The Bird Of Music - Au Revoir Simone

It's fair to say that on paper that Au Revoir Simone are a set-up that is tailor made to my specifications; three not-unattractive women with their keyboards out peddling a line in synth-pop with little nuances of The Pipettes here and Metric there. And it appears that I'm not the only one who was reminded of the rather good film The Virgin Suicides (one of the few films that lives on now I'm past my Kirsten Dunst "phase" by the cover artwork. And although any similarities between the musical soundtrack that Air provided for that film are merely cosmetic, I got the sense throughout listening to this that this would provide an almost perfect backdrop for that film as well.

Still, that's just me waffling on about things not really to do with anything you might want to hear about. Yes, I can hear those cries of "but what is the music actually like?"

Well it's a little sad to say that the idea doesn't quite work in practise.

There are some great songs, no doubt. A Violent Yet Flammable World may well be THE highlight of the album; with a drum beat reminiscent of Bat For Lashes' What's A Girl To Do it drives along in a cavalcade of brooding and swirling synth strings to great effect. Sad Song is a simpler, but addictive, effort but it's almost impossible to resist. And Fallen Snow is quite brilliant too, although how much that has to do with my, impossible to explain here, long love of church organs is open to question.

It ticks all the right boxes, I have to say, but as a whole just lacks that little spark that would really set it apart from the chasing pack. Whereas We Are The Pipettes was transformed by a little personality, this one is treading water where that is concerned. I'd recommend it, but with a caveat not to expect TOO much from it.

Updated Concert List

27th January - Ben Folds - Manchester Apollo

29th January - Nerina Pallot - Manchester Academy 2

30th January - The Hedrons - Night & Day, Manchester

11th February - Sandi Thom - The Lowry, Salford

18th February - The Long Blondes, Manchester Academy 2

22nd February - Bat For Lashes - RNCM, Manchester

10th March - Lily Allen, Manchester Apollo

28th March - Kate Nash - Night & Day, Manchester

17th April - The Pipettes - Ritz, Manchester

20th April - Lucy Porter (comedy gig) - The Lowry, Salford

20th May - Girls Aloud - MEN Arena, Manchester

3rd June - Kate Nash - Late Room, Manchester

30th June - Suzanne Vega - Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

12th July - Bat For Lashes - Manchester Academy 3

19th July - Feist - Manchester Academy 3

16th August - Sophie Ellis Bextor - Parr Hall, Warrington

9th September - Natasha Bedingfield - Manchester Apollo

19th October - KT Tunstall - Manchester Apollo

I Created Disco - Calvin Harris

The problem with jumping to prominence with a song as great as Calvin Harris' Acceptable In The 80's is that it creates such a high anticipation for the subsequent album.

And whilst there isn't anything quite as immediately catchy as that tune, there is a fair few tracks on I Created Disco that are almost as good.

Merrymaking At My Place (which must be an "homage" to/piss take of LCD Soundsystem's Daft Punk Are Playing At My House) is fun and funky, Neon Rocks is a slower song, but still insanely catchy and Vegas takes the same chord structure as Acceptable In The 80's and yet comes up with something largely different and altogether wonderful.

There's few moments that don't delight on some level, and whilst some may level criticism at Harris' singing, for me the fact that he isn't a great (or even good) singer just adds a level of charm to the whole thing. Also a plus point is that the lyrics, whilst never trying to be as important as the tunes, are quite funny too and there's often a wry smile to be had.

Yes, it is unashamedly "80's" and "pop" but like the much underrated Darkdancer by Les Rhythms Digitales, it's a great "retro" treat that manages to sound fresh as well.

Quite simply this is a monster of an album, and if I had any talent at all it's the sort of angle that I'd want to make. Whether that's much of a recommendation for you is open to question, but obviously, it's more than enough for me.

Men's Needs Women's Needs Whatever - The Cribs

Try as I might, I've never really warmed to The Cribs. To be honest they are more memorable for crazed, one might say drunken, appearances on TV rather than for anything about their music. They seem a likeable, and rascally, bunch but that doesn't really count for a lot does it?

And despite calling in Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos for production duties, they've not made me warm to them on their third album. It polishes up their sound, without making it too polished though, and that's a plus point but it doesn't change the opinion that they are nothing but a poor man's Franz.

As ever there are a couple of moments that rise above it all, such as recent single Men's Needs and Be Safe, featuring Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo but there is not enough to maintain your interest throughout. The one word that permeates through the air, as ever with The Cribs, is average. That about sums up this album.

