Islet may not yet have fully found their voice but at least they haven’t settled for some old and tired sound, stifled by its own yawn – and hey, any rough edges that Illuminated People has quickly pale next to the sheer vigour of the thing.
Author Christian Cottingham
Trophy Wife – Bruxism
The mists are rising and the nights grow dark, and the end-of-year lists will be coming soon. It won’t be long until the ones to watch start looming, casting their shadow across the new year with Trophy Wife surely amongst them.
Death In Vegas – Trans-Love Energies
As the final gasps of our terminal summer make way for longer nights and darker thoughts Trans-Love Energies sounds a fitting note of decay, married with enough volume for the tinnitus to keep until spring.
Death Cab For Cutie, O2 Brixton Academy, London 7/7/2011
A long set that spans their back catalogue with some surprises along the way – both welcome and regrettable. Christian Cottingham on Death Cab for Cutie’s live return to London.
Alana Stewart – Perfervid // Song Of The Day #272
Alana Stewart makes the kind of music that slows the world down, the shadows lengthening and the colour fading until the image cracks a little at the edges. ‘Perfervid’ sees her sultry vocals flecked with darker hues for today’s Song Of The Day.
TLOBF Interview // Esben and the Witch
The countryside outside the train window is enveloped with thick mist, twisted snow-clad branches clutching from the edges, and Esben and the Witch’s debut album seems ever so appropriate. The band agreed to talk to TLOBF days after their Brothers Grimm concoction of dark myths, jagged riffs and glitchy beats earned them a nomination for the BBC’s Sound of 2011 award.
The Bees – Every Step’s A Yes
The Bees return. But the question is, does anyone care? Christian Cottingham ponders…
Menomena – Mines
This isn’t an album that’s ever going to gain mainstream appeal: it’s too awkward, too halting in its sound, too unconventional in its ambition. But it IS tremendous.
We Are Scientists – Barbara
Can We Are Scientists transfer their witty persona’s across more effectively on their latest album, asks Christian Cottingham?
Youthmovies – Borderline, London 26/03/2010
On their farewell tour of the UK, it becomes obvious what a loss Youthmovies will be to the UK music scene.
Peter Broderick – 4 Track Songs
This is beautiful music and, whilst by no means a classic album – nor even a particularly great introduction to the man – it’s clear evidence that those gushing reviews are not going to stop.
Savath and Savalas – La Llama
He’s a busy man, that Scott Herren, making album’s of all kinds. This time he’s back collaborating and making some ‘Catalan Psych-Folk’. Nice.
Prefuse 73 – Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian
Not so much hip hop as a Pro-Tooled digression towards madness and enlightenment. Christian Cottingham reviews the latest from Prefuse 73.
