Album Review: Bridie Jackson & The Arbour - New Skin

(Self-release)

Bridie Jackson & The Arbour are a folk four-piece from Newcastle. Although they released their first album back in 2012, it has only really been in the past twelve months that they have really started to take off. They've released several well-received singles, beat out over 8,000 other bands to win a slot at Glastonbury, recorded sessions on BBC Radio 2, and somewhat oddly, won a North-East Museum Award. All this has culminated in the release of their sophomore album, "New Skin".

The first thing that really stands out on "New Skin" is Bridie's vocals. As I mentioned last year when reviewing their single "Prolong" (which makes an appearance on this album), "Bridie Jackson could sing from the directory of phone directories, and still we would hang on to every single syllable as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world". This can be heard throughout the album, be it on the album's string laden title track, the sinister-playful musings of "Scarecrow", or the closing track "One Winter Evening", Bridie has a voice that warrants attention, one that really speaks to the heart, whether those feelings are of the dark, or of the light.

There's a few other great tracks on the album that are worth highlighting. "Diminutive Man" is perhaps the closest thing to an 'upbeat' track on "New Skin", with its country-ish bent, handclaps and fiddle coming off like a close companion to Laura Marling circa "A Creature I Don't Know". Meanwhile, "Sandgate Dandling Song" sees the band take an obscure folk song, originally written by a 19th century Tyneside musician, and reinterpret it through their own haunted, closed-harmonised gaze. In all honesty the song seems somewhat out of place with the other songs on the record, but in spite of this (or possibly because of it), it is the most irresistible tracks on it.

"New Skin" by Bridie Jackson & The Arbour is a fine example of the more haunting, introspective side of English folk music. It may not be the sort of album that is easy to get into on first listen, but if you give it time to grow, and immerse yourself it the worlds created within it, you will uncover something very special indeed.

Released: 5th May 2014 - available to purchase from the band's website.

Highlights: "New Skin", "Diminutive Man", "Sandgate Dandling Song".

Bridie Jackson & The Arbour - Prolong

By now, everyone who is going to this year's Glastonbury Festival is either already on their way or is getting ready to make the journey there, hoping to catch The Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys, or any of the other big names scheduled this weekend.

One of the names further down the bill that has got a lot on tongues wagging is Bridie Jackson & The Arbour, a Newcastle based four-piece who beat out over 8,000 other artists to win a place at the festival. Some of our favourite bloggers have been raving about the group for many months, so it's only fair that we take the time to check them out. And what better time like the present, as by a remarkable coincidence, the group have announced the release of a new single, "Prolong", the week they will be playing some of the biggest gigs of their lives.

The song is a tender, gentle track which strips the folk sound back to just strings, classical guitar, and voice. And what a voice it is. Bridie Jackson has the voice of someone who has seen a lot in this world, whilst simultaneously sounding as if she has been transported from another. They say that some singers could sing the phone directory and make it sound interesting. Bridie Jackson could sing from the directory of phone directories, and still we would hang on to every single syllable as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Prolong" by Bridie Jack & The Arbour will be released on 29th July.

B>E>A>K - Night Owls

What a great way to offset a dreary Monday. Everyone's favourite Sunderland based avian-rock collective B>E>A>K have released their first new tune of 2013. As if that wasn't exciting enough, the band have released a stop-motion music video to coincide with the release, which premiered on Kyeo.tv earlier today.

The song, "Night Owls", sees the group incorporating vocals into their sound for the first time, as well as featuring prominent synth lines as well. The music video is an incredibly strange beast indeed, featuring a twig-based raven doing battle with an apple-birth beast, all whilst an old radio tries to dance along in the most appropriate fashion.

And I've managed to write about B>E>A>K without resorting to bird puns. What a lark.

"Night Owls" is taken from "The Blue Edition", which will be released on February 18th.

