Musings on Music -- The Darlingtons / Keston Cobblers' Club / The Grand / Woodpecker Wooliams
Hello and welcome to the third of what appears to have become a weekly post on music I’ve discovered. Most is new, most is British, most I’ve heard on Tom Robinson’s BBC mixtape podcast and in most cases I’ve searched for a video online, ripped it and then uploaded it to my Youku page. I’d say this has become a post of largely weak comparisons, where I simply end up just saying why I like something and comparing it to another song, band or animal mating noise. Still, who doesn’t like reading short or occasionally witty notes on up and coming bands? Also, I plan to start opening pages on Douban for bands and albums that don’t already have them.
The Darlingtons
“Everything”
First off, Darlington is a town near to where I grew up in Northeast England. I actually studied at the college there for a year. That has nothing to do with their music, just an aside really. Anyway, this track, “Everything”, is all about the chorus: “I don’t care / and I don’t know where we are / but you mean everything / you mean everything.” It’s a heartbreaking sentiment that’s juxtaposed with slightly rocked-up-Morrissey-like verses. It does sound like the kind of thing a council estate drunk whose just had yet another argument with his missus would drawl out into his beer glass, probably at some volume, and certainly not caring who hears it. He makes me think of Eight Ace from the Viz magazine. Anyway, it’s a great track and something I’d happily listen to in a pub to drown out the noise of temporarily single chavs.
According to their website, the Darlingtons are four friends from Somerset who’ve been playing together since secondary school and decided to “give it a go.” Four years down the line, they continue to blend influences from bands such as Interpol, The National and Echo & The Bunnymen.
Keston Cobblers' Club
“Your Mother”
They’d probably hate me for saying this, but this is a band you can bring home to your mother. It’s fun, jaunty and inoffensive … normally things that totally put me off a band when I was younger. They have a nice upbeat sound that helps drive away some of the negativity drilled into me from endless hours driving around in my best mate’s car listening to Deftones (“Fuck fuck fuck fuck / Suck suck suck suck”). I like the folky vocals as they don’t sound too waif-ish, which is my complaint with a lot of modern folk – just too whiny for my liking.
Keston Cobblers’ Club are Matthew Lowe, Julia Lowe, Tom Sweet, Bethan Ecclestone and are based in Bromley. On their website, they said they are “based on folklore but filled to the brim with modern kick.” I can agree with that.
The Grand
“Romance is Dead”
There’s an old-school sound to be enjoyed here. When I heard it, I immediately thought of Journey, which is strange as I’ve only ever heard one of their songs (the famous one about “going nowhere”) and don’t even like that. Grown men doing “whoop” noises around a microphone is not what I’d call rock ‘n’ roll, but again this is one for the chorus. During the verses I’m just listening to the baseline, which thumps out the anger that the vocals – either through choice or otherwise – seem to lack. Although I like this track, I do have a fear that there is a subliminal message in there somewhere that I should go out and buy a trucker hat and some skinny jeans. Let me assure you, neither will be happening in the near future. That’ll come at the midlife crisis.
The Grand are Russ Smith, Thomas Peel, Andy Jennings and were formed in Wakefield in the UK. According to the band’s Facebook site, they have been described as “blokes, beards, chorus and skinny jeans heaven,” and that an elderly once reportedly described them as having “the best tunes to come out of Wakey since the one about the Mulberry Bush.”
Woodpecker Wooliams
"Gull"
I have a thing for unique (some say weird) vocals, particularly unique female vocals. This lass has them. It’s like a girl’s terrified doll came to life and started recounting the horrors of what the boy next door had done to her. That’s the sound, mind, not the lyrics. The lyrics are subtle, touching and a little bit disturbing. Apparently she’s obsessed with birds. Well, that would be suggested by the fact most of her songs mention or are entirely about winged creatures.
