All The Electric Stars Are Shining

Palehorse

Palehorse have been around for over 8 years.   They’ve been through numerous line up changes.   They’re a currently a four piece band that employs two bass guitars, drums and vocals.   Their sound could be described as ’sludgey’.   It recalls a sound that cross the divide between punk, metal and indie.  I like it.   I like it a lot.  The stuff I have heard has been limited to what is on the bands My Space page.   But I was so taken with it that I have booked the band to play the next Dead Billy night at The Miller in London Bridge in August 6th.   The final pieces of that night are falling into place.   The other two bands so far confirmed are Scul Hazzards and Epideme.

I’m really excited by the line up and I am hoping the night will be a roaring success as the bands that are lined up to play all compliment each other really well.  It’s the aim when I do these nights to have put more than a little thought into what is happening.   I believe as a promoter I have a duty to make sure the bands that share the same bill will work well as a whole night.   This is sadly lacking across many nights that are put on across London,  and although I usually do more promoting as part of the Lostmusic Presents team that focuses on more melodic indiepop - I am finding that my love for abrasive guitars is something that will not die down.   So when I stumbled across Palehorse I was delighted to find a band that fits with what I want to do and they are also keen to play.   Again as a small promoter I don’t have oodles of cash to promise bands - but I do have a lot of enthusiasm to make these nights as successful as they can be.

Billy is Alive

I’ve been busy these past few days trying to put together the next Dead Billy night.   I was hopeful on headliners - just to find this past week that they can’t do it.  So I’ve been scrambling around and trying to get the full line up sorted.   That’s nearly complete, now.  Just waiting on a few pieces to fall into place.  I have my fingers crossed.

Nick Sanderson

Sarandon - Kill Twee Pop!

I posted this earlier today over on Indie-mp3. It such a good record that I want people who read ATESAS as well to know about it.

One of the most anticipated LPs of the year (well, by me at least) has finally landed. It’s due for release in the USA on Slumberland Records on June 2nd (I can’t see a UK release mentioned anywhere) on 10″ blue vinyl and CD.
The title that Sarandon have chosen for their début LP is provocative. It’s called ‘Kill Twee Pop!’. That’s going to polarise opinion, before most people have even heard a note. It will have some of current indiepop fans on the defensive from the off. Whereas, it instantly gets this old codgers seal of approval. All before hearing a note from the LP as well. We’re a judgemental lot, aren’t we? As the band try and explain the title of the record is not aimed against indiepop per se - the press release that accompanies this CD states Sarandon are on a mission to save indie from

wetness, knee jerk posturing and careless cardigan wearing and this is a fine manifesto by me. You only need to trace the routes of the word ‘twee’ in this indiepop context and you can see it was never meant to be worn as a badge of honour. But I digress - this is supposed to be a review of a record.

After the compilation ‘The Completist’s Library’ which collected together 5 earlier Sarandon EPs and was released in 2006 - this is the first ‘proper’ LP from Sarandon - and Crayola and his cohorts (Tom Greenhalgh - drums and Alan Brown - Bass) have made something a little bit special. It’s packed full of tunes, jerky riffs, jagged guitars, great lyrics and all round excellence. This record is the essence what great guitar pop is all about. Often when music has an abrasive edge, tunes are usually a forgotten ingredient - And Sarandon are acutely aware of this - so ‘Kill Twee Pop’ comes packed to the gills with hummable tunes. Every song on ‘Kill Twee Pop!’ is meshed together from memorable melodies and hook-tastic riffs.

The LP starts with the song ‘Kill Twee Pop!’ amid scatter gun drums and an incessant guitar riff. They all propel this song along and I am soon to be found nodding furiously in appreciation. I’d never of thought it possible - Sarandon even break the 3 minute barrier for the first time on ‘Remember Mavis?’ - a song, again, propelled by some furious drums and those ever-present jagged guitars. ‘The Discotheque Is My Lover’ is one of the highlights of the LP - a slightly slower paced song that manages to maintain the energy levels that the faster songs exude.

This really is one of the finest LPs I have heard in quite some time. Sure I can hear the influence of bands like Big Flame (Alan Brown was once a member, folks), The Minutemen and Fire Engines - but the band are really a lot more than mere copyists. They’ve honed this mid 80s indiepop sound into something as compelling as it is brilliant. I dare anyone to play this record and not start to move. There are a fistful songs on here that should be packing indiepop dance floors out. It really is that good.

Sarandon - Mike’s Dollar

Surface Noise: ‘Street Horrsing’ by Fuck Buttons.

Very occasionally I buy something because I am curious. Because I have read something. Or heard a tiny snippet of a song. Fuck Buttons were one such purchase.

Although my staple musical diet over the past few years has veered away from experimental noise scape music. It all got a bit lame with a plethora of dull and earnest post-rock bands doing nothing fun with long songs and droney guitars. My interested returned to my first love. Pop songs. Be they jangly guitars, swoonsome pop or even in yer face garage rock. The song was the key. The hook fundamental to it all. Over the past few months I’ve slowly been reconnecting with my latent noise scape past.

