Having a Lark

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 18 November 2006
Lark
Razbliuto!
Home to a world of diverse cultures South Africa is in an excellent position to produce truly original music. Cape Town band Lark’s debut album Razbliuto! captures 13 compositions that are unlike anything available on the market. Apparently the band claim to be carving out a new genre, entitled glitch opera. Razbliuto! is a dark, almost gothic, electronica release. It fuses unconventional electronic beats with somewhat traditional instruments, played unconventionally, with a classically trained female vocalist. I am impressed by this release. It is very well produced and ushers in a new standard in South African creative musical expression. The release is however quite demanding of the listener, which is of course not a bad thing, but for this reason I feel it might not go down well with mainstream audiences, but for aficionados of intelligent, original art Razbliuto! should persuade the most discerning of critics.

The Strays find a home

Originally published in the Saturday Star, 18 November 2006
The Strays
Le Futur Noir
Le Futur Noir is The Strays’ debut release. The band is fronted by Toby Marriott, son of the late Small Faces and Humble Pie frontman Steve Marriott. After self-admittedly squandering away a hefty inheritance on drugs and revelry, Marriott is attempting to regain his dignity and reconstruct a semblance of a life through this new punk rock offering. Le Futur Noir references a ’70s punk sound, blending the influences of the reggae/ska-infused The Clash with the more brutal and aggressive Sex Pistols. The songs are upbeat short bursts of energy, at times anthemic, at times discordant, and mostly enjoyable. The band suggestively flirt with political association, through their lyrics, song titles and album artwork, yet are not as forthright as these might initially suggest. Still, the lyrics are admittedly more thought provoking than most of what can be heard on the radio. This is essentially a good rock album.

A collection of Third Eye Blind’s best

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 11 November 2006
Third Eye Blind
A Collection
Third Eye Blind are a San Francisco post grunge / college rock band that have managed to attain mainstream success yet still maintain credibility. A Collection chronicles their career with highlights from the three albums the band have released since the late 1990s. It is noteworthy that of the 19 tracks on this album almost every song has received a significant amount of radio-play, rendering most of them instantly recognisable. Fusing mature songwriting techniques with pop sensibilities, catchy guitar riffs, clever chorus hooks and an impressionably talented group of musicians, the band have managed to amass a strong following. The release might not appeal to avid fans of the band as it does not include any new compositions or rarities, but to people who enjoyed singles such as, among others, Semi-charmed Life, Never Let You Go and Deep Inside of You, it will serve as an enjoyable compilation of everything that makes Third Eye Blind remarkable.

Roots rock at the Bo

Went to the Bohemian on Thursday to catch good friend, and now a member of ‘the familia’, Lu perform as the Roots Rock Rebel. Lu previously led the band Thirteen, but has since disbanded the group and is currently performing some of his solo material. Basically Lu gets up on stage accompanied only by his Epiphone Sheraton II, and delivers a very intimate and personal set. It takes a lot of guts to do what he’s doing, but he’s very passionate about his work and it comes through in his performance. I was impressed.

On the night, I was also highly impressed by a band called The Black Hotels (Check out The Black Hotels on MySpace). They performed after Lu, and in a way reignited my faith in the South African indie rock scene. The Black Hotels have apparently been together for about eight months. The group comprises four members, two guitarists, of which one also handles lead vocals, a bassist (backing vocalist) and a drummer. The band have a laid back Teenage Fanclub, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Arcade Fire sort of vibe. They also included a Velvet Underground cover in their set. Their music is mature, and does not necessarily try too hard to fit in to any specific genre. I get the impression the members are just honestly making music they enjoy, and not just trying to impress a certain market. The Black Hotels are refreshing, tight, and a pleasure to listen to. I found the audience enjoyed the set as much as I.

Jim Neversink ‘headlined’ the evening, and it was unfortunate. This is the first time I watched this much touted (here and here) band and was highly disappointed. Unlike The Black Hotels, this band’s music is in no way easy on the ear. They’re alternative-country with a punk edge. The band do however employ an interesting array of instruments – an accordion at times, an acoustic base, electric guitar, slide guitar at times, violin at times, and a drummer. Unfortunately I don’t think the band gels well. I think their songwriting is weak and desperate, and they are fronted by a terrible lead vocalist who can at points be very crass in his lyrics and asides. Check out Jim Neversink on MySpace.

The evening was well attended. There was a R30 cover charge. Bands started at nine.

Youth Group a worthwhile gamble

Originally published in the Saturday Star, 29 October 2006
Youth Group
Casino Twilight Dogs
Youth Group must be one of Australia best kept secrets. Casino Twilight Dogs is the third album from this Sydney-based indie-rock band, and it’s epic. They have received acclaim for their remake single of Alphaville’s Forever Young, which has been included on this album, but it’s unfortunate that this track has been the band’s most successful single as Youth Group’s other compositions are creatively competent. Lyricist / vocalist Toby Martin makes full use of his airy, melancholic vocal talents delivering empathetic, insightful, quirky, original lyrics over mostly quiet, subdued guitar based melodies. Martin combines the lyrical dexterity of Stephen Malkmus of Pavement with the harmonic charms of Michael Stipe of REM. Musically the band reference the same sound, which makes for an interesting dynamic.

Mercury drops for Mercury Rev

Originally published in the Saturday Star, 22 October 2006
Mercury Rev – The Essential
Stillness breathes
This release captures Mercury Rev’s career from 1991 until 2006. It was in Europe where this US-based band first found a fan base within the indie circuit. The CD is a double disc. The first disc attempts to capture the ‘best of’ its offerings in the past 15 years but it’s so painful to listen to that one wonders about the quality of the rest of their work. The music is very psychedelic and trippy, a kind of orchestrated chaos in which melodies are hard to find and often not there at all. The band’s vocals are atrocious – and you can’t help but cringe. The second disc highlights the band’s rambling experimentation with a garbled collection of odd poetry recitals and bad reinterpretations of covers including Beatles and John Lennon material. It’s quite dubious that a band that releases their “essential” collection would include their experimental catalogue.