This review first appeared on Soundblab
The Middle East have got something brewing. Their only release to date has been The Recordings of The Middle East, a five track EP. Yet in tonight's hour-long set the Australians from Townsville play only two songs from it, preferring to spend their sold out New York headline show testing a series of tracks that will undoubtedly grace their first full-length release.
It's a shame, because the best moments come from the two released tracks, particularly set opener The Darkest Side. Taking to the stage, the band fiddle around for what seems forever. The crowd get restless, talking and turning away from the stage. But then Jordan Ireland starts plucking out the opening chords and begins his alto timbre, stopping only to request more light from his stage crew. "We asked for low light," he jokes. "But I can't see a thing." The interruption only heightens the mood, and Bree Tranter soon adds her delicate mumblings. A hush sweeps over the crowd. These two can sing.
After that, though, it gets a bit chaotic. The seven bodies pit mandolins, microphones and macbook pros against banjos, basses and beats. Trumpets and flutes jump in and out of action and a glockenspiel and accordion get some time in the limelight. It's eventful, certainly, but in this little venue it all seems a bit much. The music loses its momentum, and save for the instances when all five microphones are put to good use, the sound is unfortunately loose.
A large part of this is surely due to the extensive touring the band has undertaken in the past couple of months. This latest leg is in support of shows with Mumford & Sons, and although the Englishmen show their support from the crowd, you get the feeling the stage is not the place for these talented Australian folkies right now. There's just too much they're itching to lay down in the studio, and a bit of recording time never hurt anyone.
Wednesday 9 June 2010
Thursday 3 June 2010
Lovely new tune from the Mynabirds 'Numbers Don't Lie'
I heard this sweet tune on the radio. I thought something along the lines of 'oh yes, lovely old soul tune... quite Motowny'. But, now, poisoned by the truth of knowledge as I am now, I know it's a new un, from a band I never heard of before, The Mynabirds. It's very good. I hope you like.
Update: now, a couple of not particularly generous reviews on the the internet, more specifically the guardian and Pitchfork, have just told me that Mynabirds is 'just a vehicle for white-soul girl Laura Burhenn (formerly of Washington, DC indie obscurities Georgie James) to achieve her ambition to "make a record that sounds like Neil Young doing Motown"', while the latter (who graded her album 8.0 out of ten), declare that while 'the notion of the co-lead singer of Georgie James teaming up with a guy that described his last album as "Prince sitting in on John Lennon's Plastic Ono sessions" might not be the sort of crossover that sounds all that appealing', they acknowledge that 'one listen to "Numbers Don't Lie", and even the most devout skeptic could find themselves singing a different tune.' Nice of them, ne?
Anyways, like, here's the vid.
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