reviews albums
7
!!!
Thr!!!er (Warp)
‘Thr!!!er’ is !!!’s fifth full-length and it’s seen the band claim that producer Jon Eno told the band to forget their quest to recapture their famous live performances in the studio. Instead, for the first time, they went in with everything written and a greater focus. That’s not to say the funk (and fun) has been surgically removed. Far from it; you only need to listen to first single ‘Slyd’ - it sees the band creating their own ‘samples’ to act as a backdrop as Nic Offer purrs suggestively over rolling drums, and an ass-jiggling beat. That’s not all. Teresa Eggers and Molly Schnick provide sultry vocals and it even has handclaps. HIT. Elsewhere the results are more varied but almost always there’s a precision here that you couldn’t really accuse !!! of having before. When the choruses hit and the earworm hooks enter your brain is glorious. This is an album which sees the band taking new sounds and crafting songs in new ways - but sometimes to the detriment of the songs. After all, you don’t really want your favourite party band showing restraint do you? (Danny Wright)
7
Retox YPLL
(Epitaph) From second one of ‘YPLL’ it becomes apparent that Retox are as focused as they have ever been, as their scintillating no-frills punk swirls around the listener in a miasma of rage and frustration and middle-finger-up attitude. Sure, they blur the line of punk, hardcore, metal, thrash and the surrounding sphere of genres but so much more than that, they are the musical embodiment of a nihilistic and genuinely dark manifesto. Ostensibly a total headache of a record, ‘YPLL’ clocks in at just under 20 minutes and pulls you from pillar to post throughout. If you enjoy your rock n roll with a nasty strain of misanthropy shot through it, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here. (Tom Doyle)
66 thisisfakediy.co.uk
7
Marques Toliver
The Land Of CanAan
(Bella Union) Marques Toliver’s debut album ‘The Land Of CanAan’ combines inspirations from the autobiography of black abolitionist Fredrick Douglass and the Bible tale of Noah cursing his own grandchild. Unsurprisingly, then, sadness features commonly throughout. ‘CanAan’ is a sorrowful opener, Toliver’s poignant coo being swept into a flutter of frilly, antiquated orchestration, and ‘Weather Man’ channels the joyous optimism of John Legend. The mix of warmth and sorrow here sees the multi-instrumentalist finally create an accomplished and whimsical sound that we only had glimpses of in other artists’ work. (Alex Yau)
7
Seasick Steve
6
Rilo kiley
Hubcap Music (Fiction)
From the distorted fuzz of ‘Self Sufficient Man’ to the grunge of ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’ and ‘Down On The Farm’, ‘Hubcap Music’ cuts a mighty fine groove. Accentuated further by the good old-fashioned tape recording, a raw cut is given to the ripping guitars, one of which gives the album its title, having been formed out of two old hubcaps. Adding to his already thriving collection of custom-made guitars, Steve’s creativity with his instruments is testament to the fun and vigour of his playing, as he glides between the foot-stomping funk of ‘Home’ and the ragged euphoria of ‘Coast Is Clear’ so effortlessly that it’s easy to forget that he is now 72 years old. (Hannah Phillips)
Rkives
(Little Record Label) Post-mortems are never welcoming events and this compilation veers from the ridiculous (‘Dejalo’) to the quite beautiful (‘A Town Called Luckey’). But what ‘Rkives’ really does display is a band caught between indie experimentalism and the lure of stadium pomp. ‘Bury, Bury Another’ is a swirling, slide guitar driven lament which wouldn’t sound out of place on The Execution of All Things; ditto ‘Well, You Left’. It doesn’t shed any light on Rilo Kiley, there’s no standout defining track that was flippantly consigned to a b-side or the vaults. Instead, it’s a collection which provides more satisfaction than surprise. Which, for a post-mortem, is no bad thing. (Colm McAuliffe)