A new home

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Album Review: Light Syndicate

Light Syndicate -'Last In Line' (Pushbike Recordings)

There are few phrases more likely to make bloggers or record shop staff moan (apart from questions about really awful acts, I suppose) than bands saying 'Our music is really hard to categorise.' It smacks of people wanting to make out that they are really different and is almost never the case. Turgid, blantant, unaoriginal ripoffs are what follow on hearing.

Light Syndicate don't make that claim - but they are one of the few bands that would genuinely have the right to do so. This album shows a fantastic meeting point where the math-rock of Shellac meets the modern progressive rock of bands like Oceansize and Mogwai, with a bit of post-rock and folk rock thrown in for good measure.

Last In Line showcases some genuinely exciting sounds without ever becoming a self-obssessed, navel gazing soundtrack. Right from the instrumental opener '10 seconds To Live' to the album's closer, the title track, the band have made a genuinley thrilling debut. Vocalist Chris Bryden has been compared to Chris Martin (!) but really he's leading a band ploughing their own furrough. Long may he continue to do so.

****

Light Syndicate's website/Light Syndicate's Myspace

Last In Line is released on January 12.

Light Syndicate -' Sorry.'

Album Review: Autons

The Autons -'Who do you think you are kidding?' (Jelly Maid Music)

Whoomph! It's only the first week of 2009 and this has arrived, packing a very mighty punch and ready to make you sit up and listen. The Autons' second album is the sound of a band ready to blow away all the cobwebs of insipid indie rock and show how beats and mighty guitar riffs can comebine together to produce something truly intoxicating.

I've been walking around with this on my headphones for the last week or so. It's something really special Hell, I want to have a party so I can play this record really loud as the soundtrack to it. This record will make you sit up, and make a new year's resolution to dicsover something very different in 2009.

Dismiss them as another electro-rock band at your peril; with each listen, this release becomes more and more necessary. Tracks like 'Amazing' actually...are. 'Election Singer' has already been a single; I'm sure there will be others to follow, and if there is any justice, hits.

****

Autons websiteAutons' myspace

Go on, see what the fuss is about!

The Autons -'Election Singer.'



Who Do You Think You Are Kidding? is released on January 26, 2009.

Some more Peel

I received an email yesterday asking if I could repost the Special AKA's version of Free Nelson Mandela, so I hope I picked the right one...

anyway, it gives me an opportunity to do one of my Peel posts.

First up, these were Pell sessions tracks that made the Festive Fifty in 1989, and went on to become chart hits the following year:

Inspiral Carpets -'This Is How It Feels (session).' mp3 (1989 Festive Fifty no.35)

Inspiral Carpets -'She Comes In The Fall (session).' mp3 (1989 Festive Fifty no.50)

This was a track that became remixed the follwoing year under the name 'Move Any Mountain' and gave the Shamen several years as a Smash Hits and Top Of the Pops freindly act.

Shamen -'Pro-Gen .' mp3(1990 Festive Fifty no.34)

I know little about the Flaming Stars, but they sound great still. The BBC site erroneously credits these tracks as being done by the Flaming Lips, who John Peel also championed, rightly, IMHO, but are a completely different band.

Flaming Stars -'Face On the Bar Room Floor.' mp3 (1996 Festive Fifty no.48)

Flaming Stars -'Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.' mp3 (1995 Festive Fifty no.29)

This track took ages to find, not available on either eMusic or iTunes

Drop Nineteens -'Winona.' mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty no.28)

Another band I know little about...but they too sound great:

The Decoration -'Joy Adamson.' mp3 (2004 Festive Fifty no.39)

The Decoration -'I Tried It, I Liked It, I Loved It.' mp3 (2004 festive Fifty no.24)

As requested...from the last year that much 'pop' stuff entered the Festive Fifty:

Special AKA -'Free Nelson Mandela.' mp3 (1984 Festive Fifty no.41)

Finally, another track (this one supplied by JC over at The Vinyl Villain that seemed very hard to get hold of, but I repost here for your delight:

Robert Wyatt -'The Wind Of Change.' mp3 (1985 Festive Fifty no.47)

This track credits Wyatt with the SWAPO singers.

