Ed is selling his gold disc for Permission to Land on ebay
There will apparently be more to follow!
Anders L.A. – ‘In Unison’
By Lucie.
The last time I reviewed Anders’ music, he was a child. Two years later, he’s still a child, but with an increasingly and impressively adult view on the world; you feel it in his music, and In Unison is the most grown-up melodic mission he’s ever been on.
I’m put in mind of another newish (but like Anders, having steadily worked on his craft for a fair few years now) young artist by the name of Streebeck – indeed, Anders’ debut album feels very similar to Streebeck’s Without a Baedeker, that delicate balance of songs on happiness and on loss, with the two themes occasionally merging.
Anders’ themes are more heartfelt than ever, his voice having settled in his tender years to suit the mood of this beautiful record and its nine poetic tracks. The rough edges of his previous EP’s have been smoothed and, such is the faith in this aural collection, it’s now available to buy on iTunes.
‘You Should Smile More’ was instantly my favourite track – I’m always swayed by the bounciest song first. The subject matter (the title says it all) is simple, yet something nobody else has written about before. This is Anders’ strength, discovering new themes (generally various branches of the feelings that come with love), surprising when love is the most well-worn musical subject of all; it’s astounding to find that somebody is finding new ways of exploring it.
I’m loving ‘Under The Sun’, ‘The Hard Goodbye’, and ‘You’re Always There’ too, songs that span emotion, as the entire record does. The album sounds effortless and clean yet deep and soul-searching, an odd and enticing mix that surely is the stuff that makes the best records. Anders rules, forevz.
www.myspace.com/andersla
Karaoke For Beginners – 8.8.09
giginthepark, Halesworth, Suffolk
Back in the Park again. Another hot sunny afternoon, and I love this event. It rocks! A little shopping in the town yields a pair of gold lamé lined purple velvet knee boots, and meeting the rudest second hand bookshop employee you’ll ever come across. DON’T go in there.
Ahem. Anyway… although I come every year, when I can, this year I came to see this band. Ed Graham back on stage after illness and his departure from Stone Gods is not something to be missed if you can get there. Sadly missed the first ever gig, but very pleased to make this one. MySpace provided plenty of idea of what to expect.
It was, in the way of GITP, a very short set, but there was plenty I liked. This is rather more my bag of stuff than most. Fields of the Nephilim versus The Cramps, a dash or three of humour and a bloody good rocking dark sound. Ben’s voice gives Carl’s a good drubbing. Tbh, this ain’t a band who are going to be seen at their best at 5.45 on a sunny afternoon, in full daylight. They need dark places. And dry ice, though there was a puff of smoke that surprised everyone (FOTN in mind, a bag of flour was also called for, but that’s just my 80’s goff thing and not a dig). They also need a crowd! They’re a getdown/get sweaty and dirty in the pit sort of band, and THAT, I like.
It can’t have been their best gig, and too short. I want to see them again, indoors, in a place where sweat runs down the walls and the crowd are UP. Natural habitat.
Ed fans – He’s looking well and drumming like a good ‘un.
Streebeck – ‘Catch As Catch Can’
By Lucie Walker.
If there’s one current band that understands the meaning of evolution, it’s Streebeck. ‘Catch As Catch Can’ is startlingly different to the simplistic ‘Without A Baedeker’ in many ways, yet it’s clearly the same creators behind it, with a new attitude.
The most notable difference is the layering of music, mostly absent from the debut, with a full deck of instruments and instrumentalists – it’s immediately obvious that Streebeck is now a band rather than simply Lawrence Mackrell and his acoustic.
I’ll admit that it was live solo Mackrell that charmed me enough to buy the first album, but it only took one listen of ‘Catch As Catch Can’ to prove that the right decisions have been made for the development of Streebeck. It pleased me to hear that the raw lyrical emotions remain (my favourite line from ‘Long Goodbye’ being “I wish you’d shut your mouth, I’ve heard this all so many times”) against the backdrop of warm melodies, but it’s all one large developing step forwards – an inspired move.
The opening ‘Southlands’ is positively epic in feel compared to any of the first record, bright and much heavier than we’re used to. This, along with the similarly upbeat ‘Evening Train’ and the heart-wrenching ‘September’, are my favourite tracks from ‘Catch…’, the former two utilising the Travis-esque way of pairing pained lyrics with buoyant music – a style I have a soft spot for and one that was used to great effect in ‘Without A Baedeker’. It certainly makes for far more enjoyable listening than certain other recent artists and bands of a similar (but depressing) ilk.
‘Whilst You Lay Sleeping’ and ‘Giving Up And Selling Out’ are both further proof of how musically rich this album is, while ‘We’ll Always Have New York’ and ‘Birds’ are intensely reminiscent of the first album, maintaining a smart balance that gently introduces the fan to the new twist, and gives the new listener a treat.
This album is musical development at its finest, and it seems as if Streebeck is very aware of it. Mackrell and co have found their feet on the back of the confidence that the release of ‘Without A Baedeker’ has provided. ‘Catch As Catch Can’ is impressively fresh, complete with the feel of summer within the music, made to be enjoyed – so enjoy it.
www.streebeck.com
ROCKAGANDA – Parlor Mob
by Lucie Walker
Once in a long while, a truly impressive band comes along. I know, they’re horribly few and far between these days, but Parlor Mob is one of them. Their album ‘And You Were A Crow’ has accumulated a cult following as they sucked up fans with their heady cocktail of dirty rock and tender blues. It’s no wonder they’re a hit with wavy-haired 70’s-lovers such as myself.
Earlier this year I saw the video for the opening track on AYWAC, ‘Hard Times’, and I instantly thought to myself: “is this one of the great oldie bands? Surely nobody sounds like this anymore!”. But no, these kids were young and serious, and after shamefully forgetting about them for a few weeks I bought AYWAC on a whim, which I very rarely do on the back of hearing one song unless they really are THAT good.
The album is an instant classic from start to finish. It would be so easy to compare them to Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin, and I’m afraid that’s exactly what I’m going to do. The dual guitars have the unmistakable vibe of Lizzy, and the strained vocals of a frontman who is singing at a higher pitch than his larynx wishes to allow him to is reminiscent of both Lynott and Plant. It’s the bluesy element that reminds me of Zep, particularly on my favourite track of the album, ‘Can’t Keep No Good Boy Down’.
However, I’m not going to fall into the trap of implying that they’re an entirely retro and nostalgic band, that wouldn’t be fair. Their sound is fresh at the same time, by which I also mean refreshing. This stuff hasn’t been done before, not even by the old greats, despite the fact that this bunch were clearly born out of their time.
Songs like ‘When I Was An Orphan’ and ‘Angry Young Girl’ are proof of this, where both lyrics and style are completely original and touching. The only comparison I could give for the latter, for example, would be the rather obscure Real Tuesday Weld, with their tapping drums and similarly cooing and melodic velvet vocals – stark contrast to Mark Melicia’s harsher and higher tones on the rest of the album.
The epic 8.5 minute long saga that is ‘Tide Of Tears’ is a deeply emotional musical journey, and provided you have the patience to take the time to listen to such a lengthy track, it will touch you with its dark, slow tendrils of blues-rock.
Tracks like ‘Carnival Of Crows’, ‘Dead Wrong’ and ‘Real Hard Headed’ are the ones that will have you headbanging, while the slower songs will have you swaying or dancing, depending on whether they’re in major or minor.
Another thing about this album and this band is that you get the distinct impression that they’d be an absolute rocking joy to experience live, in all their long-haired boisterous glory. I see them flicking sweat across the audience as they deafen with wailing riffs already, and personally, I’ll be all over a gig of theirs as soon as they bless our fair land with a visit.
Quite simply, this is British rock with an American lilt, and I think Parlor Mob must be very aware of the country that inspired their style. For once, a singer in a classic rock band has the RIGHT to sound like a Yank when he sings.
