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L l/t (,{lf/1f)lf Alltlll VARIOUS ARTISTS Limbo Live Volume 1 flack Spring. O...
Anyone fortunate enough to attend the live music night Limbo at Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms on regular Thursdays will know that it’s run by people who know what’s best on the local musical landscape, and who have the luxury of applying some well-exercised quality control to their line-ups. So for aficionados of Scottish music, a 14-track live album of the best songs to have been played by some of the finest artists to get a gig there should be indispensible.
Of course, the breadth of bands appearing means that this is no regionalised C86 affair, and a wide range of genres are drawn upon. This is Scotland, though, so guitars are predominant. There’s a low-key stand-out right at the start in Zoey Van Goey’s gorgeous, folky ‘City is Exploding’, followed immediately by critical favourites Found and their rabble- energising ‘When You Fall’, keyboards soaring over agreeably Caledonian- accented vocals. Genres are there to be mangled throughout, with an odd blend of gypsy-folk and ska from Punch and the Apostles with ‘Asylum’, only quasi-irritating electro-pop in lsosceles’ ‘Get Your Hands Off’ and suitably hand-tooled New Waveisms throughout A-Lix' ‘Never Grow’.
The demo tape fuzz to a lot of the tracks on here might be off-putting to many, although it’s perhaps better to think of it as a badge of authenticity, a wish-you-were-here message in the same vein as an early bootleg by a favourite artist who went on to bigger things. Certainly in Meursault’s precise epic ‘Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing with Tongues’ and the convincing tunefulness of Come on Gang!’s ‘Spinning Room’ and Haight Ashbury’s ‘Favourite Song’, there’s promise of big things beyond local heroism.
(David Pollock)
Paln' falls back on trudging rock cliches. There‘s a lot to like lDlo's \ocals. a few inspired lommr riffs) but there's also a fair slab of anonymous rock.
tHenry Northmorei
JAIL
LAURENCE HOBGOOD
When The Heart dances
(Nalm Recordsl O...
Pianist Laurence Hobgood Is a somewhat underrated figure on the Jazz piano spectrum. perhaps largely because we
have come to thrnk of him as a masterly accompanist to singer Kurt Hllng rather than a soloist lll his own right. Hobgood appeared with Elling and the Ncrbotton Big Band In a memorable Edinburgh concert in January. but rs heard Ill a more revealing setting here. The disc features the pianist in a series of absorbing duets wrth the great bass player Charl:e Haden. and on solo piano on two of his own compositions Sanctuary and the effen escent ‘Leathemrood'. Three vocal contributions from Ellrng. including "Stairway to the Stars' and Ellrngton‘s 'Daydream'. provide a conSIderable bonus. The prevarling reflective
mood seems congenial
to both instrtlmentalrsts.
and therr response rs both subtle and majestic.
lKenny Mathresoni
lNDlt l‘DLK PUMAJAW Favourites iFirel .0.
Seunding like the whole thing was recorded in some mist-shrouded graveyard by night. the eerie. atmospheric FavOur/tes IS a rOund-up of Pinkie Maclure and John Wills. aka Pumajaw's. favourite
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LAU
Arc Light 'Na‘.':;atu' Her: nrts. O...
lau have established theniselves as the hottest band out there on the Scottish folk scene over the last eighteen months on the basis of their grapplng live performances. and If their recordings haven't yet gulte matched the onstage excitement. Arr: L/ght Is their strongest studio effort so far. fiddler Aidan O'Rourke lwho has jtle left Bla/zn' l-lddles to concentrate more fully on this trio). accordionist Martin Green and guitarist Kris [Never have developed a trademark sound that combines often slightly ()ffrkzllet' adaptations of tradattcnal folk forms with a more ra//- inspired tmr)rovrsatronal guai1ty. The resulting experiments often achieve almost hypnotrc levels of intensity: Those gualtties are all evrdent here In the self- composed instrumental sets. complemented by Drever's songs. znciudartg Pete Seeger's ”Barks of Marble and a bonus track featuring their take on The Beatles 'De‘ar Prudence on the initial pressrng of the CD. lKen'ty Mathlesom
MANIC STREET PREACHERS Journal For Plague Lovers
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fen“; songs could never ”latch their scrawled annotatons l‘the l(f(?{l was to write music inspired by Rush then pretend We were Mada/rue playing rt' is far more exciting that the title track turns outl. It must have been an rncredlbly personal album to construct and the emotion rs obVIous .n every track lpartrcularly the poignant 'er|:arn's Last Words' sung by Nicky Wsre) but unfortunately it could never lrve up to the power of lhe Holy Bible or the myth of Hrchey Edwards. rHenry Northmore)
ROCK SUCIOPERRO Pain Agency llvlaybe Records) 0...
Friends in high places can be a blessing and a curse. This Ayrshire power trio‘s association With Ayrshire's only other spectral rock gods Biffy Clyro — Sucioperro's JP Perd IS the other half of Marmaduke Duke — means the two bands Will always Suffer comparisons. Sucioperro have remained tn BF'S shadow but thls. their sec0nd long player. ShOuld define them as
a band wt" ambse T"C'\t1\"f"‘t‘ ' C\‘.l‘
l" Pa " Agent‘l “as as "‘act‘ :r‘ ~\VV\"‘\\V\ ""ltf‘ if“) stumped 'neta'lt‘ prog 1' .ti'uu .t’yons o' Thrice or Qweeu and Can‘bv'a as it does B ‘t\. 's "‘o't‘ents of \‘.ee.‘er Cobain pot‘ neadtusl‘. and manages to be bt‘th t'..<‘ulent and entlea'rng. often In the same breath .Mark Robertson)
ALSO RELEASED
A Hawk and A Hacksaw Deliverance (T he Leaf Label) Delivering a multitude of musrcal Influences from the Czech Republic. England. France. Romania and their homeland of New Mexrco while still managing to produce something coherent. compelling and unique. Federico Aubele Amatorla (ESL Music) Bohemian, sensual acoustic love songs on Aubele's third album which retains the same familiar warmth of his debut ‘Gran Hotel Buenos Aires'.
Post War Years The Greats and the Happenings (All Points Bulletin) Eccentric. electric and otherworldly debut from this Leamington Spa quartet burns with originality and soul. Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds Dracula Boots (ln the Red) Songs about finding a peanut are standard fare here. so shed your common sense and go running for the psychedelic hills with the former Cramps guitarist and his motley backing band of animal mutations.
Leona Naess Thirteens (Po/ydor/Kld Gloves) Songs of joy. sadness and self- realisation from the celebrated singer- songwriter from in breathtaking straipped down style.
111—28 May 2009 TNE LIST 87