Exeposé
| WEEK SIX
This town needs putting on the map Tom Oberst & Will Platt invite veteran Oxford math rockers This Town Needs Guns to play a live show to a global online audience and 40 people in a hot sweaty Exeter living room...
WITH the success of the Boiler Room, live streaming has become a much more mainstream way to watch music. Last Friday, we tried our hand at it, broadcasting This Town Needs Guns to around 200 people across the world, in our living room... Hidden away in a corner of Exeter, 40 people squash into the room to hear Tim Collis’ intricately woven melodies and nostalgic musings, playing songs from their new album coming out in January. It’s packed wall to wall, and boiling hot on account of the windows shut to appease the neigbours, but this obviously doesn’t seem to prove a problem for the hundreds of fans watching online. In total garnering over 1000 hits, the show proved to be a huge success.
“40 people squash into the room to hear their intricately woven melodies and nostalgic musings” When most of the physical attendees have filed out, I catch the band for some comment, only to find them determinedly ironic and surrealistically deadpan. Settling into my housemate’s du-
MUSIC
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vet, the band (Henry, Chris and Tim) from one Mr J. Bieber - probably. As far as playing live is concerned, introduce themselves as Gerald, Marvin and, err, Tim, respectively, before the Exeter show is only the second on proceeding to stutter through tongue- a 24-date UK tour, which will be folin-cheek lies about their new album, lowed by travels to both Russia and past band members and our mutual Germany early next year: “We’re going friend, Fun Chris (Baker - their touring to the Motherland in February, which is pretty cool!” chirps Tim. “And the guitarist). Allegedly made out of silk Fatherland as well.” and called The Weaving, their Enjoy Having a similar new album is due to come our musical style to Kinsellaout on the “pretty legit” esque math rock Sargent House record musings? Check out bands like CapN’ label sometime next our show on Xpression Jazz and Joan of January, says Henry, FM next Monday 6-7. Join Arc, they have or “whenever the developed a huge world is ready”, rethe discussion and listen fan base stateformulates Gerald. again on facebook.com/ side (shown by It’s taken much longer XmediaMusicShow the huge number of for this sophomore reAmericans tuned in to lease to be fully written the live stream). “It’s a big and ready, especially considering they were set to release an album compliment,” weeps Chris, “but it’s two years ago, before the departure of crazily frustrating whenever you post their lead singer. But when I ask, all anything online and just get a hundred I can muster from them is a drawled people saying ‘come to America!’ and play on words. “Animals [the name of one lone guy saying ‘come to Chile!” It their 2008 debut] tend to reproduce seems that this band really is a labour themselves, but this one we had to do of love. Tim’s beautifully complex yet ourselves”, muses Henry from below melodic guitar riffs have earned them a cult status around the world, yet they the covers. That being said, they promise at still all work day jobs to pay the bills. least 100 per cent more Cher - obvi- Fingers crossed their new album frees ously Animals has been paying the bills them from the shackles of the nine to - and an extra-special guest appearance five.
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THE FIRING RANGE *
Back in 2002, Madonna set the Bond intros bar at a quasi-apocalyptic level when she insulted the ears and IQs of Bond film enthusiasts with the expectedly piss-poor pop trash ‘Die Another Day’. Cornell, Keys and White have since wreaked havoc in the slaughterhouse; now it is the turn of everyone’s favourite singer who we’re legally obliged to think is fantastic and beautiful: Adele. Unfortunately I can’t review her song ‘Skyfall’ because I couldn’t make it to the end without drifting off into an emotionally devoid abyss, driven to despair by the tedium of the latest 007 pre-amble bore-fest. Sorry.
Adele Skyfall Adele’s effort feels like a Bond theme, but also feels like a Eurovision entry. Lyrically atrocious, the song relies on Adele’s languorous voice to heave it towards a dull whimpering climax. As expected, the stirring bass and ascending chords are there, yet the dramatic explosion fails to ignite. Instead, the pondering melody fizzles out: nothing really happens. Skyfall is predictably formulaic: Adele’s mature performance creates a lingering atmosphere to get you in the mood for 007 but, crucially, lacks Bond’s seductive style and dangerous substance. Overwhelmingly banal, the record does the job; it is stirred, not shaken.
TIMOTHY HELLYER
BENEDICT CLARKE
Local Natives Breakers
Mika Celebrate
Since Local Natives’ debut Gorilla Manor in 2009, which catapulted the California-based group into comparisons with the likes of Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes, hipsters have waited with baited breath for any upcoming projects from the psychfolk masters. Finally the wait is over. The first single for their new album ‘Hummingbird’ (out in January on French Kiss), Breakers, certainly doesn’t disappoint. A soaring chorus shimmers in anthemic style, perhaps in homage to tour-mates Arcade Fire, reflecting the tangible sense that this is a band whose sound has matured in its absence. The trademark Local Natives production and drums are still heavily prevalent, providing the perfect backdrop to Kelcey Ayer’s vocals.
Back in 2007 Mika captured the freedom and joy of a pre-credit crunch world with theatrical falsetto-pitched songs about a certain American actress and fat birds. After years of obscurity the scaling tenor is back, but this time in a subdued form – it’s as if Mika had a lobotomy to dull him down to the dreary reality of debt, cuts and short-term payday lenders. Celebrate is the sedated result. Devoid of characteristic flamboyant madness, the record fails to convince listeners that everything “will be OK”. The synth-heavy bass lines sound like Daft Punk on sleeping pills, while Pharrell just sounds daft. Reeking of forced fun, there’s not much to celebrate here.
ANTHONY PRODROMOU, MUSIC EDITOR
BENEDICT CLARKE