; and D) nuts to them (it bears repeating).

Possibly the world’s favorite African band, Tinariwen return to the U.S. after a long desert hiatus and fresh off a UK tour with folk/electronic group Tunng. With a new concert dvd entitled Live in London (World Village 458086), Tinariwen’s mesmerizing live show is infamous among both world music and rock fans alike, as the group’s music and fascinating story have captured imaginations across genres. Once actual warriors in the heavily turbulent homeland of the taureg – nomads in the southern Sahara – the members of Tinariwen first turned to music as a more profound weapon in 1982, but remained underground until 1999 when the group moved to Bamako, the capital of Mali. Tinariwen have since become a symbol for the plight of the taureg, a people plagued by ethnic cleansing, eternal warfare and merciless drought.

After opening for The Rolling Stones in August 2007, Tinariwen’s music began reaching ears across the world, and has recently been cited as an influence by such groups as Coldplay and Radiohead, and aired on the radio waves by the likes of Black Flag’s Henry Rollins. Their blues and psychedelic-tinged guitar rock has been featured in the 2008 “Best of Rock” issue of Rolling Stone, as well as in Blender, Uncut and Mojo, in addition to Songlines and fRoots. They are, as USA Today claimed, “One of the most exciting guitar bands on the planet.”

In addition to Live In London, 2009 brings a re-release on vinyl of Tinariwen’s latest album Aman Iman: Water is Life – a frequent inclusion on the Best of 2007 lists in publications like Billboard, The Village Voice and fRoots – as well as a new six-part documentary The Music of Resistance, Al Jazeera’s in-depth exploration of artists around the world who fight against oppression and injustice. Presented by Asian Dub Foundation’s Steve Chandra Savale, the documentary highlights artists from locations like Mozambique, Cape Verde and Nigeria, with interviews and live concert footage.

2009 U.S. Tour:

April 16 – Palace of Fine Arts San Francisco CA

April 17 – Rio Theatre Santa Cruz CA

April 18 – Coachella Indio CA

April 19 – Santa Fe Brewing Co Santa Fe NM

April 21 – KTAOS Solar Center Taos NM

April 22 – Old Town School Chicago IL

April 24 – Le Poisson Rouge New York NY

April 25 – Heineken TransAtlantic Fest Miami FL

“like a mirage come true: Keith Richards, Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure picking side by side under an unforgiving sun.” -Rolling Stone

“a glorious syncopated noise that puts most rockers to shame…these songs arrive with dust on their boots and a little thirsty.” -All Music Guide

“the band’s groove…packs more heat than most Euro-American rockers can even imagine these days.” -Los Angeles Times

“It’s music of longing and rebellion, weary wisdom and restless energy, and it sounds so, so good. Don’t let it pass you by. ” -Pitchfork

“What opens the golden vistas in your brain are the guitars: Earthly and exotic…it sounds like the sweet spot between joy and suffering.” -Blender

“There’s an epic weight to the sound, the voices sounding commanding as well as spaced out by all that Saharan sun.” -Songlines, Top of the World

“This extraordinary band are clearly pushing for more than cult world-music status. They fully merit it.” -Uncut

“as grave and ultimately unfathomable as Robert Johnson’s Delta blues and Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelic rock.” -The Absolute Sound

For Tour & DVD Info: http://www.worldvillagemusic.com

Submitted by World Village