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Singles That Mingle 20230811

  • Published in Columns


Singles That Mingle

With Captain Stavros

Wicketkeeper – Alarm Clock Radio

Zambroni Out September 22 Via Umpire Radio

A stripped back tune worthy of note so don’t hit the snooze on this one.

 

Susanna – Vampire

Baudelaire & Orchestra Out Now Via  SussanaSonata

Really like the way this tune builds itself. Thoughts?

 

Lathe Of Heaven – Ekpyrosis

Bound By Naked Signs Out September 1 Via Sacred Bones

Synth driven punk, steam punk?

 

Augustus Muller - Fur And Metal

Cellulosed Bodies - Original Score Out September 1 Via Nude Club

Pushing the limits of how much fun you can have with your clothes on, wait this is a music blog right?

 

Art Feynman - Desperately Free

Be Good The Crazy Boys Out October 10 Via Western Vinyl

Weird, but not too weird. Also, bongos!

 

Pip Blom & Personal Trainer - Kiss Me By The Candlelight

Bobbie Out October 20 Via Heavenly Recordings

No kissing on the lips, but aural is a-o-k.

 

McKowski & Howe Gelb - Return of Pygmy Pony

Notes From The Boneyard Out September 15 Via Delta Sonic

A great visualiser, or the soundtrack for a yawning afternoon on the porch in your favourite rocking chair.

 

Poolside, Vansire - Float Away

Blame It All On Love Out October 20 Via Counter Records

Get carried away with this sexy ditty.

 

Blondshell – Kiss City

Blondshell Out Now Via Partisan Records

A stripped back and disarming tune where the message, and lyrics, are crystal clear.

 

Will Butler + Sister Squares – Arrow of Time

Will Butler + Sister Squares Out September 22 Via Merge Records

Weird description, but I could see myself really enjoying this tune on my way to work. A good, on the way to work tune.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pip Blom, The Caves, Edinburgh

  • Published in Live

 

Photographs: Cassandra Harrison

Oddly The Caves doesn't get a lot of gigs as far as I'm aware, outside of August when it's pressed into Fringe service. Then again my eye's not exactly on the ball so it could be hosting bands seven nights a week for all I know. 

Either way it's a good sized venue with great acoustics so ideal for tonight's show. Which starts promptly at 20:00 and those latecomers who managed to miss the first half of support act Personal Trainer should be kicking themselves. An energetic septet fronted by a man equal parts Anton Newcombe, Shaun Ryder & Ian Curtis they throw everything into their performance, having seemingly raided their old school's musical department for such items as a trombone, cowbell & a well used vibraslap. And they deploy a megaphone every so often too.

Their keyboardist/trombonist resembles Napoleon Dynamite and gets himself into all sorts of contorted positions with the microphone as a he hollers his head off on backing vocal duties. I've seen no unknown act this good since being introduced to Squid back in January at Rockaway Beach. Unfortunately they don't get the riot on the dancefloor which their sound and it's speedy delivery deserves but full marks to them for not being phased and fingers crossed that they can capture that intensity when they get an album out. £20 for two 7"s at the end of the night seemed a bit steep though.

Given the support act's efforts on this double Dutch bill I for one thought Pip Blom had their work cut out for them when they took to the stage at 9pm and yet they very nearly pulled it off with a 12 (possibly 14) song set shorn of any fat and battered out far faster than on the likes of recent album Boat. Drummer Gini beats the shit out of her kit, looking close to having a seizure at any moment, breakthrough song 'School' comes and goes early in the set with no favouritism and breaks to say thanks for coming along are the briefest of moments.

Most of Personal Trainer make it into the crowd for the closing few numbers of the set and, around the time of 'Daddy Issues' being played, the central part of the audience finally develops into the pit which all 11 of those who've appeared on stage & given it their all so rightly deserve as just reward for their efforts. There's no encore but that's entirely fitting for the punk spirit (oddly offset by the incongruous jazz from various eras which was on before, between & after the bands) which was channeled via the politeness of The Netherlands.

The bands have another six dates to play in the UK over the coming week and you really want to make sure you catch them at it.  

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