Bloodstock – UKs legendary Metal festival
Catton Hall, Derbyshire from 12th – 15th August.

A heavy metal festival. Oh god the teenage years wasted with headphones on have come rushing back! The noise, anthemic melodies, the acts of testosterone daring and questionable humour all heady stuff and outside the reproachful gaze of parents or girls. Mentioning teenage kicks would be too punk for the audience but you get the idea.

Meshuggah kicked ass on the first night. They are without a doubt one of the most influential bands of the last decade and performed a solid rocking set. Knowing the tracks forward and back I’d have to say they almost seemed out of time for the first song – possibly their greatest – Rational Gaze. However they quickly kicked into gear and the rest of the set blazed through. The crowd didn’t move much but stunned awe turned to rabid applause between songs and the set ended with ears ringing to the sound of earnest eyed boys declaring hand on heart that THAT was the greatest performance EVER.

Modern metal seems to me to be at the forefront of mixing performance with musical progression and Bloodstook featured a lack of ‘classic’ rock acts with their cliché stage antics. Every performance contained either a knowing irony or a real sense of musical knowledge. Performance wise the acts generally took cues from the Springsteen school of sincerity.

Amongst those most at home in themselves was Devin Townsend. Devin is simply a master of his art and an amazing rancoteur/performer. What started with Meshuggah carried on with Devin whose powerful set was played a wholly appreciative festival.

In a similar vein the modern sounding Gojira wowed audiences with their take on the stop start poly-sounding vibe. But the heart of the festival had to go to Evile, a one time Metallica cover band, who as one punter told me ‘are the band that Metallica sound have become!’ (i.e Puppets era and more). Mirroring the death of cliff burton their bass player died of a brain aneurysm and this was one of the first outings with the new bass player. Eulogies made and commerative performances followed. To those that hadn’t heard the band before many new converts were made, myself amongst them.

Of the progressive acts there seems to the a distinct differentiation between the opera-y bands and the crunch heavy crew. Opeth played a weirdly orchestral set that had many many fans, I personally found it a little hard to get into and almost alienatingly bland. I have been assured that I need to give some of the recordings time but one the strength of the bloodstock performance this isn’t a strong possibility. Unrepentantly Scandi were the Children of Bodom, whom I expected to be more of the Opeth-esque pomposity. How wrong I was. They are fucking amazing and blistering live.

The final word has to go to GWAR, comic rock veterans with a deeply political bent (and reportedly Stanley Kubrick’s favourite metal band) brought it to another level. Consumately extraterrestrial and awesome there isn’t much more to say really. Unless you were covered in blood you weren’t there.

Done and in recovery till next year.













Supporting Diversity in music, fighting the anodyne, putting two fingers inside the festering sore of mainstream music - Bloodstock is back again!

This year’s line up includes:
OPETH : CHILDREN OF BODOM : FEAR FACTORY : TWISTED SISTER : MESHUGGAH : CANNIBAL CORPSE; DEVIN TOWNSEND and GWAR.

One part sideshow to two parts heavy metal bloodstock festival looks like it’ll be a fascinating weekend of crazed fun and sub-cultural weirdness. Come all yea faithful indeed.

Bloodstock Official Website

PRESS RELEASE:

2010 will see Bloodstock festival celebrating its 10th Anniversary, marking the
most impressive event in the festivals history, with the legendary HEAVEN &
HELL, CHILDREN OF BODOM/FEAR FACTORY (co-headline) and TWISTED SISTER
confirmed as headline acts.

From its humble beginnings at the Assembly Rooms in Derby in 2001,
Bloodstock has since grown into the biggest independent metal festival in
the UK, held at the picturesque location of Walton on Trent in Derbyshire.
Bloodstock organisers promise to celebrate the festivals 10th Anniversary in style
showcasing the strongest line up in the festivals history, and it’s already shaping
up that way, with a wealth of the biggest names in the world of metal already
confirmed.

With a taste for the best metal and heavy rock acts from these shores and
across the globe, you can expect some 10,000 metal heads descending on
Derbyshire in August 2010 for a weekend of unadulterated full on Heavy Metal!!!
Boasting over 80 international rock and metal acts across three stages, a
huge international metal market, the infamous late night metal Karaoke, BOA
is a must for any fun loving metal fiend. Add to this fair ground rides, ‘The
Bloodstock Arms’ festival bar (serving real ale no less!), full weekend camping
and - for those of you who need those extra creature comforts - VIP camping
with access to the ‘Serpents Lair’ backstage bar. You can also meet your
favourite bands at the Bloodstock signing tent, all in the most amazing
atmosphere at the biggest metal gathering in the UK. Metal brethren at your
marks, miss that at your peril!

The BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR METAL FESTIVAL 2010 will take place at Catton

Hall, Derbyshire from 12th – 15th August.
Weekend tickets are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com

BAND LINE UP SO FAR
OPETH : CHILDREN OF BODOM : FEAR FACTORY : TWISTED SISTER : MESHUGGAH :
OBITUARY : ROSS THE BOSS (with Scott Columbus) : RAGE : ANDROMEDA
: BEHEMOTH : DEVIN TOWNSEND : DORO : LEAVES EYES : SUFFOCATION :
CANNIBAL CORPSE : KORPIKLAANI : GWAR : AMORPHIS : GOJIRA : SONATA ARCTICA :
GORGOROTH : BLOODBATH : BLACK SPIDERS : EDGUY : ENSIFERUM : ONSLAUGHT
SNAKEBITE : HOLY MOSES : BENEDICTION : ENFORCER : KILLING MACHINE :
THE PROPHECY : STEELWING : REGARDLESS OF ME : WITCHSORROW : EVILE :
BONDED BY BLOOD : MORDECAI : PURIFIED IN BLOOD : DESECRATION :
POWERWOLF : HOSPITAL OF DEATH

Womad 23rd to 25th July
Charlton Park , Wiltshire.

Justice relates to truth, fortitude to goodness, and temperantia to beauty; while prudence, in a sense, comprises all three. The type of realism which behaves as if the good, the true, and the beautiful were too vague and subjective to be adopted as the highest aims of social or individual life, or were the automatic spin-off of the successful pursuit of wealth and power, has been aptly called 'crackpot-realism'.
- E.F.Schumacher, Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered. 1973

People go to festival for the stories. They start packing with the idea of taking all the things they’ll need for their adventures, be it drugs, condoms, their lucky pulling pants or a fine Costa Rican blend. These stories are all ideas that come more or less to fruition over the course of weekend, shared by people with a common premise however widely divergent those ideas manifest.

WOMAD is an emotive festival of which music becomes the focus at varying degrees at various times. Partly ecological fayre, part activistic showcase, part global awareness program a lot more goes on around the stages than is commonly publicised. It is these festival side events that show the tone of the festival and the aesthetics of these micro-stages create for the audience the material and ideological basis of their weekends as well as providing the backdrop for the audience to play out their stories with each other. The main performance played out by political campaigners and local produce burger is unified ‘Small is beautiful’.

The political make-up of the festival resounds with guardian readers, people who do good and believe themselves ignorant of the minutiae of larger global issues but well versed in the broad strokes of global affairs. While the bands play, in a myriad of areas other needs are catered for, from traditional massages to Reiki, from pamphleteers of global crises to local organisations with local issues. Overtly the appeal of the field situated WOMAD for the seasoned suburbanite is more than musical. WOMAD allows people to delve into the more grassroots concerns and perhaps gain some insight into ways that they can do better in their day-to-day urban lives.

The world at large is in a bad state and festivals for a long time have been seen as an idealistic escape from the normal and into the realms of possibility. Separated from work and home-life a good summer festival is bathed in a golden light. Either through preparation or expendable cash the festivalgoer is separated from the need to produce and easily settles back into the loving embrace of fetterless consumption. WOMAD is no different in this respect however the theme of capital and political conscience underpins everything from music to massages. Behind this conscience lies the blueprint Small is Beautiful written in 1973 by economist turned Buddhist E.F.Schumacher.

