Category Archives: Sleeve Notes

BEAT CITY 64 – Dry City (Sleeve Notes)
1
Feb

KITTEN “Fall On Me”

Like Blondie before them its easy to see Kitten being marketed as simply a pseudonym for their easy-on-the-eye lead singer Chloe Chaidez, and the ease with which the other band members (Kittenblokes?) have left then rejoined only to leave again would seem to bear this out in the case of Kitten.

The official band bio from a few years ago smacks of artifice, to be honest, namechecking all the correct hip names – Bowie, Zeppelin, Pet Shop Boys, My Bloody Valentine, Prince, Notorious B.I.G, hey that’s all the demographics covered, right guys?

So it would be very easy indeed to take the piss then dismiss.

But then you hear the bloody songs – by Christ, this is a great pop band. There’s a huge wall of sound backing the new single “Fall On Me”

Don’t be expecting any ad campaigns proclaiming “Kitten Is A Group” any time soon though.

This is from their first album from 2014 – it ain’t bad, but if “Fall On Me” is anything to go by the next album will be immense.

PRESS TO MECO “Family Ties”

There’s a few decent punky bands around at the moment and three of them – Croydon’s Press To Meco, Wakefield’s allusondrugs and Stockport’s Max Raptor – are heading out on a 16-date tour all over the UK from Feb 22nd culminating in a gig at London’s legendary Borderline venue.

Scuzz Throwdown Tour UK Dates

“Family Ties” is taken from Press To Meco’s excellent debut album “Good Intent”, as is this track “Manipulate”.

THEE VERTIGOS “Dry City”

“Dry City is taken from Thee Vertigos’ album “Shades” which is well worth your attention IMHO – another album that was lost a little bit in the pre-Xmas rush.

This is another track from it called “Matador”.

BLOSSOMS “At Most A Kiss”

Sal’s Indietastic Classic for this show is from the well-thought-of Blossoms from Stockport. By mixing a bit of dreamy psychey layered guitars but retaining the hard edge and – most importantly, as always – the tunes – they’re making a determined bid for that middle ground between the landfill guitar bands on the one hand and the likes of Temples and Cheatahs on the other.

2016 could be a great year for them – they’re headlining their biggest tour to date throughout February and March but you’ll have to be quick #nextbigthing

THE RAVEONETTES “This World Is Empty (Without You)”

Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo are The Raveonettes, who we’ve always loved here in Beat City – so much so that we named the blog and podcast after the first Ravs track we ever heard, back in the heady days of 2002. Used to use it as the theme tune to the podcast. May well do again some day, who knows?

In all honesty the last album was a bit sketchy – its always difficult to change a template that’s served you well over seven albums but this single definitely breaks the mould, at least instrumentally as it contains none of their trademark echoey buzzsaw guitar wall of sound.

I currently really like this track but time will tell whether that’s just because of the novelty.

FUMACA PRETA “La Trampa”

The band consists of Brighton-dwellers Stuart Carter and James Porch (of funk outfit The Grits) together with Alex Figueira, the Venezuelan-Portuguese founder of the Music With Soul record label and owner of Amsterdam’s Vintage Voudou record shop.

“La Trampa” is taken from the band’s forthcoming second album which is due out in April. Check out Beat City #75 for further tracks. The band did an interview with the excellent Now Then magazine which you can find here:

… and this is a very raw track from the first album “Fumaca Preta” which you can buy direct from the band’s website for a fiver. Bargain!

Give Fumaca Preta money in return for great music here

DILLY DALLY “Ballin’ Chain” (from tha album “Sore”)

Like a Riot Grrrl Pixies, unreconstructed nineties indie noise from Toronto’s Dilly Dally, who have annoyingly just completed a tour of the UK but will be back in May for The Great Escape in Brighton.

Here’s another track from the album “Desire” which to be honest I’m now wishing I’d included instead of “Ballin’ Chain”, doh!

INDY DIBONG “Na So E Dey” (from the album “Squatting At Neverland”)

Indy Dibong is better known outside his native Cameroon than he is at home, which probably comes of living and working in France. A longtime collaborator of Tony Allen (Fela Kuti collaborator and co-creator of the Afrobeat sound) his album “Squatting At Neverland” contains a tribute to Allen, without whom according to Indy , he would not have had a music career.

THE DRINK “Microsleep” (from the album “Company”)

The opening track from The Drink’s first proper album “Company”.

Like many bands their live performance takes it to another level, the set opening with some excellent if standard 80’s Sarah-records influenced indie but somewhere towards the middle of the gig a switch is flicked and singer/songwriter/guitarist Dearbhla Minogue starts making with the highlife and Irish folk riffs, and then the grunge guitar shredding, all while the the rock-solid rhythm section of drummer Daniel Fordham and David Stewart on bass never misses a beat and keeps it all danceable.

Definitely a band to catch live if you can. Check out this very early live version of “Playground” from the new album – sound quality isn’t the best but if gives you an idea of what a powerful live act The Drink are.

ULVER “Moody Stix” (from the album “ATGCLVLSSCAP”)

The title of Norwegian black-metallers Ulver’s new album is an acronym of the twelve signs of the zodiac (starting with Aries and Taurus and ending with Aquarius and Pisces)
Ulver (which means “wolves” in Norwegian) were founded by vocalist (“singer” is probably not quite an accurate description) Kristoffer Rygg in 1993.

Their debut album Bergtatt, was classic folklore-influenced black metal, but since then they have continued to evolve and blend noise, rock and electronica with the symphonic and chamber music traditions to create a unique sound.

Also from the new unpronounceable album, this is “Glammer Hammer”

ANDERSON.PAAK “Heart Don’t Stand A Chance” (from the album “Malibu”)

Growing on me daily, this is fast approaching the status of this year’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”

BIG UPS “National Parks”

From their forthcoming album “Before A Million Universes” Big Ups describe themselves as nerdcore post-punkers but I think there’s a slight possibility they may be taking the piss. To these ears they sound like dEUS – that is to say, early dEUS which is of course the best dEUS.

