Latest Reviews
July 2010
Various Artists - Under The Bus Station Clock
Philophobia Music in Yorkshire has provided us with a mine of new tracks to sift through with Under The Bus Station Clock, the label's second annual collection of music from Wakefield area bands.
Launched two years ago the label is a small operation run by Rob Dee to promote some of the fine music from the area. He explains: "The label is run and owned by myself. Financed in parts by those goodold fellows at Mastercard. We don't tend to use pluggers or pr guys. We do our own distribution to shops too. There are a few people who work on an irregular regular basis as we tend to use the same producers as not only are they amazing, they are our friends."
Across the 20 tracks are some of the label's key artists who are already getting national radio attention and festival dates, such as Runaround Kids and Imp as well as others that Rob feels the wider world ought to hear.
There's a lot to digest; some excellent new bands such as The Bambinos, some unusual quirky ones like Junior Swimsuit and many, many that clearly have listened to a lot of Pavement, such as Imp.
What is perhaps most pleasing is the absence of anything truly bland on it, there's an edge to most of the tracks and overall it is free of the usual twee-indie pop fodder that dominates far too much of indie music.
The stand out for me by a mile is 'When theWeather's Wrong' by The Bambinos. I've had to email Rob to check whether their male lead singer Jay had been replaced by a female vocalist, so high was his falsetto. He assures me: "It is indeed the same vocalist. I must admit the falsetto took me by surprise, didn't know he had it in him." Not only is the production among the slickest, it sounds punchy and is the catchiest on the album, full of new wave influences.
Others of note are tracks by The Spills and (the unusually named and slightly Yo Le Tengo-esque) St Gregory Orange.
Salvage My Dream's track 'Cost of Living' is another highlight starting off like a Kyma Dawson acoustic poetry rant and turning into something altogether darker and shouty. Like Los Campesinos or Chumbawamba. It's an inventive track and my second favourite behind The Bambinos.
The album is available to download on a pay as much or as little as you like basis. It also exists in CD form for the criminally low price of £2, although just 100 copies exist so get your order in early.
For more details about ordering Under the Bus Station Clock click here.
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8/10
by Joe Lepper
Shapes and Sizes - Candle To Your Eyes
Candle To Your Eyes, the third album by Canadian band Shapes and Sizes, has some great moments but is essentially a bit of a mess, mish-mashing indie-rock, Janis Joplin blues, Bristol trip-hop and early 1980s new wave with uneven results.
The album, which is released on Asthmatic Kitty, starts off excellently with 'Tell Your Mum'. It is such a shame that the next track is so weak and the rest of the album fails to live up to this start.
Like Morcheeba or Portishead at their peak 'Tell Your Mum' is a striking and original mix of dub bass and radar bleeping delayed guitar. Lead vocalist Caila Thompson-Hannant's Skye Edwards from Morcheeba-esque vocals excel here.
I'd like to have heard more of the same but instead on second track 'Sing Them Songs' Thomson-Hannant hands lead vocals duty to co-vocalist and guitarist Rory Seydel. While not a bad singer Seydel is far too much like many other male indie vocalists. The track is just another non descript indie number, really unimaginative.
Thompson -Hannant returns for the bulk of the rest of the tracks and some normality is resumed, but this blunderous choice of second track destroys the momentum and creates an uneven impression that is hard to shake off.
The placing of the best track, or perhaps the absence of anything as 'Tell Your Mum' is also something of a mistake. With the exception of 'The Hit Parade' nothing comes even close to 'Tell Your Mum'. This gives the album a lack of coherence and left me with a sense of disappointment of what could have been.
With further listens the album does improve. 'Sing Them Songs' is still terrible, but a greater depth appears in tracks such as '23 and rising'.
On their Myspace page they list Nina Simone and Prince among their influences. What I hear more is Janis Joplin in the way simple, basic instruments are used to bring out the best in Thompson-Hannet's voice.
I also hear the late 1970s post punk, new wave sounds of London, mixing reggae bass lines with folk and rock. The bass lines of Public Image Limited's Jah Wobble are all over this album, which despite the messy track listing and having only one great track, ends up being at least an interesting listen.
6.5/10
by Joe Lepper
Indietracks 2010 Festival, Derbyshire, July 23-25.
Indietracks 2010, which for the last four years has taken place at the Midland Railway centre in Derbyshire, was perhaps not quite as busy as last year when it had the support of Spain's Elefant label on the main stage and a distinct European feel to it.
But if there's one strapline to take away from the 2010 version, it's that this is the year when it established itself as the defining UK indie music festival in your calendar.
This year was indie in its more ascetic forms. The old guard were there with The Orchids growing in stature with their set and Saturday night's headliner The Primitives (pictured below) will be remembered for a stoic performance, although that's not to take anything away from the kudos of having booked them in the first place. Both were outshone by a frantic Pooh Sticks set which throbbed with vitality - right down to their performance of 'On Tape' - one of many performances that the audience will go away knowing they just witnessed something rather special.
The breakthrough acts were also there in force. Sunday's top slot The Pains of Being Pure at Heart were the event act of this new breed of bands. In a way they're difficult to define. They wear their influences on their collective sleeve; in all honesty the gamut of their songwriting is pretty narrow; the vocals didn't soar on the night. But as a band and a performance it suddenly made sense what all the hype is about.
And as ever with Indietracks you always get more than you deserve. Shrag (pictured below) have a terrible name but otherwise frankly spellbinding in any other respect, mainly down to their mesmerising singer, but also a bristling crop of energetic three minute stomps.
The Felt Tips were one of the highlights [fellow Indietracks attendees - I accept that when you're faced with one billion acts to watch, it is possible that other highlights were going on at the same time as this writer's]. Particularly their ode to a loss of faith in Morrissey, deftly followed by a defiantly Smiths-y number. Although 'Life Skills' is one of those songs that remains in your head for its pure audacity.
Among other acts Allo Darlin' (pictured below) are clearly great song-crafters and were followed on the Friday night by Everyone was in the French Resistance... Now, a concept act that creates response 'songs' to famous hits. Off the wall and hilarious but should they have been Friday's headliner? Perhaps not, but as they would have pretty much upstaged anyone you would care to put on after them, I can see the argument for giving they them the headliner accolade. Finally Antarctica Takes It definitely deserve a mention for their lo fi up beat work.
And then there's the primordial indie soup of emerging talent. Betty and the Werewolves had queues round the block and over the level crossing for their energetic set in the church stage. Mexican Kids at Home felt like a rather charming GCSE music lesson. But those five kids in the back of the train singing nursery rhyme songs about mortality certainly had something.
The festival itself continues to excel itself at being the best unkept secret around. Whether they are on-stage or off, you'll never run into such a high concentration of steam-powered music lovers on any other weekend of the year. Top marks.
Words and pictures by Matt Whipp
For more pictures visit Matt's Myspace site here.
See Also: Indie Tracks Organiser's Guide To Running Your Own Festival
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
Dark Night of the Soul is the long awaited collaboration between Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse. Unreleased for some time due to contractual wrangles it was originally intended to accompany a book of visuals by David Lynch. The book was published, but the album itself was shelved and has now emerged some months later.
The opening three tracks make the reviewer's job easy however, being some of the bests songs released so far this year. 'Revenge' sets a perfect tone for the album, dark and beautiful. It is also the best thing that the Flaming Lips have contributed to for some years. 'Just War' manages to be downbeat and bouncy all at once, with Gruff Rhys turning in one of his best vocal performances. The last in the opening trio, 'Jakob', is another standout and shows that Jason Lyttle has more to offer than latter-day Grandaddy releases had me believe.
The album comes a little bit unstuck for the next trio of songs. Julian Casablancas' effort 'Little Girl' is fine, but the Strokes style guitar doesn't seem to fit the mood of the album very well. Frank Black's 'Angel's Harp' is better but manages to be a bit plodding. Iggy Pop's 'Pain' is the album's weakest link, his mannered vocals are grating and it is a fairly passionless performance.
Normal service is soon resumed however as David Lynch turns in his first effort, and proves to be the perfect vocal accompaniment to Sparklehorse, his voice fragile and bathed in effects.
The second half is pretty flawless, with Jason Lytle and Lynch both getting a second song and Suzanne Vega and Vic Chesnutt turning in excellent efforts. 'Insane Lullaby' features James Mercer, the sweet melody swamped in Linkous discord to beautiful effect. The song is now a part of the Broken Bells live set.
The standout song from the second half is Linkous one vocal contribution 'Daddy's Gone'. It is a beautiful Beatlesesque pop ballad with backing vocals by Nina Persson. It is melancholy and sweet and tragically may be the last new Linkous vocal contribution that ever sees the light of day.
8/10
By Dorian Rogers
Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
Mark Kozelek has released yet another hauntingly beautiful album under his Sun Kil Moon name.
Admiral Fell Promises has less of a band feel than the boxing ballads of 2003's Ghosts of the Great Highway or the sweeping melancholy epics of 2008's April. It's mainly Kozelek, with his broody voice accompanied by classical guitar. But what a voice it is and what guitar playing he displays.
For some Kozelek is a little too depressing as a singer. Sure his albums are sparse in packaging, a sepia or black and white photo is pretty much all that's on display. He can also appear detached, aloof almost. His website carries a stern request for people not to take photos at his gigs, like a grumpy neighbour shaking his stick at cold callers.
But to dismiss him as a curmudgeon is far too simplistic, especially on this album. On Admiral Fell Promises the focus on classical guitar, with all its playful flourishes and high tones, brings an effective foil to his voice. The deeper his voice gets, the more playful and higher in pitch is his finger picking.
Melody is something Kozelek should also get more credit for. Within a few minutes of hearing opener 'Alesund' I was humming the melody.
Lyrically the content is more everyday than previous albums. There's no tales of working class boxers, no big issues. A view from a window, such as on 'Third and Seneca', or thoughts on walking around New York. It's an album for wandering and thinking. Whereas April was like the build up to a storm, on Admiral Fell Promises the storm has well and truly passed and calm is all around.
While more low key in production this has the potential to be Kozelek's most successful album to date. A new audience has discovered him after April's 'Heron Blue' was used to such great effect for advertising for the game Gears of War 3 earlier this year. Those who have come to Kozelek on the back of that will not be disappointed by Admiral Fell Promises and nor will his longer term fans.
What also comes across clearly is the attention to his craft. Kozelek has clearly been studying his guitar playing technique and this album reminds me of the albums of guitarist and folk legend John Renbourne, another keen student of different styles from folk to blues to baroque.
8.5/10
by Joe Lepper
Janelle Monáe - The Archandroid
The Archandroid, the debut album from former stage school kid and Outkast collaborator Janelle Monáe could well be the most eclectic album of the year so far. Mixing orchestral pieces, hip hop, soul, pop, psychedelic rock, folk and even a collaboration with Of Montreal into 18 tracks.
This could have made for an incoherent mess but it largely holds together amazingly well and is destined to be one of the most picked albums in the end of year lists come December. And, unless some pretty amazing albums come out in the next six months, it will feature high in the Neon Filler chart as well.
I despise Sean "Diddy" Combs. His image, his brand of aftershave (a fragrance called "Unforgiveable"!?!) and his dismal recorded output all grate. But to his credit he has signed one of the best new artists of the year to his Bad Boy recording corporation, a very smart move.
It is a sci-fi themed album, Metropolis visuals and a frankly barking story about Monáe being snatched back through time from the year 2719. It kicks off with the beautifully orchestrated 'Suite II Overture' before moving into the slicker modern RnB stylings of 'Dance or Die'. I'm no fan of modern RnB, and my posting of the excellent single 'Tightrope' on our Facebook page got our first negative comment since we started it, but Monáe adds a spark and musical inventiveness that is so often lacking from the genre.
The album moves along at breakneck pace taking you through jazzy numbers ('Faster') into disco ('Locked Inside') before mutating into Nancy Sinatra for 'Sir Greendown'. Following this brilliant set of surprising tunes we get the two big singles from the album 'Cold War', which is polished pure pop, followed by the aforementioned 'Tightrope', more RnB with a guest slot by Outkast's Big Boi. Outkast are an interesting comparison point, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below being the last album I heard that genre hopped as successfully as this one.
Midway through the album (and I advise you to get the album in full and listen to the songs in order) we get 'Oh, Maker' where the song is a beautiful mix of Mama Cass style folk pop and 70s soul. This is impressive enough, but following it with the psychobilly sounds of 'Come Alive (The War of the Roses)' is just inspired.
There really isn't a duff track on the album and the incredible versatility and eclecticism keeps you hooked in from start to finish. The collaboration with Of Montreal, 'Make the Bus', does jar a little as it is written and produced by Kevin Barnes which means that it doesn't perfectly blend in to the album. This is a small criticism though as the song itself is typically brilliant, and the fact that Monáe chooses to collaborate with Of Montreal is just another point in her favour.
I could go on about the album and all the surprising touches at length, but uncovering the many sounds of the album is something you need to do and not read about. Janelle Monáe is a really exciting new talent and has produced what may well turn out to be the best album of the year.
9.5/10
Dorian Rogers
Shannon Stephens - Shannon Stephens
The release, or rather lack of release, of Shannon Stephens self-titled debut album in 1999, shows how little music matters sometimes.
The former singer with Sufjan Stevens long defunct folk rock band Marzuki recorded the album more than a decade ago but declined to put it out. This was no artistic fit of pique though, just life getting in the way. She quite simply had better things to do than trawl around TV and radio studios to promote the darn thing.
According to her recent publicity blurb, she realised "that all this music stuff was a lot of work". Since then she got married, had a daughter "and did lots of hippy stuff like growing potatoes."
The music took hold of her again in 2008 after Bonnie Prince Billy covered 'I'll Be Glad' one of the tracks from her never properly released debut.
She released her second, or is that first, album, The Breadwinner shortly after the Bonnie Prince Billy tribute and now after a decade of collecting dust in her garage her label Asthmatic Kitty has decided to finally give her debut the release it always deserved.
In many respects those buying the album will be treated to something of a lost classic. Her voice is beautiful and heartwarming, although not powerful or distinctive in a Joni Mitchell or Leslie Feist way. Perhaps the nearest comparison is with Suzanne Vega or Beth Orton in the subtlety in which emotion is conveyed.
But unlike Vega, who during her 80s heyday suffered from over production and dated keyboard and guitar sounds, the production here matches Stephens's voice. Produced by Stephens, along with Sufjan Stevens and Matthew Heseltine (also ex Marzuki), it is largely acoustic guitar strumming and her voice. But when necessary, for a change of pace or feeling, cellos, banjos, even drums are occasionally added.
On 'I'll Be Glad' and 'Panic' the fuller sound of added instruments works particularly well and it is no wonder that Bonnie Prince Billy adopted the former as a song to cover. It is a very Bonnie Prince Billy song.
The cello on opener 'So Gentle Your Arms' add real depth to the track and mirrors the sad tone in her voice. Nick Drake set the bar on such a track with 'Cello Song,' but this comes pretty close. 'Panic' with banjo and slide guitar is probably the standout track on a remarkably consistent album that sounds as fresh as it does today as it did 11 years ago.
Given the lack of an original release it is unsurprising just how few people have discovered Stephens. But listening to this makes you wonder just how long that will continue. This re-release will undoubtedly bring her to a wider audience, if this time round she is prepared to put the work in or at least find a suitable balance between home life and work.
This is a fine album, but at the end of the day it is just a disc in a box that perhaps quite rightly comes second to being able to see the smile on her child's face each day or doing hippy things in her garden.
8.5/10
by Joe Lepper
DM Stith - Heavy Ghost Appendices
Heavy Ghost, the debut album from David Michael Stith, who releases under the name DM Stith, was one of the highlights of last year.
It showcased Stith's sumptuous singing and musical arrangements that mark him out as one of the most innovative singer songwriters currently releasing in the US. Like an unusual cross between Sufjan Stevens, whose Asthmatic Kitty album he is signed to, and Nina Simone, he sings with real emotion and grace.
To follow up the critical success of Heavy Ghost Athmatic Kitty have released a companion piece Heavy Ghost:Appendices, featuring some demos, alternative versions, remixes and cover versions.
As a companion piece it provides plenty to delight both those that bought Heavy Ghost and those new to his work.
There's some good alternative versions, such as the demo of 'BMG' and the brass version of 'Braid of Voices'. The covers also provide an insight into how Stith develops songs, such as his take on The Ronettes' Be My Baby, which was a strong influence on BMB.
Among the strongest tracks are the covers on Disc 1, such as his stunning take on Diane Cluck's 'Easy To Be Around,' and excellent versions of David Byrne's 'A Soft Seduction' and Randy Newman's 'Suzanne.'
The weakest moments are the remixes on Disc 2 by the likes of Rafter. These offer little new to Heavy Ghost's tracks, but this barely matters though considering the delights across Disc 1.
7.5/10
by Joe Lepper
June 2010
Black Soul Strangers - Animate
Being billed in some quarters as the next big thing in indie rock, with support from mainstream DJs such as BBC Radio 2's Dermot O Leary and a debut album produced by Tom McFall, who has also produced Snow Patrol, it would be all too easy to roll one's eyes and say, "hmm, really,"when reading some of the hype surrounding Irish indie-rock band Black Soul Strangers.
But while braced for some kind of Coldplay or Snow Patrol style mediocrity the band's debut Animate actually comes as a very pleasant surprise.
True, there's a festival crowd-pleasing epic-by numbers quality to some of the tracks, but this is a band that really does have something of quality to offer. Far from being like Keane or Athlete there's clear influences to new wave and punk acts like The Jam and Joy Division and an outstanding rhythm section to rival that of US band The National, who they are rightly being compared to.
Opener 'Panic Sets Direction' shows this range of new wave and modern indie rock styles coming together, gentle guitar riff, building up in layers, bass and drums pounding in gradually before the killer power chord and we're in. 'Lies' follows, starting pretty generically, but then the bass and drums save the track again. It's the catchiest one that I keep coming back to.
Less inspiring though is 'The Haunting', which is the single that has generated much of the buzz. It's epic but soulless and predictable.
Overall its the more new wave leaning ones like 'Lies' and tracks on the later half of the album, such as 'Wichita' and 'You Don't Need It' that are the most exciting. As debuts go there have been better this year, from the likes of Avi Buffalo for example, but this is pretty good and more importantly leaves you wanting more.
7.5/10
by Joe Lepper
Animate is released on July 5. More details here.
The Miserable Rich - Of Flight and Fury
Of Flight and Fury is the second album from Brighton's The Miserable Rich and it picks up from where their excellent debut left off. Part of Brighton's Willkommen Collective they are the most compact and focused of the bunch. Just five members and a lack of guest musicians marks them out from some of their sister acts.
Singer James De Malplaquet is like a more restrained Neil Hannon, his British upper middle class stylings seeming less affected than the Divine Comedy front man. He is brilliantly supported by the strings of William Callderbank and Mike Siddell, who, as members of The Leisure Society, The Sons of Noel and Adrian, Shoreline and more, must be the hardest working string section in Britain. The group is rounded off by former Clearlake guitarist Jim Briffett and the bass of Rhys Lovell.
Lyrically the songs move easily from classical references, 'Pegasus', to small town vignettes, 'Somerhill', to tales of debauched living, 'Hungover'. At 45 minutes and 9 songs (plus instrumental interludes and one hidden track) it is a very well paced album that doesn't outstay its welcome.
De Malplaquet is an excellent singer whose voice is capable of carrying the prettiness of the melodies as well as being theatrical when needed. He brings to mind a very British version of Beirut's Zach Condon and the band back that up, although lacking the bombastic horns of the American act.
As a band they are possibly too folksy and whimsical for the tastes of some, but to the more open minded listener it is a pretty exceptional record. It is a charming record that demands repeated listening and is one of the best albums released by a British act this year.
9/10
By Dorian Rogers
Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
Few things in life are more comforting than a Teenage Fanclub album and their latest album, Shadows, is no exception. Over twenty years into their career the Glasgow band are still the closest thing that British music has to Crosby, stills and Nash.
The four albums that they released from 1991's Bandwagonesque (and newcomers to the Fanclub may be surprised to hear that this album was beaten only by Nevermind in NME's album of the year list - ahead of Screamadelica, Out of Time and Blue Lines) to songs From Northern Britain is as good a quartet as any band has managed to produce. Howdy! was a patchy affair and 2005's Man-Made lacked the warmth that is so essential to the band's sound. Five years later the band has come back into their stride with one of the year's most gently accomplished releases.
The album is not going to win awards, and doesn't break any new ground, but it is assured and quietly wins you over with each listen. Second song, Norman Blake's 'Baby Lee', is close to perfect and if it had been released in the early 70s it might be a commercial radio standard today.
As with the last few releases each of the three songwriters gets democratically equal airtime. Four songs by each in a regimented order. This could make for an artificial flow, but it stands up very well. Each singer acquits themselves well and the first three songs are particularly strong, Love's 'Sometimes I Don't Need to Believe Anything', the aforementioned 'Baby Lee' and McGinley's typically downbeat 'The Fall'. Norman Blake's songs (as in normally the case) are the pick of the bunch; he is an unsung hero of British music and has seldom penned a less than excellent song.
It could be argued that the album has few standout tracks, staying on a very even keel throughout, on the flipside the quality hardly dips from start to finish. Teenage Fanclub have a unique and unmistakeable sound, a gentle and polite sound, but touched with some real beauty.
This is the kind of album that slips by without the need to take notice or skip a track. That may seem to damn it with faint praise, but far from it. I can already see it as being the soundtrack to a very pleasant summer.
8/10
By Dorian Rogers
Clogs - Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton
Pigeonholing Clogs, formed by members of the National to explore their more classical and folk leanings, is pretty tricky.
Folk would be a good start. But then there's a bit of chamber music, jazz, Americana and ambient to add to the mix. For me it is probably the nearest thing to the late Simon Jeffes 1980-1990s band Penguin Café Orchestra in the way Clogs take whatever genre comes to hand to evoke a mood.
While Clogs output so far has been instrumental, on Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton they've found a voice. In fact not just one but several well known ones.
Clogs mainstay Padma Newsome takes a turn on vocals, as does fellow National member and lead singer Matt Berninger. Sufjan Stevens joins in as well on vocals and banjo, but it is Shara Worden, from My Brightest Diamond, who steals the show.
Across the range of folk, pop and chamber music styles on the album Worden's voice looms large over around half of the tracks, with her distinctive operatic soul style creating something wholly distinct that works with the odd conceit of the album.
Written by Newsome in 2005, during a residency funded by the Fromm Foundation at the Italian botanical garden Giardini La Morgelooam, its a concept album of sorts about the garden and its creator Lady Walton, the widow of composer Sir William Walton on the Italian island of Ishcia.
It's taken around four years to record and mix taking in sessions in Brooklyn and Sydney but the wait has been worth it. Among highlights are the hypnotic instrumental 'I Used to Do', Worden's showpiece 'On the Edge' and Berninger's emotional 'The Last Song,' which sounds like one of the best songs The National never made.
But it is not an album of standouts as such, it is a proper old school album to be heard from start to finish letting the listener drift in and out of moods, imagining Lady Walton's ornate shrubs and greenhouses and marveling at the musical talent on display.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
Morcheeba - Blood Like Lemonade
About ten years ago Morcheeba's Big Calm was everywhere. Seemingly at every party, on every radio station, in every pub and bar across the world. It was unstoppable.
Lumped in with the whole tip hop sound of Bristol, despite being very London the beauty of Big Calm hinged on the combination of the minimalist, down tempo music of brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey and Skye Edwards's sad, bitter sweet vocals.
The album Fragments of Freedom followed, but despite selling well it failed to recreate Big Calm's blend of trip hop and pop and was a critical flop. By 2002 the brothers had lost the plot completely and sacked Edwards. It proved to be musical suicide as they spent the next eight years drifting aimlessly, putting out an album here or there, trying out different singers and even a rubbish folk pop sound on 2005's The Antidote.
It's taken the brothers a while, but somehow they have realised that without Edwards they are nothing. Calls were made, drinks were bought and now Edwards is back for what is undoubtedly their best album in years, Blood Like Lemonade, which unashamedly follows a back to basics approach and successfully recreates the sound of Big Calm.
Edwards soft, sad vocals with slick trip hoppish production are once again there. But let's not go overboard, listening to Blood Like Lemonade is like meeting an old friend again. We've grown older and there's a bond there but we have less in common now and conversation drifts into nostalgia rather than the here and now.
Edwards vocals carry the album, as it should be with Morcheeba and there are some beautiful tracks, but some songs sound tired in places. The lyrics are particularly weak and at times Edwards sound like she really doesn't want to be there. While Big Calm was a masterclass in consistency Blood Like Lemonade is too piecemeal.
Among the best though are the single 'Even Though'. Edwards sings it like a lullaby over trip hop beats and acoustic guitar. In a word, lovely. The album's title track is another standout, oozing the laid back approach of Big Calm.
But others such as the instrumental 'Mandala' are pretty weak, ironically rushed sounding for such a measured sounding band. The joke of constantly referencing clichés in 'Self Made Man', also falls flat.
Its nice to meet an old friend like the Big Calm era Morcheeba again. Its not completely the same, but it'll do for now.
6.5/10
by Joe Lepper
Florida's Surfer Blood may look like an odd ball bunch of geeks but don't dismiss them on looks alone - they are churning out some of the best indie-rock around.
Seeing them live recently I got to know (or rather imagine) a little more about what drives this, at times loud, at times bitter sweet, new indie band on the scene. There's a controlled anger, a sense of "look at what I've achieved" from this group of geeks.
From the bad jumper wearing guitarist and bassist, the chubby lead singer and crazy haired percussionist this band are loud and proud and are saying to the world, the jocks at school and the smart kids - "we are a rock band and we don't give a fuck."
Well that was the thought that went through my head as I watched them. In reality I suspect they are probably pretty normal and just like playing music. Nevertheless I like the idea of angry young geeks belting out music at the world so I'll stick with it for now.
On to the album Astro Coast, which was released in the US earlier this year where it reached an almost mighty 124 in the Billboard album charts. This week it gets a UK release and for those like us who have seen them live a chance to own their controlled anger on CD.
