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It's hard being a "rock n roll journalist" when you live in the UK. Unlike your counterparts from warmer climates you aren't equipped to describe happy go lucky sunshine pop. "As fresh and exhilarating as a walk along Morecambe Bay" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as a walk along Bondi beach, now does it?
On the other hand the one thing the UK is good at is cold grey days. We have the dark grey kind, where clouds roll around the sky looking ready to explode at any minute. We have light grey days where wind whips our face and we have days where it never really seems to get light. We have days which are delicate and introverted lending themselves to reflection and contemplation. We have days which are perfect to listen to the new album "All things can be mended" Harper Lee.
From start to finish the album is filled with a gentle heartache backed by melancholic melodies. Written in black and white, it will wrap its arms around you and draw you into the slow rhythmic sinking feeling that it creates. It will snatch you from the busy everyday world, into one where there is time to stop and take stock of your life.
For the uninitiated Harper Lee are primarily a guitar based band who have managed to combine a range of synthesised sounds which deceptively give the impression that they have been made by "real instruments". Lead singer, Keris Howard's (brighter, the trembling blue stars) tells sad stories without whining. He pours in feeling and emotion without it ever sounding as though he is moaning.
Put simply, this music slides over you like a slow walk in a the Cumbrian countryside in the middle of November.
Rachel Queen
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Rilo Kiley, more then most, make music for semi-consciousness. You could take that the wrong way, but I don't mean they're boring - rather, they craft simple, sweet pop songs ideal for drifting off into daydreams. Personally, I find their second album, 'The Execution Of All Things', particularly suited to lazy summer evenings.
It was with great anticipation, then, that I discovered the release of their third album, 'More Adventurous'. At first it's only available across the Atlantic, but importing doesn't break the bank. The title comes from one of the songs, but it also heralds the occasional experimental moment, most obviously on 'Accidntel Deth' [sic], a nod to frontwoman Jenny Lewis' contribution of backing vocals to the Postal Service album. It has an electronic tinge, although at heart it is another simple, thoughtful lament.
I suppose you'd characterise Rilo Kiley as alt.country, if you had to. To do so, though, wouldn't reflect their knack for an upbeat romp like 'Portions For Foxes', or Lewis' acerbic lyrics; the opening line of first track 'It's A Hit' being the political "Any chimp can play human for a day / Use his opposable thumbs to iron his uniform / And run for office on election day." In fact, the most country moment on the record is its weakest track, 'I Never', which adds weight to the argument that songwriters should not be allowed to write whilst deliriously in love.
Speaking of which, there is a noticeable shift in songwriting duties here. Whereas Blake Sennett had previously contributed, and correspondingly sung, three or four songs on an album, here he offers only Elliott Smith tribute 'Ripchord'. Rilo Kiley is clearly becoming more Lewis' band, with Sennett using side project The Elected to express himself (and if you like this record, you could do worse than their recent 'Me First' as a follow-up). It may only be because I am partial to male/female vocal partnerships a la The Delgados, but I feel slightly disappointed at this trend. That's not to denegrate Lewis' voice; full of character, she handles the crescendo at the end of 'Does He Love You?' admirably, and ends the album - on her own ode to Elliott Smith, 'It Just Is' - with dignity and grace.
After a few listens to this album, I found it had much to offer, whilst not quite having the impact of its immediate predecessor. 'More Adventurous' is generally good, in parts excellent, but I'd still recommend 'The Execution Of All Things' as a starter. If you like that, mind - and there's no reason you wouldn't - 'More Adventurous' is a more than passable companion.
Grant Lakeland
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Although it hadn't hit me yet I knew that the tiredness was already there lurking deep within my head like an unexploded bomb. Just waiting for the adrenaline and caffeine to drain from my system. Pretty soon I knew I'd be a goner. My eyes would turn to lead and the minutes would become hours and I would never escape.
Six hours and 49 minutes until I was free and already I was in danger of falling asleep on my desk. I knew I had to act fast.
I reached for my CD wallet and thumbed threw them. It had to be right. One wrong song and I'd be gone.
The opening chords from "She always goes down" rang in my ears, plunging me straight into an electric pop mix of drum machines, and keyboards and vibrant guitar. I knew that I would survive.
"She always goes down" is the first single from the Havana Guns a group who have moved from their romantic beginnings on the Eiffel tower to East London. It pulls off an unusual merger of nonchalantly cool vocals from front lady Susanne with an unconstrained flamboyance of the backing music to somehow capture the spirit of a perfect night.
Each song is filled with infinite opportunity and mystery and caused fresh surges of adrenaline to pulse through my body. Each note filled my mind with images from the night before- deserted motorways, people dancing to bands, the impossible beauty of a moonlit city. The three track single is euphoric, semi-disposable and the perfect antidote to tiredness.
It may well have saved my life on Thursday 12th November.
Rachel Queen
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