The team at someofoitistrue towers have to admit to being a bit daunted when the latest from Slow Down, Molasses arrived at our door. We weren’t familiar with either the band’s previous work, or really “remixing” as an art form. It therefore took us a few listens to really get into this record, but safe to say, it’s well worth the effort.
Whilst not being experts in the “remix”, one of our first records was the “Two Tribes” 12” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, which we still like to this day. One of our favourite records ever and always brings us back time after time, is “µ-Ziq Vs. The Auteurs” –a total classic in our opinion, where Mike Paradinas obliterates some of the tracks from the “Now I’m a Cowboy” record, creating something totally new and exciting. We remain fans of both groups, a love that Luke Haines and Mike Paradinas probably don’t share.
Not being familiar with the original versions, I can’t comment on how radical the “Bodies of Water: Remixes” are, but my thoughts are that they are probably not too different from the source material, certainly in keeping with the feel of a Slow Down, Molasses record – must admit I need to do some home work here. It’s certainly not a “Loaded” type set of remixes, where Andrew Weatherall totally changed “I’m Losing More Than I’ll Ever Have” by Primal Scream, but still produced something that was in keeping with what the band are all about. Whilst Bodies of Water isn’t so radical a remix work, it’s an interesting record that stands up to, actually requires, repeated listening.
Over eight tracks, including three versions each of “Walk Into The Sea” and “Light”, and at just 32 minutes – someofitistrue applauds bands who get to the point and don’t outstay their welcome – the team behind this record have produced a really diverse body of work that takes the listener on an interesting and varied musical journey. I understand that Slow Down, Molasses are a multi instrumental collective of up to nine members (possibly more) and there is a wealth of different instruments featured here, all sounding great together.
Favourite tracks for this listener include, “Bodies (Mehta’s Reduction)” which has a real Alice Coltrane feel about it, with the harp sound coming in and out over the driving sequenced background. “Light (Sebastian Reynolds Remix)” works really well, it starts with just vocals and the slightest of piano backgrounds, you feel that it’s the soundtrack to a leaf being blown in the breeze, slowly it builds and ends with repeat stabs of noise, the leaf is now being bashed repeatedly against a corrugated iron fence, excellent stuff. I also really like “Walk Into The Sea (Message to Bears Remix)” with its ripples of piano, cello, haunting vocals and, what sounds to me, like a looped Wurlitzer. “Late Night Radio (Foam Lake Remix)” is all hypnotic rhythm, crashing guitars and brass instrumentation and would work well in the type of club that Some Of It Is True wish they would get invited to more often.
When I finally “got” this record, I was cycling around the country lanes of Warwickshire on a sunny spring morning, this record was the perfect sound track; it contains light, shade, driving beats, quiet passages, vocal hooks, strange instruments / sounds and is always interesting. Ultimately, any remix record needs to work on two levels; as a body of work in its own right that stands up to repeated listening and also as an introduction to the listener to search out more music by the artists involved. “Bodies of Water: Remixes” is a record that I keep coming back to and I’m going to discover more music by Slow Down, Molasses, so for someofitistrue it is a total success.
4/5
Review by @tvermar
****You can download this album – name your price – at the following sites****
Do you like Folk? Do you like Rock? Do you like a band who exude a passion for their music? If so, Barricades Rise might be the band for you. This duo obviously love what they do and they do it very well, folk-rock that makes you sit up and take notice – at times it’s in your face snarling, at others it is a gentle but haunting lullaby. Read on for an introduction into the world of Barricades Rise and also a link to a FREE album download!
Hi Gentlemen, please tell us a little about Barricades Rise
Jonathan Coates – We are an acoustic duo from the Midlands and we describe our music as Acoustic/Folk/Rock. Michael and I have been making music together for around 15 years in various different bands spanning a few different genres, but found a love for the simplicity of two guitars and vocals.
Michael McEntee – Nailed it.
You have now written 2 LPs. Would you say Barricades Rise have found their sound?
JC – I think both albums captured the sound we wanted at the time. I would like to think that with each new album, our sound will continue to develop. That being said, I think you can listen to any of our songs and they do have a certain something that makes them a “Barricades Rise” song. Not sure what that is, but it’s there.
