Song, by Toad

I feel a little mean writing this review, but I find this album genuinely irritating and I feel oddly compelled to explain why.  I saw Dent May play live at the Electric Circus here recently, and he and his band came across as perfectly decent guys, so this isn’t supposed to be a personal dig exactly, although I suppose it will be unlikely for this post not to irritate them, should they ever happen to read it.

So why does this record annoy me so much?  Well simple, really: it’s just too sodding arch.  The whole thing is buried under such an avalanche of coy glances, knowing winks and wry humour that there is almost no emotional core to the album whatsoever.  I know that there’s only so much heartfelt confessional we can take in our music, and I am not asking bands to all become unbearably earnest all of a sudden, but I do want some sincerity.

Any album smothered in so much humour manages to deflect the true emotions of the writer so far away from the music itself that I find absolutely nothing to latch onto at all.  It’s all so clever and such a fucking great big in-joke that I’m left thinking ‘well, who the fuck are you then, really?’  It’s impossible to get a read on whether or not you empathise with the music if you don’t ever hear anything resembling an unguarded, honest remark.  And if you don’t empathise with the songs or the lyrics, how do you end up feeling attached to anything?

Ironically arranged ditties about failed parties, attractive girls and smug middle class frat boys are fine.  It’s all stuff I can identify with, but it’s like talking to the smart-arse who sits near the back of the class and appears constantly amused and tolerantly contemptuous of the rest of their classmates: it can be amusing and engaging and actually quite attractive, but if you talk to them further and that veneer never drops, you find yourself asking if there really is any depth there at all.

It just all comes across as juvenile, in some ways.  At some point you have to open yourself up a little to other people, and risk the sneers they might return your way, because otherwise you just come across as a coward and sulky teenager.  Ultimately, sneering is fun, but after you’ve enjoyed yourself you have to actually have something to say.

This is not all aimed at Dent May and his band by any means, but they are certainly symptomatic of what I see as a larger trend.  I am sick of bands who bury themselves beneath these layers of irony, and there are a lot of them.  It’s just not enough – it’s not brave enough.  I admire bands that can do away with the defence of obscure lyrics and arch cleverness, because they are eschewing the protection that brings, and there is only so long you can hide from the world like this before they lose interest and conclude that far from being cool or clever, you are just a tedious dick who doesn’t have the balls to have a sincere conversation in case the scorn you have been heaping on the world actually gets thrown back at you.  Grow a pair.

Dent May & his Magnificent Ukulele – You Can’t Force a Dance Party

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Dent May & his Magnificent Ukulele – The Girls on the Square

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There’s a lot to talk about when describing this gig, so I will have to keep it brief as possible per band or I will end up writing a bloody novel.  It was a fucking good night though, that’s for sure, and has been very nicely documented indeed by Dylan over at Blueback Hotrod, for those of you who are photographically inclined.

White Heath

These guys are, to my view, approaching something of a watershed.  They could be on the verge of becoming a very, very good band indeed, but they have a couple of things I think might need ironing out before that can really happen.  Largely, that revolves around the eclecticism of their sound, which can be a little overwhelming at times.  Once in a while, I reckon, they simply need to do a little less.  There are certainly times when they seem to be playing over the top of one another to a certain extent – fair enough when they want to make a fuck-load of news and bring songs to a crescendo, or just play a really bloody loud song, but in between those moments I think there are times when they could do with just taking a little bit out here and there.

They do seem to be getting better and better as a band however, and their last two songs of the night in particular were bloody brilliant.  They’ve an EP release quite soon, which I am really looking forward to.

Rob St. John

Rob can be very delicate and quiet a lot of the time, and as the cackling harridans on hen nights strutted gormlessly around the back of the venue, squawking high-pitched vacuities at one another and anyone else within earshot – generally about a fifty-metre fucking radius – I feared for both the poor man’s sanity and our own enjoyment.

I feared needlessly though, because as the incoherent squealing got louder, so did Rob.  He ended the set kneeling in front of his amp in the middle of a five minute electric guitar wig-out, Owen the drummer thundering away alongside him, in a brilliantly un-Rob-like display of bolshy confrontation.  Domino is one of his most beautiful, delicate songs most of the time, but this time around it was given the full treatment, and was superb.

