Joanna Gruesome---Noisepop Mashup from Cardiff!!--Weird Sister

Maybe it all started with Psychocandy back in the 1980's. When Jesus and Mary Chains 1st album came out. I still recall what a huge reaction it made. That combination of pop and guitar noise. To may ears, it sounded like they recorded an electric razor and turned it up high in the mix. The concept has had a pretty good run since then.

So here in 2014, I'm listening to a stellar album by Joanna Gruesome, which came out in 2013. And it definitely is melodic and damn noisy. The album is Weird Sister, released on Slumberland Records, a label with its fair share of interesting bands. They must have some good scouts.

It seems as though this album has got a fair share of critical attention already. So I don't know if they are truly underappreciated, as the story goes.

But I really like this one, so a little more attention can't hurt. Another great band from Wales, namely Cardiff.

Slumberland describes the band's sound as Noisepop, which pretty much nails their musical style succinctly. The phrase "twee" is thrown about a lot, but I don't really see it. The songs do not have that sort of preciousness to them. But certainly the rriot girl comparisons have some truth to them. The music sometimes sounds like two songs going on at the same time, like a super hook laden pop melody by The Primitives with a Sonic Youth, Pixies or Shoegaze track blended in. At other times you have a pop song that segues into sonic whiteout. For all the jangle there are heavy rock riffs too. And for all the dissonance to the songs, the music is still pretty upbeat and energetic, though honestly I have a lot of difficulty understanding what they are singing about.

Here is a fine example of their craft:



Alanna McArdle:Vocals
Owen Williams: Guitar, Vocals
George Nicholls: Guitar
Max Warren: Bass
David Sandford: Drums

So check these guys out, if you haven't already. I think you will be impressed. Hopefully this is just a really great beginning.

or just substitute the last name with Gruesome, a la The Ramones.

For some reason I'm reminded a little of the early Pooh Sticks, a pretty sublime Welsh band from the 1990s. Particularly the early stuff. The bands don't really sound the same at all, but there is a great pop sense working with Joanna Gruesome behind the veil of fuzz. Perhaps many people don't know about the Pooh Sticks (actually were signed to a big label but now unjustly overlooked), but I am paying a high compliment. And don't misunderstand what I am saying. I don't mean that the band only needs sweetening up to get on track. I say give me noise! Often you see a progression toward pop (to attract a wider demographic of consumers) with bands, and while it isn't always a bad thing, it often makes for a bland evolution. Change is good--creative bands do that, but let's hope Joanna Gruesome stay as edgy sounding as they are today!

They Shut Down the Dock, Thrown our Lives on the Rocks! Skull Orchard Revisited--Jon Langford's Welsh Multimedia Extravaganza!

When I heard some of the detail of Jon Langford's reissue of Skull Orchard, I knew I had to get on board with this. But what exactly is this product?

Is it a mini Coffee table book, the sort of thing you find reviewed in the NY Times book review a few weeks before Christmas?

Or is a CD reissue, with some of the most elaborate liner notes you could ever hope to find?

Though I'm usually not one to equivocate, it's pretty much "all the above" plus a whole lot more, my friends.



For my purposes, first and foremost, it is a reinvention of the original Skull Orchard album from 1997, with the inclusion of the Burlington Welsh Chorus, which I think is a very traditionally Welsh thing to do. Though the music has to do with Wales (Newport most specifically, his hometown), I feel that the songs touch on issues that affect us here in the US and around the world, while name checking Cymru icons like Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey John Cale, places  like Cardiff Bay, Newport's transporter bridge, soccer clubs, pubs, and abandoned coal mines.



"Tom Jones Levitation"


Secondly, its loaded with Art by JL, his sort of take on Folk Art, Populist Art, Insurgent Art. I used to see placards like these in gift shops when I went on vacation when I was a kid. But of course, he has used the form for his own ends--someone unfamiliar with his art might very well view the paintings as something else. And of course, if any of you art aficionados like his work, plenty of his paintings and prints are for sale at Yard Dog.

