Cold in Berlin

A little later than usual, thanks to a heavy weekend mostly spent with the lovely and newly introduced Dance Magic Dance girls and friends. So, onto a band who I stumbled on a few months ago and instantly fell in love with. They are Cold in Berlin. And next Monday their debut album ‘Give Me Walls’ is released, picking up some much deserved coverage with a 5 star review in Artrocker and an 8/10 in Loud and Quiet. And I’m lucky enough to have a promo of the album here, which I’ve had stuck on repeat for the last month or so. But this isn’t an album review, I’ll leave that to the experts, I just want to talk about why I love their sound and why this band has the ability to really draw you in.

Growling vocals, heavy bass lines, tight drum beats and vicious guitar lines. There are hints of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at their most visceral here - think ‘Art Star’ - but Cold in Berlin are more rock than garage punk. And so I’d loosely mention the rawness of ‘Surfer Rosa’ era Pixies. It’s a sound that really jars with the listener. But there’s more than just raw passion and intensity here. On ‘White Horse’, which for me is one of the stand-out tracks on the album, they approach the song with more patience then on some of their more thundering tracks, giving both guitar and vocals a little more room to breathe. Overall a much stronger song progression, with ‘Loud Quiet Loud’ thrown in. ‘Break My Bones’ is another favourite of mine, really showcasing the driving guitar lines and lead singer Maya who’s ferocity comes through on record, with her abrasive rasping vocal style.

Cold in Berlin - White Horse

Cold in Berlin - Break My Bones

The album captures their sound well, but Cold in Berlin are at their best - their most brutal, passionate and energetic - live. Far from the kind of band that remains static throughout much of a performance, the band often find themselves strewn throughout the venue as their set goes on. My first experience of them saw lead singer Maya clearing a way through a packed audience, the gaze of the room fixated on her every move as she snarled and screeched, repeating the line ‘Nothing really does it for me these days’, and falling to her knees. Later, wrapping the mic lead around a group of unsuspecting audience members and tugging them back towards the stage. This is a band that knows how to perform. As I leave the venue I’m nearly on edge, buzzing with excitement, and I want more. Catch their live album launch at the Old Blue Last this Friday (26th).

Live Review: LCMDF

Last night I was at Old Blue Last to see the band formerly known at Le Corps Mince de Françoise, now LCMDF. They’re a band I know well, not only as musicians but as individuals too. Almost 2 years ago, I spent some time with them as part of a release I was working on. Back then, in many ways, they were a different band. Originally a 3 piece, including sisters Emma and Mia along with best friend Malin, hailing from Finland, they burst onto the scene in 2008, picking up rave reviews in early 2009 from Dazed & Confused, Artrocker, the Guardian and just about anybody with ears.

From the very start they had something special about them, an instant rush of energy in their sound. They reminded me of the shock you felt when listening to bands such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Le Tigre and CSS for the first time. I met up with the band one cold rainy evening in February 09. A live set first - all that ferocity had me on a high for the rest of the night - and then we spent the evening discussing ideas, music, passions and even the Eurovision Song Contest. That same energy that ran through their sound was also at the heart of who they were, such intriguing creatures - wild, enigmatic, involved, thoughtful, intelligent, on the edge, and all so full of character.

But then it changed. The expected releases never came. The inital buzz around the band died down. It slowly became clear that they were now continuing as a 2 piece, with Malin departing the band. Then came the new material. A very definite shift. What was once fast-paced electro pop with a garge/punk edge was now pure pop. The best way I can illustrate this is by drawing on two songs. The first is the original version of one of their break through tracks ‘Cool and Bored’, the second is a re-worked version as LCMDF.

Le Corps Mince De Francoise - Cool And Bored

LCMDF - Cool And Bored

There are interesting elements in this new version, but I miss that old ferocity. I didn’t follow them in the same way as I had previously. But when I saw they were back in the UK, I had to see them live. I was apprehensive, but in a way I was also looking forward to it. There were some questions that still needed answering.

They threw themselves straight into their set with an upbeat track. It wasn’t familiar to me - I didn’t expect much of the material to be. Emma always had a strong voice, and it really shone last night. Much more than it ever had previously. Mia can sing too, but all eyes were on Emma up there as she took a hold of the stage, practically bouncing off the walls, grinning from ear to ear. This didn’t feel like the same band I’d seen almost 2 years ago. The energy and passion was still there, but that wild angst had been swapped for some sort of extreme expressive happiness. It was hard to swallow. I didn’t want to like it, but by the end of most songs I found myself tapping along uncontrollably. The audience seemed to really react to it too, pockets breaking out into dance and enough cheers to see an encore with upcoming single ‘Ghandi’ given another outing. They do still have something about them, that’s undeniable.

It’s hard for me to judge their new sound, because it’s not a style of music that grips me. The punk edge is pretty much gone and they really are a pop band now. I spoke to Emma at the end of the end of the night, a quick chat about both the past and the future. She was pleased that I saw a real change in their sound, they want to move away from what they were before. She told me that their old sound just wasn’t sustainable, though (sadly) there wasn’t the time to discuss this further.

I’m not sure I agree, but unlike many other bands they haven’t fallen into the trap of churning out the same music over and over. It’s certainly true that their older material was much less complex, with no real layering there. Pulsating, energetic and edgy. I loved it. But I can’t begrudge them evolving as a band and bringing more maturity to their sound. There are positives in that. But they’ve still lost a lot of what I once loved about them, and I’m not won over yet.

I walked away with many of their songs buzzing around in my head. So I leave it open, make your own mind up.

Le Corps Mince De Francoise - Bitch Of The Bitches

OR

LCMDF - Take Me To the Mountains

The Neat

And back to the comfort of guitars. This next band are probably one of my big tips for 2011. The Neat are a proper post punk band. Rawness, speed, simplicity, attitude and a sound that is driving forward not backwards. I get excited everytime I stumble on something calling itself post punk, because what that should mean is that they’re taking the ideas of punk forward somewhere, not rehashing them. Sadly, there are too few bands that get it right. It’s a difficult balance - respect the past, never look back - but The Neat are moving in a good direction. They’re already drawing comparisons with Gang of Four and in particular The Fall, with an edge to lead singer Merrick Sanders-Green’s vocals that reminds of Mark E Smith. It’s tag I can see following them around for sometime - a negative and a positive rolled into one. It’s irrelevant to me though. These guys may only herald from Hull but I hear a lot more Richard Hell and the Voidoids along with hints of The Modern Lovers in their sound. I was brought up on US punk though, so I’ll always steer that way.

One of their strongest tracks to date is ‘In Youth is Pleasure’, which drives straight in with one of the tightest drum beats I’ve heard in a long time, no fussing around, this is 2 minutes 26 seconds of fast paced, guitar-centric post punk at it’s best.

The Neat - In Youth Is Pleasure

The Neat - Ode To Joy

From Reading 2009, this is a great little illustration of what The Neat are all about. The attitude almost oozes from these boys on stage, but more importantly they back that up with some great musicianship. Buzzing guitars, quick/tight drum beats, and babbling vocals. They’ve got it all. And I love them.

We are Enfant Terrible

After two guitar bands, we’re going a little electronic today. French trio We are Enfant Terrible play electro infused indie rock with some 8-bit Nintendo (yes) bleeps thrown in. Okay, so there is some guitar here too, but then they mix it into their sound in a very different way to my previous 2 guests. Everything sounds very much digitised here, and while I’d usually hate this, somehow they blend it all together in such a way that it works - without sounding overtly pop or losing it’s rock edge. Lead singer Clo Floret’s voice may go some of the way to explaining this, with her detached Kim Gordon-esque (of Sonic Youth for those not in the know) vocals cutting nicely against the music.

If I’m honest, I don’t think they’re quite there yet, but I think they have ‘something’. Enough to make me come back and listen to them. I guess what makes them difficult is that they’re neither quite electro, nor rock or even indie. They sit somewhere in between it all. But they are talented and I’d suggest keeping an eye on them.

Snap Dragon by we are enfant terrible

Flesh ‘n’ Blood Kids by we are enfant terrible

Civil Civic

Okay, part two. And before I talk a little about Civil Civic, I’d like to tell you why I’m here. I love music, I mean really love it, it’s such a powerful influence in my life. Ever since the day I asked my father to introduce me to some bands and he handed me Sonic Youth’s Dirty and Pixies’ Surfer Rosa. It changed me forever. I use music in my own work, it inspires, fuels the imagination and brings out certain emotions. I can’t even concentrate in silence anymore. So in a way, all this is a kind of journey for me. And I have an end goal, but we’ll get to that another day.

Right, this time we’re gonna look a little closer to home. Two Aussies, one based in Barcelona, the other in London. One guitar, one bass, a drum machine, no vocals and a load of synths. This is Civil Civic. And they make a lot of noise, good noise, crafted noise. It’s the kind of music that really hits you hard on first listening. It’s such a simple formula in many ways, but there’s an intricacy here too, which is why I’d loosely reference Sonic Youth. Their best songs are similarly immersive, layered, with fluid changes in direction, and crucially a real drive behind them. Trust me, there’s something special about these guys.

Run Overdrive by Civil Civic

Their first album “1”, which you can pick up digitally for as little as £1 here, features some pretty mesmerizing tracks including favourite Less Unless - check out the live video below. And one last thing, their blog is absolutely immense. Read it.

Screaming Females

First up are New Jersey three-piece Screaming Females, who I was lucky enough to catch live at the Luminaire a couple of weeks back. I remember seeing a diminutive fierce looking girl in the cloak room area selling merchandise, little did I know would I see her (Marissa Paternoster) striding on stage as the headline act’s lead guitarist and singer. The visual impact was jarring, and boy was she one hell of a guitarist. We’re talking old school guitar solos at their best, in the vein of Jimmy Page. This girl is ridiculously talented. And her voice too, I won’t easily forget those ear piercing screams.

In a way they remind me of early Yeah Yeah Yeahs (pre Show Your Bones), but more in spirit than in sound. They excite me in the same way, it’s the kind of music that doesn’t hold back. And after that show, without a doubt, they’re my new favourite band.

‘I Don’t Mind’ is a good little introduction to their sound, but it’s ‘Bell’ that really captures the essence of the band, showcasing Marissa’s guitar work and vocal power.

Screaming Females - I Don’t Mind It

  Screaming Females - Bell

Still, Screaming Females full impact is only really apparent at their live shows. And here’s a ferocious little taster. Wait for the explosion around 1.40 and the solo a minute or so later: