Articles

Hungry Kids of Hungary - Mega Mountain

Column: CD Reviews | Date Published: Wednesday, 16 September 09 | Author: Joe Oppenheimer | | 2 years, 4 months ago

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[Independent]

HKOH have done what Silverchair's New Modern couldn't: they have created a crystal window into the '60s. Each of their songs are tight, extremely well written and full of character. In fact, every song on the disc seems to continue a favourite theme of that time - Two Stones evokes a Beach Boys led by a vaguely bitchy Brian Wilson, and the new single Old Money contains perfectly McCartney-esque phrasings from his early solo period. Where the Kids score big points is in their variety. Each track could be from a different band; however, so flawless are they in genre that one thinks of excellent musicians simply having fun. But their most convincing argument? Talent.

	Basement Jaxx - Scars: [XL] If you're looking for the perfect album to soundtrack your spring this, my friends, is it. Scars is the fifth album from UK outfit Basement Jaxx and after a few ambitious attempts at branching out from their signature sound, it's good to see a return to their form that saw them tear up the charts in the late '90s. Scars is a revisit to their fun ol' selves; back in the days of Romeo and Red Alert, when brightly coloured cabaret ruled their film clips and cute, catchy loops with layered synths and distinct vocals shaped their music. A massive effort went into perfecting this album with two years of studio time and a 12-strong crew of stupidly famous guests including Santigold, Sam Sparro and Kelis. Hell, even Yoko Ono makes an appearance on a novel little hippy track entitled Day of the Sunflowers (We March On). This album showcases the band's fascinating and upbeat personality, finally appearing in their music again where it had been sorely missed over the past few years. Well done Basement Jaxx, good to have you back.
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	Dallas Frasca - Not For Love or Money: [Independent] The first time I came across Frasca's ballsy songwriting and deep, husky voice was when she toured with Xavier Rudd earlier this year. Her live performance and EP was raw and tough; exactly what you'd expect from the daughter of a truck driver from Wangaratta. Not for Love or Money still has a fire in the belly, with storytelling lyrics of long roads, hardship and a whole lotta telling people off backed by roughed-up slide guitars and menacing beats. The only problem is the over-production that takes away from that dusty, unrefined feeling that gives her style such beautiful character. But if that's all we have to complain about it ain't all that bad!
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	Julian Plenti - Is...Skyscraper : [Matador] ...Is the Interpol guy. That's Paul Banks to be exact - I'm not sure where this Julian Plenti hodgepodge came from but it comes with certain expectations. I guess I sort of like Interpol, but his voice gets a bit too 'angry dad yelling at his spoilt children' for me. I always thought he needed to relax a bit - and that's exactly what he does on this. Minimal guitar lines and repetitive yet pleasant vocals are at the soul of it, allowing the listener to respect him a little more as a songwriter. The title track is a great example of his ability to tantalise with subtlety, as is Unwind - a somewhat poppy jingle that grows with a few more spins. It's a little hollow in some areas though, but maybe that's your thing. I don't pretend to understand Interpol fans.
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	Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor: [Nylon] This kid's alright, eh. Little bit extravagant, little bit of an attention seeker, sets his sight high, not afraid of the sitar. You know with all the dour, faceless, tepid singer/songwriters around, Wolf deserves thumb slaps for at least having a personality. It's the meat in the pie. Although I doubt he's ever eaten one. Meat pie, that is. Mores' the pity because meat pies are thoroughly enjoyable, especially the fancy gourmet ones. The Bachelor is an ambitious, pastoral romantic Celtic folk record. Some would call it poetic but that's usually shorthand for "I don't get it - but I know I should like it". The excursions into Celt-lectro are unfortunate and blight the record but Wolf does have a unique ability to make you want more. Pies, that is.
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	The Levellers - Letters From the Underground: [Shock] Whilst ‘return to form’ is an over-used phrase in the world of music reviewage, it’s bang on the money here. English folk-punkers The Levellers have been in a bit of a trough of late, but with LFTU you get the sense of a band completely revitalised and ready to face the next chapter in their history. Formed in 1988, the band’s halcyon years ended around 2000, but the band is a massive draw on the live circuit (they host their own outdoor festival, Beautiful Days, every summer in the UK), and it’s this popularity that has seen them continue to prosper even in the face of indifference from the wider record buying public. If there was any justice, the situation would all change with Letters…,comfortably the best release from the band in nearly a decade and a half. It’s a record that sees them, on tracks like the coruscating Eyes Wide, Burn America Burn or opener The Cholera Well regaining some of the righteous anger that was formerly such a trademark. There really isn’t a bad track on offer here, and in Behold a Pale Rider the band has recorded a song that equals (and possibly betters) anything they’ve recorded since 1993. There’s very little out there at the moment that presents sincerity of belief and musical integrity as a calling card, but if that sounds like the sort of thing that might provide your ears with some relief in this age of cancerous blights on the soundscape like Jet and Nickelback, then I implore you to get out and get this now. In fact buy enough copies to distribute to all your loved ones – they’ll thank you for it.
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