James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
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Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
This week sees a flurry of activity at The Duchess with a gig taking place every night from Tuesday 2nd March through to Saturday 6th. The run opens with the visit of punk-poppers Doll And The Kicks (Tuesday 2nd) and thrash metal-heads Sylosis (Wednesday 3rd) before the visit of hotly-tipped Glasgow indie band Frightened Rabbit (Thursday 4th). Those of you still hoping in vein for a Morrissey/Marr reconciliation can treat yourselves to the next best thing with acclaimed tribute act The Smiths Indeed (Friday 5th), before refreshing yourselves with the more recent musical creations of Anne-Marie Helder’s Panic Room (Saturday 6th). The week draws to a close in mellower fashion at Fibbers with traditional Scottish band Lau (Sunday 7th).
For the more classically inclined, meanwhile, the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall plays host to the University Chamber Choir and Baroque Orchestra on Wednesday. Professor Peter Seymour conducts three works by J. S. Bach, the great Magnificat in D BWV 243 preceded by two cantatas. Before the concert, Peter Seymour will also give a free talk entitled ‘Bach the great communicator’.
The ‘Sound Of 2010’ (apparently) truly arrives this week courtesy of the debut album from Ellie Goulding. Lights is the culmination of her singer-songwriting career so far and has been widely tipped to catapult her into the realms of superstardom.
This week also welcomes two second albums from two very different bands; cheese-pop rulers supreme Alphabeat return with The Beat Is…, though there are indications that the band’s sound has undergone something of an overhaul. Meanwhile, Fire Like This sees vocals/guitar-drums duo Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell, better known as Blood Red Shoes, return to basics, with the aim of producing a record along the lines of Nirvana’s In Utero; with sights set so high it will be intriguing to see how they manage.
This six-man, Dallas-based band provide exactly the kind of punk-pop-rock you’d expect them to, with added electronics and hip-hop. It’s an impossibly catchy, Texan version of McFly, which doesn’t mean it’s bad. The harmonies are well put together, especially on ‘Take It Slow’, and ‘Hip Hop Chick’ seems to be an answer to Avril Lavigne’s ‘Skater Boi’, suggesting that genre-kids can cross-breed and preparing you for the band’s own hip-hop attempt in ‘Hawkbot’. A bizarre addition to an otherwise predictably constructed punk EP.
Hannah McCarthy
Stevie Hoang -
Stevie Hoang boasts in his press releases about his touring with Tinchy Stryder and JLS and, when describing his music, he ends up using a series of strategically placed euphemisms. His new single is dull and lifeless and has more than a passing resemblance to ‘Holler’ by The Spice Girls. Seriously, if this is the best that he has to throw at us as a lead-in single, then the standards for the forthcoming album are abysmally low.
Peter Searle
The Miserable Rich - Somerhill
Brighton-based ‘chamber pop’ quintet The Miserable Rich’s new single, ‘Somerhill’, is a refreshing break from the electric pop and nu-folk sounds currently dominating chart and acoustic scenes. The repetitive strings and unobtrusive percussion offer a psychedelic, drifting sound that augments the lyrics’ description of the trivialities of Brighton life. Evoking images of a bike ride, the song is pleasant and rewarding, but neither exciting nor groundbreaking. Sometimes that’s just what we need.
Simon Fenton
Trail - City
An otherwise solid record let down by weak vocals and lyrics. Mainstream enough to appeal, but I’m not convinced this will be massively successful. It lacks a sufficient hook or variation to make it instantly likeable. There’s definite potential, although I’ve a sinking feeling that all their songs will sound incredibly similar. Nevertheless, I look forward to listening to the album.
Lucie Vincer
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