JosieJo’s great Big Pair of Tips
The JoiseJo Show 3
Greetings to you. I’m glad you’re here. I’m JosieJo bringing you two tracks from two very different bands. Listen up indeed, because I’ll also give you links to extra content and both these bands offer interesting special products and free downloads if you know where to look. It’s The JosieJo Show – let’s go.
Let me tell you about Nottingham, England. It is the home town of the record label I’m Not From London which is a label that is an absolute goldmine of great music and we have played quite a bit of it on Round At Milligan’s over the last few years including Captain Dangerous and Practical Lovers. By following the activity of the label on Twitter I found We Show Up On RadaR also from Nottingham. We Show Up on RadaR, headed up by Andrew Wright is a pretty pared down sound; magical and sort of sparkly with slightly disturbing subject matter. It’s a bit like feeling a black shadow move just out of vision on a bright sunny day. Andrew even apologizes for one of his tracks, “Out For Fallow”, being “a bit of a misery”, however considering that this track is the B-side of a pink vinyl single, the warning is probably justified. If pink isn’t your colour the 11 track LP is available on blue vinyl and has the curious title “Sadness Defeated” which, whilst being a hopeful phrase somehow always manages to sound unhappy. I’ve never seen the band live, but, like Golden Fable who are featured on Show 2, they are due to play 2013’s Swn festival in Cardiff. Listening to We Show Up on RadaR and encountering their videos I soon realised that it is the half sensed enchantment that is the source of the band’s power. I personally have a secret obsession with puppets and their place in animation and our psyche and this band share that sense of wonder. There is a spellbinding video for their track “Hands Up if You’re Lost” which is a charming tableau of the puppet band set in the forest; a dark forest that is slightly sinister.
The track “I’ll be the Ghost” that I’m going to play also has that macabre side. It’s cute and twinkly, speaking of love, comfort and of taking care of the one he loves, jumping over fences and putting coasters under hot drinks and yet…and yet.. it is also voyeuristic and slightly controlling. Not surprisingly, given its title, it’s a haunting track; fascinating and alarming like the wasp in its story. Enjoy the baleful and the beautiful as you catch a glimpse from the corner of your understanding .
We Show Up On RadaR and “I’ll be the Ghost”
That was We Show Up On RadaR and “I’ll be the Ghost” and if you are interested in blue and pink vinyl, those amazing videos or even digital downloads head to www.wsuor.com and if you click the Last FM button on the homepage you can access 6 tracks for free download.
Now then, my next band is Magic Brothers. What you need to know about this North London band is that, well they are brothers and that they are Daniel Woodgate who is Woody, the drummer from Madness and his delightful, big souled and also very talented brother Nicky Woodgate. Now Dave Milligan has been playing Magic Brothers tracks for a little bit now as well as Nicky’s solo projects on his show Round At Milligan’s. You can dig around in archived version of that show by going to www.milligans.biz and click the link for listen to the show. I just adore Nicky’s album Magic Carpets, but the Magic Brothers’s album The Magic line (do you see a thread here) came out this week and they are very proud of it. I heard it first when it was played on the jukebox in The Dublin Castle pub in Camden, North London as the boys signed autographs and chatted to fans. The event had a lovely atmosphere to it and Woody and Nick were charming so given that my first listen of the whole album was whilst I was surrounded by Madness fans in fezs and pith helmets, it wasn’t a huge stretch to hear the soft ska influences of Madness. Indeed Nick has written many tracks for Madness several of which appear on the last album, having said that you can also discern the sweetness of Nick’s solo sound. It is seasoned with witty touches such as the thunderclap and rainstorm that opens the track “Sunshine”. I’ve already got my signed CD, but if you go to the Magic brothers website www.magicbrothers.com you can buy the CD (pay a little more and you get it signed) and t-shirts. You can even order one of only 25 limited edition Collector’s packs which include: a signed CD, digital download, a T-shirt, Woody’s signed drumsticks and Nick’s signed guitar pick, a copy of the album lyrics and a Thank You telephone call from Woody and Nick.
The songs are stories set around their childhood and their adult lives and include many references to north London and that Kentish Town/Camden area around the Magic Line of the title of the album. The title track “The Magic Line” is the last, not the first track and this is the one I’ve chosen to play you. Unusual for the album it has no lyrics as such and uses sound that feels like it was found as well as the symphony of the London underground its engines, sirens, voices and the rhythm of the train track laid under, over and through delicate drums, electronic sounds and a guitar that seems to push the air through the tunnel like the train does. It’s not the most typical track on the album, but with its orchestration and swimmingly floating movement it takes you on its own lilting journey. This is Magic Brothers and “The Magic Line”
That was magic brothers and “The Magic Line” and you can get free downloads of tracks that didn’t quite fit on the album by going to their Facebook page and click free music.
For bonus content from me including photos of that day in The Dublin Castle, videos I’ve filmed and links to other great bands go visit and like my Facebook page under josiejoshow. For news, events gigs and releases follow me on twitter @josiejoshow and for my blogs including reviews of full albums follow me on Blogger or Tumblr and links to all that and band s I’ve featured on the show can be found on my website www.josiejoshow.com Follow me on Mixcloud and you’ll never miss a show. Tell your friends and between us we can get the good stuff heard. It’s been a blast to have your company. Thank You for Listening.
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