Landing soon, a new Garage/Kraut/Art Rock band comprising Adam Leonard, Chris McConaghy, Rion McCartney and Gavin McCartney.
News, Reviews and Interview
06 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
A few bits and bobs:
Firstly, the album will be in shops on Monday 20th August 2012. It will also be available to order from the big name online retailers (Amazon, HMV.com etc), but if you’re buying online please go direct to Northwesternrecordings.com in the first instance.
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Secondly, reviews are appearing – and all good so far! Here’s a selection:
“An incredibly well-crafted, cohesive release which deftly displays Adam’s particular gift for blending traditional psychedelic-rock and psychedelic-folk elements whilst also maintaining a thoroughly ‘modern’ aesthetic to his work” – Folk Radio UK
“If you don’t have this in your collection you are missing something that’s simultaneously exceptional, intriguing and ground breaking” – Folk Words.
“Very good and accomplished” (5 stars) – Norman Records
“Nature Recordings manages to recall the glories of a British folk rock past whilst sounding wonderfully unique and fresh” – A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed
“The image of the tower on the cover reminds me of the ruined and overgrown windmills visible when navigating the Norfolk Broads. It’s a resonant image that captures something about Adam Leonard’s haunted music. If you’re a fan of the work of Tyneham House or The Hardy Tree, then do give this a listen” – Hard Format
“A sonic representation of a defiantly regional landscape” – FATEA
“Arresting folk … I’ve missed Leonard’s earlier work and that’s something I’ll be rectifying pronto” – Americana UK
“… and amazing stuff this is too, where the experimentation keeps you on the edge of the seat and well away from any borders with boredom – beyond this eclecticism, are some astute songs and distinctly thoughtful melodies that still remain faithful to some quite folkish roots” – Manchester Music
And finally, the brilliant Folk Radio UK website asked for an interview and here it is.
Whilst you’re over there, have a read of the fascinating interview with one of my heroes, Steve Ashley, who was kind enough to name-check me as an artist who has been influenced by him. Steve’s music can be heard on the Steve Ashley MySpace page.
The Northwestern Series – PENDLE001
04 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Releases Tags: Adam Leonard, david a jaycock, dom cooper, folk police, nature, Northwestern Series, Owl Service, P.G. Six, ptolemaic
The CD version of ‘Nature Recordings’ is now out.
Tracklisting:
1. The Man Who Invented Himself
2. Lillian, I Love You
3. Dawn Rain / Grissom Aloft
4. The Archaeologist
5. The Eighth Tower (part I)
6. The Eighth Tower (part II)
7. The Eighth Tower (part III)
8. The Eighth Tower (part IV)
Most of the record is sang and played by me, but the exasperatingly gifted Steven Collins of The Owl Service helped me out with the music for ‘Lillian’, and drone authority Pat Gubler (aka P.G. Six) helped me out with various parts of The Eighth Tower suite. It’s the most cohesive thing I’ve ever produced and I’m really pleased with it.
Nigel at The Northwestern Series has done an outstanding job with the packaging. It really does look amazing. Thanks so much for everything Nigel.
Each package contains: a compact disc in a recycled kraft card inner sleeve with rubber stamp titling; four seasonal ‘Tower’ inserts designed by Dom Cooper [risograph printed on recycled card with soya ink]; dried Hydrangea petals from my garden; a letterpressed, hand-numbered insert by Phil McMullen of the Ptolemaic Press – all housed in a custom gold text ‘Northwestern Series’ green cardboard carton from Conifer Handmades.
Strictly limited to 300 copies.
It’s available to buy now from The Northwestern Series, Rough Trade, Piccadilly Records, Norman Records, and others – or direct from me (BUY).
Finally, I’d like to thank David A. Jaycock for suggesting I get in touch with Folk Police / Northwestern in the first place about this release. Thanks David.
Pulco album out today!
18 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Releases Tags: ash cooke, Dan Carlson, Folkwit, Gwildor, Ian Thistlethwaite, nick butcher, Picturebox, poetry, pulco, Ratatosk, Snippet, unexpected bowtie
“I am an artist, a musician and poet … but ultimately this will be my undoing”.
‘The Man Of Lists’ (Folkwit, F0079) is out today. I’m so pleased to be involved in this – it’s a lovely, warm and human album, with many fine contributing musicians. I provided the music for 3 of the tracks, and cut up Ash’s spoken words to fit over them. You can listen to an example – ‘Oxbow Lake’ – here.
It’s available on ltd. edition CD with poetry booklet via selected record shops, and as a digital download from bandcamp, Amazon, iTunes etc.
The reviews are coming in:
“This is Cooke’s masterpiece. He’s spent his post-Derrero years making music in Wales, usually by himself. He’s perfected the art of lo-fi indie and the results are always warm and human and charming. Now, he’s taken that form to the next level”.
-A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed
“Pulco’s new LP, Man of lists, comprises upbeat cheerful electro-acoustic melodies and beautiful, urban spoken word poetry … Lovely”.
-The Miniature Music Press
“Ash Cooke is an artist we should all be very glad exists. The sheer amount of music he puts out turns over every stone of his creative process. It gives you a distinct and unique picture of a distinct and unique musician”.
-North Wales Daily Post
“Once again Pulco has delivered an album that music lovers will instantly embrace and treasure. It is a shame John Peel is no longer with us to give this album the national airplay it deservers”.
-A Musical Priority
For further reading on the colourful and inventive musical world of Ashley Cooke, visit pulcomusic.com
The radio was playing in the darkness of the hall
15 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in General
This week I did a session for Stephen McCauley’s ELECTRIC MAINLINE show on BBC Radio Foyle.
For the next 7 days you can ‘Listen Again’ on the BBC iPlayer here.
Massive thanks to Chris McConaghy for playing with me on this, and for introducing me to ‘Camp Tuesday’ in Masons afterwards. (Did I say that out loud?)
And yes, my favourite band at the moment is…
Watch ‘Lucky Seven’ online, but be quick…
18 May 2012 Leave a comment
in General
Over the past few months, ‘Lucky Seven’ has won 3 very prestigious film awards – in Spain, Ireland and Germany, namely:
- WINNER Gold Mikeldi Best Short Fiction 2011 *53rd ZINEBI International Film Festival of Bilbao, Spain
- WINNER Best Short Film Category Fiction 2011 *10th Clones Film Festival, Ireland
- WINNER New German Directors Showcase Saatchi&Saatchi 2012
And the film is now is nominated for Best Short Film at Studio Hamburg Nachwuchspreis. You can vote for it, and for a limited time watch it online right HERE. I think it will only be up until the 23rd May, so be quick!
To vote (go on, please) use THIS PAGE. The page is in German, but basically you tick the box, fill in the text thing to prove you’re human and then press the button at the bottom. If you can’t work it out, there are more detailed instructions on the Adam Leonard Music Facebook page which you can link to via the box on the right. Thanks!
There is also a short film portrait of director and writer Claudia Heindel HERE.
Finally, the official website for the film – http://www.luckyseven-film.com – has been fully expanded.
The Man Of Lists
02 Apr 2012 Leave a comment
in Releases Tags: ashley cooke, Butchers Prime Cuts, Dan Carlson, Folkwit, Gwildor, Ian Thistlethwaite, Picturebox, pulco, Ratatosk, Snippet, The Unexpected Bowtie
June will see the release of the brand new and genuinely wonderful PULCO album, ‘The Man Of Lists’ (Folkwit). For this album Ash Cooke enlisted a number of friends to record music as backdrops to his spoken word stories and poetry, and I’m honoured to be one of them. The result is exciting, eclectic, colourful, silly, poignant, elated, smart, grumbling, inventive, sinister, sunny, real and most of all fun. Ash says:
“I’m a firm believer in lists! I can make a list for any occasion. Lists help me organise the mundane and boring bits of my life so that I can clear my mind for better things. In a more colourful and creative way I also love writing lyrics and poems to document and categorise my day to day journey through the ordinary. Played back however, such writing can reveal lot about a person and really give you an insight in to how we tick as people. It can also be interesting to listen to. From time to time I feel the need to bring all of this written material together, mix it with sound and call it ‘Pulco’! This is exactly what we’ve done with ‘The Man Of Lists’
In the spirit of collaboration I thought that it would be an interesting exercise to build on the theme that I started with the Dictaphone Home album by inviting more of my musical pals to create tunes for the 25 poems on offer rather than contributing any of the music myself.
The word went out in Sept ’11 and by the end of the year the album was pretty much in the bag. I love the variety and texture of the music on the album. It all holds together really well whist still sounding like a Pulco record. For that I thank all involved…”
…and those involved are The Unexpected Bowtie, Picturebox, Ratatosk, Butchers Prime Cuts, Gwildor, Snippet, Ian Thistlethwaite & Dan Carlson (and me).
I recorded the music for 3 tracks, and also provided the ZX Spectrum-inspired cover.
Release date : 18 June 2012
Label : Folkwit Records (cat: F0079)
Distribution : Proper Distribution
For more information and a sneak preview, visit The Man Of Lists page at pulcomusic.com
‘Nature Recordings’ to be issued on CD
09 Mar 2012 Leave a comment
in Releases Tags: dom cooper, folk police, Northwestern Series
I’m delighted to announce that ‘Nature Recordings’ will be issued for the first time on CD by the wonderful new Manchester-based label The Northwestern Series. Northwestern is the sort of ‘non-trad’ arm of Folk Police Recordings. It will be an edition of 300, catalogue number: PENDLE001.
The album will come in a handmade card box, with all new artwork and inserts designed by Dom Cooper and, if all goes to plan, something from my own garden!
Dom also designed the lovely new banner on this blog. Thanks Dom!
More news on the release when I have it.
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The Northwestern Series have also started a nice blog over here.
Second Language Podcast
12 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Releases Tags: Clay Pipe Music, Second Language, Tyneham, Tyneham House
I don’t want to say too much about this, or who is involved (to quote one of its creators, “anonymity is the order of the day”), but Second Language and Clay Pipe Music recently released the wonderful ‘Tyneham House’, a Children’s Film Foundation inspired soundtrack of pastoral, wistful yet ineffably disquieting music.
Photo courtesy of Clay Pipe Music
There is a podcast to promote it, and I might be on it.
“Second Language present a podcast to accompany the beguiling agrarian enigma that is Tyneham House. Interleaved with field recordings and typically bucolic extracts of music from the album, a handful of artist friends of the reclusive Tyneham House creators reminisce evocatively about growing up in small rural towns and villages. Out of the rustling, sun-dappled atmosphere, a theme slowly emerges: the Proustian mystery of lost time and place and how the free spirit and wonderment of childhood grapples with the beauty and oppression of the countryside…”
The podcast (No. 13) can be downloaded from here.
For some background information, there is an interesting article on Tyneham (“Village Of The Damned”) from Fortean Times Magazine here.
Roy Harper feature in MOJO
31 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in General Tags: Gary Numan, MOJO, Roy Harper
This is nothing to do with my music, but I’m chuffed nonetheless to report that MOJO Magazine have printed a quote from some words I sent them on my favourite Roy Harper album ‘Flat Baroque and Berserk’.
This is in the March 2012 issue, which I’ve just got hold of today. Here’s the full thing I submitted:
“Recorded in the autumn of 1969 and released the following January on EMI’s Harvest imprint, ‘Flat Baroque and Berserk’ has always been my favourite Roy Harper LP. On the brink of the epics of his regularly-referenced 1971 magnum opus ‘Stormcock’, ‘Flat Baroque and Berserk’ is an intriguingly beautiful snapshot of a man in mid-air. This album documents Roy’s progression from 1960s idealism into 1970s complex focus, from his 20s into his 30s, from humble studios and production to Abbey Road, and into a consolidated level of songwriting only hinted at on his previous 3 albums.
I loved you a long time ago, y’know…”
I don’t think I’ve been this excited since I won a signed Gary Numan LP from SMASH HITS in 1981. It was ‘Dance’ if you must know…
The Message Tapes 