Album Reviews #5

Ten more albums and EPs reviewed by us!

American Anymen - Flag Burner (EP)


Made up of three politically charged songs starting with the titular song, this collection aimed squarely at Trump and everything he stands for, feels a bit like a collection of political tweets put to music. The opener mixes the theme with a catchy 'right, right, right, we say left' hook and though a five minute run time feels far too long has enough to be interesting. 'Late to the Party' is pretty much a political essay or angry Facebook post set to music that feels like an afterthought and is too much of an onslaught for the senses. Even when you think it's getting more song-like it descends back into a continuous stream of anger and point-scoring, though the subtle Russian influences, following use of 'comrade' in the first track, feels well put. Six minutes is too much. Final number 'President 2' is very much in the same vain: too many lyrics, muddy production and an onslaught of too much. Many will agree with the lyrics and what is being said but musically, not for me. (3/10)

The Black Watch - The Gospel According To John

A sprightly eight tracks pushes this album to over thirty-six minutes of darkly produced indie-rock songs that create a Smiths-like musical style that pushes a range of tempos from the slow to the faster of the cleverly titled 'The All-Right Side Of Just OK' which has my favourite guitar lick of the set and a nod towards Franz Ferdinand. Overal the album is a bit too gloomy and downbeat for my tastes and the production a little muddy, but it holds together as a good indie-rock package, but without any really big stand out song. (5.5/10)

A Blue Flame - When Your Whole World Turns To Dust

'When Your Whole World Turns To Dust' is made up of a dozen Divine Comedy-esque gentle mid-tempo ballads, set against a retro-sounding jazzy backing. Perhaps a little free-form and semi-improvisational for my tastes, it's still a really ear-pleasing listen, the gentle tones of the lead singer complimenting the music perfectly on songs like 'Back to the Stars' and 'We Feel Like We Feel', the crisp production and clear instrumentation a delight. At times it's so gentle it can disappear into the background, but that's no real slight on it as it's that sort of calming, pleasing music, though it does know when to kick up the beat a little, like on song '21st Century Blues' or the jaunty 'Everything's A Lie' and 'Empty Head', one of my favourites on the album, thanks to its funky bass and incredibly catchy chorus. In fact the album becomes much sprightly in its second half, numbers like 'See What Tomorrow Brings' bursting with energy, boasting a very poppy and memorable chorus. More of an album for Winter rather than August, this is a must hear. (7.5/10)

Danny & the Champions of the World - Brilliant Light

Spreading eighteen tracks that would fit onto one CD onto two seems like an artistic decision that doesn't really pay off in this collection of fun and upbeat, but ultimately, similar songs that, like many LPs that come spread over two discs could do with an editor. That said 'Brilliant Light' is a solid collection of traditional country-sounding tracks, many embracing mid-tempo, strong instrumentation and crisp production flowing through the tracks, from the harmonised 'Bring Me To My Knees' to the Caribbean swagger of 'It Hit Me'. 'Consider Me', with its chunkier delivery, is a highlight but many numbers flow too easily into one another. Overlong but entertaining enough with a solid outlook. (5.5/10)

Darto - Human Giving

With twelve tracks coming in at just over half-an-hour, this is an album that isn't a showcase for individual tracks (though 'Omniscient' and 'Fall Ill' stick their heads above the parapet) but the atmosphere created by a series of flowing, trippy instrumental-electronic pieces with vocals woven into a series of experimental soundscapes. The perfect background material for a chill-out season this flows well and builds a great electronic atmosphere, anchored by its dual vocals at times, that makes the 33-minutes pass quickly. (6.5/10)

The Heavy Blinkers - The Night and I Are Still So Young

Coming in at just over forty minutes long, this is a Beatles and Beach Boy mixed gentle exploration of hypnotic pop that starts with the gentle and floaty 'Filtered Light' that is like a warming day at the beach in musical form, delivered with delightful warm harmonies and musically intriguing backings. 'In The Morning' continues the chill-out vibe with crisp, interesting production and the throw-back sounds continue with songs the Carpenters and Motown-tinged 'Try Telling That To My Baby'. The title track employs a similar gentle sway to its style and the harmonies continue through songs like 'He Heard His Song' which employs a few hints towards a modern take on ELO. Overall the album is a well produced, cool and hippy piece with strong harmonies, interesting instrumentation and a strong relaxing vibe that flows all the way through. (6.5/10)

