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albums - current and forthcoming releases... page 29 |
September 2003 |
BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB Take Them On, On Your Own (Virgin) |
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BLACK. No question about it really. The clothes, the hair, the riffs; nothing here does anything to dispel the equation that BRMC = JAMC from the forefront of your mind. This, of course, is a great thing because the Mary Chain rocked. And so did Primal Scream around the time of their eponymous second album so get that black leather on now! Its black in mood throughout though as well, and never more so than on the albums two outpourings of human emotion, Shade Of Blue and And Im Aching. REBEL. Okay, so its sometimes without a cause but they certainly look and sound the part. Despite what some sections of the music press may have told you, US Government is not a scathing political broadside aimed at bringing down Bush but it is another stomping good tune in an album full of em. Similarly, the sneering, snarling Generation is little more than a plea not to be lumped into whatever scene is fashionable this week. Probably the most rebellious thing here is that the monumental MBV-style title track is hidden before the album. MOTORCYCLE. Apart from the black leather thing that I seem curiously fixated on, Rise Or Fall is set to a thunderous noise like a hundred Harleys revving around your ears whilst Ha Ha High Babe achieves the incredibly rare distinction of being an interesting one-line song courtesy of the dirtiest, fuzziest riffing on the album. CLUB. Aside from the gang mentality and image, the opening three tracks would be absolute killers at a club. People are so used to hearing Oasis ripping off other bands that no one seems to have noticed that current single Stop owes much of its swagger to the Mancs early tour de force, Columbia. A title like Six Barrel Shotgun leaves you under no illusions as to what it should sound like and it doesnt disappoint and Were All In Love pretty much sums up how any listener ought to feel about this record. Take Them On, On Your Own should have been a difficult second album given what they had to follow and the surrounding hype. Instead theyve upped the ante from BRMC, with Nick Jagos ferocious drumming proving that his stamina isnt solely reserved for awards speeches and the guitars turned unashamedly up to 11. Like creosoting your shed with the aforementioned leading brand, it was a piece of piss. Reviewed by James S
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JET Get Born (East West) | |
So far so straightforwardly dynamic, air-punching rocknroll. The single Are You Gonna Be My Girl is a perfect composite of all theyre good at: melodic Beatles-like opening (is it coincidence that the girl in the song has a Get Back stare?), before tumbling into Stones-like riffery and topped by an Iggy Pop vocal. Best song is Rollover DJ which isnt as blatant as their famous Disco Sucks t-shirt message but its still a sly dig at superstar DJs: I know that you think youre a star/ a pill-popping jukebox is all you are. Whats surprising about Jet and so good about the album is that it has a lot more depth than the band themselves reveal in interviews. Lazy Gun has glam rock guitar effects but a strange downbeat edge thats complex and well worth hearing. Then you get to the ballads: Move On is a countryish slowie, with standard rock lyrics but Look What Youve Done is a stratospheric, anthemic big noise. It sounds like a Noel Gallagher number with serious Beatles twitches. It suggests that Jet are looking to take Oasis place with their mix of rockers and singalong-with-yer-lighters tunes. With the Rolling Stones approaching retirement, garage rock becoming a turgid rehash of old riffs, and Oasis struggling to be relevant anymore, this album suggests that the big hole might just be filled like a band called Jet. Roll on Knebworth! Reviewed by Ged M
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AMATEUR NIGHT IN THE BIG TOP Amateur Night In The Big Top (Offworld Sounds) | |
The shows not over till the fat bloke sings, however, or perhaps in this case, drawls. Recorded in Australia with cousin and Grand Central Station Design guy Pat Carroll and former Cabaret Voltaire member Stephen Mallinder, Ryder is back, with a project quite unlike Happy Mondays or Black Grape. Over sprawling ambient dubby grooves, Shaun, never much of a singer in the classical sense anyway, sounds fucked, like an old smack victim recounting half remembered stories. Yet somehow, this isnt half as bad as it sounds. Sure its dark, but also funny, sometimes even poignant, particularly when he sings of ice cream and good times with members of the Ramones in Long Legs (Parts 1, 2, 3). In Clowns Ryder tells us how he doesnt want to get beaten to death by clowns. Fair enough I say. Perhaps the surest sign of Ryders descent from Northern Soul Brother to Shane MacGowan like state happens at the end of the first track, The Story, in which Shaun sings the chorus from 24 Hour Party People. This time it sounds sarcastic, not at all like the call-to-arms of the Mondays song. Like watching a car crash, one cant help but be enthralled and upset at the same time while listening to Amateur Night In The Big Top, yet if you are able to keep in mind that youre not listening to a Happy Mondays or Black Grape album, you will find yourself rewarded. And really, we should be thankful the guy is still with us at all. Reviewed by Rob B
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TIM BURGESS I Believe (PIAS Recordings) | |
There are too many E, as well as M, O and R, numbers on here for your typical indie kid but its a Mojo readers influence-spotting delight. The clear production reveals the breathtaking romantic naivety of the lyrics (if I were only a boy again/ I would build a new shelter for all the kids to live in) as well as his lovesick balladry (on too many songs to list here). I shouldnt like Oh My Corazon with its anthemic US drivetime beat and naïve lyrics but that big-lipped mouth just seems to suck you in. I want to be cynical but There is so much here to pull holes in: the albums retro, slick, naïve, more mainstream than Beck and yet Tim Burgess is impossible to dislike. You take a look at his happy face in the middle of the sleeve booklet and you believe that he believes in the music and that his relentless optimism is genuine. Though its more likely to feature on the end of year lists of Q Magazine than NME, there are many more worse things in the mainstream. And its good to see, at least, that his fire hasnt gone out. Reviewed by Ged M
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M83 Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts (Labels) | |
Our induction is a gentle affair with 'Birds', a swirl of fleeting synth strings, sampled chirps and tweets amongst a Brave New World computerised mantra. We're then treated to a ethereal cinematic soundtrack with 'Unrecorded', reminiscent of the late lamented icelandic group, Mum. It goes on...'In Church' and 'Noise', both big songs, one with organ rich melodies, the other a Harold Budd/Cocteau Twins Moon of the Melodies delight. Pushing on, and confirming my seriously above cloud mood music suspicions, are an excellent collection of electronic post rock experiences....I say experiences over songs as each one paints a very vivid picture. 'On a White Lake, Near a Green Mountain' takes you to said place...America, with its intense build up of interference ridden broadcasts, and whoozy guitars, cuts dead half way through, then rises, phoenix like, to continue the rift...it speaks volumes about its chosen subject. I could go on...additional tracks like 'Cyborg', 'Gone' and 'Beauties Can Die' add to the pot with their own intense flavours, leading to one delicious stew. Its a very truthful album, each carefully titled and very emotional, but not one that leaves you feeling empty...quite the opposite, I found it totally uplifting as opposed to other Post Rock killers like Silver Mount Zion and Godspeed. Come on...prove you have a soul and experience this album. Reviewed by Adam M
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CHEMICAL BROTHERS Singles 1993-2003 (Virgin) | |
As tunes these are pretty varied and faultless. Presented in sequential order they show a progression from early the cutnmatch approach - Song to the Siren sounded like a song waiting to start, full of breaks but not seeming to launch into a song as I knew it. Therein lay the challenge to my indie sensibilities of wanting verse/chorus/verse structure. And somehow the Brothers worked out to cross back and forth over the electronica/indie boundary, combining big beat drums and rhythms with rock guitars, funk bass, weird noises to shake your head to, and bringing in rock/indie vocals from the likes of Bernard Sumner (Out of Control) and Noel Gallagher (the mighty Setting Sun and the paler follow up Let Forever Be). Dance with a rock attitude, probably best describes it. With the new millennium, however, the music has seemed to take a verve to more streamlined ambient electronica, with the linear soundscape of Star Guitar (an excellent video could be worth checking the DVD release connected with this) taking you on train journey of sorts. And what of the new tracks? Get Yourself High is a funky, rappy affair, whilst The Golden Path, is an unchanging apparently slight rhythm that nudges itself softly at the back of the brain as Flaming Lips Wayne Coyne adds his sore tonsils to a tale of the afterlife. Not an immediate tune or obvious single choice but then was Song to the Siren? A gentle grower. And as with any selection there are those who will argue for the inclusion of the ignored Elektrobank, It Started in Afrika or Music:Response for example. Though why the excellent Loops of Fury - with its mighty beats, build ups and whooshes of volume - is relegated to the second CD of the limited edition is downright criminal. (Many fond memories of eliminating contenders in Wipeout 2097 with it on, er, loop from the game's soundtrack). Nevertheless, whether youre a fan or a newbie theres little arguing that the goods on display are pretty damn tasty. Even without Loops of Fury .. grrrrrr. Now wheres my copy of Wipeout Reviewed by Kev O
