tomski's music reviews

The Walkmen, The Head & The Heart - Birmingham Glee Club

2011-02-04T17:48:00.002Z

Comedy clubs like the Glee make for surprisingly good music venues, offering an intimacy you don’t get at your local corporate-sponsored concert hall. So it proves tonight, with support act The Head And The Heart quickly winning over the crowd with their energetic performance and sweet harmonies. Their tunes bring to mind a more Americana-influenced Arcade Fire, and having recently signed to Sub Pop, they could be ones to watch.

The Walkmen are a very unassuming bunch, engaging in very little crowd interaction at all. Some might tag them as aloof, but they simply let their performance do the talking for them. And when they really up the intensity, as on the raucous ‘Angela Surf City’, it’s hard to deny the power they possess. Frontman Hamilton Leithauser wrestles with the mic stand as if it insulted him personally, and sings every line as if it’s his last.

They are equally capable of sweet, delicate melody too, as shown on new album cut ‘While I Shovel The Snow’, a tune that holds the crowd in rapt silence. It’s a fairly mature crowd in attendance, and every song is given hushed respect during and big ovations after. The crowd get lively in the encore as the band roll out stone-cold classic ‘The Rat’, but the simple fact is the don’t really have to. The strength of latest album Lisbon, as demonstrated by the tunes played tonight, shows how The Walkmen have grown into a mature, thinking-man’s indie outfit.

Amplifier - The Octopus

2011-02-04T17:45:00.001Z

Amplifier are clearly not a band for whom half-heartedness will do. This double album can only be described as a labour of love for the band, coming over four years after last record The Insider. Around the time of their debut album, Amplifier were seen as kindred spirits of bands like Muse and My Vitriol: ambition heavy space rock for teenage rocker kids to get stoned to. While Muse pointed their spaceship towards the big football stadium in the sky and My Vitriol disappeared, Amplifier kept on making the epic, overblown music they enjoy, with no concession to fashion or fad.

The Octopus is made up of 16 tracks and clocks in at a solid 2 hours, and the kitchen sink has most definitely been left in along with anything else the band could find. Following the Floyd-like opening sound collage of The Runner, this album is a stream of riff upon galaxy-sized riff. Interglacial Spell bases itself on a lurching, militarised rhythm, and The Wave has a surprisingly poppy, finger-clicking chorus section that breaks up the bombast nicely.

Let’s face it, the band isn’t going to shrug off the “prog” tag with a double album, but the songs themselves fit this description easily. Lyrically, Balamir ticks all the space rock boxes, taking trips to ‘distant suns’ and calling on ‘masters of the universe’. It is all a bit Dungeons & Dragons, but suits the musical pomposity well.

The title track shifts from doomy atmospherics into yet more crunching riffage. The old clichés about double albums being too big to digest in one go do hold true here, especially when some tracks push easily towards and past the ten- minute mark. The brilliantly titled Trading Dark Matter On The Stock Exchange fails to live up to its name, being directionless and excessive despite the mass over-indulgence that surrounds it.

The second disc isn’t quite as memorable as the first, with the possible exception of the energetic, strong melodies of Golden Ratio, but the most impressive thing about this record is its depth. Yes it is huge, seemingly impenetrable at first, but break this album down and you will find much to enjoy here.

3.5/5

Esben and the Witch - Violet Cries

2011-01-24T17:15:00.002Z

Having been touted as a promising new prospect for a good while now, it seems that the release of a new record and the turn into a new year have seen the indie press decide that Esben and the Witch are due for a big breakthrough in 2011. The magnitude of that breakthrough may not be as huge as our dear NME friends are predicting however, as this is a bleak, cavernous record with little light to temper the shade.

Frontwoman Rachel Davies’s voice bears some resemblance to that of Juanita Stein from goth-poppers Howling Bells – although the Esben & The Witch sound is altogether more menacing. It would seem that Portishead’s brilliant Third LP has been a big influence on Esben, the hypnotic arrangements of Beth Gibbons and co. being well mined for inspiration here. Opener Argyria is a fine example of what the band are capable of, growing steadily from delicately plucked guitar into a hail of noise and Davies’ haunted howl.

The record is full of hypnosis-inducing melody and repetition, occasionally recalling the post-rock textures of Mogwai or Explosions In The Sky with an extra helping of gothic darkness. Light Streams encapsulates the band’s sound well, gradually building into a soporific crescendo before a closing section where Davies, almost a cappella, wails “We’ll cut the sun from it’s moorings” as if the world is about to end.

The disappointing fact about the record is that it rarely rises from its hazy stupor and injects some energy into proceedings. When it does, as on the sudden dancefloor ending of Eumenides, it is genuinely exciting. A shame then, that the band couldn’t introduce more variety through the rest of this debut.

