So we're pretty made up that we've got the video PREMIERE of a wonderfully shot video of them performing in San Francisco from earlier last month, a performance at the Bottom of the Hill venue. The track is 'Rough Steez' and is taken from their current LP Tarot Sport, which is available in any shop worth their name.
You don't need more blabbering on about them any more, watch the video for yourself, and behold their brilliance.
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The single is called 'The Magic of Christmas' and features these stars: Sky Larkin, Los Campesinos!, Sparky Deathcap, My First Tooth, The Airborne Toxic Event, Copy Haho, James Yuill, Cereal, Sound of Arrows...anyone else I've forgotten?! Oh yeah, Bright Light, Bright Light's Rod Thomas who wrote the damned thing! The track got its first airplay last night and is out on December 14.
As it's now December, it's OK to be a little bit Christmassy, right? That's why we're delighted to announce we've got the video premiere for it, which you can watch below, in the usual manner. There's plenty of Christmas jumper action, some very snazzy ones indeed. Who's not very well? Do you know? I think I do...
Here's the artwork - designed by Sparky Deathcap. Multi-talented man that he is:
Having spent most of the past month touring the States with Atlas Sound, Broadcast are about to embark on their first proper UK tour in four years, and with a new album due to be released in the early part of 2010, DiS thought this would be the perfect time to question both Trish Keenan and James Cargill about what they'd been up to in between times, and what the future holds for one of Warp Records most coveted and influential acts of its twenty-year history....
DiS: It's been a long time since we last heard from you. What have you been up to since Tender Buttons came out four years ago?
Trish Keenan: We did a fair bit of improvising in Birmingham with bands such as UFO Antler Band, The Libra Group and Monks Of Saturn. We've been active in a lot of ways but not publicly...
DiS: The last time I saw you (Trish) would be at ATP last year playing as part of recent tour partners Atlas Sound. Are there any more plans to work with Bradford Cox as part of Atlas Sound, and in a reverse role kind of way, would you be happy for Bradford to contribute to future Broadcast releases?
TK: Bradford and I performed together regularly during the tour...we sang 'Walkabout' and 'Tears In The Typing Pool' together.
I can imagine creating a lot of music with him. He's a brilliant hyperactive spirit; funny, self-questioning, intuitive, argumentative..he made me cry and he made me cry with laughter!
DiS: Your new record, Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age is your first musical collaboration with design artist Julian House. How did this come about and what did he add to the creative/writing process?
James Cargill: Well, we've always considered Julian to be a part of Broadcast really. He has been such a big part of the aesthetic plus we had been talking about doing a musical collaboration together for years and after he started the Ghost Box label and released his own music as The Focus Group it felt like there was a good context for it. I really love the way Julian works with samples and found sound... what he does defines the Hauntology thing for me...channeling fragments of orchestral library LP's and TV sound into a new musical form. I can't really connect it with any existing genres...which is something that very much appeals to me.
DiS: A lot of the pieces on the album are incidental parts, interludes even. How did you manage to make everything fit into the overall concept of the record?
JC: We were really into the idea of creating a kind of dream narrative. I think that once you have an idea like that it's quite instinctive to work towards...because of all the work we did writing to the idea meant the album happened very quickly. It took us a couple of weekends to put it together, so that also helped with the continuity.
TK: We liked the idea of a "Hammer Horror" dream collage in sound. The same as the way film sound tells a story sonically, we wanted the sequencing to work like this - music/sound narration, creating a story from songs, sounds and samples.
DiS: Did all of the ideas for this record purely come from these sessions or were there some works in progress left over from past Broadcast recording sessions?
TK: The idea for ...Witch Cults of the Radio Age began during the process of creating the artwork for our new album. James, Julian and I really like the 1970s 'Man Myth and Magic' encyclopedia magazine series and we wanted to work playfully with images of the paranormal and childlike psychedelia.
JC: A couple of the songs were written beforehand - Trish has been using dreams as a source for her songwriting for ages so they work in the context of ...Witch Cults.... A lot of the sounds are components from previous recordings that we used as a sound library.
DiS: What were the main differences between this concept and recording purely as Broadcast?
TK: It felt to me like I was in a group again. It's interesting to me what happens when minds join or leave a group. Julian's presence created another me as well as another band member. One more person splits you in two.
DiS: Do you envisage collaborating in such a way with Julian, or indeed anyone else in the forseeable future?
TK: Julian and the future is YES! his concepts and his love of what songs represent in a fictional sense is fascinating to me. The Focus Group is a shattered mirror in which music is fiction and designs are musical.
DiS: Broadcast is now effectively a two-piece. How will this carry on into the live shows, or will there be extra members brought in for this purpose?
TK: For this tour we will be a two-piece but we'll be extending the collaboration with Julian to live film.
DiS: What can fans expect from the set list?
TK: The set is in two halves. The first half we will play the improvised score to Julian's new film for Ghost Box, 'Winter Sun Wavelengths'. It is a continuation of the ...Witch Cults... idea and another side to the Broadcast/Focus Group collaboration. The film plays as though his rationale is trying to piece together fragments of a puzzle of man's history of beliefs. Sometimes working with Julian feels like he is a head in a jar and he sends me and James out on assignments. The second half of the set is a colourful sequence of pop songs from Ha Ha Sound, Tender Buttons, Witch Cults Of The Radio Age and the new tour EP, Mother Is The Milky Way, which is a companion piece to ...Witch Cults... in a way but the sequencing tells a children's sci-fi adventure story collaged from demos that never made it on to previous Broadcast LPs.
DiS: You are also currently finishing your next full-length album. What can you tell us about the record so far and when is it scheduled for release?
TK: I am a bit reticent to talk too much about something that is still in progress. The process for me is before language. I hear it in images in my mind in a way and sometimes there's nothing to say...it's just a series of jigsaw puzzle actions.
DiS: If you could pick a definitive moment or song in the history of Broadcast, what would it be and why?
TK: When John Peel played our first record on radio. I was nervous, like I was playing live for the first time.
DiS: Finally, your record label Warp is currently celebrating its 20th birthday. How influential has the label been in crafting your sound and did you do anything special to celebrate their anniversary?
TK: Signing to Warp has been hugely influential. To have a label believe in you and suddenly you're in the company of brilliant artists
like Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, LFO and Autechre...it was really inspirational. It came also with a lot of pressure and hostility and so it's been an experience that we have not been allowed to fully enjoy. For a long time Warp fans griped about us being on the label. We supported Aphex Twin in the late nineties and the hostility from the fans was palpable. One bloke came up to the front and repeatedly stuck two fingers up in my face. We dealt with it but actually it hurt the band. At the time we would never have signed to any other label. Rob Mitchell and Steve Beckett were really ace, both had an interesting outlook on music, and brilliant with musicians. Back then Warp were our favourite UK label. We would never have made the music we made without them.
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Broadcast are currently on tour of the UK and can be seen at the following venues:-
December
5 London Coronet (Warp20 event)
6 Bristol The Cube
7 Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre
8 Manchester Deaf Institute
9 Glasgow Stereo
10 Liverpool Korova
If this particular track doesn't make you want to put some kind of suitable shoes on and dance like your next three days worth of food depended on it, then what will?. All you need to do to download the track, in MP3 format, is click on the downward pointing arrow on the below embedded SoundCloud widget, and simple it should certainly be.
They're also due to tour, we can OFFICIALLY announce, and here's where you can catch them around the country in February, if you like what you hear above:
February:
18 - Glasgow, Captain's Rest | Tickets
19 - Middlesbrough, Uncle Albert's |
20 - Nottingham, Stealth vs. Rescue | Tickets
21 - Leicester, Twesta | Tickets
22 - Birmingham, The Flapper | Tickets
23 - London, Buffalo Bar | Tickets
25 - Brighton, Jam |
26 - Oxford, Bullingdon | Tickets
27 - Southampton, Unit | Tickets
So Many Dynamos on MySpace
So Many Dynamos Daytrotter Session
There was originally a slightly cryptic and mystical trailer placed on the Matador website, which showed images of native Australians as well as other imagery, supposedly of Australia as well. Now the label have made available a free MP3 from the album, as well as a few more details of what is contained within.
