Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

This is one of the most ambitious albums in recent years. This triple album (yes, you've read that right!) houses a host of beautiful tracks, great string arrangements, and throughout the album, Joanna sings and plucks her way to some of the most brilliant pieces of music I've heard.

Baby Birch is definitely the highlight for me; the first disc is flawless, and Baby Birch closes it off so elegantly - I'd say it was my favourite track of 2010 so far.
That's not to say that other tracks aren't as good: Esme, Kingfisher, Easy, Go Long, Soft as Chalk etc. All fantastic tracks - there's hardly any filler on there. The harp is present throughout the album - with the occasional piano - and its these elements (along with her Kate Bush-like vocals) which hypnotized me. It was as if I was at ease; I think the perfect way to listen to this record is with a red wine in hand, and with over 2 hours of lull to calm yourself.

That's the biggest weakness when it comes to double/triple albums; length. It's almost impossible to listen to the whole record in one sitting, and take it all in at the same time. This is no exception, but by listening to individual discs, they act like complete listens in themselves.

With so many great releases coming up (Gorillaz, Arcade Fire, possibly even Radiohead) Have One On Me is the leading contender for album of the year for me, so far. But will that last? Newsom will put up a good fight, that's for sure.

Rating: 4.5/5
Released 23rd February

It's oh so quiet...

...but not where I am. There are massive reviews coming up, including the monster triple album by Joanna Newsom (!!!), The Knife's Tomorrow, In a Year, and Ellie Goulding's debut.

Then there's March, when Gorillaz' Plastic Beach is finally released; check out Super Fast Jellyfish if you haven't heard it yet. Autechre's album is also released, so there's plenty to look forward to!

Why the Brits are no longer relevant.

Anyone with a decent taste in music would agree that the state of British music is in decline. We're surrounded by overhyped, "get-rich-quick" singers who are promoted ahead of real artists, who don't depend on auto-tuners and 2nd party songwriters. I watched the Brits just to see what went on, and here's my view on the winners and performers...

British Female Solo Artist:

Winner - Lily Allen

Who should have won - Bat For Lashes

I don't mind Lilly; she speaks her mind (whether you like it or not) and writes some decent pop songs. However, Bat For Lashes (AKA Natasha Kahn) is a real talent. Two Suns is a beautifully crafted album, which recalls the likes of Kate Bush and Bjork. Lungs by Florence and The Machine was a good album too, but Two Suns felt like a journey into a fantasy dreamland.

British Male Solo Artist:

Winner - Dizzee Rascal

What a terrible list. I don't mind Dizzee Rascal, I'm just sick of hearing Bonkers everywhere I go.

British Breakthrough:

Winner - JLS

Who should have won - The xx

Another terrible list. JLS; just an awful boyband. The xx was nowhere to be found unfortunately. Their debut album was one of the best of 2009.

British Group:

Winner - Kasabian

Muse were also in the mix, but they haven't had a great year, and The Resistance was inconsistent and overbloated to boot.

British Album:

Winner - Lungs

Who should have won - XX/ Journal For Plagued Lovers

Lungs is a good album, but I was disappointed that the Manics weren't mentioned; it's a great album.

British Single:

DON'T get me started.

Critics' Choice:

Ellie Goulding

Delphic

Marina and the Diamonds

3 good bands there. I think Ellie deserved it.

Brits album of the last 30 years:

Ridiculous choices. Where on earth was OK Computer? Mezzanine? Closer? Duffy can bugger off.

International Female Solo Artist:

Winner - Lady Gaga

Who should have won - Fever Ray/Lady Gaga

Depends if you're counting success. Fever Ray's album is a fantastic trip to the unknown, where Gaga has proven herself to be THE pop Queen of the last few years. Gaga is a real standout, in an otherwise dull, and unexciting pop industry.

International Male Solo Artist:

Winner - Jay-Z

Another artist I don't mind. I can't think of a male solo artist (my memory fails)

International Album:

Winner - The Fame (shouldn't it be The Fame Monster!?)

Who should have won - It's Blitz!/ Merriweather Post Pavilion/Hospice etc.

The Fame (Monster) is a good pop album, but there were better "albums" out in 2009. I could name a lot, but I better not go on...

International Breakthrough:

Winner - Lady Gaga

Who should have won - Phoenix?

What do they mean by breakthrough? Does it have to be their debut LP, or just someone who's been around for ages and have finally gotten recognition by the mainstream media? (Animal Collcetive were nominated, even though they've been around since 2000)

Highlights:

Kasabian's psychedelic 'Fire' performance. An excuse for me to stare at Sergio (mmmm....)

