R.I.P. Jerry Fuchs

Gerhardt 'Jerry' Fuchs - very much the hired hands for various DFA and DFA-associated acts (!!!, The Juan MacLean, Turing Machine, Maserati) died in New York on Saturday night at the age of 34.

In a bizarre incident, Fuchs and a friend became stuck in a lift at a benefit party in Williamsburg.  Having managed to force the lift doors open, they both attempted to jump to their freedom to the nearest floor.  Fuchs did not make it and fell down the shaft to his death.

Tributes from bandmates and friends alike have been flooding in with John 'The Juan MacLean' MacLean describing Fuchs as "hands-down the best drummer I have ever played with or seen for that matter."

Free MP3! The Plasticines - Barcelona (Lifelike remix)

Check this spaced-out housey remix by Lifelike of the French girlband de-jour (arf arf) The Plasticines. It's a bit of a stinker for Sunday (avoid if you have a hangover), make sure you have this in your arsenal this week if you are playing out. I like - 7/10

Barcelona (Lifelike remix) by Plastiscines

Video - The So So Glos - 'My Block'

YO!

Just got back from a wicked, music-free break in Bruges, which I'm sure you'll agree we all need from time to time. What always cheers me up is when a great video drops into my email account, and this week it's been this newie from Brooklyn's The So So Glos. Coming off like a cross between The Strokes, The Walkmen and The Clash, this is a pretty heady, ramshackle mixture that has the words 'over-exhuberance' running through it like a stick of rock. I like it. Hope you do too. The album 'Tourism/Terrorism' is coming soon, so keep your eyes open for that, and they'll be playing some London dates later this month too (dates on their Myspace)

In the meantime, check this and enjoy... BGR x

The So So Glos - My Block

The So So Glos - "My Block" from Matt Greeley on Vimeo.

Pure Evil!

‘Liquid Mercury’
‘The Wickedest Man In The World'
Occultation

The one-man renaissance that is Paul Simpson continues on his Lazarus - like airborne trajectory with ‘Liquid Mercury’, which is yet another mercurial slice of autobiography and hymn to his Liverpool hometown. While in comparison to previous single ‘English Electric Lightening’ this could initially be viewed as a slight affair, it does, like all great Wild Swans moments, seduce the listener on repeated listening. However, yet again, and true to form, the real delight is to be found on the spoken-word flipside. ‘'The Wickedest Man In The World', a Crowley lift, is a beguiling tale of psychodrama and psychogeographic malevolence that simultaneously manages to evoke a scene from Paris Texas while relocating it amongst the muddied sludge of the river Mersey. At a time when I had all but fallen out of love with the guitar, this beautiful confectionary reintroduces that most subtle of things, the intelligent guitarist, in the shape of Mike Mooney. A man who has previously played in other great bands such as The Sex Gods and Spiritualised, but it has to be said, has seldom sounded sonically better than in this luxuriant bubble bath of understated guitar histrionics that effortlessly embeds Simpson’s fine speaking voice as he again narrates a dark tale recalling his love / hate relationship with the city that in turn both fascinates and frightens him. Brush stroked drums and Debussy inspired piano sprinkled wonders evolve as Simpson asks himself, as David Byrne before him, how did I get here?

“What happened to me? I used to catch midnight boats to the Hoek of Holland, make love to punk schoolgirls in shower cubicles, drink Benylin for kicks, steal poetry, do acid for breakfast.”

It’s not such a bad life is it really Paul? Especially when after all those years you can still produce music that is as rich and life affirming as this. Buy this record now and then work your way through the back catalogue.

Keith Haworth

We Have Sound!

The Soundcarriers
The legion
Old Street
London

Tonight’s set is cherry picked from debut album ‘Harmonium’s highlights that kicks off with ‘Caught by the sun’. A thrilling start to a stunning show that reveals the exuberant nature of the band in full effect and makes one wonder what will happen when they let their imaginations embrace some of the less explored permutations on offer tonight. You see, The Soundcarriers, like Stereolab before them, appear to be able to seamlessly fit at least twenty different songs into one. This is down to Adam and Pish’s mercurial, liquid rhythm section. Pish, stoic and aloof as always, while human metronome Adam seems to change the tempo and inflection after every bar. One minute, as on ‘Cannonball’ and ‘I had a girl’ kraut groove, the next an understated subtle Pentangle-type rhythm. In fact Adam is possibly the greatest drummer since the Bunnymen’s sadly departed Pete Defrietas, not to mention he is also a man who makes Chris Sharrock look like Def Leppard’s Rick Allen. Add to this the gorgeous three part harmonies of Adam, Dorian and Leonore and at one stage the fact that Leonore’s organ knob twiddling live has now started to recall Eno in Roxy mode, sculpting as she does swathes of sonic prog- wizardry that are both electric and electrifying, momentarily giving a retro flavoured make-over to Old Street and effortlessly turning it into the New York underground circa 1969.

Keith Haworth

Heavenly Make 'Lost' Flowered Up Single Available For Free Download

Following the loss of Flowered Up frontman Liam Maher, his former label Heavenly Records have made the ultra-rare 'Better Life' single available for free download via Mediafire.

This distinctly reggae-sounding release (with occasional sonic nods to the slap bass and keyboard histrionics of Faith No More of all people) was intended to follow up the hugely-popular 'Weekender' but eventually slinked out in a 500 copy limited edition 7" release in April 1994, some time after the band had split.

In a parallel world this would have gone Top 10, but unfortunately this country was dancing to the tune of Doop and Take That during this single's short shelflife - there must be a better way indeed...

Download it here: http://bit.ly/4uhUHN

LIVE REVIEW: Efterklang perform Parades with the Britten Sinfonia

As the Barbican falls to a hush, the oboe plays its A and the rest of the Britten Sinfonia follow suit with the familiar, comforting and hall-filling sound of an orchestra tuning up. It's was at that point when it dawned on me that tonight could be very special indeed.

Having already performed their much acclaimed album of 2007 with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra (now a DVD and live album) and with the Britten Sinfonia, Efterklang were in a new comfort zone here. Rather than the band playing front and center -- with orchestra behind -- they assimilated themselves in amongst assembled throng of strings, brass and woodwind to become part of the orchestra, rather than a band backed by one. Leading from the front was conductor Paul Hoskins; from the back of the stage Efterklang front man Casper Clausen conducted his men and women -- a picture childish smiles.

Parades obviously lends itself well to being played with an orchestra, the album having strings and brass dappled over all its tracks -- a duty normally replicated live by Peter Broderick (violin), Niklas Antonson (Trombone and tap shoes) and Thomas Husmer (trumpet and drums). What lifted this performance above the obvious width of sound when replicating these songs with an orchestra was the arrangement itself. Stings doubled vocals while brass picked up on bass lines; strings were plucked, picked and scraped en masse to create a canvas of sounds that was part of the performance, not merely an accompaniment.

Even though the band seemed very comfortable in amongst the orchestra it did, I feel, take away from the energy you normally get from an Efterklang solo show. However, this was by no means a normal Efterklang show.

With Parades now performed in its entirety a number of times one can only think what influences this is having on one of the most inventive and stand-alone act of the moment. A new album is promised for the Spring. Those that were there had a little sneak peak during the encore. Glorious.

 

Efterklang & The Danish National Chamber Orchestra - Cutting Ice To Snow (live) from Leaf Label on Vimeo.