Firstly this week's acquisitions.
Kings Of Leon - 'Because Of The Times', Download, 13 tracks, Columbia
The first two KoL albums are pretty much the same, a couple of great singles, a nice vibe and some cool sounds. All in all though there was little substance. Third album 'Because of the Times' is a different beast. The Southern drawl is still there, accompanied in places by the occasional whoop and holler. It is the backing that really stands this apart from it's predecessors. From the subtle opening rolling riff of stand-out 'Knocked Up' to the raucous Zeppelin-esque blues stomp of 'Black Thumbnail' the quality of the band's musicianship really shines. In fact, it is that rock leviathan Led Zeppelin that this album reminds me of most. There is an air of dusty trails and mysticism about the songs here much the same as Led Zep, and Caleb's electrified yelp is a spit of Robert Palmer's own. I thought when LCD Soundsystem's 'Sound of Silver' hit my stereo that there could be no contender for album of the year. King's of Leon present the first challenge. Best track: 'Black Thumbnail'. 9/10.
El-P - 'I'll Sleep When You're Dead', CD, 13 tracks, Definitive Jux, £9.99, HMV Richmond
As previously written on the main blog this is a product of brilliant customer service in above shop, I think it was the manager. Superb description too, 'bleak, leftfield, underground mashed-up hip-hop' were the words that came from his mouth. Upon first listen on a quiet afternoon in leafy Kew this transported me to dark, grimy streets of downtown, anywhere-USA. This album is bleak. The only other word I could possibly use to describe it is dark. The beats in the background at times are a little too skittish, just when you want the tracks to explode they scuttle back into the gloom. The rhymes themselves are literate, and at times thought provoking. There is also good use of guest appearances, Omar and Cedric from the Mars Volta add a distinctive 'Son et Lumiere' sheen to opener, and standout, 'Tasmanian Pain Coaster'. Another highlight is the sharp 'Up All Night' with the brilliant line used for the title below. Even Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) shows up, bringing the album to a prominent close. When your opening lines include 'Bring me the dramatic introduction machine...' it is clear that El-P hasn't allowed the enveloping darkness cloud his wry sense of humour. This is a rare foray into the world of leftfield hip-hop for me, and based on this evidence it's a journey that I should really take more often. Best track: 'Tasmanian Pain Coaster'. 7/10.
Live Review - CSS @ London Astoria 23rd April 2007.
CSS had a storming 2006, and now are coming to the end of what must have been a long promotional tour of duty. The Astoria is heaving as me, Justin and Steve lever our way into the melee just in time to see Lovefoxxx bound on to the stage with all the energy of a troop of Duracell bunnies. I'm not really sure if it's actually CSS during the first song, confusing them with the unfortunately-missed Tilly and the Wall. It isn't until the first few bars of 'Alala' and the ensuing mayhem that it brought that I realise that these are the headliners. They rocket through the songs with sheer abandon, tossing paper plates (?!) out into the crowd for good measure. 'It's Monday. I can't believe there's anyone here!! Do you not have work tomorrow?!' screams the diminuitive singer and I look around to see a plethora of faces and glowsticks thinking to myself, school maybe but not work. Justin disappears into the moshpit and I don't see him again until he emerges sweaty and smiling after the finale. Strangely, just before he disappears I have a tap on my shoulder and Ruth from work is there with her man, Jason. Most surreal as neither of us knew the other would be there! 'Fuck Off Is Not The Only Word' inspires more jumping and singing, as do the throwaway 'Off The Hook' and the downright filthy 'Art Bitch' and 'Meeting Paris Hilton' Merely forty minutes have passed when they proclaim that it was their last song, and off they bounded. A brief interlude of the usual clapping ensued then on they ran again, kicking off the encore with a promising new track. The second tune of the encore was a real belter, some kind of bastardised mashup between J-Lo's 'Jenny From The Block' and The Stooges' 'I Just Wanna Be Your Dog' leading straight into a stage-diving finale of 2006's single of the year 'Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above'...a good encore. Barely an hour has passed since we set foot into the Astoria but there's no feeling of being short changed. The sheer energy, feel good Brasilian vibes and enthusiastic (for London) crowd made for a highly enjoyable evening. After all, what more can the band do off only one album? One slight downside was a the lack of a romp through 'CSS Suxxx' which would have opened the set nicely. So, it's a 7/10 for the gig, and the best track was definitely 'I Just Wanna Be Jenny From The Block'...here's hoping it graces a b-side sometime soon.
Kings Of Leon - 'Because Of The Times', Download, 13 tracks, ColumbiaThe first two KoL albums are pretty much the same, a couple of great singles, a nice vibe and some cool sounds. All in all though there was little substance. Third album 'Because of the Times' is a different beast. The Southern drawl is still there, accompanied in places by the occasional whoop and holler. It is the backing that really stands this apart from it's predecessors. From the subtle opening rolling riff of stand-out 'Knocked Up' to the raucous Zeppelin-esque blues stomp of 'Black Thumbnail' the quality of the band's musicianship really shines. In fact, it is that rock leviathan Led Zeppelin that this album reminds me of most. There is an air of dusty trails and mysticism about the songs here much the same as Led Zep, and Caleb's electrified yelp is a spit of Robert Palmer's own. I thought when LCD Soundsystem's 'Sound of Silver' hit my stereo that there could be no contender for album of the year. King's of Leon present the first challenge. Best track: 'Black Thumbnail'. 9/10.
El-P - 'I'll Sleep When You're Dead', CD, 13 tracks, Definitive Jux, £9.99, HMV RichmondAs previously written on the main blog this is a product of brilliant customer service in above shop, I think it was the manager. Superb description too, 'bleak, leftfield, underground mashed-up hip-hop' were the words that came from his mouth. Upon first listen on a quiet afternoon in leafy Kew this transported me to dark, grimy streets of downtown, anywhere-USA. This album is bleak. The only other word I could possibly use to describe it is dark. The beats in the background at times are a little too skittish, just when you want the tracks to explode they scuttle back into the gloom. The rhymes themselves are literate, and at times thought provoking. There is also good use of guest appearances, Omar and Cedric from the Mars Volta add a distinctive 'Son et Lumiere' sheen to opener, and standout, 'Tasmanian Pain Coaster'. Another highlight is the sharp 'Up All Night' with the brilliant line used for the title below. Even Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) shows up, bringing the album to a prominent close. When your opening lines include 'Bring me the dramatic introduction machine...' it is clear that El-P hasn't allowed the enveloping darkness cloud his wry sense of humour. This is a rare foray into the world of leftfield hip-hop for me, and based on this evidence it's a journey that I should really take more often. Best track: 'Tasmanian Pain Coaster'. 7/10.
Live Review - CSS @ London Astoria 23rd April 2007.
CSS had a storming 2006, and now are coming to the end of what must have been a long promotional tour of duty. The Astoria is heaving as me, Justin and Steve lever our way into the melee just in time to see Lovefoxxx bound on to the stage with all the energy of a troop of Duracell bunnies. I'm not really sure if it's actually CSS during the first song, confusing them with the unfortunately-missed Tilly and the Wall. It isn't until the first few bars of 'Alala' and the ensuing mayhem that it brought that I realise that these are the headliners. They rocket through the songs with sheer abandon, tossing paper plates (?!) out into the crowd for good measure. 'It's Monday. I can't believe there's anyone here!! Do you not have work tomorrow?!' screams the diminuitive singer and I look around to see a plethora of faces and glowsticks thinking to myself, school maybe but not work. Justin disappears into the moshpit and I don't see him again until he emerges sweaty and smiling after the finale. Strangely, just before he disappears I have a tap on my shoulder and Ruth from work is there with her man, Jason. Most surreal as neither of us knew the other would be there! 'Fuck Off Is Not The Only Word' inspires more jumping and singing, as do the throwaway 'Off The Hook' and the downright filthy 'Art Bitch' and 'Meeting Paris Hilton' Merely forty minutes have passed when they proclaim that it was their last song, and off they bounded. A brief interlude of the usual clapping ensued then on they ran again, kicking off the encore with a promising new track. The second tune of the encore was a real belter, some kind of bastardised mashup between J-Lo's 'Jenny From The Block' and The Stooges' 'I Just Wanna Be Your Dog' leading straight into a stage-diving finale of 2006's single of the year 'Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above'...a good encore. Barely an hour has passed since we set foot into the Astoria but there's no feeling of being short changed. The sheer energy, feel good Brasilian vibes and enthusiastic (for London) crowd made for a highly enjoyable evening. After all, what more can the band do off only one album? One slight downside was a the lack of a romp through 'CSS Suxxx' which would have opened the set nicely. So, it's a 7/10 for the gig, and the best track was definitely 'I Just Wanna Be Jenny From The Block'...here's hoping it graces a b-side sometime soon.
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