should we raise the flag for Brother?

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.

why album reviews should never go up to 10

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.

last week's Roundtable (07/01)

note: I did this Monday night and am now finally getting it in here.

Thursday is Roundtable day. Join Lammo as he welcomes Q Magazine Editor Paul Rees, Mark Sutherland from Billboard Magazine and Krissi Murrison from the NME into the studio to discuss some new music for 2010.

1. the Courteeners – ‘You Overdid It Doll’ – the winner – one of Mozzer’s fave bands of the moment. Ugh, not a fan of the singer’s voice. am I missing something here?

2. Carolina Chocolate Drops – ‘Hit Em Up Style’. Cover of Blu Cantrell song. I agree with Krissi, the singer’s voice is incredible but this is a one hell of a weird mishmash, not to mention the singer’s voice is grating. ick.

3. Los Campesinos! – ‘Romance is Boring’ – ow, my ears…no thanks. goodness, I’m glad I wasn’t given this to review in January.

4. Chapel Club – “Oh Maybe I” – Lammo said this band has been on some 2010 watch lists but not on the BBC’s. hmmm, similar to Morrissey? Certainly doesn’t sound like him. dunno, not really grabbing me…

5. Frightened Rabbit – ‘Nothing Like You’ – I liked this. wow, something I finally like on this programme! not much of a surprise, considering they’re a Fat Cat Records acquisition.

6. Corinne Bailey Rae – ‘I’d Do It All Again’ – it’s so sad about her husband, but ironically, I think that might give new life to this single and the resulting album ‘The Sea’. Not as cutesy fun as ‘Put Your Records On’ but nevertheless considering what she’s been through in making this record, I hope it does well.

7. Tracks from Vampire Weekend’s new album ‘Contra’ including ‘White Sky’ and ‘Giving Up the Gun’ – I’m actually liking ‘White Sky” more now than first listen, when Ezra Koenig’s yodeling lyrics were getting on my nerves. CANNOT WAIT to see them 3 April!

NME's top 50 albums of the noughties

NME editor Krissi Murison said: "This is the definitive word on the greatest albums of the noughties – as voted for by everyone who helped make music brilliant this decade."

(FYI Murison is American and replaced Conor McNicholas, if that makes any difference to you...)

I guess I'm not up to speed with the kids OR the times b/c of these 50, I own...let's see...3 of these. I see some serious omissions...a major problem of this list is that albums released in the last 2 years haven't had their shelf life tested yet, so this list is unfair against albums released in 2008 and 2009 IMO.

...and are Wild Beasts really that great?

discuss!

1. The Strokes - Is This It
2. The Libertines - Up the Bracket
3. Primal Scream - xtrmntr
4. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
6. PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
7. Arcade Fire - Funeral
8. Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights
9. The Streets - Original Pirate Material
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows
11. At The Drive In - Relationship of Command
12. LCD Soundsystem - The Sound of Silver
13. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
14. Radiohead - Kid A
15. Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
16. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free
17. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
18. The White Stripes - Elephant
19. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
20. Blur - Think Tank
21. The Coral - The Coral
22. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
23. Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
24. The Libertines - The Libertines
25. Rapture - Echoes
26. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
27. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
28. Johnny Cash - Man Comes Around
29. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World
30. Elbow - Asleep In the Back
31. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
32. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
33. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
34. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
35. Babyshambles - Down in Albion
36. Spirtualized - Let It Come Down
37. The Knife - Silent Shout
38. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
39. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
40. Ryan Adams - Gold
41. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
42. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
43. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
44. Outkast - Loveboxxx/The Love Below
45. Avalanches - Since I Left You
46. Delgados - The Great Eastern
47. Brendan Benson - Lapalco
48. Walkmen - Bows and Arrows
49. Muse - Absolution
50. MIA - Arular

edit: after reading over the entire top 100 list on NME's page (lemme know if you can't find it, I'm just too lazy to link it to here at the mo'), here is my list for the top 5 criminally neglected acts NOT on NME's list:

Keane
the Killers
Friendly Fires
We Are Scientists
Patrick Wolf

Sept rehash and Oct look forward

1. no Roundtable assessment for 01/10 (yesterday), sorry. as usual, I have an excuse...

