Check out the Top 5 albums of July. Here’s Tuneraker readers’ favourite album plus four of our top choices.
READERS’ CHOICE
Black Kids - The Secret Offspring Of The Cure And Madonna?
Did you ever wonder what a fusion of The Cure and early Madonna would have sounded like? Black Kids are the answer. The splendid ‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend (How To Dance With You)’ is the obvious hit on ‘Partie Traumatic’. A singalong pop record with witty lyrics and a sunny sound that reminds me a lot of the Cure in their ‘Lovecats’ period.Black Kids are struggling a bit to hold that level of songwriting over the rest of the album. Not every song is a winner, but the sheer energy is infectious. The standout tracks are ‘I Wanna Be Your Limousine’ and ‘Listen To Your Body Tonight’. If you are looking for a bit of uncomplicated fun, you’ve come to the right place.
Listen Here to ‘Partie Traumatic’ and download the album from iTunes.
CRITICS’ CHOICE
#1 Fleet Foxes ‘Fleet Foxes’
Seattle band Fleet Foxes sit inbetween the darker side of the Beach Boys and the jangly folk rock of the Byrds. At their best, the Foxes make timeless surf pop songs full of towering vocal harmonies.
The harmonies and the echo-drenched drums expand songs like ‘White Winter Hymnal’ and ‘He Doesn’t Know Why’ into soundscapes as big and wide as a Pacific beach. Both tracks plus the quieter ‘Heard Them Stirring’ recall the more intense creations by Beach Boys’ mastermind Brian Wilson.
The three songs together form the heart of the Fleet Foxes’ selftitled album. For the feet you get two indie rock numbers, ‘Your Protector’ and ‘Ragged Wood’. For the head you get a bundle of heavily Byrds-inspired folk rock tunes full of jangling guitars and introspective lyrics. ‘Sun It Rises’, ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’, ‘Blue Ridge Mountains and the remainder of the album fall into the latter category.
The ex-Grunge Rockers among you may like to know that this five-piece hails from the suburbs of Grunge capital Seattle. Like the Grunge bands that came before them, the Fleet Foxes display a mellow, laid back vibe throughout the album. ‘Fleet Foxes’ never sounds busy or laboured.
The only reservation I have about this album is that even though every track is a strong song in its own right, they don’t get to shine properly as there is little to set them off from the rest. If Fleet Foxes would have thrown in a few breaks, let’s say a slightly harder number and a solo ballad, the album could have been even stronger.
Reservations aside, if you are looking for sunny, laid back pop songs with an echo of the Beach Boys’ surfing symphonies then ‘Fleet Foxes’ is a sound choice.
Listen now to ‘Fleet Foxes’ and download the album from the iTunes Store.
#2 Micah P. Hinson ‘Micah P. Hinson And The Red Empire Orchestra’
Like Tom Waits meeting Leonard Cohen in a roadside ale house, this album combines lust, rage and sadness with a taste for sleezy late night music. Micah is out in a league of his own.
The first half of the album is folky with a dark streak. Somber songs sung with an authority that makes you listen. Then Micah takes on a different personality, turning into a flamboyant storyteller who commands a string orchestra for added dramatic effect.
‘You Will Find Me’, ‘The Wishing Well And The Willow Tree’, ‘We Won’t Have To Be Lonesome’ - The second half of the album is full of drama and passion. There is more than a touch of Roy Orbison’s excess and the Big O’s ambivalence between laughter and tears in these songs. Micah performs his more outlandish material with sincerity. This is no kitschy 1950’s nostalgia but very powerful music.
#3 Ragga Twins ‘Ragga Twins Step Out’
‘Ragga Twins Step Out’ collects all the biggest tunes of the North London duo, ranging in styles from Dancehall reggae to rave anthems and proto-Dubstep darkness. Tracks like ‘Spliffhead’, ‘Wipe The Needle’, ‘Rude Boy’ and ‘Good Times’ were certified rave anthems back in the days. Straight, upbeat dance tunes build for partying the night away.
Listen to ‘Ragga Twins Step Out’ here.
#4 Various Production ‘Versus’
Various Production don’t do conventional four-to-the-floor beats. In fact, there’s little that’s conventional in a typical VP mix. They even stick out as a bit extreme in a genre that’s based on tricky rhythms, like Dubstep. The Sugarbabes’ ‘Too Lost In You’ is probably a good starting point. A subtle rework that pulls the carpet from under your feet just as you are making your way to the dancefloor. Ouch.
Working with Ian Brown’s ‘Sister Rose’, VP add massive bass that towers over Brown’s vocals, casting the song into dark, moody shadows. But if you really want to see how the Dubstep approach can add drama to an indie rock tune, check out the VP mix of Foal’s ‘Red Sox’.
My favourite VP compositions on the album are the chanson bizzarre of ‘Limbs’ and the massive re-rubs of ‘Hater’ and ‘In This’. Zomby turns ‘Hater’ into an 8-bit dancehall bomb that sounds like you are on a bumper car joyride through a games arcade. Rusty gives ‘In This’ an equally strong remake, throwing the tune into a quaking, skittering mess of glitchy madness.
Listen Here to ‘Versus’ and download the album from iTunes.
