Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

Trust me #29

Sleigh Bells are apparently an intense noise pop band.

I'd never have guessed after hearing their 2010 single Rill Rill on Lauren Laverne's brilliant 6Music show one morning last month. I must have played it 50 times over the next week or so.

Although after checking the album Treats that the song features on, I can see where the intense noise description comes from! 

Sleigh Bells are Alexis Kraus and Derek Miller, the latter of whom was in a metalcore band, while Kraus was in teen bands. The duo met in Brooklyn and quickly found they could work easily together.

But back to Rill Rill, which is easily the bands most popular song with over 38 million plays.

The groove is there from the very start. It's got a kind of Beta Band rawness and soul, there are bells, little vocal noises and then Alexis starts singing. The vocal melody just flows so naturally and beautifully.

Wonder what your boyfriend thinks about your braces

What about them? 

I'm all about them

Six such straight A's

Cut 'em in the bathroom

Rill Rill such a cool song and Apple picked up on it, using it in a 2013 iPhone advertisement.

The coolness stems from the Funkadelic song Can You Get To That from their classic 1971 album Maggot Brain. It's a sublime use of sampling, taking the little riff that comes and goes in the Funkadelic tune and using it as the basis for a whole song, inspiring a new flowing vocal melody - gorgeous.

Funkadelic - Can You Get To That

Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill

You can listen to all the songs I've featured in my Trust Me series in a playlist by searching for Everything Flows Trust Me on Spotify or by CLICKING HERE

You can also read about the previous songs I've written about by clicking on the links below.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by The Love Affair

27. As Long As I've Got You by The Charmels

28. Shaky Ground by The Lemonheads

Arcade Fire at Glasgow Barrowland, Friday 15th November 2013

Guest blogger - Dave Taylor 

When Arcade Fire announced they had a new album coming out, you expected them to tour it. Such is their pull, The Hydro or The SECC would seem like logical venues, but when the news broke that they were playing 2 nights at The Barrowlands under the pseudonym of The Reflektors, you just knew it was going to be a special night.

After a miltary style operation to secure tickets (they sold out in 5 minutes), we could start looking forward to the show. The fact there was only 2 weeks from buying the tickets to the first night, seemed to heighten the anticipation and the sense of occasion, especially as the tickets stipulated formal attire or fancy dress were mandatory.

The Barrowlands when tweeting the stage times, hinted that there might be a wee surprise in store for those turning up early, so for the first time in years, we got there early and queued up. It was a magical sight seeing so many people in tuxedos and bow ties, clown suits, Super Mario, and even God was there. 

There were rumours that the band would come out and play a song to the crowd, sadly this didn’t happen, but when a stretched limo rolled, everyone waited with baited breath. A Mexican mariachi band came out, followed by the band, or at least people wearing paper mache heads of the band. Then the first couple of hundred fans, us included, got invited up to the ballroom to rehearse a choreographed routine to be played out during “We Exist”, it was quite a sight, a skeleton leading a couple of hundred dressed up Scots through a dance routine, not your normal gig!

There was a real buzz about the crowd, a sense that we were the lucky ones that managed to get tickets, knowing glances were exchanged between dressed up punters awaiting the bands arrival, the paper mache band danced with the crowd as the anticipation grew.

There was a large black curtain covering the stage with The Reflektors logo projected onto it. Around 2030, this dropped to reveal the band, all wearing masks. The set kicked off straight into the current single, Reflektor, then straight into Flashbulb Eyes. With Reflektor being the bands 4th studio album, they have a large back catalogue to pick from, next up was Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out) from 2004’s Funeral.

The set was loaded with songs from Reflektor, it’s a different sound from the band, with the influence of James Murphy being obvious, the new work has a great life and vibrancy to it and it works really well live, the crowd danced its way through You Already Know, We Exist, complete with the choreographed moves from earlier, It’s Never Over and Afterlife, complete with acapella intro, before they took us back to 2010’s The Suburbs with Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), the older stuff was being lapped up by the crowd. 

