Madame So @ The Islington, 13 June 2017

From the incredible Madame So - Solange, singing solo and acoustic at The Islington last night.

Any fears Solange expressed about the acoustic format were exploded, as her voice is as almighty powerful without her electric band backing her. It's in the way she plays with wordless sounds as well as her detailed, emotive, intelligent lyrics. There's conviction and a sense of release, not just simple anger.

Solange wants us to take notice, her strong and personal delivery commands it constantly, as her songs offer something that's missing from music - a meaningfulness that's so often lacking. Backed with a plugged-in rhythm section her songs rock the place but it's no less so when you focus on how and what she delivers vocally.

When she breaks into "anything you want, I got it!" you can feel her self-belief in her music, and the cover version tagged along to one of her own songs sits perfectly - she's shouting it now, demanding we absorb not only her attention but also her sheer confidence and passion.

This is songwriting that will go far, far beyond tonight's pub backroom. Solange's presence and performance scream out superstar in all the best ways.

Loom, by Fear of Men (on tape)

This burning, bright red cassette is my latest treasure. I feel glad to still own the means to play tapes. With this Fear of Men album I'm reminded of certain 4AD bands but without the faux nostalgia/dreaming of older times... This is music that feels very new and of itself despite any subtle signs of influences.

I saw Fear Of Men playing as support when Dignan Porch released their album a couple of years ago. I remember Fear Of Men creating a heavy, fuzzy sound, so Loom surprises me with its softness and gently ethereal sounds, especially the vocals. Some of these songs have more of a singer/songwriter feel to them, stripped back, simple and not sounding so much like a full band. There is an incredible atmosphere to the songs, as well, though. This is really dreamy, hazy, swirling stuff, but not so much about layers as there's a sense of quiet that lets the songs breathe. Somehow, with Loom, I'm suddenly transported to a quiet, secret woodland haven.

I love Jess Weiss's voice, in particular. It seems to me it is not coming from someone who is overly conscious of the act of singing or being a singer/aspiring star, and nor is it striving as such, but remains very natural and clear, in a subtle but strong way. I really look forward to more gigs by Fear of Men, now, and getting caught up in their dreamy world.

Nat Johnson

My favourite song at the moment is by the solo singer-songwriter Nat Johnson:

I was delighted to discover her music recently by way of a surprise gig, with live violin along with acoustic guitar and her wonderful, reflective vocals. Really moving music - something so powerful in the quiet. I also really appreciate singers who are natural and gentle in their singing. I can't wait to investigate more of her music, and hopefully more gigs some time too - I think the Union Chapel in London on a summery Saturday afternoon would be just perfect.

Whole host of stuff to listen to by Nat on her official website.

New Brian Jonestown Massacre album

It'll sound heaps better when the physical album is spinning on my stereo, but for now the new Brian Jonestown Massacre album being previewed online sounds like something to get really excited about. The last album, Aufheben was an ace return to form, and Revelation keeps on in that pounding drum style (which I really welcome), with a mixture of dance music rhythms, tuneful guitar lines on an array of pedals, and sounds of strings and horns thrown in, and some interesting vocals. Hints of Strung Out in Heaven might be creeping in, as there's so much pure, 60s  pop melody - well, there so often is, but it's the pedals and style, sometimes stripped back too. There're wacked-out sounding vocal treatments, as well, so it's on a similar trippy vibe to the previous album, with some songs quite a lot slower. All in all, sounding really rich and great.

The preview is over at this Vimeo link here.

Bring it on!

Current listening: Taffy and Hufdis Huld

Just discovered a squally guitar band from Tokyo called Taffy on Club AC30 label.

Quite a different-sounding, nice cover of a Cure song here:

Had a nice Saturday morning moment when I ran down the stairs eager for post and my Hafdis Huld album was actually there waiting for me - good to start the morning with a new album. I really recommend her first album Dirty Paper Cup, which is from 2006 - not sure how she passed me by until recent years, but I am hooked currently. Lots of pure and sweet vocal melodies over gently pretty guitar pop, with folk inspiration and some interesting percussive instruments. This album has involvement from the folk artist Boo Hewerdine (who also worked with Roddy Woomble when he did his solo work). Surprised to see some of the songs on Hafdis' album are co-written by Chris Gentry - nothing online or in the sleevenotes to suggest it is he from Menswear, but I can only guess it is and that it's perhaps because her former band Gus Gus were around at the same time as them.

Some more from Hafdis Huld as she's so wonderful:

Hafdis Huld

Listening to lots of Hafdis Huld, an Icelandic solo singer. Mainly gently acoustic, tuneful, twinkly-pretty songs. First discovered a few years ago when I received a stash of CD singles for reviewing for a music website - namely, a song sung in Icelandic about Spiderman (Kongula, which has a fun video of a spidey-suited man larking about, unable to scale a tree).

Lately, I feel like pretending I'm in Nordic climes in order to brace wintry times. This video by Hafdis helps:

Hometown Hero is another great song, with the chiming keys and electro beat in the mix:

There's a real playfulness and sweetness to Hafdis's music. I regret not getting to see her live last year in a café round King's Cross way. It was a gig put on by another site I used to write for, Glasswerk.

Hafdis seems to play cute for cameras but it seems like she has a genuine and fun sense of child-like wonder at times regardless too. This video involves her chasing down elves on a patch of wild land in Iceland, tempting them with blueberries, and talking about them dreamily. I like a pop singer who isn't afraid to be heart-on-sleeve silly and fun.

She's also sung some more serious sounding folk stuff in her native tongue, which is up on Youtube too. I think I must buy some of her albums soon, as she's had a few by now.

http://www.hafdishuld.com/

Christmas music

Best musical gift this Christmas - I got this album from a friend who tends to be pretty good at buying me new music. I had heard the name, but not the band. I was very pleasantly surprised to hear very 90s sounding dreamy fuzzy guitar pop, reminiscent of Cranes, whom I happen to be enjoying immensely lately.

Recent music-related birthday gifts:

I had wanted the Soft Boys live LP (on the left) for some time. By chance, spotted it in a record shop for the fairly high sum you'd expect - was told it had been brought in that week by a former band member, and I instantly recommended a loved one buy me it as a gift, and it was bought (lucky me!). And I personally bought Globe of Frogs, by Robyn Hitchcock which I was just as glad to have (Balloon Man and Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis) are on repeat - Can you name any better song title than the latter? Can you name any other song than the former that merrily slips in a lyric about hoummous and chickpeas?

The live LP is the Soft Boys at Cambridge Portland Arms. It took place a couple of years before I was on this earth. It's as raucously joyous and off-kilter as you please, as one would expect. Plenty of jokey direct interaction with the audience, surreal stories spun, in-between-song banter, fond moments breaking into traditional acapella folk, and even a spot of ghastly mellow saxophone. The size of the venue lends the LP a cosiness; Soft Boys in your living room. In fact, the Portland Arms pub has recently undergone transformation and had building works in order for the gig room to be extended. I haven't seen it yet, but I can't help feel sad. Such a historical building, and its charm was how extremely tiny the back room was, and that you were crammed right in, right up against audience and band. I used to live there and it was a second home, one of my most treasured tiny snug venues for bands starting out. Anyway, imagine you were there in 1978, etc !

The Yann Tiersen LP (top right) was an album I'd wanted a while too. This LP comes with a CD version. This is the thoughtful, melancholy yet uplifting music I crave for autumnal times.

A friend got me up to speed on his recent music obsessions, giving me the albums by Wu Lyf, Crocodiles, and Dead Skeletons. By turns, holy, fuzzy, droney.

And I'm embarking on obtaining Edwyn Collins albums. I need to hear the most recent one, but here was Gorgeous George. I would not have appreciated this album in 1994, but now the slower songs and the tenderness, and the variety, and his more adult-orientated song-crafting are just great. I liked the pop of Orange Juice when I was a teenager - they hadn't been re-assessed as cool or directly ripped off much at that point.

The Last Stop Standing film was bought from Borderline Records in Brighton when I was there. The book was a fascinating journey in record shops/shopping. Even though I well knew it, I still got a genuine set of tears when the screen flashed up how there used to be over thousands of record shops in the UK, now the number scrapes a couple of hundred. Worth watching by any music fan. It makes you want to support any and all independent record shops even more (as if that were possible with me).