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Electronic
Ready For The Weekend is the second album from Scottish Electronic artist Calvin Harris. Known for making appealing Electro-pop tunes with catchy if somewhat obvious lyrics and never in danger of taking themselves too seriously; Harris' music is designed to get you dancing more and thinking less.
Everyone's heard I'm Not Alone by now, arguably the most impressive song Harris has created and with its fair share of commercial success, which is in this case definitely warranted. However those hoping for an album of I'm Not Alones will be disappointed. I count myself among them.
The opening track, The Rain certainly starts on a high note, kicking off immediately with a rising synth line that leads straight into a saxophone solo that is sure to impress. The sax then breaks apart into a thumping beat with layers of high pitched whirring. The chorus, destined to be sung-along-to at the top of everyone's lungs on dancefloors all over the world before too long, is one of the strongest on the album, so savor it.
Next up is the title track and second single from the album, Ready For The Weekend. I really want to like it, I do, but the vocal work really comes across as irritating. It's not so much Harris here, the auto-tuned pre-chorus is actually quite appealing. It's the chorus itself that really brings the track down. There are two things that we thankfully no longer have to deal with now that the 90's are over: People wearing baseball caps backwards and Tina Turner-channeling female vocalists in electro tracks. So why the hell is Calvin Harris dragging this shit kicking and screaming from its grave and into the middle of the track that is intended to define his whole album's manifesto?
The rest of the album seems to be created in Ready For The Weekend's image, rather than I'm Not Alone's. It really is a bit of shame because this album really had so much potential for greatness. Flashback serves as double-edged sword, undeniable in its quality but also a disheartening indication of what could have been, if only Harris maintained the strength established by the first single's established mood and style.
Tracks like Worst Day almost hit the target, but don't quite make it, with some rather awkward parts, such as the Flight Of The Conchords sound-alike first verse. The rap bridge, thankfully not attempted by Harris himself, serves as an interesting contrast against the rest of the album and the chorus is quite strong, it's just falls a small, albeit noticeable distance short.
Limits is a pleasant surprise, with Harris' filtered vocal work really coming out well. The similarly altered backing vocals create effective levels of interest, and the symbiosis of the beat and the lyrics ties the whole thing nicely together. The track has a very jittery robotic feel to it.
Those looking for Dance Wiv Me, last year's incredibly popular one-time collaboration between Harris, Dizzee Rascal and Chrome, will find it here too. Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La, the track famously used in a recent Coca-Cola commercial, is a definite nod to the sound and styling of Harris' debut I Created Disco; incredibly catchy and well worth a listen.
For a second effort, Calvin Harris could have done a hell of a lot worse. It's not so much that the tracks are bad, they just aren't amazing. It almost feels like Harris is playing it safe at times, when he should really be pushing the boundaries. The tracks lack character, and at times sound very similar to those adjacent.
Is it worth your money? Short answer yes. In the long term however I can see this album becoming rather disposable. Buy it now, have your fun with it, and join me in waiting for the next album I guess.
6/10
Download
The Rain - Calvin Harris
Ready For The Weekend is out everywhere August 16th.
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Electronic
Temporary Pleasure is the sophomore album from English Electronic duo Simian Mobile Disco. From the start this is a far more atmospheric album than their previous effort. The lyrical work is slightly more high-brow, the beats and electronic blips echo through cavernous locales established in your mind's eye, and overall it just seems like a more mature endeavour from James Ford and James Shaw.
The first thing you'll notice is the all-star cast of collaborators this time around. We've got Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals, Chris Keating from Yeasayer, Beth Ditto from Gossip, Jamie Lidell, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip fame, Young Fathers and Telepathe. It's almost too much talent to handle, but Ford and Shaw clearly didn't just pluck these names out of thin air, they had a well planned role for each of them.
The opener, Cream Dream, gets you suitably excited for the nine tracks to follow. The slow, mechanical build-up, adding layers as it goes, really serves to lead into the track, in which Rhys' vocals slot into rather perfectly. The flow of the sung lyrics in this track is particularly compelling, and reminds me somewhat of Heads We Dance's You Are Never Alone With Model 21. Audacity of Huge follows directly afterwards, a well publicised single from the album. This track, while though initially rather grating, is very much a grower, although i still believe the pitch altered vocals featuring heavily in the chorus distract from the quality of the rest of the song's elements. Cruel Intentions is the next big track, with Ditto delivering her iconic and always compelling vocal talents, there isn't really anything left wanting in this one, one of the best tracks on the record.
Which leads me to Off The Map. I'll admit right now that I have a major soft spot for Jamie Lidell and all he does, his name on the list of contributors alone made me really give this album my attention in the first place. The track has a dark, moody beat that is quite unique within the rest of the songs on the album, and it really compliments Lidell's voice perfectly. Both he and Simian Mobile Disco did everything right here, definitely the strongest track on the album.
