Music PREVIEWS
ALT-ROCK DEERHUNTER Oran Mor, Glasgow, Mon 28 Mar, supported by Lower Dens
Any respectable profile piece on Atlanta, Georgia quartet Deerhunter would necessitate its author to offer a history and overview of the self-styled ghost rock and ambient punk band’s impressive ten-year career.
It would thus require the writer to dig deep into the troupe’s gorgeous noise-pop back-catalogue, by way of research.
And if such investigation resulted in the loss of several working hours thanks to the, how shall we put it, ‘mesmeric’ cover art for Deerhunter’s 2005 debut album, Turn it Up Faggot, (let’s just say it involves a naked appendage belonging to the Black Lips’ Jared Swilley), well clearly that would reflect rather shamefully on the journalist in question. While the sleeve for Deerhunter’s calling card remains something of a talking point, its musical content has since been down-played by frontman Bradford Cox: he has suggested that perhaps they issued their debut too early and too eagerly.
Following a professional hiatus, several personnel changes and well-received tours with the likes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Battles and Nine Inch Nails, however, Deerhunter continue to thrive as a much-loved alt-rock proposition. Their present line-up spans Cox, Moses Archuleta, Josh Fauver, and Lockett Pundt, and their current (fourth) long player, Halcyon Digest (4AD) is a worthy follow-up to 2008’s widely acclaimed double-disc Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
Whether or not we’ll witness any of Deerhunter’s vivid onstage antics remains to be seen – think floral cross-dressing and fake blood – but what’s guaranteed is some colourful rock from a rousing four-piece who are fitter than ever. (Nicola Meighan)
ART-POP FOUND Album launch at the Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Thu 3 Mar FOUND are supporting The Phantom Band, Captains Rest, Glasgow, Mon 14 Mar; and Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 17 Mar
‘We were all a bit jealous of Cybraphon,’ laughs Tommy Perman. FOUND’s bassist and synth player is talking about their ‘autonomous emotional robot band’ project that went on to win them a BAFTA in 2009. And the more it spread like wildfire on the internet, even popping up on a Cable TV News bulletin in Texas (Perman later forwards me the Brass Eye-esque YouTube clip), the more removed it became from the experimental pop/art collective that built it. ‘We’re hugely proud of its success of course,’ he adds, ‘but FOUND would almost never be mentioned when people wrote about it.’
Despite losing out in the global popularity stakes to their installation, the Edinburgh trio are in good spirits. They have just received a Vital Spark award from Creative Scotland to collaborate with Aidan Moffat, are showing interactive sound pieces at a variety of forthcoming exhibitions and are about to head out on tour with The Phantom Band to support the release of their first studio album factorycraft on legendary label Chemikal Underground.
The record is by far their most accomplished to date and finds FOUND exploring different ways of music-making. ‘Our sound has really been affected by all of the live shows we’ve done over the years,’ says Perman. ‘It’s more upbeat now, and just . . . bigger. We used to take so much equipment on tour,’ he smiles. ‘I think we were trying to do too much really. You know, we were new to the game, a little bit too enthusiastic and trying to show off, it was just ridiculous. So now we’ve learned our lesson, stripped it all back to a more simple set-up and are using less conflicting sounds, and as a result we’re making music that is a lot more focused, on stage and on record. It seems to make a lot more sense this way.’ (Camilla Pia) ■ The single ‘Machine Age Dancing’ (Mon 7 Mar) and LP factorycraft (Mon 14 Mar) will be released on Chemikal Underground.
80 THE LIST 3–31 March 2011
RAPPER RAEKWON The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Tue 15 Mar
Two years ago, when Wu-Tang Clan MC, Raekwon announced the sequel to his acclaimed 1995 solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, you could’ve been forgiven for thinking it was merely some kind of clever ploy to stir up interest in a career that had arguably long been patchy. When the record finally dropped, however, it became apparent this was in fact an unprecedented return to form, showcasing a unique storytelling ability and his trademark rap flow – perhaps one of the most recognisable of the ‘Clan. Where he would go next after such an achievement seemed unclear, but this has proven to be far from problematic for ‘The Chef’, who, in between touring with Wu-Tang and writing a movie, has been busy lending his mic skills to numerous collaborators, including Kanye West, Faith Evans and, uh, Justin Bieber. The announcement of new album Shaolin Vs Wu-Tang, released later this
month, got pulses racing again with its proposed allegiance to the old school Wu-Tang sound, which has the potential to be another classic for the vault. If that wasn’t enough The Chef is taking his wares to Edinburgh for a one-off Scottish date. ‘When I think about Scotland I think about the exciting people out there that really love hip hop,’ Raekwon told The List. ‘It’s been a minute since I been out there though, but yeah, I can’t wait man, it’s gonna be hot.’ You heard the man. (Ryan Drever) ■ Shaolin Vs Wu-Tang is released Mon 7 Mar. www.myspace.com/raekwon