How long have Muse been around for now? The short answer is well over a decade, so I’m quite ashamed to come to them late. Hearing a song on the radio I’ve often enjoyed it, but only appreciated them as a band since V2008.
As a result, this is the first album I’ve bought of theirs, and have been anything but disappointed. It’s imposing, and powerful. Much has been said about the 3-part Exogenesis that concludes the album – and I can only agree. It’s described as a symphony, and it can be very moving.
Personal highlight is probably the title track, with its eyrie opening and full-on chorus. I’m a bit bewildered by the heavy Queen influence on United States of Eurasia that I spotted as soon as listened to it, and am not the only one. MK Ultra also seems to start with the theme to Treasure Hunt.
There’s little to say against this album. One of those rare beasts with not a single dud track – even in comparison they’re all as strong as each other, and also very different – whilst keeping the essential sense of assembly. It’s easy to listen from start to finish again, and again, which is obvious the true test.
Once again, I’m behind with album reviews. I’ve had this album for months, which is no great shock given how much I like the group.
It’s good that I like the Arctic Monkeys though, because it is more of the same. All fairly dark, guitar heavy, and with very distinct vocals.
There’s a few expections to that norm, so accurately demonstrated in tracks like My Propellor. Secret Door is, for instance, is quite melancholy and dreamy. Second single Cornerstone is also very different, fairly simplistic, and calms down the pace of the album very much.
Personal pick – Pretty Visitors. The variation within itself is pretty good – crazy fast paced opening, before an anthemic chorus.
It’s not a hugely different album, but more of a progression. Which is good, when there’s no need to be daring. The lyrics and song writing remain excellent, and it makes it clear that there’s more good stuff to come.
This is the review of a nice, average band; with a nice, average home in a nice, average town. At least, that's what I imagine it to be.
Because, as the introduction to Hometime tells us, that's the story behind "All Balloons", the provisional title for One EskimO's debut album which is now set to be a self-titled number.
I first talked about One EskimO back in June, and have been listening to the album fairly regularly since then general release having been sadly delayed on several occasions until now, finally, next Monday (available for pre-order at all usual places), together with the extra "Givin' Up". They really are my band of the moment - but a bit of further background first, courtesy of the review from one such "usual place":
One eskimO's striking sound and presentation can be traced back to 2004, when [singer/songwriter Kristian] Leontiou first hit the UK Top 10 with his solo debut single, 'Story Of My Life.' His album, entitled 'Some Day Soon,' proved equally successful, selling more than 200,000 copies and catapulting the soulful young singer to pop success. But, the experience left the gifted young vocalist strangely unfulfilled, as if he were merely a spoke in the great wheel of music industry marketing.
So, Leontiou set to do something different. And with Adam Falkner (drums), Pete Rinaldi (guitar) and Jamie Sefton (bass and horns) he set out to create a band that doesn't require him to be in the spotlight, the central instead being one eskimo (with a band of a penguin, giraffe, and monkey). As Leontiou told the Guardian back in 2007:
"I wanted to create a sound of my own: magical, ambient, filmic, acoustic, beautiful and meaningful. I wanted to write about how I felt about life, love, losses and failures, highs and lows, even heartbreaks. But also about how amazing human life is and how mind-blowing our very existence is."
And that's the definite mood behind the album. Moody and very lyrical, expressive and touching upon a huge variety of issues that affect daily life. The tracks themselves have got comparitively basic tunes and rhythms, but the intricate electronic textures took a year to finalise the album - with Rollo Armstrong producing.
With the perhaps rough and ready animation, the "childlike innocence" that Leontiou said he wanted to create is there.
Stand out tracks have to be Kandi (sampling Candi Staton's He called me baby), the powerful (without being loud, raucous, or heavy) Chocolate, and the jazz Balloons (3 quite different ones there) - but it's difficult to actually pick out any. There genuinely are no bad tracks, and there is much to be said from treating the album as a whole and not individual tracks.
I'm gutted I missed that at V, but you can still catch them supporting Paulo Nutini over the next few weeks. I'll be looking for their own gigs, which are an inevitability, and am determined not to miss them again.
The second album from another soulful singer on the Island Label (vaguely familiar routine there then) is out on Monday - but what makes Remi Nicole stand out from what is becoming a very busy genre (particularly with stablemate Amy Winehouse)?
Well, all 11 tracks on the album have been written by Ms Nicole, and when I first listened to a quick sample of the album I was quite dissapointed. They lacked the certain "oopmh" and really catchy chorus of Standing Tears Apart (the first single, out now). Thankfully, it was a grower - I think what the problem was the initial shock of such a varied range of sounds in a short time frame. In retrospect though, it shows great variety and creativity from a young singer-songwriter.
Cupid Shoot Me, the title track, is especially soulful and perhaps a bit 60s with the chorus (Happy Days anyone?). Nice Boy is guitar lead and "shoo-woddy" - with a wonderful catchy beat. Whereas Come Find Me is the slow and melancholy one that every album has. And, if anything, Love You so is somewhere towards Rockabilly!
Thankfully, after getting used to all the differences, I'm able to say that yes, they are all good tracks. The diversity does actually mean that you won't get bored from the album - and with a wonderful voice, harmonies, and memorable tunes, there's nothing to get bored of in any event.
I've been sat on this album for far too long, and never got round to making a post about it - so, time to quickly put that right.
I suppose one reason it's taken me a while to get round to reviewing the album is that it also took me ages to actually buy the thing. The Ting Tings were a band who always had loads of good tracks, but very few were fantastic. OK, we all know That's not my name, but could be worried that the other singles of Great DJ, We Walk ... they're all a bit similar - shouty, and not with the greatest tune, but still good with an addictive quality.
Overall, the album is pretty much of the same - good, but nothing brilliant. Fruit Machine is pretty clever with its fast pace, and Traffic Light is very different from the feel of the rest of the album with a reggae feel. The recurring "loud" theme does make it an album that you can only listen to on loop if you're driving late at night, and some times it does just make it a bit too much. But, it's an unusual sound, and you'll hear very little like it - so when you're in the mood, it's perfect.
19th March 2008 was the date of my first post about Florence and the Machine. I was impressed by her crazed style, and clear musical ability.
Since then, I've mentioned her several times, the band has come had come 3rd in the BBC's "Sound of 2009" poll, and they're the winners of the 2009 Brit Awards critic choice award.
All of this (obviously the mentions on Musical Bites being the greatest accolades, erm...), without an album. It's taken until July 2009 to get there. But, when it was released, I've been looking forward to it for so much, not only did I jump at the idea of buying the album, I even bought the extended 2-CD special edition!
Thankfully, I wasn't in the slightest bit disappointed.
Starting with the soothing opening of Dog Days Are Over, itself crescending to a frantic peak, the mood of the album is set. All the tunes are slightly different - I'm not calling you a liar could be said to have a dance like tendency, Kiss with a fist is most definitely anything but - but there is there somehow a continuing theme. Somewhat crazy, unusual definitely, yet there's something else slightly indistinct that runs through the entire album.
Stand out track in my opinion is Girl with One Eye - a wonderfully acoustic number (at least to start with, but the drums kick in at the right moment exactly), soul-esque, and very powerful instrumentation. Cosmic Love also matches its title, with the sci-fi background music and the lyrics all gelling together to prove all were meant to go together. Harps are notoriously very difficult instruments to fit into pop music, and yet it seems to work not just in Cosmic Love but throughout the album as a whole.
With no weak tracks at all, it's clear that the build-up to the album has been time well spent; and the hype has been justified.
Building on the gorillaz theme, here's another cartoon band. Indeed, the animation is created by Passion Pictures who also did the "original" cartoon band.
OK, chosen one sounds very James Blunt-esque, which loyal readers will know is far from a selling point. I even thought I'd be saying the same about kandi, but it developed into a decent and quite moving duet with some extremely familiar sounding vocals (the female being Candi Statton). In short, if you think gorillaz singing guitar based slow ballads, you're getting on the right track, if not quite totally there.
The opening chords of the debut album from Glasvegas reminded me of the opening chords of "Seldom Seem Kid" - building towards something.
It has taken me a while to get round to talking about this album, almost as long as it took me to buy it - but there was a special offer on at HMV so it was a good chance to build the CD collection.
One reason it's taken me a while to talk about it is because it's taken me a while to listen to it more than once. It was banned from my road trips over to Newcastle on the basis that it was too depressing. And whilst I think that's a wee bit harsh, there is a point. You only need to look at the titles to establish that. It's my own cheating heart that makes me cry, Daddy's gone - it's hardly Take That poptastic is it?
But, they're not all like. Take Go Square Go. It's got a vivid beat, and it's easily danceable unlike many. OK, the lyrics are about bullying, but you can try and ignore this.
