One of my favourite pastimes is browsing photos on Flickr while listening to music and when I see an image that I particularly like, I make it a "favourite". My collection of faves is always growing and from time to time I display some of them under certain themes in "Galleries" on Flickr. Please take a look if you have a minute, there are so many talented photographers out there and it's very inspiring to be able to share one and other's work!
It's documentary time again! Featuring a man who is "attitude personified" to quote Tony Wilson. He is both controversial and inspiring for his refusal to conform and need to speak his mind and deliver the uncensored truth. I am of course talking about Mark E Smith of The Fall. It all began with him reading his poetry with his mates providing a live soundtrack of bass, guitar and drums. Sprouting from the punk movement it grew into a roaring engine fueled by fiercer lyrics which the music seemed to mirror with raw, aggressive playing. They started to get noticed as an interesting, chaotic live act but the music and Smith's distinct vocals seemed almost as controversial as his lyrics and wasn't everyone's cuppa. What became clear though was that Smith had talent.
The band got a few tv performances and tours abroad and had a lot going for them but it didn't take long before the typical dilemma arose of some members wanting to go for the gold and play to a broader audience. The charasmatic front man's resistance to selling out and other conflicting visions within the band has led to him being the only constant member during their long history of several decades! And MES is showing no signs of throwing in the towel yet. He'll probably keep making records as long as he's alive. And thank goodness for that because to me he is such a refreshing element in a music scene where (almost) noone seems to dare or care to voice their opinions on important issues, whether it's unemployment or the recording industry. However the documentary portrays the struggle of holding on to your ideals and staying true to yourself when at the same time needing to maintain appreciation from your audience, especially in the later days of the band. Although I think Mr. Smith can rely on his loyal following of both old and new fans, drawn in by Mark E's anti-star quality and fantastic rock music, and empowered by the punk spirit.
I just found a great documentary about the New Zealand music scene during the eighties and nineties. It tells the story of the legendary label Flying Nun Records whose DIY work ethic gave birth to the famous Dunedin sound and is home to bands like The Chills, The Bats and The Clean. All of them still tour and release records, much thanks to people like Stephen Malkmus and other bands listing them as important influences. The documentary also shows the strengths and limitations of releasing music the DIY way without large funding or big company bosses trying to interfere with production. Although mistakes were made and many of the bands unfortunately didn't reach their full potential, the label won international acclaim for its unique sound which captured that era and can be recognized as an influence on today's music. The label has recently started up again with the ambition to put out re-releases and take on new kiwi bands, yay!
There are nine episodes available on the tube. Here's the first one, followed by a couple of videos.
I missed Owen Pallett's early performance at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, except for the last song which happens to be one of my faves; The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead. When searching for vid's from the festival I came across his cover of Caribou's 2010 hit Odessa. It sends chills down my spine, it's so cleverly crafted!
Primavera Sound was heaven and I wish I could go there every year for the rest of my life. For a selection of pics; Flickr. Plus a mix:
My latest musical crush are The Feelies! Velvet Underground meets 80's jangle pop with Crazy Rhythms (which is also the name of their cult classic). Check 'em out! Fa cé-La (via Hype Machine)
I've recently had the privilege of seeing two great bands!
Caribou was a wonderful surprise! I didn't know what to expect of Dan Snaith's experimental music in live format. His latest album took a lean towards house music as a change from his signature mix of indierock riffs and electronica and so the possibility of it just being Dan and some machines struck me. Therefore I was pleased to see the stage set up with two drum kits, guitars and pedals galore, keyboard etc. The venue was far from crowded, perhaps due to an unusually early show or the strange idea of hosting a reggae club afterwards. It made for an intimate gig and a real treat for the audience.
I was absolutely blown away by the performance! The band had a great dynamic with Dan and the drummer up front and the bass player and guitarist/keyboard player at the back, creating powerful build-ups that developed into insane jams. The drummer looked like Ian Curtis on drums and was soaked after the encore, and when Dan broke out a recorder I almost fainted. They really gave it their best efforts. Here is some footage from the 2010 tour to give you an idea of what it was like. It wasn't as dark though.
Plus a mini documentary as this is what my blog seems to specialize in now!
The second gig I saw was the Brian Jonestown Massacre! I had been gearing up for this show all week by watching the documentary; DiG! (a must-see even if you've never heard them) and youtube clips. Again, not knowing what to expect from this band live added to the excitement. Anton is notorious for his outbreaks on stage that sometimes lead to fights with the band members and/or audience. Debaser Slussen has quite a small stage and the place was packed. The crowd was roaring and the atmosphere full of anticipation! The 8-piece band came on at the announced time and did a fantastic, tight set with almost all their best known songs. Anton was in a good mood despite technical problems with mics and some idiots mucking about in the crowd to which he just said "No fighting!". They played for a little over two hours, no encore, and really got into it towards the end and were more talkative. I've understood that Matt Hollywood and Mr. Tambourine Man don't always tour Europe so I'm glad I got the chance to see them!
Here is the last song from the show and you can hear me shouting a faint "woo" after Matt joking about how many girls it would take to get his shirt off haha (which read "i <3 swedish girls"). WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
...is a documentary about the decline of record stores. It informatively covers the factors that have forced them out of business and features interviews with the store owners, independent labels and musicians like Thurston Moore and Ian MacKaye. It caused me to feel both heart-broken and angry but also made me think about how I listen to music. I miss vinyl and CD; the fuller sound and artwork that comes with them can't compare to an mp3. The latter is less tangible and I'm afraid that I'm going to lose my Ipod library one day! Still the powerful effect that music has on people is the same, no matter what format.
This is one documentary you don't want to miss. Pitchfork are offering a free streaming of the entire film, for one week only so hurry! Or buy it...
Below is a video of the Black Keys performing at an in-store gig of which a short clip was shown in the documentary.
Enjoy!
I'm really into Wilco's latest release (the camel record) and they have a solid back catalogue to delve into :) Looking forward to seeing both these bands this summer!
The directors are documentary film maker Kerthy Fix and Gail O' Hara who has been photographing the band for years. See her fantastic photos on flickr! The world premiere is on March 15th at SXSW.
Also here is a recent interview by The Quietus with the one and only Stephin Merritt.
I look forward to seeing them play a church venue in Stockholm on March 24th!
My pick of (confirmed) new releases in 2010 that I'm looking forward to or seem interesting... Loads more to be announced so watch this space!
JANUARY Owen Pallett – Heartland Spoon – Transference (Merge) Eels – End Times Citay – Dream Get Together Magnetic Fields – Realism Beach House – Teen Dream Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM Four Tet – There Is Love In You Basia Bulat - Heart Of My Own;
FEBRUARY 2nd Midlake – The Courage of Others (Bella Union) Mount Eerie – Black Wooden EP (Latitudes)
9th Massive Attack – Heligoland Hot Chip - One Life Stand Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here Watson Twins - Talking To You, Talking To Me
11th (UK) Fionn Regan - The Shadow of an Empire
16th Adam Green - Minor Love Juliana Hatfield - Peace And Love Tindersticks - Falling Down a Mountain Field Music – Measure Wu-Tang - Return of the & Friends
23rd Brian Jonestwon Massacre - Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? David Byrne and Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme Shout Out Louds - Work Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself Rocky Votolato – True Devotion Eluvium – Similes Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago
MARCH 1st Sam Amidon – I See The Sign
2nd The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
9th Frightened Rabbit - The Winter Of Mixed Drinks jj - jj no3 Liars - Sisterworld Pavement - Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement Josh Rouse - El Turista The Morning Benders - Big Echo Broken Bells - S/T
22nd Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
23rd She & Him – Volume 2 Jonsi (Sigur Ros) – Go Black Tambourine – Complete Recordings Radar Brothers – The Illustrated Garden Autechre (Deluxe Edition) - Oversteps
30th Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh
APRIL 6th Lali Puna - Our Inventions Sally Seltmann (formerly New Buffalo) – Heart That's Pounding
20th Roky Erickson (13th Floor Elevators) - True Love Cast Out All Evil Caribou – Swim Apples In Stereo - Travellers In Space And Time
MAY 4th Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
11th The National – High Violet Phosphorescent – Here's To Taking It Easy
18th Club 8 – The People's Record THE BLACK KEYS - BROTHERS
JUNE 8th Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today Teenage Fanclub - Shadows Olafur Arnalds - ...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness
14th Mountain Man - Made The Harbour
15th Cowboy Junkies - Renmin Park Devo - Something For Everybody Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mojo
22nd Stars - The Five Ghosts Kele Okereke (Bloc Party) - The Boxer
JULY 6th Robert Pollard - Moses On A Snail
13th Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul (Listen here!) Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
20th Department of Eagles – Archive 2003-2006
AUGUST 3rd Wavves - King Of The Beach
24th Eels - Tomorrrow Morning
31st The Clientele – Minotaur
SEPTEMBER 7th Interpol - Interpol
14th Of Montreal – False Priest The Vaselines- Sex With An X The Walkmen – Lisbon
21st Latitia Sadler – The Trip
28th Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest No Age – Everything In Between Women – Public Strain
Today is the premiere of Banksy's film Exit Through The Gift Shop at Sundance! He (she?) is one of my favourite artists for so many reasons and a true inspiration. I think the work speaks best for itself; loud and clear! It will be interesting to see if the movie reveals more of Banksy's persona, not neccesarily his/her appearance but hopefully an interview...
I just found out about Howl, also showing at the festival, starring James Franco as Ginsberg! Golden.
Another up-coming feature is The Runaways with Kirsten Stewart playing Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie. 2010 is definitely K-Stew's year.
