SPRING 2006 a women in music compendium wears the trousers

the pipettes star in our massive plus... band-o-rama with the organ, the rogers kd lang sisters, devics & the chalets elin ruth bic runga neko case terri walker emm gryner marissa nadler welcome to... wears the trousers Hello again! wears the trousers Since you’ve been gone dear friends www.thetrousers.co.uk we’ve been ever so busy. Things got off to www.myspace.com/wearsthetrousers an auspicious start in January when we 17B Church Crescent were invited to take part in a new national Muswell Hill London N10 3NA digital preservation scheme in conjunction +44 (0)20 8444 1853 with The British Library and The Women’s [email protected] Library. Wears The Trousers was chosen as one of the first 150 Editor Alan Pedder sites selected to form the basis of a Women’s Issues collection. Of course we were only too happy to accept and you may have Deputy Editor Trevor Raggatt noticed the new logos on the website. Basically, what it means is that even if some horrible fate should befall the site as we know Associate Editors Clare Byrne, Stephen Collings, it, Wears The Trousers will still always be available until the end & Rod Thomas of Father Time himself, or something like that anyway.

Wears The Trousers is a completely Fear not, however, our heads didn’t swell enough to stop us free, not-for-profit, blood, sweat and from bringing you what is undoubtedly our best issue yet. You tears included resource for all that is new, essential and downright exciting about the want indie icons? We give you Neko Case. You want the latest, contribution of women worldwide to the music industry. All written content is greatest bands? We bring you five of ‘em. You want inspirational copyright of the credited author. Picture women? Read our interviews with Bic Runga, Emm Gryner and credits are given where known. If we have used one of your photos without crediting Terri Walker. There’s almost too much to mention so here’s my you, please inform the editor via [email protected] personal highlights of the last three months: (1) bonding with Bic over a mutual love of Border Collies; (2) the Neko Case Contributors: Aaron Alper, Russell Barker, Ian Buchan, cheese incident (see pages 22/23) and just generally loving her; Laura-May Coope, Tiffany Daniels, Robbie (3) Eliza’s gorgeous Neko artwork; (4) managing to make it de Santos, Alex Doax, James Gurney, Matthew Hall, Kevin Hewick, Lisa Komorowska, Anja through The Organ interview without mentioning either the McCloskey, Peter Morrow, Loria Near, Julia Paynter, Alex Ramon, Lynn Roberts, M word (Morrissey) or the S word (Smiths); (5) actually, just Joan Shirro, Adam Smith, Marc Soucy, Danny making it through The Organ interview at all was quite an Weddup, Paul Woodgate & Bryn Williams achievement, as you’ll see for yourselves on page 10... Design and Typesetting: Best of all though has been the continuous and always Alan Pedder appreciated support we’ve received from all over the world, Illustrations: not to mention all our new volunteers who’ve offered their Eliza Lazy, Trevor Raggatt much-valued help. You might notice this issue is quite a bit Special thanks to: Joni Anderson, Laura Anderson, Brianna Lane, chunkier than before! Next issue: July. Andrzej Lukowski, Kat Parsons &Victoria Vox Happy Easter!

wears the trousers is proud to be involved in the digital preservation work of the UK Web Archiving Consortium in association with The British Library & The Women’s Library ALAN PEDDER, Editor [email protected]  CONTENTS SPRING 2006

08 04 The Chalets Six bottles of beer and a packet of crisps

06 The Rogers Sisters Electrocution, skinheads and petty theft 08 Dévics Pan-continental perfection

10 The Organ [A] hanging on the telephone

14 The Pipettes Nice planet, we’ll take it!

17 Lost In MySpace ...the search for sounds.... 14 38 A Buyer’s Guide to kd lang 20 Neko Case From cowpunk to covers queen To the vixen go the spoils 41 Reviews / New Albums 25 Elin Ruth Neko Case, The Dresden Dolls, Stalking Bob Dylan Regina Spektor & many more

26 Bic Runga 68 Reviews / Reissues The birds and the pees Sonic Youth, Jane Siberry & more

30 Marissa Nadler 72 Reviews / Imports “Wonderwoman was hot!” Emm Gryner, Hannah Fury & more

33 Emm Gryner 76 Reviews / DVD “I love being in a band!” Tori Amos, Walk The Line

34 Terri Walker 78 Reviews / Live Grit and class not tits and ass Laura Veirs, The Go! Team, Beth Orton & more 04  THE CHALETS happy campers The Chalets are a sassy Dublin five-piece whose sparky, original tunes have been setting indie club dancefloors on fire all over Britain and the Emerald Isle for the last twelve months or so, and they are now setting their sights on bringing continental Europe under their spell. Their debut albumCheck In, loosely conceptualised around 1950s glamorous air travel (think the Mile High Club and you’re on the right track), won them a nomination at the prestigious Meteor Awards, the annual Irish music industry do. They were also recently invited to play a free gig in Trafalgar Square as part of the Mayor’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, where they really got the party started. Their sound is, in part, heavily reliant on Sixties girl group influences with all the call and response vocals and handclaps that entails, but also manages to sound cuttingly contemporary with their mix of electronic undertones, spiky guitars and angular riffs. Their stage show further reveals their endearing and humorous personalities, as frontwomen Pony and PeePee (real names Caoimhe and Paula) impress with swaying arms, yet more handclaps and exagger- ated pouting expressions, all clad in vintage attire so fine that fellow thrift-store junkies go green-eyed and water profusely at the mouth. Oh, and there’s the slight matter of lots of filthy language! You see, nothing is half-baked with The Chalets, as Robbie de Santos discovered in a backstage chat with Paula at the Magnet Club in Berlin; they relish their touring commitments, give 110% every night, and you most certainly won’t hear them complaining about the drags of showbiz. There’s no other business quite like it after all...

There seems to be a renaissance of Sixties I think there are some really good female front- Europe they don’t care, it’s a lot more fun girl group pop in indie music at the moment ed indie-bands at the moment. Do you think to play here. There’s so much energy! with bands like you, The Pipettes, The Long they are showing the male-dominated NME Blondes and The Raveonettes. Do you see indie crowd that women are equal to men? The UK is really quite spoilt as far as live yourself as part of a movement? I’d like to think that’s a possibility, but I music goes. Do you think your sound would You know I don’t think we would see our- think, you know, what really sells in that have evolved differently if you had made selves as part of that scene, I mean myself whole “indie scene” is boys with nice your album in London and had the ‘London and Caoimhe are definitely influenced haircuts and tight trousers and leather band’ tag to your name? by Sixties girl groups, that’s what we lis- jackets. It’s always going to be popular. Definitely. In Dublin there are no bands ten to most. But The Pipettes are purely I mean, I’ve read “this year’s going to that sound like us at all. We stick out like a retro and I don’t think we’re purely retro, be the year for girl-fronted bands”, but sore thumb. It’s all singer songwriters… and I don’t think The Long Blondes are it never seems to happen. I don’t know either. I really like The Pipettes, I haven’t — I’d very much like that to happen, but And boybands! You don’t have any brothers seen them live, but I’ve heard a couple of we’ll see. in boybands, do you? their singles and I really, really like them. Right, and boybands. But no, we don’t I’ve seen the Long Blondes live a couple of Your name was inspired by a crazy week- have any brothers in boybands ... times. I think everyone says that they’re end at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. If there’s really nobody making music quite like The Shangri-Las, but I don’t see that. you were curating your own weekend, what like ours in Dublin, but I like that. We played with them twice – the second bands would you like to have? time we saw them the background vocals I’d like to have The Shangri-Las, Le Tigre, You have certainly got a niche. Now, I no- were a bit low, so whatever harmonies Madonna… Madonna in the Eighties, not tice Dylan seems to get badly treated in the were going on you couldn’t hear them, just her now, Daft Punk, Weezer, Art Brut band. Do you think he’s going to pull a Robbie Kate’s vocals, so I didn’t really get a Shan- ... The Cribs! Williams on you? gri-Las vibe then, but I really like them. He’s the drummer, he’s ginger! Sound likes a great weekend. I’m sold! Of course we pick on him. But really, I Me too. There’s also a slight electro under- Well I’d have fun! think he’s more of a Geri Halliwell – he’s tone on the album – were you inspired by ginger. Seriously though, it probably the electroclash scene from a few years ago? You recently played a gig in Moscow and would most likely be him that would have No, I wouldn’t say so. The reason it might you are doing two big European support a solo career. We were all round his house sound so is that Dylan, our drummer, is a tours this Spring. How is your music being once and we kept hearing this Ireland? assorted beeps and blips>... and I was like lar dance music, I used to be a raver, so Yeah, it’s really good. We’ve played Ham- “What was that?” and it turns out it was maybe I’m influenced by like the Prodigy burg and Dresden, and then Munich last his music. or something. I don’t think electroclash night. The European crowds are totally existed in Ireland really, it was totally a different. Sometimes in the UK, peo- A very avant-garde Geri Halliwell then? London thing. ple think they’re a bit too “cool”, but in Very.

 You’ve been on the road for well over a year now. Is it still exciting getting on stage and playing the same songs? I love it, I personally am not tired at all! I hate it when bands complain about not enjoying touring! I think if you choose to be in a band, then touring is part of that choice. And it’s great fun. You get to see a new town every day, hang out and get drunk with your best friends and then perform on stage every night! I’ve been to places I’ve never even dreamed of going before! It’s like a great big holiday. It’s still great fun and I’m looking forward to more touring this year!

Any other ambitions for 2006? I actually really want to do a lot more touring in Europe. I’m really enjoying it here and it’s great to see more of the world. We get treated so much better here — we get these lovely dressing rooms and everyone is so helpful to us and we actually get what’s on our rider. In Britain we just get given six bottles of beers and a packet of crisps!

What exactly is on your rider? Six bottles of beer and a packet of crisps! No, really, beer for the boys, cider for me and Caoimhe — we don’t drink beer — some nice wine, vodka… though we’ve had to stop getting vodka. Caoimhe gets problems!

One last question, have you thought about the second album yet? Yes, our record company want us to put it out by the end of the year. But that’s not going to happen — it’ll probably be early next year. We’ve not got so much written for it just yet as we’ve been on the road for so long. We have a couple of songs and we always say we’ll try them out at soundcheck, but everyone just wants to get out of soundcheck as quick as possible, so it’s like ... “OK, we’re done”... but we’re all really looking forward to making it. n

  ROGERS SISTERS ROGERS three’s the magic number After an amazingly successful year that saw self-declared New York trendies The Rogers Sisters at last reach out to non-US shores and be welcomed with a noisy adulation, Anja McCloskey went to meet the quirky sisters and their not-so-related bandmate to talk about electrocution, petty theft, Liverpudlian skinheads and their weird and wonderful new album, The Invisible Deck, named after an astonishing card trick that Mr Rogers Sr would perform for them as kids...

Since their inception in 2001 and sub- cheeses, we went to Australia and New The Roger Sisters come from very sequent self-release of their super-rare Zealand and that was beyond our wild- different backgrounds. So while Jen- 7“ Let‘s Fly Away, sisters Jennifer (vocals, est dreams. We stole chocolate in Swit- nifer and Laura were literally raised on guitar) and Laura Rogers (drums, back- zerland and got caught, we drank in the rock ‘n’ roll — their father owns a record ing vocals) plus Hawaiian bassist/vocal- basement of some London bar and got store and one-stop distribution outlet ist and honorary member of the Rogers in trouble…”. But Miyuki quickly admits in Detroit and the girls grew up tagging clan, Miyuki Furtado (briefly a member that it’s not all petty theft and sunshine: along to shows by everyone from Jour- of Baltimore indie rockers Gerty) have “We almost got beaten up by some skin- ney and REO Speedwagon to Prince and come an awful long way. It all started heads in Liverpool — they were really The Cars — Miyuki on the other hand when self-confessed Detroit rock ‘n’ disgusting!” he grimaces. “I also cut my followed his diplomat father around the rollers Laura and Jennifer moved to hand open at Leeds festival and was world and lived in Hawaii, Japan, Liberia New York and stumbled across Miyuki bleeding all over my white clothes while and Switzerland before landing in Bal- in a karaoke bar soon after the dissolu- an army of medics tried to put one sin- timore and then New York. “It’s funny tion of their volatile feminist rock band gle bandage on.” how people can have such different ex- Ruby Falls. His renditions of Purple Rain In fact, Miyuki confesses that he al- periences and still relate to each other,” and Over The Rainbow were so heart- ways tries to horrify Laura and Jennifer says Jennifer. “It’s amazing that we still breakingly convincing that they decided during the band’s live performances by ended up liking The Zombies, The Cure, on the spot that they couldn’t possibly doing the most ridiculous things. Of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.” let him go, instead towing him along to course, there are times when his antics Taking into consideration their trav- play a gig at a birthday party in Brook- go gruesomely awry: “I cut my head elling past, it seems a little at odds lyn the very next day. open on a guitar one time and I fell into that The Rogers Sisters are most often From there, the trio became collec- Laura’s drum set really badly another herded under the umbrella of “trendy tively named The Rogers Sisters and time,” he laughs. “One time we played, I New York bands“. But they don’t seem proceeded to play all of the trendiest fell off of the stage with my guitar right to mind: “We love being a trendy New house parties in New York’s fashion- on top of a girl. It turned out she was an York band. It’s good for us, there is a able Williamsburg neighbourhood. The NME reporter… but in the end, pretty focus on the city we live in and we get band has never been one to take them- much any gig where I don’t get electro- to travel the world because of it,” says selves too seriously though: “We wanted cuted is alright for me.” Laura, adding “The only thing I find to ditch the ‘overthoughtoutedness’ of “We just try to have fun and to the frustrating is that people seem to think Nineties indie rock,” says Laura. “We best of our ability recreate the chaos no one cares about us any more because wanted to let loose, have fun and get a that used to occur at shows we played we are from New York.” little soul.” They certainly seem to have at home,” says Laura. “We used to play To prove these ‘non-believers’ wrong hit a nerve with this concept; not only in dark slippery rooms full of drunken the band are eagerly lining up a busy and did they manage to build a mini-army maniacs. Now that we get up on stage energetic schedule for the year. “We want of fans across Europe last year, they also and there’s a light shining on you, you to hit the festivals again, it was so much took both the Reading and Leeds Carling are so far away from the audience. So to fun last year. And we’ll tour as much as Weekend Festivals by storm and instilled get that kind of intensity is really chal- possible, in the UK, US, Japan, Greece, themselves as regular faces on MTV2. lenging.” To the outsider, their live set Brazil, Thailand, Ethiopia, Portugal, What’s it like to live the hipster life comes across almost like a humorous B- Hawaii…” says Jennifer, while Miyuki of a Rogers Sister then? According to culture approach to music. “We do a lot adds more secret plans: “We also want to Jennifer, it must be pretty entertaining: of private jokes during the set,” Jenni- be on Top of the Pops, duet with Robbie “We get to travel to a lot of new places fer admits. “I always try to make Laura Williams and produce a song with Kanye — we went to France and ate a million laugh so that she messes up her songs!” West. But that might not happen…” n

 isolated; those kind of things that affect the music more than being submersed in a different culture. To not be able to see your friends, your family, to not be able to see your friends’ bands in LA, that really affects the way you write. When you only have what you’re playing, what you’re lis- tening to, it’s a different experience.

You’ve been a band for about a decade now. How do you think you’ve developed? D: It’s a weird question to answer because we’ve been in this band for so long and making this music that when I listen to our early stuff I feel like ‘oh my God, I was so young’, everything was so different. We’ve just grown as people and everything’s changed, and our music is always chang- ing and evolving — I think we’re always trying to do something new that might stimulate us that maybe we haven’t tried before. That doesn’t mean that we don’t revisit certain kinda things that we do.

Do you have any idea where you’re going to go from here? D: Every record we’ve ever done has been a complete blind journey, because mood music we never have money... we never know When Bella Union, the label founded by Congratulations on the new album, Push how we’re going to be able to afford to re- ex-Cocteau Twins Robin Guthrie and The Heart, we’ve been enjoying it a lot. cord it . Every time we’ve been Simon Raymonde, held a showcase gig at Sara: Thank you. writing or recording, our living circum- Kilburn’s excellent Luminaire on a freez- stances change. Just for instance, for The ing Monday evening late in February, How did you find recording in LA compared Stars At Saint Andrea, we were both liv- Wears The Trousers dispatched her trusty with making your last album [2003’s The ing in Italy and we had this place where aides Pete Morrow and Clare Byrne to Stars At Saint Andrea] in Italy? we were writing the record. I’d be writing meet and greet Sara Lov and Dustin S: I know they’ve been saying that a lot between the hours of 10 at night and 5 in O’Halloran of Dévics (that’s dee-vix). but we actually did record a lot of it in the morning. And this record was differ- Reduced to a two-piece on stage (“we Italy too. About half and half. We kind of ent because I was writing a lot of music lost them in a freak van fire”), Sara flit- bring our tapes back and forth. We did a by myself, sending Sara tapes... she was ted from glockenspiel to piano to bass lot of our own recording. working on stuff and then she came out while Dustin marshalled an impressive here and we worked really hard for about collection of pedals, an FX unit and a se- What prompted the move back to LA? 4 months, just on lyrics, and I set her up quencer. Simon Raymonde made a wel- Dustin: For the last record, we did al- with a computer and she did it by herself. come appearance to give bass support for most the whole thing in a farmhouse. It S: Yeah, I recorded all my own vocals — Lie To Me and Glenn Moule of Australian was our first time recording ourselves and a first for me — and I wrote as I record- cabaret metal act Howling Bells provided Simon lent us a bunch of equipment, it ed a lot of it and kind of experimented mighty drums (not to mention a five-star, was a sort of Frankenstein studio event. a little. That was pretty fun ‘cos nobody ten-gallon hat) on Red Morning and Secret It was a good experience but we wanted was around and I could try anything and Message To You. What impressed most to have more of a hand in the recording not feel embarrassed and then if I did though was the emotion, scale and tex- process, meaning mixing in LA. something bad I could erase it . ture of the songs, something that many S: Dustin hasn’t really moved back from Always important. production-heavy bands are incapable of Italy. I’m back and forth, more in LA. D: I think technology had more of a hand creating in the live environment. That the in helping us finish the songs. I think the Dévics could pick up and play tracks of Do you think that Italy and California idea to come back to LA was that I wanted such characteristic tone and depth was all influence your music differently? to bring some of the tracks I had, maybe the more striking given the minimal EP- S: I think wherever you are when you’re use loops or whatever, let someone really sized duration of the set. creating something has an effect. It’s not play it, and get a real feel… The last record We managed to snag Sara and Dustin so much the culture that affects me, it’s was the first record we did more as a duo for a chat before the gig... more being away from the city, being and I wanted to see how it would be writ-

 ing as a duet and then bringing more of a Presumably because you don’t fit into a con- that I don’t. I was really pleased, the Ex- DÉVICS band feel into it. So, it’s all an experiment venient pigeonhole, you get compared to a plosions In The Sky record is beautiful really, just to see what comes next. vast and diverse list of other bands. We’ve got and it’s nice to be a family. S: I think we’ve learned that, for us, it’s here from Mojave 3 to Leonard Cohen to ear- S: I love The Arcade Fire. And the Bell great to just take the resources we have ly 70s Pink Floyd to Bertolt Brecht to Fiona Orchestre album. and not have to spend money and just Apple… one Amazon reviewer listed you as D: The Arcade Fire have gotten loads of try to record ourselves. For our very “cinematic torchcore and punk sea shanties”. great press and there are so few cases early records we would do this huge pro- D: I guess from a label or press when you can say that it’s truly deserved. duction, get a studio and spend so much standpoint that’s a bad thing, but I always I saw them at the Hollywood Bowl open- of our money. It’s very stressful because think that’s good. There are two different ing for David Byrne and I have to say it you know you just have this month and types of music: timeless music and music was one of the best shows I’ve seen for you have to do all of it. It’s like “I have that’s of the moment. Both of them are years. Seeing a band at a point when you to do these vocals in two hours, because valid, because music that’s of the moment know they’re arriving, and they’re such this is so expensive being here” and to re- has spontaneity but, you know, it passes. great musicians and they love what they cord it yourself at your leisure is a whole I always wanted to be in the first catego- do. It was beautiful to see and it was different world because there’s no stress. ry because that’s the music I love. Like one of those things that kind of revi- Histoire De Melody Nelson by Serge Gains- talises your faith in music. This is what Have you become a bit of a perfectionist? bourg. That’s probably one of my top five. it’s about, it’s about that moment when S: Yeah, but I like to try to capture first S: Yeah, me too. you get that exchange, it’s not about any- takes. I like it to not be too processed. D: Not just sonically, but also musically thing else. D: I try to do that too. Maybe it’s a prod- — I think the arrangements on that record uct of me playing piano but I like to try are amazing. And more in that vein really. Sufjan Stevens played a similar show to to capture a whole take from beginning that here recently. He’s played a bunch of to end, if I can. I love old records and Who has really impressed you recently? times over the past few years and nobody that’s how they did it. To me, good mu- S: Deerhoof. And Eason. knew who he was, just in tiny places with sicianship is how records were made in D: Múm, I really really like. a banjo, and then overnight everybody the Sixties. They weren’t tuning people’s S: I go through so much new music, it’s knows who he is and he plays these amaz- voices with computers. hard to name names because I know I’m ing shows with a full orchestra. going to forgot a bunch of them. D: I think there are bands that do get to Have you played many shows with the new D: I love a lot of classical music. I try to grow, if you get isolated. I mean, Sufjan material yet? get some of the arrangements, the chord- Stevens is from New York, and maybe D: Not really, we just did four shows in al voicing, that sort of thing, I like it when because nobody paid any attention to LA just with this stuff. there’s an influence of that in the music. him for a while, it allows you to grow S: But way before the record was done. People like Serge Gainsbourg and Múm in a good way. Being from LA we see We just did a little press tour, a promo do that. And I think that does twist it a so many new bands that start off and in Italy, and now this one here and to- bit, because rock music can be formulaic their first show they’re already thinking night we’re just playing as a duo, which and get a bit blocky. Jazz music can open there’s gonna be a record guy there and is very different. Normally we play with things up, but there are also parameters they haven’t even been a band for three five people and it’s a very full sound. It’s within jazz. Classical gets even more months. At that point it’s like what is it hard for us to play without all of that but open. I like that sense of space. really about, you know, is it about getting we try to make it work. We’d like to bring a record deal or about making music? the band, it’s just very expensive. You can hear that in the music. Actually, And those bands, sometimes they last a the typewriter on Secret Message to You, year and then break-up. Are you touring properly later in the year? made me think of Múm, playing around S: Sometimes they get signed and break D: We’re going to do some shows in with toy instruments. up right after that. Sometimes they’re Europe — Italy and Switzerland at the D: Yeah, where you’ve got a melody and signed and the label pressure makes end of March. I don’t know if the UK is twisting it a bit by not just working in them break up… going to be a part of that right now. We root melodies and fifths, but then really D: We didn’t move to LA to become a might wait until a little bit later. bending it a little bit. band like a lot of people do, we just grew S: Also Sufjan Stevens and Laura Veirs up there. You have a certain arc of emo- It’s so much more expensive in the UK than and a lot of songwriter kinda people I like tions where you’re working and you see the rest of Europe! a lot. And actually this new My Latest a lot of other people doing all the things D: It’s the first time we’ve been here and Novel on Bella Union, that just came out. they want and that’s frustrating. But we spent about £150 in like a day! D: Actually, some of the records that I then you come full circle and you realise really love are on Bella Union, which is that the only thing that’s important is On a bag of chips and a four-pack... totally coincidental. being by yourself or at the live show D: Right. I mean, Italy has got- where it’s just the music. All of that other ten a lot more expensive since the Euro Not paid to say that at all. stuff is just temporary. It’s not gonna last but we’re used to spending in US dollars D: No no ... being totally objec- for 90% of the people. You’ve just got to so it’s just whoooosh! tive, there are things that I like and things enjoy those moments. n

 THE ORGAN keys to success The art of the phone interview is underappreciatedly complex, or at least that’s what Alan Pedder keeps telling himself after chatting with up and coming Canadian band The Organ recently. There are three simple rules, really. One, know who you’re supposed to be talking to. Two, try to ease into a deeper conversation with some gentle/amusing small talk. Three, try to ask questions in an inventive manner without sounding like a complete and utter arse. There is a fourth, perhaps even more obvious axiom too — don’t hang up on them mid-conversation! Just three minutes in and rules one and four are horribly defenestrated. Questions prepared for cool-as-you-like lead singer Katie Sketch are rendered rather useless when a clerical whoopsie means that she’s been double-booked and guitarist Debra steps in to take her place, while the sheer newfangledness of a fresh-outta-the-box speakerphone ensures that the line goes dead not just once but embarrassingly twice. Jeremy Paxman, your job is safe!

Oh my god, I can’t believe I just hung up we get almost as much rain as Vancouver. D: The London audiences have been pretty on you. It’s this bloody new phone. I think D: Actually I think you guys get more... good. They’ve been kind of smaller than I’ve figured it out though, the trick is not well, usually you get more but we actually we’re used to because our record hasn’t to put it back on the cradle. Didn’t see that almost just broke a record. Just two days been released here yet [it has now! go buy one coming! ... so, short of breaking the record for the most it!]. It’s kind of like Vancouver. They’re not have you had much of a chance to watch rain in Vancouver. We had pretty much too enthusiastic... well, the people who the Winter Olympics? two months straight of rain all day so it have the record are really into it, but the Debra: Umm I’ve watched a little bit of it, wasn’t too nice. ones that don’t are just kind of seeing what not too much. A bit of the luge and a bit we’re all about. of the skiing. Ick. Anyway, let’s talk about your album Grab That Gun finally coming out over As a band you’re quite modest about your Canada are doing quite well, aren’t they? here. There must’ve been a lot of label in- musicianship. Do you think that maybe D: They’re doing alright. Better than you terest, what made you go with Too Pure? your British fans better appreciate that. guys . D: Well, I think it was perfect for us be- I mean, as a nation, we’re not very good at cause it’s kind of small and we didn’t wan- puffing out our chests and looking fame in What do you think the best Organ song to na go with anything big. We wanted to the eye. ice dance to would be? make sure we had control of what goes on D: I think the British audiences are actu- D: Oh jeez, hmmm... let me with our album and stuff, and this way we ally pretty similar to the Canadian ones in think about this for a second... I’d say mostly do. Actually there wasn’t really too a lot of ways. maybe It’s Time To Go - that’s off our [Sink- much competition, but we got offered this ing Hearts] EP. That would be an alright and we thought ‘oh, this’ll be perfect!’ What about the US? song to do that to, but I’m kinda taking a D: We actually don’t have very many wild guess there. That’s a weird question. Are you guys fans of any of the other Too fans in the US. Our record hasn’t been Pure acts? released there either and we’ve only Yeah, I’m sorry, there was gonna be a whole D: I know Katie is. Actually, she’s just sit- been there a couple of times. lead up introduction bit on skiing because ting across from me and she just finished I know Katie used to be quite a pro skiier. her interview. We can actually kind of... Oh! Are Too Pure going to be releasing it [dammit rule two! you let me down] can you hold on a second? hey, I’m talking to the man from D: No, they’re not Wears The Trousers. He wants to know if Do you ski as well? you’re a fan of any of the other acts on OK, well, in Canada at least, Grab That D: No I don’t. I’ve only been cross country our label... Gun’s been out for a couple of years now. skiing twice in my life. A long time ago. Katie: Electrelane! Do you ever get on stage and think ‘oh crap, D: Katie loves Electrelane... I’m not playing that bloody song again!’ or So, er, how are you enjoying the lovely Brit- I haven’t actually listened to too many do they still get you fired up? ish weather? of the other bands on the label yet. I’ve D: We definitely do! We’ve D: It’s cold here, but I think it’s actually been to some of their shows and they been writing some new songs lately and about the same in Vancouver right now. were pretty fun to watch. we’re really excited to replace some of What is it, one degree Celsius here? the others because we’ve been playing Your shows are doing pretty well too. I mean, them for so long. But we have to make Something like that, I actually haven’t been you’re getting pretty great press. How are sure we play certain songs so that every- outside yet today. It’s probably raining, I think you finding the London chin strokers? one will be happy.

10

And how’s it working out with your new bassist, Katie’s sister? D: It’s good, she’s really enthusiastic. She can write and she can play well and we get along with her well.

Is Shmoo her real name? D: Yeah, pretty much. She’s been called that since birth and she prefers it.

So, recording the album was apparently a bit of a nightmare. What was the hardest song to nail? D: We actually had to redo the whole nothing, not a word is wasted. One thing’s D: I think that was Katie’s idea. Katie and album, it wasn’t just one particular song puzzling me though — in Memorize The Jenny were kind of fooling around on the that we weren’t happy with. The first pro- City, the line “Acrisius favours”, was that organ while they were recording it and ducer [Kurt Dahle of The New Pornogra- the name of the boat in the song? [huh? that little vignette at the end is just them phers] had a different vision of what we what possessed me? it’s my Martha’s Fool- messing around. It’s kind of neat though. should sound like than we’d originally ish Ginger moment!] planned. He made it sound a bit too D: I can’t answer that question, I didn’t Is it a pain carting the organ around on crisp and clean and not like a real band, write the lyrics. Um, I’m wondering, do tour with you? and when we heard the end product we you me to... Katie’s not on the phone yet, D: Umm well we’ve only been able to realised we had to redo pretty much ev- do you want me to put her on? take it on tour with us in Canada and the erything. Now they all sound like they States so far. We can’t take it on the air- should sound, to me. Basically, our goal Umm, yeah, sure, if you want. Only if she plane. It’s really heavy, so we try and get of redoing it was to make it sound like our doesn’t mind! as many people to help us carry it as we live show and not too overproduced. D: Hold on a second... he possibly can. has a really weird question How much does it weigh? album will be easier? K: Hello! It’s Katie D: Errr... well, it weighed a couple hun- D: I hope so. It has been so far. We start- dred pounds or something but then we ed recording a couple of the new songs Hi! recently, er, revised it a little bit. We got already so it’s going pretty well. K: The name of theboat ? a friend of ours to cut the bottom half off and tuck the wires inside so not it’s not Great! When do you think it might be ready? Yeah, there’s kind of a boat lyric and then quite as big. It’s a little bit lighter. That’s D: We’re kind of recording as we go along this name pops out. been kind of, um, interesting. But yeah, and we’re touring a lot as well, so I’m K: Ohh, I see! ... I have a hard when we tour Europe and the UK we’ve guessing probably not until next fall. time explaining the lyrics, but it’s definitely been bringing a friends’ keyboard with not in reference to the boat. Have you ever which we made a sample of our Ham- Something to look forward to! Are you work- typed Acrisius into Google before? mond. It doesn’t sound quite as good but ing with any producers we might know? that’s all we can do for now. D: John Collins. He plays in The New Yeah, I tried that. Acrisius was a vengeful Pornographers, he’s been recording us. Greek god who was accidentally killed by a Yeah, I always wondered how Tori Amos discus thrown by his grandson Perseus... manages to drag all her pianos around. Grab That Gun is fantastically moody. Is it K: Yeah, that’s right, it’s more of a gods and D: Yeah, I don’t know about that hard for you to write happy songs without mythology reference. either. It’s really expensive too. them turning out all Disney and vomitous? D: Yeah, those are the kind of songs that OK, now I feel dumb! I bet! OK, so I read that your red guitar we usually end up scrapping. We start K: Oh no problem. Do you have any other Bryan was given to the band by the actual usually by writing the music first, and lyric questions you want to ask? Mr Adams. What’s he like? sometimes if it turns out to sound too D: Actually, I haven’t met him. Katie happy or if Katie feels like she can’t sing it No, that was the only one ... cheers! worked with him once. as she would like then it won’t work out. K: Thanks, bye! I was just wondering what he was like be- Well, yeah, you’ve got to believe in what Hi Deb. Sorry about that! cause he gets so much crap from the press you’re singing. D: No, it’s quite alright. over here. Speaking of press, did you hear D: Yeah, absolutely. that the Kaiser Chiefs called you their new So whose idea was it to have that cute favourite band in one of our newspapers? Lyrically, I think the songs on Grab That little organ solo tucked away at the end of D: We did hear something about that ac- Gun have a great economy to them. Like the album? tually, that was nice of them.

12 THE ORGAN THE

Who’ve you enjoyed touring with most? ever witnessed in my life. Always the OK, no worries. I just thought I’d try and D: Umm, well, most of the bands we’ve first person in the studio and the last one get round that whole boring “is it different played with are usually really nice and to leave. I think he must sleep like four for a girl band” kind of question. Trying to friendly. We toured with The New -Por hours a night. Insanely dedicated. He’s be too clever! That’ll teach me nographers, they were fun to hang out the kind of guy who’ll be working on a K: Oh no, I’d answer the question if I had, with. Neko Case is really awesome... and guitar part and changing a lightbulb at like, any brain. We just flew in yesterday a band called Controller.Controller... have the same time, you know ... he’s so I’m a bit jetlagged. Actually, that’s not you heard of them? extremely focused, always. even my excuse; my excuse is I can’t re- member a thing about school already In brief, yeah, only the other day actually. Neat! OK, I read you’ve got a psychology and it’s only been a year! D: Well, we toured with them and they’re degree... really nice people so we have a lot of fun K: I’m actually four classes short of one. I can’t remember anything about my de- with them. That’s what I was working towards until gree either so you’re not alone! OK, mov- last year when I just couldn’t do school ing swiftly on, you’ve been doing some I’ll look out for them, cheers! OK, so most of any more because all the touring got so fashion shoots with designer Marc Jacobs. the people I know found you first through busy. I was doing school and touring Was that a weird experience? your appearance on The L Word, and I at the same time for a while but it was K: Yeah, it was, but it was really quick think. It’s a real American phenomenon, starting to get to the point where it was and I was really jetlagged and exhausted this breaking of indie bands through TV just impossible. and it all kind of happened within about shows. What do you make of it? three hours. I’ve done a lot of photo D: I think it’s a really good way to be seen! Do you think you’ll ever go back to it? shoots before so the actual photo shoot- K: Yeah, I do actually. I mean ing part wasn’t weird. The weird part Any show you’re dying to be played on? at some point the music thing’s going to was wearing the outfits. I don’t usually Any favourites? either end or take a break so I will defi- wear anything other than jeans so that D: Umm, let’s see... probably any televi- nitely go and get the rest of those cours- felt a bit strange. And being around sion show that isn’t completely ridicu- es then. It’s really frustrating to not be proper models was a bit strange as well, lous! I think that would be a able to finish your degree. It makes me because I’ve never really been around start. I don’t get to watch much TV re- feel like a dropout . them before so I didn’t know anything ally, and I don’t have cable either so I about it. But, on the whole, it was like pretty much just have two channels. Well, I know you’re sick of being asked sit on the couch, eat a meal, do a couple I don’t have much of an option. about the whole ‘being in an all-girl band of photos in about five different outfits thing’ so I thought it might be fun to ask and then I was out the door, so it was You know what, I’ve you about it in an interesting, psychology- really quick. just realised I haven’t got any more general related way... I don’t know if you ever got questions prepared... I wrote them all with round to studying Jungian theory... [c’mon A meal? You mean models eat!? Katie in mind, so umm... well I guess that rule three!] K: Sometimes, yeah. I guess. doesn’t matter! K: Let’s see if I can remember anything! D: Umm, well she’s still free if you want- And did you get to keep any of the clothes ed to ask her. I’m totally rusty too, but one of like a proper celebrity? his theories was that achieving a certain K: No, but they sent a catalogue and OK, thank you Deb. Nice talking to you! balance of anima and animus has an in- asked me if I wanted to choose anything D: You too. Hold on one second... fluence on a person’s creative ability. So but I just haven’t had time, basically! K: Helloooo! I was wondering, as an all-female band, whether you think that your music is more OK, time for one last question... you’ve Hello again! Sorry about this, there was influenced by your animus? got a tattoo of a heart on your arm with a complete mix-up and I’ve ridiculously K: Oh god, I don’t even remember what a blank banner running across it. Is it re- run out of general questions... do you mind that is. Do you know enough about to ex- served for the name of ‘The One’ or for that if I ask you some more personal ones? plain it to me? elusive perfect chord progression? Will you K: No, go right ahead. ever fill it in? If I remember correctly, Jungians think K: Umm, I don’t think I’ll ever fill it in, Great... er, so you worked at Bryan Adams’ that every person has their semi- or un- no ... I’m old enough now to studios. What’s he like? conscious female and male traits that realise I don’t think it’ll ever be filled. I K: On a personal level, I don’t really guide them. The animus is feminine and think if I’d had it when I was 17 it would know him all that well. I worked for him the anima is masculine. They think it’s the have been filled around 8000 times by when he was making one of his records reason people can fall for someone in an now, but that’s part of the reason why so I was around him quite a lot, and to instant, like they see their anima/animus I’ll never fill it in, because I realise that be honest he was always really nice to me in that person, but that’s not really what I things change... don’t they? but he’s also purely focused on the task was getting at. at hand. That’s really my take on him. K: I don’t think we studied that yet. That They definitely do. Listen, thanks so much. He’s like the hardest working person I’ve doesn’t ring any bells at all. Seriously. K: You're very welcome! Byeee! n

13 top of the drops THE PIPETTES INTERESTING POP FACT: Bespotted Brighton lady lungsmiths The Pipettes (aka Becki, Gwenno and Rose) and their backing band The Cassettes (Jon, Seb, Joe and “Monster” Bobby) have the bestest theme song ever. Forget your Monkees and your ain’t-no- party-like-an-S-Club-party, theirs is an uncompromising, foot-stomping, hand-clapping, tongue-in-cheek righteous bid for world domination – “take us, take us to your planet / give us your mind and we’ll scan it / sell us a ship and we’ll man it / because we mean it!” Not since the heyday of Smash Hits [sniiiiiip! RIP] has fun been so, well, fundamental to a collective’s common purpose. And what really takes the biscuit (tin) is that The Pipettes make pop that it’s ok to like, if not impossible not to, thereby guarantee- ing guilt-free swingorilliance. On tour, they’ve supported the likes of The Magic Numbers, labelmates The Go! Team and indie gooners Kaiser Chiefs and after two years hard grafting on the circuit, their finely-honed harmonies and brassy repertoire will be making it to a record shop near you with an album due in the summer. With their recent single Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me cutting a swathe through chart-hogging bulimics and mediocre premature granddads, Alan Pedder got Rose on the blower for a chat about Simon Cowell and bringing the world to its longstockinged knees…

