These are once again, the things that have been in our ears and on our minds this week. Please do explore and if it sounds or looks interesting then just hit the link and go make your own minds up, make contact, go switch the other, go explore, go get involved we're just here to point the way - don't let this thing blow over, we've done with undercover - like we say every week, our reviews and thoughts are mere signposts designed to guide you to the things you might like to feast on yourselves... don’t you just love the instant way this web thing works when things fall right and the doors flip open and the touch of a key....
 

SQUATS YER LOT... Bailiffs sneakily tried to get possession of the long lasting RampArts squatted social centre in east London on Thursday. Pretending to be security guards wanting to do a fire check – there had been a fire next door - upon gaining entry they then claimed to be forcibly evicting everyone and taking possession. When challenged they produced an eviction order from December 2007, which was no longer valid. The local bill appeared and the bailiffs started boarding up the windows while residents climbed back inside. After a two-hour stand off the cops retreated leaving the bailiffs and owner on their own facing the residents who now had their home back.  For more see http://therampart.wordpress.com

JASON PEGG, he of Clearlake, has recorded a solo version of the Cardiacs song Everything Is Easy, find it and hear it and love it over at www.myspace.com/jasonpeggnoise

Lots more of this everyday on our news pages and forum pages..

JOE GIDEON & THE SHARK – Harum Scarum (Bronzebat) – London based brother and sister duo, they were once in Bikini Atoll, they’ve recently been seen touring with both Seasick Steve and Nick Cave – that combination of names will tell you quite a bit. Nine slices of low-slung edgy blues and a whole lot more... Blues drenched in delicate feedback and tales of flat pancake worlds, painters, arsonists and seeds of doubt that get hold of things and grow in to trees. The world isn’t flat, whatever you may have been told the world is not flat. A writer, a singer (a fishmonger, a dogmatic film maker), learning the ways, meeting queens late night over at Clapham, wasting a morning selling another man’s shoes.... They’ve learnt a lot and they have it all here on this fine album. This is good, she must be the shark, they don’t really sound like anyone else do they? This is good... This is good, this is letting wild dogs lick your face good, the true nature of proper low slung blues good, this is a challenging edge and hitting the road ‘cause there’s no place like home. And they can be delicate and sensitive as well, that’s waiting for you once you get further in and work out they’re not just a flat earth PJ Harvey/Nick Cave type blues band. ‘Kathy Ray’ is a piece of gliding glistening beauty - a very fine song that stands out on a very fine album. An album alive with the spirit of The Birthday Party, Johnny Cash, dare we say the spirit Dream City Film Club had back there for a little bit? ‘Kathy Ray’ builds to something really wonderfully wonderfully good. What we like about this is the way is smells, the clothes it wears, that curly hair and those games of hide and seek they play, we like the justice of the holes in to which those songs lure us - some kind of mantrap and a whole hole covered in fuzz and when I think about it now, far more that just lost in a game - things worn on sleeves and easily to make believe. And then there’s the quiet seven minute build up of ‘Anything You Love That Much Will See You Again...’ really don’t want to say anything about that, yeah I know, that’s not how to review things, we’ve told you enough already - music is about mystery and discovery, and all the better for it it is, you got enough on your plate already and this really is something you really should take the time to discover. Everything about this album is good (besides the really not very impressive artwork), we’re in a good place now, kiss the big beautiful shark. – www.myspace.com/joegideonandtheshark
x

ALSO CHECK OUT GNAW – This Face (Conspiracy) - This is hardboiled, this is a seriously difficult chew, here to gnaw at your pretty little head indeed. Animalistic sonic torture and churning and machine manipulation way beyond the boundaries of mere ‘industrial’ life. Sound and boundary pushing music from a place where the crows be ripping at your flesh and you’ve got no control over the situation (as someone once said). History time, pull up a chair while that buzz flies at your head... What is that buzz? Animal? Machine? Just violent ambience hanging in the air? And what the hell is that? Did they just multiply? Gnaw formed (symbiotically is my guess) in 2006, Alan Dubin (ex-Khanate, OLD), Jamie Sykes (ex-Burning Witch, Thorr’s Hamer, Atalist), Carter Thornton (Enos Slaughter), Jun Mizumachi (one time of 80s NYC industrial legends Ike Yard) and sound design/mix wizard Brian Beatrice. Seems Dubin thought it would be wonderfully a healthy idea to collaborate with some of his respected musician/friends, bring together people from a diverse set of musical backgrounds and see just what would boil up. Did he tell them it would involved chains, cellars, and repellant putrefaction if limbs weren’t hacked off using jagged edges of rusted guitars? All kinds of pained screaming and chants and rituals and who knows what’s going on here? That horror movie that could never be made, you couldn’t do this visually. Not so much songs as pieces, violent mood swings, blood churning otherly tribalistic rituals, hissing, whispered chanting, building up of tension after tension and things emerging from the quiet corners of the darkness, creatures who’s shapes are surely beyond imagination... Once sane, once human voices lost to the ritualistic horror of is all, unable to convey what they’ve seen... Day by day comes night again and one ungodly shitstorm of human pain and agnostic memory and post-industrial clanking and screaming and whispering and caged yelling and sculpted crafted clearly-made walls of surprisingly inviting musical beautifully wrapped in detailed crisp challenging disturbingly good noise – hypnotic, enchanting, seducing... we are here, shadow and bone, human beast forgotten...  www.conspiracyrecords.com or www.myspace.com/gnaw666

