A tale of two CDs

I bought two albums this week. No wonder I've never got any money.


The first was a bit of a Valentine's present for Mrs Schönberg, Lana del Rey's debut offering "Born to Die". What can I say about the album, after two or three listens on the way up to the Lake District this weekend? Well, somehow I was expecting a brooding, ghostly album in a similar vein to 'Video Games'. Instead, there are a few listenable tracks (expect 'Summertime Sadness' to be the next single), but mainly it's like listening to Gwen Stefani in slow-motion. Mrs S seems to quite like it though, so brownie points awarded all round.

The second album was waiting for me on the doorstep following said trip to the Lake District, "Plumb" is the fourth album by Field Music, and I managed to give it quite a few spins on my way to work the following morning. The album is characterised by the first (and second, and third) songs. When Queen wrote Bohemian Rhapsody, it is said that they shoe-horned three separate songs into the one track, with the new Field Music album it seems like the first track has been expanded to three separate songs. The sudden changes in rhythms, tempos and styles throughout the album are quite reminiscent of Bohemian Rhapsody, the music is very well played, is rich in production and is probably best-described by the term 'avant garde'. Following the lengthy intro, the album just gets better. Next up is current single (and free download below) 'A New Town', which goes to show that when they want to, Field Music can write a pretty good indie single. The album is probably best listened to in it's entirety, and probably sounds great live. I'll let you know when I go see them next Monday...

As I write this, the midweek album chart has Lana del Rey at number one, and Field Music new in at number 39. Thank heavens for supermarkets. What's wrong with the mainstream?

This Many Boyfriends - Starling

It seems like quite a long time since 'Young Lovers Go Pop!', so I am genuinely excited by the news of the release of 'Starling' by This Many Boyfriends.

If you like this sort of thing, then why not go and catch TMB live when they're next in your town? Their current tour is detailed below, but beware, all the Cribs dates are sold out!

23 February 2012 - Manchester - with Allo Darlin', The Deaf Institute
24 February 2012 - Sheffield - with Allo Darlin', Queens Social Club
25 February 2012 - London Popfest - 100 Club, Oxford St
26 February 2012 - Leeds - with Allo Darlin', Brudenell Social Club
28 February 2012 - London - with The Cribs, ULU Live
29 February 2012 - Cardiff - with Allo Darlin', Buffalo Bar
01 March 2012 - Edinburgh - with The Cribs, The Liquid Room
02 March 2012 - Brighton - with The Cribs, Concorde 2
03 March 2012 - Leeds - with The Cribs, Metropolitan University

This Many Boyfriends - Starling by Angular Recording Co

Richard Hawley to Headline No Direction Home

Richard Hawley has been revealed as the finale headline act for the No Direction Home Festival to be held at Welbeck Abbey this summer (see here for a blog post on this). Richard is a bloody good musician, with a great and long track record, and he just so happens to support the best football team in the world as well. An excellent addition to the line-up if you ask me.

The Schönbergs will be attending the festival, if you want to join us, visit http://www.nodirectionhomefestival.com for details and tickets.

Richard has collaborated recently with fellow Sheffield exponents Arctic Monkeys, wonder if he can persuade them down for the encore?

You and I by Richard Hawley and Arctic Monkeys

Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour

Do you know, it seems that there is a good reason to write a music blog. Jal has hundreds of emails from bands and labels offering tracks and albums up for review. Some of them are pretty good, others are quite colossal. Band of Skulls release their much-anticipated second album exclusively on iTunes on 7th February, and then everywhere else a week later on 14th February. In order for me to take advantage of having the album a full week before the general public I've given it quite a few spins over the last couple of days, and here's what I think:

Band of Skulls, to the layman, could be considered a bit of a one-trick pony. It's the heavy bass rock anthems that they do so well that people will hear, but the ballads and intricate post-progressive arrangements are the things that they excel in. This is supposed to be a 'dicfficult' second album, but it flows as easy as the band's melodies.

The album starts with an absolute corker, the title track 'Sweet Sour'. Colourful guitar riffs are reminiscent of White Denim, and they continue through to 'Bruises', a song that flits between melodic chorus, quiet verse and metal guitar riffs as well as any 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. The band rock out as well as Metallica on the first single 'Devil Takes Care of his Own' and 'You're not Pretty But You Got it Goin' On', but can play it cool and calculated too - 'Lay my Head Down' and 'Hometown' are early favourites.

If you want a play-it-by-numbers rock album then go out and buy whatever the Darkness are releasing, if you want some intelligent progressive rock with a bit of variety then this is the album for you. Go out and buy it, so I don't feel so guilty for blagging a free copy!!!

The band have kindly allowed us to post a link to a free download of the title track, below. Thanks to Vic Trubowitch at Vagrant for the permission to post.

Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour

Plus, here's Bruises for you to listen to too

Band of Skulls - Bruises by Vagrant Records

January 2012 Playlist

It used to be a long-standing tradition for WWWTM to produce a quality end-of-month playlist of juicy mp3s that were gracing the iPod of our founding father, Lord Jal of the Shire. This short list of what's been doing the rounds on the Schönberg turntable over the last month is by no means a replacement for the classic WWWTM playlist, just wanted to log what I've been listening to. Enjoy (or otherwise)!

Field Music - A New Town


Friends - Friend Crush

Allo Darlin' - Capricornia


Standard Fare - Suitcase


Lana del Rey - Born to Die


Grouplove - Love Will Save Your Soul


Fanfarlo - Shiny Things


Concrete Knives - Brand New Start


The Chameleons - In Shreds


Bleached - Electric Chair

Concrete Knives - Youth Compass

Did anyone catch Concrete Knives at the Thekla in Bristol earlier this week? If not, pity. This French indie pop band have just finished a (very) mini tour of the UK and are now safely back in their motherland. Their biography says that they are the rightful heirs to the B52s, but I would say that they sound like a poppy version of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, or even a de-folkified Polyphonic Spree. Anyway, have a listen - I'm sure they'll be back to these shores in the near future...

