       | My Chemical Romance for bringing colour back, for an addictive new album, and for Gerard and Frank being such super-lovely interviewees that I will definitely be a hopeless fan girl forever. OK Go for continuing to be super-smart, super-creative, and super-hot. Also, for the lemonade. LightGuides for making awesome songs, being pretty, and hosting the best Christmas parties. The Xcerts for making exactly the album I wanted from them in Scatterbrain. Paramore for being the best live band in the world. Twin Atlantic for consistently outdoing themselves in every way. Can't wait to hear the album. Fun. for bringing together two of the greatest pop songwriters of our time – Nate Ruess and Jack Antonoff. The Boxer Rebellion for being awesome big shot movie stars now. Little Comets for simply filling me with joy, making me dance, and Advent Calendar days 5 and 24. Steel Train for making an awesome album with a particularly awesome first track. The Format for 'If Work Permits' and all their other songs. (Wish I didn't miss the boat so badly). New Rhodes for a wonderful finale and for years of enriching my life in many ways. Lions.chase.tigers for being one of the very very best wee Scottish bands til they split :'( Kitty The Lion for being good enough for me to accept Jocasta Sleeps no longer existing. Jocasta Sleeps for getting back together for a one-off show and being as good as I remembered. Biffy Clyro for being even bigger mega-famous rock stars now and making Scotland very proud. 30 Seconds To Mars for incredible rock shows, 'Alibi', 'This Is War', and for complimenting my cashmere hoodie. Penguins Kill Polar Bears for not ditching 'Sandcastles'. Mumford & Sons for 'Lover Of The Light' and making me almost able to tolerate banjo. Idlewild for playing a crazy amount of post-announcement, pre-hiatus shows and often playing 'Everyone Says You're So Fragile'. |
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
20 Bands I Loved The Most in 2010
Sure, we all love The National... but whatever. I like this lot more.
Friday, 16 July 2010
Steel Train
Jack Antonoff is in Fun. Jack Antonoff is in Steel Train. This makes me automatically very open to what Steel Train do. Even if I wasn't though, I reckon their new album 'Steel Train' would have won me over equally quickly.For some reason, Steel Train, like Fun and The Format, appear to have some trouble getting the UK to listen much. I suppose the Scottish scene, which I'm guessing most of my readers are a part of, should understand this problem. Bands can be no.1 in the Scottish singles chart and play to one man and his dog in England the next week. I don't think Steel Train even have a deal over here.
Anyway, that's all not entirely important. What's important is the music, how awesome it is, and why you should listen. They put the whole of the album up to stream a few weeks ago - for free - at www.steeltrain.net (and it's still there). Since that day, when Fun tweeted the link, I have been completely hooked.
'Bullet' is an absolutely stunning album opener. It's a quirky, modern 'Born To Run', perfect for singing along and punching the air to. From the second Jack opens his mouth, with the line "Fell in love in the back seat of your car", it's like... WOAH, he doesn't even get to sing in Fun.! It will make you want to open your window and jump around the room as if you just won the World Cup, even if you're still in your pyjamas and all the neighbours are watching.
The rest of the album is great too. They're a little bit Modest Mouse, a little bit Arcade Fire, a little bit Flaming Lips, a little bit Phoenix... It's a bit twee, it's a bit weird, it's got a tremendous sense of melody and is mostly upbeat. There's even a tiny bit of rap. The kind of cute indie boy rap that ought to never, ever work and never, ever be tried... but they pull it off.
The closing number, 'Fall Asleep' is a pretty little number than becomes consumed in distorted guitar as it twinkles and fades. It could have been some epic, drawn-out finale, but they keep it short and sweet in a way that makes the record even more incredibly, irresistibly more-ish than it started off. First time I listened to the album very quickly became about five listens in a day. CD was preordered within a week.
Anyway, seriously, go listen to it. It's an awesome pop record that adheres to all the rules of melody and musicality while playfully pushing the boundaries of their instruments' sounds. It's upbeat and intense like some sort of super-cute cross-breed puppy.
Steel Train may not be a new band, but they're certainly not a tired old one. If you've ever needed convincing that there is great music out there that the UK foolishly ignores, here it is.
Steel Train may not be a new band, but they're certainly not a tired old one. If you've ever needed convincing that there is great music out there that the UK foolishly ignores, here it is.
Sunday, 11 July 2010
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Monday, 31 May 2010
Monday, 24 May 2010
Fun
It's half past ten on a Saturday night and I'm sitting outside with Nate Ruess from Fun. They've just played their first ever Scottish show, in front of a sizeable crowd in the Art School as part of Stag & Dagger. Their infectious and extravagant pop sounds less polished live, but their energy and presence creates something equally captivating.
