autobuffet

Review - Fear of Music: 'Actor/Actress'

2008-09-24T20:40:00.008+01:00

Gawky teens unite!

After years cultivating a rabid fanbase with their arresting combination of epic guitar noise and promising experimental leanings, Fear of Music are ready to release their debut album, a forty minute mission statement that manages to consolidate their achievements thus far and point the way forward. Or at least, that’s how the story should go, were it not for yet another major label deciding that investing in and then nurturing new talent is a silly idea. ‘Actor/Actress’ is fully formed, complete but stillborn. It’s been cancelled and now exists only in digital and promo form, which makes its high quality all the more tragic.

No one can be quite sure why Sony decided to chew off its own tail with this one; there are singles and hooks aplenty; some have even been flattened out and overproduced the way mainstream radio loves. ‘First To Go’ is a bitter two minutes of sarcastic power-pop, with vocalist Jo Rose sounding far more disillusioned than his years might qualify. The band have drawn comparison to Muse, but their bombast doesn’t seem wilful or showy like that band, and though the lyrics occasionally colour themselves with seven shades of the apocalypse, they are anything but trite.

Instead, they burn with a passion and intensity; a little arrogance, a little fire; all heart. The sheer power gained from sometimes deceptively simple arrangements and little shoegazey touches push the record above the current crop of indie landfill, while the fierce determination to make a point and make it loud is commendable. ‘Skin & Bones’ the haunting body-image dirge of 2005’s self-titled EP has been tweaked and smoothed out, yet still retains its acidic bite. ‘Make Believe’ is a muted, drum-machine led bad dream that rises and threatens but never climaxes or crescendos, sinister and sombre.

This is very clearly a debut album; it pushes in several directions and often misses the mark (‘Put the Lights Out’ is a bit of faux-classical twinkling too far, while the amps-to-eleven ‘Let’s Make This Into A Movie!’ Borders on pastiche), but then, all the best debuts do. By all means, it’s far from a perfect record, but it’s a fantastic snapshot of a young, hungry band ready to conquer the world, armed with a few years and a lot of talent under their collective belt. If Fear of Music can survive without Sony (and if there’s any justice in the world, they can), then whatever they do next could be truly brilliant. Here’s to hoping that a record label with the attention span of a goldfish (see also Hope Of The States’ embarrassing compromise and brutal demise) hasn’t killed off one of British music’s brightest young hopes.

Verdict: 'Sony = Knobjoys' B-

Review: R.E.M. - Accelerate

2008-07-26T13:25:00.006+01:00

R.E.M. in visibly happier times

The massively overtold story in the music press is that R.E.M. have been rubbish if not since Automatic for the People then at least since drummer Bill Berry left in 1997 and that Accelerate is the album that finally has them sounding good again.

To be honest, that's not strictly true. While R.E.M. have gone through a few chameleonic shifts in sound since their 1992 watermark, they have never been anything less than interesting, and the turn of the century twin electronic-tinged albums 'Up' and 'Reveal' stand among their finest work, if not their most cohesive or impulsive.

A more accurate story, if one really needs to be written to make these things interesting, would be that their last record, the flabby and sometimes soulless 'Around The Sun' was an uncharacteristic dip for the band and so 'Accelerate' is in fact just R.E.M. getting back on track. This is, lest we forget, their fourteenth record, and to have only one bad record out of fourteen is pretty exceptional for any band.

Nevertheless, 'Accelerate' is a very different beast from its three predecessors. It's faster and much shorter, for a start; their shortest record yet, in fact. It's a rediscovery of the the 'less is more' post-punk aesthetic that R.E.M. were raised upon. It's a loud, chest-beating guitar record, political, sarcastic, wide-eyed and hopeful.

It touches upon almost everything that's great about R.E.M.; you get Mike Mills providing more backing vocals than he has in a long time, Peter Buck jangling and crunching more than he has in a long time, and Micheal Stipe singing about things that really, genuinely piss him off more than he has since 'Document'.

I say almost everything, however, because while this record is strong and tough like the Milkybar kid, it is lacking in terms of emotional intensity, like the Milkybar kid. Beyond the twin peaks of the angry 'Living Well's The Best Revenge' and the straight-up hopefest of 'I'm Gonna DJ', there's not a whole lot of emotional variation; there's not a whole lot of beauty. True, 'Sing For the Submarine' has waves of haunting backing vocals set to an 'Up'-style waltz, but the record is for a very specific, charged-up mindset. The trade-off is thus; you get the best R.E.M. record for a fair old while, but you have to be 100% in the right mood for it. You have to be gutted at the state of the world but not too downtrodden and for some people, that's probably a difficult proposition.

It's great news that R.E.M. have decided to play to their strengths instead of always trying to fight them, but they shouldn't forget that they picked up a few really interesting tricks in the past decade that they shouldn't need to apologise for, even if they didn't always signal commercial success.

Review: Colin MacIntyre - The Water

2008-07-10T11:03:00.005+01:00

Colin MacIntyre (right) and Tony Benn (left).

For those not paying attention, Colin MacIntyre is the new name for Mull Historical Society, those turn-of-the-century indie darlings who cranked out three albums of gorgeous, if hopelessly uncool orchestral pop. Turns out they were in fact a one-man band, or Colin with session musicians. This would make the first album from Colin MacIntyre in fact the fourth album from Mull Historical Society, and while Colin insists it's business as usual, there's a clear break from the past here and not always for the better.

While 'less is more' seems to have dominated the construction of these songs, the new focus does mean that some of the quirky charm of the past three records is lost, meaning that some who loved the eccentricity of tracks like 'Watching Xanadu' or 'Death of a Scientist' will feel a little let down by the straight forward, slightly trite rock of 'Be My Saviour', which seems to have been flattened out from it's rather exciting demo form.

However, there's always the argument that MacIntyre is simply letting the songs speak for themselves rather than resorting to studio trickery to sell himself. Certainly, the strength of bare bones folky tracks like 'The Water' or 'I Don't Have You To Ask' and the sheer pop brilliance of the snarling, heat magazine-bashing 'Famous for Being Famous' demonstrate that however he dresses it up, MacIntyre is just a great songwriter.

Regardless, it's a very moreish album, and seems to have been paced pretty perfectly. He's learned not to overstrech himself too; 'Loss' and 'Us' could feel flabby at times, but 'The Water' doesn't overstay its welcome. It's hard not to like this record, but you can't help but feel that tracks like 'Pay Attention to the Human' and 'Faith Number Two' verge on the wrong side of dull prog rock without the usual lighthearted touches. If MacIntyre can successfully combine his serious and silly side on the next record, he'd really be onto a winner.

Verdict: 'Watery!' B-

Special notice: Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been moving house! I'm wading through the backlog and preparing the July mixtape. xx

Review: Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends

2008-06-22T21:17:00.005+01:00

My set text for History this year, inspired by Coldplay.

Oh lord, I really didn't want to find myself liking this album, but I knew I probably would. 'Viva La Vida' is a good record, and there's absolutely no way I can save face by pretending it's not. I've skirted around the issue in my head all week: how am I going to confess that this is just quite good? I can't. Hands up, confession; I liked it.

For the record, I hated 'X&Y' and I'd basically say it's a distillation of everything detestable about Coldplay; it strived to be serious and epic (read: bluster) but came off trite, patronising and far too long, as if the band had completely failed to edit out anything superfluous. 'Viva La Vida' on the other hand, is the record Coldplay probably should have made after 'A Rush of Blood To The Head'.

At a brisk 45 minutes, other than the quite tiresome first half of 'Lovers In Japan' (a bit too 'X&Y'), there's nothing that makes me wince or grind my teeth in the way that record did. In fact, rather than simply sticking synths over everything and messing around with effects pedals, Coldplay seem to have decided they do want to move out of their comfort zone and artfully mess things up a bit, which does actually play to unexpected hidden strengths.

There are all manner of left-turns; 'Yes' is half sleazy then suddenly turns shoegazey, 'Lost!' is anthemic Coldplay that doesn't think it's changing the world and the closer 'Death and All His Friends' turns from a cutesy piano number into an Arcade Fire chant. Even a straight-up love song like 'Strawberry Swing' sounds beautiful, largely thanks to buried vocals, spacious Eno production and Chris Martin's refusal to slip back into stupid 'Fix You' platitudes. Importantly, this doesn't sound like the band forcing itself to itself to 'get clever'; it feels natural and right.

Make no mistake, there's nothing on here that will change the way you think about music, but there are quite possibly ten tracks that will change the way you think about Coldplay.

Verdict: "No, really." B+

Operation: Buy the Coldplay record

2008-06-17T18:40:00.008+01:00

"We caught the bastard; 4 Coldplay EPs and a truckload of Keane live cuts."

Today I bought the new Coldplay record. But shh.

I figured, if I was going to review one of the year's most talked-about albums, I should probably own it rather than steal it. This involved half an hour of hovering in HMV Earlsfield waiting for the least-cool member of staff to be on the till, at which point I muttered something apologetic about how it was 'for a friend' before insisting that I had a bag.

It's a shame really; I quite like Coldplay, in the same way I quite like cheesecake. I wouldn't eat a lot of it, but every so often it's great. I'll review the record once I've lived with it for a bit. It's got to be better than X and Y, at any rate, but then, so is ricin-based mouthwash.

To balance out my 'conforming to the man', I also impulse bought the Youthmovies record, 'Good Nature'. Impulse buys tend to split me, I either love them or hate them, but we'll see.

Review: DUELS - The Barbarians Move In

2008-06-15T14:06:00.002+01:00

The barbarians move in mysterious ways

This is a brilliant, brilliant record. That such an accomplished, diverse and different record could come from a band that many had pigeonholed as post-britpop throwbacks is pretty staggering in itself. DUELS' first record, 'The Bright Lights & What I Should Have Learned' was shiny and scary and altogether pretty great, but nothing quite prepares you for the tribal howling of 'The Barbarians Move In'.

The chanting and whistling wind of 'The Furies', the glam-stomp of 'Regeneration', the distorted hymn 'The Wild Hunt', the heart shattering 'The First Time / The Last Time' and the record's funereal title track; not a single track approaches a misfire. Crashing percussion, wiry vocals and obnoxious guitars are recurring motifs here; it sounds messy and scarily focussed all at once. The prevailing mood is being boxed in, a sinister, bubbling beligerence waiting to kick off and break some backs.

And all of this without once getting pretentious; this is a pop record. An unhinged, evil, self-produced one, but a record with choruses and tunes and other such angelic features keeping it anchored. Really, this is a record to buy now, listen to twenty times and change your name to DUELS. If that sounds fanboyish, then so be it. DUELS deserve your passionate, squalid love.

Verdict: "Barbaric!" A+

Exclusive DUELS interview and MP3s here

Review: Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles

2008-06-15T12:58:00.002+01:00

Ooh look, we've got no faces, we MUST be cool. And they are.

Ah, Crystal Castles, how I long to stick the knife in. I really really hate you both. Whether it's Alice being rude to an acquaintance at New Slang in Kingston or the way Ethan Kath looked me up and down and smirked at the same gig, or the way there's a whole website devoted to your alleged plagiarism, I still can't knock your quite-good-actually record, which has been out for a while.

Essentially the soundtrack to my childhood (read: Gameboy) with teenage wailing all over it and choppy beats here and there, the record does get quite samey after a while but there are some really "bangin'" "tunes" to be enjoyed for those who like a good toe-tap once in a while. Don't get me wrong, it's not the future of music1111!!!1one, but it's almost certainly a better record than I wanted it to be.

The shoegazey 'Tell Me What To Swallow' is the most surprising track on here because it sounds nothing like the rest of the album; if you can't stand the thrashy, trashy lo-budget electronica on offer elsewhere, you might like this. 'Black Panther' and 'Knights' are bassy and big and, if Crystal Castles could knock out a few more like those, then they'd be doing alright. Surprisingly, it's actually one of the few records I find myself putting on again after it's finished.

They live to die another day, then. Bastards.

Verdict: "Lucky!" B-

Live Review: Colin Macintyre w/ The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, The Electric City @ London Borderline, May 8th, 2008

2008-06-15T12:34:00.000+01:00

'Intimate' is the word for The Borderline, basically an underground pub that's hosted, among others, Jeff Buckley and R.E.M. on the cusp of success. While that can often be a byword for 'toilet', Borderline manages to get the balance just about right. Enough dirt under your fingernails for it to feel authentic, without inducing vomiting. Always a good sign.

The Electric City, haircutting it up

Moving away from bodily functions for just a moment, The Electric City kicked off the evening's festivities with a set that comprised of agitated, American-leaning stadium rock with haircuts. Overtones of Bloc Party and a considerable debt to Muse, they were tight and obviously passionate, but you couldn't help but feel their arrogance wasn't quite matched by their talent. No doubt with time they could develop a style more of their own, but they probably still need to get over that initial buzz of just being a band.

The snappily-titled Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Next up, and after an eternity of getting the gear set up, Denmark's less conventional The Asteroids Galaxy Tour played their first UK show with a menagerie of horns, tambourines and a quirky, Bjork-esque frontwoman, with some obvious fire in her belly. Asteroids were really quite brilliant; I counted perhaps six on the Borderline's tiny karaoke stage and just the sight of them all brought a tear to the eye. Despite being a pretentious pratt with a book in his coat pocket, I found myself dancing along to their jazz-tinged indie, which seems to have cornered a market in sinister AND feelgood.

He's a star: ColMac in action

Headliner Colin MacIntyre, promoting, what is essentially the fourth Mull Historical Society record 'The Water' bounded onto the stage rather late, only after the crew had soundchecked all 5698 of his guitars, but opener You're A Star erupted triumphantly and all was forgotten. Following it up with his biggest (only?) hit, 2001's 'Watching Xanadu' was a risky move that actually paid off and the new record provided just the right variation to keep the set going, whether by the plaintive acoustic tones of the beautiful 'The Water' or by the more exasperated pop-rock of 'Be My Saviour'.

The new record's stripped-back approach worked wonders in a venue like The Borderline; the band sounded incredibly close-knit, and Colin himself graciously turned down requests from drunken, lovesick fans. 'Peculiar; lifted from third (and vastly underrated) record 'This Is Hope' and 2002's 'The Final Arrears' were glorious, and if the set sagged a little in the third quarter from some questionable sequencing, it ignited again with 'Stalker' which prompted as close to a mass singalong as anything tonight.

Finishing the set proper with the more proggy 'Pay Attention To The Human' provided a suitably epic way to go out and, with the voice of Tony Benn booming around the basement, Colin wandered off to thunderous applause, returning for a three-song encore that sealed the deal.

Resetting his career with a name-change and a cutback sound was a bold step for the Mull Historian, but tonight's performance proved that he's still got that spark and, with his own record label, and on his own terms, he's proving that you can teach an underdog all manner of new tricks.

Exclusive Interview: DUELS

2008-06-05T13:07:00.003+01:00

The best argument yet for facial hair

Duels might be the best band you’ve never heard of. Universally applauded (yes, other planets too) for their shiny, scary debut, an effortlessly brilliant piece of pop that almost nobody noticed, the Leeds heroes are back with a record that, promises frontman Jon Foulger, will be the sound of “nature fighting back”.

From their humble University beginnings, Duels (two Jons, two Jims and the occasional lady) have been all about the music. “We exchanged tapes, had a hug and formed a band...” Turning their backs on making Radio Four-style short plays, complete with “crunching gravel and squeaking doors”, Duels decided to make a break for brilliance, releasing the Britpop-as-the-sea-rises single ‘Potential Futures’ in 2005. Since then, they’ve supported fellow Leeds pop-purveyors Kaiser Chiefs, former blur guitarist Graham Coxon, opened T in the Park, crossed the pond to play SXSW and found time to record a debut album ‘The Bright Lights & What I Should Have Learned’ which was so brilliant it managed to scoop album of the week in the Guardian and the Sunday Times, not to mention a nudge and a wink from those acronyms of indie, XFM and NME. So why haven’t you heard of them yet?

Jon Foulger (think David Bowie’s wiry-voiced Just William-alike cousin) puts it down to label trouble, “Things went belly up with our label just after the first record was released,” he reflects. “And because of that there was no money to tour or to promote it - that simple really. It was disappointing.” That would explain why an album full of ecstatic yet exhausted singles, like ‘Animal’ or ‘The Monsters Are Loose’ aren’t inside your head, where they belong. Undeterred, the band set about working on a follow-up. After the neon lights of their debut, Jon says he wanted an album “more bloody and real”, and also “more human and natural than 'Bright Lights'. That was a synthetic sounding record which worked for those songs, but the new ones were much more grounded and based in the elements so we wanted to reflect that.”

Upping sticks to a converted barn on the North Sea Coast, in the middle of a “beautiful” winter, Duels found inspiration in their new surroundings. “It's right next the sea and just off the shore under the waves is a town called Auburn which disappeared into the water a couple of hundred years ago leaving just the chapel behind. The season and location had a massive impact on the album - it feels like I can see my breath every time I listen to it… People have told me it's a lot darker, I think it's definitely angrier but there's a lot more soul in it.” Listening to new tracks ‘Regeneration’ and ‘Sleeping Giants’, it’s clear that Jon speaks the truth. They’re still as catchy as hell, with waves of backing vocals and terrifying bass, but now they sound even more unhinged, even more likely to go postal. In their quiet moments too, they evoke a beauty that their peers simply can’t muster; they’re a pop band with substance, with heart and with (a possibly tortured) soul.

“The western world's become very practical,” muses John. “I was fascinated by the idea that years ago we were governed by these kind of beliefs, that were directly linked to the natural world - if you were guilty of something for example then your punishment was delivered by souls that travelled in the wind. The ideas were so dramatic and magical so, though the album is dark and dense - it's also got that magic in it there I think.” It’s this magic and mystery that make Duels so uniquely compelling.

They’re also very much a fan’s band. Their self-maintained website, duelsmusic.com released the new record on Valentine’s Day, as a kind of romantic meal for their lovers. Although the physical release just occured on thisisfakeDIY, Jon’s keen to stress the importance of the internet to the unit. “We had no intention to release the album physically at all until we were offered the chance to at the eleventh hour… We didn't want to start carting it around to see who was interested, then get involved in protracted negotiations to release it. The beauty of the way music works now is that you can now get your material out there to a great deal of people without the fuss.” Also worth checking out is their free online singles club ‘Little Monsters’, a masterclass in making the fans feel special.

Questions almost over, I try a bit of unprofessional stirring, trying to coax Jon into handbags at dawn with some other bands for a special Autobuffet DUELS vs. THE BEATLES SHOCKER!!!1, but can only manage to glean some enthusiasm for Vampire Weekend (reviewed below) and the Brooklyn scene, as well as a passing comment that the focus of the British music press remains “too narrow”, a criticism we could never level at a man who spends his time listening to Bjork, Robert Wyatt, Talking Heads and that other titan of the muso world, Britney. And what is he the most proud of?

“I'm proud that we're still going and making better and better music - we're learning all the time and I’ve never been more excited about what comes next. I'm proud of everyone in the band for believing in it through some difficult and testing times. It's turned into more than a band now, I think - it's a beast with its own free will.”

With that in mind, we can only hide under the duvet, clutching our hearts and sweating with worry about what this most brilliant of British bands might conjure up next.

Regeneration (2008)

The First Time / The Last Time (2008)

Into Gas (B-Side, 2006)

The Monsters Are Loose (Acoustic Session, 2006)

Review: Thom Yorke - The Eraser RMX

2008-06-05T12:57:00.003+01:00

Fact: I once high-fived myself when the optician said I might have a wonky eye

A Japan-only remix album might not sound like a tasty proposition, but RMX, the Companion to Thom Yorke’s 2006 record ‘The Eraser’ is at the very least an interesting curio. While Radiohead may have morphed into one of the biggest ‘rock’ bands in the world, it’s testament to their independent spirit that Yorke commissions some of the finest and most obscure stars of the electronica and remix scene to play around with the album. The results range from the improved (Four Tet’s take on ‘Atoms For Peace’ turns it from a meandering and dull album track to a surprisingly moving and airy number) to the pointless (Christian Vogel’s ‘bonus’ mix of ‘Black Swan’ is what the word dirge was invented for) and, though it’s a shame the album’s patchy sequencing doesn’t mirror the original, it’s definitely worth checking a few of these tracks out on iTunes, even if you don’t feel like splashing out on the import.

Verdict: "Glitchy!" C+

Review: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

2008-06-05T12:49:00.001+01:00

Vampire Weekend in full-on management video mode (Photo courtesy Columbia University)

It's been knocking around for a while, but this self-titled debut from Vampire Weekend is a record that’s very difficult to hate and definitely deserves a mention. It’s wordy, preppy and well-read but never strays into the kind of pretentious territory one might expect from literate indie. It displays the Brooklyn group’s knack for simple beat-tinged indie, with eleven tracks of jaunty, off-kilter and thoroughly addictive pop. With lush strings and a rhythm section to die for, listeners are treated to some brilliant, cutesy imagery; we hear of seductive professors, chemistry experiments gone awry, fashionistas and their mothers expressed through a shedload of exasperated, anthemic choruses. If there are any complaints, then a lack of variation might be pointed to, but this short, sharp and almost spontaneous first record looks set to make Vampire Weekend the loveable tykes of the year.

Verdict: "Beaty!" B+

Mixtape One - June '08

2008-06-02T21:54:00.000+01:00

This is the first Autobuffet monthly mixtape and it has a theme then it's anti-apathy; sharpening your arguments, keeping your eyes and ears open even if you hate what's in front of you, formulating your response and going for it, instead of just sitting around getting fatter. Chest-beating political songs are intensely annoying; these are more about a mood of rebellion than a specific event; timeless, if you will.

Mull Historical Society - This Is Not Who We Were
Taken from 'Loss' (2001)
Key Lyric: "This is not who we're meant to be."

R.E.M. - Fall On Me
Taken from Lifes Rich Pageant (1984)
Key Lyric: "We have found a way to talk around the problem."

Beck - Dark Star
Taken from The Information (2006)
Key Lyric: "The enemy's story is a lot like mine and if you get to the point you're doing better than I."

The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up - R.E.V.U.L.S.I.O.N
Taken from Picks Us Apart (2005)
Key Lyric: "There are so many more of us than there are of them."

Stars - Barricade
Taken from In Our Bedroom After The War (2007)
Key Lyric: "For the island, for the thrill of it; for everything that mattered."

Now It's Overhead - Believe What They Decide
Taken From Dark Light Daybreak (2006)
Key Lyric: "The bars you are behind don't care."

Elliott Smith - Junk Bond Trader
Taken from Figure 8 (2000)
Key Lyrics: "Rich man in a poor man's clothes / the permanent installment of the daily dose."

Wilco - Company In My Back
Taken from A Ghost Is Born (2004)
Key Lyrics: "I move so slow; steady crushing hand"

The Arcade Fire - Windowsill
Taken from Neon Bible (2007)
Key Lyrics: "I don't want it faster / I don't want it free."

The Dears - Ballad Of Humankindness
Taken from Gang Of Losers (2006)
Key Lyrics: "I can't believe I haven't lent a hand / That I'm just standing here"

Insert Correct Change

2008-06-02T21:42:00.000+01:00

Hello.
This is Autobuffet, my music vending machine for railway stations, airports and hospital waiting rooms. I'll try and post regular mp3 mixtapes, reviews and general musings up here for anyone who's interested in pretty sounds and such.
Don't spoil your dinner though! If you like a track I post up here, hunt the album down legally and support the artists!
Be good to yourselves and take it easy on the stairs.