SET PULSES RACING
>>>Maxïmo Park>>>Quicken The Heart>>>
Ahh Maxïmo Park. Members of the post-Libs/Monkeys indie boom of 2005/06. One of only a three of good bands to appear from the North East in, well, forever (along with The Futureheads and The Chapman Family). And criminally underrated for as long as they've been releasing material, as far as I'm concerned. Yes, I know underrated bands don't usually get placed third on the bill at Leeds Festival on the Friday, but for all Maxïmo's pop sensibility and intelligent hooks, they've yet to make much of an impact on the mainstream...well apart from being included on one SingStar game. Debut "A Certain Trigger" propelled them to indie kids hearts but follow-up "Our Earthly Pleasures" saw them switch from angular indie to a more American alternative sound but lose more than a few fans due to the lack of "hits". Third album "Quicken The Heart" is aiming to throw them back into the big leagues....

Opener "Wraithlike" was released as a free download a while back and is a jittery, lo-fi rocker which sees Paul Smith barking "Here's a song that finally you can understand!" Not the most veiled of attacks, but it's a way of getting those who wrote them off as too clever and wordy to listen up. As a whole, the track is a bit to stop-start to make any real impact. "The Penultimate Clinch" is a little better, returning to the classic Maxïmo sound, but it still manages to slip under the radar. A below par opening to the album does little to raises hopes until "The Kids Are Sick Again" starts up with pulsating keyboards and hammered drums. It provides the first real catchy moments of "QTH" with the first chorus of "I don't mind losing self respect/I've done it before.... and I'll do it again!" and the closing coda of "The kids are sick again, nothing to look forward to/They've jumped the cliff again, future sinks beneath the blue". It may take a while to get into but it's certain to be a highlight of their Reading/Leeds set this summer.

"A Cloud Of Mystery" and "Calm" provide a slowing of the pace but keep the quality high, whilst "In Another World (You'd Have Found Yourself By Now)" is a rare thing; a great wordy title with a great chorus to match it, whilst "Let's Get Clinical" and "Tanned" provides probably the dullest songs of the album and of the band's career. But just when you think it's downhill from here "Roller Disco Dreams" grabs you by the heart and throat and doesn't let go. The distorted guitars mix irresistibly with the synth riff and the lyrics are some of the best that Paul Smith has served up (example: "We shared a bed but never touched/Next time we compensated in a rush" and the stunning chorus "Oh the fireworks in Brixton/Two carousel hearts spinning/If it's a grower, why can't we take things slower/She dreams of the roller disco/Head full of curls on my pillow/If it's a grower, why can't we take things slower").

The final two tracks are a sign that Maxïmo are finding their spark once again. "Overland, West Of Suez" is an upbeat indie-rocker complete with 60s freakbeat keyboards and chugging garage rock guitars, not dissimilar to The Horrors' first album. Album closer "I Haven't Seen Her In Ages" is Maxïmo's funkiest track to date, with a bassline made for dancing to. In comparison the their back catalogue it's much more laid back and restrained, which definitely works for Maxïmo. Overall, "QTH" certainly puts the Park back on track, and whilst there may be a little too much filler for this to be a great album it points towards a fantastic future for both band and fans.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "The Penultimate Clinch", "The Kids Are Sick Again", "In Another World (You'd Have Found Yourself By Now", "Roller Disco Dreams"
FOR FANS OF: The Rakes, Pulp, The Futureheads
7

THE VIRGINS - THE VIRGINS
The Virgins are the latest "sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll" band to stagger from New York, and also one of NME's tips for 2009. It's fairly obvious why, without even listening to their album. They look like a dangerous, party boy, "lock-up-your-daughters"-type gang, and God knows that there's been a lack of one in music for a while (I don't count Towers Of London because...well they were shit). But when you bring the music into it, then they're deserving of a ones-to-watch tag.

The band used to be a bog-standard garage rock band like a million others in New York after The Strokes broke through, but all of a sudden they've transformed into a disco-pop band, with Nile Rodgers-esque guitar being a major part of most tracks. Sort of a Strokes you can actually dance to. First track "She's Expensive" is a carbon copy of Elvis Costello, "Rich Girls" could be The Teenagers if they were American and "Fernando Pando"'s guitars sound like The Clash in their ska mode.

But enough comparing them to other bands. The Virgins are good enough to stand out on their own. Their sound walks the tightrope between funky indie rock, and straight-up camp disco pop (I get the irony of straight up and camp in the same sentence) and you can imagine it soundtracking all the parties that the cool kids go to (the five tracks from their debut EP has already soundtracked an episode of Gossip Girl). So yeah, check them out and prepare to get your groove on. God I'm cool....
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "She's Expensive", "One Week Of Danger", "Rich Girls", "Hey Hey Girl", "Radio Christiane", "Love Is Colder Than Death".

7/10

RED LIGHT COMPANY - WITH LIGHTS OUT





















Currently second place in terms of the race to be the big, new stadium rockers, behind White Lies (more on their album later), Red Light Company are a rather different beast to that band. Whereas the band formerly known as the indie-poppers Fear Of Flying dress head to toe in black and have a worrying pre-occupation with death and darkness, RLC seem more content with making widescreen driving rock 'n' roll with a dollop of angst here and there. Their last few singles ("Scheme Eugene" and "Arts & Crafts") have been rather good too, although not exactly reinventing the musical wheel. "With Lights Out" is typical "epic indie" fare with its chugging guitars, impassioned vocals etc. You're more likely to hear it on Hollyoaks or in Topman than in any holier-than-thou indie snob blog (obviously not what this is). It's still a good song from a good band, but in comparison to White Lies, there's no way they can win.
7/10

Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls

Imagine a female Cribs or Ramones or even an all girl early Green Day (Red Week? Sorry, gross joke if you get it, but had to make it). Now imagine them with a hell of a lotta feedback over the top. That's the pretty much what Brooklyn's Vivian Girls are all about. Lo-fi punk rock with heavenly harmonies chucked into the wall of sound. What sets them apart from the rest of the "girl power" bands (basically any band with a female member that's a bit "fiesty"), apart from having only two songs over the 3 minute mark on the entire album, is that they don't to be too bothered by anything, apart from making some good old punk rock. And I believe for that they should be applauded for that alone.

But that's not the only reason to praise the band. They squeeze more pure punk rock into 22 minutes than most bands fit into double albums. And hit a lot of reference points along the way. The albums sounds like one big jam session between The Ramones, My Bloody Valentine, The Shangri-Las, The Long Blondes, No Age, The Breeders and even The Smiths (on "Going Insane") and is all the better for it. The varied mix of influences adds up to some of the best punk songs and best melodies of the last few years from the alternative side of the world.

7/10

"Would you set a horse on fire for £1 million?"

I've changed the Day & Age rating to a 7/10 instead of 8. After a few days of listening to little else, the weaker moments of the album have made themselves glaringly obvious. The apparent "kitchen sink" approach to some songs doesn't work at all for the band, and if they keep this up then I doubt future reviews will be too kind.

*****

Alexis Blue have made their debut album available to download for free from HERE or HERE. So no excuses for whoever's bored enough to read this to not download it. Home-recorded and produced by the band, the album is packed full of indie-pop gems that make you wonder how stupid the Road To V judges actually were. The five new songs on the album, including Altar Ego and (Now It's An) Alcoholocaust, build on the band's already impressive canon. Catchy songs, witty wordplay, good riffs, all for free. What more could you want, eh?
8/10

And while you're at it, join the AB forum, they're a lovely bunch....most of the time haha.

xxx

Day & Age

Well the new Killers album "Day & Age" has found its way on to teh internetz, only 4 days before the proper release date. By modern standards, that's a pretty remarkable feat, considering how many new LPs have leaked weeks in advance (namely Favourite Worst Nightmare last year).

As a fan of The Killers, I've been anticipating this since Human also magically appeared on the web, and going by the reviews & tracks floating around already, as well as their Jools Holland performance a few weeks ago it's sounding like a classic already (well apart from NME, giving it 7/10, Scrooges). While the album may take some time to actually lodge itself in my memory, I'll just post some initial thoughts for now

1. Losing Touch - Announcing itself in a wave of feedback, the Foals-esque brass section kicks in, reminding us of "Bones". Could this hint towards another "Sam's Town"? Nope, since synths immediately take over and send the song back to classic Killers territory. Brandon Flowers' lyrics give a feeling of confusion and being lost, something conveyed in recent interviews. Heck even the title is a dead give away to his feelings right now. But somehow, it fits perfectly with the slightly melancholic mood of the song. and to top it off, an OTT solo from Dave Keunig, befitting of his current image of Slash's camp cousin from the 70's
2. Human - Denser? Dancer? Dancers? I don't know, every time I listen the chorus changes (although Flowers has confirmed it's dancer, in reference to a quote from Hunter S. Thompson...still no excuse for the pretty awful grammar). Anyways, this tune rattles along like a long-lost Johnny Cash-New Order collaboration, built for stadiums/drunken sing-alongs/MSN screennames.
   
3. Spaceman - And that makes it three brilliant songs in a row for "Day & Age". Some fears for another half-good, half-filler album are starting to creep in, but for now I'm just enjoying the ride. "Spaceman" is the sound of The Killers actually having some fun for the first time in the last 4 years. Beginning with a "ohh oh ohh" hook to possibly rival "Chelsea Dagger", or at least Ruby, Ruby, fucking Ruby, Spaceman barely lets up the pace throughout. Upto now it's a highlight of a rather good album, packed with synthy goodness and a funky bassline for the middle eight, right before the epic chorus kicks in one final time. It'll be a highlight of the festivals next summer.
   
4. Joy Ride - Well this is unexpected. Another funked out bassline and a samba feel for track four. You wouldn't have heard this on "Sam's Town" or "Hot Fuss". It almost sounds like some Friendly Fires tracks, just without the late 80's rave feeling.I'm not too sure what to make of this though. The chorus feels understated for the band, with a slight country feel to it.... make of that what you will. Another attempt at "ohh ohh ohh"-ing near the end feels a little desperate, and over all the track just seems a little too kitsch.
   
5. A Dustland Fairytale - Now if the titles doesn't sound perfect for Bruce Springsteen or "Sam's Town", then the lyrics will. "Just another white trash county kiss", "Like some kind of slick chrome American prince"; it's lines like these which show how far The Killers have come from worshipping anything British and from 20 years ago on "Hot Fuss". ADF begins with a soft piano intro and eventually bursts into life as an downbeat Americana anthem. Deserves repeated listenings to truly appreciate, in my opinion
   
6. This Is Your Life - Okay, weird. An a cappella intro, mixed with an alien-sounding synth and yet again, lyrics that could have come from "Sam's Town". It would appear at this point, the album is the distillation of the previous two; danceable beats and layers of keyboards mixed on top of feelings of longing and pride with a smidge of bombast. Another grower, which slows down the pace of the album slightly, this could be The Killers maturing past slightly hollow sentiments and overly-mainstream songs to a truly interesting band.
   
7. I Can't Stay - Seems like the maturity thing may be right, at least in expanding their musical horizons. Harps, Spanish guitar, clarinet, steel drums, saxophone and luscious strings adorn this track, fleshing out and improving it indefinitely. Despite the heavy amount of instrumentation, I Can't Stay sounds simple, yet heartfelt. A hidden gem.
   
8. Neon Tiger - ....in which Flowers says he was attempting to write like MGMT. Hmmm.... Having heard this on Jools Holland, I already know that this is another highlight of the album. The chorus deserves to shouted from arenas, stadiums and muddy fields across the planet, whilst the song as a whole harks back to the pink blazer-and-eyeliner days of Brandon & Co. Still can't see the MGMT connection, apart from the Neon Tiger thing, something which the seemingly perpetual stoners could think up.
   
9. The World We Live In - A big pop moment of the album. The synths (yes, there's an abundance of them) take over once again, with a steady beat and simple bass for the first time on the album. It's another simple track, slightly dreamy vocals, strings reminiscent of "Everything Must Go" by Manic Street Preachers (well in my mind anyway), it could be classed as a "slowie", if it weren't for the fact that Flowers comes up trumps yet again in the chorus department. Once again, should they play any festivals, they can expect this one chanted back at them.
   
10. Goodnight, Travel Well - The longest Killers track at almost 7 minutes, this one is definitely interesting. Ominous and brooding, Brandon's mournful voice makes this the most downbeat Killers song ever. Given the subject (Dave Keunig's mother's death), it's pretty understandable. As the song progresses, it develops into an epic album closer and a welcome departure from the poptastic indie disco of their back catalogue.

Overall, the album is everything you expect, and at the same, not what you expected. The Killers seem to like being contrary. On one hand, "Day & Age" is a perfect pop album; you can dance to it, smile to it, cry to it, examine it, break up to it etc etc. But on the other hand, it's a brave experiment and expansion for the band. Elements which wouldn't have appeared earlier in their career are now the focal point of many songs, and for this they have to be applauded. Influences fly in from everywhere: New Order, Bowie, Springsteen, Elton John, Pet Shop Boys. Mixed with The Killers knack for hooks and bombast, it creates an album for almost everyone. It may not have reached the heights of Sam's Town yet for me personally, but give it a month or two, you might see a change.
Bring on album four is all I can say.

7/10
xxx