MUSIC | Previews I
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72 THE LIST 21 Feb–21 Mar 2013
EXPERIMENTAL POP CONQUERING ANIMAL SOUND Limbo, Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Sat 9 Mar; album launch, Berkeley Suite, Fri 22 Mar.
A few facts about Glasgow’s beautifully skewed pop duo, Conquering Animal Sound. One: they only had one pint of milk for this photo. ‘The pressure was dei nitely on’, says producer James Scott, half of CAS. ‘Plus I only brought one t-shirt.’
Two: singer Anneke Kampman doesn’t like being compared, as she often is, to Björk. [Apols in advance Anneke, both The List’s single and album reviewers went there without realising . . .] Although there is something undeniably familiar-sounding about that vocal – those playfully stilted, brittle vowels and sugary, breathy loops – we prefer to think of Kampman as a Scottish Holly Herndon, endlessly mess- ing with the limitations of her carefully exhaled air, treating her voice as another musical instrument. (Kampman also makes solo music as ANAKANAK, and duets with jazz guitarist Haftor Medboe.)
Three: Kampman does more than stand upfront and sing. She shares songwriting duties 50/50 with Scott, and plays harp, l ute, drums, and a toolkit from a charity shop on new album, On Floating Bodies (see review, p74). The album has been much anticipated: their debut Kam- merspiel was an eerily excellent stand-out from 2011, nominated for Scottish Album of the Year. ‘We kind of hothoused the second album,’ says Scott. ‘Anneke and I lived together during the making of the record. It was pretty intense. We both get pretty excited about minute details, we’d spend an afternoon on a bassline, or synthesise some violin sample for hours . . .’
Yet, despite the studied approach, and a move from lo-i bedroom oddity to a Chemikal Underground-released, Paul Savage-produced creation, the charms of Kammerspiel are still there, but in a more con- i dent, structured form. ‘We both like experimental and pop music, and listen to both – Kate Bush, The Knife, Laurel Halo . . .’ says Kampman. ‘We’re both interested in i nding that place where the two meet.'
(Claire Sawers) ■ See list.co.uk for longer versions of these previews & reviews.
FEMALE-FOCUSED FESTIVAL LADYFEST GLASGOW Kinning Park Complex, Glasgow, Fri 8 & Sat 9 Mar
Electronic alchemist Fiona Soe Paing is singing the praises of LadyFest. The global DIY femme- pop festival launched in Olympia in 2000, featuring Sleater Kinney and 90s riot-grrrl trailblazers Bratmobile, and returns to Glasgow this month. ‘Even after punk, even after riot grrrl, it’s a sad fact the music scene is still male-dominated,’ says Soe Paing, who cites punk and feminism as vital to her eerie art. ‘LadyFest goes some way to redressing the balance. It celebrates great female performers; it’s paid work, not another instance where women go undervalued and underpaid; it’s doing something at grassroots level that can have a really big impact.’ Twelve years since it first came to Glasgow, 2013’s LadyFest welcomes Muscles of Joy, Hector Bizerk, ANAKANAK, Fem Bitch Nation, Erin Friel, Sacred Paws and Soe Paing – ‘bands must be at least 50% women,’ say organisers, who plan ‘an inclusive event’ and insist ‘all are welcome: even men.’ LadyFest Glasgow 2013 coincides with International Women’s Day, and chimes with a local uprising in women-dominated pop (ad)ventures like TYCI, MILK, LAID, Glasgow PodcART and Pussy Whipped. Soe Paing is also involved with #FemalePressure, a global social media campaign to highlight female under-representation in electronic music. ‘The more people hear about these things, the more encouragement and role models women have: then they can have a go, without feeling totally out on a limb.’ (Nicola Meighan) ■ See facebook.com/ladyfest.glasgow for more info.
EX-GIRLS MEMBER SOLO PROJECT CHRISTOPHER OWENS Broadcast, Glasgow, Tue 26 Feb
‘Oh yeah, Lysandre is a real person. She knew I was making this record – thankfully she was really excited to hear it,’ admits Christopher Owens, reluctantly, about his latest album. On it, he opens his heart on a brief but intense romance with the mysterious Lysandre, yet is guarded when pressed to divulge more. The story is of the 33-year-old’s first European tour, during which he rose to indie stardom with his former outfit, Girls, told against a folk/baroque backdrop.
Lysandre is Owens’ first record since he dissolved the band on the cusp of a mainstream
breakthrough last July. ‘Writing about things that have happened keep it fresh and exciting for me. But I also try not to give too much of myself away,’ he says. The record details every stage, from the joyous ‘hugging and a-kissing’ to break-up, while
providing an insight into Owens’ fears of inadequacy as a songwriter and solo performer. And Owens sees Lysandre as a continuance of his work with Girls. ‘With Girls, things were at their most difficult when I couldn’t find people to play on tour but the songs have always been mine. This is the first time I’ve written a record rather just putting together a collection of songs'.
Lysandre has divided critics: some praise Owens as searingly honest, while others dismiss him as being contrived. ‘I don’t really care,’ he shrugs. ‘What I am glad of is that people seem to like it – appreciation really is the most important thing.’ (Chris Taylor) ■ To win tickets to the gig, see page 80.