MY ALBUM OF 2014: Simone Felice - Strangers

Firstly, let me say that 2014 has been an excellent year for me in music terms - there have been some special albums out this year. My selections can be seen here. 

http://macwoodfleet.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Albums%20of%202014

But one album this year has not let me go from the first listen.

I was aware of Simone Felice from the work with his brothers (The Felice Brothers) and I'd heard a couple of tracks from his first solo album. 

But nothing prepared me for Strangers. I love it when an album comes out of nowhere and grabs me so hard that it's hard to resist. And that is exactly what has happened with Strangers. Right from the first listen I was enchanted. I kept going back to it time & time again as it's beauty & scope gradually sank in. Simone has approched the album as a storyteller - which is interesting seeing as he's a published author. In fact, Simone really is an interesting story himself - he wrote in The Guardian about it and it can be read here.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/sep/23/life-after-death-simone-felice

The album is relatively short, sweet and perfectly formed - 10 tracks of absolute beauty.

I first highlighted it back in May.

http://macwoodfleet.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/albums-of-2014-simone-felice-strangers.html

I have been so impressed at how Simone & fellow co-producer David Baron have created an album of such filmic and widescreen beauty with such simple instrumentation.

It is an album of emotional beauty and is almost gospel like in places.

Strangers kicks off with the uptempo Molly O, which is the only real UP song on the whole record. Right from song one - the words grab your attention - poetic, enticing you in, thought provoking.

'Good trips and bad trips we're still gonna hold our lips to the chalice, 

even when the scales are tipped

You know I'd never hurt you baby, 

it's your virtue that hangs in the balance.'

Molly O

The album was recorded in Sun Mountain Studios near his home in the Catskills Mountains near Woodstock in New York.

Simone - ''It’s really about, you know, the realisation that we can be so in love with someone, or so in love with an idea, or friends, or people in our lives,” he said.

You've Been Running Through My Head

'' Yea though I walk through the stripmall,

in chains of iron,

thrown to the lions, hunted by sirens,

Can't you hear them screaming,

like so many demons''

Simone - “Some of it was lonely, just me and my producer David. And then some of it we got to bring in a proper band, my brothers and The Lumineers and some good friends. So it was really just a special experience. Surrounded by a lot of talent and a lot of love.”

Heartland

Simone has written a gorgeous and moving song about conflict in the moving Our Lady Of The Gun.

Our Lady Of The Gun

Family has always been an important source of inspiration for Simone and he looks back to his younger life in the hymnic Bye Bye Palenville.

'But I could never understand,

how a living breathing man

could run away and

leave his kids in the cold'

'And then the day our baby came,

and we gave her a precious name

so everyone would know

what a pearl we found'

Pearl is the name of Simone's daughter. 

Bye Bye Pallenville

I love the fact that many of the tracks on the album have an almost hymnic quality and one of the best is Bastille Day.

Bastille Day

In a nutshell, the album for me is Intimate, Beautiful, Lyrical, Hymnic, Uplifting & Emotional.

I could wax lyrical about this record for hours - but that would be boring and I'm no talented journalist. 

All I can do is point you in the direction of the album and urge you to give it a listen.

My favourite track on Strangers is the final track - The Gallows.

Death has never sounded so beautiful.

'I am standing on the gallows in a winter's rain,

but I am light as a sparrow,

'cause I'm on my way'

The Gallows

Twitter - @SimoneFelice

http://www.simonefelice.com/

Quotations by Simone courtesy of

http://www.forfolkssake.com/interviews/27369/interview-the-dark-skies-have-cleared-for-simone-felice

Live in 2014: James - live at Colston Hall, Bristol on Wednesday 12th September 2014

Following a four year break since their last album, The Morning After in 2010, James have released their best album in years with La Petit Mort and I was looking forward to seeing them play it live.
Although a great deal of La Petit Mort is around death, as per the title, it is an uplifting album and a definite return to form which harks back to the great albums of Seven & Laid.

They were supported on the tour by Starsailor, who according to lead singer James Walsh had not played together for over six years. It didn't sound like it tonight. They played a good set with all the fan favourites.

They got a great reception on the night and hopefully their own tour will only be a matter of time.

James have always been able to put on a show and with Tim Booth, have one of the most charismatic front men around.

They kicked off their set with a B side for the die hard fans but which I wasn't quick enough to catch the title of.

Tim Booth stated that if you didn't have the new album then tonight's show might be a new experience and he was right. Luckily have had the new album for a while and the show was heavily influenced by the tracks from la Petit Mort - but it is an excellent album and the songs translated superbly in a live context.

Tim stated that their video for their single from the album, Moving On had just won an award for it's animation - so here it is.

But the band have been around long enough to know that you MUST put some fan favourites into the show and they didn't disappoint.

As I've stated earlier, Tim Booth is one of the best front men around and he even indulged in a spot of crowd surfing more than once in the gig to one of my favourite James' songs, Laid.

Although the songs from the new album were enthusiastically received, the crowd really got going when the hits were played. And in a packed Colston Hall tonight, the atmosphere was electric with waving hands, dancing and singing!

