Kitty, Daisy & Lewis at Pure Groove Records

I have just got back from Pure Groove Records in Farringdon where the very excellent, all-singing, multi-instrumentalist, über-cool Kitty, Daisy & Lewis were playing a show to support the release of their debut album.

They play a swinging, bluesy rock'n'roll- rockabilly hybrid, taken straight from the 1950s and dragged into the 21st century. The fact that they are all teenagers (sporting the finest haircuts this side of the war, incidentally) makes their music all the more special.

Their line up changes for each song as they swap instruments and vocals - tonight we saw guitar, banjo, ukelele, pedal steel guitar, accordian, harmonica & various percussion passed around freely (and played with confidence). With Mum and Dad on double bass and guitar respectively they played a selection from their just-released eponymous album. They look like they are loving every minute and judging by the jubilant reaction of the crowd gathered in the shop they were not alone.

Photos to be added soon.

It was my first visit to Pure Groove and I have to say I was impressed - quite minimal with a different layout to your regular record store, it doubled up as a great live music venue also. They also have various music related art on display which stands out as another point of difference. If you happen to find yourself in Farringdon with time to spare go check them out.

My Top 30 Albums

OK - I have had a couple of weeks away from concerts, exhibitions etc so I decided to keep my blog going by making some kind of record of my favourite albums.

Being male and interested in music I frequently find myself compiling mental lists of favourite artists, tracks, gigs etc. Usually when lost in my iPod or stuck on a tube etc. Listening to 'I Trawl The Megahertz' a lot recently (see below post) led me to think about recording and organising these random thoughts.

I was only going to do the top 10 but this quickly progressed to 20 and then to 30. I haven't included any jazz or classical albums as that would have complicated it too much - I will list those separately on another occasion. It has to be said that a lot of these are interchangeable depending on my mood and what I have been listening to at the time (even the number one position).

So, after much deliberation, here goes:

1) ‘Pet Sounds’ The Beach Boys
2) ‘Deserter’s Songs’ Mercury Rev
3) ‘And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out’ Yo La Tengo
4) ‘The Boatman's Call’ Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
5) ‘Bandwagonesque’ Teenage Fanclub
6) ‘I Trawl The Megahertz’ Paddy McAloon
7) 'Tindersticks II’ Tindersticks
8) ‘Either/Or’ Elliott Smith
9) ‘Spirit Of Eden’ Talk Talk
10) ‘Grand Prix’ Teenage Fanclub
11) ‘Treasure’ The Cocteau Twins
12) ‘Trust’ Low
13) ‘Ocean Songs’ Dirty Three
14) ‘Union Café’ The Penguin Café Orchestra
15) ‘Judee Sill’ Judee Sill
16) ‘Hawaii’ The High Llamas
17) ‘Meat Is Murder’ The Smiths
18) ‘Aw C’mon / No You C’mon’ Lambchop
19) ‘Lazer Guided Melodies’ Spiritualized
20) ‘Barafundle’ Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci
21) ‘Bryter Layter’ Nick Drake
22) ‘True Love And High Adventure’ Grand Drive
23) ‘Emperor Tomato Ketchup’ Stereolab
24) ‘Hats’ The Blue Nile
25) ‘Music Has The Right To Children’ Boards Of Canada
26) ‘The Soft Bulletin’ The Flaming Lips
27) ‘Penguin Eggs’ Nic Jones
28) ‘Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’ Pavement
29) ‘Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ Pink Floyd
30) ‘Gold’ Ryan Adams

I tried to keep it one album per artists but couldn't help include two albums by Teenage Fanclub. I could have easily included two albums by Low and Elliott Smith also.

Albums by Laura Cantrell, Sigur Ros, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Vashti Bunyan, Midlake, Sufjan Stevens & Johann Johannson all closely missed out being included in the top 30.

Not a bad selection overall!

'I Trawl The Megahertz' by Paddy McAloon

I have been listening to this album quite a lot lately. It really is one of the most beautiful and emotionally-affecting albums I have heard.

The story behind how and why the album was created is obviously central to its impact.

In the early 1990s McAloon was left nearly blinded after eye surgery. This led him to listen more to radio talk show programmes and change the way he worked as a musician/writer.

The end result was 'I Trawl The Megahertz', a beautiful orchestral, largely instrumental, late-night, melancholy piece of music. It is easy to view the album as a meditation on loss, isolation, solitude and the therapeutic qualities of music.

The title track is the album's centrepiece (although it actually opens the album) and features a female voice (actress Yvonne Connors) reading a collection of lines written by McAloon alongside statements that he heard on late night radio phone-in programmes. When these are combined and set to the lush, orchestral backdrop it results in an absorbing, powerful listen. You can find the full lyrics through a search engine but below are some of my favourites:

"Hers is the wingspan of the quotidian angel"

"I am tying a shoelace, or finding the pavement fascinating while the comet thrills the sky"

"I am jangling along to some song of the moment, suffering it's sweetness, luxuriating in it's feeble approximation of starlight"

"In the chamber of my heart sits an accountant. He is frowning and waving red paper at me"

"In the subterranean world of anaesthetics sad white canoes are forever sailing downstream in the early hours of the morning"

Certain musical motifs and themes appear throughout the album which allow it to sit comfortably as a piece of work.

Highly recommended.

(It actually got me thinking - it certainly would make my top 10 favourite albums and may even sneak into the top 5 possibly. More of that to follow soon.....)

The High Llamas at Whitechapel Art Gallery

I was at the Whitechapel Art Gallery last night to see one of my favourite bands, The High Llamas.

It was my first time visiting the Whitechapel Art Gallery. I had heard the capacity was going to be 140 but didn't quite know what to expect. My initial reaction wasn't great. The room was small (which is normally a real positive for me) but stage seemed to be tucked away in the corner and a growing number of people were already sitting down on the floor, making for a slightly claustrophobic beginning. However, later in the evening, once everyone was standing I realised that it actually worked well as a gig venue and was enjoying being there.

Support band Ladywoodsman eventually come on and they were pretty good with their percussive, lo-fi, alt-blues sound.

The High Llamas were playing their annual London show (why only annual?). Last time I saw them was in 2000 at Camden Dingwalls.

They pretty much played a greatest hits set, spanning their entire career - 'Leaf And Lime', 'Harper's Romo', 'Triads', 'Bach Ze', 'The Old Spring Town', 'Nomads', 'The Sun Beats Down', 'Hi-Ball Nova Scotia', 'Campers In Control' were all played finishing with a glorious 'Checking In, Checking Out'.

See below for some photos (not great quality admittedly).

Their songs have brilliant harmonies, beautifully simple melodies, and great lyrics. I don't think it is overstating things to say that Sean O'Hagan is one of the finest songwriters of recent times.

BBC Singers at St Giles Cripplegate

I went along to St Giles Cripplegate to see the BBC Singers perform three choral works as part of the City Of London Festival.

The concert featured 'Cinq Rechants' by Olivier Messiaen sandwiched in between two new pieces by Jonathan Harvey and Param Vir. The evening tried to combine western choral music with elements of Indian spiritualism.

Messiaen's piece was quite dynamic and full of energy. The other works had more of a distinct Hindu influence. It all added up to quite a powerful experience.

Cy Twombly at Tate Modern

Earlier in the week I went to see the new Cy Twombly exhibtion at Tate Modern. They have been promoting him as one of the most significant contemporary artitsts so I was looking forward to the visit.

I thought the show got off to a fairly slow start. His early work didn't really do a great deal for me, especially the cold, minimalistic scrawling pieces. Twombly is generally categorized as post-abstract and a lot of his earlier work would confuse the casual observer.

However, as I progressed through the show I began to enjoy his paintings more. The introduction of colour seemed to bring the exhibition to life and the themes of nature, water and seasons, although never obvious, broke through the fog of earlier abstractism.

His brand of minimalism seemed to revert to a more conventional form as the exhibition progressed. The highlight for me was 'Untitled (A Painting In Nine Parts)' which provided a much needed glimpse of aesthetic beauty. This was something I could not locate in his earlier work.

So, my thoughts on leaving were that the second half of the show generally made up for the earlier disappointments.

On a separate issue the soundtrack to my visit was 'Hawaii' by The High Llamas. Has there ever been a more consistently brilliant album over 29 tracks I thought to myself as I walked back to Bank tube station??

More on the High Llamas in my next post.....