Their record is so full of gems that they leave incredible songs like Be Calm and The Gambler off tonight's set list. Obviously I had a word with Nate about this, and am fully expecting to see Fun back before the end of the year to satisfy my demands.
If you're familiar with Nate's old band – The Format – you'll know the boy can seriously sing. His main comrades in Fun are Andrew Dost (ex-Anathallo) and Jack Antonoff (Steel Train), although the live band amounts to six.
Their debut record Aim & Ignite is released in the UK on 7 June. If you're impatient, though, it is already out Stateside and is already on Spotify too. It's pretty awesome.
How would you describe Fun?
Nate: To me it's just pop music. There's a lot to it from a recording stand point, but I think when you break it down, we're just writing pop songs, like in the 60s, 70s sense. Or even the 80s. We strive for a chorus, and we hope the songs are catchy and yet we want them to be meaningful if the listener decides...
Why did you decide on the name, Fun?
Nate: Because ice cream was a stupid name.
Well, it's probably more Google friendly than Fun, although I think your SEO isn't too bad.
Nate: I hope so. I haven't Googled myself recently.
This is your first time in Scotland. Have you had a chance to explore?
Nate: Not really, we've just been within a half mile. And we're all so jetlagged that we pretty much slept the ride from Liverpool to Glasgow. Which is sad because I think that we all appreciate where we're going, I think there just comes a point where we all just shut down.
We're going to a movie after this. I would like to enjoy Scotland, but I suppose we see a cinema as an opportunity to take a breath. I always like to assume that I'll be back wherever it is that we are.
Well, I hope you'll be back soon.
Nate: I hope so too. I'm going to have haggis that time.
I've never had haggis.
Nate: Why?
Because it's gross!
Nate: The concept is disgusting, but if everyone's eating it, there has to be something to it.
No no no. I suppose I have a problem with the concept of foods. I liked cheesecake until I found out it had cheese in it.
Nate: I know. It took a little getting used to, and then cheesecake became my favourite dessert. So I'm sure haggis, cooked in a sheep's belly... I'll find a way to rationalise it.
I'm sure you could get some tonight if you wanted. Loads of wee places sell it.
Nate: Oh, I feel like it's everywhere, but I've taken my tour of Scotland with the nachos. A real traditional Scottish meal.
You've just come off tour with Paramore and Relient K in the States. How was that?
Nate: It was wonderful. It was the biggest tour that we've ever done and I felt like we did a really great job of being ourselves up on stage, and getting whatever it is that our message is across. But furthermore I think that both bands were just great tour mates and I think we all left the tour being like, this was too short of a tour, and hopefully let's try and make more dates out of it in the future.
You play with a lot of bands that don't really fit together with Fun musically. Do you ever find it difficult to connect with crowds?
Nate: No. We play for so many different crowds, whether it's hipsters in New York or Brooklyn, or scene kids across the United States. We've always told ourselves, let's not cater to anybody, let's just be ourselves. There's something very rewarding about that, when you have a show and it's successful no matter who you're playing for.
What's been your best show to date?
Nate: We had a show in Phoenix where I'm from, with Jack's Mannequin. It was a big show, and it just felt like it was our show even though we were opening up for them. From my old band I'm so used to having a certain level of success in that area of the United States, and that was the first time that it really didn't feel like anything had changed.
How different is it being in Fun compared to being in The Format?
Nate: Well it's a different group of people. I think that Fun has achieved in some regards a lot more than The Format has, but I'm so proud of what we had done in The Format. We didn't have anything – I guess all we had was a touring fanbase in the United States and we made the most of it. We're still working towards that in Fun, and with The Format it was really all that we ever had. That's all I really end up caring about at the end of the day anyway.
Is the creative process quite different?
Nate: It can be. It really depends. I mean, now there's two instead of one, so the two might feel the need to speak up, I guess, a little bit more in the creative process. And they're both just so talented that they can be let loose on any part of any song and figure it out. Whereas The Format was just, two of us who had grown up together with an assumption that we would be able to make it through, but I think it took a lot more work for The Format than sometimes it does for Fun.
When me and Jack and Andrew get together, I don't think it's that we progress as a band - I think that we progress as individuals, get together, and try to figure it out from that. We don't necessarily see eye to eye on that many things, but it works in a way that we can respect each other.
