These are the things that have been in our ears this week, please explore and if it sounds interesting then just 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 instant hit of the www. 

Illegal Japanese whaling activity has been brought to the world's attention this week with the kidnapping on Tuesday night (15th) of two activists from the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling vessel the Steve Irwin. Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane boarded a Japanese whaling ship to protest against the cruel and illegal activity and quickly found themselves in captivity. 

They were there to deliver a letter reminding the whalers that they were in violation of international conservation law by targeting endangered species in an established whale sanctuary. No doubt embarrassed by the impending bad publicity - like the 50-strong protest outside the London embassy on Wednesday - the Japanese government quickly agreed to ensure that the activists were handed back, even as they condemned the action saying that the hunting ship Yushin Maru had done nothing wrong. Despite this they did released the two into the care of an Australian Customs ship on Thursday. Ben and Giles now plan to return to the Steve Irwin and continue the fight as soon as possible. 

According to the Oxford English dictionary, a hostage is "a person seized or held in order to induce others to comply with a demand or condition" - something that's generally accepted as being against the law. Shortly after Benjamin and Giles boarded the Yushin, the  euphemistically entitled Institute of Cetacean Research contacted the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (who run the Steve Irwin) demanding they stop all protest activity - if they agreed, then they could have their activists back. "They are acting like a terrorist organization," said Steve Irwin's 1st Officer Peter Brown. "Here they are taking hostages and making demands. Our policy is that we don't respond to terrorist demands." 

Instead they continue to disrupt the hunt for endangered whales in the Southern Oceans Whale Sanctuary, where their presence, and that of Greenpeace, has ensured no whales have been killed since January 11th.

This is not helping the Japanese with their plan to kill 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales in the Southern Ocean this summer for er, 'scientific research.' (All 985? Really?!) The artful description is to get round international law as the moratorium on commercial whaling does not cover slaughter for scientific reasons. But in truth, it's a flagrant two-fingers up to the world by the Japanese goverment, who know that everyone else is too gutless to make a meal of it - unlike them as nearly all of their research killings end up inside the belly of a Japanese diner. 

And it's no painless party for the endangered whales before they end up as lunch either - in a foreword to a recent Whalewatch report, Sir David Attenborough says that, "there is no humane way to kill a whale at sea." Whalewatch found that in 60% of cases Japanese whalers did not kill their prey outright and it sometimes took up to two hours for the animals to die. The United Nations World Charter for Nature gives authority to individuals to act on behalf of and enforce international conservation laws. You can find out more about the campaign to stop whaling at www.whalewatch.org and keep apace with the actions against it at www.seashepherd.org

More  from  - www.schnews.org.uk

John on the phone...

ORGAN ON YOUR RADIO - WEEKLY on sUNDAYS AT 9.00pm via RESONANCE 104.4FM in London and worldwide via www.resonancefm.com

ORGAN TV?

ORGAN TV  is on your screens in the UK right now. Every Wednesday evening, NOW AT THE NEW TIME OF 9.30pm on the OPEN ACCESS 2 Channel on SKY160. And now due to the fine response, repeated every Sunday on SKY883 at 9.30pm.

This coming Sunday we have the following videos...

VWF - Family Man 
MY VITRIOL - This Time
SIKTH - How May I Help You 
TO THE BONES - Tycho 
CARDIACS - Day Is Gone 
IMPERIAL LEASURE - In A Letter 
OURLIVES - Sandra 

Next Wednesday and Sunday we have...

1: EFTERKLANG - Mirador 
2: EL-P - Smithereens 
3: IMPERIAL LEASURE - In A Letter 
4: TIME.SPACE.REPEAT. - Joy 
5: HELMET - Monochrome 
6: PURE REASON REVOLUTION - Intention Craft 
6: GALLHAMMER - World To Be Ashes 

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
2 OUT OF 3 RULE – Really Elementary – They’re a four piece from London and they say they make stripped down indie pop. Three boys – Robin, Paul and Matthew – and a girl called Claire singing in a rather delicate quiet way. Five songs, yes, five striped down quiet simple clever pleasing songs, five delightful songs – acoustic, wordy, intriguing, a restrained alternative edge – sometimes it really is that single – www.2outof3rule.com or www.myspace.com/2outof3rule

ALSO CHECK OUT
MIAOW MIAOW – Summertime For A Lifetime – 14 slices of energetic alternative well crafted indie pop-rock that kind of touches all bases at once. Miaow Miaow are from Luxembourg and they seem to have a really big problem with working out just who and what they actually want to be - they are good (and they’re clearly very professional, a band with their act together – great packaging, good sound, there’s an album ready to go here). They just can’t work out who they want to be - they run through fourteen songs and through the whole range of emo flavoured alternative American sounding indie pop rock, we could name drop a hundred different bands here – a different set of bands with each song. Main problem is, as good as Miaow Miaow are, they really don’t add anything that suggests a sound or style of their own, no real personality here, no hint of identity –  really don’t want to pick too many holes here though, they clearly are a good new band, and hey, if you like your same-as-lots-of-other-bands alternative indie emo flavoured pop rock then go hit the links find out for yourself, out there somewhere there’s a record label waiting for them  – www.miaowmiaowmusic.com or www.myspace.com/miaowmusic

