album reviews
GOLDFRAPP
ARCTIC MONKEYS
Tales Of Us
AM
EMI/Mute Those approaching Goldfrapp’s sixth record anticipating a comeback of the sex-drenched throb of albums Black Cherry or Supernature, or the outright dance of Head First, should probably go elsewhere. However, the fans of the English duo’s stunning debut Felt Mountain or even arguably their finest album Seventh Tree should come on in and marvel at the Goldfrapp that many fell in love with in the first place, the dream-pop merchants, if you will, that influenced the likes of Bat For Lashes and beyond. Tales Of Us brings back the uber-chilled vibe of old. Lush strings, funeral-paced arrangements and Vangelisesque, barely-there percussion are all present, but all provide only the backdrop of sorts for Alison Goldfrapp’s sublime vocal. Here she seems fuelled simultaneously with desire and regret, while her lyrical themes are often left of centre.
Domino/EMI
★★★★ On Annabel, for example, she sings of a girl trapped inside a boy’s body while Simone seems to be about finding her daughter in bed with her lover. Goldfrapp’s new jam is far from a jam, instead it is that triumphant return to the ethereal beauty of old. Abound with orchestral manoeuvres and void of anything remotely ‘radio’, Tales Of Us certainly isn’t a record to be split up and begs to be heard as a whole. In its entirety, it plays out beautifully with a majestic and cinematic aesthetic that beckons more. Goldfrapp truly are the musical gift that just keeps on giving. Ben Preece
NEKO CASE
42 • THE MUSIC • 4TH SEPTEMBER 2013
smoothly into jaunty keys and mid-tempo drums, striking that all important tension between eager and mysterious. Backing vocals are another welcome addition, like the falsetto breakdown on Knee Socks or ‘whoa whoa’s on the slow-burn One For The Road. Arctic Monkeys seemed to function on only two speeds: breakneck fast thrashing or down tempo middling, but on AM they have by and large conquered that. There’s endless charisma right through to the final torch song I Wanna Be Yours, and you can practically see Turner’s sly grin when he suggests wanting to be “your Ford Cortina, I will never rust”. Sevana Ohandjanian
Dirty Pop Fantasy Valve Records
Anti-/Warner
Early on, Night Still Comes hints at her country music early years while Man is pure guitar pop that would fit in on any New Pornographers album. It’s also where contributing guitarist M Ward’s presence is most evident. There’s a lessis-more vibe to much of the album. No song is ever more elaborate, over arranged or more instrumentally layered
The stand out factors on AM are the sounds we’ve never heard on Arctic Monkeys records before. It’s a reassuringly vibrant jolt to the system when, for the first time in their discography, piano melodies open up Snap Out Of It. The best part is that it all works; Turner’s trademark tongue-twisters blend
★★★★
REGURGITATOR
The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You It could be a conscious desire to eventually tackle every style and genre music has to offer. Or it could just be a short attention span. Whatever it is, Neko Case seems determined to never be pinned down. From country, to pop to alt. super-group The New Pornographers, Case has proven herself up for any musical challenge. And she tackles more than one here.
There are some things that are quintessentially Arctic Monkeys: Alex Turner’s Sheffieldian brogue, verbose lyricism that’s part allusion, part narrative. Since Humbug it felt as if they were stuck in a musical rut, focused on changing direction but wandering aimlessly. AM is transformative in that regard – a sharp, clever record that thumps around one’s brain with authority. Unassumingly catchy with moody sensuality oozing, AM charts the uncertainty of new romance, from the thrilling tension of mutual attraction in Do I Wanna Know? and the obvious question of R U Mine?
★★★½ than it needs to be. When nothing more than an acoustic guitar and Case’s beautiful voice get the job done, we get I’m From Nowhere. Give Case a deep drone and the sound of water droplets, and she’ll give you the first half of Where Did I Leave That Fire. Nearly Midnight Honolulu dispatches the need for instruments altogether with gorgeous a cappella harmonies. Slow and contemplative, fast and fun, quiet and brooding, The Worse Things Get… is an eclectic mix that could have spun out of control. But when reined in by Neko Case, it’s an eclectic trip well worth taking. Pete Laurie
When not out and out embracing the poppiest of pop music, the ‘Gurge has always had a knack for hiding catchy pop songs under distorted guitars, dark lyrics and the odd sprinkling of hardcore hip hop. With their latest, Regurgitator try to have it both ways. While a lot of Dirty Pop Fantasy sounds like it could be Unit: Part 2, the rest sounds like the more modern-day incarnation of Quan Yeomans and Ben Ely, heard on 2011’s SuperHappyFunTimesFriends and 2007’s Love And Paranoia. With only five of its 19 tracks breaking the three-minute barrier, Dirty Pop Fantasy never messes around in getting to the point. Mountains sees Yeomans doing his best Ian Curtis impression. So Tuff is 60 seconds of the kind of Ely simple punk rock every Regurgitator album needs, while Answering Machine is all acoustic finger-picking and almost whispered vocals with a hint of Simon & Garfunkel.
★★★½ Is the album title Regurgitator’s almost apologetic confession to indulging completely in their own retro, dirty pop weaknesses? Or is it a declaration that they know it’s dirty, they know it’s totally indulgent, and they just don’t care? The ‘Gurge made it through the ‘90s alt-Oz boom. They made it through fleeting mainstream success. They made it through wilderness years and performance art. These days, I think the band, and Dirty Pop Fantasy, can both be summed up best by album standout, We Love You!, with Yeomans declaring, “We know what you want, but we’re not gonna give it to you, ‘coz that would be easy.” Pete Laurie