Overblown

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Queue - 'Frame EP' (Track by Track)

Frames  Is Out Now.

Washington, DC reminds me of Fugazi and Philadelphia reminds me of Will Smith. This really has nothing to do with indie rock band Queue other than their members also hail from DC and Philly. Frames, their debut EP, seamlessly melds dry indie rock with warm electronics and a singer somewhere between Florence Welsh and Elena Tonra (Daughter).

We sat down with the band and they took us through each of the tracks on the EP. Somehow this involved Frankenstein.

Falling Into Skies

Aida: The basic structure for this song (chord progression and lyrics) was written very quickly. Without going into too much detail or analysis, the song is supposed to be from the perspective of a friend of mine that had a bad habit they couldn’t quit. There’s a certain level of helplessness when you find something you like that isn’t good for you; and the addiction to that temporary satisfaction is what this song is about.

Olivia: This is one of those songs that got totally Frankenstein-ed in the studio. We went in with 5.5-minute demo and came out with something actually digestible, haha. What is now the bridge used to be a super long intro build-up. We were really looking to produce the song in a way that would allow for it to have mysterious quality. There’s a lot of syncopated guitar and driving percussion, but to keep it airy and light, we sought out dark synth textures and a lot of vocal reverb.

Struggle

This is one of two songs that was written through and through by Tyler, so we can really only talk about the song from a production standpoint. Tyler, our former male vocalist, had the demo for this song where it was just the synth arpeggiator and vocals. This is probably the biggest pop moment on the entire EP, and we approached it from a different place than the other tracks. Guitars and synths were added to that basic arpeggiator and vocal skeleton that really cemented that moody pop sound you hear.

More

Olivia: Some people have deemed this “electro-folk?” Weird. Anyway, Steve, Aida, and I wrote this together after a long night of partying, like the rockstars we are (or something.) The guitar progression is actually lifted from an older demo of ours that we were jamming to. All the parts were written in one night, using my old Casio keyboard’s “Trance/Dance” beats.

I wrote the lyrics later, while I was alone and sad and drinking wine. Basically, the song is about feeling at odds with yourself – feeling detached from the version of yourself you always loved and feeling incapable of ever getting back to that point. One word answer? Identity-crisis.

Steve: This is the song we experimented with the most in-studio. Originally, we went in thinking we would pretty much just re-track the demo, as is – synthetic beats and all – but after tracking everything, we realized it was missing punch and uniformity to the other songs we’d recorded. That’s when we opted to mix in live drums with the electro-kit.

Tunnels

Aida: This one originated as an instrumental demo with a ton of guitar layers, and the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus sketched out. The vocal melodies and lyrics went through many iterations and was definitely one of our most collaborative efforts. There’s a darker element here vocal-wise that we had a lot of fun playing with. The outro, which really came together in the studio, is one of my favorite parts we’ve ever done. The drums also do some amazing stuff here (Steve told me to say that.)

Steve: (No, I did not tell Aida to say that.)

Wanderlove

This is the simplest song we have on the EP. It was completely written by Tyler, from the guitar to the vocals. It’s truly a breath-taking song, but since it’s such a personal one to him, we don’t feel it’s our place to speak to what the lyrics mean.

We didn’t want to produce the song too much – we actually came very close to putting it out as a lo-fi home-recorded piece. We thought that keeping it stripped down would not only contrast the rest of the EP nicely, but it would emphasize the intimacy of the lyrics.

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Queue – ‘Frame EP’ (Track by Track) was originally published on Overblown

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Mums Interview: "I feel very proud of what we three best friends have achieved"

Debut Album Land of Giants  Out 21 October Via Superstar Destroyer Records.

At three o’clock this morning I couldn’t sleep. Bandcamp became my friend as it often does when insomnia comes a calling. As I adventured through the genres I happened upon a trio from Widnes called Mums. For once, insomnia is good for something. A ferocious and thunderous noise rock/grunge band that also absolutely loves melody, the trio plough and plunge through molasses slow sludge riffs while also keeping their tongue firmly in their collective cheek.

I immediately emailed the band, and singer/guitarist Jack Evans took a bit of time today to talk with us about Billy Corgan, Fallout 4, and their debut album Land of Giants.

Overblown: Why the name change from Aeroplane Flies High to Mothers and then to Mums? Did Billy Corgan send you a strongly worded letter?

Jack Evans: In short, we wanted to re-invent ourselves in a way, changing the name from AFH to Mothers. We had a lot of new songs that we felt were different to what we had been doing (although actually most similar to what we initially set out to do!) and thought that changing the band name would be a good move, not only for our audiences but for our own personal minds. The Mothers to Mums switch was because another band had Mothers first. Mums however is very English and sounds cool in Northern accents.

O: To me your music sounds like the Melvins covering Weezer songs. How do you feel about that description?

JE: That description is a great one and we do love the Melvins (although Weezer not so much!). It’s kind of like ‘insert heavy band here’ meets ‘insert melodic more pop band here’.

O: What is up with the artwork for Land of Giants?

JE: The artwork is done by a friend of ours called Lewis Mclean. He’s a very talented artist and also is in the band Lake of Snakes (they are performing at our album launch Friday October 21st at Islington Mill, Salford!). To be completely honest, we saw the art and asked him if we could use it. It’s a lovely picture that your imagination can get lost in.

‘Land of Giants’ Artwork

O: What is the best song on Land of Giants? Why?

JE: Personally for me it is pretty hard to answer this… I love all of the songs on there and as a whole I feel very proud of what we three best friends have achieved. Although I’d have to say either ‘In a Museum’ or ‘Teamin’’ as they are very heavy and have meaningful lyrics to me.

Land of Giants by Mums

O: The video for ‘Little Did He Know’ is a delightfully weird one. Who created it? What was the concept behind the video?

JE: The video was done by IMPATV who we reached out to after seeing their videos of Supernormal Festival in Oxford. We are fans of 80’s/90’s video effects and tongue-in-cheek comedy and with the initial idea of ‘naff photoshoot’ we just got together with them one night in a warehouse in Salford and out came the video!

O: What is the best thing about Fallout 4?

JE: I’m going to have to go with the retro-futuristic americana styling of the game, it never fails to make me smile! Addictive upgrades systems, fantastic story with multiple endings and a huge and incredibly detailed open world kept me playing the game for over 6 months!

O: Your album launch is on the horizon. Anything special planned for your performance?

JE: We will be absolutely rocking out really hard. In fact after seeing all of the amazing bands at A Carefully Planned Festival this weekend I feel extra excited and like I have something to prove, in a way!

O: As WWE fans, what do you think of Billy Corgan and Vince McMahon struggling for control of TNA?

JE: This is Lew’s area but I can say that I know who both of those people are and I’m pretty sure I don’t like either of them!

O: What are your life goals?

JE: In band terms, we want to tour the EU/US and want to keep on making music and having so much fun, meeting more incredible people along the way. We are so grateful that we can do this and appreciate everyone who helps us in any way!

Photography by Elmore.

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Mums Interview: “I feel very proud of what we three best friends have achieved” was originally published on Overblown

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noku Interview: "Super Metroid is the best game ever"

Debut Album Future Sharks  Out Now.

Seems to us that noise rock bands are popping up all over the place at the moment. The latest to come to our attention are noku, who hail from Finland. Their’s is a rumbling, grandstanding kind of noise rock that also enjoys a solid amount of melody. Over the course of two EPs the trio have honed their cacophony to a point where their debut album Future Sharks feels both loose and tight at the same time. Good job.

We spoke with Juuso (guitar/vocals) about the fact that their band name means ‘penis’ in Estonian, Super Metroid, unrequited love, and the DIY music scene in Finland.

Overblown: Did you know that, apparently, ‘noku’ is Estonian for penis? Where did the band name come from?

noku: Yea, we know. But didn’t until we had done our two EP’s so the name was already stuck.

When it was time to name the band all the good names were taken. Names like Metallica and Nirvana. One day I looked down on my iPod and there it was, a song named ”No K.O.” by the most awesomest band ever, a Finnish noise rock band called Fun. With the name Noku we searched dictionaries, but at that time didn’t find that it actually means something. How wrong were we.

O: I’ve been really enjoying ‘Varia’ on your debut album Future Sharks. It has a wonderful balance between noise and melody. What inspired that song?

n: One of my favorites too. I’ve been explaining Varia for like two years at gigs before the song, but haven’t got to the end of it, I’m always interrupted. The title ‘Varia’ comes from Super Metroid, the best game ever. The song is about this Finnish female singer Milla from a band called Shake, to whom I had a crush for. It’s also about my band called Varia and a song called ‘Milla Milady’ that I’ve had years ago. I’ve combined the crush, the band, some elements from Super Metroid and also there’s some reference to a Finnish band called Zeroes.

Future Sharks by Noku

O: The album was recorded nearly a year ago. Why has it taken until now to release the album?

n: The wheels just turn slow at our camp. A combination of mixing, fixing and basic life stuff. Our producer/studio/mixing guy has his own life too, you know. It took a while, but it gave time for the album covers and mixing and stuff to be what we wanted them to be. No sense in rushing things.

O: Did you approach the writing and recording of Future Sharks differently that the writing and recording of your EPs?

n: The writing was quite the same. I come up with an idea and then take it to the rehearsals. That’s when the work begins. Minutes or years later we have a new song! Recording though was a bit different. Future Sharks was recorded at the same place where the vocals were recorded for the EP’s. The studio is owned by our studio guy. This way we had all the time we needed. The EPs were recorded live, no overdubs. Most on first take. And then vocals later. This time the same, but most of the guitars were recorded after, some are from the live take. On the EPs you hear one guitar, on the album two.

O: The artwork for the album looks like two squirrels fighting. Where did that come from?

n: The artwork was a very slow process. That’s like the fifth version. The cover was very different originally. Don’t know what the cover is all about. I just like to do collage art. I like the smallest details.

