mind the sprawl of ink over paper

Hush the Many

MP3: Paper Doll / Song of a Page (via MySpace)
Mind the Sprawl [EP] (2004, Handspun)

Hush the Many (Heed the Few) prove that turning up early to a gig can often be a rewarding experience. The unusually intimate setup at Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Hall for Ed Harcourt turned out to be the perfect showcase for their delicate and intense folk. Like Nick Drake and Elliott Smith before him, lead singer Nima proves that catharsis in music does not have to mean power chords and screaming; it can be better expressed through vocals that are at once fragile and forceful. His voice is what draws you in, and without it, there is a risk that in a live setting Hush the Many's subtle, dynamic shifts in texture and mood would not be given a chance to shine. Opening the show (and the Mind the Sprawl EP) in hushed tones paid off: the audience were captivated for the duration of their set and moments like the raw, strange 'Song of a Page' left me holding my breath.

'Paper Doll' opens with images of an ideal love seemingly out of reach, before the repeated refrain of "this sets me on fire" takes on a darker tone as it is joined by swirling, otherworldly guitar and strings. It perfectly captures the nature of infatuation, how it always teeters on the fine line between tenderness and destruction. The indistinct lyrics and minimal, pretty acoustics of 'Choose' give it a wonderfully out-of-reach, ethereal quality that make it a song to get lost in and even escape to. It's also notable for the lovely vocal interplay between Nima and bassist Alexandra, which bring to mind that between Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan on Rice's debut O.

Hush the Many prove that it really is the quiet ones you have to watch. I'll be keeping a keen eye on how the promising sound of Mind the Sprawl develops in the near future and hopefully they'll be passing through this way again very soon.


NP: Guillemots - Through the Windowpane

this one's for you

Ed Harcourt
Live at Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
with Hush the Many and The Tiny
4th June 2006

I know this concert was over a month ago, but I finally got my photos off my old computer and on Flickr. After two nights of Radiohead, I was concerned that whomever I saw after that would pale in comparison but Harcourt put on a wonderfully intimate show. It was a bit weird walking into the Wulfrun to find cabaret style seating arrangements and candlelight, but it really made the music the focus, rather than worrying about whether you'll ever get the cider and black some idiot decided to launch at the stage out of your t-shirt. To see someone of Harcourt's caliber play to around 150 people (if that) is a real privilege.

I want to write more about Hush the Many tomorrow, but sufficed to say I was very impressed with their opening set. Their intense, fragile folk was so quiet at points the doors opening at the back of the hall seemed like a major intrusion. Their name is appropriate though: the audience seemed to be hanging on every word. Swedish trio The Tiny came on next but weren't really my thing: they were obviously accomplished musicians and lead singer and pianist Ellekari Larsson has a powerful voice, but it was all a bit too Tori Amos for me (with a little Joanna Newsom-esque kookiness thrown in). She did a fantastic job accompanying Harcourt on Strangers-standout 'Loneliness' though.

Harcourt entered from the back and weaved his way around the tables while performing 'I've Become Misguided' on banjo, before running on stage and launching into 'Whirlwind in D Minor' (I think... I really should've written it down, because beer and steak had clouded my mind) with his full band, including wife Gita on violins. I hadn't heard new album (The Beautiful Lie) prior to seeing him but the new songs exuded quality. Harcourt's singles tend to be the most straightforward and catchy pieces on the album, and 'Visit from the Dead Dog' is no exception; an immediately likeable song to hook onto. He also played a few classics from his first full-length, Here Be Monsters, which ranks as one of my favourite debut albums ever.

Harcourt seemed immensely comfortable in a setting that demands rapt attention, although he did seem disappointed that the audience were so reluctant to talk to him between songs. One guy did offer to tape Prison Break for him however. When the opening acts came out to join him on 'Revolution in the Heart', the audience were urged to move closer to the stage. It turned out to be a really nice moment that showcased a song that is anthemic without being cheesy. Well, apart from the rather awesome 'sha-naa-naas'.

