The Joy Formidable’s most recent US tour has been a huge success by the looks of things. They have been playing some new songs, notably ‘Silent Treatment’ brilliantly captured here by Paul Gormley. Paul’s a mate of mine and a TJF nut, as evidenced from his nipping over from the UK to NYC to catch …
Search Results for: Mike Hughes
This is apparently Hate Smile, being performed on college radio recently. I say apparently because it is quite different in pace, and even in overall sound, to the single version. It can’t all be down to having a new tub thumper. Whatever, it’s a fine song and it’ll tide me over while the girls (new …
This year I have mainly eschewed all this ‘lists’ business. However, there have been moments that have been truly extraordinary. One of those was hearing this track. It’s a great album – I reviewed it HERE. However, Santa Fe is simply one of the best songs I have heard all year. Samantha has a great …
I saw Wild Flag cold a few Thursdays ago. By which I mean I hadn’t heard a word of them before the gig. At least I thought that was the case, but Romance sounded way familiar. You can read the review (and see my Wild Flag photos) HERE and it’s fair to say I was …
Mike Hughes, friend of East Portland Blog and proprietor of Catshoe.org, had an excellent week at South By Southwest (SXSW), the Austin, Texas music festival which takes place annually in March and has become a celebration of the globe’s newest, strongest, wildest, hottest, firmest, most interesting and best music. A world class photographer, young Mike …
Regine Chassagne from Arcade Fire walked past me earlier while I was chatting in the street with members of Alpine, then found myself standing next to Peter Buck at the Continental in SoCo. Spent some time at Alejandro Escovedo’s showcase, then rounded off the night by being guest listed (thanks to Dennis Shin) for the …
Saw Beth Jeans Houghton last night which led me to this wonderful and affectionate depiction of Britain. If you Portlanders come over to visit, you will experience such delights. – Mike Hughes (The new address for Mike Hughes’ Catshoegazing Blog is Catshoe.org) http://youtu.be/1n6IPHFTH3s
36 million views for this video for Domino? Wow, Jessie J has come a long way fast… I heard her being interviewed about how this was written as a riposte to a feeling anything but ‘sexy and free’ but don’t be fooled by the schtick. It’s totally fabulous but also very deeply conventional, which is …
I’ve just been looking at MIA’s new Bad Girls video. It’s real. I mean she’s always the deal, 100%, despite what anyone might say. You can smell the smoke on this one. I’m still not sure about that other video with Madonna. Can’t help feeling Maya and Nikki are fuelling Madonna’s magpie tendencies. http://www.miauk.com/ – …
It appears I’m in an exploring mood tonight. It turns out I’m behind the curve with Still Corners, they’ve even been the Guardian’s band of the day, but hell, let’s not make that a reason to ignore them. I got to them via a recommendation from our friend Josh, a man who is on the …
I utterly loved Scary Mansion’s last album Make Me Cry. It was one of a running list of around three at the time that were my constant go-to records when anything else just wouldn’t satisfy. Scary Mansion is essentially Leah Hayes, from New York. Leah’s voice envelopes your ears and psyche. She uses autotune as …
Here are both versions of Lana Del Ray’s new single, “Born To Die”. Another blogger writes about LDR… “This is just mesmeric. More produced. Less immediate (not that the last one was exactly pop-obvious). Very slightly emasculated, as she now offers to “kiss” as opposed to “fuck you hard in the pouring rain”. She has …
Dogbones are one compelling live prospect. Enough that having seen them just the once before, a matter of weeks ago, I found myself taking a day off and spending 12 hours travelling to see a 53 minute set, considering it a very decent return on investment. This is pure punk, or at least what passes …
I’ve been kinda missing Wye Oak, so as a reminder, here is the lovely video for Holy Holy. Beautiful video too. – Mike Hughes Wye Oak – Holy Holy from Merge Records on Vimeo.
