It's been a while since I bored you all with a new music post... so here's a sampling of the hot wax that's recently been trickling, like the poison that killed Hamlet's dad, into my eager ear canals...
I'd almost written off Noah & The Whale as quirky one-hit-wonders after Five Years Time drilled itself into the nation's consciousness a while back, going one of my favourite songs of the year to that annoying, over-played thing with the chirpy whistling.
My gigging mate Dave - who I should listen to more often when it comes to this sort of thing, as he's also the one who introduced me to Frank Turner - kept telling me how strong the new NATW material was, but as usual I had my head in the sand.
And then I stumbled across Tonight's The Kind Of Night... and discovered that Noah & The Whale have only gone and re-recorded one of my favourite songs!
You know that old trope about how there are only 7 stories in the world? I sometimes think there are an equally limited number of songs. I last wrote about this tune in 2009 when The Enemy released it as Sing When You're In Love, recognising its debt to earlier recordings by the Boomtown Rats, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Drugstore, Shed Seven, Bruce - even, as Simon commented, Heroes by Bowie. Well, now Noah and the gang have given us their version... and it's every bit as lovely as could be hoped.
The album, Last Night on Earth
I haven't seen the movie Country Strong, but I realise that for many people reading it'll surely be your idea of hell. Gwyneth Paltrow acting and singing her sincere little socks off in a tale of new-country folk. Now, I've always liked country music, but never had much time for big business US radio pop country. Y'know, Garth Brooks and his ilk. And I've certainly never had much time for Mrs. Chris Martin... well, not until her spunky turn as Pepper Potts in Iron Man. And yet here I find myself unable to stop listening to a pop-country song featuring Ms. Paltrow on duet duties with Tim McGraw... I really must be getting old. (Taken from the Country Strong
This senile insanity might also go some way towards explaining my newfound love of this gentleman...
I have no defence, other than that the video above features George from Seinfeld and SHATNER!!! Although that doesn't explain why I like the rest of Paisley's album 5th Gear
A couple of years back, I compiled a list of songs about famous Marvel Comics characters. Recently that post received a comment from Tim Sykes, directing me towards a track he'd written all about my favourite superhero, Spider-Man. It's a funky, jazzy little number which explains not only how Spidey's webshooters work, but also why Peter Parker has devoted his life to the thankless task of stopping criminals. You can listen to a preview of the song over at the Music Cafe
page on Amazon. Thanks, Tim - top Spidey song!
Also dropping into my inbox recently were a couple of live tracks by one of my top discoveries of last year, The Young Hegelians. Rough and ready blasts of angry and/or resigned indie lyricism: listen and enjoy. Lead Hegelian Carl Jackson promises me that the band will shortly be going into the studio to commit these and other new tracks to acetate (or whatever they record popular music onto these days) in preparation for the band's forthcoming album. From their myspace, Carl describes the band thus...
"A jazz influenced post-punk trio from the far-flung corners of Teesside. If you like your music offbeat, al la Talking Heads, XTC, Gang of Four, then this is for you."
The Young Hegelians - The Call Centre Is The New Factory Floor
The Young Hegelians - German Autumn
Check out The Young Hegelians myspace for more info.
Given a comment I just read on Carl's twitter account, I'm guessing he'll hate me for plugging his band in the same post I confess to my Brad Paisley affliction. But we are a very broad musical church here at Sunset Over Slawit though, all are welcome. (Apart from Bono.)
Speaking of musical churches, we're just two weeks away from the release of the third Indelicates album: David Koresh Superstar. Judging from the track above, it's gonna be another belter. Keep watching Indelicates.com for more updates.
I caught Villagers supporting Elbow back in March and their debut album Becoming a Jackal
has been nipping at my heels ever since. Pieces, the track above, reminds me of early Radiohead (think Fake Plastic Trees) but lead Villager Conor O'Brien has many strings to his bow, and seems poised to conquer the world... if only you people will listen.Against Me! is a truly awful name for a band. Actually, when I bought this record, I thought they were called White Crosses
, but it turns out that's the name of their latest album... which I also believed to be their debut... I know nothing, obviously. Anyway, I came to this record through their air-punching Green Day-esque single I Was A Teenage Anarchist, which I liked a lot, despite the fact that it got a large portion of their hardcore fanbase screaming "punk-pop sell-outs". The album contains far more interesting material, though, notably this touching little ode to Saint Bob... I dreamed Bob Dylan was a friend of mine
He was the owner of the house in which together we all lived
He slept between me and my wife in bed
Oh, the roof leaked in the kitchen
I never mentioned my collection of his albums
I never bothered him with intrusive questions
I dreamed Bob Dylan was a friend of mine
Now, I admire the old crinkly-croaky one as much as the next muso, but I'm not sure I'd want him sleeping in my bed. That's taking fandom a step too far, lads...
Enough music for one post! Before I close with a genuine rock classic from Queen's The Game
which I've recently rediscovered after 25 years, a quick heads up to any Half Man Half Biscuit fans that voting is currently underway in The Lux Familiar Cup over at the HMHB Lyrics Project. Pop along and join in the referendum to decide the world's favourite Half Man Half Biscuit song. Now, here's Freddie...
