I’ve always felt a bit sorry for poor Alela Diane. A supremely talented individual, she’s had the extreme misfortune to emerge from the mountains of California at the same time as hipster-beloved harpist Joanna Newsom – and from the moment Joanna started her unwieldy squeaking on 2004’s The Milk-Eyed Mender, there seemed no hope of Alela’s altogether more temperate brand of folk music, holding the attention of the public for more than a few, passing seconds.
Continue Reading

Alela Diane is about to embark on her first proper tour around the UK [you can catch her at Cambridge (09/09), Bristol (10/09), Cardiff (11/09), Exeter (13/09), Birmingham (16/09) & London Shepherd’s Bush Empire (17/09)] and whilst she’s here, she’s going to blog about her travels…
Continue Reading

Nevada City is a township of just over 3,000 in rural Northern California but one that has been populated by artists, hippies, Senators, actors, poets and writers. It also was the home of the first Californian Gold Rush where a huge seam of gold was discovered by prospectors, “found by the old buzzards who roamed the hills” like those in Central City from On The Road.

Alela Diane is one of the souls that inhabit Nevada City. This is important because Diane’s music is rooted in traditional forms of American music. Her ouevre is an evocation of pine covered mountainsides, miners shacks, campfires with beans and franks cooking, plateaus and plains. The Sierra Nevada is deep in Steinbeck country, so these associations aren’t unwarranted and Diane certainly draws upon the topography of California. There is something so evocative for a non-American of these paradigms of Americana that is hard to keep from being swept along by utterances such as “California hills could surely welcome us back home”.
Continue Reading

Photographs by Annah Legg

So you’re having a bunch of shows in Hyde Park, during the (brief) height of the Great British summer, and what do you do? Why stick it in a tent, of course. Granted, everyone would be eternally grateful if, true to form, it was pissing it down tonight,  but it’s not and it seems a damn shame having to shuffle inside a big old circus tent when it’s so nice lazing around outside on the grass. Which may explain why there’s a fairly small crowd for folk-tress Alela Diane, tonight’s main support act. Those who did head inside were rewarded though, as she delivered a warm, glowing rendition of highlights from her debut To Be Still. With her dad on mandolin duties, and a full band, she pulled of a gloriously golden sound that rivalled soaking up the sun outside.

The tent did, of course, fill up though, as Bon Iver took to the stage around 8:45pm. Opening with a long, anticipation-building intro to ‘Lump Sum’, it was a fairly low-key beginning to the proceedings, even by his low-key standards. But after he’d eased in gently he whipped out that battered old steel guitar and smacked the audience round the face, dropping what must’ve been the track most them bought their ticket for –  the trademark ‘Skinny Love’. It wasn’t wasted early on in the set though, but set a very very high bar for the rest of the show, which Bon Iver cleared easily. And, of course, it was bloody beautiful. There was a rare outing for’ Brackett, W9’, featured on the Dark Was The Night compilation. The warm, fuzzy guitar sounds combined with swelling vocals were lovely to hear live, and then progressed surprisingly well into ‘Blood Bank’, as though the two songs were brothers. Continue Reading

My Bloody Valentine

H-O-L-Y-S-H-I-T

Check out the lineup for this years Primavera Festival. Full details in the official press blurb below.

Barcelona, 18th of February 2009 – Once again, the best of international independent music will meet in the Parc del Fòrum of Barcelona. The festival, which this year will take place from the 28th until the 30th of May, maintains its eclectic quality by presenting an array of artists, who stand out in the originality and quality of their performances. The festivalgoers will witness an amazing display of talent from the participating bands.

This new edition of Estrella Damm Primavera Sound will be marked by the double performance of My Bloody Valentine, the mythical band of the 90s who made a comeback last year, by the visit of Sonic Youth with their new record, the classics of indie rock Yo La Tengo, the elusive electronic music of Aphex Twin, the ex lead singer of Pulp, Jarvis Cocker and the British band Bloc Party.

In the section of artists with a long history are artists of the calibre of The Jayhawks and the return of one of the most important bands of post punk: A Certain Ratio. Joe Henry (selected by Rockdelux as best concert of 2008) and the veteran Michael Nyman will also perform at the festival. Other influential artists who will be there in the Forum from the 28th to the 30th of May are Shellac, the Black Lips revitalizing punk, the frontman of Grandaddy Jason Lytle, the mythical and overpowering The Jesus Lizard, Magnolia Electric Co, from France, Phoenix, the Sonic Boom Spectrum, the kings of drone metal Sunn O))), Kimya Dawson or the hardcore Fucked Up.

Every year we try to include a high number of bands playing in Spain for the first time and this year among the chosen ones are: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Crystal Stilts, Girls, Lemonade, Sleepy Sun, Shearwater and Carsick Cars, a young band from China, protégés of Sonic Youth.

The national bands, which will increase in the next few weeks, include Extraperlo and The Lions Constellation launching their debut LPs, the comeback of Veracruz with one of the records of the year, the psychedelic metal of Cuzo and the robust post hardcore of Rosvita.

The area of more experimental sounds is covered by artists such as Ariel Pink and Marnie Stern, the unbeatable duo Lightning Bolt or what promises to be the concert of the 2009 edition, Dan Deacon with an ensemble of 15 musicians presenting his new record.

Electronic music and hip hop still have their space in the Estrella Damm Primavera Sound with the visit of the rapper Ghostface Killah, a live performance by Squarepusher, the revelation Ebony Bones, the captivating eclecticism of Girl Talk, the ever efficient EL-P and dance music from DJs like A-Trak (Dj of Kanye West and the coolest hip hop agitator) and Michael Mayer.

The full festival tickets for Estrella Damm Primavera Sound 2009 can be purchased for 115 € (+ booking fee) up until February 22th. The full festival tickets will cost 130 € (+ booking fee) from February 23rd.

The only official ticketing companies are: the entire Tick Tack Ticket network, the CD Drome shops in Barcelona and Madrid, Seetickets UK, Fnac France and PayPal through the festival website.

CONFIRMED ARTISTS: A-Trak, A Certain Ratio, Alela Diane, Andrew Bird, Angelo Spencer, Aphex Twin, Ariel Pink, Art Brut, The Bad Plus, Bat For Lashes, Black Lips, Bloc Party, Bowerbirds, The Bug, Carsick Cars, Crystal Antlers, Crystal Stilts, Cuzo, Chad VanGaalen, Damien Jurado, Dan Deacon Ensemble, Deerhunter, Dj Mehdi, The Drones, Ebony Bones, El-P, Extra Life, The Extraordinaires, Extraperlo, Fucked Up, Gang Gang Dance, Ghostface Killah, Girl Talk, Girls, Jarvis Cocker, Jason Lytle from Grandaddy, Jay Reatard, The Jayhawks, The Jesus Lizard, Joe Crepúsculo y Los Destructores, Joe Henry, John Maus, Karl Blau, Kimya Dawson, Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Lemonade, Lightning Bolt, The Lions Constellation, The Mae Shi, Magik Markers, Magnolia Electric Co., Mahjongg, Marnie Stern, Michael Mayer, Michael Nyman, My Bloody Valentine, The New Year, Oneida, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Phoenix, Plants & Animals, Ponytail, Rosvita, The Secret Society, Shearwater, Shellac, Simian Mobile Disco, SkatebÅrd, Sleepy Sun, The Soft Pack, Sonic Youth, Spectrum, Spiritualized, Squarepusher, Sunn O))) performing “The Grimmerobe Demos”, The Tallest Man On Earth, Throwing Muses, Uffie, The Vaselines, Veracruz, Vivian Girls, Wavves, Women, Wooden Shjips, Yo La Tengo and Zombie Zombie.

ATP STAGE: Ariel Pink, Carsick Cars, The Drones, El-P, Gang Gang Dance, The Jesus Lizard, Lightning Bolt, Magik Markers, Shellac, Sleepy Sun, Sunn O))) and Wooden Shjips.

Anyone familiar with Guy Garvey’s radio show will know that Alela Diane is currently sitting pretty as Garvey’s artist du jour. She’s a regular on the playlist, and often on the other end of the phone for a guest appearance and to soak up the compliments. Continue Reading

Those fine folk down at End of The Road Festival are up to their old tricks again; booking some of TLOBF’s favourite bands to entice us to spend a weekend under canvas in Dorset at the beginning of September. The first names out of the hat are, in alphabetical order:

Alela Diane
Archie Bronson Outfit
Bob Log III
Charlie Parr
Efterklang
Howlin Rain
Joe Gideon and the Shark
Lay Low
The Low Anthem
Motel Motel
Peter Broderick
Sam Baker
Sparrow & The Workshop
Steve Earle
Tallest Man on Earth
This Frontier Needs Heroes
William Elliot Whitmore
Whispertown 2000

The festival, in the beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens, runs from 11-13 September and you can pick get more information and tickets from their website www.endoftheroadfestival.com