AOTS: The Hale and Hearty, Heyward Howkins

Where to begin?
1. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to start back up again. I had a fair bit on the metaphorical plate what with exams and novels clamouring for my attention, but I'm back now, so all's well, I suppose.

2. I promised a while back that I'd review this, and I got the email that this was coming out about two months ago. It got lost in the wilds of my inbox, and just got dug back out again.

3. THANK YOU for not abandoning me! YOU'RE ALL EPIC *virtual hug*

4. I've been writing a lot recently, but my reviewing is very rusty. Forgive me? You will? Here, have a cookie.

AOTS: The Hale and Hearty, Heyward Howkins (late of more bands than you can shake a guitar at, including The Trouble With Sweeney.)

It seems this sound has been growing of late, the ocean-crossing mash of Nick Drake and Devendra Banhart. British melancholia basking in the American sun. Waist High Or Dry has the gentle glassiness of coastal shimmer-folk, The Raucous Calls of Morning the bass-y shadows of "traditional" British indie covered in rainclouds. It has echoes of a Bon Iver channelling  Mumford and Sons - or possibly the reverse. The Live Oak slows down, more Nick Drake than anything else on the album. The thudding notes ground the otherwise ethereal nature of the track, giving the listener a careful foothold. Plume and Orange kicks the speed and instrumentation up again - it seems the slower, softer stuff isn't really at home - horns, keyboards, a computerised veil that doesn't fit as well as it could. There's a touch more country in Cocaine Bill than might be expected, and it flows beautifully. It has a warmth that some of the songs lack, a buoyancy that's strangely Josh Pyke-ish. The horns and keyboards are back, the former rich, the latter as cold as rain. It's a very good album, if a little unsure of itself.

7/10

Moll

A Bit Late, But Never Mind.

It was Record Store Day yesterday, and it completely passed me by. Well, I don't get NME anymore and I haven't listened to the radio in months, so it's hardly surprising. So, what did I miss?

Unreleased Yeasayer! I can't remember who this reminds me of, but may I call it discofolk? Well, maybe not disco, but certainly electro. Ok, ok, you win, electrofolk. Yeasayer, Swallowing the Decibels

I couldn't exactly ignore this could I? From Regina Spektor's Four From Far LP, Riot Gear

It's the oddest thing. In the list of RSD releases, there are loads from last year. Perhaps they have some left over. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this wasn't available last year. Esben And The Witch, Chorea

Must dash, the original St Trinian's is on.

Moll x

AOTS: Sunset Rubdown, Dragonslayer.

Or, I Am Really, Really Stupid. I got this album from Amazon a few weeks ago, and despite my well-established love of SR, I didn't listen to it for fear of being disappointed. Need have I been worried? Nah. Opener Silver Moons is rather understated, but there are still some wonderful lyrical gems: "And I believe in growing old with grace / I believe she only loved my face / I believe I acted like a child / Making faces at acquired tastes". You Go On Ahead is back to 'normal', all gritty glitter and smoggy feedback, surreal lyrics and cute-but-psycho keyboards. Apollo And The Buffalo... is positively dripping with Greek mythos, nostalgia, and quiet lost beauty. It seems, at first, that their wonderful eccentricity has decided to take a back seat - but Nightingale / December Song makes it clear that it has just taken a bit of a chill pill. It still has oh-so-many different rhythms and sounds, but they don't fight like they they used to. It's good to see madness hasn't been forgotten, but it would be nice if the reins were loosened a little more frequently. Oh, what's that you say? Black Swan? A return to the mania of old, only with a healthy dose of The Strokes? Oh yes. It's a gamble that pays off incredibly well, making it the best track on the album after Idiot Heart. Off the wall lyricism and mad cap rhythms and even the often annoying backing vocals can't make a dent in its brilliance. It might only be eight tracks long, but I'll take those eight tracks over twenty tracks full of fluff any day. It might not have the recklessness of its predecessor Shut Up I Am Dreaming, but it's just as superb and a hell of a lot darker.

9/10

Moll x 

SOTW: Regina Spektor, December

"Rumours have started that you are in love again, rumours that are completely unsubstantiated..." From the delicate but invincible piano, to the quirks of her voice, December is a beautiful song. A bittersweet love-letter full of sharp lines and gentle melodies. On a cursory listen it is easy to disregard - a soft, barely two minutes long, average song. But it isn't average. Not when you bury yourself in it, like the song is buried in snow. Her voice rises and falls - sometimes with the music, sometimes against it, sometimes dropping aitches sluggishly, sometimes lifting in to notes that almost break the windows. It is sweet enough to flow gorgeously, and sharp enough to hold you enthralled. It is, quite simply, superb. 

10/10

Moll x

Adam, Where The Hell Have You Been?

Time for a history lesson. A few years ago, I was addicted to a band. I hadn't listened to very much music before, so my horizons were rather were rather narrow. Not that that diminishes how good the band were/are, of course, but you know what I mean. And I loved them, I really did. Then I got into music properly, and I stopped listening to them. It's tragic, I guess. I'll still dig out the old (and very well played) albums and listen to them occasionally, but it's fair to say I pretty much left them alone for a while.

This band was Counting Crows.

And they're back again. So, for nostalgia's sake, listen to this! I forgot how much I love Adam's voice (if you're reading this, do you mind me calling you Adam? Coz if you do, email me. I'll faint, but when they bring me 'round, I'll correct it)

Moll

P.S. I used to have Amie (actually, I had six of them) from a live disc, and it really annoyed me. I mean, how is it possible to have a song that catchy? It also shows how often I listened to them that I remember every single word from a song I didn't even like that much!

Label Day: Narnack Records

"Narnack is every band we have worked with; their music, art, personalities & stories. All the people and friends who gave everything and nothing. Everybody and nobody who understands what it is and what it means.
Narnack is whatever you want it to be."

This is really bittersweet and lovely. Bob Marley meets Ryan Adams meets sweet-as-pie blues. Langhorn Slim, Worries

I don't know what to say for this one except it's awesome and it reminds me of Sunny Day Real Estate. Sisters, Sky

This has that 60s-style gentle, quiet madness. It's brilliant. Women And Children, Oranges


Mollxx

(Showtune) Music Monday

I'm in that kind of mood. You know, the mood when you just want to watch something so ridiculously awesome that you nearly explode with it? And what better fits that than a few crazy showtunes?

This is one of my favourites. It's nearly always playing in some part of my brain. Perhaps I have a gay homunculus hiding my head.  

Calam! Ain't she just the best? Doris Day and Howard Keel from Calamity Jane

I've never actually seen Fiddler On The Roof (mind you, I'm not certain if I've seen Annie Get Your Gun, and that never stopped me) but my mam sings this quite a lot. If I Were A Rich Man.

Bonus Song! I absolutely love this song, and while it's not a showtune, it should be! Regina Spektor, Us

Mollx

Branching Out

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

                    -The Walrus And The Carpenter - Lewis Carroll

I've often thought that I need another, more multi-purpose blog. And now, after spending a few months deciding on a title, I have one! It'll be full of (hopefully) book reviews, film reviews, the occasional rant, and fabulous derring-do! Yes, derring-do! 

My new blog, Of Shoes And Ships.

Mollx 

In My Defence,

I have been doing constructive things in my absence. Such as learning how not to figure out the inverse of a composite function, and writing the first 737 words of a new novel. That's right, folks, SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN! It usually takes me a month to write seven words, let alone seven hundred and change! So, I think it's only fair I share some of my writing playlist (but not all of it. I don't want you pinching all of my inspiration).

Eet, Regina Spektor. DO NOT take this to mean I am writing a book about a failing romance. It is FAR from a romance. (although there is a failed relationship hiding in the background).

Love More, Sharon Van Etten. I use it for the same character as Eet, but this makes the whole thing a bit more obvious.

Autumn's Child, Devendra Banhart. This is more for the main character, this one, and less the lyrics more the music. It's nice and earthy, which fits rather well.


I can't think of any more now, so I'll try and top it up when I've remembered more!

Mollx

Pie Day

Ya see what I did there? Not predictable, am I?

I feel like something a bit light and floaty. Cue a Band-From-THE-LIST. The History Of Apple Pie, You're So Cool

More light! More sunshine! More awesome! Pete and the Pie-rates, Half Moon Street

And, although I have posted this before, it too puts me in mind of sunny-ness. Piemal Scream, Movin' On Up

Mollypie x

PI DAY!

Happy Pi Day people! (yes, I am a geek. Not [usually] a maths geek, but a geek all the same)

Not a big fan of Colin Melloy's voice (have I said this before? I forget) but this song is lovely. The Decemberists, January Hymn

This makes me feel better. I haven't listened to "proper" punk in ages. The shame. (N.B. This works in principle, because the real song goes on for nine more seconds, and by telling you, I've kinda ruined the mystery element of this post.) The Broadways, Fifteen Minutes

I like The Black Lips. Remind me to look for this in HMV. I forgot last time. (these brackets serve no purpose. It's just to point out and continue the unintentional joke that I've used brackets in every intro-thing today)The Black Lips, The Lie

Moll. (did you get the theme?)

AOTS: Apple Rabbits, Kilburn State

Have you ever tried to guess a band's sound from their name? I have. I've practiced and refined this skill, useless as it may be, and I'm pretty good at it by now. Apple Rabbits? Something a little strange. Warm. Familiar. Mental. Not unlike a psychotic teddy bear. I wasn't that far off. Warm? No. Familiar? Kinda. Mental? Certainly. More The Termianator Goes Hawaiian than pyscotic childhood friend. And that's the long and short of it. Full of darting bleeps and occasional woozy vocals, unusual samples and spinning feedback. Discordant in parts and melodic in others, it's an album that tries to pull at everything you might call soothing or meditative, and fit as much in as possible. It's cramped and it isn't - is that possible? It must be, I suppose, because that's what it's like. It bewilders the ears and the mind, while ostensibly being as chilled as the Dalai Lama on Sunday afternoon. Strange, as I said. Addictively so.

The album on Bandcamp

7/10

Moll x

What I Have Been Doing Today, Or, Looking For A Theme

Sometimes, I look for theme inspiration in the music news. Other times, I use what happened in my day.  What happened today? Not much, as it happens.

