James Jarvill

Sonic Youth - Silver Session For Jason Knuth

2010-06-24T16:44:00.001+01:00

This 1998 Sonic Youth release sees the band indulge themselves in some lovely feedback nonsense; 8 'tracks' of it, in fact. Dedicated to a SY fan who commited suicide, this record comprises of the band leaving their instruments leant against amps, later adding a shitty drum machine and twiddling a few nobs. The result is nothing short of brilliant, and a very fitting tribute.

http://www.sonicyouth.com/

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains

2009-12-28T17:30:00.001Z

Not gonna lie to you on this one, guys: I heard of this group through Pitchfork. Coming straight out of New York (of course), Cymbals Eat Guitars managed to score a BNM tag from ol' forky with their debut, Why There Are Mountains. Sound-wise, think Yo La Tengo spacey fuzz-rock jams but with plenty of poppy hooks and washy reverb and you're just about there. These guys are keeping it real on independent label Sister's Den, so if you dig it buy it!

http://www.myspace.com/cymbalseatguitars

John Vanderslice & The Mountain Goats - Moon Colony Bloodbath

2009-08-16T19:13:00.001+01:00

This EP sees a pairing of Johns; John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats fame, and John Vanderslice, an artist in his own right. Unlike the previously posted Kaki King split EP, this is not as collaborative in the songwriting, and suffers for it. The person behind each track is immediately clear, and although there are undeniably themes linking the songs together, this extended player just doesn't flow. Then again, perhaps that's the nature and the point of an EP; odds and sods, anyone?

http://www.johnvanderslice.com/
http://www.mountain-goats.com/

VA - Mojo presents... Sgt Pepper's

2009-07-14T16:53:00.001+01:00

Compiled by British music magazine Mojo some time in 2007, this album was brought to my attention due to the presence of a certain Fionn Regan, previously featured on this blog. Unfortunately, some of the covers on here come off better than others, but that's the nature of the beast; covering classic tracks doesn't always result in classic takes. It closes with a gem, courtesy of Echo & The Bunnymen, straying from the track-listing with an inspired cover of 'All You Need Is Love'. Check it out.

http://sharebee.com/c2428f7d

Fionn Regan - Radio RTÉ1 Session

2009-05-30T15:23:00.001+01:00

Fionn Regan is a chap hailing from County Wicklow, Ireland, who gained a fair bit of attention with his 2006 album 'The End of History'. Since we're all hip young gun-slingers here, I'm sure everyone's well aware of that album and it's own particular virtues (it was nominated for a Mercury award after all, guys). This post gives you a couple of new tracks he recently did for an Irish radio station, both of which are excellent. As it's a one-man and a guitar affair, the songcraft is really on display here, and it fucking shines. If the rest of his next album is as good as this, then I'm sure he'll garner a fair bit more attention; and fairplay to the guy, he deserves it.

http://sharebee.com/50f43f5a

God Help The Girl

2009-05-30T15:17:00.000+01:00

God Help The Girl is the brainchild of Belle & Sebastian (no strangers to this blog) front man Stuart Murdoch. The whole project smacks of Murdoch's usual themes: a longing for things to be simpler, bright guitars, narrative lyrics and strong, melodic vocal lines. Sounding like one imagines Murdoch's and Brian Wilson's brain/lovechild to, there's prettiness all over the place, including the personnel involved; Murdoch's recruited some slammin' hotties for these female vocal lines. A nicely crafted summer project.

http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/

Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass

2009-04-19T01:11:00.001+01:00

Yo La Tengo hail from an eclectic New Jersey scene, which has been shown over the years, time and time again, through their music. Sculpting jams since 1984, these guys are vets of indie rock, with longevity and originality to boot. I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass is the group's 11^th LP, and is as confident as the title suggests. The throbbing psychedelica of tracks such as 'Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind', interspersed with the touching bittersweet of tracks such as 'Mr Tough' is testment to this eclecticism. This album shows off the bands technical chops, without compromising their melodic sensibilities. Whatever your taste, there's going to be something you dig on here.

http://www.yolatengo.com/

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

2008-07-19T13:24:00.000+01:00

Even if you don't think you have, you'll have heard/seen Tom Waits in some way, shape or form. He is the embodiment of a prolific artist, pursuing virtually every art form. This output comes in the form of a dirty, dirty blues record. Creeping, rhythmic marimbas help tunes like Clap Hands shuffle along with stuttering, accented stabs of guitar from Mark Ribot. Keith Richards is even on one of the tracks. (Yes, that Keith Richards). This is a big album with plenty to get into, mostly thanks to its organic style of recording which, during the 80s, was pretty uncommon. Once you start loving this record, trust me, you will not stop.

http://www.tomwaits.com/

The Blow - Paper Television

2008-07-19T13:15:00.002+01:00

This band is The Blow. The Blow are Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt. This album is Paper Television. This album by this band is, well, good. It's well good. The glitchy electronic beats paired with the melodic poetry of Maricich's mind (not forgetting the synthesised stabs that come just as quickly as they go) mean that these two are onto a winner. Except that maybe they're not, as they pretty much disbanded in the June of 2006. A great loss to the K Records rota, as well as the music-loving public, The Blow are sorely missed. Listen, and enjoy.

http://www.myspace.com/theblowus

Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight

2008-07-19T13:11:00.001+01:00

Confirming the notion they created in 2006/2007 that this may be a darn good band, the Scottish quartet Frightened Rabbit solidified this notion, with plenty of evidence to boot, on 2008's Midnight Organ Fight. Creating grandiose sounds a la Arcade Fire but with a more modest set-up and better songwriting, Frightened Rabbit always seem to whip out something that you'd never expect, yet at the same time, something that sounds so right.

http://www.frightenedrabbit.com/

VA - David Shrigley's Worried Noodles

2008-07-19T13:08:00.000+01:00

Worried Noodles is, similar to Mermaid Avenue, a compilation of various artists' interpretations of somebody else's lyrics. That somebody, in this case, is Glasgow-based artist David Shrigley. Boasting contributions from some indie big-namers such as Hot Chip, Liars, David Byrne and Franz Ferdinand, this double disc slog can, as should be expected, be a bit hit-and-miss. However, the hits easily outweigh the misses, but maybe not in the places you'd expect. Personal favourites include Hank's "Baby's Bible" and James Chadwick's "The Wooden Floor", two artists who I'd admittedly never heard of before listening. Listen to it for yourself, and find your favourites; there's plenty to be found here.

http://www.davidshrigley.com/worriednoodles/newcd.htm

Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow And Blue

2008-07-19T13:03:00.003+01:00

Born Ruffians are an indie-rock band, hailing from Canada. Using the simple set-up of guitar, bass and drums (with each member contributing vocals) these guys have left a lasting impression on everyone I've shown them to so far. Don't be fooled into thinking simple set-up translates to simple (or boring) music; it doesn't. The harmonies are rich, the fingerpicking is smooth and the vocals are pitch perfect: everything is exactly how it should be. This record will leave musicians asking "Why didn't I think of that?".

And yes, they are the ones off Skins.

http://www.bornruffians.com/

Four Tet - Rounds

2008-07-19T13:01:00.001+01:00

Working under the guise of Four Tet, Keiran Hebden is somewhat of a remix hussy, splicing up everyone from Kings of Convenience to Aphex Twin and back again. However, it's his own work on which he really shines, as proven on 2003's 'Rounds' which scored a well-deserved 89 on Metacritic: translating to universal acclaim. Dipping in and out of genres, Hebden creates atmospheric electronica, rich in melody and charm. Frequently beautiful, occasionally giddy yet always fascinating, this record never fails to enchant and sweet-talk its way back to being one of my personal favourites with each listen.

http://www.fourtet.net/site/site.php

Modeselektor - Happy Birthday!

2008-07-19T12:57:00.001+01:00

Berlin-based electronica duo Modeselektor, real names Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary, cemented the impression they had made in 2005 with 'Hello Mom!' with this, 2007's 'Happy Birthday!'. Featuring guest vocals from Maxïmo Park and professed Modeselektor fan Thom Yorke, the pair's glitch mastery works and flows well, leaving the impression that one's time has not been wasted by listening. An energetic, not demanding, yet enjoyable experience.

http://www.modeselektor.com/

Welcome!

2008-07-19T12:55:00.002+01:00

This is the blog of James Jarvill. Here I will posting views and opinions on media releases such as music, concerts and the occasional film, so keep 'em peeled.
To start off with I'll be compiling all the things I've written for other places, and then keeping a steady stream of original, exclusive articles.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy.