november 2007 cd reviews

GEOFF WATSON: THE HURRICANE EFFECT

On my occasional visits to Hebden Bridge, it's always seemed such a nice little place. However, judging by this CD from Geoff Watson, Liverpool-born resident of the aforementioned, this particular West Yorkshire town must have a pretty dark side because, right from the opening attack of 'Happy Holidays' it's pretty clear that our Geoff's sure 'nuff got dem ol' blues. And he's got 'em big time. Apart from one co-composition, all the material here is from Watson alone - as is the performance, though his energetic dexterity belies the one-man-and-his-guitar setup. Choppy chords and fluid fills blowing from the other side of the Atlantic get the head nodding nicely, and the stomping 'Running Home' makes you want to rev up the Harley and head out onto the freeway (or at least the A59). It's not all acoustic Mötörhead meets Tony McPhee, though, as the storming first half of the disc - what would have been Side 1 in the old days - gives way to a more reflective aspect in the second half. Indeed, the delicately-picked 'Let Your Soul Walk On' brings proceedings to a close with more of a breeze than a hurricane. Earlier this year, Geoff pulled off the coals-to-Newcastle trick of treating New Yorkers to a touch of proper Old Yorkshire blues - check him out closer to home and prepare yourself for the Hurricane Effect to blow you away.     oz hardwick

MATT SMITH : THERE IS STRENGTH INSIDE...

This album doesn't rock - it grooves and provokes. From opener "Sweet Persuation" to closer "A Szepsek Beke" we are led through the territories of Jazz, Rap, Jungle, Ambient, Experimental, Latin and RnB with   glimpses of Goldfrapp along the way. "Be Free" is a   hypnotic, Trance sax and trumpet Jazz/World fusion featuring effective repetition and feedback drenched loops; producing a cool sonic canvas. As Arranger and Producer, Matt's ear for the unusual is displayed by ending this track on a solo vocal tone which goes on just that bit longer than feels comfortable or expected. The track "Luvisinu"   also presents some well juxtaposed textures - the break beat, cutting radio vocals, smooth strings and syncopated muted brass - with a gorgeous transition into the playout featuring samples of gongs and chimes. The dry vocal production throughout gives a close up relationship to the protagonist, increasing the potency of the lyric. There are also some viciously short tracks which snatch the groove carpet from beneath your feet, leaving the listener reaching for the repeat button - which could be a potential irksome feature.   "Abre Los Ojos!", enjoying a rich bed of   chiming prayer bells with delayed classical guitar with Spanish vocals, is such a track which barely settles before it is gone. One other minor criticism: to my ear the rap on the title track could have been more abbrasive over the swing backing. This would have created a more contrasting delivery with Audrey Okyere-Fosu's honey smooth vocal. Overall though this album presents well recorded and constructed originals: "Be Free" is a great instrumental example of the melding of diverse elements such as loops, samples, tabla, flugelhorn, cello and vocals. Matt Smith has produced a memory of the collaborative talents of nigh on twenty musicians and is uafraid to lay musical ideas bare, as opposed to burying beneath the weight of sonic onslaught.    dean saint john

AARON JOHN & THE STALKERS : AARON JOHN & THE STALKERS

This London band have a lot going for them - bags of confidence and the thing that makes them stand apart from the current crop of British alt rock is that they simply demand your attention. There is a hard edged grunge style to the first effort, "Only Living Witness", smoothed over with a tinge of glam rock sleaze. The band find themselves somewhere between Rachel Stamp and The Wildhearts here. Searing and quality guitars bleed into our ears infecting our core, while drums beat at the skull only so that the sultry male vocals may soothe us so that all we want to keep on dancing. Second offering is "Death Tonight," which is much slower and a touch darker. The band retains their rock hard beats and rhythm that make everything they do worth of a mosh-pit. Fans of Soundgarden and Therapy? will lap this one up, it's melodic and full of supercharged riffs and blatant vocal emotion.   This band seems to recall everything that was great about rock music in the mid to late nineties. Finally, "Stories" conjures images of how great this band are and have the potential to be, obviously there is more work to be done and the band will only grow and develop. With this last song though, one imagines a band pouring every ounce of themselves into a live show, swaying and bouncing in time with every beat and chord. This is their would-be anthem. John's lyrics are constantly tight, basic and cutting...the stuff of sing-alongs...and record deals. Simple as that. With exposure in Metal Hammer earlier this year and a host of radio interviews under their belt, its full speed ahead Aaron John and The Stalkers, Good Luck!    dom smith