O: Is there a strong alternative music scene in Finland?

n: There is. The people I mean. I know there are many great bands in the underground, but these days there are also so many bands in general and too few places that take on bands like us. More focused on the lighter side. Noise rock is definitely not the easiest way to get gigs or to get the buzz on. Playing one gig at the time. Slowly, but surely.

O: Tell us a bit about the recording of the video for ‘Nonko’.

n: It was one Friday afternoon that I called to Late, the bassist, that I got a killer idea!! We were planning to do the ‘Nonko’ video for a long time, but timing wasn’t right, schedules didn’t match etc. The idea was that he would ask the people of the theatre in which he does acting that if they want to come and hang with us and we’ll shoot the video. They said yes and on the next day we had the ‘Nonko’ party. One of my favorite days ever. The video is everything that in my opinion punk rock should be. DIY. We are planning a rehearsal place tour with a friend band of ours. Bars and pubs aren’t always the bestest time, but rehearsal parties are every time!

O: What is noku’s plan for the rest of 2016?

n: Gigs, hundreds of them, everywhere possible. And to get the music spread out there. And the records and the T-shirts of course. We also have new songs building up so it would be good to get them ready and finished. Studio is starting to feel like an good idea again. Touring has always been the ultimate dream.

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noku Interview: “Super Metroid is the best game ever” was originally published on Overblown

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New Pope Interview: "You can't move on until you forgive your own mistakes"

New Album Love Should Be Out Before Year’s End.

When you have released an album called YOUTH, have one in the can called LOVE, and are planning to release one called HOME next year, it is safe to say that you are not one to shy away from tackling the big issues in your music. Such is the case with New Pope, the alter ego of folk/dream pop singer songwriter David Boland. His music is gentle and melancholic, like a cosy blanket on a cold day. However, it simultaneously explores themes of belonging, growing up, and purpose.

Fresh from a resoundingly successful performance at Hard Working Class Heroes, David Boland took some time to talk to Overblown about the appeal of travelling, the autobiographical nature of his writing, and playing his heart out on stage.

Overblown: On your debut album YOUTH, places and directions are mentioned a number of times e.g. ‘Onwards, Westwards’, ‘Amsterdam’, and ‘North Donegal’. Is travelling something that appeals to you?

New Pope: Getting away from where you are lends perspective to a situation, so just getting out of Galway for a day or two usually sorts my head out. I’d say I’m torn between the idea of travelling and the idea of home. I’ve never done either particularly well, but I’m trying to find a balance.

‘Amsterdam’ and ‘North Donegal’ are reflections on two specific places that had a big effect on how I think and the story I tell myself, while ‘Onwards, Westwards’ is about escaping from the tangled social web of a place and being on your own for a bit.

YOUTH LP by New Pope

O: Are those songs autobiographical or fictional? They seem rather intimate.

NP: YOUTH is a collection of reminiscences, mostly from my late teenage years, so it’s very much autobiographical. Some of the songs are from that time, or at least were started back then, while with others, like ‘We Were Young’, I tried to capture the sweetness and heartache of young love from a less involved place. I mean, I think I could only really attempt that once I was over it and could see the loveliness of it all.

I would say the album is nostalgic and subjective but also abstract, in the way that memories often are. They say that when you remember something you’re only really remembering the last time you remembered it so things get pretty hazy as you get older. People go mad agonising over memories and things they could have done better, I know I have, and it really gets you nowhere. It all depends on how you look at your past. I don’t think you can move on until you forgive your own mistakes.

O: What is your songwriting process?

NP: I record a lot of ideas, I read a lot, I write down things I think of or hear or steal from poems and books and then sometimes, I’m not really sure how, a song comes out.

O: ‘Love’, the first track to be released from your upcoming EP of the same name seems a bit more stripped down than YOUTH. Why did you choose to take this more restrained route?

NP: The plan initially was to do a stripped back EP and then a fuller album. I like the way that sounds though so it might make the album cut… I guess stripped back suited that particular song. Also, we recorded that one the day before we launched the EP so I didn’t have the time to overthink it.

O: You recently supported Overhead, The Albatross who are considerably different in style to New Pope. How did your set go down?

NP: That was a strange one. It didn’t help that I was massively hungover. The room was full of silent attentive music fans who, I’m guessing, appreciate the more technical side of music. I can barely tune a guitar and I think that was evident but I sang my little soul out and left my heart on the stage. That translates across genres and taste. I’ll go out on a limb here and say they fucking loved it.

O: You also just played Electric Picnic. How were you received?

NP: We had a great show. We were on early on Friday but the sun broke through the clouds and hit us full in the face so it felt beautiful. It’s the little things.

O: What other gigs do you have on the horizon?

NP: We just played Hard Working Class Heroes, which was sweet, and next up were taking part in the TULCA festival of visual arts here in Galway. I’ve been asked to collaborate with the excellent British novelist Tony White. We’ll be sound-tracking a live reading by him and doing a show afterwards (Nov 11th, the Mechanics Institute). I’m very excited about this.

O: What are your goals for the next year New Pope wise?

I need to finish this LOVE album which, to keep pace with the horribly ambitious timeline I’ve set myself, needs to be out by the end of the year. Next year we’re planning a tour of the Netherlands and will be hitting up the UK for a few shows.

Another album, called HOME, is planned for 2017.

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New Pope Interview: “You can’t move on until you forgive your own mistakes” was originally published on Overblown

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Keep Calm And Make Music

Rebecca Cullen Explores The Rehabilitative Power Of Creating Music.

The passing of World Mental Health Day this week brought a wonderful sense of ‘it’s OK to talk about this, let’s talk about it in depth and help each other out’. It’s important that we draw attention to these issues, albeit sad that it’s not more commonly accepted in every day life, though it certainly seems well on it’s way. We’re all experiencing this world at the very same time; there’s no way that anyone should have to feel alone in their struggles.

In the age of the internet, we can literally see the opinions and hear the voices of anyone and everyone. The fact is, far more of us suffer from mental health issues than was perhaps first suspected. I for one am grateful that so much light has been shed on this of late, but there’s still a stigma attached to talking about our feelings, and to combat this, rather than trouble someone with our thoughts, we work hard to keep them in; which, in turn, makes the problem much worse.

It’s important to keep the conversation going. There are numerous resources available online to help you throughout the year – please don’t suffer in silence.

For the moment, I have to look at mental health in a more general manner, which is to consider all of us at once. Speaking from personal experience, there are a number of ways in which we each help ourselves through times of difficulty; whether these are passing times or more longer term.

Finding the right people to talk to is a huge one, not the easiest, but the one that could help the most in lifting away those dark shadows and looking a little further forwards. In addition, something easily accessible and always there for us, regardless of how we’re feeling – music.

When we’re depressed, or submerged in a jittery swamp of anxiety, it’s difficult to enjoy the music that we used to. It doesn’t sound the same, it doesn’t feel the same. But, for the most part – we can still hear it. It’s still an alternative to our direct view of the world. Our favourite songs don’t mean the same to us in the many months that pass with this colossal cloud of isolation surrounding and swallowing our existence, but they still sound like something, and that something can often seem far more reasonable than the rest of world.

When I talk about music as therapy, I have to specify – it’s not merely the listening that helps, it’s the creating. To take a step back from reality, to sit and play guitar, to sit and write some music or lyrics, to exercise some sort of musical creativity, is to escape from the norm; it’s to meditate, to remove worry from your mind, to focus on something entirely outside of the regular rat-race of modern life.

Music works for people. Perhaps not for everyone, but it’s more than worth a try. Metallica’s Kirk Hamlett is just one of a number of musicians who have declared testament to the healing power* of making music; playing guitar, writing, singing, playing the piano, etc. To some, these pursuits are an unnecessary way to spend ones time; they contribute nothing to your financial prowess, they add nothing to the advancement of the human race, they simply make a racket.

In reality though, they are so very valuable. These activities are a part of the very essence of what makes life so beautiful. These things that we enjoy, these creative pursuits that calm us and calm those around us; these are the natural blessings of life. They are not the manic, fast paced elements of this world – the ones in which we all must take part. These things are our escape from those elements. These things are our shelter from the harsh downpour of modern life.

Music is an incredibly powerful tool for connecting with and even comforting our emotions and our fears. There’s something so accessible about certain songs or instrumental pieces that really reaches out and involves us in the core of their expression, particularly if it’s a direct reflection of our own thoughts – a song we have made, a riff we have played; a somewhat frozen image of our concerns at the height of their velocity.

In addition, the louder we play it, the more the noise of the rest of the world is drowned out for a while. We are safe in our bubble, with our songs that understand us, and we can escape here whenever we’re feeling overcome with anxiety. It’s not a permanent solution, but it works in the way that exercise might if we were enthusiastic enough to give that a try. It works in the way that a cuddle might, but it’s available at all times.

Music is something we can all just create, right here and now, with our voices and our hands and our minds. It’s always there for us, and it’s such a simple concept – a gathering of notes and sounds and moments, purely created for our ears to receive, to then pass on to our brain, to then share out to our entire body. Music is a beautiful drug. The safest and most reliable drug out there.

Music to the listener is often a means of escaping – from reality, from fear, from difficulty. Music to the creator, however, is more commonly a means of embracing and expressing those very same feelings. And if, in turn, you create something that helps other people feel better about their lives, even just for a few minutes, then you’ve done something incredible. You’ve made the world a slightly better place.

In any number of wonderful forms, music is something that most of us incorporate into our lives at some point during each and every day, and there’s a very clear reason for that. It makes us feel something. It makes us feel better, more energised, more understood; more enthusiastic, more confident, less afraid, less alone, less helpless. The strength of music can lift away even the darkest of feelings. And sure, it’s often temporary, but what is anything in this life if not temporary?

Perhaps now more than ever we need to enjoy the summer days as they pass us by – to revel in that warmth, that glow, and try to capture and remember the feeling of bliss for as long as our days may last. Make music, create art, simply because you can; because it feels great, and because, well – what else is there to do if we are done creating?

