So, it seems that most maligned of genre’s-’folktronica’-has crossed the pond. Brooklyn based Death Vessel is the performing name of one Joel Thibodeau. The opening two tracks of ‘Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us’, Death Vessels sophmore record and label debut for Sub Pop burble and twinkle away with the same laid back feeling as UK stalwarts Tunng. There is also more than a little of Sigur Ros’ Jonsi in Thibodeau’s falsetto stylings here.

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There has been a lot of buzz about Blitzen Trapper at TLOBF towers. ‘Furr’ is one of those albums that people seem to keep coming back to. An album of two distinct moods, the boys from Portland deliver their latest effort for Sub Pop with great spirit and accomplishment. Equal parts good old boy country rock and introspective acoustic work, with some interesting keyboards and the odd melodica jam thrown in for good measure.

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As we publish this interview, news reaches TLOBF that Dear John, the long-awaited new album from Swedish singer-songwriter Loney, Dear (Emil Svanängen, as he’s known to his nearest and dearest) is complete. The long, hard slog of home recording is over; countless versions of songs discarded in search of the perfect take. Emil is a self-confessed perfectionist. When we chatted back in July, he talked about the intense pressure he puts himself under when recording music. Svanängen takes the recording process extremely seriously, spending lonely hours crafting perfectly formed pop songs like a patchwork blanket, with little or no help from outsiders. Layers are added, tweaked and removed until the perfect version reveals itself.

In this exclusive interview, Emil chats for the first time about his new record, the recording process and the pressures of releasing an album for the first time under the scrutiny of a much greater critical eye. (His last release, Loney, Noir, was his major label debut but had been self-released the previous year.) Svanängen also hints, in his usual cryptic manner, at what the future has in store for Loney, Dear.

For those of you who are eager to see Loney, Dear return to the live circuit, we are thrilled to announce that Emil will be flying over to play a solo show at our ILL FIT club night at the Old Blue Last in London on December 8. What’s more, entry is totally free. Keep your eyes peeled on the site for more details. Continue Reading

This album was always going to get panned; daft Brazilian indie dance combo CSS have gone and done what both the people who liked them and the people who didn’t could get pissed with - they started taking the whole music thing seriously.

Thousands of little indie types took CSS to their hearts because they were quirky, pretty short on talent, funny looking and easy to dance to if you can’t dance. There was a bit of attitude, a lot of energy, a complete lack of polish and people fell easily into love and hate sides - Marmite bands are always onto a winner. Add the fact people thought they’d in some way ‘discovered’ them (that was, you know, Sub Pop, and then Xfm et al, I’m afraid, not you, grubby teen internet nerd) and you had an instant cult band - made all the better by their willingness to tour relentlessly and play any tent in a muddy field they could find. Continue Reading

A one-off London gig that finally ends my twenty year wait to see Mudhoney live. As soon as I arrive I am happily surprised to count more Stooges T-shirts than Nirvana’s, a promising start.

I am in time to catch the end of an interesting immersion in the sonic explorations of Mugstar, a sort of post rock instrumental band in love with psychedelic media, including lasers and video projection.

Enjoying the first, I decide to have a listen to the second support. Big mistake. Country Teasers are at the same time the weirdest, the most irritating and the most inappropriate band that could have opened a Mudhoney gig. A bizarre ensemble with a leader who is a Tom Waits wanna-be with a nerdy look and the aspiration to be in The Fall. And this is without counting the keyboard player on the left who spent most of the set taking pictures with his mobile. I am usually attracted by radical and avant-garde approaches, as long as there is some substance behind it, but it’s sadly missing here. Continue Reading