Thursday 21 March 2013

Don't Fade On Me: A tribute to Jason Molina




Yesterday, when listening to the music of Jason Molina again, 24 hours after his sad, tragic death, there were many lyrics that jumped out at me. It’s not like I hadn’t noticed the lines before: the references to the blues, to the darkness, to shadows, ghosts, snakes, owls and wolves are both oblique and blindingly obvious at the same time. Yet somehow we shook the references off as not being completely autobiographical, or as a cry out from Molina amid the darkness and the overriding blues, it was just compelling song writing – writing that gave us a selection of the best records of the past 15 years. Monday 18th March changed all that when I discovered – through a friend with whom I’d shared Molina’s music across our own good and bad times in the past ten years – that Jason had died of organ failure due to alcoholism at the age of just 39. Listening to Magnolia Electric Co, then various songs from the Sojourner boxed set, it all became so clear just how deep into this awful disease Molina found himself. The rehab in 2009 came too late, his message to fans in May 2012 now looks like a note from someone who knew he could no longer outrun the shadows and the wolves that dogged his path, and – to use the title of one of his solo albums – it was time to “let me go let me go let me go”; a plea to the addiction ravaging his body, but also a cry to end the suffering of the past ten years.

Although I clearly remember seeing the album cover for 1997’s Songs: Ohia (or the Black Album, as fans called it) and subsequently hearing the songs from it that year and over the next couple of years, the names Songs: Ohia and Jason Molina got lost from my consciousness for a while, and it was only the music on an EP from Amalgamated Sons of Rest in 2002 (Molina, with Will Oldham and Alasdair Roberts) that reminded me of his work – and I’m eternally thankful for the day I bought that piece of vinyl. The same year gave us the epically sad Didn’t It Rain, the album that vies with 2003’s Magnolia Electric Co as Molina’s crowning glory, and marks the moment that I fell unconditionally in love with his music. Those two albums show off two sides to Molina’s character: recorded with the help of semi-regular sidekicks Jim Krewson, Jennie Benford and Mike Brenner, Didn’t It Rain is sparse and bleak, a paean to Molina’s blue collar background, full to the brim with sadness yet vibrant with a dark humour (check the titles ‘Steve Albini’s Blues’ and ‘Cross the Road, Molina’ as examples) there are so many moments that make it one of the decade’s best records. Whether it’s the way eight minutes roll by like 30 seconds in the opening track, the wonderful live recording of the whole thing, encapsulated by Molina’s muttering to his cohorts to “bring it back we’ll do it one more time” on the title track, the way ‘Ring the Bell’ and ‘Cross the Road, Molina’ bleed into each other or the sheer brilliance of ‘Blue Factory Flame’ in the way it captures the debilitating nature of depression or alcoholism: “paralyzed by emptiness”, it’s nothing more than a towering achievement.

While being no less bleak in terms of lyrical content, 2003’s Magnolia Electric Co (whether it’s the last album under the Songs: Ohia moniker or the first as Mag Elec) now takes on the sound of a man running from what he’s become, perhaps a last throw of the dice, and defined what was to become of the rest of Molina’s career. While we still had the sparse sound of companion release Pyramid Electric Co (which contains some of his finest work), pretty much every other album post-Ohia that Molina recorded had the full band sound, or was recorded in a more satisfying way than any other release. I generally settle on this as being Molina’s finest hour, and it’s certainly one of my favourite records of all-time, should that mean anything to anyone. Again, it’s a nod to Molina’s blue collar upbringing (and a tip of the hat to his metal-loving youth) and it’s reminiscent of two of the finest blue collar backing bands: Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band and – of course – Neil Young’s Crazy Horse.

Listening to it yesterday, I was struck how much from the off darkness hangs over all the tracks. Opener ‘Farewell Transmission’ (if you have to listen to one Molina track, make it this one) sings of “long dark blues”, “the real truth about it is / no one gets it right”, “there ain’t no end to the sands I’ve been trying to cross” over the best bar-room jam you’ll ever hear, then on ‘I’ve Been Riding With the Ghost’ Molina sings “see I ain’t getting better / I’m only getting behind”. The searing guitar burn of ‘Almost Was Good Enough’ gives us “no one makes it out / you’re talking to one right now / once...almost was good enough”. Molina never gets the easy way out he craves on ‘Just Be Simple’, and the cathartic release of ‘John Henry Split My Heart’ in which Molina praises his excellent band is too little too late for his already-split “full moon heart”. I won’t touch on closing track ‘Hold On Magnolia’ just yet...

As Magnolia Electric Co, Molina released three studio albums, plus the Sojourner boxed set and the searing live album Trials and Errors, recorded on tour in 2003 and the sound of an angry Molina struggling to cope with touring and his drinking. It was during this period I first saw Molina and co play live, a seriously noisy incarnation of the band playing songs from Magnolia Electric Co and versions of songs that would appear on What Comes After the Blues. Looking back now, that Molina was overweight, scruffy and burdened with troubles, yet the passion and electricity he and his band created was incredible. I saw him live only one more time after that: a solo show, just him and his electric guitar, dressed impeccably in a suit looking like he was an extra in Night of the Hunter and significantly slimmer and healthier. The music, of course, was brilliant. There was a burst of creativity between 2006-2009, with albums Fading Trails, Sojourner and Josephine all released, plus his last full album of new music Molina & Johnson, collaborating with Will Johnson of Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel.

He reached out, he tried: “I will be gone...but not forever”, “but if you’re stubborn like me”, “you never said you’d be young enough / or old enough / or strong enough / pretty enough / you were to us” but in the end it was too much. On the liner notes to one of his records, he wrote (and I paraphrase as I don’t have it to hand) “if the only two words you can ever say are thank you, then that’s enough”. I believe these words came from Molina’s grandmother. When Jason was found dead, he apparently had a phone with one number on it: his grandmother’s. I truly hope that was his last call, just to say “thank you”.
What I’ve written here doesn’t do justice to Molina’s music or his memory; it’s just something I wanted to write, maybe needed to, just to say those two words: “thank you”. I leave you with this one track; listen and enjoy. ‘Hold On, Magnolia’.

Friday 7 December 2012

Albums of the Year: the Top Ten



So, we finally come to the top ten and the number one. It's been a great year for music, and each one here in the ten is a brilliant album in its own right. There are no losers here...except for the other nine that aren't number one! Honk! I jest, so I'll shut up and get on with it...

10. The Walkmen - Heaven

There's no better voice in music - probably - than the one that belongs to The Walkmen's frontman Hamilton Leithauser. That's a bald fact right there. I've loved The Walkmen from the moment I saw them supporting Tanya Donnelly at King Tuts in Glasgow in 2002, and they've just got better and better. Generally gone is the high-octane rush of songs like 'The Rat' (but they still kill it on stage), replaced with swooning ballads and thoughtful electric slow-burners. Heaven is the band's most "mature" effort to date, but that's no bad thing. Songs like 'Heartbreaker' and 'We Can't Be Beat' are among their best songs, and the rest of the band have never sounded better. Quiet genius from one of America's greats.



9. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory

Dylan Baldi's bedroom project expanded, and got better in 2012. Produced by Steve Albini, this record was a mix of emo and hardcore that Albini himself would be proud to say he'd written. Baldi shreds his throat across a collection of visceral and angry tracks, barely letting up for the 33 minute running time. Combine this with a brilliant live EP Live From the Grog Shop, then 2012 confirmed that guitar music - in some form at least - has some life left in it.



8. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

Out of nowhere, ten years on from their last record, the Canadian collective surprised us all with four new tracks that proved Godspeed still have what it takes. Genuinely close to being as good as F#A#and Skinny Fists, these tracks burn with rage and passion, symphonic beauty and dark menace. They continue to make music that's unmatched and incomparable, so familiar yet unquestionably new: while bands try to ape the Godspeed sound, no-one will ever come close to matching the sheer exhilarating brilliance of tracks like 'Mladic' on this album. The originators are back, cower all ye who wished to usurp.



7. Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour/Golden Mile

*Whispers* this was better than the Grizzly Bear album. There, said it. While we waited on Shields to drop, Dan Rossen decided to use up demos intended for GB as an outlet for his compelling solo work. Recalling Elliott Smith, George Harrison and 70s singer-songwriters yet staying instantly recognisable as Rossen's own work, the tracks on this EP showed off not just his song writing talent but his amazing skills as an electric guitarist. Freewheeling, carefree and choruses to die for, it says something for the record that at just 20mins long and really an EP, it still makes my top ten for the best releases in 2012.



6. Liars - WIXIW

There's an argument for Liars being the most consistently brilliant and inventive band of the last ten years. From the punk-funk of They Threw Us All In a Trench, to the love-it-or-hate-it (but it is complete genius, by the way) They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, and through the solid 8/10s of Drums Not Dead, Liars and Sisterworld, Angus Andrew and co have proved they've always got something up their sleeve. This time the band went mainly electronic, and gave us a sinster-yet-warm record laden with synths, samples, the occasional analogue instrument and Andrew's traditionally cryptic lyrics. Once more, Liars have succeeded in their experimentation.



5. Julia Holter - Ekstasis

Now, THIS is lovely. Probably the most gorgeous and atmospheric record of 2012, and that says a lot for Holter's talent as Ekstasis is yet another home-recorded piece of music. Recalling, in places, Laurie Anderson and Julianna Barwick, this was experimental music at its most accessible and beautiful, forcing Holter's soundscapes into "proper song" form and managing not to lose anything in the process.



4. Japandroids - Celebration Rock

It begins and ends with the sound of fireworks, and in between it's the sound of a band letting off musical fireworks across eight blistering tracks of good time rock n roll music. Loud, laden with killer riffs and lyrics that attempt to fend off time, the morning and anything else that'll come in the way of the party, Celebration Rock is an utterly joyous experience. Life-affirming, raucous music made by just two guys with a drumkit and a guitar, it's one of the best rock records in recent memory...and to think Japandroids were going to call it quits before this album. Thank the maker they nixed that notion.



3. Mission of Burma - Unsound

While Japandroids occupy the opposite end of the age scale, these Boston post-punk vets just seem to get better and better with age. Splitting up in 1983 after one stunning album and EP (Vs, and Signals, Calls and Marches) and reforming nearly 20 years later in 2002, Clint Conley, Roger Miller and Peter Prescott have managed - incredibly - to sound as good as they were back in the 80s. They're now at a point where the reunion has produced double the output of first time around (Unsound is their fourth album since 2002) and yet the band's punk anger remains intact. 'Dust Devil' is classic angry Miller, complete with jerky time-signatures, while '7s' is probably one of the best songs that Conley's ever written, sounding like it's been plucked straight from 1981. Full of energy, Unsound shames those bands who reunite and simply re-hash the old tunes.



2. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp


A giant leap forward from Epic, Van Etten's third release has pushed her right into the big league: sell out shows, tours with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds....runner-up in 78sDW albums of the year list. Recorded in Aaron Dessner's garage studio and containing appearances from members of The Walkmen and The National, Tramp showcased a more aggressive Van Etten, plugging in yet still saving space for tender strums that show off her wonderful singing voice. The gorgeous waltz of 'Leonard' was pretty close to the song of the year, 'Serpents' and 'Warsaw' showed off new found confidence...and live, she's an absolute treat, self-effacing yet completely passionate about what she does. It's the album as a whole that really shines: a confessional record that avoids being downbeat or "woe is me" for the sake of it, Sharon Van Etten is here to stay. I cannot wait to see what she does next.



1. Father John Misty - Fear Fun

Casting off the cloak of miserablism that shrouded his gothic country work as J.Tillman, and quitting Fleet Foxes in the process, Josh Tillman jumped in a van, headed to Laurel Canyon and tried to write a novel. Yeah, like that'll work out. It didn't, but you can read those aborted efforts in the liner notes to the first release from Tillman as Father John Misty, Fear Fun. If you ever wondered what a Harry Nilsson/Neil Young collaboration might sound like, wonder no more. This record is a joy from start to end: the swooning 'Funtimes In Babylon' charts the ups and downs of Tillman's decadence, the stomp of 'Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings' showed he could do electric rock with the best of them, the freewheeling 'I'm Writing A Novel', references Young and philosophy with tongue firmly in cheek, and closing track - and album high point - 'Everyman Needs a Companion' proved that Tillman could do tender and self-referential in one fell swoop. It was the record I turned to the most in 2012, the most enjoyable, but also the artistic and creative high point of Josh Tillman's career so far. Better than Fleet Foxes, better than J. Tillman, and without question (in my book) the best album of 2012. It makes me happy to listen to Fear Fun, and I can give it no higher praise than that.

Monday 3 December 2012

Albums of the Year: Numbers 17 - 11



And on we go....

17. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

The best rap album of the year, Mike and El-P (along with Big Boi, T.I and others) mixed classic dirty South rap with East Coast brutalism to produce the sleekest hip hop album in many a year. From the moment 'Big Beast' clatters into your ears with primitive 808s and punishing raps from KM, you know this is going to be great. Shorn of any unnecessary skits or starry guest spots, it's a politicised record that avoids being heavy-handed and even Obama comes in for some KM criticism, putting the Prez in the same bracket as Reagan and Bush, just another "talking head on a teleprompter". An unforgiving experience, and all the better for it.



16. Efterklang - Piramida

The reason that the Danish band's latest excellent album is so far down the list is that I've been spoiled by the live version of the recording. Witnessing Efterklang with the Northern Sinfonia in Edinburgh's Usher Hall in October of this year was one of the most thrilling live experiences I've had. Taking the tracks from Piramida and adding an orchestra and choir took the album to another level, a wonderful place full of wonder and symphony. On record, it's still great, an extension of the work we heard on Parades and Magic Chairs: the sound of a band willing to experiment but keeping a melodic pop heart at the core of what they do.



15. Sun Kil Moon - Among the Leaves

Mark Kozelek rarely ever puts a foot wrong. Continuing the stripped down approach of Admiral Fell Promises, it's mainly the former Red House Painter and his nylon-stringed guitar again, singing tales of what it's like to be on the road: groupies, leaving his home and having to endure bad food and weather in the UK. It's scattered with Kozelek's dark humour as always, yet there's always loss and sadness just around the corner. What's often ignored, among the beautiful playing and poetic lyrics, is how good a voice Kozelek has, and his current minimal approach means its as naked as it's ever been, and better than it's ever been. An artist that's prolific without losing quality control, some acts could take a leaf out of Sun Kil Moon's book.



14. Jens Lekman - I Know What Love Isn't

Everyone's favourite lovelorn Swedish troubadour returned in 2012 with some of his strongest work to date; as witty and lyrically clever as he's always been, Jens this time makes us work for the goods rather than give us hook and chorus after hook and chorus. From beautiful solo piano interludes, through the saxophone of 'Erica America' to the gorgeousness of the string-laden 'The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love', the album is always sweetly swoonsome. In a world where lovelorn troubadours rule, Jens Lekman would always be top of the charts.



13. Team Me - To The Treetops!

This is the happiest record of 2012, by a long way. Back in March I wrote that this album from the Norwegian six-piece would either make you sick with twee or giddy with joy, and that still stands. A combination of Broken Social Scene, Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire on Prozac, To The Treetops remains a brilliant blast of pure fun, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink instrumentation and killer tunes.



12. Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits

Of all things, a "super group" that doesn't collapse under the weight of egos on show. Dan Boeckner of Handsome Furs/Wolf Parade met Spoon's Britt Daniel backstage after a show, joking they should work together...and so they ended up doing just that. Combining the taut sparseness of recent Spoon records with the glam paranoia of Boeckner's work, A Thing... is an unqualified success unworthy of being passed off as an occasional side-project. From the synth banger 'My Love Is Real' to the raw rock n roll of 'What Gets You Alone', everything the band turns its hand to comes off as a complete success, leaving more records from Divine Fits a near-certainty.



11. Grizzly Bear - Shields

Everyone knows what a wonderful band this lot are, and the only reason that the album isn't in the top ten is due to the fact that for whatever reason I've not been able to devote enough time to it. Live, they were fantastic once again a month or so ago in Glasgow and I've so much time for each member of the band (a pointer to another record that does make my top ten), and the songs on here are near-perfect: the electric clatter of 'Sleeping Ute' and 'Yet Again' show a band capable of harnessing a powerful sound, just as 'A Simple Answer' and 'Sun In Your Eyes' show off their ability to create symphonic wonders. Impeccably played, produced and constructed, they might well be the best US band we've got right now. A top three record in a world where I have more time...

Monday 19 November 2012

The Final Countdown: Albums of the Year - Numbers 25 to 18



Howdy.

So, not just The Final Countdown of this year's best albums (best  by my standards, that is) but a final countdown to the end of 78s Don't Wobble. I'm at the very least mothballing this blog for an indefinite period (think Fugazi's indefinite hiatus as a starting point) or bringing it to a permanent end following the chart rundown that'll bring us to my personal number one album of the year.

Now, as with other years this is based on the records I've heard and loved in 2012 and if there's something that's not on there that you like, then I've either not heard it or not enjoyed it enough for it to be included. Got it? Good. If there's a glaring omission that I personally have forgotten about, then I clearly haven't cared enough to remember it. So, on we go with numbers 25 to 18....

