Subscribe
Home Blog Page 738

CRAZY HEART

Uncut
-
0
CRAZY HEART
DIRECTED BY Scott Cooper STARRING Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), a troubadour in an age of hat acts, has seen better times. He is 57, broke and has haemorrhoids like fire ants. He plays bowling alleys and bars, refuelling on whiskey in di...

DIRECTED BY Scott Cooper

STARRING Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal,

Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell

Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), a troubadour in an age of hat acts, has seen better times.

He is 57, broke and has haemorrhoids like fire ants. He plays bowling alleys and bars, refuelling on whiskey in dive motels. Meanwhile, his erstwhile band member (Colin Farrell), fills stadiums by playing soft-soap country music.

Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb, Crazy Heart has the structure of a Music Row ballad – so it’s no surprise that Blake will have a (slightly unlikely) romance with a reporter (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and come to an accommodation with his nemesis.

What makes the film is its attention to detail: the locations are a picture book of Americana; the music, overseen by T-Bone Burnett, is a precise re-creation of 1980s New Country.

Mostly, though, it’s down to Bridges, who inhabits the role as if he was born with a hangover. “You look like shit,” Robert Duvall tells him. “That’s on account of all the toilets I have to play,” he replies.

Moving, and true to its idiom.

Alastair McKay

JACK ROSE – LUCK IN THE VALLEY

Uncut
-
0
JACK ROSE – LUCK IN THE VALLEY

The internet can be very useful at creating an instant, infinite book of condolences, and when Jack Rose died of a heart attack on December 5 last year, at home in Philadelphia, an intimate portrait of the man emerged within days - hours, perhaps. Reading through the poignant memorials at www.drragtime.com and www.arthurmag.com, among other places, it transpired that Rose was an obsessive pizza chef, a passionate fan of The Doors, and the sort of man who, according to his old label boss at VHF Records, "would fight you physically, if necessary, over which Grateful Dead albums were good and which were not". People also wrote, of course, about Rose's brilliance and generosity as a musician, fleshing out the feelings of those of us who had merely heard him play, rather than known him personally. "He made the guitar seem so small and fragile," wrote Elisa Ambrogio of the band Magik Markers, "like he could snap the neck in his hand as easily as a toothpick, but instead the sound combined the ferocity of a giant and the delicate, dogged perfection of something very complicated and small." Rose, 38, had spent the past decade carving out a reputation for himself as a discreet guitar virtuoso, at once scholarly and free-spirited. Of all the American fingerpickers ordained as heirs to John Fahey in the past few years, he was the most convincing, moving effortlessly and capriciously from blues to Indian ragas, from rackety hoedowns to celestial drones. He even had a wry, hokey alias, Dr Ragtime, to match Fahey's Blind Joe Death and Blind Thomas (one Dr Ragtime record, incidentally, came out on 78rpm. Six copies exist). The critic Greil Marcus once described the Anthology Of American Folk Music as a musical evocation of "the old, weird America", and plenty of musicians have subsequently tried to channel that weirdness. Rose, though, always seemed to explore ancient territory with vigour and good humour on his records - and Luck In The Valley, his last, is one of the best. I first heard Rose play in 2001, when asked to review an album, Ayahuasca, by his old band, Pelt. For 40 minutes, the album contained otherworldly, enveloping hums. Then suddenly, the quartet morphed into a raw, human Appalachian folk band. By the last track on Disc One, "Raga Called John, Pt 1", Rose was elegantly fingerpicking his way through the assorted creaks and drones. For the rest of his career, on solo albums like Raag Manifestos and 2005's outstanding Kensington Blues, Rose would pull off this trick again and again, finding a creative space where rootsy energy and an experimental imperative flowed naturally into one another. Unlike many of his contemporaries, however, Rose's music was adventurous in a very earthy way. "We're not dabbling with folk forms trying to make them contemporary or psychedelic," he told Yeti magazine last year, talking about his collaboration with a shitkicking Virginian group called the Black Twig Pickers. "We can actually play our instruments without the 'free folk' label, which I think lots of other musicians use to cover up their lack of musical skill. Plus, we swing like a motherfucker." Luck In The Valley, too, mostly swings like a motherfucker. It has the same spontaneous, downhome spirit of 2009's Jack Rose And The Black Twig Pickers album - indeed, some of that band (notably Mike Gangloff, another alumnus of Pelt) figure again. There are rollicking vintage rags, like WC Handy's "St Louis Blues" (written in 1914, first essayed solo by Rose on 2006's self-titled album), Rose mixing it with a rambunctious pianist, Hans Chew, and a self-explanatory figure called Harmonica Dan. There are rapturous solo ragas, notably "Tree In The Valley" where, typically, Rose deploys enormous technical skill with an unfussy lightness of touch which, to non-players at the very least, seems little short of miraculous. It is the opening "Blues For Percy Danforth" (a master player of wooden rhythm bones, apparently), however, that best exemplifies the lost genius of Jack Rose. The track begins with a heart-stopping flurry of solo guitar, again located somewhere indeterminate between Appalachia and North India, but a Jew's harp and harmonica gradually slip into the mix, as well as a tampura. Intense, devotional and playful, "Blues For Percy Danforth" sounds like Rose collapsing musical boundaries on his own terms, just as his guru Fahey had done four or five decades earlier. The Old Weird America doesn't need to be venerated, he seems to be implying one last time. It's a place where you can have fun, of all things. John Mulvey

The internet can be very useful at creating an instant, infinite book of condolences, and when Jack Rose died of a heart attack on December 5 last year, at home in Philadelphia, an intimate portrait of the man emerged within days – hours, perhaps.

Reading through the poignant memorials at www.drragtime.com and www.arthurmag.com, among other places, it transpired that Rose was an obsessive pizza chef, a passionate fan of The Doors, and the sort of man who, according to his old label boss at VHF Records, “would fight you physically, if necessary, over which Grateful Dead albums were good and which were not”.

People also wrote, of course, about Rose’s brilliance and generosity as a musician, fleshing out the feelings of those of us who had merely heard him play, rather than known him personally. “He made the guitar seem so small and fragile,” wrote Elisa Ambrogio of the band Magik Markers, “like he could snap the neck in his hand as easily as a toothpick, but instead the sound combined the ferocity of a giant and the delicate, dogged perfection of something very complicated and small.”