If Big Ups continue in this vein then the new LP could yet be a better dEUS album than dEUS can make these days. Can’t wait!

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING “Korolev” (from the “Sputnik / Korolev” EP)

This track, while conceptually in line with PSB’s second album “The Race For Space” harks back (sonologically speaking) to their debut “The War Room” EP, possibly on account of the subject matter.

Sergei Korolev was a Soviet rocket scientist who led the development of, among other things, cruise missiles during the thirties. It was Korolev who pionered the ideas and design of orbital satellites, and fought hard for these ideas to be turned into reality, including culminating in the Sputnik series of unmanned vessels and cuminating in the first manned spaceflight in 1961.

Korolev was living on borrowed time, however, having spent ten years in a Gulag labour camp in the Thirties and Forties under Stalin’s “Great Purge”, and he suffered a series of heart attacks, the first in December 1960, until his death in 1966.

Before his death he was often referred to only as “The Chief Designer”, because the Soviet leadership feared that the United States would send agents to assassinate him.[7] Only many years later was he publicly acknowledged as the lead man behind Soviet success in space.

THE CURST SONS “The Jumping Flea”

According to Americana UK the biggest appeal of The Curst Sons is ” they manage to stay true to American folk musics rich lineage, while throwing in enough curve balls to piss off the folk puritanicals”.

Their sixth album “Bad Sex And Good Whisky” is out in February and promises to be a belter. From it, this is “May Day”

Next week – look, I know I promised some Trembling Bells this week but there’s only so much I can squeeze into an hour. Next week for sure. Also Savages and Tuff Love and some records that I haven’t even heard yet!

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BEAT CITY 63 – Tinfoil Deathstar (Sleeve Notes)
25
Jan

OH BOY! – Carrot And The Stick @ohboytheband ohboytheband.com

Northampton’s noisiest pop group recently signed to the excellent Oxford indie label Alcopop Records, home of Johnny Foreigner, Sam “Got Cape. Wore Cape. Flew” Duckworth, Katie Malco and The Spills among others, and to be honest I’d put money on Oh Boy! outdoing all of the above in time.

They’ve been steadily building interest for a year or so with airplay from the likes of Steve Lamacq on 6 Music and John Kennedy on Radio X (as we must now call it)

“Carrot And The Stick” is slightly less noisy than previous records but no less brilliant.

This is “Love And Other Difficulties” from a couple of years ago.

HALF JAPANESE – “That Is That” (from the album “Perfect”)

Unfortunately most famous for being the band on Kurt Cobain’s T-shirt when he died, Half Japanese were formed by brothers Jad and David Fair in 1977, their first album release a TRIPLE set “1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts” and sonologically and attitude-wise are a candidate for being the closest band to The Fall produced by the USA. Check the vocals for a start, and add to that the use of an out-of-tune guitar by mainman Jad who has gone on record as saying “you do need cords to plug the guitar in but that’s pretty much it”

This is from 2014’s “Overjoyed” album, which was their first in 13 years, so the release of “Perfect” in 2016 shows they’re on a mission to catch up for lost time.

SKILLED MECHANICS / TRICKY – “Don’t Go”

Trip-hop legend Tricky is back with a new project called “Skilled Mechanics”, which refers to his collaborators on the album and apparently is a phrase used by the CIA for covert operatives who infiltrate organisations and governments with the aim of bringing them down.

The excellent Music Is My Oxygen site has this to say about the album:

“Some of those on board are no stranger to the world of Adrian Thaws, including regular vocalist Francesca Belmonte who lends her sultry tones to the eerie synth-balladry of “We Begin,” drummer Luke Harris who swaps the sticks for the microphone on a haunting piano-led cover version of Corey Taylor’s “Bother,” and fellow Bristolian DJ Milo who serves as producer on five of the album’s 13 tracks.

But it’s the new recruits who make the most notable impression. Kooky Danish chanteuse Oh Land sets the bewitching tone on the creepy beatless opener “I’m Not Going,” newcomer Xdare suggests FKA twigs may soon have some tough competition with the breathless alt-R&B of closer “Unreal,” while Chinese rapper Ivy also makes the most of her guest spot on the globe-trotting hip-hop of “Beijing to Berlin.”

As with his recent prolific output, Skilled Mechanics also proves that even at the age of 47 and with 11 albums to his name, Tricky remains anything but predictable. “Diving Away” finds him transforming the tortured alt-rock of Porno for Pyros’ “Porpoise Head” into a twinkling lullaby, while the sci-fi doom of “Necessary” is interspersed with the cover of Janet Kay’s “Silly Games” that appeared on his last record.”

“Skilled Mechanics” isn’t perfect by any means but its a damn good Tricky album that benefits massively from the various collaborations.

This is “Ponderosa” from “Maxinquaye” the album that everything else he does will forever be measured against.

MECHANIMAL – “Sunlight”

There’s something about the insistent, industrial – mechanical if you like – sound of Mechanimal’s new album “Delta Pi Delta”.

From the band’s website:

“After two albums exploring the dystopian universe of their city in crisis, the Athenian group Mechanimal delve now into the outskirts of their hometown, away from the sociopolitical fragmentation of the Greek capital, inside a deep and prolonged silence of the mountain forests surrounding Athens.

“Delta Pi Delta” started with a new lineup, erasing the events of a rather tense and tough past, focusing on nature as a means of escape from the modern depression of urban life. This time with female vocals, featuring lead singer Eleni Tzavara (formerly of Film and Etten), electric guitars by Tassos Nikogiannis and Kostas Matiatos, and electronic programming by Giannis Papaioannou, Mechanimal started recording the backbone of their new album during the spring of 2015, while final editing and mixing took place during August 2015, in an isolated room by some faraway beach.

