Magic Car - "Yellow Main Sequence"

The oddly titled "Yellow Main Sequence" is the debut album from Magic Car, previously known as Little Criminals, essentially a vehicle for singer-songwriter Phil Smeeton. Hailing from Nottingham, England, Magic Car's sound is steeped in the country of Hank Williams, Buck Owens and Ernest Tubb, but with a very English treatment. Although Smeeton is the sole songwriter he very wisely allows his band to express themselves throughout the 13 tracks on offer here. Wisely, because it's his vocal foil Hazel Atkinson who makes the important first impression on the listener with her arresting vocal style. Sounding like Sally Timms' harder sister Atkinson possesses one of those stop you in your tracks and melt your heart voices and also takes the lead on the opening two tracks. First up is the sad country waltz of "Too Lonesome Cowboy" followed by the lively bluegrassy "Three Cornered Hat", which incidentally will be the next single, their first as Magic Car. Phil Smeeton takes his first vocal on the downbeat "Piano Wire" a song about an old doomed from the start relationship, sung with great warmth with his cracked and weary voice.
In fact warmth just oozes from this record thanks to the production of double bass player John Thompson who allows all the players room to breathe, with subtle pedal steel and banjo melodies floating above his rich double bass. Thompson's brass arrangements on two tracks, "Downtown" and "4 In The Morning" are more North of England than Memphis and help to remind you of terraced streets not dusty highways.
Stand out track "Night So Blue" was actually the first release from the record albeit credited to the Little Criminals. It's a beautiful, romantic country ballad, which deservedly received healthy regional radio support across the UK and Ireland. There follows a couple of foot to the floor bluegrass stompers and a song called Bob Mitchum before the record closes with two curve balls.
First up the penultimate song "Shiny Cattle"(?), where Hazel comes over all Grace Slick and delivers a truly odd psychedelic folk song about, well, shiny cattle (I think). And then onto the record's closer the instrumental title track. When I say instrumental I mean that the only vocal consists of "ba, da, da, da", etc. It's dreamy pedal steel led mood piece named after our sun which is apparently a yellow magic sequence star, lovely. Leave your disc running and you will find after about 7 ½ minutes a hidden song called, I think, "Bourbon and Rye", a whiskey sodden hangover of a song set in Vegas which closes with some suitably cheesy cabaret sax.
"Yellow Main Sequence" is out soon in the UK on Tiny Dog records. www.tinydog.co.uk

• Bruntnell signs to Loose
• REM announce 2nd Dublin date & 'new' record
• Jayhawks new release
  
• Uncut honours Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

• Magic Car - Yellow Main Sequence
• El Diablo - 23rd Psalm Cafe
• Utah Carol - Comfort for the Traveller
  

Calexico:
Expect to see early Sold Out notices as Burns & Convertino play two dates in the intimate Whelans.

Coal Porters:
Sid Griffin takes his Bluegrass combo around the country on a whistle stop tour this month.

Neko Case:
Canadian ex-punk Case makes her Irish debut this month. Her current release 'Blacklisetd' was one of the records of last year.

Click here for more tour dates

Ryan Adams:
Ryan decides to plunder his catalogue for this crowd pleaser in Dublin.

Calexico:

Burns & Convertino's mariachi madness reminds us what summer can be like.

Flaming Lips:
Wayne Coyne & chums brought the Jelly to Vicar Street.

Neil Halstead:
Mojave 3 head honcho supported by our own Paul O'Reilly. Two talented young songwriters delivered a night of beautiful intimacy at the Shelter.

Lambchop:
Kurt Wagner & his lo-fi orchestra brewed up a quiet storm at the Olympia last month.

Scott Miller:
Miller and his Commonwealth opened the Rhythm & Roots Weekend and brought the house down.

The Handsome Family:
Brett, Rennie, Oh Susanna and some smelly yellow liquid. Another Handsome Family show.

Click here for more recent reviews of Paul Burch, Chris Mills, Ryan Adams, Marah, and more...

Interview: The Guthries

Nova Scotia's finest are off to Europe in November & bass player Serge Samson kindly agreed to answer a few questions.

Interview: Juliana Hatfield

Our favourite Blake Babe very kindly agreed to tell us what she's been upto lately.

New Talent

Two new acts for you to look out for over the coming year. Cusack are from Essex, England and The Vessels hail from London and have just signed to BMG Records.

Interview: El Diablo

Dublin's finest alt country combo, El Diablo recently released their debut album. They spoke to Old Weird just before the launch date.

20 Questions with Good Sons

Michael Weston King gets carried away choosing his fantasy cover versions record.

20 Questions with Handsome Family

Krautrock, lost kittens & Captain Kangaroo. Come on what else did you expect?

Interview: Paul Burch

A conversation we had with Paul Burch in which he reveals much of his songwriting process , the state of Country Music, and being a member of alt country darlings, Lambchop...

Interview: The Good Sons

The struggles of being a British alt country band, the one about an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman and how I nearly became Tears for Fears. Michael Weston King tells all...

Feature: Eileen Rose

An Irish-Italian-American singer songwriter based in London. Eileen Rose was asked by her father "to never learn to sing the blues"...

20 Questions with...

• Utah Carol
• Sid Griffin
• Cusack
• El Diablo
• Hamell on Trial
• The Arlenes
• Paul Burch