Album Review: Mirror Traffic - Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

One of the few bands I discovered in my teenage years that I continue to develop a fondness for rather than a slowly building distance from are Pavement. Something about SM and the crew's absolute embrace of being a slacker shines to me as a more admirable ambition than that of a thousand try-hard rock stars, let alone all those bankers & politicians. Pick a cut at random from either of Pavement's first three albums and you will be greeted with something that sounds like the band could barely be bothered to exist, so how they managed to enter a studio and record music is beyond me. And it's spellbinding: horizontal to the point where any further would be perpendicular.

And here I will level with you - as big a fan of Pavement's as I am the solo material I have heard, from Malkmus or anyone else, has always left me a little cold. It lacked th (lack of) focus that made Pavement special. But, producer slut that I am, the announcement of Beck as the producer of Mirror Traffic had me a little excited.

And it turns out I had every right to be. Mirror Traffic arguably sounds like a better Pavement album than the last Pavement album. The slacker charm is here in full force and whilst it might not be Crooked Rain, there are a whole bunch of bloody excellent tunes. I remember reading of a spat between the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan and Malkmus (following a harmless dig from the latter on ’Range Life') in which Corgan counter-dissed Pavement (and still does), saying "people don't fall in love to Pavement... they put on Smashing Pumpkins or Hole or Nirvana, because these bands actually mean something to them".

The stupid thing about this exchange is that nothing could be further from the truth, and the same goes here, many years on. Much more so than on Malkmus' other solo work. Just listen to the gloriously catchy, scruffy guitars of 'Stick Fingers In Love' for example. Or the loose near-balladry of 'Share The Red', with Malkmus' vocal delivery of the line "I'll be watching all the time" in the bridge spat out in distaste. This music still packs the kind of passionate punch that most bands would die for.

The lyrics themselves are, at times, similarly full of downer brilliance. Take the opening of 'Forever 28’: "I can see the mystery of you and me will never quite add up / no-one is your perfect fit, I do not believe in that shit, don't you know every bubble bursts?"

As for production, Beck's touch is deft. Play this to a Pavement fan without them knowing the producer and they would know no different - it's raw and grungey and loose yet as soon as you know the producer it comes as little surprise... The hints are there in the snippets of brass, choruses of wordless 'ahhhhhs' as backing vocals. Beck has brought his skill to Malkmus' songwriting, but at the expense of nothing.

All in all this Mirror Traffic is a thrill: a post-pavement record better than you could hope for.

BP x

Mirror Traffic is out now, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP and MP3 [affiliate links].

Album Review: The Blackout - Tunnels

Inspired by the likes of A Crash Course In Science and Throbbing Gristle, Tunnels (real name Nick Bindeman, from Eternal Tapestry and Jackie-O Motherfucker) is focused on creating vintage sounding electronic post-punk. And his influences are writ large on this debut album.

The sounds of the past may be all of this record but to modern ears this sounds like a much more distorted angular Metronomy and really reminds me of early 2000s wünderkid Zongamin (whatever happened to?). Regardless, Bindeman's real influences are clear and any similarity is more a result of shared references rather than one following the other.

In reality The Blackout is darker than either of the aforementioned artists, harking back to the stark darkness of early eighties industrial post-punk. The ten songs here feel a world away from the jaunty melodies of Metronomy's electro-pop. Bindeman's vocals are monotone, obscured by a melancholic bass guitar and scratchy guitars - the lyrics are usually barely audible but even so one suspects they don't tell a happy tale.

As a piece of music this is an interesting listen rather than an enjoyable one - the production is challenging and whilst the album is brief in duration at 30 minutes it's difficult not to feel a little trapped and isolated by the closing in walls of static. It's a little like trying to walk through pitch black: there are no waypoints or guiding lights here and it is easy to feel lost.

The Blackout may be a great tribute to some of the best innovators that emerged in the early eighties post-punk scene, a trip back early industrial and experimental electronic sounds. As good as it is, it's a hard thing to love.

BP x

The Blackout is out on Monday 29 August on Thrill Jockey, available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on LP [affiliate link].

Album Review: Coastal Grooves - Blood Orange

Dev Hynes continues to blow my mind. As part of Test Icicles he helped play a (severely underrated) role in the birth of nu rave and proved that kids that dance can still rock hard. As Lightspeed Champion he made folk cool years before Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale (and let's not forget more interesting, as Falling Off The Lavender Bridge is still way more interesting that the Fleet Foxes). And here he is again, taking the long road home.

Hynes seems destined to make things difficult for himself - each time slotting into a slightly more oblique genre and changing his name like selling records is the last thing he wants. It's both a shame and a miracle, for he is exactly what us musos pine for: a well kept secret.

Blood Orange is, unsurprisingly, a rather different project to either of Hynes' previous incarnations. And, frustratingly for me as reviewer, it's rather difficult to describe. There are elements of post-punk, a retained country influence, an electronic edge and what feels like an oriental influence. It is also Dev Hynes' most obscure project to date. But it also might be his most interesting.

Whilst it feels instantly unrecognisable from Lightspeed Champion's honest Americana there are some similarities - 'S'Cooled', for example, may have a shuffling electronic beat a mile away from anything Hynes has used before but it still boasts the delicate guitar picking of ...Lavender Bridge.

Coastal Grooves feels more consciously produced than anything Hynes has released before but ironically it also feels more honest and exposed. The melodies feel like they bounced out of his head and the lyrics drooled out of his sleeping mouth agape even more so than before. That makes it sounds throwaway but that isn't the intention - this just feels like artist having an idea and acting on it without worrying about the listener at all. Which is refreshing.

