I wish you would leave me

I've written about the Longpigs before.

And there's not really much I can add to that previous post.

Nothing's changed. They still released a debut album that I consider one of the best from the Britpop period. They still followed it up with an unbelievably disappointing second album. And they still split in 2000. Not much more for me to say really. But I do have some songs that I've not posted before. Three songs from a live session recorded way back in the mid 90s. Three songs that still sound great today.

At the time I was totally obsessed with 'On And On'. It seemed to strike a particular chord with the hormonal wallflower teenager with bad hair and glasses that I was. I guess not much has changed. Older. Less hair. But still loving the song. There's something powerful about the way Crispin Hunt injects what could be considered quite a sweet love song, with such an unhinged vocal performance. There's something about his voice that always suggested to me that he was on the verge of losing it slightly. A quality that suggests the unrequited love he's singing of is pushing him over the edge. Causing him more harm than if the object of his affection were to leave him.

'She Said' is probably the bands most famous song. I could be wrong but I'd hazard a guess that it was certainly their most successful. And it's a song that carries that unhinged feeling on. As though Crispin is channeling the desperation and self loathing of the character and spitting the words out before they eat away at him. He captures the way people can try in vain to disguise themselves with the trappings of consumerism perfectly. To cover up their insecurities with expensive, material goods. To paper over the cracks in the hope that it will fill whatever personal void threatens to consume them. In some ways, you could almost see it as a critiquing the modern day cult of celebrity. Of people so shallow that they need fame or infamy and the adulation that goes with it, to give their life some meaning. Or I guess you could just enjoy it as a damn good song.

Which leads us to 'All Hype'. A song that could be seen to carry on that same theme. Someone wandering aimlessly through life having all the pointless things of their life stripped away to reveal them as nothing. Dipping their toe in religion and in love but never finding something to satisfy them leaving them just as empty and vulnerable. I's a song I've always thought to be quite skewed and awkward in it's sound. As though it's searching for a catchy hook but just can't quite find it. Or just avoids it maybe. The song's carried along on this strangely hypnotising, yet oddly discomforting picked lullaby guitar that suddenly explodes into a nightmarish chorus. I never got to see them perform live but based on these session versions, I can only imagine it to be quite an intense exhilarating experience.

Longpigs - on & on (live session version) original version available on 'The Sun Is Often Out'

Longpigs - she said (live session version) original version available on 'The Sun Is Often Out'

Longpigs - all hype (live session version) original version available on 'The Sun Is Often Out'

mp3 / music / longpigs

This is no mouth-watering proposition

This credit crunch is playing havoc without my music buying.

No longer can I buy new records on the day of release.

I’m having to budget myself. Restrain myself. Resist temptation to just stock up on any and every record I fancy. My Monday routine of walking into HMV, rifling through the new releases and then walking to the till with a handful of CDs has been rudely interrupted by a severe lack of cash. Which means my ability to review new releases has been seriously restricted. My list of records I want but can’t afford is now into double figures. Growing bigger with every passing week. And don’t even get me started on the gigs I want to go to but can’t afford. That list just plain depresses me.

But don’t worry, I’m not after a handout. I don’t want your spare change. Or your sympathy. I’m just explaining the reason I’m about 4 weeks behind the rest of the internet with my review of the new Jarvis Cocker album. Not that I’m going to actually review it. By now I’m sure you’ve read all you need to read and more than likely heard at least one track. I’m under no illusions that my words will shed any new light on it. I’m pretty certain there are no new angles to be taken with it. No hidden subtexts that haven’t been uncovered. No insights that haven’t already been offered. Pretty much the only thing that hasn’t been said, is how much I like this record.

I mean really like. ‘Further Complications’ may well be the most enjoyable record I’ve heard so far this year. It’s certainly more enjoyable than his self titled debut. As much as I liked that album, it was missing something. There was no spark. It never really got going and seemed to suffer from a fair bit of filler. Not something you could accuse ‘Further Complications’ of.