FEJD – Storm (Napalm) – Now we have no idea what these Swedish medieval folk types are singing about, hope it isn’t anything too dodgy, no reason to suspect it should be. They’re singing and stomping away in their own language – all authentically rousing and full of stirring passion. Organic percussion, fiddles, bouzouki, Jew’s harp, Swedish bagpipes, cow antler (?), willow pipes along with more conventional guitars, keyboards, bass and drums. Apparently they’re a fusion of folk music duo Rimmerfors and a couple of members of metal band Pathos – “the weight of heavy metal in symbiosis with the typical language and sadness of Nordic folk music” so they say. Actually there isn’t that much metal to be found here, more a folk rock thing fusing with the more colourfully traditional side of things. This is excellent actually – really don’t know that much about traditional Nordic folk, know enough to sense that this sounds right though, sounds authentically good, apparently alive with the myths and legends of their lands, check it out, sounds and feels really good – www.myspace.com/fejd or www.napalmrecords.com SPOKES – People Like People Like You (Counter) – Originally released on their own label last year, the Manchester quintet’s debut album is now getting a wider release via Counter. Restrained, largely instrumental, polished post rock, a seemingly effortless sound, drifting in a relaxed space and time. All very pleasant and enjoyable, once again not taking to anywhere we have been already with their breezy euphoria and their light touch of refined epicness. www.myspace.com/spokessound IXXI – Elect Darkness (Candlelight) – They’re from Sweden, they got some wholesome character who goes by the name of Totalscorn on vocals. What we’re his mummy and daddy thinking giving him a name like that? Is it any wonder he turned out like this? A yappy toad of regurgitating demonic bullfrog is what he sounds like, his band are spewing some atmospheric extreme death metal, if you’re curious then off to their My Space you go, they did the regurgitating buzz-sawing wasp from hell death metal thing that gets all moody and atmospherically dark without really igniting our evil sides that much  – www.myspace.com/ixxiofficial THERAPY? Crooked Timber (D2) – Many years ago we reviewed their first demo here at Organ, it arrived with a scruffy hand written letter from the band – that how it was at the time, scruffy DIY and the personal touch. We loved the tape, we wrote nad send them a copy of Organ with the review, they wrote and thanked us for the review. Stand out track was something called Albini-Beefheart (if I remember it right) and it really wasn’t a surprise when others started picking up on them (some of them Therapy boys had another band, a thrashy death metal punk band called Evil Priest, those tapes are still kicking around here somewhere, there’s boxes and boxes of old tapes and zines and flyers and letters kicking around here). We liked Therapy’s early days, the first Therapy album wasn’t quite as good as that raw blistering demo, that first album was still damn good though. Nothing else really got anywhere near those early days and we watched them grow and grow with what I’d guess you’d call well-wishing disinterest. No idea that they’d reformed, but then doesn’t every band in the end? From the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made then, and this doesn’t really sound much like anything I remember of more recent Therapy, there again they weren’t doing much that made us want to pay too much attention. Last time I saw them, I left half way through their set, only went for the support band....  I guess some people are as “eagerly awaiting the band’s return” as the press release says they are and yes, I guess they are challenging themselves and their followers a little bit here. Let’s treat this as a new album from a new band then – well no, they don’t sound like a new band, they sound like a reasonably challenging mid-paced, kind of restrained 90’s alternative rock band, long gone is the fresh bite of a new band bursting with new ideas and fresh ambition. Sure, they’ve got their quirks, the almost eleven instrumental is rather boring, they have a riff that bites here and a twist that hits the spot there, moments where you think ah yes.... Mostly though, however you approach it, nothing here that’s really demanding that much from the non stop roots of your waking minds. Is that a Pantera riff? Walk? Is that anger? Self pity times two? Crooked Timber is an alright, 90’s sounding alt.rock album, it has a heavy moment or two, it threatens to kick off here, to explode there, never really does though, I guess the fans will be happy, nothing here re-igniting our interest though – www.myspace.com/therapyquestionmark HERMH – Cold Blooded Messiah  (Regain) - Bombastic throw everything in there with the kitchen sink full of over the top drama, the millions of riffs, the church, the monks, the relentless jack-hammer drumming, the demonic vocal growl, the gothic treacle and the choirs of epic (digital) keyboards. Packed to bursting dramatic gothic death metal neo-operatic pomposity then, all waiting there like a steaming pile of (insert word of choice here depending on your point of view when approaching this kind of bombastic metal absurdity ). - www.myspace.com/hermh x