MM – I think Jonathan’s voice is the main factor to how we sound. It’s a very powerful tool.
Please tell us how the song-writing process works within the band?
JC – We tend to write apart mostly. Once we have the bones of a song we will then bring it to the table and let the other chap put his stamp on it. On occasion we have sat together and jammed on ideas, but we find it easier to work alone for the initial ideas and then once the idea is good enough, share it.
The passion of the performance virtually leaps out of the speakers – is this important for you?
JC – It is the passion and energy of our live performances that tends to set us apart from most people on the acoustic scene, therefore if we can get 50% of that coming “out of the speakers”, then we are happy. I think it’s quite hard to capture that on record, but the way we record seems to allow us to do just that. Everything is recorded, mixed and produced by us in my home studio and in a very unprofessional manner. There are no vocal booths, sound proofing or racks of equipment, it’s just the two of us banging out the tunes in a tiny spare bedroom with a one decent quality mic.
I assume this makes a live Barricades Rise experience pretty full on?
JC – Yeah, as I say, we do put a lot of energy in to our live performances. I believe a Barricades Rise show is as much about the visual impact of two guys stomping their feet and head banging, as it is the music. Obviously on the acoustic scene you get a lot of singer songwriters who are gentle players and give a lovely tender performance and then we come on and crank it up a little. It usually makes people turn and take note.
MM – We pride ourselves on being different. A very visual band. If we have not left the stage in sweat from really going for it, we consider the gig a bit of a let down.
That’s not to say you don’t do subtle well. ‘The Great White North is a lovely tune – please tell us about it.
MM – That song out of all the slower ones has more of a story. I recorded a solo album at the start of last year. It was a passion project based on the life of Chris McCandless. I wrote recorded and released the album in 3 days. This was one of the song off it. Jonathan really liked it so we rerecorded it and stuck it on the album. It’s my lead vocal debut too.
There seems a very raw honesty in both your music and lyrics, such as in ‘Nod & Smile’ & ‘If You Were Here’. Is this a fair statement and has this honesty ever garnered any feedback from those who inspired the songs?
JC – I think it’s a fair statement to make, as some of our songs are extremely personal to us. We have songs about people we have lost, people we love, our own friendship together and many life situations we have faced.
MM – We tend not to let people in on what our songs are about, or who they are about specifically. Sometimes we even keep it from each other. We like to let the listener decide for themselves as they could associate the song to their own life.
I loved your covers on the Xmas EP – do you play any covers live? What’s your favourite cover to play?
JC – We have always been about playing our own songs live. Even going back to the days of our very first band at secondary school (1996), we didn’t start the usual way - which is to play covers; we dove straight into writing our own songs from the first practice. We only know a handful of covers all the way through and one or two make the set every once in a while.
I can imagine Barricades Rise being a great festival band. If you could curate your own festival, what five acts would you have on the bill?
JC – It’s strange, but we have played on a main stage of a big festival and we felt lost. It didn’t feel right, however, stick us in a small acoustic tent and we will get the crowd going.
With regards to my dream festival line up, a festival should be about creating a party atmosphere and for that you want bands that are going to make you move and play all the classics so. . . . Picture this, it’s the last day of 3 day festival and the sun is setting for the final five acts, a few beers have been drunk and you are feeling good. You get to the front of the festival field and the following five bands come on and blow you away . . .
1) The Rasmus – this is not a joke, they write catchy pop rock tunes that I can’t help but throw my Rock moves around; 2) Muse – wouldn’t class myself as a massive Muse fan, but my brother and I saw them last year and they are amazing live; 3) Pulp – Playing the complete works of His and Hers, followed by Different Class and select other few singles; 4) The Pet Shop Boys – The singles collection of pure pop and 5) The Music – Dance rock perfection
MM – As usual Jonathan has got it wrong. I’d stick Muse, Mumford and Sons, My Chemical Romance, Pulp and of course, Barricades Rise
How cool is the Banjo?
JC – Not as cool as the Ukulele, but it is pretty sweet. We currently have at our disposal three Ukuleles, a banjo, a banjolele, a banjitar, a mandolin, our guitars and numerous percussion instruments. It’s great to have all these different sounds available to us, all we need to do now is learn how to play them all
MM – It’s very cool. I think the more songs we write, the more it appears too.
What is coming up for Barricades Rise in 2012?
JC- 2012 is going to be a strange year for Barricades Rise. Michael became a Dad in January and my first child is expected in April. This pretty much means we are not gigging for the first half of the year. Despite this, we will be releasing our second collection of rarities called Repertiore II: Covers, Live and Demo’s in February. We also have a collection of Remixes done by a chap who goes by the name of ‘Soundtrack’, which will be released around April/May time. We have some gigs booked for later in the year and hopefully we will start demoing new tunes as the year comes to a close, ready for a possible early/mid 2013 release of a new album. First of all though, we are going to enjoy being dads.
(between interview and publishing the BR boys have actually released ‘Repertoire II – Live, Covers and Demo’s’. Click on the album cover to download for FREE!)
You guys seem to have embraced Social Media – how has this benefited the band? Any negative sides?
JC– Social media is an unsigned band’s best friend. If used correctly, the possibilities are endless. It has enabled us to get close with fans, gain new fans, get gigs, make contacts and so much more.
MM- This interview would not have happened, nor would a host of others and our gig schedule would be sparse. We both use it daily (@barricadesrise – Michael and @jc_barricades – Jonathan)
Who are Barricades Rise listening to at the moment?
JC – I can’t stop listening to the Editors second and third album at the minute. Also, a little bit of The Devil Makes Three. Oh, Absolute 80′s radio when I’m washing up.
MM – I’ve just found a band called Vandaveer. Beautiful.
Thanks for taking the time guys. Finally, where can people find out more about Barricades Rise?
JC – In all the usually spots – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Bandcamp and the most important place: www.barricadesrise.co.uk here you will find links to all the places mentioned above and this is where we blog. I think we averaged around a blog every 3 days last year and love doing it. We obviously blog about the band, but also about anything we find interesting.
When we are not stroking our chins to the latest tear jerker from some acoustic lovely, there is nothing more that we love than a bit of a racket. It thrills us to report that Internet Forever produce a glorious racket that brings a smile to the face and wipes years off our age.
We have to admit that Internet Forever were not a band that someofitistrue were familiar with before they came knocking at our drawbridge. A cursory check of the internet suggested that they were going to be all a bit ‘indie-pop’- no bad thing, as we like a jangle as much as the next pop kid. However, repeated listens suggests that this description sells the group a bit short. Internet Forever are what this reviewer would call, a classic pop band built on a Spector(ish) wall of sound. It’s all there – pop hooks, catchy choruses, sing-a-long verses and plenty of noise. You can trace their sound back through this style from 2012 back to the birth of rock and roll. There are bits of 60’s girl group, bits of Ramones, bits Jesus & Mary Chain, you get the aural picture, but its all got a nice 2012 punch to it.
Far from coming across all twee and shambling, Internet Forever positively crunch and there is even a bit of the epic / widescreen about their sound. To these ears there is even a bit of late 70’s E-Street Band in the percussion to ‘Centre of the Universe’, when Bruce Springsteen was trying to create his own wall of sound imitation on Born to Run. ‘Pages of Books’ also has that epic sweep and a great introduction to match.
Internet Forever could never claim to have the most original sound, but someofitistrue think that having an original sound in 2012 is pretty much a moot point anyway. We know most, if not all, things have been done before, probably before we were even born, but that’s not an issue for us. Despite acknowledging pop history in their sound, Internet Forever are a thoroughly modern band. They use typical ‘indie’ instruments, such as guitar and drums in a typical ‘indie’ style, but augment with current sounds, drum beats, percussion, dance club rhythms. Lyrics are a nice mix of girl falls out with boy, but with modern touches about message boards, etc.
Pretty much every song here has something going for it. ‘I Don’t Care’ starts at a pace and then builds, slows, then builds again, before finally it crashes over the listener in addictive waves of ‘whoo-hoos’. It then repeats this again and again to give the listener a manic pop thrill. If this isn’t a great catchy pop tune then I don’t know what is. ‘Happy New Year’ is another winner, starting with a fanfare and then shimmering along, backed by some neat drums and all over in two minutes.
I’m not sure what a modern group aspire to in this day and age, but in our dreams a tune as fine as ‘White Light Collision Course’ should be all over the radio for Spring and Summer of 2012. Inspiring people to both listen to Internet Forever, but to also form bands and create their own sound. For me it’s the highlight of the record and is a great mix of ‘up’ music and slightly sinister lyrics. ‘I’ll sleep when I’m alive’ starts off a bit too close the Vaccines, but rapidly mutates into something quite different, again it’s said all it needs to say in just two minutes. No messing around for Internet Forever; get to the point, get to the chorus and then move on.
Internet Forever should be commended for making a great modern pop record. Its prefect for the Itunes shuffle generation, who get bored after 2 minutes, but it also works well as an entire piece of work, having a beginning – the stately instrumental ‘3D’, a strong run of tunes in the middle – ‘Pages of Books’, ‘Centre of Your Universe’ and ‘White Light Collision Course’ and then an epic finish with ‘3M’.
Whilst we acknowledge that someofitistrue ‘s growing global reputation is due to our love of that perennial favourite- the solo troubadour / singer songwriter, we will freely admit that our musical taste is pretty much all encompassing. We are happy to give anything a blast and will champion all sorts of different bands over the coming months. We are obsessed by music and bands, which for us tend to fall into two categories: love or ignore. If we don’t like it, we won’t listen or comment further – no haters here, we love much more than we find snore-inducing.
Indie-pop is in safe hands with the emergence of ‘Foxes!’, who released their self-titled debut album earlier this year. The call & response girl/boy vocals, retro-synth sounds and sheer variety make this album a real pleasure to listen to. Luckily for us, Adam from the band was happy to have a chat with someofitistrue
Hello ‘Foxes!’ – I hope you are well. Please tell our readers about yourselves!
Hi, I am Adam Bell and I play guitar and sing in Foxes! My wife Kayla is the drummer and main singer and we are joined by Al Grice on bass guitar and keyboard and Matthew Twaites on guitar and keys. We all live in Brighton and just released our album on newly formed Brighton label Big Salad Records, which we are also running ourselves.
Why ‘Foxes!’
Foxes! is the cry of a rabbit as it runs to escape its potential doom. Hence the injured rabbit as our logo.
How has the album been received? Are you pleased?
Yes we’ve had some very good reviews, maybe some people weren’t so into the humour element, or slightly mistook that we can be tongue-in-cheek at times, but on the whole, I’m really pleased with how people are reacting to it.
I understand you have recently relocated from Oxford to Brighton – was this driven from a musical standpoint? How is Brighton treating you?
We started as a three piece in Oxford back in 2005 and moved to Brighton after the summer of 2007. Kayla and our original bass player Dan were studying in Oxford and finished their courses that Summer. We were drawn to Brighton by the past to some extent, as I had lived in Brighton during my teenage years, and Kayla had immediately loved it when she first moved over from Canada in 2001. It felt like coming home when we moved back, although Oxford was very good to us and we did love it there as well.
I’ve seen the term C-86 used in reference to your music. What does it mean? Is it a fair reference?
Well, I think it represents the idea of lo-fi music that isn’t punk. It implies directness and innocence and home recording without caring so much for high production values. For us, we wouldn’t ever listen to that tape and couldn’t really name any songs on it that we are passionate about. Although I do like ‘Velocity Girl’ by Primal Scream. I think it is a bit of a shorthand for a certain style and perhaps that has been an influence on us. I know that Dan, original member and contributor to the songwriting, was influenced by bands such as Beat Happening, and so we can’t deny that it has had some influence on the album. Moving forward, however, I don’t think that it is going to seem such an obvious reference point for the band, as we have so many other influences which are much more relevant to us.
Is that a Bontempi on ‘It’s Ridiculous, Adam’?
No, actually, it’s a Casio CT-310.
You may not be able to draw horses very well but your logo shows you have no problem with rabbits! As a new and upcoming band are you conscious of creating a ‘Foxes!’ style/brand or is it all pretty organic?
Kayla has a very distinctive art style and this is a big influence on how we present ourselves visually. The Oh Rosie video probably illustrates this best. We also have a kind of fun live video style explored on ‘Who Killed Rob?’ and ‘The Panda Bear Song’, which was conceived by myself and Kayla. I think we have managed to express our personalities quite well without overanalysing exactly what and why we are doing it. I’d like to continue that way really, I’m not really comfortable with the idea of the ‘Foxes! brand’, though that is quite an amusing concept.