25. Sam Willis - Winterval 

2012 seemed to be the year where I rediscovered my dormant-since-1997 love of dance music. Probably inspired by my experience at Festival Number 6 where I caught excellent sets by Andrew Weatherall, Derrick Carter and Francois K, I've enjoyed electronic music more this year than in many previous years. Weatherall is probably an excellent reference point for Sam Willis' first solo album. The DJ half of Walls has, on Winterval, channeled the sound of minimal house music circa Sabres of Paradise's Haunted Dancehall and Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works. It's a record with a clear narrative, and while there are plenty beats to be found, it's more about emotion, textures and melody for Willis. An exceptional dance record.



24. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill

After having the Horse on ice since 1996's Broken Arrow (the last NY record to bear the name "and Crazy Horse") this year saw the release of not one but two NY and Crazy Horse records. Americana was a slightly daft distraction of Young and his old mates racing through feedback-damaged versions of American standards and seemed simply to pave the way for this two-disc epic. Psychedelic Pill hangs on two epic numbers: the near-30min jam of 'Driftin' Back and the controlled riffing of 'Walk Like a Giant' are evidence enough that Young, with Billy Talbot, Frank Sampedro and Ralph Molina were back on electric form, sticking two fingers up to all-and-sundry and showing that when it comes to amped soloing and psych excursions, there's never really anything better than these old warhorses.



23. El-P - Cancer for Cure

While not the best hip-hop record of 2012, Cancer for Cure served as a reminder of how brilliant El-P can be at his best. More focused than 2007's I'll Sleep When You're Dead, Jaime Meline is joined by Killer Mike, Paul Banks and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire on a brutal and unforgiving meditation on death that serves as a reminder that this is the man responsible for the unmatched genius of Company Flow. Futuristic beats that still manage to sound antiquated, El-P spitting rhymes with an anger he's not had for a while and guest spots that don't detract from the main event all add up to fine, fine record.



22. Dark Dark Dark - Who Needs Who

The breakup of the romance between band members Nona Marie Invie and Marshall LaCount is writ large over the Minneapolis band's latest record. A collection of songs that veer from folk, to piano ballads to Eastern European jigs, the focus is generally on Invie's gorgeous voice and piano as she becomes accuser to LaCount's guilty party. Never an easy listen, it's impressive that the band managed to hold themselves together long enough to write Who Needs Who, and we should be eternally grateful that they did.



21. How To Dress Well - Total Loss

Tom Krell returned with his second full-length record of minimal R&B, an album full of intense sadness and -as the title suggests - loss. Combining his love of vocal harmony groups like Jodeci and Boyz II Men with his love of ambient acts such as Brian Eno and Grouper, and the orchestral work of Michael Nyman, Krell has produced something that's both claustrophobic (probably due to his muffled vocal delivery) and welcoming. You'd be hard pressed to find a more meticulously produced record in 2012: the beats are clear and crisp, the ambient noise never anything more than necessary and when he sings clearly Krell has the voice of an angel. This was heady stuff, and the exciting thing is that HTDW is only likely to get better and better.



20. Peter Broderick - www.itstartshear.com

The first of two releases in a year from the genius that is Peter Broderick, this album exists for all time via the website of the same name: www.itstartshear.com. Containing videos and audio, liner notes that explain the history behind each track and an overall comment on download culture, the actual music could have been overwhelmed by the concept but thankfully that's not the case. Another combination of Broderick's beautiful voice and playing, ably assisted by the excellent Nils Frahm, it's warm and welcoming and contains some of Broderick's finest writing to date; he's an artist to be cherished.



19. Death Grips - The Money Store

In all the fuss that came with the leaking of Death Grips' second album of 2012, NO LOVE DEEP WEB, and discussions over whether it was a marketing ploy or proper DIY punk ethics from the band, people tended to forget just how brilliant and visceral The Money Store was. The trio of virtuoso drummer Zach Hill, MC Ride and Andy Morin produced the angriest album of the year, packed full of samples, insane drumming, mangled synths and as many crazy noises as you could possibly fit on an album. Unfocused, messy, brainless, but a fascinating and addictive listen all the same.



18. Swans - The Seer

Primal. Intense. Ambitious. Cathartic. All words we can associate with the brilliant second studio album from Michael Gira's Swans since he "got the band back together" in 2010. Nearly two hours in length it's a battle between beauty and hideousness captured by the endless battle between noise and melody that's been the focus for the entire existence of Swans. Single songs contain more ideas than most bands have in their entire careers and you have to admire Gira's still-burning passion for the music he makes. Not perfect in terms of musical content, but it's an incredible testament to a singular vision and for that it deserves your full attention.



Friday 2 November 2012

Introducing - Ali Young

Hi there!

