Goodbye Blogger!

The new site is just a click away...

It's all so quiet...

This week, and some of next possibly, I'm going to be working on getting Musical Chairs off blogger and onto its own domain name. Subsequently, posts may dry up a bit whilst I focus on all of this. Be assured though that my gig reviews will still be posted as soon as the gig has finished and all that. But yes, in case you wonder why the posts aren't as regular, there's your reason.

Ultimately, I think it will be worth it and it will lead to a much better website for the user (i.e. YOU!). See you on the other side folks, and enjoy the sunshine outside.

British Sea Power save Guilfest

I thought that the Sunday at Guilfest was looking pretty dire for a long time. A tribute act headlining and Cerys Matthews making an appearance made me want to vomit. But one band has saved the day from being a disaster:

British Sea Power

I've been a fan of these guys for a while and really liked their 2005 album, Open Season. The beautiful, atmospheric and dreamy soundscapes with quirky yet charming lyrics made it a fantastic listen. I do like their current album, Do You Like Rock Music?, but I prefer the former. Their live shows have always been ones to watch and I look forward to them not only appearing at Guilfest, but also headlining the second stage.

Guilfest is part of something I'm dubbing a Trio Of Festivals over one weekend in July - Wireless, Redfest and Guilfest. Expect mass coverage on each festival as I see a wide variety of acts. Some good, some bad, and some really dodgy local talent courtesy of Guilfest.

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Early Muse demo surfaces

Of all the music that's been released this week, the most intriguing has to be, by far, an early set of Muse demos. These nuggets of gold were recorded in 1996/1997 at Newton Abbey, and showcase their early grunge-like roots and Matt's hysterical iffy vocals. There are some never before heard Muse songs like Falling With The Crowd and Boredom, an early version of Showbiz album track Sober and some b-sides from the Showbiz-era like Ashamed and Jimmy Kane. There's no way that any of this material would give clues as to the Muse that currently are a monstrous force to be reckoned with in 2008, but, if you're a big fan, this is worth a listen purely for the fact that this is the earliest original recordings of the Teignmouth trio available.

The demos are available to download from Muse fansite, Muse Live.

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Coldplay - Viva La Vida

The title track from Viva La Vida has hit the Internet via pre-orders for the upcoming album on iTunes. And do you know something? It's brilliant. This is not the same band that was yearning on previous albums, and certainly not the same band from the stinker that was X&Y. Energetic strings amongst a thumping bass drum. Some of Chris Martin's better and more imaginative lyrics including the exclamatory "long live the king." It's official - Coldplay have turned optimistic. And all the better for it - this song has renewed my eager anticipation for the album and confirmed my fears that Violet Hill really is a weak choice as the first proper single.

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One third of 2008

This year has already been one of considerable entertainment in many forms. As we are now, quite stunningly, already a third of a way through 2008, this is a good to take stock and share my highlights of the year, this far.

Radiohead played their smallest gig for the best part of a decade at 93 Feet East
The Cribs teamed up with Johnny Marr
Nine Inch Nails released not one but two albums
Muse released HAARP and played a show that was arguably better than HAARP at the Royal Albert Hall
The Astoria faces an uncertain future
The Cure played for eternity at Wembley Arena
65daysofstatic played a blinder of a set at the Indig02
I bought a rare Feeder vinyl
Portishead released the darkest single of 2008 so far
A pig got lost in the Coachella desert

And there is still more to come for the rest of the year. Along with the gigs listed on the right hand side of the blog, Musical Chairs will be moving out of Blogger and getting a place of its own! Hopefully that will be at some point at June.

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Odds & Ends for 6th May 2008

Other bits and pieces from this sunshine-filled/hayfever ridden day, depending on what suits you the most.

Radiohead kicked off their world tour last night in West Palm Beach, Florida. If the setlist they did last night is an indication of their upcoming tour then Victoria Park could be as triumphant as I wished it to be and a whole lot more. Nearly all of In Rainbows was played along with Bangers & Mash off the discbox CD, a lot of material from OK Computer and a smattering of material from OK Computer and The Bends, including the surprise return of Bulletproof...I Wish I Was. Full report of last night is on At Ease and they'll be doing live updates for the rest of the tour, providing the site doesn't break down. Wherever they go there will always be one texting like a mad man/woman.

Coldplay are about to embark on a 'major marketing strategy' later this month in the run up to their upcoming 4th album, Viva La Vida. This is according to manager Dave Holmes. He also adds that it will be 'pretty significant'. What could it be? An ARG similar to the Year Zero experience? Who knows. What is also planned is a release of material from the Viva La Vida sessions that didn't make the album (ala Radiohead...not the first time either).

Some Oasis demos for their long-awaited 6th album have been leaked onto the net. Three of them have been sneaking around and one that I've listened to is Nothing On Me. What can I say? It's Oasis. The same Oasis guitar sounds, the same Liam Gallagher sneer...same old same old. Can't say I'm quivering in excitement.

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Variable Pricing...what the hell is it?

Warners Music Group are trying a new tactic to erase all memories of a torrid few years financially (just like the other majors) - something known as 'variable pricing'. A deal with Digonex Technologies, a company based in Indiana who have been pushing this idea for some time, will allow the major label to pilot a program for the albums it releases digitally. Details are a bit wishy-washy and it's not really known whether or not major artists on the label will take part. What is being promised though is that consumers will have an affect on the way albums are priced.

One question remains though - what is the true definition of variable pricing in this context? It basically means that the prices of songs/albums could change frequently dependent on consumer behaviours in order for the company to find what is being described as the 'sweet spot'. This includes things like how long the music has been available for, what the demand is for it and so forth. But even whilst typing this out, I keep thinking to myself 'this really isn't going to be that different from the way music is priced at the moment.'

Even though this is a very experimental idea and aspects of it could change, I don't think this could ever work in a mass retail sense. For one, iTunes, 7 Digital, Napster and so forth will not want to change their standard charges for albums, since they have their own principals when it comes to business. That and there's also the age old problem of stopping illegal downloaders, which it won't.

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Interview with The John Steel Singers

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll have probably seen my post bigging up The John Steel Singers from Brisbane, Australia. If you liked what you heard then you'll be pleased to hear that today, which is appropriately sunny and hot and all summer-like, we have an interview with them for you to read. Topics for discussion include their band name, the influence of Triple J and why the music scene down under is so damn good right now.

Max: Perhaps the most unoriginal first question in an interview ever - how on Earth did you decide on a name like The John Steel Singers?

John Steel Singers: It came to Tim in a dream, apparently he had been watching a lot of Starsky and Hutch and had a dream about being in a detective duo with a guy called John Steel, John was a mixture of all the great crime fighting figures of the 80's. Chuck Norris's hat, Tom Selleck's moustache etc. He also had the mane of a wild stallion and a penchant for Cubans and carrots. And a great singing voice. Tim has some disturbingly erotic dreams.

M: What music did you grow up listening to and made you want to be in a band?

