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Sunday, September 20, 2009
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Category: Music
ORGAN ON THE RADIO....
Sunday.... that means radio day is here again, Organ on your radio, 9.00pm UK time, 104.4 FM in London or worldwide via www.resonancefm.com.. Organ on Resonance FM. My turn this week (me, for the purposes of this blog, being Sean). A whole bag load of new releases, slices of punky math rock, prog, metal contradiction and who knows what, old school radio, playing records, passing on the news, gigs, events....
NEW LONDON GIG GUIDE....
Talking of gigs, there's a new London gig guide, nothing to do with us here at Organ, other than us occasionally feeding in info, like you all should do to help it grow and work (please). To make these things work it really needs people getting involved... So far things are looking good, early days, the guide has been there for about a week now... Please support it, we desperately need a decent alternative London gig guide, the task is a thankless one, it takes time, input... feed the London gig team with info, feedback, help and encouragement, feed it some proper alternative zine spirit and unity and watch it grow in to something for all who go to gigs or play gigs or put on gigs here in London can use... A
RATHER GOOD LONDON GIG GUIDEAnd some bits from the Organ page while we're here....
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 19th
Sept '09: ORGAN RECOMMENDS
- THE RAINCOATS @ National Portrait Gallery on Friday 25 September.
The Raincoats, whose debut album from 1979 is reissued on 9th November,
play the National Portrait Gallery, as part of the NPG's London Iconic
series. The Raincoats will be presenting their icons and performing.
It is a small affair with just 150 tickets on Sale. A small tour is being
arranged for November....
New
Anti-Flag single just landed, always throw these Anti-Flag things on with
some kind of misguided feeling of hope, hope that’s once again destroyed
by more disappointment and once again some idea of punk once again conducted
by numbers and they talk such a good talk, if only they had the music to
back things up....
ALBUM
REVIEW: VOWELS – The Pattern Prism
(LoAF) James Rutledge and drummer Chris Walmsley with some rather fluidly
experimental oscillation that touch on Battles flavours, Terry Riley-like
keyboard moves, different ideas, nothing obvious. Swirling, fizzing, Tangerine
Drones that fizz over the top of the glass and flow all over the place,
squelch and twinkle and gushing flow, altering intensity and mind dancing
crones, busy drums and dense weaves and rewired synths, miasmic clouds
and strange movements in different directions, crafted, constructed and
all kinds of entwined goodness and dancing around architecture and nailing
down clouds as unhelpful words of description... Are LoAF ever going to
release a predictable record? www.l-o-a-f.com
WEASEL
WALTER, PIRATES and... Saturday, here we go, for those of you that
may have missed the great news, The Observer has been
saved,
there’s some graffiti porcelain over here,
“Russia's Roman Abramovich has quietly added a $90 million estate in St.
Bart's to his global toy chest, which already includes a Cap d'Antibes
chateau, an English soccer team and one of the world's largest yachts".
Tomorrow is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, this new Buckcherry
single
is an OK slice of throwaway glam pop-metal but haven’t Aerosmith already
released Love In An Elevator? “His newest boat, called Eclipse, exceeds
540 feet and is in the final stages of construction by German ship builder
Blohm & Voss. Yacht builders say Eclipse has two helipads, a swimming
pool, bulletproof glass, a steam room and a personal submarine. The boat
cost an estimated $300 million or more to build. The ship, the world's
biggest private yacht, recently started its sea trials off Hamburg and
is expected to be delivered to Mr. Abramovich late this year or early next
year" while
WEASEL WALTER, he of the legendary Flying Luttenbachers
has another in his series of podcasts ready for you to download... New
podcast available at ugEXPLODE.com:
Luther Thomas tribute with Black Randy and the Metrosquad, Vinny Golia/Weasel
Walter and more...
