Album Review: Secret Machines - Secret Machines

Secret Machines are back, this time with an eponymous, self-released follow up to 2006's Ten Silver Drops. The pop sensibilities have lost out to a heavier sound, more reminiscent of the glorious Now Here Is Nowhere, yet the sure scale of some of Ten Silver Drops' larger moments (the lovely 'Alone, Jealous & Stones') are maintained.

The effect is an album that feels like one-step-back to Ten Silver Drops' two-steps-forward but trust BlackPlastic when we say this is a good thing. The slight lack of unified direction that album suffered from is no longer a problem. What is left is a focused, taught album of progressive rock tracks, be it the space opera of 'I Never Thought To Ask' or the psychotic breakdown of 'The Walls Are Starting To Crack', that will make you feel like you are living in a David Bowie movie.

The self-released aspect may make this trickier to come across but it's still available via the usual channels (iTunes, Amazon) and, as with the rest of the Secret Machines catalogue, it is well worth picking up. Nobody does epics on this scale and as the closing 'The Fire Is Waiting' kicks in the band sound more like a rocket ship departing the launch pad than any of their earth-bound contemporaries.

BP x

Album Review: Convivial - Luomo

Ever since Sasu Ripatti's first album under his Luomo pseudonym, Vocalcity, came out in 2000 it has always received high praise within certain circles. A blogger's favourite, the album's minimalist design and sophisticated textures gained it favour with those prepared to put in the effort. Sadly the cost of this was an album without much mass appeal and so, whilst those that know it generally love it, you are unlikely to find a copy in Tesco.

Several Luomo projects on (Ripatti has several other alter egos) and Convivial could just change all that: it features vocals recorded by a series of guests. Combined with, in places at least, the cold yet organic sound of Ripatti's production you get a mature album that neatly sidesteps any of the issues house (or in this case, minimal / tech-house) albums usually have by just making an album full off those crossover tracks that are gold in the clubs but have vocals good enough to make them work at home.

And so you have Apparat's vocals combined with a pretty ferocious percussion backing on the spooky 'Love You All' and Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears on 'If I Can't'. Robert Owens also guests on 'Robert's Reason', a nice deep-tech-house track, full of funky bleeps and stabs that would be one of Owens' finest pieces in recent memory if only his turn on Layo & Bushwacka!'s debut album, 'Low Life', weren't so damn good that it sticks in your head like your first kiss. The rest of the album's guests may not be as high profile but the music itself shines just as consistently.

But maybe, in some respects, that is a problem. Convivial is, much like Morgan Geist's Double Night Time, undoubtedly a labour of love. It has been less 'recorded', more carved, like something a carpenter might make out of a block of wood. Yet the result is an album that is so consistent and singular in its sound and vision that, in reality, each track sounds best when separated from the surroundings of the rest of the album so it has room to breath.

Having said which Convivial is still a good album. It takes the the foundations of previous Luomo albums and builds on these and the level of sophistication never drops below a dinner-party-for-people-in-their-late-twenties level. BlackPlastic just craves for a few bolder moves that stray a bit further from the comfort zone.

BP x

Album Review: Kitsuné Maison Compilation 6 - Various

Like a bunch of angry youths ditching their regular stabby, dull knives for lovely fresh luminous flick knives the new Kitsuné Maison Compilation (that's 6 to you) leaves behind a little (just a little) of the roughness in favour of some lovely hooks. That's right, Kitsuné Maison 6 is dubbed 'The Melodic One', almost like it is a two-dimensional character within a sitcom.

But it isn't two dimensional, is it? No, because it has melody, in the form of Lo-Fi-Fnk's gorgeously downbeat 'Want U' for example, but it also has nastiness - just check out the rather aggressive 'Say Whoa' by A-Trak or Etienne De Crecy's clanging 'Hanukkah'.