The result of these new recordings is 8 new songs plus 2 instrumentals which will be included as extra tracks in the digital version of the album. Ten new tunes captivating the mystery that lies beneath a quiet life outside a big city. The group’s own hybrid blend of mechanical beats, shoegazing guitar drones and repetitive electronic patterns, shapes now a different perspective that embraces the strangeness and the atmosphere of dreamy landscapes around Athens. The materializing of these silent places into a conceptual sound revealed a new process, which helped the group transform their vision into a tangible medium.

The symbolical acronym title “Delta Pi Delta” is referring to the lyric “giving names to stars”. As a whole it represents the existential journey of any two-footed animal. In this journey, dreams reveal desires and fears that we’re not consciously aware of, but play an important part in consciously or subconsciously helping us become better at dealing with life.

“Delta Pi Delta” is dedicated to the loving memory of Greek artist and painter Nicholas Liber (1956 – 2013), a long-term friend of the band”

NO MADDZ – “Better Must Come “

One of the best bands in Jamaica just now, No Maddz’ self-titled 2015 album was produce by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, who also play on the album. The band are excellent in their own right, however, as this live version of the song shows – this clip also features the track “Shotta”.

HINDS – “Warts”

They’ve definitely got something about them, have Madrid’s Hinds. Frontwomen Carlotta Cosials and And Garcia Perrote met when their boyfriends were in a band whose name they’ve since forgotten.

They ended up writing songs together and recruited female rhythm section Ade Martin and Amber Grimbergen (the latter from Facebook) – in an overpopulated and male-dominated Madrid garage band scene, they knew it was important for the image to avoid people looking at the band and “everyone thinking the boys were writing and we were just smiling”)

There is something of the ramshackle chaos of the Libertines about them, and indeed they’ve supported Doherty and Barat’s “ultimate lads band” a couple of times.

The album is not perfect by any means, and a lot of commentators have noted that “that’s part of the appeal” which is fair enough I suppose.

This is “Chili Town” from the album.

ANDERSON PAAK “The Bird”

Anderson Paak’s “Malibu” album is excellent, the first great album of the year as far as I’m concerned.

I love the 70s funk and soul sound to the record – not so much “Old Skool” as PRE-school – and while I haven’t yet had time to fully digest it.

Hey, you can’t possibly get the whole lyrical content of a rap album – or indeed the full force of the different samples and riffs – on the first four or five listens, which is probably why many people think they don’t like rap, but don’t get me started!

WHITE REAPER “Wolf Trap Hotel”

Ten thousand apologies for overlooking White Reaper until know, they’re superb. Not too many bands playing good hard keyboard-based garage punk these days. Similar in outlook to Hinds (above), their debut album is an absolute joy. I particularly love how the vocals sound lik ethey have been shouted down a megaphone.

They’re on Polyvinyl Records, who are the model for how all record labels should be IMHO. Cool as fook roster (I first came to the label through Of Montreal), no end of excellent special offers, and they send you extra badges, stickers, and in one bizarre instance chewing gum which always makes yer day.

This is the very strange video to the single “Make Me Wanna Die”. Keyboards in the style of Martha And The Muffins.

FAT WHITE FAMILY “Tinfoil Deathstar”

The new Fat White Family album “Songs For Our Mothers” is out now. The jury’s still out for me, I love the more immediate tracks but haven’t had time to give it a proper listen – some of the more “out there” tracks are still firmly in the “WTF” category for me, although this may well change.

It does sound like they haven’t cleaned up their act, sonologically or lyrically, since 2014’s “Champagne Holocaust” – if anything they’ve gotten more impenetrable, which is a good thing since they’re probably going to take a large part of their audience with them into some pretty dark places.

And if ever a band knew how to use the video medium, this is the definitely-not-safe-for-work “Touch The Leather”

PELL “Almighty Dollar”

“Limbo” is the second album from New Orleans-based rapper Pell, the follow-up to the well-received “Floating While Dreaming”

From “Limbo” this is “Cafe Du Monde”

THE DRINK “The Coming Rain”

The suggestion was made recently to The Drink’s songwriter, singer and guitarist Dearbhla Minogue that the band could sit happily in around 1987 as a cross between the Shop Assistants, Throwing Muses and the Bhundu Boys.

I can maybe see where the guy was coming from, at least on their excellent recently released debut album proper “Capital” but I think that’s a simplification.

One of the other standout tracks from the album is “Potter’s Grave”

THE OWL SERVICE “Salisbury Plain”

From the forthcoming album “His Pride. No Spear. No Friend” which could be the Owl Service’s finest record yet.

MOH! KOUYATE “Loundo (Un Jour)”

Guinean singer / songwriter / guitaris Moh! Koyuate played a blinder at the recent Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Here’s a link to his set which was recorded by the BBC.

Moh! Koyuate at Celtic Connections 2016

MAX RAPTOR “Blue On Red”

Another band out to demonstrate beyond any shadow of doubt that punk’s not dead.

Max Raptor hail from Burton-on-Trent. With Wakefield’s AllusonDrugs and Press To Meco who hail from Croydon they’re setting out on tour in February courtesy of the Scuzz UK Throwdown Tour.
Check the dates on this link:

Scuzz UK Throwdown Tour Feb 2016

From the “Damage Appreciation” EP – here’s the vid to the title track.

AIDAN KNIGHT “All Clear”

Describing himself on Twitter as “songwriter, producer, buttlord”. I have no idea what that means but I love this song.

Seems he’s supporting Villagers on tour soon, which I reckon is unmissable. See you dahn the front.

The album “Each Other” is out now – this is “The Arp”

Next week we’ll be playing tracks from Tuff Love, Press To Meco, Violet Skies and Trembling Bells, among others.

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Thank you. Come Again.

Queen Bitch – Beat City Bowie Special – Sleeve Notes
21
Jan

“The worst trick God can play is to make you an artist, but a mediocre one”

– David Bowie

I’ve always loved that quote from Bowie.

Medicority, however, is not something he would have ever had first-hand knowledge of, though, as I hope the tracks in demonstrate.

Bear in mind that we have not even begun to scratch the surface of the man’s body of work here.

