Innehållsförteckning för Jan-2019 från UNCUT

IT’S the job of the artist to speak to the times in which we live, and few albums have captured how it feels to live in the UK in 2018 quite like Gazelle Twin’s Pastoral. On it, Elizabeth Bernholz uses brittle electronics and effects-twisted vocals to draw a nightmarish caricature of England, raising parallels between our nation’s turbulent history and the poverty and division of the present day. “It is quite an extreme LP,” acknowledges Bernholz. “It’s fraught and noisy and weird. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the reception. People have picked up on the Brexit thing, which wasn’t the main drive. But due to the timing… it’s a hot topic.” In fact, Pastoral – her third album as Gazelle Twin – was precipitated by personal events: the birth…

1. I Wanna Know 2. Dead And Gone 3. Lie To Me 4. Who’s To Say 5. Silver Eyes 6. The Trouble 7. If I Was Your Heart 8. Rise To Fall 9. Maybe I’m Right Produced by: Rosali Middleman, Jeff Zeigler Recorded at: Uniform Recordings, Philadelphia Personnel includes: Rosali Middleman (vocals, guitar), Nathan Bowles (drums), Dan Provenzano (bass), Paul Sukeena (guitar), Mike Polizze (guitar), Charlie Hall (percussion), Mary Lattimore (piano, Wurlitzer, harp), Mike Sobel (lap steel), Gretchen Lohse (violin), Jeff Zeigler (synth)…

Archives Performance Series Volume 07: Songs For Judy REPRISE REISSUE OF THE MONTH 9/10 IN keeping with Neil Young’s legendarily contrarian reputation, Songs For Judy starts with an argument. It is the late show at the Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, on November 24, 1976, and Young is trying to introduce a new song, “Too Far Gone”. One rowdy section of audience, however, has other ideas – they keep shouting for him to play “Southern Man”. Predictably, Young is having none of this. “I love it when you ask me for those old songs and everything,” he says. “But it’s funny, ’cos what keeps you alive is what kills you, you know. If you get too much of the old shit, you know… it’s goodnight.” To an extent, tensions like this…

What did ECM bring to the group? One thing I appreciate about my career is that no-one has ever told me what to do! ECM have always seen what we’re doing. They give us freedom. ECM boss Manfred Eicher is very helpful in the studio – he has a good set of ears and is a musician, and is always encouraging as a producer. How important was John Cage to the way in which the AEOC use silence? I first met John Cage in the 1960s when he played a set at Chicago’s Hyde Park Theatre with Joseph Jarman, before Joseph joined the Art Ensemble. His ideas about silence were very similar to the conclusions I’d come up with. Silence is 50 per cent of music, and every time you…

ECHO ARENA, LIVERPOOL OCTOBER 20, 2018 1 Over And Over And Over 2 Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground 3 Corporation 4 Cannon 5 Hotel Yorba 6 Love Interruption 7 Why Walk A Dog? 8 That Black Bat Licorice 9 Blunderbuss 10 Hello Operator 11 High Ball Stepper 12 You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket 13 Humoresque 14 I Cut Like A Buffalo 15 Missing Pieces 16 Black Math 17 Respect Commander 18 Freedom At 21 19 I’m Slowly Turning Into You ENCORE 20 Steady, As She Goes 21 Lazaretto 22 Connected By Love 23 Seven Nation Army…

“I WENT to Rishikesh back in May to see the ashram. I’ve always wanted to go there, because of the Fabs connection. There’s a shot of John and Paul playing acoustic guitars on the steps of their bungalows. I had my photo taken there, too. That was a moment! We also went to Varanassi in northern India. My wife booked that for us. We only went for a week. It was amazing, man. I’ve never seen so many people. Just wall-to-wall people, cows, tuk-tuks, bikes, cars. It’s a real assault on your senses. Colours, smells, all of it. “I haven’t bought the reissue of the ‘White Album’ yet. I’m happy with the original. That’s the one I’ve always known and loved and it can’t get any better for me. It’s…

