Rider to Cavle

A blog dedicated to my two passions: Writing and Music. About Me Beyond The Shroud Short Stories Writing Reading Anna Calvi The Smiths Album Covers Other Music Song of the Day Best Of... Other Stuff

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Your Funeral My Trial (1986)

8/10

Sad Waters / The Carny / Your Funeral, My Trial / Stranger Than Kindness / Jack's Shadow / Hard On For Love / She Fell Away / Long Time Man / Scum

There are two different track-lists for this album, the original to which this review refers and another, less effective version.  The reason I prefer this order, is that the three opening songs so effectively set the mood for this album, not to mention the fact that they are just three stellar songs.  'Sad Waters' is Nick's first real attempt at an original ballad, and remains one of his most beautiful, the gentle guitars create such a grand melancholic atmosphere that might lead you into thinking that this is going to be a much more sombre, affecting affair.  The former quality is quite accurate, as the band do show a lot more restraint on this album; the instrumentation tends to be much more subtle and varied than on earlier releases.  Nevertheless, Nick Cave is no less unhinged in his lyricism, as the following demented, carnival waltz, 'The Carny' demonstrates.  Another classic, it's Nick at his lyrical best and perhaps the highlight of the whole album.  It is followed by the softer title track, where Cave accompanies himself on Hammond organ, which lifts the mood of an otherwise, dark, brooding song.

After such a strong start, it is unfortunate that the band cannot sustain such a strong set of songs, although they do come quite close.  Jack's Shadow and She Fell Away are wonderfully immediate, the former driven by aggressive guitars and harsh piano flourishes, while the latter makes use of racing tuned percussion juxtaposed by Nick's slowly grinding melodies.  Equally brilliant is the added extra to the album, Scum, an exercise in hatred to a friend that Nick once had the displeasure of living with.  I feel that this makes a far better, and somewhat more humorous ending to the album than the cover 'Long Time Man,' which while an excellent cover, is one of the less interesting tracks on the album.

Overall I feel that Your Funeral My Trial is a wonderful album and definitely a worthwhile listen.  It finds the band evolving musically into a more mature, though by no means less interesting state.  As a whole the album works beautifully; it is not as truly bleak as their earlier releases, it is a bit softer around the edges with its inclusion of more subtle melodies and of course, the ballads.  Nevertheless, there is still a darkness to the album and in some ways, I feel like the clever, more subdued musical aesthetic the band are developed on this album is actually more harrowing than their more abrasive early work.

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Watching Anna perform 'Foxy Lady' at the Troxy solo was probably the highlight for many (myself included).  And it seems that Anna has now added it to her regular shows too.  This version is also excellently recorded, much better than any I've come across so far.

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Grace Slick - Dreams

Perhaps it's a bit over dramatic, but Grace Slick's delivery, ranging from a delicate croon to the snarling howls of an evil witch makes it all worth it. The song itself feels made up of several miniature movements strung together, the opening ballad, leading into a sort of stomping march and then the orchestral explosions of the title refrain.  It blends together seamlessly though, and it's quite atmospheric.  I don't really know much about Grace Slick's post Airplane career, but after hearing this I think it might be worth checking out.

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Sun Kil Moon - Carissa

I probably could have picked any song from this melancholic effort by Sun Kil Moon.  The album is full of questions of mortality and life, and Carissa dwells on the sudden death of Mark Kozelek's second cousin in a fire.  It's a deeply personal track, delivered with sparse guitar and overdubbed vocals in parts.  The lyrics are incredibly moving and despite the depressing subject matter, the song never seems to fall into the realm of self-pitying woe, but rather its a collection of memories of Carissa, mixed with some questioning on why her life had to be cut short.

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Guitar and vocal solo - Love won’t be leaving

Live at Kaufleuten - Zürich

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St Vincent - St Vincent: album stream

Peculiarity, paranoid funk and skewed pop melodies - it could only be a brand new St Vincent album. Listen to our stream and let us know what you think of her fifth LP

I'm really liking the sound of St Vincent's latest effort.  I'm not generally a fan of electronic-fused music, but thanks to artists like her I'm starting to come round to the genre.  This is pretty excellent stuff!  Hope to see her live later this year!