Blue Alert - Anjani

Two things came to mind when listening to this rather fine album; firstly, for all the, deserved, plaudits afforded to the likes of Diana Krall, Norah Jones and Madeline Peyroux, Anjani Thomas is the real "real deal" in terms of a jazz sound. Secondly, its debatable whether or not this album would have received quite so much hype and press if it wasn't for the Leonard Cohen connection.

Still it's not for me to dissect the why's and how's of the music press and at heart it is definately a good album. In lesser hands the formula of Anjani and her piano might deliver a boring album, but with typically interesting Cohen lyrics to work with and neat little changes of pace throughout (the sax on the title track, the guitar on Half The Perfect World, the gospel tinges of Never Got To Love You) it never becomes a chore to listen to.

Cynics will decry the definite "lounge" sound that the album carries, but those with a bit more of an open mind will find much to enjoy here. Anjani has the voice and Cohen delivers a perfect lyrical backdrop for it.

Carry On - Chris Cornell

Despite initial indifference to Cornell's Casino Royale effort, You Know My Name, I did actually grow to like it. It encompasses everything that you would want from a Cornell solo track; it's cool, raw and rocking...and sadly there's not enough else on the album like it.

There's also the lack of dark brooding that permeated his best work with Soundgarden; he may well be a happier, and perhaps more importantly sober, Chris Cornell these days but that doesn't make for a particularly thrilling album.

There are highlights; alongside the Bond theme there is No Such Thing, a vivid reminder of Cornell's Soundgarden days and Poison Eye. It's far from a coincidence that these heavier songs are the best of the bunch and indeed taken out of context of the album as a whole they could convince you in isolation that this is going to be a great album indeed.

Sadly it all falls apart from there somewhat. Avid fans have been labelling the album as triumph of moving away from his previous sound and whilst this may be half true (he has attempted to spread his sonic wings) the plain fact of the matter is that what he tries simply doesn't work consistently enough.

Indeed there's far too much of it that resembles Bon Jovi-meets-American Idol style posturings; too much of it is reminiscent of MOR rock that pleases the radio but please few listeners. And that's before I've got to his cover version of Billie Jean, which it is safe to say doesn't work on any level you might choose.

Carry On is not a dreadful album, and is quite listenable, but a sense of disappointment hangs over it. You would like to think Chris Cornell is capable of much more than this.

Singles 04/06/07

There are quite literally only two singles that I have in any way got any love for this week.

First up is Calvin Harris' The Girls. Yes, it's not as great as Acceptable In The 80's, but it is still very good and insanely catchy.



The only other thing is the much welcomed comback from Queens Of The Stone Age. 3's and 7's isn't the best thing they've ever done, but I do like it a lot. And it's not just because if I was a homo, Josh Homme would be the man for me!



I can't really bring myself to slag off any of the other dozen singles I've attempted to listen to this week, so I'll stop it there.

Kate Nash LIVE

I tell you. Never in the history of my concert-going career have I ever seen such a prominence of out and out tossers in an audience.

You know I bet Kate was thrilled you knew some of her songs, and I bet she was pleased that you knew some of the words. She might not have been pleased to see you incessantly chatter about absolute bollocks throughout the songs.

It was annoying enough on the "loud" songs, but when there were "quiet" songs it was at times a struggle to hear what she was singing due to the ever-so-cool wankers who obviously take great pride in "discovering" new music whilst paying a tenner to go and chat all the way through a concert whilst shouting how awesome and brilliant it was. I must say I didn't think the scant attention you were paying the concert was enough for you to actually form an opinion on what was going on. I can see them now at their water-coolers in the morning; "yeah, me, Darren and Tarquin went to see Kate Nash last night...what's that, you've never heard of her. Oh you really should be as cool as we are and check out her myspace page."

Rant over.

Not that it spoiled the performance. Nash is just lovely, and I still think I want to marry her. Her reaction to the crowd's delight when she introduced her next single ("you like it, that's a good thing) was just one funny and endearing moment during the set.

It's a testament that songs I'd barely heard before seem like long lost friends and the songs that have received more-airplay/been knocking around online like Birds, Foundations and Merry Happy seem as exciting as they did when I first heard them.

I can certainly see why she might not appeal to everyone; but to those people I merely have three words. You. Are. Wrong.

Cubism - Pet Shop Boys (DVD)

This concert, filmed in Mexico in November 2006 is very handily close enough to being the Summer Pops gig I went to, enabling it useful as a tool to remember that great concert by, and also has a number of differences in the set list, which means it also offers something new.

