[Review] [Listen] – Massive Attack – Heligoland (2010)
Massive Attack’s music is so timeless that it’s hard to believe it’s been seven years since their last album “100th Window”. When “100th Window” was released they had waited five years since the album before that, Mezzanine, so this being a seven year wait for “Heligoland” means we’re in for a treat. Right?
“100th Window” was a mixed bag in terms of it’s reception by the public, mostly enjoying favourable reviews but not getting the kind of coverage that their previous albums did and many people saw it as a step in the same direction of Mezzanine as opposed to a step forward away from Mezzanine. Being a fan of TV On The Radio I’m drawn to almost anything that their singer Tunde Adebimpe appears on, and he makes an appearance on “Pray For Rain”, the opening track on “Heligoland”. His unique voice lends weight to the song, carrying it through the deep drum rolls and melancholy piano riff that follows him to it’s 6:44 ending. It’s a slow start to the album, considering the opening songs from their previous albums have been huge, “Safe From Harm, “Protection” and especially “Angel”. When I first heard “Angel” I had never heard anything like it before, it set the scene for a uniquely absorbing and dark album, but “Pray For Rain” doesn’t have the same impact. “Babel” is more upbeat, a distorted drum beat leads up to a simple bass line as Martina Toply-Bird’s delicate vocals wrap around it like a blanket, trying to make sure it doesn’t go anywhere, which it doesn’t, following the same route from start to finish.
So far, not so good.
As “Splitting The Atom” starts my hope picks up, a heavy beat and organ-like hook repeat for the first 30 seconds and then a low, “Candyman”-like voice drops in, the kind that makes you nervous to go to sleep at night, “The baby was born/Nettles and Ferns/The evening it chokes/The candle it burns/This disguise covers/Bitter lies/Repeating the joke/The meaning it dies”. It’s the first indication so far that there might just be something on here to put it on par with Mezzanine, and as “Girl I Love You” starts, the album’s fourth track, it actually sounds like something from the Mezzanine sessions. A rolling thunderous bass line is eventually caught up by a repetitive drum beat and Andy Horace’s distinctive voice (heard on some of MA’s biggest and best songs), echoing into the distance as the song picks up and gets raucous before sitting back down and taking it easy towards the end. “Psyche” starts off sounding like something you’d hear Rodrigo Y Gabriella play, a quick acoustic guitar picks away and again Martina Topley-Bird takes the lead on vocals but that’s about as far as the song goes and so far it’s the weakest (and most out of place) song on the record.
Another notable guest appearance on “Heligoland” is Guy Garvey, lead singer with Elbow. He gives his dulcet tones to “Flat Of The Blade”, a 5:30 sullen, vibrating tune comprising of Guy crooning alongside the alien-like electronic beat, “I’m not good in a crowd/I got skills I can’t speak of/Things I’ve seen will chase me/To the grave/I’m not good in a crowd/I got skills I can’t speak of/Over there”. With what sounds like someone drilling holes into the side of a washing machine in the background that slowly dies away, strings take its place as the song ends on the electronic twinklings that populated the opening. The last third of the album does what the first third did with the first being slow to start, the last is slow to end and you almost just want it to.
“Rush Minute” offers almost five minutes of the same electronic drums and guitar refrain that switches up the pace and then slows back down again towards the end, with Massive Attack founder Robert Del Naja talk-singing over the top in a low, dejected tone. “Saturday Come Slow” features Damon Albarn and is one of the highlights of the album. As it strides from side to side, a bassy guitar and heavy background beat make way for Albarn’s mellow tones, pining a sentiment of an insecure love and asking “Do you love me?/Do you love me?/Or is there nothing there?”. The album’s ender is “Atlas Air” an almost Hip-Hop venture with trip-hop rumblings that trundles on for nigh-on eight minutes, failing to really go anywhere other than “on”.
After seven years I expected so much more from “Heligoland” and all in all it has maybe three strong tracks in “Splitting The Atom”, “Girl I Love You” and “Saturday Come Slow”. Massive Attack are taking longer and longer between albums so if Heligoland is anything to go by we’ll be waiting 10 years for them to spawn only two decent songs.
4/10
Worth checking out: Portishead, Tricky, UNKLE
Buy “Heligoland”
Listen Before You Buy – “Heligoland”
[Review] [Listen] – RJD2 – The Colossus (2010)
I had absolutely no information about RJD2 before listening to “The Colossus”, having never heard of him or to my knowledge ever hearing any of his work, all I knew was that his genre was listed as Hip-Hop. By the time the first song “Let There be Horns” had finished I thought he was going to be a Hip-Hop version of Frank Zappa, blending styles and genres into one spacey slice of time, Jazz, Middle Eastern, Hip-Hop, Electronic, Rock and some 70’s porn music all making an appearance, and this was in the first four minutes. The rest of the album has to be this diverse too, right?
I learned whilst researching RJD2 that this is his fourth solo album in the last 10 years, starting out on the now almost-defunct Definitive Jux label with his label debut “Deadringer” in 2002. I also learned that fans of RJD2 are torn on this album, some saying it’s better than “The Third Hand” (his release before this one), some saying it’s on par, and most saying it’s nothing compared to “Deadringer”. With the opening song being an instrumental I was left unsure as to whether RJD2 was an MC, a DJ, a singer, a musician, a rapper, or all of the above, but I did know that he knew how to craft a beat. “Games You Can Win” is the album’s second track and it features singer-songwriter Kenna singing soulfully against the backdrop of triangles, electronic swirls and a beat that favours the kick drum. “Giant Squid” takes off where the first track “Let There be Horns” left off as he brings out the harpsichord, organ, electric guitar, hand-claps, paradiddles, chunky funky bass lines and what sounds like a harp half-way through, giving off the kind of feel and sound you might hear from Ratatat.
Curiously he has an intro to the album four songs in, followed by “The Glow”, a song with a singer but has no featured artist attached so I’m left to assume it’s RJ himself singing, the voice similar to Robbie Williams and a scratchier Ben Gibbard from Death Cab For Cutie. It’s faster and more upbeat than “Games You Can Win”, piano-driven and a basic beat at it’s centre, it’s a soulful number that can be sung loudly if your falsetto doesn’t break cats or attract windows. “Spaceship For Now” is another instrumental but has the biggest beat yet, it’s industrial and electronic, as if he’s trying to write the soundtrack to our forthcoming post-apocalyptic world as you cruise by in your evacuation bus looking at ruined buildings and cars aflame. “The Shining Path” featuring Phonte Coleman is a harkening back to Motown, mixing soul with a children’s lullaby sung by Boyz 2 Men, xylophones akimbo, but falls flat at the chorus and limps out on one leg with a repeating piano riff. “Crumbs Off The Table” featuring Aaron Linvingston sounds like a James Brown meets Chromeo tribute with a backing vocals similar to Outkast, the same swirling electronic that we heard on “Games We Can Win” that abruptly kick into a solo and then stop for some smooth Jazz trumpets, the main redeeming feature about the song.
On “A Son’s Cycle” we finally get treated to some Electro-Hip-Hop, the kind I was hoping for after the first song. Featuring The Catalyst, Illogic, and NP the rapping is raw and shadowed by funeral-like piano chords, a kid’s mobile and haunting strings that make you look over shoulder to see if you’re being followed by some kind of masked hockey player. As “The Colossus” progresses the music fails to. Whilst fusing an untold amount of genres with insurmountable instruments, you can’t help but feel like you’ve heard this seven times already in the last half hour. “Tin Flower” and “The Stranger” are an example of this, as is “Small Plans” with the latter’s only discerning quality from previous songs being its quick beat and catchy fuzz-laden bass hook, unfortunately drowned out by stuttering yells. “Gypsy Caravan” however delivers, three-fold. It’s a straight-up rock song, the beat taken from “We Will Rock You” and a guitar solo pinned back by the vocals. It’s short at 2:13, and the first 0:40 of that is taken up by the sounds of the running water, a slow jangly guitar and maracas, but the 1:33 of content is possibly the best on the album.
“The Colossus” is eclectic, that’s for sure, a body of work that spans multiple genres and even eras, with flashes of brilliance and disappointment interspersed throughout. Unfortunately it’s the disappointment that wins overall, the album as a whole not offering me much to come back for, other than the 1:33 of goodness on “Gypsy Caravan”, and if an album can only offer me 1:33 of worthwhile music I may as well just not bother.
I’ll forgo another listen and just check out “Deadringer” instead.
5/10
Worth checking out: Ratatat, DJ Shadow, The Avalanches
Buy “The Colossus”
“Listen Before You Buy” – “The Colossus”
[Review] [Listen] – Surfer Blood – Astro Coast (2010)
“Forget the second coming/I need you in the here and now/Instead of dreamin’ up a way to/Spread your name across the world somehow”. The opening line from Surfer Blood’s debut album “Astro Coast” is sung with such a soft tone against a fuzzy repeating guitar riff that you can’t help but feel like it’s summer already, sitting on the beach as you watch the clouds in slow motion, getting sand in your socks.