1. Finished the notebook I've been making this week.
2. Wanted to watch Serenity again at lunch, so the Reavers wouldn't scare the bejeezus out of me like they do when I watch it at midnight, River Tam or no River Tam.
3. Got mad at geometry, because I'm sure it changed the question when I wasn't looking and got me all mixed up.
4. Went online, found the perfect pair of boots. Bemoaned high shipping costs and lack of money.
5. Still wanted to watch Serenity.
6. Had to make dinner, because Hovis Biscuits and tea isn't adequate nutrition, apparently.*
7. Started writing this post between the ad breaks in Castle. Realised it's too late to watch Serenity without getting my bejeezus blown all over the room.

 *couldn't think of a Hovis/dinner song, so you get a clip of Firefly instead. I'm good to you, aren't I?

Moll x

Wensday. Wedensday. WEDNESDAY!

I cannot spell today. (Honestly, I can't. I made five mistakes in that sentence alone, for god's sake) This is because my fingers aren't working. Thus, I can't trust myself to write a whole epic, so I'll just throw songs at you until you submit.

Song 1

Song 2

Song 3

Song 4

Mlol (OH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! WHEN WILL IT END?)

Label Day: Sacred Bones

"Sacred Bones Records was born in Brooklyn, New York in early 2007, with the intention of bringing our friends’ music to light, as well as unearthing music lost to time. Our main focus is on vinyl, but our releases are also available in digital formats. We have released almost 50 records (and counting).
We are deeply fortunate to have a co-operative of gifted people working with us: a filmmaker who directs our music videos, a print maker who handles the production of our complicated packaging and a graphic designer who is responsible for our album layouts, website and one-sheets. We put as much energy and care into the presentation of our records as each band does to their music.
We look forward to continuing to release albums by artists who we truly believe in both aurally and spiritually."

I really like this. It has something a bit White Stripes, something a bit Sonic Youth, and something very, very EPIC. The Men, Open Your Heart

 This is scary. This is so scary, Nick Cave is shaking in his boots. Mind you, it does get a bit repetitive before getting to the my-backing-singer-is-a-werewolf awesome bit. Pop.1280, Bodies In The Dunes
No, it's not your speakers. It really does sound like that. For those of you who do have problems with their speakers, this sounds like an elephant is standing in front of the microphone. Perhaps there was. War, Brodermordet

Moll x

The Results Are In...

Best British Band: Kasabian.0/7

Best International Band: Foo Fighters. Well, I suppose they didn't want to upset Mr Nicest Man In Rock. Still, 0/7. Not doing well here, am I?

Best Solo Artist: Florence And The Machine. I got one right! *dances* 1/7

Best New Band: The Vaccines. There goes another one! HALLELUJAH! 2/7

Best Live Band: Arctic Monkeys. Well there you are. 2/7

Best Album: The Horrors, Skying. I must say I'm rather pleased. It's still 2/7 though.

Best Track: Florence, Shake It Out. Ah well, never mind.

2/7. PITIFUL, Molly, PITIFUL. Well, I haven't been doing this music journalism that long! I can't get everything right!

Moll

Not Another One!

Ten minutes ago, I was drooling over this website. Specifically the shoes. And the waistcoats. And the corsets. Hell, all of it. But I was rudely disturbed from looking at clothes I will never have the money, or the style, to wear, by a certain little thing called the NME Awards.

Best British Band!

Arctic Monkeys
Bombay Bicycle Club
The Horrors
Kasabian
Muse

Who I Expect To Win: Arctic Monkeys - NME's Flavour Of The Month since 2005.

Who I Want To Win: The Horrors.


Best International Band!

Arcade Fire
Foo Fighters
Justice
Odd Future
The Strokes

Who I Expect To Win: Odd Future. God knows why, because they're...ah..generally unsavoury. But then NME loves 'em.

Who I Want To Win: Arcade Fire. It was a toss-up between them or The Strokes, but the cover of The Suburbs doesn't make my eyes go funny, unlike Angles.

Best Solo Artist!

Adele
Florence + The Machine
Frank Turner
Laura Marling
Miles Kane
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Who I Expect To Win: Florence + The Machine. I can't see Adele getting an NME Award, not after all those (what is it now? 84?) awards she's won recently.

Who I Want To Win: Laura Marling. Again.

Best New Band!

Foster The People
Lana Del Rey
Tribes
The Vaccines
Wu Lyf

Who I Expect To Win: Ooh, tough one. I'm gonna go with The Vaccines, just because NME loves their Schrödinger's guitar music articles.

Who I Want To Win: Wu Lyf. Well, I like 'em, and they're from Manchester (same as yours truly).

Best Live Band!

Arctic Monkeys
Kasabian
Muse
Pulp
Two Door Cinema Club

Who I Expect To Win: Kasabian. Enter witty quip here.

Who I Want To Win: Well, I can't really say since I've never seen any of them live, but Jarvis Cocker is awesome, so I'm going with Pulp.

Best Album!

Arctic Monkeys – ‘Suck It And See’
The Horrors – ‘Skying’
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’
PJ Harvey – ‘Let England Shake’
The Vaccines – ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?’