EDIT 25th January: it appears that the original video for "Night Owls" has been taken off the internet due to copyright issues, as the footage was re-edited from a 2010 short film. However, the song itself is still available to listen to on YouTube:

Retriever - Come On

In the 18 months since the blog last visited Newcastle based group Retriever, the band have shaken things up a little. They have abandoned ol' Echo and expanded to a four-piece with the introduction of a live drummer (Fintan Dawson, formerly of fellow Geordies Cult Image). With a new release with the updated line-up forthcoming, the group have made their first song, "Come On", available as a free download. 

Whilst the song is lighter than some of their previous material, it still finds itself in dark territory, like the difference between Night Jewels and Rum Caramel on the Dulux Colour Chart. With the similar sounding Savages being tipped for big things in 2013, the Siouxie-inspired Retriver could see their music receive a much more appreciative audience over the next few months. 

"Come On" is taken from the group's upcoming E.P, which is due for release in the spring. 

Album Review: Little Comets - Life Is Elsewhere

(Dirty Hit)

The sophomore album from Newcastle band Little Comets, "Life Is Elsewhere", has the sound of a band who have been given a new breath of life. Their debut album "In Search Of Elusive..." was released at the point where apathy towards British indie groups was at an all-time low, and went over the heads of many people. Subsequently, Mark Harle left the group in order to seek "gainful employment." Whilst all this might have been enough to bring a band to a grinding halt, the band used it as an opportunity to re-evaluate themselves and reformulate their sound.

The first fruits of their new approach arrived at the end of last year, with the release of  "Worry", a song that mixed Afro-beat rhythmic structures with a massive chorus that seemed to have been appropriated from 80s mainstream pop (in particular, Steve Winwood's "Higher Love"). The band followed it up in June with the spectacular "Jennifer", which will most likely go down as the greatest song that Little Comets will ever record, with its mix of heartbreak, angst, and a guitar hook which hits straight for the heart. It is these tracks which set the blueprint for the overall sound of "Life Is Elsewhere."

One of the most noticeable things about "Life Is Elsewhere" is that it eschews the straightforward rock rhythms that dominated the debut in favour of more unorthodox structures. Given that it was the band's drummer that left the group, this seems a somewhat surprising development. These include drum patterns akin to Kate Bush's "Hounds Of Love" album ("Tense/Empty", "Semaphores on the Lawn"), Paul Simon's "Graceland" ("The Western Boy") or Vampire Weekend ("Worry", "Waiting in the Shadows of the Dead of Night"). In fact, the only song on the album that seems to be somewhat conventional is "Woman Woman", and that's a song that features no percussion whatsoever.

This new approach to songwriting has also helped to quell one of the flaws that marred Little Comets in the past, the vocals of lead singer Robert Coles. In the past, his idiosyncratic vocal style didn't seem to suit the music, which is one of the reasons why it took me about a year before I could get any further than 10 seconds into their song "Joanna". This time around, his vocals seem to suit the style of the music a lot better, especially given the lyrical content involved on "Life Is Elsewhere".

Despite some flourishes of pop moments on the album, including the "Worry" and "Bayonne", the album is something of a sombre, dark affair. The band's self-described "kitchen-sink indie" is in full force on this record, with tales of violence, deception, and hurt being on full display. "Bayonet" features lyrics about being shot in the back, whilst title of "In Blue Music We Trust" is pretty self-explanatory.

The darkest moment on the album by a long shot is "Violence Out Tonight", a striking story about the brutality of rape. As someone who abhors violence against women, this song is one that will strike a chord, and Little Comets should be commended taking a stand against such brutality, as well as making the fact known that many of the transgressors remain unpunished, in the following lyric: "the poor conviction rate for rape can often leave a woman  feeling more at blame than able to talk about violence."

The 2nd album by Little Comets is one that sees them making seismic steps forward from their debut. "Life Is Elsewhere" is a mature offering of songs that are just as likely to make you think than move. It's an album that despite its bleakness, offers something reassuringly human at the centre. And it is an album that deserves to be listened to over and over again.
 