As you will all know by now, I am biased when it comes to the Pet Shop Boys (Britain's greatest pop act of the last 20 years by far don't you know) but if you've any liking of them at all, this is a very worthwhile DVD.

It's not the "spectacle" that Performance is/was (then again, it's not the boring "PSB as a real band" show that was the Release Tour) but it makes up with it by having the best set-list that the PSB have ever done live, taking from 20+ years of hits, with some classic album tracks thrown in for good measure. It also serves up the highlights from the most recent studio album Fundamental.

Throw in the high-definition filming (a vast improvement on the picture quality from the Discovery and Nightlife tour videos/dvd's) and THE best sound quality that I've heard on a live DVD from anybody and you have a wonderful must-have package. Just don't expect much from the Extra's.

Heart Turned To Dead - Switches

I hate The Fratellis. So it will pain me greatly that this minor gem of an album will not get close to selling as many copies as Costello Music and has not received half the hype. No, I do not foresee a Brits 2008 win for these boys.

Which is a great shame. Because the fantastic Lay Down The Law is not the only fantastic song that Switches have done.

Drama Queen, The Need To Be Needed, Give Up The Ghost...all great tracks.

Yes, it's hardly the most original album ever, and yes, there are a couple of dodgy moments but for the most part it's fun, disposable pop (in the very best possible way) with an attitude. And I love it.

We Are Pilots - Shiny Toy Guns

How can I not fail to love an album that Popjustice claimed had 10 potential number one singles on it? I wouldn't go as far as that all-out balls to the wall proclamation, but there is certainly more than enough on We Are Pilots to make it well worth a recommendation.

The moments that stand out for me are the more out and out "pop" moments. Le Disko is the kind of thing that puts Rogue Traders to shame, Don't Cry Out adds a layer of sonic sadness to the bands sound, whilst Starts With One sounds like the Killers would if they weren't quite so obsessed with Bruce Springsteen. Jackie Will Save Me is another great one, and is as far to the "rock" part of their repertoire as you get.

Not everything lives up to that trio of course, but there is more than enough to keep you going. In that sense it's a lot like the recent album from The Sounds. It's hardly reinventing the wheel, but it's good stuff all the same.

Hey Eugene - Pink Martini

How can I really categorise an album delivered by a 12 piece orchestra from Portland, Oregon that features songs not only sung in English, but in Arabic, French, Japanese and Spanish? Or an album that swings from Broadway-esque musical to Brazilian samba via a little bit of funk?

Well whilst musically I may not be able to categorise it, I can tell you that it is a bloody brilliant album.

The album is a mix of original and reworked songs, indeed Jazz legend Jimmy Scott turns up for a spot on Tea For Two, a song first recorded in 1925. It's a testament to how good and how fresh the album sounds that the uninitiated wouldn't automatically be able to detect which are the originals and which are the covers.

My favourites include the swaying Italian rhythm that is Tempo Perdito and the genuinely humorous and toe-tapping Dosvedanya Mio Bombino. But if the reviews prior to it's release heightened the expectation for the album, listening to it proves they were right to champion it. It's not going to be to everyone's taste but anyone looking for a fresh, unique and, most of all, fun experience need look no further than this.

Knives Don't Have Your Back - Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton

Well this certainly is a departure from Haines' day job as lead singer with Canadian electro-rock outfit Metric and I thought it about time I actually reviewed it considering she's currently on a UK tour (which I'm not going to).

Gone are the chunky rock riffs and the bounced up dance beats, this is sparse to say the least. Most of the times it's basically Haines and a piano, although it is backed up with some strings and horns.

An intelligent solo artist has emerged, sounding completely different from what we would normally expect and the story she is telling is one you want to listen to.

The Alternative Press summed it up succinctly in saying that Knives Don't Have Your Back is like the soundtrack to an excellent Alfred Hitchcock film. Sounds like a winning formula to me. And whilst it may not quite sustain itself over the space of a full album, it's still well worth a listen. Indeed you could make a compelling case that, vocally, its the best Emily Haines has ever sounded.

Some might find it a little too one-paced and not be able to listen to it all in one go, but there is no doubt in my mind that it's a great, reflective, piece of work that benefits from repeated spins.

Single Releases 28/05/07

Hello and welcome to the bank holiday special. I doubt many of these singles take the actual bank holiday Monday as the actual official release date, but let's face it, what does it actually really matter any more?

