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RECORDS Music
ALT-ROCK THE DODOS No Color (Wichita) ●●●●●
The Dodos were a two-piece first, when Meric Long and Logan Kroeber originally got together in San Francisco in 2005, then a three-piece, then a two-piece again (keep up, dear reader).
While 2009’s Time To Die was a softer, less frenzied affair, Meric Long’s apparent penchant for the flannel era is well utilised on No Color, for which he has re-united with producer John Askew. All the important Dodos elements are there, from the thundering toms and machine gun snares of ‘Black Night’ to the sweet vocal loop of ‘Going Under’ and the offbeat cat call hook of ‘Sleep’. Instinctive, thoughtful music (and some sweet backing vocals from sometime tourmate Neko Case), show the duo are ably re-finding their stride. (Lauren Mayberry)
ELECTRO-POP AUSTRA Feel It Break (Domino) ●●●●●
While Katie Stelmanis is very much the beating heart of Austra, her vocals are the icing on an already rather tasty cake. Feel It Break introduces us to this Toronto trio and their dark blend of electronics, keys and minimalist beats with stunning openers ‘Darken Her Horse’ and ‘Lose It’. And it only gets better from here; an array of stand-out tracks soon revealed by their keen-eyed cherry picking of the most magical bits of Kraftwerk, early New Order and Goldfrapp pop sleaze – all reworked to powerful effect and ably produced by Damian Taylor (Bjork, The Prodigy, UNKLE). And then there’s that voice; Stelmanis’ operatic, haunting delivery taking mournful melodies higher and higher. Wow. (Camilla Pia)
GLAM-GARAGE SMITH WESTERNS Dye it Blonde (Weird World) ●●●●●
Where some bands might let lo-fi scuzziness conveniently mask a lack of drive and simple proficiency, this young Chicago trio have jumped at the chance to record their second album in an actual studio with an actual producer, and fully realised their garage-band- plays-glam ambitions.
The same influences that loomed large on Smith Westerns’ basement-made self-titled debut – T-Rex, early Bowie, The Beatles (the slow guitar pitch-bends in ‘Still New’ could be played from beyond the grave by George Harrison) – now come dressed in psychedelic echo and fuzz instead of muddy tape hiss and one-take sketchiness. Hooks as brilliant as the treacly melody of ‘Weekend’ deserve the best possible start in life. (Malcolm Jack)
HIP HOP KOBI ONYAME Green Green Grasses (self-released) ●●●●● Formerly known as Jae P, Ghanaian-Scots rapper Kwame Barfour-Osei returns with a debut album under his new name which demonstrates ability as a vocalist and a songwriter, and real skill as a producer. Featuring a bunch of guest stars including Young Fathers’ G on the rough-edged grime stomp ‘Protect Myself’, Emeli Sandé on the soulful, hard-time anthem ‘Nobody Fault But Mine’ and Sixpeopleaway singer Alistair Merrick on the sunshining R&B pop of ‘Inner City Lights’ and the smooth electro ballad ‘Empty Town’, this record isn’t quite the finished article however. Instead, it’s a significant next step in the career of an artist who has all the commercial appeal of Tinie Tempah or Taio Cruz, with bags of added heart and soul. (David Pollock)
ALT-POP GANG GANG DANCE Eye Contact (4AD) ●●●●● When Brooklyn pop sorcerers Gang Gang Dance released their brilliant 2008 album, Saint Dymphna, it had a huge indirect force on the hit parade. One of the record’s guest performers – then-underground MC Tinchy Stryder – has since become a household name, while Florence Welch admitted to GGD copyright infringement for her megahit, ‘Raise It Up’.
JAZZ/ FOLK/ SPOKEN WORD BILL WELLS & AIDAN MOFFAT Everything’s Getting Older (Chemikal Underground) ●●●●● Lovers of a collaboration both – Bill Wells with The Pastels and Isobel Campbell, Aidan Moffat with Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite and FOUND – it was only a matter of time before this pair got it together, and indeed there’s history, Wells played piano on Arab Strap’s Monday at the Hug and Pint.
Eye Contact extends GGD’s line Picking-up where they left off with
in uncompromising, forward- looking pop – from the laser-electro epic of ‘Glass Jar’ through the hyper-smooth ‘Romance Layers’ (featuring Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor) to the luminous exotica of ‘Adult Goth’ – and ensures that their psychotropic art will permeate the mainstream for years to come. (Nicola Meighan) plaintive ivories-tinkling and a half- sung lament (‘Let’s Stop Here’), it’s a career-high shared, as Wells lays down warm, jazzy arrangements and Moffat muses with trademark candour on snatching a sorrowful pint before a funeral (‘The Copper Top’) to love, fatherhood and infinity (‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’). And bad sex (‘Ballads of the Bastard’), obviously. (Malcolm Jack)
INDIE-POP THE SEA AND CAKE The Moonlight Butterfly (THRILL JOCKEY) ●●●●●
Twenty years into their career, Chicago indie-rockers The Sea And Cake follow up 2008’s Car Alarm and bring us their ninth offering – often a tricky place for a band to be. But they’re still experimenting, and with stunning results, as anyone who gives The Moonlight Butterfly a spin will find out for themselves. Sam Prekop’s distinctive vocals and lyrics remain a focal point, but sonically the quartet tinker with textures, filters and analogue synths, giving these six tracks an atmospheric, almost cinematic feel in places. A cerebral listen? Well yes and no, it’s smartly made, but there’s a spark of excitement and a joy in the delivery that elevates this record above purely head music. (Camilla Pia)
FOLK ROBIN ADAMS Be Gone (Eye Dog Eye) ●●●●●
It’s a bold move for Be Gone to kick off with a protest song called ‘Investment Graveyard’ which is so reminiscent of Bruce Dylan (or is it mid-period Bob Springsteen?) to be almost parodic. Fortunately, Robin Adams (who co-runs Glasgow-based Eye Dog Eye Records with his brother Chris) swiftly gets into his own stride with stripped-down acoustic fare. Unfortunately, other than the gorgeously melodic ‘Dead End’, the sparse arrangements leave the remaining songs exposed to a clear-cut analysis, and the verdict isn’t wholly positive. A meek and a mild collection which fails to reveal much in the way of hidden depths no matter how many hearings you give it. (Brian Donaldson)
28 Apr–26 May 2011 THE LIST 75