Thirdly, it is a family affair of sorts. I don't know if this qualifies as scrapbooking. His brother David provides an interesting compendium of Welsh culture and history, plus some choice family anecdotes.

His father Denis supplies photographs also. So, while the Langfords still are a long way from being deemed by media outlets as the Welsh version of our own celebrated, Jackson Family, all of this entertaining, intelligently done, and definitely made me laugh in spots.

Fourthly, it's literature! Jon has included a short story involving Herman Melville's Albino Whale, chopped up in pieces through the book, which I found interesting. And of course, there are the song lyrics, which qualify as poetry.

I know that some of you are thinking of all the elaborate limited edition reissues circulating these days. I think it may have started in rock with that gigantic Stooges reissue, which must have included every single outtake from Fun House. (I sometimes think everything the Stooges ever did must have been put to tape, with all those live releases out there.) But many of these new super deluxe reissues carry such a high price tag! And I doubt many of them are half as wildly idiosyncratic as Skull Orchard reissues. The price for this multi-media mini event is quite affordable in comparison. And what you get is well thought out, not merely fan fodder. This, I say, is a product for the discerning musicophile. I mean, who creates things like this? Certainly not to get rich....

I guess I'm reminded a little of the super elaborate children's album Harmelodia by the Rheostatics, where they made the artwork, wrote the songs, and put together a narrative designed to get children excited about music. I reviewed that one a while back if anybody is interested....

Techheads might be disappointed that there are no DVDs, holograms, iphone aps, Newport: Transporter Bridge the Video Game,etc., but understand that S.O.R. came out a few years ago. Maybe that will be a part of Skull Orchard 2.0 in 2020.

Of course Jon Langford has just come out with a new one, which has gotten great reviews, Here Be Monsters. He, and his Mekons (Waco Brothers, and of course the mighty 3 Johns) have pretty successfully continued to put out rewarding music over a long period of time, while staying true to their ideals and expressing their views on important issues, without the sort of pandering or self-aggrandizing posturing that many a lucrative career has been based upon.

Skull Orchard revisited, in a nutshell is a pretty amazing little item, somthing that any fan of the arts should appreciate. I don't believe there is anything quite like this, so grab one while you can.


Here's a taste of his latest recording, Here Be Monsters! Support our artists, please.

Sheena was a Punk........Ramones Legendary Punk Girl Abides

Everybody knows the legendary song "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" by The Ramones, the hyper energetic punk anthem! A punk rock homage to the Beach Boys you might easily say. Everybody loves the Ramones, even a lot of people who profess a hatred for the Punk Rock. These guys were Teflon...

But what of our brave Sheena?

 

That iconic young woman who broke with conventions and rebranded herself as a Punk. She didn't care what anyone thought. With that sort of Ramones exposure, she became sort of a global phenomenon. Celebrated by fans of the new sound, she became the toast of the world like a New Wave Josephine Baker, first  traveling from  Forest Hills Queens.....

To Deutschland:



And on to Brazil:




Even reaching the shores of Japan!




But like Icarus, who flew to close to the sun and plummeted back to Earth, there is always the inevitable critical backlash.....



And new fashions and movements appear to replace the old.........



And eventually, most of us have to grow up and move on with our lives, leaving our ideals behind....self actualization through commerce maybe.......



But there is always hope for new adulation from a new generation. There used to be 15 minutes of fame, but in these days of juiced globalization and technological innovation it's probably closer to 5.

But just keep your eyes and ears peeled--you never know where Sheena may just turn up again......?

Gruff Rhys told me......Ail Symudiad--Yr Oes Ail---80's Welsh Language New Wave

I think it was in Uncut Magazine, where Gruff Rhys, front man for Welsh superband Super Furry Animals gave a plug to Ail Symudiad, a Welsh New Wave band from Cardigan.

Parti Dawns Cymraeg!

I thought was a recent reissue but was having a little trouble finding it from the usual suspects. Turned out the bands recordings are readily available on Welsh label Fflach's website. I thought that it would be cool to hear some Welsh language New-Wave so I went out and got me some.

