Albums of the week - Tiscali Music News

2003-04-07

For this week's albums, read on, but for this week's singles, please click here

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International Pony - We Love Music (album cover pictured left)

Crazy bonkers German remixers and producers International Pony so impressed the taste-makers at the Skint label that they were signed up quicker than you can say, er, Fatboy Slim.

'We Love Music' is their debut album and it roams the hinterland between Royksopp and Metro Area, whilst occasionally dropping in to borrow a cup of sugar from De La Soul.

Guests featured on the set include Deejay Punkroc and US producer Stepchild.

Buy this album here

Athlete - Vehicles & Animals

Formed at the start of 2000 by four friends who had known each other from the age of 14, Athlete were one of last year's most talked-about new bands and, in every publication you care to mention, one of this year's top tips for chart stardom.

Their debut release, 2002's 'Athlete EP', spawned a Jo Whiley Record Of The Week in catchy lead track 'Westside', follow-up single 'You Got The Style' was the band's first foray into the Top 40 and twelve months of touring have seen them sell out their own shows and open for acts as diverse as The Polyphonic Spree, Mansun, Minuteman, Simian and Electric Soft Parade. Somewhere inbetween, Athlete found time to write and record a stunning debut album, 'Vehicles And Animals', that will keep the crazy comparisons coming (you can already add Beck, Mercury Rev, the Beach Boys, XTC, Gomez and Turin Brakes to the list) and prove that the Deptford Four don't sound quite like any other band on the planet.

'Deptford four-piece Athlete manage to incorporate modern dub and synth elements without losing the overall vibe of Sixties/Seventies folk whimsy. It's as if Steely Dan, Squeeze and Super Furry Animals decided to release a record together' - The Face

Buy this album here

Burning Brides - Fall Of The Plastic Empire

Recently described by the NME as 'one of the great LPs of the year'', 'Fall Of The Plastic Empire' features eleven manic, bile-bellied scorching wedges of radio-friendly metal.

Powered by a catchy 50's pop savvy, songs like 'Rainy Days' and 'Glass Slipper' pound hard, but aren't afraid to pop either.

Vocalist Dimitri Coats, whose vocal influences range from Jim Morrison to Iggy Pop, punctuates the aggressive tracks with charmingly honest lyrics.

Add cool rock chick bassist Melanie campbell and former Hot Snakes/Delta 72 demon drummer Jason Kourkounis, and you've got the makings of something very special.

Buy this album here

Buzzcocks - Buzzcocks

In September, 2002, at KROQ/Levi's Inland Invasion 2 festival in southern California, the Buzzcocks played a blistering set in front of 60,000 fans.

Joining the Buzzcocks on the bill this day were a collection of the finest artists punk has to offer: the Sex Pistols, The Damned, the Offspring, X, The Distillers, Social Distortion, Bad Religion, T.S.O.L., Circle Jerks and many many more.

It was a stunning testament to the power of punk rock across generations of musicians and fans.

The Buzzcocks' newalbum promises to provide a learning experience yet again for many a would-be punk-pop outfit.

With superlative production by Tony Barber, the band has recorded an album that matches the power and prowess of their legendary live performances.

Songs such as 'Keep On', 'Friends', 'Sick City Sometimes', and 'Useless' demonstrate unparalleled passion and power framed in typically catchy pop melodies.

Buy this album here

Rosanne Cash - Rules Of Travel

This is Rosanne Cash's first recording in 6 years. After an operation on her vocal chords and thanks to vocal therapy, she's back to her best on 'Rules Of Travel'.

Roseanne Cash is without doubt one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the US and this latest venture, going very much against the grain of the traditional 'country' route, highlights Rosanne's ability for writing great songs, and is a record that has a melancholic beauty that ebbs and flows throughout every track.

Guesting with her are Sheryl Crow, Steve Earle, Teddy Thompson and her father Johnny Cash on 'September When It Comes', a very rare and poignant treat indeed.