JSS: My father has a horrible collection of M.O.R. Country Rock records. Thankfully I didn't absorb too much of that because I was always disgusted by it.

M: You've been compared with an eclectic bunch of musicians - from Johnny Cash to The Beach Boys. Do you find it odd and/or flattering to be compared to such historical artists?

JSS: Both for sure, the Beach Boys are a favourite of everyone in the band so to be compared to them, although it seems highly inconceivable to me, is flattering as hell.

M: You're heading out on a Triple J-associated tour (The Flying High Tour). How much does the backing by Triple J really help a band like yours?

JSS: It has been really awesome… The support they have given us from our earlier demos has taken us from nobodies to well…occasionally known bodies. It is quite amazing just to have the Triple J drum logo on our tour posters.

M: What other touring plans do you have after The Flying High Tour? Is there any ambition to play gigs overseas?

JSS: Hells yeah!! If all goes to plan then we'll hopefully make it off this god forsaken land sometime next year… But its just in dream format at the moment, no formal plans have been made… We'll be spending the rest of the year touring around our beautiful country and doing our best to not have regular jobs.

M: I understand you've just re-released your EP as a mini-album in Australia. Are they any plans for a full-length LP?

JSS: Hells yeah!! The super secret plan is for another EP in a couple of months and then a full release closer to the end of year… But that's super secret so this email will self destruct 10 seconds after being read in full… Of course if you just skip one word then the self destruct beacon wont be activated… But that's super secret so this sentence will self destruct 10 seconds after being read in full… But if you skip one word then disaster will be diverted.

M: How would you best describe the music scene in Australia at the moment and what bands would you recommend?

JSS: The music scene is joyous… since spell check didn't flag that word I'm assuming that its real so I'm sticking with it.. some great local bands are Cloud Control who we are doing the Flying High tour with and also Yves Klein Blue who hail from Brisbane as well. A Sydney band called Richard In Your Mind have released an album full of wonderful psychedelic tunes and if you happen upon a Cuthbert And The Nightwalkers song you are guaranteed to grin like a fool.

You can listen to tracks from their mini-album, The Beagle And The Dove, on their MySpace.

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A footnote

Some of the comments I get are downright bizzare, especially lately with some of my album review posts. I've had a few posts with links to download the album on such sites like Rapidshare (which happens to be the most popular and shitty file-sharing site in the universe). What I found even more funny today was that someone decided that even though The Slip is a free album download, I could download it through a file-sharing site.

God bless the Internet.

Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

And there I was thinking that Ghosts would be the only Nine Inch Nails record of 2008. How wrong am I? And how productive is Trent Reznor these days? Jeez. Anyways, Trent feels that he has hit a songwriting peak, aided by the addition of Robin Finck to their rehearsals of the touring they are about to do in the USA this summer. The result is The Slip - the 8th studio album by the industrial rockers and given out free by Reznor this morning, with artwork included. This was his way of saying thank you to the fans saying 'this one's on us.'

This is also definitely not the next part of Ghosts. What this ends up as is a much more direct album than Ghosts and Year Zero. 1,000,000 (the first proper track after the intro of 999,999) is a clear statement of intent - a song that rocks. Hard. The next song, Letting You, is even more brutal in its drumming and its clear at this point that Trent has found his bite again after the peaceful ambiance on Ghosts.

The two songs released for free by the band in the last couple of weeks follow. Discipline has now fully grown on me after my scathing review of it first time around and I now concur with the notion that this is a groovy song. Bass-driven, heavy, yet as danceable as The Hand That Feeds and Only, this could be a real highlight in the live sets. Echoplex is a pretty chilled out song in comparison but it has a really cool and sleek vibe to it. Heads Down is another typical NIN rocker with a bit of techno freestyling akin to The Great Destroyer from Year Zero added for good measure.

From here in on, the album very bluntly takes on a different tone. Lights In The Sky tries to be an intimate, raw, edgy piano ballad but it ends up being something that NIN have done before in the past a lot better. This leads into seven-minute instrumental Corona Radiata - the track most reminiscent of anything off Ghosts - which, whilst with its moments, is unspectacular. The Four Of Us Are Dying continues the ambient vibe but one with a more industrial sound and considerably louder. Demon Seed finishes off the album, but even that is instantly forgettable.

So, overall, this album definitely has its fair share of good tracks - something of a relief after the experimentations of their instrumental project. There are some stinkers towards the end that let down the album, but what people shouldn't forget is that Nine Inch Nails can still produce heavy, angry, noisy rock songs almost two decades after their debut record.

RATING - 7/10

You can download The Slip for free here.

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Music Distribution Watch: The Cure

In the light of all these new ways of releasing music, Musical Chairs starts a new feature similar to what I discussed about a week or so ago.

THE CURE

What: Singles from the new album.

The deal: Singles from The Cure's upcoming album 13th will be released every month on the 13th, which seems logical, for four months until the untitled record comes out. These will sold in a physical format (through their store for definite - not sure if the big chains are taking part too at this moment in time) and a digital format.

Each release will include an a-side from the new album and a b-side that won't be featured. The frist two releases will be The Only One/NY Trip and Freakshow/All Kinds Of Stuff

Summary: A nice revival of the 'singles club' idea many years ago when vinyl was still all the rage. The problem is though that the whole thing does somewhat smell of some sort of gimmick on the part of the record label.

A good idea, but the operation is a bit too slick.

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Odds & Ends for 2nd May 2008

Some observations from the week just gone:

White Williams is an artist who I was going to profile this week, but things got in the way and I've left it on the side for the time being. Probably not a wise move, since I've just learned that, as well as supporting Vampire Weekend in the UK very soon, he's going to support Nine Inch Nails this summer. What a gig for him eh? He joins Crystal Castles, Deerhunter, A Place To Bury Strangers and Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Things have been pretty quiet on the gig going front recently but in just under a couple of weeks time I will be celebrating my freedom from uni for the summer with a trip to the Hammersmith Apollo to see The Raconteurs. Fact fans may want to take note that I actually saw Brendan Benson play that venue before, supporting Beck in 2005, which feels like a decade ago. Expect a review of that gig in about a couple of weeks. The NME have hinted that the live shows still feel like a Jack White side project, so it'll be interesting to see if that is the case.

Music that I've been listening to:

• Dawn Landes - New York singer songwriter whose song Bodyguard was today's free mp3 on Spinner. There's some pretty darn good potential there, and I'll be looking into her in the near-future.
• Fifths Of Sevens - this was from Jackdaws Love, who describes it music pretty well, and it's quite a lovely piece of instrumental music. Again, I'll have to check out more of these guys.
• Wolf Parade - they have a new album out soon called Meet At Mount Zoomer and I've listened to a new song entitled Call It A Ritual (link via Stereogum). It's pretty damn good.

