Music Record 'evi‘ews - ‘ ,
PSYCH—ROCK THE VERVE Fonh (Parlophonel .00
Even their most evangelical of fans - of which there are still plenty - might have doubted The Verve’s reformation. Much of the solo material of the previously unimpeachable Richard Ashcroft flattered to deceive, and none of it looked like detracting from one of the most perfectly formed career trajectories in recent rock history. From their early post-shoegazer underground days, through time spent on the outside of Britpop-mania, and then triumphant, commercial comeback with Urban Hymns, the Wigan space warriors left a legacy to be proud of. So now comes their much-belated return with Forth (their fourth album, naturally), and perhaps the faintest praise it may be damned with is that it doesn’t spoil the legacy of what has gone before. Much like Ashcroft’s lone albums, the overriding tone is one of settled contentment, with patches of self-doubt gathering on the horizon. The singer may be cajoling us to ‘recognise the righteous anger’ during ‘Love is Noise’, but the comeback single is a charming radio song more than a barricade-storming call to
arms.
Among the other single-worthy tracks, the quality is variable. ‘Sit and Wonder’ is a nicely urgent mood-setting piece, but it’s no ‘This is Music’, while tracks like ‘Rather Be’ and ‘Appalachian Skies’ are more Songs of Praise than Urban Hymns in their tuneful pleasantries. Like Morrissey and Marr or Brown and Squire, however, Ashcroft’s voice and Nick McCabe’s guitar fit together perfectly. The ghostly funk of ‘Columbo’, and the wide- eyed flashback on ‘Noise Epic’ to psych epics past are the tracks that will make long-time Verve disciples most pleased to have them back together.
(David Pollock)
HIP HOP
BEANS
Thorns
(Adored and Exploited) O...
A welcome return from Beans. aka Mr Ballbeain. one quarter of Anti—Pop Consortium. but also a fully-fledged
vocalist and beat master
in his own right. He's a self-r')r()(:laiine(l scene outsider who requires no association to make his presence felt. On Thor/is Beans maintains
his reputation for being outspoken and fly. delwering a hard—hitting and personal work. You've got the immense ‘Thundermouth'. a deep and slick piece of boat stuff produced by Dabrye. the vocal splurge of ‘Best of the Losers' and. probably the finest moment. ‘Fingers'. a stark reminder that Beans is the man Wllll the sublime lyrical flow. (Steve Glencross)
l‘Ol K SKELPAIG
. . . aye? (Skelpaig Music) 0...
Skelpaig have been working on Highland time whilst putting this
34 THE LIST Y"- 2” Aug 9008
lively and accomplished debut album of purely instrumental tunes together. but their laid- back approach to deadlines is not reflected in the vibrancy of the music they eventually committed to disc. Guitarist David Sutherland from Lochaber. fiddler Katherine l_.iley from Skye and piper. whistle and flute player David Adam from lnverness are all talented
musicians and feel like a well-integrated unit. Liley's individual and inventive fiddle lines and Sutherland's energised pipes and flute soar over the solid foundation provided by Adam's rhythmically poised and harmonically acute guitar work (guest Peter Hunter adds mandolin and mandola on a couple of tracks). The material is drawn from a variety of sources. both traditional and contemporary. and includes several of Liley's attractive compositions. A very promising debut. (Kenny Mathieson)
ELECTRO LATE OF THE PIER
Fantasy Black Channel (Infected) 0.00
The cover art sums them up nicely: Late of the Pier are a heady pastiche of their influences. They flip from the sticky rock-fuzz eccentricism of Muse to the nostalgic clunk of Gary Numan's vampiric electro. and back again. without skipping a beat. Like Klaxons before them. they sit uncomfortably in the current (ad of cut‘n'paste visceral electro.
In truth, what seperates this album from the baying pack of post nu-rave imitators is its thrillineg live feel. A consistent tone of ethereal bombast permeates every note of this release. Notwithstanding a slight dip in momentum midway through the tracklisting. this should prove to be one of the best debut albums of the year.
(Oliver Farrimond)
ALTPUNK
THE AUTOMATIC This is a Fix
(B-Unique) 0..
What a difference one little personnel change can make. After ousting squawk-happy keyboardist Alex Pennie. The Automatic drafted
This is A Fix byTheA
.t’ n. f.- (M
in Paul Mullen of the criminally-underrated yourcodenameismilo, and his influence has leant the Welsh act quite a different sensibility.
With Mullen in place. the genesis of This is a Fix has been protracted and well-documented. The result is a more speculative collection of tracks. with the locus firmly away from the indie-disco scene that ‘Monsters' graced for so long. Melodically stronger and. at times. admirably adventuresome. This is 8 Fix ably demonstrates the potential of a band at an important crossroads in their creative impetus. (Oliver Farrimond)
FOLK BOWERBIRDS Hymns for a Dark Horse
(Dead Oceans) .00
Bowerbirds. a trio of folkers from North Carolina create tumbledown tunes of love. nature and wistful remembrance. It's charmingly enigmatic. touching with its veiled simplicity and ramshackle. scratchy folk. Layered vocals. acoustic guitars. drums. accordion or pedal keyboard mesh to create a delicate beauty. It brings to mind the likes of Polyphonic Spree. Devandra Bernhard. even Marc Bolan and there's a comforting warmth in tracks such as ‘In Our Talons’ and ‘Bur Oak‘. There's darkness and a fear of the industrialised world in here. but this is an ultimater uplifting, low key collection that transcends its organic origins.
(Henry Northmore)
HOUSE
THE MOLE
As High as the Sky Wagon Repair (Canada) 000
Along with Cobblestone Jazz and Hrdvsion, The Mole is one of a small group of artists on Mathew Jonson's label pushing out quality. dubby, melodic 4/4-club music. After building up a solid reputation with previous releases on Kompakt and Spectral. he now gets round to his debut album. As High as the Sky is held together by deep funk. spun-out synth riffs and s0ulful vocal loopage. The best bits? 'Still in My Corner' is hypnotic/dark club Stuff, ‘Baby You're the One' is a funk fuelled tech monster and ‘When it Tastes So Good' is a lovely piece of hazy. echoing house.
(Steve Glencross)
TECHNO
MARCEL DETTMANN Berghain 02: Mix CD Ostgut Ton 0000
Berlin is having a resurgence of cutting- edge labels right now. and this latest offering from Berghain resident/Hard Wax man is top drawer. He's a quality act. both as a DJ and as the man responsible for the MDR label. This latest mix blends new—school cuts from the likes of Samuli Kemppi and Radioslave. an exclusive from T++ and classic tracks from Planetary Assault Systems and Kevin Saunderson. What‘s important here is Dettmann‘s unflashy approach. The album is mixed in a simple. purist fashion that enhances what this scene is all about: quality organic techno music.
(Steve Glencross)