Monday, May 26, 2008

Beard goes to Primavera 26 May 2006

OM!
Lord Kitchener

Bit of a Primavera theme this week, with most of the show taken up with tracks from acts appearing at the Barcelona festival this week. But there's still room for Archie Shepp, Lightning Bolt, Bill Wells, Faust, Siouxie, Lord Kitchener, some Kiwi pop and Ethiopian jazz.

The Sonics - Strychnine
Public Enemy - Night of The Living Baseheads (It Takes A Nation of Million, 1988)
Lightning Bolt - Dracula Mountain (Wonderful Rainbow, 2003)
Faust - It's A Rainy Day Sunshine Girl (Faust So Far, 1972)
Six Organs of Admittance - Jade Like Wine (Shelter From The Ash, 2007)
Om - At Gaza (Conference Of Birds, 2006)
Bill Wells & Aby Vulliami - Black Christmas (Loathsome Reel Book, 2008)
Archie Shepp - Girl From Ipanema (Fire Music, 1965)
Tindersticks - Travelling Light (This Is... 1994)
Cat Power - Cross Bones Style (Moon Pix, 1998)
The Fall - 50 Year Old Man (Imperial Wax Solvent, 2008)
Look Blue Go Purple - Circumspect Penelope (Tuatara: A Flying Nun Compilation, 1986)
The Chills - Satin Doll (Dunedin Double EP, 1981)
Lord Kitchener - My Wife's Nightie (London Is The Place For Me)
Mulatu Astatqe - Yekermo Sew (Very Best of Ethiopiques)
Young Marble Giants - Choco Lono (Collossal Youth, 1980)
Throbbing Gristle - Almost A Kiss (The Endless Not, 2006)
Animal Collective - Water Curses (Water Curses EP, 2008)
Siouxie & The Banshees - Slow Dive (Kissing In The Dreamhouse, 1982)
Edan feat Dagha - Rock N Roll (Beauty & The Beat, 2005)
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Shotgun Willie (Real Emotional Trash, 2008)
Shangri Las - Out On The Streets

Monday, May 19, 2008

Beard radio 19.05.08 - win tickets to Le Weekend!

Evan Parker

Hamid Drake & Raymond Boni

This week I'm joined again by Mark Haydn, who has brought his lovely tunes and dulcet Northern tones for your aural stimulation. Listening back to the show I realise we forgot to turn the jingle channel off during our opening bit of chat. Oooops!

We're previewing Le Weekend, Stirling's No Limits Music Festival, which kicks off at the Tolbooth on Friday 23 May, with a smattering of tunes from acts performing at this year's festival, as well as highlights from previous years. So that means William Parker, Hamid Drake, Evan Parker, Bill Wells, The Pastels, Thurston Moore and Borbetomagus. Tasty!

Win a Le Weekend festival pass!!!

Which of the following artists has Evan Parker not worked with?

(a) Robert Wyatt
(b) Charlie Watts' Big Band
(c) Michael Parkinson's House Band

Email your answers to beardmag@yahoo.co.uk


Here's our playlist, with Le Weekend connected artists highlighted.

De La Soul - Buddy (Three Feet High and Rising, 1989)
RZA - A Day To God is 1000 Years (Birth of a Prince, 2003)
Richard Thompson - Roll Over Vaughan Williams (Henry The Human Fly, 1972)
Ennio Morricone feat Edda Dell'Orso - Alla Serentina (Dell'Orso Sings Morricone, 2005)
William Parker & Hamid Drake - Sky (Summer Snow)
Tape - Sponge Chorus (Mileu, 2008)
Ex-Models - Chrome Hearts (Troubleman 2005)
The Blow - Fists Up (Paper Television, 2006)
Microphones - Bass Drum Dream (Song Islands
Roland Kirk - I Say A Little Prayer (Volunteered Slavery)
Tim Buckley - Starsailor (Starsailor, 1970)
The Pastels - Leaving This Island (Illumination, 1997)
Evan Parker Electro Acoustic Ensemble - Drawn Inward (Drawn Inward, 1999)
Richard Crandell - Etude in E (Spring Steel, 2007)
Reiko Kudo - Mrs Wheeler - (Rice filed silently riping in the night, 2000)
Noviciat de Soeurs Missionaires de Notre-Dame d'Afrique & four religious drummers - Yesu Mkwbaze (Lipa Kodiya City Council)
Jackie De Shannon - When You Walk In My Room (Her Own Kind Of Light, The Best of)
Thurston Moore - Neverday (Trees Against The Academy, 2007)
Alex Chilton - Alligator Man (Like Flies On Sherbert, 1980)
National Jazz Trio Of Scotland - Phantom Pain
Borbetomagus - Pink Pants

Monday, May 12, 2008

Beard radio 12.5.08

Mats Gustaffson & The Thing

Charlemagne Palestine

The Subcity Radiobot has now updated the links, so you can listen to the latest show right here!

Ably assisted by my good chum Gary, we bring you some face melting Egyptologist black metal, vampire porn soundtracks, golden age hip-hop, heavy jazz action, Portuguese fado, some gorgeous minimalism, neo-prog from Richard Youngs and Andrew Paine, sweet pop, molten Japanese noise rock, and other curiosities. Yowza!

Keep an ear and an eye out for our competition to win a pass to Le Weekend, Stirling's Outer Limits Music Festival.

