https://www.cluas.com/indie-music RSS feeds for CLUAS Irish Indie Music 60 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/64/Adam-and-Darcie#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=64 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=64&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/64/Adam-and-Darcie   Adam and Darcie are a husband and wife team from Provo, Utah. Having released their debut The Valley Where I'm From, a couple of years ago, they recently signed to Irish record label Indiecater Records. Their new album California Trail is out on July 24th. The new album is out next week. How do you feel in relation to it and, perhaps, the public reacton to it? Confident? Nervous? A bit of both? Adam: The process of writing, recording, and producing the album was a wonderful yet demanding journey, so having it done and ready for people to hear (and hopefully enjoy) is a good place to be. I guess I'm also cautiously optimistic. These are some of the more personal songs we've released, but I hope they will resonate with others in a way that is unique and personal to them. Darcie: We've put a lot of time and emotion into the album and I'm indeed proud of it. That doesn't mean I think everyone is going to listen to it exclusively for the rest of their lives. I just have no reservations about it. I'm proud of it start to finish. How would you compare the two albums? Are you more proud of this than your first, or do you just see it as a separate entity to The Valley Where I'm From? A: They both have there own merits, but to compare them I'd say that The Valley Where I'm From was more of a collection of songs whereas I think California Trail is more of an album in the traditional sense of the word, with overarching themes and interwoven stories going on. I would also say that The Valley Where I'm From was more minimalist while California Trail was given more time in regards to production and arrangements.  D: The Valley has some definite personal highlights for me, but as an album I feel like California Trail is a more complete creature. And it's certainly a clearer reflection of where we are now in our lives. I hope as we continue to produce music, I feel the most connected to the recent project. You seem to have a revolving stage of supporting musicians. Does this ever get confusing or do they all slot seamlessly in? A: It's actually really nice in that everyone who plays with us is also a dear friend. And musically they're all very gifted so it's makes the changes fairly seamless. Sometimes the transience contributes to an energy that we'd consider a good thing. D: Anyone who has played in the band is like family, so I love the time we get to spend working with the different individuals. Most of us are still in transitional phases of life (finishing degrees, having children, pursuing careers) so no one is completely permanent, but they are all incredibly quick and intuitive musicians so the only challenge I see is not having enough parts to go around. You're being promoted in Ireland by Indiecater Records. Tell us something about the label and how your connection with them came about? A: We found out about Indiecater through our friends The Very Most. We came to find that the other bands on the label were also great and the support from Indiecater was sincere and enthusiastic. In speaking with Kevin we found that we were on the same page. He believes in the music he promotes and his the process from there is undiluted. It's also very much in line with Village Ten Collective, our label in the U.S. who share a similar approach and musical values. D: Indiecater has been really supportive of us and I feel so comfortable with Kevin on our side. His is the response I want everyone to have with the album.   Indiecater are an unusual record label in that all of their releases are digital. Is this something you approve of, or do you still hanker for the days of vinyl and cassette tapes? A: Digital releases are great in how rapidly they can broaden the reach of the music, and in that way we love it. I still appreciate physical copies, especially in regards to the artwork and the whole album experience. But I see them as options that are different and equally valid. D: I love that with a hard copy, if that's how people listen to it, they experience the album as a complete work. But the reality is, few people still use their hard copy; they just digitize it immediately and typically end up picking which songs they hear. While I hope people enjoy the songs as a related collection, I feel like digital is a beautifully practical way to do that. Being a husband and wife team while on the road, is there times where it gets slightly,(ahem), claustrophobic? A: A lot of great bands that we've had the privilege of playing with (Johan the Angel, Canoe, Drew Danburry, etc.) are actually in similar situations, with families