Amelia’s Magazine | Swanton Bombs – Mumbo Jumbo and Murder – Album Review

swanton bombs

Swanton Bombs are endearing to listen to. I think it is because every now and then they unleash a slightly out of tune yelp, about it or because they play fast and loose. It feels as though they play with gut instinct.

The numerous (broad) influences this band has – glam, see punk, generic rock – can make them feel warmly familiar. At their best, they remain as influences, with Swanton Bombs successfully finding their own voice.

Despite, being a two piece, they refuse to be locked into on mode of playing. Their songs are dynamic, and feel like they have split them successfully into well formed sections.

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The middle tracks on Mumbo Jumbo & Murder are absolute gems, however, on the peripheries on either side that, the album tracks lose clarity. Swanton Bombs become lost among their influences, and feel like they are trying to knock them together, rather than making them gel. There are also riffs which are seconds long deviating from the song’s progression, which come across as unexplainable to why they are there.

I conclude on my better thoughts of Swanton Bombs: Yes, there are a couple of songs I am dismissive of, however, it does not take away from the songs which are dynamic, fun, and instinctively good.

Categories ,Mumbo Jumbo & Murder, ,swanton bombs

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Amelia’s Magazine | Gurun Gurun featuring Cuushe: Atarashii hi video – an interview with director Cristina Maldonado

Gurun Gurun kon_b-cover
The Japanese influenced Czech group Gurun Gurun return with a new video featuring Cuushe (read more about the Japanese singer in our 2012 interview here). The EP features a host of remixes by well known Japanese artists and all the money is going to the Tenohasi NPO who help the homeless in Tokyo, and is followed by the album Kon B in May featuring Cuushe, Cokiyu, and Miko. We caught up with director Cristina Maldonado to find out more about this trippy video.

Gurun Gurun ft. Cuushe – Atarashii hi from Home Normal on Vimeo.

I am not a video maker, but a video performer, in most of my work I relate to the video in live time, and the action itself is a big part of the sense of it. I am not interested in the final visual effects, but in the challenge of relating in a very physical way to the projection which is practically immaterial, its interesting to see how the body and ordinary objects can bring a lot of magic into this relationship, therefore I don’t use any digital effects, it is all handmade. Jara’s (from Gurun Gurun) invitation to make a video with this principle was quite challenging because I never tried to present this kind of work without the live part, so I was curious if it would actually work. He sent the lyrics of the song which I immediately liked because they seemed to talk about stuff I experience in my video interventions: ‘In the dark beautiful light I try to put out my hand / Let’s make a new day world of paper’… somehow I took that as a good omen. Then he asked for some scary poltergeist stuff and sent the image of their ghost album cover…

Gurun Gurun video 2
Gurun Gurun video
Cristina Maldonado
I started looking for archive-free-copyright stuff…not much ghosts covered in a bed sheet. Then moved on to the beginning of cinema, some cult films with evil characters and devils but it was definitely too old and too well known, then went into B movies, especially the ones dealing with monsters which were too narrative and too cheap really. This definitely needed something abstract, I concluded I would cut a bunch of dark shadowy scenes of suspense and tension where you actually don’t see anything and put them together, and when I started to select films for that I found the black eyes, and somehow it felt to me it was totally matching the music of Atarashii hi, as they were mysterious, hypnotic, and dark, yet there was a sweet persuasive invitation, unclear to what exactly, but mesmerizing and evil.

Asuna (Jp): 100 Toys, Gurun Gurun (Cz)
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I made two versions, Gurun Gurun chose one and gave me feedback for couple of small editing details, and that was it. It was cool to work with them, I felt that we appreciated similar things, which brings a specific satisfaction. I think in the end the video was a proper match for this single, Cuushe’s voice at times seems to belong to the evil black eyes, at times to the dizzying victim, at times to my own hands, and sometimes she seems just to be narrating the whole thing. It all together is a trippy gentle wicked spell.

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Gurun Gurun Cuushe video 4
Gurun Gurun Cuushe video 1
Gurun Gurun Cuushe video 2
Gurun Gurun‘s new album Kon B is released on 8th of May, 2015 on Home Normal. Listen to the entire Atarashii hi EP here on band camp. See more work by Cristina Maldonado at www.cristinamaldonado.com

Categories ,Atarashii hi, ,Cokiyu, ,Cristina Maldonado, ,Cuushe, ,Czech, ,director, ,Gurun Gurun, ,Home Normal, ,interview, ,japanese, ,Kon B, ,Miko, ,Tenohasi NPO, ,tokyo, ,video

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Amelia’s Magazine | Nancy Elizabeth @ 93 Ft East

Alex Gene Morrison’s art can’t help but attract attention. Despite being displayed on a backward-facing wall, mind purchase the second I walk into the ‘The Future Is Now’ show, website like this my eye is drawn straight to it. He is exhibiting three large canvases; each of a painted face, buy more about but it is the middle one that I find most conspicuous. The head, body and hair are hidden under a dense layer of matt black paint, leaving only a set of menacing eyes in the picture. The larger than life size does nothing to mask the unnatural peculiarity of Morrison’s portraits either. My walk around, champagne glass in hand, takes me past the odd inspiring piece. Somewhere on a balcony above me I spy a tower of precariously balanced teacups that look fairly beautiful from afar. Still on the ground floor, however, I stop to admire a row of miniature portraits, skilfully painted in muted colours. Each displays a varying degree of abnormality – none of the delicate faces are by any means normal.

David Hancock‘s enormous, hyper-real landscape is definitely something to be seen. Vaguely reminding me of one of those children’s T-shirts with unicorns, hills and fairy dust on, the canvas depicts a fantasy mountain scene, with wonderful skies and a dreamlike river. Hancock has chosen to makes certain parts of the canvas 3D, presumably using something lumpy like mod-rock to create an unsatisfying surface you want to reach out and touch.The piece that really stayed with me that evening though was by Alexis Milne.

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Whilst scanning some art on the other side of the room I caught sight of Amelia and the crew hovering around a small, darkly painted shack. On closer inspection I discover that inside the hut is the scariest clown I have ever seen, complete with tarot cards and a fake American accent. Pinned to the walls are various masks of animals and child-like paintings. The clown (perhaps Milne himself?) is reading Amelia’s ‘tarot cards’ in his loud,phoney, and frankly creepy voice. He tells her that she is a horny schizophrenic. I decide I must also have a go while we’re there. He wastes no time in telling me that I am to end up a chariot racing, lap dancer with a fondness of eating.

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Hmm. He also makes me wear a creepy cat mask whilst talking to him, so I understand this is to be taken with more than a pinch of salt. On the whole ‘The Future Is Now’ show displays an array of style, quality and substance in the pieces they have chosen to exhibit. I am left feeling overwhelmed (it really is quite a big exhibition) but more importantly inspired.

Photography: Amelia innit!
Photo 1: Sophie, Anna, James and Tim

After forgetting to RSVP to the Young KnivesRough Trade instore, case some of the A-Mag team and I were sitting outside nursing ciders wondering whether it was time to try and sweet talk the doorman. Funnily enough, approved munching on some food next to us was none other than the Young Knives manager, who took pity and kindly put us on the door. Thanks Duncan!

After trying to scull the rest of our cider – yes, all class we are – we walked into Rough Trade to the sounds of the song The Decision, and an epic, Phil Collins style drum fill. Oh yeaaah baby. I, not having the vertical advantage of my companion’s six foot four inches, had to crane my neck from mid-way through the crowd to glimpse the thick rimmed geek chic of Henry and Thomas “House Of Lords” Dartnell and Oliver Askew, garbed up in what Tall James described as conservative shirts and ties, looking like they’ve come fresh out of their nine to five jobs at a real estate agent.

With mature, well-crafted indie pop songs, the Young Knives are musically tight like tigers. As has happened in the past from what I gather, Razorlight got a mention – as they have a song called Up All Night as well…incidentally, as do Unwritten Law, Lionel Richie, Boomtown Rats and the Counting Crows. Their vocal harmonies are reminiscent of Crowded House. Repetitive guitar riffs ran under infectious hooks, getting heads bobbing and a warm reception from the crowd.

With their easy stage presence and self-deprecating banter that conveyed their confidence and self-assurance at the quality of their own music; and whether they were sartorially splendid or committing fashion faux pas in their outfits, they could convince me to rent a property any day. And then I’d ask them to play at the housewarming.

It was the most incestuous night of music ever – though apparently every night at the Brudenell Social in Leeds is a musical pit of incest…

Besides being an opportunity for solo music makers to take their bedroom brainstorms out onto the stage, visit web MAN ALIVE! borne of Leeds artist collective Nous Vous, pharmacy included a number of other artist collectives showcasing and selling various works and bits and bobs.

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First up was Dinosaur Pile-Up, recipe popping his gig cherry with a two song set. With a hand injury in play and the first rehearsal with a band backing him up that same afternoon, performance-wise it was much better than some could have done under the circumstances. It sounds like commercial success to me. Love is a Boat (And We’re Sinking) is an infectiously catchy anthem for frustrated heartbreak and confusion at relationships enough for an entire American teen series (enter Ryan and Marissa).

Glaciers, one Nic Burrows was up next with a bumbling Mr. Bean-like stage presence that really charmed, to many female exclamations of “Aw How sweet!” One of his mates actually commented “That slick bastard knows exactly what he’s doing.” Musically, he certainly does. Plaintive, earnest and warm, Glaciers is lovely. Guest appearances by the darling she-beast Katie Harkin of Sky Larkin fame and Mike Payne aka Mechanical Owl in Melamine made it an onstage pow wow.

Vest For Tysso is Will Edmonds and is a one, and occasionally, a two man band. Glaciers’ Nic Burrows popped in and out of the set on various instruments. Sweet, rich and multi-dimensional, just like a hearty carrot cake, this was, amazingly his first and last gig before jetting off to play at Canada’s Pop Montreal Festival.

Star of the night though was Mike Payne aka Mechanical Owl, who surprised with some genuine pop gems. After some technical mishaps including a core meltdown on his MACbook, and a badly placed mobile phone (which resulted in the tell-tale interference of an incoming SMS – though in this context, it may not have been totally out of place), Mechanical Owl impressed with the well rounded maturity of his varied and well thought out songs – smile inducing, strong and melancholic.

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Then came Napoleon IIIrd, who never disappoints, with his heady mix of strummed acoustics, undulating synth, full of cuts and clicks, a triumphant trumpet section, and impassioned and ragged vocals. His is a set full of choruses that will march around in your head, with a broody, somewhat troubled, but ever hopeful Napoleon IIIrd fully in command of his electronic brigade.

Whether you like it or not, the royal family themselves are a result of inbreeding; as are most sovereign clans. Generally, this sort of family tree results in at the very least, mildly cross-eyed, buck-toothed, hammy-eared dolts. On the other hand, the MAN ALIVE! bill saw everyone having some kind of finger in everyone else’s pie; and instead of the usual weak specimens, gave birth to the rather uncanny result of an unfairly talented line up, despite springing from a small (and refreshingly un-skinny) ‘jean’ pool.

Flier by The Nous Vous Collective
Napoleon IIIrd Photograph by Christel Escosa
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One of my favourite artists at the moment, illness and one of my favourite London venues…. surely Bat for Lashes (aka Natasha Khan and co) at Camden’s majestic Koko would be fabulous, approved right? Of course it was. I missed the support because I was running late: I simply couldn’t decide what Natasha would want me to wear. When I finally arrived, mid the Bjork-esque Trophy, the quiet crowd were already mesmerized by the sound of Khan and her band. I couldn’t fathom whether the eerie, sombre silence and general lack of movement was good or bad – until the raucous applause at the end of the opener. Clearly the room was full of Bat fans, and it was a struggle to find any spot in the whole venue where a good view was to be had. I weaved in and out of folk until I found myself at the highest balcony, which was surprisingly only half full.

From here, a clear view of the stage was to be had. Winter trees framed the singer and her band, whilst a mystic moon hung creepily over the ensemble featuring interesting projections – available as a post card set for you to treasure after the gig.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this incredible act live, and instead have only read a syndicate of reviews, by now you will no doubt feel nauseous reading the following words: eerie, scary, spooky, haunting, chilling, magical, bewitching. I’m afraid, dear readers, that only this compendium of descriptions summarises a gig like this. But what most reviewers often omit is that, beyond the monstrous melodies, this is a stunning woman – musically, technically, physically.

Natasha, dazzling as ever in a bat-winged glittered smock, leggings, long boots and staple headband, moved effortlessly from track to track – presenting her svelte frame sometimes at front stage centre, bells and all; sometimes taking time at the piano, or on one occasion brandishing her recently acquired ‘wizard’s stick’ for a reworking of classic track Sarah. Natasha firmly has her feet on the ground, and spoke short, sweet sentences in between songs – her timid demeanour shining through on lines sung bashfully – such as Taste The Hands That Drink My Body.

Seeing the gig from the upper balcony was a true experience – the crowd wore their complimentary Bat For Lashes paper masks (featuring Khan’s original trademark feather head dress) and witnessing them all lined up, facing the stage, heads tilted upwards – was a little disturbing. Feeling like a prize pervert at a strange cult meeting was not what I expected, but nevertheless it was entertaining.

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Songs like the dazzling Horse and I and crowd favourite What’s a Girl To Do? were given an more interesting up-tempo flavour; it was a huge shame the latter was let down with weak backing vocals. These tracks were interspersed with softer choruses such as The Wizard and the poetic Saw A Light, which were kept at their spellbinding best. A sweeter cover of Tom Waits’ Lonely was an attractive interpretation and would have gone unnoticed to all bar revellers acutely familiar with Natasha’s music. New track Missing Time was also showcased; it sounded great but stuck out like Natasha’s outfit might do at a funeral.

Last night saw the end of the Fur and Gold tour, an album that has lauded critical acclaim internationally. Let’s raise a toast to Khan and Co, and keep everything crossed that the follow up album will be equally as affecting as the debut.

Photography by Matt Bramford
Nate Smith and Pete Cafarella met years ago at university and played in a lick of bands together, page during which time Pete also starred in Nate’s student films. After uni they were reunited in New York and started as a duo in Nate’s bedroom in Queens. Shy Child was born.

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They don’t discuss references or influences, order as it is too difficult. As Nate states, ‘ How many tracks are on our ipods?’ They would like to go down as a modern-day Chas and Dave, and currently listen to Metronomy, SMD, Black Sabbath and classic Wu Tang, amongst many others.

This new-wave/electronic/techno/punk pairing are going down well here in the UK and had made it their focus for this year, and after the festive season they’re heading back Stateside to pick up where they left off there.

Saturday saw their last date in London, at the Carling Academy in Islington. Nice little venue. I had been banging on about this band for a while, so I took two friends along as they were keen to offer a listen. What I failed to tell them was that it was a MySpace backed night, beginning very early, and featuring the youngest crowd I have ever seen at a gig. Ouch. Now I know it’s a little while ago now, but at 16 I do not remember skipping everywhere. Honestly. And I have no real qualm with skipping, but it is really all that necessary? Maybe skipping is the new black, or the new new-rave, maybe. Hopefully not.

Anyroad, we arrived and were asked for ID. With 80 years between the three of us, I’m hoping as we enter that this isn’t going to be the only pleasurable part of the night / late afternoon.

Whilst in the UK, Shy Child have performed a number of gigs, appeared on Jools Holland and more recently teamed up with Stella McCartney for Swarovski Fashion Rocks, which saw them enjoying a little musical chairs action with the models. “It was really fun and different for us,” says Nate. “And what we did together was a lot more exciting than some of the other pairings.” Agreed. Such a gig has brought their music to the fashion set, and their synth-styled, new-wave beats have hit the right market (it is no haphazard coincidence they have supported the Klaxons, amongst many others). The true measure of this band’s phenomenon, though, is that they can appeal to such diverse crowds – from Stella’s shmoozers to angst ridden teens, whose parents just, you know, don’t understand. That sort of thing.

I bumped into a friend of mine from Vogue there, who had a tale to tell. She’d gone into the toliets with a girlfriend, and a young girl had run out of the toilet, sssshing anyone who entered. Politely, my friend asked “Why do we need to be quiet in the toilet?” Naturally, the girl remarked, “Because Leanne is in that cubicle on the phone to her parents, and they think she’s in Pizza Hut.” Classy.

The duo that are Shy Child, on record and on stage, sound much more than two guys with a keytar and a drum kit. They are innovative, exciting and raw. They’ve stripped what was a heavy, electronic sound back to basics. Painfully catchy Drop The Phone is an immensly funky beat and is a pastiche of all sorts of tunes. Other favourite tracks of the night were Astronaut which has a distinct Giorgio Mororder disco flavour. The superb Good and Evil also floated my boat and has an incredible reggaeton influence. All enjoyed by a huddle of excited teens bouncing at the front – as well as everyone 18+ tapping their feet at the back.

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A great night had by all, not least the kids. So it was time to head home, and play muscial chairs.

Photography by Matt Bramford
It’s a brand new kletzmer world!

The new Rough Trade superstore is cavernous and full of trendy young things casually perusing the flyers and freebie magazines near the coffee shop, viagra many on their own like me, website due to the stringent ticket conditions of this in-demand gig. Yes, visit this this is a gig to be accompanied by coffee or fruit juice only – beers to be had later in the bar next door.

At the back under a sign saying Dance CDs, a small stage had been erected and the racks shunted out of the way. Beirut is a cute teddybear of a man accompanied by his scenester hoodie crew. Only here will you see what looks like a new raver playing double bass to a new wave kletzmer soundtrack.

Beirut is discombobulated…he’s got jet lag and the mikes are having feedback issues that mean I spend most of the gig with a hand over the ear nearest the speakers – but that doesn’t stop a rousing set. Accordians, multiple ukes, a man playing a funny drum thing on the floor next to the cds, mandolin, violin, trumpet – all musical bases are covered. This is the return of the rock orchestra – people are bored with the traditional guitar, bass, drums combo, and everywhere I turn I’m seeing a move towards the instruments of an orchestra or big band. This is music that wouldn’t be out of place in Red Square in Moscow, but suddenly it is being feted as the next big thing. Not a bad thing I say.

I met Nancy at Thermal Festival in September. She’s ace. Wearing a very fetching grey jersey dress – that I am sure had more than a few men drooling over some carefully revealed chest – she sat down between guitar and harp.

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In her hair were some artfully arranged buttons (tip: she sews them onto hair grips) and on her lap she placed her harp. Nancy sings songs that touch your heartstrings. It’s just her, more about her pure sweet voice and a harp or guitar, nothing else. She peppers her uniquely modern folk songs with funny little Nancy-isms and anecdotes. “You’ve cheered me up. I get all flustered when I come to London; I feel all weird. I stayed on my brother’s sofa in Hackney and he told me not to leave the house today cause I didn’t have a key. So I stayed in on the sofa watching daytime TV. Not good!” Down to earth and naturally talented, Nancy didn’t disappoint. Not many people seem to know of Nancy in London yet, but with a multi-album deal sorted her reputation is bound to grow. Catch her while the venues are still intimate, where she can leap off the stage to sell her merch as soon as she finishes playing. “There’s albums over there for sale. By the way…”

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Amelia’s Magazine | Gang Gang Dance

When I heard Gang Gang Dance were to grace us with their presence at Cargo this Wednesday I let out a high-pitched puppy like yelp. I apologise to my fellow passengers on the 29 bus but I’ve been waiting quite a while for this one. You see, Gang Gang Dance are responsible for one of my albums of the century, God’s Money, a musical offering so brilliant that within 5 minutes of listening I was ready to have their faces tattooed on my forehead. If you’re lucky enough to receive a copy, grab on and never let go.

Hailing from Brooklyn and working up quite a buzz in their hometown over the past few years, they’ve garnered a loyal following all the while remaining reassuringly underground. Commercial they aren’t and whilst to some it may just be a lot of indecipherable noise to others it all makes perfect aural sense. The crowd at Cargo seems to agree with the latter. So, after being entertained/confused by the one-man variety show that is the bespectacled Dan Deacon we were all sufficiently weirded out and ready to accept whatever came next.

The four-piece took to the stage, a quick hello from lead singer Liz Bougatsos (sporting an oversized Ghostface Killah t-shirt) and we’re off. Describing their sound isn’t easy, neo-tribal is thrown around rather a lot and to a certain extent it’s accurate. Firstly they aren’t particularly fond of ‘tracks’ in the traditional sense. Their set contained just 3 pauses, purely to give the group (and the audience) a chance to breath. Their music is very much a continual flow, with changes in pace throughout-hinting at drum n’ bass one minute and post punk noise the next, In essence it’s all a bit freeform. Vocals are of the primal variety, Liz’s voice as much an instrument as anything else, howling (but never screaming) admittedly I couldn’t make out a word but this was never going to be a good old sing along. However, above all it’s percussion that’s at the core of their sound, specifically heavy rhythmic drumbeats driving the music forward and dictating changes in speed and mood to great effect.

As you’d expect this works a treat live and prompted much head nodding and involuntary trance like swaying. The crowd couldn’t get enough, clapping and cheering for more once they finally left the stage. Return they did. However this was far from your normal encore. Guitarist Josh Diamond proceeded to offer the front row a variety of different instruments and suddenly we had a whole new line-up. Drums, vocals and guitar were now in the hands of the sweaty enthusiastic volunteers and with Liz at the helm they did a surprisingly good job. It was a nice touch, making the point that this wasn’t about being a pretentious ‘art-noise collective’ to name check at parties but just a group of people who enjoy experimenting with sound. Their skill isn’t so much in their obvious musical ability as their determination to try something new. Pretty simple really but it works an absolute treat.

Categories ,Album, ,Gang Gang Dance, ,Maximo Park, ,Review

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Amelia’s Magazine | Tide: an interview with Wooden Arms

Wooden Arm Music Illustration by Alice Jamieson
Wooden Arms by Alice Jamieson.

Mixing lush orchestration with percussive vibes, the Norwich based band Wooden Arms present a haunting debut album with Tide: be prepared to fall in love. Vocalist Alex Carson answered my questions.

Wooden Arms by Sarah Parris
Wooden Arms by Sarah Parris. ‘I felt the music was quite dream like so the image is a combination of photographic and illustrative. I like the sound in the sky with the look of woodgrain. Wood and trees just seemed right as I listened to them…

How did you get together as a band?
We formed rather accidently about 2 years ago, I had been writing some songs on a piano I had recently inherited from a kind neighbour and I was put in touch with a work colleagues sister, Jess Diggins (Violin). She was clearly brilliant and I began writing violin lines as well as vocals and piano. I met Fynn Titford-Mock (Cello) busking on the street – that’s not entirely correct actually I saw him pack up a cello AFTER busking and then approached him. I never heard him play 1 note but I still knew cellists were in short supply around Norwich so I asked him over to see how things would work and lo and behold he was great too! So that was the core of it at the time. Jeff Smith (trumpet / guitar / vocals) joined later on an ad hoc basis when he had bigger shows to do and he soon became invaluable and a great writing partner as well. I knew Jeff from years ago when we were both in Indie bands on the same record label so it was an easy fit. Milly Hirst then joined as our original female vocalist couldn’t commit to the the gigs we were getting. Milly is a great singer/songwriter in her own right and a has a great following here in the UK – I had also helped with the release of her debut EP the year before so again, it was an easy fit. Alex Mackenzie (Drums) was the clearest choice for a drummer – despite being all the way in Lonndon! I had worked on a few of his solo recordings as he was dating my house mate at the time, and I was always struck at how sensitive he was to musical moods. He always knew when to ramp things up and make a racket and also when to take a step back and let other instruments take the lead. With so many of us performing (we were at times a 7 piece as we had 2 female vocalists for some shows) this was a crucial part to the rythmic elements of Wooden Arms.

