Memoryhouse’s debut album sees the duo shave away the fuzzy edges of their EP in favour of a well-produced but curiously inert set. Even its best moments can’t disguise a terminal lack of spark at its centre.
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NZCA/Lines – NZCA/Lines
NZCA/Lines’ debut reinvents timeless soul music to create a sexy modern classic with slick precision and an organic beauty which taps into the essence of contemporary music.
Scuba – Personality
On his third album the Hotflush boss pushes things forward with a satisfying – and stealthily commercial – blend of dubstep, bass and techno.
Palace – Reissues: There is No One What Will Take Care Of You, Palace Brothers a.k.a. Days In The Wake, Hope, Lost Blues And Other Songs, Viva Last Blues
How entrenched can one man be in the last two decades of alternative culture?
Masaki Batoh – Brain Pulse Music
Ghost mainman Masaki Batoh drops a rare solo record with Brain Pulse Music, an album made as a requiem for those affected by 2011′s earthquake and tsunami in Japan and featuring a piece of equipment called the BPM that turns brain waves into music.
Xiu Xiu – Always
The cover says it all. A picture of a fresh tattoo depicts the band name and album title, Xiu Xiu Always. And when it comes to Jamie Stewart’s cult pop project, this is less a throwaway banner and more a statement of intent.
Hood – Recollected
Over the course of seven albums and eleven years, Hood’s music was in a state of almost constant evolution — from their early lo-fi years through to the IDM-inspired glitch-pop of their final two albums, via a brief spell as post-rock innovators — but their inspiration remained stable: the desolate and fractured environments of their Yorkshire home.
The James Low Western Front – Whiskey Farmer
Though authentic and sporadically affecting, Whiskey Farmer suffers from its borrowed themes. File under “promising” for now.
Die Hard – Die Hard
This, then, is a record unsteady on its feet, the fucked-up guy at your party who may waffle and even bore you some of the time but can, very occasionally, have a flash of bright inspiration – just enough to make you feel it’s worth inviting him back next time.
The Mary Onettes – Love Forever EP
The more that you listen to this heartfelt four-track foray exuding pianos and pains, the better it gets: still unmistakably the same band that was responsible for 2009′s spectacular Islands.
Lindstrøm – Six Cups of Rebel
An interesting demonstration of Lindstrøm’s ability to eschew the “space disco” of the past and create several divergent, disparate electronic tracks on which the influence of his own varied background is marked.
Tindersticks – The Something Rain
The Something Rain finds Tindersticks in fine form, delivering a delicate combination of finely arranged brooding melancholy and redemption, whilst simultaneously allowing themselves the freedom to explore new ideas.
Archers Of Loaf – Vee Vee (Reissue)
Hopefully the fresh repackaging of this bold collection of songs will go a long way towards carving a bigger, more deserved chunk of real estate for Archers Of Loaf from the jagged musical landscape of the last twenty years.
Damien Jurado – Maraqopa
Damien Jurado has branched out here: a move away from the quietude he had mastered so well over the years, to a louder brasher expansion of his musicianship, while his trademark plaintive vocal and concise, skilled songwriting remain intact.
Young Magic – Melt
Taken track by track however, the songs explore deep into layers of glossed production and fill headphones with spaced, sampled bliss. It spills and surrounds with real beauty, intuition, and ability.
Cursive – I Am Gemini
Tim Kasher and co. return with album number seven; another collection with a concept. I Am Gemini’s story of a battle between good and evil twins separated at birth, fails to see Cursive back at their best.