and the like so we help each other out. D: Adam and I are pretty chill so the husband and wife dynamic never suffers but it's not always easy with kids. They deserve their space and routine. But as Adam said, it's the best when we're working with other artists who genuinely get that. And surprisingly, most do. You seem to have taken, if I may say so, a rather low budget approach to recording by committing almost everything to a laptop. In the future may you decide to go for a big studio production? A: Yeah, that's true. We also record in the spaces we live (living room, bedroom, etc.). And you can even hear our son a few times in the background on this album... it's very subtle but we don't mind its presence. I also remember the circumstances of most of the parts we recorded, and doing it in our home adds some additional meaning for me. I can see the advantages to a bigger studio production, but for now I really appreciate the creative opportunities that are afforded when you do things without major scheduling and budgeting restraints. D: For me, the main draw to a big studio production is allowing us to focus on our performances rather than the intricate art of producing. I prefer a slightly lo-fi sound to a polished one, but producing and engineering an album is its own art and it'd be brilliant to see what another mind could bring to our music. I was just wondering Darcie, if there was ever a time you got upset at the band being monikored Adam and Darcie? Did you ever throw a Paul Mcartney-esque strop and shout, "It should be called Darcie and Adam!"? D: Quite the opposite! I'm not shy, but I can get embarrassed if the focus is put on me. When I'm just singing on stage, I wish I had an instrument to hide behind. I've suggested a name with more anonymity but Adam and Darcie stuck. I truly do love to talk about our music and get to know people who like it, but I've always said I want people to love the music not me! Is there any plans to tour the album internationally? A: If the opportunity presents itself we would be ecstatic. D: As the ever worried mother, I'd really want it to be well planned so we're not crashing on the floor of someone's flat last minute. But again, as a mother I'd love nothing more than to experience Europe through our music as a family. And all our friends who've toured across the Atlantic have said that most Europeans are so warm to the music in comparison with our furrowed-browed countrymen.   What would you describe as the highlight of your career so far? What are the other ambitions you have left to fulfill? A: The highlight to me has been the reaction of the people I really care about and respect. Like when an artist I really admire praised our music. Friends and family I respect have also reacted in ways that have meant the world to me.  D: The one ambition I'm holding out for is to provide a life for our family through Adam and Darcie. But it's already so rewarding that even if our fan base never grew beyond what it is, we'd keep doing it for years to come. Releasing this album is the highlight for me. I'm just happy that this part of me will be out there for other peeps to experience.   Mark Townsend More ... Mark Townsend Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:64 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/328/Official-Secrets-Act-Understanding-Electricity#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=328 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=328&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/328/Official-Secrets-Act-Understanding-Electricity A review of the album 'Understanding Electricity' by Official Secrets Act Review Snapshot: Reasonable debut from the London art-rockers - with synth-stylings of the New Romantic era allied to the post-punk guitars of Franz Ferdinand, this release suggests a decent future for the group. However, given the lack of moments of true genius, one wonders if this album will truly catapult them into the indie stratosphere. The Cluas Verdict? 6.5 out of 10 Full Review: Good God, it’s like the ‘80s never went away. The last time the country struggled through such an economic crisis, the airwaves were populated by a plethora of dubiously-attired, synthesizer-based acts. Arriving on the scene with their meticulously-coiffed hair, Adam Ant facepaint and clipped English accents, it would be very easy to dismiss Official Secrets Act as an anachronism, a hark back to a bygone age of legwarmers and Spandau Ballet. (Although they’re back too, aren’t they?) Delve a little into their album, though, and one realises that, whatever about originality, there are enough tunes here to hold one’s attention. ‘Understanding Electricity’ opens with ‘Mainstream’, a reasonably catchy, mildly diverting piece of saccharine pop, but it’s not until the second track that the album really takes off. Powered by Alexander McKenzie’s