Chilly But New
So, we've had that snow everyone keeps talking about and I'm going BACK out now to brave it again with my holy toes a-peekin' through my shoes let alone my socks. This time it's not for much but last time I was out it was for some rather delightful elements of Singles Day At HMV. Couldn't afford them all but we got the main ones, plus an order that had come through.
First, and I've only had time to listen to these once over the sound of my chattering teeth, is Sister Vanilla on the flip of a single (I say flip, it's a CD) with Jim Reid. It's effectively a Jesus & Mary Chain comeback record, albeit in a fallout kinda way. Jim Reid's contribution is a lite indie affair, chimey and jingly, perfect for a month before Christmas. It's snowy without being trite but it's also nice without being essential. It features nice girl vocals but could ultimately be by Camera Obscura and that just spells budget Belle & Speck to me.
The second song on the single is by Sister Vanilla, the other family band (Jim and William Reid being the brothers that formed Jesus & Mary Chain, Linda being their sister). William and Linda write and perform Can't Stop The Rock which has more of the hallmarks of what you would probably think when you think Jesus & Mary. It sways as Jim Reid's did but there's more fuzz and the song sighs with more swoon than it's companion. Plus the layered male and female vocals are a lot more luscious than the male than female variant by the other brother. There was no doubt a time this was all a lot more vital however even without pretending to be as influential as JMC probably were, Sister Vanilla do feel very accomplished and I still look forward to their album.
(The other song we have of theirs is the lovely Pastel Blue on the You Don't Need Darkness To Do What You Think Is Right compilation from Geographic.)
Okay, since I started this entry ten hours ago, I went back to HMV. But, you don't need to know that.
The second single was Wolf & Cub's Steal Their Gold. Kinda post punk-ish racket from Australia. They are ones for whom we got the Thousand Cuts / Targets remix 12". This is their first UK single from what I've been lead to believe and it's got potential but it's not the finished article. Thousand Cuts appears here as a b-side and reminds us all the Phones' idea of a remix (for 'tis he who remixed it on the 12") is just to put the song through his disco filter. Same song with an computer generated bassline for an extra few minutes. He also did the original mix though, to his credit. It's certainly the better sounding of the two. Track three on the single is called Intro. It's almost twice as long as the other two. So. Dunno what that name's all about. It's pretty forgettable as a song though. Oh well.
The final single, or so it was going to be, and the pride of the day, was Four Tet's A Joy featuring the Battles remix. Battles, actually, have just signed to Warp in this country so we'll soon see a release of their ludicrously expensive and hard to get EPs in high street stores, which is absolutely joyful in itself since I almost bought them from Rough Trade at light a thousand pounds each. Anyway, A Joy is a good track anyway, it's grown on me, as that whole album is (as it's having to, since it's such a bloody nuisance). The Battles remix is quite short and in a way underwhelming. However, it's also just, well, all over the place. Those who know me know that's pretty high praise. It's over a little too quickly for what it does, none of the sections really being allowed to blossom or develop but yeah, it's a great little example of rulebook flaunting.
Today it quickly became apparent that I wasn't gonna go out tonight with anyone to see Bromhead's Jacket or We Start Fires. As We Start Fires finished their set tonight, quite a good one actually considering I thought they were a bit rub from their mp3s (and the lead two are a lot more attractive in the flesh than their photograph counterparts - but that's besides the point), it quickly became apparent The Fold - the band I most wanted to see - hadn't turned up. Once again, there was I standing in a busy club by myself looking positively gruff. Oh well.
I spent a bit of the money I would have spent having fun tonight on music instead. Bonus. So I am now listening to Sigur Rós' Hoppípolla single, featuring b-sides Hafsól and Með Blóðnasir. Yep. Pronounce those as you will. Anyway, yeah, as entirely is the whole of Takk, these b-sides are wonderfully luscious and an absolute delight and when I have to digest it properly I fully look forward to the ten minutes of Hafsól.
In the meantime I've just got a final paragraph to write about the elusive Pure Reason Revolution. Now. We think we like Pure Reason Revolution. We didn't used to though, and this single, The Intention Craft, is kinda the reason why. It's a bit. Bland. The b-sides especially are just easy. The ease of them is hidden well in In Aurelia because it's such a Muse style pompous rock track that thrusts you through it start to end. None of it is rocket science but it's got the guts to get it by. Again, The Bright Ambassadors Of Morning is a song you could pen yourself but it's twelve minutes long so you doff your cap to their patentience and for not tripping up throughout. It's A Good Song turned into A Good, Impressive Song by virtue of its sheer girth. The Intention Craft however, with it's ridiculously trite eighties video (indie superstar producers Type2Error really are a hit and miss bunch) and it's needlessly eighties female vocal, just isn't boystrous or big enough to hide the fact that, well, it's a pretty basic example of songwriting. It's big and bold enough to not be crap but if you pick it apart it's a bit too, well, The Darkness. The Darkness trying to be The Cooper Temple Clause. Yep. That's it. I'll still get the mini-album, Cautionary Tale For The Brave I believe it's called, but the three tracks from it I don't already own (grr) really need to be long or high voltage or, well, good. Otherwise that's Pure Reason back off the list.
