Latest Reviews: Aural October

Where better to kick off this month’s reviews round-up than with a bizarre, disparate and confusing release? Ok probably with something straight forward but that just wouldn’t do. The concept of DJ Yoda and The Heritage Orchestra’s new release – ‘G.Prokofiev Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra’ – is an excellent one. Few would think to combine hip-hop and classical music (I mean, really combine them, not just a sample here and there) in a full length LP with movements and everything and the ambitious project has rightfully drawn some attention. But, well, it just doesn’t go far enough. As someone who likes their classical music I enjoyed the ridiculously sinister violins and the scratching combined nicely with the brass section but, well, where was the hip-hop? If Yoda, Mr Adventurous and supreme VJ was gunna take on a project like this I’d expect beats galore and those symbols to be sounding on top form, what we get is disparate, occasionally brilliant but far too often pulling up too short of its ambitious targets.
Those Northwesterly people at Cherryade Records have been busy as ever. Firstly they’ve released The Lovely Eggs’ record If You Were Fruit which, if a little sickly, brings a smile to the face of twockers (twee rockers) everywhere with their naïve lyrics. Secondly they glorious entity that is the Bobby McGees have release record L’Appropration Bourgoise De La bobby McGees and are on top form with opener Tractus Logico-Musica talking about innocent girlfriends and pepper spray and setting the tone from then on. The Bobby McGees are one of those special bands with perfect self-perception and an equally perfect lack of ego – they right fun songs with too many horns and far, far too many great hooks. Set aside a frantic half-hour.
From folk to funk, Bugz in the Attic have brought out a remixes collection, Got the Bug, which goes some way to displaying their sleek, undoubted talent and souped up version of Roison Murphy, Amy Winehouse and Bunny Mack tunes are decent but perhaps a little mainstream to attract core Bugz fans into this purchase.
Two beautifully packaged records in spray-painted wonderment reached ShadowPlay from Belle Records with Sol Gravy’s Sun Son proving a sombre affair with a beautiful harmonica and some nice lyrical touches adding to the jangly 70s dark folk feel of the record while labelmates Water were apparently one of THE Yorkshire bands of the end of the last century before their implosion through sex, drugs and ‘skullduggery’ fail to live up to the excitement of these pursuits with their flabby and meandering record Monkey Steps. Similarly attractively packaged, Bay of Islands’ Winter Vignettes, on Dizzy Records, provides a more soothing, intriguing record with the chirp of a scratched string and the sound of an undoubtedly talented pianist creating a sparse and beautiful record. Bear Driver’s Paws & Claws has a similarly lackadaisical rhythm to it with the Leeds-based psych-pop band displaying some promising signs with excellent vocals and an ear for when to make the tune go off on one, dancing into the woods without a cursory look back… Le Reno Amps return with their EP, the Stand Off, this month but, in all honesty, the grating lyrics and confusion over whether they want to be a straight up pop or kinda country-tinged indie band,a t least in the listener’s ears, is very off-putting.
Perhaps the prize for wild strangeness from a nutty duo this month goes to Misty Roses, the London/New York duo who, in their second album Villainess, create more mystery the Poirot puzzling over a particularly ripping Soduku. Singer Robert Conroy leads the tunes well and with ethereal backing and the skills of multi-instrumentalist Jonny Pearl, it’s definitely worth investigation.
A couple of harder releases come through TNS Records with the thrash of Revenge of the Psychotronic Man (and their barnstorming record Make Pigs Smoke, yep…) proving the custard shower effect, quite strange, fun once in a while but not for regular consumption. Meanwhile Halcyon Days are slightly lees all-out but provide some nice, threatening basslines and decent riffs, not to mention some quality boomed out harmonies. Good stuff.

ShadowPlay site moves on

Long time readers will be familiar with the old, ramshackle ShadowPlay website. After six years and thousands of hits it

's time to say a tearful farewell to my little blue creation and move, full time, to this blog. I would still hesitate to call myself a 'blogger', the connotations are of someone with too much time (never the case here!) on their hands, issuing rash, thoughtless opinions.That said the ease, speed and sleekness of this blog has been refreshing, proving you needn't have all the web skills in the world to make it readable. I'll be working on adding extra detail to this site so all the ShadowPlay contact details, links and stuff about the paper fanzine (which remains the priority) is included. For now, I bid farewell to the old site, it's all over now baby blue.

Sounds Like Teen Spirit (2009)

Kids can’t sing. People who enter Eurovision generally can’t sing (Gina G, I apologise…). So here’s a perfect match. This “popumentary” follows a number of kids vying for the title of winner of Junior Eurovision 2007. Pitched at an interesting level, this neither takes the piss out of Eurovision in a Wogan-esque way, nor takes it as seriously as it clearly is by many of the “smaller” countries around the continent.

First off, this seemed the wrong approach to take, afterall what dramatic interest are a bunch of kids singing going to provide if it’s not comedy. But actually this film connects on a real emotional level as the viewer feels complete empathy with the junior contestants, some of which seem to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Perhaps the best example of this is Mariam, a 13-year-old Georgian who goes to the competition without her mother, who lives in a ramshackle tower block and vows to take tranquilisers before her daughter’s performance. Given free fruit and blessings on the street, Mariam carries the hopes of her country on her shoulders and stars in the live final, which receives no less than 23 million viewers before being caught up in the Russian offensive which took place in summer 2008.

There’s also plenty to laugh at though, perhaps the deadpan Belgian commentator who says “they are not singing very good” of three Dalton Sisters aged no more than nine or Belgian finalists Trust who have had a street in their native town of Ypres named after them, such is the measure of their success.

This documentary gave a real insight, perhaps for the first time for, as to just why people from so many, realistically, fairly unremarkable countries get so worked up by Eurovision. With over 14,000 entrants vying for the Rotterdam final it’s clear the stakes are high for a competition which says as much about fragmented European politics as it does about mini-camp entertainment. An interesting documentary, a DVD in front of the fire watch for sure. 

Tru Thoughts Round-Up

Those glorious people over at Tru Thoughts have cooked up a storm for the autumn period, celebrating 10 years of the label that has boasted the kind of cutting edge music, in Quantic, TM Juke and the Bamboos in particular, that has marked it out as a forerunner in the UK funk and soul scene.

Earlier this month it hosted an excellent, hot and sticky night at Vibe Bar on Brick Lane, London where Alice Russell and Belleruche in particular gave the night the kind of swagger only 10 years of hard work and good times can bring. The label’s three disc anniversary release is a triumph in displaying the diversity and quality of the label. Thus the usual faces are joined by the likes of Kinny, Kylie Audist and Nirobi & Barakas. The main theme is of a label firmly focussed on taking life at its own pace, grab hold of it and saying “look, I’m gunna relax for a minute, ok?”

Elsewhere on the label, Natural Self releases his second album My Heart Beats Like a Drum next month, full of the kind of minimal chirpiness that will see him open up top-end nights aplenty I suspect. Meanwhile, Domu, aka Dominic Stanton, has released a collection of One Offs, Remixes and B Sides but it does feel a little like that, not exactly rjects but not top-cuts, also his choice of vocalists seems a little dubious, some dodgy vocals/lyrics here. Overall, Tru Thoughts spoil their listeners beyond belief, a label of true class and style will leave you far from hiding under the Munka Moon. (AL)

Kid606: Shout at the Döner (Tigerbeat6)

Kid606, aka Venezulan electronica supremo Miguel Trost Depedro, is one of those artists who, when on top form, is really on top form. The riviera kid has bust through the speed of sound on many previous occasions, with rip-roaring efforts like Don't Sweat the Technics and Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You marking him out as a real talent, if a little prone to the odd random mix too many.
Back with the bizarrely-titled Shout at the Döner (advice on Glaswegian kebab shops is offered in the notes), released through glorious off-kilter visionaries Tigerbeat6, this is a surprising release just in how fresh it seems despite some tunes, such as the menacing Samhain California, sounding like they coulda come out of the Steel city in any time in the last two decades. There are heavy strokes of futuristic LFO here while other reference points like Mouse on Mars and more minimal acts (that don’t have agoraphobia and play out) are bang on the money. The record is split into four ‘movements’ with Kid606’s Mozart moments coming in the form of nice glitches, tapered high-hats and strange clips which, to be honest, can only have been recorded and subsequently re-used under the influence of something a bit stronger than a bottle of Calpol left out overnight. There’s plenty of moments here when ‘606 hits real top form and create music to go to a fucking good party to and that is so invigorating you probably won’t even cringe when your mate flashes at the complaining neighbours. Get it.

