J. Tillman is from Seattle, he used to play drums in a post-rock band called Saxon Shore, but left after one album. Soon after he started writing and performing singer/songwriter type music, mixing folk, country and blues, releasing a couple of limited release and not widely well known albums.

Now, I hesitate to use the word ‘sensitive’ because of various negative connotations that it has accrued over the last decade or so, but when I first heard ‘Darling Night’, the first track off Minor Works, it was what immediately came to mind. There is a fragility and a hurt in Tillman’s voice that can knock you flat the first time you hear it, and it embodies some of the best things I look for when listening to country/Americana influenced music. His voice is strong, but high up in the register and with the ability to pull out a thinness when needed. A country twang hovers just out of sight and there is a strong but indefinable, (to this English guy, anyway), American accent. That’s not all, because there is also a stoic solidity in there too, borne out in the lyrical content as well as the delivery, hardly ever do you sense that the guy is feeling sorry for himself, he just talks about the realities and the sadness of relationships and life sans schmaltz. Continue Reading

Photographs by Bryan Bruchman

I have a confession to make. My name is Ro Cemm, and I am addicted to big bands. It started when going to see Godspeed!, moved on to following the Polyphonic Spree round the country, and then to begging the End of The Road people to bring over a then unheard of 26 peice twee pop band from Sweden going by the name of I’m From Barcelona. Throw in The Young Republic (12 piece when I met them) and Sons of Noel and Adrian, and I think it is fair to say I have a fairly strong habit.

Imagine my delight then when I stumbled across Athens, GA Dark Meat then. Here was a band who, depending on numbers changed even the length of their name. While Dark Meat is the core band section, they have also gone under the brilliant/ disgusting ‘Dark Meat and the Vomit Lasers Family Band’. Another act to come out of the Orange Twin community, a 150 acre Eco-Community near Athens, which provides support for artists by providing an affordable place to record and sell records, artworks and the like. The band feature members of other Orange Twin residents Olivia Tremor Control, We Versus The Shark and Elf Power amongst its masses.

The sound then: imagine Speedo from Rocket From The Crypt infiltrating the Polyphonic Spree, and converting them to his good time, larynx shredding rock n’ roll with horns sound, but then letting the horn section indulge in their love of Ayler, Sun Ra and Free Jazz. Phew. Song after song the horn section bellows out and drives along the organised chaos, the joyful, sing along rock and roll and beckons in the good times, with no doubt a whiskey or two into the bargin. If the bands debut album, ‘Universal Indians’ (released on the Orange Twin label in 2006, but shortly to be re-issue by Vice), was all like this, it might perhaps become old hat. However, halfway through they throw in the deliciously titled ‘Angel of Meth’, by far the ‘cleanest’ cut on the record, which comes on all Phil Spector drum lines and glorious nearly-there harmonies and some fine pedal steel. As for the title, there’s more where that title came from, see ‘Assholes for Eyeballs’, or the shout-at-the-top-of-your-lungs ‘Well Fuck You Then’. Predictably, they follow this with more RFTC meets the Stones rama-lama on ‘One More Trip’, which seems to take the idea of ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, and mix it with some sour-mash and some moonshine and see what happens (for the record there are even some ‘whoo-oo-oo’s on it’).There’s even time to fit in a droning, sitar laden psychedelic workout into the mix as well, swirling round into near white noise by the end of the record, the saxaphones squeal, bells jangle and a glorious mess of noise brings the record to an end.

If the photos from their flickr account are to to be believed, the live show is quite something to be seen as well. Having bought Universal Indians in late 2006, and telling as many people about it as I could, I still keep going back to it, and am glad that hopefully more people will get to listen to it thanks to the forthcoming reissue.

The lead track off Universal Indians, ‘Freedom Ritual’ is available to download over at Vice. Do yourself a favour and have a listen.

While the big names like Joan Armatrading, k.d. lang, Billy Bragg and The Levellers need little introduction, there are always some less familiar names on the bill of the Cambridge Folk Festival that are easily missed, while often ending up as highlights for those lucky enough to catch them. And it’s a long way from being a full-on ‘diddly diddly’ weekend either, despite what the name implies. Tickets for this year’s Festival go on sale on May 11 and sell out in about five minutes flat. Here’s the pick of this year’s under card: Continue Reading

It’s an Official TLOBF endorsed TV show, Hereos is back on the BBC. Hoorah!

Those lovely people over at Way To Blue PR company have given us 10 copies of the Original Soundtrack to the show, featuring brand new tracks from the likes of Iggy Pop, Wilco, Nada Surf, Death Cab For Cutie and The Jesus and Mary Chain, to name but a few.

