the practising troublemaker

day 12 - a song from a band you hate

2012-01-12T15:32:00.000-05:00

Nickelback - 'How You Remind Me'

Hate's a strong word. For severe distaste, I think that trophy goes to Nickelback, who the Detroit public have put petitions out to stop them from playing at this year's Super Bowl. (People from Detroit know their music. It's the birthplace of Motown, for god's sakes.)

I'd be ok with the guitars on this song except that the lyrics are dumb ("this is how you remind me" - uh, we've been reminded of your silly little song b/c American radio stations can't seem to get enough of it - *groan*). Stupid hair - sorry, long hair on rockers was done yonks ago better first by Robert Plant and then Sebastian Bach.

this week's Roundtable (12/1)

2012-01-12T15:08:00.000-05:00

Stephen Bass (Moshi Moshi), Jim Bob of Carter USM (again?!?) and comedian Holly Walsh join Lammo

1. Mark Stuart featuring Primal Scream - 'Autonomia' - ehhhh...not my thing.

2. Friends - 'Friend Crush' - second place (third place not announced) - not as good as 'I'm His Girl'. too slow, a bit boring. and borderline annoying. that nasal vocal, yecchhh.

3. Dodgy - 'What Became of You' - when did overechoed vocals become the rule? ugh. the guitar work is admirable but not much else is sticking out to me.

4. 'allo Darlin - 'Capricornia' - what is odd is that the first time I heard this (before now) this was great. now it's cloying. I guess it overstayed its welcome.

5. Goldfrapp - 'Melancholy Sky' - there's always been something about Goldfrapp that has been a bit off to me.

6. Maz Totterdell - Roundtable winner - 'Counting My Fingers' - it has a good pop feel and I can tell we're going to hear plenty of this in 2012. blargh :( expect it to be accompanied by an excessively cute girl riding her bicycle through the countryside. what I don't like is that's she's doing what Katie Sutherland / Pearl and the Puppets did 2 years ago and encroaching her turf.

7. Howler album 'America Give Up' - there is something wonky / throwback about their sound. it's fine but I want to laugh when I hear them, which can't be a good thing.

Delphic new year wishes from the recording studio

2012-01-12T10:05:00.005-05:00

not sure what is going on in this wicked weird new Delphic video taken in a Hackney recording studio. but here is a quick run-down:

Matt is still fiddling with his pedal effects (though sadly he is not shown playing his gorgeous new guitar, procured presumably in early 2011 b/c it made its first live appearance at the Spotify live gig in London in April)
James has pushed Rick out of the way and has commandeered the piano (make of that what you will)
Rick is still singing those angelic/girly backing vocals, though this time in the studio, he's gone one step further, deciding to use jazz hands (ha!)
the messages on the screen at the end read "WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR: NEW SONGS SOON / THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE..."

...so we're reaching the light at the end of the tunnel, guys. I was disappointingly thwarted in my best attempts at sneaking an early listen of the new material (to which I got the exasperated response "my girlfriend has only heard 2 of the songs!) and sitting in on a session. but I have been promised a master when it is available. my fears and concerns for the new album have been communicated...hit me with your best shot, guys.

day 11 - a song from your favorite band

2012-01-11T22:15:00.002-05:00

This is probably the worst question you can give a music editor. How can I choose? It's like choosing your favourite child.

To make this easier on myself, I've decided a favourite song ('Nowhere Man') from the first band I really loved - the Beatles. The harmonies on this are, simply put, perfect.

day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep

2012-01-11T22:10:00.004-05:00

'N Sync - '(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You'

Easily one of the cheesiest songs recorded, ever.

It's not that I don't like this song. I actually used it to help me sleep many nights in college when I was so anxious about classes the next day. And besides, come on, really. Who *didn't* love JC Chasez's voice? (Justin Timberlake? Who's he?)

day 09 - a song that you can dance to

2012-01-11T22:03:00.003-05:00

catch-up is the name of the game, yikes!

Two Door Cinema Club - 'What You Know'

The video makes it easy. There's a girl pounding her fists in drums covered in glitter. What more could you need? The backbeat is in your face. Just brilliant to dance to. I danced so hard to Two Door the last time I saw them, my calves hurt so bad for 3 days afterward. Not kidding.

It's funny thinking about Two Door and Delphic, my 2010 bands, b/c they are so different. While Delphic feels to me "intellectual", Two Door is more "in your face, no frills". I love them both, for entirely different reasons.

day 08 - a song you know all the words to

2012-01-08T08:01:00.000-05:00

Dido - 'White Flag'

I think this is probably the best song ever written about being in love with someone and having the pain of keeping that person in your life. You know full well that you will run into him again, and you have to pretend you are fine with being "just friends" and have to look like you're going on with your life but inside you are crying. And you can't say anything, because he's with someone else. Having to take the high road, pretending you don't care, never hurt so much.

The best part is the bridge, when Dido sings and her voice goes up with "and you will think...that I've moved on" - heartbreaking.

and when we meet, I'm sure we will
all that was there, will be there still
I'll let it pass, and hold my tongue
and you will think that I've moved on

The interesting bit about this video that I really like is it shows both the man (played by actor David Boreanaz) and the woman as strong, successful people, instead of the woman being just completely desperate and inconsolably sad. This gives me hope.

The part that I find kind of painful is the part at the end when she's looking at the wall of her flat and she's still got photos of her ex on the wall. She sings like she is trying to be strong but inside she is still in in love with him.

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

2012-01-07T06:02:00.000-05:00

Leona Lewis - 'Bleeding Love'

Last month I sang 'Bleeding Love' in the recording booth at the British Music Experience, a museum inside the O2 in London. I sang my heart out, with all the pain and regret I have been holding for the last year and a half pouring out of my body, thinking no-one was watching me. After I was done and took off my headphones, there was a group of schoolkids gathered and they cheered. If they only knew. I have been naturally drawn to songs about bleeding and bleeding hearts, as I have been dealing with the strange, often confounding side effects of a bleeding disorder. So when I say I'm "bleeding", I'm bleeding in two very different ways.

The American version of the video (below) is much MUCH better than the UK one, which doesn't make a whole load of sense to me and is visually boring.

day 06 - a song that reminds of you of somewhere

2012-01-06T11:59:00.000-05:00

Casiokids - 'Finn Bikkjen!'

This is the ultimate party song for the ultimate party in Northern Europe - Roskilde. I'm hoping one day to get back there b/c the vibe was amazing and I saw some pretty amazing performances there. all my Casiokids coverage for TGTF is here.

Casiokids have got a great new album out already in the U.S. (I've had it for nearly 3 months, beat that!) but the UK has to wait until the 23rd of January. Review coming up on TGTF soon.

this week's Roundtable (5/1)

2012-01-05T14:07:00.002-05:00

guests tonight are Leonie Cooper, Tom Williams (of the Boat) and Eugene Butcher (it's not on the Web site so I've no idea ;)

1. Air - 'Seven Stars' - I accidentally thought this was David Bowie, with all the Bowie coverage this week (his 65th birthday's Sunday), it was that weird. and I didn't like it. funny Leonie said it sounded like Beach House, b/c I can't stand Beach House...

2. Devin - 'You're Mine' - Roundtable winner - I like this punky sound, very Ramones/Libertines-esque. sounds more New Joisie than Brooklyn. it's just one bloke?!?

3. the xx - 'Open Eyes' demo - I like this even more minimalistic yet more lovey sound from the xx. read more here.

4. 'allo Darlin' - 'Capricornia' - second place - I am loving this. so what if they're twee?!?

5. Radiohead - 'Staircase' - I don't like Radiohead. and again, I'm left wondering, "what am I missing that everyone else is hearing?" I find this bland, boring and not worth another listen.

6. the Skints - 'Ratatatat' - third place - oh god, what is this? like r&b but with a creepy, Halloween-type vibe. is that intentional? then there's a woman singing fast like Janelle Monae and a random bloke shouting like Flava Flav. no thanks.

7. the Maccabees' new (third) album 'Give into the Wild' - I've never been a huge fan of the Maccabees, and these teaser clips tell me why. yes, they've got the "infectious" sound down pat but will I remember the songs tomorrow? probably not. and 'Pelican' has to be one of the most annoying songs I've ever heard (single review here, halfway decent but nonsensical video here).

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

2012-01-05T07:18:00.002-05:00

The Divine Comedy - 'Everybody Knows (Except You)'

This reminds me of my first time I fell in love. Offering up the Divine Comedy was one method of wooing by my first boyfriend. Worked too. Like a charm. I still love Neil Hannon, I think he's written some amazing songs and is criminally underrated.

It also reminds me of the last time I fell in love. The most painful way you can be in love is when you're so in love and you can't tell that other person how much you love him. Everyone else around you knows because you're walking around with stars in your eyes and you can't stop talking about him. But still...he has no idea.

So note to potential suitors: yes. The way to my heart? Woo me with the music you love and feel passionate about. Because chances are I will feel just as passionate as you are after you introduce it to me.

day 04 - a song that makes you sad

2012-01-04T17:40:00.004-05:00

Everclear - Wonderful

This sums up that time in your life when you realize Santa Claus doesn't exist and although your parents have protected you, there will be people in your life that will hurt you. Again and again. For me it hasn't been so much the people that hurt me, it's all the medical things that I have no control over that have changed my dreams, forced me to take up a new direction, altered my course forever.

I think my parents took my illness worse than I did. But all the while, they tried to make me feel like one day it will all work out. I haven't gotten there yet and songs like this make me cry. I get upset because there are people moaning and whinging on how bad they think their lives are and blah-de-blah and I'm sorry, you haven't lived with a chronic illness all your life. I've had some great moments but there have been moments where I went to sleep in a hospital bed, wondering whether I'd wake up.

for those of you whinging about how bad your job is or how you don't have enough money, try living MY life. or walk in the shoes of someone else who has suffered in one way or another that you haven't. There is always *someone* worse off than yourself. That includes me too. Try your best to hold on to what's good in your life. Even if it's a small victory.

day 03 - a song that makes you happy

2012-01-03T14:08:00.003-05:00

Delphic - 'Halcyon'

this is actually not my favourite song on Delphic's debut 'Acolyte' (that honour goes to 'Submission'.) no, I chose this one because I remember hearing it for the first time and thinking, these guys are not half bad. Matt Cocksedge's guitar solo is what sealed the deal for me: this band had seemed to get the marriage of good rock and good dance together perfectly. a couple weeks later I would see the promo video at DC9, shortly before VV Brown performed for us. the video was breathtaking: the right amount of mystery and intrigue had me hooked.

months later I would see this band perform it live in all its glory at Roskilde. it's all very surreal that I can now count these fellows not just as heroes but actual mates. I have such a crazy yet amazing life.

day 02 - your least favourite song

2012-01-03T13:02:00.005-05:00

3rd day of January and I'm already late. whoops. so I have to play catch-up...

Hoobastank - 'The Reason'

music people remember songs that were playing at seminal moments of their lives. I will always remember Darwin Deez's 'Constellations' playing before a band that meant so much to me went on in Washington. I remember this song because I was lost in an unfamiliar part of town, trying to find the hospital where my dad had been taken too, very poorly. it comes on occasionally on the one "rock" station in DC and I immediately switch it off. I'm 24 again and I'm about to suffer one of the most traumatic losses in my life.

plus, come on. idiotic promo video. to go with an idiotic song. "the reason is you"???

day 01 - your favourite song

2012-01-01T19:46:00.004-05:00

Wilson Phillips - 'Hold On'

it would be impossible to choose my favourite song. so I'm going with the first song I really took apart - examined the lyrics, broke down the harmonies - and I still remember to this day. it's definitely one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

and those are some kick-arse harmonies. word.

Clenched Soul

2011-12-29T20:34:00.005-05:00

an appropriately melancholy poem by Pablo Neruda. reminds me of a quote in Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye - I'm as happy as a clam, firmly closed.

things are never as they seem, people put on appearances because everyone's supposed to be happy.

even if they're not.

We have lost even this twilight.
No one saw us this evening hand in hand
while the blue night dropped on the world.

I have seen from my window
the fiesta of sunset in the distant mountain tops.

Sometimes a piece of sun
burned like a coin in my hand.

I remembered you with my soul clenched
in that sadness of mine that you know.

Where were you then?
Who else was there?
Saying what?
Why will the whole of love come on me suddenly
when I am sad and feel you are far away?

The book fell that always closed at twilight
and my blue sweater rolled like a hurt dog at my feet.

Always, always you recede through the evenings
toward the twilight erasing statues.

