A Free Man

A Free Man is still wandering the wilds of southwestern Sweden, but before I left Blighty I lined up a chat with East London road warriors Blah Blah Blah. Their new EP “Death To The Indie Dancefloor”, which the Guardian called “Arctic Monkeys performed by Madness circa “Baggy Trousers, is out today. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve heard of and from Blah Blah Blah and I’ve got to say that Jay had just the right attitude for A Free Man interview. Equal parts cheeky humour, proper manners and shameless flattery.

AFM: First off, let’s make the standard introductions. Who’s who in Blah
Blah Blah?

J: I’m Jay I sing and play guitar, Chris plays bass and backing vocals and Tom hits things, does backing vocals and don’t you think he looks like Harry Potter?

AFM: How did you guys get together as a band?

J: Chris insisted I let him join me on bass as he had no real purpose in life. Tom we met when he got confused one night and got onstage with the wrong band. I’m not sure that he’s realised that he’s not in a function band yet. He calls me Amy. I think that must be the function band singer’s name. He should have gone to Specsavers.

AFM: I’m struggling to pin your music down, which is most likely a good
thing. The best description I’ve come up with so far is that Blah Blah
Blah occupy that musical chasm between Blur’s wilder music, Suede’s
cheekier and Goldie Lookin’ Chain’s saner.

J: That’s really nice of you. Would you like to come for tea? I like loads of different music and we try and have fun with all different genres so you’ll find elements of punk or samba depending on what song and what part. Indie has been hijacked to mean schmindie and I guess, if anything, we’re nicking back the true meaning of indie and legging it out of the shop before we get caught.

AFM: You guys are a prolific live band, with shows on an almost nightly basis. Does that leave you any time to record? Or to eat? When can we
expect to see the Blah Blah Blahs on vinyl, or whatever material music
is played on these days?

J: Thanks very much. We’ve substituted sleep for recording and we haven’t eaten for a year now. It’s done our waistlines the world of good. We’re putting out Death To The Indie Disco on vinyl on April 7th. You can get it as a download too but you’ll miss out on the hand-sprayed artwork if you do that. I could come around and spray computers if anyone wants?

AFM: I’ve heard rave reviews of your live shows, with some folks going so far as to describe you as the best live act in Britain right now. What’s going through your head when you’re on stage in front of a crowd?

J: Thanks again. You’re saying very nice things. I think I like you. We enjoy it and we want whoever is watching to enjoy it so we try and give everything we can each time we play. We’re not into shoegazing or being miserabilists on stage. We’ve got all day to be like that.

AFM: What’s your most embarrassing live show moment?

J: I’m often found with my flies undone. It’s not intentional but it does show up my bright underpants. I’ve got over the initial embarrassment of sharing a stage with Chris and Tom.

AFM: What’s your favorite song to cover?

J: We just did an acoustic cover mash up of Primal Scream meets Marvin Gaye for Xfm. That was fun.

AFM: Where’s the best venue that you’ve ever played?

J: Busking beside the burger van at Wireless Festival. I still get stopped on the tube by people that saw that. We’ve even ended up playing wakes, and weddings but in terms of “rock n roll” dreams the biggest gigs we’ve played so far with the biggest response was playing shows like Manchester Academy with Kate Nash and Liverpool Academy with Jack Penate. Am really looking forward to playing places like Sheffield that we haven’t played enough yet.

AFM: I think that you guys hail from London? Which part of The Big Smoke
do you call home? What should we know about your ‘hood?

J: We don’t wear hoods though a couple of us wear caps. Our cap is mostly all over.

AFM: What other Londoners should we be paying attention to?

J: Talk Taxis, Jay Jay Pistolet, there are loads but my minds just gone blank at the moment. I really like Dockers MC a poet that’s doing great things.

AFM: Fantasy time - If you could add any musician, living or dead, to
the Blah Blah Blah roster, who would it be?

J: Elvis. That man knew how to make a sandwich but otherwise Buddy Rich, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones……

AFM: And finally, you guys seem to have a legion of smitten female fans. What’s your secret for success?

J: Socks in Tom’s pants and airbrushing.

————

Good to know, that. Thanks to Jay for taking some time out from a busy road schedule. Blah Blah Blah’s “Death To The Indie Disco” is available from today in the UK from hmv.com.

MP3: Blah Blah Blah - “Hopeless & Lazy”
MP3: Blah Blah Blah - “Cheated”

A Free Man is been in Sweden for nearly a week now. During my time here, I’ve been astounded by the amount of great music coming out of this country. There are the ones we all know about - The Hives, Peter, Bjorn & John, Jose Gonzalez and their ilk. But through my interviews I’ve discovered loads of less well known bands. Some of these made a bit of noise at SxSW and have been roiling around in the Blogosphere, others seem to be local secrets. Here are ten that I’ve heard praised this week by those on the inside.