I went to 5 gigs this month. it's actually not that big of a feat, given that 4 of them were in a span of 8 days and I just had the fifth Wednesday night. I haven't a lot of time, so I'll link to these two areas of PW and TGTF and you can have a look:

http://popwreckoning.com/category/local-scene/washington-dc-local-scene/ - I've written most of these articles. the most recent gig reviews:

• Perez Hilton Presents Tour (Ladyhawke, Ida Maria, Frankmusik, Semi Precious Weapons) - 12 Sept - 9:30 Club
• Jack Penate / Miike Snow - 18 Sept - Rock n Roll Hotel
• School of Seven Bells / Phantogram / Dub Pixel - 27 Sept - Rock n Roll Hotel

http://www.theregoesthefear.com/author/mary/ - these are all written by me. most recent postings, including gig reviews:

• Perez Hilton Presents Tour (Ladyhawke, Ida Maria, Frankmusik, Semi Precious Weapons) - 12 Sept - 9:30 Club
• Appomattox - 16 Sept - Red and Black Bar
• inteview with Appomattox - 16 Sept
• Jack Penate / Miike Snow - 18 Sept - Rock n Roll Hotel
• interview with Jack Penate - 18 Sept
• the Horrors / Crocodiles / Casper Bangs - 19 Sept - Black Cat

1.5. Appomattox and Jack Penate were a complete joy to interview. Jack says I should move to London. he says so, so I should, right? haha. he also wanted me to say hello to the Horrors the next night, but I couldn't stomach hanging around any longer after their show than necessary. I'll give any music a try but they're just not my thing.

2. The review for 30 Sept's Pains of Being Pure at Heart / the Depreciation Guild / Cymbals Eat Guitars gig at the Black Cat has been submitted but not posted, so keep an eye on PopWreckoning should you be interested. I was told that the "feature" option is currently broken on the PW site, which sucks b/c I really wanted to post it as a feature. why? I do believe the Pains... are my new favourite live band. you'll read more when the gig review comes out, but yeah, I had a taster of what they were like live in Nottingham but could not see them clearly, nor could I witness a full set of theirs.

I appreciate sincerity in rock stars b/c once they attain a certain level of fame and status, they all seem to become wankers and idiots and don't remember the little people. Kip Berman remembers everyone, shaking hands with and engaging in convos with so many people at the show Wed night that I thought he must have known everyone there. at one point he talked to this young girl (who had shouted "Kip!" to get his attention when he was tuning his Jaguar) and we were laughing at something he'd said about uni days and then looked at me, saying "what? it's true!" and then flashed a smile. I almost died. sorry, but I'm vulnerable to any singer/songwriter who's actually nice. then after the show, I went to buy a copy of their new EP, "Higher Than the Stars", and talked a bit to Peggy Wang, their keyboardist. so sweet, we hugged, she thanked me for dancing during their set. WHY other people weren't, dunno. the pure sweetness of the lyrics with the washy shoegaze guitars - GORGEOUS. thanks to the great wonder that is KEXP in Seattle, you can watch "Higher Than the Stars" live at the now-famous Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon.

GET THE NEW EP. it's fab. for more info on them and the EP, read this article from the D.C. area Express Night Out that funnily enough mentions Mike Joyce.

3. I am interviewing Brakes (Eamon et al.) next week. The Brighton band, not the Philly one. I'm really nervous about this one. I've never met them before obviously, but more so, I was asked specifically for this interview. I'm not sure if my reputation precedes me or what, so this should be interesting nevertheless. I will be armed with some new knowledge bestowed to me by my best Dutch friend...

4. for my belated birthday present to myself, I've bought my ticket to the last date of the Winter NYLON Music Tour in Boston on 4 December. the ticket should winging its way towards my mailbox any day now, as I got a notice earlier this week that it was shipped. going to see if I can interview Friendly Fires for TGTF, because it'd be brill to have a "what a year it was for you guys!" kind of piece on them. have to sort my plane tickets and a hotel room but this is pretty much a go...and it's going to be one wild week b/c...

5. the day I fly home from Boston, I will be seeing the Big Pink at the Black Cat, on 5 December. if the FF interview does not pan out, I'll see about interviewing the boys of the BP instead.

have a fab October!

2 new UK indie charts on the horizon

from this Q online article


Two new UK charts are set to be launched, specifically to showcase alternative and indie artists it has been announced. The main chart system rules are also being fundamentally changed, Reuters reports.

The new Independents Breakers singles and albums charts will feature acts who have not appeared in the main top 20 before and are also not signed to any of the four major record labels.

"We've done test charts, and the kinds of artists who would have benefited are Friendly Fires and Grizzly Bear," said Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company.

"These bands already have credibility and media coverage, but the broader public is not particularly aware of them and they are not breaking through into the charts."

The move is the first of it's kind since the charts were first published in 1978, under current rules major label artists can appear in the current indie chart as long they use an independent distributor.

The first Independents Breakers charts will be published on Monday June 29.

