Saturday 31 July 2010

The Science Of Dreams


Considering the fact that Autolux released a debut album that made Trent Reznor, Thom Yorke, PJ Harvey and Flaming Lips become their fans, you might say that they have a more than decent CV. However, Future Perfect is six years old (yes, they too are one of those bands that seem to enjoy torturing fans) and no matter how wonderful one release might be, at a certain point you'll need something new. Which they did in 2008, with Audience No 2, a piece of dreamy vocals and an annoyingly complex and beautiful drum line, that served mostly to make you crave for more. And now they are back, this time with the whole pie. Ladies and gentlemen... here it is. Transit Transit.

If someone would want to express the strange universe of human dreams in a film, then probably Autolux would be a serious candidate for the soundtrack. Their music is chill and still you can feel a certain vibe of insecurity, the idea that someone could follow you and attack you when you expect less. The title track is a good example: the ethereal vocals and piano make you feel at ease but the drums in the background keeps you awake the whole song. The feeling is enhanced on Census, due mostly to the disturbing guitar lines, that would make even Sonic Youth to be proud to have this song in their setlist.

High Chair pushes things to the next level. Its instrumental is even more peaceful, so peaceful that at a certain moment you become a little anxious. Feeling that also appears on Spots, while The Bouncing Wall seems to be especially created to drive you nuts with trying to find a way to describe it other than "it has some strangely wonderful electronic sounds". However, they always remain on the edge, never crossing the border that makes the difference between a dream and a nightmare, and this can be seen perfectly on the last song, The Science Of Imaginary Solutions, which appears not only as a summary, but also as a conclusion to the whole album, a mix of powerful drum lines, deep piano sounds and more than wonderful vocals.

Eclectic as they might be, Autolux managed to create a music that satisfies, without being excessively diversified. So yeah, the waiting was worth it. Let's hope now it won't pass other six years until the next album.


*photo courtesy of Autolux's official site

Friday 30 July 2010

And The Board Reads "You Like Sophisticated Lemons!"

From left to right: Spike(drums), Radu(lead vocals), Alex(bass), Andrei (guitar)

The first thing that strikes you about Sophisticated Lemons is that they are young. Only 18 and 19, they are the youngest band on the Romanian alternative scene. But they’ve already been around for two years, put out an EP on the internet so they could get their music across, had a line-up change, a number one on an alternative music radio and know what it takes to get people to listen to your band.


Thursday 29 July 2010

Neon Suburb

Recording in a church, major love from David Bowie, Terry Gilliam directing their webcast. Plus incredible outputs, albums that never fail to send chills down your spine, grand and lavish orchestrations without any irony or cheesiness. Arcade Fire are one of those bands that make you want to put down those instruments because it is blatant you will never be like them. And if you can’t be like the Canadian band, what’s the point? Three years later after the superb Neon Bible, Arcade Fire return with The Suburbs, further proof their place amongst modern rock’s best bands is well deserved.

Crystal clear as always, Arcade Fire is not your happy-happy band. The piano off the title song might make you feel like the sun is softly touching your skin and the wind gently playing with your hair. But behind the carelessness of the high-pitched “I’m moving past the feeling” lies the hopelessness of life in the suburbs (“By the time the first bombs fell/ We were already bored”). The band goes to and fro between these rays of hope and bitter pills. They trick you with crescendos and dance-y drums, sun-kissed pianos and jingly guitars. They make out of Ready To Start’s instrumental almost a cathartic experience while Win Butler wails “I would rather be alone than pretend I feel alright”.

An impeccable guitar riff follows him as he draws the picture of the Modern Man, “They say we are the chosen few/But we’re wasted”, voice at that point where you feel like he’s about to break down. Frail, lost, he repeats “rococo” like a mantra that is supposed to protect him from the dullness, a mantra that would be nothing without the church-like feeling off the whole song. The organ, the strings, the big drums are classic Arcade Fire, sort of like their unmistakable signature. The racing violin and wailing guitars of Empty Rooms magically wrap themselves around the choir vocals and turn the song into one of the most energetic Arcade Fire have ever written. A remarkable performance on an album that translates as highlight after highlight.

The gentleness of Half Light I is a wonderful intro to the spaced-out, 80s sci-fi movie-like keyboard on the aural Half Light II. And while this might seem weird, the moment when Arcade Fire turn completely rockabilly is not something many would expect. Month Of May has a fantastic raw punk energy, lacks any pretensions, and seems to one great change of pace in the album’s tempo. So the high-spirited pianos, the bluesy guitar riffs or the pounding drums (the trio Wasted Hours – Deep Blue – We Used To Wait) that follow don’t seem out of place. They are moments where Win Butler’s voice seems rejuvenated, not torn down by hurt and fear of failure in the suburbs.

But even if Win hopes for a moment that something pure can last, there is no hope on the theatrical and minimalist homage to despair Sprawl I (Flatlands). Win’s voice seems beaten down as he laments “It was the loneliest day of my life” and sounds like Conor Oberst in his darkest moments. So there one should feel amazed by the quick change to Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) with its Heart Of Glass vibe, the disco lights that seems to come out of each keyboard note, Regine Chassagne’s perfect pop voice. It almost feels like you are expected to take out your roller-skates and go down to the local disco.

It’s a really long album, 16 tiresome pieces. Tiresome because of their complexity, the care Arcade Fire take into crafting each song means that there will always be a rich orchestration and one must be ready to take in too much information. A first play will not fully reveal each wonderful detail. In fact, it is hard to believe one can overplay The Suburbs because this is hardly an album that will ever get old, sound dated or ever fail to surprise you.

Wednesday 28 July 2010

The Sound Of Cosmic Loneliness

Gruff Rhys is a crazy odd Welshman. He likes furry things and spaced-out songs. He likes to come up with weird stories behind which he hides the truth about his projects. Expressions like ‘United States of Britain” and ideas like literary dissolving the unelected House of Lords are thrown at the average music listener and baffle him. They leave you wondering what the hell is the super furry Welsh bloke up to this time.

‘Peace be with you brothers and sisters, there is no death, only light, there is no evil when it collides with good will.’ They said yesterday in a joint statement on the steps of 10 Downing St. And Gruff and Tony da Gatorra unleashed The Terror of Cosmic Loneliness. Or ten tracks that are meant to go down as the weirdest thing taken out this year. At least this is what Gruff must wish.

There are many reasons why it deserves this title. There are plenty of bits and pieces of experimental electronica all through out the album. Dance beats, scratches, misplaced chords. Tony da Gatorra’s voice is not exactly what one would call ‘harmonious’ and the man draws plenty of influences from Mark E. Smith. Add to this echoes that linger around and screams that get embedded in your brain like the ones on Eu Protesto and you have the picture of a person sinking deep in a state of paranoia. But it isn’t only an experimental album. It’s also a rock one. The heavy riffs on Voz Dos Semterra enhance the terror and punctuate every line. Never has the word “violencia’ sounded so scary. In fact, never has the whole Brazilian language sounded so menacing.

And once more, the project shows itself as multilateral. It is, after all, a ‘vs.’ not ‘featuring’. While Gatorra’s vocals sore, Gruff’s seem to melt over each bleep. He sings his way through the distortions and signals of 6868 as if this is SFA’s Golden Retriever. He takes on In A House With No Mirrors, with its bluesy guitar riff, crescendo, metallic drums and bleeps, and turns it into one of the most danceable songs off the album (and easiest to listen to). He sparkles all through the psychedelic-disco outfit Oh! Warra Hoo! as if this is but a SFA song that was remixed by Holy Fuck. He offers oments of tranquillity in between Gatorra’s outbursts. He tones it down and makes it enormously lovable when Gatorra virtually begs you to throw the album into the dust bin.

The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness is a schizoid album, somewhere between to worlds, one of peace and reassurance everything will be ok and one of fear and constant hardships. It is hard to swallow and maybe many people won’t enjoy Gatorra’s bits. But it is an album that does exactly what it wants, when it wants and has no shame of what it’s done. And neither should Gruff and Gatorra.

Tuesday 27 July 2010

Burn In The Summertime


They recorded their first album in the basement of a funeral home back in 2008 and called it There's No Sky (Oh My My), so it’s safe to say the guys from Jaill do not lack a sense of humour. However, its re-release and especially the release of their new album, That's How We Burn, serve as a reminder that this is actually serious business. Professionally speaking, of course - pay attention to the cover and you'll see my point.

Somehow, the whole album follows the idea of the cover, which could be basically resumed as "You're familiar with all of this... but tell me, isn't it fun?" And boy, aren't they right? Sure, innovation is off, but they're on and ready to rock. And have fun, as they say it on Snake Shakes. "Turning off is easier said than done / I can't sleep, my jaw aches from not having any fun."

"When you panic, do you count to ten? / When you're surrounded, do you hold your breath?", Vincent Kircher rhetorically asks on opener The Stroller and you already feel your eyebrows rising. But it is not that bad. The lyrical part might not be their best one at times but they keep it decent and are even inspired ("I saw that you'd made our likeness in sand" goes one line off On The Beat).

Instrumental-wise, things are even better, especially the album intro. It's sharp, it's straight to the point, it has dazzling guitars and daring drums, it's the perfect beginning. The other tracks are friendlier, without being boring not even when the guys completely slow the train and show us what can they do with an acoustic guitar on what is the folk moment of the album, Summer Mess.

That's How We Burn is certainly not the type of revolutionary album made to turn the world upside down. But Jaill have tried to make it as fun and interesting as possible, and, it is safe to say, they managed.


*photo courtesy of Jaill's official site

Summer Mood

Shangri-Las and Ronettes boys and girls know there is no reason with you shouldn’t bang those drums like it’s summertime and sing about heartaches. Little sweet 60s surf pop chords sneaking in your bones, making you lip-sing every word and harmony. Lyrics about pretty boys and teeny love affairs sang with hope of the perfect love story in every little distort. Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno voice all these wonderfully on the sun-soaked Crazy For You, without fear of being name-tagged or easily dismissed as frivolous.

Cosentino sings about her desires in a seemingly simple fashion but her lyrics are down right honest and she does not apologise or gives the impression of being irony when penning raw and basic lines (“I just wanna tell you that I always miss you”). She puts her fears, insecurities, jealousy out there in the burning light of the sun for all to see (“Pick up the phone/I wanna talk about my day/It really sucked”, “The other girl’s not like me/She’s skinnier and prettier”). And in the band’s hands even a line like “You’re happy” repeated obsessively feels more than just one dumb short sentence.

Crazy For You’s melodies are brisk, basic and laid back. Just like the lines are simple but well-put together, each chord, drum beat and ‘woooo’ are sewn to one another to become short songs in such a way they instantly catch one’s attention and are easy to like. They call for the sunset, sunrise and everything in between, whole days spend on the beach in a chaise lounge, doing nothing but listening to the album. Each guitar solo inspires long driven on Californian highways or road trips to Mexico, with the sun rays reflecting in the windshield.

Essentially, Best Coast’s debut is a summer album. A fun, charismatic summer album. But they use the best tricks they have up their short sleeves (loveable beach-pop guitars, heart-felt lyrics, Ramones ethics even) in turning Crazy For You into an album that won’t be forgotten after the end of August.

Saturday 24 July 2010

Eleven Little Songs

Man, waiting four years for an album must suck. I know, I’ve been waiting five for an album that is still being delayed be the band (I see you, Casablancas, saying the new Strokes album won’t be out until next year). Luckily, Menomena aren’t that heartless. Yes, the release date has been changed about three times but now the Portland trio’s fourth material is out and ready for many, many plays. For Menomena didn’t sit around the studio for so long only to take out an ok album. “Critically acclaimed” is what their previous albums were so Mines should be as well.

You’ll also be hearing things such as ‘more melodic’, ‘not so experimental like before’, ‘less quirky’ when someone will bring the album up. Then somebody else will remember the bath tub photos and the discussion will shift from the music to how creepy or not those photos were. Getting back to the album, those words would, indeed, be almost perfect to describe it. It strikes you from the heart-on-my-sleeve album opener Queen Black Acid. Its chorus “You bring me down”, almost Damon-Albarn-vocals, sparkling drums, quiet guitar crescendos point out that we are going down a hard path and one should carefully pay attention. But tonality is swiftly changed with TAOS, a garage-rock bluesy outfit that has the smoothness of Black Keys and is chockfull of sing-a-long lyrics.

More melodic, yes. But Mines is by no means less ambitious than any other Menomena album. The bleakly sang lyrics of Killemall (“Did you strangle your ghost/When she broke in your home?”) are surrounded by snaring drums, breezes of piano notes and swirling guitars going up and down to create a storm of noises. Dirty Cartoons is as 90s as it could get, sprinkling bits of Sebadoh-like vocals and guitars here and there, moments of utter silence and heavy drums setting the stage for Tithe. Chimes and a guitar riff that make room for emotionally-charged lyrics and almost ethereal vocals.

But the clam atmosphere of Tithe is juxtaposed to the scratchy guitar riffs, insane drums and heavily-hit piano of BOTE. I thought I was tough/ I thought I was strong/ Thought I could handle anyone who came along and the heart is on its sleeve again but hidden by the many layers of distortions. Lunchmeat sees the trio in the mood for more experimental crazy shit and with a strange desire to take a bite out of TV On The Radio’s rightful little niche. Oh Pretty Boy, You're Such A Big Boy is strangely gloomy, intoxicating nonetheless with its atmospheric guitars, low keys and lingering vocals. The saxophone off Five Little Rooms turns a far too ethereal song into a more grounded one, while its poignant drums seem to explode under the pressure of the church-organ-like ghostly piano.

The only genuinely strange track on Mines is Sleeping Beauty. Its ups and downs in tonality make it feel like two different songs: one too lo-fi and that requires complete attention and focus to be understood and another that is almost a burst of energy with its distorted choir-vocals and big drums. INTIL wraps up the album wonderfully. It has the most emotional piano on the whole record, marching drums and more surreal vocals that feel like breaths of fresh air. It build-ups perfectly only to end abruptly and leave place for complete silence, as if this was the only way to release all your emotions.

Mines might be more melodic, less experimental, less quirky, might be sad and dark and filled with various emotions that are thrown out into the limelight. But Mines is magical and is another important step into the growth of a really amazing band. It is a story of coming-of-age, in that Menomena are becoming more mature music-wise and are learning to play around with far more complex concepts than before.

Wednesday 21 July 2010

How To Sing Well


Tom Krell is definitely not your regular type of artist, and if you googl his name, or his musical project's name, How to Dress Well, you'll most likely approve. Or maybe the lack of information about him is due to the fact that he's somehow a newbie, considering the fact he decided to share his tunes recently (in October of last year, to be more specific). But apparently he thought that playtime is over as he is releasing a 7", called Ready For the World (apparently, he's more than determined).

The title might suggest a very realistic, straight-in-your-face approach, but the reality is different. The song has a very chill instrumental, with dreamy, misterious voices, and it makes you want to sit on your couch/bed/carpet in the dark, smoke a cigarette and forget about everything. And if you listen to it in the middle of the day, it makes you want to close your window and pull the curtain down. It also has a sensual (and sexual) touch (the repetitive beat in the background is the one to blame). The remix is basically the same thing, with just a few additional elements added, but if you liked the song, I don't think you'll find this disturbing.

So yeah, he seems to be ready for the world. For the musical world, at least.


*photo courtesy of How To Dress Well's blog

Tuesday 20 July 2010

They Were Really Ready


Five years, what a surprise (I just felt like writing this). If you're asking yourselves what's wrong with me, I will put it clearly, instead of messing around: The Books decided, after five years, to release their fourth studio album. It is called The Way Out, it has fourteen tracks, and it is their first album under the label Temporary Residence Limited. And because it's about The Books (which is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the few bands, if not the only one, able to transform almost every sound in great tunes), of course expectations were pretty big. So let's see what they brought us this time.

"Hello, greetings and welcome to a new beginning, for this tape will serve you as a new beginning. That's right, a new beginning, for we are ready to begin", the guys state on the album opening, Group Autogenics I, trying to explain us in few words the concept of the whole album. That shouldn't be surprising. If you've listened to this band at least once, you probably got used with their style - "collage music", this is how they call it (a very inspired description if you're asking me).

The new beginning (or the main change in sound) is represented not by the songs' structure itself (it's still the collage we knew and loved, thank the almighty god of music for that!), but by the addition of electronic sounds. And by that I mean A LOT of electronic sounds. Hell, it feels like you bathe yourself in a bath of electro music. But it feels damn good and refreshing. And because we're here, perhaps you should closely pay attention to the fourth track, A Cold Freezin' Night. The world won't be ever the same after you'll hear that obsessive beat and that kid uttering death menaces, I can guarantee for that.

All You Need Is A Wall is another strong highlight (I say strong, because, honestly, this album is full of highlights) due to the deep, introspective sounds, mixed with that wonderful, ethereal female voice, to the point where it almost makes you grateful that you're able to hear. And that's it, I won't say anything else, because I already feel guilty for nominating only two songs, so please excuse me. I'll end it here, and instead of a conclusion regarding this album, I'll just write down some of the words uttered in the final track, Group Autogenics II, "You are a masterpiece, you are a work of art".


*photo courtesy of The Books' official site

Sunday 18 July 2010

No Change, I Can't Change


I guess The Verve's story could be called without a problem "The Death And Resurrection Show". We meet, we like each other, we make a band, we fight, we break up, we realise we still love each other, we reunite, we fight again, we break up again, we met again, we reunite for the third time, we fight for the third time, we break up for the third time. Man, what a headache. However, Richard Ashcroft stated afterwards that there is really no point for The Verve getting back together anymore. Moreover, he started another musical project, called RPA and The United Nations of Sound. Some kind of "Look at me, I still have ideas when it comes to band names". Naturally, the debut album is called United Nations of Sound. "If you come up with a good idea, why waste it, right?" Ashcroft probably thought.

But enough joking. When you were part of a successful band (and you might say what you like, but you can't deny the awesomeness of Urban Hymns) and you start another one, comparison is inevitable. I mean, look at The Tears, they could never escape Suede's ghost, no matter how hard they tried - and we all know how it ended. Ashcroft, however, is a really stubborn person (but I bet you already realised that). Plus, he already experimented a solo career, even if it wasn't quite a successful one, so we might say he's prepared.

Even before you hear this release, you can get the idea of a new beginning - it is inevitable with titles like Born Again or Glory. Somehow, things change when you start to listen to it, as you realise there is nothing breathtaking there. An exception is Good Loving, which is a real highlight, as it sounds really nice, the beats are powerful and even Ashcroft's voice has something convincing in it. However, it's a unique moment. To give just an example, Beatitudes starts with a very nicely beat, but it ends up having such a repetitive and plane chorus, that you'll probably feel the need to skip it before the end. Same thing happens with most of the tracks. Nothing really innovative, nothing that could make you shiver or faint on the floor.

It's true, we cannot actually talk about wrong steps. It's a nice listening but this is not enough, and we all know that. The guitars are okay, the voice is okay, the keyboard is okay, the sampling is okay. It's so okay and pleasant that it becomes a problem. At least for now Ashcroft seems unable to escape The Verve's ghost, and at this particularly moment you might start to understand the deeper meaning of "The Death And Resurrection Show".


*photo courtesy of Richard Ashcroft's official site

Saturday 17 July 2010

From Another World

There are few bands that immediately put big stupid smiles on our faces. Klaxons are one of them. The video for Echoes is like nothing they've ever done but is fantastic, further prove these boys can do no wrong. And the song is just as fabulous and will be, just like its demo version, on repeat for many days to come.

Friday 16 July 2010

Stop Pretending

Do press play if you were in the mood for a stylish video and a good song.

A Reason To Play Safe

Here's a new one: Hey Champ have finally released their debut Star. At first sight, nothing impressive, right? But I must admit this sounds promising, the idea of victory melting with the feeling you get when you're somewhere up high (and no, I'm not talking about drugs, ok, kids?). Or maybe it's just me and my habit of seeing things from different points of view. The band cites as influences, on their MySpace profile, "Art, History, Science, the 80s, Cartoons, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, and of course Personal Misfortune / Insecurity". Yeah, apparently these are the main influences from many other bands nowadays (except maybe for Where in the World is Carmen San Diego). But let's allow the music to speak.

Ok, perhaps this could not seem to be the most original thing you've heard in your life. Basically, it's your typical synth pop band with lyrics about human emotions and stuff. However, it is so difficult to be original, that most people prefer to take it easy and play safe but play damn good. And this is what Hey Champ did.

