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Album Review: Laura Marling – I Speak Because I can

marling
07/04/2010 By In Music, Reviews

Laura Marling – I Speak Because I can

By Bronagh Maguire

Laura Marling since the age of eighteen has been synonymous with English indie-folk. Her debut mercury nominated album Alas, I cannot swim released in 2008 coincided with the meteoric rise of the likes of, Amy Winehouse and Duffy. More Joan Baez than Diana Ross, her sound was distinct from the get go. The most staggering thing, then and now is her tender years. At eighteen she had an astonishing ability to articulate heartbreak, on “I speak because I can” things only get better.

New producer Ethan Jones (Rufus Wainwright, Kings of Leon) assures an extremely polished record, while Marling fearlessly plunges herself into songs about pride, desire and love, with all the world weariness of someone twice her age. Her second record is a much more varied affair, stand out tracks “Rambling Man”, “Alpha Shallows” , “Goodbye England”, show Marling is not only a beautiful and sensitive lyricist but her voice has only gotten better, soaring over the bango the opening track “Devil’s spoke”. The album also charms listeners with it typically English politeness. Luckily despite the new producer this album has lost none of the simplicity that first endeared fans to Marling. The exquisite rawness and expression of her voice is still intact especially on “Hope In the Air”. It is tempting to see this record as a window into Marling’s personal life, but she is much more storyteller than confessor here, and an excellent story teller at that.

Yet despite all its strengths there is still the sense that Marling is yet to hit her stride Frustratingly it still feels as if this folk siren is holding much of herself back. Perhaps her third album, due for release later this year, will see Marling expose a little more. She is still the best of her contemporaries leaving the likes of Mumford and Sons and Noah and the Whale in her song writing dust. This is an exceptional record from an artist who seems set to take her place among folk’s greats.

[rating:8/10]

Laura Marling plays the Spring and Airbrake 09/04/10

Laura Marling on iTUNES
Laura Marling on Myspace
Laura Marling Website

Album Review: Standard Fare – The Noyelle Beat

fare
07/04/2010 By In Music, Reviews

Standard Fare – The Noyelle Beat

By Jonathan Bradley

Since the success of Los Campesinos! debut Hold On Now, Youngster… we have been subjected to a spate of fresh-faced bands with jagged guitars and yelped lyrics who are armed with as many two and half minute pop songs as its possible to fit on to a CD. While the majority can, at best, be described as regrettable, Sheffield’s Standard Fare are one of the few who provide the genre with some much needed originality.

Like many of their peers it’s an album where relationships, both failed and prospective, are analysed, re-analysed and then analysed again. However, whether it be the cougar-in-waiting anthem of ‘Fifteen’ or the concerns that global warming is forcing a Stateside lover even further away on ‘Philadelphia’ the lyrical content is far from typical. All the while, the delivery from front-woman Emma Kupa may not be considered tuneful but it is certainly charming as her voice overflows with enthusiasm and endearing naivety.

Unfortunately, when vocal duties are handed over to guitarist Danny How on tracks such as ‘Edges and Corners’ and ‘Secret Little Lover’ the quality suffers and they find themselves sounding like every other band who listened to too much early-era Belle & Sebastian in their formative years. These moments aside, it’s a most enjoyable record that is most definitely far from standard.

[rating: 7/10]

OUT NOW ON iTUNES!!!

Standard Fare on MySpace

Standard Fare Website

Album Review: The Kiara Elles – Slide Over

tke
05/04/2010 By In Music, Reviews

I love it when you hit play on a new album that you know nothing about and right away you know you’re going to enjoy it. Kick snare, kick snare, kick snare, indie-synthy-electroy-dance for the win. The Kiara Elles are a 5 piece from Leeds, UK. Their debut album ‘Slide Over’ immediately impresses and continues to impress by showing they’re not just pushing out one sound. Each track has it’s own great hook, catchy melody, brilliant lyrics and addictive rhythms which make ‘Slide Over’ really sexy and fun album to listen to! The song ‘Adio’ is such a number and will be a player when I go DJing tonight in Belfast. You could genuinely get away with all these high tempo tunes on the dance floor. I love that the album is not filled with obvious dance tracks. The Kiara Elles have injected some emotion and care into this album and is defo one that you should check out.

