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Green Peppers - Domino Mornings
REVIEWS FOR GREEN PEPPERS "DOMINO MORNINGS"
PRESS ASSOCIATION:
Green Peppers - Domino Mornings: The new project of Jim McCulloch, a former lead member of The Soup Dragons, is a perfect combination of a fresh pop guitar sound, poetic softness, artistry of arrangement and playing with sound following the lines of the good old rock school. Rich orchestration graces, enhances and gives breath to the originality of sound.
The vocal line, tinted by the gentleness of Simon And Garfunkel's poetry, does not avoid exciting harmonic transitions of which the likes of Emerson, Lake And Palmer would be proud. An appetising bite for enthusiasts of both rock and popular music. Rating: 4/5 (Review by Binek Gora)
TELETEXT PLANET SOUND:
Jim McCulloch's lates GPs' release will surely consign his Soup Dragons 'previous' to the dustbin forever.
This is a beautiful album, awash with woozy harmonies, sun-kissed jangle-rock melodies and gentle, string-laden melancholia; Isolbel Cambell adds her spooky/lovely vocals to seal the deal.
Sugary without being twee, informed without being derivative, check out Hard To Kill A Bad Thing for the ultimate Sunday soother...8/10
MUSICOMH.COM:
Former guitarist of The Soup Dragons (best known solo hit cover of Rolling Stones b-side I'm Free) and ex-Superstar (not known for much) Jim McCulloch ropes in his famous(ish) friends (former Soup Dragon Ross Sinclair joins in on drumming duties, and ex-Orange Juicer Paul Quinn on guitars) for his second album excursion.
Perhaps better known for his glorious song-writing contributions of melody and melancholia that flooded the Ballad of the Broken Seas album by Mark Lanegan and fellow Scot Isobel Campbell (who returns the favour here with a couple of contributions) this is the second Peppers outing, and a minor chord feast it is too.
The mood is more life-affirming than the gothic country emptiness of Ballad, but possesses a heartfelt lyricism and chord structuring that hints at complexities at work. Shabby Horses kicks off with some swooping acoustics, twanging electric and a galloping clip that is far from shabby. There's an over-riding whiff of Americana to Domino Mornings. This is where the dreams of the American West meet the West of Scotland in a collision of wide open faces (sic) gazing across the pond to gaze out over the prairie.
The quirky sun-filled harmonies of I Will Always Be The Same sounds like it was beamed from a '70s kids tv show with its Belle and Sebastian jaunty campfire jolly deceptive simplicity.
This is not an album that shouts to get your attention; it doesn't need to. This is not an album that takes a radical approach to music. This is just one of those finely honed album that props up the singer-songwriter legend with a worthy addition to the canon of remarkable music made by unassuming-looking blokes. There is nothing to prove beyond what tricks a melody and words can weave on a listener.
Such is the modesty at work here lead single Honest Injun with its deliciously upbeat swoop is fronted by ex-Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie who lends an air of workmanlike honesty to the delivery of this tale of pledging his love to a disbelieving . There are some deft Beatle-esque harmonies at work in the slide guitar work that would put Paul McCartney to shame.
In more reflective mood I Couldn't Bear The Same Lies rolls prettily along on accordion and glockenspiels, the beautiful It's Hard To Kill A Bad Thing stripped of its menace on Ballad of The Broken Seas, calls to mind the pastoral reflectiveness of The Lilac Time and the title tracks closes things with a sigh of accordion with a gently strummed-out fag-end of introspection that borders on being a vulnerable comforter of a song,which is no bad thing indeed.
The only sour note is the slightly aimless instrumental Boom Frangipan Jig which meanders along folkily looking for a tune or purpose on this otherwise tight little ship. Similarly Deep South bangs around clumsily and highlights the weakness of McCulloch's voice as he strains to reach the high notes. But despite these the album continues to shine like a shaft of sunlight through the clouds.
I'd like to think if all were just with the world then this album would expose the Peppers to a wider audience but nearer the mark would be the gentle ripple of an album dropping and resonating through time before becoming a discovered lost classic. Find some time for Domino Mornings to avoid the wait, it's a pleasure worth tasting.
