Moonshine Freeze
ROUGH TRADE
8/10
The West Country wanderer’s fourth album may be her best yet. By Graeme Thomson
ONE of the most immediate tracks on This Is The Kit’s fourth album, “By My Demon Eye” turns out to be a sweet deceiver. With its rolling melody, rippling highlife guitar line and sing-song refrain – inspired by an African folk tale, The Rabbit And The Tortoise – it has the naïve charm of a children’s playground chant. That is, until we discover that the chorus translates as: “Boil, boil, water boil/Let the liars boil!”
Such incongruity cuts to the heart of This Is The Kit. A vehicle for the songs of Kate Stables, a displaced Bristolian now residing in Paris, they are much admired by Guy Garvey, The National and Sharon Van Etten, and it’s easy to hear why. Their music is a slinky, slippery thing, forever shifting between light and dark, prettiness and abrasion, innocence and lowering psychodrama – often during the same song.
Though Stables’ roots lie in the West Country’s indie-folk scene, strumming a banjo in sensible sweaters, these days her music is a full-bodied beast, rich and rhythmic. Points of reference range from Sufjan Stevens to Can, Tony Allen to PJ Harvey. The one overt folk signifier is her voice. Coolly self-contained and very English, comparisons with Sandy Denny are, for once, far from fanciful.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Kim Gordon: La Ghosts & Flowers
As KIM GORDON prepares to release No Home Record – her brilliant debut solo album – she takes stock of her consistently adventurous career so far. To discuss: her early days in New York’s Downtown, cooking with Neil Young and the perils of gentrification. “Life is unexpected,” she tells Tom Pinnock
Tinariwen: Even Nomads Get The Blues
A lot has changed for TINARIWEN since they became superstars of desert rock’n’roll. But their Saharan homeland remains as troubled as ever. We track the band down in Morocco, where Michael Bonner hears tales of exile, insurgency and belonging. “As long as people are oppressed, there will be room for protest music,” they explain
Angel Olsen: Her Bright Materials
Welcome to Asheville, North Carolina, where ANGEL OLSEN is poised to release her new album, All Mirrors. Erin Osmon joins the singer-songwriter at home to discuss heartbreak, fantasy property deals and her latest bold pop experiment. “Sometimes your dreams are not what they seem,” she says
“I Was Insatiable!”
From a back garden in Epsom to the stage of the O2 – via Bombay, New York, Marrakesh and Beijing – join us as JIMMY PAGE guides us through 60 years’ worth of his marvellous adventures. CliffRichard! Exorcisms! “A cauldron of inspiration”! There are road trips with The Yardbirds, magical recording sessions at Headley Grange, his ongoing relationship with Robert Plant and the vast musical legacy of Led Zeppelin to consider. “I was dealt a very good hand,” Page tells Michael Odell. “And I like to think I played it well.”
'I Was Pretty Bad At Being A Pop Star'
Riding high on the back of Bon Iver’s endorsement and his finest album in years, the piano master discusses the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, cryogenics and appearing in “some of the worst videos ever made”
The Go-Betweens - G Stands For Go-Betweens: Volume 2 – 1985–1989 Domino
Australian indie ambassadors’ golden age showcased in opulent style.
It's Too Late To Stop Now
Has VAN MORRISON mellowed at last? After yet another remarkable period in his ongoing creative renaissance, the Celtic soul warrior is on good form as he talks R&B, transcendence and mythical bootlegs with Graeme Thomson. “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing for quite a while,” he reveals
Robert Plant - Digging Deep
ESPARANZA 7/10 Percy on 45! A boxset of 7”s traces Plant’s post-Zep progress. By Michael Bonner
Leonard Cohen - Thanks For The Dance
The poet’s intimate musical postscript.
'I'll Tell You The Full Story…'
During the past 12 months, a series of lavish boxsets have tracked DAVID BOWIE’s early development throughout 1968 and 1969. As this comprehensive archeological survey concludes with Conversation Piece, long-serving producer TONY VISCONTI relives the highs and lows of Bowie’s breakthrough. There are ham sandwiches, Marc Bolan impressions, the peerless “Space Oddity”, and tearful studio interludes… but, most importantly, we learn how the music made during this brief but pivotal period critically influenced one superstar in the making: David Bowie himself…