ORGAN
RECOMMENDS: DR SLAGGLEBERRY @ Cross
Kings, Kings Cross, London, 2nd October. The raw edgy twitchy choppy instrumental
Southern English math metal band in town in support of their new five track
Slagg Factory EP - www.myspace.com/drslaggleberry NEWS:
FORMER
CLASH MEMBERS REUNITE - Former members of The Clash, guitarist Mick
Jones and drummer Topper Headon, have recorded a new version of their 1978
song, 'Jail Guitar Doors', in aid of the campaign of the same name run
by Billy Bragg to help rehabilitate prisoners through music. Teaming up
with Bragg for the new version of the song, it was the first time the Clash
pair had been in the studio together for 30 years.
In
a statement, Jones said: "The guys [participants in Bragg's scheme] were
telling us how much this scheme had helped them move on from their previous
lives before prison. It was really touching to think we've helped, even
if it's in a small way".
Headon added: "When I was in prison myself, many years ago, I was lucky
enough to have access to a guitar, which belonged to the prison vicar.
I know how much it helped me get through it".
Explaining the idea behind the campaign, Bragg said: "We want people to
be able to move on from their situation and reconnect with the outside
world, and my hunch was that playing an instrument - particularly a guitar
- could help that". The recording session was filmed for a documentary
about the scheme, called 'Breaking Rocks'. The film will premier at the
Raindance film festival at Proud Galleries in London on 1 Oct, followed
by live performances from Bragg, Jones, MC5's Wayne Kramer, Foo Fighters'
Chris Shiflett and more. (CMU)
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18th Sept '09: SINGLE REVIEW: CARETAKER
– Rook/Impass (self release) – They’re back, the English band have been
far too quiet, thought they’d split... they haven’t, they’re still out
there, slightly adjusted line up and a little more brutal with their aggressively
colourful mathy post-hardcore metal bite this time around. Sharp-edged
shouty a-side, instrumental b-side, all rather accomplished and rather
brutally angry in a rather positive light-and-shade-laced way this sunny
Friday afternoon... rather glad they haven’t quit... www.myspace.com/caretaker
SINGLE
REVIEW: STRIKE THE COLOURS
– Breathing Exercise (Deadlight) – Rather pleasant, rather sunny, rather
gorgeous two tracker. Simple songs, cleverly simple, sweetly glowing folk-pop
from Glasgow. Jenny Reeves has a beautifully soothing charming breezy voice
that it really is impossible not to like and feel good about and....neat
hand made cover as well... www.strikethecolours.com
or www.myspace.com/strikethecolours NEWS:
SUNN
O))) ANNOUNCE UK TOUR DATES...Sunn O))), as that headline there suggests,
have announce some UK tour dates, here they come now: 6 Dec: Glasgow,
Stereo, 7 Dec: Gateshead, The Sage, 8 Dec: Manchester, Islington Mill,
9 Dec: Bristol, Trinity Church, 10 Dec: Birmingham, Asylum, 12 Dec: Minehead,
ATP, 13 Dec: Minehead, ATP, 14 Dec: London, Koko....
NEWS:
OUR
BROTHER THE NATIVE ANNOUNCE UK DATES - Our Brother The Native have
announced some UK shows in support of their latest album, 'Sacred Psalms'.
Tour dates:23 Oct: Swn Festival, 24 Oct: Bristol, The Croft, 25 Oct: Brighton,
The Freebutt, 26 Oct: London, Luminaire, 27 Oct: Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete's,
28 Oct: Glasgow, Captain's Rest....
NEWS:
HUSH
ARBORS release their new album
Yankee Reality on Ecstatic Peace
on October 26th. “We are also delighted to announce that they will be special
guests to Sonic Youth at The London Forum Q Awards show on October 23rd”.
Hush Arbors will also be playing at the Slaughtered Lamb, London, on October
8th with Island Line and Steve Abel – www.myspace.com/husharborsmusic
SINGLE
REVIEW: IMPLOSION QUINTET
– I Don’t Hear A Single EP (Cookshop) – Follow up to the recent debut album
The Future Sound Of Yesterday. The Quintet is actually the rather singular
James Baker, a British musician now based in Norway. A rather accomplished
mix of operatic folk, gentle glitch, colourful prog flavours (although
we really can’t have the press release referring to this as IQ!), easy
on the ear textures, tunes and something that could (rather lazily) be
called world music experiments – Eastern European, French, cinematic, exotic,
bohemian... www.myspace.com/implosionquintet
or www.cookshopmusic.co.uk
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 17th
Sept '09: What's everyone getting so worked up about Pavement reforming
for, weren't they little more than just a half decent Fall tribute band
back there?