1997 BOB DYLAN Time Out Of Mind COLUMBIA 1998 MERCURY REV Deserter’s Songs V2 1999 THE FLAMING LIPS The Soft Bulletin WARNER BROS 2000 LAMBCHOP Nixon CITY SLANG 2001 RYAN ADAMS Gold LOST HIGHWAY 2002 THE FLAMING LIPS Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots WARNER BROS 2003 WARREN ZEVON The Wind ARTEMIS/RYKO 2004 BRIAN WILSON Smile NONESUCH 2005 ARCADE FIRE Funeral ROUGH TRADE 2006 BOB DYLAN Modern Times COLUMBIA 2007 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Sound Of Silver DFA/EMI 2008 PORTISHEAD Third ISLAND 2009 ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Merriweather Post Pavilion DOMINO 2010 JOANNA NEWSOM Have One On Me DRAG CITY 2011 PJ HARVEY Let England Shake ISLAND 2012 LEONARD COHEN Old Ideas COLUMBIA 2013 MY BLOODY VALENTINE m b v MY BLOODY VALENTINE 2014 THE WAR ON DRUGS Lost In The Dream SECRETLY CANADIAN 2015…

WITH stupefying arrogance, we set about showing our contemporaries what could be done with their winning formulas,” Elvis Costello tells Uncut, discussing his 1981 LP Trust. The new-wave upstart turned renaissance man could almost be describing any of his albums, though; from the audacious mix of fury and classicism on 1977 debut My Aim Is True, and the extravagant, Beatles-esque Imperial Bedroom (1982), to the sombre torch songs of 2003’s North and his eclectic, impressive latest, Look Now, Costello has aimed high and invariably succeeded. When Uncut invited the songwriter to discuss nine of his finest albums, Costello suggested that he instead write his own reflections on some of his personal favourites with the Attractions, the Imposters, The Roots and solo – plus a fond look back at the demos…

“I LIKE your socks!” someone yells at Stephen Malkmus just as he and his backing band, the Jicks ,wind down a spirited performance of guitar epic “Shiggy”. All at once the audience at the Record Bar, Kansas City, Missouri, crane their necks to check out the footwear. Even in this late summer heat, his trousers are tucked into knee-length, red-and-yellow socks with an arrowhead on the side. Locals and non-locals alike, sports fans and people who would hardly know a football from a soccer ball, they all recognise it as the logo for the local NFL team, the Kansas City Chiefs. “The ketchup and mustard is in effect!” Malkmus responds, kicking his foot high in the air for the crowd to catch a glimpse. Where the socks came from is…

20 AMERICAN ANIMALS DIRECTOR: BART LAYTON Director Bart Layton has an eye for unusual subjects. He directed 2012 doc The Imposter, about a notorious French conman Frédéric Bourdin, and follows that with this heist drama documenting the attempts of an art student and three accomplices to steal a number of rare books from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. This is a bizarrely gripping true-life crime thriller, with a memorable performance from Evan Peters as a reckless member of the gang. 19 THE SQUARE DIRECTOR: RUBEN ÖSTLUND To a degree, The Square channels the spirit of Lars Von Trier and Yorgos Lanthimos – filmmakers who have routinely upended middle-class entitlement by surreal and unsettling means. This comedy begins as a smart satire of the art world before morphing into excruciating Theatre…

1 BEASTIE BOYS BOOK Mike Diamond & Adam Horovitz FABER IT’S hard to recollect another book that so successfully maps the entire world of a band. Seven years after their final album, and six from the untimely death of Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys Book is a valedictory last hurrah. The 600-page doorstop covers the trio’s roots in early-’80s hardcore, their Great Rap Scare notoriety, the hyperactive pan-genre sprawl of their greatest work, and scrapes with everyone from Madonna to Lee Perry. A narrative spine of sorts is provided by the conversational tug-of-war between Diamond and Horovitz, while cartoons, Korean recipes, photo essays, playlists and guest pieces from Amy Poehler, Spike Jonze and Colson Whitehead add limbs, heart and head. The result? A full-bodied triumph.…

JUST four stops into a tour introducing their brand-new lineup, Fleetwood Mac take the stage in Louisville amid a barrage of headlines. Some are triumphantly announcing Stevie Nicks’ nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, but most involve Lindsey Buckingham’s ousting back in April and his lawsuit against his former band. The dispute stems from disagreements regarding this series of dates, which Buckingham had asked that they postpone so he could promote a new solo album. Six months later, he is suing the remaining members for breach of oral contract, among other charges. In other words, it’s just another day for a band that has not only survived almost constant turnover but continues to thrive despite such shakeups. The current lineup change has been more profound, not only…