According to the press release, which tend to be relatively reliable in general, frontman Jonathan Meiburg has turned "his attention to life on islands - a world of lushness and austerity, silence and sudden cataclysms. From rising sea levels to displaced populations, Meiburg travels from the Falklands to Madagascar, from the Bikini Atoll to the Tierra Del Fuego." There's also the chance of complex song stuctures. Hoo-rah!
The CD comes with a 50-page bound book which acts as a set of extracts from a dossier of various things: records, photos, regulations and images collected by Meiburg. The LP version contains two bonus tracks and an MP3 download coupon (which also includes a PDF of the bits and bobs), though the pre-order version will also receive a copy of the CD-sized book, for your information.
Listen to the free track 'Castaways' below, or click here to download the file, or even click here to download a higher bitrate MP3, with added extras, like artwork.
There's also a tour, you won't be surprised to know. Go to these places, I recommend it!
February:
21 - Brighton, The Freebutt
22 - Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
23 - Glasgow, Captain's Rest
24 - London, Scala
Here's where they'll be playing, y'all:
February:
16 - Birmingham, Academy 2
17 - Glasgow, King Tuts
19 - Dublin, Academy
20 - Belfast, Speakeasy
21 - Manchester, Academy 3
22 - Leeds, The Faversham
23 - London, Heaven (NME Show)
25 - Bristol, Thekla
26 - Brighton, Audio
Great.
Odd Blood comes your way via Mute on February 8, and 'Ambling Alp' the first single from the album, is out January 11, and you can watch the video for it below. Not sure if the song (which you can ALSO listen to underneath) is better than the video or vice versa, either way it's the whole fourteen shades of BRILL.
Yeasayer -- Ambling Alp by LukeSlater
She said:
“There's so many people I'd like to work with still, but I'd like to maybe go outside of the box. My sister has put me on to bands like Of Montreal and some other different types of artists. I would love to do something like that on my next album.”
How long did it take of Montreal's Kevin Barnes to respond? Well, not very long, and so he did. He said, in an interview with Paste Magazine:
“I fell in love with Beyonce’s ‘Crazy in Love’ and, since then, I’ve always kept an ear out for what she releases.”
We all did Kevin, we all did. He added:
“I wasn’t that familiar with her Destiny’s Child stuff, until Solange played me some of the deep cuts. I was truly blown away by the vocal arrangements/performances. I think most people don’t realize what an amazingly great singer Beyonce is. She is so much more than a pop star. There is a reason why she’s the most popular and beloved female vocalist of our time. I would be fully psyched to work with her.”
So that's that sorted then? No. Well, B's a very busy girl isn't she...but even a one-off song? Please? Do you EVEN CARE?
Here's Solange's cover of 'Stillness Is The Move' to tide you ever until things become a little more, CONCRETE. Think of the crossover potential, guys! I bet she does that wobbly diva thing with her hand when she sings this.
We have the brand new video for it below, watch it at your own pleasure. It's only a tad unnerving, and reminds me of the recent remake of The Day The World Stood Still, which is neither here nor there, really. You can pre-order the single from here.
Vid:
There's also an awfully long list of live shows in the near future:
December:
04 - Birmingham, Academy
05 - Hatfield, The Forum
08 - Manchester, Academy
11 - London, Koko
12 - Derby, The Royal
13 - Glasgow, Optimo
15 - Lincoln, Engine Shed w/ Doves
16 - Leamington Spa, Assembly Rooms w/ Doves
18 - Manchester, Central
19 - Sheffield, The Plug
31 - Manchester, Warehouse Project(DJ Set)
January:
07 - London, The Garage
14 - Norwich, Arts Centre
15 - Oxford, Zodiac
16 - Sheffield, Leadmill
17 - Bristol, Thekla
19 - Brighton, Audio
20 - Wolverhampton, Little Civic
21 - Liverpool, Kazimier
22 - Glasgow, King Tuts
23 - Leeds, Cockpit 2
26 - New To Q @ The Tabernacle, London
Rolo Tomassi are currently finishing up their second album with renowned producer Diplo but James Tomassi took some time out to tell us about their favourite five albums from this year...
