The Flight Of The Conchords

THE funniest thing on TV at the moment.

It helps I suppose to have a bit of musical knowledge to get all the "homages", but I just find it hilarious.

WATCH IT!

Silver Lining

Jenny Lewis. As a bride. Jilting the groom at the wedding. I'm sure they've nicked this plot idea from one of my dreams...

Thanks to dkimster.

The Casket Letters - Monkey Swallows The Universe

Despite what the Daily Mail might tell you, the Internet is a good thing. A case in point are Monkey Swallows The Universe. I simply don't listen to the cool music programmes in "real life" that might introduce you to them, and the likes of Jo Wiley are never going to find them until someone has told her to. So the Internet is a great thing for discovering bands you wouldn't otherwise have heard of.

Ok, so it means that you have to sit through a hell of a lot of dross but when you come across something as good as Monkey Swallows The Universe you can forgive any number of dreadful artists with a Myspace page.

Oh yes, The Casket Letters is good. In fact it's very good. It's certainly one of the best "unknown" albums I've come across this year...hell it's one of THE best albums full stop.

First of all it clocks in at 35 minutes, well within the 45 minute maximum that should be made a law. Secondly it has some of the catchiest, and loveliest, folk pop songs you're likely to hear all year. Little Polveir is one of my favourite tracks of the year although it's got a lot of competition from the likes of Science or Elizabeth and Mary.

Lead singer's Nat Johnson's vocals are to die for, bringing a dreamy quality to the proceedings. But the tunes back it up superbly.

Frankly, if you're reading this, the very next thing you should do is go and order this album. It really is that good. I wish I had more time to wax lyrical about it, I really do, but trust me on this one. You need to hear this.

Pictures - Katie Melua

I tolerate Katie Melua. Mainly because young Dave is quite keen on her and whilst she's hardly at the cutting edge of musical invention, she's a pleasant enough girl with a decent voice. If that seems like I'm damning her with faint praise, you might be right.

But it's not her fault. I can attest to that 100%. It's all Mike "Fucking" Batt's fault. The guy is a grade A knob-head. I went to a Katie Melua concert once, but half of it was taken up with his unfunny anecdotes and stories. Yes Mike, we know you wrote the bloody Wombles song.

And he writes all her lyrics.

So we get gems like "Douglas Fairbanks wore a moustache, must have had "much cash" too". And thus, less than 30 seconds in to this album we have already reached a low point from which there is no hope of return.

Simply put, the melodies are lilting enough to woo the Radio 2 crowd but anyone who takes more than a cursory glance at the lyrics is going to be in pain for days. There is quite literally nothing on this album that I'll be listening to ever again.

Duets - Reba McEntire

Country LEGEND Reba duets with the Country likes of Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts and Vince Gill. And just in case it's all a little too Nashville for you, the youthful likes of Kelly Clarkson and Justin Timberlake pop up as well. Strangely there's no Tito Santana though.

Anyway, there's nothing out of the ordinary here. It's exactly like you'd expect Reba to sound with the addition of a few special guests.

If Reba's your kind of thing then you're in for a treat. If not, aside for the curiosity value of a few tracks you really needn't bother yourself with this.

Normal Service Will Resume

I've either

A) Been arrested.

Or

B) Got a new job and haven't much time at the moment.

Take your pick.

Somewhere High - Stalingrad Cowgirls

If only for the headline on their myspace page ("SAVE A HORSE - RIDE A COWGIRL!") I'd love the Stalingrad Cowgirls. Even the fact that they make me feel old, with the three Finish girls all being under 20, doesn't change my opinion.

Somewhere High might not be the most original album you'll hear all year, with its guitar, bass and drum punk-pop set up, but it's another one that is pure fun from start to finish.

Catchy tunes such as Rainmaker and Love To Make You Cry successfully merge some heavy metal chops with a pop sensibility to great effect.

The only criticism would be the one-paced nature of the album; indeed there is a relentless pace that has it's charms but does leave the album starting to sound very familiar once you get into the second half. Still, as a debut album this is great stuff and could lead to them gaining a good fan-base, with the promise of more to follow.

