Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

15.1.14

Album review: Cursing the Sea by September Girls

Published by Press Association

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VIDEO: September Girls - Green Eyed (official video)



Imagine if the Bangles had been around the block once or twice, and you'd still be a million miles away from really getting what September Girls are all about.

Bark Psychosis, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, the Cure, Blonde Redhead and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are other bands that come to mind on a first listen of this all-female Dublin five-piece's debut, but it takes a fair few plays before their reverb-laden guitars, echoing harmonies and twitchy rhythms begin to wash over you.

And wash over you they do, completely and mesmerically.

This brand of garage pop is not linear enough to make the mainstream, but thankfully it's at least made it further than trying to be heard over the coffee slurps and nonchalant murmurs of drainpiped hipsters in a crowded Dalston cellar.

Succeed, this record will, in charming the ears touched by its beautiful, kaleidoscopic mess.

8/10

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4.12.13

Album review: The April Maze by
the April Maze

Published by Press Association

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VIDEO: Don't Let the Bastards Bring You Down -
the April Maze



Folk music is most enjoyable when you don’t have to close your eyes to imagine the knitwear, open fires and frosted windowpanes of winter that its rhythms evoke.

So with temperatures dropping below freezing as we head into the festive season, the arrival of the April Maze on our shores is above all timely.

The Melbourne duo’s debut European release – a self-titled mish-mash of tracks from their first two albums that were reserved for ears Down Under – is a moreish introduction to their acoustic delights.

From every banjo’s pluck and cello’s hum, to each skilfully balanced harmony and stirring lyrical turn, there’s an impressive range to this strong body of work. You sense there’s more to come from this most promising of husband-and-wife teams.

8/10

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22.11.13

Album review: Nation II Nation by
A Tribe Called Red

Published by Press Association

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VIDEO: A Tribe Called Red - NDN Stakes
feat. Sitting Bear



There can’t be many other boats in sight as this trio of Canadian DJs navigate the unnervingly still waters between Aboriginal music and commercial dance.

While nobody can question the tremendous soul and energy behind the Native American drums, chants and wails that are the beating heart of each track on A Tribe Called Red’s second album Nation II Nation, their fusion with contemporary clubland’s beats and bleeps somehow fails to engage beyond a metaphorical level.

It’s not terrible; it simply lacks the cohesion and purpose to be considered truly innovative – as disrespectful as it seems to judge on a musical basis something that so proudly expresses a cultural identity.

4/10

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2.10.13

Album review: Repent Replenish Repeat by Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip

Published by Press Association

OUT 7 OCTOBER

VIDEO: Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip and Flux Pavilion - Gold Teeth (official music video)



Scroobius Pip is a poet capable of silencing arena crowds with his spellbinding rhymes – so why does he choose such unflattering musical wallpaper?

The poignant stories, tragic characters and blunt pieces of advice behind his brilliant spoken-word passages are damaged, if not completely massacred, by the half-baked electronic beats and bleeps of Essex buddy Dan le Sac on the duo’s third album Repent Replenish Repeat.

Terminal and Porter are the tracks performing the rescue act here, and it’s no coincidence that they’re the closest it gets to acapella.

New single Gold Teeth sums up the truly rotten brand of hip-hop that blights 70 per cent of the record – which serves as an ugly introduction to Pip’s beautiful prose, but nothing more.

6/10


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11.9.13

Album review: MGMT by MGMT

Published by Press Association

OUT 17 SEPTEMBER

VIDEO: MGMT - Your Life Is a Lie (official music video)



On this evidence, psychedelic rock group MGMT have shunned anthemic synth-pop once and for all.

Drenching echoes and foggy vocals dominate their self-titled third offering, which – by turns euphoric, reflective, downbeat, and with unexpected pace changes in each song – follows the haphazard trail left by its predecessor Congratulations.

If this record was cut up and arranged in order of rhythm, at some point there would be a marked shift in tone, where the music stops sounding like the inside of a child’s head after three lemonades at his 5th birthday party, to being the musical equivalent of being drunk at a funeral.

The thing about musicians’ bands is that they demand your full attention. And yet the necessary time spent with this album, in its deliciously surreal world, is absolutely rewarded.

