Tunng - Good Arrows

‘Good Arrows’ is the third album in three years from English experimental folk collective Tunng and it’s obvious from the opening track that the band are keen to leave behind the ‘folktronica’ label used to categorise their two previous offerings. Some of the clunky, mechanical sounds have gone, replaced by a softer, more pastoral pop style. The songs are not lost under dense production this time around, instead the subtle, skewed beats and improvised percussion help to illuminate their simple nature.
You can hear the band’s influences all over this record, which is a mix of Psapp’s adolescent playfulness, Sigur Ros’ gentle beauty and Kieran Hebden’s sonic explorations.
Even ‘Bullets’ similarity to Jonah Lewie’s lumpen ‘Stop The Cavalry’ can be excused on an album this pretty. Just.

Words_ Kenny Murdock

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Arms’, ‘Soup’
FOR FANS OF: Psapp, Fridge

Tomahawk - Anonymous

Ho ho, old Mike Patton’s back again. When he’s not bitching about Wolfmother he’s being eyed by the musical establishment as a doddery uncle. “Leave him be, Randy. He’s doing no harm. If he wants to record a whole album based on unattributed native American chants, let him. He’s got John Stanier on drums? Well he was always a little… strange, too.” Thing is, a year later when Patton’s added another creative light grenade to his armoury, it’s old Randy that’s dead on the toilet, bloated and filthy from a life of consumption. Dead musical imaginations are the problem, Michael Patton is the antidote.

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DOWNLOAD: All
FOR FANS OF: Gregorian Chants, Battles

Tiny Dancers - Free School Milk

There is something quite peculiar about Tiny Dancers, emotionally and musically they are a band that has stepped out of time. For a start they’re unapologetically upbeat, which in 2007 is most irregular and, what’s more, while the majority of their contemporaries draw upon the monochrome guitar stylings of the eighties, they’re looking to the lysergic sounds of the sixties and California dreaming of the seventies for inspiration. This distinctiveness is their greatest asset, for while ‘Free School Milk’ has some gorgeous moments, overall there is a sense of disjointedness, of musicians reading off different song sheets. Too often songs suggest greatness before dissipating into disappointment, the snatches of melody evident on ’20 To 9’ and ‘Moonsong #2’ never quite amounting to anything meaningful. Surely it’s only right to expect a greater sense of cohesion in a record produced by the legendary John Leckie (Stone Roses, Radiohead, Muse). Regardless, there is no doubting the enthusiasm, and, in David Kay, Tiny Dancers have a most engaging vocalist. If only they could harness that enthusiasm and put it to good use, fashioning hook-laden loveliness of the quality of ‘Baby Love’. Then Tiny Dancers would really be worth bigging up.

Words_Francis Jones

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Baby Love’, ‘Ashes And Diamonds’, ‘Hannah We Know’
FOR FANS OF: The Magic Numbers, The Thrills, Delays

The Thrills - Teenager

They’re dream-catchers. On debut album, ‘So Much For The City’, The Thrills giddily pursued the American Dream, the Californian sunshine sparking a fire in their hearts. By the time of ‘Let’s Bottle Bohemia’ they had realised that the glimmer in the distance was a mirage, they had been blinded by the light, caught California dreamin’. The Dubliners had reached an impasse; false hope or true bitterness, neither prospect seemed particularly palatable. They needed to return to the wellspring of rock ‘n’ roll, to catch themselves a teenage dream, so hard to beat. With producer Tony Hoffer they’ve done just that, their ‘Midnight Choir’ singing a hymn to adolescence. This is a record in emotional flux, sullen, starry-eyed, righteous and romantic, all in the breadth of a verse-chorus-verse, The Thrills playing the role of the titular ‘Teenager’ to perfection. But it’s the sense of yearning, the nostalgia that will really get you. Just listen to the crack in Conor Deasy’s voice as he ponders youth lost and passions thwarted, the man with the teenager in his eyes, so desperate to “go back”. Ironically, given the subject matter, ‘Teenager’ is their most mature record yet, complexity masquerading as simplicity, impeccably arranged, brimming with alluring melodies and rock hooks. Maybe then this “year will be their year”, the year dreams become reality.

Words_ Francis Jones

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Nothing Changes Around Here’, ‘I Came All This Way’, ‘Teenager’

FOR FANS OF: Neil Young, The Byrds, Hal

Tellison - Contact! Contact!

This is a debut record a long time in the making. Tellison aren’t a new band, even if they’re new to you; they’ve been plugging away on the UK toilet circuit for years but this collection of songs is surely going to elevate them to bigger and better things.

It’s very radio-friendly but not forcibly so. It’s all very naturally put together. It’s reminiscent of mid-era Idlewild – not too aggressive but not coffee-table fodder either, there are strong hints of Stapleton and Biffy Clyro too – and some parts (particularly the shouty backing vocals) even veer towards The Automatic. Subtle melodies, layered vocal harmonies, hand-claps, an assortment of instruments and general quirkiness all add huge depth to what is essentially a glorious pop album.