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The John Steel Singers

The John Steel Singers are another new Australian band that have caught my attention. And there doesn't seem to be a better time to be introduced to their sunshine pop. This group of multi-instrumentalists (ranging from glockenspiels to trombones and trumpets) are already backed by Triple J (they're heading out on a tour very soon down under that is presented by the influental radio station) and their music is a wonderful mix of influences from The Kinks to The Velvet Underground. An album is said to be on the cards after the success of their first mini-album, The Beagle And The Dove.

The track I've singled out from that release is Strawberry Wine.

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The tale of a pig that got away

What happens if you mix an inflatable pig, a massive desert and quotes seemingly taken from a Simpsons episode? Yes, you get, by far and away, the funniest music news of the year thus far.

Basically, Roger Waters played a marathon headlining set on Sunday night at Coachella in California. He also, during one of his songs, unveiled a pig the size of two double decker buses in width. That's a big pig - so big that it had to be tied down with ropes and wires to stop if from flying away. Unfortunately for Roger, things didn't go quite so smoothly. The pig flew away into the nightime through the deserts, as seen here at the very end of this video.

What followed is just pure insanity and comic hilarity that could only ever happen in a cartoon, preferably The Simpsons. As the pig floated away, Roger Waters could be heard saying "that's my pig!". The quotes just kept on coming with a spokeswoman for the festival saying "it really wasn't supposed to happen that way." Really now? Anyway, an appeal for the pig was made by the organisers with a cash bounty being offered as well as four festival tickets for life.

And today, the remains of the burst piggy were claimed by some peaceful folk and they were duly given the rewards, bringing to an end the most bizzare and funniest piece of news for a long time. You can listen to the residents explaining how they realised that they had the remains of a $10,000 inflatable animal on BBC News.

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New tracks roundup

I've listened to a good chunk of new stuff recently, so here are some brief reviews of four new songs that have been recently released to the music consuming public:

Coldplay - Violet Hill
The first single off the group's fourth album, Viva La Vida Or Death To All His Friends, is nowhere near first single material when compared to the likes of In My Place or Speed Of Sound. Instead, the sound is darker and heavier (well, by their standards anyway). I think the track is fine but the eerie introduction, clearly Eno-influenced, is far too long. One does also wonder whether this is a real reflection of their new sound...only time will tell.

Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart
Any band who decides to release an eight and a half minute song as a lead single from a new album is brave. It's even more of a feat if the song is actually good, which this is in leaps and bounds. For the first half, its musical sound is mesmerising and when Ben Hibbard's vocals come in, the full equation is completed rather brilliantly. Attention grabbing and one of the more impressive single releases this year, it wets the appetite for forthcoming album, Narrow Stairs, nicely.

The Dresden Dolls - Night Reconnaissance
A solid song taken from their upcoming release called No, Virginia (I can never figure out whether it's a proper album release or just a stop-gap based on the content). It's everything you would expect from the Boston two-piece - Amanda's vocals are assertive yet not overwhelming, whilst Brian's drumming skills are as tight as usual. Overall, a track that will no doubt please the fanbase.

CSS - Rat Is Dead
By far and away the weakest of the four songs that I've listened to. Rat Is Dead, the first single from their second record called Donkey, is basically the same CSS as the first album but recycling the things they did on the first album and hoping no one will notice. They're one of those bands that I could never envisage lasting very long in the music industry. This track proves my theory.

But you can judge for yourself! I have put all four songs for download, since my attempt to create a widget failed miserably. If I were to suggest a favourite out of the four it would be Death Cab For Cutie, but The Dresden Dolls song is also pretty good.

Coldplay - Violet Hill
Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart
The Dresden Dolls - Night Reconnaissance
CSS - Rat Is Dead

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Reading/Leeds and Glastonbury line up additions

A couple of festival line-up updates have been announced.

First up, the Reading and Leeds festivals. British Sea Power somehow have managed to nab themselves a spot on the Main Stage on the 23rd at Reading and the 24th at Leeds. Across all other stages, notable additions include Mystery Jets, The Music and Seasick Steve. The Dance Stage (hitting Leeds on Friday before heading to Reading on Sunday) is looking like one of the places to be. In addition to CSS headlining, Simian Mobile Disco, Chromeo and Lethal Bizzle (I'd like to find out how he passes off as a dance artist) are part of a pretty solid line-up.

Glastonbury has also finally revealed their full-line up. Obviously, because of its humongous size, I won't put the whole thing on this post (you can take a look for yourself if you so wish on The Guardian's website), but instead some of my thoughts on the line up. First off, it does seem to be incredibly diverse, as Emily Eavis pointed out. The main two Saturday night headliners prove this point - you have a choice of the mainstream hip-hop of Jay-Z or the rather brilliant and atmospheric trip-hop sounds of Massive Attack. Other hidden delights include My Morning Jacket headlining The Park on Sunday night and the John Peel Stage, which is 90% full of brilliant artists.

Out of the two, I'd still make the trip to Reading/Leeds but I'm surprised at how decent Glastonbury looks.

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Life sentences for Sophie Lancaster killers

This post could be argued as nothing to do with music, but I think it has got relevance.

The killers of Sophie Lancaster have been given life sentences. Brendan Harris and Ryan Herbert will have to serve a minimum of 18 years and 16 years respectively. The pair of teenagers kicked Sophie to death last summer because of her goth background.

I for one, in an age where justice seems few and far between these days, couldn't be more happy. The fact that an innocent girl was murdered simply for being a goth is absurd. No one should ever be targeted because of the music they listen to and the culture that goes along with it. It's sickening to see such discrimination lead to events such as this and the scenes in Mexico that Gerard Way has recently spoken out against. As much as I think he can be a prat sometimes, he is definitely doing the right thing in protesting against this behaviour and I firmly believe more bands should be doing the same.

Mark Beaumont is spot on when he says that this has gone beyond bottling Panic At The Disco at Reading in 2006. Are we now living in a society where we are more highly discriminative than ever? What is being done to stop such tragic deaths like this?

The judge's comments are what I finish with, and there could not be more truer words spoken, courtesy of NME.com:

Judge Anthony Russell QC described the behaviour of the Harris and Herbet as "feral thuggery".

He added, "This was a terrible case which has shocked and outraged all who have heard about it. At least wild animals, when they hunt in packs, have a legitimate reason for so doing, to obtain food."

Speaking to the pair as he sentenced them, Russell said: "You have none [legitimate reasons for attack] and your behaviour on that night degrades humanity itself."

The judge went on to describe the goth community as "perfectly peaceful law-abiding people who pose no threat to anybody".

Speaking to the sentenced duo again he said: "This was a hate crime against these completely harmless people targeted because their appearance was different to yours."

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Prince, proposals and pigs - some notes from Coachella 2008

This weekend saw Coachella take place in the deserts of California. Now deemed the unofficial start of the American festival season, there were many highlights to be had if you were a punter and some odd goings on. A summary:

Prince, who headlined on the Saturday night, arrived late but won back the support of the punters with an unexpected cover of Radiohead's Creep:



YouTube has been updated rapidly with videos from the festival. This was one of the better ones - The Raconteurs performing Consoler Of The Lonely, amidst a beautiful sunset:



There was even a wedding proposal at the festival this year! Of all bands to choose their soundtrack, they chose Spiritualized. Odd. And finally, Roger Waters chose to use his slot on Sunday night to back Barack Obama. With an inflatable pig. Again, odd.

