Secret Gigs
"Around this time, pre Internet, there were loads of rumours that the Rolling Stones were playing secret gigs with reggae artists. Both Black Stones and Freddie McGregor & The Stoned Men had sold-out gigs with lots of disappointed white guys in the audience. True fact."
Andrew Male
Andrew Male
Review: The King And Queen Of The Losers – American Squalor
The King And
Queen Of The Losers – American Squalor (Independent)
Released just in time for the annual Xmas splurge, American Squalor
will be slugging it out with new LPs by Coldplay, Westlife and Robbie Williams
(obviously other wishy-washy, shockingly poor, lowest common denomination
crock-pop records are available). Needless to say (I hope) I wont be
recommending any of those old timers over The King And Queen Of The Losers.
Before we even get to the music, everything about them is better; their name
and their green vomit LP cover – to name but a couple.
Musically they’re not doing anything blindingly original, but who
is? What they are doing – a hybrid of various alternative styles – they do plenty
well, with a glut of hooks to keep the pop fiends content and more than enough
grit for the punkers. The vocalists, male and female – the details are sketchy,
I can’t name them – display the same sort of languid technique that was
prevalent during the heyday of grunge and it works beautifully, and it’s
accessible too, like if Royal Trux played their Beatles albums occasionally or
Nina Persson joined Dinosaur Jr.
Now then, highlights, of which there are many. ‘Jean Luc Godard’
is just an instant classic. If Peelie was still with us he’d be playing it relentlessly
and just in time for the Festive 50 (Google it if you don’t know what the
Festive 50 is – but don’t use Google). ‘Hospitality’ is ballsy full-on
electric, and pummels its way into the part of the brain that contains the
repeat button. “Burning Building’ is just delightful, features a false start
(who doesn’t love a false start – it’s spontaneous, baby!) and shows the power
of a big strummed acoustic guitar. This/that machine kills fascists, damn
right!
Rollo
Listen: Guiom - Accidental Raga
Twenty-two minutes of contemplative Indian influenced, instrumental folk music. Sometimes mellow, but rising to feisty peaks, the intermingling of Eastern forms, subtle drones and underlying melody is something I’ll be regularly returning to.
Review... sort of: Bus Kid – Bug Batter
Bus Kid –
Bug Batter (Independent)
Bus Kid – aka R. Gleason – is an inexhaustible recorder and
releaser of lo-fi and avant-garde music and sounds, the sort of stuff that
doesn’t get out too much. As you all know it’s almost impossible to pin labels
on this sort of crazy oddball shit, so I won’t bother except in the sort of
vague way that no-one reading this will be any the wiser, and that’s a good
place to be.
So what do I know about R. Gleason? Well, he’s from Indianapolis
and… that’s it. Male? Female? No idea. Young? Old? No idea. Favoured instrument?
No idea. Let me tell you, writing about Bug Batter is loads harder than
listening to it, so I’m giving up. Have a listen at Bandcamp instead, and in
case you can’t be arsed I’ll put the album on the next post so you can make
your own minds up.
Jonesy
Listen: Polypores - Additional Flora
Polypores present two tracks that were left over from their Flora sessions, which for reasons of narrative, didn’t quite fit. Released as a very limited 7” – that instantly sold out - and a download, that’ll hopefully be available as long as civilization lasts. About thirty years, give or take.
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