MUSIC FAN'S MIC -

Liars: Sisterworld

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:25:26 +0000

Words: Gareth O’Malley

Okay, so this is really a concept album. If that’s turned you off ‘Sisterworld’ already, I implore you, read on. You’ll find it’s not at all a bad thing. Formerly based in New York, but now with a new headquarters of sorts in Berlin, ‘experimental’ (and god, how I loathe that term) rock tri o Liars are back with their fifth record, and while it won’t win any prizes for immediately, it is, for lack of a better word, an absolute belter.

The band have said that, thematically, the record deals with ‘the alternate spaces people create in order to maintain identity in a city like L.A. Environments where outcasts and loners celebrate a skewered relationship to society.’ What this all means is that ‘Sisterworld’ is rather Los Angeles-centric, and thus the album is obviously rather difficult to connect with if you don’t live there.

Music is the universal language, however, and if ‘Sisterworld’ doesn’t provoke some sort of response within you, then I’d be rather worried. Things quite often move into frightening territory - the focus is on krautrock soundscapes whose primary objective is to unsettle the listener. And the result of all this is something thrilling and chilling in equal measure.

Lead single ‘Scissor’ grows from an a capella opening into an explosive workout, frontman Angus Andrew’s buzzsaw riffs and high-pitched, keening vocals giving the track a real sense of urgency, even desperation.

There isn’t a whole lot of potential single material on here, but surely ‘No Barrier Fun’ will be considered to promote the album. Its combination of funky bass, ghostly strings and subtle yet effective percussion courtesy of Julian Gross is rather stunning, and the track sends out the message that Liars have set their sights high.

The spiky, frenetic post-punk of ‘Here Comes All The People’ ratchets the tension up a further few notches. You wonder just how intense the record is going to become, and then are offered a welcome breather in the form of the dreamy, ethereal ‘Drip’.

Then you realise that all along the band were looking to lull you into a false state of security, as the absolutely terrifying ‘Scarecrows On A Killer Slant’ kicks in. A visceral four minutes, the track rails against the culture of violence that has spead throughout L.A. The venom in Andrew’s voice as he sings is truly unnerving, as he calmly delivers the lines, ‘We should drag the creeps out at night / Drag ‘em in complete by their ears / We should nail their guns to the wall’, before exploding in a vehement fit of rage: ‘Stand them in the street with a gun. and then kill ‘em all!’

The track is a clear highlight, simply because of its ferocity and passion that is unequalled on any other track here. ‘Proud Evolution’ opens with a chiming, shimmering riff, before being underpinned by bass and clattering drums. The lyrics here deserve particular attention, Andrew mentioning the ‘hundred million potholes you can step in without knowing that you have’ before warning that ‘you should be be careful’. The line is understated. but in the context of the album it is tremendously effective.

The sarky, ironic ‘The Overachievers’ opens ‘Sisterworld”s closing trio of songs, the band having a go at what is quite literally ‘slacker rock’: ‘There wasn’t much to do, so we just sat in watching TV / And smoked weed’. Its presence sets up the penulatimate track, the menacing, riff-driven ‘Goodnight Everything’, perfectly, before things draw to a close with ‘Too Much, Too Much’, whose ambient tones finish the record in an unexpectedly calm fashion.

Nor will ‘Sisterworld’ win any awards for immediacy. However, this really is an album you have to immerse yourself in - and not just because it’s a concept record. Plus it makes it so much better when things finally start to click, and this dark, forbidding, yet brilliant record begins to open up.

8.7

mp3: Scissor

Fenech-Soler - Stop and Stare Video for the new single, out...

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:54:11 +0000

Fenech-Soler - Stop and Stare

Video for the new single, out April 19th via Moda Music.

Yeasayer - O.N.E. Taken from the stirring album ‘Odd...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:48:29 +0000

Yeasayer - O.N.E.

Taken from the stirring album ‘Odd Blood’.

mp3

Gorillaz: Plastic Beach

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:58:00 +0000

Words: David Molloy

One thing I have noticed recently in other reviews of “Plastic Beach” is that whole “cartoon band” concept behind Gorillaz has at this point become irritating or irrelevant. I disagree. If it were not for those times I’d obsessively watch MTV as a young(er) child for a chance to see the “Clint Eastwood” video nine years ago I doubt I’d have the same appreciation for music as I do now. I had no idea who Damon Albarn was, nor was I aware of Blur: I wanted to watch that video because I loved cartoons. It was through that video, and the brilliant song, (I can rap the verses perfectly from memory to this day) that eventually helped me grow an interest in music in general, real or fictional.

Of course, it helped that the music really was good - both Gorillaz albums to date may have been patchy in parts, but there have been more then enough moments of pure pop gold in there to more than make up for it. A silly promotional gimmick they may have seemed at the time of the debut, but the second album “Demon Days” showed that there was substance there. So it’s now almost five years since that album was released and as usual that backstory for the fictional version of the band has been updated - with former Gorillaz HQ Kong Studios having been recently burned down for no disclosed reason, bassist/band leader Murdoc Niccals got all his stuff together and headed off for Plastic Beach, a collection of plastic materials making up a land mass in the farthest point from any land on earth. Since guitarist Noodle has not been seen since the events of the “El Mañana” video, Murdoc put together an android version off of her DNA, and has been brought to Plastic Beach as well along with blue-haired singer 2D to record the new Gorillaz album. Unfortunately, drummer Russell was nowhere to be found, so Murdoc had to program the drums on the record himself, but since then, Russell has found his way onto the beach, although due to unexplained events, he has suddenly become a BFG-like giant.

Back to the real world… Am I boring you yet? Even the visual art side of the Gorillaz duo Jamie Hewlett stated that he was “bored of drawing those characters” when work began on the album in 2008 but, with fair play to him and Albarn, they at least manage to make it interesting not only for them but for the huge fans that would care about that sort of thing in the first place.

(I do not want the review to give the impression that I care about the cartoon/backstory side more than the music itself, so onto that…)

After the short “Orchestral Intro” (what it says on the tin), “Plastic Beach” gets its introduction from Snoop Dogg, slowly walking his way through “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach”. It gives an odd introduction to an album that he was no real major part in, but it’s engrossing enough to drag you in, the hip-hop collaborations that Gorillaz favour and do so well continues with “White Flag”, a call and response from Kano and Bashy after an incredible intro from the Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. It’s at this point that “Plastic Beach” feels more like a collaborative Gorillaz album than usual - you do not even hear Albarn’s (2D’s) vocals until four tracks in on “Rhinestone Eyes”, a wonderful glaze of the type of synth-led weird pop that they do best.

“Stylo”, when first listened to, may have seemed like an odd choice for first single; it had not the originality or instant ear-worn abilities of “Clint Eastwood” or “Feel Good Inc” but when it comes up on the context of the album, it shines, especially with Bobby Womack’s entirely improvised vocals, only to outshine himself later in the album on the gorgeous “Cloud of Unknowing”. On “Superfast Jellyfish” the record briefly enters cartoon territory - basically a jokey advertisement for “Plastic Beach“‘s own breakfast cereal endorsed by De La Soul, but Gruff Rhys’ chorus is by far the catchiest and most singalong-able moment on the album.

The collaborations, as already stated, are plentiful - Mark E. Smith adds disembodied ranting (the best kind) to “Glitter Freeze” (kind of like what Kraftwerk would sound like if they suddenly wanted to become maximalists), Lou Reed adds vocals to “Some Kind of Nature”, Mos Def goes frantic on the repetitive and overlong “Sweepstakes”, and former Clash members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon add guitars and bass to the title track. It’s the moments where Albarn is left by himself to fill the vocal hole where “Plastic Beach” shows it’s better side, however. On future single “On Melancholy Hill” he has never sounded so, for lack of a better word, comfortable while singing. The real treats of the album though are the two collaborations with vocalist Little Dragon, in particular the beautiful duet “To Binge”.

The album closer “Pirate Jet” is a short, summery send off to one of the most eclectic (and brilliantly so) albums of the year so far (and probably of the year altogether when people look back in December). It’s main line - “It’s all good news now, because we left the taps running for a hundred years” may give the impression of “Plastic Beach” being a pro-environment record - but while it may show its small intentions, it shows that it’s got heart somewhere. It’s still a soundtrack to the adventures of four cartoon musicians, even if they have taken a slight step to the side for a while to allow Albarn to indulge in his musical fantasies. The album is all the better for it. When I discovered Gorillaz by chance those years ago, I was caught by the animation. By 2010, I may still hold the cartoons and back story as an important part of my interest in the band, but overall, Gorillaz is a music project and they are even more so now.

9.0

Audiovisuals: Stylo

Check out Vampire Weekend’s strange “Giving Up The...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:15:10 +0000

Check out Vampire Weekend’s strange “Giving Up The Gun” video, the second single from the rather excellent ‘Contra’.

General Fiasco: Buildings

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:24:00 +0000

Words: Gareth O’Malley

Perhaps the most heartening thing about General Fiasco’s plans for the future, is that they actually have some. The Belfast trio have said that they realise what they do (i.e. typically Northern pop-punk) has a limited lifespan. They don’t want to become like, say, Ash, who have become stuck in a creative rut, and, in our opinion, started ‘The A-Z Singles Collection’ only as a front to mask this rut: by implementing a new marketing strategy (that seemed like a good idea at the time), they have tried to cover up the fact that they are now, at best, a parody of themselves. General Fiasco: Well, to paraphrase ‘Buildings” lead single, the raucous burst of energy that is ‘We Are The Foolish’, it’s good that they woke up, because this was the thing they needed to know.

However, as we are all aware, a band simply stating that they intend to stick around is only half the battle: you have to have the songs to back it up. On the evidence of their debut, should we be hearing more from the three-piece in future? Yes. A resounding yes. The band aren’t exactly ripping up the rulebook, as said, but they are quite simply excellent at what they do.

