Red Light Fever

Little Dragon @ The Kazimier, Liverpool

2012-03-01T07:10:00.010-08:00

It seems that once again these ritual unions have got me in trouble again. I would like to say that it is rare to find a disgustingly talented swede, yet this is by no means the case. In the past year alone we have been slapped well and truly across the proverbial face with Swedish aural artistry; Lykke Li, Robyn, Joanna Lee, Karin Dreijer, and last night, Little Dragon. Just as expected front lady Yukimi Nagano lustrously roared her talents leaving no room for insecurities, but just pure unadulterated dancing. Nagano took to The Kazimier stage with regal execution, convulsing her body towards the crowd as if summoning them with her mating call. The woman was so induced by her audio, by her performance, that the audience had no choice but to imitate her erraticism. After a heavy set of pure Swedish techno bedlam, Little Dragon nonetheless dug so deep into their roots to end on perhaps their most beautifully composed tune – Twice- reminding us all the very reason why we love.............

Little Dragon.

The question of Lana Del Rey/ Born To Die review

2012-02-02T13:05:00.005-08:00

Do you remember when it was cool to love Lana Del Rey?

Do you remember when it was cool to hate Lana Del Rey?

Well now I’m all in a tither, especially after the release of Lana Del Rey's debut record Born To Die. It goes without saying that upon hearing Video Games back in August 2011, I, as did the rest of the world, fell slightly in love with her ethereal harp string ensemble and husky voice, which may I add is not to dissimilar to that of Tony Soprano. But since such a wondrous contribution to the sounds of 2011 the girl has been torn apart nationwide, accused of false identity charges and awkward live performances on SNL. But seriously, wouldn’t you feel a little uncomfortable if Daniel Radcliffe was to introduce your live breakthrough performance to half the world?

#awkwardturtle

Similarly her looks have come very much into media attention. Granted her lips look like she’s had a heavy binge on a cocktail of narcotics, but the girl is a beauty. The Bridget Bardot of the 2000’s dare I say. Fame really is a double edge sword. Loved one moment hated the next. People have become so clouded by the question of Lana Del Rey that they've actually lost sight of the very reason why they started discussing the girl to begin with... her music. So now that the most anticipated album of the year (calm down it’s only February) has finally been allowed to seduce our ear drums, what do we make of it?

To begin with, we must remember that this is simply pop music. Nothing more. Nothing less. And that being said, it’s pop music done to an exceptional standard. My best description of her music thus far would be likening her sound to the sort of music that Buffy and the gang would have jived too in their funky fish zipped tees and sweater shop disasters at the Bronze Bar, before tackling the vampire carnage that swallowed Sunnydale #watchyourbackMona . Granted her Lyrics are questionable;

“Yo we used to go break in to the hotel pool, glimmer and we’d swim/ Runnin' from the cops in our black bikini tops screaming, / "Get us while we're hot. Get us while we're hot"

Lana, I suggest Ritalin because you are having way too much fun.

Prepubescent lyrics aside, we need to understand that this woman is offering us a root out of the drivel that has become pop music today. Seriously, go look at Radio 1’s top 40 singles now and sieve through the shit that is popular music and find another artist that is attempting to do something a little different. So in true commercial fashion I will reduce my review to star rating standards and dish out Born To Die **** out of a potential *****

Lanterns on the Lake @ The Static Gallery, Liverpool

2012-01-22T14:19:00.003-08:00

~~Momentary Reflection~~

There is a theory I recently read which I grew to understand whilst watching Lanterns on the Lake perform at the Static Gallery. The Oppositional Romance theory by Simon Darvell talks about serendipitous events where two entirely separate objects, totally unrelated, existing in Kali’s realm of Chaos, discover one another by chance. These seperate objects pass through one another to create what Darvell understands as 'momentary nirvana'. I Kant for the life and death of Descartes pretend to understand any such theories of philosophy nor will I even attempt to understand, but what I can make sense of was the beautiful accompaniment of Geordie sextet, Lanterns on the Lake.