Echoes Silence Patience And Grace - Foo Fighters

It must be nice being Dave Grohl. He's pretty much the lauded gentry of modern rock, feted everywhere he goes as a great musician and a great bloke. Indeed he's in such good grace that most people have ignored the fact that the Foo's last studio album, 2005's In Your Honor, was, frankly, rubbish. The rock disc was turgid, the acoustic disc was limp and whilst Grohl called it a "fitting" tribute to the Foo's 10th anniversary, I thought it was pretty much an admission that the Foo's had done all they could.

Still, rapturously received live dates and the reappearance of Gil "The Color & The Shape" Norton at the production helm meant that there were reasons for me to look forward to the album. And whilst it never comes close to matching the majesty of The Color... (which is their finest album by far) it happily never threatens to sink to the depths that Honor did.

Lead single The Pretender is exactly what you'd expect from the Foo's - hard hitting, punchy rock - and as such effectively highlights where this whole experience is heading. In many ways it reminds me of One By One, in that it's definitely a top-heavy disk.

Let It Die shows that the idea of an "acoustic" Foo Fighters need not always be a desperate thing, the use of strings on Erase/Rewind adds a wonderful edge to the Foo's traditional sound and Long Road To Ruin highlights Grohl and his band at their very best.

Once you get over halfway through though, it begins to disappoint and the realisation hits me that despite their best efforts, the Foo Fighters seem unlikely to ever better The Color And The Shape. Sure, occasionally they can reach the same kind of heights for a couple of songs, but never for a whole album.

So this is solid, rather than spectacular, but that in itself is a reason for elation after the disaster that was In Your Honor. And no doubt, there's enough here to ensure that it sells by the bucket load.

New Young Pony Club LIVE

Back at the Manchester Ritz. And this time I could see the stage! Woo, and indeed, hoo.

A nice Chinese banquet to kick off the proceedings (although really it was far too much for a pre-concert shindig - I was stuffed after the starters!) and it was indeed onto the Ritz. Which may or may not be famous for something to do with The Smiths.

The support act was playing as we went in. Tings Tings or something. They seemed relatively good. Plus there was a good chance that the singer was fit. The two songs I heard where almost enough to make me regret not getting there earlier.

Scanning the venue two things became clear. I am not trendy enough to be a fan of the NYPC. Nor am I gay enough. I didn't feel out of place because I just don't care about these things, but if I were the kind of guy to feel out of place at concerts I doubt I would ever have felt as out of place as I would have done at this. And that includes that coach trip to Sheffield to see the Spice Girls.

At least fellow attendee Mike Pickering has the gravitas to back up his out of place vibe.

Anyway onto the concert itself. It was a good one, although not a particularly great one. My immediate thought whilst listening was that live, at least, NYPC are little more than the credible version of Rogue Traders. Sadly the vitality that comes across on record wasn't quite there.

Lead singer Tahita Bulmer was certainly exuberant enough, but the rest of the band added little to the visual flow of the show. I have to admit mind you to being entranced by keyboard player Lou Hayter's hips. She can wiggle that's for sure.

It's perhaps telling that the biggest crowd reaction of the night came for a cover version, Technotronic's Pump Up The Jam. Indeed the bloke in front of me, who had been fairly still all evening, whirred into action for that one and became somewhat of a blur.

So all in all it was a decent night out, but failed to live up to the album, which is fantastic. And to top if off, the only song they didn't do was Jerk Me. Which just happens to be my favourite. What a bunch of bastards ;-D

Necessary Evil - Deborah Harry

She's 62, it's fourteen years since her last solo album and Blondie are doing great business on the revival circuit. So the question is, is there any real need for a new Deborah Harry solo record in 2007?

Maybe not, but if she uses the opportunity to come up with something as willfully odd and undeniably brilliant as You're Too Hot then I'll forgive her anything. I swear to god, if Beyonce did this song it would be at number one for weeks. It sparkles with a wit and invention that is increasingly missing from the pop charts these days.

Of course it goes without saying that a whole album of this is too much to ask for but there are enough sparks to make this a worthwhile purchase for any existing fan. Dirty & Deep is the best song Madonna has never done, Paradise slows things down a touch to great effect and the title track is another winner.

