Tagged: Indietracks

Indietracks (nearly) Unheard: This Many Boyfriends

I am cheating a little here.  I’ve heard This Many Boyfriends before, a few months ago.  I liked them back then.   Revisiting their My Space today I am surprised to hear, what appears to be a different set of songs.  My addled brain could be misremembering things or they could have uploaded some different songs.   But these ‘newies’ are even better than the ones I remember.  The fably titled “I Don’t Like You (Cos you don’t like The Pastels)” is a cracking rumble through shambling indiepop and it even sounds reminiscent of The Pastels at their 80s best.  No bad thing, that.

Elsewhere The Pastels are joined by the ghost of  The Smiths as the band create a heady mix of indie guitar goodness that sounds ‘just right’.    They’ve got a great blend of catchy songs and lo-fi  not giving a fuck about doing it right-ness going on.   Which somehow means that the band are instinctively doing something right.    And it’s these instincts that shine through on their songs for streaming over on My Space.   Like all the best bands I doubt they know exactly what they’re doing that manages to make it sound so damn good.   The best pop bands don’t even know they’re the best pop band.

Long may they continue not knowing what they’re doing right.

Links:  This Many Boyfriends | Indietracks

Indietracks 2010 Unheard: Be Like Pablo

Be Like Pablo

The fourth (has it really been that long?) Indietracks festival is all confirmed (23-25 July, nr Ripley, Derbyshire).   And every year the organisers manage to throw up some hitherto unheard bands.   And much like I’ve started to do with New York Popfest I’ve decided to do the occassional write-up on some of these new (to me) bands.

First up:  Be Like Pablo.  They’re Scottish.   They can be best described as powerpop.  They sound like a cross between Weezer and Imperial Teen (remember them?).  Apart from when they have a rapper on one of the songs and they come over like a 21st Century Credit to the Nation. Possibly.  I can imagine their cheery brand of pop being perfect for Derbyshire sunshine in July.   But I am still not sure I’d want to buy their LP.  It’s a little to AOR friendly for me, I think.   They kind of remind of another set of Scottish power poppers Kid Canaveral.   Although they don’t sound as vital to me – where the rougher edges have been rounded a little too much for these abrasive ears.

Links:  Be Like Pablo | Indietracks

Ste McCabe – Hate Mail

Ok.  I am a little late on the uptake with Ste McCabe.  I’d heard the odd song previously on a Cherryade Records compilation.   But I hadn’t really taken notice.    It took a performance at Indietracks last weekend to make me sit up and go woah, what the fuck is this.    His whole set at the festival, in a Church, no less – was an explosion of joy.  The song that was stuck in my head all day afterwards was the beatbox fuzz punk of ‘Huyton Scum’ – the tale of a thick chav and his prejudices.  With a visceral sneer this is the sound of an angry gay pop motor mouth, Ste McCabe.   Immediately after his indietracks set I picked up his CD.  I’ve hardly paused for breath since.   This CD is white hot with over playing during the past few days.   Soundwise this is all about retro beatboxes, fuzzy angry guitars and a batch of killer tunes.   This is political.  This is anger.   This is fucking brilliant.

‘Hate Mail’ came out in 2008 on Cherryade Records.  It’s a 11 songs long.   It’s some of the freshest, most exciting pop music I have heard in ages.   Gay stereotypes are taken to pieces on ‘Queer Clubbing’ and  ‘Four Puffs And A Shotgun’. The Soft Cell classic ‘Bedsitter’ is given a fuzzy makeover.    This is just the sort of snotty guitar pop that we need right now.

Links:  Ste McCabe

The Manhattan Love Suicides reach the end of the line.

mls_web_gramaphone

This apparently appeared on the bands My Space page (it isn’t there now, from what I can tell)*:

After 3 years, 1 album, 6 singles, a 27 track compilation CD and a DVD, plus more hit and run, feedback and noise drenched 20 minute gigs than we can remember… The Manhattan Love Suicides have decided to split.

The reason? Quite simple really: We’d made our point.

Some bands form, and they keep going for many years. The Manhattan Love Suicides were never about that. We were never career driven; we just wanted to make an impact, like 4 sticks of dynamite thrown into a stale music scene. And in our own way, we did what we set out to do.

The music remains, and that is the most important thing. We’re all very proud of how much we did in the short time we existed. The last thing we ever wanted was to become stale. End it while it’s still fresh, while it’s still vital. While it still counts.

So, thanks to everyone who came to see us , to everyone who appreciated the music and to everyone who supported us. This is not the end: it’s just a new beginning. Adam and Rachel have formed The Medusa Snare and the debut album will be released by Squirrel Records soon, Caroline and Darren are contributing vocals and guitar respectively to Ailsa Craig, as well as working on new material together which will be released later in the year.

So, it’s official.  I’d got wind of this a few days before setting off for the Indietracks Festival.   There was still a chance that it wasn’t true – but after speaking with Darren from the band I knew that the these chances were slim and so it was, on a packed train,  Adam, with Rachel in attendance, announced that The Manhattan Love Suicides had split up.   This tiny steam train carriage was full to bursting and the news was greeted with some shock.   Adam, Rachel and a friend (Steve?) – played an acoustic set – as The Medusa Snare – which threw in a few Manhattan Love Suicides songs.

So, that was The Manhattan Love Suicides.   I just want to put on record what an amazing bunch of people this band are (were?).   Their single released on Lostmusic is one of the reasons I still want to run a record label.  This band became my favourite over past 3 years (well, it’s nearly 3 years I guess).   The band have left behind a of whole bunch of songs that they should be immensely proud of.   These records will continue to fill my world with pleasure, for that I am thankful.   The sadness comes from knowing that I’ll never hear a blistering ‘new’ 7″  by them.    And the real kick, is, I will never get to see the four of them kicking up an unholy racket on stage ever again.   They were  a special band.  I’m gonna miss them.

Links:  The Manhattan Love Suicides | Squirrel Records |  Indietracks

* it seems this statement is no longer on the bands My Space page – read into that what you will – but I am not sure that I hold much hope for a change of heart.