Rose, 38, had spent the past decade carving out a reputation for himself as a discreet guitar virtuoso, at once scholarly and free-spirited. Of all the American fingerpickers ordained as heirs to John Fahey in the past few years, he was the most convincing, moving effortlessly and capriciously from blues to Indian ragas, from rackety hoedowns to celestial drones. He even had a wry, hokey alias, Dr Ragtime, to match Fahey’s Blind Joe Death and Blind Thomas (one Dr Ragtime record, incidentally, came out on 78rpm. Six copies exist). The critic Greil Marcus once described the Anthology Of American Folk Music as a musical evocation of “the old, weird America”, and plenty of musicians have subsequently tried to channel that weirdness. Rose, though, always seemed to explore ancient territory with vigour and good humour on his records – and Luck In The Valley, his last, is one of the best.

I first heard Rose play in 2001, when asked to review an album, Ayahuasca, by his old band, Pelt. For 40 minutes, the album contained otherworldly, enveloping hums. Then suddenly, the quartet morphed into a raw, human Appalachian folk band. By the last track on Disc One, “Raga Called John, Pt 1”, Rose was elegantly fingerpicking his way through the assorted creaks and drones.

For the rest of his career, on solo albums like Raag Manifestos and 2005’s outstanding Kensington Blues, Rose would pull off this trick again and again, finding a creative space where rootsy energy and an experimental imperative flowed naturally into one another. Unlike many of his contemporaries, however, Rose’s music was adventurous in a very earthy way. “We’re not dabbling with folk forms trying to make them contemporary or psychedelic,” he told Yeti magazine last year, talking about his collaboration with a shitkicking Virginian group called the Black Twig Pickers. “We can actually play our instruments without the ‘free folk’ label, which I think lots of other musicians use to cover up their lack of musical skill. Plus, we swing like a motherfucker.”

Luck In The Valley, too, mostly swings like a motherfucker. It has the same spontaneous, downhome spirit of 2009’s Jack Rose And The Black Twig Pickers album – indeed, some of that band (notably Mike Gangloff, another alumnus of Pelt) figure again. There are rollicking vintage rags, like WC Handy‘s “St Louis Blues” (written in 1914, first essayed solo by Rose on 2006’s self-titled album), Rose mixing it with a rambunctious pianist, Hans Chew, and a self-explanatory figure called Harmonica Dan. There are rapturous solo ragas, notably “Tree In The Valley” where, typically, Rose deploys enormous technical skill with an unfussy lightness of touch which, to non-players at the very least, seems little short of miraculous.

It is the opening “Blues For Percy Danforth” (a master player of wooden rhythm bones, apparently), however, that best exemplifies the lost genius of Jack Rose. The track begins with a heart-stopping flurry of solo guitar, again located somewhere indeterminate between Appalachia and North India, but a Jew’s harp and harmonica gradually slip into the mix, as well as a tampura. Intense, devotional and playful, “Blues For Percy Danforth” sounds like Rose collapsing musical boundaries on his own terms, just as his guru Fahey had done four or five decades earlier. The Old Weird America doesn’t need to be venerated, he seems to be implying one last time. It’s a place where you can have fun, of all things.

John Mulvey

FIELD MUSIC – FIELD MUSIC (MEASURE)

Uncut
-
0
FIELD MUSIC – FIELD MUSIC (MEASURE)

In Spring 2007, only weeks after the release of their underrated second album, Tones Of Town, Field Music glumly announced a hiatus. Miscast as quirky indie-popsters, they felt creatively suffocated, not to mention skint. Radical steps were required. The Brewis brothers dissolved Field Music and instead joined the backing bands for each other's solo projects: the brash, powerpoppy School Of Language for David; the glistening concept-driven poise of The Week That Was for Peter. The ploy worked a treat. Not only was each solo effort a success in its own right, the adventure has unblocked their muses to such an extent that Field Music's return to the fray is a double album - self-titled but with a nickname, in reference to Peter Gabriel's series of eponymous post-Genesis efforts - that fizzes with confidence and invention. In a pleasingly old-fashioned nod to the LP format, each 'side' takes on a distinct character: Side One, featuring anti-apathy anthem "Them That Do Nothing", is urgent and peppy; Side Two's swerve into proggier territory is signposted by "Clear Water", David Brewis' attempt to pen a stress-relieving magic spell; Side Three is shimmery and contemplative, haunted by the nostalgic choral-folk refrain of "Curved Needles" ("Oh to be young again/ To be loved again"); while Side Four slides deliciously into piano-based ennui as they ponder "Something Familiar" - "Another wet summer to watch from the window/A matinee movie and a cup of tea" - amid ambient hubbub collected from their local Sunderland caff. Double albums are typically meant to signify some degree of excess, but self-indulgence is an alien concept to Field Music, who seem to have a near-pathological fear of boring the listener. Their songs are stuffed to the gills with unexpected zig-zags but never resort to wackiness or dissonance. Middle-eights and codas become entire new songs, while the glorious chorus of "Choosing Numbers", which rises like a phoenix from Side Three's existential fug, is played only once and then discarded. These boys have hooks to spare. David Brewis says that the band they listened to most while making (Measure) was Led Zep. Initially this seems like a cheeky bit of misdirection, since Field Music's intensely disciplined aesthetic would appear to be the polar opposite of Page and Plant's primal thunder. The Brewises don't look like they could grow their hair long if they tried, and proudly declare that they never jam (every part on the record, save for the strings and brass, is played by one or the other of them, so jamming would be impossible anyway). Yet you can hear how the guitars cut looser and bite harder than on previous Field Music records, pushing against their reputation for over-politeness. You even find yourself admiring the 'licks' of "All You'd Ever Need To Say", before the song ducks nimbly into a jazzy sidestreet. Overall you're put in mind of Todd Rundgren's formidable mid-'70s efforts, making up in variety, finesse and wilfulness what it lacks in raunch. If there remains a certain uptight quality to Field Music, then (Measure) turns it to the band's advantage, thrilling you with its precision and relentless salvoes of punchy ideas. You can understand why Field Music were miffed about being pigeonholed as a mere indie-pop outfit; (Measure) is streets ahead of the jangly naivety that genre tag suggests. The only other group currently delving into classic rock and pop with such skill and affection is Grizzly Bear, and (Measure) might just have the edge on Veckatimest in terms of vitality. The Brewis brothers may be at odds with the modern world, but in this stunningly realised double album, they've created the ultimate sanctuary. Sam Richards Q&A, DAVID BREWIS Why did you choose to make a double LP? Now we feel like we've redefined what Field Music stands for, we wanted to show it in the most explicit way, which was to make a really varied record. And it's difficult to make something that's concise and varied, so the good thing with a really long record is that it has a coherence all of its own. Like The White Album and Tusk - that was the sort of thing we had in mind, stupidly! What are the differences between your and Peter's songwriting styles? Peter's songs are more philosophical, whereas mine have become less abstract recently. He also has a facility for clever chord progressions so his songs have a musical knowingness. Peter mostly plays the piano, because my piano-playing's awful. I mostly play the bass. We play drums on 10 tracks apiece. Do you try to put a message across? There's never a message, as such. Although I did intend "Clear Water" to be a magic spell where everybody sings along together to get rid of stress. Most of my songs on this album are either about being stressed, or the eventual possibility of not being stressed. I struggle with the world at large a little bit, so basically I'm stressed all the time! INTERVIEW: SAM RICHARDS

In Spring 2007, only weeks after the release of their underrated second album, Tones Of Town, Field Music glumly announced a hiatus. Miscast as quirky indie-popsters, they felt creatively suffocated, not to mention skint. Radical steps were required.