So, Rose, if you saw Madonna walking down musicians is this sort of mystification How do you respond to naysayers who think the street tomorrow wearing some polka and “oh my god, they’re amazing genius- that having such a firm emphasis on fun dot designer ensemble, would you go and es” attitude. I think a lot of musicians means you’ll lack longevity? confront her and say “oi pop magpie, you’ve play up to that, especially male guitar Hmm, I don’t know. I think that’s some- nicked our idea?” bands. They’ll promote that idea them- thing that people are immediately going Yeah, but it’s a bit late for that. selves and it’s really false and boring. It to confront us with, but that’s only look- Polka dots are in all the shops now so doesn’t make for anything new or excit- ing slightly on the surface of what we’re we’ve got girls turning up to our gigs ing to come through. And I think the doing. We want to make really great re- wearing nicer dresses than us and that’s most interesting things that I’ve listened cords for people to dance to and have a not on! So I think we might have to have to have come from our guitarist’s night great time. We want to have that instan- a bit of a rethink at some point. It is in Brighton called Totally Bored. It’s taneous effect but we’re really inter- something we’ve been doing for a cou- once a month at some café and he gets all ested in everything to do with songcraft ple of years now so, yeah, we could say kinds of people turning up to play their and the way that things are structured we started the whole polka dot revival! little songs. And it might not be the most and work quite hard on those elements. At first it was just something that peo- technically brilliant thing but something We’re certainly not flippant or blasé ple could instantly associate with us. It’s that has, you know, a bit of heart about about the music that we’re making so I nice for us to have matching outfits. It’s it and a bit of risk taking as well. I think hope that comes across as well. There’s as if in that moment we put our dresses that’s maybe what’s really missing from always going to be people who look at on, we become The Pipettes, kind of the current music scene. us and say, you know, “there’s three girls like a gang. having a laugh on stage, it doesn’t mean I think we’ve seen a bit of a resurgence of anything” and that’s fine, that’s cool, but Like the Pink Ladies but with polka dots! that kind of thing in recent years, especially we’re quite serious really! Yeah, that sort of thing. It’s our uniform! in New York with the whole antifolk scene Yeah, I think that’s a classic example of Given the revival of the Sixties girl group What’s next then, stripes? what we’re interested in. It doesn’t even sound in indie music with The Long Blondes, No… I think you run the risk of that kind have to be something new, just having Raveonettes, Chalets etc., would you be sur- of very defined image becoming tired and a different way of saying things is great. prised to see Simon Cowell wade in with a we don’t want to be seen as a kind of nov- People who aren’t classically trained or manufactured replica? elty band? We really care about our songs whatever are going to more easily access Maybe. We don’t necessarily want to and our writing and we know there’s a that than someone whose brain is crowd- be marginalised to the indie market. I lifespan to everything. We don’t want to ed by all of the so-called rules that they think people kind of assume that be- get bored with ourselves either! might know. In a way, that’s a different cause we’re a live band that that’s where thing to us, because we’re coming at it we’re coming from, but the indie circuit I like the way you’re basically saying don’t from a traditional entertainment angle. is just something you have to do when put too much stock in so-called ‘integrity’ you’re a live band. I think our aspira- and saying that anyone can have a go at How do you think The Pipettes would go tions go more towards TV shows like making music. Is it the ultimate everywom- down in New York? CD:UK and Top Of The Pops than the an pastime? Oh god, I can’t really imagine what they’d NME. I would be really happy to see I think that’s something we definitely be- say. I bet they’d think it was ever so quaint Simon Cowell create some big band, if lieve in. One of the things we hate about or something. only for us to piss all over it and show

14 from left to right: Becki, Gwenno, Rose15 them how to do it properly! … has changed; the political climate and that they’ll say “let’s just give it a go”. So we’d like to stand up against bands like all kinds of things are completely dif- yeah, I don’t really know what they were Girls Aloud and Sugababes and that ferent. We have no experience of what thinking! kind of thing. it was like forty years ago so I think all we can do is write about what we In the girlgroup era, labels were often de- Do you make a distinction between the know. But these are the sorts of songs scribed as a sort of family, is that how you Sixties girl group sound and the girl group where it’s more that the framework is see your set-up? THE PIPETTES ethos, which was all about the svengali from the past rather than just copying Sort of, yeah. We try to get on with every- super-producers? Are you careful to distance them directly. We like our songs to be one we work with and there’s definitely a yourselves from the idea of some sort of man- a bit cheeky and fun and even though sort of “oh you’re a Memphis band” kind aged post-modern attempt at pastiche? they’re not the most profound poems, of attitude. But we don’t really get to see I suppose so, yeah. I mean, you can nev- they’re still real and important because people that often with everyone jetting er really control what people are going there’s a truth to them and a universal- off to places, doing their own thing, so in to think and I think that’s a very risky ity as well. People have compared us to that sense of family, maybe not. business. We’re very much aware of all riot grrl, and while there’s an element those issues but the difference between of that [Becki‘s a fan], we’re not making So before you recorded your first album us and bands that came from that era is bold political statements in the same recently, you hadn’t spent much time in the that we sort of wanted to manufacture way. And in a way, it’s because we don’t studio, more on the stage. How’d it go? ourselves in a way, before anybody else really feel we need to. We’re just do- It was great. It was such a lovely chance got the chance to. From the very begin- ing it for ourselves and that’s enough to finally get some of these songs down. ning, we had these ideas and we’re all for us. We are empowered by the music I mean, some of them we’ve been play- very much in control of these things. that we make, the gigs that we do and ing for over two years now, so we were We don’t do anything by mistake re- the way that we dance on stage, and really quite ready to have them properly ally. It’s all carefully thought through that’s our choice. recorded. Especially with a proper con- and all seven of us are involved in that. centrated amount of time. Although, There’s no real leader of the band as A lot people have accused The Beatles of actually it turns out we did it in about such. There’s no main songwriter either. killing off the girl group sound, much like two weeks, which is really quick. But we We all write songs and us three girls are Elvis appropriated and demarginalised finally had the opportunity to work with in control of what we’re doing on stage. R&B. Do you think the music industry is the string quartets and horn trios that But we can’t escape certain miscon- still the kind of place where men can achieve we’ve been carrying around in our heads ceptions, and in a way we kind of like a kind of permanency off the back of a sound from the beginning. And it’s actually people to be a bit confused by what it that women are rarely remembered for? been realised now, which is really excit- is we’re doing. A lot of people seem to I really do feel that. It is still very much ing. In our eyes, it’s definitely the record go “oh I see where you’re coming from, a male-dominated world and unfor- that we wanted to make, which is quite you must be a post-feminist” and we’re tunately not much has changed really. an achievement I think! Not to like well maybe we’re not and maybe Boys tend to be taken a lot more seri- blow our own trumpet or anything but it doesn’t have to be like that. There’s ously than girls, and especially girls like you hear a lot of people moaning about other things. us who are sort of playing around with how they didn’t want things this way or feminism. I mean, people are so quick to that way and we felt like that about our People like a bit of mystery, don’t they? judge us in a way that they would never previous recordings. I think we actually Yeah. Well, no not really, it makes them a judge a man. But we know that and it did get across what we wanted to, but bit angry sometimes I’ve found! doesn’t frighten us but sometimes it’s it is definitely a leap for us, with proper still a bit difficult. blood, sweat and tears put into it. So Really? we’re really excited to see what people They’re like “surely you must be able to Before you got signed, is it true that a lot of make of it because I think that perhaps put your name to some kind of cause!”... labels said they didn’t really know how to it’s not the record that people expected so, yeah, I don’t know. market you? What makes Memphis Indus- us to make, so we’ll see. tries different do you think? A lot of the songs of the girl group era were Yeah, it’s true. I think their attitude is OK, last question, as there’s seven of you, pretty much just glossed up morality tales. different. They have this ethos that each The Pipettes have a melting pot of influences Is that something that you try to bear in act they manage they want to be differ- and I hear you’re a bit of a folkie at heart... mind lyrically? ent to the last. They’re quite a new la- can we expect some kind of ceilidh dance Hmm, no not really. I think that our songs bel and I think they really enjoy taking video in the future? are really just about the way we feel. risks. Obviously as with any label they No I don’t think so, probably want to make money but I don’t think not. I mean, you never know, but I think They’re coming from a more modern place that’s the key thing. They took a bit of a that’s my main kind of influence but I are they? gamble with us. I mean, they really liked don’t think the others would share in it. Definitely, very much so. I think it us but they weren’t really sure where we It’s not really a part of the current Pipettes would have been very stupid to try and were going to fit, but that didn’t neces- oeuvre. It would be much to the horror of replicate those kind of themes. So much sarily matter. That’s what’s really great, Riot Becki I imagine!! n

16 MYSPACE Once upon a time there was a magical place full of the promise of good things. A utopian land where all men (and wom- en) were equal, from common workaday Joe’s or Joanne’s to aging heroes from long, long ago. It was a wonderful para- dise called mp3.com. These days mp3.com is little more than yet another online CD/download store with no indication of its ground- breaking past. The idea was quite simple; have a website where anyone – yes any- one – could post their latest composi- tions, EPs or even full albums in mp3 format. If you browsed past an album that you happened to like, then mp3. com, for a small fee, would even burn it onto CD, print up the album cover and mail it to you. The site was certainly egalitarian and open to all. Bedroom musicians had the same access as established artists who used it for those private “experimental” projects in which no label would take an interest. Byrds founder Roger Mc- Guinn used it as a base for his Folk Den project, compiling and distributing his by Trevor Raggatt own recordings of traditional American folk songs. David Bowie also delved into filtering for users. Users chose from a what music we like better than we do. his vaults of rare, unreleased tracks and range of simple genres to classify their Even those shiny, rainbow-hued opti- posted them on the site. Of course, for pages and the automated user assistance cal discs are touted as being as obsolete every McGuinn or Bowie using mp3. was rudimentary. Sivers again, “…to as a wax cylinder or a Betamax tape. com there were a thousand others post- their credit [they] really did try to set up Most of this could have been predicted ing material of, at best, questionable a system where the cream would rise to by those futurologists with their hover quality. After all, even this Eden sprout- the top – they did it in terms of popular- cars and Bacofoil jumpsuits. However, ed the odd apple tree while snakes slith- ity of downloads and such… [they were] no one could have reasonably foreseen ered in the long grass. popularity contests as far as the people the explosive success of a site that has Derek Sivers, founder of CDBaby, re- who already had the biggest fanbase, or grown from a few hundred users to over cently put his finger on the issue – there if you worked at a big company, you e- 70 million in only three years – and were no filters, no way of practically mail everybody in the company and say, its effect on grassroots musicians and separating the musical wheat from the please go download my song so I can music fans. Without a doubt, MySpace talentless chaff. “I think filters are need- rise to the top of the charts.” will go down in the internet annals as a ed right now in the music scene because Of course it couldn’t last and at the true phenomenon. distribution has become so easy. mp3. turn of the millennium the launch of com was an even more extreme example a basic file-sharing facility on the site Will you be my friend? of that – anybody could just fart into a led to damaging court action by the re- For the uninitiated, MySpace is what’s mic and upload it. It was free. It’s just an cording industry establishment against officially known as a ‘social network- mp3, you don’t even have to burn a CD… mp3.com. The dot-com bust that fol- ing site’. It’s operation (on the sur- all of a sudden there were just hundreds lowed soon after sealed its fate. face) is simple – upon registering as a of thousands of mp3s up there – how Fast forward five years to an online MySpace member one receives what could you possibly go through that?” world which has changed immeasur- is, effectively, a web page that serves as Rather more diplomatically, an MTV ably. Technical advances and the in- your MySpace home – initially with a employee was quoted at an online con- domitable spread of broadband has standard but user-friendly format, cus- tent delivery conference as saying, “If revolutionised how we use the internet tomisable through simple HTML pro- nothing else, mp3.com showed us there and view music. Now we have innu- gramming (‘standard’ and off the shelf are an almost unlimited number of mar- merable online music stores, burgeon- elements/editors are already becoming ginally talented people out there.” ing legal download sites, the Napster readily available). Its two beauties and Ten years ago the technology avail- debacle seems to be over bar the shout- the keys to its success are its breadth of able to marketplace sites like mp3.com ing, digital stations are multiplying at features and the fact that, for the user, it was insufficient to provide meaningful an hourly rate and claiming to know operates on an incredibly organic basis,

17 from top right: Kat Parsons, Victoria Kat Parsons, Vox, topfrom right: and MySpace Lane screenshot Brianna exploiting the powerful six degrees of separation principle. Users network by finding pages of users who share com- mon interests and inviting those people to become their ‘friend’. A list of each user’s ‘friends’ is displayed on their page allowing you to browse your new friend’s other chums to see if they are someone you want to get to know too – after all any friend of yours must be a friend of mine. In effect, the MySpace experience is the online realisation of real-life social interaction. Whist this, on its own would be unlikely to keep up interest for long, MySpace’s interactive features allows a sense of community to blossom. From each page there is the facility to e-mail to automatically stream whenever the more established artists working the cir- and instant message friends, display profile is viewed. Musicians even have cuit, the response was uniformly positive photos, coordinate diaries, post bulle- the option to let their friends and fans and remarkably similar. tins, leave comments on other friends’ download, rate and comment on their LA-based independent artist Kat pages, join special interest groups and latest tracks. Parsons jumps in at this point, “It’s online forums and blog your wisdom to It didn’t take the major record labels been a really wonderful way to intro- the world; all in all, there’s enough to long to cotton on to the potential pow- duce people to my music and it makes keep most users occupied, and enough er of MySpace as a promotional tool. it really easy to record something, con- to make meaningful connections pos- International megastars such as REM, vert it to an mp3 and get new music sible. It now even incorporates features the Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna, Kelly out there right away. It’s also a really similar to those on sites such as Friends Clarkson, Coldplay and Mariah Carey all neat way to get to know my fans and to Reunited and Friendster. have their own pages, often with tens of tell them more about me.” As with so many innovations, all thousands of friends. Other established Brianna Lane who plies her trade this was the result of a few individu- but less mainstream artists like Aimee around the American midwest and als’ inspiration – in this case Tom An- Mann, Ani DiFranco and PJ Harvey have further afield agrees: “The internet derson (everyone’s first ever friend on also joined in the fun. Emerging talent is a godsend for independent artists. joining MySpace) and Chris DeWolfe. like KT Tunstall are using it too – Tun- Without the big bucks of a major label Whilst working for an online storage stall’s MySpace presence formed a solid backing us it’s challenging to get your group Anderson came up with the idea word-of-mouth basis for February’s US name out there. As a promotional tool of a cyber-networking site, pitched it launch of Eye To The Telescope. it’s essential… word of mouth (or word to DeWolfe who arranged investment of e-mail!) travels fast and there are from Intermix and the rest was, very Sisters doin’ it for themselves hundreds of networking sites and fan soon, history! No matter how much the majors look to outreach opportunities. It’s great see- Whilst large numbers of MySpace promote their product through MySpace, ing folks at my shows that I know from users may be hormone-fuelled teens it’s in the realm of the independent artist MySpace… they’ll come up to me after- looking to score, a more discerning cli- that the site has begun to have the great- wards and say ‘Hey, I’m your MySpace entele has quickly amassed. Music has est impact. The rise of the Arctic Mon- friend…’ and often I’ll think ‘No way! been a strong focus of MySpace since its keys, a veritable internet phenomenon, Man, it’s working.’ I’m always stunned genesis and has increasingly become a has been attributed to their MySpace and grateful when I find out I’ve made powerful marketing tool for both major presence and has already become the an impression on someone through the and independent recording and per- stuff of legend. Indeed, they now reside internet and they’ve gone beyond that forming artists. DeWolfe was strongly in the top ten most popular bands on and made their presence known at a connected to people in the LA creative MySpace in terms of friends and page live show.” community and polled bands, artists, views (nearly 50,000 friends and three Another artist making good use of musicians and other creatives for feed- quarters of a million page views!) out of MySpace technology is Wisconsin’s back on what they would want out of a well over 350,000 music pages. Howev- ukulele-totin’ pop princess, Victoria promotional and networking site. Those er, even at a more modest level, the site Vox, who seems to spend most of the features were quickly incorporated into gives independent artists a shop window year heading up or down both the US MySpace. Since 2004, musicians have in which to display their wares, interact highway system and the information been able to create their own music with fans, publicise their gigs and record- superhighway, spreading the news. “I profiles that allow them to promote ings and increase their profile. Whether get on MySpace daily… well, I try to! Its their concerts and other events and completely new artists using MySpace proved to be as addictive as caffeine. I post up to four mp3 files that can be set as an alternative to a ‘proper’ website or feel it’s sort of replaced the website for

18 MYSPACE emerging artists and DIY-ers. It is, in for $580 million (£330 million). How- selections. All very good but it does fact, a one page website…and a free ever, the conspiracy theory concerns have weaknesses in that it takes no ac- one at that! I can’t mention that word of control and corporate strangulation count of the mercurial nature of mu- ‘free’ enough. There are so many out- have yet to come to pass. Subscribing to sical taste, the contradictions within lets for musicians to promote at no cost the ‘if it ain’t broke’ school of thought, any music collection or the nature of but the coolest thing about MySpace is MySpace carries on much as ever, with fandom itself. Personally, I have always that it’s primarily a ‘fan site’. The inter- occasional tweaks and upgrades. loved Aimee Mann but have never got action between fans and musicians is Murdoch, or his minions at least, do on with Ani DiFranco or Polly Harvey’s great – and fans love it.” have plans for expansion and maybe music. I adore Sarah McLachlan but For the hard working muso trying even world domination. There are al- don’t connect emotionally with Tori to make it on a budget there are other ready around a million MySpace users Amos. Recommendation engines say benefits of MySpace too. Vox again, “It’s based in the UK and in January, News that I should. However, it does amuse also a great way to meet other bands Corp announced its intention to intro- me that my eclectic tastes might lead to and swap gigs and audiences. Overall, I duce a UK-based MySpace domain. In- a few Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy fans think it’s been positive all round.” Lane terestingly, but not entirely surprisingly, being exposed to the occasional random is similarly enthusiastic but adds a word the initial focus for the site would be the Chic, ELO or June Tabor track. of scepticism, “For gig attendance… it’s UK’s music scene. Plans were already It seems that, somehow, MySpace definitely helped out there… connecting afoot to cooperate with the producers and its networking technology connects with some really awesome and helpful of the British TV chart music show, CD: with us on an organic and human level. folks that want to get people out to see UK (recently exported Stateside as CD: It allows us to happen across wonderful my shows. They are so amazing and such USA – catchy name, would never have new ‘finds’, peruse the virtual musical huge supporters of independent music. thought of that!) incorporating un- tastes of other music fans and to inter- Getting gigs? I think it’s helped too. A lot signed MySpace bands into the format. act with them in a real way. Aside from of venues have MySpace sites so it makes Fox Interactive Media president Ross the potential for commercial manipula- it easy to be in touch with one another Levinson said, “We hope to go back to tion of the site, there is also a danger of – helping to build a stronger communi- the UK to tap into how successful that the close accessibility eroding the tradi- ty. But MySpace still seems to be a little show is. Hopefully they’ll want to mar- tional mythology of the artist. However, too new to be fully trusted. My guess is ket through MySpace and we’ll tap into the site gives singers, songwriters and that bookers like listening to CDBaby or the local events scene, parties, clubs, bands the chance to reach out to new SonicBids…just a theory!” artists, film makers, television produc- fans who would never have come across Is all rosy otherwise? Users do have a ers, so I think it’s going to grow pretty their music otherwise. raft of complaints about the site – there rapidly.” Perhaps the last words should go to are sufficiently regular technical prob- Brave words and a great opportunity one of those artists, Kat Parsons: “The lems that the error message “An unex- for the cream of the UK’s unsigned and world is full of connections – six de- pected error has occurred” is commonly independent artists, but it remains to grees of separation – and MySpace is known as an “expected error” message. be seen whether the ‘independent’ art- great at connecting people even further, There are complaints of all too regu- ists who end up being featured qualify both socially and musically. It’s neat that lar service outages, and typically the for that title only technically. MySpace’s I can reach someone with whom I share maintenance downtime is scheduled for ‘independent’ artists do feature, after common musical tastes. I think you the deepest parts of the night – in LA all, the likes of Nickelback, Jem, Evanes- can have true connection with some- – meaning daytime disruption for us in cence and LL Cool J. Maybe it will be one through a song. MySpace allows for the UK! corporate strangulation and conspiracy that. It allows two strangers to find one theory after all. another – artist and fan – and to con- Filthy lucre? nect through a song. And if a stranger All that being said, keeping a sprawling Try some, buy some likes a tune they can easily learn more organism like MySpace running can’t But why all the fuss over MySpace? and let other people know about it. be an easy prospect as it continues to What about the alternatives for search- Other forms of getting your music out grow in scope and popularity. From a ing out great new music. The industry there are not as effective – a flyer or few thousand users at the end of 2003, it is making a lot of noise about so-called poster doesn’t play a song! Maybe the now boasts around 70 million members, ‘recommendation engine’ technologies main disadvantage is that there is so of whom over 32 million are regularly such as Pandora, Moodlogic, Music- much out there and so little time!” n active with daily traffic rates rivalling brainz, Mercora or Grouper that learn web monoliths Google and Yahoo. This about their users’ musical tastes and sug- Got a MySpace type of market penetration doesn’t go gest other artists and tracks that might profile? Come unnoticed. Inevitably, hungry eyes were appeal. All this works well in theory. and befriend closely watching the site’s meteoric rise Indeed, Yahoo’s LaunchCast online and in July 2005 ripples of concern went music station has worked well on this us! We’re the through the online community when principle for some time – allowing us- new Arctic the parent company of MySpace was ers to rate their favourite music and Monkeys... bought by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp suggesting occasional new or unrated www.myspace.com/wearsthetrousers

19 NEKO CASE to the vixen

go theillustration by Elizaspoils Lazy

The archetype of the fox as a totem of cunning and ingenuity goes at least as far back as Biblical times, and recurs again and again in almost every genre of story. In romance, the term can apply to either a beautiful woman or a distinguished older man; in adventure, the hunted or tenacious, artful hunter; in fairytales, a cheating despot or lovable rule-flouting rogue. Few other characters tread so finely down the line that marks out good from bad. But where a fox makes its path, does deceit necessarily follow, however well intentioned? With her new album Fox Confessor Brings The Flood being heralded in all quarters as a modern marvel of noirish storytelling and a distillation of her already formidable talent, Neko Case may know the answer. Alan Pedder meets her over lunch (salad, soup and fruit for you fact fans) on a freezing afternoon...

“The Fox Confessor is not the trick- a little ambiguity.” Still, the temptation Rock in April 2003. In February, she was ster,” Neko is quick to assert. “He’s an to overanalyse Neko’s songs is certainly voted Female Artist of the Year at the observer, he sees everything but he’s a strong one, and even more so when 2006 PLUG Independent Music Awards very elusive. You can ask him questions faced with Fox Confessor’s extraordinary without even releasing an album if you happen to chance upon him, but wealth of literary, surrealist and some- (Tigers was released in October 2004). the likelihood he’ll give you a straight times absurd source material. Dirty Knife, Given that she was up against the likes answer is slim.” Sounds like a politician, for instance, is a streamlined version of of Vashti Bunyan, Laura Cantrell and I venture and receive a wry smile. “He’s an old family tale passed down to Neko Emiliana Torrini, she must be feeling kind of like the demon go-between be- from her grandmother. Almost Roald pretty good about that, right? “Yeah, tween Faust and the devil. When Faust Dahl-esque in its fantastical vision of it’s nice,” she shrugs. “Odd, but nice. I makes the deal with the devil to be all- real-life events in which members of a had no idea it was happening so it was powerful, Satan sends his minion in to household contract lead poisoning, go like being hit over the head. You spend a give him what he wants and Faust says “completely bonkers” and burn all their little time feeling kind of unworthy, like to the demon, ‘ok, I’m the king of this furniture. “I narrowed it down to one awww, that’s nice.” now but I wanna know what life means, person in the story because I tried to It’s hard to imagine that this will be I wanna know what love means’. And write it about all of them but it wasn’t Neko’s only honour in the months to the demon gets kinda irritated and says, concise enough for me,” she explains. “I come. In several respects, Fox Confes- ‘I would tell you that but your human try to keep things not too involved, so sor comes dangerously close to being a brain is so tiny you couldn’t possibly the story became not so much about the masterwork, and at 35 years old, Neko contain it’, so that’s kind of what he is. people but what was happening.” She feels like she’s finally found the sound But then he’s also half, ‘you won’t un- pauses for a sip of water before adding that suits her best. “I kinda had a clue derstand the meaning unless you have a characteristically self-deprecating dis- on Blacklisted, but as far as songwriting the experience. Sure I could tell you but claimer, “It was easier, I’m lazy.” goes, I hadn’t been doing it all that long. you’re not going to get it.’ Of course, laziness is by far the least I mean, in the grand scheme of things. Does a similar principle apply to her of Neko’s traits; it may have been three I wasn’t disappointed with Blacklisted, lyrics? Like many artists, Neko is wary and a bit years since her last studio al- not by any means, but I feel like, with of people attributing every song to a bum, Blacklisted, but she’s since done this record, I’ve kind of settled into my direct personal experience, even when countless tours, appeared on two criti- theme. There is progression… I mean, those same songs are so convincingly cally-worshipped albums by her side- I hope there is and that people notice detailed. “I’m kinda hesitant to print the line earner The New Pornographers, it. It is a different record, although it’s lyrics,” she says. “It makes it easier for lovingly crafted the concept live disc not as unrelated to Blacklisted as Black- the listener to make the songs their own, The Tigers Have Spoken and topped a listed was to Furnace Room Lullaby.” She to insert their own life experiences into number of surveys, including a Play- needn’t worry. It’s hard not to notice the them if they want to. There’s room for boy web poll for Sexiest Babe of Indie record’s incredible blend of offbeat po-

20 go the spoils faith”, and the obvious thought occurs that world events and the political cli- mate in her homeland have plenty to do with it. “Yeah, they do, but it’s not just about that,” she says, looking up from her salad. “It’s about any kind of faith re- ally. I’m just amazed by the fact that no matter how much faith you lose, there’s still a little grain of it left. It’s like phys- ics, you can’t destroy matter. Sure, you can split the atom, but there’s energy in there too.” It’s a pertinent analogy, I think, one that you can get carried away with and apply to all manner of situa- tions. But sticking with the topic of cur- rent affairs, I suggest that the rising tide of anti-Bush sentiment in the States is exactly that kind of energy, the thirst for change that boils up in a country divid- ed in two. “Yeah, that’s the one inspiring thing. Finally, we’ve reached the point where people are openly speaking out against George Bush. He’s so despised, especially after Hurricane Katrina.” She sighs, “I’m not a Republican or a Demo- crat, but I don’t think it was a fair elec- tion. John Kerry should’ve been a lot more heavy-handed with George Bush but he wasn’t. There were things about “no matter how much faith him that weren’t cool, but none of them are good. It’s not like the Democrats are you lose, there’s always a doing great things either, but they’re not like Bush.” little grain of it left” It’s the same here, I shrug, it feels like we’re kind of running out of choices. etics, mythology and grit, not to men- the way they tell stories, and that’s a big She nods, “That’s a good way to put it, tion the black humour that really comes part of this record. I’d always wondered running out of choices. And you know to the fore on songs like Star Witness (“my what it meant to be Ukrainian because what, they’re pretending we still have true love drowned in a dirty old pan of oil”) I had no idea and I think we were the choices but we don’t really. But it’s and Hold On, Hold On (“I leave the party only ones in Washington, we were it. So great that things are changing enough at 3am / alone, thank God / with a valium I had no idea what that meant and, you that when he tried to open up drilling from the bride”). “The Ukrainian folktales know, many people in America don’t get in the Arctic, Congress actually said have a bizarre sense of humour, but they what it means to belong to something ‘get the fuck out of here’. And his ar- are really funny. These songs relate to like a culture. If you’re English, you can gument about intellectual religion and that tradition in the way that they’re say ‘We’re English! Look at us, we’ve what not, they also said ‘get the fuck out talking about pretty bleak things, but got so much history’, you know, but in of here – we are separating church and not in a really moral way,” she explains. America everyone’s sort of separated state’. That whole ‘God made me do it’ “They’re talking about them in a don’t- off into these weird factions. Everybody defence, that is so disgusting. I don’t be-a-dumbass kind of way.” banding together and saying ‘Hey, we’re understand how he can separate him- Previous albums have barely touched American’ just sounds sort of gross be- self from fundamentalist terrorists who on Neko’s Ukrainian ancestry, let alone cause of the way things are over there. blow people up on planes. They say that scratched the surface so deeply and People aren’t really ready to do that, same thing as he does. He has no re- with such passion as Fox Confessor. So even though that’s kind of what they spect for our Constitution whatsoever, why the sudden urge to explore her Eu- need to do. It’s a hard position to take as and it’s not like he’s the first, there have ropean heritage, I wonder. “Basically, an American, especially the way things been many many horrible Presidents my Ukrainian ancestry is kinda nebu- are currently. We’re all very unhappy but, you know, he’s so over the top, such lous because my family are Ukrainian about it and we all hate our government a bumbling idiot.” but they won’t talk about it or speak the very much.” She smiles ruefully. Clearly, we could bitch about this all language. But they have many Ukrainian Neko sees the album as having an day, but the timely tumble of a parme- traits that they can’t hide, particularly overarching central theme of “loss of san shaving from Neko’s lips lightens

22 NEKO CASE NEKO

she see herself going further down that you’d just go back and listen to the song particular avenue into more experimen- over and over. I thought that was a tal song forms? “Yeah, I’d like that. I like really powerful thing.” And sure enough, songs to be collage-y, made up of dif- one listen to Hold On, Hold On reveals ferent parts and not necessarily includ- what Neko refers to as her “Freddie ing a chorus. I mean, there’s a couple Mercury moment.” of choruses on the new record but for Such insights reveal yet another as- the most part I get in and say one thing pect of similarity between Neko and and then it’s gone. Those are the songs the Fox Confessor – both are incessant I tend to like, I think they have more observers. Reportedly carrying a tape emotional weight.” recorder with her at all times, Neko She hesitates slightly on the last is well known among her friends for word, perhaps a little wary of sounding her incredible capacity to record and pompous, and that’s one of her most en- store in her memory snatches of even dearing qualities. Neko has gone on re- the most fleeting of conversations. For cord several times to state that she has example, the lyrics to That Teenage Feel- little interest in eulogising herself to the ing, perhaps the most rousing of the masses or to get up there on a pedestal. new album’s songs, sprang from a late- “I’m not out to become Faith Hill,” she night discourse on love between Neko once said. “I never want to play an arena and her guitarist Paul Rigby. But while the mood with a shy giggle. Besides, Neko maintains that she herself doesn’t Neko has more interviews to do and a quite know exactly what that teenage radio session to record this afternoon feeling is, she’s recently fulfilled a life- and I want to know more about her time ambition to have her own radio anthropomorphic protagonist, the Fox show, or at least the modern equivalent Confessor. We get to talking some more – the podcast. Didn’t you once say you about her Ukrainian roots. “I’ve never hated the internet and that you were been, but I’d love to go there. All I ever going to “get famous the old-fashioned do is tour though so maybe we’ll have way, one person at a time”, I ask. “Yeah, to work it out so that we can tour in the I was just being a smartass,” she smiles. Ukraine.” I tell her that my background “I used to help my friend back in col- research for the interview revealed lege with her radio show and it was re- that the country actually has a national ally great fun. It’s one of those things holiday called Old Fox Day. She beams, where I guess I could get one if I tried “Really? I didn’t know that!” It’s a recent but I’m never around. With podcasts thing, I explain, dedicated to a charac- you can do it in your own time and put ter from some popular satirical novel, it up on your website. I’ve done three some kind of great strategist, a trickster. shows so far and every show is kind of “I don’t know if that’s the Fox Confessor based around twenty songs. I sound or not,” she ponders. “There are lots of like a complete idiot and some of the different foxes, probably, but it sounds and I never want to be on the MTV Mu- cool. Actually, the Fox Confessor kind sic Video Awards, much less make a vid- of parallels Native American folklore; eo with me in.” Neko believes that music the fox has the same sort of role.” should be accessible to all and that peo- It could be argued that the Fox Con- ple shouldn’t covet what they see and fessor kind of parallels Neko herself. are sold on their MTVs and their VH1s, Neither seem to suffer fools all that but that they should be inspired by what gladly or to have any truck with what they hear, get out there and make some might be expected of them. Both are music of their own. “I learnt this thing complex characters, both are capable of from my favourite early Queen records,” great tangential convolutions. But most she says. “There’d be these four minute importantly, both are progenitors of a songs, really great songs, and then quite new way of thinking, ready to kick down late on there’d be this seamless, incred- outmoded constructs whilst drawing ible melody and you’d think ‘woah, I heavily on the rites of tradition. Getting didn’t think it could get any better!’ and back to the songs themselves, I express it would freak you out. But you’d only my admiration for the non-linear song- get to hear it one time and you’d be writing she has steadily perfected. Is she thinking that’s the most incredible hook averse to a verse and refrain, I wonder, ever. The restraint not to use it through- or is it simply experimentation? Does out the whole song is just amazing. So

23 though. I don’t mind, I love Canada.” Indeed, Neko has another Canadian side project in the shape of The Corn Sisters, an old-time country duo she formed with Vancouver resident Caro- lyn Mark. After a number of successful NEKO CASE shows, they released a live record, their first and only to date, in 2000. Are there any plans to make a second album I ask, perhaps a little too hopefully. “Well the thing about that is we’ve forced Kelly Hogan to be in the band with us so we’ve been doing a lot of touring together. We do like eight shows a year together, and we’re all so busy that we haven’t been able to figure out what we would do if we did an album, but we really want to,” she nods. “We have a lot of fun.” Certainly, Neko’s rave reviews don’t stop at her studio output. As The Tigers Have Spoken showed with con- viction and as many a fan would attest, Neko is a natural live performer with songs may seem a little stupid, but I for her role as a transient member of real command of her material, her vo- try to give people a little information the New Pornographers. Does she find cals and her fawning audience. “When about them. Lately it’s been Canadian singing with the band a liberating ex- a person makes a record, it’s not the ladies I’ve been listening to… the Feist perience, being able to play outside of same as when a person buys the record record and I love that Martha Wain- her usual ‘sound’, especially given her and listens to it,“ she explains. “I mean, wright album. Those ladies make me background in the Seattle underground you work your butt off on it, you spend feel so proud and inspired.” punk rock scene? “Yeah, it’s liberat- months in a studio or however long Canadian music is one of my current ing not to have to write the songs too!” it takes and you listen to every sound preoccupations so I ask her opinion on she grins. “It’s nice to be in band where thousands of times, so it’s the kind of the question that’s been bugging me for you’re just a member of the band and thing where when you make the record ages. Is there a reason why we’re wit- you’re not responsible for everything. that’s the record to you and when it’s nessing a real Canadian music boom I’ve always written the songs in all the out you don’t listen to it anymore. And at the moment? I mean, it’s not all that other bands I’ve been in. This is the first then it becomes about the live show and long ago since all we really heard about band where I don’t, basically, and that’s meeting your audience in the middle, was Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Bry- nice because I don’t have to worry about because your audience interprets the an Adams. Not to mention the fact that it. Dan and Carl are two of my favou- record. You get together and you have Candle In The Wind ‘97 was in the Cana- rite songwriters so I’m honoured that I this great night and that becomes the dian Top 20 for three ludicrous years. actually get to sing the songs at all. No record to you.” She shrugs, “I hadn’t really noticed. worrying, you just show up and there’s I open my mouth to say something I guess I’ve been around the bands so a great song written for you and you get gushing about what a wonderful way of long I already knew how great they all to feel like a queen for a day, like “oh, looking at things that is, but her press are. Oh wait, that makes me sound like that’s for me, thank you!” officer appears to let us know that the I’m trying to be cool, but I just love No one could really call them alt- reporter from The Sun (yes, really!) is Canada so much that I’m always aware country and get away with it could they? here for the next interview. Time for of what’s going on musically because I She grimaces, “Nobody likes alt-coun- one last question then; if she could ask think great music comes out of there. If try. Country-noir is not so bad. At least for any miracle, no matter how small, you think about Canada though, it’s the it doesn’t take itself away from country. to restore some of that all-important largest country in the world so I think Everybody I know and play music with lost faith, what would it be? She sighs perhaps regionally they’re having a bit loves country music so whoever made a little, “That’s such a large question… of a boom and I guess that people could up alt-country did a horrible disser- [pause] man, if I had that answer… [long encapsulate that as Canada in general. vice. It’s unnecessary because it’s not pause] well, George Bush would have to The regions are pretty different!” she like someone’s gonna pick up one of work at McDonald’s, not as a manager trails off laughing. “I don’t know what my records and one of Shania Twain’s that’s for sure. He’d have to be the fry my point is!” records and say ‘which one should I cook. And he’d have to know what it Of course, Neko herself has played get?’... I mean, that’s just not gonna hap- meant to want so, you know, the whole her part in the recent success of Cana- pen.” She rolls her eyes and laughs, “A reformation of the American govern- dian bands, receiving many an accolade lot of people mistake me for Canadian ment would be a good start!” n

24 Recent years have seen a slow but welcome trickle of Nordic singer- songwriters playing acoustic, rootsy music, from Emiliana Torrini’s sweet- ly hush hush Fisherman’s Woman (2005) to Ane Brun’s heartbreaking A Temporary Dive (2005) via the likes of Maria Solheim and A Camp, the Amer- icana side project of The Cardigans’ Nina Persson. Now, after two best- selling albums in her native Sweden, 24 year old Elin Ruth Sigvardsson is the latest to move into international waters with an eponymously-titled compilation of the best tracks from each. “It’s a little bit early to make a greatest hits,” she says shyly, “but it’s been a while since I recorded my first album [Saturday Light Naive (2003)] so its nice to pick out my favourite songs from both.” First single When It Comes To You was a massive air- play hit upon its original release in Sweden, and now with a bit of a production tweak it looks poised to capitalise on the new acoustic move- ment with a residency on the Radio 2 playlist, and the genre’s man of the moment, fellow Swede José González, is reportedly a fan. Having recently completed a tour with the Cosmic Rough Riders, Elin has been picking up fans like velcro along the way with her engaging live performances and proven songwriting chops. Hugely inspired by Bob Dylan, edelin some rather choice (and some quite ruthbe understandable for someone in her she once made a pilgrimage of sorts to dubious!) comparisons along the way, position to have a hard time dealing the Zimmerman family home in Hib- including the usual nod to Joni Mitch- with the limelight. “I try not to focus bing, Minnesota whilst on a sightsee- ell, but also to modern pop acts like on that too much,” she shrugs. “I try ing tour of the States. “I went over for KT Tunstall and the moodier art-pop and keep focused on what I’m doing. three weeks and took the greyhound constructs of Fiona Apple. My sugges- It was great fun, but I don’t think it buses around the Midwest. It was just tion of a slight vocal similarity with affects me as a person all that much. a small boring village, really, pretty Aimee Mann is teasingly brushed I’m 24, so I guess there’s plenty more much like the one I come from origi- aside. “People always want to com- time.” So there won’t be any Lene nally – really bad weather and stuff,” pare,” she laughs. “Especially new Marlin-style disappearance, no urge she laughs. “But it was still magic to female artists. They’re really quick to give it all up for the quiet life? “I’m just walk around the streets where he to compare us to each other I think. glad I had some time to do a lot of actually grew up and see his house and I guess I don’t take it too seriously touring and stuff back in Sweden first, all that. I’m not usually obsessed with when people compare me to anyone but I really feel ready to see other bands or artists, but this was kinda because it’s different from person to countries and play my music in other cool.” It wasn’t always so, however. person. They hear different things in places now. I mean, I’ve had to change Dylan was a staple in Elin’s house as a the music; for instance, I can’t really some stuff – my name mostly – but I child and like any teenager she initial- see any connection between me and kinda like it. Ruth is a family name so ly rebelled against her father’s tastes. Joni Mitchell except that we’re both I wanted to use it.” “I couldn’t stand him! Or Leonard kinda folky.” As Joni herself once sang, “some- Cohen. I just couldn’t really appreci- Given her almost overnight suc- thing’s lost but something’s gained in ate it until I found it on my own, when cess back home – at age 21, her many living every day” and making the most I was a little bit older,” she explains. glowing accolades included two Swed- of every opportunity is clearly a part of Having been in the public eye for a ish Grammy nominations and a Song- Elin’s agenda. n number of years now, Elin has attract- writer Of The Year award – it would Alan Pedder 26 BIC RUNGA BIC nest sensation Despite being astronomically famous in her native New Zealand, Bic Runga admits to feeling a bit obscure and insignificant when stepping out on British soil. But the impending release of her finest album yet in a decade-long career, that could all be about to change. With its old-fashioned jazz stylings combined with Runga’s famously keen sense of melody and wonderfully articulated emotion, Birds is so finely feathered an album that, given the chance to work its magic, will nest inside whichever compartments of your heart are still left open. Alan Pedder went to meet its creator...