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SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Phantom Power (Columbia) | |
This of course, means that the techno elements in songs such as Mountain People and No Sympathy are largely absent, and its glam rock and West Coast pop all the way. The problem is, so far into their career, Im not sure if relying simply on the melodies really works this time. In attempting to make another Radiator (this reviewers favourite album), SFA sound a little uninspired, something I could rarely have accused them of in the past. Some of the lyrics here are great, the usual social commentary (particularly the anti-US Liberty Belle and The Piccolo Snare) mixed with amusing lines like Im a minger/Youre a minger too/So come on minger/I want to ming with you. One of the better songs here Venus And Serena, is a poignant tale of a boy and his love for his two pet turtles. The two Father Father instrumentals make for beautiful, moving folk music, akin to the title track from Nick Drakes classic Bryter Layter, and Huws Sex, War And Robots is a slow-burner that wouldnt have sounded out of place on Dark Side Of The Moon. But then theres tracks like Bleed Forever, which sound like an uninspired rehash of past glories. Maybe Im wrong. It certainly wouldnt be the first time. Maybe Phantom Power is a grower. But on the first few listens it appears that the innovative, eclectic Welsh eccentrics may have finally ran out of steam. Reviewed by Rob B
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SOLEDAD BROTHERS Voice of Treason (Loog) | |
Thats both a plus and a minus. The Soledad Brothers are blues-literate, so, in sound as well as in attitude to influences, theyre similar to the Stones and Yardbirds in the early 60s. The Elucidator is a boastful blues in best John Lee Hooker fashion. Cage That Tiger and On Time are clear sounding, stomping blues with almost a glam-rock sheen. Aint It Funny has a Doors-sounding organ and grinding rhythm. Only Flower in My Bed takes another fork, a slower, Memphis soul type number with anguished vocals. But their faithfulness is also a straightjacket. Where Jack White infuses his blues with a layer of irony, the Brothers play it straight. But weve gained irony where we used to have damnation so those blues staples - the sense of relief and release, religion and sex - just arent there to give the music the same charge. Depending on context, a traditional song like Lay Down This World can either be a song of resignation and surrender to a higher power or just an exciting, repetitious lyric meaning as much as any of the other song on the album. Maybe their own Sight Unseen is a better signifier: these are the times that try belief is a true enough blues for today. That song is a standout, with its dirty blues rumble and dark lyrics reminiscent of the Kills before it bursts into Yardbirds-inflected life. Loreli too is another knockout: slower, more personal and, by deploying its blues tags more sparingly, all the better for it. So its not exactly original. But it does stand against the prevailing culture in the best (or worst) Motor City tradition. Its view might be retrospective but when that view also looks back to ideas like freedom of expression and the right to dissent, then its another point in their favour. Reviewed by Ged M
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FIEL GARVIE Leave Me Out Of This (Foundling) | |
The first thing that really hits you is the voice. A breathy blend of English and some deeply mangled vowels, its located somewhere between Bjork, Isobel from Drugstore and Drusilla from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. So what exotic world city do these curious vocals call home? Madrid maybe? Prague perhaps? No, Norwich. Nevermind. With a name as dodgy as some of her intonation, Anne Reekie leads the similarly dubiously-monikered Fiel Garvie in some oddly compelling musical directions though. Its a safe bet to say that there wont be many albums released this year with such reverberating echoes of the Cocteau Twins and Slowdive amongst its many audible influences. Leave Me Out Of This is book-ended by B-Rock and Flake, which along with Reeling As You Come Around Again, are the sound of Sigur Ros relocated to a longboat on the Norfolk Broads. The excellent Got A Reason, Doortime and Old Friend are a meeting of minds between Lush before they wrote the hits and My Bloody Valentine when they werent writing any, otherwise known as their whole career. They even doff their caps respectfully in the direction of The Delgados on the likes of Caught On and He Goes, She Goes. The lyrics may be largely superfluous under the elegantly swirling noise they layer around them but that didnt stop any of the other aforementioned bands from recording some absolutely magical music over the last dozen or so years. As long as theyre happy with the same limited level of success as their predecessors, it shouldnt stop Fiel Garvie either. Reviewed by James S
