Music Chart - December 2013

The end of the year is upon us and a few late entries made it into the Underwurld chart, some more recent than others. New albums from Billie Joe and Norah, Salt House, Swearin', Factory Floor, British Sea Power (again), Small Black, Martin Simpson, Public Service Broadcasting, Josephine Foster, Courtney Barnett, Burial, Toy, Disclosure, Daniel Avery, Caveman and Lisa Knapp.

So the top five albums of 2013 (from the 162 that made it into the chart) are The National, Kurt Vile, Laura Marling, Biffy Clyro and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

1. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
2. Wakin On A Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile 
3. Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling 
4. Opposites by Biffy Clyro 
5. Push The Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 
6. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
7. Corsicana Lemonade by White Denim
8. Purgatory / Paradise by Throwing Muses
9. The Ghost Of The Mountain by Tired Pony
10. Waiting For Something To Happen by Veronica Falls
11. Love Has Come For You by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
12. Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails 
13. Days Are Gone by Haim
14. Drone Logic by Daniel Avery
15. From The Sea To The Land Beyond by British Sea Power
16. Kveikur by Sigur Rós 
17. Seasons Of Your Day by Mazzy Star
18. AM by Arctic Monkeys
19. A Sea Of Split Peas by Courtney Barnett
20. Innocents by Moby 
21. Pure Heroine by Lorde
22. Tales Of Us by Goldfrapp
23. Inform - Educate - Entertain by Public Service Broadcasting
24. Tomorrow's Harvest by Boards Of Canada
25. Caveman by Caveman
26. Rival Dealer by Burial
27. Nepenthe by Julianna Barwick
28. ...Like Clockwork by Queens Of The Stone Age 
29. Sticky Wickets by The Duckworth Lewis Method 
30. Heartthrob by Tegan And Sara
31. Dear Mark J Mulcahy, I Love You by Mark Mulcahy
32. Impossible Truth by William Tyler
33. Antiphon by Midlake
34. The Beast In Its Tracks by Josh Ritter 
35. Slow Focus by F Buttons 
36. I'm A Dreamer by Josephine Foster
37. More Light by Primal Scream
38. Lunch. Drunk. Love. by Bowling For Soup
39. Vagrant Stanzas by Martin Simpson
40. The New Life by Girls Names 
41. Regardless by Thea Gilmore
42. Nocturnes by Little Boots
43. Hidden Seam by Lisa Knapp
44. Join The Dots by Toy
45. Limits Of Desire by Small Black
46. Join The Club by Lucy Spraggan
47. Yes, It's True by The Polyphonic Spree
48. Long Way Down by Tom Odell
49. Lay Your Dark Low by Salt House
50. Standards by Lloyd Cole 
51. Warp & Weft by Laura Veirs
52. Surfing Strange by Swearin'
53. One Breath by Anna Calvi
54. Modern Vampire Of The City by Vampire Weekend
55. Settle by Disclosure
56. Crown Electric by Kathryn Williams
57. Welcome Oblivion by How To Destroy Angels
58. Les Revenants Soundtrack by Mogwai
59. Paramore by Paramore 
60. Moon Tides by Pure Bathing Culture
61. Factory Floor by Factory Floor
62. Until The Colours Run by Lanterns On The Lake 
63. Stars Are Our Home by Black Hearted Brother
64. Foreverly by Billie Joe and Norah
65. Imitations by Mark Lanegan
66. The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles
67. The Weight Of Your Love by Editors 
68. MCII by Mikal Cronin 
69. Where You Stand by Travis 
70. Later... When The TV Turns To Static by Glasvegas 
71. Shamrock City by Solas
72. Let It All In by I Am Kloot
73. The Bones Of What You Believe by CHVRCHES
74. Bloodlines by Barbarossa
75. Where The Heaven Are We by Swim Deep 
76. Loud Like Love by Placebo
77. The Sun Comes Out Tonight by Filter
78. Spectre At The Feast by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 
79. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
80. Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam
81. Slave Vows by The Icarus Line
82. Palms by Palms
83. You Belong Here by Leagues
84. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice In Chains 
85. Soft Will by Smith Westerns
86. Black Pudding by Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood 
87. Rewind The Film by Manic Street Preachers
88. Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner 
89. To The Happy Few by Medicine
90. Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO by Besnard Lakes 
91. Electric by Pet Shop Boys
92. Howlin by Jagwar Ma 
93. IDIOTS by The Electric Soft Parade
94. Silence Yourself by Savages
95. People, Hell & Angels by Jimi Hendrix
96. Fade by Yo La Tengo
97. Wolf's Law by The Joy Formidable
98. The Civil Wars by The Civil Wars
99. Vicissitude by Maps
100. Heart Of Nowhere by Noah And The Whale 
101. Big TV by White Lies
102. The Graceless Age by John Murry 
103. Elba by Laura Jansen
104. Tales From Terra Firma by Stornoway
105. Electric by Richard Thompson 
106. Oblivion OST by M83
107. AMOK by Atoms For Peace
108. Wonderful, Glorious by Eels
109. In A Perfect World by Kodaline
110. Immunity by Jon Hopkins
111. A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart by Bill Ryder-Jones
112. Volume 3 by She & Him 
113. Hubcap Music by Seasick Steve
114. Wait To Pleasure by No Joy
115. A Long Way To Fall by Ulrich Schnauss 
116. Machineries Of Joy by British Sea Power 
117. Flourish // Perish by Braids
118. Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant 
119. Performance by Outfit
120. All The Little Lights by Passenger
121. Tooth & Nail by Billy Bragg
122. Sound City - Real To Real by Sound City - Real To Real
123. Disarm The Descent by Killswitch Engage
124. The Messenger by Johnny Marr
125. If You Leave by Daughter
126. Pollen by Wave Machines
127. Sistrionix by Deap Vally
128. Mosquito by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
129. Back Into The Woods by Ed Harcourt
130. Clash The Truth by Beach Fossils
131. Country Sleep by Night Beds 
132. The Next Day by David Bowie 
133. Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action by Franz Ferdinand
134. Rules By Passion, Destroyed By Lust by Asphodells
135. Blood Oaths Of The New Blues by Wooden Wand
136. Centralia by Mountains
137. In Love by Peace
138. Ores & Minerals by Mazes
139. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit 
140. Shangri La by Jake Bugg
141. The Invisible Way By Low
142. Lysandre by Christopher Owens
143. English Rain by Gabrielle Aplin
144. Monomania by Deerhunter
145. California X by California X
146. Field Of Reeds by These New Puritans
147. Save Rock And Roll by Fall Out Boy
148. 180 by Palma Violets
149. News From Nowhere by Darkstar
150. Almanac by Widowspeak 
151. Bloodsports by Suede
152. Graffiti On The Train by Stereophonics
153. Wash The Sins Not Only The Face by Esben And The Witch 
154. Comedown Machine by The Strokes
155. The Moths Are Real by Serafina Steer
156. {Awayland} by Villagers
157. Out Of Touch In The Wild by Dutch Uncles
158. Lost Sirens by New Order
159. Girl Talk by Kate Nash
160. Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot
161. Early Rocking by Paul Simon
162. Collections by Delphic

Music Chart - November 2013

Another great month at Underwurld Towers and some real challengers to shake-up the top ten. New albums from Anna Calvi, Arcade Fire, Lorde, Black Hearted Brother, White Denim, Midlake, Boards Of Canada, Bowling For Soup, Throwing Muses, Jake Bugg and Kathryn Williams.

As expected, The National hold top spot from Kurt Vile and Laura Marling.

1. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
2. Wakin On A Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile 
3. Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling 
4. Opposites by Biffy Clyro 
5. Push The Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 
6. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
7. Corsicana Lemonade by White Denim
8. Purgatory / Paradise by Throwing Muses
9. The Ghost Of The Mountain by Tired Pony
10. Kveikur by Sigur Rós
11. Waiting For Something To Happen by Veronica Falls
12. Love Has Come For You by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
13. Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails 
14. Nepenthe by Julianna Barwick 
15. Seasons Of Your Day by Mazzy Star
16. Regardless by Thea Gilmore 
17. Innocents by Moby 
18. Pure Heroine by Lorde
19. Tales Of Us by Goldfrapp 
20. Tomorrow's Harvest by Boards Of Canada
21. Lunch. Drunk. Love. by Bowling For Soup
22. ...Like Clockwork by Queens Of The Stone Age 
23. Sticky Wickets by The Duckworth Lewis Method
24. Dear Mark J Mulcahy, I Love You by Mark Mulcahy
25. Impossible Truth by William Tyler
26. Antiphon by Midlake
27. The Beast In Its Tracks by Josh Ritter 
28. Slow Focus by F Buttons 
29. Days Are Gone by Haim
30. AM by Arctic Monkeys
31. The New Life by Girls Names
32. Nocturnes by Little Boots
33. Heartthrob by Tegan And Sara
34. Join The Club by Lucy Spraggan
35. Yes, It's True by The Polyphonic Spree
36. Long Way Down by Tom Odell
37. Standards by Lloyd Cole 
38. Warp & Weft by Laura Veirs
39. One Breath by Anna Calvi
40. Modern Vampire Of The City by Vampire Weekend
41. Crown Electric by Kathryn Williams
42. Welcome Oblivion by How To Destroy Angels
43. Les Revenants Soundtrack by Mogwai
44. Moon Tides by Pure Bathing Culture
45. More Light by Primal Scream
46. Until The Colours Run by Lanterns On The Lake 
47. Stars Are Our Home by Black Hearted Brother
48. Imitations by Mark Lanegan
49. The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles
50. The Weight Of Your Love by Editors 
51. MCII by Mikal Cronin 
52. Where You Stand by Travis 
53. Later... When The TV Turns To Static by Glasvegas 
54. Shamrock City by Solas
55. Let It All In by I Am Kloot
56. The Bones Of What You Believe by CHVRCHES
57. Bloodlines by Barbarossa
58. Where The Heaven Are We by Swim Deep 
59. Loud Like Love by Placebo
60. The Sun Comes Out Tonight by Filter
61. Spectre At The Feast by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 
62. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
63. Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam
64. Slave Vows by The Icarus Line
65. Palms by Palms
66. You Belong Here by Leagues
67. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice In Chains 
68. Soft Will by Smith Westerns
69. Black Pudding by Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood 
70. Rewind The Film by Manic Street Preachers
71. Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner 
72. To The Happy Few by Medicine
73. Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO by Besnard Lakes 
74. Electric by Pet Shop Boys
75. Howlin by Jagwar Ma 
76. IDIOTS by The Electric Soft Parade
77. Silence Yourself by Savages
78. People, Hell & Angels by Jimi Hendrix
79. Fade by Yo La Tengo
80. Wolf's Law by The Joy Formidable
81. The Civil Wars by The Civil Wars
82. Vicissitude by Maps
83. Heart Of Nowhere by Noah And The Whale 
84. Big TV by White Lies
85. The Graceless Age by John Murry 
86. Elba by Laura Jansen
87. Paramore by Paramore
88. Tales From Terra Firma by Stornoway
89. Electric by Richard Thompson 
90. Oblivion OST by M83
91. AMOK by Atoms For Peace
92. Wonderful, Glorious by Eels
93. In A Perfect World by Kodaline
94. Immunity by Jon Hopkins
95. A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart by Bill Ryder-Jones
96. Volume 3 by She & Him 
97. Hubcap Music by Seasick Steve
98. Wait To Pleasure by No Joy
99. A Long Way To Fall by Ulrich Schnauss 
100. Machineries Of Joy by British Sea Power 
101. Flourish // Perish by Braids
102. Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant 
103. Performance by Outfit
104. All The Little Lights by Passenger
105. Tooth & Nail by Billy Bragg
106. Sound City - Real To Real by Sound City - Real To Real
107. Disarm The Descent by Killswitch Engage
108. The Messenger by Johnny Marr
109. If You Leave by Daughter
110. Pollen by Wave Machines
111. Sistrionix by Deap Vally
112. Mosquito by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
113. Back Into The Woods by Ed Harcourt
114. Clash The Truth by Beach Fossils
115. Country Sleep by Night Beds 
116. The Next Day by David Bowie 
117. Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action by Franz Ferdinand
118. Rules By Passion, Destroyed By Lust by Asphodells
119. Blood Oaths Of The New Blues by Wooden Wand
120. Centralia by Mountains
121. In Love by Peace
122. Ores & Minerals by Mazes
123. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit 
124. Shangri La by Jake Bugg
125. The Invisible Way By Low
126. Lysandre by Christopher Owens
127. English Rain by Gabrielle Aplin
128. Monomania by Deerhunter
129. California X by California X
130. Field Of Reeds by These New Puritans
131. Save Rock And Roll by Fall Out Boy
132. 180 by Palma Violets
133. News From Nowhere by Darkstar
134. Almanac by Widowspeak 
135. Bloodsports by Suede
136. Graffiti On The Train by Stereophonics
137. Wash The Sins Not Only The Face by Esben And The Witch 
138. Comedown Machine by The Strokes
139. The Moths Are Real by Serafina Steer
140. {Awayland} by Villagers
141. Out Of Touch In The Wild by Dutch Uncles
142. Lost Sirens by New Order
143. Girl Talk by Kate Nash
144. Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot
145. Early Rocking by Paul Simon
146. Collections by Delphic

Throwing Muses - Purgatory/Paradise (Album Review 2013)

Throwing Muses, now officially a three-piece of Kristin Hersh, Bernard Georges and David Narcizo, seem to have broken-up and reformed more times than most, but this could not be further from the truth. The band reformed ten years ago after disbanding in 1997, when Hersh went solo (her début Hips And Makers is astonishing and always reveals something new on repeat listens), but Throwing Muses has always been 'her' band and her passion. The early nineties began with the last album to feature Tanya Donelly, The Real Ramona - easily one of the best Throwing Muses albums, before Red Heaven and University complete the impressive trilogy. Since then, music has been sparse and uneven. It's been ten years without material and the release of 2003's eponymous album (released to coincide with the Hersh's more interesting solo album The Grotto) and reuniting with Donelly got fans hoping for a full reformation. Hersh has continued her solo work but has now returned to Georges and Narcizo to make Purgatory/Paradise.

Purgatory/Paradise is twenty-four songs, eight in two parts and scattered (seemingly) randomly across the album in thirty-two fractured pieces. This lack of 'album structure' and apparent chaotic nature of the song order is frustrating but this creates a quirky charm as familiar reprises and sounds re-emerge at different points, throughout over an hour of music. The songs are dark and atmospheric, moody and thoughtful with highs and lows, and ebbs and flows. What else from such a unique and compelling band lead by a singer who feels that she doesn't write music and lyrics, she channels them from some higher power. This isn't ego-tripping so much as an inability to accept her genius. And to complement this, Purgatory/Paradise is both unique and compelling, and quite brilliant.

The early highlight is the superb guitars and vocals of Sunray Venus. Hersh is magnificent, as she reveals the land 'where no-one remembers to pray', as are the guitars to finish. Opiates, with rushing verses, then slower, repeated refrain: 'that's no way to bring a body down', is either a stark warning or a guide to cold turkey; the acoustic guitars and drums magnificent throughout. And a good example of a Throwing Muses pop song, Freesia, has more great guitar-work, while Lazy Eye is more riff than content with raw emotional vocals from Hersh. But the best of the 'complete' songs is the powerful Slippershell - Hersh sings 'Hard to say it's hard luck, when you're so happy. Hard to say it's hard luck, when we had it coming...'. Then Milan blends more of the same, but building to a delicate finish.

Within these highlights are eclectic shards, like pieces of a stained-glass window smashed across a stone floor. Film is all big vocals and piano, Hersh sneering. Triangle Quanitico is piano-led 'jazz', Bluff is a slow piano ballad with Hersh's fragile vocals, and Walking Talking is the start of a much longer song that fades before it starts. Terra Nova adds strings and beautiful vocals, and Hersh asks: 'what kind of loser chooses a swan-dive over a swansong?'. Static brings together multi-vocals and guitars while Speedbath starts like the middle of a 35 minute Neil Young and Crazy Horse solo, with dark and muddy guitars, and a slow fade.

And of the split songs, Morning Birds is a fuzzy guitar break from start, crashing drums and cymbals, layers of circular vocals form the intro and then a fragile start-stop vocal melody. Part 2 continues, more robust and structured. Dripping Trees is gorgeous vocals/harmonies and guitar work, in two parts, and the chaos of Blurry mixes wonderful guitar work, obscure provocative lyrics to a multi-vocal ending, and part 2 continues with lighter guitars but louder voice. Smoky Hands starts with delicate guitars, then lazy drums, while part 2 adds a short guitar solo. And with Sleepwalking, part 1 (appearing near the end of the album, after part 2) is hard, fuzzy guitars and harsh vocals, yet part 2 (the third track) is completely different.

Purgatory/Paradise is a reminder that Throwing Muses are still here, with very nearly a perfect return. It's a challenging listen; just as you get hold of a song, it drifts away or ends abruptly to move on to the next idea. The effect is like a dream within a dream in which the dreamer is switching channels constantly and even within the same songs, the arrangements start and stop, head in a different direction, or do something unexpected. This is strange, even by Throwing Muses standards, but it works beautifully as an idea and a collection of songs. And the stand-out 'complete' songs emerge magnificently from within. Purgatory/Paradise is frustratingly fragmented, brilliantly beguiling and weirdly wonderful.