Next up was Normal Person, where Butler suggested that if anyone fancied crowd surfing, the chorus would be a good time to do so, he wouldn’t have been disappointed as a few eager fans duely obliged. Next up, Win donned a huge paper mache head to rock through a cover of DEVO’s Uncontrollable Urge, then the set closed with Here Comes The Night Time, as the crowd danced as one to the Haitian grooves as glitter cannons exploded overhead.

After a short rest, the band were back on for the encore, first up was Haiti. Then Win announced that they had been saving this for a special occasion, before launching into Wake Up, the crowd went crazy for this one, it hadn’t been played at the previous two London shows or any of the warm up shows, and it sounded massive, the whole venue was dancing and bouncing as one. Fans could be heard singing it long into the night as we walked back to get our train.

The whole night was amazing, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better gig, but it wasn’t just a gig, it was an experience, the sense of occasion that built from the tickets going on sale, through the fancy dress shopping ensured this was never going to be just a gig, but a night I’ll never forget.

Full Set List
1. Reflektor
2. Flashbulb Eyes
3. Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)
4. Joan of Arc
5. You Already Know
6. We Exist
7. It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)
8. Afterlife
9. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) 10. Normal Person
11. Uncontrollable Urge (DEVO cover)
12. Here Come The Night Time
Encore
13. Haiti
14. Wake Up 

Wickerman Festival 2013 - a review

Wickerman 2013 was ushered in by blazing sunshine and the first sold out event in the festivals history.

We arrived on site a little late at around 4pm on the Friday and had soon pitched our tent and sparked a beer before meeting friends Gordon and Alana.

We had a wander into the site and up to the Solus Tent to see Solar Eye but swiftly decided that Scottish hip-hop isn't our thing, so we caught the last of Dreadzone on the main stage; their dub, reggae house combination sounded pretty damn good in the glorious sunshine.

We helped (or at least Lynn did) Gordon and Alana pitch their tent (thankfully we have a pop up one) and then went back on site to catch some of Admiral Fallow who sounded majestic when they got into full flow.

The first highlight of the day was Machines In Heaven, surely one of the most improved outfits in Scotland right now. It has been a long road for Graeme and Greg, but their patience in finding their sound and line-up has paid off and their dreamy electro soundscapes sounded delicious in the Solus Tent.

KT Tunstall gathered a huge crowd at the main stage and we caught some of her set in between visits to the VIP bar that is conveniently situated right next door. She even dropped a wee bit of the White Stripes 'Seven Nation Army' into her set.

Friday was all about two acts for me though (no offence to the others). First up were Chic featuring Niles Rodgers and they did not disappoint. I got lost in the music, just dancing and singing along to hit after hit. 'Thinking Of You' by Sister Sledge became my song of the weekend, I still can't get it out of my head.

Niles Rodgers was coolness personified, striding around the stage in a resplendent white suit and shades, playing a unique mix of lead/rythm guitar. Their set was only 1-hour long, far too short. They ended with 'Le Freak' to huge cheers and a whole load of people on stage dancing with them.

Darkness fell and Primal Scream took to the stage, blitzing the audience with '2013' the opening track from their latest album. The song is full of energy that belies the Scream's years. The hits like; 'Country Girl', 'Jailbird', 'It's Alright, It's OK' (again off the new album) and 'Rocks' generated a brilliant response from the crowd. A welcome burst of 'Shoot Speed/Kill Light' was a real highlight.

There is a time and a place for new songs; '2013' and 'It's Alright, It's OK' are up with anything the Scream have recorded, however 3 or 4 other songs off the new album are not - certainly not when you are headlining a festival. So the mood in the crowd noticeably dipped during tracks like 'Tenement Kid'.

'Loaded' was a riot and the version of 'Come Together' was euphoric. I just wish that the Sceram had played a full set worthy of the title; festival headliners, as they certainly have enough material in their back catalogue.

The night ended with dancing in the silent disco and at an open stage DJ bar before we fell into the tent around 1.30am and kept the doors open chatting to the strains of the music in the distance. A top day.

Saturday morning was hazy and lazy. The sunshine warmed our tent to the extent that we had to get up even though we could have done with another couple of hours sleep. So we wandered on to the site with Gordon and Alana and grabbed some breakfast and newspapers from the shop and then headed back for a lazy couple of hours snoozing in the sun.

Acts we caught on the Saturday;

The Recovery - not through choice, the Recovery brought their heavy metal show to Wickerman as the guitarist and singer walked outside of the Solus Tent to play to the crowd at the food stalls. The Recovery may have cleared a few hangovers and not helped some others!

Roddy Hart & the Lonesome Fire -  Roddy's mix of ballads and up temp numbers went down well with the large crowd who were settling in front of the main stage and on the hill for the day. I personally preferred the more upbeat stuff that really showcased the sound his very talented 7-piece band could create. Roddy is a tremendous talent and well worth checking out.

Vasa - are managed by a lovely guy called Gerry Blythe who has put on some great nights in Glasgow (including booking Nevada Base and Vigo Thieves) and he has great taste in music. Vasa are from the Mogwai school of rock and their musical ability sounded way beyond their age (they look pretty young). They could build from a pin drop into a ferocious noise and their bassist impressed. Tight!

Lulu James - Looked and sounded brilliant - real festival act, capable of getting the crowd in the mood and generating a real groove at times.

Bellowhead - I was actually in the media village at the side of the stage when Bellowhead played to a huge crowd and they generated a massive conga - good festival fun!

Dexys - I love Dexys and was pleased to see Kevin Rowland and co pull a big crowd. Kevin looked great and the band ran through a mix of material from their comeback album and old classics. I only stayed for the first 4 songs as I was heading to see...

Vigo Thieves - Vigo Thieves smashed T in the Park and their good form improved even further at Wickerman at the Solus Tent, they really nailed it and impressed everyone there. The set is super tight;

'Steal Your Heart' set the tone, big guitars and choruses 'stay young in your heart and your in your mind' with the crowd singing along. 'Blood Red' kept the tempo up and Stevie Jukes was already down in amongst the crowd, vibing off their passion and energy.

'Believe' was epic, it is just a huge song that others can only dream of writing, it is another positive message - make no mistake, they believe and more and more people are starting to believe with them.

'Steal Your Heart Pt II' slowed things down and it sends a tingle down my spine every time I hear it. It contains my favourite lyric that Stevie has written (to date) and it gets me every time.

You're looking for the love to heal the pain from all the scars

So live for the moment and you'll shine like the stars

'Ghosts' was a riot with the band selecting a fan to play air saxaphone as their guest sax player was away on holiday, before 'Heartbeats' closed an epic set.

The band play the Arches on 7th September - get your tickets HERE

Stone Roses at Glasgow Green 2013

My favourite band in my home town, it was all set up to be a momentous occasion to rival the incredible high I had for weeks after Heaton Park last summer....

So why did I walk away from the event a little deflated? 

Did the comedown from Heaton Park finally kick in?

The Roses at Glasgow Green was a real mixed bag for me; I got to spend the day with family and friends, have a good time, see 2 of my fave bands and even make a rare (these days) excursion to go clubbing at the Arches. However the sound wasn't great, Ian's singing was awful at times and the atmosphere at times really threatened to turn extremely sour.

That said, there were moments of sheer brilliance, notably 'This Is The One', 'Made of Stone' and 'Resurrection' at the end.

The atmosphere in Glasgow was electric. I was in town on the Friday for the Ian Tilton 'Set In Stone' exhibition and then on to Primal Scream's secret show at the Poetry Club (blog review to follow) and everyone was talking about the Roses coming to town, there were pre-show-pre-show parties a-plenty, everyone was up for it in a big way.

I met a crowd of friends and family on Saturday afternoon to get in the mood and we got into town early evening, meeting loads of people we know en route to the venue. Everyone was out for the hottest ticket in town. I've never seen Glasgow go nuts like this for a band before.

There was no problems getting in, we all waltzed in with no-one being checked for bottles, cans or anything else. Jake Bugg was still playing, the sun was shining, the weather was sweet...

We got split up almost immediately due to the crazy crowd for beers and the fact that mobiles weren't working. My crowd headed towards the sound-desk to make sure we could hear what was going on.

Jake Bugg's Dylan-esque melodies sounded brilliant in the early evening sunshine and all seemed sweet.

Primal Scream came on and after a promising opening their set turned rather flat with the airing  of 2 of the more subdued tracks from their new album. With the Scream's back catalogue you would have expected them to fire off a set to rival the Roses, but perhaps 2-years of Screamadelica and the punk ethic in Bobby G meant that he stuck to his guns to promote the new album. '2013' sounded fantastic though and 'Loaded' could get any party started, never mind one containing a load of people who were...loaded. As good as Primal Scream can be on their day, the crowd were here for one band only.

A torrential downpour didn't dampen the spirits, anything but! The crowd just cheered as the rain got heavier and then a double rainbow appeared just in time for the Roses taking the stage.

Before they did we moved from our position as a fight broke out between 2 groups of lads. I'm not sure how it developed but some serious punches and kicks were being thrown and the mood turned nasty. Given the amount of people unable to walk or talk due to drink or drugs, I wasn't surprised, people were falling around banging into others and creating tension. It seemed harmless at first, a bit of shoving and pushing, but it got nastier and with my wife and sister there we moved forwards to the front right of the sounddesk.

The Roses came on to 'Stoned Love', Ian Brown looking super cool in a yellow anorak, his haircut reminiscent to the one from those iconic shots in the inside cover of the debut album from 1989.

Mani was up for it big style, flares were being let off, everyone was in the mood. The rumbling bassline of 'Adored' kicked in to a huge cheer and then Squire's lazy, melodic guitar lines kicked in sounding beautiful, Reni held it all together. They sounded incredible, no-one else can play like that.

'Elephant Stone' followed, the place was going nuts. There was another couple of scuffles around us and the sound seemed to become a little distant in comparison to 'Adored'. 

'Ten Storey Love Song' kept things going, generating one of the biggest sing-a-long choruses of the night, people were hugging as Brown patrolled the stage and Squire's guitar chimed beautifully.

The sound didn't seem quite right, it seemed to rise and fall rather than be consistent like Heaton Park. Maybe it was where I was standing (doubt it as it was near the sounddesk), maybe it was the weather, maybe it was just the sound or maybe it was because Glasgow Green has a residential area around it so the sound can't be as high as Heaton Park.

Anyway, it didn't seem right to me. I was struggling to get into the gig as a result. The increasing number of people seemingly up for a fight also wasn't helping my mood.

'Sally Cinnamon' sent the place even more ballistic and a few people fell over where we were standing as flares were held aloft. Then a flare was thrown, then some glasses of piss and beer were thrown, then what looked like a Buckfast bottle was thrown. 

Things were raining down from all angles. A few people got clobbered, a few of them went looking for the culprits. The mood was turning.

'Fools Gold' didn't seem to generate the same feeling as it had at Heaton Park, the sound seemed swampy. 'Something's Burning' seemed flat.

'Waterfall' lifted things, the outro was played at a furious pace but then things went horribly wrong for Ian Brown during 'Don't Stop'. He was so far off key it was embarrassing. The last time I saw Brown solo I walked away, he was that bad. My brother and I cringed, 2 huge Roses fans at our home town show. Brown was awful.

He picked it up thankfully and the closing third of the show was the best as the Roses romped through 'Drums', 'This Is The One', 'Made of Stone' and 'Resurrection'.

Maybe it was just me, but 'Love Spreads' and 'Breaking Into Heaven' sounded leaden in comparison.

By this time we had edged out to the side near a speaker to try and get a better sound and to escape the mayhem where we had been standing.

The heady atmosphere had turned for me, too many people were incapacitated through drink  and drugs. As Ian Brown himself once said 'tune in, turn on, don't drop out.' Too many people seemed to be there to get as fucked as possible rather than to see and hear the band.

We headed to the Arches a little subdued, talking about the good things but also the not so good. After a while we were dancing to Hacienda classics.

Back in 1999 I witnessed United lift the Champions League in Barcelona to complete a historic treble. It took a while to come down.

I think Heaton Park will always be my Barcelona - never to be repeated, yet I'll always strive for that high...hooked.

My thoughts go out to the poor girl who passed away following the show. R.I.P