Who I Expect To Win: Arctic Monkeys. Well, this is NME.

Who I Want To Win: Eh. I haven't heard any of them all the way through, I don't have an innate dislike of any of them, and I can't think of any band-specific jokes. Thus, a free-for-all.

Best Track!

Arctic Monkeys – ‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala’
Bombay Bicycle Club – ‘Shuffle’
Florence + The Machine – ‘Shake It Out’
Hurts – ‘Sunday’
Lana Del Rey – ‘Video Games’

Who I Expect To Win: Hurts. Well, the 80's revival has to be acknowledged sometime. 

Who I Want To Win: Arctic Monkeys. Yes, you read that right. I might have been gently poking fun at them, but I do rather like Hellcat.

 Moll x

From The Abyss...

Slowly, gingerly, something appeared on the edge of the abyss. Fingers first, callused from typing. Then an elbow, covered in ink, paint, and syrup sponge pudding. For a moment, that seemed to be the end of it. But no; with a noise not unlike an elephant stubbing its toe, up came a head. Finally awakened from her post-BRIT Awards depression, the creature known as Molly dragged herself back up into Blogland, where she promptly collapsed with exhaustion.

Hello! Long time no see! Have you done something with your hair? You look spectacular! What's that? I look like I've been carried through hell on the back of a hedgehog? I'm flattered. Although it was a porcupine, not a hedgehog, but then you're from the city and can't tell the difference, poor baby.

Best Male Solo Artist: Ed Sheeran. Well, I said I expected him to win, didn't I? Nevertheless (I love that word, it's three words at once and it rocks) nevertheless, I'm disappointed.

Best Female Solo Artist: Adele. Well, none of us expected that, did we? Because she's an eloquent, unappreciated young woman, who really needs the sales boost because otherwise she'll be having to crash at her friends house.

British Breakthrough: Ed Sheeran. Yes, him again.

British Group: Coldplay. Oh well. I'm not in the business of bashing a group simply because they're posh, so I'll leave it there.

British Single: One Direction, What Makes You Beautiful. AH HA HA HA! HA HA HA! Oh, wait they're serious.

Album Of The Year: Adele. FFS.

International Male Solo Artist: Bruno Mars. Must. Resist. Urge. To. Punch. Computer.

International Female Solo Artist: Rihanna. Proof if proof were needed that the official BRIT Awards dictionary does not contain the word "talented"

International Group: Foo Fighters. Ok, they can have it, I'm not that bothered. Davey seems to be a nice guy, and it's better they have it than Lady Antebellum.

International Breakthrough: Lana Del Rey. I quite like Video Games, so there's a turn up for the books.

Molly x

(And The Winner Is...) Music Monday

It's the Brits tomorrow. I am losing hope, but let's see...

Best Male Solo Artist: I'm going with James Blake on this one. Simply because I don't like Ed Sheeran (although I'm expecting him to win) or Professor Green. James Morrison is good, but a bit to MOR as far as I recall. And Noel Gallagher is just a bit annoying.

Best Female Solo Artist: Laura Marling. That's all.

British Breakthrough: The Vaccines, probably, but I don't like any of them that much.

British Group: Arctic Monkeys. They've been going a while; surely they're frozen by now

British Single: None of 'em. NONE OF 'EM!

Album Of The Year: PJ Harvey, Let England Shake. Not heard it all the way through, but you can kinda tell it's better than an album called "+"

International Male Solo Artist: Aloe Blacc. At least it's something a bit different

International Female Solo Artist: Give a half prize to Feist and Bjork, I can't pick! The only one where it's not obvious...

Int-; OH COME ON! COME ON, BRITS! I give up, dis is crap.

Mollx

Just So Molly Can Show Off...

One of the films I got from the library on Tuesday was Thor. So! As I consider myself a bit of a Greek/Egyptian/Norse myth buff, mythology songs it is! I haven't read any in a while though (despite owning several Icelandic Sagas), so this is a bit of a quiz type thing. Feel free to add your own in the comments, as always!

Cassandra, Emmy The Great. Cassandra, Cassandra. Rings a bell. Wasn't she  a prophet? *checks* YES! Rock on!

Isis, The White Stripes. Okaaay...wife of Osiris (her brother, don't cha know), queen of the gods? *checks* HALLELUJAH! Two for two! (although, to be honest, that was a pretty easy one).


Crane Song 1& 2, The Decemberists. I wanted to do a Norse one so I could make it three outta three, but I couldn't find any bar heavy metal. So I've posted this, which is based on the Japanese myth of The Crane Wife (had to look it up on wikipedia. Not nice).

Moll x

Holy Indie Music Batman!

Batman Forever is a terrible film. But I liked it, so there. I like this better, though.

KRUNCH! The Brunettes, Hulk Is Hulk

zzzzzWAP! The Ramones, Spider-Man

BAM! Queen, Flash. 

ZLONK! The Traits, Nobody Loves The Hulk

AWK! Black Lips, Spidey's Curse


Mollx

Valentine's Day, Mk II

It didn't really sink in that I'd been doing this a year until I looked back at last February to make sure I didn't repeat myself.

