Sweet Heart Sweet Light by Spiritualized

4 years have passed and it’s once again time for your prescribed dose of J.Spaceman. A man who never fails to come up with something that’s both exciting and fresh whilst sounding exactly like his previous record.

Originally destined to be called ‘Huh?’, J Spaceman a.k.a. Jason Pierce decided to rename the record ‘Sweet Heart Sweet Light’ to avoid any ridiculous sketch-like exchanges with staff when trying to purchase the album. Despite this, he has revealed that he hopes the album will transcend it’s title and be referred to by it’s cover in Beatles ‘White Album’ fashion. Well, it’s good to aim high! In an interview with Ryan Dombal, Pierce explained that the striking album artwork has been specifically designed to make the most of all formats whether it be 12” LP, CD Jewel or MP3 1” artwork. I feel he has at least succeeded in that, but don’t personally find the cover as dynamic as the band’s other releases.  As with everything Pierce creates, there is a strong theme and brand to uphold within the name Spiritualized. There is no doubt that all his output is subject to great scrutiny and consideration from the artist himself, and not just from a musical point. The typographical artwork couples the record with 2008’s ‘Songs in A & E’, just as ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Let It Come Down’ came as a pair before it. The comparison goes beyond the artwork though, with strong themes grounded in medical recovery and an all round reflective nature. This comes as no surprise, seeing that during recording and mixing Pierce battled with a diagnosis of a degenerative liver disease. This is undoubtedly an influence on everything from the warning label cover through to the music itself, and continues the idea from previous releases, that music has the medicinal properties necessary for recuperation.

The standout tracks on this album offer up a range of tones and textures. As with all the albums since ‘Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space’ these tracks are sadly buffered with what feels like filler. Repeat listening sometimes corrects this but so far ‘Get What You Deserve’, ‘Headin’ For The Top Now’ and the closer, ‘So Long You Pretty Thing’ have left no mark. The strong tracks more than make up for this. ‘Hey Jane’ launches straight in with a catchy hook and pacey lyrics that feel like we’ve hit the ground running. It’s a peculiar song in that it’s split into two halves but ultimately ends up feeling more like two songs linked by similar ideas. This format reminds me of Sparklehorse’s ‘Maria’s Little Elbows’ and like that song it succeeds based on the strength of the two pieces that have been stitched together. The song ends with a repeating gospel chant of the album title, and it feels like we are in familiar and comfortable territory. ‘Little Girl’ follows with a necessary slowing in pace, but not with out a nifty little riff that keeps you hooked in. Later in the album comes a reminder of the ‘Fire’ trilogy on ‘Songs in A & E’ in the form of ‘Too Late’, a simplistic track about regret. For my money, this works and the strings carry you in tidily to a gentle verse followed up with an anthemic chorus hitting the usual fire and love lyrics that we’ve come to expect. ‘I Am What I Am’ enlists the help of Dr. John who also collaborated on LAGWAFIS, so there is no surprise that this sounds like ‘Cop Shoots Cop’. Dr. John’s influence is easily heard in the gospel backing vocals that chant in call and response fashion, reminiscent of early 70’s blues and soul. Paired with the repetitive bass and guitar loops and seasoned with noise breaks, we are left with a track that sounds like it’s leaped straight out of Frank Zappa’s ‘Over-Nite Sensation/Apostrophe’ recording sessions.

Offering a little respite, along comes ‘Mary’, a track that builds at a respectful speed ending up with a big, but wholly controlled sound backed by a string section. This is followed by the gentle ‘Life is a Problem’, which follows in a similar vein but without the dynamic build. The end to this record is sadly not as strong as the start, but at the same time feels well placed in terms of track order.

Whilst you could easily run through this album and find another Spiritualized track that each song mimics, I think that idea is uncharacteristic of Pierce. Rather than clones, I think these are callbacks and references to previous works with themes of fire, electricity and religion running through all his albums, right back to the Spacemen 3 days. I find it difficult to imagine that someone renowned for recalling albums for tweaking and remixing would fall into a trap of re-appropriating old songs. This would be an easy criticism to make, and it seems many reviewers are choosing to jump on it, but I find the self referencing brings a weight and certainty to these subjects and end up feeling like they are not only points that are important to Peirce, but in fact issues that plague his mind.  This ties in neatly with the constant feel of regret that runs through his work.

