And the same when autumn comes/Cold air I breathe in my lungs

Wednesday 8 October - OK, I wasn't out last weekend, so I'll treat you instead to a roundup of the platters that have been gracing the decks at Scary Towers. There's a few, so I'm not going to bore you with a track by track review, just a general overview of each.

No particular order but the first one on the pile is Long-View's Mercury with a bonus CD of re-mixes Subversions. We caught Longview (they've dropped the hyphen) at The Duchess on Friday 26 September, and jolly fine they were too. In fact I enjoyed them so much that I didn't buy a CD there and then. I went to t'interweb and ordered their album from (LAYP.COM, re-arrange these letters) where the album was £7.99 but only £4.99 if you purchased it with the bonus re-mix CD. How mad is that? Anyway, the re-mixes are OK, nothing to write home about, but the album itself is absolutely storming. Think very early Coldplay or anthemic Embrace at their peak. Top buy.

On the same night we saw Lecorum, whom we had seen before, I really like these chaps, so much so that I did dip my hand into my wallet to purchase a pre-release version of their Cartoon EP. A piano-led indie rock band, and I mean that in a good way, these are a bit like early Four Day Hombre. Another good purchase.

Now, the fact that Elbow won the Mercury Music prize 2008 came as no surprise to me as I already have their third and forth albums; Leaders of the Free World, and The Seldom Seen Kid. I was looking forward to listening to their first two offerings; Asleep In The Back, and Cast of Thousands. Sadly these didn't live up to Elbow's later work. I don't mean that they're rubbish, far from it, but they lack the rich texturing and sheer lusciousness of the later two. I think I've been spoilt by listening to them out of order.

At the same time as I acquired Elbow, I also got my hands on the Melvins' (A) Senile Animal, a different kettle of kittens altogether! This is the 2006 release from the American sludge metal band that first formed in the 1980s. I quite liked these but feel I will have to invest more time listening to them. They remind me of Tool or Mastadon, or rather, their sound has obviously influenced these bands 'cos the Melvins came first! More listening required.

Let's go back in time now. I've always longed to get my hands on King Crimson's 'observation' In The Court Of The Crimson King, and it finally bubbled to the top of my 'to buy' list. OK, it's pretty old, originally released in 1969. The band roster at this time comprised: Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake (he left just prior to the album's release), Michael Giles, and Peter Sinfield. This is the2004 24-bit re-master. Frankly, this could have been released yesterday. The most well-known track is 21st Century Schizoid Man, but surprisingly this is the one track that seems at odds with the rest of the album and has aged accordingly. The rest of this brilliant CD consists of some of the finest jazz/rock fusion I've heard in a long time. Highly recommended.

And so to Laura Marling's Alas I Cannot Swim. What, you might ask, possessed me to make such a left-field purchase? I'm very fussy about my solo female singers. Well it came as a sort of recommendation. I'm a great fan of the highly readable Inspector Alan Banks stories of Peter Robinson. For one thing, the action takes place in the fictional town of Eastvale set in North Yorkshire, so there are lots of references to places in York and Leeds that I'm familiar with. Secondly, Robinson's character plays a lot of music as he solves various crimes, and his musical tastes overlaps my own an awful lot. It's pretty spooky. His latest novel, All the Colours of Darkness, references Laura's album. So I bought it. I can be quite impulsive. It's very good, with a quirky sound and great lyrics. But I don't sing/hum along, so it sort of fails on that score.

Next up two more bands that we've seen recently. The Dodos album Visiter is first off this pile. The Dodos are an American indie band, sometimes labelled freak-country, although I seen/heard a few bands that are a lot more freaky than these! Re-creating their live performances, this is, instrumentally, a rather spare work which means that when the electronic guitar is used, you really feel the benefit. It's a mixture of light psychedelia, intelligent pop, and dirty bluegrass. Long's vocals sometimes leave you wanting more but he really pulls it off in the album's closing track, God? with his nervous quivering and strident cries. Good stuff. The second CD from this clutch is an old classic, Alabama 3's Exile On Coldharbour Lane. Well, I say classic, but I'm not really into the acid-house dance scene, although live I enjoyed them immensely. Maybe that was because their music has seeped into my brain over a number of years (Exile was released in 1997), because I was singing along to Ain't Going to Goa, Woke Up This Morning, and Speed of the Sound of Loneliness (a cover of the John Prine classic). Singing along, so it must be good, even though I baulk at admitting it.

My next purchase was inspired by seeing the pocket-sized guitar wizard(ess), Chantel McGregor play For The Love Of God by Steve Vai. Now I like virtuoso guitar playing but have no albums of this guy, so I bought his 1990 album, Passion And Warfare. Basically this album is fourteen guitar instrumental tracks with a bit of chat/lyric here and there. If you like fretwork onanism (and I do), then this album is an essential purchase. I could listen all day to this stuff, if only there were more tissues in this damn box!

