Toadcast #26 – Broken Records Toad Session
Here we go folks: the first ever Toad Session, with local band and all-round Toad pals Broken Records. These sessions are generally going to take place in my living room, but seeing as these guys were quite keen to record one and their single release is imminent, it seemed sensible to rush things a little. So given my equipment has yet to arrive, we went down to Banana Row Studios and recorded four session tracks and had a bit of chat, and this is the result.
There’s a full podcast, mp3s of the individual songs, a Flickr photo gallery and couple of videos of the whole business, so there’s lots and lots of stuff to play with. I think in terms of workload I can possibly manage about one of these per month, so keep an eye out in the future.
Toadcast #26 – Broken Records Toad Session
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The mp3s include their forthcoming single If the News Makes You Sad Don’t Watch It, a couple of new tracks, Wolves and They All Fell Into the Sea, and a special Toad request, the truly beautiful Out on the Water.
Broken Records – If the News Makes You Sad, Don’t Watch It
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Broken Records – And They All Fell Into the Sea
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Broken Records – Out On the Water
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The videos are all posted on the main Song, by Toad YouTube page. There are session videos of Out on the Water and Wolves, but the video of the whole session will be posted a little bit later. We’re new to this, so the video editing is taking a little bit of time. It should be up in two weeks’, hopefully, so you’ll have to gird your loins until then I’m afraid, but I promise to let you know as soon as it makes an appearance.
Toadcast #26 Playlist:
01. Broken Records – If the News Makes You Sad, Don’t Watch It (03.34)
02. Broken Records – A Good Reason (07.27)
03. Micah P. Hinson & the Gospel Of Progress – Don’t You Forget (14.33)
04. John Cale – Paris 1919 (24.32)
05. The Moulettes – The Cannibal Song (29.40)
06. Yann Tiersen – Comptine D’un Autre Ete – L’apres-Midi (39.07)
07. Broken Records – And They All Fell Into the Sea (40.21)
08. Beirut – Elephant Gun (45.24)
09. The Waterboys – Sweet Thing (52.11)
10. Broken Records – Wolves (63.23)
11. My Latest Novel – When We Were Wolves (66.34)
12. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Love Letter (72.39)
13. Broken Records – Out On the Water (83.16)
If I have one slight issue with these it’s that they’re a little too polished and sensible, really. Not enough of the rude, random style I tend to think gives this site its character. Maybe recording them in the house will change this, but then the recordings won’t be as good. Thoughts? Too shiny? Good like this? Let me know what you think.
Absolutely fucking brilliant band. Top. Notch. I watched the two videos first and now I’m well into the podcast. The performances you recorded on video were really very moving. The boys have chosen some lovely tracks to accompany themselves as well. Love the Micah P. Hinson and the Yann Tiersen, which a feller from Sheffield put on a mixtape for me a few months back. Glad to hear it here. I think the sound of the live recording is tremendous and as I said the emotion of the tunes comes through with tremendous power, but I’d have to hear it from your house to know for sure. How’re the acoustics at Toad Hall? Anyway, this is just a treat, you impresario you! Now let’s get Broken Records across the sea shall we? I know a few lads from hereabouts who’d be all over this like stink on a monkey.
Oh! “The Waterboys” EP and the “A Pagan Place” LP by The Waterboys are both truly great records. I hadn’t thought about the Broken Records’ Waterboys connection, but now you’ve mentioned it it is pretty obvious, isn’t it? Well, they could do a hell of a lot worse.
Just wanted to pop by and say congratulations…..I’m feeling proud today – This is my equivalent of watching the nephew you once encouraged to pick up a book many years later graduating with a PhD…..
Your energy, enthusiasm and commitment in continually expanding the boundaries of this blogging lark never ceases to amaze and excite me.
Here’s to the first of many such sessions…..and here’s hoping it leads to even bigger things in Toad world.
Oh, and I’ll come back and comment in due course when I get the time to listen.
Thanks guys. I am truly chuffed with this. There are plenty of things I will be doing differently in the future, but then, it was hardly going to be perfect at the first attempt.
But JC, if it leads to anything bigger in Toad world I will have to petition the government for a few extra hours in the day.
This is brilliant work, Matthew. You should be well proud of what you’ve pulled off here, especially when you consider how big Broken Records are going to become. Top man, really enjoying it.
Well this is just fantastic. Made my morning!
Cheers lads. I’m exhausted and my friend Morgan who did the videos may never want to hear the word Toad again, but I am absolutely thrilled with what we’ve got here.
This is a really well put together little effort you’ve managed here. I hadn’t heard the Broken Records before, and I was very pleased with their sound. Great work (sorry about the lack of HypeM Love!)
It’s a bloody marvel, that’s what it is. The tracks sound almost perfect (and high quality mp3s too) and the podcast is another great pleasure. You done good.
Well thanks for that goes to Nick at Banana Row. He did a superb job. My little brother, who records orchestras for a living watched the videos and sent me a string of compliments on IM about the way he set up the recording. Praise from a fellow pro is always worth most I’d say, and Ben was really impressed with what he saw and heard. Thanks Nick!
