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Good catch by the good folk over at PrefabSprout.net. A very delf-deprecating Paddy on Radcliffe & Maconie’s BBC Radio 2 show.
In other news, Let’s Change The World With Music is at no. 15 in the Irish iTunes store and only 41 in the UK. What’s does it all mean?
Some old, some new and some kinda old/kinda new.
Lost: Susanna and the Magical Orchestra
Oh Susanna! Blessed with a powerful voice so understated and so utterly, utterly melancholy. After Nouvelle Vague did their gimmicky samba schtick to Love Will Tear Us Apart, it took these Norwegians to restore the song’s profound bleakness [YouTube]. That cover joined many other supersad covers on Melody Mountain (their version of Kiss’ Crazy Crazy Nights has to heard to be believed). And now they are back with 3, an album of (mostly) originals. And it’s surperb. Susanna’s spectral, but strong, voice is surrounded by sparse, moody electronics. It may be beautiful, but this is not dinner party music.
Brrrr, is it autumn?
Here’s Lost.
Purchase 3 on iTunes.
Medevac: Siobhan Donaghy
“At this point in time I have no further plans to undertake another record of my own. Ultimately, the true nature of the business side of the music industry is enough to keep me away. Nonetheless, if I find myself in the future bursting with ideas and experiences I feel the need to share through music, I will be back,” Donaghy stated in an interview with We7 in January 2009. What a shame. Back in 2001, when she left Sugababes, would anyone really have expected a popstrel like here to eventually release a lush piece of grown up pop like this.
Listen to Medevac (2007)
Sweet Gospel Music: Prefab Sprout
I’ve been utterly spoiled this year with releases from my favourite acts. The Pets, Mew, Empire Of The Sun… Probably no chance that the Blue Nile or Scritti will crank one out before Christmas, but rivalling both of those in the not-exactly-prolific stakes is Paddy McAloon. He says he’s constantly writing but isn’t much cop at the releasing part. How nice for him, the artiste, but we want to hear these amazing-sounding things you’re doing, damn you! Get a PayPal account and shove them online yourself, man!
Anyway, he’s a genius and he has revisted tracks he demoed in 1992 (!) but then got distracted and put them aside. He’s got someone in to tart them up a bit and are they not glorious. The album is a triumph.
I felt a bit conflicted about sharing an mp3 of the Sprouts. I would hate to think that I would detract from their income, but, you know what, anyone who loves the Sprouts already has this album. I’ve bought it twice (couldn’t wait for the CD I had pre-ordered so I downloaded it from iTunes!). This is mostly aimed at people who don’t know Prefab Sprout, or think that they were just novelty hitmakers (The King of Rock N Roll, UK No 7, 1988 [YouTube]). Listen to this and you’ll get a flavour of the sheer richness of lyric, voice, melody. Get the 38 Carat Collection which has all the ‘hits’ and important tracks and is dirt cheap. Go get now.
Listen to Sweet Gospel Music
I don’t have anything bad to say about Air France (or Cityjet). I fly with them twice a week. The service is very good. I can pitch up at 7:15am on Monday morning at City airport and still (just) comfortably get on the 7:30 flight to Dublin.
The flights usually aren’t packed and they manage to leave the middle row free until it has to be filled so one doesn’t generally have to play elbow games with one’s neighbour.
But every week on Sunday when I check in for my flight, they think I’m a business passenger and assign me seat 1A. It’s some kind of glitch that came to be when I became a Gold frequent flyer (I do fly twice a week after all).
The first week this happened, I got away with it despite the bafflement of the flight attendant. The next week, was again given 1A but this time and subsequently, the boarding pass goes red at the gate and they tell me that they’ve had to change my seat. The nice lady and I have been grinning about this each week.
I’ve decided to stop doing it now in case I get reassigned to 17B or somesuch, but the check in has once again given me 1A Affaires.
Trivial stuff, I know, but hey-ho.
In other news: Cardinal Brady has not yet responded to my friend request on Facebook. Senator David Norris, on the other hand, not only responded, but responded personally and charmingly. What a star.
And this week, we have upgraded to Snow Leopard (much improvement on creaky MacBook), have been mostly listening to Mew (excellent) and Prefab Sprout (production a bit disappointingly flat at times, but songs and voice v good indeed).
Mew: Introducing Palace Players
Buy Mew’s ridiculously-titled album, No more stories Are told today I’m sorry They washed away No more stories The world is grey I’m tired Let’s wash away on iTunes.
Prefab Sprout: Let There Be Music
But Prefab Sprout’s Let’s Change The World With Music on iTunes.
Six, count ‘em, SIX weeks to a new Prefab Sprout album and judging from this exclusive preview given to the flag-bearing folk at PrefabSprout.net, the album could be a stormer. I do love it when artists write about the joy of music in and of itself, and when it’s Paddy McAloon, even better.
As you can hear above (and below in a crappy video-rip if you can’t bear to look at Paddy’s frightbeard), the track has a slightly demo-y feel, but it’s a (welcome) move from the lush faux-symphonics to a more spiky, even housey, sound.
Gorgeous melodies as standard though.
Let’s Change The World With Music is out on 7th September.
Um, it’s been a while…
I had only two criteria:
- Can this be danced to?
- Can it just be listened to?
Over to you…
Tracklist
Pure Imagination Gene Wilder
Lullaby We Plants Are Happy Plants
M.A.G.I.C. The Sound Of Arrows
Method of Modern Love (Richard X “Join Our Clique” Remix) Saint Etienne
The Way It Used To Be (Left Of Love Dub) Pet Shop Boys
Easy (feat. Valeska) Trick & Kubic
Love Kills (Buffetlibre vs Sidechains remix) Little Boots
The Girl And The Robot Röyksopp
No. 1 Song in Heaven Sparks
Miracle Sally Shapiro
Erase/Rewind (Kleerup Remix) The Cardigans
If I Can’t Hold You Desire
Lisztomania (Classixx Remix) Phoenix
Two Weeks (Fred Falke Extended Mix) Grizzly Bear
Bonny (Leo Zero Edit) Prefab Sprout
Walking On A Dream (Treasure Fingers Remix) Empire Of The Sun
There’s a Better Place! Crazy Penis
- Intro: Pure Imagination * Gene Wilder
- Lullaby * We Plants Are Happy Plants
- M.A.G.I.C. * The Sound Of Arrows
- Method of Modern Love (Richard X “Join Our Clique” Remix) * Saint Etienne
- The Way It Used To Be (Daddy or Chips Extended Version) * Pet Shop Boys
- Easy * Trick & Kubic feat. Valeska
- Love Kills (Buffetlibre vs Sidechains remix) * Little Boots
- The Girl And The Robot * Röyksopp with Robyn
- The No. 1 Song in Heaven * Sparks
- Miracle * Sally Shapiro
- Erase/Rewind (Kleerup Remix) * The Cardigans
- If I Can’t Hold You * Desire
- Lisztomania (Classixx Remix) * Phoenix
- Two Weeks (Fred Falke Extended Mix) * Grizzly Bear
- Bonny (Leo Zero Edit) * Prefab Sprout
- Walking On A Dream (Treasure Fingers Remix) * Empire Of The Sun
- There’s a Better Place! (edit) * Crazy Penis
PS: I took the constructive criticism (ahem!) below and twiddled with the intro so it’s not as cacophonous. Re-download if you will, please.
Today was filled with brilliant sunshine, which led me to drag out Brilliant Sunshine by whatever-happened-to 90’s Irish pop act Treehouse Diner. I remember ver Treehouse being somewhat of an oddity back in the early 90s. While every other Irish act wanted to be rocky U2 types (thereby extinguishing within me whatever support can be mustered through patriotism), Treehouse Diner were rather intelligent pop. A less sophisticated Prefab Sprout perhaps?