Coming more up to date now, Only By The Night by the Kings of Leon plopped through my letter-box in the last few weeks. It's pretty much what we've come to expect from KoL, especially Crawl, Sex On Fire, and Use Somebody, but I was a bit disappointed. Basically they don't seem to have progressed from their earlier work, this is just Because of the Times volume 2. Not a bad thing, but not a great thing either.

And finally, hot off the CD pressing machine comes, Oasis' Dig Out Your Soul. I've heard some withering comments about Oasis recently, and I know that they tread a fine line between pub rock and Beatles pastiche/homage, crikey, John Lennon himself appears on I'm Outta Time. However, it ain't 'alf bad, in fact it's pretty damn good. OK I could witter on endlessly about Oasis finally reaching the Beatles true psychedelic-era sound, but they do it so well that it sells itself. I don't care if it sounds like they recorded it in a haze of hashish and opium, I like it. There's a bit of George Harrison-like guitar work on I'm Outta Time, Dear Prudence at the end of The Turning, but also a bit of The Who in the mix, and even Pink Floyd on the opener, Bag It Up. So stick yer hands in yer pockets and yer fingers in the air for the return of the champs. Buy it.

You're the girl with the iron mask/I'm the boy with the heart of glass

Friday 26 September - and tonight we were off to The Duchess to re-visit a band that we've seen and liked before, Lecorum (and on MyFace). Last time we saw them they were playing support to Royworld at Fibbers, tonight, second support to Longview. Are they going down in the world? Well no. It's just that the other bands were flippin' brilliant as well.

Lecorum are a Hull-based four piece consisting of: Chris Howard (vocals, guitar), Damien Johnson (piano), Fletch (bass), and Joe Nicholson (drums). Formed in late 2006 and playing their first gig in 2007 they've opened for some big names in music including; Orson, The Hoosiers, Alphabeat, Cherry Ghost, Tiny Dancers, The Sunshine Underground, Palladium, and The Automatic. Given their pedigree and the fact that I've seen them before, and they were great, I expected more people to have arrived early but there was probably only about twenty of us which was a big shame for everyone who wasn't there. The band didn't care though and put great effort and energy into their playing. The music? Well, they bill it as 'pumping, piano-led indie' but that's not a lot of help is it? Think MSP (old school), Longpigs, kinda quirky indie. Anyway, fantastic tunes, many of which you can listen to on MyFace or download from I-suck-Tunes; Cartoon, Anyone Who Seems To Care, Mix Tape, Sleep Walk, Going, Connected?, Hide Away, Down and Tired, Clockwork. I liked them so much that I bought their new EP Cartoon, and it takes a bit for me to part with cash at a gig! The sound was, I have to say, mixed a bit too loud. I don't direct this at Lecorum, but rather at the gig as a whole, as it was too loud for all the bands. This led to a lot of the extremely good vocals being lost in fuzzy guitar sounds and the bands were all asking for extra volume on their mics, which was not really the actual problem. [Steps down from soap-box.]

Band two were Domino State, a London-based quintet comprising; Tim Buckland (guitar), Matt Forder (vocals), James Machin (guitar), Wil Padley (bass), and Rich Simic (drums). At this stage I have to point out that the three bands on show tonight are cast very much from the same musical mould, and in this sense complement each other in the very best of ways. Domino State sound like an un-gloomy Puressence, maybe a bit like The Killers, or The Editors. Their songs veer from stadium anthems (What's The Question), to sonic soundscapes (Safe Now). Iron Mask built brooding epic guitar melodies from Tim and James, while Matt's haunting vocals fluttered over the top, optimism emerging from darkness with harmonica thrown in for good measure. Top stuff.

And so to the head-liners, Longview (and on MyFace), also from London (well from all over, but probably more spiritually from Manchester), who consist of: Rob McVey (guitar, vocals), Aidan Banks (bass), Doug Morch (guitar), and Ulrich Schnauss (keyboards). By this time the place had really filled up a lot more, although I was still only about four people away from the front of the stage. I'm still not sure I know how to describe their sound. It's a bit like early Four Day Hombre, plenty of keyboard leads, wailing vocals, softly whispered lyrics, interspersed with thunderous drums and grievous bodily harm to guitars, and some prawn behind you talking all the way through it. Yes it's really that good.

We have the anthemic Still bulging with beautiful harmonies, spine tingling ethereal guitars, but it's played hard and gritty, they really mean it. Coming Down, with chords and structure that implanted themselves in our brain forever. It really should be called Going Up as three quarters of the way through we got shredding guitars with McVey and Morch mooching about the stage in a frenzy of activity while Matts drums built to the shattering crescendo. The painfully beautiful In A Dream with ethereal guitar sounds from Morch and syrupy dripping vocals from McVey and Banks. Further, a song so big they had to release it thrice (well maybe it was due to contractual wranglings). I'm still looking for comparisons; anthemic Embrace, the ambience of Elbow? Oh, just get out there and listen to them.