Lady Gaga's weird performance of Dance In The Dark (after a great acoustic performance of Telephone) She faced criticism for not playing Bad Romance (or any of her "well-known" songs) People should stop being so lazy and listen to her album. I think it's great she didn't perform the obvious choices.

Lowlight:

Cheryl "Nation's Darling" Cole miming so comically and terribly. It's an insult to everyone in the music industry who don't get recognition. The likes of Thom Yorke and Panda Bear have more talent in their toenails than what Cole has in her entire body.

Just ridiculous. Yet people still defend her, saying "oh, she was too upset to sing". No, the simple fact is she can't sing.

You can tell I'm bored, the fact that X Factor dominated the nominations is damaging.

Hurry up Joanna Newsom and LEAK! I need a slice of quality music after this horror show!

Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself

Dear God, I Hate Myself...not a very optimistic title is it?

This will be a short review, as my feelings about this album is quite straight forward. There are moments where songs could develop into something great, but they never do. You sometimes think that it's too experimental for its own good, which is why after listening to it a lot of times, I still don't really get anything from this album; it leaves a hollow feeling if anything, and because the songs are so short, they just pass you by, without adding anything meaningful to the album.

Now for a good point; I really like its wacky nature, it's a breath of fresh air, but despite this, it doesn't make me want to stop punching Mr Jamie Stewart in the face for releasing a record that feels like it's toying with the listener. You just want to contact him yourself and say, "Hey, I know you're good. Now be serious for once."

Strange album. Listen to it if you want something slightly bizarre and different.

Rating: 3/5
Released 23rd February

Yeasayer - Odd Blood

I've never really liked MGMT that much, in fact I think they're over-hyped beyond belief. Despite having some great songs like Kids and Electric Feel, I just thought that Oracular Spectacular was inconsistent . Why am I opening with MGMT? Because there is a rise of psych-pop bands at the moment; Empire of The Sun, MGMT, even Animal Collective are getting more commercial attention - and then there's Yeasayer.

I don't know a lot about them to be honest, so I started listening to this album with low expectations, and after the first listen I felt that I shouldn't have underestimated them so much. The tracks have that lovely vibe about them; so colourful and vibrant. There's a lot going on on each track; you'd never get everything on the first listen. The Children starts things off with a creepy, sluggish vibe, helped by the pitch-shift they used on the vocals. Ambling Alp is the hit of the album, providing a completely different atmosphere to The Children. It gives off that summery vibe, similar to My Girls found on Merriweather Post Pavilion. I Remember is an alien ballad, but not in the freaky sense - it's beautiful.

If you think we're done with the partying and summery vibe, then ONE just carries on the celebration. Shame the lyrics are of the negative kind, but Love Me Girl puts that right, which has a slight Hot Chip edge to it, not to mention it's insanely catchy to boot. Rome is a loony mindfuck; one comment on Last.Fm made me laugh; "One part sounds like Mario going down a pipe". Just imagine Mario traveling through Rome, and you pretty much have it!

After the first 7 tracks, the album slightly dips in form. Strange Reunions is tame compared to the hustle of previous tracks, and ending on Grizelda isn't the best way. It's too short for me personally, it just leaves a rushed feeling to end the album, even though it is a nice track. The dip in form is the real disappointment, but considering that those 3 tracks at the end are all at least good, it just goes to show what a great album this is.

What I love about this album is that is fuses pop and experimental elements successfully. It's great for mainstream casuals or those who like a little experimentation of the weird kind. It has a real shout in for album of the year.

Rating: 4/5
Released 8th February

Massive Attack - Heligoland

This is it - The big one. If you can't tell already, I love Massive Attack. Mezzanine is a perfect record, it's one of the best records of the 90's, along with Blue Lines (an equally fantastic record). Well, Massive Attack are back after a 7 year gap between 100th Window and Heligoland. I had semi-high expectations of this album, even though I know they'll never reach the high points of Mezzanine again. What I found out was that Massive Attack still have the old magic, but can't use that magic on some underwhelming moments on the album.

The opening track is a familiar one - you may have heard it on their Splitting The Atom EP that was released last year (The said title track is also on here); 'Pray For Rain'. It starts the album off with a pounding drum beat and monotonic piano chords and sounds slightly bizarre. At first I hated it, but it's grown on me, but I do think a better track could have opened the album. 'Babel' comes charging in with its glitchy drum beat, but vocalist Martina Topley-Bird provides the track with much needed fluency. I'd describe it as a restricted Aphex Twin with vocals on top.

