CDs 2005 (2)

It's been a long time coming....but here it is at last !

[Blog mode on]

Is it me or are these CD reviews getting longer and messier ? Anyway, yeah I'm late, sorry again. This time you can blame it on holidays, some bother (I try my best but it's not always enough), partying, overworking and well, slacking. Mostly slacking actually, since when I make a promise, I normally stick to it. So yeah if I hadn't promised you the review for this week last week, maybe it wouldn't be here now! Not that I put myself under much pressure because it was nearly ready anyway. Concluding, finalising is always the hardest bit. And let's face it, July went past in a whirl. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself thinking, oh yeah, I'll get these reviews out in a couple of weeks, it'll be July 13th or something. Well we're the 29th and I can't quite believe it. So much for my 'advanced' review of the Raveonettes album, that was written about three months ago now. I thought I would write the reviews one after the other, starting early, but hey I got caught up in many things, as usual, and started to just throw ideas for the reviews here and there on the computer. So I had to come back and try to sort it all out, not the best way to do, especially if you want to avoid repeating yourself. But well, I've got one (and possibly only one) advantage over most music reviewers: my editor won't sack me, because it would simply be suicidal.

So yeah, the last three months (make it four now, I really am a month late), have seen some very bad shit, like Chelsea buying their way to Premier League Success (but we won the FA Cup), Ashley Cole throwing loyalty of the window (though he's signed a new contract now and insists he's fully committed now), MG Rover going bust (the assets have been bought by a Chinese company now, whatever that implies), various lengthy injuries for me (though I'm fit again), Bloc Party. turning from brilliant to shit in only two months, Nelson replacing British Sea Power at a gig, strained friendships, France turning anti-European (or is that a good thing?), Pete D cracking up again (Babyshambles might still turn up for Rock-en-Seine),  and now the bombings(they caught the guys from July 21st?). Nuff said, we're only halfway through and I'm already sick to death of 2005.

Except no, because I've had a very good time sometimes, there's been some brilliant gigs early June (and more generally this year), and a batch of very good records in these three months (and here I'm really saying three, because I haven't reviewed any July LP yet...), and I'm starting to get the idea that the best record this year could be one that is good from A to Z, there's been very very very few. Could be a year where there's very very many good things, but nothing to life-changing. I don't know. The jury's still out for 2005 as a whole, but in the meantime, don't give up, read the reviews and pick your favourites from your local record shop if you haven't done it yet. Yes, no doubt, there's very little sense in reviewing all these CDs months later, maybe I should change my modus operandi (or something), you tell me.

Sorry for the lack of updates on the site regarding tracks, it'll be for sometime in August, cos I think next week will just see one non-summery track, but it's not August 6th every day, so cheer up.

[Blog mode off]

Take care all.

Ollie

P.S: humble apologies for the deplorable style, It's really not up to scratch, think I forgot to keep it simple, as explained above. I don't have many excuses, since I reviewed only 22CDs instead of 30 in the first quarter apparently.

 

Melys : Life’s too short

One of the many little known John Peel-endorsed bands (this album is unsurprisingly dedicated to him), Melys, nearly ten years into their career, soldier on away from the eyes and ears of most of the buying public. This, their fourth album proper, finds them in good shape. Don’t look for any obvious singles or signs of a global, brighter career (some songs are sung in Welsh, never a help before you are established), they’re no longer even reviewed in the NME or Q. Yet, they’re still more worthy of your attention than many popular bands. There’s few surprises here (though you wouldn’t expect Melys to borrow the riff from Smoke on the Water, but they indeed do), and nothing quite extraordinary or outstandingenough to warrant a move to the big league, but after 2003’s largely disappointing Casting Pearls, this is some kind of (minor) return to form. Strange inclusion is hidden track Chinese Whispers. Strange, because it is a single from three years ago, and is already available on 2002’s enjoyable Suikerspin compilation, in a more or less identical version. OK, fair enough, that release was Dutch, where this one is UK, it’s sometimes hard to track the discography of little-known bands. But they’re still the most lovely band to have ever come from Wales, and this album’s thoroughly enjoyable. 7/10

Top Track : Skating. Suddenly you remember how sweet they could be.

Hot Hot Heat : Elevator

Now I understand, when some people said The Bravery produced the album the new Hot Hot Heat should have been. Because worryingly here, it’s at their best (You owe me an IOU/Island of the honest man) that HHH sound exactly like The Bravery, but not the Bravery’s best.... So, as a matter of fact, where I really enjoyed their previous album, this one makes me feel uninterested all throughout. Actually when an album comes with a tracklisting that counts the titles down from 15 to 1 (while track ‘1’ is still track 1, it’s just the listing that’s...oh well and there’s no track 13), it strikes me as a particularly pointless fad... So this is vacuous, and not even especially danceable. Honestly guys, you were better last time around (unless I have just moved on?), I’m not surprised your guitarist left. He must know his stuff. I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t in a very good state of mind, second listen sounds a little better when I'm paying a little more attention, but hey that’s another sign: music should draw your attention by its own merit. And I’m rather underwhelmed by this LP,  I can’t quite understand why it got rave reviews. Get The Bravery’s debut if you must, it’s the same thing, only a lot better. This is pointless. 5.5/10

Top track : Dirty Mouth. Not so irritating and with a decent bassline. It’s not too bad.

The Raveonettes : Pretty in Black

Well, the sleeve is pink obviously, it’s pretty ! Something has happened to the Raveonettes. No more albums in B flat minor/B flat major or any other unique key. No more ‘strictly under 3 minutes song/strictly under 35 minutes album’ policy(well OK they ‘ve had only two albums so far....). But even more radically : no more feedback! As a result, no more comparisons with the Jesus and Mary Chain. The sound of this stripped-down Raveonettes album is clear, laden with acoustic guitar, and acknowledges all the influences that were already hinted at behind the walls of feedback on their previous efforts. Elvis seems to be an influence (check opening track The Heavens), but at the same time it’s more distinctively scandinavian (especially when the chimes turn up on Seductress of Bums, think Magnet maybe), delicate, snowy and lovely, with a large touch of American cinematic music to enhance the lot. They clumsily try their hand at Elvis-inspired (again!) disco on Twilight(which incidentally does feature a hint of feedback, but only at a very low level in the background), there’s the Spector/East Coast influence on the aptly titled Ode to LA (where Ronnie Spector actually guests), but overall it’s a collection of quietly sung melodic treats. Oh yeah there’s the old reference to film noir etc. but I’m too illiterate to acknowledge that.

It may miss a bit of the old urgency (no Beat City or Untamed Girls here), and does seem a bit long at nearly 45 minutes despite the slow-ish pace, but you don’t feel it much at all, and this time you can’t blame them for not repeating the same formula over and over again. They produce something new here, it’s their own sound, and it’s an extremely pleasant one. 8.5/10.

Top Track : Somewhere in Texas. Would nearly make you forget that it’s where W is from. Quite simply a superb track that makes you want to go there.

The Boxer Rebellion : Exits

Does this sound slightly familiar? It only takes a track or two to hit home: are you The Cooper Temple Clause in disguise (All you do is talk, The new Heavy for the rocky side, Lay me Down for the quiet one) ? As it is, yes this is a bit (well, a lot) like TCTC first album-era, maybe slightly inferior (if only because so many years later), with hints of The Music (Never knowing how or why) or OK Computer-era Radiohead epic stuff sung by someone who sounds not unlike that bloke from Turin Brakes (We have this place surrounded,or the very quiet but beautiful World without End).

So one of these ‘can do better, not bad, but not indispensable by any means’ bands. Sure they need to find their sound, what they really want to do, so give them time. At the moment, they’re just a sum of (admittedly good) influences, with some undeniable potential. This album stands by itself if you forget the music of the last ten years (well it does get boring in the last couple of tracks, like many LPs this year), so it’s good but it’s nothing new. Next album may decide their fate. 7/10

Top track : Watermelon. Hey, it’s summer! Let’s rock ! (bloody hell, I’m really not inspired, sorry, but yeah it does rock, can you just listen to the track without me always having to comment on why ? It’s just the best track here, trust me, roight ?)

Tom Vek : We have Sound

Well I’m glad you do Tommy mate, cos me I think I’ve lost it again. But I’ve got the feeling it’s not quite the same thing we’re after.

Definitely not the ‘I get an acoustic guitar and I can play it so I’m gonna bore you to death cos I am sensitive, man!’-type, Tom Vek is a lot more eclectic, like a one-man band covering the ground between rock and electronica, but this still fails to excite me. There’s a couple of funky tracks (If You Want, A little word in your ear), but the sound is pretty much the same all throughout, slightly unusual, but very tinny and well, I don’t know, maybe he’s just another of these things like LCD Soundsystem (of which this sometimes sounds like a slightly more organic version) or maybe Beck that I don’t quite get. Maybe white funk doesn’t wash with me when it doesn’t have the word ‘punk’ in front of it ? Maybe he needs to be seen live to be enjoyed ? Anyway, the bottom line is that I find this record  boring rather than enticing. If you’re looking for a one man band with a slightly off-kilter touch but with a lot more emotion, try Merz’s eponymous album from 2000 (has someone seen my Merz T-shirt by the way ?). But I can’t give this one more than 6/10

Top track : I ain’t saying my goodbyes. Oh yeah, there’s at least one very good track. And I’m not leaving either.

Eels : Blinking lights and other revelations

Double CDs. A bit of a pain to go through generally. Most bands now, old or new, release their albums with either bonus live CD, rarities or DVD. No such thing here, it’s a real double album. And well, simply a double dose of great, soothing music.

The first time I put CD1 on, I was in a pretty shit mood, and still found it absolutely great. Not many records can turn your mood around, but this one cooled me down straight away. There’s slow, there’s faster...it’s never rocking too hard, but it’s certainly never bad.

CD1’s mood is rather downbeat, while CD2’s a lot more positive, well at least in the lyrics’ stakes (though you wouldn’t necessarily guess by looking at the song titles). And these (mostly autobiographical it’s been said) are well worth a read, which isn’t something I bother about too much normally. Musically, there’s not so much to separate the two, although paradoxically it’s CD1 that feels slightly more up-tempo, which kind of makes sense in an ‘I’ve got to fight that feeling’ way and I like it better.

Yeah, OK two CDs is long, at 90min overall, it’s quite hard to digest in one piece, but then you don’t have to. So while I ‘m very tempted to give and overall mark inferior to what each one would have got and maybe it’s what I’m doing, I still give the whole oeuvre 8/10 !

Top track : it’s not so easy to pick one out of 33 good songs, so I’m gonna be lazy-ish and pick one off each CD, but even that is a selection headache. So CD1 : Railroad man. A lovely country-tinged ballad, sat bang in the middle of the album, beautiful and sweet as a dove...about to die. One of many gems in here. CD2 : Losing streak, a more upbeat number. ‘My losing streak is done’. Hey, I told you not get confused by the titles, they’re only half the story.

The Duke Spirit : Cuts across the Land

Most expected by me. It’s been a while coming (the Roll, Spirit, Roll EP, of which track Red Weather (that closes the album) is the only one to make it to the LP, really wasreleased in 2003), but while this is not a revolution, it’s been well worth the wait.

From the first bars on (the title track sets the scenery in a suitable fashion), there’s hardly a duff moment on this album. Full-on good old rock’n’roll fronted by PJ Harvey sound-a-like Liela Moss, this has to be one of the most enjoyable records so far this year. There’s some slower moments on the album, but they’re just equally good. There’s a decent balance to this record, a fast start, a couple of slower moments (Hello to the Floor, Bottom of the Sea), and then Fades the Sun kicks in with its relentless pounding to up the rock ante again, and after that, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster to the finish line. Former single Dark is Light Enough (from a full year before) makes it as an extra track tagged along at the end of the album (it seems to be a new fashion for many bands), and still sounds as good as it ever did. Forget the King now, keep the Spirit, because the Duke rules ! 9/10

Top Track : Love is an unfamiliar name. ‘I keep on trying to reach you but you’re never the same’. The swinging rhythm on this one is just addictive and makes you want to do everything in keeping with the beat (like typing on the keyboard right now!.). How that didn’t make it to number one is just a further proof that this world is well and truly fucked up.

Maxïmo Park : A Certain Trigger

A very lazy review for this would be: Maxïmo Park ? Well, they’re just very close neighbours to The Futureheads, both geographically and musically. In a few more words, well I’m not surprised with this CD after having seen them live; I’m left with exactly the same impression, so it wasn’t just the alcohol : this album is a bit messy. Many bits of good songs, but hardly any track that’s great from start to finish. So yes again, I get the very same impression that I got from The Futureheads’ debut. Only Acrobat hints at something different, with a touch of slow Pulp (This is Hardcore-era) and some whispered lyrics.

So it’s a very promising album indeed (there’s very many good bits of songs, the chorus to Apply Some Pressure is sure to stick in your mind for a while), but there’s still someway to go for these boys to make a truly great record. 7.5/10

Top Track : Limassol, well I don’t know, it’s another of these several-songs-in-one-tracks, maybe that’s the one that startsthe best.

Art Brut : Bang Bang Rock’n’Roll

Art Brut is supposed to be quite a spontaneous thing, innit ? Well, then Eddie Argos and his band just fit the bill, with their charming and down to earth lyrics. What’s more, in a very popular vein these days, this man really can’t sing, but that’s just in keeping with the naive songs he writes. First single Formed a band naturally opens the album (sample lyric : Formed a band, we formed a band, look at us, we formed a band). And all the following tracks are just as funny (ironic?), while completely rooted in todays’s surroundings: take My little brother ('...just discovered rock’n’roll'), another addictive ditty that finishes with the plea ‘stay off the crack’ (Peter, are you listening?). Good weekend ('got myself a brand new girlfriend')/Bad weekend ('popular culture no longer applies to me'), Fight ! ('come on come on let’s have a fight !'), all these little stories are a joy to hear.

The music ? Well, just normal, simple light rock’n’roll (well, Bang bang rock’n’roll: 'I can’t stand the sound of the Velvet Underground'), kind a very indie, maybe recalling Younger Younger 28s from a few years ago if  you remember them, but the melodies and rhythm and basslines are just grand, and it's quite simply a record full of good humour. Whether a second Art Brut LP will ever be needed is a different question, but this one is certain to bring a knowing smile to your face. 8/10

Top track : Emily Kane. Another touching ode to a teenage flame.

The Magic Numbers

We’re bang in the middle of summer now, what better time to listen to a bunch of hairy hippies ? But where most of the music seems to be about happy vibes, the lyrics are definitely not about flowers, banjos and weed or any other happy claptrap sunshiny bollocks. They’re mostly tales of failed or doomed romance, but still taken very lightly and looking up to the future in a very positive way. The first 5-6 tracks on this album are indeed so good and lively that the second half seems a bit underwhelming or undercooked by comparison. As a result, the album sounds like it’s a touch too long and there’s 2-3 songs too many: Wheels on Fire, unfortunately not a Dylan cover, seems very unnecessay, Love’s a Game is a little too twee, and Trywould be a perfect album closer if only it came 3 tracks earlier. Redemption comes in the form of ‘hidden track’ and first ever single Hymn For Her. It starts all gentle and lovely; a couple of minutes later the xylophone kicks in and heaven appears, and when the drums arrive and the chorus is repeated with the full instrumentation and backing vocals, it’s pure spectral bliss. Possibly the nicest band on earth at the moment.

A few years ago I suggested Bush should drop many copies of Björk’s Vespertine over Iraq instead of sending soldiers, and now I say : drop the Magic Numbers all over Pakistan, and terrorism will be sorted. 8.5/10

Top track : Love me like you, starts like the opening credits of Only Fools and Horses, then it’s standard 60s rock, there’s a quiet interlude and then a pulsating rhythm takes over, with a driving bass melody and beautiful backing vocals. Not their best song (this title probably still belongs to Forever Lost) but maybe their most accomplished.

The White Stripes : Get Behind Me Satan

The good thing with the Stripes is that they seem to be able to bring something new, interesting and different with each album. Not everything is new here, but the first couple of tracks really are a case in point. First up single Blue Orchid, with its high-pitched Jack vocals and its bizarrelydistorted guitar sound. And then there’s The Nurse with its marimba-led tune (this instrument appears at various points during the album, but it’s really at the fore on this track). Most of the rest is a bit more White Stripes by numbers, that you’ll think you’ve heard before (My Door Bell, The Denial Twist, Take Take Take), but hey what did you expect? You’re not going to get bowled over at each track, but there’s still time for country (Little Ghost), another track sung by Meg (she’s not even allowed a full minute though) and your classic blues, called....Instinct Blues (does exactly what it says on the tin). The Piano is maybe more present than on previous Stripes album (the final track is piano only, no guitar, no drums either), but that’s not necessarily a bad point. Besides, this is shorter than Elephant, it’s been less hyped up as well, and I also think it’s better.

However, there’s another truth you’ve got to face with the White Stripes. If this has been recorded in 2 weeks indeed, they could probably release a dozen LPs each year , and they would all be equally as good. They still inject a few new ideas here and there, but maybe, after 5 albums, it’s about time Jack put his threat into action and dismantled the Stripes as a recording concern. They are essentially a (fantastic) live band with infinite possibilities despite their low headcount. On record, I kinda enjoy stuff like The Departure more (oh yeah, I know I could get slaughtered for saying that). Don’t get me wrong, it’s a truly great record. It just doesn’t thrill me. 7.77/10

Top track : Blue Orchid. Once more they start with the best song, although this time maybe it’s just the most original.

Death From Above 1979 : You’re a woman, I’m a machine

Talking about duos, here’s one of another kind. The name ? Apparently, they had to change it and add 1979 because of the DFA production team  (James Murphy etc.). Unlike the Stripes or the Kills, their combination is just bass and drums (oh OK, and many synths/loops), no guitar, how cool is that ? There's a very electronic sound to the bass itself, but boy do they rock! There’s ten seconds  of quiet intro (a single piano note repeated) on the first song, but then straight mayhem. At 35 minutes, it’s kept compact, and one of the most refreshing things I’ve heard all year. Great sound, great rocking and cinematic music. Granted, the whole thing’s a bit messy at times and there’s room for improvement, but their innovative aspect brings them a good 8.5/10. Which also means high expectations for their next album. Oh yeah, and possibly best album title of the year by the way.

Top Track : Black History Month. Just as the noise is getting too much and the voice is starting to grate, they come up with this unimpeachably cool number.

The Departure : Dirty Words

As indie, as indie can get, lost somewhere circa 1995, and reminiscent of Idlewild/Suede at times, with a singer who sings like Roddy Woomble sporting a Brett Anderson accent. Talkshow you could easily imagine as coming from The Rakes (or to be exact, you would just expect Alan Donohoe manically dancing to its introduction), and all throughout the album, the slick (too slick ?) production and the very polished sound makes it sound very modern. (Funny how building the index for this page, I found out I had an album by a band called Departure, strictly not related).

This album is surprisingly good and stands repeated listens. I may not care that much about this album in a few months maybe, but hey for now I like the melodies, the crystal-clear riffs and I like the singing: I enjoy this LP enough to give it 8/10.

Top Track : Arms around me. Middle of the album, mid-paced, a great bass in the intro and a killer chorus (not the only one on this record), a band getting into their stride.

Coldplay: X&Y

This time I’m giving in. I always found that Coldplay’s first two albums had too many tracks that I didn’t like, making them only half-enjoyable experiences. But this time I am thoroughly convinced: there’s some drive in all the songs, and not too much crooning pretention. Maybe there’s no immediate stand-out single unlike on the first two LPs (I mean Crazy Frog beat Speed of Sound to number 1, come on!?), but as an album it’s far more satisfying, and I really like it from start to finish, I don’t have to skip half the tracks. Credit where it’s due, I don’t care how big they have become, this is an excellent album, full stop. Splitting up now would be the sensible thing to do, but the odds are on them going all U2 on us. Who cares, on this album you can enjoy a band at the top of their powers, triumphant, assured and serene. Maybe Coldplay slacken a bit near the finish line, the album would be perfect at 10 or 11 tracks (the last couple of tracks are of slightlylower quality), but by this time they’re so far ahead of their peers that it doesn’t matter. This album is sure to top a few polls at the end of the year, and deservedly so. 9.5/10

Top Track : White Shadows. It starts all a bit like World Party’s Is it like today ? (or REM’s Shinny Happy People if you want a better known reference), but when the chorus kicks in, it reaches for the stars. If it doesn’t make you fall in love with music again, you’re probably dead already.

Sons and Daughters : The Repulsion Box

Their first album proper. Well, at 31 minutes it’s not much longer than last year’s great Love The Cup EP but it’s actually of ideal duration. It is indeed much lighter and faster and all the better for it.. Despite hailing from Glasgow, they’re definitely not your archetypal Scottish pop band, more like distant Glaswegians cousins of The Soledad Brothers (Hunt), with an added country twist (Medicine). Or maybe The Zutons meeting Blanche midway through the Atlantic Ocean? A very cool band for a very entertaining record. Maybe the sound’s a little less raw than on the EP, but it really works this way with the faster overall pace. It’s not too loud, but it’s very rock’n’roll, while not aping any other band. A bit like on the EP, they start with the faster tracks and slow things down a tiny wee bit in the middle (Choked, Monster). There’s some real hits in there (Taste the Last Girl), but each and every song is one to make your fingers snap and your feet tap, your head nod and your whole body move after all. Repulsion definitely not an option, addiction on the other hand.....9/10

Top Track : well, they’re all really top, aren’t they ? So I’m going for Lama Rama. This one starts all quiet, coming alive in the chorus, and is really sang as a duet. Stomping guaranteed.

Four Tet : Everything Ecstatic

Kieran Hebden goes less melodic, less beautiful, hey one album of him was enough. Starts with a title called A Joy that is anything but. But hasn’t it always been like that ? I haven’t listened to the first two in a while, maybe I don’t like them anymore. While there’s still a quality to this one, it’s still far too intellectual and nerdy for me thank you, there’s absolutely nothing I connect with here (there was on his first definitely, less sure about the second). Maybe I can't appreciate that kind of stuff anymore, but I’ve got better things to do with my time than listen to that dross. I think I remember there were still some tunes in his early wor. Yeah, I know I’m not even meant to review this, especially after the gig if you check my review, but hey maybe I needed to slag someone off. If you really are bored with life, put this on (well, it won’t help you then...). If not, just ignore it. I’m definitely not ecstatic about this one. 3/10.

Top track : Turtle Turtle Up (those titles...): well it’s one of the shortest, and it has kind of a little lovely tune.

Six By Seven : Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves

So their ‘first release as a 3-piece’ turns out to be their last release after all. As predicted by listening to the previous bit-piece collection, this is like a return to form and possibly their best work since their second LP. It’s still the same old drone-rock, they haven’t moved forwards a lot ssonically since their first album, but hey, who cares when it’s still excellent music. ‘No bass has been used during the recording of this album’, but well it doesn’t really show. There's traces of BRMC (Tonight (I wanna make it out)) or even late-period Primal Scream (the final you know I feel alright now), and they will be sorely missed. (shame I never got the chance to see them live then). If you want to check their best, go buy The Closer You Get, but if you stumble across this album, give it a spin, it’s well worth it. Since it’s their final, I’ll give it a farewell 7.5/10.

Top Track : Nowhere to go but home, just the fact that it made the mobile in my pocket feel like it was actually vibrating. Or was it that New Order-ish guitar sound ? Music’s bizarre effects.

The Cribs : The New Fellas

Should be a debut’s title, but it’s their second, and it’s not like they’ve invented anything.

Opening song Hey Scenesters sounds instantly familiar, even though it’s possibly because I’ve heard it live once and then possibly played at Le Triptyque near the end of that mythical party (but do these things really filter through such a drunken haze?). There’s a definite summery vibe here, and further proof that the Frank’n’Walters deserved to be bigger (the intro from Martell for example seems to be nicked directly from the F’n’W’s Time; I’m Alright Me, surely that must be a cover?). And it’s not just the music, there’s a lot of anthemic choruses here (Hey Scenesters! Everybody’s happy now/Take drugs, don’t eat, have contempt-for those you meet/Someone’s got their eye on you now don’t you know?), that’s sure to bring together many a drunk student this summer at a festival or in a club. And then possibly next autumn and winter when everyone will reminisce about their summer. It may not be remembered in a year’s time, but then as the saying goes: carpe diem. I mean, even the slower It was only love has got everything of the end-of-the-evening-arms-around-shoulders-all-together-in-circle-left-foot-right-foot-left-right-etc... party closer with all the drunken happy souls remaining in the room. Anthems aplenty then, but at the same time an immediate treat and one that improves after each listen (or most certainly each drink). 8/10 if only for one summer.

Top track : The wrong way to be. Yet another summer anthem. Arms aloft, all singing 'Because a guy I used to know....'

Vitalic : OK Cowboy

Kind of wasn’t gonna review it, because it doesn’t quite fit my rock’n’roll mood. So I’ll be quick...and messy  So what’s that about ? Kinda mixing the Daft Punk (when they were still good), LCD soundsystem, a  touch of the Fatboy possibly, a touch of Kittin and, erm, Jean-Michel Jarre at times. Sometimes a bit on the trancey side, sometimes quite ambient and melodic, at times just sexy dance music, just a proof that the French haven’t completely lost their disko touch. Not really a car or bedroom favourite (was trying to give it a last listen driving to work this morning, but I really had to put Kaiser Chiefs instead), but sure to make you feel cool when suitably drunk in a club. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I’m quite undecided at the moment. So 8/10. Or 0/10, depending what kind of nightly mood you’re in. I think there's many cool things in there after all, but you know the poseurs are going to tell you they like it. Fuck them, I still like it!

Top track : Repair Machines. After an uplifiting first four tracks, and a little let-down in the middle, this kickstarts the final third with a somewhat menacing technoid edge. A journey into the dark side.

The Coral : The Invisible Invasion

What happened to the Coral? Where’s the joyful, shambolic enthusiasm that produced the many gems of the first album, and a few moments of brilliance on the second too ? Now they start sounding like Can, and with the same kind of grooves. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but will certainly disappoint all their early fans. In a way, this album is a very interesting bold move in a new, different direction, and is at least far more focussed and million miles away from their previous half-arsed ‘limited’ stop-gap release. I really didn’t know what to expect from this LP, I relented, and eventually got it just to review it basically (it’s getting very vicious, this way of working). And well, I quite like this album, and I’m pleased to tell you that the good news is that they haven’t slacked all this time. Either way, I certainly didn’t expect that kind of thing from them, and to be true, this lacks an outstanding tune or two. There’s nothing immediate in here, it’s unlikely to make as many waves as their first two records, but I find myself warming to it after each listen. They’ll be many disappointed people, this could be commercial suicide, a dignified way to slowly disappear, but it’s a very rewarding listen if you are patient enough and you just like good music. The final words on this album : ‘The music dies and leaves us behind, it’s all just a game everytime’ sounds like an apt epitaph. Respect,  7.5/10 and rising.

Top track : A warning to the curious. Kind of reggae-ish, the coolest track here, echoed dubs and stuff. And a beautiful chorus to boot.

Foo Fighters : In Your Honor

First time I listened to that, I slagged it off straight away, because I didn’t like to have my eardrums shred to pieces without even a hint of a melody. Second time I thought: not too bad. And now, well I’ve got to be honest: this is solid rock’n’roll, but not much more. I’m not sure the Foo Fighters would be as much revered if it wasn’t for the charismatic Mr Dave nicest-guy-in-rock’n’roll Grohl (and I’m not mentioning his past, I think it’s slightly irrelevant to my point).

