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| THE
EVER EVOLVING ORGAN : CONTACT AND SWITCH THE OTHER |
Speak, Shape, Create, Time..
time for Organ things to evolve once more... strip it down... Just news,
reviews and whatever we want, whenever we want... you know what Organ is
about, what Organ has always been about, when a lash is need... What will
it say here tomorrow? Here are today's words, bites and positions assumed..
xx |
| TODAY'S
SIGNPOSTS and links and paths and contradictions and things to check
out.. |
 18th
JUNE '09: NEWS: FORM A DISORDERLY KEW
- The London Eco Village (See SchNEWS
677) is up and running on squatted landed in Brentford, west London. Last
Saturday week (6th) around 70 people descended on a site at Kew Bridge,
clearing it of debris, installing a kitchen and compost toilet and beginning
work on a herb garden. A spokesperson told SchNEWS that the guerilla gardeners
have had an extremely positive reaction from the local community and that
even the old bill dropped in, telling them to give them a call if anyone
gives them any hassle. As well as developing the garden, the aim is to
open up the site to the community to promote sustainable living by staging
regular open days and workshops and inviting local schools to get involved
in the project. Anyone wanting to get involved or willing to contribute
much needed materials can contact diggers360 at yahoo.co.uk
17th JUNE '09: NEWS:SLUMP
SCREENINGS: A night of activist and artists films Thursday 18th June
that happens between 6.30 pm and 9 pm in Space Studios, Hackmey,
London. A free entry event curated by artist Laura Oldfield Ford, the night
will be an evening of artists, films, activist footage and documentaries
charting urban social upheaval including: Breaking The Spell (1999), footage
from the Genoa riots (2001), The Angry Brigade (1973), It Happened Here
(1966). There will also be short films from artist Jenny Gordon and book
stalls for the Savage Messiah zine and radical bookshop Housmans as well
as a chance to see the exhibition ‘Slump City’ before it ends on 26th June
- www.spacestudios.org.uk
NEWS:
EARTHLESS...
Tee Pee Records say they are “excited to announce the debut UK tour for
San Diego cosmic psychedelic rockers Earthless”. The band are booked to
play the following dates. “Be prepared to tune in and drop out” - July
26th Birmingham - Supersonic Fest, July 27th Leeds - Cockpit 3, July 28th
Glasgow - Captains Rest, July 29th Manchester - Retro Bar, July 30th Bristol
- The Croft, July 31st London - The Borderline, August 1 Brighton - The
Engine Room - www.myspace.com/earthless
NEWS:
THE
MAURICE EINHARDT NEU GALLERY presents ‘WAIT FOR ME’, a collection of drawings
by MOBY. Running from 19th June - 24th July - "Moby’s exhibition
of 16 drawings represents, in some way, a new approach and process that
has helped him create his most recent work. The artworks loosely relate
to the tracks on the forthcoming album “Wait for Me” and are the expression
of this new and cathartic approach that Moby has undertaken. The bare,
often humorous and melancholic material reveals itself in the simplistic,
naive drawings which is a welcome addition to the quiet, occasionally unsettling
music of Wait For Me". - www.neugalleries.com.
Find the compact gallery at 30A Redchurch Street, London E2
c |
 ALBUM
REVIEW: THE PRESENT – The Way We Are
(LOAF) – The way they are this time is certainly not the way we expected
them to be, this is as equally rewarding as last year’s The World I
See, rather different though... well very different while still very
much being The Present. The Way We Are is subtle, refined, enchanting,
soothing, a treasure that’s laced with fine fine details... The New York
outfit are seriously challenging themselves once more... What at
first would appear to be a set of cleverly controlled musical drones, are
in fact some highly detailed whispers alive with glow and buzz and very
subtle bits of Stravinsky-like forward movement. A gentle kaleidoscopic
journey that they say is influenced by their home city of New York, by
cats, oceans, by trees and David Lynch, by Buddhist Mantra, Friedrich Nietzche,
mass transit, birds, life... Enchanting, hallucinatory, and that fifth
track Press Play certainly does move like Rites of Spring, or is it Claude
Debussy? Or Aphex Twin or Can or Boredoms or Shostakovich? Everything here
seems kind of familiar only it really isn’t, this is new, this is different,
beautifully understated glowing dream-states, quite inviting intensity
that pushes deeper and deeper in to the psyche... www.myspace.com/thepresentnewyork
or www.l-o-a-f.com
NEWS:
THE
RADIO DEPT have a new track available as a free download. The Swedish
have been quiet got some time now so this is more than welcome. This new
track, David, is typically shoegazingly soothing and not quite as laid
back as they have been in past times... check it out and download it from
here..
NEWS:
ALEX
JAMES TO REPLACE HOOKY (SORT OF) - What with New Order on hiatus and
Blur, er, incredibly busy, the members of New Order who aren't Peter Hook
have hired Blur bassist Alex James to form a new band, Bad Lieutenant.
Hook, of course, left New Order last year and announced that the band had
split up, all much to the surprise of his bandmates, Bernard Sumner, Stephen
Morris and Phil Cunningham. Speaking about the new project, who are working
on an album to be released later this year, Sumner told the BBC: "I'm very
proud of it, it's a very good album. It's pretty guitar-y too because we've
got three guitarists in the band". Asked about the split from Hooky, Sumner
said: "Basically he left the band, that's all I want to say about it. We
split into two factions. There's me, Steve and Phil. The other is Peter".
(CMU)
X |
 ALBUM
REVIEW: DREAM THEATER – Black Clouds
& Silver Linings (Roadrunner) - Some things can’t just be politely
left to pass without a word or two. Some people seem to think we’re actually
championing things like this when we talk of this multi-layered beast that
is prog rock. You see, the thing about almost all of this (not very modern)
modern (mostly North American) neo-prog is that it all seems so clinically
cold, so ‘perfectly’ lifeless, so missing the whole point – tell me does
this hurt you said the faceless man... Dream Theater’s take on progressive
rock here once again is just far too slick, far far too obvious, far too
clinically cold and drenched to the point of drowning in musical cliché
after dreadful lyrical cliché - all far far too heartless, far too
technically flawless and look-at-us-aren’t-we-the-shit. These people clearly
do think their poop don’t smell, they clearly think their musicianship
is a cut above, all technical ability and who need a soul. Just listen
to the steaming pile of ego-wank stinking up that same old guitar solo
there, and that one... and that one.... pile it on thicker than thick with
a great big red not very progressive triangular pointy trowel, the case
for sedation... It goes without saying that there’s nothing anything like
anything that could actually be considered truly really ‘progressive’ in
the real sense here. In terms of that thing pigeon-holed and side-railed
as ‘prog rock’ then Dream Theater pile it on in a hopelessly dated late-80’s
never-understood-it-in-the-first-place sub-Pendragon playing U.S AOR manner,
nowhere near the glories of bands who really got what it was about in the
first place. Dream Theater do it all in such an obvious, tiresome, heard
it all before soulless way – are they deliberately trying to pile cliché
upon cliché here? Are we just not getting their joke? Piling it
all on in that cold clinical North American technical hard rock/heavy metal
way of theirs. Dream Theater are not a band that do subtle.... We’ll give
you that now and again things almost threaten to go somewhere musically
interesting in some kind of prog in a safety harness kind of way – a way
that suggests that they maybe could really do it if they had the guts (I’m
sure they were better than this is their early days weren’t they?), The
Best Of Times, now and again, during the thirteen minutes, touches
on a hint of classic Rush or for a brief moment, a faint smell of early-years
Marillion, only briefly though, before they pile in with more and more
(and more) of their “technically proficient” musicianship ...
There are brief moments somewhere within the twenty minutes of The Count
Of Tuscany that catch the ear before they get out their sledgehammer
to crack the next nut and they tell us everything about this place just
doesn’t quite feel right... Oh those lyrics, stay well away from those
lyrics, do not tune your ears to those lyrics!
We bother to tell you this, rather than just doing our usual thing and
politely ignoring it and not saying a thing, because some people seem to
think that when we go on about our love of prog rock in our frothing barking
way, we really don’t want you thinking that this kind of poop is what we’re
talking about –this is dreadful, this is not what we’re on about... this
is about as far away from the exciting cutting edge boundary pushing beautiful
thing we talk about as it could possibly be, Dream Theater, once again,
miss all the points completely and sometimes things can’t just be politely
side-stepped and ignored... These days Dream Theater are dreadful band,
their playing is dull, their route obvious, their egos are out of control,
and everything about them in 2009 is wrong. - www.dreamtheater.net
16th JUNE '09: ALBUM
REVIEW: DINOSAUR Jr – Farm (PIAS) – I don’t know, kind of
liked it on first play, jumping through the advance promo version we got
ahead of last weekend’s radio show and played a track... and why not? Farm
is pleasant enough edgy alt.rock and all that fuzzy guitar and you know
what Dinosaur sound like by now don’t you? This is the pretty much as you’d
expect an album from the original line up to sound... all alt.rock and
grungy fuzz guitar and that refined mellow psychedelic rolling sound and
don’t their songs and solos all end up sounding the same and does listening
Dinosaur Jr do anything more than make you want to reach for the infinitely
better thing that is a Neil Young album? - www.dinosaurjr.com
- Farm is out on Monday 22nd June
x |
| 16th
JUNE '09: Back to the screaming pile of CDs, more reviews later...
