NEW RELEASES
The Cribs
Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever (Wichita)
The Cribs must have some wonderful piece of ingenious machinery that writes their choruses for them. With this, their third album, they've released well over thirty songs now, and not a single one without an unashamedly catchy (if a little ramshackle) chorus.
As far as introductions to an album go, the lead single 'Men's Needs' couldn't really be any better. It's incessant, repetitive without being tedious, has a glorious shot-along chorus and it's absolutely impossible to shake that guitar riff out of your head. It's a credit to the three Wakey lads that the rest of the record lives up to the single, and some tracks - most notably 'Be Safe' (featuring a spoken word part and chorus harmonies by Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo - how's that for a special guest?) - even manages to surpass it. Indeed, 'Be Safe' is probably the most ambitious thing The Cribs have ever put to tape - being a glorious Velvet Underground-esque drone with the obligatory catchy chorus.
While the album's opener 'Our Bovine Public' (with its call of "You'd never exist if you wasn't generic… You'd never exist without us") strikes a similar snide, angry lyrical tone to tracks like 'Mirror Kisser' and 'Hey Scenesters!' from The New Fellas, the rest of the record seems to show the Jarman brothers have matured a bit, they've calmed down and become a bit more worldly wise. Not that you'd notice from the record - tracks like 'Major's Titling Victory' and 'Women's Needs' are far heavier than anything The Cribs have done before.
But being less angry suits The Cribs; it means they can dedicate more time to making some of the best messily scratchy but gloriously catchy pop songs ever to come out of Yorkshire.
Tom Goodhand
http://www.thecribs.com
The Lovers
The Lovers (Institute / Gut Records)
A French couple living in Sheffield, making music, singing in French and English with French accents. This is what I know before even putting the CD on, I am very very, very excited. I am not to be disappointed.
Track one, 'Crick Crack', sounds like the music from some bizarre advert for something French. Track two, one of three co-written by Jarvis Cocker, is more low key. The synth backing sounds as mysterious as an episode of Scooby Doo and the lyrics are whispered through the verse and then belted out in a catchy as hell chorus. I found myself singing along despite not knowing the words, or what they mean, or how to pronounce them. This is clearly a sign of great songmanship. Throughout the album the songs are beautifully simple with bucket loads of Gallic charm. There is also a great sense of humour evident in 'Frog 'n' Snail', a song about the peculiarities of French food, and 'La Le', a lesson in French grammar.
If this all sounds a bit weird, that's because it is. It's unlike anything else and may not be to everyone's taste. But if you like relaxing music sung with a French accent and not designed to be taken too seriously this is the thing for you. But all novelty value aside, this is still an amazing record, the melodies are sharp, the lyrics pure genius, and the musicianship top notch. All in all a fantastique album. Dig out your stripy t-shirts, baguettes, berets and buy this record. Sheffield, the French are coming. Embrace (or embrassez) them.
Jack Goodhand
http://www.voilathelovers.com
Billy Ruffian
My Secret Life (Filthy Little Angles)
This Manc quartet have the potential to carry on where the Libertines left off. Whilst Barat and Doherty have seemingly plunged into the abyss, never to play together in a band again, Billy Ruffian have already had their own series of troubles yet, unlike The Libertines, have emerged relatively intact on the other side.
The black and white sleeve and hand-written CD don't do justice to this twelve-track dandy rock album. It starts with 'Music Vs Money', a lively track which comments on the politics of the music industry. 'The Ballad of Billy Ruffian' is a masterpiece of its kind, surely there aren't many other songs with references to the Walls Of Jericho and Atlantis in the same verse. It is this level of creative wordplay coupled with simple but effective riffs that make Billy Ruffian's sound one to be put on a pedestal.
'(My Girlfriend Is Like a) Trojan Horse' rivals CSS's '(Lets Make Love) And Listen To Death From Above' for the most unusual song title in recent memory. Lyrically it has an interesting chorus: 'although they say it's horses for courses / I wish my girlfriend didn't remind me of horses'. It has to be said that this is something of a lazy rhyme, out of keeping with the rest of the album.
The vocal style of frontman Stephen Bray is reminiscent of the great Half Man Half Biscuit. On the evidence of My Secret Life it is easy to see why they are endorsed by Mark E Smith of The Fall.
Overall My Secret Life is interesting, if slightly melancholy, reflecting on the bleak side of people's personalities - but in an upbeat way.
Chris Horricks
http://www.myspace.com/billyruffianmusic
Dan Cutts
From 4AM…The Silence Sounds (Genepool)
This is a pleasant little album. Dan Cutts acoustic sounds and gentle vocal melodies are soothing and relaxing if nothing more. The songs are simple, there is no great experimentation, but this is not necessarily a negative. Some artists nowadays seem so set on doing something new that the value of a good tune with some nice lyrics seem to have been lost behind the roar of 15,000 ambulances chasing several aeroplanes in an '80s disco. Dan Cutts brings it back to basics, a man and a guitar singing about what matters to him.
However pleasant the album may be, it does fall some way off from true greatness. The sound has been done time and time again, artists like Travis and, to a lesser extent, Stereophonics and Bob Dylan are clear influences. Dan Cutts lacks any cutting edge and sadly sounds a little like pleasant background pub music. It's easy to forget you are even listening to his record at times. That said, the lyrics are sharp and when there are vocal harmonies they are superb. Dan Cutts clearly has talent, but maybe he needs to look at a new song writing book, or maybe turn the one he has upside-down and play it backwards. Something needs to be done to create a little magic, because the potential is definitely there.
I guess From 4AM…The Silence Sounds is a little like a cup of tea, always nice but never mind blowing.
Jack Goodhand
http://www.myspace.com/dancutts
Stuffy/ The Fuses
Angels are Ace (Sour Puss)
There's something wonderfully innocently heart-warming in the album title Angels are Ace. Which is fitting, really, as Stuffy/ The Fuses sound wide-eyed, excitable and thoroughly child-like on Angels are Ace. But at the same time they are a taut, tight, rock band, picking up on pop melodies and a crashing post-hardcore crunch, and adding to it all screeching synths and Stuffy's urgent, angsty vocals - sung as if he's just desperate to reach the end of each line.
Oh, we should also mention that Angels are Ace is produced by Steve Albini. The Steve Albini. That's quite a feat. And it sounds, in equal parts catchy, melodic and rough, raw and ready. Infact, it sounds pretty great, much as you'd expect.
Fans of Wrath Records may well recognise the rather stonking 'Sir Wants Sex' from their last Super Sevens series - it's been beefed up a little here and sounds better than ever.
In fact, compared to their previous release, everything on Angels are Ace just sounds bigger, better, catchier, ballsier and more likely to sweep you away on a nice little tune before waking you up with a razor-sharp, heavy riff, a shuddering, start-stop rhythm or some thunderous drumming.
If angels are ace, then perhaps Stuffy/ The Fuses are angels? They're certainly ace.
Tom Goodhand
http://www.stuffyandthefuses.net
Red Threat
Your Call Is Important To Us
Red Threat's debut album, Your Call Is Important To Us, opens with the rasping 'Derwent,' the Beatles meet country and western rock at Sheffield's Lady Bower. Hello, I'm listening! 'Can't Do Right' is lyrically obvious, though this can be excused for the tantalisingly groovy swing, whilst 'The Last Thing I Need' skips back several musical generations for a bit of cock rock. This is when I start losing interest and realise that the album compares to an attractive lass with saggy tits: pretty face which is a good start, shapely legs and torso, which is a good finish, but a bit droopy in the middle… erm, sorry ladies!
'Mating Call of the Loser' is a good idea poorly executed, whilst 'Sales' and 'Death Is Hard' bring out the duo's quiet, dark side. The latter is a thought-provoking examination of life and sounds as though it might have been recorded whilst busking in Cleethorpes - which incidentally is a breeding ground to inspire the hard-up, bitter folk the song focuses on.
Things pick up again with 'See How It Goes', a well-arranged ditty with a rhythm as swift as a pebble skimming across the water. 'Better Living Through Cookery' made me cringe and would be fitting as a signature tune for a TV programme with the same name. After this shame, though, Red Threat can leave us with their heads held high with the enchanting 'Shining Black' invoking a sensuous and sassy, psychedelic French dance pose.
When 'Your Call Is Important To Us' is good, it's really, really good. But when it's bad, it's horrid!
Richard Oldale
http://www.redthreat.net
Bluebird Kid Clark
Bottom Dollar (Massive UK Records)
This Stalybridge four-piece are the combination of two defunct bands, The Pedestrians and Rio 6. Luckily, emerging like a phoenix from the flames is a band with a varied sound, which is so rare and refreshing. So often bands put out albums in which every track sounds the same, which makes for instantly forgettable offerings. Bottom Dollar is by no means one of this ilk.
Everything about Bluebird Kid Clark is interesting, ranging from their name to the album cover, which features the sign from the Bottom Dollar Discount shop in their native Stalyvegas, as stolen by the band following its closure after a drunken night out.
The rock guitar sample of 'Entrance Of The Clowns' in the fifty-one second instrumental opener '20th Century English Man' differs from the rest of the fast paced debut album. Each track stands out on its own as unique and with their combination of backing guitar similar to that of The View and a vocal that in parts sounds like The Zutons, especially on the future anthem 'Sun In The Morning'.
Overall it is a polished debut which takes listeners on a journey through all imaginable emotions, from joy to happiness to uncertainty and doubt then back again. Remember the name Bluebird Kid Clark (let's face it, with such a name it's hard to forget it - for all the right reasons!) they're going places. Today Stalybridge, tomorrow the world.
Chris Horricks
http://www.myspace.com/bluebirdkidclark
Endoflevelbaddie
Spacebatangeldragon
The master of dirty beats and grimy synths returns hot on the heels of his successful 'Home Sweet Home' night at the Adelphi with his third, and dare I say, most accessible record to date. However, the underlying sense of darkness and menace is still there with the primal synths that are stripped back a little to reveal another side to his music; a side that craves for a packed out dance floor and perfectly melds the darkness with the bouncier elements found on the likes of 'Bounce me'.
This EP marks a bold step in experimentation for the home-grown electronic artist that has him including a wider range of sounds such as the brass added to opening track 'My Intro' on top of its dirty drum and bass beat.
The rest of the 'Spacebatangeldragon' pushes the boundaries of his sampled noises and soundbites. 'Who The Fuck?' is adark-as-hell trip into sleezy-synth darkness that has become Endoflevelbaddies' trademark complete with a mammoth drum beat, while 'Carny Git' hits out like a freaked out carnival nightmare. 'The Cars' is Level 3's standout track, being his most ambitious track to date and a full on dance floor monster. It drove the crowd wild on a recent live airing at 'Home Sweet Home'
with the infectious beat and pulsing electro sound.
Jason Karlson
http://www.myspace.com/eolb
Paul Marshall
Vultures (Iapetus)
Paul Marshall's first long-playing release certainly gets off on the right foot, the sombre abstraction of 'Valkommen' segueing neatly into live favourite 'Greenfly', on which mournful strings eventually give way to a hushed, gorgeously elongated coda. Stoic beauty is Marshall's stock in trade, and the Leeds singer-songwriter's mastery of the crucial distinction between reflective melancholy and banal self-obsession is evident on every track here; the atmosphere is intimate, yet at times brutally intense.
Marshall's warm, rich vocals and the dexterity of his largely finger-picked songs are more than done justice to by the record's clean, crisp production, particularly noticeable on the two remastered tracks Vultures recycles from his debut EP. The refreshing structures of 'Greenfly' and 'Leave' allow Marshall to convincingly swap out the rustic charms of Nick Drake, his acknowledged touchstone influence, to make way for music which could only come from the heart of the city - heart-stopping chord changes and massive dynamic shifts abound on 'Sea Full Of Trains', one of only two occasions on Vultures where Marshall indulges in some heady strumming. The other is closing number 'Alvsbyn', on which he wrings immense accessibility out of what is obviously intensely personal subject matter, with the aid of exquisite arpeggios and lyrics which happily hold up under close scrutiny.
Elsewhere, the lilting 'Knives In My Spine' provides the album's thematic backbone - if you'll excuse the pun - but 'Spectres' is an rare misstep, a little too lengthy for its eventual resolution to feel earned, although it does feature some engaging xylophone flourishes. Marshall draws on an expanded musical palette sparingly, but always to good effect - particularly when he recruits kindred spirit Fran Rodgers to punctuate standout numbers 'Alcatraz' and 'A Place On The Map' with her ethereal warbling. As a whole, Vultures has to be considered a tremendous leap forward for him.
Greg Elliott
New Slang Radio Compilation
Leeds may have an embarrassment of musical riches at the moment but compilations soak up lots of material, especially if every label, promoter and, in this case, radio station is cobbling their own together. The recent third compilation from Dance to the Radio was unusually short on content and had more than a whiff of the underwhelming about it. So, how does this, Leeds Student Radio's first excursion into a crowded market, shape up?
Well, inevitably it's a mixed bag. The criteria for inclusion was bands who played at LSRfm regular nights at Leeds University's Mine and Old Bar's during 2006 and at the LSRfm Winter Festival in February this year. Most of the bands are from Leeds and its environs with the odd interloper from the likes of Sheffield or Lincoln.
A quick gallop through the highlights: Leeds' The Chiara L's kick the whole thing off with a bang with 'Knives', a snotty yelp of a song propelled by a Peter Hook-a-like bassline; Whiskeydogs' frazzled and driving acoustic blues on 'Rusty Blues' are straight from the fetid swamps of the Delta….in Wakefield?!?!?!; Leeds' Red Go Green Stop, who used to be Jinzena, play fantastic psychedelic rock-funk; Screaming Mimi from Sheffield display an impeccable list of influences on MySpace and convert the lot into the compact, scuzzy rockabilly punch of 'Broken Teeth'; and Micky P Kerr rounds the whole thing off with the filthy and hilarious 'www.MickyPKerr.com' which pokes fun at white rappers everywhere as well as himself. Pick of the crop though is the ever dependable Napoleon IIIrd, whose 'Defibrillator' is another astonishing piece of sublime pop that is considerably greater than the sum of its charity and junk shop parts.
So, a worthy collection that while not exactly setting the city alight, contains enough quality to make it another essential update on Moderno Music in Leeds today. And at £2 a copy it won't bust your wallet.
Johnny Ersatz-Culture
Stephen Fretwell
Four Letter Words
The name, Stephen Fretwell may ring a few bells with some of you. He had a small hit a couple of years ago with the song, 'Emily', a heartfelt sing-along track off the album, Magpie, which was loved by Radio 2. Not to say that this was a bad thing but Stephen obviously thought so. For this new mini four-track album, he's gone all acoustic and well, a bit dull. The songs are all very similar, simple strumming and strained voice that unfortunately makes it hard to differentiate. Track one, 'The Scheme' could be a chill-out song. Relaxing and haunting, it's good background music or even better, music for a Sun Screen lotion advert. 'Sleep' is better, haunting vocals and nice guitar work. Stand out track is 'William Shatner's Dog', and not just because of the crazy title. A charming song with comical lyrics that tell a story ('I don't want to go to Paris / it's sunny and I'm happy in this loveless marriage) it shows Fretwell's obvious talent for song writing, which is hidden in the majority of the album. Four Letter Words is therefore, a bit of a letdown from an artist which could be capable of much more (And check out the front cover, more Dylanesque than Brian Ferry).
Kirsty Bowen
International Trust
Talk of the Town EP (Red Lace Records)
I first listened to this EP when England were playing Brazil and so infectious is its boozy joie-de-vivre that I was almost - almost - tempted to go and support our brave boys down the local. The title track is a catchy, inspirational, egotistical chant straight from the terraces that would be an equally fitting soundtrack whether you happened to be puking in your best mate's shoes or scoring for your country.
'Disneyland' is more of the same, a raucous, beery, punky romp. Although it's a bracing little ditty, and superbly suited to sing-along, it doesn't have the spark and brilliance of the first song.
The third song marks an abrupt change in mood. Although we are still in binge-drinking territory, 'I Can't Believe You Fell In Love (With a Bastard Like Me') is far more the kind of thing you might hear a sizzled beer-boy hiccupping into the phone outside Creation on a Saturday night. This song is consciously maudlin and self-indulgent, but despite the cheesy synths and ironically loungey feel, its sweetness and humanity remain intact.
'Show Me the Money' is probably the weakest song; it's a petulant rant about the avarice of the music industry; hardly a fresh topic for vitriol. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the energy and the unexpected way in which the band sourced electro via the Sex Pistols.
All in all, a stirring, invigorating listen. From its inception to its close it rouses and delights - a great showcase EP.
Jenny Mark-Bell
The Scare
Bats! Bats! Bats! (Dance To The Radio)
As much as we all like to pretend that we’re good, sensitive souls and are, y’know, like, deep and stuff, sometimes, a belting rock song with a load of “WOOOOWWWW! Yeah, yeah yeahs!” and lyrics about a girl having cum on her dress sound pretty much like the best thing in the world.
Ever.
