Grimes w/ Blood Diamonds - Go - ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆
A rather disappointing return from the once mysterious prodigy who spawned the otherworldly Genesis single a few years ago. Gone is the unique mystical and ethereal electronica and in comes an irritating stop-start dubstep backing-track and Grimes being all twee (which I'm sure she isn't). The one thing this tune has done is make me wonder what the next album will be like which is, I guess, its purpose. It isn't a showstopper so far.
Black Swan Lane - Dust - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Taken from the band's next album (due in the autumn, entitled A Moment Of Happiness), Dust is the band's latest Song of the Month on their website and rightly so. Reminiscent of Kitchens of Distinction, this slice of harmonious acoustic rock wouldn't sound amiss on an album by previous member Mark Burgess or, of course, The Chameleons. Over five minutes in length, Dust might not grab radio's attention in the UK which is a shame, but it's a pleasing enough effort that shimmers rather than explodes.
TIAAN - Devil's Touch - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Now here's an odd thing - this is very similar to Grimes' single (see above) and actually out-Grimes her for atmosphere. But at its very core is RnB circa the late '80s and a rather uneventful four minutes of polite electro-soul that doesn't pulsate nor does it thrill. Devil's Touch is, however, strangely addictive in its minimal way and the fourth single revealed on Spotify over the past few months won't do the Aussie singer-songwriter's reputation any harm - it's an improvement over the clunky sweary Black Cars at any rate.
Ryan Adams - Gimme Something Good - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Straight from the Tom Petty school of riffs comes Adams' first new material 2011's acclaimed Ashes and Fire and its half-speed trudge is something of a disappointment. The intimacy of his most recent material has been eschewed for a full-on alt-rawk experience that plods along in a comatose state before unleashing a memorable chorus that at least inspires a repeated listen. Things is, The Jayhawks have been doing similar for twenty years or so, normally better truth be told. I do like Ryan's voice though and maybe he's got his best ever album waiting in the wings, who knows.
Tom Figgins - Let Your Roots Grow - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Perhaps where Ryan Adams has missed the money-shot with his recent work is where Figgins' has gained himself kudos with this effort. Strident, jolly and somehow intimate acoustic-pop of a hopeful nature, Let Your Roots Grow is wistful without being drippy and assured without being cocky. And he's got a decent rack of pipes to sing with. Not bad, Mr Figgins, not bad.
Damon Bell - EP - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
San Diego's son of imaginative beats and former Bar Dynamite figurehead Damon Bell has mined a platinum seam with this new EP on Meda Fury, a distant R&S offshoot. The opening track on here, Hue-Man Made, is a wonderful fusion of African jit, Western electro and US stomp that can only herald one thing. Summer. In fact all of this fairly minimal EP is like a global hop around the seasons and the continents. Radius is a touch Eastern, Enthusiastic Minor traces origins to chillier Scandinavian climes and the short Resist Her has the Balearics about it. Quite where the off-kilter climax Visions Of Hue originates, Lord only knows - it's oddly engaging nonetheless. Maybe it's the sad-face strings riff.
Gospel - Disasters Running Wild - ★★★★★★★★☆☆ SOTW (just)
Reviewed a few weeks ago, there's no denying the buzz surrounding the Gospel debut-single and now there's a remix to ingest. Provided by Fork and Knife, it peps up the vocal line, speeds up the electro-beats a lot and adds little to the emotion of the original which by now should be embedded in your brain like a number 1. If only. Disasters Running Wild is utterly fabulous in its original form and doesn't need any fiddling with. Head to their Bandcamp and fork out some quids for it now. This is how pop will sound next year anyway, you might as well buy into it now. Head here to buy it/hear it -->> Bandcamp
The Enemy - Magic - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
As bands get older, they slow down rather than charge around like pissed students acting like twats for a bet. The Enemy are no exception as Magic proves rather decisively - it's all rather Snow Patrol to be honest. But before you drive past my office in a crossbow shooting incident, let me proclaim that The Enemy are still purveyors of robust choruses and hardy arrangements that many bands would kill for. That said, Magic is a bit like The Alarm. Look them up if you're half my age (under 25) and see if I'm not just part-way correct.
Royksopp & Robyn - Every Little Thing - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
As a huge admirer of their debut album Melody AM, I've come to realise that it's time to move on and develop ideas further. Trouble is, where that marvellous slice of ambience triumphed, follow-ups have failed to stir the soul. Melody AM was the Northern Lights - their last sets Junior and partner Senior were more Blackpool Lights. And therein lies the problem with Royksopp these days - melodic, yes. Beatific, yes. Memorable and essential. No. New mini-album Do It Again appears to be a harsh crystalline project with little to call it 'warm' or 'engaging'. Out of the current crop of streams, Every Little Thing is actually rather pretty and superior to recent outpourings - Robyn is in fine vocal form and Royksopp's techy fascination shines through with a polished piece of production work. Why should this be bigger than Gospel? It shouldn't. The end.
David Gray - Back In The World - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Old wobbly head is back and a nation of equally introspective songwriters bows down with respect. or so it should. Gray is one of many tunesmiths responsible for all of the pallid copyists around at the moment - hello Mr Sheeran, watcha Passenger - but remains a man who can single-handedly knock 'em dead with a catchy coda and a right honourable riff. Back In The World isn't quite a Babylon or a Please Forgive Me and sounds like two or three producers have had a go at it but it's mysterious enough to woo me.
Morgan Visconti - Ride - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Knocking around for some time now is Tony's son's rigidly straight-edged electro anthem, now given a subtle shoeing by the man himself (Morgan, not Tony). Aiming for the feet rather than the mind, this 4/4 rekindling of Ride is pretty spot-on and keeps the barely-there vocals to a minimum while concentrating on the hooks behind them. It sounds like Photek at the helm but it's definitely our Morgan on the case - and that's a compliment.
A rather disappointing return from the once mysterious prodigy who spawned the otherworldly Genesis single a few years ago. Gone is the unique mystical and ethereal electronica and in comes an irritating stop-start dubstep backing-track and Grimes being all twee (which I'm sure she isn't). The one thing this tune has done is make me wonder what the next album will be like which is, I guess, its purpose. It isn't a showstopper so far.
Black Swan Lane - Dust - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Taken from the band's next album (due in the autumn, entitled A Moment Of Happiness), Dust is the band's latest Song of the Month on their website and rightly so. Reminiscent of Kitchens of Distinction, this slice of harmonious acoustic rock wouldn't sound amiss on an album by previous member Mark Burgess or, of course, The Chameleons. Over five minutes in length, Dust might not grab radio's attention in the UK which is a shame, but it's a pleasing enough effort that shimmers rather than explodes.
TIAAN - Devil's Touch - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Now here's an odd thing - this is very similar to Grimes' single (see above) and actually out-Grimes her for atmosphere. But at its very core is RnB circa the late '80s and a rather uneventful four minutes of polite electro-soul that doesn't pulsate nor does it thrill. Devil's Touch is, however, strangely addictive in its minimal way and the fourth single revealed on Spotify over the past few months won't do the Aussie singer-songwriter's reputation any harm - it's an improvement over the clunky sweary Black Cars at any rate.
Ryan Adams - Gimme Something Good - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Straight from the Tom Petty school of riffs comes Adams' first new material 2011's acclaimed Ashes and Fire and its half-speed trudge is something of a disappointment. The intimacy of his most recent material has been eschewed for a full-on alt-rawk experience that plods along in a comatose state before unleashing a memorable chorus that at least inspires a repeated listen. Things is, The Jayhawks have been doing similar for twenty years or so, normally better truth be told. I do like Ryan's voice though and maybe he's got his best ever album waiting in the wings, who knows.