Released: 15th October 2012

Highlights: "Jennifer", "Worry", "W-O-E", "Violence Out Tonight".

 

B>E>A>K - Kehaar

If there's one reason why record shops deserve to stay open for the foreseeable future, it's the in-depth musical discussion and personal music recommendations that you can get from them. On Tuesday, I spent a day doing 'real-life things' in Newcastle. As I had a few hours to kill before getting the plane back over the Irish Sea, I wandered around the city centre until I stumbled across RPM Records. Whilst browsing the shop, I was somehow sucked into a conversation about Beastie Boys drum breaks and discussed the merits of pre-"Bat Out of Hell" Meat Loaf, as you do. I then asked him if there was any new releases by local artists that he thought would be of interest to me. Amongst his other suggestions, he recommended that I should buy out the latest release by a Sunderland collective called B>E>A>K.

And it's just as well he did, because even though I absolutely adore their music, it's hardly the sort of thing that would be flagged as of interest to me on either iTunes nor last.fm. Containing members of Field Music and The Lake Poets, B>E>A>K are an avian mask wearing bunch of fellows who have injected an immense sense of fun into a genre with a reputation for stony-faced seriousness - instrumental rock. On their latest single, "Kehaar", the band sound like an instrumental version of Maximo Park, with some captivating brass lines thrown into the mix for good measure. This is fantastic music for having the maximum amount of fun humanly possible.

"Kehaar" is taken from "The White Edition", and is available as a free download. A CD version is also available to buy in many good independent music shops. 

Cheerleaders - Puzzles

Do you like your guitar music loud, shouty, and a little bit rough around the edges? Then Leeds based trio Cheerleaders might be right up you metaphorical street. Their debut single release, "Puzzles", is a sub-2 minute cavalcade of noisy, lo-fi guitars, shouty, slogan filled vocals and youthful energy. The cite The Replacements, The National and Husker Du among their influences, although they sound more like The Klaxons stripped of their rave-y, sci-fi side. They are still a bit away from reaching their potential, but it's a promising debut single from the lads.

"Puzzles" is available now as a free download. 

Fold - Mr President, We're In Trouble

If the critical success of Public Service Broadcasting releases are anything to go by, then it is clear in 2012 there is still a hunger for using spoken word samples as a launch point for musical ideas.

In addition to the aforementioned PSB, another artist using samples in this way is Leeds based group Fold. Fronted by producer Seth Mowshowitz, they take a more political approach to their work, using samples as a springboard to bring about social justice, although in a way that they claim is neither preachy, pretentious, or conceited." 

Their latest single, "Mr President, We're In Trouble", features vocal samples from former U.S President Jimmy Carter, which acts as a biting inditement of over-consumerism. Even if you're not overtly political, then there's still a lot to like in this song, with the hard hitting production reminiscent of a less-polished Lemon Jelly. 

"Mr President, We're In Trouble" will be released as a 7" single on September 3rd, with 75% of the proceeds going towards charitable causes.

Good Friend - Dance On, Graves

 

A couple of weeks ago, I travelled over to Newcastle (England) for a few days to meet up with some family over there. Whilst there, I had hopes of soaking up the local music scene and hopefully catching a few of the great musicians from the city that I had featured on the blog over the past few months, which have included Little Comets and Athletes in Paris amongst others. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong time to go over, as I didn't get the chance to see any of the artists I had hoped to catch. Although I did go to a great open mic night at Bob Trollop's, even if it was a little overcrowded.

Hopefully the next I'm in Newcastle (England) I will get the chance to catch some of the artists I missed, and catch a few new bands as well, such as Good Friend. Originally based in Coleraine, the trio relocated to Newcastle following the dissolution of former band Under Stars & Gutters.

