The B-side is the wearisome Pro Patria Mori; and never a more trite and clunky effort at songwriting will you ever come across. To hear McCulloch’s ageing, gravelly voice strain through the oh-so-sophisticated refrain of “dulce decorum” is to look the sad fate of all over-the-hill-rockers-trying-to-be-relevant straight in the eyes. To hear this and not be sickened requires a stronger constitution than mine.

On the A-side, conversely, things are very different indeed. And not because of any difference in delivery or arrangement, either; the strings are as predictable as ever, and McCulloch hasn’t changed his delivery at all. No, the crucial factor that marks the A-side as ‘worth listening to’ is quite simply the quality of the song. The Killing Moon is an all-time classic, and no matter how much dad-rock you inject into the guitar sound, there’s no way on earth the opening riff can be anything less than one of the most exciting intros ever. Anyone who thinks Arcade Fire just plucked their sound from the ether would do well to go back to the original recording of this track. McCulloch can wear all the cheesy shades he likes, but he’ll always be tied to the redeeming legacy of The Killing Moon.

Ian McCulloch | The Killing Moon (live)

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Ian McCulloch | The Killing Moon

Tunng pointed me in the rough direction, but it would take something more nuanced, more abstract, to divorce my tastes from the need to hear a ‘tune’ and for a song to have lyrics and structure and narrative. Further digging into the ‘folktronica’ scene led, inevitably, to Keiran Hebden’s much lauded project, Four Tet. Much like ‘emo’ in the early naughties, ‘folktronica’ was a tag that those to whom it most applied were those most eager to disassociate themselves from it. Nevertheless, no matter who you asked or who you read, the whole acoustic-electronica ‘thing’ led back to Four Tet’s seminal album, Rounds.

This month sees the tenth anniversary of the release of Rounds, and to commemorate the occasion Domino have re-released the album in an impressive double-vinyl set, and in doing so have given me all the reason I need to immerse myself once again in this absolute gem of an LP. Many’s the happy evening I whiled away engrossed in the intricacies and subtleties of Rounds. For a time the concept of a ‘chill out’ record was something every supermarket compilation was trying to cash in on, and where they generally failed to live up to the concept, Rounds does so in spades. To call this music ‘chill out’ perhaps does it a disservice, as it is most definitely music to actively listen to, but there’s no denying that hearing this album is a profoundly relaxing experience.

I found it surprising just how much the act of listening to it on vinyl changed the experience. Generally I’ve found the process of flipping the disc midway serves to highlight the attention that needs to be shown to the music, but Rounds is not a long record, and spreading it over two discs — effectively introducing three forced pauses into the experience — serves only to break the reverie. This, then, is one of the few records I actually prefer to listen to on CD. Mercifully the record is so good, and such an important stepping stone in my musical development, that I don’t begrudge having bought it twice.

Four Tet | Hands

Four Tet | My Angel Rocks Back And Forth

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Four Tet | Rounds

I’ve had the latest Everything Everything album, Arc, for a while now, and may well get around to giving it a proper write-up sometime soon, but I’ll tell you right now that it’s not so good as to give me a burning desire to tell everyone about it as soon as possible (as happened with recent records from Daughter and Deptford Goth). What Arc does have going for it is a set of killer singles, and Duet is definitely one of those.

Packed full of Everything Everything’s signature blend of lyrical playfulness and melodic inventiveness, but this time with an orchestral backing with strong echoes of Cloud Bursting-era Kate Bush (or Viva-La-Vida-era Coldplay, if we’re being cruel). With the introduction of the band proper, Duet builds to the sort of satisfying climax that is so beloved of those in charge of synching music for BBC documentaries. What makes this single worth owning, however, is the ‘alternate’ B-side version; an edit of the song that uses just the vocals and the string section. Whether this cut of the track is better than the album version, I can’t decide, but it’s really nice to hear an edit that has the courage to stick with a good idea and not dilute it at all.

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Everything Everything | Duet [RSD 7"]

For FR’s first outing on major label Atlantic they’ve most certainly embraced the opportunity. Pedestrian Verse sounds, quite simply, massive. The scope, ambition, and reach on display here shows a band not afraid to strive for real cross-over success. The textures and sonics of the main singles – most notably Woodpile – are decidedly ‘radio friendly’ in their aesthetics. Having left producer Peter Katis behind when they switched labels, production duties on this record were handled by Leo Abrahams, who’s polished the FR sound to a level of sheen and shimmer that would have been anathema to anyone getting excited by the band’s debut record Sing The Greys. And therein lies the clue to why the EPs were so deceptive; for those the band did most of the production themselves.

As a musical unit, Frightened Rabbit clearly have a solid grasp on what they want their sound to be, and an equally clear idea of how to achieve it. Despite all the major-label spit and polish, Pedestrian Verse still sounds like a FR record; which is to say that at times it’s rough and raw and downright vulgar. Songwriter/band-leader Scott Hutchinson has moved on from writing songs of heartbreak, drunkenness and misfortune; his metaphor of choice for this outing is death and murder. So really nothing much has changed lyrically, it’s just that the scope has widened.

There are a few moments of lyrical and melodic filler in this record, but even in cases where the song doesn’t seem to work, the instrumentation and arrangements are so strong that they carry the weaker moments and even manage, on songs like December’s Traditions, to turn what could have been a really bad song into a genuinely uplifting musical moment. The poor sections, however, are very much in the minority here, and even the worst bits of Pedestrian Verse are better than most of the music that’s been released this year. No matter how much Frightened Rabbit tinker with their sound, they always manage to come up with something that could well have been tailor-made to appeal exactly to my tastes and fancies.

Frightened Rabbit | The Woodpile

Frightened Rabbit | Dead Now

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Frightened Rabbit | Pedestrian Verse

Lately I’ve been finding this brand of electro-pop to be very easy on the ears indeed. To tell the truth, I’m more than a little confused and troubled by this newfound passion of mine. This music is so far from what I’ve always considered to be ‘proper’ music, and yet I can’t help but find it infectious and addictive. What does strikes me – even through my love-blind obsession – is that generally these acts are very nearly one-hit-wonders. MGMT have two fantastic songs, but nothing else of merit, and the same can be said of M83 (one blisteringly catchy single, and everything else is utter dross). Chvrches have so far released nothing but singles: three good ones so far, but how long can they keep that up for? I’ll bet all the money in my pockets against all the money in your pockets that their album will be choked to death with filler.

Prides, much like those that came before them, make no bones about their ambitions. Signed to a development deal by Island Records, they changed their name from Midnight Lion, promoted their live guitarist to a full-time band member and songwriter, and began writing in earnest. Their first outing in their new clothes, Out Of The Blue was very much crafted to be a hit from the opening riff to the chorus to the breakdown. Only time will tell if they’re successful or not financially, but on an aesthetic level they’ve triumphed on a massive scale. This record is instantly accessible, and infinitely hook-ridden. Does that accessibility come at a price? Maybe in a week or two, when a ‘proper’ record would be on the verge of spilling a few more of it’s tightly guarded secrets, this single may sound thin and boring; lacking the depth and complexity that rewards repeat listening in exchange for guaranteed instant listener gratification. What we can be sure of, however, is that no matter how fleeting the pleasure,this record sounds simply marvelous for the time being.

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Prides | Out Of The Blue

Myself, I’ve never been one to get too excited by them, and looked on with wonder and disbelief at the massive growth of the festival sector in the late noughties. The few I’ve been too have been fun, for sure, but it was very clear that music actually has very little to do with the ‘festival’ concept at all. If you want to actually see a band, then go to a proper gig; in most cases the sound will be better, the set itself will be better, and you get to go home to a real bed at the end of the night. I’m happy to camp on a walking holiday, but after a sweaty, booze-fuelled evening? No thanks.

But while music festivals aren’t really for me, I can see why they appeal to a wide range of people. Loads of bands all in one place, sunny weather (if you’re lucky), and a party atmosphere; an ideal day out for many, particularly if you’re usually cooped up in a big city. Others more financially minded than myself also saw the appeal, and the last decade has seen a massive upsurge in medium-to-large festivals the length and breadth of the country. “Whatever your tastes”, went the cry, “there is a festival for you”; no matter how niche or outré those tastes might be.

All too predictably, however, supply soon far outstripped demand. Going to a festival is an expensive business, both in terms of money and time, and running one is even more so. In these times of perceived austerity, splashing out what in most cases is well over a hundred pounds is simply an unjustifiable expense for the majority of households. Actually running a successful festival is a logistical nightmare, and not, it would appear, a very profitable one. Despite the phenomenal demand several cases have recently proved that music festivals are all too easy to cock-up entirely…

The Hop Farm Debacle

Most recently, it was announced this week that Vince Power’s Hop Farm event was being cancelled due to poor ticket sales despite having an impressive lineup of big acts. This is a double blow for Power: last years Hop Farm caused his company Music Festivals PLC to go bankrupt, with alleged debts of £4.8 million (a claim disputed by Power himself), and this year’s event was supposed to be his big return — a phoenix rising from the ashes to prove his naysayers wrong.

Hop Farm is not the only festival in trouble by a long shot. The ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ umbrella of festivals are being scaled down following the parent company ATP going into liquidation last July after fourteen successful years. The Alan McGee-curated Tokyo Rocks festival has been cancelled owing to ‘management issues’ (although there is talk of it being rescheduled for later in the year). Last year’s biggest festival debacle was Bloc, which was shut down by police midway through its opening day with disturbing reports of massive overcrowding and woeful mismanagement. Bloc was just the most dramatic example, though, and 2012 was a brutal year for a whole slew of festivals. Big Chill, Sonisphere, Rough Beats, Cloud 9, Golden Down, MFEST, Hit Factory Live and the Underage Festival were all cancelled, and Guilfest also went into administration after twenty-one years as one of the mainstays of the festival circuit.

So what next for music festivals in England?

Is this the beginning (or, perhaps, the middle) of the end for these summer blasts? More likely this is just the marketplace readjusting itself. There are just too many festivals at the moment, and they cost far too much to go to. Glastonbury will always be a highly sought after ticket, but the small festivals will have to realise that they cannot continue charging £100 for tickets that would only have cost £40 a decade ago. The boom in appetite for festivals has hyped prices and filled the summer schedule with a glut of events that simply can’t draw enough people in.

The next couple of years will undoubtedly see more festivals go under, and it will be harder than ever to get a new one off the ground, but ultimately we’ll return to a point where there are just enough events to meet demand, and a prices the average punter can afford. As long as people enjoy getting drunk in the sun while watching bands, there’ll always be music festivals.

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Are Music Festivals Dead?

At times the fey crippled-by-shyness shtick can wear a bit thin, and I’ve yet to hear anything he’s recorded with being struck by just how whiny he is. Nevertheless, there’s an air to his delivery and to the gentle tone of his guitar that’s got under my skin big time. So when I returned to the Music Nostalgia record shop for a quick browse I was rather excited to see that not only has Henson released another 7″, but that it was a fancy Record Store Day release.  I was sure I’d missed out on most of the RSD fun, but without the stern gaze of my better half compelling me to rush I was able to have a proper rummage and found some real treats (more on these to follow).

To make things even more exciting, this single was one of those swanky lazer-etched not-quite-a-picture-disc discs. Engraving on the vinyl does mean we’re limited to one side of music only, but that one track is a corker. You is very similar to Sweetheart… in tone, delivery, atmosphere, and lyrical content, but to be honest it’s a combination I’m happy to hear more of. If nothing else, this record has pushed Henson’s album further up my ‘must listen too soon’ list.

As well as limiting how much music there is on the record, the fancy etching does have a few drawbacks. For starters, it’s a real bugger to photograph (do excuse the greasy fingerprints on my pic), and the record itself is so warped I thought I was going to damage my stylus. The only other record I own that has this kind of etching on it is a Maps & Atlases 12″, and the larger real estate of that format means the warping isn’t too bad. Still, it looks really cool, and with this kind of ‘special’ release that’s half the fun.

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Keaton Henson | You

Where the blogosphere and I differ drastically, however, is on the issue of Savages. The consensus view – even amongst the select cadré of blogs that I read regularly and who’s opinion I respect – seems to be that they’re the best thing since sliced bread, and in all honesty I think their music is just plain awful. Their debut album Silence Yourself – which comes out on May 6^th but can be streamed in full on the band’s website already – is a hulking mass of early-eighties new-wave cliché and pastiche. There’s no denying it’s a strong aesthetic, and when taken as a set of ingredients it can produce wonders in the right hands. Savages, alas, are far from the right hands; their efforts sound clunky and derivative and are far from the sum of their parts.

2013 is proving itself to be a vintage year for indie music, with a plethora of fantastic singles, EPs, and albums released already. Why are so many people raving about Savages when there’s a wealth of better music to be getting excited about?! It seems incomprehensible. My advice, then, is to steer well clear of Silence Yourself, and instead pick almost any other release of the past four months – you’re guaranteed that whatever you choose will be many times better than this weak effort.

† Note the lower case.

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Savages | Silence Yourself

Mercifully we live in the age of the internet, and lo and behold such a record has been made, and I have heard it. The record in question is Summer Palace, the new EP by the figuratively tiny act that trades under the name Virgin of the Birds. The aesthetic at work here certainly harks back to the tape-recorded rebellion of the late-eighties and early-nineties, but Jon Rooney – the architect of this record – could easily have picked up a guitar and written this music at any point in the past 70 years. The simple pop-joy of these songs is timeless and they could well have found fame in any era, but the production values are, well, virtually nonexistent. Be that a deliberate aesthetic choice, or simply and artifact of the production budget, I’m grateful to be living in the age I am, because there’s simply no way I would have ever heard Summer Palace if I weren’t wired up to the ‘net. God bless the good ship Progress, and all who sail in her!

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Virgin of the Birds | Summer Palace

Snowstar Records have an eclectic selection on offer here; The Secret Love Parade play with synths and mechanical drum sounds, Lost Bear peddle solo-rich pub fare, and with their shuffle and fiddle Town of Saints make a good stab at bluegrass. Ultimately, though, while there’s a veritable feast of different kinds of modern rock, it all runs in roughly the same direction. There’s also a liberal sprinkling of what ten years ago would have been called ‘emo’, albeit a delicate and subtle take on the aesthetic. Where this collection really shines, however, is in its gentler, more acoustic moments. Kim Janssen’s contribution, in particular, is simply stellar.

I’m ashamed I didn’t get into this label sooner, but if you’re feeling the same way then fear not. All is not lost, as Snowstar Records have kindly made this compilation available as a pay-what-you-like download through Bandcamp (which means that technically you can get it for free, but who’s cheeky enough to do that? Not I, for sure). I’ll certainly be keeping a keen eye on Snowstar from now on.

Kim Janssen | City Of The Dead

I Am Oak | Clouds Looming

Written by Tom for Eaten by Monsters - Music, comment, nonsense, and a bit more music.... Find the original post here: Snowstar Records | 10 Year Anniversary Compilation