fierce yet disciplined drumming, the single ‘So Tomorrow’ is one of the standout tunes. Possessing an insistent chorus, it might just be enough to keep this band around for a while, although, given the flaky nature of the music industry at present, that may be a forlorn hope. The songs are compact and well-produced, characterised by Thomas Charge Burke’s high-pitched singing and Lawrence Diamond’s inventive basslines. Throughout, there are frequent references to the group’s most beloved decade – ‘Hold The Line’, with its references to Japan and “playing guitar to Tears for Fears”, nails the (Official Secrets) act’s colours firmly to the mast. ‘Bloodsport’ is akin to a slowed-down version of A-Ha’s ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’. The highlight, however, is the epic ‘Momentary Sanctuary’. Opening with an ominous-sounding bass rumble, it’s a tune that simmers intently for three minutes before finally uncovering its true colours in the final two. As strings are introduced, the song segues into a fantasy-like sequence, with Lawrence Diamond stepping up most impressively to the microphone and delivering a beautiful, Chris Martin-like (no sniggering at the back) vocal. If there is to be a second album, we’ll have more of this please. The main stumbling block for this album, however, is the gimmicky nature of some of the music. Like alcohol, a synthesizer is all very well if used responsibly, but in recalling every cheap electronic sound from Depeche Mode to Erasure, Official Secrets Act have left themselves ripe for ridicule. Burke’s vocals, while distinctive, can grate on repeated listens. His lyrics can also display an annoying naivete at times: “Take me back to the mainstream”, he pleads on the opening track. Back, Thom? Probably best to arrive and leave first, before returning. In summary, it would be unfair to be overly harsh on ‘Understanding Electricity’. Slightly derivative and over-glossy fare it may be, but there are a lot more melodic hooks here than you would find on most bog-standard indie albums of today. And, in all honesty, if The Kooks can sell millions of records now, then why not these guys? Mark Townsend More ... Mark Townsend Mon, 04 May 2009 02:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:328 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/329/Silversun-Pickups-Swoon#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=329 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=329&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/329/Silversun-Pickups-Swoon A review of the album 'Swoon' by Silversun Pickups Review Snapshot: Competent but slightly dull sophomore release from the California-based four-piece. Following on from the success of ‘Carnavas’, their debut album, ‘Swoon’ is polished and well-played but lacks the irresistible hook of their early single ‘Lazy Eye’. The Cluas Verdict? 5.5 out of 10 Full Review: So long as Brian Aubert sings angst-filled lyrics in a reedy-voiced manner to the background of heavily-distorted guitars, there will always be a Smashing Pumpkins reference waiting to be mentioned when discussing Silversun Pickups. From the opposite side of America they may be, but aside from the voice, guitars, female bass player and the same initials (am I stretching this?) there was the gorgeous ‘1979’-esque mellow groove of their breakthrough single ‘Lazy Eye’. With their second release Silversun Pickups seem to have edged away slightly from early ‘90s American grunge and replaced it as a touchstone by the English shoegazing scene of the same era. Unfortunately, they appear to have also skimped on the classic rock songs that made them popular in the first place. The album begins promisingly enough with ‘There’s No Secrets This Year’. With its taut drumming and heavily-layered guitars, it echoes the work of British shoegaze revivalists My Vitriol. On a good day, of course. This then segues into ‘The Royal We’. Adding strings to their initial foundation, it’s a song you could imagine being sung by Evanescence, with lyrics about as emo as you could hope for. “How many times do you want to die?” asks Aubert. Well, just the once will do it for me, thanks. The musicianship of the group impresses throughout. 