Johan Asherton ‎– High Lonesomes (Pop The Balloon/2010)

Johan Asherton reste certainement l’un des songwriters les plus talentueux et les plus authentiques de notre époque. Une sorte de trésor caché du paysage musical français et anglo-saxon.

 

 

 

The Bluebells »Exile On Twee Street »(cherry red/2014) song from Glasgow 1980/1982

•    Back in the early 1980s, THE BLUEBELLS were part of a vanguard of Scottish pop which also included Orange Juice, Altered Images and Lloyd Cole & The Commotions.

•    Before signing to London Records and scoring hits such as ‘Young At Heart’ and ‘I’m Falling’, the band recorded an album’s worth of independent recordings and demos, most of which remained unreleased.

•    Compiled by Robert Hodgens (Bobby Bluebell) with the involvement of the rest of the band, EXILE ON TWEE STREET finally reveals the band’s roots in the indie scene of early 80s Glasgow.

•    The Bluebells actually demo’d songs for Alan Horne’s Postcard label, recently the subject of a critically acclaimed book by Simon Goddard entitled Simply Thrilled. (source:cherry red)

 

Track Listing:

1.    EVERYBODY’S SOMEBODY’S FOOL
2.    SOME SWEET DAY
3.    HAPPY BIRTHDAY
4.    NO ONE EVERY WAVES GOODBYE
5.    ONE LAST LOVE SONG
6.    WISHFUL THINKING
7.    OH DEAR
8.    YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME
9.    EAST GREEN
10.    RED GUITARS
11.    SUGAR BRIDGE
12.    FOREVERMORE
13.    HOLLAND
14.    HONEST JOHN
15.    STAND UP COWBOY
16.    SMALL TOWN MARTYR
17.    LEARN TO LOVE
18.    ALL THE KINGS HORSES
19.    TENDER MERCY
20.    I’M SET FREE

 

NEOTANTRIK »Blue Amiga » (CERT HOME ENTERTAINMENT/2014)

Andy Votel and Demdike Stare‘s Sean Canty‘s concept group, NeoTantrik, return with the fruits of recent performances alongside Buchla maestro Suzanne Ciani, Swiss jazz legend Bruno Spoerri, and folk artist Jane Weaver. Recorded during sporadic visits to theaters and art spaces across the world, Blue Amiga follows one year on from their Intervisions (VHSX 009LP), further flinging the coordinates of their improvised alloys to encompass, extract and reduce a broad spectra of influences and disciplines taken from theatrical sound design, Italian library and computer music with general abstract and unrehearsed mechanical/human/electronic interfaces. Put simply; it’s a trip. Augmented by the presence of synth music and electro-jazz pioneers Ciani and Spoerri — both subjects of excellent reissues by Votel’s Finders Keepers label — plus the return of Jane Weaver and home-made music by the Sound Awareness blog’s Martin Young, the team sweep us through engrossing soundscapes fanning out from sub-aquatic drone to radiant electro-acoustica, gloomy cues and strung-out, opiated ambience of a deeply romantic, adult nature. Garbed in Asia Argento‘s gorgeous cover design — featuring an image depicting the private family swimming pool photography of giallo actress Daria Nicolodi —Blue Amiga wears its cinematic influences quite literally on its sleeve, while musically rebuking the obvious stylistic blinkers of European film music in favor of genuine naked exploration and expansion. ( source:CERT HOME ENTERTAINMENT)

 

Richard Hawley : On October 27th Setanta Records will reissue the first three albums

On October 27th Setanta Records will reissue the first three albums by one of the greatest and most important British artists of the past 15 years.He may be more widely known for his later work, beginning with 2005’s Coles Corner, but the three albums Richard Hawley recorded and released prior to that – Richard Hawley, Late Night Final and Lowedges – feature compositions, arrangements and performances as good as anything he has ever recorded. These three exceptional albums, dating from 2001 – 2003, are being reissued to remind people of the work of the artist as a young man, before many knew of his major talent.(source: setanta records)

PLUS D’INFOS ICI:http://www.setantarecords.com/rh-vinyl/

 

 

 

 

 

MCCARTHY »COMPLETE ALBUMS, SINGLES AND BBC COLLECTION »(CHERRY RED/2014)