Words_Michael Wilson

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Hanover Start Clapping’, ‘Henry Went To Paris’
FOR FANS OF: Idlewild, Stapleton, The Automatic

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Spoon belong to a group of bands whose brand of leftfield, radio-friendly rock songs are destined to be criminally ignored, but who could legitimately claim to be the ‘best band you’ve never heard of’. Among these are Call And Response, Built To Spill and the wonderful, but now heart-breakingly defunct Guided By Voices.

‘Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’ is the band’s sixth album and continues the trend of modest decline with each successive release. That is not to say that this is a bad album. Most bands would kill for the tunes that Britt Daniels discards, but Spoon suffer from the standards they set with 1998’s near faultless ‘A Series Of Sneaks.’ The tunes remain impossibly catchy but the quirks and subtle nuances that first attracted our attention, have been replaced by a more straightforward songwriting style.

On first listen songs like ‘Rhythm And Soul’ sound like M.O.R. chancers The Feeling, but more appropriate reference points are Pixies, Pavement or early Super Furry Animals. In fact ‘The Ghost Of You Lingers’ could have slipped unnoticed onto ‘Outspaced’.

There are a few glimpses of the ‘old’ Spoon’s off-kilter rhythms, but they are too fleeting on an album that is too direct and too polished to be great. Still pisses on the last two Kings Of Leon albums, though.

Words_ Kenny Murdock

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Don’t Make Me A Target’, ‘The Underdog’
FOR FANS OF: Pavement, Brendan Benson

Sebadoh - The Freed Man

Lou Barlow has been involved in some of the most vital and important music made in the late 20th century. With Dinosaur Jr, he helped a million kids remember how to rock, but not to be a cliché. However, with Sebadoh he became a lynchpin in the nascent lo-fi scene, and helped define an aesthetic which has become one of the vital building blocks of contemporary music; the ability to do it yourself.

‘The Freed Man’ was the opening shot in this lo-fi odyssey, and as such is difficult to evaluate from a contemporary standpoint. In context, it is a collection of nonsense songs, recorded on absurdly primitive equipment with scant regard to quality and tuning. There are a few gems in there, but the majority frequently does not even resemble music. But the real quality lies in the fact that the end result is one of the most liberating recordings ever released. There is a palpable sense of freedom bursting out of every note played (hence the title), and one can hear both Barlow and his musical partner Eric Gaffney revelling in the opportunity to indulge their every whim.

To modern ears, it probably just sounds like two stoned guys mucking about - which is not an unfair assessment - but the real importance of this recording is in what it represents, rather than what it sounds like. In that way, it’s an important historical document, but not something that everyone is going to want to listen to on a regular basis.

Words_Steven Rainey

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Amherst Hanging House’, ‘Resistance To Flo’
FOR FANS OF: Pavement, Guided By Voices, Elliot Smith

Lo Fidelity Allstars - Warming Up The Brain Farm

A history lesson. Around 1997, a scene was rampant across British music, called ‘big beat’. The nineties equivalent of nu-rave, big beat mashed dance music and guitars and, like nu-rave had it’s own massive club nights, dodgy fashion sense and trendy record labels. The kings of big beat were a band called the Lo Fidelity Allstars. They headlined the dance stage at Glasto, hit the cover of the NME and gave America a decent crack, before the whole big beat thing went tits up and became deeply uncool, leaving the Lo-Fi’s bitter and confused, stumbling among the debris wondering were it all went wrong.

Fuck it though, a band is for life, not just for Christmas. And the Lo-fi’s were some band. Their debut ‘How To Operate With A Blown Mind’ still leaves you breathless - a filthy, rasping collection of funk-punk dancefloor destruction, among a handful of strangely beautiful, reflective moments. In short - it could wreck your head. The follow up, ‘Don’t Be Afraid Of Love’, came way too late for anyone to care. Which is a desperate shame frankly - it was somehow an even better album - boasting collaborations with Greg Dulli and even Jamie Lidell, long before he was cool. Honestly, everyone needs to own both these albums. They are, in parts, absolutely astonishing and properly unique. Klaxons - their modern day equivalent, are laughably dull in comparison. In fact, when it comes to mixing dance and guitars, no one has come even close to recreating the genius of those two albums. So yes. Be good to yourself and buy this album.

(I suppose, in the interest of balance, it should be pointed out that a ‘best of’ after two albums, the second of which is six years old is almost entirely pointless. This compilation also reeks of ‘contractual obligation’ and the one ‘new’ track is dung. But don’t be worrying about that. *Coughs*)

words_Rigsy

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Battleflag’, ‘Somebody Needs You’
FOR FANS OF: Klaxons, Chemical Brothers

Interpol - Our Love To Admire

What dark arts are these? Bewitching, beguiling and quite beautiful, Interpol’s third album, ‘Our Love To Admire’ is an instantly entrancing listen. Ambitious without going so far as to alienate their existing fanbase, this record retains the streamlined urban angst that is a defining characteristic of the band whilst signalling their determination to stake out new territory and harness new sounds and ideas.