Ok, first things first, there’s 2CDs, one that’s very loud and electric, the other that’s very quiet and acoustic. You can only envisage them separately, because there’s not much of a thing in common there (apart from the personnel). So Dave Grohl howls rather than sings on the first one, which kinds of make this very hard-rock or emo or something. But inspiration ? Try telling me that No Way Back is not a Manic Street Preachers(early period) rip-off ? As for the rest of this album, well it rocks very very very hard, but it’s not like things you haven’t heard before (sometimes they just sound like a vastly inferior Trail of Dead). As I said, solid rock’n’roll (FM rock?), no more, no less. It’s ‘good’, but I couldn’t care less, I can’t find my thrills in here, there’s other acts these days that both rock and excite, but this just leaves me cold. I’m still looking forward to the live show (some bands are born for the stage), but for the moment I’m left thinking they’re quite overrated, and the second day at Rock en Seine could be very boring if Peter Doherty fails to turn up.

As for the acoustic CD....nice idea., yes it’s lovely, more enjoyable than the rock one in a way (it doesn’t hurt your ears), and I liked it better second time around too, but again what’s the point ? It’s been done before, by many artists, and in better fashion. Buy something by Nick Drake, I don’t know, there’s even shades of very early Pink Floyd in here, nice of you mate to show us your sensitive side, but you’ve just made two very unnecessary records instead of just one! I mean, the first time, I wasn’t really payung attention, then found myself at track 8, wondering ‘what’s that jazzy record I’ve just put on’ ?!? Welcome to Jazz Club ? Not nice! Yet, save for this track (Virginia Moon, it’s called), I still can’t say it’s bad, I’ve listened to it again just for the purpose of this review and found it, how can I put it, inoffensive. At times even pleasant ? Maybe a pleasant waste of time. Actually, 'boring' is the word I was looking for. There’s a couple of tracks that enliven proceedings near the end (most notably Cold Day in the Sun), but it’s not quite enough.

I could have never bought a FF album, pretended I like them, keeping the Dave Grohl myth hidden somewhere (he’s still an amazing drummer, as proved with all his non-FF work), but I took the step, bought this one, and I know I shouldn’t have bothered. Foo Fighters ? Just another band really. 6 and 7, that’s 6.5/10 for the lot. Only because I’m feeling generous today.

Top Track : do I really have to ? CD2 : Over and Out : shades of Radiohead’s Lucky at the start of the chorus, and a few hits on the drumkit make this OK enough. Still rather boring, mind.

Nine Black Alps : Everything Is

(The last-minute rushed review.)

At least Dave Grohl doesn’t pretend he’s inherited Nirvana’s spirit or whatnot. He does his own thing, I may not like it, but fair play to him. If you’re looking for Nirvana’s legacy, look no further than Manchester’s (Lancashire, UK) Nine Black Alps. It’s very very grungey up to the shirts, the couple of acoustic tracks, the voice (not quite Cobain’s though), the rhythm and obviously most of the dirty sound. But a bit like The Raveonettes for The Jesus and Mary Chain a couple of years ago, there’s nothing wrong with aping a model 10 years later when you do it so well. And if you weren’t there when Nirvana were alive, get your plaid shirts out, get scruffy, listen to Everything Is, and then try Nirvana. Nine Black Alps are a band of today, and while a grunge-revival is certainly not to be wished for, NBA might be a passport towards Nirvana for the youth of today (though obvioudly they'll be in denial and try hard to shake their copyists tag). Maybe they’re achieving what The Vines just failed to do (though they're not quite as loveable). And there’s enough hints that they could forge their own sound in the future to make this a possible step towards bigger things. 7.5/10, just because I’m trying to keep reasonably under 8.

Top track : Unsatisfied. After three tracks of pure Nirvana rip-off, this more subtle treat shows where they could aim. Teaches Dave Grohl a thing or two about melody within noise too.

------------------------------------------

That's all folks. I don't promise to be more punctual next time, but there should be good stuff from Hard-Fi (got it already), The Rakes, Sigur Ros, Editors, Clor, and others....(not the Bloc Party. remix album, surely they should have vetoed this...).