Yr Oes Ail is the first compilation of their music--there are 2 others. And this is not a recent reissue, but from 2002. This is pretty solid punk-pop music along the lines of The Undertones, snappy pop, though without the unique vocals of a Feargal Sharkey.

Maybe Gruff Rhys was helping to promote the band's new release which actually did come out fairly entitled Rifiera Gymrieg. It turns out the band has basically remained together, performing gigs locally but not releasing any new material for many years. Certainly Rhys does a fair share of giving props to Welsh language music, earlier rock and folk bands, not to mention the Goldie Lookin' Chain. And certainly with SFA's Welsh album Mwng-the pipe smoking goat album, his earlier band Ffa Coffi Pawb, he has certainly directly championed the cause. And if you haven't heard his solo Hotel Shampoo yet, well you should--because it's pretty terrific!




Yr Oes Ail was created for home consumption basically, so there are no English translations of the lyrics. I find that I don't need them to enjoy the music. I think they are a decent band considering I don't have the benefit of knowing what they are singing about! Never stopped me before.

Whisgi a Soda--I think I know what this means, but I'm still surprised that there aren't more y's and multiple consonsants strung together in the words. It almost feels like a trick.



So thank Gruff for the tip. So I thought I would pass the favor along and present my impressions of the band conveniently just in time for Christmas shopping.

Remember that "help will always be given at Continuum Transfunctioner to those who deserve it".

Huw M---Os Mewn Swn---Welsh Language Chamber Folk

By chance I found a lovely album for sale in the Sain Records Shop. My original reason for visiting the Sain website was not for this album. But as I checked out their inventory I saw the interesting looking cover, and so I stopped to take a look at the description of the disc and I wanted to hear it.
Hey I'm a human being like everyone else. Why do you think casinos are so shiny inside? Since I'm discussing it now, you may have guessed already that I found a good one here. And you would be correct. And I have not yet posted anything about the record I was actually seeking out at the time!

Huw M, aka Huw Meredydd Roberts is a musician from Bangor, Wales, and it is pretty clear from the liner notes that he can play a lot of musical instruments! Guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukelele, sitar, bass, piano, piano organ, Hammond organ, melodica, percussion, and harmonica. Note: in welsh ukelele is spelled iwcalili, which for I find interesting for some reason.

On Os Mewn Swn translated as If In Sound, his first record, recorded in Cardiff in 2010, he is joined by Bethan Reynolds on vocals and clocsio "clog dancing". I think that's his wife. Frank Naughton produced and plays a whole slew of instruments too, including the Maui Xaphoon. It's described as a "bamboo sax", and is somewhat similar to a clarinet. I never heard of one before and just looked it up. The first one was made in 1972. Lucello (aka Lucy O'Connor)plays cello on this recording, and she may in fact be the secret weapon on this album, as the cello work is superlative.




The music here is very sweet sounding folk music, with beautiful harmonies, all in the Welsh language. I don't know what they are singing about, but that's never stopped me before. Most of the songs are originals, but 2 are reworkings of traditional Welsh songs. It's a nice album for a quiet Sunday morning. If you are into Belle and Sebastian, Velvet Underground, or Nick Drake, I think you will find this appealing. And certainly if you enjoy the solo work of Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, or Meic Stevens or the Welsh folk music scene  of the 60's and 70's in general you will need to have this near you at all times.




The album is described as being influenced by Brazilian and French music. Maybe those descriptions are a little beyond my knowledge. The second song Ond Yn Dawel Daw y Dydd has an African sounding riff at the beginning, like maybe Soukous being played at half-speed. The album is fairly laid back and it really allow you hear the Welsh language, which I think sounds so beautiful here. In the mad scramble of the 90's, when record industry people scampered to all corners of the world to find a new scene after every single band in Seattle got a major label contract, Wales was a gleam in someones eye for a few nanoseconds. I don't know if its loyalty, or just stubborness, but I investigated a little myself when bands like 60 Foot Dolls and Catatonia were being marketed, and I continue to find great music even after the Music Industry's all-seeing eye moved on to other places. It should be no great surprise. And I think that its great that in a small country of only 3 million people they are keeping their heritage alive.



