Tim Burgess - Ascent Of The Ascended
For reasons initially beyond his control, Tim Burgess has had quite the year.
By now, you’ll surely be aware of his Twitter Listening Parties which, it’s fair to say, have taken on a life of their own. As well as giving other artists good exposure, on the official website one can now purchase art prints with links to recommended record stores.
In addition, all year Burgess has been vocal and pro-active in his support of music venues, and even aided in securing bailout packages for the Gorilla and Deaf Institute in his (near) hometown of Manchester.
As if all that wasn’t enough, he’s also released a (solo) career best album, I Love The New Sky, and is closing out the year with this ‘Ascent Of The Ascended’ EP. It consists of two new tracks and recordings from a session at Paste Studios in New York, just before the pandemic took its vice-like grip on 2020.
Katy J Pearson - Return
Katy J Pearson justifies the long road on debut album Return.
The word ‘indie’ has gone through many re-evaluations over the years; from its origins as music released on an independent record label to becoming a catch-all phrase for anything with guitars. Katy J Pearson can lay a claim to being ‘indier’ than most.
Nearly four years ago, Pearson and her brother had dalliances with the music industry after the pair were picked up by a major label. Yet they soon fell foul of the machinations and pressures required to work with a music behemoth.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/11/review-katy-j-pearson-return/
The Slow Readers Club - 91 Days In Isolation
It seems prescient to be reviewing this album in the week the UK enters another lockdown.
For those of us old enough to remember the first lockdown, it was a time of great uncertainty and fear. Others took the bull by the horns and made the most of the opportunity – as you will have gathered by this album’s title.
They may have released an album only in March, but as The Slow Readers Club’s avenues for promotion were all closed off, the Mancunians weren’t as idle as many of us. In tandem with using social media to their advantage for listening parties and livestreams the band also, using the wonders of modern technology to their advantage, shared ideas and wrote songs online before taking to the studio once restrictions were eased.
As one would expect with an album written during an unprecedented (sorry) period, themes of isolation, anxiety and reflection pervade.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/11/album-review-the-slow-readers-club-91-days-in-isolation/
The Lathums - Live At Blackpool Tower
Pity all the ‘Ones To Watch For 2020′. In 2019 they would have built up a solid foundation of fans and critics, with everything in place for a sustained attack on the first year of the new decade.
Tours, festivals, new music would all have been locked in the diary, as well as all the other elements of a promotional campaign. But fears were raised early on in the lockdown that for anyone beneath the tier of Academy level (namely playing venues of 500 upwards), it was to be instead an uncertain future.
The Lathums fall into this criteria, although not by much, such is the momentum they have. This is speculation, but it’s not hard to envision the four-piece from Wigan as favourites during the festival season, and hype around their new Ghost EP would have been formidable. Not that they are doing badly; this livestream performance was watched by over 2000 people, and many more will catch it at a later date.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/10/live-review-the-lathums-at-blackpool-tower/
Chubby and the Gang - Speed Kills
For a genre so simple (a guitar, three chords and the truth, to quote Harlan Howard), punk music has a lot of variations.
Green Day offered up ‘pop-punk’ as a title for their snotty efforts (pilfering from the Ramones whilst doing so), Oi! eventually gave way to ‘hardcore punk’ as practiced by Black Flag, and it’s best not to pull on the thread of conversation that is ‘post-punk’.
London’s Chubby And The Gang have gone back to the start, when punk in Britain evolved from what was dubbed ‘pub-rock’, as pioneered by Dr. John. On the re-released Speed Kills, they channel the early greats, with a Beano-style cover harking back to the scene’s bratty roots. Infused with youthful energy, it’s a candidate for debut album of the year.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/10/album-review-chubby-and-the-gang-speed-kills/
Theatre Royal - Portraits
As befitting a band on their fifth album, Portraits sees Theatre Royal’s regular positivity put through the mill. Whereas on previous albums the upbeat bounce was infectious, the album cover in this case is reflective of the more sombre messages within.
It takes a while though; opening track ‘A Marvellous Death’ is soaringly upbeat, a piece of boisterous British rock with watertight bass that transcends fads and movements. Equally as musically rollicking is ‘Kasher’, but in lyrics it’s a sombre tale of a child nursing a jackdaw to health before meeting resistance from adults. Later on, ‘Tomorrow Now’ has the defiant gusto of a world-weary man on drums and guitar but is tempered by melancholia: ‘I’m packing away the hopes that we made.’
