head gardener reviews ..
Avril "The Date" (F Com) out 23/06 : not sure about the lead track sounds too close to Robbie feckin Williams for my liking, thankfully French Kiss is sweet and rather long, niiice
The Robocop Kraus "Fake Boys" (L'age D'or) out 23/06 : what is it with the trend towards sounding like a scuzzy Duran Duran these days ? I didnt really like this and like DD they need to just SHUT THE LEAD SINGER UP and make weirdy instrumentals, but its not an ideal world is it ?
Noonday Underground "I'll Walk Right On" (Setanta) out 16/06 :
sorry but I cant STAND Weller and so this is on its arse from the off...
Royksopp "Sparks" (Wall Of Sound) out 16/06 : awful, and just soooo BORING
Electrocute "A Tribute To Your Taste" (Emperor Norton) out 16/06 :
I love this, kinda Joan of Arse and daft but cute, like a funny Ladytron with better tunes.
Ralph Myerz "A Special Album" (Emperor Norton) out 09/06 : Nikita I love, and have played more times than is healthy but the full LP isn't as special as I had hoped... ah well, nice sleeve tho.
J Xaverre "Great All Great" (Memphis Industries) out 09/06 :
s'ok, but me waiting with twisted toes for Broadway Projects next err project.
Earlimart "Everyone Down Here" (Palm Pictures) out 09/06 :
LOVE it, played 2 trax so far & am playing more tonight, ok so its Breeders meets Grandaddy alrite but hey, is that really such a bad thing ?
Wannadies "Skin" (Cooking Vinyl) out 09/06 :
nope, sitting under a pile of good cds feeling lonely.... good I say Hahaha
Zoot Woman "Its Automatic" (Wall Of Sound) out 09/06 : Christ, JUST STOP PLLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEEE
Barth "Got You In My Dream" Bossmusic out 09/06 :
nice, and looking forward to LP two, a tasty EP
ARE Weapons "Hey World" Rough Trade out 09/06 :
OK so its been played a couple o times but it aint
gonna be played again there are dirtier things lying around y'know.
cor, Ex Models LP eh ? phew !!!
All Tomorrow's Parties compo was disappointing 2b honest, so many trax
and such self indulgence it was a cash in on a event I missed with a vengence... No Fall, Magic Band, EL-P or indeed many of the acts that could have contributed summat fresh and groovy it seemed like a wasted oppo but hey I never get asked to compile these things haha !
The Fat Cat 'Branches & Roots' compo on the other fist was EXACTLY the opposite, great trax, some new a few old faves well compiled and in Matmos & Com A some STUNNING trax, I like this so enourmously I shall be doing my own FC Mix soon, twill be in July now tho - coz June is sorted.
Him LP is peachy too, espesh the 1st track, I am playing it tonight oh yesh, I am kinda biased coz I like em lots anyway & this one is as good as New Features.
Sea & Cake EP didnt really do it for me fersure, Stereolab Mix was OK but I prefer
em doing the songs straight like Archer P's solo LP {which I loved} but this wasn't as tasty as the last LP, another wafer thin mint ? no thanx...
Meets Guitar = uhh urrr, Oranger = YES! best of the Homesleep single club selection so far.
I wrote review about the Oranger single & some other stuff on the Bang mag website so thats maybe why it slipped the net in me getting back to ya, you just need to send me a mail kickin my ass and i'm on the case !
Lone Organist LP was an oddity, course the Bobby C connex was a bit of a clincherand I have played a couple of trax from it but its a weiRd one fersure, reminded me of Supreme Vagabond Craftsman in places but the instrumentals are so fine.
Themroc "Beyond These Things" album
>>> not my thang AT ALL daddio, soz, the single sucks and this long player is the Dyson of dance.
Interloper "Six Dragons" album
>>> god this is AWFUL ! really really rotten, like a dance version of Alabama 3 with SARS ! just 'orrible
Ian McCulloch "Slideling" LP & "Sliding" single
>>>sigh... Its OK I guess, I don't really like his stuff to be frank and tho I quite enjoyed seeing em live many killing moons ago, on record Mr Mac just leaves me cold. I was always more inclined towards the acid freakiness of Mr Cope so....
The Tyde "Go Ask Yer dad" single
>>>> hmmmm... Lloyd Cole / Dylan alert !!! They DO have a couple of well catchy tunes here tho which over the length of a long player will no doubt be rather cool but its only gonna get a single play outta me as its already starting to annoy me,
NEXT !
Devics "In Your Room" single
>>> double hmmm... a bit TOO C&W for this boy... I like the second track more but its all a bit saaaaad... a shame tho theres no new track or a wee vid on this cd as i'm sure they are visually very interesting ! if they are passing MK an acoustic session would be cool tho.
Max Tundra "Cabasa" single
>>>Macca's Coming Up !!!??? hahaha ! actually a slight return to form here, I had no time for his last "direction" and this EP is a tasty sonic head massage indeed.
Postal Service "Give Up" album
>>>Wahey ! the Prefab Sprout its OK to like ! played Such Great Heights t'other week & I actually quite like most of this LP, but there are a few trax that are abit too messy and half formed but its kinda sweet & mixes in nicely, ha, nice, nice, nice, blurrrgh !
Relaxed Muscle "The Heavy EP" EP
>>>>THIS is feckin BRILLIANT ! its just gormless & funkiand catchy AND funny, I love it & have already played all 3 trax coz i've had it a couple of weeks now I got Rod Of Iron playlisted for my forthcoming Gold Chains support slot I know theres a Jarvis connection here somewhere too but thankfully not THAT evident in their grOOvy sound.
Rocket Science "Run Like A Gun" single
>>> lead trax s'ok..but prefered Burn In Hell & the organtastic 'Six foot 4' they remind me of all sortsa other bands but they carry their noise well and the vids prove this out, certainly a band destined for some kind of greatness and their better than the flipping Vines !
Cheerleader "Hair Out" single
>>> riffy but empty, shades of feckin Courtney feckin Love and that is enuff to turn me towards the sick bag. There is a market for this stuff no doubt but its only on once a week and they like to sell fruit and veg and not refried meat like this.Mind you the blonde girl on the sleeve looks pretty fit ! shame the front painting tho is shit. bitch bitch...
Moving Units "Moving Units EP" EP
>>>>jerky pop fersure espesh 'I Am' which is pretty charming and Gang Of 4'y which brought a smile to this cheeky lads ears, but that sound seems to be the sum of their ideas and the othertrax don't have the same twisted charm, heard worse tho...
Pole '45 45'
>>> another superb record from the Pole meister and curiously warmer sounding too, but no one else makes such lovely scratchy dub muffins as Mr Pole. Back Home is up there with the mighty Rondell Zwei & he gets an extra point for having this 12" spin at 45rpm, its a little touch but it means so much. or am I just sad... ?
Akasha
>>>hmmm... a bit of an oddity this one, the single I didn't really like, got no time for Ska at the best of times and tho the Lp thankfully sprays all over the shop with its influences I found it remarkably unloveable. A bit like Alabama 3 on stronger drugs but with more imagination but it still fell on its arse at CRMK Towers i'm afraid. Have passed it onto The Bucket show as they are more tolerant of "this kind of thing" haha...
Cinematic 'Movie Camera'
>>>> Another fine offcut from the LP and i'm more sick that I missed the gig thing they did recently, a fellow CRMK dj went and came back with sticky pants. And to cap it all I STILL don't have a feckin DVD player ! but I know a man who has. This will slide into my Garden with ease, no doubt about it.
Lee Sankey 10"
>>>>Wooo, not what I expected AT ALL ! The PR sez its got Mr Swinscoe involved but this is pretty far removed from Cine Orch with its Bloooze feel on the orig versions. I prefered Tippers Mix on the 1st 10" over the orig which would've gone down VERY well at a recent Blues gig I was djing at but as it arrived after the event is probably irrelevant, sorry. Again the remix on the other 10" was preferable to the orig which would bode well for a remix project but I dunno if I could eat a whole unmixed one...
Output stuff (Channel 2)
>>>god this is good... praps TOO good, haha ! its got some absolutely stunning stuff and has already seen 3 trax spun less than an hour after opening the parcel last week ! That LCDS is just... genius... and Grand National is an easy winner by some lengths. I dipped into Vol 1 not so long back and its a welcome sight to see Vol 2, so 2 Gardening thumbs up !
Yuppie Flu : LP
well, what can I say {apart from very nice things} they have got themselves tarred with the Mercury/Lips brush of gorgeousness on this new LP, its quite a delight : ) am playing first track of it tonight ~ its a Twisted Nerve Mix after 11 ~ but they have never really struck me as being a band of such beautiful tunes before but this records' got plenty as addictive as err flu, Yuppie that is.
Howe Gelb : LP
Hmmm I quite liked this, at first, and listened to it several times straight and um not so straight, it has some nice bits, the Lou Reed pastiche thing was charming at first but i'm not too sure now. I'd have to play it on the show tho just to let folks make their own minds up I guess. The track with the Bjorkalike is nice too, in fact I guess the whole feckin thing is NICE but a bit like a really hot curry I dunno if I could have one EVERY day, but its got heart, little soul tho, and my French lodger reckons he plays the piano like Elton, I think thats supposed to be sarcasm tho... He DOES have a great voice tho too, HG, not my lodger!
Janet Bean :
Oh god... did I not like this ! No time for her voice EDD are not my cuppa tea anyway, and yeah OK its all VERY NICE but in a boring countrified way that falls flat on its arse with me i'm afraid. Don't even know who I could pass this onto at the station either, sorry.
Set Fire To Flames
Blimey, rambly, self indulgent, all over the shop, and that was just their last LP ! This ones not much more coherent but at least its longer, seems to have tunes cropping up in the most unexpected places and isn't too far removed from the mighty A Silver Mt Zion, whom I love. I've only listened to it all the way thru once but have already discovered all sortsa stuff on it I can mix in so a Garden thumbs up to em sir !