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Weekly Reviews For June 11, 2006

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I am Managing Editor at Metal4Life

I also contribute reviews to getreadytorock

I am also featured reviewer at spacerock.co.uk

I was Editor & reviewer at MetalUK.

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Seventythree - Mad Professor

I'm easily confused, so fora brief moment there I couldn't work out why hippity-hopper Mad Professor had released a cover version of an unreleased INXS song from their brief acid jazz phase. Then I read the press release and reason dawned.

It turns out that Seventythree have released a cover version of an unreleased INXS song called "Mad Professor". Which makes more sense although as no-one apart from me still listens to Corduroy and Heliocentric World I'm not sure what the market is. Especially as only three of us bought the records first time around.
No matter how bouncy, bright and summery this is, I suspect you'll never hear it. Which is a shame.

The Heise Bros - Listen & Learn With


This may be the first album from the Heise Bros but as they've already recorded eight albums with their band, Munkey Juice, they're hardly recording novices.

The boys say that they purposefully set out to write more intimate and personal songs in the acoustic / folk rock genre, and at its best, they've succeeded. The bes tincludes "Dust", "Names" and "As Good As It Gets", when they generate a warmth that compels you to listen.

In other places they get dragged down a generic indie rock sidetrack with neither the songs nor the arrangements leaping out at you, but when they get it right as on album highlight "Whisper Yesterday", it's a delight.

Lars Boutrup - Music For Keyboards

And now, ladies and gentlemen, all the way from denmark, Europe - Mr Lars Boutrup! Which is a wholly inappropriate way of introducing this refined album of instrumental, prog electronica.

It comes as no surprise to learn that Lars has worked in the classical field and that of silent movie music as, at its best, there is a cinematic, sweeping feel to his sound.

It covers a wide range from the bouncy "Agent Orange" through the bombastic "The Day After" and into the album highlight, the organ heavy "Emersong" - yes, really. Nearly as good is the nine minute album closer, the portentous "Rockall".
For fans of keyboard driven prog this should give much pleasure.

Giants Of Science - Here Is The Punishment

Science and Australians. Surely something the word oxymoron was invented for. But it transpires that the Giants Of Science are no exceptionally tall scientists, rather a hard driving indie rock band. So there you go. Any visions of test tube wielding colossi bestriding the outback must be firmly put away.

And the opening, title track, is a sure fire emteevil2 winner, the kind of tune that 'the kids' would lap up if they got the chance. And they're no one trick pony, as the squalling fuzz rock of "Zodak (Evil Cosmic Enforcer)" testifies.

I kept on waiting for this album to get a bit rubbish and slump into bog standard indie, but the Giants Of Science just keep on keeping on, hitting me with one good song after another, each just quirky enough to be interesting, but stopping short of the dreaded 'see me, I'm kooky me' trap.

Bar an unfortunate, lamentable rewrite of "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves" and a brief mid album lull, this is a rare treat. Like fellow scientists, We Are and OK GO, this is an example of how good indie rock can be when it stops sniffing the decaying arse of Morrissey long enough to write quality material.

Randy Weston & His African Rhythms Trio - Zep Tepi

Randy Weston has spent over 50 years connecting the dots between jazz and its African source material. Now in his 80th year he's returned to where he began - as pianist in a jazz trio. However, he's maintaining his anthropoligical view by linking up with a percussionist using African instrumentation, instead of a traditional drummer, something that lifts thematerial on up.

The best piece of the lot is the opening number, "Blue Moon" which simply sparkles. But there are plenty of other highlights with the delicate "The Healers" and the funky "Portrait Of Frank Edward Weston" running it close.

Lowdrive - Something New


Does the world really need another Feeder? I suspect not, for Feeder went from promising to mundane to pants in the blink of an eye.

Luckily for Lowdrive (and me) they're still at the interesting, potentially good stage of their career, even if the lead track is a bit Snow Patrol (and how lamentable are they!).

It's on AA side "Love Will Come" that a few hairs start to prickle on the back of the neck. A quick internet search assures me that Sandra Bullock isn't in the country, so it must have been the music, man, when fragility and emotion started to peek through.

Enjoy before they turn into Doves Jr (ugh).