LOVE RECORDS IN FINLAND’S SOUNDI MAGAZINE

This was a surprise. I thought I was just choosing a Love Records’ Top 5 to go alongside a review of the compilation (i.e this: Love, From Finland - The Love Records Anthology 1968-1976).

But this, from the August 2010 issue of Soundi, is more than that – and also a wonderful chance to spout off about some of the great music that’s currently coming out of Finland.

So, thank you Esa Kuloniemi.

REVIEW - THE ARTS DESK NEW MUSIC CD ROUND-UP 12: ROSE ELINOR DOUGALL WITHOUT WHY & FOR A MINOR REFLECTION HÖLDUM Í ĀTT AÐ OREIÐU

Just covered these for The Arts Desk. The Rose Elinor Dougall album is obviously amongst the year’s best and For A Minor Reflection are super.

Reviews here: New Music CDs Round-Up 12 - The Arts Desk

Here’s some nice footage of FAMR recording the album.

REVIEW - JAMAICA: NO PROBLEM; 1973: BYE BYE CELLPHONE

Both of these French exports are ok; good enough at what they do.

But some individual identity would have been nice. And without that, each comes over as a laboratory experiment.

Review here: Jamaica: No Problem; 1973: Bye Bye Cellphone

MOJO SEPTEMBER 2010 REVIEWS: DAVID GRAY FOUNDLING AND FELT BOOK

REVIEW - CLAIRE DITERZI: ROSA LA ROUGE

An extraordinary piece of work: a truly impactful album that balances the serious subject matter with accessible music.

Review here: Claire Diterzi: Rosa La Rouge

Here's the label’s promo.

REVIEW - THE BESNARD LAKES AT THE GARAGE LONDON

The headliners were great, and a surprising treat to see two good bands on before them.

Some good tips from Jace Lasek on Canadian ‘70s music too.

Here's the review: The Arts Desk: The Besnard Lakes, The Garage

TAGES’ STUDIO IN THE TIMES (!)

NEW RELEASES: a-ha (HUNTING HIGH AND LOW & SCOUNDREL DAYS) AND SLOWDIVE (JUST FOR A DAY, SOUVLAKI & PYGMALION)

I’ve recently worked on two sets of reissues: a-ha and Slowdive.

It was great to speak with a-ha and revisit their first two albums. After so many years it becomes clear how they approached what they doing with a distinctly arty perspective.

Listening to all of Slowdive’s releases raises so many questions about why they weren’t recognised as the unique template-setters that they were back then.

The two a-ha CDs were issued in July:
a-ha Hunting High and Low
a-ha Scoundrel days

Following on from these (released 4 October) will be 25: The Very Best of a-ha – the 25th-year anniversary 2-CD set:
a-ha 25

And the three Slowdive albums are issued on 18 August:
Slowdive Just For A day, Souvlaki, Pygmalion

REVIEW - FRANCOFOLIES LA ROCHELLE 2010

The definitive event for French music in France. It really delivered:
http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2010/08/francofolies_la_rochelle_2010.html

Photos from the festival below.

The idea of seeing Jacques Dutronc was very exciting, but he really was not good. A huge disappointment.

Of the things I’d never heard before, Cascadeur and L were way ahead – way ahead – of anything else.

Space, as usual, meant some things weren’t mentioned, so here’s a random few:

CATHERINE MAJOR: From Canada. Her 2008 Rose Sang album is superb. Live, just her at a grand piano was really effective. Powerful too.

JEANNE CHERHAL: I’d gotten the wrong idea here and had thought of Jeanne Cherhal as a sort of modern chansonish singer-songwriter, but live she is a lady of rock. Could do with a bit less bludgeoning guitar though. Sloppy drummer too. But once the surprise passed, it worked. And really well.

JILL IS LUCKY: The OKish acoustic-driven toe tapper Wanderer has been picking up big time in France. Live, however, the set ends with a rock-out white-noise blast that washes that out of your head.

WAX TAILOR: Tiresome textbook trip hop.

ARIANNE MOFFAT: From Canada. On album, the R&B elements are occasionally an uncomfortable fit (e.g. Je Veux Tout on 2008’s Tous Les Sens), but live it made perfect sense, the set starting reflective and getting gradually more dancey. Great.

DIAM’S: Make show = irritating.

EMILIE SIMON: Hadn’t seen her with the band before: bassist and drummer, both pin-sharp and precise. Hugely memorable version of Chinatown.

ARNAUD FLEURENT-DIDIER: Wondered if this would work in a massive outdoor setting. It did and was super.




Above: Jacques Dutronc and friend at La Grande Scène (© Franck Moreau/Francofolies)

Above: Cascadeur at La Coursive (© Théophile Trossat)

Above: L at La Coursive (© JM Patron)

Above: Alexandre Désilets at La Coursive (© Ariane Charbonneau)

Above: Standing ovation for Alexandre Désilets at La Coursive (© Ariane Charbonneau)

Above: Catherine Major at La Coursive (© Franck Moreau/Francofolies)

Above: Jacques Higelin at La Grande Scène (© Franck Moreau/Francofolies)

REVIEW - MUSIC WEEK: HJALTALÍN

Always time for some more Hjaltalín.

REVIEW - GRUFF RHYS AND FRIENDS AT THE BFI SOUTHBANK, LONDON

Not only is Gruff Rhys proud to shout his enthusiasms, he was also prepared to play on stage at Britain’s premiere rep cinema. Just great.

See Separado!, it’s great too. Here's the report:
http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1944:gruff-rhys/separado-bfi-southbank&Itemid=27

Here's some René Griffiths:


And some Tony da Gattora:

REVIEW - MOJO AUGUST 2010 REVIEWS: GAINSBOURG VIE HÉROIQUE, THE VERNONS GIRLS AND I NEED THAT RECORD

France, Liverpool in days of yore (with a nod to France) and a lament for the dwindling supply of record shops.

The Vernons Girls crossover with Françoise Hardy is worth stressing: their producer/songwriter Charles Blackwell also worked with Hardy, and their Only You Can Do It is the British version of her Je Veux Qu’il Revienne (Hardy wrote the French-language lyrics). The two were released in 1964 almost simultaneously in France and the UK, and the comparison is illuminating.