More Girls Aloud Fans Read Dead Kenny Than Simon Reynolds: OFFICIAL!

Difficult to credit it, admittedly, but Parallax View was officially the 22nd best-read British blog last week according to publicly available counter stats. Dead Kenny never realised his peers were struggling so badly! But seriously, this is of course mainly due to 90% of our readers coming here trying to look up Cheryl Tweedy's silver micro-skirt rather than hang on every word of our album reviews, and by way of thanks it seems only right and proper to deliver those Girls Aloud pictures from Arena March 2005 in full (dubious work safety). Meanwhile, Dead Kenny has instructed his PA to field all calls from broadsheet hacks seeking a profile, and will be embargoing all awards ceremonies for fear of getting a tongue sandwich from David Walliams.

THIS PARAGRAPH AND LINK CONTAINED THEREIN REMOVED ON ADVICE OF THE PARALLAX VIEW LEGAL DEPARTMENT. WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE OR DISAPPOINTMENT CAUSED.

It's still sinking in just how seriously ill Edwyn Collins currently is, and we wish him all the best for a full recovery. Collins fell ill on Sunday, just two days after being in gloriously grumpy form on 6Music's Roundtable.

Also:

Editors interviewed by Drowned in Sound. 'We're a bit like The Monkees...but without being twats'.

Alt-country pioneers The Jayhawks apparently call it quits.

Her first new album in 12 years still isn't with us yet but The Kate Bush backlash is already in full swing.

Robot Wisdom is Jorn again.

Album reviews will resume following this brief linkdump.

Album Review Compendium (Part 1)

Financially speaking, the Parallax View household budget was dealt something of blow at the beginning of the year when a new back fence needed to be erected after the old one was destroyed by the combination of severe gales and much huffing and puffing from disgruntled Futureheads fans. Not much money in January then for CD purchases, but Dead Kenny did manage to pick up a few decent recent releases via the sales, including Origin Vol 1 the cruelly under-regarded latest album from The Soundtrack Of Our Lives. Popular critical consensus suggests that you only really need to have one TSOOL record in your collection, but that seems overly harsh as in theory the same could be said for so many bands. True, musically they deviate little from their own Swedish version of The Age Of Aquarius circa 1973, but there's some really strong tunes here and particularly impressive is the atmospheric ballad 'Midnight Children' which features a duet with Jane Birkin and is arguably their best song to date. Maybe if they weren't so ugly and hairy they'd be more popular, and they certainly seem bitter about something (or someone) on 'Borderline': 'I thought you were a friend of mine/But you're a waste of time across the borderline/So who do you think you are?/Passing every stopsign to be a star'. Hmm...who could they be singing about, readers?

Also picked up Violent Silences by Rico in the same sale, an apparently troubled production from a young Scottish guy whose mental struggles and having Tricky for a best mate may not necessarily be mutually exclusive issues. Some of the lyrical angst left Dead Kenny a little bemused but there's no doubt that the rawk tunes like 'Dawn Raid'; 'She's My Punk Rock' and 'Garden Man' pack a weighty sonic punch, while the true knockout delivery comes from the Gary Numan collaboration 'Crazier' (a version of which was apparently a minor hit a couple of years back). If the idea of an Andrew WK with brains (Andrew IQ, anyone?) searching for the missing link between Tricky and Nine Inch Nails appeals to you, 'Violent Silences' merits investigation.

If, however, that sounds a little bit too raw and noisy for you at this time of night, Sondre Lerche's dulcet tones on Two Way Monologue may provide a positive step forward from 'Violent Silences'. The Norwegian wunderkind's second album starts with a classical intro (a la Rickie Lee Jones' 'The Magazine') before exploring a variety of moods and pop styles unified by his distinctively mellow voice. There's lots of good stuff here, but my favourite track is the titular tune, a bold and frantic New Wave workout which recalls Elvis Costello and the Attractions in their early '80s pomp. Particularly worth searching out if you enjoy the likes of Ed Harcourt and Brendan Benson, although apparently he can be a bit of a loose cannon live (Dead Kenny will don helmet and dodge the debris when Sondre Lerche-s into Birmingham on March 7). Parallax View is relieved then that Sondre's taking to this singer/songwriting lark, as he's much better at it than he was playing Clint Eastwood's love interest in those dang stupid orangutang movies.

