IDEAS

What kind of music you into? Oh everything. Well turns out not really. Here is my top ten most played songs on my walkmen. (I just found this) Not very varied but I love them. Alot.

1. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Time To Get Away
2. LADYHAWKE Magic
3. LADYHAWKE Manipulating Woman
4. LADYHAWKE Love Don’t Live Here
5. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM North American Scum
6. LADYHAWKE My Delirium
7. RIHANNA Push Up On Me
8. SANTOGOLD, CASABLANCAS,PHARRELL My Drive Thru
9. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Someone Great
10. LADYHAWKE Better Than Sunday

In other news. Working on newie newie ‘HUGS’ will get back to ‘MANCUNIA’ just as soon as I’ve finished the 2^nd verse. Got standing tickets for LCD Soundsystem & Hot Chip at Manchester Apollo. Excited.  Saw the Klaxons in Manchester Malmaison Hotel they looked miserable. Read Everything Everything biting at the Courteeners in NME Is that all you have to say? I’m wondering if my online shop needs a pre launch opening party? Call me yeah. Saw Manchester’s Beat the Radar on Friday. The singer needs a straight mike stand and the guitarist needs to know when to play and when not too but there’s good songs there and they are loud which is a win.  Me thinking Christopher Nolan needs to get more ruthless on the editing button Inception & The Dark Knight the snow fight scene and the ship hostage scenes respectively. CTRL Delete. Do it. Talking films here is Ladyhawke and friends jumping about to Dusk Till Dawn. Over and out.

Piran; An Exercise In The Theoretical Stalking Thereof

18 June 2010 Written by Joe Sparrow

A New Band A Day

You know when you think you know someone, but you can’t swear to it? It’s a bit like when you accidentally catch a glimpse of your own reflection and momentarily think you’re looking someone completely different, but with all the social agonies of not knowing whether to head on over and say ‘hi’.

So, I’m sure I’ve seen Piran around and about in Manchester – I know his face. But I’m equally sure that this is nonsense. There are millions of people in Manchester. Stupid brain. This has become a weird exercise in non-existent stalking. Time to move on.

If I ever do see him, though, he’s owed a hearty congratulations – because this one-Man(c)-band has scrabbled together a great song:

Piran // Rip Off

Being a one-man operation is a minefield of pros and cons – on one hand, you have total creative control and, unless you have a personality disorder, there will be no messy break-ups due to ‘creative differences’ (though if you do have a personality disorder, it will be an extremely messy break up).

The flip side is that the emphasis is squarely on you: no-one to take the strain when you’re exhausted, and every stumble means a long and lonely trip back to draw from the well of inner strength.

So the fact that Piran, my mysterious stranger, has whelped this pristine jewel of a song by himself is a minor triumph. The song is clearly one person’s work – you can always tell – but Rip Off is measured, quirky, clever and still idiosyncratic.

Piran: neat, charming and fun.

I watched Nowhere Boy on Friday. As a Beatles head I always like to check stuff like that out. It was okay. Not as much beats and breasts as Stephen Dorffs Backbeat. But watchable. I guess every musician has a band they learned off and mine like billion others was the Beatles. Being able to play note for note George’s parts along with the live recording of the Shea Stadium gig in a bedroom in Truro aged 11 still rates as one of my best gigs. You shoulda been there. I was ace.

I love how inventive they were and how f’king good they all were. And how progressive and how ‘live in the now’ they were. That’s why it jars when bands dabble in nostalgia as an ode to past greats. Probably why I get Steve Marriott but struggle with Paul Weller (cept Town Called Malice). The Beatles today would be half Chemical Brothers half Band of Horses…and then some. So for the geeks if you’re after the goods get these >

Book – Pete Shotton In My Life

Pete Shotton's Book

 DVD – The Beatles First US Visit

Beatles DVD

Visiting Liverpool – get on the Magical Mystery Tour Bus

Magic Bus

Here are some of my firsts -

 First Album: Salt n Pepa “A Salt With a Deadly Pepa”

 First 7 inch Vinyl: Paul Abdul Straight Up

 First Gig: The Bootleg Beatles St Austell Coliseum

 First Festival: Reading

Yes I am abit peeved about it. Yes it’s a low score cool points in your stratosphere but not in mine. The departure of John Frusciante from the Chili Peppers has funked me off. For me, I put the Peppers up there with the Beatles/Stones (probably higher than the Stones) so the thought of a new guitar slinger doesn’t appeal. No doubt the newie can play the notes but with Frusciante the songs are/were so much better. Damn It. Reasons why I like the Peppers 

1) They played the vision skate escape 1988 with prime time Hawk v Hosoi which was the start of all things good.
2) Flea & Anthony went to the Stacy Peralta film Z Boys premiere.
3) Anthony championed Robert Williams kinda.
4) They’ve gone from being all about their instruments and energy to all about the song.

So it’s 2010. Hello 2010 you look better than 2009 already. There’s been a lot of music prediction lists about. ALOT. I’m not a big fan of lists sorry. If The Drums get their songs mixed better and louder they’ll rule the school. I also like this song by Frankie & The Heartstrings called Fragile. Good song.

Exciting up Manchester at the moment is Dan Parrot’s Love & Disaster label. Check em in Dazed&Confused. 

This isn’t ohh its from Manchester must mention it. This is step the f*ck aside there’s a new label in town. I hope it does well. There’s no reason why Manchester shouldn’t have an ace label. Watching some old footage over Chrimbo about Creation Records (yes I know tis London) they sure had some fun. 2010 bring on the fun.

