Wave of cool

Astro Coast
Surfer Blood
Kanine (2010)
3 stars

It's funny what's cool these days. When I was starting high school, surfing was cool. This didn't exactly suit my pale, skinny thirteen-year-old self, so a few years down the track when skateboarding took off, I wasted no time convincing the old man to 'help me' build a ramp*. I was shithouse at that too. I tried for a few years, my mates and I doing these incredibly lame jumps off the ramp into the garden bed, for a soft landing, but eventually gave up, opting to master Tony Hawk on the PlayStation instead (which I did). Anyway, the point of me saying any of this is that, back then, a trend came in and it stuck around for a year or two -- long enough to give it a good crack before you decided whether or not it was for you. But these days, something is cool -- even if it is cool in a cute, ironic, self-depreciating way -- one week, and by the following week when everyone's caught on, it's uncool again. This is the modern cycle of cool. And it's fucking exhausting.

*'Help me', as in do everything while I stood and passed him nails.

Surfing music is in at the moment. Surfing, itself, is not (but really, if you're actually surfing on weekends, who gives a shit what those impressionable city kids think, huh?). But with the indie set, making out like you spend all day at the beach is definitely in. This band are from Florida, and seem to like surfing and surfing themes. And this is a good album. Their music is like a more glossy, radio-friendly incarnation of Japandroids. If you like guitars, big hooks, and enjoy driving with the windows down, slapping the steering wheel, you'll probably enjoy it.

Pig-Out

Field Music (Measure)
Field Music
Memphis Industries (2010)
3.5 stars (or 4 per disc)

After taking a two-year break to pursue various solo projects, the boys of Field Music seem to be sprinting to catch up. (Measure) is two discs and twenty tracks long. Yep. Those that are familiar with Field Music's sound (or indeed that of the Brewis brothers' solo outings as School of Language or The Week That Was) will know that just one Field Music track is likely to contain multiple time signatures, musical styles and vocal harmonies, so the thought of twenty of them is ... Well, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. In a way, devouring music of this quality on this scale is like buying a massive bag of lollies, planning on eating them over a week or two, and then scoffing the lot in a single sitting. It's glutenous. A single, precious jelly bean tastes so much better than a bagful. So, with that in mind, I propose the following: Approach the two discs of (Measure) as two separate albums -- two intelligent, intricate, impossible tight guitar pop albums -- and be happy in the thought that you just picked up one of the finest musical 2-for-1 deals in recent memory. They say the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. In this case, the whole and the sum of it's parts are nowhere as valuable as the parts themselves.

Artwork: B
More in line with the artwork of their debut. The tight, five-line musical staves (is that what they're called?) spattered with bright, fluid paint is actually a nice visual representation of the band's sound.

UPDATE: Movements

Admittedly, I've been a bit slack lately. I've recently switched shifts at work, going from early mornings with lots of spare time to late nights with very little. Because of this I haven't had much time to listen to music, let alone write about it.

So, from now on, I'm going pull the finger out and try and write at least one review every week. My new computer at work has no scanner attached to it, so if you start seeing barely distinguishable Paint drawings for album covers, you'll understand why.

Here goes.

Still Very Current

Rush To Relax
Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Aarght! Records (2010)
4 stars

"More of the same" isn't a bad thing when it comes to these guys. Three albums in and the Melbourne four-piece have well and truly locked in their blusterous garage rock sound. They're onto a winner, and they know it. Lead singer Brendan is in fine form on Rush To Relax, continually finding charming new ways of explaining everyday things, like 'tuning out' of conversations, being a 'gentleman' and not wanting to say sorry to your missus unless she does the same to you. The songs themselves are catchy as hell already, but it's the simple lyrical subject matter that takes them to another level - you sing along even louder because you know exactly what he's talking about. I Got A Feeling, Tuning Out, Gentleman and I Can Be A Jerk are as good as anything on their first two LPs, but the seven-minute kraut-inspired Second Guessing is a bit of a distraction, interrupting an otherwise excellent flow of tracks. Still, it's a damn impressive set of tracks, and to think that they recorded the lot in one spontaneous session is just ridiculous. ECSR sound good on CD, but at a pub or festival with a beer in your hand, they're something else entirely. The UK press has only recently caught onto these guys, and they're singing their praises - you'd be wise to get to a gig now, while you still can.

Artwork: A
Finally, an ECSR album with some proper cover artwork! And conceptual, too. photoshop or not, who knows. And who cares - it looks good.

Published in mX, Thursday February 18, 2010

Chowing Down

Matt Preston: Music From Another Platter
Various Artists
Sony, 2009
2 stars

And so it has come to this: Matt Preston has eaten so much food, sampled so many of the world's delicacies, that his pallet has actually matured to the point where food, in the traditional sense, no longer interests him. On the cover of this double-CD Preston is preparing to tuck into a vinyl copy of Marc Anthony's You Sang To Me. He was obviously not impressed with his meal however (perhaps too small a serving, or a bit over-cooked), as the song appears nowhere on this shameless stocking-stuffing Masterchef cash-in. Disc one is your all-encompassing dinner-cooking soundtrack solution (I, personally, can't wait to try out my Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker whilst listening to Metro Station's Shake It and Kate Miller-Heidke's Can't Shake It, that's gonna be wild), while disc two covers the eating of said dinner. The fare is pretty varied, covering everything from The Monkees and Elvis to MGMT and Augie March - a real Sizzler smorgasboard of a collection. But really, if you want to listen to Barry White and George Michael while you eat your bolognaise, why not just flick on the radio?

Artwork: C
It's that guy with the neckerchiefs, pretending to eat a record. Next.

Pop

Exploding Head
A Place To Bury Strangers
Mute, 2008
3 stars

You know in those old Hanna-Barbara cartoons where a menacing, wolf-like shadow is actually just a harmless mouse with some neat tricks? Well, these guys are the mouse. Their choice of band name, album name and song titles isn’t exactly asking for ‘iTunes single of the week’ status, but for APTBS that’s clearly the point. This is unapologetic, mean pop music; it’s noisy, abrasive and loud almost to the point of stupid, but behind the bared fangs it’s really just straightforward guitar rock. Rock, that is, for your 2009-vintage “let down by the world” twenty-something city-dwelling male, disaffected enough not to have brushed his teeth but self-aware enough to have scoured half of town for the perfect pair of skinny black jeans. These guys came out with the recent shoegaze revival, their self-titled debut putting them at the darkest, loudest end of the trend. With Exploding Head, they haven’t really changed their formula -- dense walls of guitar noise (courtesy of the band’s home-made effects pedals) conceal stinging punk-rock riffs, distorted, rapid-fire percussion and growled vocals. It’s not for everyone, but those who don’t mind digging through layers of distorted fuzz for a tune will find something to like in this record.

Artwork: C-
Creepy.

Sharpening Their Crayolas

All The Pleasures Of The World
The Crayon Fields
Chapter Music, 2009
4 stars

One of only a handful of Aussie bands to be loved-up by trend-setting US website Pitchfork in recent years, Melbourne’s Crayon Fields have kept a fairly low profile since their 2007 debut. Where other bands fuelled by Pitchforkdom have lit up like sparklers and trailed off just as quickly, it seems like Geoff O’Connor and co. have taken the praise as simply a nod of encouragement, retreating back into their cosy pop den to work on album No.2. Two years is a long time in the net-savy world of pop music, and The Crayon Fields have used it to craft what is a stunning sophomore effort. The Beach Boys harmonies, sun-drenched melodies and lovesick themes found on Animal bells are still intact, but the production is so luxurious it really takes it all to another level. Geoff’s vocals are as delicate and breathy as ever, but his bandmates compliment them perfectly with a classy, understated sound that still manages to tick all the necessary pop boxes. “Timeless” and “Graceless” are standouts for me, but the final track “You Could End Up Anywhere” probably sums up the album the best; lingering, catchy and bittersweet, and only serving to leave the listener wanting more.

Artwork: A
Classy - a much more grown-up approach than that of Animal Bells.

Taming the Beast

Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
2009
3.5 stars

From the first sustained, synthesised note of Two Dancers, it's made clear that this British four-piece have taken a giant leap forward from their 2008 debut. A giant leap musically, definitely, but perhaps also a giant leap in their attitude toward what they do. Limbo, Panto was a good album, and showcased four talented musicians, but rested more heavily on the shock value of Hayden Thorpe's trans-gender-cabaret vocals than the actual quality of its songs. Two Dancers is different — Thorpe's vocals are still jarring in their warbling high-register, but second-teir singer Tom Flemming's gruff Interpol-esque voice takes more of a front-of-house role, and the taut, angular guitar lines of old have grown into epic, melancholy — almost loungy at times — swooning soundscapes, worthy of Coldplay or Doves. This Is Our Lot is the clear standout on this album; a big-hearted pop anthem full of acoustic swells and interesting time-signatures — a guaranteed hit. All of this shows that this is a band willing to outgrow their indie roots, something which will hold them in good stead for the inevitable turning of the tide of trends. Once Thorpe finds a cage to fit his fierce falsetto, these guys will be a band appreciated by those well away from the musical fringes.

Published in mX, Thursday September 17, 2009.

Pre-Something

Post-Nothing
Japandroids
Polyvinyl, 2009
4.5 stars

It might not sound like it, but this record, with its loud, full sound, is in fact the work of just two guys. They’re not the first ‘band’ to feature a two-person guitar/drums line-up; the White Stripes proved the formula at the start of the decade, and recently No Age have followed the trend, albeit with a decidedly less-polished approach. But Japandroids (a terrible band name, it must be said) still manage to wring their own unique sound from a minimalist setup often seen as a bit of a novelty. Post-Nothing is eight tracks of testosterone-fueled angst-pop, all crashing drums and angular, noisy guitars. These guys aren’t so much singing from the heart as somewhere just south of the belt buckle – most of the lyrics revolve around girls and getting pissed, the album’s catchiest moment the repeated chant “... must get to France so we can French-kiss some French girls” in the second-half of Wet Hair. But despite the cleverly-constructed don’t-give-a-shit veneer their lyrics and band name suggest, and under the layers of distortion and frat-boy chanting, these guys are a genuinely clever pop outfit, and Post-Nothing is as catchy as anything released in 2009.

Published in mX, Thursday September 3, 2009.

Gurgling Sand

Nowhere Forever
Love Of Diagrams
Unstable Ape, 2009
3.5 stars

Love Of Diagrams have always had a knack for making the complicated sound simple. Their sound has been a mathy, ordered-mess of guitar patterns, repeated vocal chants and tight, taut drumming, but with Nowhere Forever they’ve succumbed to the late-noughties shoegaze bent and ramped-up the fuzz. The album’s title is a more-than-obvious (perhaps too obvious to be intentional) reference to Ride’s wonderful 1990 excursion into noisy pop Nowhere, and they’ve done the reference justice – the squalling guitars on Forever sound like gurgling sand, and blended with washy, muted walls of noise and some seriously catchy pop tunes these guys have nailed it. The beauty of this record however, is that they’ve managed it without losing any of the qualities that have endeared them to so many, both here and abroad. Tracks like Lookout and A Part Of You are up there with the nicest – I’d even go as far as to say ‘sweetest’ – they’ve ever laid down. Whether this is true shoegaze is up for debate, bit I personally think we’re going to need to come up with another name for it, because these guys aren’t wasting time looking at their feet.

Published in mX, Thursday August 20, 2009.