The relevance today of the Small is Beautiful (1973) doctrine is in questioning the rationale of businesses being ‘too big to fail’ A claim which once heralded the perennial stability of blue chip companies has now been overturned. ‘Too big to fail’ as we have been made painfully aware signals apocalyptic overtones of widespread social collapse should such a business fail. Just as we are being asked to cover the mistakes made by these financial institutions there is increased pressure from the public to make those responsible accountable. The term ‘witch hunt’ may be tempered to mean making those who once personally profited from leading banks into this financial mess be compelled to make restitution in excess of ‘bad luck, try again don’t forget to collect your bonus at the door’. However the answer it seems isn’t so much bad individuals as systemic issues based on bad codes of practice. WOMAD isn’t a true social microcosm since the punters aren’t producing however the small businesses and charities present an attempt at working within the Small is Beautiful doctrine.

Everywhere people ask: 'What can I actually do?' The answer is as simple as it is disconcerting: we can, each of us, work to put our own inner house in order. The guidance we need for this work cannot be found in science or technology, the value of which utterly depends on the ends they serve; but it can still be found in the traditional wisdom of mankind.
- E.F.Schumacher, Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered. 1973

In context Schumacher’s Buddhist Economics is deeply relevant to the world music movement; yippy politics, globalisation and ethnic artistry have worked together for some time. However looking at the central concepts of Schumacher’s work in relation to WOMAD 2010 there are some interesting contradictions and revelations.

1. Man is small, and, therefore, small is beautiful.

There is a welcoming space for the smaller scale economic enterprises at WOMAD from glass blowers to local produce. Jamie Oliver is a potential exception as his commercial reach extends further than most others. One could also argue that his profile is also not small, his media presence once omnipresent in the UK has with employ of tactical PR teams become more select and arguably more effectively global. It might well be possible that he is taking this concept onboard and certainly he has championed ethical produce for some time and even changed the practices of some of the larger supermarket chains. Musically, WOMAD brings in high selling artists to delight of the audience who are in themselves part of commercial enterprises (record companies) larger than those Schumacher would endorse (Universal).

2. A Buddhist economist would consider the capitalist approach excessively irrational: since consumption is merely a means to human well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption.... The less toil there is, the more time and strength is left for artistic creativity. Modern economics, on the other hand, considers consumption to be the sole end and purpose of all economic activity.

Festivals are particularly consumptive environments, to reach the stages one must walk past all number of store selling a variety of wares, generally enticing and novel. However the main event is the music a satisfying artistic endeavour that requires no further economic involvement than the initial ticket. The extent to which the cover price is used to cover the costs of the set-up versus profit is unknown. Speaking with some of the organisers two things become apparent firstly that they truly love the work they do and secondly none of the ones I met could be considered excessively wealthy. Of course economic definitions of wealth may differ on the basis of what is considered material necessity and I spent a large sum of money over the weekend, specifically on non-Buddhist beer. The central question is whether the act of going to a festival in itself is in Schumacher’s terms an act of consumption or artistic creativity. Arguably it is both and it is an area that Schumacher does directly deal with; consumption as creativity other than as a form of mystification of the capitalist process. If people believe that consumption is a creative process then they will nod and agree with Schumacher’s belief in the work/life ratio without having to challenge the deleterious processes of over production (environmental stresses through industry, anomie).

The environmental cost of bringing artists from around the world to perform in rural England must be great but certainly much less than that of 35 thousand people travelling to each of those places to see each of those artists in situ despite the massive uplift in local economies. However the presentation of consumptive choices at WOMAD is not absolute, the audience is allowed to bring food to the site and whether you choose to buy food from the vendors is a personal choice of convenience. Strictly in terms of time and cost it is more efficient for me to buy food at the site and in many cases you are purchasing directly from the producer. Moreover, other than Jamie Oliver there is a distinct lack of brand about WOMAD.

3. It is clear, therefore, that Buddhist economics must be very different from the economics of modern materialism, since the Buddhist sees the essence of civilisation not in a multiplication of wants but in the purification of human character. Character, at the same time, is formed primarily by a man's work. And work, properly conducted in conditions of human dignity and freedom, blesses those who do it and equally their products.

Overwhelmingly, the nature of consumption at WOMAD is guided by the artisan ethic. From Musicians to cream teas to Jamie Oliver’s large stall there is a direct connection with the product and its preparation. The celebrity chef as a cultural phenomenon is essentially the glorification of the artisan ethic to industrial ends. However the focus of the festival stalls is informed by the for-people-by-people ethic and most stall holders including Jamie Oliver’s staff are willing audience members at some point during the weekend.

4. The most striking about modern industry is that it requires so much and accomplishes so little. Modern industry seems to be inefficient to a degree that surpasses one's ordinary powers of imagination. Its inefficiency therefore remains unnoticed.

The festival stall’s inefficiencies are directly observable to all, spilled ketchup, soaked piles of unused napkins, accidentally fallen wooden forks and discarded paper beer cups. However, all these things are dutifully avoided where larger organisations might deem them inconsequential compared with the cost of changing practises, equipment or suppliers. A small army of children motivated by remuneration rabidly collected beer cups. Stall related wastage minimised for both aesthetic and economic reasons. Given that many festival goers were inebriated increased service on the part of stall holders minimises wastage as well as increasing the sense of value for each purchase.

5. Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology towards the organic, the gentle, the non-violent, the elegant and beautiful.

Small nomadic businesses such as those that frequent festivals must be technologically simple, energy efficient and non-polluting, failure in any of these areas results in down-time, increased haulage costs, and aesthetic failure. The aesthetics of the WOMAD business must be flawless since most stalls are overtly on show ugly machinery drives people away. New technology that facilitates these needs is immediately used and over 2008 2010 saw more solar panels in operation by stalls and increasingly by campers.

6. The way in which we experience and interpret the world obviously depends very much indeed on the kind of ideas that fill our minds. If they are mainly small, weak, superficial, and incoherent, life will appear insipid, uninteresting, petty, and chaotic.

Amongst the food and strange clothing stalls there were a lot of very earnest people raising interest for a number of charitable causes and global issues. Big ideas brought local. One group were publicising water access in Africa while others talked about some of the local issues affecting people in Wiltshire. The group that left me most enthusiastic was Jumbulance.

Jumbulance is privately funded venture that takes handicapped people or people with a life threatening illness on excursions. The Jumbulance group provides travel and accommodation facilities for people with special needs (special beds, oxygen masks etc) with 24 hour care provided by volunteers. For Dave, an organiser for Jumbulance, when asked why he organised the outing he looked shocked. Was I questioning his motives? Is he a ghoul? As it happened he seemed shocked that I had to ask. He felt that if it was possible for someone to do something for other then they should. Simple.

One of the core values for both Dave and Jumbulance is to help people who might otherwise be isolated from society to be included believing that for many people with disabilities reconnecting with society is a central part of their rehabilitation. On this occasion this brought a group of about ten wheelchair bound people to WOMAD and organised for them to witness a performance by the Oxford based folk group Stornoway for BBC radio up close. What started out as a reasonably surreal performance became something quite special as the severely handicapped wheelchair bound audience and their carers looked on in rapt attention. Often with severely handicapped people there is a difficulty in understanding what they mean or are feeling and conversely the frustration of not being understood must be ten times worse. However, for the band adoration is as it comes and performing to their best I would say a connection was made. Moreover for Dave and the volunteers it was an immediate reward for their efforts.