The lead track from their debut E.P, "Dance On, Graves", seems to make reference to the break-up of their old band, as Adam Carrol sings that "we'll dance on the graves of the corpses of the people that we used to be." It's a track that is both angry and melodic in equal measure, and is a great introduction to the in-your face punk-pop for a band making a fresh start on the other side of the Irish Sea.

Good Friend's debut E.P is out now.

Little Comets - Jennifer

Dear Robert Coles,

Hey, how's it going? I hope that Newcastle is treating you well at this time of the year.

I was interested to hear that your band Little Comets have a new E.P coming out next month on Heist and Hit Records. I have been listening to "Jennifer" on near-repeat for the past few weeks, and I thought that it was would send you a message make sure you were alright.

Based on your impassioned pleas on your latest song, which effortlessly combines the afro-pop of Vampire Weekend with a touch of mainstream 80s pop, it would appear that this "Jennifer" woman has been causing you some heartache recently, given that she has taken to emblazoning the slogan "It's a shame that I don't love you better" on her jumper (which is a fashion no-no, in my humble opinion), and has left you in a situation where you have started to existentially scream out her name in a melodic way in your band's choruses.

Normally my advice would be to  forget about her and move on, as there are plenty more metaphorical fish in the sea. But then again, without this heartbreak you would never have written such a wonderful song, which has slowly crept up on me to become my favourite tune of the year. I'm looking forward to your band's E.P "Jennifer and Other Short Stories", which is out on June 11th, which I very much hope will help you to move on in this difficult period of your life.

I hope this letter finds you well. If you and the rest of the Little Comets are ever in Belfast and in need of a chat, give me a buzz. I know a great bar with imported cider that plays decent music, and hopefully make you forget all about this "Jennifer" women (although not the lyrics, obviously).

Yours sincerely,
Christopher McBride,
Captain of The Metaphorical Boat.

P.S "Worry" was a pretty awesome track too. More of the same, please.

This Many Boyfriends - (I Should Be A) Communist

Leeds based funpop band This Many Boyfriends are gearing up to release their next single. "(I Should Be A) Communist", which has been produced by Ryan Jarman of The Cribs, is a re-recording of a song first featured on their "Getting a Life With... E.P", and shows the band as charming, spiky and endearing as ever. The music video for the song has also been released, which an hilarious exercise in hipster-bating. Lovely stuff as usual from the gang.

(I Should Be A) Communist by This Many Boyfriends will be released on May 21st on a groovy red 7".

Athletes In Paris - Echoes Louder than Voices

 

Newcastle based 5-piece Athletes In Paris are no strangers to this blog. Following the slight u-turn on their last single "No Bridge, No Crossing Allowed", the group return to their indie sound for their next single, "Echoes Louder than Voices." The song has a slight whiff of mainstream rock about it, with the song containing slight nods to The Killers and Kings of Leon to it (especially the 'oh aye ohs' in the chorus). However, the band still contains all those elements that made the group stand out in the first place, not least the band's trademark Geordie accent.

"Echoes Louder than Voices" will be released on March 19th. 

This Many Boyfriends - Starling

 

Leeds based funpop band This Many Boyfriends have announced the release of their new single "Starlings", which is their first release since last autumn's "Young Lovers Go Pop!", and their first release since the death of their guitarist Peter Sykes.

"Starling" sees TMB continue their penchant for writing short, snappy, indie-pop tunes with lots of heart and just as many hooks. Built around an infectious guitar hook, the song is about loving birds, as well as being in love with a bird, which sees the song working on more levels than one. It's a great, fun single, and hopefully will see the band gain a few new followers.

"Starling" by This Many Boyfriends will be released with a fanzine made by the band themselves, which will be released on February 20th. The band will be touring the UK at the end of February/beginning of March with both Allo' Darlin and The Cribs (no dates on this side of the pond just yet, but fingers crossed).

