Friday, March 27, 2009

THIS WEEKEND IN MANCHESTER: Buffalos and Shell-suits

'Don't Be Scared' the debut album by its a buffalo was released on 16 March. The launch party is tonight at Academy 3 (advance tickets here). The first solo album from Homelife's Paddy Steer, 'Dragon's Breath', is released on Monday 30 March. The launch party is tonight at Klondyke Bowls Club (advance tickets here). C'mon chaps, get your diaries lined up a bit better!




I wrote about its a buffalo elsewhere. Their countrified, lofi Mancunian pop does have a certain shambolic charm - enough for them to survive the curse of being Liam Fray of the Courteeners favourite band I hope. Homelife have been making some excellent and eclectic records over the course of the last seven or eight years - but 'Dragon's Breath' sounds as though it excels in its eccentricity. I haven't heard it yet but this review at High Voltage has me sufficiently eager:

Instrumental, incidental, innovative, Paddy Steer’s 20-track deep collection of oddly-titled, often skit-sized sound bites are more barmy than eccentric, but every bit as lively as the appealing cover artwork... These tracks are packed with head mashing surprises galore and it’s this strong sense of the unexpected that’s sure to grab and hold even the shortest attention span. From the random jazz/bass electronica of the xylophone-happy title track all the way to the acoustic clockwork clip-clop of the penultimate dreamscape ‘Spanish Tea’, many corners are turned along the way.
Buy Dragon's Breath here.

SOMEWHERE IN RANGE
BANG! ON THE SEAFRONT
its a buffalo
Don't Be Scared [BUY with bonus tour CD!]

BUFFALOS
Homelife
Flying Wonders [BUY]

And tomorrow night Liverpool pop-punkers goFASTER>> are in Manchester touring in support of their new EP 'A Modern Education'. I'm not actually sure if the tour is billed this way but you can see how I'm trying to cram stuff in.

goFASTER>> are signed to the very special Alcopop Records and courtesy of them I have just started listening to the EP. My first reaction is how OLD it makes me feel - the youthfulness of the band just leaps out of the speakers. On one listen it's too early for me to venture an opinion but I can imagine live in Dry Bar will be a fitting setting for their 'pop songs about rubbish jobs, daytime television and STD's'. Advance tickets here. Plus here's last year's single about shell-suits.



MAGAZINE ADDICTION
goFASTER>>
A Modern Education [BUY]

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