https://www.cluas.com/indie-music RSS feeds for CLUAS Irish Indie Music 60 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/543/Milk-Maid-Yucca#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=543 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=543&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/543/Milk-Maid-Yucca Review Snapshot: An uninspiring new project from Nine Black Alps' former bass player Martin Cohen, Yucca's fuzz-pop is tedious and unengaging. The Cluas Verdict? 4 out of 10 Full Review: At a time when British rock music was feeling pretty good about itself as a slew of post-Libertine style bands dropped records of varying quality to the enthusiastic music press, Nine Black Alps were something of an anomaly. Most apparent was that, unlike most of his contemporaries, singer Sam Forrest didn’t perform in a heavily-accented style. Instead he drained any evidence of their Mancunian roots from his voice as the band looked to early-nineties grunge music for inspiration. Their output was sometimes absorbing, but these footpath-crumbling rock anthems didn’t sit well next to Franz Ferdinand’s disco stomps or Maximo Park’s choppy pop that were fashionable at the time. Despite some initial positive write-ups for their first album Everything Is, Nine Black Alps were for the most part ignored. But that era is over. The UK music press are scratching about for new movements. Having finally decided that British rock music no longer needed Oasis some five years ago, now they once again look to Liam Gallagher to move issues and his new band Beady Eye have graced every rock publications cover, sometimes more than once. Meanwhile, editors and journalists were almost apologetic for building significant hype around The Vaccines, realigning their opinions before their debut record even dropped. All in all, British indie needs a re-up. Perhaps sensing a tide change, Martin Cohen, Nine Black Alps’ former bassist (described as being on an indefinite hiatus from the band), has cut a record that goes slightly further back in time than the band’s major influences. Now under the name Milk Maid, he looks to My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain-style shoegaze and fuzz-pop for inspiration. Nostalgic it may be, with revivalists like The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Asobi Seksu and Wavves sparking a full-blown fuzzy renaissance felt both sides of the Atlantic, for once Cohen’s timing might be just right. Coming in a sprightly 31 minutes, covering 11 tracks, Yucca is a short sprint of gentle melodies over coarse and hazy instrumentals. Recorded in Cohen’s flat, the album does have a sleepy, bedroom feel, but rather than dreamy, the whole project feels lethargic and dull. Like Cohen needed to open a window so breeze could blow the dust off his dreary compositions. On ‘Oh’, for example, the melody follows the lazy, chugging guitar lead note for note. Single ‘Not Me’ rides a familiar chord progression and well-worn tune, all of which is fuzzed up unnaturally with a gritty guitar solo thrown in just for good measure. On both tracks Cohen turns the vocal effects way up and his transparent singing gets lost into the instrumental. Fans of Forrest’s boisterous baritone will find little to enjoy in Cohen’s twee vocals. For the most part he drains his voice of any real melody, using indistinguishable mumblings as an instrument. And when he does allow sense to be made of his voice, the lyrics are often lacklustre. The folky ‘Girl’ sports the cleanest vocal, but is a disappointingly clichéd and passionless tale of fish-out-of-water romance. Redeeming tracks throughout most of the album are few and far between. ‘Dead Wrong’ is tight, jaunty and charming, but the album’s final quarter is actually its strongest. There’s a welcomed change of pace with the fist-pumping ‘Back of Your Knees’. Despite its name ‘Sad Song’ is an enjoyable, ramshackle pop tune, while closer ‘Someone You Thought You Forget’ is a sweet, drum-less trance. But Yucca just sounds too contrived for recommendation.  Cohen’s clearly a student of fuzz-pop but he’s followed the user manual a little too closely, allowing any personality he might have to become lost in the recreation. My Bloody Valentine might have been a starting point, but this is love-less in a whole different way. Dean Van Nguyen Tue, 31 May 2011 22:36:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:543 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/277/Beach-House-Teen-Dream#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=277 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=277&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/277/Beach-House-Teen-Dream A review of the album 'Teen Dream' by Beach House Review Snapshot: Beach House's third album is a full of gentle melodies, rich in Autumn tones, and heavy on guitar reverb. Business as usual then. The CLUAS verdict? 6 out of 10 Full Review: Teen Dream sees the proverbial “double edged sword” swinging right back in Beach House’s direction with the same amount of force and velocity that Devotion, their sophomore album, generated in 2008. That’s the drawback of having a sound so distinctive - escaping it can be problematic. On album number 3 they all too comfortably slide back into their groove, creating an album that sounds like a straight forward continuation of their previous work. Like an old pair of slippers that become so familiar you couldn’t remember what colour they were without taking a sneaky glance, Teen Dream fits the band a little too snugly. Their trademark sound of cheap organs, heavily-reverbed guitars, drum machines and Victoria Legrand’s pretty and unmistakable voice are all still present and all still sound great. So much so that I feel a little harsh giving it a somewhat negative review, seeing as it’s an equally strong set as their previous album, which whirled around my CD player as much as any disc in 2008. My relationship with Devotion was the classic romance. Love, infatuation, plenty of good times and, ultimately, break up – all within a couple of months. I’ve since moved on, only spinning the album occasionally for nostalgia. But Teen Dream feels like the lover who just can’t let go. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty here to admire. The production quality continues to improve album to album, and is richer than ever before. The opening three tracks may be the strongest the band ever laid down next to one another. Opener ‘Zebra’ sets the tone with Alex Scally’s optimistic guitar loops, and Legrand’s punched out vocals on the chorus. “Any way you run, you run before us. Black and white horse arching among us,” she croons with the sweeping intensity the lyrics suggest. Regaling the listener with their hazy, autumn charm has always been effortless for Beach House, and they are uniformly brilliant on the reverb saturated ‘Silver Soul’ and ‘Norway’ which benefits greatly from an increase in tempo.  Frustratingly the second half of the record struggles to impose itself, and the band begin to sound like they’re in autopilot. A common side-effect of a lack of growth is the assumption that following the same formula that has worked in the past is guaranteed to succeed. Not so. ‘Lover of Mine’ for instance sports a well worn melody that’s lazily sung and Scally’s wishy-washy riff is totally forgettable. Likewise, the gentle taps on an out-of-tune piano does little to leave an impression on ‘Real Love’. Side B isn’t without a highlight though, and what a highlight! ‘10 Mile Stereo’ follows the “quiet to loud” formula, opening with shimmering guitars and Legrand’s elegant melody before escalating to a dreamy, cymbol heavy wonderland, the singer’s wonderful vocal never allowing itself to be drowned out by the epic arrangement. So while Teen Dream often satisfies, my main gripe is that it treads much the same lines as its predecessors. Indeed, ‘Used to Be’ dates back to 2008 but effortlessly slides into position here without damaging the album’s continuity. Beach House are trapped in a cage of their own creation, becoming robotically efficient at creating good, but similar albums, seemingly fearful of wandering too far from the winning formula. When this happens inevitably your affection is always centred on the first one you discovered – Devotion in my case. But this is their first release on indie powerhouse label Subpop and will undoubtedly shift more units that their other records, meaning the beginning are many more great love affairs. For me, there is no movement in any direction here. Without movement bands – like relationships – will inevitably shrivel and die.  Dean Nguyen More ... Dean Van Nguyen Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:277 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/311/Super-Furry-Animals-Dark-Days-Light-Years#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=311 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=311&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/311/Super-Furry-Animals-Dark-Days-Light-Years A review of the album 'Dark Days / Light Years' by Super Furry Animals The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10 Full Review: A few months ago I compiled a playlist of my favourite Super Furry Animals’ tracks stretching back to their debut Fuzzy Logic right through to their most recent effort Hey Venus! Listening on shuffle, what struck me was the consistency in their back catalogue's sound. Every song happily stood by the next, as if they all could have appeared on the same record. SFA have been remarkably consistent in terms of their sound and the quality of their output, a trait that is exceptionally rare these days. Remember this is a band that formed around the same time Radiohead cut Pablo Honey. A band that has seen the rise and fall of so called “generation defining bands” like The Libertines, and one that has outlasted just about all of their Britpop contemporaries they were once called the alternative to. After sixteen years, nine albums, and four record labels, they may be the same cheeky Welsh boys, but Super Furry Animal's wide eyed, humorous style of psychedelic pop is still as refreshing as ever. Indeed, if you listen close enough you can almost hear them snigger in the background. Laughing at the world for allowing them to be rock stars. No one this successful should be having so much fun right? While there is a consistency to their work, they never simply repeat themselves. Dark Days / Light Years is a complete flipside to their last effort, the super lightweight 'Hey Venus!' Mood wise it scurries away from the light, stalking the darker corners of their psychedelic sound. Opener ‘Crazy Naked Girls’ is an indulgent, rock jam. Opening with weird, stuttering beats and winding upwards to some sizable riffs, it’s the most immediately memorable track on the album, partly down to the straight forward screaming of “crazy, crazy naked girls” for a hook. But it’s a bit of an anomaly