The key values that Schumacher wishes to see are definitely taken into account in festivals like WOMAD. However, for the majority participation occurs unconsciously - the potentials and reasons behind their purchases or involvement as unknowing as a day reading the Guardian or shopping in Sainsbury’s. The ethical adjuncts to product become deciding factors in purchases but remain a largely unconsidered obeisance to peer pressure and undecided consensus. This isn’t to say that WOMAD attendees are ignorant only that like all of us once investigated there is a tendency not to go over the same issues repeatedly once our minds have been made up, the indicators of that previous decision are all that we really look for, for instance the fair trade or soil association logo. No one wants to live in an overwhelmingly preachy environment however compared to Dave and his outings for the critically disadvantaged the question ‘What can I actually do?’ clamours to the fore. The answer is as Schumacher puts it ‘as much as you can’ however festival’s such as WOMAD which have a particular aesthetic of environmentalism do help foster an atmosphere where making ‘responsible’ choices of consumption are the norm rather than the exception. Moreover it is an important showcase for small businesses to show that they not only have great products but they are potentially available from wherever you live. Small producers are becoming more and more vocal in promoting their wares on the high street and if they teamed up with the charities next door at the festival there might be an interesting pollination of bringing third world products as well as local ones to a wider audience. The small is beautiful ethic wonderfully represented at WOMAD is becoming a reality through delivery services such as Abel and Cole however the possibilities of getting local products at your home is not one that is pushed at festivals. WOMAD has a great opportunity to help foster these linkages that can ideally help promote a demonopolised system of which everyone shares a part, both in terms of products and conscience.





references listed below


Preview:


Once again Trebuchet will attend this year’s WOMAD festival and expectations are running hot for another blistering weekend of sun and song. Highlights revealed so far include Horace Andy, Ozomatli, Tony Allen, Stornoway, Sierra Maestra, and Rolf Harris.

The appeal of WOMAD has remained one of musical discovery and this year promises nothing less. The inclusion of Rolf Harris indicates an almost surreal sense of self reflection and historicity on WOMAD’s part as it may be possible to consider him an iconic ethnopopulist whose use of the Didgeridoo and wobble board successfully predates Simon Jeffes, Malcolm McLaren and Enigma.

Furthermore, he is set to share the weekend with indigenous Australian performer Dan Sultan (the inestimably talented Gurrumul cancelled due to illness) showing that cultural appropriation goes both ways. Whether or not backstage discussion will touch on garbage disposal in the outback or the importance of National Sorry Day is open to question but we can be sure that a great weekend lies ahead for all.

WOMAD website


PRESS RELEASE:
WOMAD FESTIVAL 2010 LINE-UP ANNOUNCED

SALIF KEITA, THE DRUMMERS OF BURUNDI AND GEOFFREY GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU HEAD TO CHARLTON PARK

WOMAD festival returns this summer with another exciting and diverse line-up of world artists. Headlining this year’s festival is Malian afro-pop star Salif Keita, the world-famous Drummers of Burundi and indigenous Australian superstar Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.

Also joining this year’s line-up are the extraordinary Congolese street musicians Staff Benda Bilili, Jamaican star (and Massive Attack collaborator) Horace Andy with reggae group Dub Asante, Australian/Anglo institution Rolf Harris and his band and the glorious, home-grown talent of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
Others artists confirmed are; Afro Celt Sound System (UK), Alim Qasimov Ensemble (Azerbaijan), The Bays & Heritage Orchestra (UK), Bibi Tanga & The Selenites (Central African Republic/France), La BrassBanda (Germany), Calypso Rose (Tobago), Dan Sultan (Australia), Dobet Gnahore (Cote D’Ivoire), Don Letts (UK), Poirier feat. Face T (Canada/Jamaica), Hanggai (China), Imelda May (Ireland), Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara (UK/Gambia), The Kamkars (Iran), LA-33 (Colombia), Lepisto & Lehti (Finland), Little Axe (USA), Mayra Andrade (Cape Verde), Nouvelle Vague (France), Novalima (Peru), Orchestra Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou (Benin), Rango (Egypt), Sentimento Gypsy Paganini (Hungary), Steven Sogo (Burundi), Syriana (UK/Ireland/Algeria/Jordan/Palestine), Tanya Tagaq (Canada) Toumast (Niger).