NEWS:ANIMAL
COLLECTIVE GIVE AWAY REMIX - Animal Collective will release 'Summertime
Clothes', the latest single from their 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' album,
on 29 Jun. To celebrate this, they're giving away a Dam Funk remix of the
track, which you can download via this link
(after you've given them your email address which is a little annoying).
By following the link, you can also watch the band performing 'Summertime
Clothes' on The Late Show With David Letterman (which doesn't require your
email address).
This just came in, “Hi there,
Soundmaker Records is a new record label based in South East London. We’re
preparing to put out our first release in August, which will be ‘+1 EP’
from KURTZ – a Wakefield born, Drum/Baritone Guitar duo with influences
ranging from Pig Destroyer to ZZ Top. We’d love to send you a promo copy
of the EP for review, so if you could give us your mailing address we’ll
pop one in the post asap. Thanks,”
Well Pig Destroyer munching on ZZ Top is our kind of tubesnake, we’d touch
it with something far shorter than a ten foot poll... We get e.mails like
this all the time though, more than welcome of course – you send it, we’ll
listen to it, if we have something positive to say then we’ll review it,
play it, eat it, sleep with it - none of you need ot ask for the
address and such though, all there with the review policy, contact details
and everything else – all right there, link at
the top of the page there, we encourage you bands and labels to read that
then everyone knows where everyone stands...
x |
 THE
VAUXHALL ART CAR BOOT THING – 14th June, East London - Knee deep
in art and selling still wet paintings at the Brick Lane Art Car Boot sale,
the car park was packed, art and bodies and people and sunshine and music
and drink, didn’t get much chance to explore (or drink, I was dehydrating
there just out of reach of that bar!). Selling Organart was the task for
the day, fund raising for Resonance FM (Resonance is an arts based radio
station here in London, probably the only art radio station in the world,
all run by us volunteers and reliant on your donations and money raised
at events like this). The place is alive with names to drop – Sir Peter
Blake is over there selling one off prints at a boot fair style bargainatious
thirty quid, Vivian Westwood is said to be somewhere selling off-cuts made
in to badges for s fiver, her “old crap” made in to badges that read “I
love crap”, Gavin Turk with some tyre prints and taking the car boot idea
literally with car parts as art, Ian Monroe’s wood and marble veneered
Vauxhall hatchback look good – several cars have been customised, Pam Hogg
is selling, William Tempest.... Bob and Roberta Smith were just over from
our spot with some good looking slices of currency, apparently any denomination
of Bob and Roberta notes will set you back £50.00, investment indeed
if finding a bargain that almost certainly is going to set you back a lot
lot more in a more formal gallery... There’s good looking art stimulation
everywhere - Hick 454 is painting a big piece of graffiti landscape with
monochrome spray paint (dare we say it looks a little Roger Dean?), Like
what Miss Led has done to that new car... No time to really explore though,
the object was a guerrilla raid and a bag of acrylic, Montana Gold (that’s
cans of spray paint to you), brushes and a pile of board recovered from
a skip outside a local photography studio last week.... Set up on the edge
of the Resonance boot stall/VW camper/studio where they have a DJ set up
and a small booth where people are paying five pounds a time to record
a jingle for the station and Bob And Roberta Resonance FM fridge magnets
are being sold (e.mail us if you’d like to buy one, they’re really good!).
Big old ghetto blaster radios graffiti style over the leaf paintings and
a whole load of things organically growing over other things is the order
of the day, the already finished ones (up all night, no sleep ‘till Brick
Lane) sell just as soon as they’re pulled out of the big post office sacks
that have been wrestled via the fractured Sunday morning tube system
- just time to paint “Listen to Resonance 104.4FM” on them before they’re
gone – encouraging start, this is fun.... This is fun! Could have been
really stuck-up and well, you know... art galleries can be such inviting
I’m cooler than you don’t talk to me places, especially over in East London,
art-rage could have struck... This is relaxed fun though, people are coming
up and talking as I sit there on the floor painting and spraying - one
of the really pleasing things is the complete mix of people coming up and
asking about the paintings and talking about what else they’ve seen, buying,
questioning, asking about what I’m doing, about Resonance, telling tales
of where they listen to their particular show – ‘ordinary’ people – yes
I know there’s no such thing, but you get what I’m saying, I was expecting
elite fashionista, this is far from it ... This is great fun, there’s live
bands, dance troops, burlesque strippers and DJs on the main stage, they
help give a carnival atmosphere to the proceedings - all kinds of
interesting people - fashion, imagination, creativity, everything relaxed,
people getting really in to the reality of buying one off pieces of art
to enjoy... No idea how many times I was photographed or filmed while painting,
everybody pointing cameras at everyone else, the whole event has become
a piece of art... art and fun and a creative buzz and sunburnt goodness
and dogs investigating wet paint in a very very colourful relaxed positive
happy car park in East London – no art-rage here... Only wish I had had
more time to explore and indeed to buy, must paint more... “I want that
one when you finish it”. Thanks to everyone who bought a painting, or looked
at one, or asked about one, all the money made went to funding the further
activities Resonance FM...
And then it was off with almost empty sacks and just a couple of unfinished
paintings and some almost empty cans of spray paint and over to London
Bridge and the Resonance studio for the Sunday night Organ show. This really
is a non-stop operation – a creative positive Sunday indeed.... Art is
fun when it happens like this.... (S)
- www.artcarbootfair.com
x |
 15th
JUNE '09: Fried on Monday, thanks to everyone who came ot the Art Boot
Fair down in Brick Lane and bought one of our Listen To Resonance FM
paintings yesterday... Last night's radio show went like this.
1/intro: TRANSISTOR SIX –
Back Yard Rocketship (Blackbean & Placenta)
2: EVILS – Micro Funk (Shape)
3: LOW TRAMON – Attack Of
The Microwave Man (Demo)
4: GAY BEAST - Revolt, Revolt
(Skin Graft)
5: PETER HAMMILL – Your
Face On The Street (FIE)
6: HOODS – Punk’s Dead –
Emo Kids Next (I Scream)
7: EVILS – Bad Computer
(Shape)
8: THE STILLETOES – Smoke
‘n Snort (Ankst)
9: FIGHT LIKE APES – Something
Global (Model Citizen)
10: LYDIA LUNCH’S BIG SEXY
NOISE – The Gospel Singer (Sartorial)
11: WIDOWS - God is Dreaming
(self release)
12: DINOSAUR Jr – Imagination
Blind (PIAS)
13: THE STILLETOES – Teimla
Y Cyffro (Ankst)
14: IQ – The Providence
(G.E.P)
15: MAYBESHEWILL – You Can’t
Shake Hands With A Clenched Fist (Field)
16: FIGHT LIKE APES - This
Is Like The Time Jody Didn’t Know What Cunnilingus Was (Model Citizen)
17: HARDY TREE – Around
The Steeple (demo)
For full track list details,
links and more go here
14th JUNE '09: Sunday, you
know what happens on Sunday, we don't have to say Sunday in radiohead day
every week do we? Today is extra special radiohead day, first the Resonance
FM stall at the Art Car Boot Sales down Brick Lane in East London, more
about that down the page, then a rush over to London Bridge and over the
river for the Organ hours on the actual radio station, can we get away
with that new Fight Like Apes b-side? Twirl lbitch twirl?
Heard that before somewhere, we love those Apes.... late late late, piled
up with half finished painting, cans of spray paint, CDs, playlists and
got to go, we're late...9.00pm. Organ on Resonance 104.4fm in London or
www.resonancefm.com
worldwild...
... www.artcarbootfair.com
x |
 13th
JUNE '09: DEMO REVIEW: LOW TRAMON
- Back To The Iron - There is always cause for optimism with
this club, and there is delight to be found in the pile of demos and the
slices of discs that slash away at us and this is frantically good from
the start... Attention demanding new wave no wave and tunes that grab you
by that collar and dance you around like a knee-jerk psychotic robot that
can’t contain anything... Raw and frantically wired, and everything sounding
bigger, grabbing gulps of punk rock new wave sax driven air . Frantic
sax jousted with angular bass line and broken by design, this is a shot
in the arm. Cutthroat conventions and urgent urgentness urgently pushing
the borderline with a case of twisted insides and all gone wrong in glorious
3d colour like some mutant 50’s comic book monster and the alpha rhythms
of cavemen explained. Anyone remember the glorious brief explosions of
Camp Blackfoot? Was that the attack of the electromagnetic microwave man?