After listening to this album 5 times, I have to say that Os Mewn Swn is flat-out beautiful. Very glad I found this, a very special surprise. I've already decided that I need to hear his second album, Gathering at Dusk, which was made in 2011. People at SainWales seem like really nice people. I had trouble ordering on their site and they straightened things out fairly quickly for me. And they seem to have a lot of items at very very reasonable prices.

Election Results are In---My Feelings as Expressed by John Cale

I can breathe a sigh of relief.... finally. Let's gives props to our Commander in Chief and also to Governor Romney who fought hard right to the end. And of course to all the people who worked hard and the citizens who got out and voted so that their voices were heard.

Luckily I wore my brown pants today---the Presidential race was too close for my comfort.
But I'm happy with the outcome. Short celebration hopefully, because a lot of work remains.

Here are my sentiments as expressed by the great John Cale, one of my all-time favorites artists, the Welsh Godfather of Punk Rock and much more.

As far as pianists in rock and roll go, he is highly esteemed. If you haven't got on board yet, check out Paris 1919, or the Rhino compilation Seducing Down the Door. Or Wrong Way Up, his collaboration with Brian Eno, or Songs for Drella with Lou Reed. And I suppose if you happen to be unfamiliar with his work with the Velvet Underground and the aforementioned sweet Lou, I encourage you to slap yourself, regroup, and check out their first two albums immediately. The Velvets and the Ramones may be the most influential bands in rock since the 60's Mega bands that I need not mention here.

His new album, Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood was just released--it's probably pretty worthy. Haven't got it yet, but I've heard some things. Mostly positive. Still haven't seen him live but I maintain hope that I will step up.

Junebug--An puzzlingly unsigned band from Wales

I picked up this Junebug album a few years ago. I was intrigued by some positive plug of them I found in a power pop blog, probably Power Pop Overdose. They play a pleasing collection of Bubblepunk on their first album. Fans of Teenage Fanclub, Velvet Crush, The Knack, their superb Welsh predecessors The Pooh Sticks will be more than satisfied with these tunes. A good upbeat album for a long hot summer.

As I stated in the heading these Welsh Popsters are still unsigned. I picked up their first album entitled "First" from CDBaby for a pittance. I just checked CDBaby for Junebug inventory, and now they have 5 self-released albums, going the Chicago route, titling them Two, Three, Four, and Five. I hope they make double digits.


JuneBug is from North Wales and they are:

Ralph Latham: Guitar and Vocals
Guy Latham: Bass, Keyboards, & Guitars
Warren Gilbert: Drums, Percussion

It's hard to believe that some pop-oriented label hasn't given them a shot. Maybe it's the economy. Maybe they are doing just fine on their own. In any event these guys sound pretty terrific to me.
If you like great pop music like I do, done with creativity and panache, with decades of musical styles blended into the mix, the music of Junebug will put a smile on your face.

The Three Johns Return....Just When The World Needs Them Again! Live in Chicago!

I've said it more than once.

The Mekons are by far the funniest band that I've seen live. And definitely one of the smartest. Of all the side projects Mekon band members have entertained, my favorite is still The Three Johns. Jon Langford's politically minded group formed with John Hyatt and John Burnett. They have been mostly inactive for about two decades, lying dormant like post-punk Rip Van Winkles.

Cut to 2012--apocalypse immanent. Europe is reeling through an economic crisis that it is attempting to solve with austerity, the US is in danger of electing Mick Rodney President, like a manikin come to life, a Ken doll, only less life-like. (The Republican primary was run like American Idol this time around, so what do you expect?) The war on the American public is just starting to heat up. The Syrian government is pushing back brutally against the Arab Spring. I don't think anyone really know for sure what is going on in China. And its the average person who winds up paying the price, not our wise sheperds who are making the big decisions (or lack therof). These days they seem to be more interested in shearing their flocks, not guiding them to more fertile pastures.

It's like things haven't gotten any better in the last two decades--like the modern world is rumbling forward like a big dumb chaotic hamster wheel, crushing everything in its path. As the TV has told me, there are three ways to do things: The right way, the wrong way, and the Homer Simpson way, i.e., "wrong only faster". Which way do you think we are going?

Big Mouth Open Wide! Open Up Your Pearly Gates of Freedom!

So it seems fairly timely, that when the world is in the dire straights we find ourselves, that this ragtag, brilliantly whip-smart absurdly satirical band has come out of mothballs, just when we are in our darkest hours.

America is a country seemingly obsessed with superheroes, and escapist fantasies. Just look at the kind movies that get made these days. I think it is only fitting that The Three Johns have reunited at this time, even if it seems to be only a limited number of reunion gigs. I keep thinking that some of the 99 per centers shone a beacon for aid into the sky, like something in a Batman movie. And in some ways the brilliance of this band makes me think these guys must be some kind of musical superheroes.

It was actually weird how I came to write this. I had my birthday yesterday--went out and had a nice dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant in Danbury. I woke up in the middle of the night and the first thought in my head was---Three Johns. So I started looking on-line and found out that they played gigs for the first time in years in May, though I think they did do some gigs in 2006. Still, I can't help but wonder if I may have dreamed this reunion up all by myself.

If you listen to a lot of music, you know that one of the hardest things to do artfully is political songs.
The most well intentioned people who do a lot of them can come off sounding too self-important, like tight-asses. It's a lot easier to sing about girls and cars, and feeling sad. The other songs have a tendency to polarize, which has a negative effect as far as record sales go. The Three Johns have a confident looseness about them, and though they tackle serious issues, they also have a dark sense of humor that leavens the content of the songs. You can even dance to them! They are like a funny Gang of Four, or the urban insurgent cousins of Chicago shitkickers The Waco Brothers, who are also a Langford endeavor.

At this point in history, the Live in Chicago album is the only thing in print by these guys, and it is a corker. They are a band that leaves no target unskewered.



And at one moment they are performing Death of the European, a tremendous satirical number. Right after this, they break into a parody of Madonna's Like a Virgin. Perhaps a bit more topical back in 1985 when she ruled the Earth with a lace glove.

I went through the wilderness,
With a hole in my shoe,
I was wearing a big dress
And I was sniffing glue.

The essence of the fake 80's in a pithy nutshell. But one great tune flows into the next, like The Devil's Music, the awesome World of the Workers is Wild, Windolene, English White Boy Engineer! You have to love their moxie, their attitude, their razor sharp wit, their compassion for the people who need it. Their disdain for the music industry--see Teenage Nightingales to Wax for details. Choppy harsh guitars, catchy hooks, dance beats. Fervor and invective. And there are the great asides scattered between songs throughout the show.

These guys are absolutely great, and sadly forgotten by most people. Even sadder is that most people probably never heard of them. Music like this tends to get marginalized by the mainstream. Some of the music deals with events and issues that were current in the eighties, but quite a few of them reflect themes that are going to continue as long as we have people fighting over a piece of the economic pie, political power, and what people think. I think it would be a beautiful thing if these guys got back to creating music together again, turning their jaundiced eyes on the current state of affairs. Or at the very least getting Atom Drum Bop, World By Storm, Death of Everything and their Singles collection back in print. The Live in Chicago album is available on Langford's Buried Treasure Records. I highly recommend this excellent live document--it makes me smile and gets my blood boiling at the same time. Check it out!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 62--Dave Edmunds!!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear!

Dave Edmunds---Run Run Rudolph!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 56--Cerys Matthews and Tom Jones

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear!

Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews---Baby It's Cold Outside

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 54--Gruff Rhys

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear!


Gruff Rhys---Post Apocalypse Christmas

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 52--The Joy Formidable!