The Brewis brothers dissolved Field Music and instead joined the backing bands for each other’s solo projects: the brash, powerpoppy School Of Language for David; the glistening concept-driven poise of The Week That Was for Peter.

The ploy worked a treat. Not only was each solo effort a success in its own right, the adventure has unblocked their muses to such an extent that Field Music’s return to the fray is a double album – self-titled but with a nickname, in reference to Peter Gabriel’s series of eponymous post-Genesis efforts – that fizzes with confidence and invention.

In a pleasingly old-fashioned nod to the LP format, each ‘side’ takes on a distinct character: Side One, featuring anti-apathy anthem “Them That Do Nothing”, is urgent and peppy; Side Two’s swerve into proggier territory is signposted by “Clear Water”, David Brewis‘ attempt to pen a stress-relieving magic spell; Side Three is shimmery and contemplative, haunted by the nostalgic choral-folk refrain of “Curved Needles” (“Oh to be young again/ To be loved again”); while Side Four slides deliciously into piano-based ennui as they ponder “Something Familiar” – “Another wet summer to watch from the window/A matinee movie and a cup of tea” – amid ambient hubbub collected from their local Sunderland caff.

Double albums are typically meant to signify some degree of excess, but self-indulgence is an alien concept to Field Music, who seem to have a near-pathological fear of boring the listener. Their songs are stuffed to the gills with unexpected zig-zags but never resort to wackiness or dissonance. Middle-eights and codas become entire new songs, while the glorious chorus of “Choosing Numbers”, which rises like a phoenix from Side Three’s existential fug, is played only once and then discarded. These boys have hooks to spare.

David Brewis says that the band they listened to most while making (Measure) was Led Zep. Initially this seems like a cheeky bit of misdirection, since Field Music’s intensely disciplined aesthetic would appear to be the polar opposite of Page and Plant’s primal thunder. The Brewises don’t look like they could grow their hair long if they tried, and proudly declare that they never jam (every part on the record, save for the strings and brass, is played by one or the other of them, so jamming would be impossible anyway).

Yet you can hear how the guitars cut looser and bite harder than on previous Field Music records, pushing against their reputation for over-politeness. You even find yourself admiring the ‘licks’ of “All You’d Ever Need To Say”, before the song ducks nimbly into a jazzy sidestreet. Overall you’re put in mind of Todd Rundgren‘s formidable mid-’70s efforts, making up in variety, finesse and wilfulness what it lacks in raunch. If there remains a certain uptight quality to Field Music, then (Measure) turns it to the band’s advantage, thrilling you with its precision and relentless salvoes of punchy ideas.

You can understand why Field Music were miffed about being pigeonholed as a mere indie-pop outfit; (Measure) is streets ahead of the jangly naivety that genre tag suggests. The only other group currently delving into classic rock and pop with such skill and affection is Grizzly Bear, and (Measure) might just have the edge on Veckatimest in terms of vitality. The Brewis brothers may be at odds with

the modern world, but in this stunningly realised double album, they’ve created the ultimate sanctuary.

Sam Richards

Q&A, DAVID BREWIS

Why did you choose to make a double LP?

Now we feel like we’ve redefined what Field Music stands for, we wanted to show it in the most explicit way, which was to make a really varied record. And it’s difficult to make something that’s concise and varied, so the good thing with a really long record is that it has a coherence all of its own. Like The White Album and Tusk – that was the sort of thing we had in mind, stupidly!

What are the differences between your and Peter’s songwriting styles?

Peter’s songs are more philosophical, whereas mine have become less abstract recently. He also has a facility for clever chord progressions so his songs have a musical knowingness. Peter mostly plays the piano, because my piano-playing’s awful. I mostly play the bass. We play drums on 10 tracks apiece.

Do you try to put a message across?

There’s never a message, as such. Although I did intend “Clear Water” to be a magic spell where everybody sings along together to get rid of stress. Most of my songs on this album are either about being stressed, or the eventual possibility of not being stressed. I struggle with the world at large a little bit, so basically I’m stressed all the time!

INTERVIEW: SAM RICHARDS

PETER GABRIEL – SCRATCH MY BACK

Uncut
-
0
PETER GABRIEL – SCRATCH MY BACK

In these X-Factor times, the cover version finds itself in a difficult place, somewhere to the left of those old Top Of The Pops albums on which the day's hits were mimicked by soundalike groups, and slightly to the right of karaoke. Peter Gabriel's covers album is not like that; it comes with an art concept attached, being the first of a series of "song exchanges" in which leading artists reinterpret each other's material. If true, this is surely a good deal for Gabriel, who can expect to receive, by return of post, a Jiffy containing his own tunes reworked by Radiohead, Elbow, Lou Reed, Neil Young, David Bowie and Paul Simon. On reflection, that album might be more surprising than this one, though it's far from obvious that Gabriel's own back catalogue is awash with standards awaiting creative interpretation. (The Simon Cowell hit factory is never going to retool "Sledgehammer".) Needless to say, these covers are not straightforward. Gabriel limits his options by opting to record with an orchestral backing, with no guitar or drums. This makes the sound wilfully sombre, particularly as Gabriel's singing is often more theatrical than emotionally expressive: he is not, and has never been, a soul man. But this almost literary attitude also exposes the words, sometimes to great effect. Paul Simon's "Boy In The Bubble", for example, is a rush of pop. Gabriel's version has scarcely any rhythmic heft: the vocal, with sweetness excised, is plaintive and mournful, verging on desperate. Gabriel delivers it as a lullaby, cradling the words "don't cry baby, don't cry", so that the days of miracle and wonder sound ominous and desperate. It's stern, but quite lovely. Gabriel's approach is clinical, similar to the surgery performed on "Heartbreak Hotel" by John Cale, which removed Elvis' pelvis, and stitched existential dread where romantic disappointment used to be. Oddly, Cale comes to mind on Gabriel's version of Lou Reed's "The Power Of The Heart", which manages to feel like a piano ballad, while also having the qualities of a Christmas hymn. The vocal is conversational, but it does sound rather as if Gabriel is delivering the message in a Welsh accent. "Heroes" is similarly effective: Bowie's defiant, suicidal optimism is replaced by dreamy despair. Again - the sensation is less romantic, less teenage, more inflected with the weary realism of middle age. If Gabriel is comfortable with Bowie and Lou, he's less relaxed with more recent material. Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage" is twice as long as it should be, overcooked, and the nearest thing to Genesis on the record, despite a Mark Lanegan/Johnny Cash style vocal. Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" is played in the style of a tramp idling in a piano bar - albeit a clever tramp channelling Arvo PŠrt - while Robert Wyatt sings along in the snug. The delicacy of Elbow's "Mirrorball" is lost in a fog of over-cranked orchestration. Bon Iver's "Flume" is more convincing, and quite different from Justin Vernon's recording. The original is organic, angelic, and intimately acoustic. Gabriel gives the tune a widescreen interpretation, and replaces wispy diction with crisp enunciation. It's rather strange, and quite beautiful. My iPod shuffled it next to Nick Drake's "Fly": an exact fit. But perhaps the most effective retread is Talking Heads' "Listening Wind": Gabriel removes the funk, parks the dance, and leaves the words to do the work. David Byrne's 1980 song is a remarkable piece of narrative writing, switching between the first and third person as it follows the fortunes of Mojique, a terrorist who "holds a package in his quivering hands", finding justification for his behaviour in the sound of the wind. And it sounds like a timeless song, written yesterday. Alastair McKay Q&A: PETER GABRIEL Has the 'song swap' idea been in your head for some time? It's been hovering for a while, yes. I recorded a Vampire Weekend track and that revitalised it to some extent. But I knew that a regular covers album has been done to death and that I needed to find a way to make it fun. That's when I got the idea of making an exchange: you do one of mine and I'll do one of yours. I'm very keen still to push the craft of songwriting. It's underacknowledged. For example, everyone hears "The Boy In The Bubble" with that wonderful South African backing, but you tend to forget that's one of the best rock lyrics ever written. The day you stop learning is the day you pack up. And I'm definitely still learning. You've done Elbow's "Mirrorball"... It's funny, because of all the melodies I've heard, Elbow's remind me of the stuff I used to do in the early Genesis days: unsingable and real buggers to get right. "Mirrorball" was the hardest track to do, by a long way. I just thought, I've been here before! Why no guitar or drums on these songs? The original concept was to make the songs stark and empty, so you'd listen to the lyrics and melody. That would allow me to function more as a singer. INTERVIEW: ROB HUGHES

In these X-Factor times, the cover version finds itself in a difficult place, somewhere to the left of those old Top Of The Pops albums on which the day’s hits were mimicked by soundalike groups, and slightly to the right of karaoke.

Peter Gabriel’s covers album is not like that; it comes with an art concept attached, being the first of a series of “song exchanges” in which leading artists reinterpret each other’s material. If true, this is surely a good deal for Gabriel, who can expect to receive, by return of post, a Jiffy containing his own tunes reworked by Radiohead, Elbow, Lou Reed, Neil Young, David Bowie and Paul Simon.

On reflection, that album might be more surprising than this one, though it’s far from obvious that Gabriel’s own back catalogue is awash with standards awaiting creative interpretation. (The Simon Cowell hit factory is never going to retool “Sledgehammer”.)

Needless to say, these covers are not straightforward. Gabriel limits his options by opting to record with an orchestral backing, with no guitar or drums. This makes the sound wilfully sombre, particularly as Gabriel’s singing is often more theatrical than emotionally expressive: he is not, and has never been, a soul man. But this almost literary attitude also exposes the words, sometimes to great effect. Paul Simon‘s “Boy In The Bubble”, for example, is a rush of pop. Gabriel’s version has scarcely any rhythmic heft: the vocal, with sweetness excised, is plaintive and mournful, verging on desperate. Gabriel delivers it as a lullaby, cradling the words “don’t cry baby, don’t cry”, so that the days of miracle and wonder sound ominous and desperate. It’s stern, but quite lovely.

Gabriel’s approach is clinical, similar to the surgery performed on “Heartbreak Hotel” by John Cale, which removed Elvis’ pelvis, and stitched existential dread where romantic disappointment used to be. Oddly, Cale comes to mind on Gabriel’s version of Lou Reed‘s “The Power Of The Heart”, which manages to feel like a piano ballad, while also having the qualities of a Christmas hymn. The vocal is conversational, but it does sound rather as if Gabriel is delivering the message in a Welsh accent. “Heroes” is similarly effective: Bowie’s defiant, suicidal optimism is replaced by dreamy despair. Again – the sensation is less romantic, less teenage, more inflected with the weary realism of middle age.

If Gabriel is comfortable with Bowie and Lou, he’s less relaxed with more recent material. Arcade Fire‘s “My Body Is A Cage” is twice as long as it should be, overcooked, and the nearest thing to Genesis on the record, despite a Mark Lanegan/Johnny Cash style vocal. Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” is played in the style of a tramp idling in a piano bar – albeit a clever tramp channelling Arvo PŠrt – while Robert Wyatt sings along in the snug. The delicacy of Elbow’s “Mirrorball” is lost in a fog of over-cranked orchestration. Bon Iver’s “Flume” is more convincing, and quite different from Justin Vernon’s recording. The original is organic, angelic, and intimately acoustic. Gabriel gives the tune a widescreen interpretation, and replaces wispy diction with crisp enunciation. It’s rather strange, and quite beautiful. My iPod shuffled it next to Nick Drake‘s “Fly”: an exact fit.

But perhaps the most effective retread is Talking Heads‘ “Listening Wind”: Gabriel removes the funk, parks the dance, and leaves the words to do the work. David Byrne’s 1980 song is a remarkable piece of narrative writing, switching between the first and third person as it follows the fortunes of Mojique, a terrorist who “holds a package in his quivering hands”, finding justification for his behaviour in the sound of the wind. And it sounds like a timeless song, written yesterday.

Alastair McKay

Q&A: PETER GABRIEL

Has the ‘song swap’ idea been in your head for some time?

It’s been hovering for a while, yes. I recorded a Vampire Weekend track and that revitalised it to some extent. But I knew that a regular covers album has been done to death and that I needed to find a way to make it fun. That’s when I got the idea of making an exchange: you do one of mine and I’ll do one of yours. I’m very keen still to push the craft of songwriting. It’s underacknowledged. For example, everyone hears “The Boy In The Bubble” with that wonderful South African backing, but you tend to forget that’s one of the best rock lyrics ever written. The day you stop learning is the day you pack up. And I’m definitely still learning.

You’ve done Elbow’s “Mirrorball”…

It’s funny, because of all the melodies I’ve heard, Elbow’s remind me of the stuff I used to do in the early Genesis days: unsingable and real buggers to get right. “Mirrorball” was the hardest track to do, by a long way. I just thought, I’ve been here before!

Why no guitar or drums on these songs?

The original concept was to make the songs stark and empty, so you’d listen to the lyrics and melody. That would allow me to function more as a singer.

INTERVIEW: ROB HUGHES

Peter Gabriel reveals communication breakdown with Thom Yorke

Uncut
-
0
Peter Gabriel reveals communication breakdown with Thom Yorke
Peter Gabriel has revealed he is struggling to get Radiohead's Thom Yorke to commit to recording a cover of his song 'Wallflower'. Gabriel has asked a host of musicians including Yorke to take part in his 'song swap' scheme, which has seen him complete an album – 'Scratch My Back' – of covers b...

Peter Gabriel has revealed he is struggling to get Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke to commit to recording a cover of his song ‘Wallflower’.

Gabriel has asked a host of musicians including Yorke to take part in his ‘song swap’ scheme, which has seen him complete an album – ‘Scratch My Back’ – of covers by the likes of David Bowie (‘Heroes’), Arcade Fire (‘My Body Is A Cage’) and Radiohead (‘Street Spirit (Fade Out)’. In return, Gabriel wants those artists featured to record their own interpretations of his songs.

According to Gabriel, Yorke was all-set to record a version of ‘Wallflower’ for the project – though he hasn’t been in contact in recent months.

“I still haven’t had a response from Thom Yorke,” Gabriel told The Sun’s Something For The Weekend.

He added that he’s still keen for the Radiohead frontman to be involved, but said that he thinks Yorke might not be a fan of his version of ‘Street Spirit’.

“[Yorke] originally wrote to say he wanted to do a version of ‘Wallflower’, but I haven’t heard what he thinks of my version of [‘Street Spirit’]. Not everyone likes it and I’ve no real idea whether he likes it or hates it. We have a little clue, though,” he said.

“We gave out codes for the artists to listen to their songs on a stream and we could see how many times they’ve heard them. I think he’s only streamed ‘Street Spirit’ once, which isn’t a good sign, but who knows?”

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Jeff Beck teams up with orchestra on first new album in seven years

Uncut
-
0
Jeff Beck teams up with orchestra on first new album in seven years
Jeff Beck is to release his first new album in seven years on April 13. Called 'Emotion & Commotion', the album sees Beck team up with a number of musicians including Joss Stone. He also recorded tracks with a 64-piece orchestra, something he says he first experienced on his 2005 version of Gus...

Jeff Beck is to release his first new album in seven years on April 13.

Called ‘Emotion & Commotion’, the album sees Beck team up with a number of musicians including Joss Stone. He also recorded tracks with a 64-piece orchestra, something he says he first experienced on his 2005 version of Gustav Mahler‘s Symphony No. 5.

“It turned out amazingly well,” Beck explained of the album, which features covers of Jeff Buckley‘s interpretation of ‘Corpus Christi’ and a version of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ from the ‘Wizard Of Oz’. “But I didn’t want to commit to an entire album of classical music. What appealed to me instead was the idea of bringing together these seemingly contradictory sounds on different kinds of non-classical music.”

The tracklisting for ‘Emotion & Commotion’ is:

‘Corpus Christi’

‘Hammerhead’

‘Never Alone’

‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’

‘I Put A Spell On You’ (featuring Joss Stone)

‘Serene’ (featuring Olivia Safe)

‘Lilac Wine’ (featuring Imelda May)

‘Nessun Dorma’

‘There’s No Other Me’ (featuring Joss Stone)

‘Elegy For Dunkirk’ (featuring Olivia Safe)

Beck is set to play two nights at London‘s O2 Arena with Eric Clapton this weekend (February 13, 14), and also tours solo in October.

Jeff Beck plays:

Bournemouth BIC (October 15)

Brighton Centre (16)

Birmingham Symphony Hall (17)

Glasgow Clyde Auditorium (20)

Manchester Apollo (21)

Sheffield City Hall (22)

Bristol Colston Hall (24)

Cardiff St David’s Hall (25)

London Royal Albert Hall (26)

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Various Artists: “Elektronische Musik”

John Mulvey
-
0

Worth mentioning the subtitle of this straight off: “Experimental German Rock And Electronic Musik 1972-83”. “Elektronische Musik” is a 2CD comp that pulls off a fine trick that'll be familiar to those of you who’ve enjoyed other Soul Jazz surveys (not least last year’s amazing “Freedom, Rhythm And Sound” revolutionary jazz comp). That trick, essentially, is to mix a scene’s critical texts (in this case, say, Faust’s “It’s A Rainy Day Sunshine Girl”, Neu!’s “Hallogallo”) with some less celebrated, pushing towards hugely obscure, selections. So while “Elektronische Musik” features Can, Harmonia, La Düsseldorf, Cluster, Amon Düül II, Popol Vuh, Ash Ra Tempel and Tangerine Dream, there’s also room for the likes of Michael Bundt, Ibliss, EMAK and so on. The result is a fantastically compelling survey, and one that cannily negotiates its way around the notion of Krautrock – a word that, perhaps in deference to the sensitivities of some of the bands included – doesn’t appear anywhere on the promo sleeve or in the press release. The timescale it covers stretches further, too, than what’s usually defined as the Krautrock era: it’s an enjoyably perverse fact that the Can tracks featured are not from, say, “Ege Bam Yasi” or “Tago Mago”. Instead, there’s the familiar bubblegum of “I Want More” and, as an opener, “A Spectacle”, salvaged from 1979’s “Can” (not an album I recall having played more than once, to be honest), which sounds impressively like a relative of Miles Davis circa “On The Corner”. Probably not much point here in reiterating the excellence of the more familiar tracks, though, on days like today, it’d be fairly easy to make a case for “Hallogallo” and “Rheinita” being some kind of unfussily majestic pinnacle of music full stop. Some of the stuff I’ve not come across before is great too, though. A lot of it is clustered together in the middle of CD1, including a jangling, folkish track from Gila, “This Morning”, which is more akin to Trees or Mellow Candle than the orthodox Krautrock canon. Kollectiv’s “Rambo Zambo” begins with a looping flute line highly reminiscent of Kraftwerk’s “Ruckzuck” (Kraftwerk, in fact, are one real glaring absentee here), before wandering into a jam that might be a bit too close to Focus for some. Best of all, though, is the pristine synth phases of “La Chass Aux Microbes” by Michael Bundt, which would angelically punch its weight in the kosmische run found on Side Two around Tangerine Dream’s “No Man’s Land”. If anyone knows more about Bundt and Gila especially, please share (Nick, I’m looking at you, especially)…

Worth mentioning the subtitle of this straight off: “Experimental German Rock And Electronic Musik 1972-83”. “Elektronische Musik” is a 2CD comp that pulls off a fine trick that’ll be familiar to those of you who’ve enjoyed other Soul Jazz surveys (not least last year’s amazing “Freedom, Rhythm And Sound” revolutionary jazz comp).

Continue

Spacemen 3 founder Sonic Boom announces new tour with Spectrum

Uncut
-
0
Spacemen 3 founder Sonic Boom announces new tour with Spectrum
Peter 'Sonic Boom' Kember has announced a European tour with his band Spectrum. As well as the tour, he's gearing up to release a new single with Spectrum, 'Words May Shatter', this April and a new album later in the year. Kember has recently worked with MGMT on their forthcoming album 'Congratula...

Peter ‘Sonic Boom’ Kember has announced a European tour with his band Spectrum.

As well as the tour, he’s gearing up to release a new single with Spectrum, ‘Words May Shatter’, this April and a new album later in the year.

Kember has recently worked with MGMT on their forthcoming album ‘Congratulations’, which is also due out in April.

Spectrum play:

Manchester, Moho Live (March 14)

Sheffield, Harley (15)

Brighton, Freebutt (16)

London, Sonic Cathedral @ The Luminaire (17)

Utrecht, DB’s Studio (19)

Diksmuide, 4AD Muzikeclub (20)

Rouen, Emporium Galorium (23)

Lyon, Le Sonic’s (25)

Paris, Le Point Ephemere (26)

Lausanne, Theatre 2.21 (27)

Frankfurt, Nachtleben (29)

Koln, Sonic Ballroom (30)

Brussels, VK Club (31)

Turin, Spazio 211 (April 2)

Marseille, L’Embobineuse (3)

Tickets are available now.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Bright Eyes record four new songs for EP re-release

Uncut
-
0
Bright Eyes record four new songs for EP re-release
Bright Eyes have recorded four new songs to be included in the reissue of 2004 EP 'One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels'. The new tracks are a collaboration between Bright Eyes and Neve Dinova, and are called 'Rollerskating', 'Happy Accident', 'Someone's Love' and 'I Know You'. The new EP is due to be rel...

Bright Eyes have recorded four new songs to be included in the reissue of 2004 EP ‘One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels’.

The new tracks are a collaboration between Bright Eyes and Neve Dinova, and are called ‘Rollerskating’, ‘Happy Accident’, ‘Someone’s Love’ and ‘I Know You’.

The new EP is due to be released on March 23, and the tracklisting is:

‘Rollerskating’

‘Happy Accident’

‘Someone’s Love’

‘I Know You’

‘Tripped’

‘Black Comedy’

‘Poison’

‘I’ll Be Your Friend’

‘Get Back’

‘Spring Cleaning’

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Alexander McQueen dies

Uncut
-
0
Alexander McQueen dies

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead at his London home, it has been confirmed. McQueen, 40, was pronounced dead by paramedics this morning (February 11), reports BBC News, though police are not treating the incident as suspicious. In a statement, his family called the news "tragic" and said that they were "devastated". McQueen was linked to a number of high-profile musicians through his work, and designed the cover of Bjork's 1997 album 'Homogenic'. He also designed David Bowie's Union Jack coat, which was used prominently around the time he released 'Earthling' (1997). In 2009, the Alexander McQueen For Target line saw him take inspiration from The Duke Spirit, while Lady Gaga's video for 'Bad Romance' featured the singer wearing a number of his designs. McQueen's mother had passed away on February 2. Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead at his London home, it has been confirmed.

McQueen, 40, was pronounced dead by paramedics this morning (February 11), reports BBC News, though police are not treating the incident as suspicious. In a statement, his family called the news “tragic” and said that they were “devastated”.

McQueen was linked to a number of high-profile musicians through his work, and designed the cover of Bjork‘s 1997 album ‘Homogenic’. He also designed David Bowie‘s Union Jack coat, which was used prominently around the time he released ‘Earthling’ (1997).

In 2009, the Alexander McQueen For Target line saw him take inspiration from The Duke Spirit, while Lady Gaga‘s video for ‘Bad Romance’ featured the singer wearing a number of his designs.

McQueen‘s mother had passed away on February 2.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Bill Callahan: “Rough Travel For A Rare Thing”

John Mulvey
-
0

Strange beast, this, since I don’t have details about when and where this new Bill Callahan live album was recorded. Weirdly, the 11 tracks on “Rough Travel For A Rare Thing” don’t include anything from last year’s “Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle”, which would suggest that the performances date from between “Woke On A Whaleheart” (“Diamond Dancer” is here) and that exceptional album. But then again, Callahan has long proved he’s much too capricious a performer to make any such obvious assumptions. Provenance notwithstanding, “Rough Travel…” is a terrific summary of Callahan’s long-running excellence as a singer-songwriter. It contains a bunch of songs I’d hope would be on a de facto greatest hits – “Cold Blooded Old Times”, “Bathysphere”, “Let Me See The Colts”, for a start. But it’s a tribute to Callahan’s unshowy consistency that there are one or two songs here, just as strong, that I must confess I couldn’t even remember. “Our Anniversary”, the opening track, is a case in point. A quick look on my iTunes reveals that the original appeared on “Supper”, possibly the Smog album I know least well. Here, it rolls along for seven compelling minutes, with that unwavering linear momentum that is something of a Callahan trademark. There’s a simple folksy warmth to the accompaniment: gently twanging and circling acoustics; the crack and rustle of drums which suggests the spirit, if not necessarily the physical presence, of Jim White; occasional slithers of violin which contribute a general freewheeling air redolent of the Rolling Thunder Revue. Callahan’s voice, as ever, sits on the cusp of actual singing, his genius lying as much in the unpredictable gaps between the words as in the way he delivers the words themselves. Listening to a Bill Callahan record can often be like having a conversation with someone who lapses into abrupt silences at key moments, switching suddenly from stark description to dark implication. Translated into song, it’s a striking trick, at once intimate and unnerving. Miraculously, too, what could be chilly and alienating often comes across as unusually involving, never more so than on the one-two of “Rock Bottom Riser” and “Let Me See The Colts”. These are great songs and increasingly, I do wonder whether posterity – or at least myself, nostalgically – might come to see Callahan as one of the very best songwriters of these past 20 years. It was good to see “I’m New Here” cropping up on the new Gil Scott-Heron album, and considering his take on “I See A Darkness”, it’s easy to imagine Johnny Cash would have made the most of, say, “I Break Horses” or “The River Guard”. I guess Callahan’s greatest gift is for those parched ballads, but he also has great skills at nudging the same sort of songform into tight, propulsive pop music, of a kind: the determinedly rumbling “Cold Blooded Old Times” here, for instance, has the snap of the VU circa “Loaded”. By the end, his fine band have picked up a real head of steam. Sounds like a great gig.

Strange beast, this, since I don’t have details about when and where this new Bill Callahan live album was recorded. Weirdly, the 11 tracks on “Rough Travel For A Rare Thing” don’t include anything from last year’s “Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle”, which would suggest that the performances date from between “Woke On A Whaleheart” (“Diamond Dancer” is here) and that exceptional album. But then again, Callahan has long proved he’s much too capricious a performer to make any such obvious assumptions.

Continue

Warner Music to stop streaming services

Uncut
-
0
Warner Music to stop streaming services
Warner Music group is to stop licensing its artists' content to free online streaming sites like Spotify, We7 and Last.FM. Speaking about the decision, Warner Music's chief executive Edgar Bronfman Jr said that the kind of services currently offered by streaming sites were "clearly not positive" fo...

Warner Music group is to stop licensing its artists’ content to free online streaming sites like Spotify, We7 and Last.FM.

Speaking about the decision, Warner Music‘s chief executive Edgar Bronfman Jr said that the kind of services currently offered by streaming sites were “clearly not positive” for the music industry, reports BBC News.

“Free streaming services are clearly not net positive for the industry and as far as Warner Music is concerned will not be licensed,” explained Bronfman. “The ‘get all your music you want for free, and then maybe with a few bells and whistles we can move you to a premium price strategy’, is not the kind of approach to business that we will be supporting in the future.”

While the move means that Warner Music acts such as REM, Muse and Red Hot Chili Peppers may not be available to streaming services in the future, a spokesperson for the company confirmed that at present the new plans are unlikely to affect current deals, reports the Guardian.

Bronfman added that he wants to work on a subscription service unique to Warner Music, where people would pay a set fee in return for content.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

The White Stripes to ‘take strong action’ over US Air Force Super Bowl dispute

Uncut
-
0
The White Stripes to ‘take strong action’ over US Air Force Super Bowl dispute
The White Stripes have said they will take "strong action" against the US Air Force after a version of their 2002 single 'Fell In Love With A Girl' appeared on a TV advert aimed at recruiting new troops. Jack and Meg White said that they weren't consulted about the inclusion of the song in the ad, ...

The White Stripes have said they will take “strong action” against the US Air Force after a version of their 2002 single ‘Fell In Love With A Girl’ appeared on a TV advert aimed at recruiting new troops.

Jack and Meg White said that they weren’t consulted about the inclusion of the song in the ad, which was aired during Sunday’s (February 7) Super Bowl.

Writing on Whitestripes.com, the band said:

“The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support.”

They added, “The White Stripes support this nation’s military, at home and during times when our country needs and depends on them. We simply don’t want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict, and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops.”

The message concluded by saying that the band and their management will take action against the US Air Force.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Broken Social Scene announce new album details

Uncut
-
0
Broken Social Scene announce new album details
Broken Social Scene are to release their next studio album in May. The Canadian collective's new album – their fifth – is currently untitled, but will be released on May 3. John McEntire of Tortoise produced the album at Chicago's Soma Studios, with further sessions taking place at Giant Studio...

Broken Social Scene are to release their next studio album in May.

The Canadian collective’s new album – their fifth – is currently untitled, but will be released on May 3. John McEntire of Tortoise produced the album at Chicago‘s Soma Studios, with further sessions taking place at Giant Studios and The Schvitz Studio in Toronto.

The band are also set to play live at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead on May 14, as well as an appearance at The Great Escape in Brighton on May 15 and a headline show at London‘s Heaven venue on May 17.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Johnny Cash’s Scottish heritage examined in new documentary

Uncut
-
0
Johnny Cash’s Scottish heritage examined in new documentary

A documentary about Johnny Cash's connections to Scotland is set to be aired on BBC Radio 4 this weekend (February 14). 'Johnny Cash Of Easter Cash' focuses on Cash's fascination with the small village of Easter Cash in Falkland, Fife. Cash became fascinated with the village after being told about it by a random passenger on a plane, and visited it a number of times in his life. He also traced his ancestry back to 12th century royal Malcolm IV, whose surname was either Cash or Cashel, reports Spinner. Featuring first hand accounts by Falkland villagers and Cash's daughter Rosanne, the documentary goes out on BBC Radio 4 this Saturday (February 13) at 10:30am (GMT). Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

A documentary about Johnny Cash‘s connections to Scotland is set to be aired on BBC Radio 4 this weekend (February 14).

‘Johnny Cash Of Easter Cash’ focuses on Cash‘s fascination with the small village of Easter Cash in Falkland, Fife.

Cash became fascinated with the village after being told about it by a random passenger on a plane, and visited it a number of times in his life. He also traced his ancestry back to 12th century royal Malcolm IV, whose surname was either Cash or Cashel, reports Spinner.

Featuring first hand accounts by Falkland villagers and Cash‘s daughter Rosanne, the documentary goes out on BBC Radio 4 this Saturday (February 13) at 10:30am (GMT).

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Leonard Cohen postpones European tour

Uncut
-
0
Leonard Cohen postpones European tour
Leonard Cohen has postponed his forthcoming European tour for six months in order to recover from a back injury. The singer, 75, is believed to be undergoing physiotherapy for the injury, which could take between four and six months. It is not yet known how he picked up the injury, though he has pe...

Leonard Cohen has postponed his forthcoming European tour for six months in order to recover from a back injury.

The singer, 75, is believed to be undergoing physiotherapy for the injury, which could take between four and six months. It is not yet known how he picked up the injury, though he has performed almost 200 concerts since he returned to touring in 2008.

Cohen‘s tour will now begin in the French city of Caen on September 15, 2010, according to his spokesperson.

In September, Cohen collapsed onstage in Spain, reportedly due to food poisoning.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

Edwyn Collins to release first new song since suffering a stroke

Uncut
-
0
Edwyn Collins to release first new song since suffering a stroke
Edwyn Collins is set to release his first newly-written song since suffering two cerebral hemorrhages in 2005. The new track, called 'I'm Felling Lucky' will appear on a forthcoming tribute album for Mavis Staples, and Collins' 19 year-old son William plays the guitar solo on it. Collins will perf...

Edwyn Collins is set to release his first newly-written song since suffering two cerebral hemorrhages in 2005.

The new track, called ‘I’m Felling Lucky’ will appear on a forthcoming tribute album for Mavis Staples, and Collins‘ 19 year-old son William plays the guitar solo on it.

Collins will performing the ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ live at the album’s launch party at London‘s Luminaire venue on February 18. The gig also features live music from Ed Harcourt, while Cracknell and Kevin Rowland will be DJing.

The album, called ‘MAVIS’, is released on February 22, and also features contributions from Candi Staton, Sarah Cracknell and Cerys Matthews.

Collins‘ last album, ‘Home Again’, was released in 2007, though the music was written before his illness.

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk.

The Sixth Uncut Playlist Of 2010

John Mulvey
-
0

Exciting news this week, with the auspicious arrival of three CDs of new music from a big favourite round these parts. Anyone care to hazard a guess who it might be? I’ll put you out of your misery right away – it is, of course, the mighty Vibracathedral Orchestra, back with three separate discs of untethered Yorkshire psych. Who else could it have been, realistically? In completely unconnected news, the other really nice new thing to make the list is a live album from Bill Callahan (featuring, capriciously enough, precisely nothing from “Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle”). Oh, and the James Murphy score to the new Noah Baumbach film, which is pretty typical, understated score-to-an-indieish-film fare on first listen, but I obviously need to give it another proper go. 1 James Murphy – Greenberg Original Soundtrack (Parlophone) 2 Ken Camden – Lethargy & Repurcussion (Kranky) 3 The White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights (XL) 4 Wooden Shjips – Volume Two (Sick Thirst) 5 Pearly Gate Music – Pearly Gate Music (Bella Union) 6 Lissie – Why You Runnin’ (Fat Possum) 7 Vibracathedral Orchestra – Joka Baya (VHF) 8 Vibracathedral Orchestra – The Secret Base (VHF) 9 The Chieftains Featuring Ry Cooder – St Patricio (Concord) 10 Steeleye Span – Rocket Cottage (Charisma) 11 Carolina Chocolate Drops – Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch) 12 Mulatu Astatke – Mulatu Steps Ahead (Strut) 13 Wanda Jackson – They Say You’re No Good/Shakin’ All Over (Third Man) 14 The Black Belles – What Can I Do?/ Lies (Third Man) 15 Bill Callahan – Rough Travel For A Rare Thing (Drag City) 16 Dylan LeBlanc - Changing Of The Seasons (Myspace) 17 Vibracathedral Orchestra – Smoke Song (VHF)

Exciting news this week, with the auspicious arrival of three CDs of new music from a big favourite round these parts. Anyone care to hazard a guess who it might be?

Continue

Ry Cooder, The Chieftains, Carolina Chocolate Drops

John Mulvey
-
0

A bit of a respite from underground jams today, with a couple of very different takes on folk. First up is “St Patricio”, which comes billed as by The Chieftains Featuring Ry Cooder, but feels more like a Cooder album where the chief musical guests – the house band, maybe – are The Chieftains. It tells the story of a battalion of Irish soldiers fighting in the Mexican/American war of 1846-48, who deserted their posts in the US army and chose to fight with the Mexicans instead. Much in the vein of Cooder’s superb “Chavez Ravine”, “St Patricio” is a sort of rollicking audio documentary, founded on a bizarre but serendipitous fusing of Irish instrumentation and Mexican folk music. The Chieftains’ musical career, as far as I know it, can occasionally slip into a sort of Emerald Isle schmaltz, but they’re a much more adventurous band than most would assume, and a tremendous force when in full flight, as they are for most of “St Patricio”. I guess it’s one of those albums where you find yourself poring over the sleevenotes to understand the whole story, but the package is a compelling one, and amidst all the Mexican artists lending a hand, there are a couple of handy reference points: a narrative from Liam Neeson on “March To Battle”; and an explicatory, lilting turn from Cooder himself on “The Sands Of Mexico”. Perhaps a few of you might be a bit alarmed that it all sounds like some dubious deal cooked up in Jools Holland’s green room but, honestly, it works (apart from one track fronted by Moya Brennan, “Lullaby For The Dead”, which lapses into MOR Irish etherealism, as you’d imagine). The Carolina Chocolate Drops, meanwhile, are a trio of folk musicians from North Carolina who specialise in Southern – specifically Piedmont, apparently – string band music. It’s the sort of rustic, kinetic, banjo-driven music that can be found on those great box sets like “Goodbye Babylon”, but which sounds rather strange when recorded in modern hi-fidelity (the producer here is Joe Henry, actually). There are a bunch of points to be made here regarding how the enjoyment of old folk recordings can sometimes be predicated on the fetishisation of surface noise; as if sonic signifiers of age somehow validate, or at least contribute to, the experience. But without getting too detracted by that sort of thing, “Genuine Negro Jig” is a pretty enjoyable (partial) exercise in historical reconstruction. I say partial, because while the Carolina Chocolate Drops have a vigorous way with traditional material like “Snowden’s Jig” or “Cindy Gal”, a sort of studiously uncomplicated virtuosity to their playing, there’s also an interesting smattering of new material. Bandmember Justin Robinson provides an appealingly ghostly “Kissin’ And Cussin’”, while Tom Waits’ lovely “Trampled Rose” gets an effective, strolling makeover. Dangerously close to Hayseed Dixie-type bullshit, perhaps, but a take on Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style” is fun, too; maybe because the song has evidently been chosen because it suits the treatment, rather than being a schticky marriage. Best of all, though, is Rhiannon Giddens’ very fine take on “Reynadine”, which eloquently reiterates one more time the blood ties between English and American folk music.

A bit of a respite from underground jams today, with a couple of very different takes on folk.

Continue

FOOD, INC

Uncut
-
0
Robert Kenner’s exploration of America’s food industry is all the more shockingly effective for being so calmly presented. There are no Michael Moore-variety pranks or eye-watering graphics in Food, Inc – just people telling their stories, each representing a different but telling aspect of Am...

Robert Kenner’s exploration of America’s food industry is all the more shockingly effective for being so calmly presented. There are no Michael Moore-variety pranks or eye-watering graphics in Food, Inc – just people telling their stories, each representing a different but telling aspect of America’s dysfunctional attitude to what America eats. Producers and consumers alike testify to the grim nutritional paucity of America’s plenty.

Kenner’s thesis is that the industrialisation and politicisation of food is literally poisoning us, and his statistical reinforcements are terrifying – a third of American children born this century, the film claims, will contract early onset diabetes. The solutions, as Kenner sees it, are infuriatingly simple: don’t feed livestock things they’re not supposed to consume, enforce existing regulations, and make healthy food affordable.

It’s perhaps best thought of as a cinematic accompaniment to Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation – Schlosser appears in the film, though cheerfully admits that his researches have not dimmed his appetite for hamburgers – and as further support for the adage that someone who respects the law, and likes sausages, shouldn’t watch either of them being made.

Andrew Mueller

1...737738739...1,269Page 738 of 1,269

SHOP UNCUT