Pop Gun Records | Blog

Thanks to Pampelmoose for the heads up on this one. Absolutely superb!

Rock Against… The Old Order

Former Moonie and Old Order front man, The Brother Man Dude (second from left) has been running a series of gigs under the title of “Rock Against…”.  The next gig is this Saturday 25th October with the band rocking against Chicks. Here’s the press release he sent:

ROCK AGAINST CHICKS
@ Clarence Corner Hotel
Brisbane, Australia

Saturday October 25th
w/ Girl with Cake
The Old Order
Legions of Mary
Flying Squad.

Chick bands are the next phenomenon to be under the spotlight in the ongoing “Rock Against…’ series promoted and presented by Brother Man Dude from The Old Order. 

There’s a lot of excellent all girl bands ‘round at the moment and something must be done; things are getting out of hand. 2 of the best are indie popsters Girl with Cake and grunge rockers Legions of Mary.  Classic rockers The Old Order and garage rockers Flying Squad who both happen to be all male are feeling threatened so they are asserting their relevance and staging a showdown.

The idea of the ‘Rock Against…’ series is that for each event a style of music is featured as much as a protest against the genre as a celebration of it. So far  Garage, Folk, Country, Roots and Indie bands  have been featured.

Its about bringing together bands and performers that may not normally be on the same bill to blur the lines and emphasise similarities as well as differences. The Rock bands are chosen on the grounds that they may have more to do with bands of the particular style or scene featured than is immediately obvious and vice-versa.  Poetry, Hip-Hop and Humour are some of the styles to come. 

So what are we gonna learn about the bands on the bill of Rock Against Chicks? Will gender stereotypes be subverted? Will sexual identities be shattered? Or will it just be a case of good ol’ fashioned knee-slapping cross-dressing hi-jinx and cheap laughs? 

Choose a position. Make a stand. Rock Against Chicks.

• www.myspace.com/thebrothermandude
• www.myspace.com/oldorder

Former Invisibles drummer Van Cambell has been playing as one half of blues punk sensations The Black Diamond Heavies for over 4 years now and October sees them rock the UK once again. Catch them at one of these dates:

15 Oct - What’s Cookin @ the Sheep Walk, Leyton/London
16 Oct  - The Tap House, Kiddeminster
17 Oct  - Coldrice presents @ Barfly, Birmigham
18 Oct - The Croft w/ Emily Breeze, Bristol
19 Oct - Riff’s Bar, Swindon
20 Oct - Schiving Scholar, Plymouth
21 Oct - The Shakespeare, Sheffield
23 Oct - Roisin Dubh, Galway
24 Oct - Eamonn Doran’s Temple Bar, Dublin
25 Oct - Beatnik Soul @ Mason’s, Derry, Northern Ireland
29 Oct - Lavery’s Bar (Bunker) Belfast
30 Oct - Mono, Glasgow
31 Oct - World HQ, Newcastle upon Tyne
1 Nov - Fibbers, York

• http://www.blackdiamondheavies.com/
• http://www.myspace.com/blackdiamondheavies

Brent Amaker & The Rodeo – You’re No Good

This video posted on fav music blog Puritan Blister made me laugh. Don’t know anything about the band but a nice dinky country ditty.

Just this minute got an email from the Heartless Bastards who are going on another US tour – when will they tour the UK, pleeeeaasssee!?! – and releasing a new album in Jan 2009. The unmastered track, ‘The Mountain’ is on their myspace page and it sounds great. They’ve added to the line-up and the sound, slide guitar on this track. Looking forward to hearing more.

• Heartless Bastards myspace page
• Heartless Bastards website

Doug and the band

Two gigs I’d really like to get too:

In September, Robert Forster will be playing predominately his great new album The Evanglist plus some older tunes and some Go-Betweens. Sadly his Go-Betweens partner Grant McLenan, died suddenly in his sleep 2 years ago. I do believe this is his first London gig since.

• Robert Forster London Gig

American band Built to Spill are playing their classic, Perfect From Now On in November as part of the ATP, Don’t Look Back festival. I used to play this album no-stop working late at night in a huge warehouse in Hackney, Adelaide. Loads of memories come back to me from hearing it and seeing it played live would be something special.

• Built To Spill play Perfect From Now On

Hint: These would be great birthday presents if you are not sure what to get me.

