Nonsense in the Dark As I was illiterate and pre-historic when I used to write for Repeat, I give you delightful internet-creeps some reviews of the latest tunes, without cluttering my sentences with hyperboles and exclamation marks.
Chuff Media have done a very good job of trying publicise this album as if there is this great depth, imagination and creativity to it. They have described it as being a collaboration between two legends with some of the most innovative and revolutionary arrangements evercrafted. a modern day; Pink Floyds The Wall and, gulp,- a glimpse into the future of music. These are not only gross exaggerations, but I think, whatever your perceptions of this album are (when you dont listen to it), it's safe to say- in fact it's necessary to say-- and very obvious that Scream is not a revolutionary record. Not a glimpse into the George Orwell version of the future which Chuff Media have created in a sentence. Nor the collaboration between two people who can be established as Legends-- Chris Cornell could be given a hero status with his involvement with Soundgarden and Audioslave, but after this record I feel that status may have withered away and he is now what you call a sell-out, these various versions of status means fuck all anyway. -- but another soulless, overproduced pop record, with Timbalands glossy title and over involvement with the music and sound; embossed and varnished all over every inch of the album. Also, Chris Cornell and Timbalands robotic attempt at music is not genre-defying. Chris Cornell has simply turned to churning out a mutated form of chart RnB. It's insulting to suggest that Scream is the modern day The Wall. Its one of the worst albums of 2009. (I say one of) 0/10
This album, generally speaking, is an infectious, modern day electro record, which will - depending on your mood, or taste - give you the urge to biro your face different shades of glitter tainted silver and go crazy. But the album is also a very mixed selection. By mixed I mean, that songs like Elevator, You Better Stop, Nonsense In The Dark, Cul-De-Sac and most of the songs towards the end of the album are electrifying, magnificent dance tracks, but the rest of the album, particularly the grotesquely kitsch What Happens Next, lack life and the atmosphere of the other tracks. Which is what happens when you get a variety of guest singers who are all significantly different in style. Nonsense In the Dark therefore ends up sounding like a compilation. Its Alrite 5/10 www.filthydukes.comwww.myspace.com/filthydukes
What can I say Like a frail, primitive version of The Ruts? The first song has a guitar riff which is a very bad incarnation of the Ramones three chords, with a lifeless-middle of the road beat, and a lifeless-middle of the road chorus, lifeless- middle of the road music, lifeless- middle of the road vocals; and a lifeless review to accompany it. The Drone Rebels vacuum pack punches into an airbag. Sucking the life out of rock with a pentatonic overtone and nothing to distinguish the sound in anyway. Essentially they are oxygen thieves.
Mr Bones and the Dreamers- Are These Actual Miles? Mr Bones and the Dreamers hail from Birmingham, which once again proves that Birmingham is frequently the home place for some of the best music in Britain. Mr Bones and the Dreamers have a folksy but urban sound with a singer that sounds like a shaky brumie version of Bright Eyes. Their music in general isnt life changing but its their new single Are These Actual Miles? that really stands out among this e.p. Are These Actual Miles? has a warm, uplifting feeling; and reminds me of the ending of the film Billy Elliot (not right at the end where hes on the stage and much older, but abit before then), Im not sure why, but its the emotional feeling of the song which reminds me of that moment. And thats what is great about music like this, when it has the ability to capture us in someway and bring us back to a moment or feeling. Which is why Are These Actual Miles is a great track, it has soul and depth, without the need to present some flirty artwork, manufactured image and pretentious photo shoot to back up what may be a musical insult to the ears of many people- but justified by style and vogue. I dont reckon youll definitely love them but Mr Bones and the Dreamers have a sound which is individual and captivating, so I recommend that you listen to this band, today. 8/10 www.myspace.com/mrbonesandthedreamers
After the Ting Tings got discovered by a reviewer for sending in their e.p with a gaffer taped logo on their cd (this apparently attracted his attention), the fickle media promoted their D.I.Y/fashion chic image up to number one and made them what we would call pop music, or what Warhol would call soup cans, as both mechanisms worked in similar ways - if you get my drift. They then eventually took over the charts. Except the level headed percentage of the population werent listening and didnt care. This brief insight into the Ting Tings career is so I can relate it to this band, The Momeraths. The Momeraths have clearly tried to attract attention by wrapping their e.p in a baby-blue woollen string with drawings of irritating little bugs in bright felt tip colouring pens on the e.p. The only thing it does however is make me generate pre-conceived opinions about how shit, fluffy and coy this bands music will sound. The Momeraths, it seems, can be summed up by their naïve effort at the artwork. Their sound is both as fluffy and naïve as the cover suggests- Im not sure how a sound can be naïve but their voices make me think that their probably stuck in a polka dot 70s- trapped with a false perception of their surroundings and era through popping cutely named pills that some Alice in Wonderland cop-out drop-out gave them. The vocals are a harmonious, cute sounding boy/girl duo, like The Beautiful South sang by corrupted Furbies.
I dont really care to be honest - and you shouldnt either. 3/10 www.myspace.com/wherethemomerathsgo
The vocals sound forced, the guitar sounds like a million other guitarists and well, theres not much to distinguish these lads from anything else because they sound like a tame more serious version of that pop-punk genre that filled the charts in the late-nineties. Imagine trying to force out All-American Rejects songs like throat constipation, with an American tone and there you have the correct musical terms on the way that these bland boys from Devon use their voices. Please Ten Percenter, take your talent and use it to produce something wild, or something thoughtful, or something with an edge. Not this petty pretend-pop. 2/10 www.myspace.com/tenpercenter06
Theres something funny about Moby. Hes this insecure bald guy that mocks himself a lot in interviews in a chilled-out manner like a charming but modest Bill Hicks, but when it comes to creating music, it's as if this surreal alter-ego of Moby erupts into an other-worldly being of chilled out artificial oceans of noise. This free-mp3 track off his new album, which you can get from his myspace, opens with a rigid, pulsating wave of melody, as if a wave of sound is moving in a jagged way due to being stop and started, like the sounds are trying to be contained but erupting in short bursts. Then the song erupts into this surreal dream with howling harmonies and waves of vocal synths dancing around on top. Moby has created the ultimate chilled-out music. And this song is a good glimpse at what to expect from his new album, it is both typical Moby-minimalism meets electronica but with a calmer feel to it than say the songs on 18 or play. Whats more is that David Lynch (director of Mullholland Drive, Dune, Eraserhead and many other surreal greats) has done a creepy bit of animation for the video of the song, which fits the mood perfectly. 8/10 www.moby.comwww.myspace.com/moby
Wow. With a stupid name like People In Planes I wasnt expecting much; just another hardcore sub-genre tag along with floppy hair. People In Planes are terrific. Like a psychedelic concoction of Electric Wizard, QOTSA, Radiohead and Muse. The songs are delivered with style and power, fusing a dirty stoner sound with creative guitar licks and choruses that boast as much edge as some of the songs from Muses Origin Of Symmetry. The one slightly annoying thing is the American sound of the vocals, as People In Planes are a few boys from Cardiff, yet the voice sounds like a crooning Josh Homme - this however is masked by the power of the songs and after killing my ears with many shades of grey sounds, People In Planes make it all worth while (along with Moby and Mr.Bones). Sometimes there are powerful organ blasts, such as in the chorus of the title track, but then at other times People In Planes explode into sleaze-rock riffage heaven. People In Planes, it seems, are capable of creating any sort of sound and incorporating into their music with style. They should make an album of the year - if they do so, would be so kind to send it to R*E*P*E*A*T Towers please? 9/10 www.peopleinplanes.com www.myspace.com/peopleinplanes
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