As always, PLEASE SUPPORT THE ARTISTS. EVEN IF THEY HAVE MADE IT BLOODY HARD TO GET HOLD OF THEIR MUSIC.

If you want to find more about John Peel, start here.

Absolutely essential Peel-related blogs include Sexy Loser, Teenage Kicks and Fades In Slowly.

Album Review: Damon and Naomi

Damon and Naomi -'More Sad Hits' (Re-issue) (20-20-20)

A year after Galaxie 500 dissolved, Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang returned to producer their producer Kramer’s studio and recorded this album chock-full of what have been described as psychedelic break-up songs.

When Galaxie 500 had disbanded, they weren't even sure about continuing, and according to the sleevenotes to this re-issue, seemed to have enetered a stage of almost hibernation where they listened to Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom over and over again. Comrade Wyatt - and I use that phrase as warmly as possible - described this album on release as being “Like real water in a world of soda pop.” It's so real, so pure...so different. Yes, of course you can hear aspects of Galaxie 500 in here, but if you've never heard Damon and Naomi before, don't simply expect them to sound like Luna. This is some of the most beuatiful and fragile music you will ever hear. Belle and Sebastian and Low amongst others must have been taking notes.

But don't simply pigeonhole this as hardcore indie or slowcore or whatever. This is an album that has widely, and rightly, become regarded as an underground classic. now it's time for it to become as well-known as it deserves.

****1/2

More Sad Hits is out now on 20-20-20.

Damon and Naomi -'E.T.A.' mp3 (more mp3s can be found here)

Damon and Naomi's website

Album Review: The Old Romantic Killer Band

The Old Romantic Killer Band -'The Swan With Two Necks (Bad Sneakers)

TORKB sound like an interesting proposition on paper, a singer/guitarist with an obsession with American blues and British folk and a drummer fired up by heavy metal and 80s hardcore. Following on from two singles they unleash their debut album, which is nine tracks and twenty two minutes long.

The good news is that there is no messing around. The...well, not exactly bad news as such, but reality is that as with their single 'You Don't Know How To Love' (not included here) I am still left with the feeling that there's an awful lot of potential here which isn't being realised. On the plus side, the tunes, drumming and guitars are great. However, whilst I wouldn't want to encourage smoking, the singer needs to rough up his voice if he's going to sing the blues and write lyrics that sound a little less cliched. Added to which, music like this should not be over-produced, and ideally, not produced but recorded by someone like Steve Albini.

I still think that one day TORKB are going to release an arse-kicker of a record. They need to work on things a bit more to do so, however.

**1/2

The Old Romantic Killer Band's myspace


The Swan With Two Necks is out now on Bad Sneakers Records

Album Review: Nickel Eye

Nickel Eye - 'The Time Of the Assassins' (Ryko)

Nickel Eye is Nikolai (say Nickel Eye out loud, then cringe) Fraiture of The Strokes' solo project. With the Strokes seemingly still on hiatus, he came to England and recorded an album of his own. Including guest appearances from Nick Zinner (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, talking of bands who we are due another album from) and Regina Spektor. So far, so good...

..Unfortunately, his backing band are South, who have well and truly jumped the shark. Added to which, most of the songs feel like badly recorded Strokes songs and Fraiture's voice is completely lacking in charisma. The best track 'Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye' is of course, a Leonard Cohen cover. At least he didn't opt to do 'Hallelujah.'

It's not an awful album, but it's just utterly dull and boring.

**

The Time Of The Assassins is released on January 26 on Ryko.

Nickel Eye's myspace

Time to reclaim them for us

They may have receievd a lot of flack over the years (a fair bit of which is almost certainly tall poppy syndrome), but I think it's time for people to embrace the music of early Simple Minds. Rather like with Roxy Music, the early stuff was genuinely pioneering, and has dated much better than some of the later stuff. And controversial though this may be for some, I think they were far more pioneering in their early days than U2, with whom they were always compared. They didn't want to be considered Jockrock and the song titles reflected an interest far more in tune with Warhol and European culture.