We were only 14 or so when we started McCarthy, and at first we were happy just to cover songs by our favourite groups of the time, the Buzzcocks in particular. As the singer (I became the singer because none of the others much fancied the job), I thought I had to come up with the lyrics, but I had very little idea what to write about. A few years later, as a student, I became interested in politics in general and Marxism in particular, and naturally this was soon reflected in the songs we were writing. But I knew from the start that the songs had to steer clear of sloganeering. These were songs and not political tracts, after all. Instead I stumbled on the idea of ‘musical ventriloquism’, of impersonating individuals whose ideas I disagreed with, in an attempt to discredit them from the inside. Most of the McCarthy and Herzfeld songs are like this. In the best songs, we were also trying to make the music a kind of commentary on the lyrics. It didn’t seem enough just to lump the lyrics together with a piece of music and hope for the best. We wanted the music to play an active role too. Of course, the songs don’t always live up to this ambition, but this was always the aim. I remember that one reason I left McCarthy was I couldn’t see us making much more headway in this direction, and I was afraid we were just going to repeat ourselves. Herzfeld was a brief attempt to do something in the same direction. The music and lyrics were supposed to be intimately linked, sometimes contradicting and sometimes reinforcing the sentiments and the ideas in the lyrics. Once again, I didn’t always quite pull it off, but I hoped some of the songs were a step in the right direction.By now it was the mid-90s. I was a bit older, I had moved to France, I had a job and a family. The political situation had also changed, and all idea of politics based on class (which I think is essential to understanding politics and society) had disappeared from public life. Above all, and rather worryingly for a pop singer, I began to lose all interest in pop music. For these and other reasons, I soon realised that my heart was no longer in it. After three concerts, a single and a mini-album, Herzfeld split up, and that was the end of my life in pop. Herzfeld, like McCarthy, was an experiment. Maybe it didn’t always come off, but I’m glad we gave it a try. My thanks to Alexandre Rigal for putting out this record, to Martin Pike for putting out the original, and to Marco, Vincent, John, Philippe, Kader and Stéphane, my fellow Herzfeld musicians.MALCOLM EDEN

Nous n’avions qu’à peu près 14 ans quand nous avons fondé McCarthy et au début, nous nous contentions de faire des reprises de nos groupes préférés, les Buzzcocks en particulier. En tant que chanteur (je suis devenu chanteur parce que les autres n’étaient pas très enthousiastes à l’idée d’assumer cette tâche), je pensais que c’était mon rôle d’écrire des paroles, mais je ne savais vraiment pas trop à quel sujet écrire.Quelques années plus tard, en tant qu’étudiant, j’ai commencé à m’intéresser à la politique en général et au marxisme en particulier, ce qui a tout naturellement commencé à transparaître dans notre musique. Mais j’ai su dès le départ que nos chansons ne devaient pas se centrer sur les slogans politiques. Il s’agissait de chansons et non de tracts revendicatifs après tout. C’est alors que l’idée de « ventriloquisme musical » m’est venue : il s’agissait d’incarner des individus dont je désapprouvais les idées dans le but de les discréditer de l’intérieur. La plupart des chansons de McCarthy et de Herzfeld reposent sur ce concept.Dans les meilleures chansons, nous avons aussi essayé de faire en sorte que la musique vienne compléter les paroles comme une sorte de commentaire. Ça ne nous semblait pas suffisant de juste assembler des paroles avec un peu de musique en espérant que cela donnerait quelque chose de bien. Nous voulions également que la musique joue un rôle actif. Bien sûr, les chansons ne sont pas toujours à la hauteur de ces ambitions, mais c’était ce à quoi nous aspirions. L’une des raisons qui ont fait que j’ai quitté McCarthy était que je ne nous voyais pas aller beaucoup plus loin dans cette direction, et je craignais de virer à l’autoplagiat.Herzfeld a été une brève tentative d’agir dans le même esprit. Les paroles et la musique étaient censées être intimement liées, cette dernière tantôt renforçant, tantôt contredisant les idées et les sentiments évoqués dans les paroles. Cette fois encore, je n’ai pas complètement réussi à atteindre le but, mais j’espérais que certaines chansons puissent constituer un pas dans la bonne direction.Puis vint le milieu des années 90. J’étais un peu plus âgé, je m’étais installé en France, j’avais un métier et une famille. La situation politique avait changé et toute notion de politique basée sur la classe sociale (que je trouve essentielle à la compréhension de la politique et de la société) avait disparu du débat public. Par-dessus tout, et c’est malheureux pour un chanteur pop, j’avais graduellement perdu tout intérêt pour la musique pop.Pour ces raisons entre autres, j’ai réalisé que le cœur n’y était plus. Après trois concerts, un single et un mini album, Herzfeld s’est séparé et ce fut la fin de ma vie dans le monde de la pop. Herzfeld, comme McCarthy, furent une expérience. Ça n’a pas toujours abouti mais je suis heureux que nous ayons essayé.Mes remerciements à Alexandre Rigal, qui réédite ce disque, à Martin Pike qui a sorti l’original, ainsi qu’à Marco, Vincent, John, Philippe, Kader et Stéphane, musiciens membres de Herzfeld.Malcolm Eden

