Music Record Reviews www.list.co.uk/music
SINGLES & DOWNLOADS Mos Def
HIP HOP NORTHERN XPOSURE The Last Piece of the Puzzle (NRN EXP) ●●●●●
While some in Scotland’s hip hop community strive to take production into the realm of abstract art form, there’s as many willing to get their heads down, keep it real and keep the message in the music. Edinburgh veterans Northern Xposure do the latter in their own inimitable style, with supreme local beatsmiths DagNabbit and Mungo’s Hi-Fi supplying an array of keen beats.
The yin and yang of Premoniton and Revalation’s male/female vocal lines weave a vivid, if sometimes simplistic picture of contemporary life. They don’t pull punches, blending mid- Atlantic slang and EH11 colloquialisms in equal measure. The message of ‘agitate, educate, organise!’comes through loud and clear and if it sounds pretty harsh then that’s because this is real life, not some blinged up fantasy, something too few can claim with any credibility. (Mark Robertson)
ROCK JAY REATARD Watch Me Fall (Matador) ●●●●●
On the cover of his second studio album, Jay Reatard (née Lindsey) looks a bit like a druggy and bedraggled serial killer. But you can come out from behind the sofa now because he’s really not that scary. In fact one listen to Watch Me Fall proves he’s quite the pop-loving
Much touted at the start of the year, Little Boots’ takeover of planet pop hasn’t quite materialised, and ‘Remedy’ (679) ●●●●● won’t change that. A decent enough pop strut with obligatory chunky synths and singalong chorus, it lacks the personality of her contemporaries, almost instantly forgettable after the last chord fades. Meanwhile, yay! Arctic Monkeys are back!
But also, boo! Their new single is a bit boring. ‘Crying Lightning’ (Domino) ●●●●● is a darker and less frantic band (produced by Josh Homme, apparently), but it’s also lacking the lyrical or riffical spark of Alex and co’s previous genius.
Dan Arborise sets his stall out early on
‘You’ll All Get What’s Coming To You’ (Just Music) ●●●●● with a spectacular display of folky-blues guitar finger-picking, and while he’s clearly a talented guy, his melodies lack the punchy attack his digit-mungous playing deserves. More effective is ‘No One Had It Better’
(Domino) ●●●●● by King Creosote, in which the supposed folk artist has his tune remixed by Bullion into a ferocious and frantic slice of slap-bassed 80s disco mayhem. Even better is KC’s ‘cover’ of the remix on the B-side, which is like the theme from Miami Vice played by crazed Scottish monkey techno pirates. Or something.
And so Single of the Week goes to erstwhile actor Mos Def, returning to the day job with style on ‘Life in Marvellous Times’ (Downtown) ●●●●●, a wonderfully lyrical state-of-the-world tirade taking in politics, race, crime and the environment, and backed by driving, apocalyptic beats from hell. Very tasty. (Doug Johnstone)
34 THE LIST 13–20 Aug 2009
pussycat. Heaps more melodic than his previous offering, the record features the multi-talented and hugely prolific chap churning out buzzing riff-driven sing-alongs, and it’s his off-kilter delivery and quirky lyrical approach that really set him apart from his peers and keep you coming back for more. Quite glorious. (Camilla Pia) METAL/ROCK/POP VARIOUS ARTISTS Kerrang! The Album ‘09 (Rhino) ●●●●●
Since 1981 weekly metal mag Kerrang! has been waving the flag for hard rock charting the rise and fall of thrash, nu metal, grunge and emo. This double album exemplifies the dichotomy at the heart of any commercial magazine: do you cover what’s popular or what’s genuinely good? Over 42 tracks the producers desperately try to encompasses both extremes, the first disc is all emo and pop punk while disc two appeals to their core audience of ‘real’ metallers. With so many tracks it would be impossible not to include some quality tunes (from the likes of Slipknot, Mastodon and Enter Shikari), but there’s as much dross (Metro Station being a prime offender) as there is good stuff. (Henry Northmore)
ELECTRO POP MIIKE SNOW Miike Snow (Columbia) ●●●●● Represented visually by the mythical jackalope and scarce pics of three masked figures floating around on the internet, anyone would think
Miike Snow didn’t want people to know who they are. Weird, considering this brilliant debut effort that is packed to bursting with infectious melodies and driven by a sumptuous mix of pounded pianos, thumping rhythms, luscious harmonies and shimmering electronics. Of course two of the band are better known as Bloodshy & Avant – the Grammy winning outfit behind Britney’s ‘Toxic’ – which in some indie schmindie circles may be considered shameful, but certainly not round these parts. Oh no, Miike Snow is definitely worth shouting about. (Camilla Pia) ROCK PISSED JEANS King of Jeans (Sub Pop) ●●●●●
Being a grown-up sucks, right? Well Pissed Jeans certainly think so. Third long- player King of Jeans is the sound of the Pennsylvanian foursome formally attempting to accept adulthood, and by the sounds of it they’re none too happy at the prospect. Drums thunder, riffs roar and squeal and lead singer Matt Korvette howls and growls like his middle age depended on it. The perfect antidote to the 9-5 slog, these 12 thrillingly visceral tracks will have you pounding the air with joy at the wonder of punk rock well made. In a sea of corporate rock, Pissed Jeans are the real frickin’ deal. (Camilla Pia) INDIE PUNK-POP NODZZZ Nodzzz (What’s Your Rupture?) ●●●●●
Fuse the quirkiness of Pavement, with the short-sharp-shock of The Folk Implosion, plus a thousand similar retro- new wave acts, and you get California kids Nodzzz.
For people in a hurry and running at just under 16 minutes for 10
songs (and not including their 2007 platter, ‘(I Don’t Wanna) Smoke Marijuana’), their self- titled mini-album, kicks off with download ditty, ‘Is She There?’. Other hook-laden tracks to keep us from the arms of Morpheus are ‘Highway Memorial Shrine’, ‘In the City (Contact High)’, ‘Controlled Karaoke’ and wee gem, ‘Losing My Accent’. Now if one was 30 years younger? (Martin C Strong, aged 48 1/2) JAZZ BILL FRISELL Disfarmer (Nonesuch Records) ●●●●●
The slightly ungrammatical-looking title actually refers to a person, photographer Michael Disfarmer, who captured telling images of the rural American south in Arkansas in the early 1940s. His given name was Meyers, but apparently he changed it to Disfarmer to distance himself from his family roots and the poor farmers he photographed. Frisell uses his work
as inspiration for the 26 short tracks here. They can sound a little bitty, and even inconsequential, but Frisell’s trademark spidery guitar work holds the interest, with regular band members Jenny Scheinman (violin), Greg Leisz (steel guitar and mandolin) and Viktor Krauss (bass) contributing their own colours and textures to the music. The guitarist throws in a few period covers alongside his own distinctive compositions, and the cumulative effect of these fragments is quietly impressive. (Kenny Mathieson)