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Albums of the week (released 4th August 2003) - Tiscali Music News
Albums of the week (released 4th August 2003)
2003-08-04
For this week's albums, read on, but for this week's singles, please click here
Kraftwerk - Tour De France Soundtracks (Pictured above)
Legendary German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk return with their first album in over a decade. Recorded to celebrate the centennial of the Tour De France cycling tournament (not such an eccentric move, given that Kraftwerk's key founder members, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, are fanatical cyclists), 'Tour De France Soundtracks' features the all-new recordings of 'Tour De France 03' alongside brand new compositions and a new version of their seminal, electro masterpiece 'Tour De France' from 1983.
Kraftwerk's music on 'Tour De France' acts as a soundtrack to the race and inspires similar feelings of drama, excitement and intensity. Kraftwerk - Man and Machine in perfect harmony.
Buy this album here
Mark Joseph - Scream
Joseph Records. The album is written, performed, recorded in its entirety (vocals, piano, guitars and drums) by Mark. 'Scream' is full of anthemic uplifting rock tracks and Mark has created his own unique sound.
Mark Joseph enjoyed his debut chart success earlier this year with the single Get Through. What's remarkable about this is that Get Through hit the top 40 without any involvement from a major record label! Mark promoted and distributed the single himself all through his own independent label.
After several near brushes with major record labels and lots of disappointment Mark took matters into his own hands. Instead of becoming bitter and giving up, Mark came up with his own promotional initiative which involved an 11 week nationwide tour of schools and colleges and lengthy busking sets outside his local Virgin Megastore. In the end his bright idea and hard work paid off.
Amidst a sea of manufactured, reality TV-created pop music that record companies spend millions on launching, many often never reaching the top 100, Mark Joseph is the real thing. The important thing about Mark is his songs. No gimmicks, no flashy video's, no celebrity girlfriend, no huge marketing budget, no cover versions just his own songs. Includes the single 'Fly'.
Buy this album here
Jeff Beck - Jeff
Jeff Beck's 'Jeff', is his 14th Epic Release and is the follow up to his Grammy Award Winning 'You Had It Coming'. Jeff has been recording with Epic Records since 1965 - first with The Yardbirds and then as a solo artist starting in 1968. The new album is a eclectic mix ranging from high tech to Bulgarian folk music with an orchestra via the blues. Produced By Andy Wright (David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Bon Jovi, Natalie Imbruglia) who produced Jeff's Grammy winning track 'Dirty Mind', several tracks were additionally produced by Apollo 440.
Buy this album here
Broadway Project - Vessel
Dan Berridge's debut album 'Compassion' was released in February 2001 to a rapturous reception from critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Now Dan's back, along with new partner in sound, vocalist Richard Palmer, with sophomore set 'The Vessel'.
Moving on from 'Compassion', 'The Vessel' is a diverse collection of broody, filmic washes, spiralling sonic emotions and ideas seemingly too fragile to put to music.
With 'The Vessel', Broadway Project have provenonce more that they have a worth way beyond others.
Buy this album here
Mower - People Are Cruel
Mower are London's new great band. British and proud, 3-piece Mower combine classic Kinks-esque songwriting and melodies with powerful bass and drums, all produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur).
'People Are Cruel' is an eclectic mix of acoustic and electric with the emphasis on one main point – great and honest pop songs! Released on Graham Coxon's Transcopic Records imprint, the album mixes up the bands different influences from choir singing intros to belting riotous pop.
Referenceshave been made to… The Kinks, The Buzzcocks, early Blur, Talking Heads, Beck and even a pinch of Sabbath and Nirvana.
Includes the singles 'After Dark' and 'The Morning After'.
Buy this album here
Future Kings Of Spain - Future Kings Of Spain
With such regal aspirations, things couldn’t have turned out better for Future Kings Of Spain, they seem to have inherited the robes of state that grant them a Midas-like position in the realm of angular, jagged, frantic guitar rock. In total, the three singles they have offered forward prior to their first album, have without a doubt proved this Dublin three-piece to be worthy adversaries to any challengers to their throne.
‘Future Kings Of Spain’ the eponymous debut album is eleven crackling, bristling tracks of pure, unadulterated fervour heated to incendiary levels by producer Ted Niceley (Fugazi) and engineer Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys).
Opening with their animal of a debut single release, ‘A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place’ - of which, NME simply said "Majestic".
Followed by their last single the classic ‘Your Starlight’. Third up is the awesome, anthemic and possible future single contender ‘Venetian Blinds’. ‘Hanging Around’’ could be vintage Dinosaur Jr. and with J. Mascis a self proclaimed unofficial mentor to FKOS, their homage is truly great. ‘Meanest Sound’ is vintage Future Kings and does just what it says on the can. Both menacing and brooding are ‘So Wrong’ and second single ‘Face I Know’. The penultimate track on this debut album is the lighter and certainly more prettily melancholic ‘Traps’.
Closing what could be a classic debut is perhaps a song that best reflects the contradictory nature of Future Kings Of Spain is the quietly determined plea, ‘Upside Down’.
And so ends the first album from the Future Kings Of Spain - perhaps the most royal of Dubliners, who have taken classic guitar principles and shaken them up, twisted them round and fused a classic album of whirring, spiky, sparkling anthems.
Buy this album here
Nevermore - Enemies Of Reality
For two years, Nevermore's superbly crafted and complicated versatility has been brooding. Now we are once again invited into the band's dark subconscious with 2003's 'Enemies Of Reality'. The title track pummels you with its ferocity and cerebral aggression; 'Never Purify' is a forlorn lament of the dismal reality we've surrounded ourselves in; and the emotionally evocative 'Who Decides. exudes the insightfully mature observations through hindsight of a life lived in extremes. Another perfect execution forged in the innovative heart of their own dismal abyss, 'Enemies Of Reality' is Nevermore as they should be: dark, aggressive, and endlessly enigmatic.
Buy this album here
Snow Patrol - Final Straw
After a two year hiatus, Irish, Glasgow-based quartet Snow Patrol - Gary Lightbody (Vocals/Guitar), Mark McClelland (Bass), Jonny Quinn (Drums), Nathan Connolly (Guitar/Vocals) - return with their third full-length album.The follow-up to 2001's acclaimed 'When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up' , 'Final Straw' features ten tracks of gloriously fuzzed up new-wave guitar-pop - thinks Belle and Sebastian meets Teenage Fanclub...and every bit as good as that sounds!
Mixed in London's Britannia Studios by Garret 'Jacknife' Lee, standout tracks include the ethereal 'Whatever's Left', the gorgeous 'Spitting Games' and the beautiful, acoustic-led 'Wow'.This special UK edition includes two bonus tracks - 'Same' and 'Gleaming Auction'.
Buy this album here
Ween - Quebec
Ween are a prodigiously talented and deliriously odd duo - the ultimate cosmic goof of the alternative rock era.
Formed in suburban New Hope, PA, in 1984, when 14-year olds Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman adopted their respective fraternal aliases, Dean and Gene Ween, and vowed to spread the word of their lord, the demon-god BOOGNISH.
Their first release on indie label Twin/Tone, 'GodWeenSatan: The Oneness', mixed their sprawling sense of humour with punk, heavy metal, and a surprising amount of pop literacy.
'The Pod' followed - another masterpiece of dementia recorded under the influence of inhaled Scotchgard; darker and more deranged than its predecessor, expanding the Ween palette to include the Beatles-esque, oddball folk and mystic hard rock.
The major label debut, 'Pure Guava', on Elektra was their more consistently weird and wonderful outing to date.
'Chocolate And Cheese' widened the net still further to ensnare cowboy songs, Philly soul, Afro-Caribbean funk, and Sergio Leone-inspired spaghetti western epics, whilst being voted the sexiest album cover of all time by Playboy. '12 Country Greats', 'The Mollusk' and 'White Pepper' followed, all to much critical acclaim.
'Quebec' is the new studio album by Ween - heavy, dark, psychedelic and musically intricate...Ween returns to save rock!
Buy this album here
Kirk Whalum - Into My Soul
Smooth jazz and Memphis soul come together on 'Into My Soul', saxophonist star Kirk Whalum's rousing tribute to his hometown. Co-produced and co-written by the legendary David Porter, 'Into My Soul' features special guest appearances by such Memphis soul icons as Isaac Hayes, Wendy Moten and J. Blackfoot, as well as Earth Wind & Fire's Maurice White. Along with album originals are renditions of the Sam & Dave classic 'Hold On I'm Coming' and the perennial 'That's Alright Mama'. Written and recorded in Memphis, 'Into My Soul' is a musical journey into the heart and soul of the acclaimed Kirk Whalum.
