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The Yorker presents this week's succinct guide to goings-on of the musical variety, both locally and nationally. Here you'll find previews of a selection of single and album releases from the week ahead, as well as a guide to the hottest tickets in town for live music. Before we start, let’s all laugh at Razorlight’s new press photo. Don’t they look silly.
Gigs
A very folky week this week, starting with Teddy Thompson and David Ford playing Fibbers tonight. Plenty of foot-stomping expected. Also tonight, Wakefield 3-piece Runaround Kids take to Stereo for a demonstration of their shoegaze-melodrama-alternative pop. Following performances at Reading and Leeds festivals last summer and a nod from BBC Introducing, these guys would be well worth checking out. Tomorrow at The Duchess sees Swedish folk band Junip take to the stage. Best known as the band of Jose Gonzalez, this looks to be an enjoyable night of chilled alt-folk. Thursday sees blues band The Last Fakers playing in Stereo, whilst garage-pop veterans The Vaselines will be appearing in Duchess on Sunday. I can’t stop looking at that photo. What utter twerps.
Albums
Esben the Witch release highly anticipated debut Violet Cries this week. Dark and haunting, the sample we’ve heard suggest it deserves the high praise it’s received thus far. Review to follow. Also out this week is the fifth and final album from The Streets. A brief trawl of their website suggests we should expect more of the same. Goody. Meanwhile, The Go! Team release their third album, Rolling Blackouts. Full of the boisterous charm and energy The Go! Team are known for, this is well worth a listen. In other news, Fleet Foxes have announced the forthcoming release of their second album, due out in May. The follow up to the acclaimed self-titled debut, let’s hope this one lives up to expectations. (They really do look like prats, don’t they? Johnny Borrell seems to have lost the ability to CLOSE HIS MOUTH and that can’t be good for any of us.)
Singles
The Agitator – SAY NO!
Sounds like it was written by a very angry young man. In an attempt to be this generation’s Bob Dylan, The Agitator is presenting us with a politically motivated song inspired by the student protests of last year. To be even more ‘radical’, he deliberately avoids using guitars. This may have worked if the finished result wasn’t so mind-numbingly repetitive. This generation’s Bob Dylan he is not. Nor is he this generation’s Joe Strummer. Go away, angry young man. Vent your spleen somewhere other than my poor ears.
P.S. Needs guitars.
Hosannas – When We Were Young
Experimental, nostalgic, confused, sounds like they’re trying to do too much in the space of one song and are a band who haven’t quite figured out who they are yet; as such they become difficult to categorize. Video, somewhat bizarrely, features lots of eggs. A thoroughly bewildering experience. Will leave listeners feeling baffled and a little nauseous. For medical reasons I’d advise against it.
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