Jobsworths, morons and porters lack- pot luck navigation through unfamil- tions without ever meeting my gaze as ing any semblance of spatial awareness iar corridors and up a secret staircase. she twirls the ribbon on her pink frilly – yes indeedy, the spirit of Fawlty Tow- Narnia, here I come! blouse around and between her fingers. ers is alive and well and doing quite I’ve been listening to Bic’s new al- Sometimes she switches to playing nicely thankyouverymuch, even in the bum Birds for four or so months now with her hair, now fashioned in a sleek swankiest of posh West End hotels. I am since its release in New Zealand and it’s modern bob rather than the feathered greeted by a particularly frustrating in- still divulging some secrets of its own. fringe and long tresses depicted on the terchange with the receptionist during The eleven intricate songs are so deli- strikingly simple sleeve of the album. which I repeatedly attempt to explain cately nuanced that it took me inten- “I just turned thirty,” she explains. that, no, I’m not trying to check in as sive and repeated listens to dig beneath “That was a really big thing for me and Bic Runga, Bic Runga’s husband or any the richly textured arrangements, past I got a bit carried away and cut all my familial iteration thereof. I’ve just come Bic’s ever appealing and distinct man- hair off. I just thought the old me is to visit, I say, for an interview. Blank ner of phrasing and into the heart of gone and it’s good to be a… woman. It stare. An in-ter-view, I repeat, waving the album. Now I can’t get it out of my really is. I’m so glad my twenties are my dictaphone in a perhaps too slightly head and while I would normally reject over, because I hated my twenties crazed a manner. He looks hurriedly outright the notion of a “timeless” new more than puberty. I was so awkward. down at the desk and fumbles through album – frankly, I’m still recovering The whole time I felt so self-conscious a small pile of papers for what seems from the fact that The Independent used like I was in a cocoon. But I put a lot of like an age. Then at last he sees it, the that particular adjective to describe effort into my thirtieth. I took my note taped to the desk phone – fif- James Blunt. I mean, really! – but Birds whole family to China, which is some- teenth floor, suite something or other. is one hell of a temptress. thing none of us have ever done even Take a seat, he beams, clearly delighted “I’ve always liked the darker songs though we’re of Chinese descent. And at a job well done. I take care to sit on on the Dusty Springfield records, the so seeing the vastness of China for the the least expensive looking chairs, just Shirley Bassey records, even when I first time and having that mess of cu- outside of the raised bar area and op- was a little kid. I was really taken by riosity in my mind satisfied was really posite the lifts. the tragic torch song, and because you quite an experience.” Two smartly uniformed men are have no experience of love or infatua- Quite an experience was also had trying in vain to manoeuvre an empty tion at four years old, you feel some- shortly afterwards when she was cho- clothes rail on wheels into one of the thing that’s not unlike fear, you know, sen to receive the New Zealand Order narrow metal boxes. Even from my when you hear Diamonds Are Forever or of Merit (the equivalent of the British vantage point fifteen feet away, this one of those spooky love songs,” she MBE) in the Queen’s New Years Hon- is clearly not going to happen, but it explains as we sit a couple of feet apart ours list. How many thirty year olds doesn’t stop them from trying… and on superplush sofas. For a more than can say that? Did she find it weird, trying… and trying some more, jab- twenty-times platinum-selling artist being so young? “I actually felt really bering loudly between them. John (her three studio albums have smashed good about it. I was in there among a Cleese would be in stitches. I would all sales records back in her homeland) big list of people who’ve done really have gladly watched for longer as she seems incredibly shy, or perhaps amazing altruistic things or things for they resort to deconstruction but the just reticent to talk about herself. In their community and things in medi- phone goes and I’m gestured upstairs. our half hour together, she gets most cine. So an award for services to music Briefly checking my professional jour- animated when we chat about sheep- is really nice. Of course, it’s in perspec- no to bedraggled longhair ratio in one dogs and the ideas that drive Wears tive, it’s just one part of things that are of lift’s handsome bevelled mirrors – The Trousers. At these times, when she done, but it’s really nice to be regarded it’s bad – I arrive at floor fourteen in laughs, there’s no doubt she means it in that way. And by law now I can ac- seconds. Strangely, the lift doesn’t go and she exudes a genuine warmth. At tually pee on the left rear wheel of a right to the top and the rest is simply other times, she’ll answer my ques- horse and cart,” she laughs. Does she

27 so that was half the job done. He re- ally is so skilled. He didn’t want to do “by law now I can actually anything but play the piano on the re- pee on the left rear wheel cord, and it wasn’t until he did some backing vocals at the end, as overdubs, that I thought ‘oh my god, you’re Neil BIC RUNGA of a horse and cart...” Finn and you’re going doo wop on my record’, y’know. I was like, wow, that’s really cool!” She has high praise too for Moa: “Anika keeps me afloat. She really is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. You know, at any time during a recording, things can take a nosedive and you can really fold when things go wrong, but just to have people around to keep you buoyant and keep you laughing is really helpful. There’s noth- ing worse than taking a song to a band and having them ruin it, but with this band they weren’t really my songs at all, they were our songs, and that re- ally improved them. There was such a synergy between us as players that the songs just really evolved…” An unexpected knock at the door distracts us both and after half a min- ute or so of confusion over who is go- ing to answer it, Bic gets up to greet the intruders. Unbelievably, it’s the porters from downstairs standing proudly in the doorway with the clothes rail now reassembled and shining in the hall. The disappointment on their faces is an absolute picture when Bic explains that she has no idea why they thought she would even want it. Bless them, they must have lugged it piece by piece up the secret staircase and all for scant reward. Visibly tickled, she sits back down laughing and continues to talk about the recording. Bic and her band of helpers holed up at Monte Cecilia, an old stately home in Auckland, for the month-long re- cording session. “The house was really beautiful but in a total state of disre- pair. It definitely had that kind of faded splendour that we were kinda fascinat- plan to test that out? “Er, no, I think I’ll musicians that reads like a Who’s Who ed by. And it sort of suits the album. pass,” she smiles. of New Zealand pop icons (and the odd If the tragic torch song belongs to any Birds, then, is the sound of Bic Run- Australian added in for good measure). kind of environment, it would be that ga trying to connect with the past and Neil Finn, Anika Moa, Benny ‘Boxcar’ kind of house in ruin. I really wanted to succeeding beautifully. “No one’s really Maitland, Tim Arnold of Pluto and record the space into the album, record doing any good torch songs in pop mu- Shayne Carter from Straitjacket Fits all the sound of the room. We were really sic these days. I guess in the Sixties it contributed in one form or another. “I just hoping for it to sound like nothing was their big commercial currency, like didn’t feel alone making this record,” hanging on nothing, really sparse, as if their version of the power ballad,” she she says, “Usually I feel kind of isolated it were floating in space. Being called laughs. The album was recorded most- but this time I really allowed myself to a singer-songwriter doesn’t really say ly live in the studio with a cast of guest ask for help. I had Neil with me though, much about your styles, and these

28 one of a long line of ancestors before played and then you’ll just feel silly, be- and also a long line that come after. So ing cheesy like that.” you’re only ever one link in a chain and “Maybe I could’ve had a big world- that’s quite a strong idea. You don’t feel wide hit if I’d worked with this A-list alone and that’s a new one for me and producer or that clever mixer,” she held me in quite good stead.” continues. “But I’ve been signed [to Like Rosanne Cash’s recent elegiac Sony] for ten years now and I made the album Black Cadillac and Beth Nielsen decision to produce myself really early Chapman’s Sand & Water (1995), Birds on, whether it was right or wrong, just is also imbued with gentle rays of hope to do whatever I liked. A friend of mine – for example, the chorus of the radio- was working with Jane Campion, the friendly album opener, Winning Arrow, director who made The Piano, a long begins with the words “cast off your sor- time ago. He was doing the soundtrack rows / the long night will end” – and it’s for her and he kept trying to tell her obvious that Bic took great comfort what to do with it and stuff, and she in having her friends around her. In just looked at him and said, ‘my wrong March and April of last year, she em- decision is more important than your barked on a world tour supporting Neil right decision!’… it was her vision, and and his brother Tim, before heading to even if it was a little bit weird or not Monte Cecilia. I remark on the sense of quite the norm, at least it’s what she community spirit that New Zealander wanted, and I’m the same.” musicians seem to have, at least com- I ask where her vision will take her pared with British popmongers, many next as she has hinted in recent inter- of whom are only too quick to snipe at views that she might be contemplat- each other in the press. “It’s too small in ing a return to the rockier songs of days it’s become this kind of innocu- New Zealand to really bitch about any- her debut album Drive (1996). “I really ous commercial sound and I just didn’t one,” she laughs. “Y’know, it wouldn’t like rock ‘n’ roll… I don’t know if I do want to make that kind of record.” be a smart thing to do. But I do think it well though. I don’t think so,” she Perhaps where Birds is most suc- we sort of fight to create a community, shrugs. “But yeah, sometimes it gets cessful is that the songs are not sim- because I think being a musician can be really tedious being an earnest singer- ply impersonations of torch songs or really difficult and we kind of have to songwriter. It’s really boring, even to a facile exercise in being knowingly stick together. With this project, for in- myself, so sometimes I do just want to retro. Genuine tragedy is infused into stance, just instigating all these people rock. To me, the benchmark of rock ‘n’ everything from the vocal to the tender to come together was, well, not totally roll is like Led Zeppelin. I couldn’t do strains of the string octet, inspired by normal, but y’know, it wasn’t a shock.” that, but there is something wonder- the death of Bic’s father Joe, a former Of course, in the UK, any artist who fully free about it. The music I do takes Maori soldier, in early 2005. I ask her becomes as ubiquitous in the charts as so much control. When I think about whether her outlook has changed at Bic Runga has in New Zealand would women who rock, I think of people all as a result. “Entirely different,” she be instantly subjected to mass ridicule like Grace Jones, Debbie Harry… or, nods. “It’s like everything’s suddenly and relentless snidey comments from well, not in the rock genre, but Yoko 360 degree vision and not the small- the press, who seem to delight as much Ono. They’re so themselves, you know. ness of the way you see yourself and in bringing down our celebrities as they Yoko’s amazing, I really love her. I love the world before. But most of all, I’m do in making them. Actually, probably her art and I even like her singing. It’s not scared anymore, you know. I’m not more. Has Bic experienced a similar amazing that she’s over 70!” dead so I may as well just get on with sort of backlash as, say, Coldplay? She Bic hasn’t played the rockier num- being alive. When you’re faced with laughs, “Not to my face! But actually bers from Drive for quite some time death, you kinda realise what it really is people have been really good to me, now, but, to these ears at least, they and that’s there’s plenty of time for be- and, you know, I’m always nervous that still sound pretty convincing on re- ing dead. There’s a little part of you that it’s only a matter of time before they cord. For now though, the sometimes wants to live the life that your parents turn. But I’m kind of ready for that these eerie, often melancholy and utterly can’t have anymore and it’s important days, I don’t really think it would mat- beguiling Birds will more than suffice. that the things you do represent them ter that much now if they did. I think as “I find birds thoroughly creepy, really well. The Maori culture is so deep. a musician you have to develop a fairly weird, and certainly in Maori mythol- The experience of his funeral was so thick skin! You know, I can’t second ogy they do come from another place, traditional an unusual. There’s a lot of guess what’s going to work commer- some strange underworld. Some signify protocol, which I was actually learning cially… it’s not that I don’t care about good omens, some bad omens… some as I went along, in the way that Maori it, it’s just that it would do my head in if signify death…” she pauses thoughtfully culture treats the dead. Ancestors are I had to think about what might work. for a moment. “The trouble with birds really revered, and there’s this concept You could try and write something is that there’s no way of knowing quite that you’re not just yourself, you’re for the radio but it still might not get what they’re thinking!” she laughs. n

29 morbid romantic With two truly extraordinary albums al- sonal, they are more melancholic and Your new album was co-produced with ready under her belt, 25 year old balladeer fatalistic than ever, and perhaps have Greg Weeks of Espers. You two have been Marissa Nadler has been bewitching au- more weight now that they are based friends for a while, right? How did the col- diences all over the globe with her unique completely in reality. They are songs laboration come about? blend of literate old time Americana. about dying friends, lost love, the same I met him while I was on tour with Nick Alan Pedder caught up with her over thematic and aesthetic sensibilities will Castro and Josephine Foster, which email to talk about her latest project... always run along the rivers of my cre- was my first time touring maybe al- ative veins. A very young friend of mine most two years ago now. We went down You describe your new record as “psyche- recently passed away, and his vanish- to Philadelphia, where Greg and the delic Carter Family meets Leonard Cohen”, ment from this earth made such an im- other Espers live. I really liked him a description that makes me infeasibly pact on me than almost every song is immediately. I thought it would be a excited to hear it. It’s also shaping up to about him, and about where our spirits fruitful marriage of his technical savvy be your most personal to date, as you’ve might travel to posthumously. As for the and vintage recording equipment and done away with the character shows that singer-songwriter trappings, I did not my technically intuitive approach to characterised your first two records. Was mean to dismiss the genre, yet only to have him co-produce the record. Espe- that inspired by a preoccupation with real state that I see myself aiming towards a cially when he has so many great musi- events or have you simply outgrown your different goal. I wouldn’t think it would cians hanging around his house. need for escapism, however temporarily? be far fetched that you might see me in Well, I think that to the outside lis- the future in a sideshow troupe kind of From your description, it seems that you’ve tener, people thought that Mayflower band. I have always loved circus per- really tried to experiment more with your May (a prevalent character in my first formers. Oh, I am getting sidetracked. sound. Your first two records were mostly two records) was an imaginary person, Well, regardless of what genre music very spartan, with few obvious overdubs. as with my other characters (Mr. John falls into, I think a good song is a good With this album, have you enjoyed being Lee, Henry, Lilly, Mary, etc...). Yet, they song, although everything is always able to indulge more in your love of vocal were strongly representative of people subject to taste. I think as I get older, I arrangements? What other things have in my life, drawing parallels, but per- am less fearful of being categorised and you tried? haps meeting different fates. Therefore, pigeonholed, and my focus is less on I think I have grown more confident many of the characters were iconic, and what kind of image I am putting forth with trying out more daring harmonies. the songs were acting like parables. and more about the songs, the music I was so shy and lacking in confidence Writing with fictional names freed me and connecting with people. throughout so much of my life that it up to have more leeway in how I wrote takes a lot to get the guts up to exercise about people I loved, lost, etceteras. On Whatever happened to your character my instincts in a studio setting. But, I the new record, I simply have stopped Flora Barone, Queen of the Vaudeville have tried a lot of harmonies, and lots using ‘stage names’ for my friends, per- Show? Is she still gonna get a record of of synths really. Helena [Espvall, Espers’ haps to feel more connected to them. I her own someday? Her eponymous theme cellist] adds a lot of string sections and would never have called the early writ- song has whetted many appetites for more they really do add an Eleanor Rigby ings escapism, but rather an exercise of her exploits! kind of vibe or something. in what happens when creative writing Yeah, I really like to sing that song, but meets non-fiction. Now, it seems my it is an entirely fictional story. A friend Your five-part harmony cover of Famous song writing has tilted the pendulum and me wrote the song one night, with Blue Raincoat sounds incredible, and it’s towards the non-fiction arena. the goal of trying to write the most hor- such an amazing song. The depth of trag- rible things that could ever happen to edy that goes on in human relationships... I know the negative connotations of the one person in a lifetime: she buries her you rarely hear a better distillation of singer-songwriter label are something daughter, her husband, her mother, and that in a song than this one. I know you’ve you are wary of, and the first two re- her life, clinging on to the strand of been almost a lifelong fan of Cohen, but cords have neatly sidestepped traditional hair her mother gave her. Now that you what drew you to this song in particular? singer-songwriterisms by virtue of their mention it, I might throw it on the new Which of the three characters, if any, do anachronistic, fantastical themes. With one and dedicate it to you. Now that I you most identify with? this album, how did you go about bring- think of it, this is still kind of about one I really like the album Songs Of Love & ing personal stories to the fore whilst still of the first questions, I suppose reading Hate. There is a rawness to it, like he maintaining your stance? fiction and non-fiction books can be is on the brink of madness. When the The production alone on the new record equally moving and life changing. I felt album opens with Avalanche, you know is so removed from the vein of the tradi- just as moved reading Patrick Suskind’s you are in for a ride through the depths tional singer-songwriter that it is not a Perfume or Nabokov’s Ada as I did read- of his subconscious workings. Famous worry to me. The harmonies and synth ing a book like Natural History Of The Blue Raincoat is one of my favorite songs tracks take it into a very psychedelic Senses, by a great non-fiction writer Di- off of that record. I have been cover- prism and my affinity towards a bit of ane Ackerman. It is strange that in the ing it for years, but for recording it, I effect on my voice also puts it into more songwriting field, people seem to favour decided to try something really differ- into the ‘realms of the unreal’. I must say soul-baring memoirs to a moving moral ent. I think I identify most with Cohen’s that although the songs are more per- fictional story. character, the narrator, in that he lives

31 in nostalgic times. And I always seem to sing “to be your housewife”... I know that go to sometimes, called poets.org. It get myself involved in sordid situations song caused a lot of speculation by peo- has listening booths where you can lis- like he does in that song. ple that thought it was degrading. It is ten to great poems by great poets. Anne ok for a woman to yearn for domestic- Sexton reads Her Kind. Her voice is so I read that Bob Dylan was another big in- ity, and ok and modern to play house, troubled, and so gravely. I suppose I am fluence of yours. What do you think of his as far as I am concerned. The fact that just as drawn to her troubled life as I am latest forays into exclusive deals with Star- they are attractive and girly yet power- to her poetry.

MARISSA NADLER bucks and that Victoria’s Secret underwear ful is I think what impresses the men, ad? Isn’t it sort of depressing? I’d rather he and why the male audience is so drawn Some of my favorite poetic adaptations are did a Joni Mitchell and denounce the cess- to Joanna Newsom. Wonderwoman Björk’s e.e. cummings tracks and an Em- pool of the music industry and indignantly was hot. And she got things done. I am ily Dickinson poem that Natalie Merchant retire than sully his reputation. not saying you need to be attractive, recorded, Because I Could Not Stop For Yeah. Well, I suppose I feel like he has but instead of hiding it, you should Death. Beautiful! Do you have any faves? already proved himself to be a major embrace it. I am probably also way too Marianne Faithful doing Annabelle Lee contributor to the collective conscious- “romantic” to bear, with pre-Raphaelite maybe. I hope I got that right. ness of generations, so if he wants to get hair and gowns, singing about lost love some free lingerie for his lady friends, like a damsel in distress. But, that is OK, let’s talk about the artwork for the re- so be it. He was really revolutionary to my choice. To be a woman that is suc- cord. I read that you were thinking of put- modern music and songwriting and to cessful in her career and also feminine, ting together a more collaborative effort, hot a whole movement. I guess I feel like romantic, and unashamed of that; that perhaps with contributions from your mum he deserves a get out of jail free card. I is as feminist to me as the older ver- and your friends. How’s it looking? suppose that making your music avail- sion, which seems to have grown a bit It’s looking good. I want to use my friend able at Starbucks and the girls that antiquated of late. It’s like those stitch Rachel Mosler’s artwork for the cover if shop at Victoria’s Secret might change and bitch parties, where liberal woman she lets me, and my mother’s painting some lives. Maybe Bob will have such who fancy themselves ‘feminists’ are somewhere also. an influence on them that they will stop going back to the kitchen, and saying wearing expensive bras and lingerie, and its ok. Where a bunch of liberal young I’m really looking forward to catching focus on what’s really important. I am girls with leftist leanings will get to- your European tour with Jana Hunter in just playing the devil’s advocate. I mean, gether and knit. It seems strange, what May. Do you see her as a bit of a kindred of course I think it is “depressing.” Kind happened to fighting for the cause? But spirit? Aside from the fact that you both of betraying, but I feel like anything Bob embracing femininity to me is the new use a fair bit of reverb on your vocals. Are does is cool. Maybe he wants to take the kind of feminist. there any other female artists you feel an money and buy a bungalow in Tangi- affinity for? ers, and write one last great album, á la While we’re on the subject of feminists, let’s I love Jana’s music, especially the song Blood On The Tracks or something. talk about Anne Sexton, whose poem Her All The Best Wishes. Patti Smith, Nico, Kind you’ve set to music on the new album. Joni Mitchell, Clara Rockmore, the Por- When we first spoke, you described - your What drew you to that particular piece? tuguese fado singers, Odetta, Elizabeth self as a “closet righteous babe”. It’s really I have always loved that poem. It talks Cotton, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, interesting that none of the women who of madness and forays into the dark Bessie Smith, Maybelle Carter. I don’t are coming up through this whole anti-/ depths of humanity. I studied the poem know. I like the old stuff, you know? alt-/acid-folk ‘movement’ really associate in school, and there is some elusive themselves with any sort of feminist mes- Holocaust imagery in the lines, “I have You used to be quite reticent about per- sage. For instance, when Joanna Newsom ridden in your cart, driver, waved my forming. Are you at a stage now where sings “when you go away/ I am big boned nude arms at villages going by, and that’s become a lesser issue than the other and fey” or “your skin is something that I stir woman like that is not afraid to die.” I less endearing aspects of touring? What do into my tea”, it’s almost the opposite, like it’s found the poem very moving, and I am you enjoy most about your travels? Is there almost too romantic to bear (in a good way). hoping I am allowed to put the song on anywhere you’re just dying to get back to? And maybe that’s why all the times I’ve seen my record. I have to look into it. I am getting better but still have major her play, the male:female audience ratio is issues. I don’t know how long I am going perhaps five times that of any Ani DiFranco This adaptation is the latest of your adven- to be able to tour, it takes such a toll on show. Is feminism still scary? tures in setting poems to music. The Pablo me in terms of nerves. I still have ma- I guess the new feminism is not to be Neruda and Edgar Allen Poe pieces on jor stage fright. People always tell me I anti-men, but to be strong, accom- Ballads Of Living & Dying are exceptional, look really nervous on stage. I might go plished and feminine. You mention Jo- really stop-in-your-tracks fantastic. I read back to Greece. I really loved it there. anna Newsom. She is an amazing musi- in an old interview that you were drawn to The slow pace of life, and such a sense cian and has major songwriting chops, these writers whose private lives were trou- of culture that is profoundly lacking in and she is a self-made woman, yet she bled and tragic. Does that influence your the US. allows herself to be feminine. Regina enjoyment of Sexton’s poems? Spektor, the CocoRosie girls, there is Yes. I like the morbid, tragic characters. Finally, a life without sadness is...? a whole new breed. When CocoRosie What can I say. There is this website I A life without art. n

32 EMM GRYNER EMM

German–Irish father in Forest, Ontar- io. “I love the people in my little town. That’s an ideal society to me, a place where people can have differing views but somehow co-exist, go for beers to- gether and have general, basic human respect for each other”. This independent young woman also seeks a similar utopia in the work- place. Gryner ensures that she receives respect and avoids discrimination whilst working in production, a posi- tion held by a fairly larger number of men than women in our male-domint- ed society. “I think we create our own reality sometimes. If you allow oppres- sion then it’s more likely to happen. I just do what I do, and I don’t deal with hot topic people who don’t get it. There’s not a lot of time for disrespect in my 24- hour day” she declares. “We live in a dude’s world and that’s a shame be- cause if women had more power, and the opportunity to be in positions of power, we’d have a hell of a lot more balance and a lot less men running the universe who accidentally shoot their friends on the quail range!” Pyrophobics better watch out be- cause Emm Gryner has recently ex- tended her fiery talents to encompass a newly formed band, appropriately named Hot One. The band consists of guitarist Jordie Kern, Kevin March, who recently played with Guided By Voices, and Cardigans singer Nina Persson’s husband, former Shudder To Think guitarist Nathan Larson, who Emm Gryner is in possession of a might- Since then, Gryner has self-pro- is perhaps equally as famous for his ily persistent flame, strong and blazing duced another four albums, earned film scores, which include Boys Don’t like she’s bathed in gasoline. Igniting herself two Juno nominations for Best Cry, The Woodsman and Dirty Pretty out of Toronto in 1998, the Canadian Pop Album of the Year in 1999 and 2002 Things. “We just recorded our first singer-songwriter scored a hit single and toured with an impressive cast of record!”, she says excitedly. “I love be- with Summerlong, just one of a number characters, including the likes of Sar- ing in a band with people who really of strong tracks from her major label ah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, The embody the rock ‘n’ roll mentality, but debut, Public – a reinterpretation of her Cardigans, Jann Arden and the legend- also have a secret passion for com- indepedent, self-produced album, The ary David Bowie. “Insane and wonder- menting on the ills of the world”. Original Leap Year (1996). Soon there- ful. Inspiring and challenging,” she says, Gryner will also release another after, in the wake of a record label merg- reminiscing on touring with Bowie. “It solo album – her eighth in as many er, the songstress was dropped cold in was great fun running all over Europe years – this coming June. The Sum- the dark by Mercury Records. Refusing and getting to hang with famous peo- mer Of High Hopes was recorded partly to allow her talent to be extinguished, ple. I am grateful for the time with him. in Sweden and partly at home in her Gryner returned to her indie begin- His music will always mean something basement, exemplifying her jet-set nings, resurrected her independent a little different to me.” ambition but still loyal to her indie label Dead Daisy Records, and self-re- Running or touring all over Europe, nature. In addition to Gryner’s already leased her next album, Science Fair, in across Canada and the United States numerous conquests, she’s expressed a 1999. “Major labels ignore great music, has not altered this Ontarian’s con- keen interest in composing film scores and I’m too impatient to wait for other cept of home, however. Gryner feels and commencing a family. “I want to people to do things for me, so I started her place will always be where she was do it all and I’m crazy enough to think the label” says the ambitious artist. raised by her Filipino mother and her I can”, she laughs. n Marc Soucy

33 TERRI WALKER

Imagine admitting to Beyoncé Knowles that you don’t really ‘get’ modern R&B, or telling Whitney Houston that you thoughtshe her last album was, well, a bit rubbish. Sparks might fly, is!tempers could fray and steely gazes would most certainly be fixed upon you. Not that you’d likely get the chance, of course. Today’s diva main comes with a hefty side order of interfering, overprotective PR and a carefully steered interview template. But 26 year old Londoner Terri Walker is by no means such a fusspot or drama queen. When Alan Pedder goes to meet her at a posh champagne bar in Soho (“my label owners run it, it’s just easier,” she explains), the absence of any press rep whatsoever is conspicuously refreshing. “I’ve been here on my own for hours!” she beams. Now, about that last album...

“I’m not good at being fake,” she other single that didn’t get released,” but Terri appears to enjoy a great deal laughs. “I wasn’t disappointed with she cackled without inhibition as she more artistic freedom than most. “I L.O.V.E. itself... I mean, it’s definitely launched into one of L.O.V.E.’s over- basically said to them before I signed not me, Terri Walker, because Terri looked finer moments in front of an to them, ‘I’m gonna do what I wanna Walker isn’t really the whole poppy industry audience. do and if you don’t like it, I’m not side of things. I like my music to be Everything about the new album, signing to you!’... and they were like fun, I like it to be witty, but the whole it seems, from the title in, is about ‘Terri, do your thing’, you know. She commercial aspect, no. If it had been reclaiming her sense of self. “Com- grins triumphantly. “And you’re right up to me, that album wouldn’t have pletely!” she nods. “I Am is basically about the distinction. I hope that a been the way it was. A lot of the songs saying I don’t care what people think. lot of people will be able to pick me are still me, but there’s four or five I’ve gotten rid of my weave and I’m out and say ‘that’s Terri Walker’. I’ve tracks that definitely aren’t!” back to my natural hair, being who I been lucky because I’ve been able With her stylishly quirky debut am. I just thought I had to show that to just sing about what I wanna sing Untitled (2003) scoring four nods at to people because others, you know, about and to have my own style, so the MOBOs and a prestigious Mer- get caught up in the industry, trying yeah, it’s great!” cury Music Award nomination, you’d to be on the cover of heat.... I mean, As you might expect, the Terri have thought that an if-it-ain’t-broke- who gives a damn?” Walker style is no static concept and don’t-fix-it approach might have been She can certainly speak from ex- takes in a wider range of influences better, but as Terri explains: “Basical- perience on that front. Whilst in the than your average pop star. Untitled, ly, the first album didn’t sell tons and Def Jam camp, Terri professes to hav- for example, features the minute- they [that is, her then label Def Jam UK/ ing been under pressure from the long interlude Deutschland, a song Mercury] wanted me to open more label to conform to certain media she wrote in German from scratch. doors. But they didn’t want to spend expectations. “Oh god yeah, I was told “I lived in Germany from when I any money on tours and live per- to lose weight, to look a certain way, was about four ‘til the age of seven- formances, which they should have to be at this party or that party, to teen, eighteen, so Germany, for me, is known is my strongest point, being mingle with such and such a person, sort of like my first home. You know out there properly singing. Not just and that was so not me. If I don’t like your teen years are really what sort going down the clubs and getting you, you are gonna know about it!” of moulds you, so it made me what on the mic and saying ‘hey wassup!’, she laughs. “Or, y’know, I’ll just say I am. It’s a brilliant country. Will I you know.” nothing. That whole thing, to me, was write another song in German? Hope- She’s right on the money, of course. awful. I’d much rather hang out with my fully! I wouldn’t mind actually doing I attended one of Terri’s recent show- friends, have a laugh, watch DVDs a whole album in German. It’s a bit cases for her new album I Am, her first and just be stupid. I do have to work, weird, some of the phrasing, but not for London-based record label Dekkor, obviously, but to me it shouldn’t have as harsh as you’d think.” and was quite blown away by the sheer to be that way.” I ask her why she thinks it is that quality of her voice – a powerful blend Things at Dekkor, it seems, are black British female R&B artists often of classic soul influences and neo-soul much more to her liking. So often don’t get the accolades or commeri- sparkle – and her positively infectious with R&B music it’s difficult to see cal rewards of their American coun- enthusiasm. Her frankness, too, was where the artist begins and the su- terparts, and why, even when they welcomingly apparent; “Here’s an- per-producer or record label ends, do, their success is so short-lived.

34

“random shots of butt cheeks and tits hanging out... who cares anymore, it’s so not sexy”

“The thing is, the Americans come Mica Paris and, er, Voices With Soul nant it’s ridiculous, you know what I out with it quicker and faster and from The X Factor), actresses, come- mean? So for us to stand out we have it’s such quality, isn’t it? Once you’ve diennes, poets and dancers all pay- to do something completely different already had a Beyoncé and someone ing homage to International Women’s for people to go ‘oh, that sounds in- comes and tries to do another thing Month. “They asked me to be a part teresting, let me kinda prick my ears like that, people will think she’s not of it, celebrating the sisterhood. We up’. In a way, if it’s inoffensive, they as good as Beyoncé ‘cos she came out need to support each other, that’s what like it, but when it’s too raw and too first. It’s weird, I look at Mica Paris it’s about.” much to say, I think it frightens them and Chaka Khan, both of whom are Getting back to the state of British a bit. Y’know, I’ve got something to phenomenal for me, but because R&B, I ask her why that whenever a say, Ms Dynamite’s got something Chaka Khan came out first people black woman achieves a high level of to say, Beverley Knight’s always got are always gonna compare Mica Paris success, it always seems short-lived. something to say, so maybe it’s just to her. But Chaka Khan is actually a Take last year’s Ms Dynamite back- too much outspokenness.” big ass fan of Mica Paris, but people lash, what a fall from grace that was. I suggest that the problem with Ms never look at that.” Then there’s Beverley Knight who is Dynamite’s last album was that people She talks excitedly for a moment immensely talented but never seems thought she had too much to say and about getting involved with the tenth able to gather any career momentum. not enough tunes. “I dunno. I mean, anniversary of In Celebration Of My “In this country, we’re a minority, a you’ll see someone getting beaten up Sisters, an annual event featuring a very small percentage, and guitar on the street and people will walk wide range of black singers (including music in this country is so domi- round and just leave it, instead of go-

36 TERRI WALKERTERRI

hypersexualisation of women in R&B compromise who you are! I kind of and hip hop music videos? “Oh my did for the second album... so, yeah, god. To me, when it first came out it don’t ever! Believe in yourself. I’ve was cool ‘cos, if you look back in the always believed in myself, and that’s day with Robert Palmer’s Addicted To how I’ve managed to make this new Love, it was sexy but it was tasteful, album, which I really love. I mean, it and when the hip hop guys did it first, was done quite quickly, but the next it was just something different. But one, I’m definitely going to take more now it’s just so boring and standard. I time with it and really craft it. A lot was watching this video the other day of the songs on I Am were written and it was just random shots of butt around the time of L.O.V.E., but just cheeks, tits hanging out and I’m like didn’t get used because they wanted it ‘who cares anymore, it’s so not sexy to be commercial. So now I’m kind of now’. Obviously, these girls decide to bursting to get the real me out there ing ‘hey!’, because people don’t wanna do it and if it’s their thing they should instead of the commercial Terri.” be burdened.” go for it, but at the same time I look at The first peach of a single to drop Then there’s the famous curse of myself and think if that was my daugh- from the tree of I Am will be Alright the Mercury Music Prize... “Lucky I ter, I’d be saying ‘why? you ain’t gonna With Me, a song that she describes as didn’t win it then! I like some of Diz- get anywhere in a video shaking that her own version of My Funny Valen- zee Rascal’s music. Some of it’s a bit booty’, y’know. It bores the hell out of tine. “All my girlfriends always say to out there for me, but I’m a soul head me and I wouldn’t wanna be associat- me ‘you always go for the unconven- so I’m rubbish with all that kinda stuff ed or seen in a video like that. Unless tional guys’. You know, they’re like ‘oh anyway. But, yeah, it was basically say- its done in a really tasteful way!” that man, he’s so this, he’s so that’ and ing there were twelve great albums out I ask if she’s worried that it’s send- I’m thinking how boring! I want some- that year, so to say I was one of them ing all the wrong messages to kids. one whose got a bit more personality, was just such an honour. Winning it “Definitely! For one, the urban scene a bit of quirk. So it’s basically saying would have obviously been great but, is seen straightaway as kinda sleazy I don’t care what they think, I love nah, I was never really worried about and kids think that’s the only way to him, he makes me smile, he makes me it. I was just like ‘woah! I’m perform- become famous nowadays, by having laugh and feel great, and that’s what ing at the Mercury Music Awards and no clothes on and looking a certain it’s about.” Jools Holland is calling me on stage’... way. It’s not about being able to sing. Has she found true love then? She and I got one of those trophies!” I think it’s great having the Corinne shakes her head, “I’m only 26, I’ve got It seems to me that American artists Bailey Rae album out at the moment loads of time. Have you?” I think so, I seem to rely much more heavily on col- because it’s just about her being natu- reply, it’s been nearly three years now. laborations to make a name for them- ral and riding a bicycle [in the Put Your “Wow, that’s not bad going! How do selves, so much so that they almost Records On video], y’know? It’s natural. you make it last though, I get bored so become a brand rather than a person, People go out and have a bicycle ride quickly!” I think the secret is to find but Terri’s nonplussed: “In America, and hang out with their mates. Beauti- someone who wants the same things everything’s big, everything’s ‘oh my ful. And it went to number one, which out of life as you do, I say. She looks god’, so if you’re gonna do one thing, is brilliant.” thoughtful for a moment... “how old you’re gonna end up being an actress, Does she think it’s symptomatic are you anyway? Same as me? Oh my a designer or owning a restaurant or of the fact that a lot of artists these god, you don’t look it!” she laughs. owning these perfumes and stuff, and days don’t feel that there’s a certain “When you first came in I actually it’s great, but after a while it’s so much amount of responsibility that comes thought who is this kid, what kind of to deal with and you kinda lose focus, with being famous? “So glad you asked questions is he gonna ask me?” as you said, of what the artist is about. that actually, because I’m a complete I squirm in my seat, suitably em- I like people like Erykah Badu and Jill old school freak. I love old school barrassed, quickly pointing out the Scott – they focus on what they’re movies, anything with Bette Davis... latest in a growing procession of good at, y’know? They don’t try and be people like her are my favourite ac- wrinkles. “Shut up!” she laughs. “Se- this big massive entrepreneur. I think tresses. I think people do forget they riously, you could be a model. Take it’s better to focus on why people love are role models. Take people like Pete it from Terri Walker, I know these you in the first place.” So we won’t be Doherty. Kids see him getting arrested things!” Must be the light in here, I seeing a Terri Walker clothing line any for drugs, drink driving or whatever. I say. Besides, I’ve got horrible teeth. time soon? “I don’t think so!” she laughs think they do forget that they are peo- “Whatever! Anyway, you’re much too with mock indignance. “I haven’t got ple that kids, or anyone, even grown- sweet to be a model.” Yeah? Just you the patience. Seriously, I’d be like ‘I ups, look up to.” wait, I warn her, you’ll get the new is- can’t be bothered, someone else do it!’... If she had just five minutes and the sue and your article will say ‘that Ter- that’s me. I’m rubbish like that.” use of a time machine, Terri is quite ri Walker, what an absolute bitch!’... Speaking of clothing, what’s Terri’s clear about the advice that she would not really of course, but a promise is take on the everlasting debate over the impart to her younger self. “Do not a promise. n

37 a buyer’s guide to... kd lang 38 So understated that she doesn’t even need capital letters, kd lang has been UNDER THE COVERS making music for over twenty years, constantly carving a personal oeuvre of unique countrypolitan sounds and condensing her experiences and emo- tions into tight musical packages. Much of her recent success has been in re-imagining and interpreting stan- dards on her celebrated covers albums and through these she continues to maintain a dedicated audience. Absolute Torch & Twang Born in Alberta, Canada, lang was Sire, 1989 first drawn to the music of country This would prove to be lang’s last Drag legend Patsy Cline, starring in a college country album proper, and is another Warner Bros., 1997 theatrical production of the country mix of originals and covers. By this From the neat wordplay of the title in, singer’s life and later christening her time, however, lang had truly found her this is an album themed around smoking first band “the reclines” in an affection- voice, pitching herself between country and addiction. Dark and sexy, lang se- ate tribute. Canada’s prestigious Juno balladry and lounge chanteuse as evi- ductively replays Steve Miller’s The Joker Awards named her Most Promising denced on two of her best songs Pullin’ (“I’m a midnight toker”) and The Hollies’ Female Vocalist in 1985 and lang was Back The Reins and Trail Of Broken Hearts. The Air That I Breathe (self-explanatory soon kicking up the dust on the well Her collaborative efforts with producer here) as if she really were surrounded by travelled Nashville trail to success. and songwriter Ben Mink were reaching swirls of smoke in a darkened cabaret With the impending release of lang’s their peak on this definitive record. bar. A light and listenable album with first retrospective, the most excellently more ambition than is usually found on titled Reintarnation, Shelley Ali flicks a traditional covers record. through the vinyl and shuffles her CDs to help you follow in kd’s tracks.

