HEY MUSCLES, I LOVE YOU, I WANNA HAVE YOUR BABIES

The day Muscles decided he would pursue his dreams of being a musician was the best day in the history of pop music since the day Serge Gainsbourg was born. His album ‘Guns Babes Lemonade’ (I know!) has been out now for a while, and it is truly AMAZING. Muscles is just one humble Australian, but every song on the record sounds like a group of sweaty people – who have synthesizers and are superfun and your new best friends - is screaming at you about ice cream, marshmallows and hammocks, and you never want them to stop. Never. Because when they stop, they leave you cold, alone, lost and out of breath. And for some reason, every time, completely naked.

Muscles - Hey Muscles, I Love You [mp3]
Muscles - Marshmallow [mp3, sendspace]

Until the day after tomorrow then?

Ryan Adams' productivity, Tom Waits' sitting-in-a-barr-iness, Sufjan's multi-instrumentalism modesty, Jarvis Cocker's charm and an continous stream of quality. An EP and four albums long (see, I'm not even counting the download only 2-CD b-sides collection) the English troubadour Ed Harcourt has given his fans his own brand of up-beat songs (All Of Your Days Will Be Blessed) and melancholic ballads (This One's For You).

Although he still hasn't had his break-through and probably never will he released a Best Of, ironically titled 'Untill Tomorrow Then'. The best of features favorites like the jazzy title-track 'Untill Tomorrow Then', the near-perfect popsong 'Loneliness' and the melancholic 'Visit From The Dead Dog'. The Best Of doesn't just have two new songs, there's an entire bonus disc with 15 previously unreleased songs! That bonus disc could have very well been an official album, quality-wise. As Always, Ed doesn't disappoint. It's good to be a Harcourt fan, you should try it.


From album 'Here Be Monsters': Ed Harcourt - Beneath The Heart Of Darkness (myspace)

From album 'From Every Sphere': Ed Harcourt - All Of Your Days Will Be Blessed (video)

From album 'Strangers': Ed Harcourt - Loneliness (video)

From album 'The Beautiful Lie': Ed Harcourt - Visit From The Dead Dog (video)

From Best Of 'Untill Tomorrow Then': Ed Harcourt - Untill Tomorrow Then (myspace)

What actually IS free to a good home?

Okay, I think we can all agree that Feist has gotten enough attention (deservedly so by the way) and the same can be said for Stars’ new record. I’ve also recently covered Amy Millan’s solo work, but there is one more female vocalist in Broken Social Scene.

I’m talking about the ever-lovely Emily Haines of course. And although a Metric post is long overdue (their first album has recently been re-released) I wanted to talk about her solo work (well, together with her backing band The Soft Skeleton).

June saw the release of her album 'Knives Don’t Have Your Back' in Europe and the UK and in July the outtakes EP ''What Is Free To A Good Home?' (I don’t know, what is? No seriously, I have no idea) was released. 'Knives Don’t Have Your Back' is a criminally overlooked record full of dark nocturnal piano-driven songs with beautiful lyrics (her father was an admired poet) that cut you like…well…knives. And the incredible part isn’t that the album is quite far removed from the rock-attitude and cleverness she shows in new wave band Metric. The impressive thing is that the 'What Is Free To A Good Home?' EP is EVEN BETTER! Seriously; I listened to it two times a day for at least two weeks and still come back to it frequently. Do yourself a favor and listen to this:


The video for Our Hell is as disturbing as the song: Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – Our Hell (video)

Take her to the bank, take her to the bar: Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – The Bank

Also from the EP: Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – Bottom of the World (mp3) (mypsace)

The Madd is b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

The Madd is definately both wicked and massive.

The Madd is the shit.

The Madd is b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

Everything about The Madd just rubs the right way. It's rock 'n roll. It goes down like chocolate. It has an organ that makes you dance around in your living room and scare the cat. The band members are well-dressed and look thoroughly un-Dutch, in a good way. Singer Dave van Raven bluntly checked out chicks and tits during their gig and the invitation for their release party proudly boasted 'after the show: free fucks', but my mom would still welcome them as her sons-in-law because they're too charming not to.