Touted as Surf Rock (and even having the word Surfer in their name, as well as surf themes showing up in some of their songs) you might imagine Surfer Blood would only appeal to sun bunnies or people who think of Surf Rock as The Beach Boys or The Challengers, but there’s a wide range of influences on “Astro Coast” that if you like music with at least one guitar, chances are you’ll like this album. Perhaps one of the most striking comparisons for me was Peter Bjorn And John, which I wouldn’t describe as Surf at all, but that’s what I mean about a wide range of influences. Vocals that are soft and melodic, as if you’re hearing them being sung from a cave beneath a cliff, about a mile away from the microphone. “Swim”, the album’s second track (and first single) is a yelling cacophony of sound, reminiscent of that Animal Collective, The Cribs, and Vampire Weekend cave gig we’ve all been asking for. A resounding and catchy as all hell chorus is fused with punchy guitars and pounding drums that leave you with no other option than to stomp your feet and yell “Swim to reach the end/But I’ve said it not to offend/On who can you depend/Swim to reach the end”.
By listening to more than one song on “Astro Coast” you can tell that this is just four guys playing instruments, no over-the-top mixing or editing and no 17 layers of backing vocals, but that’s not too say it’s simple and boring. It’s the exact opposite, drawing from many influences and creating a sound all of their own, “Astro Coast” plays from start to finish before you know it, drawing you in and taking you on a tour of cold caves and sandy beaches, trips to Syracuse and days spent on the couch. Four songs in you get to “Harmonix”, a song about a pointless relationship, fit for those contemplative road trips with your headphones on, looking out the window as the fields pass by in a flash and three clouds merge into one, it’s a slow and steady thinker with haunting guitars and captivating words. “Twin Peaks” is upbeat and carnival-like, but the words are lonely and bitter, drawing from Weezer’s uncanny ability to sing about stuff that sucked whilst making it pleasant to listen to.
As with most of the songs on “Astro Blood”, the songs are so catchy and rhythmic that you’re bobbing your head along before you realise you’re listening to the end of a relationship or a lack of self-worth. The album’s two closers are no exception, “Anchorage” with it’s unhurried and brooding pace, the words sung with a tinge of jealousy “I don’t care for anyone/Probably not a lot of fun/You’ve got your own thing going on/In places you don’t belong/Could’ve been mine/At the right time/And it seems like/We were alright”, and “Catholic Pagans”, getting back to a more surf sound but keeping the ruminating words “Never could be still for long and I could never hold a job/Coupled with a weakness for cocaine and liquor/Not much you can do for love”.
If Surfer blood can keep up the momentum they’ve been gaining over the last few months as well as their ridiculously catchy melodies and guitar hooks, not only will they be one of the best bands of the year with one of the best albums of the year, but they’re sure to do more ridiculously catchy things in years to come. Having only been out for two weeks, it’s just a shame that we have to wait so long for Astro Coast’s follow-up.
8/10
Worth checking out: Peter Bjorn And John, Vampire Weekend, Girls, Weezer (Blue album or Pinkerton)
Buy “Astro Coast”
Listen Before You Buy – “Astro Coast”
[Review] – Comanechi – Crime Of Love (2009)
A prologue is designed to the set the scene and introduce you to an entire piece of work. It can often give you a taste of the things soon to come and prepare you neatly for the future. I can often tell whether I am going to enjoy a book or not after I have read the prologue as it represents the whole book in hand. The same goes for prologue on Comanechi’s debut album, ‘Crime of love’.
28 seconds of clattering cymbals and dissonant guitar chords, if this album is going to appeal to you, you will know by the time the prologue is over. “Prologue” is a perfect introduction to an album that is raw both in composition and production and yes it does lead the listener nicely into the first song on the record, “Rabbit Hole”. Punk guitar riffs layered over a fast drumbeat, this is definitely an in-your-face number but it is singer/drummer Akiko Matsuura’s spiky J-pop voice that hits you the hardest. It is almost a contradiction but oddly the pairing works as her vocals are practically screamed at you in all the right places. The chorus ‘You’re embarrassed to be alive/What are you scared off?’ is shot into your ears with maximum spite and by the time it reaches your brain you can tell that this band does not give a fuck.