They know what to do and they know how to do it to make it sound almost perfect. More than anything else, the synths are truly amazing, the salt and pepper of the album and that small detail that gives every song a special, unique fragrance. Combined with Saam Hagshenas' warm, pleasant voice, this makes a very nice first release. It's impossible to listen to this album and not fall in love with at least one of the songs. My sincere bet is on the first two tracks, the energetic Shake and the nostalgic Word=War.


Star is a very promising debut and a release the band should be proud of. I can only express my sincere admiration and wait to see what will the future bring for them.



Thursday 15 July 2010

I Have The Blues

Ask me to list the bands that went for a whole new musical approach for their studio offerings this year and I might stop next year. Bombay Bicycle Club seem determined to add their name to this lengthy list (and make fun with all the other on the list of Friendly Fires – see “Stupid Quotes Of The Year” list in December). As if bored to be the teeny precocious ones, of bringing you the most exciting guitar riffs and the most anthemic indie numbers, the four North Londoners decided to craft the acoustic Flaws, a true bedroom (singer Jack Steadman’s bedroom, that is) recording.

“Stripped down” is the expression du jour and each song is here to support it. Americana and folk are the things that work for BBC this time. It’s like they were on a diet of Ryan Adams, Sufjan Stevens, Devendra Banhart and Bon Iver. Steadman’s voice swings between Devendra and Bon Iver, the banjo almost takes you in Sufjan’s special world, the guitar off opener Rinse Me Down seems to be the identical twin of Adams’s Everybody Knows. Make no mistake, the quirkiness of these singers is always there too.

Stripped down of all glitz of Indieland but also of all fear that showing your emotions is wrong. Chimes, Spanish guitars, Devendra-scented sunny chords, all fail to hide what this album utterly lacks: optimism. I’ve always been a coward” complains Steadman on Many Ways only to cry of a broken heart a few songs later and making you wonder when did these kids get older before their time.

The problem is that the album, while deeply beautiful, isn’t all together that memorable. It has highlights like the ethereal Flaws but, on an overall basis, it sounds too much as if the four just took from the four artists above without making anything their own. It feels like Bombay Bicycle Club’s only desire was to make an album different from their debut I Had The Blues But I Shot It even if it wasn’t necessarily themselves. It’s rather a shame because, after hearing Flaw, it becomes clear the boys are truly talented and they are more than just another indie-by-numbers band. Maybe they need to age a bit. After all, they are only 19.

Brother, My Cup Is Empty

Naming your band after another artist’s song is, in fact, the equivalent of taking off your clothes in the town market and running around while shouting your adoration for the said artist. O Children know this. O Children embrace this with out any shame. O Children flaunt their love for Mr. Nicholas Edward Cave. Heavily breathing into their microphones, the four Londoners are never afraid of being pastiche. They wear their influences on their sleeves. Influences, for The Bad Seeds are not the only ones who helped shape the sound of O Children.

While vocalist Tobi O’Kandi does take a lot from Cave’s singing technique, he would also make an Andrew Eldritch. The heavy drums and deep voice shake you out of the state of lethargy as soon as the first notes of Malo hit your ears. A cavernous sound that circles around the mantra-like “If I lose you tonight, I’ll lose you forever” oozes Sisters Of Mercy.

But O Children might as well have named themselves “The Killing Moons”. Every step closer to the band’s heart reveals a deep love for the post-punk of Echo& The Bunnymen. When they look to Cave and Eldritch for pieces of advice, they are borderline claustrophobic. When they embrace the teachings of Ian McCulloch and co, they are like a brush that barely touches the canvas: Heels and Fault Line are playful and grand.

It wouldn’t be a review for a post-punk band, if Joy Division wouldn’t get mentioned. But here, on this recording, JD’s spirit is felt only to the extend where O Children’s atmospheric sound does feel like their take on the Manchurians heavy doze of melancholia like the case of Radio Waves. And the lyrics do give you the right to expect a band like The Wombats to write a song that goes “Let’s dance to O Children and celebrate the irony”.

If the melodies seem like a myriad of things put together, it would be safe to say O’Kandi could fill either Cave’s shoes or McCulloch’s. The man has the same tonality and way of pronouncing words as the two. Lyrically, he still has to learn but the morbidity and darkness of the likes of Murder Ballads and deep sadness of Ocean Rain are all there. It seems like it’s Cave himself crooning over the Echo-like drums of Fault Line: “Brother, stop sinning and listen to your mother when she cries”.