THE FABULOUS THREE

Ingénue Sire, 1992 Prior to the release of her fourth studio A Wonderful World album Ingénue, lang infamously out- Columbia, 2003 ed herself during an interview for The A collection of duets and covers re- Advocate magazine, but that did not corded with Tony Bennett, the album Shadowland stop it from becoming lang’s biggest provoked a few odd couple comments, Sire, 1988 commercial hit. Although there is a but their collaboration is an effort- Although they were pretty much ig- classic approach to pop songs here, less celebration of Louis Armstrong nored commercially, lang’s recordings it’s hard to define the genre of this deeply songs. Produced by T-Bone Burnett of with the reclines inspired legendary expressive album. Including ten original O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Walk Nashville producer Owen Bradley (Pat- compositions, the general theme is cer- The Line fame, the album showcased sy Cline, Loretta Lynn) to come out of tainly one of heartbreak and unrequited a musical symbiosis that easily defied retirement for this, her first true solo love. It has moments of pain that you the generational gap. Taking on a doz- album. It was a frutiful partnership; can physically feel (e.g. Wash Me Clean), en of the jazz legend’s repertoire, from first single I’m Down To My Last Ciga- but, conversely, as with Miss Chatelaine, What A Wonderful World to Dream A rette was her first to break the country her heart is soaring and she becomes Little Dream Of Me via Ma Vie En Rose top forty and the album soon became a Doris Day. Constant Craving may have and Lucky Old Sun, the pair’s enjoyment word of mouth hit. Recorded in “Brad- cemented her status in the public con- of the material is keenly felt. Fans, how- ley’s Barn”, the acoustics lend a deep sciousness, but the album needs to be ever, may prefer 2004’s Hymns Of The echo to lang’s gorgeous vocals. Laden listened to in its entirety to understand 49th Parallel as a covers album; lang with strings, the polished mix of pure the emotional journey. Sexy, sultry, lush, only appears on her own twice in this country standards and soaring ballads and simply beautiful, it’s an album that outing, but her voice has never been make this a must buy. lang has yet to top. smokier. Breathtaking and timeless.

39 Also recommended: Live By Request (Warner Bros., 2001) – taken from the FOR THE FANS cable network show of the same name, lang covers her whole career to date. Buy the DVD rather than the CD to

KD LANG witness lang’s endearing personal ban- ter with her hungry audience; the disc leaves only the occasional “thank you”.

Hymns Of The 49th Parallel Nonesuch, 2004 On this nicely conceived tribute to Can- A Truly Western ada and its music, lang pays respect to Experience her favourite artists, including the mar- Bumstead, 1984 vellous Jane Siberry and Joni Mitchell. The choice of songs may seem rather The sleeve of this quirky debut from kd predictable (Neil Young’s Heart Of Gold, lang and the reclines really says it all, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah), but as a depicting kd balancing atop a cartoon celebration of some of the finest lyri- All You Can Eat fence with Patsy Cline’s face looking out cists to grace any country, the material is Sire, 1994 from a hay barn. Featuring the gloriously pure class. A stripped-down affair with A continuation of lang’s contemporary odd Hooked On Junk, this short, sweet simple arrangements that were intended adult pop, the minimalist production album comes in at around 27 minutes, to allow the music to speak for itself; how- and tongue-in-cheek titles make this with lang’s jokey but gorgeous vocals ever, with a voice like lang’s this some- album seem a bit lightweight. Compared providing just a hint of what was to come. times proves difficult! Though restrained with Ingénue, it lacks a standout com- An uneven affair, but one that neatly at times, this is a firm fan favourite and mercial single and the relative inaccessi- bookends a full kd lang collection. even has a ‘cover’ of lang’s own Simple. bility of the album perhaps stalled lang’s growing widespread appeal. Given her huge public exposure, perhaps this was a WORTH A POP conscious attempt to take a step back.

Angel With A Lariat Sire, 1987 Neither a favourite of lang fans or kd her- Even Cowgirls Get self, the main drawback of Angel... is Dave Invincible Summer Edmunds’ somewhat manic production. The Blues OST Warner Bros., 2000 Sire, 1993 Only recently did lang reveal that Ed- Madly in love with then girlfriend Leisha munds was under the influence of coke This soundtrack to the Gus van Sant Hailey during the recording of these during the recording, and the overkill dramatisation of Tom Robbins’ classic songs, Invincible Summer is kd lang’s layered guitar tracks and reverb-ridden novel is lang’s personal favourite. Un- album d’amour. Infused with hitherto vocals certainly make this album a consid- like most soundtracks that are merely untapped warmth, the lush production erably harder listen. However, lang tried aural scenery, this collection tells the perfectly suits the light-hearted and fluffy her best and her expressive vocals shine story itself. Themes run through a pick material. Song titles like The Consequenc- right through the muddled sound. n ‘n’ mix bag of musical styles, including es Of Falling and Love’s Great Ocean are a funky little numbers (Keep Me Movin’), dead giveaway to the album’s inspira- Reintarnation is released on April 24th via pop songs (Hush Sweet Lover) and spit tion and the whole affair soon becomes a Warner Bros./Rhino and features remastered ‘n’ sawdust country (Don’t Be A Lemming welcome hug in your headphones. As is cuts from her first five albums, plus her first Friday Dance Promenade Polka). The incidental tracks also form often the case, the general consensus after ever single , of which only 500 copies were originally pressed. A part of the musical tapestry and even this album was that heartbreak makes for previously unreleased song, Changed My Mind, include a minute waltz! better material. is also included.

40 NEW ALBUMS NEW

Neko Case dard structure with a beautiful tune Fox Confessor that bypasses anything as laughably conventional as a chorus, instead reviews Brings The Flood wending its way through an imagi- INDEX: Anti- native storyline based on an old AMOS, Tori 77 ««««« Ukrainian folk tale: “Clouds hang BAEZ, Joan 66 on these curves like me / and I kneel to BAILEY RAE, Corinne 65 It would be too easy (and not to men- the wheel / of the fox confessor on BE YOUR OWN PET 64 tion a bit unfair) to begin and end this splendid heels / and he shames me from BROADCAST 54 BROWN, Sam 63 review with the statement that this my seat”. CASE, Neko 41 is the best album of 2006, consider- Another of the standout tracks, CASH, Rosanne 50 ing that it’s only April. However, Fox Star Witness, weaves a love song into DAVIES, Catherine Anne 66 Confessor Brings The Flood, the fourth a contemporary country tune, but DÉVICS 42 solo studio effort from Neko Case, dipping into the darkness of a Fif- DICO, Tina 49 DRESDEN DOLLS, THE 43 is easily one of the most anticipated ties murder ballad telling the grisly ELECTRELANE 70 albums of recent months. An ambi- story of a lover’s untimely demise: “go ENYA 67 tious record that’s been two years in on, go on scream and cry / you’re miles FRASER, Lily 65 the making from concept to glorious from where anyone will find you / this is FURY, Hannah 73 finished product, it’s safe to say that nothing new, no television crew / they GIANT DRAG [live] 81 its been well worth the wait. don’t even put on the sirens / my night- GO! TEAM, THE [live] 78 gown sweeps the pavement, please GRYNER, Emm 72 With a voice that’s often com- ”. HATFIELD, Juliana 56 pared with Patsy Cline, Bren- Whilst Case is the lyricist and pri- HEM 42 da Lee and Loretta Lynn, Case is mary songwriter, the many skilled HK119 45 clearly getting comfy in the role collaborators and guests on this al- HK119 [live] 83 of the country noir chanteuse. But bum include Kelly Hogan, Visqueen’s HUTCHINSON, Hayley 46 Case draws on more than these Rachel Flotard, The Band’s Garth INNOCENCE MISSION, THE 70 JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN 52 media-driven comparisons, tran- Hudson, Joey Burns and John Con- KIRKHAM, Stephanie 49 scending the limitations of genre and vertino of Calexico and former Flat KNIFE, THE 60 forging instead a new style of her Duo Jet Dexter Romweber, not to LEWIS, Jenny 48 own. Strong, resonant and reminis- mention longtime bandmates Jon THE LIKE [live] 81 cent of a smoky bar at last call, her Rauhouse and Tom V Ray. This diver- LOEB, Lisa 75 MANGO, Jo 52 rich, luxuriant vocals invoke a walk sity of talent is certainly not wasted MARY LEE’S CORVETTE 60 after midnight, lit only by la lune either. Feedback fills the title track, MATHESON, Karen 50 and heartbreak. And while there are a reverberating and deep orchestral MERCHANT, Natalie 62 certainly echoes of Cline’s mournful strength rises in Dirty Knife (a song MORISSETTE, Alanis 57 croon on the opening track Margaret based on a decidedly un-cosy family MORNINGWOOD 73 vs. Pauline, she just as easily embodies story passed down from her grand- ORGAN, THE 44 ORTON, Beth 55 the three-minute, pure pop gold of ma) and a lazy surfer backdrop gives ORTON, Beth [live] 80 ‘Mamas’ Michelle Phillips and Cass a stunning sense of atmosphere to PARTON, Dolly 46 Elliot on the exquisitely twangy Hold Lion’s Jaws. And when talking about PHAIR, Liz 54 On, Hold On. atmosphere, it wouldn’t be right not PIPETTES, THE [live] 83 The songs on Fox Confessor... are to mention the haunting gospel PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES 45 unprecedented illustrations of Case’s tones of John Saw That Number, a tra- RAY, Amy 75 RHODES, Lou 52 superb lyricism and growing skill ditional folk song with new music RODRIGO y GABRIELA 58 as a storyteller and poet. Reflec- added by Case, recorded in the stair- ROGERS SISTERS, THE 63 tive and compliant yet optimistic, well of Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern. RUNGA, Bic [live] 82 the songs weave their way through It’s what spines were really made to SANTA DOG 67 metaphors and myths. Margaret vs. tingle for. SIBERRY, Jane 71 Pauline SKIN 61 sees her weaving words into Monumentally diverse and damn SMOOSH 53 melodies that at first seem to only near impeccable, Fox Confessor Brings SONIC YOUTH 68 illustrate the difference between The Flood is a tremendous portrait of SPEKTOR, Regina 47 the two titular women; however, a poetics and storytelling that will sure- SPIDER 74 closer look reveals a flawlessly ex- ly stand the test of time. Always some- THROSBY, Holly 64 ecuted character study full of minute thing of a cult artist out on the fringe TILLY & THE WALL 53 Ancient strings set feet a’light VEIRS, Laura [live] 80 detail — “ of recognition, especially this side VOX, Victoria 74 to speed to her such mild grace / no mon- of the Atlantic, it could be that Case’s WADGE, Amy 59 ument of tacky gold / they smoothed her light has finally outgrown the bush- WARLEY, Tamsin 56 hair with cinnamon waves”. el beneath which it has been hidden WESTZYNTHIUS, Lise 59 On the title track, Case com- for so very long. YEAH YEAH YEAHS 51 pletely abandons any notion of stan- Loria Near

41 42 42 NEW ALBUMS which concerns the futile construction construction futile the concerns which charming the and eyed yearnings on album opener Lov’sdoe- plaintive. yet playful engaging, year’s exquisite Breath Girl Sleeping A of triptych central on album’s the particularly moments, loveliest the of some in tolost avoid pleasantly getting der voice even sweeter still, it’s impossible when the aremelodies and this Lov’ssweet ten overwhelm; really to O’Halloran by stewarded carefully too is but ibility, album’s the threatens cred almost affair) disjointed slightly a was accounts all by (which production the fact, In spades. in production technology-led and structure of sense fine Por a is of Goldfrapp and likes tishead the with share do Dévics the What reflection. bittersweet overall of sense an on more and via-Goldfrapp, Orton- Beth perhaps or Portishead, comparisons with sideways drew that ethos less emphasis on the smoky, late-night bar with direct, more and simpler are songs than affair straightforward more a least, at tionally melancholy. ofcabaret tones over frequent with and influences terrain folk-rock atmospheric and dreamy a space, sound wistful and lush current their into moved they where Italy rural to relocate to a hidden farmhouse in deep members Ed full-time Maxwell and Evan Schnabel) formerly their (sans twosome the led elusiveness of brand special very Their commitmentbook. to maintain this rule particular any to conform easily to musi refusal their of fellow because partly alike, cians and critics from plaudits with showered were Dévics the fluences, efforts. post-rock self-released oriented more earlier, their from away shift clear Andrea Saint heavenly 2003’s and (2001) – albums rated highly- two produced have O’Halloran Dustin and Lov Sara Union, Bella label In the five years since signing to Brit indie « UnionBella Push The Heart Dévics « yial, h abm s cesbe and accessible is album the Lyrically, album Third in of smorgasbord a melding Calmly « (all of which first appeared on last last on appeared first which of (all « The Stars At Saint Andrea Saint At Stars The bt o wih akd a marked which of both – , Distant Radio Distant Distant Radio EP Radio Distant My Beautiful Sinking Ship Sinking MyBeautiful Push The Heart The Push ert esg T You To Message Secret and The Stars At Stars The s emo is, ). Lie To Me og For Song Just One One Just . The . ------,

point out that it is a very pretty voice in voice pretty very a is it that out point to not me of remiss be certainly would it And voice. pretty her beyond far depth a songs the give and inspired are back, love her bring to parts few too from boat a of ture; forlorn and longing, yet subtle subtle yet longing, and signa forlorn their ture; made of has Hem sort that very song the showcase they more, gia White’s Joe Tony of Horses Pretty standard traditional of version capella a the voice both the and in Ellyson, Sally lies of asset strongest undoubtedly their and appeal Much band’s the of predecessors. its of either than Tom From Word standards, country to inde hits pendent unexpected of to covers tracks live rollicking everything orchestrated fully Boasting from tracklist. the of glancing casual a with especially cu rious, downright becomes provoca it fact, more In tive. far less and becomes idea self-absorbed the Hem, politans country- Brooklyn-based is question in band the when bit However, a trip. ego be an of might originals reworked and tracks live covers, of two collection just mental experi an after albums, acclaimed that critically say might Some « Nettwerk From Tom No Word Hem More spring. to them. power the in see to convincing for and fresh something looking fans new them win and cause their help only can But to. want would they doubt I truth in and though, yet just ums doneinthe past. they’ve anything than territory anthem ers-aloft See Cannot Girl Sleeping A aforementioned the – tracks the of two just on counterpoint comforting and warm a adds voice reassuring anced, bal O’Halloran’s future. in latter the of lines the along tracks more few a hear to nice be would it but gripe, a than request bed O’Halloran constructs for her. More a up and expanding to cover whatever sonic floor,the to opening or eyes her with mic a into softly singing she’s whether deed, « TheDévics are unlikely to fill ourstadi wisely capitalise on this. What’s What’s this. on capitalise wisely « ½ wih oe coe t light to closer comes which ,

and their gorgeous cover cover gorgeous their and and the also excellent also the and Pete Morrow Pete is certainly rangier rangier certainly is Rainy Night In Geor In Night Rainy Push The Heart Heart The Push Song For Song All The The All If WeIf No No ------are just as solid an outfit outside of the the of outside outfit an solid as just are stu Hem that their proving and of counterparts detail dio the resonant, of and little full losing is sound The reac tion. alchemical by formed seemingly her, shine behind gaps the colours it as too, music the above soar tracks, vocals Ellyson’s brightly. could live The Collingwood muster. feeling Chris and even depth than more little a the song giving along, jam gamely Hem nal, origi the as funky as nearly isn’t theirs Wayne’s Of tains Foun of rendition acoustic the evident in than more this is Nowhere keep close. it would song Hem typical a range where wider Ellyson’s showcase to and interesting flow the keep new to covers rary contempo trying some in throw busy Tothey things, been travelled. they’ve already show they’ve routes with promise. and off vigour things start they flowing, and deserve that opportunity. opportunity. that deserve don’t Hem as good as band a that say to who’s indulgent, latest quietly be this may release whilst and a up, as the shine on and band Nevertheless, grow to ground. continue they any break to ideas new with just enough long band play the don’t and ones, than new fans generate longtime entertain to do will more this is, it As of performances. album live entire an or covers of entire an album either as better worked have it time the close. by to draws earnestness resolved of isn’t just feeling that a grasp, quite never they that something for reaching are Hem that notion the escape to hard it’s hour, an under just for on, and on… the and on… fine goes album the As just was. it way worked that out something stretching needlessly are they feel but help can’t you that succinctly so job the did original the own, its on although works it and length, original its twice originals. instance, For reworked the of many rather true with is same from The song. the to detract add than vocals slo-core signature the once for but classic, early band’s the of interpretation interesting REM’s or either as well as gel it. within magical are they as studio But Hem don’t just dawdle along along dawdle just don’t Hem But Perhaps Perhaps always doesn’t album the However, Eveningland ot Cnrl Rain Central South o od rm Tom From Word No Eveningland (2005). The addition of of addition The (2005). Radiation Vibe Radiation Rabbit Songs Songs Rabbit has swelled to to swelled has works as an an as works Loria Near Loria . Whilst Whilst . would would (2001) (2001) - - - - - of a boat from too few parts to bring her If one thing sets the Dresden Dolls love back, are inspired and give the songs apart from pretty much anyone else a depth far beyond her pretty voice. And around right now, it’s their confronta- it would certainly be remiss of me not to tional and discomforting honesty. It’s point out that it is a very pretty voice in- something they practice in life as well deed, whether she’s singing softly into a as in their music – the blogs Amanda mic with her eyes to the floor, or opening Palmer posts online dissect her inse- up and expanding to cover whatever sonic curities and anxieties in detail. Take bed O’Halloran constructs for her. More a this for example: “i prefer sleeping request than a gripe, but it would be nice alone nowadays. i barely think about to hear a few more tracks along the lines love. i have plenty. i haven’t had a boy- of the latter in future. O’Halloran’s bal- friend in so long i’ve forgotten what anced, reassuring voice adds a warm and it’s like. honestly.” The band also pub- comforting counterpoint on just two of lish the wonderfully inarticulate hate- the tracks – the aforementioned Song For mail they receive on their site (sample: A Sleeping Girl and the also excellent If We “could you plase do something like kill Cannot See, which comes closer to light- yourselves,before you come to toronto, ers-aloft anthem territory than anything seeing you would probabnly ruin my they’ve done in the past. life” – spelling mistakes author’s own The Dévics are unlikely to fill our stadi- – or “if you ever come to atlanta call ums just yet though, and in truth I doubt me up 678-XXX-XXXX and i’ll fuckin they would want to. But Push The Heart beat your ass”) as well as collecting to- can only help their cause and win them gether some of the savage and abusive new fans looking for something fresh and reviews they’ve received. convincing to see in the spring. More It’s this honesty that makes their power to them. Pete Morrow music so entirely compelling, and Yes, Virginia – the follow-up to their 2004 self-titled debut – makes for truly star- tling listening. Building upon the dark themes and manic yet melodic style of their debut, it represents an artistic progression on every level – musically, lyrically and vocally. Palmer has ex- tended her vocal range to incorporate The Dresden Dolls Some might say that after just two a whole new palate of sounds, and, in Yes, Virginia critically acclaimed albums, an experi- places, sounds more aggressive than Roadrunner mental collection of covers, live tracks ever before. The songs are power- «««« and reworked originals might be a bit ful and muscular, tempered with mo- of an ego trip. However, when the band ments of tenderness made all the more in question is Brooklyn-based country- affecting by the tempestuous menace vocal opening, the song builds until the poster girl for some suburban sick- politans Hem, the idea becomes less that surrounds them. The Dolls have the frustration and powerlessness in ness?” while the unmitigated stream of self-absorbed and far more provoca- grown more confident, too, adding the lyrics is reflected in the epic, op- aggression running through the cho- tive. In fact, it becomes downright cu- layer upon layer of insistent, pounding eratic music. Lyrically, the album is rus of Backstabber (“Backstabber, back- rious, especially with a casual glancing pianos and cascading drums to create a often violent and disturbing, with im- stabber / greedy fucking fit-haver”) would of the tracklist. Boasting everything driving and sometimes frantic sound. ages of mutilation and surgery recur- seem ridiculously emo were the lyrics from fully orchestrated live tracks to The insistent piano riff that opens ring throughout without ever sound- not married to the catchiest melody rollicking covers of unexpected inde- the record is extremely ominous – like ing like they’re merely out to shock. the band have ever penned. Further- pendent hits to country standards, No listening to the first rumbling tones of Perhaps this is because Palmer’s writ- more, the song ends with a demented Word From Tom is certainly rangier a coming thunderstorm – and it’s not ing is shot through with dark humour cackle as if to tell you the band know than either of its predecessors. Much long before a shout from Amanda her- and a rare wit. Shores Of California, for exactly how closely they’ve been flirt- of the band’s appeal and undoubtedly alds the entrance of Brian Viglione’s example, is a clever dissection of male ing with the ridiculous. their strongest asset lies in the voice pummelling drums. Songs turn from and female coping mechanisms for be- Yes, Virginia is not an easy listen, of Sally Ellyson, and both the a capella tender to vicious in the space of a cou- ing single, with lyrics like “all I know is but it’s an exciting, raw and emotional version of traditional standard All The ple of lines. Delilah, one of the album’s that all around the nation / the girls are one. However you might categorise the Pretty Horses and their gorgeous cover highlights, describes the frustration crying, the boys are masturbating”. Dresden Dolls – and they have been of Tony Joe White’s Rainy Night In Geor- of watching a friend wilfully enter a There are occasional moments variously labelled as theatrical rock, gia wisely capitalise on this. What’s violent relationship: “He’s gonna beat where the lyrics veer close to self-par- punk cabaret, manic-musical, neo- more, they showcase the very sort of you like a pillow / you schizos never learn / ody, but the Dolls are too knowing and glam-torch etc. – one fact remains: song that Hem has made their signa- and if you take him home / you’ll get what self-aware to succumb to such pitfalls: their music is really damn good. ture; forlorn and longing, yet subtle you deserve”. From a hushed, piano and on Dirty Business, Amanda sings “Am I Danny Weddup

43 43 The Organ Grab That Gun Too Pure ««««

Just a few bars into Brother, Grab That 1983 hasn’t ever actually happened. It’s cult album to find any fault with. A Gun’s commanding introduction, and a powerhouse approach to pastiche, lot of these songs have been lifted and you’re hit by an effects-drenched chord with taut songs of longing, daydream- re-recorded from their 2002 debut EP, progression straight out of an early, ing and disconnection carried along Sinking Hearts, and with good reason. danceable Cure track. So it’s no sur- on a wave of jangly guitar work. The Last year’s excellent single, Memorize prise that Canadian quintet The Organ melodies are instantly Cure-like, but The City, is an obvious highlight, with are being bombarded with compari- trip appealingly all over the place as if its delayed guitars and an urgency that sons, and not just to Robert Smith’s Johnny Marr had fallen downstairs try- sends Sketch’s vocals scurrying around enduring misfits. In recent years the ing to do up his shoelaces. a handsomely infectious hook. New Wave revival has been inescap- And The Smiths comparisons don’t It’s great to see an all-female indie able, with the likes of Interpol, Hot stop there; lead singer Katie Sketch is, band that isn’t pelting the emo or goth Hot Heat and The Rapture apeing early vocally at least, a dead ringer for a fe- rock scene with cleavage. Katie Sketch goth to the point of making you want male Morrissey, to the point that the is delightfully androgynous and the to go to dark clubs just to stand in the observation seems so obvious as to songs are rather less likely to have corners and stare at your plimsolls. So be trite. Then there’s the trademark you reaching for the razor blades than are The Organ late to the party? deadpan song titles like No One Has they are to send you deep into the New No is the answer, and for two good Ever Looked So Dead and I Am Not Sur- Forest to re-examine your entire exist- reasons. The first is that Grab That prised. But what Sketch has over a hun- ence. These songs are no mere accom- Gun was released in North America dred inferior Smiths tribute bands is paniment to a look. The Organ are back in November 2004 and is inexpli- the ability to make every vocal sound touring this spring. You’d be a fool to cably only just bursting out of the stall like she’s reaching for something she miss them, though I feel slightly sorry over here. The second is that it’s not can never quite get to. It’s dour, yes, that they’re going to have to tout four really a case of being late per se. The but totally intoxicating. They come a year old songs for the benefit of us Organ don’t so much look back at the little undone on songs like Basement Brits. Don’t forget to clap your heads Eighties than hop into a time machine Band Song where repetition starts to even harder. Girls Aloud this ain’t. and make believe that everything post- creep in, but beyond that it’s a diffi- Ian Buchan

44 NEW ALBUMS NEW

HK119 was so prevalent that all you cared player Leona Marrs, formerly of Hint HK119 about was buying and selling? HK119’s Hint — and with lead singer Andrea Zol- One Little Indian world is one in which people have lo still recovering from the vocal nodules «««« ultimately sacrificed humanity for she suffered after touring their debut consumerism. It may seem ludicrous, Good Health (2002). The result is Élan and in a way it’s meant to be, but it’s not Vital, but for all the enthusiastic vig- a completely alien concept, and given our and liveliness suggested by the title, In comparison with its Nordic neigh- that she’s come from the country that rarely does such spirit manifest itself in bours, Finland has been far better known innovated the mobile phone to the the album. First three tracks The Noctur- for its classical endeavours than its out- enormous bustling city of London, it’s nal House, Pyrite Pedestal and The Number and-out joyous pop. Aside from a few not hard to understand Kilpelainen’s are all good but not quite perfect. On questio able rock exports like The Ras- motivation for exploring these ideas. Pyrite Pedestal, PGMG sound more like a mus and Nightwish, the most success- The music itself is hard and rough; polished high-school rock band than the ful Finnish music in the international raw electronic beats are blended with punk-rock revivalists they’re often hailed arena has been limited to opera and the rough industrial synths, samples and as. On the positive side, it is catchy, it is works of Jean Sibelius, whose endur- HK119’s soaring and demanding upbeat and it does feature fantastic vocal ing symphonies continue to be played vocals. But most of all, it’s just great fun. arrangements. Unfortunately, the rather at proms across the world. Given the HK119 may be best friends with Ali- pedestrian lyrics of this and The Number huge amounts of government fund- son Goldfrapp, but her album is much don’t help either, “I guess these days I’m ing into music tuition for the youth, it more vibrant and challenging than the someone else” being a particularly cringe- seems strange that the country has yet oddly dispiriting and bland Supernature worthy example. to produce a significant pop crossover (2005). There’s also some inventive au- Things pick up with the next track act, but perhaps they could never really dience participation; not only is there a though; Parade is easily the album stand- compete with the likes of ABBA from hidden track, 11th ID, buried somewhere out — a gorgeously rousing, retro work- next-door Sweden. As a half-Finn, I’ve in the album just waiting to be found and man’s song with soaring harmonies, often despaired about this, and most remixed for a competition, but if you call where the addition of Marrs is really fellow Finns agree. How thoroughly re- up the number read out in first singlePick felt. It’s perfect mixtape fodder! The fol- freshing, then, to discover a truly original Me Up, you may be amused and bemused lowing track, Domino, is also strong but and exciting artist originating from Fin- in equal measure. In fact, HK119 makes sadly it’s all downhill from there. Songs land in the form of Heidi Kilpelainen, or almost any music from the electronic that start off promisingly, like the atmos- rather her alter ego, HK119. genre seem weak and ineffective. pheric Pearls On A Plate, go on to display Putting her MA in Fine Art from But comparing Kilpelainen’s crea- little variation and are ultimately a bit Central St. Martin’s College in Lon- tion to anyone else is difficult, by disappointing. See also Pictures Of A Night don to excellent use, Kilpelainen has virtue of her sheer uniqueness. Peo- Scene, on which the boys take the lead, created an all-encompassing perform- ple have tried Grace Jones, or Ziggy- and the Sons & Daughters-esque Selling ance art persona in HK119, and she’s era Bowie, but mostly because of her The Wind, both of which are slightly lack- not shy about utilising the entire spec- appearance and bizarre, slightly alien lustre but not terrible. trum of the art world to get across character. Also, Björk is reportedly a Penultimate track Wildcat is some- her message. Not content with sim- fan. As is often the case with artists of thing of an improvement and is strangely ply writing, recording and producing such originality, it only seems possible evocative of mid-Nineties house parties, the album herself, she’s recorded her to liken her to others that are one-of-a- but it’s followed up with the ironically own surreal living-sculpture videos to kind. HK119 is an artist for the future. titled and less than enamouring Bullet accompany the songs and put togeth- A thrillingly vibrant masterstroke of Charm. A sense of striving for incitement er a dramatic stage act involving a artistry, and what’s more, she’s fun to runs through the album, meeting with catsuit and helium balloons, beguil- boot. At last, we have a Finnish artist mixed success along the way, and with ing audiences with bizarre special ef- who’s a keeper. Heidi, pidän työstänne! two songs about workers disputes alone, fects. She’s a powerful Nordic force, a Bryn Williams I wouldn’t mind betting that the band beautiful blonde Amazonian monolith, watched a bit too much of Brassed Off or simultaneously furious and fixated with Pretty Girls North County during the recording. modern technology. So while Zollo’s post-op voice is clear But what of the album? HK119 Make Graves and engaging, and notwithstanding is packed full of songs that act as a Élan Vital the good hooks throughout, Élan Vital series of short statements (most are less Matador sounds on the whole like the kind of thing than three minutes long) on the mod- ««« you might expect to hear on a teenage ern human condition, each taking an rom-com soundtrack, complete with lyr- element of post-millennial society and Three years on from their critically ics that are consistently banal and some- pushing it to the extreme. What if we acclaimed second album, The New Ro- times even criminal. It’s not necessarily a never put down our mobile phones? mance, Pretty Girls Make Graves return disaster, but it is less than we music fans What if everything we said could be with an altered line-up — out with gui- have come to expect from a band that censored? What if commercialism tarist Nathan Thelan; in with keyboard were once so exciting. Lynn Roberts

45 Hayley harmony singing. Even the cello part Oh dear. Just when it was all going so Hutchinson echoes John Catching’s playing on right for Dolly Parton, she’s lost her some of Griffith’s best work, while footing in the farmyard and recorded Independently the bluegrass-tinged title track also this insipid collection of bluegrass- Blue Gut bears the Texan’s influence. Minor inflected covers of songs from the «««« Key shifts things a little more in the Sixties and Seventies. And while it

NEW ALBUMS direction of Griffith’s first “pop” al- probably seemed like a good idea to For all her roots in the best of Brit- bum, Storms, with Telecaster licks rope in original artists where possi- ishness, the musical landscape of very reminiscent of guitar supremo ble, seasoned with more contempo- Yorkshire lass Hayley Hutchinson’s Jerry Donahue. rary singers where not; it really, re- debut album is less the hills and dales Ironically, the most problemat- ally wasn’t. Not since 1996’s Treasures of North England than the prairies ic song on the album is also one of has she seemed so uninspired – a not of North America. Hailing from an the strongest. Deadman, which was entirely coincidental link, as that too established musical lineage (her dad released as a download-only single was an all-covers album over-egged by was instrumental in David Bowie’s in December 2005, is strikingly simi- an all-star cast. But before I go on, I early success), Hutchinson clearly lar to Sheryl Crow’s massive chart must confess that daring to aim criti- knows where a smidgen of ambition breakthrough hit, All I Wanna Do. The cism at the Dolly of immortal legend can take you. Though self-financed rhythms, tone, handclaps, guitar stabs just makes me feel mean and seedy, and locally recorded, Independently and other ornamentation are so close low down and dirty. But having tried Blue nevertheless belies its humble it’s almost spooky. Normally, this to come to terms with this album, it’s origins, turning the financial limita- would sound the copycat death knell down to the gutter I go and I’ll have tions of the project into a solid gold to a song, but Deadman is just too my meths straight up. advantage. Mostly recorded live in darned strong. Indeed, all things Parton is, of course, famous for in- the studio by Hutchinson and her considered, Independently Blue is sisting that she ain’t no dumb blonde, band’s core members (which include a statement of intent that richly which is almost certainly true, but Chris Helme and Stuart Fletcher of deserves the plaudits it has thus far she’s woefully misjudged this gut- The Seahorses – John Squire’s post- gained, and is particularly excellent wrenching cash cow. Where her trio Stone Roses also-rans – and Shed for a debut. If Hutchinson can syn- of albums from 1999’s The Grass Is Seven’s Alan Leach and Fraser Smith), thesise her influences into a more Blue to 2002’s Halos & Horns were the result is a cohesive little package individual signature on future al- packed with nicely nuanced, if faintly boasting real energy. Certainly, it’s bums, who knows, she could be the schmaltzy bluegrass ballads, Those no cheap imitation. one to show Nashville’s best how it Were The Days heaps on the saccha- Or is it? Logically, Independently really should be done. rine by the noxious, suffocating buck- Blue ought to be filed under D for Trevor Raggatt etload. Worse still, some of the gaps in derivative since, stylistically at least, between the songs are filled with gig- it effortlessly cribs from the back gling Barbie-esque studio outtakes of catalogues of Sheryl Crow and Nanci Dolly Parton Parton bantering with her vast array Griffith. In the end though, it’s Those Were The Days of fellow duettists, who include Lee too strong an album to be so easily Liberty Ann Womack, Judy Collins, Norah dismissed, and richly deserves its « Jones, Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss, four-star rating. Within just a few per- Mindy Smith, Kris Kristofferson, Joe functory listens, Hutchinson’s strong Nichols and Keith Urban. writing and excellent vocal style As far as the songs go, Crimson & – pure but blessed with a richness Clover is quite nice, and Blowin’ In The and bluesy edge that’s easy on the ear Wind is, well, breezy I guess. But Me & – commands the listener’s attention. Bobby McGee is turgid and I know Cat First single, Here’s The Love, is a joy- Stevens isn’t real big in Texas these ful slice of Crow-esque pop in which days, but Dolly’s Where Do The Children keyboard and sparse but well-utilised Play is really something else, despite electric guitar motifs weave a likeable Yusuf himself chiming in on guitar. confection around an acoustic centre There’s even a Turn Turn Turn for the and country-tinged harmonies. Other crystal meth generation, while every songs on the album find Hutchinson trace of pathos in Joni Mitchell’s Both in Globe Sessions-style open-tuning Sides Now is mercilessly throttled by a mode, complete with droning strings high-speed banjo workout so inanely and bluesy slide guitar. Elsewhere, cheerful, it’s what an aerobics class in Climb Through could be a slightly Hell must sound like. And seeing as updated outtake from one of Nanci that’s exactly where I’m headed after Griffith’s early MCA albums, with writing this review, I might as well fin- its gentle capo’d acoustics and high ish the bottle. James Gurney

46 Despite the lazy comparisons that jour- nos often make – “She’s got red hair, Regina Spektor she must be the new Tori Amos!” – the Mary Ann Meets The songs of Regina Spektor sound like no- Gravediggers & Other one else on Earth. This is conclusively Short Stories proven by this new compilation, which Transgressive collects together selected tracks from «««« her three previous albums under one overarching theme. Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers… privileges Spektor’s narrative-driven songs, which are conveniently often the strongest cuts on her albums. Many of them have a literary lyrical bent, making refer- ence to Greek tragedies (Oedipus) and Hans Christian Anderson (Prisoners), alongside sparkling stories of her own creation. The cast of characters is eclectic and colourful, but not all of the songs feature fictional construc- tions – Spektor is not afraid to place herself centre-stage. On a sonic level, the record is strik- ing; Regina has a playful attitude to words and a clearly apparent delight in their sound, or rather the unusual sounds she can draw out of them. This is evident throughout, but most of all on Consequence Of Sounds. The lyrics directly contradict the melodic stream that leaps from Spektor’s mouth. So while the song begins “My rhyme ain’t good just yet / My brain and tongue just met” and goes on to discuss the problems caused by consonants and vowels, every line is delivered with stunning verbal dexterity. Further- more, many of her songs are punctu- ated by bursts of foreign language and surprising sounds that play a part in their respective narratives – a sneeze on Mary Ann, hawking spittle on Daniel Cowman. Regularly swooping from pop to rap to jazz stylings, of- plex and brilliant song. It presents us afford a limo and on any given day ten in the space of two lines, Spektor with the dream narrative of a mother I’d rather ride a limousine.” displays an inventiveness that sets her diagnosed with cancer, her anxieties The album culminates with recent way above the majority of her peers. about dying and leaving her children single, Us, a dramatic, stormy number But one comparison does stand true; behind revealed through the coded that finally began to attract the sort of the energy and elasticity of her vo- images thrown up in her dream. In press and radio attention that Spektor cals are reminiscent of Ani DiFranco’s the lyrics “I had a dream: crispy crispy more than warrants. She is an artist riotous live shows. Benjamin Franklin came over and baby- who improves with each release – the What this collection also proves is sat all four of my kids”, her financial finest songs here are taken from 2004’s that Spektor can communicate whim- concerns and worries about the wel- Soviet Kitsch – and she has already sical humour (Love Affair, Sailor Song) fare of her children are conflated with completed her next album, scheduled and affecting tragedy with equal skill. the precision and economy that char- for release later this year. With that in Daniel Cowman (“a man destined to acterises the best poetry. Meanwhile, mind, it looks increasingly likely that hang, a man destined to fry”) is about a the character’s outrage at the financial 2006 will be the year in which Regina death row inmate’s desire to take a fi- burden of paying for chemotherapy is Spektor Meets Chart Success & The nal bath before his execution. Chemo expressed in the song’s impassioned Acclaim That She Deserves. Limo is the album’s most lyrically com- chorus: “I can afford chemo like I can Danny Weddup

47 and reinforcing the melodic subtleties throughout, no matter how occasion- ally mawkish. No better is this demon- strated than on You Are What You Love (“not what loves you back”), an exuber- ant, wholesome pop confection that you can practically taste. Twinkling keyboards, a shuffling rhythm and an addictively relentless chorus all com- bine perfectly, rounded off with possi- bly the most satisfying ending imagi- nable in a culture of lazy fadeouts and over-indulgence. Also rather incredible are the se- ductive first single Rise Up With Fists!! and the title track, the first of the twelve to be written. Lewis’s echoey voice is accompanied only by a tenta- tively plucked acoustic guitar, creat- ing the impression of eavesdropping as she strums alone onstage, long af- ter her audience and band has gone home. Rabbit Fur Coat is the undisputed centerpiece of the record, best exem- plifying Lewis’s sugar-sweet singing (thankfully shed of Watson warblings in this case). It’s a crafty little number, Jenny Lewis with however; the nursery rhyme simplicity The Watson Twins of the melody belies a chilling fable of Rabbit Fur Coat how a cursed garment takes a family Rough Trade from rags to riches to rags again — a «««½ metaphor that, according to Lewis, runs throughout the album. A cover of Eighties OAP super- Probably the first thing you’ll notice Nyro — specifically the 1971 Nyro/ group The Travelling Wilburys’ Handle with this album, perhaps with a pang LaBelle collaboration, Gonna Take With Care makes for a dramatic change of initial apprehension, are the two A Miracle. That’s quite an ambition, of pace and reveals itself to be a de- neatly accessorised yet slightly sinister but luckily Lewis boasts a sensational lightful surprise. The benefits of being characters loitering in the background resume that proves she possesses more one of the most well-connected wom- on the Shining-esque sleeve. Say hello than enough countrified white soul to en in the business are clearly laid out, to The Watson Twins, with whom the carry it off, and there are touching mo- with Death Cab For Cutie/The Postal moonlighting Rilo Kiley frontwoman ments aplenty. Service’s Ben Gibbard contributing a Jenny Lewis generously shares the cred- Take the gospel/bluegrass opener chiming twelve-string guitar and Roy it for Rabbit Fur Coat. It’s surprising re- Run Devil Run, for instance, a short a Orbison’s parts, co-producer M. Ward ally, for though they are ever-present cappella vocal workout in which Lewis doing Jeff Lynne and Conor Oberst of in the mix and undoubtedly talented, immediately gives the Watsons a run Bright Eyes croaking his way through the Twins are essentially only backing for their money. But while the lush the Dylan lines. Elsewhere, Lewis’s singers to Lewis’s distinctive vocals. harmonies contained therein is surely boyfriend Johnathan Rice and Saddle The unrivalled star of the show, she what the Twins were hired for, a few Creek producer extraordinaire Mike drifts, snarls and soars her way through songs down the line they soon start Mogis are among the sixteen-strong witty and occasionally uncomfortable to grate a little, popping up unawares player count. lyrics, leaving the Watsons to fill in the to embellish a chorus or three in their Overall, Rabbit Fur Coat is a cap- gaps wherever they can. Even the in- rather dated style (occasionally remi- tivating, delightful and reassuring strumentation is kept to a minimum, in niscent of Mary Ford’s multi-tracked album that, although it lacks some keeping with the highly personal man- crooning on 1950s Les Paul records). of Rilo Kiley’s broad scope and mu- ner in which Lewis wrote these songs. Luckily, no amount of excessive coo- sical versatility, offers an endearing Supposedly recorded in six days flat, ing can entirely distract from Lewis’s glimpse into the heart and mind of a Rabbit Fur Coat is intended as a tribute expressive and compelling vocals, and very special talent. The world should to Lewis’s relationship with her mother the talents of the Twins admittedly know about Jenny Lewis. Spread the and Mrs Lewis’s favourite singer, Laura compliment these well, teasing out word. Alex Doak

