Royksopp - Junior

Royksopp’s eagerly awaited (well by me anyway) new album Junior opens with their recent single - ultra upbeat tune ‘Happy Up Here’ - and doesn’t let up from there, providing dance floor filler after dance floor filler. This album takes the acclaimed Norwegian electronica duo further into Daft Punk-esque French House territory away from their origins in chilled out ambient, epitomised by their seminal debut album Melody A.M., which has become THE hymn to the death of every party worth its salt ever since its release. Though many will likely still miss the minimalist aesthetic of ‘classic’ Royksopp, this album is infinitely more sophisticated and a clear improvement on The Understanding, which largely failed to live up to their debut. In particular ‘Royksopp Forever’ is a stunning anthem full of brooding cellos and intense violins that builds into an intense crescendo, overwhelming the listener in the same way that Vivaldi’s Four Seasons must have done three hundred years ago.

Karin Dreijer Andersson, the brilliant lead singer of now disbanded Swedish electronica duo The knife, lends her brooding, expressive vocals to two tracks including my personal highlight ‘This Must be It’. Meanwhile singer/songwriter sensation Lykke Li’s angelic voice grounds the joyous electronic surges of ‘Miss it so Much’ in her own peculiar brand of naïve, youthful melancholy. There’s even a collaboration with Swedish pop star Robyn, who lends a brilliant Eurotrash feel to their forthcoming single ‘The Girl and the Robot’.

Junior is soon to be joined by companion album ‘Senior’, which will be much more sombre, introspective and downbeat than this release. Hopefully the two albums will synch together to create a compelling dialogue, and given Royksopp’s originality and brilliant production I’ve no doubt that this will be the case. This is shaping up to be the electronica release of the year. Brilliant from start to finish.

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight

It's three years since Franz Ferdinand released the aptly named ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’, which was received with general disappointment in comparison to their genre-defining debut. Having initially tried production by Xenomania (the team behind Girls Aloud) on ‘Tonight’, they found the result too manufactured and scurried off back to Glasgow to start again.

For the most part, Tonight is text-book Franz (plus synth), which is no bad thing, but it's not likely to win them many new fans and raises the all-important question of why this album took so long coming. The final three tracks, however, are a daring experiment into the uncharted territories of Beatles-esque pop-balladry and industrial acid-house (no, seriously). There's less filler than on the previous album, and more dance-floor fillers; ‘Ulysses’ is ‘Take Me Out’ re-imagined with hissing vocals and disco drums while ‘No You Girls’ is a hooky glam-rock delight. Kapranos' delivery is more enunciated American than ever, but his trademark aloofness ensures he remains one of the most iconic front-men of our generation. This album is no great sound reinvention for the band, but when you have such a distinctive style, why change it?

Fanfarlo - Reservoir

Reservoir opens with the instantly captivating drum intro of ‘I’m a Pilot’ and as the piano and bass kick in it becomes clear from the outset that Fanfarlo are a band intent on building up, and experimenting with, the levels of their music. The sound is delicate, warm and considered. The swirling embers of ‘Fire Escape’ have a poetic tone (and indeed lyrics) that, for me, echo Interpol.  This is where Peter Katis’ (Interpol, The National) production becomes recognisable. Recorded in his home studio in Bridgeport Connecticut, his treatment is, as ever, sharp and sophisticated. The employment of various instruments including trumpet, violin and mandolin make for a wholly broad, fresh sound, yet it remains rooted to an economic Indie formula and modesty. There is a deep sense of feeling in the songs as fan David Bowie put it: “They have that particular knack of being able to create uplifting music that’s blessed with a delicious melancholia at the same time.” After going away from the album the songs resonated in my head; the classic symptom of exposure to infectious music. The slightly more driven ‘Luna’ is a good example of this; showing how the band can up the tempo and ‘The Walls are Coming Down’ is a demonstration of how they can pen a chorus. Fanfarlo seem to be able to make gorgeous, uplifting music that is intelligent and engaging without creating too much seriousness. Each song differs from the previous, yet the delectable overall shape of the album, its intricate inner components and sheer vibrancy, render Reservoir an accomplished debut.

