Richard Hawlcy
Us' 00
(Atlantic) 0
(Mercury) 000
drug bust kind of way.
(Art/Goes/Pop) ooo
(Malcolm Jack)
Plaudits from Bono are to credibility what salt is to a slug. although his favourite Dublin ‘sleazy- funk' outfit Republic of Loose's windin'n'grindin' stinker ‘Breakl' (Loaded Dice) O . is actually rubbish enough without the old ll Papa—bothering one‘s kiss of death. Not a good start. and Sophie Ellis Bextor isn't improving matters; Mrs bassist-out-of—The Feeling's retro-pop turd ‘Today The Sun's On sounds so plastic it could actually be made out of old carrier bags.
Speaking of The Feeling. the ‘new-Keane' are already the ‘old new Keane‘. because Ghosts are the ‘new The Feeling'. or the ‘new new Keane'. Whichever way you look at it. ‘Ghosts' is a horribly needy slice of piano-ey soft pop. Thankfully ‘Picture Of You’ by R88 calypso soul merchants Mr Hudson and the Library is actually not bad. resembling a clash between Mike Skinner and The Police. although not in a
Glasgow hipsters Stinky Munchkins’ scuzzy ‘Iectro-punk effort “Release The Lions' may simply comprise of three different records played at once. but is still blingin'. Raw. jittery killer ‘Crackerjack Docker' (DFA) o... by Brighton boy/girl duo Prinzhorn Dance School is similarly thrilling. albeit in a more sparse. sneering kind of way. This quarter month's Single of The Week, however. belongs firmly to Sheffield's swooning elder statesman of rock Richard Nawley. ‘Tonight the Streets are Ours' (Mute) ooooo is a sweeping. strings laden corker in the grandest of traditions. and a thinly veiled stab at the A880 to boot. Proving it is possible to be down with the kids and not come across like a complete cock — Bono take note.
INDIE
THE CORAL Roots and Echoes (Deltasonicl 0.0
Havrng first been patronised by Oasis and now benefiting from a support slot on Arctic Monkeys' summer tour. The Coral seem like a band who are destined to live in the shadow of
30 THE LIST 2—9 Aug 2001'
those who define their era. The temporary departure of one of their founding riiembers Bill Ryder Jones and the sabbatical during the interim couldn't have helped. but this fourth album simply reaffirms their status as a good band. rather than a great one.
The Scouse septet haven't moved on much from the pilfering of their parents' record collections. which is no bad thing. because their fluid mixture of The Beatles. Buffalo Springfield and Captain Beefheart has served them well so far. This. however, is a more
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l f i; » CHRIS STOUT QUINTET
Devil's Advocate it DJ lit-w irrfw oooo
lirfrllw Chris fitoiit has long lieeri lll‘./f)l‘.(:(l in genre crossing proJecls. including an interest in both Illlt)lfi‘.|‘iilll()fl and electro acoustic
compr isitii ill. llis guintet reflects some of that eclecticisrii in a context that is firmly rooted in the music of his native Shetland. but iiiforriied by an explorator‘, contemporary sensibility. The album includes two extracts from ‘l)ynrost'. preriiiered at Celtic Connections in .January With the BBC Scottish ESyriiphony Orchestra. but arranged for guintet here.
9
The distinctive instrumental lineup. featuring Stout's fiddle and the darker viola alongside Catriona McKay's clarsach and Fraser Fifield's soprano saxophone. gives the music its own sonic and textural gualities. underpinned by Malcolm Stitt's guitar and Neil Harland on double bass. The music reflects the development in the guintet's group interaction since their debut CD two years ago, and the Vibrant playing “HOCTS life and spirit into both slow airs and up-tempo Jigs and reels. (Kenny Mathiesonl
INDIE DANCE VARIOUS Neon Nights
(DMCi 0..
