music & food magazineissue 1 / september 2012

festivals, rotterdam, cosmen adelaida, beets, porto, antwerp, pinchos, coconut records, dinner party

MOOD is made possible by the following writers, editors and photographers

MARCOS DOMÍNGUEZ GONZÁLEZ Writer / Madrid

PAUL DALLISONWriter, Editor / Brussels

EMILY SCHWARTZWriter / Minneapolis

MATTHEW O’LEARYWriter, Chef / Gothenburg

NICOLE FEESTPhotographer / Minneapolils

INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING?email us at moodmusicfood@gmail.com

MARIO VILLAR SANJURJOCo-founder, Writer /

Brussels

EMMA HOVELCo-founder, Designer,

Photographer / Brussels

issue 1 / september 2012 / MOOD music & food magazine

MOOD is a magazine about music and food. Pairing records with recipes, concerts with restaurants and festivals with eaters, our focus will be on combining the two subjects in an interesting way.

The first issue explores this concept for the first time. We tag along with Spanish band Cosmen Adelaida on tour in northern Spain (p. 35), eat cheap surinamese food in Rotterdam (p. 23) and learn how to make a delicious beet salad

from a contributor's mom (p. 6).

www.moodmusicfood.com

A NOT SO RANDOM MENU

PAIRINGS: COCONUT RECORDS AND COCONUT TOM KHA GAI

MOTHER KNOWS BEETS

OPTIMUS PRIMAVERA SOUND: A DIARY

52 FRIDAYS FESTIVAL-THEMED DINNER PARTY

FALL FESTIVAL GUIDE

A SINGLE DAY IN ROTTERDAM

SIETE PINCHOS: ON TOUR WITH COSMEN ADELAIDA

RESTAURANTS & RECORDS: ANTWERP

REVIEWS SUMMER 2012

30 DAYS OF MUSIC AND FOOD

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CARBONNADEThis beef stew is one of Belgium’s

national dishes. Dark beer, mustard, gingerbread...

MAGNUMIce cream, chocolate and a wooden stick. What could go

wrong? And you can find them anywhere. One of our favourite desserts and midnight snacks.

BOB DYLANWatching a young Dylan(played by the late Heath Ledger) running around

Manhattan with Charlotte Gainsbourg in I’m Not There is

one of the sweetest movie scenes in the past decade. The scene where Dylan (played by Cate

Blanchett) meets The Beatles is plain hilarious.

AMSTERDAMAnne Frank’s house is one of the most

popular tourist attractions in the beautiful Dutch city.

NEW YORKIn 1961, a 20-year-old Minnesota native named Robert Allen Zimmerman arrived in the city formerly known as New Amsterdam. One year later, the

skinny folk singer changed his name to Bob Dylan.

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL“IN THE AIRPLANE OVER THE SEA”

Led by Jeff Mangum – not to be confused with the yummy ice cream bar. The man’s a genius. And he

is at his best on In The Airplane Over The Sea (1998), a wonderful collection of folk-noise inspired

by Anne Frank’s diary.

THE BEATLES “OH! DARLING”The Fab Four never did show up for that show with Yo La Tengo, but they included this marvellous song on Abbey Road, their last studio album and the completion of

the trip they started some years earlier with Revolver.

YO LA TENGO “TOM COURTENAY”In 1995, the trio from Hoboken released one of their best songs, an ode to British actor Sir Tom Courtenay, the star of Doctor Zhivago, Billy Liar and

The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner. “Tom Courtenay” was accompanied by a fantastically funny video in which Yo La Tengo are

offered the chance to support the reunited Beatles.

“THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER”This powerful 1962 film about youth and class struggle doesn’t have a soundtrack to match the

imagery. Almost four decades later, Belle & Sebastian tried to put that right with “The Loneliness Of The Middle Distance Runner”. Singer Stuart Murdoch, a keen runner, tweaked the title of the

film to produce a dreamy pop gem that can be found on the B-side of the Jonathan David EP.

T’KELDERKEMost people look up when they enter the magnificent Grand Place. But it

has a hidden secret below street level. t’Kelderke - “the little basement” in

Dutch - serves excellent Belgian specialities such as Vlaamse stofvlees

(carbonnades Flamandes) at reasonable prices.

COSMEN ADELAIDAThe best band to have emerged from Madrid´s underground scene in years took shape in the same building where Amenábar’s characters

recorded snuff-movies in the film Tesis. Cosmen started by covering Yo La Tengo’s “Tom

Courtenay” and are now compared to the likes of Beach House.

Written by Mario Villar / Illustrated by Emma Hovel

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CARBONNADEThis beef stew is one of Belgium’s

national dishes. Dark beer, mustard, gingerbread...

RED STRIPEThere’s a fair chance that the

Reggae Boyz celebrated that and other victories by drinking Red Stripe, our favourite Jamaican

beer. This lager has been brewed by Desnoes & Geddes since 1928.

MAGNUMIce cream, chocolate and a wooden stick. What could go

wrong? And you can find them anywhere. One of our favourite desserts and midnight snacks.

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN “MARX AND ENGELS”To close their I’m Waking Up To Us EP, the Scottish band chose to tell the story of a romantic liaison in a launderette. “The Girl from Wallasey”, however, was

more interested in class warfare.

T’KELDERKEMost people look up when they enter the magnificent Grand Place. But it

has a hidden secret below street level. t’Kelderke - “the little basement” in

Dutch - serves excellent Belgian specialities such as Vlaamse stofvlees

(carbonnades Flamandes) at reasonable prices.

“THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO”Girls might still read it in Glasgow, but it was in Brussels

that Marx and Engels wrote part of their most famous work. A plaque commemorating the event can still be found

in the Belgian capital’s Grand Place.

CHRIS GEDDESThe communist and vegetarian keyboard player in Belle &

Sebastian is the band’s behind-the-scenes mastermind, especially since Stuart David, the original bass player, left

to pursue a solo career.

LOOPER “MONDO 77”The Scottish indie band formed by Stuart David and his wife Karn had its biggest hit with this

song. It has been featured in movies such as The Edukators and Vanilla Sky and in an episode of

American Dad.

COSMEN ADELAIDAThe best band to have emerged from Madrid´s underground scene in years took shape in the same building where Amenábar’s characters

recorded snuff-movies in the film Tesis. Cosmen started by covering Yo La Tengo’s “Tom

Courtenay” and are now compared to the likes of Beach House.

BEACH HOUSE “NORWAY”The song that marked a new era for Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand’s wonderful

band.

MICHAEL LEGRANDVictoria Legrand’s musical talent might well have come from her uncle, the French composer who worked with some of the best filmmakers of recent times, including

Jean-Luc Godard, Clint Eastwood, Robert Altman...

“SHORT CUTS”Altman’s masterpiece about luck and chance tells the stories of 20 characters played by the likes of Julianne Moore, Jack Lemmon, Tim Robbins, Robert

Downey Jr., Tom Waits...

