FUTURE ROCK BATTLES ABCZ, Glasgow, Wed 23 May
The sides of the musical road less travelled are littered with well-intentioned souls whose big ideas never quite had the stamina to make it to fruition. The seasoned veterans in Battles are cannier than most, men who resiliently stuck it out on their own paths before this meeting of musical minds.
A pair of acclaimed EPs in 2004 and some bursts of serious touring whet appetites for the hypnotic grooves of this New York-based quartet, but it has taken until now to get a chew at their debut album. Where before their boundless energy shot hither and thither like a lightning bolt searching for an earth, they have found a conductor for all the wild elements in their album Mirrored. That’s not to say they’ve mellowed. If anything,
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the introduction of more vocals (well, Tyondai Braxton’s filtered cut ups and loops of vocals somewhere between
the Pinky and Perky and Ming the Merciless) makes them
sound even more peculiar, but there’s less of a scuttle and more of a swagger to their sound, nailed with ruthless efficiency by sticksman John Stanier. Nowhere is this more brilliantly illustrated than in lead single ‘Atlas’ where they build a mountain of a song out of a nagging bass loop and Stanier’s Glitter Band tom-tom rumble while guitars bray and squeak like 200 exhibits. While all these wilful juxtapositions sound very
impressive on paper, the truly great thing about Battles is
that the snappy ideas transfer onto tape and into the live arena. They are an uncompromising beast and relish the chance to drag an audience out of the typical rock band comfort zone into somewhere odd, playful and new. (Mark Robertson)
Mono, Glasgow, Sun 13 May
It may have taken them a while to hit the big time. but 1990s were undoubtedly worth the wait. Forming from the ashes of cult legends The Yummy Fur and V-Twm. this Glasgow trio wooed Rough Trade a mere six gigs into their eXistence and one listen to scratchy. catchy debut Cook/"es will tell you why. It's straight up. top notch. bluesy guitar pop complete With iaunty melodies. clattering drums. serrated riffs. yelps'n‘howls and cheeky. quick-Witted lyrics telling all manner of tales about deviants and debauchery . . . or as the band themselves commented recently. sounds “like a blonde getting out of a car’. Nicely put.
Live. however. this good-time bunch really come into their own and recent support slots With The Long Blondes and CSS have seen the charismatic threepiece give the headliners a run for their money with their own eccentric brand of humour and punchy delivery creating a real party atmosphere wherever they play. Most importantly though. 1990s fit seamlessly into today's trend for acts that cater in gig/club crossovers while approaching the music scene with the strength and sense that only years of experience can give. without ever becoming boring.
If you haven't yet allowed Messrs McKeown, McMorrow and McGaughrin to prove their worth then it's about time that you did, and this album launch show provides the perfect opportunity for the as-yet- uninitiated to become better acquainted with some of modern music's most unique characters. (Camilla Pia)
INDIE
IflWNUKPOLLOCML Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Mon 14 May; Barfly, Glasgow, Tue 15 May
The Delgados' unique strain of ornate indie might have sadly never quite scaled the heights it merited in its time. but the Glasgow band's decision to spilt in 2005 has proven to be a wise one — particularly since it's left all involved with plenty of pent up imagination to plough into new projects.
Singer Alun Woodward gave a glimpse of great things to come in his new guise as Lord Cut-Glass with a track on the recent Ballads of the Book compilation (released on Chemikal Underground. the label still owned and run by the four former members of The Delgados). His ex— cohort Emma Pollock, meanwhile.
already has her first solo album in the can — a damn fine one at that. if songs debuted at her steady string of live appearances over the last year are anything to go by.
Recorded in Glasgow and New York with award winning producer Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave. Beth Orton). and entitled Watch The Fireworks it‘s not due for release by her label 4AD until September. A little taster arrives this month, however. in the shape of single ‘Adrenaline'. a rushing, melodic piano led thriller with a widescreen chorus not dissimilar to the sort her last outfit used to specialise in. Placing her strong. breathy vocals front and centre. and backing them up with a sturdy band that features ex- Delgados' drummer Paul Savage (her husband). as well as Aereogramme‘s Campbell McNeill. there's a real sense of depth and quality to Pollock's material — one that should rightly see it go far. (Malcolm Jack)
10—24 May 2007 THE LIST 61