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April 21, 2017April 21, 2017

ALBUM: Risk to Exist – Maxïmo Park

Words by Damien Russell / Pic by Ed Taylor

Those of you who know Maxïmo Park’s back catalogue will know they are a band who’ve had a little bit of everything over the years: diversity and cohesion, political and emotional, good reception and bad. It would be fair to say that their latest album, Risk to Exist, might be something of an unknown.

The first thing I should say is that this review will contain spoilers. So stop reading now if mystery is something you need in your life before you listen. The reason I say that is that while Risk To Exist has many elements, subtlety is not among them; it would impossible to do any comprehensive review without giving at least some of the game away.

Okay, so the nod to mystique done. Risk To Exist is an 11-song rollercoaster of an album that is instantly recognisable as being Maxïmo Park. Also this is a political record, and it’s clear to see that in the world according to Maxïmo Park politics is in a bad way.

There is a change in mood and emotion in the lyrics as you listen through the record, but also the consistent feeling of dissatisfaction and negativity. Almost at times like moving through the five stages of grief, perhaps missing out the bargaining stage. There is a bouncy melancholy to the album’s opener, ‘What Did We Do to Deserve This’, and the closing track ‘Alchemy’ has a feeling of resignation and being thankful for what you have that rounds the whole thing off nicely. The middle is a melee of anger, confusion and disappointment, with a side order of resentment for good measure.

Of course all of those negative emotions are tempered by Maxïmo Park’s sound and musical style, so an angry song (lyrically) is at times wrapped in a bouncy 80’s synth-pop style; ‘What Did We Do to Deserve This’ is a great example.

That’s not to say the band’s sound hasn’t evolved; through the album Maxïmo Park are both of, and outside, ‘their time’ in equal measure. They capture that early ‘00s Alt-Pop sound and then slide into an 80’s synth-fest, rolling back out again to give a nod towards the rock stylings we all know from ‘Our Velocity’.

It would be overstating to say that the changes in sound are seamless and it would be easy for a casual listener to hear a ‘collection of songs’ rather than an album. But it became clear to me while listening to Risk to Exist that the subject matter brings the whole thing together in a clever way. Although I wonder if the presentation might make this record become dated more quickly, and there are times I found myself listening and wishing that the lyrics had been made a bit less obvious to give more room for interpretation and for me, the listener, to put a bit of myself into what I was hearing. I hesitate to use the word ‘preachy’ but I was thinking it at times; perhaps that will divide listeners, riling those of a different opinion.

I’ve always been a fan of politics and music working side by side, to try to affect positive change. But there is a difference between encouraging unity and positive action and railing against a mood and time that you don’t agree with. Personally I think Risk To Exist has crossed into the latter, which does dilute the message a little.

In summary, Risk to Exist is a good album. Perhaps not a great album, but there are a few tracks on it that I would listen to over and over. My personal favourites are ‘What Did We Do to Deserve This’, which I mentioned earlier, and ‘Work and Then Wait’ – a mid-album track that could definitely be another single, and quite a successful one too.

It will be interesting to see what their overt political leanings bring to the live stage as Maxïmo Park tour their sixth studio album across the UK. Birmingham get’s its first chance to find out on the 5^th of May at the O2 Institute, then again at the inaugural Beyond the Tracks festival on Sat 16^th September.

‘Risk to Exist’ – Maxïmo Park

Risk to Exist by Maxïmo Park is out on general release from 21^st April, via Cooking Vinyl. For more on Maxïmo Park, visit www.maximopark.com

For more on Maxïmo Park at the O2 Institute, including venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham/events/928783/maximo-park-tickets

For more on Maxïmo Park at Beyond the Tracks, visit www.beyondthetracks.org

April 21, 2017April 21, 2017

EP: Feel OK – GIRLI

Words by Ed King

The first time I saw GIRLI I thought she was a joke – a clever pastiche of ‘yoof culture darn sarf’ by a fresh faced character actor in their twenties. Then I saw Milly Toomey stand up in parliament and deliver a cohesive rib dig at the spectre of nepotism and the responsibility of each school to support each student. So… not a joke then.

Today GIRLI (as Ms Toomey is currently standing up to be counted by) releases her Feel OK EP – a three track studio based record, featuring some respectable names from the UK grime scene: Lethal Bizzle, King Henry, Diztortion. Google.

Opening with ‘Not That Girl’, the EP’s lead single that came out in earlier in the year, the most immediate impression is pace. Far from the ‘raucous whirlwind of teenage chaos’ of GIRLI’s live shows, or the electronic cacophony and high pitched vocals of her previous singles, the beat confidently saunters behind an almost patios pentameter. It’s good stuff, clear and confident. And regardless of what you may/may not have thought of GIRLI before, lyrically astute.

The EPs second track, ‘Feel OK’, steps back to a more direct melody based pop rap hybrid. Fair enough, we’ve all got to sell units. But by the time MC Bizzle is telling me about “chilling on a sofa” I’ve started to switch off. If you can get past the 1min 47sec mark then make your own mind up… and I’m sure that you will.

