Review of Manic Street Preachers--Rewind The Film on Soundblab.com 27/09/2013

Manic Street Preachers      

Rewind the Film

Columbia

Released: Monday 16 September 2013

It's fitting that Manic Street Preachers named their greatest hits collection National Treasures - The Complete Singles, as it would seem that, with Rewind the Film, the Welsh three-piece are becoming just that, 21 years since the group pierced the UK album chart with Generation Terrorists. The nation in question, of course, is Wales but, regardless of where you're from, Rewind the Film is an astonishing reinforcement of their reputation as one of the finest bands of the past couple of decades. Assured and relevant, Rewind The Film is up there with the best of the Manics' previous 10 studio albums.

Contemplative, mellow at times, but never afraid to belt out a defiant message, this is a group at ease with themselves, content to mix styles and lyrical content. The opening track, 'This Sullen Welsh Heart', sets the tone with its first line: "I don't want my children to grow up like me/ It's too soul destroying/ It's a mocking disease" - a comment on being middle-aged and all that goes with it, whether that's a sense of responsibility, regrets or just a failure to leap around a rock'n'roll stage any more. After such a mellow opening, 'Show Me the Wonder', a catchy number which has already wormed its way into this writer's head with its blaring horns, is more traditional Manics fare, its pure pop melody screaming out 'hit single'!

The title track which follows changes the mood completely once again. Nicky Wire recently told Marc Burrows in an article on thequietus.com website that he had been listening to David Axelrod a lot, and here's the evidence. With a tune heavily influenced by Axelrod's 'A Little Girl Lost' (as acknowledged on the sleeve notes), vocal duties are handed to Richard Hawley, who delivers a message of lost youth and the mortality of "waiting for the night to come". Hawley is not the only guest vocalist on the album, with Lucy Rose adding a note of tenderness to 'This Sullen Welsh Heart' and Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon providing the lead on '4 Lonely Roads'.

As a former long-term resident of the world's largest conurbation and having seen how popular the Manics are in Japan, this reviewer was not surprised to see the metropolis celebrated in words and music on '(I Miss the) Tokyo Skyline', and when James Dean Bradfield sings the line, "This place somehow feels like a second home", anyone who has ever spent more than a couple of weeks in Tokyo will know exactly what Nicky Wire was thinking when he wrote the song.

The opening couple of songs on side two, 'Anthem for a Lost Cause' and 'As Holy as the Soil (That Buries Your Skin)', see the return of the horn section and, in the case of the former, the only lyrics on the album penned by Bradfield, while Wire steps up the microphone for the latter, an unabashed love letter from Wire to his late, lamented bandmate, Richey Edwards.

As Rewind the Film heads towards its conclusion, 'Running out of Fantasy', contains lyrics which could be at the core of the album, in that they examine the transience of life in a rock band. Lines like: "The seduction of a fading power/ in a hotel in the middle of nowhere/ I'm running out of fantasy," press home the melancholic, yet strangely uplifting feeling of Rewind the Film.

The instrumental 'Manorbier', including some marvellous theremin vibes, gives the listener time to relax before '30 Year War' closes the album in more familiar Manics territory. As Wire told Burrows on thequietus.com: "It's definitely about Thatcherism, about the establishment across the last 30 years, and it doesn't matter what government is around, we always love to portray ourselves as this holier than thou country, and yet we have scandal after scandal uncovered, right to the root of power, government, Murdoch, the police, Hillsborough, this stupefaction of the class I grew up in, which I think all stems from Thatcherism really." With references to the Hillsborough disaster, the battle between striking miners and police at Orgreave coking plant in 1984 and the various scandals centred on the BBC that have been uncovered over the past 12 months, the song rails against institutional cover ups, before referencing Lenin with the refrain, "What is to be done."

Over the past 21 years, Manic Street Preachers have consistently released thought-provoking albums, full of dynamic songs with intelligent lyrics. Some hard core fans might not welcome what might be perceived as a dilution of the Manics sound but, for this reviewer, Rewind the Film is quite possibly their best album since Everything Must Go. Never mind Rewind the Film, it's about time to turn the record over for another listen.

Interview with Stewart Lee in the Shropshire Star on Friday 13th September 2013

Why Severn is just great for Stewart

Stephen Taylor meets a Shropshire-born
comedian who is in great demand
  

Stewart Lee loves coming back to the county of his birth

Life on tour for a successful comedian can be a bit of a slog, but for Stewart Lee, Shrewsbury left its mark when he performed in the county town last year.

“We walked past a pub where an acoustic guitarist was playing covers of John Martyn songs, and they were selling a nice local bitter—and that is about as good as it gets on the road,” the 45-
year-old recalled.

With the county town a regular date on his tours over the past 25 years, Lee’s association with Shropshire goes back even further than that, having been born in Wellington before moving
to Solihull, where he developed an early taste for comedy.

“My grandparents, who brought me up as a little kid, were very much of the area. They were both on the shop floor at Cadbury’s before the war, spoke with the accents of the area and had a distinct
sense of humour. My grandfather was a big influence on me in that way,” he said.

A London resident for many years, Lee admits that his Midlands accent has become somewhat diluted, yet he still sees his native tongue as a potent weapon in his comedic arsenal.

“If I’m saying something really pretentious, dogmatic or contentious, if I let a little bit of the lilt trickle back into my voice, it seems to neutralise it. I think people trust the Birmingham accent,
they don’t seem to think it’s capable of deceit or guile, or pretentiousness. There’s something really great about it,” he said.

Lee doesn’t confine references to his West Midlands roots to the accent. When asked about a type of curry that could sum him up, Lee stays very much close to home.

“A balti, probably. Something that began with a localised popularity, but appears to be becoming a national dish,” he joked.

Lee first rose to prominence as the writing and performing partner of Richard Herring, with Lee and Herring’s Fist of Fun comedy show a hit on BBC radio and television in the early to mid-1990s. A Sunday lunchtime show, This Morning With Richard Not Judy, took the pair to the end of the decade and, along with it, the end of their professional
partnership.

The past 14 years have seen Lee perform a number of themed stand-up shows, with titles such as 90s Comedian, 41st Best Stand-Up Ever, If You Prefer a Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One and last year’s Carpet Remnant World. Hot on the heels of a run at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Lee’s new show, Much A-Stew About Nothing, kicked off its national tour on Tuesday, so what can the audience expect when it rolls into Shrewsbury on Monday?

“The idea of this tour is that normally when I do a tour I write a show that’s a two-hour through line, it’s got some kind of beginning, middle and end, and some kind of story to it. Every couple of years,
I do a tour where I try and work out three hours of stuff for the telly show, so any stories or ideas have to be self-contained within a 30-minute loop,” he explained.

The “telly show” Lee referred to is Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, the BBC production that won the Bafta award for best comedy programme last year. With a third series scheduled for March next year, Lee finds that his inspiration comes from a middle-aged point of view these days.

“I tried to fix a light in the kitchen about six months ago in the middle of the night, fell and ended up in A & E. I think they thought I had been drinking or was on drugs, and I worked that into half an hour about what it’s like to be a middle-aged dad and to be weak and vulnerable,” he said, adding that he still hadn’t lost his eye for a dig at politicians.

“I’ve got half an hour on UKIP policy. I’d dropped the kids off at school and I had the car radio on and the bloke from UKIP came on. He did a really incoherent, mad interview, which was quite
funny, and then I found it online and you suddenly had half an hour.”

With Much A-Stew About Nothing stopping off at some large venues, such as Birmingham’s 2,200-seat capacity Symphony Hall, Lee’s popularity is clearly broadening much to the comedian’s
consternation.

“The perception of me is that [my audience] is just a load of Guardian readers, but it’s hilarious now,
it’s so diverse. You get a whole spread,” he said.

● Stewart Lee: Much A-Stew About Nothing is at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury on September 16, and Birmingham Symphony Hall on October 27. See www.stewartlee.co.uk for booking details.