So in some ways it was accidental meetings at the beginning that sparked creativity within me to write for more instruments – and once we had the ball rolling I had a clear idea of where the band was heading and knew the right men and women for the job.


What is the process of making songs?
It has varied over our time together, at the beginning I would literally write everything. So: lyrics, vocal melodies and harmonies, piano, violin, cello, guitar etc… I would then take all my scribbled sheet music to the band and teach them their parts, over the course of live shows and rehearsals the songs would change and be mouled by their individual playing style and character and it would become a Wooden Arms song. However, now-a-day’s a few others get a bit more involved in the actual writing process – I often bounce a lot of ideas off Jeff and Mackenzie first before sending them to the rest of the band and they also come up with their own songs that we then work on together. So the process has become steadily more collaborative. I would say I still write a majority of the music but I feel the next record will be more of a joint effort from all 6 of us writing wise.

Wooden Arms
How does being based in Norwich affect your music making?
I adore Norwich with all my heart. I grew up 20 miles East of here and there was a part of me when I was younger that thought I needed to be in London, New York or Paris… Some MASSIVE city that went on forever. But being based somewhere reasonably small with a very tight knit and vibrant community has been the best inspiration for me ever. I’m heavily involved in the music scene here and although being a small city we have a buzzing community, almost every night there are at least 2/3 gigs on that are worth your attention. In some ways that made it tricky to stand out as there was so much going on – but also meant you always had opportunities to play and meet other musicians if you put yourself out there.

I have always said a good music scene is what you make it. It’s made by enthusiastic people that follow their own initiative and make stuff happen. I actually promote gigs here in Norwich and try to put on loads of local up-and-coming talent as well as some of the bands we meet on tour.


The album is quite melancholic in feel, what inspired the lyrical content?
I can definitely hear how people can interpret Tide as melancholic however I have always felt personally that it has a neutral tone to it. Neither sad nor happy – just that life is what it is and that is that. A good majority of the record is about consequence and how inevitability rules our lives – I’m brought to mind of the movie The Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams explains to the class that one day they’ll all die and be nothing but worm chowder. This absolute consquence of death has always been something that fascinates me and drives me to do anything in fact. I can definitely see why people would think that would be quite melancholic! However, I grew up in a strict orthodox religion that taught that if you obey God’s laws you will live forever. I left that faith many years ago and began forging my own ideas about life and there is a lot of that in this record.

The idea that we’re all going to die one day – and that’s okay. We shouldn’t be afraid of that or bargain with some deity for a second chance once this one is over. I’m not a militant atheist or belive that my ideas are necessarily the correct ones – but they’re mine and it’s just my viewpoint. The line in Vicenarian sums up most of my feelings actually: “Life is simple, life is sweet, but not yet quite complete…

What next for Wooden Arms?
I have reams of sheet music ready for album number 2. Some have thought that this record is quite short at 6 tracks (although it still runs at nearly 30 mins like a lot of records!) so I would like to do a slightly longer record next time – i’m definitely keen on keeping brevity with albums and I HATE when a brilliant album is marred by 1 or 2 mediocre songs that just didn’t need to be there. We’ve talked about the expansion of our sound into more electonric avenues – using samples and synths etc… and really playing around with the production of our songs – especially in the studio. This record was a very ‘naturally’ recorded album, we played a lot of the time all together to get the energy we have at a live show recorded with only minimal layering of other instruments. I would definitely like to get even more layers going on in the studio and really experiment with not only the composition of our music but the textures and the timbres within the instrumentation that we’re using.

With regards to live shows we hope to be everywhere all the time. We LOVE touring and we’re blessed with a great number of things happening in the new year – we’re back on the continent with shows in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland and we’re really hoping we can get up to Scandinavia and play some shows. We’re also hoping to play a lot of festivals over the summer and get this music out there. We’re also starting to explore bits of the UK we’ve not had too much contact with, we’ve never played too far North that much and we’ve got TBC shows in Leeds and Manchester in the new year for sure, and also talk about Ireland and Scotland.


Tide by Wooden Arms was released this week on Butterfly Collectors Records. Catch them live TONIGHT 17th October 2014 at St Pancras Old Church in London, details here.

Categories ,Alex Carson, ,Alex Mackenzie, ,Alice Jamieson, ,Butterfly Collectors Records, ,Chamber Pop, ,Fynn Titford-Mock, ,interview, ,Jeff Smith, ,Jess Diggins, ,Milly Hirst, ,Norwich, ,Orchestral, ,review, ,Sarah Parris, ,St Pancras Old Church, ,The Dead Poets Society, ,Tide, ,Wooden Arms

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Amelia’s Magazine | Martha Tilston, A Musical Goddess


Illustration by Emma Block

From student life to Vogue fame in one action packed year, here Daisy Knights’ creations have already been snapped up by our most loved style icons and proved that ethically responsible jewellery can still be achingly cool.  

Splitting her time between the simple life in the countryside and the rush of her production process, Daisy tells us a little bit more about the passion and inspiration behind her jewellery collections and what the future holds for this wonderfully British label. 

Your collection has taken off at incredible speed, how does that feel?
It’s great, I’m so happy that people want to buy and wear my designs! I saw my bracelets in Vogue this month and had a moment of “wow, this time last year, I was at university and now my jewellery is in Vogue!” 


Illustration by Holly Trill

Two of your pieces, the Oxidised Feather ring and the 22 Karat Skull ring have recently been worn by Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung, two of the UK’s biggest style icons. Did they approach you personally or was it just a wonderful surprise?
Well, we share the same publicist who made them aware of my pieces and happily, they seemed to love them! 

Which inspirations lie behind your jewellery designs?
Every collection is named after a friend and I use them as a muse for that collection. I aim to embody that person in the collection, My new one is Talullah, after my friend Tallulah Harlech. 

You pride yourself on having an ethically responsible ethos throughout your collection, is this something you have always had a strong belief in?
My workshop is in Britain and even my pouches are made here. I really try to be responsible but it’s not possible yet to get everything transparent sourced, which is what I hope for one day! There are so many grey areas within the industry in regards to where things come from. Keeping things in Britain means I know every person working for me, I know exactly how things are made and every person in my workshop is a highly skilled craftsman/woman. It means that my prices are higher than if I used a factory in India or China but I think the kind of people who buy my jewellery respect that it is very high quality and British made. 

Illustration by Matilde Sazio

Each one of your pieces is hand made from recycled materials, which is becoming increasingly popular in a society where everything seems so disposable. Is this something you aim to maintain and something you think your buyers appreciate above anything else?
I don’t want the main aspect of my jewellery to be that it is recycled. For my brand, it’s about the design and the recycled silver is just a plus! Not every piece is recycled silver but the majority is. For example, the chain is not recycled because it’s not possible to obtain. I would love my jewellery to be made from ethically mined silver rather than recycled but right now, not enough is produced and I’m not even sure it is possible yet, so right now recycled is better than nothing. I do hope, however, for it to be ethically mined silver one day in the future. My fine jewellery and bespoke engagement rings are ethically mined gold and diamonds. 

You personally make one of your designs, the Studded Wrap Around ring, at your home workshop away from production, is there any particular reason as to why you chose this one to work on alone?
I don’t ever want to be separated from the making process and this is a very popular piece so it’s nice to feel involved. I also make the Michelle stacking rings and a few others. It keeps my skills up for when I make engagement rings and bespoke pieces! I hate being away from the bench and I’m constantly making new samples for collections or adding pieces to existing ones. 


Illustration by Cat Palairet

Are there any designers out there that you would compare yourself and your work to?
At this early stage in my career, (I only graduated from Central Saint Martins last year) I’m not sure I could compare myself to anyone yet! However, my favourite designer is Matthew Williamson and I like to think my jewellery matches his clothing quite well! 

 Which of your pieces are you the most fond of?
My favourite piece has to be the new skull ring that I’ve done in an exclusive collection for Urban Outfitters… it’s not out yet though so you will have to wait and see! 

What do you get up to in the spare time that you have away from designing?
I live in the Cotswolds and I love going for country walks with my boyfriend and our dog, Ace Ventura Pet Detective (Ace for short). There’s a great pub in my village called the Falcon Inn which serves amazing locally sourced food and I love sitting by the fire there. I also love to sail and surf and when my boyfriend is back from work (he’s a pilot in the RAF) we go on surf trips together. I also love going to the British Museum and the V&A. 

What does the future hold for Daisy Knights?
Well hopefully it holds a long and happy career. But for the immediate future keep your eyes peeled for my new Spring/Summer collection…

Illustration by Emma Block

From student life to Vogue fame in one action packed year, more about Daisy Knights’ creations have already been snapped up by our most loved style icons and proved that ethically responsible jewellery can still be achingly cool.  

Splitting her time between the simple life in the countryside and the rush of her production process, approved Daisy tells us a little bit more about the passion and inspiration behind her jewellery collections and what the future holds for this wonderfully British label. 

Your collection has taken off at incredible speed, visit this how does that feel?
It’s great, I’m so happy that people want to buy and wear my designs! I saw my bracelets in Vogue this month and had a moment of “wow, this time last year, I was at university and now my jewellery is in Vogue!” 


Illustration by Holly Trill

Two of your pieces, the Oxidised Feather ring and the 22 Karat Skull ring have recently been worn by Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung, two of the UK’s biggest style icons. Did they approach you personally or was it just a wonderful surprise?
Well, we share the same publicist who made them aware of my pieces and happily, they seemed to love them! 

Which inspirations lie behind your jewellery designs?
Every collection is named after a friend and I use them as a muse for that collection. I aim to embody that person in the collection, My new one is Talullah, after my friend Tallulah Harlech. 

You pride yourself on having an ethically responsible ethos throughout your collection, is this something you have always had a strong belief in?
My workshop is in Britain and even my pouches are made here. I really try to be responsible but it’s not possible yet to get everything transparent sourced, which is what I hope for one day! There are so many grey areas within the industry in regards to where things come from. Keeping things in Britain means I know every person working for me, I know exactly how things are made and every person in my workshop is a highly skilled craftsman/woman. It means that my prices are higher than if I used a factory in India or China but I think the kind of people who buy my jewellery respect that it is very high quality and British made. 

Illustration by Matilde Sazio

Each one of your pieces is hand made from recycled materials, which is becoming increasingly popular in a society where everything seems so disposable. Is this something you aim to maintain and something you think your buyers appreciate above anything else?
I don’t want the main aspect of my jewellery to be that it is recycled. For my brand, it’s about the design and the recycled silver is just a plus! Not every piece is recycled silver but the majority is. For example, the chain is not recycled because it’s not possible to obtain. I would love my jewellery to be made from ethically mined silver rather than recycled but right now, not enough is produced and I’m not even sure it is possible yet, so right now recycled is better than nothing. I do hope, however, for it to be ethically mined silver one day in the future. My fine jewellery and bespoke engagement rings are ethically mined gold and diamonds. 

You personally make one of your designs, the Studded Wrap Around ring, at your home workshop away from production, is there any particular reason as to why you chose this one to work on alone?
I don’t ever want to be separated from the making process and this is a very popular piece so it’s nice to feel involved. I also make the Michelle stacking rings and a few others. It keeps my skills up for when I make engagement rings and bespoke pieces! I hate being away from the bench and I’m constantly making new samples for collections or adding pieces to existing ones. 


Illustration by Cat Palairet

Are there any designers out there that you would compare yourself and your work to?
At this early stage in my career, (I only graduated from Central Saint Martins last year) I’m not sure I could compare myself to anyone yet! However, my favourite designer is Matthew Williamson and I like to think my jewellery matches his clothing quite well! 

 Which of your pieces are you the most fond of?
My favourite piece has to be the new skull ring that I’ve done in an exclusive collection for Urban Outfitters… it’s not out yet though so you will have to wait and see! 

What do you get up to in the spare time that you have away from designing?
I live in the Cotswolds and I love going for country walks with my boyfriend and our dog, Ace Ventura Pet Detective (Ace for short). There’s a great pub in my village called the Falcon Inn which serves amazing locally sourced food and I love sitting by the fire there. I also love to sail and surf and when my boyfriend is back from work (he’s a pilot in the RAF) we go on surf trips together. I also love going to the British Museum and the V&A. 

What does the future hold for Daisy Knights?
Well hopefully it holds a long and happy career. But for the immediate future keep your eyes peeled for my new Spring/Summer collection…

Illustration by Emma Block

From student life to Vogue fame in one action packed year, dosage Daisy Knights’ creations have already been snapped up by our most loved style icons and proved that ethically responsible jewellery can still be achingly cool.  

Splitting her time between the simple life in the countryside and the rush of her production process, Daisy tells us a little bit more about the passion and inspiration behind her jewellery collections and what the future holds for this wonderfully British label. 

Your collection has taken off at incredible speed, how does that feel?
It’s great, I’m so happy that people want to buy and wear my designs! I saw my bracelets in Vogue this month and had a moment of “wow, this time last year, I was at university and now my jewellery is in Vogue!” 


Illustration by Holly Trill

Two of your pieces, the Oxidised Feather ring and the 22 Karat Skull ring have recently been worn by Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung, two of the UK’s biggest style icons. Did they approach you personally or was it just a wonderful surprise?
Well, we share the same publicist who made them aware of my pieces and happily, they seemed to love them! 

Which inspirations lie behind your jewellery designs?
Every collection is named after a friend and I use them as a muse for that collection. I aim to embody that person in the collection, My new one is Talullah, after my friend Tallulah Harlech. 

You pride yourself on having an ethically responsible ethos throughout your collection, is this something you have always had a strong belief in?
My workshop is in Britain and even my pouches are made here. I really try to be responsible but it’s not possible yet to get everything transparent sourced, which is what I hope for one day! There are so many grey areas within the industry in regards to where things come from. Keeping things in Britain means I know every person working for me, I know exactly how things are made and every person in my workshop is a highly skilled craftsman/woman. It means that my prices are higher than if I used a factory in India or China but I think the kind of people who buy my jewellery respect that it is very high quality and British made. 


Illustration by Matilde Sazio

Each one of your pieces is hand made from recycled materials, which is becoming increasingly popular in a society where everything seems so disposable. Is this something you aim to maintain and something you think your buyers appreciate above anything else?
I don’t want the main aspect of my jewellery to be that it is recycled. For my brand, it’s about the design and the recycled silver is just a plus! Not every piece is recycled silver but the majority is. For example, the chain is not recycled because it’s not possible to obtain. I would love my jewellery to be made from ethically mined silver rather than recycled but right now, not enough is produced and I’m not even sure it is possible yet, so right now recycled is better than nothing. I do hope, however, for it to be ethically mined silver one day in the future. My fine jewellery and bespoke engagement rings are ethically mined gold and diamonds. 

You personally make one of your designs, the Studded Wrap Around ring, at your home workshop away from production, is there any particular reason as to why you chose this one to work on alone?
I don’t ever want to be separated from the making process and this is a very popular piece so it’s nice to feel involved. I also make the Michelle stacking rings and a few others. It keeps my skills up for when I make engagement rings and bespoke pieces! I hate being away from the bench and I’m constantly making new samples for collections or adding pieces to existing ones. 


Illustration by Cat Palairet

Are there any designers out there that you would compare yourself and your work to?
At this early stage in my career, (I only graduated from Central Saint Martins last year) I’m not sure I could compare myself to anyone yet! However, my favourite designer is Matthew Williamson and I like to think my jewellery matches his clothing quite well! 

 Which of your pieces are you the most fond of?
My favourite piece has to be the new skull ring that I’ve done in an exclusive collection for Urban Outfitters… it’s not out yet though so you will have to wait and see! 

What do you get up to in the spare time that you have away from designing?
I live in the Cotswolds and I love going for country walks with my boyfriend and our dog, Ace Ventura Pet Detective (Ace for short). There’s a great pub in my village called the Falcon Inn which serves amazing locally sourced food and I love sitting by the fire there. I also love to sail and surf and when my boyfriend is back from work (he’s a pilot in the RAF) we go on surf trips together. I also love going to the British Museum and the V&A

What does the future hold for Daisy Knights?
Well hopefully it holds a long and happy career. But for the immediate future keep your eyes peeled for my new Spring/Summer collection…
 Gareth A Hopkins _ Martha Tilston _ Ameliasmagazine _480dpx

Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

If you’re feeling a bit delicate and would quite like to be wafted by a soft feathery fan type device, no rx as you contemplate, viagra Martha Tilston is for you. With songs entitled; Wild Swimming, Rockpools, Space and Firefly, she is all about sweet country and looking out from under the covers. But with the protection of delicate notes and kindness.

I first discovered Martha Tilston a few years ago and to be honest, I didn’t really want to tell anyone about her. She is my safety blanket and makes me feel at home. Back when she and I met, I had just left University in Cornwall and was at a loss as to what the hell to do next. My boyfriend and I moved to Bristol and temped for a hideous agency. All winter we were stuck working together inputting money off coupons for Tena Lady. Fabulous for any relationship. We’d cycle there, numb ourselves for eight hours, then cycle home. I kept a notebook by my desk and had my i pod streaming Tilston. I wrote loads in those endless, dark hours.

Then our bikes got stolen, we were laid off Tena Lady, our rented flat was put up for sale and I wrote even more. Tilston is good as a background to “Why is the world doing this to me?!” She restores faith. I give you Lucy:

Literally surrounded by art, Martha Tilston must have found it hard not be inspired as she grew up. She was born in the West Country and is the daughter of English folk singer, Steve Tilston. When her parents split, she moved to somewhere just outside London with her artist mother, who remarried a theatre director. As a teenager she would play the piano every night to the family. This led to Tilston writing songs and then picking up the guitar. Throughout she also visited Bristol, where her father and stepmother, Maggie Boyle– also a folk singer – lived. There she would spend time with folk legends like John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. Imagine! How could she not be arty?

Illustration by Karina Yarv

In 2000, she formed a duo, Mouse, with guitarist Nick Marshall. Releasing two albums, they became extremely popular with the more underground loving, festival goers. However, Tilston decided to go solo in 2002, supporting Damien Rice on a tour in Ireland. Then in 2005, she released her first full length album, Blimbling on her own label Squiggly. This album holds Brighton Song, (which is where she was living at the time) a song I adore and makes me think about my years growing up in the hills next to the coastal city. Ah – nostalgia. Bimbling was funded by selling the original canvases she had painted to provide the artwork for the CD.

Martha Bimbling

Bimbling album available on Squiggly Records – Art work by Martha Tilston

Tilston was nominated for Best New Act at the BBC Folk Awards in 2007. She has since become increasingly popular and has opened the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury. However, she still loves impromptu and small shows. Her love of music outshining any desire for glitz. Her latest album Lucy and The Wolves, (Squiggly Records through Proper) is out now. It features her glorious band; The Woods, comprising of a host of instruments, including the mandolin, cello, violin and double bass. They truly add and compliment the atmospheric, delicate sound. Favourites include the aforementioned; Wild Swimming and Rockppols. The former, a slow, purposeful song full of delicious lust and feeling. The simile of liberating and beautiful night swimming, illustrating the purity of her love. Whilst Rockpools is also dedication to love and nature, it is centered more on her comfort found in the landscapes and nuggets of beauty. Eyes clapping on a tiny piece of peace, that at that second is shining only for you to see.

Martha Lucy and the Wolves

Lucy and The Wolves available on Squiggly Records through Proper. Art work by Martha Tilston

To summarise; Tilston is thought out, dancing on the hills, living in yurts complete with outdoor fires, English folk. If you like artists like Mary Hampton, Alela Diane and gentle Bellowhead, and you don’t know about Martha Tilston already, then you really should listen. If you don’t like folk, listen anyway, as she will make you feel wrapped up and safe on a blustery January day. Like today.

Martha Tilston‘s albums are available on Squiggly Records and she is touring in May, with dates to be released – Watch out for listings on Amelia’s Magazine.

Categories ,Alela Diane, ,Bellowhead, ,Bert Jansch, ,Bimbling, ,brighton, ,bristol, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Helen Martin, ,John Renbourn, ,Karina Yarv, ,london, ,Lucy and The Wolves, ,Maggie Boyle, ,Martha Tilston, ,mary hampton, ,Mouse, ,Proper, ,Squiggly Records, ,Steve Tilston, ,Tena Lady

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Amelia’s Magazine | Caribou – Swim – Album Review

ian steadman
Has lived the glamorous life – born in San Francisco, buy moved to Wolverhampton, then Solihull, then Slough. Lost his West Coast accent, hashed together something that sounds like a lazy BBC presenter, and gained an ability to string words together. Decided it would be a good thing to try to do for a living. Realises that the more he tries to keep up with the new things in the world the more he fails. Reads voraciously – will stop strangers in the street and plead with them to read Roberto Bolaño. Has an unfailing loyalty to Bob Dylan.

Writes music journalism mostly, but actively trying to get into the serious stuff – famines, wars, plagues, depressions, recessions, shortages of tzatziki down the corner shop due to volcanism, that sort of thing. Thinks there aren’t enough Ryszard Kapu?ci?skis in the world. Has a twitter that is updated infrequently; has a blog updated even less frequently.

http://butmostlywind.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/iansteadman
Has lived the glamorous life – born in San Francisco, viagra moved to Wolverhampton, try then Solihull, then Slough. Lost his West Coast accent, hashed together something that sounds like a lazy BBC presenter, and gained an ability to string words together. Decided it would be a good thing to try to do for a living. Realises that the more he tries to keep up with the new things in the world the more he fails. Reads voraciously – will stop strangers in the street and plead with them to read Roberto Bolaño. Has an unfailing loyalty to Bob Dylan.

Writes music journalism mostly, but actively trying to get into the serious stuff – famines, wars, plagues, depressions, recessions, shortages of tzatziki down the corner shop due to volcanism, that sort of thing. Thinks there aren’t enough Ryszard Kapu?ci?skis in the world. Has a twitter that is updated infrequently; has a blog updated even less frequently.

http://butmostlywind.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/iansteadman
Has lived the glamorous life – born in San Francisco, drug moved to Wolverhampton, rx then Solihull, check then Slough. Lost his West Coast accent, hashed together something that sounds like a lazy BBC presenter, and gained an ability to string words together. Decided it would be a good thing to try to do for a living. Realises that the more he tries to keep up with the new things in the world the more he fails. Reads voraciously – will stop strangers in the street and plead with them to read Roberto Bolaño. Has an unfailing loyalty to Bob Dylan.

Writes music journalism mostly, but actively trying to get into the serious stuff – famines, wars, plagues, depressions, recessions, shortages of tzatziki down the corner shop due to volcanism, that sort of thing. Thinks there aren’t enough Ryszard Kapu?ci?skis in the world. Has a twitter that is updated infrequently; has a blog updated even less frequently.

http://butmostlywind.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/iansteadman

When it comes to talking about music constructed of non-organic noises (sampled, treat synthesised) then I have to admit that I am at something of a loss. Badum. Kaching. Ting ting bading. Crash. Words are not music; I can talk about the words that are sung alongside the music just fine, but this is a dance record of sorts, and my knowledge of where this thing is coming from is patchy at best. I shall have to be throwing together some kind of thesis constructed out of childhood memories, ones consisting of adverts for Euphoria compilations on Channel 4 and a general understanding that there were parties happening on islands in the Mediterranean and that I was far too young to understand why everyone was so happy to be all covered in foam and wearing whistles. Oh, idle youth.

What I do know, and can talk about authoritatively, is that Caribou is the long-time project of Dan Snaith. He’s something of an intellectual (with a doctorate in mathematics), his music has always been steeped in IDM and psychedelia, and this is his (and his band’s) third album of the past ten years. At first listen it’s a radical departure from the psych-electronica-rock of 2007’s Andorra, but it can also be seen as an evolution of Snaith’s play with musical texture. This is a veritable smorgasbord of sound; pay attention to anything that feels like a gap or pause and, like some kind of aural Mandelbrot set, there are yet more treats hidden within.

Listen to first track ‘Odessa’ and feel the confusion as it dawns on you that every typical reference point is useless. As a reviewer, this is particularly challenging – hence discussion of ka-wooshing and ba-thumping. That guitar line is straight 70s funk, the percussion is halfway to dub, and half the melody is some kind of distorted animal yelp while the other half a constipated squeak from an instrument that I have yet to determine the nature of. Lyrics are mixed low, and often unintelligible – though that which does break through tends to be strangely melancholic (example: “As they watch themselves grow old/as he helps her into bed/just a hint of it survives/just a spark inside his head,” on ‘Kaili’). It is enthralling, it is fantastic.

‘Sun’, next, is a mesmerising tune that sounds how laughing gas feels – Snaith chants “Sun/sun/sun/sun/sun/sun…” over and over again, the sound fading and surging, swooshing from one side to the other, over a beat that brings to mind the electronic hip-hop of Flying Lotus. Personal favourite ‘Bowls’ has a thumping bassline augmented with dozens of overlapping chimes that are presumably bowls being tapped with metallic spoons or something of that ilk. Then there’s the pacy ‘Leave House’, sounding uncannily like the greatest track Hot Chip haven’t made.

I suppose I can draw upon a metaphor here for Swim as organic music, an ecosystem in a record. All these strange confluences, these peculiar balancing acts – they all combine to create something that is unquestionably organic and real-sounding. The noises are mostly real, created by hand, but put together like an architect using a design program, erected into something vastly complex and, importantly, homely. Again and again I struggle to find a better descriptor for this album than ‘warmth’ – this brings me towards talking about what appears to be the clearest of all the myriad reference points on offer.

Take away the wobble in the synth on ‘Sun’ and you could be listening to ‘You’re Not Alone’, pre-Tinchy; or notice that ‘Bowls’ relies on a pulsing, pointed melody absolutely typical of Faithlessbiggest single; or consider the familiarity in the saxophone refrain on ‘Kaili’. Or, perhaps, the biggest hint – 3:50 into ‘Leave House’, and 1997 threatens to break through the surface. A pounding euphoria beat rises, like some majestic fatty aquatic mammal trained to jump through a hoop, but then… vanishes again, beneath the waves. It’s only there very briefly, but it’s perhaps the only moment on the album where Snaith’s vibe is displayed on his sleeve for all to see. If I were searching for a pithy genre label here I could settle on ‘math-rave’ or ‘math-house’, but that could be tempting fate, as from Tokyo to Chicago the blogging hordes jump onto some kind of hideous bandwagon – or is that a compliment to how natural Swim feels, how it feels like something we should all already be doing? We are (weirdly, as many anthropologists have pointed out) hairless apes, the simians that love to swim, that are actually born with the ability to swim. Swim, the name being so apt, is an album that is entirely instinctual in its construction.

As befits music critics, they’ve begun cobbling together some kind of proto-hypothesis as to the fundamental characteristic of alternative American popular music. It contends that, in the US, bands still worship, that they are still in awe of, all those horribly sincere and gentle psychedelic lads from the 60s – your Grateful Deads, your Jefferson Airplanes, Allen Ginsberg setting William Blake’s Songs of Innocence & Experience to his own immature compositions. When Patti Smith came to London for the first time in the mid-70s to play her first LP, Horses, she and her band were seen as being at the front of this brave new ‘punk’ idea they had over in that New York City of theirs. Lydon and his Sex Pistols played the same night, and he opened their set with this sentient credos: “Horses? Horses? Horseshit!” That’s the kind of evidence that can, if a review demands, be taken and applied over a whole society – we are the country that had punk as mainstream movement, as political ideology, as nihilistic creed. We came out of the 70s with the tombstone of Ian Curtis and synthesisers set to ‘dread’; Americans ended up with ‘Shiny Happy People’. In short, the British are, in the main, over it when it comes to hippie idealism in music; the Americans have never really recovered by comparison, and prefer to get lost in the niceties of older eras where sincerity had yet to give way to irony.

You could, apparently, see this in effect just last year, when we saw Animal Collective release their Fall Be Kind EP with the first commercially-licensed sample of a Grateful Dead track. Perhaps Snaith is another adherent to the same trend – taking hold of stuff a lot of other musicians might consider gauche and reassembling it as exciting, bold, new. He’s a Canadian based in London, so maybe that explains why he’s been looking towards the Balearic islands for a warm and friendly drug scene to take cues from instead of San Fransciscan flower children.

What this all boils down to, regardless of whether it follows some general cultural phenomenon or not (and it can certainly be taken as one possible analysis of why this album has arrived in the form that is has), is this: Swim takes something that, to the vast swathes hogging the blogosphere, is fundamentally uncool, and completely refurnishes it. Snaith has tapped into the warmth of those synths, and that period, the sense of belonging and the sense of nostalgia, to create a work of electronica that has few faults. A masterpiece, dare I say it.

Regardless of myself or anyone else giving this some needless new label, we’re likely going to be seeing a lot of kids in bedrooms starting to raid yet another era of dance music, the rehabilitation of previously verboten dance forms, perhaps even a reappraisal of Kevin & Perry (though that will probably be the high water mark). The irony of this all is that it has taken a man with a doctorate in mathematics, a man who is clearly a perfectionist and a delicate composer (rumour has it Swim is a synthesis of over 600 original compositions) to reinvigorate genres of music entirely associated with the emotional mindlessness of ecstasy. This album has a heartbeat, a kind of Frankenstein’s monster brought to life by a scientist who believes in poetry and beauty.

Categories ,2010, ,Allen Ginsberg, ,andorra, ,caribou, ,Dan Snaith, ,dance, ,electronica, ,Faithless, ,Flying Lotus, ,Grateful Dead, ,Hot Chip, ,House, ,ian steadman, ,Ibiza, ,Jefferson Airplane, ,Manitoba, ,patti smith, ,Polaris Prize, ,Pyschadelia, ,review, ,rock, ,sex pistols, ,Swim, ,Techno

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Amelia’s Magazine | Mr. Scruff – Ninja Tuna

hellokategirlsep.jpg

Hello, treat treat Katie!! featured in our latest issue, prescription as part of the New Brasil section. It’s the vision of Hisato, who Amelia described as ‘a small portly man with the slightly pallid demeanour of someone who lives for the night”. He’s a very well respected DJ, and I think this says a lot about the key idea behind his latest EP, ‘Girls’.

Opener ‘Don’t Panic (That’s The Way It Is)’ is drenched in the atmosphere of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ – famously the highest selling 7″ of all time, purely because of it’s popularity with DJs. Vocals come in the form of some super cool sounding girl, who I imagine to look exactly like the type you see standing in front of DJ booths in the hope of grabbing attention. It’s a song that I guess comes from Hisato’s time spent hanging around the super cool, Djing fashion shows and stuff like that. Considering the band is named in honour of Kate Moss herself, this is perhaps something to be expected.

My favourite track is ‘Female Moustache’. It has the feel of a soundtrack from a high octane action movie, building and plateauing, only to return to its peak moments of drama once again. You can imagine some bald guy with stubble diving between trains to it, or something like that anyway.

It finishes with ‘Today’s Tomorrow’s Breath’, something of a respite compared to the rest of the album. The vocals sound almost scary, sung by Hisato himself in what sounds like a cave.

The EP comes across like a party in your ears. It has all the aspects of really fun party music that has put Brazil on the musical map in recent years.

Having interviewed the girls who will be featuring in issue 10 of Amelia’s mag (keep an eye out for them), click I was keen to make a pit stop to their preview of their exhibition, look ‘in bed with the girls’.

The first thing that hits you as you enter the bubblegum pink Beverly Knowles Gallery in Notting hill is the burst of colour within all the photos. Cramming 12 years worth of staged portrait photography, capsule self portraiture and performance pieces in one smallish room gives their work an intensity. A few faves are the performance piece where a naked lady is adorned with various sweet treats such as: swiss rolls, tarts, custard creams. The performance piece reminded me of the oldsy english countryside picnics that now looks like a novel practice. With a priest sat next to her this set to unnerve the viewer.

in%20bed%20with%20the%20girls.jpg

Also the smurfette pieces were cute and kitsch.

smurfette%20the%20girls.jpg

Most of their work is playful, set with lavish sets, however I also like some of their black and white shots particularly Dungeness which are actually tiny.

the%20girls%20show.jpg

With so many different sets designs and images, these reflect two varied, bubbly personalities. They reference pop culture, the idea of Englishness, gender roles, nostalgia and desire in a fun yet also subtly dark way. So there really is something for everyone.

the%20girls%20show%202.jpg

Perhaps you’d like a pair of wizard boots? A caterpillar? some skeleton string? or a monster forest? Inventory of Parlour, ed an Australian designed jewellery label, more about offers treats for the imagination! A range of delectable pieces with intricate and distinctive designs that originate from another realm.

Katia, who studied textile design at RMIT University in Melbourne, was introduced to the wonderful world of jewellery when she spent some time living in London interning with the infamously unique Tatty Devine. The influence is clear – treating jewelry as a piece of art, creating something personal to illustrate the wearer. Katia’s own inspirations draw from the Parlour rooms of the 1800′s and the curious happenings within them. The pieces themselves are made mostly out of collages using text and vintage imagery from periodicals, catalogues and encyclopedias.

“A world of alakazams and abracadabras.. demented delights and a menagerie of oddities..”

Intrigued? Want to see more? Unlock the cabinet of goodies on the their blog and get a new lace for that neck!

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Photo: Dan Spinney

Despite my obsession with These New Puritans (we’ve all read the inspiring reviews from music boffs across the globe so its not necessary for me to rationalise this passion), medical neither time nor cash had granted me with a chance to witness them live, prescription until their set at the Amersham Arms. Perhaps it was dangerous levels of excitement which left me doubtful (or the fact that Derv from Amelia’s team wouldn’t stop chatting in my ear), but I couldn’t help but feel that I was left half empty.

There’s something about the intensity of delivery by lead vocalist Jack Barnett which just didn’t hit me as hard as my 5 year old Woolworth’s headphones. Its not that I’m not accusing them of being poor live performers, ‘Colours’, ‘Infinity ytinifnl’ and ‘Swords of truth’ resembled the album versions to a T, but all that intellectual equation and science stuff just seemed that little bit more magical without the hustle and bustle of a pub. Naturally These New Puritans took the opportunity to drop a few new tracks, which if this occasion is anything to go by, prove to be bordering on bland or atmospheric depending on your perspective or the volume of your glass.

Micachu and The Shape’s set wasn’t as enthralling as it should have been, mainly due to the venues poor sound. Teamed with a crowd that seemed preoccupied with having a chin wag, their music almost seemed to take a back seat. When I’ve seen them before, crowds are usually silenced by their magnificent performances, but I think most people were too preoccupied with drinking at that stage of the night. ‘Golden Phone’ did seem to divert people’s attention, and it’s definately still her standout track. She’s an artist destined for much bigger events this time next year.

Next we headed over to The Tavern to finish our night with sets from Loefah and Benga, and were subjected to some very garage heavy selections, which delighted some, but for me it just wasn’t too exciting. Soon after they had taken to the decks though, the speakers blew. It was announced that the line-up would be moved to the nearby Goldsmith’s Student Union Bar.

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Photo: Louis Hartnoll

We followed the crowds round the corner to where there was already a sizeable queue forming. I hate situations like this, when a mass of people is trying to get into a venue and the venue’s security sees it as an excuse to exercise their power by just being weird and annoying. Eventually they decided everybody had waited long enough an allowed us in. The choice of venue was strange, and didn’t really suit the music. Nevertheless, everyone was there to have a good time, and it’s difficult not to enjoy yourself in that type of environment.
So this morning I received an email shouting about NOISE, erectile an online arts showcase funded by the Arts Council & NWDA. The idea is to showcase art, ask music and fashion all conjured up by creative beings under 25. The curators include acclaimed industry professionals such as Badly Drawn Boy for music and Norman Rosenthal for fine arts. This month NOISE festival will cherry pick the crème de la crème for your viewing pleasure. Here’s a few things I spotted:

The talented miss amy brown, prescription who designed the cover of amelia’s mag issue 8 has her portfolio on here. She says that an average day consists of replying to e-mails, tea drinking, drawing, and wiping paint off my kitten Millie-Rad. She also comments that she has always loved drawing and just hope that people get as much enjoyment from looking at [her] work as [she]does making it! Have a peek at her work.

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patrick gildersleeves, aka wowow is inspired by the people of the world, patterns, paper, animals and plants. He likes to work with a pencil, felt tips and paint. His biggest influences are Inuit art, Ancient South American culture and drawings from the Far East.

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heres a cool image of promo shots for the electric circus band by ‘paul’
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6 by rae:
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clockface by chimere:
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brunch from brunch series by shauba:
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So if you want to inject a little brightness to your day or are seeking some inspiration go and check it out.

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It’s been a busy few days – I’ve been up early again with the Suffragettes to try and persuade city commuters that they should join the Climate Rush on Monday.

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getting ready in the station

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Tamsin sandwiched by commuters

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I’ve learnt that the amount of technical devices attached to your body is a direct indicator of whether you are likely to engage with a piece of paper coming your way. Commuters plugged into ipods are in their own little world and noone is going to disrupt that other place… and if you also have a mobile in your other hand you are doubly likely to ignore anyone else. Interesting, this site how we disassociate from the real world around us. Also a trend I have noticed that disheartens me – people with bikes are also more likely to ignore people who are flyering. Very saddening that – all the more I think because as a fellow bike rider I always expect people who ride to be on our side.

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flyering aplenty

That said, remedy many flyers were given out and since then the Suffragettes have been out every day all over town to try and raise awareness. I will be joining them on Friday afternoon in Soho (5.30pm in Soho Square if you fancy coming along) The more the merrier – we’re quite an arresting sight amongst all that grey.
On Saturday we’re going to be making more sashes at my house – if you fancy joining in email us. I am in east London and we plan to go out on the town afterwards dressed as Suffragettes, so come meet us and join in the fun!

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shaking a fist for the cameras

Then yesterday I hotfooted it over to Newham town hall in East London (well, more like District line slowfooted it. How slow is that tube line?!) to meet up with the Flashmob, there to oppose plans to expand City Airport.

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I love this golden light…

The council was meeting to make the final decision on whether expansion goes ahead and local group Fight the Flights directed a flashmob of about 30 people in a chant for the ITV cameras. Everyone was wearing distinctive STOP AIRPORT EXPANSION t-shirts. It was all over very quickly and I then had to slowfoot it back into town to do my jewelery class for the evening.

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flashmobbers still need lipstick

Unfortunately I have since found out that the council has given the go ahead to the expansion, but the evening was not without its drama. I’ve just spoken with Leo from Plane Stupid, who was one of some 25 people to present objections during the meeting, and it sounds like the locals put up a great fight. There were about 75 objectors in the audience who were “kicking off left, right and centre,” so that by the time the meeting drew to a close some hours later a lot of people had been removed for causing a ruckus. Leo was eventually removed for throwing paper airplanes.

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looks like Ken, of Barbie and Ken fame. is actually a highly groomed ITV reporter.

Apparently the local group will be taking the council to court on the grounds that there was no proper consultation – even though up to 13,000 people will be affected by increased noise pollution there have been no new measurements of noise since the year 2000, and only 10,000 letters have been sent out as part of a mandatory consultation.

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A local teacher explained that his students had been processing field data which showed that the noise levels are frequently reaching 85-95 decibels, and not the declared 57 decibels, over which the government considers noise to be a nuisance. Funny then, that the airport owners have forgotten to take new measurements in the past 8 years.
Leo described the yellow tie wearing owner as being totally complacent, safe in the knowledge that his plans would get the go ahead. In fact he was looking so smug that the locals even had a pop at him about it. I wasn’t there, but I can picture him in my mind’s eye. I bet he would have wound me up too.
The airport expansion may be mooted to go ahead, but don’t expect it to happen without a fight…

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sporting an E.On F.Off badge in a hairband. Lovin the look
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We think we may just have sparked a bit of a trend with the USB we gave away free with our last issue. Mr. Scruff has made a pretty tasty looking; tuna shaped stick that has his new album ‘Ninja Tuna’ on it – and it’s the first thing we’ve seen similar to what we did in the UK.

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Now you may think that such fancy packaging may be compensating for something, look but I assure you that the album is equally as good. It has all the jazzy hip hop stylings you expect from Mr. Scruff, but with a few forward thinking surprises thrown in for good measure.

The high point of the album for me has to be Roots Manuva’s cameo on ‘Nice Up The Function’. It’s a far cry from their previous collaboration ‘Jus Jus’ on Scruff’s second album ‘Keep It Unreal’ – something of a standard Roots Manuva tune (if that’s possible).

Scruff has a philosophy behind his music, in which ‘drinking tea holds mythological status and where it’s always music that gets you high’ – which lead me to believe that perhaps he’s just a little bit too much free time lately to be thinking about these things. It did mean however that a tin of organic tea bags was also sent to us. I’ve now listened to the album when drinking tea, and when I have not been drinking tea. My verdict is that the tea makes no difference to your listening pleasure, but is quite nice.

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Categories ,Album, ,Mr Scruff, ,Music, ,Review

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Amelia’s Magazine | DJ T – Fabric 51 – Album Review

Illustration by Daniel Almeroth.
Illustration by Daniel Almeroth.

Back in the days when climate change was a vague notion – something for the 22nd century, order a problematical J curve for academics to ponder over – I thought nothing of hopping on a short haul from LA to Las Vegas, online hiring a chevvy and heading out towards Monument Valley, decease cool desert and home of the Navaho. On the way I  would pass the Grand Canyon, a journey that forced me to redefine my concept of size. For this thing, this hole in the ground was absolutely gi-fucking-normous. It just kept on going.  No matter how long you drove, you came round a bend and there it was. Still. So huge was this new huge I even had to redefine my sense of how big infinite space might actually be. At the time is was as mind blowing as taking acid. It changed me forever.

Now I’m not saying the film Dirty Oil has changed me forever. But it has affected my mood. For now I discover a bigger huge. Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. It is – or was – the biggest unspoilt forest in the world.  But just underground it’s the second biggest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. It’s bigger than Florida. Bigger than England. And it is the single biggest emitter of climate change gases in the world. If the oil industry gets the $379 billion investment it’s demanding we’ll get a rise of between 9 and 15 billion parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere. And you know what that means? It means the tipping point of runaway climate change. It can do this all on its own without any help from us leaving lights on or driving short journeys to Tesco.

Illustration by Daniel Almeroth.
Illustration by Daniel Almeroth.

This film though isn’t content to be another film about climate change. It brings you the human story of the Beaver Lake Kree – who are having their ancestral lands torn up, their rivers and lakes polluted and their health destroyed. Thanks to the arsenic in their fishstocks, the Kree are 30 % more likely to get cancer, including rare ones,  than other populations. And why are they subjected to this? So that America gets cheap oil without having to bully – er bother –  the Arabs for a decade. That’s it. A decade of cheapish growth. I could weep – except the film left me emotionally stunned. The problem here is capitalism. An unadulterated free market economy where the bottom line profit – the false prophet indeed – over rides all other considerations, including the survival of life on this planet itself, spews  unchecked in Alberta. It’s not just a local pollution issue, it’s a global one. The Co-op, which hosted this week’s screenings across the UK, wants us all to petition companies like RBS and BP through our pension plans. But is that enough? Is it even worth having a pension when the future is governed by this ginormous scrag-heap of crap? “It’s time to start blowing things up,” says a comrade as we leave the cinema a little stunned. “How big?” I jest.

But there is a minute sliver of hope here. They don’t raise this in the film, but it was the Cree Indians who predicted that a time would come when we discovered that we can’t eat our money. I think we’re getting there. And a Cree woman called Eyes of Fire fortold: “A time when trees fall, the rivers are black, fish die in the rivers and birds fall from the sky…

“And when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures ?of the World who believe in deed and not words. ?They will work to heal it…  they will be known as the “Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Cree Indian Proverb

I assume that’s us. For anyone calling themselves an activist – if we don’t get together and stop Tar Sands, while forcefully overcoming ignorance to promote alternative ways of running economies and energy supplies, we’re doomed. And doomed is just too huge a deal to imagine.

You can read our preview here and find out where to see the film over the next few weeks here.
Back in the days when climate change was a vague notion – something for the 22nd century, buy more about a problematical  J curve for academics to ponder over – I thought nothing of hopping on a short haul from LA to Las Vegas, visit this site hiring a chevvy and heading out towards Monument Valley, medications cool desert and home of the Navaho. On the way I  would pass the Grand Canyon, a journey that forced me to redefine my concept of size. For this thing, this hole in the ground was absolutely gi-fucking-normous. It just kept on going.  No matter how long you drove, you came round a bend and there it was. Still. So huge was this new huge I even had to redefine my sense of how big infinite space might actually be. At the time is was as mind blowing as taking acid. It changed me forever.

Now I’m not saying the film Oil Sands has changed me forever. But it has affected my mood. For now I discover a bigger huge. Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. It is – or was – the biggest unspoilt forest in the world.  But just underground it’s the second biggest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. It’s bigger than Florida. Bigger than England. And it is the single biggest emitter of climate change gases in the world. If the oil industry gets the $379 billion investment it’s demanding we’ll get a rise of between 9 and 15 billion parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere. And you know what that means? It means the tipping point of runaway climate change. It can do this all on its own without any help from us leaving lights on or driving short journeys to Tesco.

This film though isn’t content to be another film about climate change. It brings you the human story of the Beaver Lake Kree – who are having their ancestral lands torn up, their rivers and lakes polluted and their health destroyed. Thanks to the arsenic in their fishstocks, the Kree are 30 % more likely to get cancer, including rare ones,  than other populations. And why are they subjected to this? So that America gets cheap oil without having to bully – er bother –  the Arabs for a decade. That’s it. A decade of cheapish growth. I could weep – except the film left me emotionally stunned. The problem here is capitalism. An unadulterated free market economy where the bottom line profit – the false prophet indeed – over rides all other considerations, including the survival of life on this planet itself, spews  unchecked in Alberta. It’s not just a local pollution issue, it’s a global one. The Co-op, which hosted this week’s screenings across the UK, wants us all to petition companies like RBS and BP through our pension plans. But is that enough? Is it even worth having a pension when the future is governed by this ginormous scrag-heap of crap? “It’s time to start blowing things up,” says a comrade as we leave the cinema a little stunned. “How big?” I jest.

But there is a minute sliver of hope here. They don’t raise this in the film, but it was the Cree Indians who predicted that a time would come when we discovered that we can’t eat our money. I think we’re getting there. And a Cree woman called Eyes of Fire fortold: “A time when trees fall, the rivers are black, fish die in the rivers and birds fall from the sky…
“And when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures ?of the World who believe in deed and not words. ?They will work to heal it…  they will be known as the “Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Cree Indian Proverb

I assume that’s us. For anyone calling themselves an activist – if we don’t get together and stop Tar Sands, while forcefully overcoming ignorance to promote alternative ways of running economies and energy supplies, we’re doomed. And doomed is just too huge a deal to imagine.
Back in the days when climate change was a vague notion – something for the 22nd century, search a problematical  J curve for academics to ponder over – I thought nothing of hopping on a short haul from LA to Las Vegas, viagra 60mg hiring a chevvy and heading out towards Monument Valley, viagra buy cool desert and home of the Navaho. On the way I  would pass the Grand Canyon, a journey that forced me to redefine my concept of size. For this thing, this hole in the ground was absolutely gi-fucking-normous. It just kept on going.  No matter how long you drove, you came round a bend and there it was. Still. So huge was this new huge I even had to redefine my sense of how big infinite space might actually be. At the time is was as mind blowing as taking acid. It changed me forever.

Now I’m not saying the film Oil Sands has changed me forever. But it has affected my mood. For now I discover a bigger huge. Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. It is – or was – the biggest unspoilt forest in the world.  But just underground it’s the second biggest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. It’s bigger than Florida. Bigger than England. And it is the single biggest emitter of climate change gases in the world. If the oil industry gets the $379 billion investment it’s demanding we’ll get a rise of between 9 and 15 billion parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere. And you know what that means? It means the tipping point of runaway climate change. It can do this all on its own without any help from us leaving lights on or driving short journeys to Tesco.

This film though isn’t content to be another film about climate change. It brings you the human story of the Beaver Lake Kree – who are having their ancestral lands torn up, their rivers and lakes polluted and their health destroyed. Thanks to the arsenic in their fishstocks, the Kree are 30 % more likely to get cancer, including rare ones,  than other populations. And why are they subjected to this? So that America gets cheap oil without having to bully – er bother –  the Arabs for a decade. That’s it. A decade of cheapish growth. I could weep – except the film left me emotionally stunned. The problem here is capitalism. An unadulterated free market economy where the bottom line profit – the false prophet indeed – over rides all other considerations, including the survival of life on this planet itself, spews  unchecked in Alberta. It’s not just a local pollution issue, it’s a global one. The Co-op, which hosted this week’s screenings across the UK, wants us all to petition companies like RBS and BP through our pension plans. But is that enough? Is it even worth having a pension when the future is governed by this ginormous scrag-heap of crap? “It’s time to start blowing things up,” says a comrade as we leave the cinema a little stunned. “How big?” I jest.

But there is a minute sliver of hope here. They don’t raise this in the film, but it was the Cree Indians who predicted that a time would come when we discovered that we can’t eat our money. I think we’re getting there. And a Cree woman called Eyes of Fire fortold: “A time when trees fall, the rivers are black, fish die in the rivers and birds fall from the sky…
“And when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures ?of the World who believe in deed and not words. ?They will work to heal it…  they will be known as the “Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Cree Indian Proverb

I assume that’s us. For anyone calling themselves an activist – if we don’t get together and stop Tar Sands, while forcefully overcoming ignorance to promote alternative ways of running economies and energy supplies, we’re doomed. And doomed is just too huge a deal to imagine.
Back in the days when climate change was a vague notion – something for the 22nd century, ambulance a problematical  J curve for academics to ponder over – I thought nothing of hopping on a short haul from LA to Las Vegas, hiring a chevvy and heading out towards Monument Valley, cool desert and home of the Navaho. On the way I  would pass the Grand Canyon, a journey that forced me to redefine my concept of size. For this thing, this hole in the ground was absolutely gi-fucking-normous. It just kept on going.  No matter how long you drove, you came round a bend and there it was. Still. So huge was this new huge I even had to redefine my sense of how big infinite space might actually be. At the time is was as mind blowing as taking acid. It changed me forever.

Now I’m not saying the film Dirty Oil has changed me forever. But it has affected my mood. For now I discover a bigger huge. Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. It is – or was – the biggest unspoilt forest in the world.  But just underground it’s the second biggest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. It’s bigger than Florida. Bigger than England. And it is the single biggest emitter of climate change gases in the world. If the oil industry gets the $379 billion investment it’s demanding we’ll get a rise of between 9 and 15 billion parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere. And you know what that means? It means the tipping point of runaway climate change. It can do this all on its own without any help from us leaving lights on or driving short journeys to Tesco.

This film though isn’t content to be another film about climate change. It brings you the human story of the Beaver Lake Kree – who are having their ancestral lands torn up, their rivers and lakes polluted and their health destroyed. Thanks to the arsenic in their fishstocks, the Kree are 30 % more likely to get cancer, including rare ones,  than other populations. And why are they subjected to this? So that America gets cheap oil without having to bully – er bother –  the Arabs for a decade. That’s it. A decade of cheapish growth. I could weep – except the film left me emotionally stunned. The problem here is capitalism. An unadulterated free market economy where the bottom line profit – the false prophet indeed – over rides all other considerations, including the survival of life on this planet itself, spews  unchecked in Alberta. It’s not just a local pollution issue, it’s a global one. The Co-op, which hosted this week’s screenings across the UK, wants us all to petition companies like RBS and BP through our pension plans. But is that enough? Is it even worth having a pension when the future is governed by this ginormous scrag-heap of crap? “It’s time to start blowing things up,” says a comrade as we leave the cinema a little stunned. “How big?” I jest.

But there is a minute sliver of hope here. They don’t raise this in the film, but it was the Cree Indians who predicted that a time would come when we discovered that we can’t eat our money. I think we’re getting there. And a Cree woman called Eyes of Fire fortold: “A time when trees fall, the rivers are black, fish die in the rivers and birds fall from the sky…
“And when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures ?of the World who believe in deed and not words. ?They will work to heal it…  they will be known as the “Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Cree Indian Proverb

I assume that’s us. For anyone calling themselves an activist – if we don’t get together and stop Tar Sands, while forcefully overcoming ignorance to promote alternative ways of running economies and energy supplies, we’re doomed. And doomed is just too huge a deal to imagine.

Four-piece Clayton Strange have already been heralded as “Portsmouth’s most promising local band at the moment” by the local press, sickness and they’re gaining popularity across the South Coast. I managed to grab a few minutes with drummer Steve Bull to find out why they’re making a name for themselves in the South, and to find out about their first national tour.

“With our sound we are trying to mix fast, sharp guitar, intelligent driving rhythm and heartfelt melodies,” says Steve after I ask him to describe their music. “We draw influence from electronica, rock and pop acts like Foals, Talking Heads and Metronomy. One thing that is keeping us different from a lot of the other bands is that we steer clear of computers and keyboards, and focus on creating interesting sounds in a live setting.”

Straddling Portsmouth and Brighton, Clayton Strange are made up of four lovely lads who formed the band when they were teenagers. Singer Deniz Muharrem, guitarist Rob Dawson and drummer Steve have been playing the local circuit for a few years, under a different guise.

After honing both their instrumental and song writing skills, the band changed direction and became Clayton Strange. “Our songs have always been about life events and experiences, but our sound had evolved to the point where we felt our old name didn’t fit” says Steve. “We tell stories that haven’t been told; some about us, and some about others.”

Clayton Strange have a new bassist to compliment their new name, after their original bassist left “for personal reasons”. Dan Charter joined the band after playing in a few local bands. “He’s always been around the music scene and has already added a lot to our creative process,” says Steve as he tries to pinpoint just how they know each other. Dan couldn’t have joined at a better time; the four lads are set to dominate the world, providing their gigs go as well as those they played last year.

In 2009 Clayton Strange had a couple of really successful support slots. They played with the Virgins and the Joy Formidable, but the highlight was supporting Let’s Wrestle; it was a rare gig where the support act outshone the headliners.

“We’re looking to build on this success with an energetic UK tour and a debut EP release set for the spring,” explains Steve. He thinks part of their success is down to being friends since school and knowing each other so well: “we have a real understanding of each other’s playing which translates into a tight and exciting live sound.”

Clayton Strange will be kicking off their UK tour in March with a gig in Bristol, before making their way up to Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and York, before heading back south to play London.

Steve concluded: “We can’t wait to get on the road, play to more people and have new experiences. Manchester will be really special as we are playing the Night & Day, such a famous venue, and sharing the bill with our friends Run Toto Run.”
Four-piece Clayton Strange have already been heralded as “Portsmouth’s most promising local band at the moment” by the local press, medicine and they’re gaining popularity across the South Coast. I managed to grab a few minutes with drummer Steve Bull to find out why they’re making a name for themselves in the South, approved and to find out about their first national tour.

“With our sound we are trying to mix fast, website sharp guitar, intelligent driving rhythm and heartfelt melodies,” says Steve as I ask him to describe the music of Clayton Strange. “We draw influence from electronica, rock and pop acts like Foals, Talking Heads and Metronomy. One thing that is keeping us different from a lot of the other bands is that we steer clear of computers and keyboards, and focus on creating interesting sounds in a live setting.”

Straddling Portsmouth and Brighton, Clayton Strange are made up of four lovely lads who formed the band when they were teenagers. Singer Deniz Muharrem, guitarist Rob Dawson and drummer Steve have been playing the local circuit for a few years, under a different guise.

After honing both their instrumental and song writing skills, the band changed direction and became Clayton Strange. “Our songs have always been about life events and experiences, but our sound had evolved to the point where we felt our old name didn’t fit” says Steve. “We tell stories that haven’t been told; some about us, and some about others.”

Clayton Strange have a new bassist to compliment their new name, after their original bassist left “for personal reasons”. Dan Charter joined the band after playing in a few local bands. “He’s always been around the music scene and has already added a lot to our creative process,” says Steve as he tries to pinpoint just how they know each other. Dan couldn’t have joined at a better time; the four lads are set to dominate the world, providing their gigs go as well as those they played last year.

In 2009 Clayton Strange had a couple of really successful support slots. They played with the Virgins and the Joy Formidable, but the highlight was supporting Let’s Wrestle; it was a rare gig where the support act outshines the headliners.
“We’re looking to build on this success with an energetic UK tour and a debut EP release set for the spring,” explains Steve. He thinks part of their success is down to being friends since school and knowing each other so well: “we have a real understanding of each other’s playing which translates into a tight and exciting live sound.”

Clayton Strange will be kicking off their UK tour in March with a gig in Bristol, before making their way up to Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and York, before heading back south to play London.

Steve concluded: “We can’t wait to get on the road, play to more people and have new experiences. Manchester will be really special as we are playing the Night & Day, such a famous venue, and sharing the bill with our friends Run Toto Run.”

Four-piece Clayton Strange have already been heralded as “Portsmouth’s most promising local band at the moment” by the local press, salve and they’re gaining popularity across the South Coast. I managed to grab a few minutes with drummer Steve Bull to find out why they’re making a name for themselves in the South, and to find out about their first national tour.

“With our sound we are trying to mix fast, sharp guitar, intelligent driving rhythm and heartfelt melodies,” says Steve after I ask him to describe their music. “We draw influence from electronica, rock and pop acts like Foals, Talking Heads and Metronomy. One thing that is keeping us different from a lot of the other bands is that we steer clear of computers and keyboards, and focus on creating interesting sounds in a live setting.”

Straddling Portsmouth and Brighton, Clayton Strange are made up of four lovely lads who formed the band when they were teenagers. Singer Deniz Muharrem, guitarist Rob Dawson and drummer Steve have been playing the local circuit for a few years, under a different guise.

After honing both their instrumental and song writing skills, the band changed direction and became Clayton Strange. “Our songs have always been about life events and experiences, but our sound had evolved to the point where we felt our old name didn’t fit” says Steve. “We tell stories that haven’t been told; some about us, and some about others.”

Clayton Strange have a new bassist to compliment their new name, after their original bassist left “for personal reasons”. Dan Charter joined the band after playing in a few local bands. “He’s always been around the music scene and has already added a lot to our creative process,” says Steve as he tries to pinpoint just how they know each other. Dan couldn’t have joined at a better time; the four lads are set to dominate the world, providing their gigs go as well as those they played last year.

In 2009 Clayton Strange had a couple of really successful support slots. They played with the Virgins and the Joy Formidable, but the highlight was supporting Let’s Wrestle; it was a rare gig where the support act outshines the headliners.
“We’re looking to build on this success with an energetic UK tour and a debut EP release set for the spring,” explains Steve. He thinks part of their success is down to being friends since school and knowing each other so well: “we have a real understanding of each other’s playing which translates into a tight and exciting live sound.”

Clayton Strange will be kicking off their UK tour in March with a gig in Bristol, before making their way up to Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and York, before heading back south to play London.

Steve concluded: “We can’t wait to get on the road, play to more people and have new experiences. Manchester will be really special as we are playing the Night & Day, such a famous venue, and sharing the bill with our friends Run Toto Run.”
Four-piece Clayton Strange have already been heralded as “Portsmouth’s most promising local band at the moment” by the local press, information pills and they’re gaining popularity across the South Coast. I managed to grab a few minutes with drummer Steve Bull to find out why they’re making a name for themselves in the South, and to find out about their first national tour.

“With our sound we are trying to mix fast, sharp guitar, intelligent driving rhythm and heartfelt melodies,” says Steve after I ask him to describe their music. “We draw influence from electronica, rock and pop acts like Foals, Talking Heads and Metronomy. One thing that is keeping us different from a lot of the other bands is that we steer clear of computers and keyboards, and focus on creating interesting sounds in a live setting.”

Straddling Portsmouth and Brighton, Clayton Strange are made up of four lovely lads who formed the band when they were teenagers. Singer Deniz Muharrem, guitarist Rob Dawson and drummer Steve have been playing the local circuit for a few years, under a different guise.

After honing both their instrumental and song writing skills, the band changed direction and became Clayton Strange. “Our songs have always been about life events and experiences, but our sound had evolved to the point where we felt our old name didn’t fit” says Steve. “We tell stories that haven’t been told; some about us, and some about others.”

Clayton Strange have a new bassist to compliment their new name, after their original bassist left “for personal reasons”. Dan Charter joined the band after playing in a few local bands. “He’s always been around the music scene and has already added a lot to our creative process,” says Steve as he tries to pinpoint just how they know each other. Dan couldn’t have joined at a better time; the four lads are set to dominate the world, providing their gigs go as well as those they played last year.

In 2009 Clayton Strange had a couple of really successful support slots. They played with the Virgins and the Joy Formidable, but the highlight was supporting Let’s Wrestle; it was a rare gig where the support act outshone the headliners.

“We’re looking to build on this success with an energetic UK tour and a debut EP release set for the spring,” explains Steve. He thinks part of their success is down to being friends since school and knowing each other so well: “we have a real understanding of each other’s playing which translates into a tight and exciting live sound.”

Clayton Strange will be kicking off their UK tour in March with a gig in Bristol, before making their way up to Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and York, before heading back south to play London.

Steve concluded: “We can’t wait to get on the road, play to more people and have new experiences. Manchester will be really special as we are playing the Night & Day, such a famous venue, and sharing the bill with our friends Run Toto Run.”

Fabric has established a solid reputation for providing first-class house and techno mixes by enlisting the services of international heavyweights including Jay Haze, more about Claude VonStroke and the mighty DJ A-Trak. For their latest release, search they have managed to acquire the skills of all-round Renaissance man, this DJ T.

In addition to running the world famous clubbing institution Monza in Frankfurt and founding German techno bible Groove Magazine in 1989, DJ T (real name Thomas Koch) also started the insanely popular Get Physical Records alongside house icons M.A.N.D.Y. and Booka Shade. The Berlin based label are the highest selling label across all genres on Beatport and considering they are the team behind the top selling Body Language and Full Body Workout compilations, I would say it is a fairly safe bet that DJ T knows how to put together a good selection of infectious dance floor gems. Also, DJ T only managed to narrow his choices down to twenty tracks which means that even if half of this mammoth mix is rubbish, it is still better then the majority of house compilations on the market.

The mix commences with DOP’s beautifully down tempo “Window Law”, with smooth, whispering vocals that evoke images of a dimly lit industrial estate Berlin club. This track is made even better by the fact that it was previously unreleased.

The first bump in the road comes in the form of 10Lec60’s “Drown Dogs”. The invasive singing (I use this term loosely) does not compliment the minimalist bongos. The juxtaposition of the uncomfortably loud vocals against the backdrop of such a sparse beat is obviously intended to be poignant but instead it simply sounds ill-fitting.

Fortunately, order is restored by Stuffa’s “A Million Secrets”, which creates blissfully nervous excitement with a gradual build up of futuristic disco house. This is the kind of track that is intended to kick start a good night out.

The standout track of the entire album has got to be “Give Me Pain” by Danton Eeprom. This epic track has a show stopping chorus that starts with crashing symbols, followed by a full brass band accompaniment and ascending choir vocals. House music does not get more uplifting than this.

This is followed by six solid minimalist house efforts, including a notable gem by Will Saul and Tam Cooper that slowly builds up momentum and gently eases the listener into a foot stomping frenzy. DJ Mujava’s “Township Funk” has somehow made its way onto this mix which, although arguably one of the most over played records in late 2008, gets a fresh lease of life thanks to a funky remix by Nottingham’s Crazy P.

Despite the fact that there are a lot of tracks on this mix, there are very few occasions when you find yourself reaching for the fast forward function. It is slightly disappointing that there are not many rare disco tracks on here as DJ T is a well known advocator of the genre and must have an amazing collection at his disposal. This may not be as inspired as previous efforts from A-Trak and Claude VonStroke but come on, that was always going to be a pretty tough task for even the most gifted of vinyl aficionados.

Categories ,album, ,dj t, ,fabric, ,live, ,mix, ,release, ,thomas koch

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Amelia’s Magazine | First Aid Kit – Interview

FAK 2

Since hearing First Aid Kits debut album The Big Black and The Blue we’ve been incredibly impressed with the sibling duo. The album is full of lush harmonies, visit this site moody melodies and lyrical narratives. I was able to catch up with Klara and Johanna before their gig at Rough Trade East. The girls were eating dinner at a curry house on Brick Lane with their father Benkt before the gig and I dropped in afterwards to ask them a few questions.

Andy Devine. How’re you finding England?

Klara. Oh we just got here but we’re already enjoying it. It’s like coming home because we spent so much time here last year when we were on tour.

AD. You have a three month tour coming up. Is that something you ever imagined doing when you first started recording songs?

Klara. I guess, we imagined it, but not so soon. It was definitely in the plan, but we thought it’d be in about five year’s time. It’s happened really fast, but we’ve always wanted to make music.

AD. On the Whichita site it says that you were finishing school while you were recording your debut album. How did you manage to find the time to do both.

Johanna. We recorded it during weekends and holidays and at night when we were finished with homework.  It was really stressful.

hardbelieverpackshot

AD. How long did it take you to finish recording it?

Klara. From November 2008 to the summer 2009. It was because we were at school that we couldn’t do it quickly.

Johanna. Yeah we didn’t have all the songs; they were finished gradually.

Klara. Yeah, along the way.

AD. How do you approach your song writing?

Joanna. Well they all just pop out eventually

Klara. Yeah

AD. You’re both from Sweden but all of your songs are sung in English. Is there any particular reason why?

K. We both went to English school

J. Yeah, for four years

K. So it made sense. We’re also really into American and English culture and almost all the music we listen to is in English so when we make songs that’s the way they come out.

firstaidkitsinglepackshot

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and your songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Club. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK 1

AD. OK, you’ve said that you’re interested in Folk music, but is there anything else which inspires you to write the music that you do?

K. Sure, like films and books we read.

AD. Anything particularly or are you just absorbing it from everywhere?

K. Well I mean some songs have direct songs which we’ve been inspired by. Like, the movie Into The Wild, I was really inspired by it. I wrote a song that’s on our album called ‘Wills of the River’ which I literally wrote while I was watching the movie. I wrote a poem and then we made a song about it. That’s one quite extreme example of how we’re inspired.

AD. What do you think of the British folk scene, and is it similar at all to Sweden’s.

K. We love it, and we’re inspired by it.

J. There’s no such thing in Sweden at all.

K. No

J. I mean we’re the only band really doing this. I think.

AD. Do you play much at all in Sweden then?

K. Yeah.

J. We did at the beginning, we played in Stockholm for a year, or something like that but now we only really play over here.

firstaidkiteppackshot

AD. Do you find that being siblings makes it easier to write songs together.

J & K. Yep

(laughter)

K. Yeah, I mean we haven’t really recorded with anyone else, but definitely. It might just be us, I don’t know if every sibling would be able to but we’re on the same page almost all of the time, and we get along most of the time. I think.

AD. When you met Amelia at Glastonbury you had your parents with you, and obviously your dads along with you this time. How do you find that, does it mean you can’t get up to any classic touring antics?

K. We get a little annoyed I guess

J. But I don’t think it’s because he’s a family member, it’s just being with someone all the time.

K. Yeah, all bands become a family eventually. I mean our dad, it feels a bit weird talking with him sat there.

(Benkt puts his hands up in mock surrender)

K. But he does a lot. He’s our sound technician on the tour as well so we really need him.

J. He’s been doing it too, in the 80’s, he had his own band for a few years. He’s very experienced. So it’s very good for us to talk to him about these things.

(At this point Benkt brings out a copy of Mick Jaggers autobiography and points at it knowingly)

AD. You played on the Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury last year. Is that something that’s quite important to you?

K. Yeah sure

J. We think about it alot. I don’t know if it shows in our songs but it’s important to us. We have this thing in Stockholm now which is called No More Lullabies.

K. There were 24 Swedish artists all playing together.

J. Yeah, we all played 10 minutes each. There’s a film on the website where you can watch it and that was to get awareness to the issue.

K. It was really nice.

J. We love to do those kind of things. We’re not afraid of it and talking about it with people.

AD. OK, finally, what is it you’re most looking forward to doing this year?

J. Touring

K. What we’re doing

J. Yeah, we want to go the US and try to make some new songs.

K. And just enjoy ourselves.

The Big Black and the Blue was releasd on Monday and can be found in all decent record stores.

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and you’re songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

Categories ,fanfarlo, ,First Aid Kit, ,Into the Wild, ,No More Lullabies, ,Slow Dive, ,The Carter Family

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