– these are the things that have been in our ears this week, please explore and if it sounds interesting then hit the links and make your own minds up, our reviews and thoughts are mere signposts designed to guide you to the things you might like to feast on yourselves... don’t you just love the www. 

John on the phone...

John Peel's legendary Festive 50 continues again this year on Dandelion Radio - play your part in by voting for your three favourite tracks of 2007, here. I know what's I'd vote for.. Lewisham 77 is an event remembering, some 30 years on, the 'Battle Of Lewisham' when the far-right National Front tried to march through Southeast London. Locals and anti-fascists mobilised against them, leading to a street riot which saw more than 200 arrested and 100 injured. A day of exhibitions, screenings and talks take place on November 10th - 1pm-5pm, Goldsmiths College, (Great Hall), New Cross, London, SE14. -  http://lewisham77.blogspot.com

ORGAN TV?

This coming Sunday we have the following videos...

ODD SHAPED HEAD - Egomatic Annie 
65DAYSOFSTATIC - Don't Go Down To Sorrow
CARDIACS - Day is Gone 
THE KEITH JOHN ADAMS - The Other Side Of The Road 
THE HUMAN VALUE - Give Me 
YIP YIP - Candy Dinner 
EPHEL DUATH - The Passage 
MUNICIPAL WASTE - Headbanger Face Rip 

Next Wednesday and Sunday we have...

AARON MCMULLEN - Blue From Black 
SOHO DOLLS - Right And Right Again 
LILY GREEN - Patience 
TRUCKERS OF HUSK - Salad Ballad 
BEE STINGS - Pressure (Running Away) 
THE LOW LOWS - Dear Flies Love Spiders 
BEYOND DAWN - Among The Sedatives 

What's it all about? Simple, just good music, and the art of good video making...  Same musical policy as we've always had with Organ - the labels are just handy signposts, as long as the music and video making has that X factor - expect a healthy eye/earboiling mix of metal, punk, prog, beats, post rock, post punk, post man pat, hardcore, indie, alternative, pronk, whatever..... music and creativity for the open minded 
 

DEMO OF THE WEEK
THE JELAS – Mistakes Drives The Blunder Bus – Oh this is good! Strap yourself in now, we have some bunty chunky hard-boiled high-wired musical goodness for you. The Jelas are from Bristol (they surely must share the same chip shop with You And The Atom Bomb), they really do sound like Buntychunks - everyone sounds like someone and isn’t it good when its one of your new favourite bands sound rather like one of your old favourite bands (yeah I know unreasonably obscurist of us – Buntychunks will mean something to some of you and if it does you can now cut to the chase and hit the link). I love it when things like this just turn up in the post with no warning, there it was patiently waiting for our attention in the pile with Kaiser-Fi wannabes and bad metal cliches. Ten well crafted  well recorded DIY tracks, some girl fronted, some boy fronted, all deliciously lo-fi and thrillingly bendy – hard-boiled mathematics, difficultly good – not that they’re hard to listen to, no this flow easily, they just sooth you in a slightly different way – they’re incredibly infectious with their clandestine designs and pumping goodness into you veins. Any band who have a song called Asparagus have to be worth checking out, and a song called Pure Mathematics might help you add things up a little. Ladies, Gents and those in between, we have here a band on fire and so far from water, burning with desire. Things like this take more than a sprinkling of sand and an impetuous hand. Ten fine tracks from a new band (to us anyway) – highly recommended stars of future Organ radio show broadcasts – www.myspace.com/thejelas

Last week's demo of the week - COUNTRYSIDE

Previous demo's of the week - BASTARDS OF THE SKIES / MEHE / THE PRETTY YOUNG THINGS / HAPPY PENGUIN HUNGRY BEAR / SOMEBODY’S MIND / INSTRUMENTS / DEATH QUNT / OAKWOOD / EPSTEIN SUPERFLU / THE FURIOUS SLEEP / FUNERAL CRASHERS / THUMPERMONKEY LIVES! / HELLFIRE / MR PHORMULA and LEWS TEWNS

