Posts Tagged ‘James Hoare’

ULTIMATE PAINTING – ” Live At The Music Hall of Williamsburg New York ” 7th May 2016

Posted: December 25, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , , ,
0

jls_4617

New York City’s live music archivist site NYC Taper have posted the third recording that they’ve made of Ultimate Painting over the last two years, this time at our Music Hall Of Williamsburg show a couple of months ago. This is really great quality and as ever, we appreciate the care that goes into these recordings. Thanks Acidjack and NYC Taper.

Just look at their crowds on their tour opening for the Brooklyn band Woods and you can tell Ultimate Painting are on the way up. The young band is already two albums in, with new material still coming, and they’ve mastered a capable and engaging live show to go with it. For their slot at Music Hall Of Williamsburg, the band decided to roll out a few new tunes to go with regulars from their self-titled debut and last year’s Green Lanes, including the the band’s eponymous tune and their widely-beloved “Rolling In the Deep End.” The band’s low-key, 60s psych-influenced approach has found an audience not just because of nostalgia, but because of the band’s ability to craft good songs that mine that territory, the sort of numbers that you remember after hearing them only once. True to the spirit of the Velvet Underground  one of several flattering comparisons the band has enjoyed — they don’t let even their shorter performances end without some music exploration, and “Ten Street” has become that for them, with guitarist James Hoare (ex-Veronica Falls) in particular enjoying the chance to stretch his wings. Expect to see Ultimate Painting around for quite a while.

http://

Tracks
01 Ultimate Painting
02 Rolling In the Deep End
03 [unknown]
04 [unknown2]
05 Break the Chain
06 Central Park Blues
07 Sweet Chris
08 Ten Street

ULTIMATE PAINTING – ” Monday Morning Somewhere Central “

Posted: December 2, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

Ultimate Painting, who are currently touring North America in support of their album Dusk, have shared the video for ‘Monday Morning, Somewhere Central’, their latest single.

The video features bands members Jack Cooper and James Hoare traipsing about their hometown of London, mirroring the song’s lyrics but two never quite connect throughout the course of the video.

On the video, Cooper comments, “It’s a song about fading friendships and trying to look back on them optimistically.

“The vast majority of relationships we form with people eventually dwindle, but I’ve never really looked on that as being particularly sad. It may seem nihilistic or cold but I’ve found looking back on friendships and thinking about the good parts makes the ebb and flow of life a little easier.

ULTIMATE PAINTING – ” Dusk ” Best Albums Of 2016

Posted: October 23, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

jls_4613_by_john_sturdy

Drop City created wildly psychedelic paintings on acrylic, one of which, ‘Ultimate Painting’, inspired the London duo of James Hoare and Jack Cooper. It’s telling that “Lead The Way”, from Ultimate Painting’s third album, Dusk, features the lyric, ‘turn your back on society’ – they seem driven by a similar impulse to reduce and simplify. Both Cooper and Hoare have prior form in indie groups: the former with Mazes, and the latter with Proper Ornaments and Veronica Falls. If some of those groups access the creative energy of the ’60s through the refracting prism of ’60s independent music, Ultimate Painting return to the source direct, but they avoid the slavish copyism of any number of romanticising nostalgia acts, from Mod revivalists to limp psych-rockers, by tightening the focus, sketching the mise-en-scène with just the bare necessities.

Initial listens to Dusk, the duo’s third album, are similar to encounters with their other two (the self-titled 2014 debut, and last year’s Green Lanes); first impressions, of a muted slightness, give way to increasing wonder at the evocative qualities of the songs’ mindful minimalism. It’s uncluttered, spare, and open, and the production and arrangement has the feel of a group breathing together in the same room, capturing the recording space’s acoustic qualities, and playing only the essential notes, the better to let the room sing in tandem with the interactions between buzzing strings and humming valve amplifiers.