It wasn’t simply a case of band taking centre stage, instruments readily in hands, vocals ovulating nine or so songs, encore, final song, applause, and exit. There was a genuine ménage-a-trois romance between (object number one) Lanterns on the Lake, (object number two) The Static Gallery, and its audience (momentary nirvana). A romance that gave way to a mass moment of reflection and situational appreciation. As I Love you Sleepyhead was performed it was impossible not to observe my company and learn to love them just that little bit more. What confirmed the legitimacy of such dramatic proclamations was the general agreement of that very company upon later reflection. The atmosphere created by such delicate music, performed in such an appropriate venue, and attended by such an appreciative audience, made for a moment now etched into my memory and the memory of those who were fortunate to see Lanterns on the Lake at The Static Gallery. Simply charming, Simply Irresistible. (No there is never an inappropriate time for a Sarah Michelle Gellar movie reference).

A wondrous show from a wonderful band.

Sounds of Two Thousand and Twelve

2012-01-09T14:47:00.002-08:00

It is starting to get monotonous, this whole resolution nonsense. Every year we are all faced with the embarrassing task of evaluating our flaws, made to acknowledge our shortcomings, and forced to assess them. And every year we all make promises to ourselves to improve on our discoveries. Yes, I am becoming increasingly aware that with each RLF entry, I am sounding more and more like Mary Alice introducing the latest endeavours of a Desperate Housewives episode, but this is a flaw that I chose not to resolve. In fact the thought of sounding like a murdered housewife pervving on her slutty, over sexed OAP neighbours is rather comforting. What I do however intended on improving is this right here - Red Light Fever. And what better way to improve and grow than to observe what I anticipate to make two thousand and twelve, TWO THOUSAND AND TWELVE.

All I can begin with is a note to Lana Del Ray.

#youthinkyourehotshitbutyourreallycolddiarrhea

~~Azealia Banks~~

Back in November I thought that someone had spat at me from behind my laptop. I soon realised that I had been watching Azalia Banks spitting out her 212 tune on youtube. This girl has a gutter mouth more putrid than Kerry Katona’s lapsing nostrils but a charm more admirable than Lady Di. I may have wanted to scrub myself clean after watching Banks performing her profanities, but approximately 1:46 into the 212 video I knew that 2012 will be the year that “c**t gettin’ eatin’”.

~~The Staves~~

There is something disgusting about bands that are bound by blood. The Osmond’s make me want to shit on my sisters head. The Nolan’s make me want to shit on my mother’s head. The Coors make me want to shit on my grandmother’s head. There are sometimes exceptions to the rule, and the exception this year are The Staves. Seeing these sisters live for the first time back in 2009 was like discovering the art of masturbation as a prepubescent teenager. I hate drawing comparisons between artists, but imagine if Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling fornicated, The Staves would be their subsequent love child. A lot of folk, a lot harmonies, a lot of hair and a lot of cable knit jumpers.

~~A$AP Rocky~~

This year I have promised myself to spread my legs and open my ears to music that doesn’t generally fit my bill. This just so happens to be the case with A$AP Rocky. I know nothing of rap. I know nothing of hip hop. Drake who? What I do know however is that A$AP is a horny nineteen year old Harlem resident whose ‘groupies rush hold them boobies up, in my direction’. Well, isn’t he a lucky boy.

~~Niki and the Dove~~

For me, it is always a sorry moment when at an airport looking down at my passport and seeing that my nationality is British and not Swedish. Why is it that one nation were granted the gob of an angel and the face of a cloud. And this just so happens to be the case with Niki and the Dove. Following in the footsteps of their foremothers and fathers, The Knife, this electro duo will undoubtedly continue tO escalate mass appreciation of Swedish music in Britain.I am just about as excited as Tom Cruise on heat to see what these Swedish babes have to offer. Find me a sofa!

Here here two thousand and twelve, here here resolutions!

The top five of 2011

2012-01-05T08:56:00.003-08:00

Baby, two thousand and eleven showed my eyes and ears a good time

~~TWO THOUSAND AND ELEVEN~~

Yes indeed, the inevitability of reflection is upon us all once again. As we have now drawn the curt ains and familiar scenery of 2011, it is impossible not to mention the disgustingly inappropriate but totally understandable spermatozoa stains splattered all over that 2011 curtain. It has been quite a year indeed. Adele proved herself to be the voice of 2011 with her album 21 selling more than 3.8m copies. Here, here Adele! I get it, you wrote a rather good album, but I think now it’s about time that instead of fingering our eardrums with you heartache and heart burn, maybe you could turn to alternative methods of emotional release. Keep a dia ry for example. Recreational shopping maybe. Buy a gag! Watch an episode of Golden Girls. Anything, please!