Jens Lekman, like your humble narrator, had the good sense this winter to flee northern Europe for the Antipodes. His 2007 release “Night Falls Over Kortedela” (Secretly Canadian) was one of the best of 2007, Swedish or not.

MP3: Jens Lekman - “Black Cab”

Stockholm’s Shout Out Louds released their second long player “Our Ill Wills” last year. They have an EP “Impossible” due on Tuesday.

MP3: Shout Out Louds - “My Friend and the Ink”

Also from the capitol, Mapei shows that Sweden can do urban as well. Check out the Bloody B remix of “Belly”.

MP3: Mapei - “Belly (Bloody B Remix)”

Back to the dreamy pop that the Swedes do best with The Bridal Shop. The band will send you an autographed copy of their debut EP “From Seas” on CD-R upon request.

MP3: The Bridal Shop - “From Seas”

Representing for the West Coast is Gothenburg’s Sambassadeur. Their debut “Migration” came out last fall on Labrador.

MP3: Sambassadeur - “Kate”

Also from the city that is A Free Man’s very temporary home comes The Tough Alliance. They’re a bit yobby, or whatver the Swedish version of yobby is, but there’s no denying that their music is great. The Tough Alliance’s second LP “A New Chance” came out last year.

MP3: The Tough Alliance - “Miami”

Rough Trade chose Studio’s “West Coast” as one of their best albums of 2007. The Gothenburg duo have a number of 7″ and 12″ singles available on Information.

MP3: Studio - “Out There”

Speaking of highly touted debuts, I don’t remember a first effort getting better reviews than The Field’s “From Here We Go Sublime“. Very electronic, but some of the best music in the genre.

MP3: The Field - “A Paw In My Face”

The Embassy is one of those bands that are frustratingly difficult to get information about - great marketing ploy.  Their music makes up for it, however, but I can’t direct you to a buy link.

MP3: The Embassy - “Some Indulgence”

And finally, there’s Tafra. I featured Niklas Tafra’s music last week, but I keep hearing praise for him from the locals. So, here’s another one from the Swedish-born, London-based solo artist.  His recent LP, “Why Even Bother” is available from Series Two.

MP3: Tafra - “I’m Sorry Brakne-Hoby”

A Free Man will be in the land of moose and meatballs for another week. So, check back for interviews with a couple of more Swedish acts including one that has become my current favorite band.

“Couldn’t quite seem to escape myself
Far enough, far enough
Far from Florida
We were all drowning in cruise control
Far enough, far enough
Wasn’t far enough….”

-Modest Mouse - “Florida”

A Free Man’s next stop on his around the world trip is the Sunshine State. As I’m doing in Sweden, I would like to feature the best up and coming acts from my former home. I mean, come on, there are like 16 million of you down there. There must be one or two that know how to play a power chord or are you all too busy drinking Cuba Libres in the sun to write a decent song? So, A Free Man is laying down the guantlet, Florida. Is Tom Petty the last decent artist to come out of the home of election fraud and retirement villages?

MP3: Modest Mouse - “Florida”

Modest Mouse’s “We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank” is available from or Amazon.

Image with apologies to Jeff Key.

Our musical tour of Sweden continues with today’s guide, Matthias Strömberg of The Bell. The Stockholm and Malmo based trio released their debut LP “Make Some Quiet” in February to a fair bit of critical acclaim. They’ve earned comparisons to 80’s icons like Echo & The Bunnymen, New Order and The Church. These are fair, but “Make Some Quiet” is undeniably a 21st century record.

Some readers may know that A Free Man recently became A Free Dad. Any of my fellow Dads out there probably know that fatherhood infiltrates every feature of your being. So, apologies to the non-parents out there, but when I heard that Matthias welcomed his second child a few months ago I had to ask for some parenting tips. Don’t worry, though, we talked about music as well.

AFM: First of all, let’s take care of introductions. You guys released “Make Some Quiet” in February. Can you tell us a little about the players on that record?

MS: I am Mathias Strömberg, lyricist and vocalist, Nicklas Nilsson and Jan Petterson are musicians and technicians. They have the hands-on production role while I float around, much due to the fact that they have the studio in their town.

AFM: The Bell get a lot of comparisons to some of the darker English New Wave bands (Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure, New Order). Are those fair comparisons? Where do your musical inspirations come from?

MS: I guess those are the easies comparisons to make. Although, we were all teenagers in the 80’s, so we listened to those bands then rather than lately. But I would say that our inspiration lies in some electronic, but mostly guitar based British and American 80’s indie. However, we listen to contemporary music. We work hard to stay current rather than trying to emulate a certain decade or style.

AFM: Which track are you most proud of from the recent record?

MS: I think that “I Am History” is the most worked through track that represent us the best. And yes, it is the track I am most proud of.

AFM: The production on “Make Some Quiet” is nicely done - dense, with a nice bit of fuzz. Who was turning the knobs? Where was the album recorded?

MS: Thank you. We have done it ourselves in our own studio in Malmö and some of the vocals was recorded in a Stockholm studio. It was mastered, very delicately, in San Francisco.

AFM: I’ve been hearing quite a few remixes of your music lately. Do you have much input into who does the remixing? What’s your favorite remix of one of your tracks?

MS: Yes, we have a lot to say about it, but the thrill is just putting it out there for new and interesting talent to “take care of”. My favourite is definitely the Whitenoise remix of “I am History” – a potential radio disco hit.

AFM: Let’s talk a bit about your homeland. Something seems to be happening in Sweden. There are tons of great indie-pop acts coming out of Stockholm and other cities right now. What’s going on? Is there something in the Swedish water? Where are all these fantastic bands coming from?

MS: Sweden is a good breeding ground for artists in this particular vein. We have always been taken care of by both our local governments, public radio and tv, and by people that have been starting labels without a financial agenda, for the love of the music. In that sense, I see a lot of likeness between Sweden of today and Britain and the US of, say, 20 years ago. And with the web the audience is global so bands can still make it big with very small means.

AFM: On your myspace page you list both Stockholm and Malmo as your home city. I know that there is some great music coming out of Gothenburg as well. Where’s the best place for music in Sweden? Is their competition between the different cities?

MS: I’m not sure. I think that people in Stockholm would benefit from a bit of fighting with Gothenburg, trying to challenge them to the pop throne. But Stockholmers imagine themselves to be “a bit better than that” and would rather compete with London or New York. Silly but true. So: the best bands will always be from Gothenburg.

AFM: What other Swedish bands should we be paying attention to?

MS: The Embassy, Studio, The Radio Dept., The Tough Alliance, The Field

AFM: I’ve heard a lot of good bands coming out of Denmark recently as well. Who would win the battle of the bands between Sweden and Denmark?

MS: Sweden without a doubt. Denmark has too little, too late. Sweden is in a different league. We are the second largest music exporters in the world, for Christ sake. What does Denmark have? The Raveonettes? Please.

AFM: Fightin’ words! Let’s change directions a bit to cool things off. I know that you recently became a father, as did I, so I hope you won’t mind some parenting questions. What kind of music do you play for your little boy? How do you gauge his reaction to different music?

MS: My daughter really digs good old rawk and roll, but she’s getting into some dancier stuff now when she can control her movements …. My boy is a little calmer as a person and I think he might be into jazz or just electronic ambient stuff.

AFM: When I became a Dad I found that a lot of the ways that I looked at things changed almost overnight. Has fatherhood changed your musical outlook?

MS: Yes, I am a lot more open now. Or at least I’d like to think I am. And I don’t spend my weekends digging through piles of garage and soul in an old dumpster of a record shop anymore. I spend It in the park with the sun in my eyes and kids laughing or crying around me. It was bound to make me a bit more lasseiz-faire, so to speak. What will be will be, it is not the end of the world if I miss a concert (or ten) and it is not of great importance if we sell a lot of records …
And also, I don’t have time to spend on stuff I don’t like. Before, I could really listen to a song or a record a hundred times just because I “knew” there was something there. Not anymore – if I don’t like it the first time I hear it, it’s the dumpster. I guess that means I am less open, after all.

AFM: Have you written any songs for kids yet?

MS: Well, I make up songs the hole time but I wouldn’t say “written”. There is The Fart Song and The Poo Song. You know, the usual … just what sticks at the moment.

AFM: What instrument is your son going to learn to play first?

MS: I think he will be into playing the guitar. So daughter on drums and son on guitar. That seems like a beautiful combo to me. Maybe they’ll be the next White Stripes and pay for my early retirement …

AFM: Bonus - What artist would you nominate to be Sweden’s musical ambassador?

MS: The sarcastic answer is sooo easy here, so I’m gonna go with the serious one: I think that Tomas Öberg of Bob Hund/Bergman Rock/Sci-Fi Skane would be a brilliant spokesperson for Swedish music. A lot of integrity and a lot of humour.

——-

I wonder what the sarcastic answer would have been, Agnetha Fältskog? Thanks to Matthias for spending some time on A Free Man’s virtual couch. Check out two of the tracks we talked about:

MP3: The Bell - “I Am History”
MP3: The Bell - “I Am History (Whitenoise Remix)

You like? Then buy The Bell’s “Make Some Quiet”, available from eMusic, and Amazon.

“Yeah I am sick and tired of people who are living on the B-list
Yeah they’re waiting to be famous, and they’re wondering why they do this
And I know I’m not the one who it habitually optimistic
But I’m the one who’s got the microphone here…”

-Frank Turner - “I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous”

A Free Man has spent far too much time in school to really be a useful member of society, beyond as a contestant on a trivia game show. But it has made me a sucker for literary allusions in my music. So, if the title of your first track pays homage to T.S. Elliot, you’re going to get my attention. You’re not going to keep it unless you play great music. Frank Turner’s sophomore LP has got a lot more going for it than just fun for former English majors.

Turner’s debut, “Sleep Is For The Week” was one of the best British records of 2007. It was inspired 21st century folk music in a punk rock context. It got him some critical acclaim but little commercial success. Turner is back with his critical sophomore effort just over a year after the first and he does not disappoint with “Love, Ire & Song” (Xtra Mile).

The Turner that I was enchanted by is still there, but he’s brought in a new dimension, one that he showed glimpses of on the debut. The music has a richer, fuller sound and the production value is markedly improved. Tracks like “Reasons Not To Be an Idiot” are a rounder, with more rock and commercial appeal. A track like “Photosynthesis”, with it’s sing-along lyrics, may have enough radio friendliness to catapult Turner onto some radio playlists. The soaring “to Take You Home” has the potential to be the English song of the summer if enough people here it and Turner gets on to the festival circuit. Only once does he take things too far in this vein - the only real dog on the record, “Imperfect Tense”, a bland track that is indistinguishable from the standard Radio 1 Kaiser Monkey fare.

But what makes Turner special is his songwriting. He is at his best when it’s just him and an acoustic guitar and his wonderfully constructed songs, and there is enough of these tracks on this album to remind us why Turner is worth paying attention to in the first place. Tracks like the opening Elliot homage “I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous”, the title track and “St. Christopher is Coming Home” are vintage Turner. These songs are reminiscent of early Dylan or Billy Bragg at his best. They’re cleverly penned, but not flippant. They espouse anarchy, but don’t preach shrill revolution. The most important thing is that there is always an optimistic underpinning, take these lines from the title track as an example:

“Oh but once we were young, and we were crass enough to care
But I guess you live and learn, we won’t make that mistake again, no
Oh but surely just for one day, we could fight and we could win
And if only for a little while, we could insist on the impossible…”

The verdict on “Love, Ire & Song” - it’s not perfect, Turner is still finding his voice and his sound. Things are a little uneven across the dozen tracks on the record but “Love, Ire & Song” represents growth his debut - a spectacular record. Turner is an artist on the rise and hopefully this album is the one that pushes Turner into his deserved place in the spotlight.

Check out the title track from Turner’s new LP. If you like what you hear then”Love, Ire & Song” is available from Amazon or as a download from Banquet Digital.

MP3: Frank Turner - “Love, Ire & Song”

Finally, as a new Dad, I just love this video for “Photosynthesis” - check it out:

A Free Man is traveling off across the North Sea today for a trip to the land of moose and Malmo, of socialism and Saabs. Whilst here, I’ll be taking some time to talk to some of the exciting new indie pop bands coming out of Sweden.

First up is The Sound of Arrows, a Stockholm based duo consisting of Stefan Storm and Oskar Gullstrand. Their debut EP, “Danger” is due out in May on Labrador. I got a preview of “Danger” and was delighted - Scandanavian indie-pop at it’s most charming. Stefan and Oskar kindly agreed to join me on the virtual couch for an introduction to Swedish music.

AFM: Let’s start with where you guys came from. As I understand it, Stefan started out making house music. How do these electronic origins manifest themselves in The Sound of Arrows?

SS: Well to be honest, these texts always enhances the truth and this statement makes it sound like I’m this veteran house-producer. That’s not exactly true. Me and my friend Kristefer Lecander have another project together, Panache, that we started earlier. It’s true that we’ve mostly been making house and electro-disco, but when me and Oskar started playing together we were both novices when it came to producing music. We’re still learing every day. But all the same, making, or more truthfully, trying to make house has been a great school in producing. Since house music is often quite bare it’s really important to make the most of all the different sounds and soundscapes.

