reviews albums
ALELA DIANE **** About Farewell( Believe)
This timeless LP has been crafted since 2011, throughout the tumult of a divorce, with songs stemming from heartbreak and embellished by musicians from Efterklang and Joanna Newsom’ s band. Colorado Blue sets the tone, building to a crescendo of exquisite sadness, enveloped by piano, glockenspiel and strings, while The Way We Fall evokes a classic late-60s folk sound. Capturing the mourning period of failed relationships while a new one unfolds, Diane crafts a masterpiece of elegy. CS
CAPTAIN ACCIDENT *** Slippin’ Up( Clumsy)
Captain Accident’ s second album Slippin’ Up sounds like summer. People are talking of reggae making a comeback; what they don’ t realise is it’ s already back and going strong! Acts such as Captain Accident are championing it, and with releases like this I’ m happy to be witnessing this reggae takeover. Written, recorded and released by Captain Accident himself, and with pleasantly poignant songs such as Business and Stompin’ Thru Twilight Captain Accident – real name Adam Parsons – is definitely the local boy who made good. LEJ
THE CRIMEA ***** Square Moon( Alcopop!/ Lazy Acre)
Within 30 seconds of this album starting I have already listened to one of the most beautiful songs I’ ve ever heard and as I continue to listen this album is slowly becoming my new favourite album of the year, if not the last few. The Crimea – reported to be splitting up after the release of Square Moon – excite you and make you hopeful that there are still talented, inventive people out there making beautiful noise. There are not enough adjectives to describe how pleasant, whimsical and poignant this album is. LEJ
DROWNER *** You’ re Beautiful, I Forgive You( Saint Marie)
Drowner are in many ways a reflection of their record label, Saint Marie: a Texan concern which tends to prize churchy guitars, lots of FX pedals and a certain sonic grandeur. You’ re Beautiful, I Forgive You( for being beautiful or because of it?) is at the more accessible end of shoegaze, or dreampop or noise-pop or whatever marker you want to toss about. The 1980s looms large in its multitracked shimmer, with bass drum penetratingly loud and Anna Bouchard’ s vocals just outside easy comprehension. NG
EMPIRICAL **** Tabula Rasa( Naim Jazz)
There are elements of Empirical’ s new two-disc record, Tabula Rasa, where sweet, sometimes folksy melodies and refined, understated strings wouldn’ t sound out of place on a Bill Frisell record. Except here there’ s no guitar, or even piano. No matter: with a vibraphone, a sax, a double bass, drums, and strings, Empirical prove that, not only is jazz alive, but that it doesn’ t even smell funny; simultaneously accessible and
progressive, Tabula Rasa’ s sonic experimentations emit an odour enjoyable to all. PM
EVELYN THOMAS *** I Wanna Make It On My Own / Have A Little Faith In Me
TANTRA **** The Collection THP ORCHESTRA **** Tender Is The Night / Good To Me( all Harmless)
Harmless Records’ Disco Recharge series is doing amazing work in bringing down undervalued disco of the late 70s and early 80s. Not obscurities, exactly – a lot of this stuff sold in useful quantities at the time – but unlikely to be heard on yer TV-advertised Platform Shoe Boogie Fever comp, even if it’ d fit like a glove. Evelyn Thomas, produced here by hi-NRG pioneer Ian Levine, helmed sweeping, soulful disco with big orchestral swoops and a tendency towards consciously feminine emotional anguish. The CD collects two albums( more accurately EPs at five and four songs respectively) and adds three bonus cuts, including the impeccable puffed-up nonsense of Love In The First Degree. Tantra, a three-boy-two-girl band assembled by Celso Valli, are more minimal and machinedriven; Hills Of Katmandu, the astonishing 16-minute opener here, is the very height of post-Giorgio Moroder swank, as well as a prototype of sorts for Italo disco. Finally, THP Orchestra and their adaptable, bordering-onnovelty and notably Canadian take on the disco explosion. Tender Is The Night has funky Chic bass, ladies whooping it up and an unfeasible Amen Corner cover; Good To Me scratched‘ Orchestra’ from their name cos orchestras were‘ out’ but remains an object lesson in slinky high camp, also a precursor of mid-80s hi-NRG. NG
FAT FREDDY’ S DROP **** Blackbird( The Drop)
You know those days when you’ re rolling through the New Zealand mountains in your campervan, sun beating down, on your way to the next beautiful beach and you think“ I could really do with some rootsy dub / funk with catchy brass hooks, laid-back keys and a smooth, soulful vocal to make this experience nigh-on magical”? Well THIS IS THE ALBUM FOR YOU. It’ d also work pretty well as the soundtrack to a long British summer evening barbecue, but since when do those ever happen? MC
GOGOL BORDELLO **** Pura Vida Conspiracy( ATO)
As usual, Gogol Bordello deliver an album of fun fuelled anthemic ditties. Malandrino and Name Your Ship are my personal favourites, and are sure to get your head bobbing as if you’ re performing a jig from only the shoulders up. I can’ t help feel I should have a glass full of booze while elbowing someone to the beat and singing along. Gogol Bordello have delivered again on this album without straying from their personal style. But as they say, if it ain’ t broke... LEJ
GRANT HART *** The Argument( Domino)
Along with Bob Mould, Grant Hart was the driving songwriting force behind punk legends Hüsker Dü. It isn’ t fair to compare his solo work to Husker Du,
but people inevitably will, including me. The Argument is a concept album based around an unpublished William Burroughs manuscript, and has a scattershot approach over its 20 tracks. Baleful and soulless drum machines collide with twee ukulele and there are some moments of greatness, but the record overstays its welcome by a few tracks. GM
THE ICARUS LINE **** Slave Vows( Agitated)
The powerfully on-trend sound of March 2002 kicks into life again, and if your interest in LA drug punks The Icarus Line waned over their last few albums( which happened to me, as you can probably tell), you might be pleasantly surprised by how much Slave Vows rocks. Averaging nearly six minutes a song, an opening dip in the depths of latter-day Swans( Dark Circles) gives way to droning psych-rock whirlpools and Mudhoney-worthy bangers, Laying Down For The Man perhaps the highlight. NG
JULIA HOLTER *** Loud City Song( Domino)
Although LA-based avantmeets-pop composer Julia Holter had eluded my full attention prior to Loud City Song, this isn’ t the fault of Domino, who released Tragedy and Ekstasis – her previous two albums – some months back. If this followup snares her a wider audience, it might be in the slipstream of the praise afforded These New Puritans’ recent album; Holter works with simpler tools, but shares a desire to infect starchy modern classical with prog peculiarity. Initially seeming po-faced, her sense of humour quickly emerges. NG
THE LAST HURRAH!! **** The Beauty Of Fake( Rune Grammofon)
HP Gundersen, the primary brain behind The Last Hurrah!!, is something of a studio Renaissance man. In Norway, he’ s best known as a producer of relatively mainstream fare. This project could see him dubbed the Norse Ethan Johns, except The Beauty Of Fake is heaps better: carousel-like psychedelic folk with lots of Eastern-sounding tunings and the dreamy, if possibly divisive, vocals of Heidi Goodbye. High In Hawaii stands out as a potential winner with early-20s stoner girls who’ ve grown tired of Cat Power. NG
LAURA VEIRS **** Warp And Weft( Bella Union)
Motherhood hasn’ t stopped Veirs – her last album presented children’ s folk songs and she recorded her ninth while pregnant again. In places, this is preggers goes pop, with America bringing Andrew Bird-style orchestral immediacy. Sun Song and Finister Saw The Angels are countrified folk, knitting the traditional with the electric, while ornate arrangements weave through other numbers. My only complaint: when she sings“ Motherless children have a hard time,” she evidently hasn’ t seen the state of my living room since parenthood. CS
MR HUW ** Cariad Afiach( Cae Gwyn)
There’ s an illustrious tradition to Welsh language rock, with behemoths such as Super Furry Animals having left rather large shoes to be filled, and Cariad Afiach is the latest attempt to join this tradition. Unfortunately for fans of the form, though, Mr Huw’ s album just feels dated – his attempts to reinvigorate this musical tradition is severely undercut by the fact that most Welsh language rockers have left his particular brand of powerchord prog behind almost a decade ago. BK
PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS **** Walk Through Exits Only( Season Of Mist)
Former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo simply embodies metal with his unbridled rage, an attitude that would send Leatherface crying to mummy, and a scream that could melt tarmac. His debut solo album slays from the opening snarled note to the last and features every disgusting riff you could wish for. The drums blast and groove, the guitars pummel and squeal, and Anselmo is in particularly darkened sprits. This album is a must for anyone who loves their metal to be the filthiest of filth. IR
RAFFERTIE *** Sleep Of Reason( Ninja Tune)
Raffertie has, commendably, released a debut album that could have only come out in 2013. There’ s a nice depth to his productions that takes in the current UK bass, post-dubstep and house scenes and contorts and distorts them into a deeply personal sound. I find he’ s best when he drops his wispy, minimal falsetto vocals and lets his programming do the talking, as with the urgent and fraught One Track Mind and the crashing UNKLE-esque drums of Back Of The Line. SE
SCOTT & CHARLENE’ S WEDDING **** Any Port In A Storm( Fire)
Australian Craig Dermody, the songwriter and sole permanent member of Scott & Charlene’ s Wedding, recently moved to NYC. As sounds and influences creep in, so lyrical references are mixed between the two countries; overall, Any Port... locates itself somewhere between Pavement and Television. Songs like 1993 and Jackie Boy send you into a timeless pocket of slackerdom that creates a pleasing earworm. I was really disappointed to miss them in Cardiff recently, but let’ s hope they come back again soon. JE
SWIM DEEP *** Where The Heaven Are We( Chess Club)
Manc melancholic indie lads Swim Deep’ s debut follows a run of acclaimed singles, all of which fans will be please to know are here, including The Sea, King City, Honey and She Changes The Weather. Musically their appeal lies in the ability to pen a decent indie ditty while remaining suitably restrained, but I can’ t work out if they’ re serious or taking the piss with their ridiculous early-90s grunge garb. Either way, it suggests they don’ t take themselves too seriously. RH
WASHED OUT *** Paracosm( Weird World)
This second album from chillwave exponent, Ernest‘ Washed Out’ Greene, is a cool sat-inyour-pants summer listen. Like stonewashed jeans, overdo it and you’ re on the wrong side of the 80s trend; All I Know is more St Elmo’ s Fire soundtrack than early 4AD, but elsewhere, It All Feels Right skanks sleepily along and the vintage keyboards in Great Escape and Paracosm successfully blend Harmonia and Cocteau Twins. Ernest by name, earnest vocals by nature, though this doesn’ t derail the blissed-out train. CS
ZOLA JESUS & JG THIRLWELL FT MIVOS
QUARTET *** Versions( Sacred Bones)
Don’ t know about you, but if I was looking to make my music a bit more surface-level pleasant
BUZZ 40