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/10/theatre-royal-release-fifth-studio-album-portraits/
Kurt Vile - Speed, Sound, Lonely KV
The death of John Prine earlier this year led to an outpouring of grief; whilst not a household name in the UK, Prine was regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, with many citing his presence as key to making the American country folk genre what it is today.
When familiarising one’s self with his catalogue, it’s not hard to see the effect he had on Kurt Vile, so this new EP (largely dedicated to Prine) should come as little surprise despite its four-year gestation period.
Consisting of five songs, a mixture of covers and originals, it’s a worthy tribute yet, whilst never knowingly rushed, even by Vile’s standards is a languid and laconic affair.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/10/review-kurt-vile-speed-sound-lonely-kv-ep/
Travis - 10 Songs
It almost feels like bullying to be mean about Travis, tantamount to kicking a puppy.
They are durable, inoffensive and seem like nice guys. There should always be a place for nice guys, and there’s a lot to be said for maintaining the same line-up for a quarter-of-a-century…but by jingo, 10 Songs is dull.
Serendipitously causing the acoustic takeover of British indie during the latter years of the 20th century (turns out they didn’t just want to rock), it’s hard to quantify quite how big the four-piece were before Coldplay stole a large amount of their thunder. Ever since they’ve ploughed on, sporadically reminding us of their songwriting talent with a great single (‘Re-Offender’, ‘Selfish Jean’) or a decent album.
Sadly, 10 Songs is not one of them.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/10/album-review-travis-10-songs/
The Jaded Hearts Club - You’ve Always Been Here
Well, this is going to be divisive.
Supergroups have long been the scourge of the idealistic, decried as acts of self-indulgence, often regarded as nothing more than a blemish on an otherwise peerless track record. There’s a large amount of truth in that, especially when what’s on offer is just a collection of cover versions. A distraction from the day job, they are the musical equivalent of that long liquid lunch on a Friday afternoon.
The Jaded Hearts Club project comes with some pedigree: guitarist Jamie Davis needed a wedding band and roped in some friends to help him out. As opposed to some mates from school and that old guy down the pub who used to play drums in the 1970s, said friends were Matt Bellamy, Graham Coxon, The Zutons’ Sean Payne, Jet frontman Nic Cester and the man with the best black book in music, Miles Kane.
So much fun was had that they became a band, having done a handful of live shows earlier in the year, leading to this album of classic Motown-era hits given an indie-rock spruce.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/10/album-review-the-jaded-hearts-club-youve-always-been-here/
Will Butler - Generations
For those of us lucky enough to have witnessed Arcade Fire in full flow, Will Butler has always been the standout performer among their entourage-cum-band.
Brother Win and his wife Regine are the lead vocalists and take centre-stage, but the more interesting spectacle is always watching the younger Butler cavort and gallivant around. Whether it’s the Pyramid at Glastonbury or the Roundhouse in Camden, there’s not a square metre of the stage that goes untouched by his presence. But how does this energy translate onto record?
With no little ease, it seems. Butler’s solo debut, Policy, was a watered down, scuzzier sibling of his parent band’s Reflector album, and on Generations he continues the pattern. Arcade Fire’s 2017 LP Everything Now was defined by its disco-house, and whilst the tracks on offer here are slightly less epic, the album confirms that grandiosity runs through the Butler veins.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/10/album-review-will-butler-generations/
Idles - Ultra Mono
Idles could have conceivably found themselves in a quandary for their third album.
How to balance succeeding a lauded mainstream record with having a devoted ‘cult’ following? Joy As An Act Of Resistance took everyone (bar the AF Gang) by surprise; prominent on all end of year lists, as well as being nominated at the BRIT Awards and for the Mercury Prize, it was a true crossover hit covering toxic masculinity, immigration, racism and a whole of host of other uncomfortable subjects. Added to this, the five-piece continued to incrementally grow their fanbase via life-affirming gigs and festival slots.
To their immense credit, rather than chase success here Idles have doubled down on their core ingredients. Having created a sense of community not seen since The Libertines’ guerrilla gigs at the early part of the century, Ultra Mono finds them to be more of a fan’s band than ever.
Yet the big questions have just got bigger. The world has been in chaos ever since their 2017 debut album Brutalism, so it should come as no surprise that, once again, Idles are both an outlet and a conduit for pent-up rage, with the difference being that ‘pent-up’ has taken on a whole new meaning in 2020. For months now, we’ve had no choice but to watch on as these populist governments have proven to be little more than campaigners, not governors. The urge to shout ‘I told you so’ has surely never been more acutely felt, and it’s getting harder and harder to #BeKind.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/09/album-review-idles-ultra-mono/
Interview - Joe Martin
The big splash that changed all our lives in the spring is still causing ripples.
As has been thoroughly discussed and debated, gigs are off the agenda so musicians have had to be more creative in their thinking, be it live streams in lieu of concerts or just as promotion for a new album. Which is all well and good for those that can, but what about the artists that were in a precarious position beforehand?
Post-punks (for want of a better moniker) Cabbage were unfortunate enough to be on the back-foot anyway, having changed labels since the release of their debut album Nihilistic Glamour Shots. Its follow-up Amanita Pantherina has been gathering dust on the shelf for the best part of a year; “We finished it last year, towards the end,” co-frontman Joe Martin tells Live4ever. “October, November it was finished and then it was supposed to come out in May. Obviously, it couldn’t come out so that was a pain in the arse, but hey-ho.”
Did the enforced break perhaps allow time to make adjustments? Unfortunately not. “We had more time to work on artwork, but the bulk of the music had already been done and mastered. We’ve always released music constantly, so this is the longest it’s been without releasing any, which is just bizarre for us.” Speaking of bizarre, what of the unusual album title? “It’s a poisonous mushroom. We were mulling around for ages, and someone came up with that! As an analogy, it’s big and colourful but on the inside it’s quite venomous and poisonous.”
Sinead O’Brien - Drowning In Blessings
Speedy Wunderground are really spoiling us.
Having helped to launch some of the most vital music over the last few years (Squid, black midi, The Lounge Society and Black Country, New Road to name a few), the label have now compiled one of Ireland’s hottest prospect’s recent singles onto one EP.
Yes, the Emerald Isle maintains its outstanding contemporary track record for music, although Sinead O’Brien hasn’t just relied on her heritage. Now based in London having spent time in Paris with Chanel (and now working for Vivienne Westwood), O’Brien found her calling when invited to perform at a spoken word gig at The Windmill in Brixton. Despite being unprepared, the buzz generated from the set caught the attention of no less a luminary than the legendary John Cooper Clarke.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/09/review-sinead-obrien-drowning-in-blessings-ep/
Doves - The Universal Want
There’s naught more fraught than the comeback album. Despite the fact that Doves never officially broke up back in 2010 (their last appearances together were to promote the best of album The Places Between), the relief and excitement was palpable when they announced a series of gigs last year, and a new album felt inevitable.
The atmospheric opening to ‘Carousels’ ably builds tension, with a shuffling drum-loop pilfered from the late, great Tony Allen and an overall hurdy-gurdy feel that befits the title. It’s vibrant and crisp, and as such sets the tone. Similarly, later on ‘Mother Silver’ owes a debt to Afrobeat, all percussive energy and funk.
Back to the top, ‘I Will Not Hide’ sustains the atmospheric start with swampy bass and the trademark guitar lines which form a structure around the melody. It was quite apparent when listening to the Jimi Goodwin solo and the Black Rivers albums (Jez and Andy Williams’ project) who contributed what to Doves, and the latter pair’s soundscapes sit better alongside Goodwin’s melancholy tones.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/09/album-review-doves-the-universal-want/
Widowspeak - Plum
After a decade of being relatively prolific (an album every other year, regular as clockwork), Widowspeak return after a three-year break with their fourth album Plum. Should fans expect a devastating volte-face in sound, or even an overhaul?
Well no, it’s more of the same.
Their last album, 2017’s Expect The Best, was dubbed as a return to the sound of their beginnings, and Plum picks up where they left off. It’s all laconically strummed guitars, occasional piano or synths, all justifying the dreaded term folky psychedelia (which seems immune to the passing of time or taste). This isn’t necessarily a criticism, as the Brooklynites now have the experience and the chops to withstand any passing trends.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/08/album-review-widowspeak-plum/
Interview - James Walsh
We’re now at the stage where the fruits of artists’ labours are coming to pass.
Fortunately for us music lovers, we’ve had many options for entertainment to keep us going during lockdown. Like live-streamed gigs; the good eggs that they are, musicians have often provided their services for charity, and Starsailor frontman James Walsh went straight for the jugular recently, performing a full acoustic version of the band’s debut album Love Is Here to raise funds for the NHS. Even he was surprised by the reaction.
“I think it raised nearly £10,000,” he tells Live4ever during an exclusive interview. “Considering it was just, ‘I’m going to do this and tweet about it and set up a Just Giving page’, I’m really pleased about how that grew through word of mouth. I think because the NHS was under a lot of strain there was a real groundswell of support for it, to do something. To make sure they got a few quid from our bands as well.”
When it’s put it to him that it shouldn’t really have been necessary, Walsh makes a compelling argument in response: “I completely understand the argument, but you can still hold that viewpoint and ethos while campaigning for more government money for the NHS, while also accepting they aren’t getting enough. It doesn’t necessarily let the government off the hook.”
Secret Machines - Awake In The Brain Chamber
Heralded as space rock pioneers a decade-and-a-half ago, Secret Machines – against all expectations and amidst a backdrop that has been beset by tragedy – are finally ready to release their fourth album.
Never mainstream rock in sound yet somehow granted a place at the top table by luminaries including U2, Oasis, Kings Of Leon and David Bowie (who even interviewed them), their progressive krautrock had no shortage of fans before the band was put on ice in 2010.
Brandon Curtis (guitarist and singer) joined Interpol, but sadly in 2013 his brother Benjamin passed away after a short battle with an aggressive form of lymphoma. After dalliances in various side-projects, Benjamin and drummer Josh Garza teased a return in 2018, but at the start of the following year Garza’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and so the reunion was understandably put on hold.
Indeed, it wasn’t guaranteed that this album would come out at all, but the stars have aligned and, with their shared experiences deepening their bond, Garza and Curtis bludgeon us into submission once more. Still in place are the dreamy harmonies, cacophonous drumming and ethereal soundscapes; recorded over the last decade, the inconsequential jams that were sprinkled over their first three albums have been jettisoned to make way for more discipline.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/08/album-review-secret-machines-awake-in-the-brain-chamber/
Willie J Healey - Twin Heavy
All sorts of references and plaudits have been thrown Willie J Healey’s way over the last few months.
It’s an obvious and easy trope for reviewers to draw comparisons between acts, but it’s not without purpose (and this reviewer has no bones about utilising such a well-worn technique). Perhaps it’s down to circumstance, but seeing some of the references in relation to Twin Heavy have left this writer bewildered; some are not without foundation – The Beatles (more of which later), Elliot Smith, Lou Reed and perhaps Dexys Midnight Runners. 1970s psychedelia and Pulp? Not so much.
This is in no way Healey’s fault, and it seems unfair on a young artist to bestow such honours when it’s not reflected in the finished product.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/08/album-review-willie-j-healey-twin-heavy/
Calva Louise - Popurri
The terminology behind an EP has been stretched in the digital age. In old money, an extended play would have to comprise either twenty-minutes-plus of music or at least four songs (but less than seven) to warrant its status. This new EP from Calva Louise consists of three short bursts of pop propulsion which would have made it a single, rather than an EP, back then.
Gripe over. Although it does make for a slight offering, Popurri is a potentially useful guide to where Calva Louise are going with their next album; the debut Rhinoceros managed to flirt with the fringes of sugar-sweet pop music without fully crossing over, and had the bounce and vibrancy becoming of a new band. Then, late last year, they unveiled the Interlude For The Borderline Unsettled EP, for which this acts as a good sister piece.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/07/review-calva-louise-popurri-ep/
Longpigs - The Sun Is Often Out
Britpop.
The reaction you’ll have to that word will vary; your eyes may go moist at the thought of simpler times, of your personal heroes being beamed into homes and on to front pages. Of some great music, several great bands and a palpable sense of excitement or pride.
On the other hand, you may sneer at the ultimately meaningless word (British pop doesn’t and shouldn’t reflect a handful of bands from a specific period of time), and cringe at the mod cuts, the Fred Perrys and the overbearing laddishness.
You may find yourself somewhere in the middle, but you’ll have a reaction of some sort.
A fact that has been somewhat lost in the mists of time is how few artists readily attached themselves to the ‘scene’: Blur championed it, used it to their advantage, then quickly moved on, but the Colchester art-poppers aside, one struggles to recall an act proudly declaring themselves ‘Britpop’.
Longpigs wanted nothing to do with it, although their story is perhaps the most typical of the era and time.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/07/album-review-longpigs-the-sun-is-often-out-vinyl-reissue/