KATHRYN WILLIAMS – The Quickening

Similarly to Caitlin Rose’s new album this show’s a string folk influence however from the first song “50 White Lines” seems a lot darker, especially with the backing vocals chanting the song title in a lingering manner, it becomes slightly haunting. “Just a Feeling” has something very Fleetwood Mac about it, which I enjoy, purely in the music not so much the vocals, although these remain soft and interesting with its calm backing vocals once more.
“Wanting and Waiting” seems a little more upbeat and positive, with rings of Belle and Sebastian in a way, which is always a lovely sound to adopt. Although I have to say I would prefer some dramatic instrumentals from what I have heard so far. “Just Leave” does this to an extent with more interesting concoction of sounds… However the vocals remain very much the same, although- Kathryn Williams’ voice is still impressive and I seem to be warming to it with the more I listen to.
“Cream of the Crop” has a more bluesy and jazzy sound to it, and is a little Corrine Bailey Rae at times, in the very best of ways. I imagine to see this performed live would be atmospheric beyond belief. Another track that particularly caught my attention is “Noble Guess” which made me realise the one thing that attracts me to this album is the similarities it holds to Joni Mitchell, an all time favourite of mine.
“Little Lesson” is a lovely track, with a more upbeat and folk feel which i thoroughly enjoy, followed by “Up North” which proves that “The Quickening” would be the perfect album for a summers day and will definitely be played throughout by myself and many more i imagine.

FRENCH FOR CARTRIDGE – Liquorice

This band is truly something unique. And with the two minds that make up the group, Catherine Kontz and Henri Vaxby hailing from Luxembourg and Scandinavia respectively, it might not come as much of a surprise that the mixing of cultures would produce something so different.
The use of instrumentation on the album borders genius, mixing your usual instrumentation with more exotic means to create some wonderful sounds that aren’t heard in your run of the mill pop nuggets.
Depending on your opinion, the lyrics are either another stroke of crazy inventiveness from French For Cartridge or irrelevant nonsense. For me, lyrics have always been a big part of any record but on this album the rulebook is thrown out the window. For example, one of the songs takes its lyrics entirely from a TV guide. At least it shows some originality, and the music business could certainly do with bands who take risks, even if it means some of the songs essentially have nothing to say.
Whether you end up loving it or hating it, this is an album that must be heard once purely to experience it. While it is experimental in almost every sense, there is still a strong sense for a good pop melody throughout their songs that will lodge themselves in your head and refuse to move. While this particular brand of liquorice may be too sweet for some, give it a taste and you may just fall in love with it.

NEWSFLASH: Imperial Leisure Tour Dates + Free Download

Imperial Leisure are touring the UK this month showcasing new tracks from their forthcoming new album which will be released in the summer.

Their new streamlined features IL original members Denis Smith on vocals, AJ White on guitar, Dan Dobson on bass, Scott Vining on drums, Stu Maxwell on keyboards and new boy Jerome Harper guesting on brass. The sound is leaner and meaner, whilst retaining its truly distinctive British flavour that includes fan favourites and stand out tracks such ‘In A Letter’, ‘Jenny’ and the skantastic ‘Man On The Street’. Other highlights include ‘The Beast’ and ‘The Landlord’s Daughter’ all delivered with the new line-up so expect a few extra twists as well as a cheeky peppering of new album tracks.  
Imperial Leisure spent the last two years laying markers across the UK with memorable live performances that have created a fervent live fan base.  Selling out shows and playing at festivals across the UK including Glastonbury, Bestival, Reading, Lovebox, and Fruitstock to name but a few. Imperial Leisure are happy headlining, supporting or springing spontaneous gigs on unsuspecting but hugely appreciative crowds in shopping centres, parks, and on beaches around the UK; oh yeah and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
 
Tour Details
 
Thu 11th Mar – The Flapper, Birmingham
Fri 12th  Mar – The Roadhouse, Manchester
Sat 13th Mar – Thekla,  Bristol
Thu 18th Mar – Ride Café, Plymouth
Fri 19th Mar – The Koola, Newquay
Sat 20th Mar – Mr Kyps, Poole
Fri 26th Mar – Engine Rooms
Sat 27th Mar – Garage, London

Free download and order tickets: www.musicglue.com/imperialleisure
Order Tickets Here:  http://www.artistticket.com/link/?s=imperial+leisure

NEWSFLASH: Strange Death Of Liberal England Announce Editors Support Slots + Download Single

The Strange Death Of Liberal England return after an 18 month hiatus punctuated by a sole theatre show in their native Portsmouth. Their debut mini album, ‘Forward March’ and live shows saw the band heralded by NME ‘for the chiming elegance of their kaleidoscopic post-rock’, whilst The Guardian praised ‘music that roars and sighs, swoops and swoons.’ During that time away from the public gaze, the band have been hard at work with producer Dave Allen (The Cure, Depeche Mode), orchestras and all manner of other experiments to create a quite astounding debut album proper, a new single from which, ‘Flagships’, will be a download only release via Republic Of Music on 8th March and is available here
The Strange Death Of Liberal England accompany Editors on their UK tour before playing their own London headline show. The band will be at the following venues in MARCH.

Sunday 7th – Preston, Guildhall
Monday 8th – Bradford, St. George’s Hall
Wednesday 10th – Glasgow, Academy
Thu 11th – Dundee, Fat Sams
Friday 12th – Inverness, Ironworks
Saturday 13th – Aberdeen, Music Hall
Monday 15th – Newcastle, Academy
Tuesday 16th – Manchester, Apollo
Wednesday 17th – Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Friday 19th – Bournemouth, Academy
Saturday 20th – Brighton, Dome
Sunday 21st – Cardiff, University
Tuesday 23rd – Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall
Wednesday 24th – London, Brixton Academy
Thursday 25th – London, Lexington Arms (HEADLINE SHOW)
Sunday 28th – Portsmouth, Guildhall
Monday 29th – Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
Tuesday 30th – Birmingham, Academy

www.tsdole.com

THE GOOD THE BAD – From 005 to 008 EP

Dave Keuning, of The Killers, has called From 005-008 ‘a two guitar attack on the senses…’.  Drowned in Sound have said The Good, The Bad are a band who ‘write great quality rock songs’, and we here at Call Upon the Author have to completely agree.
 It goes past in a blur of stunning guitar solos and by the time it’s over it successfully leaves your senses wanting more. It is nowhere near enough to leave the ears sated, yet to have more offered up on this EP might ruin such an exceptional experience.
  It’s an entirely vocal free zone, which has turned out to be great. It is a whole lot easier to get lost in the music without having somebody’s voice dragging you back to reality and actually it’s quite refreshing.
The first two tracks, 005 and 006, are brilliant; they’re fast paced, upbeat, similar to one another yet not too much the same, they’re relaxed yet repeatable. There isn’t really much that they’re not.
 007 and 008 are slightly rockier than the first half of the EP, offering more variety. Even though these two tracks aren’t as upbeat as the ones before they’re just as skilled. They showcase just how great The Good, The Bad are with their guitars and raises the bar they set at the start of the EP even higher. Hopefully, if things go extremely well, they will be around for a lot longer and produce many more tracks, just as enjoyable as the four on this EP.

We The Kings’ New Album Available To Stream + Tour Dates

www.myspace.com/wethekings  |  www.wethekingsmusic.com  |  www.twitter.com/wethekings
 
STREAM THE ALBUM HERE
 
Florida’s We The Kings have secured themselves as one of the most original & exciting bands in the pop-rock circuit, with a heavily dedicated fan base, having toured the US with bands such as Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Cobra Starship and, most recently, headlining the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. 
 
Sophomore album, ‘Smile Kid’, will be released on March 8th and infectious first single, ‘Heaven Can Wait’, is already climbing the charts in the US, becoming the band’s fastest rising single to date & reaching the Top 10 on the Alternative Singles Chart.  It’s the band’s third Top 40 charting single in the US. 
 
Produced by S*A*M and SLUGGO (Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship) ‘Smile Kid’ follows their self titled smash debut which hit # 1 on Billboard’s New Alternative Album sales chart. 
 
Time in the studio gelled the band’s already energetic and tight sound. Instantly addictive tracks such as ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘She Takes Me High’ & ‘We’ll Be A Dream’ (featuring Disney’s Demi Lovato) brim with youthful vibrancy and enthusiasm, clocking in at short and sweet three-minute bursts.
 
The world of We The Kings is a never-ending buzz of activity, where fans and band are equal participants.  They are constantly tweeting, updating blogs & websites and documenting life on the road in their online mini sitcom, “The Kings Carriage”.
 
