Caught out there – The Seahorses
If I were a full time musician, and had conquered the world with a blinding debut album, but had seen others misunderstand my genius then, upon starting up a new band I’d be out to prove people wrong. Instead John Squire of Stone Roses fame hooked up with a busker and two other non-descripts (one who had a very dodgy goatee) and formed The Seahorses. It was promising initially, a bit of support from Noel who penned his own track (Love me and Leave me) and even toured with them, trademark wizardry on the guitar from Squire…but actually, a couple of songs aside you had to be the most dogged of Squire fans to hang on to this lot.
For those of you who like the Stone Roses I know you fall into one of two camps. You’re a purist or a realist. Half way through ‘I Am The Resurrection’ the song effectively ends, there’s a pause and then John Squire gets all fancy with a 5 minute guitar solo. Purists get all indignant when an indie club/radio station stops the song halfway through. Realists walk when they don’t. Not sure where you stand? Imagine watching the real resurrection. I mean, that’s going to be some event. Now imagine people banging on about it for the next 2000 years. That’ll be the guitar solo.
The Seahorses see Squire continue his preaching, except now the congregation is dwindling.
There was, however, one good indie ballad, written ironically by the busker. Blinded by the Sun. For a chance to believe again, the whole album is here.
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Seahorses
Verdict: Smart money was always on Ian Brown
Guilty parties – hmmm, only me? I reckon Vicki W, Si, Andy T and secretly, Russ
Recommended for:
Nick – despite all the above you can always improve on Jamiroquai.
Beccy – the Busker has a solo slot at LSS
Steer clear:
Donald – the unnecessary warbling and guitar nonsense will wind you up no end
Caught out there – The Levellers
Second in the series, and this may cause a stir. I’ve not hugged any trees. I’ve not protested against a by-pass (despite my career choice). I don’t smell (well, not yet but my stance against Daniel Powter may change that).
The Levellers don’t really split opinions because no-one likes them. At least, not now. But we did. If you were 16 when Levelling the Land was released, then hearing the words “there’s only one way of life and that’s your own” may have had a teeny bit of meaning to you. You are a grown up after all and no-one should be telling you what to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XScq7NLRnYU
Coming from Cambridge, with the Folk Festival and all, the Levellers probably have a natural home so school friends and i can be excused. But now, can i look back with pride? Well, no. The fiddle sounds wrong on so many levels.
And they’re not misunderstood. People understand them perfectly well and still shout explitives.
But you can’t keep shaggy dogs down and a few years back they cleaned up their media image and hit us with a more slick production with what on the surface is a happy song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36gW-IPV0aA&feature=related
Lets be honest though, their reputation cannot be altered, so back to the nostalgia approach – for those who indulged in Levelling the Land, it’s time to cringe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyXN8G–MPM&feature=related
So the verdict is that you really can’t take pride here, keep this lot at the back of your CD collection and give the dust a home.
Not that that’ll stop them. They’ve got a new album…
http://www.myspace.com/levellers
Guilt trippers:
All the Cambridge lads – no you can’t blame the cider/Mad Dog 20 20/cans of lager in the car park before Feet First.
Innocent guv
Matt Christie – Last time I went to Newcastle, glam rock was still the sound/look to have – I can’t imagine Brighton-based fake Irish folk cut the mustard
Donald – Sympathy for the cause, or all a bit unecessary and inappropriate? I’m plumping for the latter
Anna sis – cos you’re far too cool for this
James Blunt
James, what can I say? You’ve sold millions of albums, quite a feat as all my friends who own your music are ashamed to admit it…
Singer songwriters, you have to feel for them – they start from a position of weakness. You know its going to be another tortured soul desparate for you to understand their pain/passion/failure/heartbreak…
Male singer songwriters especially…a Dawson’s Creek image is no good, so they have to up the stakes. Jack ’surfer’ Johnson is a prime example (http://www.myspace.com/jackjohnsonmusic). He’s so laid back and, well, a surfer dude, how can you not like him? I once dated a girl who, after the deal-breaking first date music conversation, said “you’ll love Jack Johnson”. It didn’t last.
And guess which macho pursuit our James partook in (the army you say? gosh, sensitive and tough, oh James!) http://www.myspace.com/jamesblunt
And can you really take him seriously when he warbles?
Daniel Powter (http://www.myspace.com/danielpowter) had to shave his head to appear respectable. Had a bad day? To f****** right after hearing your s**** on every ad break (I’m not buying Sure/Right Guard deodorant (whichever it is) from now on and to hell with the odour-related consequences).
But this isn’t just a rant. There is a genuine music issue at stake, and for those of you who dig a little deeper into the lyrics, it’s even more fundamental. These guys peddle the predictable, the cliche’d, the lines that when you actually reflect, you can’t but go, eh?! Take our pal James here:
“Simone, I wish I’d known that what seems so strong has been and gone; I’d call you up on a Sunday night and we’d both stay up until morning light” (warble)
Simone, you and I know where he was on Saturday…
Now, i can’t leave you with this bunch. There are those who are less shallow, but not so melancholy that they can’t crack a smile…
I was given a present a year or so ago by Andy and Carolyn. An album by a chap called Tom Baxter. I have to admit publicly that I unusually didn’t pay as much attention at the time as I should have, but in anticipation of his appearance at Leicester Summer Sundae, I’ve dusted down the album, and I have to say that if you have an ounce of romance in you then devour this album. It’s not one to shout out on a first date, but certainly one to play when things start getting serious (although i’ve been playing it for days now and Rosie is still not putty in my hands, tough cookie!!!).
All the ingredients are there, notably the soaring strings, the story, the sheer audacity to sing songs of the heart. But he’s subtle enough musically and lyrically to not feel ashamed to play the songs over and over.
I’ve not put a link on as you need to download his album Feather and Stone before trying his new stuff. Itunes. Now. If you download just one song, go for either Almost There (“I’m not the man of your dreams but i took you almost there” - in print looks pathetic, but add the strings and you’ll be eating your words) or My Declaration, unless Andy or Caz say otherwise.
I’ll keep this going, and put more singer songwriter types up soon but for now, it’s all about Tom (naturally)
Recommended for:
Bev – if you won’t listen to female singer song writers…
Andy T – A romantic at heart
Mash secret romantic – take the hint!
Paula – Time to ditch James Blunt once and for all
Beth and Beccy S - Yes, you guessed it, you’ll be marched to see him at LSS in a couple of weeks!
Fleeting fancy?
Harmonies. Brian Wilson.
Hands up who likes the Beach Boys? Me too (with the exception of Cocamo “Aruba, Jamaica, ooo I wanna. take ya, Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama” – I mean, dear God, stop please stop!)
Somewhere, someone may have written a Beach Boys review without mentioning the word harmonies, although i doubt it. But that’s fine, they’ve nailed some of the most sublime ones out there.
But there are bands that haven’t. Yet lazy reviewers just can’t help themselves. Oooo a harmony, must pay homage to the great God Wilson and his band of merry and eventually beardy men.
So can I introduce Fleet Foxes, recommended to me by my friend Beth.
“While many young musicians who are admirers of The Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel et al succumb to pastiche, Pecknold is able to distil such influences into something related but fresh.” - The Independent
“Of their contemporaries only the enigmatic Midlake and My Morning Jacket at their most fragile come close, but neither could have cooked up the Beach Boys spiritual of White Winter Hymnal” - Amazon
“Fleet Foxes, a five-piece from near Washington, are like The Beach Boys if they were a folk band” - The Guardian
“Fleet Foxes owe a lot to Brian Wilson” - Wireless Bollinger
In fact, sod it, just type in ‘fleet foxes beach boys’ in to Google and let the results flood in!
That most of these reviews are tied to the second track on the album ‘White Winter Hymnal’, just makes it more annoying – listen to the whole bloody thing before writing a half-arsed comparison.
To be fair, some people put a bit more effort in and avoided the obvious and names like Fleetwood Mac and Crosby Stills and Nash cropped up, but don’t let that put you off.
Because to answer the question bursting out of you right now, are they any good? Too damn right they are. If you can break through your own cynicism and give yourself up to feelings of untainted happiness.
If you do one thing today it’s this. Click on the link below:
http://www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes
then choose the track ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’, close your eyes and picture yourself walking through an English wood, in the simple garments, sun through trees and all that, no one else to trouble your journey, because you’re in the wilderness and only a deer may disturb you. Ahhhh, happiness. Whisper it to yourself…the f word…
Folk.
It’s part of us all, just let go and embrace it. And once you do you’ll love the whole album.
Recommended for:
Vicki HF – You’ve got the style for it
Andrew T – Not quite accordion material, but one to play on the tour bus
Steer clear:
Paul – Not for fighter pilots, I dread to think what would happen to you if your fellow officers heard you playing this.
James F – ditto property developers