We’re losing the lad to Oxford shortly, I am sorry to say, and that’s a real shame as he is really developing at the moment and the capital’s music scene will be poorer for his departure.

Rob St. John – Domino

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Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele

Erm, can I call this music ukulele croon-funk?  It’s difficult to imagine, described like that, but I can’t think of a better way to put it.  Dent May is actually a full band, with bass, guitar and drums added to the uke, and they’re a really upbeat, wry band and great fun to see perform.  There is indeed a lot taken from fifties rock ‘n’ roll (think Hill Valley in Back to the Future), but they play it with a raucous exuberance which blows any of the associated cobwebs out of that particular kind of music.

I had a bit of an ‘oh yeah, another ironic indie four-piece’ attitude when they took the stage, I have to confess, not helped by the fact that they all looked like part of the cast of one of those clever, talky small town indie flicks which America loves so much (all that was missing was Zooey Deschanel playing a kooky, elusive girl for one of them to pine after for years while they were in the big city making it big in something nice and executive, before returning to their home town beset by tragedy and self-doubt and rediscovering the idiosyncratic but down to earth values of small towns full of unambitious and yet unaccountably wise eccentrics – I have a very active prejudice gland, it seems).  Honestly, though, they did look like that.

That was, inevitably, just me being a dick of course.  They put on a great show, their tunes were witty and totally infectious, and I will now buy an album to explore further.  As should you.

Dent May & his Magnificent Ukulele – College Town Boy

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Found

Well, honestly, I’ve reviewed Found rather a lot recently, so apart from saying that they were excellent, I will say no more.  A great way to round off a gig though, and a thoroughly excellent night altogether.

Having just got back from a weekend spent in the sunshine at the Wickerman Festival, I will be spending all of Monday at a client meeting, and not returning to Edinburgh until Tuesday, so there would appear to be precious little in terms of rest for the wicked this week.  And that means that you’re going to be somewhat on your own with this post today, as I will be sitting in an eight hour meeting with a full bladder of rotten instant coffee.

Bart very kindly rote a fantastic summary of the musical August we are in store for this year, and posted it here, yesterday.  This is something I am hoping to be able to do on a regular basis – ask people to contribute to the blog on Sundays, when I very rarely post.  Bart has kicked it off, and there should hopefully be more in future, ideally on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, with all the splendid things in store for us this August, the city seems to be collectively drawing breath this week, with nothing on until Saturday:

Saturday 1st August 2009: Found, Dent May, White Heath & Rob St. John at Electric Circus.

Apart from a stellar lineup of bands this evening promises to be utterly ruined by my good self DJing again, which is a worrying sign for Edinburgh in general.  Still, it seems so far to to nothing more sinister than to give me free entry into really good gigs, so I can’t say that I mind at all – quite what the other poor bastards at the gig think is another story.  I’ll run out of records soon though, so some shopping might be necessary.
Anyway, the gig itself is something of a stellar lineup.  I was massively impressed by Found at the recent Toad Summer Party and, White Heath are getting better and better at the moment. Rob St. John is someone I haven’t seen in ages though, and I am really looking forward to seeing him play again.  Rob recently put a new song called The Sargasso Sea up on his MySpace page and it seems his lovely acoustic folk music is slowly being turned into borderline Led Zeppelin guitar solos – in other words, Saturday should be a good ‘un.  I don’t know anything about Dent May, but with the rest of the night looking as good as it does, who cares, frankly.
Rob St. John – Paper Ships

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There are a couple of vaguely mysterious things also happening this week, but I am a little too unsure of them to actually put them down as full listings.  Meursault are playing at Sneaky Pete’s on Tuesday, but it’s possible that may be a private party – I trust someone can set me straight in the comments.  Also, White Heath are listed on their MySpace page as playing at Henry’s Cellar Bar on Friday, but not on the listings for Henry’s itself.  Anyone know anything about this?

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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