A God-awful Small Affair

Hailing from Hong Kong and located now in London, Emma-Lee Moss has now released her sophomore album despite not really being a name I've heard of. Whether I've been living under a very large music-based rock or not is irrelevant: the songstress is of the perennially difficult-to-pinpoint "anti-folk" genre (where recent carriers of the same banner have varied from Kate Nash to Laura Marling) that basically means "she gets political over some strings". But then from time to time the politics takes a backseat whilst we sing about 'Dinosaur Sex', to borrow the European Union's motto. The track thrives off a quiet, echoing twang that builds a bizarre and ethereal atmosphere - whilst Moss sings "dinosaur sex led to nothing, and we will lead to nothing". An ominous tone about the insignificance of humanity in the greater scheme of things there, but it conjures mental images of pterodactyls in fun positions, so it's forgiven. The recent ye

This is another of my "dive in head-first" posts that'll probably fail to register with the enduring fans of this band, so apologies in advance to those who'd question my knowledge of The Antlers' discography. The band, now on their fourth album, are located in Brooklyn and have spent the past couple of years opening for The National and gathering some of that all-important critical buzz. This, their second record to get over 8/10 on Pitchfork, should go some way in being rather decent indeed. From first impressions that would be the correct judgment. Opener 'I Don't Want Love' is a quiet, moody indie-folk piece that puts out slightly ominous lyrics like "Keep your prison locked up/ And I will leave my gun at home" over a deceivingly content instrumentation that draws inspiration from contemporaries such as Deerhunter or Bon Iver. 'French Exit' continues this kind-of anti-ballad approach with the closing line "I'm not a pupp

Although the commercial story might put across Wiley as something of a recent hitmaker (bursting into pop knowledge with 2008's "Wearing My Rolex"), the grime artist has been around for over a decade. Forming the collective Roll Deep in 2002 with a few notable members such as Skepta, Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder, the group have enjoyed success with great singles such as "The Avenue" and not-so-great recent #1s "Green Light" and "Good Times". Of course, such recent pop sensibilities have drawn a great deal of criticism from hishttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif contemporaries, suggesting he'd sold out: indeed he regards his 2008 record 'See Clear Now', which spawned Rolex , 'Cash in my Pocket' and 'Summertime', as one he's "disowned". In 2009 he clawed back some fans with 'Race Against Time' - but this year sees an ambitious two albums released from the man. 100% Publishing is the first

The side-project of David and Meredith Metcalf, Music go Music , was a total accidental find for me. I think one of their tracks might have been in a Q radar thing or something - but it sparked an intense love affair with their album Expressions being a triumphant mixture of folk-rock and ABBA-inspired pop tunes that I've played endless times - I'd really recommend that album, or in the very least this track. Bodies of Water however are their main venture. Their third album now, they've picked up a little buzz thanks to some courteous reviews from Pitchfork and the Independent - and whilst there's the departure of founding members Kyle Gladden and Jessie Conklin to mourn, there's a real sense that the band are a community spirit (in the same vein as Arcade Fire or the Leisure Society (a band I coincidentally found at the exact same time as Music go Music).) The duo at the core of the group are also expecting, which proffers all sorts of "new chapter" anal

It's difficult to put myself into a frame of mind where I write about the Kaiser Chiefs with poise and grace, because the vast majority of their back catalogue has irritated the fuck out of me. Their brand of pub-rock spawned a number of hit singles with the same indisputable formula: midtempo rock + choruses where the line is repeated. "I predict a riot! Oh my God I can't believe it! Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby!" In addition to this the band have now gone down the fanciful "go on, pick your own" route which suggests a slightly haphazard approach - almost careless, really. And then there were the rumours that they'd rejected David Bowie lyrics, only to emerge as a totally false story. So yeah. Not my favourite band. Their fourth studio album, The Future is Medieval is supposedly influenced by Oasis' Be Here Now : "We all know that record has loads of problems, but at least it's got an attitude, unlike the twee and boring folk music that's so po