The Best Way to Spread ChRiStMaS ChEeR is Singing loud for All to HEar!


The Joy Formidable---My Beerdrunk Soul is sadder than a hundred dead christmas trees....

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 36--Gorky's Zygotic Mynci!

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci---Hwiangerdd Mair

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 27--Goldie Lookin' Chain!!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear!


GOldie LoOKin CHaiN---Dubstep Christmas!! A Fairy Tale of Newport from the Masters.

The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer----Part 22!--John Cale!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer Is Singing Loud For All To Hear!

John Cale----A Child's Christmas in Wales

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 10---Goldie Lookin' Chain!!!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud For All to Hear!

Goldie Lookin' Chain--You'll Never Be Alone On Christmas Day

Llwybr Llaethog--Only a Northern Dub--Hip-Dub Reggae-Hop 1985-2000

Admittedly, it may seem that I flit from one thing to the next on this blog and in my musical tastes. I read about a new band or artist or scene and I check it out. But you could also maintain that I show some loyalty to the things that I like. When I find good music, I try to find out if there is more gold in the area. So once I found out about groups like Catatonia, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals, and 60 Foot Dolls, I tried to see what else was there. Some people do not like to hear music or watch movies in other languages, but for me there is something fantastic sounding about the Welsh language. My persistence led me to place like Finders Keepers Records, and their Welsh Rare Beat folk music compilations. And of course to Ankst Records, who must be one of leading lights in the Welsh language music revival. Their label is pretty eclectic one, running the gamut from Welsh hip-hop, to Punk, to hooky pop music. They have a couple terrific label compilations Radio Crymi Playlist 1 & 2, that are reasonably priced. And early in this blogs lifespan I did a spot on MC Mabon's tremendous Search for Meaning album. Check out the Ankst website.

Turn on the beat box, and do us all a favor!
Ankstmusik

And of course, browsing the Ankstmusik site led me to Llwybr Llaethog (Milky Way), who mix together a potently brainy blend of punk, hip-hop, politics, reggae, and super dub. Hip-Dub Reggae-Hop 1985-2000 is a collection of music they produced over the same 15 year period. When I read the description of what kind of music this was, I had to have a go at it. I have to say that I like this stuff; while predominantly dubby sounding (the instrumental side of things is obviously more noticeable to a  non speaker) with vocals drifting in and out as you expect with this style of music, there are punky or funky guitar fills in places and even African type sounds incorporated. They mix the beats up quite well at times like hip-hop and in other instances more industrial, and the arrangements are always interesting. For instance, one of my favorite songs here is Be?, which mixes African riffs, reminding me a little of the great Francis Bebey and horn lines. This album would be an excellent disc for driving along to. All in all they is a crazy genius in what these guys do. When you start listening to the first few tracks, you may not be that impressed, but there is a chronology here and it just keeps getting better. If you are a fan of the Clash's Sandinista, or The Fall, or Foetus, you will appreciate what these guys are doing.



I'm listening to Ty Haf Jac and I'm starting to think that these guys are an evil Welsh version of the Pet Shop Boys (at least part of the time), and I mean that as a compliment. Part of being anarchists, satirists and social critics would require you to be able to infiltrate the mainstream, rip it apart and take the piss out of it, in the same way jazz or calypso did in the early years. John Griffiths and Kevs Ford, the founding members of the group expressed the sentiments a lot of people at the time who were not on the bandwagon with the Margaret Thatcher and the new politics of the day, who felt increasing isolated and alienated. If you are like me, you will appreciate hearing music that is not pandering. These guys do what they do, let the beats fly, not worried about market share or popularity.