We’re both fans of electronic acts such as Simian Mobile Disco, Fischerspooner, Roisin Murphy, Massive Attack and many more. So it’s most probable that our future output will be influenced by some more dancier stuff. We like the idea to throw in a bit of every genre into the mix.

AFM: Oskar, you used to play in an orchestra. What did you play and is your contribution to The Sounds of Arrows inspired by that experience?

OG: Yes, I’ve played the trumpet in different orchestras and bands. Mostly big band and jazz music. This was in my younger years back in Gävle. But now with Arrows I’ve finally got a reason to dust of the trumpet and put it to use in our pop melodies.

I guess that the Jazz music does not manifest itself so much in The Sound of Arrows. But it has influenced they way I think in melodies and music composition. I think that the differences in our musical backgrounds compliments each other very well, and makes The ’sound’ of Arrows more interesting.

AFM: Until the last couple of years, most of what I heard coming out of Sweden was either slightly scary death metal, The Cardigans, or Abba. But lately there’s some really great Swedish music getting some exposure - Peter Bjorn & John, Jose Gonzalez and I’m From Barcelona to name three. What’s changed in the Swedish music scene?

SS: Every couple of years there seems to be a movement in the Swedish popscene.

We’ve had disco-light (Abba), europop (Roxette, Ace of Base), twee/indie-pop (The Cardigans, Wannadies, Pineforest Crunch) and now a mixture of absolutely everything. It’s almost impossible to pinpoint the swedish pop movement of today. No genre is taboo, almost anything goes. I guess the one common component of all are the melodies. I think that Swedes have a very highly developed sense of melody. But don’t ask me why, I wouldn’t know the answer. Maybe it has something to do with the Abba-heritage.

AFM: On your myspace page you describe Stockholm as “Pop Heaven”. What’s so heavenly about it?

We werent necessarily thinking of Stockholm when we wrote it, popheaven can be anywhere as long as there are hummable melodies.

And while Stockholm is filled with some great popmusic, it’s actually Gothenburg that stands on forefront of Swedish pop. Who can argue about that when the place is home to such great acts like Sambassadeur, The Tough Alliance and Jens Lekman?!

AFM: A lot of the new pop I hear from Sweden, including your new single “Danger” is really sunshiny. I mean, it makes the Beach Boys look dark and brooding. I’ve spent a fair bit of time on the west coast of Sweden and in the winter that could be one of the gloomiest places in the world. Where does the inspiration for this shiny, happy pop come from?

Maybe it comes from exactly what you pointed out. The need for escapism and to dive into another happier place whenthe country is at it’s gloomiest.

But let’s not forget the summers, the summers in Sweden is the only reason why we put up with this country. The Swedish summer are hands down, THE best place to be in the world June-August. That is, if it doesn’t rain too much.

AFM: What other Swedish bands or artists should we be paying attention to?

SS: My favourite Swedish act happens to be a friend of mine, Niklas Tafra. He is one of Sweden’s most inventive pop-geniuses. Why he hasn’t become massive by now is a mystery to me.

Also I really like our label-mates Sambassadeur’s recent album, The Bridal Shop and Mapei (urban credibility points - hurrah!)

AFM: You’re being sent into space to start a new colony on Mars. You’re allowed to bring three records with you on the trip. What would they be?

SS:Hahaha, what happend to the deserted island?!

AFM: The desert island is so last century.

SS: No matter where I go, I’d bring a best of Harry Nilsson to represent the oldies, something very contemporary to represent the now (Roisin Murphy) and someting timeless like a The Sundays album or something. I wouldn’t bother bringing any classical stuff.

OG: Well if your going to space you will have to have a good soundtrack! Not just for the life on Mars, travelling music is just as important, and hey, its a long way to mars! I would bring Jan Johansson’s - “jazz på svenska” (jazz in swedish” as a reminder of the Swedish countryside. Maybe Handsomeboy Technique for the wild parties on Mars. And Badly Drawn Boy’s - “Hour of the Bewilderbeast” for everyday listening.

AFM: On your upcoming EP you have a number of remixes of “Danger”? Who’s doing the remixing? Which is your favorite mix?

We’re starting out totally unknown so we’ve only brought in friends this time.

Cotton Crew, Panache and Mr Pedro go for the electro-pumping sound. But the one we love the most is the version by Ice Cream Shout, that instead takes the route of super-mega twee. Complete with ukuleles and toypianos. It’s better than the original.

AFM: On your new EP, I hear hints of The Avalanches, Merz, maybe “Pet Sounds” era Beach Boys? Can you name some of the bands or artists that inspire you?

