Chimpomatic

Band of Horses

Tour EP

Sup Pop

Nothing much new to report here, other than confirmation that "Everything All Of The Time" is one of the albums of 2006, plus a taste of the band's live sound - including one non-album track.

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17th Nov 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet

Midlake

ULU, London

The prospect of seeing Midlake live was an exciting one. The superb album The Trials of Van Occupanther is peppered with themes of nature, conjuring nostalgic feelings of the countryside and man's relationship with it. A bunch of grown men with gruffty beards singing delicately about nature is a wonderful juxtaposition. A juxtaposition reminiscent of Grandaddy perhaps, but to compare Midlake with Granddaddy would be wholly unfair - overlooking their own unique sound.

After strong support form Robert Gomez and Fionn Regan, Midlake took to the stage. The crowd went crazy when they started playing the single Rosco, and there were cries for a repeat of the same song. Every song was accompanied with some strange film in the background - some homemade, others seeming very familiar and possibly a Roman Polanski film - but don't quote me on that. The films really helped to bolster the song's strange eerie feel, conjuring a lost time and lost place. It was nice to see that the band were very humbled by the crowds' affection towards them, singing along to all their songs.

There's something strangely important about wanting to see a band we like live, but so often they never live up to the same sound quality we know them for. And particulary when you have a band that doesn't make 'jump-up' music, the sound quality has to be spot on. Sadly this wasn't the case at ULU. The gig itself was entertaining, but the sounds did no justice to Tim Smith's vocals and of course the songs lost much of their eerie magic. They ended the set with current single Head Home, perfectly apt and a crowd pleaser to finish on a higher note.

Luckily, I caught the band a couple of nights later, supporting the Flaming Lips at Shepherd's Bush... with much more satisfying results.

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16th Nov 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet

Joseph K

Entomology

Domino

As a lifelong lover of music, I can trace many of the roots of my musical influences back to the sleeve notes of 1987's Minutemen compilation Ballot Result. The liner notes contained a long list of thank you's to the bands that had inspired D. Boon and Mike Watt, including bands like Wire, Television, Richard ('Dick') Hell, Pop Group and so on - as well as non-punkers like John Fogerty and 'even' Black Sabbath.

If their career hadn't had the aborted start that it received, Joseph K may well have featured on that list and I could well have become a lifelong fan of their work. Formed in Edinburgh in the late 70's, Joseph K started their own imprint label, "Postcard", and set about recording a debut single - released as a double pack with fellow Scots 'Orange Juice'. The band went on to record an album's worth of material (entitled Sorry For Laughing), which was subsequently canned for sounding too polished. An actual album The Only Fun In Town emerged a few months later, at which point the band decided it had peaked and disbanded.

The band can be placed this side of Wire, with the sound evolving to file down the sharp edged punk of and take it off down the gentle slope towards the mid-eighties sound that would become the 'indie' scene - and in fact guitarist Malcolm Ross ended up in fellow scots band Aztec Camera.

Single Radio Drill Time start opens this compilation - which contains a handful of tracks from both albums, plus a few singles and a Peel Session. Radio Drill Time is a taught, dark minimalist punk number, with a thumping bass line that sets the pace. Final Request and Heads Watch have a fast paced edge that shows the bands New York influence of bands like Talking Heads, and tracks like Endless Soul have the distinct political British sound that would be so influential on later punkers like the Minutemen and Dinosaur Jr.

Some of aborted album does sound relatively slick next to the more abrasive later tracks, with synthy pop touches placing the tracks in a more specific time frame - but that's no bad thing. The actual track Sorry For Laughing did make the cut for release as a single and is the highlight of the disc - a perfect slice of pop-punk, reminiscent of some of some of Magazine's best moments.

Tracks from The Only Fun In Town strip the sound back to it's more basic elements, making for a more immediate punch that would send the mosh pit crazy. Fun 'n' Frenzy and Forever Drone are obvious examples - and that strong sound is continued through onto the 1981 Peel Sessions. The only comment would be that the band seem to stay in the same space (high tempo, with crisp guitars) most of the time, but if you're going to pick a spot and stay there it's as good as any.

'Nearly everyone ignored Joseph K, including ultimately themselves' reads the press release. A press release from Domino Records, who have rightly dusted off this mislaid treasure of a band and brought them back into the field of view. Hopefully it will get them some of the credit they deserve.

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15th Nov 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet

My Morning Jacket: Okonokos - The Concert

(dir. Sam Erickson)

Sony BMG

As an accompaniment to their recent live album Okonokos, My Morning Jacket filmed their two night stint at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore as a DVD release, which also ran in limited cinemas.

Harking back to the classic days of the concert film, Okonokos is basically a straight live performance form the band, bookended with a mild narrative - the product of Jim James' wild imagination. While this doesn't really add much in terms of an actual narrative, it creates an atmosphere for the concert - which is clearly mirrored with the concept created for the show itself - a kind of victorian gentlemen's congregation in some bear infested wood. The crowd have generally entered into the swing of things, and they are rewarded with a stella performance from the band as usual.

The DVD's pitfall is the almost unavoidable trap set for all concert movies (yes, the Song Remains The Same included) where they rarely create the same atmosphere as actually being there. As far as these things go it is a good one - the bands' boundless enthusiasm is clear, and on mind blowing tracks like One Big Holiday and Lay Low, you do actually feel like you're there, on stage with the band in a guitar huddle. Plus you can watch animal-esqe drummer Patrick Hallahan doing his Steam Engine robotics in close-up.

The DVD is pretty much note for note the same as the CD (minus At Dawn, I Think I'm Going To Hell and Dancefloors), so really it's a case of one or another - and concert DVDs do work well as an audio-disc-with-visuals. There's no complaints on either format, and this live album and film serve their purpose well - as a (hopefully not too long) bridge between studio albums. Another well timed step from My Morning Jacket, as the band move on from there classic album Z hopefully onto bigger and better things.

Roll on 2007.

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14th Nov 2006 - 6 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Yo La Tengo

The Forum, Kentish Town, London

Veteran Indie shufflers Yo La Tengo are in Europe this month, in support of both their recent album I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Kick Your Ass, and their soundtrack to the Will Oldham movie Old Joy, for which they made a panel appearance at the London Film Festival. For they London show they booked up The Forum, with support from post-rockers Minotaur Shock.

There was anticipation in the air from the muso crowd, which included to my surprise a heavy set tough-guy tout that I had seen outside. He was re-directing people who were blocking the view of others, and was ready for a punch up when one guy was chatting as the band started.

For a band with such a vast back catalogue, the show was dominated by ...I Will Beat Your Ass for a good 75%. After a beautiful I Feel Like Going Home and a jaunty Beanbag Chair we were straight into the 10 minutes epic Pass The Hatchet.

The band had the aura of seasoned veterans, and the crowd were loving it. Ira read out an amusing item from the Independent regarding the dangers of being a drummer (Bloc Party have unsurprisingly fallen foul) and warned that Georgia would be taking it a little easy' tonight, but thankfully that was not the case. Working the stage like a three-man-one-man-band (or even a Marx Brothers musical interlude - Ira would be Chico), they swapped instruments and tasks seamlessly, avoiding the tedious, self-important setting-up delays that so many bands seem to fall into. The variation ads another dimension to their show and they easily motored through inspired versions of most of their awesome new album - plus a handful of older tracks, including a great Don't Have To Be So Sad.

While Ira and Georgia seem to have all the fun, you can't help but feel sorry for James who definitely gets the short straw - repeating the same bass-line for 10 minutes, while Ira freewheels along like an indie Hendrix. Sometimes that freewheeling goes too far off the tracks, and the songs get just too strung out - dwindling into free-jazz territory, and it was hard not to notice some of the crowd developing visible headaches - me included. This was most noticeable on Blue Line Swinger. The song disintegrated into 10 minutes of jazz-feedback - and while it did pay off with a great finale as the rhythm synced out of the chaos, it's hard to know if it was worth it. Much like Less Than You Think, the poison pill on Wilco's A Ghost Is Born.

Although they were chatty and the crowd certainly seemed engaged, the band can seem rather distant on stage. When the audience stop stroking their beards and get more involved the band softened up and it became more of a rock show that a performance. The encore put the whole thing up a notch and was they highlight of the show - with the band returning to the stage and literally taking requests from the audience, a technique which might be useful more often. It seemed that the audience were universal in their choice of favourites, and classics like Autumn Sweater show this band to be truly magnificent.

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14th Nov 2006 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

TV On The Radio

Koko, Camden

I find it near impossible to sum up the sound of TV On The Radio and when I try to think of an equivalent in order to aid my description I find myself stumped. But one thing I did discover in the majestical surroundings of Camden's Koko was that with two and a half albums strong this Brooklyn 5-piece know exactly who they are and what they are doing.

