Everything Everything - Man Alive

Everything Everything; the great white hope for Manchester music...except they're not actually from there. With members hailing from Newcastle and Kent, their tag as the latest part of the grand Manc-rock lineage (which, even as a Scouser, I am rather envious of) is a tad misleading. But since they actually formed in Mancunia, I'll let it slide.

To describe EE's and "Man Alive"'s sound without painting in brushstrokes broader than the defecit would be pretty tough. It has been called "indie R&B" which is quite accurate on superb singles "MY KZ, YR BF" and "Schoolin'". The latter could well be sold as a single (or at least a remix) from Jason Derulo or NeYo or whoever and you would happily believe that. At times the band sound something like Radiohead getting their funk on, if only because of frontman Jonathan Everything's (the band have all adopted the surname "Everything" a la The Ramones and to a lesser extent, The Fratellis) falsetto vocals, which could be a sticking point for some delicate-eared listeners.

Another 'Marmite' aspect is sure to be the often-undecipherable lyrics. I for one am looking forward to getting my hands on the CD booklet to work out what the hell they're going about. For example; "You’ve become a smithereen!/(I’m watching that!) Foxhound frolic on the abattoir floor, up in heaven it’s symmetrical oh/ Airbrush! What have you done with my father?/Why does he look like a carving?/How do I live in the present?/I make my own density?" from "Photoshop Handsome". "Suffragette Suffragette"'s refrain of "Who is gonna sit on your face when I'm not there?" will probably gain a mixed reaction from any WI members who happen to be listening, but its Biffy Clyro-esque structure and riffs should be enough to make them discard any outrage that may build.
Whilst the slick jerky pop may be the most common view of EE seen, "Final Form" and "Two For Nero" showcase a softer, if equally complex side. "NASA Is On Your Side" is the highlight of "Man Alive", hinting at Muse when they were still weird and good; all reverbed guitars, bouncing bass and an epic chorus all spread across five minutes and seven seconds of dreamlike alt.pop.

One of the best albums so far this year, "Man Alive" is a debut that had more than a bit of pre-release expectation on it, but that expectation has been met and surpassed, without a doubt. Tipped for great things in the deluge of industry shortlists released at the start of the year, Everything Everything have two possible career trajectories, based on "Man Alive". Either they'll head to the upper echelons of the charts, ushering in an era of intelligent, genre bending pop. Or more likely they'll become a bafflingly huge cult band, making intelligent genre-bending pop. Whichever path they end up on, they're sure to keep creating music that sounds more fresh and original than pretty much everything out there.
8.5/10
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "MY KZ, YR BF", "QWERTY Finger", "Schoolin'", "Photoshop Handsome", "Two For Nero", "NASA Is On Your Side" FOR FANS OF: Radiohead, Muse, most bands classified as dance-punk

Manic Street Preachers: New b-side and other news

Just over a year on from Journal For Plague Lovers, the Manics are back with tenth album "Postcards From A Young Man". Whereas JFPL was seen as a companion piece to 1994's "The Holy Bible", PFAYM is a return to the bombast and anthemic sound of "Everything Must Go". Described by band mouthpiece Nicky Wire as "one last shot at mass communication", it features appearances from Ian McCulloch, John Cale and Guns 'N' Roses' Duff McKagan. And as if that doesn't sound good enough the artwork features Tim Roth of Reservoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction/Lie To Me fame.

The band have made one of the six b-sides (six!) to first single "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" available for free download. Wonderfully named, "I'm Leaving You For Solitude" sounds like a lost John Lennon solo track and surprisingly lacks a typical stadium-sized James Dean Bradfield solo, but sounds all the more refreshing for it.

The tracklisting for "Postcards For A Young Man" is as follows:

1. (It's Not War) Just the End of Love
2. Postcards from a Young Man
3. Some Kind of Nothingness (featuring Ian McCulloch)
4. The Descent – (Pages 1 & 2)
5. Hazleton Avenue
6. Auto-Intoxication
7. Golden Platitudes
8. I Think I've Found It
9. A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun
   
10. All We Make Is Entertainment
11. The Future Has Been Here 4 Ever
12. Don't Be Evil

In case you haven't got quite enough of the Manics yet, there'll be a documentary this Sunday at 12pm on BBC 6 Music. The band will be revealing the pivotal moments and songs that shaped their lives and their careers. It'll also be the first chance to hear new tracks "Auto Intoxication" and "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun".

"Postcards From A Young Man" is released on the 27th of September
"(It's Not War) Just The End Of Love" is released on the 13th of September
Manic Street Preachers kick off their tour in support of the album on the 29th of September in Glasgow.

Foals - Total Life Forever

First of all, the pre-release hype for “Total Life Forever” has been at fever pitch ever since “Spanish Sahara” made its way on to the internet and has rarely let up, save for a bit of unjust backlash when “This Orient” appeared. Fanboys have been eagerly waiting for proof that Foals are the new Radiohead, or some equally hyperbolic statement, whilst detractors have been queuing up to shoot the band down as arty, student, math-rock bollocks...or something as equally well-thought out and intelligent. If their debut “Antidotes” was something of a curveball to those expecting an album full of “Hummer”-esque indie disco hits, then this should be perfect for them. For those who wanted Foals to go all out and fully embrace their experimental side, then this should also be pretty much perfect. In other words, Foals have made the best follow-up they could have possibly made.

Forgive me for getting all oxymoronic, but the most noticeable thing on first listen is how chaotic and dense the new tracks sound, yet they’re mostly straightforward indie-rock songs and, dare I say, even a little poppy. The plaintive picking on album opener “Blue Blood” gives way to the kind of indie funk last seen on Friendly Fires’ debut album or Franz Ferdinand’s third, before evolving into a whirlwind of noise that first time round listen sounds messy, but repeat listens reveal that everything is in its right place (sorry, that’ll be the only Radiohead pun here). The funk strut carries on into “Miami”, which has ‘big hit’ branded on it. The title track and “Black Gold” continue in the same vein until we hit “Spanish Sahara”. Near-7 minute comeback tracks seem to be the vogue right now (see; The Horrors, Blood Red Shoes etc) so it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise that Foals returned with one. What is a surprise is Yannis Philippakis’ vocals. Whereas on “Antidotes” he usually sounded like a yapping terrier with a fringe, Yannis now sounds a little more assured in his own voice and ability to sing. Alright, he’s not exactly Florence Welch when it comes to singing, but he does have a unique voice which comes into its own on “Spanish Sahara”. Accompanied only by a solitary guitar and a drumbeat that sounds a million miles away, the track gradually builds from these three elements to swirling alt. pop brilliance. One of the tracks of the year already, it’s obviously the standout and it’s clear to see why some fans were disappointed with the next track “This Orient”.

