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This week's new album releases, including Marina and the Diamonds, The Courteeners and Toro Y Moi.
Marina + the Diamonds – Family Jewels
A fairly typical example of the hype-meets-fame-meets-success paradigm instigated by the BBC’s Sound Of poll, Marina Diamandis has swiftly undergone a makeover from East London indie-boys’ guilty-pleasure to pop chart darling. Unsurprisingly then, this record goes for the dual attack of hooks and sheen, both of which flow with abundance. When done well, as on ‘Are You Satisfied’ and brilliant single ‘Hollywood’, Diamandis is allowed to create perfectly legitimate, enterprising pop songs. However, when it’s not so well – as on ‘Girls’, which sounds like La Roux covering Madness – it can be the musical equivalent of fingernails down a blackboard. In addition, for all the comparisons (Regina Spektor, Bat for Lashes, Kate Bush), listening to Family Jewels I couldn’t help but be reminded of forgotten mockney Kate Nash. Whilst the actual flesh and blood of the music has virtually nothing in common with Nash’s chirpy piano-pop, both have affected voices which can border upon irritating, and whilst Diamandis has her eyes on bigger fry (‘Hollywood’, ‘Shampain’) than Nash’s kitchen-sink observational banality, the results of both are close in terms of lyrical accomplishment. Still, it’s unlikely anyone who actually buys the record will notice such matters, so this one’ll doubtless sell by the bucketloads. Ironic lyric: “feeling like a loser, feeling like a bum, sitting on the outside observing the fun” on ‘The Outsider’– not for long love.
Choice Cuts: ‘Hollywood’, ‘Are You Satisfied’, ‘I Am Not a Robot’
6/10
The Courteeners - Falcon
I’ve not exactly hidden my insatiable disdain for this band, not least for wretched trailing single ‘You Overdid it Doll’, but nonetheless I approached this one with at least a modicum of journalistic impartiality. Just a modicum, mind. The good news is it doesn’t get much worse than the aforementioned single; the bad news is it doesn’t get much better either. And so, a plateau of eye-wateringly tedious ploddery ensues. Bizarre fetishes aside (“I miss your eyelashes” from ‘The Opener’), this one ostensibly treads a more sensitive path than it’s predecessor, but don’t be fooled – no matter how much Liam Fray might wish he was born a fragile Liam Gallagher, unfortunately he’s just as boorish, unimaginative and fond of a witless platitude as his Mancunian counterpart, just with a voice that’s far shitter and entirely devoid of Gallagher’s early menace and enduring husk. Furthermore, this lot are so painfully proud and constantly aware of where they come from that I genuinely pondered whether ‘Falcon’ was a reference to that literary figure of waxwork Northernism, Kes. I’m still undecided. Fingers-crossed moment: “So I’ll cross my heart and hope to fly, and fuck off right into the middle of the sky, where no-one can find me and no-one can see” from ‘Cross My Heart and Hope to Fly’ – we can only hope!
Choice Cuts: -
1.5/10
Strange Boys - Be Brave
Returning with their sophomore effort, these Decidedly Nondescript Boys appear committed to bridging a rather happy gap between fist and foam. And so, this is for the most part lazy brawlin’ music for surfers. Or tide troublin’ tunes for hicks. It all rumbles along with carefully manicured raucousness, but half an hour of howlin’ vocals and scratchin’ chords later, you might be a-wantin’ a rest – regardless of the unexpectedly excellent garage-Dylan drifters which are tacked on as parting shots (‘All You Can Hide Inside’, ‘You Can’t Only Love When You Want To’.)
Choice Cuts: ‘All You Can Hide Inside’, ‘A Walk on the Beach’
5.5/10
Toro Y Moi - Causers of This
This South Carolinian may have come from the school of hard names (he’s really called Chazwick Bundick – ouch!), but despite the hip-hop twinges evident herein, judging by this effort he certainly didn’t come from the school of hard knocks. Indeed, his dreamy, spacious hip-pop has more moments in common with the like of Empire of the Sun and Phoenix, but avoids sounding derivative, even if it lacks thrust. Unfortunately, most of the groundwork of the first few tracks is laid to waste by a middle section (‘Fax Shadow’ on) which employs the kind of relentless in/out glitching that renders it virtually impossible to listen to. Note to Chazwick (and others): stop tripping over the mixing desk!
More highly recommended new and underground music from The Popscener.
Today's hotshots: Black Manila Beach Parade
Mindful of the grand tradition of bands surf bands (The Beach Boys, The Barracudas, The Surfaris) named thematically to correspond with their sound, unsigned London trio Black Manila Beach Parade take it upon themselves to move things a step further. And so, the obligatory 'Beach' reference is joined by the mysterious 'Black Manila', hinting at the dark twinges of psychedelia (and creepy facepaint), and 'Parade', which more or less accounts for the large segments that sound quite a lot like The Doors. By no means the finished article, but ArtRocker certainly haven't been splashing about in the rip and kicking up hype foam for nothing.
Try: Jean LeLoup on their Myspace or the epic Calavera Catrina below
More highly recommended new and underground music from The Popscener.
Today's hotshots: Montage Populaire
With that winning, oft-desired mix of hook-heavy tunes and an air of arch detachment, Montage Populaire are an indie blogger's wet dream. The brainchild of singer-songwriter Luke Donovan, their pleasantly underproduced demos approximate elements of post-punk and jangle-pop for the laptop generation - to thrilling effect. In fact, they're so good that even though they only formed last Autumn, Montage Populaire are already making their way around the South-East's nether regions and popping across the channel in March for 3-day Gallic excursion. Misery for every jobbing indie-rocker from Birmingham or Leeds; delight the rest of us.
