Lick Online - Demo Reviews

Galore Nation (Lockjaw Records)

Glasgow’s No Kilter stride out with a debut ep ‘Galore Nation’, a disc so much smarter than the average that it’d probably steal you pic-a-nic basket if you’re not paying attention.

Combining catchy punk-riff rhythms with deeply complex geek-rock time signatures and harmonies sounds like a pretty horrific idea, but it comes off pretty damn well here. The enthusiasm brings to mind At the Drive-In and Hundred Reasons, coupled with the mathematical styling of Sikth, Cave In and 311. But don’t get bogged down with comparisons… No Kilter have a signature sound going on that is almost totally unique in today’s NME-a-like musical climate.

‘Congratulations On Your Decision To Become A Criminal’ is an epic opening track with a breakdown section and riff change that is up there with the best. In fact, on first listen, I thought we were into track two! The ep rolls on in a similarly horizon smashing style, with ‘Rec-Error’ bringing to mind aspects of Oceansize (a band I consider genius).

A new band willing to so confidently showcase ideas on this scale deserves respect… not to mention repeat listens.

Tour details to be confirmed.

www.nokilter.tk
www.myspace.com/nokiltermusic

Russell Moore

Lazy Eye

Silversun Pickups is a terrible name for a band. It really is. Just think about it.

Bad.

But let’s not judge the content by the stuff in which it is wrapped – unless it’s Silversun Pickups.

With a polished ‘edgy’ guitar sound and slightly warped vocal treatment, Silversun Pickups’ Lazy Eye is probably the most cynical thing I’ve listened to in quite a while. Fundamentally there is nothing going on in this song – the riff is a plodding bore, the lyrics mean nothing, the quiet/loud dynamic is executed in the most pedestrian way possible and it finishes as if it was embarrassed to be there to begin with.

Quite where this band has come from is a mystery to me. Why they would choose to release music of such crushingly bad quality is a quandary in which to wrap that mystery. And why they would release a ‘Radio Edit’ makes me wonder what horrors await us on the album.

If I never hear this again it will be far, far too soon. Lazy? Aye.

www.silversunpickups.com
www.myspace.com/silversunpickups

Russell Moore

These Are the Facts (Mercury Records)

Sheffield bandits Milburn are the Arctic Monkeys it’s still ok to like. Why is that? Well, it’s because they’ve not sold as many records or gone ‘dark’. It’s that easy Monkeys!

Combining the charm of The Coral with the colloquial shenanigans of those Arctic boys allows Milburn to sound both immediately recognisable yet suitably different enough to warrant your attention. ‘What Will You Do (When the Money Goes)’ is probably the biggest rip off track on the album but it stills has enough going on to keep you listening. ‘Summertime’ is a brilliantly broody, anti-summer irony anthem dressed up in loose guitars with thrumming bass and drums. And any band with the sense of humour required for ‘Cowboys and Indians’ is fine by me.

To be honest, I like Milburn much more than I should. That’s because there’s plenty of invention, a healthy dose of humour, enough experimentation to keep even the Flaming Lips happy and a distinct lack of ego saturating the whole record.

Anyone looking to overcome feelings of 2007’s missing summer should give Milburn a spin. It’ll put a smile on yer face.

www.milburnmusic.com
www.myspace.com/milburnmusic

Russell Moore

Two Left Feet ‘07

This is a remix (and according to the press release a ‘re-working’) of Two Left Feet “for 2007”. Frankly whatever has changed in 2007 to warrant a remix release from The Holloways is beyond me.

Sounding like a mix between Dodgy and The Levellers, but without the discernable ‘talents’ of either of these bands, is about as close as I can get to describing this song. It has a summery feel, albeit several weeks too late, but that’s about it. It leaves you with something of a pop music hangover; you’re not too sure if you had a good time or not but you regret it now anyway. I’d imagine that’s how people feel when they spend money on Spice Girls tickets: you’ll certainly think your having a good time but be damned if you ever wear that tour t-shirt in public afterwards.

So there we have it, The Holloways. A bit like a Spice Girls reunion tour t-shirt. Quids in.

www.the-holloways.com
www.myspace.com/theholloways

Russell Moore

Beyond the Neighbourhood

Disliking Athlete is like punching a kitten in the kidneys. Man, it feels good at the time but you harbour nothing but remorse and guilt for the rest of the day.

Beyond the Neighbourhood sounds like Athlete’s version of the latter part of Stereophonic’s dismal career – all those terrible songs about being knackered on the road, bored by hotels, exhausted with fame, blah, blah and blah. But what Athlete has done seems to be more interesting and unique.

Taking something of a cue from stalwart minimalist genius Brian Eno’s ‘Music for Airports’, Athlete has concentrated more on the mood and atmosphere of travel than the mundane details of their tour diary (Kelly, take note). The trademark electronic sounds have a slick pop production but remain steeped in a more experimental origin. The song titles lack this subtlety; I mean how much more obvious can ‘In Between 2 States’, ‘Airport Disco’, ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘Flying Over Bus Stops’ be? All this is rescued and forgiven by the lack of pretension in the tunes. Indeed, Airport Disco is a haunting and quite epic sounding track with several, heavily reverberating layers that will transcend the drab surroundings you’ll probably listen to it in. Not only that, on closer inspection the lyrics themselves are more than the sum of their parts – commenting on topics as wide-ranging as 9/11 tragedies and the biting hypocrisy of stereotypical English tourists.

To be honest there is no ‘Wires’ or ‘Half Light’ on this album but there’s sure to be a sleeper in there that will emerge in time. First single ‘Hurricane’ stomps along but I reckon this is a release where the album tracks will be appreciated much more than previous Athlete efforts.

Beyond the Neighbourhood occasionally reminded me of my days travelling by train while listening to Kid A; and what better way to describe an album clearly focused on those fidgety feelings of being in-between the two places you’d rather be? Buy this for someone who has to commute from work when the nights draw in – they’ll appreciate the gesture.

Tour under way.

www.athlete.mu

Russell Moore

Delivery

Hello everyone! I hate the Libertines, Pete Doherty, every band that’s ever been inspired by either of the afore-mentioned and, not forgetting, I hate Babyshambles! Great start; let’s see where it goes…

Well my o’ my! Apparently capable of not popping sacks full of scag directly into his eye sockets for the duration of recording a single, Pete Doherty and his Babyshambles have actually crafted something that can be listened to and (gulp) enjoyed… I’m going to pay for this (not in cash mind you – karma!)

I should take back my comment about the scag too – there’s every chance that Pete did manage his daily dose of the stuff while recording this single and I wouldn’t want to de-mystify the main reason why so many of his fans seem to find him enthralling.

‘Delivery’ has a concise, direct sound that makes for an ideal single. Jangling guitar peaks with a hop-along riff and some clearly audible pop melodies. And to top it off there’s a fairly inventive solo and some bonus melodic guitar to boot. The band as a whole seems to be invigorated by something; a distinct air of showing what it could well be made of.

Who knows, after years of sub-par guff and ripping the piss out of fans who seem to remain more than happy to pay money to see the band, Babyshambles might have pulled up its socks and started to care. I honestly thought I’d never see the day.

This is definitely not going to change my mind about Pete and his merry band of cohorts, but at least it’ll make hating him easier on the old ears.

Babyshambles might appear at Glasgow SECC on 1st December. Supported by The View (Christ…)

www.babyshambles.net
www.myspace.com/babyshamblesofficial

Russell Moore

She Called Up (Parlophone)

As a Fan, it’s a thrill to see Crowded house back together again. And they've brought with them a super comeback album and a world tour that includes a brief stint at Glasgow’s SECC in November . There are many songs on the album which make
it a true gem, but the one that stands out the most is “She Called Up,” a song which amalgamates the incredible genius of Neil Finn’s songwrting with the instantly recognisable guitar sound of the band as a whole. The influence of Paul McCartney creeps in here and there, but "She Called Up" nevertheless remains a quintessential testament to Finn's skill with a hit. It has a discernible likeness to many of the other songs that the band have
produced over the years, and there's definite echo “Something So Strong” in
there. To me it sounds like it was written about the tragic death of the drummer Paul Hester a few years ago. In terms of narrative, the song adopts themes of loss and helplessness, coupled with an almost tangible pain in the vocal. Well worth a listen, and definitely my favourite album of the year.

David Mathers

Crowded house play the SECC on Friday 30th November 2007

Right Hand Left play that kind of vaguely alternative, indie rock that’s filling hundreds of festival line-ups at the moment. Johnny Ray’s melodic guitar rock and isn’t a bad single, it’s just not unique in any way. It’s not surprising to learn that Right Hand Left have supported the Automatic, The Young Knives, The Mystery Jets and so on; they’re the kind of band who would provide a decent enough support but they have yet to shape their sound into something individual. Still, as I say, these bands are filling festivals and charts alike. Recommended if you like that current trend for one vocalist singing and another one shouting in the background.


Lorraine Douglas

When a band’s press release claims that they “don’t sound like anyone else”, it’s impossible to resist trying to disprove that. On first listen to this single from Foals, they sound very much like Bloc Party, and singer Yannis Philippakis’ vocal style is virtually indistinguishable to these ears from Bloc Party’s Kele. Foals are even due to support Bloc Party in December, so it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the bands are kindred spirits. In saying that, it’s impossible not to like Foals’ infectious, energetic sound, and their debut album should be well worth a listen as it is being recorded with David Sitek of TV on the Radio.


Lorraine Douglas

I’m reviewing these two together, not only because that’s how they were sent out to me by The Lick, but because I couldn’t help noticing how surprisingly similar they are. Crowded House’s “Don’t Stop Now” is exactly the kind of quality, breezy pop you know you’re going to get. It’s never going to set my musical world alight, but there’s nothing I can dislike about it either; it’s the kind of well-crafted stuff you wouldn’t mind hearing on the car radio on a sunny day. Maybe it’s my age.

More surprising is the fact that The Electric Soft Parade’s “Misunderstanding” could almost be another Crowded House song, only the slightly harder guitars separating the two. Much more impressive is the second song here, “Blue It Is”. On first listen to this haunting song, I wasn’t paying attention and found myself thinking, “Now why would a band who can write such stylish melancholy as this hide it away as track 2? It’s almost as good as “Breakfast” by The Associates.” Then I bothered to look at the sleeve and, of course, it is indeed a cover of a Billy MacKenzie song. Now that’s the sort of music that is going to set my musical world alight.

Lorraine Douglas

How to approach a release from such luminaries; after all, it's illegal to criticise the Modfather? I shouldn't have worried. Given that Paul Weller has been in the business since the heady agit punk days of The Jam in the Seventies, through the Style Council and never ending success story of his solo career it was hardly likely he would participate in the release of a turkey. Graham Coxon may not be as high profile as he was in the heady days of Blur but his driving riffs propel this moody joint collaboration, "This Old Town", ably aided and abetted by some fine drumming from Zak Starkey. Coxon claimed, "As a long time admirer of Paul I never dared imagine getting a chance to work with him so I was bricking it when we first met but he is an absolute gent and a shockingly great musician and singer". Embarrassing gushing over, Weller returned the compliment when he said, "I've always been a big fan of Grahams and love his work so it was exciting for me to work on something new with him". Weller mightn't be the angry young man he was back then but this song crashes and rampages the way The Jam once did, albeit with a modern bent, and, just as, "This old town won't let you go", neither will the insistent nature of this song, remaining burnt into your mind for some considerable time afterwards. Unfortunately only the title track was available for review; "Each New Morning" is a Graham Coxon composition and "Black River" was written by Paul Weller. If they are as good as the title track then I want more.


Available as a download on July 2nd and as an AA sided limited edition, (5, 000copies) single on July 30th.
Colin Dunn.

On first listen I found this a bit twee, but patience brought it's own reward as this is a definite, "grower". Birmingham born but London based Ben Hudson is in the classic songwriter view, mixing literate lyrics with reggae and a touch of hip-hop.

"Picture of You" is a bitter sweet juxtaposition of the vagaries of fame and the harshness of separation. The rueful lyrics, offset with a ska beat and some majestic tinkling on the piano deal with the problem of how to strike a balance, with the album version being the standout on this August 27th release. "It's always the sunny days that bring me down, when I'm reminded that you're not around. Friends try and fail to make me smile, but I had the answer with me all the while. I've got a picture of you wherever I go, a sweet reminder from you to me that I'm never alone. If time should bring me fame or a touch of bling, (Imagine that, getting paid to sing). You can keep your cars, cigars and frosted rings, without you here they just won't mean a thing", sings Ben as he laments the time spent apart.

Is it good enough to bring him chart success? Probably, but that depends on all important airplay, but in a time when so many lyrics are saccharin coated doggerel he at least writes fluently and deserves to be heard. The instrumental was somewhat extraneous but that is to be overly harsh; there is a lot to commend this.

Colin Dunn

This two track CD from unsigned London based four piece, Assembly Now, will be released on 6th August and they describe themselves as, the sound of "Roy Orbison, Brian Wilson and Girls Aloud, while David Bowie has a nonchalant cigarette in the corner". Mmmmm, not quite, but I see where they're coming from. They have been in existence for eighteen months and opening song, "Graphs, Maps & Trees", is a jaunty Mockney voiced social pastiche reminiscent of early Blur as they tell how, "Down at the zoo the animals are getting restless" in finest Damon Albarn style. Clocking in at 3 minutes and 21 seconds this is a delicious slice of hook laden indie pop while second track, "Calculate" is an absorbing mesh of guitars and moodiness; much less a pop song and more a dense brooding piece of miserablism, but deliciously enjoyable nonetheless. The two songs are vastly different and, being the perverse sod that I am, I much prefer the darkness of, "Calculate", although the title track is much more commercially viable.


Colin Dunn