24 September 2008
Dave Evans
Crystle Castles, Robots In Disguise, Ladytron, A Human, Mercury Rev, Joan As Police Woman, Black Box Revelation, White Denim, Micah P Hinson And The Red Empire Orchestra, The Academy Is, Popular Workshop, Innerpartysystem, Flobots, I Concur...
"PLUS: Dave P & Adam Sparkles and Nelson"
Crystal Castles Vs HEALTH – CrimewaveSingle of the week is this collaboration between the Toronto electro duo with the pop touch (Crystal Castles) and the LA noisemongers (HEALTH). Who knew you could dance to the sound of Ataris crying? Really quite lovely.
Robots In Disguise – The Tears
Buddies of The Mighty Boosh, Robots In Disguise operate in a similar territory to the likes of this weeks' winners Crystal Castles and Metronomy. Sadly though it’s all a little bit too knowing, never really being anything more than a Boosh style 1980’s new romantic pastiche. It’s not a bad tune and i’s not badly performed, they just don’t have the sonic innovation of some of their peers.
Ladytron – Runaway
And while we’re at it. Ladytron have been at this game for years without ever really setting the world on fire. It’s doubtful this unexpected homage to the Del Shannon song of the same name will be the record to do it. Pleasant enough though.
A Human – Pacey Singer
Fun, if slightly hammy, tale of a scoundrel son of a magician who steals from blind people. Deadpan storytelling over cascading rhythm guitars, disco flourishes and ‘ooh-ooh’ backing vocals. It’s alright this.
Mercury Rev – Senses On Fire
A popularly held belief about Mercury Rev is that they went off the boil about a decade or so ago when Jonathan Donahue’s voice disappeared just too far into Neil Young’s ass and he started singing about spiders, flies and other boring gothy stuff. It’s not a view that brooks any arguments in these quarters. This, though, is something of a return to form. Whilst the halcyon days of ‘Yerself Is Steam’ and David Bakers lunacy are unlikely to ever to return this is a decent motorik blast of Krautrock. Like Spiritualized going to a fancy dress party as Neu.
Joan As Police Woman – Holiday
Whilst not up with recent single ‘To Be Loved’ this is still a beautiful, if slight, three minutes of yearning. Joan Wassers voice exuding both regret and wanderlust over the top of slide guitars and other plinky-plonky goings on. File alongside Cat Power.
White Denim – Shake Shake Shake
There seems to be a new bunch of garage rockers over from the States every time you look round these days. With ‘Let’s Talk About It’ White Denim proved themselves to be right at the top of the game. This simply proves the law of diminishing returns being only half as good as that song and in many places sounding just like they’re dicking about in the studio. Shouty bit here. Fuzzy bass there. All present and correct.
Black Box Revelation – Live At The AB EP
BBR show up White Denim with a superior dose of garage rock like a hybrid of Ash and The Black Keys. All snotty nosed attitude and fake American accents. And from Belgium as well.
Micah P Hinson And The Red Empire Orchestra – We Won’t Have To Be Lonesome
The surprisingly youthful looking Hinson has been through quite a bit in his life but this stately slice of not-so-alt country finds him contented, if tired, and looking back at his life. His voice is endearing and the organ that sounds like something of a 60’s Dylan album, even more so.
The Academy Is – Summer Hair = Forever Young
The title is the most interesting thing about this. It's lightweight punky pop, that sounds like about million other emo types. The sort of thing that plays in the middle of the day during a festival while you look for something to eat; just not good enough. And we were doing so well this week!
Popular Workshop – Reptilians
More old school indie but equally as lacking in originality. Obviously didn’t pick up any tips about how to lively up this sort of stuff when they supported Art Brut earlier this year.
Flobots – Fight With Tools
No lack of humour here. The sort of spoof hip-hop that we rather expect the real rap world considers beyond laughable. The main refrain being a boast that the vocalist can ride a bike no-handed. Strangely appealing though it probably grates over the course of an entire album.
Innerpartysystem – Die Tonight Live Forever
No doubt they think they’re at both the forefront of in-yer-face dance music and the cutting edge of latest rock trends. Sadly they sounded like a more shouty Jesus Jones with some new gear.
Dave P & Adam Sparkles – Sunday Night In Glasgow
Dave P and Adam Sparkles are resident DJs at the Making Time club in Philadelphia. Philly Soul this isn’t. It’s at times annoyingly jarring, at times masterfully accomplished rumbling techno rock and gets about as many things right as Innerpartysystem get wrong.
Nelson – The (Over) Song
Halfway decent stab at a slow-building leftfield indie epic which undoes itself due to the over-portentousness of the vocals. The guitars clank and shake like Jacob Marley’s chains (a good thing by the way) but the rest of it jerks along to little great effect.
I Concur – Oblige
Buzzsaw guitars like a watered down version of Forward Russia which is not that surprising since this is produced by that bands Tom Woodhead. Sadly it just sounds like a weedier version of FR.
Comments
Other Singles...
Elsewhere On The Site
NEW NOISES
NEW ALBUMS
- Made In Mexico - Guerillaton
- Nuggets - 05 December 2008
- The Flaming Lips - Christmas On Mars
- Helen Boulding -
- Nuggets - 01 December 2008
- Only Thunder - Lower Bounds
- Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope And Sorrow
- The Fireman - Electric Argument
LIVE
- Lambchop - 4 Nov 2008
- Micah P. Hinson - 6 Nov 2008
- Vampire Weekend - 26 Oct 2008
- Friendly Fires - 7 Oct 2008
- Metronomy - 26 Sep 2008
- Bombay Bicycle Club - 22 Sep 2008
- Ash - 6 Sep 2008
- Anti-Flag - 18 Aug 2008