Low Tramon are from London and what did the hungry lion say about people
who have been or still are in bands such as the much missed Optimism Club,
Cutthroat Convention, Raising Objections and such...? Shall we name-drop
some not so obscure names now? Melvins? Devo? Flying Luttenbachers? Inner
City Unit? Jesus Lizard? Pointy staccato search in the dark frantic goodness,
this is the sound, five demo tracks and all alive like the flames on the
mountain pass feel safe alone? A case of twisted insides, every channel
switched on... oh yes, like this one.... Attack of the electro magnetic
microwave men... let's roll the tape, don't touch that dial...don't drop
your launch box, we need to talk survival, smiles as wide as crocodiles
www.myspace.com/lowtramon
Low TRAMON play Tommy Flynns,
Camden, London on June 18th
|
 12th
JUNE '09: Hazel Blears and her ‘rocking the boat’ badge, everything that’s
wrong with the me me me political classes... what a shallow apollogy today,
made the wrong career move there Hazel? Backtracking?
SINGLE
REVIEW: LOYAL TROOPER – The Doctor (self-release) - Says
here this is hi self releasing his debut single, he is Loyal Trooper or
Andy Walker, haven’t we reviewed his singles before? Didn’t he have a single
of the week around here last year? Fine line between a demo and a self
released single these days , it was far easier when one came on cassette
and the other on a healthy slab of seven inch vinyl. Don’t know if this
exists in reality or just as a download, none of that matters of course
and this is another fine fine song. Standards are kept up and another quiet
refined piece of emotional heart on sleeve singer/songwriter beauty and
more of his glowing simplicity – the music seems richer this time, a growing
belief, an evolving confidence, a radiance. If we still has Singles Of
The Week around here then no doubt this would be this week’s, we don’t
do things weekly anymore, this would be single of most weeks though...
full of simple strength, refined beauty, wordy worthiness and everything
just right once more... The Doctor is out this week, find out more
from www.loyaltrooper.co.uk
or www.myspace.com/loyaltrooper
“The Art Car Boot Fair was
an idea that grew out of a desire to pick up where Joshua Compston’s ‘Fete
Worse than Death’ and Gavin Turk’s ‘Livestock Market’ and Articultural
Shows’ blazed a trail in the 90’s and to re-introduce some summer fun and
frivolity into a thriving but increasingly commercial London art scene.
We aim for the Art Car Boot Fair to be a day when the artists let their
hair down and for all-comers to engage with art in a totally informal way,
and to pick up some real art bargains to boot!”. More further down this
very page...
ALBUM
REVIEW: EVILS – Hello Children Everywhere (Shape) –
The debut album from Cardiff’s Evils – "the electronic music producer Evils"
so it says here on this sticker on the front of the album that just turned
up in a plastic sleeve with no artwork. Yeah, I know, we shouldn’t complain,
we get these CD things for free, I do hate not having the artwork though,
artwork matters, the art is part of it still isn't it..? I do rather like
this though, more than previous Evils things... kind of like being in a
relaxed semi-frantic, semi-soothing games arcade when things don’t peck
at heads too much... Serene as it were. There’s some nice textures here,
the bells and whistles are pleasing, the whole thing is pleasing... touches
of Plaid, bit of an old school Tangerine Dream vibe now and again, when
it isn’t revolving around the rather imaginative electro dance beats and
the squelchy synthesised voice and the Yellow Magic lushness and such that
is, fine fine inspiring creative standout album... www.shaperecords.co.uk
DEMO
REVIEW: DEAD STAR SONICS seems to mostly be a lo-fi psychedelic
pop thing from singer/guitarist called Nicky Sonic, well entirely actually,
he’s a one man band. A dense fuzzy Lou Reed, Dandy Warhols, Modern Lovers,
Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spiritualized kind of affair. Three rather decent
songs, good guitar sound, kind of wired and fractured and it seems he was
once the singer in Babyfood back there... www.deadstarsonics.com
or www.myspace.com/deadstarsonics
X |
 THE
ART CAR BOOT FAIR 2009 takes place this Sunday 14th June from 12 until
6pm, 146 Brick Lane, London, E1. Now in it’s FIFTH FRIVOLOUS YEAR the Art
Car Boot Fair is gearing up to be the summer of 2009’s ultimate recessionista
event, packed full of cool art, fashion and fantastic entertainments, literally
everyone can join in the fun! Credit crunch chic made easy with bargains
brimming out of every car boot, plus the best food you’ll ever find in
a car park The line-up of artists this year includes Sir Peter Blake, Gavin
Turk,Bob and Roberta Smith plus live performance from Donald Uruquart and
Studio Voltaire, plus Natasha Law and total Booty Stage experience.
Amongst
the stalls and boots, you’ll find us Organ team in the RESONANCE FM ‘boot’,
which I do believe is a camper van come DJ booth come live art installation
come stall. Organ DJs alongside the Artrocker team, Johnny Trunk and various
others from Resonance where we're doing some fund raising for the radio
station... art will be happening right on the spot, boards painted, spray
paint flying, come down and grab some hand made exclusive Resonating street
art this Sunday... www.artcarbootfair.com
ALBUM
REVIEW: BAY OF ISLANDS - Winter Vignettes ((Dizzy) – Rather
exquisitely beautiful, minimal, warm, a delicate set of tunes that verge
on the experimental without ever losing their focus. Seven delightfully
packaged instrumental pieces. Somewhere near acoustic electronic ambience
and tingling in a rather different way. Alive with a refined considered
restrained whispered radiant glow - simple, soothing, uncluttered
beautiful warmth (from Brighton) and really rather special – www.myspace.com/bayofislandsmusic
NEWS:
WILLKOMEN
take over The Union Chapel, here in London, tonight, Friday June 12th -
“Our one off spectacular at The Union Chapel is this coming Friday, The
event features The Leisure
Society, Shoreline,
Sweet
Billy Pilgrim,
The
Miserable Rich,
Sons
of Noel and Adrian,
Laish,
Kopek
and Rowan Coupland.
It's promoted by the fantastic Arctic
Circle who are decorating the venue in the style of an enchanted forest.
Our friends at The Line of Best
Fit are running a Willkommen Week It's the culmination of months
of hard work and a fantastic six months for the collective, come along
and celebrate with us”. More details here
x |
 10th
JUNE '09: NEWS: COMUS @ RESONANCE FM:
Tomorrow evening’s edition of Adventures In Modern Music, on Resonance
FM, is presented by Rob Young and features a live interview with cult pysche-folk
group COMUS who are performing at the forthcoming Equinox festival. The
Equinox Festival is a three day media arts festival “dedicated to contemporary
spiritual discovery and mystical traditions” taking place at London’s Conway
Hall between June 12th and 14th. Artists appearing include John Zorn, Comus
and Peter ‘Coil’ Christopherson’s Threshold House Boys Choir. Adventures
In Modern Music is on air from 9 - 10:30pm on Thursday June 11th, 104.4FM
in London or www.resonancefm.com
worldwide. More from www.comusmusic.co.uk
or www.equinoxfestival.com
NEWS:
BRITFLICKS
@ THE BRITANNIA In Association with the BFI – Launches June 18th 2009
– London in the Raw / Andy Weatherall DJ Set.... Avant garde films, popular
classics, guest curators and an outdoor cinema in the heart of Victoria
Park – welcome to London’s new film-going experience, Britflicks @ The
Britannia.
This free season of events will see the venue’s back-garden space transformed
into an al-fresco moonlit cinema every Thursday – complete with 26 x 15
foot screen. Cinema-goers can relax on the lawn and be pampered throughout
the film - as waiters serve up jugs of beers, Pimms, Coolers and Garden
Grill food including homemade Popcorn, burgers and Hot Dogs. The opening
curators for the season are the British Film Institute, who will present
specially selected pictures from their new ‘Flipside’ programme - weird
and wonderful British films rescued from obscurity.
