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.

Daydreaming

Yes To Fear, Yes To Desire
Panoptique Electrical
Sensory Projects, 2009
4 stars

This is really beautiful. Panoptique Electrical, a Melbourne group led by Jason Sweeney (also of Mist & Sea), have created a 57-minute instrumental mood swing with this album; a wistful, world-wise soundtrack, ready to wrap itself around the listener whatever activity they find themselves engaged in at the time. Fans of Sigur Ros should hunt down a copy of this album yesterday – the slow, haunting chords of tracks such as Some Rooms Become Us are reminiscent of those found on the Icelandic lads’ wonderful ( ), with the sea-shanty vibe of fellow countrymen múm’s Summer Make Good. It’s a simple formula really; piano notes stretched-out over washy, lingering strings and elongated samples to form a series of meditative, melancholy instrumentals - it’s been done before, but rarely this well. The vibe of the album is not intentionally depressing, nor uplifting, but it is definitely one that will calm a listener’s nerves and amplify any pesky, meandering thoughts.

Published in mX, Thursday August 13, 2009.

Scrub Serenade

Kes Band II
Kes Band
Mistletone, 2009
4 stars

For the last few years Karl Scullin has been one of the most productive men in town, popping his head out of the Melbourne underground scene every so often to put out some great experimental solo work, contribute snakey basslines to Mum Smokes and, recently, find a poppier incarnation under the ‘Kes Band’ moniker. I’ve been a fan for a while now, but there’s always been one hitch; I share a home with a nice young lady who just so happens to have a problem with Karl’s slightly-off vocals, and I have therefore only been able to listen to his records outside of headphones when said nice young lady isn’t home. Well, the headphones are back in the drawer, because Kes’ latest release is an all-instrumental affair. It’s a slow-burning collection of bush-bashing post-rock and ethereal wind-driven waltzes, with the ebb-and-flow of recent Do Make Say Think albums but the ramshackle, eucalyptus haze of Kes’ excellent 2007 LP The Grey Goose Wing. Individual tracks are not as immediately catchy as those on Kes Band I, but the aim here, if I’m not mistaken, is for more of an overall experience, as suggested by the album’s Arts Centre launch.

Published in mX, Thursday August 6, 2009.

Times Change, Things Stay The Same

The Guilty Office
The Bats
Mistletone, 2009
4 stars

For a band to stay (for the most part) together for a quarter of a century is no mean feat, but for a band to do so and not try and re-invent themselves or move with the times is something else. The Bats, perhaps the best thing to come out of the ashes of seminal NZ post-punk band The Clean, have carved out such a career to date, and show no signs or stopping with The Guilty Office. The rustic, jangly pop songs on The Guilty Office are reminiscent of the band’s finest work on Daddy’s Highway and The Law of Things. String creepers climb up a web of steady, spritely guitar lines and restrained percussion, with Robert Scott’s simple, steady vocals bringing the whole thing to bloom. The songs are catchy – none moreso than Two Lines and the uptempo Steppin’ Out – but effortlessly catchy – these guys really know what they’re doing, and are doing it better than any of their current imitators. The album’s melancholy title track is probably the most striking cut, with a continual chorus of muted guitar lines forming a kind of gently-lapping pool for Scott’s words to bob around in. All up, the album is classic Bats, and a perfect entry point for the as-yet uninitiated. Instead of trying to keep up with modern musical trends (ahem, U2), The Bats have stuck to their guns and found the same trends coming full circle, trying to catch up with them.

Published in mX, Thursday July 30, 2009.

Enough Wondering

I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day
Julie Doiron
Label, 2008
4 stars

I’m a newcomer to the musical stylings of Ms Julie Doiron, but from my limited exposure - her excellent recent collaboration with Mount Eerie and this record - I like what I hear. Perhaps it’s the awkwardly-spelled surname, but I don’t understand why an artist like Doiron, with a decade-and-a-bit’s worth of solo material, isn’t more widely known – especially when she’s capable of producing gems like the ones found on I Can Wonder. This record has bits of everything; cute acoustic sing-alongs (Nice To Come Home), fuzzy dirge-rockers (Heavy Snow and Consolation Prize) and melancholy pop classics (Lovers of the World is on heavy rotation on my stereo at home); all strung together like a row of hand-made, mis-matched paper lanterns. Reverb-soaked lullaby Blue, the album’s blissed-out highlight, stays in your head well after the final watery guitar note fades out and, in my opinion, would have made for a far more satisfying closing track than the cute Glad To Be Alive. Still, the overall package is a bright, intimate and smart album that showcases one of Canada’s unsung musical champions.

