SINGLE: BELLA SPINKS • Words (Sublime)
There’s something about laying your soul bare with minimal accompaniment that lends a singer a particular raw authenticity. Bella’s gentle finger picking of acoustic guitar forms a gentle backdrop for a double-tracked, close folk harmony, encapsulating both yearning and suffering. Back-up track ‘Wonderous’ follows similar musical terrain, with an inner confusion and fear of mortality playing out through its duration – a delicious conflict of musical light and lyrical shade. (NC)
ALBUM: BETA HECTOR • Sunbeam Insulin (Tru Thoughts)
Since breaking ranks from the deep funk outfit Baby Charles, DJ Simon Hill has concentrated on his production work. Following a single release as Beta Hector in 2010, this is the first full-length realisation of those ambitions. The funk’s still resolutely on board, with wild, crashing rhythms a la Quantic Soul Orchestra and spliced DJ Shadow-ing married to some space-age 8-bit electronica. A range of vocalists set off the tunes, which he’ll be taking to the road with the Beta Hector Band – definitely worth looking out for. (NC)
EP: MAN RAY SKY • Vessels (Beatabet)
We haven’t heard from Man Ray Sky in a while, having apparently retreated from live work to concentrate on writing. And it’s certainly been worth the wait – this is ace. A shouldn’t-really-work mix of indie drone guitars against lo-fi beats with percussive fills in all the right places form the backing for a hypnotic vocal, all layered and structured like someone really knows what they’re doing. And that’s just the title track – the others allow more experimentation that fulfils way more promise than it really ought to. An office favourite already. (NC)
ALBUM: MONSTERS BUILD MEAN ROBOTS •
WeShouldHaveDestroyedOur GeneralsAndNotTheirEnemies (NWFA)
An album timing in at a shade under 30 minutes across its five tracks, this is a triumph of quality over quantity. We reviewed their first album getting for three years ago, and the band seem to have ditched the tricksy electronica in favour of expansive post-rock anthems; this is a set of slow builders that pepper the less cynical epic-isms of Coldplay with a sprinkling of Spiritualized’s ethereal atmospheres. We can easily see them headlining a Glastonbury main stage – well, we could if it wasn’t for those damn flags. (NC)
BOOK: Paul Stapleton & Alice Sharp • CAMRA Sutra* (Bedsit Press)
The latest comic book from local illustrator and fanzine evangelist Stapleton follows his house style of biscuit-headed characters exchanging witty dialogue in everyday situations. Half Man Half Biscuit and Doctor Who references abound in this story of a socially inept CAMRA Man’s courtship rituals. Co-writer Sharp, who works as a barmaid at real ale leisure hive the Evening Star, lends the book added authenticity – we’re off down there now to spot which of her regulars each character is based on. (AP)
SINGLE: SWEET SWEET LIES • Capital Of Iceland (Something Nothing)
After years at the gigging coalface Sweet Sweet Lies have built up some interesting fans. Many of Brighton’s finest music minds can be caught saying enthusiastic things – not least The Independent’s Simon Price. There’s the roughness of Nick Cave at his most shanty, but what grabs us most is the Levellers-meets-The Coral rhythm. Double bass and fiddle keep up with a tambourine and drum duel as it powers along like a runaway train, depicting a girl who knows the titular geographical conundrum and loves Johnnys both Cash and Marr, yet fails to exhibit any real personal depth. (NC)
DEMO OF THE MONTH: SKIRTS (vimeo.com/skirts)
Having only a drummer and a bassist sadly precludes the Beatles from any further meaningful recording activity, but Skirts take this arrangement-limiting line-up and fly with it. In terms of the sound there’s an obvious comparison to DFA1979, but this has more of a sense of pop about the thrash, especially when viewed together with the excellent band-made videos. Vintage bikini-clad rollerboot dance-offs and short shorts cheerleaders will brighten any tune but these stand perfectly alone as grungy punk promisers. (NC)
WORDS BY NICK COQUET, ADAM PETERS
