Unexpectedly throughout these five years, my love of music has grown deeper than I could have imagined, and the main emphasis of this site grew in that direction. Then, late last year, I discovered Twitter, and felt the joy in sharing musical opinions and discoveries with other people. Hence my declaration a few months ago that Twitter would be the main place where I would hang out and talk music.

Today, however, is the start of a new journey for Euterpe, Muse of lyric poetry. She’s leaving the safety of Ninth space, and heading off to a new space:

I give you TheBrit and TheYank, a music blog devised and run by myself and fellow Tweeter @pnkrcklibrarian (who also posts on lib schooled.) All my future music-related posts will appear there, leaving Ninth space to the other eight Muses – I think they’ll prefer it that way.

But I’m a bit miffed now, to say the least.

The popular Twitter client Tweetie – which I deem popular because I use it – has been waiting for approval at version 1.3 for a little while. Today word comes back from Atebits (its developers) that it was rejected.

Why, you might ask?

“Why?”

Thanks for asking: it’s because the Trends screen contains an offensive word. For those unfamiliar with Twitter, trends are merely the most popular words or phrases used in Tweets. That is, they are generated solely by Twitter’s users and Tweetie, or indeed any other client application, has no influence on this list.

Atebits has resubmitted the application, with Trends screenshots of four other Twitter clients. We all wait in hope.

I’m currently expecting the next version of the iPhone / iPod touch to be hardwired with no network capabilities at all. That way we can be protected from all those nasty words on the internet. Oh, and no text messages either, or address cards with dubious contact information. We’ll be lucky to get voice.

I’m writing this because of the miserable state of the weather in Inverness at the moment. For the past few days it’s been overcast with drizzle, making everything appear colder than it is and its clinging dampness seems to have seeped into my brain, which doesn’t make for a happy Chris. I’m yearning for some decent sunlight to turn the skies blue, so that I may raise my eyes to them and feel that welcome tingle as they adjust to the brightness.

Today isn’t that day, unfortunately. After publicly grumbling about it, I have been tasked to share a Bad Weather playlist by one of my Twitter followers, which seems a great idea. And, given that Spotify isn’t available worldwide yet, this is the place for it to show itself. On second thoughts, Spotify doesn’t have three of the artists so that sucks.

Now, I’ve been lazy here. I could have trawled through lyrics for references to bad weather, but in the main the references come directly from song titles. Where they’re not, it’s just serendipitous that I’ve remembered some choice lyrical snippet. Some songs are literal and others figurative. Many are favourites of mine, which gives a clue as to where my head is at most of the time.

There’s quite a bit of snow too. I was considering leaving snow out of this, because I quite like it. But many of my transatlantic friends do not, so I’ve given them plenty. Haha!

Emm Gryner: Case of Tornadoes
Frazier Chorus: Storm
Renegade Soundwave: Thunder
My Brightest Diamond: Ice and Storm
Emm Gryner: Let it Snow
The Cardigans: Little Black Cloud
Kristin Hersh: Teeth
Ultra Vivid Scene: Lightning
Galaxie 500: Snowstorm
Kristin Hersh: Fog
Emm Gryner: Skating Rink
Charlotte Martin: Every Time It Rains

And yes, that final track shows a way out of the gloom.

Slow Show illustrates their exemplary song-writing skills, not just in lead singer Matt Berninger’s worn, dusty lyrics, but in the way the song is constructed. Merging acoustic and electric guitars better than most of their contemporaries, The National sculpt an atmospheric backdrop to join the simple strums that support this song of forlorn hopes and wasted opportunities. Bryan Devendorf’s double time snare hits on the chorus are surprising but critical to the success of the song.

But the real magic comes at its close, when The National reel in and re-use the closing lyrics of 29 Years – taken from their debut album – accompanied by the same lonely piano style that adorns Emily Haines’ Knives Don’t Have Your Back. By doing so they extend the scope of Slow Show through what remains unsung, illustrating that in the six years between these two songs, nothing has changed.

And that makes it even sadder.

The National – Official Website
The National: Boxer – Amazon UK
The National: Boxer – iTunes UK

You don’t make up your mind by thinking,
you make up your mind by feeling.
Richard Levick

For evidence of the loveliness of this album, look no further than the first song. Not Like You is seemingly inspired by Marvel Comics’ Man-Thing, but it gets that joke over with in the first line (if indeed it is a joke). The rest of the song aches with heartbroken rejection – “Don’t speak / Don’t support / Just quietly abhor me / The thing that feels” – those thoughts are strengthened further by its production. Hannah’s vocals are always softly sung, but mixed so that you can hear every breath, whisper and sigh. The effect becomes overwhelmingly pretty when she choruses them (almost always) or adds other harmonies. Everything is overdubbed and mixed perfectly. A chorus or line you hear at one point in a song will never be the same elsewhere. Because the mixing draws attention to each inflection it brings great intimacy to the material. So although The Thing That Feels is mainly constructed around simple flowing progressions, the bridges between elements of each song are magical. Not Like You sweeps upwards to its solitary break, delivering a riposte which is quietly shattering: “So what if you don’t like me / And you don’t care how I feel / So what if you can’t see me / I know I am really here.” And yet, despite this, the song ends unresolved.

The vocal layering and subtly shifting rhythms of each song exude a spontaneity which adds to their attractiveness. This is, thankfully, no rigourously sequenced work (although it is precise). Love Today is underpinned by drawn out melancholic piano sequences punctuated with chords, which then break apart to flutter fitfully around a harrowing lyric “For the love of life, don’t say goodbye.” Meathook gets more obviously personal despite a deceptively happier tune – “Don’t put your red dress on for him”, and later, “No meathook is as bad as a hook in the heart” which is delivered alongside a ghostly choir.

Another of this album’s charm (and reward) is that its delicacy gives the impression that at any time any of the songs might collapse in discord or some vocal or melodic mis-step. Fortunately, they don’t. There are no extraneous riffs, unwanted vocals, misplaced lyrics or worst of all: filler tracks. Even the coda to Meathook and the two short instrumentals that bookend the core of the album are exquisite and essential. The first instrumental, Of Longing, combines and loops tiny musical phrases to act as a break before the falling hanging introduction to Let It Show. This opens a sequence of five songs inspired by Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (itself derived from the land and characters of Oz.)

But in the context of the rest of the album, some of these songs can be taken allegorically, even though they clearly work as collection of vignettes. In some respects it is better not to know their origin, and instead get swept up by their emotions – which is, after all, the subject of the album. For example, the titular oily and green-skinned character Elphaba is seen as an outcast, and one cannot help but reflect on the lyrics of Not Like You. Moreover, the parting lament of I Can’t Let You In speaks of spurned desires, rejected through a stubborn believe in destiny “Her for you, but you for me” and “I can’t let you in, ‘cause the world will tear us to pieces.”

And Your Little Dog Too is the darkest song on the album. It’s menacing atmosphere builds through an almost obsessive repetition of Elphaba’s creepy demands for Dorothy to relinquish the slippers of her dead sister Nessarose. Correspondingly the piano work is more brooding, but the song relies most on Hannah’s vocals for its impact, as indeed it must.

The final two songs in this sequence are more reflective. All Is Not Well has a tone of regret and It Was Her House That Killed Nessarose considers deceit, revenge and fate, and consigns them to a lingering death.

After these songs and the closing instrumental Of Longing And Otherness (which is a sweet development of its earlier companion) come my three favourite songs on the album. Firstly, Sweet Heart, which devastates me entirely when I listen to it because it extracts emotional essence from the previous tracks and personifies them. “Solitude still holds you / I don’t have to fake the blues” may not be great insight, but its closing verse suggests a way out of darkness, executed with great poetic finesse matched by an expanded melody and warm bass notes, thus becoming more welcoming and positive. Hannah then switches from the abstract to the real. Away is a tribute to the late Jeff Buckley, written while he went missing, swimming in the Wolf River on 29 May 1997, but it could be for anyone who has been lost or who is dearly missed. This song features one of only two accompaniments on the album – David Eastwood provides a solemn bassline to complement some occasionally busy piano work.

The other accompaniment is Brian Standefer’s cello which joins in the lengthy choruses on the final and most impressive song. The eight minute The Vampire Waltz is the song which persuaded Hannah to write music. It uses a vampire’s seduction of a bride as a representation of deep eternal love (and the act of falling in love). It’s lyrics are charming and thoughtful, illustrating confusion, submission and acceptance “I need you near me / I think I’ve been fooled” and “Oh, why am I not dressed in white? Something is not right.”

The Vampire Waltz ebbs and flows as a modern classical piece of music, together with smartly executed changes of signature (3/4 to 4/4) and mood. The ending, written some years later, revisits the main musical theme, but develops it further to magnify the relevance of the final repeated lyric “Will the light spark?”, which echoes the wistful questions asked elsewhere on the album and Hannah’s (then) teenage apprehension. Each delivery is beautiful and aching, reverberating inside me long after the album is over.

From a personal perspective, Throwing Muses’ 1986 shocking visceral debut was the first album that broke me completely and I never expected to experience such powerful emotions through music again. The Thing That Feels confounded this belief and surprises me with its intense beauty every time I listen to it.

The Thing That Feels – iTunes UK
The Thing That Feels – iTunes US

Hannah Fury – Official Website
Hannah Fury – MySpace

That’s what keeps me awake – until something occurs elsewhere in my life that makes me forget.

But during recent nights there’s been another nuisance too. A distant periodic hum that’s annoyed me even more, stopping me from sleeping. Last night I tracked it down. So let me tell you about my hearing.

My parents were always astonished by my hearing. I’ve been able to detect sounds that others couldn’t: the high-pitched scream of a power supply transformer; the background buzz of a mis-tuned radio, long thought switched-off; the whisper-quiet hum of a hard drive; televisions switched on in other houses, and worst of all, the nightmarish ticking of clocks. I cannot sleep near an analog clock – even the smallest, most insignificant ones irritate me. Watches too.

I’ve been to gigs, all-night concerts and for two years worked near an airport. I’ve felt the throbbing bass-lines of The Wolfgang Press shake my stomach, my eardrums responding similarly; I’ve witnessed the majesty of Band of Susans’ guitar drones, of My Bloody Valentine gig climaxes, Orbital at the Royal Albert Hall and the exuberance of Sonic Youth. Throughout all of this, my hearing remained intact.

Then a few years ago I noticed a slight worsening of hearing in my right ear, and when it didn’t improve after a couple of weeks I had two full hearing tests. The conclusion that came back both times was that, compared to the general population it was considerably better than average. My left ear, just slightly better. Completely unintuitive, I know, but nothing to worry about, apparently.

At 3am last night, convinced that the hum wasn’t coming from another house, or from across the river, I stealthily wandered around my house looking for a source of the hum. I thought it might be the freezer or refrigerator – two prime candidates – but no. Our main computer server burbles like a tiny water cooler, and I can put up with its behavioural vagaries. That too was not the origin. No, it was the fan in my Mac Mini, parked on top of two hard drives, sat on a shelf screwed to a wall in my office. A full twenty-five feet away from me, through two doors and/or two fitted wardrobes and another wall. Usually shut down automatically at 11.30pm, it kept itself awake for some reason, so I forceably turned it off and peace returned to my head.

Thereafter I slept, and for the first time in many days I dreamed. And I dreamt of teeth. Typical – even when asleep I can’t stop thinking.

Underground highlights the value of John Von Ahlen’s minimal production – a cascade of interlocking rhythms and just enough synth to carry the main chords. This gives space for the squelchy bassline and Roxy’s vocals – dry, multi-tracked left and right, then delayed, tuned and generally messed about with. But my love of this track lies in the scratching, presented as both a rhythm and an anti-melody – it’s unwritten intention is to distract – only to become a centerpiece on the break, before disappearing back into the mix.

Parralox: Electricity – iTunes UK
Parralox: Electricity – Official Store
Parralox – Official Website
Parralox – MySpace

And it’s easy to see why it is a success:

• People have a desire or need to do useful work whilst on the move, and despite the increased feasibility of telecommuting the demand for business travel still exists;
• There’s a realisation that to do most work, the most powerful and capable computer isn’t required;

• Netbooks can be cheap.

  Yesterday Apple Inc. released its Q4 2008 financial results, showing that it sold 6.9 million iPhones in that quarter and in terms of revenue becoming the third largest mobile phone company in the world. Prior to my own experience with an iPhone I considered it to be a viable replacement for my laptop when out of the office for short periods of time. Now that I’ve owned one for nearly a year I’m more convinced of that. My friend Mark, who has an iPod touch, is similarly impressed, not just with the third party applications, but also with its overall usability.

  When Apple announced its iPhone Software Development Kit I wondered what this meant to the world of computing, with a post provocatively titled iPhone SDK: Death of the Desktop. At that time I even considered an alternative: Death of the Laptop. That’s worth a mention because in recent years Apple’s best selling computers have all been laptops and Apple has a tendency to make its own products obsolete. Anyhow, stick that thought away for a little while and ponder on this: Daring Fireball analysed the Q4 results in greater depth and came up with this very appropriate question “how long until the iPhone is undeniably the primary product and platform made by Apple?”

  Moreover, if the iPhone becomes its central product, what happens to the rest of the computing industry?

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/22/the-future-of-us/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/20/parralox-i-fell-in-love-with-a-drum-machine/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/20/parralox-i-fell-in-love-with-a-drum-machine/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:46:48 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/20/parralox-i-fell-in-love-with-a-drum-machine/ Double yeah, right! Two things stand out, don’t they? I’m convinced that Parralox chose their name so that they could grab a .com domain. Problem is, whenever I type it, I’m always misspelling it. Then there’s the title of the song, which is just a little too much electrolove for a Monday. But, you’ve been there right? Was it a TR-909 or TR-808 or perhaps you’re old school CR-78 (my personal favourite) or Linn. None of this matters because Melbourne, Australia duo Parralox have produced the best electropop album you’ll hear this year. (Why? Because their verses are as good as their choruses.)

  I Fell In Love With A Drum Machine is suitably decorated with snares, hi hats, booming drums and descending power toms, sometimes too many. That’s the point though, huh?. For proper Euro effect we also have whispered male vocals to offset Roxy’s soft-focus twilight yearnings and some tuned vocal cut-ups. And something that approximates a Hook-y riff-off.

  Besides, how can you not love a band who make cover art for each of their songs? Or that they rate The Knife as one of their “sounds like”?

  Much love to Jiingo for pointing me their way.

  Parralox: Electricity – iTunes UK
  Parralox: Electricity – Official Store
  Parralox – Official Website
  Parralox – MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/20/parralox-i-fell-in-love-with-a-drum-machine/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/19/hannah-fury-through-the-gash-2/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/19/hannah-fury-through-the-gash-2/#comments Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:30:37 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/19/hannah-fury-through-the-gash-2/ Number 2 of 2007 — Hannah Fury: Through the Gash
  
  We’ve been here before. Hannah Fury’s second album Through the Gash was released on 7 August 2007 to considerable but understated acclaim. And whilst it was a diversion from her debut, The Thing That Feels – more subtly than I originally thought – my feelings for it teetered on the brink of its event horizon before pulling me deeply into passionate tales of love, lust, loss, anger, deceit, revenge and, above all, mending. I was fortunate enough to receive the album a couple of weeks before its official release, and during that time and for some weeks after I fell further into each song.

  The result of that almost endless descent was an overwhelming need to publish my thoughts on the album, perhaps before I had had time to fully appreciate it. I had to do this because my reviews of individual songs were becoming too naked. I was concerned that I’d either completely misunderstood the album, or discovered things that should have remained hidden. Musicians are often unaware of the purpose of lyrics or they relish the intentional ambiguity of songs. None of this mattered to me. I just felt I was getting too close.

