Childhood - Lacuna

This decade has witnessed two (amongst others) trends in rock music; one is the otherworldly rock-psyche and the other is beach-rock, often associated with Sub Pop Records. Both strands have produced some good albums but have rarely united the people, which is hardly surprising considering the politics of divide and conquer are in full swing. Nothing lasts forever however and Childhood, a Nottingham via South London four piece, are the first step towards uniting fans, their feelings and guitar music. Here’s why: 

Their debut album ‘Lacuna’ is littered with many influences. For many, this is detrimental to what they are trying to achieve or the sign of a bad producer. For Childhood though, it’s part of the appeal and they should be lauded for incorporating the varying strands of indie into their vision. There are several occasions where Real Estate and Primal Scream circa ‘Sonic Flower Groove’ jingle jangle guitars comes to the fore, as does the beach-rock sounds of Two Wounded Birds and Wavves. Furthermore, there is a lot of dreamy psyche music filtering its way through a-la Tame Impala and Pond with a smidge of the stoner guitar playing of Nick McCabe circa ‘Storm In Heaven’. You must be frothing at the gums knowing this now, right?

The guitars on this record reveal an awful lot about Childhood. Ben and Leo have the talent to turn to any strand of indie music it would appear. ‘Pay For Cool’ is an anomaly on the album because of its immediacy. It has an early Stokes-esque riff and changes pace often, which really draws you in.

‘You Could Be Different’ moves away from the more radio friendly sound and delivers a Tame Impala psyche affair but to the classic ‘verse, chorus’ formula and the solo is deranged and yet inherently catchy, like Doves at their best.  ‘When You Rise’ is another signifier of their ability. ‘When You Rise’ has an explosion of guitars two thirds in which have the band on the cusp of something magical but begs the question ‘will they produce it?’

Two songs answer this question, ‘Solemn Skies’ and ‘As I Am’. ‘Solemn Skies’ is a stomping 60s psyche number which is taken to the next level by Hopcraft’s angelic vocals. He has the fragility of Bobby Gillespie which will endear you to him but, before you know it, he is driving the melody forward with his great ability to be powerful yet understated at the same time. This is replicated beautifully by the guitars. At several points they conjure a desperate need of release and when it arrives is ecstasy. For the first time in a long time, a band appear to be connecting the dots between the mire going on around ordinary people and giving them an escape route in guitar music.

‘As I Am’ for TT, is the standout track on this fine debut. Musically it is so blissful we are not sure Bipolar Sunshine didn’t write it for them. It is quite a gear change for the band musically where the guitars are supplementing the beat and dreamy synths rather than the other way round. Hopcraft again excels vocally. He sounds like Arthur Lee on MDMA, floating around a festival without a care in the world. The real beauty of this song is that lyrically, it’s really dark. It’s a tale of a lover who is begging their partner to understand them and join them in love, and the pain of this is like no other as I’m sure all readers are aware.

TT thinks that ‘Definitely Maybe’ is the greatest album of all time and probably always will do. However, part of its legacy has been for people to expect the world from a debut album. In this review we have pondered whether Childhood wants to make it to the top. Is this unfair pressure to put on a band? We have to lean towards yes, as so many bands are cut loose after their first album. This album is a terrific debut album. It’s never going to feature in people’s top 10s, but if Childhood is given space and time to develop, we can envisage them making albums which can threaten people’s top 10s. They have already displayed a great array of style and have been on the cusp of some magical guitar moments on ‘Lacuna’. Importantly, they, along with Peace, appear to be taking guitar music back to a popular consciousness which can only be a good thing.

Mazes - Wooden Aquarium

The Manchester three piece returned last month with their third helping ‘Wooden Aquarium’ and TT is on hand to check it out. The latest outing witnesses Mazes’ love of 1990s lo-fi US indie once more but a turn towards a more polished pop sound is helping them tread yet more exciting new ground.

The manoeuvre towards a mod-cum-psyche direction is reminiscent of their peers Toy and Foxygen. What gives them the edge is the ability to combine their previous Teenage Fanclub dirge-pop sound with the new direction. ‘Letters Between U&V’, ‘Mineral Springs’ and ‘Salford’ are prime exponents of this.

‘Letters Between U&V’ delivers a riff worthy of Teenage Fanclub or the Lemonheads but with a crispness that the aforementioned Toy have trail blazed with in the previous years. The motorik beat allows them to meander between the two styles. The grouping of sullied US indie and English Mod-psyche together is unusual on paper but in practice it works. So button up your Fred Perry and grow your hair long, anything goes!

‘Mineral Springs’ witnesses Jack Cooper’s vocals at their best. They are angelic and wrap around the driving guitar loops with a quality that Bobby Gillespie was searching for on Primal Scream’s ‘Gentle Tuesday’. Meanwhile, ‘Salford’ has a style similar to the Pixies’ ‘Gigantic’ with male and female vocals working in tandem, whilst the guitars are a comparable to David Tattersall’s Wave Pictures. All that said, Mazes are their own band with their own sound and the influences act like the great flms of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright; great if you get them but if you don’t it’s still a great film.

