Author: Dave

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Music News The Library

Life Changing Encounters With Music

epiphanies-book
When the names of Jonny Greenwood, Michael Gira, Simon Reynolds, Genesis P-Orridge and Lydia Lunch align, you know something good is going on.

These five luminaries are amongst many contributors to a new book titled Epiphanies: Life Changing Encounters With Music – a collection of essays from The Wire magazine’s Epiphanies column dating back to 1998. The book is said to include over 50 of the past 17 years’ most evocative essays, and according to The Wire’s website, “subjects covered range from Sun Ra to Kate Bush; Fugazi to Ligeti; South Africa’s World Cup vuvuzelas to Hungarian prog rock; noisy street protests to the deathly silence inside an anechoic chamber.”

The book is due via Strange Attractor Press from April 30th. Pre-order here.

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Live Reviews

Sleater-Kinney live at the Camden Roundhouse

Sleater-Kinney live at The Camden Roundhouse, March 23rd 2015

sleater-kinneyAn audience can make or break any performance. No matter how far up the chain of success and respect the headline act sits, if the masses aren’t on your side it’s going to be a rough journey, and tonight’s crowd hold Sleater-Kinney in the palm of their collective hand throughout.

The Camden Roundhouse is overrun with hard-core fans, and each one spurs the band just that little further to boiling point. Steaming bodies fly and throat’s are screamed raw as each worshiping fan hurls Corin Tucker’s lyrics right back at her. It’s an overwhelming sight to behold and clearly a special reunion that’s run long overdue as tonight mark’s both Sleater-Kinneys return to London, and music itself, following a hiatus called in 2006.

Since reforming, the bands comeback album No Cities To Love has received overwhelming critical acclaim from across the globe, and this evening sees the trio deliver smash after smash of their new material to a truly adoring audience. Songs like ‘Price Tag’, ‘Surface Envy’ and of course ‘No Cities to Love’ all bring the house down, with choice cuts from their sizeable back catalogue like ‘The End Of You’s scrappy call to arms, and set closer ‘Jumpers’ all going down a storm. But it’s not ‘till the encore that Sleater-Kinney play the ace card.

Again recalling the sheer command and power tonight’s audience hold over the band, there’s a sincere demand for encore in the room. Rapturous applause, deafening cheer and a stampede hailing from the circle tier create a tremendous racket, summoning the power trio back from the wings for a triumphant five-song close.

So many bands seem to jump the gun with their encores these days, as if it’s an expected part of every set, whether you’re at the Shacklewell Arms or the O2. Tonight, the encore is restored and reserved for the crème de la crème that it once was, with Corin Tucker occasionally handing the torch to Carrie Brownstein, whose poignant turns like ‘Modern Girl’ are overwhelming, and with the addition of Janet Weiss’s harmonica there’s a glimpse of precious Laurel Canyon-esque magic hanging in the air too.

With still handful of UK dates to go across Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin, Sleater-Kinney are setting themselves up for one of the most talked about reunions, and album’s outright, of this year.

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Music News The Library

Nick Cave details Sick Bag Song book

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Airport, car, dressing room, stage, hotel, repeat. Life on the road can be gruelling and mind-numbing at the best of times, and it seems only the most fiercely prolific of artists can curb the boredom of travel and be creative in seemingly uninspiring conditions.

Nick Cave is one of those artists, who, during a 22-date tour across the United States, spent his time in the air drafting and doodling ideas for a new book concept on the back of in-flight sick bags, which soon evolved into a “full-length epic, seeking out the roots of inspiration, love and meaning.”

The 176 page work, titled The Sick Bag Song, is described by the singer as sitting somewhere between The Wasteland and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. It is available via Canongate from April 8th via thesickbagsong.com only.

Watch the trailer for The Sick Bag Song below and return to Cave’s website over the coming weeks to watch five short films, produced by the film makers of 20,000 Days On Earth, in celebration of the book.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music

Swervedriver

Swervedriver
‘I Wasn’t Born To Lose You‘
(Cherry Red)

swervedriver

Nostalgia has never played a bigger part in music than it does right now.With decades of music to draw from, and with literally every band from the past still active or reformed and playing again, it’s a cluttered world of music that we all occupy, and it’s a wonder how new music even gets a look in. How many of these reunited old bands, however, can return eighteen years after they last made a new album and come back with a set of songs that is as good as, if not better than, the prime of their original material? The answer is of course, not very bloody many. Apart from Swervedriver.