ROBIN HOOD OPENS NOV 21 The 432nd film of Sherwood’s finest finds Taron Egerton as the latest Brit thesp to don Lincoln green. He’s no Errol Flynn, though. THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB OPENS NOV 21 The Lisbeth Salander series returns with Claire Foy replacing Noomi Rapace as the gothy hacker. CREED II OPENS NOV 30 The eighth Rocky film – who knew we needed so many? – sees the return of Dolph Lundgren for some corned beef boxing business alongside Stallone. DISOBEDIENCE OPENS NOV 30 Powerful drama set in London’s Jewish community, with two women exploring the boundaries of faith and sexuality. Rachels Weisz and McAdams star. THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS OPENS NOV 30 Doc about identical triplets separated at birth and reunited years later. WHITE BOY RICK OPENS…

AS with most entries on his impressive CV, Davy O’List makes the recent revival of his cult ’60s heroes The Attack sound like a happy accident. “Universal Music’s Jonny Chandler got on the bus and sat next to me,” O’List explains. “He said, ‘Why don’t you reform The Attack?’ I hadn’t thought about it, but it sounded like a good idea.” O’List promptly got in touch with The Attack’s old keyboardist, Bob Hodges, and set about forming a new iteration of the band he co-founded with the late Richard Shirman in 1966. Originally managed by the fearsome Don Arden, The Attack issued a string of freakbeat singles on Decca – the pick being O’List’s thrilling “Any More Than I Do” – in their short but memorable lifespan. “We were gigging…

JESSICA PRATT Quiet Signs CITY SLANG Entrancing third LP from the counter-intuitive LA psychfolker, more mouldering Muswell Hill attic than Laurel Canyon ranch. VAUDOU GAME Otodi HOT CASA Impossibly tight Afro-funk from Togo’s answer to James Brown & The JB’s, complete with grunts, yelps and, presumably, on-the-spot fines. CASS McCOMBS Tip Of The Sphere ANTI- “If I am delirious/It’s because you are harbouring my tongue…” The inscrutable troubadour poses another set of sumptuous riddles on his terrific Mangy Love follow-up. ROYAL TRUX “Every Day Swan”/“Get Used To This” FAT POSSUM First new music in 18 years from the veterans of disorder is as euphorically scuzzy as you’d hope. Features guest  rapping from Kool Keith! LIAM HAYES Mirage Garage CANDLEWICK LAKE As if the overlooked…

Jeff Tweedy on ageing, enduring and feeling liberated by the loss of meaning as time flies by… Were the songs influenced by writing your book? The lyric writing for the album occupies some similar headspace, you know? I haven’t written a lot of prose, so I’ve been somewhat fearful of attempting to write longer-form stories, and things where I have to figure out where to draw the line and how much I want to colour it in. Was your lyrical viewpoint on this record more introspective than usual? Um… I don’t know if I could be more introspective. If I was any more introspective I’d have eyes in the back of my head. In our family there’s been a fair amount of mortality being pushed straight up into our faces…

1 Introduction 2 Merrie Land 3 Gun To The Head 4 Nineteen Seventeen 5 The Great Fire 6 Lady Boston 7 Drifters & Trawlers 8 The Truce Of Twilight 9 Ribbons 10The Last Man To Leave 11The Poison Tree Recorded at: Studio 13, London Produced by: Tony Visconti, The Good, The Bad & The Queen Personnel includes: Damon Albarn (vocals, keys, recorder, theremin), Simon Tong (guitar, vcl), Paul Simonon (bass, vcl), Tony Allen (drums), Isabelle Dunn (cello), Stella Page (viola), Antonia Pagulatos, Kotono Sato (violin), Bethesda Male Voice Choir…

Three years after her legs were broken in a car accident in Austin, Texas, Amy Boone has recovered enough to rejoin The Delines. The band’s second album, The Imperial , due in January on Decor, finds lead singer Boone and guitarist/ songwriter Willy Vlautin picking up where they left  off on 2014’s much-admired Colfax. Fans of Richmond Fontaine or Vlautin’s various novels will be familiar with his finely wrought character studies, exemplified on songs like “Where Are You Sonny?” and “Holly The Hustle”. January also sees the return of two of America’s modern guitar masters. Nashville’s William Tyler issues the all-acoustic Goes West (Merge), engineered and co-produced by Tucker Martine. Tyler’s band includes Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith and guitarist Meg Duffy of Hand Habits, with Bill Frisell…

