Records
cor) artd presto restart rock'nrol‘ legend lt's that simple. 'ght'?
No .vait. The'e's a problem Guitar solos are takir‘g over, They're exerynhere. To be fair, Parsley?) Stylus Automatic have got the attitude. and when they get on with it, it's good. honest rock. But you have to wade through more than a little dirge and llOl-(lllll(rf$l£l(lllll'l rock to get there (EV/Jan Fergus)
INDIE, eoe
THE STARLETS Further Into Night Forever
(SL2 O...
For their second LP the Glasgow sextet have hooked up wrth some old chums like Gentle Waves' Isobel Campbell. to produce a polished. spellbinding little gem that is light as a feather but bursting With epic intentions. From the crystalline opening piano and strings of ‘l Wake Up Dreaming', to the sinister ‘L.u||aby'. this is a bright and beautiful Journey from irielancholia to hope and back again. Not a party record. but perfect for spooky nights in and Sunday morning hangovers. As Biff Smith whispers at one point. its 'All to make you feel brand new'. Aw, how nice and thoughtful of them. (Ewan Fergusl
HIP HOP SOUL VARIOUS
DJ Andy Smith - The Document ll
(Illic‘itl 0...
Mix albums are usually the place where DJs show off their skills grinding out cut'n'paste collections that end up as much an endurance test as a treaSure trove of seemlessly sequenced tracks.
The foetis here is the tunes rather than displaying turntable technique. and the CD kicks off With a tasty Curveball of Kate Bush. it follows up With Serge Gainsbowg and GeOrgie Fame rostling for
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Mark Herr/13w"
ELEC'HUNiC/t CHRIS LIEBING Evolution
When [)Js get successful, arid Chris Liebing is certainty that. they don't all start pondering their fate set against the backdrop of immeasurable geological time. do they? No. That would be bonkers.
Yet liebir‘ig has decided that it lust ain't enough to make you Jump till you throw up you've gotta get serious about where we're all going, man. Hence the mad Hawkingesgue voices on his long awaited studio record rambling about 'a few setbacks like the Dark Ages and the Black Death' not standing ll‘ the way of progress. Either way, its deep. dark. paranoid. and hard as nails.
(Ewan l-‘ergusl
ROCK
RODDY HART Home Tapes (Adorno) COO
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Entirely written and recorded in his flat. Home Tapes is Hart's second album, and is a crackling piece of atmospheric singer songwriter pop With plenty of confidence and the tunes to match. With more than a hint of modern country about it, Home lapes reveals Hart in mournful mood. but songs like the anthemic “Beautiful Surprise" or the plaintive and touching 'Wake Up' are so laden With SumptuOus melody as to be far from depressing. With an earthy veice full of character and an impresswe array of muswianship on show. Roddy Hart is guite clearly a local talent wonh treaSuring. tDOug Johnstonei
108 THE LIST ‘ 8 See—2 Oct 2003
games@list.co.uk
nEPuaLIc: THE REVOLUTION
(Eidos £34.99) 000
Republic of ire
This game has been discussed in gaming circles forever. It was meant to be a game Of open, free political machination and ascension set in a number of cities that, thanks to some new- fangled technology, were to be depicted in unsurpassed detail. Unfortunately, like most political promises, the reality is long overdue and somewhat short of the mark.
It seems to be all there, though: you must build a political movement from grassroots, slowly gaining power and influence through all manner of inventive means, until you have the support base to overthrow the evil dictatorial incumbent. The graphics are indeed spectacular, and zooming in and out of the glorious city, from floating above the rooftops to getting in a voter‘s face, never bores. And yet there is something wrong at the heart of Republic.
Because this is a strategy simulation, there is no need for the fancy visuals, meaning you will spend most Of your time on the dull but informative map. Riots, rallies and robberies may be in progress but you will soon stop watching them, preferring to number-crunch your way to power. And even that is not as free and open as you would like. Not quite what was promised, mildly unsatisfying and often frustrating, maybe this should have been called New Republic. (lain Davidson)
xeox FUTURAMA (SCI £39.99) 00
Most comedy games are not funny They are just plain crap. Humour th; t had programmers exploding llliU
schoolboy grgglefrts during production fSll‘lKH‘, fails to come across in a game. or more likely was crap in tl‘e first place. But Futurarna has 1 l(: writhg team of the series behind :t. Sll.’(3|‘,. -f any, game can pull it off. this s be one to produce at ‘east a ‘e.-. t'tters'? Actua l1. '1 does. There are
iriorrierits ‘.‘./l‘.e.'e you genuinely arid lltfil'fll‘, guffav.’ at the lines of dialogue. Unfortunately you wrll iaug'i more at t‘iegari‘e tsel‘, While The uniting :s for, drawer. the ga'neola‘, and ‘.'lf§tl(llf3 are bargar‘ baser'ient .":(l(}(3tl. 'Platforr'i' a'ld ‘actmrt': two wo'ds tl‘a‘. sl‘oairt be put to sleep ‘or thousar‘ds of years. Yes. yoa ‘.'.’£ll‘(l(3r rour‘d Wit.“ F", and guys, doing stu
ff l)th really who cares“ This is mind 'itirr‘brtgi‘, tedious and 1s exactly like even. other
TV l"i()‘.’l(} Me n And t doeer '.'.'ork zen, well. The camera is clams... the cor‘t'ols are trcrr'dgrwke but agar: .‘."l{,‘ cares? If ‘t .‘.'asr"°.
Sdlyi‘u‘ Jr}. (18 a.“ , c159.
lax" Ba. :tso'N
ALIENS v THE ITALIAN PREDATOR: JOB: LA HEIST EXTINCTION
(Eidos £39.99) 00 (EA/Fox Interactive . ..
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