I Wasn’t Born To Lose You is testament to how talented Swervedriver are. Initially lumped in by the UK press in the early 90s with the whole dour ‘shoegaze’ scene (Ride, Slowdive, Chapterhouse etc), it was a label that never sat well with the band. They were tougher, harder and more psychedelic. Swervedriver’s swirling, charging, dusty-road-wasteland rock had its roots and influences in the highways of American blues, the sonic white noise pop of Husker Du, the psychedelic freak-outs of Sonic Youth, the slacker fuzz grooves of Dinosaur Jr. Their debut single ‘Son Of Mustang Ford’ (released in 1990 on Creation Records) wasn’t the sound of a band gazing at their shoes, this was a band tearing down the highway, peddle to the floor, blowing sand and dust in our faces as they tore through the music scene, creating some of the most sublime and addictive psychedelic rock the nineties had to offer.
Swervedriver 7-super8
By 1998, however, their tank was running out of fuel and the band went on hiatus, going their separate ways. By 2007, with their cult status at an all-time high and with the music scene coming around again and catching up with their style, they performed at Coachella and played intermittently for the following years. By 2013, we got out first taste of new material in single ‘Deep Wound’ and the flavour was good! Now we have the whole album in our hands and in our heads and it doesn’t disappoint in any way whatsoever. Tracks like ‘For A Day Like Tomorrow’ and ‘Setting Sun’ are as good as anything, if not better, than the band have created before. Singer Adam Franklin’s voice drawls, whispers and croons, chiming and shimmering against Jim Hartridge’s motorised guitar-weaving to perfection. And then there’s ‘Red Queen Arms Race’ which sees the band ploughing headlong into heavier waters, brandishing tough stoner-rock-Black Sabbath infused riffs to brutal and punishing effect.

Ignore some of the average reviews of this album that have appeared. These people obviously didn’t spent enough time with it. Or they don’t know Swervedriver like we do. The longer you spend with this album, the larger the melodies and grooves grow. Open your minds. Let Swervedriver in.

James Sherry

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Music News The Library

John Doran details memoir

Jolly_Lad_cover
Widely respected journalist and founder of The Quietus, John Doran, has announced the publication of his memoir for this coming June via Strange Attractor.

The book, titled Jolly Lad, is said to explore the authors recovery from alcoholism, habitual drug use and mental illness, and also his thoughts on the healing power of music, how memory defines us, the redemption offered by fatherhood and what it means to be working class. It features cover art by Simon Fowler and the illustrations of Krent Able.

The book is loosely based on Doran’s insightful, and often hilarious, MENK column, originally written for Vice magazine. However, the author stresses, “this is not a ‘my drink and drug hell’ kind of book for several reasons – the main one being that I had, for the most part, had a really good time drinking. True, a handful of pretty appalling things have happened to me and some people that I know or used to know over the years. But I have, for the most part, left them out of this book as they are not illuminating, not edifying and in some cases concern other people who aren’t here to consent to their appearance. Instead this book concentrates on what you face after the drink and the drugs have gone.”

To accompany the book, Doran will also be releasing an album entitled Hubris featuring spoken word from Doran and music from Nicky Wire, British Sea Power, Grumbling Fur, Teeth Of The Sea, GNOD, Eccentronic Research Council, Bronze Teeth and many others.

He will also embark upon a 31-date reading tour of England as a temporary member of Arabrot for the full month of May. Gigs are reportedly booked in numerous prisons, churches, libraries, record shops and cinemas with more details to follow.

Pre order a copy of Jolly Lad here. More information here.

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Music News

ATP Festival returns

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Following last years cancellation controversy of the Jaberwocky Festival, ATP have announced the return of their holiday camp events, having pulled the traditional Camber Sands event in 2013.

The ‘ATP 2.0 Nightmare Before Christmas’ event will take place in Prestatyn, North Wales and will be curated by artists Jake and Dinos Chapman.

The line up will include appearances from Loop, Iceage, Max Richter, The Notwist, The Album Leaf, Holly Herndon, Dinos Chapman, Death, Ought, Blanck Mass, Fumaça Preta, Andrew Hung, Sculpture, Younghusband, Vision Fortune and Grimm Grimm, with more to be announced.

The ‘2.0’ event will run from November 27th – 29th this year with early bird tickets on sale from March 20th here.

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Music News

Carrie Brownstein announces autobiography

carrie_brownstein_memoir

Carrie Brownstein has announced her autobiography, Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl, is due to be published this year.

In a recent interview with Kim Gordon, the Sleater Kinney member and Portlandia star was teased throughout about her own intention to write her memoirs. This week, details have emerged online that the book is due to be published on October 27th via Penguin.

Penguin’s website details the blurb as a “deeply personal and revealing narrative of Brownstein’s life in music, from ardent fan to pioneering female guitarist to comedic performer and luminary in the independent rock world.” Pre-order a copy here.

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Music News

Watch Carrie Brownstein interview Kim Gordon

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Following Kim Gordon’s recently published memoir, Girl In A Band – a documentation of the Sonic Youth founder’s life long involvement with music, art and fashion – this week, Sleater Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein interviewed Gordon in San Francisco as part of the Arts & Ideas lecture series.

