Glasgow Barrowlands

I have always maintained, that Glasgow's Barrowlands Ballroom is the best venue on the planet. I have witnessed countless gigs in that venue and it seems to bring something special out of each band who performs there. It seems I am not the only one who shares these sentiments, in a recent interview with Pitchfork, LCD Soundsystem's, James Murphy, revealed why he loves the ancient venue so much:

"It fits about 2,000 people, but it's completely square and the audience there is so amazing. The only thing I can compare it to, if you played a big festival or you played a huge arena rock show, and you're a band who's just getting to be that size, so the audience is still really down, and there's about 2,000 people in this square right in front of the stage losing their marbles, it's basically like the pit of a big show, and if you just got rid of everybody else, that's the Glasgow Barrowland. Literally, from the front to the back it's people totally paying attention. It's a suspended floor, so when people jump up and down it bounces, it gives, it's like a big roller rink. It's amazing, and Glasgow's the best place on the planet to play a rock show, period."

I'm not going to argue, I now cannot wait for the recently announced Slint show at this venue. Read this review from Arcade Fire's recent performance there.

Arcade Fire : "Neon Bible" (Merge Records)

How does a band follow up one of the the best and widely acclaimed debut LP's of all time?. If the band in question is Montreal's Arcade Fire, then they would draft in an army of musicians (including a Hungarian orchestra) and an arsenal of weird and wonderful instruments to record the expansive and ambitious "Neon Bible". Released to near mass hysteria worldwide, a debate rages on. Is "Neon Bible" as good as "Funeral", their jaw-dropping debut?. I'm not so sure, but the Canadian collective have given it their best shot, in any case.

Whether you like this album or not, whatever camp you sit in, you cannot deny quirky opener "Black Mirror", complete with Phil Spector style wall of sound production techniques, is a brilliant slice of euphoric rock. Featuring, the soon to be immortal line, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, show me where them bombs will fall", imagine tens of thousands of fans chanting this along with Win Butler on a muddy festival field. Sounding like an amalgamation of David Byrne, John Lydon and Elvis, the beanpole frontman has the charisma to be one of the great rock n'roll stars.

"Keep The Car Running" was a terrific set opener at Glasgow's Barrowlands last week and is worth mentioning for the use of a hurdy gurdy alone . Such cool instrumentation can be found throughout "Neon Bible", and on this occasion it complements the incessant rythmns that soon give way to a hugely infectious chorus. "Intervention", meanwhile, kicks off with a dramatic blast of church organ, as wailing guitars, twinkling glockenspiel and incredible percussion drives this track along. The line "working for the church, when your family dies.." is sure to raise a few eyebrows in bible belt USA.

"Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" is another sensational moment here and initially recalls some sort of dark 80's synth pop track. Trading French and English lyrics, "Black Wave.." soon unfolds into a breathtaking mass of female and male vocal harmonies. Right now, there is no band on the planet that can match music this heavenly.

"Neon Bible" maybe lacks the instant nature of "Funeral", but tracks such as the Hawaiin-tinged "Ocean of Noise" shows the band have tried to vary their sound. In this case it works a treat, with Reggae influenced guitar picking colliding with Summery synths and rolling waves of percussion. It soon developes into a dazzling chorus that transports you to the ocean front, before ending with glorious sounding Mexican horn sounds courtesy of Calexico's Martin Wenk.

However, the reason why "Neon Bible" doesn't quite top "Funeral" for me, is that some of the songs fall flat on their face. The rather dull title track, for example, seems oddly out of place near the start of the record. While "(Antichrist Television Blues)" veers a little too close to Springsteen AOR territory for my liking. Although, if you can get past that horrible comparison, then I suppose it's not so bad.

Thankfully, this is only a minor issue on "Neon Bible" and tracks like "No Cars Go" are utterly sublime. A reworking of the track which was initially found on their self-released ep from a few years ago, this is undoubtedly the album's best moment. With jagged percussion and a driving bassline, the male/female vocal duelling combines brilliantly with lush string and brass arrangements. It seems to encompass everything that makes Arcade Fire so great. Just after the 4 minute mark, the Montreal collective will send you into sheer ecstasy, with possibly the greatest, singalong chant ever put to record. It is half marching band, half stadium rock and potentially song of the year. You cannot help but join in.

Ending with the massive-sounding, soul influenced "My Body Is A Cage", "Neon Bible" is an ambitious attempt by Arcade Fire. Much more varied than "Funeral", the sheer volume of ideas occasionally lessens the impact of certain tracks. But then, it is one of those records that seemS to get better with every listen and soon turns out to be equally as rewarding as their debut. The early 90's belonged to Nirvana, Radiohead soundtracked the millenium and beyond. Perhaps it will be the job of Arcade Fire to take over the mantle as the world's next important band.

Rating - 85%

Alternative Review (1)
Alternative Review (2)
Alternative Review (3)
Stream
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"Black Mirror" mp3 - Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire Live @ Glasgow Barrowlands 12/03/07

My head is still spinning from a truly outstanding performance by possibly the most talented band out there right now. Every man and his dog knows Arcade Fire these days, but what they might not know is how amazing they are live. No fewer than 10 musicians crammed onto the decent sized Barrowlands stage and performed an absolutely jaw-dropping set that featured the majority of new album "Neon Bible" and all of the great moments from "Funeral". There has been a bit of indifference towards "Neon Bible" in some circles, the general consensus is it's not as good as their excellent 2004 debut "Funeral". But, having seen these songs performed live I would have to argue. The new songs were euphoric, anthemic and utterly spell-binding. Having witnessed A Silver Mt Zion huddled together on stage at the low-key ABC 2 last year, Mogwai's face-shattering volume at Edinburgh's Usher Hall, Radiohead during the OK Computer tour or even Sigur Ros 5 years ago on the very same Barrowlands stage, Arcade Fire more than matched these wonderful gigs with a near legendary performance.

With an unbelieveable amount extra of instrumentation (mandolin, french horns, spine-tingling violins, megaphones, hurdy gurdy and just about everything they could get their hands on) songs like opener "Keep The Car Running" sound far more dynamic in a live setting. The instrument swapping between members was impeccable. The drummer on the opening song would later find himself on guitar during the encore of "Wake Up", having already laid his hand to keyboard duties earlier. Every single musician in Arcade Fire makes a telling contribution at every oppurtunity. It might be one member's attempt to generate feedback sounds from a megaphone or frontman Win Butler's powerful vocals, but every note, tone, drone and chord combines and results in one big massive anthemic wall of sound.

Of the new tracks, "Black Mirror", the dramatic "Intervention", the Hawaiin-flavoured "The Well and The Lighthouse" and the vocal harmonies during "Black Wave/Black Vibrations" all sounded fantastic. Only the album title track, "Neon Bible" was a slight letdown.

But then the best performances were saved for the "Funeral"-era songs. An excellent rendition of "Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)", which brought back all the great memories of my stay in Canada a couple of years ago, was followed by the epic "Rebellion (Lies)", complete with that subtle, but delightful chord change in the chorus. A raucous version of "Neighbourhood #3(Power Out)" easily got the longest and loudest response from the crowd that I have ever witnessed in the Barrowlands. It was near hysteria, but this band deserve every ounce of the applause, trust me.

But the best was, undoubtedly, saved for last. With frontman Win Butler soaked in sweat, he somehow summoned extra energy to lead his collective through a magificent version of "Wake Up" for the encore. He was so caught up in the delirium that he lauched his large frame into the crowd, before careering down to the bottom of the venue, in the process being engulfed by hundreds of frenzied Glasweigens. Amidst the pandemonium, its not known if he made it out alive.

All I can say is, Arcade Fire put in easily one of the best performances I have ever had the pleasure of being involved in . Involved is the correct term beause you cannot help but be swept away by those euphoric choruses and incessant, driving beats. There is so much happening onstage that it is impossible to look everywhere. Anybody who does not like this band basically has no soul, in my opinion. Arcade Fire could quite rightly claim to being the best in the business right now, they are certainly a very special band. I paid over the odds to a ticket tout to get into this gig, but in truth Arcade Fire are worth selling your arms and legs to witness. Miss this band at your peril!.

If you want to see Win Butler dive into the crowd, view this video.

Arcade Fire

Just back from what is one of the most sensational gigs I have ever been too. I can quite easily say that Arcade Fire's performance at the Barrowlands was one of the best I have ever witnessed. I must recollect my thoughts before the reivew tomorrow

Points of Interest

1. Mogwai, despite a prolific output in 2006 (Mr.Beast, Zidane, The Fountain), appear to be back in the studio according to their website.

2. Planet Mu have details on their 2007 release schedule.

3. 65 Days of Static have a few live dates up here, including a few at Scotland's wonderful Triptych Festival.

4. You can watch Arcade Fire perform "Intervention" on Saturday Night Live here.

5. Portishead previewed an unmaed song in a low-key performance in Bristol, according to Pitchfork

6. Hidden Shoal Recordings have pre-released Wes Willenbring's "Somewhere Someone Else", which should be of interest to fans of Eluvium, Stars of the Lid, The Dead Texan and Labradford.

7. The Strange Death of Liberal England recorded a session for the Steve Lamacq show on BBC Radio 1. Stream it here. Pre-order their forthcoming single here.

8. Kingbastard has remastered and uploaded another record, this time it is his "5" ep, download it for free here.

9. Pre-order Vessels forthcoming single "Yuki/Forever The Optimist" here.

10. SITE NEWS: in the coming week I will be posting exclusive mp3's from 4 up and coming artists in and round in electronica genre. I am hoping to now make this article a monthly event.

T In The Park

I managed to get two tickets for Scotland's annual T In The Park festival. It was remarkably painless and took just 45 minutes or so of staring at an ill-informed timer lodged at a 15 minute wait, beofre I could proceed to the check out. As far as I am aware, all 120,000 tickets have gone now. This year's festival will be expanded to a three day event, the line-up isn't that great at the moment. Although both Arcade Fire and Damien Rice have been booked as headliners, now that's worth the £140 alone.

Full Line Up So Far... (I've highlighted the bands I want to see... slim pickings at the moment)

Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Snow Patrol will be the three headliners and other artists confirmed to appear include Bloc Party, The Coral, Lily Allen, Razorlight, Arcade Fire, James, James Morrison, The Kooks, My Chemical Romance, The Klaxons, CSS, Babyshambles, Jamie T, Scissor Sisters, Kings of Leon, The Fratellis, Paolo Nutini, Goo Goo Dolls, Kasabian, DJ Shadow, Interpol, Maximo Park, Mika, Damien Rice, Amy Winehouse and Tori Amos

Points of Interest...

1. Thom Yorke has posted sporadic lyrics from a new song
entitled "Burn The Witch".

2. Brainwashed has details of three very, very anticipated albums. Fridge (featuring Four Tet; Adem etc) will return with their 5th LP "The Sun" out through Temporary Residence on May 15th(Details). Another TR band, Grails, will unleash "Burning Off Impurities" on May 1st(Details). While, Yellow6 will release his first recording with Resonant, "The Painted Sky" on March 19th (Details)

3. According to The Silent Ballet, the entire ranks of Romance of Young Tigers have joined forces with Kenoma. No official word from ROYT as of yet.

4. It seems Massive Attack have been gone for a long time. Well they are set to return, here's an interview with The Guardian.

5. Tobias Lilja's "Time Is On My Side" has created quite a stir across the web. n5md has collected all of the reviews together. Also read Brett Spaceman's thoughts on this album.

6. The Vanessa Van Basten review I wrote has been selected for Italian webzine, Rockit's, The Foreign Legion column. Check the site out there are a few other reviews too, they are printed in both English and Italian. It would also be great if any Italian speaking readers could translate what they have said about me in my profile.

7. Arcade Fire's forthcoming album, "Neon Bible", is shaping up to be equally as good as "Funeral", if this live performance of "Intervention" is anything to go by.

8. Herb Recordings has revealed details of two new signees, who will release material later this year, they are Scotland's Engine7 and USA-based Skytree.

9. Pitchfork has an mp3 and details from Calla's forthcoming "Strength in Numbers" album, out February 20th. Go here.

Points Of Interest

1. A Hawk and A Hacksaw have confirmed dates for a UK tour that will encompass most major cities in Britain. The Alburqurque, New Mexico duo will be augmented by The Hun Hangár Ensemble, a Hungarian collective. The show will feature several mind-boggling instruments, re-workings of traditional European folk songs and a collection of tracks from AHAAH's back catalogue. They will be supported by Jack Rose, details can be viewed here.

2.Our Sleepless Forest have posted, what sounds like, a finished mix of "Aircastles" from their forthcoming debut album, which will be released on Type Records later in 2007. Listen here.

3. Hidden Shoal Recordings have kindly posted a free download of Slow Dancing Society's magnificent "How Life Was Meant To Be Lived". . But this is my favourite release of 2007 thus far, and "How Life.." is possibly the first classic track of the year. Download it here. The album, "The Sound of Lights When Dim" (Review) was also officially released today.

4. Longshot here, but if anyone can sort me out with a ticket for Arcade Fire's upcoming shows at The Barrowlands, it would be greatly appreciated. I was at work when they went on sale and had no access to a telephone. Safe to say they sold out almost instantly and I was left rather disappointed.

Is 2007 Going To Be The Greatest Musical Year In History?

Possibly, if like me, you are eagerly anticipating new releases from Radiohead, Portishead, Port-Royal, Our Sleepless Forest, Epic45, Explosions In The Sky, Eluvium, Crippled Black Phoenix, Fridge, Arcade Fire, Spiritualized, Massive Attack and Do Make Say Think. Of course, there is no guarentee that both Radiohead and Portishead will release anything this year. In fact, I would be gobsmakced if they do. But, we can only hope!. And, how could I forget?, I cannot wait to hear Nick Cave's new band, Grinderman too. There will be a limited download only single coming out around February 2007, you can stream it here

What other releases are people "eagerly anticipating" this year?