Tag: 2015

Finally, as we all know,bossa nova and Portishead are the two greatest achievements in the history of recorded sound, it’s what Thomas Edison had in mind… probably, and on Sey Mi Ami the first track to appear from Wolverhampton-born now Medway-based Fa y Ha llam‘s new solo album Corona, there’s flavours of both in a sumptuous, stylish instrumental and a commandingly close-quarters vocal that sits in the happiest of mediums between Beth Gibbons and Ast rud Gilberto.

Elsewhere on the record, released in October,Ha llamnets an eclectic intake of style elsewhere.Soul Revolution is a masterpiece of 70s revivalism with pumps of brass and gospel organ,Giving Myself Away flirts with acid-Western, while Let Me into Your Soul is the album’s standout of bassline struts and throwback girl-group backing
vocals. There’s even a cover of Maybe I’m Amazed.

A thorough exploration of la Musique Automatique.
Subtitled ’28 Lo-Fi International Underground Hits’, Yeye Existentialiste provides an ideal introduction for the two-decade-long career of Stereo Total. Initially blossoming on the margins of Britpop, the Berlin-based French-German duo of Francoise Cactus and Brezel Goring brought tenderness ,humour and imperfection to their noise. With intriguingly minimalist arrangements, tracks such as Musique Automatique and Dactylo Rock – a song that features a typewriter solo -are enthralling. Their covers are particularly well chosen. A version of The Plastics’ I Love You Ono was used as the theme for Channel 4’s Anna & Katy sketch show and the powerpop explosion of Heroes provides a secret weapon for filling a dancefloor. With Errol Brown’s passing, their skeletal reading of one of his finest songs, Heaven Is In The Back Seat Of My Cadillac, should be on playlists right across the summer.

Ventotto irresistibili novelty song , scelte da Cactus e Göring con il DJ Paul Tunkin, al
termine delle quali ognuno continuerà a dare la propria chiave di lettura al fenomeno Stereo Total. Accade così da vent’anni e non importa che li consideriate frenetici assemblatori di hyperlink culturali o geni del divertissement postmoderno. Il consiglio è di lasciar perdere i livelli di lettura, lasciarsi trascinare dalle “hit” del gruppo (il jingle I Love You ONO e i più noti Musique Automatique ) e recuperare quella voglia di stupirsi dell’epoca d’oro del pop (quella in cui gli 60s sfumano nei 80s) che la musica del duo preserva egregiamente.

Celebrating over two decades of Stereo Total, Yéyé Existentialiste collects remastered highlights from the duo’s body of work. Spanning 1995’s Oh Ah! to 2012’s Cactus vs. Brezel, the set reflects just how multifaceted Françoise Cactus and Brezel Göring‘s brand of sophisticated kitsch is: “Comme un Garçon” and “Partir ou Mourir” capture their punky, freewheeling side, “Do the Bambi” and “Les Minets” exemplify their poignant moments, and “Wir Tanzen im 4-eck” and “L’Amour à Trois” define their sleek and sexy synth pop. The collection also includes some of Stereo Total‘s infamous covers, which end up highlighting the uniqueness of Göring and Cactus‘ voices whether they’re reworking David Bowie orHot Chocolate. The duo has such a bountiful catalog that even this set can’t contain all of Stereo Total‘s standout tracks, but Yéyé Existentialiste is still fairly comprehensive and very entertaining.

Smart lyrics and catchy melodies abound on David Woodcock‘s debut album. Today’s Top Tune is a favorite of both Anne Litt and Travis Holcombe, recommended for fans of Randy Newman and The Kinks. Here’s “Adventures of You and Me,” from David Woodcock.

You don’t catch Georgie Fame down The Flamingo anymore (not helped by there being no Flamingo anymore), but if you want Hammond groove in a Soho basement club then tonight promises it. Uneven floor, geriatric barman; an extremely high chance of spilling someone else’s drink – it’s all present and correct. The Blow Up band play their label’s club night in the promotion of their rather exquisite fourth outing Last Man On Earth, and judging by the crowd that’s gathered in the low-ceiling cellar surroundings there’s quite a few in for a good time tonight.

‘Theme For Last Man On Earth’ gets a sea of bobbing bodies on a collective jazz odyssey across multi-genre seas. R&B, boogaloo, soundtracks, soul and funk all have their moment; and it’s all aided by plentiful bongos. The ‘Buck Rodgers’ theme gets organ-ised into rare vocal outing from sharply-attireda dancefloor friendly, frug, before a conductor Nass Bouzida (aka “The Bongolian”) on ‘Big Boss Man’ (over) drives the gang into another pop
dimension.

A couple of late-set cuts from well received 2009 album Full English Beat Breakfast (the schizophrenic ‘Triumph Of The Olympian’ and heavy beats of ‘Big Breakfast’) give the non-stop crowd some extra leg power, before the whole thing comes to a sudden stop (and gym memberships are seriously suddenly considered by those out of breath).

Being both excellent on record and onstage, it’s stupefying that even with endorsements by the likes of Cerys Matthews and Mark Lamarr they aren’t a bigger prospect. Shindiggers with plenty of Latin in their souls and KPM records on their shelves must investigate. And then boogalate, like this room has.