Best known for their 1998 hit single ‘Sexy Boy’, French electro duo Air have delved into the artsy word of silent cinema for their latest album. The lunar obsession from their debut album ‘Moon Safari’ is still in evidence on ‘Le Voyage Dans La Lune’, which has a distinctly space-age feel to it, from the countdown to ignition sequence on ‘Seven Stars’ to the syncopated synth of ‘Sonic Armada’.
This is fairly inaccessible stuff it has to be said, and the whole experience is truly baffling in places on the first listen. As a largely instrumental record, it’s quite hard to get a foothold, as only two of the 11 tracks feature vocals, and many of those are in French.
Throughout this record, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel continue to push the envelope in terms of genre, rhythm and style, often at the expense of clarity. As soon as you think you’ve got your head around the synthesised riff or melodic hook, it will mutate into something completely different in an eerie, shape-shifting fashion.
To read the rest of this review on Virgin Red Room, click here.
It takes a pretty prolific songwriter to turn out four albums in six years and still have enough left in the tank to record two twenty-track compilations. But not only has Frank Turner managed this, he has done so with style and aplomb, especially on this, his second collection of live tracks, b-sides, covers and rarities.
‘The Second Three Years’ crams together the non-album tracks from his 2010 ‘Rock n Roll’ EP, the special edition bonus tracks from last year’s ‘England Keep My Bones’ LP, as well as a broad selection of punk, folk and pop covers; from Wham to Nirvana, and from NOFX to Take That.
This compilation is an essential purchase for any serious Frank fan, but it also works suitably well as a far-reaching introduction to one of England’s greatest songwriting talents. Right from the opening acapella verse of ‘Sailor’s Boots’, Turner’s voice is enthralling; by turns gentle and powerful, intimate and abrasive.
There’s also plenty of evidence of how his music has developed and matured…
To read the rest of this review on Virgin Red Room, click here.
Disappointed by the latest Smashing Pumpkins reunion? Don’t waste your time trying to get into their new concept album ‘Teargarden by Kaleidyscope’ – just take a trip down memory lane with these expansive new box sets.
Released just in time for Christmas, this may seem like a cynical marketing ploy from their label, but at just £17 for two discs and a live DVD, it’s certainly great value. The rationale behind this release is that it’s 20 years since the Pumpkins’ debut album ‘Gish’ was released.
When that record came out it marked Billy Corgan and co’s arrival on the emerging grunge scene, but two years later ‘Siamese Dream’ took things to a whole new level with enduring alt-rock classics such as ‘Today’, ‘Disarm’ and ‘Cherub Rock’.
Here you get the original albums digitally remastered on Disc One, meaning Darcy Wretzy’s basslines sound stronger and James Iha’s guitar solos sound clearer, all without losing the grungey essence that made this band a serious contender to Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
To read the rest of this review on Virgin Red Room, click here.
I think it’s fair to say that Rival Schools took their time over their sophomore album. The best part of ten years to be precise. Which is somewhat understandable, after their 2001 debut United By Fate was lauded by many as an alt-rock triumph and a sign of big things to come.
Walter S - one of the nicest men in rock and part-time exorcist
Not that they arrived out of the blue – front man Walter Schreifels had been the brains behind 90s hardcore groups Guerilla Biscuits and Quicksand. So it was a disappointment to many when Rival Schools broke up in 2003, but jump five years later and they returned with the original line-up.
I’m happy to report that their new album Pedals, which was released last week, retains a lot of the New York band’s original appeal, whilst giving several nods to how the scene has evolved in their absence.
Opening track, Wring It Out is as anthemic as anything they’ve ever written, while Eyes Wide Open boasts a beefy riff to keep hardcore fans happy. Meanwhile, Choose Your Adventure shows how the band’s sound has evolved, with a swaggering bassline driving a much funkier tune, although lead guitarist Ian Love’s trademark solos remain as exciting and esoteric as ever.
In much the same way as on United By Fate, the album starts with five tracks that all boast immediate appeal, while the latter half of the album has more of slow-burning effect.
Where Pedals deviates from the first album’s template, however, is at the very end. One of the most impressive feats of the debut album was how it finished on two finely-crafted instrumental tracks, with Hooligans For Life in particular remaining a stunning musical achievement and the band’s most compelling live track to this day.
Instead of trying to repeat this trick, Pedals ends on a more modest and abrupt note, as The Ghost Is Out There sounds more like latter-day Weezer than anything else, suggesting unfinished business and certainly leaving us clamouring for more.
It’s good to have Rival Schools back, but even if they don’t stick around for long, it’s enough to just sit back and enjoy a record that was more than worth the ten-year wait.
You may remember The Automatic from such pop-rock atrocities as (what’s that coming over the hill is it a) Monster (?) and (let’s go see) Raoul, which plagued the airwaves in 2006. Since then, however, the band have undergone a major transformation with the unceremonious ditching of keyboardist/screamer Alex Pennie and the recruitment of alt-rock pioneer Paul Mullen (formerly of yourcodenameis:milo).
The Automatic are clearly out to prove the doubters wrong on their third record and to a certain extent, they achieve this. The eerie keys and syncopated rhythms of album opener Insides makes them sound closer to Radiohead or Muse than Scouting for Girls or the Hoosiers. Their transformation is down, in no short part, to the prominence of Paul Mullen, who joined the band in 2008 for their sophomore effort This is a Fix and has since installed himself as the creative fulcrum of the band…
Best known for their 1998 hit single ‘Sexy Boy’, French electro duo Air have delved into the artsy word of silent cinema for their latest album. The lunar obsession from their debut album ‘Moon Safari’ is still in evidence on ‘Le Voyage Dans La Lune’, which has a distinctly space-age feel to it, from the countdown to ignition sequence on ‘Seven Stars’ to the syncopated synth of ‘Sonic Armada’.
