Review: Modern Hinterland - The Hoppings
Modern Hinterland is an Americana-ish three-piece based around
singer-songwriter Chris Hornsby. Previously Hornsby had worked solo - as most
singer-songwriters do - but for The Hoppings he felt the need to play with other
musicians, and Modern Hinterland were formed. Though very much a band recording
– the rhythm section of Colin Marshall (drums) and Tim Thackray (bass) provide
plenty of oomph – at the album’s core is Hornsby’s songwriting, and it’s a
strong, varied set, performed with real conviction.
Interestingly to prepare for The Hoppings, Hornsby listened to 365
albums over 365 days in an attempt to get to the essence of what makes a great
album. I’m amazed he had an original thought in his head after that musical
onslaught, but he’s come up with ten tracks which are impossible to pin down to
direct influences. Perhaps the most important lesson learnt was to avoid
filler, and at a succinct 32 minutes, The Hoppings neatly evades that
particular pitfall.
There really isn’t a weak track. Beginning with ‘Oh Jemima’, a
feisty upbeat number, with a Jayhawks(y) intro and hooks aplenty – a
pitch-perfect 3-minute rootsy pop song. ‘The Girl Just South of Hackney’ is
beautifully detailed; with a narrative that demands the listener’s full
attention and on ‘I Know Everybody That Lives Around Here’ and final track
‘York’ Hornsby confirms his fascination with people and places. I wonder if they’re
touring…
Rollo
Coming Soon: The Beatles, or the White Album
What they’re saying:
Critical
opinion on The Beatles aka the ‘White
Album’ in 1968 varies, the record being seen as something of a comedown
after the exhilaration of the group’s somewhat over-rated predecessor, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In addition,
conventional wisdom holds that The Beatles marks the
beginning of the end of the Lennon/McCartney partnership. This book however,
exists to argue that The Beatles is not
only the finest achievement of the Beatles group but can also be considered one
of the greatest LP recordings of all time.
The Beatles
were famous as a tight unit with extremely high standards of composition,
musicianship and production and it is the ‘messiness’ of The Beatles LP that is considered problematic (most
famously by producer George Martin who wanted to edit the songs into a single
LP). Unlike the relatively consistent style the previous LPs had offered, The Beatles revels in confusion. Is the LP rock’n’roll?
Folk? Avant-garde? Rock?
Looking back
at the LP 50 years later, The Beatles can be
seen as a true representation of the spirit of the ‘Fab Four’ and the
individual talents that combined to form the greatest group of all time.
This book is
not to be read as a scholarly study of The Beatles
LP but rather as an experience like listening to the actual record itself:
uneven, disorientating, difficult and fun.
Edited by
Mark Goodall.
Review: Kris Gruen – Coast & Refuge
Kris Gruen –
Coast & Refuge (Mother West)
I think it’s fair to say Kris Gruen’s been ‘round the block a few
times, paid some dues and thoroughly deserves whatever success comes his way.
Whether or not Coast & Refuge is the album to break him out to a larger
audience, I’ve no idea, though there’s plenty here to attract radio play on
grown-up stations, and maybe he’s simply due a slice of good fortune.
A New York City native who now lives in Vermont, Gruen manages to
combine downtown smarts with emotional country sincerity throughout Coast &
Refuge’s thirteen cuts, and it’s an especially winning combination when coupled
with stylish pop hooks and the sort of choruses that’ll surely attract the
whistling postmen of the world.
The album starts strongly with the power popping, Marshall
Crenshaw-esque ‘Body In Motion’. If I still made mixtapes, it’d be making
regular appearances (whilst simultaneously killing the record industry). ‘Young
Hearts’ is a fantastic duet with Finnish singer-songwriter Peppina, with both voices
providing perfect counters; those grown-up radio stations would love it.
Gruen has a reputation for collaborating with talented people.
Earlier releases featured contributions from Anais Mitchell and The Bones of
J.R. Jones, amongst others. Coast & Refuge certainly carries on that
tradition – the album is overseen by LA writer/producers Brad Gordon and Justin
Gray. Other notables include a co-write with AM (‘You Say’), who also plays on
the track, and a stunner of a final song (‘2008’) – another duet, this time
with Samantha Yonack of Jim and Sam fame.
Rollo
Review: Guru Guru - Rotate!
Guru Guru –
Rotate! (Trance Music)
A 50th anniversary and an album of new material from
original Guru Guru member Mani Neumeier (drums and vocals), together with
longtime cohorts Peter Kühmstedt, Roland Schaeffer, and Jan Lindqvist. Of
course, they’re best known for their early, mostly instrumental albums, usually
recorded for the legendary Brain label and
considered to be some of the finest albums recorded during the first wave of
Krautrock - and were major influences on a variety of artists, including
Spaceman 3, Ruins and Nurse With Wound.
Guru Guru circa 2018 aren’t quite the sonic revolutionaries they
were in their prime, but Rotate! does more than enough things right - and
nowadays, for the majority, they’re probably an easier band to get a handle on.
Without a doubt, tracks like the splendidly titled jazz-space-rocker ‘Rollo
Riff’ and the percussion heavy title cut are still far from an easy listen, but
even at their most challenging, they possess grooves that get under the skin.
They’re really quite addictive.
What’s also appealing is the variety of styles they employ - and
the humour with which they’ve been tackled. Examples are plentiful: ‘Digital
Analog’ is positively playful before transforming beautifully into a spacey
Middle Eastern inspired jam. Which leads nicely into ‘Paramashivam’, almost a
second part to the previous track, though the vibe is completely changed. ‘I Am
A Spaceboy’ might be the most perfectly titled of all the songs on Rotate! It’s
slow, bluesy groove maybe a little unexpected, but with its gurgling synth
washes and sci-fi mutterings, it’s makes for a faultless finale.
Rollo
Coming soon: Soft Machine - Hidden Details
What they’re saying:
The studio
album 'Hidden Details' is the first Soft Machine album (as opposed to Soft
Machine Legacy) in 37 years. This is three quarters of the celebrated 1970's
version of the legendary jazz-rock group, which recorded the acclaimed 'Softs'
album in 1975 - John Etheridge, Roy Babbington and John Marshall - completed by
outstanding saxophone star Theo Travis (Robert Fripp/David Gilmour/Gong).
The music is
broad ranging from psychedelia to jazz rock to free form improv to simple
pop-ish tunes to hypnotic mood pieces. The band plays material from the era
(compositions by Hugh Hopper, Mike Ratledge and Karl Jenkins) as well as many
contemporary works.
'Hidden
Details', released in 2018, exactly 50 years since the release of the band's
1968 debut album 'The Soft Machine' was recorded in the late Jon Hiseman's
studio in Surrey in Dec 2017. The recording features new compositions by the
band, group improvisations and interpretations of two Soft Machine classics -
from 'Third' and 'Bundles'.
Whilst the
line-up of Soft Machine may have changed many times since the heady days of the
late 1960's, the band's spirit of musical adventure, and the ease with which it
freely avoids being pigeon holed and can move from powerful progressive jazz
fusion to atmospheric psychedelia to free improvised jazz-rock to ambient loop
music, continues to make it both unique and totally contemporary.
Personnel:
John Etheridge (electric guitar), Theo Travis (tenor and soprano saxophones,
flute, Fender Rhodes piano), Roy Babbington (bass guitar), John Marshall (drums
and percussion).
Review: Walter Lure & The Waldos - Wacka Lacka Loom Bop A Loom Bam Boo
Walter Lure
& The Waldos - Wacka Lacka Loom Bop A Loom Bam Boo (Cleopatra
Records)
On his first new album in over twenty years, ex-Heartbreaker
Walter Lure sounds like he’s having a lot of fun – obviously there’s a clue in
the title. Which isn’t to say Wacka Lacka Loom Bop A Loom Bam Boo doesn’t rock
hard and tough. It does. Relentlessly. But equally there’s a smile on
everyone’s faces; the band’s, the listener’s and definitely the record exec’s
when they handed this one over.
They’re straight out the blocks with ‘Crazy Kids’ – soon to
feature in the film ‘Thunders: Room 37’, a dramatization of Lure’s ex-bandmate
Johnny Thunders’ final days – a rip-roaring roller-coaster ride of a song,
chock full of Pistols riffs and a chorus that demands fist / air action. They
calm things down, getting slinky and sly on ‘Little Black Book’, harmonica and
sax adding some bluesy details, and incredibly exciting is the version of
‘London Boys’, a Thunders co-write that dates back to L.A.M.F., and a wonderful
slab of late ‘70s New York style punk rock ‘n’ roll. Why it didn’t make it onto
the Heartbreakers album, who knows…
You’ve gotta hope that Lure and his band get over to the UK for
some dates, because these songs are tailor-made for club stages. Good time rock
‘n’ roll played with real urgency and attitude is Lure’s stock-in-trade and it
deserves as wide an audience as possible.
Jonesy
Coming soon: Siouxsie and the Banshees' Peepshow (33 1/3)
What they’re saying:
In 1978, Siouxsie and the Banshees declared `We don't see
ourselves in the same context as other rock'n'roll bands.' A decade later, and
in the stark aftermath of a devastating storm, the band retreated to a
17th-century mansion house in the deracinated Sussex countryside to write their
ninth studio album, Peepshow. Here, the band absorbed the bygone, rural
atmosphere and its inspirational mise en scene, thus framing the record
cinematically, as Siouxsie Sioux recalled, `It was as if we were doing the
whole thing on the set of The Wicker Man'.
Samantha Bennett looks at how Siouxsie and the Banshees' Peepshow
is better understood in the context of film and film music (as opposed to
popular music studies or, indeed, the works of other rock'n'roll bands).
Drawing upon more than one hundred films and film scores, this book focuses on
Peepshow's deeply embedded historical and aesthetic (para)cinematic influences:
How is each track a reflection of genre film? Who are the various featured
protagonists? And how does Peepshow's diverse orchestration, complex musical
forms, atypical narratives and evocative soundscapes reveal an inherently
cinematic record?
Ultimately, Peepshow can be read as a soundtrack to all the films
Siouxsie and the Banshees ever saw. Or perhaps it was the soundtrack to the
greatest film they never made.
Samantha Bennett is a sound recordist, guitarist, and Associate
Professor in Music at the Australian National University, Australia. She is
widely published in the areas of popular music sound recording, technology and
production.
Coming soon: Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 DVD
What they’re saying:
Academy Award-Winning
Director Murray Lerner (Mao To Mozart, Festival!) creates a masterful addition
to the Isle of Wight canon of films with Joni’s excellent performance.
The concert/documentary
film features Joni Mitchell in a modern interview, explaining the events and
her reactions. The complete performance is also intercut with vintage footage
from the festival attendees and the promoters to give better context to Joni’s
personal recollections from the Isle of Wight in what is one of the most unique
and memorable performances of the era.
Coming soon: Suede - The Blue Hour
What they’re saying:
After the critical and commercial success of the top 10 album -
'Night Thoughts' (2016) Suede are set to release their stunning new album 'The
Blue Hour'The Blue Hour is the final part of the triptych of albums recorded by
the band since they reformed and released 2013's Bloodsports. Produced and
mixed by Alan Moulder at Assault & Battery Studios the album sees Suede
continue to explore new ground sonically. It features a choir and spoken word,
as well as string arrangements from Craig Armstrong and the band's own Neil
Codling. The Blue Hour was produced by Alan Moulder and Suede; it shares the
same line-up as 1996's Coming Up - vocals by Brett Anderson, guitars by Richard
Oakes, bass by Mat Osman, drums by Simon Gilbert, synthesizers and piano by
Neil Codling. Double vinyl pressing.
Review: Pink Fairies – Resident Reptiles
Pink Fairies
– Resident Reptiles (Purple Pyramid / Cleopatra Records)
This is neither the time nor place to get too involved with the
various line-ups of the Pink Fairies (or maybe it is, but I really can’t be
arsed…) however I can tell you that the musicians on this LP are original
Fairies guitarist/vocalist Paul Rudolph, ex-Hawkwind bassist Alan Davey and
original Motörhead drummer Lucas Fox. Larry Wallis, also an original member of Motörhead,
an early ‘70s member of the Fairies (after Rudolph’s departure) and a Stiff
Records survivor, contributed numerous ideas and one song, a feisty old giffer
anthem called ‘Old Enuff to Know Better’. Hope that’s clear.
Anyway, on with the review. Resident Reptiles is a doozey! Eight
songs long - and it doesn’t have time to outstay its welcome. The songs are (rock)
solid, and they sound like an unbelievably tight version of the original band.
The rhythm section rock like a proto-punk angry brigade and Rudolph sounds a
damn sight sprightlier than a man of 72 (?) has any right to be. Apart from the
fore mentioned Larry Wallis number, the LP’s pretty flush with head-down,
full-on rock ‘n’ roll. Two minutes into the title tune and I’m already grinning
like a loon. ‘Your Cover Is Blown’ chugs along in a most appealing way, comes
with the kind of sing-a-long chorus that tars itself to your frontal lobes and
is over all too quickly. Final track ‘Apologize’ grinds and pounds away - until
everyone says sorry - and puts the damn record back on again. Sweet.
Jonesy
Review: Gilbert O’Sullivan – S/T
Gilbert
O’Sullivan – S/T (Union Square / BMG)
Who’d have thought it? Gilbert O’Sullivan’s 19th
long-player, produced by one Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Ryan Adams, etc.), and
hoovering up the plaudits like it’s 1972 - when great pop songs were the norm
and Mr. O’Sullivan regularly hit the charts.
For those who lost touch over the intervening years, this latest
collection is simply O’Sullivan at his best. Every song comes with classic pop
hooks and a way with words which both harks back to his heyday whilst sounding
remarkably timeless - which isn’t a trick most pop writers manage to pull
off. Johns’ production certainly helps. There’s absolutely nothing here that
sticks in one’s craw. Traditional instrumentation is used throughout, with keyboards
at the fore, and while there’s nothing here that is quite as quirky as, say,
‘Clare’ or ‘Underneath The Blanket’, he hits his songwriting form from the LP’s
off, and simply doesn’t relent.
The standout tracks are near impossible to decide, but I’ll have a
go anyway: opening cut ‘At the End of the Day’ provides a perfect start. It’s
probably the closest he gets to the old stuff, and if things like singles
mattered (or sold), then he’d be settling in for an eight week run on Top Of
The Pops. ‘I'll Never Love Again’ is pure pop, gentle and astute and ‘Dansette
Dreams and 45's’ might have been written (and titled) for fans of a certain
age, but it’s been executed with a degree of elegance and confidence that’s
utterly engaging.
Rollo
Coming soon: Joe Strummer - Joe Strummer 001
What they’re saying:
Ignition Records are proud to announce the release of ‘Joe
Strummer 001,’ the first compilation to span Joe Strummer’s career outside of
his recordings with The Clash. ‘Joe Strummer 001’ includes fan favourites from
his recordings with the 101ers and The Mescaleros, all of his solo albums,
soundtrack work and an album of unreleased songs.
Presented in a standard 2CD featuring restored and remastered audio by Grammy award winning Peter J Moore, packaged in a jewel case with card slipcase and 12-page booklet
Presented in a standard 2CD featuring restored and remastered audio by Grammy award winning Peter J Moore, packaged in a jewel case with card slipcase and 12-page booklet
Coming soon: Echo & The Bunnymen - The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon
What they’re saying:
Bunnymen Classics Transformed & New Songs With Strings &
Things Attached ‘I’m not doing this for anyone else. I’m doing it as it’s
important to me to make the songs better. I have to do it.’ Ian McCulloch This
new studio album will see The Bunnymen, still lead by the indominable Ian
McCulloch and Will Sergeant, revisit some of their greatest songs to rearrange
and transform them with co producer Andy Wright…and strings and things. Expect
a couple of brand new tracks to accompany the classics.
Echo & the Bunnymen's dark, swirling fusion of post-punk and
The Doors/The Velvets-inspired pop psychedelia has brought the group twenty top
20 hits and nine top 20 albums in the UK so far in their 40 year career. The
band have come a long way from the group's infamous first concert as a
three-piece with a drum machine in 1979 at the legendary Erics club in
Liverpool, The Bunnymen still perform sell-out concerts across the world today.
Their seminal albums 'Crocodiles', 'Heaven Up Here', 'Porcupine' and 'Ocean
Rain' have been a major influence for acts such as Coldplay, The Killers and
The Flaming Lips whilst later albums 'Evergreen' and 'What Are You Going To Do
With Your Life?' and 'Siberia & Meteorites' demonstrate what an amazing
body of work the band have.
The Bunnymen are still revered by those in the best of popular
culture. In the past year alone, the highly acclaimed and culturally phenomenal
Netflix series 'Stranger Things' has used the song 'Nocturnal Me' whilst the
equally comparable '13 Reasons Why' has used 'The Killing Moon', a song also
used on
another Netflix show, 'Dead of Summer'.
Review: Swampcandy – Mine
Swampcandy – Mine (Independent)
‘Mine’ is the fifth LP from Maryland based Swampcandy (Ruben Dodds
- guitar/vocals and Joey Mitchell bass/percussion/arrangements), and it’s a
continuation of their previous collection ‘Land’ - though it sounds like a case
of natural evolution rather than intelligent design. It’s without doubt a
collection that comfortably stands alone, and if ‘Mine’ were your first
experience of Swampcandy – as it is mine - I wouldn’t worry too much that
you’ve missed something that’s going to hinder your enjoyment.
They’re certainly a talented twosome - Dodds is in possession of a
voice that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in ‘90s Seattle, albeit with a
roots edge that grounds the songs and plays to their strengths and Mitchell
understands a songs dynamics, and consistently brings the best out of them. And
although they’re officially a duo, ‘Mine’ boasts a musical line-up of over a
dozen bodies, contributing everything from Hammond B3 and piano to cello and
fiddles galore. It’s no surprise with the amount of instrumental firepower at
their disposal ‘Mine’ sounds fully formed and musical detail and revelations abound.
Together the band cook up a rough and tumble collection of tunes
that mix up barroom blues, classic American rock ‘n’ roll and grungy
alt-country. Most of it works brilliantly, and on tracks like the rollicking
opener ‘JC’s Revenge’ and the wickedly intense ‘Dead Man Walking’ the sparks
fly.
As stated previously, I can’t say I’m au fait with any of
Swampcandy’s back catalogue but I intend to be soon. ‘Mine’ is the sort of
album that converts folk, and I’m happy to be one of ‘em.
Rollo
Sat’day Night: The Beginning.
Sat’day Night is the name of this blog, in honour of everyone’s favourite night of the week and the opening cut on the first
Ultravox! LP “Sat'day Night In The City Of The Dead” – if you don't know it, see/hear below.
I’ll be updating Sat’day Night on a semi regular
basis, writing for the most part about music, though if I feel the urge to
expand upon other interests, I wont be limiting content.
There will also be irregular download links, though
only from artists who have made their material freely available, or
non-commercial releases – bootlegs, long deleted singles, etc. And needless to
say, if anyone involved wants anything taken down or removed from the site, just ask.
My e-mail: satdaynight(at)yahoo(dot)com
The above e-mail is equally pertinent if you’re a
musician, in a band, working press or just an over-enthusiastic devotee with
self-esteem issues – write me for potential reviews, words of encouragement, a sugar-coated
rebuff or brutal rejection.
Please don’t add my e-mail to your mailing list
without my permission - ta.
If you want to know more about me, there’s a brief
biog on the sidebar, some of which might be true.
Rollo.
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