LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver"
James Murphy is on a roll at the moment, after his quite brilliant concept album "45:33", commissioned by Nike, wowed critics and fans in late 2006. So anticipation for his sophomore record "Sound of Silver", due in March, is unsurprisingly huge. Even less surprisingly, the album leaked in it's entirety onto the net last month, most likely meaning his entire fanbase has heard the record four months before it's designated release date. Being one of the unscrupulous evil pirate scum who downloaded it, my opinion of it is thus: I have to admit I was a teensy bit disappointed the first time I heard the record, maybe due to the fact that there isn't an equivalent to the first record's "Yeah" or "Tribulations" on this one. However, after a few listens I began to appreciate the subtle new direction Murphy has taken, with more than one of the tracks informed by krautrock groups like Can and Neu!, suggesting he is keen to prove he is capable of more than gimmicky party tracks like "Losing my Edge" and "Daft Punk is Playing at my House". Opener "Get Innocuous" may be his best track yet, a motorik-driven track with an insistent rhythm and vocals by regular Juan Maclean cohort Nancy Whang. Murphy then delivers obligatory single "North American Scum", which will be the most familiar to fans of his earlier music. Murphy's love of The Fall is well documented and there is a real Fall feel to this track, the song actually bearing a strong resemblance to "Theme From Sparta F.C." by the legendary Manchester group. Further standouts include the unconventional love song "Someone Great", which incorporates elements of "45:33", the anthemic "All My Friends", and the title track, with a strong level of consistency throughout the tight 9 tracks. Overall, an impressive second album, which manages to be a departure of sorts but not at the expense of their by now signature style.
LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum"(mp3) -
http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/58464/03-North-American-Scum-mp3.html
Air - "Pocket Symphony"
Okay, any fans of Air who love both debut "Moon Safari" and last record "Talkie Walkie" but who were left cold by second album "10,000hz Legend" should probably not await this one with baited breath. "10,000hz Legend" was a difficult, challenging record, prompted by the duo's eagerness not to replicate their debut, and their unwillingness to compromise left them with an album which they have since disowned themselves. I personally liked "Legend", but was still relieved when they reprised the Serge Gainsbourg inspired dream pop of their debut for 2005's "Talkie Walkie", where beautiful songs like "Cherry Blossom Girl" and "Surfing on a Rocket" were given an extra dimension by Nigel Godrich's production. For some reason, when I heard both Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon were to be making guest appearances on "Pocket Symphony", I predicted that this would be a return to a more sombre, low-key reflective Air and I was right: There are very few moments of typical Air pop on this record, very little that warrants repeated listens in my opinion. In fact, I have to say, having heard the album quite a few times by now, that the record is one of the most tedious things these ears have heard in a while. "Symphony" starts off well enough with "Space Maker", a lovely instrumental, before the Air by-numbers "Once Upon a Time", which tries to replicate the formula of their classic material without success. This is followed by the Cocker collaboration "One Hell of a Party", which for me is the obvious standout and one of the few fully-fleshed out tracks on the album. After fourth track "Napalm Love", you come to the realisation that Air have seemingly completely run out of fresh ideas and the whole thing becomes incredibly boring and tiresome by the end.
Air - "Space Maker" (mp3) -
http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/58566/01-Space-Maker-mp3.html
Explosions In The Sky - "Suddenly I Miss Everyone"
With the release of this and Do Make Say Think's "You, You're a History in Rust", it seems the much maligned genre of "post-rock", is in line for a resurgence. Texans Explosions In The Sky have wisely decided to ignore ever-changing trends and stuck to what they do best on "Suddenly I Miss Everyone", their fourth album. For people who don't know, EITS sound like U2, but unlike U2, they don't use a vocalist, meaning they have all the epic beauty of the famed Irish band's music, but none of the annoying and overbearing distraction of a Bono to mar it. This time round, they conjure the grandeur of first album "Those Who Tell The Truth Will Die" on great tracks like "Welcome, Ghosts" and "It's Natural To Be Afraid", meaning long-time fans will be delighted by the "if it ain't broke" approach, and non-fans will be unimpressed by the band's unwillingness to experiment with their tried and trusted formula.
Explosions In The Sky - "Welcome, Ghosts" (mp3) -
http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/58512/02-Welcome--Ghosts-mp3.html
Modest Mouse - "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank"
One of the albums I'm personally looking forward to the most. I always eagerly await a new Modest Mouse record, having being a fan for quite a few years now, and my anticipation for this one has been increased dramatically by the remarkable addition of the legendary Johnny Marr on guitar, which even Marr admits has raised eyebrows in some circles. Their last album "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" was very disappointing to me, a classic example of a band on their major-label debut who lost track of the things that made their music so great, and aside from the breakthrough hit "Float On" and "The World at Large", there was little on the record that could compare to their unquestioned masterpiece, 2000's "The Moon and Antarctica". I heard new single "Dashboard" recently and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed with it, and I hope it's not indicative of the rest of the album, but bearing that in mind, I'm still hopeful that they'll deliver the goods with "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank", a "carnival romp" according to frontman Isacc Brock.
Modest Mouse - "Dashboard" (mp3) -
http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/58505/Modest-Mouse---Dashboard-mp3.html
El-P - "I'll Sleep When You're Dead"
El-P's last record "Fantastic Damage" was a dense, chilling, impenetratable vision of a hellish society on the brink of apocalypse and therefore pretty hard going at times. Just like El-P's (real name Jaime Meline) former band, the seminal underground rap group Company Flow, there were few concessions made to the listener in terms of accessibility, but those who showed patience were rewarded with one of the best true hip-hop releases of recent years. It's been five years now since "Damage", so it will be interesting to see if the notorious perfectionist can repeat or better his success last time around. I've been fortunate enough to have heard two tracks from the new album, "Smithereens" and "Everything Must Go", and from the sound of those two, it's clear that El-P hasn't softened or compromised his sound. Guests on the album include Yo La Tengo's James McNew, Cat Power, Trent Reznor and The Mars Volta. "I'll Sleep When You're Dead" is due in March.
El-P - "Everything Must Go" (mp3) -
http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/58492/El-P---Everything-Must-Go-mp3.html
The Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"
Recently I came across a review on the influential webzine Pitchfork Media of a track from the new Arcade Fire LP called "Intervention". The response to the song was decidedly lukewarm, with the reviewer in question remarking on the band's perceived lack of sincerity compared to their first record, feeling that the band had gone for the grandstanding emoting of a Bruce Springsteen to hawk their new LP through the airwaves with a radio-friendly single. Well, I personally love Springsteen, I love "Intervention" and I think it's a great taster for the forthcoming big second album "Neon Bible", and having heard two other new tracks from the album recently, "Black Mirror", and "Black Waves/Bad Vibrations", my initial fears about the likelihood of the band recreating the magic of "Funeral" have been allayed.
The Arcade Fire - "Black Mirror" (mp3) -
http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/58471/arcade-fire-black-mirror-mp3.html
Sondre Lerche - "Phantom Punch"
Having heard this album in advance of it's February release, I can honestly say it's one of my favourite records in a while. Lerche has honed his lounge-pop style to perfection this time around, with his better grasp of English making for sharper lyricism than on his previous records, 2002's "Faces Down" and 2004's "Two-Way Monologue". The norwegian wunderkind has always worn his Prefab Sprout influence on his sleeve, even going so far as to namecheck the McAloon brothers on the sleeve of his last album, and "Phantom Punch" is full of brilliant examples of the kind of clever songcraft and arrangement that Paddy McAloon was famous for at his peak. From the infectious opener "Airport Taxi Reception" to the classic pop of the title track, Lerche has really come into his own and developed a singular, distinctive style which sets him apart from his peers. Great stuff.
Sondre Lerche - "Phantom Punch" (mp3) -
http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/58483/04-Phantom-Punch-mp3.html
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