His publicity pictures almost give me the creeps – he looks like a wide-eyed, melancholy and slightly gormless medieval prince lurking in the shadows, and this album from Finn. is as theatrically arresting as its creator appears to be. Imagine Sigur Ros retreading Teaser And The Firecat; recorded on location at Gormenghast Castle. Solo acoustic guitar tunes (a lute might have substituted for some) swell and burgeon into anthemic orchestrated climaxes, no better exemplified by ‘In The Wake Of’: like a less cluttered ‘Olsen Olsen’, and no less polished. Expect to hear this grand cinematic music as the backdrop to many a TV segment soon. Continue Reading

Arthur Russell on the cover of Calling Out of Context (Audika, 2004). The label on his hat, Master Mix, is a brand of livestock feed in Iowa

There is a hole at the heart of Matt Wolf’s gentle, affectionate, exhaustively researched biography of Arthur Russell, and that is its subject. It is a collection of extraordinary stories - of unconditional familial devotion; of love at first sight that outlasted death; of the 1970s and 1980s New York underground, where disco, pop and the avant-garde collided with explosive force. Yet at the end of the film, which lasts only an hour, it is impossible not to feel that Arthur Russell, the shy, obscure sun around which all of these worlds once aligned, remains as mysterious and unknowable as ever. Continue Reading

War On Drugs

UPDATE: We’ve had official news from Rough Trade this morning:

THE HOLD STEADY’s Autumn UK tour has had to be postponed because lead guitarist, Tad Kubler has been hospitalised with pancreatitis.

THE HOLD STEADY are currently rescheduling the tour and hope to have the new dates fixed in shortly.

In happier news, the support band for the tour; Philadelphia’s War On Drugs are not only sticking to their planned headline dates at the Norwich Arts Centre and Brixton’s Windmill they have also added in a few more shows to their itinerary - just to make those flights over from the States worthwhile. We urge you to go and check these guys out, mainly because they’re fucking brilliant. What better reason is there? Dates are:

September 30 - London, Club Fandango @ Dublin Castle onstage 8pm [details]
October 1 - London, Club Uncut @ Borderline w/Ladyhawk + The Dudes onstage 8pm [details]
October 2 - London, Instore @ Pure Groove 6.30pm, FREE ENTRY
October 2 - London, Bloomsbury Bowling Alley w/The Dudes onstage 9pm [details]
October 3 - Norwich Arts Centre [details]
October 4 - Bristol, The Louisiana onstage 8.45pm [details]
October 7 - London, The Windmill [details]

War On Drugs’ debut album Wagonwheel Blues is out now via Secretly Canadian and is fast becoming one of TLOBF’s albums of 2008. Read our glowing review here, plus a wonderful interview with frontman Adam Granduciel here.

Emiliana Torrini is the progeny of an Italian father and Icelandic mother, she made a few albums when she was young that only saw release in Iceland, but with her widely released Love In The Time Of Science she gained a wider audience in Europe. The album rode the last vestiges of an electronic trip-hop sound which has inevitably dated it despite some excellent songcraft, her second widely released full-length Fisherman’s Woman was a focused album of minimal folk instrumentation and her exquisite jazz inflected vocals. She worked closely with multi-instrumentalist Dan Carey on Fisherman’s Woman and since then Torrini has become godmother to his children, and what really shows through on that album and this new one is how well suited they are together, comfortable to explore any avenues that they encounter, and make something worthwhile out of it. Turns in co-writing Kylie Minogue single ‘Slow’, and lending her vocals to a song for the Lord Of The Rings films, are other notable, and slightly surprising, facts about this lady. Continue Reading

The Hold Steady will play a free in-store gig at Rough Trade East in London on Monday 18th August at 7:30pm. This will be the last opportunity for fans to see the band play London til their Roundhouse show in October. The in-store is part of a month of gigs to celebrate the first year in of the award-winning Rough Trade East shop.

The concert will operate on a first come first served basis. Wristbands will be available at the Store 1 hour before the performance is due to start. We predict big queues so get there early. And if you don’t get in, just remember to Stay Positive. *sorry*

"Evening Stannit! Get your Evening Stannit!"

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and the True Loves are in London in the middle of a string of small venue dates after appearing at Latitude before moving up north for a couple more, and tonight generously turned out for a free set at Rough Trade East. Although criminally poorly attended, it was a great chance to check out Eli and the lads. And after enjoying his storming new release, I can confirm he’s certainly the real deal live. They belted out about eight numbers, three of which are not on Roll With You, finishing off with a nice off the wall touch - a rock’n'roll style cover of ‘The Ace Of Spades’. Just about as loud as Lemmy would have liked too. Eli was rocking a pair of purple suede shoes and what looked like a tasty vintage guitar (though I know nothing about guitars), and was happy to jam along with classic tunes blaring out from the Rough Trade P.A. system while waiting for more punters to show. Continue Reading

The Hold Steady are not the likeliest candidates for success but it is precisely their unassuming nature which has made for all the fuss. Stay Positive sees The Hold Steady return with an invigorating fourth album, packed with the electrifying wit, bar-flavoured rock and energy that made them a can’t miss band of 2006.

Reliability is The Hold Steady’s calling card, and on Stay Positive they don’t stray far from the tried and tested combination of orthodox guitar rock and gritty, observational lyrics. The only problem with sticking to one formula is that at times this album becomes dull and monotonous. However, having the patience to really listen does pays off as The Hold Steady’s simple honesty harks back to the earnest age of American rock: following in the path of Springsteen, Hüsker Dü and the Replacements. Continue Reading