Album Review : Birdcloud - Birdcloud 8*

Birdcloud are two sweet looking girls, Jasmin and Mackenzie, who play guitar and mandolin and sing in a country/bluegrass style.  They are also an absolute disgrace, and hilarious.

You might not pick up from the song titles that Birdcloud's self titled debut is a fairly scathing, and bitingly funny, satire on redneck life.  As soon as the girls start singing though I defy you not to laugh, if you can manage it between the gasps of shock.

There are seven songs on the album, and most are fairly short making it more of an EP length in playing time.  The girls sing and play well, in just the sort of strings and voices style that I love in folk music.  In terms of their lyrics though, it's like listening to The Pierces suddenly being possessed by the spirit of The Macc Lads, it is both raunchy and squalid but delivered with a sort of innocent unknowing quality of their stupidity.

Saving Myself For Jesus has been banned by YouTube. Why ? It may be be the lyric 'my hymen belongs to Jesus', or it could be the references to titty fucking, dry humping or being poked in the back door.  The girls have encouraged fans to do cover versions and post them so have a look around.

Other subjects covered in their song range from boasting about their mock native American heritage on Indianer, bewailing the loss of a beloved pet in Bandit, and to be honest Warshin My Big Old Pussy requires no further description.

The music is good, the girls sing well, they shock and entertain in equal measure, it's a short album but you'll get your money's worth of belly laughs from it.

Battle of Evermore

Hot Rock Folk Chicks - Katriona Gilmore

For your delectation this morning, the lovely and incredibly talented musician and singer Katriona Gilmore.  One half of Gilmore-Roberts, part of The Albion Band, seems to be able to play about 20 different instruments, hands out chocolate cake at gigs.

Ilkley Gig - Lady Maisery

If anyone fancies a bit of folk music, the all girl trio Lady Maisery are playing at the Manor House in Ilkley on Friday 13th Jan.  Lady Maisery released their debut album Weave and Spin last year and have been nominated for best debut at the Spiral Awards.

Get there early for a place in the mosh pit, also, I presume there is no bar at the Manor House ? Hip flasks of single malt at the ready then.

Last.fm Stats 2011 - Most Listened to Tracks

John Lee Hooker

1 Professor Elemental – Fighting Trousers 39

1 Professor Elemental – Sweet Cold Coalition (feat. Miss Sadie Bell) 39

3 Professor Elemental – Animal Magic 38

4 Datsik – Swagga 37

4 Datsik – Firepower 37

6 Professor Elemental – CUP OF BROWN JOY (Tea Bag remix) 34

7 Professor Elemental – Splendid 33

7 Black Stone Cherry – Blame It On The Boom Boom 33

7 The Bronx Casket Co. – Antihero 33

Linton Kwesi Johnson

10 John Lee Hooker – Boom Boom 32

10 Professor Elemental – Fete Worse Than Death 32

12 Dessa – The Crow 31

12 WTF Vs Dead Pres – It's Bigger than Hip Hop Uk (Full Vocal Clean Mix) 31

14 Mumford & Sons – The Cave 28

14 Therapy? – Bad Excuse For Daylight 28

14 Stacie Collins – Cool 28

14 Professor Elemental – Elixir 28

18 Million Dollar Reload – International Anthem 27

18 Enter Shikari – The Jester 27

18 Dessa – Into the Spin 27

18 Professor Elemental – The Quest For The Golden Frog 27

18 Professor Elemental – Steam Powered (feat. Mr. Jon Clarke) 27

23 The Pierces – Secret 26

23 Million Dollar Reload – Livin' In The City 26

23 Florence + the Machine – Kiss With A Fist 26

23 Stacie Collins – Lend The Devil A Hand 26

23 Professor Elemental – Penny Dreadful 26

28 Bob Dylan – A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall 25

28 Madness – The Prince 25

28 Dessa – Matches to Paper Dolls 25

28 Stacie Collins – Little Things 25

28 Alex Vegas – Muslamic Ray Guns (The EDL Anthem) 25

33 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising 24

33 Million Dollar Reload – Goodnight New York 24

33 Unruly Child – Show Me The Money 24

33 Stacie Collins – Don't Doubt Me Now 24

33 Nick Jaina – The President of the Chess Club 24

38 The Clash – The Guns Of Brixton 23

38 Linton Kwesi Johnson – Inglan Is A Bitch 23

38 The Duckworth Lewis Method – Jiggery Pokery 23

38 Dessa – Alibi 23

38 Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends – Bully In The Alley 23

43 Led Zeppelin – The Battle of Evermore 22

43 The Pierces – Boring 22

43 Manu Chao – 13 Dias 22

43 Black Spiders – KISS Tried To Kill Me 22

43 Stacie Collins – Hey Mister 22

43 Stacie Collins – Tied To You 22

43 Datsik – Hydraulic 22

50 George Thorogood & The Destroyers – Bad To The Bone 21

My most listened to tracks were obviously doninated by the bands that appeared highest on the acts chart, plus a few acts from which I loved one or two songs but wasn't moved much by the rest of their output ; the dubstep artist Datsik and quirky folk musician Nick Jaina fell into this category.