‘Find My Friends’, the final part of this teen triptych and a three and a half minute monologue on a somewhat darker edge, is the glacier cherry on this overtly pink trifle.

Literally and figuratively walking us through the disappointment of an over hyped house party, dodging dodgy dealers and garrulous egos, GIRLI carries her acerbic torch room to room and out onto the street again. It’s intelligent, witty and recognisable to anyone over the age of fourteen. And whilst this caustic commentary won’t make you popular, when you’re challenging both your peers and the establishment (dressed head to toe in pink or leopard print) integrity can be a useful place to fall back on.

But the joke, it seems, continues to stalk Ms Toomey; GIRLI is out on tour with Declan McKenna later this year, with nothing but age tying them to a bill poster (O2 Institute 24^th May).

But I’m older, a professional cynic and not GIRLI’s target demographic on PMR Records’ marketing plan (at least, I fucking hope I’m not) so it doesn’t matter what raises a wry smile from me.

The important thing here is that pop, with all its garish forms of hell sent harpies, may have found a decent female role model – complete with enough strength, sparkles and swear words to galvanise the right people at the right places.

And whilst John Bercow is probably safe from fielding another well phrased tongue lashing, something tells me GIRLI has more significant comments to proffer. By pop record or youth parliament, they’ll no doubt reach us one way or another.

‘Not the Girl’ – GIRLI

Feel OK EP by GIRLI is out on general release from 21^st April through PMR Records. For more on GIRLI, visit www.girlimusic.com

April 7, 2017April 7, 2017

BREVIEW: ‘Shoulda’ – Call Me Unique

Words by Ed King

It’s been a few years since Call Me Unique released her Urban Gypsy EP – the sterling 7 track mark in the sand that got crossed fingers everywhere twitching for an album. But the world is not fairy-tale with lottery ticket trees, and life got in the way. Relationship, representation, repatriation… radio silence.

But today, Friday 7^th April, in the year of our lord 2017, Call Me Unique has released ‘Shoulda’ – the first single off her upcoming Urban Gypsy II EP, set for release on 5^th May. Hallelujah. And the big question lurking behind every word is… was it worth the wait?

Yes, is the short answer. But ‘I’ll tell you why’ is where it gets interesting. And as the 4min self declaration of self determination unfolds, you’ll probably get spikes down your spine to illustrate my point. Honesty. Ah… that seven letter word that Call Me Unique has had in bucket loads ever since we first heard her perform ‘The Wife’ on Radio WM. But ‘Shoulda’ is something different, something visceral; it’s tough about being tough. It’s about fuck you and survival, and just typing these words brings a proud treble clef tear to my eye. Go and listen to it and you’ll see/hear what I mean.

Dark and brooding, in all the best ways you can be, ‘Shoulda’ opens with echoed effects and muffled kick drums, before Unique’s tempered vocals set a steady pace and start telling their story. The tone is similar to Urban Gypsy I but there’s a richer landscape. Unique’s lyrics have matured in three years too – whatever girl was behind the raw six string wonders that first introduced us to this artist, now stands as a woman who doesn’t need to shout to be heard.

The pace, alongside the lyrics, is another step up. There’s a control to it, a bravery; even when the rap gets delivered there is no edge of ego. Everything in this track has its place because that’s how it works. Because that’s what she came here to say. Confidence.

A lot of this, I suspect, has come from the production partnership with Ed Geater who has stepped behind the glass for Urban Gypsy II. Geater has done the job a producer should do – find the power in an artist, bring it out of them and onto a record. You get the sense the rest of the EP is going to have some colourful twists in it too.

But these plaudits have been heard before and Call Me Unique is arguably not where she should or deserves to be. Yet. The quality and evolution of ‘Shoulda’ sets a solid precedent, but it needs to be followed with an EP and album that will confidently dust off the cobwebs. This should, no ‘a’, be a strong year for Call Me Unique. Next stop May 5^th.

‘Shoulda’ – Call Me Unique

For more on Call Me Unique, visit www.callmeunique.com

March 13, 2017March 12, 2017

ALBUM: Semper Femina – Laura Marling

Words by Damien Russell

Laura Marling performs at the O2 Institute on Tuesday 14^th March, as presented by SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours. For direct gig info, including venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

Laura Marling, having lived in both the UK and the US, has a breadth of experience to draw on and has undoubtedly been exposed to a wide variety of musical genres, styles and eras. I say ‘undoubtedly’ because it’s all here for the listening in her new album, Semper Femina.

Over the course of Semper Femina we are treated to the jazz and blues undertones of opening track and first single ‘Soothing’, British folk stylings on ‘The Valley’, ‘Always This Way’ and ‘Wild Once’, Southern rock and blues on ‘Wildfire’ and ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ and a definite country twang to ‘Next Time’ and ‘Nouel’.

