Vastness, there's a vastness...

Move over Mr Rouse, there's a new Josh in town vying for stereo time chez On The Trail.

I first heard about Josh Pyke a few months back, when someone on the Michael Penn mailing list (a source for many of my musical finds over the last few years) tipped everyone off about a tune called Middle Of The Hill:



I'm guessing the above version was created to accompany the UK release of the single, as the original one from a couple of years ago is also floating around.

As fate would have it, when I had another look at his Myspace page a short while later, it turned out he was playing at a venue just down the road from me that very weekend. One fantastic gig later and the acquisition of his recently released UK debut 'Memories & Dust', and I was convinced I had stumbled upon an artist who's got a great future among my personal list of songwriting gods if nothing else.

The album is a must for anyone with a love for hook-laden pop gems - a cross between his fellow Antipodeans Neil Finn (melodically) and Darren Hanlon (for the occasional quirks) is the closest I've got to a decent summary of his songwriting prowess.

Such is the wealth of possible hits on the album, the record company has seemingly got around the problem of picking just one or two by releasing all of the radio-friendly fare as singles. Hence alongside Middle Of The Hill, there are similarly inventive videos for Private Education, Lines On Palms and my personal favourite, Memories & Dust:

The brilliance of the Memories & Dust album was hinted at on his previous release, the mini-album Feeding The Wolves, the original home to Middle Of The Hill. However, while much of the material on that record can tend to wash over you without leaving much trace, there is one absolute belter, in the shape of 'Goldmines'. The Finn and Hanlon comparisons drop away at this stage and we enter into the territory The Mutton Birds' chief songwriter Don McGlashan laid out on his classic songs such as White Valiant and Too Close To The Sun - driving through a barren countryside to a backdrop of some unspoken darkness:

Vastness, there's a vastness,
and it looks empty... but it's really full up to the brim.
And you can taste it, like a battery on your tongue,
electricity passing particle, to particle, to particle /

Car ride, we'll take a car ride,
out to the country, to see the goldmines.
See where that hill ends? That's where it all began,
and it was teeming then, now it's a fucking wasteland.

Add to that a melody to die for, and that glorious descending waterfall of vocals that close the song, and you're left with something very special indeed.

MP3: Josh Pyke - Goldmines

Buy Memories And Dust

Buy Feeding the Wolves

Do me a favour, open the door, let 'em in...

Blimey, is it June already? Must be time for a few random thoughts, this time prompted by some upcoming action from some old favourites.

The new Crowded House album is less than a month away, which is of course a fine, fine thing indeed. Anyone who knows me will appreciate how exciting the prospect is of a new set of songs from the master himself, Mr Neil Finn. The brilliant video for the comeback single Don't Stop Now is a work of genius. I'm desperately trying to avoid the leaked album tracks that are doing the rounds - this is going to be one those 'event' releases, one that demands a sit-down-in-a-darkened-room-with-the-volume-right-up, listen-from-start-to-finish kind of attitude. I don't find the need to do that too often nowadays... But if the idea of a Crowded House revival floats your boat too, here's an old rarity to tide you over til 'Time On Earth' hits the shops at the start of July:

MP3: Crowded House - Most Unwanted (live)

Pre-order 'Time On Earth' from amazon.co.uk


Macca's back as well, and, given how fantastic his last record was (2005's 'Chaos & Creation In The Backyard'), expectations are high for 'Memory Almost Full'. Hoping for a career best is obviously a little optimistic, but here's the standard he needs to look at trying to match:

MP3: Wings - Let 'Em In

Buy 'Wingspan: Hits and History' from amazon.co.uk

Or indeed pick up 'Memory Almost Full'

Or even treat yourself to 'Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard'


And last but by no means least, a little bit of Scott Walker activity, as the hugely anticipated '30 Century Man' doco eventually comes to Leeds for a handful of showings at the Hyde Park Picture House in the middle of June. An edited version was shown on TV recently, which whetted the appetite. Just acquired a copy of the lost classic and nigh-on impossible to find 'Till The Band Comes In' (occasionally referred to as 'should-have-been-Scott-5'), which has some crackers on it, not least the stunning title track:

MP3: Scott Walker - Till The Band Comes In

Amazon can sort you out with a copy of 'Boy Child - the Best of 1967-1970'

One day they'll go faster than Superman...

So... I wasn't going to use this blog for plugging my own music, but seeing as Last Night's TV have just unleashed a track that we're all incredibly proud of, I thought it worthy of a mention...

Funnily enough, on the very weekend we're playing a gig to plug our brand new free download-only single 'Monaco', the actual Monaco Grand Prix is taking place. I should mention at this point that no one in the band has even the slightest interest in motor racing (hence the timing being a mere coincidence), and the song only uses the race as a backdrop to a romance. Not particularly macho, but there you go. If you like your indie-pop a little melancholic and string-laden, give it a go.

Download MP3: Monaco (right-click and save as)

Alternatively, have a listen over at the Last Night's TV Myspace page, where you can also find details of upcoming gigs etc.

Hello traffic helicopter morning...

Great Overlooked Albums #2

The Exponents - Better Never Than Late



If known outside NZ at all, The Exponents (or Dance Exponents as they were originally known) are probably best known for 80s hit 'Victoria', which found itself in the top 10 of APRA's recent 100 Best NZ Songs vote.

My knowledge of them extends no further than a handful of hits and, more importantly, an absolute gem of an album called 'Better Never Than Late' from 1997. This being around the time when I was still in my mildly obsessive phase of anything linked to the Finn Brothers and their erstwhile Split Enz colleagues (no matter how vague the link), this album, produced by none other than Enz keyboard maestro Eddie Rayner, was pre-destined to have a place in my CD racks.

Song-wise it's a fantastic collection, from the sleazy rock of 'Shouldn't Be Allowed' to the Mutton Birds-y radio-friendly 'One In A Lifetime', through drop-dead gorgeous ballad 'Come And Go', to the almost Crowded House-like 'You Started Me Thinking' (well, Crowded House in 'Locked Out' mode perhaps). Great songs, great album.

I found my copy in a second-hand shop in Reading, so presumably it had a UK release of sorts. A quick spot of Googling throws up very little about the album, and none of the obvious online retailers (even eBay) appear to have any copies. If you can track it down though, it's definitely worth a listen. More info on the band can be found here, and singer Jordan Luck's latest project can be found here.

MP3: The Exponents - One In A Lifetime

MP3: The Exponents - Come And Go

RIP Slough Record Centre

Despite moving away from my home town of Slough a decade ago to the slightly (ha!) more vibrant charms of Leeds, I'll still be mourning at the end of this month when my number one childhood haunt, the Slough Record Centre, closes its doors for the last time.

Pretty much the only even half-decent independent record shop for miles around, heaven only knows how much time I spent in there when I was young.

The earliest purchase I remember making in there was the Shakin' Stevens single 'Lipstick, Powder and Paint', but the shop would later give rise to my Crowded House and Fountains Of Wayne obsessions, among other things.

I popped in for the last time when I was down south at Easter, and overheard one of the staff telling a customer that the downturn in trade was all down to the internet. While this may be so, I can't help but think they didn't really try and do anything to combat it. A quick Google search suggests that they've never set up a website to try and diversify a bit (although is there actually a music scene in Slough you can, say, sell tickets for?) - the likes of Crash and Jumbo in Leeds are fantastic examples of how indie stores can exist and maybe even flourish in the current climate, but then Leeds has the student backbone that Slough doesn't.

Aside from one major rejig of its interior, the SRC still resembles something from the '70s, and I suspect a fair amount of the stock hasn't changed since then either.

As in my schooldays, my last visit focused on the bargain bin. I picked out some good stuff, including the Divine Comedy's 'Diva Lady' single, a Finn Brothers single I didn't have (yup, the b-side was probably the millionth live recording of 'Weather With You', but, you know, for the sake of completeness and all that...), and a very unexpected find in the shape of Sondre Lerche's 'Two Way Monologue EP'. I've been very much enjoying Mr Lerche's new album, so it was nice to get hold of some older stuff. Among the tracks is, aptly for this post, the excellent Days That Are Over.

Nice one SRC, and thanks.

MP3: Sondre Lerche - Days That Are Over

Buy the Two Way Monologue album from Amazon.co.uk...

...or, er, alternatively from your local record store!!!

I will carve you in marble...

After the positive feedback from the recent Nik Kershaw piece, my next Idiot's Guide is now online. This time I've looked at the career of someone I consider to be one of the true demi-gods of pop, Tim Finn.

Head on over to Jefitoblog to read the article.

I'll shake the dust off of my feet...

Great Overlooked Albums #1

Geneva - Weather Underground

Having appeared at the tail end of Britpop with their debut Further, Geneva immediately stood out as a result of the extraordinary vocal talents of Andrew Montgomery and a bucketload of amazing songs too - singles Into The Blue, No One Speaks and career best Tranquillizer more than equalling anything else to be released in those heady times.

So how come their follow-up, 2000's brilliant Weather Underground, was so overlooked? A concept record in all but name, the themes of space travel and the state of the world give the songs a poignant edge, and their previous straightforward indie-rock stylings - seen here on single Dollars In The Heavens - are balanced out by the more reflective likes of If You Have To Go.

While their fellow countrymen Travis were selling millions of albums of by-numbers guitar pop, Geneva were producing tracks like the stunning Museum Mile, the album's centrepiece and beating heart. It didn't catch on, and they split up soon after.

Thankfully, the now Brighton-based Montgomery is still putting his choirboy voice to good use in St Famous


MP3: Dollars In The Heavens

MP3: If You Have To Go

MP3: Museum Mile


And as a bonus...

MP3: Tranquillizer (from Further)

A couple of other tracks from the debut album can currently be found here