The Leisure Society - Alone Aboard the Ark |
The Leisure Society are nearing melodic folk perfection, but they're not quite finished
yet. Their debut album The Sleeper was a lovely contemporary folk album
with a key standout titled "We Were Wasted". James and I who form
'Tea or Coffee?' actually played this track on our radio show, to his
excitement and my... Lack thereof. Although The Leisure Society tick all the
boxes for an interesting modern folk outfit, they can never excite me. Alone
Aboard the Ark is a simplistic follow-up to 2011's sophomore album Into
the Murky Waters. It was neither dull nor exceptionally interesting; it was
just an album of contemporary music for an aging population of BBC 6 Music
listeners.
Tracks
like "A Softer Voice Takes Longer Hearing" and "The Sober Scent
of Air" re-live the light percussion of the bands earlier work. In
contrast, the piano and banjo filled "Another Sunday Psalm" opens the
album in a fun Bellowhead-esque fashion. And even though folk is at heart with
The Leisure Society's music, they cross lanes more than once on their third
album. "Fight For Everyone" is some sort of pop rock track with 60s
distorted vocal, confusing on an album of such melodic material.
"All
I Have Seen" offers a slice of an orchestral ballad, with a descending
guitar structure found on gospel records and Spiritualized B-sides. The
instrumental isn't great and at times sounds a little too out of place. The
following track "Everyone Understands" also doesn't fit with The
Leisure Society's nature. This is the music listeners can get up and dance to,
joyful piano and a well-produced acoustic guitar. The structure and piano riff
have been lifted from somewhere, but I can't quite put my finger on it. There's
almost a sense of tribute with The Leisure Society. It just seems like they're
covering other bands work consistently rather than contributing originals.
Alone
Aboard the Ark seems to
go on for hours; it's an unwelcomed length of folk based music. The final track
"The Last In A Long Line", pretty much sums up Alone Aboard the
Ark. I feel bloated just listening to this album in full. Vocalist Nick
Hemming doesn't particularly have a unique or interesting voice. This album
just goes above my head, in a quite satirical and unusually strange manner. I'm
usually at heart with folk and even modern folk music, but The Leisure Society
just don't cut it for me. There are some interesting tracks on the bands third
album such as the opener "Another Sunday Psalm", it's a shame Alone
Aboard the Ark is a downhill journey from there.
5.6
Sloan - Hardcore Covers |
Sloan are
not known for their punk rock recordings in homeland Canada, or just about
anywhere else. The quartet who are accustom to 90s alternative rock and a
general indie rock aesthetic have taken the opportunity to release a cover
album of hardcore punk rock songs from the likes of Bad Religion, Angry
Samoans, Minor Threat and Gray Matter. It starts with Angry Samoans' "Gas
Chamber". Sloan are covering these tracks at the dead end of their career
and surprisingly these tracks are full of life and energy, as you'd expect from
hardcore punk, but not from an alternative rock covering them. The grit, dirty
distorted guitar and wailing vocals of Chris Murphy suit the Minor Threat cover,
"Filler". There's no room for breathing or thinking during Hardcore
Covers, as Sloan impressively record 12 covers in a slick 17 minutes.
Black
Flag's "Nervous Breakdown" is among the best on the album. It sounds
like Sloan have actually entered a time machine and typed in 1978. Murphy
sounds like a demented Iggy Pop as he repeats the Greg Ginn lyrics: "I'm
crazy and I'm hurt. Head on my shoulders going, berserk." Gray
Matter's "Retrospect" was recorded in a D.I.Y manner with no professional
recording equipment, and it's soon to be re-mastered for that very sound
reason. Sloan pretty much re-master it for them with invigorating guitar solos
and a powerful vocal.
An act of
imitation is often shunned in music, but Sloan seem to do this well by throwing
out their Canadian essence for some hardcore punk. At just 17 minutes, this
covers compilation isn't much to go by on Sloan's future direction. They're not
suddenly going to abandon their alternative rock style for a dead 80s genre.
Influential it was, but it should be left where it belongs, however Sloan are
offering another choice for fans of hardcore punk. This covers compilation
follows their debut hardcore single "Jenny", an audiophile’s guide to
hardcore punk. This album is short, fast and evokes the raw sounds and
fantastic songs of 1980s hardcore punk. Sloan have done it well, and we'll
leave it with the title of Mogwai's seventh studio album, as Sloan have proved
it with this release - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.
8.0
Quasimoto - Yessir Whatever |
Madlib
has been out of action as Quasimoto or eight year, since releasing his
sophomore album The Further Adventures of Lord Quas in 2005. His work
with MF DOOM has earned him a rightful badge of 'good producer', and is almost
in 'the same league' as Stones Throw representative J Dilla. It's unfortunate
that Madlib's follow up to his 2005 album comprises of several aged tracks.
Yessir Whatever is like that debut indie rock
album that features four completely original tracks, and then rest made up of
tracks from old singles and EP's on your way to that debut release. The only
problem with this is Quasimoto has already released two albums, and fans of
Madlib know the difference between an album or originality and an album of
lifted material. It might be considered lazy or cheap, but I prefer to label it
poor. It's like releasing an EP because of the unwarranted tracks that fans
already have. Take the pivotal third and fourth tracks "The Front" /
"Youngblood", fantastic beat production and sounds; however this was released
in 2005 as a double A-side single. You wouldn’t blame people from staying away
from Yessir Whatever for feeling
somewhat cheated.
Opener "Broad Factor" does have that funk jive and heavy bass beat fans will love. The typical and now famous Quasimoto vocal is on show once again. The following track "Seasons Change" was left off Quasimoto's sophomore album because of sample clearance. It was later released as a single... And finds its way on to Yessir Whatever. "Astronaut" / "Am I Confused?" were both released as UK only single in the past, but have been 're-mastered' for this album. it seems shocking the more I research and the more previous material I find on this album. "Sparkdala" featured on an old post-Further Adventures of Lord Quas bootleg. It has been re-recorded for this album, but still... The same shit applies. Where has all the originality gone? Seriously, this isn't funny anymore. "Green Power" is another old track, as is album closer "LAX To JFK", an old Madlib track from 2002. That year just says it all really, I'm actually quite depressed.
"Planned Attack" finally reveals new material. A jazzy beat is greeted by a sample
of D&D All Stars: "Cruddy, filthy from the ground on up, when I
plan my attack I doubt that you're ready." This is followed by
another original, "Brothers Can't See Me". The light bass beat sounds
blunt and the Quasimoto vocal becomes a glitch heavy electronic track. This
cut, glitch style is repeated in "Cathin' The Vibe". This track isn't
as interesting or well delivered vocally as the previous two originals, but it
does feature a non-effected Quasimoto vocal. He sings the best lyrics on Yessir
Whatever: "Ay yo, I keep it butter while you're artificial
flavor. Even though I'm independent and your label is a major."
Yessir
Whatever is an
extremely flat album at best. 12 tracks, 30 minutes and five originals, it's
actually quite grim to think about. After the success of both studio
albums The Unseen and The Further Adventures of Lord Quas, you wouldn’t
think Madlib under his strange pseudonym Quasimoto would release an 'album'
full of old tracks and a few new ones. Even though some have been
re-recorded, it doesn’t make up for the poor quality of authenticity and 'new'.
You can't really advertise this as 'the new Quasimoto album', as it's not at all
new really. The few originals are somewhat bland and to use the hated word
again - boring. There’s no life, no imagery and no new in Yessir Whatever.
4.0
Beaches - She Beats |
Here's
something to bring with you on holiday over the summer months - well, I say
that but the Australians are used to November, December, January and February
being their hottest months of the year whereas us Northern Hemisphere guys at
Music Review Database rely on two months really, just July and August as our
hot patch of cider and summer. She Beats is the second album from
Australian shoegaze quintet Beaches. They hired veteran krautrock musician and
producer Michael Rother of Neu! to record two tracks. We're about to find out whether
his inclusion was necessary, or not.