Standard Fare - Out of Sight, Out of Town

I haven't posted much in the last week. This is not because I'm getting bored of posting, but rather because I've been listening to a few new albums that I've acquired in the post-Christmas, early new year lull. They're mainly albums that I've missed out on over the last year, and one of them is so good that I've decided to review it for you.

Out of Sight, Out of Town is the second album from Sheffield Indie-popsters Standard Fare. The album was released under the radar just before Christmas and so did not get enough of a listen to feature in any of the reviews of 2011, but after pretty heavy rotation on the Schönberg decks, I would maybe like to re-do my top albums of the year.

Not unlike Standard Fare's first album 'The Noyelle Beat' this album is full of whimsical indie pop, reminiscent of the 'C86' movement in the late eighties. In fact, the first song, 'The Look of Lust' is very much in the vein of "life's a riot" era Billy Bragg, a slow-burning start before the indie floor-filler that could be 051107. It is with this song that you realise that this second album marks a step up for Standard Fare - gone (but not forgotten) is the DIY, jam-in-the-bedroom production to be replaced by something so much more produced. This could be the breakthrough...

The real allure for me is Emma Kupa's (Cooper?) vocals. I would describe her sound as always on the edge, be it the edge of a scream, or breaking down into tears, but always evoking emotion as she sings tales of relationships and love and loss. And when her voice is accompanied by guitarist Danny How, then the clash is fantastic. Dead Futures is a great example, the chorus of 'b.. b.. b.. bite my tongue' and the bouncy melodies is akin to an edgy Belle and Sebastian. Emma's vocals can be mellow and soothing too - the low-key "Darth Vader" has her consoling over what must be a U2-inspired bass and drum beat (well, it sounds an awful like '40' to me).
So, all in all a great many really catchy indie pop tunes in there, in fact I'm amazed that they haven't already been booked to support The Wedding Present later this year when they tour the 21st anniversary of 'Seamonsters'. This album shows Standard Fare's graduation from their under-produced, quirky first album (which was incidentally also very good) to indie mainstream hopefuls. There's a new movement of C86-style whimsical indie pop coming, and Standard Fare will be right at the forefront.






051107 by Standard Fare

No Direction Home

The time has come for Mr and Mrs Schönberg to indoctrinate the Schönberiños by subjecting them to their first music festival. Actually, what I mean is first festival in a field with tents and chemical toilets and stuff like that, because they've already experienced the rather excellent Tramlines festival held in downtown Sheffield. And really, this festival will be nothing like my first experience of a festival all those years ago at Reading. The No Direction Home festival is an off-shoot of the family-friendly 'End of the Road' a boutique festival held each year in Dorset. No Direction Home is the new Northern counterpart, to be held for the first time in 2012 at Welbeck Abbey, on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.

The first round of bands to appear have been released, and I'm expecting more to be named in the coming weeks and months. You can learn more about the festival here. Some interesting bands already confirmed, one I'm particularly interested in seeing is Veronica Falls, but a quick check on their website reveals that they've double booked themselves with Primavera in Portugal! They'd better turn up!


Bad Feeling by Veronica Falls

Fanfarlo - Shiny Things

On the 4th January Marc Riley, on his 6music evening show, played a world exclusive of the new Fanfarlo single. Entitled 'Shiny Things', the track will be taken from the forthcoming second album by the group 'Rooms Filled With Light', and has already been showcased with new album material on the band's recent tour.

Fanfarlo, in my opinion, are the quintessential band for this blog. Mainly ignored by the mainstream in favour of other folk-rock combos such as Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, Mumford and Sons, etc., the band's debut album in 2010 was an absolute triumph. It seems from this track, and the album opener, Replicate (downloadable from the band's website here), that the band will follow up with yet another great album.

It's taken me four days to write this post, hoping that Shiny Things would appear on Soundcloud to stream, but so far nothing is available so you'll have to make do with this youtube video of the track live at The Mercury Lounge in New York last year.

I've purposefully held off  writing this post in the hope that the track would appear on SoundCloud, and yippee! It has. I've already pre-ordered the album, and listening to this has certainly got me salivating.


Fanfarlo- Shiny Things by MMMusic

Guitar Bands are dead...

... Long live the Guitar Band?

A recent interview with Jim Chancellor, MD for Fiction Records, revealed that record companies are scared to sign up guitar bands, preferring to invest in other forms of music. The reported interview can be found on the BBC Newsbeat website here.

Apparently there was only one debut album in the top 35 of 2011 from a guitar band (The Vaccines). The interview also cites the fact that only one guitar band made the top 15 shortlist for sound of 2012 as reason to panic.

Shaun Keavney on 6music hit the nail on the head the same morning when he declared that this sort of non-news story rises up every three or four years as music tastes cycle, and a quick search of the internet in trying to find the newsbeat story brought up quite a few, very similar, stories from previous years.

So, what do you think? I certainly would agree that there isn't the mainstream interest in indie guitar music that has been enjoyed around the time of, say, the Madchester scene of the late eighties / early nineties, or the Britpop scene in the mid nineties, but that's not to say that the quality of the movement is any lower, rather the genre is missing that one (or two) great bands to lift the scene into the public eye. I can't see 2012 delivering any such band, but then again sometimes I quite like the fact that the genre is left to deliver good, honest music without having the massive mountains of hype dropped on it by the 'mainstream' radio stations and TV programmes.

In celebration of the institution, here's a track by my favourite guitar band of all time. One, Two, Three, Four!


This Boy Can Wait by The Wedding Present