Apres show we ambled across the road to The Terrace to check out a band called Seed. The place was deserted; about four punters at the bar, a few couples snogging in dark corners and someone on a gaming machine. Oh, and the band. I'm no idea where they're from but they played their own material which seemed to me to be a cross between the sing-along-chorus style of Oasis and the delicate story-telling of Del Amitri. Seed were just three blokes, electric lead, bass, and acoustic guitar and vocals. They were very good

You're just a rubber band boy

Thursday 21 February – Mm, these weekends are coming earlier and earlier! So, a Thursday night visit to Fibs, mostly because we’ve heard the second band on the bill before and liked them. I have to say that the audience was a bit thin on the ground. Take away the groups themselves and their family and friends, and there’s probably only about 25 people in.

First up were Player 1, a York band formed in the spring of 2005, they’ve only recently had a stable enough line-up to start gigging, but they’ve already developed a great sound and some stand-out tracks. Player 1 consist of; Charlie Floyd (Rhythm Guitar and Vocals), David Kearns (Lead Guitar), Ed Shipley (Bass), and Dan Whiting (Drums). The slightly mono-tonal vocals are reminiscent of Kurt Cobain. Check out Dead Grover Storage, and Surrender on their MyFace website. There was a song about vampires and they even managed to pull off an instrumental. Excellent stuff.

Band número dos were Hull-base Lecorum. Gigging on the back of their Clockwork EP, the band consists of Chris Hazard (Vocals, Guitar), Damo (Piano), Fletchy (Bass), and Joe (Drums). A bit like Longpigs, and a bit like the Manic Street Preachers, only with proper tunes. Outstanding tracks were; Clockwork, Hide Away, Gone, and Connected, all available on the EP or downloadable from iTunes. No, I’m not on commission, they just happen to be pretty damn good. If they release an album I’ll be adding it to my collection.

Hey, this is good, two great bands on the trot, surely we couldn’t be in for a hat-trick? Oh, yes we were, the final band were South London-based Royworld. Rod Futrille (vocals and songwriting), Timmy Miles (keyboards), Gerry Morgan (drums), Robbie Parkin (guitar), and sleeping partner Crispin Futrille (songwriting) . So that’s a Rob and a Rod, but no Roy. In December 2007 they released Elasticity and Tinman on the Fierce Panda label. The band is currently working on their first album which is due to be released in the summer of 2008. Rod’s voice has a fantastically rich quality not unlike Martin Fry, of ‘80s Northern Soul band ABC. Together the band makes music of epic proportions, almost orchestral works, with each song comprising several distinct parts. This is piano-led indie, pushing the envelope and succeeding. Brakes is a slow-burning song that, propelled by acoustic guitar, soars from a whisper to a scream. Tinman, meanwhile, is a piano'n'synth mini-opera. The opening line, 'Grew up in a house on the hill' - almost like a short story. Science is a love song with a twist; it's more like an anti-love song. Other standing tracks were; Wish Ourselves Away, and Man In The Machine, which is a contender for the title of the album and also due for release as a single on 3 March through Virgin Records.

I'm gonna write a little letter, gonna mail it to my local DJ.

Lecorum

Saturday 2 February – hey, we’re out again. Tonight it’s a toss-up between Glasvegas at The Junction or The Sugars at Fibs. Sweetness prevails as (a) it’s not so far to walk (b) Glasvegas are coming to Fibs soon anyway. All of which meandering brings us to the first band of the evening, supporting The Sugars, a Hull-based four-piece called Lecorum. Formed in the late summer of 2006 they consist of Chris Hazard (vocals, guitar), Damien Johnson (keyboards) and Joe Nicholson (drums), and Fletchy (bass). Their January tour coincides with the release of their debut EP Connected? They certainly played some superb tunes: Hide Away, Gone, Clockwork, and, Down and Tired. I loved their piano-led Indie tunes, a refreshing change to tight jeaned Kaiser Monkey clones that seem to be filling music venues these days. Think Manic Street Preachers, but with decent tunes; a bit of Feeder, a bit of Jimmy Eat World. Certainly a band to watch for 2008.

The headliners, The Sugars, caught me on the hop as I was expecting a guy (Matthew Bolton on guitar and vocals) and two girls (Jodie “The Hammer” Wyatt on drums, and Anna Greenaway on bass and vocals). But it turned out the Jodie is laid up having injured her wrists and Matthew introduced us to an old friend Alex Lewis (looking scarily like a mini Ron Mael) who was sitting in for her. The Sugars are a collision of ‘50s Doo Wop and the White Stripes. I’m sorry if that’s not an easy image, but that’s what they’re like! Essentially a one-trick pony, it was a pleasant enough way to spend the evening, but I wouldn’t bother to see them twice.

We only had a short while before “A” had to head off, but we found time to nip into the Roman Bath to catch a tune or four of Flashback, a ‘60s retro covers band from York. They played very competently including; Billy J Kramer, The Beatles (I Saw Her Standing There), Chuck Berry (Roll Over Beethoven). They certainly sounded as if they were worth checking out again.