Over the Tennis Courts And Far Away...

I resisted Tennis for so long. As you may have picked up over the inception of Sonic Masala, or even yesterday's Brilliant Colors post, the glut of bands that share this similar sound have jaded me somewhat - well, certain bands amongst the ranks (it's becoming a low blow to mention Dum Dum Girls, isnt it?). And the deliberate 80s yacht rock stylings of the duo and the cover art of Cape Dory (out earlier this year on Fat Possum) had me on my guard from the get go. Yet I needn't have worried - these guys have somehow condensed the woozy doo-wop summer warmth guitar pop formula into a winsome elixir of youth. The best part? There is little if any filler, which most bands of their ilk have found hard to avoid. New single off the album 'Take Me Somewhere' is a perfect case in point. (NB - yes, this has been around since November, but this is the OFFICIAL RELEASE, so there).

In support of Cape Dory, Tennis will also be embarking on a UK and European tour encompassing London’s Cargo. You lucky gits...

Tennis - Take Me Somewhere
Tennis - Is It True

Abbe May - Nay, WILL - Design Our Desire

Amongst the long list of bullet points that constitutes my loves, there's one at the top that burns like a beacon - I love me a good woman. Its just who I am - Im only human(ish).

But there is a definitive post script to this love of mine, for what I really love is a female that rocks. But not just rocks (attractive girls in bands aren't enough; my well documented disdain for the Dum Dum Girls should have signposted that...), but really really rocks - can wail on their instruments, rip the balls out of a vocal and sell the whole deal to the Devil with change to spare.

Abbe May is that kind of female.

Design Desire is the West Australian's third album, and whilst it still doesn't harness the power (let alone the sexiness) that May exudes exponentially in the live arena, it certainly should help sell her case that she is one of the most unique rock singer/songwriters in the country, and deserved of wider acclaim across the globe. 'Mammalian Locomotion' and 'Design Desire', the first two singles from Abbe's third album, indicate a new direction; showcasing heavy, scaling riffs and seductively ethereal vocals. May is an intense and primal live performer, capable of slaying an audience with her electric guitar and then stripping it back to a disarmingly intimate delivery. Design Desire itself offers simultaneously heavy and delicately beautiful sonics, the yin and the yang of the enigma that is Abbe May. There are rock influences everywhere, if you want that sort of thing - Polly Jean, Alison Mosshart, even Josh Homme in the grooves underpinning 'Universes'. But she is very much her own woman, and cuts an imposing musical presence that needs to be experienced.

And goddamn she can play the guitar...

Design Desire is out today on Source Music/MGM.

Abbe May - Design Desire
Abbe May - Mammalian Locomotion

Those Girls' Names Are Not Yet Dead To Me

How time flies. Belfast band Girls Names booked their first name before they'd even played together back in January 2009. Yet here we are, almost 2 and a half years since that infamous date, and the trio have released their debut LP Dead To Me on Slumberland Records. They have definitely been busy before now, with many releases in different sizes and formats, and I have to say I was excited when I finally got my hands on this one.

And trepidatious.

Because as much as I like them, they have always threatened to err on the side of imitation. Supporting the likes of Dum Dum Girls hasn't helped rectify that sense of unease. And its true - Dead To Me does continue to mine the mixture of 60s shimmering beach/surf pop that so many others are wont to do in this day and age, and is most prevalent on tracks such as 'Nothing More To Say' - and somewhat heartfelt, endearing lyrics courteous of singer Neil Brogan, singing down the reverb path with his best Ian Curtis patios in check. And its very good - so likable, musically vibrant, rocks out whilst staying relatively upbeat. Yet its the old adage of "if it aint broke, dont fix it often" enough. The music has been done before in the past, and in the revivalist present, and done well. Dead To Me rivals all of that back catalogue, and surfs the crest of their contemporaries - but there is such a thing as saturation. Unfortunately Im just about at that point. As Ive said, this is still a good album, and Id still love to see them live. Its just gonna have to sit on the backburner for a while, and wait to see if it has the longevity that many of its influences have had. Except for closer 'Seance On A Wet Afternoon' - offering more of the darker trance vibe of Crystal Stilts, if the band had incorporated more of this inflection to give another side of their capabilities we might have had an immediate spinner.

