I The Cardigans: lite (Stockholm Records) The Cardigans are a quintet of tmfeasibly well-groomed Swedes who look like the cast of an ATV ()()s spy series. revel in naive pastel-coloured ttmes and string arrangements and have just made the most continuously joyous pop album since lidwyn's (inreeuiry (it'urlee. They are Stereolab with a dimple. Shampoo with a clue and Saint litienne with a Londoncenlric bypass. Singer Nina has a voice like I’arma Violets which she drapes coyly over her band's plinky- plonky perky popperama while in the background Judy Geeson and Rita 'l‘ushingham frolic through the park in soft focus. 'l‘oppermost girly pop for those hazy lazy crazy days of summer. (l-‘iona Shepherd)
I Mali Rain: ‘ . . .we shall return to the sea’ (3rd Stone) llit-and-miss organic techno. as is to be expected from the 3rd Stone label. who seem to have a monopoly on eclectic ambient-y soundtrack acts of a sub- l)ead Can Dance nature. Mali Rain. with a suitably environmental name. fall into the dance camp with their diverting noodlings which are fortunately more hit than miss and
make ideal backgrotmd music (no slight intended) A spacey enough not to demand close attention but with enough melodic hooks to prevent the onset ofslumber. Listen ottt for them backing some television sports coverage in the near future. (l‘iona Shepherd)
I Nyack: 11 Track Player (Echo) American indie pop enters the
: telecomtuunications race I with the inclusion of a l’.C.-compatible interactive programme with this album. 'l'liose ol us who are not plugged in can only lie back and listen to the musical sounds of the revolution. Which are . . . sedater strummed guitars and Ride-like layers of six- string action which prove vaguely diverting in the manner of most conservative college wimp-rock with a Brit bent. 'I‘itles like lost In You". ‘Sepia‘ and
Nyack: “serious sixth form lyrical concerns
RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
‘lleartsore' signpost the presence of some serious sixth-form lyrical concerns. and it's only former single ‘Savage Smile' which really pushes any buttons on this supine debut. (liiona Shepherd)
I Sentridoh: The Original Losing Losers (Shrimper) If I .ou Barlow's Sebadoh are the epitome of indie cool. how much more so their obscure offshoot Sentridoh'? This album. 43 tracks recorded between 1982—9] in living rooms. bedrooms and probably shower stalls too. might try even their most intrepid fans' patience. though. It's not entirely without merit. but its finer points are lost in ajunk- shop of distorted acoustic droning. cheap tape loops and much out-of—tune twangy noodling. all taken from budget-quality cassette recordings. The )‘l's'srmgs‘ of lo-fi. (Alastair Mabbott)
I Alasdair Fraser: Dawn Dance (Culhurnie) The USA-based (‘lackmannan liddler‘s first album since his late-80s recording The Road NUI'I/I is quite a departure in mood from those previous gentle. reflective interpretations of traditional Scottish music in collaboration with Californian keyboard player Paul Machlis. Still redolent of both west coasts. the new pieces are self-penned and exquisitely and expressively performed in Fraser's rich. nearly over- ripe. high fiddle style. Baroque structure. contemporary Celtic film theme. Indo-lfiuropean drutn rhythms. laid-back acoustic swing funk. a wee touch of improvisation and virtuoso playing from the four members of his touring band and half a dozen session friends produces a dense. highly coloured vision. like a peacock glimpsed on a Highland estate.
I llomos: I Won’t Be Afraid Anymore (Grapevine) Coalescing in Cork around a nucleus of the astonishingly closely bonded concertina and fiddle of Niall Vallely and
Liz. Dohei'ty. Nomos create the best ensemble sound heard in lrish music since early l)e Damian. Some (‘ape Breton melodies and Scottish pipe tunes such as the ubiquitous Andy Renwick‘s l5erret and 'I‘roy's Wedding add grist to their mill: the precise. energisng bodhran and rhythmic togetherness of mandocello. guitar. fretless bass and piano create an ineffably vital and cheering music.
and linglish add another dimension. and musicians of the calibre of Mel Mercier and .‘vlicheal () Suilleabhain are happy to join in on half a dozen tracks. You'll hear much more of this fleet-fingered fivesome.
I John McCusker: John McCusker (Temple) l.ike
Alasdair Fraser. John
of traditional music on the fiddle owes depth. tone and dynamic to a classical schooling. but the young Lanarkshire
tip the traditional idiom. In his travels as Brian MacNeil‘s replacement in The Battlefield Band he keeps company with piper and flute player lain MacDonald. a great exponent of Highland music and one of many
Granite-dry vocals in Irish
McCusker's interpretation
instrumentalist has soaked
i
great guest musicians on this varied album. High quality playing all round. and the bulk of the tunes composed and performed in a variety ofstyles and on a variety of instruments. including piano. whistle. accordion and cittern. by one of Scotland's most talented folk musicians. irrespective of age.
I Rock Salt And Nails: More And More (Iona) The youthful Shetland band is maturing. and a good studio production rounds out their invigorating if somewhat brash live sound. Fronted by two assertive iiddles. a well- played rockabilly/Celtic roots ambience. kicked along by drums. bass and banjo sometimes breaks out into frantic fingerpicking and furious reels. splash cymbals and drum kit hoovering along underneath. Band guitarist Paul Johnston takes most of the vocals and songwriting credits, although the clever. clear- sighted lyric of ‘Uneasy Rider‘ by Iinglish songwriter Julian Dawson is the strongest composition in :1 ~15- mmute set from what has quickly become one of the most popular live bands in the touring and festival circuit. (Norman Chalmers)
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The List 28 Jul-10 Aug 1995 41