While I'm not normally a fan of Hot Chip, Bad Blood, featuring Alexis Taylor, is another standout song. The dark beats that seemed to be somewhat of a major feature of this album really work well with the vocal choices Shaw and Ford elected. Turn The Dial is likely the closest track spiritually to Simian Mobile Disco's debut Attack Decay Sustain Release, with strong big beat influences, especially in the use of Hip-Hop/Rap orientated vocal work. Can't say it's my favourite track but those coming in hoping to hear another A.D.S.R. may find some solace here. The album finishes with Pinball, which pulls no punches on the Telepathe-esque sound. If you're a fan of the female electronic duo you'll love this track, if like me, not so much; hell, you'll love it anyway. A great closer for a great album.
For someone who played I Believe almost as many times as they skipped every other track on the first album, I'm happy to say that Temporary Pleasure is an altogether much more enjoyable listening experience. Sure there's no glorious Simon Lord-Simian-days-of-old throwback anywhere on here, but the forward momentum shown seems to be very much in the right direction; it's clear Simian Mobile Disco will have great things in store for us in the future.
8/10
Download
Cruel Intentions - Simian Mobile Disco
Temporary Pleasure is out August 17th. Buy it.
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Electronic
Filthy Dukes' debut album is hit and miss. It's probably best to get this out of the way as soon as possible so nobody is confused. There's a lot of potential here, and lot of missed opportunities, but don't let that ruin the great tracks on Nonsense In The Dark.
The album begins with the insanely catchy opener, This Rhythm, featuring the vocal talents of Late Of The Pier's Sam Eastgate. It's a really strong start that carries through the first four tracks on the album. Messages is the next big track, featuring jittery electronic beeps and sing-along-lyrics, definitely one of the highest points on the album. Then comes the fall. It all begins to break apart, only six tracks in, with Tupac Robot Club Rock. The cheesiness of the lyrics is only rivaled by their repetitiveness. The edge the faux-rap vocals attempts to add to the song only works against itself, and It ends up sounding a whole lot like a bad Groove Armada tribute song. Following directly is another track of note, Nonsense In The Dark, but its positioning within the album's continuity is its undoing. With a slow, expansive melody and the soft, down tempo vocal work of The Maccabees' Orlando Weeks, the title track seems like it would belong at the end of the LP, making it a really effective closer for the album instead of a jarring come-down from the "excitement" of Tupac Robot Club Rock.
And its downhill from there. The remaining tracks on the album just fail to get anywhere, whether it's the anti-climactic build up to nothingness in Cul-De-Sac, or the 80s soft rock inspired Don't Fall Softly. It really seems like Filthy Dukes used up all their great ideas early on and just had to make up the rest of the album that was left with waste from the cutting room floor.
So whether you can justify buying the whole album depends on what you want from this album. If you can tolerate the downplayed electro and frankly puzzling vocal choices that plagues the release; go for it. If you're looking for an record of indie-dance with catchy lyrics and even catchier beats you'll do well to just stick to the singles.
5/10
Download
Messages - Filthy Dukes
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Alternative/Indie
The self-titled debut LP from Bad Veins had me somewhat taken aback. I'd recently gotten into the habit of acquiring albums of artists I knew nothing about, hoping I'd recreate the magic that occurred the day I picked up this album called "Silent Alarm" way back in 05. It was an overly romantic notion and with each subsequent album I listened to being worse overall than it's predecessor I was starting to get the feeling that this technique of stabbing wildly in the dark was getting me nowhere.
Then I listened to Bad Veins.
To say this album did not disappoint doesn't do it justice, because so rarely do you find an album with a quality that spans every track, rather than a few highlights in the form of future singles. In fact if I had any complaints about the album it would be that there is no real definable stand-out moments on the album. No figurehead to lead these fantastic tracks into the hearts and minds of anyone clued in enough to search them out.
The album ticks a lot of the necessary Indie-Rock album check boxes, melancholic lyrics dealing with heartbreak and loneliness, guitar and drum heavy tracks and some subtle electronic sprinklings which every release can't seem to go without these days.
Now for the lead vocal comparisons that every bad review can't go without. Lead singer Benjamin Davis' voice will initially remind you of Brandon Flowers, but further listening indicates that juxtapositions to The Bravery are likely more fitting. Some also may argue that the filtered-out and sung-through-a-megaphone quality to the vocals is Casablancas-esque, but you may have to search pretty deep in the soundscape to justify such connections.
As previously stated, the album really goes from strength to- well to some sort of point exactly equal to the strength of the last track. It's actually really difficult to pick out a highlight in the album because it's all really solid overall. Every track is likable and there's something for everyone who can appreciate well constructed Indie-Rock. Gun to my head I'd say that Dry Out will impress most. Whether it's the incredibly catchy lyrics (which reach their zenith at the chorus) or the impressive layering of the stuttering electronic beat, guitar, backing vocals, synths, piano and drums into a very accessible package, this seems to be the point where it all comes together for the duo from Cincinnati.
Clocking in at roughly 38 minutes, the album rocks up, shows you its stuff, and then departs before it overstays its welcome, leaving you wanting just that little bit more, like a good LP should. If you're at all a fan of The Bravery, The Killers or The Strokes these guys could be what you're looking for.
8/10
Download
Dry Out - Bad Veins
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