All Record Reviews
One Day As A Lion EP
One Day As A Lion
Anti
2009-07-22
Think you know what a duo comprised of Zack de la Rocha and Jon Theodore is going to sound like? Here’s what they say: “One Day As A Lion is both a warning delivered and a promise kept … The name taken from the infamous 1970 black and white, captured by legendary Chicano photographer George Rodriguez featuring a center framed tag on a white wall in an unspecified section of Boyle Heights. It reads: ‘It’s better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb.’ This record is a stripped down attempt to realize this sentiment in sound.” So what do we get? Well yes, it is pretty much what you thought it was going to be — engaging, punchy beats coupled with heavy, catchy riffs and tied up with some aggro topical rhymes beat and spat out over the top — but as full of feeling, energy and power as it is, this is exactly why it’s good.
Save Your Light for Darker Days
Digitonal
Just Music
2008-09-04
Producer and instrumentalist Andy Dobson has been writing and performing music as Digitonal since the late 1990s, but his music did not start to fulfil its full potential until a chance meeting with Egyptian session violinist Samy Bishai. Combining electronica with a classical sound proves a combination that will set your spirit soaring on waves of cinematic atmosphere.
A-Z Bestival 2008
Rob da Bank
Sunday Best Recordings
2008-09-01
The Rob da Bank curated boutique festival Bestival has earned a well-loved reputation in the UK. The annual music event on the Isle of Wight has a diverse range of artists from across the musical spectrum, and this third album gives those who have tickets — and even those who have — to listen to an A to Z of those performing at next month’s event. Seeing Aphex Twin, Roots Manuva, The Human League and Foals on the double CD tracklist is enough to bring a few raised eye brows at their juxtaposition — probably to the approval of Rob da Bank.
Paperwork
volcano!
The Leaf Label
2008-09-01
Chicago trio volcano! have been on a two-year hiatus since their debut album Beautiful Seizure received rave reviews in 2005. Exploring the parameters of rock, the band have tried to maintain a balance of melody and noise on Paperwork, often beginning with simple pop structures and then tearing them apart with reckless abandon to elicit a bodily reaction. They’ve also brought a political stance into their lyrics, coupled with a sense of humour, to deliver a challenging album often with its tongue firmly in its cheek.
Another English Summer EP
Future Loop Foundation
Pinncale
2008-09-01
Following up their album The Fading Room released earlier this year, Future Loop Foundation release an EP featuring “Another English Summer” taken from the LP and featuring two remixes courtesy of Hesso and Tunng. Coming from an album built from highly personal and organic ingredients using recordings of family interviews that have laid dormant in an attic somewhere in the north of England for almost a quarter of a century, it’s Englishness is unmistakable, and the electronic and acoustic samples give it a chilled, Lemon Jelly quality.
Volumes EP
The Mirimar Distaster
Undergroove
2008-09-01
Although the opening bite of first track “Alms For Strangers” is distinctly “Welcome To The Jungle”-like, Volumes, the new EP from Sheffield’s The Mirimar Disaster, quickly tears in to heavy instro-core, incredibly Mastodon-like with its pincing guitar line, throbbing bass and athletic percussion. The feel of Atlanta’s finest is felt further on the next couple of Volumes’ tracks too — both the annoyingly-named but impressive “Control. Alter. Delete.” and the similarly engaging title track — with forceful metal/hardcore blend, swirling and chugging riffery and aggro throat-work.
White Fields and Open Devices
Vessels
Cuckundoo records
2008-08-18
Leeds five-piece Vessels started life in 2005 and developed their live set over more than 100 shows. Their adventurous nature absorbed the influences of metal, electronica, American indie and folk to become a post rock act that has drawn comparisons with Felt, Cocteau Twins the mighty Sigur Ros. In finally capturing their music onto a recording, they have faithfully recreated the emotion which greets audiences at their gigs.
Brotherhood
The Chemical Brothers
Virgin
2008-08-01
It hasn’t been long since the last “best of” album from The Chemical Brothers brought together all their singles between 1993 and 2003, so with only two albums to draw new material from it might be considered a little cheeky to release another. The fact it matches the dance duo’s only UK gig at the huge Kensington Olympia might also give the impression it’s a bit of a cash-in, and not for the avid fans eagerly awaiting their sixth studio album. The good news is while Brotherhood has the tracks you’d expect, there is also a bonus CD well be worth the outlay even if you do have every other one of major releases.
The Art of Acid
Justin Robertson
Harmless
2008-07-28
The 20th anniversary of acid house this year has brought special club night celebrations, acid-themed tents at festivals and many hazy memories of the Hacienda from those old enough to try to remember them. The baggy fashion may be a long way from returning to popular rave culture, but everyone seem to be keen to get back into the acid vibe in 2008. To mark the occasion, one of the few continuing purveyors of acid house, Justin Robertson, has stepped up the decks to provide a mix that delves into the past to pay homage to all those that influenced and inspired him in his formative years on the dance-floor of the Hacienda during the nascent days of the scene.
Visiter
The Dodos
Wichita
2008-07-14
The Dodos’ UK debut, Visiter is ushered in with gentle acoustic guitar and banjo pluckings, typical of its folk-informed stylings, and the first track “Walking” continues onwards with warm singing (stronger male lead, female-guest-backed on the softer chorus) and upbeat, plodding rhythms and melodies. It’s by no means a simply straight forward record though and the short opening track segues straight into the still folk-based but more progressive single “Red and Purple”, where the beat and instrumental backing is urgent with frantic strummings and percussive hits and hints of discordance and darker harmonies at points — despite the foreground vocals offering the same melodic delivery displayed on the opener.
Life… The Best Game In Town
Harvey Milk
Hydra Head
2008-07-07
Back with a vengeance, rolling forth in thick, foaming waves comes chug after chug of the pure power sludge that is Harvey Milk and their latest offering Life… The Best Game In Town. Lulling the listener in with pretty chords and sweet chorals the opening of “Death Goes To The Winner” (i.e. of the Game of Life…) then bursts into everything that you’d ever want a new Harvey Milk album to do, and then some. It’s hard to work out whether that meaty, metallic instrumental chug beaten out by Creston Spiers, Stephen Tanner and (new boy to the Milk, old boy of the scene) Joe Preston is actually more meaty and metallic than Creston’s vocals — either way the point is the same. This first track shows off the skills of a perhaps more masterful and focused Harvey Milk than seen previously, as after its quiet/loud oppositions the songs chug is spun out building momentum for several powerful minutes, before ending with a referential (and suicidal) twist on The Beatles “A Day In The Life”.
Bozzwell
Bozzwell
Firm
2008-06-30
Firing out some electrifying dancefloor lasers from his launch pad in Sheffield, David Bozzwell releases this self-titled 12” on Cologne’s Firm recordings. “Marlenes Eyes” and “Fionas Song” send you slipping off into a private dancefloor daydream, sleek and finely tailored microhouse anglosaxonotron arrangements, with a remix of “Fionas Song” on the flip side from long time Kompakt affiliate Dirk Leyers.
Twilight Bird EP
Brendan Campbell
Everybody Records
2008-06-16
Twilight Bird is the first EP from Glasgow native Brendan Campbell who, along with his guitar, follows in the tracks of a rich tradition of British male folk singer-songwriters notably including Bert Jansch and Davy Graham.
Los Angeles
Flying Lotus
Warp Records
2008-06-09
Flying Lotus is among a new generation of artists emerging from California. A movement has captured worldwide attention, fueled by hip hop and bleeing edge dance music which has brought Flying Lotus almost instant widespread acclaim. This debut release on Warp Records takes inspiration from Los Angeles to form a deep, soulful and intricate album even the mighty Autechre would be proud of producing today.
Blood Looms and Blooms
Leila
Warp
2008-06-09
From releasing records on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label, to djing with Bjork, to working with Terry Hall, Leila Arab probably hasn’t had to look far for inspiration for her music. Blood Looms and Blooms is her third LP, this time on Warp Records, following Like Weather and Courtesy of Choice and comes well stocked with collaborators and fluid, shape-shifting electronica.
Third Hand Prophecy
A. Human
Wall of Sound
2008-06-02
A. Human are a quirky band. The London six piece puts singer Dave Human’s psycho-monologues to analogue basslines and razorsharp guitars for an electro-androgyny rock sound. Coming across like a Gary Numan backed by the usual synths plus a tinge of modern indie, A. Human have a similar skill at bringing slightly deranged storytelling, including women with knives for hands and men with deer hands, together with waves of catchy electronics. It’s still a winning formula, and this throwback to early electro will be appreciated even more by anyone with a fondness for the rawness that came with it.