David Bowie “Queen Bitch” (from the album “Hunky Dory”)

Bowie’s tribute to Lou Reed / Velvet Underground pastiche from the “Hunky Dory” album.

A year later Bowie and Mick Ronson produced Reeds ‘s “Transformer” album.

After Reed’s first solo album after leaving the Velvet Underground had tanked, despite featuring Bowie-collaborator Rick Wakeman of prog band Yes among the backing musicians, he turned to his new friend Bowie and Bowie’s guitarist Mick Ronson to co-produce and perform on his second LP. Ronno’s influence is all over the album – it was he who provided the now-famous arrangements for Walk On The Wild Side and Perfect Day. Note the trademark Ronson guitar riffage on “Satellite Of Love”, as well as some excellent Bowie backing vocals.

David Bowie “Born In A UFO” (from the EP “The Next Day Extra”)

Six months after David Bowie, suddenly and without warning, released “The Next Day” on the world, we were treated to that horror of horrors, the “Deluxe Edition” version of the album – never let it be said that Bowie was slow to pick up the prevailing winds, whether in music or in business.

However, in these days of digital purchases, fans had the option of just downloading the new tracks – and this one in particular is a little gem, a lot less tentative than the original “The Next Day” album, you get the idea that this was Bowie and producer Tony Visconti having a bit of a laugh.

“Born In a UFO” is a parody / homage to Bruce Springsteen – apart from the obvious Born In The USA echoes in the title, the verse sounds more than a bit like “Its Hard To Be A Saint In The City” (a song Bowie covered earlier in his career)

There’s a great Youtube clip going round of Bruce Springsteen saying nice things about Bowie and playing “Rebel Rebel” in Pittsburgh on the first date of his massive 2016 world tour, check the sleeve notes at tonythegigguy.com for the link and others.

David Bowie “Up The Hill Backwards” (from the album “Scary Monsters And Super Creeps”)

The “Scary Monsters” album almost comes across as Bowie drawing a line under his seventies albums by recreating / pastiching them all. “Up The Hill Backwards”, sonologically speaking, seems to mix a bit of Berlin-era guitar with “Station To Station”. “Fashion” sounds like its on “Young Americans”, the title track goes all “Diamond Dogs” on us and the “Ashes To Ashes” single is a dead giveaway as the lyrics reveal it to be a sequel to “Space Oddity” ten years on.

The famous “Ashes To Ashes” video is at the heart of the best of all the wonderful, touching stories I’ve read and heard since Bowie’s passing. This is courtesy of Michael Dignum – thank you so much, sir, this is just loverly.

“One part of my job is to keep the talent close while we make small changes to lighting and camera positions. While shooting the video for David Bowie’s Miracle goodnight we had a change that was gonna take 10-15 mins to complete. I decided to strike up a conversation to kill the time. Let face i was talking to my childhood hero. I asked Mr Bowie what was the biggest moment in his career. His reply was EPIC. and It went like this

Bowie…. Well let me tell you about it. I had quit the attitude as a young pop star, its easy to get caught up in the hype. It changes you. So i was on the set of the music video Ashes to ashes, do you know the one.”

Me………Yes i do. (thinking boy if only he knew)

Bowie… So we’re on the beach shooting this scene with a giant bulldozer. The camera was on a very long lens. (Camera is along way away, but the artist fills the frame) In this video i’m dressed from head to toe in a clown suit. Why not.I hear playback and the music starts. So off I go, I start singing and walking, but as soon as I do this old geezer with an old dog walk right between me and the camera.

Me………Laugh (seeing this video in my head and what that must have been like on the set)

Bowie….Well knowing this is gonna take a while I walked past the old guy and sat next to camera in my full costume waiting for him to pass. As he is walking by camera the director said, excuse me Mr do you know who this is? The old guy looks at me from bottom to top and looks back to the director and said….

Old Man……. Of course i do!!!! its some cunt in a clown suit

Bowie………. That was a huge moment for me, It put me back in my place and made me realize, yes i’m just a cunt in a clown suit. I think about that old guy all the time”

This was just one of the Stories Mr Bowie shared with me that day. I was so happy that my childhood Hero Stayed my hero as an adult.
RIP Mr Bowie..”

Now, try and watch this video without thinking “cunt in a clown suit” And smile.

David Bowie “Little Wonder” (from the album “Earthling”)

Opinions differ as to whether Bowie, taking on and shedding new personae at a whim, frequently changing musical styles, was a true innovator or simply a chameleon.

I’d lean towards a bit of both myself, while noting that his innovation generally came in partnership with carefully-selected others (Ronson, Eno, Fripp, Lulu) and also that when he jumped on a trend, it was usually one that was just around the corner, and always one that would last and not seem old-fashioned.

In 1997 Bowie was not seen as particularly relevant to anything at all. British music was firmly in he grip of Britpop, which while fun was hardly groundbeaking. The other major musical strand of the late 90s came from black music – jungle and trip-hop, which are the two genres that most inform the “Earthling” album.

“I guess …I can’t sell youth. ‘Cause I’m not a youth. So I’m selling whatever it is I am as a persona, which tends to be this kind of ironically enthusiastic old guy who’s still into this crazed sound”

Even in this he was ahead of the times – fast forward to 2016 and there has never been a better time to be a fifty-year old music enthusiast. Bowie was a pioneer in this, as in so much else.

If “Little Wonder” is more on the junglist / Prodigy side of things, this track is pure Tricky as far as I’m concerned.

David Bowie “Fascination” (from the album “Young Americans”)

“Fascination” is a reworking of a song called Funky Music Is A Part Of Me written by then-unknown Luther Vandross, given a new lyric by Bowie.

I’m not keen on the commonly-used term “plastic soul” for this part of Bowie’s career, even if the man himself did use it. It seems almost an apology for moulding soul into a Bowie-ised version of soul.

