Lemon Jelly – 64-95
Lemon Jelly said they never wanted to repeat themselves so they came up with an idea to base a new album all around samples from the years 64-95 Remember the chilled, laided back band. Just pop in the disc and their mission of sounding different works from the get go.
“Come Down On Me” starts off immediately with that sample of Masters of Reality. One might ask the question is this the same band that recorded “Nice Weather For Ducks”? The fat beats and those cosmic sounds make it a great start to the album. “Make Things Right” is a slower number that just feels like a summer anthem in the making. That warm and fuzzy female vocal is perfect for this track. This one is brilliant all around. “The Shouty Track” is well a bit shouty. The sample is from The Scars and its very loud and noisy affair. It’s a big monster and I love it. “The Slow Train” has one of the oddest and unique samples you may ever hear on a dance song. Its really quite genius and needs to be heard. “Go” closes off the album here. It’s a bit of a monster that takes different shapes. Who is that on the vocals you might ask? Yes, that is William Shattner. It’s a wild and crazy ride.
This is one hell of an album. They took an interesting concept and really made it work. The tunes rang from the dark and bold to the more chilled affairs. Lemon Jelly have stepped it up.
By John Siwicki
Longview – Coming Down / When You Sleep
Fresh off a new name(the just threw that dash in the middle) these guys return with a new double A-Side. “When You Sleep” is your average soft rock track the track is big sounding and has American radio writing all over it. Not to bad of a track but “Coming Down” is just so slow and bland it does almost nothing. “When You Sleep” saves this single from hell.
By John Siwicki
M83 – Before The Dawn Heals Us
M83s last album “Dead Cities, Red Seas , Lost Ghosts” just didn’t really grab me well. It had its moment but it just missed something for me. Anthony Gonzalez is going at alone for this affair and I decided to give it another shot and I was rewarded.
“Don’t Save Us From The Flames” is absolutely a stunner. Its wall of sythns and those atmospheric versus make this song perfect. Beeps, fuzzed out guitars, there’s so much going on here. What a way to get an album going. “Fields, Shorelines, and Hunters” features an intro with a spacey beat and a fierce drum beat that’s quite euphoric. A vocal kicks in and its barely audible and the song just keeps building and build and just creating this wall of beautiful and strange sounds. Its quite amazing. “Teen Angst” its hard to imagine they would call a song that but hey. A soft an gentle vocal kicks in over some 80s style syths. The hook soars with a female voice soars with the deep and layered e lectro sound. The lyrics are simple and effective “the more we learn the more we die” “Car Chase Terror” starts with an interesting sample of a woman in car and she’s being chased or something. Its quite an intresting and different track a bit spooky. “A Guitar And A Heart” does feature a more upfront guitar that gives it a more upbeat feel. Even without vocals it does feel catchy and deep.
M83 made an brilliant piece of work. Its deep, layered and there more ideas and sounds in one song than most bands have on an album. They have up the ante from their previous work. Its just leaking with brilliance.
By John Siwicki
M83 – Teen Angst
The second single lifted off the amazing “Before The Dawn Heals Us” LP. The album is rather an impressive and its hard to really pick off just one tune. “Teen Angst” gets the call and it’s rather cleverly titled. “Teen Angst” lays down a gorgeous synth heavy track. The cherubic like vocals that are so quiet in the background. It’s a haunting track that will evoke so much emotion in you.The lyrics are simple “how fast we burn! how fast we die!I hear the planet crying now” but in the context with the music it all fits. Just put it on and close your eyes and go.
By John Siwicki