Artwork: A
As un-fussed and, for that reason, beautiful as the album itself. Spot-on.

Published in mX,Thursday July 23, 2009.

Home-grown

Farm
Dinosaur Jr
Jagjaguwar, 2009
4 stars

You’d be a fool to expect any major sonic sidesteps from a band this far into their career; thankfully - and respectfully - Dinosaur Jr are not Radiohead or The Beatles. That said, Farm sees the slacker-rock stalwarts doing what they do best and doing it as well as they ever have – melodic, sometimes-melancholic rock, heavy on the fuzz and light on ornamentation (aside from the occasional guitar flourish). The only major surprise is that it’s this good. And long too - with a playing time somewhere around the hour mark it’s like a meditation on late-‘80s garage noise-rock; you might need to kick yourself to remind yourself that you are in fact sitting in an office cubicle or on a city-bound tram, and not on a shitty old couch in a childhood mate’s suburban garage. There are numerous highlights, but none better than the epic I Don’t Wanna Go There, with lead drawler J Mascis doing his best Eddie Vedder impersonation over some fantastic, noisy power-chords and a couple of (for want of a better word) ‘scorching’ guitar solos; it all sounds bloody amazing. Musically, J, Lou and Murph are ageing well – they sound more focused and content than ever. And they should be. Why re-invent the wheel if you’re happy where you’re sitting.

Artwork: C+
This kind of illustration doesn't do much for me personally, but that aside, the text layout of this thing is what really gets me. It just looks a bit rushed; a bit under-cooked.

Published in mX, Thursday July 2, 2009.

Young At Heart

The Eternal
Sonic Youth
Matador, 2009
3.5 stars

It might just be the fact that the band’s members are all in or nearing their fifties, but for some reason a ‘00s Sonic Youth record just doesn’t have the same feel as an ‘80s or ‘90s one. That said, was this record released by an unknown group, age withheld, it’d no doubt be receiving positive feedback anyway. The sound is unmistakeably Sonic Youth: more rocking than recent efforts, but with all the inventive, messed-up guitar effects and- you know what, I’m not going to try and explain what Sonic Youth sound like. If you know the band, you know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t, well, you’re not the target audience anyway so no biggie. Though lo-fi and awkward, The Eternal’s cleanliness is a good example of ‘00s production. The band apparently used Twitter to let fans in on the recording progress too – but, having a fifteen-year-old daughter, Kim and Thurston are probably all over modern-day social networking. All in all, The Eternal is probably a better record than most of the group’s two-dozen-odd other albums – the last few at the very least - but something is undeniably different. Whether it’s something in us as listeners, or them as ageing punk/no-wave pioneers, is hard to say.

Artwork: B+
They've nailed the whoole "whatever" '90s grunge/lo-fi look with this. No whole-album 'concept' here, thanks. No siree. Just a painting they like on the cover (by the late American folk guitarist John Fahey), and a bunch of paintings and photos they like on the inside and back. Suitably absent, and beautifully under-polished.

Published in mX, Thursday June 11, 2009.

Classic Pop

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Phoenix
V2, 2009
4.5 stars

As all albums worth their salt seem to do these days, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix made its way around the internet months before its official release. Whether that’s a bad thing is hard to say, but the fact that some of my somewhat musically-highbrow friends (you know who you are) are still singing “dancing, in La Rhone” – a misinterpretation of the words to Fences (“fences, in a row”) – to this day, speaks volumes for both the broad appeal and longevity of this album. Put simply, this album is catchy as hell, and is destined to rack up plays on commercial and independent radio alike. The French hipsters band have taken the tight, poppy tunefulness of 2006’s equally-good It’s Never Been Like That and cranked-up the synth, enlisting the mixing skills of French house duo Cassius’ Philippe Zdar. The way these guys use the repetition of a single note or chord is brilliant, creating a kind of sonic canvas for them to layer up, bend or break completely. Right off the bat, the bouncy Lisztomania and keyboard-driven 1901 are probably the most-likeable tunes on a disc that’s full of them, but if there’s one complaint for this album, it’s that it’s too short – at 37 minutes it makes a strong case for the ‘loop all’ button.

Artwork: C+
A bit too cutesy for my liking. Possibly a little bit too much pink? They've really taken the 'bubblegum Mozart' thing and run with it.

Published in mX, Thursday May 28, 2009.

