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Sounds like Michaelmas

Live music

By Eithne Bradley

Welcome back! The skies are getting darker and the work’s piling up, so give thanks that this term sees some really great music coming to Oxford to cheer up your lives.

First off for those rockers and indie kids amongst you, the term kicks off with Spiritualized at the Academy on 13th, Kids in Glass Houses on the 25th, and Does it Offend You, Yeah? at the Regal on the 28th.

Later on we’re graced by the always reliable Funeral for a Friend at the Academy on 1st Nov, followed swiftly by hot new things The Red Light Company on the 3rd and love-them-or-hate-them Danish europoppers Alphabeat on the 5th.

Uber-hip Dirty Pretty Things come to the Academy on the 16th Nov, with The Whip hard on their indie heels on the 20th. Later, as the nights grow darker, band-to-watch The Rifles are making their way to the Academy on 29th Nov, and finally feel-good rock from Iglu and Hartly rounds off the term with sunshiny tunes on 5th Dec.

Some veteran favourites are turning up, like American ska pioneers Less Than Jake (11th Nov, Academy), perky girl-rockers The Pipettes (26th Oct, Academy) and on 15th Oct British Sea Power (right) at The Regal.
If you’re feeling the urge to go urban, The Scratch Perverts are burning a set at The Regal on 24th Oct. If you get your kicks from the dubious delights of Finnish Cello-Metal (and why wouldn’t you) Apocalyptica will be converging on the Academy on 2nd December.

However, if chilling is more in line after missing a couple of essay deadlines, try folk for more gentle tunes; James Yuill plays the Regal on 17th Oct, Seth Lakeman the Academy on 28th Oct, and Jolie Holland plays the same venue on 3rd Dec. Even folk-rock star Martha Wainwright pays Oxford Town Hall a visit on 4th Nov.

If you feel you need more brain cells, but missed out on Bach in the womb, don’t worry; you can get a similar effect at one of the many classical and baroque concerts Oxford has to offer, ranging from the Oxford Chamber Orchestra (Town Hall, 1st Nov) to the String Ensemble who fill the University Church on the 15th, as do the Brass Band on the 21st, up to the grand finale in 7th Week as the Philharmonic play their end-of-term concert at the Sheldonian.

Meanwhile, you are lucky enough to reside in one of the jazziest cities in Britain, with regular Thursday night spots at the Wheatsheaf for some of the best musicians around, from virtuoso flautist Gareth Lochrane to superb improvisers the Jutta Party Band on 16th and 23rd Oct respectively.

Album releases

By Harry Thompson

Whether you love them or hate them, or liked them way back when but now find them hilariously irrelevant, rock giants Oasis return this month with Dig Out Your Soul. Reports of writer’s block on Noel’s part don’t encourage favourable expectations and recent releases hardly hint at drastic change of sound. But maybe, just maybe, the Brothers Gallagher can pull something worthwhile out of their money-soaked fundaments.

In the battle of the Coldplay tribute bands we have releases from piano-abusing balladeers Keane and those emphatic Snow Patrol types. I reckon the latter should easily edge the former out, due to their superior ability in making songs that actually aren’t half bad.

Sticking with British guitar bands for a little longer, Kaiser Chiefs will be dropping Off With Their Heads, undoubtedly continuing their phenomenal success on our fair isles, and seem to have started writing actual songs rather than just glorified football chants.

On the other end of the spectrum is Amadou & Mariam’s Welcome To Mali, which will be attempting to capture the irrepressible joy of their live performances, which feature a potent mix of traditional Malian sounds, rock guitars, Columbian trombones and Cuban trumpets.

Another band offering a unique aural experience is San Francisco’s Deerhoof, who release Offend Maggie, the follow up to 2007’s indescribable Friend Opportunity. I still can’t quite get to grips with their elastic approach to group dynamics and rhythm and ‘Hello Kitty’ vocals, but maybe this will be the LP to change my mind.

Somewhere in the distant midst of November, Kanye West should be treating us to another burst of his world-beating hip-hop-pop hybrid with 808s & Heartbreak. Expect to be hearing every single track in a club near you soon.

Lastly the two I’m most looking forward to; both albums coming a scant year after the respective bands’ previous musical offerings, the quite different sounds of Texan folk-rockers Okkervil River and Cardiff-based indie-poppers Los Campesinos. The former is releasing the second half of what was intended to be a double album, with themes shared between the two LPs, the latter a limited release collection of ten all new, unheard songs written since the release of their debut.

Without going all misty-eyed with fanboy love, I can hardly wait for either.

 

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