If you could recruit anyone from any band to join yours or be involved in some kind of project with, who would it be?
Nate: Well, I'm a singer, so I can't make myself obsolete... I think from a technical stand point, I'd always had my eye on Andrew and Jack. They were always the two guys. Andrew is my favourite person when it comes to composing harmonies or playing piano, and I think Jack is my favourite person when it comes to guitar, or even dissecting a song and constructing a beat. So I'm not even bullshitting, those are the two guys I'd work with, because I know how good they are.
So not even someone for a token guitar solo in a single or something?
Nate: Well, Jack would be the guy to play that guitar solo - that's the thing!
What singers do you look up to?
Nate: Otis Redding, Freddie Mercury, Eddie Vedder, Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows and Van Morrison. Just soulful singers that, well, none of them really adhere to the structure of the song, which is something that I'm trying not to do.
What's next after the rest of these UK dates?
Nate: We've been touring for the last four months, so we're hoping to go home and sleep for a little bit.
What do you miss most about home?
Nate: I don't know. I really don't remember. My home situation is so... it doesn't make very much sense anyway, so sometimes it makes more sense to be on tour. I guess I miss having a day off. Just time to do whatever I want. But otherwise I'm just as content being on the road.
Lastly, what's the most FUN you've ever had?
Nate: Probably involves dancing, but without me realising that I'm dancing. If that makes sense.
Listen to Aim & Ignite now on Spotify
Fun on MySpace
Fun on Twitter
P.S. Remember the CD is out on 7 June :)
Their record is so full of gems that they leave incredible songs like Be Calm and The Gambler off tonight's set list. Obviously I had a word with Nate about this, and am fully expecting to see Fun back before the end of the year to satisfy my demands.
If you're familiar with Nate's old band – The Format – you'll know the boy can seriously sing. His main comrades in Fun are Andrew Dost (ex-Anathallo) and Jack Antonoff (Steel Train), although the live band amounts to six.
Their debut record Aim & Ignite is released in the UK on 7 June. If you're impatient, though, it is already out Stateside and is already on Spotify too. It's pretty awesome.
How would you describe Fun?
Nate: To me it's just pop music. There's a lot to it from a recording stand point, but I think when you break it down, we're just writing pop songs, like in the 60s, 70s sense. Or even the 80s. We strive for a chorus, and we hope the songs are catchy and yet we want them to be meaningful if the listener decides...
Why did you decide on the name, Fun?
Nate: Because ice cream was a stupid name.
Well, it's probably more Google friendly than Fun, although I think your SEO isn't too bad.
Nate: I hope so. I haven't Googled myself recently.
This is your first time in Scotland. Have you had a chance to explore?
Nate: Not really, we've just been within a half mile. And we're all so jetlagged that we pretty much slept the ride from Liverpool to Glasgow. Which is sad because I think that we all appreciate where we're going, I think there just comes a point where we all just shut down.
We're going to a movie after this. I would like to enjoy Scotland, but I suppose we see a cinema as an opportunity to take a breath. I always like to assume that I'll be back wherever it is that we are.
Well, I hope you'll be back soon.
Nate: I hope so too. I'm going to have haggis that time.
I've never had haggis.
Nate: Why?
Because it's gross!
Nate: The concept is disgusting, but if everyone's eating it, there has to be something to it.
No no no. I suppose I have a problem with the concept of foods. I liked cheesecake until I found out it had cheese in it.
Nate: I know. It took a little getting used to, and then cheesecake became my favourite dessert. So I'm sure haggis, cooked in a sheep's belly... I'll find a way to rationalise it.
I'm sure you could get some tonight if you wanted. Loads of wee places sell it.
Nate: Oh, I feel like it's everywhere, but I've taken my tour of Scotland with the nachos. A real traditional Scottish meal.
You've just come off tour with Paramore and Relient K in the States. How was that?
Nate: It was wonderful. It was the biggest tour that we've ever done and I felt like we did a really great job of being ourselves up on stage, and getting whatever it is that our message is across. But furthermore I think that both bands were just great tour mates and I think we all left the tour being like, this was too short of a tour, and hopefully let's try and make more dates out of it in the future.
You play with a lot of bands that don't really fit together with Fun musically. Do you ever find it difficult to connect with crowds?
Nate: No. We play for so many different crowds, whether it's hipsters in New York or Brooklyn, or scene kids across the United States. We've always told ourselves, let's not cater to anybody, let's just be ourselves. There's something very rewarding about that, when you have a show and it's successful no matter who you're playing for.
What's been your best show to date?