  So I backed off and my review became a mask for these issues. And now, when it is time to review the album in the context of last year’s music, I remain unable and unwilling to delve further into its psyche in order to persuade you of its greatness. Through the Gash is simply too extraordinary for me to write about anymore.

  Through the Gash – My Original Review

  Through the Gash – iTunes UK
  Through the Gash – iTunes US
  Through the Gash – CD Baby

  Mellow Traumatic – Official Website
  Antoinette’s Revenge – Official Store

  Hannah Fury: MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/19/hannah-fury-through-the-gash-2/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/13/the-rock-star-myth/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/13/the-rock-star-myth/#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:22:52 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/13/the-rock-star-myth/ Carrie Brownstein’s recent NPR post on The Death of the Rock Star made me wonder if we really need Rock Stars, or indeed if being a Rock Star is a facade deployed to obscure a general lack of talent. Just when I was pondering on this, Seth Godin wrote about the same subject, quoting a recent post by music analyst Bob Lefsetz which describes a Rock Star as “someone who incites controversy just by existing.” Then, “That’s what we lost in the dash for cash.” A point that Carrie mirrors as “the conflation of art and commerce” with musicians being the preachers for brands. I guess you can thank Moby for that progression.

  In my naive teens and early twenties the view I got of my favourite musicians was that they were inextricably bonded to their music. Nothing else mattered. Interviews with them tended to be oriented around their music and their lives of endless touring, inexplicable and often hilarious mishaps, and the trauma of studio recordings. Back then, in the late 80s and early 90s, it was often the music magazines and their staff who were the true Rock Stars. We all had personal favourites – I adored almost everything that Chris Roberts wrote, because like me, he loved everything Blonde – and those who we abhorred. The Review was everything and you had to become familiar with various writing styles in order to gather the real opinion. The Truth.

  This all led to the myth of the Rock Star and the sheer awe one felt when bumping into one at a club bar. (Lush members didn’t count.) Or in my case standing six feet away from Danielle Dax when she toured Inky Bloaters at ULU in 1987, thinking incorrectly that her earlier gig at the Manchester Boardwalk would have acclimatised me. But the reality was that many artists were scrabbling around to make a living either solely as a musician or trying to find time to fit music into their life. Read Dean Wareham’s Black Postcards: A Rock & Roll Romance if you don’t believe me.

  It is however the music Industry that is responsible for turning musicians into heroes and as their influence erodes so the height of these pedestals diminishes. Through direct contact with fans (thanks to the internet) we now know more about our favourite musicians than we used to. Connections between musicians and fans are becoming closer, and also between fans, as Kristin Hersh acknowledges in The Guitar that Love Built, returning music to its original purpose – a mechanism for communicating, bonding and learning. The only difference between the musicians who have true longevity and talent and their fans is that they make music. And to me that makes them even more remarkable.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/13/the-rock-star-myth/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/05/my-brightest-diamond-bring-me-the-workhorse/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/05/my-brightest-diamond-bring-me-the-workhorse/#comments Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:23:24 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/05/my-brightest-diamond-bring-me-the-workhorse/ Number 3 of 2007 — My Brightest Diamond: Bring Me the Workhorse
  
  Cloaked inside a moniker, or considering a musical adventure to be a project might seem a little excessive, but My Brightest Diamond does so because music is merely one part of the multifaceted nature of Shara Worden’s work. Its basis reaches back many generations, driven by years of musical discoveries, learning and the considerable influences of the communities that her family worked within as it tracked across America. To classify My Brightest Diamond as belonging to one or two genres is to do it a disservice, because it is more fundamental than this: It’s the product of history and of memories. Bring Me The Workhorse is My Brightest Diamond’s 2006 debut, released on Asthmatic Kitty records.

  Hannah Fury’s album Through The Gash taught me that it’s worth digging through an album again and again to obtain the most out of it. But there are problems if you apply this to memories. The more we analyse them, the more we will pay attention to the smallest things and the darker they will appear. The opening song of the album, Something Of An End astonishes with the line “it was beautiful and terrible.” This bookmarks where we are, and where we’re going to stay for the course of the album. But despite this marriage of indie-rock and exquisite string arrangements, Something Of An End still manages to groove obsessively before dropping into a sweet acoustic coda which best exposes Shara’s glorious note-perfect voice.

  And it’s the flexibility and accuracy of her voice which enables such variation throughout each song, and the album. Golden Star starts off as a simple guitar and drum groove before careening upwards into an explosive climax. This system of dynamics is used frequently throughout the album and intentionally over-dramatises the minutia of the events documented. Gone Away waltzes around the locked groove of abandonment only to deliver “This is a ride going nowhere.. but somewhere that I despise” and later ”..to end up with a tearful.” Again referring to the epic uselessness of such retrospection.

  Freak Out briefly shifts madly from these comforting arrangements, becoming atonal and off-centre, accompanied by panicky instrumentation and ghostly screams. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to add to the value to the album.

  There are however songs that recall the allegory of Joanna Newsom, although these are more obviously autobiographical than, say, Joanna’s Monkey & Bear. And it’s here where the best songs lie, reconstructing history and hiding it within hyperreal imagery. Sometimes, as with We Were Sparkling and its collection of music boxes and feedback, these microscopic recollections become overwhelmingly beautiful.

  The string-laden Dragonfly, Magic Rabbit and The Robin’s Jar all tell their stories most effectively, The latter’s line “and mama made us bury it” is delivered with such childlike horror that the song’s eventual shift of subject is cataclysmic. Magic Rabbit’s distorted and grinding sub-thrash guitars melds genres together highlighting their unique qualities without cliché.

  Still, for those wanting something more traditional we have The Good & The Bad Guy which is my favourite track on the album – more for its contrast with its predecessors than being a standout. Overtly moody, but burning with passion, this torchsong is devoid of guitars or bass, letting Shara’s voice sore with conflicting desire.

  It’s therefore appropriate that the final song, Workhorse is delivered in similar terms, but this time with broken beats and very obvious anger and regret. The contemptuous line “Lost all your youth and all of your usefulness” is reworked continuously, but we never learn why or how. Unless, of course, you’ve listened to the previous ten songs. Because being able to write such beautiful music and deliver it in such a fine manner allows the pain of those memories to be exhumed, exposed and ultimately destroyed.

  Bring Me the Workhorse – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK
  My Brightest Diamond – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/05/my-brightest-diamond-bring-me-the-workhorse/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/01/amanda-palmer-have-to-drive/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/01/amanda-palmer-have-to-drive/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:37:41 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/01/amanda-palmer-have-to-drive/ It would be too romantic to have used yesterday’s visit to see my father purely as an excuse to listen to Have to Drive on the way back, walking through the forgotten streets of our city’s outskirts, dampened by the drizzle and crushed by the heaviness of rain clouds.

  Still, its last words – whispered commands which pull the rest of the song into focus – are such an exquisite lure that any reason will do. Indeed, “I’ll meet you in an hour, at the car” adds a third, almost unmentioned, dimension to a song which is already skewed by a lyrical pun (the use of “deer” instead of “dear”) and a choral break sung by the Via Interficere Choir of Nashville (another pun, latin lovers) targetting the encroachment of human civilisation on wildlife. To me, the song isn’t about that anyhow – it’s so much darker. I challenge you to gather up all the missing pieces and work out an alternative interpretation.

  Musically, it’s a tremendous piece of work, building subtly from simple piano progressions. Strings and drums do most of the structural work, before Amanda’s voice almost overreaches itself and the entire song collapses in an emotional denouement.

  Amanda Palmer: Who Killed Amanda Palmer – iTunes Special Edition
  Amazon UK
  Amanda Palmer – MySpace
  Album Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/10/01/amanda-palmer-have-to-drive/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/24/the-dresden-dolls-necessary-evil/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/24/the-dresden-dolls-necessary-evil/#comments Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:08:10 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/24/the-dresden-dolls-necessary-evil/ Before letting myself become embedded in the wondrous Who Killed Amanda Palmer, I listened to The Dresden Dolls’ eponymous album. Whilst I found its blend of theatrical rock rather engaging, it wasn’t revolutionary, but then I was four years late, and there are now other bands following or branching off in new directions.

  The follow-up, Yes, Virginia…, is a more compelling album, full of assured, sometimes controversial song-writing and performances which are confident and sparkling.

  Necessary Evil is loveable for its melodic rhythmically rampant piano work – the break at 1.50 is incredible, Amanda Palmer’s blistered vocals and Brian Viglione’s manic but beautifully timed percussion. It’s sneaky but smart, placing something this exhilarating towards the tail-end of the album.

  Yes, Virginia… – iTunes UK
  Yes, Virginia… – Amazon UK
  The Dresden Dolls – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/24/the-dresden-dolls-necessary-evil/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/18/amanda-palmer-runs-in-the-family/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/18/amanda-palmer-runs-in-the-family/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:11:05 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/18/amanda-palmer-runs-in-the-family/ There are people around these parts who write that Amanda Palmer’s debut – extricated from her life as half of The Dresden Dolls – withers slightly in its latter stages. This is, fortunately, incorrect. The slower closing section of Who Killed Amanda Palmer serves as a delicious dessert to its bristly openers, which includes this song.

  Runs in the Family is a frantic song, heaping arpeggios on staccato piano and overlapping vocal lines to cram so much into its short life. But like many songs on the album, it’s the little things that make it more memorable, especially the organ riff that accompanies the ‘me up / me up..’ refrains. And yes, it hooked itself into my head two nights ago.

  I’m too unfamiliar with The Dresden Dolls to determine how, why or if this album relates in some part. Nor do I care that some of its songs have been around for over a year – some longer. I do care that this album is the only one likely to displace another as a shoe-in for album of the year and I’m rationing myself to one play a day. It’s so good though, you should buy it twice.

  Amanda Palmer: Runs in the Family
  

  Amanda Palmer: Who Killed Amanda Palmer – iTunes Special Edition
  Amazon UK
  Amanda Palmer – MySpace
  Album Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/18/amanda-palmer-runs-in-the-family/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/09/sofia-talvik-my-james-dean/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/09/sofia-talvik-my-james-dean/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:37:24 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/09/sofia-talvik-my-james-dean/ I guess, by the time a musician gets to their third album they know whether it’s going to work out for them. Not writing, recording and touring as a hobby, but embracing their talents and working with something that’s turned out to be innate to their existence. There are perhaps a handful of musicians that I could categorise in such a way.

  With the release of Jonestown, Sofia Talvik easily gets over the idea of the difficult third album (younger sibling of the difficult second album) and turns out a collection that eclipses her first two. Opening track and lead single As Summers Pass recalls the past with its acoustic progressions, but the subsequent song My James Dean is astonishing.

  Because it’s not what you’re expecting. Sure it has these synth pads that appear to hang over from its predecessor, but the guitar loops lower, more geared towards grooving. The best way I can describe it is the merging of the droning synth-rock of Stereolab and the sub-Spector inclinations of El Perro del Mar – with piano too.

  Over the top of this comes Sofia’s outstanding vocals and a plaintiff declaration that “I’m not that special.” But she is.

  Sofia Talvik – Official Website
  Sofia Talvik – MySpace
  Jonestown – Official Store
  Jonestown – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/09/09/sofia-talvik-my-james-dean/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/31/robyn-robyn/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/31/robyn-robyn/#comments Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:21:58 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/31/robyn-robyn/ Number 4 of 2007 — Robyn: Robyn
  
  In my messed-up head, where I live most of my Real Life, there’s a world dedicated to music. The Pop Continent is currently inhabited by four artists: Annie, Bertine Zetlitz, Margaret Berger and Robyn. Some musicians occasionally fly in for a holiday, others let their boats wash aground on its sandy beaches only for the tide to draw them gently away later, but these four are pretty permanent.

  So here’s Robyn’s album: a 2005 creation which eluded the UK for two years until it was finally released in 2007 (then withdrawn and re-released) and only officially worked its way across the US this year, tour in tow.

  One benefit of those two years is the inclusion of additional songs including the collaboration with Kleerup for With Every Heartbeat, first unveiled on his MySpace page in 2006. Nearly two years on, that harbour lights string intro still mourns over the unstoppable chugging drumbeat, moving everything on but the eternal grief, a feeling which is so clearly illustrated in its video. The constant cohort in this work of art is Klas Åhlund, who produced and co-wrote most of the album. Swedish techno-weirdos The Knife helped out on Who’s That Girl, with tell tale icy production and metallic toms.

  There are two main draws to this album: the marriage of techno and electro to pop and r’n’b makes it more edgy than it might otherwise have been, and Robyn has a decade of music industry experience to use and expose. Even knowing this, the inseparable Curriculum Vitae and Konichiwa Bitches which begin the album still manage to sound too overblown and jokey when first unveilled. This Is The Whole Point, of course, but I think the satire might still be lost on some. Ultimately, Konichiwa Bitches is a grower because of its lyrics and scatty musical diversity – so many ideas squeezed into its short lifespan. The crashing (not crushing) emptiness that comes from its conclusion only heightens the arpeggiator sequence that opens and drives throughout Cobrastyle – a Teddybears cover and the first truly great track on this album, firmly targeted to the dancefloor.

  Ballads appear to be compulsory to every pop album, but the artful ones disguise themselves, avoiding the usual strings-and-things arrangement, instead going for the simplest backing, maybe turning them into torch songs. Eclipse does both, using an upright bass and echoed piano to draw out the emotion in Robyn’s voice, which stuns with its chorus ‘the day I break your heart.’ It’s not just a prediction, it’s a promise. Another trick is to turn up the tempo, which Handle Me and Bum Like You do. The former brings in sawed cello and sparkling acoustic guitar strums to contrast with its beats. Bum Like You withdraws further, using a minimal synth backing offset by more rhythmic inventiveness to confess to a clumsy messed-up relationship. Even through this, she manages to sigh “...but it’s alright,” and that almost aches too much. This technique works best on Should Have Known, which is the most naked song, multitracking Robyn’s vocals over simple beats and just a fragment of melody. These are anti-ballads from a universe where indulgent sentimentality doesn’t exist.

  Be Mine! appears to grab spoonfuls of string attitude from With Every Heartbeat and pours them over more palpitating rhythms to form another downbeat / upbeat song about unrequited love. Again Robyn’s vocals and her sometimes juvenile lyrics give more poignancy to this song. Doubly so, because it appears immediately before With Every Heartbeat, a song so terribly sad that even the almost obsessive repetition of ‘And it hurts with every heartbeat’ still comes across as understatement.

  Robyn has an ability to confound expectations and musical prejudices, turning Robotboy from a twee “hey little ‘droid” piano ballad into twee pop. Even Crash and Burn Girl manages to escape from the clutches of camp disco and as it does so uncovers some hard hitting advice for younger wannabes.

  Despite the collaborations and the musical variation throughout Robyn, it’s clear why it had to be self-titled. Robyn is both a rebirth and a powerful statement of her confidence, sweeping away all-comers who grew like weeds in her absence, even though she never really disappeared.

  Robyn – iTunes UK
  Robyn – Amazon UK
  Official Website
  Robyn – YouTube

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/31/robyn-robyn/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/18/basic-channel-mutism/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/18/basic-channel-mutism/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:51:54 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/18/basic-channel-mutism/ While the most memorable of Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus’ Basic Channel’s tracks are built around techno 4/4 beats, perhaps softened to suit the rest of the mix, the interesting ones redefine electronic music. Or music, generally.