3/5

Iron and Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

2011-01-20T21:21:00.001Z

Sam Beam’s fourth album as Iron & Wine continues the expansion of sonic exploration that began on 2007’s excellent LP The Shepherd’s Dog. That album saw Beam add elements of reggae and psychedelia to his understated, pastoral melodies. This new record throws more influences into the Iron & Wine musical cauldron, with snatches of classic 70s radio rock, funk and electronica all complementing some of the strongest melodies Beam has put together yet.

Opener Walking Far From Home is genuinely stunning; various sonic textures shifting under Beam’s endless stream of often-bleak imagery. The song defies any kind of genre–referencing, and its climax confirms the otherworldliness of the song’s mood. Tree By The River is more typical in feel, built on layers of glorious harmonies and gently strummed guitar. The hook comes as instantly as the song kicks in, and will remain wedged in your head forever after hearing it.

Beam has been quoted as saying this album is “like the music people heard in their parent’s car growing up… that early-to-mid-’70s FM, radio-friendly music." Tree By The River backs this statement up well, as does the lush Half Moon, which features some gorgeous female doo-wop backing vocals and an effortlessly blissful atmosphere.

But there is contrast to be found here, such as on the funky, saxophone-laden Big Burned Hand and the bizarre sound collage of Rabbit Will Run. The latter features frequent shifts of feel, with everything from birdcall samples to tribal xylophones and a jazz-influenced ending. Closer Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me sees the saxophones come back again, before breaking down into a mantra-like coda that gradually grows into a thrilling cacophony.

The two tracks that bookend this record are great examples of Sam Beam’s songwriting at its best. Both eschew traditional structure and feel, forgoing choruses and focusing on the development of Beam’s lyrical imagery. He can write a great hook, as he demonstrates elsewhere on this great record, and it’s hard to think of anyone else out there capable of writing such stunningly conceived and poetic songs.

4.5/5

2010 -In Review

2010-12-20T17:01:00.004Z

Thought I'd wrap things up for this year with a big post about all the recent musical goings on and maybe a bit about what I'm looking forward to in 2011.

Back at the start of the year, Wilco announced their Solid Sound Festival and I was obviously excited at the prospect of a festival curated by such a great band. The fact it was held somewhere obscure in Massachussets scuppered my chances of going, but I didn't notice any names that stood out from the other bands on the bill. So imagine my surpise on getting to hear Avi Buffalo, a young, prodigiously talented band, throw up my album of the year. It's a fantastic record, full of great melody, brilliantly nervous lyrics and the odd blast of quality musicianship.

The new Oceansize record was probably what I was looking forward to most this year, and I wasn't disappointed. Self Preserved... was hardly what I expected, but was stunning throughout, mixing the band's trademark heaviness with a improved sense of variety and depth to their writing. Depth is certainly what Joanna Newsom's Have One On Me offered, three discs of her bewitching folk allowing her to really explore her sound and throw in elements of jazz, blues and all sorts into her musical cauldron.

Special mentions go to The Walkmen and Laura Marling for the maturity of their records released this year, both of whom seem to have moved up a level in the confidence and quality of their songwriting. Arcade Fire and The National have deservedly ruled the indie airwaves this year with two stadium-sized records that for once justify the term.

Here's my top 10 list for this year, filled up by quality records by ex-Aereogramme crew The Unwinding Hours, new folk hero Villagers and Icelandic mellowness queens Amiina.

Albums of the year

1. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
2. Oceansize - Self Preserved While The Bodies Float Up
3. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
4. The Walkmen - Lisbon
5. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
6. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
7. The National - High Violet
8. The Unwinding Hours - The Unwinding Hours
9. Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
10. Amiina - Puzzle

Live music has had a great year too, and there have been a few real highlights for me. Thom Yorke's solo show in Cambridge in February this year was truly incredible mixing tracks from his solo record with rare Radiohead classics and even a generous helping of new material. Whether or not this ends up on the upcoming Radiohead record remains to be seen, but I was blown away in particular by a track called Give Up The Ghost. A simple, rhythmic guitar part layered with Yorke's harmonies, it sounded like an instant classic. Fingers crossed for that one to be released soon.

Elsewhere, Oceansize continued to prove themselves one of the best live bands around, blending sledgehammer heaviness with delicate melody and even giant singalong moments. At the other end of the scale, Joanna Newsom's performance in the classical setting of Birmingham's Symphony Hall was a rare treat.

Wilco continue to be a thrilling live prospect, layering their folk-rock in layers of noise and thrilling guitar work from Nels Cline. I was also lucky enough to see frontman Jeff Tweedy play a spine-tingling solo set in the beautiful Union Chapel in London, baring the quality of his songs completely to a rapt audience.

Arcade Fire gave a brilliant performance in Birmingham's horrid, cavernous LG Arena, relying on little more than raw energy and a feeling of us-against-them community. There's not much better than 15,000 people shouting the melody of Wake Up at the top of their lungs.

Gigs of the Year

1. Thom Yorke - Cambridge Corn Exchange
2. Oceansize - Birmingham Academy
3. Wilco - Royal Festival Hall London / Jeff Tweedy - Islington Union Chapel
4. Arcade Fire - LG Arena Birmingham
5. Joanna Newsom - Birmingham Symphony Hall

2011?

