Phew, what a scorcher! And the weather’s no bad as well. Last month was one of those where old friends and new released fantastic music, and it ranged from the bold to the beautiful, stopping off at most points in between. So without further ado, let’s get cracking with a soundtrack to what could yet be a summer after all.
One of the greatest summer songs has to be Here Comes The Summer by The Undertones, and a band with a similar energy are Aberdonian noise merchants Watchfire. Their EP A Captive Still is a great collection of songs, with the first track King Midas particularly impressive. It’s the sort of song which deserves to be blaring from car radios the length and breadth of the country, but there isn’t a duff track here, and this is Dream Parisienne as a taster:
This column has come to be mostly about the lesser know bands and musicians around, mainly because you can read reviews of the latest Primal Scream, etc anywhere and everywhere, but I have to mention the new Boards of Canada album Tomorrow’s Harvest as it is one of the best pieces of music I have heard not only this year, but for some time. This is the soundtrack to an as yet unmade collaboration between Wim Wenders and John Carpenter. It should not be dipped into, but listened to from start to finish. Then you start all over again. This is Reach For The Dead:
Now for some wonderfully inventive and anthemic pop music of the kind few even try to make any more. Richard Haswell’s album Asteroids is like a journey through a peculiarly personal, and tasteful, history of great indie/pop/rock of the last 40 odd years. There are touches of Bowie, Gabriel, Eno, Tim Buckley, The Smashing Pumpkins, Detroit House, Sigur Ros, New Order and Talk Talk. If it wasn’t for The Boards of Canada, Asteroids would be the best thing I heard last month, and is one of the best of the year. Richard Haswell is a man to sit up and take notice of. This is my favourite track, but they’re all worthy of your attention. This is Jarvick-13:
Now for something quite lovely from Glasgow band Lost Ghosts. This is their debut single Tunnels and it is a perfect accompaniment to sitting writing about music in the midsummer with the window open and the noise of the city in the distance. That may be very specific, but it’s working for me right now. It’s a track which builds effortlessley and elegantly until, before you know it, it’s all over too soon. Five minutes of pop perfection that bodes well for what they do next:
And the fantastic music just keeps on coming. This time it’s Flying Batteries, and their album Life In Monochrome, which is synth/guitar music that remains rough around the edges. Imagine an angry Depeche Mode without the descent into heroin addiction and leather and you have at least some idea. To help you further here is Kingdom of Cards:
I’m going to leave you with as we started, with a fantastic slice of noise. It does seem to be that there are some very impressive Scottish rock bands about at the moment, such as PAWS and Fat Goth, and A Fight You Can’t Win are up there with them on this evidence. For all the gorgeous melodies and atmospherics from many of the bands featured this month, this is the track I have been playing most often. This is Burning Sky and if you like your rock n’ roll loud but classy then this is most definitely for you:
Who am I kidding, I can’t finish without mentioning that Lloyd Cole has released what is arguably his best album in years. It’s called Standards, and I’ll say no more here for fear of excessive gushing, and no one wants that in this heat. Suffice to say he is one of my musical heroes so I’ll admit that objectivity goes out the window, but believe me when I say the album is marvellous from start to finish. What else do you need? Proof? OK, from Standards, this is Period Piece:
That is, in my humble opinion, a great selection of music. Or maybe the sun’s gone to my head…
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