“LOOKING FOR ERIC”Ken Loach, the master of British social drama, does comedy! It´s brilliant and it stars French

footballing enigma Eric Cantona!

JEAN-LUC GODARDOne of the heroes of the French Nouvelle Vague, Godard was heavily

influenced by Marxism and a need to give filmmaking a radical reworking. His art has been a direct influence on some great directors, including Loach and Altman. He has also been cited as an influence by Belle & Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch, whose upcoming movie debut is

called God Help the Girl.

“ABRE LOS OJOS”The original version of Vanilla Sky was a turning point for Alejandro Amenábar, a young Spanish director who started his

career terrorising communications students at Madrid´s Universidad Complutense.

REGGAE BOYZThe country that brought us Cantona was also the place where

the Jamaican national team reached footballing heaven, playing in the World Cup for the first time. They lost to Croatia

and Argentina, but did manage to beat Japan.

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By Emma Hovel Pairing

Ingredients: 1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth6 quarter-size slices fresh ginger1 stalk fresh lemongrass, cut in 1-inch pieces1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks1 cup hydrated stripe mushroomsHandful snap peas1 tablespoon fresh lime juice1 tablespoon fish sauce1 teaspoon sugar1 teaspoon chili pasteHandful fresh basil leavesHandful fresh cilantroHandful fresh pepper leaves

Instructions: In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, broth, ginger, and lemongrass and bring to a boil over high heat. Add chicken, mushrooms, snap peas, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chili paste. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is firm and opaque, 5 to 10 minutes. Discard lemongrass. Garnish servings with basil, cilantro and pepper leaves. Serve with a refreshing Asahi beer.

MAKE IT

Coconut Records is the indie solo project of actor Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom, Rushmore). Though his acting career is more comedically inclined, his music is no joke. The most impressive thing is that he actually writes, sings and plays most of the instruments on each track. Speaking of tracks, “Microphone” and “Any Fun” are stand-outs on his sophomore album, Davy. I would recommend turning it on while cooking up a big pot of Thai coconut soup and sipping on one of my favourite Japanese beverages, Asahi.

COCONUT RECORDS +

COCONUT TOM KHA GAI

Album cover from

Young Baby Records

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Written by Emily Schwartz / Photographed by Nicole FeestMOTHER KNOWS BEETS

My mom first made this recipe when my family was living abroad in Brussels, and it's now one of her go-to dishes for dinner with friends. She makes some amazing things, but my skills and patience aren't ready to tackle anything too complex. What we love about this salad is that it's sophisticated and impressive, but also so easy to make (and who doesn’t appreciate a simple recipe?). It's a beautiful dish with the beets adding a pop of color and sweetness to the greens, and the goat cheese is light and creamy and warm! Add pecans and balsamic and it's hard to go wrong with these flavors. Bonus: This can also be served in larger portions as a main dish with toasted rustic bread on the side. Double bonus: Beets and beet greens are fantastically healthy! Best served with wine, naturally.

GOAT CHEESE AND BEET SALAD À LA NANCY FISHER

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What the Water Gave Me FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE

20 YearsTHE CIVIL WARS

How Come You Never Go There FEIST

CivilianWYE OAK

LamentMOUNT MORIAH

PLAYLIST

The finished product

MAKE IT

Ingredients:10 oz. log dried soft goat cheese1 cup panko breadcrumbs1 tbsp water1 egg2 each medium yellow and red beets, cooked and sliced8-10 cups mixed baby greensBalsamic viniagrette

Instructions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the goat cheese into 8-10 pieces. Whisk the egg and water together. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dip the cheese slices into the egg wash. Cover them in the breadcrumbs and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes or until lightly golden but not melted. Toss greens and beets with viniagrette. Top servings with warm cheese.

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P R I M A V E R A

P O R T OWhere are all the chicken costumes? For many people in northern Europe, the festival experience goes something like this: spend several hours attempting to pitch a tent, go and drink own bodyweight in ruinously expensive lager/cider in baking sunshine/pouring rain, return to tent to discover that 25 ketamine-fuelled louts have moved in next door in a space that could comfortably contain just two of them, find out that your friends have a secret liking for Keane, pass out. And do all of that while dressed in fancy dress.

Written by Paul Dallison / Photographed by Emma Hovel

Primavera Sound is different. After a decade of growing in size and reputation, the Barcelona-based festival now has a little sister in Porto, and there can’t be many prettier festival sites in Europe than the one chosen in Portugal’s second city. Just a stone’s throw from the beach, Parque da Cidade was an ideal choice; grassy slopes ensured good views of the two main stages, the third stage was partly covered (which seemed strange at first but later proved to be a godsend), and the fourth stage, with a bill put together by the All Tomorrow’s Parties people, was the most tranquil spot in the whole site (except when the dreadful Wolves In the Throne Room were on). Oh, and there were free blankets to sit on, the local food stands served up delicious fare, and there were so many beer tents that there were never any queues for the local brew, Super Bock.

Thursday 7 June 2012: The sun is shining, the first beer of the festival is in hand, and on the main stage is a bunch of homeless people shouting. Oh no, it’s Bigott, a Spanish band whose name is a play on bigote (Spanish for moustache) but whose music is infectious and danceable, and who have, in “Cannibal”, one of the best songs of the weekend.

Day one of Optimus Primavera Sound has a take-it-or-leave-it approach, with one band at a time for most of the evening. Atlas Sound (the solo project of Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox) started with a gentle version of a Hank Williams tune but spent most of the set coaxing huge swathes of noise out of just an acoustic guitar and a box of electronic tricks. It would work better in a dark club (although most people in the crowd were wearing shades) but was still powerful stuff. Then it was time for some festival food. It’s far from guaranteed that you are going to eat well at a festival, and the fact that Primavera is a mostly nocturnal affair meant there was time for a hefty lunch every day. And boy, do the Portuguese love salt cod. Bacalhau comes in many forms; in a stew with seafood, deep-fried and served with sautéed peppers and onions and stacks of fried potatoes, mixed with mayonnaise and baked in a pie topped with mash. But at the festival it was all about the joys of the roasted pig, or at least it was if you stuck to the local food. Plenty of people preferred the Pizza Hut and KFC stalls, but they were clearly fools, so we’ll ignore them.

With a full stomach and after a clever, if not always engaging, set from French composer Yann Tiersen came The Drums, who have beefed-up their surf-pop sound and developed into a fine festival band. And then it was time for Suede. But which Suede would turn up? The razor-sharp purveyors of glam-pop of their first three records, or the turgid, tune-free band that they would later become? Fortunately, it was the former. They clearly know that any band on the comeback trail has to play the hits, and they did, including mighty versions of “Stay Together” and “Animal Nitrate”.

Finally (for us, not for most people, who partied late into the night) there was Mercury Rev, a late replacement for Explosions In The Sky. Why they feel the need to take the delicate beauty of their best records and stamp all over it in hob-nail boots is anyone’s guess, but that’s what they have been doing for the past couple of years, and they continued that unwelcome tradition here.

how it went:

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Friday 8 June 2012: Day two started with more delicious food (pork and cod featuring heavily, again) and a chance to fully explore Porto. The sun-dappled waterfront is beautiful, with one side full of bars leading to a warren of steep side-streets, and the other dominated by ‘shippers’, the makers of Port, the fortified wine made throughout the Douro valley.