The HEROES Original Soundtrack is available to buy now on iTunes and with other digital physical retailers now.

So, what have you got to do to get a copy? Email competition@thelineofbestfit.com with the subject line of "We Don’t Need Another Hero " and the first 10 mails will get it!

I’m afraid this is only open to our UK readers… sorry!

If you believe The Buggles, “Video killed the Radio Star”. Well, I’m afraid to say, they were wrong. Radio is, in my opinion at least, having a bit of a renaissance at the moment. The advent of digital and web radio has seen the number of stations on offer explode, whilst MTV and VH-1 have taken to showing endless repeats of Pimp My Ride and documentaries on Whitney Houston. But I’m straying from the point. Thanks to Huw Stephens, a fellow Welshman (so obviously an all-round great person), played a track one evening that sent me into a bit of a tiz. It was ‘Other cars Go’ by It Hugs Back . Now, I didn’t realise this at first because I missed the intro, so the next day I had to trawl through the filth that is the Radio 1 website to find the playlist… And lo and behold, it was in front of me; It Hugs Back. What a rubbish name… Continue Reading

Home to such fine, fine names as House Of Brothers, Yndi Halda, This Town Needs Guns and the now defunct Meet Me In St Louis, Big Scary Monsters records are just about to unleash their 50th release! A rarity in the rollercoaster world of independent labels. Good on them we say. To mark this very, very special occasion they are releasing a very nifty MP3 compilation CD, featuring yup, you guessed it, 50 of their favourite tracks from their archives. The tracklisting is a feast to behold: Continue Reading

Plus: Times New Viking, High Places, Bon Iver, Elf Power, HEALTH, Mahjongg, Icy Demons, Titus Andronicus, Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar

Bravo Windy City! Bravo! The lineup for the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival– blasting minds at Chicago’s Union Park July 18-20– is officially complete. And it looks very impressive.
Pitchfork filled out out Friday’s Don’t Look Back festivities (held in conjunction with All Tomorrow’s Parties), with lo-fi indie rock juggernauts Sebadoh, who will perform their soon-to-be-reissued 1993 album Bubble and Scrape in its entirety. They join Mission of Burma, toring through Vs., and Public Enemy, turning back the clock on the crowd with 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Continue Reading

I hate dogs. If I had my way, each and every dog in this fair nation of ours would be rounded up and shipped to a little island of their own. There, they could merrily sniff each other’s backsides and I would never be bothered by them again. Don’t worry, if you have a dog, I would let you visit it. I am not that much of a Nazi. I would allow one boat a day to sail to the island (I haven’t thought of a name for dog island yet, so if you have any suggestions, let me know). Every dog would be tied to an incredibly long lead, fastened to a massive lamp-post at the harbour. So, to see the dog of your choice, you just pull on the relevant lead until that particular hound is snuffling round your feet. Easy. Continue Reading

While Gothenburg (or Goteborg if you’re a local) plays second fiddle to the rather more glamorous Stockholm in terms or tourism, it’s got a massive student population, a great bar scene and is home to one of the best up-and-coming festivals in Europe, Way Out West.

Held in Slottsskogen, a massive, beautiful park on the edge of the city, as well as in the city’s clubs and venues, Way Out West runs from August 8-9 as a three-stage outdoor event, with live music and club Djs at a host of venues from August 7-9 included in the price (although they’re first come, first served, which could be interesting).

Alongside some top Swedish talent, including Jose Gonzalez, the big pulls include Nick Cave’s Grinderman, Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, The Sonics, Franz Ferdinand and Sigur Ros. There’s also The National, N.E.R.D., Iron & Wine, Lightspeed Champion, Yeasayer and a whole bunch of others.

There’s no camping, so you’ll have to find somewhere to stay in the city, but there’s really good transport links to the park – in fact it’s a walk if you’re central. Ryanair flies to a field about 15 miles from the city (don’t they always?), while Stockholm is about three hours away in a fast car (or on a train).

Festival tickets are 1,295 Swedish Kronor, which is about £110, and they cover the outdoor and club events. We’ll keep you posted if any other big names are added to the bill.

Visit the official site at http://www.wayoutwest.se

I discovered Doncaster’s finest (OK, I’m guessing here), Toykult, via a random friends invitation on mySpace – love it or loathe it, it has its uses - and I immediately took to their playful brand of dancy electronica. While there was an obvious sophistication, there was also a good dose of northern humour thrown in and while there was a dark, almost gothy edge to many of the tunes, they were also undeniably danceable.

