Dreamy?

Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream *****



Oh cool MGMT! hang on? is probably what most people think when they take a look at this electro-indie duo who were silly clothes and are apparently "very very cool". But in truth Empire of the sun are slightly more than just a hanger on after NME named MGMT's Oracular Spectacular the cooles.. I mean Best album of 2008, They are comprised from that dude from The Sleepy Jackson (Good band) and the other guy who'se name i forget who was in Pnau and the predecessor to Ladyhawke with Pip Brown (so he gets the thumbs up too) And together they make synth tipped dreamy progpop. I first encountered title track and single Walking On A Dream about a year ago, i liked it, alot (this was when the whole world was having a wet dream about the frankly bland MGMT album) but then forgot about them untill i re-heard the song a few days ago, and set my computer to download mode to check it out.

Empire of the sun can be summed up pretty quickly, so i wont bore you and will keep it relativly short, the album has similar pitfalls to the band they so say their not MGMT. The album is half baked and inconsistent, which i probably put down to an eager record company rushing out an album to capitalise on there popularity, apart from the singles "Walking On A Dream" and "We Are The people" and the very dreamy instrumental "country" the album is just lacking, boring samey songs trudge onto each other, they are empty and hollow, just a series of irritating noises an attempts at making wierd electro pop, there is little sense of melody, Empire of the sun have produced 7 tracks of a monotone rainbow, its unpredictable and random, but not in a radiohead Blow-your-mind way, its just irritating, "Tiger By My Side" sounds like the Rocky Horror Show remixed by the Yea Yea Yea's after suffering brain aneurism's.

To sum up the pair have created a Mongrol, they dont know wheather to write melodic beauty like "Walking On A Dream" or just make camp irritating din. If this project had been channelled and worked on it could have been a work of art, instead its a mess among synth 80's pop revival masterpieces like the aformentioned Yea Yea Yea's latest outing.

And Oh, three words THE POSTAL SERVICE

Essential Tracks - Walking On A Dream, We Are the People

Like Walking On A Dream? Check Out!

Yea Yea Yea's - Its Blitz *****
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular *****
The Postal Service - Give Up *****

I review somthing vaguely contemporary? Dont adjust your laptops.....

The Dead Weather - Horehound *****



Oh look! Another Jack white record........
Is probably what your thinking, and you would have every right to, the man has set himself on putting out polished turds ever his musical zenith being the excellent first Raconteurs album, which has seen both his other two bands seemingly grind to a halt under the new found blandness. But horehound is somewhat a pleasent suprise, White takes drum and occasionaly vocal/guitar duties (although i would put good money that he did all the guitar on the album) alongside equally as barmy Allison Mosshart from the kills. (and two other boring people that nobody cares about) This dynamics shift in Sort-of-the-raconteurs-but-not-the-raconteurs has a certain charm that lacks the mundane attempts at wierdness found on "Icky Thump" and "Consolers of the lonely" and is light on endless twiddling and howling. But Horehound goes for a more straight up face-punching hard blues rock feel, that wreaks of Zeppelin, cigarretes and sex, of course the drums are WAY too loud in the mix, but whites blatent ego abuse just adds to the swagger, the album hurtles like a train wreck of riffs, excellent drumming (white is easilly as outstanding with drums as he is a guitar) and power packed vocals. Three words can sum up this album, Loud, abrasive and invigorating. Jack white has got his Mojo back.



Essential Tracks - 60 feet tall, So far from your weapon, Treat me like your mother, New Pony

Like Horehound? Check out

The white stripes - The white stripes (1999)
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (1975)
The Kills - Midnight Boom (2008)

Zwan - Mary Star Of The Sea *****


Billy Corgan..Powerpop.. Surely not? Was probably what most Pumpkins fans were thinking when it was announced that he had formed and new band in 2003 (3 years after the painfully bad demise of smashing pumpkins) with some of his buddies called "zwan". But bemusal aside we all wondered what the hell this would be like, Billy making even vaguely approachable music could see a return to his glory days of mixing sludgy guitars with pop tinted melodies ("Today" anyone?). Or it could just be another wanky ego trip (the whole of Machina anyone?)

After a first listen it becomes apparent that the two sides of Mr Corgan are very apparent in this latest outing, the stomping opener "Lyric" opens with with chiming REM-like guitars, followed by 3 minites of harmony touched pop gold, Bass player Paz Lenchantin's (also of - A Perfect Circle) voice compliments Corgans croon exceptionally. As the album unfolds more its very much of the same, the first half of the album gallops along with melody after melody, peaking with the near perfection "Honestly", which is probably the best thing Billy Corgan has ever done. Sweeping chorus's dominate the opening tracks, backed by a tight and solid pack of very well produced guitars, that sound accessible and dont swamp the listener (Very unlike Pumpkins) but still "rock", the riffs are huge, the solo's killer, you still get the wall of sound, but its in moderation (unlike early SP were some tracks were rumoured to have over 100 tracks of guitar on at once!)

Lyricly the album is full of religious refernces and themes of redemption, love and rescue, Corgan himself is credited on the album as "Billy Burke" referencing the Floridian evangelist who has i quote "dedicated his life to touching the world with God's power". The influence is hardly "Christian Rock" but it creates a very ereatheral and personal record. The lyrics open up and are inviting, becoming semi-hypnotic as you listen more, somthing which as always absent from any of his previous work, the listener does not feel alienated or scared off.

But as the album progresses the Dark side of corgan becomes present, on first listen it can be hard to distinguish the tracks from each other, (bittersweet acoustic number "Of a Broken Heart" being really the only punctuation in an hour of mid-tempo powerpop) and after a while a feeling of monotony sets in, the album is easilly 25 minits too long, most of which are hogged by the largely pointless title track (clocking in at 14.04) There is an unnerving feeling that perhaps the other members had spoken up a little and tried to contain some of BC's ambition this would have made a better record. Most of the tracks are credited to all the members, but there is a feeling that once again Corgans controlling sense has taken over with his music (its also rumoured that for the second Pumpkins album "siamese dream" Billy played every instrument on the album) A claim which was backed up by the fact that Zwan eventually imploded months after the release of "Mary". Its a shame an album with so much potential leaves such a sour feeling, but being an avid fan of Corgans other work i have almost come to expect that feeling. Remember kids endless ambition is not always a good thing.

Essential tracks - Lyric, Settle Down, Honestly, Of a Broken Heart

Like Zwan? Check out
Nada Surf - Lucky *****
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream *****
Red Hot Chilli Peppers - By the Way *****
Ash - Intergalactic Sonic 7's The Singles *****