Year: 2004
Review: Midlake – Bamnan and Slivercork
MIDLAKE BAMNAN AND SLIVERCORK Bella Union Typically, Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) and his lovely Bella Union record label release quality albums. Bamnan and Slivercork from Midlake is quite easily the worst lazy clone of a Flaming Lips release that you could ever imagine. It’s detached without any sense of purpose other than to remind me that
Review: Motel Creeps – Pleasantries In The Parlor EP
MOTEL CREEPS PLEASANTRIES IN THE PARLOR EP www.motelcreeps.com “Moon Boots” sways in as a Bunnymen jam with a slightly more animated Interpol flavor. I’m not blown away, but I’m pleased with the combination of warm guitars and distant vocals. The remaining tracks, “City Girl,” “Gun for Hire,” and “Ocean Storm” are solid but not nearly
Review: Mothboy – The Fears
MOTHBOY THE FEARS Ad Noiseam 5/5 Two or three tracks into The Fears, thoughts immediately went to Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto and to Scorn’s Mick Harris. The music is distinctly different from both, but the influences seem so obvious. Onto my research, I discovered that Mothboy’s Simon Smerdon lists both as influences and
Review: M83 – Dead Cities, Read Seas & Lost Ghosts
M83 DEAD CITIES, READ SEAS & LOST GHOSTS Mute There will be those who would crown this French duo as the anointed kings of highbrow hipness and perhaps, for once, the masses might not be far wrong. M83’s sound is caught directly between Sigur Ros’ stark and soaring beauty and Air’s synthesized warmth. The result
Review: Mambana – Felicidad
MAMBANA “FELICIDAD” Soulfuric Trax Mambana is a combination of two very different personalities united by music, Isabel Fructuosos (of Afro Medusa, Afro Angel) a Spanish singer and songwriter writer with a wandering spirit full of Latin flava and Axwell (DJ/producer/mixer: Jetlag, Usher, Stonebridge, Room 5 and Soulsearcher) a young Swedish producer, with the expertise of
Review: Le Concorde – EP
LE CONCORDE EP Space Kitty It is always a pleasant surprise when a CD bears a sticker telling of guest artists featured within and you ultimately realize the band sticker is underselling the talent and potential of the band. Sure, the appearance of the Psychedelic Fur’s guitarist, John Ashton, and their saxophone player, Mars Williams,
Review: Lost Sounds – Self-Titled
LOST SOUNDS LOST SOUNDS In the Red Records This album is exactly what electroclash should be defined as: edgy and recklessly punky with a dash of synthpop dropped in for good measure. Lost Sounds sounds like the new Le Tigre release after you’ve pulled out the slick production and replaced it with gargling guitars, smashing
Review: Laibach – Anthems And The Videos
LAIBACH ANTHEMS AND THE VIDEOS Mute 5/5 Laibach is an act that has surpassed the test of time. The Slovenian, multi-media act came into exsistence in 1980, and proved to be controversial before ever releasing an album or performing a show. Dressed in Yugoslav army uniforms with specially designed insignias on the arm bands,
Review: Jungle Rot – Fueled By Hate
Jungle Rot Fueled By Hate Century Media Jungle Rot is back with their third full-length release, Fueled By Hate. Is it really three different albums, or is it the same album released three different times? I mean, seriously, these guys pull off a decent mid-tempo death tune, but isn’t there anything else to warrant a
Review: Knee Deep – I Won’t Let You Down
KNEE DEEP “I WON’T LET YOU DOWN” Knee Deep USA Soulful and thrusting grooves are the trademark of the infamous Knee Deep boys. Basti and Toddie, both in production and DJ-ing, are never too sophisticated or stuffed with loops, yet have managed to combine soul, funk and Latin into a sound that is downright charming. “I
Review: K.O.T Feat. Haze – Dreams
K.O.T. FEAT. HAZE “DREAMS” Defected Records From Kings of Tomorrow, including headman Sandy Rivera (“Finally” and “Changes”) comes the hit of the summer. The first edition of this release comprises Spanish boys Chus and Ceballos. Promised to be engineered for the New York and Ibiza megaclubs, this track is full of tribal sounds underlying the
Review: Jim Guthrie – Now, More Than Ever
JIM GUTHRIE NOW, MORE THAN EVER Three Gut Jim Guthrie spins out warm and wistful folk that has received so many fantastic reviews I can’t quite figure out why I’m not moved. Lyrically, it doesn’t strike me as anything close to a Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel or Joni Mitchell. Musically, it doesn’t impress me