Last week's demo of the week - THE JACKPOT GOLDEN BOYS

Previous demo's of the week - FANTAPLASTIC / YONATAN NIV / INNER RAGE / NAVEL / FILTHY HABITS / LITTLE TROPHY / THE ORIENTALISTS / HOUSEHOLD / THE JELAS / COUNTRYSIDE / BASTARDS OF THE SKIES / MEHE / THE PRETTY YOUNG THINGS / HAPPY PENGUIN HUNGRY BEAR / SOMEBODY’S MIND

DEMO REVIEW ARCHIVES

ALBUM OF THE WEEK
DIEBOLD – Listen To The Heartbeast (Bangor) -  Diebold are Sophie Trudeau (Godspeed You! and Silver Mt. Zion) and Ian Ilavsky (Sofa, Silver Mt. Zion) and this is a very fine album (in a neat hand silk screened cover – both the CD and vinyl versions are in silk screened covers). “Diebold formed in Montreal in 2002 as an exciting new experiment in controlled, technologically-enhanced, two-party democracy...”. Refined two piece drum and bass guitar post-rock interplay - this is progressive in the most real of senses – clever weaving of distorted bass and responsive colourful drums. A (mostly) instrumental album, six tracks, thirty-five minutes – some of these tracks were available via a very limited CDr back in 2005, these tracks will all be new to most though. The bass distortion is cleverly used; subtle, never overpowering – dark, churning, looming, clammy, relentlessly locked-on, brooding, recorded live, free-form? The almost ten minute excellently named title track (and album closer) slows down to a brooding dooming sludge before it pulls itself out again, by that time you’re right in there with them. An album that’s as highly creative and artistically rewarding as you’d expect from the two of them, rather different as well – hypnotic, enticing, rather thrilling, play it really loud and watch everything shake. www.bangorrecords.com. Available in the UK via Southern – www.southern.net
 

ALSO CHECK OUT ONLY UNTIL – Terra Ortus (Hollow Soul) – I guess if you must have us call this something, then we’d call it progressive post-rock/post-hardcore – mere signposts though, just pointing you (helpfully I hope) in a vague direction. Only Until are from London, the three of them deal in ambitiously epic scapes and expansive instrumental passages of a Pelican/Mogwai/Godspeed nature, maybe a little Sun Ra or Neurosis in there as well, lots of good things in there actually, and never in an obvious way either – Only Until are a rather original, refined and indeed impressive band. When the vocals do appear, then they’re of a strained throat mature, a rasping scream of words – nothing that infringes too much though, very much a case of less is more in terms of vocals. The sound is warm and raw, a rich edgy expansive sound - and rightly so, there’s a textured freedom here, no following the safe options, the almost lo-fi feel adds rather than subtracts (John Hannon has produced this well). An impressive album, a band with a sound of their own and an album well worth your time. www.onlyuntil.com or www.myspace.com/onlyuntil

KIM NOVAK – Luck And Accident (Talitres) - French indie rock, well they just happen to be from France, there’s nothing particular to mark them out as being that French. Melodic restrained flowing dark indie rock of an Interpol nature. Refined and restrained and very mellow, relaxed and easy, rather pleasant - kind of lacking in terms of an identity, personality or anything to really hang on to though – www.myspace.com/kimnovakk

HANNAH FURY – Through The Gush (Mellow Traumatic) – A subtle whisper of an album, a warm quiet painted china doll, a seductive Kate Bush flavoured set of dark twists and torn touches. A refined gothy delight - whispered porcelain and a girl that glitters in her dark silence. Scattered rose petals, hidden scares, torn while lace - a thing of beauty if you’re the kind of person who’s mind drifts in that way. I think you get the idea, here’s the link should you be curious, she does her quiet, whispered and rather beautiful thing well... www.mellowtraumatic.com

PANDA RIOT – She Dares All Things (self release) - Well they don’t really sound much like you’d expect a panda riot to sound, more like a slowly drifting creamy shoegazer band. A fine band with a warm inviting sweet-voiced left-field lo-fi alt.rock edge. Positively lo-fi that is, Panda Riot are a creative treat of a band from Chicago and this is a rather pleasant and sometimes very beautiful album. Lo-fi in this case does not mean poor quality - the production, packaging and everything about this album is just right, Panda Riot are a band with their heads in the right places. Creative beauty, delightful gentle textures, inviting fuzz and Rebecca Scott has a rather soothing welcoming voice – swirling, creamy, melodic and a quiet gentle inviting maelstrom of warm sounds, refined guitars, gentle keyboards, caressed drums, angelic celestial sounds – a delightful album from a very positive rewarding recommended band – www.pandariot.com