This is a strong album that has been well worth the wait. Whilst it is unlikely Spiritualized will ever again hit the heights of their first three studio albums, the new material remains worthy. Their latter works appear to be building into a period of their own and with each release this this is cemented and recognised.

The Year Of Our Lord, 1998

E-Bow The Letter by R.E.M
featuring Thom Yorke (singing the Patti Smith parts)



Lucky by Radiohead
featuring Michael Stipe

The Year Of Our Lord, 1994

My Curse by The Afghan Whigs

Featuring Marcy Mays

The Year Of Our Lord, 1993

Missing Link by Dinosaur Jr and Del Tha Funkee Homosapian
with help from Mike Watt & Mike D.

Rhinoceros by The Smashing Pumpkins

Taken from ‘No Nirvana’ edition of The Late Show

Hey Jane by Spiritualized

Spiritualized are preparing to release their new album 'Sweet Heart Sweet Light' on Domino Records next month. Here is the first single from the album complete with a superb video.

They also appeared on BBC 6 Music last week to celebrate of 10 years of broadcasting. Below is their setlist and a you can still see the video streaming on the BBC 6 Music website.

1. Hey Girl

2. Lord Let It Rain On Me

3. Little Girl

4. She Kissed Me (And It Felt Like A Hit)

5. I Am What I Am

6. Come Together

Ekstasis by Julia Holter

As I began to worry that I might be bored with reverb drenched avant garde pop compositions, an album like this comes along and leaves me awe struck! It has taken me weeks to get around to writing about ‘Ekstasis’ because every time I listen to it I hear something new and adjust my feelings towards it. 

Hot off the heels of her successful (though limited in release) late 2011 debut ‘Tragedy’, Julia Holter is back with another full album within 6 months. The quick turn around period has not left the material suffering and it is as exciting as her first record, and perhaps more accessible. In an interview, Julia Holter revealed that it was originally meant to be an EP that grew with each track she added until her manager suggest producing it as an LP. ‘Ekstasis’ is refreshingly different to ‘Tragedy’ (as different as this type of music can be) and feels a lot more like a collection of songs rather than a sound composition. Each album has its merits, and it seems appropriate to discuss both as they appear to have strong links. ‘Goddess Eyes’ features in some form on ‘Tragedy’ once and is revisited twice more on the new record. It is clearly the most self-contained work on her debut and has the most life as an individual song. The vocoder lyrics echo the early music of ‘Air’ with a sound that also strays into trash-indie territories. I can’t help but think of Broken Social Scene’s ‘Anthem For A Seventeen Year-Old’ when I hear it, but I’m not sure how well it sat with the overtly experimental feel of the rest of 'Tragedy'. On ‘Ekstasis’ it has found a far more comfortable home and is far better fitted to the record.

The album opens with ‘Marienbad’, an immediate and melodic song that seems to borrow ideas from classical composition as much as it does from modern music. It has an infectious pace to it that builds up and slows back down again across the duration and already the exciting detailed approach can be heard in little idiosyncratic stings and motifs embedded into the sound. The little vocal splurge that repeats through out seems distorted out of recognition and could easily be mistaken as a reed instrument in an orchestra. ‘Our Sorrows’ follows with a gentler sound and the welcome return of some field recordings, a common factor in ‘Tragedy’ and arguably the basis of the record. This time though they are weaved into a far more conventional song rather than the free and exploratory sound of its predecessor. ‘In The Same Room’ kicks in with strong percussion including a familiar sampled handclap sound that leaves this song open to comparisons to Grimes. We are quickly out of the territory though, with ‘Boy In The Moon’ a song with strained lyrics working against the melody giving an unsettling break in the record and adding new shades and textures.

‘Moni Mon Amie’ is for me the song that could have been much more (or less as the case may be). It opens with a simplistic drone and vocal that then builds across the duration into a much fuller sound. I can’t decide whether it builds too quickly or whether it should build at all, but it feels a shame to overcrowd such a delicate vocal. I think I would have liked to have it play out with little behind it in contrast with the rest of the album. Perhaps this is nit-picking but it’s not quite the song I wanted it to be.

