This is simply astonishing. A lovely sparse arrangement with Kathryn's piano to the fore. Vocally reminiscent of Joanna Newsom but this song is truly magnificent.
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Monday, 7 December 2015
Musical Advent Day 7: Primitive Parts - Miracle Skin
The first of three entries for bands featuring Lindsay Corstorphine, a musician who seems to be so prolific he's almost formed his own genre. Both Primitive Parts and Sauna Youth have released albums in my top 25 of the year. Monotony are the third band, just as good as the other two, though they're actually Sauna Youth playing different instruments.
Sunday, 6 December 2015
Musical Advent Day 6: Girl Band - Pears For Lunch
Chalk & cheese. This couldn't be further in style from yesterday's pop pick. I'm still getting to grips with the album but Pears For Lunch is great and enough to suggest I will eventually like this band a lot.
Saturday, 5 December 2015
Musical Advent Day 5: Charli XCX & Rita Ora - Doing It
I can't have a top 25 without a bit of solid gold pop in it. Thin pickings this year, or maybe I just wasn't listening to those sort of channels, but I can't stop Dad dancing to this in the kitchen.
Friday, 4 December 2015
Musical Advent Day 4: Trembling Bells - Killing Time in London Fields
Change of tack today. Trembling Bells come from a folk background but with the latest album, The Sovereign Self, they've added a level of Seventies Rock sheen to their sound. The video below is from a gig I went to at Café Oto, on my birthday as it turned out, the sound is a bit echoey but it's more interesting than the official sound only video.
Chop's Gigs - October/November
The latest batch of gig reports, missing the mini festival of mates bands for a work function (unless I've knocked that out before this post goes live on Friday).
Barrence Whitfield & The Savages at Boileroom, Guildford on Thursday 8th October 2015 - After a relentless few weeks at work and a busy time at home I was feeling a bit frazzled on my way to Guildford for this gig but Barrence and the boys blew all that away with another blistering set of top notch pre-decimal R&B.
La Luz at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on Thursday 22nd October 2015 - I was introduced to La Luz via a random tweet on Twitter. I've forgotten who mentioned them now but the description of their style, sixties girl group meets surf rock, suggested they'd be right up my street and so it proved.
Courtney Barnett at The Forum on Wednesday 25th Nov 2015 - Tonight wasn't the best gig I've been to this year. I'm not sure why as I love Courtney's songs and her latest album is in my top 10 of the year. Maybe it was the venue (a bit bigger than my normal), or the crowd (a bit static) or maybe it was just me. Whatever the reason I didn't fully engage which was a shame as I was really looking forward to it.
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Barrence Whitfield & The Savages at Boileroom, Guildford on Thursday 8th October 2015 - After a relentless few weeks at work and a busy time at home I was feeling a bit frazzled on my way to Guildford for this gig but Barrence and the boys blew all that away with another blistering set of top notch pre-decimal R&B.
La Luz at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on Thursday 22nd October 2015 - I was introduced to La Luz via a random tweet on Twitter. I've forgotten who mentioned them now but the description of their style, sixties girl group meets surf rock, suggested they'd be right up my street and so it proved.
Courtney Barnett at The Forum on Wednesday 25th Nov 2015 - Tonight wasn't the best gig I've been to this year. I'm not sure why as I love Courtney's songs and her latest album is in my top 10 of the year. Maybe it was the venue (a bit bigger than my normal), or the crowd (a bit static) or maybe it was just me. Whatever the reason I didn't fully engage which was a shame as I was really looking forward to it.
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Thursday, 3 December 2015
Musical Advent Day 3: This Is The Kit - Bashed Out
Ostensibly the alias for singer/songwriter Kate Stables, This Is The Kit tour in varying numbers though usually including Jesse Vernon on bass and violin & Jamie Whitby-Coles on drums. Most recently another Top 5 Towers favourite Rozi Plain has been part of the touring band. Bashed Out was the lead single from the album of the same name.
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
Musical Advent Day 2: Nadine Shah - Fool
I'd been meaning to give Nadine Shah a listen for some time when Fool came on the radio and stopped me in my tracks. Nadine's vocal is the big draw for me, deep and haunting with a hint of Nina Simone.
50 Years of Tunes - 2010 - Thee Silver Mt Zion "Kollaps Tradixionales"
Thee Silver Mt Zion, the side project of Efrim from Godspeed You Black Emperor, may just about have eclipsed my love for that original band.
Initially entirely instrumental, the ever changing named Silver Mt Zion, got better with each release. By the time I saw them live mass vocals, sung by all the band facing each other on stage, had become a key component of the band's sound.
They also took the approach of playing live shows featuring mainly new songs and these would form the core of the next album they released. Despite the lack of familiarity I found I enjoyed them live more and more every time I went. Kollaps Tradixionales isn't my favourite ASMZ album but it is up with their best and a pretty decent starting point for someone new to the band.
Released: February 2010
Label: Constellation
Producer: Howard Bilerman
Track List:
1. "There Is a Light" – 15:19
2. "I Built Myself a Metal Bird" – 6:17
3. "I Fed My Metal Bird the Wings of Other Metal Birds" – 6:18
4. "Kollapz Tradixional (Thee Olde Dirty Flag)" – 6:09
5. "Collapse Traditional (For Darling)" – 1:29
6. "Kollaps Tradicional (Bury 3 Dynamos)" – 6:48
7. "'Piphany Rambler" – 14:19
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Initially entirely instrumental, the ever changing named Silver Mt Zion, got better with each release. By the time I saw them live mass vocals, sung by all the band facing each other on stage, had become a key component of the band's sound.
They also took the approach of playing live shows featuring mainly new songs and these would form the core of the next album they released. Despite the lack of familiarity I found I enjoyed them live more and more every time I went. Kollaps Tradixionales isn't my favourite ASMZ album but it is up with their best and a pretty decent starting point for someone new to the band.
 |
| 2010 - Thee Silver Mt Zion "Kollaps Tradixionales" |
Released: February 2010
Label: Constellation
Producer: Howard Bilerman
Track List:
1. "There Is a Light" – 15:19
2. "I Built Myself a Metal Bird" – 6:17
3. "I Fed My Metal Bird the Wings of Other Metal Birds" – 6:18
4. "Kollapz Tradixional (Thee Olde Dirty Flag)" – 6:09
5. "Collapse Traditional (For Darling)" – 1:29
6. "Kollaps Tradicional (Bury 3 Dynamos)" – 6:48
7. "'Piphany Rambler" – 14:19
.
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Musical Advent Day 1: Moon Duo - Slow Down Low
Last year I did a musical advent on Twitter, this year I've made life a little harder for myself my doubling it up with a run down of my top 25 songs of the year. More or less, I decided to keep things interesting I'd only allow one song per artist. 25 corking tunes though, that have helped make 2015 one of the best years for new music I can remember. First up it's Moon Duo, a duo (appropriately) from San Francisco featuring Wooden Shijps' guitarist Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada.
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