Fresh Edinburgh Talent – The Jim Jams

Relaxed in the setting of a cosy pub, Edinburgh based musician Jim Harbourne proudly talks about his passion for music and his band – let’s refer to them as the Jim Jams. “We’re going to have a think on the name… Jim Jams is more of a nick name” he tells me with a laugh.

DaniRowleyPhotography

Let’s start from the beginning, how did the band get started?
“Well, I’m Jim Harbourne and I have been doing music since I was about 6 – starting off in a church choir. After being a choir boy I started playing in bands and writing songs. When I moved to Edinburgh I was in a few bands and eventually got round to arranging a band to do my own songs, but took several years to get round to that. I had recorded my own album before I got to that point. But here we are and the band is now on our 5th or 6th gig!”

Was it strange going from being on your own to working with others?
“There have never really been any clashes. Because I’m able to record my own stuff it means that I can get exactly the sound that’s in my head, but with a band it needs to be then re-approached ‘cause everyone in the band has their own interpretation of the song. Thats really good, you need to keep that. Songs can change from what they sound in my head, but it’s good and I like it.”

To give our readers a feel of your sound, who would you say you are similar to?
“I started out kind of like Pink Floyd, early Genesis, Mike Oldfield and early 70s stuff but the band, we have since developed our sound. It’s more folky and worldly – a bit more Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. I hear us sounding like more contemporary stuff as well; Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes and actually Vampire Weekend – who I originally hated but now really like.”

Give me one sentence which will entice people to come see you.
“Free beer. Haha no erm… When we’re doing a live stage show it’s very informal and very fun, that’s the whole point of our gigs, they’re fun and we want everyone to have a good time”

I couldn’t help noticing that the members of the band are all pretty different, how do you gel as a band? Are there ever artistic differences?
“It’s great to have all the different influences coming together. Asim (drums) is very into his traditional rock drumming like Smashing Pumpkins and hard-hitting bands like that, he has a great appreciation for world music which I’m also very into. Then there’s Sam (backing vocals, violin) who comes from a very different musical background, very art rock – I don’t think he will mind me saying that. The others all have varied music tastes, then we all kind of come together in a mish mash and it brings something new to the table.”

You have been raising money for a good cause lately, tell us about that.
“A friend of mine from school joined the army when he was 18 and went out to Afghanistan and was a very good soldier. He was always going to be good at that, did a lot of outdoorsy stuff and running around. Unfortunately he was killed in 2009 in an IED – which is how sadly a lot of soldiers are killed. After he died a lot of his friends and family started raising money for Help For Heroes who help injured soldiers. I was writing music one day for a show I was doing and this theme came out of me. I was writing some lyrics as a tribute for my friend and when I played it to some friends at a party they said I should record it and sell it for charity, for Help For Heroes. So I did! The single is on CD form which I sell at gigs, it’s also on amazon and iTunes. It’s called ‘Hills of Home’, it’s a very simple tribute.”

After doing a few gigs as a band, what have been your best and worst points?
“Our highlight was probably our first gig at Voodoo Rooms which was the Hills of Home single launch – fantastic gig! I also really enjoyed the Little Festival of Everything down in Coxwold in North Yorkshire which was a strange and lovely festival in a pub.
“Our worst point… probably a trip we took to Glasgow for a gig. We ended up very late because we got lost in Edinburgh Park of all places. We were driving round there for half an hour with a car full of people and kit, all very stressed. So by the time we got there I wasn’t really in the mood for doing a gig – but it turned out a good gig in the end.”

What does the future look like for the Jim Jams?
“We have a couple of gigs coming up, one in February in Bannermans. But, what I’m really looking forward to is the Fringe Festival. I’m currently in talks with a local pub about getting a 5 night residency during the festival, It would even be in the fringe guide! We wont be necessarily playing every night, but we will be curating and presenting the best of the folky and rocky music circuit. It will be a lot of work to get it done but it will be good, and it’s not till August.
“Would love to get out a bit more, gig around Scotland and the north of England as well.”

