(Mini) Album Review : Highlife

I do have a soft spot for some African music, whether it's the US/Kenyan mix of Extra Golden, a bit of Fela Kuti or the Nigeria Express comps of 70s funk/soul/psych. So, it's not much of a surprise that I caught myself dancing round my living room to the sounds on Best Bless, the mini-LP from Highlife.

It's the project of Sleepy Doug Shaw, member of White Magic, who has a great love of West African music - the highlife from which the band takes its name - and it's really a rather enjoyable listen. And you'll enjoy reading my review at TLOBF as well.

Best Bless is out now via The Social Registry.

Album Review : Brilliant Colors

It's fuzzy, it's poppy and it's on Slumberland Records - it's the new album by SF's Brilliant Colors.

Again and Again thinks it's 1986, and it doesn't mind one bit. But what do we think at TLOBF? Well despite having no surprises whatsoever, the record is actually not too shabby, and if you'd like a slightly more in-depth analysis than that, then read my review!

The Wooden Birds - Two Matchsticks

Andrew Kenny is a bit of a hero of mine...well, more than a bit. As the main man behind American Analog Set, one of the best US bands in recent memory and also one of my favourites, he's been a creative force for the best part of the last two decades. With AmAnSet on an indefinite hiatus/having split up (curse you!) Kenny launched The Wooden Birds with debut Magnolia in 2009, and has followed it up with Two Matchsticks.

It's essentially a solo project, and a more acoustic-based approach to the songs compared with AmAnSet's synth drone and layered slowcore sound. He's helped along by Matt Pond PA, Leslie Sisson - a former AmAnSet collaborator and fully-fledged Wooden Bird -and Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard, and they help flesh out the songs from their basic beginnings. Still, the opening salvo of 'Folly Club' and 'Two Matchsticks' are stripped down to acoustic and electric guitar with the rhythm drummed out on the body of the guitar. The latter is a particular treat, its driving groove and gentle harmonies shining through and touching on Kenny's former band. Indeed, add some electronics and it could have easily been a cast-off from AmAnSet's later work.

'Cross My Heart' and 'Criminals Win' continue the gentle approach, but click and groove in the most charming way, and 'Company Time' stands out thanks to the duet between Kenny and Sisson. Leslie Sisson is then given time in the spotlight by taking the lead on 'Baby Jeans' which skips and buzzes delightfully.

There are other great moments such as 'Too Pretty to Say Please' which tells the tale of a partner who's never quite satisfied, and the romantic 'Be No Lie' on which Matt Pond provides lovely counterpoint vocals. The record ends on a sincere cover of Hall & Oats' 'Maneater', enjoyable but not surpassing anything that's come before.

Two Matchsticks proves that Andrew Kenny still has the talent to produce engaging, charming and enjoyable records. I'm not going to lie and say it's better than American Analog Set, but I'm thankful that he's still making music.

The Wooden Birds - "Two Matchsticks" by orchardmktg

Album Review : Nat Baldwin

You might think that the electric guitar is the coolest instrument to play in a band, and if you do think so, you're wrong. It's actually the bass, and things becomes even cooler if it's double bass. Fact.

That means Nat Baldwin is super-cool. He plays regular bass in skew-poppers Dirty Projectors and when he's not with that band he records and releases solo records that consist mostly of double bass and voice. New album People Changes (out on Western Vinyl) is an album of warming, jazzy explorations coupled with a wonderful voice, and my review is over at TLOBF now.

Don't let the concept of jazz and double bass put you off, it's really worth exploring this record, and why not start by clicking here.

Best of British - The 'Alternative Mercury'

It's that time of year again when hipsters like me get their collective knickers in a twist over the nominations for the Mercury Prize. Year upon year my cries of equal parts derision/exasperation get increasingly strangulated as I wonder who decided that Glasvegas/New Young Pony Club/Kasabian/Speech Debelle (delete as appropriate) produced one of the best British albums of the past twelve months.

Well, now I can rest easy as those fine, fine people over at The Line Of Best Fit decided to come up with an alternative list of the best of the last year. There's twelve nominations, and you can check the site today for the first six choices.

What's my contribution to all this? Simple: Mogwai's Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. Read all about it, plus five other marvellous choices by clicking here!

Album Review : Carol Kleyn

It's not always about new music round these part, so today we drop in on the mid-1970s to hear a quite wondrous album by folk faerie Carol Kleyn.

Love Has Made Me Stronger was Kleyn's first release as an artist back in 1976 and is a record of charming harp-and-piano led songs. She knew a number of the big names from the period, but somehow never got the exposure her music deserved, but hopefully this Drag City reissue will change all that.

Over at TLOBF you can read my review of Love Has Made Me Stronger, and it's a record you should really make time to listen to....

Album Review : Gardens and Villa

From sunny California comes Gardens & Villa, and alongside their debut record Gardens & Villa, out on Secretly Canadian, they have a singer that occasionally plays the flute. However they don't sound like Jethro Tull - instead, the band has a fine line in cosmic 60s vibes matched with a modern pop sensibility.

Over at TLOBF you can read my review and should you wish (you should, since you ask) you can also hear a track by listening to the monthly podcast.