The music is a sixties-best-of in the best way possible. It's an appropriate tribute, but manages to surpass being just that. It's fucking energetic. They totally get away with choruses like "Heyheyheyheyhey - jump now" and I love the Beatlesque vocals on Roughy The Beatles Man. Even the slight Dutch accent of the singer just adds to it instead of it being annoying. Releasing 'Ongeneeslijk Beat' ('Incurably Beat'), The Madd's first full length album, has just been another bull's eye for the Excelsior label. Go out and buy the damn thing, it's worth it.


And please don't do the "But Hera, they sound just like The Who"-thing. I know. But I don't mind. I'm incurably beat. To hear what The Madd themselves sounds like, try their show at Motel Mozaïque. Hear some more at their Myspace or Last.fm.

Breaking news

New Roisin Murphy record 'Overpowered' is her best record…wait…THE best record…of all times…ever. It’s like she was bitten by a radioactive Annie, who was bitten by a radioactive Madonna, who was bitten by a radioactive Spice Girl, who was…etc.

New Sigur Ros track: Sigur Ros – Hljomalind (myspace)

New Xiu Xiu tracklisting revealed. Includes titles like: 'In Lust You Can Hear the Axe Fall', 'You Are Pregnant, You Are Dead' and 'Under Pressure' which features Michael Gira (see Melvinbloodyhand’s previous post here). They also posted this as ‘their new album’…they obviously lied.

New Final Fantasy single: Final Fantasy – Hey Dad (myspace)

all the leaves are brown

These days the weather in Holland is the best you can get in the autumn! The sun shines through the colored leaves, making every moment a flickr possibility. Some records for me are connected to a certain season. Beth Gibbons (Portishead) and Rustin man released ‘Out of Season’ in 2002 and it’s still my favorite autumn record. Even though it’s not done to post about albums older than 3 weeks and younger than 20 years, I feel the urge to do so. The music is acoustic, slow, contemplational and sometimes jazzy. Her voice is enchanting (sorry for mentioning this inevitable word again on Ulkedoof!) and full of the depths of life. Check this:

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Sand river (mp3)
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Show (mp3)

Music is what separates humans from apes.

Music is the doorway into our tiny human brains. We can't keep ourselves from connecting music to events, feelings and memories. And that is why we speak of summer songs, love songs, party songs, nostalgic songs from when we were young and so on. There's certain songs that I will never play again in my life because they were played at the funeral of someone I loved. There's songs that make me smile, cry or feel in love just by hearing them. I just wanted to share a few of them with you.

Ella Fitzgerald - Dream A Little Dream
Louis Armstrong - Wonderful World
Bright Eyes - First Day Of My Life
Belle and Sebastian - Funny Little Frog
Johnny Cash - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Radiohead - Karma Police
Chavela Vargas - Paloma Negra
Tindersticks - Another Night In
Cat Power - Werewolf

Bedroom Community

Bedroom Community is a fairly new label based in Iceland. They debuted with the releases of Nico Muhly, Ben Frost and Valgeir Sigurdsson. All three are beautiful records, Muhly displays magical arrangements reminiscent of Reich and Glass (with a cameo appearance by Antony without the Johnson). Valgeir's name might not ring a bell but he produced Björk's records from Vespertine on. He is also label-owner and studio-engineer, and his record is one of the finest released this year.

The record I want to highlight is Theory of Machines by Ben Frost


A very moving ambient/noise record with one loud track: 'We Love You Michael Gira'. Gira has recently visited the Netherlands with his insanely loud acoustic shows, but he is best known as the founder of the industrial noise band Swans. Ben Frost samples one of Gira's guitar parts in the aforementioned song creating a devastating track. If this scares you the other four tracks are less loud and equally beautiful.

