Music Record Reviews
SINGLES & DOWNLOADS
Massive Attack
There’s an almost embarrassing number of good local bands dishing out fine efforts this time. One name that may be familiar is Ming Ming and the Ching Chings, whose double A-side ‘Show Off’/‘OUT in the West of Scotland’ (Badly Built) ●●●●● is an errant feral punk child of a song on one side and a horn- laden combination of the Mariachi style with Glasgow indie-pop on the other. It’s the first song that really makes the impression. Also hailing from Glasgow and making a
noise which can be heard the length of the M8 are Paper Planes with ‘Doris Day’/’Released’ (Lucky Number Nine) ●●●●●, which (flaunting the predicted MIA influence) sounds like Yeah Yeah Yeahs gone surf. It’s rough, but it sells you on seeing them live. Le Reno Amps’ ‘The Stand Off EP’ (Drift) ●●●●● is another one whose rawness does the winning over, although their indie rockabilly sound maybe isn’t as immediate as those others above.
In case you go thinking the Scottish music scene has butched up a lot lately, how about The Seventeenth Century? ‘Roses in the Park’ (Everymatic) ●●●●● is influenced by Bach, Handel and (lyrically) TS Eliot, but there are also shades of Brian Wilson, James Yorkston and Alasdair Roberts in this lovely record. Also consider the sweetly inventive boy-girl pop of Kid Canaveral’s ‘Left and Right EP’ (Straight to Video) ●●●●●. For the Single of the Fortnight this time out,
however, we must look south; to revenant Bristolians Massive Attack and their ‘Splitting the Atom’ EP (Virgin) ●●●●●. The kind of ethereal mini-masterpiece you’d hope they never tire of, the vocal presences of Horace Andy, Martina Topley-Bird, Guy Garvey and TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe add up to pretty good value too. (David Pollock)
QUIET BOSSA FOLK KINGS OF CONVENIENCE Declaration Of Dependence (Source) ●●●●●
questioning the quality here this feel more like an exercise in completism rather than helping uncover any real surprises. (Mark Robertson) DUBSTEP KING CANNIBAL Let The Night Roar (Ninja Tune) ●●●●●
A band’s submission in the ‘Sounds Like’ column of their myspace page is often telling, and in the case of Kings of Convenience their self- effacing ‘music your parents like too’ hints at the quiet Norwegian duo’s fond acceptance of where two albums of calm, emotional bossa nova has put them. There is little change here on the third but for a further perfecting of their delicate vocal harmony over gently interweaving guitars. Quite unconcerned with whatever might be en vogue, the exquisitely named Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe have turned out another peerless set of seemingly effortless autumnal folk. (Mark Edmundson) HIP HOP J DILLA Dillanthology 3 (Rapster) ●●●●●
If only for the sake of his neighbours you’d like to hope that Dylan Richards lives somewhere out in the wilderness, miles from anyone or anything, for his fondness for all shapes and colours of trembling, earthquake bass would have the surrounding area shaking like it’s the San Andreas fault. Relying on bass as the
pivotal element in his demonic dub constructions he manages to blend horror movie tension and Burial- style urban dissonance, murmured threats and syncopated beatings to devastating effect. All together ‘WE’RE ALL DOOOOOOOOMED!’ (Mark Robertson)
JAZZ NYJOS COLLECTIVE Collective (NYOS) ●●●●●
AVANT ROCK EFTERKLANG Performing Parades (Leaf) ●●●●● Parades is a great album. Originally released in 2007, it transformed marginal Danish avant rock outfit Efterklang – a more off- kilter Arcade Fire who combine massed voices with modern classical instrumentation – into a marginal Danish avant rock outfit with a slightly
more popular album. Evidently, it’s popular
enough to warrant staging a live performance of the album with the National Danish Chamber Orchestra, as documented here. The live footage captures the artfully lit stage, and a behind-the-scenes short film provides insight into the complexities of group-meets-orchestra, and there are ten promos too, but ultimately it’s about the music, which sounds wonderful. If you know Parades, this is a great add-on. As a starting point, however, the original album is the one you want. (Hamish Brown)
Since his untimely death the legacy of rap producer J Dilla’s work has been elevated beyond touchable. His influence on rap is considerable but sadly, there remains a battle over his offspring gaining the profits from his plethora of production jobs for everyone from De La Soul to Pharcyde.