With it's numerous balconies dripping in ornate decoration and rising skyward to a huge revolving glitterball, Koko is a venue like no other and the view from the stage must either thrill or daunt any band. The addictive thing about TV On The Radio is their grasp of restraint. Their sound is so complex and threatens to explode but rarely does so I was interested to discover how this style would cope with a venue such as this. Dirty Whirl, a highlight from the new album Return To Cookie Mountain crept in humbly with hushed atmospheric sampling and front man Tunde Adebimpe's sweet whistling. This built up slowly and then the band unleashed their sound. It was the sound of twenty men and it was awesome. Adebimpe is the lynch pin to the dazzling show TV On The Radio offer. His theatrical dancing, thorough exploration of the space around him and inexhaustible passion and energy is electrifying and like nothing I have seen before. And his voice, well damn that boy can sing. Often constructing beautiful harmonies with guitarist and vocalist Kyp Malone, Adebimpe's voice more than filled the hall.

The stage seemed cluttered with the various machines that make this sound so unique. The standard drums, guitars and vocals are all fed through samplers, loops and distortions to produce a wall of sound that is oozing with texture. As expected Wolf Like Me was an instant highlight. As the only drum heavy, rock-out tune on the album this is as close as this band come to a standard song, so for it to emerge crisp and triumphant from the murky bog of noise was a delight to which the hungry crowd responded accordingly. Earlier songs like Young Liars were treated to the same extended format with the music slowly fading away to leave Adebimpe's exposed vocals to bring it to a close.

Not all the songs worked with the live treatment and this is due to the intricate subtleties that are so important to their sound not to mention the obvious sound problems experienced by Kyp Malone. I Was A Lover opens the new album with such hollow beauty, but that was lost here. The dense texture that is crafted around this song simply swallowed up the vocals reducing them to just another element in this texture. But this was a minor complaint and was soon forgotten as a free standing bass drum was brought on to the stage to herald the start of Let The Devil In. This was pounded on by at least two other band members as the crowd were encouraged to sing along. Adebimpe opened the song with dulcet vocals only to produce a mega-phone which he proceeded to shriek into as more and more previously unnoticed musicians joined the stage beating a myriad of cymbals, drums, tamborines, you name it. The result was a near tribal stampede of sound that refused to stop. It built and built to epic proportions and launched this gig into memorable territory.

After the dazzling My Morning Jacket show in September I got to thinking, "What separates the good gigs from the great gigs?" I have seen many a great band showcase their back catalogue with expert precision but have often been left feeling slightly flat. These gigs were as good as their albums, but the great gigs go further and make you feel like you are witnessing something specific to this moment, something spontaneously crafted and bigger than the music. This is what was happening at Koko that night, a live event that would be lost in any other format. All too often I leave a very enjoyable gig but mentally tick that band as 'done', the opposite was the case here and as I emerged from my grand surroundings into a rainy night I hoped this would not be the last would see of TV On The Radio.

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13th Nov 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Various Artists

Peanut Butter Wolf Presents...Chrome Children

Stones Throw Records

Following the critical success of Dangerdoom's The Mouse And The Mask, the late-night animation network Adult Swim has teamed up with Stones Throw records to bring us this epic all-star compilation that really showcases the breadth and scope of this label. Stones Throw is celebrating it's ten year anniversary and following the excellent 'Stones Throw: Ten Years' record, Chrome Children is the second compilation to mark this occasion. The label has always been committed to quality beats whatever form the may come in and Chrome Children features big hitters like MF Doom, Madlib and J Dilla alongside lesser known artists like Guilty Simpson.

Having teamed up with a cartoon network you might expect playful beats from the Ugly Duckling school of thought but then you must remember that Adult Swim brought us cynical classics like Family Guy and American Dad, so bubbly beats is the last thing on offer here. Oh Zone starts us off gently with a wonderfully eclectic beat structure and effortless rhymes that leads us on to the star of the album - Guilty Simpson. Stones Throw's newest signing and long time J Dilla associate, Simpson has a dark and brooding rhyme style and with the lyric "My mood swings like pendulums, I got two birds, one's the middle finger and trust me it's the friendly one," his voice resonates with a booming seriousness that is echoed by the minimal bass heavy beat. The quality keeps coming, with Madlib offering up a great solo cut that showcases his easy as pie style. Stones Throw's ace card is the mighty and elusive MF Doom who appears here with Madlib as Madvillian and Monkey Suite takes no prisoners. Doom's vocals are monotone and unrelenting, the beat: dark and plodding and all the other tracks tread carefully around Monkey Suite, so as not to anger this masked and hooded heavyweight.

