Song, by Toad

11. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – vs. Children
Owen Ashworth has a sort of shambolic charisma to him which translates pretty neatly to his music.  It’s unhurried, thoughtful and has the air of a good friend, right from the first moment you hear it.  This may be a fuller sound than his older fans are used to, but I think the extra instrumentation is used very carefully, and never smothers his songwriting.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Man ‘o War

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12. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
This record suffers from a bit of earnestness and the distinct whiff of adjectives like ’soaring’, but nevertheless there are so many great songs, so much much energy and such euphorically infectious tunes that you just can’t help but love this album.  It is folky, but if anything there’s more of a gospel-style, rousing feel to this record than anything I would call folk.

Mumford & Sons – Dustbowl Dance

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13. Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy
Childish Prodigy is a rough, loose album which I pretty much liked right from the start.  It swings from rough garage rock to plucked acoustic music, always full of grumble and distortion though.  For an album with little extra instrumentation, this is still really varied both of pace and mood, and manages to keep shifting all the way through the record.

Kurt Vile – Dead Alive

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14. Broken Records – Until the Earth Begins to Part
This album received some of the most scathing 3/5 reviews I’ve ever read, but I still think it’s fucking great.  The old songs like A Good Reason and Eilert Loevborg are raucous as fuck and some of the newer material gives us hints of new directions for the next album.  Maybe the production wasn’t all that sympathetic and maybe the album could have done with some quiter moments to offset the louder ones, but that doesn’t matter because Jamie has a great voice, and this record just thunders along at pace from start to finish and that’s how I enjoy it best.

Broken Records – Ghosts

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15. The Van Allen Belt – Meal Ticket to Purgatory
Erm, well, this is just a bit weird.  It stops and starts, leaps all over the place and is generally just a weird and wonderful box of treats.  It’s been a really good year for Indiecater Records, but this is probably my favourite of the lot.

The Van Allen Belt – Dr Layman’s Terms/The Hills are Alive

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I have a slightly mixed relationship with Mumford & Sons, and not really for great reasons.  I remember being amazed by them the first time I saw them live, and their first EP in particular was a superb piece of work.  That was just as they started to go from being very much under the radar to very much on it, and I am not sure whether it was because the awe wore off or because a couple of internal miscommunications saw them renege on a promise to play a show for a friend up here, and so I sort of sulked with them a bit, which I know is largely unreasonable, but there you are.

Whatever the cause, I’ve taken my eye off them for the last eight months or so, during which time my prediction from seeing their first show – that they genuinely had the chance to break out of the alternative into the mainstream and make it quite big – seems increasingly to be coming true.  I am not claiming much cleverness in making that prediction of course, it really was obvious to everyone.

This album has been a little while coming, and contains a lot of old favourites from their preceding two EPs, so fans of the band will be pretty familiar with most of the songs already.  There’s also a grandiosity and an earnestness to their stuff which earned Broken Records’ debut album so much opprobrium, and I will repeat what I said about that album here: the way to deal with that kind of thing is not to fight it and not to pretend it isn’t there; just embrace it, turn the stereo up fucking loud and enjoy.  That was the way to enjoy Until the Earth Begins to Part, and it’s also the way to enjoy this.

They are like a euphoric four-man gospel choir when they really get going, and it’s all very soaring and words like that which we pseudo-journalists love.  But it is soaring.  Thunderous is also what it is.  Marcus Mumford used to be Laura Marling’s drummer* and even when the band were playing small DIY shows he brought along a kick-drum, so there was always a thumping rhythm driving on through the set with real passion.  It makes you want to dance – even me.

A couple of the songs are merely quite good, so I can’t pretend to maintain quite the reckless crush I indulged after the first time I came across the band at the Captain’s Rest in Glasgow, but there are a lot of really brilliant tunes on this record, and I can’t help imagining them all in a live setting and that manic buzz Mumford & Sons give the audience when they play.

Dust Bowl Dance might be the one big winner for me on Sigh No More.  It’s not my favourite song – that would be between the two early ones, Awake My Soul or White Blank Page – but the way it builds from a gentle piano and banjo-led lament to a full on electric guitar explosion at the end is as good an embodiment of the whirlwind these lads can generate.  It may be too straight-faced to please the ironists or too smooth for the experimentalists, but as blazing pop albums based on an indie-folk template go, this is as good as you’re likely to hear.

Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page

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Mumford & Sons – Dust Bowl Dance

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*And he must also be mightily sick of seeing that fact mentioned in reviews.  Sorry Marcus.

Apparently this is something of an exclusive, according to the very nice Matt from Stay Loose PR who sent me the file.  So you can all feel extra special as you watch this acoustic version of Mumford & Sons singing White Blank Page from their debut album Sigh No More, which is out Monday and will be reviewed here that very day.

And you’ll be pleased to know that it’s really very good indeed. Beware though, may take a while to load.