More album reviews to follow after the break.

I See My Favourite Slowcore Band. Where Is The Excitement?

Low/Kid Dakota, Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall, Saturday February 19 2005.

I know nothing about Kid Dakota but apparently they've released a couple of albums on the headliners' record label, Chairkickers' Union. Nepotism for their adopted 'Kid' though clearly isn't the only reason for Low giving them the slot as their songs, though unfamiliar, have a definite beguiling quality. They start off as a two-piece, with a nerdy-looking lead singer and a flamboyant drummer who proves you don't have to have Meg White's tits to make an impression behind the sticks of a dynamic duo. For the second half of the show they are joined by the bass player from Low (not that I would recognise the bass player from Low if I saw him in an ID parade but Ben wins the spotters' badge on this occasion) and the resulting set is suitably intriguing for me to seriously consider buying up their back catalogue.

Low have received some of their best reviews to date for 'The Great Destroyer' which many believe is the strongest album to be released thus far in 2005, but the Wulfrun Hall is barely half full, which kind of puts their popularity amongst 'the great unwashed' in perspective. The band seem relaxed and in good humour, cracking a few jokes and engaging in banter with the audience about songs requested (pleas for Joan Of Arc sadly go unanswered), plus show the confidence to unleash former Parallax View Single Of The Week 'California' just a few songs in.

Given their much-trumpeted noisier direction of late, I was tempted to shout out 'Judas!' during the tinnitus-inducing climax of 'When I Go Deaf' but as they're Mormons the band might not understand and no-one could hear me anyway. Low's set is fairly heavily concentrated with tracks from the new record, with 'Amazing Grace' and 'Dinosaur Act' amongst the 'oldies' also standing out, but it turns into a fairly short set for a band seven albums into their career, even taking the 4-5 encores into consideration. The band offer an absorbing entertainment with beautiful harmonising, interesting lyrics and clever songcraft combining to impressive effect but as with their new record, there's a tangible lack of excitement that stops them just short of genuine greatness.

Stumbling out of the venue I notice that the snowflakes cascading down earlier in the evening have come to naught and I will after all be able to take my train safely back to the Parallax View palatial residence rather than be stranded in Wolves. A case of handy fair weather for Low, then?

In briefs

Dead Kenny knows what you're thinking, Parallax View updates are like No.22 buses, you don't see one for ages, then when they do show up they go around in circles without ever seeming to get anywhere, and you have to wind the windows down to get rid of that faintly unpleasant smell. But listen, it was either this or reply to an email from an old schoolfriend enquiring as to what underpants yours truly was wearing. And let me tell you, Dead Kenny's leopardskin briefs are a secret between him and you readers. He can trust you all, can't he?

First up, we can breathe easily now that Willy Mason's former Parallax View Single Of The Week 'Oxygen' has filtered into the charts at No. 23. Will Low make it three hits in a row on Sunday with 'California'? While we wait to find out, Dead Kenny will be delivering his verdict on their gig last Saturday at Wolves Wulfrun Hall. Ben has already beaten him to the punch, mind, displaying once again much better memory for setlisting than your humble correspondent.

Meanwhile, the Parallax View Single Of The Week for releases week commencing February 28 is You Take My Breath Away by The Knife which has the sort of mighty pop chorus that if Louis Walsh actually knew what he was doing rather than being a slightly sinister little fellow who got lucky, he'd be separating Girls Aloud from their footballer boyfriends and frogmarching them down to the studio to record a quickfire cover version that would spend the whole of the springtime at the head of the pop summit. Or summat.

Still, we shouldn't be frittering our time talking about indie music 'cos Robyn's told us not to. And while we're being amusingly pedantic about lyrics, Dead Kenny feels due attention should be paid to Emiliana Torrini's Sunny Road as the latest single by the Nelly-Furtado-for-indie-kids contains the simply jawdropping line 'some things stay the same/my middle name's still Liz'. Erm, right.

Talking of bonkers, those magnificent Galashiels misfits Dawn Of The Replicants are readying a mini-album of mostly new material called 'Bun Magic' for tentative release on March 7 to celebrate their appearance at SXSW in Texas. In the words of the band themselves, 'if you like buns and you like magic you will love "bun magic". If you like your pop with fizz and grin - tuck in.' And at a value-for-money price of £4.99, who's Dead Kenny to argue? Buy it, or we'll force-feed you Worcester Sauce flavoured crisps.

