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New album from Canada-based duo Chromeo

Glasgow electronica

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Union Of Knives are three Glaswegian knob twiddlers who have decided to form a group. Forming a group is good enough, but doing something interesting with it is something else. Building an electronic base from later day Radiohead, early the Cure and Massive Attack, Union Of Knives make icy music constructed from stuttering beats and loops of strings alongside a barrage of pounding and hypnotic effects over which glide mournful vocals. Parts of the album work such as the soft chorus of opener of Opposite Direction or the HUGE tribal beat that drives I Decline. But all too often the songs are padded out longer than they should be with extra snippets of sound, and the momentum is lost. Yet there are moments of beauty as on The Law Is Against My Heart that make this record worth checking out, especially for fans of atmospheric electronica. A debut that shows promise at the very least.

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I probably should confess early doors that I’m a huge admirer of the spandex clad rock beast that is Mr Justin Hawkins. As front man of The Darkness, he laughed in the face of fashion and sensibility, daring to bring fun and showmanship back into rock music. While many “serious” music writers wrote off the man from Lowestoft as being gimmicky with fleeting appeal, The Darkness defied by finding an audience with who lapped up the well written songs and energetic live shows. For those too young to remember the days of perm-based debauchery, The Darkness provided the perfect reminder as to the fun and enjoyment that runs throughout the history of rock and roll. And let’s be honest: a man who wears spandex jumpsuits isn’t going to listen to what’s “sensible” now, is he? Two years after the members of that particular quartet went their separate ways come Hawkins’ new venture, Hot Leg. Described as an “entirely hairier beast”, Hot Leg appear to trade on the same principles that made...

Debut album from Donnington Electrolites.

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Castle Donington is a large village almost considered a town which features such attractions as a medieval market on a Monday, demolished power station, world famous race circuit and the Download festival. It’s also home to the four piece electronica outfit Late of the Pier. Late of the Pier's debut LP, Fantasy Black Channel's opening seems to reflect Donington's association with RAWK (that particular misspelling always makes me think of the Welsh for some reason) the intro being remarkably reminiscent of what Queen would sound like had they gone through a proper synth instead of Guitar phase. From then on the album settles into a poppier, Numan-esque groove, backed by less then hyperactive disco-esque bass lines. Space and the Woods is the track that most echoes the Numanoids synth-pop style but there is a bit of shitdisco in there as well. Random Firl comes close to emulating Sam Sparro's more eighties-tastic tracks but manages to find some more edge from somewhere, that gives...

Punk meets Bhangra

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Ex-Adam & The Ants members new project releases third single and a collaboration with multi-million selling Indian artist Daler Mehndi.

Noise Annoys?

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Thursday night, and I am having a drink with friends. Friends who saw My Bloody Valentine last night. Tales are told of post-gig telephone calls terminated after it becomes apparent neither side can hear anything for the tinnitus now ravaging all ears exposed to this unholy noise. I am told the venue are handing out ear plugs to patrons. There is a reprise of their famed noise improv on ‘You Made Me Realise’ that ‘is like a jet plane taking off’. It’s the same story I’ve been hearing all day from the multitude of friends who attended the first night. ‘I lasted three songs before I had to use the earplugs’, says one. Hot damn, this sounds fun. Eventually, I remember to finish my beer and actually go to the gig, and one excruciating ankle cramp (don’t ask) later I arrive... midway through the first song. Whoops. If anything, though, it only heightens the anticipation. I can hear a familiar melody set atop rumbling bass while I’m still only halfway up the street. Awesome. As I...

Rubbish

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Silent Cry is Feeder’s sixth album but it could easily be any of them as they all sound the same. Bland rock acts can sometimes muster offense by their blandness but Feeder can’t even reach that pinnacle of Snow Patrol turdness. Brisk drums, banal guitar work married to insipid vocals and melodies are the order of the day in a fashion that makes the Stereophonics resemble the Supersuckers. We Are The People opens the record on would be chest beating anthemics, “Why do we pray? Why do we talk about angels flying on their golden wings?”. Even fucking Creed would’ve thought twice about this track’s pompous metaphysics, marrying rubbish lyrics to big diet-metal guitars. Dragged out to nearly five minutes, We Are The People well…drags. Follow up Itsumo is more or less the same song but with louder bass in the mix. Miss You is slightly better, a brisk pop punk number that rattles along and manages the record’s only true spark of life. Being Feeder of course there are rubbish...

Sound like The Futureheads, need to sound like themselves

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Look See Proof, a very English four piece played King Tuts on the 4th July, supporting the release of their debut album. They were quite good, actually.

A baptism in the key of E.

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By all rights, I really shouldn’t be here. The New York Dolls without Johnny Thunders (or Arthur ‘Killer’ Kane or Jerry Nolan for that matter - all three are deceased) should be as big a turn-off to the purist in me as the likes of Queen without Freddie Mercury. It’s an act of musical heresy akin to the Rolling Stones without Keith Richards. And I’ve already satisfied my curiousity as to the worth of this line-up once, when I caught the 21st century New York Dolls at Leeds festival a few years ago, playing to a depressingly uninterested outdoor crowd in the afternoon mere weeks after Arthur Kane's death. Hearing the Dolls stellar 70's songbook (the holy text of rock and roll from an alternate universe where sleaze rock reigns supreme) live was great fun, sure, but all far too polite and neutered to ever convince that this was really the Dolls. Yet something tells me I shouldn't miss this, and so I force myself to get dressed despite the heavy toll taken by last night's drinking...

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Since being declared one-hit wonders with their single Creep in 1992, Radiohead has proven to be anything but, rising to become one of the biggest British rock bands around and releasing several Grammy-winning albums. The band has spanned genres, from lightweight pop-rock and simple riffs to complex guitar-driven anthems, jazz-influenced songs and bizarre electronic dance-trance melodies. This experimentation is fuelled by the highly creative natures of the members; lead singer Thom Yorke released his solo electronic album ‘The Eraser’ in 2006 whilst Johnny Greenwood is a resident composer for the BBC and, in addition to being the band’s lead guitarist, can also play several other instruments including the viola and organ. His brother Colin Greenwood mans the bass and synthesizers, and the remaining two members are Ed O’Brien on guitar and backing vocals and Phil Selway dealing with percussion. Their newest album ‘In Rainbows’ hit no. 1 in both the UK and US charts and has been...