March 2015 Podcast

Everything Flows - March 2016 Podcast

Welcome to the March 2016 podcast which rounds up music from albums that I have bought and enjoyed to date in 2016. 3 Scottish artists feature alongside the legendary David Bowie, some choice cuts from a Bob Stanley compilation, Spanish girl band Hinds and Doug Tuttle. 

Listen HERE

They All Know Something - JR Green

Garden - Hinds

Love (It's Getting Better) - The Groove

Saturday - Sunday - Doug Tuttle

Shipcracks - The Second Hand Marching Band and Benni Hemm Hemm

Dark Skies - Emma Pollok

I Can't Give Everything Away - David Bowie

I'm Fallin' Down (version 2) - Lesley Gore

Previous Everything Flows Podcasts

Podcast #1 featuring Teenage Fanclub, David Bowie, Dr Cosmos Tape Lab, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, JR Green, The Undertones

Podcast #2 featuring The Troggs, Happy Meals, Rose McDowall, The Frank Popp Ensemble, Fun Boy Three, Jo Mango and The Pictish Trail, Miaoux Miaoux, Yo La Tengo

Podcast #3 featuring Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Marlena Shaw, Natalie Prass, November Lights, Molly Nilsson

Podcast #4 featuring The Chemical Brothers with Beck, The Charlatans (Brian Jonestown Massacre mix), BMX Bandits, Edwyn Collins, The Parliaments, K-Klass, White

Podcast #5 -Tim Peaks Electric Fields line-up featuring The Charlatans, Yucatan, Blueprint Blue, Documents, TeenCanteen, Horsebeach, Hot Vestry, Riding the Low, Tim Burgess

In Search Of Harperfield - Emma Pollok

Emma Pollok's 3rd album opens with Cannot Keep A Secret and it sets the tone for a remarkable journey through 11 songs that are imaginative, emotive, fun and ambitious. Pollok is in fine form (career high?) throughout - lyrically clever and bold, melodically playful and soulful in voice.

Will you dip your toes gently in the water, send the ripples home.....

Don't Make Me Wait has a sense of urgency with choppy, punky guitar chords backed by strings and pounding drums with Emma searching for a flashlight, just to get through the night

The opening instrumental to Clemency is absolutely beautiful, the combination of piano and strings sound glorious. Pollok's voice is more than a match and she has the ability to vary her vocals across the album to suit the songs and music. One of my faves.

Intermission is anything but, Pollok dives in deep following another lovely instrumental intro

I clutch to my chest

This man I know best

With words only spoken

When put to the test

Hold close to my heart

Will not be apart

From this woman who made me

She's stronger than that

Later on she sings; I'm not asking for permission, I'm calling this an intermission

The album is rich in content - lyrically and musically, one that you can return to and continue to explore. Intermission is a remarkably honest and soulful song, probably my favourite on the album.

Parks And Recreation is a great fuzzy indie guitar pop song with Emma talking about wishing she knew the names of the trees, naming all the leaves and worrying about leaves falling on her. The lyrics are playful and imaginative, there are handclaps and the guitars sound fantastic.

Pollok's thoughts, fears, ideas and imagination are pouring out of her on the album and on Vacant Stare she sings I'm just looking for someone to tell the truth to. She is telling anyone who listens to this album.

There are some truly beautiful moments throughout the album, the content inspires loving melodies and music. Dark Skies is playful and tender.

I like to keep my fairytales on shelves

My Goldilocks doesn't need explaining

Why can't it be just as simple as it looks?

Don't need a sermon to balance these books

The album closes with the gorgeous Old Ghosts. There is a sense of calmness to the song, the playing, production and vocals. Pollok's voice sounds rich, soulful, clear and true.

In Search Of Harperfield is beautiful on first listen, richly rewarding when you return to it - and you will want to return and delve into the lyrics and the melodies and enjoy the gorgeous strings, the stunning piano, the fuzzy guitars and Pollok singing her heart out.

An early contender for the 2016 Scottish Album of the Year.

Miaoux Miaoux at Stereo

I can't remember the last time I was at a gig in Stereo. I'd forgotten what a cracking little venue it is - conveniently located near Central Station, yet hidden away down Renfield Lane, shielded from some of the mayhem that the centre of Glasgow can bring at times.

Last night was the launch of Miaoux Miaoux's School of Velocity, his second album on Chemikal Underground. The exposed brick work and industrial pipes running through the basement venue kind of transports you to New York or Berlin. Stereo has a wonderfully relaxed vibe in the upstairs bar and that transfers downstairs.

We caught the end of Kill The Waves, impressed by the soundscapes the 6-piece created on stage. I had high hopes for Monogram after falling for their song Romance that was released last year, picking up some airplay including some from Radio 1. They didn't do it for me last night though - the drum sound overpowered pretty much everything else; the singer (admittedly) wasn't in the best of form - blaming it on burrito he had pre-gig. Romance was a clear highlight in the set and they have set the bar high with that song - fingers crossed they can reach those heights more often in the future. It is early days for the band - they only played their first show in April.

On to the main event - Miaoux Miaoux; Julian Corrie backed by his trusty sidemen on bass and drums and also joined by the beautiful Cairn String Quartet on a number of songs.

With no expense spared on the silver balloons spelling M I A O U X the band set about showcasing the talented Corrie's tunes from his two Chemikal albums.

Autopilot and Better For Now are sublime, the closing instrumental of Better For Now sounded absolutely stunning last night.

Luxury Discovery from School of Velocity was a highlight with Julian proclaiming 'Oh my god, it really is beautiful to me as well' before going into a glorious falsetto with echoes of Pharrell crossed with Chic.

Hey Sound! was the point in the gig when the crowd started dancing,. An extended version allowed the band the time and space to jam on and really find a groove to get lost in along with those dancing in the crowd.

Lead single It's The Quick was another that got even more people moving with the effects on Corrie's vocals bringing something a little different; the pulsating synth riff turns into a monster when the bass kicks in.

The closing Stop The Clocks is one of my favourite songs and last night the addition of the Cairn String Quartet took it to even greater heights of beauty.

I'll be reviewing School of Velocity in the very near future - it is out on Chemikal Underground next week. I got an advance copy last night and on first listen Miaoux Miaoux has produced a beautiful work of art.

Miaoux Miaoux interview

My aims ..... to try and write catchy songs that don't have traditional structures or do things that you're not expecting. How far can you push 'pop' song structure with it still working?

Julian Corrie (Miaoux Miaoux) 

Long term readers of this blog will know how fond I am of the artist Miaoux Miaoux, AKA Julian Corrie.

Julian produced a string of sublime self releases that led to a deal with Chemikal Underground and the 2012 release of the album Light of the North. Julian's ear for sound and melody is exceptional, his ability to create beats and layer sonic soundscapes is joyful. Oh and he has a beautiful voice as well!

This clearly evident talent has led to (increasingly) strong support of Miaoux Miaoux in Scotland from bloggers, publications like The List and The Skinny, bookers, Chemikal and fellow artists - ranging from the DIY scene up to Chvrches and Belle and Sebastian, as well as music fans of all ages and backgrounds.

A positive response to It's The Quick, the lead single from the forthcoming album School of Velocity, and also Unbeatable Slow Machine, by 6Music bodes well. This could be the album that pushes Miaoux Miaoux on to a new level and it would be richly deserved and celebrated by his loyal fanbase.

I caught up with Julian to see how he is getting on ahead of what could be an extremely busy second half of 2015.

1. Light of the North was your first album released via Chemikal Underground. What were the main differences you noticed from a self release?

Well, it was great to get a vinyl release haha! All of the physical product was much better obviously, I wasn't designing and sorting the printing out myself. They're also really supportive guys, great to phone up if you need help with something or just want to rant. As I'm basically a solo artist it helps to have that support there.

2. The album gathered some incredible reviews; 3-years since release, what are your favourite moments from the album?

I think 'Stop The Clocks' is probably my favourite moment, although I'm proud of the whole thing. But, you know, I probably haven't listened to it for three years. Once something's done, I tend to put it behind me and move on, although those tracks that I made really fast and seem to be accidentally great (my Chvrches remix for example) I can come back to. But it seems weird to listen to stuff once you've made it. Maybe I'll give it another 3 years.

Stop the Clocks

3. Since then you’ve commandeered a band for live shows- were they involved in the writing/recording? What do the band bring to the live shows?

The band make the live shows so much better. Everything is lifted, and it's great to have the dynamic between people - even though we're working with a lot of playback, there still feels like there's some flexibility. I'm not on my jimmy lonesome frantically pressing buttons. Drummer Liam recorded some drums for the album, which sound great. Writing-wise, they don't contribute, although there's always scope for that.

4. You recorded a lot of Light of the North in your own little studio that you owned at the time. Where did you write and record School of Velocity?

An even smaller studio, haha. Both were rented, actually, although the old one was in a trendy location and was getting expensive, so I moved to a rundown building north of the city centre, where my friend and collaborator James Houston was working at the time. It's great to have your own space but the move was definitely a little disruptive and contributed to the gap between records! I'll be staying there for at least another year I think.

5. Who/what influenced the sound of the album?

This is such a difficult question. I listen to a whole load of stuff, but I'd say my aims are pretty similar to Light of the North - to try and write catchy songs that don't have traditional structures or do things that you're not expecting. How far can you push 'pop' song structure with it still working? Actually I think other people do this a lot better than I do. Sound wise, I borrowed some great analogue synths from a friend at work, Michael Hines, who is forever in my debt, and that's something I ended up using a lot of.

6. Have you favoured any particular synths, effects or gadgets for School of Velocity?

I bought a Juno 106 after borrowing one for a while and that's all over the record. Also I've got a little battery powered synth that's great for spacey noises and sound effects, I have to stop myself using it too much.

7. The teaser that you have released is very impressive. Are there any songs you are particularly proud of?

I guess 'Luxury Discovery', the first song on the video, because it was written really really fast (the bassline is pretty much the first take and I could never play it better), the original demo sounded great, and then it became an absolute bitch to mix and master the final version. That's often the case if the demo is too good. Jamie Savage and I pushed through and I think it turned out really well.

School of Velocity teaser

8. You've remixed Chvrches and Belle and Sebastian (among others)- how do you tackle a remix?

Those were both very different processes - the Chvrches remix, I may have said this before, but I didn't actually listen to the original before I started. Which was a good thing, because I ended up writing very different chords to Lauren's vocal, then when I heard the original I was like 'ooh, this is weird'. And it let me put my own stamp on the song without being intimidated. The Belle and Sebastian one - they were very specifically looking for an update on an existing song. So it wasn't so much a 'remix' as a 'reproduction'. I beefed up the drums and added some arpeggiators but the song itself stayed the same.

Chvrches remix

9. The Cairn String Quartet feature on the new album - are there any other Scottish artists you would like to work with in the future?

We'll see! I enjoyed producing last years' Body Parts single, so I'm interested in doing some production work with other artists. I'm in the process of starting work with someone just now.

10. What music are you enjoying at present?

In preparation for the next album I'm listening to a lot of Afrobeat and related / influenced stuff. So Fela Kuti, Talking Heads' Remain In Light album, Floating Points - beats that trip over themselves a little, that sound like water, are fluid. I've got a strong idea about what I want the new stuff to sound like. Also revisiting Matthew Dear's output - he's an absolute genius, and one of those people who's doing what I want to do so much better!

Miaoux Miaoux play a number of shows and festivals over the summer to promote the album including Stereo on May 27th. Give him a like on Facebook to get details of all the shows planned.

The Most Important Place In The World

The last time Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat recorded an album (Everything's Getting Older, released in 2011) it won the Scottish Album of the Year Award. They have just released a second - The Most Important Place In The World on Chemikal Underground and I fully expect it to be on the shortlist for next years award.

Why?

Well, in short, the album allows two of Scotland's most treasured and talented musical artists to combine to create something genuinely special and unique.

Moffat is fine poetic fettle; flowing with anger on The Unseen Man, full of romance/realisation with Far From You, oozing sleaze and lust on Vanilla and This Dark Desire and in classic form on Any Other Mirror. Always full of sharp, honest and often funny observations.

For me, Moffat is at his best when he goes off on one; flowing with ease to vent his anger, frustration, desires, issues, heartbreak and ache... his lyrics, pace and flow are sublime especially on songs like The Eleven Year Glitch with a sample below.

the problem is that no-one changed, we didn't evolve, we just grew in all the wrong directions

we met too late, we tried too soon, we died so they could live

but don't peek behind the curtain, never scrutinise a mind, 

because you never know the heartbreak and the horror you might find, 

don't think you'll get a answer, don't expect to understand, 

the fragile correspondence between heart and head and hand

you'll never want me back, oh just say you'll never want me back

walk away, but don't you dare come back

just make sure before you pull the trigger

Dark (honest) humour is all over the closing We're Still Here, with Moffat talking about banks, bookies, pharmacies, charity shops, surgeries, letting agents, jewellers and even trainer shops! But Moffat says more about the state of Britain in 2015 in 4-minutes than most artists manage in a career - the fact that things are/can be pretty bleak but in the end we are still here.

Wells provides the perfect backing throughout, this is a real partnership; dreamy, seductive and 60's like on Vanilla, gentle beautiful on On The Motorway and The Tangle Of Us, matching Moffat's lyrics with the perfect mood on This Dark Desire and going bar style jazz and adding backing singers on Street Pastor Colloquy, 3AM.

I only bought the album today, picking up a super ltd edition print in the process from the lovely folk at Monorail and I have already fallen for it's charms. I suspect many more will follow.