80s indie stalwarts trading in politically energised guitar pop – a true treasure chest of hooks, riffs and leftist messages. Hailing from Barking, Essex, McCarthy are today considered one of the standard bearing politically inclined bands of that era, possessed of a broader outlook and wittier, better observed lyrics than most of the competition. This four disc set comprises the bands three albums (originally recorded between 1987 and 1990), related singles and b-sides, and a sixteen track BBC sessions collection, most of which is previously unreleased. Albums packaged in mini LP replica wallets, and presented – along with a booklet – in a hard clamshell case. Contains countless classic originals and classic live sessions versions. 75 tracks, including 3 indie top ten albums and several indie chart hit singles Also includes 12 songs recorded for the legendary John Peel. Excellent value and a must have for anybody with an interest in the 1980s’ British independent and alternative scenes or politically minded guitar pop. McCarthy disbanded in 1990 and two of its members went on to form the wonderful Stereolab. Other members have gone on to work in popular music and the media, and the band often receive exposure from Manic Street Preachers, who regularly cite their work as both beloved and influential.(source cherry red records)

Je suis un grand fan de MALCOM EDEN  l’ex chanteur de MCCARTHY puisque je lui est consacré la 1er réédition de mon label en 2011 : 

 

PLUS D’INFOS ICI:http://www.cherryred.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=4899

 

 

 

 

MOUSE ON MARS « 21 AGAIN »(monkey town records/2014)

The band’s 21st anniversary double-CD featuring exclusive collaborations with: Cavern of Anti-Matter, Tortoise, Errorsmith, Dodo NKishi, Scratch Pet Land, Eric D Clark, Helado Negro, Siriusmo, Modeselektor feat. Mr. Maloke, Atom TM, Laetitia Sadier, Schlammpeitziger, Junior Boys, Candie Hank, Machinedrum, Mesak and Claws Costeau, F.X. Randomiz, Funkstörung, Yoshimi, Herbert and interludes by: Eleni Poulou and Mark E Smith, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, AGF Delay-Team, Ingrid and Oswald Wiener, David Michael DiGregorio and Sung Huang Kim, Prefuse 73, DJ Scotch Egg etc. Mouse on Mars are a musical phenomenon. After two decades of constant innovation and reinvention, they have lost none of their might and magic. And, just like jazz musicians, the duo seems to be getting ever more seasoned, savvy and uncompromising. The band’s anniversary release – a compilation celebrating 21 years of band history with a bit more than 21 collaborations – seems like a logical move. Open to outside influences from day one, Mouse on Mars’ music and approach anchors a surprisingly malleable methodology to an unwavering vidon at the eye of the hurricane. The surface of pop music thrives on change, on constant renewal, and the Mouse on Mars phenomenon fuses this mutability with a myriad of voices Mouse on Mars are a musical phenomenon. After two decades of constant innovation and reinvention, they have lost none of their might and magic. And, just like jazz musicians, the duo seems to be getting ever more seasoned, savvy and uncompromising. The band’s anniversary release – a compilation celebrating 21 years of band history with a bit more than 21 collaborations – seems like a logical move. Open to outside influences from day one, Mouse on Mars’ music and approach anchors a surprisingly malleable methodology to an unwavering vidon at the eye of the hurricane. The surface of pop music thrives on change, on constant renewal, and the Mouse on Mars phenomenon fuses this mutability with a myriad of voices.(source:http://www.monkeytownrecords.com)

J’AIME BEAUCOUP LES PREMIÈRES PRODUCTIONS DE MOUSE ON MARS POUR LE LABEL TOO PURE RECORDS:

 

 

 

 

Le Monde Electronique de François de Roubaix »volume 1″(universal/2004)

 

 

Robyn Hitchcock »The Man Upstairs »(yep roc records/2014)

TRACKLIST:

01. The Ghost In You
02. San Francisco Patrol
03. To Turn You On
04. Trouble In Your Blood
05. Somebody To Break Your Heart
06. Don’t Look Down
07. Ferries
08. Comme Toujours
09. The Crystal Ship
10. Recalling the Truth

Robyn Hitchcock comme la plupart des musiciens anglais de sa génération est influencé fortement par la musique de Syd Barret. Il débute sa carrière en 1976 au sein des mirifiques The Soft Boys. Le succès n’est pas au rendez vous et le groupe se sépare au début des années 80.The Soft Boys est devenu depuis aussi culte que The Swell Maps ou The Jacobites. Robyn Hitchcock débute en 1981 sa carrière solo mais l ’Angleterre lui fait la sourde oreille. Adulé par REM, l’éclaircie viendra de Michael Stipe qui le prendra sous son aile, s’en suivront quatre albums pour la major A&M de 1988 à 1993. Les campus yankees passent alors en boucle sa musique et le succès est enfin au rendez vous. Malgré un contrat chez Warner Bross en 1996 le soufflé retombera un peu à la fin des 90. Doucement mais surement Robyn Hitchcock retombe un peu dans l’anonymat. Depuis 2004 il bénéficie du soutien du label Yep Roc records et son nouvel album « The man upstairs » sur ce même label est formidable, je vous le recommande chaudement.

