thephotobooth

"Cod impressions of a bygone era killed off by The Darkness and Steve Brookstein, Oh No Ono are literally no different." - Seriously, what are you on?! Parts of this album are a bit abrasive, but I think they're continuing the ace work that Clor started and never finished a few years ago. The new one, Eggs, is one of the most astounding albums I've heard in recent times - even if you didn't like Yes, try it out.

Great album, Service can do no wrong.

"It was easy and amusing to imagine Radiohead's attempt to colonize that relatively arcane bit of our musical lifeworld."

Pot, kettle, black?

Tegan's are fairly chugging emo punky numbers.

To don my fangirl hat, I've always liked Sara's songs more than Tegan's but still enjoyed listening to entire albums - however a lot of Tegan's songs on Sainthood are pretty terrible by-numbers emo-tinged pop that rehash the main ideas from some of her past songs - "My misery is so additive" from Northshore seems far too directly related to The Con ("But I really like to cry"). Even some of Sara's lyrics are kinda embarrassing - the chorus of 'On Directing' ("I know you hate it when I get talking like a teen") is the first time I've genuinely understood what some people find so intolerable about their voices. The other two main problems I have with it are that on at least the past two albums, there's always been a pretty experimental song that's incongruous to the rest of the record - like Walking With A Ghost from So Jealous, or Are You Ten Years Ago from The Con - not even Alligator has that same promise here. And although this shouldn't come into it, it feels like they've regressed - they're nearly 30 and have gone back to making fairly simple, angsty teen pop with much less of the finesse of their past work. 6/10 is pretty fair, it's still a hell of a lot better than most of their synth pop comrades' work. Qualms about the album aside, I'd really recommend seeing them live next month - they're pretty funny (though their hardcore fans are annoying as fuck).

</fangirl>

He was very cagey about the future, but surprisingly really embraces the concept of the MP3 and the loss of the album form.

Didn't mean to write "anything for me" twice...

And in theory, I don't know why - I like moderately abrasive, dancey noise, but the three times I've seen them live, in various states of drunkenness and sobriety, they've never done anything for me. anything for me

But brilliant review nonetheless, I think you're pretty much my favourite reviewer of recent times.

I thought the questions were seriously uninspired...

I've learned so much! I only wish I could write like Mr Tudor...

I love Steve Martin, so so much. It's good to see love for Father of the Bride, those films are absolute genius. His autobiography on his stand-up years is brilliant, well worth a read.

An intention I've had since seeing Darren and Jack play at EOTR last year. Good interview too.

If anyone hasn't read it, he kept a delightfully neurotic blog about his musical perfectionism over on the NY Times website - http://measureformeasure.blogs.nytimes.com/author/andrew-bird/

But sweet songs though, I enjoyed the gig.

but live, she was much more Regina Spektor than Joanna Newsom, to the extent that her vocal style seemed quite plagiarised.

I really liked how balanced the set was, and it was great to hear stuff from the Forbidden Love EP and Something About Airplanes. Although they never really took off at any point, they were consistently wonderful, and didn't pander to the crowd, plus closing with Transatlanticism was pretty affecting. I genuinely hated Frightened Rabbit - they were painful to watch, and their lyrics were dreadful.

Because you never hear either of those bands in an English indie club.

Dill is satanic. Bleurgh.

I don't have a problem with people playing it, especially if they're not musically talented, but preferring a simulation of something to the real thing is pretty lame.

One of the best bands I've seen this year, it doesn't matter if you've never heard them before and never intend to listen to them afterwards, they're so fun live.

apparently.

NOT through personal preference of choice - from working in a cinema, I've seen Mamma Mia at least once per week since it came out at the start of July, and hence have had their repertoire circling the inside of my head ever since...I really fucking hate Abba.

but I've found myself returning to the following a lot:
Jens Lekman - Tram Nr 7 to Heaven (and many others) - we went to Gothenburg, and all the places he sings about came to life, and we rode the aforementioned tram with some homeless people and a guy who was huffing furiously. We also stayed on the line to Kortedala.

Dirty Three - Sad Sexy - It's a lovely dark winter night all in one song, I don't like summer much.

El Guincho - Algeranza LP - this is probably the summeriest thing, really looking forward to seeing him at EOTR (as long as he's still playing).

Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Wawa - I can't understand why this amazing woman isn't more revered.

I definitely need to listen to this more - at first the relative poppiness was a little disarming, but it sounds like a grower.

Meat you there?

I booked my ticket, but on the See Tickets confirmation email, it says it's at Bristol Trinity Centre...is it there or at the Fleece?

Very excited! I missed LC! at ATP, and only have hazy memories of TNV and No Age (although I remember experiencing extreme pain in my ears from the latter).

This might make up for missing Sigur Ros at Colston Hall.

although I've already bought a ticket...

Just need to get a ticket now!

I wish he was playing a Bristol date :(

You've convinced me to listen to The Jane Bradfords when I get home later.

Until We Felt Red is majestic, and her work on Tegan and Sara's last album is brilliant, little slide guitar motifs which sound as though they could have only come from synthesisers.

So very very excited about this.

like an old favourite website, rather than something shiny and new. I'm not sure what it is about it though - considering the content, it's the kind of thing I'd rather read as a magazine. I tend to use the internet for quicker reads. Good stuff though! (and better than the Lipster - what's happening there now Jude Rogers has left?)

but as it's only 10 minutes away, it seems churlish to not go.

They play Cornwall one week after I move to Bristol, and there's no Bristol date. I'm going to be so poor from coming home all the time...

Amazing song live!

and the only quote I could decipher from their accents was, "sticking my fingers in Jo Whiley's hummous". She seemingly passes it around...!

I am now a big fan, have their album downloaded at home, can't wait to hear it!

yet he still seems to love Paris Hilton, which implies some kind of skewed moral compass. His site used to be quite enjoyable, but he's hellbent on becoming as much of a vapid celebrity as the people he writes about, and his spiteful agenda to out as many supposedly gay celebrities as possible is foul - for someone who promotes anti-bullying websites and sings the praises of any state which legalises gay marriage, his attitude towards Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson (as one example) is hypocritical and despicable. I don't really care for Lohan, but if she and her supposed girlfriend are happy to be intimate in public, that's probably one of the best, most positive contributions to pop culture she's ever made (although Mean Girls still deserves a nod).

WWTDD > Perez x infinity.

although her song is terrible.

So excited about this, Transparent Things is one of my favourite albums!

but disappointing that they didn't play Practising to be a Doctor.