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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
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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
Golden Skans by Klaxons
Surprisingly upbeat release from the occult-fixated London dance merchants for
whom 2007 should be a formative year. But then again, Klaxons are rapidly
proving to be a band with more than a few surprises up their sleeves. Golden
Skans is more Cast than Crowley and, frankly, is a pretty shameless attempt at
cracking the mainstream singles charts. But who cares. It’s bright, catchy and
more infectious than a January flu bug and may well be levitating its way up the
UK Top 40 by the time Klaxons appear at Portsmouth Pyramids on 20th February.
This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race by Fall Out Boy
Great title, shame about the song. An odd pop/rock hybrid from a band who have
been consistently inconsistent in their output to date. This Ain’t A Scene
changes tempo as many times as some bands manage in an entire career which, if
nothing else, makes for a real roller coaster ride. But those of us who don’t
care for roller coasters only find they leave us feeling confused, dissatisfied,
and nursing a mild headache. Rather like the effect this song had on me, in
fact. Strictly one for the FOB devotees I’m afraid.
High School Never Ends by Bowling For Soup
Ever had that feeling nothing’s really changed since your school days? Same old
friends, same old hang-ups and somehow you still can’t get your hair to look
quite right in the mornings. These are very much the sentiments of this quite
wonderful slice of observational power pop from Texas’ Bowling For Soup. Though
told from a US perspective (where Reese Whitherspoon is Prom Queen and Bill
Gates chess club captain) it’s a story that strikes a chord the whole world
over. Add in a killer chorus and High School Never Ends is punchy, enjoyable and
sure to provide another huge hit for the boys from Wichita Falls. If you can
still get hold of tickets (and it may be too late now) you can catch Bowling For
Soup, along with Wheatus, Son Of Dork and Army Of Freshmen at Southampton
Guildhall on 7th February. Now, where did I put that baseball cap...
Wound Up by Le Reno Amps
Joyful romp from a new young band from deepest Scotland. Imagine The Arctic
Monkeys covering The Only Ones’ Another Girl, Another Planet and you’ll have a
rough idea of Le Reno Amps’ sound. As gloriously irreverent as the former and as
ingenious as the latter, one hearing is enough to tell you that this is one big
juicy hunk of fun capable of warming hearts and feet alike on the chilliest of
winter mornings. Available for download from 26th February.
In Vain by Mark-Anthony Abel
I’m not quite sure what Mark-Anthony Abel has there’s no doubt the man has
something. Difficult to categorise, In Vain is a kind of bastard son of Coldplay
and Terence Trent D’Arby: an irritatingly catchy pop song with just the
slightest nod in the direction of the eighties. However, there is something of a
‘work in progress’ feel to this that suggests that Abel hasn’t yet come up with
the perfect song/producer combination that might provide a vital commercial
breakthrough. I found the production here a little on the tinny side but the
songs have enough about them to suggest that much better things might be around
the corner.
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