Album reviews

Maybe it’s the tension in the effort of stopping everything morphing into a sub Primal Scream splurge in favour of just being an actual song that makes it so attractive. Who knows?

The titles should give the nature of the music away; Morose Land, Solar, Inertia… redolent of the size and overbearing physicality of nature itself: of watching the world go by, of not bothering to waste words or gestures

I suppose you could say it’s the music Mizutani would perform if commissioned to record a summertime special soundtrack.

Immediately you know this is a release endowed with some High Magicke as well as a ridiculous amount of confidence

I recall their EP being similarly phantasmagorical in places and tracks like Thunder don’t do much to dispel the notion that they conjure with things unseen.

Musically though, as ever, there’s a lot to enjoy. She’s absolutely brilliant at giving the most simple beat a resonance or weight; her current sound, for all its roots in (classic German) minimalist electro-pop is a rich and emotive one

Somehow the fact that all songs were “recorded at the Dome by Brian” propels the whole thing that bit more spaceward. Who is Brian? Where is the Dome? Maybe these things are best left undiscovered.

Given it’s 30 odd minutes long you’ll think I was thick by saying this is an essentially patient piece of music but that’s how it strikes you – a powerful and serene cosmic jam in no hurry to blow its steam.

Frank seems to be someone who says “that’s a great idea!, no hang on, wait a minute” in his songs too, and this indecision (allied to his "core eccentricty") informs his music a hell of a lot.

It’s very much the sort of thing you’d hear with a Tim Hecker release, warm, electronic devotionals set up as soundscapes. But the comparison shouldn’t be seen as casting aspersions on what is a very fine bit of work. Love it.

It’s got just the right amount of ridiculously fatuous self-pity about it. This is the stuff. The way it stops is grand too; just like that, without warning. Love this, it’s a blast, rock on!

...the sense of stasis can get you out there if you’re prepared to give yourself over to the sense of occasion. Or you could be flippant and say it sounds like a huge washing machine stuck on spin cycle for 15 minutes.

...there’s always a feeling of angst with this LP, it’s NOT a happy record overall, despite the hints at a hedonistic sound.

...what makes listening to James Yorkston holding forth so appealing is the fact that his doleful and acidic barbs are often aimed at himself or used to propel the story...

Broderick invites a lot of ridicule with this record; it’s his attempt at nailing that embarrassing personal revelation at a party. And in for disarming honesty and bloody mindedness, I applaud him.

Shuffle is a sincere collection of modern day moans set to immense rhythms and bigger brass; a musical happy slap to the state of current pop chart hip hop. This album you can appreciate and shuffle to, no hoodie required

Nothing feels out of place, for all the jumble of style, sounds and attitudes it’s a focussed release and that’s got a lot to do with the way the vocals are delivered and set up. As we said before it has the feel of a cabaret, albeit with a fucking good compère.

exactly what you want from this kind of thing

a bit math-rocky but after a few songs it begins to ruffle its feathers a little and let a little light in

You can decide amongst yourselves if this kind of clap-happy nonsense is good enough for you or not.