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Kevin Mathews:
March,
2004
So Much Music....So Little
Time
I'm sitting here on a balmy March afternoon,
in front of my computer monitor, thankful for my life despite
the challenges and appreciating that it could really be much
worse than this. I lift my head to the heavens and count the
blessings of family and friends. February is freshly past
as the top of a new month brings with it the promise of a
concert with David Bowie. Yes, indeed, that brings me back
to twenty years ago, the last time Bowie graced these shores
during the Serious Moonlight Tour and whilst much has
changed, I am grateful that I am in better shape than I was
then…
So, a couple of packages containing CDs came into my mailbox
once more and I would have to highlight a track that I'm listening
to even now as it reflects the bittersweet melancholy that
a relationship can often invoke. The song is "Seven Days
Without You" by Avion. Now, Avion is essentially a vehicle
for Steve Bertrand who made his name with the late lamented
Tories, whom in my humble opinion had more going for them
than Coldplay but well, y'know… Taken from the eponymous
new album, "Seven Days Without You" is a love song
indie pop-rock fans will have no difficulty adopting as their
very own. A superb teaser for the full-length album, review
to come.
The best part about being a reviewer is that sometimes you
have the privilege of getting in touch with indie pop legends.
Now, I knew of Francis MacDonald as the man who drummed on
the Fannies', um Teenage Fanclub's debut A Catholic Education
as well as a founder of those laidback pop wonders, BMX Bandits
whose 1995 album, Getting' Dirty I consider one of
my all-time favorites. Now, Francis also happens to own and
run his own label - Shoeshine Records - and he has blessed
me with a multitude of gorgeous releases that I have always
been proud to praise. Now, Francis recently sent me six
(count 'em!) albums and if that fact alone doesn't warrant
special attention then…
Top of the list is the new BMX Bandits called Down At The
Hop where the Bandits, now reduced to the core of Duglas
Stewart, Gabriel Telerman and of course, Francis, continues
to carry the flag of Scottish pop high in the absence of the
late great Eugenius and the AWOL Teenage Fanclub. And it's
a terrific comeback as the trio with the assistance of, inter
alia, David (Pearlfishers) Scott and Norman (Teenage Fanclub)
Blake produces an album of witty and melancholy sunshine pop
songs that never overstays its welcome.
You can expect lo-fi folk shenanigans from NY-based Major
Matt Mason where plaintive voice sings about oddments above
an austere sonic arrangement comprising basic acoustic guitars,
subtle keyboard shading & minimal percussion. Songs like
"Shark Attack," "Misdirected" and "You're
A Girl" make it all worthwhile. Major Matt turns up again
in Quick Frozen Small Yellow Cracker from Schwervon!
with Nan Turner who between them play every instrument heard.
This eleven-track collection can be best described as slacker,
twee, indie pop with much left to the imagination, if you
know what I mean. Melodies are at a premium, though. Nick
Drake miserablists will no doubt thrill (!) to the poignant
tones of baroque pop quartet Boa Morte. With the vocals low
in the mix and with the subtlety coming on with the force
of a sledgehammer (!), it's difficult not to dragged down
by the melancholy of it all. Definitely music for a rainy
day, or make that a thunderstorm!
Last but certainly not least, are two releases in which the
multi-talented Francis contributes greatly to. First up, Francis
backs the irrepressible Kim Fowley (who produced the last
BMX Bandits album, Theme Park) on Fantasy World
and it is a veritable rock 'n' roll feast. The horny "School
Girl X," the garagey "22nd Century Boy," the
poppy "You're A Part of Me," the cynical "Captured
by the Darkness" and the ironic "Armageddon After
Dark" make Fantasy World an essential addition
to any true-blue rock believer. But hold on to your hats for
the excellent album that is Nice Man's Sauchiehall and
Hope (A Pop Opera) is actually Francis in full artist
mode! Indulging in his obsessions i.e. power pop, rock n roll
and roots rock, Sauchiehall and Hope is the prefect
companion disc to the new BMX album, with stellar material
like "Let's Radiate Love," "Your Hand in Me"
"Girl, I'm In Love With You," "Everything's
Alright" and "Mine All Mine" providing vivid
endorsements for the power of pop! Do yourself a favor and
head on down to www.shoeshine.co.uk.
Michael Roux, out of Parasol Records (www.parasol.com),
has always been an absolute peach to deal with in the past
few years and I dedicate this Parasol section to him and his
continuing support. Cheers, Michael!
Moonbabies and The Wannadies both hail from Sweden and deliver
sugar-coated indie pop that is as accessible as they are arty.
The former consists of the core of Carina Johansson and Ola
Frick and with The Orange Billboard they bring an eclectic
approach to driving guitar pop that echoes those Welsh masters,
the Super Furry Animals in places and that's a compliment!
The latter earned kudos during the Britpop era of the mid-90s
with their off-kilter, slightly skewered take on the anglophile
pop method. Before & After is a competent effort
with the odd "Nothing Wrong," humorously jaunty
"Piss On You," the offbeaty and bouncy "Uri
Geller" and the almost Gallic "Disko," prickling
the ears and tickling the fancy. Art-pop-centric in design
and execution, Before & After is a sophisticated
pop listener's treat. I'm sorry but I just can't seem to conjure
the image of the Talking Heads when I listen to the Poster
Children's new album, No More Songs About Sleep and Fire.
Well, for starters, the title recalls the Heads' own Songs
About Building and Food the sleeve has a very strong late
70s/early 80s vibe about it and the Children have a woman
(Rose) playing bass as well! Listening to Rick's approximation
of David Byrne's larynx is a little too creepy for this reviewer
at times BUT the redeeming feature of great post-punk material
here certainly keeps me listening, whatever the reservations.
Whew! In the home stretch now…
The Fearless Freep's Go Cry is yet another fine example
of a punk band going country with magnificent results, (www.magwheel.com)
Jeff Finlan paints Dylan in bold strokes with the delightful
portrait that is Somewhere South of Wonder (www.gravitylabel.com)
whilst Zallen opts for a traditional Bowiesque tactic that
at times surpasses much of his obvious inspiration's mid-80s
work with the pulsating Smudge (www.zallenmusic.com),
Reed Dickinson returns with Ruby which indicates maturity
and growth for this erudite rocker and a couple of diamonds
in this rough handy mix (www.reeddickinson.com), DBCurtis
demonstrates a firm grasp on roots rock and with the aid of
the talented Jon James has produced an album - Out of the
Blue - twang fans can sink their teeth into (www.dbcurtis.net),
Aussie power garage punkers, Green Circles take no prisoners
with Brass Knobs, Bevelled Edges (And in 23 Different Positions)
where sludgy riffs and wild drumming are the order of the
day (www.offthehip.au),
pianist Joe Deveau is as deft with his instrument as he is
ambitious with his songwriting which range from showtunes
to jazz, from ballads to pop-rock on the enjoyable collection
that is Take My Chances and All Your Dreams…and
more 1981 - 1984 contains previously unreleased material
from obscure powerpoppers, Action Now, an adequate document
representative of an unforgettable epoch in rock history (www.aveburyrecords.com).
That's it for now, folks, and even as the piano introduction
of "Seven Days Without You" wafts into my consciousness,
I'm beginning to sing along to 'This one love in a lifetime/Our
two hearts of a kind/These three reasons you'll be mine/For
there's five or six ways through/Seven days without you' and
wishing with all my heart that somehow justice would prevail
and place Steve and Avion on the top of the pop charts everywhere
good music is appreciated and embraced. 'Til the next time,
sayonara.
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