Recap – September 09

September 30, 2009

Bit delayed, but these are the posts from September:

04/09/2009: The Quantic Soul Orchestra – She Said What?
04/09/2009: Trapt – Headstrong
06/09/2009: Autolux – Turnstile Blues
11/09/2009: Cake – Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
15/09/2009: Chris Garneau – Fireflies
15/09/2009: Andreya Triana – Daydreamers
15/09/2009: Pixies – Where Is My Mind?
20/09/2009: The Voluntary Butler Scheme – Trading Things In
24/09/2009: Aussie Hip Hop
30/09/2009: Marmaduke Duke – Heartburn

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Marmaduke Duke – Heartburn

September 30, 2009
Marmaduke Duke - Duke Pandemonium

Marmaduke Duke - Duke Pandemonium

It’s funny how sometimes things come up, you ignore them, the world feels the need to remind you again. Sometimes it’s something profound… sometimes it’s just a fun band.

Aussie lassie Kass (she’s currently in Scotland – I’m not just being odd) brought up Marmaduke Duke recently. I agreed with her that they were great – actually, her exact words were “this scottish dance / indie / random band ‘Marmaduke Duke’ who I have absolutely fallen in love with” :p – but didn’t investigate any further as I wrote a bit about Rubber Lover a few months back.

Then a couple of days ago, I was watching an episode of a fairly well-known but sometimes ridiculed teen drama that shall remain nameless (FYI – yes, I watch it), when I heard this track:

Marmaduke Duke – Heartburn (we7)

I only just discovered this but it would seem that Simon Neil goes by the name “The Atmosphere” when performing as one half of the duo known as Marmaduke Duke. That has potential as a superhero alter-ego!

Mild-mannered musician by day, life-protecting gaseous mixture by night…Simon Neil…is…The Atmosphere.

This is the first track from the duo’s second album, Duke Pandemonium, released on Warner in May this year. Based on the beatsy, dancey yet atmospheric* 80s-club style of the song, I reckon they could pull off a phenomenal cover of “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by the Communards…

*you know it had to be done!

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Aussie Hip Hop

September 24, 2009

So my Illy reference in relation to “Where Is My Mind?” by Pixies led to some Aussie hip hop recommendations from Me, And All My Friends – I thought I’d check them out.

  1. Hilltop Hoods (not hip hop hoods, as my eyes tricked me into thinking): Feeling Classic Example ft. Pharoahe Monch, especially – you may remember Monch’s massive club hit over here, Simon Says – and Fifty in Five on the MySpace. The cover art for their latest release State of The Art is intense.
    2. Bliss N Eso - Flying Colours

    Bliss N Eso - Flying Colours

  2. Bliss N Eso: Seem to have more of a rock influence and actually remind me a little of Linkin Park on Field of Dreams. My favourite track is Eye of the Storm. No! Lonely Streets. No! Party At My Place. Well, pretty much all of them on the MySpace. Considering buying the album, Flyng Colours (another wicked album cover). It’s $40 AUD but you get 22 tracks for your money.
  3. Phrase: Mind-blowing electro-vibe remix of My People with The Presets but in general more low-fi feel. Favourite track on the MySpace is Skylight ft. Kram.
  4. Urthboy: To me, feels more mainstream…Kanye West-style, perhaps? For energy, Ready to Go, for a summer swagger with irony, Hellsong.
  5. The Herd: Unusual – seem to be a full band and regularly incorporate a female vocal, guitars…mixing soul with strength. Favourite track is The King Is Dead (also the top track on their Last.fm)

and…. a couple from me:

Illy – Generation Y
Kid Confucius – Inhale Exhale

The sunshine, the Aussie way of life in general, the wonderful accents…all lead me to want to draw the conclusion that all this is a lot more upbeat and a lot less bass-heavy/dark than the hip hop I’m familiar with from here up north.

Some of it is…but all of it? No – it’s still hip hop.

Personally…loving it and hope to catch a couple of live shows when I’m over in Sydney later this year. If you like what you hear, check out ABC’s THE hip hop SHOW.

Me, And All My Friends – Thanks for the tips!

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The Voluntary Butler Scheme – Trading Things In

September 20, 2009

It sounds like a band. I thought it was a band. It isn’t a band.