SS: Sure! I’ve only listened once to the Avalanches album and from what I can remember I really liked it. But I wouldn’t state them as an influence to our sound. We are more influeced by other acts (Handsomeboy Technique, Jens Lekman and The Go! Team) influenced by them! That also generally applies to all our musical influences, we’re mostly into contemporary stuff.

We’re both into The Shortwave Set’s first album, Saint Etiennes huuuuuge catalouge, Cut Copy, Tom Tom Club, The Sundays, Stereolab and lots of others. Like I stated earlier, I really like to throw in a bit of everything into the mix. Not that it’s always audible, but for us, we know where the bits and parts are from.

Actually, I’d say just about anything these days. When I hear something I like, it could be something from artist such Celine Dion, The Tough Alliance, Nelly Furtado etc. I place it in my brainbank for later usage. We’re not that picky.

——-

Thanks to Stefan and Oskar for their introduction to their brainbank and what Sweden’s got to offer musically. Check out the title track from their upcoming debut. If you like what you here, then look for “Danger!” on May 7 from Labrador.

MP3: The Sounds of Arrows - “Danger!”

There are some bands that just shouldn’t make a comeback, beautifully illustrated by the recent release of The B-52s’ “Funplex” - their first original album in nearly two decades. There’s nothing wrong with the music, at least what I’ve heard, it sounds a lot like the last B-52s’ record “Good Stuff”. I just don’t see the point. I mean, Kate Pierson is going to be 60 next month and she’s still dressing like she did in 1978. I do like their shout-out to our shared former home of Athens, GA in this track from the new record.

MP3: The B-52’s - “Hot Corner”

Motel Motel is a Brooklyn based septet that’ve been playing around a bit and are trying to get their first record down on tape. I really enjoyed the demo of “Coffee” that they sent along and thought I would do my part to spread the word.

MP3: Motel Motel - “Coffee” 

Another Gotham contribution is Bell, featuring one of the most enchanting singers I’ve heard in a while. Not sure what they’ve got in the pipe, but check out “Echinacea” and their myspace site to see if they’re coming to a town near you.

MP3: Bell - “Echinacea”

Representing the Antipodes this week is Sydney power pop trio The Shake Up.  They’ve just finished recording their debut LP. No word on a release date.

MP3: The Shake Up - “Home Ec”

Liverpudlian New-New Wavers Ladytron have a new LP due in June. Velocifero, coming out on Nettwerk is their fourth LP.

MP3: Ladytron - “Black Cat” 

Lou Reed inspired Texans The Black Angels‘ have their second full-length due. “Passover” was one of my favorite records of 2006 and “You On The Run” bodes well for the new one. “Directions To See A Ghost” is out on Light In The Attic Records on May 13.

MP3: The Black Angels - “You On the Run” 

Tafra is London based Swede Niklas Tafra’s solo project. His debut LP “Why Bother” was released in February by Series Two Records. Check out the opening track from that record, which wins the award for title of the week.

MP3: Tafra - “Cheesy Epic View”

And last, but not least, one of the music blogger’s whose opinions I respect wrote a snippet about Laura Cantrell’s new album “Trains and Boats and Planes”. I’ve always enjoyed Cantrell but never really been passionate about her. This cover of New Order’s “Love Vigilantes” may change that. She also covers Gordon Lightfoot on the new one - I’m all over it. It’s due on April 15.
MP3: Laura Cantrell - “Love Vigilantes” 

Last autumn Eugene Francis Jnr’s single “Poor Me” caught my attention - a lyrically clever, folk influenced little ditty. I wrote a snippet about it on my personal blog, but was surprised at the time that there was so little information out there about the artist. The lack of information in this, the information age, piqued my interest. I wanted to know more about Eugene Francis Jnr. I heard through the grape vine that his debut long player was due this spring and thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to get to know more about the mysterious Welshman and his band of merry men. He was kind enough to join A Free Man on the virtual couch for a bit of psychic exploration.

AFM: Your debut LP, “The Golden Beatle” is out at the end of April. I really dug your single from last year “Poor Me”. How does the record differ from this single?

EFJ: The Golden Beatle is a summary of life, the peaks and troughs of this great ride which we all find ourselves on. If the album was the skyline of NYC - “Poor Me” could be seen as The Empire State (the ethereal peak) which represents recovery and limitless horizons. but there are quite a few troughs on there ….. that feeling of loss and despair …. I guess these could be seen as the darkest, lowest parts of the New York subway.

Like anything golden in life though _ to truly experience it and value the encounter, you have to of endured some crap …. in the words of Jason Lee - you need the sweet and the sour, my friend.