I'm very much looking forward to new records from Mogwai, Laura Marling, Rival Schools, Iron and Wine (whose new single Walking Far From Home has stolen in last minute to take Song of the Year), and Young Legionnaire. The latter in particular sounds very exciting, featuring yourcodenameis:milo frontman Paul Mullen getting back to what he does best with some scuzzy, riff heavy rock.

The possibility of new music from Wilco, Radiohead and The Invisible are all also filling me with anticipation for next year. So here's hoping they don't keep us waiting too long.

Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home

2010-12-16T17:49:00.002Z

Sam Beam’s last album as Iron & Wine, 2007’s The Shepherd’s Dog, marked him out as much more than just a folk singer with a guitar. That album wrapped abstract, epic lyrics around a varied musical backdrop that took in elements of Americana, R’n’B and even reggae to elevate their rustic feel to something greater. But on this first cut from new LP Kiss Each Other Clean, Beam has truly excelled himself.

You can listen to this song a couple of ways. Firstly you can be caught up by the swirling, synth-heavy carpet of sound that Beam lays his words on, with elements of dub reggae, ghostly harmonies and a climax that sends the listener into a blissful, weightless state. Or you can be stunned by the images Beam conjures with his lyrics – “I saw blood and a bit of it was mine, I saw children in a river, but their lips were still dry, lips were still dry”.

However you choose to listen to this track, its hard not to be utterly blown away by the quality of Beam’s writing, each verse (there are no choruses) sounding like a mantra being beamed down from on high. I have a sneaky suspicion that Kiss Each Other Clean is going to be one of the albums of 2011.

Dan Mangan - Nice Nice, Very Nice

2010-12-16T17:48:00.001Z

Canadian Dan Mangan released this record last year in his homeland, and now finds himself spreading his wings across the pond. Signed to Arts & Crafts, the label home to Feist and her Broken Social Scene buddies, Mangan shares some key features with these crafters of high quality skewed pop. Throw in Mangan’s weathered, lived-in voice and you have a strong combination of chest-beating passion and fun, energetic songwriting.

Opener Road Regrets does what it says on its title’s tin really, but is none the worse for it as it mixes stories of tour van life with pining for people at home. Sold adds some southern-fried country feel to proceedings, with some train-track drums and some cool jazzy bass which has a faintly Gallic feel to it. Et Les Mots Croises may have a Gallic name, but is altogether more downtrodden in mood, showing a good contrast to Mangan’s writing.

Penultimate track Basket shares this feel, but ramps up the intensity in its second half, Mangan spitting his words out in a vitriolic stream of consciousness before ending with a pleading whisper. It’s a brilliantly performed song that, despite occasionally clunky lyric, stands as a great example of the power that one bloke and a guitar still hold. Robots has a great woozy, sea shanty feel to it that culminates in a ridiculous but fun singalong of “Robots need love too, they want to be loved by you”.

This album is all about contrasts – between the serious and daft, passionate and light hearted. With that in mind, I reckon Mangan could find a perfect gap in the singer-songwriter arena somewhere between Frank Turner and Villagers.

Weezer - Pinkerton Reissue

2010-12-16T17:46:00.001Z

Given the fairly steady decline in the quality of their recorded output since 2001’s Green Album, most Weezer fans probably flip a coin between their debut Blue album and Pinkerton to decide on their favourite Weezer record. Pinkerton is clearly a landmark record in the band’s career – following the multi-platinum success of their debut was always going to be difficult and the album’s comparative commercial failure sent the band into a long hiatus. Frontman Rivers Cuomo even grew to hate the record, probably due to the initial reaction of record buyers and critics.

It seems his feelings to the album have cooled a lot however, as the band are embarking on a tour playing both Pinkerton and its predecessor in full. Listening to these songs, it’s striking how ageless they sound, laden with hooks and punkish drive. The only real obvious difference between this record and the Blue album is the darker feel of the lyrics – but even then songs like The Good Life and El Scorcho are still full of dumb teenage jokes and cringeworthy stories of doomed relationships.

This reissue tacks on 25 more tracks, a mix of unreleased tracks, B-sides, live tracks and acoustic versions. The unreleased material follows the darker feel of the record itself, I Swear It’s True is a frustrated riff heavy sludge, You Wont Get With Me Tonight a garage-punk thrasher topped with a Cuomo vocal that manages to sound desperate despite fending off a girl’s advances. Long Time Sunshine is a plodding piano led track, notable only for the use of the Why Bother chorus in its bizarre vocal harmony coda. Best is saved for last however, with the lengthy Tragic Girl, which contains more twists and turns in its arrangement than most of the other non-album material here.

Most of the acoustic tracks sound like they were recorded in front of an enthusiastic and possibly drunk group of teenagers, yelping with delight as the band belt out the “I’m dumb, she’s a lesbian” refrain of Pink Triangle. The stripped down feel really illuminates the quality of Cuomo’s writing, showing how tightly worked his melodies and arrangements are, even with the daft harmonies and vocal noises of El Scorcho. Three live tracks are taken from the band’s set at the 1996 Reading Festival, presented in all their muddy glory. Why Bother is particularly energetic, and the 5th (!) version of Pink Triangle on the reissue is probably the best. But here lies my gripe with this reissue.

Why are there so many versions of the same songs on here? As well as 5 Pink Triangle versions, there are 3 live recordings of El Scorcho and 3 acoustic versions of The Good Life, which really aren’t all that different. It’s a bit of a cliché to say that these reissues are for purists, but I cant imagine there are many Weezer fans out there desperate to hear so many near identical versions of songs they’ve known and loved for nearly 15 years now. As great an album as Pinkerton is, this reissue is let down a little by repetition.

Stornoway, Foxes - Birmingham Institute - November 2010

2010-12-16T17:39:00.003Z

This was my first visit to the old Sanctuary venue since HMV bought it out and rebranded it as the Institute, and they appear to have done their best to spruce things up a bit. Trouble is, the downstairs room for tonight’s gig has had two bars added almost right in front of the stage, meaning the place is so cramped trying to get from one side of the venue to the other led to unintentionally violating the people you moved past. Also, there are TV screens above the stage with the venue name on them – WHY?!? We’re already in their venue, must they continue their ceaseless advertising?

Opening band Foxes! were given a good reception from the crowd, who were taken in by the numerous interesting tangents laid through their songs. Their set was packed with energetic, upbeat tunes shot through with sweet boy/girl harmony and shards of electronics. Their closing song in particular was a multi-part epic which verged on prog – but about as far away from the awful prog your old man listens to.
They also deserve special mention for crowbarring the line “my dog got anal cancer” into a bright, joyful pop song.

Stornoway are clearly a band on the cusp of something big – despite technical problems causing them to be late on stage, the crowd seem entirely unfussed at having to wait. Every track from their debut record “Beachcomber’s Windowsill” is met with cheers and big singalongs, and the crowd seem universally delighted to see their heroes.

The band’s violinist kicks off proceedings with a dramatic looped introduction, and the rest of the band hit the stage to a huge reception. Aswell as their violinist, the live band includes a trumpet player and all six thump away at various percussion instruments, and all their tunes are driven along by their energetic, inventive rhythm section. They aren’t helped by a stodgy sound mix, but these elements add decoration to what are fairly workmanlike songs.

The band also show some eccentric touches – throwing a load of spoons on the floor, sawing a block of wood for no apparent audible reason and even switching on a TV during a song. That said, frontman Brian Briggs brings the crowd to a rapt silence during the solo “November Song” with a strong vocal over delicate acoustic guitar. They also show they are capable of noisy urgency with “On The Rocks”, easily the song of the night, building from edgy, nervous guitar to a thrillingly powerful climax.

It seems that now is the time to catch them on their current tour – its unlikely that you’ll get to see them in venues this sort of size again.

Photos by Mark Salmon - http://www.mrksalmon.co.uk/

Motorifik - Secret Things

2010-12-16T17:37:00.001Z

Phil Kay, mainman for Mancunian experimentalists Working For A Nuclear Free City, is obviously not content with releasing one album of restlessly inventive electronic pop in a year. Teaming up with French songwriter Idrisse Khelfi, Kay quickly follows up WFANFC’s Jojo Burger Tempest record with this new side project.

Kay has cited a strange reference point as being an influence on this album – Nas’ Illmatic, a staple of mid 90’s rap that Kay claims he was “struck by how concise it was. It forced me to cut our album down to its essence – a sort of twisted cinematic pop record.”

While there isn’t any obvious gritty hip-hop influence here, Kay hits the nail on the head with his description of Motorifik’s sound. Like fellow Mancs Engineers, Motorifik deal in big, towering melody and melancholy. But what separates this album is the contrast between moodiness and sudden about turns in style and atmosphere. This is most obvious on the short instrumental A Vision, which is 100 seconds of surfy guitar and energetic beats that breaks up the more expansive tracks nicely.

The Cause is irresistible power-pop , sounding not unlike Doves’ Black and White Town, with a Motown rhythm section and some excellent movie score string melodies. Opener Secret Things is driven by urgent guitar and big, wall of sound percussion straight from the Spector school of production. Another “interlude” track, Nameless Colour, is reminiscent of Radiohead’s Faust Arp, but with a much more optimistic feel to Kay’s vocal, while penultimate track Sleep Forever has a lush summery feel which contrasts nicely with the chorus lyric – “I wish I could, wish I could sleep forever.”

These songs are more direct than those of Kay’s day job band, but nothing is lost – in fact, this brevity helps the quality of the songs shine through throughout this record. Here’s hoping Kay and Khelfi find more time away from their main projects to work together – it’s a partnership that bears some very interesting fruit indeed.

Surf City - Kudos

2010-12-16T17:36:00.001Z

When did surfing get so lazy? Back in the 50s and 60s, surf music was all about riotous energy and simple, memorable upbeat tunes from people like Dick Dale and the Surfaris. Now though, it seems surfers are more content listening to hazy, repetitive records drenched in reverb and weed smoke, probably spending more time lying horizontally on their boards than trying to actually catch a wave on them. It seems modern surf bands have spent more time listening to Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine than The Beach Boys.

These influences are pretty obvious throughout this record from New Zealanders Surf City, as almost every track is coated in a bleary, fuzzed up production and laid on top of persistent motorik beats. The guitars are pushed front and centre, but leave no real room for any of frontman Davin Stoddard’s vocal melodies to shine through. One of the few that stick is on the lengthy Icy Lakes, but mainly that’s because the guitars repeat the chorus line over and over for much of the song’s 7 minutes.

The mellower tracks, such as Yakuza Park fare slightly better, the blissed out dreaminess of the production suiting the more relaxed tempos used here. It would be interesting to see how strong these songs are if they were stripped back, peeling off the layers and layers of effects and reverb might reveal some interesting ideas. Penultimate track CIA shows the band can add a bit of gonzo punk energy, but it comes a little too late to save this disappointing effort. Wanna go surfing? Nah, think I’ll leave it thanks, sounds a bit dull.

1/5

Amiina - Puzzle

2010-12-16T17:34:00.004Z

The cover of Amiina’s debut album, 2007’s Kurr, gave journos everywhere a perfect metaphor for their music. The sleeve shows the four members of the band sat with needles, knitting a giant scarf, much in the way their music weaved together gently, creating a soothing, warming feeling for the listener. Having spent much of the last decade as Sigur Ros’ string section, the inevitable comparisons are going to be made. But, having added a drummer and “electronic artist” to the band, Amiina are clearly trying to step out from the shadow of their fellow countrymen.

From the opening digital twinkles of Ásinn, it’s clear that while much has changed about Amiina’s musical texture, the feeling their music creates is much the same. I saw the band play as both string section and support act to Sigur Ros on the tour around 5 years ago, and the four girls played around a huge table laden with all sorts of instruments – wine glasses, glockenspiels, toy pianos, laptops and even a musical saw. Many of those elements have been retained, but the addition of further electronic layers and live drums have anchored the band’s weightless melodies.

Another first is the use of English lyrics, as on the free download taster track Over and Again, and on the gorgeous What Are We Waiting For? The latter weaves a simple folksy melody over glockenspiel and delicate strings, before some urgent, drumming pushes the whole thing skyward. Title track Púsl (In Icelandic!) is more of a slow burner, gradually unfurling over 6 minutes with a glitchy carpet of electronics building around lush, interweaving melody.

But one really interesting point occurs on the albums’ other lengthy instrumental, Sicsak. The tune features an undercurrent of tension, even menace that we haven’t heard from Amiina before. It sounds not unlike something from Portishead’s Third album, and you can easily close your eyes and imagine Beth Gibbons’ withered, witchy vocals over the top of the eerie atmospherics Amiina create. It’s closing minutes are especially thrilling, as the drums again push the piece to a conclusion that could almost be described as heavy.

This album really deserves to see Amiina get more recognition, and one hopes the constant Sigur comparisons may one day escape them. They show enough variety between the light and shade on this to do so.

4.5/5

Engineers - In Praise Of More

2010-12-16T17:31:00.003Z

Engineers had a promising career stalled somewhat by record label problems – their first self-titled LP was released in 2004 around the same time bands like Doves and Elbow were taking big steps in earnest, orchestral rock. But Engineers were unable to keep any momentum in their career going, not releasing second album Three Fact Fader until July last year.

So it’s no surprise to see that album followed hot on its heels by new record In Praise Of More. Surprisingly the band have also gone through line up changes over this short period, most notably in the shape of German electronic artist Ulrich Schnauss joining the band on keyboards.

Engineers have always operated towards the more laid back end of the spectrum, often having the dreaded “shoegaze” term thrown at them. In fact staring at your feet is probably the least appropriate position to listen to this album – lying down staring at the stars would suit tunes like the lush Las Vega and stately instrumental Nach Hause much better.

It’s rare that the band shift above anything other than mid tempo, and when they do add a bit of momentum the tunes still feel hazy and horizontal, as on surefire single Press Rewind with its solid hook and fuzzed up bass. Schnauss makes his presence most felt on tunes like To An Evergreen, adding layers of electronics and some lazily euphoric synths.

This is a diverting, interesting record, unlikely to see the band radically change their status as a cult concern. Given the energy levels displayed by the band’s music, they’re probably not that fussed by that.

3.5/5

Joanna Newsom - Symphony Hall Birmingham September 2010

2010-12-16T17:30:00.000Z

t’s hard to imagine Joanna Newsom as being immodest, but halfway through 'Good Intentions Paving Co.' she sings the line “Right here at the top of my game” and, on the basis of tonight’s performance, you’d be hard pushed to disagree with her. For an hour and a half she casts a spell over the ornate and stuffy surroundings of Birmingham’s Symphony Hall with her twisting, complex but consistently beautiful songwriting.

Newsom is a good fit for this kind of venue, given the (for want of a better word) classical features of her music. It’s hard to classify tunes like 'Have One On Me' or the stunning 'Emily' as songs – these are pieces, performed by stunningly talented musicians to an audience in rapt silence throughout.

The reduced arrangements are spread between percussion, two string players, trombone and a variety of exotic guitars and are meticulously realised. On record, Newsom’s songs are swathed in vast everything-and-the-kitchen-sink arrangements, especially those on 2006’s 'Ys' album. Here, Newsom is often left with either her harp or piano and that keening, mannered yet strangely angelic voice. The other musicians dive gracefully in and out of the songs, especially on encore 'Baby Birch', it’s stately and choral opening shattered by shards of electric guitar.

The set leans heavily on Newsom’s recent triple disc megalith of an album 'Have One On Me', and the songs performed tonight belie some new influences to Newsom’s sound. Album opener 'Easy' lays a Kate Bush style vocal melody over a deceptively jazzy beat, while 'Good Intentions Paving Co.' could in lesser hands be turned into a full on country hoedown. Here the opening driving rhythm is broken by a lush, mellow middle section, before climbing back through the gears into a neat, improvised trombone-led breakdown.

As Newsom leaves the stage, a wide-eyed childish grin on her face, she gives the impression of being genuinely thrilled at the standing ovation she deservedly receives. It’s incredibly refreshing to see someone making highbrow music seem so down to earth and excited at the thrill of performing.

Oceansize - Self Preserved While The Bodies Float Up

2010-09-10T12:48:00.002+01:00

Oceansize have been one of the most innovative and singular bands in the UK for some time now, rarely making concession to fashion or passing musical fads. Since their debut, 2003's Effloresce, they have created varied records that veer from riff heavy brutality to delicate post-rock textures to skyscraping melody, often in the course of a single tune. 2007's Frames saw the band push these textures to extremes, creating some epic compositions that were more classically concieved pieces of music than mere rock songs.

It seems with this new record however, that the band have decided that brevity can be a positive factor in their songwriting, and prog fans may be disappointed by some of the song lengths. Fear not though, for there is no lack of creativity to be found here, as tracks like Superimposer and Build Us A Rocket Then... career through ideas at lightning speed. Opener Part Cardiac is a thrilling yet misleading introduction to the album, with its slow tempo and thunderous detuned riffing proving misleading to the mood of the rest of the record.

The middle section of the record sees Oceansize expand further on the mellower textures explored on their recent Home & Minor EP, with A Penny's Weight and Ransoms being a much more restrained and allowing for space and ambience in the band's sound. Silent/Transparent crosses the 8 minute mark, with a huge crescendo following on from some lush melodies from singer Mike Vennart. Drummer Mark Heron also deserves special mention for his work throughout the album, bringing incredible technicality to the heavier tunes while even introducing some jazz-influenced ideas to the more sparse tracks such as eerie closer Superimposter.

It's My Tail shifts the mood again, its short sharp shock of mountainous chords providing another dynamic change, helped along by a shouty cameo from Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil. But the centrepiece of the record is the epic Oscar Acceptance Speech. The early sections recall Mew at their most melodious, Vennart adopting a falsetto that suits his voice well. The track shifts through the gears, to a powerful middle section with myriad harmonies and voices crossing over before a lush 3 minute string coda that floats the listener down to earth again gently. A truly stunning piece of work.

Many are claiming this will be the record that pushes Oceansize into the wider public consciousness, and there are few bands who deserve recognition more. But for my money, this is purely the sound of a band continuing to explore their sound, and this record sees them move into exciting new musical territories in an absorbing and affecting way.

10/10

Charlie Barnes - Geekk

2010-09-05T19:55:00.011+01:00

Charlie Barnes' Myspace page gives an interesting method of answering the age old 'influences' question - giving recipe instructions on how to "build your very own Charlie Barnes". Giving ingredients such as a pinch of powdered Sigur Ros and 500g of Thom Yorke, it gives people new to Charlie's music a long list of reference points to compare him to. The fact that this album is in no way weakened by comparison to these names is testament to the quality and ambition of Barnes' songs.

Opening with the twinkling intro of A City Built and flowing straight into first song proper Architects, the first thing that is clear is how unafraid of Barnes is of letting his ideas breathe and develop naturally. Despite the layers of electronics on this first tune, it still feels very organic as Barnes paints an image of building a city by "painting roadmaps with your fingers". Continuing with the organic theme, Bedroom is built on layers of beatboxing and harmonising, creating a lush backdrop to his elaborate lead vocal.

The title track uses some neat changes of tempo, embellishing the deceptively simple tune at its heart. Snakes, Ladders & Aeroplanes is perhaps the most intense moment on the record, its climax seeing Barnes pretty close to busting his lungs to get his message across. Throughout the album the kitchen sink is most definitely thrown in, with barely any song going without some epic strings or layers of electronics, and with the possible exception of the slightly overwrought Bluebell, the combinations of texture always work well. Closer Final Call bucks this trend nicely, leaving its delicate tune gorgeously sparse, particularly near its end as Barnes implores us to "Just let me fly today".

This is an incredibly accomplished and ambitious first album, and one hopes Barnes continues to develop his songwriting and fulfil the ambition shown on this wonderfully assured debut.

8.5/10

http://www.charliebarnesmusic.co.uk/

The Walkmen - Lisbon

2010-08-31T12:04:00.004+01:00

Since their breakout 2004 album Bows & Arrows, with it's classic singles The Rat and Little House Of Savages, The Walkmen have been a pretty staunch 'album' band. Last album You & Me had very few tunes that stood out as singles, but instead saw the band craft a record more musically settled than their early work. The album showed a leap in maturity and songwriting that saw The Walkmen have their name mentioned as filling a gap left by disappointing recent work from bands like Interpol and The Strokes.

In comparison with You & Me, new album Lisbon continues in this same vein, albeit with a noticeable increase in energy and power on tracks like Angela Surf City and Woe Is Me. But married to this are a fine selection of laid back tunes, many of which are augmented by some gorgeous horn arrangements. Stranded in particular is a standout, with one of frontman Hamilton Leithauser's strongest vocal performances to date.

Juveniles opens the record with a jaunty guitar riff and a upbeat lyric from Leithauser - “I am a good man/by any count/And I see better things to come". One of the most impressive things about the record is the band maintain this optimism throughout the record, in terms of the lyrical content and the less world-weary feel of the music. Victory is a great example of this - the band pummel away at their instruments, creating a celebratory, raucous noise in the chorus as Leithauser screams "Victory should be mine" at the top of his lungs.

This really is a fine record, and will likely make a lot of indie fan's album of the year lists, but whether it is likely to expand The Walkmen's fanbase is somewhat unlikely. Not necessarily a bad thing, but these are songs that deserve to be heard by a wider audience.

9/10

Eels - Tomorrow Morning

2010-08-26T14:41:00.003+01:00

Mark "E" Everett has had a pretty tough life. Anyone who read his 2006 autobiography Things The Grandchildren Should Know can attest to that.

Tomorrow Morning completes a trilogy of Eels records that started with the "12 songs of desire" of last year's Hombre Lobo and continued with this year's End Times, which was focused on the cheery subject of loss. End Times, in particular was a pretty difficult album to live with due to its subject matter, but to describe it as "misanthropic and boring" is pretty harsh for someone who's been through what Everett has (I'm looking at you Pitchfork).

So the focus for this new record? Redemption. And it's pretty clear thar Everett's life is on the upswing at the moment, as he screams "My baby LOVES me!!!" on the song of the same name. What I Have To Offer sees him listing a few of his better attributes to a prospective partner, somehow managing to still sound careworn while singing "For all the wear and tear, I look OK, I got good manners and I make a good pay".

This Is Where It Gets Good, at 6 minutes, stands as the centrepiece of the record. It pulls together a lot of the musical waypoints of the album - programmed drums, ornate strings, mellow electric piano, all pulled together by E's worn out husk of a voice. The final 4 minutes of the song are instrumental, the electronic drums building up and deconstructing repeatedly, as if to represent E trying to pick himself up but failing and trying again and again.

There's a fantastic childishness to the way Everett writes, throwing in different styles all over the record - delicate instrumental interludes (After The Earthquake), 8 bit electronica (Baby Loves Me), even gospel (Looking Up). The record doesn't quite hit the heights of his previous work (Beautiful Freak, the glorious double album Blinking Lights) but completes a trilogy that sees Everett stand at a new crossroads in his musical career. Where will he take himself next?

7/10

Mogwai - Special Moves

2010-08-23T16:56:00.008+01:00

Ah, the live album. So many classics exist in this particular field that many modern bands have struggled to put together live albums that do their work justice. And when I say classics, we're talking mostly in terms of "classic" rock as well - Nirvana's Unplugged, Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous etc. etc. A few modern bands have taken them on, notably My Morning Jacket with their epic Okonokos set and Sigur Ros with the film related Hvarf/Heim album, but it would be a stretch to place these albums as "essential" releases.

Mogwai also fit this release to a live film, entitled Burning, but have elected instead to select a different tracklist for the CD release. Hardly surprising, for a band so centred on making albums in this modern patienceless musical landscape. On a full listen, the most obvious thing is the sense of progression the band have clearly aimed for through the course of the record. Opening with the slow burning double of I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead and Friend Of The Night, and shifting through the gears to culminate in the punishing one-two of Like Herod and a pummeling version of Glasgow Mega-Snake, this release could serve as a gentle introduction to a new listener, saving the harsher material for the end of the LP.

It's interesting to note the fact that the last Mogwai album, The Hawk Is Howling, was their first entirely instrumental effort. The few songs here which do feature vocals, such as the gorgeous, robotic melodies on Hunted By A Freak, are some of the strongest efforts in Mogwai's catalogue. Mogwai are also constantly accused of being that "quiet - loud -quiet -loud" band, but the glorious epics 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong and Mogwai Fear Satan rely solely on their simple, gliding tunes instead of constant shifts in dynamics.

These are some of the strongest versions of Mogwai's songs heard to date, especially compared to the Government Commissions set released a few years back, mainly as that was a straightforward collection of session tracks. When compiled with such care and recorded to capture the band in full live flow, this ranks as a strong demonstration of a band at the height of their live powers.

9/10

Young Legionnaire - Colossus single

2010-08-23T09:57:00.005+01:00

As with most side project bands, every mention of this band is going to cover the members' day jobs first, so here goes - Paul Mullen (yourcodenameis:milo, The Automatic) has teamed up with Gordon Moakes (Bloc Party) to put together a straight-up, three piece riff heavy outfit. Completed by La Roux/Brontide drummer William Bowerman, the band have just released their first single on Holy Roar records, Colossus.

Opening with a muted guitar intro, Colossus explodes into life with Mullen screaming "Hope is all I've got now' as if his life depended on it. The tune crashes through riff after riff, thundering towards a frantic, galloping climax. B-side Iron Dream shows more range to the bands' sound, melding atmospherics to more full-on riffing. A seriously promising release then, promising a mix of the best of the respective members' previous work. It's especially good to see Mullen back with a band focused on a more leftfield sound.

9/10

Pennyfly Suitcase - Why Write I - EP

2010-08-20T12:46:00.003+01:00

On first viewing, German band Pennyfly Suitcase seem to be aiming to confuse with their debut EP. The release ends with a track called Intro and opens with a tune called Tekkno - which could hardly be further from techno if it tried. But neither of these points are negative - the band have created an intriguing and promising debut EP which contains enough ideas for a full LP's worth of material.

Tekkno initially puts the listener in mind of Jupiter - era Cave In, before shifting through some dark Oceansize - style atmospherics a middle section reminiscent of Mew's skyscraping melodies. Not bad reference points to pass through in one tune, but it's to the band's credit that they maintain their own identity through the piece.

There are hooks aplenty in these tunes, and a tiny criticism would be that some of the more interesting melodies are occasionally lost as the songs twist and turn through various parts. Circe's Kin ups the heaviness, with some interesting changes of direction across its 6 minute duration and the closer Intro has a gorgeous Explosions In The Sky feel with its clean, delicate guitar lines. All in all, an individual and diverting effort from Pennyfly Suitcase, who clearly demonstrate they have enough ideas to move on from their influences and continue to develop their own sound.

7/10

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

2010-08-17T15:35:00.007+01:00

After the fairly overwrought and occasionally plodding Neon Bible, it seemed that Arcade Fire had to recapture some of the musical fun and energy of their classic debut Funeral. Within seconds of The Suburbs, that energy appears to be back in spades, as the opening title track breezes in with jaunty piano and a hazy, soft focus production courtesy of Markus Dravs (Bjork, Brian Eno, Coldplay).

It sets up the wistful mood of much of the album perfectly, and is mirrored at the other end of the LP by a reprise of the song with different lyrics and a much more subdued backing. The lyrical focus of the album is centred on Win Butler's childhood in Houston, much of it being centred on negative memories. But this final track reveals how Butler really feels about that period of his life - "If I could have it back, All the time that we wasted I'd only waste it again. If I could have it back, you know I'd love to waste it again, waste it again and again and again."

Other reviews have thrown some big comparisons at this album - Neil Young, U2, Springsteen, even Blondie - but without fail, the band bring their own energy to each track - Suburban War shifts from delicate mid tempo strumalong into a thrilling fire-and-brimstone conclusion, propelled by what sounds like a massed legion of drummers. Following track Month of May injects some punkish attitude into the typical Arcade Fire sound, City with No Children is the likely root of the Springsteen comparisons and is lyrically the centre of Butler's reminiscences about his childhood. Full of engines failing, underground highways and "Millionaires quoting the sermon on the mount" this song captures the mixed feeling Butler has for his childhood perfectly, setting them against a jaunty, bass heavy and anthemic backing.

However, one new feature marks a change in feel to the band's previous work - both Half Light II and Sprawl II introduce synths to the already busy Arcade Fire sound palette. One thing particularly striking is how natural the change feels on these tracks, the new electronic elements slotting into the band's sound seamlessly and Sprawl II is particularly successful in this regard. All of the tracks sung by Regine Chassagne are given an otherworldly feel by her glacial, energetic melodies and offset Butler's occasional tendency to tilt over into preachiness.

At 16 tracks, one would think this album may be cursed by being overlong but it never feels it. The structure and sequencing of the album is incredibly well thought out, and rewards repeated listens. Not quite the classic that Funeral was, but a definite improvement on Neon Bible.

9.5/10