LOW LOW LOW LA LA LA LOVE LOVE LOVE – End Of June (Other Electricities) - Everything seems rather subtle and mellow and peacefully pleasantly restrained this week. The intriguingly named Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love make delicately crafted warm inviting folky alt.country. Beautifully detailed, delicately played, clever instrumentation, very fine songs. Bitter sweet forthright folk/alt.country and heart-warming Americana  - pensive, warm, beautiful and really not what you expect from a band from Lancashire – very fine indeed – www.lowlow.co.uk

SAVIOURS – Into Abaddon (Kemado) – Second full length album from the Oakland old school metal heads. A heavier take on the classic Thin Lizzy/Wishbone Ash harmonised twin lead guitar thing  - more heavy rock then metal really, an edge of NWOBHM flavoured doom and a healthy hint of Lemmy around those vocals (can you have a healthy hint of Lemmy?). Fine stuff indeed, relentless riffing, galloping tunes – if there is to be some nit-picking then things are maybe just a little one dimensional in terms and pace and texture, they’ve got their sound nailed down and they have no intention of letting go ‘till the end – kind of need a change of pace or colour to stop attention drifting. Fine album though, fine fine righteously fine - righteously good harmonised old-school proper heavy rock. Think a galloping harder Thin lizzy with a Lemmy type on vocals and a hint of St.Vitus or Candlemass in a healthy hurry to get where ever they need to go. Good. www.killforsaviours.com
 
 

Last week's album of the week - HOLLER, WILD ROSE! Previous album's of the week -BLACK MOUNTAIN / YESAN DAMEN / CLUB 8 / OUR OWN DEVICES / DIMENSION X / THAO With THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN / AHLEUCHATISTAS / AIRBOURNE / KINDER SCOUT / 4 BONJOUR’S PARTIES / VERNON ELLIOTT AND THE VERNON ELLIOTT ENSEMBLE x

ALBUM REVIEW ARCHIVES

LIVE REVIEW ARCHIVES

SINGLE OF THE WEEK
ONE MORE GRAIN – Having A Ball (White Heat) – Their previously album had a lot of play on our Resonance FM Radio show, we rather like One More Grain - and this is another fine journey of a single. Journeys are what One More Grain take you on, English journeys. This time there’s problems with breakdowns and just where are we going? Nervous breakdowns? Northern voiced, almost spoken, brass-led post-punk tales, a unique intriguing sound – over on the b-side there’s tales of taxi ranks and the lonely plight of the late night cab driver. He has a Mark E Smith Robert Wyatt feel - Can paced, warm tales and the things that go on, you could scarcely believe. The brass is full of character, warm jazzy trumpet playing, a film-noir feel. One More Grain are will worth you sparing a moment for, their journeys are wonderfully furtile – www.onemoregrain.com or www.whiteheatrecords.com

ALSO CHECK OUT
SCHWAB – The Mole Man (Schwabmusic) – Blistering is a good word, blisteringly good nailed down forward moving locked on mechanical funk and stomp - and a tale of a man who dug holes under his house in Hackney. Rumbling bass groove, warm drones and relentless block-rocking building collapsing stomps and hole digging and fizzing keys and....  blistering. www.schwabmusic.co.uk

DUSTY RHODES AND THE RIVER BAND – Dear Honey (Side One Dummy) – Warm inviting West Coast indie rock, American West Coast that is – indie flavoured Americana that nods toward The Band and The Brach Boys via Gogol Bordello and tales of drinking away all their money and losing their dear honey and who’s going to take care of who? A fine taste from the upcoming First You Live album – www.myspace.com/dustyrhodes

Last week's single of the week - PLAAYDOH

Previously - HELLO WEMBLEY / UNDERWORLD / WAX AUDIO vs GEORGE BUSH / HAZEL MILLS / DEERHOOF / F*CK BUTTONS / IMPERIAL LEISURE / CLUB 8 / TURBO NEGRO / CANDY PANDY ATTACK / SUNS OF THUNDER

SINGLE REVIEW ARCHIVES

PREVIOUSLY - N.W.A  / STRIBORG / THE WEIRDOS / THE MOB / ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS / THE VERVE / KHAYA / GREASY TRUCKERS PARTY / HERE AND NOW / WALLS OF JERICHO / CARTER USM / THE HOUSE OF LOVE / MONO / 

PREVIOUSLY - AURAL INNOVATIONS  / PARALLEL WORLDS, PARALLEL LIVES TV documentary / NEVER MIND THE SEX PISTOLS: AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY – DVD / THE ZINE DIRECTORY / BATH BOMB / NEMESIS TO GO #4 / DVD: MIGHTY ROBOT: SLEEP WHEN YOU ARE DEAD / DVD: GLASTONBURY - THE MOVIE

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

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