GOOD AT MUSIC, RUBBISH AT PHOTOSHOP

Last week we blathered on about Buraka Son Sistema, pronounced all indie dull as ditches and announced that the only thing we like is techno. But like fickle little kiddiewinks, we have changed our minds. This week, we are loving on SixToes. And they are folkers. Imagine!

A band who quite literally have more toes than they are meant to (you know, as in six), they have a new album Trick of the Night, what is out on December 1st. If they were smartarses, they might have called themselves Hexadactyls, but luckyforyou they are not. And, and, AND, their press release is nothing short of wicked, in both sense of the word.

It is the sort of record which will attract the following sort of textual responses: 'atmospheric', 'spooky', 'delicate', 'dark' and very possibly, 'wibbly'. But the thing is, that would not really do it justice. Because though it is redolent of Tunng and Gravenhurst (and will get filed next to such glorious noodlings in your iTunes), it is more than that, and should be considered on its ownsome. Possibly with the lights off. We are listening to it now readers and it is very early in the morning and still dark outside. It is working.

Anyhoo, this press release. Here are some choice excerpts. Press people, they say:

1. It was recorded both in a squat, in a cottage in the grounds of an asylum AND in the warder's quarters of Holloway prison. That is one icky thing. Well, three. In fact, it did occur to us that it would be rather amusing if SixToes were really a cabal of pampered debutante divvies who recorded it in the East wing of Cousin Bunny's really rather splendid old house in Devonshire, drunk as lords on vintage port, while waited on by a doddery old butler called something like Tethers. But we have been assured these three things are the truth.

2. They have used a drumkit what they found buried underneath an old church. I mean, that is some points right there. It is certainly more interesting than saying they spaffed a monkey on one from Denmark Street.

3. They say that they could hear Maxine Carr being screamed at in Holloway Prison while they were recording it. David Greenep, what is SixToes' co-vocalist and guitarist, says that at this time they started to get interested in Pantechnicons (this surely, one of most lovely words ever, and, it is fair to say, not in regular usage on press releases). FYI Pantechnicons were created by a social reformer called Jeremy Bentham. He designed a circular prison so that inmates could be under constant surveillance without actually knowing. That is all rather disturbing but does mean we have learnt something historic and factual for once. Thank you, SixToes.

4. Singer Ben Rogers is referred to as Top Sadface Antony Hegarty's 'twisted twin'. The trouble with this is that undeniably amazing though Mr Hegarty is, he is not to everyone's palate. Our uncle, for instance, a renaissance man of quite remarkable proportions and with the ridonkulously massive record collection to match, cannot bloody stand him. The point here is that young Ben does have a similar, falteringly harmed and wavering quality. But if you, like our uncle, do not like Antony, you must not let that put you off.

Some other things:

Their promotional photos. This one frightens us even more than the one at the top of the page.

Their remix of Maps' Eloise. Which begins with some achingly beautiful plaintive strings, gathers pace with vinyl crackles and whispery shoegaze vocals and then ends with a delicious clatter. It sounds like ten shoeboxes full of cobwebs and broken toys falling off the top shelf of the cupboard under the stairs - if that is not a wildly pretentious description too far. It also reminds us of the genius that was the Aphex Twin and Philip Glass collabo. Quite, quite wonderful, it is.

Anyway that is quite enough Why SixToes Are Brilliant for one day. They will be appearing in these places and you really should go. Sadly most of them are in London.

27 Nov 2008 8pm Slaughtered Lamb, Farringdon,London
28 Nov 2008 8pm The Duchess, York, Northwest
3 Dec 2008 8pm Tamesis Dock, Albert Embankment, London
9 Dec 2008 8pm Big Chill House, London
7 Jan 2009 8pm Wilmington Arms, Clerkenwell, London
10 Jan 2009 8pm Hope & Anchor, London

Sixtoes on the internets