The end (kind of)

I've decided to call an end to this blog in it's current form. I've enjoyed writing it, but my updates have been increasingly sporadic in the last couple of months. I'm not going to stop writing about music, however, I'm going to start writing for the wonderful people over at Muso's Guide and I've decided to set up a brand new blog to collate my writings there and anywhere else I end up having a ramble. So, if anyone still actually read this, update your bookmarks to here: http://charts-en-grafs.blogspot.com .

Laters :-)

Metric - Live it Out

Emily Haines is probably my favourite woman in music. Not only has she had a hand in some of the most influential indie records in the last ten years with Broken Social Scene, but her sexy breathiness has adorned two solo releases and three (soon to be four) Metric albums.

It's the last of the three I wanted to focus on in this post. Live it Out is Metric's third and most recent effort, and their most striking work. It's 40 minutes of the highest standard of punchy guitar pop, characterised by Haines' peerlessly seductive vocals.

Monster Hospital sums up the Metric game plan in 3 and a half minutes of sheer joy. Save for the occasional drop in tempo and shift from guitars to synths, Metric don't veer far from their winning formula, and there's no reason why they should. To write such a concise, catchy record which stops short of being throwaway is a gift, and is why I've been coming back to Live it Out on a regular basis for 2 years.

Metric's new album Fantasies is due to hit our shelves on April 7th. What better way to whet the appetite then by digging out Live it Out again.

Download: Metric - Live it Out

Ben Christophers - The Spaces in Between

It's been too long since my last update. I'd like to wheel out my time-honoured 'financial services industry employee in the midst of economic crisis' excuse, but that must be wearing thinner and thinner by now.

Instead, I'll make up for my reticence by posting a beautiful little gem of a record in the form of The Spaces in Between by Ben Christophers. For those yet to sample his work, Ben is a Black Country boy with a soft, occasionally soaring, often haunting voice.

His records haven't sold by the bucketload, and at this stage it's probably fair to say they aren't ever likely to. This is presumably why he has occasionally resorted to bill-paying exercises like his recent stint in Bat For Lashes' backing band. Perhaps this isn't such a bad thing though. To me it keeps his records a more intimate and personal experience. Or maybe it's just latent indie snobbery on my part...

The Spaces in Between is Ben's third record, and probably my favourite of his. To me it blends perfectly his propensities towards delicate ethereal songs, and uplifting folky pop, both of which are laced through with subtle electronic touches. The quality of the songs is consistently high, right up to the eponymous final track, which is arguably the best song of his career.

There's a new Ben Christophers record on the way, a long-overdue follow-up to 2005's collection of experimental home demos 'Viewfinder'. There's no word on a release date as yet, but there aren't many other albums I'm anticipating more this year.

Enjoy this album, and explore the rest of Ben's work, as pretty much everything he has ever done has been gold.

Download: Ben Christophers - The Spaces in Between

Interpol - Our Love to Admire

Interpol burst out of the traps in 2002 with their near flawless debut Turn on the Bright Lights. It was perhaps fitting that a New York band were able to produce a record which tapped so perfectly into the dark mood hanging over the post 9/11 world. This, naturally elevated them to untouchable status in the indie major league, and in turn piled on the expectations for album two.

In retrospect, such expectations may have been unreasonable, and were almost certainly unhelpful. The band found themselves for the first time with the hopes and dreams of indie kids all over the world weighing heavily on the shoulders. What they eventually produced was a strong album with plenty of high points, most notably the chilling Evil, but I think it's fair to say that Antics didn't quite live up to its predecessor. It's difficult to pin down exactly what is missing but, Evil aside, that menacing atmosphere that pervades TOTBL just isn't quite there.

All of which made their third record, Our Love to Admire an important one, arguably even more eagerly anticipated than Antics. By kicking it off with the mini-epic gorgeousness of Pioneer to the Falls, they immediately invited comparisons to TOTBL which starts in similar fashion with Untitled.

Thankfully, however, they didn't take the cheap way out and simply rehash their debut. What they came up with was a point somewhere between the first and second records. While that sense of uneasy brooding of the debut still isn't quite there, there is more consistency than can be found on Antics.

The sense of urgency teased on Antics' lead single Slow Hands is more readily apparent on Our Love to Admire. Drummer Sam Fogarino's work is largely responsible for this, powering through No I in Threesome and The Heinrich Maneuver, among others. Sam's drumming is often overshadowed by Paul's voice or Carlos D's unmistakable bass work, but in my view his input is equally vital in creating the sound that makes Interpol so distinctive. On Our Love to Admire this comes to the fore more than we've seen on previous releases.

As it's only 18 months since this record was released, I'm not holding my breath for a new album from Interpol this year, but they are very much on my radar when it comes to anticipated albums. In these days of miserable weather and even bleaker economic prospects, wallow in a bit of gloom and acquaint (or re-acquaint) yourself with Interpol's back catalogue.

Download: Interpol - Our Love to Admire

Trouble Books - The United Colors of Trouble Books

Did I say something about looking forward last time out? Well, I'm going to do a bit of backwards-looking first. I promise there will be some forward-looking in here somewhere though, so fear not, forward-seekers!

2008 was definitely my most productive ever year of discovering new music, and one of the most crucial elements of that was my stumbling upon My Inland Empire. It introduced me to countless bands I now couldn't imagine being without, including Deerhunter, Glissando and Frightened Rabbit. But possibly my favourite discovery on the blog was Trouble Books.

Trouble Books are a band from Akron, Ohio whose record The United Colors of Trouble Books is a half hour slice of the warmest, dreamiest ambient pop I've ever set ears on. It drifts by on a cloud of gentle feedback, soothing you like the most refreshing of sleeps. Hiding amid the fuzziness lie sweet, delicately carved songs.

I feel almost vulgar trying to analyse such a magical little record, but in my opinion, what makes the album such a satisfying listen is the way the ambient noises and songwriting in its traditional sense are melded together so seemlessly (and, apparently, so effortlessly).

I've always been a fan of albums that are more than just a bit of plastic you put in a CD / Record player, and I'm pleased to be able to say that the packaging on The United Colors is as lovingly crafted as the music it contains. Originally released in the USA on Bark and Hiss, each copy's cover is screen-printed and spray-painted on the back of an old junk-shop record sleeve, and it contains a hand-stitched book of artwork. It really is a beautiful thing to own.

And the good news is, it's easy for we Brits to get our hands on. It can (and should) be purchased from MIE Music (the record company set up by My Inland Empire's creator who loved this record so much he felt it deserved to be issued in the UK).

As well as heading over to MIE, I recommend you pay a visit to Bark and Hiss' website as there is a wealth of loveliness lurking on there too. The main attraction besides Trouble Books is the mountain of music waiting to be downloaded from Talons' which consists of TB's very own Mike Tolan.

There is some great stuff here, clearly in the vein of TB, but with more emphasis on the pared-down, woozy acoustic songs rather than the ambient side of the band. It doesn't do a Geordie like me much good, but any London types reading this may be interested to know Mike is playing a gig at The George Tavern on Wednesday the 14th of this month.

He and the rest of the band are clearly the prolific types (my favourite kind of artist), as Trouble Books are readying an EP which should see a release on MIE some time around Easter (See, I promised to look forwards!). Rumour has it that it's a continuation of the more ambient elements of The United Colors, which is exciting news. So until this record emerges, there are three things you can do. First, if you haven't already skipped my ramblings and done so, download the album. Secondly, get to MIE and buy the vinyl. Thirdly, rummage around Bark and Hiss to your heart's content. Each act will slightly improve your life.

Download: Trouble Books - The United Colors of Trouble Books

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

At a time when you can't look at any music website without the inevitable 'Best of 2008' lists, I've refrained from doing my own, for the simple reason that I'm not decisive enough. My choices would vary wildly on a daily basis, and, such has been my rapid turnover of records recently, I'd probably omit something that I enjoyed in February in favour of a record from November.

Instead, what I've been doing on here in the last few weeks is post a smattering of my favourites from this year. This hasn't really been a conscious effort, it goes back to my original point, that this is the time of year when you start to look back. Therefore, perverse to the last, I'm ending 2008 not with fireworks, but with a gentle whisper in the form of For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver.

It's one of 2008's most blogged records, and a staple in the aforementioned best of lists, but I still felt I wanted to put my two penn'oth in. Jeremy Warmsley recently pointed out on Drowned in Sound that nobody seems to be capable of talking about this album without mentioning it being recorded in a log cabin, but in the unlikely event that J Wo is reading this, I'm going to irk him further. Perhaps it's psychological conditioning from reading it so many times, but on listening to the album, I immediately feel transported to a shack in the middle of nowhere. In my opinion, the surroundings are central to the atmosphere of the album, they are at the heart of every gentle strum, every note that Justin Vernon breathes.

In short, it's a beautiful album. Highlights for me include 'Skinny Love', and closing track 're:Stacks'. It's short (9 tracks, and less than 40 minutes), but brevity is a virtue in this case. No need to over-egg the pudding. I'm a great believer that there are good and bad times of the day to listen to a record, and in this case it's very much a 'wee small hours' job. Last night I listened to it at about 3AM, and it's the most I've enjoyed it.

Bon Iver has a new EP coming out in the new year, called 'Blood Bank' and it seems pretty good. This is just one of a number of new records due out in 2009 (both definite and just rumoured) which I'm looking forward to getting my hands on. After a few weeks of looking back at 2008, I'm now planning to spend some time looking forward to next year. There's no point thinking about album of the year 2009 contenders though. Not because it's too early, but because Animal Collective have clearly already claimed that with their mind-bogglingly good Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Download: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Merz - Moi et Mon Camion

Merz (or Conrad Lambert, to his nearest and dearest) released his first album all of 9 years ago. However, until about 6 months ago, he had completely passed me by. Which is strange, because from what I can gather, his eponymous debut arrived with a blaze of major label backing, critical acclaim, and the inevitable high expectations.

As is so often the case, the album didn't make a big enough splash to satisfy the money-men. Merz managed to wriggle free of Sony BMG, and didn't resurface for another 6 years until he released 'Loveheart' which, not surprisingly, was free of the millstone of press expectation after such a long quiet period. Shamefully, in spite of how much I love the album I've uploaded, Moi et Mon Camion, I haven't heard his first two, so I can't comment on them. They are, however, very high on my ludicrously long to-buy list!

The album is a beautifully constructed folky record about travelling, which takes its name (translation - Me and my van) from Conrad's regular removals company. Apparently he's done a lot more moving than the average man (well, who the hell has a regular removals company?!) and this has informed his work. It's delicate, often touching, and occasionally swerves in unexpected directions; 'Shun (Sad Eyed Days)', for example has a funky, almost sleazy edge to it.

Merz appears to be an unpredictable soul, a rare breath of fresh air to whom little matters more than his music. Dumping Sony was a bold move, but showed integrity. His album is a gorgeous gem, and deserves to be high in the 'Best of 08' lists, but probably won't be.

Download: Merz - Moi et Mon Camion