Album of the week: The Comet Is Coming – Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery

The Comet Is Coming - Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery album cover

Fair warning, I am about to use the phrase ‘Space Jazz’. I implore you to look beyond that or risk missing out on a quite brilliant album…

Space Jazz trio The Comet Is Coming have been quite a revelation for me. I first had my ears opened to a bit of jazz last year by, among others, the brilliant Sons of Kemet. Perhaps it’s no surprise that one of the main reasons why Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery is so darn good is the sax and clarinet of Sons of Kemet’s Shabaka Hutchings that features on this album. But it also manages to add some impressive and heavy bass synth work to the mix, adding in some real dance floor credentials.

The album starts off realtively sedate, giving little indication of what’s to come. Because The End Is Really The Beginning is an atmospheric, almost proggy, start to the album with little in the way of beats. It’s a real scene setter that then leads into Birth of Creation, which introduces some nice meaty, throbbing, synths to the clarinet work. You start to get the feeling that the album is beginning to lead you somewhere and building up to something more special.

Which is precisely what we get with Summon The Fire. There’s a pounding synth, great drum work, Hutchings’s saxophone gets its first proper workout – Sons of Kemet-style – and there’s a few nice background effects going on too. This is proper jazz music for the dance floor.

Things then get deeper with Blood Of The Past, with a fantastic mid-tempo hypnotic bass synth line that becomes a proper head-nodder. There’s even a slight mid-eastern feel to the sax work, but what makes this the standout track is the inclusion of spoke word maestro Kate Tempest from the midway point. Even if the word ‘jazz’ sends shivers down your spine, give this track a whirl.

Super Zodiac sees more breathless sax work from Hutchins. Bar the dreamy synths, this could easily be a Sons of Kemet track, but the inclusion of them adds a bonus layer.

The album then starts to ease off the pedal slightly. Astral Flying‘s slower pace allows both the synth and sax some breathing space, while Timewave Zero is more typical space jazz (if there is such a thing) but moves towards a more house-y feel by the end.

Unity offers us some laid back tribal drum rhythms, while closer The Universe Wakes Up provides a low-key atmospheric ending to the album, with just a hint of random jazz wig out (the bit that usually really annoys me).

I’m still not yet a jazz enthusiast, most of it still seems like pompous musical masturbation to my mind, but I can certainly get down with this kind of groove.

Beware the comet, for it most certainly is coming.

Release date: 15 March 2019

Rating: 8/10

Standout track: Blood Of The Past

For fans of:

Sons of Kemet
Theon Cross
Kate Tempest

Listen on Spotify

Album review: Hans Zimmer – The World Of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration

Han(d)s down Hans Zimmer is my favourite soundtrack composer (bar John Williams obvs), but I found many of the track choices on this album bewildering.

The World Of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration is a collection of concert works, though the recording quality is so good you only really reminded of that by the occasional round of applause that pops up.

Zimmer has a wealth of film scores to choose from and he seems determined to work his way through as many as possible on this two-hour record.

Yet despite the length, not enough time was spent on some of his more accomplished works. The entire Dark Knight trilogy was dealt with in the first six minutes and his utterly brilliant work on Inception was limited to a four-minute rendition of the beautiful Time.

By comparison, Zimmer spends 20-plus minutes working his way through elements of the rather pedestrian soundtrack to The Da Vinci Code. There was also a rather overlong tribute to his work on Mission: Impossible 2.

Other odd inclusions were tracks from Madagascar, The Holiday, and Pearl Harbour – as if anyone needs reminding of that abomination of a film, ever.

There was a decent amount of time covering Gladiator and the album finishes off with the rousing theme from Pirates of the Caribbean. Unfortunately by that point I was pretty hacked off with what had come before, excluding a couple of brilliant moments.

Zimmer is a hugely talented composer, but I don’t feel this album reflects that particularly well. Feel free to cherry pick the best moments from it – in reality this could have been easily cut down to half an hour and you wouldn’t have been any worse off.

Release date: 15 March 2019

Rating: 5.5/10

Standout track: Inception: Time

For fans of:

John Williams
Danny Elfman
Howard Shore

Listen on Spotify

Album of the week: Foals – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1

Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1 album cover

Confession time – Foals haven’t been on my radar since 2010’s Total Life Forever, which featured the brilliant Spanish Sahara but little of interest.

