instead of one week in music, how about two? how about none? have we exhausted the weekly record review format? are we permanent lackeys for some distant publicity department? I don't know right now.
SINGLES
MEATRAFFLE - Lambeth Walk [Gaudi & Don Letts Remix] (Blang)
by Tim London
Quintessentially English rock heavily influenced by dance music as approved by Andy Weatherall, bravely fronted by someone with an old-fashioned London/estuary accent.
JOY FORMIDABLE - Cut Your Face (Hassle/Full Time Hobby)
by Alan Rider
Joy Formidable are a band not a person called Joy with an unusual surname btw. Just thought I'd clear that one up before we start. Having got that out of the way, I have to say this is a superb outing by the Welsh three piece, now resident in Utah. I am normally quite down on what I would term Shoegaze, as it has often been an excuse for dull and unimaginative dirges (otherwise known as any song by Slowdive), but this is actually a breath of fresh air and provides a genuinely uplifting and energising blast with a twist. There is only one letter of difference between dire and dare (groan!) and this very definitely falls on the right side of that. Their first UK tour for four years kicks off in Glasgow on 20th September should you fancy getting a dose of this at the volume it should be heard at. Cool video too.
DARKPLACE - Cars (Icons Creating Evil Art)
by Alan Rider
We last came across Sweden's Darkplace in March, when I described their first single 'Arken Över Hesselby ' as portentous and cinematic. We missed their second single, so this is the third taken from their debut album, ‘About The End Of The World’, due out in October. 'Cars' (not the Gary Numan track!) actually has vocals, whereas all the other tracks on the album are short and instrumental. This one still clocks in a a modest three minutes but the addition of vocals as an element is an improvement to my ears. The track has the feeling of a perpetual intro though. I kept waiting for it to kick in, but it never did. That's probably their aim though as they are a serious and intense bunch. Unusually, the album is centered around a series of animated videos in the style of the ones you used to get at the start of Grand Theft Auto games, but without the violence. Darkplace are intentionally secretive (probably trying to emulate The Residents MO), and claim to perceive themselves as "more an art project that happens to be exploring and commenting on the state of the world through the chosen mediums of music and video." Heavy stuff.
HYDROPLANE - Stars (Twilight Mix) (World of Echo)
by Alan Rider
Hydroplane produce here the sort of lilting, slightly out of kilter songs that would not feel amiss in an episode of Twin Peaks. In fact I could easily see them performing this at The Roadhouse, the night club that hosts gloom laden performances by acts at the end of each episode. Their other single, 'City Terminus', taken from the new 'Selected Songs' collection of A-sides, B-sides, album tracks, compilation tracks, and rarities coming up in September also shares that other worldly vibe, rare in what has been described rather lazily as an "indie-pop three piece", a description that simply does not do them justice.
JOHN CAME - Ink Tank (Mute)
by Alan Rider
John Came is actually a pseudonym for two electronic musicians called Simon Leonard and David Baker, and Ink Tank is allegedly made using an odd experimental electronic instrument invented in 1932 called a Rhythmicon, co-designed by the inventor of the Theremin. Whatever, this is a great piece of electronic music reminiscent of Kraftwerk and Jarre and has that intangible quality than only electronics of this era seem to manage. Although a composer associate of its inventor felt "the Rhythmicon was wonderful in every respect, except that it did not work", I beg to differ. This is quality electronics. There is a 'lost' album from 1995 (though I am always more than a little sceptical of that much over used term) which this is taken from on the way too, which will be well worth a listen.
NONAME - balloons ft. Jay Electronica and Eryn Allen Kayne (AWOL)
by Ancient Champion
Anything Noname ever plays me is exhilarating. Lyrically complex, life-affirmations detailed with an amusing laissez-faire alacrity over the jazziest jazzy hip hop. Like a Physiocrat philosopher, let no authority get in Noname's way. Life, well Noname's life work means there's often been a long time to wait between music releases, and a constant possibility that her work outside music might mean more than music. Why aren't more musicians operating on an actual humanscale? So at last here we are, winding up summer in 23 and at last something to absorb my time. Noname matters. balloons featuring Jay Electronica and Eryn Allen Kayne, is from the new lp Sundial, which is out today. Look I know I am the lazy old fat white audience member that disappoints Noname and let's face it, most everyband the most. What's the use of fans whose thoughts are irrelevant, can barely dance and may be dead soon? My relationship with Noname is all about me.
WILCO - Evicted (dBpm)
by Katherine Pargeter
Back in 2021, Elvis Costello commented on the grumblings about the similarities between Olivia Rodrigo's 'Brutal' with his own 'Pump it Up' by noting that he was fine with the lift: "It's how rock & roll works," he wrote. "You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy." I mention this because, yes, I can see that there are moments in 'Evicted' that have the shade of raspberry, the shape of a beret. Well done for spotting it you brilliant online sleuths, no really, well fucking done, have a huge pat on the back. You utter starlets. Now that you've figured that one out, why not engage with the actual gentle acoustic simplicity of this adorable slice of country-tinged Wilco heartache? There is solace to be sought in sharing those human frailties. Yes, as Mr. Costello said "It's how rock & roll works".
JAY WIRES - Don't Say Goodbye (Streaming Platforms)
by Alan Rider
Produced by one of the guys from NY vintage synth specialists Tone Tweakers, this features late hi-NRG pioneer Patrick Cowley's Sequential Circuits Pro-One synth, as well as a Roland Juno-60 that belonged to Depeche Mode/Yazoo/Erasure founder Vince Clarke. "If it wasn't for Vince and his friends, I would've become a doctor and made my mom proud" says Jay Wires. With a set of kit like that, its not surprising this ditty sounds very 80's, so much so in fact that you'd swear it was from that decade. Yes, its a bit corny, but no more so than anything I've heard this week. Nice is the word.
BLONDE REDHEAD - Before ()
by Tim London
Audio representations of an intelligent person musing which book to read on a Thursday morning before a long train journey.
LIARS AT THE WITCH TRIAL - Peacock (Bandcamp)
by Jay Lewis
Just imagine if PJ Harvey had decided to reinterpret Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain' during her 'Rid of Me'/Steve Albini period. Well, that's where Liars at the Witch Trial are as they ruffle the feathers (pun totally intended), of someone who is being a bit of a showy 'Peacock' (Kate Walton opens, quite frankly with: 'You're so pretty but there's nothing in your head...'). This is a fabulous move forward, testing the limits 'alt-rock, post-punk' tag, developing their sound so rapidly in front of us. Producer Stale Winton (an artist sometimes known as Thom Edward), has added some delightful new tweaks, moved the furniture around and the band now sounds so much better than ever. Exciting times.
TIGER SKY - Walking on Raindrops (Independant)
by Tim Sparks
Tiger Sky came across my radar just recently, this 5 piece have been making some noise and this track Walking on Raindrops tells you why. A Rock Ballad with great vocal performance from Adam Brucass, this starts with a lone Piano but the ambience builds into a Rock Anthem. The mix is typically awesome from the Adam Fiasco stable, some very cool backing vocals and harmonies thrown in there as well. Before long the guitars come along to take it to a higher level, match by yet bigger vocals, all in all a pretty monster track. It will be on my playlist for a while.
METRIC - Just The Once (Metric Music International/Thirty Tigers)
by Alan Rider
Jeezus! The 'fan generated' video for this track consisting of a misshapen bunch of kiddies messing about, teens with nothing better to do with the best years of their lives, their mums, and overweight men with beards who really, really, need to get out more and stop living in their Mum's basement is quite something to behold. The track itself is radio fodder summery soul tinged stuff that hit factories/AI produce these days on a routine basis. You've heard bits of this all before, its just arranged into a slightly different order for this one. The fact that so many people all over the world spent time miming along to this just for the fleeting opportunity to demonstrate how sad they were to the 5000 or so who have watched the video so far (and there's one more now that I have watched it too) is something I really can't get over. It must be nice though for Metric to have such a mentally challenged following to rely on.
WORLD'S FIRST CINEMA - Palm Reader (Fearless Records)
by Alan Rider
When I read online World's First Cinema's debut EP 'Rituals' described as "a mix of bold and sweeping cellos accompanied by an emotional piano progression, resulting in a captivating cinematic atmosphere", I had high hopes of the latest single taken from that EP, 'Palm Reader'. Likewise, with a name like theirs I expected an original and inventive take on the 'visualiser' (otherwise known as a video to anyone not working in PR), but dealing with disappointment is something I've had to become rather good at when reviewing the output of todays music industry, and this is no exception. Bland pop backing with crooning vocals moaning on about some girl that left him although he thought she would stay because he saw it in her palm, that palm may well have been held to her face and she definitely made the smart call by hightailing it out of there, no crystal ball required. Likewise the video is formulaic and disappointing - largely comprised of boyband style jigging about and singing like he is begging for spare change. If this was actually the world's first cinema it'd have closed down years ago.
ELIZA MCLAMB - Mythologize Me (Mountain Records)
by Tim London
You are now so old that the 90s are considered an ancient musical ‘era’ that can be referenced heavily without shame by someone who can get their lips around the word ‘mythologize’ in a lyric.
WILL BUTLER + SISTER SQUARES - Arrow Of Time (Merge records)
by Tim London
Interesting video - essentially a bunch of lame ass tour clips but with a narrative, part of the time, appearing over the top telling the story of an imminent nuclear catastrophe. It’s very intriguing. All set to a Duran Duran beat, would you believe. What's a Duran Duran beat?
ZHEANI - Bring Wet Cunt (Acess)
by Tim London
Buy it, if you like Diplo’s remixes of MIA circa 2008.
LPs
THE LILAC TIME - Dance Till All The Stars Come Down (Poetica)
by Jay Lewis
That bloke for Alum Rock makes his best album.
SAM GLUCK - I May Well Have Already Lost (Bandcamp)
by Jay Lewis
Jay discovers a winning debut by a remarkable singer-songwriter, here
ULTRAVOX - Quartet (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (Chrysalis )
by Jay Lewis
Jay is convinced of the power and the glory of a major Ultravox box set. Read all about it here
SOFT CELL - Happiness Now Extended/Happiness Now Completed (BMG)
by Alan Rider
Hot on the heels of their recent five heart rated live DVD/Album 'Non Stop Erotic Cabaret...and Other Stories Live' (see review here), Soft Cell are busy pumping out two extended versions of their 2022 'Happiness Not Included' comeback album. 'Happiness Now Extended' is a limited-edition double vinyl album, featuring longer versions of all the twelve tracks from the original version and associated single releases. Alongside that is a new CD version of the album, subtitled 'Happiness Now Completed' with ten new tracks, cover versions, unreleased mixes, remixes and single-only tracks, and probably the kitchen sink too. All of this comes with a fairly steep price tag of course, so is aimed at deep pocketed hardcore fans who will buy everything and is a fairly safe bet for the label, but worth attention if only for the extended version of the masterfully sublime song about the shallowness of the present/future 'Happy, Happy, Happy' - "a better life with little strife, and very little meaning". Lyrics don't come any better than that. Some tracks feel a little over stretched, as is common with these add on/extended/re-mixed takes on already released albums. Coupled with what I feel is an overly steep price, it does smack more than a little of milking it, but then Soft Cell do have a lot to milk and there are undoubtedly some great moments on here.
LANDSCAPE - Landscape A Go-Go (The Story of Landscape 1977-83) (Bandcamp)
by Alan Rider
Most of us will know Landscape largely from their distinctive and robotic flute driven 1981 hit 'Einstein a Go-Go', singing of a conspiracy-theorizing mad scientist bent on global annihilation (as you do). Legend has it the intro featured genuine demented phone calls to the White House and the Kremlin. The album 'From the Tea-Rooms of Mars…to the Hell-holes of Uranus' was a bit of a hit too, but there was a lot more than this to Landscape who actually formed in London in 1974 as a left field jazz act, before morphing into the off centre and plastic jump suit clad futurist synth pop act we all know, before disappearing when sales dropped, as did so many bands at the time. Landscape haven't resurfaced in recent years though as a much loved retro 80s act in the same way as others of their era have, but this truly massive re-mastered 84 song, 5 CD set may well set the record straight if you have a big enough space on your CD shelf to house it.
SOFT RIOT - No (Possession/Wave Tension)
by Alan Rider
Out 11 August in all formats. Vinyl edition includes a limited edition zine. You can read Alan Rider's review here
DEXYS - The Feminine Divine (100% )
by Katherine Pargeter
Kath Pargeter battles with the Dexys Diehards here
GABRIELS - Angels and Queens (Atlas Artists)
by Jay Lewis
Jay claims this is the debut album of the year. Already.
Link here
Other Materials
STAINS - John Wayne Was A Nazi (Radical Records)
by Alan Rider
Gosh, this is really old. 1981 old, but I just discovered a long forgotten copy of this in my collection, popped it on (not easy as its one of those jukebox friendly 7" records with a big space where the centre hole normally is, but luckily I have an adapter) and went "yeah, fuckin' A" (which US punks used to say a lot back then). Since then I have discovered that after this one single the Stains changed their name to MDC (Millions of Dead Cops) and went on to international hardcore fame, so this is now somewhat of a priceless rarity. Lucky me. Apparently John Wayne was pretty right wing (no surprise there), loved Adolf, would have killed your mum, and the Stains don't like him much but now he's dead. So that's ok then.
THE BAND - I Shall Be Released (UMG)
by Jay Lewis
Big week for the reaper, Jay catches his breath right here
OSTROFTI - Sudden Vision Zones (Meditape)
by Alan Rider
The Ostrofti 'Sudden Vision Zones' cassette is from the ever productive stable of Soft Riot (of which Ostrofti is an anagram). This was released almost 2 years ago on Meditape, which is a small imprint of a larger US cassette label called Sanity Muffin. Its a cool ambient/drone album, and is very different from Soft Riot, but pretty good, especially played at night. Its not all drifty or ambient though, with some dischordant moments for sure and has the overall feel of an improvised recording, with side B being the best. There will be more to come from Ostrofti over the winter I am told.
Essential Information
erm... Main image, Noname from 2017 from Wikipedia. I don't know why we don't have press photos to use it is boring when the only image we can reasonably use is 6 years old. What are we doing?
