The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

Love is ending… Here it is, friends. The promotional film for the new single by the Charlatans. I must say I do like the song a lot. It appears after their brief excursion through their New Order collection on You Cross My Path. The band decided to go back to the future by taking the best bits of their illustrious legacy of their own and giving the younger bands a primer on how the 1990s really got started. Tim Burgess sounds in fine form here and the band sounds re-energized which can only mean good things for the upcoming record Who We Touch.

“Love Is Ending” by The Charlatans, taken from the forthcoming Cooking Vinyl/The End release, “Who We Touch”

Personally I’ve always been a fan of dark and cold electronic music. The mechanical sound of dystopia set to a motorik beat is the equivalent to a chorus of birds singing heralding the arrival of another day. That’s probably why I love bands like These New Puritans so much. No hope whatsoever to be found in the music. It’s the apocalypse you can dance to. You can only imagine how giddy I became when I came across Detachments! Take TNP and add a slight glimmer or hint of a hook and you’ve got Detachments. If anything, if one was to take the sound of early New Order or Fad Gadget and Cabaret Voltaire, throw them in a blender and you’ve got the sound of H.A.L., the single featured here.  Arpeggiated hi-hats. Booming bass drums. Swirling synth pads of impending doom. Heavily reverbed vocals. It’s all here.  Needless to say, this is highly recommended…

Detachments on MySpace
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“H.A.L.” BY Detachments

“Love comes close
But chooses to spare me
Death comes close
But ceases to take me
I want to twist, the knife a bit deeper
To siphon the love from the hearts I believed in
Look outside, world is exploding,
Stay inside, still never knowing.
Taking cover, with each other,
Sleeping off the century of hope”

It was only a matter of time before the electronic pop resurgence we are currently basking in took a sharp turn for the dark and depressing. May I present Cold Cave! A doom-infested electronic pop outfit from Manhattan via Philadelphia whose debut record Love Comes Close (Matador) could quite possibly be the darkest debut record by a band since New Order’s Movement.

Featured above is the title track and if you were to close your eyes, you’d almost swear that you’d be transported back to the early eighties listening to a band like The Wake with a singer who reminded you of an Edwyn Collins or Ian Curtis. The production values which would be considered somewhat subpar today what with the tinny guitar and  the programmed drums dominating the song would have fit right at home in the Factory Records catalogue.

It also doesn’t hurt that Love Comes Close is a solid song in its own right. It’s been on constant repeat for me for a while since as you all know I’m a sucker for this sound. It’s only a matter of time before others do too after some care is taken to delve past the gloom and doom.

Cold Cave on MySpace
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“Love Comes Close” by Cold Cave taken from the Matador release, “Love Comes Close”

Album – Acolyte
Artist – Delphic
Label – Polydor (UK)
Producer – Ewan Pearson

Yeah I know. A record review has been a long time coming. My new year’s resolution for 2010  is to include more record reviews for you guys. Getting my paws all over the debut record Acolyte from Delphic definitely forced my hand into ensuring I put my feelings on this record to “paper” as it were.  So with that said, let’s go!

I’ve written about Delphic, the electro-rock trio from Manchester on a couple of occasions very recently. Specifically, two of their singles which I quite liked in Counterpoint and the current single Doubt. They serve as a wonderful introduction to this highly talented band’s sound. A sound which notably finds itself very much indebted to the forefathers of dance-rock in New Order and dance culture as it evolved since. There’s elements of trance and downtempo to go along with the band’s natural predilection towards pop. All of this brings about the most important question: Does Acolyte bring the goods? Let’s take a look…

1. Clarion Call 2.56

One of the more brief songs on the record. Clarion Call starts off very softly, enticing, inviting the listener to come closer to the speaker as the vocals come in. Just when you find yourself ready to submit, the song reaches a crescendo with crashing drums with the message being demanded to the listener in the lyrics to take action in one’s own life before giving way to guitars to carry us to the end of the song. A good introduction to the record and sets us up for…

2. Doubt 4.06

For a young band worth their weight, it’s almost an imperative to stake your claim early in the way of a signature song. Delphic gets that out of the way almost immediately with Doubt. By far, the most obvious choice for a single on the record for its sing-along chorus and overall New order vibe especially with the Bernard Sumner like guitars in the bridge. The best way to describe this track would be to imagine a collaboration between New Order and Kele Okereke from Bloc Party singing. Either way, this song is truly a winner.

