Eaves

 You may have heard me mention him a couple of times if you are unlucky enough to follow my Twitter feed. Real name Joe Lyons, but took his stage name from the Thomas Hardy book, Three Strangers. He originally called himself "Injun Joe" from the Mark Twain book 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer', but the name is a derogatory term for Red Indian, so he dropped it.

He told me this as we stood outside Rough Trade West on Wednesday following his in-store set, aided by Stephanie Fraser. A very last minute thing, he only announced it on his social media pages the night before. This was perfect timing for me. I had been notified that my pre-ordered copy of his debut record "What Green Feels Like" hadn't been dispatched due to the stock not arriving at Record Store. Not for the first time I'd been let down by them.

So a trip into London Town was on the cards, and a nice stroll down the Portobello Road to Talbot Road.

It was my first visit to Rough Trade West, and first impressions was that it's much smaller than it's sister store and resembles a small second hand shop.

Appearing through the front door, fresh from the pub, he started with "As Old as the Grave" a haunting take on
the full band version on the record but more like the first time
I heard the song on a video of a German session.
With just him on acoustic guitar and the backing vocals, it gave it an isolated, bare sound that does justice to the lyrics about alcoholism and the effects of that on a family. Very stark and affective. He continued with "Drawing Demons" a non-album track yet to see an official release, but can be heard at a session he did for Bruxelles Ma Belle. He followed this with "Alone in my mind" and new single "Pylons".

 It's fair to say I've been quite excited about the impending release of this record, and it doesn't disappoint. The three track's from the EP released last year appear but beefed up, benefiting from a re-record and added instrumentation. Previously unheard tracks like 'Dove in the Mouth', 'Hom-a-Gum' and 'Purge' sit perfectly with the more familiar tracks like 'Spin' premiered when the album was announced and 'Creature Carousel' that has appeared on various sessions on Radio 1 and 6Music. The balance between allowing his delicate, arpeggio guitar stand out, sometimes alone, and adding full band is pitched perfectly, on "Pylons" and "As Old as the Grave" specifically. Occasionally, just gentle drum and additional vocals is all that is required and adds to the overall feel to the record. Then Joe on his own at the piano on 'Timber' is heartbreaking in it's simplicity and just increases the impact of the lyrics "An old man crying on the bed by the river, says goodbye to his children and wife". You may not always get to hear this live unless there is a piano at the venue, he told me, as he won't play it on anything but a piano which he doesn't get to bring with him to gigs.

This perfectly demonstrates the travelling troubadour vibe
you get from him. Maybe partly down to how he looks, boots and jeans, long hair and guitar case in hand. He also moved away from his native Bolton, and crossed the Pennines to Leeds. Songs like "Spin" sound like a rolling moving vehicle "Burning wheels, race the ground, now you'll spin your fortunes round". You feel the impetuous is with Eaves right now. Influential people are backing him, he's signed to an iconic label in Heavenly Records and he's just released one of the best debuts in years.

Seeing him at such a intimate venue (you can't get more intimate than standing in front of him in a shop) and getting to meet him afterwards was a thrill and what's more I even got to go round the corner to the pub with him after.
A more lovely, genuine guy you are unlikely to find. He seemed sincerely appreciative of the people making an effort to cram themselves between the shelves of records and CDs and buy his album, and didn't think twice to invite me for a pint.

He plays the Sebright Arms on 12th May, snap up what tickets are left, and join me down the front.

Quarter 1 - Report

Good Afternoon,

 

I’m writing this like a letter to a client as this is being typed on my work computer. It’s Wednesday and two days before I leave the company. I have little or nothing to do besides a hand over of work to a colleague which can wait until tomorrow.

 

The title isn’t actually the red herring I have implied it is. This blog will be a report on the first three months of the year, not in relation to the performance of a particular pension scheme, but the records released in January, February and March 2015.

 

Last year, I posted two lists of five albums on Twitter, that consisted of my favourite records of the first and second six months of 2014. This year, after only three months I already have five records that it would be a crime to not mention if it so happens better records are released in the next nine months.

 

In fact in this month of April, I am expecting the best album of the year to be released, Eaves – What Green Feels Like. If the E.P from November and new single ‘Pylons’ are anything to go by, it’s going to be utterly sublime. Needless to say, it’s been on pre-order for about three months now.

 

On top of that, Blur release their first album with the original line up for sixteen years next week, and again if the streamed tracks “Go Out”, “Lonesome Street”, “There are too many of us” and “I Broadcast” are indicative of the rest of the record, it’s going to be a treat.

Laura Marling puts out her 5th album next week too, which is bound to slay me like she does every time.

 

Finally, and remember this is still just April I’m referring to here, the Stornoway album landed a few weeks ago and is sounding really special. Tonight I see them at Reading’s Sub 89.

 

In January, two albums I had been anticipating since last year dropped. Menace Beach’s ‘Rat World’, and Desperate Journalist’s eponymous debut. Both strikingly different from each other, but both equally stupendous.

 

In February, Idlewild made a triumphant return after 6 years off with ‘Everything Ever Written’. The beginning of March saw Noel Gallagher finally release the second solo record he’d announced six months previously, and then at the end of March I made the discovery of Courtney Barnett and her first L.P proper ‘Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit’ after her first two E.Ps were released as a double album ‘The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas’.

 

It has to be said, the first exposure I had of her didn’t exactly blow me away. Not sure I was in the mood for it when I played the video for “Pedestrian at Best”. It didn’t make it to the end. A while later, in the car, the misses changed the radio station over when it had been playing for a minute and I didn’t exactly protest. Fortunately though, as it turned out, a lot of people, including the person who makes the playlists on XFM and Absolute Radio, did like it. You couldn’t escape it. I found myself humming or singing it, in the car, in the shower, at work. It had seeped into my sub-conscious. A link came up for a session she did at one of the Rough Trade shops in London and up first was ‘Dead Fox’. Such a contrast to 'PaB', and a different style of singing. I did think perhaps that the record would be all punky guitars and shouty vocals like 'PaB' but after listening to a stream, it was a myriad of sounds and styles.

"Elevator Operator" has a Hammond organ running through it giving it a much lighter feel than the PJ Harvey-esque "PaB", "Small Poppies" is bluesy and has a permanent guitar solo that apes Jack White and evokes the spirit of The White Stripes' "Ball and Biscuit". "Depreston" is a Country song with slide guitar prominent, lyrics discussing buying a house in Preston, a suburb of Melbourne, in her native Australia.

"Dead Fox" and "Nobody really cares if you don't go to the party" are similar stylistically, all summery, pop tunes with words talking about the mundane, everyday shopping dilemmas and arguing with a friend about the virtues of staying in or going out.

"Kim's Caravan" is the slow burning, epic, dark and brooding, big end of album track, despite the slightly through-away "Boxing Day Blues" concluding the record. Check the great video to accompany it, which makes more for a short movie, below.

It's such a natural sounding record. There are no pigeon holes to fill here. Her influences are many and worn on her sleeve.

So, in no particular order, as they are all as important as each other:

Menace Beach - Rat World
Desperate Journalist - Desperate Journalist
Idlewild - Everything Ever Written
Noel Gallagher - Chasing Yesterday
Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I sit and think,  and sometimes I just sit.

LISTEN  TO THEM, BUY THEM!!
 

 

 

Females in Music

I wrote that title, and debated if it sounded derogatory. Misogynistic. ‘Females’. It’s what the Dad in ‘Friday Night Dinner’ refers to prospective girlfriends for his son as. “Any Females?”.

 

In the name of equality, I don’t really understand why we have to refer to the gender of the artist at all. This current debate about the quantity of women in music seems centric on the differentiation between the sexes, and I can see why in light of the spark that ignited the flames of this argument, but is it really important?

 

For the uninitiated, it was pointed out that the Reading and Leeds Festival line-up was something of a sausage fest (excuse the pun. Actually don’t) and when looked at in isolation (the poster produced when all the bands with only men in their line ups were removed made scant reading) raised the issue of whether there were enough women in popular music and if there was an underhand anti-feminist agenda within the industry.

 

Now, I’m not anti-feminist but neither am I a drum beater for the cause. I don’t seem to have the setting where my brain identifies a female voice and differentiates it from any other singing voice as to whether or not I think “ Hang on, that’s a women singing, am I sure I like this?”.

 

I equally despise and love male and female voices. For example, Win Butler and Florence Welch both make me want to drag my finger nails down the nearest blackboard to cover the noise of the horrendous din emanating from their cake holes.

 

Conversely, Laura Marling and Nick Drake make the most beautiful noise I’ve ever heard from their honey-glazed larynx‘s.

 

It has, however, made me think about my own record collection and how many do I own by women, or where women are members of the band.

 

Admittedly, they are in the minority, especially when it comes to band members. I have albums by Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny, Alanis Morrisette, Sleeper, Garbage, Echobelly, Giant Drag, Pulp, Ultrasound, The Subways and even more that would just start to resemble a boring, long list. But, as I said, it is less. 

 

This year does seem to be bucking that trend though. The first two records I got this year were by Menace Beach and Desperate Journalist. The former consists of a conveyer belt of members, but the two core members consist of Ryan Needham and Liza Violet. Co-founders. Co-songwriters. In the latter, half of the four piece that make up the band are women, Jo Bevan on vocals and Caz Hellbent (what a name!!) on drums.

 

 

I can’t say, however, that I gave it a second thought that they consisted so fundamentally of women. I mean, it would have been easy to have overlooked a female bassist or keyboard player, but when the women in these bands are so front and centre, you can’t ignore them, but I was attracted by the songs first not the fact it was a high soprano or alto voice so identifiably from the mouth of a women. The fact is inescapable that Jo and Liza’s voices are stunning and perfectly complement the music but why does it have to be such a talking point.

 

So I’ve sat down and thought about this and it is quite apparent that there is a lot of good music being released this year by brilliant female musicians. The aforementioned Goddess who is Laura Marling released her fifth LP last month and I am incredibly excited that the vinyl of the fantastically unique Courtney Barratt’s debut album has just dropped onto my doormat this morning. I have also been introduced to the soothing but emotionally fragile voice of Anna B Savage recently.

 

https://soundcloud.com/annabsavage/1a-2 

 

I hope this doesn’t sound like I am in anyway diminishing the impact and relevance of women in music today, far from it, they are producing or at least participating in some of the best things being released this year.

 

It's where they aren't expected that is the nicest surprise. One of the stand out things about the new Noel Gallagher record is the addition of the female backing vocals and even joint lead vocals on ‘The Right Stuff’, arguably the best song on the album. The beautiful live acoustic recording that came with the new Idlewild LP is enhanced by the female vocals on the majority of the songs in the set, lifting them from the original versions to something very different and incredible.

 

I have to admit to reading barely any of the social comment that sprang up post Reading and Leeds announcement, as I didn’t feel it really affected me. I don’t hold men in music in higher regard than women, I don’t choose my music based on who has made it, men or women, and I’m not really concerned who makes up the members of any given band. If there is an influx of great female singers and songwriters and musicians, then great. There already is as far as I can tell. I don’t feel that the line-up of one festival is indicative of the attitudes of music lovers everywhere.

 

If this is about equality, who cares who makes the music. This attitude should apply to different genres too and most people would be happy to agree that it wouldn’t matter what colour the skin of the performer was, so why should it matter who is singing? As long as it’s good. And it is damn good.

 

This could come across as a man showing his indifference to an issue that many people feel strongly about and their perception that there is a dearth of women breaking through. This isn’t the case. My perception is that there are plenty of women making brilliant music and if the promoters of Reading and Leeds Festival cannot see that, then that is their problem. Their festival will be the worse for it. Although my point has been that it shouldn’t be the case that people should be singling out the sexes. Therefore it must be that they just have poor taste in music and aren’t recognising the great music being released.

 

If you’ve not heard of the bands and artists I’ve mentioned here, check out the links and videos. Be enlightened.  

That tricky 3rd album

There is a myth in popular music that for every brilliant debut album there is a poor second attempt. That can obviously be the case, but it's by no means a rule. In fact I'm going to argue that it's not the sequel that's the problem for most bands, it's trying to make a great third record.

Take a classic debut album. I'll be obvious and say 'Definitely Maybe'. It is obvious but also makes a perfect example. It's indisputable that it's one of the greatest first efforts in modern history. If you think otherwise, well, not only are you in the minority, but you're wrong. I hope that's changed your mind. Anyway, Oasis followed that up with "What's the Story (Morning Glory)" obviously, I don't need to tell you that. Then came the pompous, over blown, coke-fuelled 'Be Here Now'. By the writers own admission, it's not great. Exhibit A.

Now for someone more obscure but no less close to my heart, Mansun. 'Attack of the Grey Lantern' a masterpiece I'm sure you'd agree, followed by 'Six' an experimental, off the wall work of genius, then 'Little Kix' which signalled the point where it all started to go a bit wrong.

There is an argument that, in fact, when a band reaches it's third LP that they run out of ideas and start going off in different directions, literally and artistically. Groups fall out and apart. End of band. Not before making a stinker and losing a large proportion of the fan base.

It's unfair, sometimes, to state that certain records are completely shit. In the examples I've given there are saving graces (D'ya know what I mean, Comes as no surprise) there are some cuts of pure gold but as a complete piece of work it's just not as good as the previous two. I mean, where do you go from two of the biggest selling, best received albums of the all time? You disappear into a cloud of gak and blow trumpets out of your arse whilst your A List mates add slide guitar and backing vocals.

Or in Mansun's case, you let the record company stick their ores in and get you a producer who tries to turn your 20 minute jams into concise, radio friendly 3 minutes and make you sound MOR. What comes out the other end? Your least successful record and the beginning of the end. Well done Parlaphone, you couldn't just leave it alone could you?!?!

The exceptions to the rule. Nick Drake. He only made three before he died for crying out loud but managed to come up with triplets of staggering beauty and prodigious brilliance. Kings of Leon managed to squeeze out three fantastic albums before getting the stylists in and dreaming of the stadium gig. I'm mean, does anyone actually like 'Sex on Fire'? Arguments can be made for and against I,II,III Led Zeppelin records. One thing is for sure, two of the biggest and best bands of all time certainly didn't start with their best efforts. Them being the Beatles and Rolling Stones if you hadn't guessed. In their defence, the "Album" wasn't what it became in the mid to late 60's and it was more a vehicle for all the singles you released than a concept of it's own, which you could say, The Beatles and The Stones trail blazed themselves. Certainly the tit for tat 'Sgt Pepper' and 'Her Satanic Majesties..' were part of the early swathe of albums being constructed as a piece of art in there own right.

It seems that some bands have the knack of releasing a belter of a debut, follow it up with another cracker and then lose their way. Some have the ability to get it back, just a momentary blip. The Arctic Monkeys are once such band who managed that. The first was monumental, the second a lesser triumph, but a triumph none the less, and then 'Humbug'. Not so much of triumph. Then they came back with 'Suck it and See' that was far better received and then 'AM' back to their best.

Other bands lose their audience, sometimes not through any fault of their own. Off the back of Britpop, a number of great bands seemed to fall away and never quite saw the same success. The Bluetones are a prime example. 'Expecting to Fly' is an underrated, subtle masterpiece, 'Return to the Last Chance Saloon' was a perfectly pitched Spanish/Mexican influenced record with some brilliant, brilliant songs and then 'Science and Nature' just didn't seem to land, despite having a higher chart position than 'Return..'. By 2000, Britpop was very over. It was the calm before the "Strokes" storm and 'Nu-metal' had risen from the gutter, mutated and become a colossal monster of bleurgh.
The 'Tones had lost their market and it was never quite the same. Which is a huge shame as "Keep the home fires burning' is cracking. Thankfully, Mark Morriss is still with us carving out a nice little solo career for himself.

It is still happening. Some bands haven't quite made it to their 3rd record yet, but some are about to release them, and if the opening gambits are anything to go by, it's not looking great. Everything, Everything released two excellent albums in 'Man Alive' and 'Arc', that have been described as "geek rock" but for me just shows an intelligence and the ability to craft clever songs out of odd time signatures, different singing styles and bizarre lyrics. Unfortunately, they seem to have forgotten how they made those first two records and have, in their own words, attempted to "stop trying to make the perfect song and go with a vibe" and what has been shat out the other end of this "vibe" is 'Distant Past' with its frankly bloody awful 90's dance one note synthesiser hook in the chorus. It sounds like a mix of "Encore un fore" and "No Limits" with a bit of Faithless chucked in for good measure.

That may (does) sound bitter but I was so incredibly disappointed by the song when it premiered on Zane Lowe's show on Radio 1, I turn it off when ever it's played on other stations now. They are so much better than that. Frustrating.

This all came about from a question asked on Twitter, to name a band or artist who released three great albums straight off the bat. The list was small. Discussions aplenty. I suppose it does depend on your opinion of the third album. Some people love 'Be Here Now'. There's no accounting for taste.