Pine For Cedars – Pine For Cedars EP

Math-tinged alt-rock from York is the tantalising prospect awaiting curious listeners to Pine For Cedars’ debut EP. This new quartet duly set about their business with a set of four incisive tracks which, whilst clever in their execution, have the drive and addictive qualities to make you want to hear more from them.

Introduced by choppy guitars, ‘Love By Numbers’ is an encouraging start. The frontman has one of those love it/hate it vocals but it’s likely to be the former if you’re a fan of Placebo’s Brian Molko angst and anguish. Certainly the song stands up to the test too with a strong melodic flow and all band members clearly heading in the same direction. ‘Platform’ is less infectious but its melancholic verses and fuzzed up chorus are full of vigour and invention. Then there’s ‘Taking Over’ ; a song that sees the group deliver their most convincing Placebo impression with the nagging guitar hook, in particular, standing out. Slightly worryingly, on the final offering the group threaten to encroach on the whiny territory of Wheatus but manage to hold back just enough.

Based on the thirteen minutes of music here, the comparisons may seem obvious but every fledgling band takes a while to find their own identity. Pine For Cedars have at least appeared to have chosen a style which suits their age group, their songs are sufficiently complex and it has to be said that these songs bode well for a promising future.

Web Sites:
Pine For Cedars Soundcloud

Further Listening:
Placebo

Review: Matthew Collings – Splintered Instruments

The background to Matthew Colling’s ‘Splintered Instruments’ is an interesting one since it was recorded over a period of three years in Iceland. There is certainly a cold chill running through the heart of this unmistakably intense album, which one feels could have only been inspired an austere, sleepless environment. Nevertheless, the album is also a deep and compelling affair.

Thanks to complex layers of frenetic percussion, string samples, Collings’ own despairing vocals and all kinds of sonic manipulation, the artist evokes paranoia, danger and rainy days of an industrial city all in one song. Tellingly, it’s one of the most straightforward offerings as tracks frequently veer off on to unexpected routes, stopping, starting and twisting around into what seems like a totally different song.

Although not quite as busy in its construction as the opener, ‘They Meet On The Subway’ is, if anything, even more oppressive as great slabs of sound shift around with disorientating results. There are moments of beauty as the sadness of ‘Pneumonia Loves The Moon’ strips away further layers to reveal some minimalism, infusions of woodwind instruments take us from the city to the country (not unlike Hood in their execution) but these fragments are a brief respite as the restless atmosphere soon returns and sucks out any moments of hope. It’s a testament to the power of the album that the sombre post-rock of the last track, ‘Routine’, manages to sound so eerie and yet seem so calm.

Unquestionably, ‘Splintered Instruments’ is a dark affair but it is nonetheless intoxicating as you begin to feel dragged into Collings’ world of abstract melancholia. The skill is that the “immense, violent force” which Collings claims informs this record, is translated into a musical form which is both hypnotic and something which we can emphasise with.

Web Sites:
Bandcamp Stream of Matthew Collings’ ‘Splintered Instruments’
Fluid Audio Label and Shop Site

Further Listening:
Hood, Flying Saucer Attack, Shoeb Ahmad

Review: Sans Nom – Vol. I – Self Obsessed

Modesty can be a valuable asset but when you call your band “Sans Nom” and the frontman, Simon Peacock, modestly describes his Canadian outfit as a “collaborative musical project with a few of my friends”, expectations can’t be set too high. No matter, ‘Vol 1 – Self Obsessed’ is far better than its understated introduction promises.

Indeed, from the dreamy arrangements and angelic vocals of ‘Borders’ to the eerie combination of harmonies and electronica for ‘Self Obsessed’, this is clearly an EP worth listening to. Quite why the group chose to name a song ‘Think McFly’ is open to debate but the shoegaze meets grunge pop on show is a joy to behold and it’s clearly the best thing here. Then to demonstrate their versatility, right at the centre of the EP is a cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ where the female singer reveals she has an alternative career path as a country singer to fall back on, should the need arise. ‘Tongue In Cheek’, meanwhile, projects menace and melodrama.

Sans Nom certainly don’t go out of their way to market their material and, in fairness, their music is essentially an above average mix of electronica and shoegaze. Yet there’s enough songwriting talent here to suggest these Winnipeg musicians could convert their potential into a quality album.

Web Sites:
Bandcamp Stream of Sans Nom’s ‘Vol. 1 – Self Obsessed’
Sans Nom Facebook

Further Listening:
Lush, Thrushes, The Lovely Few

Review: Univore – Beasts From A Silk Womb

It was hard to know whether to take Univore seriously, judging by their somewhat exuberant press release. Does anyone need an album which celebrates “the confluence of apocalyptic imagery and the expected human responses of preparation, celebration, and defiance to the end of the world” or need a cover of the two musicians in daft blonde wigs, for that matter? Well, we have these elements anyway but a more meaningful description of their output would be subtle indie-dance.

The Chicago-based duo of David Bachmann and Nicholas Flandro may be able to express dry wit on paper but it’s their music which shines the brightest. ‘Humanity Family’, for instance, may feature the kind of digitised vocals we’d normally expect to find on anonymous DJ projects but the space-disco backing track and languid rhythms add touches of class which tells us something more edifying is going on in the arrangements to match their literary skills. ‘Lay The Hands’ is propelled by chugging rhythms but the distinctly European vocals suggests a German synthpop act on an IDM trip. Full marks too for the final two tracks: the lilting instrumental ‘Ice Trust’ and wistful closer ‘Victory Days (Victory Ways)’.

Make no mistake, there’s a strong emphasis of fun on show as you might expect for an album entitled ‘Beasts From A Silk Womb’. Yet more importantly, there’s also a sense that Bachmann and Flandro are two guys with their finger on the pulse where infectious, electronic music is concerned.

Web Sites:
Univore Official Site
Bandcamp Stream of Univore’s ‘Beasts From A Silk Womb’

Further Listening:
Grand National

Review: Flowerss – Charm

California dwellers Christapher Larsen and Andrew Hoke apparently drew inspiration from the cool, deep Pacific for the dark, moody sounds of their new project, Flowerss. ‘Charm’ is a record which adds robust rhythms to the ethereal shoegaze surroundings the duo have created.

It’s an album which begins with a serene ambient soundscape but from thereon in it’s all about languid but naggingly infectious indie/dreampop. Larsen’s vocals mirror the detached, disaffected style of Glen Johnson from Piano Magic and in some cases, the songs are just as bleak too. However, the USP is that ‘Halo’ balances Larsen’s insouciance with euphoric arrangements. The class truly tells for tracks three and four on the album. ‘Every Mile’ contains a simple but addictive guitar hook but the way it weaves in and out of Larsen’s cool, despairing vocal is pure melancholic pop genius. The same could be said for ‘Big Hands’, which contains the most propulsive and hypnotic mix of (what can only be described as) liquid funk and another perfectly tuned showcase for Larsen’s airy musings.

It would be extremely tough for Larsen and Hoke to maintain this quality for the second half of the record and sure enough there is a slight tail-off. Yet there is still much to enjoy, including the slow, Spiritualized-aping sway of ‘Sun Dial’, the blissed-out ambient pop of Engineers is referenced for ‘Drag’ and the hazy, trippy, acoustic charm of the title track is also highly recommended. In this company, the two remixes are rather perfunctory except to remind us what good songs ‘Every Mile’ and ‘Drag’ actually are.

If some shoegaze music can be accused of achieving big sounds but little lasting impression, ‘Charm’ is anything but. It is music with a strong rhythm and a beating heart. So all hail the new kings of Sacramento dreampop.

Web Sites:
Test Pattern Records Label and Shop Site
Stream ‘Charm’ on Bandcamp

Further Listening:
Piano Magic, Spiritualized, Engineers

Review: Tristan Coleman – Still Life With Sound

Of all the solo electronic musicians currently in operation, Melbourne’s Tristan Coleman favours the late night intimacy and weirdness of James Blake. Yet whereas Blake’s vocals tend to veer between tentative and romantic, Coleman’s tones are rich, dominant and soulful. Whilst this debut EP recalls collaborative producer-led outfits such as Alpha and The Beauty Room, Coleman takes on both producer and singer roles himself here and the results are beguiling.

It’s apparent from the opening strains of ‘Good Money’; a track which meanders like a psychedelic journey, taking on 1980′s synths, soul music, and more modern day techniques en route. ‘Rituals Pt. 3′ combines strings, alien noise, clarinet and back-breaking basslines into an intelligent stew; recalling the often overlooked Red Snapper. Of the two other tracks, the macabre ‘Precious Ghostly Metal’ is either eerie or just plain evil, with only Coleman’s own vocals reminding us that this music has been engineered by a human being and finally it’s left to ‘Bad Money’ to find that rarely discovered middle ground between downbeat and hyperactive electronica.

An awful lot of ground is covered in just twenty minutes of abstract listening material, with Coleman frequently surprising with his mind-bending arrangements. Yet whether its soul, jazz, psychedelia or just plain old electronic music you like, ‘Still Life With Sound’ already seems like the opening chapter to the story of an exciting artist.

Web Sites:
Tristan Coleman Official Site
Mystery Plays Records
Bandcamp Stream of ‘Still Life With Sound’

Further Listening:
Alpha, The Beauty Room, James Blake

Review: Various Artists – Joe Boyd Presents ‘Way To Blue’, The Songs Of Nick Drake

There is a strong argument to suggest that tributes to Nick Drake have been overdone in the past. Yet thirty nine years since his tragic passing, perhaps we finally have the most fitting tribute of all, with an album of cover versions helmed by the original Drake producer, Joe Boyd. Here, Drake’s songs are performed as artist collaborations by a variety of musicians whose work spans six decades.

It is a relative newcomer who opens the show as Luluc’s shivery tones on ‘Things Behind The Sun’ pave the way for a classy selection of interpretations of this most revered of artists. Participants in the project were selected based on the fact that they didn’t actually sound like Nick Drake. So Scott Matthews brings a gruff, countrified edge to ‘Place To Be’, Krystie Warren’s take on ‘Time Has Told Me’ is soulful and bluesy and it’s fair to say that Robyn Hitchcock and Green Gartside have been the owners of  music’s distinctive voices well before this project got underway.

Listening further, Danny Thompson and Zoe Rahman perform a colourful and vibrant instrumental version of ‘One Of These Things First’ and Shane Nicholson’s gloriously warm reworking of ‘Rider On The Wheel’ is undoubtedly another highlight. Naturally not all performances will be for everyone (Lisa Hannigan and Vashti Bunyan seem too meandering and willowy, for instance) but the devotion to the material always comes across as genuine.

Perhaps the most pleasantly surprising element of this compilation is that there’s an air of celebration and optimism about the whole experience with each artist revelling in the opportunity of being able to show their respect to the record’s subject. In fact, the only real sad moment occurs at the end of the final song as applause fills the room and you wonder how many rousing receptions Drake would have encountered if he were still performing today.

Web Sites:
Navigator Records Label Site
Luluc’s Version of ‘Things Behind The Sun’

Review: Panda Riot – Northern Automatic Music

Now based in Chicago, Rebecca Scott and Brian Cook worked together on soundtracks when they first met but then they discovered that writing songs was their true calling. Yet that background in film does pay dividends because the duo, with the addition of Jose Rodriguez’s relentless drumming, have created an atmospheric, lovingly produced album.

‘Amanda In The Clouds’ presents a brilliant, colourful start; beginning with Scott’s layered vocals and dreamily melodic guitars. It’s no fluke either. If anyone wanted to know what a shoegaze sea shanty sounded like, ‘In The Forest’ provides the answer. The title track experiments with piano keys and glitchy beats whilst ‘MTWM Glass’ is as lush as, well, Lush, arguably their nearest sound-alikes. Their film score roots are rediscovered for three rather gorgeous and very different instrumental tracks and it’s left to the exquisite, gentle ‘Camden Line’ to wrap up a great record.

Die-hards may argue that some of the guitar sounds are a little too indebted to My Bloody Valentine (especially for ‘Black Pyramids’ and the admittedly thrilling ‘Good Night, Rich Kids’) but there’s no doubt Panda Riot are a more immediate proposition; easier on the ear than those noisy, dreampop behemoths. In short, if you like shoegaze in its most tuneful form, you will love this.

Web Sites:
Panda Riot Official Site
Saint Marie Records Label and Shop Site
Youtube Video for ‘Black Pyramids’

Further Listening:
Lush, Thrushes, Spotlight Kid, My Bloody Valentine

Review: RealPolitik – The White Noise & Buzzing Static Of The Moment

Leeds’ ‘RealPolitik’ have been in operation for a few years now. Spearheaded by the multi-instrumental and arrangement skills of Richard Crossley and the pure vocals of Cleo Harratt, they’ve been quietly (and sometimes loudly, if the mood becomes them) making experimental music. Their previous EP, ‘And The Night Was All In Pieces’, appeared to have reduced the noise from their earlier recordings and placed more emphasis on Harratt as a frontwoman but the new album appears to have gone a step further to explore minimalist and classical influences.

The key elements of ‘White Noise…’ are Crossley’s “chill to the bone” stark piano, Harratt’s ever-haunted vocals and walls of atmospheric noise. Harratt impressed last year with her first solo album. That in itself was far removed from traditional female singer/songwriter fare but this new material makes her album seem like a collection of nursery rhymes such is the air of loneliness, mystery and paranoia within.

‘A Search Of Things Past’ brings in the static promised by the album title, offset by Harratt’s distant voice and Crossley’s meandering piano keys. Like much of the record, the tracks can be seen as experimental, semi-improvised pieces rather than actual songs. Yet there are moments of beauty, like when the unintelligible chatter of ‘Broken Images’ is stripped back to reveal some lovely strings whilst ‘Deserts (2nd Movement)’ and ‘Sonata II (For Prepared Piano)’ are serene examples of modern classical. The second half of proceedings is markedly bleaker and moodier with Harratt reduced to sporadic interjections; making it almost a Crossley solo affair.

‘The White Noise…’ as a whole is a sometimes elegant, often macabre listening experience which finds itself bookended between Dead Can Dance’s arcane wonder and Portishead at their most minimal. Its ideas are arguably stretched out for far too long over fifty minutes but the duo usually find the right balance between challenging and coherent music.

Web Sites:
RealPolitik Official Site
RealPolitik SoundCloud

Further Listening:
Dead Can Dance, Portishead, Joe Frawley

Review: Static In Verona – Some Things You Knew

For an EP that’s described as “a collection of indie pop songs with subtle experimental and electronic undertones”, Static In Verona’s latest release, ‘Some Things You Knew’, seems remarkably brash. Given the apparent limitations of being a solo, self-produced artist, the EP’s creator, Rob Merz, opts for the challenge of delivering a full-on band sound with each track as tuneful and as eager to please as the last.

‘White Knuckles’ isn’t quite as thrilling as the song title suggests but it could be said that Merz’s Jon Anderson-style vocals hold up pretty well against the rollercoaster effects; peaking for the emotive, powerful chorus. Merz certainly gives the impression of a man with ambition. ‘Everything You Knew’, for example, strives for the ELO experience with epic arrangements and thick chord changes but ‘Friendly Fires’ sounds like a misfire as the song recalls the twee indie pop of Owl City. Thankfully, the artist recovers to return to more likeable indie qualities as a nagging guitar riff propels ‘Love Like Gold’ whilst ‘Loud Night/Quiet Morning’ brings in strings and backing vocals to surprisingly moving effect.

Merz’s vocals may sometimes lack the strident quality his arrangements demand but you can’t fault the intention to make big, colourful, melodic, slightly left of centre indie pop. A bit more subtlety wouldn’t go amiss next time around, though.

Web Sites:
Static In Verona Official Site
Soundcloud Stream of ‘Some Things You Knew’
Bandcamp Stream of ‘Some Things You Knew’

Further Listening:
ELO, Owl City, Jon Anderson