Monday, October 15, 2007

Weekender : we never cared about Ian McCaskill

FREE MUSIC: It seems to us that Nada Surf have been searching for an identity since Popular accidentally became a quasi-novelty hit in America eleven years ago. They've been heading down a road marked If Wet Death Cab For Cutie recently, cemented by Chris Walla producing their last album The Proximity Effect, and you can make your own mind up about their current direction with See These Bones from next February's fifth album Lucky.

HEY YOU GET OFFA MYSPACE: Team Waterpolo may have only formed in July - their Myspace account says it was registered in August 2005, but best not to pick holes at this early stage - but there's already something building up around the Roy Lichtenstein-admiring Preston foursome. They've recently been playing with The Whip, which makes a kind of sense in that they're a more organic version of that 808-driven thing. Shame it's come about so late, as this would be perfect summer convertible listening.

VISUAL REPRESENTATION: You may have seen the mad story this weekend about the Georgian president enacting the only way of controlling the sporadic border area civil war, a free gig by Boney M. And not even the proper Boney M at that, but one of the three breakaway touring groups featuring a single original member each. Ohhh, those Russian breakaway states.

FALLING OFF A BLOG: Field Records is only two proper posts old but it's already setting its unique stall out - live reviews and interviews, yes, but also specially recorded live tracks from those covered. Field recordings, see. Adam Gnade and Gossamer Albatross (oh, we know, we know) are first and second up.

IN OTHER NEWS: Department S were Stiff Records New Wavers who appeared on the cover of Smash Hits in May 1981 following the number 22 success of the great Is Vic There? 25 years after splitting and despite the death of singer Vaughan Toulouse (yes) in 1991 they've not just brought out a new single today with a line-up featuring the keyboardist on vocals, Madness' Mark Bedford on bass and sax for hire Terry Edwards, but it's a cover of Alvin Stardust's My Coo-Ca-Choo which is much the same as the original were it recorded with Adam And The Ants backing up. Hear it for yourself.

No comments: