|
British India - Guillotine |
|
Written by Paul Zachary
|
|
Friday, 30 May 2008 18:17 |
|
 I shouldn't have judged Melbourne, Australia band British India by their cover. The mod grafiti and modern font would lead me to expect some slow, introspective indie rock. Perhaps there would be some jaunty hand-clapping, or some call and response vocals. But no, I would have been completely wrong. British India's 2007 début album, Guillotine, is an intense, high-energy guitar rock album. Reaching #4 on the AIR Chart in July 2007, and selected by the Triple J as a featured album, Guillotine received press attention in its native Australia, but not very much outside. That's regrettable, because there is not very much guitar rock being made these days that's worth writing home about.
"Black & White Radio" starts the album off hard and doesn't let up. Fast guitars, heavy drums, and strong vocals let you know that British India mean business. But the whole album isn't hard rock: the next track, "Tie Up My Hands," is certainly more full-on than anything on a Camera Obscua album, but it is also tempered by great lyrics. "Run The Red Light" is the most recognisably indie track, and wouldn't be out of place on a Klaxons album. But the standout is "Russian Roulette," which manages to combine all the disparate sounds on the album and combine them into something great. Each and every track is unique and high-energy. It could well be that British India are taking the mantlepiece from Sunny Day Real Estate — let's just hope that unlike their predecessors their first album isn't their last. |
|
Konono N°1 - Congotronics |
|
Written by Paul Zachary
|
|
Thursday, 29 May 2008 20:38 |
|
 No country has failed quite as spectacularly as Congo. The sweaty heart of Africa barely makes the headlines, unless it is another tale of tragedy. But Congo is also unique in that has one of the largest, most developed, and most sophisticated music industries in Africa. Its musicians are legendary throughout the continent, and its musical exports can be heard in African clubs from Brussels to New York.
It is from the post-independence chaos that Congolese group Konono N°1 — short for "L'orchestre foklorique tout puisant Konono N°1 de Mingledi," let it never be said that the Congolese are demure — formed in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, in the late 1970's by Mawangu Mingiedi, a truckdriver from near the Angolan border. Mingiedi based his music around the likembé, a traditional instrument that is plucked. Konono N°1's 2005 album, Congotronics, is one of the few albums by a Congolese artist to be recorded in a professional studio. It is a very musically simple recording: most of its songs feature several electric likembés with varying amount of background instrumentation and vocals. While the album is fairly evenly well done, "Kule Kule" stands out for its quiet rhythms and gentleness. "Paradiso" is the higest energy track, with frenetic likembé playing, whistles, drumming, and vocals. It is truly a shame that more is not heard from Congo. Literally. |
|
|
Written by Paul Zachary
|
|
Wednesday, 28 May 2008 19:31 |
|
 Agoria is like a dirty martini made with cheap vodka: jagged, rough, raw, but once you hit play, it'll get you dancing in no time flat. And also just like a vodka martini, after its effects ware off, you'll regret having it until the next time you feel like indulging. Because Agoria's 2003 album, Blossom, is a masterfully crafted post-disco album that is full of sassy hooks and seductive vocals.
Unlike other French acts that have tried to re-interpret disco, like François K, Agoria stays away from making everything sound too glossy. Nothing on the album sounds like it was crafted to be played in airport waiting lounges. "Spinach Girl," a collaboration with singer Sylvie Marks, is a sex anthem: the rhythm is just perfect, and Marks' voice is sultry enough to seduce, yet sounds just enough like a robot to be unique. I mean, it's not often that you hear robots crooning that they're "waiting with anticipation" while moaning. "Worth It" is another stand out. Despite the electronic background, it is one of the least disco-influenced songs on the album. But that being said, vocalist Ann Saunderson's voice adds depth to this sad song. And at the end of the album, there is a real treat: a collaboration with Tricky on the song "2thausand3." It sounds like the original and brilliant Massive Attack, with electronic distortion galore and poetic yet somewhat nonsensical lyrics. But not to be outdone, the album closes with "La Onzième Marche," a high pace track that stands up to the earlier faster tracks on the album. France's Agoria has something to be truly proud of in his debut album. |
|
New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom |
|
Written by Paul Zachary
|
|
Tuesday, 27 May 2008 16:44 |
|
 Few bands can do catchy electro like New Young Pony Club. It almost seems like a rule now that every band that puts out a great single will flop when it comes to creating an entire album, spending eight to 10 tracks trying in vain to create different variations on the sound that got them enough attention to even get an album. So it is extremely lucky for humanity that London-based New Young Pony Club translated their 2006 eponymous three track EP into their 2007 studio release, Fantastic Playroom.
Fantastic Playroom is a rocket launcher of an album. From start to finish, each of its 40 minutes is high-energy and incredibly catchy without sounding at all monotonous. In fact, writing about the album is made somewhat difficult by the fact that almost every track could be a single. But "Ice Cream," full of strange and hilarious ice cream sexual references ("I can be the sauce you crave / drink me like a liquor") launched New Young Pony Club's EP into infamy, and it also leads off the album. That is followed by "The Bomb," which somehow manages to merge 50's roller skate pop with British dancehall. Don't ask, but it works. But if anything, the album is working towards a climax with the final track, "Tight Fit," which is arguably one of the best rock songs written recently. |
|
May 2008
There are so many beauiful voices out there, that it is lucky when one emerges above the froth and puts out an album: let alone an album that gets as much attention as American singer-songwriter 