As I mentioned in my write-up of The Beautiful Lie, Ed Harcourt is far too talented to remain under the radar forever; his performances contain an infectious passion that convinces you utterly that he's much more than just another melancholy singer-songwriter. But if it means I get to see such an intimate display again, I'm going to be selfish and see his relative obscurity as a blessing.
More Photos: Flickr

MP3: I've Become Misguided
Maplewood (2000, Heavenly)





NP: Thom Yorke - The Eraser

a neon hum for an awkward conversation

Dragonflies Draw Flame

MP3: Contrails (via Stressed)
Stream: Seamonster Skeletons / Minibeast Display at MySpace
Harboured Safe (2006, Stressed)


When you're a music junkie, the longer and purer the hit the better, so it's always satisfying when you discover a band early on in their career when their identity is still fluid and there's so much energy to vicariously enjoy. With Dragonflies Draw Flame I got in there very early; I went to school with Simon (lead vocals, guitar) and have seen him and Tom (guitar, back-up vocals) play in various incarnations to varying numbers of people over the last seven or so years. Dragonflies Draw Flame were formed in 2002 and have built a name for themselves in both Nottingham and Derby, overcoming geographical problems and several lineup changes.

On Harboured Safe, their first proper release, they show that they have energy in abundance and the talent to harness it. This seven-song mini-album sees them infuse their visceral alt. rock with post-rock experimentation. Idlewild's pre-major label releases are a clear influence, with 'Contrails' and 'Minibeast Display' containing a similar marriage of sensitive vocals with frenetic, dischordant guitar and bursts of feedback. The stunning 'A Neon Hum' represents a change of pace, capturing the feeling of contemplation and self-awareness that often comes when a place that is usually buzzing with life is deserted. Lyrically, the album reminds me of early Death Cab for Cutie in its use of imagery and the preoccupation with the passage of time and the interconnectedness of the outside world to our memories: the way contrails bring to mind playing outside as a child being a particularly memorable example.

The band clearly love the dynamics of post-rock; the way a song will start out quietly and be layered until it reaches an epic climax is prevalent in the structures of several songs. Centrepiece 'Seamonster Skeletons' wasn't recorded in a fifteen-squillion dollar L.A. studio, but its complex arrangements, mournful violins and lo-fi programmed beats all mesh together to create something powerful. It will be interesting to hear where their experiments will lead on future releases.

Dragonflies Draw Flame performed a five-song Radio 1 session for Huw Stephens which was broadcast on Tuesday and can be streamed here until Tuesday 18th. You an also catch them live at The Charlotte, Leicester in support of Seafood on Thursday 27th July and at The Vic in Derby on Wednesday 30th August.

NP: Cat Power - The Greatest

Best of 2006 So Far

After over a month of not being able to blog thanks to a six (!) year-old computer finally giving up the ghost, I'm back thanks to my sexy new laptop. Poor, but happy to have a new gadget to play with. It's nice to finally join the plasti-chrome, wireless digital paradise of the 21st century. And what better way to return than with a mid-year summary of 2006? If it's good enough for everyone else, it's good enough for me.

Note: This list includes records released in 2005 in the US that didn't make it to these shores until early 2006. I'm a bit of a purist and like to savour the pleasure of buying the physical product.

Band of Horses - Everything All The Time (March, Sub Pop)
MP3: The Great Salt Lake

Stunning debut from former members of Carissa's Weird takes the dreamlike qualities of Deserter's Songs-era Mercury Rev and the sunbaked, wistful Americana (and the barn-scale reverb) of My Morning Jacket and injects them with cathartic blasts of indie rock. Everything All the Time definitely deserves the hype it received on music blogs at the beginning of the year.

Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene (January, City Slang)
Video: Fire Eye'd Boy (at YouTube)

I really didn't think BSS could equal 2003's You Forgot It In People, arguably one of the finest albums of the decade so far, but this comes pretty damn close. Building on the frenetic sprawl of its predecessor, Broken Social Scene is initially a bewildering landscape to enter into, but upon repeated its many disparate elements come into focus making it a record to get lost in time and again. [read more]

Calexico - Garden Ruin (April, City Slang)
MP3: Cruel

Scaling back the experimental leanings and worldwide influences of their previous work, Calexico sound revitalised on album that moves from the contemplative folk of 'Yours and Mine' and 'Lucky Dime' to energetic rockers 'Letter to Bowie Knife' and 'Deep Down'. The album ends with the heart-stopping 'All Systems Red', a protest song that highlights why Joey Burns is one the most underrated lyricists in modern music. [read more]

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (January, Wichita)
MP3: Over and Over (Lost and Found)

Proof of the power of the Pitchfork, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's well documented word-of-mouth success story was obsessed over late last year, although their debut didn't reach the UK until January. I'm a big fan of singers with unusual voices, but I have to admit that Alec Ounsworth's screeching, nasal vocals completely repelled me at first. What made me come back to this release was the insistent and highly catchy melodies that became lodged in my brain. Upon repeated listening his vocals become much more tolerable and prove to be oddly emotive on 'Over and Over' and 'Details of the War'. Worth checking out for 'The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth' alone, a song that combines dance-punk rhythms with Modest Mouse-esque guitars.