Of course ‘Bats! Bats! Bats!’ isn’t the best thing in the world, ever. It’s just a song, and a rather straightforward rock’n’roll song at that. But it has all the right reference points, The Stooges, The Cramps, Eighties Matchbox…, a wickedly haunting synth and downright sleazy vocals. It’s nothing new at all, but it’s ballsy, dirty and thrilling, it probably comes dressed in a torn leather jacket and with a free can of hair spray. It’s rock’n’roll clichés all the way, and brilliant because of it.
Tom Goodhand
http://www.thescare.net
Scrim
My Revolution / Old School
With a title like ‘My Revolution’ I was hoping the A-side of this single would grab me but it came across more as a standard rock song which showed plenty of intent, but was lacking in substance. It was sort of Rage Against The Machine but without the clever elements. It’s a fine enough statement but it’s nothing you haven’t heard before – young man feels a bit constrained and feels the need to rebel.
It was, for me, the B-side ‘Old School’ which I felt showed the more promise. The whole rebellious attitude came across a lot better and, though the music wasn’t anything new, the singer had that whole cocky thing pinned down a lot better than on the A-side.
The single won’t make you drop everything and try and bring down the government but it showed that, if these boys moved into fresher music territory than they could latch onto the Oasis / Jet / Kasabian-type market rather nicely.
Michael Brader
http://www.myspace.com/scrimtastic
Harrisons
Dear Constable (Melodic)
Sheffield's own, Harrisons get ready to release their debut album by releasing first track, Dear Constable, a brilliant ska-influenced song that's perfect for pogo-ing up and down to in either your bedroom or local club. The new edit of the song is exciting, more focused towards radio play but still retains the paranoid urgency of the music whilst lead singer, Jubby shouts 'the times we're living in are strange…/who exactly is to blame?' B-side is the a cover, Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand', a stroke of genius for a band with the perfect dark side to catch the sinister and haunting brilliance of the original song. Harrisons show maturity and talent not only as musicians, but as skilled interpreters of a classic song.
Kirsty Bowen
Pete Green
Everything I Do Is Gonna Be Sparkly (Atomic Beat)
Somewhere on the trip from his bed to his DIY attic recording studio, Pete Green realised that he had to carve his own niche. Green is a poet, who just so happens to be holding a guitar, but his answers that blow in the wind do not trouble issues of political unrest. Instead Green aims to lift the lid on the smaller facts of life, encouraging us to take a break from our fast-paced lives and take account of that around us. His songs are intimate, sounding like he’s sat in the corner of your room serenading you his quirky observations, relying on short, simple melodies to please the senses. This debut single is by no means a masterpiece, but provides a pleasant change of pace.
Robert Macpherson
http://www.sparklemotion.co.uk
Middleman
Blah Blah Blah (Bad Sneakers)
Middleman are just about the funnest band in Leeds at the moment, and it was hardly any surprise at all when they got snapped up by one of Leeds’ premier record labels – Bad Sneakers Records.
Middleman have ‘big time band’ written right through them, from their catchy, shout-along choruses, their synth-led bleeping melodies, their big, bad, squelching basslines, their irresistible beats and their glorious, joyous bouncing tunes.
‘Blah Blah Blah’ is just about the perfect introduction to Middleman. It’s fairly silly, completely captivating and couldn’t be more of a party tune if it came with a silly hat and goody bag attached to the record.
It’s tough to describe exactly what ‘Blah Blah Blah’ does. The vocals are reminiscent of Mike Skinner, only far cheerier, the bassline utterly booms, the melodies could be being belted out of a Gameboy, and the chorus is all sweet harmonies and a tempo that demands mass pogoing. Sounds like fun, no?
Tom Goodhand
http://www.myspace.com/middlemanpop
Meat For A Dark Day
Vanity Fair (Thee SPC)
The two tracks on this new single by Meat For A Dark Day, Thee SPC’s latest release, are so different that you would be forgiven for thinking they were by two totally separate bands. ‘Vanity Unfair’ is a brutal slice of garage rock, simple riffs and droning sound under a snarling vocal that repeats ‘How much I missed my mirror’. The band keep brooding subtly throughout then suddenly it’s all over before the expected monumental climax of noise and drums, missing an opportunity for greatness. Described as a ‘kitchen sink tale’, ‘Three Mallards’ is a mournful yet beautiful track which takes you faraway to a dark, melancholy place where ‘There’s love bleeding down the walls’. Two different songs for a band with two sides poses the question, which side do you prefer?
Kirsty Bowen