EVERYTHING EVERYTHING GET TO HEAVEN
Josh
I have a soft spot for this band. Way back in 2013, a musically virginal Josh Whitmore entered the LCR for the first time to see Everything Everything, and has been converted ever since. Tis album opens with nothing but Johnathan Higgs’ vocals over some quiet synths, the intro track To Te Blade builds, with Higgs throwing accusations at you “So you called him a liar, you called him a piece of dirt”. Each song on this album feels like an attack, aimed at a different person each time. Te pounding beat of Blast Doors burns consumerism as Higgs shouts “Let’s shoot a starving porno for the yuppies in a circle”. Every word is filled with a hate that is absent on previous EE albums. Te single Regret with its infectious vocal refrain and caveman-like drums is a perfect approximation in EE’s new sound. Unfortunately, Te track Zero Pharaoh, whilst interesting instrumentally, has easily the least interesting lyrics on the album. Tere is a certain anger here, one that beats through all of these songs. If this album was written about the end of our world, then the end of the world has never sounded so good.
THE NIGHTINGALES MIND OVER MATTER
Pavlis
Last year's excellent For Fuck’s Sake deserved a far larger audience than the lucky 600 that managed to get the limited release. For this follow-up, post-punk semi-legends and "the misfit's misfits" Te Nightingales join up with John Robb's Louder Tan War for a wider release. Troughout, Lloyd, Apperley, drummer/vocalist Fliss Kitson and bassist/producer Andreas Schmid make a wonderful racket, rooted in (but never limited by) rock 'n' roll bombast, glam stomp and punk sneer, with small but significant injections of swing, doo-wop and 60s girl group harmonising.With an album this strong there are no lows but then it is impossible to pick a highlight. Te interplay between the vox of Lloyd and Kitson is simply glorious on Te Man Tat Time Forgot and Bit of Rough. Taffy Come Home references Ballroom Blitz and Crazy Horses and takes them in unexpected new directions. For Different Folks and Stroke of Genius veer into psyche-motorik-garage territory. With its spoken word, mockumentary style Gales Doc is laced with a wit so dry it is positively desiccated whilst Great British Exports addresses the age of empire in scathing style. So, an instant classic. Go and get it.
BRANDON FLOWERS THE DESIRED EFFECT
Maddie
Te Killers peaked in 2006. Hot Fuzz was a gentle and friendly intro to the Killers and Flowers’ unique vocals, lulling us in with tambourines and Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll. Sam’s Town knocked it out the park. Te world wasn’t ready though. Flowers started writing hits at a rate of knots. Too fast, in fact, for the band, so he has been moonlighting as a solo artist. And it’s good. Te album’s opener Dreams Come True is perhaps one of the record’s weakest tracks. Singles Can’t Deny My Love and 1980s Madonna-esque I Can Change will drag you back in, and everything falls into place. Tere’s an 80s pop theme throughout, with synths, airy vocals and even a Pet Shop Boy. Te combination of familiar vocals, bizarre lyrics, and electro-pop is definitely working. Apparently Te Desired Effect is what the Killers second album was supposed to be. Maybe the world wasn’t ready for this sort of sound nine years ago, but the general reaction to the first couple of singles suggests that the world is definitely ready now. For the record, I’m still all about Sam’s Town. Sorry Brandon.
44 / June 2015/
outlineonline.co.uk
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