Buy this album here
Various Artists - Friends Reunited
As chosen by subscribers to FriendsReunited.co.uk - the UK's foremost reunion website. 2CDs, 40 classroom classics from James, Pulp, Shakespears Sister, Catatonia, S Club 7, Steps and more.
A nostalgic and suitably comprehensive but cheesy mixture of pop songs - perfect for reunions, if that lights your candle.
Buy this album here
BK - Klub Kollaborations
Ben Keen is one of the most prolific and successful hard dance producers of all time and the 'Klub Kollaborations' album is his most accomplished work to date.
The idea here is that he hooks up with a whole load of other highly-respected music makers to come up with a spectrum of hard dance colours. The collaboration with Guy McAffer throws up a techno showdown, work with UD deejay Chrsitopher Lawrence brings forth some mighty stadium trance whilst the world of hard house is well looked after under the gaze of Andy Farley, Paul Glazby and Lab 4.
A massive project that pulls it off in style.
Buy this album here
David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise: 3cd: Bonus Cd: Includes Dvd: Ltd
Originally released in 1983, 'Black Tie White Noise' was Bowie's first solo album after the Tin Machine releases and saw him reunited with Nile Rodgers, the man responsible for producing Bowie's most commercially successful album, 'Let's Dance'.
Lauded by fans and critics alike, the album features 9 Bowie originals - including the singles 'Jump They Say', 'Miracle Goodnight' and 'Black Tie White Noise' - plus covers of Cream's 'I Feel Free', The Walker Brothers' 'Nite Flights' and Morrissey's 'I Know It's Gonna Happen someday', which Bowie says he tried to record as if he were back in 1974.
Available for a limited time only, this Special Edition 3 disc set features...CD1: The original album. CD2: Rare and previously unreleased songs and mixes. DVD: The 'Black Tie White Noise' home video - on DVD for the very first time. The DVD features an interview with Bowie where he discusses the musicians and people involved with this project as well as others he's worked with in the past, plus a more personal chat about marriage, sexuality, drug use, working with Eno, why he covers the songs he does on the album and lots more - all intercut between the performances at the Hollywood Center and followed by the videos of the singles from the album - 'Jump They Say', 'Miracle Goodnight' and 'Black Tie White Noise'.
Buy this album here
For this week's albums, read on, but for this week's singles, please click here
Kraftwerk - Tour De France Soundtracks (Pictured above)
Legendary German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk return with their first album in over a decade. Recorded to celebrate the centennial of the Tour De France cycling tournament (not such an eccentric move, given that Kraftwerk's key founder members, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, are fanatical cyclists), 'Tour De France Soundtracks' features the all-new recordings of 'Tour De France 03' alongside brand new compositions and a new version of their seminal, electro masterpiece 'Tour De France' from 1983.
Kraftwerk's music on 'Tour De France' acts as a soundtrack to the race and inspires similar feelings of drama, excitement and intensity. Kraftwerk - Man and Machine in perfect harmony.
Mark Joseph - Scream
Joseph Records. The album is written, performed, recorded in its entirety (vocals, piano, guitars and drums) by Mark. 'Scream' is full of anthemic uplifting rock tracks and Mark has created his own unique sound.
Mark Joseph enjoyed his debut chart success earlier this year with the single Get Through. What's remarkable about this is that Get Through hit the top 40 without any involvement from a major record label! Mark promoted and distributed the single himself all through his own independent label.
After several near brushes with major record labels and lots of disappointment Mark took matters into his own hands. Instead of becoming bitter and giving up, Mark came up with his own promotional initiative which involved an 11 week nationwide tour of schools and colleges and lengthy busking sets outside his local Virgin Megastore. In the end his bright idea and hard work paid off.
Amidst a sea of manufactured, reality TV-created pop music that record companies spend millions on launching, many often never reaching the top 100, Mark Joseph is the real thing. The important thing about Mark is his songs. No gimmicks, no flashy video's, no celebrity girlfriend, no huge marketing budget, no cover versions just his own songs. Includes the single 'Fly'.
Jeff Beck - Jeff
Jeff Beck's 'Jeff', is his 14th Epic Release and is the follow up to his Grammy Award Winning 'You Had It Coming'. Jeff has been recording with Epic Records since 1965 - first with The Yardbirds and then as a solo artist starting in 1968. The new album is a eclectic mix ranging from high tech to Bulgarian folk music with an orchestra via the blues. Produced By Andy Wright (David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Bon Jovi, Natalie Imbruglia) who produced Jeff's Grammy winning track 'Dirty Mind', several tracks were additionally produced by Apollo 440.
Broadway Project - Vessel
Dan Berridge's debut album 'Compassion' was released in February 2001 to a rapturous reception from critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Now Dan's back, along with new partner in sound, vocalist Richard Palmer, with sophomore set 'The Vessel'.
Moving on from 'Compassion', 'The Vessel' is a diverse collection of broody, filmic washes, spiralling sonic emotions and ideas seemingly too fragile to put to music.
With 'The Vessel', Broadway Project have provenonce more that they have a worth way beyond others.
Mower - People Are Cruel
Mower are London's new great band. British and proud, 3-piece Mower combine classic Kinks-esque songwriting and melodies with powerful bass and drums, all produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur).
'People Are Cruel' is an eclectic mix of acoustic and electric with the emphasis on one main point – great and honest pop songs! Released on Graham Coxon's Transcopic Records imprint, the album mixes up the bands different influences from choir singing intros to belting riotous pop.
Referenceshave been made to… The Kinks, The Buzzcocks, early Blur, Talking Heads, Beck and even a pinch of Sabbath and Nirvana.
Includes the singles 'After Dark' and 'The Morning After'.
Future Kings Of Spain - Future Kings Of Spain
With such regal aspirations, things couldn’t have turned out better for Future Kings Of Spain, they seem to have inherited the robes of state that grant them a Midas-like position in the realm of angular, jagged, frantic guitar rock. In total, the three singles they have offered forward prior to their first album, have without a doubt proved this Dublin three-piece to be worthy adversaries to any challengers to their throne.
‘Future Kings Of Spain’ the eponymous debut album is eleven crackling, bristling tracks of pure, unadulterated fervour heated to incendiary levels by producer Ted Niceley (Fugazi) and engineer Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys).
Opening with their animal of a debut single release, ‘A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place’ - of which, NME simply said "Majestic".
Followed by their last single the classic ‘Your Starlight’. Third up is the awesome, anthemic and possible future single contender ‘Venetian Blinds’. ‘Hanging Around’’ could be vintage Dinosaur Jr. and with J. Mascis a self proclaimed unofficial mentor to FKOS, their homage is truly great. ‘Meanest Sound’ is vintage Future Kings and does just what it says on the can. Both menacing and brooding are ‘So Wrong’ and second single ‘Face I Know’. The penultimate track on this debut album is the lighter and certainly more prettily melancholic ‘Traps’.
Closing what could be a classic debut is perhaps a song that best reflects the contradictory nature of Future Kings Of Spain is the quietly determined plea, ‘Upside Down’.
And so ends the first album from the Future Kings Of Spain - perhaps the most royal of Dubliners, who have taken classic guitar principles and shaken them up, twisted them round and fused a classic album of whirring, spiky, sparkling anthems.
Nevermore - Enemies Of Reality
For two years, Nevermore's superbly crafted and complicated versatility has been brooding. Now we are once again invited into the band's dark subconscious with 2003's 'Enemies Of Reality'. The title track pummels you with its ferocity and cerebral aggression; 'Never Purify' is a forlorn lament of the dismal reality we've surrounded ourselves in; and the emotionally evocative 'Who Decides. exudes the insightfully mature observations through hindsight of a life lived in extremes. Another perfect execution forged in the innovative heart of their own dismal abyss, 'Enemies Of Reality' is Nevermore as they should be: dark, aggressive, and endlessly enigmatic.
Snow Patrol - Final Straw
After a two year hiatus, Irish, Glasgow-based quartet Snow Patrol - Gary Lightbody (Vocals/Guitar), Mark McClelland (Bass), Jonny Quinn (Drums), Nathan Connolly (Guitar/Vocals) - return with their third full-length album.The follow-up to 2001's acclaimed 'When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up' , 'Final Straw' features ten tracks of gloriously fuzzed up new-wave guitar-pop - thinks Belle and Sebastian meets Teenage Fanclub...and every bit as good as that sounds!
