Antiquarian book dealer, illustrator, singer, taxidermist.
READ MOREYour worst fears about ‘Nothing’ are probably right. The late-year, post-album extended-play sounds like the runoff of a few constructions that didn’t make the cut for ‘Dedication’.
It’s hard to fathom that British Sea Power now have five albums under their belts.
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Fiction
Madam Jo Jo's, Soho
London
24/11/09 |
What is most notable about Fiction’s live set is their technical talents. Among other things, they don’t have a drummer; James (keyboard) and Mike (guitar) alternate between vocals and drumming while Nick does lead guitar duties and Dan grounds things with hefty, glowing bass lines. They execute their super-slick, edgy guitar-based pop with impressive focus and attention to detail, nimble guitar plinks fuzzed just so by surf reverb, synth tolls ringing precisely and the writing is all artfully layered sounds and unhinged lyrics. ‘Big Things’, for example, is a shoegaze videogame soundtrack of a tune, with a funky, sauntering bassline and a playful, chiming Casio melody garnished with Echo and the Bunnymen-esque vocals – sharp, yet eased by slack-jawed delivery, smoothly blurting, “Big. Things. Giant things. Sinking with gravity…” ‘Zebra Crossing’ comes over far more sinister, all arch synth parps and guitar jabs. This is a gifted group of musicians and it’s a wonder one doesn’t seem to leave with any of their finely crafted tunes fused to one’s mind, but this isn’t ordinary Velcro pop, it’s not that simple. It is, however, music with ideas and talent and therein lies potential. Fiction have all of the above, in spades.
By Polly Rappaport
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Originally published in issue 13 (vol 3) of Loud And Quiet. December 2009
The best shows are most often those where artist and audience fall into a frenzied feedback loop of mutual appreciation.
Some tech-savvy good Samaritan recently ripped and uploaded a BBC radio documentary about house music grandaddy Larry Levan.
King’s College seems an odd venue for Australian singer-songwriter Gotye.
Save for an old electronic keyboard and a delay pedal that makes singer Kamal’s vocals ping-pong out of the room, Flamingods don’t do instruments with wires.
Drugs. They’re rife within popular music. Especially within the type that Texan trio Pure X make, courtesy of a Spiritualized habit they just can’t (or won’t) kick.
Sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow famously named their bristly, glowering rock band after a favourite moment on a Melvins song, 2 minutes and 54 seconds in, to be precise.
The man formerly known as MF Doom returns to the Roundhouse for a sold-out show, barely a year after his debut European performance in the same venue.
In the studio, Caged Animals (Soft Black’s Vincent Cacchione’s new baby) deal in a faintly cloying, suburban youth-channelling indie with a twist.
Despite the days of Union Jack plastered guitars and weather-worn parkas being a prerequisite of any northern based guitar band being long gone.
“It’s hard to believe that in this very room they used to have gladiators fighting to the death,” exclaims Metronomy main-man Joe Mount.
This week we’ve been listening to new music from The Proper Ornaments, The Weeknd, Electricity In Our Homes, Sunless ’97 and Ceremony [pictured].
LISTEN HEREDropping his iPhone was the best thing that ever happened to Reef Younis.
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