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Mates Of State

Not a new band by any stretch of the imagination but definitely one under the radar of mainstream music. Mates Of State are comprised of Kori Gardner on keyboards and vocals whilst Jason Hammel provides the drum beats. They're from Kansas and their forthcoming effort, Re-Arrange Us, will be their fifth studio album since forming in 1997. This is indie pop at its god-damn finest.

Their MySpace page claims that their songs are like "three minute brainstorms" - something find hard to dispute. Whilst the melodies and harmonies are very poppy, they still somehow manage to sound different from what's in the mainstream right now. Most of their past work has been done with a bass-heavy organ but the lead single from the new record, Get Better, is piano led and feels very melancholic in comparison.

Feel free to check them out on their MySpace page, or to check out the video for Get Better below.



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Portishead - Machine Gun

It's been a long time since Portishead released any music. It's also taken an equally bloody long time for me to finally recognise that they actually are just as good as fellow Bristol musical masterminds Massive Attack. Machine Gun, the lead single off their third album (Third - what originality!), is quite a disturbing piece of music. The drum sounds are vicious yet minimalistic and it all builds into a synth-led crescendo that is subtle yet affecting. Not only that, but Beth Gibbons has, it could be argued, one of the most powerful and beautiful voices in music right now.



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Do NME readers play vinyl?

Honestly, it is a serious question.

In a couple of weeks time, Coldplay will be issueing a vinyl, in conjuction with hipster publication NME, of their first single from their upcoming fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends (Chris Martin isn't good at naming things is he?) called Violet Hill. A Spell A Rebel Yell will also be on it and is being promoted as an 'exclusive' track that won't be available anywhere else...so just an average B-side then. All joking aside, I'm a fan of the band and am intrigued as to what the new material is like.

NME are no stranger to free music giveaways. They gave away a remix CD of Bloc Party's one-off single Flux and a free download from The Verve rehearsals last year. They've also given away Babyshambles and White Stripes vinyls to their readers.

But do the readers of NME care for vinyl? Sure, it may look pretty and it's a nice collector's item, but I fear that most readers of the NME (who I deem to be mostly teenagers and students) don't actually own anything that resembles a device that plays records. I also find it deeply tragic that people in that target market don't make the effort to purchase a record player.

I think the idea behind NME's giveaway promotions are sound but vinyl isn't the way to go. It feels like wasted energy on their part. They should probably stick to mp3s, because that's down with the kids these day isn't it?

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Nine Inch Nails - Discipline

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is encouraging all of us to take our shirts off and dance to his new free-for-download single, Discipline. Sadly, it just doesn't have the desired effect on me. The trouble is, despite the cool heavy-bass riff and twinkling piano sounds over a rave-like beat, it doesn't really go anywhere. It feels much like the long-lost cousin of With Teeth single Only, except just not as good. Worst of all, it feels like a remix of a song that should been so good. Totally directionless.

If this is a taster of potential new material, the signs aren't good.

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Music distribution methods: What works and what doesn't?

It is now just over six months since Radiohead threw a curveball at the industry fat cats and released In Rainbows through their own site for download, inviting the customer to value their purchase. Since then, releasing music hasn't been the same. Many bands have tried their take on distributing their own work.

So, what methods work and what don't? What is there to be learned from the last half-year?

RADIOHEAD

What: In Rainbows

The deal: You could purchase a digital copy the Oxford quintet's 7th album through their website. The consumer could also pick a price for their purchase of anything up to £100, so in theory, you could download it for nothing.

Also on offer was a 'discbox'. This contained the CD, a bonus CD of extra material, a vinyl copy of the main album, lyrics and exclusive artwork, all in one neatly packaged box.

Summary: This was the thing that kick-started the 'revolution', as the media likes to call it, and, whilst the idea was innovative and unique, it had people moaning about the inferior quality of the audio in comparison to other formats they could have released it in.

THE CHARLATANS

What: You Cross My Path

The deal: The Charlatans teamed up with XFM to give away their 10th studio album for free. No cost whatsoever. Simple as.

Summary: This, whilst a gesture of great kindness to the fan, is not something I would call a 'sustainable strategy'. This is something that to me only works for tracks and singles.
NINE INCH NAILS

What: Ghosts I-IV

The deal: Trent Reznor give customers no less than five purchase options for his new two-disc instrumental record. They were:

The first part of Ghosts for download at no cost.
All of Ghosts with artwork and all that jazz for $5.
The CD copy for $10.
A deluxe edition package, including multi-track DVD, Blu-Ray DVD and the CD copy for $75.
A limited edition set with all the above plus some autographed memorabilia for $300, which sold out instantly.

Summary: Trent Reznor is a smart man and knows that customers want choice. This method is one that is an all-around winner and is helped by the quality and presentation of Ghosts I-IV. Shame that the shipping costs are so damn expensive.

THE RACONTEURS

What: Consolers Of The Lonely

The deal: Perhaps the strategy closest to conventional release methods, the Detroit band chose to announce their new album worldwide a week later to avoid leaks. It was available in all formats.

Summary: It worked to an extent but, despite the grumblings of Mr Jack White, the record still leaked a hefty five days early. That and the worldwide release didn't work fully. A brave attempt but a failed attempt.

So, here are some quick-fire dos and don'ts.

DO release your album as soon as announced.
DON'T as Trent Reznor would say, "get caught with your pants down," and get a server that will crash on the first day due to demand.
DO value your music wisely.
DON'T add insane shipping costs.
DON'T allow gaps between announcement and release. These things do leak fast. Really fast.
DO give the customer choice.
DON'T exclude CDs and vinyls. People still dig those formats as much as mp3s.

Of course, this only applies to rock bands with money. New bands may wish to avoid this...

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Massive Attack's Meltdown

Massive Attack have announced the full line-up of musical treats for Meltdown, which this year they are curating, in June. As you would expect from the band, they've arranged a really mixed and diverse festival. From the melancholic rock of Elbow, to the jazz of Terry Callier, legendary post punks Gang Of Four and a reggae evening headlined by longtime collaborator Horace Andy.

And of course, Massive Attack will be playing a couple of dates themselves. I'm hoping to go along to at least one date.

