reviews
reviews
albums
ANATHEMA ****
Distant Satellites (Peaceville)
With over two decades of experience under
their belts, having spent the first part of their
career as an extreme metal outfit, and a quiet
following of dedicated fans, Anathema’s underthe-radar sound could well be set to explore
new avenues of recognition with 10th album
Distant Satellites. Prepare for a clash of tireless
Floydian brilliance and epic experimentalelectronica, moving the band’s noble artistry and
well-established sound into fresh territory. Think
Bastille crossed with Radiohead crossed with
Twin Atlantic. Well worth a listen. MC
CHRISSIE HYNDE ***
Stockholm (WT/Caroline)
euphoric breadth of previous work, yet the whole
album pounds forward with vibrant purpose,
Damien Abraham’s lyrics becoming more
introspective and personal without losing their
characteristic searing intensity. LG
HAMILTON LEITHAUSER ****
Black Hours (Domino)
This, the debut solo
album by the former
Walkmen singer, is a real
grab-bag of a record,
with musical genres
rubbing up against each
other without the whole
thing ever feeling self-consciously eclectic.
Alexandra wouldn’t sound out of place on the
last Vampire Weekend album (unsurprising, as
Rostam Batmanglij is co-producing here); 11
O’Clock Friday Night has a sodium-lit grandeur
that builds into something quite moving, while
St Mary’s County is a piano ballad that walks
a fine line between sincerity and sentimentality.
DG
JAH WOBBLE PRESENTS PJ HIGGINS ****
After a long stint
with The Pretenders
and other acclaimed
artists, Hynde’s first
solo effort is a mixed
bag. Kooky power-pop
songs with a snifter
of carefree abandon
and fun sensibility are shuffled between the
odd downtempo, introspective track. Lyrics
and melody are not overthought and quite
sincere, though some hold clichés and confused
metaphors. Stand out song Tourniquet (Cynthia
Ann) wows with folky poignancy and twinkly
instrumental flourishes. Whilst not her best
material, there is still much to merit. CPI
Inspiration (Sonar Kollektiv)
THE DOUBLECROSS ***
The Morning (Warner Brothers)
The Timeless Destruction Of... (Boss
Tuneage)
The tracklisting suggests a gruff emo-rock song
generating machine feeling quietly smug, and
the music on Timeless... feels utterly plaid too,
at least initially. Vocals are whisky-hoarse, from
the belly and heart. Times are tough but the days
mean so much. And yet... for all the wearying
bluster, the odd burst of fiddle and terrible
country pastiche, the sheer heart, the faith in
people, all starts to win you over, as hard to hate
as an overgrown puppy jumping at your face.
Damn. WS
FUCKED UP ****
Glass Boys (Matador)
Whilst Glass Boys lacks the high-concept
pleasures of last LP David Comes To Life, the
effortless mastery of Fucked Up’s own sinewy,
screamy subtleties is a reminder of the blistering
possibility in their nuanced take on punk.
There’s no retreat into stately stasis – Echo
Bloomer and the closing title track have the
Since playing bass for the
first line-up of volatile
geniuses Public Image
Ltd, Jah Wobble has been
a busy man – exploring
and fusing many genres
of music. The end result
is usually stunning; his first album Betrayal is
as good as anything he did with PiL and is well
worth getting. Made with singer PJ Higgins,
Inspiration is a melting pot of dub-infused blues
and Jah Wobble’s most easily accessible output
since Invaders Of The Heart. DN
LEWIS WATSON ****
Being tipped for stardom
and immense popularity
brings its own entourage
of anxiety and self-doubt,
you’d imagine, but if
that’s the case, nobody
has told Lewis Watson.
The Oxfordshire singer-songwriter sounds
confident and in control on his debut full-length.
“When you pull back far enough, we are only
stones around the sun,” he sings on the album
opener, displaying maturity beyond his 21 years,
and more than that; with this record on repeat
and with the sun shining, I’m rather comfortable
with the fact. IR
labelmates and (slightly)
more famous Danish
pals. Hey, Westlife were
thought of as Boyzone’s
understudies once. Seek
Warmer Climes is less
abrasive than Iceage,
possessing Bauhaus-style gothic menace, the
swelling guitars of pre-stardom U2 and vocalist
Adrian Toubro’s perhaps affected English
accent. Also of note: the resemblance of the guy
on the cover to Michael Laudrup. NG
LUST FOR YOUTH **
International (Sacred Bones)
Homeopathic pop nothingness from Sweden,
loosely part of the same moody crew that
contains Iceage, VÅR and Lower, while being
more dull than all of them. Lust For Youth is
Hannes Norrvide, and his project presumably
aims for widescreen synth swishness, but while
VÅR are thrillingly dark and strange (the band’s
Elias Rønnenfelt turns up on a couple of songs
here to rub that in), International glides past on
sheer emptiness, lik