  Mutism is what happens when you take away to an extreme level. It’s the sound of a bare dub-plate left to score its groove from the ambience that surrounds us. Documenting the smallest responses to the physical reverberations that bind our lives to this planet. Butterfly chimes, the chatter of micro-organisms, electronic gurgles, dusty tunnels and crackle of burning wood. It’s all here. It may have been born from machines, but it’s clearly not owned by them. This is our music.

  Basic Channel: BCD – Amazon UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/18/basic-channel-mutism/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/13/ah-yes-i-see/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/13/ah-yes-i-see/#comments Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:29:59 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/13/ah-yes-i-see/ It’s fascinating to read that the BBC have now decided to adopt open standards in the delivery of their audio and video content. Why? Because they’ve now “matured enough to make them viable alternatives to other solutions.” This will allow them to deliver content across a wider range of devices and improve the quality of the content delivery.

  What formats have they decided to adopt? AAC and H.264, i.e. the ones that Apple has been using since day 1 of iTunes (AAC) and October 2005’s introduction of video content on the iTunes Store (H.264), reminding me of my original thoughts on the BBC not using Flash.

  Still, it’s good to see them moving in the right direction, even if it needs to be spun.

  The BBC’s Anthony Rose sells it more convincingly, although I don’t consider H.264 to be the ‘new kid on the block’, given that it has been in iTunes for nearly three years. At present the BBC’s content providers are using Quicktime to encode H.264 content but will move to MainConcept’s transcoder shortly.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/13/ah-yes-i-see/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/04/miss-kittin-pollution-of-the-mind/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/04/miss-kittin-pollution-of-the-mind/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:36:27 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/04/miss-kittin-pollution-of-the-mind/ Batbox, Miss Kittin’s excellent second solo album, takes her clinical electro into new areas, reaching warmer pan-European climbs, whilst embracing the sounds of Detroit techno woven to stark gothic drum beats and basslines. It’s more musical and song-centred than previous releases, but Caroline Hervé still manages to retain her witty club-sexy aura.

  Pollution of the Mind sizzles with a buzzing arpeggiated bass that’s spine chilling, occasionally accompanied by isolated whiny piano-synth riffs. These alone are impressive, but her surprisingly crystalline vocals are the true standout.

  Miss Kittin: Batbox – Amazon UK
  iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/08/04/miss-kittin-pollution-of-the-mind/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/29/blonde-redhead-pink-love/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/29/blonde-redhead-pink-love/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:51:27 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/29/blonde-redhead-pink-love/ Blonde Redhead’s debut on 4AD, 2004’s Misery Is A Butterfly, doesn’t really fit with my idea of how a 4AD record should sound. Nor should it. But critics will tell you that the brooding dark atmospheres that rise from the smoothest of productions are evidence of an evolution which drew the band to its new label. It is true that in the late 1980s, 4AD did develop a particular sound, around its outer margins via its less popular groups, but today there’s such diversity in its roster that such a comparison is lazy. More than this, because Misery Is A Butterfly doesn’t even compare to what was released twenty years ago, except for a passing resemblance to Cocteau Twins atmospherics.

  Pink Love is the lengthy album climax painted on top of fluttering organ keys, which swirl around, left and right, and a determined bassline. Both manage to sit in the background, which gives greater emphasis to Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace’s indulgent duet. Each vocalist is given time to breath their words. It’s fabulously plush and naked.

  Blonde Redhead: Misery Is A Butterfly – Amazon UK
  iTunes UK
  Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/29/blonde-redhead-pink-love/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/23/margaret-berger-robot-boy/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/23/margaret-berger-robot-boy/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:57:11 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/23/margaret-berger-robot-boy/ It’s inevitable that at some point in a pop artist’s career, they write a song involving robots. Actually, that might not be a consistent observation, but it suits me here because when I looked at the track listing for Pretty Scary Silver Fairy this was the title that filled me with dread.

  Fortunately, this robot is merely used as a hook on which to hang all kinds of angsty thoughts, ranging from parental disapproval to breakup to (almost) eternally unrequited love. But wait, there’s more: It’s a duet. With role reversal. Can it get anymore mindboggling? Well, yes, because despite this weird 3.5 minute universe, which seems to have burst from second-generation Sugababes, Robot Boy is strikingly moving.

  As you should know by now – the album is awesome:

  Pretty Scary Silver Fairy – Amazon UK (Import)
  Margaret Berger – MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/23/margaret-berger-robot-boy/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/15/stereolab-the-noise-of-carpet/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/15/stereolab-the-noise-of-carpet/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:42:15 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/15/stereolab-the-noise-of-carpet/ Originally available on 1996’s Emperor Tomato Ketchup The Noise of Carpet summarises what makes Stereolab so marvellous. The drones, guitar, drums, ba-ba backings and Lætitia’s vocals all squirly around to form a mega-riff that hooks you in almost without realising.

  Stereolab: Emperor Tomato Ketchup – Amazon UK
  Stereolab: Oscillons from the Anti-Sun – iTunes UK (Compilation)
  Stereolab – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/15/stereolab-the-noise-of-carpet/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/14/autechre-444/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/14/autechre-444/#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:28:47 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/14/autechre-444/ 444 is taken from my favourite Autechre album, their debut Incunabula. Seemingly born from within Warp’s Artificial Intelligence philosophy, its chattering percussion is dominated by hi-hats, airy snares and appropriately tuned toms. A combination so predicatable, but essential in this era.

  Filtered pads overlap to develop a repetitive but evolving melody, bringing sweetness and further vivacity to this lovely piece of music which closes the album.

  Autechre: Incunabula – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/14/autechre-444/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/14/st-eve-jets/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/14/st-eve-jets/#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:16:42 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/14/st-eve-jets/ Jets lives for its sparse guitar lines, used as both rhythm and melody, which emphasises and sometimes mirrors Gabrielle’s vocals. It’s difficult to decide which is the more important, because it never glowers quite as much as it should do, despite its obvious intensity.

  Elixir – iTunes UK
  The House of Saint Eve

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/14/st-eve-jets/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/05/lounging-around/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/05/lounging-around/#comments Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:34:31 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/05/lounging-around/ Continuing on from my previous story:

  Three years ago I upgraded the hi-fi and TV in my home, following my corresponding ‘one-month off’. This time around, I’m going to migrate carefully towards high definition video. The TV set-up is currently a Hitachi 42PD7200 and one of the first affordable sound projectors, the Yamaha YSP-1.

  I’ve never been a fan of broadcast HD. Whilst there is noticeable difference between standard definition and the HD quality transmitted by Sky or the BBC, it’s not so significant to make upgrading essential. The cost of a new Sky+ box and the additional £10 per month for Sky HD channels reduces its appeal even more. (My friends in Canada would see a benefit because, like the US, their standard picture quality is abysmal.)

  Besides, since I believe that the internet will become the primary conduit for everything, surely this is the route I should take? Gradually abandoning broadcast subscription services for the internet.

  The first step is therefore going to be an Apple TV. I’m beginning to despise the collections of DVDs that I have in my house, taking up room, glaring at me. What better excuse to start ripping these to disk? As a bonus I get to watch DVDs on my iPhone when I’m travelling. Plus Apple have recently launched film rentals and purchases in the UK, although rentals are limited to 720p rather than the better 1080p/i format (Apple TV cannot decode this) and purchase of HD content from iTunes is not yet possible.

  I’ll let you know how this goes.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/05/lounging-around/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/03/a-recipe-for-rebirth/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/03/a-recipe-for-rebirth/#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:58:45 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/03/a-recipe-for-rebirth/ One of the problems with living away from home for one month every year (that is, holidaying with my relatives in Ottawa, Canada) is that I can’t really do much for me apart from listen to music, write the occasional music review and keep up with my 141 RSS feeds. This year I’ve also dabbled with my super-secret personal Ruby on Rails project, which I like very much.

  The side-effect of all of this is that I rush home with lots of ideas how this year will be different from last year, or rather, the rest of this year will be different from the meanderings of previous months. Sometimes this actually works.

  I have two or three aims for the next six months, outside of the usual work things. In no particular order, here’s Part One:

  The Office Tidy

  This desire crops up every couple of months: I prowl around my office, disappointed with the paperwork strewn across desks, books that sit on tables or on shelves unread (deliberately so) and the general uncreative ambience. Let’s not forget the un-ripped CDs. My solution is usually to shred, shuffle and rip. Which keeps me happy for about two weeks. Then the mess returns.

  During the past four years I’ve become increasingly irritated with ‘stuff’ – products, items, materials, things that occupy physical and mental space. This time I’m going to war: anything I don’t need is going.. For the purposes of business, this means archiving all but the previous two months of paperwork. I’d love to dispose most of it, but unfortunately there are audit and accounting requirements that require me to actually keep business emphemera.

  Then there’s the books and software installation disks. I have books on PHP, Java, JSP and even a whole library of Palm OS programmers’ documents. When was the last time I looked at any of these? Years ago. There are about three books I need regularly. The rest are surplus to requirements. I haven’t decided whether to bin or archive them. I think most will be destroyed or recycled – does anyone buy out-of-date technical books? – with some going into a not-too-easy-to-access archive. For those unfamiliar with my abode, that means the garage – if there’s room in there. Or the loft – if there’s room in there..

  This might lead to a reduction in shelf space and maybe shelving. Maybe I can get rid of a desk or two? Maybe I’ll have room for a whiteboard?

  I mustn’t forget the music. That’s what I’m here for. When I’m busy working on my own, I buy music to listen to. I gather new music rather obsessively. But I conspire to be so busy that I often don’t have the inclination to rip the CDs once I’ve received them. Instead they pile up, congregating like small children in playgrounds.

  And I need a stand for my Apple Cinema Display. Some months ago I found out about the LowKey Stand which is a nice way of hiding away the Apple Keyboard without having it resting awkwardly on the foot of the display, plus it reduces clutter and allows me to scribble with greater freedom. There’s a version without a USB hub – the SlimKey Stand – which I can buy here. This is now on my shopping list.

  Coming in Part Two: Lounging Around

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/03/a-recipe-for-rebirth/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/01/bertine-zetlitz-certain/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/01/bertine-zetlitz-certain/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:22:18 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/01/bertine-zetlitz-certain/ As “one more chance” songs go, “I have friends who’d love to make your eyeballs bleed” isn’t exactly what you’d expect to hear. But this song likes making threats out of promises, second chances that if not taken lead to psychological terror. All of this is helped by deep rooted acid squiggles, half-hop drumbeats and guitar riffs. Naturally, Bertine sings amongst this with customary charm disguising her warnings inside prettiness.

  Bertine Zetlitz: Beautiful So Far – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/07/01/bertine-zetlitz-certain/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/25/rock-star/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/25/rock-star/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:46:58 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/25/rock-star/

  A real musician is someone who has no choice but to play music, whether or not it’s gonna make money or win friends. Or be heard at all. A real musician could be anyone; sometimes they’re in the music business, but they’re hardly ever rock stars.

  I guess this answers the question I posed here. From Kristin Hersh’s new website.

  Kristin’s “Paradoxical Undressing” opens at the Edinburgh Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland on 13 August 2008 at Caberet Voltaire, followed by a seven night run from 17-23 August, 2008 at St. Cecilia’s as part of the Fringe-affiliated Edinburgh Edge Festival. Tickets under the links. Count me tempted..

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/25/rock-star/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/25/liz-tormes-limelight/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/25/liz-tormes-limelight/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:33:56 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/25/liz-tormes-limelight/ Number 5 of 2007 — Liz Tormes: Limelight
  
  There are some albums I’ll never be able to listen to in the company of others, such is their ability to prod at my own failings and insecurities. This isn’t one of them – not for that reason – but for these: Liz Tormes’ self-released debut is unburdened by complication, shockingly truthful and deeply layered – musical textures and sounds that listeners need to sink into. When she sings “I’m as straight as an arrow, but you want a pretty maze,” on closing track Fade Away that’s something that shouldn’t be shared with anyone who wouldn’t appreciate it. Limelight isn’t disposable alt-country, it’s an album to be cherished, both on sunny days and brooding autumn evenings, although ironically the title track does evoke memories of Cowboy Junkies some twenty years ago.

  Whilst it initially appears to occupy familiar surroundings, dark and heavy with years of worn emotions, it is in no way persistently gloomy. “Darkness has been a friend to me” on that same song shows the importance of tense in songwriting. Some songs are perversely positive, Better Days matches upbeat tempo with desperate lyrics – “It’s not that I don’t wanna be your girl, I just don’t wanna be.” Yet the final line to that song almost relieves the misery, but you’ll have to discover that yourself

  As you may have gathered, Liz Tormes’ lyrics are precise and noteworthy, each matched with an appropriate delivery. Her voice turns from poppy to husky depending on the notes she sings but that’s fine by me. Take Don’t Look Back, which is as optimistic as things can get, despite “I’m drowning in un-given love” and my favourite line from the album – “Stop loving things that don’t love back.”

  Maybe You Won’t is one of three tracks that features Teddy Thompson sharing vocal duties. A voice that pairs wonderfully with Liz’s own. But further long term attraction lies in the acoustic guitar scrapes and the rumbling electric guitar which fades in an out with the tidal nature of the song. Other tracks burn slowly too: Black Luck grows more fierce with each distant twang of Jason Crigler’s guitar, finally overdriving. These drunken electric slides are repeated on Fall Silent whose accompaniment gently but persistently builds joined by drums and Wurlitzer. Over this torrential backing, Liz still manages to quietly state that she’s “inspired by love.”

  The most extraordinary thing about this album is how extraordinary it is. Some artists spend years trying to sound this natural. Effortless isn’t really the correct term, it’s more that once you’ve become familiar with the songs, you can’t imagine them being written, arranged or performed any differently – the pianos on opener Read My Mind and Fade Away are just perfect.

  I forget how or when I discovered Limelight, but the two years it took from release to my first listen didn’t affect its power or beauty. In a year bereft of much new Emily Haines material (I got Knives Don’t Have Your Back on import BTW), this nuzzled gently to my heart, rarely played but frequently remembered. Perhaps that’s the greatest achievement an album can attain?

  Liz Tormes: Limelight – iTunes UK
  CD Baby
  Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/25/liz-tormes-limelight/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/23/tina-dico-count-to-ten/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/23/tina-dico-count-to-ten/#comments Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:12:13 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/23/tina-dico-count-to-ten/ Number 6 of 2007 — Tina Dico: Count To Ten
  
  It begins with a single breath.

  Tina Dico’s 2005 album, In The Red, revolved around the concept that ‘all you need is one,’ either with one other person, or merely yourself. Count To Ten, its successor released last year in Denmark and this year in the UK and US, lives with the results of these conflicting alternatives. Tina decided to self-produce this album with long-term band mate Dennis Ahlgren, recalling the intimacy that made Notes and Fuel so attractive. This pairing strongly influenced the songs that were created this time around, but the overall sound remains semi-acoustic folk-rock with splashes of electronica to add to its atmosphere.

  Count To Ten introduces us to this album, documenting the mental cacophany of a busy life when trivial issues and behaviours are over analysed, leading to breakdown. Although the song (and much of the album) follows expected musical paths, the increasing use of piano on this song effectively mirrors the rise in tension. The recommendation “And sometimes if you wanna hold on you got to let go” is a cliché, but it’s exactly the sentiment that’s required when you realise that this thought could be applied to yourself or another.

