NEW RELEASES - Edition 16
July 2005
Beautiful Feet
Suddenly/I See (5:1 Records)
These two well crafted and gently powerful songs consolidate the impression made by the bands first single, Headstrong, released in January this year. If nothing else they suggest that Leeds based quintet Beautiful Feet could hold their own against many of the MOR outfits that populate our charts and TV screens at the moment. Each song follows its own musical and lyrical logic to arrive at a vaguely individual, if undemonstrative place. Singer Nick Castle has an interesting voice that frequently sounds oddly broken, which only serves to underline the melancholic mood of the songs. The band plays with skill and restraint, serving the song.
Johnny Ersatz-Culture
www.beautifulfeet.co.uk
The Cribs
The New Fellas (Wichita)
It must be rather difficult not to like The Cribs. Not only are they local heroes round these parts, for managing to get somewhere with a somewhat less than professional outlook on life and fairly meagre concerns for such things as musicianship, they also write bloody marvellous little pop songs. They’re full of venom, but sound often like slightly off-kilter nursery rhymes (try future single, ‘Martell’).
So what is it that The Cribs have? It’s rather hard to put a finger on it. Clearly The New Fellas was never going to be immaculately arranged, wonderfully produced or that different from the eponymous debut (apart from the inclusion of three quite slow songs, ‘It Was Only Love’ - which features violins, ‘Hello? Oh…’, and ‘Haunted’) . The Cribs have given us what we want, a very live sounding record. Ryan’s guitars still veer around all over the place, which puts a lot of onus on Gary’s bass and Ross’ drums to carry the show, so that Ryan can make those discordant stabs that gives The Cribs that certain something. You can never rely on them to do the easy thing. Ryan isn’t going to be strumming along with barre chords. He likes to make a noise, and so we get a noise.
Similarly, the vocals on this record certainly ain’t note-perfect. Yet it all works. One can’t help but feel that if The Cribs sat down, spent hours over every take and did their best to sound competent, then, despite the wealth of great songs that they have to delight us with, it would sound wrong. Dead, perhaps. For this reason, we can be thankful that some people are more concerned at risking their own personal safety than playing the right notes.
Tom Goodhand
www.thecribs.com
Downdime
Seeds of Hopelessness (Squirrel Records)
So, hands up all of you that thought that Downdime were merely a endearingly pleasant indie-schmindie band. I certainly did, and I bet you did too sonny. Well you were wrong, and this, their debut single is here to prove it. Downdime can be pretty fucking intense when the mood takes them. Even the slowest track, ‘Shine’ has occasional burst of thrashing. It’s is these moments of abrasion, and their contrast with the cutesy keyboard riffs that really grab you, really make you sit up, and really make you want to turn the whole thing up even louder.
In a time when there seems to be a drive to reclaim ‘pop’ as our own, Downdime are miraculously positioned. These three songs have more hooks than an overstuffed wardrobe, and combined with their desire to fuck it all up, just a little bit, but enough to give you a challenge, it really does make for an exhilarating listen.
Tom Goodhand
www.downdime.co.uk
Dugong
Quick to the City (Bombed Out)
Every now and then a band from the UK punk rock underground releases a record capable of bridging that little gap between supporting an over-rated US hardcore band at the Packhorse on a Wednesday night and maybes getting a Peel Session or a University support tour, you know the sort..
Whilst Broccoli, Spy vs Spy and Stapleton have come fairly close in recent years who would have thought the next boys to stake claim would be Wakefield favourites Dugong? This latest release captures a band at the top of their game. Six energetic indie punk rock songs fly by in 17 _ minutes, displaying a far more mature sound than heard on the bands’ previous two Bombed Out offerings. The equal measures of emotive hardcore on the title track and the indie pop sensibility of stand out track ‘Silver and Gold’ could and should propel Dugong towards a wider audience whether they like it or not.
The clarity and crispness of the production does no harm at all to a band who have come on leaps and bounds from their early post-Chopper vibe, whilst the rockier tracks on this record, ‘Gravedancer’ and ‘Ain’t seen no trouble like mine’, are bordering on some kind of angst-ridden garage rock tip which helps establish a great balance to the overall sounds on this release.
All in all I have to say this is Dugong’s most focused effort to date and you really should check it out.
Chris Charlton
iLiKETRAiNS
BEFORETHECURTAiNSCLOSE (Dance To The Radio)
iLiKETRAiNS are living proof that music can inspire feelings of discomfort, awkwardness and disgust. BEFORETHECURTAiNSCLOSE is probably one of the most menacing singles you’re likely to hear this year. It sounds like Murder Ballads-era Nick Cave fronting a condensed Godspeed You Black Emperor!. Now that must be a good thing.