The full-line up:

Massive Attack - Royal Festival Hall (June 14)
Gong - Queen Elizabeth Hall (June 14)
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Royal Festival Hall (June 15)
Reggae Acoustic Songbook: Horace Andy, Johnny Clarke, Earl 16 and Prince Malachai - Queen Elizabeth Hall (June 15)
Elbow, Fleet Foxes - Royal Festival Hall (June 16)
Vangelis' Blade Runner Soundtrack performed by the Heritage Orchestra, live mixing by Massive Attack - Royal Festival Hall (June 17)
Stiff Little Fingers, Mark Stewart, Adrian Sherwood - Royal Festival Hall (June 18)
The Shortwave Set, Martina Topley-Bird - Queen Elizabeth Hall (June 18)
Grace Jones - Royal Festival Hall (June 19)
Future Sound of hip Hop: Dalek, Cool Kids, Shape of Broad Minds - Queen Elizabeth Hall (June 19)
Gang of Four, Tom Tom Club - Royal Festival Hall (June 20)
Terry Callier, Aloe Blacc - Queen Elizabeth Hall (June 20).
Tunng, Leila - Queen Elizabeth Hall (June 21)
Massive Attack - Royal Festival Hall (June 22)

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Record Store Day

Yesterday, a group of very small, independent record shops joined forces to organise something called Record Store Day. This was supported by many artists and musicians including Damon Albarn, Regina Spektor, Amanda Palmer and Paul McCartney to name but a few. In an age where there are big chains selling music for rip-off prices (HMV, Zavvi etc) and where you can also download tracks with the click of a button - legally AND illegally - these businesses are dying. It's quite a sad reality.

Record shops are good for two reasons. The first, and perhaps most important, is the stuff you can buy in them. Because these stores have such a mass array of random CDs and vinyls makes them look like even more a treasure trove. Last week whilst scouring Camden I stumbled across Swim by Feeder on vinyl. There's just nowhere else I would expect to find such a rarity. They also tend to price things a lot cheaper than big brands. I got Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd for £4 last year and a copy of a Nine Inch Nails CD single called Sin, released originally in 1990, for £5. Even eBay sellers don't sell these at such a generously low amount.

The second reason is the people who actually own them. It seems almost a cliche that these people are music nerds who do Top 5 lists similar to those in High Fidelity, but they are incredibly brainy and their knowledge is valuable. The person who owns Ben's, my local record shop in Guildford, called...erm, Ben, was the one who first pointed me in the direction of the epic pop of Scott Walker, through hearing something being played on the store PA (I had first heard of the tune through a Divine Comedy cover - it might have been Jackie).

So whatever your tastes, make a trip to your local record shop every now and again. They need your money to stay alive, and in return they will offer you some amazing musical treasures.

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For the attention of Jim

My three week assessement period starts today.

Feeder Old/Feeder New

Feeder have a brand new album out this year. I seem to be one of the only few who still care about this band and it seems that the days of wanting to be Coldplay are now over. Pure rock music is now back on the agenda for this Welsh trio. Miss You is a short, sharp and catchy song with the pop sensibilities that have been their trademark on so many occasions. In a way, however much I like the song, I get the impression that they're trying to recreate past glories. I now fully accept that the days of Polythene are over, but I don't think the band do. However, this is an excellent taster of an album that promises to be more Kerrang (well...close to it anyway) than Magic FM.

But speaking of past glories...

Today on my shopping escapades in London, whilst with my girlfriend's parents on their holidays here, I managed to find a copy of Swim by Feeder on vinyl (as pictured above). I checked the vinyl to see if it really was what I thought it was. This 6-song mini-album is the band's first proper release. This was a taster of what would become the band's debut album. I bought it and, despite a few scratches that ruin things slightly, it works most of the time. And it was £8.

This album showcases the abilities that Feeder displayed in abundance early in their career. They could rock hard with pummeling rhythms and beautifully distorted guitar melodies (Shade and Stereo World), tender moments that were so much better than anything off Pushing The Senses (Swim), and it had Descend, a song so powerful it still feels good in 2008. The re-released CD version, which you might be able to find in some rip-off record shops, have five extra tracks that just do not match the quality of the original article.

As opposed to songs about 'drinking cider from a lemon', this is what I'll remember Feeder for when their career finally subsides.

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Editors - An End Has A Start

A very quick disclaimer. I know that this album was out last summer, but I only bought it today. All the album reviews I post on Musical Chairs will be albums that I've acquired as opposed to trying to be up-to-date. If I try and be up-to-date it ends up being rather formulaic and boring, which is what this blog should NOT be. Instead, I want to have a sense of spontaneity.

Anyway.

An End Has A Start is the second album by Editors, who hail from Birmingham. I was a fan of their debut album, The Back Room, in 2005 and was very intrigued as to what they would do next. After hearing Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors last year for the first time, I immediately dismissed it. But a quick succession of solid singles has slowly started to turn me around, and now I've finally decided to give it a go.

And it was £6 from HMV (yes, I know, HMV! A nice change from rip-off pricing).

It's a solid follow up, and also a completely gloomy one in its theme of death. The one clear difference on this album in terms of sound is that it sounds far more bigger and grandiose than The Back Room. One is almost tempted to utter the band beginning with U and ending in 2, but it's such an inevitable comparison, I'll save myself. These moments do work very well. Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors has turned from a track I dismissed the first time round into a statement of intent that is one of my favourites

One of the factors contributing to the more expansive sound is a more significant use of piano. It adds a sense of drama and it works for almost every track it's used on, with The Racing Rats and Push Your Head Towards The Air notable favourites. Editors though still can produce songs that are straightforward three and a half minute anthems that you can dance to. An End Has A Start and Bones showcase the sound of this four-piece that fans have known and loved. The trademark, eerie guitar sounds courtesy of Peter Urbanowicz and the fast, up-tempo rhythms are more than evident.

You do wonder though, after listening to the album all the way through whether or not you feel totally satisfied with this sophomore attempt. Even though the length is ideal and the songs are solid, I ask myself whether this is what I wanted from Editors for album two. I still don't really know, even whilst writing this up. What I can say though is that it is a solid album and that the potential is there for them to make even better albums. This is not their masterpiece, just merely a good album.

RATING 7/10

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GIG REVIEW - Muse at Royal Albert Hall

Before we start talking about Muse, it might be worth mentioning a few words about The Futureheads. They were very, very solid and the new stuff sounds very good, with highlights being The Beginning Of The Twist and Radio Heart. They also played some good choice cuts from their first album, including Carnival Kids and Man Ray, both amazing album tracks that never saw the light of day as singles, and the obligatory Hounds Of Love cover.

Right, onto Muse.

I didn't really know what Muse would do for this show, but if anything I thought the setlist might be a bit underwhelming. In truth, it was the same setlist template that they had for their shows in Australia and New Zealand last Autumn...but it's amazing how three songs can change a gig from being merely a good one to a great one.

Fury - A b-side from the days of Absolution that I think should have been on the album instead of The Small Print, this was an excellent surprise. I knew they played it down under last year but I didn't know how much longetivity there was for that song live. It was an immense, dramatic and powerful performance.

Bliss - This song never fails to be disappointing live. The place went nuts when it came on and the sight from where I was seeing balloons falling all around the Royal Albert Hall was amusing. The fact that Matt played the last night whilst at the same time popping a balloon onstage in a highly theatrical manner made it even more glorious.

But nothing compared to the genius of...

