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singles/eps -
september 2008
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Slow Club - Let's Fall Back In Love EP (Moshi
Moshi)
Slow Club are a Sheffield-based boy/girl guitar/drums duo who have
inevitably invited comparisons with The White Stripes, as in "they don't
sound anything like The White Stripes". For one I can't see Meg White
getting on a pair of roller-skates for the bands next video (which, let’s
face it, is about as cool now as it was when Cliff Richard did it in 1981),
but Slow Club are a band that want to make you smile and hold hands with the
nearest stranger. And if the thought of that makes you physically ill? Well,
they'll probably call you an old sourpuss and try to give you a hug anyway.
Let's Fall Back In Love is the duo's first EP following on from two singles
in 2007, and musically they’re a cut above the current crop of twee Indie
bands, refreshingly sounding like they’ve actually listened to other albums
besides Tigermilk. Last year’s single Me And You was reminiscent of the
duets of Johnny Cash and June Carter, and key track here Come On Youth
builds from a shimmering tremolo guitar line into a sky-punching Indie
anthem in the fashion of a folk rock Arcade Fire. Most appealing here is the
duo’s clear love of 60s/70s folk standards – Dance To The Morning Light
wouldn’t sound out of place on a Wes Anderson soundtrack, while Trick
Question could easily have been a minor hit for Judy Collins. Surprisingly
the weakest track here is the lead off title track. Though some may have
considered it a brave choice to employ a choir to deliver the lead vocal
line it outstays its welcome after the a-capella intro, and the end result
is a little too Songs of Praise. Plus I can't get over the uncomfortable
feeling that everyone’s enjoying themselves a little too much. So go ahead,
call me an old sourpuss.
www.myspace.com/slowclub
Steven Jessep |
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This five - piece melodic metal core band have been one of the shining
lights in the underground metal scene of recent years and with the imminent
release of their debut album ’Suffer In Silence’ can they break into the big
time? On this evidence the unfortunate answer is no, the CD seems to lack
imagination or originality. Guilt Trip’s use of melodic harmonies mixed with
heavy beat downs just seems extremely over-used, to the extent that they
seem out of place and unnecessary. In fairness to the band they are very
talented musicians but they don’t seem to be using those talents in the
correct way. The best part of their songs are the instrumental solos and it
is here that Guilt Trip show a slight glimpse of what they are capable of.
The sound they appear to be aiming for is similar to very early Avenged
Sevenfold/ Atreyu albums but they haven‘t quite managed to achieve it. The
best track of this whole album is the ‘Interlude’ when their musical talents
finally come shining through. Unfortunately the vocals don’t seem to fit
with the band at all and in my view this is what is holding the band back.
If you are already a fan of Guilt Trip I think you may be very disappointed
by their first studio release and it may be a case of back to the drawing
board for the metal core quintet.
Tim Birkbeck |
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The Orange County pop punk band Zebrahead have showed no signs of slowing
down over the last few years. After they broke onto the scene they have
continued to gather pace and fans along the way. With their latest studio
release, ‘Phoenix’, they look set to gain even more fans. ‘Phoenix’ has
everything you would expect from a good pop punk band - fast paced guitars,
up beat drumming and to top it off, catchy ‘sing along’ choruses. Having
already had successful tours all across the world and a great performance at
the UK’s very own Download festival, it’s no wonder they are received so
well each time they visit the UK. Try as you might you can’t help but enjoy
this album, it is full of energy and fun. Even if you aren’t a fan of prop
punk you will find your self nodding your head along to this album and maybe
even singing along. At a time when bands like Billy Talent and Anti-Flag are
doing so well in the pop punk genre, it will not be a great surprise if this
album propels Zebrahead to the same level of success as those bands. You
also get the impression that they will really enjoy doing it. With ’Phoenix’
due to be released at the end of the summer, it is perfect timing as this
album will pick you up on those long winter days.
Tim Birkbeck |
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Wistful, nostalgic and more than a little bit sleepy
synthesised sounds are what are in order on this single from V2’s
Semifinalists. In terms of vocals in particular there’s nothing to get
wildly excited by and the very polite polished feel exists throughout.
Whilst drawing on a wide variety of influences and plainly offering
something different to the constant wave of indie guitar bands that raid the
radio waves and NME pages every week, they are certainly not without
contemporaries. For the most part his could easily be an I Was A Cub Scout
song until the “so unexpected you almost don’t realise its happening”
wailing guitar solo kicks in and really starts to suggest the song is going
somewhere. Then it ends in a wave of anti-climax and wasted promise.
Semifinalists are nice. Unfortunately that’s about it.
Chris Sharpe |
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Pram – Prisoner Of The 7 Pines
The beautiful innocence of Pram’s childlike yet
wonderfully mature sound, is clearly what the usefulness of 20 years of
performing and recording truly is, a freedom to exist at their own pace and
embrace their status as outsider is what lies behind their entire back
catalogue and on this remix EP nothing has changed. The haunting, wandering
vocals of Rosie Cuckston over the at times tribal, but always integral
percussion add the sheer level of power needed to drive these mystified and
spaced out songs. The Silk Road doesn’t sound like its going anywhere but
knows that it simply does not need to; it can thump away at your ear drums
all day like a demented kid with a toy drum. Grandmaster Gareth’s remix of
Beluga offers more of the same but somehow more creepy. It sounds like an
aural house of mirrors filled with creepy Shining-esque twins. Pram are
cool, they don’t need to change and if they’re still making music in twenty
years you would still know your going to get a level of genius that simply
does not exist in the mainstream.
Chris Sharpe |
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Well this was so completely unexpected i had to check that the right CD
was in the sleeve. Think 'The Boy With the Arab Strap' by Belle and
Sebastian and you won't be far away with Alice - relentlessly joyful.
www.thefiveoclockheroes.com
SB |
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Tilly and the Wall - Beat Control/Too
Excited (Moshi Moshi)
I may be showing my age but I feel decidedly uneasy about a single which
sounds so much like a cross 'Club Tropicana' by Wham and 'Celebration' by
the boy Richie. Sure the clever electronic bits are far more advanced but
essentially this still sounds a bit dated to me.
'Too Excited; is an exciting exercise in percussion and flirts far more
satisfyingly with completely falling to bits mid song but just holding it
together. Attitude and a bit more originality make all the difference.
www.tillyandthewall.com
SB |
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As well as raking in loads of loot from DJing around the world's seedier
nightclubs and starring as a heart throb doctor in TV's ER, Jon Carter has a
collaboration with fellow decksmith Stretch Silvester, hence Stretch
Silvester see? Rabbit is a rather ace deep down and dirty little tune with
stacks of sub bass, some unearthly effects and a not very well disguised
reference to female masturbation. Don't play it in your car on the way to
the shops with your gran. Do play it loud in a partially lighted room.
www.piecesofeightrecords.com
SB |
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Brendan Campbell - Pirate Song (Everybodys
records)
It must be Belle and Sebastian tribute month as 'Pirate Song' does
another pretty good rendition of 'The Boy with the Arab Strap'. Actually
this probably short changes the full lunged Campbell who seems to spit out
every line at a volume turned up to 11. Ideal for weddings, christenings and
Bar Mitzvahs. Actually, maybe it's not that appropriate to swing around the
dancefloor singing 'Wasted our lives' on your wedding day.
www.brendancampbell.co.uk
SB |
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Shri - Just For a Minute
An unusually successful fusion of east and west influences (sorry, this
is sounding a bit like a Sharwood's advert) see Shri (aka Shrikanth Sriram)
combine some loosely eastern beats with Mobo winning vocalist Fola Phillips.
Moody, quite relaxing and a bit like the Turkish Delight adverts from the
seventies.
www.shri.co.uk
SB |
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Like Buggles doing a cover version of a Lou Reed song - if you find this
possibility then read on. 'Say Hello' is pretty short on polished
musicianship in the traditional meaning of the expression but is full of
swaggering self belief. A flash in the pan or the start of something - only
time will tell.
SB |
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Metronomy - Heartbreaker (Because)
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Metronomy. I think I
broadly like what they are trying to do but they also annoy me with their
various signature sonar-sounding sound effects - if the tunes were that good
they wouldn't have to fuck around with the actual sounds. But on this
occasion I am chuffed with their electronic take on a bassy saxophone. As a
whole though 'Heartbreaker' sounds a bit like a 12 year old let loose on
their first Casio keyboard demo tunes and deciding the coolest thing in the
world would be to try out every effect but only for a few seconds at a time.
www.metronomy.co.uk
watch the video to 'Heartbreaker'
SB |
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Like a Thief - Dilemma Dilemma (Stonetrax)
Good lord, if vocalist Holly Jazz Lowe's name doesn't get your goat then
her warbly tonsilled singing will. and if that doesn't make you want to grab
the earplugs then the combination of the piano and Hawaiian guitar just
might. Not the finest five minutes of music this month.
www.myspace.com/likeathief
SB |
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Well that's odd. Due to a combination of my poor time keeping and Black
Daniel's industriousness here comes another release hot on the heals from
the one I just wrote about above. I blame the Royal Mail. 'Chelsea's
teardrops' is far more up tempo than 'Say Hello' in a pharmaceutically
enhanced kind of glam stomp sort of way. in fact the outro is kind of ace -
careering off out of control. I'm detecting the influence of Kasabian, Bowie
and again Lou Reed here.
Watch video to 'Chelsea's
Teardrops'
SB |
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Cardigan-attired Indie
pop-rockers Laurel Collective have been described (admittedly by their
label) as London's premier "pop chameleons". Now I know the term has been
applied to both David Bowie and Madonna to describe the manner in which they
regularly and comfortably altered either their musical style or image, but I
prefer to think of a chameleon as an animal that blends into its
surroundings so nobody actually notices it. International Love Affair is the
first single off debut mini-album Feel Good Hits of a Nuclear Winter
(classic means-less-the-more-you-think-about-it Indie album title there),
and although it's not bad enough to criticise at length it's hard to pick on
anything that stands out. The swooning melody, with vocalist Martin Sakutu
going for the Morrissey in a slightly good mood approach, is appealing but
not in the sense that you'll be humming it (or even remembering how it goes)
five minutes later. The driving Associates-lite bass and Duran Duran guitar/synth
stabs carry it all along at a nice pace but the whole thing is distinctly
less than the sum of it's parts. More work needed if these chameleons are
going to get noticed anytime soon.
Stephen Jessep |
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Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl (EMI)
Oooh, how risque - a girl singing about
kissing another girl. I'm all a fluster. This track jetted Perry to No. 1 in
America (no doubt fuelled by lots of sales by furtive hormonal teenage
boys). Sure it's synthetic pop but it is at least halfway decent pop.
www.katyperry.com
Watch the video to 'I
Kissed a Girl'
SB |
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Someone once said to me that every person only
has one original idea in their lifetime. Then there is the common expression
about if something is worth doing then it's worth doing well. What is he
prattling on about I hear you ask. Well, if you put these two statements
together then you have the perfect description of this 5 track sampler from
Newcastle's Is Shepherd.
I don't think anyone would argue that Is Shepherd are doing anything
revolutionary here. But what they are doing is draped with care and
attention and executed immaculately. 'Time' and 'Waitress' both have
an uplifting quality about them and there is an overwhelming sense of
optimism about the whole CD. If I was pushed for comparisons then I'd say
there is an element of Stereophonics about the band. 'On/Off' sees the
button labelled 'rock' firmly pushed and surely owes at least a small
mention to Pearl jam and the like.
The EP draws to a close with 'Stretcher Bearer', a poignant ending which
despite its morose title does not drag the mood down at all, rather it
smudges the mood in a trippy outro. 'Ascendez-Vous' then, a collection of 5
classic songs expertly committed to CD.
www.isshepherd.com
SB |
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Mogwai - Batcat (Wall of Sound/Rock Action)
Sonic hellhounds Mogwai return
with this first single from their upcoming album 'The Hawk is Howling' and
it sees them return to the pinnacle of their guitar-noise-fury sound. No
quiet interludes here, just five minutes of pounding bass drum, squealing
guitars and layered harmonics. On the plus side BatCat is simply ace. On the
downside it is by far the best track from the upcoming album which is a bit
of a let down. I'd save your pennies and just buy the single.
www.mogwai.co.uk
Watch the video to 'Batcat'
SB |
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The Early Years - Like a Suicide/The Computer Voice (Sonic Cathedral)
I've
got to claim ignorance here and admit that I've never heard the early years
before. But what I hear here I like a great deal. 'Like a Suicide' starts
off sounding like a bit of classic Kraut electro then blossoms wonderfully
into the sort of track that Beck always promised to do but never managed
after he seemed to lose his musical mind. 'The Computer Voice' is more like
The Doors brought up to date with slinky electronics and whirring loops.
Great stuff.
www.soniccathedral.co.uk
SB |
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Honey Ryder - Numb (Honey Ryder Music)
When half of the press release goes
into great detail about the business model that the band use to run
themselves you get the sinking feeling that the music wont be much kop. Sure
enough, 'Numb' is full of guitar bombast but just ends up sounding like Tatu.
In the music trivia stakes, guitarist martin does look a lot like Leo Sayer,
I wonder if there is column in their spreadsheet factoring that in?
www.honeyryder.co.uk
SB |
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Black Ramps - Forest Attacks on Concrete EP
I do like a bit of Black
Ramps. I do worry when they start calling themselves Die Schwarzen Rampen so
often that I think they may have changed their name and I am left looking
silly still calling them Black Ramps. But hey ho.
There's no track listing on offer but 'Forest Attacks on Concrete' is a
really doozy of an EP. Clearly influenced by early 90's rock bands like The
Pixies, Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jnr, Black Ramps seem to be able to conjure
sounds from their guitars that hair indie bands could only dream of.
www.blackramps.com
SB |
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I started off listening
this thinking it was a crappy electro pop version of Oasis' 'Champagne
Supernova' but despite the incessantly annoying boom-boom-boom-boom bass
drum of the choruses UFO seems to grow on me with every listen. There's
loads of detail to this, little counter-melodies, fizzing samples and loops
and all underpinned nicely by the atonal vocals. Hmm, thinking I'll have to
listen out for this lot.
www.myspace.com/poppyandthejezebels
watch the video to 'UFO'
SB |
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The Tambourines - 31st Floor/Come Together (Beat Mo)
Have you ever heard a
band with a more exotically named line up? Henrique Laurindo, Lulu Grave and
Renato Tezolin - if you can come up with better than that then let me know.
But in addition to their monikers, The Tambourines also provide a lovely
sounding tune or two on this AA single. '31st Floor' sees Elastica's
'Connection' riff superbly ripped off in The Tambourine's own self-described
'Drone pop' style. Joyfully morbid.
www.myspace.com/thetambourines
SB |
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A Silent Film - You Will Leave a Mark (Extra Mile)
I guess the danger with
this heavily piano led track is that it sounds a bit like Keane in places
and rightly or wrongly Keane inspires strong feelings (positive and
negative) in a lot of people. On the basis that some reaction is better than
no reaction then this would be advantageous. It's frantic, aspirational and
clearly drawing from some of the bands who A Silent Film have supported
previously (Scouting for Girls, The Mystery Jets etc) but it is by no means
the worst thing you will hear this month.
www.myspace.com/asilentfilm
SB |
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The Maybes - Summertime (Summertime (Xtra Mile)
Only today someone was
reminding me that the Ken Russell musical 'Tommy' was playing on TV tonight
which seems particularly apt when 'Summertime' sounds like it belongs in a
rock opera. At the most generous you could say it picks up on some
Supergrass style enthusiasm and energy but it's all a little dated for my
tastes.
www.myspace.com/themaybesliverpool
SB |
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Tellison/Tubelord - Wasps Nest/Night of
the Pencils (Banquet)
Two sides of modern indie. On the way hand we have Tellison and their
morose-sounding frontman with his very English vocal accompaniment. Pretty
dreary. On the other hand we have 'Night of the Pencils' by Tubelord who
have managed to cram in more ideas than you get on three whole Kooks albums.
A lovely bubbly bass line, an under-produced snare drum sound and a big
ringing guitar chorus. Elements of Danananackroyd and We Are Scientists -
all spiky but melodic too.
www.myspace.com/tellison
www.myspace.com/tubelord
SB |
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The Chemical Brothers - Midnight
Madness (Virgin/Freestyle Dust)
Hmm, I'm not sure about this. Normally I'm loving a bit of the Chemical
Brothers but this just sounds like a mainstream summer club house anthem, ie
- a bit of a sell out. Even the title - it reeks of commercial dance. Maybe
the writing was on the wall with the last album 'We Are the Night' which was
the housiest to date. I shall await their next release with shotgun ready...
www.thechemicalbrothers.com
Watch the video to 'Midnight
Madness'
SB |
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Like vines all over your garden fence Mercury is a
grower starting small and then burrowing its way into your conscious until
you can’t help but stutter the chorus over and over all day. It’s also
either hideous or a thing of beauty depending on your point of view.
Following on from the radio wave and chart dominating
Flux, Bloc Party are continuing in the same raw electro-indie template that
the band started off with and are pioneering once again on their third album
Intimacy. However on Mercury, with some big beat and reggae thrown in for
good measure, the extent of how much they are ditching the indie guitar rock
sound they won hearts and minds with on Silent Alarm and to an extent on the
slightly less acclaimed Weekend in the City becomes clear.
But less history more opinion. It’s brilliant that
bands like Bloc Party can change their sound so drastically and still
maintain their popularity and it can only mean good things for music that
experimentation is not spelling the end of successful bands. As always on
Bloc Party records the drums are my favourite part, Matt Tong is without a
doubt one of the best young drummers of the new millennium thus far but
overall the song feels overloaded and with Kele’s whining, artificial
sounding vocals augmented on top the whole song just comes across as just a
bit too borderline grating, in particular on the verses. The lyrics however
are fantastic straddling the line between introverted and politically
powerful brilliance with some American geography and quasi-astrological
references chucked in for good measure.
So while Bloc Party can be lauded for their new
exciting sound to distinguish themselves from the pack you can’t help but
feel a little alienated and look back on songs like Pioneers, Like Eating
Glass and She’s Hearing Voices with greater affection than the newer cuts of
Intimacy.
Chris Sharpe |
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Anthony Reynolds - Bees Dream of Flowers and Your Summer's Meadow Breath
(Hungry Hill/Spinney)
A real mixed bag of tracks here from Anthony
Reynolds. 'Just So You Know' was never going to be a hit with me seeing as I
have an unattributable yet firm dislike to Vashti Bunyan's sugary vocals.
Here here guesting is over an equally fey twinkly keyboard sound that has me
reaching for the sickbag.
Not so 'Like the Sun Feeds from Flowers' which marries some beautiful
acoustic guitar with a doleful brass section and a gorgeous male/female
vocal. 'Girls with Glasses' grates pleasingly against this backdrop of
loveliness by being a scratchy guitar led track very much in the ilk of
'Fashion' era Bowie. Final song 'It Isn't So', although sounding not a
million miles away from the basic melody of Mansun's 'The Chad Who Loved Me'
adds a suitable gravitas to bring proceedings to a close, and in only
slightly less time than it would take to say the full title of the EP.
SB |
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IAMX - President (Fiction/Genepool/No Carbon)
For some reason having seen
the big garish X on the CD cover I was expecting this to be west coast rap
or high energy dance music. In fact it is the sound you would get if you
combined Muse's stadium bombast with a German oom-pah band. I like Muse, I
like oom-pah bands, ergo President gets a big thumbs up.
www.myspace.com/iamx
SB |
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i concur - 'Oblige' (Brew)
Two very different sounding tracks from i
concur. 'Oblige' is a bit of a moody growler while 'Captors' is more of a
swaggering rock brute. Not bad at all.
www.iconcur.co.uk
Jon Gordon |
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One of those CDs that doesn't really have
anything wrong with it but just makes you whither inside. Indie-light guitar
pop with Kooksy choruses - it's just so dull.
www.myspace.com/thedaniels
SB |
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AFD Shift - Listen Then Leave (ELT)
Prog meets screamo meets math meets
electro. In a similar style to the likes of Pendulum but hitting the heavier
parts more like Biohazard rather than those Aussie lightweights, AFD Shift
certainly aren't afraid to try out a few different styles here.
www.myspace.com/afdshift
SB |
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Manda Rin - DNA (This is Fake DIY)
Former Bis member Manda Rin (her
parents must have been drunk) releases her first solo single with DNA - a
very bubblegum electro pop dabble. Clearly influenced by CSS, DNA is a
pretty enjoyable listen where the guitars have been firmly eschewed in
favour of a Moog.
www.myspace.com/musicmandarin
SB |
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While occasionally threatening to verge on something as wonderful as the
sounds of British Sea Power, for the main part 'Chairkickers' stays firmly
in tried and tested indie guitar pop territory, though definitely very well
done. Does the world really need another band like that - a question open to
debate. 'The Comeback Kid' is by comparison a pedal to the metal type of
thing with a touch of early Manics about it and definitely makes this CD
worth a listen.
www.myspace.com/deadletterofficeofficial
SB |
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Jon Redfern - Play of Fear (Reveal)
Jon Redfern has got a pretty good whispery type voice. 'Play of Fear' is
a crisply written and performed track, occasionally lit up my Redfern's
spiralling vocals. But to me it's just another singer songwriter 'sensation'
who doesn't really stir up any feelings in me other than apathy. Sorry.
www.jonrefern.com
SB |
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I'm spotting a theme running through this month and that theme is
derivative. Whether the bands we're listening to at the moment are
deliberately positioning themselves or not in a certain genre in order to
attract a certain market is unimportant. I can't imagine that if each one of
these collections of musicians had been isolated from 'mainstream' music for
the past 10 years that they would have all ended up sounding the same.
All that said, 51 Breaks are pretty good, especially if you like the
Killers. The synth sound on 'Embers' could be lifted straight off 'Hot
Fuss'. But when all is said and done the track is well constructed and
performed. I'm just a bit fed up of it.
www.myspace.com/51breaks
SB |
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The Ryes - How Come Loretta (14th Floor)
Genius! Marry Bowie-affected vocals with a classic Meatloaf rock operetta
and you end up with 'How Come Loretta'. Even Dermot O'Leary approves, citing
the single as 'Brilliant! A real toe-tapper!'. Come on people - get real!
It's already been a long month - someone break this chain of derivative pop.
Please.
SB |
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By crikey - Bowie should be doing well of of lawsuits this month as yet
another band seems to have 'discovered' his sound. 'Heroes' ring a bell
here? I think I may be in serious risk of high blood pressure here - I need
a milky drink.
SB |
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Yo. Actually although the lightweight hip hop beats are a bit anaemic
here the vocal assault by HT works really well - instilling a bit of
aggression into what may have otherwise been an insipid affair. Yo.
www.siphili.com
SB |
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Charli XCX - !Francheskaar! (Orgy)
So it takes a 15 year old girl to break the malaise in this month's CD
mailbag? A grimy reaction against the media youth culture and sloany girls
set to a Prodigy soundtrack makes for a good listen in my book. Sure the
lyrics are a bit simplistic and sound like a bit of a bitter rant but that
also makes it all the more sincere.
www.charlixcx.com
SB |
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Sway feat. Lemar - Saturday Night
Hustle (Dcypha)
Put it this way - when Lemar forms the main highlight of a track then
times are hard. I suppose with a line like 'I got more balls than Camelot'
you've got at least admire their bravado.
www.myspace.com/swaydasafo
SB |
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Roots Manuva - Again & Again (Big Dada)
A nice Jamaican dancehall vibe to this rendition of 'Again and Again'
from Roots' recent album 'Slime and Reason'. Having a pop at celebrity
'musicians' to be boot doesn't go amiss either.
www.myspace.com/rootsmanuva
SB |
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After having bought ‘Blood’ by the Hair a few months
back, it was a very nice surprise to be able to review the new single ‘Half
Cut’ from the Leeds based indie band. It’s been a successful few months for
the Hair, and this success looks to continue with prestigious opening slots
for ‘Kaiser Chiefs’ on their October tour. This cowbell-driven indie stomper
has got everything: angular guitars, thumping drums and a pounding bass line
that is a sure-fire hit on the indie-disco dance floor, and will leave
punters up and down the country desperate for some more. Even better still,
are some of the remixes that compliment this release that combine all the
best parts of the song, and then whack an awesome dance beat to it. Indie
disco perfection.
What’s more, you can download ‘Half Cut’ for free off
the band’s MySpace:
www.myspace.com/thehair
Sean Phillips |
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Kieronononon - Brutaltechnopunk (Roxxor)
I think it is safe to say that Kieronononon will not be getting asked to
appear on the Jonathan Ross Show. If they did somehow manage to slip past
the booking agent and sneak on the week after Coldplay, then I'm pretty sure
they would probably kick the stuffing out the lispy bequiffed one and then
shit on his sofa.
See, Kieron...(there's only so many times you can type that) don't really
give a damn about pleasing people with their music. This is brutal DIY
heaven. 'Fishes Lay' and 'Moral Decay' may roughly sit in a speed-math-screamo
genre (though I can't think how many of those types feature a Hawaiian
guitar). But otherwise they are difficult to place. There's shades of
Marmaduke Duke, Adam Ant, Slayer and plenty of others though.
In the end I wouldn't choose to listen to this very much - it's hard
going and spiky. But for sheer bloody mindedness you would struggle to
better it.
www.myspace.com/kieronononon
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CSS - Left Behind (Sub Pop)
It’s been barely a few months since the final release
from ‘Cansei De Ser Sexy’, and CSS have certainly wasted no time in getting
back into the thick of it. Left Behind, the lead single taken from ‘Donkey’,
the highly anticipated second album from the Brazilian new-ravers certainly
seems to have continued where they left off…just not quite as you might
expect it. Where once, we were metaphorically slapped in the face with
‘Alala’ or ‘Art Bitch’, ‘Left Behind’ appears to lead down the ‘Off the
Hook’ route, more commercially friendly, yet still as dirty and sexy as
always. For some die-hard CSS fans, this release may be an unwelcome
addition to the CSS repertoire, but it’s certainly a more mature release,
and for the first time, Lovefoxx’s vocals are allowed to take centre stage.
These pop-perfect vocals backed by messy synths and clever guitar riffs have
certainly made for a memorable release. Welcome back CSS, we’ve certainly
missed you.
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As a contrast to Kieronononon above, you could not get much greater than
Rosabella Gregory. Familiar strings and piano led arrangements all
complimented by silken female vocals. And yet although I suspect I would
normally find this sort of thing extremely distressing, on this occasion
there is a fluid beauty and security about it, perhaps as a direct opposite
of Kieronononon. that or I am going soft.
www.myspace.com/rosabellagregory
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The Chemists - Something for the Weekend
(Distiller)
I'm liking this lot already. There's an instantly recognisable drive to
this track which instantly pricks up your ears and makes you pay attention.
Listeners of Six by Seven and Doves may find this quite listenable and with
B-side 'Tazmanian Devil' being equally as good as 'Something for the
Weekend' I for one will be looking forward to getting my copy of their album
later in the year.
Watch the video to 'Something
for the Weekend'
www.myspace.com/thechemistsuk
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Air France - Collapsing at your Doorstep
(Something in Construction)
If I didn't know better I would have suspected that this was the new Moby
single rather than being by Air France. It's got a light hearted summery
vibe with a pretty repetitive loop and a sensible smattering of soulful
croonings. By no means is it going to make you throw off your clothes and
dance in the rain but it may make you loosen your tie off a little.
SB |
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So this is the new Moby single, not 'Collapsing at your Doorstep'. And
what a disappointment - it sounds like the sort of thing you would have
piercing your eardrums at the local branch of Oceana while some hardnut in a
YSL shirt that his mum had ironed spills drinks all over the dance floor. I
suppose it at least marks a return to Moby's roots as a rave act but for me
it doesn't go nearly far enough.
www.moby.com
Watch the video to 'Disco
Lies'
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Olympic Mons - Let the First Time Be the last
(dad)
This sounds like some strange hybrid of Jamiroquai and The Kooks, neither
of which particularly appeal to me. That rattly guitar sound and those acid
jazz chords are bombarded with a breathless vocal assault. Sounds like it
should work, but doesn't.
www.myspace.com/theolympusmons
Watch the video to 'Let
the First Time Be the Last'
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Rex the Dog - I Can See You, Can You See Me?
An upbeat acid-y track.- but I've already said that about this track - in
last months review of the Rex the Dog album.
Again as with other single releases from cult artists, the radio version is
a baffling addition to a single which I can hardly see being played on a
radio show. Its not that I wouldn't want Rex to be on the radio but why miss
out on the whole tracks twists and turns, drops and beats for the happiness
of a mediocre radio stations production table. Apart from that moan the club
mix is a nice middle tempo, mainly up beat number. Not quite floor filler
material, but no one would leave it if it was spun. Out of all of the five
remixes The Touch one is the one I can most envisage Ibiza sapping up. The
rest (bar the baffling Oliver Huntemann mix) make the track more bearable
and danceable each time.
Worth it, yet not really worth it.
www.rexthedog.net
Watch the video to 'I
Can See You, Can You See Me?'
Nick Burman |
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Kind of psychedelic with big clanging guitars and echoey vocals but also
with a drive to each track that provides an insistent and much needed
backbone. Reminiscent of the Inspiral Carpets if they had done a lot more
class As. Instantly likeable.
www.myspace.com/thetranspersonals
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Frightened Rabbit - I Feel Better / The
Twist (FatCat)
Frightened Rabbit have been getting rave reviews and rightly so. Although
at first listen you may be forgiven for thinking that the vocals are being
sung in Icelandic, 'I Feel Better' is a pure tour de force that washes over
you like musical wave. Akin to The Twilight Sad - true to their Scottish
roots but without being half as miserable, there's a refreshing roughness
about the production too which only increases the charm of this record. Buy.
www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit
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Max Tundra - Will Get Fooled Again (Domino)
This is a difficult listen. A lo-fi Casiocore sound with a clipped
staccatto production, there is so so much sonic jiggery pokery going on that
the melody and song structure themselves are rendered pretty much pointless.
If you got paid for how many effects you applied per track then Max Tundra
would be a rich man.
www.myspace.com/maxtundra
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X-Press 2 have suffered a more mixed press than most in Tasty. I'm afraid
to report that this one will be adding to their negative count. Lazy by
name, lazy by nature - adding a few house beats and remixes together to the
David Byrne sung tune 'Lazy' does not really warrant this another listen. Go
forth and find yourself some original new music instead.
SB |
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Tiny Spark - Alaska EP (The Animal Farm)
This is all a tiny bit limp. Following in the footsteps of the likes of
The Doves, big production and long, epic choruses cannot save the day here
unless you are a particularly sensitive type or hormonal teenager (which
let's face it, a lot of music fans are). I just can't get very excited
by this simplistic four chord sound.
www.myspace.com/tinysparkmusic
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Lo-fi is just great, isn’t it? Recorded in Danny Seim AKA Lackthereof’s
basement, Your Anchor is pretty spiffy. Enticing yet somewhat raw vocals are
definitely not lacking (see what I did there?), and each track is an indie
gem in its own right. You know it’s a good day when you’re reviewing an
album and you rip it to your iPod, and this one’s nearing eight plays
already. Nebulous drums and rattling guitars blanket the album in the best
way possible, and the DIY ethic only adds to the album’s aesthetic charm.
Somewhat reminiscent of Deerhunter, this album does not quite reach the high
standards of Bradford and co, yet it’s certainly on its way there. Last
November isn’t particularly long, but in two minutes and forty one seconds,
it manages to encapsulate the sound of this album, and project it as
something definitely worth giving a few more listens.
Not many bands can cover The National and get a good review from me out of
it, but amazingly, Seim has managed just that, croaking over delicate
melodies, ones of which may almost be crafted in a way in which is more
enchanting than the original. With this being Seim’s ninth Lackthereof
release, it’s a wonder how one can consistently produce such great albums
without burning out. Indie bands: take note – this is how an album should
sound.
Olivia Jaremi |
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Ah, Broadcast 2000, or, how I prefer to describe soloist Joe Steer: what
my mum sounds like in the shower with a few poncy ukuleles thrown in for
added twee pretentiousness. Sounding like the Noah and the Whale who never
made it in the charts, ‘Building Blocks’ breaks the boundaries, but not the
ones you want it to – perhaps the disgruntling barrier blocking one from
sleep on a stormy night. It’s not just bland, it’s more offensive than being
stabbed in the face by an angsty dwarf. With each “La la la” comes the slit
wrist of anyone in the world who still has a decent enough music taste.
Maybe I’m just in a bad mood all of a sudden, but something about this
really gets to me. It’s probably the fact that it’s utterly dire, and that
I’d rather pierce my eardrums with piranha’s than buy this. But then again,
I don’t have to. And neither do you. Save your eardrums, this is too
dreadful even for background music.
Olivia Jaremi |
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Alicia Keys & Jack White -
Another Way to Die (James Bond Soundtrack 2008)
Of course I know tasty readers are the all seeing, all knowing when it
comes to music but come'on even you wouldn't have thought about bringing
these two together. Its random alright but the infusion of Keys' soulful
silky smooth into the extraordinarily raw but melodic Jack White is a
perfect representation of 2008's Bond, James Bond. Making history by being
the first Bond soundtrack duet, the track is progression at it's finest.
Futuristic and classic all at once, the jerky saxes and brass do previous
authoratitive versions like Ms Bassey's proud. Cleverly synthing and
scratching out over the timeless piano led Bond tune the marketers should be
chuffed what this track could do for the film. And yet the innovation of
fibrous riffs and thirsty vocals makes this song and it's you never know
what is going to come next appeal an artform in it's own right.
Helen Barlow |
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Biffy Clyro - Mountains (14th Floor Records
2008)
With one of the strangest band names is music history Biffy Clyro are
furiously making a name for themselves in pop, rock and classic alike. Did
they get the name from a biro, a Scottish footballer, is it some warped arty
acronym. Who cares? The unmistakable orchestral rock sound is music for
stadiums and as I stand shin high in mud at Leeds festival watching them
pelt it out I contemplate the frustration they must feel that this toned
downed sound system will never do them justice and my smugness that I can
make it bounce around my living rooms walls to great effect. Yes sad but
true ladies and gentleman but this years Leeds fest main stage sound system
sucked ass, feel free to mail Leeds city council and tell them how rude it
was to put microphones in neighbouring gardens to Bramham Park to make sure
the noise levels were kept to an acceptable minimum. Its 3 nights you
horrible authoritor out of 365 in the year surely you can give rock that! Oh
yeah and the singles ace – uplifting lyrics with an unmistakable perfected
timing make you hungry for the gigantic sing along chorus while the heavy
sound weighs on you heart and shoulders, a song to lose yourself in and
dream that one day you may actually change the world.
www.biffyclyro.com
Helen Barlow |
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If the Brocolli wanted to sack off Jack White and Alicia Keys then this
track would certainly provide an able return to the pomp of the typical
Bassey era Bond themes. With a nice little parpy electric piano sound to
boot, there is also an element of The Propellerheads about this which neatly
ties the whole Bassey-Bond theme together even further. Neat.
www.mrscruff.com
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It feels like I have been listening to this track for ages yet I see that
it is only just under four minutes long - not normally a good sign. You see,
although the general hook is catchy enough, it just plunders its way through
the whole track incessantly with little respite from any other subtle
nuances or changes in tempo, pitch etc. I feel tired after this. Lovely
black vinyl CD though.
www.campactor.co.uk
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If heartfelt rimshots aplenty and tinkling ivories providing the backing
to earnest soulful vocals are your bag then you will love Davinci's Band.
Personally I think they sound like Coldplay-light and would only find
listening to this slightly preferable than going to the dentist.
Accomplished musicianship is all well and good but it just lacks any
vitality to the sound.
www.myspace.com/davincisband
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I love it! The intro is like a lo-fi cover version of We Are Scientists'
'After Hours' - must be that bleepy keyboard sound. Seeing as they are Greek
we should forgive them the fact that they repeatedly use the acronym TMS
even though every good cricket loving Englishman knows this stands for Test
Match Special. Both 'Donna' and b-side ' ' sound a little dated but in a
refreshingly naive sort of way, free of the shackles of any modern scene.
www.myspace.com/uktravel
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A truly bizarre transformation by Idlewild frontman Roddy Woomble (stop
sniggering at the back) from screeching banshee to mild mannered folk
crooner. And it's not bad either (although at one point I thought that John
McCusker's fiddle playing was in danger of making it sound like something
from the Titanic soundtrack.)
www.navigatorrecords.co.uk
SB |
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There's a relaxed pyschedelia about 'So Inclined' which reminds me part
of Supergrass's quieter moments and part of Air's noisier ones. It's slow,
the vocals are fey and it stutters to an end but I definitely like its
leftfield charm.
www.biglifedesire.co.uk
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Kissing Kalina - Here She Comes (Honey
Buzz)
Eh what - has someone set off an alarm clock somewhere in the tasty
office? Nope, it appears not - it is just a quirky little electro wibble in
the mix of 'Here She Comes' which is otherwise pure fuzzy punk. Short and
not particularly sweet, just very good.
www.myspace.com/kissingkalina
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Just when you think this might sound like any other boy-band-acting-rock
you realise that hell, this is pretty darned good. Fantastically produced
and sharp as a pin, Severe Zero ooze that combination of songwriting panache
and punk rock sensibility that the Manics possessed circa Generation
Terrorists. The only down side? It's not very punk to bleep out a swear word
is it?
www.myspace.com/severezero
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Smudge - StayFeelRegret EP (Animal Farm)
Smudge, by comparison with Severe Zero, sound like the little boy bands
alluded to in the above review. They throw all the right moves and make all
the right sounds but it's all just a bit, well, you know, wet. It's the sort
of music that appeals to a very particular and very youthful audience -
euphoric, fist punching the air stuff and on the title track 'StayFeelRegret'
I am almost convinced by it all - it's a great song. But there's little
variety offered by 'Flat-Line' and 'Lock + Load' - I'm easily bored me.
www.myspace.com/smudge
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Les Valentine - Nervous (Universal
Digital/Crash)
Punk half hour is over and we are back to upbeat indie rock. The vocals
come across a little clipped liked Bob Geldof in 'I Don't Like Monday' and
there's a built of an Oasis 'Shaker maker' swagger (which in turn was
borrowed from 60s psychedelic rock) about the choruses. A good punt but
unlikely to knock your socks off.
www.lesvalentine.com
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ZZZ - Grip (Anti Records)
Despite fizzling almost apologetically into existence with the always
dodgy fade-in, 'Grip' then pounds it's way into your skull like it was
produced by the bastard progeny of a crack fuelled one night stand between
Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan and Ministry's Al Jourgensen. This is not your
normal Saturday night indie club fare and all the better for it.
www.soundofzzz.com
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The Elements - Deep Freeze/Holding Out (Acid
Jazz)
Ah, the double-A single. Too much talent to squeeze into one single or a
case of hedging your bets? The Elements, featuring some remnants of Ocean
Colour Scene (shudder) make exactly the sort of melodic pop that you would
expect from that stable, albeit fronted by a gentle Joe Cocker impersonator.
People will be divided and think this pair of songs is either timeless or
pointless.
www.myspace.com/elementsuk
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Run Hide Survive - Dyson/Pigeon (Show Off
Recordings)
I liked this as soon as I picked it up. I liked the way the CD sleeve
graphics made my eyes go funny. I liked the name Run Hide Survive. I also
like the idea of a song named after a vacuum cleaner. And what do you know -
they sound great too.
Sheffield's answer to Justice, 'Dyson' is a furious mixed up concoction
of beats and bleeps that will either get you writing uncontrollably on the
dancefloor of suffering from a severe migraine. 'Pigeon' is no more relaxing
- saw tooth keyboard sounds chopped and slashed with impunity. And did I
spot an 808 State sample from 'Nefertiti' in there? Surely a recommendation
if ever there were one.
www.myspace.com/runhidesurvivedjs
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The Lovely Eggs - Have you Ever Heard the
Lovely Eggs (Cherryade)
We've previously crossed paths with the Lovely Eggs in their split EP
with the Sexual Hot Bitches. And this EP confirms my previous feelings about
them. They are able to straddle the genres of punk and twee better than
anyone else (save perhaps fellow Cherryaders The Bobby McGees) but therein
lies my problem with them - there's only so many recorders, hand claps and
childish vocals that can be sustained by high energy levels and a couple of
scuzzy chords. Don't shout 'I wanna be in your fire' at me anymore - two
minutes of it is quite enough thanks.
www.myspace.com/thelovelyeggs
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Nat Johnson - Dirty Rotten Soul (Thee
Sheffield Phonographic Corporation)
There's o doubt about it - this is modern UK country music. In fact, it
is reasonably close to country classic 'Jolene' except on this version,
instead of harpy-voiced Dolly Parton taking charge it is none other than
silken voiced Nat Johnson of Monkey Swallows the Universe fame. This is a
woman with such a vocal gift that it is hard to think of anything that she
could sing badly.
www.natjohnson.co.uk
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The Lazaras Plot - Do You Want to Be
Someone (Illuminated)
It's easy to see why The Lazarus Plot press release sees them as drawing
on the likes of Duran Duran - the drum effects which make up a large (and
the best) part of this track - while sounding modern are also harking back
to that Duran sound. Otherwise it's a pretty dreary affair and if I didn't
assume it had all been recorded digitally, I would have sworn that the vocal
track was being played back at the wrong speed. Queue piano outro...ahh,
there it is.
www.myspace.com/thelazarusplotmusic
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When someone whose guitar credits (albeit number ones) are S Club 7's
'Don't Stop Moving' and Gerri Halliwell's 'It's Raining Men' attempts a
rehash of a 1953 classic by Eartha Kitt, you've got to fear the worst. And
when you hear Kitt's voice rapidly looped to sound like the Crazy Frog then
things are definitely on the brink. But overall 'I Wanna Be Evil' works a
treat - a big beat electro style with everything thrown into the mix, like
The Propellerheads pumped up on steroids.
SB |
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Spectrum 7 - Fade to Black and Back Again
There was me thinking after the first few bars how dismal this was going
to be - a reedy thin electro beat and melody with some overwrought vocals
lathered over. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere sprouts a load of gutsy
guitar and drums to make sense of the whole thing. Spectrum 7 sound a bit
like everyone and nothing like anyone. They're not as blatant as the likes
of Enter Shikari and Pendulum - this is no new rave. In fact the nearest
comparison I could come up with is 'Flood' era Headswim, before they went
all girly on their second album. The loops and samples while running
throughout seem to form the lesser part to the meatier guitars which
suddenly just give way to leave the electro sounds stripped bare. Promising
stuff.
www.s7music.co.uk
SB |
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The second offering of the month from A Silent Film - either they are
extremely hard working or we have a bit of a CD backlog at Tasty HQ - hmm -
we're up to about a million singles reviews this month so I guess it's out
fault.
First recommendation for A silent Film would be to get their singer some
Tunes or similar lozenge - the poor fella sounds a bit bunged up. That said,
despite its somewhat generic piano driven melody 'Thirteen Times the
Strength' survives and indeed excels in its sheer energy and exuberance, not
to mention the small matter of a killer cascading chorus section.
www.myspace.com/asilentfilm
SB |
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Apollo - This is My Town (Damage Productions)
Apparently Apollo were contacted directly by Hamfatter (now there is a
shit name) who were in turn the band which got Peter Jones to invest in them
on Dragon's Den. And it stands to reason as this is exactly the sort of
music I would expect Peter Jones to listen to while driving along with the
roof down on his Porsche/Ferrari/Aston Martin/Bugatti. There's a dated
quality to the crashing drums and earnest guitar playing that just makes me
think of soft rock like Kiss. Ugh.
www.myspace.com/apollothisismytown
SB |
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