AND WHAT WILL BE LEFT OF THEM? – The Hi-Fi Low Life (PopArt London) – Seems like an ages since those well received demos and such, there’s been some singles and some problems and a bag of bad luck and wrong moves since then but the Worcester band finally have an album and...? Well it kicks off with fizzing energy... alive...busy, bouncy, pointy... catchy bouncy synthy electro pop punk energy... loads of energy, feels good, explodes with fizzing energy and urgent positive clattering sugar-sweet pop goodness. Most of the thirteen songs rush pass in less than three minutes of constantly catchy riffs. A kind of lo-fi spiky Fight Like Apes feel, not so as in control and confident as those one off Apes, more a polite please listen, please share our fizzy pop and colourful sweets and come share out energy rushes, Not just an energy rush of fizz and synth though, they have songs that take on hint of extra dimension, a little more depth once the fizz has died down and the froth on the top has settled. Busy girl/boy vocals. None stop energy, song after song with no time to catch breath even if you wanted to, why would you want to catch your breath when the rush is this good?  More fizz, more pop, more rounds of shouty sweetness and fizz pop new wave disco pistols and yes, it seems like an ages since those early demos and such landed and a lot of fizz has flown by from others since then and we had almost forgotten about them...  attention demanded fizz pop goodness, go overdose on all their energy, sugar rush and more... www.myspace.com/awwblot or www.popartlondon.co.uk SOUTHERLY – Storyteller & The Gossip Columnist (Arctic Rodeo) – Southerly is Portland singer/songwriter Krist Krueger and this is an album of easy, crisp, lush, sometimes delicately orchestrated sweeping swooning songs. He’s a one man musical army so we’re told - pleasant songs, a touch of the post-rock in some of the quiet clever thoughtful instrumentation, arrangements that flesh out his intimate inviting songs – www.myspace.com/southerly / www.arcticrodeorecordings.com x

MONO – Hymn To The Immortal Wind (Conspiracy) – There’s really nothing more epic is there, Japan’s Mono return with another album of expansive widescreen filmoid instrumental post rock. Fifth album in ten years and yes it is their most ambitious yet – their trademark slow quiet build up to a wall of rather big noise again – not so obvious with the big noise this time around though. Added orchestration and a chamber orchestra incorporating vast strings, flutes, organ, piano, glockenspiel and timpani alongside their more conventional rock instrumentation. And all recorded and captured just right, directly to analogue tape, by Steve Albini – there’s an atmosphere here missing in so much clean cut post rock epicness – that sense of dust in the sunlight, that warmth captured. The quiet intimacy, even the creaking of the old wooded chairs the orchestra are sitting on, the dark to light, the quiet to loud, the dynamic drifts, the classical drama. This probably is the last word in expansive post rock, the last stop before it becomes pure classical composition. As refined expensive post rock goes this is a rather beautiful pleasure, a relaxing drifting set or rewarding pieces, as classical composition though? As classical composition it really is rather straight forward and you kind of wonder what someone like John Adams would do with a rock band and chamber orchestra... that’s for another day though, right now be happy to bask in the glow in this rather beautiful album, Hymn probably is the ultimate piece of expansive mountain top touching lush orchestral epic post rock, still sounds like a lot of those Sigur Ros Explosions In The Sky kind of things you’ve already heard, taken right to top though, more that satisfying for right now, the logical conclusion? What are they all going to do next? ... www.mono-jpn.com THE WEIGHT – Are Men (Tee Pee) Well there’s not a lot of  ‘alt’ about this is there? Sounds pretty much like a polite 70’s American country rock to these ears, all steel guitar and slow moving and rather like those damn Eagles in a melancholic mood, never ever did like those Eagles. This gently rocks in a polite retro country rock kind of way, I guess being called The Weight gives you a clue, if you like The Band and all that midly-paced 70’s whisky voiced stuff then here you are – www.teepeerecords.com x

THE CHELSEA SMILES – Melodic glammy trashy metal with a cocky swagger, an organ, a rock’n roll kick and a Pistols style riff or two (or five). They sound like they’d kick up a storm live, they haven’t got an original note or line between them, everything as dumb as glam rock should be. They’re from the US, formed by someone who was once in Danzig, does it matter who? Rock and roll after all is your salvation, sometime you need salvation - they rock, they’re the full on glam rock’n roll real hard rock deal, you know if you want it or not, not many bands kicking up a storm like this these dayd... Put a shit-eating crank it up grin on some faces around here (had others yelling for it to be turned off), they rock, they’re good, smiles indeed, never Chelsea ones though – www.myspace.com/thechelseasmiles x