The encore was opened with Tim Booth & Andy Diagram up on the balcony on opposing sides of the hall and the opening bars of Born Of Frustration soon got the crowd into a frenzy - a great moment of the night and getting the people upstairs more involved in the show too.

The two hour set finally closed with a brilliant version of Sometimes with the crowd singing on the top of their voices. A superb end to one of the best gigs of 2014 so far. And they didn't even have to play Sit Down to send everyone home happy.

Twitter - @wearejames

@RealTimBooth

http://www.wearejames.com/

Have You Heard? - The Dreaming Spires - Darkest Before The Dawn EP

We last heard from The Dreaming Spires (which are brothers Robin & Joe Bennett - with assorted guest musicians when required) - with their album debut album Brothers In Brooklyn, which came out on the best UK label, Clubhouse Records in 2012.

Brothers... was a guitar driven beauty of an album which summoned the ghosts of The Byrds, Creedence, Tom Petty & Buffalo Springfield and well worth investigating.

Joe has been working closely over the past couple of years with Michael Gale on his Co-Pilgrim project and the musicality of Co-Pilgrim may well have permeated into the sounds on their new EP, The Darkest Before The Dawn.

You can read a very good interview with Robin about the new EP on the link below.

http://goo.gl/GDxjE2

The EP opens up with an epic 7 minute slice of Americana - but with a superb twist.

The sound on Hype Bands Parts 1 & 2 is augmented with a superb horn section and sounds like it was recorded down in that hall of musical sorcery, Muscle Shoals.

It still contains the jangly guitars, now a feature of the Spires music but filled out with swirling organ and the horns, it sounds magnificent. 

I wonder if the spirit of the music the boys worked on with Danny & The Champions Of The World has finally found its way onto a Dreaming Spires track? 

The second track on the 3 song EP is the very Tom Petty sounding House On Elsinore. With it's soaring harmonies and chiming guitars, it's very much the sound that we have come to expect from The Spires but with a gentler acoustic backing to those ringing guitars and a slightly psychedelic swirl. 

Robin & Joe Bennett

The final track on the EP is title track Darkest Before The Dawn. More downbeat than the first two tracks, it still has those now trademark harmonies and ringing guitars. It brings to mind one of the great forgotten bands Big Star. Worth checking out to see one of the Spires more melodic influences.

Robin Bennett

With a new album due out in early 2015 - this new EP is a tempting taster of what to expect on the album. If it's anything like Brothers In Brooklyn, then we are in for a treat - but the tracks on the EP show a growth in sound and an elegance that points to further gems to come. 

So get the EP - and keep your eyes out on the Clubhouse website for the pre-order information for the album, which is destined to be one of the best albums of 2015.

Twitter - @dreaming_spires

@ClubhouseUK

http://www.thedreamingspires.co.uk/

http://www.clubhouserecords.co.uk/

Live in 2014: Roger McGuinn at The Glee Club, Cardiff on Tuesday 4th November 2014

The word 'Legend' is thrown around a lot these days in ALL walks of life but tonight I got to see (again) a Real Musical Legend - an artist who was inspired by greatness (Dylan & The Beatles) and who went on to influence SO many other great musicians himself.

Looking nowhere near his 71 years, Roger McGuinn turned back the years in a quiet and unassuming manner to give a masterclass of songwriting and guitar playing.

It was an intimate evening at The Glee Club in Cardiff tonight as Roger McGuinn made his first  return to Wales in quite some time.

Armed with his Martin D7  7 String acoustic guitar and his signature 12 string Rickenbacker electric,  Roger played a game of two halves for a night of story telling and sublime music.

Roger dipped into songs from throughout his career from his Brill Building days right up to a brand new song.

He started the show by walking on playing his Rickenbacker and gave us a gorgeous rendition of Bob Dylan's My Back Pages - the first of several Dylan tunes performed this evening.

I won't spoil the surprises by revealing the stories that Roger tells during the evening - suffice to say he has become quite the raconteur and with so many years from which to draw upon, he kept the audience entertained throughout the two hours he was on stage.

Roger played many of the hits from throughout his illustrious career and included some nice gems too that we don't get to hear that often such as The Ballad Of Easy Rider.

and

King Of The Hills

The first half of the show included such greats as Mr Spaceman & 5D (Fifth Dimension) 

We also had a crowd pleasing rendition of The Bells Of Rhymney - and if there's a best place to play this, it's Wales - and produced rapturous applause.

There was even time for a new song, written with his wife and based on the John Steinbeck novel The Grapes Of Wrath.

Also included in the first half was his song Jolly Roger from his album Cardiff Rose - again if there was one place to mention it....

The first half concluded with the Dylan Classic, Knocking On Heaven's Door.

Part two started as did part one with Roger walking onto the stage, Rickenbacker in hand but this time playing The Byrds classic, So You Want To Be A Rock n Roll Star. I'm using 'classic' a lot here but a lot the songs are indeed now 'classics'.

One of the musicians Roger has had a great influence on is Tom Petty and he has included an lovely acoustic version of Petty's American Girl into the set.

