The Antlers - Bear

We mounted our prize capture of those purveyors of maudlin rock loveliness The Antlers above the virtual mantelpiece of Scratchy’s blogging room, at the back end of last year read our live review here; when we fell hook, line and sinker for their majestic sweeping tunes of sadness. The Brooklyn based band whose debut album Hospice has been a slow burning success story of 2009 and have just released a beautiful and restrained official video to accompany one of the stand out tracks of that album 'Bear'. Needless to say, it should be one of the bare necessities of your i-pod! They have just started on a mammoth tour, taking in various venues in Europe and America, so book early to avoid disappointment because their star is rising very rapidly.

The Antlers - 'Bear' taken from the debut album Hospice Get it here from FrenchKiss Records

http://www.antlersmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/theantlers

theantlershospice.blogspot.com

Birdpen - Live Review

Act: Birdpen, The Bays, LCD Soundsystem (DJ Set)
Location: Southampton, U.K
Venue: Orange Rooms
Date: 11/06/09

The beautiful and bewildered came together for a highly anticipated evening of throbbing rock and rave.

I was looking forward to catching the opening act, Birdpen, as they had impressed me earlier in the year, after seeing a performance of theirs, thus warranted further investigation. Going under the nom de plumage of Dave Pen, Mike Bird and James Livingston Seagull, this trio create a deep dark dank storm of edgy layered riffs that build up a menacing head of steam. The looping rhythms make it clear that this ain't no 'Tweety Pie' chirping away in a guided cage, but more of a merciless vulture circling ominously in the unforgiving desert, eyeing up your sun blistered face.

The guys peck a stage presence, that is reminiscent of their moniker, heads relentlessly agitate up and down, as the riffs slowly build up to an incessant threatening pace, forcing you into submission with those beautiful but brooding songs. There are aspects of Birdpen's song writing, that flutter towards a more mainstream indie pop sound but I sense they most enjoy investigating sonic experimentation and perhaps their birdpenremixes site points the way to the this group's next stage of development. This is a sinister Slowdive sloshing around with Spaceman 3 sensibility, pluming marvelous!

A self released debut album 'On/Off/Safety/Danger' was released back in October 2008. The second single from this collection, titled Off, is due for an August 2009 release, go and get it from i-tunes buy it here, the early bird catches the worm as they say!

One downside at live events I've recently picked up on, is the insistence of certain sections of the audience to gabber on to their mates, even though the act has begun playing, show some respect! it ain't no hotel lounge bar and show some etiquette, no one wants to hear you babble. we paid our hard hard earned dosh to listen to the band, so shut it or move to the bar; moving on from the mini-rant onto the main live act of the evening.

The Bays are Andy Gangadeen (drums), Jamie Odell (keyboards), Simon Richmond (samples, keyboards) and Chris Taylor (bass) The project was meant as a one-off performance in London back in 1999, but they have been gigging intermittently since, gaining a reputation as an improvisational, instrumental dance band, who together deliver a mish mash of menacing electronic dub throb. Apparently part of their manifesto is that they refuse to sign to a record label, release records, sell merchandise or even rehearse.

Each gig is a unique event with a combustible mixture of techno, house, drum'n'bass and special effects thrown into the counter cauldron. The interaction between the quartet was intriguing as they adjusted their music according to the feedback vibe of the crowd and how the mood takes 'em. Each band member trotted off on their own exploratory path yet the performance hung together, an archipelago of four volcanic islands seemingly independent but inextricably linked underneath the surface, pummelling yet pleasing the crowd with a diverse set of pulsating beats.

LCD Soundsystem: I'm not going to comment on the relative quality of this D.J Set as it is a subject I know little about (it's never stopped you writing before, I hear you cry) suffice to say that, as we left the scene early due to it being a school night, the floor was crammed with a packed hot and sweaty crowd bouncing away and getting "jiggy" as the modern verbal vernacular goes, so they tell me!

Birdpen - Breaking Precedent - Official Video, directed by Simon Gesrel

http://birdpen.com/

http://www.myspace.com/birdpen

http://www.myspace.com/birdpenremixes

http://www.youtube.com/user/Birdpen?gl=GB&hl=en-GB

http://www.thebays.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bays

http://www.myspace.com/thebayslive

http://www.lcdsoundsystem.com/

We Made God - Live Review

Act: We Made God

Location: Southampton, U.K

Venue: Talking Heads

Date: 26/04/09

On this sleepy April Sunday evening, these guys had come to deliver a blistering set, at a venue, which has a good reputation as a showcase for interesting alternative music. So it was an easy decision to wander down and give my earlobes a sonic workout, as opposed to the usual end of weekend feet up in front of 'Heartbeat' with a glass of sherry: Lester Bangs eat your heart out!

Platterhorn managed to negotiate a couple of hours off family duty and he was happy to also sample We Made God, with just a minor caveat, that we stopped off for a post-post rock gig kebab on the way home. During the aperitif to the main act, we were treated to three interesting support acts, varying from emo-electro rock to 'Fugazi-like' hardcore punk trio, so something for all the family to enjoy there. It's a shame the crowd was a bit sparse and the atmosphere was a bit flat, as it must be hard for these bands to get pumped up to perform, when there's minimal feedback from the audience. Playing live is an important part of the learning curve of a band and it's vital to try out what works, outside the confines of a practice studio.

The main act on the bill We Made God come all the way from Hafnafjörður in Iceland, this gig was part of a short tour of the U.K promoting their self produced debut album 'As We Sleep' which was released via Maybe Records on March 27th 2008 in their native country and October 2008 in the U.K. The youthful quartet Magnús (vocals, guitars) Arnór (guitars) Stúni (bass) and Biggi (drums) make up the numbers and have been together for about five years. Together, they create a moody desolate sound, chiseled from a sonic landscape, which billows raucous clouds of storming riffs. It's a ferocious sound, with outbursts of frenetic chainsaw riffs, cutting through the introspective passages, all anchored by Maggi's anguished guttural howling vocal style.

We Made God are exponents of experimental rock, cut from the similar cloth as their fellow Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Ros (let's get the obligatory reference point out of the way) however I was struck how much more heavy their sound was, in this live setting. It's easy to see why they have garnered positive reaction from the likes of Kerrang and Q music magazines with four star reviews. It's crunching stuff which makes the floorboards tremble and 'W M G' could sit comfortably on the bill of a Download festival for instance. Their album would nestle nicely next to the Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Black Mountain on the hard rock rack at the record shop. Yet they have enough variation within their songs to appeal to the mainstream crowd as well as the indie kids.


The band have got a strong stage presence, at times looking like grungy Thunderbirds marionette puppets, as if they were controlled by the ghostly hand of Kurt Cobain, with imaginary strings making them bob up and down in the rocky parts unleashing a foursome frenetically freaking out. The singer looked as though he was exercising some serious demons in his singing technique to the point where he admitted he was in danger of fainting.

The strongest song Gizmo was given an airing as was Sub Rosa and the last song We Lost The Battle, We lost the War stuck out as a highlight. As the evening drew to a close, all that was left to do was for the small but appreciative crowd to head home, in our case via the local Kebab shop, with the warm sound fuzz of 'W M G' still ringing in our ears, shish kebab filling our bellies and gooey chilli sauce dripping down our shirts!

We Made God - Gizmo from the album As We Sleep directed by Óskar Bragi Stefánsson



http://www.myspace.com/wemadegod

Air France

November: it's cold, dark, miserable, the economy imploding and it's raining down in biblical proportions.. time to jet off to sunnier climes, for a feel good three minute escape, courtesy of Gothenburg's chill out pilots Air France.

Surely it can't be an expertly cut montage of clips taken from David Hamilton's 1983 romantic film 'A Summer in St Tropez' set to the song 'Windmill Wedding' Yes it is and don't call me Shirley!

This was originally on their E.P 'No Way Down' which has just been re-released in an expanded form, including tracks from the 2006 'On Trade Winds' E.P The stand out song, spooky dreamlike 'Collapsing At Your Doorstep' with it's hypnotic loop"It's all like a dream, isn't it, no, better" will lift you off in business class, heading towards the Maldives, with it's lush tropical arrangement and sensual ambiance. File these guys next to The Avalanches, Air and Lemon Jelly and let them whisk you off into the clear blue sky.

Air France - Collapsing At Your Doorstep



David Hamilton is renowned taking controversial photos, favouring fragrant young ladies as the subject matter. This style of soft focus has become his calling card and periodically been de rigueur with fashion style magazines like Elle and Vogue throughout his career, influencing many other photographers with his grainy, blurry technique.

Watching the video below, reminded me of when I spotted the soundtrack to Hamilton's 1977 film Bilitis, with music composed by Francis Lai, resting in the vinyl bin at a local chazzer. From the saucy cover, featuring wistful maidens getting sapphic, I deduced this was a come on for what was obviously going to be very average ambient music. I left it, determined not to be a sucker for such an obvious merchandising ploy, yet a few weeks later, curiosity got the better of me and I shelled out the dosh in a moment of weakness, reasoning that it might actually be a lost classic soundtrack. However, on first listen, yup you've guessed it, very mediocre Vangelis lite music seeped out of my speakers, never to be played again: if only Air France had been around at the time to provide a proper soundtrack!

Air France- Windmill Wedding



http://www.myspace.com/theairfrance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hamilton_(photographer)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilitis_(film)

Mimas

I recently had the pleasure; along with Morris Chancer; of catching Mimas live at the Talking Heads in Southampton, as part of a short national tour of England. They have now returned to their home base in Århus, Denmark leaving behind a trail of very satisfied gig goers who feasted on their particular brand of atmospheric celebratory post rock.

The band are made up of four Danes Gert Hoberg Jørgensen (bass, vocals), Daniel Malling Beck (guitar, vocals) Lasse Dahl Christensen (drums, vocals) and an Icelander Snævar Njáll Albertsson (vocals, guitar, trumpet). They describe their music as 'Death-indie' but I would describe it as ‘big music’ that make you tingle.

They produced an E.P ‘Hands Will Carry’ which came out in 2005 to their credit. This gained them a slot at the famous Roskilde Festival in Denmark and a first tour of England brought them to the attention of Worst Case Scenario Records who released a split single with The Follow in 2006 ‘Thought Discuss’ gained favourable reviews and widened their fan base beyond their following back in native Denmark. Mimas now release a debut album ‘The Worries’ on 4th October 2008 through Big Scary Monsters Records and have come back in England on a short promotional tour.

We arrived fashionably late and so apologies go out to the support band on the bill, we only caught the tail end of the performance of Komiss. This was due to another special event taking place on the same night i.e. England playing well for the first time in an eon vs Croatia, We had to catch the full ninety minutes of exhilarating football as it’s a rare event for the national team to produce a performance that lively. I shall endeavor to catch up with Komiss in the near future but it sounded the bees-knees from the two songs that we managed to hear. I understand that the support listed Prego weren’t able to make it but again further investigation will carried out in due course.

As Mimas took to the stage a smattering of people drifted in to give the audience numbers an air of respectability, but really it was a shame that more folks couldn't make the effort to appreciate a quality outfit. The lead singer pronounced an introduction, that the band as a whole was tired and missing wives and family. I hoped something was being lost in translation, as my fears grew of a performance, that was going to rush through a minimum number of tunes in a disinterest manner, in order to fulfill a contractual obligation.

However, as soon as they launched into the opening track my doubts evaporated as Mimas became totally focused on music and proceeded to deliver a performance of intensity and majesty with soaring trumpets, tight harmonies and wall of exquisite noise. It’s indicative of a band that’s going in the right direction that they could switch straight into the zone, appearing fully concentrated on producing an energetic sound that fed off each member of the group. The yelping vocals, with English lyrics, intertwined with languid moments of maudlin trumpet solos on 'Dads' and 'Mac Get Your Car' is a sonic maelstrom. At times the guys were lost in their own world, buzzing to the beat, delighting in the sheer joy of creating a huge sound that sparkles.

Mimas is a moon of Saturn and the smallest known astronomical body of the solar system. Mimas is also a band making a large sound: a musical Titan, if you like, befitting their mythological Greek namesake.


http://mimassite.com/

http://www.myspace.com/mimas

http://www.myspace.com/pregomusic

http://www.bsmrocks.com/main.html

http://www.mimasblogblogblog.blogspot.com/

Blonder Tongue Audio Baton

Shoegazing. Another one of Everett True's great ideas I imagine. Those few who slogged around the English scene in the late 80s with only the mainstream music press to navigate by, hugged it to their pigeon-breasts. It was this, or Grebo. One consequence was the majority of the yout' looked backwards, and fractured; in 1987 a different tribe could be found on every corner (Punk, Mod, Goth, Rockabilly, you name it really). Meanwhile, in America, boredom was coalescing into something initially termed Slacker culture, later Grunge.