I look through the liner notes, and I can see the brilliance in what they do. Da! contains a Welsh version of Hamlet's to be or not soliloquy. Mera Desh is a later piece where they sing in Scots Gaelic and Hindi. Tour De France is a Gallicy sounding trash talking rap with thick rusty sounding guitar licks. One of the catchiest songs here is Rhywbeth Bach Yn Poeni Pawb (There's Always Someone Bothering Someone), which is an anti-Thatcher tune. Rhyfel is a diatribe against the original Gulf War of the 90's, and Gimi Gimi is about the senselessness of the Malvinas War, featuring the vocals of David R Edwards of Datblygu. Popeth Ar Y Record Ma Wedi Cael El Ddwyn (Everything on this record has been nicked) is basically a mosh up of 20 years of Welsh Pop music.

So basically these guys are pretty amazing musicians, fighting the good fight with intelligence and integrity. I hadn't listened to this in a while, and one of the nice thing about writing is that it brings me back to some of these great albums, though so far we are only at the tip of the iceberg. But for all of you people who consider yourselves sonic adventurers--check out Llwybr Llaetog and the Ankst website--see what you've been missing!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 1--Manic Street Preachers

The Best Way To Send Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud For All To Hear!!

James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers.

More Welsh wonders....Darling Buds Brilliant Debut Pop Said......

As long as there has been pop music, obviously there have been groups making hook laden bouncy pop. Sometimes it seems things don't change, with new groups replacing old groups like the eternal Menudo. The circle of pop life. Cocaina Matata. When you've heard it before, after a while you can get jaded, and you no longer get the amazing rush you felt when you first heard the Fab Four, or Paranoid, or whatever the hell it was that commanded your tiny attention span at that moment in time.



So sexy, it hurts......



On a less serious note, I've just run through The Darling Buds debut Cd for the umpteenth time, Pop Said...., and I must say it is a really great for a first album. If you have an affinity for The Bangles,The Go-Go's or Blondie, or simply catchy pop songs with big harmonies plus a little edge, they are going to be a source of enjoyment. A quartet from Newport, Wales, this little number from 1988 is a pleasure from start to finish. Led by the terrific (and beautiful) Andrea Lewis, who seems ready to take on the world with her assured vocals, the band goes from one energetic pop confection to the next. They are definitely a band of their time though, sounding similar to groups like The Primitives, nonetheless, this is a tremendously fun album. And even though it seems to be a fairly polished affair, at this point in history the studio did not become a Frankenstein's monster that overwhelms the human factor in the music.



And the Buds were a band that grew in songwriting ability and sophistication as they progressed through their all too brief three album career. But I find something refreshing in the almost Beatley youthful rush of this debut. After all in the little pop ditty Uptight, they "only wanna hold your hand". There's nothing that deep going on here folks, but that I feel no guilt in my enjoyment. In addition to Lewis on vocals, the band is comprised of Harley Farr on Guitar, Chris McDonogh on Bass, and "Bloss" on Drums.




Used copies for the Darling Buds are available used dirt cheap. If you enjoy 80's pop music in the style of the aforementioned bands I mentioned, there is no good excuse to give these guys a listen. Just another great Welsh group. Don't know what they have in the water over there, but it's getting to the point where I ought to get funding from the Welsh arts council. I know back in the Nineties in the span of a blink of an eye they tried to market Wales as a possible new Seattle. Turns out there was something to it, and noone ought to be surprised. After all, they are the California of the UK. Believe me, I've only scratched the the tip of the Welsh iceburg. And whether I am Itchy or Scratchy at the moment, I am always on the hunt for good music.


Popty Ping! the trademark of quality!



Let Gruff Rhys Get You Super Silky Smooth!!! Hotel Shampoo

Probably 6 months ago there was a bit of hype about Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys' superb new solo album Hotel Shampoo. Most of the chatter was about how his penchant for collecting complimentary shampoo bottles from the hotels he has inhabited over years of touring. I've seen the pictures of the little Welsh Fortress of Soltitude he had amassed. At least here in the states it has not made much of a ripple. I have to say it is a nice collection of  cleverly arranged 70's keyboard based singer-songwriter pop tunes. The songs are quite strong, the arrangements are mostly quite inventive, clever, and not stock imitations of old songs. He definitely puts his own distinctive eccentric stamp on the genre.

Of course Super Furry Animals are apparently one of those bands that we don't entirely get, because they are extremely popular across the Atlantic and they have made consistently fine albums. Psychedelic Techno Pop? What' not to like? There is a documentary that is part of their Songbook/Singles DVD where they are touring the US playing tiny venues, while back in the UK and Europe they are headlining festivals and playing in stadiums. I still believe that they are going to bang out a classic timeless album that will rank with the big boys of the rock n roll narrative and will leave most of the listening public surprised and startled, and probably a little disturbed. I think they have that kind of talent and creativity, and you hear it in bits and pieces on all of their albums. Sometimes I blank out when I listen to them and forget that I'm not listening to The Beatles, or The Beach Boys. And of course, I appreciate the fact that they released an excellent all-Welsh language album, Mwng (who needs vowels?).

Which was the best selling Welsh language album in  recorded history, by the way.

I already did a post on Rhys' collaboration with Boom Bip as Neon Neon, Stainless Style, which is without doubt my favorite electronic John DeLorean-themed concept album of the last decade. Definitely a very very cool album, which was nominated for a Mercury Prize. Hotel Shampoo is his latest solo project, released earlier this year. This album is a lot more elaborate than the prior ones. He wanted to create a simple piano album, but the songs would up being considerately more fleshed out. Rhys is a fine singer and the melodies are full to the brim with hooks. When I listen to the songs I can almost conjure up an alternate reality, where a team of producers with a gigantic budget took these songs and pumped them up to a gigantic size. To a point where they would be blasting out of the radio like Breakfast in America by Supertramp or Silly Love Songs by McCartney used to be when I was a teenager. You couldn't escape from them back then. Frankly, I prefer the songs on Hotel Shampoo just the way they are.

Orange Flakes of Purple Pop

From the outset, with the moody pop of Shark Filled Waters, you get the impression that you are going to get a lot of enjoyment out of this album. Some artists listen to music in their formative years and at some point are disinterested in music. I would venture to say that Gruff Rhys is not one of those artists; he seems to be an avid listener who soaks up influences like a sponge. And his pop sensibilities amaze me--a simple song like Honey All Over sounds magnificent here with the lush arrangements and harmonies. One of the best songs here I think is Vitamin K, which sounds like it could be retooled outtake from Neon Neon's Stainless Style. Great strings, 70's sax riffs, bubbly keyboard ostinatos. An interesting juxtaposition is the double timed tom-toms beats at some points in the song.



Some of Gruff's tunes here are politically themed, most notably Patterns of Power:

Kids are dying and I'm drinking champagne.
The patterns of power.
A patchwork of pain.
I'm on fire and you're drinking champagne.
The patterns of power.
Again and again.

Conservation Conversation is another such tune:

And as the conservation conversation,
Gets replaced by condensation,
And hot air:
Solar flare:
Remote control.

Other fine numbers include Christopher Columbus, which is like a combination London Calling meets Flower Power Ska. Nice horn lines. I like his charming duet with El Perro Del Mar, Space Dust 2, ostensibly a show-tune. At the Heart of Love is Gruff's is excellent RnB balladry, while on I Totally Understand (bonus track) he's channelling Elliott Smith. The other short bonus track on my disc, Pengwyn Pengwyn reminds me of those Welsh freak folk sing-a-longs of Meic Stevens. And I would be remiss in not mentioning another standout track, the Latin-tinged pop bliss of Sensations In The Dark.



If you are a fan of the Super Furries, you probably have this already. Hotel Shampoo one of the better new releases I've heard this year, but as I have said, be advised that it is on the mellow side. Fans of well-crafted pop music should eat this up like Andrew Zimmern at an all-you-can-eat Haggis buffet though. Not one duff track on this album. Another project by Rhys that I am anxiously anticipating is his documentary film Separado! where he travels to Argentina to reconnect with the relatives who emigrated from Wales in the 19th century. It's supposed to be a cool movie, but so far not released on DVD in NTSC format. Gruff Rhys is definitely an interesting, engaging person. Who knows what he will be up to next?