The Triffids
now we are seated / at separate tables
This song's one out of the holy trinity The Triffids recorded in London with the legendary John Peel for the Field of Glass EP. All of the three songs see McComb's muscular vocals wrestling with his own demons but it's here that he does so the most explicitly. Here, the band's immensely powerful sound veers and swerves between violence and quietude, rather than simmering away and eventually boiling over, as it does on the EP's 9 minute title track.
Deerhunter
pray with me
This track arrives here fresh from a live session on BBC 6. Frontman Bradford Cox is probably one of the most generous and articulate musicians out there when it comes to offering constant insight into his own work, process, and feelings. He's written elsewhere that when recording many songs (especially for one of the Atlas Sound solo records) he'll improvise lyrics but this song demonstrates the real difference between his own solo work and that of his band. The more precise drumming goes hand in hand with a better sense of direction that still serves as a vehicle of Cox's flair for heartfelt melodies. The only bad thing about this track is that - like Hot Chip's cover of Wiley - BBC 6 still manage to find the only people in England with unattractive voices to introduce these pieces.
Foals
made love to my pillow / but it didn't feel right
Foals have their new album Total Life Forever out (or at least a promotional release is doing the rounds) and although I was a bit worried around a month ago that their singles were heralding a worrying change in direction, the record is solid gold. Impossible to say whether it tops Antidotes but it neatly bypasses the sophomore curse that has haunted so many artists, and is at least on par with their first full-length. I was even getting a bit of an In Rainbows vibe listening in stages (did the drums remind me of Radiohead: Live from the Basement?) and it's interesting to note that both bands share obscure influences like composer Steve Reich. Unfortunately, just as I was about to post something from TLF I came across this Police cover that Foals recorded on Radio 1 earlier, and because of the enormous unspoken debt I owe to Sting for steeling my resolve in the Black Cat nearly a year ago, have this instead.
Girls
fucked in the head
A great song from a great album (Album) that well and truly lives up to the audacity of its title. Although Girls are born out of truly fucked up lives they're keen for this not to overshadow their work, and thus instead of dominating tracks like these the vocals instead underpin rich guitar and percussion. Video clip does not leave anything at all to the imagination (think penises being used as microphones).
The Smiths
heifer whines / could be human cries
I've been delving back into my Smiths collection looking for an elusive six or seven songs to polish off History Boys sound cues and bits of a live version of this title track from one of their few non-compilation albums are promising.
