Dean & Britta cover Snowstorm – a sacrilegious opinion

Posted on June 20th, 2009 by Andy

Photo by Denim

Last Thursday Dean & Britta performed a set for radio station KCRW’s show Morning Becomes Eclectic. The set mostly featured tracks from 13 Most Beautiful, but slipped in near the end was a cover of Galaxie 500’s Snowstorm. Now Snowstorm is my favourite song, no question. It entered my life at a very important time and did, to a certain extent, play its part in changing that life. I’d possibly suggest that a week hasn’t gone past since I first heard it that I haven’t listened to it, and all that listening hasn’t diminished its effect on me one drop. No other music comes even close to making me feel the way it does.

So, you’d think that hearing Dean Wareham singing Snowstorm would be something that I’d appreciate, and to be honest so would I. But listening to that performance (and an earlier live performance that appeared on YouTube a few weeks previously) made me feel uncomfortable.

It’s always been hard for me to look at Dean’s work with any sort of objectivity, but that’s never been a problem because, well… it has all been great, there’s frankly nothing there which has cause to question my objectivity! I’m pretty certain I’ve never thought, let alone written down, a single jot of criticism of any of his work. Which is going to make the next couple of paragraphs pretty hard going.

I’ve seen Dean & Britta, and Luna before them (and even Damon & Naomi), perform many Galaxie 500 songs and I’ve never been bothered. In fact mostly I have been overjoyed and have swayed blissfully, happy that I can hear these songs again. But for some reason with Snowstorm all the things that have never bothered me in the past really did bother me, and actually they bothered me quite a lot.

Dean’s voice was good, and I think that might be a crucial point in what made it all sound so wrong. Hearing that familiar voice over that unfamiliar backing. The harsher drum sound, the fuzzier guitar, the more intricate bass line, the keyboards… MOSTLY the keyboards. It never had the other worldly, it never took me to that special place that Snowstorm has always taken me. It wasn’t a song capable of changing a life.

I love Dean & Britta and I love that they’re doing Galaxie 500 numbers, and I even appreciate that my attachment to Snowstorm might be quite unique and therefore I am the only one who finds it bothersome. But I do. I hope to get to see Dean & Britta play (a non 13 Most Beautiful show) in the near future, maybe even one of the Galaxie 500 shows they’ve been doing… but I wonder if they’ll take requests?

You can see Dean & Britta playing Snowstorm on KCRW over at A Head Full of Wishes – it’s quite near the end. But I’d suggest you stay here and watch this instead…

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Patti Smith @ The Royal Festival Hall

Posted on June 19th, 2009 by Andy

Patti Smith @ Meltdown photo by GanMed64

Recently in one of those Facebook memes when asked to name my top seven albums I put Patti Smith’s Horses on that list. Obviously lists like that change like the weather but it is a great album and fully deserving of a place on the rotating list of great albums that appear in my top n lists whenever I do them. Until last night I had never seen Patti Smith live, it was just one of those things I knew I needed to do but never actually got around to.

Last night she played at the Royal Festival Hall as part of Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown and provided me with a rollercoaster ride that left me in turns frustrated and breathless… and if pushed to rank it on a scale of greatness it would fall comfortably in the ‘pretty damn’ section.

She opened by reading Piss Factory, maybe she opens every show with it… if she doesn’t, she should, Patti’s delivery just sucked the audience in. She then went on to perform a mix of songs and poetry with various guest musicians including Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Adrian Utley from Portishead, her daughter Jesse and The Master Musicians of JouJouka (who the rest of the crowd adored but who set my teeth on edge with their horrid screechy pipes).

However it was when Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra provided backing that the evening pushed relentlessy on into that ‘pretty damn great’ slot. Before the encore Ornette Coleman walked slowly to center stage, muttered some generic platitudes and walked slowly offstage – a bit more involvement from him would have been nice. Patti is a phenomenal woman with more charisma and energy than I could ever dream of having. I’m relieved to have ticked off another great in my gigography. And, even though she didn’t play any of Horses, I’d go again.

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My new year post about The New Year…

Posted on January 11th, 2009 by Andy

12 days late this time. I managed to miss their London show a few months back through feeling too crappy to go – a bit annoyed about that. Here’s a cool video for a piano version of Seven Days and Seven Nights to make me feel bit better about that…

• My 2008 New Year post
• My 2007 New Year post

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Merry Christmas

Posted on December 23rd, 2008 by Andy

Adam and I, filled with xmas spirit, get down and groove to the Spector xmas album…you also get to see Penny mauling the xmas tree in the background.

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My top 7…albums

Posted on December 16th, 2008 by Andy

Tagged a while back by maurinsky (via Hazel)

This is tricky, mostly tricky because of all I’ve had to leave out (two Galaxie 500 albums for starters).

