Rufus Rates... MBV

My Bloody Valentine - MBV

About bloody time! 

I have been waiting 3 and a half years for something new from Mr Shields and it was worth it... My dad has had to wait slightly longer mind. A great listen this which throws up a new sound on every listen. Had it playing around our gaffe since Sunday and it gets better each and every play. A couple of tracks light? maybe... but hey who cares?

Vinyl ordered... time to buy a new stylus! 

Moon Duo - Mazes & Wooden Shijps - West

Ello people... been a while...a long while since I adorned these pages. How are ye all? I'm cool... although I could do with a hair cut MUM!! Anyhoo... On with the witterings.

A pair of lovely purchases these.... apparently these bands have connections.... but hey? whatever. If you like basic (but good) tunes then these are for you. Wooden Shjips use a few more instruments than Moon Duo but the results are similar. Chugging Kraut-esque rock that sets it's sights on whatever is in front of it....And by that I mean it goes. Keyboards pootle away, drums do that bashing rythymically thing and guitars groan and stab in all the right places.

What makes it so much better than a lot of this type of sound is that each tune has a definite idea of what it is doing.... a persona if you like. Need more pointers... Spiritualized go punk. Clinic remove weird masks. Suicide go to the desert and go stoner rock. Stereolab on amphetamines. Some of these comparisons will suit one more than the other but if you like one you WILL like the other.

See here

and

here

Laters...

Have a go on this.....

Rufus Rates...

Peaking Lights - 936 - (Not Not Fun)

Ello chaps...
been a while ain't it? Oh well, been busy haven't I? baby stuff. Any hoo, time for the good stuff.

Three words. Kraut rock, dub, post-punk... Or four or five dependin. Let's try some more... Warpaint if they were proper mental!

My dad got this the other week and I haven't had much time for music, but as we were avin our bath the other night he put this on. Wasn't sure what to make of it at first. I thought it was a pair of hipsters trying to make a Lee Scratch Perry record.... It was. I continued to listen with trepidation. Things were looking up as other sounds washed around..... Joy Division here, Slits there, Stereolab under there, Suicide somewhere and Silver Apples up there. All these different sounds could have (and should have) sounded "try hard" but they mesh together beautifully.

Now a lot of people will say it sounds bad, the actual sound of it I mean. It definately is not Hi-Fi enthusiasts test record as it makes all speakers sound well whack. All levels are pushed up so things sound spat out. That is the point though... everything is out there, nothing gets swamped or played over, everything has it's place.

Buy it! but you... Yes you! won't like it though.

Heavy red level bass and not too fussed vocals with wheezing synths may be my bag after all.

L8rs

Rufus Rates RSD

A year already? Wowzah....

Anyhoo, another year another Record Store Day and it keeps on getting better...

I didn't attend my local shop so I sent him instead. He had to queue too ha ha ha!

His mission was simple "Buy The Smiths 10" or face ridicule. And guess what? he only went and got it didn't he? Hurrah for my old man!!! I'm rather pleased with this even though (as mum keeps reminding me) "We already own it on CD and LP!"

What else? A great looking (if not entirely my cup of tea) About Group album feat that whiny voiced chap from Hot Chip, a Metronomy 7" (nice) and the new Wave Pictures album (signed and that), which is rather ace....

All in all a good day.

I'm popping in later to the wonderful Record Corner to see if anything else survived.

Dad would like to say thanks for biscuits and coffee chaps.

He don't get out much.

Laters dudes....

Rufus Rambles.......

Ello peeps.... Back once again to furnish the inside your heads with more musical ramblings. How are we all? Good?

First off. Did you get any these for Chrimble pressies? If no then buy asap...

Twin Shadow - Forget "Lovely melancholic dream pop"

John Grant - Queen Of Denmark " Carpenters sounding sad-man sings beautifully"

Warpaint - The Fool "Tina Weymouth style funkings over gothic hippy jams" good though!