48 NEW ALBUMS NEW

Tina Dico Perhaps the most disappointing Where Butterfly Song does clue you in In The Red thing is that there are some excellent though is in its use of two character- Finest Gramophone songs scattered among the album’s istic devices that Kirkham scatters ««« more average fare. Had all the tracks throughout the album — unison vo- been of the same standard, In The Red cal/backing instrument melodies and would be a significantly more involv- playing around with the rhythm and ing album. Losing sets the disc off to an tempo of the songs. Here, they work You can’t deny the popularity of Tina encouraging start with its big Beatles- well but they do get a little distracting Dico in her homeland of Denmark. esque choruses evoking Tears For on their umpteenth occurrence. When the domestic version of In The Fears in Sowing The Seeds Of Love mode Recent single Show Me What You’re Red hit the streets last July, it slotted (in a good way!). Give In rolls along Made Of is a lithe, feline jazz number in at the top of the charts, outselling smoothly like a chilled out drivetime with a walking bass and mood that the likes of Coldplay and U2. Dico (or classic, while first single Warm Sand deftly lands (on its feet, of course) Dickow if you’re Danish) herself was is the clear standout with its moody, somewhere between stray and aristo- up for consideration in three catego- building verses and hummable yet cat. It’s a trick rather less successfully ries at the 2006 Danish Music Awards; majestic refrain and Room With A View attempted on January Day, with its but is “big in Copenhagen” like “big in sets a gentle acoustic mood, enfolding halting changes in rhythm and horn Japan” or can she cut it in the crowd- the listener in a melancholy reverie. section that’s less like Coltrane than a ed international pop market? Though In the end though, this is a candidate bargain basement Casiotone. she’s better known in the UK as a for selective downloading. At least Hear The Blackbird and All For Noth- vocalist for chillout maestros Zero 7, that way you’ll be left in the black ing are open, folksy songs; the former she no doubt hopes that In The Red rather than overdrawn. boasting a sweet nursery rhyme sim- will bring her recognition in her own Trevor Raggatt plicity and the latter a feast of beguil- right. Certainly, the overall impres- ing backing vocals. But the centrepiece sion of the album is of a perfectly Stephanie of the record is a trio of songs that respectable piece of Scando-pop, with Kirkham mine the rich seam of Seventies Celtic darker, more brooding overtones than folk for inspiration. Taking as their the likes of Norway’s Lene Marlin or Sunlight On template bands like Planxty and Mov- Sweden’s Sophie Zelmani. But the My Soul SLK ing Hearts, who fused Arabic-styled sticking point here is a noticeable lack «««½ melodies with traditional European of spark to elevate the songs above the instruments like the bouzouki, hurdy- realms of the mundane. Stephanie Kirkham must have thought gurdy and bodhran, Bad Dream, Today Credit where it’s due though — the that Lady Fate herself was smiling down and Bonds Are Broken are nicely atmos- production is excellent. Chris Pot- when she signed a five-album deal with pheric. Even the fact that Bad Dream’s ter, who’s better known for his work Verve imprint, Hut Records. But the virtually a capella opening sounds a on the Verve’s Urban Hymns (1997), label’s implosion just a few months bit like the Shangri-La’s Leader Of The clearly knows his way around a mixing later proved how fickle that Lady can Pack does not prove too much of a dis- desk and, comparing the UK release be. Undeterred, Kirkham returned traction. Elsewhere, Moving & Breath- with the Danish original, it seems to the day job and nearly three years ing sounds a bit like Nanci Griffith, that some additional remixing has on from her disarming debut That which is never a bad thing. been done over the autumn to pre- Girl, Sunlight On My Soul arrives on Then there’s the title track, round- pare for its wider release. The songs Kirkham’s own label and shows that ing out the album with a bang in- are skilfully layered with lush samples, determination and dedication against stead of a whisper, a bizarre mélange strings and orchestral instrumenta- the odds can reap real dividends — in of sounds that somehow successfully tion, all adding up to a luxuriant aural this case, a quirky collection of songs melds together each of the album’s vista. Dico’s voice is strong and carries that resolutely refuse to be easily clas- themes and influences. To describe it the melodies well, sometimes crack- sified, instead rewarding the more de- is to think of a strange Frankenstein ing attractively on the quieter, more termined listener. experiment bolting together leftover emotional sections. Again, nothing Opener Butterfly Song is a charm- scraps of sessions from Joni Mitchell, to fault here, and when aligned with ingly twee prelude on the fragile and Las Ketchup and, quite possibly, next better material it makes for an effec- fleeting nature of life, and tempting as year’s Turkish Eurovision entry, while tive mix. There’s no doubt that there it is to knowingly smile and place her Kirkham stands at the centre trium- is a good deal of talent here, although in the Vashti Bunyan camp of delicate phantly yelling “IT’S ALIVE! IT’S Dico’s Gen-X couldn’t-care-less deliv- folksters, Kirkham refuses to be tied ALIVE!”. Fortunately, it’s no fearsome ery occasionally grates, particularly down so easily. Certainly, her voice hideous monster; what could have on the otherwise enjoyable Nobody’s still retains that winning fragility and been a disastrous trainwreck of a track Man. Likewise, the title track slips innocence — cute and coquettish in less capable hands provides instead beneath the surface from languorous without becoming fey; winsome with- a gloriously luminous and uplifting to simply dragging its heels and Use out cartoonish tendencies; light and close to this worthy second effort. Me seems just a little too ponderous. delicate but still imbued with strength. Trevor Raggatt

49 Rosanne Cash bass riff, not unlike her father’s voice tracks feature the distinctive sounds of Black Cadillac talking beneath a stolen U2 guitar the bodhran and bouzouki, courtesy of part, while Radio Operator’s poignant Irish folk rock grandee Donal Lunny, Capitol …will not end «««« message simply “ ”. producer of Capercaillie’s breakthrough The overall tone is one of sadness, albums Secret People (1995) and Deliri- but never defeat. For every heart- um (1996), whose return to the fold is

NEW ALBUMS break, there is acceptance that life a welcome one. The Scottish Ensemble There is a rule and a paradox that has continues. Implicit in the journey is provide exquisitely subtle chamber existed since melody was first used to hope, expressed beautifully in another strings, whilst former Deacon Blue (and communicate emotion. The rule: that standout, God Is In The Roses, in which now fellow Capercaillie) member Ewen classic songs tend to deal in the darker Cash takes a deep breath and smiles Vernal contributes double bass. elements of life. The paradox: that, for ruefully whilst singing “My whole world All bar two of the tracks are sung in a dark song, someone somewhere has fits inside the moment I saw you re-born, Scots Gaelic, a beautiful and lyrical lan- to suffer. Music can heal the deepest God is in the roses… and the thorns”. For guage that adeptly evokes the ethereal wounds and turn the bitterness of lost twenty years now, Rosanne Cash has and mystic, tangibly linking the music to love into the rose-tinted hue of fond created an exquisite blend of country, the ancient. The listener is always aware memory. Experts in the art of song- pop and rock that tends to get over- that this is a language with an emotional writing continue to educate us and we looked in the final reckoning, but re- meaning extending beyond the choice of never tire of the lesson. In just over a mains one of the cognoscenti’s best- notes and rhythmic devices. Even in the year, Cash lost her father, mother and kept secrets. With Black Cadillac, ‘mouth music’ songs with their frenetic stepmother, leaving her the bearer of a she has triumphed; it’s a masterclass vocal passages, there is never the feel- 50-year old torch and the Carter-Cash in living with the paradox, provid- ing of randomness that so often affects family (who, to some, were the Ameri- ing more of life’s truths, and laying to jazz scat vocals. The album’s most atypi- can family) in tatters. You’re unlikely rest with dignity and beauty some of cal, non-Capercaillie track is also the to see again a dedication carrying the her troubles. Buy it. Empathise. Feel first; Chi Mi Bhuam is a soothing intro- weight and legacy of a musical dynasty better. Paul Woodgate duction, with Donald Shaw’s sparse and as popular and critically acclaimed as jazzy piano underpinning Matheson’s the one Cash has printed on the sleeve Karen Matheson gorgeous cut-glass vocal and gentle, of Black Cadillac. Downriver uplifting strings. Capercaillie aficio- With the very stuff of life and death nados will be on more familiar ground at her fingertips then, it was natural Vertical thereafter; folk dances and gentle ballads that the follow-up to 2003’s Rules Of «««« mingle with the aforementioned mouth Travel would be both a personal good- music and ‘waulking songs’, whose com- bye and a meditation on loss. The plex rhythmic patterns are derived from music at the wake occasionally makes Since founding Capercaillie with (her now the sounds of the ancient weavers who for painful listening. That Cash hasn’t husband) Donald Shaw at the dawn of the finished the process by pounding their resorted to primal scream therapy, Eighties, Karen Matheson has become material against a wooden board. but instead maintained her impec- one of the foundational voices of modern The two songs sung in English are cable reputation for clever, insightful Scottish folk. Among her many accolades, modern compositions, but Matheson wordplay and gorgeous melody, is to US magazine Billboard have hailed her as blends them well with the more tradi- her credit and our gain. Black Cadil- “the finest Gaelic singer alive today” and tional fare. Singing In The Dark is a writer’s lac leaves its listeners in conflict with Sean Connery swears she has “a throat lament for all those songs that never find themselves; you sing along, until you surely touched by the hand of God”. And an audience, while I Will Not Wear The remember what it is you’re singing. if Mr. James Bond says so, who are Wears Willow boasts an interesting twist on the The highlights are many. Through- The Trousersto argue? murder ballad. Written from a woman’s out I Was Watching You, the album’s re- With seventeen Capercaillie albums perspective, the lyrics slowly reveal why curring themes of loss and love run like already to her credit, 2005 saw Mathe- the singer will not mourn with the other a raw nerve through a simple, layered, son take time out to record her village women for her seemingly ab- piano-driven melody, at once ghostly third solo album, Downriver, a mostly sconded lover, until the final chilling re- and viscerally tangible, personal yet acoustic set of songs both ancient and alisation that she knows where she bur- universal. Like Fugitives comes on like modern that will render the listen- ied the body. Crucan Na Bpaiste, written Bryan Adams’ Run To You without the er if not shaken, then deeply stirred. by Irish author Brendan Graham for his Eighties bombast or formulaic, lighter- Recorded in the idyllic setting of Crear 2005 novel The Brightest Day, The Dark- waving middle-eight. Instead, it’s the Studios in Kilberry overlooking the est Night, draws proceedings to a som- bitterest lyrical pill in Cash’s medicine breathtaking Sound of Jura, Downriver bre close with Michael McGoldrick’s cabinet: “It’s a strange new world we live certainly communicates a deep con- uilleann pipes joining the lament with in where the church leads you to Hell, and nection with the Scottish land and cul- Matheson’s heartbreaking voice. And the lawyers get the money for the lives ture, with its organic feel and open, airy then, inevitably, we’re returned to our they divide and sell”. Elsewhere, the title production eschewing the more electric own less luminous world, grateful for the track rolls in on an earthquake-like folk-funk sound of Capercaillie. Some time that’s gone by. Trevor Raggatt

50 Vashti Bunyan Yeah Yeah Yeahs Lookaftering Show Your Bones FatCat Polydor «««½ «««½

Chances are you won’t have easily for- opposite. Sonorous melodies and acous- Can love really steer us?”), while the latter gotten the cacophony known as the tic guitar are the most apparent change, must be the embodiment of whatever O Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a triumvirate of col- while O herself reveals more than just a meant when she said “Show Your Bones lege friends who really made a name for lyrical maturation, no longer loudly howl- is what happens when you put your fin- themselves in 2003 with a debut album ing unabashed but actually singing. ger in a light socket”, aside from a killer that shifted half a million copies. And Despite this stylistic overhaul, fans 240-volt shock, of course. Perhaps the before you even had time to ask whether should still appreciate the heavily distort- most exuberant and fragmented song Karen O’s outfits were Betsey Johnson ed, growling guitar riffs regularly alter- of the album, Phenomena offers bizarre vampy chic or thrift-shop ghetto fabu- nated with fun, and sometimes sombre, spaceship synth sounds mixed with lous (or, more importantly, where you reverb-drenched guitar picking. Cheated classic heavy-duty rock ‘n’ roll riffs with could score those threads), O and co. Hearts is a light and catchy number that a chorus that borrows the Grandmaster were centre stage in Central Park with starts out in a delightfully poppy vein Flash line “Something like a phenomenon” some 3,000 spectators stupefied by their before arriving at an apex of robust elec- and comically transmutes it to “Some- noisy charisma. The music was atypical, trifying riffs and O’s insistence, “I think thing like an astronomer”. vociferous and assertive; the singer a cap- that I’m bigger than the sound”, while There are duff tracks too; Honeybear, tivating, fashionably iconoclastic wide- the resplendently mellow acoustics and for example, is rather monotonous and eyed post-punk queen. Critics swooned haunting minor chords of Turn Into are dry, falling consistently short in its at- en masse, saving their sweetest praise for attested to by Nick Zinner’s beautifully tempts to be fun, while the pace of The the single Maps, a cooing, ballad-esque spooky oscillating solo. Elsewhere, Way Sweets is slightly too slow to match the love song where heavily distorted guitar Out alternates between simple, pretty momentum of the rest of the album. riffs met with O’s vulnerable and softly acoustics and raucous electric guitar; the There’s no question, however, that the echoing vocal. heavy metallic riffs and aggressive thun- Yeah Yeah Yeahs have achieved what It’s no surprise then that the band had derous drums of the bridge relieving they intended — to record a follow-up some anxieties about the follow-up, fear- what could have otherwise been a poten- that borrows the excitement, energy ing a carbon copy could signal their de- tially flat and repetitious song. and rawness of Fever To Tell and top that mise. “It would be pretentious if we did But the best songs here are Dud- with a touch of grown-up sophistication. the same thing twice,” said O in an inter- ley and Phenomena; the former full of Show Your Bones is ultimately optimistic; view with The Times. “We knew we didn’t melody, lullabic verses and pleasantly the sound of a band who might just have want the same sound or musical para- rudimentary choruses filled with re- found their niche, somewhere a little digm.” And sure enough, Show Your Bones verberating notes that compliment the further away from art-party cooler-than- is largely divergent from their clamorous delicate vocal as O ruminates on love (“I thouness and a little closer to unassum- debut, and in many ways even its polar lost all reason from playing your games…/ ing accessibility. Lisa Komorowska

51 Lou Rhodes the whole distancing itself from indi- that, Prime Mover, locks into a groove Beloved One vidual moments that casual listeners and moves with it, the song itself cou- Infinite Bloom could be forgiven for thinking bear too pling a lo-fi reading with the mystery ««« many similarities. The best is saved for of Bowie. last with Why. Although more conven- It’s no happy accident that Stagger tional in its structure than the rest of Into The Light falls in the middle of the the album, it’s oozes loveliness. All the record; it’s by far the best track and a First impressions? That Lou Rhodes first-rate ideas and melodies coalesce wonderful centrepiece. Of all the many (formerly 50% of Lamb) has joined the into a statement where the simplicity comparisons that Wasser has attract- burgeoning underground army of waifs of theme and craft finally hit home. ed so far — Dusty Springfield, Nina armed with an acoustic guitar, a pen- Interestingly, it’s the only song where Simone, even Prince — the most perti- chant for Martha’s Harbour-era self- Rhodes shares a writing credit. nent has to be Chrissie Hynde, and this sufficiency and a Joni fixation. Listen- A clarion call for reducing the com- is nowhere more apparent than on this ing through for the first time, I could plexities that surround us, Beloved One particular song. The sultriness, the ice almost smell the cherrywood fires and rewards continued listening and a re- cool attitude, being in the ideal position see Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young har- flective mind. By combining the DIY where women want to be her and men monising over the barbecue. On the ethos of the Seventies folkies with 21st want to be with her. All these quali- surface, Beloved One has all the hall- Century production values, it just about ties shine through brightly, and what’s marks of being nice, safe and harmless. hits the spot. Thank goodness for sec- more, Wasser manages to achieve this In fact, (whisper it) maybe even bland. ond impressions; this Lamb isn’t lying in a few mere moments — the tempting Fortunately, it just goes to show how down, just resting. Paul Woodgate lead up to the chorus and the inviting, a little knowledge can be a dangerous yet insistent lyric “listen to me”. By the thing. Don’t be fooled by the ‘back to Joan As time the final refrain comes around, the woods’ manifesto — the ‘Good Life’- Police Woman she’s pared it down to a satisfied “euff”, cum-Amish lifestyle extolled in the confident that she’s reeled you in. And (very nice) packaging and homemade JAPW EP all the while the song has swayed and art of the booklet are slightly at odds Reveal stopped, copped an attitude, and rolled with the warmth, quality and expanse «««½ back in again. of the recording. The production is ex- Just how do you follow that? Well, emplary; the instrument separation is With the release of her debut solo EP, it’s a difficult ask and Wasser has game- balanced and the vocals pushed to the it’s finally time for Joan Wasser to, ly stepped up to the plate. OK, so the fore. This isn’t Old Ma Rhodes whil- to quote one of her own song titles, final songs on the EP aren’t as good, ing away a harsh winter in the Appa- “stagger into the light”, assume cen- but they’re still mighty fine efforts. lachians with a beat-up acoustic, but tre stage and take the spotlight. For Game Of Life sounds Middle Eastern, a gifted songwriter, numerous musi- the past few years, she’s been an inte- sashaying around a bit before resort- cian friends, four recording studios, a gral part of Rufus Wainwright’s tour- ing to some helpless yelping towards plethora of organic instruments and ing band and also found time to play the end, while How Come You’re So Solid the adventure of creative release from on Antony & The Johnsons’ I Am A Gold? is broodily hypnotic; its circu- her previous band’s lo-fi format. Bird Now (2005). In fact, Wasser has lar rhythms drawing you deeper and Dig a little and there is plenty of mu- played with just about everyone who deeper into its black heart. This EP sical invention and personal freedom needed some quality violin and back- is a wonderful start to Joan’s solo ca- to be found. Rhodes’ sentiments have ing vocals. Meanwhile, she also found reer and promises plenty of interest for a disarming honesty that’s displayed time to play in numerous bands of her her forthcoming full-length, Real Life. in each song, let down only by a ten- own throughout the Nineties, before Russell Barker dency to rely on lyrical cliché — “Don’t breaking out on her own in 2002, tak- underestimate simplicity”, “Try to live ing her name from the Seventies cop Jo Mango each day by day Feel each moment new Police Woman ”, “ ” show, , starring Burt Ba- Paperclips & Sand — and those are all from the very first charach’s ex-wife Angie Dickinson. My Gurl Lo-Five song. More follow, equally unsubtle. Recent single starts things ««« But while they don’t stop coming, nei- off and finds her sensitively sing- ½ ther do they ruin the show. There are ing about the world in stopped mo- hooks too — the heartbeat rhythm of tion while the tune echoes the lyrics. Each Moment New, the drowsy double Then, after a minute and a half, the Glasgow-based chanteuse Jo Man- bass underpinning In’lakesh and Treat song sparks into life; a nice bit of fuzz go and her band have been treading Her Gently’s staccato guitar and slowly pedal here and there, a jazzy, populist the boards of the circuit for three evolving strings. In the title track, a mid-section there. The jazz element years, each time bringing a winsome hesitant beginning gives way to ur- is so convincing that you can almost and quirky brand of folk to the good gent, driven violin and intermittent see the smoke in the air of a crowded burghers of the city and the surround- passages of pastoral flute. Each song club, while her sassy side recalls the ing regions. In many ways, it’s dif- builds on the previous one, the sum of much-maligned Sam Brown. Following ficult to fully separate Jo Mango the

52 NEW ALBUMS NEW band from Jo Mango the artist. While tossed us a bonus track in the shape of the best songs here. La Pump is a de- the latter pens the songs (and hers Portugese Skies, a charming, idyllic song ceptively chugging petulant number is certainly a distinctive and attrac- that neatly bookends with opener My with a stroppy riot grrl chorus, and Bot- tive voice), the contributions of her Lung, wishing a true love a life where tlenose has a shouty, close to irritating fellow musical travellers bolster her all is good and true. Although it first intro but settles for some fine Bis-style signature sound. Backed by twin appeared on an early EP, it’s a worthy screaming and space age keyboards. brother Jim on bass, Simon Fullarton addition to the album, which is in it- Make It Through once again spins the on guitars and Calum Scott on percus- self a more than worthy introduction album on its head, with Asya’s echoing sion and guitar, the folk formula seems to Mango’s beautiful world. Here and vocals floating over a rumbling tune to have been adhered to. However, there, the intangible essences of more that’s closer to Joy Division than any- adding in Alan Peacock’s engrossing maverick artists like Björk and Stína thing else. Then I’ve Got My Own Prob- background and harmony vocals, and Nordenstam spiral just out of reach on lems To Fix manages to make riot grrl Katherine Waumsley’s flute and harp the edges of perception as she deftly sound ethereal. The wonderfully titled to Jo’s own eclectic instrumentation, skirts the suburbs of folk with bucolic, and brief The Quack clocks in at under including concertina and even Afri- dusky spirit. Trevor Raggatt a minute and is a Monster Mash for the can thumb piano, and a much broader Buffy generation. Smoosh have quite a sonic canvas is immediately evident. Smoosh way with song titles — there’s another The haunting My Lung provides a She Like Electric on here called Pygmy Motorcycle. stark introduction; Mango’s delicate Pattern 25 But while there are many good points and childlike vocals pick out a hymn ««« to the album, Asya’s vocals are exactly to the positive aspects of a depend- how you’d expect a young kid to sound. ence that’s closer to symbiosis than It may be an unfair criticism, but it’s a parasitism. Tea Lights then sets out a bit like going to see your child singing more typical template for the album, Just in case you haven’t heard about in the school play. Of course they sound with folksy guitar and vocals gradually the mini phenomenon that is Smoosh, wonderful, but then you’re forced to sit accumulating other musical elements here’s a brief recap: two sisters from through all the other kids’ performanc- – a bit of glockenspiel here, a violin Seattle — Asya, 13, and Chloe, 11 es too. Which begs the question, who there – and these provide a gentle re- — who play drums and keyboards and would choose to listen to this? But the flection and indeed an enhancement have been creating quite a stir amongst main impression I’m left with is that of the otherworldly lyrics. Peacock the alternative rock press both here and She Like Electric is the sound of a band steps forward to share the mic on at home, whilst also garnering praise warming up for something special. The Gomer, as he and Mango swap verses from many a respected musician. But ideas are bursting out of this album like two lovers who are connected and can they really be any good? For me, the and one suspects that come album two yet lost to one another, culminating in alarm bells started ringing when I read they will be better, if not fully, formed. a harmonious finale. The folksy mood people on certain music forums going Russell Barker continues elsewhere; How I’d Be finds on about how great the band are. These Mango’s musings on what might have are the sort of people that I’ve always Tilly & The Wall been lifted up, up and away on well maintained are constantly on the search Wild Like Children placed harmonies, while Waltz With for something more challenging, more Me Moshi Moshi is a wistful dance leavened by lilt- obscure and hey, maybe more unlist- ««« ing flute and accordion. enable than what anyone else is “listen- ½ After Take Me Back’s traditional ing” to. They want to be the first on the hard knock life storytelling balladry, block to uncover something new, some- which happily strays into Sandy Den- thing to impress their peers with just Tilly & The Wall are a Nebraska-based ny/Vashti Bunyan territory (but with how avant-garde they are. Mind you, if band who specialise in mesmerising a stronger and more assured vocal Everett True likes them, there must be lyrics about, well, getting drunk, fall- delivery than the latter), a more con- something worthy going on. ing over and generally being a bit de- temporary edge comes to the fore. In For a start there are some great mu- pressed. The more impatient listener fact, Hard Day could slot in nicely with sical moments; She Like Electric has may feel inclined to put the album back Suzanne Vega’s early catalogue — and ideas a-plenty. After the Money Mark- on the shelf as soon as they realise this that’s no faint praise — while Blue Light style lo-fi of Massive Cure, the rolling — after all, it’s been done and bettered swells from a hesitant, contemplative Ben Folds-y piano of It’s Cold and the by many other Nebraskan bands well opening into a dark and brooding psy- infectiously jaunty It’s Not Your Day before them but those faithful to the chodrama, blowing moody portents To Shine, Rad is the first moment that album will be rewarded. Tilly & The on winds of overdriven electric gui- knocks you sideways. Eighties-style Wall’s major strength is Jamie Williams, tars. Finally, Harlow 1959 brings the ‘hip-pop’ is the best way to describe it, their (female) tap dancer used in lieu album to a halting conclusion, mir- with Asya and Chloe’s youthful exuber- of a drummer, who gives the music an roring the Vega-esque bedsit drama ance really coming to the fore through inspiring ethos, quietening any mutters it describes. Actually, it’s not exactly incessant chants of “yo guys”. Early signs that they lack originality. Musically, the a conclusion; Mango has graciously of teenage angst are apparent on two of band are a peculiar mix of childhood

53 chants and disastrous relationships; Don’t believe me? Check out Adam Du- Broadcast Neely J’s growling vocals can only be ritz’s forum on the Counting Crows web- Tender Buttons compared to a five year old child who’s site, a rare taste of a songwriter giving Warp just smoked a pack of twenty. his admirers a taste of their own tongue- ««« Their official debut album also marks lashing. Is the musician just an avatar their first material to be released in the for the neuroses of their more, shall we

NEW ALBUMS UK. Bessa and Let It Rain give a confus- say, ardent appreciators, or someone ingly folk sound to an arguably antifolk articulating their inner emotions for ca- For their third proper full-length, Bir- album, while Nights Of The Living Dead thartic reasons? 99 of 100 artists will tell mingham’s finest purveyors of hook- and Ice Storm, Big Gust & You are more you, correctly, that they make music for laden electronica have produced a akin to Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, who themselves first. If we like it too, great. fresher, more pared down version of originally produced some of the tracks They’re not our personal troubadours. their millennial post-rock. Named after featured on the album. First single Reck- Get over it. Move on. Liz Phair has. Just enigmatic American author Gertrude less and Perfect Fit carry the same stomp- listen to Everything To Me on which she Stein’s 1911 novel, Tender Buttons sees ing (literally) theme, but the band wisely sings: “...you never gave a damn about all the band operating for the first time as steer clear of the dangerous cliff called of those things I did to please you / all that a twosome (singer Trish Keenan and We Sound Like Franz Ferdinand (But you wanted, you found somewhere else / and partner James Cargill) following the We’re American, Yeah!). I Always Knew nothing could drag you away from yourself / departure of drummer/guitarist Tim stands alone as the song that shows the do you really know me at all?” Felton. Inevitably, the replacement of band’s true potential, mixing all of their I haven’t followed Phair since 1993’s real drum sounds with softer electro talents and sounds in equal measure, Exile In Guyville. I haven’t queued in the beats has had a dramatic effect, giving while also giving the album a wise and rain for her gigs and I wouldn’t frame her the album a sparser, more minimalist positive edge. The album only really falls plectrum and place it above my pillow, feel than 2003’s fantastic Ha-Ha Sound. short of being a classic because some of turn around four times and chant her Samples, too, are limited and well used, their better songs have been overlooked name before I sleep. For all the indig- with several motifs recurring across a and left off of the album, replaced with nant chorus of disapprovals and shouts number of songs, adding a depth to the Shake It Out, a mediocre tribute to the of “sell out!” she’s suffered, an album of proceedings as they interlace the al- other nine tracks on the album. new material from Phair is something bum, giving it some much needed con- The truth is, in five years’ time Wild to be respected, if not treasured. If you sistency. Sadly, it’s not quite enough to Like Children will be under two inches don’t like it, don’t listen to it. You’ll be see the listener through its relatively of dust, because by then Tilly & The missing out though because Somebody’s short forty minute running time. Wall will have released an album so Miracle is intelligent, adult power-pop. Although the album starts fantas- stupendously good, so mind blowingly It’s rock in a suede glove, and it’s going tically well and gets better as it pro- different and crucial, every album you to cost you a fortune because to really ceeds throughout its first half, hitting own will be shoved under the bed or appreciate it you’ll need to buy a con- a number of Death In Vegas-like, care- piled on your desk, cases cracked, col- vertible, put the top down and crank fully weighted notes, that’s about as far lecting coffee stains. A second album, up the stereo; this album is a summer as it goes. Indeed, the disc arguably Bottoms Of Barrels, is waiting in the stomper. It pushes all the right buttons peaks over its first four well-arranged wings, but for now, this album is here at all the right times. There are Beach and impacting songs — I Found The F, to taunt you into submission and to pa- Boy backing vocals, minor chords when Black Cat, the title track and the excel- tiently remind Nebraska that its artists you expect major, stop-start verse/cho- lent first single American Boy — before can do better. Tiffany Daniels rus structures and sweet vocals about breaking out the old acoustic guitar for love, sex and more love. It’s equal parts Tears In The Typing Pool and returning Liz Phair Aimee Mann, Blondie, Fountains Of to high-gear electro again for the com- Somebody’s Wayne and Sheryl Crow and, occasion- paratively driving Corporeal. Miracle ally, a little of Phair’s back-catalogue The other eight songs, however, are spikiness. The title track, Stars & Planets significantly less affecting and some- Capitol and the glorious Count On My Love are what sketchy. Not even Klein’s coolly «««½ songs to give your heart to. If you don’t dispassionate singing redeems them, tap your feet, I’ll eat mine. although it’s fair to say that Michael A What would have happened if The Bea- Cons? The album pacing isn’t al- Grammar stands out from the crowd. tles had a fan forum between Revolver ways brilliant, the two opening tracks There are plenty of appealing noises and Sgt Pepper’s? Or to Dylan when he don’t get out of the blocks and it’s two to be sure, but none of them seem to went electric? Chances are they’d have songs too long, but I’m not going to hang together as finished songs, in still created work worthy of their genius, camp outside her flat and demand she sharp relief to the polish in evidence but the internet has stripped away the changes it for me. It’s her album, her earlier on. Overall then, the first half distance between creator and critic. To- songs and her feelings. I’m just along of Tender Buttons is worth a listen or day you can send e-mails to artists with for the ride. If the top’s down, I’ll be seven, but it could have been cut down your opinions on their work, and it’s in- happy. Hell, I may even e-mail Liz and to a really fine EP. Shame. creasingly likely they’ll actually read it. let her know. Paul Woodgate Peter Morrow

54 As anyone who has ever caught one of her live shows would know, Beth Beth Orton Orton has a wicked sense of humour Comfort Of Strangers that’s absolutely unprepossessing. So EMI the fact that her fourth album opens ««««½ with Worms’ lyrical shot right out of the leftfield ballpark might hardly even register were it not so ut- terly nutso. And when the chorus proclaims her an “apple-eatin’ hea- then”, you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s been tucked away these past four years living on a diet of Fio- na’s strange fruit. The comparison is all but inescapable, really; the jazzy bounce of Ted Barnes’ drums and Orton’s piano coated with some of her most pithy lyrics to date could easily fit on Extraordinary Machine (2005), the tricksy changes in ca- dence and phrasing notwithstanding. It’s a healthy sign of life, and so while the countrified, nature-will-prevail groove of Countenance lands us on more familiar ground, there’s plenty to keep the interest piqued. Witness the glorious use of Orton’s own back- ing vocals and Barnes’ softly frenetic drumming in the final chorus and be in no doubt that this is her most fully realised record yet. How refreshing then to discover that the whole thing was committed to tape in roughly a fortnight. It seems that although Orton has been playing Lead single Conceived is simply certainly a contender for the former with some of these songs for at least the best thing she’s released in years, honour; a strident, near-anthemic lit- two years, all it needed was the flinty- with its insistent drum beat, hand- tle number, it boasts some of Orton’s voiced northeasterner to find the right some swells of organ and strings, most convincing vocals and lyrical somebody to spark off. After abortive huge singalong chorus and the sweet gems like “you can’t watercolour a fire- sessions with Adem and Four Tet’s Ki- trill of O’Rourke’s marimba. The soft cracker” and the commanding refrain eran Hebden, Orton teamed up with brushed cymbals, gently plucked gui- of “I don’t care how much religion you’ve producer Jim O’Rourke (most re- tar and sparkly piano interludes of the got, you gotta put a little love in your cently a member of a resurgent Sonic sumptuous title track are downright heart” all add up to something pretty Youth) and the magic, it seems, finally irresistible. Lyrically, too, it’s a beau- damn special. happened. Given that O’Rourke’s past ty. The plaintive chorus of “I’d rather That said, this won’t be to every- production duties have lurched be- have no love than messing with the wrong one’s taste. Even a decade on from tween disparate styles, his relatively stuff, it’s just the comfort of strangers” is her unit-shifting debut Trailer Park, hands off approach to Comfort Of a perfect example of Orton’s skilfully some will still bemoan the exclusion Strangers does Orton many great fa- understated and tender confession- of any electronica here, but it’s plainly vours. Never before has she sounded als. Elsewhere, Heartland Truckstop is obvious and has been for some time so nuanced and personable, even on a neat continuation of the road trip now that Orton has no interest in re- her benchmark album Central Res- iconography that runs through her juvenating the hackneyed ‘comedown ervation (1999). She’s always been a work like a dusky beautiful bruise, queen’ tag ungainly thrust upon her fantastic singer, but by allowing her while Shopping Trolley and Pieces Of in the old days. Now in her mid-thir- vocals more space in the mix, more Sky echo the celestial fixation of her ties, Orton has shown with Comfort prominence, she’s nothing short of earlier songs like Galaxy Of Emptiness Of Strangers that she has something sensational. Sure, she still has a ten- and Stars All Seem To Weep. exquisite and different to bring to the dency to slur out some of the lyrics, Happily, it’s equally impossible to Big Chill table. And it’s better than but her economy of diction works in single out a favourite track as it is to anyone could ever have foreseen. these sparser surroundings. pick out a weak one. Heart Of Soul is Alan Pedder

55 Tamsin Warley bolic of the broader picture – a tech- ists, after early major label experience, Wide Open Sky nique so well exploited by the likes of Hatfield retreated to the underground Ulvaeus and Andersson. Macefin Av- and the safety of a small independent Pure Passion enue «««« looks back to a life that never was label and the freedom to do her own in a Manchester suburb to ponder the prolific thing. So after releasing al- effects of the choices we make in love. most one album per year, not to men- Even when delivering the classic break- tion various band reunions and side The last few years has seen a resur- up song, Warley’s emphasis is never on project Some Girls, has the former gence in the mainstream of female self-pity but on a woman learning from Blake Baby grown up? singers unafraid to let it rock, at her mishaps and moving on to some- Well, the album kicks off in famil- least politely. Whether it’s the sk8er thing better. iar territory with the classic brooding ‘punk’ of Avril Lavigne, the big vo- The faster songs are similarly in- power-pop of New Waif, all the sass of cals of Anastacia and Kelly Clarkson spiring; opener Drive For Miles is the old coming to the fore. It’s to the lyr- or Michelle Branch’s more acoustic quintessential top-down, foot-to-the- ics you should look for a statement of offerings, there’s clearly a market for floor classic, while Dance Like No One Is intent, with their opening plea of “you well-written pop songs with guitars Watching is a glorious hymn to the plea- better give this girl something, because she’s aplenty. It’s into this particular arena sure of surrendering to the moment. In dying for a lie”. What Do I Care continues that Lancashire-born, London-based a softer gear, Warley subtly recalls the the nostalgia trip, its bratty vocals ac- singer-songwriter Tamsin Warley has better aspects of Beverley Craven, but companying a slice of Babes In Toy- firmly planted her feet, her debut al- when cranked up the comparisons are land-style grunge, a trick that’s simi- bum setting out a stall packed with at- harder to pin down. There’s perhaps larly employed and even trumped on tractive produce. a touch of Annie Lennox with Chris- Stay Awake. It’s the former, however, Overseen by Tamsin herself, in ca- sie Hynde’s attitude; elsewhere, maybe that lyrically sums up the fragile and hoots with former SnowDogs Ville a hint of Shawn Colvin’s rockier side paradoxical mood of the album. See: “I and Mat Leppanen, at East London’s – but Warley is never indistinct. feel funny. Is it over? / Am I dead or asleep Atomic Studios, Wide Open Sky is no That said, much of Wide Open Sky on the sofa? / Made in China for the mass- shabbily recorded portastudio fodder; wouldn’t be out of place sat at the top es, I’m cheap and plastic / There’s millions from a technical point of view, the re- of the charts in the hands (or rather, of us. Yeah. / You can buy me / You can sults are mighty impressive. The rock- the tonsils) of the aforementioned Ms. break me / You can laugh but you’ll see ier numbers are imbued with a mix- Clarkson or Newkirk. With a good it’s so easy / What the fuck? / It’s a miracle ture of modern angular guitar sounds publishing deal and contacts, a comfy I’m even here”. mixed together and shaken up with an retirement fund could certainly be as- It’s at this point that you realise almost subliminal retro sheen, while sured. However, with the right backing, what a big debt Avril Lavigne and her the keyboard flourishes recall some of opportunities and a side order of luck, ilk owe to Hatfield. She barged the the great pop songs of the late Eight- there’s no reason why she couldn’t take doors open and got trampled in the ies and early Nineties, but never drag the songs there herself. The pop music rush as the anodyne clones polished them back through a timewarp. And market may be crowded and cut-throat, the product, making it more palat- while this remains a thoroughly con- but Warley could be one to succeed in able and MTV friendly. This however temporary pop album, the excellent that particular den of fiery dragons. is the real thing, challenging the lis- production would be largely irrelevant Trevor Raggatt tener yet remaining immensely tune- without decent songs and a great per- ful. On Video is Redd Kross-flavoured formance. Fortunately, Warley really Juliana Hatfield Seventies rock, Hole In The Sky goes Oh delivers on these counts too. Her vocal Made In China for a hippie-ish acoustic feel, while style is perfectly suited to this type of pinches a slice of the riff from Suede’s music, clear and rich with the strength Ye Olde Records The Drowners and gets all slinky on us. to impose herself during the louder «««« In the rockier mid-section, My Pet Lion moments but tender enough to con- kicks off like an early Bangles track, vince in the softer lulls. followed by the feisty power-pop of The quality of the self-penned So Juliana Hatfield is back with her Going Blonde. Rats In The Attic is remi- songs is thankfully equal to the deliv- tenth solo album, as challenging and niscent of Nirvana from 1993’s Become ery. While dealing with fairly universal contrary as ever. If, like me, you lost What You Are, with Hatfield fitting themes of life, love and the search for track of her somewhere around album a little girl lost vocal over a grind- significance, they are a million miles three, 1995’s Only Everything, this is a ing rock tune. There’s a big flourish from the usual pop platitudes – there chance to renew your acquaintance. to finish, a sinister and spooky num- is a real depth to Warley’s lyrics. The Called Made In China to indicate her ber called A Doe & Two Fawns, which writing is observant and insightful, disposable and marketable state, the begins with winding electric guitar picking up on the minutiae of life (…but album features her stripped bare on that leads into double-tracked vocals, when I found her text to you / there was the cover. Being Juliana, it’s just her before segueing into a long fadeout, nothing else to do / ‘cause I’d lost you once torso, there to also represent where with a shaker adding to the ill feeling. and for all…) which are so often sym- her music comes from. Like many art- That, in turn, leads into Send Money, a