DEMO REVIEW ARCHIVES

ALBUM OF THE WEEK 

DEERHUNTER – Cryptograms (Kranky) – Halfway through the night, wired and ready for sun up, perfect time to be trying to pull a Deerhunter album review together (by yesterday). They’re from Atlanta and we have no time for sleep now and they’re like some sparse visceral sharkhunt of an American alt.rock road trip (somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert...). Kind of Sonic Youth for Spaceman 3 disciples who don’t mind a dark slice of strung-out primal space-rock Joy Division via the minimal side of those beautiful Liars. They’ve gone all quiet again (and my attorney has taken his shirt off). Holy Jesus, what are these goddamn animals? Loosely structured and awkwardly focused, like they’re challenging you to hang in there for those elongated ambient passages – just how far out there will our listeners go with us? And those lyrics, when they allow you to focus on them and not the dreamstate, those lyrics sound intriguing  – third of the way in now and the sound of running water and bird song and the psychedelic magic eye album artwork is making perfect sense. Airy and swooning and evolving and not quite coherent in just the right coherent way, maybe more Sonic Youth for Hawkwind fans? Calvert’s slightly paranoid version only beautifully blissed out and sparse and heading way out in to experimental ambient electronica and hang on they’ve switch to a rather beautiful simple alt.rock pop song now – ah yes the already familiar Spring Hall Convert – this is a remarkably brave bold album. They’ve split it in two - the second half is laced with fine breezy songs that walk you in to the sun in the most rewarding of delicate ways – glowing songs detailed with all the finery of the album’s first half – the first half cleverly primed us for these songs – innocent sounding uplifting songs that somehow feel kind of like Deerhoof songs without ever sounding like Deerhoof –  oh look, I don’t want to analyse this or pin it down or try and work it out, just let me explore it and cop out enjoy it go and do so yourself at the earliest opportunity – I need some sleep now, the sun is already up and they’re playing our hometown on the same bill as Liars and Deerhoof tomorrow (later today) – that quite possibly may just be too much on one bill-these are glowing musical times we live in - www.kranky.net - available in the UK via www.southern.net

Deerhunter finally make it over to the UK for a host of regional dates and one mega show THIS FRIDAY at the Forum playing with Deerhoof, Liars, F*ck Buttons and Black Lips. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs fame has described their live performance as "A relegious experience" – the dates are: 2 Nov - Forum, London with Deerhoof, Liars, Black Lips and F*ck Buttons, 3 Nov - Nasty Fest, Leeds 4 Nov - ABC2, Glasgow,  6 Nov - Liars Club, Nottingham, 7 Nov - Cafe Saki, Manchester (a bill that also features To The Bones)

ALBUM OF THE WEEK
KMFDM –Tohuvabohu (Metropolis) – Slightly unexpected start with that slice of sizzling electro-funk and all the trademarks thrown in to a curveball of slap bass dance frenzy - I mean, you expect hard-edged dance and mutant machine-funk, but full on Flee style Chili Pepper bass lines? Surprisingly funky industrial slice ‘n bleep led by a slappy bass? And followed by an almost poppy track as well – they never have been predictable have they – well have they? They’ve done it before - of course we expect funk bass lines - Hang on, they’ve thrown a switch – full on ramming speed Germanic industrial speed metal now... and now on to some serious banging machine driven confrontation.... And now some rather seductive coptic rain in there with their solid BPM dance action.. And now some spit or swallow (or drown in your blood and live in your shit) darkness... You know, for some reason I really wasn’t that excited when this landed – Tohuvabohu is an unexpectedly good album (don’t ask me to explain why this should be so unexpected, I guess others of their ilk have disappointed in recent times?). Tohuvabohu is a feast of ever evolving switching twitching track-hoping industrial/electro variety – hard beats, slicing guitar, light and shade, confrontation and seduction – the familiar male/female voices (the main contributors are still here). Relentlessly alternating goodness, fierce pulsing urgency. KMFDM are sounding as solid and as invigorating as ever – ask no questions, hear no lies, fortune always favours the bold. I don’t why the prospect of a new KMFDM album in 2007 didn’t excite, strange how musical landscapes change – this is a more than welcome (global) noise attack. Was that a Minty sample?  Have they gone all darkwave and textured now with this closing track? So much variety without ever drifting off course or losing the blueprint or the plot – threw a curveball with that funky opening, and the popish second track Looking For Strange but hey don’t let them fool you - not that I don’t like the opening – this is an album that flows as one fine whole – and once you get in to the body then you’ll find a familiar old friend on top creative impressive invigorating rejuvenating form. KMFDM sounding as fine (and relevant) as ever in 2007, reaching the parts other industrial bands never quite do – this is good. www.metropolis-records.com
x

