My PennyBlackMusic Homepage

http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/AuthorPage.aspx?id=91

Gig reviews in Manchester are here.

Lou Reed

“Lou Reed recorded the album 'Berlin 'in 1973. It was a commercial failure. Over the next 33 years, he never performed the album live. For five nights in December 2006 at St. Anns' Warehouse, Brooklyn, Lou Reed performed his masterwork about love’s dark sisters; jealousy, rage and loss.”

It is this opening paragraph that paves the way for Julian Schnabel’s concert documentary film on what is quite regularly critically panned as Lou Reed’s most "depressing album." And for such a pessimistic introduction to the next 85 minutes - the poignant words do certainly effect the viewer in the desired way. Let’s face it - we’re in for a rough ride.

Bathed in copious amounts of green light that reflect the wisdom on Lou Reed’s aged yet still determined face - Schnabel’s direction automatically gives the film an aura of rejection, bitterness and demonstrates the sorrow of which the music so heavily tries to articulate with its screeching orchestras, and Reed’s mournful vocals. You may want to try watching this film with a heavy tub of ice cream to counter the morose flavourings the film gradually will ease into your system. For an album that contains the sorrowful cries of children being torn away from their mother, you would be right to assume that it sounds a bit like Lou Reed got out of the wrong side of the bed that day.

So is it worth 85 minutes of despondent deprivation ? Well most certainly. It is in this respec tas it is necessary to make this film somewhat momentous to fully represent how overlooked an album 'Berlin' really was.

It is not just watching a concert however - the live performance is with swift regularity interspersed with projected moving images created to encapsulate Lou Reed’s rock opera about the tragedy of Caroline,who is played by Emmanuel Seigner, and her various loves and the misfortunes that shaped her life.

It can be seen in Lou Reed’s eyes - 33 years of holding back a musical triumph. But yet the performance of the music is still controlled - and opens humbly, with the gentle strums of an acoustic guitar and the softly sung harmonies of a choir. Yet as the almost meagre lyrics of 'Berlin' grace the stage…and their humble casual tones - (“In Berlin by the wall/You were five foot ten inches tall/It was very nice/candlelight and Dubonnet on ice”) there is a tragedy which surges through every piano chord. A pre-emptive to the sadness which will eventually carry through the album. Once the drums kick in - it is as if we have been transported back to 1973 - and Reed can finally present the album the way in which he intended before being knocked down by the unforgiving critics.

The silent images of Seigner that blend in to Lou Reed’s stage performance add to the film - changing it from "just another stage performance recorded for DVD" to something slightly more significant. Anyone can film a concert, but not everyone can turn it into a film. The attention to detail derived from Reed’s music right up to the choice of lighting signifies Schnabel’s dedication to the album.

The appearance of Antony from Antony and the Johnsons also adds a modern twist to the classic - with Lou Reed cracking a rare smile at his companion during the number of songs they sing together on stage. Antony’s soulful vocals match Reed’s sorrowful ones and the pair obviously both deeply respect one another’s music.

For an album that is constantly cited as ‘depressing’ and then some, there is a lot of power and at some points mainstream panache hidden within the flaming guitars and infectious piano chords. It is in some ways a deep shame that Reed had to be made feel like this was a failure. It is far from that. It’s a triumph. Just don’t forget the tub of ice cream, and you’ll see that too.