Then comes the first real highlight; 'Splitting The Atom'. A creepy slow-burner that recalls the days of Mezzanine. Horace Andy is back, in welcoming return to form. 'Girl I Love You' is dark, unsettling and bass-driven; just how I love them, but 'Psyche' is a nuisance because it ruins the flow of the album. Its repetitive spiraling riff is all very nice, but it goes absolutely nowhere, and the track is just a filler in my book. 'Flat of The Blade' has Guy Garvey singing on top of a largely loopy track (Elbow lead singer) and 'Rush Minute' is probably the worst track on record; even now, I can't remember how it goes, but it's a largely forgettable track. Meanwhile, Damon Albarn shines on 'Saturday Come Slow'. Anything that man touches seems to come out as gold!

Amidst all of this mediocrity (by their standard), there are two songs that stand out a mile; the amazing 'Paradise Circus', with Hope Sandoval providing vocals, and 'Atlas Air' - the synth-behemoth that closes the album on a real high. Like I said, 'Paradise Circus' is a touch of fragile beauty, Sandoval's vocals are incredibly beautiful. She reminds me of when Liz Fraser sang on 'Teardrop' and 'Group Four' on Mezzanine. She made those songs memorable in her unique way, and Cocteau Twins fans got a chance to hear exactly what she said without difficulty! The climax of 'Paradise...' is overwhelming. I just think it sounds so perfect; both chaotic and beautiful at the same time.

This largely dark album has some of the old Massive Attack spark, but it's not their best by any means. It's a good record, it has some of their best material to date ('Paradise Circus' is my favourite song of 2010 so far) but my main problem with this record is that it doesn't sound like an 'album', it sounds more like a compilation, and the vast amount of singers and collaborators just make it impossible for me to take this as a Massive Attack record. It's a shame, because while it's not brilliant, it's still worth a listen because on the whole, it's a pretty damn good album.

Rating: 3.5/5
Released 8th February

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Weeey, first review of February! Now then; Hot Chip. I saw them in V2008, and they were pretty good. Unfortunately I had to leave the tent since I....uh....got a bit sick due to the over-consumption of alcohol, and with virtually no food in my belly, not a good result! Anyway, in those short minutes I spent in that tent, they played 'Over and Over', which is one of my favourite dance tracks of the 00's. So, I was pretty excited to hear Hot Chip's latest offering...

OLS starts with a gleaming bang; 'Thieves in the Night' has an infectious melody to keep you going through it's 6 minute length, and the album just keeps getting better with the run of 'Hand Me Down Your Love', 'Feel Better', and the title track. These first four tracks are the real standouts. 'Hand Me...' infuses strings and piano onto a stingy rhythm, before 'Feel Better' goes one step further and includes steel drums on the chorus to great effect.
The real highlight for me comes in the title track; it's the lazy bass that does it for me. When I played it in ICT to my two friends, they went "WTF is this!?" Their little brains aren't used to this crazy beat ;) It's so bloody addictive in a strange way - and "lazy" (but in a good way) - but it's up there with 'Over and Over' for me, personally.

Anyway, after those four tracks, the album goes downhill sharpish. 'Slush' absolutely kills it for me, it's the irritating song of the bunch. It's different from what they've been doing (it has a bit more swing to it) but I don't like it, bluntly put. It doesn't help that the singer is a bit out of tune! 'Brothers' is ok, it's just a bit dull, and 'Alley Cats' steps up a tiny bit, but it again, it's not fun.

By now, you realise that this as an album is a lot more mellow and mature than their previous efforts. While I don't mind change (in fact, I welcome it) I think they did it perfectly in their first four tracks, because the album loses a lot of momentum by 'Brothers', and 'Slush' just kills it. It does get revived by 'We Have Love', so at least it's a return to form. 'Keep Quiet' reminds me of 'Atmosphere' by Joy Division, but obviously in a more synth-like way. 'Take It In' closes the album off with a psycho melody, but all-in-all it's a bit of a roller-coaster. You go from one extreme to another quality-wise.

It's all very well and good, but it's not that Hot Chip masterpiece fans have been craving for. They're one step closer to releasing it though. Just cut the crap!

Rating: 4/5
Released February 8th

What's coming up...February

Album reviews to look forward to this month:

Odd Blood - Yeasayer
One Life Stand - Hot Chip
Have One On Me - Joanna Newsom
Dear God, I Hate Myself - Xiu Xiu
Heligoland - Massive Attack

At the moment, not as prolific as January, but we'll see if there will be any hidden gems out this month!

The Knife's "opera album" has leaked. It'll be reviewed before its physical release date (1st March)