Review new We Are Wolves: Total Magique

Theoretically you should have read the review of the first We are Wolves album for this.

You didn't as I didn't write it.

Good!

This album is even better than their first one!

Why is this one better than the last one:? (in no particular order)
0) They're from Canada. [ no points, last one did also]

1) Less French, as that's always hard to understand. [ hard to check ]

2) It rocks more! [subjective]

3) Being Dutch, I got a soft spot for "I wrote my name on your Kite" (Andre Hazes and all that!)

4) They're coming to Utrecht (3rd March) as the preshow of Islands. [ yay!]

5) You have got to love a song name "Teenage, Bats, Anthropology" (at least, I do) [subjective]

6) Sounds more like Monster Magnet! Without going totally metal. Nobody remembers Monster Magnet anymore, but I still like my Negasonic Teenage Warhead! Whatever the guy was called, he wore a Jesus jacket in 1992... [ applies only only for ulkedovers < 98 ish]

7) OK, I'm straight outta reasons here - I could go on for ages about White Rose Movement or whatever, but I won't. Why oh why didn't no-one pick up on WRM?
[7a]: They're too brilliant!

I'll Pitch a Fork at you Personally, godd*mn you!

It's a strange experience when you get music input from your old folks. My mom, before she died, used to like Morrissey, Sisters of Mercy and Ian C. a lot; my dad was a regular Beatles and Stones junkie (as you can expect!). Oh yeah, and Wagner. FYI: the last record they bought together was 'Fear of Music' by the Talking Heads.

Well, I was young too. Didn't like the Beatles - my parents liked them. Didn't like the Stones - on the radio too much.To my mind, that left two choices:
- go psych = Pink Floyd
- go real rock = The Who

For what it's worth, I liked both about equally (I went with the Who on princincple).

Oh, and I forgot about the Beach Boys. [And Jan and Dean, but that's another matter, as that's not really music!]

Boy, did I ever make a mistake! It turns out I like the close, cloying harmonies attributed to the Beach Boys more than the well-composed sing-alongs of the Beatles or the proto-heavy-metal of the Stones. Also, I don't do drugs and I'm not one for fighting on the beach in leather jackets.

So where did that leave me?

In 1 band: The Russian Futurists.

In 2 bands: TRF and Panda Bear. You know, the guy from the Animal Collective.

Person Pitch by Panda Bear is really quite amazing! At first it sounds like your Beach Boys tape is running badly in your tape recorder, then you pay attention to something else and it sounds like someone's mumbling in the background, and THEN you start paying attention properly.

It is all and yet none of the above - it's not "Californication/-a Girls", it's also not the "Let's dance to Joy Division/She 's Lost Control" dichotomy, not the Beatles versus Devendra Banhart, it's more like "Zen and The Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance"/"Even Cowgirls get the Blues" and it's not even like that!- it's what you make out of it!

(I make a happy clap- and sing-along out of it!)

Listen to "Take Pills", as that is the best 'capsule' intro I can find; the speedup at 2:30-ish may well be the most brilliant invention in music ever. God, I can keep bouncing around like a Teletubby on speed on this record. Let's push publish....

Anticipation

Are you as excited as I am? There are quite a lot of interesting records that will (if all goes well) be released in 2008.

Like the Swedish band The Radio Dept., who proved that there’s only one step between My Bloody Valentine (who will quite possibly also release a new record this year) and The Pet Shop Boys. In 2006 they released 'Pet Grief' which has grown to be one of my favorite records.

We’ve all been waiting even longer for a new record from Norway’s Kings of Convenience. Erlend says that if we’re all really sweet and do our chores than 2008 might just see a follow-up to 2004’s (!) 'Riot on an Empty Street'.

Belgium’s pride (Soulwax is the other pride) dEUS will release a new album on april 21 which will feature a duet with Karin from The Knife (got your attention now, don’t I?).

April 15 will see the release of M83’s new record Saturdays = Youth. No ambient stuff there, that will be saved for the Digital Shades releases. M83 have gotten help from Ken Thomas and Ewan Pearson (who did an incredible job on Tracy Thorn’s latest record) on this one.

Elbow is also readying their 4^th album. A new track ‘The Bones of You’ is up for preview at their site.

I have a hard time deciding who is my favorite Canadian BSS-chick. Amy Millan (of Stars) released a crappy solo-album and is officially out of the race. It’s now between indie’s first lady Feist and Metric’s Emily Haines. June 23 should see new work by Metric, maybe that will be decisive.

First up is a remix for everyone’s favorite Italo-girl Sally Shapiro (I feel a remix album coming up) but after that Junior Boys should finish the follow-up to their critically acclaimed album This is Goodbye (which was a follow-up to their also critically acclaimed Last Exit). Hey, Jeremy, Johhny, why the hell are you reading this, get to work!

I guess their finally done with all their side-projects since a new Wolf Parade album should be available to us by june. As good as all those side-projects were (Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Handsome Furs) Wolf Parade still feels like the ‘main’ project. Hope they’ll be able to keep that feeling.

Just catching up to 2005...

Since 2008 is sooo 2007 (so far), here's a list of albums I wished I'd listened to more in 2006, even though they came out in 2005. Linking to relevant links is left as exercise to the reader (or Choquolage :)

10. We Are Wolves - Non-Stop Je Te Plie En Deux. Just brilliant. It's a mix of electro-pop and Monster Magnet. Note to self: must write review of their new record! Okay, I'm cheating - I just got this in 2007.

9. Wir Sind Helden - Von Hier An Blind. Fitba? Que'st que ce que ca?

8. M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us. You can never be too paranoid.

7. Modeselektor - Hello Mom! Three years on, this will stiil make you bounce around like a very bouncing ball indeed.

6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - S/T. Key track: Upon A Tidal Wave Of Young Blood.

5. Put something you like here, and keep the rest unchanged, hmm?

4. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment. Huh, what's this one doing here? Well, this might be the one record that got me out of my old listeninng habits - pop question: in January 2006, when faced with the question between completing your backcatalogue of Eels and this, what do you do? Answer: both!

3. Tom McRae - All Maps Welcome. The Bishop of Mope might be close to a promotion to
Archbishop. (He's blown it with his next record, though; though it's still nice!)

2. The Russian Futurists - Our Thickness. Mumblin' stumblin' over all the words I'm wordin' it must be the Bourbon, I should stop now otherwise I'm going to mention Panda Bear (and that's definitely a 2007 record, oooh boy)

1. Metric - Live It Out. Because of this record, I traveled to Cologne and London, where in the day-before-the-actual-show I got to know Buck 65 and Holy Fuck! And it never gets old!

At The Finish Of Every Record

At The Close Of Every Day will release a new record in spring 2008, called 'troostprijs' (consolation prize). While the title is in Dutch, the lyrics will be in English. The record is already mixed and finished and in the youtube link below you can see a video of the hard labour of making an intimate slow-and-steady-wins-the-race- contemplative indie record with a beautiful package. During the video you can listen to the song 'I need to break your hearth' of the forthcoming album. Check!

At The Close Of Every Day - the making of 'troostprijs' (youtube video)

And that's how people grow down

Morrissey is releasing a greatest hits album with two new tracks. One of them's called 'That's How People Grow Up' and it's...well, it's no 'Irish Blood, English Heart' and it's no 'You have Killed Me'. It sounds a bit...bleh to me. Later this year will see a completely new album though, we'll see if he still has it then.

Morrissey - That's How People Grow Up (mp3)

Well, do you?

I had listened to British Sea Power’s second album ‘Open Season’ quite a lot in 2005. It’s a melancholic ‘old-school’ indie album. Now they've returned with an album that asks the rethorical question ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’. If your answer’s negative you had better stay the hell away from this album, because rock is what it is! If your looking for subtlety just find yourself an old Dire Straiths LP somewhere. If you’re not, listen to BSP’s epic new single.

British Sea Power – Waving Flags (mp3)

Xiu Xiu

I have a lot of love for Xiu Xiu. I think I love them as much as I hate trying to describe their music. Xiu Xiu is Jamie Stewart and his cousin Caralee McElroy with percussionist Ches Smith. That was the easy part, now comes the hard part.
The best way to describe their music is perhaps 'experimental indie' but that's not really a description at all. Sometimes it's noise, but some tracks are just sparse percussion with spoken word (or whispered word). Some tracks might be folky and accoustic while others might be full-on electronic guitar and dissonant beats. Vocals can be raw pasionate and often scary screams but could also be disturbingly desperate whispers or a even a misleadingly sweet girl.
Having said all that Xiu Xiu does have a clear and unique sound and feel (dark and disturbing).

Just give them a listen (if you have the heart that is). Their new album is now streaming here but will only be there untill januari 10.


One of their 'easier' songs with a great video: Xiu Xiu - Boy Soprano (video)

New Order cover: Xiu Xiu - Ceremony (mp3)

New single: Xiu Xiu - I Do What I Want, When I Want (mp3)

Lovely to Spree you? Strict Aerial machine?

Ride a White Hound of Love? Ooh La La La La? Black Cherrybush? Together We're Utopia? Okay, I'll stop now.

But who could've thought that a Goldfrapp record could sound so much like The Polyphonic Spree with vocals by Kate Bush? The new Goldfrapp album 'Seventh Tree' basically sounds like a cross between Polyphonic Spree's 'Together We're Heavy' and Kate Bush's 'Aerial'. Not really sure yet if that's a good thing though. I'll let you know. Or you let me know. The new record is out in february.


Could be on Kate's 'Aerial': Goldfrapp - Clowns (mp3)

Could be on The Polyphonic's 'Together We're Heavy': Goldfrapp - Happiness (mp3)

With a Wit Woo

I remember toothpaste kisses being horribly contrived, but then again that may have had something to do with my very first Bacardi Breezers I had that same night and the fact that it all took place in a tent.

Well. Toothpaste Kisses anno 2008. It's from The Maccabees and they can pull it off.