Reviews

WEEKLY REVIEWS FOR MAY 4th 2004

Review Index

I am also Assistant Editor & reviewer at MetalUK.

I also contribute reviews to getreadytorock

Recent reviews include
Rush - Chronicles (The Video Collection)
Deep Purple - The Early Years
Damageplan - New Found Power
Whitesnake - The Early Years

You will also find some reviews at spacerock.co.uk

The Rocker
New releases from;
Superczar - Pop Art
Various - Further Adventures of the Telepathic Explorers
When's The Future - Then
And many more....

 

New Reviews

THE BEES | MARTHA LIPTON | AETHER | STEVE RUDD | BIG BIG TRAIN |

The Bees - Wash In The Rain

It's been ages since their Mercury Prize -nominated album 'Sunshine Hit Me', first brought the name of The Bees into the public domain, and they seem to have wilfully retreated from it over the last couple of years. But they're back, and it's with a great deal of pleasure that I can proclaim 'Wash In The Rain' as their best yet.

It's got that warm, fuzzy 1967 summer vibe, as mastered by the Kinks and the Small Faces, urging you to crash out in a field and let the world pass you by. Which is lovely. An addictive riff and delicious harmony vocals straight out of the Hollies psychedelic phase, underpinned by a delightful organ sound and a Blues Magoos keyboard solo, make you want to put it on an eternal loop.

Away from the main songs sing along chorus, there's a live version of 'Nothin'. Which is where they do their John Mayall crossed with Spencer Davis blues jam thing to great effect.

Martha Lipton - Blissville

This is certainly a wide ranging and esoteric set of tunes from Ms Lipton.

The tracklisting on "Blissville" gives the game away, for not only do you get the title of each song, but also the genre it comes from. So you get a taste of everything from tango to jazz and blues, and all points in between.

While this gives Martha the opportunity to shine, it makes it difficult to treat as a complete piece of work. This would work superbly as an audition CD but with such a range of styles on display the casual listener might find themselves floundering.

A bit of judicious shuffling on the CD player makes a difference, and I do like a lot of what's on offer. She also has a great voice but concentrating on a couple of styles might reap richer dividends .

There is a warm and welcoming feel to a lot of the music that makes you want to come back.

The highlights are many, but spend some time with "All Over You," a song I keep on returning to.

Aether - In Between the Frames

Aether inhabit the space where art and music collide. This Columbus trio derive inspiration from painters like Pollock and play music incorporating what they describe as ‘electronic/ techno elements in a post-rock setting drawing on concepts of the avant-garde and 20th century composers’ (like Varese and Webber).
The bass/ keys player Oren Shai says the music is more cerebral than gutsy but I’m not entirely sure about that for there is certainly a big connection on the visceral plain with soundscapes as evocative and accessible as, say Baddalamenti or Slow Dive. Indeed elsewhere on their web site it is commented upon that the music is not just cerebral but deeply felt and intensely personal and emotive- I would go along with that.
Everything about this album is stunning. Four 7-8 minutes tracks are more than enough, anything more might become overpowering, too much of a good thing! ‘Gorecki Revisited’ is instantly ear catching, a stunning opener that just gets better and better with each listen. ‘Phase’ is slightly less demonstrative but equally satisfying. ‘Red Maroon’ is a masterpiece built on the foundation of that simplest of devices, the scale. It could and should go on forever. 5 minutes in there is some very eerie organ that is quickly deluged by some thunderous drumming by Christian Volpe. The same eerie organ notes take us out. Paul Carney’s guitar is verging on the dischordant but is never so- there is a remarkable melodic drive throughout that is unusual in such adventurous music. (I have Jerry Kranitz to thank for introducing me to this track and to Aether on his marvellous radio show ‘Aural Innovations’).
‘Waltz for Sophia’ is, as the title suggests, quite tranquil and beautiful. I was reminded of many things I had heard in the past but realised my search was in vain for this music is totally unique.
I wish I had more time to write down all my impressions and to delve a bit further but suffice to say this CD will never be far away from my CD player in the coming weeks and months. I think I am becoming one of Aether’s biggest fans already!

Review by Phil Jackson

Steve Rudd - Acoustic Philososphy EP

We first encountered Mr Rudd on the compilation album 'YEAH, IT'S SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE THAT...'. And now here's a loverly EP all of his own.

The first thing you have to get to grips with is his unique vocal styling. Imagine if you will an even more insane Kurt Cobain, combined with Simply Kid and a touch of Will Oldham. It takes some ear adjustment, but it is worth it.

Four tracks here - 'Saddest Girl Ever,' 'Sleight of Hand,' 'Bone China' & 'Everything's Original'. All very lo-fi, yes that is the sound of someone at the door, homemade vibe. But the songs are emotional, they're romantic and they're very unique. All laudable. Not in the trad verse-chorus-verse idiom either.

Some of the melodic hooks catch you all unaware, and are all the more luverly for it. Once you get used to their unexpected arrival that is. None of your eight beats to the bar nonsense here. Always interesting, and that's something to hold onto in our increasingly banal world. Top tune? Definitely 'Saddest Girl Ever'.

Big Big Train - Gathering Speed

Big Big Train have been on the go, in various permutations, since 1989, although this is only their fourth 'proper' release (excluding demos such as "From The River to the Sea" and "The Infant Hercules"). Picking themselves up from their dissolution after their last CD, "Bard" they've created something very special on "Gathering Speed".

They adopt a very traditional British progressive approach to their music, with hints of Jadis, IQ, Galahad and Pendragon mixed in with their own unique stylings. Unusually, they intersperse the traditional instrumentation with layers of acoustic guitar and piano, but all the requisite time signatures are in place for those in ned of a full on prog fix..

"Gathering Speed" is a fully fledged concept album - set in the summer of 1940, it tells the story of a fighter pilot whose Spitfire is seen to fall out of the sky, shot down during a combat patrol. The Battle of Britain was fought by a small number of brave, skilled, motivated men, with incredible heroism being shown by the pilots on both sides. It was a desperate struggle and the stakes could not have been higher; the historical importance of the Battle cannot be overstated. However, it is the personal experiences of the Fighter Boys of 1940 which are explored by the songs on Gathering Speed.

Everything gells superbly, with the songs and musicians in outstanding form. So many of the nuances lift this CD, especially Laura Murch on backing vocals. See the album highlight "Fighter Command" for the full effect. This is one for those who yearn for the old days of Porcupine Tree and the new days of Pineapple Thief. Superb.