- Andy Petch-Jex
DROWNED IN SOUND: Dom Gourlay
Having flirted with the music business for nearly 25 years now, you'd think Jim McCulloch, aka Green Peppers, would have learnt it's a tough cookie to break. Or maybe just a mug's game?
Then again, for a man who's currently in demand more than at any stage of his career, I guess one more solo album - with a little help from some of his equally (if not more so, in some cases) revered friends.
Probably best known for his work in the Soup Dragons and BMX Bandits but more recently for his contribution to Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan's The Ballad Of The Broken Seas, McCulloch proves on several occasions here that he is a pretty adept songwriter in his own right.
Campbell returns the favour here by adding backing vocals and strings across several compositions, while Ross Sinclair and Paul Quinn - both former occupants of the Soup Dragons' drummer's stool - keep the rhythm essentially steady throughout. When added to the vocal skills of Daniel Wylie and Justin Currie (Del Amitri) plus the production talents of Raymond McGinley (Teenage Fanclub, BMX Bandits), the roster of indie legends, particularly from North Of The Border, reads quite impressively.
Musically, Domino Songs, is quite a wistful collection that seems to mirror Isobel Campbell's former employers Belle And Sebastian more than anything McCulloch has been involved in either past or present.
It's tentative in places, such as on the McCartney-esque 'Stepping On The Cracks' or folksy title track. McCulloch seems more at ease on the slightly more upbeat 'Shabby Horses', by far the shining light among this collection, or the acerbic 'I Will Always Be The Same', which delves into country and folk quite admirably without trying to sound like either.
What this album does lack on the whole though is consistency, and although McCulloch is obviously up there with the best of them when it comes to proficient musical arrangements, the fact Domino Mornings is only his second solo venture into lyrical composition in a quarter of a century surely tells its own story.
REVIEWS FOR SINGLE, "HONEST INJUN"
IS THIS MUSIC?:
With vocals from Del Amitri's Justin Currie, and guitars by Soup Dragons and Superstar alumnus Jim McCulloch, this should really be amazing - and thankfully, it is. The lead track from McCulloch's second album, 'Honest Injun' is a geniune slice of warm acoustic pop, with some slide guitars thrown in for a little twang and a true singalong chorus. McCulloch's most recent work has been with Isobel Campbell, and it's plain to see that he's grown into a guitarist, and a songwriter, of considerable stature over the past few years. It's unlikely to trouble Radio 1, but hunt it out nonetheless - trust me, it'll be worth it. Honest injun...Dan Coxon
TELETEXT PLANET SOUND:
Featuring Del Amitri's Justin Currie on vocals, this is a cute slice of summery pop. With a ridiculously catchy melody and heartfelt lyrics it's guaranteed to get the milkman whistling - if there are still any out there. 8/10
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Green Peppers - Joni's Garden
Listen to, download or buy Joni's Garden here
GREEN PEPPERS is the solo project of ex Soup Dragons, BMXBandits and Superstar guitarist Jim McCulloch.
Jim’s debut album ‘Joni’s Garden’, is a stunningly beautiful assortment of vibrant acoustic guitars, haunting pianos and superbly crafted songwriting that echo classic artists such as Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen as well as contemporary artists like Damien Rice and Tom Baxter.
The album is embellished with a guest appearance from Isobel Campbell who contributes lead vocals on two songs and backing vocals on others. There are comparisons contained herein to her previous band Belle & Sebastian – most notably the gift for an alluring melody and intelligent story-telling lyrics.
Jim McCulloch previously tasted chart success as a fresh faced seventeen year-old guitarist with Scottish band The Soup Dragons when they were signed to Sire Records (home to Talking Heads, The Undertones and Madonna). The Soup Dragons were regular visitors to the top 40, eventually hitting paydirt when their cover of the Rolling Stones’ ‘I’m Free’ entered the UK Top 10.
Today Jim McCulloch as Green Peppers steps boldly out from the shadows, producing an album of beguiling beauty, that transcends his past work and lifts him shoulder high with his heroes.
Listen to, download or buy A Tree Mirrored here
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Green
Joni's Garden
The Dreamer
Time machine
PRESS REVIEWS FOR JONI'S GARDEN
GREEN PEPPERS
Joni’s garden (Neon Tetra, 2005)
It has to be said that the first release from this trendy Glasgow label wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve.
Green Peppers in the nom de band of former Soup Dragons guitarist Jim McCulloch and if it’s sun kissed harmonies against a backdrop of deftly strummed acoustic guitar you’re after, this certainly won’t disappoint. However, it’s not as slavishly West coast in its outlook, as McCulloch is gentle of voice and almost English of accent, while his clarinet flourishes (he plays almost everything) paint a picture of dreaming spires and apple blossom.
Above all, this album evokes the sound and promise of the first Lilac Time album, and we all know how good that was right? Definitely someone it’s worth hearing more from.
Gerry Ranson - Bucketful of Brains
GREEN PEPPERS
Joni’s garden (Neon Tetra, 2005)
The Green Peppers is actually the ex-(and hopefully one in the making too) Superstar, as well as ex-Soup Dragon, Jim McCulloch, letting loose some of the most beautiful melodies that he seemed to be accumulating over his years being a sideman on the Glasgow pop scene. Though it is basicaly a one man band effort, the contribution of fellow soulmates such as other superstars Alan Huchinson and Joe McAlinden, the Pearlfisher David Scott or Isobel Campbell, is more than significant. While reviewing Glasgow artists, it’s almost impossible not to mention the presence of the recognizable Scottish feel, which is here most audiable in a couple of tunes such as Anything goes, best described elsewhere as the unplugged Teenage Fanclub, or the plain pop brilliance of I get it. Even though the production throughout the album remains within the stripped-down accoustic arrangements, Jim manages to wonder from genre to genre with the same competence, starting with the fragile Neil Young-ish folky pop of the title tune or It’s nothing, or the melancholic, in a kinda Nick Drake-like way, If I gave it all away, through the jazzy Green, which is like Weller at his gentlest, to the almost medieval sounding chamber pop of The sun and moon and stars, with some distant shades of Monkees. The album closer Time machine is an apropriately titled piece of popsike, that is sure to take you back a coupla decades, while leaving you hypnotized with it’s dreamy CSN-harmonies.
So, now that the gates of Joni’s garden are wide open, come an pick up the sweetest pepper of them all!
Goran Obradovic: POPISM Radio show; Serbia & Montenegro
GREEN PEPPERS
With the help of ex-Soup Dragon Jim “titch” McCulloch, everything is rosy in Joni’s Garden.
This is one of those curios that the bustling Glasgow indie scene has a habit of throwing up once in a while. In a career that has taken in the Soupdragons, Superstar and BMX Bandits, Jim McCulloch has spent two decades studiously staring at his fretboard while various singers go about their important business. He’s not the first guitarist to belatedly step out of the shadows and - Mike yarwood-style-declare that “this is me”. But unlike recent efforts by John Squire and Johnny Marr Joni’s Garden is deliciously free of muso leanings.
Quite the reverse, in fact. The audible scrape of of fingers along fretboards recurs throughout acoustic reveries like It’s nothing and Time machine - and a tendency to almost homeopathic simplicity perfectly compliments a couple of guest turns from Belle & Sebastion alumnus Isobel Campbell. But it’s no less heartwarming to spend some time with McCullochs shy timbre. The autumnal coo of I get it! Is hard to resist from the off, as are the unplugged Teenage Fanclub stylings of Anything goes.
If one misgiving remains, it’s that McCulloch’s tenancy to understatement occasionally strips some very good songs of their absolute potential. If I gave it all away would benefit from a week’s work experience John Fogerty, whilst someone needs to get a tape of Joni’s Garden to Crosby, Stills Nash & Young before they make another disappointing reunion album. Still, as criticisms go though, these are as nits picked from a lovingly stitched duvet. Jim McCulloch is a modest talent, but in the best possible way.
Peter Paphides, Word Magazine
A gorgeous assortment of vibrant acoustic guitars, haunting pianos and superbly crafted songwriting.
Funnily enough, it was Joni Mitchell that sprang instantly to mind as the guitar on the opening track brought Big Yellow Taxi bouncing into the head. I’d like to think that Scottish Rockers who were once on the edgier side of the pop mainstream are mellowing and maybe merging into a movement. Seems they might be doing just that.
Just as I waxed lyrical about Aberfeldy’s debut album Young Forever last month, here again, there’s a softer touch that is very appealing without being in the least contrived. Green is jazzy even, complete with clarinet to help it on its merry way. There was a band called Actors Studio back in 1980, who performed about the greatest pop I ever heard but, like so many from that time, never made it onto a major label’s roster. Green Peppers’ Jim McCulloch writes as if he studied at the same school of love and melancholy as Actors Studio’s Robert McDade.
McCulloch made it though - as a former Soup Dragon, BMX Bandit and Superstar guitarist - and I like to think that more recently he might have been supping from the same sweet well as Lambchop. He has ex-Belle & Sebastian singer Isobel Campbell roped in to carry off a couple of the lead vocals and introduce an added dimension of light and shade. They come over as happy as a brace of cooing turtle doves. I have from time to time let it slip that I admire Norwegian good guy St Thomas greatly. McCulloch comes close to stirring the same emotions with I can’t believe I let her slip away, which is so warmly wrapped in Beach Boys glow that it conjures up a smiley Brian Wilson. The mellowness flows right through to the end where Time machine finds him and studio side-kicks following in a Matthews Southern comfort trail. There’s something going on alright and it’s as healthy as it has been for quite some time up here. Green is the colour , he repeats as the album draws to a close. As John Fogerty once said: have you ever seen the rain? I think that must have something to do with it. Louden Temple - Maverick Magazine ****
Fans of Scottish bands who fondly remember Jim McCulloch’s name in connection with the Soup Dragons, BMX Bandits and Superstar will be happy to know that he’s now back with his own solo project, the Green Peppers. McCulloch wrote, arranged and produced all the tracks on the Green Peppers’ flawless debut album Joni’s Garden, which also features guest appearances from Alan Hutchison, Jim Gash, Joe McAlinden, David Scott and Isobel Campbell.
The album is mostly acoustic and yet, though the guitar seems to be the predominating instrument of all the eleven tracks here included, clarinet, piano, bass and accordion also contribute to interweave the musical texture of the songs. McCulloch opens the album with the title track, a very promising song and just a taste of what will come after. “Green” is the story of a Harley Davidson speeding along the street while Jim is cycling to work; the beautiful “Anything Goes” reminds of the best Superstar tracks. “The Dreamer” and “Blink of an Eye” feature Isobel Campbell on vocals (she also contributed with backing vocals on other tracks) and are both beautiful ethereal songs, the former also retains something exotic and incredibly irresistible about it, perhaps its bossa nova-hinting melody. The last track, “Time Machine”, has all the potential for a great and intelligent pop hit and closes with the words “green is the colour”, the same lyrics which opened the second track on Joni’s Garden, almost to mark a continuity between the beginning and the end of the whole album, a sort of circularity that points back the listener to the start.
Joni’s Garden is not an album made of jangling guitars and catchy melodies, it’s an accomplished introspective and intimate work that contains elements of pop, folk, melodic and pastoral music and a special magic which is rare to find nowadays in many other releases.
Anna Battista, Erasing Clouds, Issue 29, December 2004
The latest faint ripple from the Scots-based C86 scene of the mid-Eighties arrives courtesy of Green Peppers' Joni's Garden, a set of 11 songs written and arranged by the former Soup Dragons guitarist Jim McCulloch. The mild harmonies of the title track set out the Peppers' stall with a diffident but curiously engaging sound, etched in deceptively evocative chord changes. “Green”, which follows, has something of the contemplative sophistication of Simon & Garfunkel's “Old Friends”, in which subtle wisps of clarinet underscore the acoustic guitars as McCulloch muses upon karma: “And all that you do will come back to haunt you without too much persuading”. The closest modern equivalent would probably be the Scandinavian duo Kings of Convenience -there’s the same sense of small, personal matters addressed with unimposing intelligence - a feeling accentuated on the two songs for which Isobel Campbell (formerly of Belle & Sebastian) provides lead vocals. There’s an Astrud Gilberto tropicalismo feel to the way her murmured intimacies in “The Dreamer” lounge coolly against the guitar and piano setting, while elsewhere, McCulloch’s hippie--ish attitudes are well represented in “It's Nothing” and “If Gave It All Away”.
Andy Gill, The Independent
Alright, if you like mellow, this is for you. If you like acoustic guitar and soft vocals that meander through the verses this is definitely for you. If however none of the latter bring a twinkle to your eyes or a jump to your step then the Green Peppers may not be your best choice next time you pop down to nearest hmv.
Green Peppers is the first solo outing by Jim McCulloch from the guitarist from the ex Soup Dragons, but he’s not doing it alone.
Guest vocals from Isobel Campbell of Belle and Sebastian add to that melancholy atmosphere this album exudes. Its soft folky tunes in the vein of Simon and Garfunkel and more modern individuals such as Leonard Cohen and Damien Rice. Lyrically its tackles life, and on the track Green Jim says he came up with the idea “When I was cycling to work one morning I was cut up by a Harley Davidson, which pissed me off. I decided to channel my anger positively and so we all benefit from my misfortune”, I’m not quit sure if everyone will benefit. The instruments used range from tinkling piano to elegant strings. This is a mature approach to making music and it seems to be a reflection of where the artist is in his life. It is well composed and the lyrics sit atop the melodies in an effortless fashion, standout tracks would have to be ‘The Dreamer’ and the more upbeat ‘Time Machine.
These are songs that sit very comfortably in those weepy moments on Dawson’s Creek. The ones where the background music can’t overwhelm the supremely powerful scene of predictable teenage drama. Not my cup of tea, but its pretty and inoffensive, maybe a perfect sleepy time CD. www.subba-culcha.com
This really is a lovely album which surprised me because Jim's put out a right load of garbage up to now - only joking! This is a quality piece of work - poignant songs given a sensitive treatment. On the pepper front I would say it was better than anything by the Red Hot Chilli ones, even if it stops just short of being as important a cultural landmark as the Lonely Hearts Club Band of the celebrated Sergeant. Very good indeed...nice work fella.
Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio2 + BBC 6 Music DJ
It’s rather beautiful...just what you need on a stressful day.
Andrew Collins, BBC 6 Music+ Word magazine
My planned gig acitivities on Friday night took a bit of a battering as I sat down to play a CD I received from Green Peppers AKA Jim McCulloch, ex-guitarist with The Soup Dragons and The BMX Bandits. A bit Belle and Sebastian (it features Isobel Campbell on a couple of tracks); a bit America; even a bit Simon and Garfunkel. It’s getting a release through brand spanking new muso-flavoured label Neon Tetra. Because they’re smart where others are dumb. Anyway I was so entranced that I stayed in and listened to it all night. Dominik Diamond, Daily Star
RIP & BURN
The story Over a decade after making indie waves with acid-baggy upstarts The Soup Dragons, Glaswegian guitarist Jim McCulloch unveils his first solo project.
The star Also a fleeting past member of Indie stalwarts BMX Bandits and these days sporting a slightly chubby - Moby look, our Jim is a passible vocalist to boot.
The vibe Soft and understated acoustic songs, sounding more akin to California than Scotland
Analyze this "finding money in your jeans/trying to work out what it means" (Anything goes)
Bloodline Leonard Cohen - Elliott Smith - Paul Simon
Rivals Travis - Damien Rice - Keane
Poster quote: Capsicum strum
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Green Peppers Rainsound article
Comprehensive Green Peppers article posted online here
A copy of Joni's Garden by Green Peppers was pushed through the letterbox this morning.
I have to say it's fantastic!
Gerry Love, Teenage Fanclub
GREEN PEPPERS
Joni's Garden
Tracklisting:
Joni’s Garden
Green
Anything Goes
I Get It
The Dreamer
If I Gave It All Away
It’s Nothing
I Can’t Believe I Let her Slip Away
Blink of an Eye
The Sun and Moon and Stars
Time Machine
If you have an enquiry regarding GREEN PEPPERS then please email us at:
info@neontetrarecords.co.uk or visit: www.greenpeppers.info
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Site © NeonTetra Records Ltd 2007
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