A great song on its own, but coming straight after “Spanish Sahara” didn’t really help. If anything, “This Orient” is a better example of the depth of the album than the previous track. Verging on FM rock, the song is perfectly layered with every instrument and voice complimenting each other. In fact, “This Orient” is probably Foals most pop moment yet. The first half of “Total Life Forever” is pop, in a roundabout way. Justin Bieber and The Jonas Brothers would kill for some of the hooks that Foals have crammed into the first six tracks, if they weren’t the spawn of Satan and whatnot. But after the instrumental interlude of “Fugue” segues into “After Glow” the band lets their experimental side run free. Sounding a little like “Born Slippy” at the start (at least it does to me) the latter becomes a tornado of tribal dumming, screeching guitars and typical Foals riffs. “Alabaster” and “2 Trees” are possibly the most downbeat Foals songs yet, with the latter being the best on the album after “Spanish Sahara”, but it has competition from “What Remains”, the album’s closer. With guitars alternately sounding like harps and drills, it might not reach the indie discos but it rounds of an album which gives further evidence that Foals truly are a special band.
FOR FANS OF: Radiohead, Bloc Party, These New Puritans,
ESSENTIAL: "Blue Blood", "Miami", "Spanish Sahara", "This Orient", "2 Trees", "What Remains"
9/10

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

For those out of the loop, LCD Soundsystem are probably the most consistently great band of the last five years. Having garnered near universal acclaim with their first two albums "LCD Soundsystem" and "Sound Of Silver", as well as three Grammy nominations along the way, it’s fair to say they’re a pretty big deal. The brains behind it all and the only actual member is New York DJ, producer and co-founder of DFA Records, James Murphy, whose barely-even-singing singing voice has been the calling card of the band since their first single back in 2002. Having created what many to consider to be two of the best songs of the noughties (apologies for using that phrase) in “Someone Great” and “All My Friends”, expectations have been a little high for LCD’s third, and if Murphy is to be believed, final album.

Lead single “Drunk Girls” wasn’t well received by all LCD fans, although most saw it as a good, if slightly disposable, dancefloor filler in the vein of previous single “North American Scum”. But “Drunk Girls” with its pop sensibilities and instant raucous hook is a world away from the rest of “This Is Happening”. For one, it’s under five and a half minutes long and sounds nothing like Berlin-era David Bowie, whereas the other eight tracks do. Album opener “Dance Yrself Clean”, with its slow and steady build-up to the show-stopping drop, could well be the best thing Murphy has ever done and the quality doesn’t let up from there on in. “I Can Change” is a swirling, shimmering slice of modern disco that you’ll be whistling for the whole day after hearing it, whilst “Pow Pow” and “You Wanted A Hit” return to the dance-punk sound that Murphy and DFA Records helped to create. Despite the latter song’s hook of “We won’t be your babies anymore”, it lives up to its title by being the only other possible hit after “Drunk Girls”, despite being nine minutes long.
“All I Want” is such a pastiche of “Heroes” it’s almost a disappointment when a coke-addled Bowie fails to turn up halfway though. Almost. “Somebody’s Calling Me” continues in treading the line between pastiche and rip-off, by sounding like the illegitimate offspring of Iggy Pop’s “Nightclubbing”. Whilst with lesser artists you’d accuse of a lack of ideas or shamelessly rehashing the past, with LCD Soundsystem, it just sounds like an obvious homage to Murphy’s influences. If “This Is Happening” is definitely to be Murphy’s last album under the LCD name then there’s few better ways to sign off than album closer “Home”, a funky-yet-heartfelt future floor-filler that surely wasn’t intended as such. It’s the closest LCD Soundsystem has come to a conventional pop song over three albums.

“This Is Happening” isn’t full of pure dance-punk hits like “North American Scum” or “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”, neither is it a collection of earnest, soulful laments such as the previously-mentioned “Someone Great” and “All My Friends” as some may have hoped. Instead its sound is somewhere in between; songs to make you move your hips and break your heart at the same time. They’ll be missed.
FOR FANS OF: Hot Chip, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Rapture, Simian Mobile Disco, Justice
ESSENTIAL: "Dance Yrself Clean", "Drunk Girls", "I Can Change", "All I Want, "Somebody's Calling Me", "Home"
9/10

01 Dance Yrself Clean by HitsvilleUK-1

Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring

I’m never going to do a Los Campesinos! album review on time am I? It took me two months to review “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” and it’s taken me nearly the same amount for “Romance Is Boring”. Arguments on whether this is LC!’s second or third album will wage between indie kids for eternity (the band consider “WAB,WAD” as an extended EP, not a full album); I’m firmly on the ‘third album’ side if I’m being honest, but I digress.

In the two and a bit years since their debut album, Los Campesinos! have matured into one of the best indie bands around (that’s indie as in independent in sound and ethos, not indie as in The fucking Pigeon Detectives). The twee shackles which plagued them early on have been thrown off and whilst the hyperactive pop playfulness still remains, like a chihuahua in a Kenickie t-shirt, it’s now more streamlined and beefed –up, sounding less disposable and more life-affirming. The bouncy indie pop of old remains for the first half a dozen tracks or so, the title track being the best example of LC!’s evolution. Undeniably more rock than earlier tracks, it contains a chorus catchier than any flu the media choose to chuck on the front page (“You’re pouting in your sleep, I’m waking, still yawning/We’re proving to each other that romance is boring”). Lyrically, the album is superb. Gareth Campesinos! is one of the best lyricists the country has to offer right now, and there are few who can match him for laugh-out-loud moments e.g. “I think we need more post-coital and less post-rock/Feels like the build-up takes forever but you never touch my cock” on “Straight In At 101”, as well as “Plan A”, probably the only song ever about being called up to the Maltese national football team.


Of course, as any LC! fan knows, it’s not all fun and indie-pop frolics, neither musically nor lyrically. Both “In Medias Res” and the aforementioned “Straight In At 101” offer up some pretty depressing imagery (“I phone my friends and family to gather round the television; The talking heads count down the most heart-wrenching break ups of all time/Imagine the great sense of waste, the indignity, the embarrassment when not a single one of that whole century was... mine”). To describe every little nuance and bit of lyrical genius on the album would take quite some time, and would probably be fairly boring. But I will say this; to experience “Romance Is Boring” fully, reading the lyric book along with listening to it is advised (that is if you actually go out and buy it...physically...remember that?).

I’ve gone all this way and not even mentioned “The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future”, the album’s highlight of highlights and 5th best song of last year, according to me. Foreboding guitar picking and a lone, mournful violin that begin the track belie the explosion of a chorus that arrives, taking any listener on an aural rollercoaster. If you don’t at least “kind of like” Los Campesinos! after this album then, at the risk of sounding like a rabid fanboy, we can’t even know each other*
*Kidding, of course. I just think this a superb album is all.

SOUNDS LIKE: All of your teenage angst, but more intelligent, witty, deep and catchy. And nothing at all like whiny bitchy emo.
ESSENTIAL: All of it. Seriously.
9.5/10

ALBUM CATCHUP: 6-10

6. Ellie Goulding - Lights
Ellie Goudling is in the exact same position as Florence and her Machine were last year. Topping “ones to watch” lists left, right and centre with a Brit Award before her album’s released. That’s a lot of expectation on the former folk singer, and it’s set her up for a fall. Save for the pure pop gold of “Starry Eyed”, “Under The Sheets” and “Wish I Stayed”, as well as the really rather good “Every Time You Go”, there isn’t much to back up the hype. It’s all a bit bedroom pop, nowhere near the levels of Florence, La Roux or even Little Boots. I hate to be so negative, given how cute Ellie Goudling looks (she’s up there with Zooey Deschanel, Marina and Laura Marling for indie-girl crushes) but “Lights” is wholly unspectacular. Really, I should have expected this, considering she’s worked with this dick.
SOUNDS LIKE: Radio 1's wet dream
ESSENTIAL: "Starry Eyed", "Under The Sheets", "Wish I Stayed", "Every Time You Go"
5/10

7. Everybody Was In The French Resistance... Now! - Fixin' The Charts Vol. 1
Eddie Argos, he of Art Brut fame as well as smelling like eggs fame (from what I’ve heard from one source) has joined up with Dyan Valdes of The Blood Arm (remember them?) to make...well...an album that sounds like Art Brut going pop. To be honest, it wasn't going to sound like much else, when you take Argos' distinctive half-talking, half-singing style into consideration. Whilst the last two Art Brut albums have been a bit meh, EWITFR...N! (I think I'll just call them The French Resistance from now on) makes Argos sound revitalised with a new lease of life. The chorus of "G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N" is too catchy for it's own good, as will "Think Twice (It's Not Alright)", whilst "Walk Alone" (a riposte to Gerry & The Pacemakers "You'll Never Walk Alone") could possibly become a favourite of Evertonians everywhere (including this one). Okay, it's not life-changing stuff and occasionally a bit too tongue-in-cheek for its own good, but there are worse ways to spend 35 minutes than listening "Fixin' The Charts Vol. 1".
SOUNDS LIKE: Art Brut, if they'd made it to Top Of The Pops
ESSENTIAL: "G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N. (You Know I've Got A)", "Think Twice (It's Not Alright)", "He's A 'Rebel'", "Coal Digger", "Walk Alone"
6/10

8. Fyfe Dangerfield - Fly Yellow Moon
After a lacklustre second album, Guillemots have gone on hiatus, allowing amazingly-named frontman Fyfe Dangerfield to go solo. As with Eddie Argos and The French Resistance, "Fly Yellow Moon" doesn't differ greatly from Dangerfield's day job. "She Needs Me", for instance, could slot in perfectly on either Guillemots album, but Dangerfield is a highly underrated songwriter and a world without his songs would be worse off indeed. Opener "When You Walk In The Room" is a bouncy piece of piano-pop that The Beatles would write if they formed tomorrow, and "So Brand New" sees Fyfe switch to '60s crooner mode with good result. "Faster Than The Setting Sun" may veer a bit close to Coldplay territory, but overall "Fly Yellow Moon" is a fine album that should shove Dangerfield's talents further into the spotlight. Now, if we can just get that third Guillemots album...
SOUNDS LIKE: The best alt-pop songs of the year
ESSENTIAL: "When You Walk In The Room", "So Brand New", "Barricades", "Live Wire"
7/10

9. Gil Scott Heron - I'm New Here
The godfather of hip-hop has had a rough few years; Gil Scott Heron hasn't released or recorded any new songs since 1994, let alone a new album; has had heavy drug problems, had two spells in jail and contracted HIV. So it comes as no surprise that "I'm New Here" takes on subjects more personal than the political issues of old.Whilst older material was more jazz and beat inflected, "I'm New Here" lends itself more to electronic music. Opening track "On Coming From A Broken Home (Part 1)" pulsating synths give the song a threatening, somewhat aggressive edge, as if Heron's grizzled voice didn't already do that half the time. The album is reminiscent of Johnny's Cash's last few LPs, not as in it's the words of a dying man, and not so much as to sound the same (I can't recall Cash ever delving into trip-hop), but in the intesity and feel of the record, as if Heron has still has a lot left in the tank.
SOUNDS LIKE: That old guy at the back of the bar, who you think might be a big crazy, but is actually a genius being allowed to record an album.
ESSENTIALS: "On Coming From A Broken Home (Part 1)", "I'm New Here", "I'll Take Care Of You"
7/10

10. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
If you can get your head around the entirely bonkers back story cooked up by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett to "Plastic Beach", well, you've got a longer attention span than me. As the whole Gorillaz gets sillier and sillier, the music has improved a whole lot. The previous two albums have never really been favourites of mine, thus I've always considered Gorillaz to be a singles band, but Plastic Beach has proved me wrong. Maybe it's the wealth of collaborations, maybe it's the concept of the album, something has just clicked this time. Maybe all future Gorillaz albums should involve Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Lou Reed, De La Soul and Gruff Rhys, with a bit less Damon Albarn? Don't get me wrong, I love Damon Albarn, but seeing as the best tracks on "Plastic Beach" feature guest stars, it could just work. If tracks that are as playful and layered as "White Flag", "Superfast Jellyfish" and "Rhinestone Eyes" are the future of pop, then colour me happy. The only problem with "Plastic Beach" is that after the title track, it seems to drop off a little. But that's only a minor complaint. After all, there can only be so much genius on one album.
SOUNDS LIKE: Gorillaz. Nothing else.
ESSENTIAL: "Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach (featuring Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)" "White Flag (featuring Kano, Bashy and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music)" "Rhinestone Eyes" "Stylo (featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack" "Superfast Jellyfish (featuring De La Soul and Gruff Rhys)", "Glitter Freeze (featuring Mark E. Smith" "Some Kind Of Nature (featuring Mark E. Smith" "On Melancholy Hill" "Plastic Beach (featuring Mick Jones and Paul Simonon"
9/10

Tweet-ville U.K. featuring Dizzee Rascal, Codes, Slow Club, Mumford & Sons, Wolfmother and Tubelord

Since I've got a whole heap of albums that have yet to grace the pixels of Hitsville U.K., and I want to clear the space they're taking up in my mind, here's a handy little thing to help me (that I may have nabbed from Jamie Milton of Music Fan's Mic, who may have nabbed it from someone else...don't really know); an album review in the space of a tweets, or to those of you not keeping up with modern trends and technology, 140 characters. Call me lazy for doing this (and I'll call you correct) but it's simple and allows me to just give a brief overview etc etc. I'll get on with it now.
(Ratings, track recommendations and other stuff not included in the 140 limit, just so you know)

DIZZEE RASCAL - TONGUE N' CHEEK
"Bonkers leads to this; a go at proper pop "Cheeky" misogyny, stale beats, phoned-in flows, the odd Credit Crunch reference. Yawn, mostly"
RECOMMENDED LISTENING: "Bonkers", "Dance Wiv Me", "Holiday", "Dirtee Cash", "Can't Tek No More"
5.5
CODES - TREES DREAM IN ALGEBRA
"Odd title, epic stadium rock. Would be a new U2 (zzz) if not for ambition and creativity. Bit samey halfway through but one to look out for"
RECOMMENDED LISTENING: "Malfunctions", "Guided By Ghosts", "In Algebra", "Starry Eyed"
7

SLOW CLUB -YEAH SO
"Twee-er than B&S, but even better. Simple folk ditties mix with bittersweet indie rock to lodge in your thoughts for long after listening"
RECOMMENDED LISTENING: "When I Go", "It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful", "There's No Good Way To Say I'm Leaving You", "Because We're Dead", "Apples And Pairs", "Our Most Brilliant Friends"
8


WOLFMOTHER - COSMIC EGG
"Big-haired Aussies return with new members but no new ideas. Same retro-rock as debut, but no equally great songs a la "Dimension", "Woman""
RECOMMENDED LISTENING: "Cosmic Egg", "New Moon Rising", "Sundial"
3

TUBELORD - OUR FIRST AMERICAN FRIENDS
"Another quiet-LOUD band. Noticeably more depth, talent and ideas than most new bands. Clever, thrilling, few negatives cept little diversity"
RECCOMENDED LISTENING: "Somewhere Out There A Dog Is On Fire", "Stacey's Left Arm", "Propeller", "He Awoke On A Beach In Abergavenny", "Cows To The East, Cities To The West"
8

Editors - In This Light And On This Evening

I was in HMV the other day, looking to add to my vinyl collection/addiction. Whilst having a quick flick through the CDs (remember them?) I came across Editors' rather good second album "An End Has A Start". I was horrified to notice a "One For The Lads" promotional sticker slapped on the case, as if it were a Pigeon Detectives album or a Jeremy Clarkson "Edgy & Cool Driving Songs for The Middle Aged" compilation. Now anyone who knows Editors and their music will realise this is a horrific mistake; Editors are the purveyors of gloomy rock and slightly-epic stadium indie, with the occasional nod to Joy Division. They aren't for the typical "lad". I doubt you'll hear anyone of that persuasion enthusing about Chris Urbanowicz's guitar riffs or Tom Smith's doom-laden voice in the way they would about Oasis/The Prodigy/Kaiser Chiefs/*insert generic indie-pop-rock band with a few catchy hits here*.

Anyway, the point of that long -winded and ever-so-slightly discriminatory anecdote was to illustrate that despite the indie/hipster set's usual negative point about Editors (that they went a bit Coldplay and aimed for to be on those Clarkson comps), the band was still pretty far from universal fame/acceptance. Such a thing is now probably even further away due to third album "In This Light And On This Evening". Like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs earlier this year, Editors have gone all synth in the two years since "An End Has A Start". A bold and brave move, yes, but one that works? Most certainly.

The opening title track starts off with a low, throbbing synth and stays this way for the next two-thirds of the track before exploding into an apocalyptic breakdown which wouldn't be out of place in a futuristic, sci-fi film (the band have mentioned that the album is influenced by such films, and in particular the Terminator theme). The track consists of only one, repeated verse (" I swear to God, I heard the Earth inhale, moments before it spat its rain down on me/ I swear to God, in this light and on this evening, London's become, the most beautiful thing I've seen. ") with Smith's vocals sounding reverential, brooding and resigned at the same time. It sets the tone for the remaining 8 tracks, which all seem to twist and turn in many different directions. It doesn't exactly reach "Paranoid Android" or "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" proportions, but there were certainly a lot of ideas floating around in the album sessions.

Whilst the move towards electronic music will certainly lose them a few fans, "In This Light..." has some of Editors most accessible, poppy material. "Bricks And Mortar" would be a fantasic single, if it could be trimmed down from its 6:21 running time and the amazing-but-preposterously-titled "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool", which is possibly Editors' best chorus yet. Lead single "Papillion" continues down the poppier route, but brings with it the morib lyrical side of the band. Never before in my mind have lines such as "You will choke, choke on the air you try to breathe" or "The world turns too fast, feel love before it’s gone" felt so at home in a pop song, and the chorus of "Darling, just don’t put down your guns yet/if there really was a God here/he’d have raised a hand by now" could have easily come from the pen of Richey Edwards.

Although for all the positives of the album, the novelty of 'Editors + synths' does grate after a while, with only Smith's lyrics and voice keeping some songs afloat (for example "The Big Exit" is saved just before the "skip" point by the powerful middle eighth, which is basically Smith singing alone, the electronic beeps barely in the background). Overall, "In This Light And On This Evening" is a great album, a near-classic. The only thing stopping it from reaching "classic" status is the overused synth elements (and the decision to not include "No Sound But The Wind") but from here, Editors can do pretty much anything with their sound, be it guitars, keyboards or something for the lad population, although I hope that road is blocked. Forever.
FOR FANS OF: Joy Division, White Lies, Interpol, Kraftwerk, Bloc Party
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: All, except "Like Treasure"
9

ALBUM NEWS: Los Campesinos - Romance Is Boring

Los Campesinos! have announced the details of their forthcoming second/third album (I can't be bothered explainin). Named "Romance Is Boring", it's out on February 1st 2010. Cannot wait.

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. In Medias Res
2. There Are Listed Buildings
3. Romance Is Boring
4. We’ve Got Your Back (Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #2)
5. Plan A
6. 200-102
7. Straight In At 101
8. Who Fell Asleep In
9. I Warned You: Do Not Make An Enemy Of Me
10. Heart Swells/100-1
11. I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know
12. A Heat Rash In The Shape Of The Show Me State; or, Letters From Me To Charlotte
13. The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future
14. This Is A Flag. There Is No Wind
15. Coda: A Burn Scar In The Shape Of The Sooner State

Taken from LC!'s blog:
"The album was recorded and mixed between March and June of 2009, in Seattle, Connecticut and Monmouthsire, with producer John Goodmanson. It features guest appearances from Jamie Stewart, Zac Pennington and Jherek Bischoff.

It is a record about the death and decay of the human body, sex, lost love, mental breakdown, football and, ultimately, that there probably isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel."

Once again, I cannot wait for this. Early contender for Album of 2010, and I've only heard two tracks so far.

Them Crooked Vultures - S/T artwork

This should be amazing. How can Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl collaborating not be?
(released 16th November 2009)

The Time Machine: Jakobinarina - The First Crusade

The Time Machine returns! Turns out the past isn't too great, but hey, I've remembered this lost gem. Jakobínarína's first and only album "The First Crusade" released just over two years ago. They've since split-up (I couldn't tell you why, since the explanation on their blog is Icelandic) which means it's very unlikely a fantastic follow-up will be unleashed onto an unsupecting musical world. "The First Crusade" is basically what the latest Cribs album should have sounded like; furious punk rock with an undeniable pop edge, and some great Johnny Marr guitar flourishes on top. Jakobínarína manage it without the help of the Manc legend, so how The Cribs didn't is a mystery.

Anyway, it's easy to see how "The First Crusade" slipped into the indie rock ether. Released in the same year as "Favourite Worst Nightmare", "Neon Bible", "In Rainbows", "Myths Of The Near Future" and, to a much, much, much lesser extent, The View's debut, it didn't stand much chance of appearing in end-of-year polls or being heralded as an outright classic. In my humble indie nerd opinion, "The First Crusade is one of the best albums of the last decade and should be remembered as such. Crafted by six Icelandians (Icelandicers?) between the ages of 17 and 21, it's astounding how powerful and vibrant it sounds. The pace barely lets up throughout the 12 songs, both the drums and guitars play at breakneck speeds, whilst a young Bernard Sumner lookalike bellows at you about the good points and (many) bad points of being young, angry, horny, judgemental and always looking for a good time.

Lyrics like "Jump around, around, around/to the sound/of mediocrity", "And I thought to myself/ "I've nothing to live for"/ Except next weekend/Because there will be a dance revolution" and "Who wants to be wise when they're 17? Got girls to see and a world to conquer" may not be challenge for Dylan, Morrissey or Richey Edwards in terms of being poetic or world-alteringly brilliant, but they do sum up the life of a 17-to-21 year old almost to a tee (much like The Hold Steady do, but without the world-weary and wise, retrospective feel to their songs). It's a shame that nothing this exciting and/or vital has come out of the music scene in the last three years or so, and an even bigger shame that Jakobínarína have split up. I seriously reccomend "The First Crusade" to anyone who likes their music loud, angry, fun and very catchy...or just anyone who like good music. I'll leave you with the best of Jakobínarína...






ESSENTIAL TRACKS: Every single one.
FOR FANS OF: The Cribs, Johnny Marr, Johnny Foreigner, The Futureheads, Be Your Own Pet, loud and angry punk rock
10

Weezer - Raditude cover

Need I say more?

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

These days, virtually every big record has a collection of buzzwords mentioned in every preview, review, interview and article associated with it, and "Humbug" is no different. Mentions of Turner & co's third effort have never been far from the words "dark", "mature" or "Josh Homme". Regular producer James Ford has been reduced to involvement on just three tracks, whilst band idol Homme has guided them to somewhere a world away from the Sheffield nightclubs and dancefloors associated with the Monkey's debut. It would appear Britain's biggest band of the moment are growing up.

Pre-album hype may have been just that, as mutterings of Black Sabbath and psychedelic influences aren't exactly at the fore of "Humbug". If anything, it's more Last Shadow Puppets than QOTSA in places. Opener "My Propeller" could have comfortably slotted in on "The Age Of The Understatement" had a string section been tacked on. It gives the biggest hint that Turner's songwriting and ear for a melody has been honed to perfection thanks to his work with Miles Kane. "Mardy Bum" it ain't. That's not to say it's wholly inaccessible, pretty much the opposite in fact. It's very easy to imagine the Monkeys hitting the upper echelons of the charts should they pick their singles well from "Humbug" (perhaps unsuprising to discover the most chart-friendly tracks are the Ford-produced ones). For the casual listener (a.k.a your mum/dad/uncle with questionable taste/chavvy cousin who liked "When The Sun Goes Down"), this album will take a fair few more listens to "click" than the previous two. This may be a bit of a cop-out but it's a grower.

Even if you find yourself enjoying it on the first few times, repeat listening is required to appreciate how far the band has, pardon the pun, evolved. Turner has turned into an unusual mix of Nick Cave and Morrissey in the body of Jim Morrisson, Jamie Cook is growing into a damn good guitarist whilst the rhythm section of Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley dominate a hefty chunk of the album, in particular "Pretty Visitors", possibly the band's heaviest track to date. Turner's vocals have gone from the spikey adolescent quasi-rap that characterised their debut, to a smooth, almost-lounge lizard croon that undoubtedly suits the tone of the record. The darker, sexed-up likes of "Dangerous Animals" and "Fire And The Thud" wouldn't exactly suit the mile-a-minute delivery of yesteryear. That's not to say that everything on the album is "mature" i.e. darker, moody etc, as two standout tracks are possibly the most obvious ballads Turner has ever written. If you shut your eyes "Secret Door" and "Cornerstone" could be offcuts from the Last Shadow Puppets, and as both bands progress, it's likely that the similarities will keep on increasing.

"Humbug" is nowhere near the difficult album some are making it out to be. To those with a wide taste, or even those who just like good songs the new set of songs will be immediately accessible. But any fan lusting after songs about "Topshop princesses" and being "thrown in the riot van" will be severely disappointed for the remainder of the Arctics' career. As they stated a few years ago "We'll stick to the guns/ Don't care if it's marketing suicide/We won't crack or compromise". If that results in more of the same as "Humbug", then good on them.

9

"Sunday Sunday"

Yet another feature type thing. I should stop introducing these things to the blog as I'll lose track even more, but may as well give it a shot. As you may have guessed from the title, this is going to happen every Sunday (hopefully) and will include anything from the past week that I haven't mentioned or reviewed etc. Which right now, is a lot of stuff.

THE BIG PINK - DOMINOS"These girls fall like dominos! Dominos!"
Any gloomy noise-pop song that can get a Disneyfied 11 year old singing along to it after the first chorus is going to be huge. The Big Pink have built on their first couple of singles ("Velvet" and "Stop The World") which were brilliant but kind of inaccessible to the masses, to produce what is likely to be the "Indie Hit Of Summer 2009"™. It'll be on trailers for Skins, featured on Hollyoaks and you can bet your skinny jeans that the BBC will use it on an advert for Reading & Leeds. Not that this is a bad thing, because "Dominos" is as catchy as swine flu, but less lethal and with more synths. And what's more, it's available for download on TBP's website, for free! Very kind of them.
9.5

JAMIE T - CHAKA DEMUS"Tonight Jay, I'm gonna teach 'em a ballad/An English man in every coward"
Personally, I cannot wait for Jamie T's second album. All signs point towards another modern classic that escapes pigeon-holing, thanks to "Fire Fire" and "Stick N' Stones". Latest single "Chaka Demus" makes it a hat-trick of great pre-album releases with a Funky Drummer-esque beat, Radio 1 friendly hooks and lyrics spat out at a machine gun rate. Like "Dominos", it's going to soundtrack a fair few summers and be used on pretty much any advert aimed at the "yoof of 2day", but also like "Dominos", this isn't a bad thing at all.
9.5

THE CRIBS - WE WERE ABORTED//CHEAT ON ME"Your virility, makes me forget empathy"
"I could be someone else if you'd rather/Try to win you over like a new step father"
A double whammy of tunes from the Jarmans-and-Marr (Marr-man?) collaboration. Okay, neither song is a major change of sound and image (a la The Horrors, Franz, Penate) with both sounding like The Cribs with some melodic lead guitar on top. This is only testament to how effortless Marr's contribution ot the band is. There's no whimsical Mancunian melancholia to be seen (as some may have expected from Marr's last big band The Smiths...not sure you'll have heard of them) just powerhouse riffs and probably the closest thing to the proper punk sound that you'll find around today. Plus it's probably the only song to include the word "masturbation" that isn't sung by 35 year old American pop-punk bands who really should give it up.
8//8

DAN BLACK - UN"Gimme, gimme, symphonies/Gimme more than the life I see"
Whereas 2009 has been overrun by female pop acts, the guys have been left in their dust, on the fringe of mainstream success but no quite breaching the gap from the underground. Dan Black is one such guy. Gaining a bit of attention for being refused to sample Biggie Smalls lyrics on "Hypntz" last year, he's emerged with his debut album. Needless to say, he hasn't reached the heights of La Roux or Little Boots yet, and is unlikely to with anything here. "Symphonies" (the rewritten version of "Hypntz") is the opening track and the best on the album, so subsequently it's all downhill from there. There are few other high points on "Un", with only "Alone", "Cigarette Pack" and the initially aggravating "Yours" reaching above the level of mundane. Pardon the pun, but highly "Un"inspiring.
GO DOWNLOAD: "Symphonies", "Alone", "Yours", "Cigarette Pack"
4

V.V. BROWN - TRAVELLING LIKE THE LIGHT"Baby, there’s a shark in the water/I caught them barking at the moon"
One name that slipped under the pop radar at the beginning of the year was V.V. Brown. Barely a mention on any journalist's pick lists and no Top Ten singles to hype up her album, but who needs them when you've previously written for the Sugababes and Pussycat Dolls? TLTL is a solid album, indebted to 50s rockabilly and deserves much more attention than it's got. Anyone who can use the melody from "Monster Mash" and turn it into one of they year's best pop songs ("Crying Blood") whilst making you forget the original deserves a medal, and V.V. Brown is that person. A handful of tracks grate or stick to firmly to one sound but in a year of good debuts, TLTL is up there with the best.
GO DOWNLOAD: "Crying Blood", "Shark In The Water", "Leave!", "Game Over"
7.5

MOST OBVIOUS TITLE OF THE YEAR GOES TO...
>>>Jack Peñate>>>Everything Is New>>>
When you think of soul music, you think of the sharp suits, o-zone destroying hairstyles, dance routines, ever-perky singers, joyful bands and superb songwriting. You do not think of a Londoner with superskinny jeans, big phat Nikes and a worrying likeness to a young George Michael. But Jack Peñate has transformed himself from continually-chirpy LDN scene troubador to the most soulful singer-songwriter of the last decade or so, even if his brand of soul is a mish-mash of most hip genres of the minute. Whilst his debut 'Matinee' was high on enthusiasm but lacked consistenly good tunes, Peñate's second effort 'Everything Is New' adheres to it's title.

New sound, new look, new songs (obviously) and it would appear a new found sense of purpose. Over the 9 tracks (and noone should moan about there only being nine, Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago had the same and everyone practically orgasmed over that) Peñate's produced basically what can be seen as this year's version of Vampire Weekend's album; a perfect summer album, that has both depth and substance.

Drafting in Paul Epworth to produce has to be one of the smartest moves Penate has made. The production is tight, not muddy and slightly lo-fi (to my ears) but not dull thanks to a clean, pop sheen. All the songs benefit, and are given room to breathe. The mixture of styles on "Pull My Heart Away", "Body Down" and the title track make it hard to imagine Peñate ever playing the straightforward guitar pop of his debut ever again. But with a set made up purely from this album, it'd be pretty hard to care
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Pull My Heart Away", "Be The One", "Everything Is New", "Tonight's Today", "So Near", "Let's All Die", "Body Down"
FOR FANS OF: Jamie T, Florence And The Machine, Vampire Weekend
8.5

>>>HEAD TO HEAD<<<
Little Boots vs Florence vs La Roux















So it's finally happened. After all the hype, tentative interviews, glamourous photoshoots and all the other bollocks that comes with showbiz, the "Three Hot Ones To Watch in Pop 2009" Little Boots, La Roux and Florence & The Machine have finally all released their albums for public consumption on the derision of music snobs (a.k.a me). Impressively Little Boots and Florence have both made the Top 5 in the Album Charts, but La Roux has grabbed a Number One single which puts her in pole position to become the biggest of the three. But enough chit-chat.

LITTLE BOOTS - HANDS
Big catchy pop tunes, a few of which are better than anything Girls Aloud have released (excluding "Love Machine"). "Stuck On Repeat" is one of the pop singles of the year, without a doubt and succeeds where Madonna and Kylie have failed recently in crafting pure electro-pop that is actually worth listening to. Similarly "Meddle" shows Little Boots' talent for a big pop hook, as does "New In Town". But that's all "Hands" is really, choruses. Even Steps and S Club Juniors could do choruses! Even whilst listening to it now, I can't remember "New In Town"'s verses. When she decides to get a bit ravey (e.g. the intro and chorus to "Earthquake") Little Boots has tunes to rule the charts and the clubs. But whilst she decides to peddle schlock like the overly-80s and tired Symmetry, which features The Human League's Phil Oakley (sample lyrics "You're the night to my day/And the left to my right". Anyone else have an almost jaw-breaking yawn at that?) she'll unfortunately be stuck dangerously close to the pop scrapheap. I'd advise sticking to singles, but then again I have no bearing over anything in music really...at least she's better than The Saturdays.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "New In Town", "Earthquake", "Stuck On Repeat"
FOR FANS OF: Madonna, Kylie, Girls Aloud anything big and shiny and pop
5.5

FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE - LUNGS
Or the non-electronic one as she may be seen as. Barely a hint of synth or keyboard anywhere on this album, which leaves Florence seeming more human, more real than tired, boring mainstream pop (Little Boots) or cold, expressionless 80s revivalism (La Roux). Oh, and the fact that she dress like a woodland sprite and is a mainstay on the London scene, but we'll brush past that. "Lungs" is the most ambitious out of the three, with some big orchestral ideas just beneath that "modern Kate Bush" exterior. "Dog Days Are Over" and "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" should be pretty familiar to anyone who's listened to Radio 1/read NME in the last year, as they showcase Flo's good set of lungs (awful pun, sorry) and ear for a tune. Much of the album follows suit, with liberal use of harp and various other folksy elements along with the mystical or magical feel brought on by the lyrics. The only time "Lungs" diverts from the style is for the early White Stripes-aping "Kiss With A Fist" and "Girl With One Eye" which is so bluesy that I imagine it being sung in a smoky bar somewhere in the American south. However, the foresty, folksy schtick does begin to grate after a while with a handful of tracks indistinguishable from each other but skip past them to get to the good stuff.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Dog Days Are Over", "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", "I'm Not Calling You A Liar", "Kiss With A Fist", "Girl With One Eye", "Between Two Lungs", Cosmic Love", "Hurricane Drunk"
FOR FANS OF: Kate Bush, Laura Marling, Bat For Lashes, Lightspeed Champion
8

LA ROUX - LA ROUX
La Roux are already on the path to being big. A duo with a public face and a producer beavering away in the background, a unique look, possibly iconic album artwork and of course a Number One single and a Number Two album (thanks to a certain Mr Jackson). Whether they're a retro-futurist pop act to be loved or shameless 80's revivalism to be discarded is an arguement that will rage on for quite a while, but personally, they land somewhere inbetween. The tinny synths of "In For The Kill" as well as the Thriller-esque spoken word middle-eighth belong back with the miners strike and Thatcher, whilst drippy ballad "Cover My Eyes" is sooooo 80s that the video for it would involve a smoke machine with a black background, a slightly out of focus camera, lots of pastel and Elly Jackson on a stool. I don't care if she broke down in tears after recording it, it's shite. But apart from this and the plodding "As If By Magic" and "Reflections Are Protections", "La Roux" is a suprisingly good, modern pop record. It manages to steal the theme of heartbreak from country & western/crappy emo and bring it to the euphoria of electronica without being too cheesy or heavy-handed. Elly Jackson's voice, which trembles between annoyingly fragile and ear-bleedingly shrill often within the same verse, may make it a bit hard to like as well as her looking like the most twattish of LDN scenesters, but don't be suprised if she gathers a few more Number Ones in future.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "In For The Kill", "Quicksand", "Bulletproof", "I'm Not Your Toy", "Fascination"
FOR FANS OF: Little Boots, Ladyhawke, Lady Gaga, Passion Pit, Erasure, Eurythmics
8.5

PRINCES OR PAUPERS?
>>>Kasabian>>>West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum>>>They may not look it but Kasabian are pretty clever blokes. In the build up to their third album, they released "Vlad The Impaler" online for a limited period, along with a video featuring every emo/scene/hipster/whatever girl's favourite comedian/pin-up Noel Fielding, running around being zany as usual. Then, they managed to get album opener "Underdog" to soundtrack the latest Sony Bravia advert which featured Kaka (wearing an AC Milan kit only a matter of months before switching to Real Madrid...woops). So far, so good in terms of exposure. Add to this a top 3 single with "Fire", roping in Rosario Dawson of Sin City fame for a duet ("West Rider/Silver Bullet") and being billed as Bruce Springsteen's 'special guests' at Glasto, Kasabian are certainly setting themselves up to be a Big Band™.

"West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum" certainly has all the hallmarks of a typical Big Band™ album; the preposterous name, the band's bravado around the release and a lot of psychedlic flavouring...if you catch my drift. In terms of the latter, it goes from the superb breakdown of second single proper "Where Did All The Love Go?" to the just plain oddness of the intro of the aforementioned Rosario Dawson duet (probably the only time the phrase "emus in the zone" will appear on an album). Whilst the psychedelia is fairly evident throughout, "West Ryder..." still has more than it's fair share of 'old Kasabain'. Tom Meighan's barked vocals on "Underdog" hark back to their debut, whilst "Vlad The Impaler" welcomes back the ground shaking bass that has characterised virtually every Kasabian hit.

But the pick of the bunch has to be "Fast Fuse". Released last year as a limited edition vinyl single, it's up with the band's best; a frantic, bluesy rocker with the best riff Noel Gallagher never wrote. Whilst the folksy "Thick As Thieves" offers a calmer but just as catchy side to the band as well as providing evidence that Sergio Pizzorno isn't that bad of a singer, the rest of the album appears to be little more than filler, and not even good filler at that. If anything "Ladies And Gentlemen (Roll The Dice)" resembles the dirges that made up the numbers on Oasis' post-Morning Glory, pre-Dig Out Your Soul albums, "Swarfiga" is a bland instrumental that goes nowhere remotely interesting and "Secret Alphabets" and "Happiness" are little more than Beatles pastiches that are only marginally better than The Enemy's efforts at the same.

The much-discussed cover may give the impression of a 21st Century "Sgt. Pepper's..." but the album itself is slightly more conservative, much less forward-thinking than that landmark. That's not to say that Kasabian haven't produced their best work to date, and one of the more brave albums of the year, in terms of branching out musically. I just hope Tom Meighan gets a good haircut and fast.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Underdog", "Where Did All The Love Go?", "Fast Fuse", "Vlad The Impaler", "Take Aim", "Fire"
FOR FANS OF: Oasis, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Primal Scream
7.5

X-CEPTIONAL
>>>The Xcerts>>>In The Cold Wind We Smile
The amount of talent flooding from Scotland in the last half-decade or so. From the obvious Franz, View and Glasvegas to the more underground likes of Broken Records, Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit, it would seem there's something in the water north of the border. The Xcerts are the latest in a long line of band to hope over Hadrian's Wall, armed with some cool haircuts and a armful of proper tunes Alright, the drummer is from Exeter, but we'll ignore that for the time being.

This, their fantastically-titled debut "In The Cold Wind We Smile", has enough to please anyone, as long as you like loud shouty-yet-cacthy rock. The easiest comparison to make would be with the almighty Biffy Clyro, as both bands have an affinity for "quiet-loud-quiet-LOUD!" dynamics and the odd angular riff, as evidenced most clearly in "Listen Don't Panic". I could blather on about the many musical influences/touchstones that find themselves on this album, such as Ash, Nirvana, nu-metal (in a good way), but that would be boring and also because the band are in a field of their own. Their are hooks aplenty throughout "In The Cold Wind..." from cutesy "oooh-oooh-oooh"s on album highlight "Just Go Home" to the passionate bellowing on "Crisis In The Slow Lane". Musically, The Xcerts have talent beyond their young years, switching between tinnitus-inducing walls of noise, restrained, slow burning verses, funky, poppy middle eighths and acoustic laments all in the space of a few tracks.

For a debut, the sonic pallete is pretty amazing. They could either be a new My Bloddy Valentine or Foo Fighters or, judging by the calmer moments of the album, an alternative U2. And when it comes to lyrics, the band have a certain knack for tugging on hearstrings with at least one line per song. Prime examples such as "We could stay up, drink and talk this night away/The liquid that burns us is fire for words we wish we'd say" ("Just Go Home"), "I'm your new best friend/Yeah I'm your new haircut/Yeah I'm the open hole that burns down your neck and into your gut" ("Aberdeen 1987") and "We sat on a bridge and smoke until our lungs collapsed" ("Lost But Not Alone") should provide a lot of singalong moments at Xcerts gigs.

Going on the fact that they could appeal to pretty much any teen sub-culture that doesn't revolve around 'beats', it's suprising that The Xcerts aren't pretty big or at least on more "Ones To Watch" lists. "In The Cold Wind..." is a gem of an album and should they get the right amount of exposure (e.g. soundtracking a moment of angst on Skins/Hollyoaks, yet more support slots with the likes of Biffy and Future Of The Left) then The Xcerts will be making a lot of people's lives louder for the better
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Home Versus Home", "Lost But Not Alone", Crisis In The Slow Lane", "Just Go Home", "Aberdeen 1987"
FOR FANS OF: Ash, Biffy Clyro, Nirvana, Tubelord, Dananananaykroyd
7.5

THE NEW TESTAMENT?
>>>Manic Street Preachers>>>Journal For Plague Lovers>>>
The Rs are backwards. The cover is by Jenny Saville. Vocal samples are scattered across the album. There are thirteen tracks. And, most of all, the lyrics are written by Richey Edwards. But, despite the parallels, the 9th album by the Manics is certainly not "The Holy Bible: Part II" . Whereas their masterpiece is dark, callous, bitter, acerbic, fiercely intelligent and a document of Richey's deterioration; both mentally and physically (as evidenced in "4st 7lbs"), JFPL is a different beast, for the most part.

The album's opener "Peeled Apples" begins with a line from The Machinist, Christian Bale whispering ominously "You know so little about me...what if I turn into a werewolf or something?" before Nicky Wire's best bassline in forever kicks in. The track instantly grabs you with the mix of superb guitar riffs coupled with an anthemic chorus of "Riderless horses on Chomsky's Camelot/Bruises on my hips from digging my nails out" that seems only a little less cool due to the fact it sounds like "Temptation" by Heaven 17. "Jackie Collins Existential Question Time" may be the most bizarre song title of the year, but the weirdness belies the typical Manics fare that it actually is. FM-friendly rock isn't something you'd expect looking at the album cover but the majority of JFPL's first half is pretty much this. Not that this is a bad thing whatsoever.

In fact, the Manics sound reinvigorated and fresh, buoyed by their critical and commercial resurgence. And with this newfound sense of purpose they've produced an amazing piece of work. "Me And Stephen Hawking" continues in the same vein as "Jackie Collins..." and is probably the only song ever to mention human cloning, Giant Haystacks and Stephen Hawking. In these two tracks, Edwards' rather surreal sense of humour is brought to the fore, giving us some of his best one lyrics e.g. "Oh Mummy what's a Sex Pistol?", "Oh the joy, me and Stephen Hawking, we laughed/We missed the sex revolution when we failed the physical". Laughing at a Manics record (in a good way) isn't something that happens often, but there's good reason to here.

The album's first acoustic moment arrives in the form "This Joke Sport Severed" sounds epic, like it should be used soundtrack a battle in a Hollywood film. The simplicity of the acoustic strumming is at odds with the string section (possibly the best since Everything Must Go") but it gels together so well. Being overblown is what the band has excelled at for around 20 years and they show no signs of stopping now. The title track isn't much to get excited over musically (sounding a little like a distorted version of Foo Fighters' "Learn To Fly") but lyrically it's a continuation of Richey's long-term grudge against organised religion, showing that despite his diminishing state he was still as fierce as ever. "She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach" is far from the brutal imagery that the title suggests and provides one of many singalong moments that are sure to be a highlight of future Manics gigs.

From the energetic rock delights of "She Bathed..." and the title track to the sweet and tender "Facing Page: Top Left". Similar in structure to "Small Black Flowers In The Sky", harp and all, it appears to show Richey's most personal take on lyrics so far: "Here I am rise and shine/Weighed down of course I cry". You'd have a tough job trying to find a couplet as emotive as that on any album previous to his disappearance. The second part of the album delves into a somewhat more lyrically-obscure place. "Marlon J.D." is all post-punk guitars and programmed drums but references and includes quotes from relatively unknown Brando flick Reflections In A Golden Eye whilst "Doors Closing Slowly" starts with probably the most depressing opening lines ever; "Realise how lonely this is?/Self defeating, oh fuck yeah".

"All Is Vanity" was Richey's personal favourite lyric (according to the folders of lyrics he gave to the band before leaving) and with good reason too. Appearing to be a reaction to narcissism, and in particular the band's early "Stay Beautiful" days, it's a song that combines both the anger and futility rarely seen together in Edwards' lyrics. Musically it's James Dean Bradfield who pushes the song forward, passionately bellowing out "It's the facts of life, sunshine" and producing one of the best guitar parts on the album. "Pretension/Repulsion", seen as a companion piece to "All Is Vanity" by the rest of the band, 'resolving the issues...by talking about the idealisation of beauty, or what is ugliness' according to Nicky Wire. Again, Bradfield produces a great guitar line as well as making a chorus of "Shards oh shards, the androgyny fails/Odalisque by Ingres, extra bones for sale" almost irresistible to shout out.

"Virginia State Epileptic Colony" lightens the tone musically, sounding almost summery, in spite of it's fairly dark subject matter. Plus it gives the chance for all Manics fans to shout the word "Piggy" a lot a gigs, something not previously seen at their gigs. JFPL ends with "William's Last Words", which again brings out the tender, acoustic side of the album. Composed by Nicky Wire, he also sings on the track, which isn't usually something to write home about as most fans will know, but for some reason his Lou Reed-meets-Ian Brown drawl works perfectly. The plaintitive strumming eventually builds into a full orchestral backing and "Jimmy Page-esque guitar" and has a definite Beatlesy feel to it. The lyrics as they are on the song can be interepreted as a suicide note from Richey, or a kind of goodbye from Wire, who edited most the lyrics. For example, there aren't many ways to take lines like "I'd love to go to sleep and wake up happy", "Goodnight my sweetheart, until we leave tonight, hold me in your arms/Wish me some luck as you wave goodbye to me, you're the best friends I ever had" and others, found here But reading the original prose that it was taken from shows that it may not have either of those connotations, instead it could be an analogy or character piece. Noone will ever really know, but for now, the lyrics picked by Wire make "William's Last Words" the most heartfelt and beautiful thing the Manics have recorded.
Whilst the outrage and venomous anger are not as evident on JFPL as they are on "The Hold Bible", it shows that Edwards was jsut as capable as casting judgement inside himself and turning it into fantasic, complex lyrics as he was at doing it across society. This album could signal a new chapter in the Manics' career, pushing them into new directions musically and lyrically. Who knows what the future holds for one of the most important bands in British music? But for now, Manic Street Preachers have produced a work of art, an album that stands up to and betters almost all of their back catalogue, as well as a brave and emotional send-off for their fallen friend.

10

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
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