'Growing Old Is Getting Old' brings Pink Floyd-like guitars to the mix before bursting into a energetic if slightly predictable nu-metal-lite climax. Whatever the band is lacking, it’s not instrumental ability. A catchy chorus or killer melody, however, would not go astray. As it is, there is no standout track on the album that looks likely to surpass or even match the promise of their earlier releases. Lead single ‘Panic Switch’ is a good example of this - technically excellent, it is easy to admire but, given its cold and clinical nature, hard to love. ‘Substitution’ is probably the closest they come to replicating their initial success - think 'You Were My Last High' by The Dandy Warhols with slightly more urgency and higher-pitched vocals. But it still promises more than it eventually delivers, which is symptomatic of the album. While the Pickups possess certain ability and the occasional noteworthy riff, very rarely does this translate into a fully-formed coherent song. Instead, very often the idea is overplayed and overlong: containing only ten tracks, the album lasts for more than fifty minutes. The album closer ‘Surrounded Or Spiralling’ ends with a curious question: “Is it perfect in our little hell?” It’s a slightly misguided phrase; morose, carefully constructed yet frequently melodic, ‘Swoon’ never verges close to hell. Purgatory, however, seems a perfect place for where it is pitched. Mark Townsend More ... Mark Townsend Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:329 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/68/Official-Secrets-Act#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=68 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=68&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/68/Official-Secrets-Act An interview with Leeds-based Official Secrets Act Formed in 2006 in Leeds' Official Secrets Act are a new sharply dressed indie fourpiece. Combining the angular riffs of Franz Ferdinand with the synth-based melodies of the 80’s New Romantic era their new CD Understanding Electricity is out now.   The new album is out and you must be delighted with it. Was it an arduous process to record or was it quite easy and natural? The challenge with making a first album is whether you record the 12 best songs you've ever written as a band up until that point, or whether you select songs with the concept of an 'album' and some kind of consistency in mind. For us, with the recession kicking in and thoroughly disillusioned with the fruits of our education, we were determined to choose songs that we could use to combat our overwhelming scepticism, with romance and escapism. After that it was a question of pushing each song as far as it could go until it found its own place; somewhere that it was full and complete and capable of sailing away by itself.   We were bored of albums that were only consistent in terms of sound (more often than not a cynical attempt to cash in on some kind of Topshop endorsed fashion that is considered passé before the album is even released.) We wanted our album to be consistent in spirit and to be HONEST to our fans. Yes it was hard. We lost a lot of sleep and drank a lot of wine. But it was also one of the most exciting experiences of our lives.   The critical response to this album has been very positive. Is this something that is important to you or are you indifferent to it as long as the album sells? Of course we're happy that the album has had a positive critical response. Anything that creates an opportunity for us to connect with new fans is a happy moment for us. As long as we keep connecting with people, and they keep connecting with us we'll be happy. And this isn't an Orange commercial, this is a band in a van or a studio trying to create something honest and beautiful.   Could you give us a bit of background about the band? You originally started as a three piece in Leeds yes, and Michael was a late arrival? Leeds was the most exciting place to be in England in 2003 when we met there. The New Yorkshire scene was just finding its feet and everyone was in a band. We didn’t form OSA for a long time though. We were all playing in other bands and getting drunk at Blackwire gigs (and studying.) Sometimes people in music look down on us for having completed our degrees, as if we'd be far more interesting people if we hadn't read so much Shakespeare but had smoked more crack. Fuck that.   Anyway we formed a three piece and moved to London only to discover various forms of anger, disappointment, and disillusionment about what all our glorious education had been for. We knew that religion, politics and philosophy were fucked so we thought we might as well risk it all on popular culture.   We found a derelict flat above a bar in Manchester, quit our mind numbing jobs, rang Mike and asked if he wanted to join us and changed our lives. We played music 10 hours a day, cooked on a camp stove, slept on the floor, bought 7" singles from Piccadilly Records, drank free beer in the bar downstairs, watched Clash documentaries, went to parties at the Islington Mill and generally worked and played very hard.   Since then we've been a restless band. We don't like staying still. For all its brilliance London can be insular and self-satisfied with its scenes and cliques. We have broader horizons. We've just started touring in Europe and the wider our world gets the more our music makes sense.   