The season opens with ‘London in the Raw’; Arnold Miller’s unflinching
look at the underbelly of 1960s beatnik London. Alongside the BFI’s films,
Britflicks will celebrate over 60 years of British cinema; with screenings
of quintessential home-grown classics such as ‘The Third Man’, ‘Quadrophenia’,
and ‘The Long Good Friday’. To add further spice, special guest-curators
from the fields of film and music will be announced throughout the summer
months. “We’re offering a new twist on outdoor cinema; and working with
the BFI has enabled us to plunder their archives to bring a mix of both
popular classics and undercover gems – starting with the Flipside season”
comments Britannia co-owner Cymon Eckel. The Britannia is a traditional
pub that takes its inspiration from the authenticity, heritage and comfort
of the Great British boozer. With an expansive garden and BBQ area; live
music, DJs and the highest quality cuisine – The Britannia is both community
hub and destination venue in its own right. Time – 9.30pm, Cost – Free
- The Britannia, 360 Victoria Park Road (junction of Harrowgate rd) London
E9 - www.bfi.org.uk or www.thebritanniapub.co.uk
X |
 ALBUM
REVIEW: THE STILLETOES – ADHDreams (Ankst) - Shouty
angsty screechy hyperactive dysfunctional fractured substance abusing teenage
girl-fronted grungy messy yellnig in your face and stamping on your toes
punk rock. Some of it in English, some of it in Welsh, all of it pecking
at your head with that do not mess Courtney princess-whore clipped-wing
yelp and out of control personal behaviour and manifestos and motormouth
torn dress chaos. Band led by the forthright Efa, her fourteen year old
brother Iago on drums and friend James on bass. Screaming right at you
with all that Babes in Holeland anger and stripped-down fragility – www.myspace.com/thestilletoes
or www.ankst.co.uk
ALBUM
REVIEW: DEVIL’S WHOREHOUSE –
Blood & Ashes (Regain) – Some kind of dark gothy Danzig Type O melodically
dark thrash metal rumble from Sweden – all drowning in blood and whores
and demonic beasts and wings of crushed hope and tight white rope and speaking
the names of the damned or something like that – www.myspace.com/truedevils
ALBUM
REVIEW: HASIKARA SMILE – Elephant Gun (self release)
– A heady blend of fat beats, exotic guitar that comes in somewhere between
alternative English indie rock and some kind of tropical world music outlook.
Full debut album, a strew on instrumental rhythms, the occasional vocal
line, a touch of 90’s fuzz and dirty psychedelia in there with the loops
and the electric FX, the violins, autoharps and such – investigate via
www.myspace.com/hasikarasmile
x |
 9th
JUNE '09: NEWS:
HUGH HOPPER, prominent
part of the legendary 70’s Canterbury/Progressive Scene, probably best
known for his part played in Soft Machine, has sadly passed away. The much
respected, ever creative sixty-four year old musician died on June 7th
after a long battle with illness. There aren’t really any clever
things to say attimes like these are there, there’s a fine body of music
left there that carried on right up to Clearframe / Humi work... ah, damn..
ALBUM
REVIEW: 12 DIRTY BULLETS – Downsides To Making A Living (Fatman)
– If you like you’re Brit pop a little more than we do and you like your
Arctic Monkeys lyrical John Cooper Clarkness, and your best dress to impress
the likes of us then, as we’ve said before, 12 Dirty Bullets do it rather
well. All barbed whit and Champaign Supernovas and Artics and Babyshambles
and Oasis and yes, Dirty Bullets do their chosen thing impressively well
- they know they do it well, they’ve got that cocky swagger that’s needed
at times like these and good luck to ‘em, now get it out of here, we’ve
been polite enough, we’ve run around enough houses, like we said before
this ain’t our fing guv and we’re really not the sorts to be polite about
these things – www.myspace.com/12dirtybullets
8th JUNE '09: Did your appathy
let the racist right wing scum in...? Did you bother voting?
NEWS:
COP
ON THE EDGE say “Hello, This Thursday, we are very excited to
be taking part in The Apollo Project, a month-long event organised by a
group of local Herne Hill (London) residents, who have this to say: "In
a bid to rid the streets of decay, and support the local businesses, the
group has secured the former Apollo Video Store for the month of June.
With crucial backing of the Herne Hill Traders Association and local Councils,
the Apollo Video Store will be home to a creative festival of art, film,
music and performance provided by local talent and high profile artists."
Its a brilliant idea, opening night was messy, fun and inspiring in all
the right ways (see here), and we fully expect Thursday to be no different,
so get yourself down there. We shall even be playing one of our favourite
movie themes especially...” Thursday 11th June, Live at the Apollo, 29
Norwood Rd, Herne Hill, SE24, Nearest Station: Herne Hill”.
The bill features Something Beginning With L, Cop on The Edge (onstage
8.45pm) and Lobelia 7pm-10pm, Free Entry - £1 beers, £2 wines
– More from www.liveattheapollo.org
or www.myspace.com/copontheedgemusic
x |
 ALBUM
REVIEW: PETER HAMMILL – Thin Air (FIE) - Well he does seem
to be everlasting, never finished, that overused term national treasure
and all that, each time you make a resolution... Who knows what lies in
his intent this time, more circular decent? I have no idea how many albums
Peter Hammill has been involved in now, solo as well as those he’s made
as frontman of probably the greatest band ever – Van Der Graaf Generator
– how many have there been now? Dozens? Thirty? Forty? Has he made fifty
albums now? Lost count ages ago, but what I do know, is that I really quite
honestly have never ever heard a bad one... Thin Air is as good a starting
point as the most recent Van Der Graaf album Triceptor or any of the others,
band or solo, that stretch back to the late 60’s of Manchester...
Don’t
swim out too far, Don’t swim out too far, Don’t swim out too far for Christ
sake, don’t go in the bar... You let down your guard, You let down your
guard.... This could be no one else but Peter Hammill and yes I am
a frothing fan, I can’t help it, if you want a ‘proper’ chin-stroking review
then this is not the place, and after all this time and all the things
with all those people we’ve encountered, all the let downs, all the bands,
all the interviews, gigs, reviews, when it comes to Mr Hammill, I’m still
a frothing hopeless helpless teenage fan with (no) damage collaterally
done. Here in our own footprints, and not once has he let us down and it
may be less by design and more by random occurrence....
We’ve told the tale before, about how we once went to an intimate solo
show in a theatre in Euston somewhere in the early 90’s and there in the
small politely-seated audience of around two hundred, all there taking
notes and learning from their acknowledged master, were Bowie, Lydon, Bruce
Dickenson and that arch magpie Fish (a man who built a whole career on
being Peter – Cat’s Eyes, Yellow Fever and such).
Alright, so maybe Peter isn’t the greatest guitarist ever and we could
maybe do without that three minute instrumental track Wrong Way Round
in the middle of the album there... but that’s the thing, that he still
does it, that he still tries when he knows, and that fragile fact that
he attempts it, and sometimes those lyrical lines he comes out with have
you wondering... Oh come on Peter, you’re making fun of us now. “This is
not exactly comfortable or comforting sonic territory” reads his press
release, “It’s also a long way away from any VdGG – past, present or future”
– well true in both cases, but then how can it not sound like that unique
dark beauty of Van Der Graaf when you have that voice? Let’s face it here,
Peter could sing the phonebook, without instrumentation, and it will still
sound like no one but VdGG - that voice and that phrasing could belong
to no one else but the voice of Van Der Graaf... VdGG and Peter solo are
different beasts though, there is a difference, there needs to be... And
no it isn’t comfortable, it almost never is with Mr Hammill’s solo work
- and what with more recent events, the heart attack and such, Peter is
looking rather fragile these days, this is the sound of a man thinking
that any of those goodbyes could be the last one. Homesick even though
he’s there at home, nostalgic for that future. Peter Hammill solo albums
are never comfortable, they're never sunlight, flowers and happiness, and
you hope there are high days and holidays somewhere in the reality of those
envelopes he pushes against.. that lifetime spent in pursuit of common
sense and the waiting on that final clue. Oh there must be high days, nothing
is this bleak, surely? Only just got away with what he’s done?
Oh look, a new Peter Hammill album, and even by his standards, some of
this is really dark and bleak, it is uncomfortable, this is not easy listening,
this is absorbing, this is beautiful, up here in the thin air, as emotional
as ever, more so... This isn’t an album that needs over-analysis, this
is an album that should be very personal to each and every listener, you
don’t need us telling you what we think he’s on about, that’s for you to
explore and interpret - find your own things, take what you want from it...
All that really needs to be said is that Thin Air is as good as
anything the man has ever done and if this should be your first toe in
his water then it is as fine a place as any to go wade waist-deep in to
it all as any. If on the other hand you’re one of those people who dropped
everything and flew in from all points around the globe in an ecstatic
state of disbelief when Van Der Graaf returned in 2006 then you will be
as absorbed and satisfied as ever. I don’t really care if this all comes
over a frothing fandom, way past the point of caring what you think of
this Organgrinding thing we do these days, and if we can’t get excited
about new music and we can’t grab you by the collar and say hey, you have
to check this out then what’s the point? Music still moves us and I really
don’t know why those self-appointed mainstream alternative music sites
who claim to be so in touch with everything aren’t all over this? The man
is right up there with Scott Walker (or Bowie or Morrissey if you will)
or anyone else you care to namedrop, he really is that national treasure
and
Thin Ice will more than explain why those of us who know wait
for these new albums and how once again we haven’t been let down... Need
to put this away now, he’s as intense as ever, need to leave those dark
clouds for a couple of days...
Thin Ice is out today of Peter Hammill’s own label FIE – find out
more via his website www.sofasound.com
or explore some VdGG/PH treasure via the download page at www.vandergraafgenerator.co.uk
or go explore Spotify, there loads on there
SINGLE
REVIEW: STEREO ALLIGATOR - Stereo Alligator (self release)
– Portuguese two piece, from Lisbon with some very eighties sounding alternative
synth pop. Five track EP and a sound that touches on a lot of classic
Associates, Pet Shop Boys, Comsat Angels, Duran Duran flavours without
really being too uncomfortably obvious about any of them Now lots
of people try to do this, again and again we hear it, Stereo Alligators
have a touch of the original magic, they have the lines, the songs – you
got to have the songs... They have a terrible name as well, we’ll overlook
that one. Just good sounding 80’s synth pop, that bit there sounds
like The Model, there goes Party Fears, that one about bedsit land or shopping
or something... they just do it well, nothing new, nothing we haven’t heard
before, they have in nailed though, sometimes it is that simple.... www.myspace.com/stereoalligator
STRANGE LIGHTNING:
Monday is recovering from Radiohead day, a lot of time and effort goes
in to each one of those shows, these are golden musical times though, wonder
why the others are covering exciting bands like Extra Life. Skeletons,
Gay Beast and such?. Nevermind that, over the weekend, an atmospheric
scientist in Europe photographed something that resembled a giant luminous
squid floating over a thundercloud in France. It was a strange form
of lightning known as a "sprite." His high-resolution images are
featured on today's edition of spaceweather
along with observing tips for anyone who would like to see and photograph
these fantastic bolts during the upcoming thunderstorm season.
The Organ OTHER ROCK SHOW
on Resonance 104.4FM, last night, went something like this...
Intro: PHANTOMSMASHER - Bishop
Hopping (Ipecac)
1: SKELETONS Track
10 from Money album (Tomlab)
2: EXTRA LIFE - Black
Hoodie (download)
3: CAPILLARY ACTION
- Badlands (Pangaea)
4: ZACH HILL – Ummer
(Ipecac)
5: JONO EL GRANDE
- Three Variations On A Mainstream Neurosis (Rune Grammophon)
6: MAUDLIN OF THE
WELL - Rose Quartz Turning To Glass (download)
7: GAY BEAST - Reprise
(Skin Graft)
8: ZA! - Mobvtv #2:
Katanga Boma-ye (Acuarela)
9: ZS - Nobody
Wants To Be Had
10: TIME OF ORCHIDS
- Gem (Cuneiform)
11: CALLE DEBAUCHE
- Relentless Debauchery (Egg Helmet)
12: VLADIMIR BOZAR N ZE
SHERAF ORKESTAR - Panzoni Pasta
OUTRO: NORMAL LOVE "Severe
Confection (Excerpt)
x |
 7th
JUNE '09: SUNDAY IS RADIOHEAD DAY – ORGAN HOUR, 9.00PM UK time on Resonance
FM, 104.4FM on the dial in London, and world wide via www.resonancefm.com
- this week The Other Rock Show and the further exploration, on proper
radio, of roc kmusic that goes beyond the confines of 4/4
ALBUM
REVIEW: IQ – Frequency (G.E.P) - It is all in the
detail, we’ve been here before, IQ have such an instantly recognisable
sound, a warm familiar place all of their own, a place of comfort, and
no, it isn’t really all in the detail, all there, right out in the open,
right on their English sleeves. 2004’s Dark Matter was a total throw
everything in there prog-out, Frequency is far more subtle affair,
mot that they ever allow you to lose sight of the fact that they’re an
unashamed old school ‘proper’ progressive rock band. And another concept
album, no walls without end.... Peter Nichols is still there with
is deceptively dark bits of gardening over and tell me again, am I the
same when I’m not there? Plenty of Lighthouse keeping with the Lawnmower
and telling it all by the way it walks... and this is an album that walks
well... there goes the obligatory whistle and over the to we go - seven
minutes in to the ten that is Stronger Than Fiction - and you’ll
be more that happy to have been bought and sold once more... triumphant
bit after triumphant bit and f**k yes! There’s nowhere I’d rather be (in
tenements racked against the wind...). Lush tales and wanderlust, no fighting
for breath or running on empty, should they still be sounding this good
after twenty-eight years? That’s right, a whole bagload of musical lifetimes
have been and gone since those tape-trading days down Wardour Street, demos
made in abandoned swimming pools of NW10 and IQ still haven’t jumped that
big ugly shark (the swimming pool is a big sports complex now...)
Picking bones, playing in to hands, proving things wrong, all really is
in the detail, stay in the present tense... Another rather fine
IQ album then, static charge in the air, epic after epic – slow melting
'proper' prog and all that brooding drama, all those power lines. A more
melodic beast this time, still as ‘progressive’ as ever, twists in the
details, easy on the ear, reflective, and when they get in to the meat
of it, some rather dangerously complex light and shade, thrusting drive
and bite piled on to the melodic intent – this waiting in the wings, never
obvious what is and isn’t done. This is glorious old school prog rock once
more and so instinctively distinctly classic IQ – those familiar guitar
lines fingerprints, that voice, the euphoria, that shiver down the spine
half way through the eight minutes of Closer - all in the detail,
hold on to your head... Frequency is a peaceful album, a soothing
relaxed album, reflective, a band totally at ease with themselves, nothing
to prove now, pure graceful enjoyment. We’re not talking groundbreaking
boundary pushing progressive challenge here, that’s passed on in to the
hands of bands like Extra Life or Gay Beast these days, that is now to
be found in the U.S avant undergrowth. We’re talking gloriously English
epic something wrong in the woodshed prog here, the legacy of those classic
70’s bands, that special uniqueness of the 80’s wave that first brought
us IQ, we’re talking touches on modern neo-prog but IQ have far too much
heart, far too much warmth, to be lumped in with that whole clinical let
down. First album without Martin Orford, new keyboard player Mark Westworth
takes his place and does it just right.
There’s something very special about IQ and Frequency is the band
still on their game and at their best, maybe take a couple of plays to
get it - there’s nowhere I’d rather be, no one can mean more to me...
Magical IQ once more, the euphoric wanderlust, a one stop screw-top
work of heart and so much more... Frequency is out on June
22nd - www.iq-hq.co.uk
x |
 5th
JUNE '09: Friday's instructions have to be read, and the fall out from
yesterday pulled apart and back to a bag load of music for you inbetween
doing what we really do here..
Reshuffling deckchairs?
NEWS:
THE
NEW xbxrx IS READY AND WAITING: The new xbxrx album "un usper" is now
available for download from xbxrx.com.
The album is only available as an mp3 and the band are asking for a donation
“I think people will find it a sort of musical union between "wars" and
"sounds" said the ever friendly Flying Luttenbacher, and many other things,
Weasel Walter (that's him there in the tie).
“On another note, I am no longer a member of xbxrx. I decided to leave
the band a few months ago, about 3/4ths of the way through finishing the
final mixes for the album. I joined the band in early 2003. some people
never even knew I was in it, and other people were shocked that I stuck
with it as long as I did. I am proud of what the band has accomplished
during my time with it. My reasons for leaving mostly have to do with moving
on and trying to concentrate on different things musically. I have nothing
but respect for the guys in the band and wish them the best of luck in
their future pursuits. I hope they keep xbxrx going because the band really
is their vision. I'm happy that I could be part of it for a while.” W.W
The album, on first listen is the expected onslaught of a hard-boiled experimental
noise fest, more when we’ve had a moment to digest it, and fired it up
for some radio play and....
X |
| NEWS:
ORBULAR
BELLS? BELL RINGING? TUBULAR THINGS... So, this is, erm, a bit
weird. An event at the new British Music Experience in The London O2 Dome
will this weekend celebrate the re-release of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells,
which is being re-released on Monday, despite the album being given away
in its entirety by the Mail On Sunday just two years ago (there'll be some
bonus material on this new version apparently, milk your golden geese some
more you wreckord labels, you really have messed it up haven’t you). Anyway,
the event. Yes, The Hand-Bell Ringers Of Great Britain, the largest hand
bell and chime orchestra in Europe apparently, will be playing bits of
the album, and teaching BME visitors about the wonders of hand bell ringing.
Then, in something of a dramatic genre switch, The Orb will perform an
'Orbular Bells' DJ set. This all takes place between 2 and 6pm tomorrow,
and can be accessed with a standard £15 admission for the BME museum
thingy. Accompanied kids go free. More on the events page at www.britishmusicexperience.com
NEWS:
GENE
SIMMONS RAISES MONEY USING KIDNEY: Yuck, Gene Simmons has put a kidney
stone up for auction on eBay, and someone was willing to pay $15k for it.
He says: "I passed a kidney stone and I put it on eBay for charity. (I
got) $15,000". Oh well, I suppose that's okay if it's for charity. Today
is not April 1st.
NEWS:
CHRISTIAN
METALLER TO WED JESUS' HOOKER – we got all the cutting edge news today.
Oz Fox, guitarist with Cruncher’s favourite Christian metal band Stryper,
is set to wed his girlfriend, former prostitute and founder of Hookers
For Jesus Annie Lobért... today really isn't April 1st.
ALBUM
REVIEW: KAP BAMBINO – Blacklist (Because) – Third album from
the duo and more of that hyperactive hyperelectro attention deficit high-pitched
hyperyelping that’s either irritatingly annoying or really rather good
– all depends on the time of the day, the fragility of your head and does
that one sound like a Sique Sique Sputnik outtake and is she asking for
a slap or what? Stop yelping woman! Frenzied would be the polite word to
use, like being stuck in a space invader arcade with too much orange juice.
Unruly would be another polite word for these French people, annoyingly
unruly and I do keep putting it on again and getting all tangled up in
their web of synths, samplers and fractured software bluescreens and batcaves,
might even get all the way to the end of all the frantic hyperness/mess
this time... Maybe.. www.myspace.com/kapbambino
or www.because.tv
4th JUNE '09: NEWS:
Noel
doesn’t like those weasels from the NME either, his ever amusing Oasis
My Space blog today went something like this... “While I'm on the subject
of The Enemy. There's been an attempt by the NME to try and start some
juvenille, pathetic feud between the bands in the run up to these gigs.
Can I assure everyone that there is not and never will be anything between
the working classes and its heroes. If I personally see any weasel
from the NME at these gigs (which is highly unlikely) they'll be getting
escorted off site. In fact, you could do me a favour here. If you see an
NME journalist at any of the gigs (and let's face it, they're pretty easy
to spot; they don't stray far from hospitality, wear God-awful clothes
- particularly the shoes - got dreadful hair and that kind of "mug me"
look about them), give 'em a clip round the ear-hole from me and tell 'em
to behave.”
x |
 4th
JUNE '09: SAY NO TO FASCISM TODAY: Now we really shouldn’t need
pop stars like Pete there, or indeed anyone else to shape our minds when
it comes to things like this, but you really should get out and vote for
anything but the scumsucking BNP today, they have a real chance of gaining
some ground today, every vote for anyone but them is going to count...
Here's what it said on theLove
Music Hate Racism website this morning: "URGENT MESSAGE FROM OUR SISTER
CAMPAIGN UNITE AGAINST FASCISM: Your vote can stop the BNP from gaining
seats in tomorrow’s election There is a serious danger that the fascist
BNP will gain seats in the European elections tomorrow if people don't
turn out and vote against them. Your vote can make the difference between
the BNP winning and losing. The time to act is now – make sure you vote
against the BNP, and make sure all your friends, colleagues and family
understand how important it is for them to get out and vote".
As reported by the NME (not
that we like to quote the damn NME, today we will though...), Pete Doherty
has spoken out about why he abhors racism and the *British National Party*
in a video interview. Speaking in the clip, which was shot at last week's
(May 30) Love Music Hate Racism festival in Stoke, the Babyshambles frontman
explained his first encounter with racism. He described how he went to
a football match when he was a teenager and witnessed fans verbally abusing
former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer. "I just felt completely
feared at 10,000 people making monkey noises at a kid [*Palmer*]," he said.
"I just remember thinking, 'I'm living in an evil world'." He added: "I
love music and I hate racism, and I love Love
Music Hate Racism. Doherty's comments come as the *British National
Party* aims to increase its presence at the English council elections,
which take place today (June 4). Doherty, who has played several
Love Music Hate Racism benefit gigs in the past, said he enjoys "doing
what I can to help propel the momentum of people actively fighting for
a cause they believe in". Watch the interview with Doherty here.
x |
 3rd
JUNE '09: NEWS: Garden
over everything for the new IQ album has just landed here, taken
over everything all day it has (and all around the cats put on leg-warmers).
Frequency
is the name of it, out once more on their own Giant Electric Pea label
and progging welll prog as f in that melting way that could only be IQ.
Official release date is June 22nd, if you can't wait until then the whole
this is up on Spotify already, Just hit the Organ playlist and you'll find
an epic treat called The Province that will lead you to it all.... the
whole thing is dripping in trademark IQ melodic epicness and more satisfying
tales from another lush attic, the last great taboo...
www.iq-hq.co.uk
ALBUM
REVIEW: LYDIA LUNCH – Lydia Lunch’s
Big Sexy Noise (Sartorial) - How much does that opening vibrate your foundations?
Is That’s how to start an album or what? Right down to the bone. That is
the filthiest opening to an album since Saint Silas Intersession crashed
right out the door in a hail of bruises and spilt body fluid ... Low slung
dirty groove and soul-shaking blues that move everything is what we have
here, big sexy noise indeed. Lydia Lunch accompanied by three slices of
Gallon Drunk - Terry Edwards, James Johnston and Ian White...
“Big Sexy noise is the primeval bump, grind and holler of White’s thuggish
drums, Johnston’s moronic low-tuned riffing and Edwards’ brutal organ and
sax interventions led by Lunch’s take-no-prisoners vocals” – we stole that
from the press release, they explain it all so well themselves with their
banging on the door. Six songs, a vinyl only album divided nicely, The
Sexy Side and The Noisy Side. Four tracks written by the band, one cover
of Lou Reed’s Kill Your Sons and a track called The Gospel Singer, a song
that’s apparently been on the back-burner for a while, since Lydia co-wrote
it with Kim Gordon during some Sonic Youth downtime. Vinyl only, unless
you’re satisfied with a mere download that is... Another Man Comin’ (While
The Bed Is Still Warm) is that filthy wet, warm, stained, spilt opener,
Lydia in control of it all, clearly no one f**ks with Ms Lunch unless she
wants them to... beautiful filth, brutal blues, very big sexy noise,
got it bad... www.myspace.com/lydialunch
or www.myspace.com/sartorialrecords
or www.myspace.com/bigsexynoise
x |
 3rd
JUNE '09: NEWS: It was a bright cold day in
June and the clocks were striking thirteen, distopia? Utopia? Class
Wargames? What’s that? Class Wargames is a new series, on
Resonance
FM, presented by Dr. Richard Barbrook and Fabian Tompsett. Barbrook
and Tompsett investigate gaming as a metaphor for social relations under
repressive neo-liberal regimes. Class Wargames, every Wednesday from 5.00-5.30pm
– more from www.classwargames.net
where you can find details of CLASS WARGAMES CLUB NIGHTS - The Summer Campaign!.
“ Comrades, you are invited to our Summer Campaign at the FleaPit, London
E2
And talking of Class War and European Election voting and.... Mr
Bone is always interesting at times like this... is punk rock still
a political thing or is it just a product pushing marketing tool and a
can of silly hairspray these days?
ALBUM
REVIEW: KONGH – Shadows Of The Shapeless (Trust No One) –
A whole lot of progressive doom and heavy sludge that gets out there left-field
rather then just ploughing straight though the middle ground. A great big
brooding slow-boiling big thick thunderstorm of a sound from Sweden...
www.trustnoonerecordings.com
or www.myspace.com/kongh
ALBUM
REVIEW: ACID DRINKERS – Verses Of Steel (Regain) – New album
from a no messing Polish metal band who have a history that thrashes way
back to the 80's... well new over here in the UK, looks like it may have
come out in 2008 in some places. Aggressively crunchy thrash-flavoured
hard-hitting riff-packed old-school heavy metal and in your face growl
with a touch of a sinister undertone should you be in the mood... not bad
– www.myspace.com/aciddrinkers
or www.regainrecords.com
x |
 2nd
JUNE '09: Sea water as a sustainable fuel? What were we thinking of? Charlie
Chaplin without the pathos and the sun is out and the beautiful art of
that overheard conversation, desensitised by the system? Over run by painted
ladies? Butterfly invasions? We got some more music and things...
NEWS:
This
evening’s edition of ‘Is Black Music’, on ResonanceFM,
features
FISHBONE. Considered by many to be “the greatest live rock
and roll band in the world.” The band, including the notorious Angelo Moore,
are in the studio to chew the fat in an exclusive interview on British
radio. Formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, the band continue to cut across the
planet, spreading their incredible, kaleidoscopic mix of rock, ska, funk
and punk spirit which has influenced so many bands, including Tool and
the Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Fishbone were the first band to bring the Peppers
on tour with them). Tune in tonight, FM in London, worldwide on line -
June 2nd at midnight
NEWS:
The
International MEETING OF STYLES Live Graffiti Exhibition/music event
that we were telling you about further down the page, has sufered a bit
of a setback: "We are very sorry to say that the evening of this event
has been cancelled, The local council has had noise complaints about the
venue, so has decided not to let the night go ahead. The daytime event
will still be happening". More info: www.nizim.co.uk
x |
 ALBUM
REVIEW: JONO EL GRANDE - Neo Dada (Rune Grammofon) - Would
Frank Zappa have been taken seriously if his public profile had begun with
appearances in Heat magazine, hanging out with the royal family?
