Next up pop pickers!

Saturday 11Th December. Its penciled in my diary now so it must be real. Or in other words I've accepted the "event request" on Facebook so it must be real. I am Djing as part of a night of music for one of my old mates who served and did his bit for fun and laughter and rock and roll before exiting the film far too early. Now I'm at a loose end when it comes to track selection. After all this shouldn't be a somber affair as the last thing any one wants on a Saturday night is another wake or run through of the funeral, it needs to be upbeat and loud. But balancing sentiment while still remembering the occasion involved seems to be the worry I'm facing. It's not a greatest hits or perfect play list, hopefully rather a revival of a party heavy night that reminds us that were there the first time around what it used to be like while at the same time giving a night to those that missed it a taste of what came before. New tracks that were made after his passing will be scattered within dyed in the wool classics and I will be uttering the opinion that anyone raising eye brows or flicking NME play lists wondering if mid 90s tracks are being played "ironically" or not will be escorted to the back room for a brief but firm kicking.

Here are a couple of choices that will definitely be getting a play.

1) Head To Toe - Kings of Leon
2) Fade Away - Oasis
3) Made Of Stone - The Stone Roses
4) This Is Music - The Verve
5) Club Foot - Kasabian
6) Stay Young - Oasis
7) Local Boy In A Photograph - Stereophonics (I know! Its amazing that they were once amazing)

All requests will be taken with the contempt they deserve.*

*requests basically mean "i don't like what your playing, play THIS"....

2010 TRACKS...

December is officially here and all of the news stands and newsagents are full of various rags listing the "official" BEST OF the years music, Q magazine will be full of the Elton John's of the world, MOJO with Americana and London Roundhouse non commercial releases and NME either Arcade Fire or a myspace band that started yesterday and broke up before the record was released.

As part and parcel of me having and operating a blog is that occasionally I actually contribute to it I think it's only right and proper for me to include my list of what ditties have been clogging up my eardrums in the past 12 months, some will be new and some will probably (definitely) be older although personally I think it's all relative as the first time I hear a track or album then it's "new" in my opinion.

Here goes my tracks of the year (who buys whole albums any more right?)...me that's who...but that's beside the point...*deep breath*

01) READY TO START - ARCADE FIRE (best track from their 2010 album "The Suburbs")
02) YOU KNOW THAT I'M NO GOOD - WANDA JACKSON (this Amy Winehouse cover produced by Jack White for Third Man records does the impossible and makes Winehouse's version sound like the cover!)
03) PICK YOUR BATTLES - ELI 'PAPERBOY' REED (Still one of my favourite artist's around at the moment, amazing live and even better on record. Bringing real R&B and soul back to the masses)
04) PYRO - KINGS OF LEON (from their latest album, and not hidden under a layar of stadium ooohs and aaaahs)
05) TELEPHONE - LADY GAGA (Just for the "wha-wha-what did you say" bit alone)
06) LOVE WON'T BE LEAVING - ANNA CALVI (youtube and myspace this badboy...sorry girl)
07) FUCK YOU - CEE LO GREEN (How could I not mention this? A great,great pop song with motown a'la Four Tops hook and vocals)
08) BETTER THINGS - SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS (from the attention the Dap Kings got being the backing band for Amy Winehouse during the "Back To Black" sessions they are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Sharon Jones can wail, moan, and seduce you with her voice..all in the same song usually)
09) RAINBOWS IN GASOLINE - THE GHOST OF A SABER TOOTH TIGER (This is the new band from Sean Lennon and his girlfriend and muse/model Charlotte Kemp Muhl, acoustic whimsy with strong melodies)
10) INHALER - MILES KANE (While we wait for the upcoming The Last Shadown Puppets second album in 2011 we have this single from the soon to be released solo album to tide us over, expect great things, loads of 60s hooks and winks without being cheesy and obvious...wonderful)

Brian Wilson...

Brian Wilson

Just finished my re-read well worn copy of the Brian Wilson autobiography “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” (available in all good book shops and Amazon easily enough) It’s a controversial book in as much as whether Brian Wilson had anything to do with its writing and completion is a matter that has been brought up time and time again. At the time of its completion Brian was actually still in a psychological 24 hour a day programme with a doctor who would become the infamous Dr Landy. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Dr Eugene Landy saved Wilsons life as he was over 300lbs (over 21 stone) smoking 4 packs of cigarettes a day and shovelling enough food and cocaine into his body at such a rapid rate that would make Keith Richards blush. Dr Landy sorted all this out, got him trim, healthy, clean and de-toxed and able to converse and go about his daily routines without any bother. He also traded one addiction for another and made Wilson totally dependant on him and his “programme” and at a whopping $35,000 a month plus expenses wasn’t a popular option from the other Beach Boys and his family although he got Brain back on his feet and back from oblivion.

Brian Wilson’s story is a saga and he was never going to be a flash in the pan live fast die young rock and roller, he was in it for the long haul. Whether he is firing on all cylinders any more is another discussion but considering what he’s been through the fact he is so lucid can still sing like a bird and produce like a pro is testament to his staggering abilities that haven’t diminished (for proof of this see his magnum opus SMiLE completed finally in 2004 from its initial birth in 1966)

Like a lot of the bands of the 60s that reached massive heights The Beach Boys have turned into McDonalds and Coke and people assume they know all about them because they’ve heard “Surfin USA” or an early hit like that or “California Girls”, songs that have been played to death on the oldies stations without delving into the goldmine of music and non single tracks that make up Brian Wilson’s musical legacy. Due to the lack of respect companies like Capitol gave Wilson and his music all the tracks are available on sites such as Spotify and you can buy 2 for 1 album’s 3 for £20 at most record shops so their loss has been our good luck. Spotify the following tracks to here why everyone from Elton John, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Sean Lennon, Fleet Foxes to Bob Dylan all agree that Brian Wilson is still the benchmark to aim for when producing and creating true musical beauty.

Add Some Music to Your Day –

01) Till I Die
02) Caroline No
03) God Only Knows
04) Time To Get Alone
05) Sail On Sailor
06) Blue Hawaii
07) Surfs Up
08) Love And Mercy
09) Soul Searchin’ (with Carl Wilson)
10) Let’s Put Our Heart’s Together (will Marilyn Wilson)

A Place To Bury Strangers - review

LONDON ON THE INSIDE
INTERVIEW OF
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS LIVE@ XOYO, Old Street, London - 24/11/10

APTBS (I'm not about to write their name out 20 times during this review) are hailed as "the loudest band in NYC" so it's no surprise to me to hear them sound checking their equipment as I walk up the street to the venue from a good distance away. After meeting their label I'm introduced to the band and ushered into the quietest room of a very noisy venue which was now coming to life as cables were plugged in and lights flickered into action. My interviewee for tonight was vocalist and guitarist Oliver Ackermann who was nursing serious jet lag and on a promise of a good meal but who wasn't going to let a little thing like food and sleep get in the way of shaking up XOYO and annoying the ears of anyone in a 5 mile radius. (See interview below)

After the interview had finished and now ear plugged and ready to go I artful dodger a few crafty beers from the bands ample rider and find a good spot to see the band in full force. They open with "I Know I'll See You" from their self titled first album and are already showing their hand and making it very clear to the crowd that they mean business with its looping baseline courtesy of new boy Dion Lunadon and powerful drums and guitar. Segueing straight into new album track "Heart In Head" which kicks in the fuzz and raise feedback ghosts from LA.Blues and Fun House with 60s Spector drums anchoring everything tight. A flutter of delay from Oliver and we're into fan favourite "To Fix The Gash In Your Head" along with this and the previously mentioned there will be another 2 tracks from the debut tonight along with new material from the latest album "Exploding Head" including "Ego Death" which strangely reminded me of "This Is Music" by The Verve although I think I may have been the only person to see the similarity between the two bands. "In Your Heart" followed the set with it's filling rattling bass notes and garage rock chords and gave APTBS their first chance to expand their playing giving the drummer, Jay Space, a chance to earn his stripes firing fills like a machine gun from his snare drum.

Throughout the set tracks like "Missing You", "Lived My Life" and "Ocean" shower the audience in waves of feedback and waves of noise while keeping their own personal idiosyncrasies intact. The bands set ran up to 60 mins and there was no distraction from the manifesto of noise rock they were dishing out. They finalised their set with a 1-2 combination knock out audio punch of "Drill It Up" and "Deadbeat" which concluded with guitars being twirled around and feedback screaming through various pedals and delays to the delight of the blessed out swaying audience.

Tonights audience were packed in tight to the stage and captivated by the band throughout. The 3 piece from New York only played one London show on this tour before flying off to Belgium and then heading to Berlin to meet up with The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Tonight they were supported by Dark Horses (5 piece) who's line up included a Bez/Joel Gion character on tambourine and whipping a chain on a empty oil drum as his effort to their Velvets/BJM sounds but although showed great promise and had some good songs felt a little like the cranky little brother to the headliners tonight.

--------------------
(transcript of the interview from before the show) Chris Lancaster Interviewing Oliver Ackermann

You're famous for your Death by Audio pedals, any new inclusions on the horizon effect wise?