The Metaphorical Boat's Tips for '12 - Part 2

Part two of The Metaphorical Boat's tips for 2012 features five bands from outside Ireland, and includes one from the USA, and two from Leeds (believe me, I'm surprised as well).

Emperors Club

The only American based group on the list, Iowa based quintet Emperors Club form the missing link between American alt-rock and Britpop, with the band citing both The Charlatans and Big Star as influences on their sound. Their debut E.P, October's "The Castle", is a fantastic introduction to the band, from the spiky title track, through to the Stroke 9 meets McAlmont & Butler grooves of "Our Time", through to the David Gray-esque "Brooklyn" showing a band with a classic sound, updated to the 10s.

With a full length album planned in the next year, the next 12 months should see the rise to power of Emperors Club.


The Castle by Emperors Club

Fixers

Based on their latest E.P, "Imperial Godess of Mercy", Oxford based quintet Fixers could be best decribed as psychedelic indie rock with shades of Animal Collective. However, the group are not afraid to embrace pop, as evidenced from their siren sampling single "Swimmhaus Johannesburg" (a song that surprisingly made the daytime playlist on BBC Radio 1).

The start of 2012 will see the group supporting Kaiser Chiefs on tour, before re-releasing "Iron Deer Dream" in February, followed by an album release around April.

Tribes

Since rock music fell largely out of favour with the general public around 2008, every end-of year tip list has featured at least one artist that promises to bring rock hurtling back into the mainstream. The Drums were on many pundits lists in 2010, whilst the hopes of 2011 were very much put on the shoulders of The Vaccines. Could 2012 be the year of Camden fourpiece Tribes? Having released three strong singles in 2011, the most recent of which being "When My Day Comes", the band have built up a reputation for their youthful, Britpop inspired tunes and raucious live performances.

A timely re-release of the single that made me fall in love with the group in the first place, "We Were Children", is being released ahead of their debut album "Baby", released on January 16th. Their guitarist Dan's taboid friendly relationship with Scarlett Johannson should keep them firmly in the public eye over the next 12 months.

This Many Boyfriends

Leeds based "funpop" band This Many Boyfriends came to my attention during the summer through their fantastic "Young Lovers Go Pop!" single. However, they have been together for many years, releasing an E.P in 2010, featuring such charming songs such as "I Can Be a Communist" and "I Don't Like You (Cos You Don't Like the Pastels)".

With a single on Angular Records under their belt, the band are shaping up for 2012 to be their biggest year yet, with a new single scheduled for February (complete with a silly fanzine drawn by the band), gigs with Allo Darlin', and the possibility of an album before the end of the year. Let's hope that the fun continues with This Many Boyfriends.

Various Cruelties

When a band plays on Later...With Jools Holland before they've even released an album, they are surely destined for great things (or have a brilliant PR/management team, although the two are not always mutually exclusive). This bodes well for London (via Leeds) based Various Cruelties, whose appearence on the flagship show has seen a boost in their popularity, even making the Radio 1 playlist this week with "Great Unknown".

It could be possible to compare their chances to those of The Vaccines last year, who had only been together for a few months before being signed in a flurry of hype and also playing on the aformentioned BBC2 show before releasing a single. The band even supported The Vaccines in their earliest days together. However, that is where the comparisons end, for whilst The Vaccines trade in angular indie rock, Various Cruelties offer a more soulful approach to their music, with Motown influences abound.

Their debut album will be released on April 2nd.



And those are The Metaphorical Boat's tips for 2012. Do you agree with the suggestions, or are there any other artists that you feel should be making a mark in the next year? Be sure to leave a comment to let me know.

Soulmates Never Die - Dance Contest Winner E.P

I've never really understood the idea of the anti-folk genre. From my extensive research on the subject (read: searched for it on Wikipedia), I have gathered that it is a post-modernist movement that seeks to challenge the accepted norms of the folk genre.