Maison 6's best moments see the above two approaches combined. The burst-ear-drum attack of You Love Her Coz Shes Dead's 'Superheroes' is drenched in distortion and melodies and shouts and hooks and it's like going from being 12 to 25 in three minutes. D.I.M.'s remix of Fischerspooner's 'Danse En France' takes the mildly subtle original, douses it in petrol and then spits a fag at it and the result is a bass line to alienate friends and lovers with but a salve is provided in the melodic hook that has been retained for the bridge.

Predictably then it's all rather good and dependable, a bit like PG Tips for nu-rave kids with glowsticks. If you haven't ever bought a Kitsuné compilation this is what to expect: the sound of that cool alt.friend everyone has, six months early. If you have bought one of the previous releases then chances are you actually are that cool alt.friend so you probably don't need this review.

BP x

Album Review: Tapes - Various mixed by The Rapture

BlackPlastic has had a holiday - if you felt lonely in our absence then sorry.  If you didn't notice then well done, you successfully hurt our feelings.

Following on from last album, Pieces of the People We Love, and further demonstrating their eclectic tastes The Rapture are back with their first mix album, out on the ever reliable K7 imprint.

And it is, for the most part, a basement booty shaking riot that takes in thrills, spills and bellyaches in quick secession with tracks such as The Bar-Kays 'Holy Ghost' appearing in a track list alongside Ghostface Killah and 'Where's Jason K?' from the DFA's Syclops.

And BlackPlastic says "for the main part" because it, whilst it appreciates the guys' effort, it still isn't really ready to revisit Paul Johnson's 'Get Get Down'. On the flipside the band to incorporate a bit of Armand Van Helden's 'Flowerz' and, rather than spoiling the mix, it acts as a high point. It's undoubtedly one of Armand's finer, more subtle moments, and it shines as a result.

Overall this set represents a fantastic party soundtrack and whether it is in sunny disco in the form of Northend's 'Tee's Happy' or the 70s urban party chic twisted up into a k-hold that is Dances With White Girls' 'Everybody's Got to Make a Living' there is something to move you.

BP x

Album Review: The One - Shinichi Osawa

Finally getting a proper UK release through Norman Cook's Southern Fried imprint, if you follow the mp3 blogs some of The One will already be familiar to you. On the other hand if you don't you are in for a treat. Following up on BlackPlastic's thoughts in introducing the new Morgan Geist album, The One takes the other approach - there is undoubtably talent at work here, it is just focuses on making the best thrills possible.

As some background, Osawa has previously released material under the guide of Mondo Grosso - this material tended to be more traditional house, veering towards deep house. The fact that he has begun recording under his real name reflects a change in direction, with his sound reflecting more closely his DJ sets, which are also performed under his real name.

Osawa's The One opens with his glorious cover of the Chemical Brothers' 'Star Guitar' and it's difficult to pin-point what is so great about it, particularly as the original was so perfect, but the beefed-up distorted bass and vocals from Au Revoir Simone certainly help. Seriously, can we get Au Revoir Simone to provide backing vocals for Black Plastic's life please?

As an album opener and lead single, 'Star Guitar' does a good job of introducing Shinichi to a new audience. Rest assured, if you like what you have heard of Osawa's work so far you are likely to enjoy this. But for the uninitiated, this is what to expect:

The One is an album of pop songs containing fuzzy, distorted basslines and catchy vocals mixed with enough attitude and bowel threatening wooshes and noises to annoy the hell out of the person sat next to you on the train.

The One ditches any ideas as dull as a concept and focuses on soon just one thing well: sticking forteen of the biggest, most enjoyably upfront radio-friendly electro-dance tracks you'll have heard in a bit all on one album.

There is a nice flow to the album, with slower tracks ensuring everything is paced well (and probably ensuring there will be the opportunity for some nice extended club mixes at some point).

It may not be sophisticated enough to be regarded as a classic but The One has enough attitude and ideas that it doesn't matter: this is a damn good ride.

BP x