And we're certainly not arguing with West Ham winning games 5-0, so congratulations to I-Beg-Your-Alan-Pardew-I-Never-Promised-You-a-Automatic-Promotion-Place and his Claret and Blue Army for an efficient demolition job on relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle. To celebrate such a thumping win I was expecting to see West Ham Lass's Not-Remotely-Safe-For-Work fallopian tubes quite frankly, but for now her lips are sealed.

And, finally, snowballing footballers! And for once, dear readers, we're not referring to the alcoholic drink. Dead Kenny does wonder though, whether the German ref was tempted to bet on the outcome?

Postcript:
David Pajo has a blog.
Hunter S Thompson RIP. Gonzo but not forgotten.

Three Is A Tragic Number

The Departure/Cherubs/Apartment, Birmingham Carling Academy 2, Thursday February 17 2005.

With last month's single and live shows Editors were hot off the presses to get brand recognition as the British Interpol. Tonight's gig represents a showcase for three other pretenders to the crown of thorns, as well as for Xfm's new availability on FM for the Brum conurbation. Which explains John Kennedy's appearance as MC to introduce the bands and plug, plug, plug the necessary waveband details. Kennedy's Xposure show is arguably the best programme currently for breaking new indie acts in the wake of Peel's untimely demise, although he does come over on air at times like a middle-aged trendy vicar - surprising, then, that in the flesh he looks much younger than your humble correspondent, albeit a bit chubbier. Perhaps Kennedy's lost his love of life, too much apple pie, etc.

First band on are Apartment, who've recently released their debut single on Fierce Panda called 'Everyone Thinks I'm Paranoid'. But just because everyone thinks you're paranoid doesn't mean that the majors aren't out to get you, and I suspect the band knows this as they throw outrageous stadium-rock shapes despite what is at this early stage in proceedings a half-full arena. The lead singer's got the looks and the guitarist's got the hooks so there's no reason why Apartment shouldn't make lots of money. The fact that their first single is their least impressive song confirms my suspicion that this is a band you should make room in your dark, twisted hearts for.

Cherubs are an Anglo-Norwegian band that have something in common with the other two bands but in truth, with their more basic riffs and catchy tunes owe as much to The Hives and Franz Ferdinand as they do to Interpol, with lead singer Staale's haircut definitely owing royalties to Alex Kapranos' stylist. They put on an entertaining enough show amidst some strong competition but relatively speaking I feel less engaged by their material, although if one of their more infectious numbers gets radio playlisting they could yet steal a march on their more credible contemporaries. A free download of their new single (out next week) 'Club Hoola Hoop's Walls' is available for a limited period only over at NME.

Northampton's The Departure lounge about for forty minutes before coming on stage, and there's no complimentary newspapers either, but despite this they are warmly received by what it has to be said is an incredibly young audience who are mostly all pissed as farts by this point. The lead singer is, in truth, more of a Jim Kerr than an Ian Curtis, but he's certainly not short of confidence, looking far more pleased with himself than any vocalist in a dark, serious rock band ought to. Their singles to date, 'Be My Enemy' and 'All Mapped Out' are both despatched relatively early, again a sign of confidence in their other material which is largely borne out by a strong, energetic and tuneful set. Not that half of the audience are paying much attention at this stage as avoiding several low-flying teenagers becomes the priority mission of the day. Their new single (Lump In My Throat), though, out April 4th, does manage to leave a lasting impression and if it is a case of last man standing between these bands come the end of the year, then The Departure may yet defy the odds and stand toe-to-toe with their 'room-mates' Apartment until the final countdown.

On my way out of the venue, I bump into Ben and Jenni who whisk me off to the Sunflower Lounge for a quick pint before my train arrives. Free entry and a late bar make it a good diversion, and downstairs there's a 20s/30s theme with several studenty types jitterbugging the night away against a period porn backdrop. All very seductively decadent entertainment, therefore, but after spotting someone looking like Fatty Arbuckle in the corner, and vividly remembering James Ivory's The Wild Party (1975), I decide to get my coat and leave B&J to the recquisite flappin' and firkin'.