The Look Out Post: February 2008

We’re embracing our inner blog. Welcome to our first monthly column where we try and pick out the highlights (and lowlights) of the coming month, whether it’s singles, albums or live shows to look out for.

So, it’s my pleasure to kick start it with a couple of albums that are worth keeping an eye out for in February.

First up are the latest albums from established acts like the Mountain Goats, who return with their most accomplished and “polished” work to date, Heretic Pride. Then there’s everyone’s favourite former Wrestling correspondent Bob Mould and his work District Line which, in my mind at least, is the best stuff he’s released since his time with Sugar. Don’t forget Morrissey is releasing ANOTHER “Best” Of selection, though this one is focusing on his newer stuff which, we all know in our heart of hearts, isn’t as good as his older material.

Of more interest though is the sophomore effort by Beach House. Now, it’s taken a while for their material to click with me. I enjoyed their first album, in parts, but Devotion is a much more complete album. Still dealing in their rich aural tapestry of sounds, their dreamy music feels more realised now. The entire album flows in one unique part. It’s hard to pick out individual tracks and, in these times of single downloads; it nicely goes against the grain. Listening to a track independent of the album won’t give you the same joy and excitement as witnessing all the music together.

I’m also going to mention The Cave Singers debut. These guys are a bit of an oddity as well, definitely going against the current musical trend. Lead vocalist Pete Quirk has vocals which take some getting use to. They’re spider like in their delivery, each word seems dragged from the depths of his very being. If I was being unkind, I’d say he sounded like Kermit the Frog after one too many nights out, but there’s something beautiful and other-worldly about them. They’ve spun the traditional folk sounds with something else, a less ridged song structure with brief flourishes of electronica which seem to reach out and go beyond this earthly realm.

For the hat-trick of recommendations this month is the eagerly awaited debut by Pete and the Pirates. Having seen them live and being bowled over by them last year, I’ve been badgering Stolen Recordings for a copy of this. And, well perhaps unfortunately, it disappoints. Their live show hinted at the ability to take the usual indie-pop to another level, but the album seems to have fallen a little short of this. Sure, their classic singles still hit the button every time but the album feels as if it’s missing the killer moment, something that would make this stand out from everything else. Maybe next time.

I shall be leaving the house a little more in February as well. I’ve got the pleasure to witness Fuck Buttons on tour, who are playing a range of dates across the UK. If they’re playing near you, I’ll encourage you to go see them as well. Their wonderfully unorthodox brand of electronic-psychedelia has lifted my January blues. I’ve been listening to Street Horrrsing regularly throughout the month and it lifts me out of my mere humdrum existence and onto another plain, far away… To counterbalance this, I’m also going to see Band of Horses play as part of the NME Awards shows in London. Their sophomore album has taken some time to grow on me, but after witnessing their live show at ATP last year, I wasn’t going to miss this.

The radio. Do people still use it? It feels a bit low tech with the advent of the internet and the ability to access millions of bands and artists within seconds. But I find the wealth of information out there a bit daunting. So, I let the radio sort the wheat from the chaff for me. I can’t recommend 6Music highly enough, seemingly one of the few radio stations on this earth that mix new with old in such a great way. Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone on Sunday evening’s is fantastic. It delves into the mystical world of the weird and the strange. Sure, it’s a bit hit and miss and free Jazz has never really done it for me, but some of the long lost artists on it have had me scouring the internet for hours finding vinyl and CD’s.

Anyway, that’s enough for you to be getting on with. If you’ve got any tips for the coming month or just want to share what you’re going to be buying or what bands you’re going to be seeing this month, leave us a comment below…