Tom Figgins - Let Your Roots Grow - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Perhaps where Ryan Adams has missed the money-shot with his recent work is where Figgins' has gained himself kudos with this effort. Strident, jolly and somehow intimate acoustic-pop of a hopeful nature, Let Your Roots Grow is wistful without being drippy and assured without being cocky. And he's got a decent rack of pipes to sing with. Not bad, Mr Figgins, not bad.
Damon Bell - EP - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
San Diego's son of imaginative beats and former Bar Dynamite figurehead Damon Bell has mined a platinum seam with this new EP on Meda Fury, a distant R&S offshoot. The opening track on here, Hue-Man Made, is a wonderful fusion of African jit, Western electro and US stomp that can only herald one thing. Summer. In fact all of this fairly minimal EP is like a global hop around the seasons and the continents. Radius is a touch Eastern, Enthusiastic Minor traces origins to chillier Scandinavian climes and the short Resist Her has the Balearics about it. Quite where the off-kilter climax Visions Of Hue originates, Lord only knows - it's oddly engaging nonetheless. Maybe it's the sad-face strings riff.
Gospel - Disasters Running Wild - ★★★★★★★★☆☆ SOTW (just)
Reviewed a few weeks ago, there's no denying the buzz surrounding the Gospel debut-single and now there's a remix to ingest. Provided by Fork and Knife, it peps up the vocal line, speeds up the electro-beats a lot and adds little to the emotion of the original which by now should be embedded in your brain like a number 1. If only. Disasters Running Wild is utterly fabulous in its original form and doesn't need any fiddling with. Head to their Bandcamp and fork out some quids for it now. This is how pop will sound next year anyway, you might as well buy into it now. Head here to buy it/hear it -->> Bandcamp
The Enemy - Magic - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
As bands get older, they slow down rather than charge around like pissed students acting like twats for a bet. The Enemy are no exception as Magic proves rather decisively - it's all rather Snow Patrol to be honest. But before you drive past my office in a crossbow shooting incident, let me proclaim that The Enemy are still purveyors of robust choruses and hardy arrangements that many bands would kill for. That said, Magic is a bit like The Alarm. Look them up if you're half my age (under 25) and see if I'm not just part-way correct.
Royksopp & Robyn - Every Little Thing - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
As a huge admirer of their debut album Melody AM, I've come to realise that it's time to move on and develop ideas further. Trouble is, where that marvellous slice of ambience triumphed, follow-ups have failed to stir the soul. Melody AM was the Northern Lights - their last sets Junior and partner Senior were more Blackpool Lights. And therein lies the problem with Royksopp these days - melodic, yes. Beatific, yes. Memorable and essential. No. New mini-album Do It Again appears to be a harsh crystalline project with little to call it 'warm' or 'engaging'. Out of the current crop of streams, Every Little Thing is actually rather pretty and superior to recent outpourings - Robyn is in fine vocal form and Royksopp's techy fascination shines through with a polished piece of production work. Why should this be bigger than Gospel? It shouldn't. The end.
David Gray - Back In The World - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Old wobbly head is back and a nation of equally introspective songwriters bows down with respect. or so it should. Gray is one of many tunesmiths responsible for all of the pallid copyists around at the moment - hello Mr Sheeran, watcha Passenger - but remains a man who can single-handedly knock 'em dead with a catchy coda and a right honourable riff. Back In The World isn't quite a Babylon or a Please Forgive Me and sounds like two or three producers have had a go at it but it's mysterious enough to woo me.
Morgan Visconti - Ride - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Knocking around for some time now is Tony's son's rigidly straight-edged electro anthem, now given a subtle shoeing by the man himself (Morgan, not Tony). Aiming for the feet rather than the mind, this 4/4 rekindling of Ride is pretty spot-on and keeps the barely-there vocals to a minimum while concentrating on the hooks behind them. It sounds like Photek at the helm but it's definitely our Morgan on the case - and that's a compliment.