I've never really understood the incredible high esteem that Belle & Sebastian are held in by their legions of loyal fans; so maybe, I thought, this could be my chance to find out. And I tried, god how I tried to like it, but the jaunty melodies, the gameshow brass section, the overall impression that you may as well be listening to The Beautiful South (except without the sarcasm) it's just so bloody... nice!!!! The overall effect is like being strapped to a chair with your eyelids forced open, Clockwork Orange style and being forced to watch the collected works of Hugh Grant back to back, and leaves me with an over-riding urge to drown puppies once the whole ordeal is over.
Play I'm a Cuckoo the game at www.imacuckoo.com or visit www.belleandsebastian.com
Hottly tipped indie mongers Razorlight are playing a couple of UK gigs with Joy faves Special Needs this month, and on the evidence of this single, expect them to be blown off stage by the Needs' sha-la-la-ing rock n roll rollercoaster. 'Stumble & Fall' follows in the footsteps of predecessor 'Rip It Up' as a jangling nonity of a song, which I'm sure will be lapped up by NME critics and MTV2 programmers regardless.
Metal tinted rock madness from Essex punkas Engerica, which shows massive progress on their slightly irritating previous efforts. They still sound like the kind of band that your skate obsessed teenage brother's more likely to get into than you are (unless you happen to be someone's skate obsessed teenage brother, in which case this band is for you), but as high energy, low brain cell count punk thrills go, it's better than most. Features guitars so heavy enough to have Sum 41 cacking their pants should they come within earshot.
As anyone who read my review of Kaito's gig at the ICA will know, I'm a bit of a fan, and this EP contains everything you need to understand why.
First track 'Should I' is a great staccato introduction into the kaleidoscopic world of Kaito, and is easily the most accessible song here, it's good fun, but it's kind of like riding an olympic trial bike with stabilizers on. Musical conventions begin to melt for the playground chant of 'Driving Manual Auto'. Complete with backing vocals that sound like a malfunctioning cuckoo clock it's built around a cruising fuzz laden bass line, before exploding into a glorious shouty chorus. But it's with 'Anamoy' that Kaito show us what they're really capable of - a 100mph jet plane ride through wonderland with Niki's bizarre vocals wandering up and down the scale at will, before everything but the drums & vocals falls away giving you a few seconds to catch your breath before launching you back through the rabbit hole headfirst. Having fried our brains with such an intense salvo of weird, Kaito take things down a notch for the icy cool 'Try Me Out', complete with helium pitched vocals in the chorus. It's an exhausting, exhillerating experience.
All four tracks are culled from their excellent second album 'Band Red', which is a bit disappointing, as it would have been nice to hear some new material, but as an introduction to one of the most innovative bands around at the moment, it's absolutely perfect.
I've always hated Ryan Adams. Not so much his music, which has always caught me as being bland and inoffensive, but his whole attitude in interviews, the way he tried to draw the White Stripes into a slanging match to raise his own profile, even though they weren't the least bit interested, the way he threw a punter out of one of his gigs for heckling. So it is with a slight guilty tinge of disappointment that I have to report that his new single 'So Alive' is actually quite good. Not groundbreaking, not life changing, but a darned sight better than anything else I've heard by him.
It's your typical soaring feel good radio friendly indie track, but Adams' soaring vocal in the chorus, twinned with a delightful twinkling guitar coda elevate it above the Coldplays and Thrills of this world. The b-sides are straight laced upbeat Beatlesy affairs that share a jaunty spirit with Brendan Benson, and are equally pleasant (Bet he's still a twat though).
Wakefield's finest punk/pop/garage band keep their bandwagon rolling with a new single, Change My Mind and stacks of live dates through late January and February. Change my mind sounds a lot like early Rolling Stones (sixities r'n'b) speeded up and given a kick up the behind and is probably their finest moment so far, capturing their live show's energy and the catchy choruses they excel in. I was lucky enough to see their gig that was recorded for MTV2's live Gonzo show from Fibbers York and will be aiming to catch another of their gigs on their latest tour, I would suggest anyone who wants to see a band with stacks of energy and wants a good time should try and catch them as well. For tour dates and more info hit their record companies website www.dominorecordco.com or their own site www.theblueskins.com
Review by Darren Bunting
It's a real shame. The Rapture were once a vibrant, truly exciting band who created inspiring and wonderfully danceable music, culminating in the glorious 'Out of the Races & on to the Tracks'. What's happened since has been well documented in every style magazine in the land, but after the initial promise of 'House of Jealous Lovers', two half hearted efforts have severely dented my faith in the band.
'Love Is All' is without doubt the worst Rapture song I have heard, the antithesis of what I thought this band were about - limp, sentimental and utterly lacking in any kind of groove whatsoever. B-side 'I Need Your Love' is a step back in the right direction, particularly the remixed version, but still lacks the swagger of their best moments.
Here's hoping that this is the last release from 'Echoes' and that the band take a bit of time to think about where they want to go before recording the next one.
Carina's last single 'Into My Blood' was one of my favourite tracks of last year, and while 'Lacuna' doesn't quite scale the majestic heights of its predecessor, the skeletal piano riff, the blaring trumpets, and of course Carina's gorgeous smoke tinged vocals make this jazzy number a must have none the less. Best bit is the whiplash inducing solo that lurches dramatically about like a learner driver bunnyhopping their Ford Fiesta down the high street.
This opens with a summery strum along guitar riff, before undergoing a seasonal shift into a grand, autumnal orchestration with Morrissey influenced vocal warblings. 'The Wild Son' was produced by Bernard Butler, and there's certainly a touch of the former Suede guitarist in the sweeping strings and the pin pricks of jangling guitar that punctuate the chorus. The whole thing comes together very nicely, and had it been released in the mid nineties would probably be talked about as an anthem of the times, but as it's being released in 2004 will probably be largely ignored along with the rest of the navel gazing indie community.
Not, sadly, a cover of snotty nosed Beavis and Butthead faves Ugly Kid Joe, but a strained rock song with big drums, over produced heavy guitars and a quiet bit loud bit dynamic.
The press release cites fellow Canadians Nickelback as kindred spirits, says it all really.