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Keep Calm And Make Music was originally published on Overblown

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Pale Honey Interview: "We’re inspired by our own restlessness."

New Single ‘Real Thing’ Out October 14th via Bolero Recordings.

Pale Honey have returned. After the success of their minimalist, fiery self-titled debut album, the Swedish indie rock duo have just come out with a surprise new single, ‘Real Thing’. Incorporating more percussion and electronics than their previous material, the single is the first taste from their as yet untitled second album which is due to be released in spring 2017.

Just prior to the release of the single, Tuvo Lodmark (guitar, vocals) and Nelly Daltrey (drums) sat down with us to talk about their new single, what it is like to be compared to both PJ Harvey and Sleater-Kinney, and the possibility of expanding their line-up.

Pale Honey will play The Lexington in London on October 27th.

Overblown: You’ve just released a new single called ‘Real Thing’. Can you tell us what inspired the song?

Pale Honey: It was less thinking and more doing when we wrote the song. We never sit down with the intention of writing a single and then shred it out ready to record, we’re more for the.. lets-drink-beer-in-the-studio-and-hit-things-and-sing-our-hearts-out kind of work. We’re constantly inspired by our own restlessness and while creating this song we felt playful and confident at the same time – and the song came out as a result. It was one of those rare moments when songs seem to write themselves – we all had clear visions and knew what we wanted to bring to the table.

O: The song will feature on your new album which is due for release next Spring. Did you learn anything from writing and recording your first album that led you to change your approach this time around?

PH: Writing and finishing up the first album was quite a unique experience – we worked very hard on all the details and that is something that we think payed off in the end, still being proud of our first LP. We have continued to focus on writing continuously while giving the songs time to grow on us, it has been very helpful to the process since we’re able to take a step back and listen to the songs again with a fresh pair of ears. What works and what doesn’t becomes clearer while filling up the stack of finished songs.

So in all, the thoughtful details are still there, but this time around we’ve probably tossed around more ideas between the two of us than before just to see where we can take the songs and to be sure that we’ve given the songs all we’ve got. We’re in absolutely no hurry at all at the same time, we’re keeping our cool and working.

O: Do you have a goal for this new album?

PH: We’re packing in years of hard work, desire and love into one finished LP (we’ve been playing music together since we met each other), so we want to fuck shit up, create, have the time of our lives, shed a tear or two and outdo ourselves with an LP that we’re damn proud of. We’re just aching to get to the US and the rest of Europe for that matter, the second album will give us a bit more backbone and a lot more restlessness while we get to pack the tour van.

O: Your music has been compared to both PJ Harvey and Sleater-Kinney. How do you feel about these comparisons?

PH: We both have an incredible amount of respect for PJ and see her as bit of a god. She radiates creativity, decisiveness and curiosity, so to be compared with her is probably the best compliment one could ever get. As for Sleater-Kinney, we’re terrible at looking up bands, we are putting this one on our to-do-list. Promise this time. Maybe.

O: You were nominated for Newcomer of the Year at the P3 Gold-gala in Sweden, and for three categories for the Gaffa Prize. What is your reaction to being nominated for these accolades?

PH: The reaction was: “WOOHOO”. It’s always nice when people like our music and extra exciting that it takes form in these honorable mentions. While it’s not everything – it is encouraging to get noticed and it makes us want to continue writing even more music.

O: You operate as a duo. Have you ever considered expanding the line-up?

PH: We do, and we have tried different setups. Right now we’re happy to have our producer with us live as well for shows, he rocks the shaker, guitar and octatrack. And we all look good in black!

O: You are playing The Lexington in London on October 27th. Do you enjoy visiting London and playing there?

PH: Yes! Yes! Yes! We’re from Gothenburg so we love English humour and the last time we were in London we were out dancing (!!) AT the Lexington so this gig feels like it was meant to be.

O: What are your plans for the next few months up until the album’s release?

PH: We’re going to keep our heads down and keep on working. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the curtains, and sometimes it can be a lot to keep up with, but we love it. We’re going to do some shows, throw out one or two more singles and play a shitload of music.

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Pale Honey Interview: “We’re inspired by our own restlessness.” was originally published on Overblown

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Albums of the Month - September 2016 (Part 2)

We did warn you that September knocked us sideways. Here’s the rest of what shook the speakers of Casa Overblown last month:

Bon Iver – 22, A Million

We should really be used to curveballs from Bon Iver by now, but sometimes they’re so curvy they leave us completely dizzy and disorientated. For example, what are we to make of song titles like ‘715 – CRΣΣKS’ and ‘666 ʇ’?

The Wisconsin five-piece’s third album doesn’t so much dabble in electronica and glitch pop as grab it by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. Vocoders, samples, saxophones, Chipmunks-pitched vocals, they’re all here, but somehow, so are the minimalist, heartfelt, folky melodies Bon Iver have at their core, with ‘8 (circle) definitely a highlight.

Is this Bon Iver’s Kid A? Quite possibly. We might be able to make more sense of it in a few years but it deserves our respect here and now.

John Murray

Few Bits – Big Sparks

Belgian dream-poppers Few Bits bring us a second album that’s an absolute joy to behold. Songs on it can be split into either bouncy and uplifting, or brooding and reflective, and they do both equally well.

Opening pair ‘Summer Sun’ and ‘It Will Set Your Free’ just plaster a smile across your face, while the Fleetwood Mac-like ‘Chasing Rainbows’ and ‘Sweet Warrior’ seem tinged with nostalgia and mild melancholy. ‘Anyone Else’, with its Vaselines-esque shuffling drums and folky, almost Celtic rhythm, is my favourite track. I’d love to hear this one in a crowded pub where the ale is flowing freely.

On first listen I found it inoffensive, but it soon become encapsulating. If all albums were like this, we wouldn’t need skip buttons.

John Murray

Preoccupations – Preoccupations

The renaming of the band formerly known as Viet Cong was, depending on your opinion, either a fuss about nothing or something they dragged their heels over and should’ve sorted out ages ago. The new name and album will hopefully let them put the furor behind them, especially because it’s not a bad one at all.

‘Serious’ is a word rarely used to sell music, but I love the gravity of this record. The vocals are stern and low-register, the bass is urgent and pressing, and the song titles (Anxiety, Degraded, Forbidden) aren’t exactly a laugh-a-minute, but this is fine doom-laden post-punk.

Songs generally take a more structured ‘verse and chorus’ approach than on the eponymous Viet Cong album from last year. Saying that, the 11-minute ‘Memory’ is quite an epic, rolling what could be two or three songs into one. It’s synth-driven section somewhere in the middle is a real magic moment on the record, as Matt Flegel’s vocals suddenly turn unexpectedly high-pitched.

The fresh start may have been forced on them, but this album really makes the most out of an uncomfortable situation.

John Murray

Slaves – Take Control

The challenge with a band as rambunctious as Slaves is getting their output to sound as energetic and caustic on record as it does live. Ex-Beastie Boy Mike D is handed the producing baton for the duo’s second album, as they look to ramp up with rawness of their records.

This is achieved particularly well in opening track ‘Spit It Out’, where the guitar squawks, thundering drums and Isaac Holman’s growls come across like a real slap in the face. The production gives it that Steve Albini quality of all the instruments (well, both the instruments in this case) being in the room with you, and with this pair of nutters, that’s an exciting and slightly scary prospect.

The boys certainly like command-based song titles like ‘Play Dead’, ‘Fuck the Hi-Hat’ and ‘Take Control’, which is probably the album’s highlight. ‘Steer Clear’ and ‘Cold Hard Floor’, meanwhile, see them head in a more post-punk direction akin to Public Image Ltd.

Are You Satisfied? probably had the better songs, but somehow I think this is the better album, if that makes sense.

John Murray

Windings – Be Honest and Fear Not

A crazy number of superb albums came out on September 30th, which was deeply inconsiderate towards a reviewer trying to create a list of the best September albums in time for early October. Still, Limerick-based Windings don’t seem to be scared of taking on anything, so they certainly shouldn’t worry about inconveniencing me.

Every song on this ambitious fourth album sounds totally different, from the vigorous punk of ‘Boring’, to the math/alt-rock twist of ‘I’m Alarmed’. The album’s first release ‘You’re Dead’ is perhaps its pinnacle, somehow sounding psychedelic and gloomy at the same time, like latter-era Fugazi after one too many lemonades.

Truly tremendous variety across these tracks, and it’s all so smoothly pulled off that you couldn’t possibly say to them “just stick to doing X and forget about Y”. Keep mixing it up, fellas!

John Murray

The Wytches – All Your Happy Life

A scintillating live band for sure but I’ve never quite felt the same about the Wytches recorded output. Their debut album has itss moments but felt like something was being left behind. All Your Happy Life is a confident step forwards with more strength and depth across it’s 11 tracks. The Wytches are at their strongest when they’re letting loose as they do on some tracks here. ‘Can’t Face It’ catches them in fits of despair, the squall of guitars and anxious howling vocals fill you with dread. ‘Ghost House’ digs even deeper with its sludge metal riffs. The biggest improvement comes in the more introspective songs where the tempo slows. Tracks like ‘Dumb-Fill’ start to capture the atmosphere that I felt was missing in earlier recordings and the whole album benefits from it. Vocals are excellent throughout and the overall result is much closer to the record I’d love to hear The Wytches release.

Martin Wilson

Album of the Month: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree

Some albums are hard to distance from the events surrounding them. Closer feels like Ian Curtis’s suicide note. Spiderland is made even more troubling by the rumours of the trauma the members of Slint went through recording it. With Skeleton Tree, it’s impossible to overlook the tragic death of Nick Cave’s son midway through the recording process.

It would be inaccurate to say that this is an album about 17-year-old Arthur, as most of it was written before he tragically fell from a cliff in Brighton, but it’s such a major event that it’s hard not to think about it through every note of these eight tracks. Cave’s work is dark and morbid at the best of times, and perhaps there’s an element of “seek and ye shall find” in finding prophecy in his latest work, but it’s particularly chilling that the first line of the album is “you fell from the sky”, and one of the last is “I called out right across the sky”.

The album is beautifully stripped-down and tender, with highlights including the funereal ‘Girl In Amber’, and the ghostly humming and scratchy drumming of ‘Anthrocene’. ‘I Need You’ perhaps hit me hardest of all the songs on the album, where Cave sounds a helpless, broken man as he repeats simple, almost childlike words like “nothing really matters” and “I’ll miss you when you’re gone”.

It’s an absolutely gripping and essential listen, if not always a comfortable one. For Cave to have finished this album at all is a huge credit to him. For him to channel his grief into possibly the best work I’ve ever heard from him is really something else.

John Murray

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Albums of the Month – September 2016 (Part 2) was originally published on Overblown

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Steph Sweet - 'The Hag And The Whore' (Track By Track)

The Hag and the Whore  is Out Now.

A freak folk, psychedelic singer song writer, Steph Sweet sings songs about, “hags and whores, paedophilia, the selfie-generation, a beautiful girl, a break-up, teepees, death and spamsters and wolves.” Her music is as unsettling as it sounds. Combining traditional folk like vocal melodies with psychedelic organs and guitars, it can at times sounds like The Doors covering The Fairport Convention. She shows more restraint on other occasions, creating melancholic songs of brutal tragedy.

She recently released her third album The Hag and the Whore. She stopped by to go in depth about the songs, exploring their inspiration and conception.

The Hag and the Whore

I wrote and recorded this album in seven weeks. All songs are written, performed, recorded and mastered by myself. I use a half-broken and dented to hell Shure SM58 (you have to sing in the non-dented side) and an electro-acoustic with a dodgy jack and a pop-screen made from a wire coat-hanger and a pop-sock (new!) as well as a cheap keyboard from a budget supermarket and Goldwave and Cubase. Oh and there’s a crusty Overdrive pedal that I bought second-hand for a fiver, it has survived several bands and years of abuse. I think of it as the family pet.

1. Ellen

This is the most beautiful, poignant and sad film that I’ve seen for years. It was part of Channel 4’s commitment to finding and developing new talent and marked the incredible debut of both writer Sarah Quintrell and director Mahalia Belo. I haven’t seen a portrayal of the working-class/underclass with such dreamy cinematography and brutal realism since Dead Man’s Shoes by Shane Meadows. I was profoundly affected by this film and transfixed, I felt like Ellen was in my head. I wrote this song in a day, starting with a couple of thousand words that were eventually whittled down. I wanted a real minimalist production to emphasize the lyrics, so that it became almost a spoken word piece, but with the chimes of the glockenspiel adding a child-like accent, because ultimately, Ellen is still a child.

2. Wolf’s Eye.

This was the first song that I wrote in nearly a year due to writing commitments and this song just exploded out of me. I wrote it in August, in a rare English heat wave and I wanted it to be an optimistic song. It’s all in major chords, which is another rarity for me, but I’m as shallow as a gadfly when there’s sunshine. It’s about feeling like a lamb amongst the wolves of life, but also about refusing to give in misery, to keep doing the things you love, which for me is dancing.

3. The Hag and the Whore.

The title came before the song. There is a large part of society that still only views younger women as whores and older women as hags. It seems to me to be such a medieval attitude, that I wanted to write a folk-rock song with archaic language as a metaphor for Millennial attitudes and modern-day chauvinism.

4. Dance of the Sand.

The lyrics and vocals were written on the day of a funeral for a close friend. I find grief particularly hard to deal with, it always feels like a punch in the solar plexus. I’m a big wuss.

5. Teepee Valley.

This is a really old song that I wrote while living in a Tipi in a ravine in Andalusia for three months, whilst learning to play the guitar. But I revisited this song and wrote the second verse because it still seemed so pertinent to modern life and the multi-national corporate walls of horror and slavery. Also it was delight to return to psychedelia. My first proper band when I was seventeen (I had to lie about my age to get the gig,) had a sixties vibe.

6. Cutting The Ropes.

The Hag and the Whore (album) by Steph Sweet

This song is about having the courage to end a psychologically abusive relationship. It’s hard to stand up for yourself if you love someone, but if all they do is belittle you and stab you in the back, then they don’t really love you. But it’s always hard to walk away, even when a person’s spitefulness and malice is wounding you. But in the end you have to cut the ropes.

7. Glitterati.

The Hag and the Whore (album) by Steph Sweet

This song is about the selfie-generation and the new breed of music-industry spamsters. There are so many fakers and thieves and dinosaurs in social media right now. Soundcloud is a perfect example of what was once an amazing underground musician’s community, that has been taken over and ruined by commercial dance music and scammers and bots.

8. Your Grave.

The Hag and the Whore (album) by Steph Sweet

A song of sorrow and loss and grieving and autumn leaves. Having lost two close friends in the last 18 months, I have been visiting graves more than usual.

9. Sunshine Girl.

This is a song that I wrote for a brilliant, talented and beautiful friend of mine. She lives in the woods with her beautiful daughters and brings light to the lives of everyone she meets. Like an Angel.

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Steph Sweet – ‘The Hag And The Whore’ (Track By Track) was originally published on Overblown

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Live Review: Hard Working Class Heroes @ Various Venues, Dublin, 6-8 Oct 2016

Catching one hundred bands in six venues over the course of three hectic days in Dublin is a tall order. We did our best though and made it to quite a few. It is all part of Hard Working Heroes, the Irish music festival that focuses on emerging Irish musical talent. Now in its thirteenth year, the festival has become a pivotal point in the Irish musical calendar. This year the musical flair on show is ridiculous,  showcasing the strength of the current Irish musical landscape. The variety of genres on display is equally impressive, with hip hop, alternative rock, folk, and electronica all represented.

First stop on our Thursday trek is upstairs in Tengu for the bedroom pop of Dublin singer/songwriter handsome eric. The music he has released thus far has been lo-fi and low key focusing on restraint and vulnerability. Live, he is a completely different proposition. Backed by a full band, including Callum Browne of Little L Records on drums, his music takes on a much more aggressive and cathartic character. Sounding somewhat like an Irish version of Car Seat Headrest, Handsome Eric play tracks that are both simple and ambitious at once, building to a purgative roar by the completion of the set. Hopefully, a full band studio release will follow soon.

handsome eric

Fast forward to seven thirty on Thursday, and its Belfast alt rock quartet Junk Drawer upstairs in The Chocolate Factory. Drawing on some of the very best from late 80s/early 90s American alternative rock, the group showcase material from their rather excellent upcoming EP For The Cult Fat Guy. Their songs bristle with energy and wit, but also explore areas of noise and experimentation. So it’s somewhat like if Thurston Moore suddenly developed a love for writing straight up alt rock songs. Especially impressive is recent single ‘Song 3’, which would have been an MTV staple if this were 1993, and the group’s penchant for swapping instruments and singing duties. A grand bunch of lads.

Over in Tengu a little later is Jealous of the Birds (aka Naomi Hamilton) and her band. Some technical difficulties delay the group’s start and there does seem to be something missing throughout the set. The guitar and arrangements feel a little thin. However,  a chap nearby assures me that this is quite unusual for Naomi and her band. Usually, they are a visceral and assertive life outfit adding energy and power to the intimacy of Hamilton’s studio releases.

Touts from Derry are up next in The Hub. A punk trio from Derry, their performance is pretty astounding considering their young age. They play with the tenacity and tightness of a seasoned outfit. Their set culminates in a visceral and cathartic cover of Patti Smith’s ‘Gloria’. At this stage, their set is pretty derivative of punk bands that have preceded them. However, as they are only sixteen, they have plenty of times to carve out their own sound from their jagged and thunderous brand of punk.

After a quick trot over to The Workman’s we manage to catch the last couple of songs from slacker wave quintet Beach. Live their explorations are given an added dimension. Take their single from late last year, ‘Arabia’. The dance rock Alt-J esque nature of the track is amplified exponentially by the enthusiasm of their performance and accentuated by the trippy visuals playing in the background. Also, it doesn’t hurt them that their singer looks like Hozier after a particularly rough weekend.

Bitch Falcon

After a quick debate, we decide to hang around The Workman’s to catch Whenyoung. An alternative rock trio, the group combine feeedback and distortion with a keen sense of pop melody. As the gig progresses, the band relax and really get into the swing of proceedings. A tight and well practiced outfit, their precision is wonderfully offset by gutiarist’s explorations into dissonance.

Oh Joy help us cap an excellent evening out in Dublin with their alt rock set downstairs in Tengu. This trio sport one of the most excellently distorted guitar tones of the evening. It’s damn thick, warm and luxurious. Their music owes a bit of a debt to the Smashing Pumpkins, with their control of feedback especially calling to mind Billy Corgan’s wonderful authority over noise. Elsewhere, their songs mine a post grunge sound, but with a far subtler touch than many of the bands of that genre ever managed.

On Saturday, our first port of call is The Hub for noisy alt rock trio Oh Boland. This is irrelevant but I’ve always hoped that Oh Boland are named after Harry Boland. Probably way wide of the mark. Their set is haphazard and dare I say sloppy. However, it’s clearly sloppy by design and the relaxed nature of their performance is ultimately endearing. With their big riffs and strong melodies, the group clearly bear a love for The Replacements and bands of that ilk. Fresh from a tour of the States with post punks Protomartyr, their stage presence and patter is pitched perfectly with the band driving through a number of selections from their recently released debut album Spilt Milk.

The Workman’s is the destination for noise pop quartet Galants. Live the group are a bit more forceful than on record. Their studio offerings so far have harboured a distinctly shoegaze element. Tonight the distorted is a bit more focused and hard, largely missing the fuzz and discordance. This has its pros and cons. It makes their performance a bit more accessible, but also makes their songs lose a bit of their uniqueness. Still though, epic stuff.