As debuts go its already a modern indie classic. Full of a marvellous mix of riffs, indie rock influences including Sonic Youth and Pavement, passionate singing and some neat tricks as well, such as the guitar harmonics on the Beatles-esque 'Harmonix'. As the name of the band suggests surf rock also figures strongly, with the genre's reverb twangs strewn across the ten tracks.
Among the obvious standouts are the first single from the album 'Swim' and 'Take It Easy', but further down there are other gems. Opener 'Floating Vibes' sees a whole bunch of riffs intertwining like Pavement at their catchiest. It is little surprise that Pavement chose them as one of the acts for their ATP Festival (review here) in the UK this year.
Other standouts include 'Neighbour Riffs', which showcases some stunning guitar arrangements and 'Twin Peaks', which is another unfathomably catchy track.
What is perhaps most striking is that this appears to be a band devoid of pretention. They even title most of their songs as they sound. This is a highly consistent debut, a great guitar album full of passion and honesty. Indie rock as it should be played.
9/10
by Joe Lepper
May 2010
Field Music - Live at Audio (Brighton 26/05/10)
Going to see Field Music at Brighton's Audio filled me with mixed feelings. I was looking forward to seeing one of my favourite bands but I was a bit depressed and disappointed as well. The band had been moved to the venue (from the bigger Concorde 2) due to a lack of ticket sales. As I entered the near empty venue (30 minutes after the doors had opened) I had the same feeling I did after seeing Avatar. The feeling that I am out of step with almost everyone else, and that they are all wrong.
Avatar is a film that fails in almost every way, and yet critics and audiences alike seemed to love it. Field Music are one of the best bands in Britain today, and yet they can't sell enough tickets at a mid sized venue for the gig to go ahead there.
The good news is that Audio was a much better venue to enjoy the band. The sound is good and you can get really close to the band. By the time the band took to the stage (after an enjoyable, if bizarre, set by Thomas White - him and his band looking like their mother's had dressed them for a school play) the audience had filled out. And the audience and band alike were definitely up for a great gig.
The set mixed new songs and old and included tracks from the Brewis brothers solo albums, including a storming version of the School of Language favourite 'Rockist'. I had worried that songs from the new album might miss the strings and lush instrumentation, but the live arrangements were pretty well flawless. 'Them That Do Nothing' being one of the standout tracks.
The brothers took turns to play drums, guitar, keyboards and sing. Peter mainly playing keyboards on his songs and David proving to be much more of an axe-man than the records might suggest. At times, as some songs took on some pretty funky arrangements he was reminiscent of a Stop Making Sense era David Byrne, tall and angular and just the right side of awkward.
Field Music are a band that are developing and moving forward without losing the elements that made Tones Of Town' and the two solo albums so satisfying. The XTC influence is till at the forefront but a range of other influences are permeating their sound. Few bands could move as effortlessly from a short burst of new wave pop to an extended song, almost prog-rock.
The set ended all too quickly, the fun stopped by a 10pm curfew, but sometimes it is good to leave the venue wanting more. Field Music had proved that as well; as releasing one of the best albums of the year they are also one of the best live acts. Hopefully the rest of the country will wake up to them soon and they can get to play to the audiences they deserve.
9/10
By Dorian Rogers
Bustin' Out 1982 New Wave to New Beat #2
There are many joys of a good, well thought out compilation. The discovery of something wonderful and new or perhaps remembering long lost favourites.
For me one of the joys of hearing Bustin' Out 1982 New Wave to New Beat #2, the latest compilation from Noise Music's Year Zero post punk label, has been the chance to remember the sheer wonderfulness of Gary Numan's 1982 semi-hit 'Music for Chameleons'
The three minute or so version charted at 19 in the UK singles chart in 1982, but it is the longer six minute version from his album I, Assassin that is such a welcome feature on this album.
It's a remarkable track, conceived by the perfectionist, electro music pioneer and aviator Numan after hearing the rhythm of plane engines over water, and features some gloriously squelchy bass hooks, innovative (for the time) synth work and Numan's familiar robotic, futuristic vocals.
It's not just me that finds it remarkable, check out this clip of Steve Coogan's failed radio and TV presenter Alan Partridge air bassing his way along to it
Among the other gems across this compilation are Planet Rock' by Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force, which according to Year Zero was the first hiphop record to use a drum machine
Early house track Klein & M.B.O.'s 'Dirty Talk' and Dub Syndicate's 'Pounding System', which was the opening track on their The Pounding System [Ambience in Dub] are other standouts.
Among the less well known nuggets is 'My Spine Is My Bassline', by former XTC keyboards player Barry Andrews and gang of Four bassist Dave Allen's band Shriekback. This electro funk track will particularly please fans of XTC's remixes and dub versions such as 1980's Take Away/ Lure of Salvage.
There's also some rarities to get the new wave collectors in a froth. Front 242's 'U Men' is among these, with copies fetching around £300 according to Year Zero.
It's not all jolly synths and marvels though. There are a few duffers. Among them is 'Four Minutes', the 12" b-side of early 80s Athens, Georgia, band Pylon's single, 'Beep'. Fellow Athens natives REM famously said Pylon were the best rock and roll band in America but you'd be hard pressed to find a rock or dance groove in this dour and misguided track for the band.
Die Krupps 'Goldfinger', while interesting as a peak at electro Kraut rock, sounds, well, kind of silly 28 years on.
There's some undoubtedly great songs peppered by some bad ones but without fail every track is at least interesting, and deserving of its place as an example of this odd transitionary time for post punk electronic music.
7.5/10
Available direct from Future Noise Music.
Full track listing
1. Goldfinger (Extended Version) - Die Krupps
2. Moody (Cut Down) - ESG
3. Dirty Talk (Radio Version) - Klein & MBO
4. Hip Hop Be Bop (Dub) - Man Parrish
5. Music For Cameleons (LP Version) - Gary Newman
6. U-Men - Front 242
7. Liberty City - Mark Stewart
8. Pounding System - Dub Syndicate
9. Dans Les Jardins - Bejamin Lew / Steven Brown
10. My Spine Is The Baseline - Shriekback
11. Breakdown - Colourbox
12. Planet Rock - Afrika Bamaataa & Soulsonic Force
13. Impulse - Chris & Cosey
14. Fiends - Portion Controle
15. Four Minutes - Pylon
Review by Joe Lepper
ATP Festival Curated By Pavement - Minehead, UK.
ATP is among the most remarkable of festivals. Since it started around a decade a go its crucial difference is that a specific band often gets to choose the line up.
This tends to give it a greater sense of ownership for the band that curates and for their fans, who get a greater insight into their tastes and influences. The holiday resort settings, of comfy chalets rather than tents and muddy fields, also help.
This time around it's the turn of Pavement to curate an ATP event, at Butlins in the British seaside resort of Minehead. Reunited for a nostalgia tour after going their separate ways in 1999, the band that was influenced by and have influenced so many has come up with a line-up dominated by US guitar rock and punk legends, with the odd curveball thrown in.
Friday
Opening the festival in the late afternoon was Avi Buffalo, signed to Sub Pop, barely out of their teens and over here from their native California to promote their recently released debut self titled album. They've pulled the short straw getting to open the event as many are still arriving. They didn't care, just pleased to be there. A short engaging set on the smaller Centre Stage was full of tracks from their debut album and ended on a high with 'Remember Last Time'. The guitar solo on that track is as much a thing of beauty live as it is on the record.
Main stage opener Surfer Blood (pictured above) is another up and coming new band, this time from Florida. Triumph of the geeks was how my friend described this motley bunch of fat, thin, weedy, bad jumper wearing young things that packed a real punch. Lead singer bellowing out tracks such as 'Take It Easy' from their debut Astro Coast as well as a new song, 'I'm Not Ready', which was full of their familiar catchy riffs. "Ever witnessed the pinnacle of a career," says bassist Brian Black to lead singer John Paul Pitt in a self deprecating way. They know they are privileged to be here. What new band wouldn't want Pavement's seal of approval?
Calexico decided to play a set that they see is best suited to the rock festival audience, with a focus on many of the more conventional guitar lead songs from their catalogue. This was a mistake as it is the more atmospheric acoustic tunes that would have set them apart from the other ATP acts.
Nevertheless they are a very slick band, most of the group being in demand session musicians, and they produce a note perfect sound. Highlights include the mariachi blast of 'Crystal Frontier' and their covers of Love's 'Alone Again Or' and The Minutemen's 'Corona'.
In sharp contrast at the same time on the Centre Stage was The Walkmen. Lead singer Hamilton Leithhauser has a voice to rival ACDC's Brian Johnson and tonight they put in a killer performance. A minor bass amp explosion put them off their stride three songs in but only slightly. Showcased tonight were some new tracks off the new album, due out this summer, which sound in a similar vein as their excellent 2008 album You and I. 'New Year' from that album is now as big a crowd pleaser as 'The Rat', and both were among the highlights of a powerful, passionate set.
Friday's main stage headliners Broken Social Scene (pictured above) are veterans of ATP Minehead now, having headlined the Explosions in the Sky curated event two years ago. They are now a different beast. Leaner and showcasing tracks from their latest album Forgiveness Rock Record. Tracks from the hook laden first half of the album such as 'Art House Director', 'Texico Bitches' and 'World Sick', went down particularly well. Although Forgiveness Rock Record dominated the gig, the biggest cheers still went out for classics such as 'Fire Eyed Boy' and '7/4 (Shoreline)'.
Couple of gripes, one being BSS's Lisa Lobsinger. She follows in the footsteps of previous BSS female vocalists such as Leslie Feist but her voice is far weaker. Drifting on and off stage like Helena Bonham Carter, she sauntered, whispered and vanished. Not even the glimmer of a smile, in sharp contrast to the energetic displays of BSS mainstay Brandon Canning. The other gripe was frontman Kevin Drew, who had the touch of the Bono about him tonight. "We're all forced to love," he glibly declared before 'Forced To Love'. Er, no were not. Just play the song man and stop talking rubbish.
Special final mention must go to Mission of Burma and Quasi (pictured above). Although formed originally in 1979 and looking their age MoB played with the energy and excitement of the new bands that started the day. Quasi rounded off the day for us at Neon Filler. They are musos with edge, the rock three piece to beat all three pieces and in drummer Janet Weiss, formerly of Sleater-Kinney, they have one of the stars of the festival.
Saturday
The day of Pavement's headline performance starts in jovial fashion. Kentucky band Wax Fang, the lovers of the guitar, performed Purple Rain in its entirety and perfectly with more than a little Prince tongue in cheek on the smaller Red stage.
Meanwhile over at the Centre Stage The Drones (pictured below) were justifying their reputation as one of the best live acts around. Lead singer Gareth Liddiard, who is vocally like an Australian Joe Strummer with a bomb attached to him, powered his way through the set that got better as it went on. Kept going by the rock steady bass and drums, the band allow his guitar work and vocals to shine. Sometimes it goes too far, too over indulgent, but on tracks such as 'Shark Fin Blues' all aspects came together perfectly.
Almost in anticipation for Pavement, whose frontman Stephen Malkmus is no stranger to guitar solos, it was a day dominated by the guitar, with Blitzen Trapper following on where The Drones and Wax Fang left off. Blitzen Trapper, from Portland, Oregon, is a strange act. Jack of all genres but masters of none and their prog rock guitar work sadly became tedious after a while.
In the midst of the predominantly guitar based acts of the day Mark Eitzel (pictured below) was something of an oasis of calm. Backed by drums and electric piano he presented an act that was more music hall than music festival and it was wonderful.
The consumate entertainer, despite a nervous twitchy disposition, preceded each song with an entertaining (and often shocking) story. These stories moved from his time working at a Butlins holiday camp, to the death of his mother to his experiences with a heroin addict girlfriend and in the porn industry. Some were tall tales, others were clearly very real and personal.
The set mixed his solo songs with a healthy dose of American Music Club favourites, including 'Nightwatchman', 'Johnny Mathis' Feet' and 'Patriot's Heart'. The songs are challenging in content and Eitzel voice is a very powerful instrument, easily the strongest vocalist of the weekend, and the songs have a real emotional impact.
Pavement (pictured below) proved to be the the perfect festival band. The excitement of seeing a reformed legend was matched by the quality of their set. No confrontational artists here, no set made up of new songs ands obscure b-sides. This was a crowd pleasing "hits" set played well with 'Cut Your Hair', 'Stereo', 'Summer Babe' and Spiral Stair's 'Two States' going down particularly well with the crowd.
From the opener 'Box Elder' to the final encore track 'Debris Slide' the quality of the songs never dipped. It is easy to forget that, for all their slacker reputation, what an accomplished band Pavement were. There is a real variety to their sound, pop hooks, scuzzy no-wave noise, and balls out power chords all make an appearance. And in the soft and thoughtful 'Here' they have a candidate song for the great American songbook.
Malkmus is the star of the show, looking no older than he did back in the early 90s. His casual approach to playing the guitar, all loose hands and slinging it over his shoulder, belies his skills. The joker in the pack Bob Nastanovich is also excellent value jumping around, screaming and shouting his way through his vocal parts.
Throughout the weekend you got the sense they enjoyed their role of curators, popping up in the audience at the acts they'd chosen and holding court outside their VIP chalet. Drummer Steve West even treated people to a stone masonary display during the day, his other career outside drumming.
The end to the evening was another rare escape from guitar rock and proved to be the most eclectic segment of the weekend. Over at the Reds stage was the Syrian dance of Omar Souleyman, who worked the crowd into a frenzy while remaining calm and assured himself. Teenage geek tales from an acoustic set by Atlas Sound followed and then it was the turn of the best party band around San Francisco's Still Flyin'. This 12 piece's blend of West Coast indie music, ska and reggae was another highlight.
Sunday
Tim Chad and Sherry are made up of former Lambchop and Silver Jews members and put in a fun, laid back set blending funk, country and soul at the Centre Stage in the afternoon. But it was up to Wax Fang to continue the weekend's love affair with the guitar. Top draw musicians, but by day three what the crowed perhaps didn't want was another guitar solo orientated band, no matter how engaging.
Some of the most exciting bands across the weekend where among the oldest, just like Mission of Burma others such as The Raincoats and The 3Ds (pictured below) were also class acts.
Terry Reid was also a fine advert for the older generation. Looking and sounding like a London cabbie who'd won the pools in his perma tan and Californian English accent. He's a soulful, powerful singer, full of passion and showing he is an experienced performer but nowhere near a jaded one.
Then there was veteran Mark E Smith to round off proceedings on the main stage. With his band The Fall (pictured below) as headliners you never know what you will get. Luckily this was among the best Fall performances I've seen. Buoyed by what Smith describes as the best band "he's ever had" and a great new album Your Future Your Clutter, which dominated the set, he was in jovial mood. Opener 'Our Future Your Clutter Showcase' was an early indication of just how good this band are. Each came on in turn sounding out the clear, crisp familiar Fall groove, then the man himself shuffled on. Looking 20 years older than his 50 or so years in crisp white shirt, leather jacket and suit trousers.
Smith belted out and mumbled track after track, all from the most recent few albums. Drifting across the stage, trying to put off his latest drones with his queen bee amp twiddling, retuning of instruments and random mic switching. Creativity through fear and confusion has been his mantra for years. The band looked hardened to it though.
A highlight was the encore. "That's it" Smith said after a short two song encore including 'Reformation'. But as the lights went up and people departed he came back on. The look of joy on his face as the tired indie crowd is forced to run back humiliated to hear recent classic Sparta FC for a second encore was a thing of beauty, just like the guitar solo of Avi Buffalo at the start of the weekend.
Words by Joe Lepper and Dorian Rogers, all pictures are the copyright of Joe Lepper
We have more pics from the festival at our Facebook page.
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
New York DJ and producer James Murphy's project LCD Soundsystem has been straddling the worlds of rock and electro-pop for a few years now.
From its 2005 debut through to 2007's excellent Sound of Silver the project has been picking up a solid following among both club-goers and indie rock fans, particularly in the UK.
On his latest album 'This Is Happening' he's kept the 80s synth pop/ rock sound of Sound of Silver, tweaked a knob here and there and come up with one of the best albums of the year.
Rumours are this will be Murphy's last outing as LCD Soundsystem. If that's true he's going out on a high, once again beautifully merging rock with dance and punk with pop. Along the way he's created a wonderful mood, injected the album with a good slice of humour and evoked the sounds of the synth pioneers of 1970s Germany and 1980s England.
This Is Happening opener 'Dance Yrself Clean' starts off low key, a hint of cowbell , soft vocals but gradually building up to a full on rock track.
Next up is 'Drunk Girls'. At just under four minutes it is the shortest track on the album and the only true single, featuring a great sing-along chorus and keyboards from the school of early Eurythmics (that is if such a bizarre education concept could ever get past school inspectors). I have mixed feelings about this track. It is undeniably a good single, but seems slightly out of place on the rest of an album that delights in lengthy build-ups and taking its time. Great video though.
'One Touch' for example is nearly eight minutes long and needs all eight of them to get its point across. It's also one of the most reminiscent on the album of UK synth pop legends such as OMD and Human League.
At times the album veers back in time further, to the European synth sounds of the 1970s that David Bowie and Lou Reed were drawn to. 'All I Want' for example, while being more rock than electro pop, has a central guitar riff straight out of Heroes era Bowie.
'I Can Change' shows a man in love with early Depeche Mode and 'You Wanted A Hit' is where all Murphy's synth-irony buttons are pressed, as at nine minutes its far from hit length and takes a good couple of minutes for even the drums and bass to kick in. 'You want a hit, but maybe we don't do hits", says Murphy suggesting that in many ways the track could be LCD Soundsystem's signature tune. The project is on one hand potentially singles chart friendly, drawing on classic styles of rock and pop, but on the other it retains a quirkiness and penchant for long tracks that makes such bubble-gum pop success unlikely.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
While watching The National at one of ATP's 2008 festivals in Minehead, UK, I was left confused. How can a band this good, this radio friendly, this professional not be bigger? Why is it that the likes of Muse, Radiohead and Coldplay play at multi-zillion seater stadiums and headline major festivals, yet I'm watching The National in the atrium of a Butlins holiday camp in Somerset?
Back then 2007's Boxer was their latest album and featured some sublime tracks such as 'Mistaken for Strangers' and 'Fake Empire' that sounded as incredible live at that ATP gig as they did on the album.
Now two years on they are back with High Violet, a far more downbeat affair than Boxer. But despite the lack of immediate impact it carries with it a greater sense of subtlety, of mood and emotion, that rewards the patient listener.
The heartbeat like drumming on opener 'Terrible Love', has less melody than Boxer opener 'Fake Empire' but is more hypnotic and draws the listener nicely in to the rest of the album.
'Sorrow' feels lighter, even breezy after a few listens, ironic given the title. It is also the first goosebump moment on the album caused by Matt Berninger's distinctive, broody baritone.
While there's no immediate standout 'Anyone's Ghost' comes pretty close and 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' is another fine track. It's no surprise that this latter track is the one The National's label 4AD have been pushing hard in promotional activity.
The track 'England' is also among the best. A slow build up, like a boat soaring to the Dover coast, presumably though all the way to the burger stalls of Butlins and the small stages of Glastonbury, rather the 02 Arena or Wembley VIP lounge.
In one respect High Violet is an improvement on Boxer. While Boxer started off in stunning fashion it became a little pedestrian by the end. In contrast High Violet is more consistent throughout, asking the listener to take more time. The bass and snare coming in on 'Afraid of Everyone' is a case in point and apart from Berninger's vocals is as near as it gets to defining The National's sound.
I still wonder why The National aren't bigger. Seems perfect for a headline show to me at Glastonbury, better than the likes of Coldplay and Muse by a mile. I for one will be getting my giant flag and lighter out for tracks like 'Runaway', even if its at a smaller venue, for now at least.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
April 2010
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Broken Social Scene, the Canadian group of groups, is back with their most accessible album yet.
The Broken Social Scene way, due to its ever changing line up of the great and the good of the Canadian music scene, is to jam in the studio, develop songs on the hoof, often expanding on a simple guitar riff or bass line until something more coherent comes out of it.
This produces mixed results, with sometimes crisp singles emerging while at other times tracks can be far less accessible. Always interesting but sometimes too sprawling and messy.
This time around with Forgiveness Rock Record there's a slightly reduced line up and with producer John McEntire they've created something far tidier than previous albums.
Packed with even more potential singles but given to the same flights of fancy, especially in the more eclectic second half. Above all it is still unmistakably Broken Social Scene and a gorgeous listen.
Ever presents Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning are here, as are Charles Spearin, Apostle of Hustle's Andrew Whiteman, Justin Peroff, Reverie Sound Review's Lisa Lobsinger, and Sam Goldberg as the core Broken Social Scene band for the album.
Meanwhile Broken Social Scene stalwarts Leslie Feist, Amy Millan, and Emily Haines, as well as members of Tortoise and Sea & Cake chip in.
The first half of the album is quite remarkable for its consistency, seven glorious potential singles. Opener 'World Sick' is where you can hear the Broken Social Scene writing process working away. The guitar riff starts it off as over seven minutes it expands into an epic track.
'Forced to Love' is a real highlight as well, as are the funky horns on 'Art House Director' and more tranquil electronica of 'All to All', which features lead vocals by Lobsinger.
Track eight 'Highway Slipper Jam' marks a change in direction, this acoustic guitar jam, is markedly loose in comparison to the opening half but is no duffer.
The differences continue across the second half. 'Ungrateful Little Father' is where the tone drops, the more experimental side to the band comes out, based around the uncomfortable lyrics of 'ungrateful motherfuck'. From here on each track is different from the next, but the consistency level only drops off towards the end.
'Meet Me in the basement' sounds like those wonderful indie-metal tracks that Fang Island popped out earlier his year, while 'Sentimental X' which features Metric's Emily Haines is a sumptuous piece of pop. Elsewhere, the ballad 'Sweetest Kill' is probably the second half's stand out.
There is a bit of flab that could have done with a bit of gastric-banding. Final tracks 'Water in Hell' and 'Me and My Hand' are a little over indulgent. Perhaps McEntire was pandering to the band here, after so expertly reining them in on the rest of the album
In many respects Forgiveness Rock Record is Broken Social Scene's best yet. It's the most accomplished, most accessible (except for the end). Rest assured though that this is very much the same Broken Social Scene, just with a keener ear on radio play and in the main a more controlled, directed sense of invention.
9/10
by Joe Lepper
Sunderland has been bubbling away in the north-east corner of the UK as one of the country's artistic centres for a number of years now.
Field Music and The Futureheads are just some of the local artists and musicians to show how creative the town is.
But while Field Music from their debut through to this year's excellent double album Measure have progressed rapidly as a creative force and increasing their musical palette with each release, the Futureheads' career appeared to have stalled after their stunning self titled debut in 2004.
Second album New and Tributes was ok, lacked the same energy as the debut and more crucially failed to shift enough units or whatever it is the money men in the music industry call CDs and they were promptly dropped by their label 679 Recordings. They re-emerged with their own label Nul Records and a third album This Is Not The World, which still featured the band's trademark choppy guitar pop but still lacked that certain spark.
With Chaos they appear to be back on track again. The energy is certainly back and crucially so is the creativity that has dragged them back from the precipice of being a kind of Kaiser Chief-lite band and back into the inventive artistic hub of their Sunderland roots.
Sure the album has its average, radio friendly moments, but it also has some strange discordant changes, odd structure and even punk acapella.
Among the most formulaic songs is the single 'Heartbeat', which is nevertheless still a formidable power pop single. The album really comes alive though with track 3, 'Stop the Noise'. Relentless energy, unusual backing vocals. This is no mere Kaiser Chiefs track.
'I Can Do That' is another standout, especially the fade out that features a line from tracks by 1980s kids TV puppet Orville the duck. "I wish I could fly right up to the sky, but I can't…you can", bringing a chuckle to the face of any listener like me who remembers that duck well.
'The Baron' is a class act. Like a cross between Queen and punk band Snuff as it merges clever vocal arrangements with power chords.
There's only really one duffer 'Sun Goes Down', and 'Dart at the Map' is just average. But this slight dip is more than made up for with final track Jupiter. This is arguably the best on the album and shows a glimpse perhaps of the band's future output. Straight out of the XTC Drums and Wires era, with Dave Gregory-esque guitar solos. It's odd but appealing. Be warned though at the end there's a 40 second gap of silence before a bonus short acapella number kicks in.
To say the Futureheads are back is too simplistic; they've never been away. More like they seem happier, more creative and back to being among Sunderland's most assured artistic sons.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
The Apples In Stereo - Travellers In Space And Time
Apples in Stereo last album 2007's New Magnetic Wonder was packed with the US band's trademark catchy riffs and perfect pop.
Even though tracks, such as 'Energy', were used aplenty in advertising by the likes of Pepsi and Samsung and even being covered on American Idol, the album still sounds as fresh, energetic and credible as it did when it was released.
Step forward to 2010 and the band, a leading light in the Elephant 6 recording collective and spearheaded by Robert Schneider, are back with Travellers in Space and Time, their second album on Elijah Wood's label Simian.
Once again produced by Schneider it combines the same piano driven, catchy pop with his continued experimentation with music, including his own invention, the maths based Non-Pythagorean musical scale.
Schneider says of the new album: "I wanted to make a futuristic pop record, to reach out to the kids of the future. It is what I imagine their more highly-evolved pop might sound like: shiny soul music with robots and humans singing together."
So has he achieved that? In terms of a realistic vision of the musical future, definitely not.
Travellers in Space and Time is at times is too robot than human, thanks mainly to the annoying use of an 80s sounding vocoder throughout. Bubblegum pop with robot sounding vocals is not exactly an original or inspiring vision of the future.
But while the album lacks the same soul of New Magnetic Wonder in places there are undeniably flashes of brilliance. Eighth track 'Dignified Dignitary' is quite simply superb. Choppy guitar pop that is as credible as a Robert Pollard release and can still be lapped up by advertisers and American Idol contestants. Like last year's 'Two Weeks' by Grizzly Bear or Pheonix's 'Litzomania' this is a top, top indie pop single.
I like the oddities on the album as well. Opener 'The Code', just a minute or so of a professor talking about the links between the maths driven 'code' and music.
'Next Year About The Same Time,' is another fine track, more like British early 80s synth pop of the likes of OMD. Other highpoints are the ELO influenced 'Told You Once' and 'Nobody But You', beautiful pop, with Schneider's lyrics sounding really crisp.
First single 'Dance Floor' on the first few listens appeared a little bland, but gets more human and less robot with each listen thanks to its catchy keyboard hook.
But these gems cannot mask the vocoder laden low points. 'Dream About the future' gives an indication of what's to come. Familiar Apples piano riff intro, but goes nowhere and lacks passion. 'Hey Elevator' is so bad it is almost unlistenable, a plodding track that thankfully fades out after realising it has nowhere to go.
And 'CPU', the supposedly quirky one, is not really that quirky at all or that futuristic. Devo were doing this kind of stuff in the mid 1970s, except they did it with humour.
Special criticism goes to 'No one in the world, 'Oh, Oh, Oh there's no one in the world…like my little girl' bleats out the sugary chorus backed with the ever present vocoder vocals, until it too thankfully fades out.
So where does Travellers in Space and Time sit in the grand scheme of indie-pop. It's nowhere near as good as New Magnetic Wonder but it's better than Yeasayer's 2010 album Odd Blood and anything Passion Pit have done.
What is most perplexing is that for someone so interested in the production process Schneider has effectively sucked the life out of too many of the tracks.
6.5/10
by Joe Lepper
Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg from Long Beach, California, is like so many aspiring young musicians, singing tracks into a PC, studiously learning guitar parts and immersing himself in music. You've seen the type, putting videos of themselves playing guitar up on Youtube. So many have talent, so many will keep plugging away until kids, a mortgage and life get in the way.
Now barely out of high school Avigdor and his band Avi Buffalo, formed with three friends, are quite rightly on the cusp of deserved success. The right music, the right faces, the right attitude at the right time.
Snapped up by the label Sub Pop and with a slot on Pavement's ATP festival in the UK Avi Buffalo is now one of this year's most talked about acts. Led by the diminutive and cherubic Avigdor and playing like they are straight out of the summer of love Avi Buffalo are a bit of folk here, a jangly guitar riff there and then some.
Their first single, 'What' In It For?', which was originally released on Avi Buffalo's Myspace site, was what attracted Sub Pop and is the undoubted highlight of the album. For those that haven't heard it yet, it's quite simply magical. Timeless, like tracks by Sub Pop label mates Fleet Foxes, it could have been from a Neil Young 70s album or from a mid 60s Byrds album and is one of the catchiest songs of the year.
Even though there is a hint of haste in getting out Avi Buffalo's first album this year, with just the 10 tracks, there is far more to this debut album than one standout single and a bunch of fillers.
Among other highlights is 'Remember Last Time', featuring some superb guitar arrangements, which given that one of Avigdor's heroes is Wilco's Nels Cline is perhaps unsurprising.
While much of the album shows a band that is mature beyond their years, with references to 60s folk and psychedelia on tracks such as' Where's Your Dirty Mind', it's also childlike in places. 'Summer Cum' for example is lyrically pretty blunt, but still full of catchy hooks, despite appearing immature and crass.
As debuts go this is up there with the best and shows that Sub Pop is continuing to hook up some of the most interesting acts around.
8.5/10
by Joe Lepper
These New Puritans - Live at the Highbury Garage 20/04/10
These New Puritans are a distinctly uncommercial act. They have a pretty challenging sound, you can't really dance to them and it is next to impossible to hear what front man Jack Barnett is singing. The songs don't have any identifiable verse/chorus structure and there is often little in the way of a melody, so seeing them live is a slightly daunting prospect.
We arrived late at the venue, just in time for the last song of the LoneLady set. It sounded pretty good, and I was very glad to hear a Pylon influence in her sound. There was then a pretty lengthy gap before the headliners hit the stage. First of the 5 piece woodwind and brass ensemble played (slightly off key it was observed) an instrumental lead-in to the band hitting the stage to perform their recent single, and best song of the night, 'We Want War' (see a performance of the track at Maida Vale below). It is a pretty intense sound and unlike any other band around right now.
The band has the look of a Factory records act circa 1980. Skinny pale faced young men and a dark haired keyboard playing girl. Their sound has a dark starkness to it that also fits in with the early Manchester sound. Perhaps Southend-On-Sea has a similar bleakness to the post-industrial north.
The strongest part of their sound is some pretty impressive drumming. When both drummers play together it is a big hard hitting driving sound that almost buries some of the more subtle elements of the instrumentation and electronics. To me it was most reminiscent of the Butthole Surfers at their peak, a kind of industrial Burundi beat. My partner compared the drums to Genesis which, despite some accuracy, would probably be a less appealing comparison for the band. The Phil Collins comparisons, gladly, ended there.
The band mixed in some songs from their debut but the gig wisely focussed on the songs from their Hidden album, taking full advantage of the wind section and the albums atmospheric qualities. It was a very strong and fascinating set and comparisons are very difficult to make. There is a clear minimalist Steve Reich influence, but they have a very individual sound which is amazingly mature for such a young band. I can't think of any other act which has bassoon parts at the lead.
The bands main weakness is in the lack of identifiable songs. The tracks seemed to merge into one as the evening went on and it is difficult to get that attached to them. Their sound is a cold one and they would benefit from some warmth and in their music. The other problem is Barnett's voice. His singing is very thin and disappears amongst the intense drama of the drums and horns.
However, despite these flaws, they are definitely a band to watch. I'm very intrigued in seeing how they develop. With a bit of refinement to their sound they could be a very interesting proposition and I wouldn't be surprised to see them high up a festival bill in the coming years.
7/10
By Dorian Rogers
Sally Seltmann - Heart That's Pounding
Australian singer songwriter Sally Seltmann has been lurking in the background of indie pop for a while now, releasing two albums under the name New Buffalo since 2004 and penning hits such as Leslie Feist's '1234' along the way.
Still on Canadian label Arts and Crafts, which is home to the likes of Feist and Broken Social Scene, she's emerged in 2010 under her own name for the first time with Heart That's Pounding, a beautifully crafted, tender collection of sugary chamber pop.
While her voice doesn't have the same power as Leslie Feist, Seltmann's album is as assured and consistent as Feist's classic album The Reminder. At times pure Tapestry-at era Carole King and at others classic indie pop, its a lot like a Belle and Sebastian album in places, full of lush melodies, string arrangements and delivered with a knowingly light touch production.
First single 'Harmony to My Heartbeat' opens the album with its low key build up before drums kick in. Its not the best on the album and feels very much like a single rather than an album opener. 'Set Me Free' is where the album really kicks in and begins to showcase a range of lovely 60s esque pop, with strings and woodwind cheekily popping in.
Many other highlights follow, such as 'On the borderline' where her breathy vocals work perfectly on this uplifting track.
With Heart That's Pounding Seltmann has stepped out of the shadows with an honest and enjoyable collection of 60s-esque tracks.
7.5/10
by Joe Lepper
It has now been well documented among music reviews that Congratulations, the second album by MGMT, has no obvious singles and will come as a shock to those who bought their hugely successful, chart-focused debut Oracular Spectacular.
However, this does not mean Congratulations is a bad album. Far from it and in some respects its better than the band's debut.
Yes, this second album is less catchy than Oracular hits like 'Time To Pretend' and 'Kids' but what Congratulations offers instead is a more stripped back, somehow more genuine sounding album full of psychedelic influences and simple melodies.
Opener 'It's working' is one of the best tracks, very early Pink Floyd. 'Song for Dan Treacey' keeps this 1960s feel, compete with whirly gig organ and echoed vocals, like The Kinks at times.
The 12- minute 'Siberian Breaks' is earwax-meltingly long, but fitting, it kind of washes over you and features some lovely Byrds-esque guitar parts.
Only two real duds stand out. The boring instrumental 'Lady Da Da's Nightmare' is plain ropey, and 'Brian Eno' is just a mess. In the main though this change of direction suits them.
I also think that the lack of singles tag is unfair. Title track 'Congratulations' is actually pretty catchy, admittedly unlikely to be a dance floor hit but is the one I'm playing more often. 'Flash Delirium', is another, which has been released as the first single from the album, proving that there are singles to be mined from this supposed psychedelic oddity.
Maybe MGMT are getting something out of their system and will be back to churning out 'Time to Pretend' style hits? Maybe this is the real MGMT? Who knows how it'll pan out, but for now fans of psychedelia and those like us at Neonfiller that enjoy albums by the likes of The Dukes of Stratosphear will love this.
7.5/10
by Joe Lepper
Plants and Animals - La La Land
Plants and Animals' Parc Avenue was one of the best albums of 2008, a stunning debut showcasing a dazzling array of folk-rock inspired tracks from the Montreal three-piece.
After rave reviews for Parc Avenue and relentless touring the band are back with La La Land, a more laid back and 70s West Coast influenced second album.
In some respects this detour is a slight disappointment as it moves the band out of the quirky territory of Parc Avenue and into the more retro but far less original realm of 70s-a-like bands such as Midlake.
Fortunately though this change in direction fits well enough around the classic rock feel of the band to ensure that La La Land is no dud, despite this lack of originality. And while the album dips towards the end and has a weak opening with the track 'Tom Cruz', it still has some real gems and improves with each listen.
The best is 'Kontiki', about the California motel, offering a reverb drenched riff with a Latin rhythm. The faster 'The Mama Papa' is another standout as is 'American Idol', about the nightmare world of TV talent shows. Saxophone comes in on this early Roxy Music influenced track and is a welcome addition on an album that is largely drums, bass and guitar.
Less good are tracks like 'Game Show', which is just forgettable. Others, such as 'Swinging Bells' and 'Undone Melody', can be firmly placed in the grower category.
Their time on the road and thoughts on North American culture are clearly an influence on the music and this album, which although never reaching the dizzy heights of Parc Avenue, is a solid follow up and shows a band that is still full of folk rock influences and vitality.
7/10
by Joe Lepper
Like Beck on Viagra California's Rafter Roberts, who is known simply as Rafter, is back with another slice of the sexiest blend of indie-music and R'n'B you will hear all year.
Animal Feelings, his latest album on Asthmatic Kitty, which is home to the far more serious Sufjan Stevens and Fiery Furnaces, finds Rafter with his tongue firmly in not only his cheek but in the cheeks of others as well.
Let's not mince our words this is an album about sex. Funny in places and blush making in others its 11 tracks are an odd mix of indie, funk and R'n'B that bizarrely works.
Opener "No fucking around" sets the saucy scene well with profanity that is just about audible within vocoder-enhanced vocals.
'A frame' and 'Timeless form, formless time', which according to Asthmatic Kitty, "is an ode to taking your best girl out on the dance floor" follow and are pretty fine R'n'B tracks that retain a sense of indie-cool.
'Fruit', is the first single and where the album really comes alive. While still maintaining the sexiness it sounds like the decidedly unsexy new wave legends XTC with its quirky guitar riff. It's also, we are told by Asthmatic Kitty, about his wife Lizeth Santos (who took the above photo) and "their courtship," which gives it a genuine sense of being personal rather than glib.
'Paper' and 'Animal Feelings' are other standouts, but the album peters out a little towards the end and by the final track I found my mind wandering to thoughts of Prince and the lead singer in Cameo's giant red jock strap.
While not all good, Animal Feelings is still a joyous ode to sauciness from a true musical oddity in the alternative music world. As Nigel Tufnall says in This Is Spinal Tap, "what's wrong with being sexy, anyway?" Indeed. Long may Rafter continue his saucy musical mission.
7/10
by Joe Lepper
March 2010
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
Swedish folk singer Kristian Matsson must be bored to tears with being compared with early Bob Dylan, especially when in many respects he is actually better than the great man at the same stage in his career.
Ok, I know that's a bold statement, but indulge me for a few hundred words.
Sure Dylan has better lyrics, songs and evolving style, but Matsson, who takes to the stage under the name Tallest Man on Earth is a better singer, better guitarist and has more power and emotion in his full throttle vocals than Dylan could ever muster in his early years.
Take Dylan's infamous 'Judas' moment where he was barracked in the mid sixties for going electric, abandoning his folkster with acoustic guitar image and complete with drainpipe trousers, fuzzy hair and The Band entered into the world of rock.
For me Dylan needed a full band, needed the power of an electric guitar, because he couldn't produce it on his own, and produced three of his best ever albums once he turned up the volume and started plugging in.
Matsson, on the other hand will never have a Judas moment as he already sounds like a full band. He's already the finished article, not some whiney folk singer in need of an amp.
The power he gets from vocals and acoustic guitar alone is breathtaking and were key in making his 2008 debut Shallow Grave and this year's follow up The Wild Hunt such stand out albums.
Wild Hunt is actually better than the debut, littered with magic moments and sumptious melodies all delivered with an intense power. There's the driving, strumming tracks, like opener 'Wild Hunt' and 'Burden of Tomorrow' and there's also the wonderful finger picking ones like 'Troubles Will Be Gone'.
For me 'Burden of Tomorrow' is the best. There's something about the chorus, the way his voice goes up slightly at the end, a real shiver of a song.
