DiScover: The Whip
The Whip are from Manchester and they enjoy a good party. With their single 'Sister Siam' out now, DiS catches up with the quartet to talk influences and the break-up of bands and relationships»
Articles
charlesubaghs has written the following articles:
Le Loup - The Throne of The Third Heaven of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly
Free of the genre splicing that draws so much attention these days, The Throne… is a record quietly aiming for heights far above anything dared by the majority of young musicians currently making the rounds»
Film School - Hideout
Missing the days of the pre-grunge early ‘90s? Don’t fret, because with war in Iraq, the US economy in a tailspin and My Bloody Valentine gigging again, it’s like they never went away»
The Pine Hill Haints - Ghost Dance
The Pine Hill Haints are a band seeped in the tall tales and music that’s long defined the lower Appalachians of their birth, and Ghost Dance cares little for fashions»
Nine Black Alps - Love/Hate
They first went over as grunge tourists with debut Everything Is and now, with second album Love/Hate, Nine Black Alps have crafted the equivalent of a green card application»
LCD Soundsystem, Prinzhorn Dance School at London Brixton Academy, Tue 23 Oct
Let’s be frank: the rock star blueprint of old has failed us in the new century. So who have we turned to for inspiration in a decade destined to be famed for a newfound level of musical hyper accessibility that’s so overwhelming? James Murphy, maybe»
A late night call to Kortedala: DiS gets serious with Jens Lekman
Recorded at Lekman’s flat in Kortedala (a suburb of his native Gothenburg) his latest LP once again finds the lovelorn 26-year-old Swede crafting tales of loves lost with a sound that embraces everything from orchestral pop to a hint of vintage Eurodisco. DiS recently rang up a rather ill Lekman at an incredibly impolite hour on a Monday night to discuss his music, his life and just why he was compelled to watch 230 episodes of M*A*S*H last year.»
Flying Lotus - Reset EP
Instrumental hip-hop is a bit like the works of great cinema composers. At their best, they both offer an immersive experience capable of transporting a listener to some far off place...»
Celebration - The Modern Tribe
Let’s keep this simple. Celebration are a great band. Consisting of drummer David Bergander and husband and wife duo Sean Anatanaitis and Katrina Ford, the Baltimore trio spend their days crafting soul-influenced art rock that can proudly stand next to the creative highlights of their like-minded friends in TV on the Radio...»
Various - There's Only One T In Wichita
You’re only left with the thought that no matter what Wichita does in the next seven years, they’ll keep doing it with the same joy and love they applied to their first seven...»
Fair To Midland - Fables From A Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True
Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Fair to Midland’s recent history sounds like a heavy metal rags to riches tale. In 2006, after years of touring their home state and releasing two independent records, the band were spotted by System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian at a gig and were quickly signed to his label, Serjical Strike...»
Siouxsie Sioux at Paris Eiffel Tower, Fri 28 Sep
Far from being a greatest hits affair lazily sung by a once great star going through the motions, Siouxsie reminds those in attendance why she is the venerated icon she with a set focusing almost exclusively on her new album, Mantaray...»
Shearwater - Palo Santo (re-release)
Given even half a listen, the vision and execution of this expanded edition of Palo Santo proves itself to be a case of a wrong now righted that hopefully earns far more attention the second time around...»
Coffinberry - God Dam Dogs
God Damn Dogs may not do much to inspire, but if you walked into the right bar in the right American town, it would fit nicely in the background while you knocked back a few bottles of Bud and watched the ball game...»
The Gossip, No Bra, Panther at London Forum, Thu 13 Sep
Well, no matter how exhausted you may be of the heavy airplay and magazine covers or talk of Ditto’s more-than-size-zero figure and Germaine Greer’s opinion, hearing that now well-worn anthem being belted at you in the flesh injects it with a new-found electricity that’s next to impossible to deny...»
Aiden - Conviction
If there’s one fact about Conviction that’s sure to bring a tear to the eye though, it’s this: these boys are likely to sell a lot of records. Tragic, isn’t it...»
Videohippos - Unbeast The Leash
Far from life affirming it may be but, given room to breathe, Unbeast the Leash’s tightly wound mood provides a hypnotic distraction from the grey drudgery of daily routine. And occasionally, that’s all you really need to hear...»
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Even after more than ten years in existence, Spoon, unlike say the Strokes, are one of those rare bands who, album after album, repeatedly prove themselves capable of successfully building and expanding upon their tensely wound, streamlined take on rock...»
How To Cure Dyslexia - Little Else/Close Your Eyes
The fact that this double A-side is taken from a debut LP whose recording process doubled as a public art instillation at the Spaceshift gallery in Kings Cross should lead one to expect some outré concoction best left to the fringes of the experimental art scene...»
Scott Matthews - Elusive
You can practically hear the ad men grinning from ear to ear with ‘Elusive’, a re-released single off Wolverhampton singer/songwriter Scott Matthews’ debut album, Passing Stranger...»
Fanfarlo - Fire Escape / We Live By The Lake
These songs may not win high marks for innovation, but breakout the armchair and old blanket, because their pleasant enough nature should make perfect sense on a rainy Saturday afternoon...»
Of Montreal, The Video Nasties, The Strange Death of Liberal England at Cargo, Hackney, Tue 29 May
Cargo may be packed to the rafters tonight with people on the lookout for the increasingly over-the-top theatrics that have come to embody an of Montreal performance, but there are some talented youngsters on this evening’s musical menu serving prime art-rock cocktails to the waiting crowd before the arrival of the main course...»
Cornelius at London Koko, Wed 23 May
Cornelius first appears on stage as nothing more than a silhouette until the words “Welcome to the Cornelius Synchronised Road Show” flash across the screen. It all comes tumbling down in a blinding flash of light and noise only to reveal the man himself standing there dressed as an extra from A Clockwork Orange – bowler hat and all...»
Sensuous Talks: Cornelius chats to DiS about his music
With his latest record, Sensuous, already getting a big thumbs up in critical circles, DiS jumped at the chance to chat with Cornelius (with special help from his translator) on the evening before his recent gig at London’s Koko...»
The Field at London Plastic People, Wed 02 May
How does a Swede specialising in lush electronic waves of sound more suited for the bedroom than a cramped dance club fare when performing live, at his label’s first official London bash, to a room full of foreign girls and vinyl-loving boys stealthily eyeing up every move the DJs make? Surprisingly well it turns out...»
The Late Cord - Lights From The Wheelhouse (EP)
Still, like having a good read through a stranger’s journal, The Late Cord’s debut connects and wanders off into personal indulgence in equal measure, and while you rarely give the indulgent parts a second thought, you’ll frequently find yourself drawn back to the juicy bits...»
Joan As Police Woman - Flushed Chest
Is it innovative stuff? No. But as an exercise in mature, restrained song writing that owes as much to Leonard Cohen as it does the soul and R&B greats, it’s certainly accomplished...»
Love Is All at London Cargo, Thu 15 Mar
Live, as on record, Love Is All prove that it’s possible to celebrate and simultaneously deconstruct your influences, only to glue them back together in a way that, while comfortably familiar, is undeniably exhilarating to see and hear. Or, to put it simply, this quintet of Swedes prove that sometimes you can teach an old dog-like post-punk a few new tricks...»