The Motifs acoustic gig at the Hangover Lounge

Everyone was thrilled and charmed in equal measure by The Motifs last night - how, indeed, could they not have been?

Those happy punters and those damned fools who missed them will be delighted to know that they can get a second bite of The Motifs cherry when they, and Sly Hats, play an acoustic set at the Hangover Lounge on Sunday, May 17. The fun starts in the Lexington at 2pm and is free. As the guy from The Motifs said last night: "that's what we in Melbourne call a barg."

London's Trendy Hangover Lounge opens its doors at its new home, The Lexington, on May 3 at 2pm and every Sunday thereafter.

2009!

This year just gets better and better. 2009 did start very slowly but at least once every week these past two months there’s been something new and shiny to get excited about.

A second single this year from Brilliant Colors and a second classic. Highly Evolved is one insistent riff with the brevity and wayward tunesmithery of Beat Happening and the giddy pop drama of those early Velocity Girl singles. Punk-pop purists will be thrilled to learn that Highly Evolved features a simple and very effective guitar solo at the end.

Standard Fare fuck yeah! Their debut single, Dancing, is mesmerising. It’s a skewed art-pop take on Pavement’s coupling of angular noise and smart lyrics, and – joy upon joys – only eclipsed in quality by the wonder of their other songs. They should be massive. I want an album. Now.

Surely there can be no way that Standard Fare will meet the apathy that Pavement-style Yorkshire bedfellows The Old House and Piskie Sits have undeservedly suffered…

Falling Debris

The making of the LP really has been an organic process. As opposed to a pre-planned idea. I also think of the word serendipity - finding pleasing or valuable things in unexpected places. It’s been a great pleasure making this record. Sam has brought us a lot of joy.

David Kilgour’s new album, Falling Debris, is a collaboration with the poet Sam Hunt. From what I’ve heard so far, it sounds stronger than his last album, The Far Now (although, to be fair, The Far Now isn’t a particularly immediate album, I came to love it greatly).

On the basis of Chord (video below), there’s a distinct Robert Forster influence. After one listen, I ordered the album from New Zealand (the recession will not interfere in buying albums with this much potential).
More information about the album, as well as some free downloads, are on Kilgour's website.

Denim - Sun's Out

After uploading Demin's Summer Smash complaints poured in that the link to the b-side, Sun's Out, didn't work. The FET Rapid Response Team ("the fourth emergency service") sprang, panther-like, into action and a mere 14 (FOURTEEN) months later has corrected this error.

So, Sun's Out.

Lost Soul: The Superbs

Every sunny day should start with the laid-back groove, subtle harmonies and naggingly infectious beat of The Dawning Of Love. Combining the sugar-sweet politics of the summer of love with the civil rights movement’s more strident concerns, The Dawning Of Love is what pop watchers call a doozy.


The b-side, So Glad You’re Home (featuring three members of Kool and the Gang!), is one of those truly wonderful Vietnam War songs created by America’s soul scene. This would’ve been the stand-out track on either of Kent’s fine Vietnam War compilations Does Anybody Know I’m Here and A Soldier’s Sad Story (if you’re just going to buy one, the latter is the better offering). As it is, neither side of this single, to my knowledge, has ever been reissued.

Paul Kyser, the legendary soul producer behind this great double-sider, said, “My biggest regret was not releasing So Glad You're Home as the a side.” Kyser’s comments on the soul source forum suggest that he’s got plenty of unreleased material and maybe it will see the light of day soon. I do hope so.

Wavves news

There's a tour and an album. The press release below has some facts and, bizarrely, the claim that Wavves exemplify "every pastiche of what anyone in their mid 20's has been through musically and somehow, some that they have not".

That's what is politely refered to as oxymoronic. Or more prosaically greeted by a raised eyebrow and a withering "oh, for fuck's sake".

Bella Union are very pleased to announce the signing of Wavves aka 22 year old San Diego, resident - Nathan Daniel Williams who has been causing quite a stir with a few 7”s and DIY tapes – and releasing the debut album ‘WAVVVES’ on June 1st 2009.

