list.co.uk/music INDIE FOLK BEIRUT Gallipoli (4AD) ●●●●●
If you weren’t to know any better about Zach Condon’s band, you might imagine a slew of death metal, carnage and chaos. What other conclusion could you arrive at on seeing their name (referencing a once notorious Middle East warzone) and putting two and two together with the new album title (the scene of a military disaster in 1915)? The initiated will, of course, be more attuned to the fact that what lies ahead is more likely to be a delightful squashing of delicate vocals, pleasing soundscapes which veer between jaunty and haunting, and, above all, a collision of ear-consoling brass. None of this is to say that there’s never been an element of mayhem in the Beirut world, given that a lost-in-translation comment from Condon once resulted in a violent stage invasion and endless touring left him dreaming of an escape route.
It’s fair to say that Gallipoli is the sound of a man and a band that seems much
more at ease with themselves. The horn-based fanfares are all present and correct as is an extra emphasis on keys, both merging to glorious effect on the title track. Inevitably the uke is brandished with joyful potency on ‘Varieties of Exile’, while there’s a brief mood shift atop the sparse instrumental of ‘On Mainau Island’. ‘I Giardini’ brings it back home with a seductively simple pop beat and melody,
before closer ‘Fin’ unveils a distinctly Gallic feel. There are shades and hues of King Creosote, Air, Divine Comedy and the Smiths cropping up at various moments on Gallipoli, but in the final analysis, Zach Condon has made the niche of heightened brassy emotion all his own. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Out Fri 1 Feb.
INDIE DEERHUNTER Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? (4AD) ●●●●●
Georgia art-rockers Deerhunter return with their eighth studio LP. The band rose to prominence in the mid-2000s, on a wave of critical acclaim they shared with similarly-minded neo-psychedelia groups of the era. On this album, frontman Bradford Cox is joined by long-time bandmates Moses Archuleta and Lockett Pundt, alongside bassist Josh Mackay and new member Javier Morales. A progression from the shimmering polish of 2015’s
Fading Frontier, the new collection is imbued with the experimental pop sounds found on earlier work. Album opener ‘Death in Midsummer’ features a looping harpsichord accompanied by clear and crisp vocals from Cox, and builds to a guitar solo that’s more akin to the big-screen psychedelia of Tame Impala than anything from Deerhunter’s past. Much of the album follows this blueprint, with hugely enjoyable psych pop taking precedence over an evolution of the group’s sound. The sixth track, ‘Détournement’, steers the album into more interesting territory, with its cascading synth lines, highly effected vocals and erratic drums. The final track, ‘Nocturne’ pushes the band to new levels and evolves into one of their finest songs. At its best, this album recalls Bowie’s Low, with its distinct two-halves structure,
wilful experimentation and glistening Eno-esque production. At its worst, it presents the listener with a series of highly listenable psych pop songs. This is another great Deerhunter album that shows they have no shortage of ideas. (Sean Greenhorn) ■ Out now.
ALTERNATIVE ROCK PEDRO THE LION Phoenix (Polyvinyl Records) ●●●●●
David Bazan put a stop to recording and touring as Pedro The Lion in 2005, the relentless turnover of band members and changes to the songwriter’s creative process having burned him out. The moniker’s rebirth for Phoenix isn’t earth-shattering news (Bazan has had always been the group’s de facto leader, chief songwriter and artistic director) but it’s a natural move for an album about returning. Bazan’s strength as a songwriter is his earnestness, his
heart-on-sleeve honesty. On ‘Yellow Bike’ he sings of a ‘desert Christmas morning, 1981’, and the thrill of seeing the titular two-wheeler. It’s a wonderful song, the subject mined for an extended meditation on companionship and longing to break free and be independent. Erik Walters’ delicate guitar shimmers throughout, and when Sean Lane’s bass drum echoes Bazan’s ‘my heart thumping in my chest’, it shows a band working as one, adding more to a piece that already felt cinematic.
When Bazan taps into that childlike state, there’s a lot to enjoy about Phoenix, even if across a 45-minute running time, the Pedro trio rarely deviate from slow-to- mid paced rockers. With the exceptions of a stripped-back ballad (‘Piano Bench’) and a couple of ambient pieces (‘Sunrise’ and ‘All Seeing Eye’), there’s little by way of tonal variation. The weariness suits ‘Model Homes’, but feels tiresome on the likes of ‘Circle K’. Phoenix is heavy company, but doesn’t pretend to be anything else. (Craig Angus) ■ Out now.
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SATURDAY 23RD MARCH glasgow
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THEA GILMORE
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1 Feb–31 Mar 2019 THE LIST 83