Unsurprisingly, the king of the bitter love song. Literally. The Mountain Goats, Standard Bitter Love Song #8

Ah, but is he? Not when Steven Patrick Morrisey is around, he ain't. Morrisey, You Have Killed Me (one of the greatest songs ever, I think you'll find)

I never thought I was that big a fan of The Cure, but to hell with delineating levels of fandom. The Cure, Boys Don't Cry

Moll

(Juno) Music Monday

It was the Grammys yesterday.

I hate the Grammys.

I like the Juno Awards*.


* said I before actually listening to the shortlist

So! To the Juno Nominees!

Juno Fan Choice: Arcade Fire. Hands down. In a list with Justin Bieber and Nickelback (excuse me while I wash my mouth out), surely someone would have the sense to give it to Win Butler and co.

Single of the Year: The Sheepdogs, I Don't Know Best of a bad set, I'm afraid. They remind be a bit of The Eagles, so they can't be all that awful.

International Album Of The Year: I'll let Adele have this, I guess. Again, best of a bad set (Oh, woe is me. I started this post with such high expectations).

Album Of The Year: This is not simply a bad set. This is a set so bad it makes me want to go and lie down in a darkened room.

Artist of the Year: Finally I can have some faith in music again! Feist is having this one folks, no question.

That's me out, before my head explodes from all the rubbish music people are allowed to get awards for. See ya!



Moll x

SOTW: Strawberry Whiplash, Factory Girl

Listening to noise pop in February is like eating ice-cream at Christmas. Eccentric, quirky, and even better in the wrong season than it is in the right one. You listen to Factory Girl, even in this weather, and you can see it - the rain coming down on a deserted beach in, as Morrisey so eloquently put it, a humdrum town. There's a plastic bag billowing in the breeze, and the tide is sweeping in and out in time with the rickety drums. The gentle squawking of the seagulls blends with the Stone Roses guitar lines. You, leaning against the railings, sing quietly along, the only person in the world. It's a strange feeling. Like you're living in a dream.

7/10

Moll x

Foreign Friday: Israel

Or Label Day, depending on your preference of feature. They're both on Hiss Records, y'see.

I think there's a theme developing here. Sharon Van Etten. Cat Power. St Vincent. Shany Kedar, This House
There's not an app anywhere in Linux Fedora or Firefox that allows me to type in hebrew, but I'll try to cut'n'paste. If it doesn't work I'll have to rely on dodgy Google Translate.

ישי קיצ'לס,

מאבן לאבן (can't get them in one line, sorry.)


That's all I found, but if those of you who are actually in Israel could give me some pointers, that'd be great. Thanks in advance!


Moll x

Second-Look Thursday

I think I should do this, don't you? Especially since reviewing SVE yesterday and finding that I liked her after all, so much so that Tramp got the second-ever full score.

Clogs, Last Song. On first look, they were a mostly instrumental band that I didn't listen to because I didn't want my image of the Bryce Dessner as a brilliant, humble musician tarnished by possibly pretentious music.

On second look, WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING? It's the Bryce Dessner, you idiot, with Padma Newsome to boot. Of course it's beautiful stuff.

St Vincent, Cheerleader. I really wanted to love her. Come on - great voice, great guitar player, great lyrics - but, much like Sharon Van Etten, there was something stopping me from liking her. I think it was possibly money preservation. But to hell with the purse strings, it's not like I have rent to pay.

Charlotte Gainsbourg, Heaven Can Wait. This is actually more of a third look. First look, my mind process was as follows: Oh, I don't know her, she looks cool. Oh, she's an actress, and the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg. Cynicism raised its head, and I didn't bother with her. Then I saw The Science Of Sleep. Cynicism looked unsure. Then, after ten months after discovering her, I finally listened to her music. Cynicism slunk back to its lair.

Moll x

AOTS: Sharon Van Etten, Tramp

AOTS? On a Wednesday? Is the woman delirious? No. No, I'm not. Well, maybe, but not about this. I found out about this just two days ago, and I couldn't wait until Sunday to hear it. Besides, they might have taken down the stream by then, and if I didn't hear this for the sake of routine I don't know what I'd have done. Pretty standard reaction for someone addicted to music, you might think. But here is where it gets strange.

I never liked her that much.

I always thought she was good, certainly, I loved her voice, loved her guitar playing. But there was something missing. Maybe because I hadn't listened to enough of her music. Well, here I am, listening to Tramp and wondering where this album has been all my life. It starts slowly, sneakily, in clouds of electric and acoustic guitar, and the kind of voice an angel would have if it started gargling gravel. Give Out is normal enough, apart from the soft, powerful melody that takes it from unremarkable to the most beautiful song I've heard this year. It feels as if you're standing behind a locked door, listening to the songs of a woman who has no idea you're there, and is all the more glorious for it. Gentle and chilling, beautiful and tormented, both Kevin's and Leonard make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, make you shiver. How is it that something so simple, so common as the words "I loved you" can freeze the blood in your veins? And there's a tragedy in every "And it hurts too much to laugh about it" a tragedy that still holds on to its dignity, its hurt pride, instead of letting go and wallowing in self-pity. The feeling flows through the whole album, covering every quiet word with a strength that is hard to find within yourself, let alone make an album from it. It's been a long time since anything this bare has been so enchanting, and that's the surprising thing, the proof if proof were needed that music like this is more than the sum of its parts. From the all-consuming piano-guitar-drums-vocals of All I Can, to the understated We Are Fine, it seems wrong that there are people in this world, making music right now that is stronger and sharper than anything so many hundreds of bands and artists can dream of creating. It embodies so much, and yet Tramp is an album unaware of its own grace. My only hope is that the rest of the world can see it.

