Cate Le Bon - classic or dud

Well - I say classic, as I am very fond of her doomy neo-folk music. But what about you?

I have only heard one song of hers, on WFMU, but it was fantastic.

The album "Me Oh My" is amazingly good. I bought it on the strength of one track, which turned out not to even be the best thing on it.

i like this. i think it's something i'd need to be in the right mood for, though.

it's like vu + nico with a folk-prog overlay.

This is really good! She seems undeservedly overlooked.

*to be

Very undeservedly slept-on. Both LPs are fantastic.

new album is rad but is getting released three months later in the UK than the US - don't totally get the deal w/ that

Finally getting around to this, I think the Le Bon moniker put me off checking it out. Particularly fond of 'Fold the Cloth' which mines the hiterto unexplored seam between Broadcast and the Incredible String Band.

Classic. Both her albums are fantastic, as are her EPs. Looking bright.

Her "debut" on Neon Neon was nice as well. Good looking out, Gruff.

New one coming soon. First track released feature Perfume Genius: http://thefourohfive.com/news/article/cate-le-bon-announces-new-album-listen-to-i-think-i-knew-feat-perfume-genius

Mug Museum is fan-fookin'-tastic. Basically adore this woman.

She's been my main listening since finding out about her a few months ago. Still gathering my thoughts I why she's such a talent, but some listens to Mug Museum have me convinced. This is quite a run of albums.

Not had chance to listen to the album yet, but our mug is lovely & only slightly wonky.

Just seconding the Mug Museum praise. This is seriously good. Should have a higher profile here.

yep, CateLB rules, i've only heard bits and bobs of mug museum but me oh my and cyrk were both singular and great, a really endearing mix of sublime earthiness and scrappiness. are you with me now reminds me of linda thompson a bit . Excitingly, she's touring n the new year.

This record is so good. Listening to it for the first time now & every song within seconds becomes ridiculously charming.

I think I like her last two better right now. The second half hasn't worked too well for me yet. Cyrk + Cyrk II are a great pair.

And yeah, I like the mug. It's sitting on a bookshelf.

"no god" bites galaxie 500's "king of spain" in a really tasty way

I like the second side better now. Mirror Me has this sort of sluggish rhythm that she always somehow makes lively. This record has fuller production, which is sometimes less distinctive than the early ones, but it's still top notch. Topper notch in places. Totally dig the Andy Mackay-like fills on the opener.

I found out recently "Le Bon" isn't her surname. :\

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnYVaB6IJck

Saw her and her band open for Warpaint last night. Sometimes I like her Nico meets something or other vocals and other times she sounds screechy and annoying. Her guitar playing and the band sounded pretty good most of the time, in a Super Furry Animals meets Velvets and Stereolab way.

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.

"French Boys" and "Wheel" are working for me now. Not least in the bass department. Desperately need a lyric sheet though!

Belatedly realising that "Harbour" is pretty damn earworm'y. A bit of a "Home To You" in that it's the easiest to imagine hearing by chance in a shopping mall lol.

This is dripping in atmosphere. I love it.

Like her last album, this isn’t bad but I miss the more jagged guitars of her first few albums. I’m not as keen on the synths/sax combo. Just my personal taste but I rarely go for songs with saxophone

Polar opposite for me. This is the first time I'm buying what she's selling for more than a minute or two.

masterpiece imo

the new bryan ferry

And that's a fine place to aim for!

I keep hearing 10,000 Maniacs' "Like the Weather" somewhere in "Moderation"

10,000 Maniacs have a much better drummer

oh man, not comparing the drummers directly (i don't know 10K maniacs very well at all), but i love the drummer. i read somewhere about their drumming being driven by carefully placed bass drum kicks, recently, and that's what I focus on

i'm still digesting the album. i got so, so used to Moderation leading directly into Running Away - just a casualty of the several months of 1-3 songs approach to PR, but those two became intertwined, for me.

Yeah maybe not a fair comparison. That sort of late 80s light snappy rolling feel leads in the direction of Rusted Root

It feels to me like Pompeii's drums are dragging at the tempo, as if they're intentionally slowing everything down, a sluggish almost DJ Screw effect

the song "Pompeii" is hitting me, now, on the 3rd time through. now every corner of it feels so right, where it drifted right on past the first couple times. i do love the sound of her current line-up/instrumentation, so much.

The album is growing on me. I think I do like it more than the last album.

speaking of amazing guitar parts, both subtle and riffage, they're both in "Remembering Me"

the subtle can be heard during the chorus, the the thin wobbling snake between some of the lines and during some of the others:

Upset, and out of touch
Good grief, you miss so much
Oh, oh, remember me
Louder than empty rooms
Face down in heirlooms
Oh, oh, remembering me

that is positively slinking

later on, the riffage is later, at 3:00, the solo. it's like alt arena rock busts in all of a sudden but it's perfect

the thin wobbling snake

i want to go ahead and express my regret for this description of the guitar line, lol

the positively slinking thin wobbling snake

:-|

terrific bass on this record, reminds me of john giblin's playing on john martyn's grace & danger but less cagey.

Press material says she mostly composed it on bass

i JUST noticed the big obvious thing about the beginning of the title track "Pompeii", which is that it follows the exactly melodic scheme of the ending of the previous song, "French Boys"

also, i LOVE the chorus of "Pompeii", particularly the background vocal counterpart, the wordless "ooom-PAAAH!", and how it reinforces a kind of half-time feel

All my life in sentiment
All my language is vulgar and true
I've pushed love through the hourglass
Did you see me putting pain in a stone?

really really liking this album, possibly even more than the last ones. her herky-jerk rhythms are so mesmerizing and it seems like she's leveled up the arrangements. some great guitar tones on here too.

still looking for an earworm like "home to you," but maybe one will reveal itself in time.

the new molly nilsson album also has a song called "pompeii"

This record is wonderful. The bass, the arrangements, the rhythms - so much pleasure for the ears. I missed her in Glasgow last week because I got Covid, which is a shame because seeing her play the previous record live really opened it up to me. And I would have loved to see the parts of Pompeii come together before my eyes.

yeah it's so good. maybe my favorite of hers.

ditto

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.