The Great Arcade Fire Hoax?  It is this:

“The prevailing belief amongst j0urnalists that the Arcade Fire invented music. They invented bands with actual instruments, and anything vaguely epic.  None of these things existed before Funeral, and therefore any band exhibiting these characteristics must necessarily sound like the Arcade Fire. “

When Broken Records first emerged they were a lot folkier than they are now, and of course Rory does regularly play both violin and accordion, so I can see how it would have been confusing for journalists, but the ‘Scottish Arcade Fire’ tag applied to them was as amusingly stupid as it was utterly ubiquitous.

Now, to me that made it really quite funny, particularly as quite a few real journalists have an hubristic habit of sneering at bloggers for being ill-informed fanboys, incapable of writing anything with economy, balance, context or objectivity.  Consequently, watching them be collectively stupid, unimaginative, lazy and just plain incapable was something I found highly entertaining. Not so much the band, of course.

Jamie from Broken Records is a sensitve wee soul at the best of times, but the Arcade Fire comparisons went from amusing to tedious to really fucking annoying rather quickly for him.  And then he began to notice that it wasn’t just Broken Records.  Every band – every single fucking indie band – which wasn’t either indie rock or pastoral ‘alt’-folk got compared to the Arcade fucking Fire, particularly if they picked up an actual instrument or made a lot of noise at any point.

Now, as a writer myself I laughed tolerantly at this particular idea.  Yes, millions of bands get compared to the Arcade Fire, but I too have spent ages wracking my brain for a comparison I can feel in my bones but just can’t quite put my finger on.  So I know how maddeningly elusive these things can be, and I’ve certainly made some weak comparisons myself in the past.

Then the Meursault reviews started to come in and yes, you guessed it, Arcade Fire comparisons were being made left right and centre, to the point that Bearded Magazine even brought them up by explicitly refusing to make the comparison, so the fuckers were still mentioned: “This follow-up to their critically-acclaimed debut album, Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues sees the seven-piece move away from the Arcade Fire comparisons which flew in from all directions after that first release.”

Now, when Meursault are being compared to the Arcade Fire, things really have descended into parody.  “The Scottish seven-piece, whose sophomore album sounds a lot like music, owe a heavy debt to music through the ages, with their latest album full of ideas borrowed liberally from, er… music.”

But how the fuck did they do it?  I mean, as Jamie rightly points out, the Arcade Fire basically just sound like Echo and the Bunnymen but with more folk instruments and a bit of David Byrne for good luck, so how the fuck have they hoodwinked the world of journalism into believing that they invented… well, pretty much everything? Anyway, everyone knows that was Tom Waits.

Broken Records – Nearly Home

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Arcade Fire – Ocean of Noise

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Meursault – Salt Pt.1

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Echo & the Bunnymen – The Killing Moon

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Well thirty-four seems little different to thirty-three, apart from the fact that it seems to involve a severe headache and an aversion to bright lights.  What I need is a lunch and the King’s Wark and a couple of pints and I’ll be right as rain.  Hopefully.

You’ll be blindly indifferent to know that after my back injury (yes, months ago) I am now finally feeling brave enough to go back to playing some gentle 5-a-side football again.  It’s weird with backs – I’ve done some running, and it feels fine, but because I’m not all that confident it’s all still a bit stiff because it’s tough to actually let all the muscles in the base of your spine relax when you’re still a bit nervous that your spine might turn to jelly if you do.

Anyway, we’ll see.  I won’t be pushing it that hard, that’s for sure, but it’s about time I got my lardy arse moving again and at least attempted to wheeze my way through an hour of physical punishment.  Let’s face it, after thirty an hour’s worth of de-fitnetising takes weeks to claw back, so best not let it all get too out of control before I try and get back out there again.

So if I can brave the Scottish Winter in a pair of shorts, you can brave making your first comment.  Why the fuck not, it’s Friday anyway, and everyone else will be talking total nonsense anyway, so why not take advantage of the de-lurking amnesty and get stuck in with a comment.  It doesn’t have to be witty – mine won’t be – so there’s no pressure.

1. Which age was your favourite so far.
2. Which age did you fear most as a kid?
3. How old are you compared to how old your folks were when they had you?
4. What do you fear most about ageing?
5. And what are you looking forward to the most?

David Byrne – Glass, Concrete & Stone

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Randy Newman – Political Science

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Howe Gelb – B4U (Do Do Do)

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Shiva Burlesque – Do the Pony

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The Jesus & Mary Chain – Just Like Honey

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Obviously, from my perspective there is one big and important gig this week:

Sunday 9th August 2009: Animal Magic Tricks (with Pete from The Leg & Neil from Meursault) at the first Toad House Gig.

