Music Records I
SINGLES & DOWNLOADS
Why Mister Press Guy. with these singles you're really spoiling us. Sadly for The List's usually gratuitously-aired spleen. there are enough truly wonderful one-shot listenables this time out to keep the beast in its box. Music's making us all happy an’ shit. just like it should. and you can so tell summer's just around the corner.
All of which benevolence means proletarian popsters The Ordinary Boys find themselves with an unlikely eeee . Or rather The Ordinary Boys Versus Lady Sovereign whose ‘NineZFive' (B-Unique) is a cover of the insanely catchy old Lily Allen number, which sees Preston and his henchmen celebrate/castigate the daily grind in suitably ‘Oil' fashion.
‘You are what you love/and not what loves you back'. sings Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis on ‘You Are What You Love’ (Rough Trade) 0000 in delicately. beautifully shuffling country style. Then you get a look at Lewis on the cover and realise not being loved back probably isn't something she has to put up with that often.
The similarly-melanchon folktronica movement isn't really something you want to be passing by on sunnier days. Disparate cases in point are Schneider TM's typically tender and surreal ‘Pac Man/Shopping Cart' (City Slang) me and It’s Jo and Danny's ‘The Remix EP' (download during May from wwltsjoanddannynet) eeee . with four perfectly-pitched readjustments of the folksters' sound leading them to resemble Portishead experimenting with fluid French p0p. Talking of which. Phoenix' ‘Long Distance Call' (virgin) eeee is a great real-life bit of authentic Gallic indie-pop with bleepy bits and everything.
Closer to home and altogether louder. the Scotland-born. London-based Clean George lV's ‘Black Spring‘ (demo) eeee is a succinct. kinetic fury of an indie-rock record. soon to be released on 7" by the folks who run Edinburgh's Dfrnt Drum night. This Et Al's ‘Sabbatical' (Jealous) eeee is another fine stomp in the vein of a more histrionic Sonic Youth.
But this week's Single of the Fortnight goes to the 1990s with ‘You Made Me Like lt' (Rough Trade) 0000.. an edgy. frantic dancefloor filler from one of Glasgow's best. It sounds like Roxy Music and B-side ‘Arcade Precinct’. comes on like David Bowie singing the virtues of ‘girls from the Catholic school' and ‘tea-leafing'. 19903: as good as the decade itself. and one big reason for this column's sunny disposition.
(David Pollock)
5‘3 Loud
“:3; 0 Clear
as THE LIST 11—25 May 2006
ReVIews DESERT BLUES ETRAN FINATAWA
Introducing Etran Finatawa
(WOrld MUSIC Net work) em
52 Ex
Tuaregs With telecasters would never have crossed our radar if it hadn't been for Damon Albarn. Robert Plant and the caravan of trustafarians trekking round Timbuktu Since the Festival of the Desert started in January 2001.
After taking the stage there in 2005. the six tribesmen of Eran Finatawa ('Stars of the Tradition“) have ridden the wave of sub- Saharan fashionability across Europe. performing a dance- assisted blend of ancient and modern to some acclaim. This French studio session captures the trilling guitars and structural circularity which recall Ali Farka Toure. galvanised by call-and- response vocals and enriched with harmonic and rhythmic guile. (Ninian Dunnett)
JAZZ
IAN SHAW Drawn To All Things (Linn Records) 0000
The Eaglesham-based label have had considerable success with jazz vocalists. including Carol Kidd. Claire Martin and Barb Jungr. lan Shaw is often described as Britain's top male jazz singer. and is a strong addition to that list. His debut for
the label focuses or‘ his interpretations of the songs of Joni Mitchell. never an easy. aSSignment to pull off He does so with
r, ,"xiiction and no little sl.le. succeeding in adding his own feet to the songs WltttOtlt sacnficing the original conceptions in the process A strong cast of London-based jazz musicians as well as singers Claire Martin and Lea De taria provrde classy accompaniment (ii an album With strong crossover potential. (Kenny Mathieson)
ROCK
SCOTT WALKER The Drift
(AAD) OOOO
In a parallel universe. Scott Walker is firing Out an LP a year. writing songs for Pussycat Dolls. and making cheerful appearances on GMTV when not endorsing a range of products from chest Wigs to chewy mints. In reality he makes a record once a decade and these outings have become increaSingly. well. avant~weird just about does it. But come 0th from behind the sofa. children, and we'll discuss eye sockets and sparrows and genoCIde. My fav0urite line here is ‘l'll punch a donkey in the streets of Galway'. C'mon. we‘ve all done it. The mUSlC is pounding. then quiet. now backwards. next choral jazz befOre jumping out of the speakers and rearranging the furniture. If I tell you that one of the musiCians is listed as ‘percusson and meat punching' you might get the idea. Put Garbo. Hitchcock and MOrricone in a spin dryer and this is likely what comes Out. Berserk but beautiful. (Rodger Evansi
.JALI‘
FRANK HARRISON TRIO First Light
(Basno Records
0..
