Adebisi Shank – This Is An Album By A Band Called Adebisi Shank (Richter Collective, 2008)

Nick: Are they African?

Irish.

Oh… ok.

Well…

They certainly have, so far, their own sound.

and is it a sound that you enjoy?

Yeah, sort of….yyyeah.

They’re slightly reminiscent of The Jimmy Cake, there are elements that are similar. Do you not think?

Well…you seem to compare every instrumental band we review to The Jimmy Cake.

No. No I don’t.

Any idea where they got the name Adebisi from?

Yes. Yes I do.

And are you going to tell me?

After I do some typing.

Ok.

He’s a character from the popular prison drama Oz.

….right….

Shank? {making a stabbing motion} They ‘shank’ people in prison.

Ok.

What does Adebisi mean to you?

Well it’s an African name, there’s an author, I think her name is Adebisi, I’ll look for the book later.

{Googling} So far it seems to be most common in Nigeria, it’s the Nigerian Murphy.

Oh no the author is Chimananda Ngoz Adichie.

Do you think she’d like these guys?

How would I know? I’ve only read a book by her!

Yes but from that book…

Probably not.

Can you think of any authors that would really like this album?

Why? Are you going to send it to them? “We thought you might like this.” It’s pretty intrusive music, not good for writing.

They come up on Google! A lot as well, Adebisi Shank torrent, Adebisi Shank Wiki, Adebisi Shank Twitter.

{record ends}

Quite likeable, heavy without being nasty and unpleasant Heavy Metal. But it’s the same with all that stuff, you couldn’t cope with a lot of it, it’s so relentless. They should release albums where they intersperse this with bits of Vivaldi, just so you can get your head together again.

Actually that’s a really good idea!

One day I was out walking, the sun had just come out after a heavy rain. I looked to the sky and saw a rainbow forming (happens all the time). As it’s arc stretched over the field I ran to position myself in it’s path. I was standing there, eyes closed, arms outstretched like Verve era Richard Ashcroft during an instrumental passage. Waiting for it to hit. Imagining the intense rush of feeling. But nothing happened, I had miscalculated my mark by a few feet. Bad depth perception I guess.

http://www.myspace.com/adebisishank

So Cow – Meaningless Friendly (Tic Tac Totally, 2010)

Nick: Yeah, I quite like it, I get the impression that they’re trying to do more than they’re musically capable of.

well it’s just one guy.

Oh well that explains it, it’s like…ehm I can’t think of any example.

He’s….trying to play a concerto when he can only handle sonatas?

But, yes if it’s just one guy, then it’s quite an achievement.

The first number…It got better after that. I thought ‘Oh here’s someone who’s listened to Oasis too much.’

I saw one of them, the brothers from Oasis at the Brit Awards the other night, my God what an unsympathetic prat! He needs to be taken into a corner and slapped.

He’s a really stupid…bit of dirt. Maybe he really is scum but he should at least try to hide it.

{track 5: The Tony Keady Affair}

I’m not wild about the drumming here in sync with the voice.

But I like it, it’s a bit too rough at the edges and he’s never heard the expression ‘less is more’. So many layers.

Maybe he’s trying to disguise the fact he doesn’t know what he’s doing? Hiding under it all.

Apart from there being too much noise and not enough music, and the melodics start becoming a bit samey after a while, it’s quite an achievement for someone on their own.

And they shouldn’t be called So Cow, this wouldn’t help cows produce more milk. Mozart does that.

So Cow is on tour for the rest of his life, this record is (physically) out very soon. Go see him, buy this record. My brain is not working today.

http://www.myspace.com/socow

Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here (XL, 2010)

Nick: Gail who?

Gill Scott-Heron.

is that three people?

just one.

{track 3 – I’m New Here}

this is a cover of a Smog song.

who?

Smog? Bill Callahan? Mr Lovely Voice?

oh yes! him.

I sort of like it! despite the fact I shouldn’t. I never like talking records and this is certainly one of them.

some people call him the ‘Godfather of Rap’.

really? it’s quite far removed from rap. but then, I’m quite far removed from rap. I wouldn’t know about that.

he has a great voice, even his talking is musical.

well, I guess you could say it’s a very slow rap. relaxed rap.

it’s very interesting though.

I wouldn’t imagine it’s something you’d listen to often, like if you owned the record you wouldn’t….you know…

but it’s different from everything else.

a talking record that works!

What was the first mp3 you ever downloaded? Is this a question we’ll be asking future stars in years to come? ‘Possibly’ is the answer. Well, I’m pretty sure my first was The Peter Kriss Jazz by Don Caballero off Epitonic. But I also got a load of ‘old’ stuff off Limewire, including The Revolution Will Not Be Televised and The Bottle by Mr Scott-Heron. So what? So I’m really cool.

Listen to this record on Spotify.

The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground And Nico (Verve, 1967)

Nick: What’s the date of this?

’67

oh right, I was just going to say it takes me way back.

it sounds it, it’s nice.

I’m nowadays inclined to sort of…well….this is sympathetic music.

{track 2 – I’m Waiting For The Man}

gentle, quite mellow with a strong nod to Bob Dylan.

gentle? how times have changed.

yes! I guess back then it sounded like…

you were being attacked with a hammer.

{track 3 – Femme Fatale}

ok maybe that last one wasn’t as mellow but this is.

she has a lovely voice.

and his voice is definitely a less-grating Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan with all the edges taken off.

{track 6 – All Tomorrow’s Parties}

nice bit of variety too.

sounds like they’re singing kind of posh.

think that’s just her accent.

well she sounds posh to me.

did you know the world’s most expensive piece of art was sold this week? a Giacometti sculpture. 65 million!

spooky.

what?

I think one of the most expensive records ever sold was by The Velvet Underground.

really?!

let me check, hold on, weird that you would mention it now.

ehm…7th most expensive record ever according to this site, an acetate of this album in a plain sleeve with some different tracks went for $25,200.

this is the best thing I’ve heard since listening to Joanna Newsom this morning.

it’s not the greatest album ever but well worth having in your collection, can I put it on my I-pod?

I was talking to a friend recently about the first time I heard Heroin and he told me a great story. When he was 12/13, himself and two friends were hanging out on their road after school when one of the lad’s brothers, Titch (one of those MEAN older brothers) told them to come into the house. They wandered into his room where he was playing this album. Heroin began, he said ‘listen to this’. The four of them stood there in complete silence for the songs seven minutes and when it ended Titch beat the living shit out of the three of them.

Listen to this record on Spotify or y’know just take it down off the shelf and put it on, you have it.