Well, just check it out.
Official Site

Although Platinum & Drambuie does sound nice

Forget Rubber & Beer, Wood & Whiskey and Platinum & Drambuie! The best combination is obviously Iron & Wine.
Iron & Wine is Sam Beam who with ‘The Shepherd’s Dog’ has made one of the most enchanting albums this year. Listening to it may cause you to imagine yourself wandering through imaginary woods (so it’s an imaginary wood when you’re already imagining it? Yes it is, now shut up and do as I told you!) where everything is made of iron and wine…and there are all these…men…with beards…

But it may also just enchant you (you already said enchanted! Go away! Who the hell are you anyway?) …without all those useless images.

Anyway, his folkish masterpiece can be heard in its entirety on his myspace.



My favorites are:

Iron & Wine – Innocent Bones (myspace)

Iron & Wine – Lovesong of the Buzzard (myspace)

Iron & Wine – Carousel (mp3)

Soulwax

It's hard to pin down Soulwax. They started as a rockband (album: 'Leave the Story Untold'). Soon more danceable influences found it's way into their music (try to sit still to the song 'Too many DJ's', I dare ya!) on their acclaimed second album 'Much Against Everyone's Advice'. After that they revolutionized Dj'ing with the mash-up sets they did as Too Many DJ's (named after their own song). Then they returned with a third Soulwax album after six years (ironically titled 'Any Minute Now'). Although this may not have been a very surprising move they followed that with a remixed version of that album called 'Nite Versions'.

And to top it all of they played a secret gig in Amsterdam yesterday (last.fm event: not so secret) where they played the remixes they did for other artists live.
Yes, you heard (read) me right; they played the remixes they did for other artists... live!

Easily one of the coolest shows you're likely to see this year.

They also played the remix they did for a new Hot Chip song, which isn't even out yet: Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor (Soulwax Dub)

Another favorite was: The Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control (Soulwax Edit)

Even more remixes can be heard on the most comprehensive Soulwax site...ever.

She Wants Revenge is a dish best served twice

Is it just me or does the new She Wants Revenge (also know as the more joyfull Division or the new New order or the newer New Order if Peter Hook stops being a dick) sound an awful lot like a lazy Placebo with a singer whose testicles have in fact fully descended?

I guess Justin Warfield paid close attention every time he worked with Placebo. If you don't mind the repetition ('She Will Always Be A Broken Girl' is pretty much a new 'These Things') I guess it's a nice album though.

Their latest single: She Wants Revenge - True Romance (myspace)

Video for their best song, directed by Joaquin Phoenix: She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart (video)

Wax on, wax off, wax on again

Spinvis is this 40-something Dutch ex-mail man (from Nieuwegein) who finds poetry in the mundane (regret, aging, cold hands when you drive to work on your bike on a winter morning, candy getting stuck in your nose). He is arguably one of the most interesting Dutch artists. After two albums he recently released a b-side compilation, and even this one's quite brilliant. On of the most interesting songs on 'Goochelaars en Geesten' (Magicians and Ghosts) is 'Was' (wax) which is a cover of 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son' (Wax doll, sawdust doll) which was composed by Serge Gainsbourg and sung by France Gall.
Now Arcade Fire have covered it on their split 7'' EP (backed with LCD Soundsystem).

Note you Canadian hipsters; Spinvis was first. Nieuwegein is the new Montreal!

1965 Eurovision Song contest’s winning entry: Arcade Fire - Poupée de cire, poupée de son

The beautiful title track: Spinvis – Goochelaars en Geesten (myspace)

Spinvis - Voor Ik Vergeet (video)

The Everlasting Black Desire

---Newsflash!---
Bertrand Cantat is to be released from prison tomorrow (October 16th).
---end---

Seems to me we've got something to look forward to! Some recaps for now:

Noir Désir - Sober Song (mp3)
Noir Désir - À L'Envers, À L'Endroit (video)

Noir Désir - Le Vent Nous Portera:

Or, to quote Loffe: "Lökkerisirruuunogakohoma!"

