BLUE KING - Warp Magazine

38 Album Reviews
JEBEDIAh
Kosciuszko
ThE DODOS
No Colour
Californian indie rock duo, The Dodos have
dropped their fourth album No Color. The
songs really feel stripped back and simple
musically. It’s not that the pair aren’t talented
musicians - quite the contrary - yet they have
a basic and methodical approach to making
music. There are no effects or noticeable post
production, perhaps remaining faithful to what
the songs would sound like live.
No Color starts off very strongly with the
slower drumming of Black Night. It’s certainly
one of the strongest tracks and offers brilliant
contrast in itself. It speeds up and slows down
from verse to chorus and goes from being
quite minimalistic to lush and bright sounding
in the chorus. Going Under is the best song
to listen to in terms of centering on Long’s
vocals. ‘Good’ brings instrumentation to the
fore, sounding organic and nearly tribal on
occasion.
Don’t Try and hide it is a definite highlight
of the album, its best track. The female
backing vocals work to brilliant effect. The
entire album is strong, enjoyable and very
different from the music that saturates the
mainstream music scene these days. The
unique drumming and untouched production
leave the music in a very natural state. The
Dodos’ have crafted this album extremely
well and the entire ride is both consistent and
somehow surprising.
ALExANDER CROWDEN
Children of the 90’s rejoice. Jebediah are
back. Having first blasted out from our
stereos and compact discs around the turn
of the millennium with the seminal aussie
classics leaving home and Fall Down, amongst
others, it seemed that when front man Kevin
Mitchell went solo as Bob Evans, Jebediah
were no more. Mitchell also went on to form
the aussie singer songwriter supergroup The
Basement Birds last year.
But it seems you can’t keep a good thing down,
the dawn of 2011 welcoming Jebediah’s mighty
return with their fifth LP kosciuszko. You might
have heard the awesome lead single from
the album, She’s like A Comet. It’s the perfect
example of modern Jebediah, it’s all the things
you love about late 90’s Jebediah,
infused with many of the harmonic skills
UNkLE
Only The Lonely
Unkle seem to be constantly releasing
something, it’s almost like they never leave the
studio. This new EP features appearances by
Nick Cave, Liela Moss, Gavin Clark and Rachel
Fannan. Opening track Money And Ruin takes
an indie rock route in a classic Unkle style,
driven by Nick Cave’s overpowering voice, not
so much in volume, but in presence. The song
is as wild as it is polished thanks to the smooth
bass lines and dirty guitars that smother Cave
crooning the line “Every time I come down
here, somebody is bent on killing me.”
One of the stand out tracks is The Dog is Black,
featuring Liela Moss (The Duke Spirit), a dark,
groove heavy song that has influences of Indian
melodies in its guitar lines and beats.
Wash The love Away features the deep, soulful
vocals of Gavin Clarke, and continues the
Indian vibe witha sitar which plays throughout
the entire song. The EP closes with Sunday
Song, featuring Rachel Fannan (Sleepy Sun),
in a long affair that provides plenty in the way
of atmospherics but short on melody.
The guests, although not as prolific as past
Unkle collaborators, all perform brilliantly and
enhance the worth of the tunes immensely.
Unkle have again provided quality songs with
the heavily layered production that they are
known for.
LUkE CARLINO
Mitchell has picked up during his time as
Bob Evans. Mitchell’s distinctive vocal whine
has evolved, but not in any horrible auto-tune
type of way: it has naturally progressed to a
more melodic style, assisting the overall feel
of kosciuszko.
To her Door has a merry sing-a-along, pianoin-a-pub
feel. Control, another highlight,
is just a great shot of high tempo rock,
one that leaves you with a smile on your
face. Battlesong sweeps you up with its
universal sense of camaraderie, and the
marching drums, much like the bagpipes
featured on Fall Down, really complement the
call-to-arms nature of the track.
Other great tracks on the album
include Freakin’ out and The lash, moments
MIDLAkE
Late Night Tales
late Night Tales is a concept compilation series
created in Britain for major artists to produce
their “late night playlist.” Already, great names
such as Fatboy Slim, Arctic Monkeys, Groove
Armada, and The Flaming Lips partipated in
the series.
The latest artist to undertake the challenge
is Texan indie-rock band Midlake. Drawing
upon Bjork to Beach House and Lazarus to
The Flying Burrito Brothers, it’s evident that
Midlake’s palette of inspiration is quite broad.
The release is a journey of soft, expressive
music that explores the band’s roots and gives
insight into their next possible direction. It has
a very consistent theme of folk and country
styled compositions which all compliment the
band’s own exploits.