To be fair there is a fair share of stuff I won't really listen to again, but you can't have everything can you? Patchy it may be, but at it's best it reminds you just how vital Deborah Harry has been...and still is.

Family - Leann Rimes

Well at least she's jettisoned the attempt to become a "pop" star. (I don't care what you say Mercy, Don't Fight The Moonlight was awful).

Well, no, she hasn't actually done that, but has at least realised that commercial Country might be her best bet of crossover success.

Lead single Nothing Better To Do is one of her strongest songs yet (ah, not difficult I hear you say) and is really rather good. You could even say it's far better than anything Leann Rimes does has any right to be.

Sadly it is by far the best song on Family, apparently her TWELFTH studio album, with only a couple of others, Upper Hand and Something I Feel (with it's Pretty Woman esque drum intro) coming close.

It's not awful - Rimes can sing and there are a number of ballads which are just screaming out for Radio 2 airplay - but it's just not memorable enough in the final analysis. Still, it's better than Whatever We Wanna, which surely is a step in the right direction.

Single Releases 24/09/07

I can't find my usual list of singles, so this might be a short one.

That new Katie Melua one, If I Were A Sailboat, is a bit saucy for her isn't it? It's crap of course, but you have to give a modicum of respect where it's due.

It's miles better than Shayne Ward's new one mind you. But then he is useless, so really you don't expect anything from him do you?

Spooky by the Puppini Sisters is ok. Maybe the joke is wearing thin now though. Enjoy it whilst it lasts Sisters.

Annie Lennox really does annoy me. But then I have a thing against rock/pop stars telling me how I should lead my life, so it's nothing that personal love.

I was surprised to see the Stereophonics are still plugging away...ok I kid. I know they're successful, I just don't see why they are! It Means Nothing is another in that long of line of Stereophonics songs that are alright but don't exactly rock my world.

The problem with Duke Special and Ed Harcourt is that I don't think they're as quite as good as a lot of people tell me. Thus it is the same with their new singles. Good, but not great.

Colbie Caillat's Bubbly hits the singles market this week. It's nice and pleasant but nothing that will be staying with you for that long.

Under The Influence - Terra Naomi

I know. You're sat there thinking not another female singer-songwriter to digest...and another one who has taken the "overnight" route to success via the Internet, this time with Say It's possible causing quite a stir late last year. Of course that would be unkind, given that she's been releasing unheralded albums independently for quite some time and that's before we've even got to question what exactly is wrong with using all the tools available to make a name for yourself.

Under The Influence may well strike some as an ironic title; one presumes that it's a reference to strong substances (Naomi not having been shy about previous dependencies) but one might also see that title and immediately come up with a list of influences the length of your arm. And indeed whilst it may not be anything we've not heard before (I'm thinking Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morrisette) that's not to say that it isn't without merit.

Naomi has a strong and inviting voice and has a knack for creating very catchy choruses the problem seems to be one of record company pressure. Like a lot of artists these days, Naomi seems a little too intent on chasing the pop single (and I'm not blaming her for that by the way) when if somebody somewhere had the gumption to let her strike out completely then we could have ended up with something very special indeed.

So in the end we've an album that is half suited to sound tracking the next American teen drama and earning airplay from Terry Wogan on Radio 2 (evident on the likes of Million Ways) and one that hints at something a little more expressive and special (such as on New Song or Flesh For Bones). Here's hoping that someone lets her concentrate on the latter next time out.

Bitchin - The Donnas

Have I woken up in a Life On Mars style world or did someone take me out in a Delorean, because it's as if the 1990's never happened on Bitchin, the new album from the Donnas. It's certainly as if their last album Gold Medal never happened. Indeed this new album is released on their own label largely because Atlantic wanted to take their sound in a different direction again.

This is, for all intents and purposes, 80's hair metal spiked with a Noughties attitude...and it ROCKS!

It's not their best album (I'm partial to Turn 21 and Skintight myself) but it is the crispest and makes the best use of the big studio production that was, presumably, beyond their budget earlier in their career.

I've long ago given up on the girls making a real breakthrough, but if there was any justice the likes of Girl Talk, What Do I Have To Do and Here For The Party would make at least a small dent in the charts.

The real star of the show seems to be guitarist Alison Robertson, who's licks and riffs transform this from a decent album to a good one. It's one that Donna's fans should love, as should anyone with more than a little liking for 80's rock (and for once that's not to disparage it). It's not subtle, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.

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
222nd 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
21st August - Rilo Kiley - Manchester Academy 3
9th September - Natasha Bedingfield - Manchester Apollo - POSTPONED
27th September - New Young Pony Club - Ritz, Manchester
7th October - Frank Skinner (Comedy) - Lowry, Manchester
14th October - Editors - Manchester Apollo
19th October - KT Tunstall - Manchester Apollo
23rd October - Amy Macdonald - Barfly, Liverpool
1st November - The Donnas - Club Academy, Manchester
5th November - Kate Nash - Manchester Academy 3
18th November - Rilo Kiley - Stanley Theatre, Liverpool
25th November - Scouting For Girls - Liverpool Academy

Graduation - Kanye West

I can't believes I's only got seven minutes to write this review.

Anyway, my take on Kanye West is pretty well known. He can usually be relied upon to give us a handful of genuinely brilliant moments on an album, but will also back it up with a lot of filler. He's also not a very good rapper. Competent he may be, but purely on rapping he's not going to be top of the list.

Does Graduation change any of this in my eyes? Hell, no.

Lead single Stronger was/is fantastic and the Daft Punk nod was a welcome one for sure. The Glory sneaks in a bit of Laura Nyro to great effect whilst Flashing Lights is another winner, pitching it's self as something between a Bond theme and Bernard Herrmann produced soundtrack. Having said that though, I really could have done without the proclamation on that track the paparazzi are worse than the Nazi's. Nice one Kanye.

And that really points to another weakness on the album; West's self-importance came across as surprisingly tongue in cheek on his recent Friday Night Project presenter stint (hell he came across as extremely likable) but on Can't Tell Me Nothing, where the "impact" of his blast at George W. Bush's supposed ineptitude in respect of Hurricane Katrina is deemed more important than the aftermath of the disaster itself.

So lyrically there are many moments to cringe to, in one way or another, and there is a fair share of interesting, but misfiring, attempts to do something different (really, Chris Martin's appearance on Homecoming does neither man any favours whatsoever - although that won't matter to those who will see Martin's singing slot here as some kind of rallying call for real musicians).

Still the moments of genuine class just about drag this into thumbs up territory. But much like his previous two albums, in the months to come I'll be very selective over which tunes make it onto my playlist.

Pop Life - David Guetta

Everyone will be aware of Love Don't Let Me Go after it was in some car advert (forgive me, but cars in general interest me so little that I've no idea what particular car it was) but the question remains, does anyone particularly need a whole album of David Guetta? If you're immediately thinking no, then you might be surprised to hear that this is his 3rd album.

Of course as with, what seems like, every dance album these days you're pretty much going to like it or not. There is precious little ground. If it's your kind of thing you'll be jumping in the air, if it's not then you might as well switch off now.

Looking at it with a critics eye, it's not bad but not brilliant. When it hits the spot, such as Delirious its poptastic. When it's bad, chief criminal being the Public Image Limited cover This Is Not A Love Song, it's pretty dispiriting.

Unfortunately for Guetta, there's more tracks like the latter than there is the former.

Donna Marie

A bit of a change of pace from my usual rantings and ravings, although this is actually the first in an, occasional, series where I hope to spread the word about some artists you may not have heard of.

First in line for this is Donna Marie, a Warrington based singer-songwriter who is already a favorite with radio/internet DJs from as far as Guatemala to the USA with her self produced debut EP Paint The Sky.

One quote alone from her website is enough for me to reccommend Donna Marie;

"I think lots of people see the word POP MUSIC as a dirty word, but not me....I love to write pop. I don't see the point in writing 10 minute long songs that don't really have a hook to it."

and therein is her appeal. She has a soaring voice and specialises in catchy pop songs which immediately lodge in your brain.

It was seeing the likes of KT Tunstall and Nerina Pallot live that gave her back her passion for music and it's not too much of a stretch to compare her to those two. Top quality, pop songs that achieve their melodic aims without any compromise on quality.