8/10


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4.9.13

Music preview: Red Hot Chilli Pipers @ O2 ABC, Glasgow

Published by Metro

Friday 6 October, 7pm, O2 ABC, Glasgow. £22.50 Tel: 0141 332 2232. www.o2abcglasgow.co.uk

VIDEO: Red Hot Chilli Pipers live in Dunoon, March 2008



With a truckload of awards, albums and world tours under their belts, Red Hot Chili Peppers are coming to Glasgow – and there ain't nothing that can stop them.

That's right – rock titans Kiedis, Flea, Smith and Klinghoffer (Frusciante's replacement) make their Sauchiehall Street debuts at O2 ABC this Friday, so you'd better make sure...

Hold on a second. Pass me that press release, and my glasses.

OK, my bad, it's Scotland's most famous bagpipers coming to town, not one of America's greatest rock bands. Yet despite the fact that everything I've just told you is absolutely false, based on a simple misreading, you should still go.

Having released four albums, the latest of which unbelievably reached Number Two in the US chart, these lads have demonstrated they're way more than just a novelty act.

Indeed, since forming in 2002, the group have brought "bagrock" – their trademark fusion of traditional pipe tunes and contemporary anthems – to millions of fans worldwide. Notable covers include Queen's We Will Rock You and Clocks by Coldplay, and there’s something for everyone in their eclectic setlist.

Unfortunately I won’t be going, as I'm away in Cumbernauld this weekend. What’s that now? Let’s have another read of that text… oh, right. I actually am away in Cumbernauld this weekend. Great.


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Album review: Tales of Us by Goldfrapp

Published by Press Association

OUT 9 SEPTEMBER

VIDEO: Goldfrapp - Drew (official music video)



Britain's favourite electronic music duo are back on track following a panicked retreat into their 80s synth-pop comfort zone on 2010’s disappointing Head First.

Sixth album Tales of Us is their most intimate release to date – a collection of intense ballads brought to life by acoustic riffs and cinematic strings, building on the folky charms of 2008’s Seventh Tree.

What the record lacks in anthemic power it possesses in astounding lyrical breadth, with each song an evocative character sketch – Ulla, Simone and new single Drew among the highlights.

And the softly whispered vocals for which the eponymous singer is latterly known almost make you forget her gyrating over theremins on stage a few years ago. Almost.

9/10


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28.8.13

Album review: TEN by Toolroom Records

Published by Press Association

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VIDEO: Toolroom Ten: Launching Toolroom Records



Rags-to-riches house label Toolroom Records are celebrating their 10th birthday – and they’re not the only ones at the party.

A triple CD ‘greatest hits’ collection features some of co-founder Mark Knight’s best work, including his groundbreaking remixes of Florence and the Machine’s You’ve Got the Love and Laurent Garnier’s The Man with the Red Face, as well as an array of jaw-clenching beats and bleeps by the likes of Faithless, Todd Terry and Digitalism.

To some it’ll be just another summer dance music compilation, but make no mistake – Ten demonstrates that Toolroom’s hands are among the safest in the realm of commercial house.

7/10


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19.8.13

Edinburgh Festival | Theatre preview: Whatever Gets You Through the Night @ The Queens Hall

Published by METRO

Until 25 August, 7.30pm/10.30pm, £13.50-16.50, The Queen’s Hall (V72), Edinburgh.
Tel: 0131 668 2019. www.thequeenshall.net


VIDEO: Whatever Gets You Through The Night: Edinburgh Fringe 2013 (Trailer 3)



Worrying about the future. Reading books abysmally slowly. Subconsciously browsing the social profiles of people I never liked or barely knew at school. Dreaming about being in soap operas. Googling abstract nouns. Going to the bathroom every once in a while. Trust me – these days, what I get up to past my bedtime is about as uninteresting to you as sex is to pandas.

But there are other people with lives more remarkable than mine whose activities in the wee hours are the very focus of Whatever Gets You Through the Night – a multi-disciplinary live event taking place at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall this week.

Part of the 2013 Made in Scotland showcase, this inspired production incorporates music, theatre, cabaret and circus as it shines a spotlight on the country during its most vulnerable and revealing time – between midnight and 4am.

