Track of the Day: 'Martin' by Car Seat Headrest

The second track to appear from their forthcoming album 'Making A Door Less Open', this song sees Will Toledo's Car Seat Headrest in a relatively mellow mood. I'm assuming that the titular Martin is the narrator of the song, since he's singing about a guy called Justin. The introduction of a trumpet towards the end gives the song a different vibe to most Car Seat Headrest tracks, and makes me think the the new record will be even more diverse that I was expecting.

I'm not sure if the extreme protection and cleaning video was made before the coronavirus pandemic kicked in, or if it's a response to that, but it feels a bit too close to home for now - we need some escapism in these troubled times. But don't let that put you off listening to the song.

'Making A Door Less Open' is released on 1st May 2020.

Recommended music: 'Occult Architecture Vol. 1' by Moon Duo

2017 will see the release of Moon Duo's fourth album 'Occult Architecture', split across two volumes, the first of which is out on February 3rd. Celebration the hidden patterns and connections embedded into life, having two separate volumes signifies the light/dark, day/night and yin/yang of everything.

So what do we get on Volume 1? You may already have heard the driving, pounding riffs on lead single 'Cold Fear', a track that gnaws at your bones like some psychedlic horror-trip soundtrack.


This album spreads its wings wider than that. There's the fast-paced, electro-riffing of 'Cross-Town Fade' which reminds me A LOT of 'Love Missile F1-11' by Sigue Sigue Sputnik - the video for that is below in case you've never heard it.



'Cult of Moloch' is a glam-rock stomp through child sacrifice, while 'Will of the Devil' is a much more open and straightforward 80s type of track. Closer 'White Rose' is the album's epic Krautrock moment, complete with motorik drum beat and phased guitars, and gives you a full ten and a half minutes to lose yourself in an alternative musicverse.

It will be interesting to see how 'Volume 2' differs when it's released later in the year, but for now this is a suitably dark and wintry half of the story.

Recommended music: 'Golden Tongue' EP by Magana

 

This haunting 4-track EP was released towards the end of last year on the reliably independent Audio Antihero label. It's the debut release from Jeni Magana, currently based in Brooklyn as a musician and photographer, and over the space of four songs it slowly pulls you in and absorbs you.

My favourite track here is probably 'Inches Apart', a sparse track which is mostly  just guitar and vocal and which really gives her voice the space to captivate you.

This is a really promising debut, one that leaves you disappointed with its brevity as much as satisfied with its charm. Lyrically it's intriguing - this line from 'The World Doesn't Know' is one of my favourites: "Every cell in your body belongs to the thought in my brain" - while musically it hints at the sort of depth of career that St. Vincent or PJ Harvey have carved out.

I'm hoping we'll get to here more from Magana in 2017 but in the meantime you should really give this debut a listen.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-9 Days: Car Seat Headrest

This band, headed by Will Toledo, hit the headlines recently when their new album 'Teens of Denial' had to be pulled from the shelves due to a last minute wrangle over a sample from the Cars' track 'Just What I Needed'. That song (originally called Not What I Needed / Just What I Needed' and now more succinctly revised to 'Not Just What I Needed') will no doubt feature in a set that's bound to lean heavily on the new record but also pull from their previous releases.

Their guitar heavy sound, which veers from The Strokes to Kings of Leon to even (unbelievably) Status Quo on current single 'Fill In The Blank' seems to tailor-made to kick start your day, so head up to the Park Stage on Saturday morning to catch them.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-12 Days: Michael Kiwanuka

Kiwanuka's latest single 'Black Man In A White World' is quite possibly my favourite song of the year so far. The production, courtesy of Dangermouse, is spot on and the whole thing just exudes a quality 70s vibe. Just imagine this washing over you in the sunshine on the West Holts stage on Sunday afternoon, it'll sound so good.



His new album 'Love & Hate' will be out a couple of weeks after Glastonbury so I'm sure that he'll play a few tracks from it - here's the title track.


