This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
SLANTED AND ENCHANTED


Shindig!’s newest recruit PAUL MCWILLIAMS takes us beyond definitions of genre and the safety of safe reference to go deep into the realms of DIAGONAL – a band that do for ‘punk-prog’ what MC Escher did for staircases…


reference. We just want to play interesting music.” And play interesting music they certainly do.


Diagonal wear their influences


proudly in the face of a prevailing wind of bland indie and electro bands and in doing so have paradoxically earned themselves the somewhat contradictory labeling as, “leaders of punk-prog”. . As recognition of their desire to buck trends Whittaker also explains, “If you listen to King Crimson or Van der Graaf Generator, it is incredibly raw and exciting music, just played by virtuoso musicians.” With the album receiving positive


Diagonal are a retrogressive-progressive band.


Work that one out. They traverse the sort of musical


landscapes that few have dared to explore for over 40 years – not since that archaic territory was claimed proudly in the name of progressive rock. And as this year sees the 40th anniversary of the legendary Vertigo label, what better and more fitting tribute is there than a band like Diagonal? Having produced an album that


NEW REVOLUTIONS


ACID WAVES ON THE HORIZON


San Franciscan anti-heroes Wooden Shjips tore a somewhat fleeting hole through the psyches of record buyers last year; fleeting only perhaps because of their present cult status, appealing solely to those in the know. 2008’s Vol 1. a collection of rare cuts culled from limited runs, should prepare you well enough for follow up Dos, pencilled in for an early May release. Creating sounds akin to the echoes of aircraft attacking Haight-Ashbury in the bleakest of midwinter, if you can suspend your disbelief for the rest of the sentence and drop that acid tab… [NOW!]…they provide heavy fuzz, feedback and noize (note the “z”) by revising Neu!, pillaging cosmic weed stashes and cramming on psych-drone theory 101. A must for those who love the sound of napalm in the morning. Wooden Shjips – Dos (Holy Mountain) released 4th May


LONE STARS IN FINE STATE


As our Texan-Psych special proved – if you’re Texas born and bred and have the bug,


12


genetically, you are programmed to sound supreme. A hefty weight of appearances at this year’s SXSW ensured that local lads The Strange Boys were more than just a concoction brewed from Roky’s desire to be young again and The Red Krayola’s decision to sniff toxic marker pens. And just because new album The Strange Boys And Girls Club isn’t actually a social club, it’s not to say it fucking well shouldn’t be. The Strange Boys – The Strange Boys And Girls Club (In The Red) out now


LO-FI FORTUNES


One of the finest understated singer/songwriters around at the moment is a lady named Laura Elizabeth Byron – or as her informal and oddly familiar folk songs would have you call her, quite simply, Le B. Based in Cardiff and seemingly armed with only a pen, paper, guitar and heart the size of a 45, her debut EP Good Fortune Sounds is one that will leave you with visions of idyllic picture scrapbooks and the desire to compare her beautiful songs to those found on Bonnie Dobson’s ‘Morning Dew’. Inspired. Le B – Good Fortune Sounds (Bird) out now Richard S Jones


could so easily have sat alongside progressive pioneers Nucleus and Colosseum on the infamously swirled roster, released on Rise Above records, the Brighton seven-piece recorded their debut entirely on analogue equipment. The result is so authentic it is easy to imagine you are listening to an undiscovered classic from 1970. But as sax player Nick Whittaker is quick to dismiss, they are more than just another retro band. “Everyone has to give things a frame of


reviews, even from certain magazines that aren’t usually famed for praising anything with more than one time signature, as Whittaker jokes, “It was surprising, but we’re prepared for the backlash on the second album!” So what about a prog revolution? “I don’t think so. There have


always been people making progressive music. I think there is almost a ‘post-music’ attitude now. There aren’t any more revolutions left. People are just accepting it’s OK to like prog.” If the words “Larks tongues in


aspic” make your heart beat slightly faster, this can only be a good thing. www.myspace.com/diagonalband


PURPLE HEARTS RETURN!


Romford’s finest mod revivalists Purple Hearts have reformed and they reconvene on 21st June for their first show together in nine years as part of the Extraordinary Sunday Sensations. Originally birthed as The Sockets in ’77, Purple Hearts whose name is taken from an amphetamine- barbiturate mixture, scored a hit with the anthemic ‘Millions Like Us’ in ‘79. Their final studio album may have met with mass-market indifference, but it’s the rough ‘n’ ready style and catchy tunes that have secured a lasting influence. Get tickets now if you don’t want to wait another decade.


DECONSTRUCTING ENO


Acclaimed purveyors of music analysis books 33 1/3are stepping into the spectacular space of Brian Eno’s fantastic AnotherGreenWorldalbum. Author Geeta Dayal thoroughly excavates the ‘75 landmark record and explores how it constitutes the cosmic bridge between old, guitar-driven Eno and Eno as we know him now. With interviews from the man himself, as well as collaborators (including John Cale and Phil Collins) she tracks his influence while simultaneously pointing out how powerfully emotive his new breed of music was and still is today.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84