This album is everything I want from Jarvis. Everything I expect from him. It’s catchy, witty, intelligent, dumb, geeky and just incredibly good fun. It sounds like Jarvis is having the time of his life. Lyrically back on his game, this album contains some classic Cocker moments. Wonderful lines delivered with the deadpan dryness that first made Jarvis so loveable. And this time round the music has some real life to it too. Some much needed oomph that was curiously absent from it’s predecessor but very much in evidence when touring that album. While Steve Albini may not have been responsible for the muscle behind this record, he certainly did his job in capturing it. ‘Further Complications’ is louder and harder than almost anything Jarvis has put his name to previously. You wouldn’t expect such a spindly man in brown tweeds to be able to rock quite as hard as Jarvis does here. Swaggering into your ears, all 70s glam garage confidence. Your favourite geography teacher reborn as Iggy Pop.

Not that ‘Further Complications’ is a one speed, one trick pony. Jarvis spreads his wings wide. Dips his toes in a range of styles. He opens with a one-two sucker punch of riffs on the title track and lead single ‘Angela’. Slows the tempo with the wonderfully pun heavy, lust filled ‘Leftovers’ and follows it up with the ‘I Never Said I Was Deep’, a devastatingly accurate depiction of what goes on in the male mind. Seriously girls, combine that song with Aiden Moffat’s ‘Oh Men’, and you’ve got a pretty accurate depiction of how men think. Or not, as the case may be.

From there on, the album mixes up stomping rockers like ‘Homewrecker!’ and ‘Fuckingsong’ with slower numbers like ‘Hold Still’ and ‘Slush’ via the innocent school lesson recorder intro of 'Caucasian Blues', before ending with the mirrorball seventies soul disco of ‘You’re In My Eyes (Discosong)’. Jarvis playing with his persona perfectly. Half sleazy loser coming on to you, half wise uncle dispensing nuggets of advice. The end of his marriage has clearly had an influence on this record. The album’s subject matter may never wander too far from that of an older man’s awkward attempts, inept failings and inadequate fumblings with the opposite sex, but it’s never self indulgent or morose. Jarvis is far too intelligent and aware of himself and his audience for that. Too northern, cynical and intelligent to wallow. And while it may be something of a cliché to suggest that an artist’s personal problems result in a renewed creativity, Jarvis certainly does seem to have found a new lease of life. ‘Further Complications’ is more than enough proof of that.

Jarvis Cocker - leftovers (live acoustic session version) original version available on 'Further Complications'

Jarvis Cocker - further complications (live session version) original version available on 'Further Complications'

Jarvis Cocker - caucasian blues (live session version) original version available on 'Further Complications'

mp3 / music / jarvis cocker

No one will take me down

I'm always reticent to describe a band as a singles band.

It's seems like a bit of backhanded compliment.

A veiled insult. Sure you can knock out the odd good song, but you're not very consistent are you? Yet occasionally, it's the most apt thing to say. Some bands really do have quality control issues and Ash seem to be a perfect example. For me at least. They've never released a truly satisfying record. Not since their debut EP, 'Trailer'. That record was the ultimate teenage release. An urgent, pop punk classic that did what it had to do and didn't hang around or overstay it's welcome. And if I'm honest, it's a trick the band haven't come close to repeating. Not in terms of energy or songs. Sure, they've released some great songs. Songs that I could use to navigate my path through my formative years. But their albums as a whole mean pretty much nothing to me. If that Ep was meant as a preview of what was to come from the band, then sadly it suffered from that old Hollywood cliche. They put the best bits in the trailer.

Ash were always a band I felt some kinship too. Unlike all the other bands I was getting into at the time, they were roughly the same age as me. Like me, they'd grown up on Star Wars. They did their A Levels at the same time as me and would have got their results on the same day as me. It's weird the things that tie you to bands when you're younger but they were a band I could relate to. Though there was of course the odd difference. If memory serves me correctly, the night I was getting ready ready to hit the town and celebrate my exam results, Ash were on Top Of The Pops playing their latest single. Their debut EP was a record I played endlessly and after 'Girl From Mars' came out, my expectations for their debut album were sky high. In hindsight, disappointment was inevitable. Few bands can live up to that. Yet nothing could have prepared me for my reaction to it.

'1977' was a letdown on a grand scale. A record that left me wondering what had happened. The reviews were great. Everyone seemed to go mental for it. But not me. I just didn't get it. Couldn't get into it. I remember being terribly disappointed by the whole thing. It didn't even sound like the same band. Not really. Sure there were undoubtedly some great songs but the whole thing was too heavy and sludgy. Too lumpen and serious. Where was the fun? Or the vitality? Why couldn't I hear what everyone else was hearing? It was unfocused. It seemed as though they'd suddenly lost their youthful vigor and were attempting to disguise it, by turning the volume up and going heavy. The songs lacked the punchy innocence that had made the debut EP seem so amazing. That record tainted the band in my eyes and sadly every record since has been blighted by similar problem. Great singles, shame about the album.

So it's kind of interesting to see that Ash have decided to become a singles only band. Sure, it's a move based on the current musical landscape. A reaction to the way people consume music these days. The cynic in me would say it's a reaction to their own drop in record sales. A way of lowering overheads and not having to rely on a record label to fund them. Maybe allowing the band to have more control over how and when they release their material. To get songs out quicker, straight to their fans. Only time will tell if it works and if anyone really cares enough about Ash these days to follow their new strategy. Part of me hopes the band stick around and that their new business strategy succeeds. But another part wonders how bothered I'd be if they split up tomorrow.

Anyway, I thought, I'd take you back to the time when Ash could do no wrong in my eyes. Before '1977' tainted them for me. This session features two songs from that debut EP and two b-sides. 'Petrol' and 'Season' are amongst the best songs Ash ever recorded. Two blasts of fast, fuzzy cartoon punk. The perfect blueprints for their career. 'Jazz 59' on the other hand, is little more than a jokey, throwaway tune. Clearly the band are enjoying themselves but it's not a track you'll be desperate to hear again. Unlike 'Silver Surfer' which is just a great song. A lost Ash classic, crazily hidden away as a b-side.

Ash - petrol (live session version) original version available on 'Trailer'

Ash - season (live session version) original version available on 'Trailer'

Ash - jazz 59 (live session version)

Ash - silver surfer (live session version)

mp3 / music / ash

Want someone to show you round

Here's a few more from Glastonbury

Including possibly my favourite single of the year so far. One which you may just be surprised to find me liking.

Now I'm not entirely convinced by the seemingly endless crop of female 80s influenced synth pop acts that the music press and music industry are thrusting on us. It seems to be yet another example of that self perpetuating success thing that they do. Constantly telling us that somethings the best we've ever heard until it kind of becomes an accepted fact, regardless of the music involved. Having said that, there's no denying that with 'New In Town', Little Boots has one of the catchiest and unashamedly pop songs of the past few years. And I love it. It's one of those songs that had me at hello. As songs go, it's pretty much perfect. Three minutes long and utterly irresistible. The first time I heard it, the chorus seemed to drill straight through to the heart of my memory banks and squatted there, refusing to leave. Whether she has any other songs of the same quality is another matter entirely. Watching her Glastonbury set, this song stood out from everything else she played but there's enough there to suggest that, given the chance, Little Boots might just blossom into a very good pop act.

The rest of the songs are from acts that are a bit of a staple round here. We get a wildly rousing version of 'The Weeping Song' from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The departure of Mick Harvey doesn't seem to have caused to much damage. dare I say it, they even sounded a tad invigorated across their set. Of course the real test will be in the new material but as they've never really failed me before, I can't see them starting now.

Jarvis Cocker puts in a sterling, energetic show with a track from his new record but as I'm planning to write something about him him soon, I'll merely say that this song joins a very short and exclusive list of songs to feature a saxophone that doesn't make me want to stab myself in the ear.

Bloc Party tear through 'Helicopter' as though they're mom's just called them in for their tea but they want to carry on playing. They rip through it. Filling it with urgency and almost tripping over themselves to get it out. The to catch your breath, we finish with Fleet Foxes and a simply stunning and seamless rendition of 'White Winter Hymnal' and 'Ragged Wood'. Seriously, I think I could listen to this band forever and never once get bored.

Little Boots - new in town (live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original version available on 'Hands'

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - the weeping song (live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original version available on 'The Good Son'

Jarvis Cocker - homewrecker (live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original version available on 'Further Complications'

Bloc Party - helicopter (live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original version available on 'Silent Alarm'

Fleet Foxes - white winter hymnal/ragged wood (live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original versions available on 'Fleet Foxes'

I heard the news today oh boy

So Glastonbury is over for another year.

And I've removed myself from in front of the TV.

All things considered, it seems that this year was a glowing success. The weather held for the most part. The atmosphere was positive and all the reviews I've reads have had nothing but good things to sat about the headliners. And I'm not really in any position to say otherwise. It's always hard to comment about a festival you've watched on TV because there's no way of properly getting into it. You can't get carried away by the communal atmosphere that makes a huge part of any festival performance. What can seem amazing on TV may be not be when stood in a field and vice versa. So I'll keep it short.

For me Neil Young flickered between amazing and utterly tedious. Especially the nine hundred false endings to 'Rockin In The Free World'. Bruce Springsteen did nothing for me but then, I just don't get his music at all. In any way, shape or form. Blur were amazing, if not quite as good as a few nights earlier in Wolverhampton. Franz Ferdinand were good but did nothing special. Florence & The Machine looked and sounded fantastic. While Bon Iver was simply wonderful and felt like somthing very special happened on stage.

If you were there, let us know how it all went down. Who was good, who was bad and who was indifferent? What were your Glastonbury moments? Were there any surprises? And will you be going again next year? I know I will.

Blur - beetlebum (live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original version available on 'Blur'

Neil Young - a day in the life (The Beatles cover live at Glastonbury Festival 2009)

Gaslight Anthem & Bruce Springsteen - the '59 sound (live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original version available on 'The '59 Sound'

Florence And The Machine - you've got the love (The Source & Candi Staton cover live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original version available on 'Lungs'

Bon Iver - wolves (live at Glastonbury Festival 2009) original version available on 'For Emma, Forever Ago'

mp3 / music / glastonbury festival / blur / neil young / gaslight anthem / bruce springsteen / florence and the machine / bon iver

And I feel fine

Normally at this time of year, I'd be dirty, clammy, probably wet, possibly tired, definitely yearning for decent food and almost certain to have a semi permanent ache in my feet.

And I'd be having the time of my life.

Sadly this year, there's no Glastonbury Festival for me. Not in the real sense anyway. Buying a house and the current economic climate meant that buying a ticket this year would have been too much of a stretch. In fact, this is the first year since about 1999 that I won't be going to any festivals at all. And I'm pretty gutted about it to be honest. While I'm not that fussed about missing the V Festival and it's increasingly boring line up, Glastonbury never failed to be a fantastic experience. Even when the mud was like toffee and the rain was just like a never ending wall of water, something about the atmosphere and the spirit and the music and just the overall scale of the place meant that the negatives couldn't get you down. You just got on with it and it became part of the whole experience.

So I'm doing the next best thing and attempting to convince myself that a virtual festival experience is in any way similar to actually being there. It isn't. As good as the BBC's coverage is, watching Glastonbury from the comfort of a sofa isn't a patch on being there. I'd secretly been hoping for bad weather of biblical proportions just to make me feel kind of justified in not being there but alas that hasn't happened. Oh well. Fingers crossed for next year. On the tickets front that is, not the weather. In the meantime, I'd thought I'd leave you with a few highlights from previous year's festivals, kicking off with the highlight of Pulp's 1995 set where they stepped in to replace The Stone Roses and went down in Glastonbury history.

Pulp - common people (live at Glastonbury Festival 1995) original version available on 'Different Class'

REM - it's the end of the world as we know it (live at Glastonbury Festival 2003) original version available on 'Document'

Rufus Wainwright & Martha Wainwright - hallelujah (live at Glastonbury Festival 2007) original version available on 'Shrek Soundtrack'

Idlewild - a film for the future (live at Glastonbury Festival 2003) original version available on 'Hope Is Important'

Jeff Buckley - lover you should've come over (live at Glastonbury Festival 1995) original version available on 'Grace'

mp3 / music / glastonbury festival / pulp / rem / rufus wainwright / martha wainwright / idlewild / jeff buckley

Fleet Foxes - Wolverhampton Civic Hall 25/06/2009

What a difference a day makes.

Or does it?

24 hours earlier, I was stood right of the stage in the sweltering heat of the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Tonight, I’m stood right of the stage in the sweltering heat of the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. While it’s not fair to compare and contrast two vastly different bands, two gigs in two consecutive nights makes it near impossible not to. The band walks on stage. “Hello… we’re Blur.” Okay, this is just plain weird. Either I’m experiencing a major case of déjà-vu or Robin Pecknold is well aware of what went down the previous night. And as introductions go, it’s a damn good ice breaker. It’s also just the first of many unexpected and slightly surreal happenings that tonight’s Fleet Foxes show brings.

Not that the music is a surprise. A stunning, acapella ‘Sun Giant’ opens the show. Robin Pecknold breaking the silence between the lines, with a light time keeping rap on the body of his guitar. The crisp, clear sound of the most gorgeous harmonies ringing out around the hall. The power and precision of the voices amplified by the reverential silence that’s fallen across the crowd. Not that it lasts. Much of the evening’s delights are marred by talkers and drunks. An unlikely mix scattered amongst the people who really are here to watch, listen to, enjoy and admire the music on show. The buzz and murmur of conversation blighting the quieter, softer, gentler moments of the set. It is, to say the least, incredibly and utterly irritating.

But as distracting as it undeniably is, it doesn’t completely ruin the night. It can’t when the music is this good. Sounding more organic and less rigid than on record, Fleet Foxes are loose and free with their songs. Creating lots of space within them in which to work their instruments. The vocals are flawless all night. Robin Pecknold’s voice note perfect. Stronger and more forceful than you’d expect but equally as moving. The guitar play wonderfully fluid, while the drums seem to take on more of an improvised feel to them. The band plays heavier and rockier in parts but lose none of the beauty of their music. ‘White Winter Hymnal’ is simply stunningly spiritual. Its baroque choral beginnings exploding into a rush of folk country that simply leaves you spinning. The highlight though are the two solo Pecknold spots. Seeming to grow in stature, alone he commands your attention. Part 60s troubadour, part woodsman, he delivers a time stopping rendition of ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’.

But like I said, the music is no big surprise. With an accomplished EP and album under their belt, this was always going to be something special. And the handful of new songs that sprinkle the set look set to continue the musical wonderment. One is a picked acoustic number that easily slots into the Fleet Foxes canon. Another ventures towards slightly more experimental territory, suggesting Fleet Foxes future may edge in a similar direction to that of Grandaddy. What wasn’t expected was how much of a showman Pecknold would be. Between songs he is chatty and witty, an unexpectedly natural frontman. He introduces long moments of tuning as new songs and treats us to an uncanny impression of Johnny Cash covering The Killers’ ‘Human’. It is in turns hilarious and quite, quite surreal. But not as surreal as the news that arrived just as the rest of the band returned for the final song.

Some remember where they were when JFK was shot. Others remember where they heard of Elvis’ death. Everyone in the Civic Hall is sure to remember where they were when Michael Jackson died. The news that shook the world is shouted out from the balconies. Michael Jackson is dead. It seems to wrong foot the band, the audience and the entire night. Uncertainty takes hold. Is it a joke. The truth. A hoax. Someone ask for verification. Then Robin sums it up with a soft, ”If it’s true, that’s really sad” and dedicates the final song ‘Blue Ridge Mountain’ to Michael Jackson. It’s an oddly fitting tribute, one which makes for an unsettling end to a strange night. A night that still managed to be special, despite the attempts of certain ‘fans’ within the crowd.

Fleet Foxes blue ridge mountain (live session version) original version available on 'Fleet Foxes'

mp3 / music / fleet foxes