O Children are still young, all only 19 to 21, so no one should expect them to be firmly in the place where they could be entirely ‘their own voice’. But the haunting vocals, the hypnotic rhythm section that complements them every second of the album, the shy keyboards, the sometimes incredibly shoegaze-y guitars blend together to create an album that is just as exciting and addictive as the music of those who O Children take from.

Monday 12 July 2010

A Story To Be Told


The singer, fashion designer, visual artist, songwriter and political activist, otherwise known as M.I.A., will release a new album on 13 July. Bad luck? Well, that remains to be seen. The album, called /\/\ /\ Y /\ (the stylised form of Maya) has twelve tracks and has been characterised by M.I.A. as being "schizophrenic", and a form of making people "exercise their critical-thinking muscles". Throw in the fact that YouTube put a restriction on the access to the video for the song Born Free, and you can already expect a certain degree of tension. Well...

Let's start with a fact. If you haven't realise it until now, when you say M.I.A., you say "diversity". The girl has a lot of things to say, and a lot of ways to show us what she has to say, and that reflects in her music. She's an admirer of the freedom of speech and act, and this is easy to see. Her new album album does nothing but prove this, lyrically as well as instrumentally. "You want me be somebody who I'm really not", M.I.A. complains on XXXO, and you can feel that no one who tries to impose her some limits will get out alive. The main lyrical theme on this album is represented by the immersion of technology in everyday life and by information politics (and from this point of view the release wants to be a real statement against the danger represented by the lack of alternative news sources).

Musically speaking, the album is a cocktail of electric synths, hip-hop bounces, reggae rhythms (yeah, exactly, jump to It Takes A Muscle for further information) and ethereal futuristic sounds with M.I.A.'s vocals on top of it, (just like a cherry) claiming "Yo, man, listen carefully to this!" Nice flow, you might think (and this is highly proven especially on Steppin' Up, which was most likely written to give a new meaning to the word "electric"), but you'll be wrong. Dead wrong. Because she can also sing. And here is the part when I must warn you not to take the word "addiction" too lightly. At least not when it comes to a song like the futuristic dreamy ballad Space.

/\/\ /\ Y /\ is not a release you can simply ignore. This is what a overcautious person would have said. But I'll just say this album is great. End of. And now punch me for using cliches again. I can take it.


*photo courtesy of M.I.A.'s official site

Thursday 8 July 2010

Lucid Dream


At a certain point, I wrote in another review about "the great expectation syndrome" which basically appears when you hear a tremendous debut album. And yeah, even if it's a cliche, I have to say it: it's difficult to get on top but it's even more difficult to manage to stay there. That was also the case with School Of Seven Bells. Okay, and now let's finish the so-called introduction and get to the subject which is the release of their sophomore, Disconnect From Desire.

Even from the first track, you realise that the purpose of the band is not only to improve the sound of Alpinisms but to bring it close to perfection. If they would have decided to choose a single word to describe the songs that would probably be "ethereal". The annoyingly wonderful electronic sounds melt with gentle guitars and strong drum beats and create a dreamy atmosphere that will make you completely forget about the world around you.

It's true that you won't find (at least not after the first listening) a certain song that will enter your mind and remain there for at least one week, playing in your head again and again (and again...). But it's also true that this is due to the album itself, which appears (at least instrumentally) as a story on its own, more than just a random collection of songs. Of course, Alejandra and Claudia's voices are also playing a part here, a very important part actually. I honestly cannot describe their voices, because the proper superlative does not exist yet. What a shame, you'll just have to believe me or to go listen to this album (I strongly recommend the second choice).

To be more specific, the great expectations have been fulfilled with this release. Don't be surprised if you'll suddenly wake up and realise that you listened to Disconnect From Desire three times already, completely enjoying it each and every time. I'll end this review by saying that, if Alpinisms was the flower, then this album is the fruit in all its splendour.