That said, its probably no coincidence that the most soulful song on the “Young Americans” album was originally written by Luther Vandross
(nitpickers note – yes, Luther’s version wasn’t released until 1976 but it was written well before then)

David Bowie “Yassassin” (from the album “Lodger”)

As far as I know, this is Bowie’s only attempt at reggae ever committed to record. Drummer Dennis Davis had a hard time learning the beat, since American musicians back then were generally unfamiliar with reggae – the music has never really gone mainstream in the USA. Going the other way, of course, American records brought back to Jamaica by migrant workers in the late fifties and early sixties certainly had a huge influence on reggae sound system culture.

And this song is about migrant workers, as it happens, written in Germany, inspired by the Turkish migrant workers Bowie encountered in the Neukolln district of Berlin.

Arcade Fire “Reflektor” (from the album “Reflektor”)

In 2013, shortly after “The Next Day” album had come out, Arcade Fire were recording what would become the title track of their magnum opus “Reflektor”.

According to the band’s multi-intrumentalist Richard Reed Parry:

“Bowie basically just came by the studio in New York while we were mixing, just to have a listen to the stuff we were doing. He offered to lend us his services because he really liked the song. In fact, he basically threatened us – he was like, ‘If you don’t hurry up and mix this song, I might just steal it from you!’ So we thought, well why don’t we go one better, why don’t you sing on our version? Thankfully he obliged, and we were really happy about that”

“Reflektor” has a Bowie-esque feel which seems to go well beyond the mere presence of the man himself singing backing vocals.

This wasn’t Arcade Fire’s first Bowie collaboration – that came in 2005 with this “Fashion Rocks” show in New York which saw them join forces on a selection of songs including AF’s “Wake Up” and Bowie’s “Five Years”.

David Bowie “It Ain’t Easy” (from the album “The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars”)

… and from the album that starts off with “Five Years”, this is an oddity. A throwback to his folkie years, it sounds out of place on “Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars”.
“It Ain’t Easy” was written by American songwriter Ron Davies – and not, as many people think, Ray Davies of the Kinks. By the time Bowie got round to cutting his version of the song, it had already been covered by Three Dog Night and Long John Baldry.

Franz Ferdinand with Girls Aloud “Sound And Vision”

Franz Ferdinand with their take on Bowie’s 1977 smash hit single “Sound And Vision” featuring Girls Aloud From an intriguing, sometimes annoying and occasionally brilliant album put out by BBC Radio One in 2007 to commemorate 40 years of the station by commissioning 40 of the top stars of the day to cover various songs from the lifetime of the station.

Kylie Minogue’s excellent cover of Roxy Music’s “Love Is The Drug” was another highlight – produced by Calvin Harris, its pretty much the perfect cover version, retaining the feel of the original while adding to it, and crucially NOT changing the words from “I say go, she say yes” to “I say go, he say yes”.

Props to all concerned. Definitely going to feature this on Beat City’s tribute to Bryan Ferry in 2028.

David Bowie “Alabama Song” (Brecht/Weill cover)

In 1978 Bowie was considering an offer to star in a revival of Bertolt Brecht’s “Threepeny Opera”. This did not come to fruition although one legacy was that he decided to play Brecht’s “Alabama Song” live.

It can be seen as both a celebration and a self-criticism of Bowie’s recent Berlin-based output.

The song was (and is) best-known to rock fans from the cover by The Doors.

In the Doors’ cover, Morrison had put a soulful rasp into the verses, making them flow better into the choruses. Bowie instead is inspired by Lotte Lenya’s version (below), singing the verses flatly while smoking a cigarette, then suddenly, dramatically falling into the chorus, swooning and closing his eyes.

Pleased with how “Alabama Song” was working in his live sets, Bowie brought his touring band into Tony Visconti’s Good Earth studio in London, the day after the final Earl’s Court show, to cut a version of “Alabama Song” as a prospective single.

Bowie shelved “Alabama Song” until early 1980, when he finally issued it as a single.

I heard it first – as I did so many other songs – on the John Peel show. The old curmudgeon was unimpressed.

“I know we should all be grateful for David Bowie and all that, but he kicks that one well into the stands in my estimation”.

Great though my respect for Peel is (and at the time he was basically God to me), I remember that being the first time I thought “hang on, he’s got that wrong”.

David Bowie “Baal’s Hymn” (from the “Baal” EP of songs from the 1982 BBC TC production) (Brecht/Weill cover)

In 1981 Bowie took the lead role in the BBC TV BBC TV version of the Bertold Brecht play “Baal”.
He also sang the five songs Brecht wrote (with Kurt Weill) for the play.

Click here to see the full 90 minute production.

It’s well worth a look – check here although its been unavailable officially for years

David Bowie “I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spacecraft” (from the album “Heathen”)

Older Bowie fans who remember how jaw-dropping his records and indeed his every move was throughout the seventies tend to judge his post-“Scary Monsters” (or post-“Let’s Dance” if you’re feeling generous) output harshly but Tin Machine aside, it contains a couple of great albums – 1997’s “Earthling” being one and 2002’s “Heathen” being if anything even better.

This song is a cover of a 1968 song by The Legendary Stardust Cowboy. You can listen to it here but it isn’t to everyone’s taste, shall we say.

Bowie “We Are The Dead” (from the album “Diamond Dogs”)

David Bowie’s music has been there at the back of my head since I was about nine years old, in 1971. There have been some spectacular misheard lyrics along the way, of which the best example comes in this song – no he isn’t singing “I love you in your funky bumps” although twelve-year-old me decided that actually made perfect sense. He actually sings “I love you in your “fuck-me” pumps” which doesn’t really add up if you don’t know that “pumps” are a kind of shoes.

Now the album Diamond Dogs features a fantastic comic-book style illustration of Bowie on the cover as what can only be described as a sexy dog – and incidentally, definitely NOT a sexy bitch if you look closely. And we all did, believe me.