  Some reviewers have criticised Count To Ten for having little musical development over its predecessors. This is true on the surface, although there’s more piano here (and its appearance throughout is a revelation) but it’s the subtleties that provide greater reward. Tina’s voice continues to grow in strength and Count To Ten seems to be constructed to emphasise it and her lyrics. Those lyrics draw imagery and convey moods far more successfully than many of her contemporaries. Reach behind them and it’s quite surprising to discover how little the music needs to offer. This being the case, Tina still gives advice and offers friendship to those who need (or seek) help. My Business uses piano riffs to fill in and around her vocals and there’s an extremely well hidden beautiful harmony towards the close of the song. We don’t really get any rock-out moments – the subject matter is too personal to warrant this – but the super-critical You Know Better wants to, but has to make do with strong piano chords, hanging guitar lines and charming backing vocals.

  Craftsmanship and Poetry is ostensibly a song about the emptiness of break-up (literally and figuratively, complete with a ticking clock) with further advice to a friend, but in its recording is a small laugh that hints at introspection. After all, what is songwriting other than craftsmanship and poetry? Whether to her friend or herself, Tina concludes “You need someone to turn you on, you need to let yourself have fun.” Do songwriters write for others, or themselves?

  When I listen to In The Red, I notice its similarity to many of Lunik’s albums. Given the gradual progression here, the same is true for Count To Ten. Open Wide is a micro-anthem that could pass as a Lunik song. It speaks to me of half-hearted relationships, letting someone into your life but not sufficiently deeply to avert conflicts.

  The path set by In The Red’s lonely Room with a View continues with Sacre Coeur, this time in Paris rather than London, so given the options “I could go home to my love.. Or I could go on running off into the night, lonely and haunted” the inevitable conclusion is “..the sad thing is / I don’t know which I prefer.” But during On The Run she admits that “..it looks like freedom and it smells like fun / But it feels like being on the run”. There are parallels here – relationships with people, with careers and with music. Night Cab picks up from On The Run and could be a post-gig or post-relationship song, although “There’s a deep blue sea out there / Of birth and death and the lovely mess in between” gives a clearer indication.

  On The Run:
  

  I’ve now lived with this album for ten months and each song that I considered to be my favourite has eventually been nudged out by another. Currently this makes the closing song (on the CD version) Everybody Knows – a nod to Leonard Cohen, perhaps? – the top dog because it fittingly bookends the opener – “And there’s only one thing you can do / Let it live and let it through / It’s time to open..” There’s a unexpected minimalist vocal break on this song which magically teases out this opinion, ultimately joined by a simple piano riff that lifts the entire track.

  With Count To Ten, Tina Dico’s fourth album delivers more or less the same as her previous three, but overall the songs are far stronger despite the continuing personal claustrophobia – one day she’ll roar, she has to. This is in every respect an essential purchase.

  Tina Dico: Count To Ten – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK
  Official Website
  MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/23/tina-dico-count-to-ten/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/23/cerf-mitiska-jaren-you-never-said-dash-berlin-remix/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/23/cerf-mitiska-jaren-you-never-said-dash-berlin-remix/#comments Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:32:49 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/23/cerf-mitiska-jaren-you-never-said-dash-berlin-remix/ Dash Berlin’s Till The Sky Falls Down was one of my favourite tracks of last year (18th to be precise), and Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren’s Light The Skies also tweaked me in nice ways. Despite grabbing the sound of Till The Sky Falls Down for this remix – something that usually spells disaster – this track exceeds my expectations.

  Rejection’s like an ice cold bath. Discuss.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/23/cerf-mitiska-jaren-you-never-said-dash-berlin-remix/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/21/decomposing-trees/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/21/decomposing-trees/#comments Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:33:49 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/21/decomposing-trees/ As my blogging friend P. Viktor points out, Blackwells are to have a pilot installation of Espresso Book Machines in one of their stores. This is a print-on-demand service intended to allow the purchase of out-of-print books, but could have other benefits. Unfortunately, innovation in the book industry, much like the music industry, is broadly nonexistent. Book publishers, like music publishers, believe they have an inherent right to rule their industry and in doing so stifle new or progressive authors. After all, they don’t invent, they merely duplicate and market.

  Technology has changed this balance. Not only can authors now self-publish (e.g. through Lulu or the just-launched Magcloud for magazines), and self-promote (e.g. through blogs), but they can involve their readers directly in what they are doing. A pattern which is now being executed with great vigour in the music industry.

  But is the printed book dying? If we look at the disposable consumption of newspapers, readership is down. My newspaper costs have been converted into an iPhone subscription. I now get most of my news online via blogs. The news I want, when it happens. Sometimes quicker than television.

  Books, of course, are different. We have a physical relationship with them. I can touch and smell a book, scribble in margins, or in the case of some books, mark in highlighter pen or underline sections. Technology doesn’t exist at present which sufficiently replicates this process. PDF readers are rudimentary. Repeated attempts at mimicing the reading experience haven’t succeeded. But we are getting closer. I’m betting that despite its small size, there will be software developed for the iPhone (and iPod Touch) that will better what exists at present.

  This is especially important for books that need to evolve: for example, technology books are usually outdated by the time they come to print. The Pragmatic Programmers (and others) get around this problem by bundling updatable PDFs with physical copies. If I’m near my library, I will usually check out something in a book before searching in its PDF equivalent. Reference material is quite different – I almost always look online for this.

  Furthermore, without printing and distribution costs, books can become a commodity just as music is becoming (iTunes has now sold five billion songs and is possibly the leading music retailer in the US). This will allow people to dip their toes into the worlds of new authors with little risk and lead to people reading more. How long will it be before we have an iTunes for books?

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/21/decomposing-trees/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/14/roisin-murphy-overpowered/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/14/roisin-murphy-overpowered/#comments Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:06:53 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/14/roisin-murphy-overpowered/ Number 7 of 2007 — Roísín Murphy: Overpowered
  
  Over the past decade or so, Madonna’s music career has been marked by an obsession to remain relevant and cutting edge by enlisting producers who used their unique styles to bring her singular vision to the forefront of the industry. I’m sure that was the plan, but ironically, ever since Ray of Light she’s been involved with people whose best work is behind them. The results are songs that are a couple of years behind everyone else. It’s doubly ironic because she doesn’t recognise this.

  All of this is an important back story to Overpowered because here Roísín Murphy has borrowed the fundamentals of Madonna’s best work (i.e. everything up to and including Erotica) and married them to sounds inspired by the sleek electro of Billie Ray Martin. Looking back over twenty years to generate music that firmly lives in the Noughties.

  This makes Overpowered a wholly different experience to Ruby Blue, Roísín’s solo debut which was a natural development from her time as one half of Moloko. As a result, it’s more commercial – intentionally so – and successful, albeit with two problems that prevent it from being a beacon for modern pop music.

  Kicking off proceedings is Overpowered. Placing the title track of an album right up front is always a dangerous thing, because it implies that the rest of the album isn’t up to much. Overpowered was also the lead single, so there’s a lot resting on this song. Despite some trancey blips and a moving bassline it underwhelms, lacking the momentum which usually propels Roísín’s singles, serving instead as an introduction to the overall sound of the album and to the subsequent track You Know Me Better.

  You Know Me Better, co-written with Groove Armada’s Andy Cato provides a soul disco vibe complete with handclaps that could have been fliched directly from Madonna’s Spotlight. It’s a great song that is undermined by Roísín’s vocals – the first problem I have with this album. With Moloko, her vocals fitted the music and style perfectly. Arguably, her vocals gave Moloko its quirkiness – what would Fun For Me be with another voice? For this album, the vocals sometimes distract ones attention, reducing the impact of some songs, especially those that should have considerable emotional resonance. In contrast, Pandora, the final track from the iTunes version of the album (inexplicably absent from the CD) shows the benefit of focussing on a particular technique for a given song, thus demonstrating the marvellous voice that Roísín has and in turn building empathy with the listener. It’s just a question of being more selective. Primitive, for example, growls lustfully exactly as it should.

  The paranoia of Checkin’ On Me approaches Electribe 101’s finest moment (that’s the Frankie Knuckles remix of Talking With Myself, by the way), complete with synth strings and horn stabs. This continues later with the fairly weak Tell Everybody, and here’s problem two: the length of the album. At 14 tracks – on my version – a couple of songs should have been deferred to singles, raising the overall quality of the album further: Movie Star, which is such a glaring Goldfrappism that someone should have spotted it and quietly made it a flipside, and Footprints. Footprints does have cowbells, which are one of my favourite percussive devices but I’d rather not hear a song that reminds me so much Prince’s Sign of the Times album. Without these tracks, Roísín’s paean to her father, Scarlet Ribbons might not sound so out of place. Dropping something this obvious into an album that’s best unwrapped gradually doesn’t feel right, and while I happily accepted Tori Amos’ The Beekeeper for Ribbons Undone or Ireland they found a place within that album’s concept. Scarlet Ribbons differs by arriving without such pretensions and it jars against the bioscience of Overpowered or the eco-dance Z-lister commentary of Dear Miami.

  These two problems are on reflection, very minor quibbles, because the other tracks are collectively outstanding. The first arrives immediately after Checkin’ On Me: Lovers of piano house will adore Let Me Know, which gradually shakes and handclaps its way to a string laden break, before winding up once again. The aforementioned Dear Miami provides a minimal haunting reflection on humanity’s predictable demise. Billie Ray Martin’s No Brakes On My Rollerskates gets reborn on top of a sizzling Underworld bassline, electric crickets and more cowbells for Cry Baby and the final sequence of songs, Body Language, the chunky yet poignant Parallel Lives and Pandora’s synth-drenched finale are superb. What’s bizarre is that these three songs may or may not appear on the album, depending on which version you have – oh, and EMI have plans to release a ‘deluxe edition’ in July 2008, whatever that means.

  Overpowered easily surpasses Ruby Blue, taking Roísín Murphy’s solo career in a direction sign-posted by the later Moloko singles. I hope that next time around, there’s more musical focus that can take her to the front of the pack.

  
  Roísín Murphy: Overpowered – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK
  Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/14/roisin-murphy-overpowered/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/11/justine-electra-killalady/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/11/justine-electra-killalady/#comments Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:18:58 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/11/justine-electra-killalady/ Justine Electra’s debut album, released in 2006, is called Soft Rock, a perhaps ironic title given that it’s actually a beautiful marriage of electro and concise acoustic pop music. A sometimes unpredictable but always engaging series of melodic experiments. Think Cat Power via Lida Husik and Joni Mitchell. I was wrong to ignore it when I discovered it a few months ago because it demands attention and things were busy in my head at that time. Sorry.

  Killalady splashes retro electronic drums over a guitar loop, then lets Justine’s soft vocals tell the story, occasionally turning soulful when necessary. Then just when you’d expect strings to support the climax of the song, we’re given a gorgeous squelchy bassline instead, which works better.

  Justine Electra: Soft Rock – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK
  Justine Electra – Official Website
  Justine Electra – MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/11/justine-electra-killalady/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/10/rasputina-the-mayor-live/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/10/rasputina-the-mayor-live/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:05:02 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/10/rasputina-the-mayor-live/ Rapsutina’s 2005 live album, a Radical Recital, was recommended to me by a Last.fm friend. Retaining the two cellos and drums line-up that dominated last year’s Oh Perilous World, it’s clear that Rasputina’s live performance remains superior to what was achieved on their most recent album.

  The Mayor cuts back the processed distortion to turn in a sweet but politically cutting song that makes the most of occasional vocal harmonies from second chair Zoë Keating.

  Rasputina: a Radical Recital – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/10/rasputina-the-mayor-live/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/09/bertine-zetlitz-adore-me/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/09/bertine-zetlitz-adore-me/#comments Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:17:29 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/09/bertine-zetlitz-adore-me/ If I had the time and inclination, I’d probably review every song that Bertine Zetlitz has written, but that might come across as a little obsessive or weird. And we can’t have that, can we? But given that on this song Bertine states “You know, you’re here just to adore me,” perhaps it would be okay. Adore Me was released as a single, which means we have a video:

  Bertine Zetlitz: Beautiful So Far – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/09/bertine-zetlitz-adore-me/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/08/of-montreal-the-past-is-a-grotesque-animal/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/08/of-montreal-the-past-is-a-grotesque-animal/#comments Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:56:13 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/08/of-montreal-the-past-is-a-grotesque-animal/ At the other end of the single-minded songwriting spectrum comes Kevin Barnes’ of Montreal. The impressive autobiographical album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? works its way inside of me in the same way that Ultra Vivid Scene’s debut did, this time due to the dizzying array of musical styles thrown together, often within the same song.

  Much of the album manically balances euphoric tunes with lyrical depression, but The Past Is a Grotesque Animal – the album’s centerpiece – breaks that pattern through a twelve minute droning spiral that matches anything that came out of Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine. Squealing synthesizers and other detritous hide in its corners to echo the mess that Kevin vocalises: a rampaging collection of torments.

  Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/08/of-montreal-the-past-is-a-grotesque-animal/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/06/rasputina-in-old-yellowcake/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/06/rasputina-in-old-yellowcake/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:58:37 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/06/rasputina-in-old-yellowcake/ Rasputina is often referred to as a ‘genre-busting’ band, that phrase inevitably combined with words such as ‘steampunk’ and ‘chamber rock’. The truth is a little more complex: breaking cellos out of their expected place in musical society by allowing them to behave as contemporary instruments – mainly guitars – whilst retaining their unique sound and inherent limitations extends the scope of Melora Creager’s songwriting. Rasputina’s latest album, the dazzling Oh Perilous World, uses historical fragments as the basis for literary and ‘dark folk’ storytelling only recently bettered by Joanna Newsom. But this isn’t an album which refers backwards to classical composition, rather it bridges and borrows the stylistic invention of the 60s and 70s rock music.

  In Old Yellowcake’s contemporary punk nuances (particularly helped by Jonathon TeBeest’s drumming) make it the most immediate song on the album, combining sweet and sour melodies with Melora’s renown vocal note-hopping. That it alludes to the ruin of Fallujah, makes it even more powerful than mere imagery or ironic title can do together.

  Live:

  Rasputina: Oh Perilous World – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/06/rasputina-in-old-yellowcake/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/01/ellen-allien-caress/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/01/ellen-allien-caress/#comments Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:54:37 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/01/ellen-allien-caress/ Ellen Allien continues to tiptoe around Greatness on her fourth solo album, the just-released Sool. In this album, all obvious melodies and humanity have distanced themselves, or become buried in amongst the percussion, reverb and techno space of Chiaroscuro minimalism. If you wish: Plastikman without those wavering Devil Fish 303s. Or Robert Hood without those evolving melodies born from overlapping micro-sequences.

  Caress uses its vocalised titles both as a percussive element and as a nod towards that missing warmth. But as the track evolves, additional rhythmic elements – tuned to contrast each other – fill that gap, eventually revealed to be merely subservient to a noisy omnipresent pad which finally sparkles in this darkness.

  Ellen Allien: Sool – iTunes UK
  Ellen Allien – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/01/ellen-allien-caress/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/01/tori-independence/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/01/tori-independence/#comments Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:50:40 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/01/tori-independence/ According to Ask Billboard (via Undented):

  As with many of her contemporaries Tori is devising new and exciting ways of getting her music to the masses without the boundaries and limitations of the major music companies

  I was surprised that given the way Tori Amos was treated during her time at Atlantic Records she chose another major label, Epic Records, once her contract with Atlantic was finished. In reflection it’s possible that Tori intended this direction all along, but used Epic as a fill-in. Now it’s time for her to go wild, no doubt!

  BTW, that makes my current top 5 Last.fm artists free from others’ interference: Hannah Fury, Jo Gabriel, Emm Gryner, Kristin Hersh and now Tori Amos. That’s not a coincidence.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/06/01/tori-independence/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/30/yelle-85a/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/30/yelle-85a/#comments Fri, 30 May 2008 14:01:44 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/30/yelle-85a/ Isn’t it funny how some songs go unnoticed for sometime until one day they pop up and become remarkable? (Yes, there’s a contextual joke there, twice I think – once for the album, once for the song.) This slice of perky French electro benefits from woven selections of twisted samples, stabs and clipped vocals that work even better when attached to a lengthy concluding break as demonstrated here.

  Unfortunately, you don’t get this on the album

  Yelle: Pop Up – Version deluxe – iTunes UK
  Yelle – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/30/yelle-85a/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/26/kate-havnevik-travel-in-time/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/26/kate-havnevik-travel-in-time/#comments Mon, 26 May 2008 08:47:47 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/26/kate-havnevik-travel-in-time/ Kate Havenvik’s debut Melankton has been a contrary album for me. Although I purchased it in January this year, way after it was released, it languished wholly unlistened for close on six months on my iPhone. During that time it earned its place there by becoming a frequent iPod alarm clock – all its songs are sufficiently melodic and peaceful to awake me gently.

  This past week I decided to listen to it in its entirity. And it troubles me – for this sole reason: there are too many strings, but set as the retro-chic of Travel In Time they are spellbinding, vital and glorious. Matching the sleek execution of strings, keyboards and percussion are Kate’s rich vocals. If you want a lesson on how to use orchestration in songs, check out this album. Colour me confused.

  Melankton – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK
  Official Website
  MySpace
  YouTube

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/26/kate-havnevik-travel-in-time/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/21/annie-i-know-ur-girlfriend-hates-me/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/21/annie-i-know-ur-girlfriend-hates-me/#comments Wed, 21 May 2008 18:10:37 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/21/annie-i-know-ur-girlfriend-hates-me/ The most important question above all others around these parts is whether Island have thrown away the pop magic that enfuses Annie and produced something neutered and more traditional. Fortunately, these fears are unfounded. I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me, the Richard X produced first single taken from the forthcoming second album Don’t Stop is fabulous. I won’t bother to explain why or how. Words are unimportant. (In any case, you can read what I thought of Anniemal instead.) Here’s the video:

  Once witnessed you may think you’ll never hear a better pop song for the rest of the year. You’d be wrong: head over to Popjustice for a megamix of the entire album.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/21/annie-i-know-ur-girlfriend-hates-me/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/19/ladytron-season-of-illusions/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/19/ladytron-season-of-illusions/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 14:47:10 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/19/ladytron-season-of-illusions/ In the past Ladytron’s music has been a lush concoction of experimentation and disarming electronic pop. But that mix is one of their best assets, as my review of Witching Hour testifies. Now their fourth album Velocifero arrives and this time these two threads have been drawn together quite perfectly. This means that nothing is as obviously poppy as Seventeen or Playgirl, although Burning Up, Tomorrow and They Gave You a Heart, They Gave You a Name come oh-so-close, but the payoffs are numerous: for example opener Black Cat works better than their previous foreign language excursions and Predict The Day bombs speakers with its daring military minimalism before it collapses with the weight of percussion and guitars. All songs run together more evenly than they did on Witching Hour. I think I love it.

  Season of Illusions wishes to be a straightforward song but ultimately slides towards dischord, with just the vocals holding everything back from destroying itself, or maybe it’s the other way around. Then, somewhere near its middle, I hear Cocteau Twins. Honestly I do.
  
  Ladytron: Velocifero – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK (available from 2 June 2008)
  Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/19/ladytron-season-of-illusions/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/19/sing-sing-come-sing-me-a-song/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/19/sing-sing-come-sing-me-a-song/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 08:06:31 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/19/sing-sing-come-sing-me-a-song/ Maybe it’s those El Perro Del Mar albums that entice me so much down this path of 60s girl-pop redux? Lead and written by Lisa O’Neill, this song is taken from Sing-Sing’s second album Sing-Sing And I. Inevitably, its attraction is all down to the recorded-in-a-cave-like acoustic strums, the diving strings, booming drums and horns. Underneath however, you can hear a post-Lush haze in Emma Anderson’s guitars and backing harmonies. It’s not a love song, either.

  Sing-Sing And I – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK
  MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/19/sing-sing-come-sing-me-a-song/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/12/kristin-hersh-learn-to-sing-like-a-star/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/12/kristin-hersh-learn-to-sing-like-a-star/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 16:17:34 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/12/kristin-hersh-learn-to-sing-like-a-star/ Number 8 of 2007 — Kristin Hersh: Learn To Sing Like A Star
  
  Has it really been four years since I wrote about The Grotto? Between that album and this, its successor, Kristin Hersh continued to dabble with 50 Foot Wave, an angular rock-oriented trio that bridged and extended from her solo work to (and beyond) the more corrosive Throwing Muses songs. Learn To Sing Like A Star, a title that arose from a spam e-mail Kristin received, brings a lot from that period. In fact it’s a trifecta of all her work beginning at the last Throwing Muses album, 2003’s self-titled masterpiece.

  Even with this knowledge Learn To Sing Like A Star still remains rather surprising. Lead single and first track In Shock bawls with the same energy as the Muses’ Bright Yellow Gun, but lurches from one heart pummeling beat to the next, with former bandmate David Narcizo taking care of those drums. Kristin’s piano accents the rhythm and longtime cohorts Martin and Kimberlee McCarrick provide an emotional counterbalance – the whole making ‘You wanted to be wanted’ sound so painful.

  For much of the album, tracks connect in sequences of light and dark, acoustic and electric. Sometimes both. Three varied incidentals, perhaps remnants waiting to be cultivated in the future, separate sections of the album. The rest are typically autobiographical snippets twisted inside daydreams and nightmares. There are other common factors: the McCarricks’ strings form a critical part of many of the songs, giving Kristin an opportunity to let her tangling guitar lines weave underneath, no longer needing them to direct melodies. Listen to the refrain and breaks in Nerve Endings to hear how this works best, emphasising the lyrics “Nerve endings think they see / Pleasure coming I know better”. A violin traces the verses of Peggy Lee, whilst guitars underpin the choruses – every song is an experiment to confuse expectation. That each works so well illustrates her song-birthing skills.

  Because of this subtle adjustment, when the guitars do lead, they make the most of it. Day Glo and stand-out track Wild Vanilla glister with buzzing acoustic strums, visceral slides and picks; both paired with the sweetest choruses. Ice too (tying with Vertigo and Sugarbaby as Winner of The Loveliest Chorus Competition) highlighting with a simple piano line and weeping strings. But if you’re looking for penetrating grooves, Wild Vanilla is clearly ahead: shuffling rhythms drive the song forward before being joined by a guitar-organ solo that fades out far too quickly.

  David Narcizo’s drums are generally more subtle than one would have predicted. His trademark military style litters many tracks, recalling less rocky Throwing Muses songs, particularly on Winter, but they never dominate. Even when they reach further forward, Kristin’s choruses lap at the tumbling beats to bring everything to order.

  I once considered Kristin Hersh’s solo albums to be unaccompanied or alternative reinventions of missing Throwing Muses albums. Learn To Sing Like A Star proves me wrong, although poignant closer The Thin Man blows smoke rings around this thought via Limbo’s hidden White Bikini Sand. With this album she reforms that history to mould her second best release. At this moment I can’t imagine anything surpassing 2001’s Sunny Border Blue, but seven years on, Kristin’s CASH Music project is laying new paths – each monthly release a new invention unsullied by concepts of ‘before’, ‘after’ or the weight of (and wait for) an album. She’s now at the point where she can do anything and I’m head over heels in the ozone snow..

  In Shock:

  Learn To Sing Like A Star – Amazon UK
  Learn To Sing Like A Star – iTunes UK
  Throwing Music
  CASH Music – Kristin Hersh

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/12/kristin-hersh-learn-to-sing-like-a-star/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/09/cathi-bruns-over/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/09/cathi-bruns-over/#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 07:56:56 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/09/cathi-bruns-over/ On her Facebook page self-declared misanthrope Cathi Bruns cites Tracy Chapman as one of her influences. Vocally she shares the same urgent vulnerability but overall my ears and heart detect a closer similarity with Tina Dico, taking the hemp out of folk music, replacing it with pop sensibilities and more personal thoughts.

  Over is the excellent lead-off from her debut living-room-recorded album Inner Radio and begins with thoughtful guitar twangs and strums before the song bursts forth. The beauty of this song is revealed inside the unexpected two-stage chorus.

  Inner Radio – Amie Street Music Store
  Cathi Bruns – MySpace
  Cathi Bruns – Facebook

  PS: Inner Radio is also an album for those who like Liz Tormes, Sofia Talvik, Säkert! or Hello Saferide.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/09/cathi-bruns-over/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/07/nine-inch-nails-discipline/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/07/nine-inch-nails-discipline/#comments Wed, 07 May 2008 07:27:35 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/07/nine-inch-nails-discipline/ ‘Is that it?’ I asked myself, while listening to the latest installment in Trent Reznor’s disruption of the music industry. Perhaps I’m in a mental over-extension, treating albums that are 44 minutes in length as mere EPs in comparison with Ghost’s 36 tracks. But I think this is in part to the galloping beats that dominate much of The Slip.

  The other part is that while The Slip is a great consequence of the creation of Ghosts, it doesn’t Climax enough. Maybe it shouldn’t. The appropriately titled Discipline is the best merger of the clatter and flow of Ghosts, matching corrosive drum exercises and noisy guitars with a single piano line that provides the female yin to the others’ yang.

  The Slip – Download

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/07/nine-inch-nails-discipline/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/06/bertine-zetlitz-closer/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/06/bertine-zetlitz-closer/#comments Tue, 06 May 2008 08:12:16 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/06/bertine-zetlitz-closer/ In the context of the Beautiful So Far album and probably much of her work, Closer is a micro-ballad – being just a tick-tock beat and electric organ to accompany Bertine’s aching tale of love, loss and desire, best summed up in the refrain ‘Feel me / Heal me / Soothe me / Breathe me’.

  Beautiful So Far – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/05/06/bertine-zetlitz-closer/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/30/terami-hirsch-wasteland/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/30/terami-hirsch-wasteland/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:50:46 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/30/terami-hirsch-wasteland/ When Terami Hirsch announced her side project Story of My Ghost last year, I was rather taken with the meeting of typewriter rhythms, breakbeats and piano of Checkerboard. (Listening to it now reminds me of someone else, particularly during its quieter moments.) I didn’t expect so much edginess in her fourth album A Broke Machine – perhaps I should have read her blog post more carefully.

  At the moment A Broke Machine lives in the section of my brain labelled ‘Interesting..’ which means it will get listened to far more often than if it lived the almost-identically-named ‘Interesting’ section.

  Wasteland ties filtered industrial broken beats to the legs of one of the prettier ballads on the album and together they jump around like a new born lamb. That means I like it.

  Terami Hirsch Official Website
  A Broke Machine – Terami.com
  A Broke Machine – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/30/terami-hirsch-wasteland/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/29/jo-gabriel-fools-and-orphans/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/29/jo-gabriel-fools-and-orphans/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:05:24 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/29/jo-gabriel-fools-and-orphans/ There are moments in Bulldozer, the opening song from Jo Gabriel’s new album, when Stephanie Rearick’s trumpet heralds the words ‘why should I love you’. These brief but beautiful events mark the most striking difference between this album and its more elaborate (if not immediate) predecessor Island. Fools and Orphans draws away from traditional arrangements to let the songs breathe, and in doing so allows Jo to continue distinguishing herself from the current ’..and piano’ crowd (I like Emm Gryner’s term ‘contemporary nonsensery.’) Few artists have the ability or opportunity to be this daring (mostly down to record label pressures, no doubt) and this successful. Fools and Orphans shines from its own darkness.

  Kristin Hersh’s The Grotto was an album born out of loss and the resulting reflection on life and relationships. Fools and Orphans is different – its main theme is also loss, but barely offers sanctuary. The Grotto tears me apart and then rebuilds me; Fools and Orphans does the former then leaves a lingering sadness, although it’s more compelling as a result. The open arrangements, often rhythmically fluid and spontaneous are charmingly beautiful and ideal for such stories. It’s up to us to fill in the blanks, to empathise and to draw comparisons with our own lives.

  Those who love Island might be surprised by the results – these songs make more sense if you were left breathless by The Amber Sessions. Jo is joined by a brilliant set of musicians who accompany her piano, synthesizer and concertina. There’s no major explosion of fireworks and no ego: Jo’s piano is here to set scenes, mark out rhythms and to dynamically sweep songs through their various emotional phases – you’ll probably end up loving every note she plays. Much of the greatness of the album is in Jo’s interplay with Matt Turner’s cello and Mark Urness’ upright bass, both of which better Andrew Bird’s string performances on The Grotto. Linda Mackley continues her percussion duties, but is barely noticeable such is the subtly of her performance – which is exactly what’s required – and Wendy Schneider occasionally adds guitar and something called ‘the little machine that could drone on.’

  Melodies and rhythms often appear where they are least expected, developing their own counterpoints and shifting tempos but the experience and process of knowing each song is reward in itself. A line from Of Love and Ether, “to touch between sensations” perfectly summarises how this works. It’s just as important to delve between and beneath each note. That’s why the live birdsong on that song, and the happenstance rebar chimes on God Grant She Lye Still work their way so coherently into the mix. But it’s no coincidence – by the time these songs begin to appear, halfway out, we’re already trained how to listen to this album. The more you listen, the more you’ll learn the flow of each track.

  Jo enthralls me with her unusual delivery of language, compressing or mutating phrases to track against the music, creating its own instrument: on The Habits of Shadows a moaning vocal interlude bridges the verses, later joined by Hannah Fury’s whispers for some shivery layering. Of Love and Ether, a song which epitomises the ephemeral themes of the album, echos this vocal styling. But it’s the climax of God Grant She Lye Still, when the title repeats and shatters, where the vocals have the most dramatic impact.

  As is the case with albums that are as intense as this one, it’s difficult to pick out individual tracks for particular noteworthy attention. I should mention that How The Devil Falls In Love brings to mind the loneliness of The Cardigan’s 03.45: No Sleep, but adds guilt and frustration, and the final song Poison in the Well is an understated anthem, using strong piano chords where you might expect an avalanche of strings.

  Fools and Orphans marks a new phase in Jo Gabriel’s musical career and although I’ve only discovered her music recently I feel privileged to witness her journey. For all its sorrow Fools and Orphans is a glorious creation.

  Fools and Orphans has an artist’s limited release from 7 May 2008 through Ephemera and will also be released in Winter 2008 through Kalinkaland.

  Jo Gabriel – Official Website
  Jo Gabriel – MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/29/jo-gabriel-fools-and-orphans/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/28/kathleen-edwards-goodnight-california/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/28/kathleen-edwards-goodnight-california/#comments Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:54:32 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/28/kathleen-edwards-goodnight-california/ Without each other, country music and rock music wouldn’t get a look-in here. Kathleen Edwards is the only artist I know who can blend them together in such a way that enchants me. I’m not sure which genre takes the lead, it doesn’t matter. Her third album, Asking for Flowers, released over the pond last month, is now available in the UK. Whilst it doesn’t have the rocking highs of previous albums, nor should it given its subject matter, it’s altogether her most accomplished work – every song is essential.

  Asking for Flowers – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK
  Official Website
  MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/28/kathleen-edwards-goodnight-california/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/25/the-brooke-a-tiny-ocean-wobbly-boat-demo-1/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/25/the-brooke-a-tiny-ocean-wobbly-boat-demo-1/#comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:47:29 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/25/the-brooke-a-tiny-ocean-wobbly-boat-demo-1/ If you like your music in a Cat Power / Mazzy Star mash-up style, but several magnitudes quieter and more delicate, The Brooke will be your tea bag. As one of my Last.fm friends says “Everyone should be listening to The Brooke” – and he’s right:

  Wobbly Boat (Demo 1):

  Official Website
  The Brooke YouTube Channel
  The Brooke Last.fm – for free music!

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/25/the-brooke-a-tiny-ocean-wobbly-boat-demo-1/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/23/jo-gabriel-of-love-and-ether/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/23/jo-gabriel-of-love-and-ether/#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:22:50 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/23/jo-gabriel-of-love-and-ether/ Jo Gabriel’s forthcoming Fools and Orphans could well turn out to be her signature album. Whilst it bears elements from her previous releases and may be open to inevitable musical comparisons, what’s exhibited in these new songs is fiercely individual and nothing short of staggering: musically inventive and lyrically impressive.

  Like all of the tracks, Of Love and Ether has this paradox of richness and sparsity – in this instance bringing together a duo of string instruments (and birdsong) to join Jo’s piano and unique voice in a delicate yet powerfully emotive poem.

  Fools and Orphans has an artist’s limited release from 7 May through Ephemera and will also be released in Winter 2008 through Kalinkaland.

  Jo Gabriel – Official Website
  Jo Gabriel – MySpace

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/23/jo-gabriel-of-love-and-ether/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/20/underworld-oblivion-with-bells/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/20/underworld-oblivion-with-bells/#comments Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:03:20 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/20/underworld-oblivion-with-bells/ Number 9 of 2007 — Underworld: Oblivion With Bells
  
  Exhilaration is overrated – if that’s all you experience. Oblivion With Bells does at least one thing right: it improves on the critically underrated A Hundred Days Off without attempting to re-visit the hyperactivity of their first two albums. It achieves this by distilling the core musical behaviour of those early releases and rebuilding them, more subtly, adding musical bolts to join them together.

  However, the approach of the opening combo of Crocodile and Beautiful Burnout is entirely predictable. Crocodile begins with Underworld’s traditionally layered bass and bassline, before Karl Hyde’s over-treated and chorused vocals appear. These take on more musical qualities than one usually gets and the structure of the tune is entirely song-like. The chorus and break are particularly lush. Beautiful Burnout leads on from this, going darker, constructing further layers of percussion and bass before Karl’s dour voice comes in to pair with a buzzing pad synth. But, there is lightness here – the synth drops and guitar. I would have liked a couple of extra minutes on this track to fully enjoy the conclusion which employs breakbeat filtered snares to recall previous achievements.

  If you’re looking to make sense of the lyrics – don’t even try. They’re even more isolated and spartan than before, but that’s entirely the point. Recollections and half sentences exist to build or complement rhythms and to tweak listeners’ imaginations and open interpretation. It’s no different to the abstract or ambiguous lyrics that traditional songwriters often use. Holding The Moth brags jazzy deep house and splits its time between almost comprehensive phrases and gibberish. It’s not a problem, mind.

  To Heal is where things get interesting. The bright shimmering pads that dominate this brief interlude are inspired. I’m thinking old Polaroid’s of Orbital – an aftermath borrowed from the pages of The Girl With The Sun In Her Head. History and memories blurred. More Orbital moments occur immediately later with the percussion in Ring Road. Oh, and that ’..tagged’ pause. Wow.

  Glam Bucket is synthy ambience used to separate Boy, Boy, Boy from Ring Road – two tracks that wouldn’t work jammed together. Larry Mullen Jr’s splashy drums support Karl’s dissertation on Boy, Boy, Boy, bringing extra depth and width. The gorgeous simple pad that ends this track is another welcome surprise but when you’ve lived with the break and build of dance music for so long, you expect another phase of development.

  After the weird interlude of Cuddle Bunny vs The Celtic Village, Faxed Invitation returns to the sinister rhythms of Beautiful Burnout, but in a minor way. It then floors by forming a gentle marriage between a weedy pad and bouncing bassline. Given all that surrounds it, it’s the most impressive track on the album.

  By now listeners will realise that the opening tracks are as exciting as things get. Most of the album turns downwards – the fine closer Best Mamgu Ever consists almost entirely of vocal cut-ups placed over ambient dub. But this strategy gives opportunities to really listen from the inside of each song, to allow each of those peculiar lyrics to spark thoughts and to reflect on everything in the context of Underworld’s career. I don’t want or need another Born Slippy (Nuxx). Nor it seems, do Underworld.

  Oblivion With Bells – iTunes UK
  Amazon UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/20/underworld-oblivion-with-bells/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/16/m83-skin-of-the-night/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/16/m83-skin-of-the-night/#comments Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:08:20 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/16/m83-skin-of-the-night/ M83’s second album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts passed me by. It nestles in my collection – a quiet existence, undisturbed by such demands as being listened to. Truth is it disengaged me. Perhaps the context that I yearn for in listening wasn’t there that critical first time.

  Saturdays = Youth is a different matter. This album inevitably hooks into the continued rebirth of shoegaze, but time travels a quarter of century into the past and in doing so removes the word ‘shoe’, because this is music so shimmering and reflective that it feels like standing in a wind tunnel full of stars.

  Much of my change of heart is to do with the arrangements – more songs, more structure and vocals. Guest appearances from Morgan Kibby ride beautifully alongside Anthony Gonzalez’s breathy vocals. Skin of the Night is one such occasion – it devastates musically and emotionally. In amongst these mid-teen desires, the micro-dramas, the angst.. there is bliss.

  Saturdays = Youth – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/16/m83-skin-of-the-night/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/10/jo-gabriel-masque-of-the-red-death/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/10/jo-gabriel-masque-of-the-red-death/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:57:52 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/10/jo-gabriel-masque-of-the-red-death/ Filmmakers looking for a spooky but engaging soundtrack to accompany their Times New Roman opening credits (complete with sweeping shots of barren landscapes only broken by highway) need look no further than Masque of the Red Death. Taken from Jo Gabriel’s album The Last Drive In, this instrumental appropriates its title from the film of the same name. The key to its success is that it doesn’t attempt to ratchet up tension, or reach any conclusion – any tension that exists is created solely by the listener. Instead it drives onwards, quietly, mercilessly, the piano riding over macabre synth drones which hint at what might happen if you choose to deviate from the given path. And of course we always do.

  Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/10/jo-gabriel-masque-of-the-red-death/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/07/jo-gabriel-the-amber-sessions/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/07/jo-gabriel-the-amber-sessions/#comments Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:30:10 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/07/jo-gabriel-the-amber-sessions/ I am prone to gushing enthusiastically on most music posts here because I usually only write about music I enjoy. Still, I need to get something out of the way quickly: The Amber Sessions is magnificent. Here’s why:

  Jo Gabriel’s album lives alongside its darker sibling The Last Drive In. They’re both naked instrumental recordings borne out of musical passion – a boundless urge to create and to express emotion. The Amber Sessions is also a 4 track affair, but definitely not lo-fi (apart from occasional tape drop-out.) Indeed, the unexpected richness and depth of the recordings is to be admired, and yes, it’s stunning when played loud.

  Synthetic string pads and processed loops form the bedrock of much of the album. Jo’s piano accompanies their shifting sounds, diverging at will or brushing across them. Although centred around progressions, it darts off periodically to embrace song structure. Subtle dissonance emphasises the melodies and sometimes the piano falls away completely, to let the accompaniments peek through, unadorned. These tiny moments are breathtaking. This clash of the simulated with the real is critical to the mood and success of the album.

  Considerable attention has been given to the sequencing of the pieces, so whilst it’s possible to cherry pick individual tracks that work on their own, the album is probably intended to be heard as a complete work. It can be intensely consuming. Curiously, The Amber Sessions also excels as ambient music – the choice is yours.

  Introduction to this landscape comes in the form of the opening tracks Sway, Flicker and Crush. Sway immediately generates tension due to the slowish attack on the lower strings, which rub against the organ drones and chord-less piano lines. The melody changes subtly, incorporating additional pads to round off this slow starter. The shorter Flicker picks up the pace, but cuts back on the melody. Here, little sonic experiments begin to emerge – a trait which considerably enriches the second half of the album. Crush uses abrupt organ stabs and delayed piano to tease out variations in rhythm, relishing the space it has been given.

  Delightful though these are it’s only when Moments Like Drops arrives that the first fully realised tune unfolds. Here the piano deviates from its previous excursions through greater variation in tone and dynamics. Only a cycling plucked instrument keeps it company. Savage Bliss continues on this new course, re-introducing the organ and strings, then constructing recurring cascades of harmony and modulated tempos. By now the importance of those first three tracks becomes obvious.

  Passing / Arriving temporarily returns to that isolation with crumpled samples and screeches but chooses to re-invent itself twice, firstly as lounge music, which confines the piano to one side, then again by adding strings, becoming more elaborate and beautiful in the process. This stunning piece boasts the vital links between what has already been heard and what is to come.

  In the meantime, the strings and guitar that open The Sun King tempt three times before the long-awaited keyboard arrives. When it does, this stereo mix contrasts with its recent restriction. Summoning is all about percussive rhythm but it’s important not to ignore the counterpoint which at times becomes the dominant melody.

  Mistress of Time begins the four tracks which gradually build to complete the album. Here Jo plays busily alongside a dusty operatic loop. It’s initially unsettling, but through familiarity these two resolve their differences. What follows next is more remarkable: Juno blooms in the wake of Passing / Arriving but nuzzles up to a scratchy, detuned cello which is granted its own little solo for the coda.

  The final two pieces, Amber and Mothlight unexpectedly replace the strings with snippets of renaissance music. Amber is the baby of the two – a sleepy diversion from Juno’s perkiness. Mothlight develops further: the ebb and flow of tension that threads carefully through the album is finally released, by using two or three individual piano tracks wrapped around Thomas Tallis’ acclaimed motet Spem in alium. This brings the album to a dazzling and deeply satisfying conclusion.

  Jo Gabriel’s most widely available album, Island, is set firmly in the mould of singer-songwriter. Only the brief instrumental If Not hints towards The Amber Sessions and if you love Island I implore you to investigate this too. The Amber Sessions is a fascinating complex piece of work that becomes more impressive with each listen.

  The Amber Sessions is available from Jo Gabriel’s website.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/07/jo-gabriel-the-amber-sessions/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/01/jo-gabriel-waking-the-dark/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/01/jo-gabriel-waking-the-dark/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:22:22 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/01/jo-gabriel-waking-the-dark/ Waking The Dark sets the scene on Jo Gabriel’s album The Last Drive In – nine tracks of solitary terror. I think that’s the plan, but to my ears, using the piano as a centerpiece for such evocative ambience results in something rather beautiful although this doesn’t manifest itself until many hours after that first listen. Subsequent listens are more welcoming.

  This opening piece, like all its companions, appears to pair structure with improvisation. The repeated phrases which shift key are emphasised by a subtle organ drone which follows them around, sometimes joined by strings. These movements turn incredibly pretty at times. Upsetting and unsettling this balance are occasional flourishes of keys and synth pads which draw the music back to its primary intentions.

  The Last Drive In
  Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/04/01/jo-gabriel-waking-the-dark/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/28/kristin-hersh-speedbath/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/28/kristin-hersh-speedbath/#comments Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:00:07 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/28/kristin-hersh-speedbath/ Kristin writes that this song is “all about half steps and rhythmic skips.” For the first couple of listens you clearly detect the parallel rhythms that slide over each other, but not in the manic Muses way – it’s slow, methodical, beautiful music. Math rock has nothing on this song – this is all about unpicking and rebuilding the DNA of western music.

  I marvel at how the song hangs together. I half-expected some of it to run on beyond the end of the tape – some of it is unsettling, but it’s great to feel your brain trying to work out the sense within it.

  Speedbath – Free Download

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/28/kristin-hersh-speedbath/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/23/pluramon-the-monstrous-surplus/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/23/pluramon-the-monstrous-surplus/#comments Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:33:21 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/23/pluramon-the-monstrous-surplus/ I’m very late with starting the reviews of my favourite albums of 2007. In this respect I find it vulgar to reduce my opinion and feelings of an album to a mere review and to consider one better or worse than another. But I do so because it allows me to more easily recall exactly how I felt about an album and where my head and the rest of me was at that time. It builds relationships between albums, between artists and when other albums are released it allows me to appreciate them more and perhaps place them in my pantheon of ‘best loved’ music. Carrie Brownstein has another view. My favourites of last year’s music (which traditionally encompasses everything I’ve heard that year, not only released that year) realise something else too: that how frequently I play an album doesn’t correlate to how much I like it. An album – more than just a single song – requires a context before being listened to. The time invested in listening is irrelevant, the emotion however is not. There needs to be a match and emotions are subtle creatures. Some albums require a more defined head state than others, which is why some of the albums on this list of 2007 surprise me with their appearance. Including this one:

  Number 10 of 2007 — Pluramon: The Monstrous Surplus

  
  This is the fourth album from Marcus Schmickler’s shoegaze project. But to earmark it thus is slightly inconsiderate. I’ve listened to a lot of Lush’s work over the past two days, re-encountering the gradual transplanting of their original sound into its Britpop vision. Like their final version, Pluramon’s sound doesn’t over-exploit its most obvious references, nor does it totally consume other styles. Instead – particularly with this album – it turns inwards, refining the genre through the benefit of technology, reducing the attendant emotions from ‘dream pop’ towards only dreams. Despite its four vocalists – three female, the other from Marcus, all gorgeously employed – and its lyrics, this is an album which is experienced by how you respond to it, a place that AR Kane got to visit on their 1989 album, “i”. It wants to be pure pop music but the layers of sound which slide, grind and collide, burying individual songs, ensures it isn’t, although an awareness of the way pop is felt and constructed is obvious.

  Turn On opens the album sounding like Alison Shaw fronting mid-career Lush, but when the enveloped vocals of Julee Cruise hide beneath the expanse of string-like noise (or noise-like strings) the tone of album is set. On Border, there’s no such foreplay. We land directly where Marcus wants us to feel. Just when we’re comfortable with this, an organ picks up the main melody to tweak the emotional connection with the song still further. Elsewhere there are more obvious reference points to genre: the portmento guitar slides that characterised My Bloody Valentine’s sound is mimicked on If Time Was On My Side, but without the expected queasiness. Similarly, the collapsing frantic drumming of their music is ignored. Instead Pluramon uses traditional rock percussion that serves to emphasise the rest of the music.

  Drowning In You turns vocals into noise, the guitars and bass simply swirl and cut, this is where sensation comes from. For some songs it’s not necessary to internalise what is sung (that comes later), initially just the notes and how they’re sung will suffice. Language is unimportant. For others, particularly in the standout cover of Sham 69’s The Kids Are United, the lyrics are critical. This is also true for Fresh Aufhebung, which features Jutta Koether’s spoken words, taking the drone-pop of Loop and turning the dreams nightmarish.

  When the noise drops as it does on crossover between K-Land and Can’t Disappear – essentially one song split in two – piano, strings, high hat and vocals – it arrives more beautifully than if it had appeared without its predecessors. Even the clichéd thunderstorm feels right, complementing with its own bassy rumble. Perhaps these couple of songs are merely a lead to the key point of the album. Once you know what’s coming, the drawn out conclusion of Can’t Disappear teases further. If The Kids Are United strikes home immediately with folky tambourine bashing. The vocals, sometimes just adding a layer to the other songs, take centre stage for this song, choral and chorused they bring a sublime blissful state. This isn’t enough however – the pop desires of this album push forward once again with a masterly key change.