‘6 O’Clock’ is a great tune – please tell us about how this came together
Ok that’s the first song written for the album by some time. I wrote it in St Andrews on an acoustic guitar when I was 19 years old in the year 2000, even before I had met Kayla. It has always been an important song to me because I feel that it has a universal appeal and just stands up against any other material written afterwards. It was composed quickly, the lyrics just fell together and I think it feels more serious when compared the rest of the album. Strangely, it feels connected to ‘A Letter To A Mine’ somehow, though the original idea for that song was composed in Cornwall four years later. The only thing that significantly changed over the years was the line ‘Where is the taxi man tonight?’, which I think we changed in 2006, as previously it had been ‘Where are all the voices in my head?’ which seemed a bit generic. I like the mystery of the taxi man and its specific reference to our lives in Oxford at that time.
The album is bursting with different sounds and ideas – was there anything you really loved but had to leave out, as it didn’t fit within the context of the album?
Well, we drew a line on songs for our first album in 2008. While we were still recording we were writing new songs, but they are going to appear on our second record, in particular a song called ‘Sailors’, which is on the Elefant Records release that came out in April last year, was almost included, and written just after the tracklist was decided. There’s a really nice video that someone has made on YouTube of the original version of ‘Sailors” and I love that song. I think we are going to re-record it this year. A song called ‘Wild Geese’ was very nearly included. We recorded a demo version of the song in 2007 and there is a video on YouTube made around that time featuring rolling about in Oxford. Otherwise, the tracklisting was clear to me fairly early on and I don’t think it really changed much, the intro to ‘Apples To Apples’ became ‘Aisle No. 3′ and I liked how the album bookends around the sentiment of that song. Although ’6′O Clock’, the main idea for ‘Descartes’ and ‘A Letter To A Mine’ were all written earlier, all other songs were written between 2005-8.
What records are ‘Foxes!’ listening to at the moment?
I am currently listening to… Aqualung by Jethro Tull, Write Your Own History by Field Music, reliving the back catalogue of Pavement and an album by Department of Eagles called The Cold Nose.
What’s coming up in terms of live dates? What can people expect from ‘Foxes!’ live?
We currently have three gigs scheduled. The first is a headline show at Pavilion Theatre in Brighton on 16th February. Then we are back in Oxford for the first time in a while at The Cellar on 10th March. We are also playing a London show for Odd Box Promotions at The Wilmington Arms on 16th March.
We shall be playing much of the album and a bunch of new stuff too, and hopefully having a nice relaxed fun evening so everyone should come along!!
Love the handclaps on ‘Art Girl’. Can you recommend another great song with handclaps?
“Disconnect The Dots” by of Montreal
Where can we find out some more about you and the record?
You can ask us anything on Twitter and we will be sure to get back to you… www.twitter.com/foxesfoxesfoxes
I can confirm that ‘Foxes!’ is a fun, spiky pop record which is well worth investing some time getting to know. Why not pop over to their myspace page to hear for yourself? http://www.myspace.com/foxesfoxesfoxes
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At someofitistrue we like to bring you a bit of variety. This week whilst not creating captivating sonic soundscapes, walls of noise and hypnotic melodies, the guys from Porquesi have found time to have a chat.
My only live experience of the band was a great moment. On our last night at the Airwaves Festival in Iceland, Victorsson and I decided to catch Porquesi in a bar named Dillon. Through the crowd, we could just make out the band wrestling everything out of their instruments. It is fair to say we were quite literally blown away by the band, who attacked every song with unreserved passion. They play loud, the music is challenging, but is grounded in many a great melody. It is not always the case, but I am pleased to confirm that the band’s album ’This Is Forever’ does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the band.
Half Icelandic, Half British – how did PORQUESÍ come into being?
Basically, like all good stories, it started with a girl – or something a bit less dramatic! Russ moved to Iceland and befriended Skúli; a spark was lit. Russ’ friend Jonathan moved here to intern at a fancy magazine, then in Spring 2009, Skúli and Russ started to puzzle together some ideas and ended up bringing Jon and Egill (Skúli’s brother) into the mix. That’s how it happened – or something a bit more dramatic!
What does PORQUESÍ mean?
If you read it backwards it becomes ‘Iseuqrop’, which means ‘nothing’ in Russian. Nah, just kiddin’. But seriously, PORQUESÍ is Spanish for ‘just -because’, although in Spanish you would divide it into two words: porque sí. We took the artistic decision of gluing these words together ‘cos we don’t give a fuck. No just kiddin’, we respect a whole lot of things and people.
Tell us about the genesis of ‘This is Forever’.
It all happened pretty quickly in the Summer of 2009. Russ and Skúli put together ideas for 4-5 tracks which we brought into the garage along with Jon and Egill. Before we knew it, we had played a few shows here and there in downtown Reykjavík, and the following Winter composed the rest of what became the track listing for ‘This is Forever’. In the Autumn of 2010, we recorded the album over a two day period, then spent some time mixing and mastering before we released it ourselves in the beginning of December the same year.
I always get through the album and then suddenly realise that there have been no vocals. Do you find that it is harder to grab the listener’s attention without a vocal?
Not having the vocal element definitely forces us to take certain measures. For this type of music, being kind of minimal and repetitive, it is important not to overdo it, finding the right balance in number of repetitions; for example before adding something new. We have been told many times after shows something like, “cool stuff boys, but you should add vocals, that’d do the trick”. In the beginning we were very determined to play only instrumental music. I think all of us, at that time, listened to a lot of instrumental music, and it influenced us and made sense to us. Now, I think we are a bit more open to the idea of adding some vocals. You can’t deny the effect it has on the music. At the same time, it is a fragile thing; you can easily fuck it up.
Will vocals be introduced on future records?
As a matter of fact, the only track that is completely ready for our upcoming EP has a small vocal part. So yes, we’ll introduce some vocals, although we still consider ourselves as an instrumental band first and foremost.
For a newcomer to the band, which track would you recommend they listen to, and why?
Well, we have a video for ‘Obvious Harmony’, which is probably the heaviest track of the album. It’s the ‘hit single’. For something a bit softer, check out ‘Slowdown‘ or ’12-8-12′. And for a bit of both we recommend ‘Curfew and Crowded Streets’ or ‘This is Forever‘. The first and last tracks (the only ones with Icelandic names) are thought of as an intro and outro.
Is the balaclava a regular feature of the ‘live’ show?
Haha no, it was only a surprise element of the Dillon show during the Airwaves festival. It was supposed to increase the effect of our ‘rebellion song’, ‘Curfew and Crowded Streets’. Also, we wanted to do something special for the last Airwaves show. We also had a guest appearance from our friend Clyde Bradford from Human Hands. He played guitar for ‘Obvious Harmony’. That was a super fun performance! Definitely one of our favourites from Airwaves 2011 – this can actually be found on YouTube.
Airwaves was awesome and Iceland seems to have an amazing music scene – what’s it like to be involved in it?
Yeah, it’s a great music scene over here, and super diverse too. It definitely has this ‘community’ vibe about it, with bands willing to help each other out. We love playing with other like-minded Icelandic bands, and those who have never heard of us. It makes us strive to play a better show.
What bands have influenced PORQUESÍ?
This Will Destroy You, Caspian, At the Drive-In, Mogwai, and Converge to name a few.
What would be your dream festival line-up?
Tricky question. At the Drive-In reunion and Mogwai of course. Um, Jon would love to see Meshuggah, Russ would say Radiohead, and Egill would say Metallica. Haha. And probably a bit of Blink 182 to get drunk to.
Are you playing in the UK any time soon – what are your future plans for gigs?
We have nothing booked in the UK yet, but we have talked a lot about going there this year. When the opportunity will present itself, we will grab it. It’d be awesome to do a tour in the UK. We’re working on it. Stay tuned.
When can we expect new music – what form will it take Album, EP etc?
We are currently working on a 4-5 track EP, which will hopefully be released this spring. It’s going to be a lot darker and structurally more complex, but will also have some signature PORQUESÍ melodies.
Thanks to the guys for taking the time to chat. If you liked this blog, or any of our other interviews, then please do sign-up for regular updates.
