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Sunday 28 February 2010

Pavement Re-union Update

With eight sleeps till the release of the band-compiled Quarantine The Past LP, you'll forgive us for going a bit Pavement centric this week.

Tidbits of news are now slowly creeping onto the wonder web, not least from the group themselves.

Spiral Stairs has posted a nice note about the rehearsals on the Matador site which you can read here

I've just re-discovered this weird clip from V97 i think i was there but at the Leeds site, and Pavement played for about half an hour before mumbling something about the sound and walking off...think they split up a few months later...but yeah, its worth it for the awkward Damon Albarn, S.M. chat with a ridiculously coiffured presenter, fucking hippy.

Anyway, enjoy x

Friday 26 February 2010

Nick Kent Rough Trade Instore March 3rd


Yes, we thought he was dead too...but no, far from it. Rock journalism's creeping Jesus Mr Nick Kent has a new book to promote. Apathy for the Devil is in it's own words 'an eyewitness account of the dangerous excesses of the 1970s rock scene' so expect plenty of drugs, tantrums, semi-nakedness and well, some pretty good music by all accounts.

Kent has long had a reputation as the demi-god of rock scribes, one of few who've actually made it past the maxim that all music journalists are frustrated rock stars and actually lived like one himself, often outdoing his subjects in the debauchery stakes.

Kent will be reading from his book from 7pm on Wednesday...should be a blast!

Wednesday 24 February 2010

The Soft Moon - When Its Over


A group somewhat at odds with the rock and roll fairy tale town they call home, San Francisco's The Soft Moon are to release their debut 7" 'Breathe the Fire' next week on Tally Ho's favourite uber-label Captured Tracks. The single is a gem and will surely excite fans of Blank Dogs, New Order and moody 80's synth work outs.

Eager to learn more, after checking out their Myspace we found something beautiful...

'When It's Over' floats along on electric currents, starting up like the Interpol we used to all know and love, as ghostly voices punctuate smoke-machine synths and an uncertain guitar stutter. Then just after the three minute mark when you think you've got it sussed, a piercing sonic boom crashes in that sounds like it should soundtrack the final moments of Danny Boyle's movie 'Sunshine', when the burning light of the dying sun consumes the sole survivor in glorious technicolour. The effect of this invasion of sound is all at once invigorating, unsettling and strikingly beautiful...try it with headphones.

http://www.myspace.com/thesoftmoon

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Roky Erickson New Album

After hearing that psych godfather Roky Erickson is to release his first album 'True Love Cast Out All Evil' for fourteen years on April 20th, we've been on a bit of a YouTube pilgrimage to the troubled Texan.

Take a look at some of these interesting interviews spanning one of rock's most turbulent careers.





The Tapes of Wrath


There is a great article over on Pitchfork about the rise and fall and rise again of the humble cassette tape. You can check it out here

Strange co-incidence or no, Tally Ho! will soon be unleashing our own cassette compilation on the world.

Featuring promising new UK bands Treasure, Grasshouse and The Nicholas Cage as well as a shed load of US talent from both coasts including the likes of The Fresh & Only's, Frat Dad and Wounded Lion, this particular cassette has got us all giddy with excitement as we come closer to its inevitable release.

It shall go by the name Heavy Medicine and it shall be FREE!

So watch this space for more news over the next two weeks...

Monday 22 February 2010

Band of Horses & DeerHunter London Shows Announced





That's right, Wonder Rock powerhouse Band of Horses have announced they'll be paying a visit to Koko on 12th April 2010.
Tickets are £15 (IMHO they should pay you to go to Koko, the sound is SHIT) and they're available this friday 26th February 2010.

















If that wasn't enough to have you all excited, Atlantan dream poppers Deerhunter have also announced a return to London this May! They join Yeasayer and the growing number of alt bands booking gigs at Heaven, where they'll play on 6th May 2010. Tickets are available here now

Saturday 20 February 2010

Laura Marling

It's not often Tally Ho towers sways gently in the wind to the sounds of a folk chanteuse. Indeed, we're usually found with our heads in the speakers as some west coast, wave-punching 60's heads smash the shit out of their instruments.

But Laura Marling's latest LP 'I Speak Because I Can' has inspired much introspective contemplation within these four walls.

Its only her second full length but it's as pretty as it is assured and defiant. Coasting between the ocean conquering pomp of first single 'Devil's Spoke', with its galloping instrumentation, reminiscent of Rum, Sodomy & The Lash era Pogues; to the rueful yet optimistic vibe of 'Goodbye England (covered in snow) the record is a true gem.