“Crime Of Love” follows in suit led by Simon Petrovitch’s infectious guitar riffs. This song drips of sex obsession to a humorous level, ‘Celibate/I just don’t get it/Cuz I deserve to get well fucked’ and just so happens to be one of the strongest tracks on this album. The following song ‘Death Of You’ is where we see guitarist Simon’s true intentions shine though. The, ahem, breakdown is practically death metal. This is displayed throughout the album and may not be for everyone but most will agree that it adds to its raw destructive charm
There are plenty of other memorable moments in this record. The double hit of “Close Enough To Kiss” and “Mesmerising Fingers” provide the listener with the catchiest moments of the album and both include sweet hooks that you may find yourself humming when going about your daily business. The album’s delights do not end at these centrepieces though. Oh no. The insane “My Pussy” (you all have dirty minds) tells the story of Akiko’s cat who was catnapped by a man who made drum skins and displays Akiko’s desperate attempts at retrieving the cat to no avail. But don’t worry, closer “R.O.M.P” details the pussy’s revenge like some kind of demented kids storybook.
Overall Comanechi’s “Crime Of Love’ is the music equivalent to swallowing barbed wire coated with sugar. Painful, spiky and it will make you bleed internally but it is sweet and thoroughly enjoyable. Any fan of Nirvana et al, will find pleasure in listening to this record. Sure Merriweather Post Pavilion was superb and nothing short of a masterpiece BUT you wont find anywhere near as much fun from 2009 as you will in this record
8/10
Worth Checking Out: Nirvana, PRE, HEALTH
Listen Before You Buy:
[Review] [Listen] – Operator Please – Yes Yes Vindictive (2007)
Hold your breath. Ready?
I first heard of Operator Please when I was watching an episode of Jools Holland that I had tuned in to to see Liam Finn (which turned out to be the best performance of the night). Stuck between Melody Gardot and The Pentangle were Operator Please. A young, energetic five-piece with a violinist, a 12 year-old drummer (not really, but you couldn’t tell by looking at him) and a guitar-playing female singer dressed like you’d expect a female member of The Hives to dress.
Their sound and energy was enough to persuade me to download their debut album “Yes Yes Vindictive”, released at the tail end of 2007 in their native Australia. Upon hearing the first few bars of opener “Zero! Zero!” you wouldn’t be wrong to think it was a cover of the Knightrider theme song (or a muscially inclined Bee trapped in an amp). The pace is frantic and sets the mood for the rest of the album with singer Amandah Wilkinson singing with a fervor about an apparently ungratful, arguementative and ever-present boyfriend on most of the songs. On songs like “Get What You Want” she rather matter-of-factly states “I wish I could feed you some Ritalin/So maybe I could get a reaction or/Maybe even some facial expression/ But it’s not your fault if you really don’t wanna.”
Curiously the violin works. “Curiously” because it’s not often that a guitar-based band without the backing of more than one stringed instrument can pull off the pairing, but Operator Please pull it off effortlessly. On “Just A Song About Ping Pong” (which is, believe it or not, a song about ping pong) the violin cuts in and out, slowing down the furious pace at which the guitars and drums have been racing along behind handclaps and screams of “GO!”, only to pick right back up where it left off and ending leaving you wanting more than the 2:18 of it. “Two For My Seconds” is the opposite, a pop lament led by a piano and with lyrics about blame and holding a grudge, sung with a smile. It’s a nice change of pace from the energy of the previous tracks, but not for long as the song quickly ups tempo and catches you off guard.
Though Operator Please offer nothing new in terms of musical progression or unbridled talent, they definitely have what it takes to get you up on the Ian Curtis-inspired indie dance floor (you know, the one where you flail your arms and half-Ska), especially with songs like “Yes Yes” and “Terminal Disease”, the latter clocking in at a blistering 1:56. Album closer “Pantomime” begins with a hardly-present guitar and Amandah singing softly “I’m on strings/So move me/March, march, march/ To the beat of no drums”. Building up into a crescendo of guitars, bassy drums, piano and strings, it’s not how you’d expect the album to end upon listening to the first track.
They’ll likely draw comparisons to The Gossip and The D4, even CSS and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but if they’re to shake those comparisons they’ll need to come up with something different, something magnetic to pull you in like “Get What You Want” and “Just A Song About Ping Pong”, especially when some of the songs on “Yes Yes Vindictive”seem to be recycled from the song before, or even from the b-sides of The Gossip.
With a yet to be announced album due out this year, here’s hoping they stick around long enough to prove me right, and wrong.
Oh, and you can breathe now.
6/10
Worth checking out: The D4, The Gossip
Buy “Yes Yes Vindictive”
Listen Before You Buy – “Yes Yes Vindictive”:
