Jonah Matranga - And

He’s a long way home from the salad days of belting out searing alternative anthems with influential nearly men Far, but Jonah Matranga has long since conceded that amps and distortion only muddy the message. Jonah’s songs have always meant the world to the people who let them and every drip of brittle honesty on offer here should be no different. As usual, his delicate, choirboy vocal carries the songs; in this instance it’s a collection of sweet, unadorned soft rock (in the most complimentary sense of the term) with the odd hint of a pedal steel guitar for added atmospherics. Of course it isn’t as visceral or as vital as his old band but then, he’s managed that rare knack of growing old gracefully and inviting fans along for the ride.

Words_David McLaughlin

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘So Long’, ‘Every Mistake’,
FOR FANS OF: Walter Schreifels, Kevin Devine, Ian Love

Enon - Grass Greysers… Carbon Clouds

While Enon have long been knocking people sideways with their live show, even their biggest fans have never been convinced that they’ve made a really great album. There’s always been too much of a contrast between guitarist John Schmersal’s songs and bassist Toko Yasuda’s. Here there is undoubtedly more flow and less filler than before. They’re a more inventive band than most, and when their spiky energy combines with the same artistic cohesion that makes Spoon or Blonde Redhead so beloved by their fans, it’s impossible not to admire. Musically, it’s standard Enon – almost funky basslines, washes of fuzzed out electronics and relentless energy. Lyrically they’re still intriguingly abstract but it doesn’t much matter anyway - they’re not trying to be Bob Dylan, they’re trying to make you dance.

Words_Niall Harden

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘Mirror On You’, ‘Peace Of Mind’
FOR FANS OF: Clone Quartet, Deerhoof

Enon - Grass Greysers… Carbon Clouds

While Enon have long been knocking people sideways with their live show, even their biggest fans have never been convinced that they’ve made a really great album. There’s always been too much of a contrast between guitarist John Schmersal’s songs and bassist Toko Yasuda’s. Here there is undoubtedly more flow and less filler than before. They’re a more inventive band than most, and when their spiky energy combines with the same artistic cohesion that makes Spoon or Blonde Redhead so beloved by their fans, it’s impossible not to admire. Musically, it’s standard Enon – almost funky basslines, washes of fuzzed out electronics and relentless energy. Lyrically they’re still intriguingly abstract but it doesn’t much matter anyway - they’re not trying to be Bob Dylan, they’re trying to make you dance.

Words_Niall Harden

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘Mirror On You’, ‘Peace Of Mind’
FOR FANS OF: Clone Quartet, Deerhoof

Cutting Pink With Knives - Populuxxe

A lightning injection of faced-paced and biting Namco-noise, a year from now this thing will either have been embraced by fashionistas and championed, or passed like all fads and sound as dated as Virtua Fighter now looks. Many tracks clock in less than two minutes, but few maintain the edge of ‘See Emm Sea’ or ‘Cosmic Explosion Of The Velvets’. With almost-metal vocals and backed by amusement arcade chaos and occasional, teasing riffs the concision is a draw. The breakdowns and peppered ambience bring memories of blowing on cartridges and are definitely worth a credit or two, but might not be enough to keep you pumping the coins in. Continue?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘Airz’, ‘Pyramids’
FOR FANS OF: Gay Against You, Enter Shikari

Future Of The Left - Curses

When mclusky called it quits a couple of years back, a generation of music fans wept. Or, they should have. The disbandment of the Welsh rock pigs was a tragedy for two reasons. One was that it robbed the British music scene of one of its most humorous, intense and intelligent voices; the other that it passed almost unnoticed. Despite inspiring fierce loyalty in their followers, mclusky’s fanbase never acquired the numbers their exquisite racket deserved. Now though, two-thirds of the band have joined forces with one member of fellow defunct Welsh noisemongers Jarcrew to redress the balance. So with the chance of redemption for the record-buying public at hand, have the trio delivered the goods?

Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes. ‘Curses’ is a punishing, infectious and downright side-splitting listen, every bit as good as anything committed to tape by their previous incarnations. Better, in fact. Stunning opener ‘The Lord Hates A Coward’ finds nosebleed bass, mountainous drums and shards of tuneful yet unfeasibly aggressive guitar noise underpinning Andrew Falkous’ cry of “Violence, she solved everything”, while band switches between dissonant tumbling and a vicious groove with almost casual disdain. ‘Plague Of Onces’ follows; a taut, explosive popcore blast laden with Les Savy Fav-style terrace chants and squalling guitar lines.

This record doesn’t just pummel, though; it also swings, bounces, jerks and floats, sometimes in the same song. Cuts like the loping, circular splurge of ‘Fingers Become Thumbs’ or the Satan’s barber shop quartet mantra of ‘Kept By Bees’ are playful in the same fashion as Battles, while the hilarious Hooray Henry-baiting ‘Fuck The Countryside Alliance’ is a sardonic, bass-led kick to the buck teeth which out-Shellacs Steve Albini. Closer ‘The Contrarian’ is a real departure, built on lilting piano stabs, subtle percussion and some uncharacteristically restrained vocals.