Infectious high spirits and camaraderie energize their live performances.  The boys hit our shores March 2010 supporting You Me At Six on a Nationwide tour.
 
March 9                Birmingham O2 Academy
March 10             Kingsway Newport Centre
March 11             Sheffield O2 Academy
March 12             Manchester Apollo
March 13             Newcastle O2 Academy 2
March 14             Glasgow O2 Academy
March 16             Leeds O2 Academy
March 17             Nottingham Rock City
March 18             Southampton Guildhall
March 19             Norwich UEA
March 20             London Brixton Academy

Florida’s We The Kings have secured themselves as one of the most original & exciting bands in the pop-rock circuit, with a heavily dedicated fan base, having toured the US with bands such as Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Cobra Starship and, most recently, headlining the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. Sophomore album, ‘Smile Kid’, will be released on March 8th and infectious first single, ‘Heaven Can Wait’, is already climbing the charts in the US, becoming the band’s fastest rising single to date & reaching the Top 10 on the Alternative Singles Chart. It’s the band’s third Top 40 charting single in the US. Produced by S*A*M and SLUGGO (Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship) ‘Smile Kid’ follows their self titled smash debut which hit # 1 on Billboard’s New Alternative Album sales chart. Time in the studio gelled the band’s already energetic and tight sound. Instantly addictive tracks such as ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘She Takes Me High’ & ‘We’ll Be A Dream’ (featuring Disney’s Demi Lovato) brim with youthful vibrancy and enthusiasm, clocking in at short and sweet three-minute bursts. The world of We The Kings is a never-ending buzz of activity, where fans and band are equal participants. They are constantly tweeting, updating blogs & websites and documenting life on the road in their online mini sitcom, “The Kings Carriage”. Infectious high spirits and camaraderie energize their live performances. The boys hit our shores March 2010 supporting You Me At Six on a Nationwide tour. March 9 Birmingham O2 Academy March 10 Kingsway Newport Centre March 11 Sheffield O2 Academy March 12 Manchester Apollo March 13 Newcastle O2 Academy 2 March 14 Glasgow O2 Academy March 16 Leeds O2 Academy March 17 Nottingham Rock City March 18 Southampton Guildhall March 19 Norwich UEA March 20 London Brixton Academy

FIGHTSTAR Live @ Heaven, London 17/02/2010

Supported by All Forgotten, Cars On Fire, and The Xcerts, I already had high hopes for this gig. They were all impressive, but seemed to just get better and better as they went on. Then came the time everyone had been waiting for… Wow.
From the moment Fightstar were on stage, the crowd was alive. With the brilliant set list including a variety of hits from their albums Grand Unification and Be Human, there was something for new fans as well as those who have followed them for years. Opening with War Machine and closing with a cover of Deftones’ Be Quiet and Drive, with songs such as Paint Your Target and Mercury Summer in between, every song was different, it never dragged on. Charlie, Omar, Dan and Alex were all really lively onstage throughout the entire gig, and made the crowd feel a part of it. The venue itself was fairly small, but that just made the atmosphere even better, as it was a more personal experience. This was a fantastic night out, Fightstar are really impressive performers who are obviously passionate about what they do, which is clear after seeing them play live. Since the gig I’ve been listening to their albums non-stop, I’ve become addicted to them.

NME AWARDS TOUR Live @ Portsmouth Pyramids, 18/02/2010

With the indie market awash with new acts, the NME showcase have got some of the big chart hitters to battle it out on stage.
First on the list, hidden down amongst the bigger draws, The Drums provided not merely a warm-up but a declaration of intent with a confident, well tuned performance which took many by surprise. They, like many, have been mentioned as a band that everyone will be talking about before the end of the year and for once is seems justified.
The Big Pink are up next and they just really tear into it with driving baselines and a much heavier sound than you’d expect. The really make an effort with the crowd in trying to win then over, really wanting to impress, but the crowd was still split in their feelings. There is a much draker tone to their much and much distortion, it really sounded like they’d blown a few speakers. Their sound was very distinct to them and they have a good varied range of songs. Velvet sounds much thicker and richer live, it really comes to life rather than being a slow, poor follow-up to dominos. Dominos, played last, obviously goes down well.
The crowd are much more alive for the arrival of Bombay Bicycle Club, possibly again due to being hugely promoted amongst DJ’S. The hype for me is short lived, again much heavier than expected, but they suffer a huge lag and its a good few song in before things pick up with Evening Morning. Even this failed to capture the crowd, they merely looked on in acknowledgment that what they were doing was good. Musically they were solid, but there was no real killer instinct about their performance, they were simple there to give their 30 minutes. Always Like This gets a sing-along, but the song just seems out of synch to the rest of the set. The entire set pretty much lacked cohesion and direction.
The Maccabees enter to the Talking Heads. The ‘veterans’ of the night have a much more rounded and consistent set. Precious Time lifts the crowd from its disappointed slumber. X-Ray and Can You Give It go down well and it starts to feel like a real gig, not merely a showcase.
In all a very awkward night filled with surprise and disappointment. Love You Better stopped it from being dissatisfying.