Been a while, huh? Well, enjoy it while you can as this post is probably the first of the final three or four blogs you'll see on 78s Don't Wobble. It's going to be a fond farewell to the site come the end of the year as I can't really devote much time to it anymore, as you can see from one post in the last six months. It was fun while it lasted though, eh?

Anyway, it's been even longer since I posted any kind of original content on here, so as part of the closing down ceremonies I've taken the opportunity to introduce you to someone new.....Ali Young.



Ali's an Los Angeles-based singer songwriter who reminds me at times of Juliana Hatfield (circa Only Everything)and plies a fine, still developing, blend of power pop and you can find her EP Love Animal here:

http://www.aliyoungmusic.com/

After mentioning on Twitter that I'd never interviewed anyone that was a bastard, Ali kindly offered to take that role...what follows is not the "bastard" interview - although she did supply that version - but a little Q&A just to get to know more about her and her music....


So, are you a Los Angeles native, or were you lured there by stories of Laurel Canyon and/or the Viper Room?

I’ve lived in LA for over 5 years now, so I’m starting to “go native.” I was lured by my husband. He’s an actor [Kevin Sussman, best known for his recurring role on Big Bang Theory]. We moved here from Brooklyn, New York. My life’s transit also includes: Chicago, IL and Santa Fe, NM. 

You will rarely find me West of La Brea, which is the side of town with Laurel Canyon and the Viper Room. Silverlake, where I live, is considered by most to be the heart of the LA music “scene.” I don’t think there’s any empirical data on that... But in my opinion, the best venues for indie artists are on this side of town:  the Bootleg Theater, the Satellite, the Echo. It’s all skinny jeans and tattoos around here. Oh!  That’s a good way to distinguish me as a non-Angeleno. I am “blank” - no tattoos. 

Have you always made music on your own, or have you played in bands?

I have always done my own thing. I released an EP as Real George in 2009, which you can find on iTunes. It’s kinda Cowboy Junkies-esque. It was my first recording project. I was trying to come up with an artist name like Bat for Lashes or Cat Power... I failed miserably at creating an alias moniker. People would be like “Real whaaat?” “Why?

I do try to keep a steady roster of players. But people go on tour or they get into motorcycle accidents... I always play with accomplished musicians. I am lucky to live in a community of supportive artists. It’s definitely an upside of LA.

When did you start playing music, did you come from a musical household?

I grew up under a baby Baldwin watching my mother’s feet working the pedals and showered in Chopin. I fucking love dynamics. I played piano when I was young; then was classically trained on Flute; sang in Chorale; took classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music... When I was 13, I was in a prestigious music competition and was accompanied by a renowned concert pianist.  Mid-performance I totally forgot the notes, had a breakdown and never really recovered. After that, I had such performance anxiety that I just quit being a serious musician. The only reason why I was able to try performing in public again is because seven years ago a friend told me about beta blockers - a prescription drug. They kept me from sweating and trembling- until last week... I just did my first show without a pill! I didn’t tremble - or die. The fear is that I will actually die on stage - and shit my pants on the way down. Wait - did you ask me if I came from a musical or a neurotic household?

If we can steal the Pitchfork 5-10-15-20 idea, what was the music you listened to as a child (the music parents/siblings listened to, the music you discovered yourself at a young age), as a high school kid and then beyond – college, moving out on your own etc?

At 5, I was all about Magical Mystery Tour. I was really into the illustrated-booklet-insert-thingy. I mean, deeply and oddly into it. I , of course, didn’t know what acid was. But I was so stimulated by the music and the images that I licked the pages. I got into so much trouble for ruining my mom’s album. 12 years later I discovered acid and... it wasn’t great like Magical Mystery...

At 10, I was a massively morose dork. I loved Jacques Brel Alive and Well in Paris. My favorite songs were “Timid Frieda,” “Ne Me Quitte Pas,” and “My Death.” I think a parent today would probably put their child on pills if they came home and found their child jumping from the sofa, throwing themselves on the floor and belting “My death! Angel or devil! I don’t care!” Dear lord...

I had a fake ID when I was 14 and kinda “ran wild” with older kids. So, as a young teen, I was on the Chicago “scene”: stage diving at Fishbone concerts; moshing in nightclubs to Nitzer Ebb; and sneaking out in the middle of the night to frat parties at the Northwestern University campus where DJs played everything from Depeche Mode to Chicago Deep House music. Weekends I’d go to Wax Trax and mull around the store so I could listen to what they were spinning. It was stuff you couldn’t hear on the radio. I will never forget when this punker-tool who worked behind the counter, shamed me with an eye roll when I asked if they had a particular Prince import.  I was young and insecure so I back pedaled: “Uhm... I mean... Front 242.”  I have since realized that a deep abiding love for Prince is nothing to be ashamed of.

My college years were bleak. I joined a sorority. Got into 70’s disco, Parliament / Funkadelic (not so bad) and the Grateful Dead (WTF). Still, good music did not escape me completely: Hum, Wilco, the Sea and Cake, Slint, Janes Addiction, The Pixies - those are a few favorites that have stuck with me.  This still doesn’t make up for the embarrassment of admitting that I went to a lot of Dead shows.

In my 20’s I discovered Yo La Tengo, Cat Power, Massive Attack, Sun Ra, Erik Satie and the Velvet Underground. Yo La Tengo is the single most defining band for me. I have listened to the song “You Can Have It All” an inordinate number of times - probably as much as any single Beatles song. I adore the sentiment of the lyric - complete selflessness and abandon. (Sure. It’s a cover...) Plus it’s boppy without a shred of cheesiness. I appreciate that YLT is just three people and they get such a big, lush and textured sound. Ira Kaplan is genius with his guitar tones.

Who do you admire, who/what inspires you as a singer/writer? And that doesn’t have to be restricted to music...

I admire the usual suspects - Leonard Cohen chief among them. And it’s helpful to remember that this man wrote both “Hallelujah” and “Don’t Go Home with Your Hard-on.”  I want to get as close as I can get to the level of artistic expression that is realized in the song “Hallelujah.” But so far I’ve written a bunch of “Don’t Go Home with Your Hard-on” songs. Except I’m not a lothario. I’m a woman that got her heart broken a few too many times. So my songs are more like “He’s Got a Hard-On for Someone Else.”

If you could take one (maybe two) records to a desert island, what would it be?

Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Django Reinhart & Stephane Grappelli - Souvenirs
Christoph Poppen - Morimur

And I would get all three recorded on one record / disc so that nobody could accuse me of breaking the one-record-on-a-desert-island rule.

So, the Love Animal EP...without wanting to delve too deep into personal matters, it sounds like it was inspired by a difficult period, or unsuccessful (or maybe volatile) relationships, would that be accurate?

These are certainly songs about difficult relationships - and mature relationships -  but not necessarily mine. There is a part of songwriting where you are recounting observations and imagining experiences. But there is also a part where it’s just what words fit into this meter? And what is the mood that has been set up by the chords and the tempo.  Sometimes the music vibes the lyrics. For example: 'Make Believe' - I was just playing around with that bouncy brush rhythm and was making a joke about how you could scat triplets to it. From the idea of “scat” came the line “Scatter around the ashes.” Then it was just a matter of ‘what comes next’? The ground will soak them up! Then it was a matter of shoe-horning a theme into it. Death of a relationship was the obvious thing.

.......................But, look, I know that I write a fuck-ton of break-up songs that tend to be hopeless - mostly it’s because I am dramatic (remember Jacques Brel) by nature.

Not that I’m saying it’s without its positivity, as ‘Drift’ seems to have an urge to move on...do you try to find the positives in any situation, or is that an impossibility sometimes?

So... Here’s the thing. There is a dichotomy between me and my songs. For the most part, I am a joyous and whimsical person. Though I do get depressed. In fact, I have been told to cut my stage banter because I’m funny and then I start playing my brand of “Winter Kills.” (YAZ reference - the most gothy sad song I can think of...).  Maybe I am exorcising the gloom out of me through song? To answer your question: Yes. I do try to find the positives and sometimes that is impossible. Just gotta keep trying...

BTW - I have refocused on writing more hopeful and lovely songs that are not about love-gone-wrong. Or, at least, songs that are appropriate for car commercials - cuz momma needs a new pair of shoes!

Do you currently make a living through music? Are you part of a community of musicians in LA – do you have “sounding boards” that you’re able to try new ideas out on?

I currently don’t make a living through music. It’s my avocation. And if I ever do, I’m not so much into being an artist, myself.  I’d love to write songs for singers with big voices - in any genre. I have done some instrumental music that was placed in indie films - very sparse, Thurston-Moore-type guitar noodles. And a song from the “Real George” project got a placement in a film. It would be great if I could get gigs like that on the regular - but it’s difficult because even Thurston Moore is looking for those types of gigs since nobody is making money in music these days.

I know many musicians. But I actually haven’t really used them as “sounding boards” - that’s a fantastic idea. A whole bunch of people are gonna have some rough demos in their inboxes tonight.

