Nuggets - 28 September 2007

Underworld - Oblivion With Bells
By Steven Fanning
Having had a very brief heyday that lasted as long as a) Trainspotting was cool and b) students took to get bored of ‘Born Slippy’, Underworld sank beneath the Cool Britannia wave quite rapidly. ‘Beaucoup Fish’ proved to be about as interesting as, well, a lot of fish, and from then on they went a bit quiet. Well now they’re back. ‘Oblivion With Bells’ sounds like the album ‘Beaucoup Fish’ should’ve been, but in all honesty it’s now just a bunch of aging men twiddling their knobs in search of the glory they once enjoyed, for a small while at least. Having said that, it’s actually pretty good. Enjoy.

Deborah Harry – Necessary Evil
By Lisa Holmes
It is such a relief when your heroes don’t disgrace themselves. This is Debbie (Deborah is just too formal and ageing; albeit intentionally) Harry’s first solo album for eleven years, and as anyone who has seen Blondie live over the past few years will attest Harry’s ballsy performance and unique voice are still very much up to scratch. Whilst this may not be a revolutionary record or boast the barrage of perfect pop that makes up ‘Parallel Lines’, it is still a good solid slice of power pop. Harry plays with different genres to varying effect, highlights include opener ‘Two Times Blue’ and the old school rock of ‘You’re Too Hot’, while lower points are the sparse, electro-based ‘Love With A Vengeance’. This isn’t exactly a new leaf but it does seem to be a new chapter and it bodes well for the future – a word that hasn’t been positively associated with Ms Harry for a while.

The Human Value - Push And Pull
By Steven Fanning
The Human Value are a fabulously dark and brooding female-fronted New York three-piece band who mix the moodier aspects of their sound wonderfully with catchier, poppier hooks. Singer Turu’s voice is not terribly dissimilar from that of the Long Blondes’ Kate Jackson and it flows and rises between verse and chorus in much the same fashion. Imagine The Dandy Warhols sparring with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and you’re somewhere close to where Tthe Human Value are trying to get to. There’s bags of potential in this record that could one day produce something quite brilliant, and as this is their sophomore effort, it could be third time lucky for them in a year or so’s time, but in the meantime this is more than enough to whet the appetite further.

Nightwish – Dark Passion Play
By Lisa Holmes
This is what Evanescence wish they sounded like. The line between metal and classical is blurred more than ever on this monolithic, dramatic, spell-binding album. This is the Finnish band’s sixth release and comes after the sacking of their frontlady Tarja Turunen – not that it seems to have made any difference to the Nightwish vision. The fact that the promo version comes complete with a serious-sounding man introducing each track just adds to the scholarly air. With an opening track - ‘The Poet And The Pendulum’ - that clocks in at nearly 14 minutes long, Nightwish are making a definite statement. Whether that statement is genius or utter madness depends on your view of vastly overblown, pompous rock ego trips by former goth metallers.

Various – Once OST
By Lisa Holmes
Once has been an unexpected success for a small low budget film, winning Best Dramatic Film at 2007 Sundance Film Festival and taking over $4 million at the US box office. The film itself was written and directed by ex-Frames member John Carney whilst the soundtrack is scored and performed by the film’s two stars another Frames member – Glen Hansard and Czech songwriter Marketa Irglova. To say this is a rich and delicate collection of songs is an understatement. It merges the sound of celtic folk with contemplative and quiet odes to love. Irglova’s sincere crystalline vocals are as heartfelt as they are heartrending. If the soundtrack is anything to go by, the film must make for a rich emotional journey (It really is, go see it - Film Ed), and it is certainly one of the most original collection of songs written for a one-off project that has appeared recently.