Song, by Toad

I recently did an interview with Billy from The Scotsman’s Under the Radar blog (amongst other venerable organs) which took the form of an interesting chat about the current tension between  bloggers and professional journalists.  He has played off my opinions against those of his friend Mike Diver, who is currently the online editor for (the excellent) Clash magazine.  The whole thing can be found here, along with plenty of comments from Ally and Milo, professional writers from around these parts, and myself and Tart, on the side of the bloggers.  The comments on that thread make for some rather interesting reading in themselves, I have to say.

It’s an interesting debate, frankly, and one which, as a blogger with aspirations, as opposed to someone who is happy to simply chat for the sake of it, I have applied a fair deal of thought to.  Ultimately, though, I think it is something of a false dichotomy: some of the best reporters keep blogs as ways of expressing themselves outwith the constraints of the editorial policy of whatever rag pays their wages and a lot of the best bloggers end up parlaying their writing skills into professional careers in journalism.  And of either side there is a vast amount of detritus, professional and amateur.

So, yes, the Toad once again holds forth passionately on subjects he knows far too little about and may in general be making a fool of himself once more.  The, erm, songs are good though.

Toadcast #76 – The Presscast

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01. Billy Bragg – Which Side Are You On? (03.17)
02. The Decemberists – Cautionary Song (Live) (11.03)
03. Jens Lekman – No Time For Breaking Up (14.09)
04. The Meteors – Out of Time (22.21)
05. Franz Ferdinand – Darts of Pleasure (32.47)
06. The Dead 60s – Horizontal (35.17)
07. Sleepy Horses – Lubbock Love Song (42.27)
08. Eels – I Write the B-sides (52.05)
09. The Replacements – Unsatisfied (62.30)
10. David Cross – My Kids are Amish (68.09)

Once again I find myself reviewing a record I was turned onto by Rich from Cable & Tweed, proving that his Tweedar is active and as sharp as ever (he’ll kill me for that – sorry Rich!).

If you like your indie steeped in stories to fill the music with meaning, then Sleepy Horses are for you.  Having recorded Somewhere Out West… front-man Nic Goodson was found as good as dead in a hotel room late last year.  Although he was later revived in hospital he was told that the nerve damage to his right leg was so severe that he would never walk again.  Moving back to Texas, Goodson set about defying his doctors and the recent re-forming of Sleepy Horses as a three-piece with two of his close friends has proved full vindication of his stubbornness.

While we await the new material this revitalised line-up produces, there is still their earlier album Somewhere Out West, Lonesome For You, that finds itself somewhat overshadowed by the events since its release.  The music is a sort of epic desert alt-country which will be familar to Toad readers from its resemblance to Richmond Fontaine and even some of the recent Willard Grant Conspiracy or Calexico output.  Sleepy Horses overlap with them at the dusty, desolate Americana end of their spectrum and then pull away into distorted shoegaze at the other end.

Their music seems to be layered, with the introspective, angsty guitar overlaid on a constant base of South-Western Americana.  Towards the end of the album the guitar work gets more and more tense which perhaps drags this record away from the sort of thing that you’d play all the way through at a dinner party.  Let’s face it, some faceless Norah Jones fan is bound to start pursing the mouth as the guitar solos slowly get more drawn out and emotive – never raucous, just intense.

Given how well this takes its place in the pantheon of dusty Southern Americana I am amazed Rich had to get in touch and personally demand that I listen to it.  I’m bloody glad he did though.

Sleepy Horses – Lubbock Love Song
Sleepy Horses – Floods

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