I have to ask about the name – the Jim Jams?
“Well, Jim Jams was a bit of a joke name at first. Although it’s fun it doesn’t really reflect the music we make – we’re not a jam tribute band and we don’t play in our pajamas. So we’re going to have a think on the name. You can usually find our music by searching Jim Harbourne – as Jim Jams is more of a Nick Name.”

Finally, the most crucial question for a band – if you were a type of pie, what would you be?
“Ooh hmmm. I think we would be some sort of beef pie (Dan the guitarist nods in agreement.) With something fruity in it, maybe cranberry. Beef and cranberry – I don’t know if that exists but it sounds delicious.”

Download Jim Harbourne – Hills of Home EP on Amazon by clicking here!

Myspace – Jim Harbourne Music
Facebook – Jim Harbourne
Twitter – BorrowedTimePR
Soundcloud – JHarbourne

Members -
Jim Harbourne – Lead Vocals/Guitar
Sam Cunningham-Siggs –  Vocals/Violin
Asim Rasool –  Drums
Lewis Diamond –  Bass
Alex Shedlock – Accordion/Piano
Dan Collins –  Guitar

Brilliant songs for a Brilliant Person

My friend Orla is studying abroad in Missouri at the moment and I miss her lots! To make sure she doesn’t forget me and to feed her musical hunger, I have been sending her a song of the week every week!

Since I think they are good enough to share to my best friend – why not share them with you fine people!!

This is exactly what I sent and what I said to her each week-

Week 1

“Song recommendation of the week – Flaws by Bastille. They sound a bit like Ed Sheeran but cooler. This video is them singing it live and acoustic on a barge boat and it’s a lovely wee video!
Enjoy xxx”

Week 2

“Song of the week this week isssss…… Moth and the Mirror – Fire
Enjoy, I love his voice its gid. Miss you! xxxxxx”

Week 3

“Song of the week…. Chapel Song by We Are Augustines.
They were supporting Frightened Rabbit who I saw last Friday and I love this song and have their album but was in the pub so missed them. Rager.
LOVE YOU!! xxxxxxxx”

Week 3.5

“Oh by the way. This is a song that I love, and thought no one really knew it cause it doesn’t sound like it would be popular. But it’s apparently number 1 at the mo!
It would have been song of the week at some point, but now its all popular I better get it out now!
So… Song of the week no2. Gotye – Somebody that i used to know.”

Week 4

“Song of the week!! My fave song at the moment. The very very talented and lovely Ben Howard with The Wolves!
Missing you so much this week! xxxxxx”

Week 5

“I love this band. Going to see them in May. Come back so you can come too xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx”

French Wives – Feel Safe Small

‘Happy indie pop’ best describes French Wives‘ new EP, Feel Safe Small.

The Glasgow band kicks off the EP with Big Brave Boy, an upbeat track containing clapping and a decent rhythm; the sound is a bit like being on holiday. The vocals may seem slightly irritating at points of this song, but fear not, it doesn’t last. Moving on to Purple Hell, the vocals are a lot stronger and are reminiscent of an early Maxïmo Park. This poppy, summertime sound continues in Covered In Grace, a tune that could be played at indie discos across the country.

The EP is saved from being trite indie pop by the final track. Wrapping up the record is a sweet, melodic ballad, Confidence, the EP’s strongest track. The violin, harmonies and atmosphere show the band’s potential; the song seems to have more depth and originality than the others.

The EP overall is definitely worth a listen, but isn’t groundbreaking. The array of music instruments is enjoyable; however, the violin is sometimes too dominant, although this may be down to production.

Although the whole sound is a bit too much like what has been floating about the indie scene for the last few years, the band show promise overall.

The Vaccines – Post Break-Up Sex

On the first listen, I took The Vaccines to be an indie rock band with a retro sound who were just a copy of all the bands around last year. But after hearing ‘Post Brea-up Sex’ I have reached the conclusion that they are actually quite good and do have some unique qualities and sounds. Sure, it’s never going to be anyones favorite song of all time or win any awards, but it puts you in a good mood and the lyrics are funny.

I can’t post a video like I usually would on a short post due to YouTube sucking and not letting you embed videos anymore But definitely give it a check out here!

Best songs of 2010

2010 has been quite a funny year for music. No genre has dominated the charts as much as usual; there has been a really wide mix of good and bad making it onto our radios and into our ears. I dont think there have been as many brilliant tunes as previous years, which made it slightly more challenging than usual to find 10 songs that I think deserve to be listened to alot. But I took on the challange anyway, and found some gems.

1. The Drums – Lets Go Surfing

This song from New York band The Drums is my song of 2010. It was released in 2009, charting at 107, and even this year only charted at 63! Whats with that? I couldn’t get enough of this energetic retro indie pop tune this year, and was ridiculously disappointed when they didn’t have it in their set at Leeds Festival! However, I will forgive them for making such a brilliant track and a very good album.

2. Darwin Deez- Radar Detector

If there was an award for best guy of the year, it should go to Darwin Deez. Radar Detector is the most fun, dancey, feel-good, indie anthem of this year without a doubt. Its got cute lyrics, a fast beat and never fails to cheer oneself up!

3. Arcade Fire – Ready to Start

What a year it has been for Arcade Fire, and don’t they deserve it. A brilliant new album, a headline slot at Reading/Leeds festival and a hugely successful UK tour. It was quite hard to choose what single from this year to pick. However I feel Ready to Start has that extra emotion, extra atmosphere and deserved a place on my top 10. However if I had my way, there would be tons of lists with Arcade Fire tracks on.

4. Vampire Weekend – Giving up the Gun

My favorite song off ‘Contra’ has to be Giving up the Gun. And not just for the lovely video in which you can drool over Jake Gyllenhaal playing tennis, it’s a cracking tune too! In typical Vampire Weekend fashion this infectious track gets lodged in your head until you’re singing it everywhere without realising.

5. B.O.B feat Hayley Williams – Airplanes

You might think this one is a bit of a sell out, not very good and not one of the best songs of the year. Obviously I disagree.  B.O.B has worked with some great people this year; Bruno Mars, Rivers Cuomo etc. But I think teaming up with Paramore’s Hayley Williams was definitely a wise move. With clever lyrics, a catchy melody and a great atmosphere; Airplanes was a song that could get you emotional, or fill a dance floor.

6. Bombay Bicycle Club – Ivy and Gold

A beautifully brilliant example of ‘plinky plonky’ indie, one of my favourite genres. This track is taken from the bands second album, ‘Flaws’. A brilliant acoustic chilled out but not boring album. This was a great summer time song that you could listen to in any kind of mood. If you havent heard this one deffo get checking it out!

7. Iyaz – Replay

No matter where you were this summer, someone was singing “SHORTAAAYSS LIKE A MELODY IN MAAA HEAD”. This song caught on faster than the plague and struck down more victims. Even I – a lover of good music- had to dance to this one every time it was played. Replay is a typical summer song that I can see being played every time our thermometers hit 20° here in the UK. So, not the most musically brilliant song around 2010, but definitely one of the catchiest.

8. Mark Ronson & Business intl – Bang Bang Bang

So Mark Ronson has a new name and is writing his own songs. My personal favorite from the album ‘Record Collection’ is ‘The Bike Song’. However I don’t feel that it was such a big song this year. But if there was one song you couldn’t escape from, it was Bang Bang Bang. At first it really annoyed me, but now I have a bit of a love affair with the track. From the start when Spank Rock says “turn it up a little bit” to the french vibe, it’s a really good song. Musically, lyrically and it has a great dance-ability rating.

9. Miike Snow – Silvia

I fell in love with a Swedish band this year, their whole album is brilliant and explores blues, indie, electro and more. The best song from the album (in my humble opinion) and one of the best songs of the year is Silvia. The lyrics are beautiful and the vocals are capable of taking you into a trance you may never fully get out of. I am in love with this song, and you should be too. If you havent heard it you are 100% missing out.

10. Chiddy Bang – Opposite of Adults

Alt hip-hop band Chiddy Bang made it big in the UK this year with their single Opposite of Adults. Fans of the bands they sample, Radiohead for example, often get offended by the bands use of samples. However I think they struck gold when they sampled ‘Kids’ by MGMT. The rap is clever, the tune is even more infectious than in ‘Kids’ and it’s just in general a better song. It’s hard when using such a recent and big song not to get compared, but in this case I don’t think there is much of a comparison. If you’re a fan of Opposite of Adults, check out the rest of the EP – ‘The Preview’.

Arcade Fire – Glasgow SECC, 12/12/10

I was blown away by their performance at Leeds Festival, calling it the best live performance I had ever witnessed. Was this about to change, were they about to out-do themselves? Was ‘Best Gigs Ever’ list about to be dominated by Arcade Fire?

After being stuck in traffic for hours in the freezing cold, I trudged my way into the giant hall of the SECC feeling exhausted yet excited.

Anticipation had been building since the stage crew started setting up the massive billboard and floodlight, creating the suburbs stage setting. The adoring cries ricocheted off the walls as the band jumped their way on stage.

The band started with a very aptly named Ready to start. Before playing it, frontman Win Butler tells the seated part of the audience to stand up. An invitation that was accepted with great enthusiasm. Moving along the setlist was the most weak song of the night Month of May,not that it was played badly, it’s just my least favorite song.

The set was a good mix of songs from ‘Funeral’ and ‘The Suburbs’, with a few good tracks thrown in from ‘Neon Bible’. There wasn’t one song that stood out amongst them, but the best performed and most electric songs were Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels), We used to wait, Wake up and Rebellion (lies). The main set finished on Rebellion, the band walked off stage to their song being echoed back by the audience. The gap before the encore was alive with “oooo ooo oooo”s from the crowd, still seeming to be in the last song.  Speculation was spreading through the crowd about what the encore tracks would be, everyone was sure Wake Up would be there, but not many people had expected what was to come, Intervention.

It was a phenomenal performance from start to finish. The crowd didn’t seem to want to leave, even when the lights came up and the band were making their way off stage. But before they left they threw as much as they could give away into the very grateful audience. I loved seeing Richard (Reed-Parry) high fiving all the roadies and backstage team before he waved to the crowd and departed the stage.

Just another supergroup?

It seems like everyone’s been getting together to form ‘supergroups’ lately. But I think the latest collaboration is something a bit special.

Carl Barat,  Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys drummer),  Drew McConnell (Babyshambles bassist) and Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals ) have teamed up to record an album for Brazilian, African and UK charities.

The name of the band is  The Bottletop Band and it features many other artists, like an indie supergroup Band Aid. Contributing acts are; Eliza Doolittle, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Sam Sparro, Tim Burgess, Reverend And The Makers, VV Brown and Fink .

‘Fall Of Rome’ is the first single, out on download from Thebottletopband.com on December 10. However if you love them you have quite a wait till the  album is released. ‘Dream Service’, will be out April 11!Watch footage of the band recording ‘Fall Of Rome’ in the studio by clicking below.

I will be having a listen to the single tomorrow, so far im rather excited!

Jay- Z The Hits vol.1

Jay-Z (AKA Sean Carter) yesterday released his first ‘best of’ album – Hits Vol. 1.

The rapper from Brooklyn released his first album; ‘Reasonable Doubt’ in 1996. He has since then released 11 studio albums and sold more than 40 million records. He has broken records, won 10 Grammy Awards , became CEO of Def Jam Records, has a successful clothing brand and has 4 Billboard Top 100 number ones! He is massive here in the UK too, there was a lot of controversy when he was announced to headline Glastonbury Festival.

‘Hits Collection Vol.1′ collects all his best works and puts them together making the record arguably one of the best hip hop albums ever. From old school rap to collaborations with Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, the album shows how versatile Jay-Z can be. I rushed out to buy it and would definitely recommend it to anyone, even if you’re not a big fan!

Check out the video to my favorite track – Hard Knock Life (warning – sweary words!)

Track Listing -

• 1. Public Service Announcement
• 2. Run This Town
• 3. 03′ Bonnie And Clyde
• 4. Encore
• 5. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
• 6. Izzo (HOVA)
• 7. DOA (Death Of Auto Tune)
• 8. 99 Problems
• 9. Empire State Of Mind
• 10. Dirt Off Your Shoulder
• 11. Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
• 12. Show Me What You Got
• 13. Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)
• 14. Big Pimpin’