 

 

 

 

Fantasma »Eye of the Sun EP « (soundway records/2014)

Fantasma are to release ‘Eye of the Sun EP’ through Soundway Records on 3rd November.

Fantasma, the latest project of South African innovator and creative pioneer Spoek Mathambo, is a five-man collective which weaves together electronica, hip-hop, traditional Zulu maskandi music, shangaan electro, South African house, psych-rock and punk to form a unique, original and fresh hybrid.

The godfather of ‘Bacardi House’, producer DJ Spoko joins with former Machineri guitarist André Geldenhuys, drummer Michael Buchanan and maskandi multi-instrumentist Bhekisenzo Cele to complete the line up.

Fused by Spoek Mathambo’s futurist vision, Fantasma pulls inspiration from all corners of South Africa: the sounds and spirits of townships and cities as well as the rural countryside. It is diverse not only in its membership but also in its forward-looking music.

Title track ‘Eye of the Sun’ kicks off at a frenetic pace, with the interplay between Cele’s bass & Geldenhuys psych guitar at the forefront. ‘Shangrila’ is all sunshine and warmth and features South African artist Moonchild on vocals.

‘Sefty Belt’ shimmers over 5 minutes with Geldenhuys’s hazy guitar complementing the soul vocals of guest vocalist JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET.

The band will be in the studio this summer recording their debut LP set for release early 2015. Watch this space.(soundway records)

 

LAETITIA SADIER « Something Shines »(Drag City/2014)

While it would be impossible to still be producing the kind of boundary-breaking sounds of their creative peak during the ’90s, the founding members of Stereolab continue to release some very enjoyable music. The past year or so has seen Tim Gane returning to the motorik focus of the defunct « groop »‘s earlier records with his new Cavern of Anti-Matter project, while singer Laetitia Sadier has been keeping busy with her newly formed « country band » Little Tornados (album out next month) as well as her current career as a solo artist. Like the previous two full-lengths released under her own name (and her Monade project for that matter), Something Shines nicely recalls the space-age lounge pop of Stereolab — an easy listening blend of Brazilian bossa nova and MPB, mellow soundtrack funk, and closer-to-home French inspirations like the iconic Francoise Hardy and avant-chanteuse Brigitte Fontaine. Old fans hoping for any of the ‘Lab’s long, droning Krautrock excursions, however, won’t find that here; even the most experimental tracks are closer to a ’70s-era Alain Goraguer film score than Neu! But from the breezy open-chord jangle of guitar and melodic in-the-pocket bass lines, to the whirs of organ and vintage synths, and the lush accoutrement of vibes, strings, horns and flutes, there’s no mistaking Something Shines as coming from any place else than the Stereolab universe. Of course, Sadier’s gorgeous dulcet melodies — sung in both French and English — remain the centerpiece throughout and are as velvety as ever.

Something Shines is far from straightforward, however, and while pleasant to listen to, the arrangements are filled with twists and turns all along the way. Seven-minute opener « Quantum Soup » nicely shape-shifts between spacey, hypnotic jazz-funk and passages of free-floating cosmic tones, while « Butter Side Up » uses the same blueprint behind so many classics of her old band: retro sci-fi balladry that starts to percolate at the halfway point. Listeners might even mistake « Release from the Centre of Your Heart » as an unreleased Stereolab gem, with the rich layers of Sadier’s Free Design-inspired vocal melodies and soaring ’70s game-show-theme brass riding a slinky groove. In fact, the only real misstep of Something Shines comes near the end. Emboldened by Occupy and the ever-increasing gap between the haves and have-nots, Sadier’s pointed lyrics (« They are a class, they are at war/Their plan is to transfer our wealth to under their sinister wing ») during the darkly restrained « Obscuridad » come across as a clumsily spoken coffeehouse performance rather than the elegant allure of most of her other Marxist-leaning pop. Although heartfelt, Sadier’s call to arms is still at its most effective when she’s killing them softly with her song. Reviewed by Gerald Hammill