tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71609060622797587002024-03-12T22:15:23.811-07:00AlbTwoAlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-44053457246477110912020-09-25T17:47:00.001-07:002020-09-25T17:55:54.145-07:00Franz for a penny? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> I just started to post on FB about my experience of selling/dumping my cd collection while moving house this week. It got a bit long/ranty so I’m moving it here where fewer/less sensitive people and family members are likely to see it! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijilERmIR8XHTkHdwfaJq_bNtovxvBrdMyG-5omvIdqpBqbL0PmKgv7L4veV4U2zpFTlv3GQZ8yl4Ht6_NepwiE8SHaOXbbUrUxzKwsm505zXPmySGMEcxN2f_QyAXTHTrOj-kZNKOlMbu/s640/B7265E62-4BE9-40FC-BA5F-190B8C064F77.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijilERmIR8XHTkHdwfaJq_bNtovxvBrdMyG-5omvIdqpBqbL0PmKgv7L4veV4U2zpFTlv3GQZ8yl4Ht6_NepwiE8SHaOXbbUrUxzKwsm505zXPmySGMEcxN2f_QyAXTHTrOj-kZNKOlMbu/s320/B7265E62-4BE9-40FC-BA5F-190B8C064F77.jpeg" /></a></div><p>[warning - this post might not be to all tastes] Has any commodity ever, outside of possibly Venezuela or Weimar Germany, ever been so remarkably devalued as the compact disc? Oil’s recent troubles barely move the needle by comparison. Before I get much further with this, I must stress I’m not looking for sympathy or an explanation - I do understand the concept of a market. But I moved house this week and in the course of doing so was forced to reflect on the value of creativity. </p><p>I’ve been a music fan; a sort-of professional musician (I earned about £15 one year from PRS); and also kind of ‘industry’ thro running a bedroom label. I never wanted to get rid of any of the recorded music I bought, because I believed that it had a value in itself, as well as in terms of what it used to signify about me as a music owner of taste, displayed tastefully on my shelves; but also in terms of what it represented to the artists whose creative efforts it reflected. Now, I’m late to this party - and I’m also aware that a good subset of my musical friends are significantly younger than me and are probably raising their eyebrows/yawning at this. But I had a token stab at getting rid of a few cds today and yesterday and it was a dispiriting, salutary experience. </p><p>I didn’t expect to make any money from them - I am fully aware that this is inverse-peak-cd (nadir-cd?). But it was still thoroughly depressing to see how little value is now vested in what is still amazing music - not really just because the cds are now worthless but really because we know that sales of physical product (vinyl and expensive boxed reissues of dad rockers aside) have been supplanted by a streaming model that earns the artist £0.000412 per play instead. Approximately. A situation that earns millions for Spotify and YouTube and means that the vast majority of artists (non-major label) will find it harder and harder even to be able to afford to create in the immediate future. Esp with little prospect of live shows in the current climate. </p><p>I thought I’d chance my arm with Music Magpie, which I’m sure many others have used. Out of about 1000 cds (representing c. £10k in original retail payments, give or take, I suppose) I’ve managed to fill a small box of about 70 that they would even accept. That will yield about £35 for me. I didn’t go through the whole 1000 - I left the jazz & classical, and most of the folk. I also didn’t include anything for which MM offered me single figures, on the grounds that it wasn’t worth the carbon footprint to post it. (It goes without saying that I didn’t include anything by the Fall, or the Blue Aeroplanes. Nor did I try to divest any music by friends!!) </p><p><br /></p><p>I started by trying to shift the things that I didn’t want myself, though there weren’t many of those. I quickly found that Music Magpie didn’t want those either. Nor do they, perhaps unsurprisingly, want 90s indie dance crossover and big beat (Aim, Propellerheads, etc - even Underworld only yields a few pence a time). So my box ended up filled with the few things that pass the tragic £0.20 threshold. EG: John Martyn Solid Air; Roxy Music For Your Pleasure; Sonic Youth Daydream Nation; Sparks #1 in Heaven; Efterklang Parades; Kraftwerk Minimum-Maximum; Bob Dylan Another Self Portrait (the only rubbish bootleg series imho; Mark Lanegan Bubblegum). The rest are in the box in the pic ☹️. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9rxJiN0NMLioS16M-h9YWW-NSlZyq6S9gktntUpWthJsw4wOBV7cVVlaoOHSBV341HBomKC91GOOmIPH8QUROcXrDdBFfirbS57cTzylrE8YmXgvVqPEmC6l9XOZmDSpUkaaB07wQNl-/s640/60788D0C-EF52-47CC-949C-4C316F9D9125.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9rxJiN0NMLioS16M-h9YWW-NSlZyq6S9gktntUpWthJsw4wOBV7cVVlaoOHSBV341HBomKC91GOOmIPH8QUROcXrDdBFfirbS57cTzylrE8YmXgvVqPEmC6l9XOZmDSpUkaaB07wQNl-/s320/60788D0C-EF52-47CC-949C-4C316F9D9125.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Franz Ferdinand’s inclusion here is no way meant to be any comment on what is still a great debut album, but because it best defined the exercise: MM’s buying price for this one was a princely £0.01. At the other end of the spectrum, Beefheart’s consistently baffling Trout Mask Replica can be yours for an equally baffling £1.82. I took out Franz, so if anyone wishes to bid for that please shout. Julian Christopher - at least the execrable Frank Turner is out of my house, and for a marvellous £0.47. </p><p>I know I can still always listen to this great music. But its devaluation saddens me. Now for the books...</p>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-50109968676978876282016-05-02T11:17:00.000-07:002016-05-02T13:23:48.642-07:00New Single: Bearpark - 'Distant Fields' <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Single News! Distant Fields, the second single from Wilderness End, the debut album from Bearpark (new solo project by multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Hirst) will be released on 10 June on Albino Two Recordings. <br />
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A love letter to the country from the pen of a writer utterly in thrall to the city, it comes with an exclusive new remix by ‘brilliant but criminally ignored and notoriously unprolific cult London band’ <a href="https://m.facebook.com/pages/The-Unrecorded/6595521373">The Unrecorded</a><br />
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See Nick playing a solo version <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BcIOTmpGreA">here</a>, shot lovingly in appropriately wintry light by Ryan.<br />
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Coincidentally, Distant Fields has also been chosen to feature on the latest 'Showcase Sessions' compilation released today by the excellent Fatea website/magazine/label. It's called 'Memory', it's volume 16 in the series, it features loads of other high quality stuff and it's free to download (until the end of July), from: <a href="http://www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk/" id="LPlnk987465" target="_blank" title="http://www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk/
Cmd+Click or tap to follow the link">http://www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk/</a> .We recommend you do just that, and make sure you have time for a rummage around the rest of their site if you're not familiar with Fatea.<br />
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Critical acclaim for Wilderness End: <br />
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“…a rare delight. It has the same, lean-in-close beauty of Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, but with a richer music palette. … this is an album to really cherish.” (THE CRACK) <br />
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“... bending and blending genres, it is melodic, tunesome, even pretty … exquisitely recorded ... it’s an album of thoughtful musicality ... brimming full of Simon Gallup and Peter Hook style bass …” (FATEA)<br />
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"...a record that represents a journey of the heart and the mind ... should you ever need a reminder of the power of music to move and inspire, you’ll find it in 'Wilderness End'." (BESTNEWBANDS.COM) <br />