Pianist l‘rank Harrison has been gaining momentum on the tondon jaz.’ si'ene. and this debut album re\.ea|s a lucid and intelligent rriusical rnirid at work His spacious and beautifully controlled explorations are backed up by sensitive support from his fine rhythm section. featuring Scottish bassist Aidan O‘Donnell and Irish drummer Stephen Keogh.
The evocative impressionisrn of compositions such as the haunting ‘First Light] ‘Atternoon in Tromso', and 'Falling' are balanced by fresh sounding reflections on standards like Cole Porter's “What Is This Thing Called love' and Eden Ahbez's ‘Nature Boy'. performed as a solo piano piece. which drifts nicely into Alex North's Love Theme from Spartacus. (Kenny Mathieson)
ELEC TRO POP ELECTROLUVS Bubblewrapped (Ninthwave Records) 0...
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Yet another example of the utterly unique sounds seemingly Spitting out of modern Scottish bands comes in the form of this magnificent second album from the Electroluvs. The coastal town duo's Bubblewrapped is a must for all subscnbers t0 the Data Panik. Flying
fxiatcnstick Men and. ti‘.‘tt""‘idlt\ RCW‘CT 0’ thought. boasting .‘x‘d'l'Xt '“i‘it‘th‘b I‘d? through a super speed tilt‘fti lt‘l ‘.‘.’ltt‘ fli‘flati‘il rifts. sweet t‘tw (li'l ‘.o<‘.llt§. analogue stnlhs. tiltlll‘ machines and
(ltiirkx chronicles. .tl tilM‘l) a deranged twist in pioneering (‘ilasilou based production ‘.‘.I.'ards Geirriliri .ifl(t (E'nr tasih some of the most E;j)|t‘ll(tl(tt\. snaij anrl "onipletelx sixllt‘. pop around
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DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
Waterloo to Anywhere (Vertigo) COO
Anyone expecting Abba here might be sorer disappointed, Anyone expecting a slight step on from the t iber’tines. retaining much of the riiusical fury if not all the prosaic. poetic Wiinsy. would be barking up the right tree. Minus the inherent chemistry of his preyioiis band. Carl Barat sets out to harness the sarrie Wilful Clash and Jain-isms that made his prevrous incarnation so potent and the effect is similar here. Barat did always have the best voice of the pairing. and despite the energy, honesty. vrtriol and sweat poured into this record. it was always going to come second close second ~ to tabloid headlines and tales of the glory days of the Albion. We can but hope time WI” shift the spotlight where it should be.
(Mark Robertson)
even if it is a
[- LEC l ROPOP KING BISCUIT TIME
Black Gold
(No Style) 0.0
Word has it that Steve Mason's time as the King BlSCUIt big cheese appears to have
ALL CDS WERE REVIEWED ON A SYSTEM SUPPLIED AND INSTALLED. BY LOUD 8: CLEAR