Top of the Pops circa 1984, Mike Reid or some other Radio 1 DJ is presenting the next act while the over excited audience punch balloons into the air. As the song kicks in the singer dances along to the eighties beat. This is the image I get when I hear the first minute of Belle and Sebastian’s new song “Your Covers Blown”. I think maybe it has something to do with how the song opens, with an old telephone ring and a breathy American voice over some synth beats. Once you get over the 80’s kistch of it all it turns out to be a good quality pop song done the B&S way. This is a double A side with a track from the excellent 'Dear Catastrophe Waitress'. “Wrapped Up in Books” is a brilliant folk induced pop song, which is bound to fill the indie dance floors everywhere! Check out the reclusive Scots on rare outings this summer either in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens or at London’s Somerset House.
Review by Sonia Pagliari
Although I am a fairly old geezer, Mission of Burma passed me by first time around. So I have watched the news of their return and all the people coming out saying they were fans first time around with a bit of 'oh yeah, bet you were into them first time around - not' and a bit of 'how come I wasn't if they're so good, because I know everything about cool music, don't I'? The fact that Bob Weston of Shellac has joined them on tape loops for their return made me want to listen to them more, because I like Shellac (obviously - I am cool), so I was pretty pleased when this CD popped through the door.
But imagine my disappointment to find that the first track, "Dirt", is a fairly inconsequential jingle jangle down late Hüsker Dü alley, with lyrics going on about how it's not fair. No it isn't, get over it and get on with it. Hey, I sound like Ann Widdecombe.
Second track, "Class War" (!) sounds like early Hüsker Dü (can you see a theme developing), with chanted "Class War" vocals. Someone told me punk was dead, it must have been a mod or ted. No, it was the voice of truth. But M.O.B. are trying not to listen.
The third track "Wounded War Dub Mix" is more interesting, at least in terms of the two tracks before it. It features strings, electronic type drums, a child choir and lots more angst-y vocals. However. When I say interesting, I mean relatively interesting in relation to the previous two tracks. I won't be playing it again. And I won't be going to see them.
And all the people who were into them first time around - I am no longer jealous of your coolness, for I know there is nothing to be jealous of, and I am cooler for not bothering with Mission of Burma. But I can see why my good friend is, for he is a massive Hüsker Dü fan, and if he shuts his eyes at the gig he could pretend it's the Dü onstage. And that's a good thing. Nice one!
Review by Rashied Garrison
First track, "Draw me out", features a big indie production, big indie minor chords, big reverb drums and a tiny little weedy voice singing about nothing. Ho hum. Like shoe gazing never died. Actually, shoe gazing was dead before it was born. Isn't that a sad thing to want to copy? And that's sad as in tearful, cos the guitarist can obviously play. Join another band, mate. And if you're the singer, stop singing.
Second track, "Theory", has nice choppy guitars at the start. And then some horrible U2 type echo-y slides. And that weedy voice starts singing again about nothing. And then a big clichéd chorus. This is like. it escapes me. oooh nice distorted riffing about a minute and a half in but then back to the rubbish chorus. Oh, it's not too far away from Art Brut really. I knew that Deptford scene was suspect. Next!
Last track, "Ocean Floor" is over six minutes long, that's a long time to expect the Rashied to sit and listen to your meisterwerk. But I am feeling generous with my wisdom today, so I shall give you my honest feedback for you to do with as you will. Remember, and I never forget, that I am only one man. But child, also remember, what a man I am.
So again it is a bit like the Deptford music that is so popular with the young folk. But not as good as Art Brut or the like. And to those kidz I say jolly good and all that but who is going to deliver your Trout Mask Replica or your Autobahn or your Closer or your Rock the Bells or your Highway 61 Revisited? It doesn't seem like any of you are capable of that as yet. Even the Franz Ferdinand, who I really like, have so far only delivered the equivalent of "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever", not "Marquee Moon". And The Hotels definitely aren't capable. They're satisfied with sounding like a bog-standard indie guitar band circa now. A little grey blobby amalgamation of 4 out of 10-ness. Why? Aim for the stars my friends, you can do it, release the bats, free your minds and your asses will follow, get down and dirty, lose your preconceptions of what chord goes where, unlearn the blues scales, forget Foucault. You can play guitar, the weedy voice can even sing if he forgets how to sing and unsings, drummer can drum. Just don't do it in this particular combination cos it is dull and boring and it's been done before. So don't do it again. Come back to me once you've had a rethink. Is that too much to ask?
The tough but fair Rashied Garrison.
As you'd expect from a band who attempt to mix loud guitars with "sensitive" lyrics, X is Loaded have built up quite a fan base of angry disaffected teens, and there are numerous obsessive sites given names like 'massive misguidance' that prove this. However, I decided not to let this factor influence me as I listened to their new single, Thirteen Days, for the first time. It begins with guitar strings being gently plucked, and the singer belting out his poetry in a voice not a million miles from the cheesy horror of the Lost Prophets. The chorus then arrives on a wave of crashing bar chords and sustained yelps. This happens again and again until the song ends, thus milking the old "quiet bit/loud bit" dynamic for all it's worth. The whole affair makes me think of a low-budget take on Muse's hideously overblown pyrotechnic rock, and while it's hard to doubt the conviction of X is Loaded (they're obviously angry about something), the song's too formulaic to hit you on any real emotional level. Still, those fan sites speak for themselves, so what do I know?
Review by Ian Viggars
Pet is the brain child of a mysterious Berlin based producer, and while such affairs can often turn out to be tedious muso wank-fests, Pet's new single Snooze is actually really enjoyable. It's the kind of pleasantly drone-y moog driven pop that Stereolab used to make, with some crusty old synth strings and a lightly strummed acoustic thrown in for good measure. The vocals are nothing special but add to the drowsy lo-if feel, while the only lyrical concerns seem to be that the author wants us to "wait a minute" because he "needs a little snooze". Far from inciting you to riot, Pet might actually make you want to snooze yourself, but after listening to this odd gem of a single you could at least guarantee it'd be a pleasant nap.
Review by Ian Viggars
This Girl have been doing the rounds of the indie toilet circuit for a while now, often amongst such illustrious company as The Wildhearts (are they still going??), Biffy Clyro, and Hell is for Heroes, a list which should give you a vague idea of what This Girl sound like. Yes, it's scuzzy punk pop, with a slight dash of emo. The title track of this three song single is sprightly enough, it stops and starts and screams in all the right places making it vaguely exciting to listen to, but then finishes without leaving too much of a mark on my brain. The other tracks, Moustache to Fit A King (good title) and Excited but Tired (crap title), offer slightly different takes on Hallelujah's blueprint. The former starts unexpectedly slowly with an impressively jittery drumbeat adding to the sense of impending apocalypse which arrives screaming after a minute. The last track again is a medium paced affair, and has the singer blurting about gamma rays making him feel ill (although it's probably just the smell from the Wildhearts' tour bus). All in all, this single shows a band with a bit of depth and creativity amongst a stagnant scene, and if they build on what they've made on the Hallelujah EP, they might just escape the toilet tours yet.
Review by Ian Viggars
All the previous reviews of this EP I’ve read compare The International Karate Plus to the Pixies and Pavement. Since I’d read that so many times I was going to try and avoid it, but it’s impossible: that’s what they sound like. I don’t mean that to sound derogatory I like the Pixies and Pavement, and I like The International Karate Plus too. Those comparisons are obviously going to be hard to actually live up to - just because you sound like a band doesn’t make you as good as them, but the strongest track off ‘Karate Kills’; ‘Nexus in a chain of thought’, is good enough for either band to want to claim as their own.
I don’t quite understand the opener ‘Hats off to Harry Kewell’ but then I’ve never credited myself as being the most intelligent of people but this doesn’t stop me from enjoying it. It strays as far as The International Karate Plus do from their previous comparisons with a bass line that mimics anything from Ikara Colt’s first record ‘Chat and Business’. A point of controversy on ‘Karate Kills’ is their Pavement cover. Attempting to cover a band of Pavement’s stature is something that is not often contemplated by anyone. Fortunately The International Karate Plus leave my favourites well alone and even make a rather good job of ‘Boxelder’ which is quite an accomplishment. A job well done.