Seems that in Norway, that's what Jono El Grande does, and it's been distracting
from his music. Neo Dada might put this right, at the very least
amongst the worldwide progressive rock underground. This (mainly)
instrumental album is a brilliant and vital stew of many, many benchmark
avant, film music and progressive influences, from classic Canterbury scene
and Rock In Opposition stalwarts, current avant like Ruins/Koenjihyakkei,
Cheer-Accident and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum to the very essence of Gentle
Giant. With his prankster image (allegedly a prog George Clinton)
celebrity status and Zappa references, silliness might be expected, but
this is done straight, though often with a lightly playful touch. Straight
away there's Ballet Morbido In A Dozen Tiny Movements - part Morricone,
part lost Gentle Giant classic. Barely a second goes by without something
to delight a diehard progger, yet it hangs together with easy-going charm,
blending references and even (on Three Variations To A Modern Neurosis)
slipping in nonchalant nods to fusion and disco before you realise that's
what you're enjoying. Out of such a rich cocktail, and backed by
a decent mini-orchestra (including four string players, marimba/vibraphone,
sax and keyboardists) Jono El Grande is creating a distinctive sound, right
on the fringe of the contemporary composition scene. Yet there's a pop
melodic sensibility that makes this very easy on the ear, despite lots
of rhythmic adventure. Very good stuff, deserving an audience beyond
Norway... www.runegrammofon.com
ALBUM
REVIEW: DARK CASTLE – Spirited Migration (At A Loss) – From
Florida with a stew of metallic psych-doom and monster riffing. Guttural
howls, monolithic slow-churned metal, post-rock interludes before the next
mountain in tackled - colourful swarms of growling heaviness and storm
weathering and flights beyond and a grasping of the awe and.... www.atalossrecordings.com
or www.myspace.com/darkcastlemetal
x |
NEWS:
The
GARAGE over in Highbury, North London, is to reopen after a couple
of years of standing empty while the millions of mice that infested the
roof (you see them and hear them during upstairs sound checks) eat the
place... Scene of hundreds of sometimes rather chaotic Organ events over
the last decade or more, don’t know about all this Relentless stuff but
hey, it was a decent venue back there, we kind of miss it....
“London's Garage Venue will be re-christened the Relentless Garage when
it re-opens on June 26, following a partnership between operators the Mama
Group and Relentless Energy Drink. Mama Group says the brand partnership
is for "the next three years and beyond" and that Relentless will also
be a strategic partner.
"This is the first of a double venue partnership to be announced with the
Relentless Energy brand in which Mama Group will co-promote activity across
live and festival channels," said a Mama Group statement.
"Relentless will become our energy drink partner across the Mean Fiddler
and Barfly venue estates. They are also working with Lovebox in London
in an exciting major festival execution and have sponsored the Relentless
Street Gigs at the Great Escape this year in Brighton."
Following a pre-launch charity show by Bloc Party on June 25, the official
opening of the venue will take place on June 26 with a show by Peter, Bjorn
and John.
The Garage has been closed for three years and was acquired by Mama Group
in 2007. A refurbishment has increased the capacity of the main space from
350 to 600 (250 seated), with room for a further 150 upstairs and 50 in
the mini bar.
"Relentless has a very different approach to business, and so do we, so
this has been an extremely satisfying and fruitful relationship," said
Rory Bett, managing director of Music & Media Solutions (a Mama Group
division), in a statement. "This is just the beginning of what we believe
will be a very enthusiastic and collaborative partnership with a variety
benefits for music."
"The flexibility of the three-room operation is, we believe, unrivalled
in any London venue of this size," added Steve Forster, managing director
of Mama Group's live division. "The level of interest to date has been
phenomenal and it only remains to officially open so that the venue can
go from strength to strength."
1st JUNE '09: NEWS:
Oft-political
Chicago punk rockers RISE AGAINST are to release a single questioning
the US army's treatment of its own serving soldiers, because, say the band,
they want to focus on the issues of the "suicide rate of troops, torture,
[and] internal sexual abuse". The narrative of the track, entitled 'Hero
Of War', is based on the true story of a soldier who served in Iraq.
Frontman Tim McIlrath explains: "'Hero Of War' is the story of one soldier,
not all soldiers, as he battles not just the war around him, but the war
that rages within. Inspired by true events, we were given the choice to
either document the tribulations of these times as they unfold around us,
or ignore them. To ignore these problems, in our opinion, is letting down
the brave men and women who risk everything". He continued: "'Hero Of War'
is our attempt to lift the stigma that surrounds everything from the skyrocketing
suicide rate of troops, torture, internal sexual abuse, an under-funded
VA, and the growing number of military personnel fighting Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder as they return home. We hope this song and this video help
the simmering dialogue about these problems evolve into a rolling boil".
(cmu)
The track is out on 8 Jun in the UK. See the video here,
more from www.riseagainst.com
x |
 Last
night's Organ radio show on Reosnance 104.4FM went like this...
1/intro: TRANSISTOR SIX –
Back Yard Rocketship (Blackbean & Placenta)
2: BELL ORCHESTRE – Elephants
(Arts & Crafts)
3: BELLINI – Numbers (Temporary
Residence)
4: FEVER FEVER – Stage Shoes
(Cherryade)
5: GAY BEAST - Xerox
(Skin Graft)
6: THE LOW ANTHEM – The
Horizon is a Beltway (Bella Union)
7: WIDOWS – God is Dreaming
(self release)
8: GAY BEAST – White Diamonds
(Skingraft)
9: DANIEL FRANCIS DOYLE
– Street Stress (We Shot JR)
10: SPACE STREAKINGS – Fire
(Skingraft)
11: STRANGULATED BEATOFFS
– E U (Skingraft)
12: MISS PAIN – Kiss, Cuddle
Torture (demo)
13: EXTRA LIFE – I Don’t
Want To See It That Way (LOAF)
14: SPEECH DEBELLE – Bad
Boy (Big Dada)
15: GENESIS – Lillywhite
Lilith (Charisma)
16: GAY BEAST – Beach (Skingraft)
17: CROCUS – Ignorance We
Swallow (Smalltown)
18: TODD RUNDGREN – Tic
Tic Tic It Wears Off (Bearsville)
19: VESSELS - Remain
– Brendon Anderegg remix (Cuckundoo)
For more details, reasons,
excuses for playing, links and ways to reach the bands we played go here
x |
 31st
May '09: SPACE DUST, WIDOWS, GAY BEASTS, AUTOMATIC PRIEST AND SUNDAY
BLOODY SUNDAY, RADIOHEADS.... So the mystery of the space dust has
been solved, packages dropping through the Organ door, I mean, who sticks
a second class stamp and an address label on a package of Fizz Wiz popping
candy?! Stalkers! Our post people are forever giving us strange looks.
Indeed the Royal Mail representative was rather perplexed by the rather
used-looking black lace panties in the see-thru plastic envelope the other
day, that was a good one, no idea who that was, not the first time either...
Sunday bleedin’ Sunday once more and time to get our radio heads on once
more, my turn this week (Sean) and that means a bag load of all the new
exciting challenging things that have tuned up alongside the space dust
and the underwear and this great CD that just this very moment fell through
the letterbox, hand-delivered, this sunny Sunday afternoon. New material
from WIDOWS, we’ve been waiting for this one! New recordings and
music is still exciting when you search through all the average compromised
conforming and no, we’re not quite ready to join The 17 and abandon it
all yet. So we got fresh Widows and we got the new GAY BEAST album
here this week - “Minnesota’s premier agit-prog queer band”, does
that mean there’s more than one? Is there a whole bag load of agit-prog
queercore noise bands in Minnesota? Ten a penny? This Widows CD is excellent,
and the space dust stalker? Turns out it was THE CURSORS, who in
turn have a new single that has something to do with space dust and we’re
they on good form at the Inn On The Green under the Westway last night
or what? They played alongside those ever evolving RUDE MECHANICALS (who
had loads of new material and we need that Automatic Priest to play you!
They’re recording a new album this next month it seems) and ANARCHISTWOOD
with their new stand up drummer, good times and healthy artistic creativity
under the West Way over here in West London - it was the closing night
of the ExGracia artshow. So yes, SUNDAY IS RADIOHEAD DAY – ORGAN HOUR,
9.00PM UK time on Resonance FM, 104.4FM on the dial in London, and
world wide via www.resonancefm.com
– whoosh, this new Widows stuff is impressively good, arrived here fifteen
minutes ago and straight on to the radio tonight... We love that Resonance
radio station and all the art and the get up and do it creativity that’s
around at the moment, these are golden creative times and treasure them,
it won’t always be this good, these things are always going in circles,
we've survived through so many now... now for some Lillywhite Lilith....alwas
space for a classic piece treasure to aim at new ears... off with our radio
heads on, oyster cards a bleeping and a labour of passion, radioheads indeed...
29th May '09: NEWS:ARTJAM
is now a label, now that sounds like a good thing to us here in the paint-splattered
Organ office. Artjam events are always colourfully good, here’s what they
have to say. “Born in February of 2008, ARTJAM has been splashing out and
damaging clubs across London. Calling on all participants to abandon their
inhibitions somewhere between the door and the keyboards, this original
clubbing experience cuts to the heart of experimental music amid a multi-coloured
palette of paint, glitter glue and beats. Now here at ARTJAM HQ we’re busy
setting up a record label, ready to release some awesome tracks we’ve got
lined up. Keep checking back for more info on artists we’re working with.
ARTJAM xxx” - www.myspace.com/artclubbing
x |
 29th
May '09: NEWS: TODD RUNDGREN
TO
PERFORM A WIZARD, A TRUE STAR - A collection of prog falvoured psychedelic
tracks merging into one another, Todd Rungren's 1973 album 'A Wizard, A
True Star' was generally considered commercial suicide when it was originally
released. However, since then it has found its audience and is today cited
by artists including Hot Chip and Daft Punk as a major influence on their
own work. A much loved album around here, probably his finest (indeed
we may have referenced it as part of some Atom Seed Organart back there).
We’re mentioning this now because Rundgren will play the album live in
its entirety for the first time in the UK on 6 Feb 2010 in a one-off performance
at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Tickets went on sale this week. let
us go add a track to the Organ Spotify playlist over there... We keep adding
tracks that relate to reviews or news stories...
DEMO
REVIEW : BURT BACHARAK FIGHT CLUB – Electric Ghost – One
track demo disc things (in boring uninspiring non-artwork covers) are never
that great in terms of getting a handle on a new band and writing a review
– kind of need a little more that the one dimension offered here by this
relatively new English band. Kind of decent first shot though, kind of
frantic fuzzy, kind of more low budget, urgent kind of Swastika Eyes Primal
Scream kind of thing – kind of... Kind of looks like they’ve got a three
track single of the way, this might even be the lead track on said single
– worth checking out... kind of... www.myspace.com/redcamerauk
28th May '09: Under the bridge?
Imagine waking up again tomorrow and all music had disappeared again...
or maybe some more reviews or... news or... or... or... spleen spleen.
SINGLE
REVIEW :THE LOW ANTHEM - The Horizon is a Beltway (Bella
Union) - The ever wonderful Low Anthem with a far more upbeat than usual
stomping whisky soaked harmonica blowing acoustic trashing blues tale of
skylines on fire and jagged ass jawbones. Rocking those pilgrims in a Tom
Waits bar room kind of way rather than their usual quietly crafted beauty,
kind of unexpected, they’re usually a little more over there with the restrained
of those Fleet Foxes... The Low Anthem are always worth checking
out, stomping like this or restrained and glowing like that last achingly
beautiful singleCharlie Darwin was – www.myspace.com/lowanthem
or www.lowanthem.com
SINGLE
REVIEW : TELEPATHE – Chromes On It
(V2) - Infectious enough slice of electro pop from Brooklyn, a single drenched
once more in their trasdemark melody. A sassy touch of clever synth voice
interplay shuffle and the real bang thing or something like that... honour
is a battle with many, they can feel the real thing thing – www.myspace.com/telepathe
X |
 28th
May '09: NEWS: SKINFLINT is an
eclectic show of artwork harnessing the potential of low rent materials:
Skinflint will be at Lewisham Arthouse for 2 weeks, from Thursday 28th
May until 7th June 2009. The Gallery is open 12-6pm Wed – Sun. Lewisham
Arthouse, 140 Lewisham Way, London, SE14. Showing new work by: Robyn
Appleton, Catherine Bagg, Joe Doldon, Ralph Dorey, Dave Hanger, Nicholas
Mortimer, Rachel Price. www.skinflintexhibition.co.uk
The International MEETING
OF STYLES is a Live Graffiti Exhibition and Warehouse After party...
“From 10am-5pm, on Saturday 6th June, some of the best graffiti artists
from the UK and across the globe will be painting alongside a mobile soundsystem
at the Bagel end of Brick Lane at Bacon & Sclater Street. This is then
followed by a serious line up of live music, Chai Wallah’s tea, bar and
bbq, and much more artwork for your visual pleasure. Come be amazed at
the Transit Warehouse, 87-107 Clifton Street, Shoreditch, London EC2. Alongside
the vast walls of artwork check out the line up we have in store. Live
Hip Hop, Breaks, Dub, Ska, Reggae, Grime, Dubstep, Breaks and Pieces from...
Rodney P and Skitzm Goldielocks, Pama International Livem No.1 Station
Live, Lazy Habits Live, Danny Breaks, JFB (DMC Champ), Reeps1, John Hendicott,
Dizraeli Live, Hosted by Chu-I. Day event: Free, evening (5pm-4am): Advanced
tickets £8 Tax on the Door: £10/15.
More of your Daily Spleen?
Is it unbalanced enough? For more of that daily spleen and all the spleen
of yesterday and the day before and the days before that, the daze and
the Extra Life and some kind of jagged-ass explination of who The Rev Billy,
him right there in that photo, is, go explore the previos page, we go pages
and pages of this spleen, and we're probably about to spllen some more
and fill this current page up with more of it...
x |
| PREVIOUS
ORGAN PAGE (#302)... oh go have a look, another page of whatever
the hell it is we do for some godforsaken reason or other, you don't need
a list do you? Just explore it...
ORGAN
PAGE #301... A HAWK AND A HACKSAW, LATCH, RANCID, MOSS, DM STITH,
DUNCAN REDMONDS, MARNIE STERN, BLUE LIONS, Aine Scannell's latest artwork,
THE SLOW BLADE, Atheism and Feminism with Sue Mayermm THE GREEN RIVER PROJECT,
RAVEN'S AINT NO MORE - In the early hours of Friday May 1st the squatted
island in the...PINK NARCISSUS, WRAPPED IN PLASTIC, CARLIS STAR, Deerhoof
dates, HYPER SNYPER, New TORTOISE track, Poisoned Electrick Head were always
‘eventful’, BARACK OBAMA DILDO? Blue Dildo or Gold Dildo? THE LOW FREQUENCY
IN STEREO, HardART? Corn on the cob and King Midas spitting out the teeth
of the rich? Ex Gratia Recordings Art Exhibition, ZAG AND THE COLOURED
BEADS, AARON KRATEN is a painter, WHILE SHE SLEEPS,
AND WHITE STARS, David Douglass, SEVEN INCH GETS RECORD PRICE AT
AUCTION, TO THE BONES, RADIO MOSCOW, JON HOPKINS,
MUDHONEY
dates, SECTION 13, CASTROVALVA, AUSTIN GALLERY AND BENNY’S BAR,
ISIS, FLIES ARE SPIES FROM HELL and WILD DOGS IN
WINTER are touring together this month, MAYBESHEWILL, SIDDHARTHA, HEAVEN’S
BASEMENT, THE SCRATCH ORCHESTRA, END OF THE ROAD - The Camp Bling/Save
Priory Park campaigners in Essex have won!, LEXIE MOUNTAIN BOYS, MELLOFEST,
NAVVY have a whole load of dates, SAD DAY FOR PUPPETSM
Returns to
form? New sensuality and new conservatism? Interesting piece on Art Review
again today... ANNALOGUE, CAROL ANN DUFFY becomes
first female poet laureate...MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON,
The
Conservative party have issued a denial after it was suggested that...
BLACKGUARD, DINOSAUR Jr post new track, GRIFTER, EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL,
FREEDOM FACTION...
ORGAN
PAGE #300... HEARTBREAK STEREO, Noel’s
Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere, GALLOWS, guerrilla knitting, THE
SECRET INVASION, acquiredcollective, Skart: 'Poetry will be Written by
All', THE OLYMPIC SYMPHONIUM, AUSTIN GALLERY AND BENNY’S BAR, LOUIS LINGG
AND THE BOMBS, DEATH OF THE ELEPHANT, ROLO TOMASSI, MASTODON, THE VIPERS,
The 17, HEY! TONAL, ATTICA RAGE, JOHN ZORN, COMUS, THE ORANGE MAN THEORY,
JON HOPKINS, ASSEMBLAGE by WILLIAM BLANCHARD, YOURSHIRE EVENING PEST, APE
SCHOOL, VESSELS, The East End Film Festival,
LIAM
McKAHEY & THE BODIES, DETACHMENTS, NOAM CHOMSKY on ResonanceFM,
STONEPHACE,
DEEP CUT, THE SCARAMANGA SIX, DEERHOOF,
WIDOW’S
MITE, ISLAND LINE, HATESPHERE, ASSAULTER,
STORSVEIT
NIX NOLTES, MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND, BISHOP ALLEN, MORNING METEORS,
BINEWSKI, JG BALLARD R.I.P, SONIC YOUTH, THE
HAPPY LIST, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, MORRISSEY, THE FALL,
DAMIEN
HIRST, RANDY CAIN...
x |
| You can explore the old weekly style on
line edtions and a whole bag of old Organs and 23 years of Organ history
here,
we're moving on again, kick over the bricks once more.... |
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