Friday’s festival line-up promised to be the best of the weekend, and it lived up to that billing. It was strange that Yo La Tengo – indie rock godfathers (and godmother), and long-time Primavera favourites – were on relatively early, but they were a fine way to kick things off, playing everything from extended wig-outs to the sublime pop of “Sugarcube”. Then there was a quick dash over to the ATP stage to catch the end of Tennis, a band that is getting poppier, more popular and is wearing tighter trousers (all good things).

Rufus Wainwright’s orchestral pop drew a big crowd despite having another son of pop royalty in his band (Teddy Thompson, son of former Fairport Convention man Richard), we dashed off to see Chairlift. They may have a singer of such staggering loveliness that the music was almost drowned out by the sound of a thousand jaws hitting the floor, but the Brooklyn-based band also have synthpop tunes by the bucketful.

Good tunes are not really the point of the Flaming Lips these days. It seems odd to think that a show that features Wayne Coyne inside a huge hamster-ball being passed around the crowd, a pair of giant hands that shoot light, and Portugal’s entire stock of balloons and streamers could be dull; but once you’ve seen one Flaming Lips show, it quickly loses its appeal. Coyne’s constant exhortations to “come on, motherfuckers” and the fact that a song as good as “She Don’t Use Jelly” didn’t get played, but there was time for a meandering instrumental while Coyne put on those giant light-shooting hands, were extremely annoying.

So thank goodness for Wilco. No balloons, no tricks, just almost two hours (a short set by Wilco standards) of great songs, from the jittery electronics of “Art Of Almost” to the sublime country-rock of “Jesus Etc.” Critics often name Wilco as the best live band in the world: they’re right.

Beach House would have been the ideal follow-up but a rare piece of errant scheduling (putting a band that seemingly everyone at the festival liked on in a covered tent) meant for uncomfortable conditions, so we headed over to watch The Walkmen play an enjoyable if far from essential set.

M83 are clearly massive in Porto and they drew a huge crowd despite a start time of well after 2.30. It’s easy to see why they do well at festivals; the subtleties of their first record have been swept aside by the stadium dance-pop of their second, and this was full-on, hands-in-the-air, head-full-of-illicit-substances party music.

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Saturday 9 June 2012: And then the rain came. The knowledge that there was a day ahead where sitting on the lush grass in the ATP field would not be an option meant that sustenance was required, and Porto has just the food for the job – the Francesinha. This local speciality has bread, at least two types of ham, steak and melted cheese, and sits in a sauce made from tomato and beer (and comes with fries, obviously). It’s a ridiculous amount of food, but delicious.

With the heavens truly open, it’s a good thing Siskiyou were there to brighten up the day. The Canadian band was started by members of Great Lake Swimmers, but they have now grown into a wonderful band full of back-porch lullabies, harmonies and a startling cover of Neil Young’s “Revolution Blues”.

The covered stage was by now very popular indeed, and Baxter Dury took full advantage of the situation. There’s a whole lot of his dad Ian in Baxter’s music (and there’s a touch of Serge Gainsbourg in his half-spoken delivery) but he has lots of great songs, and a group of brave souls decided to splash around in an enormous puddle for extra entertainment.

Then the rain claimed its first and only casualty of the weekend: Death Cab For Cutie, who cancelled their performance. Braver/more foolhardy souls included Swedish synthpop band I Break Horses, who were shrouded in smoke and whose singer was wearing a cape, and Lee Ranaldo,

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the former Sonic Youth guitarist who has just released a solo album packed full of jangly pop gems.

With the skies now clear, there was a huge crowd for Kings Of Convenience, whose delicate acoustic songs were surprisingly effective on a big stage. Meanwhile, over on the ATP stage, Dirty Three were scaring the horses and children with their violin-driven instrumental songs. Main man Warren Ellis has played in Nick Cave’s band for decades, and has definitely learnt a thing or two about holding an audience in the palm of your hand. Saint Etienne have been documenting London life through the medium of synth-driven pop and smart lyrics since the early 1990s, but even some great tunes doesn’t mask the fact that they are lacking in stage presence. And to finish things off were The XX, who have, on this evidence, made a second album that sounds an awful lot like the first one, which is no bad thing.

Sunday 10 June 2012: Sunday’s musical offerings were at Casa da Música, an indoor venue in the city centre, with the highlights being the Olivia Tremor Control and Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel. But we had to say our goodbyes to Porto before then. So there was just time for a final walk through the city, a dash over to the cable-car that gives spectacular views of the waterfront, and then off to the airport.

Porto is lucky to have such a cool festival, and the fact that the 2013 edition has already been announced shows just how successful this debut was.

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52 Fridays in a year - and so many places to go out on each of them. In order to make choosing where to spend your Friday nights a little easier, we recommend ignoring them all and staying in. Problem solved; these are austere times, after all. Each month we’ll give you a timely and relevant theme for a dinner party, three recipes, tips on how to host the event and a playlist of music. The rest is up to you.

This month, recreate the best bits of a summer festival at home, with no risk of sunburn and more control over your hangover.

52 FRIDAYSFESTIVAL-THEMED DINNER PARTY

Written by Matthew O’Leary / Illustrated by Emma Hovel

The onset of summer means many things. Staying in the sunshine, wearing fewer clothes than usual, oscillating between caring a lot about what you eat and throwing dietary caution to the wind, mild hedonism for the sake of relaxation, appreciating the kind of music that floods your system with serotonin, and getting amorous in the open air. And there’s one occasion that brings all of these together – the festival. In recent years, musical festivals have developed from being muddy fields full of intense superfans and crowded campsites full of teenagers trying out alcohol poisoning for the first time into almost-civilized Arcadias for carefree adults with strategically-booked holiday time, designer wellingtons, and disposable income. They’re essential parts of the summer schedule. The toilets have gotten so much better. You will actually hear some amazing music. They’re great fun.

They are also, of course, quite pricey, they require quite a lot of stamina (if you want to experience them properly), and they can take a lot of arranging. You might also find that they’re horrendously oversubscribed; if you leave it too late to buy a ticket and are determined to get to a festival come what may, you may have no choice but to opt for the weakest of the yearly crop, rubbing shoulders with a few hundred zoned-out individuals in the middle of nowhere in front of a feeble lineup of also-rans while your friends live it up with thousands and thousands of better-prepared partygoers and go temporarily insane to their favourite bands. So, to avoid disappointment, why not invite a few people over and recreate

the feel of a festival in your own dining room? It will cost less, it’s inconceivable that anything other than the very worst weather will ruin proceedings, and there’s a significantly lower risk of you catching scabies from a short term romantic partner wearing a hi-vis vest. A festival dinner party makes sense these days because food is currently one of the major draws for such an event: no longer do you have to make do with anaemicveggie burgers and cups of hallucinogenic fungal chai. Luxury brands are getting in on the act and the food section of the field is often a place to sample some fairly impressive food and drink. In theory, you could put together a vaguely eclectic menu and come up with a convincing back-story for each item – better still if you go really all-in, describing (for example) how the smell of frying churros gives you a rush of recollection of Proustian intensity about a chance encounter with the love of your life, in a sun-kissed field in Denmark, while Alphabeat played like they never have before in the background. For these recipes, however, we’ve chosen dishes which bring the good old fast-food ethos a bit more up to date and fancy them up slightly.