  After this the final two tracks are unsatisfying, but this album is clearly at the front of the continued evolution of the genre. I never expected the celebration to last this long.

  The Monstrous Surplus – iTunes UK
  Pluramon – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/23/pluramon-the-monstrous-surplus/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/22/jo-gabriel-tinderbox/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/22/jo-gabriel-tinderbox/#comments Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:39:53 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/22/jo-gabriel-tinderbox/ Island, Jo Gabriel’s fourth full-length album (released in 2005) is probably an ideal introduction to her work because it holds new songs and others from earlier releases. Jo takes the indulgences of This Mortal Coil and weaves them inside traditional and otherworldly piano pieces, accompanied by strings, fretless bass, guitar, her sometimes unusual vocals and Linda Mackley’s perfectly balanced percussion. Whilst the results are obviously off-centre, they remains deliciously melodic and listenable even if the lyrics travel to other places.

  Live:

  
  Island – iTunes UK
  Jo Gabriel – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/22/jo-gabriel-tinderbox/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/19/el-perro-del-mar-do-not-despair/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/19/el-perro-del-mar-do-not-despair/#comments Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:57:10 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/19/el-perro-del-mar-do-not-despair/ Despite what we were led to believe, El Perro del Mar’s third album turned up on iTunes last week. From the Valley to the Stars rarely visits the classic 60’s girl pop of its predecessor, instead preferring to turn in a couple of these songs, minified to their barest essence, alongside what can only be described as ‘pop hymns’ – pairing focused soul-full lyrics with church organ – and drive-by instrumentals. Opener Jubilee holds just two words (and yes, one of them is Jubilee).

  Do Not Despair is based in walking organ chords, a soft bass line and Sarah’s chorused, quietly optimistic vocals. And horns.

  From the Valley to the Stars – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/19/el-perro-del-mar-do-not-despair/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/17/the-groove-corporation-rain/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/17/the-groove-corporation-rain/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:43:10 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/17/the-groove-corporation-rain/ I may have been a little unfair on The Groove Corporation when they released their debut album Co-operation back in 1994. I was smarting from the demise of Electribe 101 – its non-Billie remnants formed this more dub oriented alternative. Missing Billie Ray Martin’s distinct vocals, lyrics and musical flourishes turned their sound into mere normality, echoing the housey feel of dozens of other bands and DJs around at that time. Rain is an illustration of this, but in the context of 2008 it sounds brilliant.

  Co-operation – Amazon UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/17/the-groove-corporation-rain/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/11/chantal-kreviazuk-asylum/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/11/chantal-kreviazuk-asylum/#comments Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:45:21 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/11/chantal-kreviazuk-asylum/ Two of Chantal’s albums – the only ones I currently own – have been sitting unopened since I received them late January. But with the arrival and setup of my new Mac mini and Time Capsule, my music setup is now properly revived and reliable.

  Asylum comes from Ghost Stories, an excellent album which easily sits in the same box as Charlotte Martin’s more commercial work. Asylum lushes up the production with strings, but finds the right balance to her piano.

  Ghosts Stories – Amazon UK
  Ghost Stories – Allmusic Review

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/11/chantal-kreviazuk-asylum/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/09/nine-inch-nails-14-ghosts-ii/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/09/nine-inch-nails-14-ghosts-ii/#comments Sun, 09 Mar 2008 12:37:47 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/09/nine-inch-nails-14-ghosts-ii/ Cursory listens to Nine Inch Nails’ new album – the 36 track Ghosts I-IV – could reveal it to be a collection of half-finished ideas, or worse, deliberate off-cuts sold at $5 to prove that people will buy anything. Neither of these opinions would be correct. Ghosts I-IV is probably one of the most interesting and successful compositions released since Aphex Twin’s Select Ambient Works, Vol. 2 and easily Trent Reznor’s best work.

  Because it lacks vocals and obvious melodies and rhythms it is firmly rooted as an ambient soundtrack, but unlike most such music, it cannot be experienced this way. Ghosts I-IV demands and rewards listening. The tracks have no titles except for their number (even SAW2 had photographic textures) so it’s up to the listener to attach meaning to each track and link them together.

  14 Ghosts II begins with distorted electronic beats and buzzy guitar pads before sickeningly warped slide guitars pick up the tune, jamming around each other. That’s about as pretty as it gets – the introduction of skewed electric guitars knocks the track sideways.

  Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/09/nine-inch-nails-14-ghosts-ii/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/07/iphone-sdk-death-of-the-desktop/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/07/iphone-sdk-death-of-the-desktop/#comments Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:22:59 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/07/iphone-sdk-death-of-the-desktop/ Good. Now I have your attention. We learnt yesterday what the iPhone Software Development Kit is all about and what developers will be able to do with it.

  The ever reliable Fake Steve Jobs called it a little unsubtly with a long list of companies that he now deems ‘dead’, perhaps over-egging the consequences, but even at this beta stage, the iPhone SDK hints of a truly practicable move away from the desktop. The whole video from the launch is available here. Here’s why it marks the Death of the Desktop – in no particular order:

  OS X

  Apple, predictably, has leveraged and built upon the operating system seen in its desktops and laptops. This means developers can produce desktop quality applications but specialise them for mobile usage. The free SDK builds upon Apple’s Xcode developer tools, but with an additional simulator and remote debugger and an Interface Builder for quick realisation of an iPhone friendly user interface. The result will be rapid migration of existing desktop-bound Mac OS X applications to the iPhone.

  The Thick-Thin Client

  I’m a great fan of web applications and I had no problem with Apple declaring Web 2.0 as the choice application development solution when the iPhone was launched last June. However, with limitations on network speed (when outside of wireless internet connectivity) and Javascript performance, together with Web 2.0 applications becoming more client-centric (moving more business logic over to the client rather than the server), some web applications are clunky with the iPhone.

  The SDK provides an alternative solution: Develop an iPhone client application that provides the presentation logic but keep the business logic on a server on the internet. That’s ideal for applications that require co-operation amongst a number of users.

  But the way software development is going, particularly on the web, is agile, which means releasing updates often. What happens when the presentation logic needs to change? This is where the Apple App Store comes in.

  The App Store

  Living alongside the iTunes Store, the iPhone will include an application store, allowing owners to browse, buy and download applications on their iPhone, either through EDGE or Wi-Fi connections. Moreover, the App Store will notify users when their application has been updated and allow them to download the update. Apple handle the storage, billing and downloading of the application, in exchange for 30% of revenue. Free applications won’t cost anything to their developer. Some people are complaining about this 30%. Tough – it’s nothing.

  Casual gaming

  Casual gaming is a huge growing sector of personal entertainment. If you’ve watched the video you’ll see what can be achieved on the current iPhone technology: ‘minor’ things like a three-dimensional accelerometer, three-dimensional audio, Core Animation etc. Now think what will happen when the internet comes in: social casual gaming. The social and casual nature of gaming will draw more players away from their desktop.

  The Mac-only SDK

  Oh yeah, perhaps one use of a desktop or laptop will remain – developing iPhone applications. That means more people buying Apple kit and less people developing for other platforms, because once you’ve developed for OS X, you probably won’t want to develop for any other operating system.

  The $99 obstacle

  If the 30% revenue cut is one obstacle to developers, the $99 fee to test on an actual iPhone is another. That’s cool, because it stops the store being swamped with stupid simple applications. Hopefully, we won’t get 100 RSS readers when the App Store launches, which brings me onto:

  The June launch

  I know people are complaining the App Store (along with the rest of the iPhone 2.0 software) won’t come until June. That’s a smart move, because it gives developers three months to get their applications developed and tested. We should get quality applications immediately when iPhone 2.0 arrives.

  The iFund

  That’s $100,000,000 to support new business ventures centred around the iPhone. If you’re a start-up, that’s money offered to iPhone development rather than desktop development or other mobile devices.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/03/07/iphone-sdk-death-of-the-desktop/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/29/kristin-hersh-around-dusk/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/29/kristin-hersh-around-dusk/#comments Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:16:49 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/29/kristin-hersh-around-dusk/

  around dusk
  you walk the seven blocks to paradise

  Sorry Kristin, for not listening to this when you gave it to the world just over one month ago.

  and throw your arms around it

  But, but.. it’s got a drum machine on the chorus, which leads to a wonderful play-off with the organic sounds of guitar, piano and voices: turning it from a typically reflective song into something more commanding, yet it still aches. The last seven seconds burn.

  part of the cattle call to harmony

  One of the (perhaps unintended) side effects of this periodic release of music is that each song now births its own universe. Unencumbered by what was released previously each can have its own style and reference. If you don’t believe me on this – check out Morning Birds.

  at dawn it breaks
  but much too late to wreck the night
  we spun a silken effort
  wrapping the day in softer company

  Around Dusk (Download page)

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/29/kristin-hersh-around-dusk/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/29/firefox-ak-once-i-was-like-you/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/29/firefox-ak-once-i-was-like-you/#comments Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:08:32 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/29/firefox-ak-once-i-was-like-you/ More overtly electronic than Firefox AK’s debut, although that could be an illusion, If I Were A Melody throbs with a minimalism that demonstrates maturity and confidence. Andrea Kellerman’s voice is still duplicated or chorused as before, but this time the musical backing allows the vocals to distance themselves even further from the tunes, leading to some kind of musical capacitance, a tension that is rarely broken. The combination is almost perfect, but these missing connections and they way the melodies skirt around their obvious progressions and conclusions can sometimes prove frustrating, but on this second album we’re getting closer. Close enough to make it better than perfect. I think.

  Once I Was Like You teases with two beginnings (breaks, actually) which when Andrea’s voice drops in, blend to form something more recognisable as the Firefox AK sound and is one of the many highlights of the album.

  If I Were A Melody – Klicktrack
  If I Were A Melody – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/29/firefox-ak-once-i-was-like-you/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/28/the-wrong-picture/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/28/the-wrong-picture/#comments Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:57:41 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/28/the-wrong-picture/ More fuddled-up musical e-commerce. I know From The Valley To The Stars isn’t released in the UK until May, but here it is on Klicktrack’s website, in my own currency at a bargain price of £5.00 (or 50p per track if you want just a couple). And I can’t buy it. Boo!

  

  I guess I’ll have to make do with Firefox AK’s new album If I Were A Melody instead, which you can get here. (Or iTunes, but you’ll get sucky audio quality)

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/28/the-wrong-picture/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/27/boom-boom/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/27/boom-boom/#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:34:34 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/27/boom-boom/ Steve Jobs spent $550,000 on travelling, last quarter. But that’s okay, because Apple’s now the 2nd largest music retailer in the US (behind Wal-Mart) and the new MacBook is cheaper than a comparable machine from Dell.
  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/27/boom-boom/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/26/el-perro-del-mar-god-knows-you-gotta-give-to-get/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/26/el-perro-del-mar-god-knows-you-gotta-give-to-get/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:15:22 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/26/el-perro-del-mar-god-knows-you-gotta-give-to-get/ Continuing this year’s unofficial theme of Scandinavian Songwriters, here’s El Perro del Mar. Not the usual electroni-tastic wares I usually peddle, instead something which so obviously draws from the 50s and 60s. Sounding simultaneously hyper-elated and incredibly despairing, El Perro del Mar’s hypnotic self-titled album rushes by in just under 33 minutes. Sarah Assbring’s follow-up, From the Valley to the Stars, is due to drop later this week in Scandinavia, and in May in the UK.

  Official Website
  El Perro del Mar – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/26/el-perro-del-mar-god-knows-you-gotta-give-to-get/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/24/domain-assumptions/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/24/domain-assumptions/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:31:37 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/24/domain-assumptions/ Whenever I talk to a customer about something which is clearly in my domain (anything related to web application development), I try to ensure that everything I want to say first goes through a ‘customer translator’ which turns my domain knowledge into something they might understand. This translator works in the opposite direction too.

  However, I’ve realised this week that this approach is sometimes required for people who work in the same domain or have similar roles to me. The benefit of using domain knowledge and terminology is that it allows you to be explicit and succinct. However, if others aren’t being as explicit or succinct as you think they should be (inferring their expected expertise) then problems can occur. My advice is to question everything, especially if it just seems wrong. Sometimes just one character can make all the difference.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/24/domain-assumptions/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/22/trinity-revisited/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/22/trinity-revisited/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:48:44 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/22/trinity-revisited/ Cowboy Junkies only extraordinary album, The Trinity Session, which is now twenty years old, has been commemorated by the band in the form of Trinity Revisited. You can read Pitchfork’s review here. It turns out to be a superfluous track-by-track recreation of the album, recorded in the same church as the original, this time with accompanying DVD and extra musicians.

  Ugh.

  No, really.. The Trinity Session should have been left to age respectively, because it is a masterpiece. Play it loud and you can hear everything in that church, the reflecting ambience, every brush of drums, every twang or stroke of guitar string, every syllable of Margo’s voice. Each separate and unique, but together bringing a textured intimacy that overwhelms. There’s no need for extra paraphernalia, or visuals – because they’re already in your head. Some still criticise the lo-fi nature of the recording, live to tape, with just one microphone. But that’s the point – that simplicity brings with it fidelity.

  The Trinity Session – Amazon UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/22/trinity-revisited/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/22/parallel-lives/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/22/parallel-lives/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:01:25 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/22/parallel-lives/ One day I’ll write a post entitled something like “Why HD doesn’t matter”, in which I will suggest that High Definition is merely a passing fad and relate this to the difference in one’s relationship between music and film. Until then, here’s a quote from John Gruber, who whilst picking at the drivel in a Wall Street Journal report regarding Flash, Adobe and Apple, writes this:

  [Apple] have the opportunity to establish QuickTime and H.264 as the de facto standards for mobile video on the web.

  I agree with John, apart from a couple of words which should be struck out, and two added. Here’s my alternative:

  [Apple] have the opportunity to establish QuickTime and H.264 as the de facto standards for video and film.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/22/parallel-lives/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/20/the-fork-in-the-road/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/20/the-fork-in-the-road/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:41:24 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/20/the-fork-in-the-road/

  As well as revealing new iPlayer traffic figures, the BBC also today announced that the iPlayer service is to be made available on Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

  So says the Guardian.

  If it’s not realised through Adobe Flash (which these devices currently don’t support), then it will probably be similar to how YouTube works on these devices. Alternatively we’ll get some lame web pages that merely direct to Quicktime content.

  Back in July last year I suggested that the BBC should ditch iPlayer and sign up with iTunes. BBC Worldwide – a separate commercial entity – started on this path this week with the release of programmes on iTunes after they expire from their iPlayer obligations.

  What’s the betting that we’ll eventually see everything via iTunes as the iPlayer solution for the Mac? And for Windows too?

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/20/the-fork-in-the-road/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/20/bertine-zetlitz-this-time/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/20/bertine-zetlitz-this-time/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:57:43 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/20/bertine-zetlitz-this-time/ You see.. this is how to do ballads in pop music: drop the cheesy instrumentation which always seems to dog such endeavours – RnB people that includes you, let the lyrics scoot around the subject rather than explaining everything (remember it’s about building a relationship with your listeners). I guess I’m asking to songwriters to understate everything.

  This Time starts and continues in a very ambient fashion, adding percussive decorations to emphasize how much was lost – explained through the lyrics. Sure, there’s a gradual build towards the end, but the climb is wonderfully subtle. Check out the sparse use of acoustic guitar which is usually the dominating factor in such downbeat songs.

