Welsh psych maestro releases a solo single. With a full-length album to follow in September.
A recent release that's getting heavy rotation on my Spotify account is this two track single by Pixy Jones. Lead track 'I'm Not There' is a strong dose of lysergic psych-pop, laced with tremelo guitars, reedy organs and harmony vocals. It comes backed with a bass-heavy dub version of The Beatles 'And Your Bird Can Sing'. Search it up psych fans! (Or listen below via the super handy embed).
Who is Pixy Jones I hear you ask? Turns out the fella has form. As guitarist/songwriter with El Goodo he helped make the band's Zombie album such a hugely enjoyable listening. Both the Zombie album and the new solo single are released courtesy of Strangetown Records, a label run by Cian and Daf from Super Furry Animals.
If you like what you hear you'll be pleased to know that Pixy Jones is set to release a full length LP called Bits n Bobs on 16th September. Judging by its cover and the strength of this single, I reckon it will be one of the year's must-hear albums.
Entertaining and affectionate spoof on the world's favourite beat group.
I think it was Samuel
Johnson who said it best - “When a man is tired of The Beatles he
is tired of life”. OK, he was talking about life itself but you get
my drift. The Beatles back catalogue is a nigh-on perfect body of
work that will sound fresh forever. I know there are contrarians out
there who argue otherwise but they're just trying to get a rise out
of decent-minded rational folk.
It's now 60 odd years
since the Beatles first entered a recording studio and began that
incredible sonic journey. They left us with a back catalogue that
continues to amaze and inspire each new generation of musicians,
sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly, occasionally in the form of
pastiche. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, after all. All
good fun, and guaranteed to raise a smile. It's a cold hearted person
who doesn't like The Rutles.
Into this arena steps
The Poppermost with a brand new album Hits To Spare. Despite
the band name it's a one man outfit – Glasgow-based musician Joe
Kane plays all the instruments and even more impressively given the
Fabs reputation for harmonies, sings all the vocal parts. Clever
stuff! Hits To Spare takes inspiration from the Beatles' work
in the first half of the 1960s, harking back to an era when musicians
were also entertainers.
If you're going to
spoof the Beatles you better make sure you have catchy tunes and Kane
don't let you down, but it's the attention to detail that's equally
impressive – the way he ends album opener 'Egg & Chips' on a
sixth chord; the lolloping rhythm and harmonica lines on 'One Of
Those Girls'; the way 'Call To Me' mirrors the Beatles' take on early
'60 American R&B and girl group sounds complete with “sha la
la” backing vocals.
The album's title track
'Hits To Spare', sits bang in the middle of the album. Modelled on
'Hard Day's Night', it's a knowingly cheeky tribute to the Fabs'
ability to churn out top-notch chart-toppers and turn them into hard
cash. “Let's write a swimming pool” sings Kane. Well you would if
you could wouldn't you!
Elsewhere Kane does a
pretty accurate McCartney vocal on 'Georgia Peach', a homage to
Little Richard and his influence on the young Macca. In the interest
of balance the rockin' Lennon snarly vocal on 'Well I Will' is pretty
convincing too.
The economy class
Beatles, (not my description, none other than Beatle George's), are
also well represented – there plenty of Ringo style beats and fills
and chiming guitar breaks a-la Harrison.
You'll no doubt have
your own favourite track on this album but mine is 'Park And Ride'.
Who wouldn't love a humourous reimagining of 'Ticket To Ride' using
buses, that most Beatle-esque mode of transport, as it's subject. If
you're looking for a musical pick you up, done with affection and
attention to detail, these tunes are for you. A splendid time really
is guaranteed for all.
(This review first appeared in issue #76 of Shindig! magazine.)
Retroworld CD
1969 was a defining year for this Greenwich Village folkie. The opening appearance at Woodstock and the release of this sprawling 17-song collection, which originally came out as a double vinyl set. The Orwellian title taps into the paranoia of the age, the songs half utopian ideals, half the dawning of dystopian realities, all rendered in the production values of the time - heavy stereo, loose jams with subtle exotic touches of tabla, sitar, congas and even an Ondioline.
An underrated writer mixing poetry and protest in his self-penned songs, Havens' was also a skilled interpreter, unearthing nuances here in songs by Dylan, Donovan and Cohen, along with four Beatles tracks. Most poignant is the final run of songs (side four of the original vinyl), recorded live at a Santa Monica gig where his rich soulful voice, warm rapport and willingness to improvise remind us what an original talent he was.