Another standout is 'King of Spain', all sorts of styles go on, baroque in places, heavily influenced by the likes of Bert Jansch, John Renbourne and Davy Graham. This guy's folk palette and technique is far wider than Dylan's was at that stage. All the time it's a man on guitar, until the end when on final track 'Kids On The Run', he replaces it with a piano. It's not as effective but is hardly going to garner cries of Judas from disgruntled guitar nuts.
I know many will disagree, but Mattson as a performer and musician is better than early Dylan. Will he continue to outgun the great man? Well, he's only an EP and two albums in to a career, but in terms of early Dylan, Mattson wins by a folk mile. Will Mattson go electric? I hope not, there's no need. Will he change styles and end up being played by Cate Blanchett in a film? Possibly, but unlikely.
9/10
by Joe Lepper
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Rush To Relax
Memphis based label Goner Records is building up quite a reputation for distributing some of the best garage punk around. Last year's Alice and Friends, the debut by US act the Box Elders was a real find, expertly blending Ramones style sing-a-longs with the energy of 60s punk pioneers The Monks.
And this year it is the turn of another on their roster, the improbably titled Australian act Eddy Current Suppression Ring, to further add to Goner's credibility.
At times silly, at other times introspective Eddy Current Suppression Ring's third album Rush To Relax is above all driven by a sense of honesty and draws heavily from the early UK punk scene of the 1970s. Howard Devoto-era Buzzcocks is perhaps the biggest point of reference.
Second track 'I Got a Feeling', is the spit of The Buzzcock's 'Breakdown' from the Manchester punk legends' first EP Spiral Scratch. Opening track 'Anxiety' is another in spirit of that seminal slice of 70s punk.
But this is not just stuck in the past. There's something modern about the album as well. The crazy, ironic work ethic of the more well off in the industrialised world, who work themselves into the ground for the sake of relaxing afterwards. It's a pretty odd way to go about life and deserves the ridicule it gets on the album.
The track sequence really hammers this home, starting with the frantic opening track 'Anxiety' and ending with 'Rush to Relax', which fades out into around 20 minutes of the sound of the sea and seabirds. I'm fairly relaxed at the moment so I didn't need the full 20 minute come down, but it is there for those that do.
'Gentlemen' is another standout. Sounds like those odd songs by early King Missile, as lead singer Brendan Huntley lists as many simple and gentlemanly things he can think of. "I'll cook you dinner if you want to eat, I'll even do extra veggies if you don't like meat."
Not all Rush To Relax is as good, but there's enough classic punk influences and energy to take the listener through to the end and the seashore that awaits.
7.5/10
by Joe Lepper
This self-titled debut album from Fang Island, the quirky Brooklyn band who blend power pop with heavy metal so expertly, has left me exhilarated.
Imagine if you will Bill and Ted's band Wyld Stallyons, but better, speeded up and backed by members of Primus, Faith No More and The Descendents. It's a heady mix of humour, power chords and squealing solos that Fang Island pull off with aplomb.
Other reviewers, such as Pitchfork have referred to Fang Island's debut as being "honest and life-affirming". It's hard to argue with that. They clearly love what they do and have produced a fantastic listen across all its 10 tracks and 30 minutes.
Fang Island opens as it ends with the crackle and pop of a firework display and whirly-gig organ music. What comes in between is a collection of largely instrumental numbers, occasionally littered with chanting, but full to the brim with frenetic guitarmanship.
Second track 'Careful Crosser' is among a whole bunch of highlights. A crazy mish- mash instrumental of sunny California punk, heavy metal and even the guitar part from The Clash's 'I'm Not Down' pops in for a visit towards the end.
'Daisy,' and the next track 'Life Coach' are among the few with lyrics. Well, I say lyrics, more like woo-woohing and chanting. They are the nearest they get to fellow New York hipsters like MGMT and Animal Collective, albeit with some sumptuous guitar chugs and squeals on the way.
Downsides include 'Davey Crockett', which is too long for this type of music. My mind drifted a little during this one.
Another downside is the lack of vocals. While the chanting woo-woohing is pleasant enough it presents the band with a problem in terms of future direction. Do they want to be a proficient but small metal parody act, performing instrumentals, or use lyrics more and go for the accessibly experimental Animal Collective fanbase?
Since this is a debut I guess it doesn't matter at this stage. That's the future, in the here and now it's just good to hear a bunch of New Yorkers going mental with guitars.
I had a search around Youtube before writing this and I've warmed to them even more after seeing the above clip of them performing at a local kindergarten on Rhode Island. Kids and squealing guitar solos do mix…fact.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
Broken Bells is the self-titled debut by the collaboration of Shins' frontman James Mercer and producer de jour Dangermouse, AKA Brian Burton. It was one of the albums that we had picked to watch out for in 2010 and it doesn't disappoint.
Listeners uncomfortable with hearing James Mercer's tunes aligned to a barrage of bleeps and beats are going to be disappointed, but to me that is missing the point of the album. Dangermouse is a fan of classic pop and this album is his opportunity to make music with one of the great melody makers of the present day.
Opening track and lead single 'The High Road' kicks things off beautifully and is a sign of the good things to come. By the time you've listened to 'Vaporise' and Mercer's surprisingly good falsetto on 'The Ghost Inside' you know that Burton and Mercer have produced something pretty good. On first listen I liked it but wasn't 100% sure I loved it. However, it quickly became the album that I wanted to go back to the most over the coming week. Each listen cemented it in my mind and draw out some subtle qualities.
If the album does have a flaw it is that it is a little one paced and laconic. However, that is also one of the album's great strengths. It is the sort of album that you want to sit down and listen to from start to finish, and then start all over again.
The album is fairly short, and may lack the substance that some people will be looking for in an album by two of the best respected names in modern music. It is, however, a focused album where the quality never drops. Both Mercer and Burton have indicated that they see Broken Bells as an ongoing project and on the strength of their debut that can only be a good thing.
It is the kind of album that doesn't blow you away first time, but given a little bit of time it is apparent that something pretty special has been produced. No fan of sophisticated pop music will be disappointed.
8/10
By Dorian Rogers
The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night is the 3rd album by the titular Canadian band. And it is a strong contender for album of the year so far. Not a great claim in March, but I am confident it will be there or thereabouts come December.
After the first 30 seconds of opening track 'Like The Ocean Like The Innocent' I was sceptical. I've heard enough meandering drone rock to last me a lifetime, but nine minutes later at the end of the track I was a convert. This is music with substance and power.
The overall sound sits somewhere between Yo La Tengo and Arcade Fire, with a healthy dose of the Beach Boys thrown in. On the aforementioned opening track singer and guitarist sounds a lot like Beach Boy Carl Wilson as he keeps his falsetto at full blast throughout. He is wise enough to know that this could grate over the course of the album and he mixes this with a deeper sound on many songs and also shares vocals with his wife Olga Goreas.
It is the bands ability to mix up styles, but retain an identifiable sound, that lifts them above the sludge of many other shoe-gazing space rock acts. There is a clear prog rock influence, and the Beach Boys pop is there as well, but they also know how to rock. Just when you've started to get used to their sound they throw in 'And This Is What We Call Progress' and bring some classic rock riffs to the fore.
There are a number of bands around who produced this kind of epic soaring guitar music but not many do it as well (only Sigur Ros spring to mind). This is a very rare kind of album as it walks a fine line between rock cliché, pompous self-indulgence and earnestness and gets it just right.
This album makes me want to go straight back to the record shop and buy everything the band has released before, and that for me is a true sign of a great piece of work.
9/10
By Dorian Rogers
I'm sober, sitting at a desk, in daylight. I like good lyrics, fine melody and indie-guitar music. Ok, so I'm not exactly the market for Swedish band Ef, but just because I'm not off my tits on space cake in a darkened room doesn't mean I can't appreciate the joy that is Ef's latest, largely instrumental, take on epic-rock.
Think film score-a-like specialists Explosions in the Sky mixed with twee Icelandic Bjork-ites Sigur Ros and you're somewhere near the sound of Ef.
Trumpets sweep in and out across the tracks, most of which are well over six minutes long. Track 3, the enigmatically titled 'K-141 KYPCK' is perhaps the best, weaving between speeded up metalcore explosions and calmer dainty little guitar segments.
Track 4, 'Longing for Colours' is the nearest to a single. Starts off unusually with singing, mainly oooh—aaahhing that is abandoned half way through as the band wig out on head-sway juice, presumably imagining space-scapes and movie stars dancing around the studio as the music takes hold.
To my shame, my knowledge of Swedish indie bands hadn't extended as far as Ef, but it turns out they have been knocking around for years, well since 2003 to be precise. Previous stuff has largely been similarly devoid of vocals but they've really pushed the boat out production wise with Mourning Golden Morning, which is their third album. There's also a real sense of effort here, that they've put everything into this. Heart and soul and all that.
There's a pretty big market for the likes of Explosions in the Sky, there's also a pretty big market for alcohol and drugs. So with the right kind of ID and mood Ef's latest has the potential to attract a far larger audience, or at least a support slot with Explosions.
Here's what the band have to say for themselves on the PR blurb sent out by Shelsmusic, their UK distributor. "We don't want to put too many thoughts in your head by explaining the music too much."
I like them already. Most musicians who open their gobs tend to talk utter drivel, so their silence is to be welcomed. However, the band promptly forget their pledge and revert to pretentious musician type as they proceed to bang on and on and on and on about the importance of using as few words as possible in as many words as possible.
"Mourning golden morning is the result of a few friends, a few years older than last time, trying to tell some epic stories with as few words as possible, using sound instead to explore and release emotions..etc..etc." You get the drift.
7/10
by Joe Lepper
Mourning Golden Morning, UK release April 5, 2010
Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
Ted Leo, who turns 40 this year, was tragically born about ten years too late to be part of the 1970s punk and new wave movement his music encapsulates.
Despite this misfortune of timing he has been doing his best to make up for lost time over his 19-year career, churning out some of the best punk song writing since the glory days of Tom Verlaine, Joey Ramone and Debbie Harry.
On Brutalist Bricks, the sixth album from Leo and his band The Pharmacists and their first on Matador Records, we find him on good form, producing is best album for years, on a par with the excellent Hearts of Oak from 2003 and far better than 2007's comparatively lacklustre Living With The Living.
The songs are noticeably tighter than that last album as well, offering choppy three-minute punk numbers that have a genuine passion for the subject matter right across the bulk of its 13 tracks.
Anger at the way US politics has morphed in recent years into the economic and foreign policy cock-up it is today is a key theme, particularly on 'Bottled in Cork', which finds Leo (pictured, centre) lamenting on his global travels as an American during the Bush era.
The endless documenting of modern life, on blogs and posting photos to Facebook is another theme, covered on 'One Polaroid A Day', where his trademark shout takes a rare dip down an octave.
There's less ska and reggae influences than on previous albums, but the nods to spirit of '77 punk influences are still there. The opening riff of the Sex Pistols 'Anarchy in the UK' makes an appearance on 'Even Heroes Have To Die'. And 'Where Was My Brain' is more than a little reminiscent of The Damned's 'New Rose'.
Each of the songs, except the acoustic leaning and only poor track on the album 'Tuberculoids Arrive In Hop', barely give the listener a chance to draw breath, making The Brutalist Bricks an exhilarating listen and one of the best (extremely post) punk albums around.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
Frightened Rabbit - Winter Of Mixed Drinks
Scottish indie rock outfit Frightened Rabbit's third album The Winter of Mixed Drinks is their most accessible to date but lacks the wow factor of their previous album, 2008's The Midnight Organ Fight.
Some of the intensity of The Midnight Organ Fight does remain but overall this latest album feels perhaps too polished on places.
This can be seen as a natural progression; as they get older and more musically astute it is inevitable that the rougher edges will be smoothed out. But without the rough edges The Winter of Mixed Drinks gives the impression at times of being stadium rock by numbers. Imagine Kings of Leon with Scottish accents and you are somewhere near the modern sound of Frightened Rabbit.
But while The Winter of Mixed Drinks is not as good as Midnight Organ Fight it doesn't make it a bad album. There's some fine melodies throughout and the strong Scottish accents give the band a distinct, genuine feel when you consider the lame Americanised voices of UK stadium rock rivals such as Kasabian.
This nautical theme is unsurprising given the bulk of the album was written in the coastal town of Crail, near Fife. There's a relaxed air to the songs, also unsurprising as it was recorded at a more peaceful time for the band following an intense period of touring.
'Foot Shooter' is another high point and among the quieter tracks. 'The Wrestle' gives some rare prominence to bass guitar and is probably the catchiest, most Kings of Leon-like.
Less good are the upbeat but bland 'Living in Colour' and 'Skip The Youth', which starts promisingly with an industrial wall of noise before degenerating into a generic, lighter- waving stadium-rock standard.
The Winter of Mixed Drinks is unlikely to radically annoy the band's fans. Some will mutter about 'the early good stuff' but most will like it as they hear familiar voices and sounds, albeit with a more polished edge.
While in time Frightened Rabbit can look forward to some higher billings up the festival line-ups on the strength of The Winter of Mixed Drinks, fans would be advised to set lighters to half lit and giant flags to half mast for now. Frightened Rabbit are on a fast trajectory to stadium rock status, but are not quite there yet.
6.5/10
by Joe Lepper
February 2009
Almost three years after their patchy but in places brilliant last album Asleep At Heaven's Gate Californian band Rogue Wave return with a far more consistent, upbeat slice of summery indie-pop.
Permalight has been a long time in the making and follows a run of commercial success for the band, whose tracks have now graced adverts for the likes of Microsoft and ESPN and appeared on TV shows from the OC to Heroes.
This commercial appeal has clearly not been lost on the band and Permalight is unashamedly aimed at a mass market, full of catchy melodies, sparky indie guitar riffs and slick vocal production.
While never quite reaching the heights of Asleep At Heaven's Gates key tracks, such as 'Like I Needed' or 'Lake Michigan' its 12 songs are full of cheer and good throughout despite not being spectacular
Highlights include the infectiously catchy first single 'Good Morning'. Here Rogue Wave frontman Zach Schwartz puts up little defence against the argument that his vocals often sound like Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service frontman Ben Gibbard.
Another highlight is 'Sleepwalker', which is among the more gentle tracks but has a welcome, laid back feel. Loops, strings and even electronica blend nicely with acoustic guitar on 'Fear Itself' and 'We Will Make A Song Destroy' is littered with catchy riffs.
There can be a danger with an alternative music website like ours to deride the commercial and sneer at those looking for mass appeal. But walking the tightrope between indie-cool and jolly factory pop is a tough task and Rogue Wave should be applauded for performing this feat well rather than criticised. Permalight is not going to start a revolution but the sparky brand of indie-pop showcased on Permalight will do just fine until that day comes.
7.5/10
by Joe Lepper
First Aid Kit - The Big Black and the Blue
Whilst First Aid Kit's debut album title may reference Steve Abini's Chicago noiseniks, the sound couldn't be more different. The Söderberg sister's focussing in the main on soft instrumentation and soaring vocal harmony, with no distortion, drum machines or buzz-saw guitars in evidence. The DIY ethic of the band does have something in common with Albini and co. The album was written, sung and played almost entirely, save for a few drums, by the sisters and produced by them and their father.
The sisters are perhaps best known for their YouTube promoted cover of the Fleet Foxes 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song'. So, on their first full album the sisters begin the battle of proving that they are more than just a pair of interesting vocals and that they have the song writing skills to carry a full long playing set.
On first listen the album is a slight disappointment, especially after last years Drunken trees EP. There is a sense that the new songs and sounds are too similar to what has come before, but don't push things forward enough. Subsequent listens dispel this as the depth and subtlety of the music become apparent. The first four songs on the album showcase the band's strengths perfectly, the sparse instrumentation and soaring vocals of 'In The Morning', the single 'Hard Believer' the bouncy country of 'Sailor Song' and the purer folk sound of 'Waltz For Richard'.
The album, taken on pure merit, is a strong one but in the context of the sisters age (both in their teens) it is an amazingly mature and accomplished work. The vocals will be the thing that most people will take away from the album, the girl's vocals having a unique sound and being just the wrong side of on-key to make them interesting and memorable. It would be a mistake, however, to ignore the strength of playing, command of melody and quality of lyric that are on show on the album.
The production is one area that can let the album down, not in terms of sound, but in terms of consistency. 'Hard Believer', one of the strongest songs on the album, sounds flat and a little muffled after the crystal clarity of 'In the Morning'. This is a small criticism, however, as the simple production sounds close to perfect on most tracks, retaining the beauty and simplicity of the songs.
'Ghost Town' could be the album's highlight and in the hands of a better known, less interesting, female artist, Norah Jones perhaps, would surely be a hit. Again, it is a remarkably mature offering from such a young and relatively inexperienced act.
The final third of the album does tail off a little, the quality of the songs remains good but there are some similarities to songs that have come before that mean that these tracks don't stand out as strongly. The quality of singing and playing never falter though and a little revising of the album sequence could have solved this problem.
The album has much to admire and is one of the most promising debuts that I have heard in quite some time.
8/10
By Dorian Rogers
Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
When the end of the world comes, as pollution lays waste to the Earth, Shearwater's leader singer Jonathan Meiburg will be on a nuclear waste ravaged tropical island somewhere screaming bloody murder in his haunting baritone at the corporations and politicians.
On Shearwater's latest album The Golden Archipelago we find environmentalist, bird watcher and former Okkervil River member Meiburg in training for such a moment. Billed as the third part in a loose trilogy of albums about nature from the folkish indie-rock outfit, this latest album takes in elements of both previous albums. The soft pastoral palette of debut Palo Santo and the epic quality of 2008's Rook are both here.
Meiburg (pictured, far right) has certainly done his research, visiting a range of islands that have seen their fare share of environmental destruction, conflict and civil rights abuses.
From The Galapagos Islands, which are being devastated by illegal fishing, to the Falklands and Tierra del Fuego, Meiburg's aim has been to tell the stories of these islands across the album. Meiburg's grandfather serving in the Second World War in the south pacific adds further resonance to what is a compelling listen.
There's a lot to get angry about for Meiburg as well. Take opener 'Meridian' for example, which features singing from residents of Bikini Atoll, who are now in exile on the island of Kili after atomic testing made their home uninhabitable. This is an atrocity that rarely gets the media attention it deserves.
While musically still quite measured on 'Meridian', next track 'Black Eyes' is a far more angrier proposition, where Meiburg's soft baritone turns to a screams as he sings of the ruined South Pacific city of Nan Madol, which has been uninhabited for 500 years.
Among other highlights is 'Hidden Lakes', which is reminiscent of Rook's wintery tracks such as 'Snow Leopard' and 'Hunter's Star'. 'Corridors' is another high point. Although not about one specific island, Meiburg tells Drowned in Sound that it is about how islands can literally and metaphorically be a prison. It's the centrepiece track on a mesmerising album.
Few other artists spend as much time researching an album and creating such a value for money product, especially for those who buy the CD version, which includes a 50-page booklet about Meiburg's travels. As good as Rook, if not better, Golden Archipelago shows that Shearwater is truly one of the most interesting bands around at the moment.
9/10
by Joe Lepper
Yeasayer's track 'Tightrope' was a highlight of last year's excellent Dark Was The Night compilation. As with the band's first album All Hour Cymbals, the track expertly combined indie-cool with more experimental, electronic music with stunning effect.
Sadly Odd Blood the second album from the Brooklyn based band fails to live up to expectation.
There is simply too much eighties synth pop here. Instead of merging styles they have seemingly forgotten their more avant garde leanings and just plumped for lame euro-pop instead.
It's like they picked the wrong '80s to draw influence from. Instead of the bleeps of the Human League and Ultravox they've opted for the kind of soulless rubbish that ice-skaters would have danced to at the time.
The lack of good melody is another factor in the poor state of Odd Blood. Apart from 'O.N.E' and 'Ambling Alp', there is little to remember.
Lead singer Chris Keates nasally, almost yodelling style voice doesn't help. While it worked well on 'Tightrope' and All Hour Cymbals, on Odd Blood he just sounds whiney.
Lyrically there is not much going on either. Even the best track 'Ambling Alp' has some pretty lame lyrics, "You must stick up for yourself, son Never mind what anybody else done." Not as inspiring as Yeasayer had perhaps hoped. Also, Tightrope's chorus was built around the word 'nevermind' as well. Perhaps a thesaurus would help when it comes to their next release.
Yeasayer have produced a really disappointing album that fails to build on the plaudits they received last year through their contribution on Dark Was The Night and their first album.
4/10
by Joe Lepper
Field Music - Field Music (Measure)
Field Music's third album, Field Music (Measure), marks a comeback of sorts for the Sunderland four-piece, coming after a two-year hiatus for the band's two driving forces, brothers Peter and David Brewis.
During their break they have been busying themselves with solo projects. For Peter 2008's The Week That Was solo album, a masterpiece in 1980s production from the era of Heaven 17, XTC and others.
Meanwhile David's solo album under the name School of Language was another highpoint of 2008, especially the wonderful opener 'Rockist Part 1'.
Measure, a double album no less, sees the band move on yet another level. There are aspects of the sweeping, mazy songs on their eponymous debut as well as the jerky but more structured pop of second album Tones of Town, but a whole lot more has been added.
The XTC comparisons that are often thrown Field Music's way are likely to continue, but other influences predating the Swindon new wave legends, such as Led Zepplin, Fleetwood Mac, even ELO, The Move and 10cc are also thrown into the mix.
David Brewis told Groupee earlier this year that the intention with Measure was to create something that was, "quite sprawling musically and thematically - we didn't want something that was easy to sum up.
"I suppose we were going for something more like (The Beatles') White Album, (Fleetwood Mac's)Tusk or (Led Zeppelin's) Physical Graffiti, where the feel of the album comes more from its variety," he added.
They've certainly achieved that. There's a lot happening on Measure across the 20 tracks, pure pop in places, more experimental sounds and rhythms in others. All the while it is based in the main around the most simple of instrumentation, bass, guitar and drums and satisfying vocal harmony. Where keyboards, strings and brass are used it is rare but effective.
There's much more guitar on Measure as well than the previous two albums, perhaps to make up for departure of keyboardist Andrew Moore during the hiatus.
In terms of tracks the two discs are slightly different. More of the punchy catchy tunes on the first, more invention and flights of fancy on the second.
The first six tracks on disc one are among the best, offering neat, perfect pop. 'In the Mirror' starts the album with a real sense of immediacy. 'Them That Do Nothing is a more playful number, sounding like The Move's Flowers In the Rain. 'Each Time Is a New Time', with its Led Zeppelin-style blues rock riff, changes tact again.
Others worth mentioning in the early part of the album is 'Measure', layered with violins, like an XTC Apple Venus era song. 'Effortlessly' is straight out of Drums and Wires era XTC. 'Let's Write A Book,' goes funk, but with added glockenspiel.
On disc two there's a whole lot more quirky stuff going on. The tracks run into each other, offering different moods, and summing up the reflective, and yes measured, style of the album. Opener 'The Rest Is Noise' starts in an upbeat mood, before moving into the largely piano and prog-rock-esque 'Curves of a Needle. 'The Wheels Are in Place', is reminiscent of Tones of Town tracks such as Working To Work. At the end the lengthy classical music influenced 'It's About Time' wraps things up nicely.
Overall Measure is a well-crafted, beautiful piece of inventive pop drawing on some very English influences and set to feature highly on many best of lists come December.
9/10
by Joe Lepper
Broadcast 2000 - Broadcast 2000
Released on Groenland Records in Europe, Broadcast 2000 offers a similar warm, low-key take on indie-folk, and an interesting mix of styles.
Vocally UK based Steer is a surprisingly pleasing mix of The Street's Mike Skinner with Frank Turner . While musically he is very much in the vein of Brighton's Willkommen Records roster of acts, including The Miserable Rich and formerly The Leisure Society. All the way through the album his classical music background clearly shines through giving the album a real intelligence and care in the arrangements.
Steer is an avid looper of acoustic instruments and there are elements of another looper Andrew Bird here, especially the prominence given to violin on the album, which is performed by Noah and Whale's Tom Hobden.
It is no surprise that Hobden is involved and there are many similarities with Noah and the Whale on Steer's debut in the way the tracks are quirky enough to appeal to indie fans, but catchy and mainstream enough to get airplay and perhaps even the odd mobile phone advertiser calling.Track one 'Rouse Your Bones' starts the album off well setting the scene for the glockenspiel twinkles and violin and string arrangements to come. Among the standout tracks is 'That Sinking Feeling'. Its crushing lyrics such as, "I'll give my lungs a rest and wait until that sinking feeling's happening in my chest," make it sound like a tearful break up song, although Steer tells us that, "It's not really a break up song to me no, but I'm happy for people to interpret however they like."
'Hold My Breath' is another highlight, giving the appearance of being twee at first, before the cellos come in and it becomes a far grander offering.
Overall Broadcast 2000 is an excellent debut for Steer that showcases one of the UK's brightest indie-folk talents. What is perhaps most pleasing is that while the production has moved out of the bedroom since his earlier releases and into the studio, the album still retains that home-spun feel.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
January 2009
When Stephin Merritt released 69 Love Songs he made one big mistake, he'd produced an album so good that he was unlikely to ever better it. In the subsequent years he has released some interesting, although not always successful, side projects and a couple of Magnetic Fields albums that have failed to set the world alight.
One of the problems has been a decision to base his albums on a strict cohesive theme. The follow up to 69 Love Songs, I, featured songs that all began with the titular letter and was the first to have the "no synths" stamp. Distortion was a tribute to the Jesus and Mary Chain and rapped all the songs in fuzz and feedback.
Realism continues in the same slightly problematic vein, the theme this time being a focus on folky instrumentation and a softer sound. Like the two albums before it is manages to be good without hitting anything like the greatness that Merritt is capable of.
The album starts well with 'You Must Be Out Of Your Mind' an unmistakeable Magnetic Fields melody with Merritt's withering put downs. "I no longer drink enough to think you're witty" he sings to a former lover.
Your appreciation of the album as a whole is likely to depend to some extent on your tolerance for campness. This album is by far the campest he has produced under the Magnetic Fields moniker. 'The Doll's Tea Party' followed by 'Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree' could be a camp coupling too far for many listeners. The listener who perseveres will hear one of the albums high points, the melancholy 'Walk A Lonely Road'.
The final third of the album is strong with the fun 'Dada Polka' and the mournful 'From A Sinking Boat' closing the album with some real quality.
It is an accomplished album with some real variety on show in the song writing. If Merritt would drop his obsession with setting restrictive themes for his albums, and allowed the variety of sound and arrangement that made 69 Love Songs such a success, then it would be that much better. As it is we have a good album produced by a pretty original and unique figure.
I hope that he decides to allow synths on his next album and embraces the grand scope of ideas that made 69 Love Songs such an amazing album. Until then Realism will do the job just fine
7/10
http://www.houseoftomorrow.com/
By Dorian Rogers
Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring
Los Campesinos are among the most divisive of bands. A bunch of shouty students, spouting immature teen angst to some, one of the most innovative British bands around for others. Their latest Romance is Boring is a pretty good case for the latter's cause.
Sure, there's still some immature angst, but the music is maturing nicely and across the 15 tracks, there's a lot going on, sweeping epics in places all laced with trumpets, violins, discordant song construction and above all stories.
They are also an interesting band, which makes interesting music with interesting tales to tell. In the case of Romance is Boring the focus of these tales is on, "the death and decay of the human body, lost love, mental breakdown, and football," according to the band.
In comparison with the previous two albums its more of the same in terms of style, a heady mix of Chumbawamba jumbled up with their North American label mates Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers and 1980s indie veterans The Cardiacs. But in terms of production this is a far punchier, slicker offering.
Among the most immediately likeable songs on the first half of the album are the first two singles, the anthemic 'Romance Is Boring' and 'There Are Listed Buildings', where the trumpets interweave perfectly with smart, pop friendly guitar hooks.
Opener 'In Medias Res' is far less accessible, but as with Los Campesinos's idea of romance a whole album of similar catchy trumpet tracks would be, well, boring. Another that's less accessible is "The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future". But give it time; its story of mental breakdown is powerful stuff.
Downpoints are few. The poor lyrics on 'Straight in at101' are among them "I think we need more post-coital and less post rock. Feels like the build up takes forever, and you never get me off." Dear, oh, dear. Another is the band's insistence on replacing their surnames with Campesinos; the surname switching equivalent of referring to yourself in the third person.
Also, the album does dip a bit in the middle with tracks such as the sombre 'Who Fell Asleep In' and 'I Warned You: Do Not Make An Enemy Of Me'.
The album really picks up at the end though, with a run of tracks including 'The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future' and our choice of standout track, 'A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters from Me to Charlotte'.
'I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know' and 'This Is a Flag. There Is No Wind,' are other later tracks that are among the catchiest and smartest on the album.
Romance is Boring may be their third album (technically speaking their last was an extended EP) in two years but by the looks of it they are far from flagging.
The future is pretty unknown though for Los Campesinos. This is the last album to feature singer and keyboardist Aleks, who has gone back to studying and been replaced with lead singer Gareth's sister Kim.
Time will tell as to what effect this has an effect on their output. The dynamic between Aleks's pretty, clever girl next-door persona to lead singer Gareth's village idiot demeanour was a key part of the band's charm.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
Midlake - The Courage of Others
With 2006's album The Trials of Van Occupanther, Texan band Midlake perfectly recreated that sunny, kaftan wearing feeling of the early 1970s. All Fleetwood Mac and Eagles, songs such as 'Roscoe' and 'Bandits' could easily have come from the era.
Three years on and their follow up The Courage of Others once again visits that time. But while The Trials of Van Occupanther had a distinctly US feel to it The Courage of Others has more of an emphasis on folk-rock and in particular British acts of the early 1970s such as Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull.
Other points of difference with The Trials of Van Occupanther are The Courage of Other's crisper sound. This makes it less laid-back and somehow more British and stiff upper-lipped. The greater use of flutes also adds to this classic British folk rock feel.
Overall it will please fans of The Trials of Van Occupanther with its attention to detail and ability to take the listener back to that bygone 1970s era. It also mirrors the previous album's ability to sound like the most mainstream of albums in places yet retain the band's alternative credentials. It's a neat trick that another pastoral sounding band The Fleet Foxes also pull off well.
The Courage of Others starts off pretty tamely, with opener 'Acts of Man' just about the weakest on the album. 'Winter Dies', brings the pace up a bit and is far better. But it is the middle section of the album that has the standout tracks.
The soft 'Fortune' sounds like The Byrds, with its twinkling acoustic guitars. Next track 'Rulers, Ruling All Things' is epic stuff, pompous folk-rock warts and all. 'Children of the Grounds' is another standout.
However, as the album progresses the tracks merge more and more into one big folk-rock-athon. More flutes, more twinkly guitars, more imagery of nature. The guitar solos seem to get longer and by the time I got to final track 'In the Ground', just like music buyers at the end of the folk rock era, I'd had enough.
On the plus side at least Midlake have the good grace to keep most of the tracks down to a sensible three to four minutes and not move into true folk-rock territory and torture us with 11 minute flute and drum solos.
Comparisons with The Trials of Van Occupanther are inevitable and sadly this is where Courage of Others ultimately falls down. It's impossible to match the impact of that previous album and this latest offering essentially serves up a similar retro feel without having a track to match the wonder of Trials of Van Occupanther's 'Roscoe' or showing a band that is keen to progress.
Courage of Others is good enough, but for their next album they will need to alter their sound further, and perhaps look forward rather than backwards if they are to last longer than the folk-rock acts of the 1970s they seek to emulate.
6.5/10
by Joe Lepper
I used to think Beach House were just another one of those dreamy, meloncholic bands. Soft vocals over key boards and simple guitar. Good but nothing special. That was until I heard their third album, Teen Dream, which elevates them well above the shoe-gazing crowd and dare I say almost into the world of mainstream pop.
On Teen Dream the production and song writing is far bolder than their eponymous debut and follow up Devotion. The soft electronica has turned into full-blown 80s style pop in places, particularly on the album's first single 'Norway'. The slicker production and attention to detail on Teen Dream unsurprisingly coincides with a move to the label Sub Pop, which has a strong track record of getting the best out of its eclectic mix of artists ranging from The Fleet Foxes to Postal Service.
Beach House, which consists of singer and organist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally, also display far more of the Sixties sound that so clearly influences them.
This heightened Sixties feel on Teen Dream includes extra reverb and twang on the guitar. Also Legrand's vocals are stronger than on the previous albums, sounding like a bizarre and wonderful cross between Marianne Faithful and Leslie Feist.
Does this new approach work? Yes indeed, so much so that this could be the band's breakthrough album that has an outside chance of propelling them from relative indie obscurity to mainstream success.
As for the tracks the album has no duds, always a plus. Opening track Zebra showcases the sound to come. More subtle indie guitar than the sweeping pop of Norway but no less catchy, no less appealing.
Among other highlights are 'Walk in the Park' and the tender 'Used to Be'. '10 Mile Stereo' is another stand out.
Teen Dream has certainly got more commercial appeal than their previous albums and is the product of a band that has clearly listened and learned from contemporaries such as Animal Collective, who like Beach House are also from Baltimore, and achieved considerable success with their album Merriweather Post Pavilion last year. Teen Dream will also please those that enjoyed the previous two albums.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
For more on Beach House and to hear the single 'Norway' visit here.
It would be so convenient to start a review of Vampire Weekend's second album Contra with something about the band's metamorphosis into the bastard love child of Graceland-era Paul Simon and Lily Allen now being complete.
There's something so squeeky clean and chipper about the band that its almost like they are asking to be insulted. Fortunately for those that loved this New York band's stunning 2008 self-titled debut I'm unable to be so scathing. Contra, just like the first album, with its oh-so-cool mix of indie-chic and African guitar and rhythms, is actually extremely likeable. Its got the same infectious melodies and odd lyrics, and even takes the band's novelty indie-Paul Simon sound on to a new level.
Among the best tracks are 'Cousins', a mazy English new-wave sounding track, fierce and fun all at the same time. 'Taxi-Cab', the slowest on the album is probably the most well crafted and suggests a maturity to come from Vampire Weekend. As does 'Diplomat's Son' , with its reggae segment and M.I.A sample. Its actually the only one that sounds a little like Lily Allen. But unlike Allen, who is essentially the daughter of a rich bloke who knows a few pop stars, Vampire Weekend clearly love the African music and Jamaican and English ska that typifies their sound.
Contra is not all good and has some duffers. But importantly it has enough to suggest there's more to them than a copy of Graceland and a few well placed admirers at Pitchfork. 'Horchata,' the opener and the track that was released early to promote the album, is perhaps a novelty track too far. Liking it rests with the listener's view of whether horchata rhymed with balaclava is a good thing or not. 'Giving up the gun,' is also a little lame.
Overall though Contra marks a pretty good stab at developing the band's sound and it is an excellent follow up to their debut, which was one of the best albums of 2008. Contra also has a clear similarity with the band's debut in that the more you listen, the more you like it. Who knows, perhaps after a few more listens I might even grow to like the lyrics to 'Horchata'.
7.5/10
by Joe Lepper
While some heartbroken artists find solace through penning the odd break up song here and there, Eels frontman Mark Everett has decided to rake through the whole emotional mess of his recent divorce with an entire album, End Times.
The only problem with an album devoted to a marriage break up is that it's kind of, well, depressing. Like the drunken ramblings of a barfly, whose ex-wife never understood him, End Times allows Everett to really wallow in his marriage break up and also get downright depressed about pretty much everything in the world.
Just read the blurb on the band's website and you get some idea of the downbeat marketing behind End Times.
"End Times is the sound of an artist growing older in uncertain times. An artist who has lost his great love while struggling with his faith in an increasingly hostile world teetering on self-destruction…. it's a "divorce album" with a modern twist: the artist equates his personal loss with the world he lives in losing its integrity." Hardly, giving it the big sell, is it?
But while End Times does tend to descend into self-obsessed waffle in places, there are still some great tracks. Even though it is among the weakest Eels albums, and comes in marked contrast in tone to last year's upbeat album about desire Hombre Lobo, End Times cannot help but showcase Everett's undoubted talent.
Among the top tracks on End Times is 'Little Bird', a simple, largely just guitar track that is heartfelt and stays just about on the right side of melancholy. It's already become one of my favourite ever Eels songs.
Another is 'Line in the Dirt', a piano number which opens up with horns towards the end and recounts Everett forcing to piss in the ground in his garden because his wife has locked herself in the bathroom. I would have thought that someone as successful as Everett would have more than one toilet in his house, but I'll concede that some artistic licence is needed at times.
The up tempo 'Gone Man' is another highlight. There is also a nice end to the album with, 'On My Feet', which offers hope of better times to come. 'It's not easy standing on my feet these days, But you know I'm pretty sure That I've been through worse, And I'm sure I can take the hit,"sings Everett on the track.
Less good are the rather lame blues number 'Paradise Blues' and 'End Times', where the lovesick barfly in Everett attempts to make moaning and whinging an Olympic event.
Everett, who recorded the album on his own, mostly on a four-track in his home studio, acknowledges that End Times will not appeal to everyone. He says on the band's website, "This will be some people's favourite Eels album and some people's least favorite Eels album, I'm prepared for that."
7/10
by Joe Lepper
Owen Pallett, the Canadian composer, multi-instrumentalist and all round clever so-and-so, may just have produced one of the best albums of 2010.
Ok, so we are only a few days into the new year and so far there is not much competition, but Pallett's third album Heartland is so breathtaking in its ambition, so clever in its arrangements and so bold in the way it hops across genres that it should not be a surprise to see it adorn end of year lists come December.
With the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Arcade Fire's Jeremy Gara involved, the album is at times pure Brian Wilson and at others like Animal Collective as it effortlessly takes in aspects of classical music, electronica, pop and indie-cool.
For those unfamiliar with his work Pallett has been lurking in the shadows of indie alternative rock-istocracy and mainstream pop for a number of years.
Among those he's worked with and arranged orchestras for are Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste, Beirut, Last Shadow Puppets even the Pet Shop Boys. Often compared to Andrew Bird, another hard to define multi-instrumentalist who also plays a mean violin, Pallett has really come into his own on Heartland, which took around nine months to record.
Formerly recording under the name Final Fantasy, after Pallett's favourite computer game, the name was ditched late last year, presumably to fend off an inevitable legal action from the game's makers.
The move makes Heartland his first under his own name and is a larger and more epic beast than his previous albums, offering a set of tracks of remarkable consistency. Above all Heartland is an interesting listen that manages the rare feat of remaining accessible. I almost feel intelligent listening to it. Well, almost.
Among the stand out tracks are the Beach Boys-esque 'Lewis Takes Action', the bizarre 'The Great Elsewhere', which features a great change of pace a third of the way through, and the wonderfully melodic 'Oh Heartland, Up Yours'. All serve up a fine middle segment and are the ones this reviewer keeps coming back to.
Be warned the album is a concept album though, with an odd theme, surrounding a farmer called Lewis in a fictional world called Spectrum. But don't let this advanced level geekery put you off, this is a startingly well crafted album and if you liked last year's critically acclaimed albums by among others Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective then Heartland is a must.
9/10
by Joe Lepper