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"There are beautiful moments on Wilderness End, demonstrated by standout track “Battle Hymn for the Republic”. A sprawling, atmospheric charge … it hints at a man quite capable of writing something none of us can even conceive." (DRUNKENWEREWOLF ) <br />
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Wilderness End blends the pastoral, hymnal Americana of The Low Anthem, Bon Iver or Wilco with the distorted romanticism of Ed Harcourt and Sharon Van Etten. There are touches of colliery brass and the sad synthiness of Radiohead and John Grant, all held together by a deep love of words.<br />
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AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-60025821568954392862015-10-11T09:11:00.000-07:002015-10-11T09:11:10.751-07:00BEARPARK - WILDERNESS END - Pre-orders and pre-release exclusive<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bearpark's magnificent 'Wilderness End' is almost upon us.<br />
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It's now available to pre-order <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wilderness-End-Bearpark/dp/B0166QOPFM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1444577656&sr=1-1&keywords=bearpark">here</a> and Nick and friends will be marking its release by joining Revere, who are also about to launch a new six-track vinyl EP 'Man of Atom', for live dates in London and Rotterdam. (This is coming out on new Dutch label Final 500 records and is also available to pre-order, from the Revere <a href="http://revereonline.co.uk/store.php">store</a>)<br />
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Tickets for the Lexington, London N1 (23rd October) <a href="https://www.wegottickets.com/event/326926?mc_cid=1ffcf63a7a&mc_eid=ae857277dc">here</a> and for Rotown, Rotterdam (26th November) <a href="https://www.rotown.nl/agenda/revere-1/?mc_cid=1ffcf63a7a&mc_eid=ae857277dc">here</a> . These should be great nights.<br />
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Anyone who simply can't wait til then to get their hands on a physical copy of the album can get one direct from us in person - but only if you're able to get to Aberdeen next Saturday, 17th October. Following the success of last year's inaugural independent record label market, the event is returning to the Lemon Tree (for full details see <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1698943130335888">here</a>) and we will have a very limited number of cd copies available ahead of release date. The event will feature the usual mix of local luminaries such as Cool Your Jets and Fitlike Records along with Scottish indie royalty Chemikal Underground and Gerry Loves Records - to mention but a few.<br />
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AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-83494592659039792992015-07-08T17:02:00.000-07:002015-07-08T17:05:47.251-07:00Blue Aeroplanes - Access All Areas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My copy of the Blue Aeroplanes 'Access All Areas' release that had been pre-listed on Amaz*n for ages arrived this week and has prompted a blog. At this point I should add a disclaimer that this is not an Albino Two release and this post has nothing to do with the label.<br />
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I'd been slightly apprehensive about what this disc was, particularly so as it sounded as though the band didn't know anything about it either, and it was being listed for pre-order for the princely sum of £4.99. In short, and if you can't be bothered reading til the end but are just weighing up whether to splash out on a copy - it's not as bad as I had feared. Just make sure you buy something else at the same time so you don't have to pay postage.<br />
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It became apparent shortly before the release that this was a cd+dvd of the show at the Town and Country Club in 1992 that was part of a week of gigs put on by the NME. Turns out that 'Access all areas' is a brand owned by Edsel records, part of the Demon Group, and thus therefore the Aeros are probably not the only artists in recent times to have been slightly surprised to find they were about to release material, probably live material they had forgotten existed and for which they had blithely signed away the rights to decades ago.<br />
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The good news - this was a relatively short-lived lineup so great to have a record of it. On guitar and bass are Dave Newton and Marcus Williams both ex Mighty Lemon Drops, and also on guitar is Suzy Hug, formerly of the Katydids. Suzy's brief stay contributed a handful of songs to the Aeros canon including 'Open' from 'Life Model' (IIRC) and 'Jealous Town', which gets an airing here and was later released as part of the B-side triptych to Detective Song. Bob Bradley on lead guitar stuck around longer than the aforementioned three, I think - the first time I saw the Aeros live was the Life Model tour of 1994, where I believe he was still playing lead. For a set of ten songs there's nothing pre-Swagger - ie, older than three years - but there is a decent showing for new material including 'Beautiful Is' (another Suzy Hug effort) which is played here with an uptempo pulsing swagger far removed from the fragility of the version that was eventually released on 'Altitude' (although i think there is a version hidden away on the Outdoor Miner digital-only single that may be closer. Also you get a romp through 'Bad Moon Rising' which was the band's contribution to 'Ruby Trax', a charity compilation of covers of UK number ones by contemporary artists to mark the NME's 40th birthday.<br />
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Full tracklisting is:<br />
Jacket Hangs<br />
Broken & Mended<br />
Jealous Town<br />
Vade Mecum Gunslinger<br />
Yr Own World<br />
Beautiful Is (As Beautiful Does)<br />
...And Stones<br />
Bad Moon Rising<br />
Pony Boy<br />
Breaking In My Heart<br />
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On the downside, the audio is pretty awful - safe to say it wasn't taken off the desk. There is also at least one horrific tape glitch and 'Vade Mecum Gunslinger' in particular is so murky at the beginning that you barely realise what it is until Gerard starts singing. The video quality is also pretty variable, particularly the long camera shots, but there's enough interest in the close up, onstage camera shots to compensate for that. Plus you get a couple of typically arch mini interviews with Gerard and an interviewer who sounds like it may have been Lamacq, to a backdrop of a mute Mulreany and virtually mute Bradley. It's a lot like the grainy VHS in my parents' loft that I originally taped from the TV at the time, in fact.<br />
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The most curious aspect is probably the sleeve notes, written by Michael Heatley, presumably the sport/music biographer. His own biog claims more than 100 books and with that amount of text under his belt you might forgive him the odd hack job along the way, particularly if it's for a fairly low-rent series of live cds. So we get the usual myths and touchstones trotted out, for players of Aeroplanes bingo: comparisons to REM (check); the 12-guitarist finale at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1989 (check); too rock n roll for Peel, too arty for the Late Show (check); manic, limb-flailing Polish dancer Wojtek (check); we also get the more recent assertion, repeated on the outer sleeve, that they influenced the Manic Street Preachers. While this is technically unarguable - see JDB's Quietus 'Baker's Dozen' <a href="http://thequietus.com/articles/16303-james-dean-bradfield-manic-street-preachers-favourite-albums-interview?page=14">here</a> - any Manics fans who dashed out to pick this up as a result are probably crying into their copies of Miller/Mailer/Plath/Pinter just now.<br />
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Having said that, (and remembering that the band don't seem to have sanctioned this), there are also some anecdotes that suggest closer acquaintance. There's a lot on the Glastonbury 92 appearance earlier in the year this show was recorded - Tom Verlaine himself shared the stage to play 'Breaking in my heart'? Could well be true - Television were there - just that I'd not heard it before. The band were 'banned' from Glasto after the performance following an incidence of a chair being thrown through a Portakabin window, apparently in annoyance at the set being cut short? This is certainly plausible - the Beeb recorded the whole show and on the full recording (possibly not the set as subsequently broadcast) Gerard can be heard moaning about it just before the band launch into 'Breaking...', including a gloriously snippy comment about 'only being a "local band"'. Angelo, Hazel Winter and Andy McCreeth were i believe all gone by the time the T&C show came around just a few months later, which might bear out the assertion that mid 92 was a time of strain for the band - '<i>a road-weary band imploded there amid off-stage tensions</i>'. The author is also close enough to events of the time to reference that the shirts worn by Gerard and Rodney in the video were commissioned, and designed by Ann Sheldon for that same Glastonbury show. And even that 'Pony Boy' was the song cut from the set whose omission resulted in said chair through window...<br />
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So how in that case to explain the clangers? 'Lover and Confidante...' as their 'second Fire album', anyone? '<i>Their most fruitful spell as a recording band came after they'd recorded a debut, 'Bop Art', for Abstract'</i>?? [Well, presumably...] And there's a particularly cringeworthy signoff - '<i>Enjoy the experience of Blue Aeroplanes, a band that knew how to move around on stage, in sound and vision. Indeed, they still do!</i>'. Finally, this one not necessarily Mr Heatley's fault but '...And Stones' is listed as '...And Stones (Love is all around)' [sic] which conjures up some bizarre mental images involving messrs Langley and Pellow. Possibly only for me, granted.<br />
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It comes in a nice wee cardboard slipcase, if that's your thing. If you were there then it's a great historical artefact. But if you're still waiting for a decent Blue Aeroplanes live recording then this isn't it. I'm not a massive fan of 'Fruit' either - in fact for me easily the closest thing to capturing the Aeros live experience is the limited, self-released 'Skyscrapers' of a few years ago which contains a truly incendiary version of 'Police' and is still available via the band's own <a href="http://www.theblueaeroplanes.com/theblueaeroplanes.com/Albums_%28BAs%29.html">website</a><br />
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If that doesn't satisfy you then hopefully we don't have to wait too much longer for the next full album. Apparently it is recorded....<br />
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AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-35117508726839102842015-06-22T05:41:00.001-07:002015-06-22T05:41:11.418-07:00An introduction to 'Bearpark' - and a look ahead to 'Wilderness End' <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The debut single 'Boxers' is released today and is available as a digital download through all the usual platforms. It will be followed by the album 'Wilderness End' in the autumn. We thought it might be about time to find out a bit more about all things Bearpark - so here's the man himself:<br />
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<i>I borrowed the name Bearpark from a remote village near Ushaw Moor, County Durham, home to my late Grandad. It's a quiet, windy place between moorland and collieries, where miners were born and no-one goes - it seemed strangely fitting. </i></div>
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<i>The songs on Wilderness End document a turbulent decade through the eyes of a rural Essex boy colliding with the glittering noise of London. This is mostly an album about the things we do when we're kettled in together, all doing our best and trying be happy. I think we are wild animals at heart, not designed to live in cities. But live in them we do, with strange consequences. There are unrequited love songs, songs about depression, songs about lashing out, looking out and the changes to ourselves that we don't even notice until we try to return home.</i></div>
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<i>It blends the pastoral, hymnal Americana of The Low Anthem, Bon Iver or Wilco with the distorted romanticism of Ed Harcourt and Sharon Van Etten. There are touches of colliery brass and the sad synthiness of Radiohead and John Grant, all held together by a deep love of words. </i></div>
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<i>It's been a while in the making, because I spend a lot of my time playing keyboards with London band Revere, occasionally guesting with Gabby Young, and playing everything from guitar and piano to accordion and scissors for Scottish singer Kat Flint. Because I am a megalomaniac I initially planned to play everything; because I am part of an incredible scene in London (and a shit drummer) I leant on others - so Revere drummer Marc Rollins-McKie played drums; Revere frontman Stephen Ellis lent his celesta skills (and his celesta) and violinist Ellie Wilson played some violin. Then I enlisted the help of Kat Flint on vocals (she also designed the sleeve art). </i></div>
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<i>Like its songs, the making of the album itself was pulled from city to countryside and back again, written in many locations - from a remote recording studio in Invernessshire (while making Revere's first record) to London, via the sofas of friends, exes and parents. Produced by Dave Moore (Revere, Polly Paulusma, The Laurel Collective), the songs were recorded everywhere from my flat in Brixton to analogue wonderland Urchin Studios in London Fields (which houses an amazing 19th century pedal organ used on album tracks Turn Around Take a Bow and Little Black Holes).</i></div>
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<i>I don't know where it's meant to live: in the city or in the country… or maybe somewhere in between the two, at the edge of the wilderness.</i></div>
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<i>I hope you like it. </i></div>
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<i>Bearpark</i></div>
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Nicholas Hirst is a London-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. He has spent most of the last few years playing with London band Revere and Scottish-born singer-songwriter Kat Flint (to whom he is also married). He was born in Essex and grew up between Colchester and Detroit, and now lives in Brixton, London.</div>
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AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-48110702161466172632015-05-18T16:30:00.001-07:002015-05-18T16:36:30.468-07:00Bearpark: Boxers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There's going to be much, much more information coming here about Bearpark over the coming weeks and months.<br />
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For now, suffice to say that the first single from the debut album is called 'Boxers'; it will be released as a digital download on 22nd June; and it is astonishing. Watch this space very, very carefully.<br />
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AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-23630743279591084652015-05-18T16:03:00.001-07:002015-05-18T16:06:30.645-07:00Delicious discord<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Lo-fi photo session session ahoy! Zippy trying in vain to hide his resentment at the other two not telling him that the pics were going to be taken outside in a <a href="https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/min-diesel-mince/">Grampian swamp</a><br />
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Good review tho from the Ringmaster Review - cheers!</div>
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AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-13098062972485343602015-04-28T10:00:00.000-07:002015-04-28T10:00:01.870-07:00New release! - Min Diesel: 'Mince'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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MIN DIESEL are appropriately excited to announce the impending arrival of their debut LP "Mince", available on 12” coloured vinyl from May 11th. Their previous work - including a split single with fellow Scottish noiseniks Pinact - draws heavily upon the best bits from their favourite late-80s/early-90s punk, lo-fi and math-rock bands' back-catalogues. The 10 tracks on "Mince" were recorded by Matthew Scott at Bakesale Recordings (Deathcats, Paws), mastered by Steven Ward (Mogwai, Errors) and exhibit every facet of the sound the band take great amusement in dubbing "mindie-rock".<br />