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The Queen is Dead (1986)

8 / 10

The Queen is Dead (Take me Back to Dear Old Blighty) / Frankly, Mr Shankly / I Know It's Over / Never Had No One Ever / Cemetry Gates / Bigmouth Strikes Again / The Boy With the Thorn in His Side / Vicar in a Tutu / There is A Light That Never Goes Out / Some Girls Are Bigger than Others

For a long time I was certain that The Queen is Dead was the best Smiths album without question.  After all, it contains arguably their most beautiful song ever, 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,' never mind the other numerous classics that are to be found here.  Unfortunately I do find that despite the albums overall thematic consistency, there are three songs which pull the album down a little.

The first offender is 'Never Had No One Ever,' and this is more a fault of track-listing than the song itself.  Coming after the gut-wrenching ballad, 'I Know It's Over,' this song just feels like an addition to the gloom, which ultimately adds nothing, since the preceding track overpowers it.  It feels meandering because of this, which is a shame because the lyrical imagary of the lonely stalker is pretty impressive, and the music is quite atmospheric and can be appreciated better when taken out of the albums context.

The second problem is Vicar in a Tutu.  I actually think the song itself is pretty hilarious, but the rockabilly music that backs it feels ever so slightly out of place, and I feel this track might have served better on 'Meat is Murder' than on here.

The final problem also happens to be the final track, 'Some Girls Are Bigger than Others.'  Not only does this song boast a groovy bass line, it also contains some of Marr's most sublime guitar work to date.  Unfortunately it's kind of wasted on the songs subject matter, another comedy romp, and while it at least ends the album on a light-hearted tone, with a great guitar line like that, if the lyrics were more striking, the album could have really gone out on a spectacular high.

Still, now that those negatives are dealt with, I can get on with the positives, of which there are many.  To begin, there are some great rockers on this album, such as the call to arms rally of the title track, kicking of with some powerfully primal drums from Mike Joyce, before sliding into a full band sound and a great vocal/lyrical performance from Morrissey.  Also we have another fun song, with classic Morrissey lyrics and some heavy riffing from Marr, the song in question being 'Bigmouth Strikes Again.'

Despite all that noise, the album does retain it's more subtle moments.  Cemetry Gates is a beautiful piece of work, with truly playful lyrics from Morrissey as he discusses the ins and outs of plagiarism, to a simply dream-like musical back drop from the band.  Rourke's deep bass is a particularly delight, though he ultimately shines in 'I Know It's Over,' as he drives delicately through the song along side Morrissey's gently despairing vocals, as the music and melodies eventually swell and overpower him.  Another moment of shear beauty to behold is on the classic, 'There is a Light,' which serves for many as the ultimate Smiths song, and I'm inclined to agree.  The doomed romance of the lyrics, not to mention Marr's haunting melodies; there's even a bit of synth to add a further dramatic effect towards the songs perfect fade-out coda.

This album is ultimately a nice contrast of these moments of despair and beauty, alongside some more light-hearted jaunts, 'Frankly Mr Shankly' is a fine example of Morrissey's humour and was also the track that pulled me into the band in the first place.  There are even a few pop gems, like 'The Boy with The Thorn in His Side' or 'Bigmouth.'

Unfortunately though, I do feel that there are moments of this album which drag it down a little, in terms of consistency and unrealized potential.  Nevertheless it is certainly a strong album and I can certainly see why it is regarded by many as the bands finest work, even if I think their greatest achievement was yet to come.

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Albums don't get much better than Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' 'Tender Prey' and 'Slowly Goes the Night' is one of many fine songs from the album.  It's spoken word opening is a homage to the classic piano ballads of old, a tradition that in the 80's was almost non-existence.

I always get the image of Nick sat at a piano in one of those classic 1930's/40's clubs, now dilapidated and forgotten and just playing this song to the specks of dust that float through the musky air.  Outside the night goes on; people are too caught up on their nightly escapades (or iPhones) to hear Nick's lonely lament, though he plays it anyway.

Yeah it's one of Nick's softer songs, but I think it's in writing ballads like this where Nick truly excels.  'Slowly Goes The Night' has a beautiful piano melody and some delicate backing vocals from the band.  A touching moment of tenderness on an otherwise pretty violent album.

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Joni Mitchell - The Cactus Tree

Having finally scrounged together enough money to purchase some new albums, I finally picked up Joni Mitchell's debut, 'Song to a Seagull,' and if my review didn't already suggest it, I think it's one of her greatest records, and this song plays a pretty big part of that.

Joni's voice feels so mature here, only using her high, girlish soprano for brief moments to add a subtle, heavenly glow to the gentle melody.  The subject matter of the song is equally moving, a beautiful woman who longs to be free, but in doing so has broken the hearts of so many admirers along the way.  As I mentioned in my review, it's hard to see which side Joni sympathises with, an ambiguity that makes this song much more than a feminist statement about a woman's right to be free.