Sophie Hall
WRITTEN FOR PENNYBLACKMUSIC.COM

Turbo Fruits - Debut Album review

So, cheerful teen punk rockers Be Your Own Pet have decided to make a side project with a better name. And if there’s one thing to like about Turbo Fruits, it is their name. Their music could be a scarily accurate replica of James Blunt frying Screech Owls over one of Delia Smith’s first easy bake ovens and I would still give them a listen.
You can’t help but wonder if Turbo Fruit’s charisma is effected by the lack of BYOP’s screech goddess Gemima Khan on the vocals. Fortunately, they present something slightly easier on the ear. BYOP’s drummer (John Eatherly), guitarist (Jonas Stein) and bassist (Max Peebles) have brought to the punk rock alliance a collection of 15 songs that I fear you will very much enjoy moshing your faces off to very soon. ‘No Drugs to Use’ opens the album with a slightly adrenaline filled chorus, but it doesn’t set off any sparks – at any rate, rock songs about a distinct lack of drugs are probably not the most innovative idea to kick start things. However, ‘Murder’ makes you forget about this bland opener and displays some excellent riffs that deserve some very unabashed head bashing. ‘Volcano’ too, is one of those songs that yes, is extremely repetitive, but contains so much aggression and energy it hardly matters that they’re just repeating the word ‘Volcano’ over and over. ‘The Run Around’ is even more interesting, with its bluesy guitar banter and smooth vocals. It signifies sexual entrapment, and then eventual yearning; “Hey pretty baby / why do you do that / you’re trying to take me / don’t think I like that.” Meanwhile, although ‘Pockets full of Thistles’ is an example of rhyming at its worst (“Pockets full of gristles / bristles / chisels”) – at least it’s a punk riot with plenty of noise and rhythm. There are however some real borers. ‘Pop Tart’, for example, sounds like ‘The Saints Go Marching In’ - and not even a decent version of it. You can’t help but wonder if Turbo Fruit’s charisma is effected by the lack of BYOP’s screech goddess Gemima Khan on the vocals. In her place is Jonas Stein, whose tuneless gravelly voice does slightly grate - although at times he can just about pass for a young Kurt Cobain. For a bunch of folk who are hardly old enough to drink to their own success, this is a decent first album, if one that lacks the raw allure that made BYOP special. I’m willing to believe that they have more potential than they’re letting on though, so I suggest you check ‘em out at Reading Festival. I mean, they are called ‘Turbo Fruits’ after all.

Sophie Hall
WRITTEN FOR ARTROCKER.COM

iLiKETRAiNS really do their homework. When their first album ‘Elegies to Lessons Learnt’ arrived on my doorstep, not only did I receive the usual CD and promotional flyer - but also a book of essays explaining the story behind each song on the LP. It’s a cheery collection of tales: subjects include death, bubonic plague, drowning and suicide… all in a days work for the class geeks of post rock music.
Opening track ‘We all Fall Down’ is a quaint ol’ melody about the lovely lives of the bubonic plague victims. One for the kids, perhaps... Don’t let their kooky love of rail transport fool you - this band also LiKEDEATH, and plenty of it. This can at times be incredibly harrowing and emotionally draining if you’re not ready for it, but that’s part of iLiKETRAiNS’ charm. Sometimes it only takes a slight chord change for a song to create that clashing pair of emotions of mourning and beauty. Putting the album into perspective, it is a beautiful collection of well crafted songs. David Martin’s melancholy tinged vocals dramatically help in giving each song poignancy, and although it certainly won’t appeal to Mcfly fans and Sun Readers, Mogwai and Current 93 fans are welcome aboard. The intelligent-but-melancholic death rock does get tiring. I know it’s sort of the theme of the day, but a couple of major chords now and then isn‘t asking for much. Opening track ‘We all Fall Down’ is a quaint ol’ melody about the lovely lives of the bubonic plague victims. One for the kids, perhaps – but it also tends to drag it‘s feet a bit. Yes - the music is beautiful and expressively tragic - but for an opener - it hardly welcomes you in with open arms. By contrast, new single ‘Deception’ sounds positively euphoric and triumphant with it’s lamented murmuring: “This is the devils game/This is a holiday/This is the devils game/And it turns me on” There’s something terrifically encouraging about it, and the lyrics are impeccably fitting. The final track, appropriately titled ‘Death is the End’, is a piano-led song that’s shadowed with strings. It sums up the entire album very cleverly, and as the last note echoes into the distance you have to take heed that throughout the mass dejection bonanza, there has been true heart and soul poured into this album. So even if it isn’t your thing (Hey there Editors fans!) if you ever come across this album and want to settle in to a collection of beautifully produced and well thought out music - see if you ‘LiKE’ iLiKETRAiNS

Sophie Hall
WRITTEN FOR ARTROCKER.COM

Gospel Bombs - Vincent Vincent and the Villains

There’s never been a more apt name for a debut album than ‘Gospel Bombs’ - because Vincent Vincent’s debut record is literally a Blitz. Whether they’re covering melancholy odes to lost love, romanticized rhymes or just singing about a bunch of pretty girls, the album is packed with promise and identity. Lying somewhere between Mick ‘I can’t believe it’s not Collagen’ Jaggers’ lips, and Elvis’ heavily gelled quiff, this band have had a long wait to unleash their classic rock influences upon industry biggies EMI. That’s not to say all is traditional here though; their sparks of musical influence range from Flamenco to Africa, and it certainly gives depth to rock n roll.
The love affair with rock and roll this band have is charming...There isn’t a track more dominating than the opener ‘Beast’, which features boisterous vocals about love gone by. Vincent’s domineering singing doesn’t detract from the powerful rhythms this song brings forward, or it‘s self deprecating lyrics; ‘With all my mind / I try to find / But it keeps me so paranoid’. This capricious album’s skill lies in it’s ability to shuffle your mood as often as it shuffles it‘s genres, like an all you can eat musical buffet. What’s your pleasure sir? Some whimsical doowop with a side order of blissful glee? See ‘Sweet Girlfriend’. Or would sir prefer something more bittersweet and with a touch of Spanish chorus line rhythms? I would recommend ‘Jealousy and Bitterness’. It appears that every song has been injected with an essence of soul and calibre, especially the intensifying ‘Cinema’ with it’s smoothest of smooth vocals and mystifying lyrics: “I see the ghost of two lovers in the back row kissing / The light flickers, the projector reels hissing / In the foy they gathered to come in / The show ladies and gentlemen is about to begin!” Overall what makes the album suave and sexy is it’s thirst for good old fashioned dirty rock and roll. The love affair with rock and roll this band have is charming, but they’re still twisting and moulding it with their sly fingertips. Take care when you’re listening to this album, because its more than just a few gospel bombs; Vincent Vincent and the Villains have produced a minefield.


Sophie Hall
WRITTEN FOR ARTROCKER.COM

Adam Green - Sixes and Sevens

While the annoyingly self assured indie flick Juno broadcasts regurgitated Moldy Peaches songs around the world again, Kimya’s counterpart singer Adam Green is busying himself with a newer musical direction: dusting off the mould in favour of his most ambitious album yet.
In Adam Green's mind there's no such thing as genre - and if there is he'll hunt it down and sever it at the roots...Sixes and Sevens is surely worthy of being Green’s Magnum Opus; it’s packed with delightful anti-folk, and full to the brim with those preciously whimsical lyrics that we’ve come to expect from him by now. At a staggering 20 tracks, this is Adam Green’s musical equivalent of War and Peace - although you do wonder how a turkey this stuffed could taste a tad weak at times. You couldn’t dare suggest he hasn’t challenged himself. The opening track itself presents a rarity; singing. Green emulates his look-alike chum Julian Casablancas by smothering the vocals in distortion so we can only vaguely tell there’s a key changes in there somewhere. Elsewhere, those craving the singer’s bittersweet touch won’t be disappointed; it’s still as sharp as ever, and even lends itself to gospel on ‘Broadcast Beach’. In Adam Green’s mind there’s no such thing as genre - and if there is he’ll hunt it down and sever it at the roots. For example, ‘Twee Dee Dee’ is a stomping funk song before Green enters with his razor sharp lyrics, cutting open every last violin string. Bluesy anthem ‘Cannot Get Slicker’ simply couldn’t get slicker, while ‘Sticky Ricki’ sounds like it was composed for a film noir puppet show: it’s so confidently mysterious it’ll charm you like a snake. The new single ‘Morning after Midnight’ brilliantly recalls ’60s Motown at the community centre, and is full of an ironic optimism that contrasts heavily with some of Green‘s darker lyrics: “Hey things wont be strange anymore now / Hey things wont be bad all the time now”. It even has a Cha Cha Cha in it, ladies and gents. Inevitably with such a mammoth of an album there are a couple of samey songs that could’ve been fused together with others, and sometimes it feels as though Green has treated the album like a musical scrapbook. But what’s a Magnum Opus without a couple of fillers? I bet the Philosopher’s Stone has a few dents in it too.


Sophie Hall
WRITTEN FOR ARTROCKER.COM

Oh dear me!

I just had a panic attack that all my musical insights were absolute bilge and consequently deleted everything!

Oh me, oh my.

I will now hasten to add a lot more musical insights that are not absolute bilge.

Watch this space my fine comrades. xx