Film School – Hideout
Consistency is the keyword on this very fine album,along with precision and a very alternative approach .Plenty of moods and substance here,this has turned out to be one of the more intriguing albums I’ve reviewed recently. Thirteen tracks of brilliance,with influences such as Yes,Genesis and Editors. On Sick Hipster Nursed By Suicide Girl,there’s quite a dark thread running through,with a late 70s and very early 80s feel to the song. It’s a little bit Kraftwerk,but only a bit. I particularly like the middle section,with its hypnotic drums and keys.
All tracks are individual,yet similar .On Blizzard Scout,there’s a Disneyish soundtrack feel to the start of the track,all cello and echoey effects,a pleasant two minutes’ worth of song.
When listening to Go Down Together,I wondered-why isn’t this album purely instrumental?This one’s nice,though,with its atmospheric guitars,drums and sudden flourishing ending with just a
hint of hi-hat.
Capitalized I has a strong opening, chuggy drums and a swirling synth and gentle guitar-quite haunting-building up with those angel choir vocals .Lovely and obscure.
My favourite track is Two Kinds.It has a beginning,a middle and an end.”There’s two kinds of love…and one we used to know.”Can we have this one released as a single please?
Its a solid song and rather addictive. Less is more.
This album is released on 11th September. I predict a rush of interest in it so give it a listen.
By Juliet Robertson
Devastations – Yes, U
Always nicely dressed Devastations are back with their third album “Yes,U.” This is my first Devastations album but the band is signed on Beggars Banquet so that was able to help shape my expectations and you know the record is going to be solid with the track record. But, this Australian three piece is a very peculiar bunch. Vocally, the band have a very heavy and dark undertones to the vocals a lot in the likeness of say a Nick Cave. Musically the band are quite different from what you would expect. There are elements of your post-rock with the heavy distortions and epic sounds. The band also bring a element of programmed beats to the music. The one thing is this constant in the album is that they like to get loud.
“Black Ice” starts off with a slow beat that you think you are about to listen to some early 90s R&B, but then the vocals slowly kick in. The vocals are very soft and with a distant piano in their combined with the R&B beat makes for a special start. “Oh Me, Oh My” starts to get their inner noise kings out of them. The song has a strange soothing vibe to it with the giant wave of sound hitting you. “Rosa” is the track that made me fall in love with the band. The song starts off with a strong vocal and slowly starts building and the progression is fierce and noisy. The last two minutes is as frightening and chaotic as I have heard in a long time. I think you can hear some screams in the background of this sound collage that is just as huge as can be. “As Sparks Fly Upwards” sounds really nice at times but the song never seems to really go anywhere. “The Face Of Love” is a very heartfelt acoustic song. The “sha-la” sounds a little weird at first but they fit in with the song.
“Yes, U” is a charming record, there is a lot to like about this band. They take risks in some of their songs but they always seem to pay off. Aside, from a few minor slip up this is quite a rich and deep album worthy of your dollar.
By John Siwicki
Juviley – How To Miss the Ground
Israeli Singer/Songwriter Zubalsky or his pseudonym Juviley has crafted one beautiful debut album. He has written arranged produced and played nearly every instrument on the album. Having recently relocated to New York Juviley is ready. The album displays a very delicate beauty on the record. Some of Juviley’s influences are clearly Yo La Tengo, Nick Drake and Belle & Sebastian. His sweet melodies are heartbreaking as you listen to this very simply but well crafted songs. On the first track “Fallen Leaves,” you really feel like Juviley is sitting in the the room with you singing to you. It has that very simply and charismatic type charm all over it. “Two Small Wonder” is a perfect song for a seaside. “Annie” is a sweet and tender love song. While, “A Lovely Dream” auctually caused me to fall asleep while writing this. The horn section really brings a lot to the song and gives it a strong finish. Juviley’s debut album was a very charming listen. He has that sweet type of voice like the Belle & Sebastian gentlemen that can just let you listen to him over and over again.
By John Siwicki