www.fanfarlo.com

Morrissey - Years of Refusal

So, here it is Morrissey’s long awaited ninth studio album and also rumoured to be his last (after dodging many an accusation). And to be Honest it’s incredible. After falling short with the much over looked (with a fair amount of justification) ‘Ringleader of the Tormentors’, this brings Morrissey back as one of the most important figures in modern music. Seeing the return of Jerry Finn (You Are the Quarry) at the helm of this record is more than welcome, and this time he opts for a live approach to recording the new songs, which really brings out the sharper punk rock sound of this record. The album begins with the already well known ‘something is squeezing my skull’, which he has been performing on his greatest hits tour, an up-beat offering that deals with Morrissey’s use of anti-depressants in his earlier years. The track has one thing in common with the rest of the songs on this record, the great use and structure of his vocal melodies. The record rips through each track with that sense of self-pity, anger, romanticism and wit that we’ve come to expect from the Mozzfather. After releasing ‘That’s how People grow up’ and ‘All You Need Is Me’ last year as singles, the album complements both songs, taking dips and turns through distorted guitar driven rock to tracks such as ‘It’s not your Birthday Anymore’, that soars through epic melodies, trading in his trademark yodel-esque Voice for a more powerful cry, that is in no way a bad thing. In all honesty, ever since The Smiths, Morrissey has been held as a national treasure, and this record is a testament to that. If this truly is Morrissey’s final record, then he’s going out with one hell of a bang.

Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

Empire Of The Sun are Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. Their music is harder to describe. It undulates and freely evolves from Electro-beat into Indie twang and then to epic synth’ exploration. ‘Walking On A Dream’ is their debut album, which is widely tipped for huge success, with the Guardian even proclaiming it to be an early contender for album of the year. The music itself is resonant of the 80s beats and floor fillers of Fleetwood Mac, Depeche Mode and Human League. For me it sounds like an MGMT that have fired themselves out of a cannon aiming for the psychedelic and, having fallen short, landed dangerously close to all out disco. Apparently the album is strongly influenced by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s surreal 70s film, The ‘Holy Mountain’. The music is evidently following some outlandish formula. The hype, the concept album ethos and the Never Ending Story esq artwork suggest grandeur, other worldliness and fantasy, which I find hard to detect in their music. There are some undeniably interesting sounds and infectious hooks that make NME’s prediction of “World domination” vaguely comprehendible. The title track, ‘Walking On A Dream’ has an upbeat feel that is similar to Daft Punk and ‘We Are The People’ is a fantastic song, though these seem isolated. One can just picture legions of adoring Apple Mac hippies tripping on herbal highs this summer, contented by Empire Of The Sun’s offering, though I would need something more potent.

Emmy the Great - First Love

Please, people, restrain your cynical thoughts on Emmy the Great’s self-funded, long-awaited debut album First Love, and allow yourselves to be sucked into its moments of pure passion and devastating beauty. From opening tear-jerker Absentee, a tale of childhood bereavement and inner agony in the form of violins and carefully plucked minor-chords, all the way to M.I.A, a ballad stunningly crafted into a personified car crash, this album is a reminder from start to finish of all of the workings of a misguided, ill-fated, yet undeniably attractive, doomed relationship. Emmy Lee Moss undoubtedly possesses one of the most distinctive female voices the UK has seen for a while, without feigning some kind of urban ‘cred’ or faux naive whisper. Her lyrics are specific and intellectual, at the same time as being deliciously spiteful and witty. The pretty meanderings of each musical instrument throughout the album remains specifically placed to absolute perfection, without ever being over indulgent or self obsessed. If Laura Marling’s album is the coal of 2009, Emmy Lee Moss’ First Love can be nothing less than a diamond. Pure, unadulterated exquisiteness.

www.myspace.com/emmythegreat

Wildbirds & peacedrums - The Snake

When you are handed a CD to review with the words “here’s some Swedish tribal folk, Stu” your heart sinks. A word of advice people; never listen to people who try to pack music into a particular box. The Snake is so strange, so utterly uninhibited and free that it reaffirms your belief in music, in life and your place in it. Wildbirds & Peacedrums debut, Heartcore won over the critics and played on festival stages around the world. They were the unlikely recipients of the prestigious Jazz in Sweden 2008 prize, and the husband and wife duo used the prize money to record The Snake.
The vocal and drum tracks were recorded live onto tape, which really captures a spontaneity that you rarely find on record. The drums anchor everything else. Yes, there is a bit of primal screaming, but out of that blossoms real heartfelt uplifting, melodies and some breathtaking arrangements. Paradoxically, the arrangements are even more powerful for their sparseness, forcing you to appreciate and feel every note and every beat. The album’s highlight, ‘My Heart’ is a seven minute opus that builds and builds and bursts into a glorious gospel anthem that fills the room with unbridled joy and unadulterated passion, with singer Maria living every lyric while Andreas pounds out the rhythm of life on the drums. In harmony with nature and with each other Wildbirds & Peacedrums have recorded the most compelling album I have heard in a very long time.

Not sure? Check out a track on Leaf Label’s profile on netdog!

Lizzy Spit - Eggbox

Bloody singer-songwriters and solo artists are everywhere, aren't they? I thought the fad was coming to an end, but with Lady Gaga, Frankmusik, Little Boots, Dan Black, Esser and the like being heralded as the acts to watch in 2009, it seems there's no getting rid of these musical loners.

Clapham-based Lizzyspit is the prototype of a bedroom singer-songwriter, and listening to her album is like watching a college friend at an open-mic night in a dimly lit cafe in the middle of autumn – it's hot chocolate for the soul with extra marshmallows and sprinkles. The lyrics describe everyday feelings and situations, which unite listeners with their honest innocence and refreshing lack of pretence. The DIY-production is stripped down to the bare basics and the folksy melodies with simple acoustic guitar accompaniment are pleasantly memorable, like songs that you have been humming since you were a child. However, this isn't the record to buy if you're looking for something new and there's a niggling worry that if she was to achieve mainstream success and get lured out of her egg-box bedroom, unnecessary over-production might follow. With Steve Lamacq backing her, Lizzyspit is certainly one to watch and her radio-friendly charm could be reaching much wider audiences throughout 2009.

www.myspace.com/lizzyspit 

Balaclava Kid & Dad - Dead Sheep EP

Balaclava Kid and Dad are a duo of quantity; they like lots of noise and have lots of hair. In their own words, they describe their new Dead Sheep EP as “6-tracks of supeRturBo” I suppose that’s super turbo and is a pretty accurate description of what to expect from the purely instrumental swirl of noise recorded in it’s simplicity for 28mins. If you’ve ever seen the Norwich based two-piece live you may have found it hard to imagine their music produced and put to record. On hearing the EP for the first time, it makes sense; they’ve kept it basic and are loyal to their live sound not overdoing the production. The album opens abruptly with title track ‘Dead Sheep’, a rolling track propelled by circling guitars and intricate percussion alongside a pummelling fast-paced ‘chorus’, if you could call it that. Shining moment of the EP is the apocalyptic drones of ‘Pigeon Dance’, which rises and lulls in a hypnotising manner showing BK & Dad’s control of their instruments. Though at times it carries a dragging feel as well as the heavy Bleach-era-Nirvana influenced and distortion drench sound BK& Dad carry off so well, Dead Sheep has character that sets it aside from it’s contemporaries. No matter your opinion of it, it will be resounding in your ears long after the final chord smash of closing track ‘Clint’ fades.

www.myspace.com/bkanddad

First Aid Kit - Drunken Trees

Clamp a capo to the second fret, begin alternately picking to the key of G and sing about the soul absconding to the cryptic wilderness, of which we are told everything except it’s location. This constitutes folk for many musicians offering guitar ditties with a story. First Aid Kit, have tapped into a pure sound, which affirms itself as the music of the folk. Narrative driven and lyrically conscious sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg have set their ‘Drunken Trees’ EP to a delectable progression of simple strums and soft picking that adheres to the timelessly understated fashion granting their words licence to reign dominant. The album opens with ‘Little Moon’, a lullaby that bleeds sweetly into the typical country schematic of the perfectly formed ‘You’re Not Coming Home Tonight’. The songs are jovial and often recall a 50s pop sound. Comparisons have been drawn with Vashti Bunyan, Bright Eyes and Fleet Foxes, though for me, the song craft, grand harmonies and innocence are more akin to Simon and Garfunkel.

A level of disbelief appears to be expressed regarding their ages (Johanna being born in1990 and Klara in 1993). I find it harder to believe that they are Swedish. Hailing from a Stockholm suburb they have managed to capture the Americana sound with incredible authenticity. The bluesy ‘Pervigilo’ sounds as if Skip James has awoken and is, for me, the overall triumph. The conclusive track ‘Cross Oceans’ has an edge that I would have loved to have heard further developed on Drunken Trees, though for all that it stands loveable and wide eyed.

www.myspace.com/thisisfirstaidkit 

Eaststrikewest - Rosa

When the term ‘Shoegaze’ was coined in the mid ‘80s, there was a massive conflict between the fans of the genre. What makes shoegaze, Shoegaze? Was it the process or the product? For me, it’s what goes in to the music. With My Bloody Valentine reforming (and Kevin Shields donating a few tracks to the Lost in Translation soundtrack), one could only hope that Shoegaze would be making a bold entrance back on to the scene. And in my opinion Eaststrikewest are the band to front the return. This band is making a large impression on how British Indie music should be rethinking its style. The vocals soar on a bed of noisy guitars and violins. Incorporating God Speed-style pounding drums with dream-like pianos. After such a short time and a few line up changes, this band have found their sound. Thomas Clark’s vocals lay somewhere between Martin Grech’s tremolo wail and Ryan Adam’s falsetto cry, straining to high melodies without needing to be completely washed with reverb (Enya, Anyone?). As a record, the tracks are full of quiet melodies and crushing crescendos, progressing with each song. The three-track offering that is ‘Rosa’ is simply not enough. It leaves you wanting more. And tipped to be releasing an album this year, more I pray we shall have.

www.myspace.com/eaststrikewestband

Akira - Japanese Frequencies

With a name like Akira you’d think this band must be influenced by Japanese pop culture and listening their debut EP ‘Japanese Frequencies’ confirms it. As the record progresses it’s clear that their sound is anathema to the neat generic categories of western pop music. It is a wonderfully mutant, hybrid thing that manages to be utterly cool, whilst still possessing an unpretentious playful quirkiness. The record shares more than just a name with Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s ground-breaking anime, possessing a similar stylishness, epic scope and moments of profound, rapturous intensity.

Akira’s three members - Sarah, Joel and Gbenga - share vocal duties and each play a number of instruments, which along with their eclectic incorporation of glitchy electronic elements and distorted bass lines, gives their music a surprising depth and texture. Their ‘ambidextrous’ approach also adds a great deal of variety to their sound - from the poppy chorus of opening track ‘Hard Feelings’, reminiscent of Arcade Fires, through ‘Tickertape’ with its lucid guitars and intense drumming, and the fuzzy synth interlude that is ‘God’s Warning to the People of England’, there’s a staggering scope expressed on this humble four track recording. The whole thing climaxes with ‘End#’, a stunningly melodic seven minute electronica soundscape, complete with a Boards of Canada-esque computerised vocal sample, rhythmic drums and soaring digital strings, which brings to mind nothing short of the cataclysmic ending of Akira itself, in which Tetsuo Shima transformation brings about the destruction/rebirth of Neo-Tokyo.

www.myspace.com/akiraband