Exiting Arm
Subtle
Lex
2008-06-02
Subtle’s last record For Hero: For Fool was the sound of six accomplished producers/musicians coming together and crafting something altogether very impressive — a catchy and complex collage of progressive hip-hop-tinged pop music that really projected the group forward. Eighteen months on though and the arrival of the follow-up Exiting Arm is a semi-disappointing affair.
Pogo EP
Digitalism
Virgin Records
2008-05-26
Hamburg electronic duo Digitalism have found their popularity continues well after the release of their album Idealism last year with more festival bookings and the release of this five-track EP featuring four remixes of crowd-favourite “Pogo”. As with most EPs like this, listening to the whole thing in one go is “Pogo” overload, however in isolation there are three solid remixes and a welcome bonus track.
Replica Sun Machine
The Shortwave Set
Wall of Sound
2008-05-12
The Shortwave Set’s first LP of “Victorian funk”, The Debt Collection, was a slow burning critical success, but not enough commercial goodwill was garnered for the Depford three-piece to remain on their first label, Independiente. However, this kudos managed to gain them a deal with Wall Of Sound, a move to Hollywood to record the follow-up, Replica Sun Machine, and the patronage of three surprising individuals. The album is produced by knob-twiddler du jour Danger Mouse and has contributions from The Velvet Underground’s John Cale and Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks, but this embarrassment of riches are not just window dressing for the profile.
Sunday At Devil Dirt
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
V2
2008-05-12
Following 2006’ acclaimed and Mercury nominated Ballad Of The Broken Seas comes another collaboration between Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan. Sunday At Devil Dirt sees the ex-Belle and Sebastian femme continuing the journey started with that previous work and its stand out tracks like “The Circus Is Leaving Town”, and penning more country edged-folk ballads here, ripe for the swarthy tones of whisky-barrel-throated former Screaming Trees/Queens Of The Stone Age vocalist Lanegan.
Smile
Boris
Southern Lord
2008-05-05
Forty years ago Brian Wilson’s only too engulfing Smile project could easily have been his masterpiece, and some say that when it finally arrived it actually was. For Boris however, Smile is just business as usual — veering more towards The Beach Boys standard repetition work after their creative period came to an end in the 1970s. This is not purely a criticism of Boris and just as these Beach Boys records still offered some great tracks Smile is a solid record with some great moments, but despite its beaming title it probably wont be shining out of their discography.
7 Dunham Place
Loco Dice
Desolat
2008-04-28
Loco Dice is already famous as a minimal techno pioneer in the DJ booth and on his productions for major labels such as M_nus, Cadenza, Ovum, Four Twenty and Cocoon. But it has taken six years of singles and remixes before the man from Dusseldorf produce a set of tracks to be released as a debut album and, like most minimal tracks, the essence is in the care and attention which has gone into it. Together with producer Martin Buttrich, he spent a year in New York City to work on this LP, where they took photographs in an effort to capture the soul of a city in music through careful observations of urban tribes that crisscross and sometimes clash, of minute details and sensory impressions. As admirable mission statement, however 7 Dunham Place doesn’t quite fulfil these ambitions.
The Fading Room - Memories & Remixes
Future Loop Foundation
Just Music
2008-04-28
Future Loop Foundation a.k.a Mark Barrott has been creating music of diverse influences for some time - releasing music since 1996, taking inspiration over the years from early Detroit techno and drum and bass in his earlier releases, before progressing on to producing downbeat and chill out after moving to Berlin some years later. I’ll admit to not being familiar with his work before this (possibly an age thing), but listening to this latest release it’s clear that this immanently personal and emotional collection of tracks comes from an artist consolidating his various musical and life influences and creating an album imbued with nostalgia and dreamy childhood memories.
The Barbarians Move In
Duels
DIY
2008-04-28
Duels’ first record, The Bright Lights and What I Should Have Learned was released in the spring of 2006, but despite great reviews they parted company with then record company Nude and the LP rather sank without a trace. That the two Foulger brothers (Jon and Jim), Jon Maher and James Kirkbright have come back with another excellent record is testament to their determination and also shows that they are one of the UK’s more underrated bands (for how much longer?).
Dig That Treasure
Cryptasize
Asthmatic Kitty
2008-04-21
Cryptasize is the new project by two-thirds of The Curtains, Nedelle Torrisi and Chris Cohen. They hunted down drummer Michael Carreira to join after seeing a video of him playing cowbell. They formed in a near-derelict house with sloping floors which could have given rise to the unusual arrangements, and that house’s position next to a sugar factory (and a constant, dizzying smell of burning sugar) may have contributed to the sweet, strange songs. Then again, maybe these had nothing to do with it. Regardless, it’s nice to have a back story and this peculiar inception has produced a lovely debut.
Box of Secrets
Blood Red Shoes
V2
2008-04-14
Blood Red Shoes are Laura-Mary Carter (vocals, guitar) and Steve Ansell (vocals, drums), who formed a few years ago in the wake of both’s previous groups splitting up, after having previously met in a donut shop and become friends by nature of liking the same things. Their shared sensibilities and interests come easily across in the focused drive of their angsty rock songs and the pair offer a refreshing music simultaneously louder than most who are this numerically-limited (personnel-wise), and catchier than most this loud.
Hostile Takeover EP
Spring Tides
Blank Tapes
2008-04-07
The ‘Unreal World Music’ found on the mysterious collective Spring Tides’ debut EP and is as good a description as any for the unconventional and genre crossing tracks found on it. Released as a 12” white label on Blank Tapes last year, the EP is now getting more of a proper release dishing out some very welcome exotic flavas to the lo-fi indie sound.
Don’t Wanna Die
My Federation
Pinnacle
2008-04-07
My Federation are built around the particular talents of frontman Lee ‘Muddy’ Baker, sometime forger and car thief, who has had fingers in other more musical pies prior to this record having worked with Clearlake, Tim Booth and Beardyman variously as songwriter or producer.
Debt Dept
Excepter
Paw Tracks
2008-04-07
Excepter’s latest, Debt Dept, is a rumbling sprawl of rough vocal prods, moans and shouts over repeating musical motifs and foggy electronics. A leftfield protest ethic permeates the album, which the press release is keen to impart is the group’s fourth and which sees the light courtesy of the lo-fi-loving Paw Tracks imprint. That the group’s releases have previously gone out through labels like Load and 5 Rue Christine gives nod to new arrivals to the group of both the generally noisy and experimental aspects that characterise their sound, however it is the muddiness of the melange, or perhaps the melee, which makes Paw Tracks such an appropriate place for the group to now call home.
FIGHT: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked For Asking AUDIO BOOK
Eugene S Robinson
Hydra Head
2008-03-31
Eugene Robinson has been writing journalistic pieces on fighting for a while, though he is best known for fronting San Franciscan noise rock group Oxbow. The band’s music has often put across a large amount of negative energy, whether in paranoid, edgy atmospheres or in balls out aggression. These primal musical urges are part of Robinson’s make-up and come out in his physical activities, as his Grappling and Vice magazine pieces attest to, and this life of fighting that he has led, culminated in the book FIGHT: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking.
Hespurus
5ive
Tortuga
2008-03-31
5ive’s previous releases have admittedly been patchy but previous full-length Telestic Disfracture (2001) highlighted that the band could offer some inventive and healthily oppressive doom. The Boston two-piece group has been near silent for years though until now with the release of Hesperus, produced by Andrew Schneider (Cave-In, Daughters).
Attack & Release
The Black Keys
V2/Cooperative
2008-03-31
The Black Keys’ originally surfed into view (in Britain, at least) with their second LP, Thickfreakness, on a wave of goodwill proceeded by the White Stripes’ two person nu-blues invasion in 2002. Jack and Meg White have since moved into, and maintained, indie-superstardom with some intriguing and strange variations on a theme (including traditional Scottish folk and bullfighter references in their most recent Icky Thump), whereas The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have followed a more traditional and raw channel of blues-rock with their third and fourth LPs Rubber Factory and The Big Come Up.
Paralyzed
Witch
Tee Pee
2008-03-31
Witch don’t rehearse and rarely play live and consequently Paralyzed is a spontaneous document of the chemistry between J Mascis (playing drums — his first instrument), Dave Sweetapple (bass) and Kyle Thomas, formally of avant-folk group Feathers (guitar and vocals). Paralyzed follows Mascis et al’s eponymous debut, also released on NYC’s home of the loud and the psychedelic, Tee Pee Records.
Pass Fail
Leander
Kennington Recordings
2008-03-31
Recording as Leander, the Berlin-based Kranholdt brothers (Lars and Daniel) have absorbed some of the recent electronic musical heritage of their adopted home, but have eschewed the harsher electro influences of the likes of International DJ Gigolo records or the minimal techno released on Kompakt for a more Gallic turn. For starters the cover of their debut, Pass Fail, bears comparison to the hand drawn faces on Kitsune Records’ sleeves. Beyond the visual Leander have much in common with Air or Blue States, as they combine the electronic with the acoustic and dreamy vocals and guitars play alongside inventive electronics.
