Lick Online - Demo Reviews

>> 9
>> Hefa / 14th Floor

Can you remember what you were doing on the day Damien Rice’s album ‘O’ was released? No? Well you wouldn’t be alone; such was the slow-burning success of the aforementioned cd. With a word-of-mouth, wildfire style of popularity there seemed one minute to be no need for introspective singer songwriters then, like a tidal wave of corduroy, there couldn’t possible be enough of them. And at the forefront was O’s feckless charm and irresistible hooks.

One of the original and best of the modern genre, Damien Rice hasn’t faltered in his view of restrained and melodic folk nor has he gone down the pop-tinted route of Messers Blunt and Nutini (an easy way to go if you’ve got the right haircut and colloquial drawl). Indeed, it seems that the committed miserable-ist has gone into an even darker place on this set of songs. Three startling tracks in and there looks like little respite from the melancholic mood. ‘Rootless Tree’ is the first and only track to hint at being a possible chart botherer – then a hearty chorus of ‘Fuck you and all you’ve been through’ leaves no room for mistake in Rice’s intentions.

Once again, with minimal pomp or bluster, Damien Rice has released an album that features some of the land’s finest acoustic folk. You’d be forgiven for not knowing it was out, but it’s refreshing to know that there are people out there for whom music is all you need – the bitter icing of an ‘irony charged’ E4 interview has no place here.

Another wonder of ‘9’ is that it opens with Lisa Hannigan’s haunting vocals. A sign of Rice’s maturing ego perhaps? A response to the last few year’s ‘It’s my ball and you can’t play’ attitude at gigs? Who knows, but it works brilliantly.

If you need to be convinced listen to ‘9 Crimes’, ‘Rootless Tree’ and ‘Me, My Yoke and I’. If you room in your heart for songs that make the dark nights seem darker then step out and pick up ‘O’ – it’s an amazingly good set of songs for a night in alone with some red wine.

>> Russell Moore

www.damienrice.com

On principle alone I hate Kasabian. They’re ballsy, they have silly opinions and they’re “right into their music”. And plus, they hate Franz Ferdinand. I assumed I’d be able to return the favour by hating their album in equal measure, but as luck would have it I’m slowly beginning to realise that Kasabian are more than just the lowly jesters of the Lad Rock Court.

From the grandiose cherub inscription on the cover to track names like “Empire” and “British Legion”, everything about Kasabian’s second effort is done on a royally grand scale. It’s comes as no surprise, then, to find that the music falls in line as well. Singles “Shoot the Runner” and “Empire” are pretty typical rock tunes, featuring loud guitar and an intense groove. They basically encapsulate everything that Mr. Gillespie has already shoved down our throats. It’s a shame that people like me only get to hear the one dimensional Kasabian, because the most interesting thing about this album is that it improves as it progresses.

“Sun/Rise/Light/Flies” represents a whimsical foray into Arabian acid rock (if such a thing exists), incorporating big strings, exotic scales and plenty of fuzzed up vocal reverb, with just the faintest whiff of “Let Forever Be” thrown in for good measure. Likewise, the strong synth bass line on “Seek and Destroy” wins me over, calling to mind the more vociferous ramblings of The Music. As it turns out, Kasabian can handle synthesisers rather competently too.

Contrary to the norm, I find myself enjoying the second half of the album vastly more than the first. On “British Legion”, Tom Meighan sounds eerily like a young Bob Dylan. “We’re gonna make it through…” he warbles gently to his listener.

“Apnoea” also caught my eye because I just had to find out what the word meant. It refers to a condition found in new born children in which their breathing is temporarily suspended. I admit that I picked up the album with a feeling of dread, but have come out the other end hating Kasabian a little less. They’ll never take my breath away, but I can learn to live with that.

> Vicki Cole

I thought that being a student at the University of Paisley would make a slightly biased critic of me, what with young Paolo originating from Paisley itself.
But Paolo surprised me, in that I genuinely liked his singer songwriter pop debut, without my Scottish loyalty kicking in to help me along.
The baby-faced 19-year-old claims to take inspiration from classical, R & B, and folk music, but to me this record is just bare faced lovable pop.
The album includes the singles ‘Last Request’, ‘Rewind’ and ‘These Streets’, three well written songs with more depth than your average number one.
He may not be the new Bob Dylan but he certainly can write a good sing-along, and he’s someone us Scots can finally be proud of.

This is “garage rock from Scotland” according to the website of the now Berlin-based Impure Thoughts, although their regular performances at various country music festivals around the globe might suggest otherwise.

To my ear, The Thoughts play it very safe with traditional ‘verse-lead-chorus lead-verse-big self indulgent lead to finish’ song structures. Song number one on this album sampler, ‘Take on the World’, is reminiscent of a more lacklustre Teenage Fanclub with its jangly guitars and obscured half Scots, half Americanised vocals.

‘Please Kill Me’ kicks off like Status Quo and doesn’t get much better. It’s hard to make out whether this lot are striving for deadpan or are just genuinely devoid of emotion, but either way it makes for an instantly forgettable listening experience.

Closer ‘Before You Go’ shows up some pretty weak lead vocals and run of the mill harmonies and lead guitar which, while technically spot on, does little to lift the melody.

Maybe I’m missing something vital, so if you fancy making up your own mind ‘Take on the World’ is released as a single on 6th November, closely followed by the album ‘Lights Ahead’ on the 13th. Or if you happen to be at a (very) loose end in Edinburgh or Aberdeen, you can catch them live at Subway or Café Drummond on Friday and Saturday respectively.

By Annie McLaughlin