In a slightly extended edition here are ten albums we've heard recently for your reading and listening pleasure!
Alun Parry – Freedom Rider
(Album)
‘Freedom
Rider’ is a collection of sing-a-long folk hits from the Liverpudlian artist,
bouncing along nicely from one upbeat and foot-tapping tune to another, in
particular the singable ‘Keep it Simple’ with its fun chorus and the
twangy-guitar of the titular track. ‘Too Scared’ slows things down to a
pedestrian swagger before ‘On This Old Guitar’ slips back to the jaunty
folk-hefty pace we’ve been used to. Throwing in the catchy hooks on songs such
as ‘Climb’ that must sound even better live, ‘Freedom Rider’ is definitely an
enjoyably cheerful collection of tracks though some numbers like ‘Jack Jones’
and ‘The Odd Couple’, with its repetitive banjo, feel like they go on for too
long with little purpose, though the harmonica break down in the dying moments
of the latter is better. But overall it’s an album worth listening to thanks to
the perky music, politically-charged lyrics and crisp production and it
finishes well with the folk-anthemic and spirit lifting ‘We Are Not Alone’.
(7/10)
Black Needle Noise – Before the
Tears Came (Album)
‘Before
the Tears Came’ is a collection of eleven tracks each with a guest appearance.
Opener ‘Wild Stone’, featuring lyrics from Zia, is a Jamiroquai-esque piece,
like the more laid-back cousin of ‘Deeper Underground’, with the vocals
complimenting the backline. The Jarboe featuring ‘Vexation’ has another
surprisingly fun choral hook within its slow, almost ponderous tempo, even if
the production does feel a little overpowering on the vocals. ‘3 Steps
Backwards’ with its hissy vocals and free structure does nothing for me whilst
the electric throb of ‘Mourning Morning’ is equally as weird and unsettling.
‘Queen of Dust’, with its hints at metal and growling vocals, fails to pick up
the pace whilst ‘Human’ sees Jarboe’s vocals drowned under the production, and
the album pretty much continues in the same vain with obscure production,
breathy vocals and a struggle to lift up the pace. Only ‘Behind the 4th
Door’ gives something that suggests energy with the Kylie-esque vocals of Elena
Alice Fossi at least sounding a little interested, even if she does get buried
once more in the music and poor structure. I’d suggest sticking with the first
two tracks and ditch the rest. (4/10)
Drum the World – Drum the
World (LP)
With
seven tracks and a brief mid-album interlude this self-titled album from ‘Drum
the World’ is a fun, naturally drum-based album, with the centrepiece the
bouncy, summery ‘Come on Everybody’ which is the radio-friendly heart of the
record which triggers off a second half that’s more commercial than the opening
half which mixes up the feel of samba and reggae on tracks like ‘Whether’ and
‘No Land’. Track six, ‘Imagination’, continues the shift to something more fun
with its rap and rnb influenced vocal line that injects some much needed energy
into things, continuing the album’s eagerness to mix and mash-up different
genres, and proves to be the best on the release. Penultimate track ‘Nadji’
brings a more Afro-Asian style to the fore making this another shift into
something to keep your interest, and it works. The LP wraps up with a skill
showcase in the form of a drum duet, creating a low-key but clever end to the
piece. ‘Drum the World’ is an intriguing cultural exploration of music from
across the globe, wrapped up in a varied and charming little package. (7/10)
Hackney Colliery Band – Live
(Album)
A
collection of seventeen live instrumentals performed by the high-energy band of
the title, this live album is a punchy, brassy, enthusiastic collection of
jazzy numbers adapted from their albums but much of your love for them will
depend on your enjoyment of colliery band music and familiarity with their
material. If, like me, you’re not as familiar with their original material,
you’ll get more enjoyment out of four of the final batch of tracks that sees
them cover Nirvana, Toto and Blackstreet alongside a medley of Prodigy tracks
including ‘Jericho’ and ‘Out of Space’ which benefit from introducing some
lyrics into the mix. The live album is a fun record full of energy and power
but at times it gets a little bit too much in its layering and the lack of familiarity
with the music for non fans takes its impact. Perhaps it’s something that’s
better live on stage rather than captured on CD. (6/10)
Low Roar – Once In
A Long, Long While (Album)
Collecting together 13 tracks, this LP from Low Roar is a
delightfully relaxing set of chill-out songs mixing up stripped-back and
developing backings with the cool vocals of the lead singer, occasionally matched
like on Bones with complimentary vocals, like on that track from Jófriður. opening
with the poppier ‘Don’t Be So Serious’ the album is a pleasing flow of tracks,
many blending across track boundaries, including the brass-tinged ‘St.
Eriksplan’ and the delightfully peaceful ‘Gosia’. Covering the instrumental
style of ‘Crawl Back’ and ’12 13’ to the soaring and smooth sounding ‘Poznań’
the album is a laid back, gentle ride that won’t win you over with any
bombastic surprising moments but is delightfully chilled out and refreshing
when you need that break. Even track ‘Miserably’ somehow comes across as more
joyful than the title would suggest. (7/10)
Ministry – Trax! Rareties (Album)
This
four-side LP collection is a mish-mash of songs from the early 80s in various
flavours. The first set are four live tracks from 1982, in particular hooky
opener Never Asked For Nothing and follow-up ‘Love Change’ but final of the
quarter ‘America’ is sonically too much for me in its repetitive and
over-powering delivery. The five demos that make up the second set are more
interesting musically, starting with the electronic Depeche Mode sound of ‘Same
Old Madness’ with its catchy synthesizer bleeps-and-bloops though six minutes
is perhaps a little testing even for the biggest fan. ‘Game Is Over’ is less
exciting with few peaks and troughs to keep me enticed, but the return to
electronic with ‘Let’s Be Happy’ is more welcome but again plateaus off. ‘Same
Old Scene’ is a lo-fi and by-numbers cover of the Roxy Music classic which adds
a bit of familiarity into proceedings for the non-fan. Final electro-indie demo
‘Wait’ is good as well, offering a bit more in style to the others wrapping up
this side well. Part three is another mixed bag from the hefty instrumental
(mostly) of ‘I See Red’ which is a bit too quirky and experimental for my
tastes, sounding like Frankie Goes To Hollywood is Holly Johnson had lost the
lyrics to the song and his sense of music. ‘Self Annoyed’ is dark and backed
with the sound of someone having a mental breakdown in an abandoned factory. We
then get a couple of tracks by the delightfully monikered ‘Revolting Cocks’.
‘Fish in Cold Water’ is another song difficult to like, whilst ‘(Let’s Get)
Physical’ declares itself to be the banned version, perhaps because it’s awful.
PTP and ‘Show Me Your Spine’ is just as difficult a listen, and that’s a
feeling I share with the remaining three tracks of the piece, which is a shame
as the LP started off so promisingly. Something mainly for the fans methinks.
(4.5/10)
Neville Staple – Return of
Judge Roughneck (Album)
A
founding member of the Specials, Neville Staple releases this collection of 12
new songs, re-imagined Jamaican classics and some classic cuts from his
catalogue, as well as a bonus disc of dubs. The album is what you’d imagine a
ska album to be like from a veteran in the field: sunny, catchy and joyful.
Opening with the titular track that sets the tone, we get various highlights
including the brilliantly hook-filled ‘Lunatics’, the politically-charged
swagger of ‘Politician Man’ complete with a cool brass breakdown; and the fun
‘Bangarang’. Though you couldn’t accuse the album of breaking new ground – it
sticks to very familiar ska territory – the joy in the music of songs like
‘Maga Dog’ and ‘Run’ can’t be dismissed. Only ‘Sweet Sensation’, the
penultimate track with its irritating spoken verses, feels like a skippable
track. Thankfully the new live-feeling ragtime lounge version of classic song
‘Enjoy Yourself’, with Jessy Greene on vocals, has a fresh feel to it even if
it’s slower pace doesn’t quite live up to the chirpier original.
The
collection of dub mixes are a little more eclectic. ‘Maga Dub’, though as fun
as other tracks in style, it sounds like an instrumental that’s been handed to
someone with too many sound effect trigger buttons and DJ effects, and little
self-control. Elsewhere the dubs prove to be similar but with varying levels of
styles and are there for the serious fan, otherwise I’d stick with the main
album (7/10)
Orchestra BaoBab – Tribute
to Ndiouga Dieng (Album)
This
album is a collection of ten summery songs firmly in the territory of Cuban
music, with hints of maybe more West Asian influences. Sounding a little like
the sort of inoffensive soundtrack you’d get in the corridors of Nandos, it’s a
fun distracting listen full of accomplished music and styles, but with the
Spanish lyrics and similar style of each song it’s not something that fully
held my attention much after the fourth song, but it was pleasing enough to
hear. Good background music made by great musicians, best for a chill-out
session really. (6/10)
Someday – This Doesn’t Exist
(Album)
With
echoes of a more subdued Franz Ferdinand with more European hints to the lead
vocals, Someday’s album starts off positively with the catchy guitar riff and
laid back vocals of ‘Clean Couch’ though slips down quite considerably onto the
gruff, overpowering ‘Forgotten’ that eschews the crisp catchiness of the
opening to something muddily produced. Thankfully ‘Last Lesson’ is a much more
enjoyable listening experience, coming across as a quiet indie track but one
that holds its pace well, a similar experience that is given by subsequent
tracks ‘Shelters’ and ‘Waitings’, though the latter has less of a focus on a
memorable structure. It’s a shame that the album, which started off with a
corker of an opener, descends into dark and muddy identikit guitar tracks like
‘Picture’ and ‘Maurizio (Little Star)’. Sadly it never recovers through the
maudlin ‘Little Choices’ and ‘Jokes’ whilst the more swaggery opening of
‘Gliding’ at least offers a glimpse of redemption in its slight change in
musical direction. A promising start, squandered. (4/10)
SPC ECO – Anomalies (Album)
‘Anomalies’
is a 9-track album of laid-back electronic-infused numbers overlaid with the
most casual vocals since Moby dropped ‘Play’. Opener ‘Out of my System’ is a
pleasing introduction to the record, offering subtle hooks in its easy-to-build
structure, though it’s a style you become familiar with through enjoyable, but
cookie-cutter tracks like ‘Incomplete’ and ‘Your Own Way’. Track three ‘Born To
Lie’ balances breathy, dramatic vocals with louder electronic moments in quite
an addictive package but like most of the tracks never wrestles away from being
dramatic backing tracks to whatever else you’re doing. ‘Revived’, with its
keytar-style riff, feels a little different in its heft and structure, with
some hints of a somnambulant Chvrches tribute, and ‘All In Time’ feels a little
chunkier with its synthesized bleeps and bloops.
‘Anomalies’
is definitely worth a spin if you want something relaxing and non-committal to
put on in the background but don’t expect it to do anything interesting over
its time or something different. (6/10)