You may have already heard WAVVES. If you have not, all I can say this: WAVVES are exemplifying every pastiche of what anyone in their mid 20's has been through musically and somehow, some that they have not.

Williams takes his influences from everything from sunshine pop, slacker pop, surf rock, teenage suburban punk and crackling lo-fi and evokes boyish reverie and reverence of thoughtful nostalgia.

WAVVES is the unlikely sound of today's American youth. It's a new day rising and as the WAVVES rise, they gotta converge. You can choose to stay down in the curl, but if you follow the winner, we can meet up on the crest..


UK DATES:
27-May London Old Blue Last
21-Jun Oxford Jericho Tavern
22-Jun London Luminere
23-Jun Bristol Cooler TBC
24-Jun Manchester Deaf Institute
25-Jun Glasgow Captains Rest
26-Jun Leeds Cockpit
27-Jun Cardiff Buffalo Bar
28-Jun Nottingham The Social
01-Aug London Field Day

The Wild Swans

The Wild Swans was like a beautiful, holy, sexy, disturbing, dreamy nightmare about breaking into heaven to have sex with the angels. Unfortunately I was woken from my reverie by someone yelling into my ear "Paul, it's 3 a.m. it's pissing with rain, it's your turn to clean the toilet and, oh yeah, your dog is dead".

Paul Simpson

They’re back! English Electric Lightning is agitated and cynical and enigmatic, coolly sepulchral and endlessly melancholic. You can listen to – and buy – this desolate tour de force here.

A mate of mine was in Liverpool last month and took an interesting photo of the Cavern Club Wall of Fame. He didn’t say if The Wild Swans are honoured – although I trust that they are – but he was most bemused that China Crisis had somehow managed to keep hold of their spot.

Member Of The Wedding

The EP is called ‘Chapter & Verse’ and makes use of cheap guitars, fender amps, and groovy 60's organs

Glasgow’s Member Of The Wedding look to The Vaselines for the dark purring and subterranean anthems on their debut ep.

They’re attractively ragged and charmingly offbeat – think of The Moldy Peaches, Eux Autres or Jonathan Richman – with a haunting melancholy from the Scott Walker songbook and a compellingly droll country twang that recalls Lee Hazlewood.

This is an exceptionally strong ep - a few more quid in the recording budget might see them elaborate on their chamber pop to even greater effect; although more of their charming growls would be most welcome in any form. More please!

Spring

The Very Most return after last year's triumphant Congratulations Forever album for a lap of honour with the zestful, peppy, zippy and poppy (and, yep, aptly named) Today It Is Even Better.



It's the lead track from their Spring ep, the first in a series of season-themed eps; the other three tracks are electronic mini-symphonies which suggest that The Very Most are going to do for the seasons what The Magnetic Fields did for Love Songs, only with far less chance of it going wrong.

The Summer ep is out in just two weeks. I am already rubbing my hands in anticipation. Interested parties should head right here.

New Robert Scott songs

Robert Scott has uploaded some brand new songs here. Fans will be delighted to learn that this new material sees Robert revisit the sweetly countrified despair of The Magick Heads' terrain.





Over to Mr Robert Scott to explain the genesis of this material:

Those songs came about thru the Mushroom songwriters holiday. They put a whole lot of different writers together and you get half a day to write and record a song, the collaborators were chosen by the ones in charge...a few have been released by other people, some of these may end up on my new solo album, not sure who will be
releasing that yet, it's about a third of the way done.

I expect record company executives are already reaching for their cheque books.

All you Londoners have tickets for The Bats gig at The Windmill on May 21, right? Double your fun by going to see them the next night supporting Crystal Stilts at the ICA.

Hangover Lounge - end of an era

The Hangover Lounge is having its last ever social at the Salmon and Compass this Sunday (April 12) as the venue is being turned into a gastro pub. I know! What are the developers thinking?

Anyway, we're open at 2pm and there will be 20 (TWENTY!) guest DJs from the past year returning to play short sets. The best of the best playing their best, if you will.

We have strict instructions from the outgoing owner that we must drink the bar dry. All alochol must go. We're counting on your help. You have the Monday off, don't you? Excellent. See you there.

The Hangover Lounge will re-open in May at a new venue. Watch this space!