SINGLE
REVIEW: DUSTED ANGEL – The Thorn (Corruption)
- Righteous slice of raw old school punk-fried metal, we’re talking St-Vitus
for Black Flag heads, we’re talking galloping stoner riffs, raw throats,
proper old school metal, a touch of good old school Angel Witch (or obscure
things like Mythra or Sledgehammer or...), a smell of the early 80’s and
a slice of NWOBHM. They’re from Santa Cruz, California, they got Billy
Anderson doing the engineering, they got three tracks on this cool as slice
of seven inch vinyl, they got it done right, did we say it was old school?
– www.myspace.com/dustedangelrocks
or www.myspace.com/corruptionrecordings SINGLE
REVIEW: DR. SLAGGLEBERRY – The
Slagg Factory (Crash) - The Southern English band are back with more of
their slicing chopping raw edgy instrumental math metal complexity. Striped
down and a little more focussed with their highwire ride, with their complex
twitching and riffing, their barbed edges and their impressive colour.
We like the good Doctor, we like the imagination, the genuine musical adventure,
they way they challenge themselves, we like their constant time changing
goodness, their bite... No chin stroking here, no Math-noodle, these calculations
bite. Still early days, still raw and home-made, that just might be part
of the appeal. Five new instrumental tracks, The good Doctor drop another
good one, things are boiling up nicely, this is finger-chopping good –
www.myspace.com/drslaggleberry NEWS:
HOOK
PENS HACIENDA BOOK.... Former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter
Hook has announced details of a new book chronicling the rise and fall
of The Hacienda club, which he owned for fifteen years with his bandmates
and the Factory record label in Manchester.Inspired by the New York club
scene they discovered while escaping from Manchester following the suicide
of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, Hook and bandmates Bernard Sumner
and Stephen Morris decide to bring a bit of that scene back home with them.
The Hacienda rose to become one of the UK's most iconic clubs, but eventually
closed in 1997 due to financial problems. Hook will explain all of this
in far more detail (I would hope) in the book, 'The Hacienda - How Not
To Run A Club', which will be published on 5 Oct. A mix CD, 'Hacienda -
Acid House Classics', will be released the same day. (CMU)
NEWS:
MAPS
UK TOUR... James Chapman, aka Maps, has mapped out a UK tour to promote
the release of his second album, 'Turning The Mind', which is due for release
via Mute on 28 Sep. Tour dates: 17 Oct: Oxford, Jericho Tavern, 22
Oct: Edinburgh, Electric Circus, 23 Oct: Manchester, The Warehouse Project,
24 Oct: Southampton, Joiners, 25 Oct: Birmingham , Hare & Hounds, 26
Oct: London, Cargo, 28 Oct: Bristol, Start The Bus, 29 Oct: Cambridge,
Portland Arms, 30 Oct: Brighton, Digital, 31 Oct: Nottingham, Bodega, 1
Nov: Norwich, Arts Centre, 4 Nov: Sheffield, Fusion, 5 Nov: Newcastle,
Other Rooms, 6 Nov: Glasgow, Nice & Sleazy's, 7 Nov: Liverpool, Music
Week at Masque
ALBUM
REVIEW: RAISING SAND – All Out
War (Bullseye) - Liking this, the English band have got things impressively
together, they weren’t this good last time around, what happened...? It
was bugging me, this really does sound like something, what the hell is
it? Then it clicked, they sound like Sammy Hagar’s Montrose (or maybe
Young Heart Attack, who in turn sounded very much like Montrose anyway),
that should be taken as a big compliment, Montrose, and indeed Hagar, rule.
Raging Sand suddenly got their musical shit seriously together with some
rather decent old school blue-edge storm-kicking hard rock then – nothing
groundbreaking, nothing that different, just a good helping of old school
hard rock that’s done right... www.myspace.com/raisingsand
or www.raisingsandmusic.com ALBUM
REVIEW: WE GOT THIS FAR – Blunt
Force Volume (WGT) – Some kind of dark stylised dark dark thing from the
dark side of Gothdom (and California) and the darker bits of Nine Inch
Nails. Some nice bits of colour in their darkness, worth your time should
you be one of the beautifully dark people... www.wegotthisfar.com
NEWS:
ALL
DAY AFTERNOON is an art exhibition "set in a domestic environment.
The objects and images interact with the familiar everyday environment
of the home..." The exhibition will feature new works from GAIL OLDING
and can be viewed at 8 Portsea Mews, from September 26th to October 3rd,
tea and scones will be served in the kitchen, while the upstairs living
quarters will feature a “variety of integrated unnerving and ambiguous
objects and images”. More when we've tasted the scones... – www.gailolding.com ALBUM
REVIEW: DIETER MOEBIUS – Kram
(Klangbad) – Respected German Electronic music pilot with some fresh fizz
and repetitive drive, oh OK then, some fresh Krautrock (I really was trying
to avoid being lazy but hey, call a spade a spade while the toast burns...),
some fresh Krautrock based compositions that push forward in a rather crisp
refreshing cleansing kind of way – kind of timeless, kind of good... like
it, yes, rather like it... www.klangbad.de ALBUM
REVIEW: KALAMAZOO – How To Hunt
A Dear (Indiz) – Pleasant indie rock colour from Paris, France. Touch of
poppy Radiohead, hint of Television, maybe a trace of Placebo, nothing
obvious though, they have their own rather accomplished rather enjoyable
sound... – www.myspace.com/kalamuzic SINGLE
REVIEW: N.A.M.B – Radiorack (Monotreme)
- Some sort of slick poppy slightly alternative multi-layered Faith No
More flavoured band from Italy with a two track single from a forthcoming
second album – www.myspace.com/nambzone ALBUM
REVIEW: LEAVES’ EYES – Njord
(Napalm) - Another one of those Evanescence type operatic girl singer backed
by shouting man type neo-classical Euro goth metal bands... Drowning
in their own destiny so it seems... www.napalmrecords.com ALBUM
REVIEW: WE INSIST – The Babel Inside
Was Terrible (Exile On Mainstream) – They’re from Paris and they’re here
at last with a follow up to 2007’s acclaimed
Oh! Things Are So Corruptible
album. This is quite a few more steps forward, they’ve built on the
strong foundations of recent times. They’ve been evolving for some time
now, they’ve been around for something like fourteen years or so and this
just might be their time. The Babel... is very much a ‘now’ album,
an album that fits in with the current rush of high-end prog adventure
and bands really wanting to challendge themselves. We Insist are just there
with a complex album and a sound that goes to all the right places without
ever getting too awkward or too hardboiled, they're complex and colourful
without being difficult. Melody... melodic vocal lines, clever instrumental
melody, real mathy prog, hints of lots of things without ever sounding
like anyone else – touches of At The Drive-In, bits that taste a little
of bands like 31 Knots or Don Cab, a little No Means No flavouring, Victims
Family, Tool, Primus, maybe even a touch a bit of Cardiacs in there with
their hint of post-hardcore and Gentle Giant and this and that.... Touches
of lots (and lots) of current prog-edged modernity, a forever shifting
feel - we’ll be somewhere, we’ll be somewhere, bits of your land,
bits of my land - and somehow pulling it all together with something
that’s solidly of their own - tall enough to see over their own walls.