And there are still memorable tunes - 'The Complete Knock', with it's disco influenced bridge complete with snappy guitars and a electro-inspired bridge, for example. Or 'I'm Sorry We Lied', a rapid fire blues record - insistent drums and picked out melodies like a foreign delicacy.

More than anything Coastal Grooves proves Hynes continues to care about his art and that he doesn't care if you care. But trust me, you should.

BP x

Coastal Grooves is released on Domino on Monday, available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP and MP3 [affilaite links].

Album Review: Heidi presents The Jackathon - Heidi

The Jackathon makes a bit of a poor first impression. Starting with an intro in the form of Derrick Carter telling us Heidi is bringing us something "you ain't never heard before” she then drops into Soul Clap's 'Incoming Bitch (Get Low)'. A problem for me on two counts - the intro smacks of self-indulgence from a DJ who doesn't have the reputation to permit it and 'Incoming Bitch' is a pretty terrible track from a usually dependable outfit - it's tasteless, two-dimensional and the combination of the vocal and high pitched squeals is frankly irritating.

It took me a while to get past this but I'm pretty glad I did - much of what follows is great. 'What The Funk' by Solomon is tasteful, minimal and, yes, subtly jacking house music in all the right ways. It feels old and new at the same time. DJ T. proves he still has something to offer on the drum-heavy dark vibes of 'High'. Featuring vocals from Nick Mauer, it gradually builds into a sweatbox of a track, a tribute to being lost inside the drugs and the music.

Juan Maclean seems to be on some sort of mission - following on from his excellent turn on DJ Kicks where he turned in a fantastic straight up house mix he helps Heidi do the same here with the inclusion of 'Love In Tatters'. It may not be rocket science but it's done very well - straight up head music, perfect for lovers of house.

Actor One delivers a heavy, dubby number on 'March Violets' that keeps things minimal and simple, shining all the brighter for it. The mix closes with Steve Bug's 'Jack is Back' followed by an outro by Derrick. Sadly this feels slightly anti-climatic - Bug's track is fine enough but it doesn't feel like an 'end' and the outro is not much better than the intro. The result feels like the warm-up DJ handing over to a headliner rather than the end of a night peak.

So a duff start and, to be honest, a few too many mentions of the word (/ name) Jack (yes, we get it, it's about jacking) but other than than Heidi hits her target here. The Jackathon is mostly pitched just right - it's a mix album for lovers of stripped back, simple house music that's perfect for a sunny day or a pre-night out warm-up.

BP x

Heidi presents The Jackathon is out now on Get Physical, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD and MP3 [affiliate links].

Album Review: We Love... Portraits 01 - Mat Playford

We Love... has been the tale of Ibiza legend since its inception back in 1999 when it took over the infamous Sunday all day and all night slot at Space. A club night that originally started on a Sunday morning and ran for a full 22 hours, whilst revellers can bask in the outside terrace area: what's not to like?

Except of course times change - Space first received a canopy (blocking out those glorious hands-in-the-air as planes swoosh over moments) and then a full-on roof. The hours have now been reduced to 14 hours, with the action kicking off at 4pm on Sundays. I went back to Ibiza last year for my second time, the first time in seven years. I wasn't there on a clubbing excursion but even so - things have noticeably changed. The warmth of the white isle runs through my veins - it's difficult to resist the lure of gorgeous beaches, sunshine and house music - but things change.

At least they have changed for most of us. Because if you listen to Mat Playford's 'artist profile' you just might find yourself falling down the rabbit hole. This being number '01' it clearly represents the first in a series so I can't conclude that they will all follow the same format but what we have here is basically two albums. The first is an artist effort, with Mat Playford (or his Weirdo Police alter ego) providing original material, whilst the second set is a conventional mix album.

If this sounds like a bad idea, that is because it is. Albums by DJs can be pretty terrible at the best of times, sticking one at the beginning of a mix CD screams 'phoned in'. As such I'm pleasantly stunned to find that Playford's own material here is mostly good and at times excellent. It is truly soaked in Balearic vibes but it still takes in a variety of sounds - opening track 'Evidence' is cosmic and chilled, like Jean Michel Jarrett taking over Café Del Mar. It's easy to bite your thumb at a bit of chill these days but this is surprisingly good and when it is sunny it sounds undeniably good.

The DJ set element kicks in with one of Playford's own compositions, smoothing what could otherwise have been a slightly bumpy transition. Things start fairly laid back and cosmic however, with Ford Inc.'s 'Delirium' little more than some gentle funky keys and Salt City Orchestra's 'Downtime' adding a bit of bass but still playing gently.

Mat Playford's mix of Luca C's Ali Love featuring 'Different Morals' is the first track to raise the pulse a little, but it keeps things classy - funky but minimal, Love's vocal doesn't overpower the mix and the real star here is the reverb, coating the song in deep, lazy sunshine. The dark acid house of Joe Morris' 'Velocity House' is another highlight, vintage house stabs pounding out a melody that emerges from the darkness like the sun cutting through grey.

The set finishes with the epic 'Face The Music' by Tim Deluxe, which combines loose, live sounding percussion with a euphoric techno-inspired synth line. It's all hands-in-the-air until the break drops all but the beat and throws in a piano and some classy brass. Suddenly you really are on the (proper) terrace at Space, listening to a fusion of jazz, house and techno.

It's a fantastic end to the set and the album. Portraits 01 does a great job of recapturing the spirit of 'We Love...' and does a good enough job at demonstrating Playford's DJing and production skill. Now if only I had another trip to Ibiza on the cards...

BP x

Portraits 01 is out now on We Love Recordings, the full set is available from Amazon on CD or MP3 [affiliate links].