The whole thing begins so gradually. Over a drum beat that sounds like a death march, and a lonely sounding cornet, Dave begins to sing: “You move so slowly”. It all seems sombre, but not too odd. But then what the fuck happens? “I can see your every move / From the comfort of this tree”. Oh dear. The next thing we know, we’re hearing about extracting someone’s teeth to make a bracelet, the guitars are chugging away and we’re feeling just a little uneasy. This is a story right? But rather than launching into a full-blown cacophony of noise, the iLiKETRAiNS boys are wise enough to hold it back. In someways the whole thing sounds a little understated, which makes the themes so much more unnerving. Can a song about murder be elegiac? I think so.
Oh, and a quick note. The b-side, ‘BEFORETHECURTAiNSCLOSE Part 2’, is still about abduction, or murder, which is nice. But this time it does launch into a huge wall of noise. Restraint is good, but these boys are savvy enough to know that sometimes, we all like a bit of a racket.
Tom Goodhand
www.iliketrains.co.uk
The Lovers
French Kiss (Voila Records)
Right, so I have a lovely 12” single here. From France. So why the fuck is this is Sandman? Well let’s make the excuse that one of the remixes included on the lovely lovely vinyl is done by Hiem (who are from Sheffield, which, for the geographically challenged, is loads closer to us than France). Anyway, fuck geography. This is rather ace, and I want to write about it, so stop complaining, and read.
This is seedy, seriously seedy. So much so that it sounds like infamous rude French man Serge Gainsbourg being given an electroclash remix. Now how fun does that sound? This record is just stupid, but in a great way. While the backing has this cutsey little beepy riff going on, and the synths go all heavenly on us, we have a pervy little French man talking about how he likes to “give a French kiss” when he gets “pissed”. As the record spins on, it gets even better as an incredibly sultry sounding French lady starts cooing (in a rather marvellous accent) “I like to give a French kiss”. Phwoar.
A couple of remixes really stand out as well, the ‘Weekend in Gay Paris Mix’ ends with a wall of chugging guitars. Excellent, whereas the Hiem (remember, the reason why this review is here) mix features much more of French lady (wa-hey!) and a greater emphasis on all the bleeps, bloops and beats. Never has being French seemed so appealing.
Tom Goodhand
www.voilathelovers.com
Lyca Sleep
Closer In (Genepool)
It's so easy to see how laughably constructed modern life is if you just step back and watch. Watch far far away, either from the comfort of a lonely hilltop or from the roof of a large building. If you're feeling brave enough to do this then have 'Closer In' playing close to your side on your Discman.
Thankfully, for those with sensible heads at Genepool Records this demo is a promo for the soon to be released single. Its title track 'Closer In' swims effortlessly around your brain, and to be honest I have not been so lost in a track since i first heard Sigur Ros or Electralane. Even with the guitar noise speeding up and down, then crashing into what sounds like a metropolis's worth of buildings, this track oozes charm.'Wall of sound' never sounded so scary.
Following on from this is 'Falling on Cedars', which has that same ghostly quality to the title track but minus the drums.The song builds and builds and builds despite the sorrow heard in Dan's vocals and lyrics. You get the impression from the result that he is trying to tear up this momentum and cause untold chaos with what seems to be a quiet protest.
The obligatory remix ('Closer In/Paper Hearts') starts off making me wonder if I’ve absent mindedly put Pulp's Lipgloss on instead. However with a well pushed bassline and cataclysmic chorus the listener easily floats towards a 'Post'-era Bjork, but somehow done better.
If you want to return to the weary cityscape from the top of the hill, then make your first stop to the record shop to buy this.
Michael Cornin
www.lycasleep.com
The Jim Muir Slideshow
Tomorrow's World, Today (Bowmans Capsule Records)
Conceived as a refuge from the stresses of working in the medical profession, The Jim Muir Slideshow started with the initial aim of ensuring the sanity of its participants. A single of the week award from The Guardian later, this release demonstrates how traditional guitar bands can still be interesting and challenging. The sound is an eclectic mix that evokes the spirit of The Beatles' White Album and American left-field act, Wilco, at their most tuneful, on the fuzzy bliss of their masterpiece 'Summerteeth.' Like acclaimed Wilco front-man, Jeff Tweedy, Jim Muir is a highly literate lyric writer, combing poetic imagery with thought provoking social commentary; it's a heart-warming combination of melancholy and melody. It is the willingness to play around the edges of the traditional pop song that ensures that the sound remains fresh, yet eminently listenable.
