Category Archives: Eclectic Mainline

Matters relating to Albert Freeman’s Eclectic Mainline show.

Eclectic Mainline 10th November 2010

constellations

Constellations line-up

This Sunday, the rather splendid Constellations Festival is on in Leeds, and it really is quite a line-up! 

You may already have heard Katie and Jen talking about it in The Show, and I’m sure several other BCB presenters have been bigging it up too.

As you will see the line-up really is quite special.  Regular listeners to Eclectic Mainline will have heard all the artists mentioned to the left.

Last night in my show we featured Katie speaking to Local Natives about their appearance at the festival.

A server glitch prevented me from posting my playlist straigh after the show, but here it is now:

This is what I played in my show last night:

Panico – “Icon” (LP – “Kick”) (Chemikal Underground)
Blonde Redhead – “Not Getting There” (single and LP – “Penny Sparkle”) (4AD)
Peter Broderick – “Human Eyeballs on Toast” (LP – “How They Are”) (Bella Union)
Zé Da Lua – “Ulungu Wami” compilation LP – “Angola Soundtrack”) (Analog Afrika)
Vessels – “Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute” (single) (Cuckundoo)
The National – “Conversation 16” (single and LP – “High Violet”) (4AD)
Appliance – “West Waves” (LP – “Re-conditioned”) (RROOP)
Sparrow and the Workshop – “Black To Red” (single) (Distiller)
Four Tet – “Angel Echoes” (LP – “There Is Love In You”) (Domino)
Local Natives interview with Katie Jennings
Local Natives – “Who Knows Who Cares (BretonLABS remix)” (single and LP – “Gorillan Manor”) (Infectious)
Liars – “Scissor” (LP – “Sisterworld”) (Mute)
Warpaint – “Undertow” (single and LP – “The Fool”) (Rough Trade)
Consumers – “Anti, Anti, Anti” (compilation LP – “Black Hole: Californian Punk 1977-80) (Domino)

Eclectic Mainline 27th October 2010

Tonight, to mark the fact that The Duke & The King are playing in Leeds at The Wardrobe tomorrow with Wilful Missing I repeated the session of theirs, first broadcast in Laura’s BCB Sessions back on 12th May.  You can also listen to their session again here on Untitled Noise if you so wish.

The Duke And The King at BCB, April 2010

The Duke And The King at BCB, April 2010

Amid all the excitement of the fact that we were running a competition to give away tickets to the above mentioned gig, and the fact that I was looking forward to The Twilight Sad in session in Laura’s show tonight, I forgot to wax lyrical about the fact that Animal Collective have been announced as curators of the ATP Festival next May.  This is absolutely brilliant news.  I had in my head 4 potential candidates for curating it, of which they were one.  The others, if you are interested, would have been Super Furry Animals, Polly Jean Harvey or Dangermouse.

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The Undertones – Teenage Kicks: The Very Best Of

undertones_teenagekicksIf you can get over the unashamedly prosaic title of this newly released compilation by The Undertones, it’s a fine set of tunes.  This is the third Undertones ‘Best Of’ compilation to have adopted the title of their debut single, and best known song, ‘Teenage Kicks’.  The difference is…this time it’s The Very Best Of.  I assume that’s because not only does it have 20 songs on, but also the videos to ‘Teenage Kicks’ and ‘My Perfect Cousin’, both of which feature some fine knitwear.

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Crystal Castles + HEALTH, Leeds Met, 23rd October 2010

I hadn’t realised how popular Crystal Castles have become.  I haven’t got their second album and have missed what I can only assume has been a huge furore surrounding them since the release of their debut in 2009.  Last night’s gig at Leeds Met was a sell out, and the kids were loving it.  [I can now legitimately refer to such gig-goers as kids as I believe I am now scientifically old enough to have fathered a child the same age as at least half of last night’s audience.  This fact is reassuring rather than alarming, as it evidences my belief that I’m still ‘cool’ (although use of that 20th century word may betray me) and have not yet succumbed to the type of ‘safe’ dad music someone of my age might start realising is going to see my happily to my retirement.]

Health
HEALTH, Leeds Met, 23rd October 2010

This tour isn’t the first time Crystal Castles and HEALTH have been mentioned by me in the same breath, as I have played previous musical collaborations by them in my show.  I had thus far failed to see HEALTH and having heard they were marvellous live, I was not disappointed.  They were quite brilliant and I was left wondering whether Crystal Castles may have made an error by being supported by a band so good.  The charismatic bass player was centre stage, being as he was  the most visually entertaining member of the band.  I was actually surprised by how organic their line-up was.  There was a fair amount of synthetic effects, but largely their sound was comprised of guitars, bass, drums, more drums, and vocals.  Their whole set was an onslaught of confident, articulate, tightly knitted noise, and the highlights were Die Slow and USA Boys.