The post punk reference has been brought up in relation to your music, acts such as Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads. Does it annoy you that you are tagged with this term and would you prefer if people focused on the more disparate sounds of your album? I think people will when they hear it. It’s a shame if people only want to listen to the singles, because we've made an album full of depth and variation. I think if people see us live they'll understand what we are doing and be inspired to invest a little time in it.   Another influence I gleaned from listening to you was perhaps the synth music of the 1980‘s. Are you influenced by the new romantic era in terms of music and indeed style? I think I saw a picture of Thomas on the internet looking very similar to Adam Ant with face paint. Yes we love the ambition of the 80s synth bands. This decade started with bands like the Libertines and White Stripes making gloriously ragged recordings and that has been the dominant indie aesthetic ever since. But it’s been copied by bands in enormous studio’s with enormous budgets who lack the spirit to pull it off. We are on an indie label, we tour in an old transit, but we decided it would be far more imaginative and independent to put our efforts into making something that sounds full and beautiful.   One thing I love about the new album is the track Momentary Sanctuary where there are two lead singers. I love when a band has more than one singer as I feel listening to one voice for a whole album, no matter how good he or she is,(and Thomas has a very fine voice)can become slightly repetitive. Will there be more of a chance for Alexander or Lawrence or Michael to sing on future releases? Lawrence will assume all lead and backing vocal responsibilities as of 16:34, 7/6/2009.   How is Alexander coping after his accident? Has your faith in cycling being knocked(for want of a better word) by the incident or are you still as committed to it as ever? Have forwarded this question to Al... He’ll let you know! Alexander’s response: No, I still want to cycle. In London there's just no alternative for someone like me, for whom even getting around by bus is a bit too expensive. And it means I don't feel like I have to go to the gym. I fucking hate gyms. So I may be recovered fully some time before the end of the summer. Who knows?? I certainly don't.   What is your plan for the rest of the year and your hopes for the album? We’re about to finish our own UK tour (very excited about Irish dates!) and then we are going on tour with the Rakes in the UK. After that we are doing a European tour with Art Brut and some headline dates of our own in Germany and Holland. And of course there are the festivals: Great Escape, Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Belladrum (and plenty more) Our hopes for the album are simply that people will enjoy it and come to our shows. Music is a celebration. Dance, cry, shout, scream, whatever. Official Secrets Act is a world of its own and everyone is invited. Mark Townshend Official Secrets act play Roisin Dubh in Galway on April 16 and Academy 2 in Dublin on Saturday April 18 More ... Mark Townsend Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:68 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/71/Larry-Beau#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=71 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=71&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/71/Larry-Beau Larry Beau, or Declan Burke as he is known to some, is a singer/songwriter from Galway. A singular and unique talent on the Irish music scene he is a man of many guises. A wandering minstrel with baroque tendencies(if you will) Larry’s sound is a difficult one to pin down. It’s best to listen yourself and form your own definition. Tell us about the album. How long you worked on it? What snags you hit along the way, and how did you overcome them? Looking back now, is there anything you'd change? After about 5 different titles I finally settled for I Dream of Tiger Rose. The album is back from duplication now so it’s unlikely that I’ll fickle my way towards another name change. It took me a while to be satisfied with the final canvas but now I think I have an album that will age pretty well, something that I won’t drop-kick with shame 3 months down the line. I aimed for a music project that was old and new at the same time, a melody world that would chime away ignoring the loneliness of taste tantrums and fashion whims. Of course, that’s not for me to decide, but I can wish for it surely. I’ve been working on the album for the past 4 years. The normal restrictions and frustrations of a shoe –string budget, and sometimes none at all, were part and parcel of the project, but along the winding road the songs themselves got time to ripen and mature. Good friends, generous strangers and part time work kept the dimes dropping in the slot machine. I’d like to be building an album a year with a patron who trusts your vision. That’s as lofty and foolish a statement as you’ll get, but it’s a gentle dream nonetheless. I can’t change the length of my footsteps in my past but I’ll try to enjoy each step in the future. Time is sorely precious so its best keep your mind on the promise of a new dawn.   