50 quid bloke

John Sutherland says that Mike Skinner is up there with Dostoevsky and Pepys.
Actually, that’s what the standfirst says: but it’s quite an interesting take on him as a modern urban poet.
It’s certainly slightly more grounded analysis than Giles Foden’s famous take on Eminem: “Stan also fits snugly into the tradition of the verse epistle out of which the dramatic monologue developed. It shares, too, some qualities of unreliable narration with Porphyria’s Lover, in which another murderer speaks….(and so on for 1,500 incomprehensible words)”
I don’t really get the whole Streets thing. Didn’t really buy the Observer Music Mag calling it the Album of the Year (Haven’t they heard Iron and Wine!!!!). Although, if you got the mag, I thought the Harry Reardon cover photo of him was fantastic.
Saying that, I loved Ashley Beadle’s re-mix of Weak Become Heroes - which means I probably do like it, but it needs a big girly house backdrop for me to appreciate it. In other words, I’m just not enough of a bloke to get it.
Memo to self: Must watch Men and Motors before buying album.

Many thanks to Martin for sorting out a trip to see British Sea Power at the Shepherds Bush Empire last night. Well worth the trip across London for my (record breaking) second gig of the week despite the temptation of an evening slumped in front of the telly.
Can’t pretend I was a huge fan before seeing them. I had the CD, but it hadn’t really chimed with me. Well, they made much more sense live.
They will also feature in my forthcoming PhD: ‘Take the smile off your face: the rise of earnest artiness in the post-Britpop musical landscape’.

I’ve read about two dozen reviews of the Beta Band’s Heroes to Zeroes - and a very mixed bunch they were as well. Ranging from ‘at last the album they’ve been promising to make all along’; to ‘yet again they fail to deliver’.
Frankly I loved Hot Shots II. And, I thought they were great live. And Heroes to Zeros is, well, a very good album in the same vein: interesting, quirky, listenable and pleastantly laid-back. Definitely recommended.

A personal first last night as I went to a gig a)on my own, and b)in a suit. As it was at 93 Feet East in Brick Lane - land of hip-mullets and cool kids - this put me top-right on the graph for uncool and friendlessness, and made me feel very special indeed.
Anyway, the good news. 1) It was a free ’session’ organised by BBC Collective (some value from my licence fee, after all). 2) I was there to see the very wonderful M Craft (pictured above and as raved about previously).
Probably one duff song, but he has alt.country/indy stardom all over him. Good songs, weird looks, languid stage presence. Could probably do with a slap up meal. Anyway, well worth buying his ep, if you haven’t already. He’s currently working on an album, but then, aren’t we all…?
Oh, the headline were Joy Zipper, but I left before them. Hot Chip were in support, with their own peculiar brand of, errr, slapcore. Incredible - as in the literal sense of the word.

Finished reading Matthew Pearl’s The Dante Club this weekend. Shorter, but somehow slightly more substantial than the the easy-reading romp of the da Vinci code, it deals with a serial killer on the loose in Boston 1865 while Longfellow and a few poet chums are working on the first US translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
One of those rare crime novels with an ending that is both surprising and (within the context of the novel) believable.
Not the easiest of reads, but thorougly recommended.
Interview with Matthew Pearl | Guardian review of the book | Observer (rave) review | Official site

Since starting this blog, I’ve been drawn irresistably towards more and more acoustic stuff. Much of it is lovely and moving etc and I’m glad I’ve found it, but, frankly, you can have enough of grown men getting deep and meaningful while strumming guitars. And, as much as I’ve rapidly grown to love Songs: Ohia - I don’t think you can listen to him for too long without being tempted to perform some act of self-harm.
The new Jim White album arrived last week, but even though I’ve listened to it a dozen times or so, and there’s nothing wrong with it, it just hasn’t really registered against the background of very good stuff that has been coming my way recently.
I sense there will be a switch to mindless bleeps, beats and banging techno in the not too distant future - inspired by this excellent deal on Sancho Panza compilations and the fact that I need to spend a bit of time in the gym over the next few weeks.
In the meantime, my current favourite find is Our Endless Numbered Days by Iron and Wine. It’s one of those acoustic albums that everyone loves when they listen to.
I&W is actually Sam Beam, a bearded cinematography professor from Florida, whose first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, a collection of home recordings, was raved about.
The Observer loved the album saying: “Mountain folk by persuasion and smudged of voice, Sam Beam plucks and croons and birds fall out of the trees in appreciation”.
Garret originally recommended it to me after I’d talked about the Shins (they’re both on SubPop). For which I can only say: many thanks.
Anyway - if you want to find out more about them, here’s the official site and a (slightly more lively) fan site. He’s playing at the Borderline on May 19. Which is rather annoying, as I’m meant to be seeing Dylan Moran that night….

I’m currently slightly addicted to Epitonic which is quite old news to many(c. 1999) but reasonably new to me. Basically, it’s a free and legal indy-music for downloading and streaming.
Anyway, I’ve had a complete revelation in hearing Songs: Ohia on there.
Have to say, he (real name: Jason Molina pictured above by Steve Gullick) is probably the bleakest singer/ songwriter I’ve heard in years (and trust me: I’ve done bleak) but there’s something genuinely lovely about his voice and guitar playing. A very understated version of Neil Young. Sort of.
The joy of Epitonic is that you can go to this page about him and not only read all about…but click on the button that says ’stream this page’ and it does just that giving you, in this case what can only be described as ‘Radio Bleak and Depressing’. Which is neat, in my book.
Anyway, Molina’s latest album came out in January called The Pyramid Electric Co and it’s only available on vinyl import on Amazon UK. (ie no use whatsoever). Here’s a review.

OK, Who Killed The Zutons has just arrived. And it’s great. The thing is, if someone had played this and told me it was The Coral’s latest album I wouldn’t have known any difference. Admittedly it would be a very good Coral album: certainly better than Magic and Medicine and tighter thantheir first album. Then again: they came second, so they had something to improve on.
As they’re from the same label - it all feels a bit like we’re starting to see a scally version of Stock Aitken and Waterman’s hit factory. I look forward to their equivalent of Rick Astley.

My first encounter with Amy Winehouse was a review in Observer Music Magazine followed by buying the album: which I loved and have played to death ever since.
However, with every interview she’s given I’ve started to like her a little less. Anyway, the latest one is in today’s Independent. Even given the fact that she’s shockingly talented, highly feted, very successful and only just turned 20 - there’s just a little too much attitude there to be appealing.
I think I might boycott the next album as a matter of principle. She will, no doubt, be devastated.

It turns out that Gingersol released The Train Wreck is Behind You a few years ago, and it was re-released last year. I’ve only just stumbled across it: and it’s really rather lovely. Melodic, semi-acoustic and slightly poppy. If you’re even further behind the curve than I am - try it, you might like it.
Here’s a review and an interview.