MYSTERY JETS CURVE OF THE EARTH
Alex
A long decade on since their jaunty debut Making Dens, London’s most underrated indie darlings Mystery Jets have finally come of age. Curve of the Earth sees the five piece return in a refreshing flourish of spacey prog rock, streets away from the classic Americana sound of their 2012 effort Radlands. Telomerekicks off the madness from a dizzying peak, Blaine Harrison’s charming vocals soaring over repetitive scratchy guitars before Bombay Bluebrings in a calmer sound, with downbeat acoustic guitars and a catchy and enchanting chorus.Midnight’s Mirror is dystopian and eerie whilst Blood Red Balloonintersects foot-tapping verses with the Jets’ signature choral vocals, clocking in at almost seven minutes but keeping focus until the very end with oozing effects and humming synthesizers. In keeping with the record’s extra-terrestrial ethos,Saturnine rekindles the sense of experiencing some higher force as Harrison recalls some “distant star in two lovers’ eyes” before hypnotic guitar feedback and buzzing keyboards melt away into the sleepy percussion. “Won’t it be strange to see how we change when we’re all grown up? Yes I hope I end up with you”, Harrison croons on Te End Up, closing a fantastically effervescent album with the sentimental, delicate touch it deserves.
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT WHITE BEAR
Sam
Difficult second album and all that? Te Temperance Movement are having none of it. If the debut of 2011 arrived as a defibrillator-in-disguise for a genre that seemed out of time and out of place then 2015’s White Bear comes as ample proof that the recovery is in good hands. Trowing all of that momentum into this record the five-piece bring something bigger, better, bolder, and Phil Campbell wastes no time tearing into the words of opener Tree Bulleits like he’s been starved of lyrical sustenance for the last four years. From here it’s all guitar squeals and smoky blues beats and, probably, plays out pretty much how you’d hope – with some surprises thrown in along the way. Tere’s something infectious running through the soul of Get Yourself Free and Oh Lorrainedrops a huge Kasabian-esque vibe right in the middle of things. Te chaps like to dip into softer territory at times and here it can be hit and miss; it saps from what titular track White Bear could have been but drapes I Hope I’m Not Losing My Mindin quiet power. Some you win, some you lose. Gladly, Temperance are almost always winning.
CHRISTINE AND THE
QUEENS CHALEUR HUMAINE David
Not so much a new album, more a revised version of Chaleur Humaine, the 2014 French top ten album from the androgynous alter-ego of 27 year old Héloïse Letissier. Letissier has always combined her native French with English in her writing, but for this release lyrics on some tracks were completely re-worked, and titles even changed, for the US – the defining trackChristinebecomes Tilted, for example. Two tracks from the original album have been dropped completely in order to make way for three earlier releases to be airlifted in, including the two American collaborations –Jonathan (with Perfume Genius), and No Harm Is Done(with rapper Tunji Ige). Letissier's voice lies somewhere between Lorde, Lykke Li and Soak, although the visceral sound still reminds of electro sweethearts Oh Wonder. Te live male- suited persona, and the slick videos almost excuse the Jackson comparisons, although the whole package is more akin to a 21st Century re-construction of Laurie Anderson, with songs dealing defiantly with gender fluidity and anti- stereotyping. Jane Birkin or Charlotte Gainsbourg this certainly ain't. Buy this now, or wait for the inevitable French deluxe edition of the original release. Either way, you will not be disappointed. Magnifique.
44 / February 2015/
outlineonline.co.uk
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