Is An Island

Veckatimest
Grizzly Bear
Warp, 2009
5 stars

I know, it’s only May, and I’m breaking all sorts of unwritten “album reviewer” rules by doing this, but I’m going to say it: Veckatimest is the album of 2009. Grizzly Bear have hinted at big things for a few years now (2006’s Yellow House was good but not great), but Veckatimest exceeds all expectations, with the band pushing their sound beyond experimental rock deep into something pastoral, sophisticated and lush to which a genre such as “rock” or “indie” just doesn’t do justice. The most obvious reference for the uninitiated is Fleet Foxes’ brilliant self-titled debut of last year – take that album, but shake it up and make it that little bit deeper and you’re about as close as you’ll get to Veckatimest. It’s beautiful but challenging, with intricate details rewarding repeat listens over and over. Rich and thoroughly musical, with a big avant-folk heart, there’s little point singling out individual songs for praise as they’re all equally deserving, and play so perfectly as a whole. The sun-drenched, poppy numbers stand out immediately (Ready, Able’s slow-building, churning bassline and eventual shimmering release is something to behold, and Cheerleader’s stuttered guitar and steady plonk is impossible to resist), but the more subtle, restrained ones, such as album closer Foreground, are just as striking. The four boys’ vocal harmonies are at times reminiscent of ’70s AM rock, but even that pidgeonhole doesn’t fit. Unlike the uninhabited Massachusetts island for which it’s named, Veckatimest is going to require more than a bridge to get on top of in 2009.

Artwork: B
The kaleidascopic mosaic featured on the album's cover is the perfect representation of the band's bright, colourful but organic and hand-fashioned sound. The text is a bit clumsy though.

Published in mX, Thursday May 21, 2009.

Waking From Night Terrors

Primary Colours
The Horrors
XL, 2009
4 stars

The My Bloody Valentine influence may be popping up everywhere at the moment, but most wouldn’t have expected it to stretch to British garage ghouls The Horrors’ newie. Then again, the band’s entire image circa Strange House had more than a hint of clever, ‘of the moment’ pretension about it, so the thought of them following the late-noughties shoegaze bent is hardly a surprise. The thing is, because of their cleverly-constructed image, people didn’t see these guys as much more than fodder for an NME “saviors or British rock” covershot. It’s understandable - you see five blokes dressed up like the cast of The Corpse Bride and your opinion is pretty much locked-in before the CD is even in the player. Well, whatever your pre-conceived idea may be of these guys, forget it. If Primary Colours says one thing it’s that these guys are, first and foremost, a solid, well-educated band. Primary Colours sees the gruesome fivesome add a bunch of new sounds and ideas to their predominantly monochrome palette – think The Birthday Party’s dark punk mixed with Interpol’s more Joy Division-ish moments and Ride’s lush, washy walls of guitar noise. Strange, but it works beautifully. Faris Badwan’s newly-found singing voice is a revelation, and when Sea Within A Sea’s kraut beat and echoey guitars morph into a blissed-out synth loop it’s a drastic transition from the dark, abrasive shriek of Sheena Is A Parasite. Primary Colours is an exciting, thrilling turn for this band, and one that only serves to whet the appetite for whatever they come up with next.

Artwork: B
These guys (or their producers) have ticked all the shoegaze boxes with the design of this album. Out-of-focus photography (ala Loveless) - tick. Cheap and cheerful text treatment - tick. Thing is, with the cover image being predominantly dark (low light and no flash - always a recipe for blurry shots), it still has a bit of the gothy feel to it.

Published in mX, Thursday May 21, 2009.

Weird Family

Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free
Akron/Family
Dead Oceans, 2009
4 stars

Akron/Family are an American three-piece, unknown by most but, for those in the know, known for the unknown. Their past releases and choice in touring partners have seen them labelled more-or-less as a freak-folk band, but with the release of Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free they’re definitely going to need a bigger sticker. The hypnotic, acoustic folk they’re known for is still there, but it wanders into groovy psychadelica, Afro-beat and taut guitar rock – in the case of opening cut Everyone Is Guilty, all in the space of one six minute song. Elsewhere the strummed/picked guitar on The Alps & Their Orange Evergreen and title track Set ‘Em Free is blended with slide guitar, warm vocal harmonies and hushed wind instruments – from the outset it’s clear that these multi-instrumentalists don’t buy into the ‘guitar/bass/drums’ model. The mood throughout is sunlit and upbeat, with more than one guitar-driven “yes!” moment - it’s an unashamedly confident and optimistic album overall. The vibe is infections too – a handy thing in these troubled times. The bankers may be running for the hills, but it’s nice to know the hippies are still dancing in their loungerooms.

Artwork: A
A messed-up American folk album with a messed-up American flag on the cover - it's perfect.