Musically, it's a very well put together album. It starts off as one continuous track with no joins - like albums used to be. You know where the difference is. Classic lovers may appreciate the twist of Beethoven's 'Moonlight' Sonata in Stabbed - which is particularly moving. Ice Cream Van is an almost hypnotic number, with swirling accompaniment. And it does end the album with a hint of hope. Despite the storms - the ice cream van will come one day.
I don't really get those people that look at the album with such depressed tones. Look at it as a whole - things are going bad in the world (especially now). But, there's always that glimmer of hope.
Being the stingy Northerner that I am, I don't generally buy an album before it's been around for a while, and I've heard a number of the tracks that will feature on it.
It's also the case that there's very few artists I have every album for (save for those that have only released one).
But the latter appears to negate the former, as when I knew that the Killers were bringing out a new album, it was a case of when I bought the new album, and not if.
OK, I wasn't queuing up in the shop on the day of release - blame the credit crunch and lack of Student discount nowadays.
Surprisingly, first impressions of the album weren't that good. OK, we already knew I like Human, but save for Spaceman (which I still think is the best track on the album) there didn't seem to be any classic sing-out tracks in the style of Mr Brightside and the others we all know and love.
But, they've definitely grown on me. The disco-funk of Joy Ride, the enchanting I can't stay, and the semi-futuristic The World We Live In being particular highlights. What's particularly good about the album is that no tracks are the same. Each tune is distinctly different, there's no sense of repetition at all. It's the mark of a good album, with time put into every performance.
I don't think it's quite got to the stage where I could happily listen to it on repeat ad-infinitum. And it's not my album of the year. But it's still very good. Taking a punt on it as a partial unknown quality was well worth it.
I came away from their Delamere gig feeling slightly disappointed. Whilst they were clearly on form, and all the songs were of high quality, I said at the time:
"Most (if not all) of Elbow's songs are quite heavy. There's nothing with vigor, nothing with "get up and go". Whilst I still say that every single song was very impressive, 90 minutes of it (including encore) did end up being a bit too much. Short bursts are brilliant, such a long set I'm not too sure."
Their fourth album was released back in March, and yet it wasn't until after they won the Mercury Prize that I ventured out and bought it. And now it's taken 6 weeks to actually put finger to keyboard to write a review of it.
But, I think there's something extra here. Perhaps I just wasn't in an Elbow "mood" back in June. Because, after hearing more and more tracks from the album, there was only one group I wanted to win the Mercury. And the reason it's taken so long to review the album is because it's been in the CD player in my car for most of that period.
Elbow's music is heavy. It's powerful. And this makes in brilliant. The Seldom Seen Kid just proves this. And, after listening to it again and again - a truly worthy winner of the Mercury
It takes less than a minute for the album to state it's intent, with the powerful chord in Starling. It makes you sit up and listen. Listen to the brilliant lyrics.
We made the moon our mirrorball. The streets an empty stage. The city sirens violins. Everything has changed. (Mirrorball)
A modern take on romanticism. There's haunting melodies (Weather to Fly), tuneful duets (The Fix), and true brilliance in what is still a strong contender for Tune of the Year (One Day Like This).
Not one bad track. In one way, I ended up being surprised by how much I like it. But, I think deep down, I should have expected it. And it's a very worthwhile purchase even if, like me, it's taken you a while a figure it out.
Fresh from downloading Strange Overtones, the 30-years in the making (well, not necessarily making, but definitely waiting) Byrne/Eno collaboration is (just like The Verve's "Forth" was) streaming on their website (and below if you don't feel that clicking away).
So, as I asked last time - has listening to the entire album encouraged me to go and buy a CD of it?
Surprisingly, no. The album is a good listen. But that's really it for me, listen in the singular. There's some tracks I could listen to time and time again - One Fine Day is nice and soothing. But immediately after that you've got Poor Boy - which is clearly meant to be modern, yet to me sounds like two tunes stuck together with a bit of superglue instead of a cleverly mixed piece of work.
I think it's just that there's some tunes that sound right, and fit Byrne's voice perfectly - Home and the country-esque My Big Nurse. There's even a stand out track - Life is Long has a slightly anthemic edge to it.
But there's too many tracks that I don't like, that I can't find a tune in, to make the album a real must have in my eyes - I Feel my stuff is 20th Century classical music in the piano part. Ie - play some notes and someone will think there's something there, but I can't.
