Shugo Tokumaru

Hey biznitches. Just a quick hello to say I'll be reviewing Shugo Tokumaru's soon to be released album, 'Port Entropy'. I will probably post it on the day of the albums release, November 5th. Hope you're all doing well. Today I had an interview and a test for a journalism course, in Manchester. I think it went well :)

Little Comets - Club Academy, Manchester (12/10/2010)

So I eventually got to see Little Comets live at Manchester Academy. They were supporting New York's own Darwin Deez. After a short delay, which I filled by going to quench my thirst at the bar and catching some of the England vs. Montenegro game, Robert Coles' Geordie accent ensued.

The room was packed with teenagers who seemed to be lapping it up. It appeared that Little Comets have a bigger following than I had first realised. There was a pretty girl near the front, singing every word, eyes glazed over in a heavenly trance.

Isles sounds like a soundtrack of a whole host of British culture in the near future just like Blur's Parklife was in the Nineties. The ever enthusiastic Robert Coles sings, 'In the B.R.I.T.I say British Isles, the streets are bleak the kids are running wild'.

You can never truly judge a band before you have heard/ seen them live. I think I have made this point before but it is a valid one and it is important to stress when reviewing Little Comets. Their single, Isles, which is to be released on October 18, is a decent, catchy tune when listened to at home but to really appreciate the track, you have to hear the sound coming directly from Robert Coles' passionate, emotive gob.

They go on to sing 'Joanna' and seem to enjoy performing it more than any of their other tracks. They are laughing and smiling at each other throughout the song. Due to their accent, it sounds like Little Comets are singing a made up word, 'chuanga' - I assumed that was what they were so amused at but no. Regardless of how fun the song is due to the band's enjoyment, it is hard not to warm to it with its high tempo and Robert Coles' Enthusiastic delivery and equally fervent backing vocals. In fact, I am going to keep singing, 'chuanga' instead of 'Joanna' because it makes me laugh.

'Adultery' is another 'feel good' track, despite it's title. At first you hear a happy, scratching guitar intro, played by Michael Coles (yes, it is another band of brothers) and you expect the song to be about loving a girl but Robert Coles goes on to explain that, 'this is a tale of a boy of a man of a girl of a wife' and you start to see the story in the song coming to light. It is another very catchy song and by this point, I am starting to sweat with the musical waves Little Comets are bombarding me with. My skin is tingling and I am reminded that live music can be fun if the band you are watching care about the quality of their performance.

Drummer, Mark Harle, has to be given credit as he is the engine of the musical machine behind little Comets' live performance. He keeps the tempo fast and he keeps Robert Coles' consonants in time.

Prior to the gig, the only song of theirs that I knew well was, 'Isles', but they bowled me over with songs I had never heard before or only remembered vaguely and I left Club Academy wanting to buy their album whenever it comes out.

Carl Barât - Carl Barât (album)

Arcady Record

Released: Monday 4 October 2010

Barât's voice is unmistakable. It was one of the main power tools that gave The Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things their catchy sounds. His is not a voice like Marvin Gaye or Axel Rose but it is a voice that you feel familiar with in a good way. It has an innately warming affect on me, which not many voices do. Of course, the album, also named, 'Carl Barât', is more low-tempo than most of the songs which we associate with the man in question. In many cases, this wouldn't work. Many bands rely on the energy they evoke in their fans from their up-tempo songs to succeed and if that tempo is slowed, the band or artist becomes just an average act. This doesn't seem to be the case with this record though.

For those of us who wondered if Carl Barât could be as lyrically apt without the help and muse that Peter Doherty gave him will most likely have their question answered here. There is no question mark about the wonderful tone and sheer catchiness of his first solo album.

He steels and mixes lines from the song, 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone?' written by Pete Seegerin 1955 in first track, 'The Magnus': 'Where have all the flowers gone? Gone to young girls every one.' - An interesting bit of inspiration there as the original song was about women plucking flowers and their husbands who had joined the army. Don't you just love a badly-hidden pop-culture reference? I do. In fact, it's a poignant reminder of our boys in Afghanistan.

The second track on the album, 'Je Regrette, Je Regrette', (I regret, I regret) is a bit more brisk and it's amusing and refreshing to hear Barât sing, 'I'm a wretch, I'm a wretch, a tosser at a stretch'. It's great when an 'artist' doesn't take them self too seriously, especially when it is someone who you imagined would be somewhat diva-ish.

The record offers value as well as quality for money as its ten tracks are at an average 3 minutes 48 seconds long. This extended song length goes to show the way in which Barât tells a story in the majority of songs on the album. I think most good songs are stories. The narrative makes you want to continue listening to find out how the story or song ends. In fact, several of the songs on the album seem to be about losing someone he is infatuated with. He repeatedly sings, 'better let her go', in the swinging, 'Run with the Boys'.

I won't tell you about any of the other tracks on the album. All you need to know is that it's worth listening to. Carl Barât certainly isn't a half-arsed attempt at a debut solo album. I will be cautious saying this but it might even be as good as anything Barât has done before. There have been others before him who have succeeded after going solo, in fact it seems to give artists a new lease of life. Look at Robbie Williams (even though he's back with Take That now) and then there is Beyonce Knowles. Even Feist only truly shines as a solo artist away from Broken Social Scene. It seems to be the era of the solo singer and Carl Barât surely merits that title now.

Maps & Atlases - Perch Patchwork

Maps & Atlases are one of only a handful of truly memorable bands I have listened to in 2010. Their qualities are based on simple talents, mainly Dave Davison’s voice along with Erin Elders on guitar, Chris Hainey on drums and Shiraz Dada (what an awesome name) on drums. They only formed six years ago when they met in art school (that’s unusual) at Columbia College, Chicago, however their sound is very mature, like they have been recording together for decades.

Before the release of this, their debut full-length album, they released a single from the album, called ‘Solid Ground’, which I reviewed also. Solid Ground creates a beautiful and harmonic musical landscape. Dave Davison’s voice, along with some exciting guitar work, played by Erin Elders, and some distinctive piano chords make the song a milieu of rich tones. You could listen to the track wherever and whenever.

‘The tide has turned across the pond again.’

‘Israeli Caves’, sixth on the album, continues with the harmonies of Solid Ground, however, it sounds more like you would expect from an American East Coast band. It has that folk style which is popular in East Coast cities at the moment. American Cities like, New York and Chicago, seem to be the main areas where interesting, intelligent music is coming from. A few years ago, it was London, which created bands like, The Libertines and Klaxons but now the tide has turned across the pond again.

If I were to say they sounded like any other band, it would probably be Vampire Weekend, however, with their song, ‘Will’, they continue to show they have something different to offer. In Will, which is fairly short at only 2:16 minutes, Maps & Atlases get creative with unusual sounds from voices and instruments.

It is difficult to be original in music these days with bands attempting to recreate or even improve upon the great music of past decades but I feel that Maps & Atlases are one of a group of bands making music at the moment (mainly from North America) who are at least trying to make something new and great which might be remembered as great music in twenty or thirty years’ time. I am not saying it will be but if bands like Maps & Atlases continue to be creative and consider unusual ideas, it might just happen.  

Perch Patchwork could be described as ‘easy-listening’; you could listen to it all day as it basically sounds great and it is not too intense. Nevertheless, it also has that quirky aspect that I have previously mentioned which will keep you interested. If you are already a fan, I would certainly suggest getting hold of the album. If not, at least give some of the songs a listen and definitely keep an ear out for their future releases. Maps & Atlases could be big.