Check out the video for Devil's Spoke below...

Hiatt Zhao - Photography

Back when i was just a malchick in awe of the world, i took time out after further education, to travel across the United States on greyhound buses, a truly scary but oft beautiful experience.

Along the way myself and my travelling companion, (the Sancho to my Don Quixote) Andy, encountered lots of characters. Some threatened our lives, some enriched them.

Well one such lovely dude was the young rascal Hiatt Zhao who is hands down the most polite, most chilled and talented person i recall ever having met.

The details are hazy and unimportant but we shared some cool times in Austin, Texas and i remember Hiatt buzzing when we went to see The Good, The Bad and The Ugly at the local picture house there, all the audience hooting and hollering and booing like real cowboy miscreants as the intro credits rolled.

Hiatt took a lot of photos back then and he has now blossomed into a really interesting photographer. His website www.hiattzhao.com is really cool.

Featuring almost psychedelic, hypnotic images of modern architecture, his close up take on what from a distance are probably standard big city office block fare, gives his subjects a new element of artistry that can be lost in their familiarity.

Not that i know a thing about photography, but they sure are pretty and i think you should check them out!

Thursday 18 February 2010

Martin Amis: Father like Son

Martin Amis has been up to his usual tricks by talking to anyone who will listen. The move always coincides with the release of one of his books, and must undoubtedly keep his publishers happy. They might as well send the marketing team home.

This month, it appears the shameless Amis-PR-machine has worked overtime. Anybody with eyes will have seen the countless interviews he has given to the national, and even regional, press. These are often followed up, the next day, with 'exclusive' revelations from an old flame claiming to be the skinny one in his latest book - The Pregnant Widow.

Here at Tally Ho Towers we have picked our favourite Amis-mumbling. It came this week in comments made to the Guardian, in which Amis Jr announced he is his father. You can read into that what you will - but the crazy motherfucker went to town on this one.

'Relax: I'm already Kingsley,' Amis Jr claimed. 'In truth, this is easily the most unusual thing about me. I am the only hereditary novelist in the anglophone literary corpus.' Yawn. He also went on to claim he is the Prince Charles of English letters. But then he could have just been drunk, he is his father after all!

Wednesday 17 February 2010

Out this Monday....


Right.... we’re quickly approaching the second payday of this year. So all the typical January griping of financial hardship and ‘what a long month it’s been’ can be cast aside in a haze of record buying!

Here’s what you can get your hands on this coming Monday(22nd). Go on treat yourself.


Crocodiles - Neon Jesus (Hell Yes) www.myspace.com/crocodilescrocodilescrocodiles

Fair ohs / Spectrals – split (Tough Love) www.myspace.com/toughloveonmyspace

Memory Tapes - Seek Magic (Acephale records) www.myspace.com/memorytapes

Strange boys - Be Brave (Rough Trade) www.myspace.com/thestrangeboys

Quasi - American Gong (Domino) www.myspace.com/theequasi

Girls - Morning Light www.myspace.com/girlssanfran

Tuesday 16 February 2010

WE LOVE WOMEN


No, not a late Valentines shout out to all the lovely ladies, but a product of our elation upon stumbling upon a CBC (Canada Broadcast Corp) Session featuring the purveyors of some of the most interesting, exuberant and far out music Tally Ho has heard in a long while; WOMEN.

The session features all new songs except for an obligatory blast through Shaking Hand, a highlight from their 2008 debut.

The first of the new tracks, Pinky, is a heavy chiming dose of wild eyed psychedelia reminiscent of Apples & Oranges era Pink Floyd.

We were lucky enough to see them at White Heat when they came over last year and their set blew us away, if anyone knows of any bootlegs of live Women, let a brother know...

Oh, and did we mention you can download it for free..it includes Women discussing their recent touring, their approach to writing and plans for the new record, as well as the six live performances (five new songs!)

Check it out!

http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/podcasts/CBC-Radio-3-Sessions/Women-in-Session

Rain...





Quasi - American Gong

Portland prime-movers Quasi release their eighth album on Monday 22nd Feb in the UK (23rd in U.S). The album, American Gong, is their first as an official three-piece, Joanna Bolme of The Jicks now being a fully fledged member.

American Gong finds the group shredding their way through eleven tracks, only stopping briefly to adjust their amps, flick the hair back from their eyes, and delve into country melancholy on The Jig Is Up, before bellowing through Black Dogs & Bubbles and personal album highlight, the anti-bond theme pomp of 'Death Is Not The End'.

Speaking honestly, i'd only heard of Quasi through their Malkmus or Elliott Smith links (they backed Smith on early records and subsequent tours) and though its taken eight albums for me to find them, i'm definitely on board now...effortlessly pop oriented but unafraid to smash the shit out of their instruments to convey the emotions of their compositions, Quasi will be coming over to take part in the much aniticipated Pavement re-union shows as well as playing a few dates of their own.





UK Headline tour

25/05 Freebutt, Brighton, UK
26/05 Hoxton Bar and Grill, London, UK
27/05 Night & Day Cafe, Manchester, UK
28/05 The Captains Rest, Glasgow, UK

Check out some sneak previews of American Gong tracks at their website here

Monday 15 February 2010

'Canned Oxygen'

You know when you find a song you haven't heard in a while and it takes over a day of your life, well this monday is dedicated entirely to The Halo Benders 'Canned Oxygen'. 13 listens encounting....

Here's Doug Martsch doing it live in 2001 with Built to Spill.

New Bonnie Prince Billy Album?

Never one to subsrcibe to the standard conventions of record release (or pretty much anything else), we weren't that suprised to find this interesting little teaser for what look's like a new Will Oldham record on the Domino website.

T'was the perfect gift this Valentines day!




Wednesday 10 February 2010

The Walkmen

Tally Ho faves The Walkmen have signed to Fat Possum Records, home of Wavves, The Black Keys and Adam Green. Fat Possum can rest smug in the knowledge they have secured The Walkmen's follow up to the almighty You & Me, a modern classic, a real New York record.

The group are apparently holed up in a recording studio with engineer/mixer Chris Zane, who was also present during the making of You & Me. Here's hoping we see some new material before the end of the year.

For now, feast on the 'Buster Keaton does Blair Witch' vibes of their video for In The New Year, a highlight, if i had to pick one, of their awesome last album.

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Lord Auch

Sappho and Double Skin Video

Lord Auch - Sappho and Double Skin from Rollie Willis on Vimeo.



After a winter waiting the new Lord Auch EP 'To The Shithouse' was released at the end of last month. And to coincide with its launch here's the amazing video to track 'Sappho and Double Skin' produced by up and coming director James Willis.

Onetwothreefour.net

It's all just foreign to me.....

Being the wonderful french gent that he is, Simon Letourneau from ace Bordeaux garage band The Weakends has decided to write a little piece about our fanzine and blog for online music magazine OneTwoThreeFour.net. It's purely in his native scribe, but feel free to check it out here......

http://www.onetwothreefour.net/TALLY-HO-!-the-blog_a182.html

And also tell us what it says! Otherwise we'll just work on the assumption that Tally Ho's the best thing he's ever read.

Oh, and here's a vid of Si playing a show in Napoli with The Weakends

Monday 8 February 2010

B l a c k m a r k

Got a bunch of cd's to review for Artrocker t'other day...one of them was Scary Mansion. After doing some research it turns out Leah Hayes, the face of the group, is also a rather talented illustrator. Won't go into too much detail about the album as i'm still making my mind up, but you can check them out here

Check out more of Leah's illustrations on't blog http://blackmark.tumblr.com/

Thursday 4 February 2010

Pavement


Record Store Day - Limited editon 'Quarantine The Past'

Yes were mad about Pavement, we literally wet oursleves when we heard they were reforming and weve got an interview on the cards, if your getting bored of this stuff, then tough!

Another reason to get your hands into your pockets on this years Record Store Day (April 17) is news that Pavement will release an exclusive version of career retrospective 'Quarantine the Past'.

A shiny spangled double vinyl edition featuring a silkscreen cover designed by the band themselves as they undertake their comeback tour.

London Zine Symposium Strikes Back

London Zine Symposium is an all day event for fanzine creators, fans and collectors, to pat each other on the back, exchange envious glances and generally geek out on DIY music, film, comics, illustrations and politics.

Tally Ho checked out last years Symposium and had a great time haunting the aisles picking up free zines* as well as making the odd well chosen purchase. If this sounds like your thing, you can get more info on the 2010 event by clicking right here.



*Looking at zine girls

Tuesday 2 February 2010

That was the year that was (part II)




As the years hurry along, we try and remember the mistakes we've made and what's to be learnt from the past. And 2009 is no different, a year in which the failings of a century of climate disregard has landed us in an endless winter.

A year which bore witness to the end of the brainless shepherding for the pop-shit number, was replaced by a stand against the mainstream, against the industry and the mindless purchase of a song the 'people' had never heard and wouldn't like.

Another year of open jaws as the Jacko carnival rolled to a fittingly murky end. And a year which taught me never to write off the old guard against a puddle of young blood.

Word of new albums from Yo La Tengo, Built to Spill and the Flaming Lips seemed as unlikely to produce a revolutionary moment last year as a Fedaian election push.




And so a return to those wonderful grey-skied days, when Doug Matsch wailed with a depressing purpose on 'There is No Enemy', really took us out of stride. Songs like 'Hindsight' and 'Pat' ( a tribute to the death of Treepeople guitarist Pat Boone) see Built to Spill end the decade with a gorily introspective femme aux bras croises.

Whether it be through death or regret, this homecoming is as welcome as a cathedral hurling Italian - painful and beautiful in equal measures.


It was more of the same with Yo La Tengo, the Grandpa's and ma of New Jersey were up against it even on their own turf. With the sundrenched sounds of Real Estate, Frat Dad and Big Troubles (all fellow Jesey'ers) whipping up a real blog storm. Ira Kaplan came back with a late noughties no nails for brokenhearted 'I can hear the heart beating as one' fans.

But it seems more a case of relentless consistency with Yo La Tengo though, twelve albums and twenty five years on, they can still suprise and deliver but within there own self-built parameters.

'Nothing to hide' could happily serve as a new pop scuzz anthem, a 'Sugarcube' for the unitiated. And opening single 'Here to fall' see's the band trading guarded jabs with their mid-nineties albums, inventive piano and strings yet unwilling to take a bloody nose.

It was those bloody Flaming Lips who really got us spinning though. A live show containing a 30ft kaledioscopic (stage entrancing) vagina and enough beach balls to send Pepe Reina into a bollock shaped retirement wasn't enough to mask the dissapointment of 'At war with the mystics', ''Christmas on Mars' or a set more at home post 'Yoshima battles the pink robots'.



Then there was 'Embryonic'. A collection of Wayne Coyne's self-described 'freakouts', the album may have gone entirely unnoticed had the band not to decided to abandon the alt-rock success stories of previous records and indulge in abit of warped self-belief.

I have the feeling this album could have ended up anywhere, but the end product of a electro-shocked Roky Erickson nightmare was the best present we got at the end of the decade.

Field Music - Rough Trade East In-store 15th Feb

Exciting this one! Tally Ho favs Field Music celebrate the release of their third lp Field Music (Measure) with a special gig at everyone's favourite extortionists/record store, Rough Trade East.
The new album-a 20 track epic, takes in influences as far a field as XTC, the War of the Worlds soundtrack, ELO and 'Something/Anything' era Todd Rundgren. It blends the perfect harmonies of their Sunder-bros Futureheads, with the slouching grooves of 70's Pink Floyd and should be on a few end of year lists if there's any justice in the world.

Its pretty straightforward, you just buy the album on the day (which happens to also be my birthday=double score) and you get a wrist band for the gig. Any left overs will be dished out to the proles haunting the Truman Brewery grounds one hour before they take the stage.

Monday 1 February 2010

Tweety Pie


Tally Ho! love keeping up to date with the latest technology and the newest, most efficient ways to communicate. Hell, surely the forthcoming audio cassette we're planning to give away with soon to be Tally Ho! Issue 5 is proof enough of our commitment to keeping up with the Joneses? (n.b. we're still in talks for a flexi-disc/8-track two pronged attack for the next issue...)

Well with this in mind we've decided to join the Twitter gang. You can follow us on there, as you do here, and we'll keep you up to date with whatever is going down in the world of classical, world and cajun music...

One step closer to my ambition to be the Perez Hilton of Alt-land...lovely

http://twitter.com/TallyHoZine

Monotonix

After 700 hundred injury free shows Monotonix singer Ami Shavev has finally bowed to the inevitable after breaking a leg during a gig in Florida. And far be it from the Israeli trio to dwell on the latest incident of a rowdy live show, instead they were more than happy to sign autographs for doctors at the hospital where Shavev received treatment.

Watch this clip of the band been called 'pussy's' as there dealt a little dose of rough justice...

This month....

Here's some more show's were psyched about, coming up this month...

Feb 3rd
Surfer Blood + Goldhawks
Hoxton Bar and Kitchen £10

Feb 4th
Adam Green + Sound of Guns
Electric Ballroom £12.50

Feb 11th
The Low Anthem
Shepherds Bush Empire £13.50

Feb 24th
Dum Dum Girls
Sexbeat – The Old Blue Last £5

Feb 25th
Pere Ubu
The Garage, Highbury and Islington £17.50

If you can't make it down to the Dum Dum Girl's show on the 24th, check out our interview with the band comng very soon....