Agony aside, 2011 can be remembered as year of #swag; Bjork amalgamated nature and music with the release of the first ever record/app (rapp). Ryan Gosling! What more needs to be said? Concerns over Lars Von Trier’s sanity grew after expressing his empathy of Hitler. I fear his next publicity stunt will involve rusty scissors and self-castration. Oh wait?! It was also the year our dear Amy truly did sing her swan song and proved to us all that love really is a losing game. So in memory of the Lioness herself and to an unexpected year, here are our top five aural and visual pleasures of TWO THOUSAND AND ELEVEN – a year not to be forgotten.

~~Aural~~

5 SBTRKT

It’s not often bass makes an appearance on the walls of Red Light Fever, but to ignore SBTRKT and side man Samphers contribution to British underground sounds would be as unforgivable as Fergie pissing herself on stage. Girl, ever heard of TENA? To lay it to you straight, SBTRKT is like a cocktail of underground fury. You’ve got a dash of dubstep, added with pinch of garage, a squeeze of funk, shake it up with a heavy bass, voila. Number five.

4 Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo

Enough said!
3 Bon Iver - Bon Iver

It would be impossible for this beauty of a record not to feature on the RLF best of ELEVEN. It seems only yesterday my eyes were eagerly fixated on the Manchester Apollo stage searching for a glimpse of the bearded dre am bo at, Justin Vernon. Bon Iver simply goes beyond all the conventions of For Emma, Forever Ago and what is produced is a record that has not only made its mark in 2011, but has made it mark in the history of music.

2 James Blake - James Blake

Blake was listed as one of Radio 1’s acts to watch for 2011. That being said, Jessie J was listed number one. Need I say more? However, Blake surely was a necessary artist on that list and holy Ghandi has that boy stepped up to the mark. The story goes that Blake was some weedy boy coming out of his teens, writing minimalistic tunes in his mothers attic, blah blah blah. Fast forward two years later, and now we have this leading man with the stage presence of Obama and the maturity of Betty White. I caught a glimpse of Blake at Bestival last September. I left the venue soiled.

1 Lykke Li - Wound Rhymes

Despite an infinitely successful year, I am not hesitant in my proclamation that I believe this girl to still be grossly underrated. Li sure has come a long way since her irritatingly indie sweet Youth Novels, but I just need to put a few things straight. Although a Youth Novels patriot, I am no indie Cindy so reservations were nonetheless present upon the purchase of Wounded Rhymes. I wasn't chasing the familiar little girl sounds to make me dance dance dance nor did I care if she was or wasn’t a little bit in love. I was infinitely thirsty for something infinitely darker. Fortunately for me dark was what the girl intended, and dark was what she delivered. It’s almost as if Li has poured her own blood into the craft. Each song may tell of the superficial realities of love and heart break, but ultimately there is something so much more crafted in each sound, each lyric. Something cosmic. For that reason, Lykke Li is our number one lady and number one record of the year. Her best however, is yet to come.

~~Visual~~

5 We Need To Talk About Kevin -

I have a fairly strong threshold when it comes to disturbing cinema, and there are only a handful of films that have truly pushed me to the point where I am prepared to scrape the area of my brain that retains my memory, and rid myself of such atrocities. This was such the case with We Need to Talk About Kevin. It was an unexpected shocker and I came out of the cinema feeling flat and hollow, that same awful feeling you have when accidently walking in on your mother fornicating your father. Yes, Kevin truly is an unpleasant experience, but an experience worth having if not just to see Tilda Swindon at her very best.

4 The Skin I Live in -

In the past ten years Almodavor’s films have been in many ways tame in comparison to his earlier productions. However restoration has indeed been made with The Skin I Live In and once againe we are greeted with a beautiful and disgusting visionary story that lives up to the boldness of Almodavor’s earlier cinema. Trannies, sinister syrgery, suicide, gagged old women, raping tigers, beautiful BEAUTIFUL women.

3 Drive -

Every so often a film is made that goes beyond the boundaries of genre, the limits of age, and the constrictions of style. It certainly has been some time since a film of such calibre has met or even broken such boundaries. That was until Drive spat all over our senses leaving its filthy, dirty, sexy residue all over our brains. It’s been close to six months since I last saw Drive, however that infamous lift scene still has my vagina salivating. Let’s just say, it’s a definite coat over the lap job.
2 Weekend -

It’s not often I’m forgiving when it comes to cinema but it was simply impossible not to fall in love with Weekend. Yes it was nothing short of a predictable gay British love story but there was a genuine connection made between characters and audience alike that went way beyond the constraints of a potentially tedious romantic drama. It’s honest, it’s graphic, it’s real, it’s RLF’s number two.