To just talk about the merging of these styles would be a disservice to the creativity elsewhere on the album. ‘Explode Into Colo(u)rs’ sounds like a mellowed out Graham Coxon, whereas, ‘RIPP’ has a Pixies via James Yorkston feel, combining spoken word vocals with a dreamy semi-consciousness. 

Fans of the first two albums will revel in the more uninhibited ‘Universal Me’ and ‘Stamford Hill’. These two have the aggression of their earlier work but, now they come with an additional surging For TT though, the standout track is ‘Stamford Hill’. It encapsulates everything the band is now about. It blends the lo-fi angst of their previous work with the new nods towards motorik much like rest of the album. However, on this song they get the energy and free flowing sound they create conjure a sense of lawlessness one can completely lose them in.

In recent times we have witnessed bands such as Wild Beasts, The Maccabees and Jamie T all produce their best work on their 3rd album and ‘Wooden Aquarium’ is no different. For any record label considering signing bands, we implore you to believe in them and let them grow. ‘Wooden Aquarium’ is another fine example of the quality which can be achieved if bands are allowed to go about their business as they please. Go. Buy. It. Now.
 

Bo Ningen – III

In 2012 Bo Ningen announced themselves to the UK as the most badass thing around with their second album ‘Line The Wall’. It was a spectacular display of uninhibited rock ‘n’ roll that was going to be a tough act to follow.

‘III’ opens with ‘Da Da Da’, which has has explosive drums, spiky vocals and catchy riffs reminiscent of ‘Soko’ and ‘Daikaisei’ from their previous helping ‘Line The Wall’. ‘Da Da Da’ though, treads new paths with the interludes of escapism driven by the guitars. They are dreamier than their predecessors, Mercury Rev, on speed.

The subtle new direction they have taken is again evident on ‘Psychedelic Misemono Goya (reprise)’. The initial moments of the song plod along with Japanese vocals, building up the suspense before you’re hit with the release. On ‘Line The Wall’, this would have been followed by an explosion of noise and euphoria. Here though, rather than a big gear change was cruise control, it allows the garage rock element of the track to remain throughout like a dance beat whilst the more idyllic noises are allowed the freedom to float in, out and over the top at will.

The new direction of this album might not be encased in the fall to the floor excitement of yesteryear, but this is still an album of intensity and vision. ‘III’ has a feel of The Clash’s ‘Give Em Enough Rope’, it won’t be your favourite album by the band but it will be one to revisit.

Thou Shalt Always Get Better

In 2007, the Skins generation was given a much needed voice and a sound to follow into battle. Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip combined social commentary and hip hop with elements of nu-rave and dance culture to create something truly unique and at Bestival this year, they called time on their partnership. So, TT wants to take a look at their journey and the impact they have made.

Hearing ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ for the first time was a life changing event for many, this writer included. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in 2007, who after university was stuck in a rut feeling like the world was full up for anyone with ideas of change.

Dan Le Sac’s aggressive sound combined with Pip’s lyrics provided the perfect tonic for anyone needing proof that the future is unwritten. Reputable journalists still talk about the time Joe Strummer sang ‘finally Beatle mania has bitten the dust’ on The Clash’s ‘London Calling’. ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ has this power. To hear Pip list the greatest bands of all time and proclaim they are ‘just a band’ is the modern day equivalent of being told ‘here are 3 chords, now go write a song’. 

However, we don’t want this retrospective to be about just one song though, so, we are going to make it about two songs (for the record, they have 3 killer albums together!!!!!) When Pulp headlined Reading festival in 2011, Jarvis said before playing ‘Common People’, “if Pulp are only ever remembered for this song, I don’t care it’s a good song.” ‘Get Better’ should have been that song for Dan and Scroob. Everything about this song is beautiful. Vocals, synths, lyrics, delivery, everything! Perhaps the most poignant moment of the song comes from the Billy Bragg reference:

‘Like Billy says / Whether you have or have not wealth / The system might fail you / But don’t fail yourself’.

This line becomes prominent in hindsight because the system seemingly failed them. XFM has given Pip a show recently but where was the airplay? How can the Mercury Music Prize be taken seriously when all 3 of their albums were overlooked?

We don’t want to end on a sour note though. Standing in the big top tent at Bestival with 12,000 fellow fans was a moment to cherish forever. Watching Pip perform amidst a frenzied crowd and Dan deliver his trademark banter and technical wizardry will live long in the memory. This might have been the end of their double act but there is too much creativity in their fingertips for their future projects to be silenced as well.

The Crookes – Soapbox

The Sheffield four piece returned in April with their 3rd installment ‘Soapbox’. As they are about to end their current UK tour we revisit what is surely to be a mainstay in the end of year top 10 polls.

Last year’s ‘Hold Fast’ album saw the band adopt a more aggressive attitude to their exploration of US rock n roll music. The opener ‘Play Dumb’ begins with said combative guitars but also adopts synths which evoke memories of The Cure circa ‘Pornography’. These subtle touches pop up throughout the album demonstrating yet another step up in class from the band.