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Born and raised in Aberdeen and the surrounding areas, the band subtly but undeniably delivers a uniquely north-eastern take on their trans-Atlantic influences through their lyrics and vocals. Currently based in “The Granite City”, the band are very much at the centre of the burgeoning local music scene.<br />
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Having played alongside bands such as Joan of Arc, Johnny Foreigner, Playlounge and Tuff Love in their hometown, regular appearances outside Aberdeen culminated in a full UK tour in 2013. The year after was spent cherry-picking, refining and recording the best songs from their extensive back-catalogue.<br />
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While some sources of musical inspiration for the trio are immediately clear, the ideas extracted are combined in such a unique way that it is challenging to define the sound of mindie-rock with specific external references. DIYmag.com attempted to pin it down as "a crashing, beautiful noise that fits somewhere between Dinosaur jr. and Stapleton". Min Diesel will be playing around Scotland in May 2015 and the rest of the UK over the summer.<br />
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7th May – Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh w/ Pjaro<br />
8th May – Westport Bar, Dundee w/ Pjaro<br />
9th May – Cellar 35, Aberdeen w/ Pjaro<br />
14th May – Bar Bloc, Glasgow w/ Herbert Powell<br />
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Pre-sale details <a href="http://mindiesel.bandcamp.com/">here</a><br />
More on Min Diesel very soon<br />
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AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-80666144691963874162014-11-14T17:33:00.000-08:002014-11-14T17:33:49.961-08:00First ever Aberdeen Label Market in the morning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
That's right. Tomorrow (or today, technically... oh, Saturday anyway) sees Aberdeen's first ever independent record label market, at the Lemon Tree, and albtwo will be there along with the likes of Chemikal Underground, Rock Action, Song by Toad, Olive Grove Records and Aberdonian labels including Cool Your Jets, Black Lake and Tuff Wax.<br />
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The Scottish Music Industry Association has held a few of these events in the central belt and they have had them in London too but never before in Aberdeen. Ever since local indie shop One Up shut its doors a couple of years ago the city has been sorely lacking somewhere for music fans to get their fix so John from <a href="http://www.57north.org/">57 Degrees North</a> has been trying to organise one here for a while. Good effort<br />
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It should be a great day - there are DJs and whatnot and a gig at the Lemon Tree in the evening too - Stanley Odd<br />
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Albtwo will be hoping to sell some music, obviously (free gift with every purchase - we've got a lucky dip box although we really wanted something a bit more like the tree stump from Flash Gordon) but will be mostly trying to get our hands on a copy of the new Mogwai EP on vinyl ahead of the official release date. We'll let you know how we get on.</div>
AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-88195192138212271032013-06-24T15:18:00.001-07:002013-06-24T15:18:42.635-07:00One night in the Silver City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We know we say this every time, but from here on we're really going to be posting stuff regularly, and we can say this with some conviction because we've already filed a big interview with Stephen REVERE about the forthcoming release of sophomore effort 'My Mirror, Your Target' that will be surfacing shortly. But first - One night in the Silver City.<br />
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Without wanting to put you off straightaway, reader, there's an authorial note to this post. We went out to see these bands knowing very little and in some cases absolutely nothing about them, with a couple of exceptions that I'll declare. The idea was that it would be a naive, fresh, unmediated 'first impressions of Aberdeen' kind of story. I made notes but it's taken me a while to get round to writing them up and since then I have of course read up on and listened to all the bands and formed probably different, and better informed opinions of all of them. But I'm going to go with the Gonzo version and hope my subsequent research hasn't leached into it too much...<br />
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It's Saturday 1st June, and I'm itching to get out and about. I'm going to see not just one but two gigs put on by a couple of Aberdeen's best up-and-coming music promoters. Perhaps they'd have been better advised to talk to each other before booking Cellar 35 and the Tunnels with great line-ups on the same night, but whatever - Cool your Jets and Laika Come Home have done themselves and each other proud by coming up with a joint ticket that allows you to see both nights for eight quid - you choose which you go for first and at which time you bail out to the other venue.<br />
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I've gone for the Tunnels first, and I'm not kidding - I'm as excited, as I hand over my eight sheets, about a gig as I have been for ages. </div>
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It's a shame then that not that many other folk are quite as excited. When I get in, the Tunnels is as half-empty as it always seems to be, despite a great line-up. I happen to know, because I considered putting on a band there, that it's pretty inexpensive to book/promote. Maybe too inexpensive, as i saw a band here a week or two previously who were visibly using it as a glorified rehearsal in front of a handful of their mates - maybe it's getting a bit devalued and people don't feel they have to put the effort into publicising the night? But that's definitely not the case tonight, where we have bands who've travelled up from Edinburgh and Glasgow. </div>
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The fare on offer tonight is maybe slightly niche. It's being put on by Cool Your Jets, otherwise known as local boys <a href="http://mindiesel.bandcamp.com/">Min Diesel</a>, who have entirely reasonably gone for a bunch of bands they evidently like themselves. That means, heavily influenced by the American underground / post-hardcore scenes of the 80s and 90s. In fact MD themselves, who I am sure would acknowledge themselves have a fair bit of Dinosaur Jr in their DNA, are probably the least hardcore of the four acts on the bill. And we won't be seeing them tonight as we've got to scarper over to C35 before they come on, but we've seen them before and we know they're ace.<br />
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First up: Carson Wells, and bloody hell they're good. They are a trio - as will soon become apparent, the scream/yelp is going to be deployed by every band on this bill and they are past masters at it, tossing the yelps this way and that between the three of them and punctuating some punchy, jerky tunes. They have an album out on the excellent <a href="http://blacklakerecords.net/">Black Lake Records</a> (which i don't pick up as it's early to be carrying an LP around with 5 more bands to see, and regret it in the morning, along with a few other things) but they mention that the first two songs are new. If that's the case then definitely, definitely try to get hold of whatever they come up with next as these two sounded among the strongest of the set to these ears. Drummer has no strides on, and they do a nice line in almost studied slacker chat on stage that lulls you into a sense of.. something.. then suddenly snaps into the next song, which is without exception frighteningly tight. Investigate. </div>