SINGES CORNER! 03/03/2010

So, here we are, back again with part two of this week’s singles roundup. Looking at the tracks below (and our ever growing pile of singles to review), it’s nice to see that not only is the quantity of tracks available to us increasing, but the quality too!

TWIN ATLANTIC – Lightspeed
Red Bull Records

For those of you who haven’t heard Twin Atlantic yet (and why not, we’ve written about them a few times not?), this is the perfect introduction to the Scots rockers, encapsulating their pacy guitars and highlighting Sam McTrusty’s vocal – lovely stuff!

WITH THAT KNIFE – This Place, A Thousand Times
Withthatknife.com

This, the debut single from a bunch of lads who met at Manchester University mixes punkish vitality with the sort of modern Britsh alt-rock sound that is growing ever more prevalent – good stuff!

DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP – Get Better
Sunday Best

Casiotone electronics create a contrasted backing to Pip’s spoken word musing on why society seems to be going down hill. It’s not deep reaching social commentary, but it rings true, and as well as being thought provoking, it’s very catchy. What more could you ask for, really?

THOMAS WHITE – The Last Blast
Cooking Vinyl

The Electric Soft Parade/Brakes man’s solo work is every bit as interesting as the songs he performs with his bands. This one, a driving beat, fuelled by staccato drums is strangely engaging, all the more so because of the laconic vocals.

ANGUS AND JULIA STONE – And The Boys
Flock Music

I saw this pair a couple of years ago and really wasn’t impressed, but this track is a world away from that bland live show, endearing quirky folk fronted by a sweet and off kilter vocal, this bodes well for their forthcoming album.

CAITLIN ROSE – Dead Flowers

I first listened to “Dead Flowers” on a long old train journey and as soon as I heard “Shotgun Wedding”, it felt very fitting for cheering up a gloomy day ridden with typical British weather- a definite good mood setter. “Answer in One of These Bottles” puts across a feeling I think every one of us has at least twice a month, if you’re annoyed, stressed, confused… Have a drink, and why not write a song about it along the way? Due to realistic contents alone this song was immediately in my good books. Caitlin Rose’s voice although strong has something very calming about it which i believe is enjoyable throughout the album.
The next track “Three Cigarettes in an Ash Tray” sounds dated, but in no means is this a bad thing- there are certain points the vocals remind me of Stevie Nicks- I can’t quite pin point why, but it’s a good thing none the less. “Docket” however Rose’s voice is much softer and the guitar similar to that of Carla Bruni in “Quelqu’un M’a Dit” (ignoring the obvious cultural difference) simply meaning it’s a lot more subtle therefore making you concentrate on the lyrics again, “all I’ve ever wanted is to be free”. Yes, It is another song about belongings not creating happiness, but it’s a lot more general and honest as opposed to idealistic and full of fantasy which pulls it away from the rest. As soon as I saw the title “Gorilla Man” I automatically expected something similar to “Apeman” by The Kinks, purely because it’s a favourite of mine, but how wrong I was. In all honesty the tambourine wears a little thin by the end of the song, and it is a track I’d more than likely skip often, but every album has one of those.
The album title track “Dead Flowers” Rose reminded me of a more vocally harsh Alison Krauss in her acapella version of “Down in the River to Pray” a strange comparison, I know but it just has something similar about it, i think it may even be the pace of he chorus and the obvious similar style of “take me down”. The final track “T-Shirt” continues with the tambourine, which I think I’ve just discovered I dislike, not just in this album but in fair few- well you learn something new every day. The song itself is more poetic and like a conversation or letter, which is lovely. “Dead Flowers” is an enjoyable album which I imagine will go down very well in the summer on the seafront; I would say chilled would best describe it.