Instead it becomes a study on freedom, what it means to be free and what you must sacrifice in order to obtain that freedom. Joni herself made several sacrifices, both personally and artistically in order to achieve her freedom, and I think this song is perfect in representing what we know of her life and career, better than anything else she has ever recorded.

[lyrebyrd]

anna calvi pickup lines, 1 of 3

shoutout to fuckyeahannacalvi for pics

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These are hilarious!  Good work!  :)

[lyrebyrd]

anna calvi pickup lines, 2 of 3

shoutout to fuckyeahannacalvi for pics

Orange Thievery

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Song to a Seagull (1968)

9/10

I Had a King / Michael from Mountains / Night in the City / Marcie / Nathan La Franeer / Sisotowbell Lane / The Dawntreader / The Pirate of Penance / Song to a Seagull / Cactus Tree

Well this has to be one of the most beautifully recorded albums I've ever heard, and a criminally overlooked effort by Joni Mitchell.  I think the reason for this is that it contains none of the early 'classics' like 'Both Sides Now,' 'Woodstock' or 'The Circle Game.'  Several of those songs were already written, but for her debut album Joni decided to start afresh, crafting the ten, timeless songs that comprise this album.

Now none of these songs have the immediate appeal of Joni's better known songs; perhaps 'Night in the City,' with those frolicking piano chords and up-tempo guitars comes close, but for the most part, these songs rely on subtlety, slowly growing on the listener through time.  Joni's guitar playing is wonderfully intricate on this album, with some really interesting and unique chord progressions in songs like, 'Marcie' and 'The Dawntreader,' which you won't find on many (if any) albums in the folk genre at the time.

Joni's song writing is equally strong on this album, which deals mostly with her conflicting thoughts about city life and country life, leading her to split the album in two halves.  The first, 'I Came To The City,' deals mostly with tales of repression, whether it be the lonely narrator of 'I Had a King,' or the sad tale of the broken-hearted 'Marcie.'  The only truly positive song here is 'Night in the City' a wonderful call to the night-life, which allows the free spirits to escape the oppression of the day time.

The second half of the album is entitled, 'Out of the City and Down by the Seaside' and for the most part it is a little more positive, particularly the opening, 'Sisotowbell Lane.'  Yet even admist the beauty of the country and the sea, there remain problems, and these are demonstrated best on the title track, where Joni admits that even at sea 'the sandcastles crumble / and humans are hungry for worlds they can't share.  Even more harrowing is The Pirate of Penance, which makes use of double-tracks vocals to add a particularly sinister effect.  Techniques like this are used sparingly on what is a mostly guitar-orientated album, but their use offers a nice contrast and makes several songs stand-out.  Nathan La Franeer utilizes a bizarre banshee-like wail of (synth?) and 'Night in the City' uses both piano and bass.

I think this works excellently because it keeps the album from becoming monotonous, a problem that arose all too often on the following, 'Clouds' album.  And yet I still haven't given mention to what might be one of Joni's greatest songs, the closing, 'Cactus Tree.'  It's a stunning depiction of a beautiful heart-breaker, who has many admirers who wish to tie her down, yet 'she's too busy being free.'  What is even better is that Joni's song writing is so mature even at this early stage, that she is able to create sympathy for both sides, which perhaps represent her own conflicted desires to travel, but also to raise a family.

Song to a Seagull is definitely a worthwhile listen, and really ought to be re-appraised as one of Joni's finest efforts.  She wouldn't surpass this album until 'Blue' in 1971.

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Welcome Home (1986)

8/10

What About Love? / Coming Up Close / On Sunday / Will She Just Fall Down? / David Denies / Lovers' Day / Have Mercy / Sleeping and Waking / Angels Never Call / No One Is Watching You Now

What a turn around this album is from the over-produced début.  Til Tuesday really came into their own on the follow-up to Voices Carry, starting to carve their own identity, which unfortunately also meant that this album didn't achieve anywhere near the same amount of success as their previous effort.  Nevertheless, this album delivers in every respect that the previous album failed in.

There are still moments of standard dance-synth pop that drag the album down a little, like 'Sleeping and Waking' and 'On Sunday.'  Yet they are a little sparser than before, less cluttered and they offer a bit of light relief for what is mostly an album of obsession and doomed romance, as if the opener, What About Love? didn't suggest that right away.  That is the only song where the band rock out at all, but it's a great moment that is followed by the sublime, Coming Up Close, with Mann demonstrating her angelic vocals, which she has refined quite a bit since the last album.

Lyrically the album also does quite well.  Coming Up Close again being a fine example, but I've always loved the line, 'I’m wondering with every breath what caused my fall from grace / I guess I beat myself to death  Against her lovely face' in Angels Never Call, another beautiful song, mostly backed by ethereal synths and a soothing bass line.  Another great song lyrically is 'Will She Just Fall Down?' which is a well-done early character sketch from Mann, and something she'd use a lot more throughout her solo-work.

Another fine moment of the album is the closing, 'No One Is Watching You Now.'  It is a development on ballads like 'You Know The Rest,' from the début album, but here it is stripped back to pretty much synth and Aimee's singing, which is pushed to its emotional limit here.  Lyrically it appears rather standard in comparison to 'Coming Up Close' or the equally moving, 'Have Mercy,' but Mann's voice and the haunting synth really elevate this song.  What I would give to have been around to see this performed live.

Welcome Home then, is a great improvement for Til Tuesday, and thankfully they would continue to do their own thing for their following and final album, Everything's Different Now, which is a pretty apt title considering the terrible situation the band found themselves in, due to their desire not to make another 'Voices Carry.'

[fuckyeahannacalvi]

Anna Calvi - Piece By Piece

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I might not like the video that much, but this gif is pretty awesome!

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Anna Calvi: Troxy/Solo Show

When I saw Anna on Leeds on Tuesday I was in complete awe.  Even with the slight hiccup with the feedback, it was an excellent performance, but the show at the Troxy last night blew the Leeds gig out of the water.  The venue itself was quite impressive, and I was lucky to be stood close to the front in the centre, and also lucky to meet some of Anna's fans who I've met on tumblr and the fan site.

The opening acts were quite interesting as well.  I wasn't originally too keen on Anna Meridith, but her performance at the Troxy was quirky and interesting, particular in the final song, in which she utilized several random instruments and devices, (the most bizarre being a toy dinosaur) interspersed with some excellent cello and guitar playing from her band mates.

The second opener was Woman's Hour, which I enjoyed for the first couple of songs, but it started to drag after a bit.  The music was soft and psychedelic, and the singer had a captivating voice, although the chattering crowds failed to acknowledge it for the most part.

Thankfully that problem was rectified when Anna finally came on and delivered a flawless set.  There were no differences in the set list from the Leeds gig, although I think Anna and co were literally putting everything into this performance.  Of particular note was her thrashing the guitar solo in Love of My Life, going as far as to scrape the guitar across her microphone and take extended pauses between the 'uh oh's' to really build the audiences anticipation.  A Kiss To Your Twin was done gorgeously as well, with Anna using her vocals to devastating effect.  Carry Me Over and Love Won't Be Leaving allowed Anna to really let rip on guitar, and I now can't decide which one I prefer, since both were out of this world.  Well really, the entire show was out of this world and it would only get better with the solo-show, which was very cramped, but definitely worth it.

Anna kicked off with Rider to the Sea and No More Words, followed by Jeff Buckley cover of The Way Young Lovers Do.  The guitar work on that one was astounding, but I was much more thrilled to finally hear Sound and Vision, one of many songs that gave me the chills.  I don't remember much about The Crying Game since I was pretty tired, but hearing Wolf Like Me and The Wall jolted me awake again.  The real treat though was the concluding cover of Foxy Lady, and I really hope it surfaces as a properly recorded B-side some day.

So overall it was a pretty spectacular night, rounded off with me actually meeting Anna, although I was too star struck to speak, so we just exchanged a brief smile while she chatted to more confident fans.  I also converted a friend into an Anna fan too, and we literally talked about nothing else on the journey back.  I also really enjoyed meeting up with fellow Anna bloggers and fans, though it was a shame we didn't get to chat a bit more between shows with having to rush and the solo one being so cramped.  Still, a fantastic night and I can't wait to see Anna again on her next tour!

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30 Day Rhps Challenge

Day 7 - The Character You Relate To Most

What can I say, I guess I'm just a pretty ordinary person, and I think I'd react in a similar way to Brad if I stumbled into Frank n Furter's mansion on a dark, stormy night.

[annacalvi]

Q: Would you ever record an electronic album? It could be absolutely amazing

A: Yes I think in the future I’d like to try something like this, perhaps as a side project.. It’s a new world for me

Q: Are you worried about your voice changing as you age?

A: Not at all! It’s actually the...