Song, by Toad

Meursault – Nothing Broke

It’s weird for me to be reviewing a record which is released on my own label, but inasmuch as it feels a little strange, it would in many ways be even stranger for me not to be reviewing Nothing Broke just because it’s on Song, by Toad Records.  So, erm, somewhat vested interests noted, let’s proceed.

For a lot of Meursault fans I think this EP will be most notable for the appearance of live favourite William Henry Miller Pt.1 – on an official release at long last.  For me, this is less the case for this song than it is for the title track itself.  The first four songs I ever heard by Meursault were demo versions of The Furnace, Lament for a Teenage Millionaire, Salt Pt.2 and Nothing Broke on their MySpace page just less than two years ago, roughly.  I specifically requested it when they performed their Toad Session almost a year ago – a sparse, lovely version itself – and I am thrilled to see it finally released into the wild, where it belongs.

Initially, this was supposed to be a mini-album including a lot of acoustic versions of songs from their album, but as it was recorded that concept receded somewhat.  According to the band it just seemed right to keep it all new material, although this does mean that there is a stunning version of Salt Pt.1 out there still waiting to be mixed.

Consequently, Nothing Broke ended up being far shorter than it was strictly intended to be, but this makes it lean as fuck: there is no flab on this whatsoever – not a whiff of filler anywhere.  In fact, although it might lack some of the thunderous noise which is apparently coming our way on the second album, it is an amazingly coherent, whole piece of work.  It works perfectly as a group of songs, some of which are the best I’ve heard in fucking years.

Red Candle Bulb is something of a Bear Scotland effort in that, for all it was largely written by Dan from Withered Hand, Neil from Meursault and Cammy from Enfant Bastard made their own contributions to the tune.  I’ve known of this recording of it – in my eyes the definitive one, although that opinion may be a little controversial – for some time and it’s another one I am glad to finally have see the light of day.  In fact, given how well-known W.H.M. Pt1 is as well, the only really new songs to me on hearing this were Love or Limb and the splendidly morose finale, William Henry Miller Pt.2.

How well these integrate into the better known stuff is impressive.  The emotional trajectory of the EP as a whole seems perfectly judged.  Love or Limb is the centre of the work, and the third in a surprisingly varied opening trio of rather dismal laments.  Nothing Broke, for all the band may insist it is a funny song, is nevertheless musically rather splendidly downbeat.  This mood shifts into the wryly humorous self-deprecation of Red Candle Bulb, and then the flirtation with country which flavours Love or Limb, before the dark cloud is brilliantly exploded by the jaunty clap-along of William Henry Miller Pt.1.  It’s perfectly judged – any more and it could all become a little depressing, but this song brings something of a release, allowing us to really wallow in the most miserable tune of the lot last of all.

Albums are by their nature often more sprawling, and now that there is expectation I would imagine the second record might be difficult to pull off with such ease, so to my mind I doubt there will be a more perfect, self-contained release for some time.  I really do think that this is an astoundingly good piece of work, dubious as that may sound coming from someone with a vested interest in its success.  That’s genuinely what I think, though.

Meursault – Nothing Broke

Meursault – Nothing Broke (Demo)

Meursault – Nothing Broke (Toad Session)

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Woodenbox with a Fistul of Fivers – Hang The Noose

Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers.  It’s a name you’re not going to forget in a hurry isn’t it?  And they are a band that you will not forget in a hurry either, of that I promise.  Starting off as a solo project simply called Woodenbox, Ali Downer has built around him a fine set of musicians who call themselves A Fistful of Fivers.  However,  there is definitely more of a band vibe to this lot than a solo artist with associated backing band.  Anyways, I remember seeing them a while back at one of the excellent Rubix nights (R.I.P) at the GRV and thinking what a great band.  They blew everyone away with their own brand of slightly eerie Americana.  Then this year at Trampoline’s 2^nd birthday party they once again left their mark with a blistering set which left me itching for more.  So I was extremely pleased and fortunate to have recently been asked to play piano for the band.   So far it has been an amazing experience playing Sneaky Pete’s and getting 4 out of 5 in the Scotsman then playing a practically sold out King Tuts on Saturday night before playing to a mobbed Kelvingrove Park on Sunday as part of the West End Festival.   However,  I don’t want the fact I now sit in on keys for them to suggest that there will be a bias in this review.  It’s important to note that I have always loved the band and think their music is simply brilliant. 

Anyways, Monday saw the release of their second single ‘Hang the Noose’ on King Tuts Recordings.  In terms of eerieness, this particular song stands out from the others.  It’s driving trumpet and saxaphone are particularly creepy and the song ebs and flows beautifully with an almost Mariachi like quality.  I can totally imagine the whole band dressed as Mexicans wandering through the streets playing this tune.  It’s  just great.  The second tune for your pleasure is called ‘My Mule’ and is the B-side from previous single ‘Twisted Mile’.  It is a much different proposition live than it is on this particular recording – as can be said about a lot of the tunes – but this is the version that sucked me in.  It’s a real TUNE!  Anyways, if you like what you hear, keep an eye out on their myspace for upcoming shows and for future releases.  Just make sure you catch them live as soon as you can because despite my bias, I can promise you they are as good live as anyone doing the rounds in Scotland at the moment.  And you can buy the single at all good music shops.

Hang The Noose – Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers

My Mule – Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers

Withered Hand – You Are Not Alone

I think it’s fair to say that 2009 has been Dan Willson’s year, in a musical sense.  He’s gone from being one of Edinburgh’s most respected songwriters to the leader of a band on the verge of genuinely widespread and richly deserved recognition.

I am likely to repeat this analysis come the time of his album release in September of this year, but I find myself smiling sometimes at just how little actual innovation seems to take place with the actual music and arrangement of Withered Hand’s music.  It’s all quite basic and straightforward, with his acoustic guitar supplemented here by bits of piano, percussion and accordion and some backing vocals from King Creosote, who recorded and produced this little gem.

Basically though, Withered Hand are a great band because Dan is a truly special, special songwriter.  His fundamental knack for a melody is uncanny, and his lyrics are superb.  His songs of self-doubt and insecurity are just a shade too humorous and clever to actually be self-pitying.  And yet they’re always too heartfelt and believably real to be anything other than genuinely affecting.

No Cigarettes is a boody masterpiece, frankly, and Oldsmobile Car is the latest incarnation of a brilliant song written with Dan’s Bear Scotland pals Cammy Watt and Neil Pennycook, which has previously seen the light of day as the demo Shooby Shooby and also as Red Candle Bulb on the recent Meursault EP.  It’s nice to see the main songwriter himself give us his own interpretation, and the quavering backing vocals of Mr. Anderson are perfectly suited to the deer-in-headlights nature of the words.

Big Ten Four sounds uncannily like Neil Young, funnily enough, but in preceding the lovely Are You Courageous, perhaps slows things down a little too much for my taste it almost puts the brakes on two blocks before the corner, but that’s about the only criticism I have to offer: a minor quibble about sequencing.  Otherwise, this is fucking brilliant.

Withered Hand – No Cigarettes

Website | More mp3s | Buy from Fence Records

Sparrow & the Workshop – Sleight of Hand

It is a pretty huge pleasure to be able to review two excellent releases in the same week, both released by people you consider to be good friends, and this week brings us both the Broken Records album, and now Sparrow & the Workshop’s debut release.  And guess what?  It’s fucking brilliant.  I have two tiny criticisms, so I’ll get them out of the way first:

Firstly, I think the drums sound somewhat flat on Last Chance, and that the pace of the song is a little quick.  Live, there’s realy sparkle to the cymbals on this song in particular, and there’s more variation between the simmer of the verse and the aggression of the chorus which seems to be slightly missing.  Secondly, the live versions of I Will Break You sound a hell of a lot more punk than the version on this EP, and actually I think that might have given the song more impact, as well as shaking the listener up a little.  See – I can nitpick with the best of them.

Otherwise, this is great.  The Gun is fucking lovely – the tappity-tap of the percussion and the gentle thrum of guitar are as simple and as lovely a device as I’ve heard in a long time.  In fact, Sparrow & the Workshop have a habit of doing things like that – there are a lot of times when the acoustic guitar seems to be doing the job of the rhythm section and the drums actually take the lead.  As well as that, Jill’s voice is, it really must be said, truly gorgeous.  She seems to have the ability to enigmatically flit between fragile and raging in an instant, as well as between idiosyncratic, old-fashioned folk and plain vanilla country.