Anyway, according to her FB page, she is a beekeeper and ex-trainee midwife, as well as an experimentalist who blends folk, drone, noise and found-sounds. She is based between Brighton and Devon. “Gull” comes from her new album, “The Bird School Of Being Human.”
Right, that’s more than enough from me. Enjoy the tracks.
 |
In trees, not near Darlington. |
The Darlingtons
“Everything”
 |
Eight Ace from the Viz. |
First off, Darlington is a town near to where I grew up in Northeast England. I actually studied at the college there for a year. That has nothing to do with their music, just an aside really. Anyway, this track, “Everything”, is all about the chorus: “I don’t care / and I don’t know where we are / but you mean everything / you mean everything.” It’s a heartbreaking sentiment that’s juxtaposed with slightly rocked-up-Morrissey-like verses. It does sound like the kind of thing a council estate drunk whose just had yet another argument with his missus would drawl out into his beer glass, probably at some volume, and certainly not caring who hears it. He makes me think of Eight Ace from the Viz magazine. Anyway, it’s a great track and something I’d happily listen to in a pub to drown out the noise of temporarily single chavs.
According to their website, the Darlingtons are four friends from Somerset who’ve been playing together since secondary school and decided to “give it a go.” Four years down the line, they continue to blend influences from bands such as Interpol, The National and Echo & The Bunnymen.
 |
Cobblers, dinner? |
Keston Cobblers' Club
“Your Mother”
They’d probably hate me for saying this, but this is a band you can bring home to your mother. It’s fun, jaunty and inoffensive … normally things that totally put me off a band when I was younger. They have a nice upbeat sound that helps drive away some of the negativity drilled into me from endless hours driving around in my best mate’s car listening to Deftones (“Fuck fuck fuck fuck / Suck suck suck suck”). I like the folky vocals as they don’t sound too waif-ish, which is my complaint with a lot of modern folk – just too whiny for my liking.
Keston Cobblers’ Club are Matthew Lowe, Julia Lowe, Tom Sweet, Bethan Ecclestone and are based in Bromley. On their website, they said they are “based on folklore but filled to the brim with modern kick.” I can agree with that.
 |
Giving the cold shoulder. |
The Grand
“Romance is Dead”
There’s an old-school sound to be enjoyed here. When I heard it, I immediately thought of Journey, which is strange as I’ve only ever heard one of their songs (the famous one about “going nowhere”) and don’t even like that. Grown men doing “whoop” noises around a microphone is not what I’d call rock ‘n’ roll, but again this is one for the chorus. During the verses I’m just listening to the baseline, which thumps out the anger that the vocals – either through choice or otherwise – seem to lack. Although I like this track, I do have a fear that there is a subliminal message in there somewhere that I should go out and buy a trucker hat and some skinny jeans. Let me assure you, neither will be happening in the near future. That’ll come at the midlife crisis.
The Grand are Russ Smith, Thomas Peel, Andy Jennings and were formed in Wakefield in the UK. According to the band’s Facebook site, they have been described as “blokes, beards, chorus and skinny jeans heaven,” and that an elderly once reportedly described them as having “the best tunes to come out of Wakey since the one about the Mulberry Bush.”
 |
Stinging voice. |
Woodpecker Wooliams
"Gull"
I have a thing for unique (some say weird) vocals, particularly unique female vocals. This lass has them. It’s like a girl’s terrified doll came to life and started recounting the horrors of what the boy next door had done to her. That’s the sound, mind, not the lyrics. The lyrics are subtle, touching and a little bit disturbing. Apparently she’s obsessed with birds. Well, that would be suggested by the fact most of her songs mention or are entirely about winged creatures.
Anyway, according to her FB page, she is a beekeeper and ex-trainee midwife, as well as an experimentalist who blends folk, drone, noise and found-sounds. She is based between Brighton and Devon. “Gull” comes from her new album, “The Bird School Of Being Human.”
Right, that’s more than enough from me. Enjoy the tracks.
