Nuggets - 16 April 2007

Githead - Art Pop
By Nadeem Ali
Considering Githead’s personnel, ‘Art Pop’ is a surprisingly apt description of the band’s sound. Githead consist of four musical troublemakers in Colin Newman (Wire), Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) and Minimal Compact’s Malka Spigel and Max Franken. Between them they have created a delightfully accessible experimental rock album. ‘On Your Own’ sees Newman’s usual monotone vocals almost imploring for some love and affection. The floaty space-pop of ‘These Days’ has the vibe of a long lost 80s post-punk classic. The pulsating ‘Drive By’ is the most Wire-esque moment here and stands out as the album’s most aggressive moment. ‘Live In Your Head’ closes the album with a psychedelically beatific flourish. Githead aren’t such gits after all.

Hayseed Dixie – Weapons of Grass Destruction
By Jeremy Hodges
The self-monikered Appalachian hellraisers return with ‘Weapons of Grass Destruction’. In an admirable response to critics, who claimed that their records lacked the booze-fuelled recklessness of their live performances, they recorded the entire album drunk, in three days. Although this is basically The Wurzels injected with ill informed political comment the album is fun nonetheless. Their cover of the Scissor Sister’s ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing’ is bound to find its way onto many an ipod for its irony value, beware the shuffle! It’s all a bit Spinal Tap with all the cringe factor of your old man singing a ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ cover at your wedding. This is not big, and it's not clever, but after six pints of pear cider at a festival near you this summer it’ll sound bloody brilliant.

Autumn - My New Time
By Nadeem Ali
This whole wailing warbling female vocal goth-rock thing seems like a rather unique niche, or sub-genre. For those fans of such things here is another band to add to the collection alongside Evanescence and Within Temptation. On ‘My New Time’ Autumn are neither as ponderous nor pompous. There are more than a few moments of light amongst the gothic dark. In fact, there is even the occasional new wave bounce to a few of the songs. The atmosphere is far less oppressive and ultimately less depressing. None of this actually makes the record any better but it does make having to listen to it less of a chore.

The Albion Dance Band - Dancing Days Are Here Again
By Ben Whitehead
The Albion Dance Band have an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the 'band with the most line-up changes over it's life'. Although its fluid existence has spanned 20 years it's hard to imagine anyone being turned away as long as they could pluck a string or tap something. As it happens the band featured everyone who is anyone from the world of folk in the 70's and 80's, centred around one of the architects of the British folk scene, Ashley Hutchings. Its uneventful classic folk music (some say folk rock) featuring polkas, wassails, and carols, and this offering includes a live performance from the sell out festival hall show in 1976 and a collection of studio recordings from 1983.

Green On Red - BBC Sessions
By Nadeem Ali
Paisley Undergrounders Green On Red are almost legendary, almost being the all important word. They were always far too contrary to ever gain more than a small and devoted cult following. From garage rock to country and everything in between Green On Red subverted and maybe even inverted American roots rock. The ‘BBC Sessions’ features recordings from 1989 to 1992. Even at their most superficially conventional the Nick Cave and ‘Night Porter’ will keep the listener on their toes. A wonderfully ramshackle adaptation of ‘Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid’s’ ’Billy’ is a charmingly authentic mess. The lovely ‘The Little Things In Life’ is as sweet as this cynical bunch get. ‘BBC Sessions’ is a welcome irreverent reminder of an equally irreverent band.

LAP – The Ignored Effect
By Lisa Holmes
Trading insult for injury LAP produce blistering punk rock tinged hardcore on a part time basis, but judging by this record they may soon get to quit the day job. This isn’t revolutionary but it is quality, from the melodic intro of ‘A Lesson In Stimulation’ and suitably brutal chorus to the mission statement of opener ‘Point and Shoot’. Tony, Phil and Jim blend silence, epic proportions and headache inducing noise on an album that does its best to avoid easy comparisons and compartmentalisation. The easy attention to detail is relaxing and draws you in. ‘Life Among People’ just got a whole lot more sociable.

Various – Our Latin Thing Vol. 3
By Eddie Robson
This, as the title somewhat heavily implies, is the third in Fania’s series of compilations of Latin jazz, salsa and soul from the 1960s and 1970s. We haven’t heard the first two, but if they’re half as good as this then they’re pretty damn fine. It’s a varied selection, ranging from the endless dancefloor groove of the Fania All Stars through the full-on funk-soul of Jimmy Sabiter and Monguito Santamaria to the cinematic jazz of Héctor Lavoe. If you’re expecting cheesy, throwaway thrills, you’re going to get more than you bargained for.

Marillion – Somewhere Else
By Simon Hawkins
Ooh, look! A new Marillion album! Bear with us whilst we find my pagan cape and wizard’s hat. There, that’s better. Lord Magnus Operzeus of Frendrille here, typing this on a cosmic keyboard as we skirt the outer arm of the galaxy. Wooh, it’s cold out here. Well, there really isn’t much to say about ‘Somewhere Else’. It’s what you would expect from a Marillion record; music for a different generation. It’s coffee-table music only the coffee table isn’t there, man. It’s pretty dull and un-inspiring stuff. The musical equivalent of the sombre landscape portrayed on the album artwork. Uninspiring, bland and all-to-familiar.

Maria McKee – Late December
By Eddie Robson
This is the third album from the ex-Lone Justice member in the space of five years (and her sixth solo album altogether). Yet this prolific patch hasn’t entirely deterred McKee from using old songs, as there’s a tune on here that’s been knocking around for two decades, called ‘A Good Heart’ – the number one hit she wrote for Feargal Sharkey back in 1986. It appeared on her acoustic live album last year and here she finally reclaims it with her own studio version: it’s nicely understated and brings out its country-rock roots. Yet it doesn’t upstage the rest of this album, which is a superior and likeable collection of poppy AOR. No wonder she doesn’t play ‘Show Me Heaven’ any more, she’s got much better songs these days.

Last Man Standing - False Starts And Broken Promises
By Jon Fletcher
There is much to recommend Last Man Standing but utlimately, the London nine-piece don't quite live up to their promise. Things go wrong from the opening 1 minute 55 seconds of 'Variation', which seems to be holding out for the role of theme tune on a Last Of The Summer Wine spin off. From then on things pick up - 'Queen Kong' has bluesy balls, 'Waiting So Long' is a shuffling dose of rock ballad, if that's your thing. The latter track also reinforces early suspicions that singer and songwriter Max Vanderwold may have listened to a whole lot of Axl Rose. The trouble is, Last Man Standing sound like this all the time - as though they're mimicking styles rather than defining their own, and then papering over the cracks with repetition. It's all a bit more Tried His Hardest than Last Man Standing.