Kevin
Mathews:
August,
2005
So Much Music, So Little
Time
It's that time of the year when I dedicate
my column inches to worthy indie labels and this August we
return once again to Jeremy Morris' Jam Records and welcome
Double Dragon Music from the Old Blighty!
The man behind Double Dragon Music is Stephen
Taverner (aka Tav). Tav had in early 1994, come across ''Garage
Girl,'' Irish band Ash's demo tape. Suitably impressed Tav
put up the money so that Ash could press 2000 7" copies
of "Jack Names the Planets" on Tav's own LaLaLand
record label. The rest, as they say, is history and Tav became
the band's manager. Tav would go on to form Double Dragon
Music in 2000. Tav was joined by partner Nigel Coxon (former
head of A&R at Island Publishing) in 2003. At the moment,
Double Dragon Music is home to artists like Fi-Lo Radio, The
Crimea, Ludes, Little Hell and those featured below. The label
has scored several UK top-40 singles, and has built a reputation
as a haven for strong song-based music, with an emphasis on
an active partnership with its acts, developing material,
artwork, marketing plans, live strategy etc. Almost all its
acts have subsequently secured lucrative major-label contracts
both in the UK and the USA. Thanks to label manager, Gavin
Nugent, for the information and the CDs. On with the music…
I remember when it was announced that Ash
would be adding a girl to their line-up. Seemed odd
at the time because Ash were known as a guy's band - if you
know what I mean - and adding a girl to the mix didn't quite
add up. Of course, what did happen was that Charlotte Hatherley's
guitar work actually galvanized Ash leader Tim Wheeler's songs
and her backing vocals gave the music another dimension. Sure,
it didn't hurt that she was rather pretty as well! Now, here's
the clincher - she's a first-rate songwriter and vocalist
in her own right as well! Grey Will Fade is Hatherley's
dynamic debut album and it threatens to put Ash firmly in
the shade. I kid you not! Released in summer 2004, Grey
Will Fade is simply a joy and will appeal to fans of XTC,
Weezer, Elastica, Blondie, the Pretenders and anyone who loves
melody-based rock. Highlights include the 80s tribute that
is "Kim Wilde," the open-chord brilliance of "Rescue
Plan," the edgy pop dynamics of "Stop" and
the infectious "Bastardo" (check out the wonderful
video if you can find it online). Hmmm, gimme a smart girl
with a guitar anytime…
Jack Endino is a name from the grunge era
- having famously worked with Soundgraden, Mudhoney, Tad and
of course Nirvana - and about a decade after the genre became
a bad word, Endino continues to put his distinctive thumbprints
all over similar loud & crunching melodic rock. Case in
point, Winnebago Deal, whose Dead Gone album was released
in 2004 by Double Dragon Music. Hailing from Oxford, the duo
of Ben Thomas and Ben Perrier churn (literally) out an unrelenting
torrent of sludgy, swampy, head-banging rock straight out
of the Seattle grunge scene of the little 90s. And depending
on your perspective, songs like "Cobra," "Afterburner"
and "Shank Fight" will either get you moshing along
or reaching out for the aspirin.
More recently, Double Dragon Music has issued
a couple of singles. This Et Al's double A side You've
Driven For Miles And Not Remembered A Thing/All You'll Ever
Be Is A Dancer is due in September 2005 and features a
intriguing hybrid of Nirvana's bombast, Morrissey's fragility
and the sheer energy of punk pioneers The Jam and The Clash,
which is a nice twist on the latest "new wave of the
new wave of the new wave" flavour. There's so much going
through both songs here that it would probably take a few
good listens to discern it all. But suffice to say, that there's
more going on here than your average new wave revival. By
the time you've read this, <Turncoat> has its debut
single featuring "At A Window" and "Absolute
Zero" released and to these ears, the post-punk of the
early 80s is a strong influence and references to Joy Division,
Echo and the Bunnymen and Magazine are discernible. Rather
reminiscent of New York band, Interpol, in style and content,
this single is a promising debut no doubt but really at this
stage, there is nothing too much that sets <Turncoat>
apart from the wannabes out there on both sides of the Atlantic.
Perhaps the full-length album will have more to offer.
I look forward every now and then to getting a package in
the post from Jeremy Morris. Now Jeremy is a God-fearing gent
who loves the power in his pop! Since starting up his very
own Jam Records from his home base in Portage MI, Jeremy has
gone from strength to strength, releasing many fine albums
of his own and other noteworthy (primarily) power pop bands
and artists. In my time as a writer, Jeremy has been generously
supporting me with copious releases, which often come in huge
mail bundles. Amongst these, the gloriously ragged sweet power
popping work of Tim Boykin's Lolas, the Styx-lovin' one-man
ensemble that goes by the name of Ed James, the cerebral prog-rocking
no-wave styling of Terry Eason and the authentic rockabilly
retro-rambling Brian Jay Cline to highlight but a few. Not
only that but Jeremy himself of course is an accomplished
singer-songwriter-musician with gifts and talents that if
I could bottle would make me an instant millionaire! Read
on…
The scores of smiley faces on the cover of
Jeremy's latest solo pop disc Find the Way to Be Happy
will give you a string indication of what to expect. Jeremy
has always operated on the "B" principle - make
sure it sounds like Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds and Big Star
- which suits me fine. With 22 (!) tracks and at over 70 minutes
of music, Find the Way To Be Happy would certainly
give you more pop for your dollar! Premier pop tunes like
"What God Wants," "Highway to Heaven,"
"Heaven To Pay" and the like deliver positive vibes
through a kaleidoscope of 60s jangle folk-pop. Next up is
the 25-track Lord of Lords, a sequel of sorts to last
year's King of Kings which as the title suggests is
a Christian worship album and encapsulates perfectly Jeremy's
twin passion - music and God - not necessarily in that order.
Chock full of melodies and arrangements that would be essential
to any 60s pop fan, Lord of Lords is worth checking
out, whatever your faith happens to be. As a Christian myself,
I really do appreciate Jeremy's stand on his faith - it's
simply a part of who he is.
And… as Todd himself remarked, "still
there's more…" Home in the Sky highlights
Jeremy's astounding skills with a grand piano - I'm truly
amazed that Jeremy has not been tapped by film makers as his
ability to capture a mood is second to none. Thematically,
Home in the Sky is about heaven and the nine songs
here will certainly put the listener into a hopeful reverie
of the heavenly glory to come. Not only that, my readers,
Jeremy has been blessed enough to release Glowfriends, consisting
of his daughter April, son Mark Andrew and friends and with
their sophomore release Leave the Hall Light On showcase
a delightfully adept chamber pop sound that at times recall
Fiona Apple, Bjork, Tori Amos et al. Last but not least, Jeremy
was kind enough to include Jam On Jeremy a tribute
to the man himself (on Ear Theory) by the intelligentsia of
the pop underground. Now it warms the heart to see Jeremy
get the props he so richly deserves from the likes of Lisa
Mychols ("Pop Rules"), Lolas ("Flying"),
Phil Angotti ("Love is Alive") and Ed James ("Chain
Reaction"). Take a bow, Jeremy!
More music - same time same place…
Featured this month -
Double Dragon Music www.doubledragonmusic.com
Charlotte Hatherley www.charlottehatherley.com
Winnebago Deal www.winnebagodeal.com
This Et Al www.thisetal.com
<Turncoat> www.turncoat.co.uk
Jam Records www.jamrecordings.com
Glowfriends www.glowfriends.net
_____________________________________________________________
To
reach any other page contained in this month's update on Fufkin.com,
read the home page for the appropriate link and click on it.
You can also search the site from any page using the search
box located at the top of each page. Merely type in the word,
phrase, name of the band, recording, name of the Fufkin writer
that you are looking for or Whatever in the search box, and
then click on "Search". If you would like to e-mail
us, go to the About Us page for a list of e-mail addresses.
Go
back to the home page by clicking
here
________________________________________________________________
|