Try: Break up the Band on their Myspace or Last Among Equals below
More highly recommended new and underground music from The Popscener.
Today's hotshots: Everybody was in the French Resistance...Now!
Any work featuring the considerable talents of Art Brut's Eddie Argos - the indie Stephen Fry - has a better than average chance of tickling the ribs whilst stimulating the ears, and this new side-project, imaginatively entitled Everybody was in the French Resistance...Now! doesn't disappoint. This effort is less garage rock and more baroque pop, and may feature the lumbering frontman's most energetic vocal yet, whilst losing none of his usual acerbic wordplay and dry charm. All of which would have made a late charge for the TOTP appearance Argos so craves a possibility had the show not been defunct for almost four years...oh well.
More highly recommended new and underground music from The Popscener.
Today's hotshots: Surfer Blood
Despite a name which appears to point to some sort of anti aquatic-sports based death metal, luckily Surfer Blood are a far less scary proposition. Instead, the Florida natives present a fairly novel take on the emerging (and soon to be omnipresent) 'nu-wave' surf-rock thing, mixing 70s/80s power-pop a la Cheap Trick with the usual chirruping guitar work, doo-wop melodies and songs about, erm, surfing.
*** Digestible run-downs of this week’s new releases, including track recommendations from THE POPSCENER***
From the sublime to the ridiculous this week...
Soft Pack - The Soft Pack
Cheering me up from the get-go isn’t a bad route to currying favour, so the fact that The Soft Pack bursts into life with a throwaway guitar chord and a relentless hi-hat hardly hinders its prospects for a positive review. Whilst nothing else quite touches opener ‘C’mon’ for pitch-perfect honing of Replacement-esque recklessness, plenty (‘Answer To Yourself’, ‘Move Along’) come close, as a breakneck half hour of breathless bliss surfs its way to crest of 2010’s garage-rock wave. Released in June and it would’ve been the sound of the Summer – a joyfully lively, well-crafted and coherent effort.
Choice Cuts: ‘C’mon’, ‘Answer To Yourself’, ‘Move Along’, ‘More or Less’
8.5/10
Los Campesinos - Romance Is Boring
The Cardiff band have always been a favourite with the fanzines, but their third coming seems to have provoked a muted response this time round; a raised eyebrow replacing wide-eyed enthusiasm. If I were a betting man, I’d suggest this was because they’re still trading in the same currency that won their debut a coterie of admires – Romance is Boring duly offers up the usual painful mix of shy, rambling emo platitudes and a propensity for being extroverted about their social and emotional impotence, backed with familiarly punky indie-pop. Again, the hits typically revolve around the more breathless beats (‘There Are Listed Buildings’), while the misses (‘Straight in at 101’) afford singer Gareth the kind of excruciating airspace that his grating vocals certainly don’t deserve. Par for the course, then.
Taking some time out from their day jobs in Supergrass, Turn Ons sees Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffney tackling a series of new wave, post-punk and rock classics likely to appear on any self-respecting indie band’s influences list. The predictability of the track listing is largely mirrored by the finished article – that is, it sounds like Supergrass and the songs largely speak for themselves. Even so, super-charged versions of Roxy Music’s ‘Love Is A Drug’ and Gang of Four’s ‘Damaged Goods’ sound great, as does the hammed up glam version of the Kinks’ ‘Big Sky’. Meanwhile, the whispy, atmospheric take on ‘Up the Junction’ is crap, whilst the majority are as agreeably irrelevant as the concept itself.
Choice Cuts: ‘Love Is A Drug’, ‘Big Sky’
6/10
Ocean Colour Scene - Saturday
Having owned the obligatory copy and cheerfully appreciated the four good songs of ‘Moseley Shoals’, I was under the impression that these Britpop behemoths had long since met their demise, but apparently this is their 7th record since their 1996 breakthrough. Apparently the sound hasn’t changed much, meaning there’s more sub-Who melodies, sub-Weller vocals, and the odd Beatles off-cut (‘What’s Mine is Yours’) thrown in. In actuality, some of it isn’t half bad – the bar room stomp of ‘Mrs Maylie’ in particular is worth a listen – but there’s no ‘Day We Caught the Train’ to ease the sense that it’s all painfully inconsequential. ‘100 Floors of Perception’ maybe, but evidently not a single one that deals in brutal honesty.
Choice Cuts: ‘What's Mine Is Yours’, ‘Mrs Maylie’
5.5/10
Midlake - The Courage Of Others
After four full spins – including one where I sat, listened, researched the lyrics and read about the band’s background – I still can’t formulate any opinion on The Courage of Others beyond that in which my bile runneth over. Perhaps I’m cold and dead inside; perhaps this is unrepentantly boring, nondescript shit that’s too tedious even to classify as indulgent, despite wearing an air of misplaced self-importance. This one doesn’t even qualify as the Fleetwood Cack of their last effort – worse, this time it’s the Eagles if Don Henley had sung in a yawning monotone and never written a pop song. By the time the mildly energised folky psychedelia of ‘The Horn’ arrives, you won’t be sure if it’s genuinely listenable or someone has applied some polish to the turd. Just awful.
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