Welcome to the walk of wonder...

My last post was the brilliant new video from The Rumble Strips. This band have been soundtracking my sunny days, train travel and funtimes since their debut record, 'Girls And Weather', hit the shelves in 2007. Back then, The Rumble Strips were my favourite brand new band. They had made an album that was damn near perfect and had a sense of fun to it. Since the debut, The Rumbles have toured and played and toured and played, but they've managed to write a whole new album in that time and they've recruited Mark Ronson (maker of pop stars) for the production duties.

This last piece of information left me a little unsure about this second record from the happy punk-soul-folkers. Mark Ronson's production is always very polished, very pop star - this is, afterall, how he makes artists like Amy Winehouse stars. His work is always erring on the pop and not the rock, and The Rumbles like to rock. So, I was a little uncertain about how this record would end up. My fears about the production have been quickly squashed. This record is wonderful from start to finish, though in a very different way to the debut.

'Welcome To The Walk Alone' is an album full of the same soul and thumping bravado that the debut possesses, however, this is muted in style. The writing is sombre, as ever but this time, the music is brooding and introverted, there is less openly joyous melody on this record than the first attempt. The horns are there and their layer of sound has been used to great effect by Ronson. It's not a brash but still has the same effect. The strings from Owen Pallot (Final Fantasy, Arcade Fire) are a brilliant change to The Rumble Strips' sound. I always thought that the band could pull off the ocrchestral movements and this record proves it to the rest of the world. The strings add to the layered approach, the emotion, the brooding that sits within the record. The inclusion of strings only makes the sound fresher.

'Welcome To The Walk Alone' opens with the title track, a meandering, slow number that doesn't sound much like The Rumble Strips at all, at first. When Charlie Waller's familiar voice kicks in, the song comes into its own. The song festures some of those strings and more emotion in on bar than most bands manage in a whole album. It's a very different Rumble Strips, but it's not a bad thing. This is a more mature apprach to songwriting and it's quite a statement to open your sophomore record with.

After the thought-provoking start we're introduced to the bigger, better Rumble Strips. Remember songs like 'Alarm Clock' and 'Time'? Well, they've taken those basic foundations, added more horns, more strings and more kick and they've created songs like the free-download, 'London', which boasts a catchy-as-hell chorus and Charlie Waller's wail in fine form. You can help but smile when he sings, "Why can't I love you in London?" Why, indeed. After this little flirt with epic pop tunes, we are presented with the irrepressible melody and riff of 'Not The Only Person'; those of you that have seen the video below will understand exactly what I mean when I say that this is probably my favourite song of the year so far. It just gets you by the hands and dances around the room with you. Repeatedly. Until you're exhausted. This is only the third track, The Rumbles haven't even started yet!

'Daniel' is the finest slow-moving epic on this record. It's a punchy little number with the usual suspects attending the ceremony of wonder we have come to associate with this band. The same can be said of 'Douglas', 'Sweet Heart Hooligan' (what an incredible title!) and 'Raindrops'. There is real substance here and it's not just a bit of fun. There are souful melodies, horns, strings, vocals full of emotion. Although there may be less dancing to this record, it definitely brings a smile to my face despite the lyrics in places. There is such a sense of excitement surrounding this band and the music embodies their feelings about making music: it's fun and they plan to show you why.

The record ends with the beautiful, earnest guitar of 'Happy Hell'. The build in this song is what makes it. When Charlie Waller sings, at the top of his lungs, you can't help but feel overwhelmed by the work that has gone into this record. They haven't made a pop record. They haven't let Ronson take them away from what made them The Rumble Strips, but they have adjusted what they knew and loved to something a little more vital, a little mroe varied. This is the record that I knew The Rumble Strips could make: part Dexys Midnight Runners, part World/Inferno Friendship Society and a little dash of Pulp for good measure.

It's The Rumble Strips party and they've erred on the side of sitting in with a DVD and some wine, except when they've had too much and they really insist that you must dance with them around the room, simply not caring whether it's the silly thing to do or not.

'Welcome To The Walk Alone' is not the fun-loving debuts twin brother, it's the older, wiser and brooding cousin and it's no less fun that before. You just have to work a little harder ot find it. Once you do, there's no stopping them.

The Rumble Strips are on tour during Autumn. You can hear the record for free on Last.fm. The CD is available everywhere in the UK from yesterday on Island Records.

The Rumble Strips are BACK! Massive hoorah throughout my house.

The Rumble Strips are going to be releasing a brand new album this summer. In fact, soon. Very soon! This month, a couple of weeks away. I have been excited about this new record since the last one a few years back. The Rumble Strips just have a brand of rock and roll that makes me smile. It could be the horns, it could be singer, Charlie's voice, it could be the sense of showmanship and fun that surrounds songs like 'Alarm Clock' and 'Hands'. This new record has been produced by that mainstream favourite, Mark Ronson, so maybe his influence will make this band as big as they deserve to be.

The Rumbles new single, 'Not The Only Person', has a brand spanking video and it looks like the following embedded box. Enjoy! I sure as hell did. Their Daytrotter session is available now. Do download that, it features some of the brand new album tracks, as well as the single.




The Rumbles are going on tour, too this Autumn.

This world is a brand new video and a great hat

Franz Nicolay's debut solo album, 'Major General', is out on the 15th July this year in the UK. To celebrate, he's made us a brand new video to oggle. I have to say, this song is fun and pretty catchy. Radio friendly rock and roll.

It helps that Franz is wearing an awesome hat, too.

The man himself is heading over to support a few people in Europe this summer. You can find the dates on his myspace and his website. I can assure you that he is well worth the money!

'This World Is An Open Door' video:

Malcolm full of Glee

Malcolm Middleton live @ The Glee Club, Birmingham 01/07/09

"Malcolm Middleton full of Glee?" I hear you say. Well, sort of. Malcolm has been unkindly dubbed "the ginger winger" in recent years, which is unfair to say the least. On Wednesday I saw Malcolm Middleton at his best. His albums have always captured my imagination and his lyrics are always superb. His new album, 'Waxing Gibbous', has received critical acclaim from the likes of Q magazine and I feel like I have heard the lead single, 'Red Travellin' Socks', all over the show - although, truth be told, I've probably only heard it from my own stereo.

Wednesday night Malcolm Middleton played the wonderful, intimate rooms of The Glee Club in Birmingham. This is said to be one of Middleton's favourite venues to play because of it's brilliant sound, intimate feel and, of course, the fact that it is perfect for acoustic shows. This show wasn't to be the latter at all. Malcolm opened the show solo with his guitar and the rest of the night was full band a-rockin'. Songs like the aforementioned sock-related song sounded crisp and full of joy as the band ripped them up into little shreds, loud and proud. Malcolm was in fine voice, with his dry sense of humour lacing every song and every little intermission we got.

The set was 'Wxing Gibbous' heavy, for obvious reasons, with songs like 'Zero' coming out to play. This song is the proud owner of the first RAP on a MM song. It worked well live, too - with support act The Pictish Trail' coming up to do vocals and the rap. It was like watching a band made up of family - with in-jokes, coy smiles and little asides within the band. Songs like 'Kiss At The Station' really impressed the crowd, Middleton doing his best to impress (probably not, actually, but it sure as hell impressed me with his delivery of the song).

The moment of the night, for me, was the performance of the lovely, haunting 'The Ballad Of Fuck All', which induced goosebumps all over. Considering how hot it was, that's quite an achievement. Malcolm performed this with honest, pained delivery and the band did him proud with their rendition. The entire Glee Club fell silent to watch this one. I don't even think anyone was singing along, it was just beautiful.

There were few golden oldies thrown in for good measure, but it was the current album material that really shone through during this set and Malcolm appeared to be enjoying himself in the Birmingham heat (of which there was plenty, it has to be said). I am sad that I had to leave before the last song, but his set was one of the best I've seen this year. Perfect for hot summer days and the miserablist in you.