If there is one song that the majority of the crowd had been waiting for it was Mr Tambourine Man and Roger didn't disappoint as he again strapped on his Rickenbacker and gave the audience what they wanted.

Another great version of a Byrds song, Chestnut Mare also lit up the second half of the show.

The second half concluded with a stunning acoustic version of 8 Miles High.

There HAD to be an encore and Roger came back on to perform Turn, Turn, Turn and finally finished with May The Road Rise To Meet You.

An excellent choice of songs with a story linked to most - a great evening with a true legend.

Twitter - @RogerMcGuinn

http://rogermcguinn.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn/

Live in 2014: Steve Hackett - at St David's Hall, Cardiff on Thursday October 30th 2014

I've been looking forward to this gig since I saw Steve Hackett play the first half of this extensive tour last year at the same venue. I thought last year's show was just exceptional - this one was even better.

The support for tonight's show was a nice surprise too - Vocalist/guitarist Bryan Josh & the ethereal Vocalist/Flautist Olivia Sparnenn from the band Mostly Autumn came on and performed songs from the Mostly Autumn back catalogue and included 3 songs from their latest album, Dressed In Voices. I was so impressed I went out and bought the CD after the set.

The new album has an intriguing concept and some lovely musical moments- if you like Prog, check it out, I'm sure you'll be impressed.

Last year's Genesis Revisited 2 show was a large production with back screen projections - today's show just concentrated on the music, with an excellent light show to boot.

With a set list very similar to last year's show - the audience were in for a treat - but with a few surprises thrown in too.

The show began with Dance On A Volcano and was quickly followed by Squonk - both from A Trick Of The Tail. Right from the start the sound and light show were just superb. 

For this Tour - Steve was again joined by Vocalist Nad Sylvan who was just excellent throughout the whole show.

Steve is now the 'Keeper of the Flame' for all early Genesis fans. With Tony Banks now pursuing a classical music career and Mike Rutherford still flogging the Mike & The Mechanics route, (Phil Collins still in retirement) it is left to Steve Hackett to give the early Genesis fans what they want - we know his importance to the band and the music - and he doesn't disappoint as he reignites the early Genesis catalogue such as Dancing With The Moonlit Knight & The Return Of The Giant Hogweed - Nad especially got to indulge in his more dramatic leanings (but more of that later).

It was especially good to hear The Fountain Of Salmacis, which is especially dramatic and gives Steve a chance to show just what a accomplished guitarist he actually is. On Genesis albums, he quite often gets buried in the mix due to the prominence of Tony Banks' keyboards. But on this tour, we get to hear what IS actually on the albums but isn't often visible.

Of the many highlights of tonight's show - one of the songs I was anticipating most was The Musical Box. And it didn't let me down. It was just superb building into one of the best climaxes to a song ever committed to vinyl. 

On this tour, bass player Nick Beggs has joined the band. And he was a revelation. Gone is the 80s popster, he's now an accomplished bassist/guitarist who's musicianship just blew me away. He made the complicated passages of the music look just so effortless.

The crowd pleasing I Know What I Like followed quickly followed by Steve showing his classical guitar chops with a delicate version of Horizons. You could hear a pin drop. 

Firth Of Fifth was another highlight with Steve's soaring guitar now taking centre stage.

At this point in the set came of of the surprises of the night. Last year's set featured a Wind & Wuthering segment which included Unquiet Slumber For The Sleepers - ....In That Quiet Earth - Afterglow, this was replaced tonight with a sparkling version of The Lamb's , Lillywite Lillith & Trespass', The Knife. Totally brilliant with Steve proving that he can solo with the best of them.

A word here about vocalist Nad Sylvan. Since last year, you can see that Nad has relished the role of interpreting these classic songs and I, for one, love it when he becomes the actor/dramatist. He is a striking stage presence and should do this more often - you can tell by the reaction of the audience that they think the same way.

By now, we had listened to over 1 1/2 hours of quality music. Then the 12 string acoustic guitar came out and the enlightened knew what was coming next - the one song that the majority of the audience had been waiting for. The majestic Supper's Ready from Foxtrot - all 25 minutes of it.

This is where the band really showed their skills and Nad really showed what an excellent front man he is. It must be difficult for Nad as this is Steve's show (he is centre stage) but Nad is the 'real' interpreter of the songs, especially this epic. But he does a superb job within the constricts of his placing within the stage and you can't take your eyes off him during the song.

The band leaves to a 8 minute standing ovation and then return with a scintillating version of Watcher Of The Skies. Nad is once again the centre of the song.

The band finishes the show with a reworked version of Los Endos which brings the 2 hour 20 minute musical extravaganza to a close and a huge standing ovation.

With Steve now working on a new solo album, it may be a while until we hear these songs together again, but suffice to say, when it happens, I'll be there. And you should be too.

setlist care of http://www.setlist.fm/

Twitter - @HackettOfficial

@SylvanOfficial

@NickBeggs

http://www.hackettsongs.com/

http://www.mostly-autumn.com/2/