At first I thought ‘Ekstasis’ was a collection of ideas, with each track sounding like an exploration of electronic music, but felt little tie between the tracks. With each listen, this idea disappeared and the true nature of the record became established. The unexpected flashes of free-jazz found in ‘Four Gardens’ and ‘This is Ekstasis’ at first seemed to come from nowhere and seemed out of place. Now I can’t think how or why I felt that way. All these little flourishes are what separates ‘Ekstasis’ from the crowd, and what at first seemed unexpected now feels completely necessary in creating her unique sound. All this occurs against Julia Holter’s unmistakable voice veering between ethereal and haunting. There definitely seems to be a gothic presence to this record with moments that hark back to the dark sounds that emerged in the late 80’s, but there is no doubt that this is a contemporary album with a very current sound. On first listen it would be very easy to dismiss this record as another release in the recent boom of electronic music. I immediately compared it to ‘Halfaxa’ by Grimes and Liz Harris’ Grouper. Whilst there are similarities to both, it only helps establish her name alongside them as a new sound and movement for this decade. I just hope this wave doesn’t become too oversaturated, as I would hate to get bored of these albums.

Myth by Beach House

TEXT013: Nova by Four Tet + Burial

Visions by Grimes

‘Visions’ is the first release from Grimes (Claire Boucher) for UK indie label 4AD. Grimes has been responsible for some of the most exciting new releases over the last couple of years. She has managed to carve a unique and recognisable sound layering and looping her distinct voice against constructed drum patterns and synthesisers. Her 2010 releases ‘Geidi Primes’ and ‘Halfaxa’ showed great promise but felt a little rough around the edges. In 2011 Grimes release the 12” split ‘Darkbloom’ with D’eon giving us the superb track ‘Vanessa’ and immediately her craft seemed more honed and considered, resulting in one of 2011's  finest pop records.  

After this Grimes signed to 4AD and during the writing and recording of her new album, announced that she considered it to be her first ‘real’ album. Listening to ‘Visions’ you can hear why. Immediately it feels a league ahead of her earlier releases. A step further than ‘Vanessa’ too with an exciting blend of well crafted songs and experimental interludes. These qualities provide vibrancy and texture that now seem absent from here early albums.

The two pre-release singles ‘Genesis’ and ‘Oblivion’ pick up right where she left off, jumping back into to catchy world of pop vocal loops and double tracking. This time though it’s better! Far less blatant with it’s melodies but just as infectious. The constant holding these songs together lies in the vocals. Her ethereal voice drenched in reverb pushes the Dreampop feel of the record, reminiscent of ‘Cocteau Twins’ but with added bounce, often building and looping into a swirling musical mess. In ‘Vowels = Space and Time’ they stray into delay finishes giving the sound a glitch feel whilst placing emphasis on the rhythmic qualities of the music. There is a far fuller sound to ‘Visions’ with a greater approach to control in terms of the types of samples used. The two collaborative contributions ‘Colour of Moonlight’ and ‘Nightmusic’ offer further sounds and textures with the latter delivering a more built up dance beat. This is followed up by ‘Skin’, a step down in tempo and my personal favourite moment of the album. A simplistic synth pattern works with an all together gentler and more delicate vocal to serve up a real shining moment.

The final track acts as a coda, tying off all the interlude moments across ‘Visions’ as a suite. Opening with an isolated recording of a stream, the musical qualities carry you into a gentle slow pulsating end to the record. For me, all these moments hold this together as a complete record in ways I felt Grimes’ music had lacked up until now. Her work to date has either sat deeply in pop or remained exclusively experimental, and these two worlds seem to have finally found a way to sit comfortably together. The shorter tracks offer the opportunity to try out ideas without diluting them into a four minute single.

Although the year is still young, this album is a current frontrunner along with John Talabot’s ‘ƒin’. I can find little bad to say about this record. Obviously there are moments that could be tighter and ideas that could be explored further, but I have every faith that will come on Grimes' next release. 2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the world of electronic music and this record plays a major part.  