“We are really excited to be bringing Whatever Gets You Through The Night to the Fringe,” said writer and director Cora Bissett, who by the way is no stranger to festival success, having scooped every major award in 2010 with her sex-trafficking drama Roadkill.

She added: “It showcases the diversity and breadth of writing and songwriting talent across Scotland, as well as incredible acting, dancing and circus skills – all woven together into one big, gorgeous, complex, funny, touching tapestry.”

90 minutes is all it takes to portray the fantastic contrasts of this fair land in bedazzling fashion.

A heartfelt goodbye on the shores of Loch Lomond, a love affair between two people who’ve only met on Skype, a stoner going through a fit of paranoia, a man searching for a lover in the ‘palace of light’ and revellers getting their hands on treasured trays of chips and cheese are among the late-night tales told by a selection of lost souls, party animals and dreamers in this devilishly funny yet intensely moving spectacle.

“It's a show which is a huge sum of many parts, and reveals Scotland in its many different lights and characters,” said Bissett.

Featuring specially commissioned works by 'post-electro' trio Errors, theatre maker Kieran Hurley, writer Alan Bissett and many others, there are also live performances by the likes of vocalist Wounded Knee, beat-boxer Bigg Taj and alternative rockers Swimmer One.

Whatever Gets You Through the Night was a sell-out sensation when it ran at The Arches in Glasgow back in June, and it’s bound to become a highlight of what’s remaining of the Fringe (how quickly has this month gone?) before it goes on a nationwide tour.

Therefore, it’s your duty to catch this masterpiece while it’s on your doorstep.

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31.7.13

Album review: Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa - The Official Movie Soundtrack

Published by Press Association

OUT 5 AUGUST

VIDEO: Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa - Official Trailer



The soundtrack to British comedy of the year Alpha Papa may well have been torrented from the North Norfolk Digital archives, so closely it resembles the questionable musical preferences of its hero Alan Partridge.

In other words, it’s packed with tracks you don’t want to be heard singing while you’ve got your headphones on.

Alongside big hits by Chicago, Bryan Ferry and the Human League are the iconic theme tunes from Ski Sunday and Black Beauty, as well as a host of obscure one-hit wonders and soft-rock novelties.

Composer Philip Glass, producer Calvin Harris and house DJ Jakob Liedholm provide exceptions to the rule, but make no mistake – this record is a shameless celebration of terrible dad-rock.

A tongue-in-cheek release, it was never quite going to hit the back of the net. It's more Longstanton Spice Museum than Jurassic Park.

6/10


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26.7.13

Preview: Vintage Glasgow

Published by Metro

Friday 26 & Saturday 27 June, various times, prices and venues, Merchant City, Glasgow. www.merchantcityfestival.com

VIDEO: Vintage Glasgow promo video
(including Wayne Hemingway interview)



You know what? We Brits are cool. The Roaring Twenties, the Flying Forties, the Swinging Sixties, you name it – we’ve played a role in all of the significant cultural movements that have taken the world by storm, generation after generation.

Just ask fashion designer Wayne Hemingway, who is bringing his acclaimed Vintage event to Glasgow – and Scotland – for the very first time this weekend.

Part of the Merchant City Festival, this two-day bonanza will take over Candleriggs, the Old Fruitmarket and City Hall as it revisits the music, fashion, film, art and design of seven iconic decades from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Among the many highlights is the opulent Charleston Brunch, which – in the year of Baz Luhrmann’s box-office triumph The Great Gatsby – is bound to be a hit, as guys in dickie bows and gals in flapper dresses learn the dance while gorging over the most decadent 1920s cuisine.

Then there’s the Soul Casino – a vibrant musical celebration of 1960s Northern Soul, the soul fusions and disco of the 70s, the jazz-funk and boogie of the 80s, and all the fun in between.

And let’s not forget the many free events on offer. The Vintage Marketplace, featuring hands-on creative workshops, hair and beauty salons, and more than 30 stalls, will cost you diddly squat – as will the chance to watch some classic movies, including The 39 Steps and Bugsy Malone, on the big screen.

See, high fashion does exist outside the bubbles of London, Paris and New York. As Vintage Glasgow demonstrates, it’s very much in the fabric of how this beautiful city expresses itself – and if that’s not enough to persuade you into town this weekend, especially with the weather on our side, then I really don’t know what is.