Galants

There is no way possible there could have been a better band to finish off Overblown’s weekend in Dublin than local band Bitch Falcon. Their live performance really has to been heard in the flesh to be believed. Calling to mind under rated grunge legends Tad and the riot grrrl power of L7 or Bikini Kill, the group pound and trash their way through peaks of enormous, cacophonous feedback and down tuned, filthy riffs. What’s remarkable is the sense of melody that manages to worm its way through the discord. The crowd love it, moshing enthusiastically to set highlight ‘Syncope’ with it’s primal roars and noise flecked solo. Possibly our favourite Irish band.

That’s it. If only all weekends in Dublin were this entertaining.

Photographs by Ruthless Imagery Photography.

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Live Review: Hard Working Class Heroes @ Various Venues, Dublin, 6-8 Oct 2016 was originally published on Overblown

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Albums Of The Month - September 2016 (Part 1)

You can wake Billie Joe Armstrong up now, and while you’re at it, tell him he slept through some brilliant album releases. This month’s rundown is such a whopper, we had to split it in half. Here’s your first slice of September:

Battle Lines – Primal

Leeds seems to be a city with quality bands crawling out of its every alleyway right now. Battle Lines’ have been around for a while in a variety of guises, but their official debut is a real dark pop treasure.

Carly Humphries’ powerful yet vulnerable vocals are exceptional here, falling somewhere between Florence Welch and Kate Bush on the spectrum. ‘Wildlife’ and the title track showcase it at its best, while ‘Sea of Fear’ introduces a more dark, electronic vibe in the vein of Curve. If driving rhythms and gazey riffs are more your thing, ‘Smother’ is likely to be your go-to track, and the haunting ‘Skull’ is another peak point. It’s an accomplished first full-length record from the four-piece which, in the best way possible, doesn’t sound like a debut.

John Murray

Beach Slang – A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings

Something nags away at the back of my mind with Beach Slang. The romance of wasted youth, drenched in alcohol, glorious guitar distortion and punk rock as it was meant to be. I dunno, it can all just seem a little too perfect sometimes. Lyrics like “When I found rock n’ roll none of it mattered, I knew I was alright” and song titles like ‘Wasted Daze of Youth’ are pushing the boundaries of cliché are they not? Then it all swings back to these glorious songs and their sincerity (and there’s absolutely no doubt Beach Slang’s James Alex comes across as sincere as they come) and it all feels right again.

There’s no surprises on this record and if you’re a Beach Slang fan you probably didn’t want any. ‘Atom Bomb’ is yet another perfect Beach Slang song and it’s just one of many on both this and their previous records. Beach Slang are one of those bands that will grow and grow. They’ll continue to build the kind of fanbase that will idolise them, get tattoos of lyrics and logos, lie in bed at night and dream of being in this band playing in a small, sweaty basement club. This record will not slow that process down one little bit. If you’re in, you’re in for the long term with this lot. I’m going to start ignoring that nagging voice in my head and just go with it, the songs are simply too good so let’s enjoy it with carefree abandon. Where’s my nearest tattoo shop?

Martin Wilson

Deap Vally – Femejism

The oxymoronic/pun title of Deap Vally’s second album sums it up. It’s a record stuck in an angry quagmire of annoyance at, and acceptance of, female stereotypes. With ‘Smile More’ very much the centrepiece of the album, lyrics like ‘I am not ashamed I am no-one’s wife, though the idea does sound kind of nice’ encapsulate the committed yet compromised feminism the duo espouses.

The girls do moody and bluesy better than bratty and shouty, and some of my favourite bits on the album are the likes of the grinding, scuzzed-up, stop-start guitars on ‘Bubble Baby’, which sound almost like trying to eke a riff out of a failing motorcycle engine.

There are songs I don’t much care for on this record too, most of them near the start of it, but as track 6 says “everyone is a fucking critic” and “it’s easy to hide behind your computer”, so maybe I’ll quit while I’m ahead.

John Murray

LVL UP – Return to Love

LVL UP’s excellent previous album Hoodwink’d was released through Double Double Whammy and Exploding in sounds and now the band have hopped, skipped and jumped over to Sub Pop in what seems to be an attempt to release as many records on as many great labels as possible. This is indeed a great record right from the off. Opening track ‘Hidden Driver’ not so much makes a nod to Neutral Milk Hotel but actually sounds like it could be a cover version and I’m not complaining. The whole album just sounds gorgeous, like you’d want your most reliable, cheerful best mate to sound if they were a record. At the midway point “Pain” encapsulates all that is great about this band with its mix of gentle strumming, melting melodies, bounce and crunching guitars. Return to Love is arguably good old American indie rock by numbers but hey, those are some pretty perfect numbers.

Martin Wilson

Pixies – Head Carrier

It’s fair to say that the Pixies’ comeback has been somewhat underwhelming. I don’t think they’re not trying, and I can get over Kim Deal being replaced by the more than able Paz Lenchantin, but something about them seems a bit tame, pardon the pun.

This continues on Head Carrier, which is by no means a bad album, but just doesn’t grab, challenge or excite the listener like most of their previous work does. I think the main problem is Black Francis himself, who seems a bit restrained musically and lyrically these days. ‘Talent’ is an example of what could be a decent song let down by a lacklustre delivery, and a lot of the tracks just sort of plod along after encouraging starts.

There are high points, and they mostly involve Paz. She and Francis trade lines well on ‘Bel Esprit’, and she takes the lead vocals on ‘All I Think About Now’ (which borrows nicely from ‘Where Is My Mind?’), but really there’s nothing here that you’d put on a Best of Pixies mixtape/playlist.

It makes our list because, taken in isolation, it’s a decent listen. If it were a band’s debut you’d call it ‘promising’, if it were an established band’s third or fourth album you’d call it ‘solid’, but this is the Pixies and, for that reason, it’s disappointing.

John Murray

The Pooches – The Pooches

As a staple of the Glasgow live music scene The Pooches are a band to cherish, even if they perhaps don’t cherish themselves as much as they should. This self-titled debut album is as charming as it is riddled with self doubt. ‘I’ll be Gone’ is the perfect example of knowing your own qualities but not having the confidence to show them and by the time others realise it’s already too late. I can definitely relate. This record is absolutely bursting with indie-pop gems. Pure guitar pop crammed with melodies and all put together to sound uncomplicated and straightforward as the best pop music usually is. The album is often reminiscent of any number of 60s guitar bands and the sensitivity of the Vaselines. If you like nice things in your life don’t get a dog, get The Pooches.

Martin Wilson

Teenage Fanclub – Here

Summer’s not over without a serving of jangly Britpop from Scottish veterans Teenage Fanclub, who reach double figures in the studio album stakes with this very likeable effort.

Being British and a bit of a ‘90s dweller, I’ve always appreciated the band without being able to list them as a favourite, and this album hasn’t changed my opinion. It’s agreeable, catchy, fun, optimistic, and a great soundtrack to a lazy, hazy day. With harmonies and melodies aplenty on tracks like ‘I’m in Love’ and ‘The Darkest Part of the Night’, they do tend to lean towards the twee at times when I like to hear a bit more edge and abrasion, but that’s a personal preference, and the instrumental sections of the likes of ‘The First Sight’ contrast nicely with the lads’ vocals.

Certainly something to tide you over until the clocks go back.

John Murray

Ultimate Painting – Dusk

Despite being in other bands this duo don’t take much time to relax. Dusk is the 3rd album in not long over a couple of years from Ultimate Painting and their craft continues to captivate. This time around the record feels somewhat more restrained than the previous two, not that the previous two were unrestrained by any means. Ultimate Painting create wonderfully subtle songs, two guitars filling the sound as though they’re just playing instinctively, one always knows what the other is going to do next. On the surface they’re not obviously catchy but listen to ‘Bills’ or ‘Who is Your Next Target’ a couple of times and don’t even think about trying to forget them. Not that you’d want to forget them for a second. At what point does this stop being the guys from Veronica Falls and Mazes and when do we start referring to those bands as the guys from Ultimate Painting? They’re a vital band, Dusk simply hammers that point home.

Martin Wilson

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Albums Of The Month – September 2016 (Part 1) was originally published on Overblown

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The Wolfhounds - 'Untied Kingdom (...or how to come to terms with your culture)' (Overblown Album Premiere)

Untied Kingdom (…or how to come to terms with your culture) Is Out October 14th Via Odd Box Records.

In 1986, NME released their now legendary C86 tape compilation. Lauded by some as the “beginning of indie music”, the fourth track on the album was one ‘Feeling So Strange Again’ by The Wolfhounds, an indie rock quartet from Romford, Havering, in England.

Fast forward thirty years and The Wolfhounds are on their second album since their reformation in 2005. Untied Kingdom (…or how to come to terms with your culture) is quite a far cry from the relatively carefree nature of their contribution to C86. This new album is at times a claustrophobic one that explores the desperation and insecurity of working life in the United Kingdom in 2016. Opener ‘Apparition’ is a perfect example of this. An a capella folk ballad, the track features field recordings of the sounds of a city while singer Dave Callahan bemoans the plight of the working man. Elsewhere tracks like ‘Now I’m A Killer’ and ‘The Stupid Poor’ sport angular riffs and economical structures to create a biting and forceful atmosphere, while there is also time for some restraint and reflection on ‘Oppositeland’.

The album is not devoid of sunshine and fun though as saxophone, provided by Terry Edwards (Gallon Drunk, P J Harvey), give tracks like ‘My Legendary Childhood’ a near ska vibe. Other guests on the record are keyboards by Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti), and vocals from Katherine M Whittaker (Evans the Death), Elin Grimstad (Je Suis Animal) and Astrud Steehouder (Paper Dollhouse). This music is fierce and wryly confrontational, but, vitally, it is not afraid of a pop hook either. A wonderful addition to an already stellar back catalog, The Wolfhounds sound like they’re only just getting started.

Stream the entire album below.

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The Wolfhounds – ‘Untied Kingdom (…or how to come to terms with your culture)’ (Overblown Album Premiere) was originally published on Overblown

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Live Review - Tenement Trail 2016

The temptation with these one ticket multi-venue events is to race around Glasgow trying to catch as many bands as possible. If we catch the first ten minutes of band X we can run down Sauchiehall Street and catch the last ten minutes of band Y. Well not today my friends. We’ve got our plan in place and we’re sticking to it and it allows plenty time between bands for a drink or two. What we love about days like this is the massive variety on offer, the experiences of each gig-goer likely to be different to the next. The whole event appears to be extremely well attended, the atmosphere is lovely in every venue. The whole thing is testament to how strong Glasgow is as a musical city, something that event organisers Tenement TV do a wonderful job of supporting and the Tenement Trail is their flagship event. So let’s get involved.

It’s early, 2:30 pm but it might as well be midnight in the basement of Nice n’ Sleazy where Emme Woods is kicking things off in fine form. Emme and her band produce music with an alluring sway to it. Sultry guitar tones brilliantly backed with trumpets, double bass and piano but it’s Emme’s voice that stands out. It’s a burning, soulful voice and her songs show it off in some style. Recent single ‘I Don’t Drink to Forget’ is a highlight as is a gorgeous flowing cover of ‘God Only Knows’. In her closing song Emme sings ‘it’s my party and you’re not fucking invited’ but she’s only kidding you know, the room is packed for Emme’s party and everyone seems suitably smitten.

Emme Woods

Up next in the same venue are American Clay and in stark contrast to Emme Woods, volume is the winner here. American Clay play intricate indie rock and they do so with an expertise that’s mind boggling. The quieter parts of their loud-quiet-loud dynamic are slightly overpowered by the sheer noise today but melodies sometimes can’t be bogged down and they fight their way to the front. Half a dozen or so songs fly by before they close with the brilliant ‘Talk’ from their recent Happenstance EP. If you’re a fan of 90’s US alternative rock American Clay are essential, they do it better than anyone else.

American Clay

For something completely different we head to the Art School to catch Teen Canteen who are riding the success of their recent debut album on local label Last Night From Glasgow. Tonight they sparkle, their gleaming pop songs pack more hooks and melodies than most bands of this ilk could ever dream of. Lead singer Carla has a gift of a voice, she seems born to perform perfect pop songs and she’s supported by melting harmonies from her bandmates. Whilst it’s not the kind of music that would often feature in the pages of Overblown it’s impossible to deny the magic touch these girls have at their fingertips.

Teen Canteen

Similarly Be Charlotte may struggle to find her way on to my turntable but she’s certainly going to be on many, many others. The much hyped local act draws a big crowd to the Art School and she’s clearly got bags of talent to spare. I’m completely distracted during her first track by some quite jaw-dropping robotic dancing from her stage guest. Charlotte proudly shows off her new pink 7″ single (LNFG strike again) from the stage and the song from that single ‘Machines That Breathe’ is a set highlight along with the closing track, the name of which I’ve completely forgotten. Be Charlotte sounds at her most vital during the upbeat tracks where the beats and her rapping / singing stand out the most. Not quite my thing but her success seems inevitable and good luck to her.

Be Charlotte

If I have a ‘thing’ then that thing is the Breakfast Muff who are playing at Broadcast to a much smaller crowd than they deserve. They sweep through a set of twisting, grinning, screaming punk that’s so good I feel completely overwhelmed and quite frankly could just burst into tears of joy. Glasgow’s had many similar bands over the years but Breakfast Muff have something special which I can’t quite put my finger on. The three beings who make up the band swap instruments constantly and all share vocal duties but no matter what shape they mutate into between songs it’s always just about perfect. They gurn and scream through a set of sublime off’-kilter punk songs and make it look easy. Sometimes it’s throwaway fun but in the closing track the pain is clear to see on Eilidh’s face and the disgust in her voice is obvious as she yells through an attack on what sounds like a scumbag ex. She’s hopping up and down as though she’s literally trying to throw her voice out of her body and smack the crowd in the face with it. I could watch this band forever.

Breakfast Muff

Following that set with The Spook School just makes us feel completely spoiled. They rip their way through a raucous set of great punk pop songs, every one of which is just sensationally brilliant fun. Their guitars are screamingly loud tonight and they seem to have distortion pedals that cause instant satisfaction as soon as they’re stamped on. Songs like ‘Binary’ and ‘Burn Masculinity’ make you want to punch the air in celebration but these songs don’t stand out, every song is equally as good. They’re thrilling, the perfect end to our day.

The Spook School

All that’s left is to congratulate Tenement TV on a brilliant day and we’ve only made it along to six bands across about 9 hours. It’s been six bands of radically contrasting styles and it’s just a tiny taste of what’s been going on across so many of this city’s great venues. It’s been thrilling and exhausting but hey, there’s always time for another drink. Until next year then…

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Live Review – Tenement Trail 2016 was originally published on Overblown

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CHUCK Interview: "I Want To Rap With Kanye Or Action Bronson"

New Album My Band Is A Computer  Out Now Via Audio Antihero/Old Money.

For our money, Charles Gibson, aka CHUCK, is the greatest uncelebrated songwriters of the last ten years. Melding confessional lo-fi bedroom pop with shimmering electronica, the beauty of his songs lie in their simple construction and gloriously doomed lyrics. Goofy, intimate, and melancholic, CHUCK manages to chronicle that feeling you get in the your late twenties when you have lived long enough to actually have real regrets, and have had enough experiences to have happy memories that simply make you sad. His latest release is a compilation of his work called My Band Is A Computer, which could well end up being my favourite album of 2016. You should absolutely 100% listen to it right this second.

As he is a gent, CHUCK recently took some time to talk to Overblown about his desire to rap with Kanye West, the inspiration for his music, and his love of the documentary Dig!

Overblown: Your new album My Band Is A Computer is a compilation of songs from 2010-2015. How did you go about choosing the songs for the set?

Charles Gibson: Hey! Jamie from Audio AntiHero initially approached me with the idea, and he already had a track-list in mind. Pretty forward of him! Haha. I suggested a few tweaks and it really all came together very quickly. I’ve got a pretty big back catalogue – something like 70 songs – so it probably should have been harder, but for some reason it wasn’t. Maybe because I have more bad songs than good songs haha.

O: The set was released via Audio Antihero. How did the partnership arise? What is like to work with them?

CB: I’ve known of Audio AntiHero for a while, because I was on a label in BK called Monkfish Records with a band named Frog, who switched to AAH after Monkfish disbanded. AAH heard me through Frog, and since our music shares a lot of similar themes and styles, I guess the owner, Jamie, liked what he heard. We’ve been tweeting at each other for years.

Maybe six months ago he emailed me with this idea. I’ve never done a lot of gigging or PR for my music, so I think Jamie wanted to help expose me to a larger audience because he’s seen me release several albums to crickets from blogs, magazines, twitter etc. I think we had a weirdly familial bond right off the bat because he’s got an ‘internet record label’ and I am, more or less, an ‘internet musician.’ I like working with him because of that. We both have a dark sense of humor about the abyss of the internet.

O: You’ve said that you love the documentary Dig! What do you love about the documentary?

CB: Oh man, I just rewatched this the other day, and what a blast from the past it was. I was working at a video store in High School and I remember seeing Dig! on the shelf. I was intrigued. I took it home one night and it was just like, the most fun movie I had ever seen. You have these big personalities, cross country tours, amazing live performance footage, and the editing is so fun. I love the quality of the cameras and the audio for some reason as well.

I continued to watch it for years, and when I finally got a guitar, songs by the Brian Jonestown Massacre were perfect learning tools, because they are all full of very simple chords. So for the first few years of playing guitar, I was just living in that movie. Learning the songs. Playing them. Envisioning myself as a character in the film. I remember actively trying to talk like Anton.

Overall, the biggest thing I got from the film though, was a strong desire to record songs. This documentary was the first time I saw someone actually make a song. Seeing that process inspired me to do it myself. It looked magical. Luckily right around that time, Apple rolled out Garageband, and the rest is history. Also, around this era I was watching a lot of those VH1 Classic Albums episodes (Elton John, Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac etc.). I love those for the same reason I love Dig!, they take you behind the curtain of music making.

O: At Overblown we’ve described your lyrics as a mixture of Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest and Bruce Springsteen. How do you feel about those comparisons? Do you agree to any extent?

CB: Well that’s very flattering! I’ll be honest, I’m not that familiar with Car Seat Headrest’s lyrics. I thought that first record he put out, to me, was pretty boring. Bruce on the other hand, is a legend. Obviously he’s an influence on anyone who grew up in the tri-state area. His overall themes (machines, highways, America, escape, decaying urban areas, wanting more with your life, etc.) will probably resonate forever. I, like many people, definitely relate to his music and the emotions behind his lyrics. Songs like ‘Sherry Darling’ or ‘Independence Day’ accurately spell out large parts of my American experience. Other influences I think about when writing are Destroyer, Girlpool, Sun Kil Moon, Daniel Johnston, PWR BTTM, Juan Wauters, Ariel Pink, Bob Dylan, The Magnetic Fields etc.

O: I particularly love the song ‘Wipe Out’. The lyrics are beautiful and headbreaking in their simple account of ordinary lives and universal experiences. What inspired that song?

CB: Thanks! That song is a very literal rundown of a dinner I had with my best friend from High School. He moved to Portland, OR when we were 20 and I didn’t actually see him again until 8 years later, when he was in Brooklyn for a weekend. We’ve led very different lives in those 8 years, but when we got back together, nothing had changed. We were still able to connect and have fun and we had a common understanding of life.

But also, the song is more generally about these dinner dates I have with my friends in NYC. As someone who works a lot and is getting a little older, I’m too tired to see friends who live in different neighborhoods as often as I used to. So now I end up having a lot of these after work dinner dates with friends, and they are simultaneously routine and unique. They end up being therapy sessions a lot of the time. We chat about our careers, lives, how NYC is changing, getting older, getting married, etc. Then we split the bill on two cards, hug, and walk away. These dinners are like little movies or something. That’s what ‘Wipe Out’ is really about.

