singles
july
[cayto]
new 2 track 7" from this glasgow gang released on rictus records, a weird but beautiful cover compliments the weird and wonderful sound within. pop, jazz, indie-rock, vaudeville, all thrown together. piano opens the first track 'morning' descending into a sublime choral and glockenspiel nursery rhyme nightmare before being subjected to a muse-like overload of guitars and emotion. scary, yet somehow enthralling. good stuff. the light and dark moodswings are unsettling at first, but by listen 3 this is special. flip the record for a far more straightforward punchy indie guitar rock out 'warning' with its distorted shouty vocals, and sharp guitars. a fine debut.
two lone swordsmen - sex beat
second single from recent 'from the doube gone chapel' album, this time featuring a real rock band type of electro groove featuring monotonic vocals by andrew weatherall covering an old gun club track. for anyone who still wonders why electroclash is still getting such praise then get your ears round this slice of seedy noise and succumb to the beat. excellent stuff.
beta band - out-side
recent album highlight gets the full on single release providing a perfect mini-beta band moment. the fact that the track opens with a loop of a dog barking hijacked onto the lolloping beat before we get to the vocal harmony breakdown just gives a hint of the sonic madness that the betas have melded together over their recent album all sliced into such a tight song. hurray.
earth the Californian love dream
dontcha just hate bands that have names like that to type out ! grrr. luckily this 90 second blast of second single 'porn star' is exactly everything i ever wanted from brmc who disappointed me immensely after their stunning opening releases. let's hope this lot dont follow that path as this and its b-side 'black stuff' (acoustic) shows real promise with its pumped and fuzzed up bass line and distorted guitar.
the divine comedy - absent friends
more of the same from neil hannon and his various cohorts. fine and pleasant, orchestral grandeur, strumming guitars and neil's rich voice strapped onto a quality song like some lost 60's big budget stage show. perfect for fans of jonathan ross's radio show - not a negative dig i should point out !
new 4 track ep from new name who have been added to the regal label roster. opening few seconds of the lead track 'good stuff' is very misleading with its full on prog rock monster chords and manic guitar solo before taking a welcome left hand turn into electro pop land. devo and wire are welcome pointers, a driving mono note bass line, uptempo beats, and sharp guitar lines are vying with your attention prior to screeching analogue synths, all of which supplement the pete shelley-esque thin vocals .. phew this is good stuff indeed.
the other tracks continue with the electro fused guitar new wAVE, WITH 'MAKING YOU ALL MINE' BEING A STUNNINGLY ADDICTIVE 3 minute highlight.
[cultureindustry]
excellent name for a band. and naming the lead track 'dj ascetic loves
himself badly' is going to make people interested. so is this a mad dj mashup
taking the mick out of dj culture ? nope. tis a pixies style indie rock track.
starts off hanging back with the sonically implied intensity until we get to
just short of 2 mins when the guitars are let loose properly with
phased/distorted vocals. this is cool. i think. b-side 'the recognitions' is
more of the same - empty drums set against a non-melodic vocal line interspersed
with guitar noise.the style is very much indebted to the sounds that steve
albini has purged from various noisemakers over the years. not bad at all. out
on static caravan records
t.raumschmiere (feat mc soom t) - a million brothers (blah blah blah)
more excellence from the band whose name i cant pronounce. lifted from the superb radio blackout album, a short album, so lifting another 2 tracks for the single (b-side is querstromzerspaner) is kinda stretching it perhaps. but, and its a might big but, the remixes are wild and worthy. provided by lfo, pole, and sub spieces adding layers of extra spice and leftfield distorted electro fun, to the originals slow and low electro tinged hard edged rapcore. lfo do their lovely techno thing recalling old school bleeped up warp days, and pole make the dub factor large, stripping the beat to a minimal groove, and pushing the hiphop style out in front, truly excellent stuff. as previously word has to be made about the glorious cardboard packaging and artwork.
bonus feature, the cd has another video to make you smile during your lunch hours.
go find.
miss kittin - professional distortion
first true solo outing after years of being the worlds best collaborative guest. the tracks is the usual slice of electro beats and madness, with a nice depeche mode guitar part. recent releases by chicks on speed provide an easy reference point. the remixes don't really add much, though there is a nice laid back ambient styled effort 'kittin vs zdar' fact fans to wind down to. as ecver the miss has the style and sex that many within the scene crave, lets see if she can cross over into the mainstream and subvert the world at large. on this evidence the worlds first electroclash superstar doesn't let us down.
xisloaded - thirteen days
written elsewhere about this track, but this is a new souped up, full fat version with chris 'foo fighters' sheldon adding the proper big studio rock element to the lads action. excellent stuff. nice to see the lads are getting some recognition at last. good luck to them.
thisgirl - hallelujah
3 tracker on the new drowned in sound offshoot label. fiery stuff, indie rock. monkees style harmonies, rock guitars, and outbursts of 'hey' make the lead track (not a cover version of the baggy classic), a fine contender. unfortunately the other tracks don't gel quite so well. but, even so - one to watch perhaps.
hiding place - (what if)
one tracker that still aint doing it for me, fans of halo, muse will be impressed.