Anyway, let's crack on.

Ana Matronic takes over lead vocals for the new Scissor Sisters single, Kiss You Off. For me it's the same as my feelings on the latest album. It's alright but doesn't pack that punch that you got from them the first time around.

Despite my new found love for Rogue Traders, I would have to admit that their new one Way To Go only just scrapes it to "passable".

The Twang are, quite frankly, shit.

As strange luck would have it, Au Revoir Simone release Sad Song as a limited edition 7 inch vinyl this week. It's good stuff.

I think that new one by Rhianna is a bit shit too. But then again, nothing she has ever done since, or indeed ever did before, will ever be as good as SOS. She should give it up now.

I am not at all keen on Mutya Buena's debut single either. It's just not that far removed from anything that the Sugababes would do, so thus actually becomes pointless. Still it will likely out sell Soibhan's efforts 100 to 1. That's life huh?

Hasn't Regina Spektor released On The Radio as a single at least once before? No matter, it's still a fantastic song.

The new Modest Mouse and LCD Soundsystem singles are pretty good, but don't exactly excite me in a "great single" kind of way.

Sod this, I'm off for a pint.

One Of The Boys - Gretchen Wilson

Gretchen Wilson may well be a one-trick pony, the rough and rowdy "real" redneck Nashville country music woman, far removed from the polished world of Shania Twain or Faith Hill, but there is no denying that she's an entertaining one-trick pony.

Or at least she was.

One Of The Boys seems to be an attempt to prove that she's more than the "Redneck Woman" from her most successful single. It's not an approach that entirely convinces me.

There are moments that I enjoy but they are mostly the more up-tempo rocky numbers such as You Don't Have to Go Home and There's a Place in the Whiskey which are more like the kind of thing you would expect from Wilson.

Less successful are the likes of The Girl I Am and Come To Bed, which whilst proving Wilson has the voice for these kind of slower, more reflective songs also go to prove that overall they are not her strong point.

I doubt any fans of her previous efforts would be turned off by this collection, but by the same token I doubt they'd say it was their favourite of her albums. Pleasant enough, but far from a must-have purchase.

I Wish I Could Have Loved You More - Candie Payne

You may remember me sticking my neck out at the back end of last year with my "tips for 2007" list. Most will be long forgotten before the year is out, but Candie Payne might actually make it.

I Wish I Could Have Loved You More must certainly go down as one of the best debut albums of the year. Some critics have labelled it Dusty Springfield meets Portishead and whilst it may be a little unfair to limit to that, that's not a bad description to give you an overall feel of Candie Payne's oeuvre.

The title kicks things off with a bang and, in the space of three and a half minutes, encapsulates everything that is wonderful about Payne. Swirling orchestral sounds mix with modern beats to provide the perfect backing for Payne's sublime vocals. Lyrically you might be fooled into thinking that it's a tender piece, but there's a toughness that belies what you may think and proves that the song shouldn't be taken as a lament.

These themes carry on throughout the album; Why Should I Settle For You again straddles the line between vulnerability and toughness whilst Take Me is a vibrant brush-off towards a potential lover which almost gives you the impression she's trying to make him give up his attempts to woo.

Other highlights include the wonderful One More Chance and the rather delightful All I Need To Hear.

The only minor gripe would perhaps be that lyrically the album pretty much treads the same ground throughout the track listing; most of the songs seem to be a variation on a theme of lost love or "my man's a bit of a bastard." Still, it is a very minor gripe.

It might not be the out and out smash some of us may have hoped, but that probably says more about excessive expectations than it does about the album itself. It is, quite simply, fantastic. But perhaps the best feeling is that there is still plenty to come from Candie. As this album shows, she's a genuine talent.

Trip The Light Fantastic - Sophie Ellis Bextor

I've never quite been able to make my mind up about the fantastically long-legged Sophie Ellis Bextor. I was quite taken with Theaudience back in the day (with their two top 40 singles) and whilst in solo terms she's occasionally come up with the goods (Groovejet, if that counts, and Murder On The Dancefloor) I can never quite get over some of the truly abysmal lyrics. Seriously, listen again to I Won't Change You...

I used to change my accent, change my stance
My phone number, the way I dance
Some people change lovers like they change their sheets
But I won't change you honey, you're for keeps

That's funny. And not in a "good" funny way either.

But anyway, that's neither here nor there really is it? It's my opinion on the new album you've come to check out isn't it?

