The Libertines, heroic

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 15 December 2007
The Libertines
Time for Heroes: The Best Of
5/5
Many might have read more about Pete Doherty via excessive media coverage of his relationship with supermodel Kate Moss and his drug abuse then they might have heard of his music. This best of collection pays homage to the beginnings of Doherty’s fame with the indie-rock group The Libertines and it’s a fair summary of what Doherty, alongside co-founder / co-writer and vocalist Carl Barat where capable of during the heights of their youth. At the start of this century they emerged as the UK’s answer to America’s The Strokes, and heavily referencing English cultural icons such as Morissey, The Smiths, The Jam and The Clash they paved the way forward for the British garage rock revival. Though their career didn’t last long, it was long enough to see the group record some fine musical pieces. Time for Hereos, Don’t Look Back into the Sun and Can’t Stand Me Now, all included on this album, are some of these moments that highlight what make the group luminaries. This album wouldn’t interest the die hard Libertine as it includes no previously unreleased or live work and many might feel that a Best of is a bit presumptuous considering the band only ever release two albums, but for those unfamiliar with their work it’s an excellent synopsis.

Jill Scott definitely not the real thing

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 8 December 2007
Jill Scott
The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3
2/5
This album starts out well. Let it Be introduces the musical tone of the album with Scott vocalising different styles of music from soul to hip-hop and rock to reggae. These are all styles that feature throughout this album, and as the song’s title suggests, it might be a message to critics who may feel her musical style has changed too much from previous offerings, which it has. The title track, The Real Thing, and lead single, Hate On Me, are superb album openers. They are strong compositions, confidently delivered and see Scott really open up vocally. Unfortunately, the album doesn’t maintain the momentum initiated by the opening three tracks. As it progresses we reach two tracks which can only be labelled as blatant pornography. On Crown Royal, describing a sexual encounter, Scott delivers the unnecessarily explicit “You’re so big, and so thick”, and in the follow-up to this (another sexual encounter), Epiphany, she eschews the cringe-worthy lines “flip-side stomach meets sheets, and he ploughs inside as if making beets, as if this year’s harvest depended on it”. These two tracks are below par, and further bring down the rest of what is essentially a mediocre album. Though musically The Real Thing is an attempt at maturing her sound, lyrically Scott deals mostly with her divorce from her husband of five years, and though this should work well on a soul/R&B offering, she just doesn’t come across as sincere.

NOFX punk safari

Two days following the Freshlyground performance, I found myself soaked in beer and being wildly jostled around in a very different type of musical performance. I attended the NOFX concert at the Bassline in Newtown, Johannesburg, 12 November 2007. It’s a small venue, with a capacity of 1 000 people which made for a very intimate show. I’m not all too familiar with NOFX’s music, except for their most popular Punk in Drublic album. Punk band NOFX have been around for quite some time, and considering their blatantly excessive lifestyles, still look young, fit and healthy, and definitely know how to put on a good show (despite what they’ll have you believe). Bassist and lead vocalist Fat Mike is quite a comedic character providing a lot of on-stage banter much to the audiences delight. The show was initially delayed somewhat, with the band threatening not to perform, after audience members spat at the band as they walked out (must be a punk thing). But once the culprits had been identified and escorted out by some pretty tough looking NOFX roadies, the band performed with much vigour. Some highlight chirps from Fat Mike included gems such as: “When we play in Asia we play to Asian people. And when we plan in South America we play to South American people. But when we play in Africa we play to European people?!?! (following which they played Kill all the White Man) (another interesting aside is that he mentioned that there were no black people at their Cape Town and Durban performances, but that there were a couple in Jozi); and “We love touring the most fucked up countries in the world, and their most fucked up cities, and Johannesburg is definitely one of the most fucked places we’ve ever been to. We played in Australia once, that was awesome. You guys should go there. Except… you’ve got some good cocaine here.” He also sheepishly admitted that they’d be going on a tour of Soweto tomorrow on a tour bus. And he pointed out that he’d never seen so many long haired guys at a punk performance before, nor had he ever seen a guy with an afro at a punk performance (again, this is Jozi). Throughout the performance Fat Mike continued to drink from various refilled beverages positioned in his own permanent mic-stand cup holder, and seemed to get quite overly intoxicated later in the show, sometimes walking off stage, then being helped back up by his backstage crew. This didn’t hamper the performance of one their last but best songs of the night - Don’t Call Me White. Addressing issues pertaining to the “white” legacy, this song in particular went down well with the South African audience. This was easily one of the best concerts I have attended this year.

NOFX were supported by local ska/punk band Fuzigish. These guys never disappoint, and if you haven’t heard them yet you should visit their MySpace page and listen to some of their tracks (especially Mozambique) and find out when they’ll be performing again.

Tegan and Sara, no sign of a con

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 30 November 2007
Tegan and Sara
The Con
4/5
It’s rare to have identical twins in a band, and even rarer when both are superbly talented musically. This is the Canadian duo of Tegan and Sara. Their retro folk indie-pop sound is welcome in this genre, as it manages to be both original and still incorporating excellent pop hooks that you’ll find yourself repeating. It’s not pop in a Madonna sense, but more in a 80s Cindi Lauper sense. And this is a sound that’s made a surprising comeback of late, one these sisters pull of perfectly. Their latest album is a polished effort. Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie co-produces it with the pair. Matt Sharp, formerly of Weezer, and now of The Rentals fame, lends his talents on the bass on some songs. Although this is their best produced album, the arrangements are simple, belying the depth of their lyricism. Many of the songs the 20-somethings muse upon are sullen laments of unrequited love. Tegan and Sara are not likely to find their way onto local radio stations, mostly because of their alternative sound. Certain songs could be hits on indie dancefloors, while most are more worthy of quiet introspection. What a good album this is though – one definitely worth exploring.