As ever with the Crookes, the lyrics are fantastic. Daniel Hopewell has consistently churned out the goods but on ‘Soapbox’ he has hit top form. ‘Echolalia’ is a melancholic look at repeating the same mistakes whilst attempting to move on from a former love:

‘I should brush aside what The Strangers tell me,

That those on the outside are born to be lonely,

Still I keep chasing the cheap fix ‘til I wake from this crisis on my own,

My mind unfolds and I resolve to forget her but still I hear the echoes come the low.’

Songwriter Hopewell’s sorrow laden take on the human condition to belong and simultaneously be individualistic is a triumph and should be heard by everyone!

For anyone who, in the naivety of youth fell so hopelessly in love they had no idea what the rest of the world was up to then ‘Holy Innocents’ is a must listen. Not since Kevin Sampson’s ‘Stars Are Stars’ novel has a young burning love been so intelligibly illustrated:

 ‘I just wanna hide like holy innocents,

I met you at the fountain outside the station,

Nothing else mattered ‘cept dumb conversation

Our world in holy innocence’

The piece de resistance of the album and the track that sums up The Crookes more than any other is ‘Outsiders’. This is an anthem for anyone who treads the snakebite sodden floors of their indie disco and sinks too many red stripes at the local 200 capacity gig venue. If anyone ever wanted to make a mix-tape to depict the character of Jimmy from Quadrophenia this track has to be on it.

The current cultural climate is far less tribal than the era or mods, rockers, punks and skins but this only serves to make this song better. It is easy for a wolf to don some sheep’s clothing these days but make no mistakes, The Crookes are the real deal. Also, in Hopewell they have lyricist who should be given as much airtime as possible so his words can make you laugh, cry and inspired.

Fat White Family – Champagne Holocaust

Fat White Family hail from Brixton and have gathered a lot of attention because of their offensive lyrics and their so called deadbeat look. Frankly, they are what bands always used to look like when starting out. Skint. All the best bands have been on the breadline at some stage so here’s hoping are another one.

The album opens with Auto Neutron, which, for our money is the standout track. The genius of this song lies within Saul Adamczewski’s guitar playing. Adamczewski has all the rock psyche skills of Hookworms’ MB but also has a rhythm similar to Wave Pictures David Tattersall, both of which never lose sight of a good melody when letting loose. 



It’s not all about Adamczewski’s axe skills though. The vocals, especially on ‘It’s Raining In Your Mouth’ are the definition of cool. They combine the ‘I’m not bothered’ attitude of Johnathon Richman with a throatier version of Lou Reed. Bliss!

Another part of their charm is the outrageous lyrical content. Many articles have pinned them down as anarchists or intentionally antagonistic. For our money, they are just a bunch of mates with dark humour pissing around. Why else would you accuse Bobby Davro of shooting Lee Harvey Oswald? 

Throughout the album there are nods to Iggy (Wild American Prairie) and The Velvet Underground. Many attempt to use these icons as influences but few succeed. With Fat White Family though, you get the impression their influences are going to change like the wind as the years roll on by. Their ramshackle approach gives you a sense they are willing to try and do anything that they are into, it just so happens they have framed the majority of this album in this context. ‘Borderline’ and ‘Garden Of Numb’ are prime examples of this. Rather than continue down the road of Iggy and the Velvets, they sound like recordings made at 3am in a squat. The confidence to commit this kind of track to record is to be lauded in an epoch of short lived careers. If more bands could exhume this breed of self-determination then the British rock scene would undoubtedly become centre of the world again. 

Elbow live at the 02

Tonight is Elbow’s 3^rd sell out appearance at London’s 02 Arena. That, in itself is one hell of a feat when you consider how difficult it is for a down-tempo indie band to get airplay on any radio station these days.

When they first played the 02 in 2011, it was a cause for celebration. Everyone was jubilant the humble mancunians had finally hit the big time. 3 years on, this reporter was wondering what they could do to produce the magic of similar to those gigs.

The answer comes in the form of the word intimacy. This reporter has been enthralled by Suede, Noel Gallagher and The Verve at the 02 but the corporate setting always left a feeling of detachment between band and crowd. Elbow, through the wit of Guy Garvey and the richness of the ballads, transport you to the ballroom of a holiday camp you cherished as a kid with loved ones all around.

The warmth they generate is astonishing, especially when you consider songs like ‘Fly Boy Blue/Lunette’ and ‘The Night Will Always Win’. These are tales of loss of Garvey’s closest friends and are so personal it’s impossible to not relay his emotions to you own experiences of loss, something which never gets any easier no matter how much time passes.

The set is closed with the inspiring ‘Lippy Kids’ and the euphoric ‘One Day Like This’. Both tracks are so awe inspiring you would be hard pressed to find anyone who walked away tonight in anything other than a state of glee. One onlooker was heard saying ‘it was even better than Wet, Wet, Wet’, so, there you have it.