Take the two early tracks 'I Travel' and 'Theme For Great Cities.' To me they still sound utterly fresh now.

Simple Minds -'I Travel.'



Simple Minds -'Theme For Great Cities.'



This track hints at what was to come later...but also shows that several albums in, they hadn't compromised.

Simple Minds -'The American.'



In 1982, they broke through commercially with the album New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) and attendant hits like 'Promised you A Miracle.' There were celebrity marriages for singer Jim Kerr (to both Chrissie Hynde and Patsy Kensit), a US no.1 single, and huge, massive gigs. An increasing bombasticness alientated old fans, but there were some utter gems later too:

This was the first time I ever saw Simple Minds' music on TV, this made it into the UK charts in late 1986. Their manager of the time, Bruce Findlay, has said that this is a re-write of 'I Travel.'

Simple Minds -'Ghostdancing.'



Please do yourselves a favour: listen to the early albums: Life In A Day, Reel To Reel Cacophony, Empires And Dance, Sons and Fascination, Sisters Feeling Call. You can almost certainly pick these up very cheaply. Simple Minds are still recording and touring. Their manager of the eighties, Bruce Findlay now manages Aberfeldy and reads this blog, too...

Simple Minds' official website/Simple Minds myspace

A link to lots of Simple Minds videos on youTube

Two great losses

Hello folks...hope you had a good Christmas break. Had a fantastic, quiet christmas, just me, Mrs. 17 Seconds, and our two cats. I have receieved new albums (including the new Sigur Ros and Kaiser Chiefs and very first Stones LP, all on vinyl, like obviously), some Fall comps from the in-laws and lots of Alfred Hitchcock on DVD. (One day I am going to do a post related to Alfred Hitchcock on this blog).

The only sadness (other than parents and bother and sister-in-law being in other countries) was the loss over Christmas of two absolute legends in my eyes: Eartha Kitt and Harold Pinter.

I am eternally grateful that my Mum and Dad had a much more singularly original approach to what music they played my brother and I as kids. Eartha Kitt was my Mum's favourite singer, who had absolutely appalled her parents as they didn't get that Eartha Kitt was sending herself and other people up. I've written about Eartha Kitt here before, posting stuff for my Mum's birthday. I'm convinced that artists as diverse as Diana Ross, Madonna and Amy Winehouse, amongst many, many others owe her a huge debt. (Listen to Kitt's 'Just An Old Fashioned Girl, then Madonna's 'Material Girl.' Just saying).

The other loss is Harold Pinter. I'm not an authority on Pinter, but the work of his I have read was amazing. At sixteen, in the no man's land between GCSEs and A-Levels, a very clued up english teacher got us to watch Death In Venice and read Pinter's The Homecoming.* Pinteresque pauses entered my personal lixicon. A few years later my brother was in a production of The Caretaker. Who was this writer, with his pauses and sense of unease and dread that he created in people? When I found out that Nick Cave had called his earlier band The Birthday Party** this made Pinter even cooler.*** In fact, I played in a band at university called The Betrayal named after Pinter's play.


I have been very disappointed by some of the idiots over at the BBC's webpages who have failed to realise Pinter's genius and slagging his politics. However, I do know that there are many people to whom Pinter was deeply important, politically and in terms of what he wrote, and if some folk are too ignorant to get that, then more fool them.

Both Pinter and Kitt got treated appallingly at times; Kitt was blacklisted for speaking out against the Vietnam War and couldn't work in the US for over a decade (and this was well after McCarthy!), and Pinter was often outspoken against both British and american Foreign Policy, his acceptance speech for the Nobel prize forliterature offended many when the BBC did not show it in its' entirety.

Rest in peace, both of you.

Eartha Kitt -'I want To Be Evil.'