Amy Rigby on a homegrown project Why so long since the last solo album? I needed to feel I had something to say if I was to come up with a solo record again. The things that compelled me to write songs in my thirties or forties were changing. I had to find out who I was at this stage in my life. When I’m doing an album I need a theme to get an album worth of songs. When we recorded “The Old Guys” that was the start. It made me feel I should get things together. I enjoyed the experience so much I wonder why it takes me so long to get round to doing it. What’s it like working with Wreckless Eric? Eric is pretty intense in…

Produced, recorded and mixed by: David Michael Curry Recorded at: Fort Summer, Somerville, MA Personnel: Robert Fisher (vocals, acoustic guitar, organ), David Michael Curry (viola, electric guitar, saw, bass, vocals, ukulele, synthesiser), Jonah Sacks (cello), Jonathan Ulman (drums), Pete Sutton (electric bass), Erik van Loo (acoustic bass), Erich Groat (mandolin), Michael Tarbox, Steve Wynn, Jason Victor, Peter Weiss, Drew O’Doherty, Chris Brokaw (electric guitars), Sean O’Brien (12-string acoustic guitar)…

NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE Archives Performance Series 02: Live At The Fillmore East 1970 REPRISE NEIL YOUNG Archives Performance Series Volume 02.5: Live At The Cellar Door REPRISE Although recorded between NEIL YOUNG & THE INTERNATIONAL HARVESTERS Archives Performance Series Vol. 9: A Treasure REPRISE Jams! This splendid account of the band’s Danny Whitten lineup (with Jack Nitzsche on keyboards) captures the circular, improvisatory nature of his and Young’s guitar relationship – especially on epics “Down By The River” and “Cowgirl In The Sand”, which gallivant past the 10-minute mark without ever growing stale. It isn’t all guitar-volleys: “Wonderin’”, unreleased until Everybody’s Rockin’ , is a minor gem. November 30 and December 2, just seven weeks after the Live At Massey Hall…

BAUHAUS In The Flat Field (reissue, 1980) BEGGARS ARKIVE 7/10 Undead, undead, undead: foundation goths resurrected on vinyl “We came and said we’re beautiful, we’re male and we’re very dangerous,” shrugged frontman Peter Murphy as he explained how four skinny boys from frumpy Northampton invented goth. Bauhaus zombie-walked their way through four albums from 1980–83, and while 1981’s Mask was more sophisticated, their caterwauling debut – restored to vinyl as part of a full-scale reissue campaign – better encapsulates their tortured artistry. Bauhaus could be stylishly restrained (“The Spy In The Cab”, “A God In An Alcove”), but with Murphy playing a cadaverous Jim Morrison or a boiled Brian Eno, they revelled in maximum darkness, “Stigmata Martyr” and the torrid title track both deliriously discordant. Extras: 7/10. The first album…

Remastered In Vinyl I–IV RHINO 8/10 WHEN a major artist announces a comprehensive reissue campaign it’s easy to become swept up in the excitement, especially when it’s a famously reclusive artist like Kate Bush. Having emerged from a quiet existence to reassess the sonic qualities of her full-length works, Bush’s Remastered In Vinyl feels like a gift to fans; a rare opportunity to intimately convene with her in a holistic evaluation of her artistic vision. Anyone, however, who believes in the rarity of Kate Bush’s original albums for EMI hasn’t visited a used-record store lately. VG copies of The Kick Inside, The Dreaming, Hounds Of Love and others are pro forma in any reputable shop, and usually at a very reasonable price. However, survey Bush’s post-EMI works for the Fish…

THE first load of releases in 2019 offer such goodies as Kaia Kater’s Grenades , Deerhunter’s Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? and White Fence’s I Have To Feed Larry’s Hawk . Disparate talents such as Steve Mason and Joe Jackson return, while Toy will release Happy In The Hollow , their follow-up to 2016’s Clear Shot . Emerging from the vaults are Buzzcocks’ first two albums, Pearls Before Swine’s Balaklava and Eric Dolphy’s Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions , among other delights. TOM.PINNOCK@TI-MEDIA.COM…

AFTER touring Lazaretto , White had thought long and hard about whether he could continue to play without a setlist. The problem was mobile phones. Fans were so intent on recording the show that White was struggling to maintain a rapport. “I was shocked at how quiet the crowds were and how disengaged they were starting to become,” he says. “Because I don’t have a setlist, I really rely on their reaction to make my next decision, but if this was how it was going to be, I couldn’t do that.” The solution came when Chris Rock came to record a stand-up gig at Third Man in Nashville and banned phones. White began to wonder if he could do the same. “I’m not being old-fashioned or…

“IT’S been an incredible year for music,” says Paul Weller. ”Whether it’s Kamasi Washington doing his spiritual jazz or Villagers raising the bar for pop music, I think there’s been so many great records in so many different genres.” Weller is sitting outside a favourite café near his home in west London, warming himself in the mid-morning sun. Impeccably dressed in a navy mac, red sweater, white jeans and brown Doc Martens, Weller points out a small Robert Wyatt badge pinned to his jumper. “I wish he’d make another record,” he sighs. Cigarettes and a latte close by, he is here to look back on a typically productive year – not just for himself, but for other artists, too. Weller released his 14th solo album True Meanings in September –…

75-51 75 FATOUMATA DIAWARA Fenfo MONTUNO 74 BEACH HOUSE 7 BELLA UNION 73 KACEY MUSGRAVES Golden Hour MCA NASHVILLE 72 OLIVIA CHANEY Shelter NONESUCH 71 JON HOPKINS Singularity DOMINO 70 HARMONY ROCKETS Lachesis/Clotho/Atropos TOMPKINS SQUARE 69 NATALIE PRASS The Future And The Past ATO 68 RICHARD SWIFT The Hex SECRETLY CANADIAN 67 PHOSPHORESCENT C’est La Vie DEAD OCEANS 66 ARVE HENRIKSEN The Height of the Reeds RUNE GRAMMOFON 65 BLOOD ORANGE Negro Swan DOMINO 64 SUEDE The Blue Hour WARNERS 63 ISRAEL NASH Lifted LOOSE 62 ANGELIQUE KIDJO Remain In Light KRAVENWORKS 61 LAURIE ANDERSON & THE KRONOS QUARTET Landfall NONESUCH 60 US GIRLS In A Poem Unlimited 4AD 59 STICK IN THE WHEEL Follow Them True FROM HERE RECORDS 58 MARY GAUTHIER Rifles And Rosary Beads IN THE BLACK…

30 ALICE COLTRANE Spiritual Eternal: The Complete Warner Bros Studio Recordings REAL GONE MUSIC The three mid-’70s albums included here marked Coltrane’s transition from the cosmic jazz of her best-known work to the more devotional vibes of her ashram music as collected on last year’s World Spirituality Classics. 1975’s Eternity found her experimenting with dramatic orchestral arrangements as on a tribute to Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring, while 1977’s Transcendence more than justifies its title. 29 ZUIDER ZEE Zeenith LIGHT IN THE ATTIC Big Star may have been criminally underappreciated in the band’s lifetime, but they were household names compared to fellow Memphis power-poppers Zuider Zee, who only issued one album before fading into obscurity. This comp of surprisingly assured unreleased tracks from 1972-74 should help restore their reputation. A…

STEPHEN MALKMUS STEPHEN MALKMUS 2001 The Pavement frontman starts the new millennium as a solo artist. His self-titled debut shows a new side of the singer-songwriter, with “Church On White” a soulful eulogy for a dead friend and “Jenny & The Ess-Dog” a generous story-song about mismatched lovers. STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS PIG LIB 2003 His second album and the first featuring the Jicks as his backing band, Pig Lib is loose and jammy and funny, with standout “1% Of One” his first foray into the guitar epics that would define later LPs. First pressings included a hidden EP that nearly upstaged the album. STEPHEN MALKMUS FACE THE TRUTH 2005 Malkmus recorded this almost entirely by himself, making it more of a solo record than…