Megalomania - This is the end result of mixing Muse and a big bloody organ. A song that hasn't been played since 2002 and in the past has sounded very underwhelming, because of the lack of a proper organ to play it with. Last night, it sounded biblical (and what a blatantly obvious similie that was!). Absolutely huge sounding and there are no words that could justify how I felt when they played it.

Except for maybe a YouTube video which I shot, which you can find at the bottom of this post.

The setlist in full:

Take A Bow
Map Of The Problematique
Supermassive Black Hole
New Born
Butterflies & Hurricanes
Fury
Feeling Good
Invincible
Hysteria
Starlight
Time Is Running Out
Stockholm Syndrome

Encore:
Megalomania
Plug In Baby
Knights Of Cydonia

Not to forget a whole load of riffs all over the place that made the setlist seem longer. The lack of any piano songs other than Feeling Good is also disappointing, but I can live.

The photo at the top of his post was taken by someone who wants to be known as Crazy Bob and you can view his set of amazing photos here.

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George Lamb

This man is a total tool, and yet he is nominated for a Sony Award. For anyone unsure of what these awards are, they're the Oscars of the British radio industry. I'd like to think that the awards would go out to people and stations that deserve it.

But no.

I would like to think that 6music is a station that caters for my need. Radio 1 is too mainstream and in a couple of years I will not be in their target audience age, Radio 2 is...Radio 2 and XFM has Dave Berry as a DJ. 6music not only has music that I like to listen to, it's played by people who actually know the music and know what they're talking about. George Lamb fits absolutely none of the 6music criteria.

Interviews that are poorly researched, catchphrases that are totally stupid, and, from the official petition to get him off the air, we do not wish to listen to radio that asks 'which of my friends would be in your top 5' to its guests.

I know that most radio personalities are total prats. You know, the over-enthusiastic (Zane Lowe), the over-talking up (Westwood) and the overly-annoying (Jo Whiley), but somewhere along the choppy seas of music fools, there are DJs who do demand my attention and my listening ears. DJs like Steve Lamacq, John Kennedy and, before his tragic death three and a half years ago, John Peel. George Lamb may be the person that is singled out here, but he is the frontrunner of a whole army of dumb, despeate and deluded disc jockeys.

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GIG REVIEW - 65daysofstatic at Indig02

A quick review this one.

I was lead to believe that there were two support bands. There were FOUR OF THEM. Four bands over two and a half hours? That's just something my brain can't really deal with. So, here's my summary of all four in one sentence:

Dark Captain Light Captain - Gentle, calming music but didn't really interest me much to be honest.
Pilgrim Fathers - Using weird noises that really amounted to nothing, and at one point the singer sounded like Kermit The Frog being strangled.
Gay For Johnny Depp - Utter shite musically but thoroughly entertaining nonetheless.
Errors - The potential is there for them to be good but I got distracted far too easily.

65daysofstatic came on at about 10pm and rocked the Small Dome for a good solid hour. One thing that was different from the last time I saw them do a full set (that will be at the Camden Electric Ballroom last November), was that there were loads more rave/dance elements added. These were mostly in the form of intros and outros, but they sounded absolutely amazing. The outro at the end of Radio Protector into A Failsafe is just the stuff of genius.

The setlist was mixed up a bit too. No encore but the set was filled with lots of songs from their debut album, The Fall Of Math. The fact that they opened with 'well-known' song Retreat! Retreat! caught me by surprise but it was one that was pleasant. Their second album, One Time For All Time, was represented reasonably well. Await Rescue is one of the best songs in the 65daysofstatic armoury due to its galloping pace. Once again though, the choice of tracks from their current album, The Destruction Of Small Ideas, was a bit poor. Only A Failsafe and Dance Parties really stood out, perhaps reflecting the fact that it really is the band's weakest album to date.

But, this band are amazing live. If you get a chance to see them in your local area, please do. You won't be disappointed by the loud, euphoric noises that these four men from Sheffield generate.

The setlist was:

Retreat! Retreat!
Await Rescue
Install A Beak In The Heart That Clucks Time In Arabic
Default This
These Things You Can't Unlearn
Primer
Fix The Sky A Little
65 Doesn't Understand You
Another Code Against The Gone
Dance Parties
Radio Protector
A Failsafe

Also, the sound at the IndigO2 venue was amazing. Far better than I had expected it to be, considering the rubbish sound issues in the main 02 Arena.

All the good pictures of the support bands can be found here on my Flickr account. No pictures of 65daysofstatic because of anal security but at least I got some photos before the idiot told me to put my camera away. Because obviously a compact Canon, which I disable flash for gigs anyway, is a major irritation for a band...yup.

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Prince for Coachella

Prince seems to have a knack of making surprise announcements. There was the revelation that he would play the Brit Awards in 2006 to perform a medley of hits (yes, for no obvious reason, but who cares?) and the release of his last album with the Daily Mail for free. Now he has announced that he will headline the Saturday of US festival Coachella, along with Portishead and Kraftwerk. Why oh why have the US festivals seemingly got the best line ups this year. Coachella and Lollapalooza have managed to secure easily two of the best looking festival line ups for 2008.

More interestingly, does this mean that Prince could play a few more festivals this year?

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Glastonbury's Bad Year

Michael Eavis must be wanting to crawl up in a ball in his house by Worthy Farm. This year, Glastonbury has just had no momentum going whatsoever. The festival has been plagued by grumblings left, right and centre...all nearly three months before it starts.

The line up has caused a major talking point. Obviously, you can never please anyone, but the inclusion of Jay-Z on the Saturday is now looking like a major deterrent to the music loving public. I, for one, have never agreed with the idea of someone like Jay-Z headlining, because whenever I think of his name, the word 'corporate' comes to mind. Glastonbury is simply not a corporate festival, and that's the way it should remain.

In addition, poor Mr Eavis has had to defend himself on many occassions saying that the lack of demand for tickets isn't because of the headliners; instead blaming God for the rain that Glastonbury gets year on year. As if that's an original excuse. But the stats do speak volumes. Registration was down on 2007, and it's not even a sell-out yet. Hence why they've taken the decision to open it up once more.

The final nail in the coffin could come in the aftermath of Glastonbury 2008, when we'll know whether the youth have neglected it once more. That could be the most soul destroying statistic of all for Eavis. Either way, this year's event already looks like a wash out.

Glastonbury

Lollapalooza Collaborations?

Aside from the confirmation of the leaked line up for this year's Lollapalooza festival (full details can be found at the official website), but Perry Farrell, the main man behind the Chicago event, has also promised a brand new concept:

This year, we have an amazing concept going. For the first time ever, we’re going to be working with iTunes, and we’re going to be creating unique content, so we’re going to have collaborations — people collaborating on songs — and then put them on iTunes, and then they’ll perform them at Lollapalooza for a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said. “These will be recorded in a studio, but of course because we can share files online, we don’t have to be in the same place at the same time — we have finishing studios all over the world for the artists to finish the piece off. We’ll start to talk with Radiohead about putting them with someone they’d like to collaborate with, tell them how it’s going to go down.