10/10

Moll x

Label Day: Suicide Squeeze Records

"Summer, 1996. The Pacific Northwest. Modest Mouse’s debut album, “This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About,” is released by Up Records. The underground - still swooning - holds its collective breath as Built to Spill signs a deal with Warner Brothers to record their follow-up to “There’s Nothing Wrong With Love.” Pivotal times. The Riot Grrrl movement had re-claimed “the personal as the political,” heralding another wave of feminism and burgeoning movement that went beyond musical expression; yet, genres and subcultures still quarantined the conversation… All the while, Elliott Smith had begun to sing, alone on stage, acoustic guitar in hand.  

Enter Suicide Squeeze Records.

A label operated out of a basement - an effort and an adventure - in the mid-nineties (when K and Kill Rock Stars really thrived). This was a prolific period for regional music. Even as the national spotlight burned off elsewhere, inspired sounds rushed from the suburbs and the capitol, and swelled in Seattle. There were countless exciting bands, and near as much noteworthy music - much more, in fact, than indie labels could have hoped to document…"

I can't say, after reading that, that this is what I expected to hear. But there is something, something quiet and indie and..well, eighties about it all the same. Headphones, I Never Wanted You

I love this band so much. Never before has bratty punk been quite so adorable. The Coathangers, Trailer Park Boneyard

Picture this. You're walking along a street in a black-and-white B-movie. This drags itself up from the gutter like the the werewolf from the alley on your left. Then the lone camera closes in on your scream. Dirty Beaches, Lone Runner.

Moll x

(Catch Up) Music Monday

Where have I been? Well, on Wednesday I was abducted by the crew of the USS Enterprise. Yes, it's true. It IS. Ok, you got me, it's not. I just forgot and thought I could get away with blaming on Kirk and co.
Anyway, I owe this guy a review. So, without further ado (you can tell I've won poetry competitions, can't you*), here it is

SOTW - Harsha Iyer, I Find You Boring

I often wonder about the influence of Western music on other parts of the world. You can certainly hear it here. Sometimes the glint of pop vocals, sometimes the just-plain-weirdness of Child Bite. It's pacey and hard to pin down, but simultaneously as catchy as hell. There's a hint of ska rumbling through the background, a wavery bass line has more in common with a raucous childrens party than mainstream music. His vocals rival the speed of REM's It's The End of the World As We Know It and that "Dooby-dooby-dooby-do" is just adorable. The drums have been stolen from the circus, and the piano sounds like a hyper child. It's all great, every last bit of it.The only bit that  grates is a slight wayward American pop squeak, but that is probably more debut album syndrome than a sign of things to come.

8/10


* Not to brag, but I actually have.

Label Day: Mint Records

"Randy Iwata and Bill Baker started working together at CITR-FM, the University of British Columbia radio station. Three years after graduation, they decided it was time to move on from the station. However, they wanted to stay connected to new music, so they founded a record label to release the best up-and-coming music of the city. They have been known to sign artists during drinking sessions."

That's funny, I thought they all did.

This is apparently cuddlecore, and based on my limited knowledge of this genre, I would assume it is a slightly less brutal riot-grrrl featuring Courtney Love. cub, Freaky

I'm thinking there's a bit of Kirsty McColl in this, if you computerized her voice a little. The New Pornographers, Letter From An Occupant

It says something about the rarity of the song you're blogging about that you have to make do with a bad quality video of a live performance. Andrew W.K., Don't Sell Hot Dogs Tonight (Leather Uppers Cover)

Moll x

(Beetlejuice) Music Monday

Beetlejuice is my favourite film. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. If you've seen it and hated it, get off my blog.

This is one of my favourite scenes. I dare you to watch it without even giggling.

Can't do it, can you?

And this, on a similar theme,and proof that Winona Ryder is pretty damn cool.

I don't remember this one, but I suppose it might be over the credits.

Moll x

SOTW: Dead Social Club, Stockholm

Their Bandcamp page describes them as them as The Cure meets Depeche Mode. I can see why. But it's no Close To Me, no Personal Jesus. Why not? Because it's entirely its own beast. It's earthy electronica, without twinkle or shine. Instead it's full of rolling drums and the closest a keyboard can get to feedback, covered in eighties warmth and modern power. There's so much cocky certainty that it nearly trips over its own feet, but with every chorus it recovers and reminds you quite why you started listening in the first place.

7/10

Moll

The Youtube Trail VII

It's back! It is, it's back! For realz, dude!