After a much-publicised feud lasting the entirety of the 2000s, Royce da 5'9" and Eminem's reconciliation, following the death of D12 member Proof, has led to a touch of maturity and putting grudges aside. The cynic in me would suggest that with this ageing has come a decline in the energy but there's something quite lovely about the ridiculous pantomime of the hip hop universe putting differences aside; sadly, none of that loveliness has made it onto this EP. Because whilst they have matured in age, Eminem's turn to poppier tracks in recent years (Love the Way You Lie, We Made You and I Need A Doctor) has come with a notable decline in quality. Perhaps there could be a case made for the fact that, now in a third decade of production, there's nothing left that's interesting to say. This much is evident with the cheap shots at peers and other musicians throughout the record, and various empty misogynist and homophobic slurs are spat with no real intention ot

I was a massive fan of the Leisure Society's debut album, 'The Sleeper'. There was a layered pop element to their folk music that, in tracks as beautifully-crafted as A Matter of Time or A Short Weekend Begins With Longing , left me spellbound. The band, who hail from Brighton and London, earned two consecutive Ivor Novello nominations for "best song lyrically and musically" on The Last of the Melting Snow in 2009 and Save It For Someone Who Cares in 2010 - so it'll be interesting to see whether the follow-up has anything to rival their debut mettle. Opening track 'Into the Murky Water' kicks off with an unusual african beat and tune that's a little bit similar to that on PJ Harvey's 'Let England Shake' earlier this year. The choruses lap into each other with brief instrumental solos inbetween, being a somewhat predictable attempt at harmony and beauty that has earned them the label of a British Fleet Foxes. On 'Dust on the Dance

For most, the leak of an album a month early to its speculated release date, the mixed reception of a lead single and the relatively poor charting position of it would spell disaster. Beyoncé makes it look like a bump in the road. Because with performances like this at the Billboard Awards , a Glastonbury headlining set to come just years after her husband's and a worldwide presence like hers the world is always left to watch in wonder. 3 years after the phenomenal I Am... Sasha Fierce , which spawned a number of singles I can't even count (including the iconic Single Ladies, the beautiful Halo and the questionable Diva), 4 is...her fourth album as a solo artist. The album commences with guitar solos, romance and basic arithmetic on "1+1", the promotional (free) single with a preorder of the album. It's a simple, quiet and restrained musing about partnership and pure compatable bliss that'll piss off the single ladies, but oh well. The instrumentation is minim

Another day, another new indie-pop band. Only, this one is actually enjoying some commercial success - the release of this record, from the Los Angeles quintet, earned them a #8 position on the Billboard albums chart. They've done the usual route to success - performances at South by Southwest and a lot of online buzz has now resulted in the bizarre phenomenon of "bloke in Torquay, capital of cultural abandonment, has heard of them". The opening track 'Helena Beat' is very promising indeed, a loud synth glare that's bolder and grittier than most club efforts, quickly descending into Empire of the Sun -style falsettos and indie rhythms that's very infectious indeed. Their hit single 'Pumped Up Kicks' follows and it's a very nostalgic affair, sounding a little bit like the Yeasayer fondness for simple riffs, background swishes and megaphone vocals. I'm not really as sold with this track as others on the album, it's not particularly the ca

Last year the free download of Simon Curtis' debut record, 8-Bit Heart , came as a surprise. Being free, and from a former Nickelodeon movie star, the omens were all there for a piss-poor album: but the wordplay, the slick production and daft references ("This is not a Kelly Clarkson song and not how it ends") made it...rather good. That said, there were a number of pretty average tracks that made sure it would never take off big time. Just a year later, Curtis has already completed his sophomore album. Stylised 'R∆', RA has already spawned two singles - and it probably won't come as a shock that there's no drastic change of direction for Curtis. From the first track 'Laser Guns Up' there's robotic, repetitive vocals with a cool chorus with no real signs of emotion, diversity or a journey - and whilst catchy, it could really do with something in the way of a better hook. Sadly this grows to be a recurring theme throughout R∆. 'Don't Dan

Past-it? Sadly, yes. There's something dreadfully treasonable about slagging off the new material from some of your musical heroes. But that said, it would be something in the way of blind faith to expect the release of Panic of Girls , Blondie's first album in 8 years, to be anything special - especially when the last one ( The Curse of Blondie ) was so overwhelmingly average. Even the shortest glimpse of the band's music video for their new single, 'Mother', should have ruffled a few of even the most diehard fans' feathers - just what Harry is thinking with the kind of Dolly Parton-after-a-meth-binge hair is beyond me - but enough childish digs. The album, released via an interesting supermarket package at the end of May, begins with 'D-Day', a cold rapid synth track that could probably slot into a FIFA football soundtrack quite easily but you'd be pushed to remember it once it's over. 'What I Heard' is a touch more memorable, with a ni

Okay, so he cites Joan Baez, Sufjan Stevens and Otis Redding as influences. He's been invited to perform with the likes of Bon Iver and Tracy Chapman. But last March the release of Dublin man James Vincent McMorrow's Early in the Morning debut album went largely unnoticed - and I guess in a world where the strongest Irish folk export over the past decade was that Glen Hansard song, this was to be somewhat expected. Another of my "ooh he's quite good" observations whilst watching Later... With Jools Holland a couple of weeks back (his TV debut), he's also been picking up attention in the form of Bon Iver and Ray LaMontagne comparisons: pretty high praise indeed. The album begins with the kind of falsetto-breathiness of Justin Vernon so I can sort-of see the comparisons: 'If I Had A Boat' is a slice of 60s Motown brought down to earth with picturesque guitar twangs and slow, circling percussions. However all such theatricality is used sparingly through

I always remember when I was wee pre-teen that people would go giddy at the mention of Death Cab For Cutie, who were, to me at the time, nothing more than a name (in the same spirit that Bring Me the Horizon, Forever the Sickest Kids and Of Montreal are just names to me). The band have over 121 million listens on music-networking site Last.FM - a total matched by very few (they're 30 million above David Bowie [whose 'Low' album they coincidentally cite as an influence to this], for Christ's sake). Yet amongst friends and school, I never heard of them. I've also only ever listened to Transatlanticism from them, which, whilst good, I haven't bothered to purchase or download since. So enduring fans of the band might be a little aggrieved by this review. Codes and Keys , their first album in 3 years, has already drawn a mixture of surprise and criticism for taking the band in a slightly more mainstream, poppy direction. The opening tracks, 'Home is a Fire'

I got an email about a fortnight ago asking me to review this record and thus here I am. The Riverbreaks describe themselves as "an americana-pop rock band" that are situated in Washington D.C. and formed up of five members each from different states (though only as varied as Michigan to Alabama; there're no Hawaiians or Alaskans sadly). They released this, their debut album, in early April, and promise that "the music, the songs and lyrics from Get You Right reflect various cultures, journeys, and geographies". I might be a little swayed by the pointillism on their website but I detect a slight similarity to the music of The Killers' most recent album Day and Age - the first track and lead single 'Strangers in the Hot Night' pits a classically American rock band against a very intrusive synthesizer to catchy effect. The band just about wins though, with some nice guitar solos towards the end, but the synth sections make for a nice chorus indeed. On

"Oh hi Shaun, have you run out of new stuff to review?" screams a jaunty chaffinch inbetween morsels of muesli. Yes, chaffinch, yes I reply, although I guess I could look into that new Death Cab for Cutie record. "Ah, but you don't care about them!" the chaffinch laughs, reminding me its name is Gulliver. Indeed, indeed I don't. SO I rush to my emergency tactic and download something I saw on Jools Holland, albeit a version oddly without track 7, 'Shroud', which I'm sure is a pivotal moment. Edit: ah, that was a lie on Amazon's part. Never mind. Nathaniel Rateliff is a band (deceptively named after just one member) currently situated in Denver, Colorado. Led by the man of the same name, they have so far gathered little buzz this side of the pond[1], but that's never a foolproof way of gauging goodness. As mentioned, he performed solo on the Jools Holland show at the end of May 2011, with a rather moving rendition of 'Early Spring Till