R2OK!

Cherskiy

A shortened programme this week because the clocks went forward at 0100, effectively chopping off the last hour of Bob’s show – this never happened before he was shunted back an hour to accommodate RB! Still, there was time to include a smashing acoustic set in the second hour by blues guitarist Aynsley Lister.

The Shins have been tipped by Bob for success during 2007: I had heard several of their songs on a number of American Internet radio sites last year and felt the same. “Split Needles” from “Wincing the Night Away”, their third album, features the vocal talents of James Mercer together with the band’s trademark lyrics (weird yet understandable), tight compositions and almost folk-like accompaniment – despite playing what is undoubtedly indie pop. Both their previous albums (“Chutes Too Narrow” and “Oh Inverted World”) were held to critical acclaim and this offering justifies the previous praise – nothing has been done to change a winning formula, all the band have done is tighten things up a bit.
Viva Voce’s “Wrecking Ball” kicked off with a thumping bass line and distinctive yet quietly soothing female vocals. Sounding like a slightly subdued version of Lush’s Miki Berenyi but more like Joy Zipper, this husband and wife act from Portland apparently produce this sort of ambient pop for fun. A couple of previous albums didn’t seem to make a great impact, though on the strength of this particular track I may try to search them out. Both Viva Voce and The Shins are touring the UK at the moment.
Bob advised his audience to listen closely to the lyrics of “Endoscopies”, the opening track taken from Yoriyos’ debut album “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”. Simple, understated vocals with minimal accompaniment from guitar and drums emphasised a life lesson in verse. He sounds American (indeed, his website features native North American Indian culture) but comes from North London – in fact he is Yusuf Islam’s son, although this is not advertised anywhere.
I listened with interest to “The Coracle” The Dials from their eponymously titled album, the track leaning heavily on its psychedelic influences with a fair bit of lap steel thrown in for good measure and what sounds like the tape giving up the ghost and rewinding at the end. The Dials are another band which seems to channel the likes of Pink Floyd and The Byrds to good effect.
The Primary Five are another new band for me: although a contemporary outfit (with an ex-member of The Soupdragons and Teenage Fan Club), they also channel the late sixties rather effectively in “Off Course”, from a forthcoming album simply called “Go”, the featured track including good harmonies and understated yet worthwhile guitar.
I am a fairly recent convert to The Cowboy Junkies, largely through the efforts of Bob in recent months, who has played a number of tracks from their albums “The Trinity Sessions”, “The Caution Horses” and this track in particular, “Brand New World” from their April release “At The End of Paths Taken”. Simply acoustic music at its very best, the song features Margo Timmins’ sultry yet delicate vocals, combined with brothers Pete and Michael on drums and guitar. Another of the success stories from Toronto, the Junkies pre-date many of the more recent emerging artists from the city who have featured on Bob’s show of late, since they have been recording for at least 21 years and have a back catalogue of some 15 albums.
Following on from the Junkies was a similar backing sound from the Great Lake Swimmers, “Where In The World Are You” from their album “Ongaria” demonstrating another Toronto band’s talent in the realms of acoustic indie music, almost haunting folk-pop. Tony Dekker’s vocals almost struggle against mournful tales of woe, angst and geography but ultimately succeed in delivering: he has been compared to Nick Drake and David Byrne. “Ongaria” is their third album from the Swimmers, who are touring the UK next month – I may just have to buy a ticket for their Newcastle gig.

Bob featured a track by Aynsley Lister a couple of weeks ago, this young yet prolific British electric blues guitarist having produced something like seven albums to date in a career spanning less than a decade. As a prelude to the live set, Bob played “Getaway” from his latest album “Upside Down”, showcasing his strong vocals and vibrant guitar work. Sounding more mature than his years, he explained how it was one of the last tracks he wrote for the album. An initial conversation regarding his work on the Blues Caravan Project told of an almost surreal exposure to a dirty, smelly recording studio in heartland America together with ‘half-cut’ session players in a studio he described as being more like an abandoned newsagents shop! Aynsley explained that he had modified a track off the new album for the first of his two live offerings, “Disorderly Me” being a bit of an autobiographical song, since he concedes he’s not the most organised person in the world. Foregoing the electric guitar and his backing band for an acoustic guitar and toned-down vocals, he demonstrated just how good his vocals and guitar is, even stripped down. I suspect that a gig devoted to this style of arrangement would go down equally well as his normal output. He confessed that the ‘blues’ label can be a bit of a millstone when it comes to record companies, and he has tried to move a little away from this in recent releases, although he never really does so. Now he just labels it differently so it appeals to the record companies. Caught in the middle between blues and rock – purists from both ends of the spectrum can’t see an amalgamation of the two working – doesn’t seem to have hindered his career, though, especially given the amount of touring he does. Influenced by his father’s love of John Lee Hooker, Howling Wolf and his contemporaries, Aynsley was given an electric guitar at a fairly early age and started imitating his dad’s heroes. Now he is inspired by the raft of bands that actually play guitar rather than rely on technology. The second offering was an unashamed plug for the new album, “Rain” being written on a rainy day about eighteen months ago (he admitted the title wasn’t exactly the most imaginative one he could have come up with!). Yet another helping of excellent acoustic work, the guitar riffs in “Rain” almost reminded me of rain itself, this song also being specially modified for Bob’s show. Aynsley is yet another artist that would no doubt go down well on the normal R2 play list (in either electric or acoustic guise), if only the producers would go that extra mile.

Next week’s live set is by Scott Matthews, and Bob featured “Passing Strangers” from his eponymously titled album by way of an advert for next week’s show. Hailed as one of the best singer-songwriters to come out of Britain recently, going by this offering the critics aren’t far wrong: warm lyrics which are delivered in an understated yet effective fashion together with simple but welcoming accompaniment.
“If You Come To Greet Me” is the debut album by Laura Gibson, from which Bob featured the track “Broken Bottle”. With influences including The Cowboy Junkies, Gillian Welch, Sufjan Stevens and Patti Griffiths, it was no surprise to me that Laura Gibson would be an exponent of simple but beautifully written and performed acoustic songs. “Broken Bottle” is no exception, a gorgeous rendition of what may well be a traditional arrangement.
Last week I suggested that it wouldn’t be long before Rosie Thomas was heard on Bob’s show again, and I didn’t have to wait long before being proved correct. This week saw him playing Stevie Nicks' song “Songbird” from her new album “These Friends Of Mine”. This song simply echoed what I said about last weekend’s offering and I suspect we’ll hear more in future.
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Author: “To the Ends of the Earth: A Snapshot of Aviation in North-Eastern Siberia, Summer 1992”
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