Y U NO HAVE MORE VIEWS?? I love this song, this band, all of it. Comet Gain, Don't Fall In Love If You Want To Die In Peace

8/10

9 seconds I took to fall for this song. Frankie Rose And The Outs, Candy

7/10

Not an immediate hit, but a lush song anyways. Dum Dum Girls, Baby Don't Go

8/10

Moll x

Label Day: Black and Greene Records

I like what they did there ^

I also like what these guys are doing here > Apollo Sunshine, Money

This is rather...wacky. Bryan Scar and The Shredding Tears, Andromeda's Eyes

Jolly? Or Not? The Self-Righteous Brothers (see what they did there!) Sidecar Jesus

Moll x

(Happy) Music Monday

I got my exam results today. I was in a bit of a mood this morning, but I is being happy now! (I got a B and I wasn't best pleased, except I also got an A and an A*, so why I was being a moody so-and-so I have no idea)

Therefore, todays post will be make-me-happy songs!

I'm having a very hard time choosing between Jam Eater Blues and Going To Maine, so I'll post 'em both.

This makes me happy, because I've never heard it before and I've been craving new National songs. TN, I Need My Girl

I can sing this song nearly all the way through. This is a happy in and of itself. R.E.M., It's the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) 

Mollx 

I'm Getting Hungry

I am currently sitting at the dining room table, and there are brownies and coconut cake in the oven. The yummy smells are making me hungry, even though I've only just had my lunch.

Choco Bars? Cookies? Banana Chips? and...sushi? 

I like these guys. They get straight to the point. Descendants,  I Like Food

Oh, Bjork, why are you so awesome? The Sugarcubes, Eat The Menu

And one more, for a nice little bookend. Brown Mushrooms, anyone?

Right, now where have those brownies gone?

Absolute Radio?

I listened to Absolute Radio today, and now I'm craving classic rock. DAMN YOU, ABSOLUTE RADIO!

I really like this. That is all. T-rex, 20th Century Boy

And this is quite simply epic. Run DMC, Walk This Way

I've posted this one before, BUT I DON'T CARE! Plus, I'm wearing my Superman t-shirt, so there. Hey, that rhymed! David Bowie, Heroes

Moll x

Label Day: Brassland Records

Well, it was only a matter of time. I feel I haven't mentioned The National in long enough to justify this. If you're wondering about the connection, Aaron and Bryce Dessner (Brothers Set 1 from TN) co-founded the label with Alec Hanley Bemis (there's a name).

I can't say I'm very keen on this, but it's the kind of thing 6 Music would play, and to be honest, after three or four more listens I'll be in love. Baby Dayliner, Critics Pass Away

These guys created their own instruments, one of which is the buke (a six-string former baritone ukulele, and the other of which is the gase (a guitar-bass hybrid). It's fair to say I loved them as soon as I read that. Buke And Gase, Your Face Left Before You (free!) 

*smirks* I've actually heard of Devastations. Yes I have, don't look at me like that. I believe they were on a track with Blonde Redhead from Dark Was The Night, but that's from memory, so I might be wrong. And yet again, I find myself head over heels in love. Devastations, Coal 
 

Moll x

Blogiversary!

Crack out the champagne, it's my first blogiversary! Yes, it's been going a full year! How the hell did I manage that?

So I thought I'd celebrate by posting the top three most visited posts (and thus hopefully the most popular songs!)

Number three, with 28 views, is The Peel Sessions O-R

Number two, with 38 views is Big Dipper, You're Not Patsy (SOTW)

And...duh-duh-duhhh...the number one most visited post on MM is, with 79 views, Nelsonvillans, Our Evil Inside Joke (AOTS)

Thank you for reading this little blog. I loves y'all!

Moll x

Song of the Week: Adam and the Fish-Eyed Poets, Little Monkeys

I wouldn't call myself a big fan of Bruce Springsteen. But there's something about Kishore Krinshna's voice, very Bruce Springsteen though it is, that grabs you by the wrist. It doesn't beg you to listen - certainly not. It doesn't even seem to care.  It jumps along with a touch of techno, dark lyrics and I-don't-give-a-damn rock spirit (they've got that from Bruce too), but you get the feeling that they do care, that they are bothered. Because Little Monkeys is a good song, and you can't write a good song without caring about what you do.

7/10

Moll x  

What I Bought In The Sales, Or, Trials And Tribulations Aboard The No. 62 Bus

I went to Bangor today. To the record shop.

Tip One: Leave the house 15 minutes before the bus is due, not 12. You will very nearly miss it.

I got this: Lykke Li, Youth Novels...

Tip Two: Don't get on the 3:45 bus home. It. Will. Be. Packed.

And this: Nick Drake, Pink Moon...

Tip Three: Don't bump into old ladies. If you do, you'll get whacked across the knees with a handbag, and that hurts


And this: Sufjan Stevens, Age Of Adz...

Tip Four: When a Nice Young Man sits next to you, talks to you, and acts like he can't tell you're an awkward conversationalist, do not forget to tell him your name. 

And this: Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation

Tip Five: If you're prone to motion sickness, stand up. If you're prone to panic attacks, sit down. If you're prone to both, you're screwed.

 Mollx

Label Day: Kitsune

Did you know that Kitsune is Japanese for fox? I did. *smiles to self*. Sadly, that's not the kind of question Jeremy Paxman asks on University Challenge.