Guillemots - From the Cliffs [EP] (March, Fantastic Plastic)
Stream: Madeup Lovesong #43 (at MySpace)

Guillemots are my tip for the most interesting new band to come out of Britain this year (although their international lineup makes it difficult to tag them as British). Delivering skewed but concise and radio-friendly ballads alongside experimental tracks that focus more on evoking a particular atmosphere, Guillemots have positioned themselves just outside the mainstream, both instantly likeable and challenging too. I look forward to hearing their debut (which was released on Monday).
[read more]

Ed Harcourt - The Beautiful Lie (June, Heavenly)
Stream: Until Tomorrow Then (at MySpace)

Ed Harcourt is one of Britain's most prodigious, idiosyncratic talents, but unfortunately he always seems to float under the radar. 2003's Strangers saw Harcourt rein in some his (frequently charming) musical excesses to create an exquisite and quite upbeat pop album. The Beautiful Lie is equally focused, but does allow some of the strangeness and humour of his first two albums to creep back in, alongside his trademark woozy melancholia that brings to mind late '70s Tom Waits. While Waits moved from the bar to the barn and went crazy long ago, Harcourt is still on the brink, able to let the light in occasionally.

Hot Chip - The Warning (May, EMI)
Stream: And I Was a Boy From School (at MySpace)

The Warning is shaping up to be the soundtrack of my summer, a perfect fusion of retro Spectrum synths, two-step beats and detached, irreverent indie attitude. The title up opens with all the sensitivity of a Postal Service track, before cautioning that 'Hot Chip will break your legs/ snap off your head". With songs this catchy, they're more likely to get trapped inside our head until it explodes. In a good way.

Josh Ritter - The Animal Years (March, V2)
MP3: Girl in the War

A major attraction to Josh Ritter's music has always been the sheer passion in his voice, whether he is singing about his hometown, love or religion. Thematically he doesn't stray too much from the well-worn highways of folk writing, but The Animal Years highlights his ability to craft eloquent lyrics and affecting melodies and is a giant leap in maturity for this Ohio native.
[read more]

The Spinto Band - Nice and Nicely Done (February, Virgin)
Stream: Oh Mandy (at MySpace)

Barely out of their teens, this six-piece have crammed more catchy hooks into ten songs than most power-pop bands fit into their entire output. Imagine The Shins on a sugar-rush with bits of Pavement and Brendan Benson thrown in for good measure and you aren't far off.

The Twilight Singers - Powder Burns (May, One Little Indian)
Stream: Bonnie Brae (at MySpace)

Once again Greg Dulli takes us underground. Blackberry Belle was mostly a slow, early hours crawl through sleazy, neon-lit streets populated by lost romantics, down-and-outs and fuckups, and while those themes are still prevalent they seem much more personal on Powder Burns. The pain of addiction to love, late nights and substances and the search for redemption take centre-stage on an album that explores the fine line between pleasure and pain. What makes Dulli's work so attractive is the contradictory nature of the man himself; he both revels in the darker side of life and hopes for something more, something purer. Nice to hear him welcome guitars back into the fold a little more too.


Honourable Mentions

Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (February, Rough Trade)
Cat Power - The Greatest (January, Matador)
Dragonflies Draw Flame - Harboured Safe [EP] (February, Stressed)
iForward Russia! - Give Me a Wall (May, Dance to the Radio)
Howling Bells - Howling Bells (May, Bella Union)

The above list is by no means definitive; there are a fair few albums from the first half the year I have yet to check out, including Graham Coxon, Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins, Midlake and My Latest Novel.


Currently Anticipating

Thom Yorke - The Eraser (10th July, XL)
Guillemots - Through the Windowpane (10th July, Fantastic Plastic)
Metric - Live it Out (10th July, Drowned in Sound)
Amy Millan - Honey from the Tombs (17th July, Arts and Crafts)
Tapes 'N' Tapes - The Loon (24th July, XL)
M. Ward - Post War (22nd August [US], Merge)
Beck - TBA (Autumn, Interscope)

MySpace is cool and all, but the quality of the streams seems to have made labels really tight when it comes to giving us free, legal MP3 goodness.