X Marks Destination
The Whip
Southern Fried
2008-03-24
Having toured relentlessly, The Whip have amassed a following who will know their songs inside out from the live performances ranging from indie dance nights to electro-rave parties. Their raw, energetic tempo and inventive but subtle differences to the tunes found on the album means the recorded counterparts don’t have the same spark and tend to be get you bopping away but go on for too long — with some at six or seven minutes long, their ideas are stretched very thinly.
Film
Nemeth
Thrill Jockey
2008-03-10
Stefan Nemeth is a member of both Radian and Lokai and the co-founder of Mosz Records and Film is his first solo record. As its title makes references though it is not a straight ‘solo album’ but contains tracks culled and cut-up from, and embellishing, the variety of work that the Austrian musician has composed for different experimental film and video pieces over the last four or five years.
Quaristice
Autechre
Warp Records
2008-03-03
Impenetrable to most, Autechre’s electronic music is a harsh experience if you don’t venture off the well-beaten tracks of genre-defined composition. Reports that the duo of Sean Booth and Rob Brown are offered early version of computer equipment to put through their paces, to record on, to test and to abuse give some idea of their abilities to forge machine-based sounds and push them to the limit. For this, their ninth album, they give us 20 tracks ranging from just over a minute to not much longer than five rather than their usual eight minute epics for more accessible yet equally ponderous audio attacks.
The Secret Life Of The Wife Of The Captain Of The Ship In A Bottle On The Mantle Piece
Caz Mechanic
Big Potato
2008-03-03
Caz Mechanic is Caroline Banks of Seafood and Sleeping States fame and The Secret Life Of The Wife Of The Captain Of The Ship In A Bottle On The Mantle Piece is her debut long-player. Caz’s vocals and work across guitar and piano, melodica and even kazoo forms the basis of the music here but she generally receives accompaniment from an assortment of musicians and vocalists — though she also often joins herself on multi-tracked vocal lines.
Forts
The Boggs
Tangled Up
2008-02-25
We Are the Boggs We Are and Stitches came closely after one another in 2002 and 2003 respectively, however The Boggs’ third album Forts has been a while longer in the making. Unlike its predecessors it is essentially a modern, indie-rock record, though the group’s style is different and varied, though keeping the mix of folk and acoustic elements along side post-punk and noise. True to form too, songwriter and one constant member Jason Friedman is here joined by a large array of collaborators, including names familiar both from previous Boggs work and for alternative day jobs including percussionists Brad Conroy and Julian Gross (the latter of Liars) and vocalists Heather D’Angelo (Au Revoir Simone) and Karen Sharky.
Overcome
Realistic Crew
Kitty-Yo
2008-02-25
Soothing electronic music is on the menu from Realistic Crew, an act which has opened for respected artists in their field such as Amon Tobin and has just increased in size. Founded in 2001 by Chabz and Krizo, who both began their musical careers in alternative rock bands before making the transition to electronica at around the same time, they have worked with the cream of Hungary’s underground musicians and vocalists. Now signed to Kitty Yo, their first release for the label, Overcome, is bolstered by five new band members. Dodi Karpati (trumpet), Albert Markos (cello), David Hegyi (piano), Dalma Berger (vocals) and Zeek (MC) have produced a testament to hip hop which is perfect for a lounge environment but a little too chilled for its own good.
UnonoU
Danava
Kemado
2008-02-18
Danava’s UnonoU is not just a mouthful but an often engrossing showboat of glam-tinged early 1970s hard-edged prog laced with theatricality and cloaked in period production. Right from the off in the title track, the band offer riffs straight out of the Deep Purple or Black Sabbath songbook, but with heavy development perhaps more akin to Wishbone Ash, a comparison felt also in the vocals, which similarly feel a little Eno-esque, fitting nicely with the ballroom quirk felt in several tracks.
Monstre Cosmic
Monade
Too Pure / Duophonic
2008-02-18
If Laetitia Sadier was a Taboo answer then at the top of the list or words you couldn’t use to describe her would be “chanteuse”. She’s a singer, she’s a she, and hey, she’s French too — parfait! Best known for her singing work with experimental-indie outfit Stereolab, Sadier’s soft, affecting voice and ability to create some classically cool-sounding songs have also been put to work on a couple of Monade records by now, with new entry Monstre Cosmic being the third.
Discography
The Huguenots
Hydra Head
2008-02-18
You’ve probably not heard of The Huguenots and why would you? A New England hardcore band in the mid/late 90s they had only a few small releases, culminating in a split 10” with the similarly probably unknown to most SevenPercentSolution. But now Hydra Head, the label that put out that split, have pulled together all of the band’s work onto one Discography CD.
Human Bell
Human Bell
Thrill Jockey
2008-01-28
Human Bell is a cleverly worked moniker drawn from the names of the principle players on this eponymous record, Dave Heumann and Nathan Bell. Both might be known for their work elsewhere — Bell took position as bassist in Lungfish in the latter nineties and early noughts and Heumann is the leader of Arbouretum — but their list of previous partners and collaborations includes PW Long, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Mighty Flashlight, Cass McCombs and Papa M among others. This work brings together some of the work that these other projects have offered or suggested at, but entertaining a concept specific to the new endeavour: that of ‘Ephphatha’ an Aramaic expression meaning to be open, as a portal — an idea suggesting at a pure communication, which the records’ music embraces.
Another Sound Is Dying
Dub Trio
Ipecac
2008-01-28
Another Sound is Dying is another genre-bending Ipecac treat, despite Dub Trio’s seemingly stylistically and descriptively-specific name. In the main the assembled trio of Brooklyn residents Stu Brookes, DP Holmes and Joe Tomino, bash out riff after riff of metallic frenzy right up in the heavy realms of the spectrum, however this is often undercut or peppered with the Jamaican style found in the band’s title. Dub is an experimental and jammed-out genre working with bassy grooves, punchy percussion and one which is generally instrumental, and though it could be done so incredibly badly, Dub Trio marry up riddims with raw instrumental post-metal very well. Perhaps heavier than any of their previous offerings and perhaps more focused, Another Sound… is an energetic and engaging record.
Glorytellers
Glorytellers
Southern
2008-01-28
As a key member of cultish US indie bands Karate and The Secret Stars, Geoff Farina has carved out a respected, if not terribly well known, path through the leftfield rock landscape with those acts’ jazzy post-rock and lo-fi pop. His latest project is a sea change in tone as one third of Boston’s Glorytellers, focussing his stories of contemporary America in and around low key instrumentation with musicianly chops.
No Fighting In The War Room
Harrisons
Melodic
2008-01-28
Sheffield four-piece Harrisons, named after a local street in Hillsborough, have released their No Fighting In The War Room debut after two years together and five weeks in the studio with Hugh Jones, producer of past luminaries like Echo And The Bunnymen and The Stranglers. Links to bands past and present is a theme that starts there, but doesn’t stop with this LP.
Into Abaddon
Saviours
Kemado
2008-01-21
Opening with a half minute of rollicking metallic riffage and then settling down into some hard-edged classic-styled rock, Saviours throw down their sonic gauntlet — and it sounds distinctly like Mastodon covering Thin Lizzy. Which is no bad thing. The music offered on Into Kabbadon, the second record from the Oakland, California band, wears its influences proudly, but underneath these perhaps obvious outer-garments is a solid body of work, combining technical ability with the all important skills of metallic songwriting — including a particular mastery of the riff. Running and hammering around it, rocking out the meaty verse sections between it with accompanying shouty belted vocals Saviours lead the listener right through the hammering tracks up to rich harmony and solo sections — coming in around the fifth minute of this opening number, “Raging Embers”.
A Cork Tale Wake
Chris Bathgate
Tangled Up
2008-01-21
Having self-released two LPs from within the Ann Arbour and Ypsilanti folk scenes in rural Michigan, A Cork Tale Wake is the first release in the UK and wider US by an artist named ‘Best Solo Artist in Michigan’ by Real Detroit Weekly (OK, it’s not exactly the Grammys but it’s a start). Chris Bathgate has drawn comparisons with stalwarts of US folk n roll like Jeff Tweedy, Will Oldham and Bill Callaghan. Granted, those names are alt-folk heavyweights in the US and here and this LP should be judged on its individual merits (I’ll get to that…), but A Cork Tale Wake only features a clutch of decent material surrounding by some underwhelming moments.