It kicks off with deceptive diffidence  “Bills” comes across, at first, like a paper-cut version of the crystalline excellence of Television’s third, oft-underrated comeback album from 1992; it’s a nudge away from the latter’s “1880 Or So”. But it soon blossoms, finding its own community of sound, and quietly ascending into a mantric chorus, as a huffing organ buzzes out the back of the studio. The guitar playing is particularly seductive – one guitar trebly and warbled by tremolo, the other lightly distorted but still pin-sharp, their relationship is one of mutual fascination, tiptoeing around each other and respectfully finding ways to weave around each other’s tonal spectrum. The jangling charm of the following “Song For Brian Jones” hymns the titular character via guitars that toll in consort with the gentle psych-folk of The Byrds circa Fifth Dimension; “Lead The Day”’s chiming piano positions the gracefully understated melody on an early solo McCartney album.

Cooper and Hoare have no qualms about drawing from some of pop and rock’s most distinguished as Cooper once said, “We accepted the fact that we’re influenced by the biggest bands that have ever been, because a lot of them are really good.” That kind of comfort with the canon is writ across Dusk, but it also risks games of spot-the-reference: it’d be pretty easy to draw a Venn diagram of, say, the gentler climes of psychedelic pop from the ’60s, the click and fizz of the quieter end of ’70s power-pop, and the pastoral lilt of the Flying Nun label in the ’80s, and locate Ultimate Painting at their intersection.

The PROPER ORNAMENTS – ” Memories “

Posted: October 19, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Image result

The Proper Ornaments are soon set to release their second full album, “Foxhole” via Tough Love, due for release in parallel with single ‘Memories’, which is premiering above.

The London-based band are comprised of Veronica Falls’ James Hoare and TOY’s recent addition Max Oscarnold. Foxhole is a follow-up to their first release in 2014, entitled “Wooden Head”, and working in a similar vein, this new album showcases Hoare’s knack for ‘60s pop songwriting but with cleaner, piano-based accompaniment. This was achieved using self-imposed limitations; “doing [the album] on an 8 track… gives the songs a more sparse sound.”

Here, The Proper Ornaments are now refining and exacting their process, both as composers and musicians. The resultant feel is more of gentle, resigned melancholy rather than the upbeat power pop of their previous release. In reference to this, Hoare says that “[they] wanted to move in a slightly different direction from Wooden Head, away from the distorted guitars and into a more peaceful area.” ‘Memories’ unravels at a leisurely pace, though is not without hooks in its winding chord progressions.

http://

ULTIMATE PAINTING – ” Bills “

Posted: October 16, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

100000x100000 999

Despite being in other bands this duo don’t take much time to relax. Dusk is the 3rd album in not long over a couple of years from Ultimate Painting and their craft continues to captivate. This time around the record feels somewhat more restrained than the previous two, not that the previous two were unrestrained by any means. Ultimate Painting create wonderfully subtle songs, two guitars filling the sound as though they’re just playing instinctively, one always knows what the other is going to do next. On the surface they’re not obviously catchy but listen to ‘Bills’ or ‘Who is Your Next Target’ a couple of times and don’t even think about trying to forget them. Not that you’d want to forget them for a second. At what point does this stop being the guys from Veronica Falls and Mazes and when do we start referring to those bands as the guys from Ultimate Painting? They’re a vital band, Dusk simply pushes that point home.

http://

From their upcoming album “Dusk” ~ out September 30th, 2016.

London, UK duo of Jack Cooper & James Hoare.

 

ULTIMATE PAINTING – ” I’m Set Free “

Posted: October 2, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

Image result for ultimate painting band

Dusk is the third Ultimate Painting album, a well-oiled psychedelic folk machine made up from Jack Cooper and James Hoare . Both come from severely underrated bands, Mazes and Veronica Falls. What first brought me into their world is how their writing styles melted together. Ultimate Painting had enough distorted moments to jolt you from your zoning out, but then you could float back into a beanbag, letting the relaxing atmosphere soothe you. Green Lanes, out last year, was a meditative affair. I’d be lying if I didn’t accept that ‘The Ocean’ had this magical feeling of longing and that’s why I got hooked on that one. What Green Lanes accomplished was syncing Cooper and Hoare‘s writing styles.

Now comes Dusk, out on Trouble in Mind records. It’s the perfect name for the album, as the feelings of sunsets do come across. There’s an inherent sadness in Ultimate Painting‘s work, but it doesn’t feel like it stems from depression. It’s that sadness attached to reflection, to that self-assessment you do when something is finished. End of a day. End of a season. End of year. Something has changed and with the good and bad that change bring, there’s a certain unnamed feeling creeping by. That feeling is evoked by Dusk.

‘Portrait of Jason’ in particular fits this description. Relaxed pace, minimalist arrangements, and enough atmosphere to terraform an old barren planet. The inclusion of a Rhodes in several tracks, like ‘Lead the Way’, enriches the atmosphere. A bit of gospel? Perhaps, it’s a grand old instrument and letting it shine like it does in this track gives the band its own sound. This sound, developed by this constant release schedule, is now fully evolved and it makes Dusk a highlight in their career:

ULTIMATE PAINTING – ” Song For Brian Jones “

Posted: September 15, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

Dusk will be Ultimate Painting’s third album in three years, but the London duo still sounds like it takes time to get moving. The guitars of Jack Cooper (Mazes) and James Hoare (Veronica Falls) loop in and out of each other like rubber bands, taut one moment and wobbly the next. Where past records crossed their third album with a paradoxically easygoing motorik beat, Dusk expands the duo’s pop sensibilities, finding tension in quiet melodies.

Shot at James Hoare’s home studio off Green Lanes in East London, the “Song For Brian Jones” video features their guitars, keyboards and reel-to-reel machine double-exposed with mountains and rivers. Named for the Rolling Stones founder member, the song is a moody and shifty piece of psychedelic pop. Guitars tangle with soft harmonies and light Wurlitzer like night moving in slow motion, casting strange shadows against the asphalt. “It’s all in my mind, paranoia and the fires burning wild,” the duo sings. “It’s all in my mind, buried deep, but the truth’s there to find.”

Dusk comes out September. 30th on Trouble In Mind Records.

ULTIMATE PAINTING – ” Green Lanes ” Best Albums Of 2015

Posted: August 23, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Our record is available now from Trouble In Mind and from all good independent records stores. It’s available everywhere else next week

The sophomore release from London-based band Ultimate Painting. Initially formed as a loose collaboration by Jack Cooper (Mazes) and James Hoare (Veronica Falls) the project quickly turned into a full-fledged band in 2014 with the release of their self-titled debut album. Continuing with the warm 60s influenced pastoral gems that characterized their impressive debut, ‘Green Lanes’ sees the duo conjure up another collection of super cool dreamy pop. “Green Lanes” is the second album from London-based band Ultimate Painting.

With the release of their s/t debut album on Trouble In Mind. That album received praise worldwide from NME, Pitchfork, Consequence of Sound & more & with “Green Lanes” the band is poised for more accolades. The album is focused & cohesive, the result of two voices becoming one and each member’s songs complimenting the other, carving out a distinct & unified voice as Ultimate Painting.

Slinking out of the gate, the first song “Kodiak” is an hummable future-classic with Cooper & Hoare’s guitars dancing around each other with ease. The licks & lyrics conjuring up images of Sixties California & Seventies New York; a picture of dark clouds on a sunny day. The rest of the album follows suit with the airy, lush harmonies of “Sweet Chris” & “Two From The Vault ” and even kicks up some dust with the chooglin’ “(I’ve Got The) Sanctioned Blues” and the manic ”Woken By Noises”. While their self titled debut was all Cooper & Hoare, this time out, they are augmented by the addition of their live drummer Neil Robinson who provides propulsion on all but one of “Green Lanes”s tracks.

The album artwork was once again provided by Portland artist Bradley Kerl, who portrayed Hoare’s London flat and recording space chock full of the equipment used to record both the band’s albums casually tumbling toward the viewer.

2015 sees the band hitting the road again, with appearances at UK & European Festivals as well as a full US Tour in the fall in support of “Green Lanes”

TRACK LISTING

1. Kodiak
2. Sweet Chris
3. (I’ve Got The) Sanctioned Blues
4. The Ocean
5. Two From The Vault
6. The Ocean (reprise)
7. Break The Chain
8. I Was Lost
9. Tee Zee Em
10. Paying The Price
11. Woken By Noises
12. Out In The Cold

The PROPER ORNAMENTS – ” Summers Gone “

Posted: July 28, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

Slumberland Records is pleased to announce the signing of London-based neo-psychedelic pop group The Proper Ornaments. Mining the rich territories of The Velvet Underground and The Beach Boys, their debut album proper “Wooden Head” features fourteen thrillingly taut and melodic pop songs with a deep, dark undercurrent. Comprised of Argentinian Max Claps and James Hoare (also of Veronica Falls) – who both sing and write the songs – and joined by Daniel Nellis (bass) and Robert Syme (drums), the band have already shared stages with the likes of Real Estate, Woods, Crystal Stilts, Toy and Metronomy.

