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Spider Mike King – The Blood River Sessions EP Review.

Spider Mike King is the latest artist to come out of the busy doors of Bladnoch’s Distilled Records with an EP under his arm, and what an EP it is.

Originally from Manchester, Spider Mike is one of the unsung heroes of the city’s music scene, shunning the limelight even though his illustrious history of collaborations suggests he should be basking in it. He’s worked with Bruce Mitchell (Durutti Column), Martin Hannett (Producer of Joy Division), Paul Burgess (10cc), and even Nico (Velvet Underground).

One of the reasons Spider Mike King might not be as well-known as he almost certainly should be is that his work standards are brilliantly high, and if in his view the work isn’t right, no deal is done, and it’s back to the drawing board. The lust for perfection that he has in regards to his music serves as a welcome parallel to many of the current artists on the scene, who appear only interested in making a quick buck; not great, timeless music.

With a sound more suited to the southern states of America than the southernmost distillery in Scotland, the opening track on the EP, and lead single, Grapes of Wrath, is the perfect introduction to the Spider Mike sound; the sharp strumming and laid back bass complimenting the King’s rusty voice perfectly.

What’s particularly interesting about The Blood River Sessions is the variety in tone between the five tracks. Last Chance Saloon appears to be an apology to a lost friend, and shows a softer side to a man who’s notorious for his “charmingly menacing company”, whereas All Fade Away is a fire bellied track which is as powerful as it is beautiful.

To sum up, The Blood River Sessions is another excellently crafted EP that will keep lifelong fans of Spider Mike content, and hopefully garner him some new ones too!

When it comes to making music it seems; Spider Mike is certainly still King.

Pepperjam

Taxi to Whitby

Distilled Records

“Taxi to Whitby” is the second release on fledgling, Scottish label “Distilled Records” and it does not disappoint. The artists behind the album are “Pepperjam”, a three-piece “rootsy soul” outfit that started playing together half a decade ago in 2005.

The band apparently hail from East-Yorkshire, but you’d never guess, with Lorry Dowling, the lead vocals, sounding like a new and improved version of Seal. His voice is without a shadow of a doubt the most impressive I’ve heard in quite some time, and the opening track, “Look at us Now”, showcases it perfectly, blending effortlessly with the soft guitar to give the song a relaxed, chilled feel that makes you just want to sit back and smile.

The second track, “These Days”, is by far my favourite on the album. It sounds like the lovechild of UB40 and Jamiroquai, mixing great percussion and Dowling’s tremendous voice to brilliant effect. The third track, “Seen you coming”, starts off as a more downbeat song, but the tempo picks up and drops several times throughout, keeping you on your toes so you don’t get bored.

“Heavy Steps”, the fourth song on the album, is the first time that the pace really drops. You get the feeling that the band have had their fair share of hard knocks from this song; something not touched upon in the more upbeat numbers, but it’s a nice change, and shows that the band have variety too, a talent often neglected in the modern industry.

But just when you think you’ve got Pepperjam pinned down as a funky-soul outift, they go and throw a curveball and your view of them changes again! “Wide World”, the fifth track, does just this. It echoes Oasis in my opinion, with Dowling’s voice taking on a laddish tone and the guitar’s strong chords suiting it excellently. The confident piano and drums only further add to the effect, and yet, just as you’ve got used to this style of music, they change again! The next track, “Too Hasty”, sounding like it was crafted with King Tubby or Lee Perry in their Dub studios!

“Done it Now” is another slow but cool number, similar in style to “Seen you Coming”, and the witty lyrics which seem to be addressing an ex remind me of The Beautiful South. Right off the back of this one however, the band change style again. “Nothing There” is possibly the darkest track on the record, with lyrics such as “There’s nothing there/it’s a featureless land” contributing to an image of death and destruction that none of the other songs touch upon. It’s by no means a bad thing however, and the change in theme as well as style make it one of the standout tracks on the album in my opinion.

“Into the Light” continues this darkened theme, and although a lot of praise has to be given to the band for offering a mix of emotions on the record, “Call Time” is a welcome listen when it comes on the stereo, as the tempo, and overall feel of the song, is definitely a lot perkier, with Dowling especially sounding much happier when singing about “finding a better place”. The final track, “Little Boats”, ensures the album ends on a high taking you full circle to another relaxing, chilled song that doesn’t fail to raise a smile.

Even big acts are too scared to change their style for just one song at the moment, so when a band as infantile as Pepperjam are doing it on every song it’s a welcome blast of fresh air! You know you’re never going to get bored as you’re never sure what direction they’re going to take you in next, and if you don’t like one of the songs, you’ll probably love the next! That’s how much variety there is on this record!

It’s this constant variety and change in tone that makes the album so special in my opinion, and Pepperjam deserve an awful lot of praise for it. Well done.

Al Price

Blues Is The Roots (Everything Else Is The Fruits)

Distilled Records

Al Price is the latest artist plying his trade on the Bladnoch based, fledgling record company Distilled Records; and what a fantastic artist he is. The title of the album, “Blues is the Roots”, should hopefully give you some idea of what this musician specialises in, and if it’s blues your after, it does not disappoint.

Opening with “Christo Redemptor”, the song sounds like it was made in a Louisiana bayou, blending a slow bass with a harmonica (or ‘moothie’ as Al likes to call it) that’d go down a storm in any jazz club I can think of.

The second track on the other hand, “Paddyline Special”, has a distinctively more Celtic feel to it, and is a rip-roaring solo effort from the man, Al. It shows that although he sounds brilliant with a backing band, he can cut it as a lone figure too.

“Afro Blues” is another collective effort, and the introduction of a trombone into the mix is a welcome addition! Starting off with Al’s trademark moothie blast and a tinkling of piano, the song keeps you guessing throughout, with a series of peaks, troughs and false starts that has you begging for more.

“Hector the Hero” is a much more subdued attempt, and it puts an image in my mind of a serene, Scottish glen. “All Blues” on the other hand, takes you right back to the Mississippi by doing just what it says on the tin, and giving you five minutes of unadulterated jazz and blues pleasure.

Track number six, “A Man’s a Man”, stands out in the album for being one of the very few with lyrics. John “Sparra” Gardiner offers a delightful poetry recital over the top of a steady drum beat, making it one of the least blues songs on the album, but showing in the process Al’s talent for mixing things up a little.

“Little Star” takes on more of a Caribbean tone, making it one of the funkier numbers on the record. The piano sounds like it has come straight out of Cuba, and the intricate guitar work sounds like they‘ve got Jimi Hendrix on board for the ride! This is of stark contrast to the next track, “Rolling Stone”, which is a much more down tuned effort that resembles the work of his record mate, Steve Dowling.

“Lament for the Kerry Fisherman” is the longest track on the album, but not once do you feel it has gone too far. The sorrowful harmonica makes you feel that this song means an awful lot to Al, and the reluctance of the musicians to crash the drums helps the song in creating a powerful, moving atmosphere.

The final two on the album however, leave you on a high. “Devil’s Elbow” has such a funky bass line that it’s near impossible not to click your fingers and bop your head when you’re listening to it, and the quick pace created by the drums makes it difficult not to get up and dance! “Thanks a million…” on the other hand, is a cheeky goodbye from the main musicians on the album, and makes sure that when the record stops spinning, you’re smiling.

In my opinion, this is a fantastic, first solo effort from a brilliantly talented blues musician, and I truly hope to hear more from him soon.

Steve Dowling & The Obliviates

Urchin

Distilled Records

After listening to debut album “Angels, Saints and Aeroplanes” a couple of months back, I was immediately converted to the Steve Dowling cause. It takes a special kind of artist to be able to change the expression on your face with every track switch, but Steve does it with ease. And now the man is back, with a brand new album and a brand new band.

“Urchin” is the name of the second album. Recorded live at Unit 7 in Bladnoch almost all in one go, you can’t ask for a more musically honest record. No overdubbing; no messing around; everything as they played it that day.

The album opens with “Mongrel”, a punkier track that throws away the plinky, folk strings of the first album in favour of a more aggressive chord approach, and it’s a great track to open with in my opinion, as it brilliantly showcases the change in style “The Obliviates” seemed to of brought to proceedings.

Next up however, is “How You Curse”, and it’s back to basics for Mr. Dowling with a slow, soulful ballad that has all the hallmarks of his first album on it. But this is one of the only points where the pace drops, as immediately after it you’re thrown head first into “Dogs of Love”, which when it gets going (about mid-way through) is one of the strongest tracks on the album.

“Grace Darling” is another storm of a track. The steady beat through the verses and then the crash of the symbols for the chorus are absolute genius in my opinion, and it really does seem that Steve is enjoying himself on the track, with his vocals hitting a wide array of notes throughout.

“Urchin Child” and “Face of Jesus” are poles apart in their musical style, the first being more akin to the new, rockier attitude of Steve’s work with the Obliviates, yet the latter shows that Steve hasn’t forgotten his soul-folk roots.

The final three on the album seem to fully embrace the new direction with which Steve Dowling and The Obliviates appear to be going; and it’s no bad thing. They’ve not left the folk behind completely, as the first half of  “Face Down” shows, but it does appear that there is a definite emphasis on the heavier stuff.

In my opinion, this is an absolutely fantastic second effort from one of the finest artists I’ve heard in a long time. Steve could of just stuck with what he knew worked with this album, but instead he brought in a whole new band and experimented with a heavier sound that really seems to of paid off, and for that they need congratulating. Bravo.

Steve Dowling

Angels, Saints and Aeroplanes

Distilled Records

Steve Dowling. Have you heard of him? Chances are you haven’t, but that’s all about to change with “Angels, Saints and Aeroplanes”, his first release with new label “Distilled Records”.

Effortlessly blending gentle, folk guitars with a lyrical honesty that belongs in soul, Steve shows on “Angels…” that it’s never too late to start making great music. He himself only starting to perform solo at 56!

The album opens with “Can’t let go”, a heart warming tribute to days gone by that brilliantly exhibits Mr. Dowlings vocal prowess. But it’s track number two, “Angels, Saints and Aeroplanes”, that takes the prize for best song in my opinion. The upbeat tempo caused by the stringy guitar playing never fails to put a smile on your face, and it’s the kind of song you can imagine going down a treat when played live.

The third song on the album shows that Steve can take on a more serious tone too. A tribute to the last survivors of the Great War, he fantastically re-works Wilfred Owen’s “Dolce et Decorum”, creating a song that is both powerful and moving.

“Superman” is another stand out performance for me, with it’s confident bass line and witty lyrics, it’s a real foot stomper, and it reminds me a little of Tom Wait’s “Goin’ out west”.

The last four songs on the album are a lot more personal, as they’re a tribute to Steve’s long time friend Simon Dick, who passed away “too young”. “Railroad” and “Cook in the Kitchen” are the result of a couple of hours recording with him just before he fell ill; “The Little Things” and “Sweet Fire” on the other hand being wrote in his memory.

If you like artists such as “Seasick Steve” and “Tom Waits”, give this album a go, you definitely won’t regret it. Top songs for me are “Angels, Saints and Aeroplanes” and “Superman”, but “Christmas Lights” and “Railroad” are well up there too.

All in all, a fantastic solo effort from an equally as fantastic local talent. I look forward to hearing more!