Inlandish
Hans-Joachim Roedelius & Tim Story
Gronland
2008-01-14
Hans-Joachim Roedelius is one third of electronic pioneers Harmonia and the recently-reformed Cluster, one half of this collaborative project with neo-classical composer Tim Story and one all-round krautrock/kosmich legend. This latest work, following 2003’s Lunz, is without the propulsive groove of Cluster’s proto-electronica but retains the spare structure and downbeat air. Inlandish’s foundations were laid as Roedelius played piano and keyboards over 10 days in Storey’s studio in Toledo, the latter electonicist then spent 5 months adding his contribution.
Spiderman of the Rings
Dan Deacon
Carpark
2008-01-07
Not only is Spiderman of the Rings a tremendous title, it is also about as accurate a four word summation of the material — albeit in a rather abstract sense as it would be possible to make. As elegant, complete and wonderfully concise as it would be to restrict my review to repeating the record’s title, I am required to be a little more verbose.
Going Places
Montag
Carpark
2007-12-17
Going Places is Montag’s follow-up to 2005’s Alone, Not Alone and is ostensibly a solo vehicle for Montreal’s Antoine Bedard, though this LP features appearances from various French and Canadian luminaries, including M83’s Anthony Gonzales, Owen Pallet (Arcade Fire/Final Fantasy), Stars and Ghislain Poirier. In fact the title track features contributions from some 70 individuals from around the world, recruited via an internet campaign, though you’d be hard pressed to pick any in particular out from what is a surprisingly light affair.
Zamyatin Tapes Vol. 1 and 2
Bass Clef
Blank Tapes
2007-12-03
Bass Clef follows up his this year’s A Smile Is A Curve That Straightens Most Things album and “Hackney Centralist” EP with a two-part EP aimed at devestating dancefloors. The electronica artist has forged some hard-hitting dub and 2-step to get the bass shaking.
White Devil’s Day Is Almost Over
Neil Burrell
Akoustik Anarkhy
2007-12-03
This debut LP from Manchester-based Neil Burrell is a collection of playful avant-folk recorded over three years in various non-studio locations. Though he does sometimes perform with a band when playing live White Devil’s Day Is Almost Over is solely his own. The twelve tracks presented feature just vocals and acoustic guitar, with a few sounds and effects thrown in and its to his credit that none of the tracks sound either too similar or too out of place.
Honk Honk Bonk
Soiled Mattress and The Springs
Upset The Rhythm
2007-12-03
There’s an easy assumption from merely taking in both the album title, Honk Honk Bonk, and the name of the group, Soiled Mattress and The Springs, that what’s being offered here may not be the most serious and straight-laced of musical projects — a fact reinforced by the music contained within. It is the work of three individuals, with the instrumentation generally saxophone, keyboard and drums. There is a definite jazz edge but this isn’t really a jazz trio, it seems more like a leftfield instrumental pop group, or maybe just a little experiment. It seems sometimes whimsical, often fun, sometimes different, sometimes obvious, and sometimes amateurish.
Heavy Deavy Skull Lover
The Warlocks
Tee Pee
2007-11-19
The Warlocks are back on an indie label, Tee Pee — a label famed for its pleasant lack of creative interference, perfect for a band regrouping after an attempt at bigger things on a larger label proved an unsuccessful personal journey. The results of this new link up are Heavy Deavy Skull Lover, a further twist in the band’s stylistic and musical development offering a collection of fragile, elongated noise-scapes.
Bravo
Friska Viljor
Crying Bob
2007-11-12
Two men, good friends, who’ve played music in a band together for years find themselves simultaneously at the end of their respective relationships and so decide to do as many men, good friends, would do: drink. Drinking lots together repeatedly they end up playing music and find that in their drunken state they have stumbled upon something which they don’t just like the direction of but which convince them never to write music sober again.
The Peppermint Conspiracy
Samantha Marais
Butterfly Recordings
2007-11-12
Samantha Marais started playing the guitar aged 8, heavily influenced by her brother’s love of the instrument and her father’s love for Bob Dylan. Though she had been writing, playing and singing songs ever since it was only after the South African left her homeland and moved to the UK that she began to get better noticed for her art. After a short while playing with a group, Contraband, she returned to the solo acoustic and folksier sound she had grown up with. Capturing the attention of ex-Killing Joke man Youth she was introduced by him to The Verve’s Simon Tong who together signed her to their new Butterfly Recordings venture which releases this, her debut album.
In The Vines
Castanets
Asthmatic Kitty
2007-11-05
After a hushed take introduction an acoustic guitar strums a minor chord and a piercingly dark mood is secured with the imminent arrival of the heavily reverberating voice of Ray Raposa, the one constant part and sometimes the whole of Castanets (he is often joined by many, although still calls the band a “we” when performing solo.) “So rain will come/so rain will come/and wind will blow” sings Raposa in his ominous tones setting the generally haunted mood that remains throughout most of the record.
VietNam
VietNam
Kemado
2007-11-05
This eponymous LP follows Brooklyn-based VietNam’s The Concrete’s Always Grayer On The Other Side of the Street debut EP and a couple of limited vinyl 7”s on The Social Registry, though this is the first official release in the UK. It was recorded in a 100% analogue studio in LA, and the four members look and sound like they might be oblivious to the fact it’s not 1970; all two foot hair, full face beards and faded flares. Whatever they are doing, it obviously encourages collaboration as Vietnam features such diverse guests as Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis, Paz Lenchantin, and Jesse Carmichael (Maroon 5!).
The White and Black Album
Imani Coppola
Ipecac
2007-11-05
The eighth album from Imani Coppola finds her turning away from melancholic, sample-heavy soundscapes her fans have become accustomed to in favour a very different musical formula. Namely, anarchic, visceral rock that is sure to cause a few of them to turn off, but should also bring her to the attention of those looking for a strong, outspoken female songstress.
No World for Tomorrow
Coheed & Cambria
Sony
2007-11-05
No World For Tomorrow, or to give the LP it’s full name Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow, is the follow up to Coheed & Cambria’s million selling volume one, From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness. These two albums are two halves of one concept based on multi-talented singer-guitarist Claudio Sanchez’s Armory Wars comic book.
The Absentee 12”
Half Cousin
Gronland
2007-10-29
The first remix, by Ingrid Eto (the instrumental Zero 7 sister project) takes the form of a rolling electro plod repeating the vocal hooks, and also marrying them with doctored versions, overall making something perfect for angular shape pulling and hair checking. At approaching the half way mark of its lengthy timespan, the strains of the original are lost for the majority of the remainder to technoinstrumental play which works nice and quirky over the flat but punchy 4/4 kick.
Cthonic Rites
Moss
Aurora Borealis
2007-10-22
Moss’ Cthonic Rites is a dank doomy mess of harsh slow noise — a Khanate-esque drudgery pooling distorted subsonics in ultra-slow movement and lashing out vile piercing vocals. Now Southampton is not the most positively inspiring of places, however, it is not so bad as to have sprung this beast purely on it’s own — it is more a love of both similarly torurous doom and the fantastical fiction of HP Lovecraft (hence the title — born from the Cthulu Mythos) from which this epic is inspired.
Mixtapes & Cellmates
Mixtapes & Cellmates
Tangled Up
2007-10-22
Mixtapes And Cellmates are a Swedish fourpiece (three boys, one girl) whose eponymous debut LP and accompanying single (“Quiet”) are their first official releases in the UK after a couple of EP releases in Europe. This sweet collection of 10 tracks of the album proper and their second of those EPs, If There Is Silence Fill It With Longing, which adds some perspective to an early development in their sound; in this case the drum machine and keyboard swells moving into the forefront at the expense of droning guitars.
Live 1974
Harmonia
Gronland
2007-10-22
Harmonia are an often unsung yet important feature of the main Krautrock scene of the early 1970s, largely ignored at the time and so generally unknown to modern fans of the ‘movement’ and its big names. A supergroup of sorts the ensemble was made up of three major players from these more well-known bands: Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius of Cluster alongside Michael Rother, formerly of Krautrock’s 1971 line-up and then part of Neu!, having recorded their first two records before getting involved with the Cluster pair for this shared project. The experimental aim wasn’t necessarily too different to those held by the musicians within their other groups however it offered the situation to try it in a slightly different context and with different people.
The Sentinel
Aerial
Tangled Up!
2007-10-17
The Sentinel is the UK debut from Aerial, who hail from Sandviken, northen Sweden. The album was previously released at the beginning of the year in the band’s home country on the native Nomethod imprint, which also released their first record Black Rain From The Bombing last year. Whereas that previous release offered four lengthy compositions averaging out at about nine minutes each The Sentinel offers ten, some as short as a minute and a half and overall averaging out at half the individual track length of its predecessor. The shorter track length doesn’t neccesarily offer more definition or power to the songs though, with the band’s post rock structures and moods blending from one track to the next across the whole of the album.
Widow City
The Fiery Furnaces
Thrill Jockey
2007-10-15
Widow City bookends a five year period from their Gallowsbird Bark debut that has seen Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger (multi-instrumentation and vocals respectively) confound and delight in equal measure. The last Fiery Furnaces releases were the strange concept LP Rehearsing My Choir (narrated by the siblings’ Gran) and the better-received Bitter Tea. This time around there is no concept, instead WC was supposedly inspired by an imaginary Ouija Board and 1970’s women’s magazines and features their usual obtuse and surreal wordplay, this time featuring stories of random house furnishings (“Wicker Whatnots”) and confused amnesiacs (“My Egyptian Grammer”).
Two Gallants
Two Gallants
Saddle Creek
2007-10-08
This self-titled third LP from childhood friends Adam Stephens (guitar, vocals) and Tyson Vogel (drums) follows a hard touring work ethic, 50 or so shows a year, and two well-received albums on Bright Eyes’ Saddle Creek label; 2004’s The Throes and last year’s What The Toll Tells. This latest release carries on the Gallants’ sparse, loud re-reading of country and blues but avoids sounding like a retread of past glories.
The Wind May Howl
The Monks Kitchen
1965 Records
2007-10-08
Apparently The Monk’s Kitchen have been bumbling about for about seven years, recording lo-fi demos and playing mainly within an introspective domestic environment, until former Alfie man Lee Gorton heard them and set them on the path that leads to their first major release The Wind May Howl, on James Endeacott’s 1965 label.
Internal Riot
Subhumans
Bluurg
2007-09-24
Unsurprisingly it’s full of dirt-tinged anarcho punk rock, clever enough to offer a little more in song development than three chord repetition still without straying too far from the latter-wave punk template. Apparent in various places are the darker edge that crept into the post-punk songs of Wire, Joy Division and the like, with the bouncier parts of Gang of Four etc and the dub hints found in the same era’s PiL and The Slits.
Most People Are Nicer Than Us
Hard Ons
Boss Tunage
2007-09-24
There is something about the essential simplicity of punk rock, which allows it to endure — in the same way that watching a dog dragging it’s behind along the floor will probably always be universally hilarious. It is hard to imagine groups from any other music style continuing to make what is essentially the same record over and over again and maintain a fan base. Yet this is pretty much what Antipodean punk legends Hard Ons have been doing (a couple of break-ups and changes in membership aside) since their inception almost twenty five years ago.
Input The Output
1000 Hertz
In At The Deep End
2007-09-24
Input The Output is the debut album from a group starting to make waves in the UK hardcore punk scene having been picked up for a compilation on influential Hassle records and following props on Radio 1 genre shows (The Lockup, The Radio 1 Rock Show). The four bored, angry provincial town-dwelling members of 1000 Hertz are at something of a Brit Rock vanguard along with likes of The Zico Chain, but how far can they spread their messages?
Three
Saturation Point
Very Friendly
2007-09-24
On first impressions this record sounds like the bedroom project of a couple of guitar shop employees who have taken full advantage of there staff discount to max out on effects units and felt compelled by the weight of their investment to form a band, “but hey! none of us can sing! … no worries dude, we’ll be an instrumental band!!” so these hypothetical guitar shop workers may have mused.
Beat Romantic
Talkdemonic
Tangled Up
2007-09-17
Talkdemonic’s Beat Romantic offers soft and subtle myriads of sounds and ideas with light melodies developing over soothing deeper effected drones while splintered rhythms flit from glitchy electonics to brushed frantic acoustics. Although only a two-piece, Portland, Oregon’s Kevin O’Connor and Lisa Molinaro, Talkdemoni deliver a rich and varied texture and array of instrumentation throughout this, their second, record. While Molinaro switches between synths and emotive viola, O’Connor keeps his hands full by taking up duties on guitar, banjo, bass, synths, pianos, wurlitzers, rhodes, accordion and programming as well as beating out the dynamic live drumwork.
Athlantis
Eyvind Kang
Ipecac
2007-09-16
Citing renaissance philosopher Giordano Bruno as his main inspiration, Eyvind Kang is not out to ingratiate himself into the hit parade. Samuel Beckett draws influence from the very same man in one of his early literary essays with the specific intent of alienating the average reader and unsurprisingly, Athlantis is best suited to the connoisseur of the avant garde. Kang muses that while composing he felt like he was “sharing a kind of joke, or riddle, with Bruno, that we were almost laughing together.” If the intellectualising becomes too much for your feeble brain then don’t try and get in on the joke, it’s probably not funny and chances are you don’t know Latin anyway. Yes, the whole thing’s in Latin.
OH:IO
Bearsuit
Fantastic Plastic
2007-09-10
Norwich six piece Bearsuit have had a modicum of cult success up to now, having been featured several times in John Peel’s ‘Festive Fifty’ end of year poll. Were the great man still with us the likelyhood is a couple of cuts from this, their third album, would do so too.
Love’s Miracle
Qui
Ipecac
2007-09-10
For Qui’s second outing (first on Mike Patten’s Ipecac) the original Drums/Guitar two piece are joined by ex-Scratch Acid, ex-Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow. Given Yow’s profile, one of the most suprising things about the record is that he does not contribute until the second track. The opener “Apartment” employs the vocals of drummer Paul Christensen. The comparison between this and the second, where Yow’s vocals dominate shows plainly his contribution to the group.
Friend And Foe
menomena
City Slang
2007-09-03
Friend and Foe is the third record from Portland, Or. born Menomena and the first UK release, their previous output receiving a fairly limited release on one-man Portland independent FILMguerrero.
Wicked Man’s Rest
Passenger
Chalkmark
2007-09-03
This is the first long player by Passenger, who came together in London when singer-songwriter Mike Rosenburg met a soundtrack composer called Andrew Phillips at a Free Burma benefit gig. They spent a year or two writing their debut and in that time recruited additional members to cover keyboards, drums and bass.
Good Arrows
Tunng
Full Time Hobby
2007-08-27
Good Arrows is the third album from Tunng, the pastoral pop band behind the acclaimed Mother’s Daughter and Other Songs (Static Caravan, 2005) and Comments Of The Inner Chorus (Full Time Hobby, 2006). Their playful and simplistic tones are overlaid with quirky, nursery-rhyme lyrics to form an experimental sound which draws on Icelandic prog rock, choral music and film soundtracks for influence. For Good Arrows, the full six-piece band was assembled in the studio to provide new depth and engagement.
Can I Keep This Pen?
Northern State
Ipecac
2007-08-27
The polished production of Chuck Brody and Beastie Boy Ad Rock sees Northern State’s third album, their first since leaving major label Columbia, slickly delivering personal, political and clearly referential riot girl rhymes. Can I Keep This Pen? is consequently high scoring on the cool factor, although at times the vibe is at times so NY-alicious, Fun Lovin’ Criminals come to mind. With bass lines riding the wave between spaghetti western and 1970s gangster fresh, “The Three Amigas” with its guns, cards and booty is a perfect example of irony descending into cliche.
Street Gospels
Bedouin Soundclash
Sideonedummy
2007-08-20
After the immense success of “When the Night Hears My Song” brought Bedouin Soundclash into the limelight here in the UK last year, it has been a long wait for a new album since 2005’s Sounding a Mosaic. The Canadian trio have been working away on their blend of reggae, rock, punk and soul along with Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer for a album that is sure to build on their growing popularity.
More Soul Than Wigan Casino
Bearsuit
Fantastic Plastic
2007-08-20
Bearsuit sound like another of the absurdly young indie-pop bands that currently abound, like Cajun Dance Party or Bombay Bicycle Club, but have in fact been around for a while and and had three top 5 singles in the late, great John Peel’s festive 50 poll.
In Camera
Arthur & Yu
Memphis Industries
2007-08-20
With a musical moniker taken from their childhood nicknames, it is unsurprising that the music on In Camera from Seattle’s Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott’s Arthur & Yu offers blissful, wistful melodies, although the tunes are tempered away from a twee sweetness by often clattering accompaniments and rawer, free recording techniques.
Andorra
Caribou
City Slang
2007-08-20
Dan Snaith released two LPs as Manitoba in 2002 and 2003 before a rather silly lawsuit threat from ‘Handsome Dick’ Manitoba, singer with proto punks the Dictators, forced him to re-moniker as Caribou. His first release bearing that name was the excellent The Milk Of Human Kindness (2007). Andorra sees a similarly densely-layered sound (some of the vocals were multi-tracked 40 times, for example), but where that prior release featured a more krautrockin’ element to the sonic experiments this latest album has a more English bent.
Bring Me The Workhorse
My Brightest Diamond
Asthmatic Kitty
2007-08-13
My Brightest Diamond is the pseudonym that the extraordinary Shara Worden has chosen to deliver her compositions to the world. Bring Me The Workhorse is released on Sufjan Steven’s own label, Asthmatic Kitty, after Worden toured as part of the ‘Illinoisemakers’ backing band for his Come On Feel The Illinoise LP. She is similarly prodigiously talented to Mr Stevens too: this record is written, played and produced by Worden and fairly unusually (helped presumably by her classically-trained background) she also scored all the string arrangements.
Trainwreck/Raincheck
Simon Bookish
Use Your Teeth
2007-08-13
Leo Chadburn, AKA Simon Bookish, is a classically-trained composer who straddles a fine line between performance art and pop music on his myriad projects. He has remixed the likes of The Organ and Grizzly Bear, performed with Leafcutter John, Saint Etienne and Patrick Wolf and presented dozens of exhibitions and performances in the last few years.
Bring On The Waves EP
6 Day Riot
Tantrum
2007-08-11
With Bring On The Waves 6 Day Riot have followed debut album Folie a Deux with a charming EP continuing the filtration of their multiple ethnic folk influences through an easily accessible pop filter. This is demonstrated perfectly by the opening track “Go! Canada” swift move from its opening oom pah pah banjo strums through to the light and engaging melodies that hook in the shuffling chorus.
Semeion
RETINA.IT
Hefty
2007-08-06
Italians Lino Monaco and Nicola Buono had a long history of combining heavy rhythms to minimal electronica, with RETINA.IT their most successful project. It has brought their efforts to fine-tune their sound with soft vibrations, warm production and a keen sense of classic melodies, hooks, structures and samples. Semeion is a collection of the rare original works and unreleased tracks designed to introduce them to new ears or polish off fans’ collections.
Head Home
o’death
City Slang
2007-08-06
o’death’s Head Home is a fantastically eclectic collection of intimate country-folk, tin-pot bluegrass, right royal hootenanny and gypsy punk stomp leaving no room for either expectation or relaxation. Reference points can be drawn from a pool including Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Gogol Bordello, The Meat Puppets, Flogging Molly, Black Ox Arkestra and even Godspeed at various moments.
Remixes Compiled
Telefon Tel Aviv
Hefty
2007-07-30
When the levee broke and their hometown of New Orleans was virtually washed away by Hurricane Katrina, Telefon Tel Aviv was forced to take inventory of their lives and careers. Hence, this compiling of their remix work following Joshua Eustis and Charlie Cooper through their production work. Their blissful reworkings underpinned by their skillful composition that blends digital trickery with live instruments makes for an interesting blend of re-imagingings.
The Unbeliever
Shaped By Fate
In At The Deep End
2007-07-16
The album is formed of ten tracks, which apart from the slow bombastic intro — the suitably-titled “Launch The Immortal Fleet” — and equally epic instro-metal centrepiece “My Sun Sets To Rise Again”, are all brutal metallic hardcore energy-wipers. After the initial kick in from the opening rolling drums of the title track the thrashy riffs, bassy chugging and intense blasts don’t let up, well only to ring out or give you a very short math-counted breather before blasting back in to take it away again.
Fables
Immaculate Machine
Mint Records
2007-07-14
Immaculate Machine hail from Vancouver, British Colombia and share more than a passing resemblance to fellow proponents of Canadian indie pop The New Pornographers, which is to some degree to be expected as IM’s Kathryn Calder featured on the NP record Twin Cinema. The simplest summation of the sound of this record is a slightly brighter reincarnation of the NPs with cleaner, more pop production.
Black Lives At The Golden Coast
The Icarus Line
Dim Mak
2007-07-10
Three years after the release of their second full-length, Penance Soiree, Los Angeles’ reincarnation of The Stooges, The Icarus Line, are back with their latest offering of down and dirty, liquored fuelled rock n roll. Black Lives At The Golden Coast continues where Penance Soiree left off, serving up 11 tracks of sharp, abrasive rock. The band’s sound radically changed after their first full-length, Mono, when the band adapted its now fuzz-the-fuck-out resonance.
Atomic Yggdrasil Tarot
Daniel AIU Higgs
Thrill Jockey
2007-07-09
The Yggdrasil is the gigantic and powerful ash tree from Norse mythology which links the different cosmological worlds together. The grouping of the Yggdrasil alongside the Tarot therefore builds an impression of something mysterious, spiritual and cosmic, with the suggestion of power added through the “Atomic” prefix. It comes as no surprise then that both the music offered within the CD and the images and word-play found within the pages of the book have a mysterious, spiritual and cosmic edge. At times the music is a real sonic assault, though at times it is melodic and engaging, similarly there is a range within the poetic acronyms sited on the opposite pages of each colour artwork from the playfully comic to the obtuse, random or the controversial. Also the artworks vary between ultra simplistic monochromes to more detailed images and between dark moods and arrays of bright poster vibrancy.
Underfelt
Mewgatz
OIB Records
2007-07-09
Underfelt is the opening salvo from the malfunctioning toy lazer gun that is Mewgatz - AKA the g-g-glitching, twisted mind of Ed McGregor, who spent his formative years in a Midlands attic surrounded by old keyboards and electronics.
Oxengate
Candidate
Snowstorm
2007-07-02
Oxengate is the fifth album by London-based Candidate. In 2002 they released Nuada, an album inspired by creepy, seventies Brit-horror The Wicker Man. Unlike that dark subject matter, this latest release comes in a sweetly drawn sleeve depicting a country scene and was recorded in a cottage in the Suffolk countryside. A bucolic if slightly dull air weaves throughout the LP.
We Are the Night
The Chemical Brothers
Virgin
2007-07-02
Chart success and popularity have done nothing to water down The Chemical Brothers’ distinctive psychedelic big beat sound. Its evolution has kept it fresh while other big dance artists such as Faithless and Basement Jaxx have succumbed to the pitfall of sound-the-same albums recently. With their sixth album, Ed Simons and Tom Rowland bounce back from the disjointed effort of Push the Button (Virgin, 2005) which lacked the cohesion of their initial releases to unleash a stomping rave up followed by soothingly mellow moments held together by their trademark acid house influences.
Hello Love
The Broken Family Band
Track and Field
2007-07-02
The Broken Family Band started out life as a full on alt-country outfit with banjos, accordions and fake American accents. This template has been left further behind with each release on their way to this, their forth full length, which contains none of the instruments which often define the genre but does retain a distinctly country feel both rhythmically and in terms of lyrical themes.
OIB 4-Way Split Series: Volume One
Various
OIB
2007-06-30
This is the first in a series of 4-way split 7”s from new, Brighton based label OIB (One Inch Badge) Records. The series is designed with the commendable aim of documenting local creativity and a providing a platform for relative unknowns. Volume One features The Tumbledown Estate, Munch Munch, Gay Against You and Lonely Ghosts.
Rinoceros
Coley Park
Big Potato Records
2007-06-25
Despite starting out as Sonic Youth-inspired banjo and clarinet outfit, Coley Park are more part of a typically English lineage of low key psychedelic indie-pop. Now on their second album, they have worked with The Go! Team’s Ian Parton previously, and Neil Halstead from Mojave 3 on this LP. Halstead’s band is the better representation of what Rhinoceros has to offer.
It’s A Bit Complicated
Art Brut
Labels/Mute
2007-06-25
Eddie Argos, lead singer of Art Brut, is a star. Well, not in the UK. In the USA the band have appeared on nationwide chat shows, have played with Ghostface Killer and were given single of the year by Rolling Stone. In Germany they have supported Oasis and Argos has had his lyrics discussed in a Berlin University lecture. Over here he can barely get arrested (well, he probably could if he did something bad like knocking a policeman’s hat off).
Lose All Time
You Say Party! We Say Die!
Fierce Panda
2007-06-25
Lose All Time follows Canadian’s You Say Party! We Say Die!’s debut, Hit The Floor, which was released on Sound Document last year. This latest release is on the Fierce Panda label, an imprint that seems to be broadening their horizons from varieties of indie-rock to encompass dancefloor abuse — Lose All Time’s relentless disco-punk follows hot on the heels of the well-received debut LP by Shitdisco.
Greatest Hits
Social Distortion
Epitaph/Time Bomb
2007-06-25
This is the first career-spanning greatest hits collection from punk-rock legends Social Distortion. The band originally formed amongst the LA hardcore scene back in 1978 and despite the obvious end of that era, numerous personnel shifts and the tragedy of losing long-time member Dennis Danell back in 2000, the band are still rocking on — confirmed by the fact that this compilation includes a new track, exclusive to this release.
Music From Regions Beyond
Tiger Army
Hellcat
2007-06-25
So-Cal trio Nick 13, Jeff Rofredo and James Meza aka Tiger Army are back with another record of trademark upbeat psychobilly/punk in the form of Music From Regions Beyond released through the Hellcat label and produced by legendary punk desk helmer ‘Huckle’ Jerry Finn.
Still Alive
DJ Mayonnaise
Anticon
2007-06-18
DJ Mayonnaise, along with Alias and Moodswing9 (in which he also played) was one of the first artists to be released on what is the now influential San Francisco Based Imprint Anticon. DJ Mayonnaise’s work as with much of the Anticon roster is characterised by the integration of sampled and live instrumentation.
Killed ‘Em Deader ‘N A Six Card Poker Hand
Epsilons
Retard Disco
2007-06-18
This is the second full length from terribly young Californians Epsilons who with luck should have finished high school by the time this record is out. Killed ‘Em… is a straight up garage rock record: three or four chord punk songs with Stranglers type organ, Chuck Berry inspired guitar solos and uncomplicated structures.
Weirdo Rippers
No Age
FatCat
2007-06-18
No Age are two improbably-named LA hipsters (Dean Spunt and Randy Randall) who used to be together in the influential but obscure hardcore trio Wives, who split in 2005. Weirdo Rippers is NA’s first CD and first long player, and is a best-of compilation culled from 5 limited vinyl EPs released in a few months on 5 different DIY labels (including Upset The Rhythm in the UK and Deleted Art from Sweden).
Quiet Lanes EP
Coley Park
Big Potato
2007-06-18
Contained within the retro book style of the record’s artwork the Quiet Lane EP is a collection of sunny pop songs from the apparently almost hermitic (through spending time writing at home writing these tunes) Coley Park. The EP’s title track is lifted from the album Rhinoceros, to be released next week and it is a delightfully upbeat, bouncing tune, if perhaps a little similar to comparable material.
Anonymous
Tomahawk
Ipecac
2007-06-18
On the first two albums Tomahawk have pretty much done exactly what it says on the tin and produced the records that you could easily expect — coming from the sum of its parts: mix up Faith No More (Mike Patton), Helmet (John Stainer), Melvins (Kevin Rutmanis) and Jesus Lizard (Duane Denison) and you get a skewed punk-rock, with perhaps the largest presence coming from vocalist Patton (who is rarely involved in a project that doesn’t come out sounding incredibly like his own) and guitarist Denison (whose guitars take the musical fore) — the two original founding members. 2003’s Mit Gas was in some ways a little disappointing for this, though offering some great noisy and atmospheric rock it sometimes lacked the edge and power of the original self-titled blast (2001), when it was a new prospect. Here on Anonymous, however, the band shake things up and really go for something different. Now a three piece (after Rutmanis departure during sessions) the group have made a concept record delving into the musical part of the American heritage which their name conjures image of.
Keren Ann
Keren Ann
EMI
2007-06-04
This is the fourth album by the Israeli-born Keren Ann, who has quietly built favourable comparisons to Nico and Francoise Hardy (along with general critical acclaim) with 2002’s La Disparition, Not Going Anywhere from 2004 and her last album Nolita. These last three have been self-produced but she has taken the interesting step of bringing in former Tool and QOTSA affiliate Joe Barresi to mix this latest eponymous project, though fortunately he’s kept the metallic elements for another time - that would be a jarring step too far.
Dear Companion
Meg Baird
Wichita
2007-06-04
Dear Companion is the debut solo effort from Espers vocalist/guitarist Meg Baird, recorded within spare moments of the recording sessions for the Philadelphian psych-folk group’s II. The music has a much more traditional feel than its progressive partner though, often remaining just vocals and guitars, though offering some gorgeous multi-tracked harmonies, and working half from traditional source material.
The Inmost Light
Current 93
Durtro Jnana
2007-06-04
Originally released more than ten years ago Durtro Jnana have re-released Current 93’s “Hallucinatory Patripassianist” (as termed by mainman David Tibet) trilogy The Inmost Light, made up from three separate records released within 1995 and 1996. Here Tibet is joined by long time collaborator and influence Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound, as well as other like-minded souls including Michael Cashmore (Nature and Organisation), Ben Chasney (Six Organs of Admittance), Joolie Wood, John Contreras, William Basinski, William Breeze and Amy Phillips — and the records also feature guest vocals from Nick Cave, Coil’s Jhonn Balance, Andria Degens of Pantaleimon, Shirley Collins and more.
DJ Kicks
Hot Chip
!K7
2007-05-28
Quirky, madcap and inventive are not normally traits associated with popular British bands, but Hot Chip have found their way into the public eye by resisting easy categorisation. Their fondness for mixing pop, electro, folk and techno resulted in a Mercury-nominated second album in the form of The Warning (2006) backed by the massive hit Over and Over played in clubs everywhere. Now they’ve been given the chance to air their influences on !K7’s much-lauded DJ Kicks series in a trip through electro-pop, techno, Balearica, off-kilter house, hip hop, drum’n’bass, R’n’B, blues, jazz and a lot more besides. It proves to be a lot of fun.
Impromptu
MGR vs. SirDSS
Neurot
2007-05-28
Following his solo debut Nova Lux last year, MGR, aka Mustard Gas and Roses aka Mike Gallagher, axe-man from post-metal stormtroopers Isis, is back with a new collaborative work with SirDSS, the initials DSS surprisingly not standing as a TLA (three letter acronym) for Department of Social Services but actually for David Scott Stone, former guitarist of Slug and Get Hustle and collaborator with many including Big Business — dishing out the guitar work on the recent awesome Here Come The Waterworks — as well as Fantomas, Melvins, The Locust, Merzbow and more.
The Rise and Fall of Scarlet City
The Death of a Party
Double Negative
2007-05-22
Having spent the last few years touring The Death of a Party are ready to be unleashed to a wider audience with their debut album The Rise and Fall of Scarlet City. Earning their stripes in the Oakland underground, the dancey post-punk foursome went from warehouse parties to touring with Metric and opening for bands such as Bloc Party, Deerhoof and Autolux. Their live show has been compared to a full-on gangfight, and while their album brings with it the headbanging beats and shouty lyrics you would expect of an act born in counterculture, this is perhaps the tip of the iceberg of this band’s talents.
Tio Bitar
Dungen
Subliminal Sounds
2007-05-21
The summer is here, and it sounds distinctly like it’s the summer of love (in a good way), at least for Gustav Esjstes, Dungen’s mainman who pretty much wrote, recorded and produced the whole of Tio Bitar himself. The album, whose title translates as “Ten Pieces” is, as with its predecessors, sung entirely in Esjstes native Swedish and offers a fascinating modern interpretation of the grooves and styles of the experimental eras of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Psych, folk, prog, kraut, Canterbury, pop, The Beatles, Donovan, Caravan, Hendrix, Love, Can, Faust, The Who etc etc — all and more make some kind of appearance in the mesh of influence
We Are The Champ
The Loungs
Akoustik Anarkhy
2007-05-21
The debut LP from St Helens’ The Loungs flies in the face of fashion (thankfully), sounding like they’ve never heard of the word zeitgeist. We Are The Champ has thirteen songs averaging two and a half minutes each, but is packed with another couple of album’s worth of ideas. Most of the tracks here jump between stations, which can be difficult to pull off, but this self produced effort generally manages to get away with it.
Does It Scare You?
12 Stone Toddler
Amazon
2007-05-21
12 Stone Toddler are a band out in a field left of the normal pop world, the modern one at least, although they are far from being a retro band. Their focus on hook-laden songwriting at the centre of a complex of influences gives them something recognisable but quite unique from their peers. Perhaps the best stylistic comparison comes through looking into the last album from Californian mentalists Mr Bungle, where the mentalism is toned down to rest on a more focused pop-tinged exotica.
Poly.Sci.187
Mansbestfriend
Anticon
2007-05-21
It’s been two years since Tom Holland released anything on the cult hip-hop et al label that he founded, Anticon, and that was as his alter ego, Sole (on Live From Rome). Following five-or-so years of lo-fi mixtapes, EPs and compilations Holland has bought his instrumental Mansbestfriend project back to it’s spiritual home for the first ‘official’ MBF release.
Dejection/Unclean
Asbestosdeath
Southern Lord
2007-05-21
This four-track EP is a compilation bringing together the two self-recorded 7” releases by the doom metal quartet predating the work that the majority of the band are now famous for in Sleep, and more recently Om and High On Fire. Although the slightly messy production is now a little dated (after nearly twenty years…) the music is in many ways fitting with trends which are more popular now and is generally ultra impressive — vicious vocals, huge riffs, punishingly slow tempos — this is some awesome doom.
Licker’s Last Leg
Goon Moon
Ipecac
2007-05-21
Brought together recording on Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions Volume 9 and 10 Jeordie White (better known as Twiggy Ramirez, of Marilyn Manson fame, and now playing bass with A Perfect Circle as well as Nine Inch Nails) and Chris Goss (frontman of desert doomsters Masters of Reality and producer of stoner legends Kyuss and Homme’s pop band Queens of the Stone Age) struck a chord and penned a few tracks together afterwards. After bringing in Hella’s Zach Hill they recorded a load of stuff, some of which made it on to a ten-track EP I Got a Brand New Egg Layin Machine in 2005. Bringing together material from the last five years or so the duo, plus Hill, plus an assortment of other alternative music cronies including the aforementioned Homme, Josh Freese (Vandals, Devo, A Perfect Circle, NIN), Dave Catchling (Eagles of Death Metal, Mondo Generator), Whitey Kirst (Iggy Pop) and Peter Perdichizzi (The Flys), have put together a weird and eclectic album of punk rock, twisted sixties pop and, not unsurprisingly, desert-loose ramblings. Weird? Eclectic? On Ipecac? I know…
The Episodes
Chris Connelly
Durtro Jnana
2007-05-21
The Episodes, released on Durtro Jnana, is the eighth solo album from experimental troubadour Chris Connelly, formerly vocailst of the metallic/industrial persuasion having served time in outfits like Ministry, Revolting Cocks and Pigface and collaborated with members of Cabaret Voltaire and Killing Joke and latterly of the avant-folk type in the vein of an earthy Bowie or reclusive Scott Walker type, with a healthy mixture of lounge and post-modern/post-rock styles.
Howl To The Hills
Dead Meadow
Xemu
2007-05-14
Howl To The Hills is the second in Xemu’s series of Dead Meadow reissues following last year’s release of their 1999 debut Dead Meadow. The album continues the trend of its predecessor with a blend of 60s psych and 70s hard rock influences coming out in a music that resembles a baggy take on stoner. Although offering pretty similar material this second album is unable to capture the ideas in quite the same way as the first and ends up a little more hit and miss — when it’s up its engaging and interesting although sometimes it falls a bit flatter, and into territory which is decidedly wetter.
Everybody
The Sea and Cake
Thrill Jockey
2007-05-07
The Sea and Cake specialise in shimmering, well crafted pop; soundtracks to dozing in hammocks, flying kites or cycling through the countryside. Everybody is their seventh record since the 1993 self titled debut and retains the summery optimism and ephemeral jazz flavour of previous outings.
Hearts and Minds EP
Dextro
Gronland Recordings
2007-04-30
Taken from the debut album Consequence Music, “Hearts and Minds” is the first EP from a man billed as Scotland’s answer to Philip Glass: Dextro, aka Ewan MacKenzie. His ambient grandeur has also been likened to Sigur Rios and Mogwai which is high praise indeed. Here the title track is presented along with three remixes adding different touches to the dreamy original.
Stay Close
Death Vessel
ATP Recordings
2007-04-30
Stay Close is the debut album by Death Vessel, which is the vehicle used to present Joel Thibodeau’s work to the world — and it’s a vehicle with a very special passenger (like the popemobile). His vocal delivery is stunning; a high-pitched, poignant soprano that manages to transcend the polarising effect of the likes of Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom. The studio and live versions of the band feature a revolving band of players and contributors, including regulars Pete Donnelly, Erik Carlson and his brother Alec.
No Shouts, No Calls
Electrelane
Too Pure
2007-04-30
Since the arrival of “Film Music” and then Rock It To The Moon at the turn of the century, Electrelane have turned out several acclaimed albums incorporating a love of krautrock and keyboards with some post-punk experimentalism and an indie sensibility. No Shouts, No Calls is the fourth record from the all-female group from Brighton and appears, once again, slightly different from it’s predecessors yet holding together all the essential components.
Parallel Universe Of The Dead
Steakknife
Boss Tunage
2007-04-23
Steakknife band members Lee Hollis (Vocals), Hell G (Bass), Marc Mondial (Guitar), L. Demon (Guitar) and Lorenzo Stiletti (Drums) have played in the likes of Spermbirds, 2Bad and Challenger Crew, and if these are not exactly household names their pedigree can be more easily judged by the quality of Steakknife’s touring partners over the years - The Descendants, The Cramps and Nomeansno. Parallel Universe Of The Dead mines the same vein of anarchic punk rock of the latter of those three, though it tones down the unhinged madness quotient somewhat, either to its credit or detriment (depending on your viewpoint - I’m still a little undecided).
The Mirror and the Destroyer
Attack! Vipers!
Rat Patrol
2007-04-23
The Mirror and the Destroyer is the debut from Attack! Vipers!, a metallic punk band whose various member’s backgrounds include groups such as Jets Vs Sharks, Seven Arrows in Your Bastard Heart, Last Kiss and Thirst.
Iodine
Half Cousin
Gronland
2007-04-23
Half Cousin are comprised of two School friends from the Scottish island of Orkney decamped to London. The pair’s creative output is acceptably described as a kind of offbeat folksy pop. Their use of trashy-junk percussion and classic folk instruments such as the accordion and fiddle means that at times they sound like a slowed down version of gypsy revivalists Gogol Bordello with some choice pieces of toy electronics and soft vocals pushing things in the direction of The Postal Service.
In Your Time
Priestbird
Kemado
2007-04-16
Crazed art-rockers Tarantula AD are no more but now the same people Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans and Gregory Rogove), are working under a different name (Priestbird), with the same idea (genre twisting experiments blending rock, folk, and epic atmospheres) but with a slightly different approach (more focused and developing moods as opposed to their former scizophrenic shiftings).
Solace In Sore Hands
Amandine
FatCat
2007-04-09
Amandine formed in the small Northern Swedish town of Sandviken as a side project to its founding members Olof Giglöf and John Anderssön’s main projects. The addition of additional musicians and an eventual move to the relative metropolis of Malmö lead to a deal with FatCat and a debut album This Is Where Our Hearts Collide. Solace In Sore Hands is their second effort.
Oneida Road
The Kamikaze Hearts
Tangled Up
2007-04-09
Onieda Road is The Kamikaze Hearts’ fifth lp, though this is the first to be released in the UK following their signing to One Little Indian subsidiary Tangled Up! Recordings. The band originates in the mountains and farmland around Albany, upstate New York. Their self-proclaimed “upstate porch rock” is certainly on the rootsy side of alt-country, and its easy to imagine the band sitting in wicker rocking chairs, strummin’ away their mainly acoustic songs of smalltown America.
Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
CocoRosie
Touch & Go
2007-04-09
The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn is the eagerly-awaited third album from Sierra and Bianca Casady, aka CocoRosie, coming after their much-lauded previous efforts La Maison de Mon Reve and Noah’s Ark. The stylistic mash-up of artistic operatics, sweetness, darkness and streetwise beats and rhythms displayed a desire to tunnel a new route and push themselves into new places, a desire which was fulfilled, especially on the second record, though could this continue or have they now reached a plateau?
Vessels
Wolf & Cub
4AD
2007-04-02
Wolf & Cub are another in an ever growing list of lupine-monikered acts who don’t quite run the gamut of popular music, but certainly pop up at numerous odd points of the spectrum. The non-definitive list includes the retro punk of Japan’s Guitar Wolf, Canadian noise terrorists AIDS Wolf, Will Oldham and Matt Sweeney vehicle Superwolf and Swedish electro-oddballs Fox & Wolf. WAC have got the dark, narcotic retro rock ‘n roll angle sewn-up, though.
Project:Death
Hey Colossus
Jonson Family/Rimbaud/Shifty/Underhill
2007-04-02
Project:Death creeps in with a deep droning wash of distortion before beefing into a healthy slab of Melvins-style sludge doom. This is a pervasive sludge and the opening track, titled “Do They Ever Return”, sets a mood which the album continues throughout, speeding up and slowing down here and there, but generally wallowing in the dark swampy corners of the musical landscape.
Salt
Forget Cassettes
Tangled Up Recordings
2007-04-02
Salt is the second full length from Nashville born Forget Cassettes who are currently sallying around Europe with …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.
Rules & Regulations
Roll Deep
Roll Deep
2007-03-23
The Roll Deep crew could be considered the first Grime supergroup, London’s answer to the Wu Tang Clan. Out of their ranks have stepped Dizzie Rascal and Wiley (the latter having ‘retired’ from the mic to concentrate on producing), and their current ranks include underground heroes like Skepta and JME. Their major-label debut, In At The Deep End, bought them relative success with the likes of the Maisonettes-sampling “The Avenue” and “Shake A Leg”. Though they were dropped by Relentless they’ve come back with the first fruits of their own Roll Deep recordings imprint.
Seek Out Your Foes And Make Them Sorry
Phinius Gage
Small Town
2007-03-19
Phinius Gage position themselves somewhere between contemporary, commercial emo and early 90s skate punk as peddled by Pennywise and their ilk. All chuggy mute/release chord sequences and strummed octaves with the