Reviews

UK Stylus Pressure by Graeme McGinty

November 2006

The latest in new UK vinyl releases

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by Graeme McGintyGraeme McGinty, British Singles Review

Here’s a few 7” that I’ve been listening to in the past month or so. I will be playing some of them in Cambridge on the 25th of November, bottom of the Red Cow pub near the Cambridge Corn Exchange. Lovely. Onto the reviews...

Artist: Clinic - 'Harvest'
Label: Domino
Release: 2/10/06
Rating:

Coming out of Liverpool it’s easy to believe that Clinic occasionally pop down to Wales to do a bit of mushroom picking. This band’s psychedelic musings seem more refined than the coral but not quite as mainstream as The Zutons. So a kind of mid reference point to the North West trip. The frames of reference are easy to spot, the reedy organ/harmonium sound owes a lot to Rick Wright's playing with Syd-era Floyd, the drums owing as much to Krupa and Sandy Nelson as Nick Mason. The guitar offers a rhythmic turn off the back of a psychedelic funk from the meters.

Artist: Express2 - 'Kill 100'
Label: Skint
Release: 15/10/06
Rating:

Dark house. With the vocals from that dude from the music, Rob Harvey. Surprising it works well. It’s not quite the success as some of the 808 State indie singer collaborations but it’s as emotional, which is an impressive effect for a dance record. The build ups are achieved with out percussion but with a disco synth bass line reminiscent of Donna summers/Giogio Moroder’s I fell love, and the overall production could be one of the more spacious sinister Depeche Mode stuff.

Artist: The Holloways - 'Generator'
Label: TVT
Release: 16/10/06
Rating:

From an autumn release this tune is clinging to the end of the summer with a resistance to cold mornings like the rest of the UK population. There are not many bands that have taken calypso and indie guitars as a starting block for a song (Paul Simon doesn’t count, Supper Furry Animals do). Then from this point created a truly smiley song. Even the cover of the single has a nice reassuring sun symbol from when the weather forecasts on the telly had proper idents for the weather, none of this satellite photo bollocks. All the band want to do is “generate the music that makes you feel better”, top of the class, success is yours.

Artist: Howling Bells - 'Setting Sun'
Label: Bella
Release: 18/9/06
Rating:

As atmospheric as Ry Cooder’s score for Paris, Texas. This is another filmic band keeping the audience listening. Its not beard stroking appreciation but genuine rushing feeling. With a voice as pure as Polly Jean and guitars soaring around the Grand Canyon the amount of space in the song couldn’t be bigger. Unless it was in space, but you then wouldn’t hear it, which would be a crying shame.

Vega 4 - 'Traffic Jam'
Label: Columbia
Release: 16/10/6
Rating:

Yey! It’s that indie anthem beat, you know the one. Start of pounding by Doves, I am the resurrection by the Stone Roses. Yey! That one. You know where the tracks going when that kicks in. A song too similar in production to Snow Patrol to ignore. But if that’s the way you like your indie, all polished and uplifting, then you’ll love the track. If you like your indie raw and growling, this track will prove a bit more of a challenge. An accomplished song, but just missing that unique sound the band seem to be searching for. It’s clearly there, and I suspect would be more present live, without the studio, just the song writing standing on it’s own.

Field Music - 'In Context'
Label: Memphis
Release: 9/10/06
Rating:

Twisty. Turny. Fun. A song that works by ignoring all the standards. Dropping in flashes of inspiration and then instantly dropping them and adding something else. Then doing that some more. Although loosely following a verse chorus structure, Field music have arranged the song in such a way that you wouldn’t notice. Accented stabs swap from strings to falsetto backing vocals, the time signature drops beats (with out the pomp and circumstance of prog), the bass turns into a lead instrument, a synth comes in and then goes as if it was playing in another studio and some one opened the door. Everything to keep you guessing. Not an easy one to dance to, but one easy to repeat on your playlist.

More next month!