So, who needs music that sounds like people would actually enjoy it out of their free will? Music you can imagine people listening to in the car, on the bus or in the supermarket while looking for the prettiest broccoli?



I sure don't. And it so happens that the Swedish comedian Loffe has made a song, years ago (in 1975, in fact), which I can't imagine anyone listening to. Ever. That's the beauty of it. 'Mdssan' has got everything I need in a song: A crazyperson singing high, singing low, playing the piano like a crazyperson does and laughing maniacally during the finale. Oh, and there's a choir. You heard me right. A choir. I'll give it a steady 8.5 on my personal Crazy Music Meter with a scale from one to ten ('Mdssan' is crazier than a swingdance version of Kate Bush's 'Wuthering Heights' - which got an 8 -, but not as crazy as a rusty robot singing Stevie Wonder's 'Part-Time Lover' - which will never be topped.), so it's quite crazy. However, since we all know the greatest music in the world comes from Sweden, and Loffe has jammed frequently with Jimi Hendrix, 'Mdssan' is PC, too. Try to listen to it while looking for the prettiest broccoli. You might bring home an artichoke, instead.


Loffe - Mdssan (mp3)

Taken By Trees has Amy Millan and Amy Millan has Taken By Trees

I do believe Feist is getting enough attention (okay, last time: 1 2 3 4 (video) ) while the other female vocalists from Broken Social Scene aren’t given enough and are also quite succesfull, with or without band.
First up is Amy Millan who also sings in Stars who recently released their new album ‘In Our Bedroom After The War’. Which is fantastic and gives me a reason to mention her solo-cd ‘Honey From The Tombs’ from 2006. Which sucks. Ass. Then why the hell mention it at all? Because it has one song you should hear. One amazing song that I keep coming back to. The rest of the album is country-twang crap (sorry Amy) but do yourself a favor and listen to Skinny Boy.


Lips I could spend a day with: Amy Millan – Skinny Boy (download on myspace)

Perez Schmerez.

So nowadays, when telling someone you're listening to Feist, you suddenly have to prove you're not necessarily against Britney Spears or anything... Why, for heaven's sake, why?
Maybe one of my fellow editorial staff members could write a review on her latest album, just to show the world we give Britney a fair chance.

Or actually, no. Me and probably a substantial part of the other staff members started listening to Feist way before Oprah's Bookclub Perez ordered us to do so. Want proof? Here: you got proof.

Or, well, now I come to think of it... whatever. We don't have to prove anything. Perez recently admitted to visiting Ulkedoof on a weekly basis. Wanted to join forces and all that. Turns out someone ripped-up and ate all his chickens just a couple of days after that.

Nostrils

Oh dear, oh dear.

So much nice new music to write about - The Octopus Project + Black Moth Super Rainbow, anyone? Also, why doesn't anyone like The New Young Pony Club except when you've seen the keyboard girl?

So much old music to get to know! (Guided by Voices! Songtitles like "Kicker Of Elves" and "Tractor Rape Chain"! A lot better than I had expected! And a nice book, too (see Hera's last obsession))

So much current goings-on! (Of Montreal coming to the Netherlands! Modest Mouse shouldn't have been so modest - they've got Johnny Fucking Marrrrrr! Oh yeah, Control is coming out next week!)

Why, O why, is it then that I can only listen to mid-90s-a-like noise at the moment?

It started off with http://ulkedoof.blogspot.com/2007/09/rockethouse-was-its-elementary-dear-my.html
but then a fellow co-blogger had to 1-up me by posting the following http://ulkedoof.blogspot.com/2007/09/tap-supersonic-fuzz-gun.html.

All that got me back to Ride and Mudhoney and J&MC and looking forward to Asobi Seksu playing in Amsterdam. Maps wasn't exactly noise, but it was kind-of-My-Bloody-Valentinish.

That's awesome! Break those eardrums! But on second listen, I don't see how APTBS could claim the title of 'Loudest Band in New York' - them mp3s all sound the same loud to me :-) .

Err, the youtube videos also look and sound all the same to me.

There is only one way to settle this: let them both play in the Netherlands - I'll stand in the middle - and whichever band gets me to put earplugs up my nostrils first, wins.

Disclaimer: I have been to a Motorhead concert, so my hearing may have been damaged!

Did they hate Amsterdam?

Like Sid and Nancy as musicians, that's how the husband and wife duo of Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry came across to me yesterday. Armed with boredom and discontent Handsome Furs charmed the audience and with the constant battle between his guitar and her raw syth-beats they grabbed our attention. A constant battle is also the theme of their record Plague Park. The battle between hating the city ('Handsome Furs Hate this City') but also hating the small towns ('Dead + Rural').

With all this boredom, discontent, battling and hating I would've expected a less charming duo. Not so.


Handsome Furs - What We Had (mp3)

Handsome Furs - Handsome Furs Hate This City (myspace)

Handsome Furs - Dumb Animals (video)

St. Vincent has Taken By Trees and Taken By Trees has St. Vincent

Another sweet female voice is from Victoria Bergsman better known as the former lead singer of The Concretes and undoubtedly even better known as ‘that chick who sings Young Folks’. She now makes music as Taken By Trees and her record called Open Field is very lo-fi. It’s mostly piano or guitar with some percussion and that voice that makes you want to hug her to death like she was a pink mini-dwarf-baby-puppy. Especially when she’s feeling Lost and Found.

Taken By Trees – Lost and Found (mp3)

New Buffalo has St. Vincent and St. Vincent has New Buffalo

I find myself listening to the lovely Sally Seltman, better known as New Buffalo a lot lately. Her latest album 'Somewhere, Anywhere' is a grower, it took me a while to really appreciate it. I wondered why I took that time but I guess the reason is that New Buffalo is a very welcome alternative to the angst, neuroticism and heaviness of most music. The music of Arcade Fire (check here october 6th), Interpol and The National for instance aren’t exactly easy listening. You could always throw in something happy like an Architecture in Helsinki, some New Pornographers or Bonde do Role but sometimes I need something a bit more subtle. New Buffalo seems to specialize in songs of contentment (for example in the song 'I've got you and you've got me (song of contentment)'), comfort, wonder and all around sweetness. You might be wondering what the point to this story is. Well, the point is that New Buffalo doesn't have to feel so alone anymore:

St. Vincent is Annie Clark and used to be in The Polyphonic Spree and in Sufjan Stevens' entourage (but then again, who wasn’t?). Although her music is a bit less subtle than New Buffalo's it breathes the same sweetness when she sighs “what me worry? I never do” or asks John: "marry me John, marry me John (I’ll be so good to you)". How could anyone deny such a lovely voice from such a lovely appearance? Okay, so I could but that has nothing to do with her (I'm going to marry either Elvis Costello or Nick Cave). From the lovely piano play to the ‘pom-pom-pom-pom’s to the handclaps to the lush strings and the modest lyrics, it’s all drenched in an incredible sweetness. Even when Paris is burning she’s dancing (albeit a ‘black waltz’).

Sounding a bit desperate: St. Vincent - Marry Me (mp3)

St. Vincent - Paris is Burning (myspace)

Bad metaphor/good metaphor

You be the judge:

Of Montreal: Gronlandic Edit
‘Let's fall back to earth and do something pleasant
We fell back to earth like gravity's bitches
(Physics makes us all its bitches)’

Katie Melua: If You Were A Sailboat
‘If you were a house I would live in you all my days’

Cold War Kids: Hang Me Up To Dry
‘Now hang me up to dry
You wrung me out
too too too many times’

Katie Melua: If You Were A Sailboat
‘If you were a river I would swim you’

Toranja: Carta
‘É que hoje acordei e lembrei-me
Que sou mago e feiticeiro
Que a minha bola de cristal é folha de papel
E nela te pinto nua
Nua, numa chama
Minha e tua’
['Today when I woke up I remembered
That I’m a magician and an enchanter
That my crystal ball is a piece of paper
And on it I paint you naked
Naked, in a flame
Yours and mine']

Katie Melua: If You Were A Sailboat
'If you were a piece of wood I’d nail you to the floor'

WorthyNonsense: [Unreleased]
'Katie Melua, if you were a musician I’d burn your house, drain your river and nail the piece of wood in question to your glottis.'

Of Montreal - Gronlandic Edit (mp3)
Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up Tp Dry (mp3)
Toranja - Carta (video)

Certainly NOT the only gay in that village

OhmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodOhmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodOHMYGOD! BEST CONCERT OF THE YEAR ALERT! ohmygodohmygodo-*SLAP*...Thanks. I'm okay now.

Swedish Glam-rock band The Ark played their first concert in The Netherlands. Even though it was in a small venue in Rotterdam for about a hundred people they played as if they were on a giant stage playing for a crowd of thousands. They gave it their all and convinced everybody there that The Ark is THE GREATEST BAND EVE-*SLAP*...Sorry, I went of there again.

From the frantic first notes to the fantastic last one their motto was absolutely no decorum whatsoever glam, bam, thank you ma'am! Frontman Ola made Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears look like a conservative librarian with his impressive voice, stage personality, golden jumpsuit and 'controversial' lyrics. Lyrics about homosexuals' right to have children ('Father of a Son'):

And I may be gay
But I can tell you straight away
That Ill become a better father
than All of you anyway...(so listen!)
One day I will become
The father of a son
Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah!

About sexualization ('Tired of Being an Object'):

Well, don´t project your bore
On the girl on the dance floor
She doesn´t at all find
The men´s looks abusive
She doesn´t want your shield
Maybe she´s the one who´s free
Maybe sometimes getting fucked Can be amusing

And even about bare-backing ('Disease'):

If there is disease in you
I want to have that disease too

I can't remember having that much fun at a show. They deserve to be Swedens biggest act. And to be THE BIGEST BAN-*SLAP*...I'll stop now. Promise.

Their break-through single: The Ark -It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane (video)

Their fabulous 2007 songfestival song video: The Ark - The Worrying Kind (video)

Don't Make Fun Of Hera's Tears.

Today the last 30 seconds of this tiny snippet of documentary on Morrissey made me cry.

Celebration - The Modern Tribe (4AD)

The hybrid child of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV On The Radio might be the best way to describe Celebration. Though they have released some stuff already, their new album 'The Modern Tribe' caught my attention. Why? you might ask; I don't have an idea.

Nerd-o-fact: David Sitek (TV On The Radio) produced the record.

Here's the video for Evergreen. Be your own judge.

Oh yeah and here's their myspace for more stuff, quite a lot of stuff, actually

In Amsterdam after the trip

It took me four and a half hours of trains, busses and trams to get to the Stars concert last saturday but as soon as they started 'Take me to the Riot' that exhausting journey was instantly forgotten. I was treated to an exhilirating set of songs from their 2005 break-through masterpiece 'Set Yourself on Fire' (please don't), new favorites (or rather favourites) from 'In Our Bedroom After the War', some old songs and the Smiths cover 'This Charming Man'.
Stars are a romantic indie-pop band from Canada (yes, from the Arts & Crafts label) who specialise in narrative songs about the intricacies of relationships. The songs in which Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan both sing parts from a male and female perspective are their trade-mark. Like on 2005's 'Your Ex-lover is Dead' where two ex-lovers meet again and we hear that their thoughts about each other are way off, or 'One More Night', a cruel tale about sex with an ex. The new album has 'Personal', which is sung as a personal ad ("Wanted single F/ Under 33/ Must enjoy the sun/ Must enjoy the sea") and slowly turns crueler and crueler.

Okay, so maybe they're not so much a romantic band as a band that sings about romances.


From 'Set Yourself on Fire': Stars - Your Ex-lover is Dead (video)

Fantastic set-opener: Stars - Take me to the Riot (myspace)

Moving: Stars - Personal (myspace)