The closest comparison I can think of is the mighty Renegade Soundwave, which is high praise from me - they were one of the bands that drew me to the indie/dance crossover thing in the late 80s, and their album In Dub is still a regular in my CD player. RS were cited as a major influence by The Chemical Brothers, and are seen as a forerunner of both big beat and drum ‘n’ bass. Not a bad CV. Continue Reading

Once in a while an album comes along that, right from the first bars, that makes itself so cozily at home on your shelf it feels like you’ve owned it for years. Wilco and Billy Bragg did it with Mermaid Avenue, but they had a slight advantage in the form of fame, fortune (relatively speaking) and thousands of unpublished Woody Guthrie songs to work with. If you’re the Family Machine though, a debut from four lads from Oxford who’ve been playing together barely 18 months, it’s another. It curls up on your hearth like a tabby mog and is just as reluctant to budge.

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The famous Donington Park motor racing circuit first flirted with all things heavy metal back in 1980 when the Monsters Of Rock festival was born. Bands of the calibre of Rainbow and Judas Priest (who are making what is hoped to be a triumphant return this year) dragged in the headbangers from far and wide. It was such a success that it became an annual event remaining quiet for only a few years here and there. A Day At The Races and Ozzfest lit it up in subsequent years before the Download festival grabbed it firmly by the nutsack in 2003, adding an extra stage to support the incredible line-up of bands wanting to play and dragging more punters in than ever before.

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Cats In Paris are named after a scene from a dream in which a giant cat with paws the size of dump trucks scales the Eiffel Tower like a feline King Kong, swiping away helicopters like flies as it’s huge claws lock over the girders… imagine it, this monstrous beast, with a purr that feels like an earthquake, tectonic blinking lids sliding over it’s vast green eyes, and that sinister cat smile that says “I’m going to eat you, sure - but I’m gonna play with you first”.

The only thing nearly as frightening in the music of Cats In Paris is the similarly vivid level of imagination at play. They meld together a seemingly endless series of sonic textures - sweeping strings with chimes and glockenspiel, synth and recorder, chugging bass and acrobatic percussion, sweet instrumental breakdowns and ragged shoutalongs - into beautifully complex and wonky indie-pop anthems.

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Ahh… April, Spring is finally in the air, the snow has melted and the nights get lighter. It’s my favourite time of the year. So, it’s probably apt that I get to write The Look Out Post for this month. And there’s some good stuff to look forward to as well…

Starting on a purely musical front, I’ve been enjoying the third album from Canadian’s Ladyhawk, Shots. They’re take on the dirtier, darker side of Indie-Americana has had me hooked. I’ve not heard an opening salvo of songs as good as this for along time. Sure, it tails off a bit, but it’s worth it for that momentous start. Also worth hearing is the sophomore effort from The Long Blondes. Couples sees the band embrace some more 80’s synth pop, trying to find Blondies elusive pop key. I’m not sure it works all the time, but it’s a brave change of direction from a band who did guitar-pop so well first time around.

However, this month does see the release of two essential albums for 2008; Frightened Rabbit and Tindersticks. Frightened Rabbit’s second follows hot on the heals of last years, very promising, debut. Bringing to mind early Idlewild with lyrics dealing with stuff a little more down to earth. It’s a robust record, the production tighter and more focused yet the songs have more space to breath, revolving around some serious riffs and wailing vocals. The Tindersticks record is a very different affair. A more laid back, gentler album that still focuses on the great vocals of Stuart Staples. It’s a beautiful record that sounds completely out of time.

Gig-wise it’s a quieter month. As Rich Thane and I gear up for ATP next month, I’ve only got the glories of The Long Blondes, Frank Turner and, hopefully, A Silver Mt Zion to look forward to.

However, some exciting news on that front is that Cambridge promoter Greenmind and us, The Line of Best Fit, are going to hook up to provide some shows in the bastion of Cambridge music, The Portland Arms. More info as and when we’ve got our diaries out, but keep your eyes peeled for flyers and adverts soon.

Away from music, reading is one of my major relaxing past times. Having read a mixture of autobiography and fiction recently, I’m going to embark on this hefty tome: “Redemption Song”: The Definitive Biography of Joe Strummer. Apparently it’s pretty exhaustive and covers everything. As I missed “Everything is Unwritten” in the cinema, this’ll have be the best next thing. I’m also hoping to get a copy of Neil Young’s “Shakey” too. After seeing him at Hammersmith last month, I seem to have become even more obsessed with the great man…

The other thing about April is the change in TV scheduling. As I wait, with baited breath, for the new series of Doctor Who (which starts on Saturday!!), Torchwood is coming to its conclusion. A funny ‘ole program, it’s never quite achieved the heights of it’s originator, and it’s never settled on what it wants to be. However, what has been excellent is the new series from the guy behind The Sopranos; Mad Men. Best thing I’ve seen on TV for years - it’s setting, of an Ad agency in 50’s New York, is perfectly realised and the story arc is still unfurling, never revealing too much and keeping me completely hooked.