Women - Public Strain "Tres noisy yet tuneful Sonic Youth-ness with added Krautrock"

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest "Dainty avante-indie pop awash with sadness and beauty!"

Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern "Van Halen lunacy meets Lightning Bolt with tunes"

Oooh there was loads weren't there? The National, Arcade Fire, ... loads.

Anyhoo 2011 is shaping up nicely too... James Blake, Elbow, Toro Y Moi, Low Anthem. I cannot wait!!!

The year has started well too with the likes of Anna Calvi.

See yas soon...

Rufus Rates Eno!!

Brian Eno

Small Craft on a Milk Sea

Well where do I start? This arrived today and I must confess... I ain't eard anything from this fella before. Dad told me he was in Roxy Music once and I like them so I gave it a go...

The music on this disc sounds all different to each other so I found it a bit weird at first but pretty soon it began to make some sense.

Track one - peaceful

Track two - spooky

Track three - still spooky

Track four - all whisky and bangin (Like it!)

Track five - wheeeee!

Track six - Easter Isand-like doom (A bit Phat Planet too)

and so on....

There is no theme or thread to follow as these were all improvisations (Yeah right!). There are lot's of twangs, bleeps and skips etc as one might expect. It's good too... but not anywhere as exciting as it should be. (Perhaps producing U2 and Coldplay stumps ones creativity a little).

I think for years people were chasing Mr Eno (I been reading up see) but now I feel like he's as part of the crowd as anyone.

Generally a worthwhile purchase but like a good pick n' mix... certain bit's are tastier than others.

Here are my faves

here

here

and here

Rufus Rates!

Been a while I know....

But I've been on holiday and stuff... Anyhow shut cakeholes because I'm back.

First up.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Universal... I think...it don't say)

Now i've never heard these before and I have to admit that it wasn't a choice of mine. Father spent about an hour in (whisper it) HMV looking for something to buy. Get this this... he was about to leave with nothing when he remembered that Uncle Nick said this was good so we bought it. And it is very good indeed. Like a steam-punk new wave Roy Orbison. Dad knows more about Arcade Fire than I do and he considers this to be their best album.

First track "The Suburbs" is all rinky dinky piano and travelling Wilburys drums and sets the tone nicely.

Second track sounds like Strokes go Goth which leads us to..... "Modern Man", a fabulous slow-burning earworm of a tune, conjures up the type of modern America that Springsteen left behind years ago. A Lynchian schizoid take on where do we stand in all of this? (If you get my drift).

I won't prattle on about every track on here but there isn't a single duffer amongst em, even though one song does sound a wee bit like Carter U.S.M. ("Half Light II). Heartstrings are pulled and torn as images drift by of a prefabricated, half lit world occupied by the disenchanted and obsolete.

THEN... it's all hope, hope and more hope...."Suburban War" comes on strong with the 12 string Byrdisms. Smiths-esque and Mamas and Papas-y in equal measure....... a beautiful song that makes even my baby hair stand on end, gorgeous and tragic, joyful and tearful. YEAH! the drums kick in, guitars crash. Waves of choirs, strings.... then....................!?

And this is only half way through.

The great success of this record is that at even 16 tracks you don't want it end. There is even time for some disco on "Sprawl II". We enjoyed shaking our rumps to that one, I can tell ya.

Overlong? no.

Samey? no.

Just brilliant.

Simply put.

Album of the year (probably)

And now onto something altogether different and fun.

Tweak Bird - S/T (Souterrain Transmissions)

ROCK! BASS! UGH! DRUMS! all played very loudly.... Zingzilla-tastic! Scared me witless when we first played it.Yes... I may have needed a nappy switch. Sounds like that band with the Nirvana fella in should do.

Stupid and fulla riffs. If Ozzy were californian (I don't know if these are) and 20 odd this is what he would be doing.

Warning.... May also contain freaky sax solos.

(More reason to buy I say)