Song, by Toad

Hello, more Toadcastery. I’ve, erm, focussed on Dadrock for this one. Not too much of it on the playlist, fortunately, although there’s a couple of well-known names on there. In my defence though, I couldn’t bring myself to feature Coldplay, so I was forced into the compromise of playing an almighty butchering of one of their songs by the splendid Richard Cheese.

Basically I spend most of this podcast trying to justify the presence of so much bland music in the charts and how the hell that came to pass. There’s plenty of chatter about how music is used as a sort of social glue as well, in which case the quality of the stuff becomes almost secondary. There are some really good new bands on this as well – The Velcro Quartet are particularly brilliant, as are the songs by Mumford & Son, Yoshimi! and Honeytrap. Enjoy responsibly.

Toadcast #32 – The Tribecast

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01. Hercules & Love Affair – Hercules Theme (01.32)
02. The Velcro Quartet – Dead Dog’s Hill Replaced with Johnny Cashback, at the band’s request. (07.53)
03. Seabear – Teenage Kicks (11.17)
04. Athlete – Shake Those Windows (21.02)
05. Richard Cheese – Yellow (30.31)
06. ESL – Czarne Oczy (31.59)
07. Emiliana Torrini – Me & Armeni (39.50)
08. Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal (43.24)
09. Snow Patrol – Last Ever Lone Gunman (48.11)
10. The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done (58.17)
11. The Pictish Trail – All I Own (66.52)
12. Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page (73.01)
13. Honeytrap – Song For Nona (82.17)
14. The Velcro Quartet – How to Kill Your Wife (87.04)
15. Yoshimi! – Song For Suzy (Demo) (94.34)
16. Frank Turner – The Outdoor Type (100.34)

Gypsys are bloody everywhere at the moment, but although I am becoming more picky, I can’t say I am tired of them yet.  It’s Polish ones this time, albeit Canadian Polish, and given the general enthusiasm Eastern European countries have traditionally shown for either exterminating or persecuting their ethnic gypsy populations it seems somewhat ironic that it is these very groups who are being so enthusiastically embraced by the never-sated Western Musical Beast of Infinite Cravings.

To get the criticisms in quickly: there are occasions when this contains just a little too much kooky lady-pop for my liking – the same criticisms I levelled at Feist and St. Vincent and, to a lesser extent perhaps, CocoRosie.  There are definitely one or two occasions when this album gets on my nerves a little, but not many.

For the most part, the rest of it is a fine execution of that melodramatic gypsy folk pop that has become a sensitive indie staple in the last couple of years, spiked with some genuinely inspired covers of Neil Young’s Like a Hurricane, The Velvet Underground’s Venus in Furs and, honestly, Girls by the Beastie Boys.  Instead of the unhinged carnival atmosphere of the more faithful plunderers of this genre, this is more of a feminine lit-pop vibe.

It’s odd, but I keep coming back to the feeling that this is lady music.  I am not deliberately trying to be sexist or provocative, but I hear something ‘for women’ in this.  Maybe it’s the noughties equivalent of a kind of literate 80s fem-pop, loosely based around an appreciation for World Music.  Then again, maybe I’m conflating all my vague prejudices against the 80s, spiritual ladies and world music into one big, meaningless spectre of grumble, hiding in the background of a certain kind of music.

Ah well, who really cares.  There are some great moments on this album and, as long as you don’t mind some of the more St. Vincenty-Feisty bits which I find slightly less enjoyable, then you should find plenty to enjoy here.

E.S.L. – Like a Hurricane
E.S.L. – Prove Me Wrong

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