Album Review: Carnivalesque - Rubens

Carnivalesque marks the debut for Rubens - a combined project from Mark Flanagan and Gordon MacDermid - that sees the duo construct uplifting ambient electronic landscapes.

Reminiscent of other artists such as Ulrich Schnauss, Carnivalesque feels very much like an experimental electronic album, combining the emotional resonance of a Sigur Ros track for example with the technical approach of Four Tet. On album opener 'Vertical Hold' for example, melodies plucked out on acoustic guitars twist in and out of each other whilst a tight electronic beat pushes through to create an icy yet warm sound.

Second track and second single, 'Breaking Into Smile' nicely encapsulates the feeling of listening to Rubens with synths wash over a mixture of live and synthetic percussion to create a smile inducing record.

Whilst the record as a whole has a consistent theme, and this being a pure electronica album there are no vocals, there is no doubt that there is some emotional variety. Try comparing the opening track to 'Giraffe' and you'll find a far more downbeat Rubens apparent.

The production on display seems almost effortless - textures and layer upon layer combine with such ease that it is all too easy to overlook the substantial effort that must have gone into the compositions on offer. It is also refreshing to note that a variety of live instruments have been used to give the sound more depth.

Carnivalesque is undoubtedly an enjoyable record and the delicate textures and soundscapes create the perfect soundtrack to a cold winter's day. As an album it is at its most enjoyable when it departs slightly from the norm - the sheer head nodding joy of 'Vertical Hold', the considered close to the ten-minute 'Ferris Wheel' or the spacious closer 'After Now Is Next' all provide definite highlights - and as such it will be interesting to hear what the future holds if Rubens develop a broader focus whilst maintaining their apparent attention to detail.

Without doubt Carnivalesque makes a delicate and beautiful introduction to the world of Rubens.

Album review: Our Ill Wills - Shout Out Louds

Something known only as life has kept BlackPlastic somewhat busy over the past weeks, but fear not sweet friend... Never throughout that period were you forgotten and now you are welcomed back with big wide open arms and a tall drink. And what better soundtrack to celebrate this than the Shout Out Louds, who follow up 2005's oft-overlooked gloriously sweet debut, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff with album number two, Our Ill Wills.

Starting with the swaggering, summery, string drenched 'Tonight I Have To Leave It' Our Ill Wills instantly lifts the production values beyond its predecessor's slightly. What remains are the glorious pop songs - sweet, touching, sad and yet still capable of making BlackPlastic play air drums like no-one's watching. Somehow, even without the lyrics, the Shout Out Louds manage to sound like you feel, and 'Tonight I Have To Leave It' sounds like a mixture between running to the park to meet your first girlfriend and breaking up with someone for the first time.

Such an analogy does much to convey the sound displayed here even more than the last album. Many of the songs on offer manage to sound sad and yet remain uplifting. 'You Are Dreaming' is thick with sprinting rhythms and strings that manages to sound like a midnight swim whilst 'Suit Yourself' utilises space, giving the vocals enough room to breath and therefore creating something much lighter in contrast.

At a time where the likes of Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse and The Shins are all achieving mainstream success there can be no doubt that the Shout Out Louds could score a hit. Our Ill Wills, peppered with flourishes that will enthrall the listener deserves every bit as much attention. Take 'Impossible' for example, with its muted guitar at the start that becomes enveloped in a wall of sound before everything dies down halfway through to let it all begin again. As the drums begin to kick back in beneath the strings around the five minute mark it becomes apparent the Shout Out Louds have created a near-seven-minute epic along the way. Or check out how 'South Africa' sounds just like a summer evening's bike ride. Want more power-pop ballads? 'Time Left For Love' has got pop by the bucket-full, with a clap-along rhythm section and a chorus distilled from MDMA.

Closing on the seven-and-a-half minute distortion heavy workout 'Hard Rain', which, unsurprisingly, sounds just like a rainy day that brings the floods, Our Ill Wills just might be the sweetest thing you hear this year. Don't let this pass you by.