Maximo Claps arrived in London in 2008 on a one-way ticket from Buenos Aires, aided by former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Oldham had produced a record by Claps’ Argentinian band of the time but the group had fallen apart in a mess of drugs and acrimony and Claps‘ family were attempting to intervene by sending him to a mental hospital. The only option seemed to be to flee the country. As Claps recalls, “The day before flying to the UK I got run over by a car and had to escape hospital in order to make it so I arrived with bandages and my head all stitched up.”

A few weeks later Max walked into the vintage clothes shop where James Hoare sat behind the counter reading a book on The Velvet Underground, and attempted to cause a diversion while his kleptomaniac girlfriend stole a pair of boots. “She didn’t steal them in the end,” says Max. “They weren’t her size”. However, the shop assistant and the would-be accomplice bonded over a mutual love of the Velvets, Love, Felt and West Coast pop and began writing together, taking their name from a song by the pioneering soft psych band The Free Design. In 2010 they released their first single, “Recalling”, following it up with a five-song EP for London label No Pain in Pop. In 2013 Lo Recordings released all their output to date on a collection titled “Waiting for the Summer”, followed by the single “First Step Out” in February 2014.

Their new album was recorded at a studio in Hackney, as well as at home in their old flat in Whitechapel on a broken 8-track reel-to-reel bought off eBay from an angry guy who threatened to shoot them and chop off their balls when they attempted to return it – a terrifying experience for a pair of skinny indie boys. Taking inspiration from Berlin-era Lou Reed, Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Darklands”, The Television Personalities and West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, the songs are breezy and easy on the ear, with sublime harmonies and chiming Byrdsian guitar, but with a darker twist and a pervasive air of melancholy. Stand-out tracks include the beautiful but sad “Summer’s Gone” (about mental illness), “Magazine” (an upbeat number written from the perspective of a bullet in the barrel of a gun) and “You’ll See” (about how when you die you’ll see everyone you know, all there lined up in a row).

With “Wooden Head”, The Proper Ornaments prove that it is still possible to create an album of pure pop perfection. Max’s girlfriend may not have stolen the boots, but The Proper Ornaments are about to steal your heart.

“The joint project of James and Max, through romantic drama that borders on that of The Libertines. And when you hear The Proper Ornaments you’ll see why it’s all worth it. It’s like they’re meant for each other, like Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts”

http://

ULTIMATE PAINTING – ” Bills “

Posted: July 16, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

The duo of James Hoare and Jack Cooper, otherwise known as Ultimate Painting, are set to release their third LP titled Dusk on September 30th via the fine folks at Trouble In Mind Records. The lead single, Bills, picks up where their last effort, “Green Lanes”, ended. It is a wonderful track of 70s psych-folk highlighted by some genuinely fantastic guitar work.

Album opener and first single “Bills” furthers the duo’s reputation as purveyors of the Verlaine/Lloyd legacy, but despite the evident influence of American guitar pop both past and present, the group has recorded an album that feels decidedly English. Cooper’s abstract poeticism balances perfectly alongside Hoare’s alluring and universal pop leanings. The group has discovered a simple lushness in Dusk’s arrangements, sometimes only with subtle additions like a recently acquired Wurlitzer piano. They’ve tapped into the subtle grace that infects the mood and emotions experienced at times like sunrise and dusk, hopefulness, resignation,

The casual setting during the album’s recording allowed the sessions and songs to unfold naturally, with James and Jack accompanied by recent live drummer Melissa Rigby, who drums on the entirety of Dusk. Her skills lend a rhythmic elasticity to the songs with jazzy undertones that break from the band’s previously unadorned 4/4 leanings. Dusk feels different and cements the group’s presence in the modern world of guitar pop,

http://

First single from their forthcoming third album “Dusk”, out September 30th, 2016 via Trouble In Mind Records (www.troubleinmindrecs.com)

 

Older Entries
Newer Entries