A particularly interesting release this month comes from Fog with their new album Ditherer (great name!) on Lex. Those last two words have always been strange to me as Fog appear so far away from anything else Lex releases. That's not to say they're bad, in fact Andrew Broder cuts a very charming figure on the couple of occasions I've caught them. But near faultless expectations the Lex label brings mean that their appeal of Fog, a slightly average guitar band essentially, is limited. The first album, Ether Teeth, was an interesting, lonesome, sparse affair which they then followed up on. This record feels a lot more fleshed out, some luch sounds in there however to these ears its simply not interesting enough. There's too much here that washes over, even after several listens, and the lack energy can't help but translate to the listener. Definitely not a write off though and I'd see them live again.
Naturally we've been far to busy enjoying the new Digital Northerner compilation (Vol III) from our friends at Fat Northerner Records to actually review it but it's about time. Perhaps showing a little more heart than previous releases Northerner open their gentile side to the likes of Mark Wilson and Aron Paul for some Drake-esque songwriting. Other notable artists are Kait DeVoy and Steph Grant, both ones for Rachel Dadd fans and Bone-Box puts in an excellent bum-note inducing performance one again. Good band them. Overall a compilation worth taking a punt on if you want something quietly beautiful to lead you to more such artistes.
Joy Denalane has been receiving no small press attention for here mix of African soul and Aretha Franklin's style however the slushy vocals perhaps waste some excellent beats combos and collaborations with the likes of Raekwon serve only to make the album more ridiculous despite again some excellent brass playing. Waajeed's album, The War LP, goes the same way (unsurprisingly with a name like Waajeed&the Bling 47 Group) although the magic of computers reveals immediately that all but a couple of tracks are 1 min 32 secs long though since some songs are seemingly faded in their prime this seems a stunt not worth pulling. Without the awful male and female rapping this would be a decent electronic hip-hop record with some funky bits, with it it's just impossible to cope with.
Readers of last month's reviews may remember I found an ace new group in the form of Future Loop Foundation and their track Everything As It Should Be, well the album, Memories from a Fading Room offer even more than the confident electronica witnessed there as we get southern blues tales, some nice beats and some great samples. This really is a superb mix throughout an keeps the listener on their toes - investigate!
Our monthly dive into the mine of Cherryade Records comes up with more 24-carrot stuff as Steveless produce the first second album, as it were, on the label with their record Mistakes in All the Right Places. Nicely named and fairly true as the shaky musician-ship around the record is nothing if not endearing and the tendency to yell and crash symbols is also appreciated. Add to that Nick Cave/ Eighties Matchbox vocals, a few cool bleeps and a bit o' feedback and you've got one mother of a band!!
Hopewell's record, Beautiful Targets, is our pick of the month with former Mercury Rev man Jason Russo reflecting his routes with a dreamy album mixing Spiritualized and Mull Historical in fine style. One of those undulating albums this ebbs and flows in that beautiful drifting way although Russo's songwriting could be slightly touched up but excellent string-work like on Windy Day's dramatic opening is very much welcomed. Good stuff.
A brief run at the singles sees MIT producing hard and fast shouting Le Tigre punk with a rhythm to jog maniacally too, Fight Like Apes offer up more aggressive weirdness and an ace tune in Jake Summers (Fierce Panda, yey!), get it. Onségen Ensemble increase our Finnish audience 100% which we don't mind a bit as they nick that full on death metal sound of those Norwegian's and spit it back in their face. Could've done with some screaming vocal but instrumental is still thrilling. Everybody's favourite East Sussex label Womb Records this month release their new EP from Codex Machine and in Man Vs Monkey they've released an instant primate hit to rival Dolphins Were Monkeys - great synthing, sampling choppy stuff. The rest of the EP is suitable weird, space-age and exhilarating. Also come The King Blues, Island’s new reggae-aggressors who are a breath of fresh air with this anti-BNP track and will be ace live when they get to touring the county. More debuting from The One Coalitie who make many claims about genuine, real and a challenge to the charts a la Gnarls Barkley – well I see where they coming from with the Gnarls but this just feels like a cheap imitation I’m afraid – nice pink case though!To round us off this month are two EPs from the offbeat OIB Records. Fans of the Notwist are invited to listen to Mewgatz track Underfelt which indeed evokes the Anticon masters in its manipulated beauty, classy stuff, nice disjointed vocal and great screaming charity shop keyboards. And the OIB Collective have also released an EP of 7"s including the full on ace 'spaz-core' with Gay Against You, mini-post rock craziness with Lonely Ghosts, Mama Mia weirdness from Munch Munch (very eighties!) and The Tumbledown Estates round off the craziness with a bit o' pop. Phew!
Alex Lawson
www.cherryademusic.co.uk
www.futureloopfoundation.com
www.joydelane.com
www.sheergroup.com
www.oibrecords.com
www.wombrecords.com