MOW 17/9/01

A few recent music purchasing highlights.

Kings of Convenience 'Quiet is the new loud' - Acoustic duo with some really great songs, and they pull it off without sounding dated or folky in any way. Kind of a post rock Simon and Garfunkel. Refreshing and unique, and a stunning recording to boot. Was recorded onto analogue tape, and a lot of effort has been made to keep things analogue, so in hindsight this might well be one to buy on vinyl. One of those albums that I know I will still be playing years from now.

Piano Magic 'Son de mar' - A film soundtrack that catches Piano Magic at their most ambient. Good stuff, as are all their albums, not where I would start though, that would be 'Low birth weight' which is a true stunner.

Blackmarket Records 'Rollin Vol 2' - Full tilt drum and bass from one of Soho's top underground record labels. Successfully frightened many punters out of the Naim room on Sunday at Novotel when it was played by Jawed. A quality compilation and great fun.

Muse 'Showbiz' - I caught a live set by this lot on MTV and thought it pretty interesting, so I picked this up from the local bargain CD shifter. Don't quite know how to describe it, though I am sure that I would be unable to avoid using the term 'prog rock'. Its sort of a mid point between typical indie angst and early 70s King Crimson. The band are a three piece with the vocalist being a very accomplished pianist and the rest of the band very agile. The bass annoys a little as they have gone for a very distorted and compressed sound that for me looses impact when the going gets tough. The songs are relatively short, certainly when compared to typical 70s stuff, and they have a real edge to them at times. Still not totally sure what I make of them, but they are certainly quite unusual. I would be interested what the forum's prog rock heads make of it (Dave C etc).

Tony.

Rufus Wainwright "Poses" - This is a wonderfully dense production, highlighting Wainright's playfully morose vocals. The rhythms are intriguing, the chord progressions unexpected, and the melodies are presented with a loose style that can seem a little off-putting at first, but quickly grows on you with repeated listens.

Super Furry Animals "Rings Around the World" - Another unpredictable affair from SFA. The music varies wildly, and is usually rather tongue in cheek. You can just sit back and enjoy the ride, but it gets really fun when you pay close attention to what's going on.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Tori Amos Strange Little Girls

&

New Order Get Ready.

Just bought so no reviews as yet. Quite happy to look/drool over TA for a bit though..

Steve

On CD I have bought 'Accoustic Soul - India Arie' and Thea Gilmore's new one (the title escapes me!). The former is truely stunning and I recommend it to anyone you likes music - the interludes are a bit pretentious though. I have not had a real chance to listen to the latter but can report that it is more accoustic than 'Lipstick Conspiracies' and also far better recorded! On vinyl I had a bit of a splurge in Selectadisc (Nottingham) on some bargain Jazz compilations. They are part of the series called 'Silverline' and contain vintage recordings on key artists; each album deals a separate artist. They are a gatfold sleave and cost £3.99 each!!! The sound quality is nothing to shout about due to the source material but it would be churlish to compalain at this price.

Turin Brakes - The Optimist LP Terrific debut from the south london duo, great accoustic guitar songs. Am currently hooked on this one.

Groove Armada - hello country (goodbye nightclub If you liked the earlier one, this also is rather good. NOt quite as cocktail-chilled as the last, but certainly improving with each play.

and one I didn't buy but have heard...
Travis - the invisible band Unmitigatred rubbish. They have fallen from "nice, and "mostly harmless" and good live" to "bloody boring and where did there songwriting talent go?". Avoid this one at all costs - even if you are tempted.

ON others in this thread

Kings of Convienience - not in my 20-disc "desert island" travel folder, but one of the nicer albs this year.

Muse - Showbiz just wails. great stuff in the car.

TA - ? Careful Steve, she'll have you in therapy too.

Rico - SM/Mullet Audio

OK I haven't done this for a while, so here's some significant additions to my collection:

Leggo Beast "Sines and Cymbals" - Another great album from this Hull-based artist. More starker than the previous album (From Here to G) and with a bit more Dub Reggae influence. "Deep!.. very, very, deep!"

Thomas Newman "American Beauty" - This is the same album Paul Darwin played at the beginning of the Bristol forum meet up. There's another American Beauty soundtrack out there, so don't mix the two up when buying. Great spooky/wierd music throughout to disc.

Robert Cray "Strong Persuader" - This album was playing in a bar in Anchorage, I had to ask the guy who it was. One of the best blues albums I've heard. Blues with attitude and direction.

Sofa Surfers "Constructions" - An excellent ambient trip-hop album sharing a number of K&D remixes.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Bjork Vespertine. The little cube in 'non-nutter' mode which is quite nice for a change. Nicely laid back with enough ENN and twinkly music box bits interspersed throughout the 55 mins to keep you concentrated. Consistent and maybe a bit 'samey' but at least your windows won't be shattered each time you play it.

New Order Get Ready - very, very good. I actually like listening to this one in the car than at home. It's a 'doing stuff to' kinda CD, loads of energy, it rocks! '60 miles an hour' and 'Rock the shack' (Primal Scream colab) sound like the next singles.

Tori Amos Strange Little Girls - All covers on this one so it might not appeal to all. I however think it's superb. '97 Bonnie & Clyde' scares the sh*t out of me! Menancing presence in abundance! 'I'm not in love' is TA meets Tricky. Plenty of others there as well all done in a bizzare fashion and well recorded to boot.
Yes Rico, I'm ready for a sesh with her anytime

Steve