The between-band downtime, prolonged due to the malfunction of either an XLR or a DI box on stage, wasn’t the usual painful wait, for me at least.  The soundman had a penchant for Elliott Smith, so I got to hear all of Elliott Smith and half of Either Or during the wait.

Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles, Leeds Met, 23rd October 2010

My paternal concerns about whether Crystal Castles may find themselves upstaged by HEALTH proved unnecessary.  They started with (I assume) a couple of tunes from Crystal Castles (II) and the youth were going crazy, lapping it up.  The sound was quite immense – deep, full-on electronics, piercing vocals and live drums.  Couple their aural onslaught with the visual element of the live experience, and it was a performance I really could not find fault with.   The heavy use of backlit strobes, against an otherwise mostly dark stage, with Alice Glass’s onstage athleticism, and they are quite a proposition.  Quite a brilliant night.

External references:
Crystal Castles – crystalcastles.com
HEALTH – www.healthnoise.com
NIck Pickles music photographer – www.music-photographer.co.uk

Eclectic Mainline – 20th October 2010

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Two of my favourite albums of the autumn are Deerhunter‘s Halcyon Digest and Port Entropy by Shugo Tokumaru.  The former is already out, and the latter comes out in a couple of weeks.  Tunes from both were in tonight’s show.

Also, a rather lovely cover by The Shelleys of a song made famous by Shakin’ Stevens, in which guise it was the first 7″ I ever owned.

Here’s what I played tonight:

Manic Street Preachers – “The Future Has Been Here 4Ever” (LP – “Postcards From A Young Man”) (Sony)
Shit Robot – “Tuff Enuff?” (single) (DFA)
Our Broken Garden – “The Burial” (LP – “Golden Sea”) (Bella Union)
Susumu Yukota – “Sprouting Symphony” (LP – “Kaleidoscope”) (Lo)
Shugo Tokumaru – “Rum Hee” (LP – “Port Entropy”) (Souterrain Transmissions)
The Dils – “I Hate The Rich” (compilation LP – “Black Hole: Californian Punk 1977-80) (Domino)
This Is The Kit – “Moon” (LP – “Wriggle Out The Restless”) (Dreamboat)
Deerhunter – “Helicopter” (LP – “Halcyon Digest”) (4AD)
Paris Suit Yourself – “Craig Machinsky” (single) (Big Dada)
Brian Eno – “Emerald And Stone” (LP – “Small Craft On A Milk Sea”) (Warp)
Dirty Projectors – “As I Went Out One Morning” (LP – “No Intention + Bitte Orca (Expanded Edition)” (Domino)
Elliott Smith – “Miss Misery (early version)” (LP – “An Introduction To Elliott Smith”) (Domino)
Offshore – “Round & Round” (“Aneurysm EP”) (Big Dada)
Les Shelleys – “Green Door” (LP – “Les Shelleys”) (Fat Cat)
Hauschka – “Children” (LP – “Foreign Landscapes”) (130701)

Mountain Man BCB session

I said it at the time, and I’ll say it again. The Mountain Man session we had recently at BCB is one of the most beautiful sessions I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in.  You can hear it again here now.


Mountain Man BCB session by DJ Albert Freeman

 

Mountain Man, BCB session guests 2010

Mountain Man at BCB, posing as cats!

I would like to find time to put all our sessions up on the blog for you to listen to again, but the reality is I don’t have time.  Others I have put up here in 2010 are The Duke & The King and Lawrence Arabia.  When I get time, I’ll put more up here too.

Eclectic Mainline 13th October 2010

That’s no age for male bonding, John.

Thus would have begun my review of the excellet gig at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds last night, featuring No Age, Male Bonding and John Wiese.  As it is though, I don’t have time to go any further than that pun.  But let’s just say, it was rather good.

Here’s what I played tonight:

The Qemists – “Renegade (feat. Maxsta) (Cutline remix)” (single) (Ninja Tune)
Male Bonding – “Nothing Remains” (single) (Sub Pop)
Brian Eno – “2 Forms Of Anger” (LP – “Small Craft On A Milk Sea”) (Warp)
Shugo Tokumaru – “Tracking Elavator” (single) (Souterrain Transmissions)
Anna Calvi – “Moulinette” (single) (Domino)
Eskmo – “Become Matter Soon, For You” (LP – “Eskmo”) (Ninja Tune)
Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern – “Dagenham Ford” (LP “Essex Arms”) (Fortuna Pop!)
The Creole Choir Of Cuba – “L’Atibonite Oh” (LP – “Tande-La”) (Real World)
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip Feat. Kid A – “Cauliflower (Telepathe remix)” (single) (Sunday Best)
Wyatt / Atzmon / Stephen – “At Last I Am Free” (LP – “……….For The Ghost Within”) (Domino)
Elliott Smith – “Ballad Of Big Nothing” (LP – “An Introduction To Elliott Smith”) (Domino)
Laetitia Sadier – “Un Soir, Un Chien” (LP – “The Trip”) (Drag City)
Marnie Stern – “Cinqo De Mayo” (LP – “Marnie Stern”) (Souterrain Transmissions)
Squarepusher presents – Shobaleader One – “Cryptic Motion” (LP – “d’Demonstrator”) (Warp)
No Age – “Fever Dreaming” (LP – “Everything In Between”) (Sub Pop)
Clinic – “Radiostory” (LP – “Bubblegum”) (Domino)

Eclectic Mainline 6th October 2010

My show tonight was merely an apéritif for Laura Rawlings‘ BCB Sessions featuring Mountain Man, and as Laura said, my even the hairs of my chinny chin chin stood on end!

But as starters go, I think I managed to squeeze in a rather good selection of new tunes…

Agnes Obel – “Avenue” (LP – “Philharmonics”) (PIAS)
Charles Douglas – “Good Luck” (LP – “The Lives Of Charles Douglas”) (Broken Horse)
Rustie – “Hyperthrust” (“Sunburst EP”) (Warp)
Elliott Smith – “Between The Bars” (LP – “An Introduction To Elliott Smith”) (Domino)
Male Bonding – “Nothing Remains” (single) (Sub Pop)
No Age – “Chem Trails” (LP – “Everything In Between”) (Sub Pop)
The Creole Choir Of Cuba – “Peze Cafe” (LP – “Tande-La”) (Real World)
Laetitia Sadier – “One Million Year Trip” (LP – “The Trip”) (Drag City)
Gonja Sufi – “Love Of Reign (Bear In Heaven remix)” (LP – “A Caliph’s Tea Party”) (Warp)
The Twilight Sad – “The Room (Mogwai remix) (“The Wrong Car EP”) (Fat Cat)
Anna Calvi – “Jezebel” (single) (Domino)
Yann Tiersen – “Palestine” (LP – “Dust Lane”) (Mute)
Fops – “Scandinavian Preppy” (LP – “Yeth Yeth Yeth”) (Monotreme)
Dum Dum Girls – “It Only Takes One Night” (single) (Sub Pop)

Next week Laura has Gary Stewart in session by the way.  For more details of that and future sessions see the Facebook group, BCB Wednesday Night Club.

Eclectic Mainline 29th September 2010

Is this me or it a shuttlecock? Tricky one.

I can see the similarity

Phil Cope said I looked like a shuttlecock this evening.   This was due to pressure exerted upon my mop of hair by my cycle helmet. 

I’m having my hair cut tomorrow anway, so maybe next time Phil sees me he’ll just think I look like a shuttle?

Here’s what I played tonight; I managed to cram quite a number of tunes in tonight, as there was nothing particularly long:

Flying Lotus – “Kill Your Co-Workers” (“Pattern+Grid World EP”) (Warp)
Paul Weller – “Andromeda” (single) (V2)
No Age – “Katterpillar” (LP – “Everything In Between”) (Sub Pop)
Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern – “Calling Out Your Name (featuring Emma-Lee Moss)” (single) (Fortuna Pop!)
PVT – “Light Up Bright Fires” (single and LP – “Church With No Magic”) (Warp)
Crystal Fighters – “I Love London” (LP – “Star Of Love”) (Warp)
The Yello Moon Band – “Barehed” (single) (Static Caravan)
Syriana – “A Ya Zain” (LP – “The Road To Damascus”) (Real World)
Magic Kids – “Superball” (single) (Matador)
Owen Pallett – “Scandal at the Parkade” (“A Swedish Love Story EP”) (Domino)
Sparrow and the Workshop – “Black To Red” (single) (Distiller)
Squarepusher presents – Shobaleader One – “Megazine” (LP – “d’Demonstrator”) (Warp)
The Duke & The King – “Have You Seen It?” (LP – “Long Live The Duke & The King”) (Loose)
Tricky – “Ghetto Stars” (LP – “Mixed Race”) (Domino)
Caitlin Rose – “Shanghai Cigarettes (ft. Rayland Baxter)” (single and LP – “Own Side Now”) (Names)
Mice Parade – “Kupanda” (LP – “What It Means To Be Left-Handed”) (Fat Cat)
The Hundred In The Hand – “Gold Blood” (LP – “The Hundred In The Hand”) (Warp)