Pop Levi - Never Never Love

Marc Bolan lives. Or at least his spirit does. ‘Never Never Love’ eschews Pop Levi’s Ladytron background, and instead veers directly into glam-rock territory. Opening track ‘Wannamama’ stomps to a beat of glitter platform boots, and lead single ‘Dita Dimoné’ is ‘Hot Love’ remixed with some Ladytron synths. Elsewhere, tracks like ‘Love You Straight’ offer chilled out mid-70’s slow-set grooves. This is the record Har Mar Superstar wished he’d made.

That Lucky Old Sun

I’m excited and worried about the new Brian Wilson record- ‘That Lucky Old Sun’- in equal parts. I can’t really listen to to Wilson’s newer stuff it without getting a little upset about all that Wilson was, and the Hal-esque singing monkey he now is. [For more, read Darragh's piece on Mental Illness in Rock]. The new record, by all accounts, is quite introspective, and a return to ‘Smile‘, rather than ‘Pet Sounds‘. Van Dyke Parks is back on board, and the record has a imagistic story arc. However, Wilson’s so bloody detached about the whole thing:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA3KxFgqs4E&feature=related]

In a slightly fan-girlish interview, Zooey Deschanel chats to Wilson about the new record, and life in general. Except he calls her ‘Joey Deschanel’:
Brian Wilson and Zooey on Myspace Tv

Ending on a positive note, though, here’s a live performance of ‘Southern California’. If you listen to it carefully, you’ll pick up on a reference Wilson makes in the above Deschanel interview- about singing with his brothers at home. Wilson’s never lived anywhere apart from Southern California his whole life. It seems, and sounds like, he’s headed home for good.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnXNagv-mGA]

Brendan Canning

Brendan Canning was almost a professional footballer. Almost. True to form, the decision to turn down sports in favour of music wasn’t for any bombastic, life-changing reason. He just made an educated choice- ‘I didn’t think I was good enough. It’s kind of like being in a band though, a group of individuals you gotta get along with, and you have a manager…’

The man doesn’t own a mobile phone, and, until recently, his favourite radio show was one on a college station. When he dj’s, he spins African music in his sets, not because it’s currently in vogue, but because he actually likes it. ‘I’ve never heard Vampire Weekend, so I can’t really say anything about them. I listen to old stuff; I’ve yet to catch up. I don’t know if they’ve any African roots in their background, but I like African music. There’s lots of great music all around the world, sometimes I don’t get to the newer stuff…’ In one breath he steps back from modern technology, apparently disinterested-‘When I’m making videos, I just let the director go with it. I don’t really like the medium.’- and in the same breath, offers a far more interesting alternative-‘I’d be more interested in making a film. I took a road trip with my Dad and his friend Herb in 1988 to Arizona. I always thought that there were enough moments in that to make a decent film. I could do the soundtrack as well.’ He’s excited about the score for The Tracey Fragments- starring Ellen Page. It will be Broken Social Scene’s third score in a short period of time. Their music has already appeared in Bruce McDonald’s film The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess, on the Wicker Park soundtrack and for Clement Virgo’s film Lie With Me and the upcoming film Snow Cake, which is already receiving critical acclaim. It’s fitting then, that Bruce McDonald is the director of a documentary-in-progress on Brendan Canning.
Canning feels at ease around McDonald, because of their previous work together, and feels no discomfort at being filmed. His only regret is that ‘sometimes, when I look back on things I said, I go ‘Oh, maybe I should have explained that better, or been a little more eloquent.’ Eloquence isn’t a problem, however, especially on his solo album ‘Something for Everyone’.

In keeping with the title, ‘Something for Everyone’ offers a broad selection of musical styles, and of voices. Many friends from the Broken Social Scene stable pitch in a hand, be it vocally or instrumentally. As a result, the record is a pick and mix of all the things that made Broken Social Scene special- swooping, sprawling hooks, tight melodies and anthemic lyrics- along with elements that are all Canning’s own- including muted atmospherics, painterly instrumentation, and clever textures. Unsurprisingly, the album came together in a pretty organic, straightforward fashion. Old song ideas were polished up, refined and reshaped-‘There were a couple of ideas that I liked, and had floating around for a while. The funky track- ‘Love is New’- was basically a soundcheck jam from 2004. I took it, and morphed it a little bit.’ ‘Snowballs and Icicles’- that was recorded around the same time as ‘Spirit If…’ in the same studios.’- and new ones were written in studio, as the album was being recorded-‘I was writing with a couple of guys in the studio. It was like writing a new band with those guys. There were there with me writing the tunes. It’s different because you don’t have a family. We weren’t in the rehearsal space.’ He admits there were difficulties changing roles from bassist to lead singer, and from tune-smith to singer/songwriter-‘It took me a little while to get warmed up and not rely on others so much. Before, I’d write a tune and not focus on the vocals at all. A singer/songwriter does tunes before facts. I was used to doing it the other way around.’ Canning is happy to mix together his solo and his group projects- ‘We’ve been doing a few songs at summer festivals, touring a mixture of new stuff and older B.S..S. stuff. Kind of a Brendan Canning Greatest Hits package.’- and remains staunchly loyal to Broken Social Scene (or, ‘the band’) - ‘I don’t need the singing spotlight on me all the time. Right now, it (B.S.S.) is a solid core. It’s been a little easier getting a set-list and line-up together.’ While he refuses to give either of his projects precedence over the other-‘Hopefully the band (B.S.S.) will start writing together soon. I just released a record with my name and my face on the cover. I don’t think about scheduling records, really. Whatever comes first, comes first.’- that’s not to say he’s stopped thinking about his next move. When probed further, he quickly mumbles about another, slightly secret side-project-‘I’ve another record coming up that’s neither Broken Social Scene nor Brendan Canning. It’s more pop-rock.’- then stops, refusing to divulge any further information- I’m kind of waiting before I speak about that one too much. I think there are some good tunes on it though….’

Brendan Canning may tentatively left the Broken Social Scene nest, but after looking around the big wide world, and shaking his tail-feather a little, it’s pretty clear that he has no intention of going back inside.

Wheat and Chaff

There’s an interesting post on the blog section of yesterday’s Guardian re: culling albums. Yer man argues that 200 albums is enough for anyone to own, even for research/reviewing purposes. Right now, I own about 400 albums. I think. I haven’t checked. Physically, I certainly have about 300. Then there’s iTunes. Throwing away music feels a little like defining who you are by what you’re not. While I can’t think of a time in the future where I’d desperately need to listen to the Coyote Ugly OST, I’m still reluctant to throw it away. It has a decent bluegrass song on it that I once liked. Also, if I had culled all my albums a couple of years ago, I probably would have chucked out a John Coltrane box set- one that I listen to a lot now.

Here’s the question for today then, asked again for our non-Guardian readers, is 200 records enough? If so, what would you cull from your collection?

Edit: I actually checked how many records I own. Physically, 400. Non-physically, about the same again. And I’m keeping them all.

Analogue Issue Five

Issue Five of Analogue is now out and about, and, hopefully, in the hands of you, our darling readers. Without blowing our own trumpets, this is probably our strongest issue yet. Our lead feature focuses on Mental Illness and Music, complete with custom illustrations by noted Irish artist Scalder. Wait though, we’re not done yet. Olwyn delves deep into Trancehall, while myself and Karl trade off our favourite records. Further on, Ciarán and Paul discuss concept albums. Interviews-wise, we’ve lined up chats (and drawings) from Y.A.C.H.T., Brendan Canning, Diplo, Stereolab, Bodies of Water, and more- not to mention our always stellar reviews section.

The magazine should be fully distributed by the end of the week- keep an eye on our Twitter box (top right hand side) for breaking news.

Update: You can download this issue in PDF now!

Any problems, or questions, as ever, hit us up on our new feedback service.

A-Wop-Bop-A-Loo-Bop

Amanda of old-timey bike-riding The Ditty Bops has a sideline as one half of Pretty Thingsss. Pretty Thingsss is an online sketch show (and sometime public access tv show), with a minimal budget, minimal cast, but with maximum irony and laffs. For reals. Each show is under 3 minutes long and is a bite-sized nugget of knowing hipster self-mockery. Here’s the first of three interviews that Pretty Thingsss conducted with themselves, as themselves:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP2veBAo-hI]

Shows like Popcorn are set in an independent art-house cinema, where movies like ‘The Duchess’ Picnic’ and ‘Almost a Woman’ expose the sometimes ridiculous world of ‘difficult’ movies, and the always ridiculous clientèle that frequent them. Mulberry Commons focuses on an elite boarding school for girls, where no student is aged under 21, and nobody’s hair is their own. Less clever, but no less funny, are the straight-up parodies of popular MTV shows:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlFNt5Jg494&feature=related]

In an all-in-one-roundhouse-kick way of summing things up, if you go here, and view ‘Short Stacks’, you’ll see a charming Ditty Bops video that was directed by Michael Lucid, of Pretty Thingsss fame. Super.

Lispector - Guide to Personal Happiness

Lispector is Julie and her Eight Track. It used to be Julie and her Four Track, but in 2004 she branched out, and doubled her fun. Insouciant, but not jaded, Guide to Personal Happiness is the 3rd album for the surnameless Julie, who moved to New York from France in 2000. Track one- ‘Lispector Sur Une Balancoire’ is an instrumental glitchy, bleepy, drum-machine-backed waltz. Track two-‘ Romantic at Heart’- is a bedroom voice, saying ‘If you want to see me just come over/ About anytime or even later’, while the drum machine rattles sleepily in the background. By the time track seven- ‘Peachtree Street’- has been reached, with an opening hook and lyrics that Stephen Malkmus would be proud of (‘She was acting so well you know that she died for real’) Lispector has stolen your heart, put it in the locket around her neck, and is promptly writing a song about it for her next album. As Karl McDonald would put it, plusplusplus.

New Patrick Wolf

In his Official Blog, Patrick Wolf writes (albeit not very coherently) about his fourth-coming album:

i have to tell you, i have two albums coming out soon…. think, smashing pumpkins, kate bush, im going double, double, trouble, thats why im taking so long, one disk is heartbroken and in deep dispair, one is in deep dark joy dedicated to my new love, my old and forever love, william the conqueror, ok….. i better leave, my irish cousins are begging for a go on the intranet…. i just realised its been an age and a half since i communicated, the album has been in my blood for a year and much more…. the label think it will be a disaster, im sure, as it comes more from the bottom of my heart than even lycanthropy, about my fathers cancer, my solitude, my true love, my irish roots, everything that has touched me to the core in the last year…. ok, im rambling i must go…. i hAVE been told by my relative that i must go…………… oh shut me the fuck up……….

A double disc record, by the looks of it- one happy, one sad? Smashing Pumpkins and Kate Bush? This sounds a lot more like his earlier stuff than the more recent pop-tastic coloured-ribbon fest that was The Magic Position. Only time will tell, I suppose, but if there’s even one track on the new album that’s half as wonderful as this one, I’ll be a happy hack.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2xQoFFz4QA]

Fun in a Field

I spent the weekend on a boat in the countryside, listening to snippets of 2fm’s Electric Picnic coverage on a radio. From what I could gather, it sounded great. Very loud though. No word has filtered back through to Analogue Towers, but plenty of discussion is going on over here. Everyone seems to be saying the same thing:

1. Grace Jones was amazing.
2. Candi Staton was equally amazing.
3. The Sex Pistols should quit (or should have quit) while they were ahead.
4. Festival Toilets….

I can’t really throw any light on this, but I’m sure you lovely people can. Go on, how was your Picnic?

The Next Big Thing

The Ben Folds/Regina Spektor collaboration has been out and on the internets for a while, but I finally heard the non-leaked version the other-day. I’m a little disappointed. What I thought would sound like this, actually sounds a little more like this:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq4mNU0qrlk]

That’s not to say the track is heinous. It’s quite lovely. Thing is, it’s just neither as pop-orientated or as quirky as I’d've hoped for from Ben ‘n’ Reg. Thank goodness then, for the youth of today. When all else fails, a bassoon, keytar and djembe trio can always liven up the proceedings.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyhw658SYAM]

I can’t decide whether my favourite member is the bassoonist dressed as Pauly Bleeker, or the be-hooded Regina-stand-in djembe-ist, clutching a lyrics sheet in his hand, before throwing it away to rock out. Also, they have the best end to a video, ever:

‘Not bad’
‘Not bad at-fucking-all’

Proof, if anything, that music lessons WILL pay-off. No matter how bizzarre the instrument.

« Previous Page — Next Page »