Published in mX, Thursday May 14, 2009.

From The Back Of The Fridge

Early Output 1996-1998
Fridge
Temporary Residence, 2009
3.5 stars

The material found on Early Output was, as the title says, recorded over a decade ago, and the time since has seen the band and its members all but master this particular brand of experimental, electronic-flecked instrumental music. With Early Output, long-time fans of Fridge, or those of offshoots Fout Tet and Adem, will relish the opportunity to hear where it all started. For the most part this compilation is an impressive, assured production, with only a few moments where it falls into the familiar post-rock traps of self-indulgence, daggy electronica and meandering nothingness. That’s not to say that meandering experimental music is without value – 15-minute Anglepoised is a blessed-out epic with a drum machine spine, reminiscent of some of the nicer moments on 2007’s The Sun LP. Real instrumentation (guitar, bass, drums and the occasional string) forms the basis for the majority of tracks, with the members’ experimental tendencies explored in fractured drumbeats, skewed hooks and unexpected (but still pretty) electronic flourishes. Today these guys are amongst Britain’s most inventive musical talents – Early Output proves they always were.

Published in mX, Thursday May 7, 2009.

I Blame The Producers

The Stillest Hour
Carl Riseley
Mercury/Universal, 2009
2 stars

For me, watching a naïve, awkward young musician work his or her way through the various rounds of Australian Idol actually diminishes any star status they might have once they make it to the top. You get to see them pushed and prodded, beaten-down, styled and polished to a high-gloss sheen – by the time they make it to the steps of the Sydney Opera House they barely resemble the ‘real person’ they once were. Carl Riseley is a good example of this - during the show the producers did all but paint Michael Buble’s face over his own. Given, the guy is a decent singer and handy with a horn, but he’s no ladies man, so when on The Stillest Hour he channels Norah Jones and asks the listener to “come away with me in the night” he has about as much panache as a cabin supervisor on some late-night V-line service. That said, musically, this is pleasant enough, so if acoustic jazz-pop is your thing you could probably do worse. But for those expecting an Aussie answer to Harry Connick Jr. it’ll be like picking up a Miles Davis album at your local record store, getting it home and finding a Kenny G CD inside. Yes, your mum is going to love it.

Artwork: D
Predictable. "Someone, take Carl and his trumpet down to the train station and take some photos". The guy just looks lost.

Published in mX, Thursday April 30, 2009.

Still Smoking

Easy / House Music
Mum Smokes
Sensory Projects, 2009
4.5 stars

Wow. Though prolific in their various solo guises, not a lot has been seen/heard of these guys together in the last few years. Clearly, they've been busy - this double-album set (as opposed to a double-disc album, ala Deerhunter's Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.) was recorded between 2006 and last year, though how or why they've held onto it until now is beyond me, as either album could easily have been released in its own right to guaranteed critical aclaim. Easy starts offf with material from '06 and '07, predominantly a mix of lazy, poppy, acoustic folk with a few ambient instrumentals thrown in for good measure. Standout At The Gate is a front-runner for song of the year, with Karl Scullin's great basslines right up front in the mix, Them Days is a downbeat melancholy gem, and the laid-back epic Easy that closes out the disc is a ripper too. Vocal duties are shared throughout by Karl (better known as Kes) and Julian Patterson, though the latter has more success nailing the slack-but-still-in-tune thing. The second disc (depending on which way you hold the cleverly-designed album cover), House Music, is a more upbeat, rocking affair, with freak-folk and '60s rock sneaking its way into the mix. Once again, the album's first single is its standout track - Left For Dead is awkward at first, but once the haunted strings give way to the bouncy chorus it's absolutely riveting. Elsewhere the pace slows down - such as on the spacey Health and Girls, and title track House Music, a loose synth-flecked instrumental, heavily reminiscent of member Patterson's Minimum Chips project - but never does either disc lose its hold on the listener. Both seperate and as a whole, Easy and House Music are wonderful examples of late-noughties Australian folk-pop.

Artwork: A
Designwise, beautifully understated. Two albums built into one clean, elegant cardboard wallet. The artwork itself (as well as the band's first video clip, for At The Gate), comes courtesy of Mark Rodda, who was also responsible for the wonderful illustration that that addorned their previous album, 2005's Rainbows, Chasms and Fantasies (which will itself have a timely re-release later this year).

Born Crazy

Born Like This
DOOM
Lex/Inertia, 2009
3.5 stars

Comedians don’t start their stand-up routines with hip hop tracks, so why the hell do hip hoppers consistently start off their albums with un-funny, embarrassing skits? “Time to get the fetta”? What is that? There’s probably a garage full of DOOM’s mates absolutely pissing themselves about that fetta line, but it’s well and truly lost on the other 99.999% of us. Please, just cut to the hip hop. Thankfully however, when it actually kicks in, the music on Born Like This is pretty damn good. It’s a couple of marks off the superb Madvillainy (DOOM’s 2004 collaboration with Madlib), but the dark, low-end heavy, old-school approach works beautifully on Raekwon duet Yessir!, the piano-backed More Rhymin’ and ‘90s jazz-infused Still Dope, easily one of the best tracks he’s done. DOOM’s rhymes are as free and easy as ever, and the instrumental samples are as interesting as you’d expect from the first man in accordion-rap, but overall – for me – the flow is thrown off by the clumsy ‘Dr Evil’ skits that pop up throughout.

Artwork: C
Basically, as over-produced as the album itself. The concept is fantastic, with a stone tablet and mask on the album's cover, but on the inside it looks like a designer vomited. It's a nice gatefold digipak, with good stock and a gloss varnish to boot, but the designer has over-worked the type and, well, it's too much.

Published in mX, Thursday April 16, 2009.

Not Rusting Just Yet

Kingdom of Rust
Doves
Heavenly Recordings, 2009
3.5 stars

It must be hard work being a contemporary Brit-pop group in the shadow of Coldplay. But over the past decade these guys have plugged away, crafting the same kind of emotive, wide-reaching pop/rock as other shadow-dwellers Elbow and Keane. Their last LP, Some Cities, however, proved them to be at least a few rungs above the average. Kingdom of Rust, their first album in four years, sees Doves follow that same path – its songs, though not particularly inventive, are real foot-tappers - you’d be a fool to deny that these guys know how to write a good tune. Some Cities was choc-full of instant radio hits, but Kingdom of Rust is a bit more of a slow-burner. Thankfully singer Jimi Goodwin’s yearning vocal styling hasn’t changed over the band’s entire four-album catalogue –with the diverse nature of this record, there’s times where it’s the only recognizably ‘Doves’ thing happening. Highlights come in the form of the bottom-heavy guitar wig-out on 10:03 and the great, spacious groove of The Greatest Denier, but the Blondie-esque Compulsion is, well, kind of embarrasing. Kingdom of Rust won’t blow you away, but it definitely makes a nice addition to what is a solid catalogue for the Manchester three-piece.

Artwork: C+
A few nice photo-montages with a real 'rust' theme and some clean type make for a tidy, if a little underwhelming, overall package.

Published in mX, Thursday April 9, 2009.

Old Weave

Tight Knit
Vetiver
Sub Pop, 2009
3 stars

One of the many Wayfarer-and-plaid-shirt-wearing folk groups to emerge out of America in the mid-noughties, Vetiver have made ‘70s-flavoured free and easy guitar music their bread and butter. Tight Knit, their fourth album proper, is the kind of album one might chuck in the stereo on a Sunday morning; a soundtrack for time spent at home between trips to the Camberwell market and the local tea shop. It’s a pleasant stroll (perhaps a little too pleasant) through warm tones, the pace flicking effortlessly between soft AM folk (opener Rolling Sea and closer At Forest Edge are standouts) and countrified AM folk-rock. There are no sharp edges, however - nothing to challenge - which may leave the more astute listener wanting. An American spring/Australian autumn release is a good move though, as the transitional seasons match the album’s reflective tone perfectly.

Artwork: B+
A nice combination of astronomy themes and bold, modern design. Not bad. The cardboard that the digipak is made out of is a bit thick, though. And by Sub Pop's standards (remember, these guys are responsible for some recent/amazing Wolf Parade and No Age album artwork), it's a bit low-key. A raw stock would've looked a hell of a lot nicer than this shiny white stuff.

Published in mX, Thursday March 26, 2009.

Sick As

Maximum Bass Xtreme
Various
Ministry of Sound, 2008
5 stars

Last year I had my mum’s old Hyundai Excel fitted out with $3,2000 worth of stereo gear (all MP3-compatible of course, plus some of those big dials and a wicked set of neons) but, at the time, the tunes I had on my Zune (mainly Britney and a bit of Pussycat Dolls) didn’t really show off what the thing could do. Problem solved! This triple-CD is perfect – there’s one disc of hip-hop (I especially like the Flo Rida song, he’s so cool), one disc of drum ‘n’ bass, and one of hardcore techno (which I didn’t really get into as much), and it all sounds a-mazing. I had to take off the Excel’s plastic spoiler ‘cos it was shaking so much, but that’s ok. Mum says she’s been getting some funny looks when she drives to the supermarket too, but I know deep down she really likes it.

Artwork: A+
The cover has that chick from Big Brother on it, you know, the one with the massive cans, who was in the house with her mum. Her. And a sick car, which looks kind of like my Excel but with a chameleon paint job (which I'm saving up for at the moment).

Published in mX, Thursday March 19, 2009.

Just a Dent

The Good Feeling Music Of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele

Mistletone, 2009
4 stars

The work ‘ukulele’, for me, throws up all kinds of warnings, but Mississippi native Dent May’s approach to an instrument often regarded as a novelty is, as described, kind of magnificent. Here the uke kicks off each track, but for the most part takes a bit of a backseat, forming a nice strummed backing tune, with bass and electric guitar and Dent’s great crooning vocals taking centre-stage. Songs such as College Town Boy and You Can’t Force A Dance Party are perhaps the finest examples of Dent’s perfect combination of tongue-in-cheek lyrics and honeyed ‘50s-style songwriting but, quite honestly, there isn’t a weak track on this album. Ukulele is officially back on the menu – now I’m just hanging out for Dent May And His Stupendous Kazoo.

Artwork: B
Some nice artwork, with '60s tones and a combination of modern styles and aztec shapes.

Published in mX, Thursday March 12, 2009.

Pop Chops

Chant Darling
Lawrence Arabia
Mistletone, 2009
4 stars

Don’t let the ‘clever in a funny way’ moniker put you off - this New Zealand songsmith has some serious pop chops. Formerly one-third of NZ’s great Ruby Suns, and having toured with Okkervil River, James Milne knows how to write a catchy tune, and on Chant Darling he covers a hell of a lot of bases. With their gorgeous vocal harmonies The Undesirables and album standout Dream Teacher have Beatles written all over them, The Beautiful Young Crew has a bit of a hillbilly vibe and I’ve Smoked Too Much gives a nod to late ‘80s Americana, but pure sunny pop tracks such as Apple Pie Bed and Fine Old Friends will surely be the ones to be picked up by JJJ and co.
Artwork: C+
For such a sunny album, that sure is a dreary album cover. It's a nice painting, but I don't know - it just doesn't suit.

Published in mX, Thursday March 5, 2009.

In a Name

Goodbye Minnesota
The Declining Winter
Sensory Projects, 2008
3.5 stars

Sure, it can be self-indulgent, and it kind of had it’s day back at the turn of the millenium, but post-rock is still a valuable genre in that, for many people, it makes for a smooth, painless introduction into the predominantly hidden world of experimental music. The genre itself is wide-reaching, ranging from loud lows to subtle highs, but in the case of Goodbye Minnesota it takes the form of melancholy (a common thread in post-rock) jazz-infused (another staple - see Do Make Say Think) experimental instrumentals. Music like this really does make you feel a certain way - in this case, a way hinted to in the band’s name; the end of winter when the days slowly start to get brighter, and with them everyone’s moods. Reflective, somber, but ultimately uplifting.

Artwork: C
Nothing to report here.

Published in mX, Thursday March 5, 2009.

Sunlight Streams In

The Floodlight Collective
Lotus Plaza
Kranky, 2009
4 stars

Do Deerhunter bandmates Bradford Cox and Lockett Pundt, share the same brain or something? Pundt's solo debut as Lotus Plaza shimmers with the same spacey, afternoon haze that Cox's own great Atlas Sound solo work has showed off. It's hard to say whether Pundt is responsible for, or inspired by, the melancholy atmospherics that Deerhunter littered their albums with, but either way The Floodlight Collective is brimming with them. There isn't a jarring or aggressive moment to be found - overall it's a softly-softly, pretty indie pop album. Opener Red Oak Way sets the pace perfectly, its guitars sanded of any sharp edges, and its steady drumbeat happy to sit in the background behind layers of electronics and washy vocals. From there on in Quicksand hints at a hillbilly vibe, These Years takes a minimalist, almost Sigur Ros-ish instrumental approach, and Sunday Night touches on glitchy electro before dropping back into bass-driven atmo-pop (can I coin a new musical term?). And album closer A Threaded Needle - wow. It's all good. Fans will already be all over this record, but those that haven't yet come across Deerhunter or any of their offshoots could do worse than start their education with this record.

Artwork: B
Old photos rock.

Desperate and Dateless

Spunk! Single's Club Vol.1
Various
Spunk!, 2009
3.5 stars

There’s not usually a lot of risk involved in buying a CD of various singles. Over the years, never-ending seasonal collections such as 100% Hits and Hit Machine, and more recently So Fresh, have taken all of the surprise (and quality) out of it. But this album is different – not only are the bands here about as recognisable as the brand name on a jar of ALDI mayonnaise, they’re all local produce too. Spunk! have hand-picked twelve up-and-coming bands for this collection, with each given four or five minutes to show their wares. It’s a nice idea and, for some of these bands, their first appearance on vinyl or shiny plastic. The fare is predominantly JJJ-ready indie rock, with highlights coming from Melbourne’s Super Wild Horses and Central Coast NSW’s Birdlife. All up, a nice package, and not half as risky an investment as one might think.

Artwork: A
Some nice collage work, with the same kind of feel as recent Black Dice and Wolf Parade album artwork. No, it's not a new idea, but here's done well - a theme that carries on in the music on the disc, actually.

Published in mX, Thursday February 26, 2009.

Breaking Rules

Rules
The Whitest Boy Alive
Modular, 2008
3.5 stars

Erlend Øye certainly has interesting musical taste. Best known as one half of Norwegian folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience, he is also an accomplished electronic artist. The Whitest Boy Alive, a four-piece with Øye up the front, started as a dance group, but by the time their 2006 debut Dreams came out the group had morphed into an indie pop group, with no programmed instruments to be found. On Rules, Øye revisits his interest in dance music, only this time the sound is more disco than club floor. Rules has a real ‘70s kick (which could have something to do with the recent introduction of Rhodes piano and a Crumar synth), a far cry from the stripped-back guitar pop of Dreams. But strangely enough, in a dorky kind of way, it works. Intentions has a serious Steely Dan vibe (for me, a good thing) and Timebomb is, from the first beat, a blatant disco (or perhaps post-disco) track, but the magic really happens when the band get the blend (two parts ‘old guitar sound’ and one part ‘new synth-heavy sound’) just right, such as on 1517 and Promise Less Or Do More. Rules is a very poppy, a little bit daggy, and catchy as hell.

Artwork: B+
These guys always do a bang-up job with their artwork. Simple black-on-white drawings and neat hand-written text make for a nice, uncomplicated look.

Published in mX, Thursday February 12, 2009.

All Class

Noble Beast
Andrew Bird
Fat Possum, 2009
4 stars

Damn this guy makes it hard to write a ‘critical’ review of his albums. I really got into his last album Armchair Apocrypha but, I have to say, I think this one is even better. More late-afternoon than late-night in tone, Noble Beast is an autumnal set of organic, whistle-laced posh-rock, full of Bird’s stunning instrumentation, Jeff Buckley-esque vocals and cryptic lyricism. If Armchairs was the standout on Armchair Apocrypha, then Anonanimal is the key track here – a delicate slow-builder of a pop song, in three parts. Noble Beast is the kind of album that demands to be played loud through a pair of obnoxiously large headphones - the beauty really lies in the layers of detail. Another great album from Mr Bird.

Artwork: B+
A nice digipak, with some pics of Andrew getting back to the bush. The relatively boring cover shot doesn't do the photography justice though - open up the digipak and it's actually a really nice landscape. As far as the feel of the photos goes, it matches the album perfectly.

Published in mX, Thursday February 5, 2009.

Picking Someone's Pockets

Alpinisms
School of Seven Bells
Speak N Spell, 2008
3 stars

Named after a fictitious Colombian pick-pocketing academy, this three-piece (one guy, and twin sisters on vocals) have created an interesting concoction with Alpinisms. One part abrasive shoegaze and two parts dreamy ‘90s electronica, the band’s inspirations are fairly obvious - though let’s face it, they’re not exactly the first band to find inspiration in My Bloody Valentine in 2008. That said, they have brought something nice to the table. The guitar noise is, for the most part, treated as a background texture, giving the songs a clean, dreamy quality. The good songs are pretty damn good – Face To Face On High Places is a standout - but the bad ones are pretty average, such as the confused ‘90s middle-eastern vibe of Wired For Light. Still, it’ll make good background music for hot summer nights in the backyard.

Artwork: A
Some nice collage work and some simple text make for a nice, modern album cover. The pic on the inside of the digipak is a bit average, but that cover art would look amazing blown up huge as a poster or something.

Published in mX, Thursday January 29, 2009.