A word of warning, though: while the band’s sound is certainly catchy and accessible, ‘Buildings’ is definitely not all sunshine and roses. In point of fact, the album is actually rather bleak. The band have grown up in Belfast, and it’s clear they don’t like what they see around them. The youth culture that influenced them is lulling young people into a false state of security (‘The young are bold: it’s all they’ve got’ - We Are The Foolish’); the youth themselves are turning to alcohol to cope with their insecurities (‘Let’s get wasted, it’s all we ever do’ - recent single ‘Ever So Shy’); they have issues with personal confidence (‘I’m just a ghost / My mouth has let me down again’ - ‘Please Take Your Time’), and romantic confidence (the central theme of the stunning, strings-drenched title track, the album’s seven-minute centrepiece)…

‘Buildings’ becomes quite an unsettling listen as more of its sentiments reveal themselves. Because the topics discussed here are so universal, they have extra resonance. But nothing even comes close to the truly devastating ‘Sinking Ships’. Driven by a simple acoustic riff, and supported by Stephen Leacock’s effective drumming, frontman Owen Strathern views life from the perspective of a broken, suicidal young person: ‘I’m a waste of skin / I will take almost anything / I will leave myself a length of rope, and then I’ll go / …There’s no point in trying / Seems like we’ll all end up dying, the same way that everybody does’. These lines are delivered with such fragility that it is hard not to be swept up in the rush of emotion that comes when the strings enter and the song reaches its climax. The song, the band’s best to date, fades with a last, poignant chord, its desolation and despair making it ‘Buildings” dark heart.

It may seem that there is not a single bit of light to be had here, but that’s not necessarily the case. Towards the album’s finish, things start to take a turn for th better. Debut single ‘Rebel Get By’ starts the climb upwards from the hopelessness of ‘Sinking Ships’, though to say it is in complete contrast to its predecessor in terms of sentiment would be to lie. For every line like, ‘All the things you’d like to be, maybe they’re all ahead of you’, we get an, ‘Everyone shouting, “Please don’t kill yourself!”’

The clearest piece of optimism ‘Buildings’ has to offer comes after the ace in the pack, the Bloc Party-esque ‘Talk To My Friends’ (Enda, take a bow) has talked of the possibility of a fresh start, somewhere else. Even though the bass-led ‘Dancing With Girls’ (featuring a fine performance indeed from Owen) deals with a person who just can’t make up their mind about what they want to do in life (‘You set your plan, and you liked it / You’re coming over, changing it all around’), its bridge reveals that there might just be hope after all: ‘I know this is gonna change for good / Because these things, they seem to work the way they should’.

The album’s closer ‘First Impressions’ is the light at the end of the tunnel. Just the right kind of release after a dark and troubled half-hour. Even though the song concerns itself with people who have nothing of interest to say (‘On the inside, you’re pretty vacant / Your eyes are open, your mouth is making a sound’), there is just a smattering of sarcastic wit in there too: ‘You said that twice now, in case I didn’t hear / I heard it, and I don’t care - I thought that might be clear’

Ending their unsettling debut record on a positive note was a great move. General Fiasco, after everything, are smiling through the tears. Having written an album full of brilliant pop tracks, but left so much substance underneath their sheen, the trio have pulled off that most difficult of things. They have created an easily accessible record that has great replay value and depth. Also, crucially, it really does feel as though these Belfast boys have made the best album they could. And we couldn’t ask for more than that.

9.3

Audiovisuals: Ever So Shy

Fenech-Soler: Stop And Stare

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:08:32 +0000

Words: Emmy Droege

Imagine a sweaty dance club, packed with equally sweaty people, dancing to a heavily-synthesized, highly-electronic song, and you paint the international scene of Fenech-Soler’s latest track, ‘Stop and Stare’. Whether you’re into dance music or not, the song thumps with an infectious groove that will make any music lover click their heels at least once during the synth-laden number.

Sure, the lyrics may be a little cheesy - ‘I see you there like a light in the sky / Don’t give up / I’ll fight if you show me a sign’ - and may sound like they’ve been recycled from a dozen other bands, but the track is simply difficult not to like. Even in your most cynical hour, you’re bound to enjoy some snippet, if not all, of the 3:46 tune from the Kings Cliffe-based band.

Perhaps the greatest thing about this song is that it doesn’t require having to weave in and out of an alcohol-infused dance floor teeming with clammy bodies. Although it can be, and certainly is, enjoyed that way. Still, the catchy rhythm and beguiling beats will also move the most sneerful person just enough for a private dance party.

[Streaming on MySpace]

The Crookes: Chorus of Fools

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:00:04 +0000

Words: Emmy Droege

With a name like ‘The Crookes’, one might stereotype a band as a scruffy angst-ridden bunch sputtering on about drugs, sex and violence. One should know better. What you get this Sheffield-based band is a good dose of sunshine, love and peace. And what better way to welcome spring in than with ‘Chorus of Fools’, a poppy, jingle-jangle tune topped with indie-folk and a strong influence of English kitchen-sink literature.