since nothing else on Dark Days / Light Years is as brash. Things settle down a touch with ‘Mt.’, a half decent pop song, but hampered by part time singer Cian Ciaran’s gentle vocals conflicting with the sizeable sting section. The album is a slow starter, but vindicates itself with a five star run in the second act. The best track here is the eight minute, prog epic ‘Cardiff in the Sun’. Abusing their squealing guitars to a near hypnotic level, under band leader Gruff Rhys’ haunting, but alluring vocals, the song offers some genuinely jarring moments. I hope when the band cut their career-spanning compilation someday, they have the balls to make ‘Cardiff in the Sun’ the opening track. It’s followed by the curiously titled ‘The Very Best of Neil Diamond’. The moody drum and bass dares the Eastern influenced guitars into to keep up with Rhys’ soothing vocals effectively a peace keeper between the two, until they all get swept away by the assault of a cranked up guitar solo. After the darkness, the light the album title alludes to is allowed to shine. As you might suggest from its name, ‘Helium Hearts’ is a one of the few lightweight tracks. ‘White Socks / Flip Flops’ is a highlight. Its chopped guitar chords chug along nicely, backed up with plenty of cowbell, and a sweet melody. Less impressive though is the closing track, the unfortunately titled ‘Pric’ (apologies to our Welsh readers), a kind of nine minute studio experiment that seems tacked on to the rest of the album. Listening to SFA you’d be forgiven for thinking this rock & roll thing isn’t brain surgery. All you have to do is get your mates, form a band, and have a laugh doing it. Not so simple of course, but whatever their formula, these guys have been quietly carving out their own corner in modern rock history. It's nine albums, nine hits in my opinion. And I can’t wait for the next nine. Dean Van Nguyen More ... Dean Van Nguyen Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:311 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/145/Spinnerette-live-in-London#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=145 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=145&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/145/Spinnerette-live-in-London Spinnerette (live in 02 Islington Academy, London) A scan over Queens of the Stone Age's Wikipedia page reveals no fewer than nineteen groups considered to be 'associated acts', including Spinnerette, the latest vehicle for former Distellers frontwoman Brody Dalle. The association here is that Dalle is married to Queen's main man Josh Homme and by mentioning this I've committed a cardinal sin in the eyes of her superfans, who will immediately make the point that her career was a success before the two's union. This is true, and I apologise to those fans who turned up to see the new band perform at London's O2 Islington Academy, including the friend who accompanied me (who is a superfan, as well as being my main reason for being at the gig). But my point is that on early evidence, while Spinnerette might be pigeonholed into this clutch of acts, they have the potential to be one of the better ones on Homme's speed dial. The scene for their first ever gig in the UK was the O2 Islington Academy. It's a slickly run venue located in the heart of North London, with bars on either side of the room ensuring short queuing times for drinks and a high risen stage making for good visibility. Opening for Spinnerette were the uninspiring Chapman Family and Future of the Left, only really noteworthy for the Chapman Family's frontman smashing his guitar (note to The Chapman Family: it loses the mystique if you come back out and check the guitars ok after the sets finished) and Future of the Left burning some hecklers with crude, but hilarious retorts. Dalle and co strutted on to stage with minimum fuss, opening with a couple of tracks from the group's EP Ghetto Love. The short punk, punch of 'Valium Knights' and the Stooges throwback 'Bury My Heart' brought the crowd to boiling point and they never lost that energy. Away from Ghetto Love, the band also presented a number of new songs which I assume will be on their debut album released this May. 'Driving Song', as the title suggests is a standard enough rocker. Plenty of guitar layers hide its shortcomings, probably making it a decent album track. 'Cupid' was also particularly enjoyable. You know what you're going to get when Dalle promises a song is about "f**king your man" and the front woman didn't disappoint, sliding around stage in her tight outfit and heels to the delight of the male audience. She was in fine form, at first opting to play guitar but for the most part strutting around stage, sometimes relying on her elbows, knees or back to give her movement. New single 'Sex Bomb' expectedly got the loudest cheer. Dalle's love letter to sixties pop still sparkles despite it's well worn melody thanks to Tony Bevilacqua's cranked up power chords and her crooning make it especially appealing live. The gig ended in a haze of confusion when Dalle disappeared into the crowd. Bevilacqua looked concerned as she urged those who swarmed around her to "back the f**k up" before being smuggled backstage. I heard from some girls on the subway home that she had leapt in to crowd surf but landed on some skinny teenager girls who couldn't hold her weight. The house lights went on almost instantly bringing an abrupt end to the evening. It was somewhat anti-climax to what was an exhilarating night. But no matter; this was an evening intended to be a statement of arrival by the newly formed Spinnerette, and one that left me satisfactorily rocked. Dean Van Nguyen More ... Dean Van Nguyen Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:26:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:145 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/378/Erykah-Badu-New-Amerykah-Part-One-4th-World-War#Comments 0 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=36&ModuleID=728&ArticleID=378 https://www.cluas.com:443/indie-music/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=378&PortalID=0&TabID=36 https://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Home/ID/378/Erykah-Badu-New-Amerykah-Part-One-4th-World-War Review of the album 'New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)' by Erykah Badu Review Snapshot: Soul Queen Erykah Badu attempts to tackle black America's political woes and social ills as well as jump start the genre with an ambitious prog-soul disc, the first in a two part series. In the world of iTunes and .99c tracks, this is an old fashioned album harking back memories of Curtis Mayfield leading the listener to realise that the more the world changes, the more the problems remain the same. The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10 Full Review: If anyone looks uncomfortable in the era they were born its Erykah Badu. She remains so firmly routed in the 70s her records sound like uncovered gems from back in the day, before R&B’s soulful grooves were replaced radio friendly, bass heavy club anthems. In a world where being an R&B artist usually means you’re black and you sing pop songs, singers who display that indescribable characteristic “soul” are so rare today that when one is discovered they are revered. So at one end of the spectrum you have Rihanna with her bubblegum gimmick R&B, and then at the opposite end of the there is Badu, who is gifted with many of the attributes that made the 70s such a golden age for soul music. Blessed with a voice comparable to Billie Holiday, and the desire to make smart music like Curtis Mayfield, Badu is reaching for the sort of greatness those artists achieved by releasing two albums this year that promise to unflinchingly tackle social and political issues in America. Staying true to her “analogue girl in a digital world” persona, 'New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)' is an old fashioned, ambitious neo-soul record working best when judged as an album than any individual tracks. Even connoisseurs of the genre will need patience to fully enjoy this record, as it takes multiple listens to unravel its complexities and absorb its messages. 'New Amerykah Part One' is cinematic in scope and dripped in all the nostalgia of a seventies Blaxploitation flick right down to the authentic sounding record scratches. Opener “Amerykahn Promise” alone sounds like it has been plucked straight from a Pam Grier movie with its funked up “wah-wah” guitars, blustery horns and a deepened Prince-esque narration thrown in for good measure. Equally the anti-drugs tale “The Cell” brings to mind images of pushers, pimps, afros and bellbottoms. The throwback production is provided by established alt-hip hop producers such as Madlib and James Poyser, the former providing the albums most delicate, spooky beats which establish a light canvas for Badu to flood with colour and make no mistake, she is an exceptional singer. Dark, yet playful, she soulfully skips on top of the music which treads the lines of different classic soul genres. Badu doesn’t do fluff, and each track here weighs in with a pretty hefty message, striking a good balance between personal and political. For example on the Madlib produced ‘The Healer’ Badu declares “Hip Hop is bigger than religion”, bringing back memories of John Lennon’s misunderstood statement that compared his band to Jesus. It’s an almost polar opposite approach to a soul record than say the classic Motown sounding Soul-Pop of Amy Winehouse. ‘Me’ is an autobiographical track where Badu lays out her concerns issues like ageing and body image for all to hear in a refreshingly honest way. ‘Telephone’ is a tribute to the late J Dilla. Inspired by stories told by his mother, it’s the most moving song about the life of the popular producer to date. Elsewhere ‘Soldier’ charts a young man dealing drugs on the street and ‘Twinkle’ touches on a range of U.S. failings like health and education. In fact so heavy here is the content that Badu could only find room for the sweeter single “Honey” as a bonus track, which makes a welcomed cameo after the seriousness that has preceded it. It's as if she was too full of ideas and opinions to include it in the main track listings, which is the biggest problem with 'New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)'. Try as she might Badu can’t address the whole world’s problems on one record, but she sure gives it a good try. She’ll have another chance with Part Two which is scheduled for a July release. Although whether she can stretch the concept onto another disc remains to be seen but, being modern soul’s premier artist, her message will always have an audience. Dean Van Nguyen To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here. Check out CLUAS.com's review of Erykah Badu's 2002 concert in Amsterdam. More ... Dean Van Nguyen Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:09:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:378