It could be a grower, and due to time constraints before my enforced internet absence I've only listened to it in full once. I will listen to it again, and might like it more then. I also think that my review doesn't really paint a true picture - it's definitely a good album. I just wouldn't rush out to buy it after 1 listen, which surely is the mark of an exceptional record, which is probably more what I was expecting from the partnership.
Only if you've been living in a hole recently will you not know that The Verve are back. I've talked about Love is Noise more than once - and next Monday (25th) the album "Forth" is released.
However as a teaser, for this week only, the entire album's been available for streaming on the band's myspace. The aim no doubt to encourage us out to buy it in hard copy (or download for those that do that sort of thing).
Has it worked then? Well, it never was going to for me - I'm moving house next week so the pennies are being carefully watched until pay-day. It's still a good album though.
A nice mix of new and old - songs like Rather Be and I see houses in a similar vein to their earlier work. Contrast that though with Noise Epic, which is an eight-minute, erm, epic - loud, raucous, and a variety of styles within one song alone. You think it's finished at around the six minute mark - but it restarts even more brash than before. Then you've got Columbo and (of course) Love is Noise - which sit together as a pairing in an almost pyschadelic fashion.
There's actually a lot of songs that are very lengthy. Gone is the "3 minute pop-song". This will certainly make them less radio friendly - although I predict radio edits might soon make an appearance to solve that issue. I don't consider it a problem though - the song are proper songs, and feel complete. Often 'long' songs feel long, none of these do - they are the right length for the type of music. The only restraint on the song is the music itself.
It's diverse, it's different, yet it's refreshingly familiar. The come back is all the rage nowadays, and as a result it's often done badly. But, The Verve have managed to - perhaps once again - break the mould.
I don't actually feel too bad about reviewing the self titled debut album from Vampire Weekend so many months after it was released. Two reasons: firstly, it's still present in the charts. More and more people seem to like them as the weeks go by. But secondly, if I had to describe the album in one word, it would be "summery".
I'd actually be tempted to say "Caribbean", especially when you listen to Cape Cod, and the introduction to Bryn. I don't think they actually use Steel Drums and dance down a beach, but you could imagine it. However, despite the instrumental choice in I stand corrected it's not Caribbean; and M79 is more baroque than anything else. Still summery though.
On the whole, it's a fairly frantic record. Fast beats, and lots of notes. Strangely, whilst that normally relates to dance music, "Vampire Weekend" is anything but. From the John Peel stage at Glastonbury they introduced A-Punk as "the only song of ours you can dance too", and I think it's actually a fair point. It's definitely more music to enjoy than music to spend an evening with.
I do, however, have one distinct complaint about the album - and that's the length of it. The number of tracks (11) is about usual nowadays - but they're all fairly short. There's no "long" track, and when you put the record into your play and it introduces a length of 37minutes you wonder what else they could have put on the CD - especially when some CDs (Sawdust by Killers for instance) manage a full 70+minutes. It does raise the question if they had extra material to put on the record, or if that's it. How long might it take to write enough content for a second album?
Of course, they say the best things come in small packages, and that's probably my only criticism of the album, which can't be a bad review all-in-all. Some tracks are stronger than others, Campus being a particular favourite here, but I wouldn't say there's any that are particularly bad.
I'm expecting the album will continue to hover around the charts for a while. So, whilst it does, I still would recommend heading out and buying it.
If you wanted to form a rock band, surely the last person you'd want to join in with would be your Dad. However, that's exactly what young Blaine Harrison did, and whilst Henry is no longer touring with Mystery Jets, his influence is still apparent in the latest album.
It's always the case - we do take some musical influence from our parents. And whilst they might not like "yoof music", there's often a clear chain of music from parental favourites to the music us youngsters like. So, given a chance to influence an entire band, Henry's "prog stuff" favourites do appear.
Yet, with the less direct involvement, it's clear that the record is a development or a 'growing up'. Most of the tracks aren't listing as being written by Henry, the majority are by Blaine - sometimes with or without other members of the band.
There's two exceptions. One is the bonus track on the repackaged version of the album - a cover of Aztec Camera's Somewhere in my heart- and for once my tendency to wait a while before buying an album has proved very useful. It's a faithful cover, and very "get up and go", giving you a bit of enthusiasm.
The other is the still exceptional Young Love. Written by guitarist William Rees (who also takes lead vocals) and bassist Kai Fish, after being a TOTW it's still a very strong contender for the Tune of the Year prize.
Young Love also highlights the thing that struck me most from the album - harmonies. There it's with Laura Marling, but there's plenty of songs where you can probably say there's two lead singers, singing different lines of music to make a harmonised tune - instead of boring predictable backing singers. Half in Love with Elizabeth is possibly the best example I'd have of that.
As the NME review states, the previous failing with Mystery Jets was that were a bit ramshackle. Some great pop songs, some not so. To an extent, I'd say it continues here. Some brilliant tracks, but some duds. I don't like hidden tracks at the best of times, and having to listen to dead air to find Twenty One wasn't worth the wait at all. Even in the main album, I can't say I'm a big fan of Umbrellahead.
But, overall, there's a lot more good than bad. Memorable tracks like Two Doors Down (TOTW21) sit pleasingly alongside tracks that I can't imagine anyone could dislike like The first to know. When it's so difficult to achieve perfection, you can rarely ask for more than "Twenty One" offers.
Not so many years ago, one of the best things a new and upcoming band could hope for was to be recognised by the legendary John Peel. A play on his Radio 1 show was the first, and often critical, step towards full recognition.
Sadly, such a thing is no longer possible. However, if - like me - you feel that Steve Lamacq is the closet replacement to Peel that we'll get (I'm sure Lammo - as John himself christened Steve - wouldn't want to be compared to Peel directly, and would be the first to agree that he can't be anywhere close to 'the new John Peel') - then recognition and continued airplay is certainly the next best thing.
Personally, I can't help but wonder if it wasn't for Steve Lamacq's admiration for MGMT if they'd be where they are now. Recognition through BBC Introducing ensured that they become more mainstream at the least (certainly I don't think they'd have come to my attention if it wasn't for their performance at SXSW), and perhaps was the major push required to break them through.
I consider it ironic enough that at Glastonbury last weekend, they performed on the John Peel stage on Friday - the almost spiritual home for new music.
Listening to their first album, there's one really unusual thing that strikes me about it. I can't pick out any tracks as the "stand out" tracks. However, I can't pick out any tracks as the "bad" track from the album either. Using that as a basis, you'd think I'm about to say that the album is decidedly average. But it isn't - I can't pick out anything as a stand-out track because they're all so good.
It's all innovative and eclectic. MGMT are fair removed from the mainstream - "electronic psychedelia" is how I believe it's often described. If you want that something 'different' in your record collection, I can't think of a better album to do it with. You have to be a fan of new and developing music to appreciate it, but appreciate it you will. Every tune is different (Scouting for Girls take note), and twists things in their own little way. Every time you listen to the tracks, you might find something you've never heard before. It really is a listening experience, and not just a pastime.
I still think that the lack of 'stand out tracks' does hurt the album, as there ends up being no track that I want to listen to again and again. Nothing that makes me want to go and find the album so I can listen to one or two particular tracks. I can see it, as a result, becoming an album in the collection as opposed to be an album at the top of the collection - despite it definitely being an immense and powerful piece of work.
There's a very sensible reason why my album reviews come several months after the release date. This is an amateur's blog, so I don't get the advanced copy of an album nicely free of charge. So, if I'm going to spend my hard earned cash on an album, I want to be convinced it's going to be a good one.
Strangely, I think I knew that The Age of the Understatement was going to be a cracking album when I knew that Alex Turner and Miles Kane were collaborating (as a surprised fan of Turner's writing in any event), and straight after hearing the lead single for the first time was convinced. That said, I've still only just got round to buying it...
The overall style of the album matches the cover of the album perfectly. It's 60s music. Guitar styled, the (often used for the duo) comparison to the Walker Brothers is exact. You can tell there's Arctic Monkeys-esque moments in there, but that's to be expected - and it's not the same band with just a slightly different line-up and the London Metropolitan Orchestra.
The ability to combine the similar voice styles or Turner and Kane should be praised. The full orchestration is well managed. It's tension building, nostalgic, and yet creative.
Obviously, it still has its failings. I think that I Don't Like You Anymore doesn't really match the rest of the album. It's not that it's a bad track, and I think it would fit perfectly fine on an Arctic Monkeys album - but it's a bit too heavy considering what's either side of it. It builds to a raucous ending, which doesn't have the same musicality I enjoy from every other track.