Still as stated, it aint half bad, and with time comes inflection - we might see the palette expanded next time around.


Girls Names - Lawrence
Girls Names - Seance On A Wet Afternoon

Best Gigs of 2010...by The Luminaire

The people behind the best venue in town, The Luminaire, pondered long and hard over what they thought were the best acts to pass through their hallowed halls this year, and have succinctly stated their top ten of 2010...

Best gigs at the Luminaire in 2010:

Malcolm Holcombe
Xiu Xiu
Dick Dale
Warpaint
Dum Dum Girls
Part Chimp
Pokey La Farge
Jonathan Richman
Hanggai
Rangda

Im gutted that I didnt get to see Dick Dale, Warpaint or especially Rangda (how did I miss this one?>!?!?), but can attest to the brilliance of the Part Chimp show, where they were more than ably supported by Sloath and Gum Takes Tooth (after Todd sadly pulled out). Make sure you get to some of the last ever gigs at this brilliant arena before they shut their doors on a self-made legacy...

Malcolm Holcombe - Sparrows and Sparrows
Xiu Xiu - Bishop, CA
Dick Dale - Hava Nagila
Warpaint - Set Your Arms Down
Dum Dum Girls - Bhang Bhang, Im A Burnout
Part Chimp - 30 Billion People
Pokey La Farge - (couldnt find any tracks, sorry!)
Jonathan Richman - Road Runner
Hanggai - My Banjo And I
Rangda - Serrated Edge

B.C.'s Shimmering Stars of Yesteryear

The current craze of delving into the bargain bins at the local record store to find a sound that 'needs updating' continues unabated, with varying degrees of success. As is well known here, I have a real love/hate relationship with the bands that infuse their fuzzy lo-fi meanderings with Spectorish atmospherics, shimmering beach riffs and 'sha-la-las'. Shimmering Stars is another such act, yet they are a lo-fi act that do not hide behind their influences - they inhabit them. This British Colombian outfit have just released a 4 track 7" through Almost Musique today, which you can get here. Its...brilliant. Why? Because it perfectly encapsulates their idols - Del Shannon, The Everly Brothers, Phil Spector - whilst infusing these beloved musical tropes with a distinctive modern edge. Take 'Let It Be Me', which incidentally is an Everly Brothers cover. Whilst it comes across as pastiche at first, a la Spectrals or Dum Dum Girls at their slower moments, their is a decided warmth in the offering, and the reverb used is used effectively, rather than just used. The second half of the track builds and builds as the guitars begin to taken on a wider, 90s distorted rumble, before cascading down in glorious feedback, all in under two minutes. Its an amazingly rendered love affair to these boys' childhoods and their familial record collections. Also check out 'Im Gonna Try', that actually sounds like an Everly's outtake! Im not sure how these guys are gonna travel over time, but this 7" (which, at just over seven minutes long, does not outstay its welcome in the slightest!) is mightily impressive.

Shimmering Stars - Im Gonna Try
Shimmering Stars - Let It Be Me

Shimmering Stars - "Sun's Going Down" from Delicious Scopitone on Vimeo.

Frankie Attempts To Rise Above...With A Lil Help From Her Outed Friends

I started writing a series of posts a few weeks back that were somewhat tarred with the angry rant brush. I felt I hadn't gone on a decent rant for some time, and my sniper sights were far-reaching. Paul managed to pull my head in, and whilst my temper still bubbles, I have put my energies elsewhere - like making curries. (I made a great jalfrezi from scratch, plus a yellow Thai curry which is making me salivate just thinking of it. A rant is good for the soul though, and one will be forthcoming in due course).

The first post 'that never was' was related to my pet peeve of the past year - well, one of, I have loads - which is the glut of girl or girl-fronted bands. Without sounding casually sexist, I feel that all of these acts reaching deep down to realise their inner MOR Shangri-La/Joan Jett amidst their tatted torsos and icy faux-disinterested stances but are strangling each other, and have been doing so ever since the Vivian Girls made their (admittedly good) take at it on their self-titled debut back in 2008. And whilst I feel that other suddenly 'in' genres of sound have suffered a similar overcrowding a la the parks on a sunny day in October, its the girls that have taken the biggest 'meh' pill. The Girls At Dawn, Dum Dum Girls, All Saints Day, Procedure Club, The Babies - I could go on - all have at least one or two great songs in them, but the overall package comes more like when you buy an expensive gift for a child and they only play with the box. It just comes away all superfluous, hollow, and lazy.

But there is always a silver lining. Paul has championed Grass Widow in the past, and soon we will witness them live to see if they live up to their LP Past Time's promise - but we also have Frankie Rose. Frankie Rose and the Outs, to be fully honest. Now Frankie Rose is not exempt from the tarred brush of her own genre either, being as she is the past skinsmith of bands such as Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts and Dum Dum Girls. However it appears that she may have learnt from her past digressions (and once again Im looking at you, Dum Dum Girls...) Whilst the distinctive attractive indie looks are very much in evidence, Frankie and her Outs dont rest on their fashion sense and record collection, instead infusing a good sense of humour and humility into tracks such as the pop gem 'Candy' and the darker buzz of 'Little Brown Haired Girls'.

The debut self-titled LP is out through Slumberland Records, and it will be interesting to see if the rest of the album lives up to the samples we have gotten so far. And whilst I must admit that much of this sound is at the least passable on record - Dum Dum Girls' I Will Be denotes a level of cool attitude that doesnt translate in the live arena - Im holding high hopes for Frankie Rose, that she may prove to be a shining light to her sisters-in-arms. After all, if Best Coast can sugarcoat the garage pop to an inch of its life then sprinkle it with shavings of marijuana, and the Raveonettes can swing like a pendulum from dark noir pop to sunny Pretty-In-Pink soda pop with cool abandon, why cant this genre find more women able to get out of their hipster hovels and brand their own individuality on their musical tropes?

Frankie Rose and the Outs - Little Brown Haired Girls

Frankie Rose and the Outs - Candy

Frankie Rose and the Outs - Girlfriend Island

Imposingly Scarred By The Bliss Bombs

Blissed Out, 3 Brooklyners who love their electronica loud, psychotropic and ever so slightly abrasive whilst still summoning up dance grooves and dreamscapes, are releasing a 4-track cassette as part of Impose Magazine's Cassette Series (its the third instalment behind Weekends and Birthdays - you can attempt to hunt them all down here). The basic premise is that the chosen band decides how many tracks they want recorded and whether its to be made digitally available - and thats pretty much it. Blissed Out's contribution, entitled Second Plane after a thinly veiled tip of the hat to 9/11 (what with 9/11 just around the corner AND the belief held by the band that it was an inside job), the tracks were thrown down between tours and showcases not only the musical direction they are heading in, but also their new third member Phoebe Pritchett and what she brings to the table synth and vocal-wise. The B-sides also highlight their amazing propensity to entirely recreate a song when they remix it (or 'edit' it). Check out some of these 'edits' on their myspace page, and sample second A-track 'Scarified' below. Oh, and if you didnt catch the split that Blissed Out did with the Dum Dum Girls - too late, they're all snapped up.

Blissed Out - Scarified

NB - posts of previous Impose Magazine cassette devotees Weekends and Birthdays up in the next few days.

Common, Rough, Black Tambourine

Brendan posted about Whirl recently, a softer sided shoegaze slice, and with all the rough around the edges garage pop kicking about I couldnt help but be reminded of Black Tambourine, the influential indie-pop band form the early 90s. It probably also helped jog my memory that Slumberland Records put out a new compilation, self titled Black Tambourine, back in March. Considering the band only ever put a small handful of releases in their day, its an extensive overview of the short but influential life span of the band and even includes new additions to 1999's Complete Recordings. So next time you're listening to a new band high on a feedback-enshrouded collision of blissed out noise and pop, aka Vivian Girls, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Wavves or Dum Dum Girls, just remember that these bands owe at least a nod or two to Black Tambourine... oh, and probably The Vaselines too, but who's counting!

Black Tambourine - For Ex-Lovers Only
Black Tambourine - Throw Aggi Off The Bridge
Black Tambourine - Pack You Up

Check the priceless Super-8 footage below, shot by Daniel Searing Jr back in the day, at the band's WMUC radio session, 1990, and just to prove a point the Dum Dum Girls cover of Throw Aggi Off The Bridge.


Black Tambourine "For Ex-Lovers Only" from Slumberland Records on Vimeo.

Dum Dum Girls - Throw Aggi Off The Bridge

Male Bonding and not so Dum Dum embossing with extra bleed

Oh Sub Pop, how you know how to give me kicks! Give me a limited 7" release split with two of my favorite new bands and then leave me smitten with your oh-so-tasty screen printed (or made to look screen printed) artwork with embossed inner sleeve. Sub Pop and their Dum Dum Girls and Male Bonding split 7" romped away with the coolest Record Store Day sleeve artwork, in my book at least.

Ok, so working in the design profession means that I'm a sucker for a sexy record sleeve - I'm the biggest geek when it comes to print finishes. But it only ever works if coupled with some cracking tunes and this little 7" of wax really hit the spot. Taste... then buy both their albums.

Dum Dum Girls - Pay For Me
Male Bonding - Before It's Gone

Album review - Dum Dum Girls' I Will Be

Its amazing to see the tidal surge of lo-fi acts getting major cred in the music industry in the past year. Industry buzz, combined with the ever expanding reach and power of the internet as a means of promoting music, has allowed many a bedroom swamp dweller to four track their way to semi-acknowledgement. A quick look at the bands swinging by Austin, Texas this month for the South By Southwest Festival is testament to the fact that scuzzy garage guitars, surf rock tendencies and 60s chamber pop sensibilities are, like, so ‘in’. And whilst I may say all of this slightly tongue in cheek, I am happy for this occurrence to be taking place, as there is a high percentage of good acts being discovered just through their mere association with the bandwagon juggernaut.

One band that seems to be riding the very crest of this tidal surge is the Dum Dum Girls. Growing from the solo thrashings of singer/guitarist/ Dee Dee, the past year has shown a meteoric rise for the now four piece group, as members from Vivian Girls and Crystal Stilts (two bands firmly entrenched in this world) have helped Dum Dum Girls crawl from the sea, develop limbs and opposable thumbs, and consequently attempt to take over the world, a lo-fi Godzilla.

At least, this is what much of the media hype surrounding them would have you believe.

In actual fact, Dum Dum Girls is still a band in its infancy, and its an enjoyable childhood to adolescence to adulthood experience to watch. Having released a series of singles and mixtapes for the likes of Captured Tracks and Zoo Music, Dee Dee has gradually expanded on her pop-punk romanticisms to include more bombast, more grrl riot, and a lot more melody.

Which brings us to I Will Be, the official debut album by the Girls out on Subpop Records. It is the first recording where Dee Dee has put music to tape with her bandmates in mind, and it shows. Aided by friends in high places (Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs lends a hand on the album; Crocodiles’ Brandon Welchez turns up for a duet), a masterstroke of a producer (pensmith of My Boyfriend’s Back and purveyor of gems from Blondie, The Voivoids and The Raveonettes, Richard Gottehrer) and a strong label showing full unabashed support (Subpop being the seminal logo it is, its nigh on impossible to get better publicity), this is a diamond in the (surprisingly not so) rough.

Opening track “It Only Takes One Night” is a clear indicator of things to come. It is vintage Dum Dums, and vintage Gottehrer – gone is more of that fuzzy hazy sound that is synonymous with compatriots Vivian Girls, and in comes a sound more in line with the 60s girl rock groups and early punk rockers that the band clearly emulates. The reverb, cool but tough vocals, insistent rhythm section – it is the Raveonettes’ seminal Whip It On era noir pop, a decade on. Other songs, such as “Bhang Bhang, Im A Burnout” and “Oh Mein Me” show the sunny Shangri-Las influence in heavy repose. Dee Dee doesn’t change anything she has done in the past, with each song sticking to its purpose, eleven songs in total, only two breaking the three minute barrier. It is also great to hear a clearer version of two earlier Dum Dums tracks, “Jail La La” and the aforementioned Dee Dee/Welchez duet “Blank Girl”.

And it is this that makes the difference, and indeed makes this album more than just a sum of its parts. Gottehrer’s involvement is a masterstroke, providing the materials and know-how necessary to bring Dee Dee’s vocals to the forefront, distinguishing each instrument, and effectively bringing the Girls out of the garage and into the spotlight. I Will Be is what many others in this newly minted throwback genre have aspired to create – a true representation of ‘that 60s sound’, an honest homage, and a refreshing reinterpretation. These girls ain’t so dum(b) after all.

