06/10
07/10
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07/10
Young Knives
Heavenly Beat
Sleigh Bells
Sick Octave
Prominence
Bitter Rivals
(Gadzook) By Josh Sunth. In stores Nov 4
(Captured Tracks) By Amy Pettifer. In stores Oct 14
(Lucky Number) By Hayley Scott. In stores now
Jagged and unkempt and totally unashamed,Young Knives create the sort of oddly poetic music that derives much of its appeal from the adroit lyricism of vocalist Henry Dartnall. Sometimes shunning tunefulness and melody, though rarely losing the observational edge that seems to undercut most of ‘Sick Octave’, the Leicestershire trio that refuse to quit have produced a record of small things; models of Obi-Wan Kenobi, girls called Maureen and pennies. Specificity seems to be all important, and whilst this makes for deliciously witty music (see ‘Marble Maze’), it can be alienating at times in its pure disregard for any sort of universality. There are tracks such as ‘We Could Be Blood’ and ‘Maureen’ that occupy wholly earnest and wholly ironic spaces respectively, and these work well as single offerings, but ‘Sick Octave’ as a whole is often too jagged for its own good.
Heavenly Beat is the solo project of Beach Fossils bassist John Pena. His second album, ‘Prominence’, sounds like something introspectively created – solitary and private – its vocals like whispers captured by a secret Dictaphone. Unlike his group endeavours it’s lighter, more overtly danceable and tingling with steel drums, classical guitar, and stuttering wood block percussion that owes a debt to Phoenix, via the Kings of Convenience, via Ariel Pink’s ghostly tape deck aesthetic.The monosyllabic track titles (‘Honest’, ‘Thin’,‘Forever’) hark at a darker mood but the overall sonic effect is sunny – if a little on one level. If you’re resisting the oncoming season of big jumpers and hotpot, then this record – from the bright picked notes of ‘Lengths’ to the brass crescendo of the title track – is like an attractive person in Ray-bans passing you bottle after bottle of lime spiked, frosty beer.
Thrash Pop, break-beat; call it what you want, but Sleigh Bells essentially make unapologetic noise. Like past ventures, ‘Bitter Rivals’ takes the archetypal concept of pop and blends it with rock to cartoonish effect.While their incongruous cacophony remains intact, the duo edge closer to accessibility, ever so slightly eschewing their traditional heaviness for a more FM sensibility, the title track and opener fusing overzealous vocals with thrashing, prevalent guitar riffs that prove to be an overbearing, recurring theme.The album’s strengths are within its aptitude for melody – palpable on tracks like ‘Sugarcane’ and ‘Young Legends’ – and the more ‘reserved’ moments, like the mellow but petulant ‘To Hell With You’.Thing is, it’s sometimes difficult to get past their sonic aberration without mistaking it for parody. Sleigh Bells will need a new trick next time.
07/10
Luke Temple Good Mood Fool
Future of The Left How To Stop Your Brain in an Emergency (Prescriptions)
(Secretly Canadian) By Sam Cornforth. In stores Oct 14
By Joe Goggins. In stores Nov 4
Chances are that you know Luke Temple even if the name isn’t familiar.The Massachusetts musician is the band leader of Here We Go Magic, but on this solo record he trades in their spacey indie sound for a full on funk assault. Despite, being conceived in the snowy climes of a log cabin, ‘Good Mood Fool’ features multiple cuts of disco-infused tunes, tailor-made for balmy summer evenings.‘Florida’ is the most languid of these, as it waltzes along effortlessly creating an indulgent slice of hazy soul to devour, whereas ‘Katie’ is the cool breeze that rolls in and offers refreshment with its sharp beats. Although at times this solo record floats out of attention, more often than not Temple shows he is more than capable of a textural, rich and expansive sound that is fun to become lost in, even if it’s no more challenging than his full-time band.
This record’s title – and a quick scan over its track listing – tells you that, if nothing else, ex-Mclusky man Andy Falkous has lost none of his keen appetite for naming his work in a manner as verbose as it is funny. This is probably the most experimental FOTL effort yet. Falkous adopts a Golden Age radio accent on ‘Singing on the Bonesaws’, an ingenious diatribe against modern popular culture. ‘Something Happened’ brings in acoustic guitars in decidedly prog-rock fashion, whilst there’s more than a little Weezer to both ‘The Male Gaze’ and ‘The Real Meaning of Christmas’.There’s misses to go with the hits, too – ‘How to Spot a Record Company’ has its vicious message blunted by its droning, directionless sound – but it’s still a joy to hear one of the country’s most acerbic songwriters on something close to top form.
Miracle Mercury (Planet Mu) By Mandy Drake. In stores Oct 21
04/10
Miracle’s debut album, inspired, its two creators say, by 1987 vampire movie The Lost Boys, consists of eight overtly gothic synth pop numbers and one 10-minute end credit instrumental made up of a bossa nova beat and foggy chords.You’ll be begging for the latter within three tracks of the former. ‘Mercury’ gets off to an attention-snatching start. It’s resolutely retro, but ‘Good Love’ shares the same noir-ish danger of leather cap Depeche Mode. ‘Something Is Wrong’ then pulls in a bit of Fleetwood Mac, which somehow works amongst the dry ice, but it features a chorus that conjures up the ’80s one big dank afternoon, which grounds the track but also siphons out any potential joy. Everything that follows falls somewhere between the two, eventually suffering from the album’s single pace, overly long songs and a vampiric vocal cry that’s long had its day. It just goes on, and where The Lost Boys essentially dines out on nostalgia in 2013, ‘Mercury’ is largely beyond the benefit of the doubt.
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