2011 in review, with a heavy heart

2011-12-27T15:31:00.028-05:00

I haven't posted here since the Stone Roses reformed (no North American dates YET, those wankers), and that was a long time ago (over 2 months ago) but I've been busy.

starting at the end of October 2011 TGTF became the Guardian Music-endorsed TGTF, showing up regularly on their "Best of the Music Blogosphere" blog roll. (at the time of this writing, my Top Gigs of 2011 is still sitting on their blog roll, which is pretty cool for Casiokids, Dutch Uncles, White Lies, the Joy Formidable and the Coronas, b/c they got attention I'm sure they weren't expecting.) in early December I was asked by two members of Delphic WHY I was still hawking TGTF badges on my holiday in Manchester and the answer was, "we are now the Guardian-endorsed TGTF, I have a reputation to protect!" this included making sure we had plenty of not just content but GOOD content for them to choose from. which meant many, many late nights for me.

speaking of that holiday, I was away for my birthday in England for 16 days but was ill for 14 of them. so my plans to do a lot of poetry and songwriting went by the wayside of trying to stay in as physically fit as possible state for 10 gigs, hanging out and drinking with friends and colleagues, a lot of sightseeing-related walking, and travel between 3 different English cities. to say I was wiped by the time I returned is an understatement. somehow though I managed not to take a single day off work since I returned. (yes, I am such a good little employee.)

if you were wondering what those 10 gigs were, they were:

Dutch Uncles Now Wave show (Fiction supporting) - 02.12.11 - Deaf Institute, Manchester, England - my There Goes the Fear review
Example (Fenech-Soler supporting) - 01.12.11 - Apollo, Manchester, England
Exit Ten (A Thousand Autumns, Tomorrow We Radio, and Fei Comodo supporting) - 29.11.11 - Fibbers, York, England - my There Goes the Fear review
Billie Butterfly fund 'Magic in the Air' charity show featuring Everything Everything, I Am Kloot, and Badly Drawn Boy - 28.11.11 - Comedy Store, Manchester, England - my There Goes the Fear review
City Reign EP launch (Stella Marconi and Modern Alarms supporting) - 26.11.11 - Gulliver's, Manchester, England
Blonde Louis homecoming show (Monaco Bears and Camus the Cat supporting) - 25.11.11 - Plinston Hall, Letchworth, England - my There Goes the Fear review
Cashier No. 9 (Kowalski supporting) - 24.11.11 - XOYO, London Old Street, England - my There Goes the Fear review
Pete and the Pirates (The Catcher 9 supporting) - 22.11.11 - Buffalo Bar, London Islington, England
City Reign (Wire Trees and Ulysses supporting) - 19.11.11 - Bull and Gate, London Kentish Town, England - my There Goes the Fear review
I Dream in Colour single launch show (Heroics and Anchor and the Dove supporting) - 18.11.11 - Bull and Gate, London Kentish Town, England - my There Goes the Fear review

I got to interview Marc Riley for TGTF inside the new BBC in Salford and who should walk in but Stuart Maconie?!? hugs and photos ensue. I never could have predicted that happening. I'm still amazed thinking about it. and he remembered me from my letters and me Tweeting him? what are the odds of that?

going back to the Guardian coverage, we suddenly had a lot more interest from potential writers. I am finding this good and bad. it's great to have interest. but gee whiz, if you plan to contribute somewhere, be sure you respond to your editor's emails. I can only assume you don't care or you're too busy to respond - and therefore not a good fit - if I don't hear from you. that has been pretty frustrating: maybe because I'm a woman, some people think I'm a pushover. not in your life. but I've picked up at least one good writer who is a friend of a regular contributor, so that's good...

but I can tell, it's a tough road ahead in 2012. I'm trying to not let this spectre of being tops in the Guardian's books hang over my head...like it already is. it is hard being me. I don't think anyone realises how much I put into the blog, how I sometimes lie awake at night thinking about how to make the site better, how to help my writers achieve their dreams, how I'm going to start a new campaign to promote a fledgling band I believe in and how exactly I plan to do that. I didn't mean for it to happen, but the blog has become my life. I'm not whinging: I'm very proud of what TGTF has become under my leadership and we still have leaps and bounds to grow and become even better. it's like when Elvis was saying he was jealous of the Beatles being a group: when you're the person running something big, you can have lots of supporting players, but no one but you knows the pressure of keeping things in tip top shape. and it is a lot of pressure.

it's become very clear that one important thing has to happen before I can even *think* about leaving America for England. and that thing - something that could actually happen, versus something that will never happen, like me getting cured - is not going to happen anytime soon, so I think I can kiss my dream of living in England goodbye. and surprisingly, I'm okay with that. I had such a violent shock to the system on this trip that I'm not really sure when I'll return. if I do, I'm guessing it will have something to do with my dear friend Matt Abbott, whose presence I miss daily.

I'm going to work on trying to post more here in 2012, starting with one of those a "song a day" memes. I already know it's going to be tough work - not for the posting aspect, but for the choosing of the songs.

I learned something important this year, which I should have already predicted from the pain I experienced some 399 days prior. something still weighs so heavily on my heart, after the knife went in and then was twisted. it is so big it threatens my mental acuity, my health, all my future relationships. I can be in a public place, in the middle of a crowd, on an airplane, in an elevator...and I will start to cry. it's not right. everyone says I'm so strong; if only they knew. this is me, after years of fighting like my father said I would always have to. sometimes I am tired of fighting and being the strong one, I need someone to lean on. and the one person I want to lean on...I can't. he has no idea...and I have no way to tell him.

sometimes I feel like it is going to engulf me like a huge, oncoming wave with no warning: cold, painful, unrelenting. and sometimes I don't care that my life would end if it did. sometimes I just pray at night that my eyes will not open again, because then I could be sure all the pain would dissolve.

you can have all the right words prepared. but they are useless if you're never given the opportunity to say them.

triumphant return of the Stone Roses?

2011-10-14T15:23:00.004-04:00

Twitter and the blogosphere was alight with excitement upon the rumour that the legendary Stone Roses are going to reform for some gigs in 2012.

if this all goes the way Clash (link here), Louder than War (link here) and other outlets have described what should happen - a press conference in Manchester next Tuesday announcing a few reunion gigs to take place in Manchester - these could be the hottest selling tickets of the new year.

I mean, I'd sell a limb to go see them. in Manchester of all places! I already did it for Morrissey...why not? now that I play bass, I have a lot better appreciation for Mani's bass playing and I for one would not want to miss the chance to see the master at work.

Elbow sold out for the second time in 2 years

2011-09-26T09:42:00.003-04:00

I saw Elbow for the second time in 2 years at the 9:30 Club last Thursday. great performers, and it was a welcome injection of joy from Manchester that has basically been absent from the DC area since last autumn.

the crowning moment of the night was the set closer, 'One Day Like This'. this song has probably the stupidest video ever, but I figure this way more people can hear this song, in case they haven't already. (which is criminal!)

read my review of the gig here on There Goes the Fear; coming soon is my interview feature with guitarist Mark Potter on This is Fake DIY.

you'll be my master, I'll be your fever

2011-09-25T20:30:00.001-04:00

I'm mourning the fact that I've only seen Villagers once, and that didn't really count b/c it was solo Conor J. O'Brien. enjoy this video of 'The Pact', one of the best songs from their 2010 Mercury Prize-nominated Domino debut, 'Becoming a Jackal'.

the sound of Merseyside

2011-08-07T20:33:00.002-04:00

this is a nod to the British Invasion, which occupied my brain for many of my formative years...

this is a live performancedby the Searchers, and their famous hit 'Needles and Pins'. or known to my dorky brother as 'Needles and Pinsa'...

Emmy the Great - 'We Almost Had a Baby'

2011-07-27T20:27:00.011-04:00

I first heard this song, Emmy the Great's 'We Almost Had a Baby', on Radcliffe and Maconie (back in their Radio2 days), it didn't mean anything to me personally. I loved the fact that Emma-Lee Moss is Chinese (well, half-Chinese: close enough) and making her dream of being a singer come true. more so, I was struck dumb by the beauty of her voice (in particular, the last couple notes that swirl in the air and tug at the heartstrings), as well as the strength of the songwriting. if the story is taken from her real life / is true (and from what I've seen on the Web, it sounds like it is?), it's amazing.

somehow she's managed to compartmentalise a fling with a Ricky Nelson-type 'Travelin' Man' that included a night of heated passion with someone who meant so much to her and still means so much to her, yet he could care less now. she recalls how she thought that after a night of unprotected sex, she was so worried she was pregnant. yet, the wistfulness is painful - she knows that if there had been a baby, it would have been their baby. so many times in film we see women thinking they can use having a baby as a trump card in keeping a man, and instead of this idea being a cheap ploy in this song, it's heartbreaking. she's despondent. perhaps there's even a part of her that wishes she had been pregnant, because maybe he would have stayed.

the next time I saw you
out on the road
I'd have something to say
other than "pay me all of the money you owe"

I would have liked to
to have something above you
to have something to hold
and know I could choose to grow

I would've called you
and I'd have said "hey
you know I'm in control
I'll let you know if you have to come and choose a name"

she also paints, in one brief verse, the very picture of lost innocence. pretty sure she lost her virginity to this man (cue the waterworks):

well, I am a woman
and you know I'm a woman
but before I met you
I was only a kid
you know
when you thought you would break me
but you wanted to take me
so you did

and later:

I'm not the girl you remember from the start
I was only a baby
now I'm what you made me

she admits to wanting to give up everything to prove to him she was worthy of his love:

and once you left me in the spring
and twice you left in fall
and once I tried to make a life
to keep myself in yours

also, it's painfully obvious that this man is a musician, who flitted into her life when it was possible and flitted right back out (fits the profile of a touring musician):

do you think of me when you are playing
the one and five in four?
is country music
what your life is for?

I don't think men fully realise that that when it comes to love / sex / having babies, it's us women who carry the majority of the brunt of the consequences. there's a reason why there are more male "playas" and male serial flirters than women: the stakes are higher for women. if we sleep around, don't use protection and birth control, we're the ones that get pregnant and have to live with the potential unsettling, life-changing outcomes of unsafe liaisons.

hmm. it just really hit home today. when you're in love with someone, that someone is your whole world. for women, often times we're the ones having to give sex, because the men in our lives expect it, and we think that is enough to prove our love for them. but if there is ever a point when that someone stops loving you, especially after you've given them the most precious gift in the world, it's impossible to comprehend. it's not a question of forgiveness. it's not simple at all. it's like you're a drifting boat, left to drift forever, staring out into the horizon and wondering where the hell you're going.

so I've spent the entire afternoon listening to the song, bawling. like a baby. predictably.

Delphic - Acolyte, live in Arras (July 2010)

2011-07-26T06:35:00.006-04:00

I've discovered that the sound quality on my video feature of my new Panasonic camera sucks. I guess I should have tested it some but oh well :( it's not like you can really test gig quality in an electronics store. the photos are a lot better than my current Sony, so I guess I have that going for me...

anyway, I have been trying to find a video that does Delphic's live performance of 'Acolyte' justice. the problem: I cannot find one that has the sound AND visual aspects equally as good. this one is the best visual wise (except no exciting light show - the colouring was better at Roskilde :( ) and pretty good sound, from a festival in Arras, France last year. I'm working on mastering the bass line for this song, I love how the song's melody is essentially played on bass, with everything else secondary. please please let them keep this in the live set, even with album #2. (still terrified about album #2....)

it's exactly what I imagine heaven would sound like.

♥♥♥

radio mockery #1

2011-07-24T16:35:00.003-04:00

I often think the radio stations, here in DC and in England, are somehow tuned into my brain, b/c they often will play songs that fit my mood at that one given time.

one example, when I was feeling especially low last week on the way home from work and crying, this first came on (INXS - 'Never Tear Us Apart'):

it was then followed by this (OMD - 'If You Leave'):

seriously, how many cars do they want crashed on the side of the road as the result of playing those songs back to back?

Brother visiting on Tuesday

2011-07-22T07:02:00.002-04:00

not my own brother. that almost never happens. (my brother lives on the other side of the country.)

no, I mean, Brother, aka Viva Brother, aka Brother UK.

I have considered taking joke-suggestive photos with these boys. that is all.

I will say this: I wish my birthday was in May and not in November :(...

Delphic - Red Bull Academy Radio takeover

2011-07-10T22:14:00.004-04:00

when I was trying to find the source of a photo I'd saved eons ago from Delphic's first performance in Los Angeles in June 2010 (approximately a month before I saw them live), I found this very interesting Red Bull Academy Radio takeover show via the China Shop Mag.

the tracks

Matt's picks:
Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work - Kitsune (BROS!)
Thom Yorke - The Eraser - XL Recordings (not a surprise, as it's Matt. read more here from my chat with him in Boston last year.)
Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle - Record Makers
Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come - RCA (yes! Motown! and I looooove Sam Cooke.)

Rick's picks:
David Bowie - Rock'n'Roll Suicide - EMI (not a surprise, as it's Rick. read more here from my chat with him at Roskilde last year.)
My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes - Creation Records (the fact that another one of my band friends adores makes this...weird. as in Twilight Zone weird.)
Outkast - Take Off Your Cool - Arista (this selection blew my mind. I'd never have guessed the Boardman liked Outkast. excellent choice.)
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill - EMI

James's picks:
Studio - Life's A Beach - Information
Jeff Buckley - Morning Theft - Sony
Deerhunter - Microcastle - 4AD
Bjork - Wanderlust - Wellheart Ltd (not a surprise at all for Delphic)

this week's Roundtable (07/07)

2011-07-09T12:10:00.001-04:00

I haven't forsaken you, kiddos. I've been listening to these shows and just not feeling entirely inspired. but I'm forcing myself to review today's show. PS Andrew Collins is deputising for Lammo tonight...

Andrew is joined by comic Isy Suttie, writer Mark Sutherland (isn't he with Billboard?) and presenter Bethan Elfyn.

1. Bombay Bicycle Club - 'Shuffle' - I actually don't like this, TBH. it's kind of disappointing. when I heard BBC was coming back, I hoped for a sound back like their first album, away from their second acoustic (and IMO misstep) 'Flaws'. not pleased!

2. Jukebox Collective - 'The Rise and Fall of Billy the Kid' - not liking this?

3. Rufus Wainwright - 'Down Where the Drunkards Roll' - is where the drunkards should stay. zzzzzz

4. Crystal Fighters - 'Plage' - I like this. I like them. kind of biased!

5. Bjork - 'Crystalline' - I don't like Bjork, much. this is another weird chapter to her already very weird encyclopedia. the best part? the instrumentation. why can't she sing like a normal person?

6. Dennis Hopper Choppers - 'All Could Come True' - another zzzz. not batting too well this week, Roundtable. the name of the band is amazing though.

7. Benjamin Francis Leftwich's new album - as Isy said, it's kind of oversweet. though I suppose if you're in need of getting de-cynicised (that's not a word but I'm making it one), it's a good place to start.

I've listened to the end of this show a couple times and did not discern Collins announcing a winner, maybe I missed it...but assume the winner was not announced.

should we raise the flag for Brother?