'Waxing Gibbous' is out now. Malcolm continues to tour the UK through this month.

Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head...

This is pretty insane, so I thought I'd share it with you. Last night in Hyde Park, Neil Young took to the stage to play his cover of 'Day In The Life' by The Beatles. He had someone special come up and play it with him.

Hippies everywhere just started exploding.

I’ve seen the past, present and future of rock and roll and it’s still Bruce Springsteen

This Glastonbury weekend has been more important to me in so many ways. The biggest and most exciting of these was the fact that one of my musical heroes was finally taking to that famous Pyramid shaped stage. This hero was, of course, Bruce Springsteen. The man they hailed as the future of rock and roll in the 1970’s was finally coming to Glastonbury and he was definitely not going to disappoint the thousands upon thousands that wanted to see the great man himself.

Last night, the 27th June 2009, I sat and watched Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band play the best set Glastonbury has ever seen. I’m almost certain that no one can top this show for some considerable time.

Not being at the festival has never been a huge issue for me. Glastonbury is famous for the rain, the mud, the madness but I can never afford to travel down to Somerset to see it for myself. I prefer to sit at home, from the comfort of my bed, and watch the action unfold. This year, my heart had a slight pang when they announced that Bruce was playing: I’ve always wanted to see him play a show and I’ve always been too poor or too far away to do it. Glastonbury would’ve been the perfect first Springsteen show and I really would’ve paid the £180 just to see him.

I’ve been looking forward to this set being on the TV since they announced that Bruce was headlining the Saturday night. My Dad and I had “one Springsteen song a day until Glastonbury” from the end of May. We’ve been pretty pumped to see the great man on the stage of the greatest festival the world has ever seen. This is something that Brits are very proud of. We DO festivals and we’re in possession of the best one. To get America’s greatest living rock star on the bill is a pretty huge deal in this country, even if you’re not a fan.

It was all of this that meant the build up to this set was immense. Every person interviewed on BBC 6music this week had said that it was Springsteen’s set that they were looking forward to most. New Jersey was coming to the muddy glory of Somerset and the whole country is anticipating one of the greatest all-round rock shows ever to set foot onto the Pyramid Stage.

They were not wrong to anticipate such a thing. Springsteen’s shows are famous for being raucous, fast, hard-hitting, epic rock and roll shows. PROPER rock and roll shows, with knee sliding, chants, massive sing-alongs and, above all, passion. I can confirm that Springtsteen and his E Streeters brought all of this and more. The speech during ‘Working On A Dream’ from the new studio album of the same name, spoke of “taking the despair out there and building a house of joy.” They achieved their aim, in more ways than one.

The set saw a perfect mix of new and old, rapture and contemplation had places in the set. Springsteen clearly thinks about this set very hard before he decides on the final thing. Last night, the set saw some great favourites get aired, as well as a few that rarely get played. All of which was surrounded by awe from one of the biggest crowds the Pyramid Stage has ever seen (if not the biggest, this is yet to be confirmed: it’s got to be pretty close to the top). People started gathering early in the day for this set and barely moved throughout the day, making sure they could see The Boss (or “The Employer” as Spinal Tap called him earlier in the day) rock the festival to its muddy foundations.

It was at this point that I realised how big this set was going to be. Springsteen promises a good time, but this was GLASTONBURY, his first ever, and that calls for something special. The Boss took to the stage in a haze of anticipation and blew minds before the end of the first song. During ‘Badlands’, I am fairly certain that if Bruce had asked the crowd to marry him, every single God damn one of them would’ve said “YES!” The adoration was apparent in the eyes of each of those audience members as Springsteen ran about the pit between stage and crowd. He jumped onto to boxes specially placed at the front of the crowd, got in with the crowd and broke down that audience/performer barrier like it was made of paper. It wasn’t quite hysteria behind those crowd-control barriers, but it was definitely love, awe and worship.

