a website for the band
March 24, 2010 3 Comments
The Korg Monotron. It’s an analogue monosynth with a real filter and two oscillators for under 50 Euros. The catch is that it’s about 6cm wide.
It does have an external sound source input, though, and this excites me greatly.
I wasn’t joking about the size.
PS. Work on the debut Hong Kong In The 60s album is progressing very nicely.
March 4, 2010 Leave a Comment
A shiny, boppy new mix of our song Footsteps is now available as a single, backed with a fantastic electronic remix by The Last Skeptik (who has recently created a mix for Fabric which you can hear here).
Click here to visit the Proper Songs label site, where you can listen to and download the single from iTunes, Amazon, Play.com, eMusic, AOL, Napster and more.
Please do spread the word!
February 2, 2010 5 Comments
The blog post title is pretty self-explanatory.
We’ve been invited onto this week’s edition of the wonderful Resonance FM radio show Lucky Cat, on Thursday night from 7-8pm.
Join us and host Zoë Baxter as we spin some Chinese records that have influenced us, as well as some of our own songs. We’ll probably talk at length about food, too.
You can listen to Resonance on 104.4FM in London, or worldwide via their website.
January 9, 2010 3 Comments
(A list in no particular order by Tim, with input from Chris and Mei Yau)
Jim O’Rourke
The Visitor (Drag City)
Beautiful, subtle, shifting pop symphony from Jim.
Daniel Johnston
Is And Always Was (High Wire/Eternal Yip Eye)
Broadcast and The Focus Group
Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age (Warp)
An engrossing collaboration that’s like a slow trip through a haunted radio dial.
Fever Ray
Fever Ray (Mute/Rabid)
Great solo album by Karin Dreijer Andersson from the Knife that sounds exactly like the Knife.
Bill Callahan
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Drag City)
The Joanna Newsom Breakup Record!
Fitness Forever
Personal Train (Elefant)
Watching Fitness Forever was a highlight of this year’s Indietracks festival, and the album is a peach.
Bonnie Prince Billy
Beware (Domino)
Au Revoir Simone
Still Night, Still Light (Moshi Moshi)
I do love their cymbal sound.
Nite Jewel
Good Evening (Human Ear)
Amazing, woozy 80s funk/Italo disco grooves, recorded at home onto cheap analog multitrack.
Super Furry Animals
Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade)
Tickley Feather
Hors D’ourves (Paw Tracks)
Not quite as good as her fantastic debut record, but I can’t put my finger on why. It’s still compellingly weird and dreamy.
Belbury Poly
From An Ancient Star (Ghost Box)
The most poppily tune-filled Belbury Poly album yet.
Dâm-Funk
Toeachizown (Stones Throw)
P-Funk, G-Funk, Boogie-Funk, Electro-Funk and every other kind of funk all come together in perfect harmony on this mammoth album that brings melody and optimism back to ‘urban’ music.
Tortoise
Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey)
Seeland
Tomorrow Today (Loaf)
Ex-members of Broadcast and Plone create an understated album of retrofuture pop.
Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career (4AD)
Roj
The Transactional Dharma of Roj (Ghost Box)
The Broadcast connection continues with an album of atmospheric horror movie pieces by their former keyboard wizard.
Misty Roses
Villainess (Frog Man Jake)
Torch songs about Mario Bava and Delphine Seyrig. Rarely does such intense emotion and drama come so elegantly packaged.
Jason Lytle
Yours Truly, The Commuter (Anti)
Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavillion (Domino)
It’s not perfect, but this album contains some incredible moments.
This concludes my self-indulgent look back over 12 months of new music, but these weren’t the only great records that came out this year. Navigation by Arthur and Martha, Begone Dull Care by Junior Boys, Bird-Brains by Tune-Yards, Eating Us by Black Moth Super Rainbow and 21st Century Man by Luke Haines were all wonderful too, and there’s a big list of interesting stuff that I still haven’t listened to…
I’d love you to recommend any you think I’ve missed in the comments.
October 28, 2009 Leave a Comment
Hello there!
We will be performing tomorrow (at time of writing) at the wonderful Roshi‘s “The Sky And The Caspian Sea” album launch night.
Roshi’s set will feature visuals from James English, and also playing are Signals and Damp Matchbox. DJ fun will be provided from Wire scribe Joe Muggs.
It’s happening at The Flea Pit, 49 Columbia Rd, London, E2 7RG. Doors open at 7:30pm, and I think entry is just £4. I’m really excited about our set!
Roshi on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/roshisongs
October 9, 2009 1 Comment
Chapi Chapo is a French animated series which began in 1974 and ran for 60 five-minute episodes. It was created by Italo Bettiol and Stephano Lonati. Most importantly for me, it was scored by fantastic soundtrack musician François de Roubaix, who has created a jolly, synthy, strangely creepy world of sound for these grotesque behatted creatures.
Last week, while charity shop crate-digging, I found a tatty 7″ containing a version of the show’s incredible theme tune. This find has inspired me to make my own edit of the all-too-brief original theme, which as far as I can tell is not currently available to buy in its own right. I’ve extended it and made it much easier to dance to, and have added some occasional mellotron flute. I’d like to offer it to you as an autumnal treat.
“Chapi Chapo Theme (Tim’s Edit)” by François de Roubaix (download)
More Chapi Chapo music here, and there’s plenty of stuff on YouTube too, if you’re interested.
September 2, 2009 1 Comment
On Monday, I ventured up to Camden to take a look at David Byrne’s Playing The Building installation at the Roundhouse. It’s an old organ which has been gutted and rewired so it can be hooked up to the pipes, pillars and beams of the venue. Each key on the keyboard now triggers mallets, airstreams and motors that make the room clang, drone and rumble as you play. After a long time spent queueing, I was finally able to play the organ myself – it was the last day of the project, and the place was quite crowded.
Hitting the highest keys caused hammers to tap bits of the room, which made amusing but not very sonically-pleasing clacking sounds. I avoided these keys and focused on the middle range, which made air stream along pipes high in the rafters, like blowing across the top of a milk bottle. These sounds were quite beautiful, and exploring the keyboard to find harmonic, resonant combinations of tones was a thrill.
The installation has since 2005 hit Stockholm, New York and London. If it comes to your town, I think it’s worth a visit.
My Fantoms is available as a digital download or CD from Bandcamp and other retailers.
Tim Scullion, Mei Yau Kan and Christopher Greenberg