Spotlight On: Blind Blake and Lecube

“There is no bank on Wall Street that belonged to me..” croons Blind Blake, aka Matthew Town, the legendary singer from the Bahamas who was born in 1915 and carved out an illustrious if a little under-recognised career from the 30s through to the 60s. As the leader of the house band at the Royal Victoria Hotel in Nassau in the Bahamas his music combines the glory of ragtime blues, island classics and American pop with some quite forward-thinking jazz elements. Listening to Bahamian Songs is one of those truly positive experiences that can change an mood and get even the clumsiest of toes twinkling. Credit must also been given to the technical elements of this record which, on CD, sounds crystal clear and surprisingly for a record from the early 50s has very little hiss and crackle (not always a good thing I hasten to add but a pleasure here). Highlights include the effortless fun Yes, Yes, Yes, his particularly familiar John B Sail (sloop would be proud) and My Pigeon Got Wild show the skill the man had on his banjo, ukulele or six-string to create a rhythm and style that would entertain contemporary audiences and generations to come. A must have if you like both music and smiling.


It would be unfair to describe Frenchman Julien ‘Lecube’ Barbagallo, architect of his debut From Here to Now, as fey but there’s a certain otherworldliness to the breathy, sidling pace of the record. Recorded in Toulouse, this eight-track offering shows some definite promise with Barbagallo presenting at times incredibly very intricate songs in a simple fashion – breaking down from tumultuous drumming into the kind of carefully plucked guitar-work which led Nick Drake to the forefront of those talented yet mellow musicians who preferred to shun any egocentric qualities in favour of an educated sound. That said, he does whack himself on the cover and grate a little vocally but on the whole, definitely worth a hop over the channel.

ShadowPlay// Broken Yolk fledgling podcast

ShadowPlay teams up with Teddy Bones, aka long-time SP contributor and fiend on the ones and twos, Tom Bonnett (pictured right) for an early precursor to a long-time partnership. This episode we introduce top monthly Stoke Newington night Broken Yolk, conducting some pointed ramblings about music consumption (including the mysteries of spotify) and featuring some aural delights in the form of Lord Tanamo, Acoustic Ladyland and a certain familiar reggae face.

Stream, subscribe or download it here: http://shadowplayboys.podbean.com

More info: http://www.myspace.com/brokenyolkuk

Get in touch: shadowplayfanzine@hotmail.com

Bent: Best Of

Nottingham lads Neil "Nail" Tolliday and Simon Mills will always have a special place in ShadowPlay hearts not only for their origins in the fair Midlands but also for their debut, Programmed to Love, which was probably the best record the city has produced and certainly the most impressive in the field of cleverly-worked electronica. Accomplished DJs and superb musicians, Bent are due a Best Of and, having always kept  a fairly low-key profile, it is nicely packaged as an introduction to the duo. Far from a flung together collection of their tunes, there’s a flow and control over this record which belies its status as a compilation – spreading the band’s work across two CDs.

The seven new songs here also serve to remind listeners that Bent are still fresh, coming up with a number of up-tempo, quite guitar led tunes to intersperse old favourites. But, in the end, long time listeners will enjoy a reprisal, Private Life and Magic Love still causing a tingle. Bent are a band who have often been under appreciated, their legacy starts here. 

