Margot and The Nuclear So and So's

Nearly a month after I wrote 90% of this post I'm going to bring it to you. Damn I hate the exam seasons. Anyway late but still intact... enjoy.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's are a musical collective with a really silly name from Indianapolis. Their first album, Dust Of Retreat, was released in the first couple of months of last year, but as normally I have stayed firmly behind the times and so I bring it to you now.

Their music is mostly pretty folky and possibly a bit too nice for a lot of tastes, very easy to like and get into. The album is pretty consistently catchy, with, for me a couple of stand out tracks.

The obvious choice is Skeleton Key, but it has been writen about all over the place (A quick search of the hype machine will show you a load of results). Instead I am going to write about the much more unassuming Jen Is Bringin' The Drugs.

Jen Is Bringin' The Drugs brings you Margot and the Nuclear So and So's in their most stripped down form. A good track in the acoustic guitar + vocals tradition it has everything it should. A catchy, sing-along melody and interesting lyrics pen this track as one of my favourites of the moment. Some of the lyrics are brilliantly witty in my opinion, yet constantly stark and a tad depressive:

And Jen don't wanna be seen,
But I saw her in a swank magazine.
She had an airbrushed face,
But the lines of distaste
were crossed without crossing of legs.

Buy:
The Dust Of Retreat (via Amazon)

Listen:
Jen Is Bringin' The Drugs (via Sendspace)
Skeleton Key (via Sendspace)

Links:
Myspace
margotandthenuclearsoandsos.com

Errors

Errors are a band I have recently discovered from that hotbed of musical genius, Glasgow. However, unlike the typical indie pop or post-punk bands the city has historically produced, Errors make electronica, with comparisons being drawn, amongst others, to their fellow countrymen Boards of Canada. Their spectacularly titled debut EP How Clean Is Your Acid House? is a great collection on repeat on my iPod, taking obvious influences from the typical electronica staples like Four Tet and Squarepusher, as well as seemingly some post-rock: indeed, they're signed to Mogwai's own label, Rock Action Records and have supported them on tour, as well as eclecticly supporting Sons and Daughters and Explosions in the Sky.

Mr Milk, the opening track, is brilliantly catchy and builds up into a multi-layered mishmash of bleeps, beats and buzzes that somehow works and is even, dare I say it, danceable. Terror Tricks and Crew Cut have indistinguishable computerised vocals beneath the fits and starts of drumbeats, fuzzy guitar, addictive basslines and, err, more computer noises. Last track Songos Ya Mongos! even has a riff recognisable as a guitar! Praise from the critics is reverberating around the Clyde for this lot; they're certainly promising.

Buy:
How Clean Is Your Acid House? (via Rock Action Records)

Listen:
Mr Milk
Crew Cut
Songos Ya Mongos!

Links:
weareerrors.com
Myspace

Chris Garneau

Looks like Yoni Wolf and sounds like Sufjan Stevens.

I've found a description of Chris Garneau's music which perfectly summarises my thoughts, so I will borrow a few words from (Chris Garneau@last.fm) to start off with:

"Beautiful and sad music... balanced on the edge of melancholy and hopefulness. For quiet evenings and pure mornings. Piano, cello, haunting and graduating melodies, beautiful airy vocals."

Garneau creates delicate pop songs that are infused with elements of jazz. They often only consist of piano and vocal parts, but Garneau is not afraid to use his voice in a way reminiscent of Regina Spektor to create diverse sounds, textures and emotions. This might not be coincidence, as it is obvious that he is a fan from a list of his "favorite enemies" on his myspace site. The third track on the album, 'Black & Blue', even shares a short piano part with Spektor's 'Samson'.

Garneau reminds me a lot of Sufjan Stevens; his songwriting, vocal technique, his delicate and relaxing melodies with Moldy-Peaches-esque charm. The fact that every song is good enough to deserve its place on the record reminds me a lot of Damien Rice's 'O'.

" I'm always going to worry about this, but you'll tell me 'It's okay, Chris' "

His originality can be easily heard on the final track of the album, 'Between The Bars', originally written and recorded by Elliott Smith (found on his album 'Either/Or'). Personally, I'm not a fan of covers on albums, but Garneau makes this song his own, and for a listener who had not heard the original, this song would not be out of place on this record. The vast amount of emotion on this track can mainly be creditted to Garneau's vocal part, which I think is one of his best on the entire record.

Thanks to Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart and his recommendation to the record company Absolutely Kosher, Chris Garneau's debut album, 'Music For Tourists', will be released into shops later this month. It is, however, available for preorder and shipping from the Absolutely Kosher site.


Listen:
Relief (sendspace)
Baby's Romance (sendspace)
Between The Bars (sendspace)

Tycho, Welcome 2007, etc.

Well, it has been a while since I last posted. There's not been any particularly good reason for my absence, so I'll save you the excuses. It's a new year, and looks to be a great one for music. Releases are expected from big names such as The Arcade Fire, Radiohead, The Shins, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sufjan Stevens... and undoubtedly there will be the emergence of many new talents. I hope I'm not being over optimistic in my wishes that 2007 is as good a year as any other!


Today, I thought I'd bring some electronica to the mix in the form of Tycho. Tycho is the brainchild of a San-Franciscan guy named Scott Hansen. Despite being better known for his work as a graphic artist, I'm quite partial to Hansen/Tycho's music. Reminiscent in many places to the works of Boards of Canada, with vast, placid soundscapes, Tycho's music is in a class of music that I classify as bipolar. Rather than mentally unstable, this sort of music is the type that you either have to give your full attention to, or let entirely slip in to the background. Try and find a middle ground, and you lose all the enjoyment. Either meander along the well thought out ebb and flow through his LP 'Past Is Prologue', or appreciate the intricate details, the carefully chosen samples, being used to separate this music from the rest.

Tycho's strength lies in his ability to take a vast electronic soundscape and infuse it with a certain soul, giving a hint to the hip hop influences of the music. Listening to the album, you're taken on a journey. One moment, the neon sounds of 'PBS' conjure visions of fluorescent urban scenes, and the next 'Send and Receive' is taking you along a winding coastal road through Mediterranean towns. This record is not particularly groundbreaking, but it doesn't try to be. It knows what it's aiming for, and it hits the target. Overall, it is a very enjoyable listen.

Micah P. Hinson

Micah P. Hinson is a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas who produces music that has an americana/alt-country slant, with hints of gospel and blues.

He has released two albums, 'Micah P. Hinson & The Gospel of Progress' and 'Micah P. Hinson & The Opera Circuit', and in 2005 his earlier (2001) 4-track recordings were rerecorded and released on a record called 'The Baby & The Satellite', a nine track EP where the final track consists of the entire 30 minute original demo.

For me, his music is a mixture of Willy Mason's blunt yet emotional vocal style (however, Micah's vocal technique seems to be a lot more refined), Conor Oberst's fusion of the rock, indie and country genres and M. Ward's storytelling through lyrics, with bursts of Beirut's grand instrumentation. Three records that are worth a listen for fans of any of those artists.

"..the press is really big in to the romanticizing of the destruction of the human soul. And that's fair enough, because at the end of the day, if I didn't have a half-ass reasonable story there would be nobody to talk about me. ..So I'll be the fucked up drug addict."

(you can read the remainder of a lengthy interview with him here)



Listen: Beneath The Rose from Micah P. Hinson & The Gospel of Progress (sendspace)
Listen: Jackeyed from Micah P. Hinson & The Opera Circuit (sendspace)
Listen: The Leading Guy from The Baby & The Satellite (sendspace)

"A lot of people come up to me and say, “I really like the record. I illegally downloaded it and now I really want to buy it.” At the end of the day, I really don't care if people steal my music. If I can affect their lives, that's more important than getting ten bucks out of their pocket. Once ten dollars becomes more important than somebody's soul, I'm fucked and I should probably go put a gun in my mouth. Hopefully it won't come to that."

So he won't be too angry if you download them.

Micah P. Hinson & The Gospel of Progress (buy via Amazon)
Micah P. Hinson & The Opera Circuit (buy via Amazon)
The Baby & The Satellite (buy via Amazon)

So this is the New Year, and I don't feel any different.

Continuing on a little bit from previous posts, I just thought I'd have a quick look at the transition from 2006 to 2007 with my top albums of last year and my most anticipated albums for the coming months..

2006

5. Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
Buy here via Amazon

"A mind that knows itself is a mind that knows much more"

The Avalanche is a collection of "Outtakes & Extras" from the Illinois album of 2005. This in no way implies that Sufjan Stevens was cashing in on his previous successes by releasing an inferior record. Tracks such as "The Mistress Witch From McClure (Or, The Mind That Knows Itself)" are up there with some of the best tracks on the Illinois album such as "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." and "Casimir Pulaski Day". There are 3 new versions of one of his most well-known songs, "Chicago", that I thought might get a bit tiring. I found them to be interesting variations, not just the album-lengtheners they could have been. So all in all this is a great album, in no way overshadowed by it's predecessor and thankfully for us, it brought with it a Sufjan Stevens tour (with St. Vincent, who I have to mention because had she released an album last year I'm sure it would have made this list).

Listen: The Mistress Witch From McClure (Or, The Mind That Knows Itself) (sendspace)

4. Hope of the States - Left
Buy here via Amazon

"If you sing a couple of words, the world moves"

This album took quite a while to grow on me because after having listened to their debut album The Lost Riots so much, I found that this one didn't quite match up to it. It took a while but after several binges of individual songs ("Sing It Out", "Blood Meridian", "The Good Fight", "Left", "This Is A Question") and when I stopped comparing the two albums, I realised that this record was full of great tracks but possibly it just wasn't as consistent as the previous release.

Listen: This is a Question (sendspace)

3. Howling Bells - Howling Bells
Buy here via Amazon

"You listen to trash, but it's not rock n roll"

This point in my list is when it started to get hard to order the albums as I seemed to have three albums without a bad track between the lot. I've yet to see a good comparison to Howling Bells, I guess it really is because no one's doing anything similar to them at a moment, which I find makes it hard to describe their music. It's indie rock with jangly electric guitars and haunting vocals.. it's upbeat but there seems to be a constant darkness hovering over it.. and it's catchy without ever being too bold.

Listen: Low Happening (sendspace)
Listen: The Night is Young (sendspace)

2. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Buy here via Amazon

"We think the same things at the same time, we just can't do anything about it"

I'm not sure that there's much to say about this album that hasn't already been said before. Intelligent, accessible electronica with catchy melodies and a perfect balance of electronic sounds and live instruments. I think anyone with a vague interest in what one of the world's most respected artists does on a solo record will have already heard this album, so it's useless for me to shamelessly promote it.

Listen: Harrowdown Hill (sendspace)

1. Guillemots - Through the Windowpane
Buy here via Amazon

"The world is our dancefloor now"

Finally, the album that beat Thom Yorke to the number 1 spot. I've written enough about why this album is so great before, so I'll just link to some tracks instead of repeating myself. Linked below, São Paulo is a track that can only be described as epic.

Listen: São Paulo (sendspace)

2007

1. Radiohead
Buy here via Amazon
Listen: Videotape (Thom Yorke solo piano) (sendspace)

2. Guillemots
Buy here via Amazon
Listen: 21st May (Live) (sendspace)

3. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Buy here via Amazon
Listen: Endless Entertainment (sendspace)

4. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Buy here via Amazon
Listen: Intervention (sendspace)

5. Fyfe Dangerfield
Buy here via Amazon
Listen: Delusia (sendspace)

Voxtrot

My overexcitement at discovering Voxtrot are to support The Shins at the London Astoria in February has led me to post about this Texas indie pop band I have been extolling the virtues of for many months. An album is currently being worked on, and they have released three EPs: 2005's Raised By Wolves, followed by Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives in April 2006, and Your Biggest Fan last November. Tracks like the deceptively simple The Start Of Something, with its irrevocably catchy melody, bouncy bassline and lyrics like "if I die clutching your photograph, don't call me boring, it's just 'cause I like you" evoke obvious comparisons to The Smiths, as do their very indie EP covers. The songwriting across all their releases so far is consistently brilliant - on Soft & Warm, singer Ramesh Srivastava laments, "I'd leave you for the person you used to be," while a nod to their indie pop heritage comes on Trouble with "I bought your record out on Cherry Red/it wasn't good well it was great" . Voxtrot do not just rely on the lyrics, however: Missing Pieces has a guitar riff that would make any NME writer giddy, while Your Biggest Fan and Trouble bounce along with the jangle of The Lucksmiths. Srivastava's vocals also bear more than a little resemblance to those of Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch on Whiskey. With Voxtrot gaining a fanbase in the States and widespread critical acclaim on the strength of these EPs and live performances, the album release can be expected at some point in 2007.

Buy:
Raised By Wolves EP (via Amazon)
Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives EP (via Amazon)
Your Biggest Fan EP (via Amazon)

Listen:
The Start of Something (via official site)
Trouble (via official site)
Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives (via official site)

Links:
voxtrot.net
Myspace

2007 is upon us

The GMT clocks here in the UK have ticked us over into 2007, and so I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR. Hope everyone has had / is having a proper celebration. We suggest these songs to stick on loud right about now.

Death Cab For Cutie - The New Year (buy here via Amazon)
Camera Obscura - Happy New Year (buy here via Amazon)
The Mountain Goats - This Year (buy here via Amazon)
Semisonic - This Will Be My Year (buy here via Amazon)
Badly Drawn Boy - I Love N.Y.E. (buy here via Amazon)

So what does 2007 bring for Too Much Biography? Well In the long run I hope for some more frequent and more interesting posts. In the short term look out for the continuation of our anticipated albums list, and over the coming weeks the first of hopefully many live reviews. Unfortunately several of the Too Much Biography writers have exams looming down on them so sorry if we appear to have forgotten about you all, don't worry we'll be posting as much as we can get away with.

Hope the new year brings everything you ever dreamed of.

Too Much Biography.