Iain Chow Chow - RIP.

Sad news today, I've just read that Iain from Chow Chow has passed away. I won't pretend here that I've been a massive Chow Chow fan all my life or anyhting as its simply not true. In fact, I've only been aware of them for a few months but this kind of thing can't help to be horrible. It always seems such a waste when a band seem to be on the verge of great things. Sad sad news, all thoughts with his family and friends.

A good week for the 7"

7"s. Love them or hate them (note: a person's position in this debate is largely dependent on their ownership of a record player) there's no denying the fact that more and more bands are releasing them - Generally as a hype building exercise by smaller bands (there's only 8 of them made, buy now! buy now!). Having just bought a turntable I am naturally all for the bastards. To which end:

Farnfarlo - Fire Escape.
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A great little single, I'm sure you can imagine how it sounds if I give you the phrases "mildly Sweedish", "indie pop", "faintly melancholy yet somehow uplifting" and "the odd trumpet". A more polished affair than the piano and scruffy drums of previous single 'Talking Backwards" it's certainly a nice little tune. To borrow a phrase: 'One to do your homework to'.

The Indelicates - Julia, we don't live in the 60's.
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The Indelicates play a weird form of hate-pop - full of lovely melodies that come up and offer you a drink and lyrics that glass you in the face with it. Speeded up considerably from the demo it's killer pop with an ace keyboard/whistling line throughout and cutting lyrics like "and people die when towers fall, I'm sorry but I hardly even care at all". Top marks too for the video, which features Eddie and Jasper from Art Brut, along with the band and gaggle of followers marching around with placards bearing such slogans as "It's Fine", "the grass is green enough" and "Slight improvement - Soonish". For the darker side of the indelicates I highly reccomend tracking down previous 7" 'We Hate the Kids' out on Sad Gnome records (link below).


Links; (copy + paste)

Fanfarlo Videos:
Fire Escape - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e6453HyewA
Talk Backwards - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a4QpfSiI4w

Sad Gnome Records - http://sadgnomerecords.net/buy.html

Pete and the Pirates

Pete and the Pirates play the kind of pop music this blog is all about. It's pop music that is in essence a bit 'shanty'. A bit ramshackle. The type of pop where you imagine that the band were only just about able to hold it together long enough to record the song, and as soon as the engineer pressed 'stop' on the mixing desk it all fell apart gloriously as band members collapsed from the exertion of having to try and play together, in time, for 3 whole minutes. It's also utterly utterly joyous.

Pete and the Pirates are scuzzy (yet surprisingly intricate), just about in tune and blessed with enough melodies and killer lines ('that's not fair, I was doing my hair', '6.15 and I'm cooking tea, Onion garlic sesame') to keep me smiling for a good while yet and marry all this to tunes so bouncy and liable to suddenly head off in a different direction it leaves other bands seeming flatfooted.

They've built a strong live reputation too, and its entirely justified. The songs come alive more and a sweaty, beery, venue is far more forgiving of the odd bum note than on cold hard compact disc. Its a good spectacle too, with a pleasing contrast between the trailblazing drumming of Jonny and the cigarette wielding vague bopping of singer Tom.

The new single is "Come on Feet" and very good it is too.


Listen to more at http://www.myspace.com/peteandthepirates

or head here to see my favourite PatP song and rejoice at the glorious moments when it cranks to life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n84wmMJ1z5k

Untitled Musical Project - Loud is fun!

Untitled Musical Project play short sharp shocks of songs with one drummer, a singer/guitarist and a singer/bassist. They are quite possibly the loudest band I have heard. They sound not unlike Mclusky chewing their own face off. But whereas Mclusky were always a little rough and straggley around the edges, when the full sonic assault of Untitled Music Project kicks in it’s so streamlined it hits you even harder and in my case, makes me desperately want to break things. The drums pound, the bass fizzes out pulsating riffs and the guitar lays silent for the verses, static hissing angrily from the amplifier before the singer steps off the mute pedal for the choruses unleashing a devastating howl of feedback and the full rock-out begins.

And if I may profer some song titles your way: "Why isn't Paul McCartney dead already?", "I'm no Jimi Hendrix but at least I'm still alive" and "I don't need you honey, all I need is rock 'n' roll" - the last of which gives us the memorable couplet "I flee from sex, I'm scared of needles, I've more in common with Jeremy Beadle".

"The people vs. Michael Miller"
http://www.myspace.com/untitledmusicalproject