Chris While: Rosella Red

It can't be easy for Chris While. Not only half of one of the most successful folk duos of recent years (with Julie Matthews), this August she also faced a sold-out festival of the Fairport faithful, occupying the not inconsiderable shoes of Sandy Denny for a bash through The Most Influential Folk Album of All TimeTM, Liege and Lief. How do you follow that? Well, how about gathering a bunch of talented friends and relations - numbering, amongst others, fiddler Joe Broughton and Fairport sticksman Gerry Conway - knocking out a supremely tasteful collection of largely self-penned songs? Why not, eh? Impossible to pigeon-hole, with more than a dash of jazz and less folk than some may expect, along with a good sprinkling of Americana, this is proper singer/songwriter stuff - no whiney substitute therapy, just thoughtful, articulate lyrics embroidered with perfectly considered arrangements, whether on the threatening 'Pennyweight Hill' (one of only two songs from other writers) or the light, dancing 'Safe in Your Arms'. As with all good songwriters, even the openly personal - 'Dark Blue Eyes' being a particular example here - carries an emotional universality, and there is an intimacy in performance which gently draws the listener to the heart of the songs. Not one for industrial Goths, then, but for lovers of warm, intelligent songs for grown-ups, Chris While is certainly a class act.     oz hardwick

FALLING SPIKES : E PONY MOUSE

The Falling Spikes have been plying their trade for a while now, gradually seasoning their love of dronerock, psych and shoegazing with a country twang here, a dusting of breezy Americana there.   Recording is a bit of a sporadic activity so this fourtracker comes as a welcome summation of where they're at, and sounds crisp and clear for tunes either laid down on four-track or run through in a brief studio session.   'Cellophane' wears its Lou Reed heart on its sleeve, and ambles pleasantly but slightly aimlessly along.   The noise pulses of closer 'Feedback Plan B' may initially sound like something for those with strong constitutions, but as it lumbers into life on the back of Ray's thumping drums, fans of Sonic Youth or even the ambient end of stoner rock will feel right at home with this blasting out - and it really should have been longer.   But the even more impressive gems here are (oddly) the two that show the Spikes at their mellowest.   'Bloodstream' is delicious,   all atmospheric twangs and a delightful guitar figure, underpinned by Moz's deceptively simple, melodica-like keys.   Likewise '60 Seconds' is lugubrious and full of space, slow-rolling its way towards the vital signs with Chris Wilkinson's world-weary singing suggesting that the said 60 seconds will actually take 60 hours.   Music for Sunday morning slow happy hangovers and noisy blissing out, it's time more folk tuned into Spikes-world. Available from www.northernstarrecords.co.uk, www.thefallingspikes.com and at their forthcoming gig with The Warlocks.    

tim procter

THE UNIVERSALS : LAST BUT NOT LEAST

It's not often that a band leaps out and shouts 'success' in your face quite as loudly as The Universals. The five tracks I got for free come from their debut album "Last But Not Least" and what a crafted recording this is. From the opening bars the title tune lays out a mournful, slightly unsettling urban topography that is immediately cut through by Craig Suttle's vocal - reminiscent of Moody Blues frontman Justin Heyward. I suddenly hear Johnny Marr's guitar howling in a sea of echoplex, or is it Brian May. No. It's Ben Morgan delivering a tantalising solo that is so held back it just leaves you gasping for more. "Help me" opens to the sound of a prison cell door being locked and then the song kicks in with a Nirvana style epic plea for redemption. "I Don't Know" has an intro which is in the classic Brit-rock tradition dating right back to Cream, Nazareth or Thin Lizzy but then some Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd keyboards kick in. "In Time" is a more straight-ahead indie song with an Ocean Colour Scene vibe to it. Finally "Never Could Keep" is like jumping onto a moving train. Just like "Helter Skelter" this tune spits and snarls and sucks you in. This is a mature sounding band with quality, no-nonsense songs.   

al hofman

John Burge: The Voyage of Hope

I approached this CD with trepidation for two entirely different reasons. First, the negative. The cover. Oh, my God, the cover. This does not, to put it politely, inspire confidence. I'd tell you why, but I've only got 300 max, and once I get started... However, I guess this disc is mainly for those who have seen the man live or stumbled upon his inevitable MySpace page. Which brings me to reason two. I happened upon John Burge in the Club Room at Beverley Folk Festival (reviewed in The Talk 43) and he was bloody amazing. And here's this naff-looking CD challenging me to put it on and discover that I'd just been drinking more than I thought. And? Whew! This is a little gem. John is a gifted multi-instrumentalist who mixes a handful of well-selected traditional tunes with a selection of original compositions rooted firmly in that tradition. What is unique - as far as I know - is the way in which he uses state-of-the-art electronic kit within his purely acoustic music. Using foot-operated digital loops, the performances are built from layers of intricately sampled 'live' performances in which John is able to, erm, play with himself (as it were) on guitar, bouzouki, fiddle and bodhran, not to mention singing over the top of it all. This may sound a bit gimmicky, and I must confess it's fascinating to watch, but there is not the slightest hint of flash for its own sake - just top-notch playing from a quite remarkable talent. Next time, though, he'd do well to lighten up on the 'solo' ethos and get someone else to do the cover...   

oz hardwick