REVIEW: Stornoway @ Oxford Town Hall - 14/2/13

*Originally published for Artrocker (19/2/13)

Every so often you watch a band perform at a venue so well suited to them that you can’t imagine them separate from it. Stornoway’s homecoming gig at the majestic Oxford Town Hall tonight befits them perfectly, where gothic revival pillars gawp at an ornamented ceiling and a hall organ sits proudly above the stage. Blue lighting dusts the domed roof, emitted in part from a moon lamplight onstage that marks the impending release of Tales From Terra Firma, the Oxford quartet’s sophomore effort.

There’s no sight of the band yet, save for a young woman playing a gentle Celtic melody on violin. It’s about the most romantic setting that you could wish to find yourself in for Valentine’s Day. Except, of course, if you’re alone in attendance…

Before long, the band enters, welcomed like they have a 30-year career behind them. They open with a song from the new album (which I have been able to hear in advance) called ‘Knock Me On The Head’ – a blustering, jocund little folk-pop number. It’s generally well-received, even if an abrasive fairground organ overpowers the sound.

Old-favourite ‘The Coalharbour Road’ gives vocalist Brian Briggs radiant confidence, with the audience singing passionately in unison. ‘Fuel Up’ sounds equally accomplished live with Briggs channelling self-deprecating humour gags between songs.

The cascading Vampire Weekend guitars in ‘(A Belated) Invite To Eternity’ float about the hall and enable the band to boast their dexterous talents. Supplemented by three additional musicians, the quartet effortlessly shift between textures and tempos, leaving eyes wide at the song’s close.

One thing that Stornoway are not afraid of is borrowing each other’s instruments and throwing all sorts of hodgepodge items into the mix. At first glance, the usual guitar, bass, drums and keys are in view, but on further inspection, autoharps, trumpets, dulcimers and even a saw can be spotted. If it makes a good sound, why not use it?

‘Take Me As I am’, another newbie taken from Tales, bursts forward with crisp acoustics and is wonderfully coloured by brass instruments. Briggs’ clear vocals and poetics shoot straight into your ear – a skill not often achieved live.
The same couldn’t be truer for ‘November Song’, a lilting solo ballad performed unplugged by Briggs alone. He is a born-performer and brings any audience chatter to silence in an instant.

All is rather tickey-boo until the actual tick-tock of ‘Clock-Watching.’ True to the band’s word, it really is a “strange” number; nothing could prepare the audience for the next three minutes of horror. Imagine the Benny Hill theme tune and…yeah, just imagine that.

Appropriately, ‘Clock-Watching’ marks the exact point at which interest dwindles. ‘Farewell Appalachia’ – arguably the strongest track on the new album – is sorely under-rehearsed and sounds completely unbalanced live. There’s little clue as to what the saw instrument adds, but thankfully pitch-perfect harmonies stop the track from stewing. ‘The Bigger Picture’ also sounds limp live and, in all honesty, puts a downer at the mid-way point, regardless of its happy-go-lucky makeup.

Whilst die-hard fans would argue that ‘Zorbing’, ‘I Saw You Blink’ and ‘Watching Birds’ are the standout performances, the billowing a capella harmonies in new song, ‘The Ones We Hurt The Most’, are what leave jaws ajar. Performed from a hall balcony, the band join double bass, violin, guitar and vocals in natural matrimony, growing together in sound as the song progresses. It really is a flawless performance.

As everyone bends their necks and leans on each other to reach the lofty heights, a real sense of community overwhelms the space – a kind of pride for what talent this city sprouts. Moreover, to house Stornoway in such a magnificent setting is this is testament to the crowd’s immovable respect and fondness for them. It’s for a band who still makes the city excited every time they return to play.

FEATURE: Bridie Jackson And The Arbour

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (11/2/13)

It’s one thing when a band comes forward with a ‘new’ genre of music; it’s another when a band offers something timeless. Newcastle’s Bridie Jackson And The Arbour may not be serving up the hottest dish of hipster tunes, but they do know how to pen songs of a refined and classical nature – duly recognised by BBC 3, national press and beyond. No song could better demonstrate this talent than the 4-piece’s latest single, ‘Scarecrow’ (released as a double A-side).


Bridie Jackson has a voice of crystalline quality not unlike that of Feist’s and, if truth be told, her arresting vocal is the song’s centrepiece. Armoured with Leonard Cohen-style lyrics, Jackson sings from the grave about dying just before her wedding day. With the mischievous piano loop, rumbling cello and dark, Celtic strings, ‘Scarecrow’ emits a black humour that creeps into your every fibre and doesn’t leave.

Chamber-pop harmonies ring out unaccompanied at the end and, although the track is over, the drama is residual. An ominous and beautiful single that will haunt many others to come.

*Tip courtesy of Joe Sparrow from A New Band A Day

REVIEW: Oxjam Oxford for Q Magazine

Review of the Oxjam Oxford Takeover for Q Magazine's special edition on the festival, available to read here. Published 22/1/13.

FEATURE: Ecstasy

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (in assoc. with The Generator) (29/1/13)

It’s been a trend in recent years to have one-word band names (Chvrches, Haim, Grimes and Peace – not to mention recent Tipping Point artists: KHUSHI, SOAK and CUBS). Long gone are the days of ‘The’ prefixes, where joining a band was like joining a club with the pre-determined guitar/vocals/drums/bass set-up. Nowadays, with so many musician-cum-producer-cum-DJs and vast experimentation with hybrid genres, it seems pertinent for musicians to name themselves after something less simple than, say, a group of animals. This is where Ecstasy come in, a relatively new act from London who produce “popgaze” tunes in a presumed effort to elevate one’s mental state.



The act’s latest creation, ‘Exhale’, is introduced by abusive klaxon synths but supple boy/girl harmonies soon soften the heavy blow. Double-wrapped beats and juddering synths sit nicely below lively vocals, much like the stylings of a Naked And Famous or Mausi track (the latter tipped this month). A mesmeric drone neatly carpets the song throughout – perhaps explaining the “popgaze” label – leaving you feeling rather warm and fuzzy inside.

Ecstasy don’t need to fling any amphetamines to fans (and that would be silly, wouldn’t it). Thankfully, their brand of strident power-pop has its own, uncompromising energy.

Tip courtesy of Adam (Alphabet Bands), Rob Platts & Tom Cotton (Amazing Radio)

REVIEW: He Who Never - Timing EP

*Published for Spires Magazine (1/2/13)

Social networking hasn’t just boosted interactivity between musicians and fans in the “I LUFF U CAN I GET AN RT PLZ?” sense; it’s done much more than that. Facebook and Twitter enable artists to link fans to fundraising recording campaigns, which means dreams of a new record can become a reality.

This is precisely what Aaron Rosell, aka He Who Never, has done for his second EP, Timing. Rather than asking friends to dedicate an inconceivable of amount of unpaid time to help him record his latest efforts, he set up an Indiegogo campaign to pay them back.

Appropriately, this do-gooder from Minnesota has made an entirely open and honest record in Timing. Lyrics detail relationships thwarted by distance, the uncertainties of growing up, memories, hopes, regrets and redemption.

Lead single ‘Pardon’ is one polished and powerful piano ballad. The galloping drums and clean keys do well to keep up with Rosell’s absolutely stunning recording voice, helping transform the track from docile beginnings to a tectonic-shifting blow-out.

The next few tracks open with those same, vacant piano chords and you begin to worry what similarities the rest of the EP will harness. Thankfully, ‘Mirrors feat.Metasota’ presents something altogether different: a dark, minor note driven track full of menacing echoes, skittish guitar harmonics and mechanical drum patterns. It’s not unlike something Muse would pen in their early days, save for the rather incongruous but impressive rap from Metasota.

‘Fault Lines’ jolts back to the calmness of EP opener, ‘Oars’, but finally forces full expression out of Rosell. Breathy falsettos welcome in a seven minute build-up, while bottleneck guitars and heavyweight drums flesh out the song’s beautifully sombre piano notes.

Timing lacks the variation that would make it a sure-fire hit, but the remarkable songwriting and solid production behind it do more than make it an enjoyable listen. Timing proves that Rosell has undeniable talent, and a whole host of people who believe in it.

4/5

Click below to read the review in Spires Magazine...

REVIEW: Speck Mountain - Badwater

*Originally published for The405 (23/1/13)

Some say that when you have found your style, you should stick to it. Why answer to anyone else?

The Chicago-based quartet, Speck Mountain, seem to be the type of band that has no one to answer to. Marie-Claire Balabanian and Karl Briedrick have written together as a creative core for a good few years as Speck Mountain (other musicians contributing intermittently) and appear happy for smokey vocals and wandering guitar lines to continuously define their sound. Baywater, however, is the band's first record as a bona fide quartet, so who knows of its direction with fresh blood in tow...

Opener 'Caught Up' hears Marie-Claire's vocals erupt with an immediate confidence whilst rhythms chug like a desert train. The song is a welcome introduction to Badwater, but is no more enticing than early tracks, 'Slow So Long' and 'Flares'. 90s guitars, muggy drums and a bitter organ stomp around Balabanian's faux-southern drawl on 'Flares' – a voice not unlike Hope Sandoval's of Mazzy Star fame.

Unfortunately, the triumph that is lead single, 'Slow So Long', is brought in too early on this record. Speck Mountain's stylised sound is shaken out of its bed in this track, where electronics complement the band's idiosyncratic, Chris Isaak whammy guitars. Out of nowhere, Balabanian projects stunning celestial harmonies that shift the group from dusty landscapes to ambient-pop terrains, and the results are startling.

The only upbeat number on the album comes in the form of the title track. Drummer Chris Dye's spurring, marching drums roll nicely with tort basslines, which prick their ears to Balabanian's command. Higher octaves counterbalance the deeper, more soulful aspects of Balabanian's singing and guitar solos glisten in a dreamy stream of consciousness. When the band notch things up a gear like this, references come thick and fast to Brooklyn/Washington trio, Widowspeak.

'Young Eyes', by contrast, sounds tired and is at a loss for direction. Where the solos in 'Badwater' skip freely in a gorgeous psychedelic haze, here they sound like they've run out of juice. Perhaps the band was trialling ideas to recreate the free-flow of 'Badwater', but accidently pressed record.

By 'No Words' and 'Live It Down', you're pretty sure you've got Speck Mountain all sussed-out. The former track keeps the record's sound consistent, but the surprising jazz drums and lounge bass found in 'Live It Down' give it some much-needed distinction. A brilliant, delayed surf-rock guitar comes in quite unannounced at the last minute, yet Balabanian's habit of mimicking root notes stifles overall efforts.

The hum that runs throughout the album, aided no less than by Linda Malonis' woozy organ, just about comes to a climax in closer, 'Watch The Storm'. Keys cling, bass lines swell, guitars pulsate and choral vocals yodel across plains, all building towards a crescendo of epic proportions. But it never happens. As if embarrassed of what it promised, 'Watch The Storm' disappears into nothing.

From the start, Badwater is what-you-see-is-what-you-get. It's not as different as was hoped with the band's refreshed line-up and a four year recess from releasing albums. But this is Speck Mountain, and if you like your lashings of drone-rock, Americanisms, and a band proud of its style, Badwater is for you.

6.5/10

FEATURE: OMB's guide to Oxford #3

*Originally published for Artrocker (21/1/13)

Scientists claim that today is the most depressing of the year. Crap weather, empty wallets and a lack of upcoming holidays are but a few of the reasons behind “Blue Monday”. To top it all off, there’s a chance that none of us are allowed to use our HMV gift vouchers (did you actually get any for Christmas? Yeah, didn’t think so).

In cheerier and more relevant news for the Oxford Music Blog's guide to Oxford, the city’s only independent record shop, Truck Store, will be celebrating its second birthday on 10th February. Blessing Force’s “sad disco” lot Trophy Wife will headline with support from Rhosyn, Salvation Bill, New Carnival and Jordan O’Shea. It’s a stellar line-up to say the least, and one that will nicely celebrate the city’s illustrious music scene. You should probably thumb through some records while you’re there, too.

If, like others of the 21st century convenience mindset, you prefer to get your music from the comfort of your sofa, then be sure to download the exciting freemixes of Kill Murray’s latest single, ‘For The Kids’. Ambient-pop newcomers, The Sea The Sea, have done a smart remix of the track. The man behind it, Dave Freeman, said: “I spent my teenage years before I learned to play guitar producing electronic music, so it was fun to go back to.” He also cites the support Kill Murray have given the band: “They headlined our first gig and helped us organise it. Aaron mastered our first single. It's nice to know other bands in the area because you can help each other out.”
 

Kill Murray were in session for BBC Introducing in Oxford last week and you can download the podcast for free from the Introducing website.

Saturday night also saw one of the biggest turnouts for Introducing in Oxford’s monthly Upstairs at the O2 Academy nights, with an explosive, sold-out headline set from Falmouth’s Tall Ships. One of the highlights of the evening was, undoubtedly, the performance by Introducing in Oxford’s adopted sons, Stratford-upon-Avon’s My Grey Horse. The show’s producer, Liz Green, has tipped the harmonic-pop lot for 2013. Local favourites Wild Swim and the elusive but rather wonderful Salvation Bill are also on the list.

   

Liz added: “We’ve also got a great electronic scene emerging in Oxford. Artists like Theo Bass and After The Thought are certainly doing things differently.”

Other local releases to get excited about in the coming weeks is the new single from The Scholars, ‘Love The Thunder’, Pixel Fix’s video for new song, ‘Rosa’ and the debut EP from cellist and “multidimensional artist”, Rhosyn.
Seb Reynolds of The Epstein and Flights Of Helios is also launching a monthly charity remix project. Proceeds from the downloads will go to Helen & Douglas house and the first instalment, a remix of ‘Dearly Distracted’ by Edinburgh’s Meursault, is available from his bandcamp.

Lastly, with Truck Store defying the digital age, the new online magazine for local music and culture, Spires, has announced plans to go into print from April. Editor Matt Ayres said: “I still see the value of print media in the digital age. To me, there's something timeless about leafing through a nicely written, well designed article on your favourite local or national band/artist when it's on paper. It feels more permanent.”

February’s issue sees an exclusive interview with local heroes Stornoway, who are playing two headline gigs at the magnificent Oxford Town Hall on 14th and 15th of February.

Who said January was depressing?