AFM: Your music has been described as “Folktronica”. I certainly hear echoes of 60’s folk-rock, The Beats and the like. There’s a lot of artists around right now that seem to be channeling that kind of thing - Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens, Devendra Banhart and others in the States, Frank Turner and some others in the UK? Is there a new folk revival happening right now? If so, are you a part of it?

‘Folktronica’ is now a fairly broad term, I heard it a while ago via my friend in San Fran. and hey its just a word _ my last band was tagged as ‘Blunktry’…. so as long as I can get people formulating new words and expanding their vocabulary …. I am a content human. Folk is a very convenient means of creating music, hence new scenes in this genre crop up anywhere and everywhere. I feel a connection to what Devendra and Sufjan are doing and what Conor has done and it is an honour to be mentioned alongside them. However, I believe (and I believe it an essence) for all artists to strive for something new, to aim to differ from anything out there being done or been done. Good music isnt a perfectly paid musical note on an overpriced instrument _ good music is an imperfect note, played honestly on a loved instrument x

AFM: Listening to some of the tracks from the new record that you’re streaming on the Legion site, I think its a bit short sighted to put you in that nu-folk box. In fact from the four tracks that are up, there’s quite a range of styles. Musicians hate to be pigeonholed, but if you were forced to - say Dick Cheney’s got a waterboard just for you - how would you describe the new record?

EFJ: Has Dick really got a waterboard for me? I hope not the record is many genres, many BPMS, a few varied time signatures, and as many instruments as I could lay my hands on over the period of a year. Lets pigeon-hole it as ‘world folk americana with the right hand in blues and the left hand in independent poprock’

AFM: You put together a band of Welshmen for “The Golden Beatle”. Can you
introduce us to the Juniors and tell us who’s playing what?

EFJ: The juniors are 7 people (boys and girls). From different parts of the UK. Residing in Cardiff. they all have their own projects - both Solo and bands _ but who offered to help me with all live aspects in our attempt for world domination.

Who or what is The Golden Beatle?

EFJ: Many different reasons for naming the album this. But lets just leave it at_ Gold is the colour for which we all strife _ thru unsavoury reasons such as greed. What so many are blind to see, is that gold is the colour we will all ultimately achieve, once we finally put together the puzzle of lifes great mystery. but _ until that moment of universal enlightenment _ we will coexist and survive here…. under the water, not in our true form. But as armour-clad beatles _ yearning for the light of what lies beyond the surface x

AFM: You’ve spent a bit of time touring in the States. What’s been your reception there? Where do you think the new album will hit hardest?

EFJ: I have played a few shows solo in the US. but not enough _ I am hoping the record gets a US release and I hope to tour more extensively there in 2008. Until then I do so hope people find out about this record, by the truest form of marketing known to mankind …. and that is the time-forgotten method of ‘word of mouth’ x

AFM: I don’t know much about the music scene in Wales. Who else should the pundits be paying attention to?

EFJ: Future of The Left, Attack + Defend and The Victorian English Gentlemens Club. And of course Gareth Bonello. And if you like your pop pancakes served up in a Pamela Anderson guise with Dusty Springfield vocals - check out Duffy.

AFM: I’ve listened to some of the tracks from the new record and the production is great - gives the tracks I’ve heard a real spontaneous almost live sound. Who’s turning the knobs for you on “The Golden Beatle”?

EFJ: One of the juniors called Llion Robertson had ultimate say in the ‘engineering’ of the record. I dropped off to him all the parts I had recorded over the last year across different parts of the globe _ and he put them on steroids, invited some other musicians to guest, played some instruments himself. And the next thing we had this record that sounded, well, just honest.

AFM: What track are you most proud of on the new album?

EFJ: “Sometimes the good” If it all ended tommorrow _ I’d be glad that I had shared that ….

AFM: Fantasy time: “The Golden Beatle” has made you a star on the scope of a Gallagher, Williams or Ciccone? You’ve been booked to headline a homecoming show at Millenium Stadium - what four bands or artists (living or dead) do you book to support you?

EFJ: The Carter Family. REM. Dylan and headlining Magic Slim and The Teardrops (with percussion duties falling on Cobain and Lennon)……Eugene Francis Jnr will just be the roadie and refreshment kid x

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Thanks to Eugene Francis Jnr for shedding some light on his back pages. Eugene Francis Jnr and The Juniors’ “The Golden Beatle” is out on April 28. It will be available for download worldwide and on CD in Europe. Check out some of the tracks from the new one here and pre-order here.

MP3: Eugene Francis Jnr - “Poor Me”

I have no clue how I got my hands on Columbia’s “The Sound of the Suburbs” compilation in my senior year of High School. I certainly didn’t get it from the local mall’s record shop - they didn’t get much more daring than U2. I most likely picked it up in the college town a little ways down the road. I’m not sure why I would have bought it either. I didn’t know any of the bands at that time. I’m pretty sure it was the title that attracted me. My family were pioneers in Florida’s blue sky suburbs and at 16 I was already coming to realize that all wasn’t well on our cul-de-sac.

However and for whatever reason I came across it, “The Sound of the Suburbs” is a brilliant compilation. It perfectly straddles the transition between the end of punk in the late 70’s and the spawning of New Wave early in the next decade. It features big names - Blondie, Elvis Costello, The Jam - and one hit wonders - Martha and the Muffins, Eddie and the Hot Rods. It is the sound of the suburbs - middle class angst and rebellion. That feeling of discomfort that you just can’t place as you wander past manicured lawns and houses that all look the same. This compilation turned me on to music that I had never heard on the radio and showed me there was a whole lot more to discover.

Here’s the track listing with MP3s of some of my favorites. The Boy and I were having a blast dancing to the Ian Dury track at breakfast this morning.

1. Eton Rifles - The Jam
2. Ant Music - Adam & The Ants
3. Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t've) - Buzzcocks
4. Another Girl Another Planet - Only Ones
5. Teenage Kicks - Undertones (MP3)
6. Echo Beach - Martha & The Muffins
7. Happy Birthday - Altered Images
8. Oliver’s Army - Elvis Costello (MP3)
9. 2468 Motorway - Tom Robinson Band
10. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads (MP3)
11. Call Me - Blondie
12. Reward - Teardrop Explodes
13. I Don’t Like Mondays - Boomtown Rats
14. Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs
15. No More Heroes - Stranglers
16. Turning Japanese - Vapors
17. Do Anything You Wanna Do - Eddie & The Hot Rods
18. Sound Of The Suburbs - Members

If you’re lucky enough to be in the UK, “Sound of the Suburbs” is available from Amazon. But it’s sadly out of print in the U.S.

A Free Man’s Antipodean Musical Safari is in full swing this week with another Australian pop outfit - Adelaide’s Radio Spectacular!!! A partnership between Harry Whizkid and his lady love Pheebs, Radio Spectacular!!! is making wonderfully clever synth-pop Partners in more than music Harry and Phebe met, in true 21st Century fashion, online a couple of years ago. Harry was lured to move to Adelaide from Brisbane to join Phebe in South Australia where the started up Radio Spectacular (among other things, presumably). They released a self-titled EP in 2006 and have continued to record quirky and clever pop songs. There’s a lot of variability in their sound, suggesting that they are a band still finding their voice but with a scary amount of raw talent.

Harry and Phebe sat down on A Free Man’s virtual couch this week for a chat about Queen, photography and radio songs.

AFM: It’s hard to pin down your style - kind of ranges from this film-soundtrack instrumentals to dark 80’s synth-pop. How do you describe your sound? What are your musical influences?

Harry: I think even we find it hard ourselves to describe our sound because it changes from song to song! We don’t like sticking to any particular style, it’s just whatever mood we’re in at the time. Our first songs were written as a joke so they have a real cheesy childlike feel to them but now with the addition of a synthesizer, our style has progressed to a more electro-pop sound, but that will most likely change down the track when we get bored of it!

Phebe: Our influences are quite broad as Harry is a huge Queen fan and he loves doing his fancy guitar solos and harmonies and I listen to a lot of The Polyphonic Spree and other pop bands like Architecture in Helsinki, New Young Pony Club and CSS.

AFM: You guys are both capable of playing multiple instruments. Where’d you learn to play them all?

Harry: I did about six months of piano when I was a kid and a bit of viola before that, but then I got a guitar for my twelfth birthday and I stuck with that. We’re pretty much self taught, Phebe learned recorder at school for a few years but that was about it for her. We just make it up as we go along!

Phebe, it looks like you can ‘play’ the camera as well - nice photography! What do you shoot with?

Phebe: Thank you! Most of my work is done with a Polaroid or Holga (lomography) camera. I’m not too keen on the whole digital revolution as yet (mainly because I don’t have a good digital camera) but I prefer the unpredictability of using film. I’ve just started studying photography this year so I’m looking forward to expanding my skills.

AFM: Radio Spectacular!!! is the second band in a week that I’ve interviewed that pays real sonic homage to the 80’s. Is there a revival of the music from the most shallow decade going on?

More on Aussie Rules: Radio Spectacular!!!