On Fire – Galaxie 500 (1989)
Best album ever. Nothing more to say (except that its appearance in this list also represents the band’s entire output and that of Luna, Damon & Naomi and Dean & Britta

Ys – Joanna Newsom (2006)
Stunningly ambitious and beautifully realised and one day you all will realise just how perfect a piece of art this is.

Secret Name – Low (1999)
I normally pick “I Could Live in Hope” as my fave Low album, but Secret Name is beautiful and is (according to last.fm) the Low album I listen to more than any other.

The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground (1969)
The third VU album is awesome and the contrast between this and White Light/White Heat just makes it better (that doesn’t mean that I don’t love White Light/White Heat).

Hounds of Love – Kate Bush (1985)
Hounds of Love was my by-myself album of choice for a long time. Listening now it’s remarkable as well in that it manages to not suffer from the time it was made. Previously on Everything’s Swirling.

If You’re Feeling Sinister – Belle & Sebastian (1996)
Just really sweet pop. Previously on Everything’s Swirling.

Horses – Patti Smith (1975)
Whenever I listen to this album I’m stunned I don’t listen to it more.

All the places on this list with the exception of the first two are vulnerable from attack from Motorhead, Brian, Nina Nastasia, Throwing Muses, Stereolab, Yo La Tengo or any one of hundreds of others.

THE RULES:

1. Post your list of the seven best albums, the seven bloggers you will tag, a copy of these rules, and a link back to this page.
2. Each person tagged will put a URL to their Blogger Album Project post along with a list of the seven best albums in the comment section HERE at Hill’s Country. Enough already!
3. Feel free to post the “I Contributed to the Blogger Album Project” Award Graphic on your sidebar, along with a link back to this page.
4. Post a link back to the blogger who tagged you.

As before…if you read this consider yourself tagged.

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Ahhh…The New Year

Posted on August 12th, 2008 by Andy

Not only has it been a four year wait for this album but it’s been a nine month wait since they announced the new album…but now it’s less than a month away. The new album by The New Year is called The New Year and rccrdlbl.com has a track from it to download and it’s…well…unmistakably a track by The New Year.

As if the wait hasn’t been unbearable enough Touch and Go have been putting out occasional “teaser trailers” which just make clear that 30 seconds of The New Year just isn’t enough. Here’s the proof…

09/09/08 still seems too far away…

…and they’ll be over here in November – that’ll get me off my lazy arse…

…and at the Luminaire…it just keeps getting sweeter…

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Joanna Newsom & Red Krayola @ Somerset House

Posted on July 21st, 2008 by Andy

joanna newsom
originally uploaded by mapsadaisical

Mayo Thompson of Red Krayola is a funny guy – he wandered on stage dressed like an undertaker and spent a couple of minutes trying to attach his set list to the mic stand, he eventually gave up and placed it on the floor and then reached into his pocket to get out his specs – I felt empathy given the state of my eyesight recently and it made me laugh – as did most of the set. The band was a Mayo, a drummer, a (British) singer who (mis-)read her lyrics from sheets of paper and a saxophonist who used his leg as a mute. Baffling and bizarrely brilliant.

Joanna came on stage in a(nother) silly billowing dress (I really wish she’d dress in jeans and a t-shirt because a dress like that would flatter no one). She played alone opening with Bridges & Balloons and then playing Emily, Sadie, Colleen at which point she moved from the harp to a piano where she played a few new songs (and an old one – Inflammatory Writ) before heading back to the harp for the finale Peach, Plum, Pear, Cosmia and a beautiful finish of Clab, Cram, Cockle Cowrie. No encore – probably too cold and maybe a bit too close to curfew but the crowd were yearning so it was a disappointment when the courtyard lights came up.

While the venue was interesting I’d have preferred to have been indoors, without the smokers, the bells, the seagulls and the cold. There was no Sawdust & Diamonds – which had been so astounding solo at the RAH – and that was a disappointment but all told it was a good show and will tide me over until she’s hopefully over with a new album soon.

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Nina Nastasia @ The Theatre Royal, Brighton

Posted on May 19th, 2008 by Andy

Silje Nes

There were four acts on the bill at the second Fat Cat Records night at the Theatre Royal in Brighton – the middle two Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad were both enjoyable enough guitar rock bands…but they weren’t the reason we were there. The first act Silje Nes also was not the reason we were there but was interesting and different enough to deserves more than a cursory comment.

Silje makes sweet and mostly quiet layered music using guitars a violin various bits of percussion and a loop pedal or two so that she could play them all at the same time…almost like a one woman band only she was accompanied by another musician who also had many instruments (drum kit, guitar, melodica and various other bits of percussion) and a loop pedal. Her voice and some of the gentler sounds were reminiscent of Little Star era Stina Nordenstam but the performance was unique and the songs were lovely and the wig-out that featured in one of them was perfect…the way a wig-out during a quiet set should be ((old) Low and (more recent) The Clientele do lovely wig-outs when quiet is what’s expected).

Take a setlist Ms Nastasia

Nina Nastasia was the reason we were there, the bit of paper at the bar implied that she had set that should have started at 10 and finished at 10:40 – a weekend in Brighton for a 40 minute set might seem a little extreme but this was Nina whose five albums contain no sign of a dud track and whose voice I never tire of. But still…40 minutes…

She arrived on stage, sat down with a pen and a piece of paper and asked for requests – jotted down the shouted song titles (or near song titles or extracts of lyrics) and that was the setlist. And she played…it was a relief when she said “I have to be off by eleven” because by the time she started it was beginning to look like we mightn’t get more than 30 minutes…a more talented person could think of better words thant stunning or sensational to describe the set, the singing and the playing but that’s all I have to offer – the sight of me open mouthed and on the edge of my seat for most of the performance might have made a more impressive description of just how good this was. So relaxed and funny and comfortable – Nina was in very fine form.

Nina Nastasia rocks!

By eleven o’clock a fair chunk of the setlist was still unplayed…so she just kept on playing. She went off when she thought she probably ought (”I don’t want to get anyone in trouble”) but the audience weren’t going to let her get away so easily and despite the house lights coming up she was (literally) shoved back onto the stage for more…quite a lot more. I suspect that she would have played all night given the opportunity but by 11:25 the Theatre staff were obviously wanting out and the house lights came up again and Nina left us. An hour and a quarter and one of the most enjoyable gigs I’ve been to made the trip to cold and rainy Brighton more than worthwhile.

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Just dug this one out #15 – Parallel Lines by Blondie

Posted on April 16th, 2008 by Andy

Today I woke up with Blondie’s Parallel Lines in my head. In my post from a couple of years ago where I picked out my favourite bands over time there were a few important acts that slipped through the woodwork. Blondie were one and, for a short time in 1978 and 1979, were just about my favourite band.

Listening to Parallel Lines now it feels so comfortable, so timeless unlike pretty much anything Blondie/Harry did subsequently. Parallel Lines was the second Blondie album I bought, Plastic Letters was OK, a couple of gems but all a little rough and patchy to make it a classic. Parallel Lines was a whole different ballgame. At lunchtime today Hazel suggested that there was only “three good tracks” on it (she meant “Hanging on the Telephone”, “Heart of Glass” and “Sunday Girl”) but surely to dismiss “Pretty Baby” and “Picture This” and “11:59″ and “Will Anything Happen” is just ridiculous, each of them as good as anything else on the album. To be honest, with the exception of the utterly dire “I Know But I Don’t Know” there isn’t any reason to reach for the skip button. This is as close to perfect as a pop album can get.

In February 1979 I went on a miserable ski-ing holiday with the school, I was sick, homesick, the food was rubbish, we had power cuts and barely enough snow to ski. Add to all that the embarrassment of falling over on my first day on the snow and not being able to get up, and being a woeful failure at using the drag lift, most of my memories of the trip and not good ones. The only exception is that “Heart of Glass” was on the hotel jukebox and we listened to it pretty much constantly over the whole week, no matter how sad and miserable I felt that track made me feel better. It pretty much still works now.

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Keep on trying ’til you run out of cake…

Posted on April 14th, 2008 by Andy

I finished the awesome Portal last night and am still laughing at the ending. I’ve listened to almost nothing but “Still Alive” since I finished it; I’ve downloaded sheet music; I’ve watched loads of great videos on YouTube; I’ve downloaded the official wallpaper pack and put one on my desktop. I can’t remember being quite so taken with a game before – it’s a short but insanely sweet cake of a game.

The review on Rock, Paper, Shotgun pretty much says all I wanted to say about it in a clever, more rational and more articulate way.

It’s easy to be disappointed by Portal’s brevity. Just when you’re feeling like the master of the tool, it’s over. While the story is complete, and the ending is the funniest gaming moment in many years, there’s no denying you’re left still hungry. It gives you a bite of a delicious cake, but then doesn’t let you gorge until stuffed. Fortunately there’s more to do once the main game is over. Six of the rooms can be replayed on a significantly higher difficulty level, and there are specific challenges for the regular levels, completing them either in a limited number of footsteps, a restricted number of portals, or a rigid time limit. These offer a terrifying challenge, with Bronze awards in reach, but Silver and certainly Gold seeming madly impossible. At first.

I ♥ Portal

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