Having chewed up and spat out the Big Apple on the metropolis-mired ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ and ‘Antics’ they’ve here embraced the filmic vistas of John Barry and Ennio Morricone. If musically they’re aiming for the majestic then lyrically they continue to revel in telling tales of lives and loves doomed. It’s all lip-smackingly bitter fare. This dark night of the soul commences with ‘Pioneer To The Falls’, our narrator’s dreams dashed upon the cruel rocks of reality. In large part this song’s melodrama is derived from Paul Banks’ vocal, never before has he sounded quite so doom-laden, each line conveyed with all the gravitas of a deathbed confession.

It is not just the frontman who has upped his game. The cyclical, menacing rhythms of bassist Carlos D. and drummer Sam Fogarino on ‘No I In Threesome’, practically stalk the listener, creating an atmosphere of stifling claustrophobia that makes the line “let us be free tonight” sound more plea than pledge. However, it is guitarist Daniel Kessler who consistently steals the limelight, his input reaching a zenith on ‘Pace Is The Trick’. Initially the guitar playing is slow and assured, but it is just a ruse, for the dull edge is suddenly replaced by rapier thrusts.

‘All Fired Up’ is similarly guitar propelled, the bullish music complementing Banks’ bravado in declaring, “I’ll take you all on”. The sense of defiance is echoed in ‘Who Do You Think’ which baldly states “I came to fight”. Perhaps the album highlight, ‘Rest My Chemistry’, alludes to the band’s extracurricular activities, and the dereliction of mind and body that is the price of living life by “Cocaine, rage and three kinds of yes”. But, if the first nine tracks represent a widescreen refinement of Interpol’s earlier work, then it is the closing brace that hint at a more experimental future.

The use of strings on ‘Wrecking Ball’ adds instant orchestral sweep, the song building slowly towards a point of ecstatic release. And then, in the end, there is ‘The Lighthouse’. Graceful flamenco guitar provides a mariachi feel, strangely incongruous on what seems to be an ode to personal apocalypse, Banks’ gravely intoning “I’m slipping again” as his voice is slowly replaced by a deluge of chiming sound effects. An indisputably elegant band, Interpol here display a greater depth and diversity than on their first two albums, giving short shrift to suggestions that the New York based outfit are a triumph of style over substance. Their most enthralling record yet, ‘Our Love To Admire’ casts a potent spell.

Words_Francis Jones

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DOWNLOAD: All Fired Up, Rest My Chemistry, The Lighthouse
FOR FANS OF: Depeche Mode, Associates, Ennio Morricone

Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English & Lethal Bizzle – Back To Bizznizz


Did grime even really happen? Almost every artist who was lumbered with the tag back when Mr Rascal won that prize, fervently defended themselves from the charge. Four years on, and Dizzee has half an eye on the American market.

Absurd macho posturing and megalomania has always been a (the?) defining feature of much rap music, and when detuned guitar riffs try to inject further knuckle-headedness into the single ‘Sirens’ it merely conjures up horrible images of Linkin Park.

Lethal Bizzle falls even flatter when he borrows dynamics from rock music (and r’n’b, and just about anywhere else), and his railing against politicians (and comedy feud with David Cameron) are far flimsier than Rascal’s single acerbic line, “I’m a problem for Anthony Blair”, delivered all those years ago.

It would be a shame if grime retreated into its shell and became some hybrid of hip-hop and novelty pop (see also Back To Bizznizz’s lamentable strum-along closer ‘Reflecting’ where Bizzle decides to “slow things down”, presumably a misguided attempt to ‘connect’ like on The Streets’ ‘Dry Your Eyes’). Where these records work, more often on ‘Maths + English’, is where the producers find a sound that’s recognizable as new, independent and properly thrilling.

Words_Niall Harden

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Lethal Bizzle – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: Lethal Bizzle ‘You’ll Get Wrapped’, Dizzee Rascal ‘Pussyole’
FOR FANS OF: Wiley, So Solid Crew

Chrome Hoof - Pre-emptive False Rapture

You would think every possible apex of sound had been covered by now, but apparently not. For London mentalists Chrome Hoof are here to provide the missing link between stoner metal and funk. Complete with shiny capes, a brass section and an enormous ram character. It all started when (doom metallers) Cathedral’s bassist Leo Smee and drumming brother Milo wondered how they might indulge their love for 70s funk and disco. From jamming as a two piece they picked up enough waifs and strays to arrive at the current luxuriant 10-piece band (plus dancers). Following the patronage of Klaxons (who the band supported three times in May) and Andrew Weatherall, this album builds on a debut in 2003 and is, quite frankly, bonkers. Most tracks lock into a superglue-tight groove replete with meaty bassline, brass stabs and sexy female vocals before diving headlong into a brain-distorting time signature and inducing the curious spectacle of simultaneous headbanging and flailing attempts to dance. This lot could actually make readers of Terrorizer and NME see past superficial tribal differences and have lots of fun together. On the other hand, the extreme silliness of the band name, costumes and basic premise will invite ridicule. Let it, this is daaamn good fun.

Words_Chris Jones

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Tonyte’, ‘Pronoid’, ‘Circus 9000’
FOR FANS OF: !!!, Boris, Parliament