ALSO CHECK OUT JAPANISCHE KAMPFHORPIELE – Rauchen Und Yoga (Bastardized) – “Forget about grind punk, this is pop grind” – well that’s what they said – sounds like some insane bunch of babbling German extreme industrial thrashing grind nihilists (don’t the Germans always make for the best nihilist – go ask  the Big Lebowski about it). Insane babbling and flipping like a fish out of water and sporadically violated by strange percussion  - vocalist frothing away like a demented hyperactive yappy little ankle-chewing dog, cooking monster backing vocals, slicing extreme metal riffs and intense mechanical industrial sized drums pounding on your head – is that a mutilation of Queen’s We Will Rock You at the start – if it isn’t then it sounds something like it! If this is pop then these insane JaKa boys have a warped take on what pop actually is - this will not be on your daytime radio! They make Napalm Death sound like a pop band in comparison! Love it! I don’t know what they’re singing about – nothing dodgy I hope – insane (great artwork toooooooo) – www.myspace/jaka or www.bastardized.net

MY DEVICE – Jumbo Fiasco (Shifty Disco) – A scratchy set of slighlty angular fidgety slightly abrasive indie rock new wave things from Brighton. Abrasive yet melodic and kind of sounding like a lot of the current angular indie crop – they do have a feverish quality though and now and again the ability to stop us in out tracks like they did just now with Everything Is Inflatable – should we mention Wrong Pop here? Certainly twisted in an angsty English kind of way – fervent and fiery and twitching and scratching and twitching (and kind of reminiscent of those lurching Camden Homage Freaks/Gag/Scissormen/Red Eye Express/Anorak Lovechild bands of the 90’s). There’s an urgent energy here – sounds like a lot of things flying around at the moment, they have a quality though, that hey look at us aren’t we wacky and eccentric doesn’t quite come over in an entirely convincing way, I think I like this though, I think I do... www.my-device.co.uk or www.myspace.com/mydevice

NICK CAVE and WARREN ELLIS – The Assassination Of Jesse James (Mute) – Or to give it the full tittle; Music From The Motion Picture The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. – A haunting compelling and rather beautifully intense instrumental soundtrack to the rather ‘savage’ film from director Andrew Domink. A semi acoustic rather plaintive melancholic set of pieces. Slow and errie violins, mournful piano – things pretty much stick to the one very slow downbeat pace for the entire length of the soundtrack. A captivating compelling thing of beauty, everything you’d expect from Cave and Ellis  – www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com or http://jessejamesmovie.warnerbros.com

THE BONGOLIAN – Outer Bongolia (Blow Up) Hammond organ driven Seventies sounding (mostly) instrumental Latino soul and warm analogue psychedelia – for all you lovers of big afros and Brazilian football and Sly And The Family and sneaky wolf-creatures and spaced-out dance floor funk and bongo rhythms – the authentic real deal crafted groove, no samples or anything like that. Spot on artwork too. www.blowuprecords.com
 

Last week's album of the week - BY THE END OF TONIGHT / TERA MELOS / RUBENS Previous album's of the week - RASHOMON / SAMARA LUBELSKI / EFTERKLANG / TAINT / AMERICAN STEEL / ATHLETIC AUTOMATON / YOU AND THE ATOM BOMB / GALLHAMMER / MEWITHOUTYOU / PRE / LOU REED & ZEITKRATZER / SCRAPS OF TAPE / EVERY TIME I DIE / SOHODOLLS / LIARS / UPSILON ACRUX x

ALBUM REVIEW ARCHIVES

LIVE REVIEW ARCHIVES

SINGLE OF THE WEEK
THAT F*CKING TANK -  The Awesome Magnet (On The Bone) - This Leeds-based two piece sound like a full band on this single, particularly when guest vocalist Giles Bailey joins them on track one.  TFT (I like to save up my f words for when I'm really cross) have the popular incarnation of drummer and guitarist; drummer James Islip plays a pared-down kit, whilst guitarist Andy Abbott apparently sends his guitar through bass and guitar amps simultaneously, an idea smart enough for Dragon's Den.  It helps that it's a baritone guitar, strung extra thick. The result is a muscular, stripped-down but substantial sound.  The two tracks on this single were recorded 'in a couple of hours' upstairs at redoubtable Leeds venue The Packhorse Inn: the production a nice balance of in-the-room raw immediacy and well-recorded clarity.  The Awesome Magnet is an angular rollercoaster overlaid by Giles Bailey's strident vocals - anthemic, driving, episodic and a unique kind of progressive, it drives along via a collection of riffs and motifs, ringing the changes with texture rather than excessive complexity.  The lyrics are great - the ear catches on abstract slogans suggesting a mad William Gibson/Jon Anderson hybrid - 'LEDs flicker like a membrane was torn... YEAAAAH there was something resonatin'...' making perfect sense when shouted ecstatically, Les Savy Fav style intense avant-rock with a hint of wah-fed progressiveness sneaking in - the Tank moving right up there Out as a limitededition7” picture disc and download thing - www.onthebonerecords.com or www.myspace.com/landsandbody.... 