‘Chorus of Fools’ was part of the ‘12 Days of Crookesmas’ release in December of last year. It echoes slightly of ‘50s doo-wop and girl groups from the ‘60s, and with such comparisons, one might simply pigeonhole the four-member band as outdated. Yet again, one should really do better than to judge. The lyrical creativeness captures something akin to The Smiths, Orange Juice, The Coral and yes, even perhaps early-day Libertines.

With the continuous flood of new wave synth acts seemingly coming far and wide, The Crookes offer a refreshing change that is not only catchy and poppy but simple – in a highly likeable way.

mp3

New single ‘Bloodshot Days’ b/w ‘Through the Cat’s Whisker’ is out April 5th on Heist or Hit

Words With: Thao With the Get Down Stay Down

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:09:52 +0000

After reviewing their rather excellent new single during the week, I had a word with vocalist Thao Nguyen of Thao With The Get Down Stay Down about such things as life on the road and future plans for the band.

Gareth: Hello. How have things been going? I notice the band are taking a well-earned rest!

Thao: Hi there, we are good thanks. Yes we are resting in our respective cities scattered all around the states.
—

G: You’ve been touring ‘Know Better Learn Faster’ over the last six months. How was playing the new album live?

T: Different and exciting and in the very beginning a little bit nerve-racking.
—

G: Would you say Thao are a different band live than on record? I notice that the sound of the recorded tracks is quite layered. Has that been difficult to pull off when playing a gig?

T: I would like to think and hope we are an energetic live band - I think this latest record better conveys that energy. Live is a little different with less layers but we have additional musicians who join us and we re-arrange the songs to better accommodate our lack of a choir or whatever.
—

G: The solo shows [both of which will have been played by the time this goes up on the site], just how different are they going to be to the usual Thao live experience?

T: They are quieter. and more intimate and I play more intricate guitar parts that wouldn’t be discernible with the full rock band - and I talk more and tell more inane stories because the venues have more of a listening-room feel and audiences are usually sitting so they are a bit more patient and into discourse.

—

G: 2009 was obviously a very busy year for the three of you. What was your favourite moment of last year?

T: The very end of the last day of recording Know Better Learn Faster. We had worked hard and were proud and uncharacteristically sentimental with each other.

—
G: Are there any ideas around for the third album yet, or is it too early to be asking such a question? I know lots of bands write a load of material while on tour. Is that the case with Thao?
T: It is a bit early yet for me to wrap my mind around plans for a new album. [On] tour is not a fruitful place for my songwriting; usually priorities are much more basic, like eating and sleeping and showering.

—

G: Finally, what are your favourite records of 2010 so far?

T: Thus far in this year i have only listened to National Public Radio podcasts. but I am working on absorbing new music very soon.

—

‘Know Better Learn Faster’ is out now.

not an Airplane: Things and People

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:46:26 +0000

Words: Emmy Droege

‘We love you, and we miss you. We have to, because we share your name.’ It’s not everyday that a line of an opening track holds such lyrical greatness to draw you in, but that’s exactly what not an Airplane have done with ‘As He Moved Away’: a fluttery, acoustic tune that hinges on the buckle of contemporary folk and matter-of-fact wit, this first song from the Sacramento-based bunch holds just enough curiosity to unlock the remaining tracks from the their new album, ‘Things and People’

not an Airplane carries something different in their saddle bag, making it difficult to drop them in the two musical genres of bluegrass or country. ‘Resolution and Rage’ definitely has traces of Americana Rock, while the beginning hooks of ‘Nobody Wins’ slides into something akin to R.E.M back in the day of pre-‘Automatic For The People’. Not convinced? Listen again and you’ll hear what I’m talking about.

If you tend to keep a safe distance from men in tight jeans who strut in even tighter white t-shirts and sport slightly tilted cowboy hats, fear not. There’s no talk of roping vulnerable cattle, drinking cheap beer and watching dragsters sputter off into the sunset on the weekends with this alt-country group. Rather what you get with not an Airplane are bubbly, melodic song structures that lean heavily on smooth banjo plucks, rough rock and infectious three part harmonies. Think Josh Ritter and his live band cutting some rug in the studio.

While some of the energy fades and the see-saw rhythm tends to slow in the last half of the album, it’s clear to hear that’s the intention of the group anyway. Still, ‘I Heard You Say You Love Me’ gives the impression of the band getting tired and slightly bored – intentional or not.

One of the strongest aspects about not an Airplane is in the lyrical prowess of singer Nick Shattell. Each track holds some of the sharpest and original lines of the usual day-to-day aspects of life: love, death, happiness, loneliness, and personal heartbreak.

With ‘Enough’, for example, Shattell croons ‘Go to the places that they need to go / That something I love you enough to not know…The only thing that’s missing is nothing, just me.’ Meanwhile, the ever-talented songwriter Isaac Brock could have penned the band’s self-deprecating closer, ‘Some of That Was Beautiful, Some of That Was Wrong.’