In these heady days of nu rate saturation. when it is once again acceptable to be seen gurning while clutching a glo-stick. it's easy to
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iriiiii: ‘Xilfli‘v' thinrts ion; befirw ii:.- '(ulf‘f‘ir‘il trir 'Yfi tilt) (it i( ik (i? genres At first (llilfli e tlii- Net in Night“. riiixtape ix illifl be easily tossed aside as an A z’ of who happens to be hip, ‘.".’llll Kate Nash and The (iossip snuggling up with New Young Pony Club and lladoukeri! The latter are Il‘. this humble scribes opinion, a testicle grinding sonic aboriiiriation but they still look set to be riiassive by November. Most of the rest ~ particularly the (iameboy death sgueals of Crystal Castles — are far better. but few have anything to do With the ‘neon'
genre re; ssignrrient of the past year.
(Miles .Johnson)
lNDll
A BAND CALLED QUINN
And Ever Again (iTunes) DOD
T he recent recipients of :i iiziiiir2 (:liziriritz (fr()rii the simpler Quinn) -- presuriiably as an attempt to deiiiocratise the band on behalf of Glaswegian singer Louise Quinn — this selection of download- only B-sides and unreleased tracks Will doubtless attract attention due to the fact that a pre~fame Alex Kapranos contributed guitar to a few. It's Just a shame, unfortunately. that we don't know which ones.
Still. Quinn's (the Singer. not the band) delicate vorce and way wrth an elegant. occasiOnally (a/z-tinted torch song Will still attract fans. and quite rightly. Although you can buy the lot for a
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teat Kristina VARIOUS Putumayo presents Americana ipii'ltlflltlnt'i O...
The Putiiriiayo label lliilltltill‘. specialises in chariipioning hitherto unsung riiusical styles from the far flung corners of the globe. collecting them and presenting them in lush, skillfully annotated packages, This chapter is a change of lack in that it tackles a well» recognised genre but focuses on the rootsiest.
home spun tales instead of the high-glr ss mainstream country that doriiiriates the US charts (even a track by Norah Jones. performing under a pseudonym. is actually pretty great),
So many of the songs on this concise. 12* track collection sound like they may have been coriiposed on a ratty acoustic guitar on the porch of a shack. But romantic notions asrde. th:s is a stellar collection of those )ust above the radar artists and while it is irieVitable that some cliches of the genre pervade. it is an ilustration of the variety of tones that can be found in the rural mUSIC of America.
(Mark Robertson)
ELEC TRO ROCK
THE MAGNIFICENTS
Year Of Explorers (KFM) OOOO
Tuned and perfected over the couple of years Since their eponymous debut. this second album by Edinburgh's Magnificents is vehy much worth the wait. It retains the same sense of ballistic urgenCy as the Edinburgh quintet's earlier record. yet adds
THE vacsiiCiCEN‘rs
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an even greater reliance on the iriiportance of riieriiorable songs
Some are instantly gratityiriglx catchy as with the opening 'Ring Ring Do Do and the possiny slightly ironic Abba meets Htlr‘M' Her/er Show shtick of 'Yellow l-land'. while others 'Can't Explode. for exariiple. or the title track are slowburners rewarded by riiultiple listens Increasing i‘ult success is well deserved on this effort, and on one of the year’s outright best song titles track four. ‘No Dialogue with C"ts' (DaVId Pollock)
SINGFH SONf‘in-illl H STEVEN LINDSAY Kite
(Pchol .0.
Although his official biog describes one time Glasgow School of Art student and Big Dish frontman Steven l iridsay as 'rnore Damien Hirst than Dariiien Rice'. the latter artist is really the perfect C()fll[)£if|8()fl. Lindsay's rich, reedy voice is accorripariied by lots of piano and glossy production, and his songs are unifcrrrily riiOurnful but pleasant.
All of his recent w0rd- of-mouth. of course. stems from his excellent cover of the PiXies' ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven‘ (included here). a track which shows the Smiths-murdering Mark Ronson how to reinterpret a claSSic. Those who liked the verSIon Will probably also approve of Lindsay's other ballads. although many might feel disappomted that they're more mrddle-of—the-road than that brave cover might have suggested. fDavrd POIIOCk)