Chong On

Let’s Go Dancing!
Chong Lim & His Orchestra
Universal, 2009
2 stars

If you were left wanting more after the end of Dancing with the Stars, here’s your chance to Chong on! Twenty-nine of Chong’s finest moments from the series have been re-recorded and packaged into a disc that is sure to get your mum and dad’s feet a-tappin’. The hits just keep on coming, including a quickstep version of Oasis’ Wonderwall, a rhumba take on Light My Fire and everyone’s favourite samba – Tequila! But wait - that’s not all! Call in the next fifteen minutes and get this convenient plastic jewel case and eight-page booklet, absolutely free! Don’t delay, call now! Call now! ... But seriously folks - albums like this are incredibly easy to hang shit on, but there’s obviously an audience for this kind of stuff. If you ever found yourself dancing in your lounge room on a Tuesday night then this album will most definitely appeal.

Artwork: D
It's Chong. And that's it.

Published in mX, Thursday January 29, 2009.

Ecstatic Schizophrenic

Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
Domino, 2009
4.5 stars

Watching Animal Collective’s progression over the last few years has been like watching a difficult, misunderstood schoolkid grow into a well-adjusted, creative young adult. Where their early stuff often involved making beautiful organic experimental songs out of rough, animalistic sounds, Merriweather is a polished gem of danceable, summery psychadelic pop. More accessible, and less sickly sweet than last year’s Strawberry Jam, Merriweather borrows the layered Brian Wilson-esque vocal harmonies of Panda Bear’s wonderful Person Pitch LP, melding them with some great ‘90s synthetic beats and samples to create something different again. My Girls and Bluish are two amazing tracks amongst an album full of them – both so dense and unabashedly joyous you can’t help getting carried away by the vibe. And album closer Brother Sport is the perfect ecstatic, schizophrenic closer. Merriweather is an Animal Collective album (possibly the first) without any of the tough bits, and the perfect summer soundtrack.

Artwork: A
As a mate said, the artwork matches the album perfectly - trippy as hell. My shitty hand-drawn rendition doesn't have the same effect, but it's worth checking out the original - here.

Published in mX, Thursday January 15, 2009.

Shedding Skin

Carapace
Children Of The Wave
Sensory Projects, 2008
4 stars

Judging by the press photos of this Melbourne duo, one might file them somewhere between the Ployphonic Spree and Daft Punk – they appear in white gowns, traipsing through rockpools wearing ski goggles and headphones, holding acoustic instruments. They look lost – but that's couldn't be further from the truth. Carapace is like a document of some kind of aural journey of discovery – these boys are looking for something alright, but the goal isn't the finding, it's the search itself. Experimental at its core, the album's closest comparison would be the ramshackle, otherworldly folk leanings of Múm's Summer Make Good – it's a textural melding of found sounds, acoustic instrumentation and ethnic vibes. And, despite some warm electronic flourishes, it never sounds anything less than completely organic. By all accounts these guys are a bit hermitic, and only recently played their first live show - hopefully sometime soon, like the cicadas on the album's cover, they can leave their shells (or 'carapaces' – see, there's the link!) behind once more and bring their unique sound to a venue near you.

Artwork: B
It actually took me Wikipedia-ing "carapace" to discover that the cicada shells on the album's cover are, in fact, carapace themselves. How 'bout that! The design of this album is very nice, minimalist and neat. All up, it's a very classy package.

Published in mX, Thursday January 15, 2009.

A Well-Worn Path

"Make The Road By Walking"
Menahan Street Band
Daptone/Dunham, 2008
5 stars

Listening to this album through headphones, even the simple act of walking to the milk bar to buy a Snap Crackle bar feels like the coolest thing in the world. Apparently Menahan Street is in Brooklyn, New York, and the Band is a collection of musicians from Sharon Jones' Dap-Kings, the Budos Band and a few other New York funk/soul heavy-hitters. Make The Road By Walking is a real treat – recorded in the bedroom of the group's main man Thomas Brenneck, it drips with soul. The sound is timeless – a seamless melding of piano, guitar, vibes and a great hip-hop-tinged percussion section (not to mention horns, trumpets, saxophones, flutes … basically, think of something with a hole in both ends and these guys have probably used it as an instrument). The album's title track was actually sampled in last year's Jay-Z hit Roc Boys, so you can rest assured the band's fans extend beyond Brenneck's shared-wall neighbours. Named after a social justice organisation on Menahan Street, Make The Road By Walking paints the same picture of the New York boroughs that Sesame Street did back in the '80s – a set of bustling, larger-than-life streets full of friendly, familiar faces, where everyone's welcome and nobody wants to leave.

Artwork: A
This is a classic New York funk/soul record with a classic New York fuck/soul record look. They've nailed it here - nothing fancy, just nice simple design. Daptone are living in the past and absolutely loving it.

Published in mX, Thursday January 15, 2009.