The Swirlies were unusual for a stateside band in that clearly they couldn't ignore the washes of noise offered by the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Lush and Slowdive. Add to this an American "rawk" inheritence, filtered through the hardcore scene that gave the world Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du and Sonic Youth and you get somewhere near Blonder Tongue Audio Baton.

For me the Swirlies debut album somehow bridged a gap, unfortunately one that few really needed to cross in 1992. Not Grunge enough in the States, certainly not baggy enough for Britain. Anyway, shoegazing appears to be making a resurgence in the U.S.A. and Pancake, in particular, still gives me shivers of excitement. Check it out.

www.evil-office.net/swirlies/

Low & The Helio Sequence in concert

Scratchy put on his flak jacket and made his way down to Portsmouth to catch Low performing at the Wedgewood Rooms. The place itself is a good medium sized purpose built venue with decent acoustics and a stylish adjoining chill out bar. The crowd was a bit on the spartan side (reflecting the style of the music, perhaps?) but they were enthusiastic enough, that is if you can call the Low fan base enthusiastic, let's just say that the door staff had no worries of having to curtail any over exuberant stage diving on this particular evening.

Up as the support were Portland duo The Helio Sequence who are signed to the Sub Pop label. They impressed with their big sound infusing a mix of shoegaze and baggy vibe with occasional Arcade Fire like crescendos. Brandon Summers multi-tasked with aplomb on vocals and guitar and Benjamin Weikel, who has had Modest Mouse duties to his credit, put in a passionate drumming performance, as well as somehow finding time for some keyboard action. It was a big sound for two guys to pull off and mostly they succeeded. The 'Helio' sound could occasionally do with some extra vocal/instrumental input to add a fresh dynamic especially when performing live. They could become an electrifying three piece and are already worth making waves in their current format.

Low came on in an atmosphere of reverence, the crowd were intent on creating the right conditions for the special minimal stark Low sound to make it's full impact. Alan Sparhawk on lead guitar and vocals took control of proceedings perfectly counterbalanced by his wife Mimi Parker on drums and vocals. The new band member, Matt Livingston, in the middle was concentrating hard on bass duties and did come across a bit of a gooseberry but the group interaction will no doubt develop in time. They seemed a bit nervous, not so much as performers, but as in between live entertainers, which was strange given the long history of the band and the supreme control they have over their material. The set list had a good mix of their quiet tunes mixed up with numbers from their punchier more recent albums 'Drums and Guns' and 'The Great Destroyer'. These were delivered to spine tingling perfection and were met with appropriate reverence by the assembled throng. Indeed, at times, I felt like I was in the midst of a congregation of dutiful worshippers at a solemn ceremony but that's the effect of the fragile unearthly sound of Low. Come the encore, the trio managed to unshackle their inhibitions and let their unique sound soar to new heights, releasing the full majesty of their music to the delight of the gathered throng. Lo and behold! for ye shall follow...

http://www.chairkickers.com/

http://www.myspace.com/low

http://www.subpop.com/artists/the_helio_sequence

http://www.myspace.com/theheliosequence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Helio_Sequence

The Insect Guide, The Lionheart Brothers, Miracle Fortress

It's name check time for some promising current bands doing the rounds. First up are 'The Lionheart Brothers' who have a breezy, giddy indie bop with a splash of psychedelic pop and are gaining fans in all the right places. A roaring success!

http://www.myspace.com/lionheartbrothers



Next come 'Miracle Fortress' from Canada with a chap called Graham Van Pelt being the main driving force behind this catchy, off kilter indie pop. Impregnable beats! (top tipster: Matty Grooves)

http://www.myspace.com/miraclefortress

'The Insect Guide' are scuttling around in the right direction. Post-rocking, guitars'a'buzzing and slow crawling towards that 'Newgaze' sound that flies from My Bloody Valentine to Low avoiding the sticky jam(ming) on the way.

http://theinsectguide.com/