The Betty Fjord Clinic: February 2011

Wednesday, 23 February 2011

Album Review: East River Pipe - We Live In Rented Rooms (The Quietus)

I've loved the work of Fred 'F.M.' Cornog since the mid 90s, and his new album does nothing to change that. His records "aren't meant to rise above the clamour: they’re there for when all the other noise becomes too much." There's much more on the subject here...

Saturday, 19 February 2011

Live Review: "Treefight For Sunlight" (by:Larm News)

They're Danish, they're on Bella Union. At least one of these things makes them happy. Yep, the less than brilliantly named Treefight For Sunlight are, I declare, "full of a buoyant enthusiasm that can’t help but enchant anyone with a penchant for sunshine on a rainy day." Click on the pic for the complete story...

Live Review: "Silje Nes" (by:Larm News)

Ah, the adrenalin rush, the challenge, and the typos... Yes, lovely Silje Nes is just a simple 'T' short of a classic headline. Though she got a bonus space in 'YOU 'VE' so it wasn't all bad.

"Nes’ music is all about space and intimacy, and as her short set progresses it seems that she’s managed to turn this large space into the equivalent of a huge feather bed." Click on the pic to read the fill review...

Friday, 18 February 2011

Live Review: "Jenny Hval" (by:Larm News)

I'm going to keep banging on about how incredibly talented I consider Jenny Hval (once known as Rockettothesky) until I die, or until she starts putting out bad records. I imagine I'll be long cold before the latter happens, but by then I hope others will have discovered this extraordinary voice.

If you click on the pix you'll read my rapturous response to her by:Larm showcase. It sounds in places like this: "Hval pulls no punches nowadays, a supreme confidence in the direction she’s taken her music evident in her ability to switch from whispers to wails in the swoop of a note, in the extraordinary lyrical content of her songs, and in the intricately arranged, experimentally textured backing..."

Live Review: "Cold Mailman" (by:Larm News)

What is there to say about the perfectly reasonable Cold Mailman? Well, this, for starters: "It’s hard not to feel that they’re straining to please everyone in the room, throwing in little gestures that might endear them to fans of a variety of indie rock styles in the hope that they’ll leave a good impression." Did it work? Click the pic and you'll find out what I thought, at least...

Thursday, 17 February 2011

Feature: "Safe From by:Larm" (by:Larm News)

As a survivor of countless by:Larm conferences, it seems sensible that I get to offer 2011's delegates the benefit of my wisdom. After all, "I may not have seen it all, but I’ve still got enough experience to have sat in a hotel dining room at 5am on the Sunday morning of by:Larm with a bin liner of beer cans while helping to successfully persuade hotel staff to fry eggs and bacon for me and my friends..." Click on the pic, or - better still - leaf through the paper online and head for pages 40-41...

Wednesday, 2 February 2011

Live Review: "Neither Saviours Nor False Messiahs: Godspeed Live In Berlin" (The Quietus)

"For 15 minutes, as the rumbling grows into one huge, tumescent roar, that's all we've got: HOPE. We've waited the best part of a decade to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor perform live again, and God knows those hopes are high."

Could they live up to expectations? Find out here.

The Betty Fjord Clinic