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.

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.

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.

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.

Gossip in control

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 27 October 2007
Gossip
Standing in the Way of Control
3/5
You may have already seen images of Gossip lead vocalist Beth Ditto without having realised that she is the voice behind this punk-rock/funk band. Her overweight, naked body has been splashed across the covers of various music magazines (with her permission of course) in a manner that suggests though you might find this offensive, that’s exactly the intention. This, Gossip’s third full-length release, and their most successful to date, is an angry, vicious, gyrating affront to your senses. Ditto wails, in some instances like a banshee, on various issues relating to her homosexuality and her weight, though she herself suffers no issues with either – except with the fact that others do. Musically the album is quite seventies-rock reminiscent and indulges in a sort-of garage-band sound. Sometimes the vocals are slightly off-key, sometimes the guitars are out of tune, and sometimes the drums are off-tempo – all intentional I presume and key to the delivery of Ditto’s various proclamations. Standing in the Way of Control might not appeal to all tastes, but for the adventurous I can recommend it.

Gypsy Soul soulful

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 20 October 2007
Gypsy Soul
Gypsy Soul
3/5
Gypsy Soul are an American Celtic/folk duo who hail from Los Angeles. Calling upon a diversity of cultural backgrounds, with roots in British, Italian, Irish, Canadian, Ukrainian and South African cultures, the duo have developed a large following and achieved relative success as independent artists with a number of albums already released and a string of festival headlining performances to their name. The duo’s music is acoustically oriented with female vocalist Cilette Swan delivering a breezy warm, highly talented vocal performance. Swan is lyrically adept too, writing thoughtful, insightful prose. This release sees the group include a number of re-interpreted cover versions. U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For is given an acoustic make-over which taps into an Americana rendering that I believe U2 themselves would appreciate (considering what U2 were trying to achieve with the song at the time). Other highlight covers include Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game and The Beatles’ Blackbird. With these covers as a reference, Gypsy Soul will be appreciated by a more mature, discerning audience.

José Gonzalez, naturally

Originally published by the Saturday Star, 13 October 2007
José Gonzalez
In Our Nature
5/5
For the listener, coming to terms with José Gonzalez’s subtlety is key to appreciating his unique blend of classical acoustic guitar upon which the artist almost inaudibly delivers his lyrics. Musically In Our Nature does not differ greatly from Gonzalez’s highly acclaimed debut, Veneer (read my Veneer review and my B-Sides Collected review). Minimalism remains the order of the day with Gonzalez fortunately practicing restraint, opting not to over develop his sound. The growth over the past two years however comes more specifically in Gonzalez’s lyrical poignancy. Veneer revealed a young, musically deft artist still maturing as a song writer, but In Our Nature highlights a more mature artist. Gonzalez now eschews a confidence that allows him to bluntly address issues he feels strongly about, specifically issues relating to war and modern colonisation. The meditative backdrop upon which these issues are addressed provides an apt platform for their contemplation. Artistically, In Our Nature is worthy of note and a fine release from a very important new artist.