O: Another one I love is ‘Happy New Years Babe’. The small details in the lyrics are particularly appealing. Is that song autobiographical?

CB: I wouldn’t say the particulars are autobiographical, but I wrote it when I was feeling spiteful at this girl I broke up with. She grew up in NYC, came from an interesting family and was more of an intellectual than most people. I don’t have the best memory of it, but I think the night before she broke up with me via text I was doing some fairly bizarre and annoying things around her. We went out drinking with a bunch of her friends and I got super lit and was trying to get her approval by performing like a drunken little clown. Very Eliott Smith type behavior.

Anyways, in a situation like that, in order to save face after the break up, in my experience most people go on to grow themselves immediately afterwards. They exercise more, learn new things, try stuff, go to cool events, make new friends etc. You really want to, or need to, believe that you are doing better than the person who rejected you. Even if, like in my case, you probably deserved it. So the song was written in a period of time when I was going through one of those cleanses. None of the particulars are true actually, but the feeling is.

O: There’s also a number of music videos for various tracks on the album such as ‘Oceans’, ‘Camel Lights’, ‘Go Into Town’ and a number of others. Did you create those videos yourself?

CB: Yes, I’ve done all my own videos, with the exception of two. ‘Go Into Town’ was directed by my friend Matt, which was really fun. He’s a prop master on films and he was able to get a serious camera and a DP and stuff. Also my friend Charlie Rubin made the video for ‘Cigarettes’ which you can find on YouTube. Outside of those, like my music, it’s just been me cranking these bad boys out.

O: What would consider success for your music project?

CB: I currently have two big goals in mind for my music. First, I wanna get my next album available on vinyl. Second, I wanna get my next album reviewed on Pitchfork. I know that seems stupid and narcissistic, but for some reason, I’m fixated on it. I think it’s because the site is woven into a lot of my musical memories. When I started reading Pitchfork about 10 years ago, I was a high school student who didn’t play any instruments, but I really loved listening to bands like Interpol, Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire. For a kid who lived in the suburbs and liked that kind of music, Pitchfork was an amazing resource. It still is. Now, not only do I play an instrument, but I’ve made a bunch of records DIY-style and just put out, more or less, a greatest hits compilation. It’s all very surreal to me. But the cherry on top, would to get ON Pitchfork. That would be a real digital, modern, circle of life type moment. The cub becomes the bear. My next record is called Frankenstein Songs for the Grocery Store and will be out in 2017.

O: Who would be your dream musician to collaborate with and why?

CB: I’d like to rap on a Kanye West or Action Bronson song. It’ll never happen, but I promise you, I would crush it.

Follow CHUCK on Twitter.

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CHUCK Interview: “I Want To Rap With Kanye Or Action Bronson” was originally published on Overblown

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Premiere - BIG ZERO's Rockin' Good Time (Track by Track)

Greetings, and Welcome; Welcome to the Weird World of BIG ZERO

BIG ZERO play new wave weirdo pop which they’ll happily tell you is the least interesting thing about them. For a band who’ve previously released music based on themes like mass state surveillance and the future of robot ethics they’re not far wrong. Earlier in 2016 Overblown caught them supporting Bis (who they released a split single with on Record Store Day) in Manchester and can confirm the somewhat wacky side of this band. What will never be missing from BIG ZERO is the element of fun. Go check out the videos they create over on their Facebook page for a flavour of the wonky chaos this lot like to get involved in. Chaos and fun is all very well but it falls pretty flat on it’s face without good songs. Well here’s eight great songs that form their new release for Cassette Store Day on Saturday 8th October along with a track by track guide from the band in their own inimitable style. You’ll soon get into their narrative so check them out if you like entertainment. Who doesn’t? We are not men, we are ZERO.

BIG ZERO’S ROCKIN’ GOOD TIME

When we were in writing mode for ‘Rockin’ Good Time’ we tried to come up with the basic structure of a new song everyday. Really simple guitar and vocal played into a dictaphone. One such song idea was batted back and forth only to be deemed too folk for our liking, so instead we powered up an analogue synthesizer keyboard and rode a tubular wave into B-movie horror-surf water. The whole thing came together in a matter of minutes, where all the parts are literally first takes. No second guesses. No wipeouts.

THEME FROM APOCALYPSO

We used a demo version of ‘Theme From Apocalypso’ for an early ZERO video. It involved a green screen and surfing an ironing board. It doesn’t exist anymore, but we’ll leave you with that image.

ROCK N’ ROLL IS DEAD

Straight out of an unholy dot-to-dot book, “Rock ‘N’ Roll is Dead” takes you on a ride that feels both comfortingly orthodox yet strangely alien; remember, “That is not dead which can eternal lie.”

NOBODY’S RIDIN’ SHOTGUN

ZERO’s going on a trip; where? NOWHERE! Why? NOWHY! Body ridin’ shotgun? NOBODY RIDIN’ SHOTGUN! It’s a classic love story; boy meets girl, girl holds up liquor store, boy drives getaway car straight to her heart. Expect twists, turns, and heartache!

TAKE A MOMENT GIRL

We’ve all been there; you think you know someone and then they straight up flip out and go berserk, and the only thing you can do is drop to your knees and sing 60’s pop harmonies til you’re blue in the face.

PRIVATE JETS WON’T PAY FOR THEMSELVES

Someone once told us ‘there’s no such thing as a free private jet’. It felt like such a huge music industry cliché that we had to write a song about it. Who needs private jets when you have EasyJet? EVERYONE, that’s who! After years of studying the natural laws of the universe, BIG ZERO has come to the conclusion that this ‘someone’ was a prophet, sent to enlighten us all as to the inner workings of human ethics and reward, and with this song we say a very cynical ‘thank-you’.

EVERYBODY’S DRINKIN’ THE KOOL AID

The problem with Prophets is, sometimes they are not authentic, and other times they’re downright dangerous! ZERO would now like to explore the darker side of revealed truth; Everybody’s Drinkin’ the Kool Aid, haven’t you heard? Let ZERO pour you a glass.

DO WHAT YOU DID BEFORE

Are you feeling underappreciated? Nobody ever thinks your best is good enough? No matter what you do, people always ask for MORE MORE MORE!? Well ZERO has got the solution for you! Take 3 doses of ‘Do What You Did Before’ nightly before bed and we promise you’ll wake up a NEW MAN! Disclaimer; listening to this song can cause chronic head nodding, swing-clicking and a feeling of sexual tension; if at ANY POINT in the song you feel nauseous, this is normal and can be combatted by GROOVING THE FUNK OUT!

HOT ROD DEATH MACHINE

Blink and you’ll miss it, this one’s coming in hot! An ode to the Kit’s, the Christine’s and the General Lee’s of the celluloid world. The final sprint to the finish is desperate, sweaty and SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY!

‘BIG ZERO’S ROCKIN’ GOOD TIME’ is released on October 8th for Cassette Store Day. 25 copies on super limited edition ‘59 Cadillac Pink cassette tape. Available in participating record stores and online from TAPEHEADS RECS

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Premiere – BIG ZERO’s Rockin’ Good Time (Track by Track) was originally published on Overblown

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Thro' The Emerald Lens - A Review

An exhibition of live music photography from Ireland’s rock and metal circuit.

The photographs were more recent than what I had gathered from the image used in the poster of the exhibition. It was my expectation that the exhibition would feature photographs from the time of Thin Lizzy (as Phil Lynott’s image graced the poster image), to the present day. I read the information on the brown cards tags which dangled from the photographs framed in black and read the years 2015, 2016, 2014… No such throwbacks to Philo’s time. And where was Philo? And then I saw him. Well, sort of. I read the tag and was surprised to discover that this photograph was in fact taken of a tribute act. A mighty channelling of Lynott no doubt, not to mention a quality photograph from curator and photographer Fi Killeen of Blueprint Photography, but perhaps just a little misleading for use of promoting a photo exhibition primarily comprised of metal gigs from the past few years. But not to worry; this isn’t your typical photography exhibition. First of all, we’re not talking a stiff gallery exhibition here; this is Abner Brown’s; a rock’n’roll barber-cum-venue. Before Blueprint Photography’s exhibition ever graced the walls of Abner’s, it already had a solid rock aesthetic populated by their own icons, the windows inhabited by kitsch characters and instruments and records.

The collection of photos was a great overview of recent Dublin rock and metal gigs. It’s obvious that the photographers are talented and disciplined performance photographers. Steve Dempsey’s photograph of The Behemoth playing in Finland blew my socks off; powerful stuff.  Other acts featured included Mourning Beloveth, Primordial, WIFE, Doro, Down, Amon Amarth, Sick of It All, Chelsea Wolfe, Combichrist, Vader, Mass Extinction and Mael Mordha.

It might have been nice to see a few photographs of fans rather than bands, but that’s just what I think of when I think of ‘scenes’. There were however some particularly well-captured moments of audience interaction. Specifically, one there was one photo of a frontman sharing the mic with a front-row fan which I could ‘hear’ in the same way that one ‘hears’ the scream in Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”. The exhibition is an excellent showcase of photographic chops from Fiona Killeen, Steve Dempsey, Ken Coleman, Damien James O’Farrell, Dani Kammler, Shane J Horan, and Bella Thomas.

Photography by Fiona Killeen.

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Thro’ The Emerald Lens – A Review was originally published on Overblown

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False Heads Interview: "There’s this weird group of leftists that do not see any nuance."

Overblown: Apparently, Iggy Pop loves your band. What is like to get praise from someone of his stature (unintentional height joke…)?

False Heads: Haha yeah it’s pretty wicked, there’s no point pretending it isn’t. I’m a huge fan of The Stooges (especially Raw Power) and some of Iggy’s solo classics as well so to get praise from someone you’re a fan of and someone who is hugely significant in the course of how rock and roll music went is fucking great. I mean the guy is pop culture fucking icon so you can’t help but feel a bit flattered.