Review by Barry Bennett
Drawing comparisons to bands of the moment such as the White Stripes and having recently toured with Franz Ferdinand, Fiery Furnaces are an up and coming band. So, what should we make of them, and should we believe the hype?
Well, the band may be getting bigger, but this does not mean that they fit into some trend, conforming to a set pattern of boring, well trodden garage rock. The duo are in fact quite hard to categorise, especially if their new release is anything to go by, the two tracks present differing greatly. First comes ‘Single Again’, a kooky and catchy little song which has a nice twinkly introduction. The lyrics seem to tell a sinister story which is concealed by the sugary sound of the piece. There is some cheesiness present though, such as dodgy rhyming, ‘when I was single my pockets did jingle’. Add this to much repetition and it becomes apparent that the song is great for an occasional listen, but excessive exposure on the radio could prove it to be somewhat irritating. The second track, ‘Evergreen’, is much more lasting than ‘Single Again’. It exudes a pretty and timeless vibe, and the vocals are used beautifully as though they were another instrument to be played with.
All in all a quality single. Look out for Fiery Furnaces then, a band currently being hyped up that is actually worthy of some attention.
Nathania Hartley
Like the Smashing Pumpkins with glam tendencies and less pomposity, ‘Mute’ certainly packs a hefty punch. The quality of the recording is fantastic and gives good access to the huge sound that this four piece produce. Lead singer Ben has a powerful vocal that sits very well on this anthemic track.
B Sides ‘Vow’ and ‘Waiting for the fall’ are equally good songs, although they grow on you rather than having the instant impact of the main track. The CD also comes with a video of ‘Mute’ which features the band leaping around in a warehouse, as well as some promotional photos and contact info.
This may not be the most innovative single of the year but it is a very good introduction to an interesting and ultimately fun band. Worth checking out.
Review by Foxy
Thirteen Senses' second single, 'Do No Wrong' features some of the best atmospheric reversed guitar since the Beatles and starts to show a band unafraid to experiment with their sound and employ plenty of dynamics in their songwriting. To me they sound like a youthful Coldplay or even Starsailor with some energy but don't let that put you off!
'Do No Wrong' builds up from a quiet piano and the aforementioned reversed guitar intro into a verse that effortlessly leads into the quite epic chorus. 'Little Unrest', the second track on the single mixes a more typical indie sound with some very strong guitar playing and even though a pretty good track it does sound a bit generic in places which is a pity as when the band stretch out a little during the song things become very interesting. In fact 'Little Unrest' really started to nag at me as there is one section of the song reminded me very strongly of someone else but I could not remember just who (and still cannot).
Look out for the band this summer at several festivals like V and T in the Park as well as a some headline shows of their own.
Review by Darren Bunting
Fear not kids, this isn’t a Spice Girls cover; it is in fact a different mediocre pop song, although from the rockier side of pop. The first 30 seconds lure you into a false sense of expectation whereby the song has the potential to be one of those summery sing-a-long gems, forgotten by the first cold snap of winter, but serving its purpose during those warm months. I say a false sense of expectation because by the 33rd second the first disappointingly boring chorus has been knocked out, followed by an ‘ooh yeah’. Nothing special here folks; too much of nothing indeed.
Review by Holly Wild
Sometimes you decide you are not going to enjoy a single or band after reading their press release but then when you actually listen to the music you cannot help but like it, 'Covered In Punk' by Portobella is one such single, forgetting the hyperbole of an over the top press release name checking The Sex Pistols, Goldfrapp and Bow Wow Wow this is a cracking debut single. With a vocal sound and style very reminscient of 80's nu-wave mixed with some pretty dance oriented drums makes for a very interesting three and a half minutes, imagine early Blondie mixed with Elastica and a bit of Bow Wow Wow's energy should give you an idea if you should give this track a listen, also vocalist Luciana Caporaso's accent reminded me of Linoleum's Caroline Finch which certainly perked my ears up.
Review by Darren Bunting