Ellie Goulding - Lights
Ellie Goulding and Marina Diamandis have three things only in common; they’re both originally from Wales, they’re both female, they’ve both very recently released seriously hyped up debuts on major labels. Do we have room for a second pop princess if at all? … Continue Reading
Lawrence Arabia’s star is swiftly rising, he’s talented and a New Zealand export; a rarity in the last case. James Milne’s second album Chant Darling, follows his 2007 self-titled debut but certainly doesn’t lag behind it; ten new uniformly charming and mostly brilliant tracks will cement his image as favourite NZ expat for many.
Opener ‘Look Like A Fool’ begins with an honest tale of (you guessed it) looking silly in front of a nice girl; Milne’s accent sounding somehow Beatles-esque. As the initially melancholy instrumentation swells behind these earnest vocals, Chant Darling’s signature sound becomes quickly apparent; gorgeous strings dictate subtle mood shifts and the clever vocal/guitar harmonies are wonderfully warm and full.
By third track ‘Apple Pie Bed’, a lightly overdriven guitar line and gleeful falsetto harmonies have made their welcome introductions and a plethora of 60s/70s pop influences suggest themselves but don’t overwhelm. As the album progresses though, the delightful realization that every track has some kind of signature, stand out element or passage will rapidly dawn on you, as will the innocent, extravagant, quirky genius of it all.
The Moi Non Plus
Following in the proud tradition of loud, occasionally psyched-out garage rock two-man noise machines (think Fuck Buttons, White Stripes, Japandroids, Lighting Bolt) Amsterdam based The Moi Non Plus exert a masterful control over dissonance, tribal rhythms and psych-garage walls of noise. Droning, almost doggedly monotonous guitar riffs make way to crazed wailing. A rare sample accompanies an even rarer snatch of melody; haunting, compelling and likely to set you on edge.
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