To watch the two feminist icons in conversation is captivating, funny and inspiring as they discuss the ins and outs of Girl In A Band. From the Air BnB retreat Kim chose to retire to when writing her book, the fundamentals of bass playing and practice, to the makings of Sonic Youth’s final album in 2009. Naturally the two veer off on many amusing tangents throughout, watch below.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart

Drug Church

swell_drugchurchDrug Church
Swell
(No Sleep Records)

A great deal has happened since 90s alt influenced punks Drug Church‘s debut LP, Paul Walker. Vocalist Patrick Kindlon has released a number of records with his “main” outfit, Self Defense Family, the band have toured the USA multiple times, and have an upcoming European tour with Title Fight and Gnarwolves planned. It’s not only a struggle to imagine how the band found time to release this EP, but also what’s arguably their best record to date by quite a stretch.

Opening with their most experimental cut yet, ‘But Does it Work?’, this deeply cynical list sets the tone of the entire EP. Kindlon’s almost Morrissey-esque repetition of the phrase “nothing works”, coupled with heavily monotonous rhythms, makes this easily one of the most interesting and engaging songs in Drug Church’s discography, let alone this record.

Kindlon’s song writing prowess extends with EP closer ‘Zero Zero’s lyrics horrifically relatable for anyone with an over-active brain. The opening line of “I care an unhealthy amount about things I can’t at all help / I care a bit too much for those who choose to stay out of touch” sums up the song perfectly before he appears at his most biting with the lyrics, “gas station food and bus station people, a moment to share, surrounded by equals”.

Musically, Drug Church clearly take cues from bands like Quicksand and Seaweed (though I’d argue DC are far more interesting than either). Buzzsaw post-hardcore guitars with moments of shoegaze riffs (again, see the brilliant ‘Zero Zero’), if you were a fan at all of the debut LP it is vital that you pick this up. If you’re unfamiliar, then start with this record, five brilliant songs clocking in at just 16 minutes, it is the perfect length. Perhaps too many bands take influence from the 90s but it’s unlikely you’ll find it done much better than on Swell.

Tim Lewis

Swell is out now on No Sleep Records.

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Live Reviews Music

MDC & Subhumans live at The Dome

MDC & Subhumans live at The Dome, London
Feb 28th 2015

Playing as part of the annual ‘Winter Of Discontent’ Festival, which sees the best of the anarcho and snotty punk bands from around the world playing over four days at the legendary Dome venue in Tufnell Park, it’s been ten years since Texan hardcore heroes MDC graced our shores and anticipation is high for their return. For the unitiated, MDC (which at any given time can stand for Millions Of Dead Cops, or Millions Of Damn Christians, or SubhumansMetal Devil Cokes etc) started out in Texas in the late seventies and quickly became an important part of their flourishing American Hardcore movement that was exploding across the States. Their debut 1982 album is without a doubt one of the most ferocious, explosive, angry, chaotic and fiercely political albums to emerge from that movement. It’s also one of the best. These guys were brave. Just imagine what it must have been like in Texas and touring America in the early eighties in a band called Millions Of Dead Cops! The amount of harassment and grief this band got from the authorities beggars belief. True hardcore.

Their pairing with the Subhumans is perfect. Both bands complement each other. The Subhumans never disappoint. Despite their long existence you could never accuse frontman Dick Lucus and his Buman brothers of calling it in or going through the motions on a cash-in nostalgia trip. Sure, the majority of their set is always drawn from the classic rock of their eighties albums, but songs like ‘Subvert City, ‘Labels’ and ‘No’ are played with such conviction and passion, it’s impossible not to get swept along in their boundless energy. These songs, the lyrics, and the message are timeless, and tonight they are as good as they ever have been, dedicating a stunning version of ‘Fade Away’ to recently departed Conflict drummer Paco to cheers and respect from the crowd. Another epic Subhumans gig.
MDC 1
There’s a real buzz of excitement in the air before MDC hit the stage and, despite suffering from a dodgy sound as frontman Dave Dictor (all bass, no guitar) and his band start rampaging through their high-speed anarchist punk anthems, the venue explodes with predictable chaos. As the set goes on the sound starts to improve and Dictor, despite being very ill in recent months, is on fine form, stalking the stage and barking out the lyrics in his distinctive Texan drawl. The set draws heavily from the band’s first album with a few choice cuts from later releases, but the surprise of the night is when they play the classic ‘Multi Death Corporations’ 7” EP, originally released on Crass Records in 1983, in its entirety. The four songs from that EP go off like Molotov Cocktails in Tufnell Park and that moment is as good as it’s possible to get in hardcore punk. MDC are back in the UK this August. Don’t miss them.

James Sherry