GERTRUDE – Speak, Shape, Create, Time (Urban Misfits)  - Gertrude are different, pretty much everything about them is just a little bit of different. Their energy is different, their positive attitude, their visions, their hopes and their frustrations... The hopes and frustrations all on here with their positive infectious creativity and their different colours, all there to explore on this their self-produced third album. Recorded and self produced over at the RampArt squat in London, Gertrude are a proper DIY band, they’re not the type to sit around waiting for The Man to do it for them. Gertrude have never been easy to pin down, like we’ve said before, that’s the way we like it - their music has always been unpredictably good, their gigs are always full of positive colourful energy, alive with so many good things. There’s a surprising amount of depth here that they haven’t quite had before though, they’ve evolved again – a more confident sound? Maybe, they’ve always been a confident group of creative people though...  just more crafted and accomplished this time then? The electric cello, the melodica and the weaving clarinet are all pulling together with the guitars, drums and voices now. They’ve always been the ones drawing their own line... You want some signposts? Well like we said, they’re always difficult to pin down. Let’s see... They’ve got bits of Raincoats in there, The Slits, healthy hints of Sonic Youth, a fair bit of Gong , The Calvert side of Hawkwind/Hawklord (Window Watching is pure Astounding Sounds with that observing the dark corners of the city claustrophobia) , there’s some Shellac in there now, some Ani Difranco, a more tuneful less angry Crass all there, all just hints in there with some clever tempo changes, some lush strings, some scratchy agit pop, their London post punk, their spiders webs and their positive gender politics. Gertrude don’t sound like anyone other than their ever evolving ever positive ever inspiring selves, they never have sounded like anyone else – they’re another healthy branch of the real creative diverse colourful positive inspiring London underground. Speak is their best album by far, last one was good, this is the first that really captures what they’ve been doing live for quite some time now – they still have their rough raw edges and their DIY feel, lot more musical depth now, some decent production at last, the first album to really capture their positive creative spirit and their let’s-get-this-done attitude, the first to capture their kick against the pricks smiles and all their lush colour, their string driven chamber punk creativity, their politics and their ever perky lyrical/musical quirkiness. An album alive with their words that know where the power is, with their anarchic cross-fertilisation, their chamber agit pop, their new wave post-punk goodness. We’ve always loved Gertrude gigs, and now we have an album that captures their upbeat dynamic and tells you why, the four girls done really good this time...  www.gertruderock.com / www.myspace.com/gertruderock x x

WEIRD OWL – Ever The Silver Cord Be Loosed (Tee Pee) – They’re from Brooklyn, they’re doing this weird owl stew cooking thing, all psychedelic poetry and messing with imaginations and a slice of 13th Floor Elevators touching on Crazy Horse.  Or maybe if we want to be a little more now about things (in a retro kind of way) then how about Dead Meadow getting all esoteric and tarot shaped astrology and past life subconscious on your weird owl ass and psychedelically North American hippy-spiritually out there. They said something about wanting you to experience a birth while you’re already living, didn’t really experience any kind of rebirth, they kind of rock out in a mellow kind of weird owl retro acid guitar mellow kind of hard rock freak flag flying psychedelic way – www.myspace.com/weirdowl or www.teepeerecords.com HERE WE GO MAGIC – Here We Go Magic (Western Vinyl) – Luke Temple recording under the moniker of Here We Go Magic, receded over a two month period in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Apparently this is quite a departure from his usual singer/songwriter material. Stream of consciousness instrumentation, psychedelic positive repetitiveness, rhythmic colour, introspective songs with only one shoe, bits on euphoria that touch on post rock, bits of what we could lazily call African/World music, dare we mention the first track, and quite a lot of the rather fine album sounds like Paul Simon via a touch of Elliott Smith or Conor Oberst? Brightly detailed tunes, clever things that take you to different places -   www.myspace.com/luketemple or www.myspace.com/herewegomagic or find copies in the UK via www.cargorecords.co.uk BULLET MONKS -  Weapons Of Mass Destruction (Napalm) - They’re from Germany, they dish out some kind of mix of something that sounds like a mix of more recent AC/DC output and some mix of mixed up 80’s hair metal from back there -  www.myspace.com/bulletmonks LE RENO AMPS – Tear It Open (Drift) – Glasgow four piece Le Reno Amps with a mix of Scottish indie rock and some kind of hell-raising North American scratchy alt. country. Their sound is something to do with a yearning for the sun that doesn’t always shine in their hometown so they say. Kind og outlaw rockabilly riffs meet something near Orange Juice via a slice or two of Brakes. Indie pop one minute, Will Oldham the next... www.myspace.com/lerenoamps ATTACK + DEFEND – Theme (Shape) - Lo-fi experimental Casio pop with fax machines and toy keyboards and plastic things. They’re from Mid Wales, this is their second album (released on their own label), their squelchy keyboard sounds hit the spot now and again. Are those songs and lyrics trying just a little too hard to say look at us aren’t we weird and wacky people though? Make up your own mind over at www.shaperecords.co.uk LEECH – The Stolen View (Viva Hate) – Gently paced instrumental guitar rock, politely paced instrumental scapes that touch on the epic and skirt around the edges of post-rock in pleasant enough way. Kind of nice if you’re in the mood, nothing that challenging, just pleasant if you’re in the right relaxed state of mind.  www.myspace.com/leechofficial ZEROMANCER – Sinners International (Neuwerk) - Devils, whores, priests, madonnas, sex, death, skulls and Depeche Mode – that’s pretty much what the silky electro goths do. Melodic machine driven bite, 80’s dark goth pop. I think they’d like us to say it looks like love but it sounds like sex or something like that.... One for the beautiful dark wave people then... They do their thing well, imaginary hands holding you down and such... – www.myspace.com/zeromancerzentral