Definitely, we're working on a lot of stuff doing a lot with spring reverb and we're making these things that really overdrive the sound we're gonna have multiple chambers with different springs all combined into one. We're getting springs from a different manufacturer but it's taking ages talking to people from Taiwan and China but that will definitely be the next pedal we're coming out with but it totally sounds wicked and awesome! But we're always working on tonnes of other stuff (Oliver is the main designer of the pedals, a couple of other guys help build them.)

You've undertaken some support acts with bands such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Dandy Warhols, BRMC that all initially come from the San Francisco psychedelic scene, do you identify with that style of music - more retro than pop?

I love New York and the scene, but there is good bands all over the place and I just love good bands. Anton (TBJTM) is cool to hang out with, hopefully we will get to hang out with him again in Berlin.

Where do you hang out when you're in London?

We always go out as much as we can while we're here, shit I don't know I like going to new places…. the Hawley Arms in Camden is good… shit I could be there now!

Volume plays a large part in your live set, is this something that is integral to your 'sound', or is it more of a fuck you to the crowd (i.e. try ignoring this!)?

Both are really important, it definitely has to do with the sound though, this really cool thing happens when an amplifier is on the verge of exploding and you get a really cool sound, it makes things more unpredictable. Part of what is so cool about the sound is the speaker almost not being able to handle it. We're looking for raw energy and chaos.

Listening to some of your set I've picked up some dance orientated drum rhythms, does dance music influence you at all?

Totally! Definitely! Of course… though it's probably not the same as dance music that people would relate to, but I love electronic music, we're not trying to do anything in particular or stick to a particular genre or style we just go with what sounds cool.

You have a real DIY ethic to how a band operates, do you feel more bands would benefit from this given the state of the record industry and that music would bounce back in a more underground fashion i.e. releasing their own material without the aid of a major label?

Sometimes you just have to do it by yourself but it depends on the situation you're in if you know someone that's really into the music and has a better vision of what you can achieve then you could definitely benefit with going with someone that could help you out, although for me when I'm in the studio they are always the people [label people] that end up fucking things up where you end up fighting with the engineers over recording techniques like "what happens if we crank this up", even if these people are really cool one on one in that environment it causes problems…but maybe I'm just too picky I dunno (laughs).

Are they any bands that you are into at the moment that you are into/influenced by?

Sure, Weekend are great, there is a tonne of good bands out there at the moment.

What would you pick as your record/album/EP of the year?

The All The Saints record is great, I'm not sure if it came out yet but I got a copy and that is fucking wicked. So if you can find it definitely get it.

Do you feel restricted by being a three-piece or does having limited instruments force spontaneity and creativity?

It can be restrictive but it can also help you because it gives you control of what we can do… you can almost do whatever you want to do at any given moment, I'm almost sometimes jealous of bands that are a two-piece, because when you're just playing with a drummer you don't have to play along with anyone else but playing with a three-piece is the next step. At any given moment you can take a song into any direction you want to. Playing with three makes it easier to change the dynamic of each song like if you want to go mellow, you don't have to explain it to five people!

Thank you to the band and Zoe Miller from Mute Records
photo by Bruna Volpi

http://www.myspace.com/aplacetoburystrangers

dig through those cd's....

Another day another random list for you to ignore...

Here are 5 songs getting a proper rinsing at castle de'Lancaster at the moment, in the beauty of Spotify there is no reason to miss out, look em' up, listen to em', absorb them, then amaze your friends with flawless taste...

1) You don't have to camp around - Todd Rundgren - From his magnum psychedelic opus of "A Wizard A True Star" album comes this little ditty, with enough in jokes and satire thrown in with an off beat and catchy hook that will have you all swaying about in smoking jackets and quoting Oscar Wilde while smoking cigarettes through an empty biro.

2)Heroes and Villains - Brian Wilson - I've chosen the recently found Original recording of this classic SMiLE era song actually sung by Brian Wilson in the 60s as a guide for Al Jardine to copy later. I would have chosen the re-make from Brian Wilson a few years back but something about this one shows the madness at the peak of his powers that is still so exciting.

3)Part Time Love - Luther Allison - One of the most underrated blues men of all time delivers this great lost gem of a track. Owing a passing resemblance to an early Otis Rush minor chord blues but with the grit of a Stax classic, and a great falsetto ending to leave the hairs on the back of your neck standing up.

4) Its All Too Much - The Beatles - Yes The Beatles! have I lost my mind you gasp, surely there isn't a person in the known world that hasn't listened to every song a million times? But this George Harrison track from the Yellow Submarine album shows what a powerful rhythm section they had in Paul McCartney and Ringo. A great 60s era psychedelic pop track although I still think it would have been better with John Lennon singing it rather than Georges boring Liverpudlian drawl....

5) If You Want Me To Stay - Sly Stone - Sly Stone is releasing a new album early next year and I for one am not really on the edge of my seat as the man who made all those classic tracks in the late 60s and 70s such as "Everyday People", "Stand", "I want to take you higher" as well as the benchmark albums like 1971's "There's A Riot Goin' On" has been lost in the wilderness of drug abuse and writers block for too long to pull back, so for now listen to this track from his solo album "Fresh" and remember where Prince, Outkast and countless other artist got it all from...

ATROCKER - ANNA CALVI

Anna Calvi is one of Domino Records' newest signings and with her name gently building up momentum in the music press of late I would go as far to say that 2011 will be the year that makes her. Her live shows are talking points long after the bouncers have ushered fans out of the venues and with patronages from such rock luminaries as The Corals former guitar hero Bill Ryder-Jones, Brian Eno and of course Nick Cave (who’s taken Calvi on tour as support for his Grinderman band) she is certainly making waves on the circuit.

Although small of statue physically, on stage she is a giant, cranking lightning out of her telecaster and red Vox Amp, not seen this side of Jack White, and due to her taste in flamenco she weaves a wave of sound back at the audience in such a way that she can sound like two players at once, something which she describes as: “creating the impressionistic element of the music”. Her playing style musically quotes everything from Django Reinhardt to Jimi Hendrix and even classical writers such as Debussy and Ravel, while at the same time accompanying her own distinct operatic like vocals.

Her first single 'Jezebel' is a cover of the Edith Piaf track and is a great introduction to the dramatic sound and voice of Anna Calvi, with its rolling rhythm reminiscent of 'Conquest' by the White Stripes if it had been cut for a Robert Rodriguez film and her controlled powerful and passionate vocals. It is the first taste of the band before the debut album is released on the 17th of January 2011.

I have seen her live show twice in as many months at The Borderline and then at Soho’s Madam Jo Jo’s and after hearing some of the material to make the album I think that before long she will be the “name” to drop when discussing new music on the scene with such songs as 'Love Won’t Be Leaving' making many the top tracks list upon release and may be first hand in bringing back guitar solo’s to the indie world with some guts.

Supported live by a very small band consisting of Daniel Maiden-Wood on drums and backing vocals and musical twin Mally Harpaz on what seems a mystery bag of shakers, harmonium, percussion and anything else to hand she has found two musical allies to bring the gospel of rock and roll back to the masses while still being able to get sexy and bluesy with the best of them. Look out Grinderman, you better pull out a hell of a show.

myspace.com/annacalvi

the blank page...

As Ernest Hemingway once quoted "the daily trauma of the blank page" was always something that frustrated him no matter how many books he completed, there was always going to be a fresh piece of paper in his type writer smiling at him. Now not for a single micro-second would I be brash enough to compare myself with someone of Hemingway's statue but I understand the predicament. Recently I have been attending gigs, writing reviews, churning out general rants and pointless lists of songs that I have chosen to "educate" the proles who prefer to thumb through copies of NME rather than find out where the music actually came from and seeking the source rather than the copy cats. Recently I'm starting to grasp for idea's to report on between getting official assignments from the 4 sites I now write for. On the plus side I did get a "friend request" from Vincent Gallo after I had emailed him in regards to a Travis Bean guitar that I had seen for sale on EBAY and knew he'd been looking out for recently (yes the word obsessive geek doesn't even start to describe my insanity sometimes)so that was a nice result.

Monday 22ND November is now here and with 4 days to go before pay day I am going to have to either flick through Spotify to hear any new albums/singles or try and knock up a piece discussing either an old band or something current.eeek!...

With nothing through yet from Music Magazine or Artrocker this morning (10.28am) I think that the least I could do would be to bring you all up to speed regarding your heroes current listening habits for the weekend. So far they have included Miles Kane's new forthcoming single "Inhaler" which is right up my alley as well as a recently found new mix of the Brian Wilson classic "Till I Die" which has always been a firm favourite of mine from the "Surf's Up" album but in this new mix stretches the song out as well as bringing all the instruments in one by one showing the complexity and harmonic structure of Wilson's mind from the inside out, truly beautiful.

Briefly yet fleetingly had the idea of starting another band last night although as the cold sweats started when considering all that would involve decided against the bullshit and backstabbing these things include and preferred getting a Chinese in and practicing my sweep picking until I get the call to join Steely Dan.

*PEG - STEELY DAN
*JOSIE - STEELY DAN
*REELIN' IN THE YEARS - STEELY DAN
*INHALER - MILES KANE
*TILL I DIE - THE BEACH BOYS