Lena Laki - Take Me With (EP)

Made up of five tracks, 'Take Me With' is a gentle, if not a little samey, collection of gentle Winehouse-light ballads, stripped back in terms of production with the sweet, artistic voice of Lena Laki woven in and out. Each song is a pleasing listen but all tend to merge into each other, except for second track 'Craving' which matches the EP's prevalent strings with more passion, emotion and soaring vocals, and the closest the mini-album gets to a memorable chorus, its musical jewelry box feel worth hearing. The 'Take Me With' EP is a sweet, smooth listen that whispers relaxation in its gentle flows, but it doesn't have any huge distinctive moments. (6/10)

Pattern Language - Total Squaresville

Coming in at six tracks, this 25-minute long instrumental electronic EP has enough interesting riffs and takes on the formula and genre to keep you listening, the synthesized music chunky and tangible and though the lack of lyrics and distinguishable riffs make it difficult to really hook onto a particular track, as a whole composition it works well even if at times it feels like it's perhaps running a bit out of steam. 'Deeply Recessed Windows' scores both as a great title and a noteable track though. (6/10)

Steve Earle & the Dukes - So You Wannabe an Outlaw

If you like your country music traditional and gruffly sung then you'll enjoy this collection of a dozen songs that begins with the title track headed up by a determined beat, harmonies, classic sound, catchy hook and country guitar and continues in a fun vein through to the slower and more introspective 'Goodbye Michelangelo'. Along the way we also get the perky 'Lookin' for a Woman', the speedy Cash-esque 'The Firebreak Line' and the slowed down story song with strings of 'News From Colorado'. Keeping the tempo and energy up through most of the tracks there's even chance for a cameo from Miranda Lambert, channeling Dolly Parton, on the best song on the album called 'This is How It Ends'. The brush drum on 'You Broke My Heart' lifts up an otherwise slightly maudlin track, whilst 'Sunset Highway' returns the album to its roots. At its best when it's upbeat, this is a strong collection of traditional sounding country tunes that, although lacking and big stand out singles, works as a flowing album of interesting mixes of harmonies, instruments and production vibes. (6.5/10)

Summer Heart - 101

With hints of electronic samples amongst its sweeping soundscapes, this album is a sweet and smooth collection of songs with hints of ethereal undertones, including in the opening titular song. 'Milano' has hints at the Pet Shop Boys if Neal Tennant's vocals got hidden a bit more in the production, the electronic sweeps merging together into a surging sea of audio. Single 'Follow' is the star of the show, with a crisper vocal line above the production, which excels as on other tracks. 'Follow' merges more heartfelt lyrics with a catchy chorus and some neat tricks on the layers. 'Hotel Beds', with its Moby-influence is another joy of a track, capturing the spirit of the overall summery happiness of the LP. Fifth track 'Love Affairs' is a more sultry offering with some strong electronic vibes and a clearer sound, tying in the memorability of 'Follow' over the earlier tracks.

Though we don't know the name of the final five tracks due to a fault on the streaming service, they continue in a similar uptempo poppy vibe. Track six is another chunky electro-pop number with some jerky breakdowns and vocal samples that work really well when mixed together. Track seven boasts another hooky memorable chorus and great electronic sound. Track eight is nice but not as eventful whereas the vocoder-hefty follow-up is a refreshing shift in style whilst keeping the same overall vibe. '101' wraps up with an even heftier distorted vocal track that goes much more Daft Punk, and though not a personal highlight wraps up a great sounding and entertaining album. (7/10)

Album Reviews #4

Our thoughts on some recent album releases.