Mixed in London's Britannia Studios by Garret 'Jacknife' Lee, standout tracks include the ethereal 'Whatever's Left', the gorgeous 'Spitting Games' and the beautiful, acoustic-led 'Wow'.This special UK edition includes two bonus tracks - 'Same' and 'Gleaming Auction'.
Ween - Quebec
Ween are a prodigiously talented and deliriously odd duo - the ultimate cosmic goof of the alternative rock era.
Formed in suburban New Hope, PA, in 1984, when 14-year olds Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman adopted their respective fraternal aliases, Dean and Gene Ween, and vowed to spread the word of their lord, the demon-god BOOGNISH.
Their first release on indie label Twin/Tone, 'GodWeenSatan: The Oneness', mixed their sprawling sense of humour with punk, heavy metal, and a surprising amount of pop literacy.
'The Pod' followed - another masterpiece of dementia recorded under the influence of inhaled Scotchgard; darker and more deranged than its predecessor, expanding the Ween palette to include the Beatles-esque, oddball folk and mystic hard rock.
The major label debut, 'Pure Guava', on Elektra was their more consistently weird and wonderful outing to date.
'Chocolate And Cheese' widened the net still further to ensnare cowboy songs, Philly soul, Afro-Caribbean funk, and Sergio Leone-inspired spaghetti western epics, whilst being voted the sexiest album cover of all time by Playboy. '12 Country Greats', 'The Mollusk' and 'White Pepper' followed, all to much critical acclaim.
'Quebec' is the new studio album by Ween - heavy, dark, psychedelic and musically intricate...Ween returns to save rock!
Kirk Whalum - Into My Soul
Smooth jazz and Memphis soul come together on 'Into My Soul', saxophonist star Kirk Whalum's rousing tribute to his hometown. Co-produced and co-written by the legendary David Porter, 'Into My Soul' features special guest appearances by such Memphis soul icons as Isaac Hayes, Wendy Moten and J. Blackfoot, as well as Earth Wind & Fire's Maurice White. Along with album originals are renditions of the Sam & Dave classic 'Hold On I'm Coming' and the perennial 'That's Alright Mama'. Written and recorded in Memphis, 'Into My Soul' is a musical journey into the heart and soul of the acclaimed Kirk Whalum.
Various Artists - Friends Reunited
As chosen by subscribers to FriendsReunited.co.uk - the UK's foremost reunion website. 2CDs, 40 classroom classics from James, Pulp, Shakespears Sister, Catatonia, S Club 7, Steps and more.
A nostalgic and suitably comprehensive but cheesy mixture of pop songs - perfect for reunions, if that lights your candle.
BK - Klub Kollaborations
Ben Keen is one of the most prolific and successful hard dance producers of all time and the 'Klub Kollaborations' album is his most accomplished work to date.
The idea here is that he hooks up with a whole load of other highly-respected music makers to come up with a spectrum of hard dance colours. The collaboration with Guy McAffer throws up a techno showdown, work with UD deejay Chrsitopher Lawrence brings forth some mighty stadium trance whilst the world of hard house is well looked after under the gaze of Andy Farley, Paul Glazby and Lab 4.
A massive project that pulls it off in style.
David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise: 3cd: Bonus Cd: Includes Dvd: Ltd
Originally released in 1983, 'Black Tie White Noise' was Bowie's first solo album after the Tin Machine releases and saw him reunited with Nile Rodgers, the man responsible for producing Bowie's most commercially successful album, 'Let's Dance'.
Lauded by fans and critics alike, the album features 9 Bowie originals - including the singles 'Jump They Say', 'Miracle Goodnight' and 'Black Tie White Noise' - plus covers of Cream's 'I Feel Free', The Walker Brothers' 'Nite Flights' and Morrissey's 'I Know It's Gonna Happen someday', which Bowie says he tried to record as if he were back in 1974.
Available for a limited time only, this Special Edition 3 disc set features...CD1: The original album. CD2: Rare and previously unreleased songs and mixes. DVD: The 'Black Tie White Noise' home video - on DVD for the very first time. The DVD features an interview with Bowie where he discusses the musicians and people involved with this project as well as others he's worked with in the past, plus a more personal chat about marriage, sexuality, drug use, working with Eno, why he covers the songs he does on the album and lots more - all intercut between the performances at the Hollywood Center and followed by the videos of the singles from the album - 'Jump They Say', 'Miracle Goodnight' and 'Black Tie White Noise'.
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