I so like this lot. I thought their last single was risking being a bit too heavy for the sake of heavy, but ‘Hate Smile’ is completely on the money from the 2 Sarahs and what appears to be a lazy-susan array of drummers. Blissed out, grunge, Ms Rose’s vocals floating in the wash. I …
Gosh. A very early listen to a new single from FOE that will be out in January. I like it lots. It still has a skewed and twisted theme, but compared to say ‘Tyrant Song’ or ‘Genie’ it’s… dare I say it… almost a bit more mainstream? And, there is news on the album Bad …
We have all seen and heard Video Games by now, possibly the best single song I have heard performed in the last year. I was desperate to get to this gig and couldn’t, even with shall we say ‘certain connections’ it wasn’t going to be, and I’m still sad. So I was grateful to see …
I was quite liking the outdoor locations in this Cher video (City of London, the financial district, making me homesick for somewhere I never really lived) until that wanky boy started rapping “first date first base second date second base….” Jesus Christ on a bike, someone shoot him now before he spawns. And yet Cher …
I kind of want to like the Saturdays, they’re inoffensive, heaven knows they’re pretty, the music is hum along. In fact it would have passed the ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’ whereby the music makers of Tin Pan Alley would play something to the ‘old greys’ – the cleaners and domestic staff – and see if …
Gosh – the album is brilliant, Nika’s voice is full-on loaded with emotion as well as being mighty powerful. It is quite possible to imagine her wreaking the effects portrayed in the video. In fact, just a tiny bit of that is actually the case, the water vibration patterns are her voice. I cannot wait …
I last saw Dum Dum Girls back in April. Since then, they have grown so much that they can only have achieved this by climbing onto their own shoulders, if that makes any sense at all. I’ve been playing a preview copy of their new album to death. It’s called Only In Dreams and I …
Sadly Jessie J’s new video, “Who You Are,” is nothing like her smash-hit debut single of late 2010, “Do It Like A Dude.” “Who You Are” is pleasant enough standard R&B fare with a hint of ‘self-empowerment.’ Oh well, wait for the next one I suppose. I’ve posted this because I was so hugely enthusiastic …
I know very little about this guy – from Skåne Sweden and a recommendation from my friend Peter Dysart in the USA. Eeh ‘eck what a small world it is these days! I have to say it’s pretty understated and charming, something right for the dark days and endless rain of Portland. – Mike Hughes
The accompaniments of fame just keep rolling in for The Joy Formidable. Here are Ritzy, Matt and Rhyd on no less than Letterman, and doing a mighty fine job. They have just played such a well thought out game. The thing that really, I mean REALLY blows me away is that I have played this …
Hmmmm – – here is an artistic and distinctly creepy video by Creatures Of Love. They’re about to go on tour supporting The Joy Formidable in the UK, and are releasing this on a 7″ CD, whatever that might be. I like what they do, need to find out more. I think I’ve almost been …
After being the blogger’s delight at the end of last year, Zola Jesus is back. The 2010 album, Stridulum II, was a fine piece in a niche sort of way, even if it’s wailing risked getting caught up in the tail end of the witch house storm in a teacup. The new record, Conatus, represents …
It still seems slightly preposterous that they will rent you a kayak and camping equipment, sight unseen, and set you off on your own into the North Sea with a vague arrangement to meet you somewhere down the coast in 6 days time. The arrangements en route were also, at first sight, a little ‘loose’ …
I am tonight minded to think of one of the very best writers and singers that I had the privilege to meet in London, that being Nadine Khouri. I read from her website that she is currently concentrating on writing and recording new material, which is excellent news. Also, she told me a few weeks …
Tonight I am quite happily ensconced at home where I want to be, but a part of me is gutted that I am not in Cumbria at Kendal Calling watching Joana And The Wolf. These really are one of the best bands I have seen in the last two years, and while they have their …
This particular piece of loveliness is by Frances Donelly, aka Animal Magic Tricks. I don’t even know how to describe it – pretty songs poured like some sort of crackle glazing over ambient found noise. I first heard Frances singing on the freakin’ fantastic Cold Seeds record, where her contribution reduced me to a few …