1 Melancholia

Melancholia; the film that almost wasn’t for Red Light Fever. After several failed attempts at seeing this babe of modern cinema, I managed to catch the final screening of Melancholia at FACT. It’s particularly difficult to describe any such film of Trier’s, let alone Melancholia. All I can conclude was that by the end of the final sequence there was a puddle of saliva on my lap and the distinct smell of shit in the theatre room. There’s a reason why Dunst won best actress at Cannes, and it’s not only because of her ability to squat and piss in a wedding dress.

but what for two thousand and twelve... ?

Zola Jesus @ The Kazimier, Liverpool

2011-12-12T15:33:00.002-08:00

Dear Zola,

Words cannot fathom the surprise that overloaded my senses upon you taking to the Kazimier stage a few weeks ago. Standing no taller than 5 foot, you looked almost too timid to talk let alone holler a tune. But holler you did, and, in return my body convulsed like a rabbit on heat.

Prior to my attending your gig, I casually played a beat or two of yours to some Zola virgins. This unfortunately concluded in a comparison to Florence which led to the subsequent slamming of my laptop (the provider of your music to the masses of my house) and a subsequent slamming of my front door. The comparisons made between you and Florence reminded me of that same harrowing feeling that dictated my guts and bowls upon the discovery of the musical pairing of Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams (#howthefuckwasthateverallowedtohappen). Writing such words and remembering such putrid moments in the history of music is giving me neurological diarrhoea. Thankfully, the memory of your whale breathed voice clouds any such comparisons, acting as an aural nurofen and imodium.

I believe at this point in my declaration my nose is already caped in your excrement, but nonetheless I shall continue.

I particularly liked the elasticity of your dancing. There was a distinctive feline femininity to the performance that on occasions reeked of an early Kate Bush. Zola, you were like a cat captivated in a catnip induced haze. Simply wild! A frightening thought is that all of these memories could have easily become subject to the fading of memory and time had it not been for my wondrously handsome Nokia N8.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Zola in the crowd having a casual epileptic fit

Kind Regards

RLF

p.s.

I believe an apology is also due on my part. It was with great distress that I missed your set at Bestival this September, however, as I’m sure you are already aware, you had an unfortunate schedule clash with the seamstress of noise, Bjork. A piece of my heart and the part of my ear drum that I had reserved for you died a little upon this realization, however your pit stop to Liverpool has since rendered such aliments. Please do not let your last visit here, be your last, as it so often happens to be the case in this city. We refuse to accept that the 25/11/2011 was your Liverpool swan song.

The Fearful Blogger/Bon Iver @ Manchester Apollo

2011-10-20T16:06:00.002-07:00

Regardless of seasonal timing I feel that it is time for a spring clean here. It could be said that I have jumped the band wagon, diving straight into the world of social blogging without the necessary precautions. Little did I know the etiquette of blogging before starting Red Light Fever just 6 months ago. I still have no clue, but seriously, what the hell was going on in this space? A futile haemorrhage of music and film with a severe lack of opinion, debate, direction and consistency, that’s what was going on. It was sort of like that awkward first period a prepubescent girl has – its deliverance came in drips and drabs and my words were all but a little wet and premature. Bloody awful!

As of late this cyber space has been as limp as Heather Mills’ prosthetic leg and I believe we have moved on from our prepubescent writings to the awkward teenage years where words sparsely pass through our dry lips. The reasons for the mental breakdown of Red Light Fever boil down to a number of self-indulgent factors. Most notably fear. That fear of writing utter shit that reads so awkwardly pretentious you wished your laptop had just slammed shut, breaking your fingers and crushing those poisoned words, saving yourself the embarrassment of writing material not even worthy of publication in Girl Talk. My self-indulged literary fear and the consequential silencing of Red Light Fever could not have come at a worse time either. These past few months have been disgustingly brilliant in the world of aural and visual delights. Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia hit our screens as did Sufjan Stevens hit the tour bus with his Age of Adz tour. Björk released her comeback Biophilia, Beyoncé titillated Glastonbury, Amy sang her swan song, The Cure headlined Bestival, Westlife announced their tragic split. You know, the list of astounding musical and cinematic events just goes on and on. So where has my sudden desire to write and to be heard come from after months in the desert? Why has my fear of literary embarrassment subsided? Three words! Bon Iver Live!