-- CS

Bowling For Soup - 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.' (Album Review 2013)

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can arrive in many forms and when you least or most expect. But sometimes it comes to you. Bowling For Soup decided that new album 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.' should be fan-funded using the music promotion website pledgemusic.com. Whatever you think about the state of the music industry and if bands should be 'taking the power back' and going it 'alone', and whether well-established bands should be using such projects as pledgemusic, this has obviously worked for the mighty BFS. With promises of backstage passes, handwritten thank you cards, autographs, Skype sessions, and house concerts - all at a price of course, BFS launched the 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.' campaign. But the headlines of shameless self-promotion and money-making are obfuscating the true nature of this project. The band's intention was that fans would be involved in the album-making process, being with the band for the journey; revealing new songs, artwork and video shoots to get immediate feedback from those who pledged, with 5% of all pledges going to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

It took ten days for BFS to reach their goal (not surprisingly they were halfway within 24 hours) and 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.', the band's twelfth album, was underway. And the 'inspiration' seems to have worked. Since the early 2000s and the brilliant Drunk Enough To Dance and A Hangover You Don't Deserve, BFS have been in something of a rut musically. Previous album Fishin' For Woos is the band going through the motions but without the sharp wit and pop punches - all the ingredients are there but the recipe is bland and uninteresting. Sorry For Partyin' is better, but horribly inconsistent, with wonderful songs mixed with flat fillers, while The Great Burrito Extortion Case is one of BFS's worst albums. So, what about 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.'? Does it live up to the hype, the pledges and the power of independent music-making?

As expected, 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.' is a blend of what BFS do best... Songs of personal friendships, love and relationships, break-ups, make-ups, drinking and fighting. As the Texan quartet of Jaret Reddick, Chris Burney, Erik Chandler and Gary Wiseman grow older, their music has become more reflective - even if some of it tries to hold onto the impetuous attitude of youth, with limited success. In recent albums, this balance hasn't worked but 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.' proves BFS can find it. Opener Critically Disdained is heightened self-criticism, with an acoustic start before Burney's guitar kicks in for an attention-grabbing introduction. Since We Broke Up is the early punk-pop anthem, deftly punchy and melodic, with Reddick recounting the aftermath, then building to an explosive vocal. To complete a great trio, the 80s soft-rock of Real is another highlight.

From The Rooftops is a wonderful departure from the formula - an open-hearted celebration of love with a stadium-esque gloss, but the huge surprise is Circle, the Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians cover from the magnificent Shooting Rubber Bands At The Stars album. Reddick and the band treat this with the upmost respect and the delivery is poignant and note-perfect, highlighting the beautiful bitter-sweet song-writing. Reddick even resists the temptation to mimic Brickell's oddly upbeat ending, instead bringing the song to an abrupt powerful end. Then back to the formula for the name-dropping Normal Chicks, rewinding the clock somewhat but with added social commentary. Reddick attempts to rhyme 'Scarlett Johansson' with 'Romancin'. Enough said.

Into the second half and 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.' struggles to maintain the momentum of the first but brings it together for a strong finish. I Am Waking Up Today owes much to Green Day's Minority, a blistering blast of shouty rock while Couple Of Days is middle-of-the-road and forgettable. In contrast, And I Think You Like Me Too is light-airy pop; comic storytelling with a perfect cheesy arrangement. Showing that BFS can switch between styles and moods in an instant, Envy brings back the rock but again, it adds nothing new to the party. One thing BFS do well is the big ballad and How Far This Can Go is a welcome addition, showing yet another side to the band, before Right About Now - a delicious slice of punk-pop. Closing song Kevin Weaver is another surprise, starting as a solo biographic performance from Reddick arranged as three parts in the form of three letters to the family, before the rest of the band join for the heavier ending.

'Lunch. Drunk. Love.' is a fan-fuelled return to form for Bowling For Soup. The band sound back to their best, as if the last ten years never happened. Providing the album as both clean and explicit is also respecting the fans who made the album happen (and in most cases, the clean versions work better - Right About Now is the noticeable exception - putting more emphasis on smart humour without the shock factor). While 'Lunch. Drunk. Love.' is not the best BFS album, it is far from the worst. The new approach (to the band) has given them a much needed lift and again the quartet sound energised, motivated and fun.

-- CS

Arcade Fire - Reflektor (Album Review 2013)

Sometimes even the coolest bands on the planet take risks. Canadian indie multi-instrumentalist sextet Arcade Fire already have an impressive award-winning trilogy of albums, taking the journey from death and family (Funeral), through dark oppression and doubt (Neon Bible), to tales of social angst and community (The Suburbs). The follow-up Reflektor continues this momentum. What began as a short collection of songs (believe it or not) has become a 75 minute double album of ambitious self-indulgent electronica-infused bombastic brilliance. Almost.

From the opening title track, it is clear that Reflektor is the ubiquitous 'new direction'. James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem) adds his skills as co-producer, and his vital presence is elsewhere, most evidently here. This is smooth indie-disco with Win Butler and Régine Chassagne sharing vocal duties (Chassagne in French and English), a wild juxtaposition of quiet verses and explosive chorus, with electronic flourishes building to a muddy mesh of sounds and vocals to the halfway point. The affect is startling with brass, guitars and ever-present 'Murphy' drums; then David Bowie appears on vocals for a cameo. Then the final few minutes, builds to an equally evocative climax. We Exist, while not as stylised as the title track, uses many of the same elements with added Butler intensity and drive.

The dark, mysterious Flashbulb Eyes echoes Primal Scream's Swastika Eyes, while the Rara infused Here Comes The Night Time glides into an explosive section featuring a plethora of sounds and rhythms, vocals and drums, before settling for a sedate ending. In contrast, Normal Person fuses piercing guitars with fuzzy bass and pounding drums, before an unexpected choral finale. This is Arcade Fire's statement of identity: 'If that's what's normal, I don't want to know', then 'I've never really ever met a normal person... like you...how do you do?'. Explosive and brilliant songwriting. The first moment of weakness arrives with You Already Know. Absurdly framed with ego-boosting Jonathan Ross samples, this is staple upbeat sweet and sour Arcade Fire. Likewise, Joan Of Arc stumbles into a well-intentioned but clumsy pop song, with more Chassagne and an odd, disjointed arrangement.

Part II brings the second part of Here Comes The Night Time, and a calmer feel to the album,  continuing with the enchanting pair of Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice) and It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus) - check your Greek mythology for more information. The former has a beguiling arrangement, melodic with gorgeous backing vocals, acoustic guitars and choral outro. The latter is built from harsher guitars and drums, with an electronic skeleton and punchy vocals, like a song in negative - soft, quiet choruses and big, brash verses. This is Arcade Fire at their most adventurous. And with 23 minutes to go, the final trio fails to disappoint. Porno is dark and menacing, tinged with stark cold keyboards and sharp strings. Butler delivers a superb vocal, all range and strength and the ending is a magnificent transformation from the song's beginnings. Afterlife is also impressive, with driving drums, obscure backing vocals and pulsing keyboards, with the vocals blending to create new instruments and sounds. And closer Supersymmetry belies its 11 minute running time as a subtle, soft, delicate ballad with a five minute ambient, barely audible, outro. Right at the end of the album this feels like a missed opportunity to fill the album with a massive stadium-rocking finale.

Reflektor isn't so much a risk, as a calculated and inspired move to embrace something different. And not one of those albums that is easy to 'get' immediately but its main strength is Arcade Fire managing to retain a unique, compelling identity within a musical shift - something many have achieved with considerable success, most notably U2 with Achtung Baby. While the songs here are quite different, and do not always deliver, the similarities and results are apparent. Naturally, reviews will describe Reflektor as brave and audacious (which will earn some empathy) or that it's just previous albums given the electronic treatment. It is neither. This is planned and focused, the sound of order within chaos, stylish and crafted. Reflektor is the sound of Arcade Fire remaining both cool and ambitious.

-- CS

Music Chart - October 2013

New albums this month from CHVRCHES, Mazzy Star, Placebo, Haim, Moby, Lanterns On The Lake, Pearl Jam and Lucy Spraggan.

1. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
2. Wakin On A Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile 
3. Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling 
4. Nepenthe by Julianna Barwick
5. Opposites by Biffy Clyro 
6. Push The Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 
7. The Ghost Of The Mountain by Tired Pony
8. Kveikur by Sigur Rós
9. Waiting For Something To Happen by Veronica Falls
10. Love Has Come For You by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
11. Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails 
12. Seasons Of Your Day by Mazzy Star
13. Regardless by Thea Gilmore 
14. Innocents by Moby
15. Tales Of Us by Goldfrapp
16. ...Like Clockwork by Queens Of The Stone Age 
17. Sticky Wickets by The Duckworth Lewis Method
18. Dear Mark J Mulcahy, I Love You by Mark Mulcahy
19. Impossible Truth by William Tyler
20. The Beast In Its Tracks by Josh Ritter 
21. Slow Focus by F Buttons 
22. Days Are Gone by Haim
23. AM by Arctic Monkeys
24. The New Life by Girls Names
25. Nocturnes by Little Boots
26. Heartthrob by Tegan And Sara
27. Join The Club by Lucy Spraggan
28. Yes, It's True by The Polyphonic Spree
29. Long Way Down by Tom Odell
30. Standards by Lloyd Cole 
31. Warp & Weft by Laura Veirs 
32. Later... When The TV Turns To Static by Glasvegas
33. Welcome Oblivion by How To Destroy Angels
34. Les Revenants Soundtrack by Mogwai
35. Moon Tides by Pure Bathing Culture
36. More Light by Primal Scream
37. Until The Colours Run by Lanterns On The Lake
38. Imitations by Mark Lanegan
39. The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles
40. The Weight Of Your Love by Editors 
41. MCII by Mikal Cronin 
42. Where You Stand by Travis
43. Shamrock City by Solas
44. Let It All In by I Am Kloot
45. The Bones Of What You Believe by CHVRCHES
46. Bloodlines by Barbarossa
47. Where The Heaven Are We by Swim Deep 
48. Loud Like Love by Placebo
49. The Sun Comes Out Tonight by Filter
50. Spectre At The Feast by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 
51. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
52. Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam
53. Slave Vows by The Icarus Line
54. Palms by Palms
55. You Belong Here by Leagues
56. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice In Chains 
57. Soft Will by Smith Westerns
58. Black Pudding by Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood 
59. Modern Vampire Of The City by Vampire Weekend
60. Rewind The Film by Manic Street Preachers
61. Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner 
62. To The Happy Few by Medicine
63. Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO by Besnard Lakes 
64. Electric by Pet Shop Boys
65. Howlin by Jagwar Ma 
66. IDIOTS by The Electric Soft Parade
67. Silence Yourself by Savages
68. People, Hell & Angels by Jimi Hendrix
69. Fade by Yo La Tengo
70. Wolf's Law by The Joy Formidable
71. The Civil Wars by The Civil Wars
72. Vicissitude by Maps
73. Heart Of Nowhere by Noah And The Whale 
74. Big TV by White Lies
75. The Graceless Age by John Murry 
76. Elba by Laura Jansen
77. Paramore by Paramore
78. Tales From Terra Firma by Stornoway
79. Electric by Richard Thompson 
80. Oblivion OST by M83
81. AMOK by Atoms For Peace
82. Wonderful, Glorious by Eels
83. In A Perfect World by Kodaline
84. Immunity by Jon Hopkins
85. A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart by Bill Ryder-Jones
86. Volume 3 by She & Him 
87. Hubcap Music by Seasick Steve
88. Wait To Pleasure by No Joy
89. A Long Way To Fall by Ulrich Schnauss 
90. Machineries Of Joy by British Sea Power 
91. Flourish // Perish by Braids
92. Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant 
93. Performance by Outfit
94. All The Little Lights by Passenger
95. Tooth & Nail by Billy Bragg
96. Sound City - Real To Real by Sound City - Real To Real
97. Disarm The Descent by Killswitch Engage
98. The Messenger by Johnny Marr
99. If You Leave by Daughter
100. Pollen by Wave Machines
101. Sistrionix by Deap Vally
102. Mosquito by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
103. Back Into The Woods by Ed Harcourt
104. Clash The Truth by Beach Fossils
105. Country Sleep by Night Beds 
106. The Next Day by David Bowie 
107. Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action by Franz Ferdinand
108. Rules By Passion, Destroyed By Lust by Asphodells
109. Blood Oaths Of The New Blues by Wooden Wand
110. Centralia by Mountains
111. In Love by Peace
112. Ores & Minerals by Mazes
113. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit 
114. The Invisible Way By Low
115. Lysandre by Christopher Owens
116. English Rain by Gabrielle Aplin
117. Monomania by Deerhunter
118. California X by California X
119. Field Of Reeds by These New Puritans
120. Save Rock And Roll by Fall Out Boy
121. 180 by Palma Violets
122. News From Nowhere by Darkstar
123. Almanac by Widowspeak 
124. Bloodsports by Suede
125. Graffiti On The Train by Stereophonics
126. Wash The Sins Not Only The Face by Esben And The Witch 
127. Comedown Machine by The Strokes
128. The Moths Are Real by Serafina Steer
129. {Awayland} by Villagers
130. Out Of Touch In The Wild by Dutch Uncles
131. Lost Sirens by New Order
132. Girl Talk by Kate Nash
133. Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot
134. Early Rocking by Paul Simon
135. Collections by Delphic

RIP Lou Reed

Lou Reed. Icon. Pioneer. Legend. RIP

Moby - Innocents (Album review)

It is business as usual for Moby on new album Innocents - a huge record featuring familiar rhythms and textures, guest vocalists and plenty of quality. The man is a tour-de-force musically and can never be underestimated. The wonderful Everything That Rises kicks off the album, like a cross between Extreme Ways and God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters - a cinematic master-class of composition, arrangement and control. The is followed by first single A Case For Shame, with beautiful piano, strings and stunning vocals from Cold Specks and Inyang Bassey. This reminds us of the majesty of Play and 18, Moby fusing contrasts and genres into his own string-laden electronic world. To complete the impressive opening trio, Almost Home with Damien Jurado is also wonderful, an elegant angelic vocal over (more) strings.

Innocents unfolds uneasily from here. Going Home is a piano-led instrumental (with, not surprisingly, added string arrangement). To the unbelievers, this seems like parts of a Moby album that he can churn out in his sleep - this may be true, but he is that good. The Perfect Life, with Wayne Coyne, and a choir that The Polyphonic Spree would be ashamed of, should work but the faltering vocal duet of Moby/Coyne is not the easiest listen. This gets in the way of the stern, relevant, social-political message of damaged youth, drugs and broken homes. Sublime guitar, and choral vocals is a much-needed organic break from the electronics, even if it gets carried away at the end.

At the centre of Innocents, The Last Day is the album highlight; the combination of samples and Skylar Grey's beautiful lyrics, with a gliding atmospheric musical landscape, is breathtaking. Inyang Bassey provides the sass for the funk-stomp of Don't Love Me, and Cold Specks is back for the completely different Tell Me. A late introduction of Mark Lanegan, and his sultry baritone on The Lonely Night is another welcome addition but it is Moby with the last words on Dogs, the intriguing nine-minute closer. He is in thoughtful, reflective mood. 'This is how we tried, this is where it died...This is how we cried, like the dogs left outside' may not read like the most inspiring lyrics but Moby makes it work. A song of two halves, the second drifts into stark electronic ambience...

Innocents is the closest to Play or 18 than anything else Moby has made in recent years. At well over an hour, the album has time to flow and build. The guests all play their part and don't disappoint with Damien Jurado and Mark Lanegan delivering in completely different ways, and Cold Specks and Inyang Bassey adding the exquisite female touch. They all help Moby lift his own talents to produce more brilliance. This is Moby's best album since 2009's Wait For Me; it is consistent, focused and plays to his strengths as one of the best composers of electronic music in he world today.

-- CS

Lanterns On The Lake - Until The Colours Run (Album Review)

Newcastle's Lanterns On The Lake follow up their impressive début Gracious Tide, Take Me Home with new album Until The Colours Run; a more robust record with big, bold guitars more reminiscent, with the every-present Hazel Wilde adding the vocals. The effect is not too far from Cocteau Twins backed by Explosions In The Sky (the band they supported in 2012).

Until The Colours Run excels when the band exploit this hardened sound with opener Elodie and The Buffalo Days the early highlights. The latter builds on a gliding vocal structure into a exquisite chorus and superb drums from Oliver Ketteringham as the guitars shimmer and lift into the final minute. The album's title track is equally brilliant, a faster pop song racing through three minutes before the final subtle ambience, while Another Tale From Another English Town provides the album's masterpiece, like a long lost track from The Cure's Disintegration. Beautiful strings and guitars blend with Wilde's shaped vocals.

But the songs falter when the melodies are absent. The Ghost That Sleeps In Me breaks the momentum of a good start - disjointed theatre with quiet scenes and a massive cinematic soundtrack and Picture Show drifts and ambles, going nowhere and lacking ideas. A surprise break of the formula is the wonderful Green And Gold, a fragile love-song exposing Wilde's voice and delicate lyricism. It is a captivating five minute centre-piece. And closer Our Cool Decay brings the album to an unfussy, sedate, yet underwhelming, end.

Lanterns On The Lake have a long way to go to make the perfect album and while Until The Colours Run is more adventurous than Gracious Tide, Take Me Home, it lacks the consistency and the grace of the début.

-- CS

Lucy Spraggan - Join The Club (Album Review)

X Factor has many things to answer for but occasionally it uncovers talent. Lucy Spraggan left the show in 2012 due to illness but is one of the only 'contestants' to have entered the competition as a songwriter. Having already released her début album Top Room At The Zoo, she performed three of her own songs: Mountains, Last Night and Tea And Toast during her 'journey' to the X Factor finals, and showed what she was made of. No surprise then that Spraggan's major-label début album shows brilliance; filled with honest song-writing, observations and stories. The effect is like a female-fronted The King Blues.

The overall feel of Join The Club is nothing new, but Spraggan is a unique storyteller in the post Lily Allen/Kate Nash (pre-2010) world, and her songs are a compelling blend of acoustic pop and vocally, hip-hop (this is not Chuck D or Dr. Dre). And it's great to see (and hear) an album from a 'reality television' export filled with self-penned, personal songs. Spraggan has taken work made as an independent musician and updated it for a more professional record. That said, one of the highlights of Join The Club: the poignant Tea And Toast is the only song which would have been better left 'as is' with just a voice and a guitar. In spite of the over-production, it still packs a punch with its sadness and quirky arrangement. In contrast, Mountains is now a stadium-esque, string-laden soaring masterpiece. So it can work.

