Too Pure

As previously mentioned here on toopure.com, Monade and It Hugs Back team up to play in Brighton in a couple of weeks. Take a look at the beautiful flyer IHB came up for the event, typical of their gorgeous artwork. Their single ‘Other Cars Go’ will be out on too pure Mar 31st. And don’t forget Monade’s album Monstre Cosmic is out next week which we’re very excited about!

The more cunning of you too purists will know that Monade features Laetitia from Stereolab. Which brings me to a most entertaining video of Adam & Joe visiting Laetitia and Tim to inspect their record collection… bring on the VINYL POLICE!

Some of the more observant of you may have noticed that there was some too pure TV action over the festive season. Well the more observant of you that also happen to reside in the UK and the United Arab Emirates that is. The title track from Scout’s second too pure album Kidnapped By Neptune was selected by fashion icon Stella McCartney to help advertise her first perfume ‘Stella’.

For those of you outside these territories, do not despair! Thanks to the wonder that is user generated content, the ad is already up on YouTube for all and sundry to feast their eyes on.

Shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo, ba-shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo…

Happy New Year from your chums at too pure!

www.scoutniblett.com

Many things are a-foot in the great too pure machine… Some of these things you may be able to predict already - debut albums from the like of Future Of The Left, long-awaited follow-ups from the songstress that is Scout Niblett - and then there are others that are perhaps a little more off-kilter.

One such event is the first ever too pure soundtrack release hurrah!

Tim Gane and Sean O’Hagan (of Stereolab and High Llamas fame respectively) put their heads together to pen the music for a new French comedy ‘La Vie d’Artiste’ out in France in September with a release elsewhere in the world to hopefully follow not all that long after.

The film, naturally, follows the life of three separate artists - though lives are seen to criss-cross in a small world theme. A singer wishes to break free from her days of waitressing, a teacher who strives to be a writer steals the work of a pupil and a would-be broadway actress feels frustrated in her cartoon voiceover day job.

It’s actually pretty darn good. Me and jason went across to Paris to see one of the first showings (in Planet Hollywood no less - having never been before I was rather excited, perhaps too much so but never mind…) and despite the two of us watching it in French moins subtitles and being just about able to order a baguette between us, we still laughed our way through it and felt proud to see that too pure logo at the bottom of the credits. It’s really there, check us out.

A big thank you from us to the lovely French too pure office who raced us through the streets of Paris to get there just in time before treating us to the very best cakes on offer along the Champs d’Elysee. Yum!

La Vie d’Artiste (OST) is out in Europe on the 10th September with a release to follow in the USA later this year.

In other Stereolab-related news, a new Monade album will be presented to the world come September 10th (in the UK, released stateside Sep 25th) while Stereolab are hard at work in the studio on their next release due in early 2008.

A true fan of the best thing to come out of Cardiff since Spillers, Future Of The Left, has put together some files so that you too may now be the proud owner of your very own Andrew Falkous. Make him run, make him kick, make him dive. In FIFA ‘06 that is.

Terrifying.

Big thanks to Relics on the FotL messageboard.

A slight mention was made of various too pure members traipsing about Europe hot on the tail of Electrelane and their Arcade Fire tour…

I spent my time backstage watching members of the latter cutting each other’s hair in the dressing room of the formers (a surreal experience to say the least).

Jason saw them across in Paris where the band tried to film part of Arcade Fire’s set on their trusty blog camera, only to be ordered to delete all footage by the evil security guards (damn them).

Well Electrelane returned to France last week to play at the Parisian venue La Cigale and our trusty too pure friend Laurent kindly filled us in on how the band went down…

“What happened last friday at La Cigale was pure magic. The best Electrelane show in France, ever. At the end of the show, the crowd (1186 people exactly) refused to leave the venue and asked for more for over 30 min. The promoter had to go on stage to calm down the audience. Incredible. I haven’t seen that since Nick Cave at the Olympia in 1989!”

Electrelane are on the UK leg of their worldwide tour at the moment, I’m personally very excited about seeing them headline the Scala next week, really good venue for them I think - am sure reports will be posted up here on how it goes!

Oo and I guess I should probably mention the too pure podcast. Episode 4 is up and running and as well as an insight into Seefeel (we’re re-releasing Quique this month), there’s a little secret message on how to win a pair of tickets to any of the dates on not only Electrelane’s UK tour but that of our dear Scout Niblett!

Listen here.
Subscribe on iTunes here.

tour blog…

Recently we’ve had some beautiful works of art arriving in our office, promoting our artists’ upcoming shows - most definitely deserving of a post or two.

Why does the UK music scene not make more of an effort with the art surrounding a show? Why does the cult screen-printing scene in the US not exist in any real form over here? Or maybe I just don’t hear enough about it, who knows. When over in SXSW we visited Flatstock, an exhibition of literally hundreds of poster artists displaying and selling thousands of unique designs. It was quite incredible.

But back to too pure…

All our thanks to Chris Summerlin (check out his band Lords) for his beautiful intrepretation of Scout and to the efforts of Richard and Debbora of The Cuckoo’s Nest (also responsible for one of my favourite music zines, The Cuckoo Press).

And naturally, for all Scout Niblett and Electrelane dates (they’re supporting Arcade Fire in the US/Canada now as well) and all our other artists, you can always rely on www.toopure.com/tours/.

too pure podcast Mar 07

I’m not even going to apologise for the lack of posts on our blog due to the pure hecticness of life in the too pure office right now. Well of my life at least.

So many, many things have/are/will happen/ed/ing.

First we flew off to Austin, Texas to help Future Of The Left out at the world carnival of musical affairs that is SXSW. I’ve just heard a lengthy rant-esque post has gone up on the FotL MySpace page which I’m almost too scared to check out but check it out it I will, damn my curiosities. A good time was had by most of all, but especially by me.

After a grey start, the Sun finally kicked in and I spent many a time networking with my fellow media companions and checking out some fantastic bands, highlights for me being The Octopus Project (7 feet high illuminated rabbits!), Polyphonic Spree (always leave me on an indescribable high), The Berg Sans Nipple (my latest favourite new band) and playing indie bingo! I also enjoyed being driven round town in a small van listening to Falco, Jack and Kelson discussing the title of their next album “Bummed To Death” (cue cowboy jokes a la Brokeback Mountain). Disappointments included always catching the very last song of the Annuals‘ set (literally about five times!) and the incredibly long queue outside Daniel Johnston (I should’ve known better I know).

Second saw me in a short stop in Stockholm to check out Electrelane with Arcade Fire (the tour was cancelled the next day!) while fellow too purer Jason jumped over the Channel to Paris to see a similar affair.

Thirdly was trips in Manchester’s record shops digging up too pure classics and finally, number four saw me being homeless and living at the too pure office quite literally. But more of all of this to come shortly.

In the meantime, check out the lastest instalment (Apr 07) of the too pure podcast! No feature this month but there’s some beauts of upcoming material from Miss Scout Niblett plus visits to the past via Shooting At Unarmed Men and Stereolab. The May edition will see a sneaky interview with the lovely folks of Seefeel. We’re re-releasing their 90’s album Quique next month which we’re all very excited about!

too pure podcast: listen by clicking on this little word HERE!
(Remember you can always subscribe on iTunes so you never miss a beat)

Too much writing… I will return tomorrow. I hope.

Well hardly. But yes, hurrah, it is here woop! The second instalment of the too pure podcast has arrived and is up as promised as of today, the first of this very month of March, on the podcast page. at toopure.com. You can also subscribe to it via the wonder of iTunes oh yes you can.

This month sees sneak previews of upcoming material from Future Of The Left, Scout Niblett, Seefeel and Electrelane plus some mightily exciting and oh so intriguing news from the latter. This cannot be missed! If you want to get your hands on a pair of tickets to a very intimate Electrelane gig later this month (100 tickets only!) then check out on the details in - surprise, surprise - said podcast.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

So apologies for the inexcusable delay on blog posts. The world of too pure seems to have exploded somewhat in recent weeks, my inbox never seems to clear and new and rather tintilating events seem to occur on an almost daily basis. I’m told - shock horror - that this is due to get even worse as the early summer months loom over us and seemingly every artist in our books wanders around the country, and even the world, to perform with their respective instruments/machines/vocal chords in sheds, back gardens, large fields and community halls, all for the sake of your ever important listening pleasure.

Tomorrow will see the launch (fingers crossed) of the second instalment of our dear podcast. We are yet to come up with a token snappy title of said podcast but we have managed to round up members of a certain four-piece too pure band: that which goes by the name of Electrelane. More details will be posted up here and on the podcast page tomorrow in the a.m. (greenwich mean time natch).

In preparation for formerly mentioned Electrelane feature, and to keep your taste buds a-tingling, have a gander at our MySpace page where you can download ‘To The East’, oh yes indeed. Or alternatively, check out ForkCast over at Pitchfork.

So yep there you have it. Electrelane. Mp3. too pure MySpace. Podcast. Tomorrow.

We love the internet, we really do, and most particularly we love the organic process of fact and fallacy, our current favourite (and please we would love to know it’s origins if you can help).. the forthcoming debut album from Future Of The Left is to be called ‘The Future Sound Of Monmouth’.. if only, it conjures such wonderful imagery, such potent youth and promise and a smattering of tourist board pride..i’m almost moved to paste an entry on Wikipedia. While we’re here some things we CAN confirm… electrelane certainly are touring Europe with Arcade Fire next month.. but surely no we cannot service you with the new Arcade Fire album but we appreciate the interest.. the keen-eyed among you did indeed witness Scout Niblett ably supporting Bonnie Prince Billy this week and a wonderful turn it was too. .we’re just figuring out how to upload her perfomance so you can hear the delights of future single ‘Dinosaur Egg’.. it’s a keeper.