Freshlyground and Neo Muyanga

Local act Freshlyground (pictured left) recently toured South Africa and I had the privilege of attending the Johannesburg, Sandton Convention Centre show on 10 November 2007. Their show was great and this band is really an awesome exportable commodity. They have been likened to Mango Groove, understandably so because of their cross-over appeal and mixing of traditional with western musical styles, and they have the potential to garner as much acclaim as Mango Groove. The show was wonderful.

Opening up for Freshlyground was Neo Muyanga, also known for his work with BLK Sonshine. Muyanga is also a fantastic local talent. He performed solo, mostly on an organ then on a Yamaha Silent Series acoustic guitar. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed his act, especially his solo rendition of Born in a Taxi. Furthermore, I was blown away by the sound of the Silent Series. What an incredible guitar. Muyanga certainly delivered in terms of getting the crowd warmed up for the headlining act, perhaps even outshining them somewhat.

Stereophonics blow the roof off

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 24 November 2007
Stereophonics
Pull the Pin
4/5
In a musical landscape that’s often lacking in quality rock ’n roll, Stereophonics release their sixth album and it’s packed with enough stadium anthems to fill, well… a stadium.
Pull the Pin sees Stereophonics tap into a wall-of-sound, classic rock style made popular by Oasis in their debut album. However, laced with intelligent poignant lyrics, aggressive guitar and Kelly Jones’s characteristic cool-as-ice growl the album should find a place among both younger and older audiences alike. As the title suggests, the album is hard-line in nature, it’s political, but not overtly so, and implying a listen should blow you away. Over guitars turned up to 11, Jones roars his way through the thought provoking opener Soldiers Make Good Targets. The debut single It Means Nothing addresses personal issues surround the July 7 terrorist attacks on London. Other topics addressed include usual rock fodder, ranging from excesses to love. Following their much acclaimed Language.Sex.Violence.Other release, this album is not quite as progressive yet after a few listens proves just as challenging. Ten years into their career, Pull the Pin is as relevant as anything this chart topping Brit-rock band have ever had to offer.

The Click Five mindfully modern

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 17 November 2007
The Click Five
Modern Minds and Pastimes
3/5
The Click Five straddle the line between pop and rock very finely, similar to the way Weezer and the All American Rejects do, but leaning more towards the pop side. This is their second full-length release and the single Jenny is currently enjoying a fair amount of airtime on local radio stations. Modern Minds and Pastimes sees the band embrace commercialism in their sound, much in the way most pop stars do, and depending on whether you think music is an art form or an entertainment money making machine, this technique should serve the band well in their efforts to achieve pop-star fame. There is a wide variety of musical styles on this release, ranging from emo-rock, retro-rock to power-pop, which should find large appeal among mainstream audiences. I find though that the compositions are at times clichéd and that The Click Five are stronger at writing rock songs, which are fairly good on this release, than they are at eighties-type pop songs, which they are quite dismal at. This album however is well delivered, fun and should find an audience among the teen scene.

Ali Campbell running free

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 10 November 2007
Ali Campbell
Running Free
3/5
Ali Campbell’s new solo album, Running Free, is as easy on the ears as any of UB40s previous offerings. This album sees Campbell, the voice of UB40, opting not to diverge from the trademark reggae/dub sound that has found himself and his crew worldwide fame. As UB40 themselves are best known for their re-interpretations of compositions such as Neil Diamond’s Red Red Wine and Elvis Presley’s (I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You, Campbell has on this release incorporated various cover versions alongside some of his own writings. Covered highlights include the Charles and Eddie hit Would I Lie to You, Johnny Nash’s Hold Me Tight and Bob Marley’s Hallelujah Time. But the strongest of all the tracks on this release is a Campbell composition, the title track – Running Free. It is striking composition and is performed with the required conviction so as to be convincing. However, certain performances featured here lack veracity, and the album wanes a little in parts, and the inclusion of various industry stars such as Mick Hucknall and Katie Melua could not incite enough fervour to make this a particularly remarkable release. It is, nonetheless, a fair adult contemporary album to be enjoyed alongside the pool this summer.

Check out I m Justin Taylor

Just by chance, I caught a performance by Justin Taylor a few months ago. I’d never heard of him before, but as it turns out he is an incredible South African musican and I really enjoyed his live set and his tracks on MySpace (especially Cheesy Little Love Song). His music sounds quite heavily influenced by the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer and the Goo Goo Dolls (just to give you an idea). Check out Justin Taylor on MySpace.

Paramore, white riot

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 3 November 2007
Paramore
Riot!
4/5
Various likenesses have been drawn between Paramore lead vocalist Hayley Williams, Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson, yet just because they front punk-pop/rock nuances should not be reason enough to lump them in the same bag. Unlike Lavigne, Williams can sing, in fact she wails – and all in key, and unlike Clarkson, she has the credibility that comes with working your way from the bottom to the top. Riot! is Paramore’s second album and has been tipped by the music media as a hot release of 2007. Heavily influenced by Jimmy Eat World, Riot! sees this band deliver a very mature, for a group of teens anyway, emo-esque album. It’s very sensitive, yet full of enough confidence for fans to rock-out to. My only criticism would be that the album doesn’t break any new ground within the genre, but judging by the talents displayed here, this will come with maturity. This is otherwise a superb release and I would love to see Paramore dethrone the aforementioned divas of this genre.