Do you still wince whenever you are referred to as a Goth? Is your image more consciously glam rock for the new album? I’m not so sure about the image thing. I try to present myself as a Minstrel. I could be dapper white today and a black- tooth gypsy tomorrow. Whatever catches your eye in a charity shop, or a fake oriental arcade. I’ll buy a hat for a tenner and spend a week decking it out with feathers and stolen diamonds. Someone might admire it after a little show and you give it to them. The next day you’ll find a new look, a different dream of glad-rag. Goth, glam rock, gypsy, beggar, bard. You have a lifetime to drag the skeleton though them all and come up with a few strange hybrids along the way, even if you do look like a walking circus.   There’s quite a baroque feeling to your music. Where did you derive the inspiration for this? Does your voice naturally lend itself to such a style of music? I could answer that easily if I knew exactly what baroque meant. I suppose the harpsichord suggests that era, but I would hope the music is not as stiff and regal as classical baroque. I’m a pop artist really. We are all thieves from the great composers of the past, whether we know it or not. We are watered down versions of the masters of composition. If Chopin rose from the grave he would laugh himself to madness at our dainty little attempts to express and induce emotion through melody. I’m happy enough with my own attempts, but I’d be scuttling away up a tree if the heavyweights ghosted a return. I can croon my way blindly around most melodies whether it’s suitable or not, so long as there is feeling.     If you don’t mind me saying so, your look on the video for 'Karma Blue' is very similar to Noel Fielding of the Mighty Boosh. So is it a case that you copied him or he copied you?   Karma Blue was shot in 2004, a few years before the Mighty Boosh, I think. I don’t watch TV, but I’m still vaguely familiar. It’s impossible not to be, in a visually claustrophobic society. I doubt their troupe of designers have ever seen Karma Blue, but they should have a look!   What was it like performing with the San Francisco Omni circus? How did it come about that you got to work for them and would you consider doing it again? It was a formative strangely exciting period. I was in San Francisco looking for a place to live. I brought my guitar to this back street theater shop and sang a few ditties to the robot ringmaster and his well heeled lover. They seemed to like it and soon I was performing in their show with just a long shirt, a pair of cowboy boots and feather in my cap. I slept under the chairs in the theatre loft, to the soundtrack of junkies and thieves. The theatre space was cluttered with the owner’s robots and apocalyptic paintings. There was also a gigantic black cat and an 18 year old miniature doggy called Irene trotting around the artistic junkyard. It was summer time, little money and the hope of something new. I met a musical saw-playing soprano called Cynthia Weyuker who performed with The Punk Rock Orchestra at the time. We kept in touch and did some shows together. She plays on the new album. I might go back for a few shows next year if they need a dandy minstrel.   Outside of your music do many people call you “Larry” or are you still referred to as Declan? If people are feeling frivolous I hear Larry. I have now become a little nervous when I hear my birth name. It’s probably a bank, tax or welfare official on the phone and you know that can’t be good. Suddenly there’s lots of crackling and hissing sounds on the line and a “can’t hear you very well, coverage is bad”, then nothing but the sound of sweet silence, except for a beating heart. Larry is best. It takes the nasty reality out of life.   Your music seems to be quite different from anything else on the Irish scene at the moment. Do you appreciate and derive any inspiration from any current Irish (or international) music or do you distance yourself from it? I walked into Road Records yesterday. There were oodles of Irish albums spread in front of me. I blushed like a ruby red apple. I recognized little to none. I’m completely out of touch. I listen to songwriting gems of a fading era. Cohen Waits, Dylan, Kate Bush. I was introduced to the mighty lungs of the late Odetta last year. Classical music is oxygen for the ears. Old Blues. Old folk.   