Spóźniliśmy się na Kaizers Orchestra, bo wymiana biletów na opaski festiwalowe okazała się dość wąskim gardłem, podobnie zresztą jak przechodząca przez Hasselt dwupasmówka, która zarazem służyła jako przejście dla pieszych pomiędzy terenem festiwalu a polem namiotowym. No i mieliśmy lekkie spóźnienie. W czwartek powitała nas więc Amy MacDonald - sympatyczna i bezpretensjonalna Szkotka śpiewająca na początek popołudnia na dużej scenie. Idealne do tego, żeby dokończyć frytki z majonezem, belgijski przysmak i festiwalowe pożywienie o najlepszym stosunku kaloryczności do ceny. Strategicznie ominęliśmy namiot z The Cribs, wychodząc z założenia, że to nie nasza bajka, i wylądowaliśmy pod sceną Dance Hall na występie Santogold. Zachwyty nad jej płytą trochę mnie ostatnio denerwowały, no bo jednak trochę wtórna w stosunku do M.I.A. Tymczasem ten przyjemny koncert udowodnił, że na scenie rzecz się sprawdza naprawdę dobrze, wykonanie studyjnych niuansów jest co najmniej przyzwoite, a chórek wokalistek-tancerek przebranych w lekko kiczowate stroje okazał się jedną z bardziej widowiskowych formacji na całym Pukkelpopie. Zdaniem mojej żony powinny dostać złoto w konkurencji tańca synchronicznego, gdyby na olimpiadzie ktoś taką wprowadził.

W przelocie rzuciliśmy uchem na również lekko kiczowatą, ale już znacznie mniej absorbującą muzykę Little Dragon na przesympatycznej scenie Chateau (mała, przytulna, z trybuną dla widzów i okrągłym kształtem - jedna z fajniejszych, jakie kiedykolwiek widziałem na letnich festiwalach, choć przy tym paskudnie duszna). Jaka płyta, taki live. Z pustego to i Salomon. Wiadomo.

Dalej byli Infadels. Zespół lubiany na festiwalach, na Pukkelpopie obecny po raz trzeci i mający tu swoją oddaną publiczność. Ja rozumiem mieć chwytliwe refreny. Ale ta grupa ma same refreny. Uciekliśmy więc, żeby zobaczyć od początku Menomenę w Chateau. I żeby się przekonać, że trzech facetów na scenie (przystojnych, to fakt) to bywa trochę za mało. Tym albo brakuje ogrania koncertowego, albo mają kłopoty z pokazaniem atutów swoich niezłych kompozycji w warunkach scenicznych. Tyle tytułem eufemizmów. Bo jeśli mam być bardziej precyzyjny: w aranżach ich koncertowych kawałków są takie dziury jak w ciele Lemoniadowego Joe po postrzale (to porównanie to taki mały test wiekowy dla czytelników niniejszego bloga). Ale zdzierżyliśmy twardo prawie do końca, bo na zewnątrz szalał Serj Tankian, jak się okazało - kompletnie nieszkodliwy koleś, który śpiewa dziś piosenki przy pianinie. Te czasy...

Pod namiotem Marquee (druga co do wielkości scena) zameldowaliśmy się punktualnie na koncert Joan As Police Woman. Nie widzieliśmy artystki w Hard Rock Cafe (i podobno słusznie, bo to lokal, w którym jeszcze nie udało się dobrze nagłośnić koncertu, a mówią, że ten w tej materii niczego nie zmienił), ale za to mamy piękne wspomnienia z jej poprzedniej trasy europejskiej i berlińskiego Lido. Tu spodziewałem się klapy, bo nowa płyta taka jakby mniej "koncertowa", tymczasem występ sprawił, że zupełnie inaczej spojrzałem na album. A przede wszystkim na to, jak urosły umiejętności wokalne Joan między pierwszą a drugą płytą. Szkoda tylko braku Antony'ego w "I Defy", ale basistka i nowy perkusista nieźle wybrnęli z zadania, dzieląc się partią Antony'ego po połowie. :-) Niektóre z nowych utworów - choćby "Holiday" - w wersji scenicznej na trzy instrumenty wypadły lepiej niż ze smyczkami i smaczkami studyjnymi. W sumie od tego koncertu zaczął się dla mnie festiwal.

Zostawiliśmy British Sea Power fanom British Sea Power i poszliśmy zobaczyć Tricky'ego. Tu było gęsto od ludzi i głośno, ale to, co usłyszeliśmy, tylko utwierdziło nas w przekonaniu, że Tricky skończył się na "Maxinquaye". Chwyta za pompatyczny, rockowy banał, ale robi to z mniejszym wdziękiem niż jego koledzy z Massive Attack, próbuje śpiewać, nie wychodzi mu źle, ale chciałbym nieśmiało przypomnieć, że chwilę wcześniej słuchaliśmy Joan Wasser. Okrucieństwo to jedyna słuszna reakcja pozwalająca w konsekwencji wycisnąć z festiwalu to, co najlepsze. Po obejrzeniu finału Tricky'ego, przebiegliśmy wystraszeni na drugi koniec imprezy, o drodze słysząc początek koncertu Iana Browna (widzieliśmy kiedyś i wystarczy). Na drugim końcu był namiot o nazwie Club, a w nim - koncert Hadouken!, grupy grindie (grime + indie), co przekładało się na efekt końcowy tak, że muzyka była bardziej grime, a wygląd bardziej indie. Średnia wieku spadła już chyba do 15 lat, a językiem dominującym wśród publiczności stał się angielski. Na scenie też zobaczyliśmy i usłyszeliśmy również młodzież - dużo energii, ale technika i pomyślunek gdzieś w tyle; co tu dużo kryć, mają jeszcze to, co najlepsze, przed sobą, ale na razie nie dorastają do pięt swojemu protektorowi Mike'owi Skinnerowi. Przebiegliśmy na Hot Chip, spodziewając się czegoś lepszego. Sparzyliśmy się w sposób tak zdecydowany, że aż poszliśmy po rozum do głowy i wylądowaliśmy na jednoosobowym występie Henry'ego Rollinsa, który zamiast śpiewać - opowiadał przez mikrofon przez półtorej godziny (jeśli nie liczyć setów didżejskich był to najdłuższy występ festiwalu!), co sądzi o Ameryce, świecie współczesnym, dalszym i bliższym Wschodzie oraz robalach. Wychodziliśmy z namiotu zadowoleni, a jednocześnie trochę rozbici, bo to był na razie (po Joanie) drugi najlepszy koncert dnia...

W dodatku przed nami był największy dylemat festiwalu. Co wybrać: Mercury Rev czy Iron & Wine. Ostatecznie daliśmy sobie spokój z widzianym wcześniej MR na rzecz grupy, którą przywiózł do Europy Sam Beam, a która z Iron & Wine znanym z płyt okazała się mieć niewiele wspólnego. Ba, to był nieco inny koncert niż ten na Offie (który znam tylko z radia), nieco bardziej, hmm... rockandrollowy. Więcej południowego rocka i improwizacji niż w Mysłowicach, ale trochę kosztem atmosfery. Zazdroszczę więc Offowiczom (a wiem, że byli także na Pukkelpopie, bo mignęła nam koszulka Off Festivalu w tłumie) wyjątkowego koncertu i akustycznego setu, którego zabrakło w Belgii. Choćz drugiej strony - wyszedłem bardzo usatysfakcjonowany, a reakcja publiczności w Hasselt była kapitalna.

Dzięki miłemu rozkładowi koncertów zdążyliśmy zobaczyć prawie całą Róisin Murphy na dużej scenie. Prawie całą dosłownie, bo przebiera się w tej chwili już nie co 15 minut, ale przed każdym utworem, a robi to na środku sceny. Zaczęła tylko w towarzystwie didżejów i chórku, brzmiało jak set do tańca, ale na szczęście rozwinęło się w miarę upływu czasu i wchodzenia kolejnych instrumentów. Jest czego słuchać (i na co popatrzeć), ale Moloko w wersji live to wciąż - jak dla mnie - rzecz nie do pobicia w tej kategorii. Poza tym kto by tam się zastanawiał nad wyższością Bożego Narodzenia nad Wielkanocą, skoro zaraz mieli grać The Flaming Lips. Pobiegliśmy więc do Marquee zająć miejsca. I słusznie, bo FL to ciągle precyzyjnie przygotowany (a zarazem - paradoksalnie - totalnie spontaniczny) show, jakiego nie robi nikt w świecie alternatywnego rocka. Wayne Coyne nie waha się zrobić cyrk z koncertu po to, żeby od początku podgrzać atmosferę. Zjeżdża ze sceny w plastikowej kuli już na powitanie i otwiera jak zwykle utworem "Race For The Prize" z wybuchami armatek wypełnionych konfetti, balonikami, a teraz jeszcze gromadą teletubisiów (przypominam, że to była wersja na Europę Zachodnią) zgromadzonych po obu stronach sceny. Ogólnie rzecz biorąc: jeśli chodzi o dramaturgię, The Flaming Lips zaczynają w takim punkcie, w którym inni kończą. A potem napięcie stopniowo rośnie. Gdyby nie anemiczna reakcja widowni i parę brzmieniowych zaniedbań i okrutnych zniekształceń, ten set utworów z ostatniej płyty i pojedynczych starszych hitów (były piosenki z wczesnego okresu kariery FL!) byłby skończonym mistrzostwem i najlepszym koncertem The Flaming Lips, jaki widziałem. Ale i tak był najlepszym momentem Pukkelpopu dla mnie prywatnie.

Może to wina poprzedników, ale koncert Holy Fuck - najlepszej młodej grupy koncertowej wg angielskiej prasy - nie zrobił już na mnie takiego wrażenia. Wszystko brzmiało nieco zbyt matematycznie, spodziewałem się jazgotliwego transu na koniec dnia, a tu zawiało chłodem. Zresztą w ogóle zimno się zrobiło, więc poszliśmy spać. Największy pożytek z takiego zakończenia dnia to fakt, że nazwa grupy, którą zobaczyliśmy jako ostatnią, nieźle oddała stan ducha kogoś, kto zobaczył właśnie na scenie The Flaming Lips.

Parę słów o dniu drugim niebawem. Muszę się wyspać, a po takich ilościach frytek z majonezem trudno się zasypia.

Joan As Police Woman has held a competition regarding a video for the song "Christobel" on YouTube. You can find the winner here, but I like the one I am publishing in this blogpost a lot better:

Dead Air
Dead Air ••••
Reveal

Rainy Orteca is best known as the bassist from Joan As Police Woman. However, having worked alongside artists such as Lou Reed and Anthony & The Johnsons, she's clearly a talented artist in her own right. Touring as a one-woman band, her new solo project - Dead Air - is an intriguing affair. The debut material is tantalisingly limited; a self titled mini-album released on the gloriously independent UK-based label Reveal Records. The songs are abstract slices of electro-based noise, made up of cleverly layered beats and warm, synthetic frequencies, with a steady variety of lo-fi guitar licks and basslines, and just the right amount of gentle, lulling distortion.

Orteca's stage presence cuts a mysterious figure. A pale elfin face with dark eyes and jet black hair, she sports a dark suit and tie, and is equipped with just a laptop and microphone. While the instrumental sounds are creative and fresh, the power of her music lies in its lyrical content and delivery. Her singing voice is neither pretty nor conventional, and has a strangely entrancing quality.

A collage of whispers, sighs, melodies and spoken word, Dead Air is as much poetry as music. In fact, the lyrics are reminiscent of both the Beat poets and the New York early Velvet Underground New York - full of dreamy, non-linear images and a drugged, euphoric intensity. Standout tracks are 'Tin Drum', a slow, almost trip-hop lullaby, and the uptempo, spoken-word rocker 'Electric Heart', a sleazy, electronic stream-of-consciousness ecstasy trip.

Lets hope the future brings more Dead Air - six tracks is just not enough...

Charlotte Richardson Andrews
UK release date: 28/04/08 

'Tin Drum'

The Zutons - You Can Do Anything - ***1/2 - The Zutons always get me pumped up. When I hear their songs, I immediately need to start moving. They catch you from the very start and that's what makes them great. This album is no exception. The great thing about this album is that it doesn't stray to far from their original sound, but does take a few chances. With a band like this, major change is going to have to come slow, because I have so embraced their sound.

Laura Cantrell - Trains and Boats and Planes - *** - Laura Cantrell is a great interpreter of songs. This is a covers record, and kicking it off with my favorite Bacharach tune is a great place to start. She has such a clean and dry vocal style that brings something different to each of these songs.

Joan As Police Woman - To Survive - *** - This album is slow moving, but it captures you from the beginning and holds on tight throughout. You want to isolate yourself and just focus on what is happening within each song.

1. am mittwoch (30.7.) ist der buchstabe 'c' des seayou-abc an der reihe. näherbringen wird euch das 'sir tralala' + 'liger' + 'vortex rex' aka akustig cover set aka the new austria 3. das ganze wieder in der fluc wanne. und bei zuspätkommen gibts einen klassenbucheintrag! eintritt freiwillige spende.
2. tags darauf, nochmals zur erinnerung. 'massive attack'! schweine teuer (39,-), aber geile live-show!! wer das geld übrig hat und noch nicht live gesehn: hingehn! unbedingt! arena open air.
3. dann am samstag (2.8.) feiert radio orange die zahl 10. natürlich im fluc (das wohl im sommer sowas wie ein monopol hat...). u.a. 'musikarbeiterInnenkapelle'. eintritt 5,-
4. wieder tags darauf, am sonntag 3.8., 'joan as police woman' im wuk. für die 12,- gibts jede menge singer/songwriterIn und irgendwo beim standard gibts ein gewinnspiel...
5. am wochenende 8.+9.8. (fr+sa) ist wie jedes jahr der höhepunkt des festival-sommers: das temp-festival!! für die 20,- im vvk wird ja eigentlich viel zu viel geboten, da bekommt man ja schon fast ein schlechtes gewissen. also hinfahren und gleich beichttermin für danach fixieren!
6. am 17.8. kommt mal wieder eine legende nach österreich, genauergesagt nach wiesen. 'neil young'! und wenn 's nicht 54,- kosten würd, wär ich sicher auch dabei...
7. am 21.8. (bereits angekündigt, aber nochmals...) spielen 'garish' im haus der musik. schuld daran ist wieder mal die vsa! für die 9,- bekommt man übrigens auch ne freikarte für das hdm.
8. zwei tage darauf wird übrigens gepicknickt mit der vsa auf der jesuitenwiese.
9. am 27.8. wieder ein buchstabe des seayou-abc, nämlich 'good enough for you'.
10. eine erwähnung wert ist wahrscheinlich auch das arenaPalooza festival 2008. mit 'roisin murphy' und 'iamx'. die 37,- würd ich jedoch am liebsten unerwähnt lassen...am 31.8.
11. auch am 31.8. aber dafür gratis: gürtel nightwalk XI. prädikat: besonders tanzvoll!
12. am 4.9. könnts euch wieder bei der vienna songwriting association beschweren, weil sie 'boy omega' für 8,- ins gasthaus vorstadt bringen.
13. vom 5.-7.9. das verschobene donauinselfest 2008. natürlich gratis.
14. weiter gehts mit 'conor oberst' am 9.9. in der arena. die 20,- wird wohl kein hinderniss sein für die meisten...
15. am selben abend im chelsea: 'qui' (ich weiß, hat nicht viel zu bedeuten, aber: sind auf ipecac und sänger ist ex 'jesus lizard') und 'kreisky' (genauso unwichtig, aber: die band mit 'austrofred').
16. am 12.9. feiert fettkakao in der arena das festkakao. festbeitrag 7,-
17. am 20.9. der dauergast im wuk: 'shantel' mit seinem 'bucovina club orkestra'. 18,-
18. name ist programm: 'quit your dayjob' am 21.9. in der (neuen) szene wien. 11,-
19. alle guten dinge sind drei: deshalb wieder in österreich innerhalb von einem jahr: 'the melvins'! am 21.9. in der arena. unterstützt von 'big business'. 17,-
20. am selben tag lädt brut ein ins k/haus: 'gustav'! 12,-
21. den oktober (1.10.) eröffnet 'pelican' in der arena. 13,- kostet das ticket für den roadtrip to outta space.
22. dicht gedrengtes programm im oktober: am tag darauf (2.10.) 'primal scream', ebenfalls in der arena. 29,-
23. und schon wieder die arena: am 7.10. gibts nochmals die möglichkeit 'deus' live zu sehn. jedenfalls für die, die 22,- zahlen wollen.
24. verschnaufpause bis zum 14.10.: 'thee silver mt zion memorial orchestra' in der arena. 13,-
25. am selbigen tag im chelsea: 'eskobar' für leistbare 13,-
26. ein hamburger lebenszeichen gibts am 15.10. im wuk: 'superpunk'. 10,-
27. am 16.10. mal wieder ein absoluter pflichttermin! 'joe lally' ('fugazi' bassist) spielt für 7,- (!!!) im arena 3raum!
28. tags darauf (17.10.) wieder ein doppelpack: 'brant bjork & the bros' in der arena. der mann spielt nicht stoner rock, der ist stoner rock! 10,- kleine halle.
29. am selben tag im wuk am sonnendeck: 'peter licht'. 14,-
30. und wie jedes jahr, immer wieder gern, immer wieder toll: 'räuberhöhle'! ich brauch eh mal wieder ein neues tshirt und bei 10,- geht sich das glaub ich auch aus. arena 19.10.
31. 21.10., 'calexico', gasometer, 30,-
32. am 22.10. exquisieter hip-hop aus amsterdam im wuk: 'pete philly & perquisite'. 12,-
33. das brut team mausert sich schön langsam zum geheimtipp für besondere live acts: 'xiu xiu' im k/haus am 24.10.. meiner meinung nach einer der besten live bands zur zeit! anwesenheitspflicht!! 12,-
34. 'nada surf' beehrt uns am 26.10. wieder mals. in der arena für 18,-
35. einen besonderen leckerbissen serviert uns die arena am tag darauf (27.10.). 'bohren und der club of gore'. sowas bekommt man nicht alle tage zu sehn/hörn. 14,- hingehn!
36. neben den "alten hasen" gibts dann am 28.10. etwas "frischblut" in der arena: 'these arms are snakes' und 'russian circles'. 10,- und frau/man ist dabei!
37. und zur abwechslung mal was in der arena: 'polite sleeper' im 3raum. feinste singer/songwriter kost aus brooklyn. die 6,- sind sehr gut investiert!!
38. und 'clueso' hats auch nicht lange ohne wien ausgehalten: am 12.11. in der arena für 20,-
39. am 14.11. ein neuerlicher höhepunkt des jahres. die fehlen definitv noch auf meiner must-have-seen-liste und stehn ganz ganz oben: 'mogwai' am 14.11. im wuk für 25,-
40. und zum abschluss noch ein rückblick in die "gute alte zeit": 'monster magnet'. 26,- arena 19.11.

terminkalender wird demnächst aktualisiert!

• The Hold Steady - Stay Positive  Like their live performance, this album gets me despite myself. Maybe it's just that they're filling the void left by the Afghan Whigs of making references to Roman Catholic ritual in inappropriate situations. But I don't embrace it completely. The subject material seems to be pandering to brats, as usual. And then there's that creepy-ass gravely back-up vocal that pops up unexpected and unwelcomed throughout the album. Who the hell is that and who thought that was a good idea? But these are nitpicks. I bought it, I'll love it.  
• My Brightest Diamond - A Thousand Shark's Teeth  It's been harder to get into this one, unlike the now canonical Bring Me the Workhorse. I'll blame myself. It doesn't assert it self like last one. The songs have their own logic it seems and maybe I need to "learn how to listen" or something. I'll keep listening, and maybe learning. Shana Worden (my dream aunt) and operatic flourishes are worthy teachers.
• Spiritualized - Songs In A&E  I was not to jazzed by his live show at Pitchfork, but I do love this album. It's like a blissed out blur or a sad-but-willing-to-please Pink Floyd.
• King Khan And The Shrines - The Supreme Genius of King Khan and The Shrines  Definitely canon-bound. To be sure, this band need to be experienced live. But this album captures the vibe pretty sufficiently. It has the proper grubby sound that makes the soul-punk-funk thing work. Too often, the tendency is to clean up the sound when you have so many great musicians and instruments. Not here. The thrill is preseved as it comes across as some washed up gem from a raucous 50's Memphis garage band (Think Reigning Sound with a horn section).
• Extra Golden - Hera Ma NonoIt sounds nice enough. The songs run a little long with little more purpose than to groove. But it's nice to have some Kenyan grooves break up the whiney whiteys I am habitually drawn to...Crap, I already wrote about this one. Ah, I'm losing track.
• Joan As Police Woman - To Survive  I like this a lot. I like it even more than the last one if only because Antony is not moaning all of it. There are better collaborations, including a great one with Rufus. But it kind of sounds like a throw back to Sade at times, and I never got into Sade. That antiseptic sexy I treat as a lie. So sometimes I get that awful feeling I get when I'm trapped listening to "cool rock" radio stations. But it's only momentary. I forgive her these moments because "To Be Lonely" is about the best ever.
• The War On Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues I love this one so far and it's definitely canon-bound. It's overflowing with great lyrics and catchy times. I hate to think of who they remind me of, because that list will have some real monsters on it (like James or Ryan Adams).
• Puerto Muerto - I Was A Swallow I want to like this more than I do simply because I like the idea of Puerto Muerto so much. The husband-wife doing gothic themed tunes. But I hate the say it, because I'm sure they heard it a 1,000 times, but the Handsome Family does it better. But where as the Family are more like backwoods gothic, the Muertos sound a little more worldly. Like pirate gothic. And her vocals are much more powerful. So it's a mixed bag. And that is a lot like life. You're welcome!
• Mahjongg - KontpabI have no idea what I should be listening for here. Fragmented electronica with distorted vocals. It's got great grooves but not the dancing kind. It's great background as I make my soups. Maybe if I threw a party I might put this on. Perfect to drink wine and talk about art or whatever you do with wine at parties. I need to get out. Someone invite me to a party, okay? 

I'm not done yet. But the end is near. Like 12 more to go and I will have accounted for every album I bought in the last 3 months. But need to practice the banjo now. The band has a show coming at the Gallery Cabaret in Chicago next Saturday. Very exciting. If you come, I'll put you in the canon.

AUSTRALIA TOUR DATES - OCTOBER 2008
Sun 5 October The Great Escape, Sydney
www.thegreatescape.net.au

Tue 7 October Factory Theatre, Sydney
www.factorytheatre.com.au

Thu 9 October Jive, Adelaide
www.moshtix.com.au

Fri 10 October East Brunswick Club, Melbourne
www.eastbrunswickclub.com

Sat 11 October The Globe, Brisbane
www.oztix.com.au

So last night I went out driving with my mam; she’s got her driving test coming up and I’m trying to help her get over her fear of driving, other cars, traffic, horns, pedestrians, cars emerging from side streets, traffic lights and other such horrors. She is coming along fantastically.

When I got home, I poured myself a big glass of Jacob’s Creek rose (I never drink JC but it was the only thing under a tenner in Superquin) and stuck on Joan As Police Woman’s new album, To Survive.

I love this album. It’s not normally the style of music I listen to. It’s kind of funky and soulful and even a bit cheesey at times. While I really liked Joan Wasser’s last album (and played ‘Christobel’ way too many times for my obsession to be healthy), To Survive is light years ahead as a work of art. It’s intensely individual and personal. Joan seems to have tapped deep into feelings and experiences of love, which makes me feel, when I listen to the album, that I’m going through her journey of self-discovery and sexual awakening along with her. (If that doesn't sound too creepy.)

My favourite songs are Holiday, To Be Loved, To Be Lonely (it makes me cry), and Hard White Wall. It also works as a whole album, which is rare. The last album that did that for me was Shelby Lynne’s I Am Shelby Lynne. The only song that doesn’t really belong is the closer, the political To America, a duet with Rufus Wainwright.

It was only after a few times listening to To Survive, savouring it and really ‘feeling’ what Joan was singing, that I realised why it was so special: it’s not often you get to hear the point of view of a 39-year-old woman singing from the heart. Okay so Madonna is 50, but all she says these days is ‘uh, huh, Justin, yeah, I’m still young enough to be fanciable, you still fancy me, right? Ooh yeah, tick tock, uh, huh.’ As Morrissey said, it says nothing to me about my life.

It’s rare to find an album I can actually relate to, as a woman. So why not pour yourself a glass of rose, preferably a nice pinot grigio blush, and stick on Joan As Police Woman’s To Survive. You won’t regret it. It conjures up an image of pure blissed-out happiness and you can’t help but feel the same and sway and feel pretty damn mellow… I’m thinking of sticking it on the stereo in my mam’s car the next time we go driving.

Video for the first single from Joan As Police Woman's new album - To Survive. A fantastic album which builds on her debut LP, Real Life. A highlight track is To America, a collaboration with the musical genius that is Rufus Wainwright.

Liker du Feist og A Girl Called Eddy er det gode sjanser for at du også liker Joan Wasser, som hun egentlig heter. Dette er forresten dama som var kjæreste med Jeff Buckley.

Sangen heter "To Be Loved" og her hentet fra albumet To Survive (2008 )

Undre presents Joan As Police Woman med "To Be Loved":

Stikkord:

• joanaspolicewoman.com/
• Joan Wasser (Wiki)
• myspace.com/joanaspolicewoman
• To Survive (2008 )
• "To Be Loved"

Via: Undrelyd

The New Wine. jaundko also spread the love  here.

The Whitest Boy Alive. you gotta love erlend.

MGMT. they have all been right along the way.. sometimes you can believe the hype.

Younghearts. great british fun.

Boy Crisis. go nyc.

Minus the Bear. an old new discovery.

Kids in Glass Houses. still going very strong.

Vampire Weekend. another hype going around. i like it.

and the girls can be very proud of:

Lykke Li - go Scandinavia!

Martha Wainwright's latest

Joan as Police Woman

have a listen.

thank you to Liebes and MCK.

But actually, I have still another, even more significant reason for reposting this. This is the time of the year when I tend to gain some clarity and perspective on those albums released in the earlier months, which can sometimes lead to some major altertions in my picks. There are always a few albums that I deeply appreciate for their artistry, their vision, and their technical skill, but, for whatever reason, they don't quite sink their teeth into me on a gut level. They don't come to mean anything to me personally, and so, while I still regard them as superlative recordings, they're just not finding much space in my regular rotation. I'd put the new Fleet Foxes and Portishead both into this category. Likewise, there are meaningful works of art that simply don't move me because of where my own life happens to be. I don't think poorly of these albums at all; they simply didn't come along at the right time to become personal favorites for me-- think Sam Phillips and Tift Merritt.

So, all that to say... these are the ten albums that I find myself coming back to, again and again, playing over and over. They entertain me, they move me, they give me perspective. They're all strong contenders for my end-of-the-year list, and they're all albums that aren't just great, but meaningful to me personally.

1. The Tallest Man on Earth, Shallow Grave
(A Swedish man gets to the heart of American music better than any yank has in years.)

2. Ron Sexsmith, Exit Strategy of the Soul
(Review coming soon!)

3. Joan as Police Woman, To Survive
(Review coming soon!)

4. Marco Benevento, Invisible Baby
(Is it jazz? Classical? Pop? Yes, no, all and none of the above.)

5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!
(The apocalyptic court jester of rock digs deep for a riotous album about sex, religion, growing old, and the end of the world.)

6. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive
(Review coming soon!)

7. Coldplay, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
(Chris Martin and Co. make good on their promise-- finally!-- with an album that's expertly crafted and often thrilling.)

8. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
(Southern rock meets Prince? Must be heard to be believed)

9. Barry Adamson, Back to the Cat
(Through the gates of hell and down to the beaten side of town.)

10. Shearwater, Rook
(Fables and fairy tales from rock's most graceful ornithologist.)

So what am I missing?

Linkorama:

• http://www.myspace.com/joanaspolicewoman

Una auténtica perla... Nos relamemos pensando en su nuevo disco, con un single maravilloso "To be loved".

http://www.myspace.com/joanaspolicewoman

Joan Wasser regressa à gravação e edição de LPs com To Survive, disco que sobressai pelas texturas melódicas mais suaves que o anterior Real Life. Costuma-se dizer que há sempre uma fase em que os músicos se "despem" e tornam os discos mais intimistas e é possível que tenha sido este o caso de Joan. Não existem temas fulgurantes de intensidade como Eternal Flame ou I Defy, mas Joan mantém uma consistência razoável ao longo do disco, guardando o melhor para o final: o dueto com Rufus Wainwright em To America (só é pena fazer lembrar tanto Going to a Town de Release the Stars de Rufus...) e Furious, o tema mais catchy deste To Survive. Um bom segundo disco para uma carreira que começa a ser feita de consistência.

Nota de Sal: 6,5/10
Referências: St. Vincent, Laura Veirs

Martha Wainwright
I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too •••½
Drowned In Sound

Joan As Police Woman
To Survive ••••
Reveal

It's not easy being a Wainwright. Even the most cursory listen to I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too, the much anticipated second album from Martha, the baby of the family, will only serve to reinforce that impression. From the unrequited love of opener ‘Bleeding All Over You' onwards the tone is one of nerve end-exposing confessional honesty. Although she's been quick to state for the record that I Know You're Married... is less autobiographical than 2005's personal (and near perfect) debut, it's not all outward looking. Even if she's now found a degree of domestic happiness with producer Brad Albetta the last few years have clearly been anything but a comfortable ride. There is the same intimacy of expression, even if this time it occasionally hides a little deep below the more ambitious production and commercial sensibilities. Stylistically diverse – as you might expect from an album with five different producers, including Tore Johansson (The Cardigans), Martin Terefe (KT Tunstall) and Jeff Trott (Sheryl Crow) as well as her husband and mum Kate McGarrigle – the tracklist seems calculated to show off her undoubted range. With ‘You Cheated Me', Wainwright makes her boldest stab yet at the pop charts and the kind of female singer-songwriter angst niche once filled by the likes of Alanis Morissette.

The album includes an impressive range of guest musicians (31 in total!), including Steely Dan's Donald Fagan, The Band's Garth Hudson and no less a luminary than Pete Townshend, with whom she has struck up an unlikely musical friendship. Big brother Rufus pops up on 'The George Song' and the reference to the continued negative example of her father in long-serving live favourite 'Jimi' serves to ensure this is still resolutely a family affair. Pink Floyd's ‘See Emily Play', featuring aunt Anna McGarrigle on synths and cousin Lily Lanken on backing vocals, gets stripped of psychedelia and turned into a mid-Atlantic power pop anthem, whilst the unexpected melodic tangents of 'Hearts Club Band' and unlikely chanson of 'Tower Song' suggest a musical store cupboard similar to that of Syd Barrett. The latter also represents a tentative foray into political commentary, its anti-war poetry suggesting that despite her lack of confidence in tackling bigger social issues it may well be a fruitful field in which to labour in future. But it is with ‘In The Middle Of The Night', an uncomfortable gothic folk number written about her mother's recent battle with cancer, that I Know You're Married... finds its starkest and most impressive emotional voice. 

Whereas Kate McGarrigle's brush with mortality had a happy outcome, the mother of fellow former Rufus backing singer Joan Wasser was not so lucky. In her guise as Joan As Police Woman, Wasser has made an equally emotion-rich second album, with the considered title ‘To Survive'. If survival was something that eluded her mother, Wasser seems intent on transfiguring her loss into something positive. There is the same smoky theatricality of 2006's debut Real Life combined with the kind of knowing maturity that only comes with age. Whereas Wainwright's songwriting often feels lost in the moment and bereft of hope, Wasser seems to imbue even the bleakest lament with a fragile optimism. You sense it's that which gets her through. Stately album opener 'Honor Wishes' is a perfect example, where lyrics like "would you love me and not my need to be loved?" are carried aloft by rolling sighs courtesy of none other than David Sylvian to magnificent effect.

Elsewhere, unexpected key changes suddenly lift you into sunnier vistas, and there's peace at the heart of numbers like 'Holiday' and the jazzy 'Magpies', which features old friend Nathan Larson on backing vocals. Wasser's outspoken political charge pokes its head through the personal tragedy with 'Furious', a percussion-driven rage against what she sees as the calculated stripping away of the individuals democratic influence in her own country. It was not for nothing she once dedicated the live performance of the song to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Despite this, the sax-laden closing track 'To America' – a duet with Rufus himself – is like a solitary 4th of July firework, signalling that idealism continues beneath the detritus of personal and political disappointment. It's the title track, though, that makes the greatest impression. It's the newly orphaned adult expressing her protective instinct to the helpless child, the baton of responsibility being passed on.

If I Know You're Married... is the sound of an artist finding her own voice above and beyond the family brand, To Survive signals an artist moving out of the shadows of her former employers into a space of her own, one it's at times an emotionally uncomfortable pleasure to share.

Martyn Clayton
UK release dates: 12/05/08 (MW) 09/06/08 (JAPW)

SATURDAY evening.

I managed to meet some friends during the day, catch up, talk about life and all its happenings. I got home just in time to watch the European cup match Spain-Sweden. Sadly I am not interested who will win or what is going on. I am saving my energy for Germany's game. Facebook and Myspace have been checked, important messages replied to. But no news have arrived that would solve my current unknown future. Where will I be in two weeks time? I have an idea but no set future.
So I wander around. No, I do not want to eat anything. Tempting though. I look at my new novel; I am too lazy to continue reading. It is certainly too early start watching my daily episode of 24. I go upstairs. Turn on football. I don't watch it. I then turn on iTunes. I have 14 hours of new music. I start listening to MGMT. Will I really like it? I'm not a fan of track one and two. But I love track three and four. I'm getting into it. I then grab a book I once bought for fun at Urban Outfitters:

"The Long-Distance Relationships Guide"

A fun read for a lazy saturday evening. And an interesting guide to every day situations it turns out. Let me show you the guide:

"How to Clean Up in Under an Hour"

1. Put on some entertainment. Choose some dance musicthat you can sing along to or a book on tape to keep your mind occupied.
2. Tackle the clutter. Make the rounds of your place holding two bags: one for trash, the other for everything else. Pick a starting point and make your way around the place clockwise, not letting yourself get distracted at any point.
3. Dust. Using an electromagnetic dust cloth (like Swiffer), work your way around again clockwise, dusting every surface you come across from top to bottom.
4. Vacuum. Make sure you get into the corners and along the floorboards. Don’t worry about going beneath and behind furniture – this is only a surface cleaning.
5. Dispose of clutter. Remember the bagof „everything else“ from Step 2? Unless there is something in it you’ll need that weekend/day, throw the whole thing in a closet, to be sorted and organized later.
6. Bathroom/kitchen surface cleaning. Again, focus on the superficial and obvious.
a. Clean the bathroom after a hot bath or shower: the steam will have loosened the dirt.
b. Definitely use a toilet cleaner.
c. Spritz and wipe off surfaces with lemony disinfectant.
d. Empty the sink of dishes.
7. Disguise funky odors: Light strong-smelling candles or incense. Dab perfume or cologne on a light bulb – the heat produced when the light is on will release the perfume.
8. Dim lights for good measure.

The music has now switched to Yeasayer. I’ve listened to it before. I like it even more now. For the mellow ones listen to Joan As Police Woman and Martha Wainwright.

References:
Tiger, C. (2005) The Long-Distance Relationship Guide. Philadelphia: Quirk Books.
MGMT – www.myspace.com/mgmt
Yeasayer – www.myspace.com/yeasayer
Joan As Police Woman – www.joanaspolicewoman.com
Martha Wainwright – www.marthawainwright.com

Tracklisting was provided by 2151.

My Morning Jacket Evil Urges Buy MP3: Remnants

Lykke Li Youth Novel Buy MP3: Window Blues

My Brightest Diamond A Thousand Shark's Teeth Buy MP3: To Pluto's Moon

Venetian Snares Detrimentalist Buy MP3: Kyokushin

Joan As Police Woman To Survive Buy .

Jape Ritual Buy .

Daedelus Love To Make Music To Buy

N.E.R.D. Seeing Sounds Buy

Joan Of Arc Boo Human Buy

Coldplay Viva La Vida Buy MP3: Violet Hill

Dananananaykroyd Sissy Hits Buy .

The Fratellis Here We Stand Buy .

Last week's Top 3 were:
1. Ladytron - Velocifero
2. The Zutons - You Can Do Anything
=3. Errors - It Is Not Something But It Is Like Whatever
=3. Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up Til It Was Light

Sorry about the lack of nugget-reviews this week, I'm on holiday!

Instead of my usual ramblings on the month's singles for The Skinny magazine, this time we decided to let someone else do the slagging. The Twilight Sad are one of my favourite bands of the past year, and even produced The Skinny's album of 2007. I met them before their gig at Tigerfest in Dunfermline to play them some CDs. It went well until they started stamping on them...

James Graham - vocals
Andy MacFarlane - guitar
Craig Orzel - bass

THE RASCALS – FREAKBEAT PHANTOM

James: I don't mind that.
Andy: It just sounds like that other band, the Shadow Puppets.
me: D'you not think he sings like Alex Turner?
Andy: Aye I've listened to that Shadow Puppets record and I get confused.
me: Rating out of ten?
James: Six.
Andy: Aye, it's not bad, it's not good, it's just aaaaverage.
[Craig enters]
Andy: Ye missed the first one. A scouse band. Would you be intae that?
Craig: Aye why not?
James: He doesnae need tae hear that one.

6/10

James: Put on Little Man Tate, cause I know that's gonnae be pish! I heard one song by them and I nearly spewed.

LITTLE MAN TATE – WHAT YOUR BOYFRIEND SAID

Andy: They should just give up man.
me: Rating out of ten?
James: One. Two. One and a half. That was bollocks. I knew that was gonna be bollocks. I could dae this for a living. This is great.

1.5/10

LEVELLERS – BURN AMERICA BURN

Andy: Is What A Beautiful Day getting reissued? That's a ten!
James: How old are the Levellers? Pretty old.
me: I didn't know they were still together.
James: Neither did I.
Andy: It sounds like a gypsy version of The Associates. I dunno why they're still together.
James: Four, at the best. One for the fans!

4/10

GAVIN ROSSDALE – LOVE REMAINS THE SAME

Andy: See if it sounds like Gwen Stefani, it might be awright! Anyone who's boabin' her gets five marks straight away!
James: This is gonnae be shite. [sings] Swallowed. This sounds like a drummer's old band. Pure pop rock. They were amazingly bad. This just sounds like too American, like that band Daughtry. Slash played wi them once, and that's what this sounds like.
Craig: The start of it sounds like the Velvet Underground.
[play intro again]
Andy: Aye, Heroin.
James: It sounds like Heroin, plus he's got five bonus points for shagging Gwen Stefani.
Andy: Two points for Heroin and five for Gwen Stefani, so that's seven.
James: Naw ye cannae give it seven!
Andy: But if ye read the review it'll be explained!

7/10

JASON MRAZ – I'M YOURS

Andy: What's he got tae dae wi anything?
me: “San Diego-based troubadour”, apparently.
James: Eek.
Andy: This sounds like Jack Johnson or something.
James: I think a wee minus point might be in order.
Craig: [copying a lyric] I can't take no fucking more either!
Andy: That's no even worth talking about!
James: Gie that nothing. They were signed for tax reasons.

0/10

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN – TO BE LOVED

James: She used tae go out wi Elliot Smith. [It was actually Jeff Buckley - easy mistake to make]
Andy: He's pure deid but.
James: It's pretty shite that eh?
Andy: It sounds like that lassie fae High Fidelity. She can get five bonus points for being in Rufus Wainwright's band, but she can get minus three for sounding like that lassie fae High Fidelity.
me: Equals two.
Andy: Aye but ye'll need tae explain that.

2/10

LYKKE LI – I'M GOOD, I'M GONE

me: Have you heard of Lykke Li?
James: Aye I like her. I've seen her name all over the place. She's touring wi that band that we played wi, Shout Out Louds.
Andy: Sounds like Feist.
James: Aye she is quite feisty but!
All: Hahaha!
James: I seriously didnae mean it like that!
Andy: I quite like it. I'd say a seven.

7/10

IRON & WINE – LOVESONG OF THE BUZZARD

James: I've got this album but I've no listened to it yet.
Craig: It sounds like Sex and the City!
Andy: It pure does!
James: I could take or leave it.
Andy: It gets a point off for them being in that cheesy film Garden State.
James: I liked that!
Andy: Was a seven, point off for Garden State.
James: So six.

6/10

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR – YOU BELONG

James: It's meant tae be quite good this.
[CD fails to play]
Andy: Give it a zero. A big fat zero cos it doesnae work!
James: Gie it a ten!
Andy: Nut! Zero.
[CD eventually plays]
James: Orzel you like it already! Orzel likes Italian disco.
Craig: It sounds like Streets of Rage 2. It's got a dance soundtrack like this.
Andy: Is that Antony [Hegarty] singing?
James: Naw it cannae be. Pitchfork gave it like 9.8 or something.
Andy: Fuck Pitchfork!
Craig: It sounds like a wild night of sex and cocaine and it's all gone fucking wrong and they're fucking each other and there's coke everywhere and they thought, we've got tae do a song!
Andy: Give it two.

2/10

DOES IT OFFEND YOU YEAH? - EPIC LAST SONG

me: Will this offend you, yeah?
James: Yeah I've heard that and it's bollocks. Nearly as bad as the new Fratellis one.
Andy: It sounds like it should be on Skins. It sounds a bit like The Dykeenies.
James: They're no American enough tae be The Dykeenies! Give it two.
Andy: Dae gie it fuckin two, gie it zero!

0/10

PANIC AT THE DISCO – THINGS HAVE CHANGED

James: They did that Nine in the Afternoon song that was in Heroes. I liked Heroes. I didn't like the song though.
me: I thought they were an emo band but this isn't emo at all.
James: It seems like they're trying to go for the Queen vibe.
Craig: Give it 4.4.
James: One point for trying to sound like Queen, but take it off for sounding like The Feeling!
me: So that's a healthy zero?
Andy: Aye.
James: Andy, none of your ratings have got anything to do wi the tunes but.

0/10

ELBOW – ONE DAY LIKE THIS

Andy: He cannae sing.
James: He's a really nice guy but.
Andy: Who cares if he's a nice guy? He cannae sing!
James: Apparently he was one of the top 20 hottest guys in Glamour magazine.
Andy: He's a scruffy bum! Is there a B-side? We should review that instead.
Craig: A lot of bands just focus on one part. There's no chords in there. It's like a vacuum of noise. You can't identify the chords or bassline or anything.
James: I wanted tae be nice in these reviews.
Andy: Why kid on that you like something when ye clearly don't? Give that one.

1/10

The results have been collated and there is a tie for single of the month, but given that Gavin Rossdale's rating consisted entirely of bonus points for, ahem, being Mr Gwen Stefani, and sounding like The Velvet Underground, it seems fair to hand this month's accolade to the perfectly feisty Lykke Li.

1. Union of Knives – Evil Has Never

http://www.unionofknives.com/

http://www.myspace.com/unionofknives

Banda que ficou conhecida, em 2005, pela sua página na rede social do MySpace, o Union of Knives toca rock alternativo de qualidade, como pôde ser conferido em Violence & Birdsong, primeiro álbum dos caras lançado em 14 de agosto de 2006.

Composta por Chris Gordon, Dave McClean e Craig Grant, que colocam um som interessante no cenário de rock britânico, como na música "Operated On". Para 2007, “Evil Has Never” é o novo single de trabalho dos caras.

2. The Vines - He's a Rocker
3. Lost Valentinos - Rain
4. The Zutons - Always Right Behind You
5. Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
6. Joan as Police Woman - To be Loved
7. Teenagers in Tokyo - Very Vampyr Profile
8. Duffy - Warwick Avenue
9. The Ting Tings - That's Not my Name
10. Sam Sparro - Black and Gold

PEB: Agradecemos a Marrk Birrd, nosso correspondente em Oxford, Inglaterra, pela graça alcançada.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Denise James
Promises ••••
Rainbow Quartz

Lovers of the '60s girl group phenomenon are having a vintage year, what with The Pipettes and The Schla-la-las doing their best to revive the genre in populist fashion, and relative veteran Denise James isn't prepared to miss out on the action. Her third album, Promises, practically oozes the sweet aroma of a soda fountain and is probably best listened to whilst wearing a mini-skirt, even the boys! Put this on your MP3 player the next time you go trawling through vintage clothing outlets and you'll be sure to find the perfect outfit. James effortlessly captures the balance between happiness and tragedy that came to define the era, so that when she asks "what happened to the love we knew / don't tell me we are through", it's not just words, it's backed by a gorgeous rock guitar solo and near-maniacal violin that makes heartbreak seem like an afterthought. Likewise, ‘It's Never What You Say' opens with the words "love is gone", but come the chorus you'll be smiling ear to ear from the sheer infectious parping of the trumpets.

Even the gloomier songs, such as ‘Promises' and ‘A Word To Say To You', still ring with the sound of jolly tambourines that make them more like tears on a pillow than tainted love. Not that these songs are any less sincere or moving because of their joyful nods to the genre; ‘Go Ahead & Change Your Mind' resonates with emotion with its central message that "time only brings an emptiness to everything". Indeed, James's wonderfully stylised approach makes these soul-baring songs seem wounded and resigned despite some of them having vitriolic lyrics that any metal band would be proud of, particularly on the commanding ‘Get Out'.

To her credit, James has effectively created a portal to the past; Promises truly does sound as though it were recorded and produced in the studios of days long gone. It's authentic yet modern and, most importantly, perfectly addictive. Just as the ‘real' songs of the ‘60s preferred the beach to the boardroom, James voices the same freewheeling attitude in ‘Let's Take The Day Off', a song so lovingly stuffed with life-affirming sentiments that it would have even the most staunch capitalist disposing of their suit and grabbing a surfboard. Alternatively, they might just go home and have a slow, sad waltz on the porch to the strains of ‘There's A Light On'. Whatever the mood of the song, James has nailed her own form of time travel, one that will erase any modern day worries in blissful three-minute bursts.

That James has painstakingly constructed an album that's so historically aware and beautifully produced is a real achievement in itself. When coupled with such memorable songs and her inspirational delivery, Promises may well go down in the annals of pop as her finest work. Although it's oh so commercially viable in the current musical climate, it's hard to escape the nagging feeling that James will be somewhat overshadowed by her more boisterous peers, but wherever she goes from here it's bound to sound pretty special.

Gem Nethersole
originally published August 23rd, 2006

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Leela James
A Change Is Gonna Come ••••
Warner Bros.

I stole this album. I didn't mean to, it's not even really the kind of thing that usually does it for me. It looks pretty unassuming - girl on the front, big hair, she looks like a lot of other girls who turn out not to be very good. This one turns out good though. Her old-fashioned brand of soul is well worth the thievery stain on mine, which is not, of course, to condone or encourage that kind of bad behaviour. I'm just saying...

It's a dangerous thing, calling the first song on your album ‘Music' and then name-checking Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan before the chorus even kicks in, and she probably wouldn't get away with it if she were a bit less good. Lucky for Leela James that her voice is unremittingly extraordinary. Smooth as a James Bond chat-up line and emotional as a wounded animal, gritty and rich in all the right places. Like a really good cup of coffee.

They picked ‘Music' along with cheery tune ‘Good Time' as singles, but to me it's the angrier, darker numbers ‘Ghetto' (with Wyclef Jean) and ‘Didn't I' (with Kanye West) that suit her best and really stand out. She just sings it like she means it, and she has the kind of voice - technically spectacular and coming from somewhere a little bit deeper in her chest than your regular starlet - that can properly pull off lines like "low down dirty". Not many people can do that in a serious manner, but Leela drips just the right kind of bluesy back porch sincerity. Ain't nothing like the truth.

As an album, A Change Is Gonna Come probably misses out on real greatness, but only narrowly. A few of the songs are not, I suspect, very good under the fancy production. Don't get me wrong, they're still great to listen to because Leela James sings on them, but if you're a sucker for a big chorus you'll probably find yourself skipping through quite a few tracks. On the other hand, some of the songs are just great to dance to, and screw the chorus - ‘Rain', for instance, has a guitar hook hooky enough that you don't really care that no-one could be bothered writing a vocal melody worthy of it.

The songs are interspersed with little acoustic country blues and gospel interludes that sound like fried chicken and the ghost of Leadbelly, wonderful in themselves and also providing a counterpoint to ‘60s-soaked soul numbers like ‘Prayer' and the title track, a cover of Sam Cooke's 1964 hit that is well delivered, if a little uninspired. Thrown into the mix, too, are a few real curiosities like a delightfully unexpected cover of No Doubt's ‘Don't Speak' that pisses all over the original. It's like she's squashed about a hundred years' worth of American music into one album, and so perhaps it's not surprising that in many ways this is an album full of clichés - there are some very standard lyrics, R&B sprinkles on more than one track, and she does thank Jesus and her parents in that order on the sleeve notes.

A lot of good things are being thrown together on A Change Is Gonna Come, but innovative it is not. However, in the same way that rigid metrical form can in the right hands produce the best poetry, the kinds of traditions that Leela James is tapping into provide a platform that really works to showcase her talents. An ungenerous critic might say that it is an album unsure of what it wants to be, but then again, it's pleasing that albums are still being made that really do defy petty pigeonholing.

Dana Immanuel
originally published September 27th, 2005 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Toni James
I'm Here, Where Are You? EP ••
Teepee Records

Toni James's story is nothing if not inspirational. It's a tale of rising above a difficult family life and unwise, abusive relationships to follow her dream of making it as a soul singer. The 28 year old Liverpudlian has certainly paid her dues, not only as a graduate of the school of hard knocks but also in "the business". A veteran of the cruise ship, lounge bar and jazz standard circuit, she's now stepping out in her own right with that particular nu-soul style that seems to be making headway in the charts these days. But while her bio may be inspiring, the music is rather less so. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with it, it just lacks the necessary lustre to make a real impression.

Kicking off with ‘Fate Street', a gospel-lite number about finding Mr. Right, it's clear that James has a decent range and a pleasant tone, both of which are tastefully employed. Whilst her pipes are not the richest around, she avoids the nasality and shrillness that's rife among the genre, and indeed she should be roundly praised for, gasp!, singing a note as if it were a note, not the sound of a bluebird having a seizure. Why such unfocused and poorly controlled vocal riffing is de rigueur these days is a mystery to me and it continues to mar so many urban ‘soul' records. The song itself does its job efficiently enough with all the right amounts of bluesy piano, B3 Hammond and backing vocals thrown in to the mix.

‘He's Too Good To Share' is a competent urban workout that manages to be neither funky enough to mine the acid jazz furrow propped up by Incognito nor urban enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Alicia Keys. In particular, the backbeat handclaps seem rather synthetic and mechanical, sapping the usual joy right out. Elsewhere, ‘Please Don't Wake Me' provides the flipside to Oleta Adams's torchy ‘Get Here', exploring the darker reality of enforced separation - the harsh truth being that sometimes the temporary bliss of sleep is preferable to facing the cruel waking world.

Final number ‘Is It?' isn't much to get excited over either. Monotonous in the sense of not being boring but rather lacking in dynamics, James was clearly aiming for a sparser R&B feel but doesn't quite possess enough groove to carry it off. A bit of a curate's egg then, and whether the forthcoming album (due out later this year) will offer anything new is the burning question. There's promise here, but it's never fully realised. However, in a musical climate where the public has taken the soul-lite sounds of Joss Stone and Corinne Bailey Rae to their hearts, and with the publicity power of Sandi Thom's people behind her, don't write this one off just yet.

Trevor Raggatt
originally published June 24th, 2006

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Sinner ••½
Blackheart

With the big, clap yo' hands feel of politico-ripper 'Riddles', you're plunged straight into the true heart of Sinner, the first Joan Jett & The Blackhearts album in over a decade. The chugging, cheesy ‘80s guitars sound like a biker's wet dream, while the admittedly catchy chorus shows that Jett can still be devilishly aware of what makes a line memorable. This all hints as a return to fun-sounding rock songs, but what makes Jett's new work so compelling is that each track holds enough of a message to be taken seriously (for the opener this is the awareness and very real worries of political morons, the lack of political awareness in the U.S. and the world and Big Brother watching evermore). With this and the timely use of some great Bush and Rumsfeld speech samples, you'll get the gist pretty quickly and realise that Sinner really isn't just another rock clown acting out, but instead tries to voice items on a meaningful agenda.

This brash retro heart is a recurring theme of the album - though Jett would surely take umbrage if you called it ‘retro' to her face - where big band rock ‘n' roll is pounded out ‘til fingers are shaking and knuckles are bleeding. By exploring the well travelled slopes of the ‘rock anthem', Jett succeeds in reminding of how she herself has been such a secretly domineering and influential artist. For example, ‘Everyone Knows' is a sort of template for latter-day Weezer and anyone else that isn't afraid of touching on something that is unashamedly good for the soul. Fists are raised to the skies and their owners are wearing ripped, black band t-shirts; the lack of a smirk or wry smile is unnerving. This is serious, folks! Meanwhile, ‘Change The World' reeks of early Distillers and other feelgood, boppy punk rockers, but clearly Joan came first. However rearward-looking it may be, Sinner really hammers it home that there really are a great number of acts who've trodden on the toes of this female figurehead.

Of course, with such a well rehearsed basis for compositions, there are bound to be some potholes, bumps and areas that are unwise to venture into. ‘A 100 Ft Away' and the truly terrible ‘Watersign' take the foot off of the proverbial pedal and sink into the bogs that were once the battleground of the stadium pomp- rockers. And good riddance, really; there's no need for that egotistical guitar crap. On a similarly slippery footing, ‘Bad Time' steals part of a typical descending guitar riff used by late-era Iggy & The Stooges (have a listen to the stuff on Skull Ring and you'll notice the likeness). Here, Jett and her band once again walk the perilous plank and stand there wobbling, threatening to teeter over into pointlessness.

Elsewhere, they're rescued by ‘Fetish', a notably decent stab at the heart. Getting downright dirty, sleazy, greasy and easy, Jett shrieks and yelp with a pained, unrestrained glee, her gristly vocals tearing right through, projected by her metal larynx; it works because the song simply doesn't give a fuck. It pumps, slides and grinds all over you, asserting its dominance before you can question this return to an old and somewhat dated sound. It thrusts you down and gets on with business, just as plain and simple rock music should.

Overall, Sinner is much like diving into the deep end, bombing right into a sea of sharks whilst covered in whale meat and wearing a big fat grin. There is no shame or fear here. The mainstream media's pointed teeth will surely sense this overt carelessness and downright disregard for the songwriting no-nos of yesteryear, but the real problem is that there isn't enough to get worked up about either way. As soon as you get used to the sound that was supposedly ‘lost' many moons ago, you'll find your concentration wandering. Sinner is undoubtedly worthy of a listen, but despite Jett's obvious influence and her eagerness to be heard on a greater political level, it's unlikely to make a notable mark amongst the unconverted.

Gary Munday 
originally published October 14th, 2006

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Jodi Jett
Revelations •••½
Love Rock Records

First things first, Jodi Jett is no relation to archetypal rocker Joan, though the Kansas-born Manhattanite certainly knows how to make herself heard. Fielding comparisons with Liz Phair and even Tom Waits, her debut album Revelations is packed full of melodies unfurling in a drawl, slung out over songs in a nonchalant manner, where notes are occasionally dropped for spoken word. This is quietly swaggering, slightly staggering rock ‘n' roll that's been brawled with and bitten, a carcass of a sound. Here, the ethic of rock is kept for the hell of it, but the flesh is experimented with, pierced by forethought and poisoned emotion and then sometimes dropped altogether so the song goes back to a very basic band setup. With the first two tracks slithering by - sometimes malevolent, always absorbing - the desolation, regret and/or frank admittance in the lyrics ("when I said I loved you did you believe it?") pushes the feeling of a gathering storm right to the fore.

Perking things up a little, the slightly more driving rhythms of '80s Girl' boasts emotional spillage and narrative mutterings crammed into a loose vocal framework, namedropping all sorts of memorabilia, culture and fashion. Eventually morphing into a form of homage for anthems of the time (see ‘Shout' and ‘Like A Virgin'), the song is perhaps best taken as an ode to the things of the era. After all, the song itself is only really lifted out of it nothingness by borrowing from the subject matter itself - up until the tongue-in-cheek renditions of '80s ‘classics', there is no true vocal line. Elsewhere, the songs don't really do anything new, but what's there is done in ways that feel pretty good. With a leading drunk slide guitar lick, casual brushed drumming and tales of substitute love, it'll be hard not to spark one up over Instead, even if you don't smoke.

This is certainly an intriguing album, and a pretty strange one too. Jett has clearly seen the rulebook, observed it with a wry look, waited for the opportune moment and shredded it to the best of her ability. With a well-kempt type of guitar distortion, live studio drum production that's basic, crisp and real, Revelations is as honest as you could ask for. It's like the morning after, waking up in a forgotten hotel with an unnamed partner half-buried in the pillows. It's the backbone of Jodi Jett, without spectacle or gloss, and an admirable thing to pull off.

Gary Munday 
originally published October 14th, 2006

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Jewel
Goodbye Alice In Wonderland •••
Atlantic

A success! The exorcism was a success! It seems that Alaskan singer-songwriter Jewel Kilcher is no longer in thrall to the same tormenting demon that resides in the likes of Britney Spears and other pop icons. While some may accept that the cause of these pop princesses' inexplicably ridiculous and self-destructive antics is simply sheer idiocy, possession is the only explanation for Kilcher's 2003 album, 0304. Need a reminder? 0304 was a shocking, neon-stained, soulsold-to-Lucifer, dance-pop disaster, trading in her folksy image and battered acoustic for hair extensions, a push-up bra and a choreographed entourage of hyperactive dancers. It was a long long way from the album that made her, 1995's Pieces Of You, a sweetly naïve but soulfully honest collection that yielded several hits in her native US.

Now it's 2006 and Jewel is back from through the looking glass with Goodbye Alice In Wonderland, her sixth album. With most of her tendencies for pop exhibitionism shaken off, Jewel has bidden farewell to more than just Alice and the Mad Hatter, but also to whatever she was drinking (or smoking) at that unhinged unbirthday shindig. Delivering a collection of songs either composed or played live over the last ten years, but never recorded, Kilcher gets closer to the Jewel that millions loved. Not quite all the way back to the Pieces Of You days, but following closely in the glossier tracks of 2001's This Way.

Somewhere along the way, between This Way and the still folksy Spirit, Kilcher struck up a friendship (a love affair even!) with the recording studio and the make-you-break-you mainstream. Take a look at her career to date; of some seventeen singles released, twelve have been altered in some way for radio. Sadly, the passion hasn't gone out of that relationship yet and the studio is very much a presence, despite initial rumours of a lo-fi approach following an acoustic tour. Fans who are looking for titles heard from these and earlier acoustic renditions won't find those versions here. There's a hint of acoustic sparkle, certainly, but make no mistake about it, this is beefed-up, polished product.

The title track is billed as her most personal to date but you'll struggle to hear genuine feeling over the studio sheen that takes the song from simple acoustic beginning to its grossly overdone conclusion. Catchy lead single ‘Again & Again' is smooth as silk, with a nicely done vocal riding over a steady drumbeat, and the same goes for the new up-tempo version of 0304's ‘Fragile Heart' - a perfect example of the revision queen reworking a song for radio play. ‘Satellite' makes a U-turn, straying away from the direction of the rest of the album. Though it retains a primarily country feel, the pervasive radio-friendly production mires the song in its own ghastly slickness. Perhaps it's the aftershock of 0304; after all, what else can be expected from a woman who was formerly doing the devil's bidding? That fact and a nod to Jewel's impressive vocal range make this sour pop ditty almost excusable.

Goodbye Alice In Wonderland might be unnecessarily overburdened with beats and extras, drowning out the simplicity for which her earlier albums were so highly regarded, but at least it's a sign that Kilcher is well on the way back. It may require a modicum of patience, but there's a brilliant diamond lying in the rough (if you can consider this well-buffed album rough in the slightest) if you make it to the end. ‘1000 Miles Away' is an astonishing gift; its minimalism, simple strumming and innocent vocal will pull you back to 1995. That's right, it's a piece of Pieces Of You. It's a godsend; a ray of light. Refreshing and welcoming like she's finally come home. It might be goodbye Alice, but it's hello again to Jewel.