Last week's album of the week - NLF3 Previous albums of the week - CHEER-ACCIDENT / VLADIMIR BOZAR ‘n ZE SHERAF ORKESTAR / JULIE DOIRON / GIANT PAW / MI AMI / WE ROCK LIKE GIRLS DON’T / RABID RABBIT / SERGEANT BUZFUZ / LARS HORNTVETH / ENABLERS / IMAGINATION SCHOOL / WOMEN / FIGHT LIKE APES / THE JELAS / HUNTSVILLE / GALLON DRUNK / SLEEPS IN OYSTERS / THE WELCOME WAGON x

ALBUM REVIEW ARCHIVES

-  Now just where was we? On another Hoxton Crawl, ah yes, things work out, looks like timings fit if we run between venues. The Contortionists are playing an Odd Wednesdays night at the Legion, free to get in, we’re checking them out on the strength of that demo that landed here to positive reactions last week and yes! They’re every bit as good on stage. Well we say on stage, more down at the end of the long thin not very atmospheric, but hey, good enough, modern looking Hoxton bar room. Viz The Spoon, for it is he putting on these Odd Wednesdays, introduces the band in that stylish attention demanding way of his, and without a second for breath or a thought for the feedback that clearly shouldn’t be there, they’re off. Five of them, blonde headed frontman-guitarist, his personality instantly igniting proceedings and matching the angles of their music. Skinny-boy partner-in-crime guitarist to his left, dark-haired girl behind big looking synth, and right up front of ‘stage’, to his right adding her vocal style to the energetic mix, drummer and bass player anchoring things down with their forward movement. You never quite know when you rave and froth about an unexpected demo from a band you’d never heard of a week before, sometimes you go along full of hope and oh dear, sometimes new bands just can’t pull it off live what they’ve done in some cheap studio and you’re left with egg all over your face as you politely sneak out the side door... No worries here, clear from the off that these Contortionists have ‘it’ already, more pulling us ot the front than forcing us out the door. That wrong pop thing again, all Fall angles, Les Savy Fav and Art Brut in there with their need to be different, to confront ideas, to make music that matters, things to say... Clearly early days still, there are awkward moments, stage craft still developing, this is good though, they’re going down really well, I assume most in here have no idea who they are. That thing we mentioned about time and space, and this is very England and this is the present day and there’s these circular angles and bouncing off each other’s voices and degenerate music to fight the evils of banality, a suss, a desire, a need, they’ve got a glint waiting for you to catch, nice marimba sound on that synth, those little details in their words and their music along with all the spiky energy and the post punk attitude ... We’re as impressed with them live as we were with the demo... expect lots more from us... 
 

www.myspace.com/capillaryaction
www.myspace.com/thecontortionists
www.contortionist-manifesto.com
www.myspace.com/oddwed

LIVE REVIEW ARCHIVES

HERZOGA – Swetmores (Broken Branch) – The ever demanding Herzoga and not so much chasing you down their crooked stairs as much as over deep dark moors this time around. The Stoke-On-Trent threesome invented (and patented) the idea of Wrong Pop and there’s never anything wrong with the pop they make, more menace this time around, the fear, coming after you with what and not so poppy this time on the a-side. Back to their angular rolling pop and seeing what you want to see on the b-side though. The two new tracks work well, they work off each other, they bounce off each other, tick tick, run, deep deep, dark... angular wrong pop sound as right as ever, see! Alight! All right! And these new to the scene Broken Branch people seem to be up to good things, Lamo last week, Herzoga this, new Clay heads doing good? Looks like we got a good new Stoke based record label here, nice one, these efforts shouldn't be taken for granted, thankless thing running a label the right way and caring about bands and music these days, support you local labels - www.brokenbranch.co.uk  / www.myspace.com/herzogaband

THE SHILLS – Apparition (GlobalNet) – Well singer Tom Yates certainly has one of the most distinctively original voices around, kind of demands you pay proper attention straight away. Worth paying proper attention, there’s some depth here, intelligence, something that suggests a band who demand a little more from themselves. This is the Cambridge post-punk band’s rather impressive debut single. He’s got a bit of an early days Elvis Costello feel to that voice, bit of a Smiths/Buzzcocks vibe, a poppy indie Clash in there maybe? They’ve got a bit of a knowing swagger, a slice of contemporary class, and he is a great singer, lot of hope here. One swallow doesn’t make for a summer though, we’ve only got this one song here, fine fine first taste though, impressive slice of classic English post punk pop that sounds very much like a thing from now but so easily could be a classic from the very best days, yes, we want some more please -  www.myspace.com/theshillsuk

WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE – Hell Or High Water (Anti) – Not the best two and a half minutes you’ll find on his rather fine new album Animals In The Dark – the album is a rather decent connecting up of contemporary American hardcore punk and early twentieth century blues. This is a restrained reflective polite couple of minutes of acoustic whisky-voiced blues, still dripping in righteous soul, there’s a lot more than this to William Elliott Whitmore though – www.myspace.com/williamelliottwhitmore

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – My Girls (Domino) – They’re no denying they’re good, they deserve their flavour of the month status and they are making enjoyably challenging music (and they do sound like Yes). All those colourful harmonies, that rich inventiveness and yes this particular track from the recent widely acclaimed album is a wide-eyed open-armed piece of alternative charm and that appreciation of the simpler things in life. Animal Collective are a good thing, I’m sure we can all agree on that – www.myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband

MR SCRUFF & ROOTS MANUVA – Nice Up The Junction (Ninja) - Now the two parties functioning as one whole is far better than most things they’ve done themselves, tasteful and graceful mix of their two styles. Not their first collaboration of course, they have a joint history that stretches way back to Keep It Unreal. This is a whole load tasty sounding bone-shaking electro squirt and squelch and wobble and digi-dub skunking and more boot for yer pound. Unity before we die like dogs... All we need is just some chips and cod... – well it don’t work on electronic paper, but it is ever so tasteful and gracious on disc and booming out of the speakers with that flying of flags and showing the mix.... everybody, everything, immigrants and rejects...  we’re all in the same boat down here and.. A very fine single, a capturing of a feel and a whole load of remixes as well, they never really grabbed us like this before  - www.ninjatune.net

SPARKS – Lighten Up Morrissey (Beethoven) – single off the last album, distinctive trademark  Sparks deadpan baroque and that touch of humour they have, hasn’t Morrissey always had an even more wickedly good sense of lightness though? If a ten ton bus...? Come on he’s been having a laugh for most of is life hasn’t he? As original and different as you’d expect the always good Sparks brothers to be.. www.myspace.com/allsparks

THE ACORN – Crooked Legs (Bella Union) – All glory hope mountains and firefly glow guiding and led by the light of the melody. Clever rhythms carried on crooked legs, that textured nu-folk flavour of Fleet Foxes via the constructions of Animal Collective and the tropical colour that’s very much the pleasantly absorbing dew covered golden glowing daisy sound of now, the shrinking of home fires and oh to be led by the light of their melodies  – www.myspace.com/theacorn

PETER, BJORN AND JOHN – Nothing To Worry About (Wichita) – A likeable enough bright and shinny harmonised sunny alt.pop song with nothing much to worry about – www.myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn

and check out or maybe avoid?

THE FIRST – Land & Sea (Lockjaw) - Oh look, another one of those oh so very typical very American obsessed, more American than apple pie and Hershey bars sounding English ‘nice boy’ clean cut straighter than a straightedger at Sunday School giving out extra nice candyfloss on an extra nice day emo pop rock bands. There’s so many of them and they ALL do exactly the same thing, they ALL sound the same like they actually fear the idea of breaking the rules or standing out from the crowd, hundreds of them, all wearing the same t-shirt uniforms and ALL having absolutely no hint of any personality what so ever. You know every riff before they get there, you know where the stops and starts and quite bits and the polite screamo bits are going to be... And god, those lyrics! This lot are from Wisbech, East coast of England, they could be from anywhere, they clearly want to be from California. They sound like a million Californian bands we heard on those Emo Diary albums and such over the last ten years, all harmonies and fake American accents and the same riffs and moves as ALL the others and boys saying to girls eat your heart out and these lyrics and sickeningly throwupable .... Damn risk-free emo pop metal by numbers rule obeying chickenshit bands! Why? What’s the damn point in another band making another record like this? Where’s the X factor, where’s the danger, the desire, the musical guts? Oh look, these people are as good at it as any of the others, if you like this crap then they do it very very well - they’re slick, note-perfect, they’re dreadfully good and they obey all the rules perfectly - a perfect waste of time and “reach for my hand, you know I’ll be there to push you away...” their words not mine, dreadful dreadful lyrics, dreadful everything, dreadful! This is pissing me off ! Yeah yeah, I know we have this policy of not bothering with this stuff, and you can piss orf and crybaby blog about how nasty and unfriendly we are... Look, if you want this crap then here it is, they do the emo whining punchable bed wetting thing as well as anyone. Why would anyone want to be in a band that just wants to sound like all the others?  Why would anyone want to listen to this, surely if you do actually like this crap then you’ve already got records exactly like this already? Dreadful! Take this CD out back and introduce it to my good friend Mr Baseball Bat please, there's not an inch of anything that hints of something a tiny but different here, why?  - www.myspace.com/thefirst or www.lockjawrecords.co.uk

