EP Review: Turning - Headman

It seems like some time since we last heard from Robi Insinna. Better known as Headman he has had a number of well regarded singles and remixes over the years. Whilst his last album, the Dieter Meier (of Yello fame) featuring 1923, was only released two years ago it feels like the limelight has shifted off of Headman a little.

And that is a shame because Headman makes just the kind of slightly scratchy post-punk electro that I happily lap up - place him somewhere between the discordant party noise of Soulwax and the punk funk of !!!. 'Turning', featuring long term collaborator Tara on vocals feels like classic eighties experimental electro breeding discontent. Tara's vocals successfully replicate early Human League's clinical approach with a "Head is turning / machine is burning" couplet whilst clattering drums and itchy guitar work attempt to strangle a warm, bouncing melody.

Aside from the original this EP also features three additional versions of 'Turning'. Insinna's own dub reworks things to give it a more stripped back and percussive latter third, out-shining the original in the process. Emperor Machine's mix is even better though, adding some space for a bigger bass line and some disco flourishes that make this into a real dance floor filler. The definitive version of Headman's biggest hit to date, 'It Rough', was Chicken Lip's mechanical, bass heavy synth version and so there is an element of history repeating itself here - Emperor Machine's Andy Meecham being one half of Chicken Lips. Scott Fraser's dub also takes things down a disco route but whilst the wandering bass is reminiscent of Moroder it lacks the impact of Meecham's version.

Also included are two remixes of previous single 'Be Loved'. The first, from Richard Fearless of Death in Vegas, is a typically sprawling acid psychotic meltdown - the aural equivalent of a boy playing in a toy shop. It has moments where the squelching acid work is a joy, albeit a somewhat unfocused one. I haven't heard the original but I'd wager it doesn't sound much like this. Murphy Jax turns it into a warm, laid back house record that unfortunately does nothing whatsoever for me.

Whilst the latter mixes are slightly hit and miss this is an overly generous EP in the first place - buy it for the first half and the exciting acid straight jacket that is Richard Fearless' input.

Turning is released on 11 May on Relish Records, available for pre-order on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].

Album Review: EFunk - Soul Clap

Image source: Mint MagazineAlong with contemporaries Wolf + Lamb, Soul Clap's singles have become somewhat notorious for their general strength but slightly off-kilter house and funk sound. Here in long play format they seem destined to either sink or swim, the added freedom either giving them room to experiment and flourish or simply enough rope to hang themselves.

In parts they suceed but this album certainly struggles in places.. The trouble with Soul Clap is that their music conveys a sophistication that the vocals and skits occasionally betray. 'The Alezby Inn', for example, constructs a contemplative electronic funk from warm waves of synths and electro style percussion. The duo go for an Arthur Baker on 'Planet Rock' feel with vocals from The Geneven Heathen rapping about a chance encounter with a girl. It's typically Soul Clap - the vocal, which ends with the couplet "In the beginning we were all created equal. What the fuck happened to her?", seems like an unnecessary and unfortunate addition. The listener is left unsure as to whether this is a joke that isn't funny or a serious track that doesn't have any guts.

Thankfully elsewhere things are less conflicted. Rowley Cezarie's turn on 'Let It Go' is much more in keeping with the music - a raw, emotionally repressed tail of break-up, distorted and hidden within electronic body funk. There are even skits and interludes that work - 'When The Soul Claps' is blissful, Lazarus Man's beat poetry riding a wave of warm soulful electronics that, at just over a minute, is all too brief but sets the tone for the rest of the album.

Also bizarre, but this time in a good way, is the fact that Mel Blatt (yes, of All Saints fame) features on two tracks on EFunk's second half. The short 'Ecstacy' is more laid back soul and features Blatt's vocals perfectly creating a late-80s style R&B record - it's slower than most (though not all) of Soul Clap's 12" releases and it is also an impressive demonstration of their production abilities when applied to slower, pop orientated records. The second track is a cover of The Korgis' 'Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime', here re-titled 'Need Your Lovin''. It is hardly a track that needs another cover and Blatt's bluesy vocal is a little flat but still combines with a US Garage style house rhythm to make a relatively effective take on the original.

EFunk ends on a high however - whilst the album occasionally stumbles the eight-minute, two-part 'Islands In Space' is never short of magnificent. Part one consists of heavy funk drums and a ruthless back hand of sax that really just serves as an intro for the main course... A smart laidback jazz blues record featuring Greg Paulus that just happens to be made by a house production duo. EFunk has it's moments but the best of them really just show that this is the beginning - 'Islands In Space' prooves Soul Clap are certainly capable of more.

EFunk is released on 30 April on Wolf & Lamb, available to pre-order on CD and MP3 at Amazon.co.uk [affiliate links].

Stream: Night and Day - Hot Chip

Last month I was excited to post a video of 'Flutes' from Hot Chip's new album, In Our Heads. Well here is the first single proper, due out a week before the album on 4 June. It's a pretty heavy weight twisted funk track with a lovely bass line on it.

