tUnE-yArDs, the brainchild of the clearly unhinged but super-talented Merrill Garbus, opened my Glastonbury 2010 (Rolf Harris doing ‘Stairway To Heaven’ doesn’t count) on the West Holt Stage early on Friday afternoon, with a set of songs from debut album ‘Bird-Brains’. In contrast to the lo-fi sound of the album, recorded solely by Garbus using a sound recorder, a full band complete with 3 drummers, including Garbus herself, meant that the tribal energy of the songs broke through. Driven by a kind of afro-beat rhythm that builds and builds on top of Garbus’ distinctive chanting and yodelling, this all came together to form a sound that’s brilliantly smart and stupidly brilliant, exemplified in ‘Sunlight’.
Rivaling Liam Gallagher in terms of misplaced arrogance, Continue reading →
Oh the power of a major label marketing campaign. Yes, even an indie kid like me succumbed to them in my youth. In 1992 Parlophone sent me a postcard suggesting I might like the debut EP by a new band of theirs called Radiohead. I bought it for 99p and never looked back. Four years later Parlophone sent me another postcard suggesting that the debut album by another new band, Sparklehorse, might tickle my fancy. As the postcard alluded to Radiohead’s admiration for this new band, I thought it was worth a speculative purchase (this was of course before the days of the free 24/7 listening post on the internet). Again, I never looked back. Sparklehorse and Radiohoead ended up collaborating on a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”, and I think it’s a pity no smart alec at Parlophone sent me a postcard about that.
And so, I’m afraid that’s the only gag in today’s blog entry by me. For it was with great sadness that I learnt that last weekend Mark Linkous, the heart of darkness that drove Sparklehorse, took his own life. I still can’t quite believe he’s done it, even as I write this. When Elliott Smith killed himself in 2003 I felt a similar sense of shock and upset. Yet I have to admit that in the case of Both Smith and Linkous, there was a thought that ran through my mind along the lines of “it’s not a total surprise“. But I do need to qualify that statement by saying that I didn’t know either man personally, and it is only based on what I knew of their music, on record and live, that makes me think that way.
If like me you use spotify, you will be familiar with there lovable ads that sell you all manner of things; besides that they offer a fantastic free ever growing music library. So I have posted up this weeks playlist from ‘THE SHOW’. (I played 15 Steps by Radiohead, not Paranoid Android but it’s not on spotify.) The Show – 6/9/09
In addition to this myself and Albert have been building some collaborative playlists over a few weeks, they are open to all so please add what ever tracks you think will work.
For every action in this world there is a equal and opposite re-action. So when I found that 50 pence on friday I should have known something was lurking just around the corner. PHONE STOLEN! I am no longer a single unit media machine I am afraid to say. I should have known better than to have gone to the Prodigy; where I was pickpocketed. Anyhow, a quick trip home and a call to the police, insurance and O2 and there is nothing more I could do but continue to report in a slightly more old school manner (sat at a PC). So if anyone sees anybody using an iPhone ask them where they got it, then do the slitty eye thing at them.
