HOT CHIP WHY MAKE SENSE?
Josh
Previously, Hot Chip have represented a symbiotic musical relationship, a salvo of club beats and sharp synths mixing with sultry vocals and touching lyrics. However, on this record, Why Make Sense?, it's the human side that takes precedent. Tis manifests in many ways throughout the album, but is most clear on the song White Wine and Fried Chicken, a R&B pastiche featuring a Vocoder voice track. Tat's not to say there aren't moments where their dance influences shine through, with single Need You Now boasting a killer sample of Sinnamon's 1983 track I Need You Now, making it an instant party hit. While there are good dance tracks on here, very few reach the heights of Need You Now, often becoming repetitive, or stuck to one idea. Started Right has a catchy chorus and Dark Night has dark, disco vibes but both are hit and miss, perhaps trying too hard to blend genres, instead of letting it come together naturally. Tis is consolidated on the last track Why Make Sense, which blends the two styles, with soaring synths and tender 'oddball's lament' lyrics. On this album, Hot Chip try new genres, but unfortunately don't try anything stratospherically different.
THE VACCINES ENGLISH GRAFFITI
Sam
Tere’s a part of me that feels it’s a shame Te Vaccines’ second album took ownership of the title Come of Age. Arriving over two and a half years after that release – pretty much a lifetime in Vaccine time – English Graffiti is upon us and feels a substantially more matured piece of work than the 2012 album ever did. Not that you’d notice to begin with. Leading track Handsome is all ‘Ah, this is Te Vaccines’, back again with the speeding garage rock that propelled them into the public eye. But then Dream Lover lands and it’s ‘Oh, is... is this Te Vaccines?’. From that point an album emerges which subverts expectations and turns into something worth caring about. Between the infectious simplicity of Denial and the slow dance that is Maybe I Could Hold You it’s a piece swimming in deliberate style. Te band have already stated they’re aiming for something that will age horribly and you can be sure it will. Already I see the raised, deriding eyebrows of the children forced to listen to this in fifteen years time as Mum or Dad have a throwback Saturday afternoon. And it should be loved for this.
HUDSON MOHAWKE LANTERN
Maiya
Taking a step back from his previous hard hitting crowd pleasers, Hudson Mohawke sets out to rekindle the fire which broke through the walls of stereotypical electronic music. Songs such as 'Ryderz' and 'Lantern' are heavy hearted, acknowledging the endless possibilities of the genre. After listening to the album a few times, it is clear Mohawke has used the structure of this album to his advantage. With such varying songs, it is impossible not be drawn in by the range of sounds, samples and voices of each featured artist. Tis in turn captures the movement and energy of the album which reflects the passion for creation, and more so the desire to continue to break through the constraints of conventional music. At times this becomes overwhelming, teetering on the line of becoming too intense. Understandably, the eagerness to evoke this within music would still be a priority, however to recreate something incredibly magical more than once is hard to achieve and can miss the mark at times. It is with no doubt these 14 tracks will stun anyone who is already a fan of Mohawke's work - he is a bright flame at the forefront of contemporary music.
38 / May 2015/
outlineonline.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64