Album Reviews

Rubies 'Explode from the Center'

editor@cluas.com — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:23:26 GMT

A review of the album Explode From The Center by Rubies

Review Snapshot: Swedish (we think) five-piece debut with a sound collection of works that - regretfully - seem too comfortable in their own skin to reach out and engage the listener in an anotherwise worthwhile listen.

The Cluas Verdict? 5.5 out of 10

Full Review:
Rubies are a five-piece built around the longstanding pair of Simone Rubi and Terri Loewenthal, and while all of their promotional material manages to avoid details of their geographical heritage, Rubies are as Swedish as Ikea – you know they’re Swedish, but don’t know exactly how you can distinguish it that way, it’s just something you know.

‘Explode from the Center’ is a very solid and distinguished album, and doesn’t at all sound like a debut. Whether this is a good thing or not is another matter – the album seems to lack the distinct, urgent freshness that classifies a great debut. Perhaps Rubies just aren’t that kind of band.

Despite the synthesis, the album has a consistent sense of timelessness, ably sitting comfortably in mental images from late 80’s warehouse raves to third millennium wine bars. The opening half of the nine-track opus is a promise of more energy to come; the latter, however, mostly disappoints, save for ‘Diamonds on Fire’, which hits stride with repetitive smacked guitar and muttered vocal riffs. Lyrically the strongest song of the album. “I could make it / so much easier on you / but it’s hard, it’s so hard”, sing the band, before growing into lush counterpoint with comforting warmth.

Opening with light funk guitar, ‘Room Without A Key’ settling into a light Sia Furler-esque groove before hitting an 80’s chord in the chorus, yet embellished with distinctly modernist vocal tweets, and smacks of a 4am red wine crash in a city centre shoebox, being followed by the lush acoustic and intimate synthesis of ‘Too Bright’.

'Signs of Love'’s Wurlitzer opening is reminiscent of Semisonic, and offers the first chance for Simone Rubi to really push her melodic chorales. “Lovin’ each other ‘til the end of Summer / into the Fall under we find another way / to stay inside our hearts” sings Rubi, with the kind of elegance that Morcheeba made an easy career from.

With a synth opening that Duran Duran could have relaunched with, lead single ‘I Feel Electric’ is made for a nightclub scene from an edgy independent drama (think Juno or the Sugar Rush TV series). A multiminded song, it ebbs, flows and glides its way through four and a half disco-tinged minutes with alarming invention and creativity, although sounding like a Casio keyboard’s workout demo song once it settles in the middle eight.

Second single ‘Stand In A Line’ opens sounding like it was tailor-made for an Orange ad with summery streetscapes and gently syncopated beats, and then flirting with funky hip-hop before detouring into the slap bass identikit R&B you’d hear in a mental image of a Topshop. “Did you notice your mind’s on fire?” asks Rubi during the hip-hop phase of this awkwardly adolescent opus – awkward in the sense that the song seems to take on phases just as arbitrarily as your average teen.

Elsewhere, 'Turquoise' opens with groggy plucking and settles into a sunburnt bop suspiciously like Bell x1’s ‘The Money’ before discovering gospel at the end with blaring saxophone and searing vocal backup, while the closing couple of Silver Mornings (conjuring images of tamely driving down a straight country road with nothing to amuse on either side and only one tape for the stereo. “This is what it’s like when it’s lonesome at night”, eh? Too right) and The Truth and the Lies bring the album to a muted close. On the latter in particular, coming after eight songs desperate for a strum, when it comes it’s misspent on lazy, Feist-y (sic) oozing without direction. If you were to play the album coming in at 4am, this one would lead to a steady slumber.

‘Explode from the Center’ is a work of real promise but is ultimately crippled by its comfort in its own skin and the absence of a desire to reach out and engage. A good album in that it’s open for engagement, but not a great one without offering it in return.

Gav Reilly

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Michael Knight (I'm Not Entirely Clear...)

editor@cluas.com — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:49:59 GMT

A review of the album I'm Not Entirely Clear How I Ended Up Like This by Michael Knight

Review Snapshot: Don't judge a book by a cover, or so ~~older~~ wiser people tend to tell you. However, what are you to do when the cover is far more interesting than the content?

The Cluas Verdict? 3 out of 10

Full Review:
Buying/receiving albums in bulk; it can often be weeks/months/years before I get around to actually removing them from their packaging, never mind listening to them. Sometimes though, an albums artwork is such that it moves swiftly to the top of the playlist. Such was the case with I'm Not Entirely Clear How I Ended Up Like This, the second album from Michael Knight, not a person, but a collective of musicians under the stewardship of Dublin Born/Berlin Based Richie Murphy. Designed to look like a well read book, it has the subtitle: 'A Somewhat Disjointed Narrative in 11 Tableaux' and the lyrics are printed in the style of a play. If that's not enough for you, the listener has a choice of two disks, one with the songs as they were recorded and a second disk of instrumental versions.

Unfortunately, that's as good as it gets with I'm Not Entirely Clear... as what follows is 35 minutes of acoustic doodling that too often confuses self-deprecation with self-consciousness and song structure with overwrought orchestral arrangements. Combined with Murphy's weak vocals it all adds up to something akin vanilla cheesecake; somebody may have put a great deal of effort into making it and it may contain lots of fine ingredients but the final product is just too bland for my tastes. Besides, Neil Hannon and Stephen Merritt already carry this faux-vaudeville act with much more panache.

That being said, there are moments of pleasure on I'm Not Entirely Clear... The deliciously dark Coronation Street sees Murphy and Nina Hynes (her vocals being by far and a way the brightest star in an otherwise dull sky) duet over the albums most interestingly arranged track. Lyrically there is a great deal of humour in the words but as with most of the tracks on the album it often feels like you're being excluded from one big in joke. The instrumental disk is also worth a listen once, just to hear some of the more interesting structures and chord changes but begins to sound like the soundtrack to an art installation towards the end.

Michael Knight state that this album is 'a comically failed attempt to repackage humiliating personal episodes with the joke on someone else.' Perhaps the joke's on me and that's why I'm not laughing.

Steven O'Rourke

Willie Nelson 'Moment of Forever'

editor@cluas.com — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:57:10 GMT

A review of the album 'Moment of Forever' by Willie Nelson

Review Snapshot:
The last wise man of country music delivers the goods yet again.

The Cluas Verdict? 8 out of 10

Full Review:
Johnny is gone; Waylon is gone, only Willie is left. It’s hard to conceive now, given his superstardom, but Willie Nelson spent 15 years in Nashville trying in vain to get a hit record before throwing in his hat and returning to Texas where he finally started to create music that was not only true to his own creative vision but also connected with the album buying public.

According to Robert Oermann and Douglas Green, part of Willie’s early difficulty was that his offbeat, eccentric, jazz influenced phrasing was at cross purposes with then dominant Nashville sound pioneered by Chet Atkins. The flipside of this however is that, as a result, Willie Nelson has never been solely a country music artist but rather an American music artist and his renegade tendencies have kept him vital long after many of his living peers are either retired or are touring the nostalgia circuit.