After deliberating with myself for twenty two hours how much doller I was prepared to dish out on e-bay for a Bon Iver Manchester Apollo ticket, I crumpled under the pressure when it came to the final minute of bidding. Standing at an already pricey £36.80 (face value £22.50) and with only one minute to spare I waged war on e-bay users e***r and t****4.

E***r… £44.50… *t****4 £48.90… e***r £50.10… t****4 £55.10… redlightfever £67.20. *Bidding closed*.

Let me begin by apologizing for my forthcoming words for I‘m still revelling in last nights events. In short, Bon Iver live at the Manchester Apollo was perhaps one of the most amazing musical events I’ve witnessed this year. I did have slight reservations before I was seated in row GG seat 24 as to how they were going to compromise the differing sounds of debut record For Emma, Forever Ago and this years self-titled album Bon Iver. These concerns were soon replaced as both sounds complemented one another and balanced out quite beautifully. The incorporation of the generally heavier bass and echoed drum sounds of Bon Iver fused with the delicate instrumental ensemble of For Emma created something unexplainably special. The original minimalist and somewhat shy sounding Blood Bank taken from For Emma grew into a bold and gallant anthem as its performance evolved and matured. This progression continued with surprisingly synthed renditions of Lump Sum and Team, clearly influenced by Bon Iver’s homage to 80’s synth Beth/Rest –Phil Collins would have stood proud.

"Wolves (Acts I & II)" in San Francisco, California for La Blogothèque's Back On Stages series

Ending the set with The Wolves (act I and act III) was nothing short of genius. The bond created between artist and audience by this point was unbreakable. The amalgamation of Justin Vernon’s soporific voice accompanied with lyrics that would even make Donne soil himself, created an undeniable sensitivity throughout the entire Apollo. A sensitivity that left us all feeling a little vulnerable, a little broken hearted. I left the Apollo, and for the first time ever I had nothing to say about the performance. No desire to converse, discuss, debate. Leaving the venue was like closing a diary after a heavy session of spilling all your bottled thoughts onto its pages. Personal and complete.

I urge you to go see Bon Iver perform live…. Now!!

Olof Arnalds: The Interview That Almost Wasn't

2011-07-11T14:43:00.002-07:00

Ólöf Arnalds: The Interview That Almost Wasn’t

If time were non-existent, my tardiness on dishing this particularly special blog would be acceptable. However, being two or so months late I sincerely apologize to you, the reader and to Ólöf. Part of me however does not want to part with the memories of that evening. Simply because the night itself was one I shall not forget. A simple night with delicate music and soulful conversation. A night, despite my hesitation, that simply deserves to be shared.

Upon superficial observation it would seem that Ólöf Arnalds first performance at The Static Gallery, Liverpool, was a colossal flop with about twenty or so people attending and at least five of that twenty being the support. Yes, figures would argue that this was to be a disastrous show. A disastrous show which grew to be one of the most simple, harmless and natural of performances I've had the pleasure to witness.

"I want to distinguish between myself as an artist and my nationality"

After an uphill struggle to arrange an interview with Ólöf and painfully trying to find and talk to the right people, I fell hopelessly defeated and interviewless. Despite the severity of my disappointment, I braved the defeat, slapped on my make-up and attended the event alongside my dear confidant Rosie Beau.

The show commenced.

Just as myself and Rosie headed for the exit of The Static Gallery bewildered and dramatically emotional, a sweetly disjointed Icelandic voice stopped us and inquired about the dictor-phone I was holding in my hand.

We took a seat.

The red light of the dictor-phone switched on.

The interview began.

Christian: So how has the tour been so far?

Ólöf: it’s the last bit of touring that I’m doing over a stretch of 18 months. On and off the road. I'm pretty much on my last legs. I started touring this record last fall, but before that, the whole year before that I was touring a lot and playing tiny shows. Especially in America. I went to New York a lot and played a lot of tiny venues. I plan to move to New York?

Beau: Instead of?

Ó: Iceland.

B: Why the change?

Ó: I think living in Iceland has its benefits but there is a limit to personal growth there. It’s a small place and has a lot of benefits and it’s a great, it has a vibrant scene. But I also feel that it is difficult when you’re an artist and when you make new work and you’re reinventing your work and reinventing yourself and it’s sort of difficult to do that around people you went to playschool with. You know?

You feel like you are being watched in a way. That's not very good for an artist. It's hard to grow.