2011-06-28T18:02:00.001-04:00

today it was announced on NME that Slough band Brother - who the NME, like the Vaccines before them, has supported massively, making you wonder if there's something in it for them beyond just "music journalism" - has had to change their name from "Brother" to "Viva Brother". according to this NME article, the band was served a writ at a show in San Francisco by a Celtic band of the same name.

there seems to be a massive, massive hatred for this band. I don't know where all this vitriol is coming from. granted, I'm generally look at every one of NME's picks with a jaundiced eye. take for example the band Mona. my guess is that the cockiness of Brother did the same thing cockiness did for Mona - it acted as self-made hype when no one else would have given it to them.

how many of these people who purportedly hate the band (some close friends - ?!?), want to beat them up, etc. have actually heard the band play live? (their debut album doesn't come out until 2 August so it's not like you really have that much to go on at this point.) I'm going to see Brother in late July when they're here in DC and see if they're any good. I won't pass judgment until I see them play all their material. Mona is quite good live, but I'm sure there are people who won't even have a listen to their stuff b/c there is so much backlash against them in the media.

music piracy - what does it mean to you

2011-06-23T15:22:00.006-04:00

*note: there was no Roundtable this week b/c Lammo is at Glasto (obviously) and you couldn't pay me to listen to who's standing in for him *cough*Andrew Collins*cough* so that's why there is no Roundtable for the week of 19/06. just an FYI.

so last week when I was seeing Noah and the Whale - who BTW had an absolutely blinding performance at the 9:30, I couldn't believe I was seeing the same band! - a girl next to us was asking how I got my photo passes, complaining that staff had confiscated her DSLR and that they were being mean. I held my tongue firmly in cheek and didn't say (though I was perfectly in my right to), "I work hard for them." instead I explained that I ran my own music blog. then she started saying some things that probably common sayings among young people, but I was just appalled.

she was saying that on a journal Web site that shalt not be named she could get free albums from other people and that's where she got almost all her music.

you don't want to know what was going through my mind after that. you don't want to know. really.

I'll say now that I don't *mind* that much if you're trading with your mates your favourites to share music, b/c that's where we get good music tips, your best mates. but very rarely. I don't even do this, even though the number I have is insane (both digital and physical) and there's a legitimate reason why I have these. I don't really buy music anymore, b/c when I want to hear something, I ask for a review copy and review it. that way I've given back to the band somehow.

I think young people don't realise what all this illegal downloading is doing to music. I have this discussion with many of my friends' bands, bands that are not at the level of U2, Coldplay, or whoever else, who depend on album sales maybe not for the actual cash but for survival with their label.

while I can relate to young people being skint - I never got a regular allowance myself - it's called saving up. I didn't have enough money of my own to buy my own albums until I was 10. I suppose theoretically, as long as you're old enough to see the computer screen and click on things with the mouse, you could get whatever you wanted, couldn't you?

and I never stole any music as a kid either. the Web makes it far too easy, unfortunately. I used to say my purpose of being a blogger was to get people to gigs in Washington. but now maybe it is a crusade to get people to realise that the music you're stealing is someone else's baby, the product of their blood, sweat, and tears. how would you like it if someone just walked into your house and took something that belonged to you? and spread it around the world?

Delphic being silly in the countryside

2011-06-22T20:56:00.004-04:00

anything I say about this will just detract from its nuttiness...so there you go.

(also, trying to "translate" the Northern accent for my mother: hilarious.)

this week's Roundtable (02/06)

2011-06-06T09:55:00.003-04:00

trying to get back into the swing of things for Roundtable reviewing. this week's wasn't particularly glowing (*cough*new Arctic Monkeys*cough*) but I will soldier on...

Bella Union boss Simon Raymonde, Radio2's "Whispering" Bob Harris and Tom Gray of Gomez

1. Kaiser Chiefs - 'Little Shocks' - it's interesting the reaction to this new one from a band that's known for laddish, shouty rock. I rather like it, even if it doesn't have the immediacy of 'Never Miss a Beat'.

2. the Goodnatured - 'Skeleton' - despite this panel's slating of it, I love this record. I think the problem is...they're all blokes. they don't get what this is. yes, it's suggestive, but that's the point. yet Cheryl Cole, Katy Perry or Gaga can get away with it and you're telling Sarah McIntosh can't? there's always been a bit of subversiveness with Sarah and she's not going to change. "what you see is what you get."

3. Little Roy - 'Silver' - the winner - why do the British love reggae so much? ::fast forwards::

4. Milk Maid - 'Not Me' - this is like surf pop on drugs. the guitars don't do a thing for me, they're too slow.

5. Tame Impala - 'Solitude is Bliss' - I've never been a fan of psychedelia, so when there's a new band trying to do that sound, I have to ask myself, is this any better than what's come before? I'm sorry, this isn't. oh god, go away.

6. the King Blues - 'I Want You' - this is kind of funny. isn't this band supposed to be political? this sounds like something anyone could have written. ummm...? it's ok. I don't hate it. it's just not ringing any bells for me, that's all.

7. Arctic Monkeys new album - why did Lammo choose the worst song, 'The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala' to play? ick.

I'm so sorry

2011-05-31T11:56:00.006-04:00

I haven't posted in over a month. apologies. I feel just terrible. I've just been so busy...there's really no one good excuse, so I might as well bring out the whole list...

three different band interviews that had supposedly been shored up weeks prior were cancelled last minute (which is a pretty bad feeling, let me tell you)
I couldn't go to a sold out show b/c the manager of one of those bands never touched base with the PR I was working with, so I never got a ticket (fail)
a schoolfriend's child died (that practically killed me)
busy sorting materials to give away and organising things for writers at the Great Escape in mid-May
trying like the dickens to FINALLY get into the print edition of the This is Fake DIY magazine, after having two different pieces not make it in the inaugural issue (:/)
I've been listening to Steve Lamacq's Roundtables and have not been impressed enough with the songs up for review to write about them

but there has been some good:

met White Lies, finally (after over 2 years)
met/interviewed Friendly Fires again (happily this was BEFORE Ed Mac had to be hospitalised :/)
have been listening to some great albums, like the new ones from Tom Vek, Is Tropical and Wolf Gang and getting inspired
requested time off in November so I can holiday in England and party with mates over there

hmmm. that doesn't really seem like much of an apology, does it? sorry about that. we'll see if this week's Roundtable fares any better and make this week and maybe I'll write about.

hope you're all well.

M x

We Might as Well Be Strangers - Keane on Jools Holland (a while ago)

2011-04-25T14:00:00.002-04:00

I hated this album when it came out. why? 'Somewhere Only We Know' was overplayed to death here in America.

thankfully, I have a better appreciation for it now, years later.

this week's Roundtable (21/04)

2011-04-21T14:05:00.000-04:00

Carl Barat, the Bluetones' Mark Morriss, and ...? join Lammo

1. Noah and the Whale - 'Tonight's the Kind of Night' - lovely! what a perfect piece of pop.

2. Tyler the Creator - 'Sandwitches' - next please.

3. Young Rebel Set - 'Lion's Mouth' - it's so scrappy...that's not the feeling I got from their previously released EP. I'll be deliberating on their new album for DIY soon.

4. Thurston Moore - 'Benediction' - the winner - do not like. zzzz.

5. Those Dancing Days - 'Can't Find Entrance' - I like this! it's poppy. not going to change any lives, but catchy.

6. Gomez -'Options' - it's ok but kinda surf poppy?

7. Fight Like Apes' new album 'The Body of Christ and Legs of Tina Turner' - I need to review this for TGTF this weekend. I think it's gonna be good. then again, I expect all albums I receive to be good!

this week's Roundtable (14/04)

2011-04-14T15:02:00.000-04:00

Josie Long, Steve Mason, and Sean Forbes of Rough Trade join Lammo

1. Arctic Monkeys - 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I Moved Your Chair' - I categorically love it, compared to their regular fluff. review on TGTF here

2. Let's Wrestle - 'In Dreams, pt. 2' (currently in Rebel Playlist brawl with Art Brut's 'Lost Weekend' and Frankie and the Heartstrings's 'That Postcard' this week) - all right. wouldn't mind seeing them live.

3. Beastie Boys - 'Make Some Noise' - glad to see them back. good stuff.

4. Rozi Plains - 'Humans' - ok. but what makes it stand out?

5. Art Brut - 'Lost Weekend' - I like the whispering, nice touch. and as usual, great lyrics. (I guess I should point out that Eddie Argos is a friend so I'm biased!)

6. D. Veloped - 'Bring Em Home' - this is ok, but the whistling is kind of annoying.

7. new TV on the Radio including 'Will Do' and 'Repetition' - pretty good but not something I'd go out and buy.

I've listened to the end of this show 3 times and there is NO winner announced. that's odd.

this week's Roundtable (07/04)

2011-04-11T15:28:00.001-04:00

Join Lammo as he welcomes his guests journalist Keith Cameron, Jim-Bob from Carter USM and Jim Dale from Goldheart Assembly into the studio to discuss the latest releases.

1. Friendly Fires - 'Live Those Days Tonight' - sounding very 'Kiss of Life', and that's not a compliment. too little guitar in the forefront. :( "a Duran Duran remix after they were good" - ouch.

2. Graham Coxon, Paloma Faith and Bill Ryder Jones - 'Desire' - nice guitars. don't like anything else. (Paloma has a hell of an annoying voice.) the combination is enough to make you ROFLcopter.

3. the View - 'I Need That Record' - not terrible, but man, what a zzzz....

4. Dells - 'Gob' - umm...

5. Kate Bush - 'Deeper Understanding' - the winner - I don't get the British love for Kate Bush (generally exhibited by the male half of the population). whenever I listen to Kate Bush, I don't know why, but I think of a singing cat. (I like cats, so it's not a total slagging off. it's just that the sound she makes doesn't sound human nor do I think we should be applauding her for it, especially since this one sounds like AUTOTUNE...hello...leave that to Kanye West, please!)

6. Alex Metric and Ian Brown - 'Open Your Eyes' - I don't know how I feel about Ian Brown becoming a dance music star! esp since last week's squashed Stone Roses reformation rumours (thanks ever so much Mani)

7. the Kills new album 'Blood Pressure', including 'Satellite' - I like this stuff, but not as edgy as Alison's work with Jack White in the Dead Weather. boo.

seriously good Hurts / Delphic mash-up

2011-03-31T15:30:00.000-04:00

just listen to this amazing mash-up of Hurts' 'Wonderful Life' and Delphic's 'Submission'. it's like they were MFEO. (if you've never seen 'Sleepless in Seattle', that means "made for each other".)

this week's Roundtable (31/03)

2011-03-31T14:03:00.000-04:00

Lammo welcomes Janice Long, James Endeacott, and Jack Lawrence-Brown from White Lies

1. Justice - 'Civilization' - ? um...

2. Kitty, Daisy and Lewis - 'I'm Going Back' - interesting in the context of Imelda May and other rockabilly acts. they played Kung Fu Necktie 2 years ago (Philly) but they've never been to DC.

3. Odd Future - it doesn't matter what the title is, b/c I didn't like it.

4. Dutch Uncles - 'Cadenza' - I do like Dutch Uncles, they sound so different than everyone else. I think Duncan Wallis is an amazing lyricist.

5. Goldheart Assembly - 'Harvest in the Snow' - the winner - gorge. yay!

6. Carl Barat - 'Death Fires Burn at Night' - ok, this is just weird.

7. the Crookes' 'Chasing After Ghosts' - I'm on the fence. there are some lovely moments - 'Bloodshot Days', 'The Crookes Laundry Murder, 1922' - but I could live with some of the other tracks. read my review on DIY here

Friendly Fires get interviewed by Fuse

2011-03-30T06:35:00.000-04:00

I just found this.

it's hilarious.

I honestly do not know what Ed Mac is talking about. he told me in Nottingham 2 years ago how uncomfortable he is singing to the camera, but I think he's got that down pat :)

(has it really been 2 years since I've been to England??? ::whimper::)

hands clean

2011-03-28T16:07:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking over the last couple of weeks how apt this song by Alanis Morissette is in my life.

no one knows except the both of us

er, sorta.

this week's Roundtable (24/03)

2011-03-24T15:03:00.001-04:00

Andrew Collins stands in for Lammo with guests Michael Legge, Matt Berry and Dave Harper from Frankie and the Heartstrings

1. Guillemots - 'The Basket' - it's dreamy but in a way I don't really like. not sure what else to say?

2. Smith Westerns - 'Weekend' - it's cute, in the sense that Blur were cute in their fey laziness.

3. Yuck - 'Get Away' - ? it's all right.

4. Fleet Foxes - 'Battery Kinzie' - all of their songs sound the same. sorry.

5. Bootsy Collins - 'Hip Hop @ Funk You' - is this a joke? haha. oh dear...

6. Paul Simon - 'The Afterlife' - the winner - bored. they're all afraid of knocking Paul Simon. Paul Simon is doing what he always does. nothing new here.

7. the Vaccines' debut album 'What Did You Expect from the Vaccines' - it took me a while but I came around. ok, this is weird - 'Wetsuit' is like Fleet Foxes...WTF?

just perfect.

2011-03-24T09:50:00.002-04:00

the original recording from 'Meat is Murder' is still better than the live versions out there.

I want the one I can't have
and it's driving me mad
it's all over, all over my face

this week's Roundtable (17/03)

2011-03-17T15:02:00.002-04:00

1. Gorillaz - 'Revolving Doors' - though Blur has some good tunes, I always liked Oasis more than Blur. and songs like this remind me that Damon Albarn is no Liam Gallagher (or NOEL Gallagher, for that matter).

2. Hollie Cook - 'That Very Night' - why do Brits love reggae so much? I don't like it, no matter how much I was exposed to it in uni. there's never a good time for reggae.

3. Alex Turner - 'It's Hard to Get Around the Wind' (from the 'Submarine' soundtrack) - I guess this is ok. it just kind of oozes around, like wet cement. nothing particularly exciting here.

