Actually Monday, August 05, 2002...

Aside from interesting movies and being able to get something decent to eat pretty much whenever you want it, the other instantly attractive thing about returning to London from time elsewhere in the country is the live music on offer. reallyrather spent Sunday afternoon at the Golden Lion in Camden where Pete Krebs and Horse Stories' Toby Burke did short solo sets before The Arlenes performed about ten numbers with full band. Actually, Stephanie was upstairs feeding her and Steve's 8-week-old daughter and so missed the first couple of numbers, a happenstance entirely in keeping with the relaxed, good-natured vibe they've created at Come on down and meet the folks (and which is surely entirely unconnected with the fact that it's absolutley FREE! Don't tell your friends, it's quite popular enough already...)

"We always sound good, but sometimes, you know, we sound fucking good," said Arnold's Phil Morris interviewed during their recent short West Coast jaunt. reallyrather is happy to confirm the accuracy of this admittedly biased view having joined Fran Travis and a goodly Monday night throng at The Borderline for the band's first UK show in ages. Sounding impressively tight for a band so apparently inactive, they roamed winningly through their back numbers as well as showcasing the new EP; with it's vaguely baggy beat, You're a star was an instant highlight. A thrilling-rendered Tiny car showed Radiohead how they could've sounded if only they hadn't gone off the rails. "See you next year," was the band's departing comment, so ending another gruelling Arnold world tour...

In today's London Evening Standard, Canadian journalist Leah McLaren recounts a recent blind date: "It turned out we both loved James Taylor but were slightly ashamed of it." Hmm...we've been this way before - just how big a club is this, I wonder? Happily, perfect therapy is no more expensive than the price of a CD. Leah, allow me to introduce young Mr Denison Witmer...

Say what you like about the Mercury Music Prize but it can often present a decent opportunity to plunder. Whether last year's 7/1 PJ Harvey coup can be repeated reallyrather is unsure but, looking at the list, as usual several nominations can be confidently struck out immediately. So farewell then Electric Soft Parade, Guy Barker, David Bowie, Beverley Knight and the talented but not quite interesting enough Gemma Hayes. The Doves' Last broadcast sits second in the betting but can pale indie-guitar rock triumph two years in a row? reallyrather would suggest not - off!. Also definitely off the list is The Bees' debut, Sunshine hits me. If there was a prize for most over-rated album of the year this may stand a rather better chance. They've got a sound but unfortunately it's a pretty dull, plodding one and the best tracks sound like parodies/homages (delete as applicable) - Curtis Mayfield/Impressions on This town and Burt Baccarach on Sky holds the sun. Sorry guys, but no. (Btw, the US has a little swarm of it's own - The Bees from Nashville feature various David Mead alumni, the drummer on Josh Rouse's albums David Gehrke and singer-songwriter Daniel Tashian. 'A crisp, no-nonsense pop band with punch and pathos,' apparently.) So, seven down, four to go...

UK ex-pats Minibar put their SoCal roots-pop credentials bravely on the line in September touring the States with the real thing - Gingersol...

"These songs could just as well be pop songs if there was slightly different instrumentation," said the Be Good Tanyas' Frazey Ford in The Independent recently, precisely echoing this blog's thoughts about the original compositions on Blue Horse. Therein lies much of their appeal round these parts - not concerning themselves with reaching a particular market, just writing strong, simple songs and pursuing a sound which happens to be based on 'trad' instruments but which isn't hidebound by that fact. This open-ended quality is shared by two other of this blog's records of the year, Starlings,TN's The leaper's fork and now - cue fanfare - The blackened air by Nina Nastasia. No idea if the Tanyas have heard this New Yorker's April release but on tracks like All for you, So little and Been so long they'd surely recognize a sister.
Employing the always admirable principle of 'less is more', Nastasia and band fashion 16 tracks precisely none of which fail to make their mark despite many of them not stretching much beyond a minute and a half. In place of the common critical encapsulation 'eerie noir-country' reallyrather prefers 'creaky, atmospheric folk-pop'. Standard instrumentation is enhanced with accordian, saw, cello and violin, each keeping it pretty simple and restrained; a spontaneous-sounding ensemble given plenty of room to breathe by producer Steve Albini. If the Grim Reaper were to take up drumming he'd likely produce the kind of sounds contributed here by Jay Bellerose. The beautiful vocal melody on So little is offset by a few electic guitar notes which spiral off into the spaces inbetween. Similarly minimalist amplified touches colour Little angels and That's all there is but as many cuts feature just Nastasia's voice and spare acoustic self-accompaniment. Her vocal takes on its most contemporary hue on Rosemary (rr would compare it directly to someone like Clare Burson but this would likely mean absolutely nothing to anyone except the Bostonian's friends & family). Whatever you want to call it, The blackened air is rivetting, indelible stuff. Buy it, and tickets for her shows when she's over in October (tbc)...

Islington's Union Chapel reverts to it's original function Aug 27 for one night only - praise be, it's the Polyphonic Spree!