Last.fm Stats 2011 - Most Listened To

Black Stone Cherry

1 Black Stone Cherry 412

2 Professor Elemental 323

3 Christina Aguilera 322

3 BBC Radio 4 322

5 The Unthanks 318
 6 Muse 315

Professor Elemental



6 Dessa 315

8 Stacie Collins 312

9 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 308

10 Rancid 305

11 Coheed and Cambria 295



12 Megadeth 291

Stacie Collins



12 The Pierces 291

14 Metallica 283

15 The Wildhearts 278

16 The Beatles 269

17 Marillion 267

Nneka

18 Lily Allen 266

19 Status Quo 261

20 Mastodon 259

21 Magnum 257

22 Etran Finatawa 256

23 Manu Chao 255

23 Ace Frehley 255

25 Nneka 254

26 Madness 251

27 Marilyn Manson 245

28 Mumford & Sons 242

29 Therapy? 233

29 The Proclaimers 233

29 Million Dollar Reload 233

32 The Decemberists 232

33 Britney Spears 231

33 Antonín Dvořák 231

35 Igor Stravinsky 230

36 Georg Friedrich Händel 226

37 Lee "Scratch" Perry 224

38 Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends 222

39 Rachel Unthank & The Winterset 221

40 Antonio Vivaldi 215

40 Street Sweeper Social Club 215

42 The Rolling Stones 214

43 The Answer 212

44 Led Zeppelin 207

45 Electric Light Orchestra 204

45 Voodoo Six 204

47 Rush 203

48 Siouxsie and the Banshees 200

49 The Prodigy 197

49 Florence + the Machine 197

That's a reasonably eclectic year for me.  Black Stone Cherry's Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea drove them to the top of my chart, and the endlessly hilarious Professor Elemental got his creator Paul Alborough second spot.

My top ten are well split between old favourites, Christina, Muse, The Unthanks, and listening that was new to me in 2011 like country rocker Stacie Collins, BSC, Professor Elemental's wonderful steampunk chap hop and Dessa's clever and articulate rap.

Further down my charts are well filled with lots of old favourites - try as I might to search out new and weird music I just can't help coming back to the likes of The Wildhearts, Metallica,  Megadeth, Led Zeppelin, Madness or Siouxsie and the Banshees.  New acts that push their way into my most listened of the year included Manu Chao's upbeat Freanch/Spanish/Basque folk pop, Nigeria's pop/rnb singer Nneka, Czech composer Antonín Dvořák and the rock bands Voodoo Six and Million Dollar Reload.

My Girl's A Yorkshire Girl

Image by jo-h via Flickr

Two young fellows were talking about
Their girls, girls, girls —
Sweethearts they'd left behind,
Sweethearts for whom they pined.
One said, "My little shy little lass
Has a waist so trim and small.
Gray are her eyes so bright,
But best, best of all...

"My girl's a Yorkshire girl —
Yorkshire through and through.
My girl's a Yorkshire girl,
Eh! by gum, she's a champion!
Though she's a factory lass
And wears no fancy clothes,
Still I've a sort of a Yorkshire relish
For my little Yorkshire Rose."

When the first finished singing the praise
Of Rose, Rose, Rose,
Poor number two looked vexed,
Saying in tones perplexed:
"My lass works in a factory too
And has also eyes of gray;
Her name is Rose as well,
And strange, strange to say...

"My girl's a Yorkshire girl —
Yorkshire through and through.
My girl's a Yorkshire girl,
Eh! by gum, she's a champion!
Though she's a factory lass
And wears no fancy clothes,
Still I've a sort of a Yorkshire relish
For my little Yorkshire Rose."

To a cottage in Yorkshire they hied
To Rose, Rose, Rose,
Meaning to make it clear
Which was the boy most dear.
Rose, their Rose, didn't answer the bell,
But her husband did instead.
Loudly he sang to them
As off, off they fled...

"My girl's a Yorkshire girl —
Yorkshire through and through
My girl's a Yorkshire girl,
Eh! by gum, she's a champion!
Though she's a factory lass
And wears no fancy clothes,
Still I've a sort of a Yorkshire relish
For my little Yorkshire rose.

For my little Yorkshire Rose."  - Words and music by C.W. Murphy and Dan Lipton