Festival director Chris Smith said, ‘I’m thrilled with how the line-up for 2010’s festival is shaping up with many more names to come. Whilst announcing which artists will be appearing at any WOMAD festival is always exciting, this year it’s tinged with sadness due to the recent loss of DJ Charlie Gillett. Charlie was a prominent member of the WOMAD family from the very first festival and he will be greatly missed. His passion for the discovery and championing of new world artists and musicians was simply unparalleled and we look forward to celebrating his life in true WOMAD style at Charlton Park this year.’

WOMAD is so much more than just a first class world music festival and returning this year will be the popular ‘Taste the World’ tent where some of the artists will show off their cooking prowess and which, more often than not, turns into a impromptu gig. The Drum and Dance Tent will make a welcome return with favourites such as early-bird yoga sessions and salsa lessons on offer. And for those who fancy a luxurious moment to themselves and a scrub up, the WOMAD spa, complete with treatments, spa pools, great showers and a cocktail bar, is the place to go.

WOMAD promises to be bigger and better for kids and young people than ever before. The World of Kids will have the usual comprehensive programme of workshops, entertainment and activities being held throughout the weekend and the magnificent Children’s Parade through the arena will be one of the festival highlights. WOMAD continues its well established place as the best festival for the whole family, by allowing all children 13 years and under, in for free.

WOMAD returns this summer to Charlton Park in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, from 23 to 25 July 2010. Tickets are on sale now.

The WOMAD Festival experience is not about the familiar, the tried and tested; its essence is in the discovery and enjoyment of a totally unexpected artist or a style of music which would never otherwise have been encountered. It’s a magical, musical melting pot, enriching all who experience it.

Central concepts taken from wikipedia

Clicks & Cuts 5.0 - Paradigm Shift - Various Artists
Compilation, Mille Plateaux (2010)

Clicks and Cuts 5.0 – Paradigm Shift is the latest installment in the Clicks and Cuts series from the iconic electronica label Mille Plateaux. The paradigm shift is apparent in the new label head Marcus Gabler’s approach setting aside experiments for experiments sake for a more diverse approach featuring artists with more mainstream appeal alongside more difficult listening.

Taken as a whole the compilation gives us a good spread of electronic music and taste of things to come from the label, however it feels like a safe bet rather than a genre pushing (let alone defining) release that MP is famous for.
Some reviewers have pointed out that many of the tracks on this record have been edited down in order to get more flavours onto the CD and in doing so compromise the integrity of the music represented.

Conversely, it can also be argued that a compilation has always been like a platter of entrées, tasters of a number of artists work. If you like a particular bit, take a bigger bite with an album. However, we live in the digital age were this sort of promotion may not be necessary to reach audiences. In fact many compilations work by either sourcing unique content from artists (for instance material that might not fit within the context of an album) or tying material together by a context (London Industrial mix 2010, Slaphappy Party Caravan: Gypsy Music v2) or both (such as the successful Teaism compilation on Static Caravan).

Clicks & Cuts 5.0 – Paradigm Shift is well worth a listen but I’d go about it by checking out the artists featured on myspace and buying the albums that appeal instead.

AMETSUB - The Nothings of the North
Mille Plateaux (2010)

Inspired by his trip to Iceland this is the second release for Ametsub and one of the first for the newly launched Mille Plateaux record label.
From this album one gets a sense that Ametsub had a nice time in Iceland; he watched water dripping off icicles, travelled past alpine forests in wonderment, never strayed above the speed limit, politely talked to bespectacled fashion students in thickly woven jumpers, and went to bed early after drinking moderately. But I'm left wondering where the inspiration is here, listening to the album if there was a revelation in the North I’m not quite sure what it was.

This is by no means a bad album and playing The Nothings of the North end-to-end you get a palpable sense of musical skill, though what we are being offered here is more a highly accomplished culmination of influences than a unique or particularly personal artistic statement.