[rating:8/10]

Album – Slide Over: May 3rd
Single – Adio: OUT NOW ON iTUNES
New Single – Laser Shot: Out April 19th

The Kiara Ells on iTUNES
The Kiara Elles MySpace

Single Review: Ganglians – ‘Candy Girl’

gang
03/04/2010 By In Music, Reviews
Imagine if The Jesus and Mary Chain met The Beach Boys at a mad hatter’s tea party, I reckon that it’d sound a bit like the latest offering from Sacramento’s very own, Ganglians. “Candy Girl” is like falling down the rabbit hole from sinister opening to the fading end. It’s fun, I can feel myself getting carried away with it ,it gives me those warm fuzzy feelings which usually come from being drunk on warm summer nights but at the same time it leaves me feeling just as sedated. This acid-pop genre is starting to fill out and Ganglians have made a single that warrants a big mention. A great first release from an anticipated debut album “Monster Head Room” (Souterrain Transmissions) released on May 10th.

Ganglians “Candy Girl” is released on April 12th.

21st May – Dublin – Whelans
22nd May – Belfast – Menagerie

www.myspace.com/ganglian
www.souterraintransmissions.com
Ganglians on iTUNES

By Ashlea Smyth

Album Review: Black Francis – NONSTOPEROTIK

FB
31/03/2010 By In Music, Reviews

Black Francis – NONSTOPEROTIK Cooking Vinyl (2010)

“This wrinkle in time can’t give it no credit”

NONSTOPEROTIK is Black Francis’ best album since 1994’s sprawling “Teenager of The Year” the record widely praised by both critics and fans as his strongest post-Pixies moment. NONSTOPEROTIK, put together to coincide with a film by Judy Jacobs, alternates, maneuvers and ploys the listener. Songs fluctuate from sheer, tenacious raw rock, to sweet synth-string melodies, and culminate in the unrestricted crushing menace reminiscent of Pixies classics.

NonStopErotik is almost entirely and unreservedly about sex, exploring frenzied associations to sensuality and love, all accomplished with relative ease. Black recruits former collaborator Eric Drew Feldman (Captain Beefheart, Pere Ubu) with the resulting interplay between Feldman’s sparse instrumentation and Black’s punctuated voice and guitar combining into a dense, enveloping sound.

There are no immediate stand out tracks,  though whatever the creative impulse behind it all, as a whole it works.

[rating:7/10]
By Phillip McCrilly

Frank Black Podcast
Frank Black Website
Frack Black on ITUNES

Album Review: Ocean Colour Scene – Saturday

ocean-colour-scene2-1
30/03/2010 By In Music, Reviews

Ocean Colour Scene – Saturday

by Michael W

Remember the 90’s when TFI Friday was a highlight of the week, Chris Evans was still amusing and brit-pop was super-cool?  A time when Ocean Colour Scene released Moseley Shoals, which included The Riverboat Song and bona-fide rock anthem, The Day We Caught The Train, both songs flooded the nation and induced many air guitars and air-drums. Those were good times. Having just listened to this album, that seem like a life-time ago. Ocean Colour Scene have just released their ninth album, seven albums after they should’ve called it a day.  If their current offering was a colour, it’d be beige.

That’s not to say it’s terrible.  It isn’t.  Not really.  It’s just bland.  It’s inoffensive.  Where their debut, Moseley Shoals, and even its follow-up, Marchin’ Already, had some genuine classic tracks, some proper rock-n-roll moments, some passion, somewhere along the way, Ocean Colour Scene lost that spark.  It’s fair enough, they probably got old, it was 14 years ago that that magnificent debut was released.  Scary thought that.  There are a few foot-tappers here, such as title track Saturday, Mrs Maylie and Rockfield, but there’s a lot of fluff too e.g. first single Magic Carpet Days, which failed to chart.  The influences on display aren’t so much worn on their sleeves, more like they’ve weaved themselves some adult-sized romper suits out of the Beatles back catalogue, with a little Paul Weller shaped cravat.

If you’re a long-standing Ocean Colour Scene fan, you’ll probably enjoy this record.  If you grew up with them, then your taste has probably matured alongside theirs, so this brit-pop dad-rock crossover is probably going to be perfect for you.  If, however, you remember their classics fondly, but you’re not quite ready for your slippers and beige sweaters just yet, don’t ruin the memories, steer clear.

[rating:3/5]

Buy on iTUNES

Album Review: Groove Armada – Black Light

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21/03/2010 By In Music, Reviews, Trash

Black Light is the sixth album from Groove Armada, a London based dance duo who I have always believed to be the musical equivalent to Lesser Spotted Ulster. I’m sure, somewhere out there, there are people who really really like Lesser Spotted Ulster, or else it wouldn’t still be around. So it is for GA. In a genre with lots of exciting and new things going on, the output of these two has always seemed a bit, well….stale. Aside from “At The River” and soundtracking a bazillion adverts, their relevance has always seemed in question. Worse still, does anyone still care? (more…)