Micah P. Hinson & The Red Empire Orchestra S/T MP3: Tell Me It Ain’t So Buy	CSS Donkey MP3: Left Behind Buy	Primal Scream Beautiful Future MP3: Time Of The Assasins Buy

The Hold Steady Stay Positive MP3: Yeah Sapphire Buy	Nas Untitled MP3: Sly Fox Buy	Wire Object 47 Buy

One Day As A Lion S/T Buy	The Dodos Visiter MP3: Ashley Buy	She & Him Volume One MP3: Black Hole Buy

You can vote for your favourite release of the last two weeks in our poll over on the left.

Last time’s winners were:
1. Beck - Modern Guilt
=2. Tricky - Knowle West Boy
=2. Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
=3. Leila - Blood, Looms & Blooms
=3. Melvins - Nude With Boots

There is a sign outside the venue that reads ‘Cornershop live tonight…yes, that Cornershop‘. It shows the abyss of public awareness that Tjinder Singh and his merry band have fallen into of late. After all, it’s been six years since Handcream For A Generation graced the album charts back in 2002. However, with the promise of a cracking support from London-based French duo John & Jehn, the trip was made to my original London stomping ground. The gig is a warm-up for their Wireless show the next day, and their first gig seemingly since a mini-tour in November last year.

The Amersham Arms is barely full when John & Jehn take to the stage, their first words enticing the crowd closer. They launch into a taut set, John throwing all kinds of angular shapes with guitar and body, Jehn starting out hunched over an organ but soon taking to bass. The tunes are an amalgam of Stereolab, Velvet Underground and The Raveonettes, all hatchet guitars, pysch-synths and loaded stares. Unlike the Raveonettes, the drum machine clanking away doesn’t detract or become repetitive. In fact, there is so much to enjoy in their all-too-short set that I’m left wanting more. Another debut album to track down.

It isn’t long before Cornershop make their way onto the cramped stage. Launching straight into Sleep On The Left Side, it becomes obvious that this South London pub is about to be treated to the very best that the band can offer. They follow the opening salvo with the bouncy Lesssons Learnt From Rocky I to Rocky III, one of the most bewilderingly unappreciated singles of the early 2000s. The set continues at that pace, drawing faux-Bollywood moves from the front row, and head-nodding from the less dance-inclined. There’s new songs premiered, single-to-be The Roll Off Characteristics Of History In The Making the most memorable. There are also a couple of choice covers, Norwegian Wood with live sitar is a sound to behold, and a cheeky take on The Mighty Quinn brings ear-to-ear smiles. A breezy run-through of Brimful of Asha is followed by the spectacular 6 a.m. Jullander Shere, perhaps the band’s best track. The band leave the stage one by one, with Singh unsurprisingly the first to go. Five minutes later, drummer and percussionist are still at it. A short set, obviously made for festivals, packed full of quality, fun and tunes. Wireless is in for a treat.

John & Jehn - 20 L 07
John & Jehn - You Far Away
Cornershop - Battle Of New Orleans (Peel Session)
Cornershop - Topknot (MIA Remix)
Cornershop - Hot Rocks

Beck Modern Guilt MP3: Chemtrails	Tricky Knowle West Boy MP3: Past Mistake	Black Kids Partie Traumatic MP3: Hurricane Jane

Album of the week is Beck’s Modern Guilt. Both progression and regression from Mr Hansen, as he builds on the success of Guero and The Information, yet strips away many of the superfluous gimmicks that littered his mid-90s albums. Full review later on in the week, but definitely get your hands on this one. Adrian Thaws up next, as Tricky returns with Knowle West Boy. Whilst still not a return to the form of Maxinquaye and Pre-Millennial Tension, this is a marked improvement on 2003’s Vulnerable. An improvement, despite a decidedly unusual cover of Kylie’s Slow. Nevertheless, five years in the making, and a welcome return. Sounding at times like it was five minutes in the making, Black Kids’ debut platter is something of a disappointment. Seemingly rush-released to consolidate their position after the success of single I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend…, this album comes across as unfinished and a bit half-arsed. Which is a shame because when the Floridians get it together, the result can be truly exciting.

Melvins Nude With Boots MP3: Billy Fish	Leila Blood Looms & Blooms MP3: Norwegian Wood	Ratatat LP3 MP3: Falcon Jab

Co-hosts of this winter’s ATP Nightmare Before Christmas, Melvins trot out their 16th LP Nude With Boots. Still garnering influential fans, this is pretty much Melvins on auto-pilot. The last time I encountered Leila was within a booing Björk crowd, now new Warp-signee unleashes her third LP. I’m assuming I’m missing something here, or the record must be a grower, as up to now I’m not all that impressed. Ratatat’s third record, on the other hand, is pretty obvious. Take it or leave it Justice-esque electro stomping.

Eat Static Back To Earth	Crooked Still Still Crooked MP3: The Absentee	Cute Is What We Aim For Rotation MP3: Safe Ride

Three varied releases make up our third tier this week, with some dance from creaking Eat Static, straight-up indie pop from Brooklyn’s Cute Is What We Aim For and a third LP from folky-bluegrass types Crooked Still. The latter two are particularly enjoyable, even if Rotation has the projected lifespan of a mayfly.

Five O’Clock Heroes Speak Your Language MP3: Who	Arms Kids Aflame	Great Big Sea Fortune’s Favour MP3: Long Lost Love

Our last three releases throw up two surprises and one dreadful non-surprise. That comes in the form of Five O’Clock Heroes’ second record Speak Your Language. Way back when, I quite enjoyed the Time On Your Side single, but the following album and recent godawful Why have destroyed any enthusiasm for this kind of turgid nonsense. The suprises are particularly good this week, our second Brooklyner, Todd Goldstein aka Arms providing the biggest. The record is some really sharp songwriter stuff, the highlight for me being the wonderful Sad, Sad, Sad. Fans of Bon Iver’s debut will really enjoy this. And finally, the most bizzare concept of the week is Great Big Sea’s continuing journey into rediscovering traditional Canadian folk songs and sea shanties. This is apparently their 9th release, and it is a record full of vim, a great blast of Newfoundland air.

You can vote for your favourite record of the week using our poll in the left sidebar

Last week’s meagre pickings gave the following result:
=1. Watson Twins - Fire Songs
=1. Dirty Pretty Things - Romance At Short Notice
3. Fonda 500 - J’Mapelle Stereo

Mogwai release their new LP, The Hawk Is Howling, on September 22nd on Wall of Sound. Today, however they have released a preview of that in this track. The Sun Smells Too Loud continues the Scots’ run of superbly titled, well-tooled instrumental post-rock. Doesn’t carry the Young Team -era menace, and actually sounds quite breezy at times. Something different I guess. I love the page you get the download from: check here.

Of course, I’ve included a link to it on this post too.

Mogwai - The Sun Smells Too Loud

Thanks to The Quietus for the heads-up on this, and for being generally great.

Photo: Base10

Watson Twins Fire Songs MP3: How Am I To Be	Seth Lakeman Poor Man’s Heaven	Fonda 500 Je M’Appelle Stereo MP3: Ihopekyliesok

Dirty Pretty Things Romance At Short Notice MP3: Chinese Dogs	The Subways All Or Nothing MP3: Move To Newlyn	Alkaline Trio Agony & Irony MP3: In Vein

Harvey Milk Life…The Best Game In Town	Kid Carpet Casio Royale	Albert Hammond Jr Como Te Llama

Haven’t had chance to listen to much of this week’s releases, so I won’t try and lie my way through some reviews. Went away for the weekend, mountain biking in the New Forest, more of which to follow in an Aural Geography special later in the week. From the brief listens I’ve given to some of these, I liked The Watson Twins’ stuff the best, so they grab the Album of the Week accolade pretty much by default.

Last week’s poll results were:
1. Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
2. White Denim - Workout Holiday
=3. The Presets - Apocalypso
=3. Big Blue Ball - S/T

You can vote for your favourite albums released this week in the poll, located over <- there

Photo: Neil101

Within a week, two of the biggest bands of my teenage years announce new singles and albums. The Verve return from their extended hiatus with Forth, to be realised August 18th. Lead single Love Is Noise is currently doing the rounds on the web, and you can find a link below.

Oasis, or to be more precise the hulking shadow of what used to be Oasis, kick out their latest offering on October 6th. Dig Out Your Soul is the Gallagher’s seventh LP, and depsite all the usual bombast surrounding the release I think we all know what to expect. The Shock Of Lightning (”a demo” according to Noel) precedes it on September 29th.

What makes this all the more sad is that the two of these used to be great, and would have represented big red circles on my calendar. Now I couldn’t be less bothered.

The Verve - Love Is Noise

There’s little under ten hours to go until the gates open at Glastonbury. For the first time in over fifteen years the festival hasn’t sold out in advance. Michael Eavis claims it is due to the dreadful weather of the last couple of years, but most would put it down to a lacklustre headline and main stage lineup. As always though, the undercard is where most of the highlights are to be found. Here are my ten picks for the festival, with some tracks to whet your appetite…

1. Edwyn Collins, Friday - Park Stage (A Girl Like You)

2. Massive Attack, Saturday - Other Stage (False Flags)

3. Black Mountain, Sunday - Other Stage (Wucan)

4. Holy Fuck, Saturday - John Peel Stage (Milk Shake)

5. Elle S’Appelle, Thursday - Left Field (Little Flame)

6. Six. By Seven, Saturday - Glade (IOU Love)

7. Lykke Li, Saturday - Park Stage (Breaking It Up)

8. Martha Wainwright, Saturday - Pyramid Stage (So Many Friends)

9. Hercules & Love Affair, Friday - East Stage (Blind)

10. My Morning Jacket, Sunday - Park Stage (Look At You)

Photo: Gilberts

“Ive seen Mogwai 32 times” starts a conversation pre-set in The Roundhouse. The chap who said it then proudly displayed to me his Mogwai tattoo and we discussed the potential for this coming October’s ATP gig to be great. There is some sort of kudos that goes along with seeing Mogwai live, a renown for being loud…

The air of expectancy in the Roundhouse is palpable. This is after all, My Bloody Valentine’s first tour in so many years. Their first ‘proper’ gig that is, following the phony war of the previous week’s two ICA warm-up shows. There’s a generation gap in the audience, those old enough to remember the last time and those not. I’m firmly in the latter camp. There’s free earplugs on the door.

I decline. We miss Le Volume Courbe, one of Shields’ productees, and mingle into the audience about 15 minutes before the band come on. When they appear they utter not a word of greeting, not a shred of recognition towards the packed auditorium. There won’t be one word the entire performance. Not that anyone would have heard, for once the band start to whirl their twisted melodies you can’t hear the words in your own head, never mind those coming from the stage.

The music erupts from the stacks with a force and ferocity that completely belies the activity onstage, Shields and Butcher restrict themselves to about a metre square either side of the stage, whilst bassist Googe stands half-turned away from the crowd towards Ó Cíosóig’s kit. All seemingly completely oblivious to the waste they lay before them. Behind, psychedelic images and looped films play, transforming and shifting along with the music.

And all the time, the sonic maelstrom shifts and deepens, and inexplicably gets louder. The vocals are so low in the mix that I could only tell that they were being sung was by the movement of Shields’ lips. The noise seems to envelop the crowd, bouncing off the venue’s industrial walls. The physicality of the sound grows and grows, and by the time the instantly recognisable riff of Soon hurls into the room, it’s pushing me back onto my heels.

Photo: Dan’s Photos

I’ve never thought of sound on this level, sound you feel as well as hear. There’s people around me with not only earplugs, but fingers in their ears. Resisting the temptation to sully this sonic storm, I keep mine unbound, and gladly. Closer You Made Me Realise ratchets the intensity further, drowning us in a morass of feedback, glacially getting louder, heaping crescendo on crescendo until you feel the entire mound crash down. A tsunami of noise, shrieking, piercing, puncturing.

And then it finishes. No goodbyes, no encores. The crowd stands there, more through dumbstruck awe than expectancy. There’s a ringing in my ears that won’t disappear for a couple of days. I’m dazed but elegiac, unbelieving of what I’ve just experienced. I see the Mogwai fan again. “32 times” he says, “32 times and I’ve never heard anything like that.” I doubt we ever will.

Probable Setlist (thanks to www.mybloodyvalentine.net)
Only Shallow
When You Sleep
You Never Should
(When You Wake) You’re Still In A Dream
Lose My Breath
I Only Said
Come In Alone
Thorn
Nothing Much To Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Blown A Wish
Soon
Feed Me With Your Kiss
Sueisfine
You Made Me Realise

My Bloody Valentine - Soon

A full recording of the show is discussed here, I don’t have the bandwidth to host it!

Big Blue Ball Big Blue Ball . Buy MP3: Habibe	Sigur Rós Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust Buy MP3: Gobbledigook	Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer . Buy MP3: Language City

There is an amazing record getting a physical release this week in the form of the Big Blue Ball projects’ self-titled LP. The album brings together almost 18 years of open-studio recordings at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios in Wiltshire. A collaborative effort, featuring names like Natacha Atlas, Jah Wobble, Tim Finn and Sinead O’Connor, helmed by Gabriel and Karl Wallinger. The music itself is like the entire catalogue of Real World records, a mix of superb instrumentation and strong, haunting voices all melded together onto one LP. So impressive is the end product that it may have a shout for album of the year.

Sigur Rós return with their fifth LP, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, translated as ‘With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly’. Expect the usual melodic epics, bursting with slow burning crescendos and, for the first time, an English language track. This is a good, rather than great, album but definitely warranting further investigation. It’s streaming on last.fm and their Myspaz.

Canadian quintet Wolf Parade unleash their follow up to 2005’s Apologies To Queen Mary with this fantastic effort. A real mix of accessible stuff, such as the track provided here (via SubPop), and the more experimental gear, it’s a record that bears out repeated plays.

The Presets Apocalypso Buy MP3: This Boy’s In Love	White Denim Workout Holiday Buy MP3: Let’s Talk About It	Infadels Universe In Reverse Buy .

There’s an old saying that runs along the lines of “talent imitates, genius steals”, and two of these three records prove that saying is completely bunk. For the new albums by Aussie group The Presets, and the sophomore record by Infadels, are completely derivative yet only someone with a complete lack of cognitive functions would call their creators geniuses. Some tracks of The Presets record are alright, just nothing special. Universe In Reverse is just fucking dreadful, I mean their debut was bad (it lasted all of three days in my record collection before it was unceremoniously flogged on ebay) but this ramps the shiteness to a new level. Rabble-rousing tosh. White Denim provide some much needed respite on our second-tier releases this week with the accomplished Workout Holiday. A noisy, DIY-sounding record, this treads ground that is well worn, but manages to find its own charm and niche.

Semifinalists 2 Buy . .	The Beep Seals Things That Roar Buy MP3: I Dreamt A Metal Hat	(They Came From The Stars) I Saw Them We Are All In The Gutter But Some Of Us Are Looking At…

Releasing their second album this week are London’s Semifinalists, whose debut was solid if unspectacular. Graceful indiepop with decent vocals. Heron Recordings, home of The Beep Seals claims they sound like “pure pysch-slacker pop”, and who am I to disagree? I’m also not going to disagree with the world’s best record shop, Norman’s, who have named They Came From The Stars as owners of album of the week. I’ve included it here as it is basically demented bastardpop. Check out the Myspaz, the sound is pretty spectacular.

The Rascals Rascalize Buy .	Yeti The Legend Of Yeti Gonzales Buy	Cage The Elephant S/T Buy .

The Rascals are the Arctic Monkeys’ best mates, and to be honest that is the only reason I can think they got a record contract. Deltasonic are the offending label, the band sharing a Merseyside heritage with their lead names The Coral. Unlike them, or the Monkeys they have no spark of originality and no charm. Bland indie-rock for the lads. As, unfortunately, is Yeti’s effort. Yeti feature former Libertines bassist John Hassall who aptly shows that he wasn’t the creative driving force in the Libs. And finally this week we end with live mavericks Cage The Elephant. For all the hype surrounding their gigging prowess the record is stodgy sub-Stooges schtick.

You can vote for your favourite release of the week over in the left sidebar!

The results from the last poll were:
=1. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
=1. Lykke Li - Youth Novels
3. My Brightest Diamond - A Thousand Sharks Teeth

A recent Arts Council poll claims that Liverpool is England’s most musical city. The current European Capital of Culture took the win with 49% of votes cast, ahead of Sheffield in second and Manchester in third. What a load of utter tripe. In my opinion, there are several things wrong with this.

Mainly, I have a problem with Liverpool’s continued reliance on their Beatles heritage as a starting point for any contemporary cultural relevance. Take their status as Captial of Culture, featuring concerts of pop and classical from Paul McCartney. How exactly does that demonstrate cultural development, a stated aim of the event? All those shows demonstrate is cultural retardation, a nostalgic, safe view.

Obviously the Beatles had a massive influence on musical culture worldwide, but by the same token you would not refer to Memphis as the greatest musical city in the USA just because that’s where Elvis lived.

A lot of the musical schedule for the year follows a similar format, there are also weekly concerts featuring other Mersey-beat bands from the same era, along with a one off concert of 80s washouts, headlined by Paul Young. Appearances by Ali Campbell, The Yardbirds, The Zombies and TV trash Shayne Ward, Journey South and Connie Fisher also litter the programme. Really progressive stuff, this.

Amongst this year-long splurge of detritus there a total lack of recognition for Liverpool’s other musical mavericks or indeed their rising stars. Throughout the reportage of this poll result, the two names consecutively mentioned are The Beatles and The Zutons. Is that the best the city has to offer? What about Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, Half Man Half Biscuit, Ladytron, Clinic, The Coral, The La’s, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and all the others? Sure, some of those are older but in their own fields, groundbreaking.

None get even a mention. The most relevant and contemporary item I can find in the schedule was a performance by Wiley: who isn’t even from Liverpool.

For my money, the greatest musical city in England is Manchester. And quite how London can be missed out of a top three is beyond me!

Anyway, here is my ‘Best of Liverpool’, not in any order.

1. Seventeen - Ladytron
2. Reward - The Teardrop Explodes
3. Walking With Thee - Clinic
4. Skeleton Key - The Coral
5. Lips Like Sugar - Echo & The Bunnymen
6. Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
7. Shot Shot - Gomez
8. Way Out - The La’s
9. Shipwreck - Hot Club De Paris
10. A Day In The Life - The Beatles