For an edge of authenticity, serve the food on paper plates with disposable cutlery. Given that gastronomy and sustainability still make very sociable tentmates, it should be no surprise to learn that there’s a lot of really stylish single-use tableware available. Plates and bowls from Japanese brand Wasara might not be cheap, but they’re super beautiful and will look just as awesome at

a cocktail reception as they will your own mini-festival; couple them with some nice compostable cutlery from Birchwood and disposable bowls and cups from Lagerhaus so that you don’t compromise stylishness for authenticity. It’s unlikely that you will be able to program a full running order of live music for your own humble pseudo-festival, but fortunately Spotify is a trove of great live recordings from the kinds of bands that have sealed reputations as firm favourites. Remember also that one of the best things about festivals is totally freaking out to bands who, ordinarily, you wouldn’t allow on your stereo (one of the best bands I’ve ever seen play live at a festival, for example, was Coldplay, and normally – well, let’s just say I’m not a fan). If your folkiest, most Etsyfied friends are coming over, make them listen to non-stop dance music and rap. Fey twee-lovers should get an hour or so of heavy metal. Indie haters can be treated to a barrage of Britpop’s best. We’ve pulled together a few ideas for you here, to get you started.

Finally, it remains to be noted that festivals are usually a good place to let your hair down via the medium of strong drink. It’s a process which normally starts with a few cups of watered-down domestic lager and finishes the next morning when you wake up in a stranger’s tent with a massive henna tattoo, minus one of your shoes. However, it’s better to let your guests arrive at this state under their own steam; instead, provide them with a couple of nourishing lassis (the last recipe we’ve given you here might help out) and let them find their own way to blissful festival oblivion.

Sympathy for the DevilTHE ROLLING STONES

Common PeoplePULP

Little BritainDREADZONE

LIVE PLAYLIST

Surface to AirTHE CHEMICAL BROTHERS

Out of TimeBLUR

JunglelandBRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND

BombtrackRAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

China GirlIGGY POP

All the Young DudesDAVID BOWIE

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Instructions:Make the pastry. Sift the flour, salt, turmeric and curry powder into a large bowl. Rub the butter cubes into it with your fingers until it reaches the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add water a teaspoon at a time (you should need 8-10 teaspoons) until you have a fine, smooth dough. Knead for a couple of seconds, then wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate.

Heat the oil and add the onion, garlic, seasoning, herbs and spices. Cook until soft. Add the tomato puree and the peppers and carrot, and then the grated squash – a handful at a time, squeezing water out as you go. Stir well and cook for five minutes until well-combined and aromatic.

Roll the pastry out to two or three millimetres thickness on a floured surface. Cut it into circles, around a small plate or saucer. Set these circles aside and re-roll the pastry until you have eight pieces in total. Place a few tablespoons of filling slightly to one side of the centre of each pastry circle, and brush beaten egg around the side. Fold each over into a pasty or pierogi shape, then crimp the edges and prick the top of each with a fork.

Brush each patty with beaten egg and bake at 180 degress celcius for 25 minutes until golden on the outside.

H a l v s p e c i a lThis Swedish favourite has developed recently from its old reputation as being only suitable for 3am street food or consumption at sporting events, with top chef Marcus Samuelsson putting a pimped-up version of it on his menu at Norda. It’s flexible, as you can really choose what you want for vegetarians or meat-eaters in terms of the sausage – we favour the salmon sausage from Gourmet Korv in Gothenburg or any of the Cauldron-branded veggie bangers. Ingredients:8 reasonably-sized sausages of your choice1kg (peeled weight) potatoes, peeled, suitable for mashing (floury varieties are best)

THE RECIPES

C u r r y p a t t i e sPatties – curried Jamaican pastries normally served as part of a larger meal or a handy snack – have it a. They’re reasonably easy to make, spicy enough to keep people interested, and suitable for meat-eaters and vegetarians. If you’re looking for inspiration in terms of the filling, look online for recipes (Levi Roots, for example, has published some great suggestions). Here, we’ve gone for yellow squash (or patty pan – it can be substituted for courgette if you can’t find it) as a main ingredient.

NB Curry powder, which might seem like too much of a shortcut in this enlightened age of fresh herbs and spices, is essential for this dish and traditional. As well as giving a beautiful mild spiciness to the dish, it also imparts upon the pastry its cheerful, summery hue.

Ingredients:For the pastry450g plain flour, sifted3 tsp curry powder1 tsp turmeric200g cold butter, cut into cubesA pinch of saltAn egg, beaten, to glaze For the filling3 yellow courgette-like squash, grated and with some of the water squeezed out of it2 large yellow onions, finely chopped1 large yellow pepper, finely diced2 large carrots, grated2 cloves of garlic, crushed2 tbsp curry powder1 tsp each of salt, pepper, allspice, dried ginger, sage and thyme2 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp tomato puree

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1 tbsp butter3 tbsp skimmed milk2 tsp salt2 tsp white pepper1 white cabbage, sliced very thinly4 red onions, peeled and sliced very thinly500ml white wine vinegar1 litre of water400g white sugar8 hot dog or brioche bunsKetchup or other condiments to serve

Instructions:Several hours before the dinner, combine the vinegar, sugar and water in a large container. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cabbage and onions, cover, and refrigerate for at least three or four hours.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain in a colander. Return the empty pan to a low heat and melt the butter. Add the milk, salt, pepper and potatoes. Using an electric cake mixer, blend the ingredients until a smooth, creamy mash is formed. Cover and set aside.

Grill or fry the sausages. Toast the buns (better still, flatten and toast them in a panini machine or sandwich maker).

Set an open bun on each plate. Add a little ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, or whatever condiment you prefer. Lay the sausages on the buns. Using an ice-cream scoop, put two dollops of mash on top of the sausages. Using tongs or a pasta spoon, lift the cabbage and onion out of the pickling liquid, making sure to drain it well, and top the mash with a good portion.

Mango with basil ice creamDoughnuts, churros and other fried pastries are normally what you’d expect to find at a festival to satisfy your sweet tooth – either those, or chocolate brownies which contain a few ingredients which might land you in jail. However, the idea of topping off a fairly solid meal with more dough and rich chocolate is a bit much, so here

we’ve gone for fruit, herbs, and dairy.

If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, you can leave the basil custard unfrozen (stir it until it cools to stop it from forming a skin) and simply pour it over slices of fresh mango.