But thankfully it's not all doom and gloom and the many instrumentals here offer much needed relief. Koushnik offers up a funked-up calypso gem in the style of Stomp armed with a plethora of rubber dustbins while James Pants hits us with a B-Boy friendly slice of breakbeat bliss. All this was a surprise to me as I had the J Dilla cut pegged as the instrumental high point but was sadly disappointed. Nothing Like This is an adventurous piece of beat technology that has all the signs of Dilla class but ultimately goes nowhere. Dudley Perkins crafts an expert 3 minutes of cartoon hip hop that falls somewhere between Outkast and Del era Gorrilaz. His style of rhyme/singing over the dramatically animated beat seems almost freestyle and it's playful tone is very welcome at the midpoint of this record.

The beauty of this long standing record label is its refusal to be type cast as a hip hop label and has continued to source new forms of funk, R'nB and soul but as a compilation this can sometimes tread thin ice. With the exception of Pure Essence's glorious Gil Scott Heron infused soul of Third Rock the non hip hop cuts seam weak when put alongside the heavy-hitting rhyme sayers and Chrome Children does seem to tail off towards the end. But this is all forgotten when you take a look at the DVD that accompanies this anniversary collection. It features interviews with Madlib and Stones Throw mastermind Peanut Butter Wolf but more importantly showcases the labels all-star line up gig at the SXSW festival. Though not particularly visual this gig shows just how important this label is and features all the players including a highlight set from the lyrical acrobatics of Percee P. The masked figure of MF Doom is the headline act here and offers non US viewers a rare chance to catch his live set as he is curiously unable to leave America.

A label of this magnitude can't hope to please every one all the time and though this generous package is patchy at times it shows us just how high its sights are set and with fantastic album art work and some brilliantly animated videos on the website it really shows its commitment to creativity in general.

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13th Nov 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet

Jeremy Enigk

World Waits

Reincarnate/Sony BMG

First, a bit of back story: Jeremy Enigk used to be lead singer in Seattle band Sunny Day Real Estate, whose 1994 album Diary (released on Sub Pop) is quite rightly considered something of a classic. The success of Sunny Day Real Estate's sound lay in the combination of Enigk's incredible, almost angelic, voice and a rhythm section that gave the songs a harder/darker edge. When you take into account that William Goldsmith (drums) and Nate Mendel (bass) went onto join the first incarnation of Foo Fighters, then you get an idea of the calibre of personnel.

And herein lies the problem of an Enigk solo project. Stripped of the energy and aggression that a 'band' provides, it is left to his voice to carry the songs, the music barely putting up a fight in competition. But is singing alone going to make a good album? Meatloaf has a good voice right? A bit harsh maybe.

Things start off well, Been Here Before showcases the complete range of Enigk's talents, starting slow and introspective before getting BIG, so big, that it takes a church organ to provide the song's break. In fact, what goes on pre/post organ could neatly describe what does and doesn't work on the album. The better songs are the quieter, more acoustic songs, where the music assumes a bit of character, rather than being a bit-part vehicle for 'the voice'. Canons, Damien Dreams and Dare a Smile fall into this category. The latter of which could almost be a Guided By Voices song, that is if GBV's Bob Pollard was to put down the bourbon and beers for a moment.

It's when the songs get epic that things start to go awry, City Tonight being a fine example. Not content with a dodgy synth opening, it begins with the line "Am I Late to the Kingdom of Love", before POWER drumming and guitars kick down the door and take the song home. This is Simple Minds in all their 80s glory, it's a song that conjures up an image of Richard Gere in slow-motion - probably on horseback. But Simple Minds not only had massive songs, they also head massive success, so I suppose dues should be given.

Overall, genuine good points beat potential bad (depending on where you stand on Simple Minds). It's actually quite refreshing to hear an honest album by a singer/songwriter doing what he does best, without compromise, rather than the multitude of bands around at the moment simply aching to be cool.

As for a score. I'll start with a 2 and award an extra mark for being a nice alternative to those other Golden-voiced Juggernauts, Keane and Coldplay, (at least Enigk sings like he means every word). But I'm going to have to dock half a mark for Am I Late to the Kingdom of Love. I hate Richard Gere.

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13th Nov 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Tapes 'n Tapes

King's College, London

Minneapolis' Tapes 'n Tapes reminded us to keep them in contention for album of the year last night, with another top notch set at London's King's College. The packed out venue enthusiastically received the band, as they barnstormed their way through most of debut album The Loon, as well as a healthy portion of their earlier EP.

The band are gifted with a boundless enthusiasm that is hard to resist. Singer Josh Grier and bassist Erik Appelwick have a great rapport on stage, playing off each other and encouraging the mood to get messy. The sound was not always great, meaning some of keyboardist Matt Kretzmann's contributions (such as the child-friendly 'ooo-ooh's' on The Iliad) were a little lost in the mix, but things were back on track for the tuba infused Manitoba. Matt Kretzmann's contribution and boundless energy is substantial - whether it's on keyboards, vocals, tambourine, or even just somebody else's symbols. His antics are up there with Pavement's Gary Young when it comes to moving around the stage, and I'm thinking that Josh Grier probably needs rear-view-mirror's attaching to his mic stand to keep things in check.

The songs speak for themselves however, and the fleshed out sounds of The Illiad, Omaha (mp3), Manitoba, Cowbell (mp3) and more are unbeatable. Beach Boys (mp3)and Iceberg (mp3)from the early EP were also sounding great, with the level playing field of a live show letting them stand up with the later work.

Insistor (mp3) was the start of the end, reassuringly awesome as always and cut through with the bulletproof spine of Jeremy Hanson's military drumming - possibly the star of the show. It was Crazy Eights that finished it off though, elevating the track from potential album-filler to live-killer. A thundering instrumental break down, which brought the show to a fitting finale and reminded us to keep these boys on heavy rotation.

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9th Nov 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Untitled New Album

First impression of the new (as yet untitled) CYHSY album suggests it's going to be a 2007 Chimp fave; more Violent Femmes vocals, a little bit bleepier in parts, v good.

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8th Nov 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet

Pavement

Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition

Domino

The Pavement re-release juggernaut continues with their third album getting the treatment this month, now re-branded as Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition. Following in the steps of the exhaustive first two re-issues (Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins), Wowee Zowee has been expanded with a re-remastered version of the classic 1997 album, accompanied by an assortment of B-sides, demos and live tracks from the period.

After the relative radio-friendly hits of Crooked Rain, Wowee Zowee was a relative critial and commercial disappointment on it's release, and the band retreated for a two years before releasing a follow up. In retrospect it is quite possibly the best Pavement album, finding the near perfect balance of the wacky schizophrenia of their early albums with the crafted 24 track song writing of their later albums Brighten The Corners and Terror Twilight. We can only imagine what extended titles are in store for those two.

Eclecticism is the name of the game with Wowee Zowee, and literally handfuls of different styles are covered. From the beautiful opening acoustic chords of We Dance, the music hall sounds of Motion Suggests Itself, Spiral Stairs' trippy Western Homes, or just the straight-up greatness of Black Out, Father To A Sister Of Thought, AT&T or countless others, this is an album that's as hard to define as a collection of Ween rarities.

For all the variation however, this is an album that works superbly. The songs play off each other and make a cohesive, balanced whole - with the highlights enhanced by the lighter, fun numbers.

And so we move on to the bonus material. B-sides from the album's singles (Rattled By The Rush and Father To A Sister Of Thought) start things off, and the Pacific Trim EP is a genuine bonus - recorded to coincide with an Australian tour, this release features all 4 tracks of the Rare EP - including notable mentions for vinyl-only I Love Perth and lead track Give It A Day. A cover of the Descendents It's A Hectic World is disappointing, and rambling tracks like Soul Food serve to highlight Pavement's habit of wandering off into musical cul-de-sacs. A demo of We Dance overlooks the natural beauty of the track, highlighting instead Malkmus' tounge-in-cheek English accent for a song which theories have suggested was influenced - either as a homage or pastiche - by Malkmus' friendship with some of the original Brit Poppers, including Damon Albarn (clearly influenced by Pavement in the mid 90's) and Wire fan Justine Fleischman (a former member of Malkmus' current band The Jicks).

Deeper into disc two a handful of tracks recorded on that same Australian tour showcase the band at their best, with off-kilter humor peeling away to uncover musical magic - illustrated most clearly by Box Elder, which recovers from near disaster to highlight how great this track is - from the often overlooked Westing (By Musket & Sextet) compilation.

