The debut, self titled EP from California quintet Grouplove was one of the pleasant surprises of the latter half of 2010. The carefree sense of fun, combined with the impression that every note of the music was drenched in the California sun, made the small collection of songs a perfect soundtrack to the summer. As a result I've been looking forward to the release of their debut long player for much of 2011.
There's a youthful exuberance to Grouplove's music, and somehow that mood translates. It's hard to not find your troubles melting away as you listen to the album. Like that first summer after the end of school when the whole world seems full of possibility. It's a sound that's perfect for summer barbecues and road trips to music festivals.
For all their youth and freshness Grouplove also sound a little familiar. The counterplay of vocals between Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper brings to mind the pop end of the Pixies songbook. The keyboards add such a britpop flavour to the music I'd almost expect to find some of the songs in an episode of Skins. Opening track Itchin' On A Photograph was so reminiscent of erstwhile Irish rock band JJ72 that I listened to one of their albums for the first time in around five years.
For all of their familiarity Grouplove are their own creation though. Effortlessly turning out 12 pop gems in a little over three quarters of an hour. Never feeling too rushed, never outstaying their welcome. Even when they drop the tempo down a notch on Slow and Betty's A Bombshell nothing drags.
At least for our hemisphere, the timing of this album release is perfect. The days are starting to get warmer and longer, and I can foresee another long hot summer soundtracked by Grouplove. Although I imagine that the warmth inherent in the music could make even the short dark days of winter glow.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Kimbra - Vows
It's only been a couple of weeks since I mentioned Melbourne based, New Zealand born Kimbra Johnson. She was a guest on a track on Gotye's fabulous album that I reviewed not too long ago. Her work there, although brief, was perfect for the song, and an integral part of Gotye's musical vision. It left me curious as to how well she'd do out of the shadow of Australia's greatest musical visionary.
Not that the Gotye track was my first exposure to Kimbra. I actually saw her live last year. She was the opening support act at a concert I went to at the ANU bar, and at the time I was far from impressed. It's a tough life being a support act, and in my opinion she failed to rise to the occasion. However since that gig I've heard a few of her songs on Triple J and been more than a little impressed.
The album opens with Settle Down, Kimbra's biggest hit to date, which features a lot of layered and looped vocals. It's almost more sonic experiment than song at first, but eventually it settles down into a groove. This is followed by another radio favourite Cameo Lover, a smooth electro glide with a soaring chorus.
Kimbra has an incredible voice. Possibly the best jazz voice I've heard in recent years, and on top of that she's not afraid to do interesting things. Not everything she tries works for me (the couple of seconds of strings that fade up when she mentions 'history' in Two Way Street seemed to be trying a little bit too hard) but on the whole the reward to risk ratio is very low.
Which isn't to say that the whole album is a series of musical and vocal circus tricks. Sometimes the simple things work the best, and around half of the album is fairly straightforward earnest pop, albeit with an absolutely massive voice at its core. In fact in places it even reminds me a little of Tears For Fears.
In the end Kimbra has accomplished an astounding debut. It can be all too tempting for people that can really sing to make their albums a vocal showcase, and rather than doing that Kimbra has actually written a collection of interesting songs. I can't wait to see what she does next.
Not that the Gotye track was my first exposure to Kimbra. I actually saw her live last year. She was the opening support act at a concert I went to at the ANU bar, and at the time I was far from impressed. It's a tough life being a support act, and in my opinion she failed to rise to the occasion. However since that gig I've heard a few of her songs on Triple J and been more than a little impressed.
The album opens with Settle Down, Kimbra's biggest hit to date, which features a lot of layered and looped vocals. It's almost more sonic experiment than song at first, but eventually it settles down into a groove. This is followed by another radio favourite Cameo Lover, a smooth electro glide with a soaring chorus.
Kimbra has an incredible voice. Possibly the best jazz voice I've heard in recent years, and on top of that she's not afraid to do interesting things. Not everything she tries works for me (the couple of seconds of strings that fade up when she mentions 'history' in Two Way Street seemed to be trying a little bit too hard) but on the whole the reward to risk ratio is very low.
Which isn't to say that the whole album is a series of musical and vocal circus tricks. Sometimes the simple things work the best, and around half of the album is fairly straightforward earnest pop, albeit with an absolutely massive voice at its core. In fact in places it even reminds me a little of Tears For Fears.
In the end Kimbra has accomplished an astounding debut. It can be all too tempting for people that can really sing to make their albums a vocal showcase, and rather than doing that Kimbra has actually written a collection of interesting songs. I can't wait to see what she does next.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
It's a rare pleasure in this day and age for me to listen to a brand new album for the first time on vinyl. That's not to say that new albums aren't being pressed anymore, far from it. In fact the record part of the record industry seems to be thriving despite (or perhaps as a reaction to) the trend towards digital. The thing is that I'm not the most patient of men, and more often than not I've obtained a new album digitally (either as a download or a CD) long before the black circle can make its way to my local record shop.
I was pleasantly surprised then, when I came home from work the other day to find a suspiciously record shaped package had been left by our ninja postman (he's very good at leaving packages without leaving a trace). It turns out that the good people at Side One Dummy had shipped the international orders of Elsie early so that the record would be there for release. So I grabbed my favourite headphones, and fired up the turntable to listen.
The Horrible Crowes are kind of a side project for Brian Fallon, frontman with one of my favourite bands of recent years The Gaslight Anthem. To form The Horrible Crowes he has teamed up with Ian Perkins, who doubles as Brian's guitar tech when Gaslight tour. In theory The Horrible Crowes will be a home for all the songs Brian writes that aren't right for The Gaslight Anthem, freeing him up to write more of the kind of punk-soul that has made them famous.
The problem ends up being that Brian Fallon can't not sound like Brian Fallon, and he can't write songs any differently to the way that he writes them. Therefore vocally, and musically this is not a big conceptual step from his day job. He sings the songs a little softer, and plays them a little slower, but the heart is the same.
The difference comes down to the production. There's instruments here that would never show their face on a Gaslight Anthem album, things like Hammond style organs, and horn sections. But more importantly there's more space. The songs don't fill in all the way to the edge, which gives the listener more room to inhabit the song with Brian and Ian.
I think it's going to be tough going for this album. Outside of Gaslight Anthem fans it's going to have to work hard to find an audience, and within those same fans it's going to struggle to live up to the alchemy that happens when those four guys write music together. I like the album, and I like the songs, but it's not the revelation I was hoping it to be.
On a side note, the bonus track that arrived with the download (I love vinyl, but I love it more when they give me a copy I can listen to on my iPod as well) is brilliant. An earnest, broken, cover of Concrete Blonde's 1990 classic Joey. I was always a big fan of the original, and this cover is interesting enough to make me love it all over again. I'd say it was worth getting the album just for this track, but that's not really fair to the rest of the album, which is perfectly adequate, but it pales when compared to what I know Brian is capable of.
I was pleasantly surprised then, when I came home from work the other day to find a suspiciously record shaped package had been left by our ninja postman (he's very good at leaving packages without leaving a trace). It turns out that the good people at Side One Dummy had shipped the international orders of Elsie early so that the record would be there for release. So I grabbed my favourite headphones, and fired up the turntable to listen.
The Horrible Crowes are kind of a side project for Brian Fallon, frontman with one of my favourite bands of recent years The Gaslight Anthem. To form The Horrible Crowes he has teamed up with Ian Perkins, who doubles as Brian's guitar tech when Gaslight tour. In theory The Horrible Crowes will be a home for all the songs Brian writes that aren't right for The Gaslight Anthem, freeing him up to write more of the kind of punk-soul that has made them famous.
The problem ends up being that Brian Fallon can't not sound like Brian Fallon, and he can't write songs any differently to the way that he writes them. Therefore vocally, and musically this is not a big conceptual step from his day job. He sings the songs a little softer, and plays them a little slower, but the heart is the same.
The difference comes down to the production. There's instruments here that would never show their face on a Gaslight Anthem album, things like Hammond style organs, and horn sections. But more importantly there's more space. The songs don't fill in all the way to the edge, which gives the listener more room to inhabit the song with Brian and Ian.
I think it's going to be tough going for this album. Outside of Gaslight Anthem fans it's going to have to work hard to find an audience, and within those same fans it's going to struggle to live up to the alchemy that happens when those four guys write music together. I like the album, and I like the songs, but it's not the revelation I was hoping it to be.
On a side note, the bonus track that arrived with the download (I love vinyl, but I love it more when they give me a copy I can listen to on my iPod as well) is brilliant. An earnest, broken, cover of Concrete Blonde's 1990 classic Joey. I was always a big fan of the original, and this cover is interesting enough to make me love it all over again. I'd say it was worth getting the album just for this track, but that's not really fair to the rest of the album, which is perfectly adequate, but it pales when compared to what I know Brian is capable of.
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