will make you want to thrust y0ur fingerless- gloved fist in the air and shake your ironic mullet.
There is evidence of true musicianship, originality and genuine humour here. and an obvious love for the music shines through. Unfortunately, the at- first-inspired talkbox (think Peter Frampton meets Cameo) has become more than a little tiresome by the first instrumental on track three.
Still. full credit to Chromeo — it does exactly what it says on the tin. (MA Edmundson)
ART ROCK
THE FUTUREHEADS The Futureheads (679 Recordings) 0...
There's nothing wrong with an epic tracks- boasting act every now and then. but for those who like their guitar pop a little more spiky and immediate. then Sunderland four-piece the Futureheads are definitely for you. This prog-puncturing LP is a frantic. harmony-laden homage to the Jam. XTC and the Clash. complete with call and response vocals in magnificent Tyne & Wear accents.
Intelligent with obvious arty tendencies. like Franz Ferdinand on fast fon/vard. The Futureheads is one of the most riotoust refreshing debuts you‘ll hear all year. and weighing in at just over 30 minutes. there's plenty of time to listen to it over and over again . . . which you‘ll undoubtedly want to do. (Camilla Pia)
FOLKTRONICA PINKIE MACLURE AND JOHN WILLS
A Small Piece of Afterwards
(Fence) 00.0
Now part of the Fife musical metropolis that is Anstruther, Pinkie and John's debut for local label Fence has seen
some necessary changes. Their previous work with the likes of PJ Harvey and Trent Reznor
; set to one side. the beats and loops on their previous release (under
the name Lumen) are replaced by the folkish
elements here —
melodeon and
concertina now being
the instruments of choice. Still present and correct. however. is Pinkie's staggering voice
— soaring above a
claustrophobic backing on ‘The Long Way
Round' and hovering
above John‘s weave of eerie noises on closing epic 'Lay Down Your Arms'. Seems the new arrivals are settling in nicely. (Stuart McHugh)
JAZZ
DAVID BERKMAN QUARTET Start Here, Finish There
(Palmetto) O...
Pianist David Beckman
. has been a regular visitor to Scotland in
recent years. and has impressed with his
compositional as well as
improvisational skills.
. This album. delayed by the damaging collapse
of the Mactwo distribution company in
: London. clearly reveals
both those facets of his talents. His music tends to rely on fairly intricate and often understated
? means of making his points. rather than immediate ear-catching
flourishes. but repays attention as it gradually delivers depth and complexity. He is heard here with his regular New York quartet. featuring Dick Oatts on both alto and soprano saxophone. and the
excellent rhythm team of
Ugonna Okegwo on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums.
(Kenny Mathieson)
EGOTISTICAL INDIE RAZORLIGHT
I Up All Night r (Vertigo) 0000
For months now. f RaZOrlight's Johnny
Borrell has been talking
l up his band's debut LP.
and thanks to the
frontman's excitable chatter claiming to be the songwriter of his generation. if it's anything less than a masterpiece. we're going to be disappointed.
In terms of sound at
. least. Up A// Night's
tense. scratchy guitars are certainly no different from any other garagey
act around, but the
compelling lyrical content and urban stOrytelling contained within do make each jittery melody more addictive. and stand-out track ‘Vice‘ is easily one of the loveliest moments of melancholy indie you’ll
hear all year. Not quite
the classic Borrell
promised then. but a
stunning passion-
' imbued slice of guitar
pop all the same. (Camilla Pia)
INDIE SONS AND
DAUGHTERS
Love The Cup (Domino) um
Two-boy. two-girl Glasgow quartet Sons and Daughters have already been lauded at South By Southwest. celebrated on a national Franz Ferdinand suppon
slot and propped by —
get this — Greil Marcus. but this Domino reissue of last year's debut LP is the ultimate delivery on
their promise thus far.
Striding into the Last
Chance Saloon on the
back of Adele Bethel's
confident PJ Harvey-by-
way-of—Caledonia vocals
and a truly nagging
guitar and mandolin face-off during ‘Fight'. the seven tracks here
are similarly pent-up
slices of assured transatlantic excitement. Best of all is “Johnny
Cash'. co-vocalist Scott
' Paterson paying
breathless tribute to their least likely of influences. Far be it for us to
. champion them just
because they're Scottish — so let's do it because
‘ they're really. really ‘ bloody good.
(David Pollock) ROCK
. THE NATIONAL
Cherry Tree (Talitres) 0.00
This is the NY—based soul rockers' third ounng.and demonstrates a band
really getting their shit
together. Mixing the refined rock sound of Tindersticks or Nick Cave with a slab of sassy soul a la prime Afghan Whigs. the National are the kind of band that can really worm their way into your heart and soul and never
leave. There are all sorts of leftfield Americana influences here: a whiff of aCOustic Neil Young
on ‘I Don't Mind‘ and a
sniff of Jim O'Rourke on ‘About Today‘. but throughout it all the band. and especially acerbic. gravely singer Matt Berninger. stamp their own identity on proceedings. Exciting stuff. (Doug Johnstone)
POP PETER ANDRE The Long Road Back (EastWest) 00
With his shining tOrso. courage in the face of icky insects and enthusiasm for the even ickier Jordan. Peter Andre has been one of the few reality TV stars to squeeze record sales as well as column inches from his experience.
: BELLE/IND SEBASTIAN present
Records
He‘s now threatening to release a duet with Jordan and claiming to have hundreds of songs to release. The Long Road Back. though. is unlikely to change anyone‘s opinion. It contains the nagging ‘lnsania' (written five years ago. not in the Australian jungle). two versions of ‘Mysterious Girl' and a selection of spectacularly flimsy pop songs. Cheer up. Peter: it should only be a short stroll back to anonymity. (James Smart)
FUNK
REPUBLIC OF LOOSE
This is the Tomb of the
Juice (Big Cat) 000
.1" g.“
1 FUN
One for those people who like their bands to have a personality that's at least as big as the
Double A-side Single Out , YOUR CUVER’S BLOWN WRAPPED UP IN BOOKS
Enhanced (ID/Maxi DVD lllCldUCS I'(:.'. songs ‘i’OUB SECRETS COVER (VERSION). '.'l(lC'0 for WRAPPED UP l't BOOKS (plus CD only coliijniler game BL DVD only
cartoon Sll'll) gallery)
” YOUR COVER S BLOC!)
l‘.'.'Rl'lPPED UP IN BOOKS
.1 1L." DEAR CI.XII".SIIROPHE .t'l’"|IRE\SS (hi. '.')i'.
l\ ,v ,.-\,.- L.
2-1 Jun-~8 Jul 2001
(sauna mos
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