www.list.co.uk/music WIDESCREEN POP NOAH AND THE WHALE The First Days of Spring (Young & Lost) ●●●●●
A sublime paean to the restorative powers of nature, space and time, The First Days of Spring elevates London’s Noah and the Whale from punctuation-denigrating indie-poppers – see 2008’s mini-hit, ‘5 Years Time’ (sic) – to philharmonic alt.rockers with a winning line in lyrical solace.
Emmy the Great and Laura Marling may be notable ex-members, but Noah helmsman Charlie Fink can gloriously hold his own. These baritone odes to heartbreak and hope are in outstanding company: ‘Blue Skies’ aurally echoes, and emotionally rescues, Yo La Tengo’s ‘Last Days of Disco’, while the title track conjures Smog’s exquisite ‘Rock Bottom Riser’. This is a lovely album. (Nicola Meighan)
True’ is a flash of Motown-infused pop brilliance, but that track aside, this feels a tad like YLT by numbers. (Doug Johnstone) INDIE YACHT See Mystery Lights (DFA) ●●●●●
He left The Blow to go it alone, but it seems that Jona Bechtolt just can’t keep away from coupledom. The Portland, Oregon-based lo-fi quirkpop pioneer has invited Claire L Evans to turn Yacht into a duo, and the outfit sounds all the better for it as this second offering is one of 2009’s most unique and exquisitely
INDIE POP YO LA TENGO Popular Songs (Matador) ●●●●● There was a time when a new offering from Yo La Tengo was reason to rejoice, but these days the Hoboken indie veterans seem to be distinctly treading water, slowly refining and reworking their past sound without creating anything too startlingly new. Fans will still warm to the dream-pop of ‘Avalon Or Someone Very Similar’, the surfy garage of ‘Nothing to Hide’ and the knockabout slink-funk of ‘Periodically Double Or Triple’, but they’re unlikely to recruit new fans to the fold. ‘If It’s
Record Reviews Music
crafted listens. Built around a random selection of cut ‘n’ pasted samples, infectious melodies, squelchy electronics, squeaks and playful beats, See Mystery Lights trickles its way into your consciousness from the get-go. It’s clever, sweet and seductively odd: no wonder Bechtolt didn’t stay solo for long. (Camilla Pia) JAZZ JOHN SURMAN Brewster’s Rooster (ECM Records) ●●●●●
Essential listening, above all for those who have longed to hear baritone saxophonist John Surman return to a more straight-ahead jazz context after his many explorations of diverse musical directions in recent times, from solo saxophone to early music and choral works. Brewster’s Rooster already sounds like one of the peaks in a long and highly creative career. He is joined in a quartet by two old collaborators, guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Jack DeJohnette, and a new one, bassist Drew Gress. The latter makes his ECM debut here, but the others evoke much- loved ECM projects of the 70s and 80s, albeit with a freshly-minted contemporary feel. Surman plays mainly baritone, but turns to soprano on two tracks. Abercrombie’s spacious, lyrical playing is a perfect foil, DeJohnette is imperious as ever, and Gress is a perfect fit. (Kenny Mathieson)
INDIE JIM O’ROURKE The Visitor (Drag City) ●●●●●
It’s been eight years in the making but this indie legend makes his long- awaited return with a sublime solo effort in the form of The Visitor. All- instrumental and played
solely by his own masterful hand, the record is a series of musical interludes driven by picked and plucked acoustic guitars, organs, pianos, shakers, wind and strings. It’s a pretty subdued affair throughout but displays the expertise and awe- inspiring musicianship we have come to expect from the revered collaborator and producer. Tipped as the sequel to 1997’s Bad Timing, it is a must for fans and anyone interested in the more avant-garde side of indie. (Camilla Pia) ELECTRO-FOLK-POP MONEY CAN’T BUY MUSIC The Universe For Beginners (Pony Proof) ●●●●●
Annoyingly precious band name aside, this is a sweet and poignant little side project from Gordon McIntyre of Ballboy, this time collaborating with Swedish singer and multi-instrumentalist Maja Mangard. There’s no great departure from the Ballboy blueprint, but there is a more downbeat, melancholic feel, McIntyre
concentrating on atmospherics and spoken word over big band bluster. Clicky beats, sweeping synths and strummy guitars dominate throughout, and when the duo hit their stride, as in the beautifully thoughtful ‘The Ghosts’ or the wonderfully atmospheric piano-led semi- instrumental closer ‘Secret Plans and Clever Dicks’, it makes for sumptuous, sensual and emotional listening. (Doug Johnstone)
INDIE POP THE DODOS Time to Die (Wichita) ●●●●●
Formed in San Francisco about four years ago, The Dodos have previously left their mark via two well- received sets, Beware of the Maniacs and Visiter. Many American fans might’ve caught the duo (frontman Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber) finding their feet at last year’s Pitchfork Festival or supporting Fleet Foxes. Not too dissimilar from the latter’s shiniest moments, The Dodos’ new set is a pleasant
return to the days of C- 86/indie-pop, with Long coming across as some long-lost grandson of Paul McCartney – vocally at least. Equally uplifting and dramatic, tracks such as ‘Longform’, ‘This is a Business’ and ‘Small Deaths’ will set hard-to- please musos frothing with delight. (Martin C Strong)
LABELS OF LOVE
BUBBLEGUM RECORDS Based in Partick, Glasgow.
Roster Hyperbubble, Lean Tales, Silly Boy Blue, Tesco Chainstore Mascara, Starshy, Electric Needle Room, Syne, Mammoth Life, Your Elders and DP Le Odd. Boss Gary O’Connor.
Sounds like ‘I think you’d describe us as indie- pop,’ says O’Connor, ‘and I’d say we’re at the fey end of that genre. But there’s a bit of punk in there too, which is why we have a band like Pink Kross playing our launch night. It gives people an understanding of where indie-pop came from in the first place.’ How did the label start? ‘Starshy’s my own project,’ says O’Connor, ‘and I was approached by a guy in America to put out a track on a compilation at first, and then my own album. He was producing CD-Rs, though, and they weren’t being presented as I’d like them to be. The more I thought about it and the more I spoke to people who wanted to get involved, I realised I could just do it myself. The other bands on the label came from gigging around Glasgow, going on MySpace and being introduced to them by people. I also spend a lot of time in Madrid, and I found some bands out there who are quite heavily influenced by the whole C86 scene.’
What does the future hold? First this label launch night, featuring Lean Tales and future compilation contributors Pink Kross, The Just Joans and Felt Tips. ‘If a band’s trying to be the next big thing,’ says O’Connor frankly, ‘we’re not the label for them. This isn’t a business for me, it’s a chance to get the music I like out there at a pace that I like moving at (he funds every release himself). That means it’s got to be fun and enjoyable for everyone involved.’ (David Pollock) ■ Bubblegum Records’ Launch Night is at Stereo, Glasgow, Thu 3 Sep. www.myspace.com/bubblegumrecordsscotland
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