The band, as per the challenge, have decided
to cover Black Sabbath’s Am i Going insane
here, a track almost completely opposite of
their familiar musical style. They contrast
the originally heavier sound with a Celtic folk
ballad, packed with smooth and warm vocal
harmonies complimented by a psychedelic
ambience created by the guitar and the seldom
used dulcimer.
The concept of late Night Tales is quite
extraordinary. It gives artists the chance to
showcase their favorite artists’ work as well
as giving audiences an insight into artists’
key influences. This particular release is very
enjoyable to listen to for a calming or soothing
evening.
JOSh CLEMENTS
that are just vintage Jebediah, polished off with
that modern twist. And album closer Are We
ok? is the point where Mitchell and Co. take
you on a dreamlike journey in the clouds, in
song form.
Overall, it’s hard to fault any moment
on kosciuszko, the album an impressive outing.
Jebediah have succeeded in what they set out
to achieve with this release, and will capture
a whole new legion of fans, whilst remaining
faithful to their older ones; which, as the Kings
of Leon will tell you, is a rare feat. Kudos
Jebediah for one of the first great albums of
the year.
ThE PAINS Of
BEINg PURE
AT hEART
Belong
The Big Apple’s beloved indie-pop quartet
make a return with their sophomore
release Belong. Ambition watchword, the
band seeking to push beyond a familiar fuzzy
aesthetic, an element that has previously
defined their approach to pop music.
That was the brief, as least. Whilst they do
transcend some
key attributes of their previous efforts, this is
still undoubtedly the band that made waves
with 2009’s self-titled debut. It’s a thinly veiled
illusion of evolution that begins to come
unstuck almost immediately.
In the context of The Pains Of Being Pure At
Heart, the magic number appears to be 150 -
beats per minute, that is.
Six of Belong’s twelve tracks operate in or
around that tempo.
To the band’s credit, they’ve paced Belong
well, with enough variety to ensured sustained
interest. The pattern is there, however,
present even within past work.
The band are lazy architects. It’s pop on autopilot,
ensuring that the songs are more or
less interchangeable. Understandably, as the
record progresses, its self-imposed wintery
spirit - attributed in part to an 90s alternative
dynamic, a mish-mash of loud and soft -
becomes familiar.
Overall, i’s a relatively enjoyable record,
one quietly affecting with an immediate pop
appeal. To label it brave, however, would be a
fallacy. It’s hardly irresistible, but Belong bears
some appeal nevertheless.
NICk MASON
The milestone of Elbow’s fifth studio album
necessitates a brief history: the band scored
The Mercury Prize for their 2008 release The
Seldom Seen kid. It would become the most
successful release of their career, renewing
the band’s confidence in their craft with
their music earning new audiences globally.
Fortunately, as its follow-up Build A Rocket
Boys! proves, the answer has been to continue
onwards and upwards. Their band’s progress
has only appreciated since the landmark
album, their ambition similarly swelling to
ensure another captivating release.
A motif of reminiscence with indulgent bouts
of nostalgia colour the record. lippy kids sees
Guy Garvey gently crooning ‘Do they know those
days are golden?’ alongside the hushed, warm
accompaniment of a string ensemble.
warpmagazine.com.au warpmagazine.com.au
ELBOW
Build A Rocket Boys
CRAIg
gRIffIThS
Stompbox
Don’t you just hate a smartarse? Well, Hobart
multi-instrumentalist and producer Craig
griffiths definitely fits the bill, but given the
imaginative and effects-laden nature of his
guitar-heavy Stompbox album, it’s hardly fair to
hate him.
Recorded, mixed and mastered in his Skullbug
Studio, this baker’s dozen of rockin’ tracks is
as eclectic as it is electric. Big riffs, psychedelic
offerings, and sometimes downright dark
lyrics are combined with aplomb across the
album.
Stompbox opens with the solid riffing and
squealing lead of the excellently titled
instrumental track Fuzzface Fights The Ninja.
Remember is an immediately accessible and
dreamy track and my highlight on the album,
showcasing the sultry vocal talents of Annelise
Bushby. Bushby’s other outing on Stompbox is
Vicious little harpie, a bluesy number that
again gives Griffiths the chance to show off
with a fuzzed-up solo or two.
Drive fronts up with a more electro sound, a
compelling spoken vocal and kind of evil synth
conclusion and gives way to the duelling guitar
intro of Before The Storm, another brooding
instrumental with a dark nature.
Thanks to radio airplay on stations in Syndey
and Los Angeles (as well as Hobart), many
people are already familiar with Stompbox.
If you’re not, you should be, as it’s definitely
worth a listen.
STU WARREN
ARChITECTURE
IN hELSINkI
Moment Bends
Moment Bends, the fourth album from
Melbourne-bred group Architecture In
helsinki, is by far their most consistent and
enjoyable work yet and could even place as one
of the best releases of the year.