Heart Of Dum

In Brendan's review of Dum Dum Girls gig a few weeks ago he mentioned comparisons to The Raveonettes. Almost in a response they've put this cover out... Great minds think a like?

Heart Of Stone (Raveonettes Cover) - Dum Dum Girls

Gig - Dum Dum Girls/A Grave With No Name - Lexington, 26.02.10

The ever-inventive White Heat @ The Lexington lined up another lively group of up and coming acts this evening, both of which I had heard a lot about and were very keen to see live. However, tonight’s bill proved to be a little underachieving, although both bands alluded to a load of potential.

I made it upstairs just in time for A Grave With No Name’s time slot – then waited around for half an hour – before the London boys took the stage. They apologised before announcing that their normal drummer couldn’t make it, so a friend was standing in. They then proceeded to play a very short set of their shoegaze rock, all the while taking on an air of cultured disdain. I was excited to see them after hearing favourable reviews of their latest LP Mountain Debris, but their set left me cold. I understand that a new percussionist brought in only a day or two before a gig limits the ability to cultivate the sounds they are known for, and to stamp their own sense of stage personality, but tonight they just didn’t bring it. Nevertheless I will look out for them in future – I’m a benefit of the doubt kinda guy…

This stood in good stead when the headline act sauntered on stage. The room swelled significantly as the four ladies from the U S of A grabbed their instruments and without further ado launched into their brand of surf.garage rock. They are very attractive – all dark hair, porcelain skin, slightly come hither – and their ‘rock uniform’ of choice this evening – tights, high heels, black and red garb, red lipstick - accentuated this notion. However – and this could have been coloured from my disappointment from the performance of the previous act – I was left a little cold and nonplussed by it all.

One of Subpop’s latest signings, Dum Girls are riding a wave of publicity that both a major independent label and being in the right place at the right time tends to generate. However, two things came glaringly to the fore tonight. Firstly, whilst the girls went methodically about recreating their style of fuzzy psyched out garage pop, Dee Dee holding many a man in thrall by her Medusa-like stare, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder as a severe case of déjà vu walked across my grave. The girls’ surfabilly rock stylings, set in stone faraway glances, slight swaying from side to side, exuded elements from another all girl group, Japan’s 5678’s. I kept expecting hordes of black clad Asian men in masks and kitaro swords to storm in on either side of the room and carve the clientele into Tarantino-sized slices of salami. And yet, tonight, this seemed like a disconcerting – nay, bad – thing. Why? Kill Bill is an uber cool film – the 5678s are an uber cool band – so why does the comparison irk me so? Because it was then that the second problem finally hit home. These girls, for all the hype and hyperbole, aren’t original. Hey, their music is good, as is evidenced by their current releases, either with decent production or on lo-fi efforts. But live you are caught with the idea that there are other, better bands bandying about doing the same thing – hello Vivian Girls! Looking at you, Raveonettes!

So, although the band left a nice aural aftermath in their wake as they walked off stage 45 minutes later to a moderate level of appreciative applause, I felt a little short changed. Nevertheless, they hit London hard this past couple weeks, playing 5+ shows, and are coming back in May. As I mentioned before, I’m a benefit of the doubt kind of guy. If they hammer the road as much as they did in the past week, I might expect bigger and brighter things from them performance-wise.

Dum te dum...

We're off to see Dum Dum Girls on Friday at the mighty Lexington, courtesy of White Light, should be good. A good dose of "blissed-out buzz saw" on a Friday night.

Anyway thought I'd pop up a taste in the form of their 'first' single, Jail La La, out on 7", buy it! Of course other Dum Dum Girls 7" and e.p. tracks have been floating around the web for a while but this is the first track from the forthcoming album 'I Will Be' out on Sub Pop at the end of March, one for the wish list then.

Are you lucky enough to be seeing them tomorrow at the The Old Blue Last or Thursday at Barden's Boudoir? There's also dates on Saturday - The Rest Is Noise, Brixton and Tuesday - Madame Jo Jo's.

Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La