Beaches
start off extremely song with the duo tracks "Out of Mind" and
"Keep On Breaking Through". The killer distorted electric
guitar plagues the opening track, with the latter being a melodic psychedelic
haze of guitar effects and reverberated percussion. The album follow the
pattern of distortion and melodic guitars combating each other to see which one
takes over the most. It seems as if the echoed rhythm guitar often takes centre
stage, with the distortion heavy lead becoming a backdrop for additional noise.
The bas is blunt and offers little more than a simplistic riff on too many
occasions.
This
applies to the guitar riffs on tracks like "Distance", which just doesn’t
have the needed variances. Rother recorded this one, but he also recorded the
standout track "Granite Snake". Beaches have many influences ranging
from 60s psychadelia to 80s space rock and the craze of 90s shoegaze. They take
on a more alternative approach to their sophomore album. She Beats sounds
like a demo recorded by The Stone Roses. The spaced out percussion and spurges
of guitar noise are fantastic, making She Beats a joyous package of
noise.
This
spaced out percussion can be heard all over She Beats, and it's exciting.
Closer "Veda" has a tribal and The Doors-esque raga rock style to it.
"Weather" features a distinctive structure with the hazy vocals that
truly need to be hazy to stand any chance of success in this genre. Beaches
tick all the boxes of a respectable shoegaze band influenced from psyshadelia
and they do it in style with She Beats. It's an album to listen to while
watching the sun set, absolutely stunning instrumentals at times on this album.
8.1
The Stooges - Ready To Die |
The Stooges, or Iggy Pop and The Stooges as the album cover advertises, is the
latest in a fine line of poor rock albums from the car insurance salesman that influenced
the butter salesmen. You sit at home listening to Raw Power and Fun
House and then you suddenly realise how bad Ready To Die actually
is. Pop's lyricism has gone from philosophical intelligence to
"DD's", where a sex craved Pop sings: "I'm on my knees for
those DD's. Why tell a lie, I am stupefied. I'm so happy when I look at them,
though I'm happier when I'm touching them." Strangely enough he's
not mocking anybody, he genuinely is on his knees for those DD's, but wow,
really???
Ready To
Die doesn't
sound like a Stooges album, this is down to the fact Dave Alexander and Ron
Asheton are dead. Tracks like "Gun" and "Dirty Deal" sound
like Bruce Springsteen B-sides. Then you have the totally three chord, garage
rock tracks that are quite simply awful - "Job". The opener
"Burn" is no different to The Weirdness, so much
that it's almost unlistenable. The pre-release single has very loud guitars
with little direction. You almost expect The Stooges to perform badly after
their terrible fourth album The Weirdness, but you just want to see them
succeed in their old age.
"Sex and Money" is a little bit better
than the opening track; however the lyrical theme and backing vocals put me
right off instantly. The guitar riff is respectable and The Stooges seem to
enjoy keeping the tempo fast, the guitars loud and layered. This makes Pop sound
somewhat interesting instead of the poor vocals he has delivered on his
previous solo albums. There's that sense of typical straight forward
American rock with tracks like "Ready To Die" and "Dirty
Deal", these southern styled roots rock songs are decent, loud but feature
no depth at all.
Ready To Die isn't that
bad in reality, it features some killer back album tracks that you wouldn’t
expect from the noise makers. "Beat That Guy" is a ballad with an
acoustic guitar, it doesn’t take centre stage like a typical ballad, but the
Guns N Roses styled lead guitar does. "Unfriendly World" sounds like
a Bob Dylan bootleg from the 80s, this is a compliment. Pop actually sounds
like a grunting Dylan on this track. The album ends with "The
Departed", one of their best tracks since the 70s. There's a lovely vocal
delivered by Pop over the rhythmic military styled percussion and acoustic
guitar layers.
Yeah, Ready To Die doesn’t excite me, nor
would I expect it to. The Stooges are not the same as they were in the 60s;
it's as if Pop is singing with a backing band rather than being involved as the
band. This is why Ready To Die is styled as Iggy & The Stooges. It's
not a terrible album; it just lacks lyrical quality, musical depth and
excitement.
5.0