The
Babel Inside is an album to really get your teeth around, serious modern
prog, impressive foundations of their own... bits of your land, bits
of my land. Recommended – www.myspace.com/weinsistband
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 16th
Sept '09: NEWS: SOLSBURY
HILL: CHRONICLE OF A ROAD PROTEST with Adrian Arbib is an event that
happens on Wednesday 23rd September (7pm till 9pm) at Housmans Bookshop
(radical booksellers since 1945), Kings Cross, London. Here comes the blurb...
“Adrian Arbib discusses the history and legacy of the road protest movement
and will be illustrating his talk with a slideshow presentation of photographs
from his book, ‘Solsbury Hill: Chronicle of a Road Protest’.
In 1994 eco-warriors took to the tree-tops and set up camps in the Solsbury
Hill protest, as they launched a bid to halt construction of the Batheaston
to Swainswick bypass at Bath. Their hard-fought campaign failed to stop
the road through a Bronze Age beauty spot and ancient monument being built,
but is credited with boosting other campaigns against road- building projects
across the country, which eventually led to 300 road schemes being axed
by the Government. Armed with little more than rope harnesses and mobile
phones the size of bricks, the protesters were faced with often violent
private security forces in muddy fields, high in the trees and even underground.
Adrian Arbib lived on site photographing the events. In so doing he captured
all aspects of life on the protest. His work is a unique record of an important
moment in British political history when a political movement changed government
transport policy. The photographs Adrian took over this period are at the
heart of the book ‘Solsbury Hill: Chronicle of a Road Protest’, and we
are delighted to welcome Adrian to Housmans to discuss the history and
legacy of the road protest movement. Adrian will be illustrating his talk
with a slideshow presentation of his photographs from the period”.
“This is our history. It is appalling and inspiring at the same time. These
pictures of brave people should not be forgotten.” John Vidal, Environment
editor, the Guardian
Event information: Wednesday 23rd September – 7pm till 9pm @ Housmans Bookshop,
5 Caledonian Road, King's Cross, London N1 Free entry. Nearest tube: King's
Cross - www.housmans.com
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 NEWS:
THE
LAZE.. UK tour with USPILON ACRUX, concept album release, prog
as f... here comes a massive outburst of news direct from the band....
OCTOURBER: “We start our UK tour supporting Upsilon Acrux October 1st.
Yes, that's a fortnight away & YES we are psyched. Upsilon Acrux
are one of the best contemporary avantech acts out there and they are travelling
all the way from LA. Seeing them live is going to be devastating!
We are privileged”. (dates further down)
FEAST OF THE TAIL (Oct 2-3) – “As part of the tour we are playing the all-day
festival Feast Of The Tail in Liverpool. This is part of a two day
extravagonzo festus organised by Samizdat, Meshuggy, Evol & Valhalla.
Headlining the Friday night (curated by Meshuggy & Evol) are HEALTH
(another band from LA) supported by the most excellent Balloons
& others. Headlining the Saturday (Samizdat & Valhalla) are
Upsilon
Acrux with a.P.A.t.T., us, Honey Ride Me A Goat and loads
more supporting. It promises to be the best DIY festival in Liverpool since
records began. It will be taking place in none other than Liverpool's Theatre
of the Absurd: The Kazimier. Hot Rad.”
SPACETIME FABRIC CONDITIONER (Stopping the Nightmare From Not Dying) -
The long overdue concept LP is finally being released. After experiencing
every type of technical nightmare, moving studios countless times and basically
losing faith in reality we have finished it! And to be incredibly
modest... IT SOUNDS BEAST! We are doing a limited CD & VHS release
for the UK tour. We will then be officially releasing it on digipak
& 12" vinyl in November. The artwork is looks absolutely amazing,
we have the genius of Dan McPharlin to thank for that. I have to
say now and will continue saying forever: We couldn't have done it without
our producer extrordinaire Rich Hurst! The patience of this man surpasses
all, nevermind his exquisite string & horn arrangements. He is
now officially the 7th member of The Laze, whether he likes it or not.”
“Extra thanks to Organ Mag (say the band) for playing excerpts from the
LP for 3 weeks running on their show on Resonance FM. Thanks for
the support!!!” – Ha, we haven’t even started, tune in next week, and the
week after (and the week after unless the Resonance bosses kick us off...)
