Short Reviews with meaningful links. Usually presented fairly.
Disclaimer:
Please refer to the laws set forth in your country regarding downloading music and the guidelines inherent on Soundcloud.com and Youtube.com. All links herein are publicly accessible to everyone outside this review site.
On a first listen of Stereo MCs' newest LP Emperors Nightingale, you might be prone to the belief that the band's better days were behind it like Duran Duran or Nikki Sixx. However, after spending some time with the album, these tracks are far from "ze cakkah" and more the cat's preferred sleepwear. Stereo MCs have got a recipe of Goldfrapp, The Glimmers, Apples in Stereo, but it's also a mixture of the best moves of electronic music wizard Parov Stelar, while balancing these manoeuvres with nods to spacey late 70s Steve Miller and 80s pop from both Prince and Eddy Grant. A welcome return for Stereo MCs and the trilogy of videos Boy, Tales, and Far Out Feeling are snapshots of the importance of spending more time understanding your children and courageously facing your own crossroads.
Aging American band She Wants Revenge release another album of Bauhaus, Joy Division, and Sisters of Mercy inspired nonsense replete with fake British accent and ridiculously simple lyrics. Sadly, video is still trying to kill the radio star on Valleyheart's Take The World, as SWR decide to distract the MTV generation with visual titillation with a montage of vixens flopping around on bedsheets and shedding their clothes. Duran Duran also released a track in late 2010 with a similar video of young ladies taking off their clothes and winking at the camera in hopes that people wouldn't actually listen to their own trite tracks. However, the single track that shines on She Wants Revenge's Valleyheart is Reasons where the boys take their sound someplace interesting and also lacks the singer's propensity to use a mock English accent.
1. Take the World
2. Kiss Me
3. Up In Flames
4. Must Be The One
5. Not Just A Girl
6. Reasons
7. Little Star
8. Suck It Up
9. Holiday Song
10. Maybe She’s Right
Scotland's Glasvegas have created another Bono friendly release with their newest LP Euphoric Heartbreak, showing that they are prepared for the same massive venues to which U2 has become accustomed. The vocalist tells a variety of stories within the songs, two regarding homosexuality, and frequently explodes from his heavy Glaswegian accent into stadium sized warbled vocals. A similar vocal affectation is shared by their namesake group Your Vegas, who were mentored by global superstars Duran Duran during their 2005 tour. After repeated listens, it seems that "You" and "Shine Like Stars" are the only truly mesmerizing tracks on this long player.
I appreciate that Nick Rhodes was brought in by The Dandy Warhols to help them broaden their sound one decade ago, but Duran Duran should seriously consider opening a chain of all-you-can-eat Tapas restaurants called, of course, Hungry Like the Wolf if their latest record is a suggestion of their current songwriting ability. If someone in the group had truly considered their production choices seriously, then Goldfrapp, Ladytron or even Shawn Lee would have been much better options in helping breathe life into the stagnant DD franchise. Mark Ronson is an excellent producer, but too inexperienced to bring anything fresh to the double D. Do yourself a favour and dig out your old vinyl of Rio and reminisce.