O: You have a new music video out for ‘Weigh In’. Tell us a bit about making it.

FH: Erm originally we had this idea to shoot it in this like tyre pit that some guy owns where we rehearse but the guy never returned any of my fucking calls or texts so that went out the window. Then we had another idea but we’re gunna use that for another song so I’ll keep that under wraps haha so really we just asked our buddy Chris who’s a great photographer/videographer can we just do a basic video in our storage container (where we rehearse) and try to just capture the energy of the song and glimpses of our live energy. So we just kept it simple and went from there.

O: What is ‘Weigh in’ about?

FH: Haha well I don’t really like going into too much depth about the lyrics because a lot of the time, I switch in and out of third person and switch what I’m thinking about and shit a lot so it seems a bit pointless to try and explain it haha but I guess the opening line of ‘the stink swings back and forward’ is pretty how much I see left and right politics in the UK and I guess other lines in the song relate to that.

I just think it’s crazy how the right used to be the authoritarian cunts who told you what you can and can’t say and what’s offensive and now there’s this weird group of leftists that do not see any nuance in any issue, want to ban people from speaking because they disagree with them and resort to wanting to squash free speech. I just thought it was odd how I’ve always associated those attributes to right wingers but some of the left seem to have taken this shit on and applied it themselves. It’s extremely bizarre and I think it is leading to a large amount of disillusionment.

Generally speaking the right have always been full of crazy, it’s a shame the left are now too. What a fucking boring, fragile world these people want to live in. People have rights but beliefs do not have fucking rights, I think that cannot be stressed enough. And the worst part about it is is that all it’s done is lead to the right capitalising on this bullshit and becoming more powerful in the UK and the US. I guess the song was musings on that really.

O: You have an EP and a number of singles under your belt. Any plans to record an LP?

FH: Yeah, next year. There’s a few things we need to sort out first and some other bits and bobs but we do know roughly when we’re going to do it and what the plans are. So let’s fucking hope it’s all good.

O: You played Ramsbottom Festival recently. How did that go for you guys?

FH: Ermmm haha we played a bit of nightmare slot, but it wasn’t bad. Mark and Dave over at Scruff of the Neck Promotions came across us late in the year and just wanted to get us on something desperately which was really cool of them so we’ve got no complaints that it wasn’t mega busy and we got a great response from the people that were there. So next year we’re gunna take on the world of festivals (hopefully)

O: How did you get into music when you were younger? Was there a band or album that was a ‘gateway’ band for you?

FH: I was really into Eminem when I was a chav (do still love him by the way haha) and then it was Nevermind by Nirvana which was followed by OK Computer by Radiohead, Nevermind the Bollocks by the Sex Pistols and Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan that sort of blew everything open and made me want to write songs.

O: What’s it like having Gary Powell of the Libertines as your boss?

FH: To be honest Gary is busy most of the time, he has a lot of stuff on his plate. Gary’s great fun to hang out with but it’s his partner Wayne who we have constant contact with and is the unsung hero I’d say. But we’ve had some great night outs.

O: Do you have a goal for your music and your band?

FH: To make music we all fucking like and to live off it.

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False Heads Interview: “There’s this weird group of leftists that do not see any nuance.” was originally published on Overblown

[overblownzine]

Ye Vagabonds @ St. Luke's, Cork 1 Oct 2016

Debut EP Rose & Briar  Out Now.

As we are all aware a ‘vagabond’ is a someone of no fixed abode who tends to wander rather than settle in one place. Conversely, it can also mean someone who is ‘disreputable’ or ‘worthless’. Having said this, there is no way that anyone could label the wonderfully gentle and elegiac music that Dublin folk group Ye Vagabonds perform ‘worthless’ or anything of the sort.

The last time they played the atmospheric and beautiful St. Luke’s in Cork, they were in support of Lisa Hannigan on her recent tour of intimate and unique Irish venues. However, tonight is an entirely different story. Buoyed by the success of that gig and the continuing accolades for their debut EP Rose & Briar, the brothers have returned to headline this time around showcasing their expanded line-up and ever growing confidence.

For the gig, they’ve brought the Cork based Tiz McNamara along with them to support. He’s a purveyor of what I like to call the ‘sadly sung, softly strummed’ brand of singer songwriter folk. His songs are gentle and delicate, ranging from songs about his cat Daisy to gently finger picked numbers of recovery. His genial manner and emotive songs are well received by the receptive crowd, while the songs themselves are given extra gravity by the wonderful setting. A promising performance.

#gallery-2 { margin: auto; } #gallery-2 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-2 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-2 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

For the first few songs of Ye Vagabonds’ set just the core duo of Brian and Diarmuid MacGloinn take the stage. There is something wonderfully precise and earnest about their musical understanding of each other. Their harmonised melodies are meticulous and exact, but absolutely never neutered as a result. Often, when a musical presentation is too perfect or flawless, the humanity and vulnerability can be lost from the performance. It can be too exact. Sometimes a scuffed note or the crack in a singer’s voice can illuminate a performance, drawing the listener in with the imperfection. However, in the case of Ye Vagabonds, the precision only adds to their solemn and emotive renditions of traditional folk songs and their own equally affecting material.

They open with ‘Barbara Ellen’. A traditional Scottish ballad that tells a tale of unrequited love, the duo’s version is a simple one. A sole violin accompanies the brothers’ mournful voices. The simplicity and unadorned nature of the musical arrangement allows their voices to ebb and flow, skirting around each other melodically as if in some wonderfully choreographed dance. ‘Whistling Wind’ is another early highlight. Again, the performance consists of a simple musical composition, with the addition of delicate and tender guitar work upping the ante somewhat.

This is the group’s first gig with additional members added to the duo and the band becomes a quartet for ‘Half Blind’. The music remains earnest and restrained, but the additional instrumentation adds a subtle depth that gives the performances added width and penetration. If this is the route the band take for their upcoming debut album, it could be an even more wonderful offering than their debut EP.

Elsewhere, the gig feels somewhat like a watershed career moment with Ye Vagabonds playing tribute to a number of influences on their musical journey and sound. They play an affecting guitar instrumental in a warm open tuning called ‘For Bert’ as testament to legendary folk singer/songwriter Bert Jansch, who Led Zeppelin famously plagiarised on ‘Black Mountain Side’, their version of the Irish folk instrumental ‘Down by Blackwaterside’, which very closely resembled Jansch’s seminal version.

What follows this is a remarkable story of how the duo found recordings of their own grandfather in the Irish Archive. Before the discovery they had only known his work and songs by reputation. Their performance of one such song their grandfather recorded for the archive, ‘Siún Ní Dhuibhir’, is given an added weight and wonder by the familial connection and how bizarrely coincidental life can sometimes be. Throughout, the crowd are more reverential than participatory. However, this response is entirely apt as the performances are at times breath taking. If Ye Vagabonds performance tonight is any indication, we can look forward to a future filled with their wonderful contributions for many years to come.

Photography by Shane J Horan.

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Debut EP Rose & Briar  Out Now. As we are all aware a 'vagabond' is a someone of no fixed abode who tends to wander rather than settle in one place. Conversely, it can also mean someone who is 'disreputable' or 'worthless'. Having said this, there is no way that anyone could label the wonderfully gentle and elegiac music that Dublin folk group Ye Vagabonds perform 'worthless' or anything of the sort as is obvious from their gig in Cork last Saturday. The last time they played the atmospheric and beautiful St. Luke's in Cork, they were in support of Lisa Hannigan on her recent tour of intimate and unique Irish venues. However, tonight is an entirely different story. Buoyed by the success of that gig and the continuing accolades for their debut EP Rose & Briar, the brothers have returned to headline this time around showcasing their expanded line-up and ever growing confidence. For the gig, they've brought the Cork based Tiz McNamara along with them to support. He's a purveyor of what I like to call the 'sadly sung, softly strummed' brand of singer songwriter folk. His songs are gentle and delicate, ranging from songs about his cat Daisy to gently finger picked numbers of recovery. His genial manner and emotive songs are well received by the receptive crowd, while the songs themselves are given extra gravity by the wonderful setting. A promising performance. #gallery-3 { margin: auto; } #gallery-3 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-3 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-3 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

For the first few songs of Ye Vagabonds' set just the core duo of Brian and Diarmuid MacGloinn take the stage. There is something wonderfully precise and earnest about their musical understanding of each other. Their harmonised melodies are meticulous and exact, but absolutely never neutered as a result. Often, when a musical presentation is too perfect or flawless, the humanity and vulnerability can be lost from the performance. It can be too exact. Sometimes a scuffed note or the crack in a singer's voice can illuminate a performance, drawing the listener in with the imperfection. However, in the case of Ye Vagabonds, the precision only adds to their solemn and emotive renditions of traditional folk songs and their own equally affecting material. They open with 'Barbara Ellen'. A traditional Scottish ballad that tells a tale of unrequited love, the duo's version is a simple one. A sole violin accompanies the brothers' mournful voices. The simplicity and unadorned nature of the musical arrangement allows their voices to ebb and flow, skirting around each other melodically as if in some wonderfully choreographed dance. 'Whistling Wind' is another early highlight. Again, the performance consists of a simple musical composition, with the addition of delicate and tender guitar work upping the ante somewhat. This is the group's first gig with additional members added to the duo and the band becomes a quartet for 'Half Blind'. The music remains earnest and restrained, but the additional instrumentation adds a subtle depth that gives the performances added width and penetration. If this is the route the band take for their upcoming debut album, it could be an…

Ye Vagabonds @ St. Luke’s, Cork 1 Oct 2016

Ye Vagabonds @ St. Luke’s, Cork 1 Oct 2016

2016-10-05

Ye Vagabonds @ St. Luke's, Cork 1 Oct 2016

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Dublin folk duo return to Cork with an expanded line-up and their mournful, earnest repertoire.

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Ye Vagabonds @ St. Luke’s, Cork 1 Oct 2016 was originally published on Overblown