It’s the Gigpocalypse! Gigmageddon! A gigantic week-long party of musical funz! The final kick in the balls your exhausted, fading liver can’t quite handle before it gives up the ghost and implodes altogether.

After a pretty lacklustre musical showing thus far, the Edinburgh Festival finally earns its spurs this week with what can only be described as the inevitable descent of total and utter carnage.

Lach’s one-man show is back on (after illness) at Cabaret Voltaire, free every night this week at 8:45pm, and of course the Antihoot will be on every night this week except Tuesday from midnight to 3am in the Gilded Balloon.

Then there’s also the next two Toad at the Circus gigs, firstly an acoustic strummer affair, and then on Friday a thumping racket.  I will be DJing at these gigs, but don’t let that put you off, they might still be quite fun.

As well as conventional gigs, Avalanche Records have a full list of really rather excellent in-stores this week too, featuring the likes of Emily Scott and Edinburgh School for the Deaf – full details here. Oh, and of course the week finally stumbles to an alcoholic close with the return of the fantabulous Retreat Festival.  It will be awesome, and my liver will be begging for mercy long before the end.

Tuesday 23rd August 2011: Ulrich Schnauss & Jonnie Common at the Electric Circus.

This will be a carnival of electro loveliness.  I know less about Mr. Schnauss, but Jonnie’s album is pretty damn close to being the best Scottish album of the year, for my money.

Jonnie Common – Summer is For Going Places

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Wednesday 24th August 2011: Neil Pennycook, Benjamin Shaw & John Egdell at the Electric Circus.

It’ll be an all-acoustic affair for our third Toad at the Circus gig.  Apart from Meursault’s Neil Pennycook performing solo, we have the amazing Benjamin Shaw coming up from London and the equally excellent John Egdell from Newcastle.

Benjamin Shaw – 12,000 Sentinels

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Wednesday 24th August 2011: Sebadoh at Cabaret Voltaire.

This is a bit straightforward isn’t it.  Sebadoh are lo-fi indie rock legends (to paint with the broadest of brushes) and they are playing in Edinburgh.  I think this might be sold out though, so there might be little point listing it but umm… it’s Sebadoh, y’know.

Sebadoh – Nothing Like You

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Thursday 25th August 2011: Withered Hand, eagleowl, Woodpigeon (solo) & Meursault (solo) at the Queen’s Hall.

Something of an Edinburgh all-stars gig this one.  If you aren’t from here and want to know why those of us in Edinburgh have been so excited by our homegrown music scene recently, then this and Retreat are the ones to show you.

Withered Hand – Religious Songs

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Thursday 25th August 2011: Willy Mason at Cabaret Voltaire.

Willy Mason has sort of slipped off the critical radar since the pop smash (relatively speaking of course) of Oxygen back in about 2005 or so.  I saw him live back in London before moving up here actually, and it was absolutely brilliant.

Willy Mason – We Can Be Strong

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Friday 26th August 2011: Brown Brogues, Ghost Outfit & Rollor at the Electric Circus.

Let’s see the babbling hen sluts talk over this.  Fuck you, motherfuckers, tonight is going to be loud!  Brown Brogues are a clattering racket and according to The Pigeon Post Ghost Outfit are the best live band in Manchester at the moment.

Brown Brogues – Treet U Beta

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Friday 26th & Saturday 27th August 2011: Lach’s Antihoot Antifolk-off at the Gilded Balloon.

As the Antihoot has been taking place this year Lach and myself have been selecting, with the help of the audience, the favourite act of each night and we’re inviting them all back this weekend, where we’ll be recording the performances to release as The Best of the Antihoot on Song, by Toad Records.  It’ll also be a fantastic way to have a big fuck off party to celebrate the end of an awesome run at this year’s Festival which has, of course, seen me make my stand-up comedy debut.  But the less said about that the better.

Saturday 27th August 2011: The Machine Room, Land of Cakes & Plastic Animals at Sneaky Pete’s.

Continuing the excellence of their Festival booking, Sneaky Pete’s have three excellent new Edinburgh bands on on Saturday.   I’ll be at Retreat, but if it happens to sell out then this looks like an excellent alternative.

The Machine Room – Your Head on the Floor Next Door

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Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th August 2011: Retreat Festival at Pilrig St. Paul’s church.

There are a couple of events which define my musical calendar.  Most Fence events would pretty much be included in there, and the other would be Retreat.  The best bands in Edinburgh, fucking lovely people and the nicest atmosphere at any music even I’ve been to in the city.  Bart Owl is a hero. A sarcastic, ginger hero.

It’s hard to write a review of an album by someone considered by a lot of people to be something of a demi-god of his genre, particularly when your knowledge of his work is pretty thin.  So I am warning anyone with a slightly more than healthy relationship with Sebadoh in particular to bear in mind before reading this that I really like One Part Lullaby by Folk Implosion, although I haven’t listened to it for ages and, despite the impassioned urgings of a succession of friends, barely know a thing about Sebadoh.  In fact I haven’t really sat down and listened to any of their albums carefully, now that I think about it, although I’ve probably heard a fair bit in passing, over the years.

If this were a new album by a new band I’d never heard of, I have to confess that I really don’t know if I’d have given it enough time.  I will admit that this benefitted from the Famous Person Benefit of the Doubt clause, which meant that I listened to it a few more times than I might have, giving it a little extra time to sink in.

Even so, I am not what you’d call smitten.  It’s decent, the sound is good, and there are some really lovely songs, but I’ve listened to it through on many occasions now and only worryingly rarely do I get that ‘oh good, that song’ reaction that you get when songs have wormed their way into your subconscious.

In terms of stature and career path I find myself comparing Barlow to Stephen Malkmus, once of the equally-revered Pavement, although they both make rather different music.  This is less eccentric or demanding of your attention than Malkmus’ work has generally been, and as such perhaps a little easier to dismiss without due attention.  If I didn’t ‘know who this was’ then it’s entirely feasible I might simply have skipped over it as another reasonable but unremarkable indie album with the right general sound, but not enough character to the individual songs to let them really grab your attention.

And despite the good bits, I think that’s where I’d have to put my stake in the ground with Goodnight Unknown.  Were he actually unknown I might never have given this more than a couple of listens, not least because as an album is it just far, far too long.  Given that I have persevered with it I still don’t think there’s more than a small handful of songs on it which have enough in the simple department of hooks and melodies to really stick in my mind and get me humming along.  In short, despite good moments, it just doesn’t grab me at all.

Lou Barlow – Goodnight Unknown

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Lou Barlow – I’m Thinking

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