popwreckoning

The music of English duo Slow Club has slowly but surely been making its way into America’s consciousness. The most recent appearance of the act’s sound was of the song “Apples and Pairs” from their first album released in 2009, Yeah So, at the end of an episode of Showtime serial “United States of Tara.” Slow Club hails from Sheffield, a place that most people outside of the UK associate Def Leppard, Pulp, and Arctic Monkeys with. So it’s great that this pair is putting the Northern city on the map for folk rock instead.

The album was released this week on Moshi Moshi, a London indie label that seems to have a good finger on the pulse of the best from the underground English music scene, always managing to pick the cream of the crop from blighty. (And while I’m here, I might as well clue you in to two other bands on their roster: Trophy Wife [from Oxford, England, not the one from Philadelphia] and Summer Camp [another boy/girl singing duo, from London]; if you haven’t heard of these bands yet, you will. Soon.)

The album’s lead single “Where I’m Waking” begins aggressively, almost Sleigh Bells-like. Thankfully, Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson pull it back with the right amount of restraint. The result is bouncy and fun, certainly one of the sunniest tracks on the album (possibly tied with the equally energetic “The Dog”), so it fits in nicely as part of “the story so far” coming off the success of Yeah So‘s more recognizable tracks. While neither is a “Giving Up on Love,” they’re still pretty good.

“Two Cousins,” the opening track of Paradise, also skirts the noise-pop barrier again, with bracing vocals. Is this the same band? It has been suggested by several British music pundits that Slow Club has “grown up” in this album, most noticeably with Watson’s voice being less young-girly and the duo’s foray into more bluesy, almost gospel territory (see: “Never Look Back”, “You, Earth or Ash”) utilizing their strong harmonies.

Taylor and Watson’s near perfect vocals in Yeah So are what made people fall in love with Slow Club, and while these great vocals are still present in Paradise, the percussion is cranked up in the wrong places and some instrumental choices have been made that are not flattering to the vocals. The title of “Hackney Marsh” is, I assume, a loving reference to the part of North London of the same name which, oddly, is the home of a disproportionate number of the city’s musicians. (Maybe that’s why it’s being immortalized in a song title?) It’s a great song, with a novel – but strange – saxophone interlude with Taylor scatting the melody. The thudding drums of “Beginners” mars an otherwise good song. You’d wish you had a mixer in your hands so you could adjust the equalizer. Slow Club took risks with this album and are showing their true hearts in it; this album less innocent and less precious than their debut was. The strong songwriting is still there, but I think in terms of the execution, people are really going to love love love this or not care for it.

Paradise by Slow Club is available now from Moshi Moshi.

Track Listing
01. Two Cousins
02. If We’re Still Alive
03. Never Look Back
04. When I’m Waking
05. Hackney Marsh
06. Beginners
07. You, Earth or Ash
08. Gold Mountain
09. The Dog
10. Horses Jumping

“Are you ready to rock?” asked a jovial Barry Hyde of the Futureheads Friday night. Cheering ensued. He flashed an evil grin. “You’re in the right place, because we are too!” The Sunderland, England punk rock quartet played a blazing set of favorites old and new to a crowd raring to go at the Black Cat in Washington. Their latest album The Chaos was released in America this past Tuesday on Dovecote Records.

The first of two support acts, the Static Jacks, seemed perfectly matched to the punk sensibility of the headlining Sunderland rockers. This five-member New Jersey band is a band primed for success that you’ve probably never even heard of by name before. According to Wikipedia, tunes by this self-described garage-soul band have graced “The Hills” and “The City” and have been featured on stateside satellite radio. Despite sporting a haircut reminiscent of Lyle Lovett, singer Ian Devaney has the swagger and aura of coolness of Joey Ramone and the magnetism of the Horrors‘ Faris Badwan. I was standing in front of bassist Spencer Kimmins and guitarist Henry Kaye and nearly got hit in the head by wayward guitar necks; this didn’t put me off at the slightest, because this is what you should expect during a high energy punk set. You don’t expect the bass player to hit a suitcase with a stick like it was a drum either, but you go with it if the music is good. Despite their young age (all of them under 21, according to the Xs on their hands), they have a polished but aggressive sound. If they keep this up, expect big things from this band soon.

The Like, an all-girl group from Los Angeles, have previously toured with some heavy hitters – Muse, the Arctic Monkeys, and Razorlight, just to name a few. Given their sometimes punk, sometimes sunny pop sound, the comparison to the Go-Go’s is inevitable. There are also whiffs of the Beatles (check out the video for “He’s Not a Boy” below, which reminds me of the nightclub dance scenes in “A Hard Day’s Night”) and the Beach Boys with their harmonies. Oddly, their set sandwiched in between the Static Jacks and the Futureheads almost felt like a rest period because they couldn’t match the liveliness of the other two acts. I would have preferred if they stuck to punk (and showcase their technical chops) than with retro pop. Their next album produced by Mark Ronson, Release Me, will be released on June 15 on Downtown Records.

He’s Not A Boy from The Like on Vimeo.

Sunderland, nestled in the far reaches of Northeast England, has been criminally neglected by music pundits in the past, but mark my words, it won’t be for much longer. One of these days someday soon, America will come to its collective senses and realize the wealth of music there, from the likes of Field Music, Frankie and the Heartstrings, and Friday’s headliners the Futureheads. I should have known I was in for an amazing nights simply from a message lead singer/guitarist Barry Hyde sent me hours before the show, “we’re going to rock your socks off!”

The moment Hyde and his band stepped on the Black Cat stage, you could sense the electricity in the air. The driving count-in of “5-4-3-2-1!” of “The Chaos” was a superb way to begin a set that never let up in sheer intensity and fun. “Heartbeat Song” was prefaced by Hyde with, “imagine it’s the ’80s. You’re in a John Hughes film, and you’ve just fallen in love.” Wow. It’s the obvious earworm single of The Chaos, and was simply breathtaking live as a pop-punk masterpiece. I previously linked to the excellent promo video for the song on a tour announcement 2 months ago, but check out this “making of” video that shows you just how fun these guys are.

Their roadie had painstakingly taped down all the guitar cords onstage, and this was because guitarist Ross Millard, bassist Jaff Craig, and most often Hyde himself could be found roaming the stage while frenetically going at their instruments with gusto. By the second song in, all of them were covered in sweat. Having never seen this band before live, I was not expecting the very funny stage patter from Hyde and the interaction between him, Millard, and Craig. It made an already stellar gig even better, and I’d argue they rank up there with We Are Scientists for pure during-gig hilarity. Early on in the show, Hyde chided a drunk couple who had been chatting throughout the set, one of whom had thrown a empty glass at his feet. “You do know this is a gig, right?” The crowd cheered in response.

During their cover of Kate Bush‘s “Hounds of Love,” Hyde involved the audience in a shouting contest, as Millard was unable to do his harmonies due to a sore throat, Hyde admitting he was scared to sing part of a song that he’d never done live before. Aww. (If you were wondering, my side singing along with Craig won the contest due to our enthusiasm in participating.) For the encore, Hyde indulged a devoted fan as the band played “Man Ray” from their 2004 self-titled debut album, saying to her, “after every single song we’ve played you shouted for this.” Just goes to show that persistence, in the presence of a obliging band, pays off. After such an energetic set, it was obvious that these chaps from Sunderland could have played on for hours and hours and the crowd would have eaten it all up. I can’t wait to see these guys again soon.

The Futureheads Set List
The Chaos
Meantime
Heartbeat Song
Decent Days and Nights
The Baron
Area
Struck Dumb
Sun Goes Down
Skip to the End
The Connector
I Can Do That
The Beginning of the Twist
Hounds of Love (Kate Bush cover)
Jupiter
//
This is the Life
Man Ray
Work is Never Done

Tour Dates
Jun 07 – Paradise / Boston
Jun 08 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City
Jun 10 – Mod Club / Toronto
Jun 11 – Magic Stick / Detroit
Jun 12 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago

The Futureheads: website | myspace | The Futureheads Ready for June North American Tour
The Static Jacks: website | myspace
The Like: website | myspace

Like Passion Pit, Hockey is an American band I was introduced to last winter not by American radio but by the lovely Nemone Metaxas, one of my favorite DJs on BBC 6music. I loved the exuberant “Too Fake” the first time I heard its electronic dance pop goodness through my computer speakers. My interest in the Portland band was further piqued when I learned they had toured in the UK in early 2009 as support for Friendly Fires. The problem was getting a chance to see the band stateside. The band has toured North America a couple times now, but had never played in D.C., so when I got the alert a while back that they would be playing the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel, I was chomping at the bit.

The opening act for the night were the Postelles, a New York City band that Rolling Stone has described as “channel[ing] Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello and – more recently – the Arctic Monkeys and the Strokes, building songs from brief guitar stabs and sounding like the wound-up early hours of what will be a long Saturday night on the town. There are elements of both mod and post-punk, but the Postelles have a sneering attitude all their own…” Interesting description. Frankly, they sound to me more similar to New York-based indie rockers Locksley and Sunderland, England’s Frankie and the Heartstrings, bands that have gone back in time to perfect the ‘60s pop / rock ‘n’ roll band model.

Make no mistake: the Postelles have a sound all their own and they sound great live, led by lead singer/guitarist Daniel Balk’s yearning vocals. Sometimes I wish I had the talent to come up with a good pop melody. The Postelles definitely can, as evidenced by the guitar-jangly “Sleep on the Dance Floor,” one of their set’s highlights. The title of the song “Hey Little Sister” sounds like it was written by Lennon/McCartney (do “Hello Little Girl” and “Little Child” ring any bells?), and I thought it was just amazing live, guitarist David Dargahi taking on lead vocals and mixing things up a bit. In a way, I was glad the Constellations canceled, because that meant we got a longer set from the Postelles than fans in other cities. The band’s debut EP White Nights was released the first week of March on Capitol Records / Astralwerks and is available now.

The Postelles Set List
Looking Glass
White Nights
She She
New song
Beat on the Brat (Ramones cover)
Stella
Hey Little Sister
Can’t Stand Still
Sleep on the Dance Floor
1, 2, 3 Stop

Hockey were supposed to go on at 10 (with the Postelles at 9) but they didn’t actually get on stage until 10:40, fortuitous for latecomers who crammed in at the front of the stage. When the band came on stage to tinker with their instruments, lead singer Ben Grubin flashed me a grin, so I knew I was in for a good show. Their debut album Mind Chaos is such a fun, fun record that I had way too high expectations, envisioning that they’d all appear dressed as colorfully as their record with hats and bandannas, and be jumping all over the stage. No such luck.

Instead, Grubin came on in a trademark hoodie but soon peeled it off to reveal a stripy white and orange tunic over black jeans. He was bopping around the stage excitedly and man-handling his microphone reminiscent of another of my favorite musicians, Londoner Patrick Wolf. Alternately between guitar, harmonica (for the folky “Four Holy Photos,” proving the band’s versatility), and a percussion set-up, he was clearly the star of the night. Seeing that Wednesday was St. Patrick’s Day and the crowd at the RnR was rowdier than normal for a weeknight, a new song that I think is called “DJ” seemed entirely appropriate, introduced by Grubin as “[Irish] jig and bluegrass music.”

“3 A.M. Spanish” was a high point of their set, the bass lines from Brian White and hot beats from touring keyboardist Ryan Dolliver just fabulous with Grubin’s hip hoppy vocal approach, punctuated by yelps for the chorus. They also didn’t disappoint with my absolute favorite song from Mind Chaos, “Song Away.” If there was ever a song that could lift your spirits, this is definitely it, with its refrain of “tomorrow’s just a song away.” And really, it is, isn’t it?

Check out this video of the song from their performance at Lollapalooza last summer. I hope this explains why I don’t have too many good photos of him, the man cannot keep still! Just thinking about it, I’m so eager to see the band again very soon.

Hockey Set List
Work
Learn to Lose
Rebels Marry Young (new song)
3 A.M. Spanish
Four Holy Photos
DJ (new song)
Curse This City
Song Away
Preacher
Wanna Be Black
Everyone’s the Same Age
Too Fake
Put the Game Down

Tour Dates
Mar 21 – Snug Harbor / Charlotte
Mar 23 – Mercy Lounge / Nashville*
Mar 24 – Drunken Unicorn / Atlanta*
Mar 25 – Cafe 11 / St. Augustine, FL*
Mar 26 – Club Downunder / Tallahassee, FL*
Mar 27 – Bottletree / Birmingham*
Mar 29 – Thirsty Hippo / Hattiesburg, MS*
Mar 30 – Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge*
Apr 01 – Warehouse Live / Houston*
Apr 02 – Emo’s / Austin*
Apr 03 – Loft / Dallas*
Apr 05 – Brewing Company / Santa Fe*
Apr 06 – Larimer Lounge / Denver*
Apr 07 – Kilby Court / Salt Lake City
Apr 08 – Neurolux / Boise*
Apr 10 – Wonder Ballroom / Portland*
Apr 16 – Coachella Music Festival / Indio, CA
* with the Postelles

Hockey: website | myspace | @ Lollapalooza 2009 | interview with | @ Midland
The Postelles: website | myspace