ALSO CHECK OUT

ESCALADE – X’s & O’s (Cuckundoo) – Let us overcome the obstacles lying in the path and let these two fine songs unfold. Escalade (aka Greg Sullivan) is based in Tokyo, originally from New York (via a self-imposed exile in New Zealand). These two very mellow (slightly jazzy) subtle pieces of post-rock flavoured intelligent soothing, slightly angular, rather refined pop really do guide (and glide) you along an obstacle-free path. Clever structures, evolving song shapes, a sense of being taken somewhere – that’s it, a feeling of the songs taking us somewhere - like sitting on a bus lost in thought as the landscape slowly evolves. You don’t really notice how things subtly evolve rather than return to the tradition of a repeated structure. Daydream-good - drones glide in to uplifting harmonies and delicious mellow subtle easy flowing jazzy contrasts – hazy, mellow, refined. Exquisite songs that take you with them. Further investigation - www.escalader.net or www.myspace.com/escaladers or www.myspace.com/cuckundoorecords

GRANTURA – Waves (Ruffa Lane) – Debut single and some lush warm and very mellow very inviting alt.country that gently nods towards the classic sound of The Band or the Sweethearts Of The Rodeo country side of The Byrds. Classic authentic Americana done so so well, very very mellow lap-steel, twelve string guitar, mandolin, harmonica, banjo – warm harmonies, faithful crafted sound, they clearly have a passion - everything is just right right – I’m guessing they’re English. www.myspace.com/grantura

OK TOKYO – Sums (White Suit) – Catchy hooky well-crafted new wave indie pop rock, sounds like a lot of currently fashionable things, probably big in the NME and on daytime XFM any moment now –and good luck to them we say – www.oktokyo.co.uk

ZONDERHOOF – 2007 EP (Sound Devastation) -  Seems this one has been out a for ages, only just landed here though, we rather liked their demo (and that other shark-chasing band they evolved out of) Mighty fine filthy sounding instrumental hard/math rock from deepest Wales (although they probably don’t want us to tell you that) – OK, they’re Holland and they’re for fans of slightly awkward rather large Melvins/Sicbay/F**king Champs shaped giant-riffed things that come flying at your head, hook you in and threaten to crush you. Probably deserves to be single of the week, but hey, older than last month’s bottle of sour milk now, we don’t want to be looking like last week’s news do we now  – go explore over at www.zonderhoof.com

Last week's single of the week - ODD SHAPED HEAD

Previously -  VESSELS / 4 OR 5 MAGICIANS / TIME.SPACE.REPEAT / WE START FIRES / LOVE AND A .45 / BLUE STATES / EFTERKLANG / NATO / TINY MASTERS OF TODAY / AND THEIR EYES WERE BLOODSHOT / BRENDA / CHAUFFEUR DRIVEN AVIATOR / FIGHT LIKE APES / THE SOUND MOVEMENT / THE CULT

SINGLE REVIEW ARCHIVES

PREVIOUSLY - WALLS OF JERICHO / CARTER USM / THE HOUSE OF LOVE / MONO / DEEP PURPLE / NUB / ANTHRAX / OMD

PREVIOUSLY - BATH BOMB / NEMESIS TO GO #4 / DVD: MIGHTY ROBOT: SLEEP WHEN YOU ARE DEAD / DVD: GLASTONBURY - THE MOVIE / BOOK: THE LANGUAGE OF THE BLUES – Debra De Salvo / BOOK: BERNARD SUMNER – CONFUSION / ZINE: NOISY No5 / DVD: SAMMY AND THE WABOS – LIVING IT UP IN ST.LOUIS / DVD - NAZARETH – FROM THE BEGINNING

That's it for this week -  IF YOU'VE GOT ANYTHING TO SAY then say it - response

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