Hanne Hukkelberg – Blood From A Stone
Hanne Hukkelberg - Blood From A Stone
The soft, delicate voice of Hanne Hukkelberg lures the listener into a false sense of security, as you drift into a land of snow capped hillsides and winter sun.
Hanne Hukkelberg - Blood From A Stone
The soft, delicate voice of Hanne Hukkelberg lures the listener into a false sense of security, as you drift into a land of snow capped hillsides and winter sun.
The Replacements
The Replacements should have never left the small town circuit; they didn’t try to sell records, they didn’t have aspirations to play Wembley Stadium (I guess the American equivalent is Madison Square Gardens?) and yet they were somehow able to leave behind a legacy, albeit one that was patchy and inconsistent. If they were around today they’d probably be considered an ironic drunken joke band like Towers of London. In fact they would almost certainly get beaten down by a heavy rain of blogosphere bile.
Maxïmo Park - The Kids Are Sick Again
‘The Kids Are Sick Again’ is the appetiser to Maxïmo Park’s forthcoming third album Quicken the Heart. They’re back folks and this time they seem touchy, paranoid and a damn sight more serious. The song begins with sweeping electro bass clatter, and probing drums before vocalist Paul Smith arrives to sing about restless, mundane aspects of the suburban life “Pointless days pining/Afternoons whining/The suburbs scream/At passers byâ€. Punchy guitar carelessly drifts in and out like a crisp packet blowing down a quiet cul-de-sac.
‘The Kids are Sick Again’ builds and builds, and makes a futile attempt to be uplifting but for whatever reason the track stutters around the two minute mark and never catches flight. Ending with the ominous repetition of “The kids are sick again/Nothing to look forward to/They jumped the cliff again/Future sinks beneath the blueâ€.
Charismatic front man Paul Smith is usually the electric spark that makes Maxïmo Park appealing with his perceptive lyrics and distinctly poetic delivery. On ‘The Kids Are Sick Again’ he takes a while to get going, almost as if he is shaking off the rust. I am baffled about what Smith is actually saying in this song, is it a paean about his own school days, or a sociological observation about the youth of today and their apparent bleak prospects? Because it’s hard to believe a 30-year-old bloke [Ed - don't quote us on that] is down with the kids. … Continue Reading
Ironik
WARNING! Elton John is trying to be hip again, by officially allowing another of his classic songs to be sampled. To quote the former Watford chairman, “Tupac and Kanye West are the two artists I’ve let sample my records – that says everything about how much I rate Ironik”.
Pet Shop Boys - Yes
A lot has been made of the Pet Shop Boys working with super producers du jour Xenomania, and inviting along Johnny Marr to submit a few jingle jangles from his guitar for inclusion on Yes. Ignoring the contribution of the former Smiths and now Cribs guitarist (Wow! How the mighty has fallen… I like the Cribs but come on, that’s got to be like going from playing in the Champions League with Manchester United to appearing in front of one man and his dog for the Adam and Eve XI down at Hackney marshes) for the moment and focussing on Xenomania, now I’m not going to belittle their accomplishments in turning Girls Aloud into a formidable feminine force but they struggled to get it together with both New Order and Franz Ferdinand so I wasn’t 100% convinced they could provide the Midas touch on Yes.
Throughout their illustrious quarter of a century the Pet Shop Boys worked with Bobby Orlando during their fledgling years, Trevor Horn on Fundamental, they had Dusty Springfield contribute vocals to ‘What Have I Done to Deserve This?’ and capitalising on the MTV boom of the eighties got esteemed film director Derek Jarman to direct three of their music videos. Like all good artists they are keen collaborators and after listening to Yes I got the impression that all the mysterious Xenomania production crew really had to do was, in the Rick Rubin School of Production, remind the Pet Shop Boys just who good they once were. … Continue Reading
Milton Jackson - Crash
Back from the brink of self enforced retirement Milton Jackson releases Crash, a slab of chilled house. What’s obvious is that Jackson’s brand of house possesses a shiny, almost sterile sound which is about as atmospheric as walking down the corridor of a hospice. I’m sorry but I can only look at this album from the perspective of a casual house listener and because of this I need to question whether this record will have any crossover appear. One wonders if Milton Jackson can belatedly follow his fellow Scot and former collaborator Mylo who tasted mainstream success with Destroy Rock & Roll. On the evidence available throughout Crash this would not be the case, even when ‘Orbit 3′ takes us into a more progressive territory; we’re still nowhere near the brand of house that was released during the Golden Days of Guerilla Records. … Continue Reading
Tommy Ludgate
“I’m fed up with my own company/quite fed up with this extreme monotony”. These words could so easily describe my own feelings after listening to this song, for ‘Sweet Release’ has all the artistic merits of a Craig David B-side.
DM Stith - Heavy Ghost
Upon learning this album was released by Asthmatic Kitty my spirits were almost instantly raised. Earlier this year Fol Chen’s Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune’s Made opened the door to a Narnia of sound. I suppose I was hoping DM Stith would resemble Aslan. Though who believes in Aslan nowadays?
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
When I sat down to review this album I took a deep breath. I paused for a few moments, took a sip of Napoleon and made a vow. I promised not to let my judgement get clouded by Bono’s noble pursuit of sainthood, I promised to forget the past, to ignore my preconceived opinion that U2 have done nothing worthwhile since Achtung Baby (apart from that song on the Batman Forever soundtrack). … Continue Reading
Mike Bones - A Fool For Everyone
Is this album a piss take? A concept album that mocks our introspective navel gazing twattering, a soundtrack for Generation Me: The delusion and the grandeur. Or are these songs autobiographical and genuine? In this day and age, does it even matter? … Continue Reading
Join the conversation...