CLIP STAMP FOLD – 3 Track Demo (TVDUK/360dgm Playlist 21.3.11)
Fresh from support slots with Ringo Deathstarr and Two Wounded Birds around London’s most salubrious venues. With a sound pitched somewhere between The Walkmen and Interpol, this lot are beginning to attract some attention.
The video for ‘Etrangere’ from the demo can be seen below:
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
Peter and Kerry ‘Clothes, Friends, Photos’ EP (TVDUK/360dgm Playlist 21.3.11)
Peter and Kerry release their debut EP, ‘Clothes, Friends, Photos’, on April 4 (Tape Club Records). The duo are solo artists in their own right, but a fortuitously chance meeting led to them penning a collection of their own original songs.
Kerry Leatham developed an early love for Van Morrison, Erykah Badu and Ani DiFranco (perhaps her biggest influence). Having been signed up by ATC, and busy at work on her debut album, Leatham was discovered by Tape Club Records, whose artists all write, record, produce and gig together (and, as the name suggests, often release their results on tape).
Leatham consequently moved to London, where she was introduced to Peter Lyons, a burgeoning solo artist from Southampton, who was working as a writer/producer/arranger for a soundtrack company. Lyons’ own creative output is based around electronic loops, samples, and a general sense of cut-and-paste pop: he has been producing music since the age of thirteen, and recently worked with Matthew Herbert on a film score. Yet despite their drastically different backgrounds and musical sounds, Peter and Kerry hit it off, and started writing material of their own. Sessions were swift, productive and written and recorded entirely by the pair across a few days in Peter’s artfully dishevelled Southampton bedroom; the exact scene of which is captured on the EP’s striking front cover.
Kerry and Peter will announce plans for their own solo work shortly, whilst continuing to collaborate, together with their fellow Tape Club members, on other projects.
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
HELMHOLTZ RESONATORS ‘Bombs / Gypsy’ (TVDUK/360dgm Playlist 21.3.11)
On April 1st The Helmholtz Resonators will release a new Double A side single, with remixes of their underground classics ‘Bombs!’ by the acid house kings Medicine 8 and the awesome ‘Gypsy’ by Nu Chicago sensation Kurtis Hardrive.
Following the release of the album, “The Crystal Submarine”, this band of sonic scientists (named after a device created by Hermann von Helmholtz), are releasing an EP of hedonistic ruckuses remixed by the freshest and most anticipated producers in the land. Lead tracks from the album, “Bombs!” and “Gypsy”, have been going on 5 day benders, trashing hotel rooms and have come out at the end as pumped as 80’s Arnold and slicker then Silvio Berlusconi!
This single marks the long awaited return of Medicine 8, who spent years living the dream playing the biggest clubs all around the world. They were regulars in Ibiza and the Miami Winter Music Conference as well as Djing at Creamfields, Global Gathering, Homelands, a residency at Pacha Argentina and all this in between numerous sessions on Radio 1 and remixing tracks for artists including Orbital, Manic Street Preachers, Nirvana, Tiga and Kylie (who loved their mix so much she asked for it to be played when she walked down the catwalk at Karl Largerfeld’s show). They also gained props from none other than Lou Reed in an interview for the Independent.
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
JUKEBOX COLLECTIVE ‘Lost & Found’ (TVDUK/360dgm Playlist 21.3.11)
This four piece, hailing from Hackney, London have been making waves for a few months now. A demo version of ‘Lost & Found’ rose to number 15 in the Hype Machine charts in the latter half of 2010 without being officially released, and Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) had this to say about the record: “If there is any justice in the world, Lost & Found is going to be a great, big, fat, monster, hit.”
Having built a reputation as a formidable live band in the capital, Jukebox Collective recorded their first full-length album in Manchester in January of 2011. Mike Joyce (The Smiths, East Village Radio) stopped by towards the end of recording sessions, and negotiations are underway for him to remix a track.
‘Lost & Found’ will be released on April 25th.
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
YOUNGTEAM ‘Daydreamer’ (TVDUK/360dgm Playlist 21.3.11)
These Stockholm natives have evolved from 2 full time members with a rotating cast on their debut EP ‘Missnosjesbandet’ to a fully settled four piece band. Youngteam have featured a number of significant musicians in their ranks including Anna Järvinen, (previously associated with Granada and Dungen) who is now a successful solo artist in her own right. The band also feature members from Penti and Speedmarket Avenue.
‘Daydreamer’ is the debut album from Youngteam and the first full length band release on Northern Star Records. Recorded mostly live with top Swedish producer Mattias Glava (Dungen, Soundtrack of Our Lives) at the helm, Daydreamer is a dark, stark, unsettling beauty of a record. Joy Division are clearly an influence, but there is a more modern feel to these guys than most current gloom merchants.