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GORKYS ZYGOTIC MYNCI Sleep/Holiday (Sanctuary) | |
It kicks off with the sweetly melodic Waking For Winter, remarkable for the way that Megans violin plays off Euros voice as the song chugs along in its lovely piano-led way. Mow The Lawn is a manic rock number on the lines of Johnny Boy, with lashings of fiddle and playful lyrics like I cant see my tootsies when Im doing the Watusi. The South of France is folky, quiet and solemn, with lots of delicate picking while Country is exactly that, quick, warm and fiddly. Happiness is an Alex Chilton meets Elton John ballad, warm and optimistic, rising to something majestic and heart-filling. Every Gorkys album has a knock-me-down classic and Eyes of Green, Green, Green is this albums chief contender. Its melodic, happy and romantic, on which guitar, bass and violin all chip in equally to create something supremely catchy. The disappointing thing about Gorkys albums is that they arent consistently gripping. This one is better than most but still has its longeurs. The highlights are in the first two thirds; the final four or five tracks are of a piece: delicate, slow, quiet, epic, anti-climactic; Pretty As A Bee is ten minutes of almost-psychedelia, the drone-pop containing elements of church music. The title suggests that there are two elements to the album; I suspect people will enjoy the first part more. Theres plenty there to cement the Gorkys reputation but their great album is still to come. Reviewed by
Ged M
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KINGS OF LEON Youth And Young Manhood (Hand Me Down) | |
And so I waited for this album eagerly. But then the hype started. Fuck, every time the ENEMY start hyping a band up it ruins things. It was a long time before I got the Strokes album, I liked what I heard but seeing them in the music rags all the time was off-putting, and Elephant, good as it is, simply isnt worth all the constant press it recieves. Youth And Young Manhood, on those first all-important listens, passes the test. Red Morning Light sets the pace for the next 45 minutes well. Okay, it steals the riff of Pink Floyds Interstellar Overdrive, and lets us know were hardly dealing with the most original band on the planet here. All the tracks here revolve around sex and love in one way or another, as all good debut rock albums should. But its the energy that really wins you over on Youth And Young Manhood, especially when Caleb abandons his lazy drawl and screams like a banshee in Joes Head. To put it bluntly, I defy anyone to come up with a better summer album for 2003. Reviewed by Rob B
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JAYHAWKS Rainy Day Music (Lost Highway) | |
Reviewed by
Daniel S
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THE WILDHEARTS The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed! (Gut) | |
Reviewed by Martin H
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THE MEETING PLACES Find Yourself Along the Way (Words On Music) | |
Two years old this month, LA quartet The Meeting Places may fall under the heading shoegazing/dreampop (which in lesser hands often means pillow-gazing, snooze-pop), evoking the soundscapes of Ride, J&MC and Slowdive; and while a spin of this debut effort doesnt exactly find them dragging the genre kicking and screaming into the third millennium, they do update and transcend that early 90s sound with something more uplifting, veering in a more indie-pop direction. Of course theres the trademark hazy, shimmering guitar sound and laidback vocals, but whereas other singers can border on the catatonic, Chase Harris sounds at least 75% awake; one song is even called Wide Awake. Opener Freeze Our Stares starts with a sustained guitar line that sounds like a fire alarm going off next door before sliding effortlessly into a slow, magical dreampop groove. On Our Own is a sunny uptempo number that sparkles like the dew on a summers morn with some rockier, choppy guitar kicking in near the end while the following See Through You is a poignant acoustic affair with beautiful, understated piano from Aaron Espinoza (who also recorded and mixed the album). Now I Know You Could Never be the One and Wide Awake see repetitive jangly rhythm guitar riffs dominant in the verses, Scott McDonalds guitar creating ambient, chiming washes in the background. Standout track is the epic Spiritualized-like Take to the Sun. Starting slow with distant vocals and ambient space-rock guitar, it creeps up on you, suddenly hitting a heavier groove, bass and drums, up to now underpinning everything simply but effectively, getting a workout, the song fading out with fuzzy guitar noodling. It coulda been a dramatic album closer but instead the Places give us a more conventional, mellow coda in Turned Over. Still, an evocative and auspicious debut. Reviewed by Graham S
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