Use the link below to buy tickets and please do buy them in advance because we can’t have too many people in the house, and at the same time I would be gutted if it was empty, so it would help us plan ahead a little:

In the rest of the city, however, the Edinburgh Festicle well and truly kicks off this week.  This means that despite a rather quiet build-up, the weekend is just fucking mental, frankly.  My personal choice is going to be Trampoline on Saturday, I think.  I’m really interested to hear what Jonnie Common’s doing on his own, although Rob St. John was excellent at Electric Circus on Saturday and his show at the Portrait Gallery with Emily Scott should be fantastic.  I’ve probably missed out loads, but you really are going to have to expect that during August I think because there’s just going to be so much stuff going on, and not listed in the obvious and usual places either, so I’ll probably miss a fair bit.

I sulk about the Festival, honestly, because it tends to utterly steamroll anything which would actually happen in the city otherwise, but this year there does seem to be a lot of actual Edinburgh stuff taking place, particularly in terms of music.  For anyone wanting a full run down, Bart wrote an excellent summary of what to expect for the next few weeks last weekend, and you really should read it if you want a musically rewarding August.

Tuesday 4th August 2009: Debutant, Plastic Animals & Yahweh at Henry’s Cellar Bar.

This will be quite post-rocky and quite atmospheric and quite noisy.  Yup, noisy. Excellent!

Friday 7th August 2009: Woodpigeon & Woodenbox With a Fistful of Fivers at Sneaky Pete’s.

I have never been any more than a casual fan of Woodpigeon, but I am sort of liking their recent album Treasury Library Canada.  For me though, the real reason to attend this gig is the excellent Woodenbox who can be phenomenal live.
Woodpigeon – Cities of Weather

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Friday 7th August 2009: The Stranglers at the Picturehouse.

No, I am not a Stranglers afficionado, yes I would just be going for the famous ones, no I don’t care.  Sometimes ‘just the hits’ can be great, especially when they’re as great as Golden Brown.
The Stranglers – Golden Brown

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Friday 7th August 2009: The Radiation Line, The Kays Lavelle & Adam Stafford at the Wee Red Bar.

This is the official launch night for the Trampoline August shows, and will be a good chance to hear live versions of things on the approaching Kays Lavelle album.

Friday 7th & Saturday 8th August 2009: Mumford & Sons at Cabaret Voltaire.

Even though I am not really as keen on the band as I was when I first heard them, when they honestly blew me away, they are still phenomenal live.  It’s sort of gospelly banjo raucousness, I suppose, and bloody brilliant.
Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page

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Saturday 8th August 2009: Rob St. John & Emily Scott at the National Portrait Gallery.

I pretty much described why I thought this would be good in the main post didn’t I.  I shall just add that Emily is launching a new album, in case you need even more incentive to turn up.

Saturday 8th August 2009: David Byrne at the Playhouse.

What do I have to say about this?  The man was Talking Heads!  To cap that he’s been incredibly positive about what the internet can mean to young bands and had some very well-considered things to say about how to make the most of the new environment in the music industry.
Talking Heads – Hey Now (Yes, I know this isn’t ‘David Byrne’ per se, but bugger off, I love this album.)

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Saturday 8th August 2009: Jonnie Common, Animal Magic Tricks & Conquering Animal Sound play Trampoline at the Wee Red Bar.

This should be very low-fi and somewhat scratchy but with lovely underlying melodies, if my knowledge of both Jonnie Common and Animal Magic Tricks is anything to go by.  I don’t know Conquering Animal Sound, but then that’s why we go to gigs, isn’t it.

So August is almost upon us. Traditionally –  or at least for as long as I’ve been living here – most bands and promoters in Edinburgh tend to just take the month off and make way for the festival. It’s a bit of a monolith. Every available venue (and most non-venue) space is booked up months in advance, and with so much happening every single day in August, it becomes rather difficult for smaller operations putting on shows. Of course there are exceptions – a lot of the bigger clubs just keep on trucking, and nights like Acoustic Edinburgh embrace the Fringe and put on shows as part of the official line-up.

This year, though – more so than any I can remember – seems to be bucking that trend. There’s a lot of activity going on outside of the festival – and lots of local bands and promoters putting on shows regardless. Which is great to see – another indication of the strength and confidence of the city’s musical community at the moment. I thought I’d give a run down of what’s caught my eye – as with so much on, it’s entirely possible for an amazing show to slip by un-noticed.

The Edge

Firstly, the musical leg of the Fringe – the Edge – has some really great shows this year. The Mum show may have been moved to Glasgow, but we still have David Byrne, Woodpigeon, Andrew Bird, Frightened Rabbit, Malcolm Middleton, and Jeffrey Lewis. And judging by the website, the festival seems to have just absorbed all the shows at Sneaky Pete’s – including Sleeping States (who I can’t recommend highly enough), Monotonix, Sparrow and the Workshop, the usual This is Music night and the mysteriously titled ‘Songs By Toad night’. It’s also great to see some Edinburgh bands forming part of the Edge line-up – with Broken Records at the Queens Hall, a double header from Unicorn Kid and Young Fathers at Cab Vol, and support slots from Meursault (at Frightened Rabbit), the Kays Lavelle (the Lost Brothers) and Withered Hand (Jeffrey Lewis). It’s something that I’ve felt was lacking in previous line-ups, and it’s a step in the right direction.

www.theedgefestival.com

Retreat!

Then, of course, there’s the ‘other’ festival. Retreat! is an all day event at the Bristo Hall on Sunday the 16th. 15 acts (Meursault, Withered Hand, Rob St. John, Tissø Lake, the Leg…), and DJs till 3am. Free entry. I can’t think of a better line-up. But then again, I did help pick it.

www.myspace.com/edinburghretreat

Trampoline

Trampoline are also putting on four shows over first two weekends, and really great line-ups including Adam Stafford (Y’all Is Fantasy Island), Jonnie Common (Down The Tiny Steps), Animal Magic Tricks, Conquering Animal Sound, Golden Ghost and Woodenbox.

www.myspace.com/trampolineuk

Bang Bang Club

Normally at the Speakeasy in Cabaret Voltaire, the Bang Bang Club is hosting a series of shows upstairs in the Teviot Hall. Highlights include Clinic, the Pineapple Chunks, Paul Vickers and the Leg, and a series of soundtrack events from Steven Severin.

www.myspace.com/bangbangclubedinburgh

Playing With The Past

There’s also an exclusive second screening of the Playing with the Past event from this year’s film festival on 22^nd August, with eagleowl, FOUND and Meursault performing live soundtracks to old Scottish films. Tickets are available now from the Filmhouse website or box office.

www.myspace.com/playingwiththepast

Cybraphon

FOUND – not willing to give up their ‘hardest working band in Edinburgh’ tag to Meursault just yet – also have a residency at InSpace (a gallery space – part of the new University building) with their Cybraphon project, including a live band performance on the 13^th (which is free but ticketed). It seems to be some kind of automated musical cupboard, containing a series of musical instruments, which reacts to online activity about the project in real time. Or something. For a more coherent explanation, try the Cybraphon site:

www.cybraphon.com

Leith Tape Club

Okay, strictly speaking not an Edinburgh show – but a nice trip out of the city is normally always welcome around the third week in August. Leith Tape Club at the Iso Bar continues in August on the 20^th, with a rather special all-star line-up including the Kays Lavelle and Meursault (solo, I think).

Leith Tape Club

National Portrait Gallery

There’s also a series of rather exclusive shows at the National Portrait Gallery, whilst the gallery is closed for a refurbishment. These include Rob St. John and Emily Scott on 8^th August, X-LionTamer on 21^st August, St Jude’s Infirmary and Zoey Van Goey on 22^nd August, and Withered Hand and Meursault on 29^th August.

National Portrait Gallery

Electric Circus

There’s been some great gigs in Electric Circus since it opened earlier this year, and they don’t seem to be losing any momentum in August, with shows from FOUND, Dent May, White Heath and Rob St. John (1st), Jesus H. Foxx (11th), The Phantom Band (19th), and Trembling Bells and Ben Reynolds (25th), amongst others.

Electric Circus

The Golden Hour

A blend of poetry, music and live visuals at the Forest Cafe on 19th August, with performances from Billy Liar and Withered Hand.

The Golden Hour

Shipping Forecast Garden Party

And I think there’s another shipping forecast garden party scheduled for 30^th August, with Come On Gang!

No details yet, but I’m sure Dave will keep us posted.

It is all pretty exciting. Please spam the comments with anything I’ve missed, as I’m sure there’s loads, and if any more are announced or come to light over the course of the month, it’ll no doubt make it’s way into the weekly listings.

Sleeping States – September, Maybe

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Woodpigeon – In Praise of the West Midlothian Bus Service

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Zoey Van Goey – City Is Exploding

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Jesus, this has been a little too much like hard work, hasn’t it.  Basically, because of the launch of Song, by Toad Records in March or April, and the approach of the Toad Sessions, I am trying to get everything neatly organised before things go a bit mental and I’m running around like a blue-arsed fly trying to stay on top of it all.  I’d rather have the hiccups now, rather than when I’m really trying to show off.

In any case, that should hopefully be all the cunting about over for the time being, and thank fuck for that.  I have nothing much to add, apart from to congratulate the three-hundred or so readers I’ve had so far today and on Friday.  How the hell did you manage to even find the site in amongst all my bungling?  Well, thanks for your determination anyway.

By way of not very much, here are some very, very good songs. Back before I went digital I used to compile all the best tracks from the random samplers I’d find on magazines onto mix CDs. A large percentage of the tracks on these samplers was generally rubbish, but some of the compilations I made from them hung together surprisingly well.  These songs are from one I made in early 2004.

Rickie Lee Jones – Little Mysteries
Randy Newman – Political Science
Shiva Burlesque – Do the Pony
Tim Buckley – Chase the Blues Away
David Byrne – Glass, Concrete & Stone