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If you’ve not yet heard the call of The Quails, it won’t be long until you do. That is, at least, if the press release for their second album is anything to go by. In the last 12 months the Teignmouth four-piece have opened gigs for Muse and The Kooks; they have also appeared at festivals across Europe – the journey to one of which formed the subject of a rockumentary currently being entered into national film festivals.
It’s a press release that makes for impressive reading – even after the obligatory pinch of salt has been sprinkled over a format famed for hyperbolic, superlative-strewn bullshit. Much like the journey that took them to The Alps a couple of months ago it would seem The Quails’ career is only going one way. Up.
But in truth, The Quails second album release in 18 months fails to deliver on the grandiose expectation bestowed upon its brittle little shoulders. That’s not to say that Master Of Imperfection is bad. Certainly not. It’s just not very good.
The album opens with ‘Games With The Devil’. Aside from being a tad bloated it’s a decent opener, unveiling a predilection for biting guitars and a willingness to try and imbue their sound with pangs of originality.
‘Princess’ is also strong. With a belting vocal melody that soars across an anthemic chorus, it stands with forthcoming single Argentina as a potential summer hit. The title track meanwhile gallops over the horizon with the kind of celestial, guitar-pompous conclusion that evidences why The Quails were chosen to support Muse – even if the track begins like the freaky bastard offspring of Arctic Monkeys and a dodgy 80s cock-rock outfit.
The vocals of Dan Steer are consistently great. That said, it does often sound like he’d rather be singing for The Kooks – best evidenced by ‘Princess’ and ‘That Other World’. The scorching howl that occasionally rockets from his thorax, meanwhile, is reminiscent of Supergrass’ Gaz Coombes at his most feral.
The contrast in vocal styles works well, but it is a microcosm of this band as a whole. The Quails don’t yet sound like the finished article, as if they’re still scrabbling around for their sound. Too often they stumble from one style to the next. The hubristic guitar solo that concludes ‘Fever’, for example, is a world away from the laboured, tepid balladry of ‘Shining Star’ – two songs which, in a feat of poor sequencing, sit next to each other in the track listing.
One unfortunate constant is that the majority of The Quails songs are too bloated. Their search for creativity has resulted with songs that are often crammed with too many ideas. This results in an album that can sometimes sound a little contrived and false.
The Quails are a band who have built their name on the strength of their live performance. It is this, rather than the studio side of things, that they should develop. At least until they have a broad enough fanbase to merit releasing albums. Their eagerness to release material when they lack the audience for it to make an impact suggests a band that are trying to peak too soon. And unfortunately for them, the summit isn’t quite high enough for that to be a worthy achievement. Not yet.
Wednesday 2 June 2010
Thursday 6 May 2010
Record Store Day: the best day of a fan's life or an easy meal ticket?
After weeks of anticipation, Record Store Day has been and gone. Humble, defiant local record shops have long been the bedrock of indie music scenes all across the land. A day devoted to their celebration them is richly deserved.
It was a beautiful, exciting day for any music fan. A day that promised guerrilla in-store gigs and heralded the opportunity to snap up swathes of limited edition vinyl released by bands and record labels especially for the event; at super-cheap prices. The reason? To raise the profile of independent record shops; to entice music fans through the shop door and money through the till.
Since Record Store Day however, much has been made in the media of how these rarities have been exchanging hands for vastly inflated prices online. Blur’s Fool’s Day, for example, is now going for over £150 on eBay.
As a pinchbeck attempt at edgy journalism, I have taken it upon myself to illustrate this price-hike with a very unscientific financial analysis of the records I managed to purchase on April 17th. Let’s begin.
===================================
Rolling Stones – Plundered My Soul
An unreleased track from the Exile On Main Street Sessions by the greatest band ever. Only 1,000 made. My proudest purchase.
Price paid: £4.99 // eBay: £60.00
===================================
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Just Like Honey
The pioneers of shoegaze? Very possibly. A re-release of the white noise specialists’ 1985 single. Only 750 made.
Price paid: £4.99 // eBay: £16.99
===================================
Foals – Spanish Sahara
Unless you live in a cave or in the sea, the intricate riffery and ice-cool melodies of Foals are pretty much inescapable. That’s a good thing. Numbered 7”. 1,000 released.
Price paid: £4.99 // eBay: £24.99
===================================
Queens Of The Stone Age – Feel Good Hit Of The Summer
A re-release of the blistering track that ignited QOTSA’s rocket-propelled ascent to cult status. Picture disk, only 500 copies released.
Price paid: £5.99 // eBay: £24.99
===================================
So based on what’s being charged on eBay, I could make £126.97 from my initial £20.96 spend. That’s a profit of £106.01. Not bad for just buying a few records. (Just call me Branson.)
It’s little wonder, then, that these rarities are exchanging hands for as much as 400% their original price. It’s playschool economics that teaches us that if something has short supply and high demand, its value will increase.
I’m not about to part with my newly acquired loot. (I purchased those records because I’m a music geek and I get a kick out of owning them.) But you can see why people would sell them on for a quick profit. But is that fair? Does it bring into question the moral fibre from which these pelfish peddlers are sewn?
Sure, the record shop still gets its money. But those that are profiteering from rare vinyl tarnish the essence of Record Store Day. It’s a celebration. Those that turn it into a personal business crusade do so at the expense of the genuine music fan; the fan who is one step behind the man in the queue with £s in his eyes. It’s desperately sad if music fans are missing out, particularly as the exorbitant prices being charged online will simply be too much for some.
But this phenomenon is by no means bound to music. I wonder how much Picasso or Monet used to sell their paintings for? That those paintings went on to be worth millions was of slim relevance to their personal bank accounts and so it is for those of their beneficiaries today. It’s the owners that are quids in.
The flip side of the argument is that these musical rarities would not be for sale at such inflated prices were there not a market for it. It’s heartening and encouraging for the music industry that people are prepared to pay over the odds to get their mitts on rare music. It shows passion.
“I think it’s a double-edged sword” says my local record shop man, Adrian Dutt of North Devon’s Solo Music. “People know they can make money so they buy things they don’t want to keep. I have paid big money for rare records in the past that I just haven't been able to get hold of normally. As a fan, I don't mind paying it.
“It’s ridiculous how the Blur record is worth so much. But in the current economic climate can anyone be blamed for being a budding entrepreneur?”
Whether or not the scapegrace wheeler dealers that make a clever profit from these rarities plunder the soul of the music industry is a matter of opinion. The only sure thing is that it cannot be stopped.
It was a beautiful, exciting day for any music fan. A day that promised guerrilla in-store gigs and heralded the opportunity to snap up swathes of limited edition vinyl released by bands and record labels especially for the event; at super-cheap prices. The reason? To raise the profile of independent record shops; to entice music fans through the shop door and money through the till.
Since Record Store Day however, much has been made in the media of how these rarities have been exchanging hands for vastly inflated prices online. Blur’s Fool’s Day, for example, is now going for over £150 on eBay.
As a pinchbeck attempt at edgy journalism, I have taken it upon myself to illustrate this price-hike with a very unscientific financial analysis of the records I managed to purchase on April 17th. Let’s begin.
===================================
Rolling Stones – Plundered My Soul
An unreleased track from the Exile On Main Street Sessions by the greatest band ever. Only 1,000 made. My proudest purchase.
Price paid: £4.99 // eBay: £60.00
===================================
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Just Like Honey
The pioneers of shoegaze? Very possibly. A re-release of the white noise specialists’ 1985 single. Only 750 made.
Price paid: £4.99 // eBay: £16.99
===================================
Foals – Spanish Sahara
Unless you live in a cave or in the sea, the intricate riffery and ice-cool melodies of Foals are pretty much inescapable. That’s a good thing. Numbered 7”. 1,000 released.
Price paid: £4.99 // eBay: £24.99
===================================
Queens Of The Stone Age – Feel Good Hit Of The Summer
A re-release of the blistering track that ignited QOTSA’s rocket-propelled ascent to cult status. Picture disk, only 500 copies released.
Price paid: £5.99 // eBay: £24.99
===================================
So based on what’s being charged on eBay, I could make £126.97 from my initial £20.96 spend. That’s a profit of £106.01. Not bad for just buying a few records. (Just call me Branson.)
It’s little wonder, then, that these rarities are exchanging hands for as much as 400% their original price. It’s playschool economics that teaches us that if something has short supply and high demand, its value will increase.
I’m not about to part with my newly acquired loot. (I purchased those records because I’m a music geek and I get a kick out of owning them.) But you can see why people would sell them on for a quick profit. But is that fair? Does it bring into question the moral fibre from which these pelfish peddlers are sewn?
Sure, the record shop still gets its money. But those that are profiteering from rare vinyl tarnish the essence of Record Store Day. It’s a celebration. Those that turn it into a personal business crusade do so at the expense of the genuine music fan; the fan who is one step behind the man in the queue with £s in his eyes. It’s desperately sad if music fans are missing out, particularly as the exorbitant prices being charged online will simply be too much for some.
But this phenomenon is by no means bound to music. I wonder how much Picasso or Monet used to sell their paintings for? That those paintings went on to be worth millions was of slim relevance to their personal bank accounts and so it is for those of their beneficiaries today. It’s the owners that are quids in.
The flip side of the argument is that these musical rarities would not be for sale at such inflated prices were there not a market for it. It’s heartening and encouraging for the music industry that people are prepared to pay over the odds to get their mitts on rare music. It shows passion.
“I think it’s a double-edged sword” says my local record shop man, Adrian Dutt of North Devon’s Solo Music. “People know they can make money so they buy things they don’t want to keep. I have paid big money for rare records in the past that I just haven't been able to get hold of normally. As a fan, I don't mind paying it.
“It’s ridiculous how the Blur record is worth so much. But in the current economic climate can anyone be blamed for being a budding entrepreneur?”
Whether or not the scapegrace wheeler dealers that make a clever profit from these rarities plunder the soul of the music industry is a matter of opinion. The only sure thing is that it cannot be stopped.
Say the right things, when electioneering
Tomorrow there will be a new man in charge of our country. The relentless electioneering of the past weeks will be but an uncomfortable, though partially comical, memory. Brown’s blunders will be replaced by brown trousers in Number 10 as one unfortunate soul realises he must stop trying to appease the electorate with the sound of his own trumpet and start trying to make a symphony for our nation from mangled bits of plastic promises and a shafted economy.
Such is my (genuinely sad) distrust for any political figure that, for me, voting is damage limitation. It’s like being captain in playground football and having to pick for your masterfully constructed team of world-beating heroes one of the three remaining oafs coughed up by the bottom of the school’s coordination barrel. It’s not the man that I trust to lead our nation skipping gaily into a fairytale sunset that gets my vote, but the one that looks like he won’t fall over the political football as it trickles into his own net.
Happy polling day.
Such is my (genuinely sad) distrust for any political figure that, for me, voting is damage limitation. It’s like being captain in playground football and having to pick for your masterfully constructed team of world-beating heroes one of the three remaining oafs coughed up by the bottom of the school’s coordination barrel. It’s not the man that I trust to lead our nation skipping gaily into a fairytale sunset that gets my vote, but the one that looks like he won’t fall over the political football as it trickles into his own net.
Happy polling day.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Local musician makes good in London
From my experience, I’d say North Devon’s musicians are too diverse a bunch to be grouped under the same umbrella. But, if I was forced, I’d say scruffy hair, skinny jeans and cool t-shirts are all fairly staple traits. Not anymore. Not for this article. They are all nought but salmon!
I’m pretty sure that everyone reading this has at some juncture in their lifespan known a friend or family member that has dipped their toe in the unpredictable waters of amateur musicianship. Focus hard, and picture said person in salmon form; all scaley and fishy and pink inside.
Got it? Good.
So if our melody makers are salmon, their quest for musical success is the challenging journey upstream to spawn.
A charming lad from North Devon has flipped two fins to raging river currents, evaded the attentions of hunger-ravaged bears, and is currently enjoying a rapidly burgeoning music career.
“Most of my life goals as a musician have been achieved in the last 2 months alone, it’s been incredible.”
I’m talking to Sandy Beales, a musician who grew up in North Devon before his musical studies and search for success took him to London. He’s landed himself the role of playing bass for young vocal starlet, Leddra Chapman.
“I met Leddra while I was working at the music school I used to study at. It was one of those chance meetings, and very lucky on my part” he explains; paying scant regard to my painstakingly constructed fish analogy (‘fishalogy’). “She asked me if I played double bass and it all went from there.”
Leddra’s music is enchanting. And yet there resides a sense of decorum to her work. She pronounces her ‘T’s and everything. Her almost regal vocal delivery makes me want to straighten my posture and take up lacrosse. It’s stoking quite a response in everyone that hears her, in fact. Her growing reputation has already led to Sandy accompanying Leddra for live performances on BBC Radio 2 and ITV’s This Morning.
“The live session on Radio 2 was really relaxed and a lot of fun, but I would have to say that the highlight so far would be performing at London's Jazz Café as part of HMV's ‘Next Big Thing’. It was such an honour to be on the same stage that so many legends have played on and the reaction from the crowd was overwhelming. Time to set some new career goals I think.”
I went to school with Sandy and I find his fortune in Chapman’s band as romantic as it is inspiring. Go to www.sandybeales.com for more on him, and www.leddrachapman.com for more on her.
And just so you know, my pioneering and incisive interviewing technique unveiled the groundbreaking truth-nugget that Sandy’s favourite sweets are Jelly Babies. That’s an exclusive, right there.
**********
And there endeth the music column. But this isn’t my music column, this is my blog. So, like the bonus disc to the Beales interview, here is the rest of what was discussed.
**********
How did you meet Leddra and begin playing with her?
I met Leddra while I was working at the music school I used to study at. It was one of those extreme chance meetings, and very lucky on my part. After a workshop she basically asked me if I played double bass and it all went from there. That was less than 3 months ago and so much has happened since.
What was the reason you left North Devon?
The main reason for leaving North Devon was to go to music college in London and try and set up a successful career as a musician. I soon realised that it wasn't going to be as simple as jumping straight into the session recording/touring scene so I had to explore other avenues in order to further my career. Fortunately, by the time I left Uni I managed to earn a living performing at weddings and working at a music school. Regardless of all this I still miss the calm of Devon. The nearest beach to here is 60 miles away, way too far on a summer’s day.
What have been your musical highlights so far? I hear you’ve been on Radio 2?
There have been so many! Most of my life goals as a musician have been achieved in the last 2 months alone. Performing on ITV's this morning was an amazing experience and the live session on Radio 2 was really relaxed and a lot of fun. Janis Long is such an incredible, friendly person. Plus, she liked my beard.
But I would have to say that the highlight has been performing at London's Jazz Cafe as part of HMV's ‘Next Big Thing’. It was such an honour to be on the same stage so many legends have played on. I have been in the audience for many gigs at the Jazz Café and to finally play there was a dream come true. The reaction from the crowd was overwhelming.
Any gigs coming up?
The next few shows are:
25th March: The High Barn in Essex
26th March: House Concerts in York
30th March: Willow Foundation charity show at the Lexington in London
All the dates can be found on Leddra's myspace http://www.myspace.com/leddrachapman
How long have you all been together?
Leddra has been playing with the other guys for a bit longer but we have all been a band since December 2009, so not long at all. Like I say, I am very fortunate to have jumped on the bandwagon when I did.
What’s your stance on Fearne Cotton?
The enigma that is Fearne Cotton! I actually have no idea what to make of her. She seems to be
taking over both the radio and TV though, so she must be doing something right.
What are your plans for 2010?
2010 should hopefully be a very exciting year. We have our fingers crossed for more TV appearances, radio performances and festivals for the summer. So watch this space.
www.sandybeales.com
www.myspace.com/leddrachapman
I’m pretty sure that everyone reading this has at some juncture in their lifespan known a friend or family member that has dipped their toe in the unpredictable waters of amateur musicianship. Focus hard, and picture said person in salmon form; all scaley and fishy and pink inside.
Got it? Good.
So if our melody makers are salmon, their quest for musical success is the challenging journey upstream to spawn.
A charming lad from North Devon has flipped two fins to raging river currents, evaded the attentions of hunger-ravaged bears, and is currently enjoying a rapidly burgeoning music career.
“Most of my life goals as a musician have been achieved in the last 2 months alone, it’s been incredible.”
I’m talking to Sandy Beales, a musician who grew up in North Devon before his musical studies and search for success took him to London. He’s landed himself the role of playing bass for young vocal starlet, Leddra Chapman.
“I met Leddra while I was working at the music school I used to study at. It was one of those chance meetings, and very lucky on my part” he explains; paying scant regard to my painstakingly constructed fish analogy (‘fishalogy’). “She asked me if I played double bass and it all went from there.”
Leddra’s music is enchanting. And yet there resides a sense of decorum to her work. She pronounces her ‘T’s and everything. Her almost regal vocal delivery makes me want to straighten my posture and take up lacrosse. It’s stoking quite a response in everyone that hears her, in fact. Her growing reputation has already led to Sandy accompanying Leddra for live performances on BBC Radio 2 and ITV’s This Morning.
“The live session on Radio 2 was really relaxed and a lot of fun, but I would have to say that the highlight so far would be performing at London's Jazz Café as part of HMV's ‘Next Big Thing’. It was such an honour to be on the same stage that so many legends have played on and the reaction from the crowd was overwhelming. Time to set some new career goals I think.”
I went to school with Sandy and I find his fortune in Chapman’s band as romantic as it is inspiring. Go to www.sandybeales.com for more on him, and www.leddrachapman.com for more on her.
And just so you know, my pioneering and incisive interviewing technique unveiled the groundbreaking truth-nugget that Sandy’s favourite sweets are Jelly Babies. That’s an exclusive, right there.
**********
And there endeth the music column. But this isn’t my music column, this is my blog. So, like the bonus disc to the Beales interview, here is the rest of what was discussed.
**********
How did you meet Leddra and begin playing with her?
I met Leddra while I was working at the music school I used to study at. It was one of those extreme chance meetings, and very lucky on my part. After a workshop she basically asked me if I played double bass and it all went from there. That was less than 3 months ago and so much has happened since.
What was the reason you left North Devon?
The main reason for leaving North Devon was to go to music college in London and try and set up a successful career as a musician. I soon realised that it wasn't going to be as simple as jumping straight into the session recording/touring scene so I had to explore other avenues in order to further my career. Fortunately, by the time I left Uni I managed to earn a living performing at weddings and working at a music school. Regardless of all this I still miss the calm of Devon. The nearest beach to here is 60 miles away, way too far on a summer’s day.
What have been your musical highlights so far? I hear you’ve been on Radio 2?
There have been so many! Most of my life goals as a musician have been achieved in the last 2 months alone. Performing on ITV's this morning was an amazing experience and the live session on Radio 2 was really relaxed and a lot of fun. Janis Long is such an incredible, friendly person. Plus, she liked my beard.
But I would have to say that the highlight has been performing at London's Jazz Cafe as part of HMV's ‘Next Big Thing’. It was such an honour to be on the same stage so many legends have played on. I have been in the audience for many gigs at the Jazz Café and to finally play there was a dream come true. The reaction from the crowd was overwhelming.
Any gigs coming up?
The next few shows are:
25th March: The High Barn in Essex
26th March: House Concerts in York
30th March: Willow Foundation charity show at the Lexington in London
All the dates can be found on Leddra's myspace http://www.myspace.com/leddrachapman
How long have you all been together?
Leddra has been playing with the other guys for a bit longer but we have all been a band since December 2009, so not long at all. Like I say, I am very fortunate to have jumped on the bandwagon when I did.
What’s your stance on Fearne Cotton?
The enigma that is Fearne Cotton! I actually have no idea what to make of her. She seems to be
taking over both the radio and TV though, so she must be doing something right.
What are your plans for 2010?
2010 should hopefully be a very exciting year. We have our fingers crossed for more TV appearances, radio performances and festivals for the summer. So watch this space.
www.sandybeales.com
www.myspace.com/leddrachapman
Thursday 21 January 2010
Bands: Get on The Movie Bus the backseat of The Movie Bus
The Movie Bus are looking for bands from North Devon to submit music.
The project is using old archive footage from the 1930s of various scenes around the South West to make films with the aim of helping modern folk learn more about their heritage.
Where possible, they want to incorporate music from local bands.
Eight twenty minute films are to be made, each focusing on a different area of the South West. The films will then be screened from a vintage 1960s bus, which will travel around the region.
If you want to find out more, visit www.vintagemobilecinema.co.uk or email emma.giffard@northdevon.gov.uk.
The project is using old archive footage from the 1930s of various scenes around the South West to make films with the aim of helping modern folk learn more about their heritage.
Where possible, they want to incorporate music from local bands.
Eight twenty minute films are to be made, each focusing on a different area of the South West. The films will then be screened from a vintage 1960s bus, which will travel around the region.
If you want to find out more, visit www.vintagemobilecinema.co.uk or email emma.giffard@northdevon.gov.uk.
Thursday 22 October 2009
Thursday 8 October 2009
Cochlea-scything; Coffee in the Midlands; and Who’s Supporting Noisettes?
As mentioned in today’s column, the organisers of Father Christmas time have come up trumps by booking Noisettes to switch on the Christmas lights in Barnstaple this year.
It’s an improvement of seismic proportions to The Saturdays, who fake-tanned and plastic-nailed their way through a cochlea-scything set last year, and Joss Stone the year before – an artist who I found bearable before the Devon lass returned from the US sporting a curious and quite cringeworthy American accent coupled with massive delusions of grandeur.
So, who else will appear on stage with Noisettes on November 22nd?
Topping the troupe of support acts while simultaneously scraping the bottom of the pop barrel are Dolly Rockers, a female pop trio who sound like excruciatingly annoying four year old girls who have been force fed a diet of Lily Allen while being wrongly assured that the world cares about such insightful vignettes into their personal lives as “you just want to drink coffee, I just want to drink tea/So why don’t you come and meet me in the Midlands?/At the motorway service station”.
Expect them to be on stage just before Noisettes, assuming there’s not a murder backstage.
Confirmed local acts include The Breaks Collective, Jenna Witts, Jaden Cornelius, and the North Devon Community Gospel Choir. Regardless of their abilities ‘North Devon’ and ‘Gospel Choir’ are two pairs of words that somehow don’t quite fit together.
I have but one question. Where are all the local contemporary indie bands? There are a diverse selection of talented acts to choose from that could’ve done a fine job, providing a more cohesive support line-up for one of the most successful UK indie artists of 2009.
And that is by no means a slight at the local acts appearing, each of whom have their unquestionable talents, particularly The Breaks Collective. It just seems that the thriving indie scene of this region is a little under-represented.
Thoughts anyone?
It’s an improvement of seismic proportions to The Saturdays, who fake-tanned and plastic-nailed their way through a cochlea-scything set last year, and Joss Stone the year before – an artist who I found bearable before the Devon lass returned from the US sporting a curious and quite cringeworthy American accent coupled with massive delusions of grandeur.
So, who else will appear on stage with Noisettes on November 22nd?
Topping the troupe of support acts while simultaneously scraping the bottom of the pop barrel are Dolly Rockers, a female pop trio who sound like excruciatingly annoying four year old girls who have been force fed a diet of Lily Allen while being wrongly assured that the world cares about such insightful vignettes into their personal lives as “you just want to drink coffee, I just want to drink tea/So why don’t you come and meet me in the Midlands?/At the motorway service station”.
Expect them to be on stage just before Noisettes, assuming there’s not a murder backstage.
Confirmed local acts include The Breaks Collective, Jenna Witts, Jaden Cornelius, and the North Devon Community Gospel Choir. Regardless of their abilities ‘North Devon’ and ‘Gospel Choir’ are two pairs of words that somehow don’t quite fit together.
I have but one question. Where are all the local contemporary indie bands? There are a diverse selection of talented acts to choose from that could’ve done a fine job, providing a more cohesive support line-up for one of the most successful UK indie artists of 2009.
And that is by no means a slight at the local acts appearing, each of whom have their unquestionable talents, particularly The Breaks Collective. It just seems that the thriving indie scene of this region is a little under-represented.
Thoughts anyone?
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