Join The Club is filled with more joyous moments: opener Someone is an instant highlight, all upbeat chorus and hope-filled melody. This is another reworking of an earlier song that works well with more tempo. Lighthouse is hope in a hopeless world, and The Tourist is wonderful story-telling ('I'll be halfway round the world before you even know I'm gone') that builds to an open, unresolved, conclusion. Wait For Me could be a Mumford & Sons cover, complete with choral backing vocals, and Let Go is a listless love-song - an odd vocal arrangement mixes with stark piano and lyrical determination; personal and moving. The title track keeps things measured even through it's a metaphor too far ('life is just a gamble so just enjoy the game'). Closer, Paper Dreams is a fitting finale - inward-looking pop with electronic flourishes: 'Even if I look stupid, I'm pretty happy... If you're having fun, don't care what you look like...as long as you're smiling, you got the game right' is straight from the heart. The chaotic finish is fun but awkward.

Elsewhere, 91 shows that there is more to Spraggan's vocals than staccato delivery; a gorgeous chorus framed in an acoustic waltz. In A State tells the start-stop (bad pun) story of an America road-trip (even if LA and NYC aren't States...), and Last Night (Beer Fear) is either a misjudged celebration of drinking culture or a waning sign. It's hard to tell from the delivery, sounding like a song Alex Turner rejected ten years ago. You're Too Young is a real surprise - more spoken word than a song, delivered at speed through the verses and slowing for the choruses. This almost works but the contrast is hard to engage with - a brilliant idea, like Eminem's Stan.

Whether Lucy Spraggan would have made Join The Club without X Factor, only she knows. Either way, it is a talent showcased through a unique personality and superb songwriting. The platform created from Top Room At The Zoo and her exposure on a prime-time reality music show has produced the album she wanted; a hybrid of old ideas and emotions and new experiences. Serendipity realised and a talent enthused and energised.

-- CS

Haim - Days Are Gone (Album Review)

Three sisters from Los Angeles are keeping the spirit of Fleetwood Mac (circa 1987) alive (in a good way). Este, Danielle and Alana have pitched their band somewhere between late 80s soft rock and modern girl band vibes to create something unique for début album Days Are Gone. To capture the mood, Falling is the perfect opener, a wonderful structure combining pop and R&B with 'hand-clap' percussion, plenty of echo, and a funky chorus. The guitars halfway are cool sublime. Forever continues the great start, with more punchy vocals, and another cool chorus. It is clear why the band has earned the FM tag. Another early highlight is If I Could Change Your Mind - one of the best vocals on the album and excellent guitar work. The chorus is simply wonderful, sparkling and pure 80s. Don't Save Me is the other highlight and an excellent single; a breathtaking hook into a flowing chorus, with verses that glide and soar.

It's not all good news. The Wire sounds more like Debbie Gibson (remember her?) before the 'Broadway' years. That said, it is another beautifully constructed song. The title track, with falsetto backing vocals and over-production just about hits the mark but is more like a long forgotten All Saints album track; as more great guitars hold it all together. A strange departure into dark brooding R&B arrives with My Song 5 and what should be hard-hitting feels like a lame slap. Let Me Go isn't much better, but closer to the sound we would expect. And thankfully Days Are Gone doesn't lose its great start, as Running If You Call My Name is the (very) late highlight to finish.

Days Are Gone is an impressive début from a band with a huge future ahead of them. A refined sound could settle critics but the association with McVie and Nicks vocally and lyrically, and Fleetwood/Buckingham stylistically, is a huge positive rather than a corrosive influence. There is more individuality here than people realise. On the whole, a hugely enjoyable album.

-- CS

Music Chart - September 2013

A quiet month in the Underwurld with new albums from Travis, Franz Ferdinand, Braids, Nine Inch Nails, Glasvegas, Medicine, Julianna Barwick, Arctic Monkeys, Goldfrapp, Manic Street Preachers and Mark Lanegan. Nothing to trouble (pun intended) The National...

1. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
2. Wakin On A Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile 
3. Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling 
4. Nepenthe by Julianna Barwick
5. Opposites by Biffy Clyro 
6. Push The Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 
7. The Ghost Of The Mountain by Tired Pony
8. Kveikur by Sigur Rós
9. Waiting For Something To Happen by Veronica Falls
10. Love Has Come For You by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
11. Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails
12. Regardless by Thea Gilmore 
13. Tales Of Us by Goldfrapp
14. ...Like Clockwork by Queens Of The Stone Age 
15. Sticky Wickets by The Duckworth Lewis Method
16. Dear Mark J Mulcahy, I Love You by Mark Mulcahy
17. Impossible Truth by William Tyler
18. The Beast In Its Tracks by Josh Ritter 
19. Slow Focus by F Buttons 
20. AM by Arctic Monkeys
21. The New Life by Girls Names
22. Nocturnes by Little Boots
23. Heartthrob by Tegan And Sara
24. Yes, It's True by The Polyphonic Spree
25. Long Way Down by Tom Odell
26. Standards by Lloyd Cole 
27. Warp & Weft by Laura Veirs 
28. Later... When The TV Turns To Static by Glasvegas
29. Welcome Oblivion by How To Destroy Angels
30. Les Revenants Soundtrack by Mogwai
31. Moon Tides by Pure Bathing Culture
32. More Light by Primal Scream 
33. Imitations by Mark Lanegan
34. The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles
35. The Weight Of Your Love by Editors 
36. MCII by Mikal Cronin 
37. Where You Stand by Travis
38. Shamrock City by Solas
39. Let It All In by I Am Kloot
40. Bloodlines by Barbarossa
41. Where The Heaven Are We by Swim Deep
42. The Sun Comes Out Tonight by Filter
43. Spectre At The Feast by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 
44. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
45. Slave Vows by The Icarus Line
46. Palms by Palms
47. You Belong Here by Leagues
48. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice In Chains 
49. Soft Will by Smith Westerns
50. Black Pudding by Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood 
51. Modern Vampire Of The City by Vampire Weekend
52. Rewind The Film by Manic Street Preachers
53. Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner 
54. To The Happy Few by Medicine
55. Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO by Besnard Lakes 
56. Electric by Pet Shop Boys
57. Howlin by Jagwar Ma 
58. IDIOTS by The Electric Soft Parade
59. Silence Yourself by Savages
60. People, Hell & Angels by Jimi Hendrix
61. Fade by Yo La Tengo
62. Wolf's Law by The Joy Formidable
63. The Civil Wars by The Civil Wars
64. Vicissitude by Maps
65. Heart Of Nowhere by Noah And The Whale 
66. Big TV by White Lies
67. The Graceless Age by John Murry 
68. Elba by Laura Jansen
69. Paramore by Paramore
70. Tales From Terra Firma by Stornoway
71. Electric by Richard Thompson 
72. Oblivion OST by M83
73. AMOK by Atoms For Peace
74. Wonderful, Glorious by Eels
75. In A Perfect World by Kodaline
76. Immunity by Jon Hopkins
77. A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart by Bill Ryder-Jones
78. Volume 3 by She & Him 
79. Hubcap Music by Seasick Steve
80. Wait To Pleasure by No Joy
81. A Long Way To Fall by Ulrich Schnauss 
82. Machineries Of Joy by British Sea Power 
83. Flourish // Perish by Braids
84. Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant 
85. Performance by Outfit
86. All The Little Lights by Passenger
87. Tooth & Nail by Billy Bragg
88. Sound City - Real To Real by Sound City - Real To Real
89. Disarm The Descent by Killswitch Engage
90. The Messenger by Johnny Marr
91. If You Leave by Daughter
92. Pollen by Wave Machines
93. Sistrionix by Deap Vally
94. Mosquito by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
95. Back Into The Woods by Ed Harcourt
96. Clash The Truth by Beach Fossils
97. Country Sleep by Night Beds 
98. The Next Day by David Bowie 
99. Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action by Franz Ferdinand
100. Rules By Passion, Destroyed By Lust by Asphodells
101. Blood Oaths Of The New Blues by Wooden Wand
102. Centralia by Mountains
103. In Love by Peace
104. Ores & Minerals by Mazes
105. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit 
106. The Invisible Way By Low
107. Lysandre by Christopher Owens
108. English Rain by Gabrielle Aplin
109. Monomania by Deerhunter
110. California X by California X
111. Field Of Reeds by These New Puritans
112. Save Rock And Roll by Fall Out Boy
113. 180 by Palma Violets
114. News From Nowhere by Darkstar
115. Almanac by Widowspeak 
116. Bloodsports by Suede
117. Graffiti On The Train by Stereophonics
118. Wash The Sins Not Only The Face by Esben And The Witch 
119. Comedown Machine by The Strokes
120. The Moths Are Real by Serafina Steer
121. {Awayland} by Villagers
122. Out Of Touch In The Wild by Dutch Uncles
123. Lost Sirens by New Order
124. Girl Talk by Kate Nash
125. Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot
126. Early Rocking by Paul Simon
127. Collections by Delphic

Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (Album Review)

The ever-talented Trent Reznor looked set to close the doors on Nine Inch Nails in 2009 when the band's tour came to an end and he started work with How To Destroy Angels. A few much publicised award-winning film scores and three HTDA releases later and Reznor revealed that he had been working with Atticus Ross (with whom he created the aforementioned scores and the HTDA records) and long-term NIN producer Alan Moulder, on Hesitation Marks. What started as a few tracks and ideas has become one of the best albums Reznor has made under the name Nine Inch Nails.

It is the style and mood of Hesitation Marks that makes an initial impact. The songs are controlled and balanced, with very few explosions of anger or vitriolic emotion. Reznor, as the vocal centrepiece, never overwhelms with his voice; instead creating a calming influence over the electronic-industrial backing. Even on the early Copy Of A (featuring Lindsey Buckingham), the music builds, shifts and rises but feels much like a reworking of The Hand That Feeds from With Teeth, never uncontrolled or messy. Everything is direct and measured. The final verse packs a punch lyrically without the need to ram it down your throat. Came Back Haunted follows in a similar way, choosing tension and gritted teeth over screams of pain and catharsis. Even through the muddy guitars, the music builds and throws in multi-layered vocals, to create the illusion of maddening cries all shouting together - but then calms to a low, morose finale.

The usual themes are explored with a more modern twist, most notably the piercing Satellite - an oppressive tale of 'Big Brother' paranoia, gliding effortlessly through five minutes, data pulsing in the background. The flip-side to this is the more inward-looking Find My Way, this has Reznor barely whispering by the end. Another highlight is the wonderful Everything, a post-punk riot of guitars and drums packaged into a three-minute pop song. "I am home...I believe. I am home... I am free... always here...", Reznor sings. And the sparse, fragmented Various Methods Of Escape sounds like a re-worked HTDA piece, but builds to a fantastic guitar/drum combination and some of the best vocals on the album.

As expected, Hesitation Marks is by no means perfect. The spiky funk-infused All Time Low is an odd move and about three minutes too long. That said, the juxtaposition of styles breaks the otherwise sedate flow. Running is also disjointed and, although musically interesting, brings nothing new to the album. Then there is I Would For You, which sounds laboured and jaded - a shame as the guitar work and piano in the last minute are fantastic. Thankfully, the final songs are top draw. In Two is a glorious mix of old and new (with more great guitars from Buckingham) - again Reznor is powerful and punchy without losing control and focus, as a combination of complex percussion and empty-spaces provide the backdrop. And the ending is superb, crashing headlong into While I'm Still Here, the final ballad, beautifully crafted and arranged; treading a careful path and concluding with a perfectly odd brass section, and then into Black Noise to finish.

For the most part, Hesitation Marks is a mix of everything that has come before: the chaotic intensity of The Downward Spiral, the pop-tinged hooks of Pretty Hate Machine, the angst from With Teeth, the majesty of The Fragile and the sedate atmosphere of the glorious Ghosts. And the Social Network score has had a huge impact on how Reznor now constructs songs; how they move and evolve. The 'side-project' HTDA has been a positive influence but with Hesitation Marks, Trent Reznor has proved that his heart and soul is very much with Nine Inch Nails.

-- CS

Mercury Prize 2013 - Shortlist announced

The 2013 Mercury Prize shortlist has been announced and it's no surprise to see David Bowie getting all the headlines. Even more surprising is that The Next Day isn't a very good album - challenging, yes, but not great, in the same way as PJ Harvey's Let England Shake. So Mercury continue to write their own headlines and put forward a shortlist of albums that stir up discussion and debate and in most cases, thankfully, lead the music fraternity to revisit and reassess albums from earlier in the year that had little or no impact the first time around. Several of these made it...Villagers, Savages and Foals to name three. But it's great to see real talent acknowledged: Laura Marling (again), Jake Bugg (firm favourite) and Jon Hopkins (a much more interesting album than Disclosure's Settle). Interestingly, this year there is no classical, no folk (Marling doesn't count) and no 'jazz'. James Blake and Laura Mvula are outside chances with strong records and Rudimental are the dark horses. (And it's too early to comment on Arctic Monkeys)

Here are the nominees:

Arctic Monkeys - AM
James Blake - Overgrown
David Bowie - The Next Day
Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg
Disclosure - Settle
Foals - Holy Fire
Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle
Laura Mvula - Sing To The Moon
Rudimental - Home
Savages - Silence Yourself
Villagers - {Awayland}

Read the BBC Website round-up here.

Music Chart - August 2013

New albums this month from Mikal Cronin, Girls Names, Laura Jansen, The Civil Wars, Barbarossa, Swim Deep, White Lies, Sara Bareilles, Laura Veirs, Tired Pony, Outfit and Pure Bathing Culture.

The National continue to hold the top of the chart with the album of the year.

1. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
2. Wakin On A Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile 
3. Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling
4. Opposites by Biffy Clyro 
5. Push The Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 
6. The Ghost Of The Mountain by Tired Pony
7. Kveikur by Sigur Rós
8. Waiting For Something To Happen by Veronica Falls
9. Love Has Come For You by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
10. Regardless by Thea Gilmore
11. ...Like Clockwork by Queens Of The Stone Age 
12. Sticky Wickets by The Duckworth Lewis Method
13. Dear Mark J Mulcahy, I Love You by Mark Mulcahy
14. Impossible Truth by William Tyler
15. The Beast In Its Tracks by Josh Ritter 
16. Slow Focus by F Buttons 
17. The New Life by Girls Names
18. Nocturnes by Little Boots
19. Heartthrob by Tegan And Sara
20. Yes, It's True by The Polyphonic Spree
21. Long Way Down by Tom Odell
22. Standards by Lloyd Cole 
23. Warp & Weft by Laura Veirs
24. Welcome Oblivion by How To Destroy Angels
25. Les Revenants Soundtrack by Mogwai
26. Moon Tides by Pure Bathing Culture
27. More Light by Primal Scream 
28. The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles
29. The Weight Of Your Love by Editors 
30. MCII by Mikal Cronin
31. Shamrock City by Solas
32. Let It All In by I Am Kloot
33. Bloodlines by Barbarossa
34. Where The Heaven Are We by Swim Deep
35. The Sun Comes Out Tonight by Filter
36. Spectre At The Feast by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 
37. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
38. Slave Vows by The Icarus Line
39. Palms by Palms
40. You Belong Here by Leagues
41. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice In Chains 
42. Soft Will by Smith Westerns
43. Black Pudding by Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood 
44. Modern Vampire Of The City by Vampire Weekend
45. Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner
46. Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO by Besnard Lakes 
47. Electric by Pet Shop Boys
48. Howlin by Jagwar Ma 
49. IDIOTS by The Electric Soft Parade
50. Silence Yourself by Savages
51. People, Hell & Angels by Jimi Hendrix
52. Fade by Yo La Tengo
53. Wolf's Law by The Joy Formidable
54. The Civil Wars by The Civil Wars
55. Vicissitude by Maps
56. Heart Of Nowhere by Noah And The Whale 
57. Big TV by White Lies
58. The Graceless Age by John Murry 
59. Elba by Laura Jansen
60. Paramore by Paramore
61. Tales From Terra Firma by Stornoway
62. Electric by Richard Thompson 
63. Oblivion OST by M83
64. AMOK by Atoms For Peace
65. Wonderful, Glorious by Eels
66. In A Perfect World by Kodaline
67. Immunity by Jon Hopkins
68. A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart by Bill Ryder-Jones
69. Volume 3 by She & Him 
70. Hubcap Music by Seasick Steve
71. Wait To Pleasure by No Joy
72. A Long Way To Fall by Ulrich Schnauss 
73. Machineries Of Joy by British Sea Power 
74. Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant 
75. Performance by Outfit
76. All The Little Lights by Passenger
77. Tooth & Nail by Billy Bragg
78. Sound City - Real To Real by Sound City - Real To Real
79. Disarm The Descent by Killswitch Engage
80. The Messenger by Johnny Marr
81. If You Leave by Daughter
82. Pollen by Wave Machines
83. Sistrionix by Deap Vally
84. Mosquito by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
85. Back Into The Woods by Ed Harcourt
86. Clash The Truth by Beach Fossils
87. Country Sleep by Night Beds 
88. The Next Day by David Bowie
89. Rules By Passion, Destroyed By Lust by Asphodells
90. Blood Oaths Of The New Blues by Wooden Wand
91. Centralia by Mountains
92. In Love by Peace
93. Ores & Minerals by Mazes
94. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit 
95. The Invisible Way By Low
96. Lysandre by Christopher Owens
97. English Rain by Gabrielle Aplin
98. Monomania by Deerhunter
99. California X by California X
100. Field Of Reeds by These New Puritans
101. Save Rock And Roll by Fall Out Boy
102. 180 by Palma Violets
103. News From Nowhere by Darkstar
104. Almanac by Widowspeak 
105. Bloodsports by Suede
106. Graffiti On The Train by Stereophonics
107. Wash The Sins Not Only The Face by Esben And The Witch 
108. Comedown Machine by The Strokes
109. The Moths Are Real by Serafina Steer
110. {Awayland} by Villagers
111. Out Of Touch In The Wild by Dutch Uncles
112. Lost Sirens by New Order
113. Girl Talk by Kate Nash
114. Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot
115. Early Rocking by Paul Simon
116. Collections by Delphic

Tired Pony - The Ghost Of The Mountain (Album Review)

Supergroups are nothing new - and in recent years something to approach with caution. Jack White and Josh Homme can make it work, and so it seems can Gary Lightbody. Tired Pony brings together talent from Snow Patrol (Lightbody and Iain Archer), Belle & Sebastian (Richard Colburn) and R.E.M. (Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey) and début album, The Place We Ran From, proves that it is a worthwhile and relevant project. Lightbody wanted to make a 'country' album, and this is definitely the feel and mood of the band's introduction but follow-up The Ghost Of The Mountain is something quite different.

Claims by some that The Ghost Of The Mountain is just another Snow Patrol record are obviously absurd. Lightbody is the ever-present front-man, and his voice is both distinctive and familiar, but it is the continued contribution from Archer, Colburn and Buck that move the group up from the obvious style of their beginnings into a more established sound. Now, Tired Pony has its own identity. That said, it is amazing how the presence of an ex-guitarist from a now disbanded group can bring so much of his past into the present. Peter Buck (and to an extent, McCaughey) breaths the spirit of R.E.M. into this album as much as Lightbody brings his vocals. The effect is wonderful.

From the delicate opener I Don't Want You As A Ghost, deftly blending cool vocals with sublime guitars, and the pop-styled brilliance of I'm Begging You Not To Go, to the hard-hitting stomp of Blood, The Ghost Of The Mountain impresses from the start. The latter recounts a struggle to keep a relationship going, expletives and all; superb, honest and heartfelt song-writing. The Creak In The Floorboards continues the form, a more straight-forward and hopeful love-song. 'You know what I'm looking for now... coz I sure don't', Lightbody croons. It is clear now that this is still Americana, but a lot closer to the sounds of the individual contributors. A gorgeous vocal brings the song to a  finish.

The best guitar-work on the album is the magnificent All Things All At Once - a dark, brooding country waltz ('I will love you better than him...', is the stirring refrain, mixed with wordless choral vocals. Great instrumentation frames Wreckage And Bone - more folk than country as Tired Pony return to their roots for 'Act II'. Lightbody excels delivering the sort of fractured melancholy vocal that Chris Martin can only dream of, and again, his song-craft shows why he won an Ivor Novello.

The Ghost Of The Mountain diversifies in the second half, with interesting results. The Beginning Of The End breaks the formula somewhat and is two songs mashed together with some odd arrangements, while Carve Our Names is a smooth ballad with Lightbody augmented by female tones. Ravens And Wolves is bombastic grandstanding, backed up with some excellent guitars, strings and cold piano, and Punishment is drum-driven sleek electro-pop. Definitely unexpected, but not a massive departure.

The icing on the cake is the beautiful title track; another gorgeous vocal arrangement, blending wordless choir with stark lyrics. Lightbody is in reflective, doubting mood and musically, this is the sound of a band who have been together for decades. Buck's guitar-work is (as always) incredible. To close, Your Way Is The Way Home is an understated finish with an emotive lyric within a perfect melody. It threatens to soar, stadium-bound, but stays firmly on the ground, Lightbody stepping aside to let Kim Popper bring the song and the album to a close.

The key to Tired Pony and The Ghost Of The Mountain is songwriting and commitment from all involved. You bring together talent and that is what you get, all controlled and focused with no egos to keep in check or dismiss. This may be Lightbody's dream but the band deliver at every turn - and, while not members of the band, Minnie Driver, Bronagh Gallagher and Kim Topper add some light vocal touches. The sound is very comfortable and established; often safe ground (no massive guitar solos or eight-minute sonic-string orchestras here) but this is exactly what everyone is good at - mature, accomplished songs, elegantly produced.

-- CS

The Polyphonic Spree - Yes, It's True (Album Review 2013)

The Polyphonic Spree, led by Tim DeLaughter, and now with a mere twenty musician line-up (including six-piece female choir), release their fifth album Yes, It's True. It's hard to believe they've only made four previous albums, if you count the hit-miss Christmas album of 2012. The band's working philosophy has always been, and will probably remain from now until the end of time, that 'more is less'. This is certainly the approach here, showing the best and the worst of a band who look and feel more like a cult movement; a subversive secret society, designed to inject irony-free happiness into an otherwise unhappy world.

Yes, It's True starts wonderfully. Cool opener You Don't Know Me is the perfect introduction before the two big songs Popular By Design, with its oddly robotic hypnotic chorus against the DeLaughter inner monologue verses, and the sparkling piano-pop of Hold Yourself Up, provide an instant and early album high-point. The wistful vocals of Carefully Try, with added horn section transforms halfway from Flaming Lips to Mercury Rev with increased sound and pace, before the piano ballad You're Golden, a love-song for the geek culture (it's not your Facebook 'Likes'...) becomes a heartfelt and warming tribute.

So far, so uplifting. Sadly, Yes, It's True falls flat in the centre. Heart Talk is bad Bowie. The start/stop Blurry Up The Lines is a confused mess, especially when it builds for the second half, and Let Them Be is a mix of clashing instrumentation. But the album picks up for a strong finish... Raise Your Head is solid, from drum opening build-up into a glorious symphony with a mix of ideas and sounds that (unlike the previous twelve minutes or so) works. What Would You Do? is easily the highlight of the second half - a massive, noisy, group therapy and Q&A session with DeLaughter at the chair. It quietens teasingly for a big riotous finale. And closer Battlefield, which could be clumsy and cluttered is, instead, a gorgeous and delicate piano ballad with horns to finish.

So Yes, It's True is almost a great Polyphonic Spree album; it has the spirit and the heart of a band that is united in a cause. The message from DeLaughter and crew is always positive and welcoming, even if the songs don't work. But that is what you get when 'more is the new less'.

-- CS

Karine Polwart - Threshold

I don't normally review compilations but in this case I'll make an exception, even if it's a quick one...

Threshold is a collection of songs by one of Britain's most gifted and talented folk singers, Karine Polwart, all taken from her albums Scribbled In Chalk, Fairest Floo'er and This Earthly Spell, as well as Medusa from The-Build-Your-Own-Cathedral EP. Strangely, there is nothing from her début award-winning album Faultlines, which would have enhanced this even further. (And add the best of Polwart's latest album Traces and you'll have one of the strongest compilations of folk songs of any artist working today.)

Threshold shows many different sides of Karine Polwart, from old to new. Whereas her second and fourth albums comprise original new songs, Fairest Floo'er is traditional with new arrangements. So, both Dowie Dens Of Yarrow and The Death Of Queen Jane (with superb modern piano arrangement) are stirring, dark and powerful, matched only by the mournful messages of Medusa and the venomous Sorry, highlighting the emptiness of forgiving, through religious imagery and ideals. Elsewhere Threshold is lighter and fairer of touch. Opener Rivers Run and later Take Its Own Time are superbly arranged and performed, the former blending jolly, up-beat guitars with a reflective vocal style and some wonderful backing vocals. Daisy is simply beautiful song writing about a simple/complex soul - 'There are people in this world who don't think like you do...' is the refrain. Better Things is also excellent, a song of hopes, fears and dreams while the final trio of nostalgic Follow The Heron, The Good Years (an epic, folk-pop anthem) and Terminal Star (complete with 'surprise' ending) show Polwart's song-craft.

As a compilation, Threshold is uncluttered, well-constructed and perfectly judged. And above all it is a brilliant introduction to a folk legend.

The Duckworth Lewis Method - Sticky Wickets

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The Duckworth Lewis Method, aka Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy) and Thomas Walsh (Pugwash), and named after the mathematical system for calculating a target cricket score after a match is disrupted - usually by the weather, return with a second album of cricket-themed songs. This time round, they have proved that this clever, insightful, project is more than just a novelty act for a select group of purists who understand cricket's unique and baffling 'language'.

Where the eponymous début was a tentative low-key introduction, Sticky Wickets is a triumphant celebration. The title track is deliciously tongue-in-cheek, before the attention-grabbing Boom Boom Afridi (a tribute to the Pakistan legend), to the Henry Blofeld infused irony of It's Just Not Cricket. 

The musical variety brings in influences from Steely Dan to ELO with some wonderful emotive moments. The Umpire is especially stirring, before the mid-tempo Third Man - beautifully summing up cricket's worst fielding position. Out In The Middle is equally good, before the superb electronic Line And Length, filled with unique and beguiling cricketing language.

Stephen Fry narrates the oddity Judd's Paradox and closer Nudging And Nurdling has a host of 'celebrities' repeating the humorous phrase throughout. Only The Laughing Cavaliers drags the album down late-on, back to the world of novelty. 

So The DLM are back with a well-judged concept album and a good balance between sporting cliché and genuine acute observations - one that cricket fans, and those with no interest whatsoever, will enjoy equally.

-- CS

Thea Gilmore - Regardless (Album Review 2013)

Thea Gilmore is one of our most prolific and underrated songwriters. After a brilliant run of albums, from début Burning Dorothy to breakthrough masterpiece Avalanche, Gilmore hasn't quite reached the same heights since. Recent studio albums Liejacker, the 'alternative' Christmas record: Strange Communion, and Murphy's Heart, have been mixed, while the 'original' covers of Loft Music, and audacious recording of Dylan's John Wesley Harding, are both superb. And in recent years, albeit too briefly, her Angels In The Abattoir project has produced some real gems, all unreleased and exclusive to dedicated fans. So album fourteen, Regardless, is Gilmore back a decade, to the days of folk/pop, sharp political and social statement and above all, a real sense of vibrant, energised, drive.


The mark is made with opener Something To Sing About, with spiky verses and punchy chorus, set to a driving guitar and string-filled backing. Gilmore stretches her vocal range with the slower This Is How You Find The Way, repeating the refrain 'it's a beautiful day'. Musically, this is much more industrial, with electronic flourishes and bouncy percussion. And the gorgeous title track, a moody mid-tempo waltz (something of a speciality), and easily Gilmore's finest vocal, is wonderful. This is matched only with the delicate love song, I Will Not Disappoint You. With just a hint of Everybody Hurts, this is a personal, open-hearted, ballad. In the first half, only the odd Spit And Shine doesn't quite fit - a 'Vampire Weekend' soundtrack muddies the dark, spiteful, venomous message.

In contrast, Start As You Mean To Go On is shameless 60s pop and the darker Love Came Looking For Me is just as direct, a perfect anti-love song. In between, Punctuation is an intriguing tale, like a heated discussion between angels and demons, gods and prophets - to create a brilliant intellectual interlude. The final three songs on Regardless do not disappoint. This Road and Let It Be Known are both suburb; political and honest, on the latter Gilmore sings 'Let it be known I have religion, though it was more a contact sport... I held the people I was given; prayed to the lessons that they taught' - possibly the best line she has written. After these, closer My Friend Goodbye is a downbeat finish - that said, the vocal arrangement is beautiful.

It is clear from Regardless that Thea Gilmore is in a good place, both personally and musically. She sounds equally at home on her own with a guitar or piano, or with a full band, but it appears that the 'big sound' is exactly what was needed to fuel these songs. There is great support, as always from Nigel Stonier. More consistent than recent albums and certainly more focused, Regardless is Thea Gilmore at her wonderful best.

-- CS

Music Chart - July 2013

Over halfway through the musical year and July takes the albums in the Underwurld chart to over a hundred. New records this month from Tom Odell, Palms, Kodaline, Editors, Leagues (from earlier in the year), Maps, Deap Vally, Pet Shop Boys, Smith Westerns, The Icarus Line, Mark Mulcahy, Solas, F Buttons, The Duckworth Lewis Method, The Electric Soft Parade and Thea Gilmore.

Top spot is still The National, from Kurt Vile and Laura Marling.

1. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
2. Wakin On A Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile 
3. Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling
4. Opposites by Biffy Clyro 
5. Push The Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 
6. Kveikur by Sigur Rós
7. Waiting For Something To Happen by Veronica Falls
8. Love Has Come For You by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
9. Regardless by Thea Gilmore
10. ...Like Clockwork by Queens Of The Stone Age 
11. Sticky Wickets by The Duckworth Lewis Method
12. Dear Mark J Mulcahy, I Love You by Mark Mulcahy
13. Impossible Truth by William Tyler
14. The Beast In Its Tracks by Josh Ritter 
15. Slow Focus by F Buttons
16. Nocturnes by Little Boots
17. Heartthrob by Tegan And Sara
18. Long Way Down by Tom Odell
19. Standards by Lloyd Cole
20. Welcome Oblivion by How To Destroy Angels
21. Les Revenants Soundtrack by Mogwai
22. More Light by Primal Scream 
23. The Weight Of Your Love by Editors
24. Shamrock City by Solas
25. Let It All In by I Am Kloot
26. The Sun Comes Out Tonight by Filter
27. Spectre At The Feast by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 
28. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
29. Slave Vows by The Icarus Line
30. Palms by Palms
31. You Belong Here by Leagues
32. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice In Chains 
33. Soft Will by Smith Westerns
34. Black Pudding by Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood 
35. Modern Vampire Of The City by Vampire Weekend
36. Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner
37. Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO by Besnard Lakes 
38. Electric by Pet Shop Boys
39. Howlin by Jagwar Ma 
40. IDIOTS by The Electric Soft Parade
41. Silence Yourself by Savages
42. People, Hell & Angels by Jimi Hendrix
43. Fade by Yo La Tengo
44. Wolf's Law by The Joy Formidable
45. Vicissitude by Maps
46. Heart Of Nowhere by Noah And The Whale 
47. The Graceless Age by John Murry
48. Paramore by Paramore
49. Tales From Terra Firma by Stornoway
50. Electric by Richard Thompson 
51. Oblivion OST by M83
52. AMOK by Atoms For Peace
53. Wonderful, Glorious by Eels
54. In A Perfect World by Kodaline
55. Immunity by Jon Hopkins
56. A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart by Bill Ryder-Jones
57. Volume 3 by She & Him 
58. Hubcap Music by Seasick Steve
59. Wait To Pleasure by No Joy
60. A Long Way To Fall by Ulrich Schnauss 
61. Machineries Of Joy by British Sea Power 
62. Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant
63. All The Little Lights by Passenger
64. Tooth & Nail by Billy Bragg
65. Sound City - Real To Real by Sound City - Real To Real
66. Disarm The Descent by Killswitch Engage
67. The Messenger by Johnny Marr
68. If You Leave by Daughter
69. Pollen by Wave Machines
70. Sistrionix by Deap Vally
71. Mosquito by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
72. Back Into The Woods by Ed Harcourt
73. Clash The Truth by Beach Fossils
74. Country Sleep by Night Beds 
75. The Next Day by David Bowie
76. Rules By Passion, Destroyed By Lust by Asphodells
77. Blood Oaths Of The New Blues by Wooden Wand
78. Centralia by Mountains
79. In Love by Peace
80. Ores & Minerals by Mazes
81. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit 
82. The Invisible Way By Low
83. Lysandre by Christopher Owens
84. English Rain by Gabrielle Aplin
85. Monomania by Deerhunter
86. California X by California X
87. Field Of Reeds by These New Puritans
88. Save Rock And Roll by Fall Out Boy
89. 180 by Palma Violets
90. News From Nowhere by Darkstar
91. Almanac by Widowspeak 
92. Bloodsports by Suede
93. Graffiti On The Train by Stereophonics
94. Wash The Sins Not Only The Face by Esben And The Witch 
95. Comedown Machine by The Strokes
96. The Moths Are Real by Serafina Steer
97. {Awayland} by Villagers
98. Out Of Touch In The Wild by Dutch Uncles
99. Lost Sirens by New Order
100. Girl Talk by Kate Nash
101. Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot
102. Early Rocking by Paul Simon
103. Collections by Delphic

Thousand Lights - The E.P. review (2013)

 

Thousand Lights is a band from Southampton based around the gorgeous vocals of Emma Cummins and Harriet Lea-Banks, the guitar stylings of Gary 'amp destroyer' Holcombe and super-cool bassist Simon Kolstoe. Their music is Christian-themed, filled with delicious acoustic strings, percussion and vocals; driven by faith and belief - a true inspiration, washing through their clear, precise lyrics and music.

The début eponymous E.P. features five songs, opening with the wonderful Already Blessed, lead by Cummins, her vocals neatly placed between Natalie Merchant and Thea Gilmore, to deliver a superb vocal arrangement. Holcombe provides supreme acoustic guitar-work to create the flowing upbeat sound, complete with a few neat flourishes. The slower, sombre, more intense, Our Creator is equally good, bringing in Lea-Banks for backing vocals and a soaring chorus, the duo blending perfectly. And it is Harriet who takes the lead for Matthew 16, centred around the biblical text in which Jesus foretells his death and resurrection. "What price to pay for my soul, there'll be no angels, no glory, no truth... Take up your cross and follow him. We surrender..." is heartbreaking and beautiful songwriting. Your Light is another superb arrangement framed with Holcombe's shimmering guitar-work juxtaposed against the stern, serious vocal - a fascinating contrast. The dual vocals at the halfway point work brilliantly, adding to the intense atmosphere. The closer, Unfailing Love is the band at their most ambitious, with a raw emotional chorus and Cummins showing her power and range. Holcombe provides the final surprise - a sharp, crisp, guitar solo - a truly wonderful moment!

Faith is obviously important to Thousand Lights and a huge energy for their music and their songwriting. From humble live band to the heights of the recording studio, it has certainly been an inspiring journey and the results show what the band can be - a delicate touch of production to bring out their message, up to the next level and... beyond? Based on this 'teaser' E.P., a full album has to be in the wings, waiting to be lovingly crafted. And maybe guitarist Holcombe can show us more of his skills with a fifteen and half minute solo in the style of Hendrix or Gilmore. Anything is possible...

-- CS