(This first appeared in issue #68 of Shindig! magazine.)
How kitchen sink
realism met Broadway theatre, sparked a Grammy-winning evergreen and
inspired The Fabs. Duncan Fletcher investigates.
Ken Kesey's
counter-cultural bus trips in the sixties were inspired in part by
the Beat Generation writers of the previous decade. Jack Kerouac's On
The Road being perhaps the biggest influence. Over on the British
Isles, our own magical mystery tours and revolutions of the head had
their seeds in an altogether different literary style.
The Angry Young Men
and kitchen sink realists that had come to prominence in the late
fifties had ushered in a new age of anti-establishment literature and
film that gave a voice and confidence to post-war youth, especially
out in the provinces. Regional accents became accepted, fashionable
even. The northern working class were now represented in books, plays
and films. Shelagh Delaney's 1958 play, A Taste Of Honey, may
have been at the gentler end of this movement but with its themes of
class, race and sexuality it was still subversive enough to help
usher in new freedoms, and new ways of being and seeing... (Click over the jump to continue reading and for the specially compiled Spotify playlist.)
(This feature first appeared in issue 59 of Shindig! magazine. For the full unedited interview click over the jump at the bottom of this post.)
Corpus
Christi is a coastal city in south Texas and the unlikely home of
latest garage-beat sensations The Blind Owls. In a city famed for
palm trees and subtropical weather The Blind Owls play music more
readily associated with dank Liverpudlian cellar bars and rowdy
Reeperbahn strip-joints. Their debut LP, All Day And Night,
echoes Merseybeat and early rock 'n' roll with a hint of US garage.
All played with verve and vigour, and a musicality beyond their
tender years.
The
band describe themselves thus - “'60s rock 'n' roll, well-dressed,
energetic and raw”. True, but not the full story. Rather than the
usual one-sound-fits-all favoured by many garage acts, these guys
have a variety and breadth of approach. Guitarist Josh De Leon
explains “I took a classical guitar class in high school, where I
learned all about new techniques and styles of playing. I try to
bring a different style into our music influenced from any genre that
I'm currently listening to. I also enjoy playing the organ and have
incorporated that into a few songs.”
Their
harmonies, George Harrison style guitar licks and instrumental
colouring put the band ahead of many contemporaries. Guitarist and
main songwriter Jesse De Los Santos says -“We do our best to put a
lot into our music, it’s something we all had to work hard at but
now seems to come naturally. Harmonies are very important for us; the
right harmony at the right place can change the mood of the song. The
same goes for guitar fills and so on.”
For
a band born around the time the Beatles Anthology compilations, their
affection for '60s music is as passionate as it is surprising. Says
Jesse - “We grew up influenced by our parents, listening to the
Beatles or Elvis every day on the way to school and just being around
that music struck a chord with us. As we got older, we delved deeper
into the music of the '60s, where we discovered many new artists. We
fell in love with the sounds of close harmonies, jangly guitars and
all the beautiful melodies and talent these musicians had. There’s
so much great music to be found and the music of the '60s is
something that we really appreciate.”
Other
influences include The Zombies, The Kinks, The 13th Floor
Elevators, The Easybeats, The Chantays and Buddy Holly. Drummer Dylan
Rommel's influences stretch further still - “I've been playing
drums for 10 years. However, I didn’t start taking it seriously
until I joined the band. I use my drumming to bring a laid back
style, influenced by R&B and jazz of the 1960s.”
Live
shows are an energetic affair with bassist Carlos Garcia citing Pete
Towshend and Elvis as his visual inspiration. The band plan to mak
shau as far afield as money will allow but sadly there are no
plans for a European visit just yet. Though as Jesse says “we hope
to bring our music there one day, if anyone would like to help us let
us know!” Over to you promoters!
All Day
And Night is self-released on CD. A cassette version is available
from Dadstache Records. Soundflat Records will be releasing a vinyl
LP.
With a new album from Teenage Fanclub on the horizon I've been immersing myself in the surprising amount of records of theirs that I own. LPs, CD & 7" singles along with appearances on compilation LPs and magazine freebies. With this in mind I present you with a Spotify playlist of songs they've covered. Some are on LPs, some on B-sides, some on tribute albums, but all given the Fanclub makeover and all an insight into their likes and influences. There were also a couple of Neil Young tracks ('Burned' and 'Don't Cry No Tears'), but they aren't on Spotify so I couldn't tag them on. Anyways, I'll stop prattling. Long live the Fanclub!
Still up there in my
all time top gigs is when I saw The La's live at Hull University back
in the day. It was one of the few times I've been right at the front.
I was, am, and will always be a proper fan-boy where this group are
concerned. Hell, I still have the red rattle 'n' roll T-shirt I
bought that night (and sometimes still wear it!)
There's been a
disproportionate amount of column inches written about the band,
considering the small amount of music they actually released so I'm
not going to add to that (not yet anyway). What I will do however is
post this Spotify playlist for you all to enjoy. It's highlights some
of the acts that inspired Mavers & co. Some will jump out as
obvious influences, be it the rhythm guitar and harmonies of the
Everly Brothers, the almost skiffle sounds of Buddy Holly and the
Crickets, and of course that other Liverpool band of note, Johnny &
The Moondogs, included here twice in their better known guise as The
Beatles.
Others may not be quite
so obvious but are still worthy of inclusion, mainly because
the band has cited them as influences (in the case of Sweet and The
Gypsy Kings). I have no idea whether they ever liked the Hollies
(quite possibly not) but 'Carrie Anne' could well have been written by
Mavers so in it stays! Suggestions for additional tracks and artists are very welcome in the comments box.
In
depth look at The Quiet One's extra-curricular and post-Fabs
releases!
If, like me you're a
massive Beatles fan, no doubt your bookshelves already groan under
the weight of books on the world's most famous scousers. You probably
ask yourself how many more times can I read about those four
psychedelic horsemen, what they did, and from what perspective? The
answer is of course many many more times. It's a story that never
gets boring. And if it does there's always the solo careers.
George Harrison Soul
Man Vol. 1 is an 8 x 8 inch hardback book by Beatle expert John
Blaney that examines The Quiet One's solo recorded output starting
with Wonderwall in 1968 up to George Harrison in 1979.
Even the most informed among us will find new facts and insights in
Blaney's well-written text which gets right to the heart and soul of
George's musical journey. Equally as enticing are the 400-plus images
of album and single sleeves, US and UK label variations and
trade-ads. What struck me most reading the book was just how music George
made, or helped make, as the book also looks at his production work
for other artists during the early days of Apple Records.
Harrison's post Beatles
career is often unfairly overlooked or sidelined when compared to
those of McCartney and Lennon (plus ça change), All Things Must
Pass and Concert For Bangladesh notwithstanding, but with
his back catalogue recently appearing on all the streaming sites it
won't cost you a penny to listen and re-immerse yourself with his
lesser known gems. Save your money instead for this lavish book which
will compliment and enhance your listening. With a cast of characters
that includes Billy Preston, Doris Troy, Eric Clapton, Delaney &
Bonnie, as well as Hare Krishna devotees, Hell's Angels, Bob Dylan,
Phil Spector and the Monty Python Team, this book is proof that while
George may have described himself as an “economy class Beatle”,
the truth is he was anything but.
Soul Man (Vol 1) is
jointly published by Paper Jukebox & Mega Dodo Records.
In a week when we've sadly lost Michael Brown of The Left Banke, it's of some comfort to know that his legacy will live on through the countless musicians he influenced. One of the better bands that understood his genius are Northampton's baroque-popsters The Sunchymes. The band's music is an effortless mix of '60s west cost sunshine pop, English psych, with gentle baroque touches and sumptuous vocal harmonies.
The band have recently made their 2009 debut album Shifting Sands available for free download via their Bandcamp page. Fans of The Beach Boys, psych-era Beatles, Jellyfish and indeed The Left Banke are well advised to check it out, along with the follow up album, 2012's Let Your Free Flag Fly. Enjoy!
Click here for The Sunchymes website. Click here for The Sunchymes on Bandcamp. Click here for The Sunchymes on Twitter. Click here for The Sunchymes on Facebook.
Seems like quite some time since the end of the Cold War. The world continues to open up in so many ways. Been thinking about the Cold War a lot recently since watching "The Lives Of Others", so thought I'd put together a video playlist of some of the most memorable tracks inspired by that era.
Click over the jump for my Cold War video playlist
It's been a while since my last post as I've been catching up on some soul-refreshing reading. After reading the Bill Drummond piece on damsons in the new "On Nature" book brought to us by the good folks at Caught By The River (click here for more details), I've decided to compile a new video playlist.
Click over the jump for my "fruits in rock" video playlist.