But there'll also be a lot of stuff from his Mercury Prize-nominated debut album to get your teeth into too. I saw him at a special Mercury gig when he was nominated and he's a fantastic live performer, so if you don't mind missing E.L.O. then make sure you catch him.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-19 Days: Oscar

Indie-pop has somewhat fallen out of fashion these days. Fear not though, as the man to bring it back to sartorial superiority is here, and that man is Oscar Scheller.

With a deep and melancholic voice, the former Central St Martins art school student matches his words with infectious melodies that bring to mind the hooks that 90s Brit-poppers Space used to write. Making 'happy-sad vibes' (his self-confessed favourite form of music) this bedroom-based balladier will definitely ease your hangover into the last day of Glastonbury.

Having seen Oscar live at Visions Festival last summer I can confirm that he's great to watch live, so make sure you head down to William's Green on Sunday to see him.

Oscar at The Laundry, Visions Festival 8/8/15

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-28 Days: Unknown Mortal Orchestra

One of my favorite 'indie' bands of recent years, Unknown Mortal Orchestra's third album really showed off Ruban Neilson's ear for a melody, while at the same time developing them as a band rather than just Neilson's bedroom one-man effort.

Live they're a bundle of energy and fun, really bringing the songs to life and showing Ruban's character. Make sure you see them if you get the chance.

Recommended music: 'Don't Dwell' by Star Parks

Another gem from the magical world of Paper Trail Records, this swoonsome little album features heart, soul and sunshine by the bucket load. Imagine Mercury Rev crossed with the Beach Boys, with more than a touch of Fleet Foxes, and you'll be somewhere on the way to understanding the pop hooks, harmonies and melodies that fill this record. It has a classic, timeless quality that has been given a modern skew, enabling it to sound both fresh and retro at the same time.

Hailing from Austin, Star Parks is the creation of Andy Bianculli. He recorded this gem in Tuscon with 2 additional members, Andrew Collberg and Chris Stafford, and between the three of them dreams have been realised and worlds created.

You can order the limited edition blue vinyl here or get the download from your usual choice of soulless media provider. 

Recommended music: 'Faith In The Future' by Craig Finn

Craig Finn's second solo album is a successful attempt to present some gentler, and more personal songs than he normally presents via The Hold Steady. Dedicated to his mother Barbara who recently passed away, there's a definite air of death and melancholy about this record. That's not to say that it's depressing though, rather it's just accepting of the fact that death is a part of life that comes to us all in the end.

In amongst the trademark character-led songs ('Sarah, Calling From A Hotel' being my favourite) you'll find one of the few listenable songs to have ever been written about 9/11; 'Newmyer's Roof' telling how Finn & his boss at the time watched the fall of the World Trade Centre while drinking beer on a rooftop at 9:30 in the morning. "I saw the towers go down from up on Newmyer's roof, Yeah we were frightened, yeah we were drinking, it was all so confusing". If you see Finn play this live he'll tell the story of how his present-day girlfriend was actually in one of the towers at the time of the attack and managed to escape, making this an even-more personal story than it already was.

There's also 'Going To A Show', which could be as much about performing a gig as watching one; "Some nights it just seems like the same old thing, some nights it feels like a new frontier". Meanwhile people and places come and go - Christine goes to Memphis, Sandra stays in Scratton, Maggie's husband goes to Colorado and Arizona, and St. Peter hangs out in New York.

Musically it's not particularly adventurous but there's a warmth to the arrangements and a familiarity that allows them to stay in the background so you can focus on the crystal-clear delivery of the lyrics. Overall, as with all of Finn's output, you're left with a sense that despite the world being a bit shitty at times, things will work out in the end.