Ingredients: For the basil ice-cream1 bunch fresh basil, chopped roughly, plus a little more to serve50ml light syrup100ml water4 egg yolks70g sugar200ml skimmed milk300g double/whipping cream

For the mango lassi4 large fresh mangos, peeled and cut from the stone (aim for about 350-400g trimmed fruit)3l plain yoghurt24 ice cubesSalt2tsp vanilla essence

Instructions:A day in advance:Over a low heat, cook the basil, syrup and water until dark green and soft. Drain off half the liquid and then puree with a hand/stick blender until a smooth liquid is formed.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Whisk in the cream until stiff and pale.

Heat the milk over a low heat. When it is warm but not boiling, slowly pour into the egg/sugar/cream mix, whisking constantly. Add the basil syrup and stir well.

Return to the heat and cook very gently, until the mixture forms a thick custard, which coats the back of a spoon.

Freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker.

Just before servingIn a large blender (perhaps in batches) blend the mango, yoghurt, ice cubes, salt and vanilla.

Pour into eight cups or glasses. Add a spoonful of the ice cream to each, and top with a sprig of basil.

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By Mario Villar Sanjurjo

For many, festivals mean summer. But there is no reason the same mindset

can’t flow into the fall months. A bunch of cool events take place in autumn -

smaller, indoor festivals where the bands can show off their best and where

crowds are normally calmer. Here are a few of my recommendations for the

coming months:

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS

(Austin, TX October 12-14) It’s always summer in Austin, isn’t it? At least in Texas they can organise an outdoor festival in the middle of the Fall without problems. Austin City Limits has literally every band: classic festival headliners (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Iggy & The Stooges), newer successful projects (The Black Keys, Florence + The Machine), recently hyped artists (Gotye), WTF names (Jovanotti) and, more importantly, a bunch of fantastic artists (Andrew Bird, M.Ward, Tennis, The Shins, Los Campesinos! and First Aid Kit). Tickets are sold out, but you still have the chance to see some of the late night shows played in different venues around town with bands like Black Lips, The Civil Wars, Kimbra and Laura Marling. The festival prides itself on their food selection, but if you don’t get in, don’t worry. Just walk around and stuff yourself with the amazing range of food trucks around the city.

PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL PARIS

(Paris, FR November 1-3) Last year, this festival transformed the gorgeous Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris into the best venue in London, thanks to the alarming number of hip Brits in attendance. This year it consists of two stages, two days and some of the best music you can hear today: Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, The Walkmen, The Tallest Man on Earth, Chairlift, Wild Nothing, Japandroids and more. Use the mornings to wander around the nearby Canal Saint-Martin and enjoy some French cheese with a charcuterie platter and red wine.

I’LL BE YOUR MIRROR

(New York, NY September 21-23) For years, the guys at All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) have been offering us some of the most original and well organised festivals in the world. As usual, this event is curated by an artist (in this case Greg Dulli, from The Afghan Whigs) who arranges the lineup and an array of parallel where cinema tends to have a special prominence. I’ll Be Your Mirror will take place in Pier 36, a Manhattan indoor venue by the East River. The lineup is nothing if not ecclectic. From the hip hop of Frank Ocean to the contemporary classical style of Philip Glass. In between you'll find The Roots, The Antlers, Mark Lanegan Band, Vetiver, José González, Lee Ranaldo, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tall Firs, Thee Oh Sees and, of course, The Afghan Whigs. When it comes to food...well, you are in the middle of New York!

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icons modified from www.thenounproject.com

PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL PARIS

(Paris, FR November 1-3) Last year, this festival transformed the gorgeous Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris into the best venue in London, thanks to the alarming number of hip Brits in attendance. This year it consists of two stages, two days and some of the best music you can hear today: Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, The Walkmen, The Tallest Man on Earth, Chairlift, Wild Nothing, Japandroids and more. Use the mornings to wander around the nearby Canal Saint-Martin and enjoy some French cheese with a charcuterie platter and red wine.

PRIMAVERA CLUB

(Madrid and Barcelona, SP and Guimarães, PT November 30-December 2) It's no secret that I love Primavera Sound, and I have the same sentiment for its little brother. This winter festival has been taking place for a few years simultaneously in Madrid and Barcelona and will expand this year to Portugal. No lineup yet, but the people behind Primavera guarantee an interesting mix of the best up-and-coming acts and some underrated classics. The gigs take place in different venues spread around each city, so it is also an excellent opportunity to get to know them and conquer their bars and restaurants.

ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES

(Camber Sands, UK December 7-9) No indie music devotee should die before going to at least one edition of ATP. The festival accidentally started in the 90s due to a hyper successful event organised by the Scottish Belle & Sebastian. It's perfection. Basically, it is a holiday camp full of people like you that choose to spend a cold English weekend listening to their favourite music and being nice to each other. This edition is curated by The National and features Wild Beasts, The Antlers, Deerhoof, Owen Pallett and My Brightest Diamond. Food at these things is usually alright and the selection of English ales is fantastic.

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A single day in

One thing is certain: The Netherlands is NOT the land of good food. In fact,

it’s quite the opposite. Could we prove ourselves wrong in just 24 hours?

Would our sad stomachs take all the fun out of a day in a city as cool as

Rotterdam? Here is our investigation. Rules: a modest budget, not much

previous research and no tips from locals.

Written by Mario Villar Sanjurjo / Photographed by Emma Hovel

One thing is certain: The Netherlands is NOT the land of good food. In fact,

it’s quite the opposite. Could we prove ourselves wrong in just 24 hours?

Would our sad stomachs take all the fun out of a day in a city as cool as

Rotterdam? Here is our investigation. Rules: a modest budget, not much

previous research and no tips from locals.

Written by Mario Villar Sanjurjo / Photographed by Emma Hovel

Fried goodness at Bazar

You get to Rotterdam by train. You walk to

your hotel and get rid of the luggage. You are

starving and walk onto a beautiful street

packed with people sitting in bars and

restaurants. There’s no question, this is your

dining option. Bazar (Witte de Withstraat 16)

is a gigantic restaurant with a few hundred

guests and tens of waiters running around

carrying what seems to be an array of Middle

Eastern dishes. Despite all that frenzy, you sit

down under a bunch of Christmas lights and

Moroccan lamps that do their job and make

this feel like an intimate dining experience. I

remind you that you are starving so you are

going to order (as a starter) a fried platter of

falafel, chicken wings and spring rolls. Yes,

the Middle East seems to reach quite far in

this place, but we can’t complain. After all we

want to eat something good, not necessarily

the real deal. And so we do until we can’t fit

one more gram of food in our bodies.

Moussaka and lamb skewers are tasty and

filling. Not the best meal of our lives, but we

end up more than happy.