Last week's single of the week - LAMO

Previously - KING OF CONSPIRACY / SPEECH DEBELLE / FRAN RODGERS / COMMANDER KEEN / EMMY THE GREAT / SONNY / JENIFEREVER / LIME HEADED DOG / FIGHT LIKE APES / OH, ATOMS / DENNIS HOPPER CHOPPERS / CUDDLY SHARK / RED PAINTED RED / RALPH BAND / RAW POO / RUDE MECHANICALS / THE BRUTE CHORUS / TIM AND SAM’S TIM AND SAM BAND...

SINGLE REVIEW ARCHIVES

DEMO OF THE WEEK 2

GUANTANAMO BABES - They sound like an in your face and on your toes confrontation involving those loveable Dead Kennedys and the punky sax attack of Inner City Unit. They’re from Bristol, none of them are babes, all four of them are in some kind of hurry. A driving saxophone, some punk rock and eight tasty tracks that are well worth your time and as much as loose tongues may cost burnt book and I wonder if you’re thinking what we’re thinking? This is volatile, this is good, dangerous words, go get  some from www.myspace.com/guantanamobabesband

ALSO CHECK OUT 

THE OUTBURSTS - I don’t know, some kind of stripped down scratchy messy basic lo-fi punk that’s all London mouthy and 70’s and Gordon is A Moron and down the chip shop and.... They say they’re four blokes on a mission to make a racket, they say they have the spirit of ’66 and of ’76 tattooed on their collective arses (or something like that). Apparently they like these Outburst down the Dirty Water Club where they like their scratchy ’76 garage punk and they know what they’re talking about., They’re supporting Wilko Johnson soon, he was once in Dr Feelgood, they seem happy about that fact. They’re old enough to know better, so they say... Oh look, we haven’t got much that’s that positive to say about this if we’re honest, they got off their arses and sent it in though, they’re a little more that just another bloody annoying My Space band having an outburst when they don’t get the attention they want, good look to ‘em we say. Old punks who should know better, growing old disgracefully, bloody awful demo, bloody good attitude, we all like a good outburst don’t we, now get it out of here, enough of being polite about these things...  www.theoutbursts.com
x

Previous demo's of the week - THE TRUTH ABOUT FRANK / INTO FLIGHT / LUCY DAY / ONE TRUE DOG / WHOLE SCHEBANG / THE BUMBLEBEES / KIJU / AWESOME WELLS / THE MAXIMUM DANGER PROJECT / CHARLIE BARNES / THE CURSORS / THE WINTER LEAGUE / JARMEAN? / RIOTGOD / CUTTHROAT CONVENTION

DEMO REVIEW ARCHIVES

PREVIOUSLY - CUNEIFORM Records / UPSILON ACRUX / ALESSI'S ARK / TEN CITY NATION / SIGUR ROS / IMAGINATION SCHOOL  / REAL McKENZIES / FAT WRECK / DOMINIQUE LEONE / JAGJAGUWAR / VESSELS / COLT / LIARS / SLARAFFENKLANG / 4AD / PHANTOM LIMBS  / THE PRODIGY / KAYO DOT / BLACK ELK / MADE IN MEXICO / THE BUG / TEMPORARY RESIDENCE

ALSO CHECK OUT 

HARD-ONS – Suck And Swallow: 25 Years 25 Songs (Boss Tuneage) – Twenty five years of Australia’s most consistent bands then. Twenty five slices of their tongue in cheek Ramones-ish punk pop and a Best Of type compilation out in time for their tour with those Stupids and their 25th anniversary six week European tour. Can’t say their humourous beach-bum punk pop every did that much for these ears, here they are if you want some – www.bosstuneage.com or www.myspace.com/hardonsband

Previously UNIVERS ZERO / BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC:/ DEEP PURPLE / GRENOUER / BLATZ / FILTH / EYEHATEGOD / THE BOXER REBELLION / THE NERVES / THE THING / THE ERGS / DAMON & NAOMI / MR. BROWN / SUBHUMANS / RUBELLA BALLET / BBC RADIOPHONIC WORKSHOP / MARILLION