BEST OF BOB ! Thank you for the Uncut CD this month – it has gone straight into the car’s CD collection for repeat listening. I know that I am biased as a Dylan aficionado, but it is the best Uncut CD that I have heard – and I have had most of them since the beginning. Keep up the good work – it is always appreciated in my house! Philip Evans, Brighton …I have subscribed to Uncut for a good few years now and have thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to a huge range of new artists (new to me, that is) by listening to your monthly free CD. The December edition gave me an entirely new experience, though. I have been reintroduced to the works of Dylan, an artist…

In shops now, Uncut’s Ultimate Music Guide to George Harrison charts the Quiet One’s journey in the material world, from Hamburg to ultimate enlightenment, via searching archival interviews and perceptive new writing. The bookazine comes with two cover options: the regular version stars Harrison circa 1970, while a limited-edition run available exclusively at Barnes & Noble features Beatle George of 1963...  While you’re at the newsagents, you can also pick up NME: 100 Greatest Covers – a selection of the best front pages from among the 3,500 or so published in the mag’s printed lifetime. Inside you’ll find the stories behind some of music’s most iconic images, not to mention some pretty clever puns… Kicking off on January 28 in Glasgow, Massive Attack have announced a…

ALBUM OF THE MONTH 8/10  WHEN Rosali Middleman was writing songs for her second solo album, she lived in an apartment next to noisy railroad tracks. At first the sound of passing freights was deafening, especially when she was trying to work out melodies and lyrics. “I write very improvisationally and intuitively, and I record everything,” says the Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter. “I love the sound of trains and everything they represent, but it was right outside my bedroom window, this loud sound of screeching brakes.” While it disrupted her songwriting, eventually she grew to appreciate that unpredictable racket, which inspired, in a roundabout way, the chugging guitars and persistent rolling tempo of the psychedelic number “Rise To Fall”. The song is a showcase for her nimble backing band, which includes members…

AMOR Sinking Into A Miracle NIGHT SCHOOL 9/10 Caledonian collective’s hermetic disco dreaming It shouldn’t really work – an experimental artist/filmmaker, an avant-folk polymath, a free-jazz double bassist and Franz Ferdinand’s drummer – but ever since their first single, 2017’s “Paradise”, Glasgow’s Amor have made strangely perfect sense. It’s partly down to what they do – exploring the possibilities of disco, they carry on where figures like Arthur Russell and The Peech Boys left off, their fixation on the possibilities of trance and repetition dovetailing with the psalmic weave created by Richard Youngs’ multi-tracked vocals. Sinking Into A Miracle is absolutely beautiful – otherworldly, often, and quietly ecstatic, in its own, strangely pop way. JON DALE ART BRUT Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out! ALCOPOP! 8/10 Winning return of beloved…

Damon Albarn “In a way this is my most inward-looking record” What took you so long to tackle a second LP? We never really lost our thread, we just needed something to spark the engine. It’s an emotional response to what’s going on, but that’s the magic of music – when it can transcend being just one person’s feelings. Why does Blackpool figure so strongly? I came to Blackpool late […] it was always this mythic place. And I think it’s extraordinary how many piers we’ve got – they’re metaphorical tentacles trying to reach out to the rest of the world, and so in a way they’re the last defence against Brexit. You’re not angry on the album – why not? I have a tendency toward quiet despair; it’s a…

David Michael Curry on the latter days with Robert Fisher Can you describe these last sessions? Was Robert able to keep up with the recording schedule? There was no schedule. Robert was resolute and forward-thinking. I was the one having a hard time keeping the music moving forward. When he moved back east from California, we lived an hour away from each other and juggled hectic lives. My own family was going through the death of my mother from cancer in 2014 and caring for my father. Amid all this, we’d occasionally make time together and he’d bring a song idea to the house. I’d record his basic tracks in my music room and he’d nail it like a song-carpenter. Tracking a song usually included hours of conversation over cigars…

Nice Guys (1979) Full Force (1980) Urban Bushmen (1980) The Third Decade (1984) Leo Smith – Divine Love (1979) Lester Bowie – The Great Pretender (1981) Lester Bowie – All The Magic! (1982) Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy – I Only Have Eyes For You (1985) Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy – Avant Pop (1986) Art Ensemble Of Chicago – Tribute To Lester (2003) Roscoe Mitchell – Nine To Get Ready (1999) Roscoe Mitchell & The Transatlantic Art Ensemble – Composition / Improvisation Nos 1, 2 & 3 (2007) Evan Parker & The Transatlantic Art Ensemble – Boustrophedon (2008) Roscoe Mitchell & The Note Factory – Far Side (2010) Roscoe Mitchell – Bells For The South Side (2017) Jack DeJohnette – New Directions (1978) Jack DeJohnette – New Directions In Europe (1980)…