So, will Radiohead team up with Kanye West in perhaps one of the most unlikely collaborations ever concieved by the music gods? Even more intriguing, how cool would a Nine Inch Nails/Rage Against The Machine effort sound? Which artists on the bill would you like to see teaming up? Please feel free to comment with suggestions.

Odds & Ends for 6th April 2008

Lollapalooza looks like the best festival this year. It's a shame really that it is in Chicago. The line up, which is now heavily rumoured to consist of, as headliners, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine and Kanye West. No words can ever describe how amazing a quartet of headliners that is. The fact that Nine Inch Nails are now touring the USA and Canada later this summer pretty much confirms the rumour. The full line up gets announced tomorrow on the official site.

Kasabian's new album is 80% finished, according to Chris Edwards, the bassist in the band. If you have any sense of mathematics that leaves a further 20% left to finish. Apparently, Noel Gallagher is going to have the final say on whether it is finished or not. If I were in a band, Mr Gallagher would not be my first contact, but there you go.

Radiohead, having 'shook up' the music industry, are now taking on the social networks. Waste Central is the band's very own equivalent to MySpace, Facebook and the rest (but not Bebo, since that's pretty shit). Looks pretty nifty to be honest, if a little similar to MySpace design wise, and I'll be very intrigued to see what involvement the band will have with this.

I got my import copy of the Plastic Palace Alice album, The Great Depression, yesterday. A really fine debut album that shows the many talents that the band have. Stand out tracks are Empire Falls, The Girl Who Cried Wolf, Murakami, 1934 and Well. This band is definitely NOT an Arcade Fire tribute band.

Akon is going country. Please just go away you creepy, creepy man.

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Ears To The Skies

I was asked to take part in a new music podcast by a couple of people from uni. The podcast I refer to is called Ears To The Skies and I was asked to take part in a festivals discussion feature. And I'm pleased to say that the podcast is now up and ready for your listening ears. Have a listen through all of it, very good stuff. It has a Frank Turner interview, ELO and an innuendo title. What else could be better?

It's not perfect, especially how loud I am on the mic, but all will be sorted soon.

Ears To The Skies

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Guillemots - Red

Guillemots released their 2006 debut album, Through The Window Pane, at a time when guitar bands were here, there and everywhere. It was a refreshing change to the Arctic Monkeys and their fellow strummers. It was a debut album that was beautiful, lush with arrangements that could make your heart melt and full of songs that were a mix of heartbreaking balladry and fun pop songs. It deserved its Mercury Prize nomination and it should have won it. But guess who did...

Red, their second album, could not be anymore different. This album feels like a different band compared to the gentleness of their debut. Guillemots as a band are ready to loosen up, relax, and make an album that is striking, bold and ambitious. The result is an album that has some of their best work in their short career, and a few real duds.

And if you need any further proof of the change in direction, you can look as early as the album opener, Kriss Kross. It's as immediate an opener as you'll hear on any album all year (thus far, of course) and it's fantastic. The strings are more frantic, the energy level has multiplied by the bucketload, and Ffye Dangerfield, the lead singer, sounds like a more determined, confident man. He asks 'are you coming out tonight?' This song makes me want to say yes instantly.

Another thing you notice about Red is the versatility of the music styles. R'n'B, disco, electronica, jazz, pop rock, jangle pop...the list is endless. The results of this challenging experimentation is mixed.

When it works, it really works. Cockateels is an exotic adventure straight out of Bollywood, with sweeping string arrangements. Last Kiss is an excellent stab at disco with a pulsating bass and gorgeous female vocals. Words is a downtempo jazzy number that finds Ffye in his element with some truly heartbreaking lyrics over a background of musical subtilties.

But the true highlight is perhaps the most simplest song - Falling Out Of Reach. It's an acoustic ballad that feels completely organic and would not feel out of place on their debut. It's touching, heartwarming and one of the best things they've put to tape. If it's not released as a single then I'll fume at Polydor.

But, when it doesn't work, the results are disappointing and frustrating. Pop rock stomper Get Over It is far too average of a song and a weak choice for a lead singer. Big Dog is a brave, but foolish attempt at an R'n'B hit. Standing On The Last Star is a musically quite sound jangle pop song and would be more brilliant if it weren't for the fact that Ffye's voice sounds an awful lot like Mika. For every two decent tracks, one duff one comes along to spoil the fun.

And that is what prevents from liking this album a lot. And I really, really want to like this. If Through The Window Pane was Guillemots' stab at a classical pop record, then this is an attempt at making pop music for the current generation. At most points, it works. At a few points, it doesn't. The cohesion, because of the shortcomings, feels lost.

But, this record still makes Guillemots a band you just can't pigeonhole to a certain genre. And that is a very good thing indeed.

RATING - 7/10

Guillemots

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Odds & Ends for 28th March 2008

In a way, this is the new title for my news in brief style posts (which I kinda stole from these two completely unrelated blogs). But yeah, this is the stuff I didn't really feel like rambling on about in great detail:

Radiohead have announced some tour supports. As far as the UK and Europe are concerned, Bat For Lashes and Modeselektor (a band which Thom has been banging about like a raving loon since Kid A times) will attempt to entertain the masses. It's a great choice of artists and I look forward to seeing both bands.

EDIT: My bad - it's only Bat For Lashes playing the UK. I got a bit confused by the countless news articles saying different things.

My festival conundrum has been partially solved. I'm going to the 02 Wireless festival on the 4th July. I hate Morrissey but the fact that The National and Beck are on the bill so far can only spell out good things for that day. That and my girlfriend likes Morrissey, so everyone wins. I've e-mailed the people behind the tickets for Redfest, asking if I can get a day ticket on the 5th July. Guilfest looks absolutely atrocious this year, even by my very low expectations. I might end up going on the Sunday though, so who knows. That weekend of the 4th/5th/6th could be a trio of festivals!

This was a good post on Twelve Major Chords, explaining why the model that The Raconteurs undertook for their rush-release of Consolers Of The Lonely isn't exactly perfect by any stretch.

I've entered this competition to win tickets to Muse's Royal Albert Hall gig, and to be part of 'the Muse Choir.' That thought scares me a lot, surrounded by hyperactive teens wolf-whistling at Matt or Dom.

Have a good weekend everyone!

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The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

Aaaah, The Raconteurs. Their debut album release in 2006 called Broken Boy Soldiers wasn't too shabby. Songs like Steady As She Goes, Store Bought Bones and Hands rocked hard but had an air of pop sensibilities, similar in a sense to the work of Brendan Benson. The one main criticism I had with it though was that it was far, far too short (just over half an hour) and all the fun was over in a flash. So I had high hopes for a second album, hoping that the band would learn from mistakes in the past.

Since listening to it, I've learnt two key things.

