Recorded music highlights of 2008
1) Wild Beasts - Limbo, Panto
2) Cool Kids - Bake Sale
3) Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
4) The Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event
5) Abe Vigoda - Skeleton
6) Why - Alopecia
7) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
8) Rolo Tomassi - Hysterics
9) Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
10) Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping

Also, 'big love' for Chairlift, Portishead, No Age, Times New Viking, Ladyhawke, TV on the Radio, MGMT, Cut Copy, Late of the Pier, Fuck Buttons and Vampire Weekend. And some more I can't think of right now.

Live music highlights of 2008
Live Music = Dananananaykroyd supporting Johnny Foreigner at the Cardiff Barfly. RATM and Monotonix come in second, and third.

What else did you enjoy this year?
This year I enjoyed SXSW, Peanut Butter, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

2008 was...
...segmented.

2009 will be...
...post-subcultural (plus more flannel shirts)

Labels: kruger

Band: The Ash and the Oak
Day: Sunday 16th
Time: 8.00-8.30
Place: Dempseys
Bill: Richard James, The Afternoons, Lindsey Leven
Myspace Genre: Pop/Folk Rock/Other

Local? Newports
Am I being biased as they've played Joy? They have played Joy but people far more important that me are starting to sit up and take notice.

The Ash & The Oak is the name under which Simon Leighfield performs and records. A singer of rare delicacy and grace, Simon plays irregularly and erratically around South Wales. The first time I saw them it was Simon and Rachel (although mysteriously she doesn't appear on their press release - maybe I've just fucked up their Bon Iver-esque back story), they played gentle acoustic folk and were very nice.

Since then they've put together a full live band and their sound has become a lot more interesting. It's still Simon's baby and he records all his music in a small room piled high with dysfunctional musical ephemera and defunct technology. Using these primitive means, he has recorded and released his eponymous first album, first as a digital download and, as of 22nd Sept 2008, a very limited edition physical 3 dimensional release on Country Mile Records (who released the John Langford tribute CD and should be releasing what promises to be a fucking awesome debut album from Cardiff's Jimi Alexander & The Satellites early next year). It's available in both Diverse and Spillers.

Determined to translate the sounds and arrangements he hears in his head into real life, The Ash & The Oak’s performances usually involve a coterie of friends and a trestle table of almost-in-tune musical instruments. It's telling that Blitzen Trapper are the first band in their myspace site's top friends because they do now share a certain sound with the Sub Pop band. Not so much the crackers stomp along tunes but certainly the multi-instrumental, layered vocal, oddball acoustic, dreamy west coast psych/country type tunes.

Two tracks from the album were chosen as September 2008’s single of the month by Kruger Magazine and have gained Radio 1 airplay. Huw Stephens has played the band a lot and handily has his own festival to put them on at. If only we could all do that.

Labels: country mile records, jimi alexander and the satellites, joy, kruger, swn, the ash and the oak

The people at Tell The Police The Truth have excelled themselves this month. Not only are they putting on a bastard marvellous band for a mere 4 quid but they're providing me with a great flyering opportunity! This Town Needs Guns released a rather fabulous split CD with Cats And Cats And Cats not so long ago and the latter are playing at Joy in Meze a week after this gig. I strongly urge you to go to both. Firstly, a bit about TTNG...

Dreamy spires and Inspector Morse, Oxford's much more than a university city, it's a musical hotbed with a habit of producing important - nay, vital - bands, capable of re-shaping genres and planting large markers in the sand. Radiohead with their illustrious career, arguably the most important band this country has seen in decades. Foals, taking intelligent, "math" pop to the masses. And now This Town Needs Guns, the darling buds of the thriving indie scene.

Since coming together some four years ago and experiencing a number of lineup changes since, the band have toured the UK a number of times with the likes of I Was A Cub Scout, Meet Me In St Louis and Rolo Tomassi, made two trips across the Channel to tour Europe and seen their music released in Japan and Australia. With the good word beginning to spread far and wide, the guys wanted to better themselves, pushing to find that perfect balance between intricate indie rock and catchy pop, inspired by the increasingly influential Chicago indie scene and some of it's occupants (past and present) such as Owls, Don Caballero, Cap n Jazz, Maps and Atlases and more.

Entering the studio in April 2008, TTNG set about recording their debut album, a collection of songs written since the release of 2007's acclaimed split EP with Cats And Cats And Cats, which featured their celebrated track, '26 Is Dancier Than 4'. Ignoring the lure of special effects and studio wizardry, 'Animals' was born. Pure, stripped down and allowing the clever songwriting to shine through for all to see, the phrase "accomplished musicians" barely scratches the surface. Tim Collis' guitar sounds as though it's being caressed by 6 hands as his brother, Chris, flings his sticks around the drum kit not wanting to leave any tiny patch un-touched. Bassist Dan Adams completes the rhythm section with his dancey, jazz influenced bass lines whilst Stuart Smith's vocals dip and soar, taking this record from thought provoking depths to sky-high triumphs.

Taking inspiration from various mammals when it came to naming their songs, the idea seemed to fit nicely for a band usually known for their tongue-twistingly long songtitles (see 'Wanna Come Back To My Room To Listen To Some Belle And Sebastian' and 'I'll Forget About You Throwing That Rock Cos That Dance Was Kinda Funny' for just two examples). 'Panda', the loveable, fluffy favourite, 'Chinchilla', the cheeky feline and the classy 'Rabbit' are but three highlights from a set simply brimming with exciting discoveries to be made.

'Animals' is released on 13th October preceded by a split 7" (featuring 'Pig') with Pennines on September 22nd and digital single 'Panda' on 6th October.

Labels: big scary monsters, clwb ifor bach, kruger, tell the police the truth, this town needs guns

Another band from the Big Scary Monsters label (Blakfish, Tubelord, Cats & Cats & Cats). I love this label and have got a bit of a promotional end on the go in Diverse if anyone wants to check some of their catalogue out. This Town Needs Guns play a Kruger night in Clwb next month about a week before Cats & Cats & Cats (who they released a split CD with) play Joy in Meze Lounge. Before then though, you can have a look and listen to this.

Labels: big scary monsters, cats and cats and cats, joy, kruger, this town needs guns