A wide and varied mix – one that would be easy to make jarring, but Marling flows from track to track without difficulty. Not seamlessly and certainly not in any kind of concept album style, but making the nine tracks feel like an album, not just a collection of songs.

One of the things that helps with that is the well crafted instrumentation; the string section, double bass, harmonies and guitar take turns in the limelight, rising and falling between tracks and making way for the next ‘lead’ in turn. This means that while the styles move quickly, the instrumentation moves more slowly creating a sense of harmony between the tracks. If deliberate (and I see no reason why it wouldn’t be) it’s masterful and great to see real thought put in to making an album in a world of single track downloads.

Of course nothing’s perfect, and while I absolutely appreciate (and support) the artistry and craftsmanship of Semper Femina I couldn’t help but feel that some of the tracks were too long. I hate to be the guy who complains about track length, and I will sit and listen to 7/8 minute songs when the content is there, but some songs felt more like a set sequence of sections repeated just one too many times for me. If we could have lost thirty seconds off a few of the longer tracks and got one more song on the album; that would have been preferred.

When it comes to individual songs, in so many ways, the album opener is the most important and ‘Soothing’ is a fantastic choice for Semper Femina. One of the strongest tracks on the album, it channels a funky vibe that I could only describe as being what I imagine a Morcheeba/Gotye collaboration might be like. A total winner for me.

Contrastingly, the last track on the album, ‘Nothing, Not Nearly’, is jarring and not to my taste. It comes so close to working itself out but still, unfortunately, so far. I found myself ending Semper Femina and playing ‘Soothing’ again just to keep that positive vibe in my mind. And while each track has its own merits the other outstanding song on Semper Femina for me is ‘Wildfire’, which gave me a real Janis Joplin vibe underneath the definite Laura Marling vibe.

Overall Semper Femina a cracking album; in no way do the few bad points outweigh the good. It’s a fantastic demonstration of Laura Marling‘s talent and feels like considerable effort and thought have gone into the bigger picture, as well as each individual song. Semper Femina is certainly a record that will stay in my playlist and I can’t wait to see some of these tracks brought to life on the O2 Institute stage.

‘Soothing’ – Laura Marling (directed by Laura Marling)

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Laura Marling performs at the O2 Institute on Tuesday 14^th March, as presented by SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours. For direct gig info, including venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

Semper Femina by Laura Marling was released on 10^th March 2017 by More Alarming Records via Kobalt Music Recordings. For more on Laura Marling, visit www.lauramarling.com

February 24, 2017March 6, 2017

ALBUM: Broken Glances – The Pigeon Detectives

The Pigeon Detectives will be playing at the O2 Institute on 8th March, as presented by Birmingham Promoters. For direct gig info and online ticket sales, click here.

Words by Michelle Martin

In all seriousness… where have ten years gone?

It’s been a surprising decade since Wait for Me, The Pigeon Detectives’ platinum-selling debut album. But hitting double figures in the game clearly hasn’t stopped the indie five piece from Rothwell. After a four year break of flying around the festival circuit and UK venues, they’re back with their fifth studio album, Broken Glances, available through Dance to Radio Records from February 24^th.

A slicker, much evolved combination of vocals, synths and drums, Broken Glances is different from their previous work. The Pigeon Detectives‘ new sound is welcoming. However, I’m having overall mixed feelings about Broken Glances – it seems as if two albums had been merged into one.

The smooth, mature sound from opening track ‘Wolves’ makes you immediately question whether it’s a Pigeon Detectives’ record, with a promising new sound and possible next step for the group. The effects of producer Richard Formby appeared to have rubbed off on the band, with beautiful floaty vocals from lead singer Matt Bowman on ‘Munro’.

‘Falling in Love’ and ‘Sounding the Alarm’ are also standouts from the album – I’m unashamedly admitting to overplaying these tracks – with a stronger assortment of pulsating synths, soothing piano melodies and soft echo vocals. ‘Falling in Love’ is a far cry from the album tracks on Wait for Me and Emergency.

When ‘Stay with Me’ bombarded my headphones with strong drones of electronic and guitars, I thought a snippet from a Daft Punk demo has slipped in before it switched to an uplifting indie rock number. Although you know a song is good when it gets you up and commencing a new dance number in your bedroom.

‘Lose Control’ felt displaced, along with ‘Postcards’ and ‘Change my World’ – the final tracks on the album, which appeared to have very similar guitar intros. I admit to feeling uninterested; ‘Lose Control’ obliterating my ears with a bass heavy track and strong dance elements, which felt the most out of place.

Although prominently stronger elements are featured on the album, The Pigeon Detectives are arguably struggling to find their sound on Broken Glances. Moving in the right direction, just perhaps a more solid fluidity is required.

‘Enemy Lines’ – The Pigeon Detectives

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The Pigeon Detectives release Broken Glances on Friday 24^th February, out via Dance to the Radio. For more on The Pigeon Detectives, visit www.thepigeondetectives.com

For more on Dance to the Radio, visit www.dancetotheradio.com