Are you working on new material at the moment? Are you planning on touring outside of LA?

I am always writing new songs.  I’m thinking of releasing home demos on Soundcloud - super lo-fi recordings. Hopefully they will be charming enough so that the seed of the song is appealing despite...

I will be in NYC later this month playing at the CMJ music festival.  That will be interesting because it’s just me, my guitar, a looper and some beats tracks.  All of the songs have been re-envisioned for this set-up and have become (if you can believe it) much darker. The pop sheen is totally gone.

I would love to play the UK in the spring and there is a high likelihood that that will happen since my husband and I have to be there for a convention.  I think it’s the Bristol Convention...

If you missed Ali at CMJ, then I'm sure you can catch her in LA sometime soon, should you be in the area...

As a treat, here's a couple of answers with Ali being a bastard:


So, are you a Los Angeles native, or were you lured there by stories of Laurel Canyon and/or the Viper Room?

I'm not limited, or defined, by a city or a region - or even the the earth. I'm fucking intergalactic.

When did you start playing music, did you come from a musical household?

I have been a musician my whole life and all of my past lives. Baby, I was resurrected this way.  The music in my soul is too big for one lifetime. And if you missed my Lady Gaga reference just a moment ago, I feel sorry for you.

A charming insight into what Ali might turn out like should success ever go to her head.....





Monday 13 August 2012

The Return of Mumbles, or why Father John Misty is amazing



Hullo.

In a stunning turn of events, 78sDW returns for a roundup of stuff before we slip back into more regular blogging for the remainder of the year, hopefully with more exclusive to this site content - no promises, mind.

Before that, though, here's that round-up....

In the album reviews section we have:

Marissa Nadler - The Sister
The Mynabirds - Generals
Visions of Trees - Visions of Trees
Guided By Voices - Class Clown Spots A UFO
Blues Control - Valley Tangents
POP ETC - POP ETC  (quite possibly the worst album you'll hear all year)
Sonny and the Sunsets - Longtime Companion
Ikons - Life Rhythm
Mission of Burma - Unsound
Erika Spring - Erika Spring
Serengeti - C.A.R.
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
Beat Connection - The Palace Garden
Dignan Porch - Nothing Bad Will Ever Happen

In the interviews, you've missed chats with:

My Heart Belongs to Cecilia Winter
The Legendary Lightness
Metric
Ikons
Dinowalrus
O Children

and one single live review, Bloc Party's first gig in a few years.

Until the next post, I'm going to leave you with some words about my favourite record of the year so far. If you've not heard Father John Misty's Fear Fun then you should rectify that as soon as you can. A record to fall in and out of love to, to drink, laugh and cry along with, it's the sound of Neil Young's On The Beach rewritten by Harry Nilsson, and it's Josh Tillman's crowning achievement thus far. Topping anything he's been a part of as Fleet Foxes or under the J Tillman pseudonym, there aren't enough words to describe the brilliance of this album, so just listen and watch instead:

and if you fancy something a touch louder, here's something from the best guitar record you'll probably hear all year, Japandroids' Celebration Rock:

 or how about some wonderful Julia Holter and her album Ekstasis:









Wednesday 30 May 2012

A great big roundup of stuff



Alright. How've you been? Me, I've been grand. Busy, but grand.

There's been a month of radio silence at 78sDW Towers (not so much if you follow me on Twitter) and that's due to paid work overtaking this silly wee folly of mine. Still, I'm back now you lucky people and you can find out what's been happening by reading on....

I've started writing for the mighty fine The 405, doing the usual reviews stuff, and you can read the first fruits of this venture by taking a squizz at my reviews for S.Carey's Hoyas EP and the debut album from Soren Andreasen, Barefoot Memories.


Back over at my first and true love The Line of Best Fit it's been the usual busy time with an email interview with Canadian surf-poppers Hooded Fang first up, closely followed by a cup of tea and a chat with one of my musical heroes and Teenage Fanclub member Gerard Love about his new Lightships project.

Over in the reviews department, I've taken a close look at the mighty fine Glitter by Dead Mellotron, the promising-if-derivative debut from Citizens! titled Here We Are and the beautiful new album from Marissa Nadler, The Sister.


And if that's not enough for you, then coming up are reviews from The Mynabirds, Visions of Trees, Guided By Voices, Blues Control, Sonny and the Sunsets and Mission of Burma.... and interviews with Dinowalrus and O Children.

Phew. See you all real soon.