Right, lets get the obvious out the way. Shit name. I mean really shit name unless I'm proved wrong by some intelligent, uncontrived reasoning that in noway is related to the Hardcore music genre. Good, now lets talk about how this is completely different to any previous Mogwai album. Sure, its got music you can fall asleep to. Sure, its got music you can bathe in your miserable, deadbeat life to. BUT, it is different I promise.
Ok, maybe not to the untrained eye, but the seasoned Mogwai fan will notice that this is the most accessible album to date, with songs rarely pushing past the 6 minute mark. The album is not void of vocals like Hawk is Howling nor does it prominently feature vocals Mr. Beast. Hawk is Howling was produced by Mogwai confidant Andy Miller (One half of the production team of the legendary 1997 Mogwai Young Team album. Whereas, Hardcore brings back the other half, Paul Savage.
You know when you here a song that defines your music taste you feel that its your song even though its quite clearly not? Too Raging to Cheers is that song for me, even though it's clearly by Mogwai, I feel like I wrote it. I hope you know what I mean so I don't sound arrogant
San Pedro is formulaic and aggressive. A song that bellows from the Scottish Highlands. Multiple layers of noise rock guitar that although has melodic breaks, is an unrelenting power trip. Although it does sound like the soundtrack for a montage on a Halo 3 advert.
Mexican Grand Prix has a Kraut Rock feel with synthesized drums, vocoded lyrics and primitive sounding synths. This is set to be the popular track from the album and proves that sometimes branding Mogwai as Post Rock is a wee unfair, nay, a lazy misnomer. It would have been easy for them to have song after song of melodic build ups and ethereal cruscendos like the rest of the Post rock bunch. But Mogwai have once again proved that they can shake up a stereotyped music form and have produced a varied album which provides all the right answers to why you search for good music and wait great lengths for albums such as this.
Even after all this though, I'm still left wanting. Maybe it's because that although the form of the music is undefined and diverse, it is predictablty so. But I prefer to think it is just because I am used to Mogwai's standard of excellence and because it is near impossible for them to better themselves. I doubt Hardcore will go down as their best album, but it is a Mogwai album nonetheless and I love it.
Saw these guys at Cardiff Arts Institute a few weeks back, reet good fun. They do a cracking cover of the Dr. Who theme and now especially for Christmas, a cover of 'Walking in the Air'. It's Smerins Anti-Social Club!
Leedian Post-Rock band Vessels are back with a new single in anticipation of their album 'Helioscope' which is due in Feb 2011. The first thing that you'll notice and will be suprised by is that it has vocals which you'll think would be courtesy of Thom Yorke. You'll then be even more suprised to hear that its actually the sounds of the big-time LSE academic Stuart Warwick. The second thing you'll notice is that its one of the most beautiful songs you've heard all year. Lazy percussion until a textbook post-rock crescendo that doesn't sound too formulaic, maybe due to being thrown off by the vocals. They are performing a major European tour with the massive Oceansize; an event that I could only imagine as being earth obliterating.
After gaining critical success with their debut, Teeth of the Sea are back with their own brand of post-psych-rock. Clearly, the album is hard to link to a specific genre and the underlying theme is difficult to determine, although it is one of exploration and adventure (both musically and in the imagery it conjures). This is due to its experimental and varied nature. The Ambassador sounds like a 6 minute version of an early Metallica intro; a drone of noise with aggressive tom-tom beatings. A.C.R.O.N.Y.M brings 70’s psych rock with distorted guitar riffs and screaming feedback together with early synths. Think Manfred Manns Earth Band meets the intro of The Who’s Baba O’Riley. The title track is harrowingly progressive to the point where you just want it to be over. Other tracks are more ambient, void of drums and regard for typical song structure. Even so, it strikes you as intelligent to the point of nodding respect; in the same way as you’d feel wrong bad mouthing Richard D. James for being too ‘out there’.
However, the peaks of noise rock and ambient troughs are seldom uplifting. This is a melancholy journey, maybe to the depths of Middle Earth. Don’t expect to come out the other end ready to conquer life’s trials, instead prepare to be more disheartened by what lies before. Obviously this does not render it a bad album; it is worth it for a few seriously good songs but some leave you confused about where they are coming from and why.
How to create an instant state of dreaming. Step 1, Layer delayed harmonious synths. Step 2, Lazy resounding drums with bongo. Step 3, Get Victoria Bergsman from Taken By Trees to lay down her angelic soaring vocals over it all. Result?
RIP Denis Wielemans, the drummer from Belgian garage pop band Girls in Hawaii who was killed in a car crash earlier this year. Definately grunge influenced with vocals remind me of Cobain in some songs (not in the following one though). However this song has a big distorted guitar riff that makes you want to through yourself around the place and do all the things you wish you'd done when you were younger.
Norwegian disco extraodinaire Lindstrøm first teamed up with Christabelle (Isabelle Sandoo) who you may know as Solale back in 2003 with the single 'Music (In My Mind)'. Since then he has 3 solo albums and numerous collaborations with Prins Thomas. Then finally, earlier this year a full album with Christabelle, Real Life Is No Cool was released.
The 4th celebration of live music courtesy of Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephans. Sŵn is pronounced 'soon' and it means sounds in Welsh. It takes place over a number of venues throughout Cardiff with each one providing a different atmosphere. This year saw Mancunian synthy indie band Egyptian Hip Hop, the distorted moody drone of Swans and an acoustic set from Cardiff's Kids in Glass Houses amoung many others. Sŵn gives a much needed injection of live music to a predominately dubstep raving student base. Only at festivals can you experience such a broad range of music and how lovely it is to have one in your own city during out of festie term time. Unfortunately I couldn't make the Thursday but here is a quick run down of some of the musical delights that I witnessed over the weekend.
Friday
Plyci
Cardiff Arts Institute kicked off Fridays Proceedings with some very interesting experimental dance music. Each bringing their own various sampler equipment. The north Walian Plyci came to the stage bringing his heavy saw tooth electro that chops and changes so much that it could be IDM. He finished off with a harmonious ambient song called Flump that has a floaty piano over Aphex-esque glitches, a really nice song that you can check out on his MYSPACE
Dam Mantle
Now this guy is a strange lad from Glasgow. The music is hectic, his movements even more erratic. He plays live guitar, sings live, bangs on a drum whilst looping it all and the result is a similar breed of music to Gold Panda. However, it wasn't quite there on the live performance, at times it could be abit of a mess, off time bangs on a single tom at random became abit annoying. There is alot of potential and the recorded stuff on his myspace is much more together and worth a listen.
Once a food colouring that has now been banned has taken the form of glitchy IDM. Some serious production going on here but unfortunately technical difficulties meant that literally everything was peaking and distorting. A somewhat disheartened Luke Williams at one point even left his decks to come out to the crowd to check that he wasn't imagining it. He played out the set and at some points you could hear some real genius and sometimes the distortion actually worked with the track. Anyway there's no distortion on the recorded stuff so check it.
Quinoline Yellow - Off Ground Touch
The Keys
Cardiff bred 60's garage rock band filled Y Fuwch Goch to capacity and were a great laugh. Sounded similar to Band of Skulls and BRMC at parts. At one point there was a progressive middle 8, almost post rock like which I thoroughly enjoyed. Trying to revive 60's rock could be dangerously tacky like a night out at Flares maybe but this payed off. Its not an attempt at going back in time, more an adaptation of the past. Check out the nice summery tune called Fire Inside on the Myspace.
Well if like me you were hanging from Friday, Alphabet Backwards tried to pick you up at CAI with some happy synth pop. The guy on the old school 80's synths was the real talent and also the drummer was remarkable especially for an indie pop band. There is a male and a female singer who had a strange relationship as it appeared the lyrics were about each other yet there was not much interaction between them. There were some lyrical issues aswell, one song was actually about Primark. Although a good singer, his cockney was abit too Ordinary Boys for me but I wont be too harsh as they were entertaining.
One of the highlights of the festie was Tom Gray from Gomez. A very likable musician who provided not only great acoustic versions of Gomez songs but also humoured the audience with his dry wit and anecdotes. I think CAI was a perfect venue for him as the chemistry between him and the crowd was jovial and removed any awkwardness an intimate venue can have. He helped to laugh of the hangover and set me up for the rest of the days adventures.
All the way from Memphis Tennessee this young surf pop band look set to be following in The Drums footsteps who interestingly played at Sŵn festival last year.
A little treat was install for all who could make it into the cramped Model Inn. The last band of the event were suitably chosen to make swn go out with a bang. The atmosphere was one of anticipation as Islet are a well established Cardiff band and I think most people knew what to expect. It was loud, really loud, and very exciting. Its hard to say 'front man' as everyone switches instruments and roles but the curly haired guy from Attack and Defend was the most energetic, climbing on the speakers, jumping off the walls, drumming on the ceiling beams, the lot. The band is quite percussion orientated with various members banging away whilst jumping around on their feet. The crowd were right involved, in unison with the band, moshing appropriately at each crescendo and waiting anxiously in the high tension interludes. A hugely exciting band that are definately going places.