Here he is again with a new album and for me the key interest in listening is to focus on the new songs that Willie, who penned classics like ‘Crazy’ and ‘Night Life’, has written for this album. There are three; ‘Over You Again’ (co-written with Micah & Lucas Nelson), ‘Always Now’, and the sardonic ‘You Don’t Think I’m Funny Anymore’. All of them are models of the songwriter’s craft with Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney’s sensitive production switching between the epic, panoramic sound used on ‘Over You Again’ to the intimate, spontaneous live room feel of ‘You Don’t Think…’

Willie has also included covers of Randy Newman’s ‘Louisiana’, a song that is fast becoming a modern American standard following the tragedy of New Orleans, and ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’. There is little to say about them other than they are great songs sung by one of the great voices in American popular music.

If you love the art of Willie Nelson, as I do, then this is one for the collection. At a time when young musicians want to make music that sounds like it came from the past; see Amy Winehouse, its nice to hear a veteran musician who is, shall we say, back to the future. Willie Nelson is still on the road, and the world is a better place for it.

Rev Jules

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Robotnik 'Pleasant Square'

editor@cluas.com — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:24:08 GMT

A review of the album Pleasant Squares by Robotnik

Review Snapshot: Pleasant Square is a sonic walkabout that takes in influences as diverse as Radiohead and The Flaming Lips without ever losing its own sense of identity or purpose.

The Cluas Verdict? 8 out of 10

Full Review:
It must be very difficult being a musician and having a wide range of influences and yet being forced to stick to one particular genre for a record just so people like myself can put you away in a nice little box marked 'sounds like...'. Not so for Robotnik, known to the passport office as 27 year old Dubliner Chris Morrin. On his debut album, Pleasant Square, Robotnik has managed to take all those influences, merge them together and produce a work that is as unique as it is enjoyable.

From the ambient beginnings of the Flaming Lips like Test 16:9 , through to the Weezer-esque harmonies of Puddlestarter, this album is an atmospheric acoustic adventure for the listener with - especially on first listen - each track serving up something new and exciting to discover. Repeated listens, however, provide you with an opportunity to enjoy the range of instrumentation and skill that has gone into recording this album which allows it to sound - and I mean this in a good way - like Morrin woke up one morning and decided to record it on a whim.

Album highlights vary on each listen but People Walk Away with its infectiously catchy beat and Dog with no Tail, where Robotnik allows a glimpse at the life of Chris Morrin for one of the few times on the album, are consistently on repeat at the moment, along with Vinedresser which sees Robotnik return, briefly, to his troubadour roots.

Not once did I find this mix of genres and musical styles irritating and, indeed, the only criticism I can have of Pleasant Square is that it's possibly 12-15 minutes too long; however, in an age where musicians are releasing albums that don't even hit 30 minutes, it's a minor complaint.

Overall, Robotnik has a bright future ahead of him, especially if he can continue to reference his vast array of influences without ever sounding like he is trying to imitate them.

Steven O'Rourke

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

The Last Shadow Puppets 'Age Of The Understatement'

editor@cluas.com — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:03:40 GMT

A review of the album 'The Age Of The Understatement' by The Last Shadow Puppets

Review Snapshot: So here's Alex Turner's side project: a fairly unoriginal Scott Walker pastiche, with Duran Duran-esque lyrics. Of course, this must be down to that bloody Miles Kane, right?

The Cluas Verdict? 5 out of 10

Full Review:
Comparing The Last Shadow Puppets with The Raconteurs is obvious, but it's still worth our while:

Both Jack White and Alex Turner have won extravagant acclaim in their day-job groups (The White Stripes and The Arctic Monkeys respectively) for little other than flogging retro-rock to nostalgic middle-aged music hacks and twentysomethings who are prematurely nostalgic and middle-aged.

However, White's side-project made the daring leap from '70s rock to... '60s rock, that of The Small Faces and George's songs on 'Rubber Soul' and 'Revolver'. And what do you know? Turner's time machine has followed a similar flight path. He's gone from cleaned-up punk and post-punk back to, of all things, eccentric late-'60s English symphonic pop. This doesn't make him any less unambitious or unimaginative than White, indie rock's greatest chancer.

Comparing 'The Age Of The Understatement' with Scott Walker is obvious too. But if Turner can be unoriginal then so can we. Those swooping strings and tenement-drama tales of tragic starlets, patent Walker, have already been used threadbare by Tindersticks, Marc Almond and The Divine Comedy amongst others. By now these sounds are familiar references, English indie-pop code for "Look! I'm hip, intellectual and sensitive! I've watched 'Billy Liar', read 'Brideshead Revisited' and listened to, well, Scott Walker!"

But it would be unfair and inaccurate of us to dismiss this album as 100% recycled Scott. The middle section of the title track sounds exactly like the middle section of a Northern Soul classic called 'The Night' by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Your reviewer knows the song from a cover by Saint Etienne-esque Manchester group Intastella - and it's also been done by Soft Cell and, apparently, Klaxons. See what we mean by unoriginal?

Turner's one innovation here, if we presume it's by him and not Kane, is in the lyrics. He's replaced the unconvincing Costello-esque sneering of The Arctic Monkeys with pretentious my-first-poetry-kit nonsense as in 'Calm Like You': "Burglary and fireworks / The skies they were alighting / Accidents and toffee drops / And thinking on the train." So were the skies alighting from the same train, then?

And 'Only The Truth' is worthy of Duran Duran: "The girl with many different strategies / Wakes the wolves to curse them to their knees / She's the one by the riverbank so it's easier for her to drown you." This, remember, is co-credited to a songwriter venerated by today's music press (you know, those nostalgic, middle-aged types.) as a lyricist extraordinaire.

We assume that this will be the last of The Last Shadow Puppets. But then again, there was a second Raconteurs album. And a second Arctic Monkeys album too, and a few by the White Stripes...

Aidan Curran

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Seasick Steve 'Dog House Music'

editor@cluas.com — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:03:10 GMT

A review of the album Dog House Music by Seasick Steve

Review Snapshot: The roughly recorded Dog House Music is a refreshing change from contemporary studio production. Its raw sounds are soaked in mud, sweat and clothed in hobo lyrics that grip you tightly with their simplicity.

The Cluas Verdict? 8 out of 10

Full Review:
There's something cuddly about Seasick Steve.

Complete with fluffy white beard, baseball cap and worn dungarees, Seasick could easily be Santa disguised as a hobo. The lyrics on his first solo album, Dog House Music, betray Seasick's rough wandering lifestyle though - one spent living in over fifty houses worldwide as well as on the streets, beating out blues on his personalised guitar, the 'Three Stringed Tranz Wonder.'

The stomping, rootsy simplicity of Seasick Steve has attracted attention across a variety of media. There has not been a more passionate blues act to recently be covered in magazines, most of them generally associated with rock or indie. Seasick won the MOJO Award for Best Breakthrough Artist, has been covered in Hot Press and NME, and also appeared on RTE's Other Voices.

Dog House Music is a sliding, bustling blues affair with tracks that are raw, rough and caked in mud. Each song is ragged around the edges, from the howling and growling in 'Dog House Boogie' to the lazy drawling guitar on 'Shirley Lou.' The crude production on the album as well as its simple artwork reflect Seasick's hobo lifestyle.

The best thing about the album is that it captures the kind of live, street setting you only get in summertime with a busker and his miniature amp. Seasick combines his singing with chatting, mumbling, jamming, tapping and strumming. The first track 'Yellow Dog' hits you with deep, penetrating riffs and lasts just sixty seconds long. Just before the second track there's a short sniff and then we hear Seasick's amp being plugged in. The harsh rawness of the album, including coughs, laughs, cigarettes being lit, phone-calls and tributes, really brings you in tune with Seasick's life as a bluesman and a hobo.