And it is under this banner that Leeds based performer Joshua Lewis, aka Soulmates Never Die finds himself under. His laptop recorded E.P, "Dance Contest Winner", is a raw, brutal, and incredibly frank set of songs that melds delicately strummed acoustic guitar with lyrics that feel as if they were ripped straight from Mr Lewis's diary.

When a singer croons that "I sometimes wish I was dead, but I think that I don't really mean it", like Joshua does over a familiar 4-chord melody on "Wound On My Fingers", you start to realise that this is a performer that wears his heart on both his sleeves. Other songs on the E.P deal with feelings of inadequacy ("S*** Hot Haircut"), and wanting to meet up with someone who you're not completely sure of ("Old Canal").

"Dance Contest Winner E.P" by Soulmates Never Die is available to download now.

Soulmates Never Die // Wound On My Finger from Jennifer Morris on Vimeo.

Post War Glamour Girls - Spitting Pearls

There is a brooding charm that shines throughout the work of Leeds based fourpiece Post War Glamour Girls. On their upcoming single, "Spitting Pearls", the band seem to channel a similar energy to fellow avant-garde rockers Wild Beasts.

What seperates them from them however (aside from refraining from falsetto), is a demented sense of menace that builds as the song progresses into a cataclysm of rage towards the conclusion. The sounds of Post War Glamour Girls might be a bit of an acquired taste, but it one that you would savour again and again.


"Spitting Pearls" by Post War Glamour Girls will be released on Monday 10th October on Sturdy Records on download and limited edition 7", along with double A-side single "Ode to Harry Dean".

Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers - Seaweed Under the Sofa

Listening to Leeds based 4-piece Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers, I can't help but be reminded of the episode of "The Mighty Boosh", where Vince and Howard, in an attempt to out-retro a rival band, perform a gig in medieval garb whilst playing a lute.

Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers don't go back as far as that, of course, but their track "Seaweed Under the Sofa" is a throwback to the music of the 1930s, with it's George Formby-esque ukelele and incredibly English vocalist telling a tale of losing a girl whilst eating a Chinese. It's a devilishly fun tune.

Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers will be releasing their 2nd album, "The Greatest Show on Toast", on September 19th.

Let's Buy Happiness - Dirty Lakes

Newcastle based 5 piece Let's Buy Happiness have been creating quite a buzz lately, supporting bands like The Temper Trap and Frankie & the Heartstrings, playing Glastonbury, and recording live sessions for Huw Stevens. They are now lining up their next single release, which is the rather groovy "Dirty Lakes."

"Dirty Lakes" has an odd feel to it, given that Sarah Hall's empassionate vocals and evocative lyrics seem more akin to Melanie-esque folk than the Joy Formidable-esque instrumentation that the song contains. Nonetheless, this juxstaposition of styles works wonders on this track.

"Dirty Lakes" will be released on September 26th on Ghost Arc Records

Retriever - Arms Out Wide

A few days ago I looked at "Little Black Cloud" by Cult Image and stated that it would be released as a split 7" on September 10th. In the interest of fairness, I thought I would take a moment to look at the band whom they are sharing the release with, the dark and gritty Retriever.

Newcastle Upon Tyne 3-piece Retriever have been described as "the dark unbelly of the Newcastle scene", and on listening to "Arms Out Wide", it is not difficult to see why. The song is a mixture of the vocals stylings of Siouxie Sioux, and the sonic attacks of Joy Division and Bauhaus. "Arms Open Wide" is a song that revels in its unforgiving darkness.

The track will be released on a split 7" on September 10th with Cult Image on Splash One Records.

Cut Out Shapes - Never Change

Leeds based group Cut Out Shapes have been well received on the local scene, and have supported groups such as Chase & Status and Love Amongst Ruin in recent months. Having listened to "Never Change", it is easy to see why.

"Never Change" is a powerful slice of indie-rock, that mixes the vocal power of U2 with the instrumentation of Miles Kane, with a little bit of Britpop also-rans Geneva thrown in for good measure.