The first thing, and the key reason that stops me from liking this album a lot, is the length, YET AGAIN. This album is 55 minutes long. There are about three or four songs on this album that just do not belong on here. Songs like Attention and Carolina Drama just sound so boring and uninteresting. This kind of thing makes the album more of a frustrating listen than Broken Boy Soldiers. You're ultimately left thinking, at the end of the album, that this could have been over 15 minutes or so ago and would feel far more satisfied for it.

The second thing is how much of a Jack White album this feels. There are several tracks on it that spell out his influence quite clearly, from some of the riffing on tracks like Salute Your Solution, the piano tinkling on tracks like You Don't Understand Me and Pull This Blanket Off, the trumpets from last White Stripes album Icky Thump on tracks like The Switch And The Spur...the list is endless.

There are, despite my grumblings, some pretty darn good, rockin' tracks on this album. Salute Your Solution is an ideal choice for a first single and is easily the most direct song on Consolers Of The Lonely. Five On The Five, Many Shades Of Black and the title track, Consoler Of The Lonely, are all also notable highlights. The Switch And The Spur is the true highlight though, with its absolutely brilliant and dramatic arrangements and it is probably as close as The Raconteurs get to something epic-sounding.

So, overall, there are some good songs on here, but they are all pretty much overshadowed by the issues I have with Consolers Of The Lonely. The fact that The Raconteurs can't seem to make an album of decent length makes them turn from a band with the potential to make something really awesome into a band that frustrates my musical ears.

What's even more worrying, potentially, is that I still feel that they haven't made an album that doesn't feel like more of a side-project for Mr Benson and Mr White. Consolers Of The Lonely does feel like at points the wealth of leftover material from Jack's short-lived Icky Thump phase of his White Stripes time.

It's not necessarily a disaster, just a bit of a disappointment.

RATING: 6/10

The Raconteurs

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Interview with Plastic Palace Alice

Photo courtesy of Elisa Bryant

Plastic Palace Alice, for those who didn't read my gleaming post about them two weeks ago, are an Australian six-piece who make epic, lush and beautiful music with some fittingly grandiose lyrics. On the 29th March, they'll release their debut, The Great Depression, in their own homeland. I'll be making sure that I get myself a copy on import!

I was very lucky enough to get an interview with Gabriel Piras, the bassist of the band who is on the far left of the photo above. I spoke to him about how their debut record was made, their live sound, the Australian music scene and possible plans to come over to the UK.

So yeah, READ ON!

Max: How did Plastic Palace Alice form and what sort of music backgrounds did each of you have before you formed?

Gabriel: The band formed one member at a time, as each person heard Rob’s songs and recognised him as a bit of a twisted genius. Rob and I had both been trying to get a serious band going for years before we met, not everyone we played with shared our obsessive vision I suppose! We only play his songs in this band, but everyone in the band writes songs and music of some sort. Lisa studies classical composition and is responsible for all the beautiful string arrangements on the album. Emily is quite secretive about what she’s written but she assures us it’s there – she’s primarily an actress but has a great ear and an intuitive style. Jeremy was a choirboy for many years prior to becoming a drummer, he’s still just as adorable.

M: You're releasing your debut album, The Great Depression, very soon. Describe the recording process of that album. Was it a quick and easy job or a long, tiring slog?

G: It was recorded in two parts six months apart - we had very little time, twice. All up it worked out as about two weeks recording and two weeks mixing. We payed for the first half ourselves with the faint hope that we would get a grant to finish the album, and we were floored when that grant came through! It’s been the best possible outcome really, our government payed for this record, but we own it - how about that? The long hard slog part is everything that needs doing, including waiting for Christmas to be over, in order to put the damn thing out. It’s been over a year since we finished recording and almost two years since we started it, so we’ve pretty much written the second one now.

M: Are you fed up of the constant comparisons to Arcade Fire & David Bowie? In an ideal world, what artist would you want to be compared to?

G: Not fed up no, out of all the people to be compared to we’re glad it’s been two acts that we’re big fans of! That comparison is based on our first single, which sounds a certain way, but the album is wilfully eclectic, there are a dozen tracks, so twenty two more comparisons to be made – fire away! The ones that come to mind immediately are Neil Young, Talking Heads, Nick Cave, Augie March, Spoon… there’s a bunch but what it amounts to is just a list of our favourite artists; and it shows. We set out to make an elegant pop album which contrasts disparate styles, not to dodge flattering comparisons!

M: Are you surprised at the exposure you guys have in Australia, especially with pretty massive radio stations like Triple J giving you heaps of praise?

G: Australia is lucky to have heaps of grass roots local community radio stations, whose DJs are volunteers and aren’t governed by playlists. We’ve had support from all of those guys. Triple J is the biggest station that has played our single and the only national, we feel lucky because a lot of bands don’t get that far, but it’s still the bottom rung on the station! We have fantastic responses at our shows and it feels like that the reason more people are digging it has as much to do with playing heaps all over the country as with the radio play.

M:Is it difficult trying to recreate your sound onstage?

G: All our songs have evolved in smelly rehearsal rooms so as far as our jobs go, it’s very doable live. We’ve played with string sections on a few occasions and it’s a lovely luxury, but it does take a lot of doing and makes the whole thing a lot less rock! The person with the tough job is the mixer, we run around twenty lines and there’s a bunch of things that only get used once, so if the snooze, we lose! Luckily we work with a bunch of the most excellent exponents of their craft – well, they return our calls at the very least.

M: Sell to me why the Australian music scene has an edge over all other scenes.

G: Venues out the wahzoo, which is good, but not many punters, low population, low sales. This does however mean that if you’re mad enough to do it here, you probably really mean it. There’s such variety here, a lot of it is jockish and crap but the indie scene is chucking out heaps of gems. It’s easy to live here though, and rehearsal space is cheap, so I think it’s been a lot easier for this band to gestate, than it might have been in the UK for instance. None of us work full time for example, which has afforded us the time (to waste). Saying that it’s probably meant that I’ve watched more serialised television than I ever thought possible.

M: Any plans to tour outside of Australia, like in the UK and the rest of Europe? Or are you focusing on your homeland audience for the time being?

G: We would love to. We’re gonna apply for grants. Maybe you can too in your country, on our behalf? No, really, the government gives you free money to do art, try it! Or buy our album en masse, or something. Yes sadly it’s a money thing and we’d be there in a flash if we could afford it, but I think we’re going to have to eventually pick somewhere we like and relocate there for a year or so, cos getting back and forth is a killer! Please feel free to make suggestions. We played with Stars recently and they rate Montreal…

M: Anything else to add?

G: If you do happen to find yourself with a copy of our album, please listen to the whole thing a few times! It might be a bit dense at first but let it settle - we made a big old sprawling albums like they did in the young old days (if not the old old days), and they might be a dying breed. It could be the last time we release something meant to be listened to from go to woe, so come along.

Big thanks for Gabriel for taking the time out to do this and also to the band's media team at Shiny Entertainment who helped me in arranging the interview.

You can buy The Great Depression, out on Saturday through the independent record label Inertia from their own website, albeit on import if you don't live in Australia.

Plastic Palace Alice MySpace

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