_triplejaysus_exclusive - The Fairline Parkway

Next in the series of triplejaysus exclusive interviews isThe Fairline Parkway, following the release of ‘A Memory of Open Spaces’.

The Fairline Parkway’s second album is a breezy summer affair, perfect for lazing back on a sunny Sunday and having music wash over you. On Album opener ‘Westward Bound’, intimate vocals are gently whispered over the delicate filigree of drums and keys. This sets the tone for the next ten tracks, with crisp production keeping the album moving forward rather than getting caught up in its own swirling melodies.

‘The Great Plain’, an instrumental track, evokes images of frontier country but also marks a change of focus for the remaining tracks. The Fairline Parkway prove that they can capture your attention with smooth indie pop melodies, so they set out to push their boundaries ( with varying degrees of success) on Side 2. ‘Nowhere to Be’ is a composition that takes a few listens before it reveals it’s charms, while ‘Movie Stars’ offers little more than the name implies.  

A Memory of Open Spaces is for the most part a beautiful album, and not a challenging album. The Fairline Parkways success lies firmly in what they do best, and bar the odd misstep, they deserve success because they do it better than most.

Raj takes some time to answer my questions after the jump:
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Belleruche - Turntable Soul Music

Belleruche are a thre piece from London, and have massed quite a following through live performances and support from notable BBC sidc jockeys. Turntable Soul Music is their debut album, but does contain tracks previously released on a 4 track EP.

I’ve had this album for a while now, but put it aside in favor of Waldeck and other lounge / groove releases in ‘07. Now that I have time to look again, I see that they are worth revisiting. On first listen they sound too like Zero 7 for my liking, but repeated listens reveal the soulful jazz samples and deft guitar work that surpass likes of Morcheeba.

I’m loath to call Turntable Soul Music a dinner party album, but that’s exactly what it is. While there is enough to sustain your headphone space if you’re pounding on a keyboard, it is sparce enough to not be too distracting when your guests are complimenting the chinese pork neck your girlfriend whipped up. (Incidently, it was delicious but the Gow Gee stole the show!)

THINK: A happy Portishead meet Cut Chemist
WATCH: Northern Girls on YouTube
READ: their homepage and myspace
BUY: Turntable Soul Music from TruThoughts 

Amon Tobin - Foley Room

In the immortal words of John Cleese, and now for something completely different.
Amon Tobin, a brazillian with Irish parentage (hurrah) released his 7th album on Ninja Tune in October. Foley Room is a departure for Tobin because the album is inspired (and named after) the foley rooms where sound effects were recorded for films.

Found sounds and field recordings are nothing new, but Tobin manages to weave them with a cinematographer’s sensibility. In fact, the album could be accurately categorised as sonic fiction, it features jazz, d’n’b, dub and ambient passages, all out to the backdrop of borrowed beats. (Please excuse that little self indulgence. )

Tobin’s earlier influences have not necessarily faded. Ennio Morricone’s influence can heard on ‘Keep Your Distance’. ‘The Killers Vanilla’ is a dancehall murder scene and ‘Always’ is carnival dub step. It’s surprising that Tobin hasn’t scored much since his debut with Splinter Cell – Chaos Theory. My reaction to the music is to conjure up images the music would be a soundtrack for.

A worthy dream is that life could be exciting enough to have an Amon Tobin soundtrack.

THINK: Burial with David Holmes sense of the cimenatic
READ: Tobin’s myspace and homepage
WATCH: Foley Rooms Trailers 1 & 2
BUY: Foley Room at Amazon

Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

Sometimes I decide that I won’t like an artist or band before I ever hear their music. Sometimes that’s because of their name, the album graphics, or just because everyone seems to be telling me how good they are. I’m not sure how I’m going with that, I haven’t been keeping a chart or anything. I haven’t really questioned it up until now, but sometime last week curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give Devendra Banhart a whirl.

I’m happy to report that I am pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. The face painted hippy with an Oompa Loompa name is actually quite good.

Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is his eighth album, just so you’ll know. I can’t claim ( so I won’t) that I know what the back catalogue is like, but reviews I’ve read sound promising. But who has time to look back when there is so much to look forward to. Maybe one day I’ll check them out – I reckon ole Dev* is worth it

Smokey is a long album – 16 tracks over 66 minutes. It’s a great album to cook to, because the highlights come about 12 minutes in (‘Seahorse’), and lasts for 13 minutes. (If you cook for more than 25 minutes you need to take a long hard look at yourself.)

The next 8 tracks provide a pleasant backdrop to Lamb Shanks, maybe in a nice CabSav reduction. The last three tracks ramp up again, ending with another album highlight, ‘My Dearest Friend’ – leaving you with a warm and cozy sense of contentment.

*Apologies to any Michael Collins haters out there for the misappropriation of that particular abbreviation

THINK: Layla + Golden Brown = Seahorse
WATCH: ‘Sight to behold’ live in Poland
LOOK: SF MoMA to display Banhart Artwork
READ: A Banhart interview
BUY: SRDTC at Amazon

Joanna Newsom & The Y Street Band

Joanna Newsom should have featured somewhere on Triplejaysus before, but sadly I think due to lack of courage on my behalf, she hasn’t. Her album ‘Ys‘ was too late an entrant to feature in the top ten albums of 2006, but probably should have. Albeit harp music from a pixie like Newsom with the voice of a ..um..pixie. Come to think of it, she plucks like a pixie too. (Bit of Blue for the Dads.)

This self titled EP, a  play on words ( when you know that the previous album ‘Ys’ was pronounced ‘eeees’) is a collection of two new arrangements of previously released tracks, and one new composition, ‘Colleen’. What is noteworthy this time is the presence of the Y Street Band, made up of some of her touring band. Soft duets, virtuoso banjo (always wanted to say that) and strings flesh out Newsom’s compositions as much as you could say they need fleshing out.

If you like music that rewards an investment, then Joanna Newsom’s music is for you. Each listen reveals another chapter, and you become focused on a new portion of the oft 10+ minute opus’s’s’s. Its a delight for those willing to put in the time. And just in case you missed it - she plays the harp.

THINK: Next best thing to a JN longplayer
READ: A particilarly wordy interview with JN
WATCH: The Hypnotic Joanna Newsom
BUY: Ys and JN&TYSB at amazon