Broadcasting from near the Thames Delta, featuring hot wax and moods from the Planet Of Sound, the only common theme being random. Let's stick together, consider our child....
I've been going on about Indigo (previously and in my heart known as Juke) for some time, and their first professionally recorded release is out now, the self-titled EP ‘INDIGO’. On digital download or stream, available NOW from iTunes, Amazon, Deezer, Spotify and all major retail digital outlets. A 7" vinyl will be released on the 19th February 2016.
So by now, anyone who’s interested will know that David
Bowies new album, ‘★/Blackstar’,
will be released on Jan 8th 2016, the day of Bowies 69th birthday.
You’ll have also seen the video and heard the heard the title track by now. As
someone who commented massively on ‘The Next Day’ and all its contents I feel I’m
a little late off the mark this time round. Apologies, I’ve been away and have
had no PC access. However, a little more is known now than the day the single
first landed. The artwork for the album is out there, and thanks to subscriber
copies of music monthlies the track listing is now known and reviews have been
written and read. So I’m not going to rephrase album reviews or anything, just
offer my opinion of what we’ve heard, and help publicise what we know.
If you read my writings on ‘The Next Day’ you’ll know I
lavished praise on it. Nearly three years later I’m pleased to say that I feel
the same. Though Bowies albums around the turn of the century improved on his
output of the previous 10 years there was still little that could sit with the
best of his past musical achievements, ‘Reality’ was getting there but then
sadly a huge 10 years of nowt. ‘TND’ was and is for me the first album since ‘Scary
Monsters’ that could be referred to as timeless Bowie. I loved it and I still
do. The point is, the praise I heaped on it was not blind praise, I genuinely
welcomed ‘TND’ as the album I’d been waiting years for. It wasn’t without
fault, the marketing was cynical (inspired in the beginning, but a deluxe
edition 9 months on?) and the bonus tracks were not in any way essential. A
year ago, ‘Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)’ hit and blew me away even more.
Everything about it was unexpected and it promised so much for a future from
David Bowie if he wanted to continue with music that is, who knew?
‘★/Blackstar’
the song takes that and delivers much more, with bells on. Its way more out
there than ‘Sue’, longer, stranger, more questioning. Though lifting some of
the musicians from ‘Sue’ it could not be called jazz in any way. It’s closer to
modern prog, think ‘Paranoid Android’ shifting song structures mixed with electro
dabbling’s and a fantastic vocal, hard to decipher lyrics and a sense of wonder
that jumps straight out from the performers into the listeners ears. It’s a new
Bowie, yet you can’t listen to Bowie without referencing his past. For me, I
got bits of ‘Diamond Dogs’, if not musically then in that there is a crushingly
strong concept running through the song and the accompanying video, which I
also think is marvellous. Having said that, the little dabs of colour and
musical fills and supremely placed snippets also make me think of ‘Diamond Dogs’.
The placement of a jewel encrusted skeletal astronaut early
on in the video must have knowingly been placed in the knowledge that people
would think and ask ‘Is this Bowie killing off Major Tom for once and for all,
a defiant “I’m never going back” for the world to take in and understand’. That
message is in ‘★/Blackstar’ but for me in the
music not the visuals.
I’d like to think that it’s not Major Tom in the video
as the depiction is literally too simplistic, but then maybe we’re all over analysing
it, maybe that is the message of ‘★/Blackstar’, I’m still here, making music, on my own
terms, not looking back anymore, no more hits tours. Bowie even sings ‘Something
happened on the day he died, Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside, Somebody
else took his place, and bravely cried, (I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar)’. If
Bowie ever does return to the concert stage I’m pretty sure it’ll be more of a
Kate Bush production type job than a straightforward rock band hits show. So in
conclusion, I love it, best thing I’ve heard all year, no sycophancy here at
all.
Anyway, we also know the album contains just seven songs. Aside
from ‘★/Blackstar’; ‘Sue’ and it’s
originally underwhelming demo B-side ‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore’ are both
present, albeit in totally new re-recorded form. This means that if no more
tracks are made available (highly unlikely?) between now and Jan 8th
then we’ll (only) get four new Bowie songs to sink our teeth into, for me that’s
a disappointment, however if the quality is of the title track then it’ll be
hard to stay disappointed. This is ‘★/Blackstar’ full track listing.
1 ★/Blackstar
2 ‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore
3 Lazarus
4 Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)
5 Girl Loves Me
6 Dollar Days
7 I Can’t Give Everything Away
Here are the lyrics (freely available on t’web, lifted here
from davidbowie.com) for the song ‘★/Blackstar’
IN THE VILLA
OF ORMEN
IN THE
VILLA OF ORMEN
STANDS
A SOLITARY CANDLE
AH AH
AH AH
IN THE
CENTRE OF IT ALL
IN THE
CENTRE OF IT ALL
YOUR
EYES
ON THE
DAY OF EXECUTION
ON THE
DAY OF EXECUTION
ONLY
WOMEN KNEEL AND SMILE
AH AH
AH AH
AT THE
CENTRE OF IT ALL
AT THE
CENTRE OF IT ALL
YOUR
EYES
YOUR
EYES
AH AH
AH
AH AH
AH
IN THE
VILLA OF ORMEN
IN THE
VILLA OF ORMEN
STANDS
A SOLITARY CANDLE
AH AH
AH AH
AT THE
CENTRE OF IT ALL
AT THE
CENTRE OF IT ALL
YOUR
EYES
YOUR
EYES
AH AH
AH
OO OO
OO OO
OOO
OO OO
OO OO
OOO
OO OO
OO OO
SOMETHING
HAPPENED ON THE DAY HE DIED
SPIRIT
ROSE A METRE THEN STEPPED ASIDE
SOMEBODY
ELSE TOOK HIS PLACE AND BRAVELY CRIED:
I’M A
BLACKSTAR
I’M A
BLACKSTAR
HOW
MANY TIMES DOES AN ANGEL FALL?
HOW
MANY PEOPLE LIE INSTEAD OF TALKING TALL?
HE
TROD ON SACRED GROUND HE CRIED ALOUD INTO THE CROWD
I’M A
BLACKSTAR
I’M A
BLACKSTAR
I’M
NOT A GANGSTAR
I
CAN’T ANSWER WHY
I’M A
BLACKSTAR
JUST
GO WITH ME
I’M
NOT A FILMSTAR
IMMA
TAKE YOU HOME
I’M A
BLACKSTAR
TAKE
YOUR PASSPORT AND SHOES
I’M
NOT A POPSTAR
AND
YOUR SEDATIVES BOO
I’M A
BLACKSTAR
YOU’RE
THE FLASH IN THE PAN
I’M
NOT A MARVELSTAR
I’M
THE GREAT I AM
I’M A
BLACKSTAR
I’M A
BLACKSTAR I’M WAY UP, ON MONEY, I’VE GOT GAME
I SEE
RIGHT, SO WIDE, SO OPEN-HEARTED PAIN
I WANT
EAGLES IN MY DAYDREAMS, DIAMONDS IN MY EYES
Now when I'm away, anywhere, I like to catch a bit of live music if I can. So whilst in Scarborough last week we saw a gig advertised by Simon Beddoe, a local flugehorn and trumpet jazz man who also runs a more modern sounding jazz group called the Submotion Orchestra. Having checked him out on you tube and AppleMusic we decided at only 4 quid a go, to give it a go. Glad I did, really enjoyed the performance, Simon seemed like a friendly guy, we had a laugh about sausages and he was fine with me videoing him (I always like to ask if I can....). So here's a few pics and a video of 'My Funny Valentine', a song I've liked for over 36 years now, since I first heard it knowingly by Elvis Costello (the b-side of 'Oliver's Army' don't you know, his version also included).
Wolf Alice first turned heads over two years ago and
have since released a couple of singles and a couple of EP's whilst slowly
developing and readying their debut album. One of these singles, 'Bros' was my
song of the year back in 2013, so to say I've been looking forward to this
album for a while is something of an understatement. So here it is and has it
been worth the wait?
Their sound has developed and they have more variety
than maybe the early recordings suggest, but then there always was a folky,
indie, gothic vein (i.e., varied) to their sound, and this is ably illustrated
by opening track 'Turn To Dust', it’s melodic with a touch of All About Eve vs Pink Floyd
but very modern sounding, lyrically oblique, the sweetly cooed ‘Keep your beady eyes on me’ leads into a song of fear
and uncertainty. From this straight into a new version of 'Bros', a modern Brit
pop indie anthem already. You can't ruin a classic, however I firmly prefer the
original two year old single version by a country mile. The song is a seemingly
life affirming song about precious friendships, but there was always an
undercurrent to the words, ‘Oh jump at 43, are you wild like me?’, and this is now reflected
in the musical arrangement that comes with it. The original was simply cleaner,
more classic and more uplifting. It is still a great song though. 'Your Loves
Whore' is great sweet guitar based pop song about jumping in and finding lasting devotion. It's
followed by 'You're A Germ' a much grungier dirty rock song, possibly about a
leery old rocker leading a school age groupie up the wrong path? It has a great
shouty/sweary chorus and it's one of my favourite songs on here.
'Lisbon' mixes the melodic with a harder noisy
undercurrent and another dark lyric of fear and death. By now the decision to
take their time over the debut album (you only get one chance at your first
album the band offer) is clearly paying off. This is a collection of timeless
genre defying modern rock. 'Lisbon' runs effortlessly into 'Silk', an esoteric
floating mood piece that builds into a tight anthemic treat with a great vocal
arrangement and another tale of the good and the bad in relationships, no gain
without pain. 'Freazy' kicks off the second half off the album, perhaps the
most straightforward pop moment on here yet, a song driven by a simple drum
pattern with intertwining bass lines. Then comes ‘Giant Peach’, first heard earlier this year as the slow build up
to the album began. A more guitar driven track with a moody downbeat lyric, a
tale of struggling to leave the past behind and embrace the doubt an unknown
future. 'Swallowtail' is a track that stands apart from the album in a number
of ways. The lead vocal comes not from front person Ellie Rowsell but from
drummer Joel Amey. It sounds almost like a different band, but then that's part
of what the band try to be, undefinable, multi-faceted and many faced. And they
do it pretty successfully too.
As if to prove this 'Soapy Water' arrives with yet
another different sound, a gentle floating balletic pop sound again though it’s a song of fear, doubt and
hiding feelings. 'Fluffy' was the band’s first physical release in 2013 and also reappears
here. A more typically indie sounding guitar track it has focus and drive and
its return is most welcome; like ‘Giant Peach’ it’s another song about leaving childhood and the town
you grew up in behind. Last track proper 'The Wonderwhy' has echoes of Bjork’s Sugarcubes, a slow building
medium paced ‘what’s the meaning of life’ rock song with interwoven
vocal parts, and leads into one of those 'hidden track' moments, an under
produced demo sounding guitar and vocal fragment of a song possibly called 'My
Love Is Cool'. It's short and unfinished but finishes the album off as proper
full stop.
So then, Wolf Alice have achieved a memorable debut
album, shot through with quality and variety. It's not gonna hit Arctic
Monkeys/Oasis levels of debut album sales, a shame really as I feel it's just
as deserving, but the music business simply doesn't operate in that way
anymore. But this album is a success, I urge you to check out what's available
of the bands earlier releases (use Deezer, iTunes and YouTube) while you still
can. In fact move quickly and HMV are offering an exclusive edition with a
first CD release of last years 'Creature Comforts' EP. But mainly, check out
this fine, memorable debut album in whatever way you can. As the band say, you
only get one shot at your debut LP so don’t screw up. Well that’s mission accomplished then.
So here's a third dose of TDWS podcast, hereafter known as
webcast. The usual mix of oldies, newbies, web oddities etc. With Alex Burey,
The Strypes, Tame Impala, The Doors, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, Elbow,
Hall & Oates, Melody Gardot, Seafret, Led Zeppelin, The Bee Gees go mental,
Robbie Robertson, Behla Hutchinson, The Chemical Brothers, Muse, Dee Hunter
& Phil Burdett, Scott 4 (the band not the album), Nick Cave, and C.W.
Stoneking.
The links of this have been down for a while since divshare rapped my knuckles over me David Bowie 'The Next Day' enthusiasm. Since it's by far the most popular post I've ever had all links are now mended and back up and running. Click on the red in white link below....
On first
reading about Muse's latest album some months ago I noted that they were set to
dispense with some of the orchestral excesses of recent releases and have some
sort of back to basics experience, which I thought was a shame as I'd loved
their increasingly mad albums which were all laced with great pop moments. I
needn't have worried, this is the most insane album they've ever made, in fact
you just can’t listen to it without a huge a grin at least, and actual
belly laughs scattered freely throughout. Produced by Robert 'Mutt' Lange this
is as big sounding as anything they've ever recorded. I first bought Lange
productions nearly 40 years ago (Boomtown Rats and a one off XTC single),
though as he moved into stadium MOR (Bryan Adams, he co-wrote 'Everything I
Do', Def Leppard and one time wife Shania Twain. He also produced the fourth bestselling
album of all time, AC/DC's 'Back In Black') it seemed unlikely his name would
grace my music collection again. Then Muse got in touch with him. This album
has his trademarks all over it, huge deep drums, and pulsing bass, everything
up in the mix. In short, it's absolutely joyous.
And
though Lange's presence is notable from the opening drum beats of album opener
'Dead Inside', let's make it clear, it's Muse who bring the madness to the
proceedings. The opener though is a Muse pop moment, and one of the more
straightforward songs here, and the the first hint that the warfare and
releasing of drones sung about on this album are not necessarily about
battlefield war, but war in love (singer and lyricist Matt Bellamy has recently
split from his movie star wife Kate Hudson). 'Psycho' follows with all the
sergeant major screaming and swearing that made the songs YouTube premiere such
a thrill. Again, love is the first word in the lyric, though the song has comic
book military soldier brainwashing connotations. The song is driven by a heavy
rock guitar riff over the beefed up drums and driving bass. It's a classic. I
found it funny on first listening and still do now. It's an 'Ah, Muse are back'
sensation.
Mercy is
much heavier in the military pictorial, and sees a synth hook as the songs main
weapon, that and the drums, guitars and bass obviously. Other recurring themes
are leaving their mark too, brainwashing, puppeteers of men and populace, war
zones and killing fields, remote control killers. Yet there are always hints
that something much closer to home is the real subject matter. 'Reapers' blasts
off with those drums again and a mad squealing guitar (another big grin
moment), yet the opening line is 'Home is the beginning, a killing field'. I
really hope Bellamy's separation wasn't as messy and painful as this all
sounds. The song is so over the top you just can't help smiling, Muse trademark
treated backing vocals and filthy guitars paint the track mad. 'The Handler' similarly
starts with 'You were my oppressor, and I, I have been programmed'. At least by
the end of the song there is a Declaration of Independence, an I can stand on
my own feet manifesto. This is another guitar and drum fest. But you can't bury
Chris Wolstenholmes bass though, remember Muse are a three way fighting machine
and it constantly sounds as if all three main instruments are fighting to be
heard the most. Which is not a bad thing, it’s their character, it's what Muse are.
After a short intro made up from John F Kennedy speeches (called....JFK) we’re
into another bass, drum and guitar battleground, 'Defector'. There's also some
mad Queen-like backing vocals, the lyrics are barking.... 'Your minds turned
green and your belly is all yellow'. At end JFK pipes up again, not before
we've had guitars trying to be bagpipes though.
Talking
of Queen, 'Revolt' blasts in, a late era Queen like delve into a bloody, robot
controlled, drone patrolled society, only far more panicked and confused than
anything Freddie and co ever got up to. Already the album is coming to a close.
'Aftermath' is calmer, almost Floydian, a solider returning from war, an errant
lover coming home. A welcome hello to an orchestra too, and chiming Edge like
guitars. For all the madness that's gone before this is where the album gets
strong for me, though it makes you smile less, for the time being anyway.
Because just as you settle 'The Globalist' begins, a ten minute song in many
parts. Starting with a spaghetti western whistled intro, leading into more
Floyd guitar and late Queen beats, a song of survivors and a destroyed past, a
call to rebuild and remodel, recode and prosper whether intentions are benign
are otherwise. Halfway through and the Muse mental guitar smile is put back on
your face, the bass heavy drums ignite, we have a guitar sound back from Muse's
first album, then the orchestra and piano stealthily seize control, subsiding
to a choral peak, and we slip into final track, 'Drones'. Vocal only, and based
on 'Sanctus and Benedictus' by 16th century Renaissance composer Giovanni
Pierluigi da Palestrina, this along with the mini rock opera of the preceding
track make this the most mental point of any Muse album yet. Though it's sombre
and doomy, 'Killed by drones, my mother, my father, my sister and my brother'
and finishing with an ‘Amen', it's still a defining leave ‘em
smiling moment. Whatever Matthew Bellamy is on, you want some.
At this
point in their career Muse have never made a duff album. This is their seventh
studio offering and if they stay this out there it's hard to see them ever
putting forward something secondary. It's not their best album, but whether it
about war, brainwashing, nuclear aftermath or love, breakup and painful
domesticity, it's grand in every way. Where do they go from here? Jeff Wayne is
probably sitting by the phone right now.....
Being
upfront about it, I've been a Paul Weller fan for such a long time. I bought
Jam singles and albums on their release days, still listen to some Style
Council songs (ok, I'll admit it, even whole albums), and always buy his solo
stuff. Even solo he's had his up and downs, but for the last few years (22
Dreams and onwards) he's barely put a foot wrong, pushing the boundaries of
what we expect from out elder statesmen of rock way out there, experimenting
and trying new things, even to an extent that it all might've been too much for
some long term fans, though he has picked up a fair few new fans along the way.
Last album 'Sonik Kicks' was as about out there as Weller's ever been. This one
has its quirks and out there moments but it's the most focussed song album of
his later career, and as such for me, it's immediately another highlight.
So the
music then. Opener 'White Sky' is a rock/blues Zeppelin'ish chugging monster.
When the missus walked in the room she couldn't be bothered to ask me what I
was listening to, rolling her eyes in a 'he's listening to heavy metal' way.
Ignore her she's a philistine, it's a great opener. Hot on its heels, title
track 'Saturns Pattern' is on more familiar Weller footing. A pop soul psych
out, and lyrically one of Weller's most upbeat songs ever, "Get up, in a
mind to get up, it’s ours to explore.”
’Going My Way' is one of those hopelessly romantic songs that
the writer has become so adept at over the years. It shifts gears, has
differing passages, yet three songs in and the past Paul Weller album I have
most in mind is his solo debut from1992 (this for the record is his 12th solo
studio album proper). The music is underpinned with quirky bleeps or blasts but
everything is carefully placed and in place and enhances the music rather than
detract from it. 'Long Time' arrives next, its rock/pop Quo boogie beat is a
surprise, it's short and sweet and I like it. 'Pick It Up' is a six minute slab
of pop/soul graft that again reminds me of PW's early solo work. It's sounds well-crafted
yet has a spontaneity about it that keeps it welcoming. The keyboards are
clean, the guitars crisp and the beat relentless but not punishing. There’s
even a burst of flamenco guitar that's immediately followed by what sounds like
a Stylophone. 'I'm Where I Should Be' says what you'd expect. PW sounds
comfortable at where he finds himself in life and music, "Not trapped by
the burden of parody". It's one of the more experimental sounding pieces
on here, yet still a complete song, built around great melodies.
By tack
seven and we're on the home run already of this 9 track romp. 'Phoenix' has
very retro backing vocals (including Paul's wife Hannah), and is another
positive outlook on the current state of the singers life. It's a very 60's
sounding track, with keyboards reminiscent of the Doors. 'In The Car' seems the
most out of place song lyrically here, the singer embracing the isolation of
long journeys round the M25, just him, his wife, and loud music for company. Musically
it opens with a gentle Canned Heat 'On The Road Again' guitar motif, developing
into another psych out song with different passages and sections. Its possibly
the track I was least sure of on first listen but now having lived with the
album for a week it’s becoming a bit of a favourite. And the
album closer proper, 'These City Streets' floats in on a cushion of urban sound
effects. Again the '92 solo debut is evoked, and at about 8 minutes long it's
one of the longest things PW's ever recorded. Yet it’s it's
pretty straightforward and again Weller is confident of his own beliefs,
feelings and place in the world. Lyrically PW sounds more contented than ever
but musically he simply doesn't want to stand still or tread water; reading
interviews it's clear he still goes out to discover music he's not familiar
with and that exploration is (thankfully) evident in his recent recordings.
Being
2015 and with physical editions of music releases harder to sell than ever the
music doesn't stop at the albums end. My deluxe boxed edition features a DVD,
the album on heavy blue vinyl, a large booklet, a poster and three 'exclusive
bonus' tracks on the CD. The first is a cover of Jr Walker and the All-stars
'I'm a Roadrunner' written by Motown legends Holland/Dozier/Holland. It's a
loose southern soul faithful cover. It doesn't add to the album as such, but
it's a decent cover. 'Dusk Til Dawn' retains the psych feeling but in a folky
vein, it probably would've sounded out of place on the album proper but that
doesn't seem to have bothered PW much in recent years. Finally a 'White Sky'
remix, good but in all honesty superfluous. All of which leads to my only gripe
with the album and maybe even with PW. This deluxe edition cost me about 36
quid, I've seen this going for as much as £48. All the music could've easily fitted
on the more basic-including the DVD special edition going for around £12-13.
Back in the day PW always gave his fans value for money, non-album singles,
sublime B-sides etc. Even the last three deluxe editions all with decent extra
music and visuals have been well priced. But the box version, lovely though it
is just doesn't deliver great value for money. Great product and music yes, but
I feel a little that my devotion to PW's music has led to me being taken.
Still,
the album is superb. There is no filler, everything works and aurally it's a
treat for decent system. Unless you're a diehard like me go for the standard
edition CD (I've seen this for £8) or the decent value 180g standard
vinyl edition with free digital download (about £14). Great album, apparently the live
shows have been wonderful too. An instant Weller classic. 9.5/10