Interview with Jim Kerr of Simple Minds in the Shropshire Star on 5 April 2013

New songs and surprises
among the greatest hits

Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr told Stephen Taylor why fans can
expect two gigs in one tomorrow night

Jim Kerr is promising some surprises on the set list when the Simple Minds Greatest Hits tour rolls into Wolverhampton tomorrow.

“Songs like ‘Celebrate,’ and obscurities like ‘This Fear Of Gods’ now line up beside songs like ‘(Don’t You) Forget About Me’ and ‘Alive and Kicking,’ and they work,” said Jim Kerr, the Scottish band’s frontman.

This time last year, Simple Minds had just finished a tour that took the band back to their late 1970s/early ‘80s roots. The experience had a lasting effect on Kerr.

“We did this ‘5X5 [Live]’ tour, where we played five songs from each of our first five albums, a sort of non-greatest hits tour, in the sense that we didn’t really break through until the fifth album.

“We were a wee bit nervous about it, because you can’t go back – that was then, this is now – and we didn’t want to be our own tribute band to those days, so we were trying to call up the ghosts of that period, and I think it worked.

“People really raved about it and we discovered songs that we had forgotten how powerful some of them were,” he said.

And it seems that Simple Minds’ trip down memory lane has triggered a shift in direction for the group as they work on their new album, due for release, according to Kerr, early next year.

“We’ve been in that world of those early days – the early sounds of Simple Minds – and it’s probably no surprise that that is influencing what we’re working on just now, so [the album is] not the big rock sound of Graffiti Soul, it’s probably more in an electro, art rock [style] that the band came out of.

“But what’s more important is that it’s great. We think it’s already shaping up great.”

So, with this year set aside for touring, what can the Civic Hall audience expect to hear?

 

“Two sets. The second set is pretty much a greatest hits, all the big songs, and the first set, let’s see how we feel on the night,” the 53-year-old said, adding that they’ll be slipping in some new material.

“We’re playing two new songs. A song called ‘Broken Glass Park,’ that we’ve played live, and a song that we’ve never played called ‘Blood Diamonds,’” he said.

Paul Weller EP review on Soundblab.com January 2013

Paul Weller 
Dragonfly

Island Records
Released: Monday 17 December 2012

In the days when vinyl ruled the turntables, the phrase 'limited edition' was associated with coloured plastic and/or picture sleeves - and very popular they were with vinyl junkies and record companies alike. So the 7in vinyl version of Dragonfly, Paul Weller's new EP, which has hit the shops with a limited batch of just 3,000 numbered copies, will certainly have got the pulses racing among record collectors. With a sleeve designed by Sir Peter Blake, the man responsible for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Weller's 1995 album, Stanley Road, it's already a highly sought-after piece of plastic, though a downloadable version is still available for anyone unimaginative enough to merely want to listen to the music!

The title track will be familiar to anyone who has heard Weller's most recent album, Sonik Kicks, and a fine track it is too, with lots of swirling sounds from Blur's Graham Coxon. 'Devotion' also appeared on the deluxe version of said album, while the rest of the tracks were all recorded during the Sonik Kicks sessions.

The four new tracks are well worth hearing, with 'We Got a Lot' this writer's pick of a very impressive crop, though Weller once again manages to get the listener racking their brain over which tune is lurking there under the surface. This is not a criticism but, unlike 'It's Too Bad' off All Mod Cons, released by The Jam (Weller's first band, for the benefit of younger readers) in 1978, where an early Beatles riff is unmistakeable, I can't quite place this influence.

'Lay Down Your Weary Burden' and 'Portal to the Past' are more than mere fillers, while 'The Piper' sees Weller tipping his hat to his Motown-listening roots, yet adding a contemporary vibe to a track which ends this extremely satisfying EP on a strong note.

Review of Scott Walker's Bish Bosch album for Soundblab.com December 2012

SCOTT WALKER - BISH BOSCH

Released: 3rd December 2012

For many of the post-punk generation, the name Scott Walker is connected with Julian Cope. In 1981, the former lead singer of Teardrop Explodes and, latterly, antiquarian and all-round eccentric compiled Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker, a collection of tracks from Walker's early solo albums released in the late 1960s.

As an interpreter of Jacques Brel songs, such as 'If You Go Away', 'Jackie', and this writer's favourite, Mathilde', Walker truly lived up to Cope's hyperbole and, for many listeners, his rich, baritone voice was, and remains, the gold standard for orchestral balladeers. Yet, in 1984, just as interest in Walker's more melodic tunes had been stimulated, he released Climate of Hunter, a challenging collection which hinted at his crooning past, but most definitely did not exploit any curiosity that may have been generated by Fire Escape in the Sky.

It would be 11 years before Tilt, Walker's next record, hit the shelves, marking the first in a trilogy of experimental, avant garde albums which sees its completion with the release of Bish Bosch. Coming out only six years after The Drift (the middle part of the trilogy), Bish Bosch emerges with seemingly undue haste for an artist who has tended to leave 10-year gaps between albums over the past 40 years or so.

In Walker's case, 'artist' is a very apt description. Bish Bosch, as the second half of its title might suggest, is best approached in the same way you might view a work of art. On first listen, it appears disjointed, jagged and almost unlistenable. Yet, like studying a painting or other work of art, one needs to look at it again and again to fully understand the meaning and, with repeated plays, the listener is drawn into its complex web, revealing layers that demonstrate the songwriting skills of a '60s survivor who can still produce thought-provoking material which is ultimately very rewarding.

At more than an hour, the listener needs to invest a good deal of time before reaping any long-lasting benefit, yet each track appears to have been hand-crafted by Walker with co-producer Peter Walsh, using a myriad of strange sounds, including the noise of swords being sharpened and barking dogs at various times in the recording. At certain points during the centrepiece track, 'SDSS 14+13B (Zercon, a Flagpole Sitter)', the 21-minute epic which forms the centrepiece of the album, it is silence that creates the tension for the listener and draws one into the work.

The album closes with a track subtitled 'An Xmas Song' but, this being Walker, the sleigh bells which end the number are dark and slightly disturbing. One thing's for sure, you won't be hearing BBC Radio 2 playing this festive tune on Christmas Day this year or, indeed, in any future years.
Walker is quoted on the 4AD website as saying: "I've always thought since the late '70s, 'This is my last record'… I guess I just pull the trigger each time." With the 'big 7-0' looming for Walker in January, if these words prove to be prophetic, Bish Bosch will be an enduring legacy but, somehow, I don't think we've seen the last of him just yet.

Tony Hadley Preview Metropolis [Tokyo] 2 Nov 2012

Spandau Ballet frontman traipses down memory lane

By Stephen Taylor | 2 Nov 2012 | Issue: 972

The last time global hitmakers Spandau Ballet toured Japan, the group’s role as fashion leaders did not sit well with lead singer Tony Hadley. Arriving in Japan in 1985, he recalls the shock of encountering Tokyo’s infamous summer heat.

“Do you remember the Live Aid suit?” the 52-year-old asked Metropolis over the phone from his home in Buckinghamshire, England last month. “It was a double-hemmed leather suit,” he says. “I remember the humidity when we were there last time and it was bloody awful.”

Twenty-seven years on, humidity should not be a problem for Hadley when he plays shows in Tokyo and Osaka next week, and he is looking forward to finally returning to Japan.

“We had a great time there, the fans were pretty crazy. There was a real ‘teen scream’ thing going on, and Japan was just completely different from anywhere else,” he recalls.

For his first visit to Japan as a solo artist, Hadley will be showcasing some new numbers but, more to the point for middle-aged fans of Spandau Ballet who saw them back in the ’80s, he will be playing the old favorites.

“We’re going to do a couple of new songs and do all the hits that people know and, hopefully, still love,” he promises, adding that he’s not ready to mellow out too much just yet. “It’s a pretty raunchy set, actually. We’re not tippy-toed musicians—we play loud.”

Raunchy and loud are not words you would associate with the New Romantic movement that Spandau Ballet helped to launch in the early ’80s, until Hadley reels off an unexpected list of songwriting influences.

“I’ve always been a massive Queen fan. I think they’re fantastic writers. Tom Petty—super writer, Bruce Springsteen—great, love him. Darryl Hall and John Oates—brilliant, David Bowie—great, Roxy [Music], Kaiser Chiefs—brilliant, The Killers—brilliant, the late Robert Palmer—brilliant. If you’re into music, you listen to different types,” he says, adding that a cover of a song by New Jersey’s most famous son has made it onto his set list.

“We’ve covered ‘Girls in Their Summer Clothes,’ off the Magic album, by Bruce Springsteen. We’ve done it at a few festivals. I think, ‘I really wish I’d written that,’ but you do what you do and, hopefully, people will like it.”

One look at the Spandau Ballet discography quickly tells you that, with almost every song written by guitarist Gary Kemp, any thoughts Hadley may have had of penning the occasional tune remained on hold. But he is in no doubt about his musical priorities.

“I’ve always considered myself first a singer and, second, a songwriter. I get a big kick out of singing,” he explains. The Londoner is not averse to covering songs by one of his fellow travelers from the decade of shoulder pads and mullets.

“I did a cover of [Duran Duran’s] ‘Save a Prayer’ on an album a few years ago, and Simon Le Bon came and did some backing vocals. Some of the fans thought it was a bit strange, but I quite like it. I haven’t done that one [live] for a long, long time, but we do [Duran Duran’s] ‘Rio,’ which went down a storm at festivals.”

Whatever Hadley may say about his singer-songwriter priorities, his next album will be a landmark for him. “For the first time, we’re doing a completely original album, completely written or co-written by me, which sound like it’s a “me-me” album, but it’s not—I’ve got fantastic musicians around me.

“It’s pop-rock, but pop-rock with heavier guitars and some sequence sections. I’m a big fan of The Killers, who are obviously influenced by quite a lot by ’80s stuff. I quite like that hybrid of rocky sound with heavy synth style,” he says, adding that its release date has become something of a moveable feast.

“It should have been out about two years ago,” he laughs. “Hopefully, sometime next year, late spring I would imagine. The working title is Heroes and Lovers, which is a song that myself and Phil [Taylor], the keyboard player, have written. It’s a very different kind of song, and I thought, ‘That’s a great title for an album—Heroes and Lovers.’

As for Hadley’s other singing gig, Spandau Ballet’s Reformation Tour in 2009-10 was one of the more surprising of the recent spate of ’80s band reunions.

“It’s been well documented that we had a massive falling out and ended up in the High Court, all sorts of stuff,” he says, “so our relationship was, to say the least, pretty fragmented, if there was any relationship at all, and I did say at a certain time that I would never, ever tour with those guys again.”
“It took six months of soul searching before we finally sat down and had a pint together, and it was really [drummer] John Keeble who was instrumental in getting the band back together,” Hadley recalls. He jibes that the experience shored up much more than a few bank accounts.

“I suppose, in a lot of ways, and I think everybody said this, it was a release, to get rid of all that anger that we had between us, and that was a nice thing. Stuff happens and you think, ‘Life is too short,’ so we went from a position of hating each other to going back on an even keel again.”

Billboard Live, Nov 9-10

L'ARC EN CIEL AT INDIGO2, LONDON, ON 11 APRIL 2012

L’Arc En Ciel at O2 Indigo, London,
on Wednesday 11th April 2012
 

More than 20 years since forming in Osaka, L’Arc En Ciel finally made it to Britain with a show at the London’s Indigo2.

The first thing I notice about the place is how small it is, compared to the enormodomes L’Arc En Ciel usually play in Japan. But this is London and most people have never heard of the band so, for any Japanese expats in the audience, the chance to see them in such intimate surroundings must have seemed too good to be true.
There was a sense of “Japan recreated” in the venue—perhaps the £50 ticket price put off all but hard-core fans—with the well-behaved audience waving their glo sticks (only £6 each) in time to the music and a bar that closed once the music started.

L’Arc En Ciel’s delayed arrival in London struck me as surprising, considering the nod they clearly give to a heavy metal and glam rock tradition that was pioneered in Britain during the 1970s.

The four-piece were clearly looking to impress, with singer Hyde opening up his on-stage chat with “I wanted to see you, London.” His language skills extended to a few more sentences, though the way he was holding his ear made it look like he was being fed his lines, David Coleman-style, from somewhere else.

Nevertheless, the band communicate really well with the audience, and guitarist Ken proved to be the star of the show for this reviewer, when he pulled out a piece of paper (no hint of an earpiece this time) to deliver a speech that referenced Sean Connery, Roger Moore, the London Dungeon and golf, before revealing that he had bought bassist Tetsuya some “cool” leggings and Tube map boxer shorts, presumably to go with the Union Jack frock coat he was wearing on stage. As for the bassist’s kilt, Judas Priest frontman and hero of Ken, Rob Halford (who also got a mention), would surely have approved.

Ken’s speech led into “Seventh Heaven,” one of the strongest numbers of the set, though every song was greeted with rapturous applause. For this reviewer, “My Heart Draws a Dream” impressed, with an extended guitar solo that lifted the song from the rock conventionality that afflicted some of their other numbers.

And like any rock band worth their salt, L’Arc En Ciel had fire flashes and lots of visual effects. Some of the videos on the stage backdrop were very imaginative, particularly the floating fish, stick men (think Blue Man Group) and cherry blossom, prompting a couple of girls at the front to start waving what looked like a couple of real sprigs of sakura.

While the show lasted more than two hours, there was no excuse to keep the audience waiting for 10 minutes before coming back for an encore, especially after they had originally walked on stage an hour and 45 minutes after the doors opened (they didn’t even have to wait for a support band to finish, as there wasn’t any). Nevertheless, with their enthusiasm and eye for showmanship, L’Arc En Ciel demonstrated why they have endured for so long. Twenty years was a long time to wait for their British fans but, somehow, I think they’ll be back on these shores a tad sooner next time.

Set List

Ibara no Namida
Chase
Good Luck My Way
Honey
Drink It down
Revelation
Hitomi no Juunin
X X X
Daybreak’s Bell
Forbidden Lover
My Heart Draws a Dream
Seventh Heaven
Driver’s High
Stay Away
Ready Steady Go
Encore
Anata
Winter Fall
Link
Niji

Review of One Day I'm Going To Soar by Dexy's, on Soundblab.com, posted on 10 June 2012

Dexys
One Day I'm Going to Soar

BMG Right's Management
Released: Monday 4 June 2012

Once upon a time, there was a group called Dexys Midnight Runners, who had a couple of number one hits in the 1980s and recorded three top 30 albums full of uplifting and passionate songs which reflected the personality of frontman and leader, Kevin Rowland. Almost 27 years since the release of that third album, they're back (although the Midnight Runners part of the band's name has sped off into the distance) with a new collection, One Day I'm Going to Soar, that will surely be one of the albums of the year.

To say that Rowland wears his heart on his sleeve is an understatement, yet it is this perfectionism and passion which has always elevated his music to a level that is often sublime, and occasionally bemusing. One Day I'm Going to Soar's opening number, 'Now', sets the standard, opening with a strong Irish folk influence before progressing into an arrangement which tips its hat to Van Morrison. Six minutes later, Dexys have grabbed you by the lapels and you're hooked.

The opening of 'Lost' lowers the mood slightly, though it isn't too long before Rowland ups the tempo, maintaining the balance between contemplative verse and rousing chorus. 'She Got a Wiggle' was released as a single at the end of May. However, for this reviewer, the following track, 'You', is much more of a foot-tapper, and doesn't have the word "wiggle" in its title.

The album's centrepiece focuses on a couple of tracks, "I'm Always Going To Love You" and "Incapable Of Love." On the former track, Rowland engages in a mid-song dialogue with co-vocalist Madeleine Hyland, as he falls in and out of love. For anyone called Kevin, this is their moment in the spotlight, though they might want to close their ears to some of the lyrics that Hyland delivers. Also, like Martin Fry once did in ABC's "Look Of Love," Rowland is not afraid to namecheck himself in the thick of the lyrics.

'Incapable of Love' picks up the baton, with Rowland and Hyland exchanging verbal uppercuts on the subject of his quest for freedom and lack of commitment. Rowland's witty song writing is in evidence as he argues his corner with Hyland by asking her: "Do you have a view on open relationships? I don't mean that in a gay way," to which she responds that it has to be "all or nothing."

The album ends on an epic note with 'It's O.K. John Joe', with Rowland half-singing, half-talking the lyrics over a simple piano backing track. It is a message to the John Joe of the title that ruminates on isolation, love and regrets, seemingly ending on a contemplative note before the full band kicks in for a rousing last minute of the album. If this was any other artist, you could be excused for thinking it was there by mistake, but this is Dexys - expect the unexpected.

The intensity of One Day I'm Going to Soar is one reason why this album of uncompromising pop songs will appeal to listeners who are old enough to remember 'Geno' and 'Come on Eileen', as well as younger people who may have missed out on the quirky genius of Kevin Rowland. It is a collection which will uplift, amuse and inspire. More than 25 years since Don't Stand Me Down just about dented the UK top 30, One Day I'm Going to Soar has been well worth the wait.

Review of Leonard Cohen's "Old Ideas" in January 2012 on Soundblab.com

Leonard Cohen
Old Ideas
Columbia
Released: Monday 30 January 2012 

 

Old Ideas, the latest release from Leonard Cohen, sees the Canadian singer-songwriter/poet/novelist/wise old sage (delete where necessary) in fine form on this 10-track collection that, at less than 45 minutes, is a throwback to the days when albums fitted neatly onto one side of a C90 cassette.

It's been more than seven years since Cohen put out a studio long-player, a period which has seen him become something of a household name through the dubious distinction of X Factor winner Alexandra Burke reaching the top of the UK charts in 2008 with 'Hallelujah', a song he originally wrote and recorded in 1984. But if it takes a popular talent show - or even the less commercial covers of 'Hallelujah' by Jeff Buckley or Rufus Wainwright - to introduce Cohen to a wider audience, then it's still about time that one of rock's elder statesman is getting the recognition he deserves.

Cohen is happy to acknowledge that, with a recorded output of just 12 albums in 44 years, he is not exactly prolific, from the start of album opener, 'Going Home', in which he describes himself in the third person as "A lazy bastard living in a suit." 'Darkness' lives up to its name, with Cohen delving into the subject of his mortality, musing that "I got no future/ I know my days are few," a lyric which becomes all the more poignant when you consider that Old Ideas could well end up being our last chance to hear a new album by the 77-year-old.

Having said that, Cohen's recent interview with Jarvis Cocker on the BBC revealed a man who, I suspect, will be sticking around for a little bit longer. Let's hope that we don't have to wait until the end of the decade for album number 13.

Review of Shonen Knife's "Osaka Ramones - Tribute to The Ramones" in August 2011 on Soundblab.com

Shonen Knife
Osaka Ramones - Tribute to Ramones

Damnably
Released: Monday 15 August 2011

Shonen Knife finally release a collection of Ramones covers, 13 years since I saw them perform as The Osaka Ramones at Tokyo's Club Quattro (supported by the quite magnificent 5.6.7.8's). At the time, I was quite perplexed, having seen The Ramones play in Rotterdam almost 20 years earlier, but came away from the gig with a big smile on my face, my faith in my favourite Japanese band intact.

Since that night in Shibuya, news of The Osaka Ramones spread, first across the Pacific and then over the Atlantic to Europe, with fans of the threesome anxious to see them don their motorbike jackets for more shows as Shonen Knife's alter ego. And now, we have Osaka Ramones - Tribute to Ramones, a collection of 13 numbers that will be familiar to any fans of the band that have come to personify the idea of American punk music.

The Osaka-based trio have remained faithful to the originals, yet there is a fresh energy to the covers which will be familiar to anyone fortunate enough to have seen Shonen Knife live. It's unmistakeably them, but there is a respect for the originals which shows how influential the music was on the band when Noako, Atsuko and Michie got together almost 30 years ago.

Opening with "Blitzkrieg Bop," the album touches base with many of The Ramones' finest moments. "Sheena is a Punk Rocker," "Rockaway Beach" and "Pinhead" are notable highs. However, for this reviewer, the pick of this baker's dozen is "The KKK Took My Baby Away," a track I first heard performed not by The Ramones, but by a rather less well-known band from Japan, gloriously named The Dogz Bollox, who used to include several Ramones covers in their live set.

And it is this raw power which will ensure that, whether it's Shonen Knife or a covers band in a bar, the legacy of The Ramones will never disappear. If you're a fan of The Ramones or Shonen Knife, you'll like Osaka Ramones - Tribute to Ramones. If you like both if them, you'll love it.

Review of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" in June 2011 on Soundblab.com

Marvin Gaye 
What's Going On

Motown
Released: Monday 27 June 2011

For Marvin Gaye, the end of the 1960s marked a period where any optimism which had spread through the United States earlier in the decade was fading. Civil rights were being eroded and visionaries such as Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy assassinated. The escalation of war in southeast Asia resonated with each letter his brother, Frankie, sent from Vietnam, while the death of Terri Terrell, his musical partner, in early 1970 shocked Gaye into a pit of depression that threatened to end his career.
Out of this chaos emerged What's Going On, an album that redefined Gaye as a supreme musician and songwriter and would become one of the classic collections of the 20th entury. To mark the 40th anniversary of its release, a super deluxe edition will be in the shops from June 27, with masses of extras for anyone willing to part with a penny short of 50 quid.

Best known in the UK for the classic hit single 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' in 1968 and, for younger listeners, 'Sexual Healing' in late 1982, Gaye was shot dead by his father less than 18 months later, on the eve of his 45th birthday. As good as these tracks are, What's Going On remains Gaye's classic album and sounds just as immediate as it must have done all those years ago.

Gaye's lyrics are, if anything, even more poignant 40 years on, from the opening title track, with lines like "Brother, brother, brother/ There's far too many of you dying," and "War is not the answer/ For only love can conquer hate" sending as strong a message to those responsible for sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq as it did to the administration of US President Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War.

What's Going On is considered to be the first soul music concept album, in the way that it relates the plight of a soldier returning from Vietnam to a country without much money and little chance of getting a job. The title track sends a general message of disbelief, before seamlessly moving into 'What's Happening Brother', in which the plight of the returning GI is addressed. This merging of tracks, a la Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, did not go down well with Motown chief Berry Gordy, as there were (unnecessary, as it turned out) fears that the songs wouldn't get played on the radio.

'Flyin' High (in the Friendly Sky)' hints at the darker consequences facing returning Vietnam vets, with the lines "I know I'm hooked, my friend/ to the boy who makes slaves out of men" not leaving too much to the imagination. "God is Love" and this reviewer's standout track, 'Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)' tackle the wider issues of environmental pollution, with the latter track lamenting that "Things ain't what they used to be/ Radiation underground and in the sky." And four decades later, the words resonate even more than ever.

The album finishes on another high with "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)," as our returning soldier has seemingly jumped from the frying pan into the fire, with the lines "Crime is increasing/ Trigger happy policing/ Panic is spreading/ God knows where we're heading" expressing the fears and futility of urban life. In spite of the serious lyrical content, What's Going On is not a depressing listen and can be enjoyed purely as a piece of beautiful music. Allow the album to wash over you from start to finish and you'll emerge from it refreshed and, believe it or not, feeling energised.

Apart from the original album, this two CD and 12in vinyl edition includes a remastered copy of the original album, mono versions of the singles off the album, out-takes and recordings made in Detroit before Gaye moved to Los Angeles. The vinyl extra contains the original 'Detroit Mix' of the album. Apart from the music, the set has lyrics, an explanation of how the album was conceived and images from the studio.

Now, for hardcore fans the extras may well be worth the money, and if your budget stretches that far, it's a well-packaged release. But if you have never heard What's Going On and can't spare 50 quid, get hold of the regular version of the album. Quality never diminishes and What's Going On is pure class.

Review of Kitty Daisy & Lewis at Dingwall, London, in June 2011, on Soundblab.com

KITTY DAISY & LEWIS

Dingwalls, London, Tuesday 21 June 2011

Families! Who needs them? Well, in the case of Kitty Daisy & Lewis, a whole load of music festivals this summer. And after a pounding performance in north London recently, festival-goers have a lot to look forward to over the next few months.

As natives of Kentish Town, the return of the sisters and brother act to their home patch was always likely to have the sold out notices up at Dingwalls, and there can't have been many members of the audience who left without feeling better than when they went in.

On stage with the group were Ingrid Weiss and Daddy Grazz, aka mum and dad of the band, on stand-up bass and rhythm guitar, respectively, yet this family affair was as tightly knit as any get-together of the Waltons. And to add a little spice to proceedings, trumpet player Eddie 'Tan Tan' Thornton added a rumbling, earthy, ska feel to 'Tomorrow' and 'I'm So Sorry' that, like the man himself, could have come all the way from Jamaica.

The sound and look of Kitty, Daisy & Lewis harks back to an era when pop stars had movie star looks, and they definitely hit the mark sartorially on stage. Yet they have added a modern element that keeps it refreshing, which is not surprising when you consider that the oldest of the three is still only 22. While the multi-instrument virtuosity of all three members is impressive, Lewis was particularly impressive on 'I'm Coming Home', a bluesy number from the group's recent album, Smoking in Heaven.

Kitty Daisy & Lewis will play the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury on Sunday-directly before a bunch of men in costumes singing about cleaning up Wimbledon Common, and will continue to pound the festival circuit all summer, so are sure to be at a festival near you this summer. Now, where did I put that jester's hat?

One Man, Two Guvnors at the Adelphi Theatre, London

 

Two days ago (31 January) I went to see "One Man, Two Guvnors" at the Adelphi Theatre on the Strand. It was a comical farce, based on Carlo Goldoni's Commedia del Arte piece, Servant of Two Masters, with 18th century Venice replaced by Brighton in 1963.

The main character, Francis Henshall, played by James Corden, was probably the main reason why the theatre was full, and he did a pretty sound job of potraying the lead.

The plot was a Shakespearian-like mix of deceit and disguise, in which Henshall, who has a predeliction for food, tries to serve his two masters whilst, at the same time, searching for food. This search is satisfied in the first half of the play, leaving him to feed his heart as the play reaches its climax.

It was an entertaining romp, and included audience participation, some of which appeared spontaneous, and some planned. Early in the play, Henshall asks a couple of men in the front row to help him lift a trunk, and this seemed to be genuine. Later, a woman is invited from the audience to help Henshall out in one scene, and ends up getting sprayed in foam from a fire extinguisher just before the interval. At that point, I thought that this was a bit fishy, and my suspicions were fuelled when the lady did not resume her seat in the front row in the second half, and confirmed when she turned up on stage to take a bow at the end.

One interruption appeared to throw Corden, when Henshall asks a rhetorical question of the audience, to the effect of "Does anyone have a sandwich?" To which he received the response, "Yes I do." Clearly, this was not in the script and it seemed to put Corden right off his stroke.

Otherwise, Corden was very good, as were all the members of the ensemble cast. A play that started off with some rather lame and hackneyed jokes ended up being a riotous way to spend an evening.

Review of Ska Madness 2 on Soundblab.com on 26 January 2012

Ska Madness 2 - Various Artists
Universal Music

Released: 16 January 2012

There seems to be millions of ska compilations, but a lot of them contain filler tracks unfit for inclusion. Fortunately, there's no excess baggage on Ska Madness 2, a 22-track (including bonus tracks) collection compiled by former Bodynatchers lead singer, Rhoda Dakar.

Opening with perhaps the ultimate ska tune, 'The Israelites' by Desmond Dekker, what follows is a good mix of familiar and not-so-well-known numbers, perfect for anyone looking for an introduction to ska. Actually, some of the tracks will not be strangers to many listeners, as the original version of the 1980 Blondie chart topper (or 2002 Atomic Kitten number one), 'The Tide is High' is there, as well as Tony Tribe's version of 'Red Red Wine' (written by Neil Diamond but a hit for UB40 in 1984) and Nicky Thomas' 1970 Top 10 hit, 'Love of the Common People' which Paul Young took to number two a dozen years later.

Having listened to a bit of ska over the years, the beauty of Ska Madness 2 is that there are numbers this reviewer had never heard before. The first bonus track, 'Enoch' (originally known as 'Enoch Power') by Millie Small (of 'My Boy Lollipop' fame) is a curious yet stinging response to Enoch Powell's infamous 'rivers of blood' speech in 1968. Elsewhere, it's difficult to believe that the same Boris Gardiner who recorded 'Elizabethan Reggae', a strange tune which has the sound of a 1960s TV theme to it, is the same person who inflicted the dire 'Want to Wake Up With You' on the UK charts in 1986.

For me, however, the standout tracks on Ska Madness 2 are Bob and Marcia's 'Young Gifted and Black', a rare cover of a NIna Simone song which sounds fresh every time I hear it, and 'Pressure Drop' by Toots and the Maytals, a number which takes me back to a youth that, thanks to the influence of punk and mod, first introduced me to ska and reggae music.

Now where did I put that Fred Perry shirt and those Sta-Prest trousers?

Interview with Jad Fair on Soundblab.com 18th December 2011

Interviews // Jad Fair - Half Japanese

Jad Fair outside Cafe Oto in Dalston, London, on 2nd December 2011

Photo by Stephen Taylor

Half Japanese are one of those bands from the punk era that influenced a whole host of bands over the past 35 years. Co-founder Jad Fair is pleased with his band's long-term legacy.

"Yamantaka Eye, from the Boredoms, said once, 'Had there not been Half Japanese, there would not be the Boredoms.' I don't know that that's true but, boy, that's very flattering. And Charles Brohawn, from the band The Tinklers, said pretty much the same thing, that they were so influenced by what my brother and I were doing that that's why they started their band," the 57-year-old told Soundblab in an east London coffee shop earlier this month.

Fair formed Half Japanese in Michigan with his brother, David, in 1974, though the group's debut EP, Calling All Girls, didn't come out until 1977. The last Half Japanese studio album, Hello, came out in 2001, though Fair is looking forward to getting on stage with his brother again next year.

"In March, Half Japanese will be playing at All Tomorrow's Parties," Fair said. The aforementioned Boredoms will also be on the bill, as well as another band that are close to Fair's heart.

"I was asked to play saxophone on a Jon Spencer [Blues Explosion] album, Orange, but unfortunately I was out on tour at the time and when I got back home there was a message on my answer machine asking me, 'Can I come to the studio to do it?' and by that time it was too late," he recalled.

Fair has made a name for collaborating with all sorts of musicians. The previous evening, Fair had kicked off a short European tour in front of a modest London audience and included a couple of Daniel Johnston songs in the set. His association with the troubled genius goes back more than 20 years.

"In 1985, Half Japanese had a show in Austin, Texas, and Daniel's manager at that time, Jeff Tartakov, gave me a couple of cassette tapes of Daniel and I was very impressed by his music and his song writing, and I started corresponding with Daniel," he said, adding that the pair of them finally met up when Fair was recording with another legendary artist.

"About four years later, I was in New York City, doing some recording with Moe Tucker, and Daniel came to the recording studio and we became friends. We did some recording up in New York and then I invited him to my house to record an album," he said.

For Fair, the chance to work with the former Velvet Underground drummer was a great honour.

"I was so pleased to work with Moe Tucker, because I grew up listening to Velvet Underground, and Velvet Underground were more important to me than The Beatles. I mean, it would be like if Paul McCartney called me on the phone and said, 'Would you like to record with me?' I mean, it's even better than that, 'cause it's Moe Tucker, so I was real pleased about that," he enthused.

These days, Fair divides his time between music and the art of paper cutting.

"With Half Japanese, we were doing a lot of travelling in a van and I wanted something to do in the van, just to pass the time. I tried doing some drawing and my hand was not steady for drawing, but I found that with scissors. I could cut, even if it's moving around. I don't know that it's the safest thing to do, but I'm able to use scissors," he explained.

While Fair's paper cutting creations demand quite respectable prices, his website reveals another source of income called "Record a Song," where, for the princely sum of $300, he will write and record a song for you.

"I've done quite a few of those and usually it's for a birthday or a wedding anniversary, [though] I've done a couple for the birth of a baby. I did one which was a marriage proposal, and I was a bit nervous about that, because if I don't write a good song, she'll say no, and if she says no, is he going to pay me the 300," he said with a laugh.

Fire Records will be continuing their reissue series with all fourteen albums from cult indie-rock band Half Japanese in early 2012. This again sees all the releases brought together on one label, including all of the hard-to-find albums, which is incredibly rare for a catalogue this vast. This will also coincide with the band's appearance at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival curated by Jeff Mangum from Neutral Milk Hotel in March of next year.

Interview with Jackie Jackson in The Daily Yomiuri on 25 November 2011

MJ / Jackie remembers King of Pop ahead of Tokyo tributeStephen Taylor / Special to The Daily Yomiuri

Tito, Marlon, Jackie Jackson and Ai pose with Katherine Jackson at a press

conference at Claridgea in London, announcing the Michael Jackson Tribute

Live event in Tokyo.                                                                       Photo by Stephen Taylor

LONDON--With Michael Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, due to be sentenced for involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles on Tuesday next week, the chance to focus on the King of Pop's music will come as a welcome relief for his fans around the world.

And what better way to honor Michael's legacy in Japan than next month's Michael Jackson Tribute Live? Three of Michael's brothers will celebrate the life of the entertainer at the event, with AI, Toshinobu Kubota, Tortoise Matsumoto, Macy Gray, a host of other big names. Eldest brother Jackie Jackson is enthusiastic at the prospect.

"I'm looking forward to coming to Japan and visiting all our fans there and putting on a great tribute show on behalf of my brother, with AI...so I'm very excited about that. It's gonna be something special," he said over the phone from his home in Las Vegas earlier this month.

For Jackie, it will be his first appearance on a Japanese stage for quite some time.

"Maybe in the early '80s--or it might have been the late '70s--that was the last time we performed, and it was a great show. But we felt something was wrong, because Japanese people are so kind and so quiet, and there was no screaming going on. It was applause after every song. We were used to screaming when we were doing a concert, and that was not taking place in Japan," he said with a laugh.

Jackie's forthcoming visit with brothers Marlon and Tito came about after promoters of Michael Jackson Tribute Live contacted their mother, Katherine Jackson.

"As my brother was such a big icon in Japan--and so were The Jacksons as well--they wanted to do something to celebrate everything [Michael] did in the music industry and for all the humanitarian work he's done for charity. They decided to do a tribute show to honor him and wanted us to be a part of it, so they contacted my mom, and my mom said, 'Yes, he would love that,' and that's how it all started," Jackie explained.

Michael Jackson Tribute Live had its official launch in London last month, the day after the Michael Forever concert in Cardiff, a show that featured The Jacksons among a glittering array of stars. Jackie has fond memories of the occasion.

"It was wonderful. We had Jamie Foxx hosting the show. There was Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera. And Michael's kids were there, and my mom was there. They came on the stage--it was unbelievable," he recalled.

The appearance of Michael's children, Prince, Paris and Blanket, at Cardiff came as a big surprise to the audience at the Millennium Stadium.

Joining The Jacksons on stage will be R&B singer AI, who was also at the launch in London, having recently released a single featuring The Jacksons. Jackie has fond memories of the recording.

"[AI] told us she'd got this number, 'Letter in the Sky,' and my brothers heard it and we thought it was a great song. She wanted us to be a part of it and they showed up right away. We went to the recording studio that Michael had always recorded in, called Westlake [in Los Angeles], and everything was set up, the cameras and everything, and we recorded the song in one day. We shot the video the same day, too," he said, adding he and his brothers were very pleased with the results. "We did a great job on the song with her and it turned out to be wonderful. We love the song. She's an incredible talent."

On the subject of talent, it's easy for people to forget that, for all his well-documented eccentricities, Michael was a phenomenal artist. Shortly before my interview with Jackie, the radio played "Hallellujah Day," one of the lesser-known Jackson 5 singles that a 14-year-old Michael sings on, and it struck me his voice is unmistakable. Jackie concurred.

"Yes, I noticed that when he was very, very young. He had a talent when he was very, very young. The group started with myself, Jermaine and Tito, and Michael and Marlon came in later. Michael was playing the bongos, but he started dancing and singing, so we decided to put him up front, and it was magic," he remembered.

Of all the magical moments that ended up on vinyl, Jackie's favorite Jackson 5 song goes way back to 1969.

"The very first one, 'I Want You Back,' that's the one that still means the most for me, because that was the very first hit. When we heard it for the first time on the radio, I was in the car with one of my friends. I had to pull in to the side of the road just to hear what it sounded like on the radio, and it sounded so good to me--I knew it was a hit," he said

It's appropriate Jackie will join thousands of others to celebrate Michael's life, though as the eldest Jackson son, Jackie had his own thoughts on how his younger brother will be remembered.

"He was a great father, he was a great humanitarian, he gave to so many charities around the world and he wanted to make the world a better place. If a kid needed something, a heart or something like that, he would try and find a donor for that heart, he would give up the money for it, no matter what it was. That was Michael Jackson."

Michael Jackson Tribute Live, featuring The Jacksons, AI and many more, will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13-14 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. For more information, visit http://mjtribute.jp/
(Nov. 25, 2011)

Interview with Steve Cradock (Ocean Colour Scene) in The Daily Yomiuri on 4th November 2011

Ocean Colour Scene's 'homecoming'Stephen Taylor / Special to The Daily Yomiuri

Steve Cradock at the Guildhall, Southampton,

on 19th February 2011                               Photo by Stephen Taylor

LONDON--There's been a trend over the past decade or so for artists of a certain vintage to spice up their concerts by playing one of their classic albums in its entirety, but when Ocean Colour Scene finally get to perform their seminal album, Moseley Shoals, in Tokyo this month--the show was originally scheduled for March--the album will more or less be coming home, 15 years after its original release.

"We did it originally for Pony Canyon in Japan, 'cause we didn't have a deal in England. It's quite a budget album, it was done on a little 16-track desk using borrowed gear," Steve Cradock, guitarist in Ocean Colour Scene, said backstage in Southampton, England, earlier this year.

When the album eventually came out on Universal Music in 1996, it marked the beginning of a long relationship with Japan that last year saw the release of the British group's latest album, Saturday, and an appearance on the main stage at the Fuji Rock Festival.

"I think Fuji Rock is brilliant--apart from having a 12-hour flight over there and another six-hour journey--but it's a great setting and the crowds are really good," the 42-year-old said.

Formed in Birmingham, England, by Cradock, singer Simon Fowler, bassist Damon Minchella and drummer Oscar Harrison, Ocean Colour Scene released their first single in 1990. An eponymous debut album followed two years later, yet it wasn't until the release of Moseley Shoals that the group's soulful 1960s-influenced sound earned a wider audience, and a connection with the burgeoning Britpop scene. Cradock recalls it with some skepticism.

"[Britpop] was just a press word, really, I think. Obviously, something new happened when Oasis [emerged, but] Blur and us lot were already going. Oasis changed the template and the whole media explosion came, 'cause they needed to sell papers, they needed something to write about," he said.

Ocean Colour Scene were always more beat group than Britpop, yet the five-piece were on the bill of a concert that has come to symbolize the movement--Oasis at Knebworth in August 1996.

"That was amazing. For a band of our generation to do two nights at Knebworth it was unheard of--you've got to remember that we came from being fans of [The] La's and Stone Roses, an indie mentality--so to see a band like Oasis do two nights playing to a quarter of a million people was extraordinary," he said.

Less than a year later, Ocean Colour Scene were playing the main stage at Glastonbury Festival (just before headliners Radiohead), after the million-selling Moseley Shoals peaked at No. 2 in the British album chart. So, what can audiences expect to see when Ocean Colour Scene play the album in its entirety next month?

"The running order is 'The Riverboat Song,' straight into 'The Day We Caught the Train,' which normally is a big encore song, so it's different. Then you get 'Lining Your Pockets' next to 'Fleeting Mind,' which are both slow songs. We wouldn't particularly do that as a normal set, but it's quite nice to play it in that running order," Cradock said, adding that fans can also expect a few extras.

"[We're] a loud, old-school band. We'll be playing things from all over the 21 years [we've been together], we'll be there all night," he said with a laugh.

As the guitarist in Paul Weller's backing band for almost 20 years, Cradock might have been excused for harboring thoughts of throwing in his lot with Ocean Colour Scene to allow him to focus solely on his work with "The Modfather."

"No," Cradock said emphatically. "Ocean Colour Scene's always been my first band. We've never had major punch-ups, we just find our own route, find our timing to do things, and that allows us to exist," he said.

As well as being a member of two touring bands this year, Cradock has also found time as a solo artist to open for Beady Eye in Britain and Germany, and released his second very impressive solo album, Peace City West, in April. Though he lives in southwest England these days, the album title is a literary reference to Cradock's hometown--Britain's second largest city.

"It came from a book by General Sir John Hackett [called The Untold Story], which was about a third world war that was nuclear, and Minsk, in Russia--or what was once Russia--got nuked, and so did Birmingham. Minsk was Peace City East and Birmingham was Peace City West," he said.

Ocean Colour Scene will play at AX in Shibuya, Tokyo, (03) 5738-2020, at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16. For more information, visit http://smash-jpn.com.
(Nov. 4, 2011)

Interview with Adam Young (Owl City) in The Daily Yomiuri on 7 October 2011

Owl City: strong faith in music
Self-described introvert Adam Young finds chart success
Stephen Taylor / Special to The Daily Yomiuri

Adam Young, aka Owl City, on stage at

Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, on 10th September 2011

Photo by Stephen Taylor

LONDON--Popular music and Christianity have not always been the best of bedfellows, yet Adam Young, otherwise known as Owl City, has no qualms about publicly declaring his religious beliefs.

"I am a Christian of faith, that is so important to me, and rather than go out and try to preach to anybody, I've always felt that if I were to hide that fact it would be a crime, because I would probably be leaving out a big factor of why I do what I do," Young said during an interview for The Daily Yomiuri over the phone from his home in Owatonna, Minn., last month.

While Young's Christianity may not be overtly reflected in his lyrics, his clean-cut image and declarations of faith on his Web site suggest that he is deeply committed. This may explain why his recent London show attracted a large number of well-dressed youngsters, with more than a few preteens accompanied by parents no doubt relieved that their offspring had chosen Owl City over someone like, uh, The Offspring.

"I think there's something about what I do that connects specifically to [15 to 30 year olds] and whatnot. It's always been interesting to see but, then again, I'm very, very grateful just to have fans at all in a time where the industry is as shaky as it is," Young said.

A self-described introvert, it seems appropriate that Young should opt to perform under a pseudonym but where, exactly, did the name come from?

"That's a good question, [but] it doesn't have the most eloquent answer to go with it. I guess the bottom line is I wanted a bit of a quirky name that would invoke this surreal, dreamy kind of quirky sense of something that allows the listener to create his own place in their head, so the name honestly doesn't mean anything, it's designed as an aesthetic thing," he said.

Owl City started life four years ago when Young, an insomniac living with his parents, would relieve sleepless nights making music in the basement. After releasing an EP and album independently, he made his U.S. major-label album debut with Ocean Eyes in July 2009, though iTunes had already chosen one of its tracks, "Fireflies," as Single of the Week earlier in the month, resulting in more than half a million downloads.

One of the standout tracks on Ocean Eyes is "Hello Seattle." So, after a paean to the city of baseball star Ichiro Suzuki, is Young ready to put pen to paper in praise of Tokyo?

"I would love to write a song about Tokyo, I'd have to sit down and think about it, but it would probably be something along the same lines as proclaiming my love for it, beyond anything else, because I am very enchanted by Tokyo, so it's definitely on my list someday," he said.

Following the Top 10 success of Ocean Eyes in Britain and the United States, its follow-up, All Things Bright and Beautiful, came out earlier this year, with the title's evocation of a well-known hymn only part of the story behind the naming of the album.

"That's about 50 percent of where it came from, but also there's a book by an author, James Herriott, who wrote this book in the '70s about the life of a veterinarian, and he titled it All Things Bright and Beautiful. I remember growing up with that book. That was where it came from initially, but I'm definitely aware of the hymn, so it's kind of a mix of both," he explained.

One of the standout numbers on the album, "Kamikaze," with its catchy tune and sweeping keyboards middle eight, was inspired by a much more contemporary form of pop culture.

"I just got done watching the 'Bourne' trilogy, [The] Bourne Identity, [The] Bourne Supremacy, [The] Bourne Ultimatum films, with Matt Damon, and I remember thinking, 'I want to write a song that would capture something like that aesthetic, that sort of vibe in his movies, a little bit more raw, a little bit more aggressive, a song that sounds like it could be in a heist movie.' I wanted something that would tie together with that, so I've always had the word kamikaze floating around in my head and I wanted to bring that into a song, so that's where it ended up," he said.

When it comes to another Japanese word beginning with the letter K, however, Young admitted to being a reluctant karaoke crooner.

"I'm always too shy," he said with a laugh, adding that one particular rock anthem, with an appropriate title for someone with Young's beliefs, took his fancy. "Oh dear, I can't think of anything off the top of my head, maybe an old fun classic that would make everybody laugh, like 'Living On A Prayer' by Bon Jovi, something like that. It would have to be deliberately awkward, just to get a laugh out of everybody, 'cause I am very introverted, very shy, so I would like that."

Owl City will play at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 at Big Cat in Osaka, (06) 6535-5569; at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 at Club Quattro in Nagoya, (052) 264-8211, and at 7 p.m. on Oct. 22 at the Stellar Ball in Shinagawa, Tokyo, (03) 3444-6751. For more information, visit http://smash-jpn.com.
(Oct. 7, 2011)

Interview with Gilbert O'Sullivan in The Daily Yomiuri on 23 September 2011

Still packing a punch at 64
Singer Gilbert O'Sullivan to visit old and new Japanese friends
Stephen Taylor / Special to The Daily Yomiuri

Gilbert O'Sullivan pictured at his daughters'

apartment in central London in August 2011

Photo by Stephen Taylor 

LONDON--With albums titled I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter and Southpaw, it shouldn't have been a surprise. But when singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan proudly pointed to a photograph on the wall from the mid-1970s of him sparring with Muhammad Ali, it occurred to this writer that he shares the boxer's single-minded approach.

At the age of 64, the highly focused O'Sullivan released Gilbertville earlier this year, the latest in a steady stream of albums since his debut long player, Himself, in 1971. He was in high spirits during an interview for The Daily Yomiuri over a mug of tea at his daughters' central London apartment, and spoke of the dedication an album demands.

"It requires a lot of discipline to sit in a room nine to five. Do you want to do that, for weeks, months on end? If you're really as enthusiastic and keen as I am, you'll do it, but if you look outside and it's a sunny day, you'll think, 'Do I want to do this?'"

For all his work as a contemporary songwriter, O'Sullivan will forever be associated with a string of Top 10 singles in the 1970s, and in Japan for a pair of hits in the early '90s. Of all these tunes, one in particular, "Alone Again (Naturally)" stands out as a perennial favorite.