First up, I got the HolyFuck LP. Which seems to mix it up a little. Kraut rock rhythms blended with danceable beats and droney guitars was a real reminder of why some of this so-called experimental music can be exciting and invigortating. My love of shoegaze never really died either. It’s always been close to the surface - a constant undercurrent of sounds and bands that refuse to be confined to the why did I like this pile. Which leads me nicely onto Fuck Buttons. Signed to the ATP label and not someone I even dared to hear before deciding to buy their LP. That’s a raritity these days with songs being easily availablility at the end of a google search. Buying because you are curious seems to be a thing of the past. And that’s a shame.

I bought Fuck Buttons after reading a review from the ever reliable Norman Records email mailout. I know they’re trying to shift their stock. But sometimes, it’s worth taking a punt. So I got ‘Street Horrsing’ in the post today and after just two listens I am compelled to write something about it. This is a great record. It’s so far away from what readers of Indie-mp3 (where I often write reviews) would be interested in I decided to try and get some words up here on All The Electric Stars Are Shining. It’s starts with piano tinkles, buzzy guitars and mechanical beats. Coming on like a Suicide for the 21st Century. This could be drone rock. This could be electronica. This could be shoegaze. This could be post-rock. This could be all these things. And more. It’s a simply wonderful record and one that makes me feel alive whilst listening to it. Those wanting simple pop songs (and let’s not forget that simple pop songs are a splendid thing as well) need not bother with Fuck Buttons. Those that fancy hearing something a little different. A little wider in scope may well want to try Fuck Buttons. The whole is a clash of samples, buzzy guitars and stuttering beats and the LP proceeds to prode and probe over the course of 6 songs and 50 minutes. I’ve only played it twice and I can’t stop listening to it. I am sure it will not always suit my mood. But for today it seems like the most perfect LP I could ever wish to hear. A stunning record. Listen with pleasure.

Epideme - OOO-0 / Threatenings

Recently released on the rather fabulous Jonson Family Records (home to another great band - Lovvers and the label has a great DIY ethic as well - with hints and tips on releasing 7″  singles for bands that can’t find a label) is this double ‘A’ side by Epideme. The band are three-piece and hail from Brighton on the south coast of England. This 7″ is limited to just 300 and it’s one of those huge slabs of vinyl that sounds like aircraft overhead. It rumbles. It shakes. And above all it really gets me moving. With nods to hardcore, metal and indie the band make the kind of noise that I want to showcase under my new Dead Billy nights. This is a great little 7″. More people should head over to the bands My Space and stream their songs. Good Stuff.

Gallon Drunk

I remember the early 1990s. Living in a student flat in Newcastle. Being too skint to buy all the records I wanted. I used to sit and record the whole of the John Peel shows. I can’t remember the nights they were broadcast. But of a weekend I would sit there and make compilations of the best bits. I called them ‘Unpeeled’ - over a c90 - I’d edit out the chatter. And store up a great feast of music. One of the bands that featured a lot on these beat-up cassettes was Gallon Drunk. I am not sure I ever owned a record by them - but I know I had at least 6 or 7 songs on these unpeeled cassettes. A few years ago, in a fit of stupidity I chucked these peel tapes out. Why? Space. Moving around. Not having a cassette deck to play them on. A host of other ‘valid’ reasons. Man, I hate reason. I miss those cassettes now.

Still - whilst in a record shop the other week I chanced upon ‘Tonite… The Singles Bar‘. Which is basically a singles collection with a live show appended on the end as bonus tracks. Ah. How I miss those tapes. This is stunningly brilliant collection of songs. Gallon Drunk sound was somewhere between The Birthday Party/Nick Cave and The Cramps. Utterly compelling and all these years on - it still sounds amazing.

Sunshine Winter

So, yeah. The sun is up, the sky is blue. It’s a touch cold, though. That’ll be the winter part of the topic. I haven’t rambled on here for a while. I dunno why not. So today I have made another ‘podcast’. I tried and failed to get this old decrepit microphone connected up. So far I have failed. I think I am gonna keep trying to get it to work but maybe not in time for this little playlist. I really want to say something at the start and possibly the end of the podcast, but I guess it will have to wait for another time. The songs are all mixed into a nice streaming MP3 already. Ten songs. No theme. Just over 29 minutes long.

Here it is : Sunshine Winter (click the title to download)

1. Sonic Boom - Indian Summer
2. Hail - Sicko God
3. Pink Grease - Superfool
4. Plastic Fuzz - I Hide From Arkwright
5. A.R. Kane - Miles Apart
6. Lazycame - Kissaround
7. The Bats - For The Ride
8. I, Ludicrous - Completely Ratted
9. Solex - Solex Feels Lucky
10. The Ponys - Let’s Kill Ourselves

As you can probably tell - this isn’t a collection of new songs (aside from the wonderful Plastic Fuzz). They’re culled from the past 20 years or so. Some are old favourites. Some are forgotten gems. Some are recent finds. All are brilliant. I hope you agree.

Cherry Bomb

Jesus Knives

Another band I stumbled upon on My Space whilst looking for bands to play the first Dead Billy night - more on that another time.  For now I’d like to say something nice about Jesus Knives.   Another band that seem to take a little from the stuff Steve Albini has done down the years (Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac).  They only have two songs for streaming and one of those is a live track.  So I recommend you start listening to Jesus Knives with the song ‘Knives’.  It’s good.  It’s fairy mellow - but it shows just the right level of aggression and noise to satisfy me.