1. Dinner.

De Plaatboef Record Shop

2. Breakfast. You wake up and,

surprise, it’s a beautiful day. So you do what

sunny Saturday mornings are made for:

coffee and record shopping. We walk to Het

Bammetje (Nieuwe Binnenweg 65) for some

pastries and cappuccinos. This seems to be a

very popular joint, as there is a line of people

waiting for their freshly baked bread. A

satisfying experience, but nothing compared

to De Plaatboef, at number 81 on the same

street. This is an excellent record store, with

used and new vinyl and CDs. They have an

impressive stock of old records and a very

good selection of newer stuff. We walked out

with The National’s Boxer (on lovely yellow

vinyl) and with a copy of And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out by Yo La Tengo.

3. Lunch. Now that you have walked for

a few hours, nothing will stop you from trying

one of those perfect samples of what Holland

is all about: let’s call it the “Surinaamse

frituur”. This is a fast food vendor that looks

like any “deep fried” house typical of

Flanders or Holland, but instead serves food

from the former Dutch colony. What they tell

Kafi Take-Away

us is Surinamese food is a curious mix of Asian and Caribbean cuisine. It’s

hard to tell where all those things come from and equally hard to choose

what to order. We let the guy behind the bar help us and end up sitting in a

park with a bag full of spring rolls, codfish with tomato and lots of fries. It

was satisfying, but a little tough to digest.

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Coffee with a bunch of hip locals

4. Coffee. If you need your daily dose of caffeine, we’ve found the best

spot in Rotterdam for you. It would be hard to believe that the city has a

nicer place than Hopper (Schiedamse Vest 146) when it comes to coffee. A

big terrace, a beautiful open interior and a fantastic cappuccino. It also

looked like a very good option for lunch.

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You aren’t hungry, but hey, you are on holiday. So there you go: pancakes. We

stumbled upon Dutch Diner (Meent 20) in a commercial area of the city. And

yes, it looked like a stupid place. And it kind of was, so we went for the most

ridiculous pancake on the menu: banana and bacon. It was absolutely

delicious. A must. Don’t leave Rotterdam without having tried it.

5. Pancakes.

Freaking good pannenkoeken

6. Drinks. The modern architecture is possibly the most

interesting aspect of Rotterdam so you probably want to go to the

Nederlands Architectuur Institut (NAI, Museumpark 25). And you

will probably get thirsty. We had a couple of beers at the NAI Cafe,

its big communal tables busy with people of all ages. As you are in

The Netherlands, you make an exception and have a Heineken,

which for some reason tastes so much better when it comes from a

Dutch beer tap.

Lovely buildings and a plethora of bicycles

7. Dinner. When you

have eaten for 5 euros per

person, you get the feeling

that you can get a little fancy

for dinner. That’s why we

went to the Hotel New York

(Koninginnehoofd 1)

restaurant. This was the only

recommendation we had

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Good taste at Plato

Vending machine dinnersat the train station...eat at your own risk

with the US from the late 1890s til the 1970s. Nowadays it hosts a

hotel and gigantic restaurant which seem quite popular. We had

made a reservation, so we could skip the long queue of people

hoping for an early dinner. The restaurant specialises in seafood,

but our shellfish and crab weren’t really fresh and/or very well

prepared. The mains (pasta with seafood and a fish mix) weren’t so

great either. In the end we wished we had stayed at the bar and

ordered some fried fish, away from the dozens of loud children and

hasty waiters.

in our hands before arriving in

Rotterdam. Sadly, it was the

biggest disappointment. The

Hotel New York is inside an

imposing building that once

was the head office of the

Holland America Line, one of

the ferry companies that

connected The Netherlands

34

When MOOD asked me to write about the

gastronomic side of life with my band, Cosmen

Adelaida, I was a little apprehensive. We were

ready for our first shows outside Madrid in 2012;

playing San Sebastián and Santander with Odio

Paris and Escándalo, respectively. These shows

marked the start of a ‘tour’ that stopped and

started, twisted and turned, and took us to a few

cities in just a couple of days.

ON TOUR WITH COSMEN ADELAIDA

Written and photographed by Marcos Domínguez GonzálezTranslated to English by Mario Villar Sanjurjo and Paul Dallison

The reason for my apprehension was not because of

the relationship between music and food (more on

that later) but because there was a strong possibility

that we would end up eating burgers in the least

salubrious parts of the cities we were in. Luckily, that

didn’t happen.

I thought the idea of mixing music and food was

interesting. The most obvious reason being that I love

both to a fault, much to the cost of my ears and

stomach. From a deeper point of view, the areas of

the brain that process musical, culinary and sexual

pleasures are the same. Fortunately, this isn’t a very

well known fact, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to have

lunch at my girlfriend’s parents place without

appearing like a pervert.

So an article about a weekend of food and concerts

with Cosmen Adelaida wasn’t all that foolish an idea

given the fact that we are all music lovers and love to

eat. And yet, despite that, our little tour started with

sandwiches. Explanation: on Friday we were going to

play in San Sebastian, which is 464 kilometres from

Madrid. Even driving at an average of 100 kilometres

per hour it would take us almost five hours to get

there, and we had to soundcheck at 7.30pm (we

were hoping it would be delayed). So there was not

much time for food, especially because we couldn’t

leave Madrid before 2pm, when Nacho and Javi (the

only members of the band with stable jobs right now)

finished work. On top of that, since everyone tries to

flee the capital on Fridays, there is always the risk of

traffic on the A1. I wasn’t busy, so earlier I had eaten a

hearty meal of cocido (a stew with chickpeas, meat

and vegetables), information that I didn’t share with

my companions! With our sandwiches ready, coffee

was the only other necessary thing for the road,

bought at a rest stop on the way. Rest stops are like

Starbucks; no matter where you are, they are always

the same.

We eventually arrived in San Sebastián, where we

were playing in one of the city’s famous clubs,

Komplot, which has a wooden whale skeleton

hanging over the entrance. If it’s normally difficult to

park near a music venue, it’s even harder when you

have to unload a bunch of instruments. Luckily, the

soundcheck had been delayed, but it wasn’t the

venue’s fault: Odio Paris, the headliners that night

(we share a label with them, El Genio Equivocado,

whose founders were closing the night with a DJ set),

had the same travel troubles on their way from

Barcelona that we had feared.

I could write an entire article about soundchecks,

although it wouldn’t be that entertaining. You

38

assemble the drums, amps, keyboards, mics, monitors, you battle with the

technicians to get a bit more volume, you hurt your ears with feedback, change

cables, improvise because an amp is broken, try the sound of the bass under the

glare of a technician, beg for a few more minutes before they close the venue to go

have dinner...

Oh yes, dinner. We were in San Sebastián, a city with arguably the best gastronomic

reputation in all of Spain. However, we were quite far from the city centre and we

barely had one hour before the concert. We were saved by Santi, a friend of the

band who was in San Sebastián visiting his friend Mikel, who took us to bar Vallés.

Instead of feeding ourselves with the traditional basque pinchos (that would be the

goal on the next day) we went for more standard tapas: cod omelette, grilled squid,

grilled mushrooms (especially delicious), octopus and croquettes. All washed down

with beer. The bar’s speciality was ham, but our band isn’t profitable enough yet to

afford such a luxury. While enjoying the food at bar Vallés we made the setlist for

the gig. It’s a tradition to prepare it while having dinner (basically, it’s the only time

we remember to do it).