The Voluntary Butler Scheme -

The Voluntary Butler Scheme is Rob Jones, a few instruments and a loop station. I saw him perform at the Slaughtered Lamb last week and literally didn’t stop grinning the whole set, particularly as his music was such a startling contrast to the world-hating, droll life-commentary of Superman Revenge Squad who came before (which was also fairly cool).

The Voluntary Butler Scheme – Trading Things In (youtube)

I know the loop station thing has been done before, probably fairly famously by KT Tunstall on Later With Jools Holland a few years back, but VBS’s “a-ha! it worked!” style of showmanship brought a smile to my face…he was like a kid who’d just witnessed the eruption of the paper maché and baking soda volcano he’d made for a school science project.

Happy, 60s-style, classic pop – the sound reminds me a little of the Beatles, but updated somewhat – that incorporates keyboards, drums, a tambourine, I think I remember a ukulele…and a kazoo.

His new album, “At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea”, was released in early September on Split Records and he’s currently giving away a 4-track EP and a bonus on Music Glue, which can also be reached from his MySpace.

His music displays an innocence and hopefulness that I haven’t heard in a long time: A happy young man, singing happy songs, about happy things…

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Pixies – Where Is My Mind?

September 15, 2009

This reminder came up as part of a TOBI playlist a couple of months back…and again last week from Jane at You the DJ. She mentioned she had chosen a Pixies track to feature in her selected trio of tunes – it turned out to be this one!

Pixies – Where Is My Mind?

Pixies - Surfer Rosa

Pixies - Surfer Rosa

Immediately identifiable hook, distorted guitar, vocals that combine a human-robot hybrid, something that reminds me a bit of a cross between Billy Corgan and Zed from Police Academy, and a slightly eerie choirboy.

It’s been covered by the likes of Placebo, James Blunt and, more recently, Emmy The Great. I also just found this from MC Illy (recorded for a Like A Version session on Australian radio station Triple J – thank you Me And All My Friends blog) and haven’t been able to close my mouth yet. I love it when that happens.

An iconic rock track from their 1988 album Surfer Rosa, “Where Is My Mind?” provided the soundtrack to the cathartic destruction of the final scenes of Fight Club, a movie I love that it seems other people also love – it scored a respectable 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.

I think I might just have to dig that one out of my VHS collection to watch again…

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Andreya Triana – Daydreamers

September 15, 2009

A recent signing to Ninja Tune Records, I first came across Andreya Triana when I was helping to promote a live music showcase run by the company I work for, Five Missions More, in April this year. I had somehow since managed to forget what a phenomenal talent she is…but worry not, I remember now.

With the ability to silence the chatterings of a crowded bar, to command the undivided attention of her audience and to convey perfectly a complimentary power and vulnerability in one breath, Andreya’s music is raw soul personified.

Andreya Triana – Daydreamers (reverbnation player Track 1)

Andreya Triana

Andreya Triana

As yet unreleased, this is the song that stood out for me in an otherwise also jaw-dropping performance at Vibe Bar, where she played barefoot with a single acoustic guitar accomplice as part of a line-up that also introduced me to the music of recent Mercury Music Prize-winner Speech Debelle.

I’m excited to hear what her debut album brings, particularly as it’s also going to feature the skills of “superproducer supremo extraordinaire Bonobo” and some “song writes courtesy of the singer/songwriter with the crazy skills and talents Fink”. It’s dropping later this year.

In the meantime, check out her MySpace and an exclusive live show recorded for Red Bull Music Academy at Cargo, London.

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Chris Garneau – Fireflies

September 15, 2009
Chris Garneau - El Radio

Chris Garneau - El Radio

This find was the result of a “here, have this” gig listing e-mail from Charlotte LV  – thank you Charlotte!

Chris Garneau – Fireflies

Hailing from Brookly NYC, his pronunciation is distinctive, as is the soft, throaty hue to his voice.  This particular song has a bit of a carnival twist to it and isn’t really representative of the heartfelt yet understated and somewhat demure style of his songwriting.

“Fireflies” immediately conjures images of the eccentric puppeteer…or an impish mischief-maker causing havoc on the streets of some fairy-tale town with cobbled streets and a jolly old inn-keeper.

The track is from his new album, “El Radio” released in July 2009 on independent label Absolutely Kosher Records and is available from Fargo Store as an exclusive, limited edition “vinyl replica” with a 5-track bonus CD.

Chris will be performing at The Luminaire on 6 October as part of a month-long European tour. More music on MySpace and Last.fm.

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