The band have featured prominently on Northern Star’s legendary Psychedelica compilation series alongside the likes of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, The Telescopes, The Electric Soft Parade and many others. Their music is reminiscent of a plethora of excellent bands: My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Brian Jonestown Massacre all have an influence on the sound, but Youngteam transcend mere plagiarism and delivered a dark, dreamlike modern classic.
The video for ‘Airdrift’ can be seen below:
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
This Week’s 360/TVD UK Album Playlist – 14.3.11
1. Jib Kidder ‘Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Hypnotized Minds’
This sometimes strange, oft-mesmerizing album arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago, and hasn’t been far from the top of the playlist pile ever since. Sure, this Georgian dreamscapist is making records that create moods rather than snappy pop tunes, but he’s melodically adept and an excellent and inventive guitarist, in addition to being a beats master and imaginative sonic painter. There is nothing on Youtube from the new album as yet, but I strongly urge you to check out this clip of ‘Windowdipper’ from 2008’s ‘All Yall’ for a taster:
2. Colourmusic ‘My _____ Is Pink’
They hail from Oklahoma, but comparisons with Flaming Lips are lazy and wide of the mark. The band’s first UK release on Memphis Industries drops in the UK on April 4th, which is followed by a bunch of UK shows in May. A clip of ‘Yes!’ from the album can be viewed here:
3. Hiss Golden Messenger ‘From Country Hai East Cotton’
A very lovely record by the puzzlingly named Hiss Golden Messenger is occupying a fair amount of our time here. It’s pretty, has great tunes and the songs are straightforward without being clichéd. We are now rueing the fact that we missed him when he played in London a few weeks back. We’ll be there next time for sure! In the meantime, we’ll comfort ourselves with tracks like this one, ‘Nathaniel’:
4. D. Charles Speer & The Helix – ?????
No, that’s not the title, we actually know nothing about this record, other than some tasteful, good hearted, uninformative soul sent us a CD in the post with the band’s rather memorable name inscribed across it in black marker. Anyway, there are some nice clips on the net, of which this is probably the best:
5. My Morning Jacket ‘Circuital’
They’re back! This one only just turned up, and we are not sure of a release date yet, but as always with this excellent band, it’s terrific.
Here’s a taster, with a clip of the title track, filmed last year in San Diego:
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
Bible John & The Reptiles – Human Nature (download)
Stewart MacPherson moved from Plymouth in 1999 with a fairly optimistic view to finding some like-minded musicians to work with. Let’s say it didn’t quite go to plan, as it took a good few years for that to happen… Eventually, his patience was rewarded when he found two like-minded individuals in the form of Dom Geargeoura and Nick Chmara.
The boys formed a band called WEWEREFOR, and set about the task of finding a bass player to complete their line up. In the meantime, the bass-less trio continued to gig the London circuit, ironically becoming known for their cranked guitar led sound combined with pummelling bass lines, despite (paradoxically) not having a bass player in their ranks. Disappointingly, the boys search for a suitable bassist proved harder than expected and they withdrew from the live scene to work on new material and catch a breath.
After a very productive break, Stewart, Nick and Dom discovered New Zealander bassist, Ashley Cacciappoli and their line up was complete.
Now as a foursome, the boys decided to draw a line under WEWEREFOR and had no intention of simply brushing up on previous tracks. “We thought it would be the best way to make Ashley feel like he was part of a current project – not just joining an existing one” It turned out to be the right decision. A new name was required to go along with this new sound, thus Bible John & The Reptiles were born.
We caught up with Stewart and asked him a few questions about his influences and his plans for 2011.
How did the band meet and come together? I [Stewart] met Dom through a long-term friend back in 2002. It took a further year to even discuss forming a band, to which Dom suggested Nick. We set about creating WEWEREFOR, and gigged the London circuit for nearly 4 years before calling it a day. 3 years later, I had written a load of ideas and really felt the need to make use of them. Dom and Nick felt the same and we had always agreed that if the right bass player came about, we would jump straight back into it. We returned to the comfortably dim-lit rehearsal rooms in Spring 2010, but this time with a fourth member…bass guitarist Ashley. Ashley got in touch via an advertisement in Free Ads and his method of playing just seemed to work effortlessly with the rest of the band.
Where did you get that name? It started off in the way most bands come up with a name…we each went away and created a list of 6 names each. We then put it to the vote and two names had the majority vote. ‘BIBLE JOHN’ and ‘REPTILES’. We then decided to just stick them together. We have since discovered that Bible John was a mass murderer in Scotland, but hey ho!