This is the latest in what seems like an endless array of compilations of the man’s productions, including collaborations with Madlib, Common and The Roots’ Black Thought. Some of the instrumental cuts are crying out for some rhymes to finish them off and while there’s no
The NYJOS Collective is a ten-piece band made up of the most advanced members of the National Youth Jazz of Orchestra of Scotland, directed by Malcolm Edmonstone and Andrew Bain. They include two winners of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician award, saxophonist Joe Wright and the current holder, bass player Andrew Robb. Another finalist this year, pianist Peter Johnstone, leads a fine rhythm section, and the paired saxophones, trumpets and trombones provide plenty of scope
66 THE LIST 8–22 Oct 2009
for imaginative touches in the arrangements. They have achieved a
high standard of both ensemble precision and soloing in this studio recording. Two of the musicians, Wright and trombonist Kieran McLeod, also contribute compositions to a repertoire that includes tunes by Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland and Herbie Hancock’s arrangement of Prince’s ‘Thieves in the Temple’, as well as classic staples in Clifford Brown’s ‘Joy Spring’ and Victor Feldman’s ‘Seven Steps to Heaven’. (Kenny Mathieson)
FOLK MHAIRI HALL TRIO Cairngorm (Strath Records) ●●●●●
Aviemore-born pianist Mhairi Hall dragged a piano to the top of Cairngorm (well, with a bit of help) to launch this album, an appropriate enough gesture for a record very much steeped in the landscape and ethos of her native Strathspey. Not unreasonably, it opens with just that, an 18th century Strathspey entitled ‘The Source’, but the jazz-rock feel of the arrangement serves notice that this is a folk collection with a contemporary twist. This assured debut includes a good few more Strathspeys in the course of an attractive set of tunes, a mix of Hall’s own compositions with traditional material, all imbued with a strong sense of place through either subject matter or authorship. They are cleverly arranged and deftly played by the pianist and guitarist Michael Bryan and another local, drummer Fraser Stone, who hails from nearby Grantown- On-Spey. (Kenny Mathieson)
JAZZ WILL VINSON Promises (19/8 Records) ●●●●● Will Vinson is an English saxophonist residing in
New York, and the line- up on this disc – his first as leader since 2004 – reflects that association. He is joined by fellow expat Orlando Le Fleming (formerly a member of Tommy Smith’s group) on bass, rising piano star Aaron Parks (worth the price of the disc himself), and guitarist Lage Lund in an excellent quintet driven by the drums of Rodney Green on all but one track, where Ari Hoenig takes over.
It is a strong band, and Vinson provides them with equally strong self- composed material to get their teeth into. His own inventive work on alto and soprano saxophone has a pleasing (and teasing) undertone of Wayne Shorter’s enigmatic unpredictability lurking beneath a direct and lyrical approach. This is smart, intelligent and hugely enjoyable contemporary jazz – look out for a live appearance with Irish guitarist Mark McKnight in Glasgow in November. (Kenny Mathieson)
ELECTRONICA PHONAT Phonat (Mofo Hifi) ●●●●●
Flashes of inspired genius abound in this debut of cunning cut up dancefloor electronica from one Michele Balduzzi, who abandoned his farmland idyll in the Italian hills for London to create this stomping album dashed through with 80s rock twinges, classic house tricks and ingenious electro surges. That Phonat’s output has been mentioned in the same breath as Justice and Daft Punk says more about journos desperate for the next