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Next up - <a href="http://blackinternational.bandcamp.com/releases">Black International,</a> who are from Edinburgh, I gather. Guitarist and drummer only, and although the yelp/scream is in evidence here too they are more darkly melodic, maybe owing a little bit more to the joy division school of post-punk than the DC underground. Either way, they're also very good. 3rd song in is half of their next single, out on 19th July according to my notes, while the next track is the other half, 'A Gilded Palace'. 'A Gilded Palace of Sin?' some lost country rock fan in the audience queries/heckles. 'I think my Dad's got that'. In a further 70s retro reference, the frontman's tshirt resembles a black and white version of that famous King Crimson album, but we're not sure if that's deliberate.<br />
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With only guitar, vox and drums you have to work a bit harder to sound different and Black International have some great guitar tones and textures going on. Last tune is also very melodic, say the Albino notes. At this point though the notes go off at a bit of a tangent, noting that 'the stench of bleach keeps walking past' and that there aren't enough people there given how great the bands are, which is kind of apt given I'm writing this on the day Aberdeen failed to make the shortlist for the UK City of Culture 2017.<br />
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<a href="http://rungs.bandcamp.com/">Rungs</a> are the main course here. They are brilliantly tasteless, and i understand were formerly in an another Glasgow hardcore band called 'Take a worm for a walk week'..? They wear an unsettling combination of beards and sports casual (different individuals, that is) and deploy the scream on a whole other level that is less Malkmus and more Beelzebub, and is frankly out of the Albino comfort zone. They attempt to explain the physiognomy of a song called 'Square Sausage' before deciding to press on with playing the song 'before we get sued'. (It involves four men). We're outwardly disappointed, but quietly a tiny bit relieved that we have to split before the end of their set to hoof it over to Cellar 35, because that means they haven't killed and eaten us.<br />
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Thankfully C35, although admittedly a fraction of the size, is rammed. We've missed Seas, Starry, unfortunately, but HisnameisCodeine are launching into a thrilling, up close and personal set. They wear their influences on their sleeves - literally, in the case of guitarists 1 and 2, sporting Sonic Youth and the Velvets respectively, and there's more than a smattering of paisley shirts in the audience - but this is no wimpy C86-type revivalism. It owes a lot more to those heavy garage nuggets compilations of the late sixties and the swampy psych blues of the early seventies, with a dash of Pixies and perhaps even a hint of Cave/Harvey gothicism in the vox. Shoot to Kill is a highlight - it's from their debut album 'The Only Truth is Music' which is just out and you can check it out <a href="http://hisnameiscodeine.bandcamp.com/">here</a>. You'll be hearing a lot more about them.<br />
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I bump into the amiable and ubiquitous John who runs an organisation called <a href="http://57north.org/about">57 degrees North</a> and who is doing some great work, not to revitalise the Aberdeen music scene (it's pretty vital) but help it reach out beyond the north east and who has some great ideas about trying to engage with the Nordic music scenes rather than simply try to compete with Edinburgh and Glasgow for the sake of it. He also introduces me to Mike from Interesting Music Promotions who I am reliably informed is behind all the most out there or leftfield gigs being put on in the city. I think he's putting on Julian Koster, formerly the multi-instrumentalist in Neutral Milk Hotel and now called The Music Tapes, <a href="http://www.thetunnels.co.uk/whats-on/">at the Tunnels this week</a>, which should be great.<br />
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Finally, <a href="http://thecosmicdead.bandcamp.com/">The Cosmic Dead</a>. I spot HNIC's keyboard/fx player setting up with them and mention this to one of HNIC outside: 'I see your keyboard player's playing with the Cosmic Dead tonight - presume you know them, then?' 'No, never met them before - but they only play two chords. She'll pick it up easily enough...' I later read that TCD describe themselves as 'Scotland's premier Hawkwind tribute band', which may or may not be a joke. And this may be becoming repetitive but they are also extremely good, and the perfect intense end to the night. The best review I hear all night was from a guy outside Drummonds a bit later on who said something along the lines of 'I wasn't really sure I wanted to see them - to begin with it felt a bit like sitting in someone's house that you didn't really know and I was looking round for an excuse to leave... then suddenly it was forty minutes later and they were still playing the same song, and I was totally hooked'. So were we. And so was everyone.<br />
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AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-54303400737586960492012-05-31T10:57:00.002-07:002012-05-31T11:01:54.152-07:00GIGS! and plenty of them, too<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We know it's been a bit quiet around here recently for reasons outwith our control, but hopefully normal service (ie, releasing, and talking about, music) will be resumed shortly. For now, a whole load of gigs are coming up, from almost the whole Albino / AlbTwo roster (more on the confusing label identity thing in due course)<br />
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The Blue Aeroplanes have announced their annual pre-Xmas show at the Fleece ALREADY! What this means in terms of wider Aero-related activity we can only begin to guess. Maybe the long-awaited cd release of Anti-Gravity is in motion. Maybe not. The enigmatic Mr Langley remains an enigma. For what it's worth, the only bits of gossip we've heard are (1) that the intention is still to release on cd, and for there to be a second disc of out-takes, rareties etc, maybe in a similar vein to Cavaliers disc 2.. and (2) that during a bit of downtime from Massive Attack, Angelo had been offering to contribute to new material... Both these morsels are a bit dated, however, so treat with due caution. Anyway, tickets, etc: </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1c0113; font-family: 'helvetica neue', Helvetica, arial, Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><h1 class="summary" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #292c37; font-family: inherit; font-size: 22px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 6px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.theblueaeroplanes.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1c0113; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">THE BLUE AEROPLANES</a></h1>
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£10adv | All Ages</div>
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<abbr class="dtstart" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="2012-12-07 19:30:00">Friday December 7 , 7:30pm</abbr><abbr class="dtend" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="2012-12-07 19:30:00"></abbr></div>
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<span class="fn" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.thefleece.co.uk/events/index/united-kingdom/bristol/the-fleece" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1c0113; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Fleece</a></span>, <span class="location street-address" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">12 St Thomas Street</span>, <span class="locality" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.thefleece.co.uk/events/index/united-kingdom/bristol" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1c0113; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bristol</a>. </span><span class="country-name" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.thefleece.co.uk/events/index/united-kingdom" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1c0113; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">United kingdom</a></span>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_south&query=detail&event=508231">Ticketweb</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bristolticketshop.co.uk/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?group=Fleece">Bristol Ticket Shop</a> (listed in alphabetical order, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The</span> Blue Aeroplanes) </div>
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<a href="http://www.seetickets.com/Event/THE-BLUE-AEROPLANES/The-Fleece/638284">Seetickets</a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Next up, 13th June at the Scala, King's Cross. This will be a massive night. It's the launch night for Gabby Young's (flown the albino nest but still a big favourite of ours) sophomore album 'The Band Called Out For More' and support comes from the acoustic version of Revere, and from a rare-as-hens-teeth Kat Flint outing. Plus the excellence of the Magic Lantern, Jess Bryant and Fiona Bevan. Do Not Miss.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: helvetica, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;"><span class="ecxstyle8" style="line-height: 17px;">GABBY YOUNG AND OTHER ANIMALS w REVERE (acoustic) AND w Kat Flint </span></b><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle9" style="line-height: 17px;">13 JUNE | Scala | LONDON, UK</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle1" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.scala-london.co.uk/scala/event.php?id=1821" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Click here for tickets and information</a></span></span></div>
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And, a whole summer's worth of opportunities to see Revere, who will be showcasing new tunes from the as yet untitled follow up to Hey! Selim. As inspirational as ever - don't let yourself get to September without catching them at one of these...</div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;"><span class="ecxstyle8" style="line-height: 17px;">FIELD DAY FESTIVAL</span></b><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle9" style="line-height: 17px;">02 JUNE | Victoria Park | LONDON UK - IE THIS WEEKEND!!</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle1" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.fielddayfestivals.com/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Click here for tickets and information</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;"><span class="ecxstyle8" style="line-height: 17px;">LATITUDE FESTIVAL</span></b><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle9" style="line-height: 17px;">13 JULY | Henham Park, Southwold | SUFFOLK, UK</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle1" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/tickets/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Click here for tickets and information</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;"><span class="ecxstyle8" style="line-height: 17px;">LARMER TREE FESTIVAL (Acoustic)</span></b><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle9" style="line-height: 17px;">14 JULY | Larmer Tree Gardens, Salisbury | WILTSHIRE, UK</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle1" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Click here for tickets and information</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;"><span class="ecxstyle8" style="line-height: 17px;">LARMER TREE FESTIVAL (Full band)</span></b><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle9" style="line-height: 17px;">15 JULY | Larmer Tree Gardens, Salisbury | WILTSHIRE, UK</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle1" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Click here for tickets and information</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;"><span class="ecxstyle8" style="line-height: 17px;">WOMAD FESTIVAL</span></b><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle9" style="line-height: 17px;">27 JULY | Charlton Park | WILTSHIRE UK</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle1" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://womad.co.uk/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Click here for tickets and information</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;"><span class="ecxstyle8" style="line-height: 17px;">STANDON CALLING FESTIVAL</span></b><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle9" style="line-height: 17px;">04 AUGUST | Standon Lordship | HERTFORDSHIRE, UK</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle1" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.standon-calling.com/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Click here for tickets and information</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;"><span class="ecxstyle8" style="line-height: 17px;">MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL</span></b><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle9" style="line-height: 17px;">01 SEPTEMBER | Moseley Park | BIRMINGHAM, UK</span><br style="line-height: 17px;" /><span class="ecxstyle1" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.moseleyfolk.co.uk/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Click here for tickets and information</a></span></span></span></div>
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</div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-30399291956195000202011-07-22T02:47:00.000-07:002011-07-22T03:47:39.310-07:00'Career high...their most consistent album in 20 years' *** Q<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NAVdykMMmF-IHy7Esd_X0lCnwmhsIV3PSwgT8uI2v-ZWNNGZQJa9CEciMh7Mq8z2vFUCsSALkUSXoR1aLe846FNYwVeSOCWN2Z8d-fgTiD8uPA3gScCa3JVNeY5VbIKjV8omZY93IXiI/s1600/Snapshot+2011-07-22+13-14-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NAVdykMMmF-IHy7Esd_X0lCnwmhsIV3PSwgT8uI2v-ZWNNGZQJa9CEciMh7Mq8z2vFUCsSALkUSXoR1aLe846FNYwVeSOCWN2Z8d-fgTiD8uPA3gScCa3JVNeY5VbIKjV8omZY93IXiI/s320/Snapshot+2011-07-22+13-14-28.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We thought it deserved more than three stars on the strength of the review itself. Fortunately <a href="http://www.list.co.uk/article/35593-the-blue-aeroplanes-anti-gravity/">The List's</a> sub-editors are more generous</div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-44022603751959611742011-06-28T09:25:00.000-07:002011-07-01T13:21:26.521-07:00The Blue Aeroplanes go transatlantic - a Fun Lovin Criminal and St Vincent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So, The Blue Aeroplanes 'Anti-Gravity' is finally in the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anti-Gravity-VINYL-Blue-Aeroplanes/dp/B0052T7J94">shops</a> and has been getting more rave reviews, including from Stewart Lee, not only 'officially the 41st best stand-up comic ever' but also music reviewer of taste for the Sunday Times, where he gives it four stars. The Sunday Times is currently engaged in one of those (shortlived?) experiments with paid-for content that the broadsheets occasionally dabble in, and we certainly aren't about to help them by subscribing, so we can't link to it, but fortunately you can read it on Stewart's own <a href="http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/album_review_archive/b-blue_aeroplanes-anti_gravity.htm">site</a>.<br />
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Drive-By Truckers come up in that review, not for the first time, and their compadres The Hold Steady are increasingly being mentioned in the same breath too. Apparently the Aeros were once described as 'Britain's best American guitar band', many years before either of those acts were around, so it makes sense, in a backwards kind of way. Any booking agents for either of the above acts might do worse than to contact G.Langley@etc if they're looking for forthcoming UK tour support.....<br />
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All of which brings us neatly on to another transatlantic link, and the identity of 'A.Clark' - the writer of 'My Old Haunts', which is the penultimate track on side one (we love saying that). A few people have asked and we thought we'd shed a bit of light.<br />