What are your hopes for this album and your plans for the rest of the year? To sell it after shows, to flog it on the street to anyone willing to swap it for dimes and to get some reviews for the website. I hope not to see it in the bargain basket of a charity shop next month.. Some festivals, some high class busking around Europe and to find some diamonds in the gutter for the next album   Larry Beau’s new album I Dream of Tiger Rose is launched on the 21st of this month with a show in The Sugar Club in Dublin. Mark Townsend More ... Mark Townsend Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:71 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/333/Peter-Doherty-GraceWastelands#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=333 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=333&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/333/Peter-Doherty-GraceWastelands A review of the album 'Grace/Wastelands' by Peter Doherty Review Snapshot: Rambling acoustic album from the pen of Peter (not Pete anymore) Doherty. Devoid of the energy and drive of his earlier work, this is a meandering, middle of the road piece which, despite occasional moments of elegance, is frequently bogged down by dull mid-tempo acoustic guitars and Doherty’s increasingly unclear vocal delivery. The Cluas Verdict?  5 out of 10 Full Review: You always run the risk when mentioning the name of Mister Pete(r) Doherty of offending someone. He has always been, and one suspects always will be, a name that divides public opinion. To some he is nothing other than a genius. To others he is merely a talentless junkie. But one charge that can be levelled at the man, and which even his most ardent fans may struggle to dispute, is that he has never produced a consistently brilliant piece of work. Even his best albums with The Libertines and Babyshambles seemed to mirror the drug use that has dogged his career, blessed with the ecstatic highs of exquisitely written songs but also cursed with the deep depressions of incoherent half-sketched ditties. On his most recent album with Babyshambles Doherty appeared to clean his act up somewhat. If it lacked moments of genuine class, at the very least it was consistent. Continuing with the same producer, Stephen Street, for his first solo record Doherty works off the template of ‘Shotter’s Nation’. Which is to say there are few enough embarrassingly bad songs on ‘Grace/Wastelands’. But then, neither can you say it contains any exceptionally good ones. The opening song, ‘Arcady’, is one of the album’s best, even though it’s still quite a whimsical piece that carries none of the emotional punch of a ‘Time For Heroes’ or a ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’. Aside from a few flourishes from Blur’s Graham Coxon, there is precious little electric guitar on this album. Instead, every track follows a similar pattern of mid-tempo acoustic guitar, husky singing and soft percussion. It is a formula that works on occasion. The single ‘Last Of The English Roses’, despite a shambolic rendition on The Late Late Show, is quite impressive. Apart from that, highlights are thin enough on the ground. The lyrics, which Doherty continually views as his strongpoint, are frequently indecipherable. His slurred vocals can appear enigmatic and appealing when the music is strong, but frequently irritating when, as in this case, a majority of the songs are weak. While never plummeting to the depths of Babyshambles’ most risible moments (witness ‘Pentonville’ on ‘Down in Albion’), there are some cringeworthy tracks included. ‘The Sweet By And By’ is a song that sounds similar to Lou Reed‘s less-inspired songs off ‘Transformer’. Awash with boozy trumpets and tinkly piano, it shows that whatever Doherty’s future may hold in the indie rock genre, there is little room for him in jazz circles. Inevitably Doherty’s old sparring partner, the supposedly malevolent force of Wolfman, is present. His co-contribution, ‘Broken Love Song’ is actually one of the stronger efforts here, echoing their previous collaboration ‘For Lovers’ in ways, if not to the same high standard. Another former colleague, Carl Barat, assists on ‘A Little Death Around The Eyes’ but this is about as memorable as some of his post-Libertines work. The album is also marred by the similar nature of so many of the tunes. One could listen through it a number of times and frequently not be able to distinguish the ending of one song from the beginning of the next. There is still a case to be made for Doherty being one of the foremost songwriters of his generation, but for evidence you would be better advised to lean towards “The Best Of The Libertines” compilation before directing someone to listen to this. The word “junkie” is one that has been thrown at him so much you would imagine it’s akin to water off a duck’s back by now. But the accusation of being talentless is one that could easily be levelled at him by a newcomer to his music on hearing ‘Grace/Wastelands’. And that, no doubt, would hurt Doherty a lot more. Mark Townsend More ... Mark Townsend Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:333