Erik B & Rakim - Microphone Fiend (Follow The Leader, 1988)
Divine Styler - Ain't Sayin' Nothin' (1988)
Beat Happening - Noise (You Turn Me On, 1992)
Pissed Jeans - Ice Cream (Hope For Men, 2007)
Boxcutter - Mya Rave (Planet Mu/Plan B comp 2008)
Carlos Ramos - Torre De Belem (Victrola Favorites)
Jonathan Richman - Corner Store (Jonathan Goes Country, 1992)
The Vampire Sound Inc - The Lions and The Cucumber (Vampyros Lesbos OST)
Portishead - Hunter (Third, 2008)
Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - Nick Tete (Eclipse At Dawn, 1971)
Ivor Cutler - Life In A Scotch Sitting Room Vol 2 Episode 12
Melechesh - Tablets of Fate (Sphynx 2005)
Charlemagne Palestine - Excerpt 2 Duo Strumming For Two Harpsichords(Continuous Sound Forms, 1974)
Bill Wells Trio - Inadvertently Stolen (Live at Banchory, 2006)
Keiji Haino & Boris - From The Distance, with their own gentle eyes always fixed on us, they are affectionately gazing at the Black Implication Flooding (Black Implication Flooding, 1998)
Invisible Conga People - Cable Dazed (Italians Do It Better 12", 2008)
The Thing - Chiasma (Action Jazz, 2007)
Teiji Ito - Tenno III (Tenno, 1964)
Ilk - Honour's Prospect (Canticle, 2004)
Diamanda Galas - Iron Lady (Live, 1998)
Birthday Party - Sonny's Burning (The Bad Seed EP, 1983)

Monday, May 05, 2008

Beard Radio 5.5.08



I'm joined this week by Mr Mark Haydn, who has brought in some marvelous tunes from Bill Callahan (in wonky Afro-pop mode no less!), Orchestre Regional de Kayes, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Luftkluster and more! Today's show also featured further goodies from Dust To Digital's amazing Victrola Favorites collection, as well as kick ass new stuff from the Fall, some slow disco from Glass Candy and Chromatics, and some beautiful calypso from Lord Kitchener.

Guided By Voices - Tractor Rape Chain (Bee Thousand, 1994)
The Fall - Wolf Kidult Man (Imperial Wax Solvent, 2008)
Ramones - Gimme Shock Treatment (Leave Home, 1978)
Lord Kitchener - London Is The Place For Me (London Is The Place For Me, Honest Jons comp)
Bill Callahan - Taken (Diamond Dancer EP, 2007)
Orchestre Regional de Kayes - Nanyuman (S/T, 1970)
Charles Mingus - Freedom (Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Chromatics - Night Drive (Night Drive CD, Italians Do It Better 2007)
Mico - I See A Soul (Monika Barchen: Songs For Bruno, Knut & Tom, Monika Enterprise 2008)
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Arkansas Coal (Did You Ever?, 1971)
Religious Knives - The Sun (It's After Dark, 2007)
Parliament - Little Ol' Country Boy (Osmium, 1970)
Howling Hex - Activiy Risks (All-Night Fox, 2005)
Glass Candy - Computer Love (2007)
Luftkluster - We Pulled Roots (Oscillatone Records, 2006)
Noble Sissle Orchestra - Basement Blues (Victrola Favorites)
Tav Falco's Panther Burns - She Wants To Sell My Monkey (Pantherphobia, 2001)
Blind Mamie Forehand - Honey In The Rock (Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music)
Tara Jane O'Neill - Phoenix (To Trace A Raveling, 2007)
Vishnudan Shirali - Tabla Taranga (Victrola Favorites)
Babenzele Tribe - Four Voices Song (Bayaka)
Tom Waits - I Don't Want To Grow Up (Bone Machine, 1992)

Saturday, May 03, 2008

The Herald hearts Beard

Beard gets a mention in The Herald, Scotland's leading quality newspaper. Thanks Simon!

Mogwai and friends, Tramway, Glasgow
SIMON STUART

Star rating: ****

THE last-ever Triptych Saturday began by illustrating the key flaw of its successor, the fans-choose-the-bands experiment that will be the Tennent's Mutual. Who - other than Mogwai or the staff of the estimable Beard magazine - would suggest the little-known RememberRemember to open a 10-hour music show? Graeme Ronald's web of loops was a breathtaking reminder of why curating is best left to curators.

The rest of the bill was short on surprises but exquisitely assembled. The only quibble being that the acoustic set from arch-miserablist Malcolm Middleton, while gorgeous, might have been better earlier in the evening. It was also a shame that whoever did the live mix for the borderline-godlike Errors apparently had no idea what they're meant to sound like: hear those slabs of skull-splitting synth? No, us neither - but their upcoming album should be one of the year's best. Frightened Rabbit, meanwhile, just get better and better: Celtic drone-folk (to coin a phrase) with - yes - a drum solo.

Watching Clinic power through their angry staccato stomps, a thought occurred: they should be The Fall. Seriously: next time Mark E Smith sacks his band, he should give them a call - and a much-needed kick up the backside. Still a great band, but one desperate for a sense of direction.
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I've been writing about Mogwai for 10 years now and have run out of superlatives. After a decade, one could take them for granted; here, though, in a majestic set bravely dominated by new material (all awesome, some transcendent) they were simply monumental. As one of Tennent's rivals might put it: probably the best rock band in the world.