With an album scheduled for later in the year and artists like Amy MacDonald asking her to support at concerts, Donna Marie is not going to remain off the radar for long. Now's your chance to impress your friends by getting in there first.

http://www.myspace.com/donnamariemusicsite
http://www.donnamariemusic.co.uk/

Single Releases - 17/09/07

Jack "The Gay Lumberjack" Penate comes back this week with Second Minute Or Hour. It's dreadful, but then everything this fella does is dreadful. So what else can you expect?

As a rule, Leann Rimes is also dreadful. So it IS a surprise that Nothing Else To Do is quite good. Thankfully she's also jettisoned the attempt to be a pop star and stuck to something a little bit Country.

Oh Kate Nash, what are we to do with you? Mouthwash is undeniably catchy but I'm still reeling with the relatively disappointing album. The video is absolute tosh too.

Ashely Tisdale attempts another breakthrough in the UK market. He Said She Said is certainly a decent enough slice of pop, but nowhere near the big hit that would give her a name over here.

WigWam died a death didn't it, but it hasn't put Betty Boo off trying to re-make a name for herself and Jack Rocka enlists her help for Take Off. What can I say, because it's Betty Boo and is therefore automatically awesome.

Mutya Beuna has got past the two, sorry ONE, decent song on her album so really there is no need for you to listen to Just A Little Bit.

I'm getting sick of hearing that bloody Peter Bjorn & John song. Young Folks is a good tune but I'm suffering from over exposure to it.

Still, they're doing better than Will.I.Am It only took one listen of his new song I Got It From My Momma to get sick of it.

Glorious: The Singles 1997-2007 - Natalie Imbruglia

Yes, she really has been going for 10 years, but no with only 10 singles in that time (including title track Glorious, which was one of the customary new tracks on such an album) and only three albums is there really a clamour for a Natalie Imbruglia singles collection?

Way back in 1998, thanks to my erstwhile flatmate of the time Duncan, Natalie Imbruglia was quite the "in" thing. Indeed rare was the night playing Doom on the Playstation that Left On The Middle didn't get a spin on the CD player. Since that time though, I've had no real interest in the former Beth Brennan. Sure there would be the occasional moment when a new single came out and I alternated between "oh is she still carrying on" and "that's alright but not something I'd want to buy."

At least Imbruglia had the sense, on a recent appearance with Graham Norton, to admit that this wasn't a "greatest hits" but rather a "singles collection". Not that success hasn't been achieved in the UK with 5 top 10 hits but with Imbruglia I've often got the feeling that success, in itself, isn't what it's about for her. She wants respect and to be seen as a real musician.

Which kind of went tits up when the hit that introduced her to the world, Torn, was revealed to not even be an original song. Imbruglia claimed that she'd never said it was, but by the same token she was quite happy to let people think that.

Even now, almost a decade on, Torn is still a fantastic single though. And in fact it's probably too good for her to ever match; it certainly is the best thing on here by a fair distance. It's not the most interesting thing mind you, that honour would go to Smoke which for a brief moment suggested that there may have been more to Imbruglia that the ex-soap pop princess hype machine would suggest.

Sadly the other tracks from Left Of The Middle haven't aged as well. Wishing I Was There is so formulaic that it could have been done by anyone from Meredith Brooks to Alisha's Attic whilst Big Mistake makes you wonder if Kurt Cobain's revolution was all for nothing.

Follow up album White Lilies Island bombed if we're being honest and That Day and Beauty On The Fire show you why. They're not terrible but not tracks that I had any real memory of and "pleasant but forgettable" must be one of the harshest things you can say about a record. Wrong Impression isn't much better, but I at least remembered it so that counts for something.

Third album Counting Down The Days quite inexplicably reached number one in the UK charts, although Shiver, it's lead single, is definitely the best thing that isn't Torn on this collection. We return to averageness with the title track from that album.

Recent single Glorious is one of 5 new tracks and again follows the nice enough, but not memorable trajectory that most of Imbruglia's career has followed. But as Be With You, another of the new tracks, shows occasionally she can create something truly special. It's just a pity she doesn't do it more often and as a result, she's never likely to get the respect as a serious artist that she so obviously desires.