His lyrics are often autobiographical and run on from the spoken stories that are dotted throughout the album: 'All my life I been in the dog house... that's just the way the dice rolls' (Dog House Boogie).

Though some of Seasick's tracks contain the self-pitying, sentimental element that is usually associated with blues, he manages to bring us closer to him with a touch of light humour and irony. The real stand-out track for me is 'Cut My Wings', played on a customised three string guitar that Seasick calls 'The Three Stringed Tranz Wonder.' Seasick got a positive response to his performance of this on the Jools Holland Show. Customised instruments are a quirk of his - on 'Save Me' he plays what he calls a 'One String Diddly Bo,' which sounds like a bell being bounced on a trampoline.

This album made me wish I was sitting on a rocking chair, wrinkling my brow in the scorching heat, listening to some crickets singing and chewing on a long bit of straw. Seasick is an honest guitarist, storyteller and songwriter whose simple truths resonate from beginning to end in Dog House Music.

Niamh Madden

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Joe Jackson 'Rain'

editor@cluas.com — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:58:59 GMT

A review of the album 'Rain' by Joe Jackson

Review Snapshot: Classic-hits MOR jazz-pop craftsmanship. Classic-hits MOR jazz-pop craftsmanship. Classic-hits MOR jazz-pop craftsmanship. (repeat to fade, just like Jackson does). Anyone making coffee?

The Cluas Verdict? 4 out of 10

Full Review:
Like Elvis Costello (and Joe Strummer too, it must be said), Joe Jackson was a non-punk who took full advantage of the '76 revolution and slipped into the mainstream music scene. His tense, sinewy hits from the late '70s, 'It's Different For Girls' and 'Is She Really Going Out With Him?' still enjoy classic-hits airplay today.

And those wimpy-male titles and observational lyrics ensure the songs continue to soundtrack any TV or film scene where a drippy, over-analytical thirtysomething guy gets heartbroken (think of Raymond in 'Bachelor's Walk').

After his chart success, Jackson turned towards jazz. And today his luck is back in; recent years have seen a surge in polite jazz-pop by the likes of Katie Melua, Norah Jones, Jamie Cullum and Peter Cincotti. Thirty years later, with his new album 'Rain', can Jackson pull the same trick again and become an improbable success once more?

Well, who cares? While Jackson is never as limp or whimpering as his young peers, no one's going to listen to 'Rain' for anything cutting-edge or curveball. This is the type of music that prides itself on being 'classic craftsmanship'; piano-bar plinking, safe-hands rhythm section - and slight melodies that don't distract from the lyrics. Like Costello, Jackson seems to see his added-value as the wry smartness of his wordplay.

So, we have song titles like 'Citizen Sane', 'Solo (So Low)' and 'A Place In The Rain' that soak up the creative budget of their respective tracks.

You can't say that 'Rain' is a bad album - it's well-made and Jackson has an engaging voice. But there are no surprises, musically or lyrically, and no song stands out from the others. A record for the more adventurous MOR-jazz-pop fan, if that's not an oxymoron.

Aidan Curran

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Mark Geary 'Opium'

editor@cluas.com — Sun, 11 May 2008 18:14:46 GMT

A review of the album 'Opium' by Mark Geary

Review Snapshot: Well, it's not poppy, and neither is it addictive. Unadventurous, overserious, monotonous and lacking in individuality and personality, 'Opium' embodies all the worst traits of the Irish acoustic singer-songer sound.

The Cluas Verdict? 4 out of 10

Full Review:
In August 2004, promoting his album 'Ghosts', Mark Geary gave an interview to the Irish edition of the Sunday Times. In it, he was at pains to distance himself from "the Whelan's lock-in crowd" (the Dublin singer-songer circle that frequented the well-known bar and venue) and "the Glen and Damo scene".

Recounting his experiences with American record companies and promoters, he also spoke of "fighting for your right to fail" - a line from the album's title track. (Angered by this self-contented lack of ambition, your reviewer criticised Geary in an opinion piece on the conservatism we saw as rife in the Irish music scene.)

Four years later, Geary is back with his new album, 'Opium'. The intervening time has seen him grow closer to the Glen and Damo scene - Hansard provides a photo for the record's poster and lyric sheet. And 'Ghosts' enjoyed favourable reviews and punter interest, so he can't claim to be a loser any more. Can he?

But no, on 'Opium' Geary's worldview hasn't changed. He's still less 'I came, I saw, I conquered' and more 'I feel, I fall, I fail' - three ideas that recur through the songs here.

Musically, 'Opium' is unremarkable and predictable; it mostly tends towards the downbeat alt-country rhythm favoured by unimaginative acoustic-strummers. Ann Scott's sweet vocals on 'Facin' The Fall' make a refreshing change, but she can't save the track from its maudlin destiny: "We got nothing, nothing at all / Facin' the fall." There are no memorable melodies or instrument parts on 'Opium'; all the musical content is unobtrusive strumming or shuffling, subordinate to Geary's monotonous delivery.

True to singer-songer form, whenever Geary takes a break from tracking developments in his navel it's to attack The Man. From under the bandwagon he takes half-hearted potshots at the usual distant targets like "the corporate climb" in 'Atrophy', "the churches and your killing fields" in 'Always' and "the soldier / Drunk on power" (and not "drunk on Powers", as your reviewer thought on first listen) in 'The King Of Swords'. Someday, some brave and intelligent singer-songer will take a deadly tune to concrete local issues like criminally under-resourced health services, so that The Man will lose an election. It could even be Geary, if he starts taking some chances with his music.

We found it a bit rich to hear these lines in 'Tuesday': "I don't like your catwalk eyes / Leave your prejudice aside". This is the traditional singer-songer attack on soul-less superficiality, here equated with narrow-mindedness. But isn't a singer on stage just as much a role-playing performer as a model on a catwalk? Fortunately, a couplet from 'Always' neatly sums up the sensitive, self-centred singer-songer persona: "If you're listening, I'll begin / To pay for pleasure, gonna bruise my skin."

Lots of people love this genre of music, and that's fair enough. But it's comfort-food for the overserious indie-kid, no more or less artistic and soulful than your Vegas MOR diva showboating about love cutting her heart like a knife. Unlike more inventive and idiosyncratic peers such as Mumblin' Deaf Ro, Cathy Davey or Simple Kid, there's nothing on 'Opium' to distinguish Geary from the masses of self-pitying bedsit buskers.

Aidan Curran

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Joe Chester 'The Tiny Pieces Left Behind'

editor@cluas.com — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:02:48 GMT

A review of the album 'The Tiny Pieces Left Behind' by Joe Chester

Review Snapshot: The album overall left me cold. I was disappointed because it's always good to hear a new album from an Irish artist that is fresh and has the potential to wow, but I'm afraid that didn't happen for me here.

The Cluas Verdict? 5.5 out of 10

Full Review:
I admit, often to others' disdain, that I am a singer-songwriter fan. Rufus Wainwright, Sam Beam, Glen Hansard, Ryan Adams, Sufjan Stevens and many others count among my favourite singers. All have different styles but they each have a unique, strong voice and the ability to speak through their music. They're my trusted voices, and I'm always happy when I go back to their albums, any of them. Unfortunately Joe Chester is not going to find a place up there with them just yet, not with this album.