The Allergies - Push On

After a handful of great singles the Allergies release their latest album, a collection of 14 catchy and funky pop numbers. Following a brief intro we get the cool, crisp 'Love That I'm In' that balances the retro-sounding vocals, Andy Cooper's chilled-out rap breakdown and a funky baseline that feels like summer wrapped up just under four minutes. With its distorted production 'Since You've Been Gone' takes us back to the sixties and seventies with its brass-heavy funk and simple repeated riff that echoes the glory days of Fatboy Slim.

Recent single 'Entitled to That' follows which is just as great slotted into the album, it's bouncy, fresh yet retro-sounding chorus one of the best things I've heard this year. Throw in some great synth and a throw-back sound, this is a joy and likely to appear in our top 100 of the year!

'Get Down On You' is a musically-heavy number with a repetitive, but fun, synth riff and hand-claps, cleaning the palette so to speak, before the titular track knocks your socks off with another funky repeated riff that really brings a smile to your face and a spring to your step!

There's a 'Dance and Shout' feel to the Andy Cooper-featuring 'Main Event' that brings the seventies back on top form; 'Hold You Close', with its mixture of vocal riffs, call outs and keyboard hooks keeps the flow going; and 'BuzzSaw' sees Cooper back on fast form on his rap section with plenty of funk surrounding him.

After a brief interlude we get 'It Won't Be Me', once more featuring Cooper who at this point surely is practically a full time member! With plenty of brass and a perky feel, this is another fun number that will get your foot tapping. 'Funky Feeling', which follows, has a similar vibe with an Avalanches-style to the production as well as times with record-skipping and inserted quotes. 

At this point where most albums would run out of steam we get Dr. Syntax on 'Remedy' arguably the best track on the album with a bouncy, perky style and some very fun lyrics, delivered in a great toe-tapping flow. There's just time for the album to wrap up with 'Get on the Floor' which fits in thematically and ties up a fun, happy, uplifting and well produced album that is guaranteed to get you moving. Brilliant! (7.5/10)


The Black Watch - The Gospel According To John 

At eight tracks and 37-minutes 'The Gospel According to John' is a competent slice of soft-rock but its a collection of songs that don't really hook you in and the album itself passes by as a gruff, sonically dark and blandly laid out distraction, with the guitars over-powering the vocals and the muddiness of the production is tiring. Track two 'Way Strange World' with its allusions to the sound of Morrissey is a bit better and clearer and 'The All-Right Side Of Just OK' adds some much needed energy with its tempo but these are momentary bright lights in a murky tunnel of music. Just enough. (5/10)

LUCKYandLOVE - Lucky & Love

Sounding like Depeche Mode with a darker outlook on life and a female lead vocalist, this practically self-titled album is a sombre but enjoyable industrial collection of (mostly) thematically sounding track. Opening with the catchy 'Sexy', the album's best and most poppy number, we also get the strutting 'Venus' that excels in its atmosphere but runs out of new ideas pretty quickly and 'Mars' which sounds like Blondie walked into the party to add some more sultry vocals to the bleeps-and-bloops of the music. 'You'll Never Know' and 'Digging in the Earth' continue to balance a line between pop-indie and dark-dance with this Blondie and Depeche Mode crossover whilst 'Legal Love' is a bit more transient and MGMT-like. 'Taureon' continues the vibe, focussing though more on the instrumental than the ethereal vocals. 'Full Moon' concludes the album in its gentle way, wrapping up a relaxing album that melts a little into the background, and it lacks fresh ideas as it progresses, but is a pleasant electronic-infused soundtrack to a quieter day. (6.5/10)

Lunar Twin - Night Tides (EP)

Lunar Twin's six-track EP sounds like Chris Rea after a couple of whiskies and a few hours listening to relaxing whale music, picking up a synthesizer and recording some calming, Moby-like songs. 'Night Tides' is not an album that's going to grab you by the collar, and each track tends to flow into the next without distinction, but as a chilled-out, calming way to spend 24-minutes it works. The main track to pick? That would be the smooth, oceanic-like 'Coral Sea' that has the most notable chorus amongst its zoned-out production style. (6/10)

Moby & The Void Pacific Choir - More Fast Songs About The Apocalypse

Released for free on Moby's website this nine-song album feels like a great mix between classic Moby and his more political offerings. The production may be dark, messy and lacking in crispness but it creates a surprisingly involving and hooky album. Opener 'Silence' starts quite low key but develops into a punchy, grungy lo-fi foot-stomping number with a strong mix of EDM styles that escalates into a powerful poppy crescendo. 'A Softer War' is a slightly darker number but still with enough of a musical hook to keep it going, Moby's distorted and fast vocals building up to a sense of urgency. The lengthily titled 'There's Nothing Wrong With The World There's Something Wrong With Me' is a little muddier but there's plenty of spark in it to keep you listening; and 'Trust' continues to live up to the speed title of the album, driving forward and being a little Sparks-esque in parts and perhaps a little too overwhelming in its production at times, but still enjoyable. 

'All The Hurts We Made' has echoes of a heavier 'Slipping Away', the layering vocals adding to the record and giving it plenty of heft; and 'In This Cold Place' is the best track on a strong album, the guitar work and developing sound really pulling you into the piece,

As we reach the final third of the album it perhaps starts to run out of steam with the tracks sounding good and dramatic, still, but too similar to what's come before, like on the fast-beat of 'If Only A Correction Of All We've Been' and 'It's So Hard To Say Goodbye', though the title-mentioning chorus does stand out more. The album closes with "A Happy Song", its title quite tongue-in-cheek, the song as dark and dirty as the previous album.

Lacking the polish of his more commercial period, this album's production is dark and dank and masks a lot of the music and vocals in a muddy gloomy, but that said the atmosphere it creates and hooks present make it a good listen and there's plenty to enjoy, and when it doesn't cost anything you have nothing to lose. (7/10)

My Favourite Things - Fly I Will, Because I Can 

Coming in at 12 tracks and 53 minutes you might think from track names like 'Everything Changes' and 'Spaceman' it might just be a selection of chosen covers, but it's all original, a subtle and gentle flow of tracks that is so subtle it feels like a concept album based around a sunny afternoon sat in the garden watching the world go by. Listening to the album, it's difficult to discern a USP for each song but as a whole it's very calming, relaxing and refreshing, the ideal album as opposed to a collection of tracks. 'Growing Pains' particularly stands out on the album as a strong, self-contained track, the combination of airy vocals, well produced musical layers and atmosphere all coming together. As the second half of the album comes up things get a little more blurry and ethereal on other-worldly tracks like 'A Little Closer' but the soundscape created by the tracks as they continue and conclude work well and make for a great laid-back listen. (6.5/10)

Parsons Rocket Project - Parsons Rocket Project (EP)

With six tracks coming in at a sprightly thirteen minutes, this is a quick experience of musical atmosphere, from the instrumental 'Exit Launch' which builds up its sound into 'Burn', just one of the many segues that make this really one long piece as opposed to a half-dozen tracks. Well produced, sprightly and well layered, this is a cool exploration of what can be done with music when the boundaries are cast aside, to form an almost cinematic feeling that is certainly more about the layering rather than the small amounts of vocals. (6.5/10)

Picturehouse - How Can I Explain How This Came To Be

Consisting of tracks pulled from their first two albums from the 1990s, including a remastered final track, this twelve-song compilation from the Irish band is a joyous pop record, opening with the smooth lilt of 'Somebody Somewhere' with some Tudor-like instrumentation and a gentle flow that puts a smile on your face. 'Fear of Flying' is not one of my favourites, the choral hook not matched by the verses. The gentler, inner-looking 'You and I', has a pleasant heart to it and reminds me of the touching vibe of the first song I heard by the band that got me into them. 'Built to Last' is one of the highlights of the album, with a Travis-like rhythm and a quickly singable chorus. 'Moments Like These' is another sweet and gentle ballad with plenty of heart, whilst '15th Time' is the best song on the album outside of the final track with its heart-breaking chorus.

'Jade (Dangerous Stone)', with its harmonica undertones and smooth well written vocals, proves to be another good number on the album, whilst 'Raining Stones' channels the Beatles with its quirkier production values though it lacks spark as it nears its end. 'Cup of Life', however, is one of the best on the album with its poppy, quickly memorable and joyful chorus, the words and rhythm sticking with you. The stronger ending to the album continues with the brilliant 'Roll Over', another radio-friendly pop number with a distinct chorus and guitar hook. 'Got to Let You Go', a ballad, again keeps the quality up in these final moments, coming across a beautiful swaying song about lost love. 

The album finishes on the album's star track, the bombastic, hook-filled 'Sunburst', one of the most optimistic tracks you'll hear, leaving you with a huge grin. This "greatest hits" compilation is a solid listen and though it gets better towards the end with the bigger hitters in the second half there's still much to enjoy in this introduction, or re-introduction, to the band's earlier work. Great! (7/10)

The Stevenson Ranch Davidians - Amerikana

This nine track LP is a mixed bag, switching from some quiet catchy and enjoyable country-tinged to some rather awkward to listen to Bob Dylan-like tracks. It ends on a track ("Pillow Sittin'") talking about the benefits of self-love over having a relationship in a manner that it least lifts up the samey preceding tracks even if it's not a great listen sonically, and I'm not sure what else to say after that.

The fast guitar of opener 'Wack Magick' gives way to 'Holy Life', the best track on the record thanks to its poppier outlook and more distinctive production sound. 'Love is a Big Light' focuses in on the metaphor of the title but otherwise drones on a little too much. 'Hard Livin'' also feels like an extended moan whilst 'Binary Bop' at least lifts the pace up and the sixties vibe is better. 'Om g' (yes, with that space), makes Bob Dylan sound happy, whilst 'PsyOp' joins the more listenable tracks thanks to its trippier and hippier feeling, which pips the five minutes of  'The High Meadow' to the longest track and a better sound.

'Amerikana' has its moments in songs like 'Holy Life' and 'PsyOp' but its not enough to out-weight the amount of songs drowned out by their own musical backings and their relentless downbeat, gruff and monotonous vocals. Not my cup of tea. (4/10)

This Is The Sound Of Sugar Town Volume 2

Featuring thirteen tracks by thirteen different artists, this CD compilation is a rather mixed bag of styles and sounds that at least keeps things varied and interesting, even if you'll enjoy some tracks more than others due to their contrasting styles. Opener 'She' by Sun Scream is a good start, its indie-grungy feel warming you up. 'The Concierge' by Cathedrals and Cars has a Smiths style vibe and is a fun indie listen, whilst 'The Sensitive Side Of Bill Sykes' by the brilliantly named Janet Street Slaughter works well as an indie song until it goes far too screamy for my tastes in the last minute.

'If It Wasn't So Soon' with its throwback retro sound is one of the best on the compilation, whilst 'Hometown' by the Cuts with its Green Day-vibe is short but punky and energetic. 'L'Appel Du Vide' by Gaffa Tape Sandy keeps the lo-fi punky sound of its predecessor and it works as a grungy number and has one of the catchiest choruses on the collection.

'Slaves Pt. II' by Bracken is hefty, angry and shouty and at well over six minutes in length is my least favourite track on the album thanks to its dark and screaming style which is not my flavour. 'Looking For Life' by Horse Party is in entire contrast, offering a slow, meandering dream-pop number that is cool in its calmness if not a little repetitive.

'Sun Break' by Surburban Minds switches back to the world of indie and is another one of my favourites of the album thanks to its mixture of tones and gradual progression. 'Moon Man' by the Virtues is heavier musically but at least don't resort to screams and is a strong slice of indie-rock. 'Wicked Words' by Jack Rundell is my pick of the album, its lighter, quirky production style and friendly vocal delivery over a stylised electronic riff and use of the word 'nincompoop' winning me over: imagine Elvis Costello with a bigger sense of humour.

'Susie Smokes' by SIAH is another fun little indie ditty whilst 'Vacation (Cheer Up Chuck)' by Tundra has a live and raw feel and wraps things up nicely, a compilation album that holds your interest thanks to its variety with a handful of stand out tracks and outside of a couple of duff numbers is solid all the way through. (6/10)