John Cale, Cornelius Cardew, cLOUDDEAD, Dirty Projectors, The Dismemberment Plan, Don Caballero, The Evens, Fugazi, Gastr Del Sol, David Grubbs, Charles Ives, Matmos, Medications, Charles Mingus, Pulp, Jim O'Rourke, Q and Not U, Arthur Russell, Frederic Rzewski, Shellac, Paul Simon, Talking Heads, Tom Waits, Scott Walker, Wilco, The Wingdale Community Singers.
As for extra-musical influences: Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Albert Camus, Raymond Chandler, the Fear of God (the fear specifically - I don't subscribe to the other bits), Tony Hoagland, Stewart Lee, David Lynch, The Marx Brothers, Murakami Haruki, Henry Rollins, Kurt Vonnegut.
Music happened to me relatively late in life, probably about midway through secondary school. I discovered the radio at the age of 14 and realised that it was an excellent means of infiltrating my peer group, which had been a rather fruitless dream of mine for quite a while. However, an initial taste for The Cardigans and Robbie Williams (who ISN'T the most talented lyricist of his generation, in retrospect), was quickly surpassed by the discovery of appalling pop-punk, most notably in the form of The Offspring, which meant that I was down with a certain subset of folk, but all the more alienated from a lot of others, many of whom were attractive girls. So it goes.
One thing that appalling pop-punk did have going for it was a rather democratic transparency of means, in that it could clearly be produced by anyone at all, regardless of appearance, intelligence or musical ability. This was what inspired me to start playing in bands, and I suppose I ought to be grateful. Thanks Noodles. Thereafter, the trajectory of my musical evolution ran something like this:
POP-PUNK -> HARD-ROCK -> MODERN COMPOSITION -> TWEE FOLK
I don't know if that's an archetype or anything, but it seemed to make sense at the time.
These days I'm struggling through my second attempt at a degree in 'classical' music, whilst messing about with free-improv. stuff and penning chilly songs about despair (sample lyric: "All the things that you've accomplished/Will turn to dust in time...but it's alright") in my free time.
BLISTRAP @ The Noise Upstairs Jam Night, FUEL, Withington, 9pm, 11th December
BLISTRAP are - Mick Beck, Stefano Guist and Jonny Drury
The Noise Upstairs hosts three of Shefield’s finest improvisers from the FREENOISE label. A trio of Mick Beck (incredible tenor sax)/ Stefano Giust (Italian version of Corsano on drums but better!) and Jonny Drury on electric guitar. Together it’s going to be a riotous affair, but also at times beautiful! Their names will be in the hat, so you’ve all the got chance to get up there and get involved. Bring any sounds you can find!
So, if you're already sick of the Christmas CDs, get yourself down to FUEL on Thursday and get involved!
The Red Box - Radioactive Princess enters Stage Right through a whirlwind of pure noise offering up a saucer full of proto-jazz. Non-songs fed on the children of improv, anchored by a rhythmic intensity at their centre. Concentrated moments filtered through long lost vinyl, deflecting like electric snowflakes.
Download includes 11 track album and pdf of exclusive illustrations by Guglielmo Manenti.
Strings: Naomi Burrell, Nikki Hicks and Alice Purton
findlay_hunter_rennie emerge from Manchester's unsung experimental underground, with a debut album brimming full of razor sharp ideas, glistening soundscapes, soaring melodies and decomposed structures. All improvised, all live, always unpredictable. Cello meets guitar meets trombone meets laptop meets a lot of effects pedals.
Download includes 6-track album, pdf liner notes and exclusive cover artwork by Becca Smith.
Cheers 4 the add Alun & thanks 4 lookin us up - sorry it's taken us a while to accept, we've had rather a lot of requests recently - hope u enjoyed the music? keep in touch...
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"...Throbbing brooding organic instrumental darkness and building drama – an amazing piece of shape shifting music and just when you think they can’t take you any higher the brilliant drama of the drums slowly kick in, brilliant brilliant brilliant!
This is an excellent debut album from the Manchester three piece, there’s personality here, an original take on instrumental post tock and yes, you do need this album in there with your post rock classics... ORGAN MAGAZINE..
Laymar’s debut album In Strange Lines And Distances... is released on TV Records through Shellshock/Pinnacle and is out now! available @ iitunes, eMusic, HMV, Napster, 7Digital & all good digital retailers. ..
Laymar
Thursday 14th August
Dry Bar
8pm
£5
EYES come from Chicago and make glorious music for dancing that straddles the vibes of Ariel Pink and HEALTH. The type of band people might lie about having seen first time round once they make the cover of Plan B. You know, if they felt so inclined.
Skitanja, in spite of what the poster says, are actually from Bournemouth. They make scrappy, electronic bleep party pop music with guitar.
Shiu-Yeung Hui is the Chinese member of Japanese group Maher Shalal Hash Baz. He drinks quite a lot of neat vodka then takes to the stage to perform his wonderful, fractured, miniature songs using guitar and keyboard. An exercise in patience, an audience with Shiu pays off massively.
Elapse O are a death disco unit from Oxford. Imagine swimming the butterfly through a load of broken Swans LPs. That's what they sound like. Dig.
Like fellow Liverpudlians Hot Club De Paris...with bouncy, choppy riffs and a very much danceable rhythm, synths swirl like a demented fairground ride while the boys perform fantastic, sing along harmonies. MAKE NOISE AND DANCE
Elks
Jerky post hardcore pop complete with rousing manic vocals. a bit like Fugazi and Charlottefield FOOTBALL
Rotary Ten
Latest signings to Xtra Mile (home of Dartz!) "'If The Smiths had gone to college in the US this might have been their sound. Complex, melodic guitar entwines with an 'anthemic' chorus. Possible classic.' The Observer
Beat The Radar
"catchy vocal melodies with precise backing vocals on top of angst guitar and clever drums create a package for success" SANDMAN MAGAZINE
an astounding twenty-five minute immersive soundscape from the 'boulanger sonore', plus exclusive digital photographs by the artist included in the download
I couldn't decide between 'the line that draws itself' and 'Turner dental school seminar' as my myspace profile song... i think i made a good final choice x
noticed you posting on Napoleon IIIrd's myspace from a while ago and thought you might be interested to know we are putting him on in Manchester this Friday (april 4th) at Cafe Saki with a few other bands as well. Hopefully see you there?
"Itch are quite breathtakingly, pant-twitchingly awesome. Songs stop, start, fall over themselves, kick themselves up the arse, explode into cataclysmic bursts of energybefore suddenly veering off into seemingly irreconcilable tangents that seamlessyly reconcile themselves within the space of a few minutes"
Arms At Last
"Arms At Last sound like what would happen if Dartz! and Hot Club De Paris had an affair." FuckingDance. blogspot. com
The Search Map
’Glitch ridden intelli pop of the highest order - like TV On The Radio playing Modest Mouse at their tenderest’ - Subba-Cultcha
My Amiga
Plenty of harmonies, hand claps and guitar taps make for another band to add to the list of super fun bands being produced in Liverpool at the moment.