Then, Springsteen threw out that golden oldie, ‘The River’. I had never expected this song to be in the set, ever. The band played it as if it was their last ever version of the song, the was passion in their eyes. Bruce sang it like his life depended on it, but not over the top in any way. Understated, controlled, raw, honest. I was speechless as the last bars played. I had never seen anything like this. The whole crowd was silent as Bruce played the last harmonica part. No one else could silence thousands of people in a field like that. NO ONE.

The biggest moments, for me at least, were those where my favourite Springsteen songs came out to play. The crowd bounced and sang at the top of their voices, arms aloft. Bruce ran about the stage, the pit, the steps in between, like a mad man possessed by some rock and roll feeling. These moments were during songs like ‘Born To Run’ (celestial in feeling, guitars raged and I have to admit I had a tear in my eye when he sang “the highway’s jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive”), ‘Thunder Road’ which sounded better here than it could anywhere else. The crowd really got into the singing and the arms went for miles back. Songs like the aforementioned ‘Badlands’ just required bouncing throughout. It was great to see so many people joined together by one man and his band. It was simply incredible to watch these guys work and get so much appreciation.

The biggest reaction of the night was probably that famous hit ‘Dancing In The Dark’, which saw a mass sing-along, dance-along and all-round party in the field. The crowd has smiled three feet long across their faces and every single one of them seemed to be having the time of their lives. On stage, Springsteen went all out. It was the peak of the set. The flags waved in time. There were flares in the crowd. This was not just a festival set, it was THE festival set.

I am convinced that no one will touch this set for years to come. It will become something of legend, a show that millions of people will claim to have been at. My hero conquered Glastonbury last night and he did it in such a fashion that only a man with as much passion for music, love and rock and roll could out-do him. Right now, I don’t see anyone like that in music. Springsteen’s love of his fans, his respect for them shines. The fact that he ENJOYS every single minute on stage is something rarely seen these days, which, I have said before, is some sort of weird phenomenon, one that needs to be redressed.

It was once said that rock ‘n’ roll could be transcendent in the right hands: I am certain that Bruce Springsteen’s hands are these hands. Glastonbury will take some time to recover from such a rockin’. And we thought that Neil Young would be hard to top. Let us never doubt The Boss again.

I doff my cap to the man, the myth, the legend: the past, present and future of rock and roll: Bruce Springsteen. The man who rocked Glastonbury, England and thousands upon thousands of people in 2 hours and 40 minutes, breaking curfew in the process. It’s going to take some beating…

See highlights of the set, the setlist and photos from the BBC here.

50 years of Island Records

Island records has always been a sign of quality. 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of its founding and 50 years of diverse, wonderful music. Many of my favourite records belong to the palm tree symbol that all us music lovers have come to recognise as a sign of great music. Island may well be 50 years old this year, but it hasn't shown any signs of stopping just yet.

Island was created merely for the reggae and roots music of Jamaica. It's sole purpose was to import the reggae of the island to England. For years, this is how it went. Island was a sign of great reggae and little else in the early days. When the record label began to expand and started to sign rock music, the label changed the colour to pink. It was a bold statement and would soon become the sign of wonderful rock music - and much, much more in the years to come.

Island is responsible for so many amazing artists: John Martyn, Nick Drake, PJ Harvey, Bob Marley And The Wailers. The list is seemingly endless. This is a little insight into some of MY favourite Island Records from the past 50 years of unstoppable, undeniable music. Some of the best music of the 50 years was successful and heard because of Island records. Thank God for that palm tree and its ear for great tunes.

PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
This album is PJ Harvey at her all-round best, in my eyes. She's never bettered it but she's written so many wonderful albums. This was, of course, a Mercury Prize winner back in 2000 and got much critical acclaim. Island signed PJ when she was writing grunge-tinged rock epics like the ones on 'Rid Of Me' and 'Is This Desire?' Both albums show of different sides to PJ Harvey, but this album was the one that showed off her best bits. She is a sexy rock siren, with that voice purring over telecasters at every turn. Her ability to write a love song was honed here and songs like 'This Is Love' scream sexuality as well as the beautiful 'This Mess We're In' featuring Radiohead's head moaner, Thom Yorke. This album is about love, sexuality, rock and roll. It is also the best place to start with PJ Harvey and one of my favourite Island records, ever.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus
Music of jah people. Bob Marley was, and always will be, one of the greatest singers and writers to ver walk this earth. His approach to music was always one with heart and soul on sleeve and his intelligent lyrics and political stand often leave me breathless. When Island signed Marley and his Wailers, they were a raggae band, pure and simple. When Bob had made a relationship (one described by his wife as like "father and son" in a recent documentary) the Wailers were making very different waves. Ragge was always funky. It always had the greatest groove, but back in the day you would never catch a rock fan listening to reggae. Marley changed that with his rock-tinged sound. It's hard for most people to hear thesedays, but if you compare Marley and his Wailers to old school reggae, there is a clear rock sound coming from the former. 'Exodus' was written in London after an attempt on Marley's life. The title speaks for itself and so does the music. These songs are the best in Marley's back catalogue and the ones that will always stick with me. If you haven't heard this record, then you need to locate your inner-rasta. Immediately. And get you groove on.

Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
Nick Drake is an underrated soul. No only that, but he was a tortured one during his short life. He suffered with depression and often found it hard to perform. This is what led to his obscurity during his life. His refusal to perform shows meant that he was hard to market and eventually, Island fell upon a problem trying to sell his records. This isn't to say that he was going to be dropped - hell naw - this just meant a challenge. His records always screamed beauty to me. His voice so innocent and yet so knowing. He almost whispers to you through the headphones. His songwriting tinged with that sadness that so often lingered beneath the surface. We all know what happened to Nick Drake and it will always remain a crying shame. His talent was unprecedented and he could've been a star. From this record, you get the feeling that mayeb Drake didn't want to be that star and that he just loved to write. The passion and the sadness are what make this record so special to me. Never mind the beauty that laces every single track.

John Martyn - Take your pick from any of the John Martyn records
John Martyn is one of my Dad's favourite artists (much the same can be said of Mr. Drake). Hearing songs like 'Solid Air' when I was a kid, there was a strange mysticism about the man. His music seemed so relaxed and different to me as an 8 year old. I remember hearing 'Bless The Weather' for the first time and being completely stumped by the arrangement and the guitar and the ambiance. It's hard to explain now, but John Martyn was a man who didn't get the recognition he always deserved. His album, 'Solid Air', sold tonnes of copies and yet, to this day, you can say the name John Martyn and people will look at you like you've just punched them in the face. John passed away last year and I for was was gutted. His music will always be special to be and his voice will always remain a comforting sound. If you haven't heard the likes of 'London Conversation' and 'One World' and 'Grace And Danger' then you should go forth and find the gems within this man's catalogue. You will be taken away on a journey of fantastical arrangements, love, longing and beauty.

Tom Waits - again, take your pick from this man's back catalgue
This man has written so much of the great music from the past 50 years. His work is often dark, immense and, occasionally hard to listen to. His voice sounds like he's been gargling bits of glass for 20 years. In truth, it's probably the whiskey and the cigarettes that make Tom Waits sound so growly. Put it this way, his voice is one of the most recognisable in the music world. Even if you haven't heard that much of his music. His records, for the most part, are some of the best this label has ever released. Records like 'Swordfishtrombones' and 'Rain Dogs' tend to go untouched as some of the most original music Island has ever released with the Island name attached to it. Tom Waits is one of the few artists on the label that scream original, dark and interesting music. And afterall, that's what Island always promises. Variety. And within Tom Waits catalogue alone, there is variety.

There are many more records I could talk about in this post. And I am sure there will be more to come in the future. Island records is an institution in this country and I hope it survives for another 50 years, bringing amazing music to the people.