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Blondes – Blondes

February 14, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

Blondes - Blondes

By Russell Warfield

Writing about Blondes puts me out of my comfort zones. I don’t know much about electronic music, and all its wobbly, wonky sub-genres. I have no idea whether the term ‘hipster house’ – the tag commonly attached to this duo – is meant to be serious, a joke, an insult, or some combination of the three. But this doesn’t matter. You don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of the continental IDM scene to be ravished by Blondes. It’s a record which makes an immediate connection with its listener – bathing your ears in glorious textures, sharing with you an unbridled sense of joy. Just wait for the simple-but-oh-so-effective bass lick of opening track ‘Lovers’ to kick in, and you’ll know that this album is going to be your friend. … Continue Reading

Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It

February 13, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It

By Greg Salter

Back in 2010, Learning – Mike Hadreas’ first record as Perfume Genius – was disarming in its honesty, simplicity and emotional content. The ten short songs were often distant and quiet, though the brutal, frank imagery of Hadreas’ lyrics spoke volumes – about self-destruction and destruction at the hands of others, and about survival. Learning emerged after Hadreas had given up drink and drugs and stood as something as a testament to survival – you felt like you were hearing a life story after the event, and the album was often as absorbing and as uncomfortable a listen as you might expect. Watching Hadreas perform those songs live was akin to watching someone relive that past, while also becoming aware of the possibilities of a future, born out of this music. … Continue Reading

The Menzingers – On The Impossible Past

February 10, 2012 Album, Reviews 1 Comment

The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past

By Steve McGillivray

Hailing from Scranton, Pennsylvania, The Menzingers are set to release their third album and first with Epitaph Records, On The Impossible Past. The PR describes them as having a sound that fans of Frank Turner, The Hold Steady and The Gaslight Anthem would find favourable. After listening to the album it’s difficult to disagree with that. I’d even thrown in a little slice of Springsteen and a sprinkling of Green Day. … Continue Reading

Laura J Martin – The Hangman Tree

February 9, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

Laura J Martin - The Hangman Tree

By Steve McGillivray

The first thing I noticed when I picked up Laura J Martin‘s debut album was the collaborative tracks featured on the album. I’d say that they can be a fair reflection of what’s about to come, without playing the record or having heard any of it previously – when Euros Childs and Buck 65 are two collaborators you know it’s going to be something interesting. This is piqued even further when you see Martin’s varied influences including Wu Tang Clan, Madlib, Serge Gainsbourg, David Bowie and Japanese folklore. … Continue Reading

Of Montreal – Paralytic Stalks

February 8, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks

By Russell Warfield

At this point in Of Montreal’s career, it’s becoming just as much fun to guess what they’ll do next as it is to actually hear it. Beginning their life as a jingly-jangly ’60s pop outfit, more recent efforts have included a sort-of concept album which saw vocalist/mastermind Kevin Barnes transform into a black transsexual funk vocalist called Georgie Fruit halfway through its running time, as well as an hour long patchwork of thirty-to-sixty second ADD-riddled vignettes. 2010’s False Priest split the difference, combining the electro-funk production of Skeletal Lamping with the ready-for-radio song structures of Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?. Eager to buck a trend before it’s even formed, however, Paralytic Stalks delivers itself without apology as Barnes’ weirdest, darkest and least accessible work yet. … Continue Reading

John Talabot – Fin

February 7, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

John Talabot - Fin

By Greg Salter

‘Debak Ine’, the opening track on John Talabot’s debut album Fin, builds slowly. It opens with samples of a jungle – birds and other creatures squawk as crickets hum and chirp, transporting you to the oppressive heat and dank greenery of a rainforest while also creating the vaguely unsettling ambience upon which the rest of the track is built. It’s a seven and a half minute opener, and it’s not until after the 4.30 mark that ‘Debak Ine’ really settles into a groove – before then, beats and melodies have come and gone and it’s only with the arrival of a (muted) 4/4 house beat that things really start to get going. Still, it’s a phenomenal opener and sets out what Talabot’s music is all about – euphoric elements from house, techno and disco are set down alongside a more introspective, and occasionally dark atmosphere across the whole of Fin. And there’s patience too – Talabot never goes for the quick, easy pay-off and the tracks on Fin follow the template on ‘Debak Ine’, building slowly, thrillingly and exquisitely as you listen. … Continue Reading

Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory

February 7, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory

By Paul Faller

Discussing the title of the third Cloud Nothings record in a recent interview with Pitchfork, Dylan Baldi said that he “wanted to make it apparent that it’s an attack on the memory of what the band was.” It’s fair to say that Attack On Memory makes good on this promise, marking a significant progression from the lo-fi pop punk sound of his previous LPs. … Continue Reading

Lana Del Rey – Born To Die

February 6, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

By Russell Warfield

By and large, I’ve successfully insulated myself from the Lana Del Rey whirlwind until hearing Born To Die. An indeterminate number of months ago, a friend of mine asked me if I’d heard ‘Video Games’ yet.  I gave it a cursory listen of about twenty four seconds, gave it an internal two word review of “some bollocks”, and left it at that. My first observation/concession about the actual album: ‘Video Games’ is not the “some bollocks” I originally fingered it to be. Simplistic and manipulatively melancholic on first listen, it reveals itself as a vehicle for a haunting and addictive melody – ultimately a much higher cut above the similarly omnipresent weepers from the likes of Adele. … Continue Reading

The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know

February 6, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know

By Steve McGillivray

No One Can Ever Know is the third release from Scottish band The Twilight Sad. With a reputation for ear splitting live shows, the band are generally known for dark, moody indie rock, but the release of the latest album signals a shift in sound for the band. The darkness prevails but the music is tinged with nods to ’80s synthesiser-driven pop and industrial rock. Will this evolution be too much of a departure from their previous work or will it signal a new and exciting chapter in the band’s development? … Continue Reading

Nimmo And The Gauntletts – Young Light

February 3, 2012 Album, Reviews No Comments

Nimmo And The Gauntlets - Young Light

By Joel Stagg

Nimmo And The Gauntletts have been steadily increasing their profile over the last year or so, as part of the Strummerville foundation’s band roster, mentored by Emmy the Great, and having appeared at Secret Garden Party and the Eden project as well as frequent live appearances in Brighton and London. Now with Young Light, they finally deliver on their promise and emerge with a strikingly confident EP that’s bound to delight fans old and new and strongly situate them as one of the more exciting young guitar bands of the present moment. … Continue Reading

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