*photo courtesy of School Of Seven Bells' MySpace

Wednesday 7 July 2010

Dance To Our Disco

As long as there will be music, there will be one obvious question on everyone’s mind. New Order much? Swedish-American trio Thieves Like Us are not the band to escape the question. Nor are they the one to say ‘no’. While maybe the sound is not NO in your face, the name leaves you wondering. Living in Paris took its told too on the boys’ music and there it was, their debut, Play Music. A fresh Hot Chip meets new wave meets French electro and a shitload of promises of a full dance floor studio material.

All said and done, we press fast forward and reach 2010. Here and now, we find the guys are just as eager to fill that disco. The reason this time? Ten tracks that come reunited under the name Again and Again. Reason of joy to some, reason of sorrow to others, not much has changed. Still a certain Hot Chip flair, still a bunch of French electro key twists, still some italo-disco sprinkled all over, still an obnoxious desire to put on a fanny pack, colourful shorts and a neon headband and dance the night away. They slow the pace, here and there (Mercy is awfully dark with its echoing synths) but they remain the kind of band that is perfect to make you groove even if sited.

Sure, if one were to enlist the characteristics of the trio’s music, maybe few would find something exciting. But, for a band that on paper brings nothing new, their new album rarely bored. In fact, it would be terrifyingly useless to list any highlights, as it has so many, given its purpose to provide the perfect soundtrack for a night out.

Whipping synths, robotic drums, crystal-like vocals, Pet Shop Boys quirkiness, Thieves Like Us love these things and use them properly in order to make a fantastic electro album. It sounds retro but never dated. They use electropop clichés (the female vocals a la Human League or Cut Copy, the sometimes overproduced voice) but never sound like clichés themselves. A dancefloor force they are.

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Burning A Hole Through Your Heart


Mystery Jets like to play around. Their videos are never what you’d expect them to be, their albums always have a twist. They sing about “young loves” that were never meant to be, about hungry smiles and different worlds. They’re the kind of boys who look too young for their own good but are at the exact place in their lives where maturity and immaturity intertwine to create a perfect mix of wisdom. Their past albums have always been like this and Serotonin is no exception.

It’s the playfulness of Flash A Hungry Smile. Its silly whistling, its opening line (“When you walk into the room/Girls growl, boys swoon”), its youthful guitars, all make for a twee and teeny piece that will send you three steps back into adolescence and give you butterflies in your stomach. It’s the heart-felt devotion of the album’s intro, Alice Springs, with its “I’d stand in the line of fire for you” and exuberant guitar riffs. It’s the whispered emotions of Serotonin and the line “burning a hole through my heart”, a love story that sounds like never before. It’s the high-pitched voice on Melt, bluesy-paranoid guitars and pure unaltered promises of love. “All I wanna do is melt, melt, melt into you”.

But it’s the darkness of Dreaming Of Another World, with its slow-disco and indie-pop and desire to leave it all behind. “It’s a sorry tale when the dream turns stale”. The slow-paced keyboard of Too Late To Talk, Blaine Harrison’s admittance that it’s time to grow up, its 70s rock vibe and the reverbs that get lots in the twinkles and choir. It’s the bad taste you get in your mouth after carefully listening to Girl Is Gone, its bitter sweet chimes, big pounding heart-like drums and the defining line “But I was wrong thinking I’d be strong”.

Still, most of the times, Mystery Jets like to brush off all the worries and see how they can make it all better. Like the tribal Show Me The Light and its refusal to give in to the hardships of the world and adulthood. The swirling guitars of Waiting On A Miracle, how it has hope deep in its back bone even in the gloomiest of times. The way Lady Grey gets you up the chair, singing along every line, jumping on the bed in colourful leg warmers, feeling sorry John Hughes is no longer around to use it on the soundtrack of his films. And all this despite its story (“Lady Grey, you’re just the kind of mess I’m looking for”).

And it’s how Lorna Doone wraps it all up. “You’ve been running away from what you feel inside” musses Blaine as if to himself. The shimmering cymbals, the high-pitched vocals, the web of feedback in the back that is slowly closing in, taking over, enhancing the claustrophobia only to end abruptly. While some albums seem too long, while others are too hermetic, Serotonin is a brief yet complete and accurate trip into the world Mystery Jets want us to dream about. It’s not a gigantic change but they are most definitely evolving and slowly taking their rightful place among Britain’s most talented bands.