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