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.

Part 1: 1-10
Part 2: 11-23
Part 3: 24-36
Patt 4: 37-50

And so we stumble on to the penultimate post in the countdown to the Toad’s favourite song of the year.  At this point the idea of some sort of hierarchy of love is becoming rather ridiculous.  Do I genuinely prefer Make Another Tree to Frankie’s Gun?  No, of course I don’t.  Do I really get more goose bumps or feel more lightheaded with glee when Out on the Water comes on the stereo, compared to, say, Restless?  No, not in the slightest so what am I going on, here?  Well I don’t know, it’s just a gut reaction I suppose, largely dependent on my mood at the time at which I finally turned a ‘bunch of songs’ into some sort of list.

So don’t take it too seriously, just enjoy that fact that there have been this many brilliant songs released this year. Read the rest of this entry »

Part 1: 1-10
Part 2: 11-23
Part 3: 24-36
Part 4: 37-50

Here is the official beginning of Christmas List season, here at Song, by Toad. If you want to get involved and write your own list, then please do. Go here for more details. The more of you that contribute to that the better the results we will get, so don’t be shy.

This is the first quarter of my Festive Fifty for 2008. I will also be preparing a list of my twenty favourite albums, but I might just neglect singles and EPs this time around. If you disagree with anything then do get stuck in, but bear in mind that this is far from a definitive ranking. Ask me on another day and Pictish’s brilliant I Don’t Know Where to Begin could easily be in the top five. Ask me in four months’ time and it would probably be all-change again. Read the rest of this entry »

I know it’s a bit obvious to do a podcast like this so shortly after my birthday, but it gives me the opportunity to ramble a bit and play some classics I might not otherwise have played.

There are so many wonderful songs about growing old, and I actually think I may have missed most of them.  I have no fear of being old, but for some reason it feels a little more immediate this year but I don’t know why.

So goodnight people, it’s been a pleasure.  Sleep well and don’t be too rough on yourselves.  Take Kirsty’s advice and “don’t be too rough on my cold, cold heart; it’s all I’ve got left to me now.”

That may be the smart-arsed line, but the most important line in this song is the bit where she says that “there’s a light in your eyes tells me somebody’s in and you won’t come the cowboy with me”.  It’s such a crucial judgment, isn’t it.  You take a bet on someone, you throw in your chips and you hope for the best.  So if you’re feeling brave, good luck to you.  Look after her, I’ll be there anytime soon.

Toadcast #47 – The Oldcast

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01. The Rolling Stones – Mother’s Little Helper (00.01)
02. The Band – Rockin’ Chair (07.46)
03. Michelle Shocked – Memories of East Texas (11.21)
04. Hafdis Huld – Tomoko (20.57)
05. Baby Walrus – Some Dawns No Bird Will Sing (28.44)
07. Donny Hue & the Colors – The World Came Running (30.25)
08. Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man (34.21)
08. Soko – The Dandy Cowboys (43.31)
09. Kirsty MacColl – Don’t Come the Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim (47.04)
10. Neil Young – Old Man (55.09)
11. Jeffrey Lewis – Back When I Was Four (58.12)

How the hell do you follow up an EP as absolutely stellar as Mumford & Sons’ debut? The answer, inevitably, is with something almost as good but which feels like something a disappoinment in the wake of its predecessor.

This is monumentally unfair, but then it’s virtually impossible for me to guess what I might think of this if I had never heard Lend Me Your Eyes. Nevertheless, there’s no escaping the fact that where the first was brilliant this is merely very good. For most other bands this would still represent a triumph, and I have certainly gushed over far lesser songs, so I actually think it would be possible for this to be a slight let-down. The reason is that not only was the first EP uncommonly superb, but added to that there was the flush of excitement at discovering something new, which amplifies everything.

Listening to this again it’s crimes are trivially small: Feel the Tide is not really that great a song and there is nothing to quite match the giddy heights of White Blank Page or Awake My Soul.  Little Lion Man, The Banjolin Song and Hold On to What You Believe are all really bloody good, and it adds to a collection of songs that could make up a superb debut album to knock spots off ninety-eight percent of those hatched this year.

Their four-part harmonies pack as good a vocal punch as anyone I’ve heard, and there’s a rousing, euphoric quality to their songs.  The banjo keeps a pretty frenetic pace, and there is a gospel passion to their mixture of bluegrass with a very English sounding sort of indie folk.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: these lads are capable of bloody big things.  Keep an eye on ‘em.

Mumford & Sons – Hold On to What You Believe

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You won’t see much of me at gigs this week, because my little brother is visiting. I am gutted at having to miss the Major Matt Mason gig last night, but I just ended up being too tired and having too much to do in too little time.

