Cate Le Bon - classic or dud

thought this said "Cat LeBron" - was disappointed

I love her voice and I love her guitar playing even more. I don't know if I like half of her latest album, although I haven't listened to it enough. Her first two are great back-to-front.

Don't know her solo work very well, but her guest vocal on the last Manics record was pretty swell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Wtqj1uyro

that's my fav

Cate Le Bon wrote some of my favorite words of 2013 on her album Mug Museum. White Fence is the swirly psych-like music of Tim Presley. Cate and Tim are friends — Cate played guitar on a tour with White Fence — and so now there's this: DRINKS.

DRINKS has an album coming August 21 and this is the title track, called "Hermits on Holiday." The percussion is a machine at the start, the guitar distinctly Cate, as is that thickly Welsh voice. Tim plays bass on this song, though he told me on the phone that they swap instruments a lot on the album. When that bass kicks in, so does White Fence drummer Nick Murray and the song's lockstep rhythm loosens up, as if it's had a drink. The easy joy and silliness here make me look forward to hearing the full album, Hermits on Holiday.

http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2015/05/18/406758565/song-premiere-drinks-hermits-on-holiday?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=allsongs&utm_term=music&utm_content=20150518

Love Cate, but the song is about as boring as the name of her new band. It's also kind of annoying. It's a shame because I kind of had a feeling they'd sound like this.

Classic - maybe my favorite live performer right now, I find her mesmerizing. Bowery Ballroom show on Monday was great, and what I've heard of the new record sounds v. promising (love the Wonderful video). Seen her four times now and each time she makes it new.

I like the new one. I don't think any of the songs are as strong as the best material on Cyrk or Mug Museum, but her guitar playing remains great. Her backing band is pretty cool, too: Josh Klinghoffer from RHCP and the drummer from Warpaint.

H. Hawkline also rules. People need to listen to him.

"Find Me" is awesome.

I think on first acquaintance I might like Crab day best of all CLB's records. Generally she ricochets back and forth between dolorous gorgeousness & a kind of endearing spazziness, whereas this one sort of does both at the same time all the way through. I certainly don't hear any dip in the songwriting either from mug museum. i was a bit worried after drinks, but this great.

Nothing as good as 'Shoeing the Bones' or 'Fold the Cloth' to my ears.

The album has grown on me, but was a let down for the first bunch of listens. Had to come to terms with the realization that as long as she's so drawn to LA, she's not going to be making more 'Shoeing the Bones' or 'Fold the Cloth' styled material. I rate her as one of the top minds at work right now, so I'm not sure if I'm cutting her too much slack, or catching up with where she's going.

It reminds me a bit of H. Hawkline's songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7KzWaLIHIA

Great track - like the Ashes to Ashes visual cues. She's playing here tonight, but Monday night shows after work are a drag.

never seen a less than great show (but understand getting out on a Monday). she's transfixing.

Pretty bummed to not feel like I can go tbh - love her. I work nights as well :-/

she's always been so great. and she's getting weirder. love love love it.

Listening to the Banana album right now.

Enjoyable vibraphone wanderings over saxophone and piano.

I've always loved al little vibraphone. Not exactly a Cate Le Bon release, but Banaa includes her and the backing band she performed Crab Day with when she toured last year.

Stephen Black – Clarinet, Saxophone
Huw Evans – Guitar, Synthesizer
Josh Klinghoffer – Marimba, Synthesizer
Cate Le Bon – Piano, Vibraphone
Stella Mozgawa – Bass, Marimba, Percussion
Josiah Steinbrick – Vibraphone, Piano

http://leavingrecords.com/releases/lr105-banana-live/

Josh Klinghoffer of RHCP, of course.

she had a really gorgeous feature on one of the recent manic street preachers albums, i need to check out her stuff

4 Lonely Roads, really nice. Also sang I Lust U with Neon Neon.

Just picked up Ghouls by her partner, H. Hawkline. CLB plays and sings on it and it very much has similar vibe, really good

"Rock Pool" is a really nice EP. Easy to see how these cuts did not make it on "Crab Day", they definitely feel like solid b-sides. If you love that album this is a nice reprise of that style and the cuts are overall a bit more accessible and far more chill.

There's a sorta experimental film called Tomorrow Is Always Too Long by a young director named - and I kid you not - Phil Collins, which uses Cate Le Bon songs from Mug Museum but redone by a bunch of Glaswegian amateurs. The version of Are You With Me Now is particularly good. Anyways, it's recommended for fans, and is a fun film in general.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUb1Y41lz3s

There's a sorta experimental film called Tomorrow Is Always Too Long by a young director named - and I kid you not - Phil Collins, which uses Cate Le Bon songs from Mug Museum but redone by a bunch of Glaswegian amateurs. The version of Are You With Me Now is particularly good. Anyways, it's recommended for fans, and is a fun film in general.

Any clues as to how to watch this, hear this etc? Found part of one song on the trailer on youtube but other than that nothing on the usual places.

Sorry. I kinda have nothing. Perhaps write the director, ask for a link?

Two of his films are soundtracked by Gruff Rhys.

He also directed the Crab Day short...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56y8DPVTX14

https://m.mixcloud.com/sessun/cate-le-bon-pour-sess%C3%B9n-s%C3%A9lection-musicale-n9/

H Hawkline's In the Pink of Condition is good if you're a fan of Cate's last album. She plays on and produced it. Live, they switch between each other's bands. She does the same with Tom Presley, I've heard. Wasn't too crazy about his last one she produced, though.

been on a kick with her, she's amazing. mug museum was my point of entry, but wow it kind of loses momentum in the second half

Whereas Cyrk takes off in its second half.

Cyrk II continues the momentum.

Cryk rockets from the start in my opinion. Has anyone heard the new drinks lp?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrqphXJZqS8

New H. Hawkline album is really good. Cate's fingerprints are all over it. They've got a lot in common. She produced and plays on the record, like she did on the last one.

important thread revive: are she and Tim Presley a thing?

seems so? Cate's classic as hell

so classic

they met when he was in the Fall, no?

She's also doing something with Bradford Cox when they're in Marfa.

I thought she was dating the guy behind H. Hawkline.

I assume thread was revived for this:

https://drinks.bandcamp.com/album/hippo-lite

Hippo Lite is pretty lame.

Just sounds like bored people making boring music.

I guess the first one sort of sounded like that, but it was a LITTLE adventurous.

She's producing the new Deerhunter album. Apparently. Will be looking forward to that.

Still think Hippo Lite is pretty bad.

I really like Hippo Lite, I find it quite lovely, creepy and peppered with great songs, strange interludes and mirth. For me it has the same kind of elusive quality as Jane from occupied europe, odyshape or witch cults of the radio age where i listen to it compulsively, but it seems unfamiliar each time.

It would be an excellent soundtrack to a very stoned, very hot summer day spent by a brook.

It does drift out of focus a bit towards the end i grant you.

rock pool

Hippo Lite might be the first legit bad thing she's done. she and Tim should've sat on it for a few weeks and/or given it another good listen and/or played it for a few friends and then decided it was best left on the shelf.

I like it better than the first Drinks, but I struggle to re-listen to either record. Their styles would seem similar enough, but their eccentricities don't blend particularly well.

This conversation between Cate and Ariel Pink is kind of amusing...

https://www.talkhouse.com/ariel-pink-talks-with-cate-le-bon-for-the-talkhouse-podcast/

nice, thanks for sharing

saw her play a show on sunday entirely on piano with her sax/clarinet guy steve accompanying. was fucking great. she covered mccartney's waterfalls

me too i think, that or cyrk anyway, and i think this one has the stronger songs.

Was playing it yesterday on a trip back from my folks and my sis, who is a fan to start with, was very taken by how much the guitars reminded her of Ween (who she is also a stone cold fan of).

We saw her tonight in Lille (I missed the London show for reasons of family illness) and she was fantastic.

le bon alert - she is on the new kurt vile album track "Jesus on a Wire"

it's a snoozer. she just does some backup vox. not sure i would know it was her if i didn't know

saw her last night - my third time, better than the reward tour IMO (although that was great) - new songs sound fantastic live and the reward songs sounded like utter classics given a light pompeii makeover - not that familiar with the new LP but whoever mentioned Avalon vibes upthread was otm

not to hijack the revive, but i regret not buying one of her mugs from her in the Mug Museum days.

New single "Typical Love" out today. Dunno if this is a teaser for a physical release or will just a digital thing, but did not expect anything else this year. Already on Spotify, and video debuts at 10am ET:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOJ4NVu_4GM

she produced this it's rly good, and i'm seeing him next week: https://hhawkline.bandcamp.com/album/milk-for-flowers

here's an article to give a flavour: https://www.brooklynvegan.com/h-hawkline-tells-us-about-the-influences-behind-new-album-milk-for-flowers

oh i didn't know there was a new h. hawkline album. i believe he was previously in a relationship with le bon and was later in a relationship with aldous harding, though he must be on good terms with both since le bon produced this and he played bass for harding and opened for her last year on her tour

must be one charming scamp

https://hhawkline.bandcamp.com/track/last-thing-on-your-mind

this song from his last album was a real showstopper when i saw him

ty, shall have a listen!

i got the tickets cos of the support act (alice low, documented here) but he's proving an excellent discovery in his own right

this song you posted is lovely yeah

thanks for sharing imago, have always loved his song "engineers"

will check out

neat!

i ended up liking the CLB song that placed in the ILX poll more than I thought I would, so her recent album will be given a full going-over too

wait, by 'song that placed' i mean 'someone's indicated track from the album that placed'

it’s a damn great album.

(pompeii

oh i didn't know there was a new h. hawkline album. i believe he was previously in a relationship with le bon and was later in a relationship with aldous harding,

This is interesting to me because I often mix up cate le bon and aldous harding. Hope h hawkline doesn’t have the same issue.

the atonal audio smudging in the pompeii title track is very pleasing

wait, by 'song that placed' i mean 'someone's indicated track from the album that placed'

Ha, I got excited about that version of history for a few milliseconds. (I have a feeling I was her sole voter tracks-wise.)

Hawkline's arrangements *are* palpably Lebonian innit. Nice.

Their earlier stuff was sometimes almost indistinguishable, this one would have been quite at home on Me Oh My: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrUmLrBqfh8

Absolutely. I saw Cate on the Mug Museum tour and he opened for her and their bands were the same, with the exception of the front person. Both great. He's released lots of good stuff.