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Annie Clark is the real name of an enormously talented singer-songwriter who works under the name of St Vincent, taken from the Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in New York where Dylan Thomas died. She's big in the States but still relatively little-known over here. 'My Old Haunts' is a reworking of a tune originally called 'Laughing With a Mouth of Blood' and is from Annie's second album, 'Actor', which was released in 2009. If you don't have the album, you can currently hear it <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/theblueaeroplanes">here</a>.<br />
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We're sure you're capable of looking her up just like we did, but essentially the facts are these. Annie grew up in Texas and early in her career was a member of both the Polyphonic Spree and of Sufjan Stevens's touring band. Her first solo album 'Marry me' came out in 2007 and got a good deal of critical acclaim - here's the Pitchfork <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10457-marry-me/">review</a> - but it was with 'Actor', two years later, that she started to garner more popular appeal - this one reached no 90 on the Billboard 200.<br />
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She has just <a href="http://www.ilovestvincent.com/news/371/strange-mercy-to-be-released-9132011">announced</a> that her third album is to be called 'Strange Mercy' and will be released in September, in the States at least. Not much more in the way of detail yet but it is guaranteed to be worth checking out when it arrives over here. Not sure why Gerard decided to cover that particular tune but we think they must have met on one of the occasions that the Aeros played at SXSW, possibly 2009, if only on the basis that she's a good Texan girl who surely would have been present at her state's major music shindig. Although on reflection, she's probably based in New York these days.<br />
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Which terrible, terrible contrivance brings us back to our final American connection of the day - that professional New Yorker and former Fun Lovin' Criminal Huey Morgan played '25 Kinds of Love' on 6music this morning, where he was sitting in for Lauren Laverne. He did not specifically say that he had been a Blue Aeroplanes fan all his adult life but we're sure that must have been the case. <br />
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</div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-87397899265530819942011-06-23T13:49:00.000-07:002011-06-23T13:49:59.033-07:00Come nuclear apocalypse, there will be only two survivors... cochroaches, and The Blue Aeroplanes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So, it seems like we're settling down into two kinds of review of The Blue Aeroplanes' new album 'Anti-Gravity'.<br />
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It's a fairly even split between the kind of review written by a gnarly old rock boy who knew of them in the early 90s and whose take is generally along the lines of 'great band; talking/singing not always to everyone's taste but should have been bigger than they were; this is a great record but they're unlikely to be bothering the charts again anytime soon'. But we knew that, didn't we? <br />
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Exhibit one: <a href="http://www.aaamusic.co.uk/2011/06/22/blue-aeroplanes-anti-gravity/">AAA music </a><br />
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Then you have the kids. They're pretty flummoxed. Actually <a href="http://www.live-music-scene.co.uk/cd-reviews-content.asp?id=457">exhibit two</a>, by James Swatton for Live Music Scene, is a glowing review: ".. Album highlight ’Oak-Apple Day’ ... combines gorgeous finger picked acoustics with sweeping slide guitar flourishes, and violin, which combines to create a sumptuous whole that shows off the bands masterful grasp of melody."<br />
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But even he's not sure about the old talking/singing: "For every listener who loves his singing style, another one will be put off, but that is a statement that can be made about any aspect of the group. The band positively embrace their art-rock moniker, often to the detriment of commercial success or accessibility". But we knew that too, didn't we? Didn't we?<br />
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</div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-69965027013791551822011-06-18T06:44:00.000-07:002011-06-18T06:44:30.653-07:00'It ranks among The Blue Aeroplanes' best work, and it's great to have them back'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A bunch of good reviews starting to come in for 'Anti-Gravity', which will be in the shops next week:<br />
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<a href="http://www.musicomh.com/albums/blue-aeroplanes_0611.htm">Musicomh</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/165984/9">Stereoboard</a><br />
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and <a href="http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Review.aspx?id=7852">Penny Black </a><br />
<br />
EKR has been playlisting 'Nothing' on its <a href="http://www.ekrrockradio.nl/?p=muziek&s=EKR%20Music%20Playlist">A-list</a> for the past couple of weeks<br />
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plus, a great <a href="http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=5989">interview</a> by Richard Lewis from Penny Black with Gerard Langley.<br />
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More to follow</div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-70166501410387417602011-04-19T12:32:00.000-07:002011-04-19T12:48:26.019-07:00First review of 'Anti-Gravity'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.tastyfanzine.org.uk/albums109apr11.htm#TheBlueAeroplanes">this </a> isn't a bad review - it's just that it contains no evidence whatsoever that the writer had listened to the record before writing said piece.<br />
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</div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-65826552052164091752011-04-03T09:40:00.000-07:002011-04-03T09:40:05.406-07:00Gerard Langley talks 'Anti-Gravity', pt. 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
We pick up where we left off the other night....<br />
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A2: Time for a couple of slightly tongue-in-cheek questions about the Fall(!) You probably get a bit tired of being compared simply on the basis that you and Mark E Smith both sing in an unconventional way - but a lot of people are fans of both bands. Is it true that you were the inspiration behind the Jazz Butcher song ‘Southern Mark Smith’??<br />
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GL: I was a fan of the early Fall I suppose. Haven’t been aware of too many comparisons myself. As for ‘Southern Mark Smith’ I really don’t know about that. It never occurred to me but when it did it seemed quite likely. Pat (the Butcher) is quite cagey about that kind of thing so I wouldn’t expect him to give me the right answer if I did ask him. He did tell me once he had our first press release photo out of Sounds on his kitchen wall, so it would make sense. I’ll give you his number and you can ask him. I wouldn’t trust the answer though.<br />
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A2: A lot was made of the last Fall record being MES’s ‘mortality album’ as he had been in hospital, and the last song in particular ‘Weather Report’ got a lot of attention because it was such a departure from the rest of it, being very reflective & full of references to ‘whirlpools getting wider and wider’. You had ‘Adulthood’ on the last album and now ‘Cancer Song’ closes this one in a vein that reminds me a lot of ‘Weather Report’ – ‘I looked up and saw an unattainable land’ and more directly ‘I’m not afraid of dying, just afraid of living too long’. Without wishing you into an early grave(!) do you think it’s inevitable that you’ve become a more reflective writer?<br />
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GL : ‘Cancer Song’ is partly about the illness and partly about the star sign. The line you quote is actually “I looked up and saw an unattainable lass”, later “an attainable lass” and is a sort of quote from a traditional folk song from an early Nic Jones album. I’ve no idea what you mean by a reflective writer. Silvered?<br />
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A2: On the subject of that song, there's always an epic closing song on a Blue Aeroplanes album. Which one are you most fond of?<br />
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GL: There you go again, asking me to have favourites. “Built In A Day”? “Sixth Continent”? “X Celebrity”? “Autumn Journal XXIV”? Someone came up to last week while I was watching an all-girl band called The Barronesques compete with a morris-dancing troupe at a street party in Bristol and said “Soul”, the last track on Tolerance, was his all-time favourite Aeroplanes track. So maybe it’s that one.<br />
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A2: Flying above the earth and/or looking down on it, has been a favourite lyrical motif for you – ‘A map below’, ‘Up in a down world’ and probably some others that I can’t think of at the moment. But that seems to have crept into album titles recently too. We’ve had ‘Altitude’ and now ‘Anti Gravity’ – what’s next? The stratosphere? Or some space travel-themed album?<br />
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GL: If I knew what the next title was, I’d have used it for this album.<br />
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A2: Seriously, what’s next? Obviously last year’s single China Brilliance Automotive was left off the album - have you much other new material recorded?<br />
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GL: There are quite a few out-takes, some about 12 minutes long, none of them mixed, some without final overdubs. I imagine we’ll start writing new stuff soon, though. Don’t like to get stuck.<br />
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A2: You’ve also done a few volumes of the self-released ‘LIT’ series, the last of which was the William Blake / David Axelrod one – any more of those planned? And how are you getting on with your mythical Definitive History of Rock??<br />
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GL: Yeah, there’s a new LIT on the horizon. And my History Of Rock is neither mythical nor definitive. It’s extremely personal, opinionated and argumentative.<br />
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A2: Why vinyl-only? And what are your plans for the album after that? Will there be a US release?<br />
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GL: Why not vinyl-only? No one asks “why download only?”<br />
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A2: Finally, you’re playing Bristol on May 20th to launch the album and to mark a year in charge of the Fleece. Any other live shows planned yet?<br />
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GL: Yup. The Garage in Islington. June 7th. Be there or be square.<br />
<div><br />
</div></div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-51151000601223712662011-04-01T09:15:00.000-07:002011-04-01T09:16:22.288-07:00Gerard Langley talks 'Anti-Gravity', pt 1.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
The Blue Aeroplanes release what will be their tenth studio album, 'Anti-Gravity' in June, available on vinyl only. We've had a sneak preview and it's no exaggeration to say it is right up there with their very best work. Gerard Langley kindly took the time to answer a few questions from us about it. <br />
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AlbTwo: Firstly, congratulations on the album - you must be very proud of it? It sounds to these ears to be more consistent than ‘Altitude’ – do you think that’s a fair assessment, and if so, why do you think that is?”<br />
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Gerard Langley: It’s more consistent than ‘Altitude’ because it was recorded largely by one lineup at one time, the first time we’ve done that since ‘Life Model’.<br />
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A2: What’s your own personal favourite tune on there? Tell us a bit about that?<br />
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GL: Don’t have a favourite tune. Or if I do, it’d be different next week. That applies equally to Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, Sandy Denny, The Flamin Groovies, Dr Feelgood, The Duke & The King or Camper Van Beethoven.<br />
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A2: Who’s ‘in’ the band at the moment, if such a concept even exists?<br />
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GL: Me, John, Max Noble, Gerard Starkie, Chris Sharp, Rita Lynch. With Dave Chapman as a pretty regular addition and recently Rodney Allen’s come back into the frame. It’s always nicer if there’s a regular bunch of people but it doesn’t matter if there isn’t.<br />
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A2: How did the link-up back with Dave Chapman come about? He was last in the band for Spitting out Miracles, which was released in 1987? Had you stayed in touch, and what had he been doing himself musically during that period?<br />
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GL: Yeah, we’d always been in touch with Dave to some degree but kind of forgot to invite him and he didn’t volunteer. That’s now been corrected. It’s amazing how difficult it is to play the earlier stuff properly without either Dave or Nick Jacobs around. Their style was so individual. Dave first re-appeared in 2007 and did Fiddlers with Angelo. When we rehearsed ‘Lover & Confidante’, a song we did for years with the Angelo/Rod/Alex Lee lineup, Dave played the riff (which he wrote) and Angelo said “bloody hell! That’s how you play it!” Dave has mostly been involved with arty film projects during the intervening years, either lecturing or doing weird commissions in Scottish castles to commemorate a century of venison or something.<br />
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A2: And how about St Vincent? Have you met? Were you mutual fans?<br />
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GL: I have met St Vincent. I’m a fan of hers, I’ve no idea if she likes us or not. She’d heard of us.<br />
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A2: Who or what else had an influence on the album?<br />
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GL: Absolutely nothing specific. We literally went into a room and started playing. Most of the early tracks were recorded without the band even knowing.<br />
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A2: How has running the Fleece rubbed off on the Aeroplanes? You must have (inevitably) seen a lot more up & coming bands over the last year or so as a result – have you seen anyone that reminds you of yourself, or that has given you a different perspective on your own band?<br />
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GL: No. That’s not how it works.<br />
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Part 2 follows shortly, in which we rather rashly draw comparisons with Mark E Smith.<br />
<div><br />
</div></div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160906062279758700.post-53696831404207935812011-03-31T10:13:00.000-07:002011-03-31T10:13:36.341-07:00Welcome to AlbTwo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">AlbTwo is a record label. The stunted distant cousin / ugly duckling / black sheep of the Albino Recordings string of creative enterprises, it arose out of the need to release music by the brilliant <a href="http://www.revereonline.co.uk/">Revere</a>.<br />
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Since then we're very proud to have released music by eighties electro kittens <a href="http://www.myspace.com/pawpawmusic">Paw Paw</a>; by storytelling folk songwright <a href="http://www.myspace.com/katflint">Kat Flint</a>; by flame-haired jazzworldbluesrockgypsyfashionista chanteuse <a href="http://gabbyyoungandotheranimals.com/">Gabby Young</a> and her Other Animals; and most recently by cult Bristolian art-rock legends <a href="http://www.theblueaeroplanes.co.uk/">The Blue Aeroplanes</a>.<br />
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This blog will be about these artists, the marvellous music they make and the stuff they get up to along the way. And occasionally about football.<br />
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</div>AlbTwohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280370292649497806noreply@blogger.com0