Samamidon is playing in Edinburgh next Monday, so that needs to be publicised. He’s a bit good, and Meursault are doing an acoustic slot in support, so it promises to be an amazing night. The gig is going to be at the Bowery, which is the new venue that my friend Ruth and her friend Jane are opening up. The opening party is on Saturday, for those interested in a bit of intrigue and a splash of free champagne.

Tuesday 4th November 2008: Jackie-O Motherfucker at the Voodoo Rooms.
I missed their last visit to Edinburgh but alt-folk pioneers Jackie-O Motherfucker, yet another excellent Portland band, make their way here again at last. Because Ben is visiting it might not be possible to get to this one, but I’ll do what I can to persuade him.
Jackie-O Motherfucker – Valley of Fire

Thursday 6th November: Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
My ignorance of Wreckless Eric is pretty complete, but I do have two songs by him which I really like, and he was something of a minor hero in his time as far as I am aware. I also inadvertently busted someone at an open-mic night here in Edinburgh last year, on the basis of Wreckless Eric. It is a strictly ‘no covers’ night and a certain gentleman played Reconnez Cherie on the assumption that no-one would recognise it. He counted without the music obsessive at the back, however, and at about the line about ‘nights in my Zodiac’ I leaned over to my mate, who ran the night at the time, and said ‘Fuck me, that’s a Wreckless Eric song.’ What did I learn from that evening? That no-one, absolutely no-one it seems, likes a smart arse.
Wreckless Eric – Reconnez Cherie

Saturday 8th November: Greenbelt Collective, The Second Hand Marching Band, White Heath & The Occasional Flickers at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
I don’t know the Greenbelt Collective, but TSHMB and The Occasional Flickers are both excellent, so as ways to round off your week go, this couldn’t be much better. I’ll be expecting a good sweep of the territory between folk and pop and back again.
The Occasional Flickers – A Medal Won in ‘84

Saturday 8th November: The Bowery Opening Party, at the Bowery Bar.
Quite which bands will be playing is somewhat up in the air at the moment but this will be the official opening party for Edinburgh’s newest live music and arts venue. Personally I’m more interested in the music side of course, but there will be fine bands, free champagne and candles. Check out the website, designed by yours truly and featuring the photos of a certain Dylan from Blueback Hotrod. The place is really lovely, so I do recommend you get along if you can because this place could be fantastic if we all get behind it.
Lydia Lunch – Bowery Blues

Sunday 9th November: Marcus Mumford & Rags & Feathers at 99 Hannover Street.
This is a charity gig, held in one of Edinburgh’s snazzier bars, generally full of wannabe-WAGs. On Sunday, however, there’s be soulful folk-pop, so the place should be a much nicer place to be, and I am really looking forward to seeing what Marcus Mumford is like as a solo act. [Edit: this is now at Bannerman's on the Cowgate]
Rags & Feathers – Silent Movie Starlets

In my last review of Mumford & Sons I said that they had that something about them that says pretty loud and clear to me that they have the capacity to become big. I stand by that impression, and I will add to it: I think they might just have the capacity to do what Noah & the Whale signally failed to do, which is break out of the London indie-folk scene and gain mainstream recognition, without necessarily harming their appeal amongst the grass-roots fans who first supported them.

The four-part harmonies are genuinely powerful – they really hit you, grab you by the cockles and make you want to throw your arms in the air and sing along. This kind of euphoric giddiness is, I think, what makes me say that they could indeed go on to be very successful. A bigger group needs a capacity to fill a big venue, and I have little doubt that these boys have got it.

A bigger group also needs to be able to write songs that aren’t too ‘difficult’, ones that everyone can get without having to be trained into a specific sound, and I think they succeed here too. The roaring harmonies have strong gospel flavours, which brings a more immediate impact to their sound than might the English folk sound on which it is often based. The combination is heady.

Strategic record industry analysis aside, this was a brilliant show. Marcus Mumford’s voice is the centre-piece in many ways, alternately bellowed at you full-throated or snarled out of the corner of his mouth as if he wanted to kill every last member of the audience. But banjo-wielding Winston is perhaps just as important, partly for the reckless pace a banjo brings to music in general, and also for having an equally powerful and charismatic voice to add to the mixture.

This choral gospel swell, to which many of their songs ascend, does leave you with the impression that you have just attended a spiritual of some description rather than a gig. White Blank Page is enough to curl your toes back on themselves in delight, and it is not alone in their canon in being able to conjure that kind of emotion.

These lads are good. Bloody good. I really, really hope the songs can sustain this kind of level, because they only have a four-track downloadable EP for the time being, available here, and there is never any certainty of continued excellence when a group is this fresh out of the box. So for now, I guess what we have is a small number of amazing songs, some genuine potential and a live experience that is nothing short of euphoric. Brilliant stuff.

Dylan has some fantastic pictures from the gig, such as the one above, available on Blueback Hotrod.

Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page
Mumford & Sons – Hold On to What You Believe