Nick Quantrill
www.jimmuirslideshow.co.uk
Napoleon IIIrd
7” EP (Dance To The Radio)
To some people, writing graceful pop songs is easy. You can hear that every deft chord change and clever hook comes naturally. Just sweeps out of their brain, onto their guitar and then into their records. We can only assume that Napoleon IIIrd is one of these people. Not because this EP is four tracks of the most catchy, utterly glorious summer-pop you will ever hear, but because it could have been, had he wanted it to be.
Napoleon IIIrd isn’t interested in what’s simple. He takes what could be carefully crafted pieces of folk loveliness, and then well and truly fucks them up via the medium of his trusty reel-to-reel tape player. So over the top of each gently lolloping guitar line there appears a plethora of beeps, brass and backing vocals.
Somehow this ‘cut, paste, cut up loads more’ tactic works to supreme effect. These four wilfully leftfield songs never become cold and impersonal, never become simply too impenetrable, despite every attempt to hide it, these songs are fucking catchy as hell.
Tom Goodhand
www.napoleoniiird.com
New Generation Superstars
How To Hate Friends And Alienate People
Written about their experiences on the road, the title song of this four song single is typically uncompromising from Nottingham's sleaze punks New Generation Superstars. The band are all about playing as loud and fast as inhumanly possible on a mission to ram rock'n'roll down your throats. Sure, they ain't exactly cerebral with their tales of porn ('Star') and a punk-ish reworking of Kiss' 'Do You Love Me?', but they certainly are a whirlwind of passion and sheer energy. Despite the powerful quality of the title track, the real standout has to be paen to the seamier side of life 'Always Gonna Be' with its tremendous opening line "Lived My Life In A Decadent Playground..." The perfect antedote to indie-whiners and mopey emo-kids.
James Wright
www.newgenrocks.com
Neon Zoo
Heaven Sin (Forked Tongue Records)
Goth is the subculture that refuses to die. It does this by constant evolution to make itself relevant (or not) in the modern music scene. The bands are often highly innovative and embrace modern technology very quickly. Neon Zoo are such a band. Heaven Sin is a lavishly packaged 12 song album that revels in the technology that was used to create it. There is a solid sense of power behind each of these songs, and a depth and complexity of sound which is mesmerising. Thankfully the band have not embraced any one facet of the goth scene such as EBM or Death-Rock and can honestly be said to draw upon electronica, trad. Goth sensibilities, industrial stomp and a healthy dose of plain old rock’n’roll. The sheer relentless force of tracks such as ‘Get You’ brings to mind Rosetta Stone in the early days, though this is coupled with far more variation than that band ever achieved; which shows up in the form of ‘Slave’ - a song reminiscent of ‘Exciter’ era Depeche Mode. Given the fact that the band feature one Mike Uwins - of Manuskript - on bass, the obvious pop sensibilities of that band are not as present on Heaven Sin and in truth this record is a vast slab of developed and evocative soundscapes all given voice by Rick Alexander’s darkly touching vocals. The East Midlands goth scene has probably never had it this good before.
James Wright
www.neonzoo.com
The Paddingtons
50 To A £ (poptones)
The follow up to their last and top 40 breaking single and the precursor to the forthcoming debut album
Tom sounds like a younger, less careworn Joe Strummer but the single is a bit more 101er than The Clash. The production is taken care of by Owen Morris, yep, the Oasis geezer, and it shows as the whole sound is far smoother than on debut single 21. Whether this is a good thing is a moot point, it'll sound great on the radio but the whole charm of the band is in their 100mph ramshackle approach. This is a band who don't want too many rough edges knocked off.
Paul Bisset
www.thepaddingtons.co.uk
Portal
Waves & Echoes
The problem with having access to (relatively) cheap electronic musical and recording equipment that can be comfortably set up in your bedroom is that, talentless nerdy teenagers can do just that and invariably end up producing pointless, derivative and self indulgent rubbish. Thank goodness then for the likes of Scott Sinfield, who may well be nerdy but is certainly not talentless and is probably not a teenager anymore, despite the fact that he spends a lot of his time poking about in funny electronic boxes, possibly in his bedroom.
Sinfield has been quietly putting out CD’s as Portal since 1998, all of which I have missed and on the strength of Waves & Echoes this has been my loss entirely. Although Sinfield is prone to utilising the odd lazy trope, there’s enough originality here to make the CD a constant source of surprises. Sinfield is helped considerably in this by long time collaborator Rachel Hughes, who lends her warm and delicate, but at the same time ghostly and unsettling, voice to six of the twelve tracks on offer.
The juxtaposition of human vocal and electronic artificiality delivers some startling moments. The title track has moaning synths to accompany Hughes’ vocal and ends up sounding like the song is wrapped in cotton wool. But next track ‘Endgame’ has a rhythm based on what sounds like a jack plug being pulled out of a live socket. Meanwhile ‘Consumed’ starts with a Hughes vocal line smothered in insectoid chatter but mutates into a stuttering, irregular synth rhythm.
Although the songs are generally devoid of an obvious conventional pulse, the penultimate track ‘Light at the Source’ features the only drums on the CD and, given the conventional structure and melody, it’s almost like a rock song compared to the rest. My copy has an uncredited “secret” track which, being 15 minutes worth of gradually swelling generic synth washes, adds nothing at all to the CD as a whole. There’s a suggestion on the website that this will be the last release by Portal – that’s just typical of me, getting to the party just when it’s about to stop.
Johnny Ersatz-Culture
Radium 88
Metamorphosis
Radium 88 seem to have been around forever. The last time I heard them was about seven years ago, and they certainly changed a fair bit. Then they sounded like an outdated indie-dance band, but on Metamorphasis they've grown up into quite the beautiful butterfly.
This album is full of ambient beats, hints of Eastern vocals, elements of hip hop…and underneath it all, a true sense of pop music. However, you get the feeling that anyone who doesn't like their music soundscaped to fuck would find this album a little tedious. If only Radium 88 could break out of their self-imposed boundaries, then they'd be ace, rather than simply good. Certainly, there aren't many bands in Nottingham doing what Radium 88 are doing, and have been doing for the past ten years or so, the tricky part is making the great leap forward. Here's hoping they can do it.
Sam Metcalf
theradium88@yahoo.co.uk
randomNumber
ep charge
I saw Matthew Robson do his Random Number thing a few years ago and it sounded an awful lot like Fatboy Slim. Things are a lot different now though. The five tracks on this extended EP suggest that Robson has been following the example set by Aphex Twin in terms of his approach to extracting noises from circuit boards. The music is generally nervy and impatient, with several percussive sounds meshing into a jittering apoplectic backdrop for gnarled or slashing synth overlays. The title track does just that, charging through a complex mosaic of clattering, skidding and jumping, while subsequent tracks (‘Principle’’s glitchy insect chatter and the jerking, bubbling miasma of ‘When 2’), seem to gradually wind the whole thing down in preparation for the chilled out organ wash and lyrical piano coda of final track ‘Proles Are Still Tired’.
Johnny Ersatz-Culture
Emma Rugg
Ocean
Local favourite songstress Emma Rugg returns with a new EP and is showcasing the fruits of her work over the past year including many jaunts over the pond to work with various visionaries. The first track ‘Oceans’ almost doesn’t sound like her, fast, up beat and aggressive (well as aggressive as she could). It still has her trade mark acoustic guitar and melodies. The second track ‘Depart’ is more familiar ground but it doesn’t make it any less affecting. Emma has such a beautiful voice that you can feel each emotion. Track 3 ‘When I Looked @ You' finally gives us Emma with electric guitars drums and bass. It’s a great and rocky just no one call her Avril Lavigne alright!
Prelude to an End cam from her last record and is still heart-achingly lovely. A very good collection showing off the diverse capabilities of such a talented artist.
Hanna Houghton
www.emmarugg.co.uk
Six by Seven
Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves
(Saturday Night Sunday Morning Records)
More of a wake than a celebration of Nottingham's best band of the last decade. The journey that Six by Seven have been on stops here, but it's a great way to go. 'Artists…' is a mighty album, up there with 'The Closer I Get' for sheer brutal pop music, but with a nod to their earlier work, too. Shorn to a three piece, Six by Seven make an immense racket on this album, yet never forget the pop sensibilities that made them such a household name in the late nineties.
So, what can you expect from this final album? A mad racket of a send off, or some frazzled genius? Well, a bit of both, really. In parts Six by Seven sound like the Jesus and Mary Chain, in others they sound like they wanna give Metallica a run for their money - see 'In My Time (We Don't Belong)', which starts off like Spacemen 3 before exploding into something very heavy indeed.
Many bands would simply limp off and feel sorry for themselves. Six by Seven have been made of sterner stuff. Dropped by their label in the big cull of a couple of years ago, they picked themselves up and carried on doing what they did best - making fantastically noisy pop music. 'Artists Poets Cannibals Thieves' is a fitting end to a truly great band. RIP.
Sam Metcalf
www.sixbyseven.co.uk