56 NEW ALBUMS NEW sprawling, psychotic letter to God and gifts than some of the chosen tracks, but work, they have mostly been stifled by his overeager believers. then no ‘best of’ collection ever pleased increasingly slick and soulless produc- Unlike some of her contemporaries, everyone. Less surprisingly, but perhaps tion. To listen to her music is to bear Hatfield is still on top form after all a little disappointingly for some, there’s witness to a gradual erosion of person- these years. Now I owe it to her to go nothing featured from her early days as ality. She is, The Collection also reveals, back and catch up on what I’ve missed. a teenage bubble-permed popstar ei- an artist whose interpretive skills still Russell Barker ther. The inclusion of some particularly require honing. A new cover of Seal’s obscure tracks (such as Mercy, her con- Crazy is passable, though utterly undis- Alanis tribution to Jonathan Elias’s 1999 proj- tinguished, but an over-eager take on Morissette ect of multi-language devotional songs Cole Porter’s Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love) entitled The Prayer Cycle) indicates that from the De-Lovely soundtrack cruelly The Collection Morissette intends The Collection to be exposes her limitations, sticking out Maverick something rather more ambitious than like the proverbial sore thumb. Since ««½ a standard greatest hits package. many of her songs are somewhat simi- The sequencing is non-chronologi- lar in tempo, a little of her work can go Arriving just a few months after a less- cal and begins with ...Junkie’s enduring a long way. Whatever their deficiencies, than-essential tenth anniversary acous- first single Thank U, one of several of quieter moments such as Simple Togeth- tic edition of her mighty debut, Jagged her beguiling paeans to experience as er and That I Would Be Good do offer a Little Pill (1995), it’s possible to view this teacher. Of the less familiar tracks, Sis- needed respite. hits compilation of Morissette’s work as ter Blister (from the 2002 CD/DVD pack- The nicest surprise though is just symptomatic of record label despera- age, Feast On Scraps) rocks nicely and how well the Jagged Little Pill tracks tion. Are Maverick simply trying their offers a trenchant view of gender roles have worn: You Oughta Know retains its hardest to wring as much mileage as and female competitiveness. The afore- startling ferocity, Head Over Feet reveals possible out of the back catalogue of an mentioned Mercy is a bizarre inclusion, itself as a surprisingly sweet love song, artist who, for many, has failed to fulfil however; a botched attempt at spiritual while Hand In My Pocket remains a glori- the creative or commercial promise of rapture on which Morissette (singing in ous anthem. But then you probably own her phenomenal early success? Errant Hungarian) duets with Salif Keita. As all those songs already and they gain thoughts such as these may well pass admirable as her decision not to follow little when presented out of context. Of through your mind as you listen to The a predictable course with this release the other tracks, the disturbing Hands Collection. In all fairness, however, this is, it’s a tactic that often backfires and Clean — which does allow for some lyri- retrospective does have a little more to renders The Collection a rather uneven cal ambiguity — is one that you may find offer than such a cynical assessment listening experience. yourself returning to. That Morissette is suggests. In particular, for those who Indeed, quality control is sadly vari- a talented young artist who has yet to gave up on Morissette in the late Nine- able throughout. At her best, Moris- fully find her voice on record is the abid- ties — that is, about mid-way through sette is a witty and insightful writer ing impression given by The Collection. the endurance test that was Supposed whose songs excavate sharp emotional Hopefully, its release will mark a turn- Former Infatuation Junkie (1998) — The truths; at her worst, she sounds like ing point in her career, freeing her up Collection functions as a valuable re- she’s reciting from a self-help manual, to reconnect with her muse and thereby cap of what she’s been up to since, and and a second-rate one at that. For ev- take her music in some interesting new a chance for listeners to reflect upon ery subtle, surprising lyrical detail that directions. Alex Ramon the qualities that make her, at times, a strikes a nerve, such as “I remembered very special artist indeed. Unfortunate- you the moment I met you” in Simple To- ly, though, the record also offers a few gether, there’s a corresponding slide into clues as to why her post-Pill output has cringe-making banality: “I thought we’d be been somewhat less than stellar. sexy together… I thought we’d have children The eighteen tracks chosen for the together.” Also exposed is her irritating album are a broadly representative se- penchant for repetitious ‘listing’ song lection: five songs from Jagged Little structures. This compositional style Pill, a smattering from her other studio — an attempt at litany? — allows little records, one from her MTV Unplugged room for ambiguity, nuance or progres- disc, a trio of soundtrack contributions, sion beyond glib paradoxes of the “I’m some rarities, and a new cover (for less the funniest woman you’ve ever known… I’m casual listeners, a special digipak edition the dullest woman you’ve ever known” / “I’m supplements the CD with a one-hour your doubt and your conviction” variety. documentary and a few other extras). Morissette’s vocal performances can There are, inevitably, some regrettable be similarly erratic. Her singing on Jag- omissions: superior album cuts such ged Little Pill had character, edge, spon- as Front Row, Narcissus, Surrendering, 21 taneity and the power to command your Things I Want In A Lover and That Particu- attention. And while these qualities are lar Time would have better displayed her still sometimes in evidence on her later

57 very well just be shredding. Hers truly is rhythm playing, seamlessly incorporat- ing percussion into the chordal playing, tapping flamenco-style on golpeadores and tapping plates but goes far beyond. No part of the guitar is safe from her

NEW ALBUMS onslaught and so breathtakingly intri- cate is her playing that her right hand is often little more than a blur. Parts of the album are truly aston- ishing. Somewhere a jaunty jazz motif morphs into a metal-based arpeggio solo. Somewhere else a Sixties cop show guitar line merges into a sassy Mexican melody. Ixtapa boasts the album’s only guest musician in the shape of violin- ist Roby Lakatos who liberally sprinkles it with gypsy jazz improvs. Two rather unexpected covers — Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven and Metallica’s Orion, join the seven original numbers. Frank- ly, whether we really need another ver- sion of Stairway… now that we have the definitive cover (“…can ya tell what it is yet?...”) is debatable, but fortunately Ro- drigo y Gabriela free the song from its lyrical strictures and provide an entirely new take on the classic. All the signa- ture melodies and sounds are there but Rodrigo y Gabriela in Rodrigo y Gabriela’s hands, the over Rodrigo y Gabriela familiar aunt of your record collection Rubyworks becomes a suddenly attractive second «««« cousin once removed. Orion is present- ed firmly on its own terms, underlining the duo’s determination not to be tied There are two things that Rodrigo y tion as a live act and assorted critical down by ticking the tired boxes marked Gabriela, a pair of Mexican ex-pats dribblings with their previous albums genre. Certainly the opening verses uti- now based in Dublin, want you to know Re-Foc (2003) and Live–Manchester & lise metal-styled riffing, but they do above all else. One, they aren’t siblings Dublin (2004), this John Leckie-pro- so in a manner that disentangles them and two, they don’t, I repeat DON’T play duced eponymous release seems set to from expectation. The dreamy slide gui- flamenco music. It’s easy to see why one break them to a wider audience, and tar introduced towards the end shows, might make that mistake though; their deservedly so. yet again, that the word ‘boundaries’ is music is certainly infused to overflow- Whilst both are virtuosi in their own not a familiar component of Rodrigo y ing with Latin passion. It can be frenetic right, playing duties are split with Rod- Gabriela’s vocabulary. and in your face, is played on nylon- rigo taking the majority of the lead lines This magnificently inventive album strung Spanish guitars and features stir- and Gabriela holding down the rhythm. is guaranteed to have any fan of instru- ring melodies that float above energetic However, this shouldn’t be taken to im- mental guitar music enthralled from the instrumentation that mixes percussion ply that she plays the subordinate role very first bars. Even casual music fans and guitar in equal amounts… flamenco, behind the male guitar hero. In fact, in will surely come away from this with up- surely? Only if you insist on missing the many ways, it is Gabriela’s energised and lifted spirits and a goofy smile. Also, if point. You see, Rodrigo y Gabriela were muscular playing style that characterises you’re quick off the blocks, you may be originally members of Tierra Acida, one the duo’s unique sound. Rodrigo’s fluid able to snap up one of the limited edi- of Mexico’s premier metal bands, before and emotional melodies are easy on the tion copies complete with bonus DVD. quitting for Europe in 1999. So, yes, the ear and lodge in the consciousness, and Well worth the price of admission, it music does contain flamenco elements the thought occurs that this could be just contains a documentary, three stunning but it mines a cluster of other genres the guitar style that Jimi Hendrix, Hank live performances and a short tutorial too – pop, classical, funk, heavy metal Marvin and John Schofield might have showing how to capture the opening and Al di Meola-esque jazz fusion – all come up with if they’d grown up togeth- track Tamacun in Rodrigo y Gabriela performed on acoustic guitars. Hav- er in the hills of Andalusia. But without style – do try this at home folks! ing already gained a glowing reputa- Gabriela’s astonishing rhythms, it could Trevor Raggatt

58 Amy Wadge its power. Indeed, the aching passion for of the year awards at last year’s Prize of No Sudden Moves righteousness and a decent life for the or- Danish Music Critics. Upon hearing the Manhaton Records dinary person in Nicky Wire’s lyrics are album, it’s not hard to believe; it’s a work ««« thrown into even sharper relief. of high calibre and incredible beauty. ½ It has never been in doubt that Amy Lise was first exposed to music by her Wadge possesses a voice of astonish- Finnish grandmother, who was a pia- ing strength and beauty. Smoky and nist in Helsinki. During the long Finnish If just a single word were to sum up the seductively sibilant, each performance summers, she was exposed to Brahms career to date of Bristol-born, Cardiff- drips with feeling and is delivered at and Chopin, both of which clearly had a based singer-songwriter Amy Wadge, either a visceral or higher emotional profound effect — the classical influence it would probably be ‘almost’. After the level depending on the context. Whilst is prominent on Rock, You Can Fly, with richly promising start of gritty mini-al- the production takes an open, acoustic simple piano melodies that take their bum The Famous Hour (2002), her debut approach that complements the vocal time to develop, and instruments that album proper, 2004’s WOJ, was an over- performance nicely, No Sudden Moves is complement the entire sound rather than produced error of judgement and went not an exercise in minimalism. On the carving their own individual spaces. This mostly unregarded. Even so, Wadge has contrary, acoustic guitars, piano, dou- is a delicate record, full of subtleties that twice managed to trump the likes of ble bass and other instruments such as make for a rich but intimate sound. Take Cerys Matthews and Charlotte Church strings and muted trumpet conspire to Reparation for example; it’s a slow, uncom- at the Welsh Music Awards, yet despite create a lush soundscape that envelops plicated song that manages to be utterly working with and supporting some of the listener whilst allowing the music mesmerising despite barely changing for the most respected names in the busi- to breathe. Bringing to mind the work nearly five minutes. ness and representing Wales as a cul- of Mary Black in the 1990s, these songs Breathy and dreamlike, Lise’s vocals tural ambassador, Wadge has somehow are smooth but not soulless, produced make it is easy to imagine her as a tiny failed to filter into the realms of public but still organic. Some songs recall the elfin creature, fragile and helpless. Occa- recognition outside of blessed Cymru. If arrangements of Julia Fordham; others sionally, however, she displays real vocal a mixture of talent and hard work alone are stripped back to the bare essentials strengths — “She is strong, but in a frail way” guaranteed anything in the music indus- of guitar or piano and lovely harmonies she coos early on, perhaps self-referen- try, she might already be a household (No Sudden Moves, Worry About You). tially. Lyrically, Rock, You Can Fly explores name. So does No Sudden Moves have the Readily grabbing the ear with a sub- the themes of love, loss, death and Arc- legs to right this sorry inequality? tle immediacy, No Sudden Moves never- tic climbs, simultaneously conveying the You know, it really just might. Stick- theless retains enough appeal to reward epic and the deeply personal. ing to the blueprint of its title, the al- digging deeper and repeated auditions. First single Séance is about a dead lov- bum provides a baker’s dozen of like- It’s an album that should attract the at- er coming back to whisper comforting able, mellow, middle-of-the-road cuts, tentions of stations like Radio 2 and a words in your ear, and it perfectly con- but this in itself should not be taken as listenership that responds to well-writ- jures up that spooked feeling when you damnation with faint praise. The songs ten, well-sung songs. Neither tortoise don’t know if what you just experienced here may be accessible and easy on the nor hare, No Sudden Moves is the sound was a dream or reality. Northernmost is ear, but they are not by inference bland of moderate progression and a sturdy bid a simple refrain about the cold morn- or undemanding. for wider recognition. Trevor Raggatt ing mist, while Cowboys & Indians makes Lyrical preoccupations include intel- turf into playful whimsy and the magic ligent musings on life and love with the Lise Westzynthius of childhood. Mostly though, the songs odd wink at social politics; take, for in- Rock, You Can Fly deal with loss, or whether you ever really stance, the first two single releases. The had what you were looking for in the first USA, We’ll Wait & See One Little Indian Sans Souci first, , was released ««««« place, such as on the beautiful . late last year in both Welsh and English Her message is ambiguous, however, es- language versions and explores that all pecially when coupling joyful melodies too human tendency of running away to with heartbreaking sadness on the devas- find meaning and significance when those Although you’ve most likely never heard tating Mousquetaire. things were already at hand, if you’d only of new One Little Indian signing Lise The art of creating rich but quiet taken time to look. The second, soon to Westzynthius, Rock, You Can Fly is actu- soundscapes seem to have been perfected be released is an exquisite cover of the ally her second solo album, but the first by the Scandinavians. Much of Rock, You Manic Street Preachers’ A Design For Life. to be released outside of her native Den- Can Fly bears a similarity to the work of From the moment Wadge’s bare and ex- mark. Looking further in reverse, she was Sigur Rós, but with a voice more akin to posed vocal intones the lyric “Libraries once part of a critically acclaimed band that of Stína Nordenstam. Yet Lise’s mu- gave us power, then work came and set us free / named Luksus who lasted for two albums sic feels a great deal more personal, as if what price now for a shallow piece of dignity?” before disbanding. No wispy-voiced new- she couldn’t help but tell you her secrets. backed only by skeletal right-hand piano, comer then, Westzynthius has been ad- The album takes you through her joy, her you realise you’re in for something truly mired by many for years, and this album pain, her longing. We’re closer to her by special. Stripped of the Manics’ raging only cemented that status; Rock, You Can the end of it, as well as closer to ourselves. guitar onslaught, the song loses none of Fly won her both the vocalist and album Bryn Williams

59 Mary Lee’s 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), the guitar the lighting was forced so low that they Corvette solos drawing deeply from both sourc- could barely even be seen. They are, in Love, Loss & Lunacy es while the lyrics ponder the pros and essence, anti-performance and in that Self-released cons of being set adrift and left to your respect are the polar opposite of fellow «««« own devices. electro purveyors like Fischerspooner, While Kortes’ performance is not Peaches and Chicks On Speed. so distinctive as to be unmistakable, Compared with their two previous Album number four finds former book she certainly delivers an assured, at- albums, this is a pointedly minimal- editor Mary Lee Kortes serving up yet tractive and pleasing sound, and that, ist affair, and in some ways even more another accomplished set of resolutely after all, is really what’s required. I’m low-key than 2003’s Deep Cuts, a record uplifting pop songs with a retro feel and Saving Grace, however, sees a transfor- that was rich in ice-cool synths and a country tinge. It may seem odd to as- mation in her style as she channels steel drums. Silent Shout is still char- cribe the word uplifting to a song suite Chrissie Hynde for a Pretenders-esque acteristically The Knife, however, with tackling such issues as incest (Verla), number. Suffice to say, if Kortes ever a distinctive sound that’s somewhere the perverse pleasure of Schadenfreude turns up on Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes between mid-Nineties post-rave dance (I’m Saving Grace) and the acceptance of there are no prizes for guessing who chart fodder and cutting-edge elec- directionless wandering (Lucky Me), but she’ll be. Rather more mechanical, tro, with warped and sinister vocals the attitude with which these subjects however, is Blood Of Stones, its stilted throughout. But this time, The Knife are approached really does raise the rhythms failing to convince and pro- seem more preoccupied with forging spirits. Each of the dozen songs is in- viding the low point of an otherwise a vista of haunting electro landscapes fused with signature Sixties pop jangle, excellent album. Where Did I Go Wrong, than the punchy weird-pop found on smooth Hammond sounds and country Elton John? is a mini masterpiece with their debut. The title track and lead rock harmonies that provide a sonic Kortes playing the role of a failed single clearly highlights the difference; consistency whilst leaving plenty of songwriter asking the eponymous the song barely builds from where it scope for ringing the changes. idol how come their songs have never starts out, instead preferring to simmer Keen-eared listeners will notice that been hits. So far, so humdrum, but nastily along with its heavily distorted several songs appear to feature small the magic twist is that the lyrics are male/female duetting vocals only serv- quotations from classic hits or art- constructed almost entirely from frag- ing to feed their mysterious image. ists, not insofar as to lead to a string ments of Taupin/John song titles and As ever, the political commentar- of plagiarism lawsuits, but enough to words, while the inspired soundtrack ies are both abstract and obscure. At evoke a mood from the outset. All That hits you like a big pizza pie with its times it even feels that maybe, just Glitters kicks things off with a sunny cod-Italian mandolins. Apparently Sir maybe, The Knife have adopted some West Coast vibe with chiming guitars Elt himself loves it. Rounding things kind of Brechtian alienation as a means and Farfisa organ tootling in the back- off in a gentler mood, Every Song Is Dif- of forcing the listener to detach from ground. Learn From What I Dream be- ferent is a thought-provoking gem that emotionally engaging with the music, gins as an etude on The Beatles’ Things leaves the listener wondering whether perhaps to enable more critical think- We Said Today and shares the Fab Four’s Kortes has been winking at us all along ing of the impact of the sound. What- search for enlightenment. Wasting The with her musical magpie tendencies… ever, much of Silent Shout is a decid- Sun quotes even more directly, with “every song is different but the singer is the edly cold and dark affair; We Share Our an All Right Now-style opening riff that same”. Trevor Raggatt Mother’s Health proclaims “we came mutates into something that could eas- down from the North” and you certainly ily have been written either by or for don’t doubt them. Elsewhere, Forest Sheryl Crow. Indeed, the vocal similar- The Knife Families’ lyrics of communists, masks ity here is enough to merit a mention. Silent Shout and being far from the city strongly Other tracks ploughing this particu- Brille convey a sense of isolation and oth- lar furrow include Nothing Left To Say, «««« erness, rendering it one of the most Thunderstruck and Falling Again, adding chilling inclusions. in a sprinkle of Mary Chapin Carpen- Intentionally difficult then, Silent ter, and, in the case of the latter, some Most people think they don’t know The Shout is much too odd in too many more Tom Petty-style grit. Verla choos- Knife, a leftfield, electro-meets-calypso places for primetime radio play, despite es the driving rhythm of songs like Pet- feminist duo hailing from Stockholm, some moments being suitably melodi- ty’s Refugees as a template to address Sweden. But they’d be wrong of course, ous. So while their work on Deep Cuts the question of helping a victim of in- for singer-songwriter du jour José and the recent (and criminally under- cest to escape a cycle of abuse. Not an González’s breakthrough ad sound- distributed!) Robyn album shows their obvious subject matter for a pop song, track single, Heartbeats, is in fact a cover undeniable pop credentials, as You Take but the lyrics are sensitively tailored of his countrymen’s original. The Knife My Breath Away states quite plainly, while the instrumentation injects a are certainly an interesting prospect; Silent Shout is here to let you know that sense of passion and urgency. Lucky Me consciously enigmatic, they have (un- The Knife don’t like it easy; they don’t returns to the Crow template but views til now) refused to play live but for one like it the straight way. it through the filter of Eric Clapton’s three-song set at London’s ICA where Robbie de Santos

60 NEW ALBUMS NEW

Following the dissolution of Skunk Anansie in 2000 after three albums that successfully blended punk and metal with anthemic pop and soul and a 1999 headline slot at Glastonbury, a solo career was almost inevitable for Skin, their charismatic incendi- ary frontwoman. However, her first solo effort, 2003’s Fleshwounds, was a sparse, lo-fi and introspective record that dismally failed to register in the public consciousness and quickly dropped off the radar. Fast forward three years and it’s no surprise that solo album number two, Fake Chemi- cal State, heralds a return to our her- oine’s rock roots. From the cover art depicting her collapsed on a ceramic floor, face painted in junkie chic (a none-too-subtle literalisation of the album title, perhaps?), the self-pro- claimed leader of clit rock is evidently keen to reaffirm her territory, chang- ing record labels to V2 and bringing Strokes producer Gordon Raphael on board. Always defying expectation — after all, how many black skinhead lesbian singers are there in the white boy rock world? — and without any real comparison, Skin only needs to live up to her own high standards. For the most part she succeeds. Af- ter the radio-unfriendly Fleshwounds, Skunk Anansie fans looking for a fix of nostalgia will not be disappointed by Fake Chemical State, which comes complete with softly softly verses that Skin suddenly break into bombastic cho- Fake Chemical State ruses — the aural equivalent of shak- ing your hand before slapping you V2 square in the face. Alone In My Room, «««½ one of four co-writes with former Mansun frontman Paul Draper, is a of album closer Falling For You, a song sleeve intensity. Most poignantly on flashback to 1997 and Mansun’s own that reveals Skin’s vocals at their best, the Linda ‘Non-Blonde’ Perry-pro- particular brand of pretentious prog- honest and pure. Like former label- duced Nothing But, Skin sings of a lost rock. It’s the perfect album opener, mate Björk, Skin can make effortless love who has since moved on: “please full of dirty chords, clipped post-punk octave leaps that would leave lesser ignore the particular way I smile / take no vocals and a glorious pop chorus. The singers breathless, and her patented notice of the blood on the lip I bite / I am latest single release, Just Let The Sun, wind-tunnel scream is in full force still your friend”. another Draper co-write, also comes here, meaning the catchier songs like Wisely, Fake Chemical State is not complete with crunching post-grunge the slow building Don’t Need A Reason simply an attempt to repeat the for- guitars layered with multi-tracked vo- have all the necessary ingredients to mula of her past successes, and there cals that makes for an unmistakeable, become live favourites. is enough here to suggest that Skin is but perhaps too familiar listen. Lyrically, Fake Chemical State is a finally moving in a direction where What mars the album slightly is a demanding listen, balancing youthful she feels comfortable and confident. sense of identity crisis; like a nasty petulance and bittersweet reflection. Clocking in at just over half an hour, neighbour with 20ft Leylandii, the The cut-and-paste words of the punk- the album hints at finer things to come edgier tracks leave the sensitive songs ier songs seem strung together solely and the fact that it also makes for an in the shade, which is especially a for musical effect, while the sensitive enjoyable listen is simply a happy co- shame with the dreamy swirling riffs numbers display a lyrical heart-on- incidence. Stephen Collings

61 spirit to Merchant’s music. Kind & Natalie Merchant Generous, for example, is such a forth- Retrospective 1990-2005 right expression of gratitude that it al- Rhino/Elektra most makes you uncomfortable. This «««« tender magnanimity means that when she does despair — with a line like “the

NEW ALBUMS damage that some people do” on Break Your Heart — the effect is particularly devastating. However, the superb Life Is Sweet offers hard-won consolation, as does Motherland, the title track to her 2001 album, and a recording that may well be on its way to becoming her signature song, since it’s already been covered by both Joan Baez and Christy Moore. Its combination of striking lyrics, Van Dyke Parks’ accor- dion, Greg Leisz’s banjo and mandolin and a gorgeous vocal from Merchant adds up to something very special in- deed. The House Carpenter’s Daugh- ter is represented by two particularly strong tracks. Owensboro is an ach- ingly sad traditional ballad about downtrodden Kentucky mill workers; in the final verse, the exploited and apparently resigned narrator looks forward to a (literal or figurative) “day of judgement” when the wealthy, arrogant townsfolk who “dress so fine and spend their money free” will “have to share their pretty things”. Nev- er has the desire for revolution been expressed more elegantly. The woozy, haunting Sally Ann is equally fine. The second disc pulls together some of Merchant’s duets, collaborations, As coincidence would have it, Rhino’s wilfully perverse or off-kilter as Peony outtakes and soundtrack contribu- 2CD Retrospective of Natalie Mer- here. Rather, Merchant’s post-10,000 tions. Highlights include a sensitive, chant’s solo career follows a similar Maniacs career has been marked by convincing rendition of The Lowlands format to its Jane Siberry Anthology. a series of graceful, intelligent and Of Holland (backed by The Chieftains), In both cases, an exemplary, beauti- frequently exceptional albums, from a slow and sultry One Fine Day (from fully sequenced first disc is followed her solo debut Tigerlily (1995) through the 1996 Michelle Pfeiffer/George by a patchier, less satisfying second the lusher Ophelia (1998) to her dis- Clooney film of the same name), and one. This is not to suggest that fans or tinguished collection of sturdy folk a beautiful stripped-down solo pi- newcomers should only sport out for perennials, The House Carpenter’s ano take of Ophelia’s Thick As Thieves. the first CD though, as is possible to Daughter (2003), and this compilation Lowlights are a leaden Children Go do in the case of Merchant. Though gathers together some of the very best Where I Send Thee, and a forced version longstanding followers may once again material from each. Merchant’s sing- of the inappositely titled I Know How lament the dearth of new material on ing has also grown more characterful To Do It, made most famous by Di- Retrospective, there are in fact some over the years, as the chronologically nah Washington. Collaborations with lovely individual performances on sequenced first disc demonstrates. REM, Billy Bragg and Susan McKeown both discs. It’s simply that the second Tremulous and delicate, but with a almost, but don’t quite work, while the disc — designed, it would appear, to surprising amount of bite and grit, closing Come Take A Trip In My Airship showcase Merchant’s stylistic range her vocals are seductive and invit- unfortunately ends up on the wrong — fails to cohere as effortlessly as the ing on early tracks such as the driving side of twee. Despite these infelici- first does. Wonder and Jealousy, but gain greater ties, however, Retrospective is, overall, Of course, Merchant is not an au- depth and resonance on her later work. a very impressive collection that fully dacious musical innovator in the Sib- At its best, there is a kind of open- displays Merchant’s lyrical and inter- erry mould, and so there is nothing as hearted innocence and generosity of pretive gifts. Alex Ramon

62 The Rogers was re-recorded for the album, partic- that much closer to the singer. Then Sisters The ularly suffers. again, the inability to give a substan- Overall, the arrangements are fairly dard performance is, more than likely, Invisible Deck simplistic, and apart from the use of etched into Brown’s very DNA, but Too Pure percussion and occasional flute (see the ukulele in itself rather lacks the «««½ the brooding, near seven-minute epic tonal richness and dynamic range to Your Littlest World), the songs vary little match. Neither is Brown’s particular Having finally managed to break out instrumentally. The rhythmical struc- specimen — an Ovation model by the of their slightly hipsterish leftie pris- tures, vocal harmonies and phrasing look of the sleeve — the most melliflu- on with last year’s mini-album Three are also fairly consistent throughout ous example of the breed. Fingers, New York rockers The Rogers the album. Intentional or not, with Coming back to the positives, the Sisters are back with their second full- one or two notable exceptions (e.g. the songs themselves are strong. The uke length, The Invisible Deck. Singer/gui- bouncy, chugging The Clock), these are and Brown’s whistled solo give I’ll tarist Jennifer Rogers explains that the the kind of songs that could easily play Be Here a convincing swing-era vibe, album’s title comes from a card trick in the background without demanding while Kiss Of Love, a co-write with Jools her father used to do when she and much direct attention, yet at the same Holland, is a sumptuous blues lament sister Laura (drums) were kids: “It’s time affect the mood from underneath, that would probably sound fantastic if mind-blowing, like real magic. Plus, rather like an “invisible deck” in fact. backed by a talented band. For bonus we thought the word deck had a lot So while it is heartening to see that points, Void makes an attempt to ap- of different implications — decks are The Rogers Sisters have not fallen into ply the ukulele in a novel manner, tak- stacked and played, people and halls the trap of commercialism, choosing ing an arpeggio approach rather than are decked, there are tape decks. The instead to explore and expand their the usual strummed chords, and this word invisible has a double meaning musical horizons, I wouldn’t go so far blends well with a mournful Celtic- too; it can mean powerless or it can as to label their latest work an ‘opus’ tinged melody. Elsewhere, Away With mean sneaky.” as they have done ever so modestly in The Faeries may well have escaped from It comes as no surprise then that their bio. Instead, it’s simply a docu- some unheard of Broadway musical the album is a thickly layered piece of ment (and a worthwhile one at that) of — Brown’s very own Hushabye Moun- work, full of distorted guitars, oddly a band that’s continuing to find and de- tain — and closer Over The Moon evokes muffled drums and slightly hypnotising fine their musical path and refusing to an authentic Cole Porter/Sammy Kahn vocals. The one non-related band mem- simply blend in with the scenery. Anja ‘golden age of the ukulele’ mood. ber of the Rogers clan, singer/bassist McCloskey On balance, however, the EP’s de- Miyuki Furtado (no relation of Nelly) tractions simply out-weigh its merits. explains that they tried to experiment Sam Brown Perhaps the sleeve gives the game away; with writing music that had more of a opening the gatefold reveals the com- classic song structure, something that Ukulele & pletion of the title with “…an afternoon better exhibited their melancholic and Voice EP at Dad’s house, in January,” and sudden- slightly sinister personalities. Unlike Pod ly the truth becomes clear that these the bass- and beat-laden Three Fingers, ««½ are just a few tracks chucked down on The Invisible Deck certainly succeeds in tape for a giggle after a family lunch. showing off the dark side of the trio. After fifty odd years of glorious ob- Then the nagging thought of ‘wouldn’t At first sounding not unlike a bunch of scurity and ridicule (…turned out nice it have been nice to hear these songs stroppy children banging on the floor again, eh?), the ukulele is in perilous arranged with a bit more care?’ begins in frustration (indie dancefloor hit danger of becoming the must-have to crystallise. With a harmony here and Why Won’t You?), the mood then shifts instrument de jour. Latest to the fray parallel ukulele part there, this could through a Scissor Sisters-in-therapy comes Britain’s own Sam Brown, who have been twice the achievement and midsection before culminating in the will already be familiar to many from one is left to conclude with C–, could creepy, drugged-up and drawn out fi- her past chart flirtations like the hit do better. The suspicion is that this is nale of Sooner Or Later. single Stop! or from her role as first- primarily a disc for die-hard fans and The Rogers Sisters certainly aren’t call singer for Jools Holland’s Rhythm completists. Those simply looking for shy of using a variety of unusual amps & Blues Orchestra. Certainly the title an introduction to Sam Brown’s talents and guitars or of experimenting with Ukulele & Voice, 5 Songs... has a certain would be better off getting her new sound through creative mic placements Ronseal charm, and the fact that each Very Best Of. Likewise, those simply and covering drums with different ma- of those five songs features minimal, wishing to sample the charms of a uke terials. The recording mix, however, stripped-down arrangements could in the hands of a talented singer would lets the usually energetic trio down; not be construed as deception. Sadly, be better off looking elsewhere. How- there’s hardly any dynamic range and this is both the EP’s weakness and its ever, for those specifically wanting to the vocals either drown in heavy, messy strength. On the plus side, the naked- sample Sam Brown’s live uke revues in guitar licks or seem strangely detached ness of the intimate recording lov- the comfort of their own homes, this from the instrumental soundscapes. ingly showcases the beauty of Sam EP will certainly fit the bill. Former single Emotion Control, which Brown’s voice and brings the listener Trevor Raggatt

63 Holly Throsby Whilst a couple of tracks do veer into 112 seconds of telling parents precisely ...Leash On Night inconsequentiality, even after repeat- where to go, left many an unsus- ed listens, there are several highlights. pecting audience utterly breathless, and Woo Me! We’re Good People But Why Don’t ««« Opener now, three more singles down the line, ½ We Show It? juxtaposes two lovers’ good there are questions to be answered. Does intentions with disturbing references to the sheer white-knuckle exhilaration of “dead birds on the stairwell” and “the vio- the singles ride the course of a full-length Perhaps as a response to a bombastic, lence when we met”. Some Nights Are Long is album? Have they mellowed and skulked punishing age, these post-millennial a truly great song about confusion, with into the commercial pop-punk void va- years have seen a resurgence of interest the narrator caught between the desire to cated by No Doubt in the wake of Gwen in quiet, meditative albums. These re- “make up my mind and then want to change Stefani’s solo exploits and baby making? cords, made equally by male and female it,” to “order my days and then rearrange More importantly, have they ruined it all artists, may be personal or political (or them”. It’s followed later by Some Days Are by rush releasing an album to crest their both), narrative or impressionistic (or Long, in which the uncertainty has been wave of hype? both), but they share a number of dis- replaced with resolve and the narrator To these ears, the band are guilty on tinctive characteristics. Unashamedly bravely attempts to equate love with all counts, though perhaps less so on the acoustic, fragile, spare and intimate, emancipation: “I’ll work while I’m still young last; Be Your Own PET stakes its place on they’re a little bit country and more than / Not to hold you down but to let you go.” happy ground that’s somewhere between a little bit folk, whilst colouring outside Throsby’s songs move through di- their punk/hardcore influences and the lines of both genres. The most effec- verse moods with considerable grace mainstream accessibility in a similar vein tive of these records, however, use their and skill. Despite its lovely wry open- to Pretty Girls Make Graves’ The New quietness strategically. Recognising the ing (“I get home after one and the dog looks Romance (2003). There are some glori- value of restraint, they conceal layers of drunk”), Don’t Be Howling becomes a ous pop moments, most notably on the emotion under their apparently serene quietly desperate plea to be left alone. recent single Adventure — an excitable, surfaces, forging a reflective space for the In contrast, As The Night Dies is touch- urgent and brief sonic workout on which listener and sometimes inspiring fervent, ingly resigned, offering a frank and Jemina’s vocals float between the anthe- devoted followings as a result. But these unadorned response to a relationship’s mic and cutesy — and, like Stefani, Pearl records should never be confused with demise: “Is it too much for you? / Is it? / is certainly skilled in the art of voice con- easy listening; they function instead as Well alright”. The narrator anticipates trol. She almost even breaks into a ballad a confident rejoinder to the bluster and “coffeepots calling / and the sunrise” and on October, First Account, though it’s not hype of the contemporary mainstream is imbued with tentative hope for the your usual sopfest, boasting the disturb- music scene. new day. This is where the original 2004 ing lyric “we cut ourselves open a hundred At its best, On Night, the debut album Australian release ended, but the Euro- times but we’ve not run out of ammo yet”, but from Sydney shopgirl turned singer- pean edition is bolstered by bonus track is still surprisingly buoyant and uplift- songwriter Holly Throsby, achieves this The Dark taken from the same recording ing. But crass juvenilia is pretty much feat. Reminiscent of Kathryn Williams sessions. With or without it, On Night is the order of the day elsewhere; Bog, for and Beth Orton, but with a gentle, dis- an engaging album that draws you into example, is a catchy little ditty about tinctive Australian twang to her vocals, its hushed and measured atmosphere. It drowning a boyfriend’s dog in the toilet. Throsby has been forging a solid repu- may require a little more verve to truly When the melody is clear and the tation in her native land and elsewhere, distinguish it from the crowd, but it’s vocals less screamy, Be Your Own PET playing shows with such neo-folk lumi- a promising debut and one that marks are masters of their trade. It’s a pity then naries as Joanna Newsom, Devendra Throsby out as an artist to watch. that this rather excludes the majority of Banhart and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. Re- Alex Ramon the album — too many songs are fairly corded in producer Tony Dupe’s house indistinguishable, all with nonsensical up on Saddleback Mountain in New Be Your Own PET lyrics and little in the way of a tune. So South Wales (with the windows open Be Your Own PET whilst there is no denying their fresh and for added atmosphere), Throsby’s tales fiery outlook on songs like Bunk Trunk of rue and relationships are, for the XL Recordings Skunk (in which Jemina declares “I’m an most part, poignant and well observed. ««« independent motherfucker”), the extent to The instrumentation is typically sparse which expressing their “attitude” has — acoustic guitar, a dash of cello and compromised the quality of the album piano — forcing Throsby’s sleepy-sound- Following their much-hyped debut single is questionable indeed. Be Your Own ing voice right up front, making even Damn Damn Leash — said by some typi- PET is not a bad start by any stretch of her more self-consciously poetic lyrical cally over-zealous in-the-knows to be the the imagination, but there’s no escaping flights sound conversational. Construct- Teenage Kicks for the ringtone generation the feeling that, had the opportunity to ed from a limited but effective palette of — was never going to be an easy task for record an album come at a slightly lat- recurrent motifs (birds, dogs, references Nashville under-agers Be Your Own PET, er point in the band’s career, the result to time), the result is a record preoccu- a teen tearaway foursome fronted by would have been more accomplished pied by the challenges of sustaining a re- temperamental platinum blonde Jemina and consistent. A brighter future awaits. lationship through the day or night. Pearl. A harsh and uncompromising Robbie de Santos