The Shitty Limits Beware The Limits
The best UK punk record of the year from what I've listened to. Fast, to the point and in your face. Anyone that's seen them live can attest to how good the Limits are and although the record doesn't quite do their show justice, it comes as close as possible.
The Maccabees Wall Of Arms
The Maccabees are undoubtedly my favorite UK indie band and I've followed them closely since Colour It In. This album for me is the perfect follow up to their debut. Full of catchy, intricate, intelligent pop songs that have stayed in my head since the first time I heard them live.
CFCF Continent
My favorite discovery this year in terms of new artists. For me, the album didn't quite match the excellent Panesian Nights EP that came out in January but I'm including this purely on how much I've enjoyed CFCF's music this year. Minimal disco with awesome pop sensibilities. The album is more sprawling progressive soundscapes compared to his other material which is more of a modern synth-pop Goblin. Still well worth checking out. A notable mention goes to his Explorers EP too.
Trash Talk Shame
It's not a new release but a compilation of a couple of 7"s, their S/T album and most recent single. Around 30 songs in less than 30 minutes. Super fast, totally vital hardcore. I rate them as one of the best live bands I've seen this year and one of the most imposing bands I've ever seen.
Grammatics Grammatics
Having been watching this band for the last few years I was really pleased that they got their debut out this year and it was exactly what I was hoping for. Huge sounding, wonderfully composed songs. It was refreshing to hear multi-instrumentation come into the full-length with songs like 'Inkjet Lakes' featuring a lot more keyboards. Touring with Grammatics this year was an absolute pleasure!
Rolo Tomassi tour the UK in January before heading down under for some shows in Oz. For dates and more visit myspace.com/rolotomassi, Twitter or gaze at James' tumblr
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Before we get stuck into TELLING you what THE BEST record of the year is (that's coming next week), we thought we might find out what some of our favourite acts' favourite records of the year were. Over the coming days, in the lead up to the end of the year, we've asked some of our acts of the year and some of our the acts who have records due in 2010, to tell us what excited and inspired them in 2009.
Finn Andrews, the lead singer, songwriter and driving force behind New Zealand's incredible AND incredibly under-rated The Veils (imagine Jeff Buckley, Tom Waits and Nick Cave wrestling in thorns covered in caramel), who released one of your humble editor's albums of the year, Sun Gangs. In fact, stop what you're doing and have a listen...
And whilst it's playing, have a read of Finn's favourite five albums of 2009...
Elvis Perkins Elvis Perkins in Dearland
'I'll Be Arriving' is without doubt the song of the year for me. Elvis makes me feel that being alive and making music in 2009 might just be an honour indeed.
DOOM Born Like This
Doom is God. Best album cover of the year too. (see the cover and read the DiS review here)
The Mint Chicks Screens
New Zealand's finest have been dubbed "The Clean on crack" by some, though I think there's far more to them than that - they're the best live band out there and they've made a great record to match. Also they've the best drummer since Bonzo Bonham.
Don't Sell Your Brain Out, Baby (censored version) from Mint Chicks on Vimeo.
Micachu Jewellery
These songs would work in anyone's hands but in hers they are some of the maddest, saddest and unpredictable I've ever heard. Bjork digs it, as she bloody well should.
Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and David Lynch Dark Night of the Soul (dnots.com)
I'd like to see what would happen if just Mark Linkous and David Lynch made a record together, but this will tide me over until then. This concept got me interested in pairing more film makers with bands: Spielberg and Os Mutantes, Jarmusch and The Dead C, Wes Craven and The Venga Boys etc. It's a fun game anyone can play at home.
Picture from flickr user pattifarfan.
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