With that in mind I wasn’t expecting too much from Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1, but how wrong I was. This is an exceptionally good half an album that manages to constantly catch you off guard.

It displays a mastery of song progression – with layers building and building on each other until you are incapable of anything but being sucked into the tracks.

On numerous occasions the first few bars of a track leave you with low expectations and little indication of what’s to come but by the end you’re left thinking ‘that was fucking brilliant!’

Prime examples are Syrups, a slower number with a dominant bass that adds keyboards, soulful vocals and guitars as it goes, while On The Luna starts all Maroon 5 but gets beefier as it goes and is beyond recognition by the close of the track.

Sunday is perfectly named, as it has a laid-back sunny Sunday afternoon feel to it. But even here we get some guitar and keyboard layers, a squelchy bass coming in and even a change of tempo that will be perfect for getting the summer festival crowd bouncing.

There are some more full-on numbers too, such as In Degrees, which is an all-out dance number – Foals style, and the brilliant White Onions, which has buzzy guitars and some delicious heavy notes in the chorus.

Even in the quieter moments, such as with the synth chorals of opener Moonlight and the solo piano of closer I’m Done With The World (& It’s Done With Me), there is still plenty of atmosphere and emotion on show.

I had to listen to this album immediately after finishing it first time round just to make sure I hadn’t been hoodwinked by it, but if anything it sounded better second time around.

Part 2 of this work is out in the autumn, and I for one can’t wait.

Release date: 08 March 2019

Rating: 8.5/10

Standout track: White Onions

For fans of:

The Twilight Sad
Editors
Klaxons

Listen on Spotify

Album review: Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind – CollectiV

Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind - CollectiV album cover

They may well try to disguise it under a number of styles, some incredibly growly guitars and even more gravelly vocals, but at heart Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind have produced a rather good Rock ‘n Roll album.

CollectiV starts with a very abrasive guitar riff in Sex Robot that is begging you to stand up and take notice. This riff roughmess is matched only by the rasping growl of the vocals. There’s a faint whiff of saxophone in the chorus, which is more on show in the following (and standout) track Satan’s Got His Heart Set On You, a jazzy, cajun-infused rockabilly romp.

O Genie pulls in a middle-eastern influence to match the deep, distorted guitars that are pervasive throughout the album, while there’s more that a dash of Nick Cave crooning and strings in Meth Church.

We have western-style guitars and piano over drawling vocals in the slower, more atmospheric Dark Secrets, and country influenced slide guitars in the ballady Going There Anyway.

But in all these songs, you never escape the Rock ‘n Roll influence, which is reinforced by more straight out RnR numbers such as Attack of the Killer Brainz, I Found A Love, and Shazam. Much like Motörhead always called themselves a Rock ‘n Roll band first and foremost, so it is with Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind. In fact in many ways, they are a bit of a Motörhead lite, if you will.

A very enjoyable effort but there’s just a tad too much rock cliché on show to stop it earning an exceptional rating.

Release date: 08 March 2019

Rating: 7/10

Standout track: Satan’s Got His Heart Set On You

For fans of:

Nick Cave
Tindersticks
Motörhead

Listen on Spotify

Album review: Flight of the Conchords – Live in London

Flight of the Conchords - Live in London album cover.

It’s been more than a decade since Brett McKenzie and Jermaine Clement burst onto our screens in the highly acclaimed series Flight of the Conchords, which followed the pair as they tried to break New York with their hapless folk band.

After two series and two albums, largely based on the songs featured in the series, they went on to have successful movie and TV careers separately, but clearly still pined for the good ‘ol days working together. So, last year they embarked on a reunion tour, which was recorded for HBO when they reached London, and is now available as an album.

While McKenzie and Clement are comedy actors first and foremost, they also know how to spin a good tune while working in their comedy gold. This album features the full live set and includes classics such as Inner City Pressure, Foux da Fafa, Mutha’uckas, Bowie and The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room).

There’s also new tracks that haven’t made a recording appearance before, such as Father and Son, Summer of 1353, and Iain and Deanna.

While I really enjoyed their previous albums, Live in London stands above those largely due to the welcome addition of banter between between the two and their ability to feed off the audience’s reaction.

Is it a comedy show or a gig? Both probably, but unlike with most comedy songs their music still stands the test of time. This is a great way to experience Flight of the Conchords, whether your a fan or a newcomer.

Release date: 08 March 2019

Rating: 8/10

Standout track: Mutha’uckas – Hurt Feelings

For fans of:

Spinal Tap
Tenacious D
Bill Bailey

Listen on Spotify

Album review: Little Simz – GREY Area

25-year old Simbiatu “Simbi” Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, a.k.a. Little Simz, is now on her third album and displaying an incredible amount of maturity for her tender age.

GREY Area is a powerful and provocative work that lays bare both her fragility and her steely determination. There is musical sophistication here to match her well-conceived lyrical lashings, which combine to deliver a quite impressive opus.

Simbi sets her stall out on opener Offence, which features some classic funk breakbeat, buzzy bass and jazz-style flutes as she essentially warns us that she doesn’t care who she offends. If you’re bothered by what she’s got to say – that’s on you.

There are other powerful messages contained in this album. Wounds, with its bluesy guitar and impatient keyboard and drum line, hits out at women who get embroiled in and end up supporting and glorifying gun culture.

Venom, possibly top track on the album, uses ominous strings and oppressive keyboards to call out sexism in the music industry and highlights how forthright women can be cast aside for being too intimidating.

There are a fair few self-reflecting pieces on here. Therapy finds Little Simz recounting how counselling sessions hadn’t worked for her, but did find redemption in the power of perseverance and self-belief.

Sherbert Sunset, another track driven by a fantastic funky bass line, is a classic break-up track, but manages to combine the relief of having dodged a bullet with regret at it having ended and counting up the damage done from both the relationship and the split.

We get some traditional Japanese melodies via keyboard accompanied by some cracking heavy bass on 101 FM. The track offers us the well worn gem that the most important lessons in life don’t come at school, but does manage to reference Crash Bandicoot and Mortal Kombat in the process. Priceless.

It’s not a perfect album, some tracks don’t develop as much as you may want, but there are enough highlights to keep your attention throughout, and to go back for a repeat listen.

Release date: 01 March 2019

Rating: 7.5/10

Standout track: Venom

For fans of:

Missy Elliott
Loyle Carner
Miss Red

Listen on Spotify

Album of the week: FEWS – Into Red

The second album from Swedish/US post-punk group FEWS sees the band building on the unique sound developed on debut album Means.

What we have with Into Red is a more mature sound, greater use of atmosphere, heavier guitars and a sometimes slower pace. This is epitomised on opening track Quiet, which is anything but. It incorporates elements of shoegaze, isn’t afraid to hold the pace up where necessary, and sheds the sometimes jangly guitars of the last album for something much beefier.

Paradiso continues this trend, while still being unmistakably FEWS. The vocals have more of a drawl to them and the effect-laden guitars in the chorus section are something to behold.

There are some hark-backs to earlier days. More Than Ever is a classic up-tempo indie rock number that, while not hugely original in design, is brilliantly executed. Anything Else recalls Ill from their debut album, before taking us off in a slightly different direction with some stupendous guitar bursts. Over provides us with a proper post-punk opening, a high tempo and a fabulous chorus.

Elsewhere there are new delights to entertain us. Business Man is driven along by piano and bass until distorted synths kick in as the guitars keep building on each other. 97 provides us with a desolate opening using a single echoing guitar and soft vocal before the guitars break over you. It contains quite a discordant riff that at first sounds off, but eventually falls perfectly into place.

There’s even the addition of a little bit of 80s synth on Limits, though this is kept to a minimum across the album.

A highly impressive sophomore for this band, which I would advise anyone with a soft spot for loud guitars to listen to. You won’t regret it.

Release date: 01 March 2019

Rating: 9/10

Standout track: Quiet

For fans of:

Shame
Moaning
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Listen on Spotify

Album review: Snapped Ankles – Stunning Luxury

Snapped Ankles - Stunning Luxury album cover

It’s really hard to describe Snapped Ankles. They’re part dance, part psych-rock, part crusty avent-garde, part post-punk and a whole heap of English eccentricity. This is a group that dress in ghillie suits on stage and look like shamanistic yetis (see my unofficial Mutations Festival 2019 awards article for more).

Stunning Luxury is the band’s second album, following the release of the fantastic Come Play The Trees in 2017 – one of my albums of that year.

It picks up where the last album left off, but if possible it’s even more out-there.

There is classic Snapped Ankles on show here, such as the incessant synth line on Tailpipe, that you just can’t help being sucked in by. Delivery Van is a cracking bass-guitar driven number that plays with some truly odd keyboard melodies and 60s pysychodelia and general nuttiness.

Drink and Glide is another slice of the band at their most unashamedly enjoyable, with guitar and synth working in perfect harmony to keep a smile on everyone’s faces.

Rechargeable is probably my favourite track, a proper toe-tapping, head nodder that builds speed and layers as it progresses from its minimalistic start.

There is greater experimentation is on show on Stunning Luxury, which sometimes works, but sometimes falls short.

Letter From Hampi Mountain is a little hard to get into and seems to revolve around something akin to a bagpipe that’s swallowed a 56K modem. By the end, though, you are on board with it all. Similarly, Skirmish in the Suburb‘s Blade Runner-style opening keeps you hanging on for the eventually satisfying drums and acid synth conclusion.

Elsewhere though we have Three Steps to a Development‘s electro funk, which takes some getting in to. Stylistically it feels all over the place. You’re waiting for all the threads to pull together at the end, which they kind of do, but perhaps the payoff isn’t as big as you would hope. With Dial the Rings on a Tree, you are also left wanting more.

All things considered, this probably isn’t as strong a work as their debut, but the sheer audacity of Stunning Luxury is most definitely worth checking out – even if you don’t think this is your style of music. I also have a feeling that this may be a grower. Don’t be surprised if my rating improves over time.

Release date: 01 March 2019

Rating: 8/10

Standout track: Rechargeable

For fans of:

Phobophobes
Goat
Flamingods

Listen on Spotify

Album of the week: Teeth Of The Sea – Wraith

Teeth Of The Sea have produced an absorbing album that mixes electronica, ambient, dance and jazz with a splash of psych rock and even a touch of avent-garde, while managing to maintain its sense of direction throughout.

On Wraith, the band is not shy on using brass to create that jazzy noir feeling but ensure it doesn’t dominate proceedings, and just when you feel that things are in danger of running aground they surprise you with a change up that pulls you back in once again.

I’d Rather, Jack as an opening piece, lays the groundwork for the rest of the album, fusing a simple heavy drum line with synths, trumpet, some electronic soundscapes and electric guitars. At times it feels like a film noir set in a sweaty nightclub.

That trend continues with the brooding Hiraeth, which flirts with becoming too jazzy before deep bass and grungy guitars fully redeems it.

Fortean Steed explores a more atmospheric, swirling electronic motif, incorporating echoing plucked electric guitars with some folky female choral voices and effect-laden glockenspiel.

There’s some masterful work going on in the track Our Love Can Destroy This Whole Fucking World, where not a whole lot seems to be happening but yet you are hooked from the first note to the last bar. Very reminiscent of the last year’s fantastic album by Nils Frahm.

Where the album really takes off is when the beats speed up and the loops take you on a hypnotic journey, such as in the excellent VISITOR and the brilliantly-titled Gladiators Ready – which transforms into a proper mid-tempo banger worthy of any acid rave.

There was enough variety and depth to this album to make it my album of the week, despite some very strong competition. Get your ears round it now.

Release date: 22 February 2019

Rating: 8/10

Standout track: VISITOR

For fans of:

GoGo Penguin
Nils Frahm
These New Puritans

Listen on Spotify

Album review: Modeselektor – Who Else

I’ve been waiting some time now to review a decent techno record where I can fully regress to my rave days. Modeselektor happily provided the opportunity and I’m most appreciative.

Who Else isn’t quite a full out techno album, there are other elements of electronic influence in there, from house, to some crazy jungle beats, and even a bit of grime thanks to some excellent collaboration pieces.

This also falls occassionally into the ‘experimental’ side of things. Fentanyl, for instance, uses a fractured and disjointed bassline that makes it a tricky one to dance to but also difficult to digest if you’re sitting at home.

But the album does hark back to the heydays of rave. There’s some classic arpeggiator action on opener One United Power and some very familiar ‘rave’ synths kicking off on I Am Your God.

WMF Love Song is another tune that draws heavily on the echoes of hard house and is built for the dancefloor, while Wake Me Up When It’s Over has overtones of Orbital in the synths before the jungle madness begins in earnest.

It’s probably the collaborations that work best on this album. Wealth, with Flohio, injects a touch of grime into proceedings, backed by some Leftfield-style synth work. Top track is probably Who, featuring Tommy Cash, that borrows from more recent EDM but is firmly rooted through its acidy organs in early techno and dance culture.

Not my album of the week, due to a few tracks that fell short of the mark, but very close.