I came to Joe's new album with eager anticipation. I enjoyed 'Murder of Crows', Joe's 2004 debut, but I found there was too much going on with this album. The move away from the acoustic sound of his earlier stuff just didn't work for me. The songs blended together and save from a few highlights the album didn't leave too much of an impression.

The album starts out strong but to my mind doesn't deliver after that. There is sameness to it, I'm not sure if it's his voice or the melodies but I found myself skipping some of the songs as I listened to it for the third or fourth time. 'Maybe This Is Not Love' opens the album. It's a catchy track and sounds like it could be a possible summer single, I imagine it would get radio play. It's upbeat and to my mind the best track on the album. 'Something is Better (than nothing at all)' follows and doesn't quite measure up; there's not enough variety in it and the repeated chorus just crawls along.

'The Bodies Start to Move' sounds more like Joe from his earlier work so I was disappointed when the music took over and all but drowned out his voice. 'Fluorescent Light' showcases some nice harmonies with Gemma Hayes. Their voices work well together but again I don't know if there was enough there to sustain five minutes. 'To Hold Onto Melting Love' has a melodic, piano tinkling intro and a simple arrangement. It veers towards a traditional air as the track progresses and it actually works well.

'Why Things Break' never rises above its lacklustre beginnings, nor does'Long Distance Friend' where again I found his voice competing with the music. 'Alarms' unfortunately is my least favourite song on here, I actually found it difficult to stick with it for the entire five minutes 25 seconds. It's repetitive and the least melodic song on here.

The album is one to have on in the background but I don't think the songs jump out at you, save for a couple. I think the length of the tracks also had something to do with it. Four of the tracks are over five minutes long and it's hard to sustain a good melody for that length.

Celine O'Malley

Autamata 'Colours of Sound'

editor@cluas.com — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:53:44 GMT

A review of the album Colours of Sound by Autamata

Review Snapshot: Electronica didn't really do much for me before listening to this record, and while listening to it hasn't inspired me to go clubbing in Ibiza (or wherever it is kids go these days) this summer, Colours of Sound is certainly a record that can be loved by those whose musical taste hasn't previously stretched to electronica.

The Cluas Verdict? 8 out of 10

Full Review:
Going to a disco in a small County Kildare town left you with two options. You either liked grunge, and therefore moshed, or you liked 'rave' (or at least 2Unlimited's watered down version of it) and wore X-Worx jeans. There was no middle ground allowed, lest you wished to be associated with country and western. It was a tough and unforgiving upbringing with lasting consequences as my decision to wear striped jumpers and ripped jeans while listening incessantly to Nirvana was one that has distanced me from electronica since.

So it was with apprehension that I approached Colours of Sound, the third studio offering from Ken McHugh and co, otherwise known as Autamata. I was aware of the band, but I can't say I had to much inclination to listen to, let alone purchase any of their material. Album opener Effervescent changed all that. A beautiful instrumental piece, it's haunting melody doesn't so much set the tone for the rest of the album as pull you in to its arms like the whispered words of a new lover and then bang, by the time Cathy Davey lends her vocals to Cloud Seekers you've embarked on a full blown love affair with Colours of Sound.

Like all relationships, it has its rough patches. Come Party at my House and Inter-railing don't feel as natural as the rest of the album and at 6 minutes and 33 seconds A Drive Through the Countryside comes across as a little self-indulgent on the part of McHugh but to be fair, if I could play as many instruments as he can, I'd be showing off too.

The best review I can give Colours of Sound is that it made me feel like I'd woken up in a Joan Miró painting. Initially the minimalism drew me in but the more I explored the more I found myself in awe of the mountains of sound and rivers of colour. It's an experience I'd highly recommend.

Steven O'Rourke

The Black Keys 'Attack & Release'

editor@cluas.com — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:12:31 GMT

A review of the album 'Attack & Release' by The Black Keys

Review Snapshot:
The latest blues-rock offering from the Ohio delta duo benefits from Dangermouse's knob-twiddling.

The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10

Full Review:
I'd consider the Black Keys to be part of the great spawning of second-tier garage bands after the success of the White Stripes. Maybe unfairly, they're nothing if not prolific (four albums and as many EP's since 2002), but to be honest I haven't heard the majority of their work. Seeing them live in Temple Bar Music Centre in 2006, I found them to be a strong duo, Dan Auerbach is more than capable of doing a "Jack" and moving seamlessly from rhythm guitar to lead, relying on sheer volume and distortion to bridge the gap. Drummer Patrick Carney providing a solid, unfussy rhythm section. But still, after about five or six songs it all just started to congeal into one big Zeppelin riff. He's lacking White's pop chops when it comes to songwriting and relies too heavily on riffage to lead the song. The odd middle-8 never killed anyone Dan! (Having said that, most of the crowd loved it).

I got their new album Attack & Release based on hearing 'So He Won't Break' on the radio. One of the highlights of the album and a song that seems untypical of the band's sound, a definitive step up in their songwriting. That, and the association with producer Danger Mouse was enough to convince me to give it a go. I don't really know Danger Mouse other than him being part of the Gnarls Barkley duo, and producing a few familiar albums. It seemed an odd combination but an interesting one, especially for a group with a fairly limited musical landscape.

What he seems to have added to the Black Keys for this album is a heavy dose of atmosphere. Some of the songs lie on a bed of ethereal backing vocals and each song tries to eek out an identity of its own - banjos, female vocalists, piano, hammond, delicate 'plinky' noises, even flutes are added to the mix. For the most part it works, such as opening track 'All You Ever Wanted', a fantastic album intro in the form of a sombre sermon announcing the arrival of the band with a characteristically huge guitar riff about halfway through. Definitely a song to draw in the listener. The track which follows, 'I Got Mine' plants us in familiar blues-rock territory again.

At eleven relatively short songs, it doesn't outstay its welcome. Final track 'Things Ain't Like They Used To Be' sounding a little like Neil Young's 'Albuquerque' with added polish. At its worst it gets a little repetitive, due more to mid-tempo songs but at its best it's a fine rock album. I found it in the second hand rack about two weeks after it was released, so I'm probably not the only one who thinks the gushing five star reviews seem slightly exaggerated, but it's a good effort from the duo, with credit where it's due to Danger Mouse.

If you're a fan of their previous work I don't think you'll be disappointed, but if you're after a great rock album to kick off the summer, I'd recommend Stephen Malkmus' latest 'Real Emotional Trash' before this.

Peejay

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.
Check out the CLUAS review of Black Keys' 2006 album 'Rubber Factory'.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums 'Heartcore'

editor@cluas.com — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:12:07 GMT

Review Snapshot: In terms of 'stripping it down' The White Stripes have nothing on Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Their concoction of enchanting vocals and variable drum sounds proves to be a unique listening experience. With minimal embellishment ( a double-tracked vocal here, a hint of glockenspiel there), Heartcore's fusion of swampblues, folk, rock and numerous other genres provides the year's most unexpected highlight to date.

The Cluas Verdict? 8 out of 10

Full Review:
They say good things come to those who wait and in the case of the unfortunately named Wildbirds & Peacedrums it may well be true for all of us. Heartcore, the 2007 debut release from Swedish couple Marian Wallentin and Andreas Werliin, is winging its way to our stereos just as their sophomore album The Snake comes out in their homeland.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums left music college as they deemed its teachings to be 'too rigid' and on this evidence it's easy to see why. Werliin's stated mission is to convey as many different sounds and feelings through his drumset as is possible and it's only fair to say that he succeeds, providing backing on a collection of songs that run the gamut from blues, through rock, balladry, nu-folk and everything in between. But the real ace in the pack is Wallentin's voice. The recent spate of Dusty Springfield tribute acts (Duffy, Adele, Amy Wino yawn, yawn...) have nothing on her haunting, powerful wailing.

On opener 'Pony' she delivers a soulful vocal over a sparse acoustic motif, 'Bird' will remind many of fellow Scandanavian Bjork's acapella record Medulla, while the long gone cries of Blues singers such as Bessie Smith reverberate through 'The Ones That Should Save Me Get Me Down'. There are also moments where normality is thrown right out the window; 'Lost Love' defines freeform, but has nothing on 'A Story From A Chair', where one can be convinced they are overhearing the sounds emanating from a baby monitor.

Ironically, despite their willful creativity and experimentation, it is the two most conventional tracks that bear most fruit. Wallentin's more subtle approach pays enormous dividends on the serene, sparse beauty of 'I Can't Tell In His Eyes'. But 'The Battle In The Water' takes the biscuit, it's tale of murder unfolding as the tension heightens to tremendous effect.

The only snag with Heartcore may be that those who find vocal acrobatics distasteful could run for the hills, though if they endure the initial discomfort there are rewards to be found. This is a bewitching listen - they visit our shores soon (Crawdaddy, 11th May) - you are strongly urged to check them out.

Alan Morrissey

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Clinic 'Do It!'

editor@cluas.com — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:06:37 GMT

A review of the album Do It! by Clinic

Review Snapshot:

Do It! sounds like an indie band who have gone on a bad trip and taken some vintage instruments with them, with the result that Clinic sound like a four-piece power rock group who have been placed behind a sheet of glass in the dungeon of some warped fairground (just listen to the Coda, with its vaudevillian nightmare intro). It works.

The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10

Full Review:
Although my first encounter with Clinic left a decidedly unfavourable impression on me, with 'Do It!', their fifth album, I finally get it. It’s a new sound creation, floating some way above accepted style and genre, and this is a well-made demonstration of that.

It is clear from opening track Memories, that Clinic’s strength do not necessarily lie with their songwriting, but their ability to create and work with sounds. Whichever side of the natural/raw vs. production debate you might stand, you just can’t deny that the studio has done Clinic a whole lot of good. Most songs on this album are undeniably decent chugging alt / art / punk / rock / folk / eh? tracks but with often uninteresting and/or indecipherable lyrics and frankly quite strange lines from all instruments, it’s their manipulation and combination of unusual and often vintage sounds that makes them stand out from the crowd: Clinic think like an electronic band but act like old-fashioned rockers. Each and every track sees a new mix, a new guitar setting, a different organ, a vocal drone, some deeply-buried harmonica or brass. Constantly changing panning, EQ. and mix settings make each of those sounds in each track a new and distinct event.

Clinic have restructured the musical hierarchy, removing melody from its top post and replacing it with rhythm and sound-world; harmony is still in there somewhere, although their ex-key chords make it a difficult thing to follow. Although they have mastered both subtlety and directness, it’s the former that permeates most of this album, particularly in their rhythm and barely discernible drum beats. Drum and instruments meld and progress in an organic and natural way, despite their unnatural and industrial overtones.

As an introduction to their music, 'Do It!' provides a solid base of the Clinic aesthetic; as the fifth in a line of albums, it, like its music, follows a steady path of progression which can only continue with the next.

Anna Murray

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

New Amusement 'Any Port In A Storm'

editor@cluas.com — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:58:44 GMT

A review of the album 'Any Port In A Storm' by New Amusement

Review Snapshot: This is the debut release from local Dublin act New Amusement. Up until now there has been little said about this band, but this mini-album should put them on the map as far as the local scene goes. It’s simple indie pop rock but it’s a pleasure to listen to. They may start making waves yet.

The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10

Full Review:
Last month I popped into the Student Bar in UCD to see a Fight Like Apes gig. It was a Champion’s League night but fortunately they had televisions screening the Man Utd Roma game during the support band’s set. However it was not long into their performance that my neck craned away from the TV set to see what band were producing these quality indie rock sounds. Alas it was New Amusement, a name unknown at the time to both myself and the good company I was keeping. For the next half hour they distracted me from Rooney and co with a solidly excellent set.

Imagine my surprise when their mini-album, ‘Any Port In A Storm’, found its way into my post box for review last week. I eagerly popped it into the CD tray and pressed play. Instantly I can tell that in the studio they are quite different to their performance at the Student Bar. The distortion present at the gig was not intended by the band, just a feature of the venue it seems. So it’s different to what I expected, but it’s good.

In a similar vein to Delorentos, New Amusement write catchy indie pop songs, but with a tinge of melancholy. This twist is shown best in the standout track on the album, ‘Gone To Sea’. It’s fast paced and light but with a down beat tone to it. “Like a sailor gone to sea, who’s to blame for this farewell/Walked the beach and the sand was hot, now the tide has blown away”, sings Brian Molloy.

‘Are We Winners’ shows the band’s confident self-assured side. It has a real sense of urgency, and as far as indie pop rock goes, it is a cut above The Pigeon Detectives et al. In parts, this album may sound a bit formulaic, but as debut releases go, this shows real promise. New Amusement, another good addition to the local scene.

Garret Cleland

Foals 'Antidotes'

editor@cluas.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:32:46 GMT

A review of the album 'Antidotes' by Foals

Review Snapshot: With sweeping orchestral sounds and muted harmonics reminiscent of Battles, Foals deploy sombre effects blistering into full blown melody meat feasts. What a shame they can't sing.

The Cluas Verdict? 6.5 out of 10

Full Review:
I am a victim of the hype machine. It just sucks me in. Like the TV programme Skins, with its false promise of entertainment, and its artificially crafted 'indie' image. Yet at times it grips me, despite how much I loathe Skins, the NME and the all-style-no-substance bands they promote. This time however both TV programme and magazine have tapped into a band that is both stylish and talented - Foals.

Foals' debut album 'Antidotes' belts out climactic track after track of perky harmonic melodies combined with dark ruddy distortion; a sound that I'm guessing must be heard live to absorb the intensity of the crescendos.

The Oxford indie band dubs its album 'psychedelic pop.' I disagree. The effect sounds more like the math rock of Mogwai or 65 Days of Static, speeded up and dipped into the syncopated harmonic sherbet of Battles. However their repetitive lyrics and schoolboyish shouting makes you wonder- what would the album be like if they didn't sing? Because really, they can't. Sing, that is. Then you realise that without lyrics the album would be a top post-rock dance affair filled to the gills with beautiful bell tones, sustained brassy notes, rough muted chords and nerdishly perfect effects.

The album begins with its best track, 'The French Open'. Discordant harmonies and a brass intro that feels like a funeral backing track (without the bagpipes) leads into wayward smatterings of guitar riffs and builds up to a jittery, pulsing force against an orchestral cocktail of harmonies and confusion.

The band's single 'Cassius' stands out on the album too, but the voices on this track are too much to the foreground - the music speaks for itself; it doesn't need lyrics to speak for it too. Danceable and loveable, 'Cassius' develops in places towards dark and haunting scratchy guitars and a build-up on the drums. It pretends to be all sweetness and light but then begins to evoke more of an ironic tone, petering out with an afterthought of improvised brass.

Remember that haunting remix of Radiohead's 'Morning Bell'? Foals' next single for release, 'Red Socks Pugie', begins with similarly eerie computerised effects that filter into twisting terrifying noises, working their way into your ears, filling up your soul with sound.

The echoing voices on 'Electric Bloom' sound too stilted and grit against the skull with a kind of football style chant until the words become too much and you find yourself wishing the track could just stand alone without the band's harsh voices booming over it.

'Heavy Water' drags out its drums against harmonic scales that mimic the pitter-patter of rain, descending into a stormy heavy tune that feels like a cold November evening. Another stand out track is 'Big Big Love,' whose percussion intro sounds suspiciously similar to 'Race:In' by Battles.

The entire album filters smoothly from track to track, each one building upon the instruments that have gone before, but towards the end the echoey and shouting voices are just a bit too much to handle.

Foals' influences are very obvious, with sprays of distortion and over-used harmonics but their nerd effects and soft hints of ska stamp some originality on the album. Foals have a while to go to develop their own true sound.

And hopefully, on their next album, they'll learn to keep the vocals down.

Niamh Madden

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Panic At The Disco 'Pretty Odd'

editor@cluas.com — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:59:15 GMT

A review of the album ''Pretty Odd'' by Panic At The Disco

Review Snapshot: A badly-misjudged attempt to break free from the emo standard that collapses under the weight of its own platitudes - every sub-genre of sixties pop music used on Pretty Odd has been tackled before, and in ways vastly superior to this effort.

The Cluas Verdict? 3 out of 10

Full Review:
It was a few years ago that a wave of bands, loosely connected by nothing more than a misused genre name, broke out from the marginal sidelines and became exceedingly popular. Amongst them were Fall Out Boy, Funeral For A Friend, My Chemical Romance, The Used, and perhaps most popularly of all, Panic At The Disco. While fans of original emo hardcore bands like Rites of Spring rightly pointed out that little connected the “scene” (that had all the hallmarks of a press-created subculture) except for clichéd lyrics of disquiet and despair, it quickly caught on as a genre description apt for misapplication. The stereotype that these groups write only of misery and maladies may disintegrate under further listening, but still the perception remains the same, despite the repeated denials of members that they are part of any genuine emo movement.

At times though, it seemed like the bands brought it upon themselves. Panic At The Disco’s debut album was the commercially successful, critically maligned A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. This reception sums up well its amalgam of unimaginative standard instrumentation, by-the-numbers electronic elements and crowd-pleasing, self-referential, swept-in-romance lyrics. Like a formulaic film designed to soothe rather than challenge, it sold in large numbers to those eager for instant gratification, but for the most part fell flat with critics taking a more analytical approach to its content. So what of their next release, Pretty Odd? Does it follow a different path, more original and daring? The answer is: not really – ostensibly the outer trappings are completely different, but the end result is much the same. What it does show is a band eager to destroy any association with the fabricated world of emo, with no sixties sunshine motif too saccharine.

It doesn’t take long before the meta-references of old arrive. “We’re So Starving” opens the album in an apologetic way: “Oh how it’s been so long/We’re so sorry we’ve been gone/We were busy writing songs for you.” These lines are accompanied by the sounds of a screaming crowd, seemingly foaming at the mouth for the return of the band. As the opening shot of the album, it likewise makes it clear where the album is heading as a whole, beginning with a guitar/strings combination a million miles away from A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.

As the album goes on, the influences become even more pronounced. The trappings of The Beatles, The Byrds, The Kinks, etc (think of any of the Summer of Love’s leading lights and they’ll fit in here) are all here; the impeccable strings, horns, random sound effects, and treated instruments adorn every song, as if rolled out from an assembly line (in fact “The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know” includes the most obvious of touchstones, the flute mellotron). And that’s the problem with Pretty Odd as a whole: it sounds forced and formulaic, as if PATD perused a genre description of “psychedelic pop” and made an album based on their findings. This perception isn’t tempered by the contrived zaniness of lines like “Clouds are singing a song/Marching along, just like they do” or “When the sun found the moon/She was drinking tea in a garden/Under the green umbrella trees/In the middle of summer.”

However, there are a few interesting moments on the record. Many of the melodies are undeniably catchy in a laboured way, and it’s hard not to like the blatant Beatles pastiche of “Behind The Sea.” The orchestral arrangements also sound fantastic in places, such as on “Do You Know What I’m Saying” and “She Had The World,” which they provide some pleasantly colourful moments. These fleeting instances of inspiration suggest that PATD could have created a far superior album, had they chosen to use such elements more wisely.

“You don’t have to worry/’cause we’re still the same band” states “We’re So Starving.” It’s an honest statement from a group that comes across more as a blank canvas than a real musical collective. It would be sad if Panic At The Disco descended into Madonnaesque reinvention with no substance, as there does appear to be able musicianship in the band that could be put to far better use, but that could well be their fate judging by this album. The reality is simple: beneath the ornate instrumentation, the melodic pop hooks, and the strained attempts to emulate every sixties subgenre to a tee, there remains a gaping void where the creativity should be. A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out may have sounded cut-and-dried at the time, but every reference on this album to sunny days or clouds (a self-conscious reiteration of their plea that they are not emo?) makes me yearn for an electronic break, lovingly encased within a ridiculously long song title. It would be vastly preferable to Pretty Odd, composed as it is of vacuous songs resting within the vestige of every sixties cliché imaginable.

Pádraic Grant

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Yael Naim's self-titled album

editor@cluas.com — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:50:20 GMT

A review of Yael Naim's self-titled album

Review Snapshot: This self-titled second album from French-Israeli Yael Naim, shows off an excellent voice and some excellent compositional flare, though with much of the same from start to finish. The tracks go from folk to pop and back again, remaining rooted in acoustic guitar and piano. With some snapshots of something special dotted throughout, don’t be surprised if it ends up putting you to sleep...

The Cluas Verdict? 6 out of 10

Full Review:
Describing Yael Naim and knowing very little about her, you could be forgiven for calling her a French Feist. Both have got the husky-dreamy female vocalist bit down, both have sold their songs for use in ads, and sometimes, they both sing in French.

This is the second album from Yael, a French-Israeli singer-song-writer, released on the French independent label, Tôt ou Tard. It includes her most famous song - "New Soul", which was featured a while back in a MacBook Air ad, and gave her a top ten hit in the US charts. It really is the attention-grabber on the album, and for good reason. Being possibly the most energetic of the bunch - the remainder being more acoustic-orientated and down-tempoed, and having the added advantage of being in English, it's worth a listen in itself. It however is a slight misrepresentation of what to expect from the album. Expect something more slow-paced, pleasant and sleepy songs. Many are sung in Hebrew, which is an interesting experience.

Opener "Paris" sets up for some acoustic-folk, but a range of other influences make appearances throughout. David Donatein, himself a West Indian drummer, is Yael’s partner in crime on this album, and is responsible for the perfect accompanying backdrop to Yael’s voice. Her classical background is evident in the track "Lachlom", having all the correct interval-leaps for a successful tune. Also in Hebrew, "Levater" dabbles with a tension-building orchestral line, but never quite erupts. "Yashanti" and "Lonely" exercise Yael’s extensive vocal range – but this not exactly original stuff. Only when "Shelsha" finally breaks does it becomes a more noticeable song, highlighting a tendency for tracks to blend together in to - an admittedly pleasant - haze. However, "Too Long" is a memorable jazz-embracing pop-song, making up part of a clump of the catchier songs right at the start of the album. In quite unusual English, - "I irrigate illusions, then let them grow" - it also makes use of some basic but effective synth enough to make it a personal favourite.