Buy this album here

Barry Dransfield - Barry Dransfield

This lost gem is one for the collectors, Barry Dransfield's 1972 album was described by the "Tapestry Of Delights" as one of the most sought-after major label folk albums", and by Record Hunter as "the rarest folk album".

For the uninitiated, Barry Dransfeild is an English folk fiddler and singer from North Yorkshire who was leading light in the folk scene from the 1970's onwards.

Having split with his brother Robin, he made his first eponymous solo recording for Folk Mill / Polydor in 1972 that is now available to enjoy on CD for the first time.

Buy this album here

Hidden Cameras - Smell Of Our Own

'The Smell Of Our Own' is the remarkable debut album from self-professed Canadian gay church folk collective, The Hidden Cameras.

Mixing lilting organ-accented melodies with perverse yet intelligent lyrics, The 'Cameras meld multi-part harmonies (a la christian hymns) with Phil Spector-esque walls of sound, half nodding to Belle & Sebastian and Magnetic Fields along the way.

'..it begs the question: is it ever possible to to fully describe the world of the Hidden Cameras? Perhaps not, but two things are certain. They're clearly not of this world, but you should gladly let them into yours' – 9/10 NME

Buy this album here

Lighthouse Family - Best Of

The Lighthouse Family are one of the most important bands to have emerged in the past decade.

During their three album history - 'Ocean Drive' (1995), 'Postcards From Heaven' (1997), 'Whatever Gets You Through The Day' (2001) - they have sold in excess of 3.5 million records in the UK alone and in 1997 became the biggest grossing live act of the year.

'The Very Best Of The Lighthouse Family' is just that; a collection of the twelve singles the band have released in their career, plus two brand new tracks: 'End Of The Sky' and 'Lifted (Linsee Mix)'.

The singles are: 'Ocean Drive' (1995), 'Lifted' (1996), 'Goodbye Heartbreak' (1996), 'Loving Every Minute' (1996), 'Raincloud' (1997), 'High' (1997), 'Lost In Space' (1998), 'Question Of Faith' (1998), 'Postcard From Heaven' (1998), 'Free/One' (2001), 'Run' (2002) and 'Happy' (2002).

Buy this album here

Mew - Frengers

"We try to think of a journey whenever we write", explains Mew vocalist Jonas Bjerre, "creating those inner pictures and landscapes in your head. We try to take the listener on a journey and by the end of the song they're in a total other place".
Perhaps it's this mission and their aim to create "a Mew world that is unlike anything else" that has led Mew to call their debut album 'Frengers'. It's not a word you'll find in the dictionary but a combination ofboth friends and strangers and it neatly sums up the essence of Mew's music. For whilst a warm, dreamlike and comforting quality pervades their music, it can just as often be strange and unsettling. This is re-enforced by Mew's visuals, created by the band themselves and just as uplifting and inspirational as they are dark and sinister.

'Frengers' kicks off with 'Am I Wry? No', Mew's limited edition debut single and a track that the NME hailed as "containing more hooks than your average band's entire second album".

Also included here are 'Symmetry', featuring U.S vocalist Becky Jarrett, and 'She Came Home For Christmas', Mew's second limited edition release and the Christmas single that many critics agreed deserved the No.1 slot.

Bringing the album to a close is the forthcoming single 'Comforting Sounds'.

Running at 8.53 minutes it's the climax to Mew's live set and the full-length version is included here.

Buy this album here

Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears (Cover pictured on previous page_

Lucinda Williams is an artist who completely defies categorisation. Her honest lyrics are often compared to fine poetry as she sings her narrative tales of Southern Gothic and heart-wrenching songs of love, heartbreak and desire.

'World Without Tears' has a live feel to it that gives the feeling of a performance in an intimate club.

This is real roots music from the heart, from an artist who refuses to conform to mainstream mediocrity, the superlatives about her song crafting ability are endless asthis latest album is simply another fine addition to her already irresistible catalogue.

Buy this album here