Moment Bends is undeniably a pop release due
to the fact that their melodies are extremely
catchy, the beat is fantastic to dance to and
the chord progressions are relatively simple to
detect. However, their distinctively strange flair
has still been incorporated within each track.
That Beep was a previously released single that
Architecture in Helsinki brought out back in
late ’08 as an EP. The track bases itself around
a sequence of vocally generated beeps, which
although is basic and irritatingly catchy, helps
give the track stability and beat. Contact high
is the first single to be released as a part of
the Moment Bends LP and is most definitely
the best inclusion. It highlights a more mature
and polished sound. Another standout track is
escapee, which is a purely fun and feel-good
track, featuring the most catchy chorus on
the album and has genius within simplistic
basslines and drumbeats.
Moment Bends is incredibly impressive and
will surely see Architecture in Helsinki enjoy a
highly successful year.
JOSh CLEMENTS
The swiftly sentimental homage to
adolescence combined with the gritty,
methodical opener The Birds suggests that,
yes, this is another brilliant Elbow record.
To the band’s credit, those expecting a
reprise of its predecessor won’t necessarily
be disappointed, even if a departure is
evident. Build A Rocket Boys! is immediately
a more familiar - that is, consistent and
coherent - from track to track. Whereas The
Seldom Seen kid glistened, their band’s latest
expedition bears a dampened aesthetic,
its production appearing softer and more
introverted. It’s perhaps best cited as a
meeting of styles. Guy Garvey is found in
typically evocative form, his striking sentiments
delivered with efficiency and warmth. ‘i miss
your stupid face, i miss your bad advice,’
BIg A,
LITTLE A
MAate
Brooklyn’s Aa have put together MAate, a
special package featuring all tracks from
the band’s 2007 album gAame as well as two
tracks from their Glossy EP and a couple of
unreleased live tracks.
There’s a whole jungle of drum kits at
work here, with a heap of synthesiser and
weird samples floating around - as well as
a couple of guys shouting over the top of
it all. It’s all part of the fun. For most of its
duration, MAate is a pulsating, tribal haze of
strange electronic blips and warbles. Think
Animal Collective on more acid.
Unfortunately songs eventually tend to bleed
into one another and the whole record blurs
into one big long jam.
The repetitiveness means that the appeal is
diminished towards the end of the record and
things get a bit tiresome.
Thankfully, the tracks added from the
original gAame release help out here: the live
tracks sound fantastic, the Glossy tracks also
offering up something a little different.
Overall, perhaps the band’s unpredictable
energy would best be showcased in concert .
This feels a bit like being at a party blindfolded:
it sounds like there’s a whole lot of fun being
had around you, but you’re not exactly sure
what’s going on.
There may be even more to this band than the
release implies.
DAVID hENNESSY
Del
the Funky
Homosapien
WED 20 JULY | REPUBLIC BAR & CAFE | 9PM | $30
Album Reviews 39
he confesses in the record’s soothing
lullaby, The Night Will Always Win. Of course,
the band explore their bolder, more anthemic
potential, the insistent, explosive open Arms a
highlight. ‘We’ve got open arms for broken
hearts,’ cries Garvey, backed by a booming
choir. It simply does not get more glorious.
Build A Rocket Boys! sees Elbow illuminate
again their tremendous creativity, boasting
elaborate compositions each meticulously
orchestrated in one slow-burning but utterly
absorbing experience. It’s so great to discover
that success has not altered too much where
these Brits are concerned: Elbow remain a
terrifically ambitious outfit, with their affecting
allure again seizing centre-stage.
NICk MASON
TV ON ThE
RADIO
Nine Types of Light
Brooklyn’s unique musical innovators TV On
The Radio return with their brand of alternative
funk-rock. The result? A forth LP, Nine Types
of light. As an aside, its release coincides with
passing of the band’s own Gerard Smith, the
bassist succumbing to lung cancer. dedicated
to his memory, it’s a record through which his
legacy will live on.
Nine Types of light explores a smoother
and more comfortable atmosphere than its
predecessor Dear Science, bearing both pros
and cons. Concerning the downsides, there’s
a lack of dance anthems of a Wolf like Me
or Golden Age ilk. But on a positive note, the
material does offer up its beautiful ambiance
to compensate.
Opener Second Song is an outstanding
introduction. Lead singer Dave Sitek is one of
the most outstanding vocalists of the decade.
His smooth, dark tones are what make TVotR’s
approach so special.Will Do, the first single
from the record, is an intimate sing-a-long.
From the vocals of Sitek to the reverberated
distortion on all instruments, everything is
glistening and flowing to perfection.
Though perhaps Nine Types of light falls
short of the band’s last outing - the stunning
Dear Science – it’s a commendable effort
nevertheless.
JOSh CLEMENTS