Another Archer Album Review

We've had another review of Able Archer come through to Concur HQ from Leeds Guide. Have a gander:

http://www.leedsguide.co.uk/review/cd-review/i-concur/12376

"Recorded by the busiest man in rock production, James Kenosha (Dinosaur Pile-up, Grammatics, Pulled Apart by Horses, Wintermute), it’s a grand sounding record, picking up influences from the mainstays of post-rock (Explosions In The Sky et al) grand American alt rock (Wilco, The National) and, at it’s very best (like with the breakdown on title track ‘Able Archer’), some damn fine mathy moments."

We do get a bit of a dressing down in the last paragraph after some bigging up which amused me. I don't tend to think of us a rock band as such but more of a very loud pop band as most songs are written with pop principles in mind (ie cut out all unnecessary time, have good hooks, a good chorus etc). I tend to think of mid 80's hair bands when people say 'rock'. But that's just me and my unheathly power ballad fixation.

Also, this has literally just come through from DrownedInSound for Sobotka: http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4138112-this-weeks-singles--12-10-2009

Which is nice as it's very clear that we are more paletable than The Twang. Good times!

Richmond Fontaine - We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River

I don't usually do this sort of thing but I'll make an exception in this case....

I saw Richmond Fontaine, a band I've liked for a number of years now, a few weeks ago at The New Roscoe in Leeds. The band always play the venue as part of their uk tours which i admire in that they probably could have upgraded to a larger venue by now. But still they keep coming back showing, loyalty I suppose, to the promoter that put them on in the first place. This is a rare thing in music unfortunately.

Anyway, they were touring a new album We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River and were better than i had seen them in the past. And they were excellent when i had seen them before, so they really are something special now. This album also is possible my album of the year, and i know there are 2 and a bit months to go, but i'm going to stick my neck out here. Stand out tracks are 'You Can Move Back Here', 'Watch Out' and 'Two Alone'. Willy Vlautin (an excellent novelist by the way) seems to have evolved his character based story driven writing in a less heavy direction which i think really benefits the album.

You could do a lot worse than get a copy of this record. My copy is currently got a special place on my desk since i managed to get it signed by a few of the band. I am a fanboy, it's true.

Tim.

http://www.myspace.com/richmondfontaine

First review

First album review here: http://tinyurl.com/ygvq62e

"There is so much to enjoy in the thunder and rain of notes that I want to be your geeky friend pointing out all the great bits - now! now! This bit … hear it? But you can find them: there's one every eight bars at least. And the songs themselves are so strong that they could be done with a ukulele, never mind all this sturm und drang. This is a band on a rising creative surge with a very accomplished debut album."

9/10

We've had a video made for us by some seriously talented guys who go by the name of K House Media. This video is for the first single off the album called Sobotka which is about one of the central characters from the second series of The Wire.

It's a pretty fantastic video though is maybe not completely family friendly in a Sunday afternoon ITV rom-com kind of way.

So here it is...

ABLE ARCHER by I CONCUR
Released MONDAY NINETEENTH OCTOBER

Two years hard work, enough trips down the M1 to last a lifetime and five seasons of The Wire later, this is our debut album.

Produced in frosty Bridlington by James Kenosha (Grammatics, Duels) and released by London label Club AC30 (Swervedriver, Jenniferever), ABLE ARCHER is a collection of ten tall tales concerning lands severed by motorways, languages lost by ignorance and leaders taking lesser mortals to the brink of nuclear extinction.

ABLE ARCHER will be available to the reader in CD digipak form on MONDAY NINETEENTH OCTOBER. You’ll be able to purchase it from pretty much everywhere but if you want to pre-order it you can do so from -Club AC30-. You will receive a free MP3 of LUCKY JACK to chew on until the album arrives.

Chapters are as follows:
1) Iterate This
2) Sobotka
3) Grandeur
4) Lucky Jack
5) Able Archer
6) Build Around Me
7) Oblige
8) Your Words, Your Dialect
9) Decimal Places
10) Exits Are Blockades

As a prologue to the album we will also be releasing SOBOTKA as a single on Monday 5th October.

The track, penned following 12 intensive episodes of the second season of The Wire, will be available on 7” vinyl and iTunes download. It will also include b-side ITERATE THIS (EXTENDED VERSION). You can order that from -Club AC30- too.

To support these releases we will be touring the UK through October and November. The first announced shows are below.

23 Sep: BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS (w/Jeniferever)

14 Oct: QUEEN OF HOXTON, LONDON (w/The Hug)

20 Oct: SCY, LINCOLN

22 Oct: DOG & PARTRIDGE, BOLTON

25 Oct: HOCKLEY HUSTLE @BUNKERS HILL, NOTTINGHAM

28 Nov: RELENTLESS GARAGE LONDON (w/Swervedriver)

Clay

Got to love Clay Davis.

More DeMarco genius...

Our hero...

This man has been keeping us going in the studio. It's what everybody needs.

Album recording with James K (weekend three)

Beautiful Bridlington

Album recording with James K (weekend two)

Able Archer

Album recording with James K (weekend one)

Class of '09

Some pictures from our weekend in the studio to come but first look at this nice little feature that we just found...

http://sweepingthenation.blogspot.com/2009/01/sweeping-nation-covermount-class-of-09.html

Choice cut: "With bands like this you're hoping the developmental stage will take them higher and further, but with this slow burning grandiosity they sound pretty much there already."

GIAA photos