Eartha Kitt -'Just An old Fashioned Millionaire.'



For Pinter's sheer genius watch this clip from The Birthday Party, the interrogation scene. In which Josef K's arrest seems like a mild understanding, and Harry Palmer was just having a joke played on him...



...and I wouldn't trust Lenny as far as I could throw him...(from the Homecoming)



* I wasn't very cool, then as now, in fact, I loved Polanski's version of Macbeth as well.

** I am aware that this has been disputed and may also be to do with Cave misreading Dostoevsky.

*** Rock music definitely had an effect on what I read and my consequently ending up studying philosophy: The Cure and the Fall lead to me reading Camus and Sartre, for example. And reading The Naked Lunch was kind of an obvious next step. (Still haven't finished the Catcher In The Rye, though)

Merry Xmas

...phew. Christmas is nearly here, the school term is over...and I'm feeling absolutely exhusted and still quite some way off goodwill to all men, especially if they have anything to do with the RIAA or the DMCA.

But, it has been a good year for me overall, sustained by getting a better job, the continued love and support of Mrs. 17 Seconds and family, friends and readers. 17 Seconds Records Ltd. is go, make friends at our myspace page if you haven't already.

17SEC1 is already available as a download, Aberfeldy's first single for two years 'Claire.' The 7" is now supposed to be with us in January, not that I'm getting annoyed about this or anything...It was a proud moment hearing Riley Briggs talking about 17 Seconds Records from the stage at their two gigs on Monday and Tuesday; if you pop along to their myspace, where you can make friends if you haven;t already and hear their version of a Christmas classic. They were supported on Tuesday night in Edinburgh by the rather fabulous Gillyflowers who have already been recording with Riley Briggs from Aberfeldy producing and amazing it is too. Make friends with them, before some hip record company snaps them up.

17SEC2 is Ex Lion Tamer's fantastic 'Life Support Machine.' Thank you to the 100+ who have downloaded this; if you haven't please do - it's a free Christmas track.

Ex Lion Tamer -'Life Support Machine.' mp3

If of course, Christmas is getting too much for you, check out this track from Earth:

Earth -'Omens And Portents I: The Driver.' mp3

It's taken from this page whixh has lots of wonderful and not a little terrifying stuff from the likes of Om, Sunn o)), Burning Witch...and Boris collaborating with Merzbow. Two Japanese gods of noise collaborating together. Oh yes...

Have a good one, I'll be back in the new year

XX

Rolling Stones post exile

I know it's kinda accepted wisdom that the Stones 'jumped the shark' at some point in the seventies, but I still think there were moments of genius.

This is very good, very funky and extremely political. The title track of their 1983 album Undercover. Much better than 'She was Hot.' U2 were taking notes...

Rolling Stones -'Undercover Of The Night.'



There's a link to another Stones song here 'She's So Cold.' (what is the point of disabling the embedding if you can still see it?!?!) This is from Emotional Rescue.

The very first time I ever remember seeing a Stones song on TV (deprived childhood) was this on Top Of The Pops in 1986. Keep putting off buying Dirty Work, there's something offputting about the sleeve...

Rolling Stones -'Harlem Shuffle.'



1994's Voodoo Lounge seemed a return to form in some ways after the eighties excesses that marred Steel Wheels. Charlie Watts seems to look completely perplexed in the video! This was the first post-Bill Wyman album. (Actually I once met Bill Wyman; he did a signing in the bookshop where I weas working at the time, so I spent half an hour chatting to him about stuff.)



The Stones ended up sharing a writing credit with k.d.lang for this song, after one of the Stones kids commented on the similarity to lang's song 'Constant Craving.' This is from 1997's Bridges To Babylon. Not an amazing album - but better than many of their latter-day albums.

Rolling Stones - 'Anybody Seen My Baby.'



Finally, when I met Bill Wyman, I couldn't not ask him about this video. It sounded terrifying!

Rolling Stones -'It's Only Rock'n' Roll.'



Rolling Stones' official website