One also occasionally gets the feeling that they're trying a bit too hard to be the next Bond theme. The opening chords of In My Room; the Russian chorus of The Age of the Understatement - it's all a bit too obvious.
Despite that, it's not stopped from being an exceptional album. Personal favourites are Only The Truth with its full on opening; My Mistakes Were Made For You, and the latest singleStanding Next to Me.
I've listened to the album several times in order to really get the mood of the work, and I've not found myself getting even slightly bored of any bits of it, which I consider the mark of a good album. I waited until I was sure I'd like it - and it was well worth the wait. The Last shadow puppets
It's strange what sometimes creates to motivation to listen to an album from start to finish. As my internet connection flaked out whilst listening to Warwick Avenue, I decided it was about time I did the same with Rockferry, Duffy's album that was an entire three years in the making. Plus, for good measure, it links in with the most recent Unsung looking at Soul music.
It's been hyped. There's more reviews of this album going around (mainly from it's release back in March) than there are tattoos on Amy Winehouse. Which is ironic, as the Welsh star has been dubbed as a "Winehouse-alike" by many elements of the press.
Personally, I think there's drawing much too broad a comparison. Both are soul stars, yes, but I feel that Duffy's are much closer the the classic 60s soul 'roots' from Motown. It's probably completely unintentional, but listen to the opening of some tracks, and you can draw a direct parallel to some 'originals' - sampling, but not really. Think I'm talking nonsense? The "big hit" of Mercy (how long was it number 1 for now?) - it's Stand by me by Ben E. King. Stepping Stone - see Walk on By.
This isn't a bad thing, by any stretch of the imagination. It's not a poor cover, or sampling a song to appeal to a different market. Leave that to Sean Kingston. What it does, however, is show that there is pure soul music at work here.
But anyway, Rockferry has been hyped. And the hype machine is certainly a bad thing - it imposes pressure, and often creates a fad that's short lived. And for this to happen with this singer would be a great shame.
What I find is a rare occurrence nowadays, you can listen to the album from start to finish as a 'story'. Mercy explains that "I'm under your spell", then you listen to Delayed Emotion explaining a breakup, and including the line "I'm no longer under your spell". It's then impossible not to mention the conclusion of Distant Dreamer, described by the BBC as "a sonic waterfall of strings so uplifting you emerge drenched in hope"
It shows a variation of styles - all definitely being soulful though. Northern Soul encouraged danceable numbers like Mercy, simple acoustic things with Syrup and Honey, to the classic ballads like current single (and TOTW18) Warwick Avenue.
Through and through, it's an authentic soulful album - but it's not a copycat. I'm left hoping that the follow-up isn't another three-years away, I want to hear more before then. Duffy
Or should that be miserable pretty girls? A pair of album reviews from me here.
Firstly, we're one month away from the nominations for the Mercury Music Prize - and it's time to look back at a previous nomination.
It's hard to understand what this particularly accolade offers over than a sudden jolt of sales for some artists - like a NASCAR Race fot the Chase for music?
Back in 2002, one of the runners up (the winner being Ms. Dynamite unfortunately), Gemma Hayes - an irish female singer-songwriter, whose guitar driven album, Night On My Side, got a reasonable amount of press attention for all of about two months that year.
Having suffered writers block, it took 3 years before her follow up album, The Roads Don't Love You was released quietly in 2005. Now, her third album, the Hollow of Morning, has been released after a few distribution problems to almost dead silence (so quiet, even her own website doesn't mention it's been released!).
A very downbeat affair. The Hollow of Morning features acoustic guitar, some old fashioned synths and here and there some layered electric guitar as well. A relatively short ten-tracker, weighing in at just under 37 minutes - Gemma's distinctive voice works a treat over the moody melodies.
The album opens with a Lloyd Cole-esque acoustic hook, with whispering vocals for This Is What You Do. The more pop ready single follows, Out of Our Hands (with some similarities to her prior albums single, Happy Sad) as the album alternates between electric and acoustic guitars by track.
January 14th drifts nicely past your ears, and then Home, a shoegazing style song sneaks in. In Over My Head, a built up dirge featuring Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine on guitar marks the albums mid-point.
Chasing Dragons is another catchy miserablist acoustic number - then Don't Forget, a chugging guitar track, sounding similar to the Rentals raises the noise level briefly - and then back to acoustic and lo-fi synths for Sad Old Song.
At Constant Speed is a brilliant rising epic to end of the songs with lyrics, as oddly an instrumental closes off this album.
It's a great album that probably should have been released in the winter, but hey! Gemma Hayes - Out Of Our Hands & In Over My Head Live
On to miserable girl #2.
And to link it in, Kevin Shields recently produced some new tracks for this artists movie breakthrough a few years ago - Lost In Translation.
Yes, another movie star has dared make an album, and this time it's Scarlett Johansson, who concretes her standing as the Hollywood misfit with this outing.
Let's put it this way, J-Lo, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan won't share the same shelf with Scarlett on anyone's collections here.
After you get past the first track, Fawn, which is also an instrumental like Gemma's closer - we get introduced to Scarlett's baritone singing voice. If you've seen Lost In Translation, you can see we've clearly been sold a dummy - as Scarlett drops an octave (or two) and battles with the blokes for notes for Town With No Cheer. Scarlett Johansson - Brass In Pocket from Lost In Translation
The third track is the single, Falling Down, with the first of two appearances by the thin white duke himself on backing vocals.
This musical format stays in use for the whole album. Keyboards, bells, whistles, chiming guitars make a very dirgy effort on this album of - since I didn't mention it, - Tom Waits covers.
Similar musical styles appear from Mazzy Star, to Slowdive to Saint Etienne by the time we get to the slightly dancable I Don't Wanna Grow Up. It only becomes really evident that it is a covers album when you hear Scarlett voicing fears about her hair falling out.
This is an incredibly brave release, and could probably be my favourite musical release from a movie star ever. The concept is just so insane, it's brilliant. There is an original track hidden in there in Song For Jo which blends in secretly amongst the brilliance of Wait's penned numbers.
Scarlett Johansson (feat. David Bowie) - Falling Down
For my first album review, I think it's only fair that I look at an album that everyone can listen to - without needing to venture out to the shops. More to the point, without paying anything either.
It's actually an album that's been in the news a bit. Amplive decided to take Radiohead's new album In Rainbows, and have some creative remixing and sampling to make his own 8-track album.
Radiohead initially objected - but an agreement was reached, and it's out there for free download.
I don't mind saying that I'm not the biggest fan of the entire remix idea. So, I listened to the tracks with a bit of trepidation. And, I'm afraid to say, I've not been overly convinced. Take Nudez. I think the best part of the source track, Nude, is that it's so sublime. It takes me away into a strange and distant land whilst listening to it. By remixing it, all of those wonderful qualities are immediately removed - even though Radiohead themselves encouraged people to remix it.
Thankfully, there's still some tracks I can definitely appreciate. I think Video Tapez nicely twists Videotape - adds a beat, and intersperses original rapping. No, I don't like rapping, but I can appreciate it. Conversely, All I need is completely different different to the original - taking into a completely different genre. But, it's still recognisable, which is nicely done.
It's definitely not the sort of thing I'd pay for, but for a free download - well worth the experience; and can help you perhaps widen your musical experience.
Asp's Musical Bites is the offspring site of Asp's Bites. Tunes of the Week: Every weekend, Asp looks at songs that are getting radio airplay and from a shortlist of good songs, picks two songs to be the "Tunes of the Week". All of these songs, along with one tune a month as the 'last chance track' go forward to the "Tunes of the Year" run down at the end of the year See the Tunes of the Week from 2008 See the Tunes of the Week from 2009 Unsung: Once a fortnight on a Wednesday (plus occasional special issues), discover some talent that you may not previously have heard of - unsigned, foreign, as long as they're unknown and are worthy of some wider praise. Asp selects the tracks once a month, a variety of guest bloggers assist on the other week to ensure a broad spectrum is obtained Music Year of the Week: The Top 5 best selling singles (not necessarily the best in anyone's opinion) of a certain year. Features: Album reviews, Gig reports, and a range of other feedback from the full team at Musical Bites
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19th March 2008
The opening chords of the debut album from Glasvegas reminded me of the opening chords of "Seldom Seem Kid" - building towards something.
Being the stingy Northerner that I am, I don't generally buy an album before it's been around for a while, and I've heard a number of the tracks that will feature on it.
If you wanted to form a rock band, surely the last person you'd want to join in with would be your Dad. However, that's exactly what young Blaine Harrison did, and whilst Henry is no longer touring with Mystery Jets, his influence is still apparent in the latest album.
The Last shadow puppets
Duffy
Amplive
Radiohead