PREVIOUSLY - SHELLY WYN-DE-BANK / ANDREA JABLONSKI / AMANDA PALMER / JOHN SQUIRE / BERNADETTE LOUISE & NATALIE SWAIN / I AM JOY / PROG ROCK BRITANNIA / INDYMEDIA / FRESHWHIP / ANDY WARHOL'S SCREEN TESTS DVD / DVD: NASHVILLE PUSSY / BOOK: TATTOO SOUP

 Schhhhhneeeeews? What's that? - go see, where would we be without the balance that SchNews offers, not saying that they're always right, not saying we agree with everything thay say, we agee with a lot though and everything should be questioned, damn glad they're there to throw out a question or two and tell us what's really going on out there  - www.schnews.org.uk

libcom.org is a resource for all people who wish to improve their lives, their communities and their working conditions.

Meanwhile to download (free) and watch a selection of SchMOVIES short films click
here - www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies

THE ORGAN MAILING LIST -  If you want to be on the ORGAN/ORG Records e.mail list then you need to get in touch E.MAIL HERE.
 

ORGAN 298 - NLF3, UNIVERS ZERO, NAVVY, JOHN ADAMS - DOCTOR ATOMIC, THE CONTORTIONISTS, LAMO, THE REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND, ZERO CIPHER, TRIBULATION, YES WAY, WAKE THE PRESIDENT, TRIBAZIK, STINKING LIZAVETA, PROJECT PITCHFORK, CAPTAIN WILBERFORCE, FAKE PROBLEMS, COVERED CALL, MFBF, RESONATE, A PSYCHEDELIC GUIDE TO MONSTERISM ISLAND, BRONTOSAURUS CHORUS, ABSU, SHORTWAVE FADE, SHUTTLE, THE HELMHOLTZ RESONATORS, BUTCHER BOY, WOODPIGEON, THE B OF BANG, WHISPER IN THE RIOT, WALK DON’T WALK, FLESH EATING FOUNDATION, WEDNESDAY 13, UPSILON ACRUX... 

ORGAN 297 - CHEER ACCIDENT, BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC, PURE REASON REVOLUTION, TO ARMS ETC, MICHAEL GRAVES, FRANK ROTHKAMM, THE LONG LOST, LION'S SHARE, THE TEA CLUB, ISOLE, MEMORIAL, DAVE ARCADI, Y DIWYGLAD, BONNIE PRINCE BILLY, WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE, DEAD MAN'S HAND, KING OF CONSPIRACY, BABY GRAVY, SAD DAY FOR PUPPETS, TELEPATHE, THE TRUTH ABOUT FRANK, MOUNT, THE WELOCME COMMITTEE, SUPER SONIC HERO, ALESSI'S ARK, SHELLY WYN-DE-BANK.... 

ORGAN 296 - VLADIMIR BOZAR ‘n ZE SHERAF ORKESTAR, JULIE DOIRON, DM STITH, THE RAIN EMPEROR, FAITH NO MORE, BLUT AUS NORD, THE SOUNDSCAPES, UNLEARN, PESTILENCE, LIGHT SYNDICATE, INSTANT FLIGHT, MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND, CRIMFALL, ARTHEMIS, THIN LIZZY, FUN MACHINE,  SPEECH DEBELLE, WINTERSLEEP, MORTON VALENCE, SHORTWAVE FADE, LE RENO AMPS, THE WOO!WORTHS, TEN CITY NATION, IGGY'S INSURANCE... 

ORGAN 295 - GIANT PAW, MI AMI, COMMANDER KEEN, AMANDA PALMER AND THE DANGER ENSEMBLE, THE NIGHTINGALES, PETER DOHERTY, INTO FLIGHT, FEVER RAY, FRAN RODGERS, ANDREA JABLONSKI, RABID RABBIT, THE FACELESS, MORIARTY, THE ERUPTORS, RED SQUARE, THE REVELLIONS, TORTURE KILLER, HEAT FROM A DEADSTAR, SANDSTONE, THRONE OF KATARSIS, HUMCRUSH, LADYFINGER (NE), GAMAGES MODEL TRAIN CLUB, SUSUMU YOKOTA, ANEKDOTEN, THE LONG LOST, THE ANDROID ANGEL, LOUNGE FLY, SIGUR ROS

ORGAN 294 - WE ROCK LIKE GIRLS DON’T, SHIRLEY LEE, THE MILK AND HONEY BAND, THE ANTIKAROSHI, PHOSPHORESCENT, REVOLTING COCKS, NICKEL EYE, THE LOVED ONES, THE PROPHECY, WOODPIGEON, SPIDER AND THE FLIES, SONIC YOUTH, EMMY THE GREAT, ZZZ, DAVID GIBB, THREATMANTICS, LUCY DAY, DESTINATION: OBLIVION, DEEP PURPLE....