As brilliant as the music is, though, the star of the show is still the acerbic wit of Andrew Falkous. Take aforementioned toff-basher ‘Fuck The Countryside Alliance’, which finds the deadpan singer intoning: “Tories, Tories/Thanks for the Tories” and “take a man to his nightmares in a Land Rover”. Or how about the synth-led ‘Suddenly It’s A Folk Song’, in which he boasts of “making a living from contract bridge” and panics that “suddenly folk songs are part of our future”. Then there are those song titles: ‘My Gymnastic Past’, ‘Team: Seed’, ‘Manchasm’ – great names, and every song a gem. It’s great to have Falkous back, and when he bellows, “We are still operating!” at the end of granite-heavy disco funk workout ‘Real Men Hunt In Packs’, you can’t help but punch the air along with him.

Words_Lee Gorman

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘The Lord Hates A Coward’, ‘Fingers Become Thumbs’, ‘Suddenly It’s A Folk Song’
FOR FANS OF: Les Savy Fav, Shellac, Battles

Tiny Masters Of Today - Bang Bang Boom Cake

It’s hard work growing up these days. Harder still, doing it in the full-on glare of the public eye. Look at the glut of former chid stars’ failing to adjust to the adult world for ample evidence. It’s a culture of supply and demand, with red-tops and dirtsheet blogs feeding the public’s insatiable desire to peer into the grit and fallibility of the recently whiter than white’s lives. It’s gotten so out of hand of late, Hollywood insiders are slashing odds on which of its fame-hungry starlets will be the first to crash and burn in the sickeningly named Death Race (apparently Lindsay Lohan is currently favourite). You have to question the judgement and motivation of any parental unit that throws their wee lambs to the proverbial slaughter of an industry increasingly chewing up and spitting out child stars the day they turn 18. Yet still the entertainment industry churns them out.

Meet New York duo, Ivan (age 13) and Ada (age 11), otherwise known as Tiny Masters Of Today. Okay so they may be a world away from the trainwreck lifestyles of Ms Spears or Lohan but it’s worth remembering those two sprung from the trusted stables of Disney before everything went skew-whiff. Our popstars are becoming younger and younger and Tiny Masters Of Today are lowering the bar so much they make the cherubic be your own PET look like geriatrics.

Listening to their debut album ‘Bang Bang Boom Cake’ however, you’re stuck between feeling incredibly patronising (aww cute, kids playing at being rockstars) and being genuinely impressed. A lot of the credit for that of course is down to Ivan and Ada’s winning charm and natural musical flair. A large portion of the credit must also go to the adult supervision they’re lucky to have access to. Luminaries such as Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s Russell Simins (on drums and production), ex-Moldy Peach Kimya Dawson, Fred Schenider of The B-52s and Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes all lend a wisened hand to proceedings. Despite the musical chaperoning, TMOT retain a genuine sense of wide-eyed fun and enjoyment (if anything they bring out the kids in their guests). Compositions are basic at best hip-hop inflected pop-punk but that’s not a criticism. No one would look at a child’s crayon scrawl and compare it with the works of Michelangelo and so the same principle should apply with this release.

What they have created is far from essential listening and never really escapes the trap of twee curio but as an unfussy introduction to the music world and indicator of future glories, it’s top drawer and better than the debut offerings of many bands twice their age. Let’s just hope they don’t go off the rails in a few years time.

Words_David McLaughlin

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘K.I.D.S.’, ‘Disco Bomb’, ‘Book Song’
FOR FANS OF: Helen Love, Moldy Peaches, Smoosh

Thurston - Trees Outside The Academy

Thurston Moore’s 1995 outing, ‘Psychic Hearts’, sounded like the guy from Sonic Youth cutting loose, and making some tunes. ‘Trees Outside The Academy’ is a different story. Grand Master of Noise-Rock has unleashed a record full of surprises. First of all, the acoustic guitar takes prominence, and the noisy, de-tuned electric guitars are sitting around the studio, not quite gathering dust, not quite on fire either. As you might expect, an acoustic guitar in Moore’s hands sounds significantly different to any number of sub-standard acoustic troubadours. Occasionally jagged, always tightly coiled, it is a thing of beauty and danger, perfectly complimented by Sumara Lubelski’s violin, which snakes round the notes, drawing tighter and tighter.

As refreshing as it is to hear Thurston Moore delivering an album of accessible, engaging songs, his lyrics are more problematic. Esoteric in nature, it’s frequently difficult to decipher what he’s talking about, until he casually tosses out a killer line like: “And oh yeah I’ll always be yourr friend / And yeah at least just ‘till the end”.

And everything seems good: the guitar lines are licking at your ears, the violin is wrapped round your chest and the drums are pushing you on towards the light. May Thurston never die and just continue compelling us to Sonic Ecstasy.