The cover of Britney’s "Toxic" towards the album’s is slightly questionable. She manages to make it Bjork-esque, but deconstructed pop-songs to me just seem a little stale. It does however blend in seamlessly to the order of tracks, allowing the peaceful string of songs to hold up until the end. The final song is the disjointed waltz entitled "Endless Song of Happiness", which sounds like a merry-go-round. A pretty conclusion to a pretty, but only minorly eventful album.

Christine Cooke

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Elbow 'Seldom Seen Kid'

editor@cluas.com — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:12:38 GMT

A review of the album 'Seldom Seen Kid' by Elbow

Review Snapshot: Top class intelligent rock pop – Elbow could never make you happy but they could afford you a better class of misery. That’s all changed – Guy Garvey buys a "Choose Life!" teeshirt and drinks from the well of contentment.

The Cluas Verdict? 8.5 out of 10

Full Review:
I spent a miserable weekend in 2001 listening to "Asleep at the back", the Elbow debut. It did not float my boat – too claustrophobic, too twitchy, too forbidding, too foreboding. Elbow were trading unashamedly in unhappiness and over an entire album their blackness faded into an uneasy and unlovable grey.

I bought into "Seldom seen kid", their latest, because of Richard Hawley’s involvement. He duets with Elbow’s Guy Garvey, the band’s frontman, in the jaunty "the fix", where, get this, Elbow do Funny, and - even better - Sinfully Funny. The filter tipped Hawley as always sounds as if he was born, lives and will die in an overcrowded snug. Garvey, in fairness, outdoes him, sounding like a man that sleeps in doorways surrounded by empty Buckfast bottles. "The fix" is a cautionary waltz time tale of race fixing – when you hear the line "redoubtable beast" in a lyric you know you’re in a special place. Hawley and Garvey ham it up like noughties Frankie and Dinos, obviously loving every minute of it. But "the fix" is only one of a number of stunning tracks on this album.

Second track in, "The bones of you", is staggering – literally, it’s a great big loud woozy love song, Garvey belting out a superb lovelorn lyric underpinned by a swishing beat and masterful arrangement. Top it off with a ripping guitar solo and a sonic boom that morphs into the chorus and you’ve got one of the songs of this or any other year.

"Grounds for divorce" is reckoned by the critics to be a stand out and it is, it’s average, which is well below the quality of the rest of the album. It’s their "we will rock you", a weak lyric ("There'll be twisted karaoke at the Aniseed Lounge") and a chorus that goes nowhere.

It’s a serious aberration, in fairness, and "Audience with the Pope" takes place in the same murky world as "The Fix". The band sound like they’re playing in a grotty bordello and Garvey ruefully croons about the type of girl your mother warned you about, and with good reason. "Starlings", "One day like this" and "Mirrorball" are gorgeous love songs, absolutely awash with romance and longing while "Weather to fly" is one of the best songs ever written on families and how to survive them...

Poundin' the streets where my fathers feet still ring from the walls
and we sing in the doorways and just bickering around
figuring how we're wired inside
perfect weather to fly

"Weather to fly" had the potential to be a touchy feely mess but Garvey holds it all together. What could have been soft and sticky is instead wry and clear eyed.

If you’re downloading this album don’t cherry pick, it should be heard in its warts n’ all entirety. Pretty much everything on "Seldom seen Kid" sounds fresh and unforced – you get the impression that much of the arrangement work was done on the hoof and there is a depth and perception in Garvey’s lyrics that sometimes takes the breath away. It’s music with conviction, humour, and, where necessary - as in "Friend of ours" - a tribute to a recently departed companion, pathos.

"Seldom seen kid" is a pivotal moment for Elbow: with this superb collection they’ve moved from being contenders to being a band that can sit at the top table.

Anthony Morrissey

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.
Check out the CLUAS review of Elbow's debut album "Asleep in the back"
Check out a review of Elbow live in Dublin in 2001.

Chris Bathgate 'A Cork Wake Tale'

editor@cluas.com — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:25:13 GMT

A review of the album 'A Cork Wake Tale' by Chris Bathgate

Review Snapshot: The latest offering from Michigan folk artist Chris Bathgate, ‘A Cork Wake Tale’ is a decent and rewarding listen. Similarities to Sufjan Stevens can be seen, but unfortunately his talent is not as great as his contemporary.

The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10

Full Review: Chris Bathgate’s talent is certainly not going unnoticed in his homestate of Michigan where he won ‘Best Solo Artist’ by the Detroit Free Press. This album is his first UK release, and he has become the latest folk artist to be put on heavy rotation by BBC Radio 2.

The album opens with ‘Serpentine’. This sublime track turns out to be the highlight of the record. It’s a beautifully simple piano led ballad. Its cyclical melody sucks you in and absorbs you. While ‘Serpentine’ may be the highlight of the album, the rest does not disappoint. It is an eclectic mix of songs for a folk album.

‘Restless’ and ‘Smile Like a Fist’ see our troubadour let out his rockier side, while he is at his downbeat and melancholic best on ‘Madison House’. The use of a reverb-laden outro on ‘Last Parade on Ann St.’ and his use of horns throughout show Bathgate’s diversity. Despite the mix of sounds, this album does not lose focus.

‘A Cork Wake Tale’ is a fine album, well worth a listen. The fact that it never lives up to the brilliance showed on its opening track might detract from the album, but do not let that deter you. It is an absorbing listen that intrigues the ear on first listen, and rewards thereafter.

Garret Cleland

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Crayonsmith 'White Wonder'

editor@cluas.com — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:34:06 GMT

CLUAS Verdict: 8 out of 10

Review Snapshot: As ever running that fine line between rock, pop, electronica, alternative, and general unclassifiable, Dublin’s Ciarán Smith has produced an album of tracks that are well-written, well produced, well orchestrated and well performed. What more could you want?

Review: Out On A Limb is close to becoming my favourite record label, indie or otherwise, and OOAL0011 - in real words Crayonsmith’s White Wonder - is even more quickly becoming one of my favourite albums. Crayonsmith’s early and possibly more familiar lo-fi sound has expanded and developed into something totally original and new to the Irish market. Subtle snatches of melody, classic if sometimes unexpected harmonic twists, droning percussive synths and charming vocals so beautifully layered and produced that you can almost imagine them standing in rows in front of you: percussion, guitars and synths in rows up each side and Ciarán standing somewhere in the middle, his voice entering and falling out of the swells of sound. Each track is nothing if not considered, containing a wealth of musical ideas that combine to create a soundworld that almost feels like a glimpse into a new world.

It’s so easy to rave about a new artist, new album or new sound, and then after touting it as the best thing since X&Y, to all too quickly lose interest, but this album has so far stood up to a week of constant listening, and still they are new things to discover. This fascination is due in part to the band’s admittedly not-totally-original concept for the album. Having pulled George Brennan on board to help out, White Wonder is a combination of sampled and electronically produced beats and sounds and live instrumentation. And what’s best about it is that you can’t tell which is which, and what appears to be a new and different sound is in fact in part made up of old sounds. Crayonsmith are just too clever for their own good.

