ALBUM: 4 OR 5 MAGICIANS Empty Derivative Pop Songs (Smalltown America)
Singer and songwriter Dan Ormsby cuts a rueful and ruminative figure as he systematically works his way through life’s follies and fallibilities, from petty dishonesties to several exposés on life in a band. Despite being recorded for about £100, the band’s sound nevertheless far outweighs the weary cynicism in much of the lyrics, their attention to melody and hooks thankfully as concentrated as their world-view. Plaudits are rolling in for the band and we’re happy to be part of that bandwagon. (NC)
EP: THE HORNBLOWER BROTHERS Adventures In The National Geographic (Bellboy Records)
With four tracks clocking in at just over 12 minutes The Hornblower Brothers sure don’t hang around, but if anything you wish they’d stay a little while longer. Conjuring up some gleefully uplifting indie pop their sound is a wonderfully melodic jangle, taking influences such as Half Man Half Biscuit and Jeffrey Lewis and adding a distinct English flavour of their own, bringing to mind some of the Cherry Red and Postcard bands of the 80s. Marc Riley and Steve Lamacq love them and on this evidence it’s easy to see why. (IC)
SINGLE: HUSKY RESCUE We Shall Burn Bright (Catskills)
It’s been a bit quiet over at Catskills Towers recently, but we couldn’t be more pleased to see the return of Finnish dark pop outfit Husky Rescue. We Shall Burn Bright sees the dreamers get rocky, with insistent guitars and swift, complicated snares driving the usual layers of atmospherics. It all builds towards a swirling expanse of excitement – not necessarily what we’d expect from them. Excellent, and also free as a download right now. Worth twice the price. (JK)
ALBUM: KRAFTY KUTS Against The Grain (Against The Grain)
What most DJs wouldn’t do to get their hands on Krafty Kuts’ personal re-edit collection. Well, you can get 19 of his sliced up favourites here on this mix album, from Mickey Slim’s frantic Hit The Club to DJ Dan’s big room electro-hop of N20. That not enough for you? How about a bonus disc of 28 Against The Grain classics slammed together? There’s loads of Krafty on there, but 58 seconds of Ed Solo’s Sludge reminds us how good the label is as it slips into Bass Phenomenon. A stunning value release. (JK)
SINGLE: LAST DAYS OF LORCA I Start Fires We Start Riots (Nice Weather For Airstrikes)
Featuring this month’s most socially irresponsible song title, the Last Days deliver an upfront slab of progressive fretboard frotting. They manage to straddle the powerhouse riffing of towering rock outfits like Muse, whose vocal influence is clear here without resorting to pale imitation, as well as more tricksy arrangements and experiments in time signature. This particular track has already featured in the latest Danny ‘Fackin” Dyer film Jack Said, which isn’t exactly a byword for discerning product placement but gives you an idea of the band’s burgeoning commercial potential. Worth keeping an eye out for. (NC)
SINGLE: MISERABLE RICH Covers (Humble Soul)
The Willkommen Collective‘s bar room pop outfit are known for successfully turning that string section to other people’s songs. And while we wait for the second album here’s a quartet of lovely cover versions. That the tracks here sound more like the Miserable Rich than they do The Stranglers, Iggy Pop, the Pixies and Eurythmics shows how strong their own sound is – a modern take on traditional instruments. The gentle orchestral take on Iggy’s Shades is perhaps the highlight, but they’re all gems. (JK)
DEMO: MUNICH Into The Rain (myspace.com/maurakincaid)
We get plenty of demos that are good for what they are – £50 well spent – but this two tracker sounds like a million dollars. After seven minutes it’s obvious that the newly-renamed Maura Kincaid are heading to the big time. The quality is especially impressive as Into The Rain is recorded live, its brooding epicness perfectly realised, all slashed and chimed guitars and heart-bleeding vocals. Right Place Right Time has the same widescreen emotion as Coldplay at their best. No wonder Munich won Q Magazine’s Emerging Talent competition. It’s just the start. (JK)
SINGLE: SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH L Say / Mean (Drift)
After recently lending their sublime vocal talents to Graham Coxon’s live band, SBL return with their second release, coming in the form of a double a-side download only single. Say rocks along in a PJ Harvey type groove, all seductive rhythms and electric guitar flourishes, while Mean opts for a more acoustic direction, complete with lush finger-picked guitar and their trademark hazy female vocals, all slowly building into a flurry of electronic beats. With a debut album due next year we should be in for a real treat. (IC)
ALBUM: SUPER U We Live In Bazakhstan (Sack The Juggler)
When this popped onto the cluttered SOURCE desk we remembered the name from a few months back when we brought you news of their debut single. Now in long-player mode, Super U continue to plough their highly agreeable furrow of folky pop, sowing catchy seeds of artful narrative along the way. We note from their press release that we weren’t alone in making Belle & Sebastian comparisons last time around, but Super U’s heart and vitality elevate them above anything that could be described as twee or samey – these 11 tracks invite the listener on a proper trip through the tempos. (NC)
SINGLE: THE TWILIGHT SAD Seven Years Of Letters (FatCat)
Despite hailing from about as far away from Brighton as a UK resident can physically be, this Scottish quartet had the sense to sign to Brighton’s FatCat label, hence this coverage in your favourite seaside magazine. The single is powerful stuff, with My Bloody Valentine Loveless guitars duelling against Sonic Youth Daydream Nation guitars while the best Caledonian vocals since The Proclaimers insist they’re “on a hiding to nowhere”. Yes, they’re specific references but the press release suggested The Cure, Neu and Wire, which we’re very familiar with and didn’t get at all. We liked it though. (NC)
ALBUM: VARIOUS Floorplay Music Presents Round:One (Floorplay)
It’s testament to how hard Prok & Fitch work that they are already releasing a round-up of their highly regarded label. Mixed by the pair themselves, the 12 tracks sum up their sound perfectly, despite having productions and remixes from Orbital (as Golden Girls), Filthy Rich and ATFC. Plenty of house-y sexiness, electro throb and dynamics that work as well on your iPod as they do in a club, they’ll be huge stars, believe us. (JK)
ALBUM: VIV Sea Shells Listening (Pebble)
Described as free improv / noise / weird folk, Viv carefully and thoroughly eschew any notion of traditional tune structure, yet still manage to create a work with great emotional appeal. The album title is the clue here – put a seashell to your ear and you won’t hear a catchy three-minute pop song, but you’ll love the sublime sound you hear. Viv take gentle glockenspiel and guitar, snatches of anti-lingual voice and eerily nostalgic brass nuances and recreate that sensation perfectly. The most inexplicably beautiful thing we’ve heard this month. (NC)