Recommended music: 'Gunnera' by Pfarmers

A supergroup of sorts, Pfarmers features Bryan Devendorf (The National), Danny Seim (Menomena, Lackthereof) and Dave Nelson (David Byrne, Sufjan Stevens). The seeds of the band were sown when Danny and Bryan toured together over 10 years ago. Since then they'd become friends, and Danny had made some drumbeats with Dave that he played to Bryan one day. Everything clicked and Pfarmers began to bloom. The record is apparently about a dream Seim had which involved drowning and being reincarnated as a giant Gunnera plant.

The first couple of times I tried to listen to this I didn't really get past the first track; a droning, ambient track which (I assume) represents the journey into a dreamlike state. This was my bad though, as once you're in the dream there's a whole lot more going on in the record. It's upbeat, almost poppy in places, and definitely takes you on a trip. Throughout the record there are hints of The National's melodies and rhythms, particularly on 'You Shall Know The Spirit'. Something about 'Work For Me' reminds me of Super Furry Animals (maybe the voice) - whatever it is it's definitely one of my favourite tracks on the record.

'El Dorado' finds Seim painting himself gold and sinking to the bottom of the river serenely and without panicking. The pace picks up for 'The Ol' River Gang' which features skittery beats and is underpinned by a John Carpenter-esque keyboard riff. Another of the album's highlights it has power and poise, and I could imagine it working really well live. 'How To Build A Tube' is intriguing, it sounds like there are layers and layers in it to uncover (I'd love to get my hands on the stems to remix it) and then the record closes with a track to slowly draw you back out of the dream state, as 'Promised Land' sails you back down the river to consciousness.

Overall this is an enticing and unusual record - it may be just a seedling compared to their other projects but it's one that's worth nourishing.

'Gunnera' is out now on Jurassic Pop Records, and you can stream the whole thing below.

Recommended music: 'Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit' by Courtney Barnett

The first album proper from Melbourne-born Barnett, after her EP collection 'A Sea of Split Peas' is a bright shining beacon of sass in the world of mediocre mainstream music. With more attitude than a bag full of rattlesnakes and more hooks than an abattoir, her music is the type that smacks you firmly in the face but then kisses you better afterwards. From the brilliantly punky first single 'Pedestrian At Best', with its insanely catchy chorus, through to the downbeat but not morose closer 'Boxing Day Blues' this is an album that never fails to entertain. Lyrically Barnett covers subjects ranging from the trials of buying your first property in the crap part of town; "We drive to a house in Preston / see police arresting a man with his hand in a bag / How's that for first impressions!" (Depreston) to being stuck in the wrong job; "I'm not suicidal just idling insignificantly / All I ever wanted to be was an Elevator Operator / Can you help me please?"

Musically the production is bright and crisp and gives the feel of a record that's been 'played live' while it was recorded. That feel even extends to the track sequencing - it feels like almost the perfect order for a live show - a powerful finish, then a chance to calm down a bit before building the energy back up. It's clear that Courtney is a natural talent who is just beginning to blossom, and she's got enough musical strings to her bow to match the wit and insouciance of her lyrics. The two long songs ('Small Poppies' and 'Kim's Caravan', both around the 7-minute mark) never seem to drag, but she can still nail a perfect two minute pop song on 'Aqua Profunda!'. There are tracks on here that sound like The Velvet Underground and tracks that sound like The Kinks, but it's still a totally modern and relevant album.

Perfect post-punk pop from someone who may just be the saviour of indie guitar music.

PS It's worth mentioning that on the orange vinyl version of this that I've got there's a secret bonus track at the end which may well be the title track (as she sings the title in it).

Recommended music: 'Zen Summer' by Cloud

The second album from Tyler Taormina sees him in a brighter place, both literally and metaphorically. Although it was recorded before he packed up and left Long Island for Los Angeles it almost sees him anticipating that move, replacing the outpouring of emotions on 'Comfort Songs' with something more contented and relaxed. From the moment the wave crashes against the shore at the start of opening track 'Fly Into The Mystery' you can sense the journey to the West Coast. Here's what Tyler says about the vibe of the record:

"After 'Comfort Songs' I was in a dark place; but I always knew that when it ended a really uplifting and bright time was going to come. When it inevitably did the lightness I experienced turned into a real strange period of transition, culminating with me leaving home for Los Angeles. 'Zen Summer' was written to help those experiencing the anxiety associated with a state of flux. I wanted them to realise that things would be alright in the end."

Despite the change in direction the album is still full of personal observations. You can sense the importance Tyler places on surrounding yourselves with people you care about in these mirrored lyrics from 'Sunshine Psych' near the start of the album and 'Rainbow Road' at the end:

"I like when a house is full of life and when friends stick around"
"I like when a house is full of life and friends you call the best"

In 'Melting Cassatt' (which you can hear below) he confesses that "I told myself that I wouldn't cry...but it's OK now". Advice is despatched on the trippy 'Sleepy Giant Speak' :"One way out is to whine, one way in is to count the good things, it's your life, don't be scared"

The music meanwhile has broadened and deepened to become a blend of Mercury Rev and The Velvet Underground, while on the blissed-out 'Tastes Bad' we move into the stoned mantra of enlightenment-seeking psychedelia.

Overall this blissed-out and uplifting record is something that nourishes your soul as well as providing enjoyment for your ears. The album is out on 7th April via Paper Trail Records, and you can order your copy here.

Recommended music: 'Music In Exile' by Songhoy Blues

Living proof that the blues is not only a universal language but that it can also be uplifting, Songhoy Blues have journeyed from playing 4-hour sets in a small club in Mali to hipster hangouts in London, partly through choice and partly by necessity. As exiled musicians themselves, having fled their home towns when music was declared 'haram', they made it their mission to entertain outher lost and exiled souls from northern Mali, and to help fight the notion that making music was a sin. In a place like Mali, with a rich musical heritage, they felt that to live without music would be like living in a prison.

And now, after first appearing on last year's Africa Express album 'Maison des Jeunes', they're here to share their gift with us. The album is packed full of brilliant guitar riffs from Garba Toure, as well as some quieter, more reflective moments. Mixing their own songs with reworkings from the Songhoy ethnic tradition, it's a real blend of African and blues music. Produced by Nick Zinner (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) it's both exuberant and emotional, raw but powerful. You certainly shouldn't pigeonhole this as 'African' or 'world' music, but instead just place it in the box marked 'good music' - it has the power to reach out and speak to you regardless of whether you understand the language or not.

As good as they are on record you really need to see them live to get the full force of their energy and passion, so if they come anywhere near you then go, you won't be disappointed.

PS Is it just me or is that the most 70s-looking album cover you've seen since, well, the 70s? I don't know if someone has deliberately gone for that look, but that's certainly what they've ended up with. 

New music: 'Be My Ghost (The Green Light)' by Eloise Keating

New music can find you in the most unusual of locations; in this case I was waiting in the queue for the pancake machine at the hotel in Portsmouth where I was staying for the Victorious Festival. Striking up a conversation with the person queueing behind me I discovered that she was Eloise Keating, a singer/songwriter who was playing the festival that afternoon. Here's her track 'Be My Gost (The Green Light)' which I really like. Apparently she's moving more into a more electronic, produced sound than just a girl and a guitar, which as you can imagine is right up my street. Hopefully she'll retain her own voice rather than becoming, say, an Ellie Goulding clone - let's keep our fingers crossed for big things for her.

Track of the Day: 'Barcelona (at Eye Level)' by Paul Smith & Peter Brewis

A bit of an out of the blue pairing, it turns out the Messrs Maximo Park and Field Music have created a whole album together, which will be released by Memphis Industries called 'Frozen By Sight'. Originating from a festival commission, the song titles point to a travel-themed album (Santa Monica, Budapest, Perth to Bunbury for example) and this is the first track, which continues that theme. I reckon it's got a bit of a 70s soundtrack vibe, with its use of a string quartet and a rather jazzy double bass - see what you think.



You can pre-order the album here and get instant downloads of three of the tracks.