Marc Soucy
originally published June 16th, 2006 

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Joan As Police Woman
Joan As Police Woman EP •••½ 
Reveal

With the release of her debut solo EP, it's finally time for Joan Wasser to, to quote one of her own song titles, "stagger into the light", assume centre stage and take the spotlight. For the past few years, she's been an integral part of Rufus Wainwright's touring band and also found time to play on Antony & The Johnsons' I Am A Bird Now. In fact, Wasser has played with just about everyone who needed some quality violin and backing vocals. Meanwhile, she also found time to play in numerous bands of her own throughout the Nineties, before breaking out on her own in 2002, taking her name from the Seventies cop show, ‘Police Woman', starring Burt Bacharach's ex-wife Angie Dickinson.

Recent single ‘My Gurl' starts things off and finds her sensitively singing about the world in stopped motion while the tune echoes the lyrics. Then, after a minute and a half, the song sparks into life; a nice bit of fuzz pedal here and there, a jazzy, populist mid-section there. The jazz element is so convincing that you can almost see the smoke in the air of a crowded club, while her sassy side recalls the much-maligned Sam Brown. Following that, ‘Prime Mover', locks into a groove and moves with it, the song itself coupling a lo-fi reading with the mystery of Bowie.

It's no happy accident that ‘Stagger Into The Light' falls in the middle of the record; it's by far the best track and a wonderful centrepiece. Of all the many comparisons that Wasser has attracted so far - Dusty Springfield, Nina Simone, even Prince - the most pertinent has to be Chrissie Hynde, and this is nowhere more apparent than on this particular song. The sultriness, the ice cool attitude, being in the ideal position where women want to be her and men want to be with her. All these qualities shine through brightly, and what's more, Wasser manages to achieve this in a few mere moments - the tempting lead up to the chorus and the inviting, yet insistent lyric "listen to me". By the time the final refrain comes around, she's pared it down to a satisfied "euff", confident that she's reeled you in. And all the while the song has swayed and stopped, copped an attitude, and rolled back in again.

Just how do you follow that? Well, it's a difficult ask and Wasser has gamely stepped up to the plate. OK, so the final songs on the EP aren't as good, but they're still mighty fine efforts. ‘Game Of Life' sounds Middle Eastern, sashaying around a bit before resorting to some helpless yelping towards the end, while ‘How Come You're So Solid Gold?' is broodily hypnotic; its circular rhythms drawing you deeper and deeper into its black heart. This EP is a wonderful start to Joan's solo career and promises plenty of interest for her forthcoming full-length, Real Life.

Russell Barker
originally published March 7th, 2006 

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Jo Mango
Paperclips & Sand •••½ 
Lo-Five

Glasgow-based chanteuse Jo Mango and her band have been treading the boards of the circuit for three years, each time bringing a winsome and quirky brand of folk to the good burghers of the city and the surrounding regions. In many ways, it's difficult to fully separate Jo Mango the band from Jo Mango the artist. While the latter pens the songs (and hers is certainly a distinctive and attractive voice), the contributions of her fellow musical travellers bolster her signature sound. Backed by twin brother Jim on bass, Simon Fullarton on guitars and Calum Scott on percussion and guitar, the folk formula seems to have been adhered to. However, adding in Alan Peacock's engrossing background and harmony vocals, and Katherine Waumsley's flute and harp to Jo's own eclectic instrumentation, including concertina and even African thumb piano, and a much broader sonic canvas is immediately evident.

The haunting ‘My Lung' provides a stark introduction; Mango's delicate and childlike vocals pick out a hymn to the positive aspects of a dependence that's closer to symbiosis than parasitism. ‘Tea Lights' then sets out a more typical template for the album, with folksy guitar and vocals gradually accumulating other musical elements - a bit of glockenspiel here, a violin there - and these provide a gentle reflection and indeed an enhancement of the otherworldly lyrics. Peacock steps forward to share the mic on ‘Gomer', as he and Mango swap verses like two lovers who are connected and yet lost to one another, culminating in a harmonious finale. The folksy mood continues elsewhere; ‘How I'd Be' finds Mango's musings on what might have been lifted up, up and away on well-placed harmonies, while ‘Waltz With Me' is a wistful dance leavened by lilting flute and accordion.

After ‘Take Me Back's traditional hard knock life storytelling balladry, which happily strays into Sandy Denny / Vashti Bunyan territory (but with a stronger and more assured vocal delivery than the latter), a more contemporary edge comes to the fore. In fact, ‘Hard Day' could slot in nicely with Suzanne Vega's early catalogue - and that's no faint praise - while ‘Blue Light' swells from a hesitant, contemplative opening into a dark and brooding psychodrama, blowing moody portents on winds of overdriven electric guitars. Finally, ‘Harlow 1959' brings the album to a halting conclusion, mirroring the Vega-esque bedsit drama it describes.

Actually, it's not exactly a conclusion; Mango has graciously tossed us a bonus track in the shape of 'Portugese Skies', a charming, idyllic song that neatly bookends with opener 'My Lung', wishing a true love a life where all is good and true. Although it first appeared on an early EP, it's a worthy addition to the album, which is in itself a more than worthy introduction to Mango's beautiful world. Here and there, the intangible essences of more maverick artists like Björk and Stína Nordenstam spiral just out of reach on the edges of perception as she deftly skirts the suburbs of folk with bucolic, dusky spirit.

Trevor Raggatt
originally published March 11th, 2006 

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Janis Joplin
Pearl: Legacy Edition •••••
Columbia/Legacy

This October marks the 35th anniversary of the day that Janis Joplin unintentionally took her own life in an LA motel room with a lethal heroin overdose. She was just 27 years old and on the cusp of what was shaping up to be the most rewarding time of her life. Since 1990, the Grammy-award winning Sony BMG subsidiary Legacy Recordings have been rewarding the patient with lovingly packaged and often essential "reimaginings" of some of the most beloved albums ever recorded. In Joplin's case, there is no doubt that Pearl is the jewel in a distressingly small discography, and this long-awaited full Legacy Edition adds no fewer than six bonus tracks to the original album plus an additional live disc of 13 songs recorded during 1970's Canadian Festival Express Tour. While some of these have previously been available on either the 1999 single-disc reissue of Pearl or the 2001 3CD boxset Janis, many are newly unearthed.

After two mostly bewildering albums recorded with the psychedelic Big Brother & The Holding Company in which the sheer sonic intensity threatened to overwhelm even her powerhouse vocals, Joplin formed the Kozmic Blues Band for a successful but patchy album before disbanding them, taking Brad Campbell and John Till with her and gathering around her a more sympathetic ensemble in Full Tilt Boogie. The results were astoundingly raw, focusing on her gritty and revitalising vocals more than ever before. Everyone has their favourite tracks, and with stone-cold classics like ‘Me & Bobby McGee', ‘A Woman Left Lonely', ‘Move Over' and ‘Cry Baby' to choose from, it's no mean feat to elevate a single cut above the others. Even the sadly overexposed ‘Mercedes Benz' still sounds fresh in its natural context, positively brimming with Joplin's sense of humour.

Of the two instrumental tracks on the first disc, both are poignant reminders of our loss. The frantic keyboard wig out of ‘Buried Alive In The Blues' only serves to remind that, had Joplin lived for just one more day, it would have been completed with vocals and all. The other, the gorgeous ‘Pearl', is available here for the first time and is a touching tribute to Janis from her band, titled in honour of the nickname given to Joplin by those closest to her. Other bonus tracks worth mentioning are the endearingly banter-laden acoustic demo of ‘Me & Bobby McGee' and a handclap happy version of ‘Move Over'.

The second disc collates recordings from three different live shows from the summer of 1970, including live versions of ‘Piece Of My Heart', ‘Summertime', ‘Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)' and more. Every song is a spirited affair and is further testament to her powerful and ingratiating onstage persona. Contrary certainly, but she used her insecurities to propel a live show like few have done since. In my favourite Janis anecdote, it is said that when warned her voice would not sustain such repeated hammering, Joplin retorted that she'd rather not be an inferior performer for the sole reason that she could be inferior for longer. It's this dedication to her art for which she should be most praised. No mere blues belter, Janis Joplin was an intelligent and vivid woman with unparalleled grit and commitment. Given the timelessness of Pearl as a document of sheer vitality, it's maddening to think what she could have accomplished if only she'd had more time.

Alan Pedder
originally published June 28th, 2005 

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Juliette & The Licks
You're Speaking My Language •••
Hassle

Your mum will tell you that first impressions are important. So when Oscar-nominated Hollywood actress Juliette Lewis deigned to cover two untouchable Polly Harvey classics back in 1995, the prognosis