Nate: We had a show in Phoenix where I'm from, with Jack's Mannequin. It was a big show, and it just felt like it was our show even though we were opening up for them. From my old band I'm so used to having a certain level of success in that area of the United States, and that was the first time that it really didn't feel like anything had changed.
How different is it being in Fun compared to being in The Format?
Nate: Well it's a different group of people. I think that Fun has achieved in some regards a lot more than The Format has, but I'm so proud of what we had done in The Format. We didn't have anything – I guess all we had was a touring fanbase in the United States and we made the most of it. We're still working towards that in Fun, and with The Format it was really all that we ever had. That's all I really end up caring about at the end of the day anyway.
Is the creative process quite different?
Nate: It can be. It really depends. I mean, now there's two instead of one, so the two might feel the need to speak up, I guess, a little bit more in the creative process. And they're both just so talented that they can be let loose on any part of any song and figure it out. Whereas The Format was just, two of us who had grown up together with an assumption that we would be able to make it through, but I think it took a lot more work for The Format than sometimes it does for Fun.
When me and Jack and Andrew get together, I don't think it's that we progress as a band - I think that we progress as individuals, get together, and try to figure it out from that. We don't necessarily see eye to eye on that many things, but it works in a way that we can respect each other.
If you could recruit anyone from any band to join yours or be involved in some kind of project with, who would it be?
Nate: Well, I'm a singer, so I can't make myself obsolete... I think from a technical stand point, I'd always had my eye on Andrew and Jack. They were always the two guys. Andrew is my favourite person when it comes to composing harmonies or playing piano, and I think Jack is my favourite person when it comes to guitar, or even dissecting a song and constructing a beat. So I'm not even bullshitting, those are the two guys I'd work with, because I know how good they are.
So not even someone for a token guitar solo in a single or something?
Nate: Well, Jack would be the guy to play that guitar solo - that's the thing!
What singers do you look up to?
Nate: Otis Redding, Freddie Mercury, Eddie Vedder, Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows and Van Morrison. Just soulful singers that, well, none of them really adhere to the structure of the song, which is something that I'm trying not to do.
What's next after the rest of these UK dates?
Nate: We've been touring for the last four months, so we're hoping to go home and sleep for a little bit.
What do you miss most about home?
Nate: I don't know. I really don't remember. My home situation is so... it doesn't make very much sense anyway, so sometimes it makes more sense to be on tour. I guess I miss having a day off. Just time to do whatever I want. But otherwise I'm just as content being on the road.
Lastly, what's the most FUN you've ever had?
Nate: Probably involves dancing, but without me realising that I'm dancing. If that makes sense.
Listen to Aim & Ignite now on Spotify
Fun on MySpace
Fun on Twitter
P.S. Remember the CD is out on 7 June :)
The Pop Cop
Last week, one of Scotland’s finest and most highly respected music blogs vanished.The Pop Cop, before its untimely demise, introduced me to some great new music. The Pop Cop picked up on bands that I'd love to say I picked up on myself first, but usually didn't. The Pop Cop informed me of a lot of Scotland-specific music news that I wouldn’t have got as quickly or as readily elsewhere. The Pop Cop was, no offence to the rest, my favourite.
But given the combination of the music industry’s bizarre, self-mutilating behaviour, some misunderstandings, and the rather brutal handling of things by the blog hosting service (sorry Blogger, you know I love you, etc.), The Pop Cop wasn’t rewarded for his awesomeness and his band plugging finesse. No. He was shut down.
Extra interestingly, the straw that broke the camel's back – or exceeded the arbitrary limit set by Blogger of complaints for linking to copyrighted material – was a complaint that didn't even point towards anything in particular.
So anyway, there's not really much point in me droning on about it, pulling the situation apart, or anything else, because you can read about it for yourself.
Read about The Pop Cop's unfortunate situation
I think it's quite obvious that the decision to pull the plug on The Pop Cop was pretty daft. It's also pretty poor form that Blogger are apparently ignoring the situation and not offering the guy who ran the blog to get access to his account to at least recover three years of work and take it somewhere else.
But mostly I think it highlights the bigger issue – that the music industry needs to sort its game out. They want people to listen to music, buy records, go to shows, etc. Yes? Music blogs want to help people find bands they like to do all those things. Yes? So we're striving towards the same thing. Yes? Can we be friends then?
Anyway, I could ramble for hours. In fact, I have an unpublished blog about the even broader issue of mp3 downloading that I may wheel out soon, too.
But for now, I hope you'll support The Pop Cop in his plight.
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