  Bertine Zetlitz: My Italian Greyhound – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/20/bertine-zetlitz-this-time/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/14/robyn-is-here/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/14/robyn-is-here/#comments Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:40:36 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/14/robyn-is-here/ For the past week, Anil Dash has been obsessing about vocoders and auto-tuning during dissertations about Snoop Dogg’s new single Sensual Seduction. Personally, I can’t stand the guy (Snoop), apart from one song. Anyhow, whilst these posts are analytically perpendicular to the great musical interludes in American Psycho (going for depth rather than breadth), there is only one thing that you really should know: there’s a remix featuring Robyn on vocals. Anil correctly documents this as follows:

  There’s an outstanding remix of Sensual Seduction with the hook sung by Robyn, minus the vocoder manipulation. But really it’s just another milestone in Robyn’s march towards being the best pure-pop female performer in the world.

  There are potential warning signs here: do we really want Robyn to pop up anywhere and everywhere?

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/14/robyn-is-here/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/13/told-you-so-musings-and-an-abstract-prediction/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/13/told-you-so-musings-and-an-abstract-prediction/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:57:54 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/13/told-you-so-musings-and-an-abstract-prediction/ A brief companion piece to Three Ps.

  When it comes to business, many people don’t like to spend a lot of money on an unknown venture, especially if they’re not sure that the direction they’ll be going in is the right one. Perhaps they don’t trust their instincts enough, or perhaps they don’t trust the people who are advising them.

  But if such a timid approach leads to reduced productivity, mis-communication, loss of sales or of staff, or maybe something more calamitous, it becomes easier to step back and decide to throw lots of money at an alternative solution.

  Translation: it’s easier to blame technology than Policies, Procedures or People.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/13/told-you-so-musings-and-an-abstract-prediction/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/11/yelle-mal-poli/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/11/yelle-mal-poli/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:36:19 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/11/yelle-mal-poli/ And if you want proof that the music press should never stick text in front of my nose that includes the words ‘electro’ and ‘pop’, here it is. Because give me five seconds with such music and I’m usually off to iTunes. This time, I think it was mere milliseconds.

  This track from the “French electro-popper”’s debut album doesn’t know whether to be rave, rap or pop. So in the end it decides to be all three.

  Live:

  Yelle: Pop Up – Version deluxe – iTunes UK
  Yelle – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/11/yelle-mal-poli/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/11/strike-the-colours-bare-legs-in-a-storm/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/11/strike-the-colours-bare-legs-in-a-storm/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:12:40 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/11/strike-the-colours-bare-legs-in-a-storm/ Arggh.. delay in posting, proving that when my head is full of tech stuff – specifically Git this time around – music isn’t boisterous enough to barge in and kick it out.

  Strike the Colours make music that seems to grab the best bits from all my favourite bands and weaves them together in tingly shifting ways. This track from their debut EP (and yes, it’s a proper EP) is my favourite because of the way Jenny Reeve’s voice curls round the words and what happens after the piano break.

  Inexplicably discovered on the BBC’s TV show Rapal. I don’t know quite why they turned up there, rather than somewhere more accessible, but I’m glad they did.

  Rapal: Strike the Colours
  The Face That Sunk A Thousand Ships – iTunes UK
  Strike the Colours – Official Website

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/11/strike-the-colours-bare-legs-in-a-storm/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/07/butterfly-boucher-scary-fragile/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/07/butterfly-boucher-scary-fragile/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:59:59 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/07/butterfly-boucher-scary-fragile/ Forthcoming.

  Oh my.. I’ll say it again. Forthcoming.

  After years of waiting, Butterfly Boucher’s second album is now showing signs of being released. This should be the title track of the album which should turn up sometime this month. Hmm.. two conditionals. Not good.

  Downbeat and acoustic, chorused vocals, with a splash of organ, percussion and some very brief, expensive sounding strings. There’s more going on than might first appear. I guess this time she’s not playing most of the instruments. Shame.

  Hear it on her MySpace page.

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/07/butterfly-boucher-scary-fragile/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/04/sofia-talvik-street-of-dreams/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/04/sofia-talvik-street-of-dreams/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:08:31 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/04/sofia-talvik-street-of-dreams/ Street of Dreams, Sofia Talvik’s second album, released last year, absolutely nails the folk-pop target that I think she has been aiming for. Perhaps genre-fying her music is a little vulgar – it doesn’t deserve that simplistic treatment. The album crosses the path laid by Heidi Berry 20 years ago – check out Jozsef Nemeth’s piano on this song if you want to play Snap – and that’s a very good thing.

  Sofia undersells herself via the lyrics of the title track, whilst making the point musically and vocally that she’s achieving her goals. A new album Jonestown is due out later this year.

  Street of Dreams – Official Store
  Sofia Talvik – Official Website
  Sofia Talvik – MySpace
  Street of Dreams – iTunes UK

  ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/04/sofia-talvik-street-of-dreams/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/01/stand-up/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/01/stand-up/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:53:01 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/01/stand-up/ Here are two thoughts I’ve had for a little while:
  • That the space under my Apple Cinema Display could be put to better use
  • That my USB hub appends itself ridiculously to my working environment

    Then, today, I discover this solution:

    

    The LowKey Stand. More here (although the guys commenting on that post clearly don’t understand how to connect all of their equipment.)

    Will it appear in the UK? Please?

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/02/01/stand-up/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/31/bertine-zetlitz-fake-your-beauty/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/31/bertine-zetlitz-fake-your-beauty/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:27:52 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/31/bertine-zetlitz-fake-your-beauty/ I think I must have a ‘thing’ about percussion. Actually, I’m pretty sure I do. This is evident in my adoration of this song, because the greatest part of this track (which has lots of great things jam packed into its lifetime) is that the hi-hats hiss on the chorus, but not during the verses.

    More fairies:

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/31/bertine-zetlitz-fake-your-beauty/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/30/bertine-zetlitz-back-where-i-belong/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/30/bertine-zetlitz-back-where-i-belong/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:36:08 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/30/bertine-zetlitz-back-where-i-belong/ A reggae tinged ballad with horns, fingerclicks and a rarely used but all-important slap bass. Perhaps its something in the arrangement, because each time around, the chorus gets more desperate and pleading.

    Warning: this song is likely to stick in your head once listened to.

    Bertine Zetlitz: Rollerskating – iTunes UK

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/30/bertine-zetlitz-back-where-i-belong/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/29/bertine-zetlitz-so-beautiful/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/29/bertine-zetlitz-so-beautiful/#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:22:22 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/29/bertine-zetlitz-so-beautiful/ After the sleek refined pop of albums four and five, discovering Bertine Zetlitz’s first three albums is quite a surprising journey. Collectively they embody fluid, confident, leftfield music, with lyrical chops that expose Bertine as a fine songwriter first, a pop singer second. In my head at least, a sometimes scary hybrid of Jane Siberry and Bjork.

    So Beautiful appears on her third album, Sweet Injections. Beginning with IDM-style crushed drums and whispered vocals, she implores “Listen to this: sometimes things don’t turn out the way they should, the way you thought they would.”

    Sweet Injections – iTunes UK

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/29/bertine-zetlitz-so-beautiful/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/26/public-investigations/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/26/public-investigations/#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:21:10 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/26/public-investigations/ Yesterday was a day spent listening to a Last.fm radio station. Unusual for me, but rewarding. Here’s an unordered list of bands and musicians that are now on my radar for further investigation. Prior to yesterday I’d only heard of one of them:

    Ugress, Cinephile, Dragonette, Anja Garbarek, Regina, Ephemera, Vive La Fête, Flunk, Hande Yener, Boomkat, Anneli Drecker, Temposhark, Briskeby, Machine Dominatrix

    Above links are to their Last.fm page.

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/26/public-investigations/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/24/bertine-zetlitz-ah-ah/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/24/bertine-zetlitz-ah-ah/#comments Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:23:26 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/24/bertine-zetlitz-ah-ah/ If I successfully persuaded you to investigate Margaret Berger, here’s someone else, via the wonders of the Last.fm recommendation system. I knew from the first dozen bars of this song that Bertine Zetlitz’s fourth album Rollerskating would soon be living in my iTunes library. More sleek Norwegian pop music, but grown-up and slightly subversive. It frequently borrows from 70s funk and 80s disco and sometimes lands right in between Goldfrapp’s Felt Mountain and Black Cherry.

    Oh look, a video:

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/24/bertine-zetlitz-ah-ah/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/23/subscriptions-moi/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/23/subscriptions-moi/#comments Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:21:45 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/23/subscriptions-moi/ Here’s something new:

    As of today, you can play full-length tracks and entire albums for free on the Last.fm website.

    Currently in beta to the US, UK, and Germany, which limits each track to a three plays. Last.fm plan to launch an additional tier of subscription membership which will allow users unlimited listens and ‘other useful things’. No idea on pricing yet.

    Last.fm now have an Artist Royalty programme, which pays artists directly for every single track streamed via their website. So, if you’re a musician of any shape, style or size, there’s no excuse not to get yourself listed on their website.

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/23/subscriptions-moi/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/22/robyn-eclipse/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/22/robyn-eclipse/#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:58:18 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/22/robyn-eclipse/ A valid criticism of Robyn’s latest (and eponymous) album is its unbalanced delivery of songs, collecting the slower more reflective tunes at its end. However I believe this is a better approach than the usual random delivery of ballads that tend to appear throughout every pop-based album. Margaret Berger’s Pretty Scary Silver Fairy works around this by wrapping ballads inside dance tunes. It wouldn’t have worked on Robyn’s album because of her desire and ability to emote, which she does most effectively, and sometimes a song deserves, requires, a certain treatment.

    Eclipse dramatically breaks away from what appears earlier by delivering something breathtaking: a ballad without the usual string theory, without the overuse of instrumentation to emphasise words and feelings. Using just a sprinkling of piano keys and an upright bass, Robyn sings a song, not of what has happened, nor what might happen, but of a guarantee of what will happen – all turning on one word.

    Robyn – iTunes UK
    Robyn – Amazon UK

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/22/robyn-eclipse/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/20/underworld-faxed-invitation/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/20/underworld-faxed-invitation/#comments Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:50:47 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/20/underworld-faxed-invitation/ Stylus Magazine’s review of last year’s Oblivion With Bells criticized Underworld for now being permanently stuck in the ‘morning after’ phase. Fortunately, their latest album is more of a success than A Hundred Days Off, and to my ears it might be one of their best. Don’t believe the reviews. Most of that Stylus review is wrong. There’ll be people that tell you the lyrics don’t hang together. Wrong again. They just don’t recognise themselves in them. After the singular dance-oriented landscape of their earlier work, Underworld are now exploring what it means to write a song – by removing the unnecessary musical utensils, leaving the barest accompaniments to Karl Hyde’s sometimes rambling lyrics, making his words and delivery even more fundamental to their style. Streamlined. Refined.

    Faxed Invitation is a track which is almost an incidental. It begins with the merest throb of a bass drum and delicate percussion. Over the course of the next three minutes it becomes fuller: the pinging bassline grows a melody and the weedy pad joins in. It’s just a head nodding experience, which given more time to develop could have turned into something quite brilliant. Karl Hyde’s vocals are typically encoded, the lyrics the usual cracked snapshots of urban life – overlapping scenarios, half-rendered and scratchy.

    Oblivion With Bells – iTunes
    Amazon UK

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/20/underworld-faxed-invitation/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/20/the-second-mac-myth/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/20/the-second-mac-myth/#comments Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:00:27 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/20/the-second-mac-myth/ All I’ve ever read since the launch of Apple’s MacBook Air are two complaints: it’s underpowered and it’s only useful as a second computer. Both of these assertions are flat out wrong.

    As a software development and web design company we do quite a lot of work that requires various types of tools: compilers, operating system emulators (i.e. Windows and Solaris), web development tools (e.g. Coda, TextMate, Macromedia Dreamweaver and Fireworks), design tools (Adobe Creative Suite, iWork), photo editing and video editing software. All our Adobe and Macromedia software runs under Rosetta – Apple’s PowerPC to Intel dynamic code translator. All of this software works fine on our Macs, so what Macs do we use?

    First generation MacBooks. Running Mac OS X 10.5.1.

    That’s right: ones that are underpowered compared to the MacBook Air. Laptops too!

    I don’t expect our experience to be typical – most businesses need even less computational power and storage. So why the uproar?

    Because people don’t want to be ordinary. They don’t want to admit that their needs are about the same as everyone else. My assertion is this: the MacBook Air suits the computing needs of 90% of the population. For personal or business use.

    The benefit MacBooks bring our business is striking: we can hook up an external display to them – I use a 23” Cinema Display. We can take them on visits to clients. No hassle or need for synchronisation. We can take them on holiday with us – when a customer needs a quick tweak or change to their website or software, we can do this remotely. It makes us more efficient and available.

    And.. it amuses us when we see the junk that other people use.

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/20/the-second-mac-myth/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/19/pluramon-if-time-was-on-my-side/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/19/pluramon-if-time-was-on-my-side/#comments Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:09:11 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/19/pluramon-if-time-was-on-my-side/ Marcus Schmickler’s project is now into its fourth album, The Monstrous Surplus. If Time Was On My Side begins with sleepy vocals from its songwriter Julia Hummer and a hint of shoegaze, rubbed out and turned slightly acoustic. The keys and their changes are typically inspired by or borrowed from you-know-who, with that wonderful not-quite-right feeling – a little more restrained than you might expect. Further through the song Marcus weaves additional melodies which float above the song, only to dissipate into its mix, gradually devolving the song back to something more recognisable as the genre. Like the rest of The Monstrous Surplus, it’s a gift for your ears and your deepest emotions: this is what love sounds like.

    The Monstrous Surplus – iTunes UK

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/19/pluramon-if-time-was-on-my-side/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/18/joint-operations-centre-shortwave/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/18/joint-operations-centre-shortwave/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:27:21 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/18/joint-operations-centre-shortwave/ One of the problems with owning an iPhone is that I now have an almost inexhaustible source of new music. When I’m bored and I have no RSS feeds to read, my attention turns to the iTunes WiFi Store… which is how I came across this.

    Most of the track is melody-free percussion-based trance (care of John O’Callaghan – how spooky is that?), however halfway through comes a wavering slightly detuned riff which lightens the overall mood considerably, sits nicely in between the drums, and ends up driving the track further and faster than I originally expected.

    The track is one of 50 (yes, 50) neatly packaged in the almost-laughably titled 50 Tech Trance Tracks, Vol. 2. Yours for £7.99. Given the calibre of many of the tracks on this compilation, it’s very good value.

    50 Tech Trance Tracks, Vol. 2 – iTunes UK

    ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/18/joint-operations-centre-shortwave/feed/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/18/three-ps/ http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/18/three-ps/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:08:35 +0000 chris http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/18/three-ps/ Our business sometimes gets asked to advise on either computer software or web applications that could help a business improve its efficiency or communications. Invariably, the opinion of clients is that problems will be solved, in one way or another, by software.

    The truth is different: an inefficiently run business will only become better at being inefficient, by using software or a web application. In most cases adopting this technology will always make a business less efficient, at best, in the short term, at worst, forever. Instead attention should be given to what a business has or doesn’t have. In particular, there are three things that a business should have before it even starts to consider technology:

    • The right Policies
    • The right Procedures
    • The right People

      Technology is only there to empower and enable people to carry out procedures more effectively. There is no simple solution or quick fix.

      ]]> http://www.ninthspace.org/blog/archives/2008/01/18/three-ps/feed/