B: So do you think living in Iceland has placed any limitations on your growth as an artist?

Ó: I think it’s sort of tricky because the benefit of being raised in Iceland is that you don't have the cultural burden of some great people who have came before you. A lot of instruments only came to be recognized in the early twentieth century. So there is no folk tradition. There's an oral tradition. We are not bound by anything that is Icelandic. In a way you have the freedom to create who you want to be. But then at the same time I feel that I want to distinguish between myself as an artist and my nationality.

C: You don't wasn’t the burden of creating an Icelandic sound for example.

Ó: Yeah, because I think the more important artists that come from Iceland, they have done a tremendous amount of work. They have gone through tremendous artistic searches; they are creating out of a narrow minded society. Small towns. And then they make something that is very unique. Unique to themselves and then the press reports "Oh this is typically Icelandic", you know! In a way that's sort of devalues the voice of the artist.

Sometimes I feel that Icelanders get easy access to press and it’s easy for them. I think sometimes, what if I was doing exactly what I'm doing now but I came from, let’s say, Oklahoma.

B: But I guess being Icelandic can be seen as an advantage to a music career?

Ó: Yeah! Of course. I would be a hypocrite if i would deny that my nationality has been a selling point in some ways because I'm very tightly linked to some important art. But I really don't feel that my voice or what I do has anything to do with here I'm from.

C: So you worked with Björk on the track Surrender, how was that?

Ó: Well it came about very organically because we had been friends for a couple of years. We met through some acquaintances and when I was mixing my records I brought some rough mixes to her, you know, to get a third ear. She came up with an idea for a counterpart. She was like "I have this idea, I'll just record it and I'll send it to you. Use it if you wasn’t, cut it, whatever". I just decided to leave her contribution completely unedited because, well, you just don't edit Björk.

C: My knowledge of Icelandic artists is very limited, as in yourself, Björk, Emiliana Torrini, not that we won't to cast you all into one category, but say you were to give an outsider an introduction to old or new Icelandic music, who would you recommend?

Ó: There is is this band Retro Stefson. They're a very young band. Very enthusiastic. It’s an interesting band. They're beautiful. The lead singer, Manuel Stefánsson, he's beautiful. He's Fabulous. He's very young, very talented, beautiful voice, impulsive singer. Not calculated in the way he sings. Also, despite his young age, he is able to share the stage with everyone around him. It’s not about him. He has this generosity in his performance. I see him perform and I think 'Yes! This is something worth seeing.

C: So apart from New York, what next for you Ólöf?

Ó: Well I have thirty songs written that aren't recorded. I want to record them all and play them. I'm playing the Great Escape festival too.

As the interview came to end, and with the red light turned off and dictor-phone respectfully put away, the conversation continued to flow just as the wine continued to be drunk. Conversations of music, sexuality, life, morality and sanity came as natural to the three of us as singing did for Olof. A remarkable woman. A remarkable talent. A remarkable evening.

http://www.myspace.com/olofarnalds

http://www.myspace.com/retrostefson

Crystalline this...

2011-07-08T08:46:00.001-07:00

So arguably, I appear to be somewhat behind the current Bjork hyper (ballad) but nonetheless the hype has been severely felt by RLF. Last Friday's announcement of Bjork headlining the main stage at Bestival led to a very emotional and somewhat religious outbreak on my part. I have missed and longed for Bjork more than Madonna misses and longs for her youth. But the online release of Crystalline taken from her forthcoming album Biophillia, to be released later this year, has eradicated any existing Bjork withdrawals.

She's back.....

Peas & Love

C.G

New Edition of 'The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer'

2011-06-21T13:00:00.001-07:00

The Owls are not what they seem!

Or are they?

The log lady has conferred with her log that a re-release of 'The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer' is due this December.

A new millennium. A new edition. A new audience.

What will those missing pages reveal?

All will be revealed 6/12/2011...

Silencio

2011-06-18T07:21:00.001-07:00

Are you sat comfortably?

Rumours were once thrown about that there would be a sequal to David Lynch's 2001 disasterpiece Mulholland Dr. Now this would simply be asking to much of the guy. To defuse such rumours it has been argued that Lynch's Inland Empire (2006) was his response to Mulholland but that's another debate all together.

After five years of hard lived anticipation for any news of a new project, this week it has finally been revealed that Lynch is not returning back to cinema or even art, but is to open a club in Paris. A club that will replicate the psychosexual activities of Club Silencio featured in the film Mulholland Dr itself.