First, and I've only had time to listen to these once over the sound of my chattering teeth, is Sister Vanilla on the flip of a single (I say flip, it's a CD) with Jim Reid. It's effectively a Jesus & Mary Chain comeback record, albeit in a fallout kinda way. Jim Reid's contribution is a lite indie affair, chimey and jingly, perfect for a month before Christmas. It's snowy without being trite but it's also nice without being essential. It features nice girl vocals but could ultimately be by Camera Obscura and that just spells budget Belle & Speck to me.
The second song on the single is by Sister Vanilla, the other family band (Jim and William Reid being the brothers that formed Jesus & Mary Chain, Linda being their sister). William and Linda write and perform Can't Stop The Rock which has more of the hallmarks of what you would probably think when you think Jesus & Mary. It sways as Jim Reid's did but there's more fuzz and the song sighs with more swoon than it's companion. Plus the layered male and female vocals are a lot more luscious than the male than female variant by the other brother. There was no doubt a time this was all a lot more vital however even without pretending to be as influential as JMC probably were, Sister Vanilla do feel very accomplished and I still look forward to their album.
(The other song we have of theirs is the lovely Pastel Blue on the You Don't Need Darkness To Do What You Think Is Right compilation from Geographic.)
Okay, since I started this entry ten hours ago, I went back to HMV. But, you don't need to know that.
The second single was Wolf & Cub's Steal Their Gold. Kinda post punk-ish racket from Australia. They are ones for whom we got the Thousand Cuts / Targets remix 12". This is their first UK single from what I've been lead to believe and it's got potential but it's not the finished article. Thousand Cuts appears here as a b-side and reminds us all the Phones' idea of a remix (for 'tis he who remixed it on the 12") is just to put the song through his disco filter. Same song with an computer generated bassline for an extra few minutes. He also did the original mix though, to his credit. It's certainly the better sounding of the two. Track three on the single is called Intro. It's almost twice as long as the other two. So. Dunno what that name's all about. It's pretty forgettable as a song though. Oh well.
The final single, or so it was going to be, and the pride of the day, was Four Tet's A Joy featuring the Battles remix. Battles, actually, have just signed to Warp in this country so we'll soon see a release of their ludicrously expensive and hard to get EPs in high street stores, which is absolutely joyful in itself since I almost bought them from Rough Trade at light a thousand pounds each. Anyway, A Joy is a good track anyway, it's grown on me, as that whole album is (as it's having to, since it's such a bloody nuisance). The Battles remix is quite short and in a way underwhelming. However, it's also just, well, all over the place. Those who know me know that's pretty high praise. It's over a little too quickly for what it does, none of the sections really being allowed to blossom or develop but yeah, it's a great little example of rulebook flaunting.
Today it quickly became apparent that I wasn't gonna go out tonight with anyone to see Bromhead's Jacket or We Start Fires. As We Start Fires finished their set tonight, quite a good one actually considering I thought they were a bit rub from their mp3s (and the lead two are a lot more attractive in the flesh than their photograph counterparts - but that's besides the point), it quickly became apparent The Fold - the band I most wanted to see - hadn't turned up. Once again, there was I standing in a busy club by myself looking positively gruff. Oh well.
I spent a bit of the money I would have spent having fun tonight on music instead. Bonus. So I am now listening to Sigur Rós' Hoppípolla single, featuring b-sides Hafsól and Með Blóðnasir. Yep. Pronounce those as you will. Anyway, yeah, as entirely is the whole of Takk, these b-sides are wonderfully luscious and an absolute delight and when I have to digest it properly I fully look forward to the ten minutes of Hafsól.
In the meantime I've just got a final paragraph to write about the elusive Pure Reason Revolution. Now. We think we like Pure Reason Revolution. We didn't used to though, and this single, The Intention Craft, is kinda the reason why. It's a bit. Bland. The b-sides especially are just easy. The ease of them is hidden well in In Aurelia because it's such a Muse style pompous rock track that thrusts you through it start to end. None of it is rocket science but it's got the guts to get it by. Again, The Bright Ambassadors Of Morning is a song you could pen yourself but it's twelve minutes long so you doff your cap to their patentience and for not tripping up throughout. It's A Good Song turned into A Good, Impressive Song by virtue of its sheer girth. The Intention Craft however, with it's ridiculously trite eighties video (indie superstar producers Type2Error really are a hit and miss bunch) and it's needlessly eighties female vocal, just isn't boystrous or big enough to hide the fact that, well, it's a pretty basic example of songwriting. It's big and bold enough to not be crap but if you pick it apart it's a bit too, well, The Darkness. The Darkness trying to be The Cooper Temple Clause. Yep. That's it. I'll still get the mini-album, Cautionary Tale For The Brave I believe it's called, but the three tracks from it I don't already own (grr) really need to be long or high voltage or, well, good. Otherwise that's Pure Reason back off the list.