Blues Funeral by Mark Lanegan

Eight years have past since The Mark Lanegan Band released ‘Bubblegum’ (2004), a record full of rootsy blues tracks with added PJ Harvey touches. It was a fantastic album that in my mind topped anything he had done before. But can he go one further? It’s too early to tell, but ‘Blues Funeral’ is instantly recognisable as a solid successor. It possibly lacks the diversity in sound that ‘Bubblegum’ gave us, but more importantly it’s a return to the fuller ‘band’ sound. I’m a big fan of Lanegan’s work with Isobel Campbell, but three cello based albums in and I’m desperate for some grungy fuzz-drenched guitar blues. Thankfully that’s what the Mark Lanegan Band does best.

'Blues Funeral’ could easily be seen as a concept album but I think it’s fair to say that none of the themes are a great departure for Lanegan as it hits most of his usual notes. It’s all very safe and seems more like an ‘if it ain’t broke…’ approach.

When you first pick up the album you immediately get a feel for the kind of record it’s going to be. The wonderfully archaic artwork is reminiscent of funeral parlour wallpaper, with an intricate floral pattern that echoes the storyteller nature of Lanegan’s lyrics. The record itself is pressed on a greyish green vinyl that again sits comfortable with the macabre tone. 

The album has plenty of texture and the record is interspersed with quieter tracks. I’m not sure if it’s the eight year starvation period talking here, but it’s the heavier, noisier tracks that really shine. His work with Greg Dulli as The Gutter Twins and Twilight Singers should be applauded, but for me always sounded more like Dulli despite Lanegan’s distinct ‘Waitsian’ Growl. This is pure Lanegan through and through. His groans and moans drawn out across several notes on tracks like ‘Bleeding Muddy Water’ feel almost like the rise and fall of tides. Unlike Tom Waits, he avoids the coughs and splutters instead adopting a purity to his voice. On tracks such as ‘Gray Goes Black’ and ‘Riot In My House’ (a stand out track) the vocals are embedded in the production in a way that allows them to become another instrument carrying the tune, and you have the chance to realise this is an album from a ‘Band’ and not one man.

For me, I felt some of these songs could have been taken a step further in their arrangements. Some gospel-like backing vocals may have given a more lively sound to some of the tracks and embraced the southern blues flavour much like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ‘Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus’ (2004).

A rather oddly placed track, ‘Ode to Sad Disco’ sits smack bang in the middle of the record with a very different feel to the rest. With it’s digital disco bass and drum combo pounding throughout and little synth licks crawling around the vocal moments, it provides a break in tone, but one I ultimately think will divide listeners. It still holds plenty of bluesy sensibility, but is a new sound from Lanegan that I’m not entirely sold on. Later tracks such as ‘Deep Black Vanishing Train’ owe debt to Johnny Cash and seem to take a more simplistic approach than the first half of the record. This is not to the detriment of the album, and I find their little flourishes of reversed reverbs and noodling keyboards keep me entertained.

I doubt ‘Blues Funeral’ will achieve classic status as it doesn’t really seem to offer anything we haven’t heard before, but it still hasn’t left my turntable for several days and is certainly isn’t a release to be ignored.

14th February by Marry Waterson & Oliver Knight

The daughter and son of the late Lal Waterson have released a special Valentines Day recording which can be downloaded for free from their blog or streamed below.

Marry Waterson appeared at James Yorkston's Union Chapel Christmas show last December to cover some of her mother's songs with him. The event was filmed and i'm hoping the footage will emerge in the near future. Until then, here is Yorkston's superb cover of Lal Waterson and Oliver Knight's 'Midnight Feast'.

John Taylor's Month Away by King Creosote & Jon Hopkins

What a shame! When I heard the B-side to 'John Taylor's Month Away' was to be a reworking of my favourite King Creosote track, I was beside (no pun intended) myself with excitement. What a disappointment to discover that the new recording is completely 'uninspiring and missionary' in comparison to the pacy original on 'Kenny & Beth's Musakal Boat Rides' (2003). I am a huge fan of the folky drones Jon Hopkins adds to Kenny Anderson's music and hold up 'Diamond Mine' (2011) as one of last years finest releases, but with 'Missionary' the trick doesn't work for me. It strips the original of everything I love about it and seems a step too far in much the same way as George Martin's reworking of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' (without any guitars?) for the Beatles 'Love' (2006) album. That's right... I just compared them to the Beatles! 


Thankfully the A-side is one of their finest and still warrants the purchase. A brilliant two-chord song about Kenny Anderson's fisherman neighbour, all of which is explained in their 'How I wrote...' session for the Guardian.




The 7" is limited to 500 copies and is available from Piccadilly Records


Below is a guitar rendition of 'Missionary' filmed at the Pittenweem Festival in 2006.

Kindred EP by Burial

Finally the long awaited Burial EP is here. Kindred is his first release since 'Street Halo' and his 'Ego/Mirror' collaboration with Thom Yorke and Four Tet.

It can be downloaded and streamed at the Hyperdub website and will be available on vinyl in the near future (once some test pressing issues have been resolved).

The EP consists of three tracks

 1. Kindred

 2. Loner

 3. Ashtray Wasp

Top 5 Nautical Numbers

I played pretty fast and loose with this theme and never more than the number one entry, a track that compares love to 'moving through water' (and that really is all i'm going on).

1. Heavy Water / I'd Rather Be Sleeping - Grouper
2. Shipwreckers - James Yorkston
3. Vessel - Jon Hopkins
4. I'm Sailing - Mazzy Star
5. Admiral - King Creosote

Honourable Mention: Robert Wyatt's brilliant cover of Shipbuilding

First Listen: Six Cups of Rebel by Lindstrøm

The big release for me this week is "Six Cups of Rebel" from Lindstrøm, and i’m happy to say it’s fantastic. It's been four years since his last full solo LP "Where You Go I Go Too". Thankfully there have been plenty of collaborative efforts, EPs and singles in between, but it's all left me craving a full album.

“Music for fools to dance to, that’s what daddy called it!”

The album opens with “No Release”. A flurry of church organs churn together creating a vibrant start that seems like an announcement of the albums arrival. This builds and builds pushing up the tension until finally it breaks into “De Javu” which has all the satisfaction you could ask for. The bass line alone gives welcomed stability and the whole thing is reminiscent of that late 90’s dance sound that plagued the charts. However, in Lindstrøm’s hands the sound has a completely different feel. The album is packed with artificial samples that scream pop! and almost all of them transcend their point of reference.  

"Six Cups of Rebel" is packed with this formula. Building tension and putting the listener on edge before delivering some much needed satisfaction and for me it’s what makes it so successful. This is most noticeable on “All I Want Is A Quiet Place To Live” where even the titular lyrics work against the pounding build of unease. This is an upbeat dance track slowly moving further and further off kilter until finally letting up with “Call Me Anytime” however this time we are treated to an almost jazz like freak-out introduction. After the repetitive nature of the previous track this is a refreshing dose, never settling on an idea, constantly changing as if scanning through radio channels trying to find the right music to fit your mood. After about 3 minutes it does, and works into a series of layered loops, with constant additions and adjustment with every phrase. This track is all about the subtlety and the details for me, and stands out as the album's highlight. It draws comfort from the steady deadened kick drum before shooting off in a new direction with slight adjustments in pace and tempo. The 9-minute plus running time flies past and I’m immediately ready to listen again. I think this is a true example of context though, with its position on the album playing a key role in its success.

It ends with “Hinda”, another exercise in building intensity, with each element getting lost or stuck in its own little loop. It grows and evolves until finally breaking and falling away to leave the original organ that introduced the album.

Throughout the record there is a constant use of vocal samples, sometimes literal, sometimes abstract, and often with reversed and clipped reverbs used to great effect creating alternative rhythms and colouring the sound. This album is all about variance and textures and I think these songs work best when listened to in a collective form. 

This is a stunning piece of work and possibly Lindstrøm’s best LP to date. You can get the double LP here and listen to "De Javu" below as well as a remix by Emerald’s Mark McGuire.

Dross Glop by Battles

This week sees the first of four 12" releases in the Dross Glop Remix Series from Battles (Warp). Below are streams of both tracks featured on the first vinyl by Gui Boratto and The Field.

The 4 x vinyl collection can be purchased here

Just Like Honey

There aren't many songs you could happily sit and listen to 11 times in a row, but here's one that you can. The JustLikeHoney podcast has put together 11 cover versions of the early Jesus & Mary Chain track for a Breast Cancer Care charity record.

The Compilation features Laki Mera, Oh Minnows, Keep Shelly in Athens, We Are Enfant Terrible, Kidcity, The Spruce Campbells, Glisk, Wanda and Wonder, Shark?, Pursesnatchers and Seapony.


You can purchase and listen to it here 

And here is the Laki Mera cover.

Jack White III - Love Interruption

Jack White has announced his first solo LP, Blunderbuss, and the release the first single from it, Love Interruption. You can listen to it here

A Sombre Note: Top 5 Domestic Violence Songs

Domestic abuse is rife in music. Here are my top 5 (and then some).

1.     The Throes – Two Gallants

2.     He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss) – The Crystals

3.      Luka – Suzanne Vega

4.      Fistful Of Love – Anthony & The Johnsons

5.      Woman When I’ve Raised Hell –Josh T. Pearson

Honourable Mention

Behind The Wall – Tracy Chapman

Jim O'Rouke - The Roeg Years

As All Tomorrow’s Parties announce Jim O’Rourke as their I’ll Be Your Mirror Japan 2012 curator, I’ve taken the opportunity to write a few words about his music and the most accessible period of his career.

A few month’s ago, my flatmates asked me if I’d been awoken by the horrific drone from the road works at 6am. After some discussion and clarification, we discovered it was not the unbearable noise of jackhammers, but in fact me… up late (or early, depending on the hours you keep) listening to Happy Days (Revenant, 1998).

They were not amused… But I was!

Yes… after the first 10 minutes it does descend into repetitive looping drones and a cacophony of noise, but it starts out as intricate guitar pick and ends up in the same place and you come to realise it was there throughout. 

The reward most definitely comes from this realisation, but O’Rouke’s career is varied, and with each release comes new challenges, obstacles and most of all enjoyment.

Few artists, are as diverse, exciting and daring as Jim O’Rourke. More a modern composer than a songwriter, his work meanders through a variety of ideas, never settling on a single style or genre. One moment he takes you through an improvisational exploration, the next he’s singing a love song, lyrics ‘n’ all. But as is always the case, what you first hear is never what it seems. Perhaps his most accessible efforts, Insignificance LP (Drag City/Domino 2001) and Halfway To A Threeway EP (Drag City/Domino 1999) at first appear to be his attempts at straight singer-songwriter releases. On closer inspection, they retain all the quirk, improvisation and misleading qualities of his earlier compositions. O’Rourke clearly has a taste for the dark and uneasy. This is immediately apparent from his album titles, several of which are named after, or reference the films of Nicholas Roeg. On these albums he embodies many of the qualities of a Nicholas Roeg film, things never to be taken at face value, the music leading you one way and the lyrics telling a very different story. The title track on Halfway To A Threeway EP (Drag City/Domino 1999) at first comes across as a love song, a letter to a loved one explain a desire to take care and nurture, but as the story unravels you come to realise the true intentions. It is instead a tale of someone taking advantage of the vulnerable, and indulging in sexual fantasies, kinks and fetishes with a disabled subject. The dark lyrics fight against O’Rourke’s beautiful lilting guitar, and you are left thoroughly confused as to your feelings towards the narrator.

In a similar way, on the track Good Times from Insignificance LP (Drag City/Domino 2001) a simple two bar acoustic guitar lick takes us through unexpected confessions of dislike for a character. Musically, the riff adjusts ever so slightly with usually only one note difference on each pass as if an expression of the lyrics, always adjusting our view of the narrator, but only through slight slips in his dialogue. There are many darkly comic and memorable tracks on this album including Memory Lame and It’s All Down Hill From Here that make this a good in for anyone wanting to explore his music. However, this is not a typical example of O’Rourke’s work.

The latest in the “Roeg” series is The Visitor LP (Drag City/Domino 2009), a reference to the album made by David Bowie’s character in the film The Man Who Fell To Earth. The album consists of one 38 minute composition that is far closer to his original efforts before the introduction of vocals. The majority of the piece revolves around a solo acoustic guitar, much of which feels improvisational in the vein of Derek Bailey (clearly a big influence on O’Rourke). Much like Happy Days, it takes one idea and explores it for 40 minutes pushing it to the limits of listening. These works often seem more like experimentation than entertainment, but are they really that different? Unlike Happy Days, The Visitor sticks to the confines of it’s acoustic nature but still pushes in every direction.

Prior to the Roeg period, O’Rourke seemed deeply rooted in experimentation, avant-garde and freeform jazz. The interesting thing is, he never needs to stray far from this, but instead interprets it in more accessible and mainstream packages. I love this run of albums, and think they embody everything his early work explores. It became a fantastic gateway into his vast repertoire and also established themselves as firm favourites that never leave the record player.

Since this period in his career, O’Rourke has set up shop in Japan, and his music certainly seems to have embraced the culture. He has submerged himself back in a world of experimentation with sound and continues to produce exciting new material in his Old News series (Old News, 2011/2012). Today he seems (justly) regarded as a post-classical composer and his work continues to be prolific whether it be album releases, soundtrack composition, collaboration or producing other artists records.

Demona by Grouper

Here is the latest offering from Liz Harris. A cover of Dead Moon's 1989 Demona.

Nick Drake Photography

Here is a link to an article in the Guardian about exhibiting an unearthed Nick Drake recording of 'Cello Song' in the form of a photography project. The comments at the bottom suggest this idea is not everyone's cup of tea, but I think it's great.

Guardian Article

50 Good Listens

The newly revised Top 50 Albums:

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (1963)

Revolver - The Beatles (1966)

Axis: Bold As Love - Jimi Hendrix (1967)

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake - The Small Faces (1968)

The Beatles - The Beatles (1968)

Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin (1969)

Scott 4 - Scott Walker (1969)

L.A Woman - The Doors (1970)

After The Goldrush - Neil Young (1970)

Hunky Dory - David Bowie (1971)

Transformer - Lou Reed (1972)

Darkside Of The Moon - Pink Floyd (1973)

Solid Air - John Martyn (1973)

Small Change - Tom Waits (1975)

Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan (1975)

Rumours - Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Back In Black - AC/DC (1980)

Graceland - Paul Simon (1986)

Appetite For Destruction - Guns N' Roses (1987)

Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth (1988)

I'm Your Man - Leonard Cohen (1988)

Doolittle - Pixies (1989)

Spiderland - Slint (1991)

Gish - The Smashing Pumpkins (1991)

Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991)

Screamadelica - Primal Scream (1991)

Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine (1992)

Dry - PJ Harvey (1992)

Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - Aphex Twin (1993)

Gentlemen - The Afghan Whigs (1993)

Grace - Jeff Buckley (1994)

Dummy - Portishead (1994)

After Murder Park - The Auteurs (1996)

Endtroducing... - DJ Shadow (1996)

Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - Spiritualized (1997)

Brighten The Corners - Pavement (1997)

In An Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel (1998)

Good Morning Spider - Sparklehorse (1998)

Come On Die Young - Mogwai (1999)

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea - PJ Harvey (2000)

Insignificance - Jim O'Rourke (2001)

Rounds - Four Tet (2003)

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2004)

i - Magnetic Fields (2004)

I Am Not Afraid Of You & I Will Beat Your Ass - Yo La Tengo (2006)

In Rainbows - Radiohead (2007)

Ivori Palms - Peter & The Wolf (2007)

Street Horrrsing - Fuck Buttons (2008)

When The Haar Rolls In - James Yorkston (2008)

Last of The Country Gentlemen - Josh T. Pearson (2011)

Golden Voice Returns! - Old Ideas by Leonard Cohen

First Listen:

This album is superb. I'm glad to hear it sound more like 'The Future' and 'Ten Songs' than 'Dear Heather'. It works wonderfully with his recent touring 'gentlemen' persona and I much prefer it to the ageing lothario turn on 'Dear Heather' which felt a bit seedy.

The highlights are many, but lyrically 'Going Home' and 'Come Healing' stand out. His delivery on 'Anyhow' has an almost Zappa-like quality. Musically, there is plenty of variety. 'Show me the place' starts with a gospel style piano but eventually sinks into a sound reminiscent of Tom Waits, before settling back into familiar territory with the help of the Webb sisters. The more 'Future' like elements come in the form of 'Darkness', 'Banjo' and the albums closer ' Different Sides'.

Obviously few albums are free from flaws. For me the biggest clangers on this album are the name and the horrendous artwork! 'Old Ideas' is a weak album title. It should have been called...

'Leonard Cohen: Sportsman, Shepherd, Lazy Bastard Living in a Suit'