This song is great, but I can't see why it should be soundtracking a exercise video. Citizens, True Romance

Synth-rock isn't too hard to come by on this blog, but you could always do with a little more. Housse De Racket, Chateau

I like this. But I don't like dance music. Ergo, this is not dance music. Is Tropical, South Pacific

Moll x

(Ad) Music Monday

I just lost this entire post.

Excuse me while I scream into a pillow.

Right, I'm back now.

First, from something that isn't strictly an ad, more a promo. From Universal Channel's Without A Trace campaign, Cat Power, I Found A Reason

I love this, and I didn't know about it or him until the LoveFilm ad. James Vincent McMorrow, Higher Love 

This is from one of the most adorable adverts I've ever, ever seen. Ever. Slow Moving Mille, Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

Mollx

Album Of The Second: James Murray, Floods

I don't often post about instrumental music, let alone review an album composed entirely of it. The problem was that I had the misconception that it was boring, and too upper-class for its own good. But I have to eat my words, because Floods is a beautiful album. Understated and relaxed, like a stream running through a glade, it fills your ears with an ocean of sound - just as you'd expect from an album "dedicated to the waters". It wraps you in its bubble and surrounds you with sound, echoing with a surprisingly beautiful coexistence of the natural and the electronic. It wafts gently back and forth, seemingly fragile but powerful and haunting. It's a sublime, beautiful,  intriguing album.


8.5/10

Ender Belongs To Me. Keeping Yours - Head On

Keeping Yours - Head On is a strange song, full of foreboding but as light as air. The vocals are so, so fragile. The beat is strong but hollow like a daydream. The idea of pasts lost and futures bleak flows through the entire song - everything is seen through a haze, full of craving for the time you thought you saw in that long lost home video. The one from before everything went wrong.

7/10

New Look Blog!

What do you think? The old one was getting on my nerves; I really liked it at the beginning but recently it's been looking...well...cheap. So I've re-done it, and I likes it now!

Foreign Friday: Latvia

I love doing these posts. I love that I found a Latvian music collective even more. It makes my job easier. So all three of these bands are involved with TORNIS, a society formed in 1998 to support Latvian underground and unsigned artists.

I really like this, but no surprises there! Also, according to google translate, this band's name in English is Pigeon Full Yards. To my Latvian readers (I know you're out there!) is that right? Balozu Pilni Pagalmi, Mans Zirgs

I know this one! I know this one! Well, the "October" bit, anyway. It almost reminds me of Sunny Day Real Estate. Sarkanais Oktobris, Iedoma 

I love all these songs. I just wish I spoke Latvian so I could understand the lyrics! Bernibas Milicija, Ara

Moll x

New Year, New Music, Part II

Me: This was supposed to be Thursday's.
You: ...
Me: Oh.
You: ...
Me: Why was I not told today is Thursday?

After the dreamy-ness that was "yesterday's" post, this is, rather ironically, a refreshing burst of rockiness. Throwing Up, Medicine

I don't doubt the majority of you know who Nada Surf are, and need no introduction. To the rest of you, well, have a listen. Nada Surf, When I Was Young

Nope, it's useless. I started this post hoping to do a bit of rock music, and then came Nada Surf. Ok, goes I, I'll make track three rock. But then there's this. Which rocks, don't get me wrong, but whether it is technically rock is a matter of opinion. Cloud Nothings, No Future/No Past

Moll x

New Year, New Music

This was supposed to be Wednesdays...hmm.

It's taken me so long to look up this band it's unreal. Keep Shelly In Athens, Struggle With Yourself

I love LaBlogotheque. Adam and The Amethysts, Stupid Ocean

This one is thanks to my friend Heather. Listen to it, she's got good judgement. But then she's friends with me, so there you go. Daughter, Youth

Moll x

Label Day: Eyeball Records

Eyeball Records.

That' s a name to strike fear into the soul, eh?

I like this. Astronautalis, The Wondersmith and His Sons

Bit of an odd one here. It starts more pop-punk than it actually is. Kiss Kiss, Machines

The third, as promised: Sinister elecro strangeness. Food Stamps, I Am Jack's Nightlight

Moll x

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Ahem.

Ye gods, has it really been that long? Sorry. Anyway, onwards and upwards, as they say. 2012 is the year of MM world domination (not to be confused with M&M world domination)! That is NY resolution numero uno, oh yes.

NYR 2: More posts. I have been neglecting this blog, I know I have. And thus I have decided that I'm going to try and post once a day like I used too.

NYR 3: Longer posts. Sometimes. It's been suggested that I could do the occasional Big Article, so that's something I'm going to attempt.

NYR 4: Get out of my multifarious boxes. This is where you come in, folks! I'm on the look out for good rap - i.e the stuff that doesn't rot your brain. Aesop Rock springs to mind, but if you've got any suggestions please comment! Metal, too, would be good - nothing over ten minutes though, I don't have all day! (that was a joke. Not a very good one I'll admit.) The other thing is Foreign Friday - underground music from other countries, in English or not - is always helpful. Always. 

Have a good 2012!

Moll x