The album is in itself coherent, superbly polished and perfectly formed, everything works here and for a new release on the iconic label it is a promising start. Seemingly taking the best bits of Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works, melodic inspiration from Kid A by Radiohead and adding rhythmic glitches the result is a very sweet slice of electronica. What I miss though, is the daring.

In standout tracks like the retro-esque Time for Trees, the noisy and resplendent 66 and forward looking Old Obscurity the album rises above itself and what has become the vanilla nature of Scandinavian referencing electronica. Artists like Röyksopp have paved this road before and my main criticism with the album is in it's tendency towards the anodyne. A personal taste still yearning for the head rush halcyon days of earlier electronica one feels that overall the album doesn’t take many chances. However it is definitely worth a listen and will most likely become unavoidable as the appeal of this record is successfully mainstream.

Kailas Elmer

Question: does my inability to ‘get’ this record stem from my own narrow tastes or the fact that it ain’t actually worth a damn? To me, the idea that music can or should be enjoyed simply because it’s so anti-mainstream it barely sounds like music any more is unappealing. I find myself listening to the seven tracks on offer with an expression of vague incomprehension. Should I be liking this? Isn’t it, y’know, brave and progressive? Sod it though, I know what I like (most anything with a bit of soul and passion behind it) and unless I can enjoy this record purely and above all other reasons for the music itself (which I can’t; it lacks melody, rhythm, intensity and composition) then any pretentious reasons I can conjure up for recommending it would be empty and ultimately untrue.

However, I don’t want to sound like someone who only enjoys his own favourite genre of music. It’s true I’m not a big ambient/drone/noise fan (I’ve always preferred melody, speedand energy) but my tastes do range far and wide. If you can’t think of anything better than arrhythmic, disjointed compositions of white noise and random percussive elements then by all means give this record a go. I do know that there is a large audience for this kind of music, and of course that’s absolutely fine. Bear in mind, though, that the production on this record really isn’t up to scratch. I understand it’s a collection of live recordings, but the lack of polish is incredible. Tracks end abruptly, are overshadowed by background noise and in general it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is a coupla guys fuckin’ about with their instruments in their mum’s garage. Whatever though, you’ve heard my opinion and if you think I sound completely uneducated then go make your own judgement.

Dan Howe

This is possibly the catchiest record ever released. If you are anything like me that may sound like a turn off, but bear with me. Now usually an album of such infectious pop-indie songs would have me running as if from the plague, but not this time, oh no. I simply could not help but be swept along with the optimistic energy and melodic, riotous fun that streams from the speakers with every single song. A 29-piece band and chorus from Sweden, initial impressions from the cover art and press gumpf were that I’m from Barcelona were gonna have real trouble impressing me. The surprise truth is that any resistance I might try to have to their happy-go-lucky music is fighting a rearguard action from the first bars of opener ‘Oversleeping’. By the time lead single ‘We’re from Barcelona’ lights up on the playlist that token attempt to remain critical has utterly, utterly failed, so I give in and allow myself to simply enjoy the record exactly as was intended. Combining simple carefree lyrical content and intimate vocals with fantastic choral and musical arrangements, Let Me Introduce My Friends is a joyous record, uplifting and truly beautiful in its harmonies and in the melding of countless instruments and voices.

The only criticism I can think of at this moment is that many of the songs (as well as the album itself) feel too short, which of course is more compliment than condemnation anyway. Penultimate track ‘Barcelona Loves You’ is particularly teasing in its early cut-off from a rising crescendo of voices set to a rhythmical percussive pounding. Really, though, there isn’t a bad song on the record (although ‘Treehouse’ could be considered too repetitive). I can’t think of anything more to say save that I personally found this album impossible to dislike despite its inherent disadvantages as a catchy, feel-good indie piece from the continent. I suggest that you track it down and buy it post-haste, if for no other reason than it is the perfect hangover record.

Dan Howe