64 NEW ALBUMS NEW

Lily Fraser her thoughts is a psychological impera- tive, not just a collection of ditties. Man Lily Fraser To Man Self-released presents an ironic hymn to the «««« glorious sadness of low self-esteem and the futility of seeking real significance in meaningless sexual encounters, while Beautiful Life restores the yang to the pre- How often do we see overused phrases vious yin by showing that even in life’s like “a stunning debut from a truly origi- shady undergrowth lies beauty and value. nal new talent”? And how often does it in About You introduces an air of melodra- fact refer to a rehashing, albeit an accom- ma, with a 1930s matinee idol introduc- plished one, of whatever is the flavour of tion setting the tone for a scathing attack the moment? It’s rare enough to happen on the stunted emotions of certain men, across something that really strikes you while Disagree and It’s You echo the som- as being original, let alone taking you bre danse macabre. The juxtaposition esting that fellow EMI artist KT Tunstall somewhere you’ve never quite been be- of moods seen with the warm, medita- also got her big break on Jools, cover- fore, but this eponymous debut record- tive Which One Am I? — a slice of bluesy, ing for a queasy Kanye West — anyone ing (it’s not an ‘album’ as such, more a Gothic folk á la All About Eve — and Old appearing on the new series should re- collection of demos) by Lily Fraser may Devil Shine, which spins a cautionary noir ally keep an eye on the tea lady! just be one of those happy exceptions. yarn, its timeless mood contrasting with Praise ensued from Whiley to Wogan Necessarily, then, it’s something of an unsettling gramophone-textured vocal and it was well deserved; Like A Star is arduous task to pick out suitable com- sections, is undeniably affecting. a fierce, honest self-penned lullaby parators for the purpose of describing Impending tragedy and Victorian dedicated to her husband, but it acts as the music. Broad and sweeping state- melodrama are very much the order of something of a red herring. From there ments are precluded and more targeted the day with Fraser, and the sheer depth on in we are left to wonder will the real comments may only reflect an instant and quality of the recording is little short Corinne Bailey Rae please stand up. or two. In one lyrical section, the phras- of breathtaking. On the basis of these It’s track seven, the sublime Choux Pas- ing recalls Fish’s unusual stream of con- first though hardly tentative steps, it is try Heart, before we’re allowed another sciousness scanning — but this is no clear that she and her unconventional glimpse of Rae at her most arresting; Marillion album; in another, there’s a blend of simultaneously engaging and the lyrics may be somewhat trite, e.g. hint of Siouxsie Sioux — but this is no disturbing sounds are close to creating a “one for sorrow, two for joy”, but like any post-punk proto-Goth; in another still, Kick Inside for the 21st Century. great soul singer, her talent lies in the the carefully deployed theatrics and Trevor Raggatt delivery and therein lies the rub. You production resemble Freddy Mercury’s may not learn much about Rae from this more whimsical moments — but this Corinne Bailey album, but then you wonder whether is certainly not A Night At The Opera. Corinne baring her soul is really the point when Enough befuddled reviewer excuses you Rae the other results are so joyous. Enchant- say? Well then, if compare we must, the Bailey Rae ment has the feel of Massive Attack at readiest benchmark that comes to mind EMI their most lush, Put Your Records On is is Kate Bush; not primarily because Fras- ««« the sound of summer come early, while er shares that auteur’s fragile but power- the raucous I’d Like To relocates Lauryn ful upper register and falsetto, but more It seems that writing about Corinne Hill’s Every Ghetto, Every City to a tar- the inventiveness she infuses into her Bailey Rae without throwing in the macced driveway in Leeds. four-minute dysfunctional psycho-dra- names of every legendary black singer Inevitably, although Bailey Rae is mas. That said, the vocal performances since recording began is the reviewer’s eminently personable throughout, she throughout are uniformly stunning, equivalent of eating a jam doughnut cannot be all things to all people, even if swooping down from an angelic choir without licking your lips. Record com- her label try to promote that. Compari- into a dark, vengeful siren in the space of pany hyperbole is something we’ve come sons with the greats make nice sound- just a few notes. to expect with high profile launches of bites but they only really highlight her The unusual mix of instruments cer- new artists, but comparisons aside, the shortcomings; she doesn’t have the tainly helps to set the tone. Magical wash- buzz surrounding Bailey Rae is largely phrasing of Holiday, the wit of Badu, the es of harp and haunting cello create an on her own merits. Her Like A Star EP sensuality of Scott or the poetry of, er, ominous musical subtext, particularly on (the title track of which fittingly opens Floetry and in trying on so many styles, tracks like Exposed where the two instru- the album) has been floating around she frequently misses the mark. But at ments are played in a manner that could since last November, garnering interest times, albeit fleetingly, there is enough only be referred to as riffing. Urgency is on both sides of the Atlantic. Domesti- effortlessness to suggest that, if left to also found in opener Shout It Out with its cally at least, this was mainly aroused her own devices, Bailey Rae could come dance-based rhythms and Fraser’s in- on the back of a last minute appearance up with something spectacular. For now, sistent vocal setting out a manifesto for on Later With… Jools Holland in the place stick with her. She could yet be brilliant. what is to come. It’s as if communicating of an unwell Sinéad O’Connor. It’s inter- Matthew Hall

65 Catherine Anne All About Eve’s Julianne Regan, while Live albums are notoriously conten- Davies Songs For the guitar sounds recall those of the tious; allowing the artist freedom to band’s Tim Bricheno. digress at will and maybe even include The Boy Who... EP Both the Long Day and …Rilke EPs some unexpected or long awaited Self-released come dressed in sumptuous, hand- treats, such release carry with them ««« made paper jackets fastened with a great responsibility. We music fans

NEW ALBUMS dusky wine-coloured ribbon — the are a ravenous bunch, each gifted If an artist’s output can truly be tak- product of the auteur’s own porce- with the ability to comprise our own en as an expression of their psycho- lain fair hand. This deeply romantic perfect setlist, should said artist ever logical landscape, the furnishings yet somehow archaic dressing is com- stumble upon our rambling message inside Ms Davies’ head may be lush pletely appropriate for the music that board postings. Most artists, however, and velvet but they are certainly deep lies within its embrace. And while the show no regard for our unique talents, crimson and black. Songs For The Boy songs work well within the EP format, the live release serving only as a great- Who Wouldn’t Read Rilke is the sec- if their appeal is to last the distance est hits showcase with somewhat wob- ond of a pair of limited edition EPs of a full-length album, more dynamics blier vocals. This could never be said from the London-based singer who and light/shade interplay is needed. of Joan Baez though. Forty plus years recently signed to the humorously As it is, this short-form offering pro- into her career, she has compiled a named Folkwit stable. Hers is a dark vides a deeply lush landscape in which live set that it is both expansive and muse, embroiled in swirling currents the listener can totally immerse them- timely, with more than a passing nod of brooding mystery. Like its prede- selves. Those who have a nervous dis- to requests from her fans. cessor Long Day, much of the music position need not enquire within, but Bowery Songs is her first live disc in found on …Rilke is reminiscent of for listeners whose hearts are made a decade, recorded the night after the the more sombre and sepulchral ele- of darker, sterner stuff, there is much US re-elected George Bush in 2004 at ments of goth-folkies All About Eve. here to admire. New York’s Bowery Ballroom. The con- On a soft cushion of acoustic guitars Trevor Raggatt text obviously informs the evening’s blended with echo-drenched piano song selection, nowhere more so than and heady flourishes of cello, Davies’ on Steve Earle’s Christmas In Washing- mournful vocals intone the agonies of Joan Baez ton (“It’s Christmastime in Washington / the less illuminated reaches of the hu- Bowery Songs The Democrats rehearsed / Gettin’ into man soul, the pain of a blues singer’s Proper gear for four more years / Things not get- Weltschmerz filtered through the spy- ««« tin’ worse”), but then politics has been glass of a gothic spirit; these are deep- the foundation of her entire career ly affecting tone poems. and as such this is typical, if reliable, The Heart Is A Lonesome Hunter drips Baez fare. Instead, the heart of the al- with loss and regret, with Davies’ bum undoubtedly lies in her menac- sparse piano joining plaintive cello ing rendition of Natalie Merchant’s and acoustic guitar as the intensity Motherland, which Baez imbues with racks up before the song inches toward an almost apocalyptic sense of loss. It its slow and exquisite petit mort. Bury makes you wonder what sort of album Me explores love both unattained and she could make if she stepped out of unattainable, the richness of Davies’ her comfort zone a little more often. vocal perfectly conveying the song’s In addition to the more recent ma- emotion, sweeping up to a pure but terial, fans are treated to four oft-re- fleeting ecstasy on the higher ranges. quested but never before recorded At first, Crave appears to set the se- songs, most notably Jerusalem — an- pulchral tone aside with its gentle other Steve Earle track — that con- chiming introduction, but the disso- cludes proceedings on a rousing note. nant vocal lines soon drag us back to Baez is a remarkable conduit for both the realisation that perhaps all is not old and new songwriting talent, mak- quite right with the world. The track ing classics like Joe Hill (sung by Baez also allows Davies to flex her multi- at Woodstock) sound ever relevant instrumentalist muscles as she drifts and the newer material seem like it’s subtle flute lines over the refrain as long been part of her repertoire. if to mock the intensity below. Clos- This is at least her eighth live ing number It’ll Get Said begins with a album and, as is the theme with her slow, twisted variation on what could live releases, it functions as a snap- possibly be the James Bond theme, but shot in time. For a more comprehen- the mood is ripped apart by squalling, sive record of what Baez can really do distorted electric guitar. At certain as a performer, check out From Every points, Davies sounds uncannily like Stage (1976). For the time being, how-

66 ever, this is a solid collection of songs — that of Roma Ryan’s creation of the Belle de Jour sparkles with a clarity of that really only hints at her greatness. new language Loxian, a tongue inspired sound that allows the guitars to jangle Matthew Hall by the works of Tolkien, that appears as intended. This pleasing develop- on three of the album’s twelve tracks. ment shows a clear and confident step Enya Inevitably, by virtue of its indecipher- forward in the intervening six months Amarantine ability, the use of Loxian adds a little and suggest that the band are growing more to the fantasy and mystery of just in confidence. So whilst their indie in- Warner Bros. what Eithne is singing about; those of tensity stays intact, the sound and de- ««« us versed in more mundane languages, livery presents a more accomplished however, will just listen to those tracks package. as we always have with the Gaelic ones, Each member has their own role The trio that is Enya, fronted and per- enjoying the sound of the words rather to play and does so with aplomb. sonified by Irish songstress Eithne Ní than the actual poetry. Jojo Harper’s bass drives proceedings Bhraonáin, needs no introduction. To be fair, a higher expectation along, effectively melding with genu- From 1987’s The Celts, to 2000’s A Day would have been folly. The trio have inely scary looking drummer Martin Without Rain, Enya have carved out found a working formula and it’s Maidment’s rhythms, while guitarist a unique musical niche that has gen- one that they pretty much stick to Rob Williams liberally layers jangly erated fans from every corner of the throughout. At times it can be over- arpeggios and riffs throughout, his globe, and, it seems, an equal number whelmingly obvious — for example, occasional squalls suggesting that his of critics. It certainly appears in vogue It’s In The Rain sounds remarkably like influences are wider than the Squire/ to dismiss Eithne and her songwriting China Roses from The Memory Of Trees Marr/Butler triumvirate to encom- partners Roma and Nicky Ryan as New (1995), the title track is practically a pass rather less textbook sources like Age fluff, constantly recycled non- carbon copy of the massive chart hit Steve Howe or Bill Nelson. Perhaps sense that’s suited only for muzak and Only Time from A Day Without Rain their greatest assets, however, are bookshop tannoys. But while some of and The River Sings harkens back to those they exploit most effectively us chuckle at the hint of truth therein, 1987’s often-sampled Boudicea. But here — good tunes and an even bet- such a sweeping rebuttal is woefully despite the formulaic nature of the al- ter singer in Rowena Dugdale, whose inaccurate. The rank and file of Enya bum, fans of Enya would expect little vocals are just sufficiently ‘estuary’ to fanhood may be no place for an indie else, nor, it seems, do they really care perfectly suit the music, with more snob, but the sheer popularity of their to. Amarantine may do nothing to win than a touch of Kirsty MacColl around music is no accident. Their unique or- new fans, but its soothing and com- the edges. Dugdale pitches her perfor- chestrations unabashedly create pure fortable sounds will at worst retain mance well, giving a sense of strength moods that are perfect for practically the masses who have come to love and also vulnerability. any occasion. That they are also about Enya for those overlapping vocals and Musically, the title track skirts as inoffensive as a slice of white bread synthesized swells. And since A Day pleasingly along the perimeter of Belle doesn’t hurt sales either. But whilst Without Rain was the world’s bestsell- & Sebastian territory, occasionally there is nothing remotely challenging ing album in 2001, perhaps comfort is adding in shades of Teenage Fanclub, about the music of Enya, there is a cer- really the point. Loria Near The Divine Comedy and the aforemen- tain something to savour. Something tioned Electric Landlady. It weaves familiar and comforting like a warm Santa Dog an all-too-relevant story of finding house at Christmas and reassuringly significance in meaningful relation- safe like a cup of herbal tea. Belle de Jour EP ships in a society in which we are sys- Predictably then, Amarantine is un- Self-released tematically brainwashed by daytime likely to disappoint Eithne’s legions of ««« TV and reality gameshow banalities. fans. In keeping with its title, which Elsewhere, Rosa is a parade of sunny refers to a mythical eternal flower, it’s summer hooks that risks being rained a longer and more satisfying album The Belle de Jour EP is the third re- on by an undercurrent of sadness and than A Day Without Rain and is subtly lease from Bristol-based indie-pop desperation, while Pop-Coloured is a different from her previous releases. hopefuls Santa Dog (where did they power chord confection that visits The Abandoning the trademark Gaelic get that name?) in little over a year, Boo Radleys via Franz Ferdinand with lyrics for a dabble into Japanese was and it’s certainly a likeable offering its pounding snare driving along the certainly brave, yet works surprising that demonstrates a definite progres- jaunty, choppy guitars. Finally, 1000 well. Sumiregusa is a striking blend sion from their previous EP. Released Cranes brings things to a close with a of Japanese lyrics and ethereal vocals in October 2005, the Chemical EP suf- gloomy yet luminous evocation of lost evoking visuals of geisha and white fered from a flat production job that love in post-industrial Britain. On this cherry blossoms, and may very well all but buried the vocal in the mix, evidence, it seems that Dugdale and be the most innovative thing the trio yet contained the requisite amount of co. are on a serious upward trajectory, has done in a decade. So much so shoegazing introspection to maintain and if things continue apace, this Dog that it nearly even manages to trump a degree of appeal. No such regrets to may yet have its day. Amarantine’s crowning achievement be found on this follow-up, however; Trevor Raggatt

67 Sonic Youth Sonic Youth Universal ««« REISSUES

Picture the scene: it’s the UK in the ness years, culminating in the hege- of dissonance; this wasn’t revolution, early Eighties and, bruised from the mony of Stock, Aitken and Water- it was renaissance. onslaught that was punk, the main- man. In New York, Madonna flirted Twenty-five years after its initial stream musical scene is on the cusp with a real band and pranced about release, Universal are reissuing not of gentrification — the time of the in leotards (proving that what goes only their debut mini-album, but also dandy is at hand. When Sonic Youth around…), before crossing the Bor- their 1988 off-the-wall oddity The released their eponymous debut in derline and going on Holiday. More of Whitey Album (recorded under the 1982, the UK charts were dominat- her later. Time has repeatedly shown affectionate moniker Ciccone Youth) ed by the likes of Bucks Fizz, Dollar, that mediocrity often precipitates and Thurston Moore’s 1995 solo effort Tight Fit and Charlene, all of whom, revolt, and while Sonic Youth can- Psychic Hearts, in preparation for a in their own way, made a success of not be called upon to shoulder full new album in the summer — all come their fifteen minutes, but are unlikely responsibility for what happened remastered with extra studio and live to be spoken of in the same reverential next, their coming together, and tracks. Leaving aside the argument hush afforded to Kim Gordon and her subsequent success, influenced the that a remastered Sonic Youth album atonal chums when musos sit down to greatest of the Eighties guitar bands rather contradicts their rationale, the discuss the popular canon. and the Nineties grunge-athon. They recent recycling of art-rock/pop and By 1983, Duran Duran would be didn’t so much storm the barricades post-post-punk in the forms of Franz all over the airwaves like a rash and as sneak round their edges and lay Ferdinand and The Strokes et al. is English pop would enter its wilder- the enemy flat with their own walls an ideal time to revisit the daddies

68 and sense into smithereens. On Burn- this is disco for the disturbed, with Ciccone Youth ing Spear, Moore intones “I’m not afraid techno rhythms and noise that would The Whitey Album to say I’m scared” and you would do ably soundtrack Orwell’s 1984 or per- Universal well to admit the same, or turn the CD haps a darker Blade Runner. It’s dys- ««« off and go listen to The Carpenters. I topian pop. Dreamed I Dream is a slow Motörhead Me & Jill/Hendrix Cosby sounds like bass riff over a scattering of dissonant someone’s let Hunter S Thompson guitar notes and random, half-whis- man the decks after a raid on the lo- pered Gordon vocals that would give cal pharmacy. Macbeth is a circular Martin Luther King a sleepless night. road trip at 33.3 rpm, four flat tyres The extended outro to I Don’t Want To and a Casio keyboard. It might be bet- Push It is a torture device; loop it, turn ter to be stoned when listening, but it up to eleven and watch your victim I couldn’t really say. Where any sem- beg for clemency within ten minutes. blance of song pokes its head above The Good & The Bad picks up where it the parapet, it’s a cover, and finds leaves off and goes on. And on. And Ciccone Youth at their funniest. Ma- on. As a teenager in a dark basement donna’s Burnin’ Up is given the out-of- club off Bleeker Street with 200 of tune treatment, cleverly mixing the your mates and no lectures tomorrow, original chorus with Moore’s laconic it must have approached aural nir- drawl. And when Gordon later ram- vana (a term I use not wholly without pages through Robert Palmer’s Ad- irony). Emerging into a Manhattan dicted To Love, it’s almost respectful morning, the world would have been yet stupidly hilarious. a different place. Other tracks that stand out are Pla- Only five tracks long, Sonic Youth toon II, Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening had ‘cult’ written all over it. Creativ- To Neu! and March Of The Ciccone Ro- ity and experimentalism of this qual- bots, all titles that indicate the play- ity is never meant to last, but should ful levels to which Ciccone Youth implode as quickly as each of the descended in their efforts to massage compositions grabs you by the throat the boundaries. The Nineties would and screams for attention. That Sonic see Sonic Youth move to a major label Youth are still a potent force is testa- and release ever-more mainstream ment to their ability to ride the edge albums, albeit retaining artistic con- of commercial success and critical ac- trol. In this way, they would expand claim and find succour in both. Noth- their fanbase whilst maintaining their ing in their latter (and large) cata- role as the spearhead of late 20th logue comes close to the exuberance Century art-noise. The Whitey Al- and ‘couldn’t give a fuck’ attitude of bum, their affectionate lampooning this debut. Listening to it from start of the music they originally revolted to finish is like being stabbed slowly. against, stands as the last time they By someone you love. could conceivably be called ‘alt-’ and of the anti-melody scene. After all, The Whitey Album was the prod- not be accused of hypocrisy. without them, it’s highly unlikely that uct of a collaboration between Sonic So, Sonic Youth — are they (not students would have anything decent Youth and Minutemen bassist Mike very) melodic masturbation of the to get drunk to. Watt. If the Youth’s catalogue to this highest order, or ground breaking The good news is that Sonic Youth date had cemented their place in the experimentalism on a scale not seen sounds just as contemporary now as art-rock heavens, this album, re- since Schoenberg? Actually, they’re it must have sounded young, fresh leased under the name Ciccone Youth both. This is music that marries the and new in 1982. It’s not a welcom- and named in honour of The Beatles’ requirements of no-wave New York- ing sound, however. You don’t listen double from 1968, proved that art for ers in need of a noise fix, with the to Sonic Youth for relief from the art’s sake was still a viable proposi- band’s genre-busting lust for creativi- world; this music is a relentless test tion in the blossoming, style-over- ty amid respectful nods to The Stoog- of your mental capacity, an extended substance MTV world. Short pieces es, Velvet Underground and contem- middle finger to your ears and me- (to call them ‘songs’ would be stretch- poraries like Joy Division, Dinosaur lodic sensibilities. This is the sound of ing it) with little structure, less mel- Jr and My Bloody Valentine. Or, as a musicians building whole cities from ody and lots of humour, The Whitey friend and fan told me when I asked concrete slabs of bass and jackboot Album was the arch-experimenters for his opinion, it’s Kim Gordon on guitars, extending jams on one note freed from even the loose strictures stage, playing the bass and making a for five minutes before firing up the of their ‘day job’ and deciding to go noise. Sometimes that’s enough. Sherman tanks and blowing structure play in the traffic. Pity the traffic — Paul Woodgate

69 The Innocence brother and sister when they are in fact Electrelane Mission Birds Of Mrs. and Mr. Peris. Nowadays though, Rock It To even they have a website, a fact that My Neighborhood just doesn’t seem right somehow. And The Moon Badman now, presumably still riding on the tidal Too Pure «««« wave of critical acclaim they’ve received «««½ in recent years — not least for 2003’s The Innocence Mission are the kind of heavenly Befriended — they’re reissuing The three E’s — Envelopes, (Saint) Eti- band that can make you feel like you’re a fully remastered version of their 1999 enne and Electrelane. These artists are the only person who knows them. It’s cult classic Birds Of My Neighborhood. similar, not just musically, but because hard to believe that the first time I So while I was quite possibly the only it takes an acquired taste to like them heard them was once upon on a Satur- person to ever buy a copy of the origi- enough to listen to their albums the day afternoon in the dim and distant nal, now any Tom, Dick or Harriet will whole way through. Originally released late Eighties playing live on Radio One, be able to. Bah! in 2001 and now getting a well deserved of all places. Then promoting their de- But you can’t keep something this reissue, Rock It To The Moon has had but album, it seems they swiftly dis- good to yourself forever. Birds… is a plenty of time to grow on me, but it’s pensed with playing the game in terms deceptively simple-sounding collec- quite likely that after only fourteen of conventional promotion and so forth, tion with minimal overdubs, the couple minutes and six seconds, when only and pre-internet at least, they were cer- joined only by longtime Mission-ary two tracks have played, any mainstream tainly an elusive bunch. Every now and and double bassist, Mike Bitts. Karen indie lover will be fitting on the floor, then an album just seemed to magi- has something of a Marmite voice; calling for it to stop, PLEASE stop! cally appear from their world of love some may love it while others may find Personally, I love it. I can’t get enough and beauty. I felt quite selfish about it it impossible to get past and that’s fair of shrieking strings placed randomly actually, like they were my own secret enough — her sweetness makes Melanie over beat after beat after beat. I love band. But they even made albums that I Safka sound like a member of Slipknot! how music like this can burst away from didn’t know about; such lovely mystery! But in my opinion, hers is a gorgeous its field of destruction and jump into a For years, I thought that main song- and heartrending talent, and never more techno dance worthy of David Brent. I writer Karen and guitarist Don were so the latter than on a deeply personal love the demented circus sample at the song like July, perhaps the most explicit end of Long Dance, and how Gabriel, the reference to a difficult time in the Peris’ track sequenced directly after, sounds marriage when they had serious prob- entirely different. So different, that if it lems in conceiving a much longed-for weren’t for the loop of fuzzed out voices child (something that has since been in the background, you’d be forgiven for happily resolved). The seasonal details thinking it was a different band. here, of snow and rain, of nature, trees Electrelane were relatively young and lakes are vividly realised. When when this album was recorded, but Karen sings “we will walk on a hill / Red it doesn’t show. Rightfully, the album hats and blue coats and everything still”, you should have propelled every member are all but right there with them on that to stand in the clouds amongst Air and cold snowy day. Ladytron, looking down on the bands The one cover version, a rendition that aspire to be them. I can only as- of John Denver’s Follow Me, is so ex- sume this didn’t happen because of the quisite that it will quite possibly haunt indie (and predominantly male) ‘upris- you to the end of your days; frankly, it ing’ that occurred at the same time; turns me to jelly every time I hear it they just weren’t given the time. and is a pertinent reminder that Den- Of course with every album that ver was a far better writer than people relies on this form of music, there give him credit for. Spiritual and child- is a point when even the most hard- like, mysterious and sparse, Birds Of My core electro fan has to say, “enough is Neighborhood is too special an album to enough” and turn the volume down. be one that gets away so be glad for a There are days when you just don’t second chance to own it. Celebrity fans want to listen to what is essentially Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens and David one album-length song that flips and Gray have raved about The Innocence does cartwheels all over your ears. But Mission, I’m raving about them and you there are also days when you just itch will rave about them too, but it’s a very for something that can do that, people hushed and churchlike kind of raving so who don’t aspire to live during the Ro- sssh! That way, they may even grow to mantic era or to make your ears bleed, feel like your very own secret band too. and for those days, Electrelane are your Kevin Hewick band. Tiffany Daniels

70 REISSUES acoustic strum full of Chagall-esque im- Jane Siberry agery, the latter an exquisite lament in Love Is Everything: which the narrator of Bessie features as An Anthology a mere bit player. The same trick occurs Warner Bros/Rhino on the second disc, whereupon Siberry’s ««««½ classic Mimi On The Beach is followed by the live recording Mimi Speaks, a cheeky spoken-word piece in which the objec- tified title character is finally given the chance to “have [her] say”. Such thoughtful sequencing reveals Siberry’s heartening commitment to the fullest possible devel- opment of her stories and characters, and is a valuable feature of this compilation. Siberry trades immaculate harmonies with lang on Calling All Angels, one of her best-loved songs and also one of her most beautiful, pitched in some galaxy midway between despair and consolation. Yet Si- berry does not fear bold exuberance; The Life Is The Red Wagon is a dose of happiness, its “you pull for me… I pull for you” refrain serving as the ultimate antidepressant. The second disc is patchier and gives the impression that Siberry’s work has From Joni Mitchell to the McGarrigles, two-disc, thirty-track retrospective (first become somewhat less compelling in Sarah McLachlan to kd lang, Canada released in 2002) serves as the perfect recent years. There are, of course, some has produced a significant number of ac- introduction to an idiosyncratic and end- heavenly moments; the sublime, minute- complished and influential female singer- lessly rewarding body of work. ly-detailed pop of Mimi and the skewed songwriters. Mitchell is the undisputed Drawn mainly from Siberry’s early piano ballads Goodnight Sweet Pumpkin- foremother, of course, setting the bar al- 1980s folk-based releases, her experi- head and Barkis Is Willin’. However, the bi- most ludicrously high in terms of innova- mental No Borders Here, The Speckless Sky zarre Peony is a piece of woeful, substan- tion, musicianship and lyrical dexterity. and The Walking trilogy, 1989’s Bound By dard experimenta, and the best that can But the artists who have followed in her The Beauty and 1993’s When I Was A Boy, be said of her treatments of traditional wake have also made their own distinc- the choice of material on the first disc material such as All Through The Night and tive contributions to Canada’s musical could not be bettered. Given the extraor- The Water Is Wide is that they’re pretty. mosaic. Though extremely diverse and dinary level of quality control, it’s almost But “pretty” feels like a considerable let- individual, their work is characterised churlish to pick favourites, but the invit- down after her complex and daring ear- by emotional fearlessness, a willingness ing piano ballad In The Blue Light, the spry lier work, and there are times when these to experiment and an often-breathtaking Red High Heels, the unearthly The Walking songs veer perilously close to schmaltz. ability to fuse elements of pop, folk, rock (& Constantly), the hymnal The Lobby and It’s left to her closing cycle of Map Of The and jazz in creative ways — sometimes in the rapt Bound By The Beauty are all par- World tracks — presented together in se- the space of a single song. ticularly captivating expressions of Si- quence for the first time here with a new Jane Siberry is one such artist. Blessed berry’s unique gifts. The disc also gives a (and not very satisfying) Part IV — to re- with a playful sense of humour, a protean clear sense of her creative development, gain some of the lost momentum. voice that can both soar and confide, and from her spare apprentice material to Siberry shares with Kate Bush an abil- the ability to turn a song about a missing her exhilarating experiments with studio ity to combine unconventional lyrical cow into an aching expression of loss, she trickery throughout the 1980s. subject matter with intricate, densely has a devoted following in Canada and This is not to suggest that the compila- layered yet accessible melodies and ar- elsewhere. In the UK, however, she has tion follows a slavishly chronological path rangements. The work of both also ex- seldom received the recognition she rich- through Siberry’s work, however. Instead, presses an unabashed femininity and an ly deserves. In recent years, her decision several thematically connected songs emotional openness that can sound sur- to release new material only through her from different periods are linked togeth- prisingly close to toughness. The relative own Sheeba label has not helped to raise er to form mini cycles and suites. Thus, paucity of rarities or new material on this her profile, and when kd lang covered two Bessie (from her 1996 album, Teenager) is collection means that it has less to offer of her songs on her 2004 covers album paired with its 1981 ‘prequel’ The Mystery long-time devotees of Siberry’s music. of classic Canadian songcraft, Hymns Of At Ogwen’s Farm to tell the tale of a flying But Rhino have done a typically impec- The 49th Parallel, British listeners could bovine from two contrasting perspec- cable job on it, and it will undoubtedly perhaps have been forgiven for asking tives. Placed side by side, the songs sound inspire those new to her work, and leave “Jane who”? For the uninitiated, then, this especially striking, the former a buoyant them eager to hear more. Alex Ramon

71 how the casual listener, unaware of Emm Gryner the track’s genesis as centrepiece of a Songs Of Love concept-album based on pre-Christian & Death Celtic mythology, will assimilate the Dead Daisy lyrical content – Irish hero Cu Chu- IMPORTS «««« lainn taunting the ranks of an army he’s about to slay single-handedly – I couldn’t say, but the electro-pop ar- rangement with its muted guitar, harp- sichord, fuzz bass and distorted vocals is brilliantly compelling nonetheless. In comparison, Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Nothing Rhymed is the straightest cover on the album, but even here there are quirks in the arrangements; piano- forte mixed with the mbira, an East African thumb piano, makes for an ef- fective instrumental duet. Add to that the jaunty, almost Victoria Wood-like delivery, and its the perfect contrast to what comes next. The measured hor- ror of the Virgin Prunes’ Bau-Dachong is truly chilling; desperate vocals and grotesque sequenced rhythms build to uncover layer after layer of menace. Never has folk legend Kate McGarri- gle’s banjo sounded more disturbing. Unquestionably, this is a true tour de force and the record’s emotional cli- max. Which is great, except that ev- erything thereafter smacks a little of lost momentum. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with Gryner’s For her second album of covers, Cana- play in the more discerning corners of takes on The Undertones’ Julie Ocean, dian self-made woman Emm Gryner national radio, but there are finer mo- Therapy?’s Nowhere or the much cov- once again avoids the pointless celeb ments elsewhere. Gryner’s versions ered traditional Moorlough Shore; it’s karaoke approach of some of her peers, of Running Back, a track from Thin just that they’ve a tough act to fol- but where 2001’s Girl Versions lovingly Lizzy’s 1976 album Jailbreak, and The low. Of the three, however, Nowhere emasculated songs by everyone from Corrs’ Breathless both demonstrate is the strongest candidate for radio. Thrush Hermit to Blur via Ozzy Os- the panache of her deconstruction. Divorced from Therapy?’s muscular bourne – an eclectic enough selection Both are sheared to the bone as ten- style, it becomes a likeable acoustic to rival even Tori Amos’ Strange Little der piano ballads wracked with the ditty with a Sheryl Crow-ish vocal. Girls, released the same year but with true desperation of the lyrics. Like- The renaissance of the covers al- ten times the marketing budget – Songs wise, Ash’s Shining Light benefits from bum as a valid expression of artistry Of Love & Death is a nationalistic nod the minimalist treatment; in Gryner’s is still quite recent, and there’s no to the Irish. More contemporary than hands, the disposable punk-pop an- doubt that Gryner owes some small other Irish covers albums (e.g. Sinéad them morphs into a tender hymn to debt to the likes of Annie Lennox, O’Connor’s Sean-Nós Nua, The Corrs’ love. Dana Feder’s achingly beautiful Tori Amos and even Cat Power, but Home) and with little in the way of cello counterpoints the vocals and Songs Of Love & Death reasserts the traditional Celtic instrumentation, piano, with subtle church organ riffing wisdom of the old jazz truism that Songs… finds Gryner stripping back completing the mystical effect. Deck- skilful interpretation of song is an art each song to its emotional core and chairs & Cigarettes forgoes The Thrills’ unto itself. It’s to Gryner’s credit, too, working up from there. Americana stylings in favour of the that her artistic input extended to Kicking in with chiming guitar and full Celtic treatment – marching-sea- playing almost all of the instruments, harpsichord arpeggios, Forget Georgia son pipe and drum backing contrast- including the mbira. Following a suc- sounds for all the world like a long- ing deliciously with jangly indie pop. cessful tour of the Emerald Isle and lost classic Pretenders single, though Perhaps the most obscure and sur- the recent radio adds, here’s hoping a is actually an obscure cut from Some- prising inclusion of the album is Dearg full UK release for this excellent col- thing Happens. It’s not hard to see Doom from Celtic rock group Horslips’ lection can be organised, and soon! why the song’s picked up some air- seminal disc, The Tain (1974). Quite Trevor Raggatt

72 Hannah Fury right would love to play backwards in know what, it sounds pretty good. But Subterfuge EP fear (hope?) of finding an ode to the by the time you reach the fourth track, Jetsetter MellowTraumatic devil. Which would be rather silly re- , familiarity begins to creep «««« gardless, because they would then miss in, bringing as it does a contempt- out on some of Fury’s best writing to ible lack of fresh ideas. It’s the usual date — “if you think you scored, your vi- brash stomping tune, with aggres- sion must be blurred / welcome one and all sive riffs and a hollered bit over the Self-styled Trauma Queen Hannah to the Theatre of the Absurd / mmmmmy drum break. Similarly, while Take Off Fury has at last shuffled off her musical heart is like the Moulin Rouge / all lit up Your Clothes may inspire some audi- slumber. It’s been six long years since in subterfuge” — with all its Jean Genet ence members to do just that at their her unsettling debut album, The Thing conjuring dramaturgy. live shows, here it rips the heart from That Feels, and three since her last EP. Whether or not Fury intends a lit- Smells Like Teen Spirit and renders it What has she been doing? Well, not eral interpretation of A Latch To Open’s simply boring. Body 21 carries on the losing one iota of her touch for a start; closing sound effect of an emancipated slip into formulaic nonsense, being a Subterfuge is the most sinister thing to bird fleeing its prison (and I’m inclined semi-dramatic rock tune full of half- come out of Texas since the Bush Ad- to believe she doesn’t), it’s tempting baked lyrical clichés like “my body’s 21 ministration, and all the better for it. to see it as something symbolic. A but my mind is ageless”. Elsewhere, Easy Kicking off with a deliciously subver- brusque farewell to writer’s block, per- is all stadium posturing and screech- sive, almost perverse take on The Tur- haps. For as wonderful as this enchant- ing electric guitar solos, while Baby- tles’ 1969 hit You Showed Me, Fury teas- ing EP undoubtedly is, it’s ostensibly sitter is slightly more restrained and ingly twists and plays with the melody a prelude to a far greater prize; that all the better for it. It’s still none too and phrasing to great effect. And while long-awaited full-length coming later exciting, however. it’s not as nakedly ambitious or suc- this year. Amen! Alan Pedder After all this, New York Girls comes cessful as her gloriously gut-wrenching as a nice surprise, more New Wave pop cover of ABBA’s The Winner Takes It All Morningwood than over the top. The interruptions (from 2001’s sublime Meathook EP), it Morningwood from riffing guitars and Go! Team- sets up Subterfuge’s overarching ‘love style shambolics sit rather well in the me or else’ theme very nicely indeed. Capitol tune and make for a more interesting The sheer intensity of My Next Victim «« listen. In fact, it marks the start of a continues this motif, with hell hath no closing trio that trounces the majority fury lyrics like “you don’t want none of my of the rest of the album. Everybody Rules sugar / you just want that skanky snatch, no The great thing about Morningwood is is straightforward bouncy pop but with offense to her” delivered with an eerie and that you’re left in no doubt when they’re cool singalong bits, while Ride The Lights unwavering focus, its very matter-of- in the vicinity. The New York foursome is a rather surprising Saint Etienne- factness recalling Lisa Germano’s …A are loud, glam and put on a spectacular style, saccharine-coated pedestrian Psychopath reverse engineered and seen live show, largely helped by the youth- pop song. With more songs like these, through an opiate haze. The fabulously ful exuberance of their wonderfully Morningwood could yet avoid being titled Girls That Glitter Love The Dark is christened frontwoman, Chantal Clar- put down as a lame one-trick pony. equally impressive with its From The et. But can they cut it on CD, stripped Russell Barker Choirgirl Hotel-era Tori Amos flour- of their visuals and spontaneity? Well ishes and lush, hypnotic multi-tracked they certainly can’t be criticised for not vocals. Illuminating couplets like “girls giving it their best shot. Lead track Nü that glitter defile hope / we think that love Rock slaps you upside your head with is just tightening that sad little rope” lan- an in your face rock ‘n’ roll tune and guish in the mix with a general air of a statement of intent, Claret scream- self-destructive obsession. ing “come on get over it, come on get into But perhaps the finest distillation it” over crunching riffs before finishing of Fury’s particular brand of musical with the battle cry “it starts right now!” malaise is the multimedia track, Car- Next, Televisor approaches metal ter- nival Justice (The Gloves Are Off) Part II. ritory with all guns blazing, with Clar- Whether heard alone or in tandem with et’s wailing falsetto oozing attitude. But Chris Ohlson’s creepy video featuring a before you have them pegged as some pair of custom-made marionettes (The sort of glam rock beast, Nth Degree Queen of Hearts and Anathema Rose arrives to surprise and confuse. It’s to their friends), it’s an undeniably basically a big MOR Europop num- spine-tingling experience. So precisely ber that sounds like it’s being played layered are the distorted, whispery vo- by electropop robots with lyrics that cals, it’s almost as if she were singing spell out the name of the band. You in parseltongue. Needless to say, it’s can imagine it going down well in gay the kind of song that the religious far discos across the land. And do you

73 Spider with a crisper guitar sound, bolder vo- however, that there’s no fleas, flies or The Way To cal and weeping, evocative strings. insects of any kind on Victoria Vox. But it’s when Herships plugs in Since striking out as an independent Bitter Lake that things get truly exhilarating. The artist three years ago, she’s been plying Self-released cool countrified lament of Cold Eyes her engaging brand of acoustic pop the «««« is a long-lost Edith Frost song, circa length and breadth of the States, most- Telescopic, or at least it shimmers so ly backed by guitar, but since an acci- Old wives once foretold that a fever finely that it very well could be. The dent of circumstance introduced her to could be cured by wearing around prettiness of Maggie’s Song For Alice is the uke, she’s been slipping it into her one’s neck a spider in a nutshell. In a torn completely asunder by a jagged live set on an increasingly frequent ba- nutshell, that’s poppycock, but many a wedge of electric guitar that at first sis. An entire ukulele album was only a fetid sweaty furrowed brow could be might seem woefully misjudged, but matter of time! Now, to be fair, the uke soothed by a spin of The Way To Bit- just ten seconds later may just be the as an instrument isn’t blessed with the ter Lake, the debut mini-album from most wonderfully pained Stratocaster broadest of dynamic or tonal ranges, Brooklyn-based artist Jane Herships. solo that’s ever pierced your armour. though it is a pleasing sound. Howev- Quite where she’s hiding her other And after the summery stroll of Mid- er, Vox’s consummate skill as arranger four limbs is anybody’s guess, but with night On The Nile lulls you back into and interpreter really pays dividends. Herships less is unquestionably more. calm, End Song briefly erupts with a So while the uke and vocals take centre She may be yet another Sidewalk Café quietly fierce farewell, the feedback stage on all tracks, a sympathetic back- alumnus, having stolen the show at a so thickly caked on that the lyrics are ing adds texture and depth to each, November 2004 open mic night, but all but obscured and indecipherable. adding in guitar, bass, cello, vibes, and Herships stands out on the antifolk For disambiguation’s sake and a handy even toy piano and kazoo. periphery by virtue of having a classi- bit of useless trivia, there are in fact The album starts off with Ukulele cally beautiful, bittersweet voice. Some three Bitter Lakes in Herships’ native Lady, a cute little novelty song from comparisons ring true, but only fleet- land, and which of them this captivat- the ukulele’s heyday, written by Broad- ingly; a first listen brought to mind ing song suite points to, who really way composer Gus Kahn, who also had a less twangy Jill Barber or Victoria minds? If further fruits of her labour a hand in classics like Dream A Little Williams, while a second conjured a are this truly scrumptious, Herships Dream Of Me, Makin’ Whoopee and My slightly less deathly Julie Doiron sup- herself may find the path to success Baby Just Cares For Me. It’s a charming pe- ping a herbal tea with Nina Nastasia. rather well signposted too. riod piece, with its authentic showtune Then just when you think you might Alan Pedder feel and slide guitar ornament provid- have nailed her down, Herships will ing the perfect opener. Vox interprets gleefully give you the slip. Victoria Vox another of Kahn’s tunes (Guilty) later The Clearing Opener is deceptively Victoria Vox & on, while the two more recent covers textbook, lo-fi finger-picked loveli- include the Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer, ness; “now is the time to behave” she Her Jumping Flea gorgeously arranged with cello, and Le opines a little mischieviously, but Obus Music Vent Nous Portera by French rock band the undulating melody and perfectly «««« Noir Desir – better known in the UK timed harmonies of Louis Schwadron because of their singer’s involvement in (who was, until recently, the Poly- What is it with the ukulele all of a the death of actress Marie Trintignant. phonic Spree’s French horn supremo) sudden? Not since George Harri- It’s a beautiful rendition, transport- are ecstatically cracked and lovelorn. son became obsessed with them in ing the listener directly to the narrow Don’t Be Afraid, I’ve Just Come To Say the early Nineties has the Hawaiian streets of Montmartre or the Quatier- Goodbye is what Múm might sound four-stringed instrument been so in Latin with its melodica and Hot Club- like if they spent less time on their the limelight. One of last year’s most styled jazz comping. The album’s cen- laptops — gorgeous flourishes of flute memorable singles, Mara Carlyle’s Baby trepiece, however, is a fantastic medley and Schwadron’s horn are woven spar- Bloodheart, was almost entirely ukulele of Somewhere Over The Rainbow and ingly through hushed double-tracked and voice, and criminally under-rated What A Wonderful World. Here, mellow vocals, sweetly intimate guitar and UK singer-songwriter Sam Brown fol- vibraphone chimes contrast with the unintrusive electric piano. Herships lowed in her shoes with the, er, Ukulele staccato ukulele while Vox interweaves clearly knows a thing or two about & Voice EP. First though, Berklee grad- and improvises around the melodies, subtlety, resisting too the temptation uate Victoria Vox steps up to the plate her beautifully pure voice bringing a to overegg the lyrics; “and should I with Victoria Vox & Her Jumping Flea, feeling of innocence and intimacy to beware / your nights and your mares” in ten deftly woven original compositions the hopeful lyrics – totally beguiling. particular is devastatingly simple and and well-chosen covers, some modern, Vox is no slouch either when it comes suggestive. The intriguingly-titled I some from the golden age of the uke’s to her own compositions. America tells Don’t Know If She Had Any Teeth Because post-World War I popularity. For the the lonely tale of being a solo travelling She Never Smiled offers up more of the uninitiated, the ‘jumping flea’ of the troubadouress, while Dreamin’ About same, this time coated in black treacle title derives from the literal transla- You (the only song that’s simply uke and drones, while The Bitter One is blessed tion of the Hawaiian. Rest assured, voice) shows that, for all the rich clarity

74 IMPORTS of her vocal, Vox can extend to a more trauma of accepting one’s self are con- merits, its unadulterated pop archetype bluesy wail when she wants to. It’s a cerned. It’s a shame then that the result and Loeb’s girl next door persona strik- real testimony to her delivery that other is not more insightful and considered. ing a chord with radio listeners and pro- songs like My Darlin’ Beau, Yodelayheehoo Though she sings of important and in- pelling her to the summit of the Billboard and Christmas With You, that might have volving topics, they often seem to suffer Top 100 and peaking at #6 in the UK. Of sounded twee or cloying in less skilful from an apparently shallow treatment course, a sparse video directed by Real- hands, are only ever charming and en- laced with invective, as if she were seek- ity Bites star Ethan Hawke didn’t harm gaging. Certainly, there are few albums ing to shock rather than to enquire and its chances, and Loeb was quickly signed this undeniably enchanting, creating a inform. For instance, Rural Faggot might to Geffen Records soon after. Her debut world of their own around the listener. as well be paraphrased as “It’s rough grow- album Tails was released the following This is a pleasant world, both forward- ing up as a young gay man in an isolated, autumn and quickly went platinum. Al- looking and back, and indeed, the only avowedly red-neck community. Maybe life though her songwriting has never quite real complaint to speak of is that, at little would less awkward if you’d lived in Green- achieved the same tenacity as it did on over a half hour of music, it would have wich Village. Yeah!” – and it’s a real pity Stay, Loeb’s skills as a pop singer-song- been nice to overstay our welcome. because elsewhere in the song are a few writer are unmitigated and this career Trevor Raggatt lines of gorgeous, evocative imagery, retrospective offers a good mix, albeit and many of the other songs fall at this with some bias towards her earlier years; Amy Ray same hurdle. Ray’s sometimes striking twelve of the eighteen selections origi- Prom similes and scenes are robbed of any ap- nate from the first two of her four releas- Daemon parent subtext, and therefore pass by all es. Sadly, there’s nothing from Catch The «« but unregarded. Moon (2003), her entertaining album of ½ It must be conceded, however, that music aimed at children. even the less effective songs are at least Loeb is best when she tackles darker workmanlike, pushing along with a pre- material, such as Sandalwood’s stark dec- You can just see the headlines… INDIGO punk sense of purpose and the tunes larations of obsession, the mournful How GIRL IN GARAGE BAND SHOCKER!... are perfectly hummable. The album and the relationship autopsy of Do You and, indeed, Prom may take some fans does contain a few real gems too; Driver Sleep?, which by all rights should have of the colourful folky twosome by sur- Education motors along with Farfisa or- equalled the success of Stay. Her lighter prise. For her second solo outing, Amy gan motifs burbling in the background, material, such as the minor Stateside hits Ray charges further down the rocky road evoking images of American high school I Do and Let’s Forget About It and the reg- of 2002’s Stag, casting out the Lilith Fair life, while Sober Girl recalls Billy Idol’s gae-lite All Day – Loeb’s contribution to staples of acoustic guitars, interweaving White Wedding, perhaps as covered by 1998’s The Rugrats Movie, in which she harmonies and subtle poetics in favour Iggy & The Stooges. Compelling stories also provided the voice of a newborn of a straight up, Seventies-tinged garage of sexual confusion and youthful explo- baby – manage to hit the marks they band ethos. Weighing her musical an- ration are spun on Covered For You and should despite being a little less majes- chor in the sounds of her youth is cer- Pennies On The Track, while the unchar- tic. It’s a credit to her likeability and craft tainly appropriate given the over-riding acteristically Indigos-esque closer Let that songs like Bring Me Up would come theme of the album – teenage rites of It Ring successfully blends acoustic gui- off on the wrong side of tame if placed passage, sexual awakenings etc., all as tars and mandolins with more strident, in the hands of almost any other artist, implied by the title – and that’s both the rockier sounds. Rounding squarely on while Loeb’s sweet vocals and nebbish record’s blessing and its curse. Where the the intolerance and prejudice shown lyrical honesty elevate the song above Indigo Girls as a unit tend to lavish each to the gay community, in particular by the dreaded MOR mark. song with subtle washes of meaning and the conservative churches in the US In fact, what is apparent in each of texture, Prom, to quote the great philos- and elsewhere, it draws the thematic these songs is that Loeb’s personable opher Shrek, simply “don’t have layers.” curtains of the album to an aptly vocal nature and unflinching truth-telling, And whilst this single-minded agenda close. Trevor Raggatt even when looming in the face of cliché, can be a strength in terms of bringing a has given her a kind of staying power common focus and sense of coherence, it Lisa Loeb that’s wholly of her own making and not sure does wear you down, too often spill- The Very Best Of a commercial commodity. But while she ing over into one-dimensionality and Hip-O may finally be showing signs of some hammered-home polemic. Fortunately, ««« questionable decision-making see her Ray is too good and experienced a song- reality dating programme #1 Single that writer to render Prom entirely no mouth, recently aired in the States and is rep- all trousers; the subtler songs will stick resented here with the passable theme where the bombast fails. Twelve years ago, a little known unsigned tune Single Me Out – the only new song To her credit, Ray admirably battles singer-songwriter from Dallas redefined included – Loeb’s integrity as a solid her early demons and formative experi- what it means to hit the ground run- pop musician remains untarnished and ences in a way that provides an oppor- ning. A rogue release from the Reality The Very Best Of showcases both her tunity for catharsis, particularly where Bites soundtrack, her debut single Stay (I and her catalogue as an underappreci- matters of sexuality and the teenage Missed You) took off entirely on its own ated but smiling success. Aaron Alper

75 Witherspoon is just as convincing, James Mangold with her sweet, affecting trill brim- Walk The Line ming with the confidence needed to Palomar Pictures play the character of June, whose life DVD «««« on the stage started as a child with The Carter Family. The inspired casting of established recording artists in sup- porting roles also lends a refreshing authenticity to the rich musical tapes- try. In her first feature film, rock and country artist Shelby Lynne plays Car- rie, the matriarch of the Cash family, whose unconditional love for her son provides the emotional balance to her husband’s toughness. A long-time ad- mirer of Cash’s music, Lynne wrote the song Johnny Met June on the day that he died in 2003, and while she may have been cast for her voice here, her acting skills match those around her. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out traction to feisty songstress June Cart- More than just another exercise in that Johnny Cash falls rather a long way er (Reese Witherspoon), and from the Hollywood myth making, Walk The outside the Wears The Trousers remit, moment she gets her dress caught in Line actually began as a collaborative but, at the risk of reviving a terrible his guitar strap, there’s an immediate effort with the original Man In Black cliché, behind every good man... well, connection. Carter’s apple pie affabili- himself until his death. Based on auto- you get the idea. So while we await the ty proves to be the perfect foil to Cash’s biographies and extensive interviews, transformation of Mary J. Blige as Nina introspective darkness, but despite one Mangold’s love for his subject is evi- Simone, we’ve got front row seats to night of unrestrained passion, their dent throughout but from the telling director James Mangold’s affectionate guiding Christian background forbids title in, the film plays it straight, and Cash biopic, Walk The Line. their adulterous union. Victims of their every significant moment in Cash’s Like last year’s award-grabbing circumstance, Cash penned the epony- biography cues another famous com- Ray, the film economically sketches mous Walk The Line as an assertion of position. For all of Cash’s ragged edges, Cash’s tragic Arkansas childhood and marital fidelity, while Carter composed the chronological narrative arc is too his sad estrangement from a father the equally classic Ring Of Fire to express neat and could have benefited from a who blamed him for the death of his the pain of her forbidden love. more oblique treatment of rock star elder sibling in a rather grisly sawmill Certainly it’s their abiding attrac- mythology, like Gus Van Sant’s angu- accident. After first picking up a gui- tion that provides the film’s true heart, lar approach to Kurt Cobain’s untimely tar during a brief stint in the forces, and both Phoenix and Witherspoon demise in Last Days (2005). However, the young Cash (played by Joaquin were nominated for top Oscar honours this is a minor distraction. Phoenix) returns home to marry his in recognition of these career-defining The film starts, and ends, in 1968 sweetheart Vivian (Ginnifer Good- performances. The film is no slouch ei- with Cash’s infamous Folsom Prison win), but soon discovers that door- ther when it comes to the music, and concert that has become part of rock to-door sales is not exactly his forte. the success of any musical biopic surely ‘n’ roll folklore. As a man who had cul- Faced with rent and ever-mounting rests largely on the songs themselves. tivated the image of the incarcerated bills, Cash swiftly finds himself at the Unlike Jamie Foxx’s Ray or Val Kilmer’s rebel, Cash may have lived on the right doorstep of Sam Phillips’ Sun Studios Jim Morrison, who were rife with affec- side of the prison walls, but after years in Memphis. Driven by his distinctive tations, Phoenix’s portrayal of Cash’s of emotional imprisonment to drugs freight-train chords, Cash’s tales of restrained primal energy transcends a and past demons, this storming finale hard luck and losers are soon blazing a Stars In Their Eyes-type impersonation also marks the end of his own personal trail up the charts. At the epicentre of with a performance that appears natu- redemption. More than just a cine- rock ‘n’ roll’s adolescence, he’s caught rally spontaneous rather than studied. matic eulogy, Cash’s musical legacy is up in a new world of temptation, tour- Hunching his shoulders and aiming cherished by all involved in this film, ing alongside the young Elvis (Tyler his guitar like a machine gun across and although it never fully jumps the Hilton), Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Mal- the audience, Phoenix’s pitch-perfect hurdles of rock biopic cliché, the Man loy Payne) and Roy Orbison (Jonathan live vocals, specifically in the Folsom In Black’s enduring everyman appeal Rice), and soon develops a dependen- Prison sequences, are testament to the on record positively crackles on screen. cy on amphetamines years before they work of music producer T Bone Burnett Stephen Collings would become rock cliché. (O Brother, Where Art Thou? [2000]), Walk The Line is released on Region 2 DVD And this is where we come in, for whose score nicely compliments Cash’s on May 4th. Read our interview with Reese With- Cash’s other primary problem is his at- musical oeuvre. erspoon exclusively at www.thetrousers.co.uk.

76 My first encounter with Tori Amos on video was a shot of her hurtling towards Tori Amos a giant spider’s web in the abstract Fade To Red: The Videos European promo for Cornflake Girl (fea- Rhino Home Video tured here as a bonus extra). Ironically, «««« the striking red hair that hallmarks ½ almost all of her other videos and in- spires the name of this collection was indistinguishable to me as I marvelled at this monochrome masterpiece. Okay, well, in hindsight maybe it isn’t really a masterpiece, but then how many music videos are? It’s an inherently silly me- dium. Which is why it’s so refreshing to come across an artist willing to take a few risks and sometimes even embrace the silliness of it. In fact, most of the videos included here are, in their vary- ing ways, even more remarkable than the cut I first fell in love with, but the point is the same: whichever avenue you take into the wonderful world of Amos’ visual output, it is likely to be a memorable one. Her first video, Silent All These Years, is another bold affair and one that has provided most people with their first and most lasting impression of Amos – also becoming the source of the cover shot for her debut album. It comprises mostly of Tori, a white background, a wooden box, some bright red lip- stick and those famous red tresses. Simple yet compelling, it works be- cause it allows Amos to breathe. An artist with lesser presence wouldn’t be comfortable laying themselves open sides to the same box that Amos first Librarian (2003) been conceived and to such close scrutiny, yet Amos does rolled onto our screens in, none of presented similarly to this it may have it consistently. No matter what guise them quite building on the stark imag- proved a greater testament to her tal- she takes, Amos never seems over- ery of her first promo. Instead they are ents. This has obviously been a labour whelmed. You find yourself believing much more entertaining and unique of love for Amos and, overall, it’s a very in her, whether trapped on display in when dotted around the collection, well packaged and comprehensive col- a gallery window, being dragged from reminding us that her vision has been lection. A couple of videos are con- a burning building or bound and run- uncompromising from the start. Winter spicuous by their absence, however. ning away from an unidentified captor even benefits from being sandwiched One can only presume that contractual as we see in Spark, possibly the most between the more subversive and styl- issues prevented the inclusion of the gripping video I’ve ever laid eyes on. ised A Sorta Fairytale (featuring Oscar- promo for her Stranglers cover, Strange The results are exhilarating. winning actor Adrien Brody in perhaps Little Girl, as it is one of her best. The What hits you is the sheer variety the weirdest allegorical love story ever) missing Glory Of The 80s video is more of ideas that Amos and her collabora- and Spark. Elsewhere, the student-like of a mystery, although the likely rea- tors seem to have. The sequencing of experimentation of China segues per- son for its omission is that it just didn’t the videos contributes to this diversity, fectly into the more adventurous Rasp- make the grade – it’s a video with a nice juxtaposing selections from different berry Swirl and Talula promos. In fact, idea that wasn’t quite realised. Still, do points in her fifteen-year career. It the early videos are some of the most a Google search for either of these and would have been silly to lump togeth- enjoyable to watch as Amos and direc- you’ll find them in seconds. As for ex- er the low-budget Little Earthquakes tor Cindy Palmano play around with tras, the personal commentary on each videos at the start of the collection. the constrictions of the medium. video is a very nice and often hilarious Whilst each video is its own entity The music, as always, is simply touch, allowing us an insight into the and should be considered as such, the outstanding. In fact, had her “recon- making of and ideas behind the clips. early videos are essentially different ditioned” retrospective Tales Of A Matthew Hall

77 Frankly, it’s been a fantastic year for The Go! Team. Their debut album The Go! Team / Thunder, Lightning, Strike has become The Grates/ Smoosh

LIVE a major, if slow-burning hit — unbe- Koko, London lievably, it was first released back in March 1, 2006 September 2004 — receiving wide- «««« spread acclaim and annihilating genre labels left, right and centre... oh, and notching up a nod for the Mercury Music Prize. It should come as no sur- prise then that the Brighton/London six-piece are in a celebratory mood. This, their biggest UK tour to date, is completely sold-out, including a three-night residency at London’s Koko. Tonight’s line-up is yet another exercise in diversification for the Go! Team; they’ve put together a stel- lar female-fronted bands bonanza by roping in Seattle’s Smoosh and The Grates from Australia. In case you hadn’t heard already, Smoosh are sisters Asya and Chloe who are, respectively, 13 and 11 years old. Having already found celebrity fans in Sufjan Stevens, Sleater-Kinney, Cat Power’s Chan Marshall, Death Cab For Cutie (whose drummer has been teaching Chloe) and now seem- ingly The Go! Team, their premise is a basic one — Chloe plays drums while

Asya sings and presses the keys. Sur- by Robbie de Santosphotos prisingly, the limitations of their in- struments by no means inhibits their sound. So while each song may sound different from the last, one thing is consistent throughout – their attitude. There’s something scarily fierce about Asya’s vocal delivery. Even at her ten- der age, she is showing the angry/up- Fortunately, Smoosh exercise a much tars, pounding rhythms and ecstatic, if lifting makings of her older mentors greater degree of control over their somewhat deranged, vocals. Running in Sleater-Kinney. Equally, Chloe’s career than Richard and Judy’s faux- from one side of the stage to the other, rhythms are primal and driving, and lesbian enemies, and furthermore are Patience makes for a manic and ener- the relatively stripped-down arrange- prodigiously talented, with an origi- getic figurehead, shaking her hair and ment really does showcase their musi- nality and freshness unrivalled by pulling faces at the crowd. Though they cal abilities. most other bands so often jaded by are undoubtedly effective at warming Their set is comprised of tracks the industry and wearing their influ- up the crowd, the similarities with the from their excellent debut, She Like ences all too plainly on their sleeves. Yeah Yeah Yeahs are almost too much Electric, and a whole lot of new songs Finishing with the grinding La Pump, — the voice and nonsensical yelps are that amply disprove the doubters who a positively filthy electro-pop tune, trademark O. But to their credit, even claimed it was a fluke. That said, the Asya and Chloe exit stage right, their if The Grates do excessively imitate, uninitiated denizens of the audience curious audience still slightly con- they at least do it well and with tunes clearly don’t know quite how to react fused but primarily enthusiastic. and an energy that other carbon copi- to the duo. Obviously aware of their Next come The Grates making a ers have failed to muster. Happily, their age, they are appropriately support- great first impression by bounding upcoming single, 19 20 20, is an unde- ive and somewhat cautious; are they cheerfully on to the stage. Singer Pa- niably spiky slice of angular art-pop. being exploited by a twisted svengali tience is a day-glo princess and per- Despite such strong support, the á la t.A.T.u? Do they write their own haps a not-too-distant relative of Yeah show belongs unarguably to The Go! songs? Is it fair to take them out of Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O. Their music is Team. The balconies of the former the- school to tour with older rock bands? similarly sparse — garage rock gui- atre are packed with brightly dressed

78 opposite page: The Go! Team; this page from top left: Patience of The Grates, Asya of Smoosh and her sister Chloe

punters, while the band is even more colourful than usual thanks to the spe- cial London-only addition of cheer- leading backing dancers. It feels like a carnival, and perhaps appropriately, it is the day after Shrove Tuesday and the end of Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. Their frontwoman Ninja, clad tonight in a yellow cheerleader skirt and a blue vest top, may not even be 5’2” but she commands the crowd like no oth- er. Indeed, she puts so much energy into the performance that the band’s instrumental tracks are scattered throughout the set to allow her ample recovery time. Each song is properly feels sufficient. The Go! Team see no introduced and Ninja makes each one need in labouring the point, secure in an opportunity for some kind of crowd the knowledge that even a short dose participation. Arms are waved, chants of their infectious magic is enough are chanted and it all begins to feel a to put smiles on every last attendee little like a commune — during We Just as they exit into the slightly grimmer Won’t Be Defeated there’s an irrepress- reality of Mornington Crescent. The ible feeling of oneness. band themselves may not know what It would be foolish to argue that the future holds — Thunder, Lightning, The Go! Team’s huge success is purely Strike is composed predominantly of due to Ninja’s leadership. Their music samples and getting legal clearance is like dreamscapes, entirely positive, was a long and difficult task — but, uplifting and utterly indefinable. In for the moment, they seem plenty re- the live context, their show is an ex- warded by their crowd-pleasing antics hilarating blast through their album and formidable reputation as pioneers and a handful of new songs. In total, of inimitably fantastic pop. it lasts just over an hour but somehow Robbie de Santos

79 touring behind last year’s Year Of Me- Laura Veirs Beth Orton teors, but chooses from her entire back Warwick Fleece & Firkin, Bristol catalogue and does not allow the new Arts Centre February 16th, 2006 songs to dominate. «««« Announcing “It’s good to be in Bris- February 17, 2006 tol!” (and looking like she really means «««« it), she launches into Lakeswimming and capably proves that she’s just as capti- Listening to Beth Orton is a far more vating solo as she is with the various involving experience than simply hear- incarnations of her band, The Tortured ing a collection of words and harmo- Souls. Making excellent use of a sam- nies; she is a quaint reminder of all pler and pre-programmed electronics, things female, lacking in all that is con- the song is ably constructed through a temporary ‘celebrity’, and displaying multitude of looped beats and layered instead a welcome vulnerability and vocals. This approach also perfectly her uniquely self-conscious form of suits the songs from Year Of Meteors, storytelling. In a week that was filled an album which sees Veirs embrace with gossip magazines and tabloids a far more electronic influence than splashed with headlines regarding ever before — think of a midpoint be- Chantelle’s post-Big Brother faux-fame tween The Postal Service and Gillian antics and Paris Hilton stumbling all Welch. Speaking between songs, Laura over the autocue at the Brits, I was ea- seems almost apologetic that she hasn’t ger to see something distinctly natural, brought her band, but her impeccable something with experience, emotional musicianship shines through the myri- awareness and intellect. A forty minute ad of sounds, melodies and layers that dose of Beth Orton, complete with fad- she spectacularly conjures on her own. ed jeans and scuffed worn shoes, turns For Tiger Tattoos, Veirs passes out out to be the perfect medicine. Not a metal chiming sticks to members of the mini poodle or footballer boyfriend audience, asking them to accompany in sight! her by playing them against the venue’s The return of the old-style Orton, the walls and posts. It’s potentially a risky one who sang about a Galaxy Of Empti- The night does not start well. After a move as just one overactive participant ness and a particular Sweetest Decline, lengthy altercation with the bouncer could mar the song’s fragile beauty, but has been warmly received by most. At about age, Citizen Cards and valid it pays off wonderfully. Under Laura’s last, the somewhat weaker and com- forms of ID in which I have to get my direction, the crowd’s subtle chimes, as mercially-targeted Daybreaker (2002) friend to drive down to the venue with well as claps and even beatboxing (!), can now be safely placed at the back of my passport, I am finally allowed in prove to be a highly effective accompa- the CD shelf, as her voice is once again midway through Pure Horsehair’s sup- niment to her acoustic guitar and clear, divine and jam-packed with emotion, port slot feeling a little irate and some- crystalline vocals. On Fire Snakes, subtle as if she’s been swept right back to her what weary. However, my malaise is dis- electronic touches brush alongside the younger days with a brain overflowing pelled in an instant when I catch sight acoustics, and the song draws upon the with fresh experience. Tonight, Orton of Laura herself sitting at a little table geological and astrological images that performs a welcome selection of tracks in the corner doodling on her setlists Veirs returns to throughout the night from new album Comfort Of Strang- and signing stuff for the occasional fan. — ice, stars, sea, glaciers. ers with a subtle confidence, as if deep She’s sweet and entirely approachable, During the main set, someone in the down she knows that the audience is even when pestered by crazy-permed crowd yells out for Ether Sings, and Lau- going to adore every moment of her archetypal middle-aged men who have ra happily plays it when she returns for unpretentious, personal performance. seemingly converged upon the venue the encore, the beguiling melody weav- Even if she doesn’t, she needn’t worry. to confirm the folk fan stereotype. ing a hypnotic spell upon the atten- Songs such as Worms, a passionate ver- When she takes the stage solo, a tive crowd. Throughout the evening, bal attack, and Absinthe, a bittersweet serene hush cloaks the venue, in con- the beats and effects employed haven’t exploration of love, have the devoted trast to the noisy chatter that rather been at all obtrusive, but for closer Jail- crowd fixated. Her gangly, waif-like overwhelmed Pure Horsehair’s quiet house Fire they are, and wonderfully so. physical presence is contrasted by her melodies. It feels as if we’re watching Pulling out a Melody Pop (remember haunting voice and desire to share her one of our friends play for us. Opening them?) and alternately whistling and trauma and elation with every mem- with Cool Water — a joyfully simple and chomping on it, she records and layers ber of the audience. Notes are passed beautiful song — Veirs sets the tone for the sound until her whistling fills the to her mid-song that cause her to leap a set comprised mostly of older songs, venue. It’s a fitting end to an entirely about and start up mini conversations many from 2004’s Carbon Glacier. This charming evening. throughout the set, and she is happy is surprising and refreshing as she’s Danny Weddup to perform any favourites suggested

80 by the crowd. The one thing she does A few days earlier at Nottingham’s problems. Problems that need to be deny her fans is a rendition of her clas- Rock City, a throng of fans cheered, ironed out if they are to achieve a level LIVE sic, poignant love song Central Reserva- screamed and sang every word of Too of success beyond that afforded to art- tion; with a semi-smile and a cringe, Late, while The Ramones-meets-The ists of the cult variety and stand on a she informs us that she has “something Cure hybrid of What I Say & What I higher platform. As evidenced on last against that one now”. Mean was greeted as if it were already year’s debut Hearts & Unicorns, both In each tiny instance of a shift in a greatest hit. The stream of inter- are very talented musicians and it’s mood, Orton allows us an extra inch views, the TV shows they barely know hard to argue with their live perfor- of insight into her unusual and often the names of, the mad yo-yoing back maces too; tonight’s support slot for overlooked talent. She may not grace and forth to London are all about this The Cribs sees Annie hit every note the gossip columns from day to day, moment where The Like are, as an en- perfectly and Micah display his mas- but her fame and what made her so tity, a perfect, classic indie pop-rock tery of the art of playing the drums and gently revered is delivered with grace threepiece with a masterful grasp of synthesisers simultaneously. The prob- and a reminder of what ingredients are the epic and the intimate, often within lems are not in the songs either; these needed to make a modern, admirable the same song as is superbly displayed have a wonderful post-grunge feel and woman. Laura-May Coope in You Bring Me Down and (So I’ll Sit tracks like yflmd (You Fuck Like My Dad), Here) Waiting. Drugs and My Dick Sux reflect the duo’s The Like In London, there is a sense of ex- innate sense of quirkiness. Camden Barfly, posure in daylight for both the band The problems arise when the audi- London and their audience, creating a true dra- ence is blissfully unaware of Annie’s March 8, 2006 matic tension and blurring of the line unusual banter, and it can come as a «««« between performer and listener; the damning blow in the live context. She’s venue is rammed to the edge of the overly perverse and either an obses- curved stage. As Froom’s basslines bop sive liar or a very bad comedienne, It is midday on a Sunday and three over Thomas’ relentless beat, the fin- depending on your view. Joking about young women are standing on a street est swirls of shoegaze-y guitar since child paedophilia and incest is hardly corner in Camden Town. Wrapped up Lush emit from Berg’s twin Orange the way to the nation’s heart, although against the March chill, they could be amps. Already overtired, Z has an up- a few in the crowd do warm to her, if any late teens/early twenties trio, and hill struggle to keep her voice, but one only out of sympathy. Perhaps trying to the fact that they haven’t seen a bed has to marvel at the sheer grit of her capitalise on that, Annie points out the to lie in in over 24 hours is not so odd performance as she lives out every raw audiences at their two previous shows for their generation. However, the fact emotion threaded through her lyrics. “didn’t like Giant Drag”, but it’s more that only six or so hours ago they were Coming just at a time when the UK than obvious why. Whilst Karen O of stood on a street corner in Paris not rock scene is all laddish boys-will-be- the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would simply dis- entirely unlike this one is. Freshly Eu- boys predicting a riot in the takeaway miss the jeers of a faux-macho yell of rostarred back from playing at a fash- kebab house, The Like are surely the “show us yerr tits!” or “fuck me!” with ion show, The Like are about to do an band that many have been waiting for; a sneering “suck your own dick” when afternoon show at Camden’s Barfly, one with a pure, warm sound that goes she first came to the country, An- part of a bewilderingly heavy itinerary straight for the heart. After today, they nie clearly hasn’t taken any tips from to purportedly break them in the UK. face another week of touring the coun- the shrieking New Yorker. Either she Either that or break them full stop. try before heading back to Los Ange- tries to join in on the joke and adapt Not that they are whinging about it. les for just one day off, then flying off her stories to include members of the Later, Tennessee Thomas is proud to again for an industry showcase in trip- audience, or, like most bands, she pre- display her drumstick blistered hands licate at SXSW in Austin. Both loving tends not to hear the calls. Considering to anyone who wishes to be appalled and laughing at it, The Like uncom- how irritating hecklers are, you could by the mess they’re in, while Charlotte plainingly thrive on the pace. And that never criticise a band member for do- Froom is endlessly enthusiastic and pace will surely only increase as their ing this, but given their abrupt nature slips easily into her coolest-person- message gets across to more and more Giant Drag are going to have to get to-ever-pick-up-a-bass poses within potential fans. Kevin Hewick used to such crude shout outs, and, in an instant of arriving onstage. Straight my opinion, the best way to deal with after the set, she just as happily works Giant Drag them is to bluntly put the caller back in the merchandising stall — “We sell Academy 2, their place. more t-shirts if the girls do it them- Manchester Even so, the duo offer an interest- selves” explains their affable tour man- February 17, 2006 ing live show, and to give their music ager. Z Berg also shrugs off the crazy «« justice it’s worth seeing a gig. At the pace with the detachment of a dreamer ½ very least, it will certainly help you to who has written songs in her teens that form your own opinion, because like many so-called mature writers would It’s fair to say that Los Angeles duo An- Marmite, you either love, hate, or are find hard to match in terms of their re- nie Hardy and Micah Calabrese, col- allergic to Giant Drag. markable depth and passion. lectively known as Giant Drag, have Tiffany Daniels

81 ing straight out at the crowd. Tonight, Bic Runga her expert manipulation of the tension Lock 17, London climaxes with It’s Over, during which she March 1, 2006

LIVE appears to become genuinely upset and «««« uneasy with the memories invoked. It’s no surprise really, many of these new songs sprang directly from the death of her father in 2005. But as the evening continues, she begins to get more play- ful with the audience. She starts a song or two with springy little dances, claps and laughs with the band and asks en- dearingly dappy things such as “how does it go again?” and “do I play in this one?”, to which one of them answers “if When the soundtrack of my formative May, and our first taste of it comes with you want to!” and she does. years takes to the stage, the technician second song Captured. Runga’s clear, After just ten songs she says good- doesn’t even bother to turn the lights soothing and peaceful vocal wraps it- night and departs the stage with her down, perhaps sensing the already self around the accompaniment; it’s band, but we’re having none of it. feverish anticipation of the crowd. hard to believe that a song with such And when she returns to play the new Mostly jammed with fellow New Zea- a mysterious, ghost-like quality can be album’s title track, a loud rippling landers, the sold-out venue swells with carried so expertly by just three (albeit “shhh!” rushes round the room. Clearly applause as the object of their affection very talented) individuals. us kiwis are eager to prolong the feeling greets them with a simple “Hi, nice to Introducing Say After Me as the of home. As the darkly dramatic num- see you” before launching straight into future first single to be taken from ber draws to a close, Runga thanks the her greatest hit Sway from 1998’s debut Birds (surprisingly not Winning Arrow boys and proceeds to do another two album Drive. Shrugging her shoulders as in other territories), Runga know- alone; the worldly wise No Crying No as if to say “well what other song would ingly adds “the whole song is real de- More and harking back to her younger I start with?”, Runga affably commands pressing” before clicking her fingers days with Drive. Then with a smile and the attention of everyone before get- and counting her compadres in. Prov- a wave she departs with a promise — ting a fit of the giggles midway through ing that she can be a very intense per- “see you in a couple of months!” the song. But rather than being greeted former when the situation calls for it, On the strength of tonight’s per- with a good natured heckle, the besot- Runga tends to either close her eyes so formance, it might finally be time for ted crowd stand still and quiet, hang- tightly as to concentrate immensely on Runga’s career to take flight in Britain. ing on Runga’s every word, me includ- every note or to stand deathly still look- Julia Paynter ed. She’s a connection to our distant homeland, someone who transports us back to a precious time and place and lets us forget our aching feet and crappy jobs. Wearing a black vintage-style dress to match her newly-cropped glossy black hair and dusky eye shadow, Bic stands with one hand in her pocket and the other on the mic, clearly quite comfy in her own way. For someone who regularly sells out venues ump- teen times the size of Lock 17, the set is very simple; just a black curtain, red lighting, Neil Finn on the piano and a guitarist whose name I don’t quite catch. The Finn connection goes back a few years. A self-proclaimed Runga fan, Finn asked her to co-headline a sold-out tour (also with John Dobbyn) before adding harmonies and flourish- es to her 2002 album Beautiful Colli- sion and the new one, Birds. Released in New Zealand last November, the album finally gets its UK release in

82 The Pipettes tic. Apart from the fact that the girls The videos themselves were highly Concorde 2, (Gwenno, Becky and Rose) are talented entertaining, which was a good thing as vocalists, they’re also brilliant fun. Of we ended up watching them about twice Brighton course, it’s all very tongue in cheek but on a loop while waiting for the main March 27, 2006 that’s just part of the charm. You don’t event. Each had its own distinct char- «««½ just go to listen to the music, you go acter and featured HK using everyday to watch them dance and wear their disposable objects (in keeping with the Despite my initial plan to review only excellent dresses. Although I worried theme of her debut album) in a number The Pipettes’ performance tonight, the at first that my feminist principles of creative ways; for instance, wearing appearance of two other equally unique might conflict with my enjoyment of a sock and a slinky over her head for acts on stage forced a bit of a rethink, The Pipettes, any doubts vanished In-Valid to highly disturbing effect, or and I thought it only right and just to pretty sharpish for two reasons. Firstly, wearing binbags round her shoulders write about the entire affair. First to despite being an example of a knowing- and on her behind for Friend For Dinner, take to the stage are Teasing LuLu, an ly post-modern or post-post-modern making her look vaguely canine in ap- indie/punk/rock band comprising gui- (or whatever!) act and having a sound pearance. Clearly, the videos have been tarist/lead singer Lucy, bassist/backing reminiscent of The Supremes or The made on absolutely no budget at all, vocalist Louisa and drummer Jason, Ronettes, none of their lyrics scream but they’re a damn sight more interest- currently gearing up to release their ‘doormat’ and none appear to be strung ing and imaginative than many that are very limited edition debut single, Infatu- up on a man. Secondly, even one who is made with millions. What’s more is that ation, on indie label Militant Recordings as prone to being a bit of a stuffed shirt they serve to flesh out Heidi’s songs, rais- in April. It’s a shameful thing to admit like myself cannot resist lightening up ing them up from one-dimensionality to, but I was planning to turn up just for ladies this upbeat. into living, breathing creatures. before The Pipettes were scheduled on Recent single Your Kisses Are Wasted Half an hour after the live performance stage. As it turns out, I’m glad I wasn’t On Me and older tracks like ABC and was supposed to start, we were still wait- so lame. To get an idea of Teasing LuLu’s Judy are the standouts of the set, and ing. The garage had filled up though, live show, try to imagine what would while it could certainly be argued that and it didn’t seem quite so awkward. happen if Wayne’s World’s Cassandra they’re a bit too grown up to be singing What it had filled up with, however, was (as played by Tia Carrere) happened to about schoolboys, and maybe the doo- a sizeable throng of highly pretentious manage a band with the help of Justine wop fixation complete with polka dots Hoxton types, wearing capes and berets Frischmann, PJ Harvey, Debbie Harry is a gimmick that won’t last, to be hon- and sporting strange facial hair. I won- and Queens Of The Stone Age front- est that’s rather beside the point. I don’t dered if these people fully appreciated man Josh Homme. Under such tutelage, imagine for a second that it’s meant to the tongue-in-cheek silliness of HK119’s I reckon the result would be not too be taken all that seriously. The Pipettes work, or whether they were taking it all dissimilar to the sound of this very fine are simply fabulous, unapologetic, wit- rather too seriously. Finally there was band; they really can wail! Visit their ty, bubblegum pop purveyors with bags movement, and HK119 appeared from MySpace and listen to Loser, a song that of charisma and an excellent live show. behind the various polygons. She was boasts the unusual pairing of a knock- Joan Shirro dressed in her usual black catsuit, with out rock track and tuneful screaming, black polystyrene triangles on her head, and while you’re there, have a listen also HK119 arm and leg. Bathed in a blue light and to Cat & Mouse — they actually miaow! Fortescue Avenue, standing motionless on a block, one arm Next up are Miss Pain, another two- London outstretched, she slipped into the open- girl, one-boy combo I had read all about ing number Censor Me. Rather unnerv- March 31, 2006 on the back of a toilet door the previ- ingly, she had painted open eyes on her ous Thursday and was therefore expect- «««½ firmly shut lids for that Mona Lisa star- ing something extraordinary. I was not ing effect. All suitably robotic and her disappointed… they were extraordi- After traipsing through the faintly de- performance was impeccable. narily ludicrous. I tried really hard to pressing underbelly of East London, Shaking off the subdued beginning, like them, really I did, but if you gotta we arrived at the art gallery known as HK picked up the pace with highly en- try that hard then something’s amiss. Fortescue Avenue. It wasn’t quite what ergetic renditions of debut single Pick Me What I’m secretly hoping is that they’re I was expecting, being pretty much just Up plus her ode to cannibalism Friend actually a comedy concept band since a garage lock-up in an industrial back For Dinner and the self-explanatory Mal- the entire experience was on a par with street. A man standing outside was function. Bounding around the ‘stage’, watching a particularly excruciating handing out bottles of beer and plastic she screeched, laughed maniacally and episode of The Office, only there were cups of lemonade and there were only generally looked quite menacing, but feathers and synthesisers and bizarre about five other people there. Inside, ultimately utterly fabulous. Overall, it dancing… or maybe I’m just not avant- the garage had been painted white, and was an enjoyable and well-constructed garde enough. Hmm. hardboard squares and triangles had performance. Needless to say, HK119 re- Finally, The Pipettes are welcomed been set up in one corner, onto which ally deserves to be performing in better enthusiastically to the stage and show the videos of Heidi Kilpelainen aka venues in the future! the crowd the real meaning of fantas- HK119 were being projected. Bryn Williams