3. This Momentary 4.35

First off, it has to be said the video for This Momentary is a simply stellar piece of work.

The song itself is a slow burner. The vocals are reminiscent to what we heard in Clarion Call in its almost chant-like delivery as the music gathers momentum before the drums come in giving the impression that we’re about to kick into a head-pounding stomper….except there’s no stomping here.  The song settles into a nice groove that seduces and soothes. While not my favourite song on the record, it’s a mood piece that is by no means a skip over track.

4. Red Lights 6.11

“I wanna stop for red lights, I wanna come up for air…”

Another slow burner but one that comes with a payoff for those with an attention span larger than a flea.  For some reason, this song makes me think of what Friendly Fires would sound like after an extended remix. Once the song find its footing,it becomes a track that would be equally fitting for dancing at a Lower East Side lounge or barefoot in one’s room.

5. Acolyte 8.51

Ahh yes. The title track. It’s an instrumental. Depending on how you feel towards instrumentals, it can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Personally, I tend to vary on my feelings towards them. I’d be interested in hearing what could have been done on this track because the ahhs along don’t do this song justice. The song does, however, showcase the band’s talent for injecting a sense of warmth in the songs which tends to be somewhat difficult for many an electronic band.

6. Halcyon 4.43

Another favourite on the record. It’s also, in my opinion, a song worthy of single consideration. Quite possibly even more accessible than Doubt, it features a pretty nifty drum pattern in the second verse and a chorus that’s as hooky as anything found on the record. I love this track.

7. Submission 5.33

Now this is interesting! A bit of a change of pace as we find Delphic getting a bit darker in sound. The drum pattern and the pad sound scream new wave that is almost Cure/PSB like and we still hear the Sumner-like guitars appearing now and again. Too long to be considered a single, it’s also missing that big hook one looks for but it’s definitely a switch for the more colourful and vibrant tracks heard to this point and also serves as a wonderful…counterpoint to the next song which is…

8. Counterpoint 6.19

If it’s not Doubt, then it’s safe to say that this is indeed Delphic’s penultimate track. A gorgeous production that wouldn’t sound at all foreign on a Paul Van Dyk record, a plaintive vocal pleading for understanding and lamenting a lost love. The synths simply shimmer throughout in what is simply a beautiful track and a pleasure to listen to again and again. Doubt may be the band’s signature pop song in their nascent career but to me, this is where we catch a glimpse into where they are heading.

9. Ephemera 1.57

A very brief instrumental. Too brief to be anything more than a simple segue into the next track. Kind of pointless, to be perfectly frank.

10. Remain 6.34

The record closes with a light, piano-led number which allows the listener to breathe and relax.  This is Delphic gone chill-out. Not a bad thing but then the downtempo sound has admittedly never been my cuppa.

The verdict? Definitely a solid step forward for this promising Manchester group.  It’s awfully hard to write and create an electronic pop record that veers more towards the experimental side of things and still maanges to keep the listener interested and not simply filing it away only to be played for dinner parties. Delphic achieves the former much better than most on their first try.

To me, Acolyte is the sound of a band that has a lot of good ideas and did an earnest job of getting them all in to a ten song album. The pop moments are heavenly and well crafted, the more adventurous moments show the band’s talent and a will to push the envelope. As they mature, it stands to reason that Delphic will be able to mesh the two worlds of pop and experimentation with more precision and more cohesively. They’re off to a great start with a couple of great singles right off the bat. Don’t sleep on Delphic.

Not long ago, I featured a purely ferocious band out of Manchester called Delphic and their single Counterpoint with its beautiful arpeggios, bleeps and blips. It’s great to see that they’ve been getting a lot of attention recently. They’ve scored a pretty sweet gig as openers for fellow Mancunians, Doves, on their UK tour and now comes a brand spankin new single simply called Doubt.

Doubt is Delphic’s signature pop moment to date. Booming drums, an absolutely ridiculous bassline and a bangin’ chorus. One listen and you’d think you just heard a New Order track with a more melodic Kele Okereke from Bloc Party on vocals. The promotional film accompanying the single also further demonstrates Delphic’s run of striking videos. This is a band that truly understands the importance of the entire package. Sparkling electronic pop coupled with videos that are worth watching is quite the combination.

These guys are going places…

Delphic on Facebook
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“Doubt” by Delphic. Taken from the forthcoming Polydor release, “Acolyte”

It’s a good time to live in the Brooklyn area these days. A wealth of talent just seems to be springing up from every crack in the pavement from Bushwick to Red Hook to ’round the corner from the Kellogg’s Diner in my dear Williamsburg. There just seems to be a new solid local band doing their thing and better than most that have come down the pike. This is especially true in the electro genre. The rest of New York City better step its game up because right now BK is the spot thanks in no small part to bands like Infernal Devices.

This Brooklyn duo writes ab fab electronic pop ditties that are both danceable and head-boppers. Theirs is a sound that is rooted in 80s electro but is also bursting at the seams with classic songwriting sensibility. The song featured here called Fast Enough illustrates their sound to a T. Put this bad boy on in dimly lit room or dance floor, close your eyes and let your body sway. Almost as if it were the result of a mix of Technique-era New Order and Kavinsky fronted by Jeremy Greenspan of the Junior Boys, Fast Enough has already found itself burrowing a hole in my head for the next month. Not like it’s a bad thing, mind you.

If you find yourself loving this song as much as I do, It needn’t be said that I had better see you at their next gig which is next Wednesday the 21st at Union Pool in Williamsburg as the Devices play the CMJ Music Festival.  Word.

Infernal Devices on MySpace
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“Fast Enough” by Infernal Devices

White Lies

To Lose My Life

Fiction/Geffen

We have arrived. Enough of all the sweet talk. Tired of the accolades bestowed upon the four singles released to date. By now, you know the record went to number one in the UK charts and the NME tour is underway with the Soft Pack and Friendly Fires as I type. The question remains: Is this album really any good? The answer is below, Suede-heads, so let’s push things forward, shall we?

1. Death 5.01

The debut record begins with the debut single and what a single it is. I’ve spoken about the song before but let me remind about my feelings on it. Mega-single. Simply said. Dark, menacing but yet there remains a glimmer of hope. A light at the end of the tunnel, if we must add a cliche. It’s got what you want in a pop song. A great set-up, vocals that make you raise your head upon first line and then…the big chorus payoff. A nice little build-up to the most “rock” sounding guitars we’ve heard in a pop band in quite a while. One thing we’ve come to know about White Lies is that they know how to write anthemic choruses that stick to your gut and it all started here.

2. To Lose My Life 3.10

Speaking of anthemic choruses, it doesn’t get much better than Let’s grow old together and die at the same time! It should be noticed by now that this trio learned their music history well. You want to write a good record? Start it off with a bang. The title track and third single wastes no time in seducing your ears and keeping up the pace. This is a dark dancefloor stomper for shadow dancers everywhere. Goth kids, I’m looking at you! This is a song that will make you finally put away the Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy records for a while and tune into the present.  A love song for the hopeless. When there’s nowhere else to turn, we turn to each other and it’s all we need.

3.  A Place To Hide 5.02

Upon first listen, you’d start to think that this song would quite nicely on the second Editors record before realising this is much more immediate and intense than anything off that record. If nothing else, this song confirms that Harry McVeigh can really sing. The song continues the theme of the first two tracks in its examination of death and the impact is has on how one looks at life. We want to hide away from our past, our mistakes, the fact it will all end at some point… or in the context of the record: After staring death in the face with your fists clenched, the gravity of it all finally weighs you own and you realise you’re no different than anyone else. 

I need to lay off eating so late before bed…

4. Fifty On Our Foreheads 4.22

Yup. More darkness. More death. Fear sets in even more. This song features some of my favourite lyrics on the record.  For example: “We were a dozen to the project with a galaxy of questions and all we heard was lies about the truth – No choice but to be obedient like prisoners of war caught on the wrong side of morality and youth.” The song rides a wave of keyboards which remind of Movement-era New Order but on a more fully-formed scale. These boys learned their lessons well.

5. Unfinished Business 4.19

Single number two and quite possibly the darkest song on record. More death. It must suck to have been murdered by your girlfriend like that. Think about that the next time you dance to this song. Beginning with an eerie organ and McVeigh’s crackling croon, the song tells a tale of our protagonist visiting his love except for the fact he’s a ghost. If it’s any solace, it should go great in a goth club. One caveat though: It features the weakest chorus of the four single released to date.

6.  E.S.T.  5.04

One of the harder tracks on the record along with Death and one that saddens me the most. Somber doesn’t begin to describe this one. Our protagonist is on death’s door (what else?) and is telling his loved one he is leaving behind to carry on but keep him in their memory. Sung to a plodding beat if the line, “I’m only going where you’ll be someday so don’t say rest in peace in your prayers” doesn’t get to you then you simply have no pulse and that’s the end of it.

7.  From The Stars 4.53

Understand that I’m operating under the assumption that most of you have heard the singles to this point and vocally, Harry McVeigh reminds me of a young Julian Cope. If you don’t know who he is then go look up the Teardrop Explodes and come back to me. For the rest of you lot, the comparison I feel is more than justified and it really shows here on From The Stars. The song itself is a solid midtempo track that keeps wiht the overall theme of the record but shifts to a third person point-of-view telling of a rich man wrestling with his personal demons after appearing indifferent during a funeral earlier in the day. 

8. Farewell To The Fairground 4.18

The fourth single taken from the record and this one does not speak about death! This one is another for the shadow dancers in the club swaying and pumping their fists in the air to another great chrous. The song decries the deterioration of a town and all the suburban dreams that went with it. I take it back. I guess this song does have to do with death, after all. My bad. 

9. Nothing To Give 4.12

After all that, we finally come to a slower piece. The comedown from FTTF, if you will. Nearing the end of the record it almost appears that we’ve reached the point of no return. Hope is gone. Energy is better off being saved then spent in trying. Regrets are many and time is short….and not she’s leaving. 

10.  The Price Of Love 4.39

or…another song about death or… the record’s last gasp, whichever you prefer.  Love the strings in this one and the highlight is Harry’s plaintive vocal especially in the final chorus. Great way to end the record.

So once again. Is this record any good? Let me say this. This is one of the best debut record I’ve heard in quite a while. The best thing I can say about it is that it doesn’t sound like a debut record. White Lies have written a record that most bands wouldn’t get to until album number three when their development matures to the point where they have found their message and are able to display the confidence in the music and themselves. White Lies have already done it. The record has the songs, the hooks, the lyrical maturity and that intangible quality to make the listener fall in love all over again. The last trait is one that has been missing for quite a while and one that even an optimist like myself was fearing was gone forever in this day and age of blog favourites and the disdain for the slow burn. 

I could go on and on about this record but let me just say that I don’t expect this record to sell millions in America. It’s too dark, too multi-faceted, too English and too intelligent for a brand of listener who is more interested in Miley Cyrus and American Idol than a band unafraid of examining the more morbid and macabre side of life. 

One more thing. Are they original? Heavens, no. That small issue is rendered meaningless when a band manages to write songs as good as these here. The production by Ed Buller and Max Dinghel capture the essence of what made the dark post-punk bands sound so good. If you were a kid who grew up idolising bands like the Comsat Angels, Joy Division, New Order, the Wake, the Chameleons, the Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes, meet your new favourite band. They simply have the goods. 

Thank heavens! The Doves , or simply Doves, are back! It’s been a long time since the epic Some Cities record and if the first single Jetstream is any indicator whatsoever, this may be the most eclectic and perhaps best Doves record yet. Channeling some serious New Order vibes, Jetstream is the most danceable Doves song to date for sure. I’d be very interested in hearing the remixes to come from this! 

The single is taken from the band’s fourth record entitled Kingdom Of Rust, out 6 April in the UK. The USA release date is the familiar TBA. If you hurry, the band has Jetstram available as a free download on their website for two weeks only. A word of caution though: I’ve tried to get on the site and it’s been crazy busy so if you get yours, let me know!

Kingdom Of Rust tracklisting:

‘Jetstream’
‘Kingdom Of Rust’
‘The Outsiders’
‘Winter Hill’
‘10.03′
‘The Greatest Denier’
‘Birds Flew Backwards’
‘Spellbound’
‘Compulsion’
‘House Of Mirrors’
‘Lifelines’