Sleight of Hand is beautifully sequenced as well.  It starts with a fury, dances around in the middle and then gently takes its leave with Broken Heart, Broken Home.  It doesn’t try too hard, simply introduces itself, A near perfect first release.

Sparrow & the Workshop – The Gun

MySpace | More mp3s | Buy from Rough Trade

My First Tooth – My First Tooth & the Rubies

Hmmm, I feel I should issue an Angst-Free Warning when reviewing this.  It’s not saccharine by any stretch, but there is a carefree, whimsical side to their essentially acoustic pop which gives this an EP a cheerfully breezy air, even when the songs themselves are sad.

I’ve been sitting on this for ages trying to make up my mind whether or not that cheeriness was a little too much for me, but I don’t think it is.  It’s taken me a while to adjust to the sound, but I like this EP, particularly the sprightly violin work, which is really nice.  Oddly, they sound  like a calmer version of Mumford & Sons at times, without the same sort of wild-eyed helter-skelter pace about them.

Songs like Honesty Honesty and Typewriters are sad little tales actually, but the music doesn’t let them become demoralising.  As such it means that music doesn’t have a lot of edge, but that doesn’t seem to be the point of this – it’s just a laid back, enjoyable record with plenty of hooks and a really nice feel to it.

My First Tooth – Judge & Jury

MySpace | More mp3s | Buy the EP from Alcopop

Jesus H. Foxx – Matter

When I first heard about Jesus H. Foxx, they were the haircut band support act of choice in Edinburgh, and pretty much the only purveyors of spiky indie punk pop in the city.  That particular niche seems to be quite well inhabited these days, even as the Foxx themselves are leaving it behind.

This EP is very short, very very good, and a hell of a lot more than the slightly one-dimensional band I had rather hastily pigeonholed Jesus H. Foxx as being.  The jerkiness remains in their staccatto percussion and tendency to shift rhythms at surprising times, but these songs are a lot more enigmatic than anything they’ve done before.  There is brooding atmosphere of experimentalism underlying most of it, rendered almost animalistic by the constant thud of the drums.

Occasionally these atmosphere are burst with a flood of unexpected vocal harmonies, or sometimes a caramel guitar riff*.  This breaking back and forth from the easy to the difficult, and the unsettling to the sugary is what makes this such a good EP.

Another thing is the perfect sequencing.  It kicks of with Oh Messy Life, at under a minute, before smacking us round the chops with I’m Half the Man You Were, the obvious pop song, if you can say that there is one, on this record.  To end, we’re given the crunching Xa Xa Xa, followed by the mellower leave-taking of Matter, which deposits you gently back where you were when you started.  This is, make no mistake about it, a really really nice bit of work, and a very promising new direction indeed.

Jesus H. Foxx – Trying to Be Good

Jesus H. Foxx – Tightt Ideas (single from 2007)

MySpace | More mp3s

*Yes, I know I know, what the fuck does that mean.  It’s related to the perfection of the surface of caramel – shiny and clean, but with all that sweetness underneath.  I’d have changed it if I could think of a better word, but I can’t.

Alberto Veto – Afraid of Thieves

There’s not an awful lot out there about this band to research, so this is going to pretty much be a face value review: Alberto Veto are from Nottingham, they have a skittish energy to their music, and their lead singer has a very nice voice indeed.  Right, pint anyone?

Okay, okay, there’s a little more to it than that.  Of the few reviews I’ve managed to find, all mention a highly energetic live show, which of course I have not had the pleasure of experiencing.  The recordings are a little more studied than that – and very good for self releases as well, it has to be said.

You can hear in the relentless thrum of the guitar and the insistent drumming the basis for a mental live performance, and that same purpose translates well to the recorded songs.  This is an EP which demands almost constant finger-tapping, and that’s a very good thing indeed.  If anything it reminds me a little of Lucky Jim actually, who is another Edinburgh artist (and veteran of the Lost Soul Band), although that might just be the voice, which is part way between barroom rasp and lounge croon.

I may not have much to go on here, but it sounds very promising indeed.

Alberto Veto – Through Her Teeth

Website | More mp3s | Buy the EP from the band’s MySpace

Eagle Winged Palace – Hand of Doom EP

This is something of a spectral take on the Gothic folk mini-genre, crammed full of the sort of Brothers Grimm meets the darkest of American folk tales kind of  imagery which we’ve come to expect from this sort of thing.  I’ve pigeonholed it fairly mercilessly there, but I don’t mean to imply that you can nail this EP to the mast with a single glib sentence, because there is more to it than that.

It’s only four songs long and each song has its own character.  The first track, Hand of Doom, perhaps fits the above description the neatest, but subsequently each track deviates from this model in its own little way.  The Ballad of the Red-Legged Hawk’s Fountain is dominated by a wonderful female vocal, which teases with sweetness, but remains just that little bit elusive.  The song itself has something of a folk-soul lullaby feel to it, which suits the overall mood of the album: lovely, but slightly unnerving at times.

Mansion on the Hill changes the game again slightly, being the poppiest of the songs, with an almost jaunty little piano riff twinkling away behind the drifting mist of ghostly vocals.  It is, as with the rest of the EP, a familiar sound, but one which I like and it still seems to me to retain a pretty solid character of its own.  As beginnings go, this strikes me as a very promising one, and with a full album on the way, I am confident we’ll be hearing more of these guys quite soon.

Eagle Winged Palace – Mansion on the Hill

MySpace | More mp3s | Buy from Park the Van Records

Manson Family Picnic – EP

Well I’ve written about so many famous bands this week you’d think I was aspiring to be Pitchfork, but fear not, I’ll always find the smaller fish more interesting, and it’s about time we got back to that way of thinking on the pages of Toad.  Apart from the new Camera Obscura album, of course.  Oh, and Elvis Perkins.  And Bill Callahan.  Anyway…

Manson Family Picnic are a deft bunch and this is a short but brilliantly assembled little record.  There are lots of nods to neat little pigeonholes in this music, but the band somehow manage to dodge through all of them and produce an EP which, whilst it contains many familiar elements, is actually consistently surprising.

What I mean by that is this: each song seems to be born from a slightly different indie folk sub-genre, so if you only heard one of them you could easily type cast the whole record, yet if you listen to the whole thing it is not quite so simple.

Opener The Mistakes harks back to early REM (the melody seems like it could be straight from Green), yet the arrangement is still a lot thinner and more garage folk than that.  Shit Diggers could be related to the gothic folk-stomp of the likes of the Builders & the Butchers.  Later in the album they veer towards jug and then towards shoegaze indie, believe it or not, albeit played by an errant barn dance band.

They seemed to haveflirted with all the touchstones of the last five years of indie folk, without becoming unhealthily beholden to any single one.  It is, as I said, very deftly done, and a very enjoyable record.

Manson Family Picnic – Shit Diggers

Manson Family Picnic – Kentucky Waltz

Website | More mp3s | Buy from the band’s online shop

Frivolous Laura – A Lullaby

Do songs titled Lullaby, which include lines about goblins, make you just a little bit wary?  Yes, me too, but don’t worry because I promise you that this is really good.  What it recalls for me the most is perhaps a much more minimal, less electronic version 0f Goldfrapp’s breakthrough Felt Mountain, and this is a very good thing.

The music isn’t so much frivolous as seductively flighty.  It recalls the deceptive innocence of Barry Adamson’s wonderful song Vermillion Kisses, where the impression of childish simplicity is never so convincing as to fail to convey its own sense of menace.  I wouldn’t say that this EP is quite so macabre as all that, but it nevertheless generates a close relative of that particular atmosphere of playfully tantalising darkness.

It manages to be be quite cute without ever being annoyingly cutesy, and this is a pretty difficult line to tread in this kind of an area, particularly as recent music has given us quite a lot of fairly dismissive tags we could easily apply to someone whose style ticks a number of quite familiar boxes.  Music in this kind of territory can annoy the shit out of me, quite frankly, but throughout this record Frivolous Laura never tries to be too twee or too giggly, so all of the common failings of bands like this seem to have been quite deftly avoided – it’s delightful where others in the past have been grating.

The fact that the last three tracks on this EP are more akin to three movements of the same song makes it a little difficult to draw many conclusions other than ‘Hmm, very promising indeed’ so I think I might leave it at that, but I’d certainly say that I am very much looking forward to more where this came from.

Frivolous Laura – The Worker’s Song

Barry Adamson – Vermillion Kisses

MySpace | Buy from Fat Badger Recordings