Words_Steven Rainey

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

FOR FANS OF: Beck, Dinosaur Jr
DOWNLOAD: ‘Frozen Gtr’, ‘Fri/end’

The Rumble Strips - Girls and Weather

The Devon quintet may have taken their sweet time to unleash debut full length ‘Girls And Weather’ but the agonising delay has been more than worth enduring. Since the release of their first single ‘Motorcycle’ back in 2005, hopes have been high and with each successive offering and raucous live outing, expectations mushroomed to the point where they could surely only disappoint. Little did anyone know they had a clutch of classics-in-waiting in reserve.

The Rumble Strips’ spicy mix of Motown sensibilities, soul-inspired theatrics and driving, storytelling rock - evocative of the sprawling 70s masters – makes for the perfect palette from which to paint a rich, textured and glamorised picture of modern day suburban British life. The Clarence Clemons-esque blare of the sax and the steadily ratcheting tension of the band transports you away from the industrial, workaday reality to strange, mythical streets and the realm of the romantics, chasing something in the night. From start to finish there’s a nary a dull moment or disposable idea and the absolute joy squeezed into each track is the perfect antidote to the zeitgeist’s taste for the humdrum and gloomy.

‘Girls And Weather’ is a faultless album, with myriad highlights and is up there with pretty much any ‘classic British debut’ you care to mention from the last 30 years.

Words_David McLaughlin

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘Girls And Boys In Love’, ‘Time’, ‘Oh Creole’
FOR FANS OF: Dexys Midnight Runners, The E-Street Band, Adam & The Ants

Telephone Jim Jesus - Anywhere Out Of Everything

George Chadwick (aka Telephone Jim Jesus) has an almost overwhelming abundance of ideas. The tracks develop in continually surprising directions - cut ‘n’ paste samples share space with breakbeats and rumbling basslines, spanning a wide range of electronica, sub-genres from the relentlessly heavy ‘Suicide Wings’ to the grandiose, near-ambient ‘Birdstatic’.

Telephone Jim Jesus has created an album of such depth it remains surprising, even after several plays. There’s barely even a chance to catch your breath over the eleven tracks as each flows seamlessly into the other. However, at times the constant genre-hopping can become a little tiring, and certainly the few tracks with rap vocals come across as more than a little inconsequential and unnecessary. Throughout, the album is dark and schizophrenic, veering intermittently between deadpan acoustic and brooding electronic passages.

Words_Chris McCorry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘Suicide Wings (Birdstatic Remix)’, ‘Featherfall’
FOR FANS OF: Massive Attack, Plaid, Aesop Rock

Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus

Whereas the majority of their output in this decade has been very laid-back (almost to the point of lethargy on ‘Phantom Power’), the Super Furries seem to have found their pop bone again. Every song races about, making its point in a minimum of time, being succinct and catchy. Melody is once again to the fore, and atmospherics are sacrificed in place of making an immediate impact. Ironically, first single, ‘Show Your Hand’, acting as a microcosm, giving a taste of the hyperactive pop delights that can be found throughout the whole album.

The only shortfall is something that has arguably blighted the band for the entirety of this decade. While they might be shortening the songs and making them more accessible, they distinctly lack the bite that made their earlier releases so thrilling. Part of their initial charm was the fact that the songs had great melodies and catchy choruses, but they would also punch you in the face to get your attention, and then not let go. The Super Furries are an older but not necessarily wiser bunch. ‘Hey Venus!’ is chock-full of pop tunes, instead of grabbing your attention though, it smiles charmingly and winks in your direction but doesn’t really make any attempt to draw you in. It just sort of stands there, being nice.

Writer_Steven Rainey

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

FOR FANS OF: The Flaming Lips, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci
DOWNLOAD: ‘The Gift That Keeps Giving’, ‘Baby Ate My Eight Ball’

Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight

Rilo Kiley have always been sold short as the supporting actors of the music world, ranking up there with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti as far as shining yet underappreciated talent goes. Previous albums, such as 2004’s ‘More Adventurous’, were critically lauded but didn’t exactly shift enough to allow record company bigwigs to cavort naked around bonfires of burning money. Lesser, more vacuous performers hog the limelight, and steal the glory. But that could all change with ‘Under The Blacklight’. Having wrapped up touring duties on her shimmering solo debut ‘Rabbit Fur Coat’, cool-as-get-out chanteuse Jenny Lewis is back to her regular job, but that’s not to say that she’s plumping for second best. If anything, the updated Rilo Kiley is fitter, happier and more productive. Distancing themselves from the college rock tag, the band have raided their parents’ vinyl collections and refined their sound significantly. Whether it’s flirting with Fleetwood Mac on ‘Dreamworld’ or Stax soul on jailbait morality tale ‘15’, from start to finish this album goes in and out in all the right places. It’s sexy, sultry and as slinky as a boxful of toy springs. You’ll be gyrating and clapping along like a performing monkey throughout, particularly on comely opener ‘Silver Lining’ – a more elegant pop song you will not hear. With any justice, Rilo Kiley’s moment in the sun is due anytime now.

Words_Ross Thompson

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘Silver Lining’, ‘Breakin’ Up’
FOR FANS OF: Death Cab For Cutie, Fleetwood Mac