Describe your music in three words? Social break down
Who are your major influences? I grew up with a pop radio DJ for a dad. When I first picked up guitar, I was listening to Metallica, Extreme, Steve Vai, Malmsteen, Deep Purple and any other band that had a guitarist who could over-cook a song with guitar solos. From that period, I went on to the likes of Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Black Crows, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Now it ranges from anything from Manchester Orchestra, Radiohead and Arcade Fire to Part Chimp, Them Crooked Vultures, Seasick Steve and Black Keys. I guess they have all influenced me in some way and based on the jams we collectively have, it’s pretty mutual.
If you could take one record onto a desert island what would it be? It’s got to be something loud, because all that quiet would drive you nuts! But it’s also got to have some blues influence, so it would be one of Sabbath’s albums!
What’s the best gig you have experienced? Not that I was particularly into this band, but when Travis played Glastonbury in 1999 (I think). It started raining when they played ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me’, and stopped straight after. It was the only time it rained all weekend as well…weird!
What are your plans for 2011? Gigging is pretty important for our souls, so there will be a lot of that. We are also releasing an EP in March, followed by an Album in the Autumn.
You can catch up with the boys on Friday 11th March at The Bowery, London.
Download ‘Human Nature’ HERE
This Week’s 360/TVD UK Album Playlist – 7.3.11
1. AGNES OBEL – Philharmonics (PIAS)
OK. This fabulous singer songwriter has already sold a staggering 75,000 albums in France, and will be in the UK in April for a show at Bush Hall in west London, and hopefully some regional dates. Here is the official video for ‘Riverside’:
2. NATHANIEL RATELIFF – In Memory Of Loss (Rounder)
This is one man you are going to be hearing a lot from in 2011. Check out the official video for ‘Shroud’ here:
3. TIMBER TIMBRE – Creep On, Creepin’ On (Full Time Hobby)
So far, this is all we have! We can tell you that the album is stunning though…tantalising, eh?
4. MARIANNE FAITHFULL – Horses And High Heels (Dramatico)
Here’s a clip from French TV of Marianne performing ‘The Stations’, the opening cut on the album:
5. GRAILS – Deep Politics (Temporary Residence)
Intellectual, textural, enthralling rock of a genuinely alternative bent. Check out this track from the album, which is released this week:
6. ALEXI MURDOCH – Towards The Sun
The title track from Alexi’s new album will appeal to lovers of wistful, reflective balladry. A Nick Drake for the new age:
7. CORNERSHOP – Cornershop And The Double O Groove Of (Ample Play)
Sometimes dismissed as one hit wonders, the ever-excellent Cornershop have made an effervescent record that defies categorisation and plays with cultural stereotyping in a most delightful fashion. Check out a snippet of ‘Natch’ here:
8. ABIGAIL WASHBURN – City Of Refuge (Rounder)
Boy, Rounder are signing some great acts these days. Abigail’s new album ‘City Of Refuge’ is a modern bluegrass classic. How many other clawhammer banjo players do we know who have a grasp of the Mandarin dialect? Here she sticks to her native tongue on the title track from the aforementioned album:
9. OBITS – Moody, Standard And Poor
Brooklynites impress on their latest. Check out this track from their sophomore outing:
10. YOAV – A Foolproof Escape Plan
This rather shakily filmed live film of album opener ‘Greed’ is worth checking out by virtue of the fact that the performance is so good.
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
This Week’s 360/TVD UK Album Playlist – 28.2.11
1 THE LOW ANTHEM – SMART FLESH
‘Ghost Woman Blues’ is the opening track from the latest album by The Low Anthem, the just-released ‘Smart Flesh’. It’s a beautiful record, and here’s a clip of the aforementioned track, recorded at WNRN in Charlottesville, Virginia, in November 2009:
2 MODDI – FLORIOGRAPHY
This beguiling talent, who hails from the Norwegian island of Senja, has been compared to both Bjork and Nico, but both observations do a disservice to this original and startling songwriter and performer. ‘Magpie Eggs’, exquisitely performed here in an utterly compelling liver version last year, is the opening track from the album:
3 YOUNG PRISMS – FRIENDS FOR NOW
Released a month ago, ‘Friends For Now’ is the debut album by the rather excellent Young Prisms. Check out this early live performance of a song from the new album – ‘If You Want To’, captured at their gig at the Rickshaw Stop, in San Francisco last March:
4 SEAN ROWE – MAGIC
Sean Rowe, signed to the great Anti Records, has a voice that is both a hundred years old and fresh as dew, somewhat reminiscent of Richie Havens. Here’s a stunning acoustic rendition of ‘Jonathan’, from his recently released ‘Magic’ album:
5 NEW YORK DOLLS – DANCING BACKWARD IN HIGH HEELS
The Dolls appear to still be able to cut the mustard, which is gratifying and remarkable, considering the obstacles they have had to overcome – death of key members primary amongst these. Here’s an audio track of the excellent ‘Talk To Me Baby’ from the new album:
6 LUCINDA WILLIAMS – BLESSED
It’s hard to believe that Lucinda Williams isn’t a household name, but she has carved out a great career by writing and performing bittersweet songs from the heartland. This performance of ‘Buttercup’, the studio version of which can be found on her latest album, was shot live in Fayetteville, Arkansas last September:
7 HOWE GELB & A BAND OF GYPSIES – ALEGRIAS
Gelb is a genuine maverick, and he’s got more a quarter of a century’s worth of recordings to prove it. His latest features the marvellous ‘Uneven Light Of Day’, the video for which is here:
8 PARTS & LABOR – CONSTANT FUTURE
Their fifth album is beginning to pick up positive attention in the UK, which is richly deserved, as they manage to sound original and experimental, whilst creating melody laden pop gems. Here’s an audio track of ‘Rest’ from the Rest album:
9 MEN – TALK ABOUT BODY
Geeky, freaky and strangely addictive, this version of ‘Life’s Half Price’, by Men, was filmed on June 12th 2009 at Get Weird at the New Museum NYC, for Younger Than Jesus – the first edition of The Generational, the Museum’s new signature triennial exhibit of young artists:
10 JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD – TELL ME
This track, ‘Somewhere In Your Heart’ is a stand out cut from Jessica’s second release, which is produced by Black Keys’ singer/guitar player Dan Auerbach. This live version was filmed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina last August:
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
THIS WEEK’S 360/TVD UK ALBUM PLAYLIST – 21.2.11
1. C.R. AVERY – So It Goes
This native of Vancouver, (home of so much great music these days) is impossible to define. Check his MySpace page, and you’ll see he describes himself as Blues/Classical/Hip Hop…can’t recommend the album highly enough, but if you don’t believe me, then Tom Waits described him as ‘Mindblowing’. Check this clip for a small flavour of what this fine artist is laying down:
2. BRIGHT EYES – The People’s Key
The last Conor Oberst missive under the Bright Eyes banner. Well, just as long as he continues to deliver literate, intelligent observations in this manner, there’s no need to be distressed. Check out the full album here:
3. JOHN VANDERSLICE – White Wilderness
Delicate and fractured, John Vanderslice’s music is for Sunday afternoons at home, in the post weekend haze. Guaranteed to wash over your soul, ‘Sea salt’ is the album’s opener, hear it here:
4. ALEXANDER – Alexander
Lead singer with Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros steps out with a solo album, ahead of his band’s forthcoming release and tour. Alexander played in London this past week, check out this rather shaky clip:
5. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART – Belong
New York’s finest, or the band with the most pretentious name in Christendom? This JAMC influenced corker is the lead track on their new album, and hoists them several rungs up the current indie/pop hierarchical ladder.
6. WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS – Gold In The Shadow
Sufi beard, sandals and an acoustic guitar? Despite that heavy baggage, this guy pulls it off. This track, which kicks off his new album in understated fashion, is a real grower, and we’re predicting big things for this guy in 2011.
7. LEWIS FLOYD HENRY – One Man And His 30 Watt Pram
This one came out last October, but escaped our attention at the time. Fine record, with titles of the decade so far! To watch a clip of Henry performing ‘Rickety Ol’ Roller Coaster’ at last year’s ‘Secret Garden Party’, click here:
8. AMOS LEE – Mission Bell
‘Windows Are Rolled Down’, from Amos Lee’s latest, is a great John Hiattesque ballad. Not often we get to make such a comparison, but this guy lives up to such lofty comparisons and transcends the buzz on this album, which has class and quality stamped on it’s crystalline heart.
9. RON SEXSMITH – Long Player Late Bloomer
This guy has long deserved record sales way above what he achieves, but maybe that’s protected him from having to play the hideous games that have tainted many a career. This past week, Ron appeared on Nashville Public Radio, and performed this song ‘Get In Line’ from ‘Long Player Late Bloomer’. Check out that performance right here:
10. TEDDY THOMPSON – Bella
This track, ‘Looking For A Girl’ is from Teddy’s latest, and it’s a cracker. Witty and reflective at the same time, this live clip gives a good indication of the quality of material on Teddy’s current release:
The Vinyl District is the official blog of Record Store Day 2011
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