The single comes out on Domino on 12" and digital download and will include a remix from 2 Bears.

Album Review: Sweet Heart Sweet Light - Spiritualized

Image source: Double Six / Steve GullickThe advantage of being a one man band is that you never really split up. That means Jason Pierce's Spiritualized seem to just keep on going, continuing to push out albums of similar scale and ambition every few years whilst the world around them changes. Pretty much every other British rock band from the nineties have gon. Whilst the specific sound may shift from one release to the next - noisier here, more drone there, a bit of gospel on this one and country on that - you always know that a Spiritualized record will be a slightly schizophrenic event.

As the only member of Spiritualized to have remained consistent across the years it is clear that these songs are a window into Pierce's head. I tend to avoid reading reviews of albums I am in the process of reviewing but accidentally stumbled across the Guardian's review of Sweet Heart Sweet Light by Kitty Empire. If you take a look you will see the album doesn't fare too well, the primary criticism being something akin to ”Oh not you again, more of this?!"

I can't help but wonder if Kitty Empire just doesn't like Spiritualized, so much of her criticism being levelled at elements that describe exactly what many fans of the band will like. Obviously reviewing music is a personal thing - you can't separate personal enjoyment from professional opinion but reviewing music by bands you either love or hate is never easy.

As for me, I'm a bit mixed on Spiritualized. As with virtually everyone else I somewhat adored Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - it is the kind of record that takes years rather than weeks to unravel. The albums that followed that one seemed to struggle though, lacking the consistency, the balls and the big ideas of Ladies and Gentlemen.

Sweet Heart Sweet Light convincingly addresses those concerns. This feels like a proper album where previous albums have felt like more of a collection of moments - there is a greater pacing and vision at work. It also has some typically majestic moments - the slight return on 'Hey Jane' is suitably insistent, climatic and dizzying, the chorus at end of 'Headin' For The Top Now' whirling the cumulative chaos around into a little present with a bow on top and the closing 'So Long You Pretty Thing' (co-written with Pierce's daughter Poppy) so charming it is hard to resist.

But for all the big moments this album feels more quietly confident than any other. With the vocals given a more prominent position and several more laid back pieces, see the ballad-like 'Too Late' and 'Freedom', this sounds like Pierce growing into himself. It is here where Kitty and I disagree - Sweet Heart Sweet Light is brilliant precisely because it is Pierce revealing more himself. Yes, it is more accessible and lacks the 'derangement' of earlier work, but that is precisely what makes it a revelation.

Preparing for Sweet Heart Sweet Light, Pierce was apparently inspired by the live performances of the entire Ladies and Gentlemen album, and you can hear that in the comfort he allows himself here. Having stopped trying so hard J Spaceman has made one of the best albums of his career.

Sweet Heart Sweet Light is out now on Double Six, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP and MP3 [affiliate links]. The latter is just £3.99 at the time of publication. Stream now on Spotify:

Album Review: Wonky - Orbital

Image source; BlackPlastic.co.uk, rights reserved

I recently found myself at an industry event to celebrate MySpace's relaunch. Alongside Ladyhawke and a few others, the main entertainment (free booze aside) was an Orbital DJ set. I've not really listened to any Orbital for years so my expectations were fairly low, expecting them to be (whisper it) a little over the hill...

Predictably it turns out I was wrong, for there, surrounded by several hundred advertising executives, we had quite the party, mostly due to the closing track on new album, Wonky. It turns out Orbital still know how to rock a synth and create a lot of noise.

And that is in some ways the main lesson to learn from Wonky. It's been nearly eight years since their last LP, the Blue Album, and in that time dance music has continued to change. Orbital are seemingly oblivious to that passing of time and you can't help but feel they are probably all the better for that fact. Which means at times Wonky feels downright old.

Sometimes the sense of nostalgia works and sometimes it doesn't, but this is an album that gets far more right than it does wrong. 'Beelzedub' may be heavy handed in it's use of heavy breaks and vicious bass in a way that just isn't as dark as it would like whilst struggling to achieve relevance in a world that has seen dubstep and grime but that is one of only a couple of duff moments. Opener 'One Big Moment' captures the joyous shared spirit of rave perfectly, proof that sounding almost like it could have been made in the same session as 'Chime' doesn't hurt it a jot.

Both guest turns on the album also come off well. Zola Jesus features on 'New France', an album highlight that takes its cue from Hooky's bass playing. And whilst current single 'Wonky', featuring Lady Leshurr, shouldn't really work it somehow does, the barreling drums and blood pressure raising melodies somehow making up for a potentially over-the-top vocal - though even the vocal shines at the bridge.

Wonky is best when it feels most like the boys aren't even trying though. 'Stringy Acid' throws a euphoric acid climax in at the album's mid-point that sounds fresh simply because you won't have heard anything peaking so blatantly for so long. The best is saved for last though - closing things out is 'Where Is It Going?' and it feels like a response to questions over where the the Hartnolls can go from here. The answer would appear to be back to what they do best - massively uplifting, end of the night anthems that make advertising execs dance like loons in front of their colleagues. Who wants to grow old gracefully anyway?

Wonky is out now on ACP, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, Digipack CD, LP and MP3 [affiliate links]. Stream now on Spotify:

Single Review: Frisky - Maceo Plex

Image source: WildbloodMore understated funk laced tech-house gallantry from Maceo Plex single on Crosstown Rebels. A Maceo release is generally always worth a listen and this one is no exception, despite some track names that are more than just a little lame.

'Frisky' is muted in atmosphere so whilst the name conjures up visions of Lynx adverts and sticky Jaeger coated dance floors it is actually something quite different. This is less collective euphoria, more mutual alienation and, a slightly mis-placed spoken word moment aside ("Sometimes you got to get loose, feel frisky") it totally works. It's the house equivalent of a long wordless car journey.

B-side 'Sex Appeal' is a different beast - it's still classy in comparison to its name but this time it is at least descriptive of the subject matter. This is a bumpy, tweaking and emotive piece of acid house. What Maceo Plex has been doing so well recently is bring a warmth and depth to pretty straight forward house and techno, and that is exactly what he does here. The acid is jacking but this is a really full, sophisticated take on the sound. The heavily filtered male vocals may be a touch too much for some though and a dub that strips them back a little would be welcome.

Frisky is out now on Crosstown Rebels, available from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

News: 2012 Festival Round-up

Latitude Festival Image source: Commonorgarden

The clocks have gone forward and Easter is out they way... It's the time most music fans start thinking about the summer and which music festivals to go to. To help you decide here is a brief round up of some of the better ones.

It's a Glastonbury 'fallow year' meaning all is quiet at Worthy Farm until 2013. Some suggest it is down to a restriction on the number of portable toilets available within one country in an Olympic year but it seems more likely that they simply wanted to give the land a break. Normally every year with a one or a six at the end passes by without a Glastonbury anyway - after the festival last year we are overdue a 'break'!

Rearing up to fill Glastonbury's pretty large shoes are two pretty well established festivals that take Glastonbury's cue in focusing on more than just the line-up, although they definitely have those too.

First-up out of the two then (literally) is Suffolk's Latitude. Held from 12-15 July it brings music plus a lot more to the big blue skies of the East. The line-up is spectacular, with Bon Iver, Elbow, The Horrors, Simple Minds, Richard Hawley, M83, The Antlers, Chairlift and the War On Drugs providing highlights. There is much more though with poetry and literary arenas as well as a sizable selection of comedy, including Jack Dee, Rich Hall and Reginald D Hunter along with Brian Cox, Robin Ince and Al Murray turning up to present their Inifinite Monkey Cage. Very Radio Four. If the weather is good expect a blinding weekend. Get tickets here.

The other big hitter this summer looks to be Bestival 2012, which arrives on the Isle of Wight as the last major festival of the season from 6-9 September. I've not been to Bestival but rumour would suggest it is the closest you can get to Glastonbury without actually being there. The line-up may not be quite as broadly curated as Latitude's but it's almost certainly as comprehensive when it comes to the bread and butter that is music. Highlights include Stevie Wonder, New Order, the XX, Sigur Ros, Friendly Fire, Soulwax (twice, DJing and live), Justice and Gary Numan. Tickets can be ordered here.

If the big picks aren't your thing then there are still stacks of alternatives out there...

Lovebox continues to be your best option for a weekender in London. The line-up boasts Hot Chip, Friendly Fires, Grace Jones, Maceo Plex, the Rapture and Azari & III. Tickets are available here.

In the same London location of Victoria Park Field Day provides the usual selection of latest bands for hipsters - Com Truise, Gold Panda, Kindness, Peaking Lights, Rustie, The Men and When Saints Go Machine all feature on a line-up that is frankly too busy for the single day festival that Field Day is. Get tickets here.

Vintage Festival promises to take you on a trip back in time - expect vintage music and more besides. Chic and St Etienne and musical highlights but there are also plenty of DJs, including the Horse Meat Disco DJs, Danny Rampling, Norman Jay and Craig Charles - the full line-up is here. Elsewhere there will be classic cars, a vintage fashion catwalk show - coming from MAMA Festivals, winners of last year's Best New Festival award for their innaugral event Wilderness, Vintage Festival looks like it may be the dark horse of the festival season. It falls the same weekend as Latitude and tickets can be ordered here.

So there is a very non-comprehensive of some of the festivals that have me excited this year. What did I miss and where will you be going come the innevitable torrent of mud and rain this summer?

Video / Download: Two Lines - Lightships

Lightships is the new project from Gerard Love of Teenage Fanclub - judging by the above the album Electric Cables, out now on Geographic, should be pretty special. The sunny melodies of Teenage Fanclub are still present, but here they are dressed in shimmering delicate meandering instrumentation.

Raf Daddy of 2 Bears fame has done a remix and you can stream or download it below. It's surprisingly laid back, taking the original and just adding some scattering bass and electronic noodling whilst keeping the slow pace.