I am gonna keep it short and sweet. I’ve read some drivel this week mostly Where the Wild Things Are reviews and awkward Julian Casablancas interviews. (I’ve read that back. It unintentionally rhymes?) Anyhows… So I don’t want to add to the noise. Plus it’s nearly the holidays but nearly isn’t close enough. My feet are cold. And I want to sleep in. On Thursday I went to see Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks at the Deaf Institute, on Friday I went to see Julian Casablancas at the Ritz. Learn from the best fudge the rest. Here’s some noise.

 Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Thursday, Deaf Institute

Stephen Malkmus

Musical outro parts are good.
A great original guitar player, he sings he noodles, he plays lead parts that harmonise with his melody, he plays E9 chords. A slacker free zone.
Gary Jarman from the Cribs was roadie for him. You gotta love the Jarmans.
The Pavement band were much missed, they bring a lot to the table. More than I realised. 

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

Julian Casablancas – Friday, The Ritz

Julian Casablancas

Phrazes for The Young may go down as a great lost Strokes album.
Julian genuinely seemed to miss his Strokes brothers and was a bit downbeat they weren’t with him.
I really look forward to hearing Nikolai play bass live again. Melodic with aggression a great musician.
The band he had were ace and the two drummers were on it.
Twin guitar parts work really well.
 ‘Is This It’ is surpass able. Julian has more song writing nouse these days. Fingers crossed.

…I hear from my shoe shine guy there’s been some talk about Christmas singles this week. I’ve made my choice. Pure white virgin 7inch vinyl. Over and out.

Christmas Vinyl

“What?”
“Fancy some pills mate”
“Nah you’re alright”

It is Saturday night, it is a stormy November Manchester evening and I have just walked into the Warehouse Project. I haven’t even got from the entrance to the bar yet. In a fantasy realm somewhere aligned with a Freddy Mercury aftershow party or an outtake from the Motley Crew biog I would be talking to a Playboy bunny with a silver chrome dish of appetisers. Alas I am not. I’ve just turned down Bez’s ugly brother (note I say ugly).

What happens in Mordor when there’s no Hobbits to kill? …they breed. My first response is “I wouldn’t buy nuclear sealed tic tacs off yer you Middleton funk wit”. But I go with “Nah you’re alright”.

Why I am here…Friendly Fires. Who do stuff like this

Friendly Fires rule. Probably my band for 2009. Yes my band for 2009. Craftmanship musicianship and songs – bang bang bang the full house. They roll on at 2:30am. The guitarist and drummer look like they’ve just been woken up 40 seconds before walking on. They then plug in. They then tear the place apart. With ease.

Friendly Fires

During the set around the time I am realising Friendly Fires fill enough detail into their songs and enough layers of intricacy only equalled by Dangermouse, and Kanye West I get accosted by a pro-pickpocket. All smiles and dynasty hair and dress. Odd? It is the eastern European accent, the “Is this Friendly Fires?” dumb approach, the scary blatant over enthusiasm for Piran that alerts me something is amidst. It is also that both hands are bound for my wallet and phone. Probably marked as an easy target waving my camera about, I nullify  any advance whilst keeping a firm hand over my wallet. Till the cosy façade turns to harsh iceberg and she turns to her accomplish “Let’s move on”. “Bye bye.

Friendly Fires played formidably and I’m looking forward to album number 2, hopefully album 2 will be bigger heavier and erm song-ier.

Friendly Fires Jack Savidge

Here they are covering Baby It’s You. I like to think all great bands have the Beatles Live at the BBC in their collection. Don’t correct me.

C/o Losingtoday.com

Here’s a bit of gem that had us knocked off our listening perch and frankly left scrambling desperately for reference markers, ‘do or die’ is we’re assuming the debut release or at the very least the inaugural outing of Manchester’s Piran and beyond that the information trail runs cold. That said it should by rights be causing all amount of fuss among the undergrounds more clued up cognoscenti not withstanding the fact that it sounds remarkably unlike anything else currently patrolling planet pop. In its own way a kind of fading shy eyed call to arms on one hand and yet a strictly sparse and minimalist pop sweetie on the other. Currently unsigned though I shouldn’t wonder that there’ll be plenty of offers beating a hasty path to their door once this gets a little more exposure and if not there’ll be much incredulous nods of disapproval in our gaff I can tell you. One of those kind of tracks where your left wondering whether or not the melodic accompaniment was actually added as an afterthought such is its feint detailing and application. Strangely bracing and quietly euphoric in a kind of threadbare bitter sweet way, ’do or die’ – alas not the Human League cut of the same name from the every home owning ’Dare’ platter of yesteryear – is braided by a delightfully attractive perky motif that’s indelibly cast amid a strangely becoming proto funk groove that finds itself hollowed and dispatched with a decidedly austere electro post punk vibe which unless our ears do deceive had us pretty much recalling elements of the Passage albeit as though rounded, smoothed and shocked with a tugging pop drill by a gathering of White and Torch and Dalek I Love You sorts, certainly sounds as though its fallen from a C-81 era Peel play list, though on repeat listens we’re picking up vague nods to the early career work of the New Fast Automatic Daffodils though ultimately viewed from whatever angle you care to take you can help but feel that their nearest musical kin are A Certain Ratio which young folk is mighty fine by us. Certainly worth the keeping of the odd eye out for.