That night’s concert wasn’t too bad. It was free and people showed up, some of

them even ended moving parts of their bodies, a success. After packing away our

instruments, we went out to get to know San Sebastián. The night was of limited

39

interest for a gastro-music story as alcohol is the

same everywhere. In the end we weren’t even

bothered by the cold, which was pretty intense.

The next day was anything but quiet. We had to hit

the road again to reach Santander, also on the north

coast, and about three hours drive away. However,

we did have time to visit the old town of San

Sebastián before leaving. We were accompanied by

Joan and Rafa, true legends of spinning records as

Pinypon DJs. It was at bar Sport where we satisfied

our culinary interests and filled our empty stomachs

(which were still feeling the effects of the previous

night). As a tribute to our record 7 Picos we ordered

the seven pinchos (photo on p. 36). Before leaving for

Santander I dragged everyone to the first open place

I saw to have my daily dose of coffee. This time it was

a Gambrinus, a franchise that tries to look like a

traditional Spanish bar, but that is as impersonal as a

Starbucks. And dirtier.

That night we were playing at BNS (short for “Buenas

Noches Santander”), a posh club right by the beach.

That posh feeling isn’t anything unusual in Santander,

but the location of the venue made it more appealing

for a summer’s night. There was a restaurant

on the upper floor of the building, where we stuffed

ourselves. After calamari, croquettes and tuna salad

(quite bland), we got to the main course: a tray full of

meat (pork), fish (salmon and hake) and a mountain

of french fries surrounded by sauces in each corner.

It was not exactly a gourmet experience, but it did

the job. Usually, it isn’t ideal to eat a lot before a

concert, especially if you are singing as it’s hard to

give your all with a full stomach.

Considering the number of people we managed to

attract between Escándalo and Cosmen Adelaida, it

shouldn’t have been the right time to give it our all

that night, but when music is a passion and not a job

these things don’t matter. On a stage surrounded by

chains, we really went for it. Rafa and Joan, who are

like parents to us when we are on the road,

congratulated us warmly. To be honest, they always

do. This time the night ended up with Escándalo,

Cosmen Adelaida and Pinypon DJs partying hard in

the downtown bars. We kept on saying that many

more people would have come to the show if we had

played downtown. In Santander we visited a more

varied range of bars than in San Sebastián, starting

in a dark and tiny place with leopard-print sofas and

ending in the kind of place you can find in

40

41

every provincial town: southern

decoration and hymns for a generation of

people dangerously close to their thirties.

We had the time of our lives.

On Sunday my brains weren’t even able

to write down the name of the bar where

we ate some forgettable tortilla. I chose

the “lomo con pimientos” sandwich (as

popular with Cosmen Adelaida as the

Barceló rum with Coke) and that was the

best option. Shattered but happy after

two days without rest, we returned to

Madrid. We deserved a couple days of

relaxation before getting back into the

routine of rehearsals, songwriting and

more shows. These kinds of weekends

have been increasingly normal this year,

with all the same difficulties, partying and

gastronomic raids as this one. If anyone

wants to hire us, you already know the

conditions.

42

Restaurants&record Written by Mario Villar Sanjurjo / Photographed by Emma Hovel

43

I was born and raised in a city proud of four things: a coal mine that, according to the local folk songs, reached under the sea; a mass of iron, smoke and fire that supplied steel for half of the country; a football team so brave and so good that they threatened the rich giants of the game; and a rough sea that gave us spectacular scenery and the tastiest seafood you have ever tried. Today, the mine is closed, only a few people work in the steel mill, which has left a big black stain on the green hills, and the football team is back in the second division. That means I really appreciate the beauty of the ocean and the quality of its fish - because it will probably disappear soon.

In Belgium I found out really quickly that I would never enjoy the beauty of the ocean. The North Sea here is grey and dull, with the occasional oil tanker floating in the background. And the fish? Is the organic slab wrapped in plastic that they sell at the supermarkets in Brussels even fish? I don’t think so, so I don’t buy it. I don’t visit my local fish shop either; it is called Night Fish and you can smell it from really far away. And since I would need to sell my own organs to be able to afford to dine regularly at the places near Place Sainte Catherine that actually look good, I guess that I hardly eat any fish anymore. So now I appreciate it even more.

Belgian restaurants aren’t a guarantee when it comes to fish. Too often they use thick creamy sauces that hide all the flavour. Sometimes they serve frozen, bad quality stuff. So that’s why Fiskebar is a big surprise. Here things are simple. Good, fresh ingredients, mostly just grilled, with a choice of potato-based sides. Tuna, turbot, sea bass, sole; all in generous portions and at reasonable prices (expect to pay between 15 and 20 euros for a main course). Don’t come here looking for a high class dining experience. Think

more of a nice and simple grill house (of the seafood variety), with a spartan decor and a relaxed yet noisy crowd. I have never reserved a table, but some would say it’s a must.

If Fiskebar is the grill house, Østersbar - its little brother next door - would be...a food truck? This tiny oyster and tapas bar is great if you don’t expect anything too refined. High tables packed in a tiny space give it the feel of a Belgian friterie. Which is basically what it is, but with fish. Most things are fried standards (scampi tempura, croquettes and prawns) plus a few cooked seafood choices and a couple of types of oysters to share. Throw in a couple glasses of wine and the bill will still be under 20 euros per person. More expensive than the fast-food van, but you can’t spend your whole time in Belgium eating bickyburgers and frinkandellen, not if you want to survive and have a pleasant time.

ØSTERSBAR

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Fiskebar and Østersbar are in the heart of Antwerpen Zuid, the once edgy but now gentrified and cool neighbourhood, where you can pay a quick visit to the contemporary art museum Muhka, enjoy some hipster sightings or, since we are talking about food and music,

COFFEE & VINYL

buy some records. Coffee and Vinyl (Volkstraat 45), serves (you’ll never guess) drinks and sells music with some success. The concept is far from unique (not even in Antwerp), but they have a good selection of records and coffees topped with Maltesers and Smarties... That’s all I need.

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Summer 2012

PATTI SMITH

BANGA (Columbia) By Paul DallisonA reasonable rule of thumb is that taking inspiration from Russian novelists equals a hard-going album. But the fact that Patti Smith named this record after a dog in Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and the Margarita disproves that theory, as this is (for the most part) Smith at her most accessible. It’s also the best thing she’s done since Horses, and there are some familiar names here from that seminal album, including guitarist Lenny Kaye and Television’s Tom Verlaine.

It may be relatively poppy but the shadow of death hangs over Banga. “This Is The Girl” is a beautiful, girl-group-esque tribute to Amy Winehouse, and “Maria” is about another hard-living woman who died recently, Last Tango In Paris actress Maria Schneider.

So thank goodness for Johnny Depp, who gets the country-ish “Nine” written in his honour; a song that also gets the album back on track after the turgid “Tarkovsky (The Second Stop Is Jupiter)”. And the whole thing ends with a cover of Neil Young’s “After The Gold Rush”, which starts off in a straightforward fashion until a children’s choir kicks in and brings the whole thing to a glorious finish.

JAPANDROIDS

CELEBRATION ROCK (Polyvinyl) By Paul DallisonThe first and last sounds on Celebration Rock, the Vancouver garage-pop duo’s second record, are fireworks, but inbetween contains plenty of whizz-bang moments as well. The whole thing races along at 100 miles an hour, and it sounds as if it was recorded on a shoestring, but it does have some great songs. In the wrong hands, “Fire’s Highway” could be a cheesy driving anthem, but gets away with it thanks to bags of charm and yelled backing vocals. A cover of “The Gun Club's For The Love Of Ivy” is suitably unhinged and the single “The House That Heaven Built” is the bastard child of The Replacements and Bruce Springsteen (and is every bit as good as that sounds). After seven songs, the exhausting pace slows ever so slightly for the closing “Continuous Thunder”, which is a good thing as by then many listeners will need a lie down and some nice cocktail lounge jazz.

Oh, and the drummer is called David Prowse; alas not the same bloke who played Darth Vader.

BOBBY WOMACK

THE BRAVEST MAN IN THE UNIVERSE (XL) By Paul DallisonBravest man in the universe? That might be true. After all, this is the man who married the wife of his mentor, the great Sam Cooke, rather too soon after Cooke’s death for many people to stomach. And with that marriage on the rocks, he started an affair with his step-daughter. His wife responded to that indiscretion by shooting him. The years of playing with, and partying with, everyone from the Rolling Stones and Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone haven’t taken a toll on Womack’s voice, which is in fine form on this, his 27th studio album.

Damon Albarn and XL boss Richard Russell handle production duties, and they’re smart enough to realise that electronic beats and well-chosen guest singers are just window-dressing for Womack’s voice and guitar playing. The opening title track is magnificent; Womack’s voice framed by cello before skittering beats kick in; a duet with Lana Del Rey on “Dayglo Reflection” is suitably dreamy; and “Nothin’ Can Save Ya,” alongside Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara, wouldn’t be out of place on a Gorillaz record, which makes perfect sense as Womack’s most recent artistic rehabilitation was courtesy of a Gorillaz guest-spot. Brave? Yes, and brilliant as well.

SHONEN KNIFE

POP TUNE (Good Charamel Records) By Paul DallisonYou don’t listen to a new Shonen Knife record for cutting-edge production techniques or potdubstep experiments; you get three Japanese women playing fast, furious and fun punk-pop. That’s the formula that attracted showers of praise from Nirvana and Sonic Youth, and it’s very much evident here, with the opening one-two of “Welcome To The Rock Club” and “Pop Tune’s” ridiculously catchy, short, sharp blasts. Not everything is as successful. “All You Can Eat” is a two-chord plodder (although it does try and encourage their fans to make sure they eat plenty of vegetables), that only comes to life thanks to a kazoo solo (and it’s not often you can say that), while “Paper Clip” and “Mr. J” are nothing they haven’t done before, and better. “Psychedelic Life”, however, is a tambourineshaking, flute-driven gem.

Last year the Osaka trio released an album of covers by the Ramones, but the ferocious energy of their heroes can only be heard sporadically here.

PAUL BUCHANAN

MID AIR (Newsroom) By Paul DallisonEverything moves very slowly in Paul Buchanan’s world. The Blue Nile frontman has taken eight years to finish his first solo record, which doesn’t come as a huge surprise as his old band only released four albums in their career, the first in 1984 and the last in 2004.

Mid Air is no great departure from the Blue Nile. The songs are sparse (mostly just piano), short (only one breaks the three-minute mark – and Buchanan has referred to it as a “recordette”) and absolutely beautiful. The opening title track sets the tone; all 3am sadness and tears after drinking too much red wine. The pace rarely changes – and sometimes the only indication that you are listening to a different song is the gap between tracks – but that’s not a bad thing in this case. “Buy A Motor Car” has subtle flashes of strings, the instrumental “Fin de Siecle” has a cinematic sweep to it, and the closing “After Dark” is slow and stately even by the standards of such a quiet album.

Good things clearly do come to those who wait.

HOT CHIP

IN OUR HEADS (Domino) By Paul DallisonHot Chip’s Alexis Taylor recently took part in a song-by-song recreation of the album Third by the cult band’s cult band, Big Star, in London. As the one member of a (shock horror) electronic band, Taylor stood out among the pop classicists on stage (and not just because of his white suit/mustard shirt combination). But when Ray Davies took to the stage, the link became clearer; Taylor and his bandmates are the latest in long line of quirky English musicians able to mix humour and tenderness to winning effect.

Although this album doesn’t move on much from their previous efforts, there are subtle nods to the latest developments in dance music. It’s not a genre known for too many songs about domestic bliss, but “In Our Heads” is full of them; “How Do You Do?” features the line “when you wake me in the morning, that is my favourite thing” and in “Night And Day” Taylor sings “We’re not in Ayia Napa/Do I look like a rapper?”. Elsewhere, there are nods to the Pet Shop Boys in “Motion Sickness”, “Flutes” is seven minutes of fragile techno, and “Always Been Your Love” is an anthemic closer.

COSMEN ADELAIDA

7 PICOS (El Genio Equivocado) By Mario Villar SanjurjoOften it starts with a flash of inspiration: a couple of kids pick up their guitars and create a masterpiece. Many other times, however, a great debut album is the result of hard work and a lot of patience. Of thinking and rethinking. Of dismissing lots of ideas. 7 Picos belongs to that second group.

Cosmen Adelaida released their first EP in 2009. Those five songs were followed a year later by a second EP on which the band

started to hint at the direction their career could take. While both of those records were really good, it’s when you hear the first notes of 7 Picos that it really becomes clear that this five-piece from Madrid are destined to be an important band.

7 Picos doesn’t sound like an artist’s first full-length album. The ambition, the sound and the variety should be coming from a band with a solid career behind them. It opens with “Equis”, a bass-driven piece that recalls Stereolab, probably their most obvious influence. The title track is an ethereal trip down memory lane on board the first rollercoaster built in Madrid, called “Siete Picos”. It is followed by “Si quieres salgo”, a sweet song and probably the best thing on the record. The dark side of Cosmen Adelaida is revealed on “El Día” and “Inventario”. The former is one of their most atmospheric songs, and dominated by gloomy female vocals, the latter is an acoustic number (a rarity for the band) and has a deep male voice. If those songs are the night, “Alcobendas”, a catchy indie pop tune, brings back the daylight. “Miss Wisconsin”, the spartan closing track, simply confirms all the good things that we can expect in the future.

The variety of sounds and the fact that all five members take turns as lead singer does not take away from the personality of the record. On the contrary, it all helps the group stand out in a time when most bands are satisfied with a limited musical palette. In one of their earliest songs, Cosmen Adelaida warned that “hay otra manera” (“there is another way”). They were right.

Instagramed by Emma Hovel

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