Melt! Festival: Ferropolis, Germany

Astonishing discoveries are one of the things that makes life interesting: finding out what that button on the remote does, what colours food can turn if you leave it long enough and what that thing does you’ve been puzzled about for the earlier part of your life. Melt! is one such discovery. Now in its twelfth year, locals on the site tell me its profile has lifted considerably in the last couple of years with bigger brands, and bigger name acts, drawing the attention of a truly international audience.
Situated in Ferropolis, a complex created from an old quarry complete with a man-made lake and towering excavators, outside Dessau, an hour from Berlin, there’s plenty going for this cheap, large, three-day event.
Largely centred upon the more funky side of electronica - your Erol Alkan, Diplo, Digitalism type acts – there is a good diversity in terms of music, if not food where sausage dominates to a degree never before seen, even the usual dog burger is a rarity. Day one kicks off with some scepticism, Foals and Metronomy proving big name pull outs but ShadowPlay checks out the tenacious La Roux, full of spirit and, more crucially, tunes. Elsewhere, Aphex Twin (pictured below), making a rare live appearance, arrives onstage in the giant concrete bowl which mascerades as a main stage, to put in an hour of glitches, churning fun and a performance to set your teeth on edge – legend. Simian Mobile Disco and MSTRKRFT also prove popular before the torrential rain cut proceedings short at a mere 5am with a soggy Melt! going to bed cold but happy. The switch up in set times, compared to the more reserved, license-bound, UK festivals is notable. Here, the music doesn’t start until 7pm, meaning peak sets are 1-4am, and the freezing nights and wankers-shouting-fueled late night anger of festival camping are replaced by a serene knackeredness which both breaks and energises those in attendance.

The second day continues in a similar vein, Diplo and Boyz Noise put in masterful displays on the ones and twos, the artificial builders merchant sand of the man-made beach adding to the Brazilian DJs best-bits set while searchlights add to the effect, sat atop the humungous cranes. Digitalism also impress, proving more than just bleep-pop also-rans as they dominate main stage activities. The final day is an odd affair, opposite to the previous days, the music starts relatively early with many people descending for the day, doubtless drawn in by Oasis’ name at the top of the bill. Patrick Wolf delivers an impressive display, his stocks (which do in fact exist, he’s backed by Band Stocks) rise as he poses, pounces and prances around the stage in giant black wigs and backed by his increasingly glorious catalogue of pop songs. Various DJs continue to capture the weekend’s spirit, everyone still in seemingly good mood as the only sun of the festival appears. Oasis, for their part, put in an excellent, strangely professional and incongruous display. Along with the usual jibes about Manchester and laddish stuff, Gallagher junior shouts something about playing at Legoland and the band deliver a tight, wide-ranging and ultimately satisfying set. Devoid of the crap that has made going to see them in the UK an unappetising prospect – the piss throwing, chav presence, massive waits to get a spot – this was the best place to see an ace who are, realistically, still capable of putting on a great, enjoyable show. Even if it does involve lots of loud, shouty Swedish blokes.
A truly international festival, Melt! is a gem of an event, full of fun, intrigue and individuality, it’s well worth a flight out. Next year promises to be even better, with the event looking to expand even further size and acts-wise. Pack your muddy dancing shoes in anticipation.

Hop Farm Festival, Kent

The idea of this festival is right up our street – no branding, no sponsorship – a great idea perhaps surprisingly brought about by former Meanfiddler magnate Vince Power who has evidently tired of the corporate, fan-fucking events he used to arrange in favour of, well, peace and love. And, true to its word, this is no Reading & Leeds, thankfully, thus we get an weird and wonderful array of food, celebrity 5-a-side football and the illustriously named Main, Dance and Third stages. At a moderate size and with nice, booming soundsystems, there’s a lot to like about this fest, which takes place near Paddock Wood in the heart of commuter-belt, London accessible society. The line-up, as last year when Neil Young led the line, is led by an old geezer in the form of Paul Weller who draws in a laughably large amount of over-sideburned, sunglasses-wearing middle-aged men. Elsewhere, the line-up is a bit stodgy with the Fratellis, Pigeon Detectives and The View offering a pretty pathetic threesome on the Saturday.

But the Sunday bolsters things with a Ladyhawke putting in a stellar performance and getting the crowd dancing and bellowing in front of the main stage. In the dingy third stage tent, first Fight Like Apes, and then Danananakroyd, offer bolshy brilliance in abundance. Fight Like Apes snarl and shout at the adoring crowd (while giving them a cheeky smile) and bashing out the likes of Jake Summers from their incredible debut while Danananakroyd throw themselves around a lot, shout a lot, cover up a ten minute technical hitch by playing Grange Hill and Hollyoaks theme tunes, and shout their way off stage. Overall, the festival lacks a little strength in depth, there was little genuine choice and the few surprise delights offered by unknowns, such as Synth Eastwood who offered a parade of delights to a ‘super chilled’ zonked out dance tent mid-afternoon, were a little too rare. A good festival, well organised with great intentions, just a few more top-quality acts please.