California may not be as inexorably linked to surf music as it was before the collapse of The Beach Boys but tenuous threads still connect the waves with the Golden State. The Botticellis’ debut, aptly titled Old Home Movies, is a shimmering analog paean to sun-bleached daydreaming. And like those Super 8 movies your parents dust off, the grainy pictures blur at the edges. Movies was recorded at Tiny Telephone at at the ensemble’s communal home in the foggy Outer Richmond district in San Francisco. Guest musicians include violinist Anton Patzner (Bright Eyes) and Jason Quever (Papercuts), who played drums on one song and helped the band commit the album to analog tape.

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“Pushing thru the market square, so many mothers sighing
News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in
News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying
Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying”

If there is a greater album opener than this song, I am yet to find it. ‘Five Years’ represents Bowie at his very best, at his most challenging and artistic, opening his most flamboyant album to date with a song that at first sounds rather dour and oppressive. The brilliance though is in the writing, defying you not to imagine your own thoughts in similar circumstances. Five years is actually a long time. In the year of writing, 2013 is quite a way ahead, a mythical, far off land. Should news of the earth’s demise in that year come through today, you can imagine similar events unfolding.

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What do you get when you mix together Trunk Records co-founder (Stephen Cracknell), a member of Tunng (Sam Genders), one half of the Fence Collective duo The Bicycle Thieves (Hannah Caughlin) and the singer-songwriter Liam Bailey? The answer is the wonderfully hypnotic melodrama of The Accidental. Continue Reading

The Word magazine this month features an excellent interview with the wonderful Elvis Costello where, amongst other things, they discuss his substantial music collection. A rabid purchaser of records and CD’s, he recounts a recent tale of spending some $700 in one trip to a store, adding to the ever growing library already assembled. A few years back, a house move from the UK to the US caused Costello to take stock of his possessions, and how tiresome it would be to have to ship everything to his new home. So, to address this, he performed what he called a culling – taking a sizeable chunk of mostly jazz recordings from his music museum and donating it to a student library. This was no piddling donation – some 10,000 items were handed over in a philanthropic gesture that must have cost him upwards of a hundred thousand pounds. Although I am sure it didn’t happen this way, I like to imagine him lugging boxes from the back of his car, into the arms of beaming students, all the while thinking to himself: “why on earth did I buy all these in the first place”. Continue Reading

London/New Zealand band The Veils have released two albums in two different incarnations – 2001’s The Runaway Found and 2006’s Nux Vomica - the common denominator for both being tortured-soul frontman Finn Andrews.

Andrews (son of XTC and Shriekback’s Barru Andrews) has one of modern music’s genuinely impressive and distinctive voices, and an intense-yet-frail beauty to accompany it. Often coming across like a croaking impassioned torch singer, he is probably one of those performers that you’ll either hate or totally fall for, and is – if anything – more intense when seen live than on record.

The subject matter that the band covers manages to be simultaneously theatrical and gritty, successfully negotiating the no-mans’ land between high drama and melodrama.  From The Runway Found, check out ‘My Guiding Light’, ‘The Tide That Left And Never Came Back’ or ‘The Nowhere Man’.  From Nux Vomica – arguably the greater of the two albums – check out pretty much every track, but with particular attention to the overwrought opener ‘Not Yet’, ‘Calliope!’, the touching yet rather depressing ’Advice For Young Mothers To Be’ and the regretfully nostalgic ‘The House Where We All Live’.  

This band are a dark, intense and mysterious delight, and left an awed crowd at London’s Borderline almost stunned into silence when they played last year.  Give way to your darker side and investigate them further.

Toumani Diabaté is one in a long line of Malian musicians or griots. Reknowned for their musicianship and vocal skills, members of his family have accompanied warriors on to the battle field to document the event in song for centuries. These griots were a counterpart to the western idea of a bard, a musical CNN, telling tales of battles, births, deaths, marriages and continuing to pass down the Mande folklore of West Africa. Although no longer documenting battles, the Diabaté Family has maintained its storytelling reputation. Diabaté father, Sidiki Diabaté was considered the ‘King of the Kora’, and was responsible for the first recorded album of Kora music in 1970. Too busy touring and recording to pass down his knowledge to his son, Toumani began to teach himself how to play, giving his first live appearance aged just 13. Since then he has continued to play the roots music of Mali, while also fusing it with more Western influences such as flamenco, jazz and blues. Continue Reading