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA – “In further LZZZ news: We have just been commissioned
to compose a new soundtrack for the 1925 silent horror classic Phantom
Of The Opera. We will be performing this live in the big screen at
FACT cinema, obviously beneath the screen while the film is projected.
This is all in celebration of the remastered DVD release. We are
quite possibly going to be on the international DVD release as an alternative
soundtrack, along with Rick Wakeman's version. The performance and
DVD release dates have yet to be announced, it will most likely be toward
the end of the year. We shall keep you informed...
Lots more Laze news and such via www.myspace.com/thelaze.
Here at Organ we think The Laze rule, they are right to say they sound
beast, The Laze are beast! The album was reviewed a couple of weeks ago
and personally, I can’t wait for the tour – THE LAZE, UPSILON ACRUX and
HONEY RIDE ME A GOAT TOGETHER... that might just be too much for one night!
The progggggest thing ever! Proger than a man in a red dress and a foxes
head!
Ah hell, here's the album review again.... it originally ran here back
in August when they sent us a demo version... hence the refrences to the
demo...
ALBUM
REVIEW: THE LAZE – Spacetime Fabric
Conditioner – This isn’t really a demo, this is things in progress and
an early taste of some kind of masterwork and an album almost ready for
release – pay attention serious forward looking cutting edge prog-friendly
labels out there, I think they’re looking for someone to take notice and
put this out - and someone really should, this is seriously good! We’re
talking some kind of instantly attention-demand frontline blend of the
best side of brooding Faith No More fused with the progressive drama and
seriously challenging adventure of classic King Crimson. Radiant keyboards,
moody mountains of imaginative light and shade and stop the boat, the jester,
the lark’s tongue is aspic, all lighthouse keepers and whoever’s helping
young Washington to cut that cherry tree down for one mad-dive prog rock
clock-ticking lawn-mowing minute, stop everything! We have a serious band
here, this just might be the missing link that glues together the classic
English prog of long past days and the forward looking musical adventure
of now. This is cutting edge post-whatever you got for people who understand
the glorious beauty of early Genesis, the dramatic adventure of Van Der
Graaf or classic King Crimson, this is all that kicked in to a slightly
twisted here and now with such gutsy passion, with such understanding of
what this thing we call prog is really about... This is the real deal,
this is proper full-on unashamed cool as f**k cutting edge expertly crafted
dirty-fingered keyboard driven, sax-fuelled twisted English prog rock adventure
and when they get the release details sorted we’ll delve a lot further
in and tell a hell of a lot more about how brilliant it is...
You can catch The Laze on tour in the UK with Upsilon Acrux and Honey Ride
Me A Goat at the start of October, now that is going to be a serious event
of a tour, those three bands together is almost too much! More from www.myspace.com/thelaze UPSILON
ACRUX OCTOBER UK TOUR, that’s right, one of the finest avant-prog outfits
in the world are heading thing way for the first time ever, LA’s Upsilon
Acrux are coming! The dates: 1st October - Chatham with The Laze
Honey Ride Me A Goat @ Tap N Tin, 2nd - Milton Keynes with The Laze
Action Beat @ The Crown), 3rd – Liverpool with a.P.A.t.T, The Laze and
more, All-day fest @ The Kazimier), 4th - Worcester @ The Firefly, with
The Laze, 5th –TBC, 6th London with The Laze and Honey Ride Me A Goat -
Upset The Rhythm @ Barden's Boudoir, 7th –Leeds with The Laze, That Fucking
Tank and Cowtown @ Brudenell Centre – then off to Ireland... 8th - Dublin
@ The Lower Deck, 9th Cork @ The Quad – www.myspace.com/upsilonacrux
or fine out what colour our baked beans are today over at Twitter - which in turn seems to be far more useful and informative than the spamfest that is My Space these days...
Right, back to picking tracks for the radio show, these things take hours of careful consideration you know... No sleep 'till London Bridge...
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12:50 AM
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