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De Rosa Announce Split

It was with great sadness that we heard of De Rosa's decision to split after several years and two magnificent albums. Chemikal Underground consider themselves extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity of working with De Rosa and count 'Mend' and 'Prevention' as two of the label's finest releases. We wish Martin, Chris, James, Neil and Andy the very best of everything and hope to work with some or all of them again in the future. A truly great band who will be sorely missed.

"Look After Your Wife" by Lord Cut Glass

A surreal visual accompaniment for the first brisk ditty to issue from the creative wellspring that is Lord Cut Glass. Entitled "Look After Your Wife", it proffers a timely exhortation to all those roguish blackguards and philandering adulterers out there - for you are legion! - to keep your inconsiderate whims in check and demonstrate greater chivalry and benevolence towards your beleaguered spouse. Those of you troubled by the familiarity of His Lordship's sonorous tones would do well to recollect his (more common!) identity in the days prior to his ascension to the Upper House: Alun Woodward Esq., singer of songs with that rather quaint troupe of Caledonian minstrels - The Delgados.

One must also graciously acknowledge the creative labours of Mr. Tobias Feltus in bringing this kaleidoscope of stereographic wonderment to life. His painstaking efforts consumed not only time, but several guineas worth of midnight oil - not to mention the taxing effects such dextrous creativity can have on one's eyesight. Bravo Mr. Feltus! The assiduousness of our applause can be heard from Holland Park to Spitalfields!

'The Howling' - OUT NOW

The Phantom Band's new single 'The Howling' is out now on 7" vinyl only (as well as digital download) and you can get it by clicking on the artwork above (rather splendid artwork too, as it was created by comic book uber-legend Frank Quitely). As an extra display of our general all round munificence, buying the seven inch will get you the digital tracks and the file of the video for the frankly ludicrous price of £2.00. Fuck me if that's not brilliant.

Exclusive Video: 'The Howling' on Muzu

Directed by Martin Wedderburn and Bronagh Keegan, The Howling is The Phantom Band's first single proper from their intergalactically acclaimed debut 'Checkmate Savage'.

Filmed at various locations around Glasgow, with a 40 strong following of the band's fans standing in as cast and extras, the video was shot over the course of one long day. Locations were diverse: the Doublet bar in Glasgow's West End kindly giving their premises over free of charge for the morning's filming. Glasgow actor Allan Tall - who can be seen in Braveheart! - was enlisted for the role of the tramp in the Clyde underpass (fitting in filming between a matinee and evening performance of Scottish Opera's production of Cosi Fan Tutti).

Keen (as always) to maintain a certain degree of cabalistic inscrutability, The Phantom Band opted to don some rather fetching tetrahedron masks for the shoot - full frontal(!) cameos can be found within the video though if you're fleet of foot and eagle-eyed - the masks were hand made by director Martin Wedderburn and have been changing hands on ebay for upwards of £100 apparently.

What's the video about? Don't ask us, but it does contain the following:

car accident
a flare
tetrahedron masks
a tramp
woodland
pubs
tetrahedron masks
hand clapping
alcohol
leery drunkeness
tetrahedron masks
the afterlife? death? near death? dreams? nightmares?

we told you not to ask us.

The extremely limited edition 7" single is out at the end of May and features exclusive artwork by comic book artist/legend Frank Quitely. For those of you keen to get your hands on the album, feel free to check out Chemikal Underground's Online Shop where you can purchase a copy here

Thanks to Martin, Bronagh, Ray and all at MTP for delivering us such a great video. And to all you viewing public, please feel free to embed this video in every conceivable blog/myspace/website you have at your disposal: music this good cannot be kept secret.

The Phantom Band - The Howling on MUZU

Prevention - March 2nd

"De Rosa deal in a fabulously stirring strain of realism." [4/5]

MOJO

"A very special release indeed." [8/10]

ROCKSOUND

"This is simultaneously lived-in and artful terrain, and they walk it well." [4/5]

INDEPENDENT ON SATURDAY

gorgeous...heartbreaking [4/5]

THE LIST

“I guess in some small way I’m trying to give post-industrial Lanarkshire a place in culture.”
MARTIN HENRY

For those of us fortunate enough to be acquainted with De Rosa’s 2006 debut ‘Mend’, the wait for album number two has been arduous and seemingly interminable; thirty months is a long time by anyone’s standards but given their lead singer’s aspirations, it was unlikely that the album was going to be rushed. Finally complete and packaged with original artwork by Glasgow’s literary titan Alasdair Gray, ‘Prevention’ builds on the promise of their debut and goes some way towards establishing De Rosa as one of the most accomplished and (dare we say it) cerebral bands writing today. It’s certainly been a long wait, but for many, ‘Prevention’ will be one of the anticipated releases of 2009.

De Rosa’s strengths lie in their ability to fashion unforgettable melodies from unconventional song structures; Henry’s contemplative, vivid lyrics - often referencing local areas from his native Lanarkshire – tend to linger in the memory long after the music has faded, which, given the scarcity of genuinely affecting music nowadays, ought to elevate De Rosa to the ranks of Scotland’s finest songwriters. Following the critical acclaim heaped on their debut (one of MOJO’s Albums of 2006), and the drafting in of an additional member, the band set about perfecting their unique blend of urban, parochial folk and angular, twisted guitar lines, enhanced considerably this time round with layers of keyboards and electronica.

“The scratchy, falling-apart sound of parts of ‘Mend’ frustrates me sometimes, so with ‘Prevention’ I wanted to make something that was prettier and heavier at the same time. We were more interested in layers of vocals and instruments, with an emphasis on percussion, not just guitar...there are definitely a lot more keyboards on this one too...” MARTIN HENRY

Given De Rosa’s frequent referencing of Lanarkshire in their work, it is perhaps no surprise that Alasdair Gray, artist and author of ‘Lanark’ (hailed by The Guardian as “one of the landmarks of 20th-century fiction”) was drafted in to paint the band’s portrait for the cover art. The cover features the band alongside a map of Lanarkshire, Martin’s acoustic guitar and a copy of their debut album...

“The portraits were painted first, then there was the idea of a table with some meaningful objects. The map and the copy of ‘Mend’ came from Alasdair a little later on and I remembered there being an old map lying about Chem19, where we recorded the album. The guitar in the image is my little acoustic. I write all of the De Rosa demos on it.” MARTIN HENRY

Acoustic guitars are certainly a prominent feature of the album, tracks like ‘Pest’ and ‘Swell’ recalling the melancholic beauty of early Neil Young, but it’s the subtle infusion of drum machines and electronic layering that sets ‘Prevention’ apart: if it is folk, it’s a thoroughly modern incarnation with rippling keyboards and syncopated beats as material as the poetically nuanced lyrics. With guest performances from Life Without Building’s Robert Johnson and Mogwai’s Barry Burns, ‘Prevention’ is an intensely rewarding and poetic triumph from a band that has resolutely pursued its own unique vision and grown immeasurably in stature as a result.

Lanarkshire doesn’t know how lucky it is.

“It can be quite worrying when you place the new album by a band you’re totally besotted with into the CD and press ‘play’. Never has this anxiety been stronger than with ‘Prevention’: it’s not that I didn’t think they would make a great record as such, it was more, “How could they improve upon such a great debut?” As it turns out, I needn’t have bothered my arse worrying because I realised, after playing it twice in a row, that it was a distilled and perfectly developed rendering of what they had been all about in the first place. I seriously count it as one of the biggest honours of my career to have been asked to play some piano on this sublime recording.” BARRY BURNS [MOGWAI]

In the meantime here's a video that was made for one of De Rosa's 'Appendices' tracks from 2008 called 'Robin Song'. The video was made by a fan, Laura McCullagh, and is, quite simply, a beautiful piece of work...many thanks Laura.

And as if that wasn't enough, Laura's made another video for us, this time for 'Nocturne For An Absentee' and it is, quite, simpy, stunning. Laura - you're a star and we can't thank you enough. Check out Laura's youtube page and applaud someone with a quite unique talent...

The Phantom Band 'Checkmate Savage: Jan 26th

Checkmate Savage, due out on January 26th, continues its apparently unstoppable assault on the hearts and minds of music lovers everywhere, picking up a growing collection of praise and plaudits...

"an early bid for debut album of the year." MOJO [4/5]

"Experimental and intelligent but also guttural, smile-inducing and ass-shaking, this is a pretty remarkable calling card." THE LIST [5/5]

"a lurid triumph" THE WORD

"entrancing Caledonian majesty" Q

With 'Folk Song Oblivion' picking up radio plays on Radio 1, Radio 2, 6Music and XFM, The Phantom Band seem to be on target for a rather impressive 2009.

The Phantom Band

CHECKMATE SAVAGE available now EXCLUSIVELY at eMusic and for pre-order from our online shop...

How To Get To Heaven From Scotland - Feb 14th

Aidan Moffat Points The Way To Heaven On Valentine's Day...

Our very own bearded laureate sets out his personal route map to the celestial afterworld this Valentine's Day with the release of 'How To Get To Heaven From Scotland' by Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs. Last time we heard from Aidan, it was with the wonderful, darkly humorous, spoken word album and book package I Can Hear Your Heart, which received rave reviews on its February 2008 release. Less than a year later, he's back as frontman of Aidan Moffat and the Best-Ofs.

"It’s not really a band," says Aidan, "so much as an open-door club where anyone with a talent for something I like the sound of is welcome.” There’s no line-up in any traditional sense and members will come and go according to their availability, but for this album, the band includes Stevie Jones (Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan’s band) and Alun Woodward (ex-Delgados / Lord Cut-Glass). How To Get To Heaven From Scotland was recorded simultaneously with I Can Hear Your Heart, but, says Aidan, “the Best-Ofs one needed longer on the hob.”

Moffat’s aware that people expect to hear “more whinging from Glasgow’s alcoholic lo-fi miserablist” with each release, but it’s different this time. This is an album about love, with a beautifully apt 14th February release date for a deluxe box set edition of the record which will include the following...

Box Set

“The perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one,” says Aidan. “Seriously.”

As such, this album’s about as playful – and cheerful – as Aidan gets. Heck, there’s even some beatboxing on the introductory track, Lover’s Song. Most surprising of all is the brevity of each track: this is an album without an ounce of flab on it.

“I decided it was time that I attempted to write some positive love songs, which is incredibly difficult to do if you want to avoid cliché and repetition,” says Aidan. “You have to try to make them both personal and universal, which can be quite difficult; you have to try to forget other people are going to hear them while also making sure it will appeal to an audience. There’s a lot more sunshine and happy endings on this record, plus a song about my grandfather’s non-existent ghost and a lullaby about the terror of impending fatherhood. Hopefully I’ve managed to keep it at least diverting for the 37 minutes it lasts.”

The title of the album comes from a pamphlet that was posted through Aidan’s door by the Glasgow Southside God Squad. “It makes perfect sense by the time you get to track 12,” says the singer.

Moffat’s certainly been keeping busy since the demise of Arab Strap, the duo he fronted for 11 years from 1995 to 2006. Alongside his many musical guises, the latest of which is a collaboration with Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite named Aloha Hawaii, he’s taken up a position as an agony uncle for website The Quietus, specialising in sex, of course. He’s already forming plans for the next album, and the next – but don’t expect it to be with The Best-Ofs.

“I’m currently of the notion that I won’t make a record with the same band or under the same name twice,” says Moffat. “My next album will most likely be one that I’m writing and recording with Bill Wells. I’ve also started a sequel to I Can Hear Your Heart, but it won’t be any kind of conventional music album so I don’t think that falls under the new rules. I reserve the right to change my mind anyway.”

Here's a video of Aidan miming to his new single 'Big Blonde': unutterable class, to put it mildly...

"Big Blonde"

Oulipo Saliva - 24th Nov 2008

Not forgetting of course the offbeat brilliance of 'Oulipo Saliva' by our French stablemates Angil + The Hiddntracks. "Why no 'e' in hiddentracks?" we hear you ask. Well, if you click on the album cover upstairs you can find out the whole story which involves early 20th century pianos, the oulipo movement, Georges Pérec and Jim Putnam from the Radar Bros and if you're not intrigued by that, well you can fuck off quite frankly.

Oulipo Saliva is a hidden gem in our catalogue: an album so rich in its conception and rewarding in execution that you really have to seek it out. Don't just take our word for it though, you cynical dogs:

"The result is a twilight world where Robert Wyatt and John Coltrane rub shoulders with Why? and Vernon Elliot. Mad, but quite magical." UNCUT (4/5)

"...an ingenious undertaking, simultaneously brave, silly, whimsical and thoroughly satisfying." THE FLY (4.5/5)

"Consumed by sheer artistic madness, Ouliposaliva will have you flipping chaotically backwards and forwards through the booklet, whilst its metaphysical philosophy will leave you ruminating on more than just the music. Mottet deploys verbal poetry like Soul Coughing’s M. Doughty and, like Javier Bardem in ‘No Country for Old Men’; he’s almost always a step ahead of you. This truly is an album you can’t just dip into, it’s a winning concept. And though it may not win millions of hearts, for those with time, it’s a truly rewarding experience." DROWNED IN SOUND (8/10)

"...this jazzy French pairing generate warmth from horns, vocals redolent of Robert Wyatt and a wonky piano that may well have been boozing with Tom Waits. Its aim is to charm, not alienate, and it largely succeeds, in its oddball, slow-burning fashion." The Independent

"...Mottet has constructed a record that carries plenty of intrigue and interest. Pleasingly, it's more wonky than wacky, its wordplay, oddball jazz inflections and Mottet's vocals often echoing the work of Robert Wyatt. This means it's remarkably easy for its unbalanced attractiveness to envelope you." WORD

For the terminally lazy amongst you, you can hear one of the tracks of the album, 'Trying To Fit', on our player at the top of the page. The album's due out in America on 3rd March or of course you can order it direct from our online shop by clicking on the photo down below...

Angil + Hiddntracks - 'Narrow Minds'

Just in: the new video for 'Trying To Fit'. All comments about the French approach to gastronomy should be directed to the message boards below......

Angil + Hiddntracks - 'Trying To Fit'

Mt. Wilson Repeater - October 6th

Erstwhile Radar Brother, Jim Putnam's solo project Mt. Wilson Repeater will see its official Uk and Europe release on October 6th. To learn more about the story behind the release and to preview every track on the album, click on the image below and be transported (presumably through a process of witchcraft and science) to our Online Shop...

Mt. Wilson Repeater

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Check out exclusive videos from Chemikal Underground artists by following the link below...