There’s a good chance that non-folk/alt-country/bluegrass fans will be saying the same thing, though they’ll be surprised at just how much of it is in fact beautiful.

8.0

mp3: As He Moved Away

CLAPS: New Science EP

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:27:54 +0000

Words: Gareth O’Malley

You would think that the world doesn’t need another synth-pop band, right? Wrong: When a debut EP is as good, and as filled with promise, as ‘New Science’ is, then its makers are well worth your time.

Such is the case with St. Paul, Minnesota-based trio CLAPS (YES, UPPER CASE - it’s as if they really want to announce their presence to the world), and they do an excellent job of making the listener think that it’s the 1980’s all over again. Joy Division and Depeche Mode’s ‘Speak and Spell’ are easy reference points, though the latter’s ‘Violator’ and ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’-era sound crops up here and there as well.

Debut single ‘Fold’ would also draw comparisons with, say, White Lies, though CLAPS’ lead singer relies much less on dramatic vocals (and, it must be said, lyrics that much too often border on the cringeworthy), his voice complementing the music instead of overpowering it with reverb (*cough*).

‘Gruzzles’ (we don’t get the song title either, just so you know’) finds the three-piece in more restrained mood. The song’s beautiful, dreamy melody and stately 3/8 time-signature give it a fantastic atmosphere. It sounds almost lullaby-esque in parts, and as the song drifts away you sense that the band have real depth.

The EP closes with the handclap-laden ‘Fireworks’, which showcases a real knack for a good hook, and lets us know that CLAPS are only just getting started. Hopefully they won’t ‘burn bright and then fade away’, as the anthemic song’s chorus has it - as we absolutely can’t wait to hear more.

8.8

Audiovisuals: Fold

The Kissaway Trail: Sleep Mountain

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:34:53 +0000

Words: Gareth O’Malley

Before we say anything else: yes, ‘SDP’, the lead single from Danish group The Kissaway Trail’s second album, does sound like Arcade Fire. They can be forgiven that, mind, as it is pretty damn good. These bands share more than occasional similarity in sound, too, in that they both want to sound as MASSIVE as they possibly can.

This is quite a good thing, for as you listen to ‘Sleep Mountain’, you sense that the band (Thomas Fagerlund, Søren B. Corneliussen, Daniel Skjoldmose, Rune Pedersen, Hasse Mydtskov) have now found themselves sonically. Their 2007 debut was loaded with ideas, but no matter how good it was, it couldn’t be helped that they weren’t exactly sure what they wanted to sound like.

Here, though, there is a much greater sense of cohesion. The album has been brought together by Peter Katis’ (Interpol, The National) production, who has produced it in a such a way that the band’s attention to detail has been highlighted perfectly. You could also say they are perfectionists of sorts: they started writing and recording in March 2008, but packed it in early the following year. They work well under pressure as well. After all, they were given a mere two weeks to nail ‘Sleep Mountain’. And nail it they have.

The album is a euphoric, epic 55 minutes. Half of its songs could be singles, in all honesty. We have the widescreen grandeur of ‘New Year’ and ‘Don’t Wake Up’ closing the album’s first third; we have the use of a good many interesting rhythms: ‘Friendly Fire’, the album highlight, features some eyebrow-raising drumming from Mydtskov; centrepiece ‘Beat Your Heartbeat’, a song that is preceded by a goosebumps-inducing prelude worthy of Arcade Fire themselves, features a rather interesting use of syncopation; and ‘Painter”s clattering drum pattern gives the acoustic-driven track a real sense of urgency.

‘Sleep Mountain”s lyrics, in Fagerlund’s own words, concern ‘being a dreamer and sticking to your dreams, regardless of people trying to wake us up. Sleep Mountain symbolises staying true to your opinions and beliefs.’ Something we can all relate to, then.

The three-song run that defines the album starts with ‘Friendly Fire’ and ends with the genuinely affecting cover of a little-known Neil Young song, ‘Philadelphia’, which is transformed into a string-laden mini-epic, also providing the album’s emotional high point, which is saying something.

‘New Lipstick’ finds the quintet moving in a more synth-driven direction, recalling something off The Killers’ patchy third album, ‘Day and Age’, but rather a lot better.

‘Whirr of Wings’ once again places emphasis on the drums, before Foals-like guitars usher in penultimate track ‘Enemy’. With its refrain of ‘You had friends but they’re all gone’, and its mid-tempo feel, it is in stark contrast to much of the rest of the album in both style and mood. Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel. The assertive waltz of the piano-driven ‘Three Million Hours’ takes us out on a high, as the album ends with the same sense of optimism and rebirth that was hinted at in ‘SDP’.

The band’s evolution has done wonders for them. They have become tighter and more intricate on record, yet have lost none of that urgency that ran through their debut. More importantly, they sound even better this time around, and have given us something rather special.

8.4

[mp3: SDP]

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down: Body

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:35:00 +0000

Words: Gareth O’Malley

If you like a bit of quirk with your rock, you’re going to love this lot. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down (that’s Thao Nguyen, Adam Thompson and Willis Thompson) are a Falls Church, Virginia based trio, and seem rather difficult to pin down, and the evidence of their new single, ‘Body’, which is out over here on 29th March.

There are shades of Pavement to be heard in the track’s guitar line, underpinned by a simple yet effective performance from the rhythm section (Adam, bass, and Willis, drums, respectively). The song deals with a failed relationship, Thao delivering such cutting lines as the song’s chorus (‘Oh, what am I / Just a body in your bed? / Won’t you reach for the body in your bed?’) and ‘You are a bad man, and I just have to shoot the gun’. The words ‘pulling no punches’ spring to mind. There’s some rather unexpected brass action at the song’s climax too. A throughly refreshing four minutes, ‘Body’ indicates that the band’s latest record, ‘Know Better Learn Faster’, is well worth a listen.

[Keep your eyes peeled for an interview with Thao with The Get Down Stay Down sometime next week. ‘Know Better Learn Faster’ is out now; ‘Body’ can be downloaded here]

The High Wire: The Sleep Tape

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:18:00 +0000

Words: Gareth O’Malley

If ever there was a case of the production saving an album from being one hell of a letdown, this would be it. The major problem with London group The High Wire’s 2008 debut was that there was simply not enough substance behind the hazy guitars and lush arrangements. The band worked better as a live proposition than they did on record, which is why we admittedly approached ‘The Sleep Tape’ with more than a little apprehension.

Our fears were unfounded. As so many were expecting them to do, the trio (comprised of Tim Crompton, Stuart Peck and Alexia Hagen) have upped their game, in a major way. A good part of that is due to its production and mixing, which the band worked on with Rik Simpson, who has worked with such luminaries as Portishead and Coldplay (the latter of which, incidentally, the band supported on the arena-rock superstars’ tour of the U.K. and Ireland in 2008).

They have become focused, incredibly so - and it shows. This is a wide-eyed, widescreen and wonderful record, its bright, sparkling melodies adding a whole new dimension to the band’s sound. The opener is current single ‘The Midnight Bell’, which draws the listener in from the get-go with its hook, a seven-bar string ostinato, before blossoming into a beautiful slice of dream pop, its chorus of ‘I don’t want to fight with you, just to make it right with you’ worthy of Coldplay themselves.

The up-tempo ‘Hang From the Lights’ recalls The Verve, its gentle, pulsing rhythms meshing with acoustic guitars and Hammond organs to superb effect. One highlight comes early in the form of the album’s title track. Bass-driven and quite infectious, it builds, through the entry of drums and harmonised backing vocals, to a euphoric climax.

Its successor, the instrumental ‘Honeycomb’ provides a perfect contrast, bringing to mind a more chilled-out Radiohead, with an assertive performance from the rhythm section.

Handclaps and fuzz-laden guitar introduce blissed-out lead single ‘Odds and Evens’. Crompton and Hagen share lead vocals over keyboard backing, and there’s another impressive chorus in tow. Organs reappear again for ‘It’s No Secret’, an affecting tale of unrequited love, the closest the group come to, say, Snow Patrol territory. The emotion reaches a crescendo in the song’s chorus: ‘Yesterday, yes, I was kissing someone new / But, my baby, I wish I was kissing you / Said my goodbyes, but I can’t shake you from my mind’.

The band are at home when creating pure pop songs, but aren’t afraid to rock out either. ‘A Future Ending’ moves into shoegaze (the sound of a guitar being plugged in at the start of the track is rather telling), and once again brings Radiohead to mind, though this time, it’s their more windswept and epic incarnation.

The album finishes very strongly indeed with the waltzing, anthemic ‘Pump Your Little Heart’ (choice lyric: ‘Keeping no-one around now that two is a crowd’) and the dreamy soundscapes of ‘Bodyclocks’, a track that ensures that ‘The Sleep Tape’ ends on a high.

The band have most definitely proved their worth, and have shown us that they intend to stick around for a while. And we would be glad to have them, as this debut indicates that, far from being a one-trick pony, The High Wire have quite a lot of ideas indeed up their sleeves.

7.8

[Audiovisuals: The Midnight Bell]

Freelance Whales: Generator 2nd Floor

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:18:32 +0000

Words: Emmy Droege

Why does it seem that so many musical groups these days christen their band by including the name of a mammal? Arctic Monkeys, Animal Collective, Modest Mouse, Animal Kingdom, Band of Horses, Wolf Parade, and the list goes on. Okay, so some of these bands aren’t exactly that new to the scene, and there is no reason for this irrelevant fact other than pointing out that another mammal-referenced band has joined this category.

Freelance Whales, a NYC-based band formed in late 2008, have just released their debut single in the U.K., and it’s a song that really doesn’t sound anything the above-mentioned bands would make, with the exception of perhaps Animal Kingdom. Yet there is something about ‘Generator 2^nd Floor’ that will make indie rock fans say, “Wait a minute, I’ve heard this song before!” And once the track develops into a kart-wheel of multi-layered sounds, mixed with baroque-pop arrangements and bubbly group vocals, the listener will be left in a tumble-dry haze of thinking that it must be new song from Sufjan Stevens or maybe another side project of Ben Gibbard. Wrong!

After a few good listens of this track, it’s clear to see that the instrumental ability and creativity of Freelance Whales bring something fresh to the new decade, making their single addictively likeable. While the first listen of this track may make it easy to write this band off as just another generic sensitive indie band, additional listens will prove otherwise. Freelance Whales will swim to the UK shores soon, unpoached and ready to put some ‘awe’ back into your ears.

[Streaming on the band’s MySpace, along with a few other songs from forthcoming debut full-length ‘Weathervanes’, due out March 16th]

UK Music Releases: March 2010

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:39:40 +0000

March 1st

Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks [Audiovisuals: Nothing Like You]
Blood Red Shoes - Fire Like This [mp3: Colours Fade]
Errors - Come Down With Me [Audiovisuals: A Rumour In Africa]
Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History [Audiovisuals: Undercover Martyn]
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
Sambassadeur - European
Ellie Goulding - Lights [Audiovisuals: Starry Eyed]
Groove Armada - Black Light
The Ruby Suns - Fight Softly
Tunng - And Then We Saw Land [Audiovisuals: Hustle]

_____________________

March 8th

The Kissaway Trail - Sleep Mountain [Audiovisuals: SDP]
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor [mp3s: Four Score And Seven (Parts 1 and 2
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach [Audiovisuals: Album Teaser]
Liars - Sisterworld [Audiovisuals: Scissor]
New Young Pony Club - The Optimist [Audiovisuals: Chaos]
The High Wire - The Sleep Tape
The Besnard Lakes - Are The Roaring Night
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil’s Tattoo
Broken Bells - Broken Bells [Audiovisuals: The High Road]
The Automatic - Tear the Signs Down
Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead Symphony
Sugababes – Sweet 7

_____________________

March 15th

Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit [mp3: One Armed Bandit (Radio Edit)]
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - The Logic of Chance [Audiovisuals: Get Better]
Glee Cast - Glee: The Music, Vol. 2
Drive-By Truckers - The Big to Do
Gold Heart Assembly - Wolves and Thieves
Shy Child - Liquid Love [mp3: Criss Cross]
_____________________

March 22nd

General Fiasco - Buildings [Audiovisuals: Ever So Shy
Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can [Audiovisuals: Devil’s Spoke]
Jonsi - Go
Goldfrapp - Head First
Autechre - Oversteps
Gabriella Cilmi - Ten
Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
Uffie - Sex, Dreams & Denim Jeans

_____________________

March 29th

Kids In Glass Houses - Dirt [Audiovisuals: Youngblood (Let It Out)]
The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
Hybrid - Disappear Here
FM - Metropolis
Clipse – Till The Casket Drops
Home - The Alchemist
Mariah Carey – Angels Advocate
Usher – Raymond vs Raymond

Blood Red Shoes: Fire Like This

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:51:48 +0000

Words: Gareth O’Malley

Some would say that less is more. We’re sure that Blood Red Shoes, a duo, consisting of Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell, would agree. They make a hell of a lot of noise for a two-piece, though - that’s something we can all agree upon.

The group probably also subscribe to the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ school of thought, though their take on that particular old saying, going by the sound of their new record, would be: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Just give it a bit of polish and check that it’s still running smoothly. For that is exactly what the Brighton-based band have done with ‘Fire Like This’.

Things pick up from where they left off on 2008 debut ‘Box of Secrets’, with the thundering opening salvo of ‘Don’t Ask’ and the album’s second single ‘Light It Up’. Both tracks indicate that the band’s sense of melody is very much intact, flying in the face of reports that they lost their ear for a hook while recording the album. While it must be admitted that only a handful of tracks on ‘Fire Like This’ could be called ‘instant’, the hooks are definite once they are discovered.

By far the best thing about this record, however, is its running order. ‘Fire Like This’ is incredibly cohesive. It is defined by the incredible five-song run that starts with ‘It Is Happening Again’ (a song that features one of the best choruses the duo have written to date) and moves through such things like a Blood Red Shoes stadium-rock song (album highlight, ‘When We Wake’); a song where the group manage to outdo Bloc Party (‘Keeping It Close’); a brilliant slice of garage-pop (‘Count Me Out’); and the post-punk riot of ‘Heartsink’. And this is a sequence that gets better with every single listen.

‘Fire Like This’ hits a slight speedbump with the forgettable ‘Follow the Lines’, but this slip-up can be forgiven when its predecessors are taken into account - it would have been difficult to keep up that kind of momentum all the way through, before getting back on track with a blistering closing pair: ‘One More Empty Chair’ and the ambitious seven-minute epic ‘Colours Fade’ bring the album to a close in style, the latter throwing up lots of interesting questions about where the band’s sound could be headed next.

As said, this pair make a hell of a lot of noise. They’ve also packed a lot of ideas into ‘Fire Like This’. While it might appear that the two-piece have not changed in the slightest since ‘Box of Secrets’, their evolution is soon revealed. Say hello to Blood Red Shoes mark 2, and this incendiary record.

8.7

Audiovisuals: Light It Up

We Are Scientists: Rules Don't Stop

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:15:00 +0000

Words: Gareth O’Malley

Brace yourselves, everyone. We Are Scientists (once again a trio, with former Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows along for the ride) are back; some would say, in more ways than one.

The group gave broadening their horizons a try with 2008’s ‘Brain Thrust Mastery’. The album itself was, and still is, very good, but it’s safe to say that a lot of the band’s fans were thrown a curveball. Nobody was expecting such a genre-straddling record (where, for instance, the stadium-sized ‘After Hours’ rubbed shoulders with the 80s nostalgia of ‘Lethal Enforcer’), and reaction was quite mixed.

Of course, you can’t please everyone. The band themselves are looking to get back to basics; their fourth album is titled ‘Barbara’ (no, us neither) and due in June, and the first fruits of the new record have appeared, in the form of dazzling comeback single ‘Rules Don’t Stop’.

The song itself is released on April 5th. Anthemic and bass-driven, it finds frontman Keith Murray in fine from lyrically (a.k.a. business as usual): ‘Don’t be alarmed, it’s not the end of the world if we’re breaking the rules / It’s fine / I disregard this kind of problem all the time’. It can be best described as being rooted in the sound of 2006’s ‘With Love And Squalor’ (which sounds every bit as good four years on), while retaining the production values and sheen of ‘Brain Thrust Mastery’. It’s a combination that sounds great on paper, but even better on record. A short and snappy two minutes, it’s perfect to get the ball rolling for LP4. Bring it on.

[Streaming via SoundCloud]

We Are Scientists - Rules Don’t Stop by PIAS/Integral

26/2/10 UPDATE: Click that wee link up there. ‘Barbara’ it is, then. What random artwork!

Josiah Wolf - Jet Lag

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:40:14 +0000

words: Jamie Milton
originally scribed for MusicOMH

Multi-instrumentalist and integral component of alternative hip-hop darlings Why?, Josiah Wolf, has taken a step aside from his customary project and all of a sudden, has committed an album of his own. Jet Lag is produced by brother and Why? frontman Yoni Wolf, but its parts are constructed solely by Josiah, who will surprise many with his knack for writing open-minded folk songs with an autumnal charm.

There isn’t a great deal of difference between what’s fashioned on Jet Lag and say, Why?’s recent output: 2009’s Eskimo Snow, which deals with conveying the deep heartfelt emotions alongside a sound that comes from the most bitter cold, and Jet Lag thrives in the same environment.

However where Yoni Wolf’s tones pulse and guide the momentum of a song, Josiah is more of a gently-spoken storyteller, carrying a voice that flips from fragile and at breaking-point to one deep and resounding, perhaps resembling that of his brother’s. The vulnerability of said vocals assists the likes of Master Cleanse (California) and Is The Body Hung in sounding soft and tame; the tap-tap percussion; the dithering marimba patterns; the inviting guitar plucking, all combine beautifully with Josiah’s soothing narrative.

At times the method of songwriting borders on repetitive. Instead of pitting a catchy verse with an even catchier chorus, Wolf chooses to invite the listener in with an infectious hook - usually through an acoustic guitar - before breaking down the thin blanket of atmosphere and introducing something completely different, almost as if he’s lost his trail of thought, be it through boredom or a scatterbrained-deficiency. Either way, when you crave something more from Jet Lag, it tends to disappoint.

Skull In The Ice is an exception; perhaps the most tender of all the songs, it begins with a stripped-down strum and evolves in the chorus with a luscious, rich surrounding. It’s the sort of crescendo all these songs deserve, but the hungover-state of affairs that rings supreme in this record seldom allows for this to happen.

In truth, that whimsical, semi-conscious state of mind rarely hinders Jet Lag - in fact it tends to go arm-in-arm with Josiah’s tales of big cities and pretty girls very nicely. But any break in trend - such as through Ohioho: a sun-tinged, care-free, mid-afternoon anthem - is always welcomed, because this is the kind of album that weighs on you with repeated listens. It could do with taking notes from Ohioho, because it’s this ilk of uplifting, cacophonous sound that suits Why? and Josiah so well.

Nevertheless it’s refreshing to see an often unsung hero break out of his shell and prove himself to be an accomplished songwriter, and best of all, singer. And it strengthens the theory that Why? are a melting pot of talent, still with plenty more to offer.

6.3

mp3// The Trailer and the Truck

AUDIOVISUALS:jj - Let Go

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:53:35 +0000

AUDIOVISUALS:

jj - Let Go