Leila - Blood, Looms, And Blooms
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www.guardian.co.uk Rating: 0
11 Cage the Elephant, Cage the Elephant(Relentless/DSP) 4 starsOn paper, the combination of sibling mainstays and small-town holy-rolling family background should identify these tuneful young Kentucky rockers as an ersatz Kings of Leon. In fact, the radio-friendly raunch of their beguilingly raucous debut is more reminiscent of a Southern Red Hot Chili Peppers replacing the bogus New Age patina with a healthy respect for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ben Thompson12 Black Kids, Partie Traumatic (Almost Gold) 4 starsMuch of the hotly tipped Black Kids charm resides in the dazzling breadth of their appearance rarely have a band come in such shapes, sizes and colours. The Florida band's music is pleasingly random, too. One minute they're new romantics or dour indie kids, then, before youve had a chance to draw breath, they're apeing the Ronettes. Searching for a feel-good summer smash? Come on in. Jim Butler13 Coldplay, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (Parlophone) 4 starsWhat with EMIs big hitters Sir Paul McCartney and Radiohead having jumped ship, labelmates Coldplay are left shouldering a huge financial burden with this, their widely anticipated fourth album.Now seemingly less edgy than Macca as well as their more exalted Oxfordian mentors, the bedwetting world-beaters find themselves trying to shake free of the creative funk that stifled 2005s XY . As it turns out, theyve done a nifty job casting aside the straitjackets of trying to make an Important Record, Viva La Vida is a more relaxed-sounding, exotically flavoured excursion thats also their shortest set to date.Tracks such as the flamenco-tinged folk of Cemeteries of London and the tabla-assisted gospel-hop of Lost! impart a sense of rhythm and purpose thats been sorely lacking in previous outings, while producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs swathe proceedings in an ambient sheen that offsets the oft-encroaching sentimentality. And while Chris Martin remains vague as ever, vocally hes done away with the limp-lettuce falsetto for a more palatable lower register, and even conveys a note of hitherto unthinkable menace on the Depeche Mode-redolent title track.That it lacks any obvious singles hardly seems to matter. Viva La Vida is an assured return that should go some way to restoring Coldplays wilted critical stock. The rest is just number-crunching. Alex Denney 14 Royworld, Man in the Machine (Virgin) 3 starsNot up to the shiny cheese of the Feeling, but not as bad as the woefully schticky Palladium. Fruity-voiced singer Rod Futrille and his silent partner, brother Crispin, have a knack for writing elaborate pop with irresistible choruses. Hear the likes of Astronaut and think Video Killed the Radio Star gone sci-fi. Branson's Virgin Galactic just found its blast-off anthem. Craig McLean 15 Fratellis, Here We Stand (Island) 4 starsIn which the shouty Glasgow trio leave their nominal peers in the world of daytime-radio-indie sprawling in the dust. Eighteen months touring and producing themselves at home have toughened the bands sound. And broadened it: A Heady Tale could even be something off the Whos Whos Next. CMcL16 Wolfgang Haffner, Acoustic Shapes(Act) 4 starsThis state-of-the-art contemporary European jazz piano trio are not only fresh, theyre inspirational. Just listen to the sequence Silent Way, through Shapes, Faithless, Cruisin, Some Other Time and New Life, and youll be hooked. Led by drummer Wolfgang Haffner, who contributed all the originals, the star is the unknown Cologne pianist Hubert Nuss. He has the lyricism of Esbjrn Svensson, but a more expansive, muscular style that makes believers out of anyone who cares to listen. Stuart Nicholson17 Leila, Blood Looms and Blooms (Warp) 4 starsThis maverick north Londoner of Iranian extraction a mainstay of Bjrks first touring band is Britains most underrated writer/producer. With a long family illness causing an eight-year delay since her last release, this marvellously fluid third album seamlessly integrates big names Terry Hall and Martina Topley-Bird into Leilas close-knit cadre of vocal helpmeets. BT 18 Einsturzende Neubauten, Jewels (Potomak) 3 starsThese 15 tracks from the German iconoclasts have been available to subscribers as monthly downloads. Each is inspired by one of Blixa Bargelds dreams, and even the gentler moments, such as Bleib, have disconcerting skitterings and scrapings. More of a sound collage than a set of songs, one would suggest it was for fans only but they already own them all. Campbell Stevenson 19 Rupa and the April Fishes, Extraordinary Rendition (Cumbancha) 4 starsTime spent in the south of France as a child clearly left an impression on San Franciscan medic Rupa, whose band come across like a classier Les Negresses Vertes. Upright bass, trumpet and cello combine in French, gypsy and Latin stylings, while Mal de mer and Une Amricaine Paris smoulder. Molloy Woodcraft 20 Larry Jon Wilson, Larry Jon Wilson (1965) 4 starsThose not entirely convinced by recent attempts to establish Neil Diamond as heir to the Johnny Cash legacy of craggy spiritual uplift are strongly recommended to give Larry Jon Wilson a try. This veteran of the Nashville country/soul crossover returns after a 28-year break with a lot on his mind and a grizzled baritone with which to unburden himself. BT 21 Es Tiempo, Alla (Crammed) 4 starsEs tiempo para la revolucion, say this Chicago-based Mexican-American three piece, meaning its time for a [pop] revolution. Whether their heady mix of sounds was that a touch of local peers Tortoise? A hint of bossa? will be chart-bound is moot because this is an airy, often ethereal record whose manifold subtleties repay close listening. Caspar Llewellyn Smith 22 Paul Heaton, The Cross Eyed Rambler (Universal) 4 starsAfter last years disbandment of the Beautiful South due to musical similarities, Paul Heaton has teamed up with co-writer Steve Trafford, and a straight-up, bass-drums-guitar outfit. Its a ballsier sound, though Heaton's melodies still rest on comfy, country-tinged foundations single Mermaids and Slaves has cheeky harmonica, while The Balcony is a bit Dave Edmunds....
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