reviews
albums
AUTOPSY **** The Headless Ritual ( Peaceville )
Lots of extreme metal bands disappear for ages , then come back , and whatever they had has gone south like a paunch . Not so Californian vets Autopsy , whose second 21st-century album is much the same surgical grafting of doom onto death metal as captured Peaceville Records ’ stony hearts in the late 80s . It can ’ t have the same shock value as the first time out , but expertly switches up DM gallop , sludge trudge and guttural lyrics about corpses . Just one thing ... the title ’ s not a Smiths reference , is it ? NG
BELL X1 **** Chop Chop ( BellyUp )
More organically structured and varied than some of their contemporaries ’ work , paired with Paul Noonan ’ s effortlessly captivating voice , this Dublin indie troupe ’ s sixth studio effort is a thrilling record to immerse yourself in . Several songs have the capacity to sneak onto mainstream radio and could increase the band ’ s profile here . The production style creates a livedin feel , lending warmth and intimacy , but Noonan is the main draw ; his voice grabs you instantly , while repeat listens reveal his clever , strikingly honest lyrics . IR
CARL CRAIG **** Masterpiece ( Ministry Of Sound )
Electronic music compilations seem to be spoilt by the inclusion of a dog ’ s breakfast of a track by a 1980s misfit whose 12 ” wonders are nowadays moulded into fruit bowls . Masterpiece is an exception : compiled by Detroit originator Carl Craig , two CDs bring together what inspired him , including Jamaican dub , Motown soul and Derrick May , with a third disc of the Planet E man ’ s own new compositions . All in all , a Motor City techno lesson that looks back to go forward . DN
DATBLYGU **** 1982-84 : Y Tapiau Cynnar / The Early Tapes ( Ankstmusik )
With this compilation , Ankstmusik have now made available every last thing released by Datblygu , the most important Welsh language band ever . Buy it all , to have your worldview blitzed by bleak , irate poetry and conventioncracking postpunk , but buy this last , realistically . Compiling five cassettes ( barely ) released while Datblygu founder David R Edwards was still in his teens , it ’ s amateurish in the extreme : recorded on a four-track , you ’ re often left feeling its capabilities were underused . It ’ s of a piece with the era ’ s UK cassette culture , and a precious evolutionary document . NG
DIRTY REVOLUTION ***** The Heat ( Dirty World )
Dirty Revolution are back after a year with their second album The Heat . If you haven ’ t heard of them , where have you been ? Missing out , that ’ s where . With an eclectic mix of reggae , rock and punk this band tick all the boxes ; Reb ’ s soulful vocals belie her acid-tongued lyrics , while the rhythm section are sure to make anyone ’ s hips sway . This band may share a genre with many but are certainly in a league of their own . My new album of the summer . LEJ
BUZZ 38
DOORLY **** Southern Fried & Tested 4 ( Southern Fried )
Doorly has oodles of fun on the latest volume in the Southern Fried mix series . The label has a vast catalogue of reliable talent both signed to them and featuring regularly on releases , and many of them are drawn on here . Space Cowboy opens proceedings with Cuttin ’ N ’ Scratchin and from there we build through two discs of classics ( Mighty Dub Katz ’ Magic Carpet Ride ) and contemporary excellence from the likes of Eats Everything and The 2 Bears . RH
EDITORS **** The Weight Of Your Love ( PIAS )
Four albums in , Editors continue to prove they can stay fresh . Traces of their previous material remain , such as the synthesisers and choral blocks introduced in precursor In This Light …, but they are played down and pushed back so that new twists enter the spotlight . This album ’ s first half is comparatively dark : it ’ s slow , sad and laden with strings , sort of Muse meets Morrissey . From Formaldehyde on , a driving Springsteen / Arcade Fire / Jam pace lifts the album to starry heights . AP
GWYLLT **** Gwyllt ( Sbrigyn Ymborth )
Contemporary Welsh indie can all too often lazily conform to its arguably irksome format of forcing a psychedelic haze over everything irrespective of genre . It ’ s refreshing , then , to hear something that ’ s certainly a little different . There ’ s nothing groundbreaking here ; there are monster nods to the Britpop era with some strong , deep country undertones thrown in throughout , but the tunes are catchy , well-performed and oh-so-easy to listen to . Lovely stuff and well worth a look . JS
GWYNETH HERBERT **** The Sea Cabinet ( Monkeywood )
This – the sixth studio offering from Londoner Herbert – finds the jazz pianist in playful and quirky mood . In essence a concept album centred on the imagined story of a broken-hearted woman who lives by the sea , each track subtly blends into the next with a mixture of broken musical interludes and coastal noises . Melancholy in parts and decidedly jovial in others , this release makes for some gorgeous summer afternoon listening – assuming one makes an appearance , that is . JS
KAIROS 4TET ***** Everything We Hold ( Naim Jazz )
British jazz is in a good place at the moment : a phenomenon , in part , fuelled by the strength and ingenuity of contemporary crossover bands . Bands that are playing inventive , exciting , cutting-edge jazz . Bands that are reaching increasingly broader audiences . Bands like Kairos 4tet . Everything We Hold , spearheaded by virtuosic saxophonist and bandleader Adam Waldmann , breaks fresh creative ground for the band , who manage to maintain the high watermark of their early work , while generating thoroughly superb new pieces of music . BK
LARRY AND HIS FLASK **** By The Lamplight ( Xtra Mile )
The Oregon sextet return with a further album offering driven by wired banjo-driven beats and unrelenting energy . Cook ’ s leering lead vocals duel with manic strings and percussion , helping bolster the outfit ’ s brand of off-kilter bluegrass in the process . Standout tracks The Battle For Clear Sight and Tides strike a subtle balance between muted laid-back folk and intense psychobilly . By The Lamplight aims to find order in a melee of genre switching and succeeds with originality as well as panache . CP
MAYA JANE COLES **** Comfort ( Kobalt )
Comfort opens with the title track , and immediately it ’ s clear how apt a name it is . Right from the outset , Maya Jane Coles succeeds in showing us how comfortable she is constructing a great track . There ’ s a level of clarity and assurance to her composition – usually the hallmark of much more experienced DJs than herself . Sometimes , perhaps , this leads to tracks remaining slightly unrealised . For the most part , though , it marks a truly excellent album by an exciting young talent . BK
METABEATS **** Caviar Crackle ( Associated Minds )
The second Metabeats LP effortlessly scoops ‘ finest album title of 2013 ’, despite Caviar Crackle having been bandied around for a good couple of years now , and his debut Metaphysical landing back in 2007 . The south Wales producer ’ s album sounds meticulous not finickity , love-jammed not laboured ; right out the blocks , Action Bronson is its flagship guest MC ( Hookers ), while Odissee , Dubbledge and Vanity Jay follow on an opus which spans several styles ( hip-hop acts as a springboard , essentially ) and retains depth and personality throughout . NG
MYRON & E *** Broadway ( Stones Throw )
Rather than dig the crates for classic soul 45s like some of their label mates on the West Coast institution Stones Throw , Myron & E recreate the sound from scratch . Broadway is a highly faithful tour of the 60s soul sound , yet it ’ s done with such heart that it easily slips past pastiche . You could question the point of replicating a sound so loyally and completely without adding anything particularly new , but it feels churlish to criticise something done with such love . SE
NO THEE NO ESS **** Spring Dawn Glow ( Folkwit )
This fourth studio outing sees the Cardiff-based outfit couple sublime acoustic melodies with dense shifting suites in equal measure . The fivepiece excel on the sparser album tracks , where highlights include the ethereal daze of Dream Surfer and soulful Is It Alright For Me , while Dear Little Raindrop finds the band drawing on post-Soft Bulletin Flaming Lips harmonies . In many ways , No Thee No Ess prove masters in flitting between style and tone on this warm , tight structured release . CP
PET SHOP BOYS **** Electric ( x2 )
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have been pumping out the albums with increasing gusto over the last few years . Electric is the first release on their own label x2 , and the first to be produced by multi-Grammy grabber Stuart Price . It is also at pains to distance itself from their last album , 2012 ’ s almost ambient Elysium . Pounding electronica number Bolshy and a collaboration with Example all set the standard for an album as energetic as the duo get . RH
SARAH GILLESPIE ***** Glory Days ( Pastiche )
Having never heard anything by Sarah Gillespie , third album Glory Days comes as a pleasant surprise . With her Joni Mitchell / Melanie-esque voice , foot-tapping music , and captivating lyrics (“ I inhaled a thousand bees , I spat out wings like olive pips ,” from the almost-samba The Bees And The Seas ; “ It ’ s hard loving a man who thinks mahogany is a type of wood ,” on the cabaret-style Babies and All The Shit ), her songs are infectious . Folk narratives to rediscover again and again – close your eyes and think of Woodstock . LN
THE SICK LIVERS *** Motors , Women , Drugs , Booze And Killing ( Glunk )
Rumney ’ s Sick Livers aren ’ t breaking any moulds with this album of pure and simple rock ’ n ’ roll . At a time when bands are trying multi-genre crossovers it ’ s refreshing to hear one unafraid to embrace the fundamentals . Fastpaced guitar , growling bass and guttural vocals are rife throughout this relentless 23-minute album . The lyrics are not the most profound , the song Bummed To Death perhaps being the prime example but you ’ ll be dancing and bobbing along too much to notice or even care . LEJ
THE SKINTS ***** Part And Parcel ( Bomber Music )
The Skints have been the hot young upstarts of the dub / ska / punk scene for a while now : gigging prolifically , churning out track after catchy track , and supporting everyone from Sublime to Gym Class Heroes . So perhaps it ’ s about time they started to get a bit stale , right ? Wrong . Part And Parcel jumps and kicks with all the firebrand energy of their last album : the sound of talented young musicians with plenty to say , and the creative wherewithal to say it well . BK
STEPHEN WHEEL **** Out Of The City I Can ’ t Sink ( Chasing Magpies )
Props firstly need to be given to the CD cover art of Stephen Wheel ’ s second album , and its homage to Hitchcock ’ s Vertigo featuring Wheel as Jimmy Stewart . Musically it ’ s a very layered affair , with thought given to building on elements of guitars , drums , synths , cello , French horn , harpsichord … the list goes on , as do the cited influences including Led Zep and Bowie . Piano driven first single Station stands out , as does proggy six-minute closer The See Throughs Are Selling Me Out . RH
TOM MOULTON *** Philly ReGrooved 3 ( Harmless )
The Philly Soul sound is known for its lushness and grandiosity and , on Philly ReGrooved 3 , the extended remixes of Tom Moulton ( who was doing extended disco mixes before remixes or indeed disco existed ) gives each track at least six minutes to fully flaunt it . Depending on your opinion of The Spinners and the Trammps , this is either a wonderful indulgence or it all sounds a bit samey by the time you get on to the second disc . SE
VARIOUS * Funk Globo : The Sound Of Neo Baile ( Mr Bongo )
Baile funk is party music from the favelas , all raucous and raw and was big in 2005 ( well M . I . A