AAH! Real Monsters: Kathleen Elise

If the throwing of rotten fruit ceases for long enough, this might become a regular post, so get in touch if you want to contribute.

The first part comes from my very own loco en yanko girlfriend as she attempts to determine her five favourite Audio Antihero recordings (whatever happened to 'seen and not heard', eh?). We met through this stupid label of mine, so I suppose it's only fair.

Regardless, like a gentleman, I present you with...

KATHLEEN ELISE's Top 5 Audio Antihero Songs

Mr & Mrs Audio Antihero: Not an open relationship.

Top 5 Audio Antihero Songs

Because he sometimes makes bad decisions, Audio Antihero bossman and king Jamie agreed to give me free rein to write an article on my Top 5 Audio Antihero Songs.

1. Nosferatu D2 – 2 People, 0 Superpowers

It is incredibly hard to pick only one song on the masterpiece that is

Nosferatu D2’s debut. There are a few reasons why this album is incredibly important to me: thanks to a blog post penned by Gareth of Los Campesinos! in 2009, it indirectly introduced me to Jamie, it led me to discovering the other AAH artists I now love and it taught me that Burt Bacharach is actually not an actor, but some sort of musician or something, I guess. I chose this song over the others largely because it includes some of my favorite lyrics: ‘…so let’s sit down, talk about it, that’s enough. Let’s go outside and feel alone.’ It’s a succinct and eerily accurate depiction of the countless futile conversations you try to have until you finally just give up. It’s times like that when you should listen to Nosferatu D2.


2. Benjamin Shaw – Somewhere Over the M6

Pretty decisively my favorite Benjamin Shaw song, and unfortunately one I’ll probably never hear live. It includes another set of lyrics of which I’m very fond: ‘I dream about you nightly, on a moped I arrive and we kiss without using our eyes.’ Ben is a monster of a songwriter within a mouse of a performer, and I mean that in the kindest of ways. I’ve been fascinated by Ben for a long time, which is probably why I still can’t manage to hold a proper conversation with the man. Sorry, Ben!



3. Jack Hayter – I Stole the Cutty Sark

Another hands-down favorite. It is beastly. The first night I heard Jack play this song was a night of other firsts as well, including the first (and only) time I heard Jamie shout for a room full of people to ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP!’ Good times.




4. Fighting Kites – Cat is Egg

I own three copies of the Fighting Kites/Broken Shoulder split. I don’t have a very good reason for this other than that it’s one of the most kickass CDs, ever. I’m fairly certain I’ve seen Fighting Kites perform more than any other AAH artist, and every show was awesome. I was lucky enough to make it to FK’s last pre-hiatus show, but I’m still so bummed they won’t be playing together anymore.



5. Wartgore Hellsnicker – C+F = POW

I’ve never known the glory of seeing Wartgore live, but I can at least live vicariously through their EP and Jamie, who won’t shut up about how incredible they are. This song in particular makes me want to yell and jump around a lot. I would keep writing things, but Wartgore Paul needs me to go stomp around the room.

So there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth.

Kathleen has also contributed a "LOOK AT ME, I OWN RECORDS!", interviewed me for WVUM Radio, works in a record shop and she also writes for a variety of music and cultures sites that I won't name as I want her to pretend she isn't my girlfriend and give AAH stuff really good reviews on them. She does these things BECAUSE SHE'S INTERESTING.

Thanks & Never Say DIY! Hope to see some of your contributions.
Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide
www.audioantihero.com

DOWNLOAD: Benjamin Shaw - 'Kick the Dog'

Hallo!

We're doing another of those artistically pointless but promotionally useful singles. It's for 'The Birds Chirp & The Sun Shines' and it's got a cool cover.

"The Birds Chirp & The Sun Shines"

The B-Side, which you may not have heard already is "Kick the Dog" a 4.1 minute rocker...Crazy Horse with casio and drum machine...Lazy Horse?

FREE DOWNLOAD:

Download it and spread the word.

Benjamin Shaw's debut LP "There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet" is out now.

Benjamin Shaw.net

Benjamin Shaw on Facebook (feat. upcoming shows - Feb/March/April)

Thanks & Never Say DIY!

Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide

www.audioantihero.com

LISTEN AGAIN: Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences in session for Resonance FM

Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences had the honour of providing the first "Hello GoodBye" live session of 2012 on London's Resonance FM. The outsider pop champions debuted three new songs and sat for an interview with Dexter Bentley.

You can stream it below:

Hello GoodBye 12 January 2012: Paul Hawkins & Thee Awkward Silences and Black Spot by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Or download the fancy podcast.

Their latest single is available now bundled with their Audio Antihero EP for £3.99:

And there's also a free session available for download from Dandelion Radio on our 'sub-sister' label BarelyOut Recordings.

Thanks & Never Say DIY!

Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide

LOOK AT ME, I OWN RECORDS! #12 - Ben Parker (Nosferatu D2)

"Look At Me, I Own Records!" returns again, an under the hood look at the record collections of our true loves. If you'd like to contribute to the series then get in touch HERE.

Musician/writer Ben Parker made his mark on Audio Antihero Records as one half of the acclaimed Nosferatu D2, our proverbial calling card. He has subsequently released music with Superman Revenge Squad and The Jonbarr Hinge and recently made forays into writing with his first play "Yeah, This House Is Haunted" enjoying a sell-out run late last year and his debut graphic novel on the way. He was once described as a 'lyrical ninja'.

Look At Me, I Own Records - Ben Parker

Looking through my record collection is like flicking through a sequence of musical obsessions that I’ve had over the years.

FIRST ALBUM I OWNED

The first album I owned was 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson, on cassette. And I seem to remember that my parents brought me this when I was at primary school. Maybe it was a birthday present; that would make sense. But I seem to remember it being a present they gave me at Easter; but that makes no sense at all. I still have it somewhere, I think. But I haven’t included a photo, because I can’t be bothered to search it out. And because everyone knows what the front cover of 'Thriller' looks like. Don’t they?


FIRST CD I OWNED

The first CD I owned was 'Bigger and Deffer' by LL Cool J. But I hardly ever played it, mainly because the only CD player was in the main room in the house and I didn’t think my parents really liked rap music that much. But I found it in a boot sale and it was really cheap so I purchased it, maybe thinking that I would eventually own a CD player myself one day, or maybe not really thinking it through at all. A similar problem occurred when I bought 'Scum' by Napalm Death before I owned a CD player, again because I found it for really cheap - But I don’t think that album is particularly listenable at all anyway, so no great loss really.


BEST ALBUM COVER (FOR RECORD THAT DOESN’T ACTUALLY PLAY)


'Jailbreak' by Thin Lizzy has a marvellous cover. So good that it didn’t actually bother me that I paid 20p for a record that is so scratched it doesn’t play at all. The sleeve is in very good health, even if the record it is meant to be protecting isn’t. There’s a hole in the front that reveals the band as cartoon characters inside, then you open it up and see the jailbreak they are running from. Oh, just look at it - words do not do justice to such a piece of art.


A HAND MADE ALBUM COVER (FOR A RECORD THAT DOES ACTUALLY PLAY)


The first album I heard by Leonard Cohen was 'Songs From A Room', and the version I picked up from a charity shop was this one - clearly the old record sleeve was been lost or something so a previous owner has improvised a new sleeve with some yellow card and a biro. I quite like it; I think it adds to the mystery of the record somehow.


MOST UNPLEASANT ARTWORK


'Joy' by Isaac Hayes is another much loved charity shop find. But the picture on the back of the sleeve is somewhat hard to look at as it depicts Isaac seemingly just dressed in gold chains; a look that compliments one of the tracks on the album which I find quite hard to listen to as it seems to offer quite a detailed soundtrack to Isaac wooing a lady.


THE ONLY SIGNED RECORD I OWN


When Pantera came to Croydon I wasn’t really much of a fan, and I’m not really much of a fan now, but all my friends were going to get stuff signed so I went along. We queued outside Rocket Records in South Croydon and when I got inside I decided I’d feel a bit awkward without something to sign, so I brought the LP of 'Vulgar Display of Power' and got it signed. I still have the signed copy, and it is probably in mint condition as I haven’t played it much; I often wonder if its worth anything now that Dimebag Darrell has been murdered and all that.

MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF


I used to buy loads of records from charity shops. Anything that looked remotely interesting would be bought, as long as it was about 20p. The first Burt Bacharach record I got was this one, 'Make it Easy on Yourself', and what makes this one so good is the title track because it features Burt himself on vocals. And I really like his voice, mainly because it’s not really that strong and, as he struggles through the song, it has loads of character.

I think the Nosferatu D2 song called I Killed Burt Bacharach was started as a jam with me singing this song over the top, and it progressed from there.


MINX BY LEATHERFACE


One of my favourite ever records is called' Minx' and is by a band called Leatherface. I brought this on cassette and listened to it a hell of a lot whilst doing my a-levels. A few years later I began a quest to find it on CD - it had been deleted Roughneck records by then and after many a year I discovered a somewhat unloved copy of it in one of the CD and Tape exchanges that had gradually been reduced to a pound. So I got it. And then it was re-released. But it is still a treasure.


