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INDIE
REEVE AND BABYGOD Queen’s Club, Glasgow, Fri 13 May 000
Best known for lending her salubrious talents to the likes of Arab Strap. Idlewild and the Reindeer Section. Jenny Reeve could probably write the book on Scots indie. Reckoning her own band's so good though, she's decided to put her name on it. All agreeably airy melodies shot through with pop nous yet still delectably fragile enough to be knocked over with feather. she's paid close enough attention during her apprenticeships to pull it off.
Babygod too have already made a bit of a name for themselves from their extra-curricular activities. setting the Glasgow art faction chattering with their filmmaking talent. The music did the talking at this gig, with hammering rhythms providing the backdrop for scratching guitars. electronic blips. and frenetic bOy/girl vocals more hysterical than an asymmetrically- haired scenester at a ‘happening'.
Maybe not the first time you'll have heard of either act then, but certainly not the last. (Malcolm Jack)
SCUZZ ROCK
THE KILLS
Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Fri 13 May 0..
Following a similarly minimal dynamic to that made famous by the White Stripes — one man, one lady. a murky tarpit of nonspecific sexual tension - the Kills make more racket than any band with a mere four arms have any right to.
It's your basic impotently furious rock'n'roll ramalama all the way. Where the Whites take their cue from backwoods blueSpickers. though. the Kills are more in hock to the urban mythologies of your average Velvet Underground or Sonic Youth. In a tale of two nations' hard-living sides. American lead singer W hides her good looks behind sweat-matted hair. while London-born guitarist Hotel's cragged coupon suggests he's caned it more than once or twice. It's literally
an effortless look. and one which. ironically, the style mags that worship the duo fall over themselves to
recreate.
If only the pretty satisfactory music could compete with such iconic style. 'It's like Roxette.‘ pipes up a slightly uncharitable friend. 'On jellies.‘ replies another. Cheers, you've done my job for me. (David Pollock)
ROCK
OASIS eee
EL PRESIDENTE 00
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 15 May
If it sounds like I'm being cynical then it's probably because this coarse Marc Bolanising of the Scissor Sisters' album — which is pretty much what El PreSIdente are — smells SUSDICIOUSly contrived. They came out the box a little too perfect and lacked the charm of their influences. A fact further accentuated when the cavalry arrived. The Gallaghers have made a living out of their realness for years. that vital component to getting so very much out of what is so very little.
In a decidedly new material and Noel-heaw set - Liam made way for his brother for the fourth time that night with the line 'D'ya want anything from the shop?’ - they stomped through the more whimsical moments from their new album to ecstatic response but still missed the mark. The set sagged in the middle. and while they redeemed us with a peppery enc0re. ultimately this show lived up to its billing: a warm-up gig.
Here's hoping the grander environs of Hampden bring grander rewards. (Mark Robertson)
«an 3%.. --
Tomorrow's music today. This Issue: Marlena Shaw
Over 40 years in ‘the biz’ and this sultry jazz songstress of silk and sass shows no sign of letting up.
So what makes a memorable night for a visiting jazz legend?
It's wonderful to me when. in the middle of your singing. people break out in spontaneous applause because of something you did in that moment. I love being able to Vibe people and touch them; 'Oh yeah hey. I've lived that. honey' or 'l've walked a mile in that mule' I love those kind of comments. it pushes me up. On the other hand. there are those moments when I'm singing with so much feeling and emotion that I Just leave the stage. Those are the notes that can't be written down on paper — I love all that. So I don't know what'd make a good night for me; being able to eat on stage I guess.
Much more than just a vocalist, you’re known as much for your charisma on stage as for your commanding voice. How much of your success do you owe to personality?
Gee. I don't know which came first. actually. You see. I used to be really nervous and so talking was my way of kinda calming myself. I think that's what it started out as. Of course when I started talking and the audience started laughing. like any class clown you like that feeling. But I don't know. I guess it's all just ham. You’ve written so many true and touching songs; how much do they reflect your life experiences?
When I wrote all the stuff for Go Away Little Boy I just thought that was a blessing. you know. See people say 'Is that real?’ Hell yeah. that's real! It gave me a lemon and I'm still squeezing. Lemonade anyone?
(Mark Edmundson)
I Renfrew Ferry, Glasgow, Sun 29 May; LlQU/d Room, Edinburgh, Tue 7 Jun.
COUNTRY ROCK MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO Mono, Glasgow, Tue 31 May_
You can tell when you hear a band that knows their shit. that have spent time honing their SOund. understanding each other. And so it is With Magnolia Electric Co. Formerly SongszOhia. the American outfit are fronted by Singer songwriter Jason Molina. and produce a sound so together it
makes other bands' so-called chemistry seem laughable. This is most evident on new album Ill/ha: Comes After the Blues. a brooding, organic brew of country stylings. 70s AM rock and folkish nuances. It's a rec0rd that brings to mind every One from Bruce Springsteen to Willie Nelson.
‘We had a chance to play these songs live for a few months.” explains Molina. “We had a working knowledge of them by the time we got to the studio. so it sounds a mOre solid than most rec0rds.'
It does indeed. It's the third time Molina has Chosen to work with legendary producer Steve Album. and With good reason.
‘He has a great understanding of what I want] he says. 'I want a record to sound like a document of the people playing it. so it shOuId setind as human as pOSSible. as live as pOSSible.'
Lyrically. What COmes After the Blues has a coherency that other c0untry rock acts rarely achieve. and is based loosely around the Hank Willian‘s song ‘I Saw the Light'. According to Molina. its writing was a pretty intense process.
'I have to write 30 songs before I eyen Show five to the band. and Out of those only two might make it to the record.‘ he says. 'After I have a dozen songs I try to see what themes are reoccurring lyrically. then I edit everything down erll‘ there. Hopefully. I've managed to achieve something
coherent.’ (Doug JohnstOnel
2(3 Mth~9 .Jtii‘. 200:3 THE LIST 69