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3.7.13

Album review: Love Your Dum and Mad by Nadine Shah

Published by Press Association

OUT 22 JULY

VIDEO: Nadine Shah — Dreary Town



It’s difficult to know where Nadine Shah fits in.

As a strong-voiced female solo artist, she’ll probably be compared with Natasha Khan (for more reasons than one, as they are both of part-Pakistani heritage) but actually, many of her tracks evoke memories of Jeff Buckley – particularly recent single To Be a Young Man.

The singer's stirring vocals on Dreary Town undoubtedly illuminate her as an original talent, and under the guidance of producer and co-writer Ben Hillier – who has worked with Blur, the Horrors and Depeche Mode – Love Your Dum and Mad is a beautifully crafted artistic statement.

It may be that Shah is too experimental to make a mark on the mainstream at this early stage of her career, but this record should still be regarded as one of 2013’s most promising debuts.

8/10


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19.6.13

Music preview: I See Hawks in L.A. @ Woodend Bowling and Lawn Tennis Club, Glasgow

Published by Metro

Thursday 20 June, 8pm, Woodend Bowling and Lawn Tennis Club, Glasgow. Tel: 07944 354 459. www.woodendbltc.co.uk

VIDEO: I See Hawks in LA - Humboldt (live)



Believe it or not, it’s possible to enjoy first-rate live music while attempting to get yourself seeded for Wimbledon.

Woodend Bowling and Lawn Tennis Club, in Glasgow’s Jordanhill, knows its tunes as well as its middle-class sports, having seen a wide range of home-grown and international talent take to the stage in its members’ bar over the years.

Rising to its impeccably high standards this evening are Americana outfit I See Hawks in L.A., who are in town for a one-off gig on the Scottish leg of their current UK tour.

Comprised of main members Rob Waller (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Anthony Lacques (percussion) and Paul Marshall (backing vocals, bass), this Californian group are living proof that decent country-rock exists outside of the Deep South.

And while the US may not be lacking guitar bands that play in a folky, rootsy manner, three things separate these guys from the rest. First, their transfixing lyrics, which are riddled with politics and humour. Second, their gorgeous, soaring harmonies – and third, the way they reflect the laid-back vibes of the Golden State with a twang of Byrds-esque psychedelia.

Critics are calling new album Mystery Drug – record number seven in a 14-year career – their best ever.

So even if you can't tell your bowls from your bobsledding, or your tennis from your Taekwondo, then you really don’t know a lot about sport – but you’ll still be very welcome and entertained here.


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Album review: Kveikur by Sigur Rós

Published by Press Association

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VIDEO: Sigur Rós — Brennisteinn



These Icelandic giants have already made much of the “aggressive” step they’ve taken on Kveikur, their seventh studio album and second in the space of a year.

Indeed, from the first track – and first single, Brennesteinn – ‘til the last, this is a whole lot more punchy, pounding, and ultimately percussional, than anything that came before.

But “aggressive” is a strong word. After all, we’re talking about Sigur Ros, whose music remains the most beautiful currently being made. They haven’t become Rammstein overnight. The echoing falsetto vocals, euphoric waves of synth, dainty jingles, tender strings and softly hummed harmonies still stop you dead in your tracks.

The upping of the pace on Kveikur nevertheless makes it slightly less accessible than the band’s previous offerings, but it’s still every bit as bedazzling as you’d hope – given time.

9/10


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13.6.13

Music preview: Limp Bizkit @
O2 Academy, Glasgow

Published by Metro

Saturday 15 June, 7pm, £25-£30,
O2 Academy, Glasgow. Tel: 0844 477 2000. www.o2academyglasgow.co.uk


VIDEO: Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) music video



I was one of those 14-year-olds who thought he knew everything. My hair had blond highlights, my favourite meal was a fried egg, cheese and mayo toastie, and my mobile phone rang to the tune of Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle) – a track that I felt was the most intelligent, controversial, and deeply moving, since Last Resort by Papa Roach came out the previous month.

Limp Bizkit was a moniker I used to think described the condition of a Rich Tea post-dunk – symbolic of how The Establishment eventually grinds everyone down, duh – but apparently signified absolutely nothing. It was nevertheless emblazoned across the Fruit of the Loom t-shirts and hoodies proudly sported by my friends and I, who’d each paid out a month’s worth of paper-round wages for the privilege.

It wasn’t a total waste of money, as I still wear the very same, now-moth-bitten t-shirts and hoodies whenever I’m painting or moving house. But hey, this isn’t about me – this is about the return of a band whose phenomenal success changed the landscape of mainstream rock music in the early noughties.

Say what you like about often-ridiculed frontman Fred Durst, who not only patented the oversized blue jeans, white t-shirt and red baseball cap look, but also made rap-rock a thing. And how could anyone forget guitarist Wes Borland, known equally for his musical experimentation as for his brilliantly bizarre visual appearances, which included face and body paint, masks and uniforms.

Together with bass player Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto and DJ Lethal on turntables, the Grammy Award-nominated nu-metal giants have sold in excess of 35 million albums since they formed in Jacksonville, Florida, back in 1994.

Now in the middle of another epic world tour, they take the stage at O2 Academy Glasgow this Saturday in the first of only two UK shows – the other occurring the following day at Download Festival.

The performance will see the group draw on material from their impressive back catalogue – from debut offering Three Dollar Bill, Yall, through the great commercial triumphs of Significant Other and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, to their reunion release Gold Cobra, and beyond.

Those in attendance might even be graced with a few numbers from upcoming seventh album Stampede of the Disco Elephants, which is out later this year, as well as all the added entertainment from the band’s famously energetic concerts.

So, ladies, fellas, and the people that don’t give a damn, all the lovers, all the haters, and the people that call themselves players, hot mommas, pimp daddies, and the people rolling up in Caddies, rockers, hip hoppers, and everybody all around the world… I expect to see you all in the mosh pit this Saturday.

And to quote a certain American wordsmith – keep on rollin’ baby, you know what time it is.


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5.6.13

Album review: Dimly Lit by
Neils Children

Published by Press Association

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VIDEO: Neils Children — Dimly Lit music video



The late, great Ray Manzarek, whose hypnotic organ riffs made Jim Morrison seem less of an idiot in the Doors, would have probably loved this record by Neils Children.

Why? Because keys dictate the flow of the alternative rock quartet’s new album, which veers well away from their guitar-led melodies of old – towards a more electronic future.

Yet despite the prominence it offers to ebony and ivory, Dimly Lit is of many colours. There are shades of MGMT and Blonde Redhead, as enchanting drum loops, jazzy bassline flourishes and John Linger’s floating vocals fuel the psychedelic momentum.

The songs vary in pace, with the quicker ones – including the title track – appended by gorgeous ambient samples.

Mature but goosebump-inducingly beautiful, this little gem might just turn out to be the band’s masterpiece.

9/10


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30.5.13

Film preview: The Stone Roses -
Made of Stone

Published by Metro

Thursday 30 May, cinemas nationwide www.thestoneroses.org

VIDEO: The Stone Roses: Made of Stone - UK trailer



All Stone Roses fans will remember where they were on 18th October 2011, when band members Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani and Reni announced not only their reunion, but a world tour starting with two – becoming three – dates in Manchester (where else?), and their intentions to record a new album.

Unexpected was the return of these semi-retired indie legends, who had barely been on speaking terms with one another since their acrimonious split in 1996. Large swathes of the British music press raised a collective eyebrow, and hits such as I Am the Resurrection, Fools Gold and She Bangs the Drums – featuring the group’s trademark blend of psychedelic pop, dance-rock and funky basslines – once again rang out from pub jukeboxes nationwide.

And… ACTION. Acclaimed filmmaker Shane Meadows captured the newly reformed four-piece in their everyday lives as they rehearsed for their first comeback performance – in front of a 220,000-strong crowd at Manchester’s Heaton Park. Stone Roses: Made of Stone is the definitive account of one of the most influential bands of the past 25 years.

Insightful, emotional and amusing, it illuminates the personalities and friendships within this charismatic quartet, and incorporates the personal experiences of many who were touched by their music.

Tonight, the much-anticipated film is broadcast live across 100 cinemas in the UK, and will be followed by a satellite-linked Q&A session with Meadows and special guests.

Tickets for the Manchester premiere of the flick sold out faster than it took you to brush your teeth this morning (about 60 seconds), so you’ll just have to beg, steal or borrow if you have trouble snapping yours up – or else miss out on one of the cinematic events of the year.


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16.5.13

Music preview: Trembling Bells @
Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow

Published by Metro

Friday 17 May, 8pm, £7, Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow.
Tel: 0141 333 0900. www.nicensleazy.com


VIDEO: Trembling Bells - Goathland
(live at Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds)



Since they formed five years ago, Trembling Bells’ Celtic-edged folk-rock, catchy choruses and colourful harmonies have reverberated around the UK.

In July, the Glasgow-based quartet head south of the border for an extensive tour with Mike Heron, once of 1960s psychedelic legends the Incredible String Band, but before all that comes a very special and surprisingly rare gig in their beloved Weeg.

“We’ve been steadily building a following around the UK since we first got together, but haven’t really played too much in our home city,” said the band’s founding member, drummer Alex Neilson.

“We’re very excited to be performing at Nice N Sleazy, which is such a Glasgow institution.”

Indeed, the Sauchiehall Street venue has emerged as more than just a preserve for ubiquitous drainpiped hipsters – these days you might spot the guys from Mogwai or Arab Strap darkening its doorways.

Trembling Bells take to the stage off the back of last year’s release of their fourth studio album Marble Downs, a critically acclaimed joint effort with American singer-songwriter Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.

Himself a musician who has a history of free and improvised sessions with several artists, Neilson revealed that tomorrow night’s performance will provide more of the same as the band invite their friends to join in the show on different instruments, and expand into a six-piece.

Support comes from two other Glasgow favourites – post-punk outfit The Rosy Crucifixion and Muscles of Joy, an all-female art-rock seven-piece.

“I requested these acts be on the bill as a mark of the eclectic and high-quality music this city has to offer,” said Neilson.

“It will be a night of local talent of international quality.”

Have you anything planned for Friday night yet? You do now.


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10.5.13

Music preview: eagleowl @ Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh and the Glad Café, Glasgow

Published by Metro

Friday 10 May, 8pm, £7, Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 556 6550

Sunday 12 May, 8pm, £6, Glad Café, Glasgow.
Tel: 0141 636 6119


VIDEO: eagleowl – Into the Fold (2009 live session)



It’s taken eagleowl eight years to release their debut album. Eight years. That’s 416 weeks, almost 3000 days, or… like, loads of hours.

Describing themselves as a 'lethargic pop band', the two-come-six-piece got together way back in 2005 – the same year Liverpool won the Champions League, George W Bush began a second term as President of the United States, and the British economy was apparently booming.

So yes, this weekend’s launch of This Silent Year has been a long time coming.

Flying their flag somewhere between alternative rock, post-folk and shoegaze, eagleowl’s music is a warm glow of whispered harmonies and tender strings – a fusion of guitar, violin, cello, double-bass, organ, harmonium and percussion, riddled with imagery and melancholy. The sound is inherently Scottish, the emotion universal.

"A lot of the songs from the record have worked their way into our live set in the past year or so, but this is the first time we’ll be playing the whole thing," said the group’s guitarist, vocalist and founding member Bartholomew Owl.

"The diversity of both venues – Edinburgh’s Pleasance Theatre and the lovely little Glad Café in Glasgow – will mean each gig has a different feel. We’re really excited."

Whichever side of the M8 you call home, you simply can’t afford to miss this promising young outfit strutting their stuff in these two very special performances.

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24.4.13

Album review: Times and Places by
Andy Cato

Published by Press Association

RELEASED 29 APRIL

VIDEO: Andy Cato — Times and Places mix



If you need reminding of the merits of physical releases over digital ones, listen up. The new solo offering by Andy Cato – one half of chillout pioneers Groove Armada – is bound like a hardback book, containing extensive sleevenotes and artwork.

The real reward, though, is in the listening – 60 minutes of balearic downtempo bliss, with elements of disco and house, drawn from Ibiza’s calmer shores.

If the record sounds fragmented, then that’s because it inherently is. Its 18 tracks are the fruits of two decades’ labour, beginning their journeys to Times and Places from dusty cassettes, eight-track tapes and floppy disks.

This album warrants its place in music history, and on the shelf of any true fan of the dance genre.


9/10


BEST PLAYED at the end of a party


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