THE MALE NURSE


Another obsession of mine was the Male Nurse - a band that sounded a lot like early Fall, but I hadn’t heard early Fall at the time so I thought they were pretty original - saw them live a few times and then I think Tempertwig supported them at their last ever gig (I think - they had a fight before and only two members played. I think Adam really disliked them). I have all three of the singles that were put our by the band, and a CD that contains their John Peel sessions that was posted to me by a kind stranger that saw me mention them on the internet. But the main thing about them is that I have heard from someone that put out one of their singles that she thought they’d released an album and then never did anything with it - so I still have a dream of tracking down this set of recordings somehow one day. Maybe on cassette.


OTHER MUSICAL ‘QUESTS’ OF NOTE

Its always nice to have a record to seek out. A job that was a lot easier back in the days when a load more record shops existed. As a result, I have nearly everything Alasdair Roberts has released (I went round record shops in Scotland when I first heard Appendix Out and brought everything I could find by them), I’ve waited patiently for blokes in charity shops to re-consider the Isaac Hayes record they found seconds before I did, and I still live in hope of finding a few Prince Buster singles that Benjamin Zephaniah once played on the radio and described as very rare indeed. As a result, I now own far too many records for my own good. But long may it continue.

The semi-legendary Nosferatu D2 album is available now on CD & Download:

More content from Ben Parker:

'Hired Gun Radio' - Guest Mix

Thanks Ben and Never Say DIY!
Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide

www.audioantihero.com

Jack Hayter - Free Covers Collection

New material from Jack Hayter is coming very soon. It's lovely. It's different. It's Jack Hayter. It's Audio Antihero. It's a new kind of awesome.

But until then, here's a free collection of cover songs.

(Click on the track to see the story behind the cover and download individually)

1. The Unsent Letter (Originally by Machine Gun Fellatio)

2. Jeane (Originally by The Smiths)

3. Another Girl Another Planet - Pedal-Steel version (Originally by The Only Ones)

4. Take It To The Limit (Originally by The Eagles)

These songs were originally given away on this very blog to promote his Audio Antihero released 2011 EP "Sucky Tart":

Features four gorgeous folky curiosities and glorious cover art from our very own Benjamin 'without a flaw' Shaw.

If you don't care about us you may still have heard Jack from his time in Hefner, Spongefinger or Dollboy, no promises though.

Enjoy, I think 'Unsent Letter' is the best one.

Jamie - Audio Antihero

www.audioantihero.com

LISTEN: Fighting Kites Retrospective

IN MEMORIAM.

Oh Fighting Kites, how we will miss you.

Last week, Fighting Kites simultaneously launched their debut LP and played their final show (for some time, at least). These sounds are their story. The only instrumental band under 40 to not just be Easy Listening for hipsters.

Audio Antihero's 'Damn right, it's Fighting Kites!' by Audio Antihero on Mixcloud

Tracks 1 & 2 are from "The Vlaams Tapes":
http://tiny.cc/esxe8

Tracks 3 & 10 are from the Fighting Kites LP - available now on Variant:
http://tiny.cc/e6a0a

Tracks 4 & 5 are from "SPLIT" with Broken Shoulder on Audio Antihero:
http://tiny.cc/n7auc

Tracks 6 & 9 are from the Fighting Kites EP:
http://tiny.cc/vzv7x

Track 7 was recorded live in session for Resonance FM:
http://tiny.cc/tiazg

Track 8 is from the "Bob Hope would." Japan compilation:
http://tiny.cc/0zekh

Track 11 is from "Audio Antihero Day" on the Fika/Darren Hayman Digital Advent Calendar:
http://tiny.cc/d404a - yes, Christmas songs in late January. Is your tree still up?

Try also:

Hired Gun Radio: Fighting Kites' "Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time" mix by Audio Antihero on Mixcloud

RIP Fighting Kites, Never Say DIY!

WATCH: Benjamin Shaw - TLOBF Session

Our man Benjamin Shaw performed 'How To Test The Depth Of A Well' on a park bench for The Line Of Best Fit, you see him in moderate action here:

See full article: here

TLOBF were pretty consistently nice about Benjamin Shaw's debut LP "There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet" giving him 'Song of the Day', a gorgeous review and exclusively previewing the album in full with a fancy stream. They even liked the EP. I love TLOBF.

'How To Test The Depth Of A Well' is taken from "There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet" which can be bought from Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, Rough Trade and beyond. Please buy it.

Those liking this simpler sound from Benjamin Shaw might like to try this free download of a session he recorded for WVUM Radio in Miami last year, it's his Easy Listening EP and is also utterly stunning.

Thanks & Never Say DIY!

Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide

www.audioantihero.com