4. Two Wounded Birds - 'All We Wanna Do' - another surf pop guitar band? zzzzz god the inanity.

5. TV on the Radio - 'Caffeinated Consciousness' - again, ok. it's kind of punky but lacks pizazz.

6. Hiatus - 'Insurrection' - the winner (barely winning over the reggae track) - I have a real problem with dance music that doesn't 'speak' to me. I'm not trying to be a snob. while there are times I can give myself over to dance music that isn't particularly standing out to me from all the rest, a dance track must have 1) a compelling vocal or 2) amazing instrumentation, preferably both. this falls flat on both measurements.

7. new Strokes album 'Angles' - disclaimer: I've never been a Strokes fan. of any size fandom. I don't know what it is. oh wait a minute, I do know what it is. it's all v. derivative. oh god, this is so boring! I know I'm not stupid about music but god, this is a snooze.

Two Door Cinema Club wins Breaking mtvU Woodie

2011-03-17T08:48:00.003-04:00

I am so proud of my buds Two Door Cinema Club for winning the Breaking mtvU Woodie. hell, even Friendly Fires didn't manage that 2 years ago.

watch them perform 'What You Know', my favourite song by them, in front of an adoring audience in Austin last night. hells to the yeah.

2011 mtvU Woodie Awards

sorry is the hardest word...

2011-03-16T10:39:00.006-04:00

I've been so harried running to and from things and having to travel out to the foreign land known as California for the job that pays all my bills that I've missed the last 2 Roundtables. I feel terrible :/ hopefully I'll be able to review tomorrow's St. Patrick's Day edition (17/03) and somewhat make up for it.

I'm sort of obsessed with this song by the Joy Formidable. they're one of my favourite live bands as of late (seeing them next week at the Black Cat) and this song, 'The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade', sums up pretty much what should be the healthy end of a relationship. but we all know it's more difficult than that. ::frown::

to anyone who's ever suffered a broken heart...this song better than anything I've found shows that you are not alone. and you will come out on the other end of this terrible event in one piece. and stronger.

this week's Roundtable (24/02)

2011-02-24T14:03:00.000-05:00

comedian Ed Byrne, singer/songwriter Patrick Wolf and Dave Lorre join Lammo this week

1. Foo Fighters - 'Rope' - I really like this. sure beats the hell out of that snorefest that was 'Wheels' last year. was that last year? I don't even remember. hell, even Pat Smear is back with the Foos. good sign!

2. the Dodos - 'Black Night' - when I heard this the first time, I thought it was Princeton. imagine my disappointment. I keep missing them on tour, I guess I should just hunker down and see them already.

3. the Jim Jones Revue - 'Dishonest John' - not as good as 'Shoot First...' more like a scream fest?

4. the Low Anthem - 'Boeing 737' - uhhhh... these are the same guys that put out 'Ohio' and 'Charlie Darwin', right?

5. the Primitives - 'Rattle My Cage' - too twee for me. there's no direction, as there is for, say, Camera Obscura.

6. Cashier No. 9 - 'Goldstar' - interesting. they're Northern Irish but this sounds very...'60s British Invasion? but the synths remind me of Pains of Being at Heart...

7. Radiohead album 'King of Limbs' - not gonna touch this one. sorry!

oh bugger, I missed who won again. for cryin' out loud. oops.

February 2011 Delphic teaser vids

2011-02-23T10:03:00.005-05:00

when Rick Boardman told me last summer they were going shock some people ("It will still sound like Delphic I think, but I think it’ll shock some people. A lot of people really" - read more here) he wasn't kidding.

posted 03/02/2011 (featuring a very strange...er...just watch it)

posted 23/02/2011 (rumba beats, piano chords and what appears to be Boardman, not James Cook's voice...intriguing...)

Paul Epworth says 'Pala' is a "real game changer"

2011-02-22T13:51:00.003-05:00

6music's Adrian Larkin spoke to producer Paul Epworth about Friendly Fires's new album 'Pala' and the new direction they've gone into...

I'm actually more excited about Friendly Fires's new material more than I am about this supposed Delphic weirdo-direction new material because the St. Albans' blokes' stuff is actually going to be released this spring versus who knows when...

off the wagon

2011-02-18T07:02:00.001-05:00

sorry. no Friday amusement. you could say I'm not in the mood?

this is the only Vaccines song I can stand / doesn't sound like a Ramones rip-off. enjoy.

oh when you love somebody but you find someone,
and it all unravels and it comes undone

this week's Roundtable (17/02)

2011-02-17T14:03:00.000-05:00

Kai Fish of Mystery Jets, ex-Pipette Rose Elinor Dougall , and BBC Radio1 presenter Edith Bowman join Lammo

1. the Human League - 'Never Let You Go' - oh goodness. autotune? I'd never in a million years would have put Human League and autotune in the same sentence. awful. categorically awful.

2. the Dum Dum Girls - 'He Gets Me High' - the problem with all these bands - Dum Dum Girls, Warpaint, the Like...they all sound the same, and they all sound like the Gogos. boring. someone please explain to me how these are "groundbreaking".

3. Roddy Woomble - 'Roll Along' - uhhhh this is ok. the brass is kind of weird? I thought it'd be nice, smooth, singer/songwriter kind of thing. and it's overorchestrated. people don't seem to understand less is more.

4. John Foxx and the Maths - 'Evergreen' - oh dear. this sounds like English blokes trying to be Kraftwerk! ::giggle:: giving it a pass.

5. Anna Calvi - 'Blackout' - the winner - I still don't get this woman. she sounds ok but it's not mind-blowing. as usual, I'm very cynical about female singers...

6. Moby - 'Be the One' - hahahaha Lammo was thinking exactly what I was thinking. this ain't no Jack Penate!

7. Gruff Rhys's solo album 'Hotel Shampoo' - this is ok. he's got a bit of a humdrum voice.

3 videos for a much needed battery recharge

2011-02-16T20:07:00.006-05:00

1. pretty anticlimactic film, but this is probably my favourite song off Keane's 'Perfect Symmetry'. they never play it live, so I find it weird this is a performance video.

I have this crazy dream that one day Tim Rice-Oxley will write a song that I can duet on with Tom Chaplin. but until that day, I find solace in that there is something better, bigger than what you're doing right this v. moment. it might not feel that way, but get inspired!

you can hang your hopes on the medicine
you can put your faith in the phone-in
you can tell yourself you're doing your best
you can do so much better than this

2. this Vertical Horizon video for 'Everything You Want' takes me back quite a bit. I remember thinking, how the heck did they delay the guitars like that? (now I can fathom a guess: an effect pedal or an effect put in production later on, I'm sure.) I didn't understand what it meant then - I was a naive little kid - but I get it now.

you're waiting for someone to put you together
you're waiting for someone to push you away
there's always another wound to discover
there's always something more you wish he'd say

and yes, everything you want is not everything you need. usually.

3. I take it as a good sign that I can listen to 'Magic' by the Cars and not break down (haha no pun intended). watching the video and noting how pointy Ric Ocasek is? that really helps.

the '80s were such thrilling years for music. everything since has been redux/remake/remodel of something that's come before. or electronically produced to be such.

'Perfect' and 'Love is Like Oxygen' for Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:30:00.002-05:00

two features for today.

1. the video for Smashing Pumpkins's 'Perfect' makes no sense. (if you feel the need to watch it, go here.) but the song is, no pun intended, perfect, especially the lyrics. so follow them on the video below. I've also included a live telly appearance from several years back.

anyone who has loved and lost can relate to this...

strangers down the line
lovers out of time
memories unwind...
so far, I still know who you are
but now I wonder who I was...
angel, you know it's not the end
we'll always be good friends
the letters have been sent on...

is it hopeful? is it regretful? what do you think?

2. the Sweet's 'Love is Like Oxygen' has somewhat silly lyrics, but the more you listen to them, they make more sense. especially if you've been loved. and been hurt.

love is like oxygen
you get too much, you get too high
not enough and you're gonna die

'Fireworks' demo

2011-02-12T08:07:00.001-05:00

this is a demo of 'Fireworks' by my dear friend Matt Abbott (aka Skint and Demoralised). sure beats that Katy Perry rubbish.

"the only way to love myself is spending my time with you..." good work mate!

two good friends have a birthday today - ♥ you, hope you're enjoying your day.

Delphic - old 'blog video' 04/03/09

2011-02-11T06:12:00.005-05:00

to this day I still have no idea why Rick Boardman does not have biceps like a gorilla's. he should be as ripped as Dan Hadley. WHAT.

watch this (drumsticks flying) and see what I mean...

and be a gymnast. see 1.09. an outdoor climbing wall? REI has never come up with anything so cool. (BTW, best wishes son...)

and Dan. ohhhh Dan. LOLZ slave to the rhythm at 3.10, completely oblivious to what's going on around him. LOVE IT ::snicker::

this week's Roundtable (10/02)

2011-02-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

with NME's Kristi Murrison, Miranda Sawyer, and Simon Raymonde

1. the Strokes - 'Under the Cover of Darkness' - I've never been a huge Strokes fan. this just sounds like generic guitar rock to me. yes, I know to be ready for a stoning.

2. Flats - 'Never Again' - the winner - too screamy. blech. are you shouting "ELLA! ELLA! ELLA! ELLA!" ???

3. Jon Fratelli - 'Rhythm Doesn't Make You a Dancer' - this isn't as bad as everyone is saying it is. it sure is better than the one that followed it...

4. Dr. Dre feat. Eminem and Skylar Gray - 'I Need a Doctor' - what is this. ugh.

5. The Dears - 'Blood' - not my usual thing but it's got a v. cool vibe.

6. Iron and Wine - 'Dream by the River' - is.not.my.thing.

7. the Streets' new album - good stuff. interesting, unlike #4.

Two Door Cinema Club - before they was

2011-02-04T07:14:00.001-05:00

this is Life Without Rory, the band Two Door Cinema Club was in before they became...well, Two Door Cinema Club. the presenter says they're 16 years old, which would place this show 5 years ago.

check out Sam Halliday's long locks. and TBH I'm not sure if that's Kev Baird on bass. if it is, it's really weird how he and Sam look like twins. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised:

watch and enjoy a live performance of 'You Missed the Point' by Life without Rory below. (Two Door Cinema Club is a MUCH better band name, isn't it?)

this week's Roundtable (03/02)

2011-02-03T14:05:00.003-05:00

Keith Cameron, and who else? not sure...it's not on Lammo's page (sorry)

1. Fleet Foxes - 'Helplessness Blues' - I liked Fleet Foxes when they first appeared on the scene, I really did. then they became the populist favourite, which drove me nuts b/c people were liking them b/c it was 'cool'. this is ok. but boring.

I remember wanting to see them at the Black Cat 3 years ago and of course the show(s) sold out. now they're playing DAR this year, which I think is ridiculous!

2. Cloud Control - 'There's Nothing in the Water' - man, this is annoying.

3. the View - 'Grace' - I know I'm not supposed to like these guys but pretty catchy. now I understand the mainstream appeal.

4. Gil-Scott Heron (reworked by Jamie xx) - the winner - 'I'll Take Care of You' -it's ok. just not my thing.

5. Beth Ditto / Simian Mobile Disco - 'I Wrote the Book' - interesting, didn't they do 'Cruel Intentions' before? it's amazing to hear Beth Ditto's voice again disco, it actually sounds better than her stuff with the Gossip.

6. James Blake - 'The Wilhelm Scream' - I don't really get James Blake. it's ok I suppose but I don't like the sound effects.

7. Chapel Club's 'Palace' - I adore this album. top 10 of 2011, for sure. 'Blind' - GORGEOUS. and I'm not saying that b/c Lewis Bowman personally sent me the lyrics to that song. ::swoon::

Polly Scattergood - 'Please Don't Touch'

2011-01-31T13:11:00.002-05:00

my last thing I can remember about Polly Scattergood was standing in a Fopp's in Nottingham in May 2009, looking at a CD display of Dot to Dot artists and wondering if I should buy her album. I didn't - I bought Grizzly Bear (at Friendly Fires' suggestion - mistake), Late of the Pier (Friendly Fires' suggestion again - definite win), and Elbow's 'The Seldom Seen Kid' instead.

I just started thinking about her again today b/c Lammo interviewed her on a "Where Are They Now?" feature on his show today, and she said she's working on a new album. good stuff.

and good stuff indeed - this is 'Please Don't Touch', which seems rather appropriate given my mental state at the moment.

Two Door Cinema Club - ITN interview bites

2011-01-28T06:30:00.002-05:00

poor Sam. you can tell by his hands he's sooo nervous! and directly below that, an acoustic version of 'Undercover Martyn' from the same session. loverly.

this week's Roundtable (27/01)

2011-01-27T14:01:00.000-05:00

1. Noah and the Whale - 'L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N' - just classic NATW, you get this wonderful feeling inside listening to them (something you can't say every time about Mumford and Sons). I can't wait to see these guys on the road again.

2. Lupe Fiasco - 'The Show Goes On' - oh no. do we really need a song that has stolen Modest Mouse's 'Float On'? I just hope they get tons of royalties.

3. Morning Parade - 'A&E' - I like the swagger of this. never heard of them, going to have to do some research! err...are the Snow Patrol comparisons valid?

4. Jessica Lea Mayfield - 'Our Hearts Are Wrong' - not terribly exciting.

5. Scritti Politti - 'A Day Late and a Dollar Short' - oh dear. this sounds terrible. I think they're messing with their legacy, in a bad way.

6. Dog is Dead - 'River Jordan' - seems like everyone is trying to jump on the religious bandwagon.

7. Adele's new album '21' - it's ok. it'll grow on me for sure. (I'm just so cynical about girl singers ;)

missed who the winner was b/c my mum was yelling at me about the snow...eh, I'll figure this out later...

AH-OH-AH-AH-OH - Two Door Cinema Club rocks out the 9:30 Club

2011-01-25T20:07:00.004-05:00

so my favourite Irish boys Two Door Cinema Club were in town last Thursday night to entertain us. along with them were Tokyo Police Club (Canadians from Ontario) and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Americans from Missouri) but for me, it was all about Two Door.

you see, I've known their music since before xmas 2009. I/TGTF was the first blog to have written about them, that I'm aware of anyway. certainly one of the earliest mentions of 'Tourist History'. I wrote previously about our first meeting in April 2010 here and here. since then they've skyrocketed to fame and it couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of hard-working guys from a little town in Northern Ireland who dreamed of being massive one day.

well, they've arrived. selling out American venues is a big deal for a band from a town thousands of miles away.

PW review (I compare the whole thing to a three-course dinner, including Two Door as the best curry you've ever eaten in your life)

TGTF review

well, 'What You Know' is thoroughly danceable.

2011-01-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

I love 'What You Know' an inordinate amount. it's my favourite track from Two Door Cinema Club's 'Tourist History', because the bass line is relentless and the guitar lines are second to none. the lyrics are great too - so true. "I can tell just what you want / you don't want to be alone, you don't want to be alone / and I can say it's what you know / but you've known it all the time, you've know it all the time..." months before we met in person, I just knew there were something special about these guys.

I just sussed the bass line of the chorus of this song last weekend and am feeling rather victorious, but b/c of so much stuff on top of it, I'm having trouble with the verse. so much so that I kind of begged Kev Baird to help me with it. no response as of yet...

oh bloody hell I LOVE THIS SONG ♥ ♥ ♥ ::sob::

*ahem*

I'm so sorry for the I consider these guys my little brothers. watching them gain the success they deserve from all their hard work they've put in brings tears to my eyes.

Friendly Fires returns

2011-01-19T12:57:00.007-05:00

the boys from St. Albans were my favourite band of 2009. and they're ba-ack! 26 May 2011 at 9:30 Club, finally returning to DC after 2 years - about bloody time!

read more here on PopWreckoning

Delphic at London Tabernacle, 26/1/2010

2011-01-14T06:30:00.003-05:00

this is probably the most beautifully shot amateur video I've seen of Delphic live, at what appears to be a New to Q session gig. the lighting's perfect. I actually prefer this lighter touch than what was seen at Glasto and Reading/Leeds last summer. Matt Cocksedge looks amazingly cool and collected. wow.

and in answer to one of the commenters, NO, James Cook does not look like Adam Levine. none of them do...???

below is my favourite song off 'Acolyte', 'Submission'. I had a nice chat with James before they played in Boston on 29 September 2010 and he said they were going to play it that night. I was pretty excited. but until now I hadn't seen a video of the song played live. (I was too spellbound to capture it myself at Roskilde or Boston.)

this week's Roundtable (13/01)

2011-01-13T14:12:00.003-05:00

with Katie Sutherland (Pearl and the Puppets), Eddie Argos (Art Brut) and comedian Mark Steele

1. Pete and the Pirates - 'Winter 1' - I don't really remember what this band used to sound like, but I defo don't remember them sounding so...'80s? the chugging along is annoying.

2. Asian Dub Foundation - 'A History of Now' - oh. my. god. WHY. (I think in this case these are Indians, not Asians in the American sense...)

3. Band of Horses - 'Dilly' - this is more pop than I remember them being. I like. I like whimsical!

4. Reverend Soundsystem - 'Wife Her Up' - this is just. weird. McClure, stick with what you're best at, please.

5. Mogwai - 'Mexican Grand Prix' - the winner - the synths are up too high. hello. where are the guitars?

6. Fixers - 'Iron Deer Dream' - first off, the vocals are grating. ugh. NEXT.

7. Anna Calvi's debut album - everyone else is going crazy over this. I'm not excited. what's wrong with me?

why haven't I thought of this before? best idea for a tour ever...

2011-01-12T13:37:00.015-05:00

according to a chat I had with the exceedingly intelligent and lovely Matt Cocksedge of Delphic, Squib Swain does lighting for both them and Two Door Cinema Club.

so last night when I was driving home and listening to 'I Can Talk', I was thinking...why not have...

the AH-OH-AH-AH-OH / AH-EE-AY-OH-AH-EE-EE-AY-OH tour

the posters alone would be amazing. they could get placement on Sesame Street.

this is completely copyrighted by me, 'natch.

disclaimer: there is no such tour planned, though it's not from lack of interest on my part. I've tried my best to get the ball rolling on this!

Two Door 'You Think You Know...' Babysweet documentary

2011-01-09T17:22:00.005-05:00

in case you haven't seen it yet, here is the amazing 'You Think You Know, You Don't Know: A film about Two Door Cinema Club' documentary by the Babysweet folks. I honestly thought it was going to be on DVD format with the expanded edition of 'Tourist History' (I reviewed it both for Popwreckoning and TGTF) but no. they decided to let everyone have a watch of it, which, in hindsight, was pretty cool of them. watch it below.

I AM SO PROUD OF EVERYTHING THEY'VE ACHIEVED!

I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE THEM IN 11 DAYS!

I'M GONNA HUG THEM LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW!

ok. I'll calm down now.

This Momentary at Reading, and more

2011-01-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

baby, it's cold outside. so why not think of Reading from last summer. this is my bass-playing nemesis. James Cook makes it look so easy! it's the hypnotic bass line that makes 'This Momentary' great. even if I can't suss it. grrrr...lol

interestingly, the BBC accidentally forgot to turn on the country restrictions for Reading that night and I was actually able to watch the whole thing from my computer. I couldn't have been happier :) the energy at the NME/Radio1 tent looked amazing. sometimes I cannot believe I was standing right in front of this band at tiny little DC9 last October.

below are some more vids from some guy who I guess ripped them from telly - 'Clarion Call', 'Doubt', 'Red Lights', 'Halcyon', and 'Counterpoint' . the annoying thing is that banner he's put up at the top. the least he could have done was make it smaller or less blinding. BUT if you haven't seen Delphic live, it's worth the eye strain. I think so anyway. they look nice in suits!

'this performance contains strobe lighting.' uh yeah, YA THINK? haha

first Roundtable of 2011 (06/01)

2011-01-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

Frank Turner, Colin Newman from Wire, and Tom Robinson will be joining Steve for Roundtable today

1. REM - 'Discoverer' - not jumping out at me. then again, I thought I'd always hate 'Man Sized Wreath' and ended up loving it. wait for it.

2. Pearl and the Puppets - 'Because I Do' - I thought this was out a long time ago! ::confused:: I love Katie Sutherland's pop sensibility. what is minor hilarity is that she knows this too.

3. Cosmo Jarvis - 'Gay Pirates' - I didn't want to like this song. and then I reviewed it on TGTF and loved it. really jaunty.

4. Bright Eyes - 'Shell Games' - umm. ok. Conor Oberst is like God to some people but he was never for me. ok but not earth shattering.

5. J Mascis - 'Not Enough' - the winner - ugh. I don't like stuff like this when the voice is not melodic at all. American heroics? gag me.

6. Audiobullyz - 'Shotgun' - begins deceptively. hmmm. not as annoying as most of the stuff on the top 40. interesting, shall we say...

7. British Sea Power's new album 'Valhalla Dancehall' including 'Stunde Nell' - ok, I really don't get this. I am getting the feeling that like Radiohead, it's like this big secret that I'm not being let into. it's too bad, b/c I thought with 'Living is So Easy', they were going for a more pop, mainstream sound. but I guess not. thumbs down.

The Script - 'For the First Time'

2011-01-06T10:57:00.002-05:00

pop music videos aren't known for much substance. but watch this one of the Script's 'For the First Time' (from their second album, 'Science & Faith') and I challenge you NOT to sob at the end of watching it.

go to it.

I was weeping like a baby.

"I never feel l like I'm mashed enough to watch it" (Rock am Ring 2010 interview)

2011-01-03T13:40:00.011-05:00

I know it's not Friday - yet - but it came to my attention that today is a bank holiday in England, so watching this on your day off from work/school is perfectly acceptable.

Delphic and Two Door Cinema Club's lighting man extraordinaire Squib Swain is compared to Squidward of 'Spongebob Squarepants' fame, Rick reveals his former obsession with Melissa Joan Hart as Clarissa in 'Clarissa Explains It All' (seriously, I thought I was on the only one who watched that show religiously, haha), their race with Foals on the Formula 1 racetrack and other topics are explored in this interview at Rock am Ring, conducted interestingly by a Dane (Rock am Ring is in Germany).

2010 in review

2010-12-31T07:30:00.006-05:00

I had a think the other night when I was lying in bed, you know, that little twilight time Macca describes right before you fall asleep and strange thoughts come into your head. (at least that is his explanation for 'Yellow Submarine'. a likely story...) and thought it might be nice to have a "best memory" of each month of this year.

January - this is a tie: 1) standing in front of Johnny Marr, jaw on the floor, as he played with the Cribs at the 9:30 on 19 January. he really is that amazing on guitar. and 2) interviewing We Are Scientists backstage at the Black Cat. they are so, so funny. and I got to enjoy the gig with my good friend Catherine, who enjoyed their show even she had no idea who they were / what they sounded like previous to the gig. score!

February - this is probably going to sound a bit strange, but the highlight of February was seeing Delphic's 'Halcyon' video in all its full colour, wide screen glory on a tv display at DC9, 19 February. I had only ever seen it on a computer screen and being able to see it in front of me, huge, brought a smile to my face. that and MB and I were singing along to it and dancing to it like loons, even though no one else there had a clue why were acting that way. (ohhhh, the ignorant!)

March - watching the xx play a sold-out gig at 6th and I Synagogue, 28 March. what a gorgeous, intimate venue to see such beautiful music being played.

April - witnessing Two Door Cinema Club's debut appearance in Washington, at Constitution Hall, 26 April 2010. they could have been scared and apprehensive playing one of the bigger stages in DC, supporting heavyweight Phoenix, but they showed no signs of worry. they were friggin' amazing. I was happy I wasn't the only one dancing along to their tunes but golly, just 5 months prior I'd received a sampler from Kitsune with 5 tracks of theirs (absolutely loving them) and now I was getting to see them live.

the best part was afterwards, when I went right up to Kev Baird and said hello, showing him I knew who he was (he was very surprised!) and when I gave him my business card, he said, "IT'S YOU! you're the woman who writes lovely things about us!" and we hugged. since then I have been sending friends to see them all over the world, and the band know this, b/c inevitably, they meet my friends after and they say, "Mary sent me!" haha

May - Laura Marling at Iota (16 May). I'd just come back from Philly seeing Two Door and was feeling ambivalent about this gig - I'm not a big fan of hers. live, she is WOW. how is it possible someone so young has so much talent?

June - meeting Conor O'Brien (Villagers) and seeing him do a solo show at DC9, 21 June. I wasn't sure if it was such a good idea going to this gig, just days before I had to leave for Denmark, but I am so, so glad I went. we had a nice chat. he wanted to know about me b/c I had said I had learned about him from Steve Lamacq (um, of course!)

July - Roskilde. professionally, this was a major coup, being the only American invited to be an official blogger for the festival. (seriously, I now get the "you went to Roskilde???" gasp from most bands when I tell them I saw them there. probably the best gasp was from Dougy Mandagi of the Temper Trap, whose mind was blown when I told him I had stood behind him as he smoked during the Kissaway Trail's set at Odeon and since he was chilling, I didn't want to bother him. this discussion went on outside the Boston House of Blues, see September.) I saw so many bands gig there that I may never get the chance to see in my lifetime, and I feel truly blessed for the opportunity. personally, I met two English musicians who I think will be friends for a very long time. if their band doesn't get too big and they forget the little people that helped them at the very beginning of their world domination, that is :)

August - I bought my first amp! it's only a practise amp but it signalled my first real foray into bass playing. I am teaching myself how to play electric bass guitar - I started the week after I got back from Roskilde - and it's become a wonderful hobby. I used to sing alto in the school choir, so it's coming pretty naturally to me to play a harmonising instrument than a lead melody one. also of note: I have learned how "sensual" an instrument the bass guitar is. (and yes, that is all I will say on that subject!)

September - travelling to see Temper Trap and Delphic in Philly (26 September) and Boston (29 September). such great shows. forget the money and traveling, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat for similar amazing experiences. probably the two best moments were 1) interviewing Matt Cocksedge of Delphic, b/c he's such a funny, intelligent, and talented guy and 2) getting hugged by Dougy Mandagi after the Boston show, he'd had such a high after meeting a large group of girls from Indonesia (where he is from) who had travelled all the way to Boston to see their show, because up to that point, they had not played in his home country. I am really glad to have seen them before they start playing stadiums, b/c I'm sure that's where they're headed next. Delphic had a good if not great reception, which is pretty good, considering not too many people know who they are on this side of the pond (hope this will be rectified soon, b/c I've tried my darnedest to promote them over here).

October - seeing the tragedy of DC9 scared the heck out of me (it took a couple weeks before I would even go back downtown again) and First Aid Kit's show was cancelled (boo), the highlight of the month was seeing Delphic there on 8 October, a week before that drunk guy got killed outside the club, is bittersweet.

it had been pretty much a perfect night, the weather was wonderful to hang out on the rooftop bar. (nearly) all my local friends had come for the show, and they were not disappointed. even weirder, one of my cousins was there celebrating a friend's birthday (I had not invited her, she just happened to be there and was surprised to hear there was a band playing that night). before the night was out, I'd introduced her to Rick Boardman - her first rock star encounter (insert proud older cousin smirk here). before the band left, we were able to have a moment with them for catch-up so I could wish them well for the second part of their campaign across our continent. there was mutual appreciation and hugs all around.

aww, now I'm getting teary-eyed! haha.

November - two things. 1) emotionally, I needed to see the Script at the 9:30 on 2 November. (don't you dare laugh.) a lot of people think they're too commercial but I like their sound and they are v. good live. I was amazed how the crowd sang along to every song. what a great night. however, 2) I also needed a good rocking out / kick in the pants this month, and that was delivered by the Joy Formidable at Black Cat Backstage (11 November). it is with some amusement that I remember almost getting hit in the head several times by Ritzy Bryan's guitar. haha.

December - interviewing Brian Briggs of Stornoway at the Black Cat and telling him how much 'Beachcomber's Windowsill' meant to me, and he was touched. before I left the venue, the whole band signed a set list for me, "to Mary, with love from Stornoway, and thanks for the praise online! Oli, Brian, Jonathan, and Rob". I feel very grateful that my "job" allows me opportunities like this.

I am now looking forward to seeing what 2011 brings - more amazing gigs, interviews, and meetings, surely, but I also wish for love. blogging as a single woman is a very, very lonely experience. you just don't know how lonely it is until you actually do it for 2 years and go to most (if not all) gigs by yourself. everyone else is at a gig with their significant other, or at least their friends.

I've travelled alone to all sorts of places for gigs and I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had in places near and far, meeting bands and seeing them gig. but most of the downtime, wandering around an unfamiliar town, is pretty lonesome. it'd be nice to find someone who loves music as much as I do and be able to share that important part of my life with him.

well. it is time to bid adieu to 2010. if you are in DC, London, Manchester, New York, LA, or further afield...I hope you have exciting plans for tonight to say goodbye to this eventful year.

roll on 2011! and happy new year!

Mary x

top gigs of 2010 - TGTF - winner: the Postelles
top albums of 2010 - TGTF - winner: 'Acolyte', Delphic
top 'lists' of 2010 - Popwreckoning - posts tomorrow, 01.01.11

Manchester slide show with 'Red Lights'

2010-12-27T06:51:00.002-05:00

completely random slide show of another tourist's snaps of Manchester taken on holiday, set to 'Red Lights'. v. nice.

my own holiday snaps from 2006 (though not put to the music of Delphic b/c when I last visited Manchester, I did not know them and therefore I had no idea the hotel I was staying at was metres away from their flat in Castlefield...?!?!?) are here.

Two Door Cinema Club - Virgin Red Room interview

2010-12-26T07:30:00.001-05:00

here is a Boxing Day special in the form of a Virgin Red Room (not Virgin Red Rom as it's misspelled on the Web site) interview with the fabulous Two Door Cinema Club.

female interviewer's a bit of a ditz (is this why everyone in the music business looks at me dubiously when I say I'm there to interview a band???) and the "twinkle twinkle" whispering before the actual bit goes on is a little creepy. but the guys are as adorable as ever. enjoy.

and I recognise Sam's scarf. that must be Kitsune issue, b/c I've seen it around two other musicians' necks, haha ;)

xmas wishes from Two Door Cinema Club

2010-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was thinking to myself Tuesday, wow, maybe this Christmas I'll be healthy! then a couple hours later I succumb to probably the worst incidence of flu I've had since I was small. blehhhh...

so instead of me saying thank you to everyone who's ever come by this blog, as I'm too ill to do so right now, here are Two Door Cinema Club's wishes to all their fans b/c I melted reading them.

n'awwww...I wanna give Kev, Sam and Alex the biggest of hugs right now.

watch the video too!

Hey guys,

We think it’s about time we wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS, and with this festive greeting, we present to you a mashup of our year….it’s a bit of everything…clips from Reading Festival, T In The Park, the Carson Daly show, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, festivals in Japan, Sam wearing his brand new adidas tracksuit, Vegas, Jimmy Kimmel, Kev showing off his dance moves, music videos from Gran Canaria, France and West London, our first UK TV performance on Jools Holland, KCRW radio session in America…our amateur footage that we call ‘tour diaries’. See if you think you can spot yourself….

It’s been a huge huge year for us, and this all comes down to the support we’ve had from you, so THANK YOU. We couldn’t have done it without you [no seriously, we couldn't!] So we dedicate this compilation of moments to ALL OF YOU.

Thanks again everyone – you’ve made our 2010 properly amazing!

Kev, Sam and Alex

Two Door Cinema Club and Delphic answer Under the Radar Mag's artist survey

2010-12-24T07:30:00.001-05:00

Kev from Two Door Cinema Club and all of Delphic answer some (admittedly American-centric) questions Under the Radar Mag sent them about their year in 2010. (FYI there are apparently more Delphic answers in the physical Under the Radar, but as I've been felled by flu I'm not exactly sure when I'll be well enough to venture out for it. and I'm only getting it if the magazine was smart enough to shoot another nice, 2-page photo of the guys for it, haha.)

Kev of Two Door Cinema Club

Top 10 Albums of 2010

Not really in any order...

Four Tet: There Is Love in You

The National: High Violet

Bad Veins: Bad Veins

Caribou: Swim

LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening

The Black Keys: Brothers

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Blood Red Shoes: Fire Like This

Stars: The Five Ghosts

Wild Nothing: Gemini

What was the highlight of 2010 for either you personally or for the band?

We’ve been lucky enough to be part of a lot of very cool things, but I think our highlight definitely has to be releasing our debut record. It was kind of like we’d properly laid down our intent.

What was the low point of 2010 for you?

When someone threw beer over my favorite effects pedal.

What are your hopes and plans for 2011?

We’re going to be touring until about April/May. Before 2011 is over we want to have the next record finished and well on its way or finished in the studio.

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s job performance in the last year? Has your optimism, if you were an Obama supporter, waned?

After studying American Politics in school I probably should have taken more of an interest. I think from touring all over the world for the duration of his presidency I have lost a lot of touch. He seems to be doing all right yeah! Doing a better job than I could.

What are your thoughts on the Tea Party movement?

I think in essence they have a point. It’s not a new idea. I think their demands would be rather hard to achieve, though. In these kinds of circumstances I think there are more important things that people should be putting their energy into. There are contradictions in their argument. How can a state such as the United States reduce its enormous debt by lowering taxes that its citizens pay? In my opinion it’s “perfect world ideal-ology.”

With the Internet making every artist’s music potentially available to a wide audience, is it now easier to find listeners or more difficult because you have to compete with so many other musicians?

It is definitely easier. These days you can post things you’re listening to on MySpace or last.fm directly to your Facebook where all 1,000 of your friends who you don’t even know can listen to what you are listening to. You don’t have to be an established band to get fans. If you know how to work the socials to your advantage you’ll benefit.

Who would you rather listen to—a totally original musician whose compositions are groundbreaking but difficult to listen to or a musician whose songs are immediately enjoyable but derivative? Why?

The latter. Music shouldn’t be about what’s cool or not. I listen to music that I enjoy.

In the race to find new bands, are too many unworthy bands being hyped up by music blogs and websites? How are music fans supposed to filter through all these new bands being hyped?

Things have come into this new generation. People are finding the music for themselves and less and less listening to the stuff they are told to by the big institutions. It’s definitely the age of the independent blogger. There are definitely a lot of terrible bands doing reasonably well because of hype, but hype is a curse as well. Hype seems to lower the shelf life of bands, especially if it comes around before they release a record.

If your house was on fire, what would you grab as you were running out?

I unfortunately don’t have a house. I have a suitcase so if that goes on fire I’m fucked.

If you could relive one day of your life, which would it be?

The day I was born so I could start over.

What’s the strangest fan encounter you’ve ever had?

When a whole class of medical students in Paris grew moustaches because I had one.

If you had a bucket list, what would be the Top 4 things on that list?

1. Go to the carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

2. Get a platinum record.

3. Punch an A list celebrity in the face.

4. Sleep with an A list celebrity.

Who was your first love and do you still keep in touch with them?

Beer and daily.

Is there anything that most people are able to do that you can’t (such as drive a car, swim, ride a bike)?

Draw.

--
Delphic extra answers

James Cook: The Internet is a junction of avenues that help people find their way to your band. Ten years ago there were no forms of social networking and now there are dozens, all with dedicated band/artist pages. It has changed the way we consume music, although not necessarily for the better. Whereas in the past people were forced to buy a few albums and really consume them, now the listener is spoilt for choice. It’s neither easier nor more difficult, as bands have always had to be competitive, it’s just now they have to approach it in a different way.

Who would you rather listen to—a totally original musician whose compositions are groundbreaking but difficult to listen to or a musician whose songs are immediately enjoyable but derivative? Why?

Matt Cocksedge: Music is dependent on mood—sometimes you want to be comforted by what you know, sometimes you want to listen to something groundbreaking or original because you already know what you know, if that makes sense. One category is neither more valuable nor less worthy than the other. It’s a big landscape and there’s room enough for everyone to find an audience, even Barry Manilow.

In the race to find new bands, are too many unworthy bands being hyped up by music blogs and websites? How are music fans supposed to filter through all these new bands being hyped?

James: The modern music fan has become savvy to the Internet, discerning which blogs or websites they trust, but inevitably it’s like it always was. You filter by listening. It’s easy to tell at that stage which bands are hot air and which bands are of substance. The press should always be seen as a guide rather than a rule.

Who was your first love and do you still keep in touch with them?

Rick Boardman: Delphine—she is our muse, so yes.

Is there anything that most people are able to do that you can’t (such as drive a car, swim, ride a bike)?

Rick: We can do all those things. In fact, we swim and cycle quite often.

Have you ever been starstruck when meeting another musician? If so, by who?

Rick: No.

What’s the most embarrassing thing to happen to you in the last year?

Rick: We don’t dwell on things enough to get embarrassed by them.

What or whom do you miss most when you’re touring?

James: Delphine

What moment made you maddest in 2010?

Rick: When we realized our football club in England was £1.1bn in debt thanks to the Glazers.

What was the first movie you saw in the theater as a child and do you still enjoy it now?

James: Peter Pan—you can’t better those Disney choirs. Of course I still enjoy it, it’s timeless.

In 2010, what was the best movie you saw, book you read, comic book you read, video game you played, and/or TV show you watched?

Rick: Movie—The Social Network by Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher. Book—Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick. TV Show—Mad Men by Matthew Weiner.

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s job performance in the last year? Has your optimism, if you were an Obama supporter, waned?

Matt: Obama has definitely changed the perception of America around the world, largely due to the symbolic nature of his initial policies (on human rights, health care, discrimination) which showed the determination and clear direction of his government. Of course there is a lot left to do, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, and criticism is inevitable. However his hesitation is understandable given America’s relations with the Middle East, and the critical state the nation was in when he took the reins.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring musician, what would it be? What was the best piece of advice that you’ve ever gotten?

Rick: Everyone and anyone can be a musician these days. Bedroom studios have taken over from commercial studios. All you need is a computer and you are officially a recording artist! But, in order to rise above all the thousands of applicants, you have to make sure you are making the best music with the best songs. There is a sea of bland music out there and only a few who are really doing something special. Work harder than everyone else and write better songs.

I laugh in the face of top 10 lists!

2010-12-21T15:09:00.008-05:00

so of my top ten albums of 2010, only three of them made it on the This is Fake DIY writers' top 50 - the Futureheads 'The Chaos' at #47, Two Door Cinema Club's 'Tourist History' at #42, and Mystery Jets 'Serotonin' at #29. pretty disappointing not to see Delphic, Hundred in the Hands, Broken Bells, or Villagers in there somewhere. I don't like Kanye, I don't like the National, and I defo don't like Sleigh Bells! bah.

what HAS been rather interesting is reading independent (personal) blogs choosing Delphic on top 10 or 20 lists. there's too many to list here but I really liked this one from Denmark (I think) called the Idioteque. here is a blurb from their #5 placing of 'Acolyte' (I've left off most of the Pitchfork slagging):

So, Delphic hasn't exactly been the critics' choice. Rock with synthesizers just isn't as hot as guys with beards playing acoustic guitars, and perhaps it never really has been the shizzle this century, at least outside of Denmark, where bands like VETO, Spleen United and Turboweekend have been among the most prominent of the country's sudden surge in independent music.

But how can you resist? When 'Clarion Call' kicks off in a massive crescendo at 1:26, how can you not be drumming your fists into thin air? How can you help nodding along to 'This Momentary''s insistent, four-on-the-floor beats and chanting, haunting vocals? How can you ignore the brilliance of the pivotal track, 'Acolyte' itself, which surges like a tsunami again and again, and clusterbombs you with swooning, rapturous synthesizers? Or when the album fades away with 'Remain', a post-crescendoic blissful nirvana?

Wearing its Haç-heritage pretty visibly on its sleeves seems to often override the fact that Acolyte really isn't exactly the floor filler it's often proclaimed to be. I see it more as a listening record, and while being sometimes slightly characterless; it cleverly manages the oft-attempted fusion of rock and electro, avoiding most of the pitfalls. So Pitchfork gave it a 5.0 grade? I bloody hell couldn't care less - this is one of the most menacingly intense and engrossing albums of 2010!

Why not swim against the tide, as the opening stanza states, we live in unconditional change anyway?

(read more here)

v. nicely said. the more I listened to 'Acolyte', the more I was convinced this was more of an intellectual record. like Jenny and Johnny's 'I'm Having Fun Now' that can be enjoyed superficially/simply as a surf pop record, 'Acolyte' can be enjoyed as a dance album. rave to it. if that's all you want from it.

but it's when you sit down with it long enough that you realise the brilliance. listen to the lyrics. they're spare but they do what they're supposed to - make you think and tug at your emotions. then consider what they do with the synths (the effects in 'Counterpoint' that sound like birds, for example) and you realise this isn't any record. the guitar riffs are awesome. they're not overbearing. they've been placed in just the right spots. just brilliant.

I have my own thoughts of what 'Acolyte' the song is supposed to represent. but I won't post it here b/c I will blush and embarrass myself, so sorry, you will have to come up with your own ideas on this one. I will say, start first by looking how the song is constructed. I got better acquainted with it, working out the bass line and figuring where the bass came in with respect to the many synths.

I often think about how the Pains of Being Pure at Heart sound is a great wave, awash of sound that you want to get swept up in, and 'Acolyte' runs similar to this, but with no lyrics. no lyrics except ethereal, heavenly sighing, as if from another world. if the music in heaven is anything like this...

this week's Roundtable (16/12; best of 2010 - part 2)

2010-12-17T09:31:00.007-05:00

sorry this was delayed, but part 3 of our office party took place exactly during Roundtable yesterday (yes, I wondered myself, who puts on holiday parties that take place over 3 days?)

Lewis Bowman from Chapel Club, Alex Trimble from Two Door Cinema Club (pinch hitting, oddly, for his bass-playing bandmate Kev Baird) and journo David Quantick were the guests.

1. Mystery Jets - 'Dreaming of Another World' - the winner - this gave me such a big smile on my face the first time I heard it. I'm desperate to see them live.

2. Laura Marling - 'Darkness Descends' - she's very good live. it's completely a transcendental experience compared to listening to her recording. go see her.

3. Sleigh Bells - 'Tell 'Em' - I still think they're overrated. they're ok, just massively overhyped. are they going to be around in 2 years? I doubt it. ahahahaha Alex Trimble said "it's like a young girl who is singing along to Stomp!" ohhhh Alex. ::huggles::

4. I Am Kloot - 'Fingerprints' - it's all right but it's a bit meh to me (sorry Guy Garvey) compared to more emotional music like Stornoway's ::swoon::

5. Cee-Lo Green - 'Forget You' - it's ok. the only reason it's getting all this coverage is b/c of the controversy.

6. MGMT - 'Congratulations' - it's ok. I like 'Song for Dan Treacy' better. the album is definitely much better than the critics would have you believe.

7. Warpaint - 'Undertow' - again, don't understand the hype. in a way, I'm kind of glad they're on the BBC Sound of 2011. that kind of ensures they won't go anywhere (haha - sorry, I am a bit sore I was not consulted for it this year as Phil was last year...sucks they only consult with UK-based professionals only)

8. Goldheart Assembly - 'Last Decade' - I LOVE THIS. gorge. ::wahhhhh / sobbbb::

Delphic compliments Two Door Cinema Club...and more...

2010-12-17T06:35:00.005-05:00

I like this sort of thing a lot. FANDOMS COLLIDING. THUD.

and I'd never heard any of the demos of 'Submission' :O you all heard it on this blog eons ago that 'Submission' was my favourite song on 'Acolyte'. obviously labour of love, I just knew it the best song ::smug::

in the second one, they comment on Phoenix, the xx, Sub Sub and Doves (ooh).

UnionTV interview

2010-12-10T06:30:00.002-05:00

I sometimes get nervous before doing a band interview and think I've gone down horribly and have made an utter fool out of myself afterwards.

in those cases, I will turn to this interview on what NOT to say during one.

this man has got to be one of the most ridiculous people ever allowed to interview Delphic. I mean, come on. firstly, that's one noisome leopard print hat.

the description of this video on YouTube?

LUC VALVONA INTERVIEWS SINGING SENSATION DELPHIC, TOPED (sic) FOR BIG THINGS IN 2010 - DELPHIC TRIO ARE FRESH OUT OF MANCHESTER AND PRODUCE A SOUND THAT IS UNLIKE ANYTHING BEFORE CHECK THESE GUYS!

dude. stop shouting! and punctutation marks are your friend, my man. sheesh. (sorry. once an editor, always an editor.)

poor James. he looks like he desperately wants to disappear into that champagne glass. then he finds the hair on his left wrist v. interesting...he later gets back at the interviewer with a smart aleck comment that goes completely over Leopard Man's hatted head though.

when Rick tries to get a conversation going about seeing Kraftwerk at Bestival, the interviewer tries to puff himself up, saying "I saw Kraftwerk there too!" LOL

umm..."what is the inspiration for the videos?" uh, which one? there are several of them. they're not identical. d'oh. and the t-shirt giveaway...argh, spellcheck, please? (sorry, editor hat is always firmly on my head.) TBH even if I won that shirt, I'd never wear it. I'd look like a safety hazard walking around town in that orange!

also, asking a group of guys to swap the direction they have their legs crossed is just a little weird. this could have been an amazing 6 minutes - I mean, right before 'Acolyte' was released...!

that said, I am rather jealous of the people who saw the band this night. they got 'Sanctuary'!!! (as you will see from the bits of it and 'Counterpoint' interspersed in the interview, kind of annoying) ::whimper::

this week's Roundtable (09/12 ; best of 2010 - part 1)

2010-12-09T14:05:00.002-05:00

Join Lammo as he welcomes comedian Jeremy Hardy, 1965 Record's James Endeacott and former Pipette Rose Elinor Dougall among others into the studio to chat about the best releases of the year.

1. the xx - 'VCR' - joint winner - still a great tune.

2. Chapel Club - 'Oh Maybe I' - a local DJ friend of mine says they are miles better than White Lies. hmmm...well, when they come back to America and do a proper tour, I'll be the judge of that.

3. Darwin Deez - 'Radar Detector' - the only thing I can say about this - besides it being catchy to the point of being annoying - is that I will always remember being stood in the stairwell of DC9 with James Cook of Delphic and having this conversation:

::song comes on as we're stood next to the doorman::
me: oh dear, I'm sure you know this song!
James: yes, it's Darwin Deez!

there you go. make of that what you will.

4. Tinie Tempah - 'Pass Out' - I don't like hip hop. blah. it's gotta have a melody. gotta have one.

5. Chemical Brothers - 'Swoon' - the only really decent song on 'Further'.

6. the Neat - 'In Youth is Pleasure' - joint winner - I don't know what is going on, maybe I have missed the punk revival...but I only like punk in small doses, and I have to be in the right mood to appreciate it. in a word - UGH.

7. Slow Club - 'Giving Up on Love' - fun stuff. so joyous. I hope to see them next year.

8. Paul Weller - 'Wake Up the Nation' - it's ok. it's Paul Weller. I think he's past it. sorry.

Friendly Fires cover Depeche Mode

2010-12-07T09:57:00.003-05:00

my old love has come back. and not a moment too soon.

Friendly Fires is scheduled to play at Bowery Ballroom in New York on the 7th of February 2011.

I had a strange dream 2 weeks ago where I dreamt they were going to play at the Rock 'n' Roll Hotel in DC on 5/2 and asked Jack Savidge if that were the case.

they haven't been back to DC since 24 March 2009 - yes, I remember that date well! - so I felt it my duty to remind him that they need to return (and see me of course).

@jackbsavidge 14 hours ago
@theprintedword hmm probably not. Soon though. Hope you're well!

you see, people don't forget me easily ;) and soon. this is exciting. it's been over a year since I've seen them gig, and nearly 2 years since they have been in town.

despite this frigidly cold winter in Washington, I am feeling rejuvenated hearing their interpretation of Depeche Mode's 'Strangelove'. YUM.

Matt Australian Splendour in the Grass MySpace interview

2010-12-03T07:35:00.000-05:00

"there's no time for foreplay"

ummm...LOL. I know what he meant but sometimes you say something and it means something totally different. haha :)

short. but lushly produced. and Matt's gorgeous Rickenbacker, yay! enjoy below.

from one fellow MC to another...

2010-11-26T06:35:00.002-05:00

it's my birthday, so I can post whatever I want! and I will STILL stick to the Delphic Friday amusement theme, b/c as you know, I am a v. thoughtful person. even on my birthday. aren't you lucky.

one of the two sometimes tragically overlooked (read: by fans / media / etc.) members of Delphic is guitarist Matt Cocksedge, who, judging from my interview with the man in Boston in September for PopWreckoning, is perfectly fine with the spotlight NOT being on him at all. when I was transcribing our little chat (ok, not really little...it went on for about an hour. because I'm such a good interviewer and he is such a good interviewee!), I realised that we had the same initials, MC, and I thought, what a neat coincidence.

we also both wear glasses and have 'suffered' for it so I feel like we are rather kindred spirits in this regard. in these two short but funny videos from former NME editor and now editor for Stunt James McMahon, enter the world of Monsieur Cocksedge for a few fleeting, far too short moments. I promise, he has a smile that could melt an iceberg.

I have no idea when Matt's birthday is...but whenever it is my dear friend and glasses compatriot, I hope you have a wonderful one. and certainly wonderful holidays coming up :)

why album reviews should never go up to 10

2010-11-23T19:45:00.001-05:00

so on Monday Pitchfork posted their review of Kanye West's latest album, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'. and gave it a 10.0. I hadn't known about the posting until my PR friend S Tweeted about it, basically saying WTF?!?!? Clash Music followed suit almost, giving the album a 9/10 and the comment of "this is not just West’s best album, it’s a keen contender for the most ambitious LP in hip-hop history. West side story!" ummm...

let's go back to the Pitchfork review for a moment. IMO you can't give an album a 10. that would be assuming an album had achieved the sonic equivalent to Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10s in gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics. in other words - it doesn't happen. personally, I don't think it's possible to write, record and produce a perfect album. there's always something. and what's that something? we're human.

there are several albums released this year that I absolutely love but I wouldn't be so easy giving out 10s to any of them. there's no doubt this album is going to top the charts for a long time, even without all these "accolades" (if you can even call them that) from online reviewers. but as a reviewer myself, I just have to shake my head in disbelief. you have to wonder what was going through the minds of the Pitchfork editors when they allowed a 10 for an album review to get through. I tell my writers that they're not allowed to give 10s to albums, for this one reason: perfect albums do not exist.

it wasn't until yesterday when the Guardian's Dorian Lynskey cut through all the crap and told it how it is, asking the important question, "have critics confused size, ambition and bluster for a genuinely brilliant record?" the best paragraph from the piece:

It's not even a creative breakthrough. West's already done contradiction on The College Dropout, triumphalism on Late Registration, celebrity angst (and unexpected sampling) on Graduation, and moping on 808s & Heartbreak. Now he's just doing them all at once, louder. And the creeping sense that he's had nothing new to say since 2005 becomes undeniable when, at the end of an album about West's adventures in celebrityland, he has to turn to a 1970 spoken-word piece by Gil Scott-Heron for some big-picture gravitas.

it is also obvious if you just look at the length of the Kanye piece that the author is a gusher. if you look at their review for Everything Everything's 'Man Alive', an album universally critically acclaimed in the UK yet Pitchfork gave them a 3.8 (highway robbery if there was ever a case), the Kanye piece is over twice its length. music reviewing will always be subjective. but please, keep the gushing to yourself.

Friday amusement doubleheader - wow!

2010-11-19T12:45:00.003-05:00

this has never happened that I've been so inundated with videos for Friday Amusement (trust me). but I just got sent two more Berlin videos, so how can I not share? much better quality and whole versions of 'Halcyon' and 'Red Lights'.

thumbs way up to the girl in front with the red lipstick. she's grooving the way you're supposed to at Delphic shows!

ExploreMusic interview / Electronic Beats festival appearance

2010-11-19T05:30:00.007-05:00

normally I post one video for the Friday Amusement feature, but I got sent a link last night to something v. recent that I've tacked on to my original post.

1. why does Rick Boardman want to quit remixing? b/c this host says Kings of Leon want to do a remix album (gag me!)

I feel bad for the interviewer. he obviously loves the band but is so nervous he's stumbling over what he wants to say and is saying some really cringe-worthy things! poor guy. props to "evangelising" Delphic for months before the album came out stateside in June. sounds familiar...

2. 'Red Lights' was not my favourite track on 'Acolyte' when I first started listening to the album, probably because the vocal line is pretty hohum. (in fact, it consists of 4 notes on the E string, and when I told James Cook that I had sussed this bass line all by myself (rather proudly I might add), he made fun of me that it was so easy (joking of course).

check out this video from Berlin's Electronic Beats festival, where Delphic performed on 4th November alongside Phil Oakey's Human League. it's a bit pixelated but the sound is amazing. after hearing from so many dance bands how great Berlin is for dance music, I can't imagine a better place for a dance band to play.

this week's Roundtable (18/11)

2010-11-18T14:05:00.003-05:00

Lammo welcomes Ash's Tim Wheeler, Goldheart Assembly's John Herbert and punk rock editor Eugene Butcher

1. White Lies - 'Bigger Than Us' - I wasn't sure whether I'd welcome White Lies back to the fold...but I am loving, loving this new single. bring on 'Ritual'!

2. The Go! Team - 'Tornado' - oh god, WTH is this??? awful, awful.

3. Adele - 'Rolling Into the Deep' - channelling Aretha now, are you Adele? or possibly Laura Marling. ugh. no. next.

4. Anr - 'Stay Kids' - ok. piano's a bit repetitive...ethereal male vocals usually not my thing.

5. Phosphorescent - 'I Don't Care If It's Cursing' - slide guitar. oh blah. why does everyone want to be American country folk these days? ploddy - good description.

6. British Sea Power - 'Living Is So Easy' - the winner - have BSP always had synths, space-agey synths. this sounds...strange. like Robert Smith is trying to sing in the future.

7. Caitlin Rose's album including 'For the Rabbits' - it's ok. I don't really like womens' voices, and it's not terrible, but it's so young sounding, I could imagine it could get really annoying after a while.

why I have a serious dislike of Glee

2010-11-16T20:27:00.004-05:00

this is pretty sickening. (paraphrased from this Rolling Stone online article published in October, it shows how Fox's Glee, with the help of the digital age, have allowed a television show to surpass one of pop's greatest acts)

With six new entries on this week's Hot 100, thanks to their Britney Spears-themed episode, Glee has toppled the Beatles' four-decade-old record for most singles placed on the chart. The cast has registered 75 total singles total, surpassing the Fab Four's 71, the BBC reports. Only Elvis Presley (108 singles) and James Brown (91) have scored more. But even those two icons might see their records fall by the end of Glee's second season: the show's Michael Jackson episode will reportedly air after Super Bowl XLV.

I am all for young people embracing music and getting excited about music, because when I was in school, anyone involved with music was in chorus (like I was) or played in band, and it was most definitely not a cool thing to be associated with either. however, substandard versions of classics - the Lady of Soul Aretha Franklin's 'Respect' and the legend that should never be touched 'Tonight' from West Side Story, just two examples - should not see the light of day. pretty soon we're going to have sprogs growing up thinking 'Don't Stop Believin' was from a Glee episode and not penned by Steve Perry. these are the same kinds of kids from the previous generation who thought 'Last Kiss' was by Pearl Jam and not Wayne Cochran.

someone once asked me, "you like music. so I figured you must like Glee!" ummm...no. I've seen snippets of the show b/c some of my friends are fans...and even though I tried to find merits, I'm definitely not a fan. how is this show a hit? like many "kids" oriented shows, the characters are superficial and have no depth. maybe that's the secret - like Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, etc. it's all kid-focused brainwashing.

oh, and I have another reason to dislike it. I think I got ignored in a chat with a longtime friend tonight b/c she went off to watch it!

Two Door Cinema Club on Jools Holland

2010-11-13T12:19:00.001-05:00

catch this performance of 'What You Know', my favourite song by my favourite Irish boys Two Door Cinema Club from last night's Jools Holland.

guitars can talk!

chewing gum and looking bored

2010-11-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

title says it all. still, interesting to watch nevertheless.

DC9, DC9, DC9...

2010-11-06T08:00:00.003-04:00

(that was to the tune of "number 9, number 9, number 9" repeated in the Beatles' 'Revolution 9')

it's exactly 3 weeks after a death occurred outside the DC9 nightclub in Washington. I'm calling it a 'death' b/c what happened is all speculation, there are conflicting reports on what happened and I'm certainly not calling a homicide like NME has. (I was so angry at NME I even Tweeted at them "get your facts straight, they've been charged with aggravated assault. and Blood Red Shoes were never scheduled to play there, they were scheduled to play at the Red Palace on the other side of town. we don't need sensationalist reporting like this, it's not helping the DC music scene." or something that effect. I've forgotten the exact wording now.)

just like most people I will never know why a drunk man was pronounced dead at a DC hospital early Friday morning the 15th of October but I do know that my gigging life, along with other music enthusiasts has undoubtedly changed forever.

directly after the death occurred, people who are NOT gig-goers at DC9 were quick to judgment, wrongly assuming that the DC9 staff being charged by DC police for second-degree murder of this man were a bunch of burly bouncers. there was never a need for bouncers at DC9. I never, ever felt threatened by the crowd there. really, it was the only club in town that I knew that going there, it was small enough and played host to shows where people actually went to see the bands and not just hang out and drink as hipsters, trying to pretend they knew something about the acts booked (which invariably describes 40-80% of clubgoers in other venues, depending on which venue you're speaking of). the shows that I've seen there have been some of the best in my life:

Phenomenal Handclap Band (August 2009); also interviewed Daniel and Sean of the band; Liberation Dance Party (LDP)
the xx (15 November 2009): the first ever appearance of the London trio in DC
VV Brown (19 February 2010); before she played, I heard Delphic's 'Halcyon' on the dance floor for the first time in DC; LDP
Villagers - solo Conor J. O'Brien show (22 June 2010), during which I was complimented for listening to Steve Lamacq
Biffy Clyro (15 September 2010): Biffy Clyro's first ever headlining show in America
the Postelles (18 September 2010); interviewed the band in the backstage area
Casiokids (1 October 2010); met Fredrik after the show and chatted about Roskilde, and Ketil Tweeted/reposted the dickens out of my TGTF review, which is thought was very sweet! LDP
Delphic (8 October 2010): probably the last dance night DC9 will ever put on, it has personal significance to me for many reasons, the biggest being it was the night I introduced so many of my local friends (and my cousin and her friends) to Delphic's sound; LDP

there are of course many shows that I passed on that I wish I hadn't. the list is too long to put here but many of the bands have now gone on to play much larger places. The Hundred in the Hands played DC9's LDP long before I even knew who they were...I would have loved to see them then. and yes, LDP will be missed b/c Bill Spieler always made sure there was plenty of NEW British music coming through the PA. the only place in town, really.

I don't want to take sides b/c I wasn't there when the drama unfolded. but I am happy to report today that all charges were dropped against the five charged, but Spieler has resigned from his co-ownership of DC9 and other clubs in the area, and the other 4 have been let go from DC9 employment.

TBH I don't know if the club will ever reopen. it's a sad chapter in the DC music scene. now we move forward to whatever is DC9's future...but we shall never forget its past.

Matt and Rick at Reading (NME 60-second inteview)

2010-11-05T07:20:00.000-04:00

just watch. it'll bring a smile to your face, I promise.

this week's Roundtable (04/11)

2010-11-04T15:05:00.001-04:00

I apologise profusely for not reviewing last week's (28/10) Roundtable. I've been so snowed by my writing commitments for 4 different music sites (and basically being the only writer for TGTF) that when I was listening to the first 20 minutes, I was so turned off by what I heard I just switched it off and put on a CD. I'll try not to do to skip a review again. I know you all are just chomping at the bit to read my thoughts on a Thursday evening ;) but I may miss next week as I've got 4 gigs in 6 days and I'm a little scared TBH b/c of them, only one of them (La Roux) is a real favourite of mine, so it might be difficult to do so much writing on the others.

today's guests on Roundtable: Skin from Skunk Anansie, journalist Max Rushden and editor of Billboard Mark Sutherland

1. Frank Turner - 'I Still Believe' - not as good as some of Frank's earlier singles, like 'The Road'. TBH I'm not sure how much longer he can go on...?

2. Goldheart Assembly - 'Last Decade' - I absolutely love this band. so much better than Fleet Foxes! 'Wolves and Thieves' is a gorgeous record.

3. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - 'Conscience Killer' - good kick in the arse type of song. nice.

4. Gruff Rhys - 'Shark Ridden Waters' - tied for winning track - too many lyrics. it's just a stream of lyrics. thumbs down.

5. Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith - 'Not in Love' - tied for winning track - it's actually listenable, compared to most CC tracks.

6. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - 'Round and Round' - lyrically, it's got a Cure (how ironic) / Beach House vibe. it's ok.

7. Bryan Ferry's new album 'Olympia' (I reviewed it for TGTF here) - one of my favourite singers. pretty good album.

the Crookes, before they were signed

2010-10-30T19:39:00.005-04:00

I've always wondered where Lammo finds his new favourite bands. are they sitting there somewhere in that huge mountain demos that the postman comes lugging up the stairs every week.

huh.

this is just one that he introduced me to over many plays of theirs songs on Radio2 and 6music, the Crookes from Sheffield. they even play 'Backstreet Lovers' (sigh) in a bear pit...?

the bass player sings...??? ::dies::

can I also say I'm dead jealous of this Chinese girl who got to go around England on MTV's dime and interview bands. I wonder what she's doing now. I need a job like that.

and...THE PUB! ;)

Delphic live at KCRW, 25/10/2010

2010-10-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what happened to Nic Harcourt but Morning Becomes Eclectic, the morning program on alt-rock KCRW that he used to host is now being hosted by an American. (drat.) and an American that wasn't asking very good questions IMO when Delphic was on Monday morning live in session. below is the video for 'Counterpoint' from the studio, but you can listen to the whole session and interview archived here.

as for the video, all I can say is...gosh, Dan Hadley has some big guns! wouldn't want to get into a fight with him.

Delphic talk to the Germans and the Dutch

2010-10-22T05:29:00.000-04:00

why is James speaking French at the beginning of this first one with Les Berlinettes? a little confused.

interviewer: "how do you describe Delphic, your music?"

::James looks over at Rick:: "it's yours..."

Rick: "sure..."

cute.

here's one with 'Jimmy Alter', whoever that is, in Amsterdam...

this week's Roundtable (21/10)

2010-10-21T14:05:00.004-04:00

this week's Roundtable welcomes Krissi Murisson (NME Editor), Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets) and Simon Raymonde

1. Miles Kane - 'Inhaler' - I really like this. read my review on TGTF here. interesting hypothesis from Krissie - "inhale her...."

2. N.E.R.D. - 'Hypnotize U' - oh blah. stupid lyrics too. why do rappers insist on using "U" instead of "you"? it's not cool, it's not even cute. it's moronic.

3. Is Tropical - 'South Pacific' - synthy. Delorean / Sleigh Bells vibe? probably going to skyrocket.

4. the Neat - 'Hips ' - the winner - man this is annoying. Steve likes this band, though it's not doing a thing for me.

5. Wilder - 'Skyful of Rainbows' - I really like this. we're giving it away on TGTF tomorrow if you are interested! I hope Blaine isn't ticked that I compared this track to the Jets and Steve read my comment on air (oops)

6. the Bluetones - 'Golden Soul' - beautiful. just beautiful. it's got a bit of a Lilac Time whiff.

7. Kings of Leon's new album - blahhhhh why does everyone love them so much? zzzzzz...I can't even get into the song called 'Mary', hahaha.

not on my radar you don't.

2010-10-20T14:25:00.008-04:00

I am a magnet for controversy, so it seems. I've gotten flamed by Mat Horne and Andrew Collins. and now this.

the last week of September-into-October I saw 5 gigs in 7 days. I had Monday and Thursday off, that was it. and I was up in Philly for the first show, saw two in Boston, then came back to DC for two more.

I wasn't taking it easy on my "holiday"...I'm not using that an excuse. far from it. but I take offence as one woman saying she could write better than me when she lived in "Bumblef* Texas".

I'd like to see her try writing 10 gig reviews in a span of 10 days. and do we really need such language? seriously. and that was from a Teenage Fanclub fan that I gather traveled up and down the East Coast for them.

obviously she was not happy that I gave the Vaselines a better review than Teenage Fanclub. sorry but they brought it that night and had the energy. I write what I see and hear. unless you were at that show you can't even begin to challenge me on this. she must be some scholar on semantics as well b/c she is arguing with me that it was not in fact the first night of the North American tour. well, it depends who you talk to. it was the first night the two bands COHEADLINED on the tour. I don't go making "facts" up.

the opening band, the Radar Brothers of California, are not happy with me either. they posted a link to my review of their set on their official Web site. I'm not going over there to read whatever they've posted, b/c I imagine whatever's up there is vitriol directed personally at me.

really, opening bands should be grateful any blogger is taking the time out to write and photograph them. I can't count the number of times I've seen most "real" journalists show up only for the headliner.

also, I am not one to pretend I know anything about every single band I've written about. no one can be an expert on every band. just the fact that I write for a UK blog should have told them that I'm not an expert on Americana, never have been, and never will be. it's not one of my favourite genres and TBH I have no idea why two Scottish bands chose them as an opener.

edit: 21/10: so I have found out that the Radar Brothers and Teenage Fanclub are on Merge here in the States.

well that explains it. Merge is an indie American label. it also pretty much explains why I didn't know about them.

the only band I could scrounge up in my mind that sounded anything like them was the Grateful Dead. this apparently has not gone over well.

if they were really offended by what I said, they shouldn't have posted it. b/c that directed a bunch of their fans to my site and increased my hit count.

there had to be a positive angle to this, right?

so according to my stats counter, the review has had a grand total of 58 hits. so now I'm kind of disappointed. firestorms like this usually generate far more hits!

oh well. you can't win them all.

I'm hoping Frances McKee of the Vaselines comes out of the woodwork and says, "ignore those twats!" and then, just like on the night of that gig, something sexually provocative yet hilarious.

now waiting...whatevs. in light of what happened at DC9 last week and thinking that I'll be forced to go to the 9:30 from now on :P I'm not eager to return there.

Delphic's Guide to Manchester

2010-10-15T07:19:00.001-04:00

from http://www.skiddle.com/news/all/Delphics-Guide-to-Manchester/7233/

10th Oct 2010

Visiting Manchester for the Warehouse Project? Not sure where to find the best Corned Beef Hash? Or the best spot for Geese Feeding? Richard Boardman of Manchester three-piece Delphic gives us his pick of the city he calls home.

You've been around the world but still call Manchester home. Can you put your finger on what it is that you love about the city?

Manchester is where most of us grew up. We spent years as kids traipsing round the toilet venues watching bands and playing ourselves. There is a very strong music network in Manchester and there is a lot of help for new bands. I also like the way you can walk across it in half an hour, and I like the way it looks now.

What's your favourite Manchester...
...Bar?

Knott Bar - we all live near this and it has become our local. A nice selection of foreign beers.

374 Deansgate, M3 4LY, 0161 839 9229

...Club?

We don't go to clubs now.

...Restaurant?

Sam's Chop House for Corned Beef Hash.

Back Pool Fold, M2 1HN, 0161 834 3210

...Sunday morning hang out?

Delphic HQ.

Best local DJ of the moment?

Dan Hadley/Delphic V2.0

Current favourite Manchester band?

It's difficult not say Everything Everything. Their album has been on our iPods pretty much constantly since its release. But we also have a huge soft spot for Dutch Uncles. They showed us some of their new tracks the other day and we became quite excited. In fact, Duncan (singer) came over to my house the other day and we spent the whole day going through ideas and listening to music. It's interesting to spend time with other musicians outside of your own group.

Do you have anything special planned for your WHP show?

If we did, we wouldn't ruin the surprise.

Aside from your night, are there any other WHP events that you're particularly looking forward to?

I'm quite disappointed we can't attend the one the night before (we are playing the London Warehouse that night), with Magnetic Man, Flying Lotus, Joy Orbison, Martyn and Joker amongst others. I would also like to see Kelis...

One thing that any visitor to Manchester should do.

Go and visit Katsouris Deli on Deansgate.

113 Deansgate, M3 2BQ, 0161 819 1260

(he told me the same thing for this article on TGTF last year.)

Describe your ideal day in Manchester.

A Delphic bike ride up to see our drummer, Dan, and his dog, Zach, in Stretford followed by feeding the Canada Geese in Castlefield.

Thanks Rich! [sic]

Delphic headline The Warehouse Project in Manchester on Saturday 30th October.