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CD Album Reviews added throughout the month. Watch
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CD Single Reviews
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BY MARTIN SIRL
Machine by South Central
Brilliant high-energy electro dance from Brighton-based duo who claim 20th
century writers Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky among their influences. This is the
same kind of wonderfully infectious nonsense as that pedalled by fellow new wave
clubbers The Klaxons and is one of those tracks all but guaranteed to drag even
the laziest on to the dance floor. There are touches of both the eighties
(Heaven 17) and nineties (Shamen) here but don't be fooled; the overall effect
is something very new and rather clever.
No Cars Go by Arcade Fire
Those mad Canadians return with another offering from their Neon Bible album.
True, the edginess and dark vocals one has come to expect are there in abundance
but this somehow lacks the magic of the last release Intervention which was
altogether more intriguing and different. No Cars Go in contrast is a little on
the bland side and maybe should have remained an album track. And coming so soon
after its predecessor the whole thing smacks of marketing strategy. Sure, it's a
decent track, but we all know Arcade Fire can do so much better than decent so
why settle for it?
Saturday Waits by Loney, Dear
A rising star in his native Sweden, Loney, Dear aka Emil Svanängen makes the
same kind of quirky, low-key pop as those fellow Scandinavians, Kings Of
Convenience. With vocals that are sweet without quite being sugary, and a melody
that's so understated you almost don't realise it's there, Saturday Waits is
hardly going to take the charts by storm but would (and probably will) make
excellent background music in a million student bedsits. Check out Loney, Dear
at the summer festivals if this kind of thinking man's pop is your cup of tea.
Misunderstanding by The Electric Soft
Parade
Two wonderfully haunting numbers from Brighton’s White brothers.
Misunderstanding is a neatly understated slice of psychedelia which shows the
band in mellow mood and demonstrates that what is simplest is usually best. The
accompanying Blue It Is is slower, less commercial but ultimately the more
substantial offering with synthetic strings added to enhance the ethereal mood.
It’s also a Billy MacKenzie song and a touching tribute to the late the
Associates singer.
The Heinrich Maneuver by Interpol
A kind of Strokes meets REM blast from New York’s Interpol. Lyrically this might
be a carefully crafted letter to a lost lover on the west coast but musically
it’s little more than 3 minutes and 25 seconds of plodding post-punk mediocrity.
I search desperately for words to describe this but sadly the only one that
comes to mind is...dull. Enough said.
Graphs, Maps and Trees by Assembly Now
Charming and unassuming pop from hotly tipped London 4-piece. Punchy, neat and
actually pretty likeable this is the Arctic Monkeys relocated to the capital and
penning songs about the South Bank rather than Sheffield council estates. It’s
no coincidence that this is produced by John Fortis, the man behind most of
Razorlight’s recent successes as Graphs, Maps and Trees shares the same crisp
production values as those one associates with Johnny Burrell and the boys.
Jealous Girls by Gossip
Washington-based, podgy singer-fronted Gossip return with more punk/dance fusion
in which vocalist Beth Ditto takes another sideswipe at her teenage tormentors.
Bags of energy and like all their material this is once again rude, brash and
totally in your face (all normally creditable qualities). But in truth there’s
not much here to suggest that Gossip are yet coming anywhere near to fulfilling
all that early promise. Only the extra track Coal To Diamonds, the most
minimalist of ballads, offers anything you might not have heard before.
Wires And Wool by The Envy Corps
Sounding something like the lost son of U2 and The Verve, The Envy Corps are an
indie quartet hailing from the unlikely source of Ames, Indiana with a taste for
descending bass lines, soaring guitar parts and violins. On first hearing Wires
And Wool sounds like nothing more than a mismatch of different sounds and
influences. But stick with it because repeated plays suggest that the whole here
is actually much more than the sum of the parts. Luke Pettipoole’s lead vocals
are nothing if not distinctive and the melody, while it does take a while to
reveal itself, actually turns out to be pretty darn catchy.
Her by T D Lind
The much travelled troubadour T D Lind returns with a sixties-influenced number
that fairly bounces along, thanks in no small part to a rich and buoyant
accompaniment of jangly guitars and Hammond organ. Lind’s voice, which at
various times has shades of both Peter Noone and Neil Finn is perfect for this
kind of summery tune. Every one of Lind’s releases continues to convince me that
the man is more deserving of success than most. Yet the presence of the bluesy,
7-minute long Disco Boat here suggests that Lind is perhaps a touch too clever
for his own good. While he might be ready for the charts the question remains:
are the charts ready for T D Lind?
What Is This Feeling? by The Sessions
Debut release by a London-based outfit rapidly making a name for themselves on
the indie circuit. What Is This Feeling? is crisp, soulful and catchy and is
driven along by some of the sweetest guitar this side of Johnny Marr. Imagine
Stone Roses with Curtis Mayfield on vocals and you’ll be getting close. After
one play interesting, after two rather likeable, but be warned because by the
third you’re going to be well and truly hooked. The accompanying So Wanna Go is
pretty good too. The Sessions: a name to look out for.
Spaced Out Refugee by Simon Kent
Multi-talented, animal loving and general all round good guy, local boy Simon
Kent makes good with this sweet synth-led anthem, the quality of which would no
doubt send it rushing to the top of the charts were it to originate from a more
established name. The Portsmouth singer-songwriter writes, sings and plays every
instrument on this (demonstrating that it is in fact possible to be a Jack Of
All Trades while still mastering one’s art) and in doing so comes up with
something that has all the pop sensibilities of the eighties whilst not sounding
the least bit dated. Look out for the next big thing from the city that gave us
Joe Jackson and Gentle Giant.
Paris Nights by Suburbian
With Portmouth’s Simon Kent in such good form it's encouraging to see that there
is so much blooming talent around the county and this release from fellow Pompey
lads Suburbian promises much for the future. Paris Nights and Circle are
wonderfully atmospheric pop songs that appropriately take their musical lead
from those other local boys, Southampton's Delays. In contrast By The River and
Hazy Days are less commercial but arguably the more interesting numbers as the
band, who have clearly honed themselves into a pretty tight outfit, experiment
with various changes in style and tempo. Versatility is obviously one of
Suburbian's strength, the only consistent factor here being Loz' fine lead
vocals, which simply stand out on every track.
Hurricanes by Pull Tiger Tail
Catchy, but essentially harmless pop from London 3-piece. Lyrically clever, but
musically this just meanders along like a poor man’s U2, always threatening to
reach a climax but never quite getting there. It’s perhaps unfair to expect too
much from a band that have been together for less than a year and Pull Tiger
Tail have plenty of time to develop their sound if only they could discover that
one other crucial ingredient: a truly memorable song.
The Crying Girl EP by Mosquito
Being sceptical by nature I couldn’t help seeing flashing dollar signs before me
when I noticed realised that Mosquito are fronted by Any Dream Will Do
contestant Seamus Cullen. But in fairness this is actually a pretty good effort.
It’s a hefty dose of soft rock, that tips its hat in the direction of early
seventies rock acts like Yes and Camel and is actually a breath of fresh air in
a world where most new bands set out to sound like Coldplay, The Arctic Monkeys
or Blink 182. The most impressive track here is Heal Me, on which Cullen’s voice
is given free reign to excel on the kind intricate melody of which fellow new
wave ‘progressives’ like Muse or Radiohead would be quite proud.
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