Category: Dance
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Altan: Widening Gyre
Altan are one of Ireland’s longest lasting bands, 35 years and counting, and the longest running line-up of founding members in Irish music. We confess never having heard of them. (We have heard of equally long-lasting Irish band Aslan, the band random name generator obviously getting stuck at “A” in 1980s Ireland). Altan specialise in…
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The Heavy: Hurt and The Merciless
We’ve heard people raving about The Heavy and can see why: they’re basically the best wedding band you’ve ever heard, and they’ll keep you awake and happy on the drive to work. If “the best wedding band you’ve ever heard” seems harsh, it’s not meant to: fans of the Blues Brothers, particularly the live touring…
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Pet Shop Boys: Super
The secret to Pet Shop Boys’ success (the minor issue of writing some good tunes aside) is that while they always sound the same, they always manage to sound fresh. This is the case but more so on this new album, which seems to reprise their career by sampling a variety of styles. We could…
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The Qemists: Warrior Sound
There are two arguments to make over this album. The negative first: musically this is hugely similar to what Pendulum did a few years back, mixing rock and dance, specifically Dnb, though Qemists have more rock beats. Still, it’s a decade since Hold Your Colour and eight years since the big one, In Silico, so…
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Christine and the Queens: Chaleur Humaine
Christine (really Héloïse Letissier, but those accents and spellings are far too European for us Brits) could build herself a house if she turned all the glowing reviews she’s collecting into bricks. (There’s an analogy that didn’t go as well as expected). It’s clearly a good album, to get all those glowing reviews, but it’s…
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Molotov Jukebox: Tropical Gypsy
Most albums start off well and then tail off; Molotov Jukebox do the opposite and opener Pineapple Girl (nice snare solo at the start aside) is a little saccharine for us, like the music from a kids’ television show. But it’s not bad, with its horns and energy, and it gets the party started.…
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Mmoths: Luneworks
We’ve been bathed in a warm sea of happiness this week in the Review Corner, thanks to some lovely music across several genres. Mmoths’ Luneworks is one. Yes, it’s ambient, which too often denotes hoochy Zen background music sold in wacky shops that believe lumps of rock can make you emotionally stable. Or Clannad. Ugh.…
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Poliça: United Crushers
You wait ages for one moody electronic album to come along and then you get two. Christine and the Queens (published shortly, or above, depending when you read this) is poppier than this, which combines the sparse electric feel of The xx with something meatier; Portishead perhaps (though the female vocals made us think of…
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Mind Enterprises: Idealist
We liked this more than Frøkedal (posted below/yesterday) but it just proves how tastes differ. You could argue this was bland, inoffensive electronic pop that merits a bit more edge and and that Frøkedal has the voice of angel, but we’re writing this and not you. The title track opens and a tune Rob…
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