"In Japan, that's the song, although we had a No. 1 in the early '90s with 'Tomorrow Today,' which was used on a TV show," O'Sullivan said, adding that "Alone Again" helped broaden his appeal in Japan.

"When I go to Japan I meet people--and I get letters from people in Japan--who like me because they went to see Sophia Coppola's movie The Virgin Suicides. 'Alone Again' was in that, so a lot of young people are into that movie, and I get people who like me because they heard the song in that movie. I'm for that, because you get introduced to a new audience. And if they know nothing of your past before then, it's still a nice thing."

While "Alone Again" has found a place in the hearts of his Japanese fans, other nationalities have their own favorite O'Sullivan tunes.

"[If] you go to Spain, the most popular O'Sullivan song is 'What's in a Kiss'; go to Germany and the most popular O'Sullivan song is 'Get Down'; go to England, it's 'Clair'; and in Holland it's 'Nothing Rhymed.' So there's a nice mishmash of different songs, it isn't just the one," he said.

For many, the Dutch got it right with "Nothing Rhymed," a career milestone for O'Sullivan.

"['Nothing Rhymed'] was an important song for many reasons. Apart from being the first hit, it was the first record with [former manager] Gordon [Mills]. Everything seemed to gel then, that first recording session when we did that, in 1970.

"In Japan, they liked it because they wanted me to go there. The world was interested in me at that point because of how I looked, so for a lot of people it's their favorite track of mine, which I don't mind at all," he said, adding that a certain legendary guitarist might have been in the studio for the recording.

"There's still a feeling--it's still debatable--I think Jimmy Page was the guitar player, because he used to do sessions--even when Led Zeppelin started--because the guitar player didn't read [music]. I remember that. He was sitting there with his acoustic, so we think that was him," he said.

"Nothing Rhymed" has been covered by artists such as Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, but it was a live version by Morrissey that most fascinated O'Sullivan, who sees some parallels between himself and the former Smiths frontman."

"I've heard that he did it on stage [but] he's not recorded it. [My agent in Ireland] said Morrissey's a big fan and the earlier stuff of mine was a big influence on him. Because, I guess, in a way I was like that, I was a very kind of indie person, you know. I didn't mix with people, I'm not social, I'm very much into my own little world, very much love music. I don't really have close friends and that, I looked a bit weird, so I think people kind of related to that. I think Morrissey, arguably, in the very beginning, picked up on that...I'd loved to have heard it," he said.

Despite Morrissey's cover, don't expect to hear a version of "This Charming Man" on O'Sullivan's next album.

"I've no interest in doing covers because I've no need to. If you have a good voice, like James Taylor or something, maybe covers make sense because you can sing, 'How sweet it is to be loved by you,' and it's great. I'm very confident with my own songs and I wouldn't be confident singing other people's songs," he explained.

The same can be said for O'Sullivan collaborations, but an exception is a single he recorded with a Japanese musician in 1991.

"There's a very famous singer in Japan, Takao Kisugi. He's very influenced by Gilbert O'Sullivan. We did a song together with his melody and my melody--that's the only time that I've done that--but only in Japan. I did it just because of him. I don't do it with other people, but in this instance I agreed to it because Takao is such a nice person and he' s such a big fan of mine. So in honor of his respect for me, I agreed to do it. 'What A Way (To Show I Love You)' is the song. It's my lyric and his melody, so we did that. That's the only one."

Gilbert O'Sullivan will play at Billboard Live in Osaka at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 3 (06) 6342-7722, at Kanazawa City Bunka Hall in Kanazawa at 7 p.m. on Oct. 4, (076) 224-4141, and at Billboard Live in Tokyo at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 6-7, (03) 3405-1133. For more information, visit www.gilbertosullivan.net/in_concert/tour_dates.htm.
(Sep. 23, 2011)

Interview with Kanon Wakeshima in The Daily Yomiuri on 16th September 2011

Wakeshima charms cute crowd in London debutStephen Taylor / Special to The Daily Yomiuri

Kanon Wakeshaima at Hyper Japan in London on July 23, 2011

Photo by Stephen Taylor

LONDON--The "home" of Hello Kitty (her official profile says she lives in suburban London) is rapidly embracing Japanese pop culture as enthusiastically as countries, such as France and the United States, with London's recent carnival of cute, Hyper Japan, showcasing the British debut of Kanon Wakeshima, a singer/cellist and Gothic Lolita fashion icon.

Wakeshima's two charity performances for the Great East Japan Earthquake were among the highlights of the second staging of the annual festival, with the 23-year-old pleasantly surprised at the turnout.

"It was lovely. There were a lot more people than I expected and I had a great time," Wakeshima told The Daily Yomiuri shortly after finishing her first set at the three-day event.

Tokyo-born Wakeshima has developed a musical style that combines her love of pop tunes with a passion for classical music, the latter a calling that grabbed her from an early age.

"I started playing the cello when I was 3," Wakeshima said, adding that her bow-wielding future had been determined when she was a mere twinkle in her parents' eyes.

"My mother and father are big music fans and, even before I was born, they'd decided that if they had a girl, they'd like her to play the cello, because that would be quite cool for a girl," she said.

In primary school, Wakeshima's focus was on classical music, but as her teenage years approached, she was introduced to exciting new sounds.

"When I was at middle school, I discovered J-pop and thought, 'Well, what would happen if I applied my musical interpretation to J-pop?' And that's how I've gotten to where I am today," she recalled, adding that at about the same time she also found her look.

"I really liked Lolita fashion when I was in middle school, but I didn't have any money so I couldn't buy the clothes. So, when I started high school and got a part-time job, I could save some money and start buying some clothes."

These days, she can afford slightly more expensive threads, such as the outfit she was modeling during our interview. "I had this specially made by [clothing company] Baby, The Stars Shine Bright," she said.

Wakeshima's fusion of music genres might not appeal to everyone, yet the results are surprisingly effective, with the shrill cry of J-pop complemented by her subtle cello accompaniment. Wakeshima's debut album, Shinshoku Dolce, came out in 2009, with Shojo Jikake no Libretto: Lolitawork Libretto released the following year. When asked about last year's album, Wakeshima was keen to expand on her vision for the project.

"The whole concept is that there's a girl who really likes pop-up picture books, and in the book there's a girl. That's where the title and central concept behind the album came from," she said.

On stage, Wakeshima is a confident performer, with the audience at Hyper Japan treated to a few sentences in English between numbers. Though she used a backing track, she wasn't completely alone on stage.

"The red cello that I used today is called Nanachie," she said, explaining the names she has given to each of her instruments.

"Each of the cellos' names represent numbers in kanji. The brown one that I've been playing since I was at middle school, which I use for recording and rehearsals, is called Yaehauru, while the other ones--the white and the silver ones that are used for live performances and promotional appearances--are named Mikazuki and Momotose, respectively."

Her next series of live shows to be performed in Tokyo, billed as The Strange Treat!, is a trio of concerts that will be held on three separate nights in September, which has already sold out, October and November, each with slightly different themes. So what can audiences expect to see?

"Rather than songs that I've played previously, I'm going to be performing new material. Also, I'll be using a live band, so there'll be a lot of people on stage. I'm considering various arrangements for my songs, so the makeup of the band depends on what arrangements I decide upon for individual songs," she said.

As for the future, Wakeshima is keeping a refreshingly open mind for somebody with one foot in the J-pop camp.

"Whether it's fashion or music, I don't want to stick with one particular style. For example, in my live performances, I'll have different kinds of musical arrangements, such as jazz or pop. Be it music or fashion, I like to do lots of different things as they come, and see where they take me in the future."

Kanon Wakeshima will play concerts, collectively named "The Strange Treat!," at Shibuya 7th Floor in Tokyo at 7 p.m. on Oct. 29 and Nov. 26. For more information, call (03) 3462-4466 or visit http://7th-floor.net.
(Sep. 16, 2011)