In terms of tracks, the album fits so well together, it can be difficult to pick out worst and best bits. In fact, it’s sometimes difficult to tell what belongs in one song and what to another. Consistency is the keyword with this release, but a number of songs such as The Boat, the gently melodies of which move slowly but inevitably towards a hurtling crash of sparring harmonies and guitars only to be suddenly reined back in, and the crunching Anything, which is as perfect an example as any other of the melding of sampled and real, stand out. Opener White Wonder Theme and Lost in the Forest and closer We Sleep bookend the album perfectly with their complementing expansive synth sections and driving verse patterns.

Anna Murray

The Boggs 'Forts'

editor@cluas.com — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:27:50 GMT

Review of The Boggs' album 'Forts'

Review Snapshot: The sound of countless acts flows through the veins of the latest release from sometime Liar Jason Friedman, but no one utilises them in the same inventive way. This is a sonic brew, mixing ingredients of highlights from the last decade of music with the sheer irrepressible energy of The Boggs collective.

The Cluas Verdict? 8 out of 10

Full Review:
The new rock revolution (TM) which was ushered in at the dawn of the millennium saw some fresh life breathed into a music scene bloated from dining out on unpalatable Nu-Metal. The likes of The Strokes, The White Stripes and their like brought some much needed vitality without doing anything new. As the years have rolled by and The Rapture (sometime tourmates of The Boggs) and Bloc Party have come and gone, it's clear that they're tapping into a period of music (1977-1981) and taking all the style, but none of the substance.

Bands like XTC, Wire and Gang Of Four thrived on having no template to rely upon, but the modern bands have missed this very point. It's fine having influences, but bring something of yourself to the mix. Thankfully The Boggs are around to remind us that creativity is not a concept from a bygone age

Since 2002's 'We Are The Boggs We Are' they've been proving that it's possible to look to the post-punk era, yet turn it into just one component in the sonic soufflé. One listen to 'Forts' will immediately reveal a band in thrall to Wire and their ilk, but as cartographers of The New America (as they modestly bill themselves!) there are any number of things going on at any one time on this album.

He may have relocated to Berlin for a brief period, but Jason Friedman (for he is The Boggs) cannot keep his New York roots under wraps. The finest NY acts - from The Velvet Underground, through to Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and beyond - have displayed a fiercely independent and creative spirit. So it is too with the Liars associate, who moves through folk, garage, punk and disco over the course of these 13 tracks.

The title track hints at territory previously covered by Radiohead post 'OK Computer', but is completed by vocals from Friedman which sound eerily like the maniacal yelping patented by Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. The Mouse influence is also evident on 'One Year On', which features a rather lovely vocal from Heather D'Angelo from Au Revoir Simone. Fans of The Rapture may find comfort in the post-punk guitar and thumping rhythm of 'Remember The Orphans' while 'Little Windows' surprises with its unconventional catchiness and tasteful use of trombone/trumpet.

'If We Want, meanwhile,' manages the impressive feat of combining a maelstrom of Nuggets era backing, chanting vocals and a world music beat. But perhaps the album highlight may be 'The Passage' - a borderline dirge which carries guitar work reminiscent of the Redneck Manifesto and is complimented brilliantly by the hushed vocals of Karen Sharky.

Of course few records are flawless and so is the case with 'Forts'. It loses a touch of coherence over the last couple of tracks, with 'So I So You' being a bit throwaway. But The Boggs deserve plaudits for being so risky as to fall flat on their face in the first place. So many bases are covered that some may not totally come off, but the very fact that they show such a huge amount of ambition is to be admired.

Alan Morrissey

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

Erykah Badu 'New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)'

editor@cluas.com — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:09:40 GMT

Review of the album 'New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)' by Erykah Badu

Review Snapshot: Soul Queen Erykah Badu attempts to tackle black America's political woes and social ills as well as jump start the genre with an ambitious prog-soul disc, the first in a two part series. In the world of iTunes and .99c tracks, this is an old fashioned album harking back memories of Curtis Mayfield leading the listener to realise that the more the world changes, the more the problems remain the same.

The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10

Full Review:
If anyone looks uncomfortable in the era they were born its Erykah Badu. She remains so firmly routed in the 70s her records sound like uncovered gems from back in the day, before R&B’s soulful grooves were replaced radio friendly, bass heavy club anthems. In a world where being an R&B artist usually means you’re black and you sing pop songs, singers who display that indescribable characteristic “soul” are so rare today that when one is discovered they are revered.

So at one end of the spectrum you have Rihanna with her bubblegum gimmick R&B, and then at the opposite end of the there is Badu, who is gifted with many of the attributes that made the 70s such a golden age for soul music. Blessed with a voice comparable to Billie Holiday, and the desire to make smart music like Curtis Mayfield, Badu is reaching for the sort of greatness those artists achieved by releasing two albums this year that promise to unflinchingly tackle social and political issues in America. Staying true to her “analogue girl in a digital world” persona, 'New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)' is an old fashioned, ambitious neo-soul record working best when judged as an album than any individual tracks. Even connoisseurs of the genre will need patience to fully enjoy this record, as it takes multiple listens to unravel its complexities and absorb its messages.

'New Amerykah Part One' is cinematic in scope and dripped in all the nostalgia of a seventies Blaxploitation flick right down to the authentic sounding record scratches. Opener “Amerykahn Promise” alone sounds like it has been plucked straight from a Pam Grier movie with its funked up “wah-wah” guitars, blustery horns and a deepened Prince-esque narration thrown in for good measure. Equally the anti-drugs tale “The Cell” brings to mind images of pushers, pimps, afros and bellbottoms. The throwback production is provided by established alt-hip hop producers such as Madlib and James Poyser, the former providing the albums most delicate, spooky beats which establish a light canvas for Badu to flood with colour and make no mistake, she is an exceptional singer. Dark, yet playful, she soulfully skips on top of the music which treads the lines of different classic soul genres.

Badu doesn’t do fluff, and each track here weighs in with a pretty hefty message, striking a good balance between personal and political. For example on the Madlib produced ‘The Healer’ Badu declares “Hip Hop is bigger than religion”, bringing back memories of John Lennon’s misunderstood statement that compared his band to Jesus. It’s an almost polar opposite approach to a soul record than say the classic Motown sounding Soul-Pop of Amy Winehouse. ‘Me’ is an autobiographical track where Badu lays out her concerns issues like ageing and body image for all to hear in a refreshingly honest way.

‘Telephone’ is a tribute to the late J Dilla. Inspired by stories told by his mother, it’s the most moving song about the life of the popular producer to date. Elsewhere ‘Soldier’ charts a young man dealing drugs on the street and ‘Twinkle’ touches on a range of U.S. failings like health and education.

In fact so heavy here is the content that Badu could only find room for the sweeter single “Honey” as a bonus track, which makes a welcomed cameo after the seriousness that has preceded it. It's as if she was too full of ideas and opinions to include it in the main track listings, which is the biggest problem with 'New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)'. Try as she might Badu can’t address the whole world’s problems on one record, but she sure gives it a good try. She’ll have another chance with Part Two which is scheduled for a July release. Although whether she can stretch the concept onto another disc remains to be seen but, being modern soul’s premier artist, her message will always have an audience.

Dean Van Nguyen

To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.
Check out CLUAS.com's review of Erykah Badu's 2002 concert in Amsterdam.