Treehouse Diner
And then I heard it again. That odd synthesizer sound that floats throughout this track and many others from the mid-to-late 80s. It could be a Thomas Dolby thing, because it was all over Steve McQueen. A sort of metallic ‘oooooooooooooo’ that manages to make even very happy songs like this sound rather melancholy.
Have a listen:
Where is that ooooooooooooooo now one wonders? If anyone knows what it’s called and where I can get it, do tell; I can think of zillions of tracks that could be saddened up with a bit of oooooooooooooooooo.
2006 was the last really ace year for albums IMHO, especially when it came to discovering new acts.
And some of those acts are popping out again and I have my torrent searches primed and my Mastercard at the ready.
It has got off to a good start with the new Antony & The Johnsons album, The Crying Light. From what I have heard, it’s just as emotionally wrenching as I Am A Bird Now.
Also very excited about the next Neko Case work: Middle Cyclone. I discovered Ms Case through one of the fab cover mounted CDs that come with The Word magazine and previous album Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is stunningly good. She’s being a clever lass and has put a nice teaser video on YouTube. My appetite is duly whetted.
Danish progpoppers/popproggers Mew inform us on their MySpace that ‘the mixing has begun’ on the follow up to And The Glass Handled Kites. I, for one, hope that it is just as full as that album was of jazzy chord changes, kitchen sink arrangements, soaring choruses and incomprehensible lyrics i.e. soaked in ambition.
Here is a peep at Why Are You Looking Grave?
Who else? Well, my fondness for Empire Of The Sun since last summer is now being matched by the love they are getting by the critics over here now, so while I have the album, I’m looking forward to some groovy remixes, extra tracks and maybe even some dates.
Paddy McAloon (and whoever else is calling him/herself a Prefab Sprout) is back this year, rumour have it. McAloon is one of those acts that I just can’t understand won’t embrace the freedom that the interwebs can give an artist. He has a singular vision, but keeps looking to the old model of the big record company deal. However, there is some talk that the next venture has some connection with Mojo magazine, so perhaps Paddy has discovered his inner Prince.
Here’s Paddy & Martin McAloon talking about 2001’s The Gunman And Other Stories.
The Pets are back, back, BACK! March sees the release of Yes with a single ‘Love Etc’ also on the way. PSB are also getting a Brit for Outstanding Contribution to Music in February which is well-deserved seeing as, from my perspective, the quality of their output has actually improved as they have gotten older.
Astonishingly, if Love Etc makes the Top 30, it will be their fortieth hit with most of those going Top 20. Amazing.
Here’s the rather wonderful ‘Flamboyant’ from 2004.
So, what are you looking forward to in 2009?
In a spectacular fit of procrastination, I decided to opt out of study for my course and instead opened a lovely Bordeaux and have a go at finishing the mashup I began months ago.
Prefab Sprout are genius and Jordan: The Comeback is probably the best thing they’ve ever done. One of the zillion tracks there is called Mercy and it’s largely acappella with some sparse guitar strums here and there. The Drill by The Drill is an insistent, nagging full-on progressive house track with no vocals and is a bit scary.
Mercy is 1min 23 secs and The Drill is 6 mins 49. Mercy comes from a ’song suite’ about redemption, religion and the devil realising that he can’t be forgiven because he is needed to give man free will. Matt Schwartz’s last track as Dada was about offering to eat someone’s ice cream as long as they licked his lollipop. Could these be fused? As soon as I discovered they are both in the same key, I reckoned ‘why not?’
Anyway, this is my first attempt as a mashup, so be nice. I’m not 100% pleased with it at all, but I want to get it out there. I may revisit it another time.
Download The Mercy Drill (Prefab Sprout vs The Drill) (10MB mp3) [Internet Archive link]
