ANDREW'S ALBUM OF THE WEEK

AMAZING BABY - Rewild (Shangri-La / V2/ Shock)
I first stumbled upon New York's Amazing Baby when I found the digital-only release of their Infinite Fucking Cross EP last year. While other Brooklyn-ites MGMT got picked up by a major label and the inevitable huge-cross-over success of their pop-tinged singles proved a double-edged sword for them; Amazing Baby - who sound like a glam-era Bowie meets Pulp on acid meets T Rex joining the Animal Collective - signed up to Californian based indie label and have avoided much of the hype; regardless of whether or not they possibly deserve it more.
Rewild is as dark as it is psychedelic sounding - an album that stands up as a whole with no fillers. I'm loving this record and.... yeah, I have to do this, it's like, amazing, baby. AT

THE CAVE SINGERS - Welcome Joy (Matador)
This Matador-signed trio scored fans all over the place with their debut Invitation Songs. This follow-up release ought to serve to solidify anything you ever enjoyed about The Cave Singers. Vocalist Pete Quirk's upbeat but gravelly delivery (reminiscent of Crooked Fingers or Handsome Furs) is in fine form, while the roots have clearly grown deeper so far as roots in indie country and folk music grow. Taking it slow, it's a porch dwelling life these Cave Singers seem to live - and all the better for us. Featuring contributions from Amber & Ashley Webber (Lightning Dust), Welcome Joy is what it was named to be. MC

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE - Luminous Night (Spunk)
As well as touring as an active member of both Comets on Fire and Current 93, guitarist Ben Chasny has spent his time defining the word "prolific" with his solo project Six Organs of Admittance. His first Six Organs album proper in almost two years, consider this Chasny's most dwelled on release. Often eerie and psychedelic, Luminous Night is a deep, folky affair that delivers a slow fear to the heart of the listener. Aside from the odd droning noise track, the songs here are constructed stories told and meditations shared. Apparently informed by Kurosawa's samurai films and Jodorowsky's psychedelic western El Topo, the intense and brooding sounds here are best appreciated in your bivouac, with cactus juice in hand and a few days and luminous nights spare to contemplate it all... MC
SIMIAN MOBLE DISCO - Temporary Pleasure (Wichita / Shock)
To be fair dance-orientated artists, generally struggle to produce a whole album - dance music is, let's be honest,single or track based - designed to be played amongst and mixed within a variety of other tracks produced by other people by a deejay. So, the mere concept of an album by a dance artist has always been a struggle. James Ford and James Shaw - who are, together, Simian Mobile Disco have met this challenge by enlisted a host of guest vocalists and by adopting slightly more conventional song structures. Beth Ditto (Gossip) Chris Keating (Yeasayer), Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), and Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) all add their distinctive styles, to name-drop just a few. I'm just not yet convinced that it makes an album or rather a compilation of ten tracks. That said - there are some luscious slices of "indie-tronica" among that ten that make it all worth while. AT
DAPPLED CITIES - Zounds (Speak n Spell)
Formerly Dappled Cities Fly, dropping the word Fly on their second album simply for "artistic" reasons; the Sydney five piece now release their third long player - and it's really fuckin' good, actually. Crafted songs with just the right measures of pop-hooks versus unlikely/ unexpected patterns to keep things fresh and interesting while remaining catchy enough to ease a push of the play button again. There's moments of utter majesty as euphoric melodies find themselves in the dreamy and emotive soundscapes. If there is any justice in this world, this record'll find Dappled Cities garnering the international attention they surely deserve. AT
BATRIDER - Why Can't We Be Together (LTI / Shock)
Ex-Wellingtonians Batrider have churned out a new album as they slowly, but surely conquer the world, probably one-shitty gig at a time. Having first re-located to Melbourne and then London, they are about to embark on a pretty-extensive US tour. . Early Flying Nun clearly remains ingrained as an inspiration as they continue in their vein of brutal strained beauty, played on a knife edge. Listening to this record is like dancing on thin ice. It's frighteningly sparse at times; holding spaces eerily and ominously. Present yet wonderfully understated. AT
 


MATTHEW'S ALBUM OF THE WEEK

TAKEN BY TREES - East of Eden (Rough Trade)
The second album from Taken By Trees (aka Victoria Bergsman - ex-vocalist for the Concretes & the "other voice" on Peter, Bjorn & John's "Young Folks") is, quite simply, gorgeous. We already knew she could knit your heart back together with her voice, but on East Of Eden the music literally takes the listener to another place. Recorded in Lahore, Pakistan with a group of Sufi musicians, the record has a mystic quality that at no time feels token or like culture borrowing. Instead the flutes, vocals and percussions that augment her minimalist sound assist in dragging one dreamward. Featuring a reworking of Animal Collective's "My Girls" (here called "My Boys") and guest vocals from Panda Bear ("Anna") this is a record not to be overlooked. So good. MC

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Separation City Soundtrack (Arch Hill)
With nine out of the fifteen tracks here composed and performed by Samuel Scott & Luke Buda, (plus the inclusion of Bright Grey by Phoenix Foundation) - and the balance of the tracks hand selected by the pair - there's somewhat of a sense of cohesion to this album that perhaps beguiles other movie soundtrack compilations; and a distinct "kiwi' feeling seeping though. While I probably wouldn't rush out to add this record to my personal collection in any greta hurry - it would make a perfect gift for fathers day for those of you with quite hip dads or something. AT
THE VERLAINES - Corporate Moronic (www.dunedinmusic.com)
Almost three decades after their inception, The Verlaines are back with a new record that is anything but corporate or moronic. Notably also a teacher in contemporary music at Otago University, frontman and Verlaines-constant Graham Downes has never been one to settle for predictable choices in his songs - and with eleven other fellow musicians, Corporate Moronic doesn't so much as run from genre to genre between tracks as challenge the concept of needing genres altogether. Making use of everything from trombones and trumpets to banjos and mandolin, Downes & co have created a record that would make quite an incredible stage production indeed. Since 1981, The Verlaines have been surprising us, and here they've done it again... MC

DANANANANAYKROYD - Hey Everyone! (Dew Process)
What if Belle & Sebastian were actually The Blood Brothers, or vice-versa? There's a question that'll do your head in and is as joyously ridiculous as listening to this debut album from this Glaswegian six-peice. Perhaps likely to piss off post-hardcore purists with their itching pop hooks to the same extent that they'll piss off anyone trying to write their name down - the thing is that this record is actually heaps of fucking fun! Sure, it might be considered a bit lightweight to some - but the band themselves embrace that with stunts like a Wall of Cuddles - their much friendlier version of the Wall of Death. I'm enjoying the channelling of this energy into something more positive than smacking strangers heads in, in the dance of "dancing" - and am actually quite loving this record, which has come as a bit of a nice surprise! I recommend giving it a hug! AT

MODEST MOUSE - No One's First, And You're Next EP (Epic)
Comprised largely of unreleased tunes and b-sides from the Good News for People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank recording sessions, No One's First... doesn't offer much in the way of hints for the future or new moves from the band, but still it comes as good news for people who love Modest Mouse, right? Isaac Brock and his crew of merry men (including more recently the addition of legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr!) sound relatively low key here. While extra recording was done to dress up the songs, this EP should really only serve as a treat or morsel before the new album proper. All good songs, believe you me, it's just more of a spring clean exercise than a considered release. MC
THE MACCABEES - Wall of Arms (Fiction / Shock)
This is the Brighton based five-peice's sophomore album and with production duties held by Markus Dravs who worked as an engineer on Arcade Fire's Neon Bible the comparisons are staring you in the face right from the opening track - not that that's a band thing. More than a carbon copy or copycats the Maccabees deliver some defyingly epic moments matched with some clever hooks that'll keep me coming back to this record for a good while. AT
  

DODOS - Time to Die (Wichita / Shock)
Following up from their wonderful (and critically acclaimed) sophomore Visiter - San Francisco former duo, now trio Dodos deliver a worthy collection of new songs. It's still early days as a listener to this record and I sense that it'll be a grower - but cannot confirm that it will fully shine out of the shadow cast by the magnificence of it's predecessor. That said, there is no denying that these songs are compelling, emotive and capturing and this is indeed a fine record. AT

THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE - Hometowns (Saddle Creek)
Apparently, growing up in rural Alberta (Canada) has its advantages. Now, I don't want to sound too literal with that sentence - but these guys started it... the band's name really does come from a wish to explore their heritage: winter farmlife, the Rockies, oil workers and depressed miners... Originally released independently, the band made such waves on their own (through live shows and online championing) that Saddle Creek just had to pick them up. Rough and ready, the urgency of their sound is complemented by a ramshackle charm that infects each story and song. Vocalist Nils Edenloff sounds as if he's a cowboy in a panic, so you better listen in and see what he wants from you. MC
MEW - No More Stories EP (Sony/BMG)
This is a precursor to the full length by the same name - four years since this Danish trio's last, and it serves only the whet the appetite with one part lush progressive and one part quirky quasi-pop. Glorious harmonies bounce from off-beats and swirl unexpectedly; moments of Scrittii Politti sounding eighties pop sweetness shift though unusual progressions. I'm confident that the full length will meet and exceed expectations set by this EP. AT
BEAR CAT - Xiong Mao (self released)
Auckland's Bear Cat sing glorious twee-indie-pop-songs about Panda's. Do you need any other explanation or expansion on why, therefore, this is awesome x1000 ?
Production-wise, things are sounding pristine and present; the moments of quiet filling the space as perfect as the moments of not-quiet - as the vocals duo and duel wonderfully tempting you to you sing-a-long and wear black & white clothing. AT

THE FIERY FURNACES - I'm Going Away (Popfrenzy)
On their **8th** record... wait is this their 8th record? I didn't think the album they recorded with their grandmother, the live album with no tracklist or track breaks, the blank record with no music on it, etc etc etc, were counted. I confess - apart from loving their Rough Trade debut Gallowsbird's Bark, I've struggled to want to keep up with the Friedberger siblings "kooky antics". Now it seems, perhaps as the latest krazy manouever, the band have decided to release an album of really good songs that feature singing, guitar, piano, bass guitar and drums. Apparently the songs are inspired by 1970s American sitcoms... but to be honest, who cares? It's a really good album by the Fiery Furnaces that proves they can actually be awesome... and let's leave it at that shall we? MC

NOUVELLE VAGUE - 3 (Peacefrog)
Just FYI, in case you didn't know; Nouvelle Vague is a very clever project headed by French musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. The name, meaning New Wave, in French, refers both to the source of the songs they choose to cover (predominantly punk, post-punk and new wave hits) and to the style in which the songs are re-interpreted - bossa nova - which is "new wave" in Portuguese. See what they did there? Smart huh?
So on this latest album they tackle Talking Heads, Echo & The Bunnymen, Psychedelic Furs, Magazine, Soft Cell, and Sex Pistols - all with sweet sultry vocal re-interpretations - but this time an added clever twist - inviting original vocalists to duet on a handful of the selections (Ian McCulloch, Martin Gore, Terry Hall and Barry Adamson). They have also widened slightly from the 100% bossa nova styles, taking in bluegrass and country and ... a reggae version of Plastic Bertrand's Ca Plane Pour Moi! Genius! AT

Reviews by Andrew Tidball (AT) & Matthew Crawley (MC)
courtesy of The Eavesdrop

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