One thing this album does bring up is how these re-releases monsters perform as self-contained albums. Is there ever such a thing as too much? The original was always long (56 minutes and 18 songs) and it could be argued that it was already sprawling (check out the re-ordered version here) and it is certainly front loaded with the absolute best-of-the-best tracks. At 50 songs and 156 minutes this new edition certainly adds a lot more to that mix, leaving no doubt that the best comes first - as although there are certainly some gems in the bonus material they never equal the epic heights set by the first two handfuls of tracks off the original.

Should this review rate the album as a whole? Or the original album as a whole, with the disposable extra of 32 bonus tracks? As a devout Pavement fan I'd always choose to have more, but if I was trying to convert a rookie to their majesty this would certainly not be the place to start.

I'm going to plump for something in between on this one, as although it is one of my favourite albums, I'm speculating that it is unlikely I'll be flipping on disc two all that often. But with the age of playlists and compilations upon us Pavement have delivered an ideal gift: A classic album with a selection box on the side.

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7th Nov 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

(dir. Larry Charles)

20th Century Fox

Anyone familiar with Borat would no doubt agree that he is the funniest and most outregeous of Sacha Baron Cohen's 3 characters, and during his sections in the Ali G In Da USA show we were appalled and dazzled by his shameless interviews - and much like Ali G his ability to extract the truth from narrow minded middle America. This film is all that, plus a whole lot more. You get the normal encounters with people of such jaw dropping ignorance, culminating in a stadium full of Rodeo fans who cheer passionately when Borat greets them on the mic with words to the effect of "May your president drain the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq." You get livid feminists, furious commuters, angry aristocrats, man-eating Jews and Pamela Anderson.

Although his TV show was so successful, things like that often fail to translate well onto the big screen - and when stretched to 90 minutes they can become tiresome. But this got it right. The plot was good enough to sustain your attention and formed a believable platform for his comedy. It was a non-stop romp across the U.S and A and the comedy was pushed to it's absolute limit. There were moments of such shock and awe that provided images that will be burned on to my memory for ever. He got himself into situations from which most people would be hard pushed to walk away with their lives, but his masterfully acted naive charm got him through every time. The comedy was relentless and there were countless moments where the audience laughed until they had nothing left. Not all the jokes were necessary though and his constant attack on the Jewish community became too uncomfortable to snigger at towards the end - but it was the visual gags that worked so well, like the shocked faces of New Yorkers as Borat calmly masturbated on the street to a window full of lingerie-clad mannequins, or washed his underpants in Central Park, or opened a suitcase full of chickens on the subway.

It's all pretty stupid stuff and I did feel slightly embarrassed asking for two tickets to Borat when there were such heavyweights to be seen like The Departed or Romanzo Criminale, but who cares - I haven't laughed that much in years and continue to smirk to myself when images of naked male wrestling enter my mind. Pure genius. High Five.

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7th Nov 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead

So Divided

Interscope

...Or as CSF quipped 'You will know us by our really long name' and to be completely honest, that was all I really knew about them. Of course, I knew of them - a name like that doesn't erase quickly - but I mostly remember them for the one, very Sonic Youth-ish track; Mistakes and Regrets and the hectic video that went with it. After that, I mentally labelled them art/prog rock (ie. 'difficult') and filed them alongside the likes of The Mars Volta.

So, when the new album arrives and the first thing I hear is a church bell on Intro: A Song of Fire and Wine, it's a case of rolled eyes and "Here we go again!" But then track 2, Stand in Silence, bursts through the speakers and I apologise. This is one of the best tunes I've heard this year. Admittedly, I am a sucker for a meaty riff, and this one is a beauty, but to get from said riff, into a military type fanfare that wouldn't be out of place over the final scene of Top Gun and then back again: it's a tip of the hat to you guys (who we will know…)

The band then seem intent on keeping the listener guessing what is round each corner, so much so that So Divided could simply have taken it's title from the range of music within. Wasted State of Mind begins with Indian drums and ends with French Accordian, Naked Sun is a 70s blues rock/groove with rousing brass section. Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory is a note perfect cover (if slightly slicker) from the mighty Guided By Voices album, Bee Thousand. Eight Day Hell is all joyously upbeat a la The Polyphonic Spree - who I find too saccharine, but in isolation one song works well here.

All this leaping around does indeed leave the record slightly divided and lacking in a clear vision. However, this can also work to it's advantage, as there is something for everyone here. All the songs are written with intelligence and performed with mucho passion so that, like the seasonal selection boxes soon to appear on supermarket shelf: you may well have your favourites (more track 2 please) but once in a while you can gorge on anything - and when the quality is this good you welcome the change.

#Music
#chimpovich

6th Nov 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet