Haim – “Falling”

Fleetwood Mac are reunited in 2013 for an extensive world tour, including a handful of UK shows, in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the release of seminal album “Rumours”. And now it is clear to see why Stevie Nicks is keen to milk the cash cow one last time; Haim. The Haim sisters are undoubtedly Stevie Nicks’ very own illegitimate offspring and each track the band release is one step closer to recouping a hell of a lot of missed child-support payments. “Falling” is just one more exhibit in a case seeking justice for the poor, unloved trio of sisters. As if written as an entry for a “Write Fleetwood Mac’s B-sides” competition, “Falling” is pleasing to the ear but little more besides. Too reminiscent of breakthrough single “Forever”, the track never gets going and leaves you wondering if Haim will ever really get their, if not biological definitely spiritual, mother’s approval.

Biffy Clyro – “Opposites”

Biffy Clyro are headlining Reading & Leeds this year. I wont be going. However, the fields of the August festival may well be the most intimate venues the band will play in 2013 and for the foreseeable future. “Only Revolutions” was my introduction to a band who’s back catalogue is angular, awkward and obtruse to say the least. Melody though is no stranger to the Scottish trio. The growth of the band from one album to the next is obvious. And “Opposites”, the band’s sixth LP, follows that path of growth. An album of extremities, “Opposites” is a whole 1 hour & 20 minutes in length and 20 tracks strong. The tendency with double-albums is to include the tracks usually kept back for B-sides (see Red Hot Chilli Peppers “Stadium Arcadium”). “Opposites” however bucks this trend. The first of the two discs, entitled “The Sand At The Core Of Our Bones”, is indicative of the turmoil the band faced prior to the album’s conception. Simon Neil sings with typical contrariness, “You left my heart like an abandoned car/Old and worn, had no use at all.” Disc two, “The Land At The End Of Our Toes” is a much more joyous affair; triumph in the face of disc one’s adversity. Previous single “Stingin’ Belle”, including bagpipe solo, is uplifting and all inclusive; Neil sings “What’s mine is yours/And yours is mine”. This attitude is palpable and songs such as “Pocket” and “Spanish Radio” were born to be sung en masse. Overall, “Opposites” is an album which could have ruined Biffy Clyro. Personal trauma nearly tore them apart and a double-album is very rarely the way to win fans. Ultimately, the album is one which serves to unify and (re)unite; both as a band and with their adoring (and growing) public. ‘MON THE BIFF!

Miles Kane – “Give Up”

Released on February 24th as part of a new four-track EP, “Give Up” is the first single proper from Miles Kane’s as yet untitled second album. Mr. Kane’s already brotherly relationship with Arctic Monkeys is confirmed on a track which, at its most brutal, is reminiscent of last single “R U Mine”. This however isn’t to its detriment. Whilst the lyrics are weak, the music takes control; this particular track obviously intended to take advantage of Kane’s live prowess. However, co-written with Kid-Harpoon, the track is indicative of the problems with Miles Kane’s own brand of indie-rock; the same lack of depth which ended The Rascals career prematurely and stopped his 2011 solo debut “Colour of the Trap” from being a classic suggests that “Give Up” is seemingly just enough to keep Miles Kane clinging to the coat-tails of Alex Turner et al. Although desperate for solo recognition, joint-writing credits, a Noel Gallagher backing vocal and high-profile gigs with Paul Weller all suggest that Miles Kane is very much dependant on his famous friends for a leg up. I like the tune though so whatever…

Mercury Prize 2012

Every year one band receives recognition, sponsored by Barclaycard nonetheless, from the panel of Mercury experts. Every year an unknown jazz trio get nominated and never win. Every other year they do, sometimes. However, for all of the ceremonial flaws, every year some of the best artists are bought together and given the mainstream recognition they deserve. This year is no different. Richard Hawley is the odds-on-favourite for 1st prize with his 7th solo album “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”. However, the list of nominees is overrun with quality. The Maccabees with “Given to the Wild”, Plan B with “ill Manors” & Alt-J with “An Awesome Wave” have produced albums of such depth and creativity that it is almost unfair to pit them against each other; they all deserve the £20,000 Mercury prize money and more. The other contenders are;

• Django Django – “Django Django”
• Field Music – “Plumb”
• Ben Howard – “Every Kingdom”
• Michael Kiwanuka – “Home Again”
• Lianne La Havas – “Is Your Love Big Enough?”
• Sam Lee – “Ground of Its Own”
• Roller Trio – “Roller Trio”
• Jessie Ware – “Devotion”

The winner will be announced on 1st November at a ceremony which sees each act perform tracks from their nominated album. Hosted by Lauren Laverne and Nick Grimshaw, the Mercury Prize may be slightly jaded nowadays but with its heritage and history of acclaimed winners such as PJ Harvey, Arctic Monkeys and Pulp, there is no doubt those who are nominated and the eventual winners are in the best of company and being mentioned in the same sentence as the previous winners should be prize enough for any young artist.

Christoper Owens – ‘Lysandre’s Theme/ Here We Go’

And so Girls are gone. A band, who’s last UK gig I happened to have attended, who specialised in melodic, melodramatic, uncategorizeable pop beauty (and a song entitled ‘Vomit’) are sadly no more. However, fans of Girls need shed not another single tear. Christopher Owens, chief architect of Girls, has announced his first solo album. To be released at the turn of the new year, ‘Lysandre’ is a concept album, documenting Owens’ life,  from pre Girls San Francisco through to the present day and is named after a girl Owens fell in love with during this period of time. Owens has laid out the record’s manifesto as “A coming of age story, a road trip story, a love story.” The first cuts from the album is ‘Lysandre’s Theme/ Here We Go’, numbers 1 & 2 on the record’s tracklisting. The tracks, which flow seemlessly one into the next, come as one and resemble a medieval folk number before blossoming into a signature Owens composition. Beautifully plucked acoustic guitar provides the tide on which Owens’ vocals float; his voice is soft, almost sleep inducing in its smoothness. There still remains the odd jagged guitar line which some of the more raucous Girls tracks included but the overall feel of this debut solo effort is melancholic reminiscence and it really is a thing of beauty. A song released in the depths of winter reminds of the turn of spring into summer and then summer into autumn. If these seasonal transitions had a soundtrack, ‘Lysandre’s Theme/ Here We Go’ would be my first choice.

Jack White – “I’m Shakin'”

Jack White was not made for the 21st century. His methods, beliefs and aesthetics are far more suited to a time before digitization and decimilisation.The fourth single from Jack White’s acclaimed debut album comes in the form of a cover of the Little Willie John track, “I’m Shakin'”. To be released on 30th October, the cover retains the bluesy feel of the 52-year-old original but White  manages to instill the track with an urgency which the whole of the album “Blunderbuss” undeniably has. The tempo is quicker, the beat more instant and, as is to be expected with any Jack White track, the riffs are centre stage; knife-edge sharp, cutting through a seemless groove created by White’s backing bands The Peacocks and Los Buzzardos. Ultimately, the curator of Third Man Records seems to be sharing his love for music with this track, a little piece of history from a time when Jack White may have been a little more at home.

Spector – “Friday Night, Don’t Ever Let It End”

This isn’t a track review. This is only very loosely a review of any kind. This is in fact a point-by-point breakdown of why I dislike Spector and, especially, Fred Macpherson; frontman extraordinaire. So;

1. Spector’s music sounds like The Vaccines. If The Vaccines were all recovering from severe strokes.
2. Fred Les. Blood Royale. Frederick Macpherson. Pick a f***ing name.
3. Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man. & Les Incompetents were not good bands. Take a hint.
4. Glasses.
5. Fred’s daddy could probably buy the county he lives in. Twice.
6. Aforementioned daddy earned his money as a close and personal aide to Gordon Brown. Say no more.
7. Peaches Geldof.
8. Every single word Fred has every muttered. “If you cut me, I’d bleed White Stripes 7 inches”. Oh wow.
9. White socks.
10. All of the above are enough reason to dislike a band of posh-boy chancers masquerading as artists.

By all means judge for yourselves. I however will never understand.

Who’s Who… Savages

Savages are somewhat of a museum piece. Despite consisting of four fresh-faced young women, all hailing from London, the unhinged noise they make would be familiar to any post-punk fanatic. They are unbelievably fresh (their debut gig was January 2012, a mere 9 months ago) but their style and sound is deployed with such conviction that they become what everybody wants; a band to believe in. And nobody is easier to believe than front-woman Jehnny Beth. She resembles a youthful Ian Curtis, in the best and most complementary of ways. Her passion is increasingly evident with every syllable and her rather alarming stare leaves you both unsettled and transfixed; blink and you might just miss the single most important moment in the future of a band who could influence things for years to come. All of this attitude is underpinned by a very tight band; sparse, jagged riffs ride along on a rhythm section who are seemingly intent on resurrecting the glorious flow created by Mani and Reni of The Stone Roses. Having already made their T.V. debut with a slot on Later… with Jools Holland, Savages could just be the next band that everyone believes in. Guitar bands are often deemed to have died out. But every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Savages are that reaction.

Everything Everything – “Cough Cough”

I don’t like Everything Everything. I can bear “Photoshop Handsome” & “MY KZ, UR BF”, both from debut album, 2010’s “Man Alive”. Apart from that, well, there is nothing apart from that. However, having been in the wilderness for almost 18 months, the band have returned with a track that will no doubt silence any naysayers. Starting rather uncertainly, ‘Yeah… so… um… wait a second…‘, the rest of the 3 minutes & 42 seconds is unashamed indie-pop, R & B infused, alternative, dance tinged weirdness. The ‘COUGH COUGH’ sample at the very beginning is insanity but after you hear it once or twice, damn, people should use coughs in songs more often! With a new album due sometime next year, it seems everything is coming up roses for a band, who only one week ago, I didn’t like.

Peace – “Bloodshake”

‘Peace’ is a beautiful word. Deriving from the Latin word ‘pax’, meaning ‘freedom from civil disorder’, ‘Peace’ is a dream, a fairytale, it embodies hope and all of the joy that comes with it. To compare the literal definition to the Birmingham four-piece who use it as their moniker would be extremely risky and a little absurd. However, I am not bound by any conventions so here goes; “Bloodshake”, cut from Peace’s recent EP “Delicious”, is a the sound of hope in 2012. Originally entitled ‘Bblood’ and released as a demo, the track has hardly changed and the euphoric feeling it leaves you with is undeniable. The band will be labelled “hipsters”. Frankly, they are. But, do not let this get in the way of the beauty of the song, its melody & just how much you will want to hear it again, even if just to determine what on earth they are singing about. It is reminiscent of Foals at their best and The XX, before the second album lull. So do Peace, a rock ‘n’ roll gang from the Midlands, embody the definition of the word itself… No. But it’s a really good song.