David Bowie “Boys Keep Swinging” (from the album “Lodger”)

This song is, to me, the quintessential Bowie song – not my favourite Bowie song (see a future blog post for that) but it just brings together a number of the things that made him such an icon in the seventies – the sassy delivery, the screeching guitar, the weird lyrics that hinted at other, more exciting worlds, and most of all, the dressing up as a woman in the video.
On a slightly dodgy television and without the benefit of video playback, my sisters and me couldn’t agree on whether all the backing singers were, in fact, Bowie. The third one to appear solo at the end of the video caused the most discussion, but its definitely him.

… I think …

Bowie-related links

There have been some excellent shows and pieces over the past couple of weeks. Here’s a few of the ones I’ve enjoyed most:

James Ward’s blog is really two in one – a takedown of the haters followed by a heartfelt and moving tribute to the man.

Takedown of the haters and a heartfelt tribute to the man

Marc Riley’s BBC 6 music show the day we all heard the news is something to be treasure (as is the whole of the station’s output for Monday 11th January, have a listen before the first week in February when it’ll disappear as far as I know) WARNING – he does play The Legendary Stardust Cowboy.

Terrific tribute from Frankie Boyle obviously not overwrittenor overprepared and all the better for it.

Alex Petridis’ measured and comprehensive Guardian lead article however, is hard to beat.

Let me know if you’ve got any more links I may have missed, or any blogs of your own or podcasts.

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Hope you’ve enjoyed this show.

The next regular Beat City show will be available to download from Sunday.

Thank you. Come again.

BEAT CITY 62 – Shiva Is A Punk Rocker (Sleeve Notes)
18
Jan

NERVOUS TWITCH “John Power”

Nervous Twitch’s sound is a heady mix of punk from the 70s, Britpop from the 90s and the girl group sound of the 60s.

Not quite sure if this is about the former La’s bassist and Cast frontman John Power

You can pre-order the new album here

This track “Somebody Else” was a single for the band in 2014 – definite 60s girl group sound to this, kind of if the Shangri-Las had been allowed to let rip and make the records they secretly wanted to, with fuzzed up guitars.

WHITE REAPER “I Don’t Think She Cares”

Punky records with a good organ line or two will always get a hearing on Beat City!

From the album White Reaper Does It Again which came out on Polyvinyl Records last year.

Here’s the vid to another track from the album “Make Me Wanna Die” which features Death, who has a Union Jack on his bedroom wall.

Typical bloody Americans, the baddie ALWAYS has to be British.

BABYFATHER “Meditation”

This is a new track from Babyfather, one of the aliases of Dean Blunt. Co-produced with Arca this is Meditation.

Dean Blunt has a history of unconventional release methods, from premiering his music on an illegal Russian torrent sites to Ciroc Boyz, his book of receipts.

The latest movement from the enigmatic artist’s camp is no different: Blunt is selling a toy Mini Cooper on eBay, branded with the Foxtons logo and with some weed packed in the back for good measure.

It’ll cost you £250, and tucked away in the photos is an advert for Cubitt, an artist-led organisation that Blunt is involved in.

WRAY “Shiva”

From the brand new album “Hypatia” out this week that was Wray with “Shiva”.

There’s elements of shoegaze in there but also a refreshingly hard-edged garagey sound.

They have some live dates coming up throughout the U S of A, as well as a showcase at the prestigious South By South West festerval in Austin Texas later in the year.

They played a gig recently with a symphony orchestra – bands usually wait until four albums in to do this but it seems to have been a triumph.

LIZZO “Humanize”

Lizzo with one of the more laid back tracks from her excellent album “Big GRRRRL Small World”.

From her debut album “Lizzobangers” this is Bus Passes & Happy Meals.

THE CORAL “Chasing The Tail Of A Dream”

2016 sees the welcome return of The Coral after getting the solo albums and side projects out of the way with their first new album since 2010’s Butterfly House. The album is called Distance Between and the first track from it to be is Chasing The Tail Of A Dream.

Sounding like it would be very much at home on Beat City’s ‘older sister’ show ‘Retro Beat 66’

I say “sister show” but its the disreputable kind of older sister who drinks a bit too much and is often seen in the company of unsuitable men.

LAURA MVULA “Overcome”

Two and a half years after her breakthrough album “Sing To The Moon” we’ve got some new music from Laura Mvula.

While she’s been “between albums”, among other things she’s made an excellent programme for BBC 4 “Nina Simone and Me” which I think may have fallen off the iPlayer now but you can watch on Youtube.

ALLUSONDRUGS “Magic College”

Allusondrugs with a single from last year called Magic College.

The band are heading out on their biggest tour to date – the Scuzz UK Throwdown Tour, 16 dates co-headlining with a couple of other excellent punk bands Press To Meco and Max Raptor.

You can see them in Birmingham,Glasgow,Aberdeen,Dundee,Carlisle,Edinburgh,Newcastle,Manchester Deaf Instutite, Derby, Tunbridge Wells forum (as far as I know the only venue on the toilet circuit that is actually a converted public toilet – true story) Milton Keynes, Norwich, Southampton Joiners (blimey I’ve started so I’ll finish), Bath,Cardiff and finishing at the Borderline in London, so no excuses for not getting along if you can – support great live music.

Full list of venues and dates

CONNIE CONSTANCE “Answer”

In The Grass’ is the first release from North/West London born artist Connie Constance.

In 2015 a friend introduced Connie to UK musician Blue Daisy, their friendship was instant and Blue swiftly became her producer and mentor.

Together they set about carving a uniquely tripped-out sound.

At just 20 years of age, Connie’s aura surpasses the time she’s been on this planet.

She wanted to create music for her generation that breathes escapism from the cuts and bruises of young British life, penning lyrics on buses and trains. Her style owes as much to Pete Doherty’s old school off key dialogue as Erykah Badu’s freestyle soul.

You can get the EP on Bandcamp as well as the track featured in the show “Answer” which came out at the back end of 2015.

BEAR’S DEN “Agape”

Sal’s first Indietastic Classic selection for this year is from Bear’s Den’s 2014 “Islands” album.

Also from the album is the tragically beautiful “Elysium”.

SEA PINKS “I Don’t Feel Like Giving In”

The opening track from Sea Pinks’ album Soft Days

You can get the album from bandcamp, which I’d recommend – its a superb grower of a record.

DAVID BOWIE “Lazarus”

As far as final hits in yer lifetime go, Elvis Presley had Way Down, John Lennon had Imagine and Johnny Cash had Hurt. I’d say Bowie wins by a canter with that one.

Among the tributes to Bowie – and I’m certain there will be plenty more to come – Bruce Springsteen played “Rebel Rebel” in Pittsburgh on the first night of his 2016 tour.

Bruce messes up the introductory riff big time but so what? Heart’s in the right place!

KENDRICK LAMAR “Blue Faces”

Also known as “Untitled 2” this track was premiered by Kendrick on the Jimmy Fallon chat show a week or so ago.

Also, Kendrick put this video out on New Year’s Eve – entitled “God Is Gangsta” (and ain’t THAT the truth!) it mixes tracks from the “To Pimp A Butterfly” album which, by the way, everyone should own.

THE BLACK FEATHERS “Down By The River”

The Black Feathers are an award winning duo from Gloucestershire in England.

The perfectly paired voices of Sian Chandler and Ray Hughes intertwine effortlessly to create a genre-defying sound, combining elements of folk, roots, americana, and southern rock. The duo have been touring all over the UK for the past 2 years, winning over new fans of all ages everywhere they go.

This is the loved-up video for “Strangers We Meet” from their 2014 EP.

We’ll be doing a one-off David Bowie special so look out for that but the next show proper will be available to download or stream from next Sunday and will feature among others Max Raptor, Mechanimal, Hinds and (fingers crossed) Fat White Family.

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Thank you. Come Again.

BEAT CITY 61 “feat. David Cameron” – SLEEVE NOTES
11
Jan

MEILYR JONES “How To Recognise A Work Of Art” (from the forthcoming album “2013”)

Meilyr Jones is a pretty unique talent. He formed Radio Luxembourg while still at school, that band morphing into the Race Horses. Collaborations include Gruff Rhys, Stealing Sheep and Euros Childs.

But frankly all of that, fine though it is, pales into insignificance next to his solo work. “How To Recognise A Work Of Art” hits you firmly in the sonic solar plexus with its Motown beat set behind those oddly ethereal vocals.

Check out his recent session for Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music before it disappears from the site – as well as a great version of “Work Of Art” it also includes “Strange Emotional” and “Featured Artist”, both from the new album, confusingly titled “2013” since that’s when the songs were written.

HINDS “Warts” (from the album “Leave Me Alone”)

I’m scratching my head to think of too many Spanish bands that have made any sort of a splash in the English-speaking indie world.

Hinds hail from Madrid. They’ve gained attention over the last couple of years for their carefree, jangly guitar sound and their infectiously upbeat live shows.

Their debut album “Leave Me Alone”, however, shows a more multifaceted music – there’s a more downbeat approach to songs like “Warts” and the last single “Garden” which to my mind is a smart move – you don’t want to be TOO cheerful to sell records to indie / emo kids.

From the accompanying press release :

“These songs try to represent the 12 faces of love we’ve experienced.“

“It’s funny ’cause we thought this album would be all party and cheerfulness, but – SURPRISE – it’s not!!!!! haha. Feelings are more balanced, like in life. So suddenly we had a more sober – or even sad – album than we expected. Please don’t think we’ve turned into depressive people or something, we’ve always been humans, it’s just we’re now showing it to you.”

Fair enough, I’d say.

NOVELIST “Street Politician”

Kojo Kankam, aka Novelist, co-founded The Square grime crew (whose members have appeared on the Beat City podcast before) but left in late 2015 to push on with his solo career.
Artistically this looks like a very smart move indeed. December saw the release of the “David Cameron riddim” (lost in the pre-Xmas rush, a theme throughout these sleeve notes incidentally!)

and now Novelist has dropped the absolute killer track “Street Politician”, which actually samples our dear leader Mr Cam.

The best thing I’ve heard all year by some distance – why aren’t more people making records like this? It deserve to be a massive hit but I can’t see it getting too much airplay despite not having any bad words on it.

(see the final entry in the show for a further example of protest in current music, also featuring David Cameron)

SUMMER TWINS “Ouija” (from the album “Limbo”)

Summer Twins are sisters Chelsea (guitar, vocals) and Justine Brown (drums, vocals). They write dreamy rock ‘n roll songs with a touch of California sun. Born and raised in Riverside, Ca, they formed Summer Twins in 2008, with a focus on singing pop harmonies atop garage rock inspired by the ’50s and ’60s. Summer Twins play live with Michael Rey Villavicencio on bass and Andy Moran on guitar.

Their debut album “Limbo” came out in October 2015 – here’s another track from it.

LIZZO “My Skin” (from the album ….. “Big GRRRL Small World”)

Lizzo has this to say about this track :

“This is a summoning of bodies: all shapes, sizes and shades to unite in their pride, and wear their skin like the gift it is”

Check out Check out the rest of Lizzo’s thoughts on the track “My Skin” – they’re well worth a read.

VILLAGERS – “Memoirs” (from the album “Where Have You Been All My Life?”)

The new Villagers album is a collection of new recordings of songs from the last few albums. Always a potentially dodgy exercise but they really come through, not least on this superb, moody reading of a ‘Memoir’, which Conor O’Brien wrote for Charlotte Gainsbourg; it can be found on her 2011 album Stage Whisper, but has never before been recorded by Villagers until now. Here’s the Gainsbourg version.

Looking forward to seeing them perform the new arrangements on their forthcoming tour of Europe. See you dahn the front!

COUSIN STIZZ “Dirty Bands” (from the album “Suffolk County”)

Brilliant 13-track mixtape from Boston’s Cousin Stizz, making serious waves further afield. Not a dodgy track on it – check out this one for size.

BEATY HEART “FLORA” (from the forthcoming album)

Here in Beat City we took Peckham popsters Beaty Heart’s debut album “Mixed Blessings” right to the core of our (beaty) hearts.

It contained some wonderful summery beats into an indie wrapper with some really messed-up lyrics sung with a jaunty bounce that made it easy to forget the often very dark subject matter.

The lead track for the second album has just been given the accolade of Huw Stephens’ single of the week on Radio One, which is excellent news 8=)

The album is produced by David Wrench, who has worked with Caribou, Jungle and FKA Twigs. Presumably the band are aiming for a wider audience, which is no bad thing, just as long as they don’t lose their quirkiness along the way – basically David, make it less Jungle and more FKA Twigs / Caribou, would you? Just play “Lekka Freakout” loud if you feel its all getting a bit too commercial. Ta.

MECHANIMAL “Radio On”

Mechanimal is an industrial audio-visual unit hailing from Athens, Greece, led by Giannis Papaioannou as main producer, songwriter and keyboardist, solely responsible for the direction of the band.

Mechanimal’s musical language can be interpreted through a wide range of genres, featuring male and female vocals on mechanical repetitive beats, shoegazing guitar drones and pulsating sequencers.

Their first album, simply titled “Mechanimal”, was released in 2012 by Inner Ear featuting Freddie Faulkenberry on vocals and Tassos Nikogiannis on guitars. On stage, Mechanimal employed video visual elements created by Angelica Vrettou.

Their second album, titled “Secret Science”, was released in 2014 by Inner Ear featuring the same vocalist and Kostas Matiatos on guitars.

For the recordings of their third album Giannis Papaioannou assembled a new line-up featuring both past guitarists, but female vocals by Eleni Tzavara. This third album, symbolically entitled by the acronym “Delta Pi Delta” will include 10 tracks and will be released by Inner Ear at the beginning of 2016.

The touring band for the new album features a revolving line-up (with Eleni Tzavara on vocals, Tassos Nikogiannis on guitars, Giannis Papaioannou on keyboards, Antonis Charalambidis on drums), that often rearranges songs to fit in this new live setting which is always accompanied by the video fragments projected on stage by Angelica Vrettou.

This is also from “Delta Pi Delta”:

SEA PINKS Ordinary Daze (from the album “Soft Days”)

Sea Pinks have been around for a while, starting out as the one-man project of singer/guitarist Neil Brogan, who made three bedroom albums on which he played everything himself before expanding the line-up for 2014’s “Dreaming Tracks” to the classic indie band lineup of guitar,bass,drums and – erm – cello (anyone remember the Grammatics? No? Just me, then)

“Soft Days” sees them stripped down to a three-piece and I think Brogan has achieved his aim for “a tighter, more cohesive record”.

Definitely their best record yet.

You can buy the album on Bandcamp – the band gets more money that way – heck, you can get the VINYL for thirteen quid.

This is the opening track from the album if you need further convincing:

BEAR GHOST “Funkle Phil”

From Phoenix Arizona, Bear Ghost beg the question on this single “How much Queen is too much Queen?”

Bear Ghost know the answer, as the Darkness did before them, is to go for it “full Freddy”.

If that was all there was to this band, though, they’d quickly become tired (as the Darkness did) but that is certainly not the case. Check out Necromancin’ Dancin’, available from bandcamp on a pay what you like, its superb.

Listen to “Necromancin’ Dancin’ here

ENNIO MORRICONE “Overture” (from “The Hateful Eight” soundtrack)

We’re not huge fans of Tarantino movies post-Jackie Brown here in Beat City, but each to their own.

On the matter of music, however, you can generally trust Quentin, and he’s surpassed himself by persuading legendary film music composer Ennio Morricone to write the score for “The Hateful Eight” (in fact as I write this I’ve just seen that he’s won the Golden Globe for best score. He has to be a good bet for the Oscar next month, surely? .
Unbelievably he wasn’t even nominated until 1979 and has only ever received an honorary one, in 2007, which I’ve always thought was a bit of a “whoops, sorry, we missed you out all those times, you’re going to die soon, have an award”.

It would be a fitting and well-deserved end to a great career if he were to win now.

This is one of Morricone’s best known themes:

LIZZO “Betcha” (from the album “Big GRRRL Small World”)

A more typical track from Lizzo’s excellent album which sneaked out at the end of 2015.

STEVE MASON “Planet Sizes” (from the forthcoming album “Meet The Humans”)

Inspired by his relocation from the London city to the Brighton sea, Planet Sizes is taken from his new album, Meet The Humans, which is out on Double Six on 26 February. While its uncluttered leading track gradually unfurls into a celestial acoustic melody, the rest of the album sees the songwriter experiment with dance, pop, folk, dub and deep house influences. Following his “double political concept album” Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time and his debut solo album, Boys Outside, a collection of songs that wrestle with the end of a relationship and his subsequent breakdown, this third album was recorded with Elbow keyboardist and producer Craig Potter, and is a move towards a more simple ethic. It is “an album where each song is a separate entity, where there is no great narrative running through it,” he says.

There’s an excellent animated video accompanying the track, directed by Anna Ginsburg

SQUEEZE “Cradle To The Grave” (live on the Andrew Marr show)

Protest music’s seemingly gone out of fashion, a subject I keep meaning to write about at greater length.

There don’t seem to be too many younger rock bands making any sort of stand, which seems strange at a time when you may reasonably expect a bit more dissent.

On Sunday, seventies popsters Squeeze closed the Andrew Marr political show on BBC1 with their catchy theme to Danny Baker’s sitcom “Cradle To Grave” .

Prime Minister David Cameron was a guest on the show and singer Glen Tilbrook changed the words of the last verse into a pointed attack on his government, with him sitting three feet away on live television.

It may not bring any governments down, but its a start.

“I grew up in council housing
Part of what made Britain great
There are some here who are hell-bent
On the destruction of the Welfare State”

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this piece and listening to the podcast.

Beat City #63 will be available to download on Sunday 17th January 2015, with the sleeve notes following the next day.

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Thank you. Come again.