So what is to be expected? Voiceless singers? Blonde wigged lesbian? Locked rooms? Blue Keys? Cowboys? Hobo's? CoCo? Prepare yourself for a royal head fuck. Recreational enhacements certainly will not be needed.

Caution!

There is no band. It is all an illusion...

Bon Iver - Calgary (official music video)

2011-06-15T06:33:00.001-07:00

Red Light Fever may have been quiet lately but Bon Iver certainly hasn't. Taken from their second album due to be released 6.21.2011, this official video for single 'Calgary' certainly does lubricate those delicate eyes. As usual we are left in a state of euphoric delusion. What the hell does it all mean? Reunion? Separation? Dendrophilia? I guess when it comes to Bon, sense or nonsense has no reason or purpose.

All that is certain is that we want more!

2011-05-18T06:22:00.001-07:00

Peas & Love

C.G

iamamiwhoami ; John

2011-05-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

Just when we all thought her swan song came just that little bit too early with her twisted, hallucinogenic live broadcast performance back in December, iamamiwhoami is back.

Brace yourselves...

James Vincent McMorrow: Full Interview

2011-05-15T14:03:00.001-07:00

The Hip-Hop loving folk man!

For those of you unaware of the talent that is James Vincent McMorrow, prepare yourselves for some folk loving chit chat. The sun may be gloriously lighting the British isles on this more than average Sunday afternoon, but no amount of sun or faux summer heat can melt the wintry, soulful folk sounds of Dublin born singer/songwriter James Vincent Mcmorrow. RED Light Fever talks with McMorrow about inflicted isolation, heartbreak, London, summer festival and his love for hip hop music and Sam Beam!

How would you describe you and your sound?

I want people to view me however they want to view me. I describe my music as folk music because it is the closest comparison and easiest comparison. But for me there are elements of folk but it’s not Neil Young. I’ve heard lots of different comparisons. I prefer hearing people opinions of it like wistful, wintry, eerie folk those kind of things. Something I read was someone describing it as Cee lo greens younger shire.

You have been likened to the sorts of Jamie Woon, James Blake, James Morrison and Bon Iver. What do you think sets you apart from such artists?

I love that three of the four names are James. I mean I think that there are understandable comparisons on the face of it when a group of singers have a similar singing style and it’s not what you call necessarily the norm. When I listen to that James Blake record I can hear thing’s that link with my music. But comparisons just make it easier for people to understand music. If someone says that something sounds like something then they may be more compelled to listen to it. In the early stages comparisons are a necessary thing. If I was to just come out and go "I sound like nothing and look like nothing", then it’s nothing. People will be confused and I’d get nowhere. I understand the Bon Iver comparison because of how our records were made. The nature of the music coupled with the sentiment behind how it was made means that there are similar comparisons to Bon Iver.

In a similar nature to Bon Iver, you wrote Early in the Morning in total isolation in a remote beach house on the Irish coast. How much do you feel that your location and surroundings effect the sound of your record?

Had I made this album in another way, we wouldn’t even be sat here talking. It would have been a completely different record. I made the album without context, without a plan in mind. Without any back story. I hadn’t played any live shows, I didn’t have any songs. The reason I moved to this isolated house was because I wanted to remove myself from all the distraction and outside voices and all the people I had accumulated in my life whose ideas I didn’t want to hear anymore. So yeah that was the goal. So without that house, the album wouldn’t have worked. So the isolation and the intent behind the record is in every track, every line, in every instrument on there.

Heartbreak and loss are stand out themes throughout ‘Early in the Morning’. What experiences led you to sing and write about such things.

Well the year before the album was made was a strange year. I moved to London with really grand ideas of making records and everything was going really well really quickly and then it stalled a little bit. I wasn’t writing music that I had any heart for. I was just pretending to be happy about where I was going. I was hoping that reality would catch up with me and that if I moved to London I could manifest reality with my music, but that didn’t happen.

I went from having no money and no sense of what I was doing to suddenly having more money that I knew what to do with because I signed a publishing deal. I went back to Ireland with not quite a sense of failure and defeat but it was very close to that. It was very surreal year definitely. All of that strangeness and failed attempts in those 8/9 months in London fed back into itself and made me write Early in the Morning in a simple and an unpretentious way as humanly possible. No studios, no engineers, no money, just nothing. The main thing I learned from that year was that by adding these entire things to your life doesn’t mean that the end product is going to be any good.

So what was the final straw for you leaving London?

I tried to make a record in London. We physically sat down and tried to make a record. One of my best friends is the engineer in my studio in London and we talked about making a record and we mapped it out. The whole time going into it I knew that the songs weren’t right. I didn’t like them at all. The seeds of the idea were there when trying to make the record in London but I hadn’t captured what instruments and sounds I wanted. It all became pretty generic like this is a standard template for a song, drums, bass, guitar and I have no interest in drums, bass or guitar, standard Americana sense. It was just never for me. I like the idea of having a song, pulling it apart and then putting it back together and being in the studio with Scott (engineer friend) who is brilliant and so easy to work with and me not being able to make something happen made me realise that making a record in this situation was never going to work. Once I realised that, that was when I came home and tried to think of a way that I can make something from start to finish and if it doesn’t work then at least I can say this is mine and I’ve made it. It’s very easy to say in hindsight that everything happens for a reason but they certainly did.

You've just recently released Early in the Morning in America, how have they received you?

It’s going incredibly well considering I have no time to spend there. I’m trying to find a way to spend as much time there as possible, because the album is selling really well and is out there and going. It’s the biggest of biggest nuts to crack and you need to spend so much time there so I’m trying to figure out a way to balance all the stuff that’s happening here which has taken me really by surprise.

How’s the tour going so far?

Amazing. I’m touring in America at the start of June for three weeks and then we’re back here for Glastonbury, Latitude, Green man, Camp Bestial and more tours and then back to America for a full US tour. We’re doing a lot of festivals on the continent as well. About 5 or 6 in France, we’re doing the Montreal jazz festival in Switzerland with Arcade fire and such. So that’s vaguely ridiculous. I’m really looking forward to Green Man, the line up is unbelievable, that sounds wildly narcissistic because I’m on the line up but if you were to take me out of that line up and I was to go to one festival I would go Green Man. The line up is just so incredible. Iron and Wine headlining a festival is always great. Sam Beam is probably my favourite lyricist. One of my favourite memories of that strange year, 2009, was flying back from London to Ireland after a request to support Iron and Wine in my favourite venue in Dublin, The Olympia, and Sam came out on stage after my set and the first thing that he said was that he thought I was fantastic, which was incredible. Meeting him afterwards was amazing. He’s the loveliest man and has a great group of people around him. I think he’s the best songwriter/lyricist on the planet. Nobody’s lyrics make me confused and intrigued like that.

So apart from Sam Beam who would you say you draw your influences from when writing or performing your music?

That’s a broad question. My influences come from everywhere. The records I’ve been listening to this year are like James Blake, not just because of the press comparison early on. I think it’s a really lovely piece of work. There’s a record that came out by this Canadian guy called The Weekend that came out about a month ago which has elements of old 90’s ambient and then there’s Wye Oak, a two piece band from America, they’re incredible. So I listen to everything. Just because I play folk music doesn't mean that’s all I listen too. I think it would be really pointless and disappointing only to listen to just folk. If I met somebody and found out that all they listened to was the same kind of music that they played I’d be really sad. I find it interesting when people find out how I learn how to record music because of my fascination with hip hop with people like The Neptune’s, Timberland and the first N.E.R.D record. People say that it doesn't make any sense, but why not?

So do you think you’ll ever dip into the hip hop genre?

I think that I make music that I am supposed to make. At some point that may change. For the second record it will be definitely different than the first album. How that will manifest itself I don’t really know. What I do really like is people taking my songs and pulling them apart and putting it back together. I’ve actually asked quite a few people to do exactly that. There have been two remixes of my songs so far. The first remix is by an English guy call Starsling, who I’m a massive fan of , he took my first track If I had a Boat and turned it into a mid 90’s R n’ B slow jam. It’s really great. There was quite a polarising reaction to it which is why I did it and I think he’s just fantastic. There was another remix made of my tack We Don’t Eat by a Canadian dub step duo called Adventure Club, and turned it into something completely different. The reaction was crazy. Everyone was like “What the fuck!” Someone sent me a link to how far and wide it had gotten in the week since it had been put up on the internet. It had like 300,000 plays and featured on something like 500 blogs. It was ridiculous. It has really seemed to have struck a chord which is exactly what I want. The people who were slightly fearful of that kind of remix thought it was great because essentially Adventure Club took my song, pulled it apart, changed its context and did their own thing to it. Its genius

2011-05-08T07:23:00.001-07:00