The Leisure Society – The Last of the Melting Snow
Another gem from the 2008 mixtape made for me by Colin from And Before the First Kiss. I made some flippant comment about him not really posting much new music, and he promptly handed me a full CD-R’s worth of brand new bands, most of which I had never heard of. So, er, I’ll be more careful in future.
Neither the growling indie, nor the twee indie-pop with which I associate Colin, this is more of lush and lovely persuasion. Reading their press quotes, Last of the Melting Snow is described thus: “delicate, beautiful, ethereal, heavenly, beguiling” and “gorgeous”. And so it is. As you would expect from this site it is, of course, also very sad.
Just the image itself brings a sort of grey melancholy, an image of sitting with a cup of tea, staring listlessly out the window as the rain washes away the last of the grime-blackened drifts from the side of the road. If ever there is an image of purity and hope that has given way to gradual, yet final disappointment then it is the final wet morning of the last of the melting snow. The music embraces this kind of feeling as well, embodying at once the optimism that has been lost as well as its dispirited defeat.
I wish they’d released this on vinyl.
The Leisure Society – A Short Weekend Begins With Longing
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The Leisure Society – Pancake Day
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They’re really a wee bit tasty!
leisure society are sooo yummy.
Leisure Society are Superb.
I really like Pancake Day. But i’m not sure why!
The title track is on there myspace page. That is very nice indeed.
Yep. These songs are really good, but the actual single itself is just amazing.
I’ve figured it out, its the Banjo. Every band should have one. I love every change in Pancake Day.
Banjos in general are just bloody brilliant instruments.
what about banjotars?! surely they are just a bit wrong?
Banjotars? Are they like Rocktagons?
sorry banjitar.
Banjo, or Banjitar, or even Guitjo as they are also known, Is designed to be played like a guitar but sound like a Banjo!
i stole that wee description from ebay.
As Wikipedia has just told me. Sounds rather like cheating to me. Aren’t banjos supposed to be rather tricky to play?
exactly. dirty cheating instrument of the devil.
Ooh, is there a Banjitar player out there to take up this slap in the face?
i think there might ,ahem, be a certain wannabe banjitar player in our midst but i dont think he will want to make himself known now.
Well, i thought michael was going to buy one! Better off with a midi guitar, then you can just cheat with any instrument.
I thought michael was going to buy one! Better off with a midi guitar. Then you can cheat with more instruments.
how odd. did you feel the need to say that twice?
Maybe that just a measure of how much a banjitar offends him.
I fancy one.
Loving The Leisure Society!
Is the Banjitar anything like the instrument favoured by “Country” Winston Mumford?
(Give the photo a minute to download after you click the link – it’s one of the old mahoosive files from back when I was an idiot.)
i think you might be onto something there dylan. oooh the scandal.
Nah a banjitar is a 6 stringed banjo tuned the same as a guitar (so you don’t have to learn a new instrument but still get that banjo twang) the boy from mumford has a proper 5 string banjo but it’s built to look like a guitar. Polar opposites really!
fucking banjitar
…but stylish nonetheless.
I was just getting my point across. With the help of modern technology of course. The joys of using the internet on a phone!
“from back when I was an idiot”
…
indeed, I saw them in avalanche and they were class.
I was talking to Winston after the show, and he recokons his guitar-shaped-but-otherwise-perfectly-normal banjo, a guishapotpernorjo if you will, is easier to play while standing up too.
Presumably you rawk-out with it to a certain extent.
And the award goes to Dylan, is the guishapotpernorjo a real thing or am I being duped?
I’m not sure if guishapotpernorjo is the proper name for this magical instrument. But it does look very very nice.
I think I’m being duped. Boo to you Dylan. Boo.
and I’ve just got it the now. Fuck sake.
*snigger*
Although Winston did genuinely say it was easier to play standing up..
love it.
Guishamidoodah a real instrument? Dav, you muppet.
while were talking about mixed up instruments, what about a KazooKeylele.
Search ‘KazooKeylele – Ukulele – The final countdown’ on You Tube.
*I’m not sure how to make a link*
[a href="URL"] Text for link [/a] Except with pointy brackets. >
Gives you: Text for link
Or just paste in the URL and WordPress does the rest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAg5KjnAhuU
Thank You.
Yip, I’m a tit. I actually started to look like a muppet so I’ve cut my hair, shaved my beard and am considering a tanning bed.
If you shave your beard you won’t look like one of Bart’s Hellish Minions anymore and that would be a disaster.
All ginger people we know must be forced to grow beards.
Even the women.
Even Isla Fisher.
Even the ginger one in Girls Aloud?
Oh hang on, that was Bart.
He’s quite fit without his beard actually. Maybe that’s why he insists on keeping it, so I don’t start accidentally humping his leg during gigs.
I know everyone is supposed to fancy the other ones, but I have quite a soft spot for the ginger one in Girls Aloud.
Is this guy one of barts?
http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/Large/68/591968.jpg
Hellish Minion is certainly a term which springs to mind.
http://www.eagleeyesactionstation.co.uk/USERIMAGES/DSCN0052(3).JPG
its action man bart
sorry that didnt work did it
http://www.eagleeyesactionstation.co.uk/USERIMAGES/DSCN0052(3).JPG
fuck it. im useless.
Try this.
What a wonderful anti-climax michael
Are you his wife?
ha ha thats brilliant, I didn’t know bart was an action man!
thats the best compliment ive had all day
Nope but maybey we should look into it, tax breaks and all. You had a rough day michael?
What do you call one-hundred banjos at the bottom of the ocean? A good start.
great songs. the banjo works well as a subtle accentuation in the song…just enough.
banjos are tricky if you want to play it “right” – you need to twist yr wrist wacking the strings with your fingers while plucking with your thumb. i like the banjo better when its not played right.
not fucking great. you heading to see found tonight?
“What do you call one-hundred banjos at the bottom of the ocean? A good start.”
Ooh, controversial!
here in amerikkk there is a long tradition of guitar palyers making fun of banjo players – and plenty of jokes to go with it…is it the same over there?
What’s the difference between a banjo player and a harmonica player? A harmonica player only sucks on half the notes!
Sorry Dav.
Nah pal, my plan for tonight is to stay late at work then get ready for my stag doo tomorrow, sorry mate.
Christopher – a guitar player I see, you should probably get yourself a banjitar.
Christopher, I was about to say ‘no there isn’t', but it appears I would have been wrong!
Christ Ricky, not from you.
Just testing this out
It only worked, thats all! Fucking hell I’m chuffed with that, I fucking own the internet!
Well Done Dav
Erm, that’s very clever. Good dog. Biscuit.
is there a banj-sitar? now that would be cool.
you know – useles info for guitar players out there – if you capo the guitar far up on the frets you can get an acoustic to sound like a banjo…
Ginger? Did someone mention ginger beards? My ears pricked up way over here
Do you have a ginger beard, then, Tart? Where?
This deserves to be posted again in reference to ginger beards.
I think it’s brilliant.
That doesn’t look much like Tart’s ginger bush to me.
BEARD, not bush… oi! you two do get up to no good late at night. And no, I’m not a bearded lady either you ‘verts. :p
In response to this articulate reviewer’s plea…. as soon as we have some manufacturing money we’ll be releasing everything on vinyl. We had to do download only as we’re all so skint & funding everything ourselves.
Really glad you like the song though!
Nick from the Leisure Society.
Yeah, it’s not exactly cheap is it. I’ve been looking into it myself for my own label – wow!