FRIENDS OF DEAN MARTINEZ The Shadow Of Your Smile SUB POP, 1995 Before forming Calexico, Burns and Convertino were part of the original lineup of Bill Elm’s long-running instrumental group. Where Calexico would mine the atmospheric aspects of the rich Tex-Mex vein, Friends Of Dean Martinez traded in whimsy, as on tongue-in-cheek renditions of the traditional “All The Pretty Horses” and the oft-recorded title song. 7/10 CALEXICO “Convict Pool” QUARTERSTICK, 2004 Calexico followed their 2003 breakout album Feast Of Wire with this EP containing covers of The Minutemen’s “Corona”, which gets a mariachi makeover in the manner of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire”, and a breathtaking rendition of Love’s “Alone Again Or”, filigreed with Spanish guitars and set off by flamenco handclaps, which makes the 1967…

DISCREET MUSIC Side A 1 Discreet Music Part 1 Side B 1 Discreet Music Part 2 Side C 1 Fullness Of Wind Side D 1 French Catalogues 2 Brutal Ardour AMBIENT 1: MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS Side A: 1/1 Side B: 2/1 Side C: 1/2 Side D: 2/2 MUSIC FOR FILMS Side A 1 M386 2 Aragon 3 From The Same Hill 4 Inland Sea Side B 1 Two Rapid Formations 2 Slow Water’ (3:16) 3 Sparrowfall (1) 4 Sparrowfall (2) 5 Sparrowfall (3) Side C 1 Quartz 2 Events In Dense Fog 3 There Is Nobody 4 A Measured Room 5 Patrolling Wire Borders Side D 1 Task Force 2 Alternative 3 3 Strange Light 4 Final Sunset AMBIENT 4: ON LAND Side A 1 Lizard Point 2 The Lost…

ACK White sips his second cup of coffee and looks out over the Liverpool skyline. Although it is early afternoon, White has only been up a few hours. He had stayed up all night, he explains, catching up on baseball. The World Series play-offs are taking place while White is on his latest European tour, so every night after the show he retires to his hotel room or tour bus and watches the day’s game until 6am. “This is proof that I don’t plan ahead because I would never tour during baseball play-off season,” he laughs, a man who loves the sport so much he co-owns a company that makes baseball bats. Even without the on-field trials of his beloved Detroit Tigers, 2018 has proved eventful for White. As the…

IN Liverpool, Jack White’s road crew are all dressed in three-piece suits and fedora hats, like Prohibition-era mobsters dismantling a speakeasy. This is yet another example of White’s love of uniform and colour schemes. With The White Stripes, it was the much-imitated red, white and black outfits; in Nashville, the Third Man staff all wear black and yellow. Jack White’s solo work leans towards a dark blue. While this is partly to stimulate a sense of camaraderie and partly to promote a work ethic, it’s also about White’s own mental filing system. “When I was at school I had this VHS of a documentary about counterfeit money,” he says. “This designer in Europe was saying that American money is the same size and colour but in Europe, different denominations have…

“HE lived a great life. The Jam took off when he was 44. He’d lived a whole life before that – as a boxer, as a PTI in the RAF, as a builder and as a family man. Then all of a sudden, this second life came along. It was a massive learning curve for all of us. He had no prior experience. What he had was a lot of front and tenacity. We learned as we went along. It was pretty amazing, really, especially coming from such humble origins. We’d be in a hotel in LA, an airport bar, a hotel bar, any bar really, sitting there thinking, ‘What are we doing here? How did we get here?’ “It was never lost on us. I still think like that.…

“Having a conversation with myself is just the rhythm of my writing. Normally it’s a big jumble” COURTNEY Barnett has often been called the hardest-working slacker in showbusiness, but talking to her for a few minutes it quickly becomes clear that what some might describe as ‘slack’ is merely a matter of priorities. In her desire to get to the nub of things, Barnett has no use for affectations or obfuscations, fancy words or fancy clothes. What you hear in the songs is exactly how she talks in real life. Hardest working, though? That’s probably fair. We catch up with Barnett as her tourbus pulls into Philadelphia after a whirlwind 24 hours in New York, recording various TV slots before headlining a Mom+Pop label showcase at Brooklyn Steel. She expresses…

IS Malkmus already planning his next album? Sparkle Hard was actually not the album he originally presented to Matador Records. The first was something new, a collection of songs that draw from the solo Jickless shows he’s been playing around Portland. He created the album — tentatively titled ‘Groove Denied’ — in his basement using an array of laptops, keyboards, and drum machines. “There are some garage solo songs and lots of electronic drums,” he says. “There’s one song that’s pretty synthpop.” It’s a very different side of Malkmus — maybe too different. For the first time in their nearly 30-year relationship, Matador rejected the album. Not that he minded too much. “The label preferred something that was more relatable to Pavement and the Jicks. The…

10 ALL GATES OPEN: THE STORY OF CAN Rob Young & Irmin Schmidt FABER Half forensic biography, half “cultural symposium”, All Gates Open is pretty close to the book Can deserve. Erudite and in-depth, as well as over-reaching and frustrating at times, its mix of aesthetic stringency and exploratory zeal underscores why this music continues to resonate. 9 ASTRAL WEEKS: A SECRET HISTORY OF 1968 Ryan H Walsh PENGUIN PRESS Using the largely undocumented genesis of Van Morrison’s classic album as a skeleton key, Walsh unlocks an eccentric, entertaining tale of Boston’s cosmic underbelly and burgeoning freak scene, including the eye-popping antics of Mel Lyman’s dubious Fort Hill cult. 8 LET’S GO (SO WE CAN GET BACK) Jeff Tweedy FABER As you’d expect from a songwriter of Tweedy’s reach, Let’s…

November 1978: Bauhaus, named after the German crafts and fine art movement of the 1920s, form in Northampton in the East Midlands. January 1979: The quartet record “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, along with “Boys”, “Bite My Hip” and “Harry” (a tribute to Blondie’s Deborah Harry) at Beck Studios in Wellingborough. August 1979: “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” is released on Small Wonder, initially on white vinyl. It enters the indie charts soon after, where it remains for two years. January 1980: Bauhaus sign to the newly formed 4AD label for follow-up single “Dark Entries”. November 1980: Debut LP In The Flat Field is released, marking 4AD’s first foray into the album format. March 1981: Newly signed to Beggars Banquet, Bauhaus enter the UK Top 60 for the first time…

WIDOWS Directed by Steve McQueen Starring Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki Opens November 6 Cert 15 8/10 THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN Directed by David Lowery Starring Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek Opens December 7 Cert 12A 9/10 SORRY TO BOTHER YOU Directed by Boots Riley Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson Opens December 7 Cert 15 7/10 ASSASSINATION NATION Directed by Sam Levinson Starring Odessa Young, Hari Nef Opens November 23 Cert 12A 6/10 THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT Directed by Lars Von Trier Starring Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz Opens December 14 Cert 18 8/10…

TONY JOE WHITE Swamp-rock legend (1943–2018) As an illustration of his geographical and spiritual roots, “Polk Salad Annie” served as an ideal primer for the music of Tony Joe White. Released in the summer of 1969, the song places itself firmly in the northeast swamplands of Louisiana where White was raised on a cotton farm, just west of the Mississippi River. It tells the tale of a poor Southern girl, so mean she “made the alligators look tame”, who picks the local pokeweed to cook for her family. Set to a humid groove and White’s laconic baritone, “Polk Salad Annie” helped popularise what became known as swamp rock when it made the Billboard Top 10. A devotee of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Jimmy Reed, White had been inspired to…

AALIYAH AGE AIN’T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER BLACKGROUND/JIVE/BMG, 1994 This is the first album I bought, I think I was 12. I didn’t know the whole thing about her being 15 and marrying R Kelly, but I was a really big fan. Until I got this I had only been making tapes from the radio, and this was the first time I listened to a whole record –Side A and Side B – and I realised, “Some songs are better than others! Like, the songs that play on the radio are way better than the songs that don’t play on the radio…” So it was fun for me. OS MUTANTES OS MUTANTES POLYDOR, 1968 This inspired me to pick up guitar. For some reason I got into Os Mutantes on…