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RECORDS Music
PSYCH ODYSSEY THE FLAMING LIPS The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends (Bella Union) ●●●●● God bless The Flaming Lips and their inability to give a toss about pandering to commercial interests. Released only on vinyl to mark Record Store Day in the US this year . . . Heady Fwends is now very deservedly being unleashed upon the wider world. A star-emblazoned throwback to their early days of sonic exploration rather than a return to their mainstream, Wayne Coyne’s presence is barely in evidence, for example, as Yoko Ono yelps the title of ‘Do It!’ over a grinding industrial clang, or Nick Cave adopts full-on sleaze-pimp mode over the psychobilly grind of ‘You, Man? Human???’. Lightning Bolt, Bon Iver and Tame Impala also make memorable visits. Sheer brilliance, but maybe not if you like your noises pretty. (David Pollock)
REISSUES NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS Nocturama/ Abattoir Blues & The Lyre of Orpheus/ DIG, LAZARUS DIG!!! (Mute) ●●●●● Being the kind of artist who inspires obsessive collection by his fans, this final phase of a schedule which has seen all of Nick Cave’s studio albums re-released in 5.1 surround sound with extra tracks and video makes perfect sense. The first two admittedly aren’t among his most highly-praised works, but 2003’s Nocturama is a worthy example of Cave’s power as a delicately frayed balladeer. Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (2004), meanwhile, is a journey into wilful gothic obscurity that makes for an interesting if unsatisfying listen. Only DIG, LAZARUS DIG!!! (2008) excites throughout, a pulp blues rocker with an entertainingly dark heart. (David Pollock)
JAZZ JOE MORRIS, WILLIAM PARKER & GERALD CLEAVER Altitude (Aum Fidelity) ●●●●● EXPERIMENTAL ROCK/JAZZ FIRE! WITH OREN AMBARCHI In the Mouth – a Hand (Rune Gramofon) ●●●●●
Without access to the vocal expansiveness of a horn, jazz guitarists have to find other ways of expressing themselves. On this set, recorded last year at NYC club The Stone, Morris eschews distortion or effects to come across like an avant-garde Grant Green. His toothy archtop tone is a conduit for scrabbling abstractions and striking modal themes. These collective improvisations with bass guru William Parker and drummer Gerald Cleaver summon a beautiful and otherworldly energy. Unusual, thrilling sounds abound: in ‘Thermosphere’ Cleaver channels Can’s locomotive groove, or see the North African co-ordinates of the second set, where Parker vocalises over zintir, the Moroccan bass lute. Inspired. (Stewart Smith)
Let me wager that this elemental LP from free-rock trio Fire! was recorded at CERN, the world’s largest physics lab, with Australian musician Oren Ambarchi plugging his guitar straight into the Large Hadron Collider. It’s as if he’s converting a stream of radioactive energy into a gushing mass of distortion and feedback, egged on by biker-gang physicists equipped with superconductors for drums. Out of this deranged experiment
a new life-form is born, expelling its first lungful in a hideous retching howl which tears through the speaker cone like an Alien chest- burster. Or perhaps that’s just Mats Gustafsson’s imperious sax. Either way, this is heavier than the Higgs Boson, and just as awe- inspiring. (Stewart Smith)
IDM/ ELECTRONICA GATEKEEPER Exo (Hippos In Tanks) ●●●●● INDIE/ELECTRONICA/POP PASSION PIT Gossamer (Columbia) ●●●●●
POP KIMBRA Vows (Warner Bros) ●●●●●
Exo represents definite progress for this American synth duo. While 2010’s ‘Giza’ EP melded sinister Italo and EBM with an aesthetic inherited from John Carpenter’s hugely influential soundtrack work, this debut LP sees them incorporating acid, noise and radiophonica. The entire package appears less gimmicky and more conceptual than its predecessor, with a decidedly less hammy sleeve design evocative of the steely, hardware driven pieces within. ‘Exolift’ sets the scene, as evocative of a hyper-speed Marshall Jefferson as Aphex Twin’s Analord series. ‘Vengier’ is more textural, cloaked in an unrelenting analogue fog, while the faintly ridiculous choral chant in ‘Encarta’ reminds us of the duo’s period credentials. (Daniel Baker)
Where some of Passion Pit’s American indie peers swerve wilfully away from accessibility – Dirty Projectors, hello – this lot take the path of least resistance towards aural pleasure with wiggly synth-decorated, maximalist electro-pop, hiding downbeat lyrics beneath joyously upbeat music. Helmed by self-confessed
‘control freak’ Michael Angelakos, the Massachusetts group follow excellent 2009 debut Manners with a record that – between glitchy rave-outs and celebratory choruses – hits the spot straight off, before unravelling complexities on repeat plays. ‘Love Is Greed’ sneers sarcastically at romance through a sunshiny smile, while ‘I’ll Be Alright’ numbing relationship pain with gin and pills. (Malcolm Jack)
Recognisable from her cameo on Gotye’s hit ‘Somebody that I used to Know’, native Kiwi Kimbra Johnson’s debut showcases her sweet jazz voice with songs covering candy-coloured pop and 90s-inspired jazz (not as bad as it sounds). Opening track ‘Settle Down’ builds up vocal layerings of sinister lyrics, ‘I want to settle down, it’s time to bring you down’ to a Disney-like chorus, while ‘Cameo Lover’ punches with a candyfloss fist. The overall tone is all over the
place; 80s synths, seedy 30s gin joints and Jeff Buckley inspired acapella. But it’s a beautiful mess. Kimbra commits herself to every note and embodies the character of each song. Even a weaker track, ‘Call Me’ is infectious from the feet up. (Suzanne Neilson)
SOFT ROCK THE PURE CONJECTURE Courgettes (Armellodie Records) ●●●●● The Pure Conjecture are 11 musicians or – as lead singer Matt Eaton puts it – ‘weird men’ from different bands (British Sea Power, Brakes and The Hazey Janes are all represented). Considering that debut LP, Courgettes was recorded pretty much all live, the unity that emanates from this diffuse clutch of artists is noticeable. Less jangly than The Thrills and with all the sincerity of Jarvis Cocker’s eponymous record, Courgettes may not necessarily be groundbreaking, but every shameless falsetto is welcome on this unfeigned LP. Don’t jump the gun: Courgettes is not a sentimental pastiche. It’s engaging without ever naval-gazing. (James Corlett)
19 Jul–2 Aug 2012 THE LIST 71