I think this is a great idea. every morning I turn on VH1 "Jumpstart" and inevitably, it will be the Jonas Brothers, Miley, Ne-Yo, Brooke Hogan, or any other groan-worthy artists as the "top 5" in the U.S. (excuse me while I barf.) I'll be keeping a close eye on these two UK indie charts, for sure!

this article in particular caught my eye because Friendly Fires themselves had recommended me to run, not walk, to get the new Grizzly Bear album "Veckatimest" when I was in Nottingham. I've listened to it a couple times...it's good but not great to my ears. maybe I'm not hearing it right? or maybe I just need to be in England when I'm listening to it...

Wash Post article on 14 March Morrissey gig

from http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postrock/2009/03/live_last_night_morrissey.html
(ed. note: I went to high school with Dave Malitz, the author. not that he remembers me or anything.)

Live Last Night: Morrissey

The Warner Theatre was the site of a unique phenomenon on Saturday night. No, not the scores of Morrissey fans who lunged their arms toward the stage with the hope that the iconic singer would simply reach down and touch them. It wasn't even the sweat stain on the back of Moz's shirt that was the shape of a perfect heart. (Broken many times over, no doubt.)

It was the fact that this show -- by a performer who is most famous for fronting a beloved British rock band that broke up more than two decades ago and is nine albums into his solo career -- was not at all an exercise in nostalgia. The best moments were tracks from "Years of Refusal," the latest success in Morrissey's comeback trilogy, and showcased a vitality that most veteran performers can only dream of.

Songs such as "Something Is Squeezing My Skull," "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" and "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" were among the most appealing during the 90-minute set that gave true believers plenty of reasons to swoon but probably didn't add too many new, fully-fledged members to the cult of Moz.

While the five-piece band, centered around guitarists Boz Boorer (Morrissey's longtime collaborator) and former Red Hot Chili Pepper Jesse Tobias, was putting an extra charge into the muscular rockers that populate his recent albums, the 49-year-old singer did his Morrissey thing as only Morrissey can -- and should -- do.

His singular, dramatic croon, once a seemingly perfect match for a gentle guitar jangle, now sounds just as natural on top of crunching power chords. He sang with authority as he added flourishes to some of his sharpest barbs. He lassoed the mic chord with his usual gusto, played to his adoring minions and even curled into a fetal position after a particularly massive version of the Smiths hit "How Soon Is Now."

Another pair of Smiths chestnuts, "This Charming Man" and "Ask," were given crisp, alt-rock makeovers, but it wasn't an evening for big sounds only. In fact, Boorer strapped on an acoustic guitar for a number of quieter tunes, with affecting versions of "Death of a Disco Dancer" and "Seasick, Yet Still Docked" proving that Moz's tender side is still firmly intact.

Despite a string of canceled gigs earlier in the week blamed on strep throat, Morrissey seemed in both good health and spirits. His stage banter was the usual collection of brief non-sequitirs -- "At the Warner, you have been warned" or "So you see, it's not Justin Timberlake. Are you disappointed?" -- and he twice ripped off his shirt to reveal a sculpted torso and arms, which are surely in their current state thanks to a heavy regimen of baby lifting.

After a tidy, 20-song set, any number of hits could have been chosen for the encore, but "First of the Gang to Die" was a fitting choice. While not from the new album, the 2004 single helped jump-start Morrissey's current revival. And like many of the other songs performed Saturday, while it may not be that old, it's well on its way to classic status nonetheless.

--DAVID MALITZ

no Roundtable review for 12/03 / upcoming events / Dave Simpson talks about the Doves' latest

I hate it when your blog eats your work before you can post it! argh...

no review of Roundtable from last week - sorry, it had nothing to do with Gary Crowley pinch-hitting for Steve Lamacq, I swear! I was swamped here and also worrying about how I was going to get home from seeing TATE. hey, when you're a girl who goes to gigs by herself most of the time, it's an issue. trust me.

still high from the Morrissey gig here Saturday. stay tuned for more details.

in the meantime, have a look at Nemone's upcoming guests:

17 March La Roux*
17 March Paul Mcgann - you know him as the Eighth Doctor
18 March IT Crowd
19 March Metric
24 March Royksopp
25 March Charlie Brooker
25 March Chew Lips
26 March Lissy Trullie

*the La Roux phone-in had to be rescheduled for 20 March b/c of a scheduling conflict with the Lily Allen tour

and next on the Hub:
23 Mar - The Rakes
27 Mar - Doves (they were with Mark Radcliffe last Tuesday)
30 Mar - PJ Harvey & John Parish
06 Apr - Bat For Lashes

--

Dave Simpson is quickly becoming one of my fave Guardian writers. today, he posted this about the return of the Doves. other notable pieces:

live review of Carl Barat in Wakefield
review of Rhino's Smiths compilation
previously aforementioned discussion on the Airborne Toxic Event