I’m happy to hear the word Toad said a few times more yet mate, don’t worry … well done.
well done matthew, sterling work.
can i just say once more that wolves i just a stunning song – i don’t often wish I’d written a song but I wish I’d written that – that and theologians by wilco. so beautiful as a piano song but equally well delivered using acoustic guitar – and Jamie’s voice sounds so gravely compared to normal – I am really enjoying these recordings. their not helping this headache I have going on – but they are making me smile.
oh – and on the subject of micah p hinson – if you’ve never heard don’t leave me now by that man then you need to. it’s another song I’d like to have written.
Thanks for the lovely comments guys. They are great recordings. Broken Records may not be too delighted to hear it, but I think Mrs. Toad preferred the session version of If the News… to the studio one. But then, we all have ample evidence that she has poor taste.
I am a little concerned that when we move into Toad Hall for future sessions that, although it will become a bit more spontaneous and personal, which I like, the recordings may suffer too much. I don’t know – I’m still trying to figure out exactly where we go with this.
Morgan and I are still working on how those videos should work out. Or, more accurately, Morgan is working and I am watching over his shoulder…
i have a few ideas for you – if interested let me know and I’ll e-mail you.
Of course you should bloody email me! Apart from the obvious fact that there’s only so much me and Morgs and potentially Mrs. Toad can do between us*, I’m interested in pretty much any suggestions going.
*Not in that way, you fucking perverts.
that’s a great package altogether, matthew. after this treat(ment) i came to love broken records a bit truelier and look forward to the next maybe unknown (to me) band! great pond!
Toad, I have no idea how it is or how you plan to set up your space at Toad Hall for the recordings, but don’t be afraid to experiment. If someone is in for a session then they’ll understand if you get a few takes down just to check levels & play with the acoustics.
Home recording can be fraught with many things (floorboards, high ceilings, blank walls/fully shelved & stocked walls, etc.) but its simply all about practice until you get the sound you want (Mr. Producer, you).
My advice would be get someone you know who plays a guitar in & for a day try different connotations of your room set up & record them strumming and singing different styles – start with the room as is (i.e. move furniture to accomdate but dont try to soundproof or shore up the acoustics with padding) & work up from there (it may never get to a level where you have to move too much about, but be prepared to if you get too watery a sound); hang thick blankets/duvets over windows/curtains (esp. if they’re big or french doors), or on blank walls or thin doors; try leaving a window open (if the outdoor ambience isn’t a main or busy road) to lose the flat echo you sometimes get/round off the “recorded in a bathroom” element; construct a makeshift sound box from corrogated cardboard (i.e. three sided, no roof or front, about a centimeter thick) big enough for a person w/guitar to sit in; try a smaller room; try the hallway (different set of acoustics there); blah blah blah.
You’ll probably find, if you’re not in one of those high ceilinged Victorian houses & or have bare floorboards (whcih I think you have judging from Mrs Toad stomping about in last weeks SbT Recommends segement), blank walls & shit equipment (which I know you don’t have), that there’ll be absolutely nothing to worry about. Certain instruments (like a cello for example) react entirely differently on tape (i.e. recorded) in different environments but, generally, retain their own acoustic balance.
It’s all suck it & see.
p.s., something i’ve done in the past on my own recordings, & I know sound techies will want to kill me for this, if you can’t get the natural bass of a recording (i.e. without tweaking the soundboard/mixer & risking bottoming out) try using a cone on your mics i.e. make one from sturdyish card or get one of those dog/cat neck cones (the ones that stop them licking wounds after surgery). It will concentrate the sound but also take off some of the natural dissipation. Make sure it’s secure, though, or you’ll get rattle/interference from the volume should it suddenly change.
[...] of songs from Edinburgh’s Broken Records, but it turns out the lovely blog Song by Toad has some tracks for you instead – I really can’t [...]
As always, I’m slow replying, but I’d be a complete jerk if I didn’t leave a comment seeing as you supplied my silly little blog with a post (ergo; a lazy blog day). I’ll try not sound like an internet retard (is that an intertard or netard?).
Really, I should just say thanks to Broken Records for sharing, and leave it at that…
Can’t wait for more Toad Sessions!
Oh, isn’t this post pretty much “Music 2.0″–why no tag love?
Well, hell, always three days too late…
These are lovely recordings – I really really like “And They All Fell Into the Sea.” Also, that version of “Sweet Thing” is one of my all-time favorite covers. I could listen to the Fisherman’s Blues album all day, it’s so heavenly.
The start of these Toad Sessions is thrilling! When you start hosting in your living room, you and the Missus ought to invite the bands ’round the stereo for some drunken dance parties.
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Hey Matthew, this is fucking amazing! I’m a bit of a begginer in all this bloggin, music 2.0 business and I have to say your blog is one of the best surprises I’ve had so far. And this Toad session idea is bloddy brilliant. I must say the band is excellent too… but the idea is just genious. Well thought, well recorded and well executed. Jesus, I might be overreacting and being a kiss ass but it’s just quality.
Keep them coming. If it’s not too much work!
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