The early years

Finally saw the amazing life story of Daniel Johnston last night in the doco, The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Quite a riveting film and my heart went out to Daniel and especially his dad Jim. It’s clear to see he knows he doesn’t have much time left and is distraught by the fact that his son may never be well enough to look after himself. Tragic.

I dunno where but some time ago I came across a mass-up of Visage and The Faint. I rocks. The DJ who put it together was Eve Massacre. I then found some more of her mixes and mashes. They rocked. Indie, punk, electro, techno. All banging and brim full of energy.

She has her own blog and has just listed the aforementioned visage/faint mash along with a heap of other 80s inspired tracks. I suggest you go and have a looksee.

• Eve Massacre 80s Mashups

Keysound Video presents… Dusk + Blackdown: Margins Music from Keysoundrecordings on Vimeo.

The video is brilliant, certainly represents a London I know. (Thanks to Anna for the tip on this album.)

This is an amalgam of my eMusic downloads and any other music I’ve got hold of June 2008.

Without a doubt my favourite release this month (maybe this year?)

Let’s Wrestle/ I’m In Fighting Mode
by Let’s Wrestle
[Stolen Records]

This double A side is from my best new favourite band at the moment Let’s Wrestle and it kicks on from where their EP In Loving Memory Of… left me. Fun, urgent, shambolic and very, very beautiful. The first track is a theme song and like all good theme songs (The Aboujaparov Theme comes to mind) is a rip snorting tounge-in-cheek dancefloor twister full of beer swilling woah backups and naughty lyrics. On the flip we have I’m In Fighting Mode and blow me, what a cracker. A slower tempo’ed tearjerker with such a beautiful chorus and two guitar solos; but not true guitar solos if you know what I mean, more following the chorus chords, simple and emotive, not wanky. Hearing this track made me realise what depth there is to lead singer Wesley’s song writing and what a promising band they are.

The single is released on Stolen Records as a limited edition gold vinyl 7″ or you can download it from eMusic.

Albums

Heavy is my middle name

Two Hunters
by Wolves In The Throne Room
[Southern Lord Records]
Brutal and beautiful. These guys manage to mix both ambient washes of sound, folksy even operatic singing with intense passages of double kicking screaming black metal. Stunning and like nothing I’ve heard before.

Spirit
by APSE
[ATP Recordings]
Haven’t spent enough time with this yet but pretty much post rock instrumentals. Sounds good so far.

Pink
by Boris
[Southern Lord Records]
I love this record. Heavy sludgey rock and roll from Japan. And let’s face it, when it comes to rock and roll, the japanese know how. Reminds me of Guitar Wolf mainly in production values – everything in the red.

Other sounds

Sun Giant EP
by Fleet Foxes
[Bella Union]
Not sure about these guys. Lots of people raving about them but it just seems folky beach boys stuff and I don’t think it’s really my thing. Bon Ivor on the other hand is…

For Emma, Forever Ago
by Bon Iver
[4AD]
This album has really, really grown on me and I love it.

No.1 In Heaven
by Sparks
[Virgin?]
I’ve been intrigued by this cult band for a while. Released in 1979, full of disco beats and synths, produced by Giorgio Moroder No.1 In Heaven is a time capsule that still stands up to scrutiny. My favourite track is Tryouts for the Human Race.

Modern Guilt
by Beck
[XL]
I wasn’t so sure at first then got convinced and now I’m not all that convinced again. It just seems to pass me by too much. Gamma Ray is a good little tune but besides that it takes dedicated listening. 

Exile in Guyville
by Liz Phair
[Matador]
Classic early 90’s album from indie pin-up girl Liz Phair. Gutsy, frank song writing that possibly inspired many a girl to pick up a guitar. More rocky that Julianna Hatfield (god she is annoying).

Prestige/Rudy Van Gelder Sampler
by Various Artists - Concord Jazz
[Concord Jazz/Vantage] (Free Download)
Classy classic jazz – Rollins, Coltraine et al. 

White Whale Records Sampler V.1
by Various Artists - White Whale Records
[White Whale Records] (Free Download)
Some really good indie tunes here. Will check out more from the label. 

Singles

Drum and Bass

Up All Night by John B
Metropolis by Adam F
Pulp Fiction by Alex Reece
[Metalheadz]

Weak Become Heroes Remixes (Royksopp’s Memory Lane Mix)
by The Streets
[-]

Independents Day ID08
by Various Artists (5 tracks)
[-]

By The Numbers - 6
by The Postmarks
[-] (Free Download)
Twee and boring.