Click here, for Emily Mules' fine selection of July's best music...and enjoy!

*It is Gardens & Villa, but Blogger won't let me us & in the post title....clowns

The Berg Sans Nipple - Build With Erosion

Three albums in, and it's still pretty hard to pin down the duo that makes up The Berg Sans Nipple. Probably dismissed out of hand by many due to the inclusion of "nipple" in the band name, Shane Aspegren and Lori Sean Berg continue undaunted with their line in post-rock/cut and paste approach to music making.

Build With Erosion mostly leaves behind the post-rock for a claustrophobic journey through electro, dub, pro tools and jerky rhythms. Incredibly, TBSN manage to make the record sound natural and organic, and it's a really enjoyable listen. Recorded and written all over the globe, the record sprawls yet remains accessible, and begins with the changing rhythms and wonky vocals of 'Change the Shape'. It chops and changes throughout its running time, but shines via the instinctive percussion and chiming bells. The title track is doomy dubstep mixed with some charming reggae melodica, and contains the lyrics "I want to be an architect / and build with erosion", mirroring TBSN's mixture of destroying and rebuilding through their cut and paste approach.

Other highlights are the grooving 'Le Cadavre Exquis' with its chanting and watery synths, the Portishead-esque 'Terroir', replete with jazzy drumming and burbling electro and the thrilling 'Sunday Morning' which skips along with childlike freedom.

'Body Movement' is an unsettling journey through a number of changes of pace, before 'All People' brings a touch of gentle dub to proceedings with echo-laden vocals, and final track 'Pink Rays Sugar' is a sweetly chiming end to the album.

To quote TBSN they "reconstruct by knocking down" and Build With Erosion does break down rhythms and song structures before patching them up and creating something that's just a touch off-kilter. There's elements of Tortoise and other such "post-rock" acts that take a slightly different approach to the genre, and while TBSN are never likely to give listeners an easy time of it, this album is fun journey for those who want to climb aboard.

Below is the wonderful video for 'Change the Shape'.

The Horrors - Skying

Let's get this straight, first of all. The Horrors' debut record Strange House was bloody awful, the sound of a band trying too hard to be cool and wilfully attempting to piss off as many people as possible with their Cramps/Birthday Party shtick. When Primary Colours surfaced it was a total turn up for the books, and their Krautrock-inspired sound (check 'Sea Within a Sea' for example) was an utter triumph. Unbelievably, new album Skying takes the quality up a whole new level.

What's most surprising is that it abandons the sound of the motorik 70s for the anthemic 80s, and the result is a record that sounds like your older siblings' record collections. It's Simple Minds, it's Psychedelic Furs, Bowie and the Bunnymen. Opener 'Changing the Rain' is pure New Gold Dream, and it's followed by the Johnny Marr jangle of 'You Said', but with Richard Butler vocals. The striking thing about both is the dense sound; there's layer upon layer of noise, like Spacemen 3 remixing some stadium rock staples.

'I Can See Through You' is David Bowie's 'Boys Keep Swinging' under another name, and has an infectious groove, while 'Endless Blue' surprises with some urgent riffing breaking through the gentle synth opening. 'Dive In' is the most baggy tune I've heard in a long time, but incredibly it really works in the context of the whole record.

'Still Life' is the already well-known single, and the one that got everyone screaming "Simple Minds!" And you know, it does sound like Jim Kerr's band. But that's not a bad thing, those early records have a punch to them, before Jim and the boys got all pompous about the whole thing. The piercing synth and epic chorus make 'Still Life' one of the best singles you're likely to hear all year.

'Wild Eyed' is carried along by a creepy melodica and mumbled vocals and 'Moving Further Away' is the song most likely to find a second home on Primary Colours, as it's all Harmonia/Neu! grooves and wonderful pop bluster - it might just be my favourite moment on the album. 'Monica Gems' manages to keep the momentum up with a glammy guitar assault on some of Britpop's best moments from 1994, and final track 'Oceans Burning' starts as a swooning ballad before setting controls for the heart of the sun....just awesome.

The Horrors clearly learned a few tricks from Portishead's Geoff Barrow and produced this record themselves, adding further proof that they're actually quite a talented bunch. Skying is their second excellent album in a few years, and it's clear that The Horrors are well on their way to becoming one of the most important British bands in recent memory.

Skying is streaming all over the internet, like here at Prefix.

Album Review : Menendez

I love a bit of post-rock, so I do. And when I found out that convicted parent-killing brothers Menendez were to release a record from inside the big house.....hang on, it's not them? I'll need to rethink this.....

Farnborough's Menendez have just released their first proper full-length LP Apple for Teacher, and it's a mix of post-rock and shoegaze - two genres I have big love for. My review's available to read as always over at TLOBF.

Does the shoegaze/post-rock mix work, especially when you add vocals? Read on!

Album Review : Richard Youngs

On a Monday morning, what more would you need to get revved up for the day than a bit of miserable minimal free-folk? Well, luckily for you Richard Youngs has released his new record Amplifying Host to allow you to start the day in the best way possible.

Youngs is a Glasgow-based musician, a challenging listen with just about everything he's ever produced, and you can read all about it over at TLOBF.

Readers of Wire magazine, step this way.