Well it's...alright. It's not terrible but it's not awesome. It's an "in the middle" album.

I must get my apology in first of all as I kind of slated recent single Catch You on here a few weeks back but when actually listening to it on record it's a cracker. That's not to say that I didn't listen to it before I originally reviewed it, just that its sounds a lot better on record than it did on tv/radio/the internet.

There are other highlights too; despite the worst vocal phrasing on the word "dance" since Amelle from the Sugababes on Walk This Way, If I Can't Dance is a very catchy number indeed. New York City Lights is another winner, as is the Latin tinged New Flame.

Sadly there's also a lot of the album which is completely unmemorable. It's also very much "what you would expect" and there's only so much of the rent-a-hook dance beats matched with the detached icy personae that you can take in one sitting.

One thing is for sure though, her Greatest Hits collection will be fantastic.

On A Clear Night - Missy Higgins

When most around me where raving about Missy Higgins' The Sound Of White I remained sat in the corner, chunnering to myself that it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, was far too pedestrian as a whole and laughing ever so slightly at her comedy Australian accent.

With On A Clear Night shows both improvements in some senses from that album and proof that I'm going to be of exactly the same overall opinion this time around as well.

Again there are a couple of standout tracks, although nothing to compare with All For Believing or Ten Days from the debut album. Going North is almost a country/folk number which really connects with the listener whilst the gentle strum of The Wrong Girl reminds me of Laura Veirs at her best (which to me is very good indeed).

And whilst I must also say that the casual shift in emphasis from the jaunty feel of The Sound Of White to the more moody, and guitar driven, attitude of this album is a winner, it still isn't enough to make the album as a whole a winner. Like it's predecessor its patchy and far too one-paced to really captivate me.

The talent is there, but so far the application of it has fallen short.

No Disguise - Casey Desmond

Casey Desmond is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who brilliantly balances rocking pop/folk melodies & harmonies, thought provoking lyrics, with everything from the edgiest guitars, soulful pianos, deeply haunting rock or acoustic instrumentation & a 4 octave multi dimensional vocal range. That's not me speaking by the way, that's courtesy of her EPK but I thought it only fair to introduce her in some form.

I might have suggested, prior to having listened to the album, Casey Desmond is a an attempt to cross-pollinate the appeal of Avril Lavigne and Amy Lee in one appealing package. Yet despite the cynicism that one always attaches to a new artist of a certain ilk, you can't deny that the girl has talent.

For a start, she can actually sing. Take the song Julia Butterfly Hill; at times we're in danger of almost trespassing into, say, Katherine Jenkins territory and Desmond's wonderful voice transforms the songs into something really rather special. And its a trick that repeats over the album. At times the weaker songs are still saved to some degree by her voice and the better songs are lifted to an even higher plain.

Despite its attempts to sometimes paint itself as something of a higher calling, this is an out and out pop record and anyone who has a sly, or not so sly, liking for the aforementioned likes of Avril Lavigne and Amy Lee will find plenty to enjoy here. That's not to say that others won't, just that, whether through artist choice or record company maneuverings, the target audience for this is pretty clear. And to be honest, as much as I liked Lavigne's lastest offering, I think I like this even more.

It Wont Be Soon Before Long - Maroon 5

The only real relevance Maroon 5 have to me is that they inadvertently helped me to discover The Like when my mate Al saw them supporting the Maroon boys on tour (you'd never catch me dead at a Maroon 5 concert myself). Of course this led to the infamous incident in Oldham where we slagged off Maroon 5 in front of one of their girlfriends. I think we got away with it, but that maybe just because I'm too drunk to remember.

Anyway, I can kind of take or leave Maroon 5. A couple of catchy tunes aside I've no real time for them, but out of curiosity, and the fact I liked their latest single Makes Me Wonder I decided to give them a second chance. Right now I'm rather wishing I hadn't bothered.

It's not that this is a technically poor record or anything like that, indeed the band can play, just that it lacks any real heart or soul. In fact I'd totally agree with one reviewers assertion that the album, and the band as a whole, are pleasingly bland. It's difficult to hate them but a struggle to actually like them. And whilst I wouldn't deny that tracks like Makes Me Wonder, Can't Stop and Little Of Your Time can seem rather nice as you listen to them, within 10 minutes of putting the album back on the shelf it's as if they never existed.

Maroon 5 have gone for the chart stratosphere and there's probably enough in the way of radio-friendly hits to ensure more success. Just don't confuse commercial success with any sense of artistic merit.