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A Beauty To Fight For THE SHADOW PROJECT- A beauty to fight for The Shadow Project have taken it upon themselves to try and romanticise
Suffolk. The poor bastards. But seriously, who knew East Anglia could
be so beautiful? With the title track shimmering like the polished tractor
you might get stuck behind on a country lane this summer, you could
do worse for a soundtrack. As atmospheric and anthemic as it is technically
very nice, the noticeable skills of those responsible for Sigur Ros's
mastering on hand make this an uplifting journey into a twinkling world
which can only be borne out of programming wizardry and good old-fashioned
song-writing. Or a nice babbling brook somewhere near RAF Lakenheath.
Largely epic instrumentals, sprinkled with cute sounds, also bring to
mind artists like Mum so you get the idea. More indie when the voices
eventually kick in, TSP will, whatever your incantation, make you ache
inside, either for what you've lost, what you have or what you could
have. Dip your toes in and join the meditation. Because this is pure
bliss. This song makes me think of a relationship I had with someone. Everyone's had one. A bit of passion and you love to hate them. This weird emotional whirlwind makes you feel alive in an even weirder way. Even when you realise how crap it is when you can't let go of that feeling. That's how I interpreted it anyway. It could just be that Kate Nash broke her foot and wrote loads of songs from her sickbed and one word rhymed better with the other and she doesn't really empathise with you at all. You could be forgiven for thinking that because this is the kind of catchy pop/ wry lyrical combo that will, and has already, make the country sit up and lick bumhole. Like Lily Allen without the horns and New Look contract and Mike Skinner without the penis, streetwise and savvy but seemingly vulnerable, without a trace of cynicism, I can proudly say that you will be singing along to this when you first hear it. And every time after that. BLACK STROBE- Burn your own church
This is the second Black Strobe release I have reviewed recently and the second one that smells of curry. How can this be? Still, that's where any comparisons to my previous musings end. God knows why they released their Bo Diddley cover as a single. It's easily the worst song on the record. Though I still favour all instrumentals found herein, those that did have to have singing on have an understood sexiness which ups the promise of me listening to this again. With a triumphant mix of industrial beats, massive bass-lines and equally as large guitar riffage, the majority of tracks are perfect for the discerning clubber (at least, album opener "Brenn di ega kjerke" which may mean "get off your tits and dance") or even the sombre indie kid. But mainly, I feel, the goth or foot fetishist. That is, if you ignore the occasional fading into mediocrity on the slower offerings. "Shining bright star" and "Blood shot eyes" justify how self-assured they sound here. This release should be straddled wearing tight PVC. If that's your thing, get shopping. Released 18th June, 2007
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