Football takes over…

Every two years, for a one glorious month in the summer, I am happy to put music to one side in order to focus on my other great love: football. These two consuming passions have been jostling for position in my life for as long as I can remember and while music is generally at the forefront nowadays, I still can’t resist a major International tournament. Even when England isn’t involved. I’ve watched bits and pieces of most of the group games, but particular highlights have been Germany-Croatia and the two Netherlands games (versus Italy and France, respectively).

I’ve been indulging in a spot of gambling, too – to brighten things up and to usher my mindset away from that of ‘the neutral’ – and thanks to Spain and Fernando Torres’ triumph over Sweden last night, I’m now £70 in the black for the tournament. Perhaps I can spend my winnings on new music in order to redress the balance when the football’s over? Or maybe I should stick the lot on Holland to win? Decisions, decisions.

El Perro Del Mar – “From The Valley To The Stars” (Memphis Industries)

Swedish songstress Sarah Assbring aka El Perro Del Mar has never seemed like the most cheerful of souls. 2006’s El Perro Del Mar was filled with downbeat lyrics and sad tunes, but it also featured a few flickers of light to offset the dark in the shape of girl-group harmonies, vintage pop stylings and songs about going to buy candy. It was an engaging listen, one that slowly coaxed you in to its miserable world and even made you feel like staying. From The Valley To The Stars, while full of worthy songs and some cracking couplets, is less successful for the most glaringly simple of reasons: as an album, it’s just not that enjoyable to listen to.

The problem is chiefly in the pacing, or to be more accurate, the lack of anything representing a change of pace. Individually, the compositions are actually pretty inspired. Glory to the World moves at a funereal pace, Assbring barely has to bother singing, and the melody’s almost childlike in its simplicity, yet it’s genuinely heartbreaking. The same applies to You Can’t Steal A Gift and How Did We Forget, so much so that listening to all three in succession actually has a detrimental effect.

Fans of the album have used terms like ‘cohesiveness’ and ‘uniformity’, but I’m not buying it. From The Valley To The Stars is simply a collection of mostly good and occasionally great songs that just doesn’t quite work as a whole. I’m not asking Sarah Assbring to cheer up, I like her just the way she is, but what I would like to see next time is a bit more variety and just a few tempo changes. It’s not too much to ask is it? (6)

Album review published on NORIPCORD.COM

Vetiver – “Thing Of The Past” (Fat Cat)

Two years on from cult favourite To Find Me Gone, Vetiver is back with a new record, but it’s not exactly the record I was expecting. Andy Cabic’s loosely defined collective has never quite conformed to the new folk rules, frequently incorporating 70s West Coast rock and Brazilian influences into its sound, and this latest unexpected turn will undoubtedly prompt a few raised eyebrows.

So here’s the deal – Vetiver’s third album is a covers record.

Anyone who’s ever been in a band will recall discussing (or arguing about) cover versions at one point or another. Often, at least in my experience, the process of selecting a song that everyone in the group agrees with can be a contentious issue. If it’s not too difficult to pull off, a suggested song is usually either too obvious or too obscure. Only a group with such a singular vision as Vetiver could record 12 different cover versions – and mostly obscure ones at that – without even a hint of compromise.

Thing Of The Past is, quite brilliantly, successful in two rather different ways. First and foremost, it is a great sounding record, with Cabic once again utilising a talented troupe of musicians to help him realise his vision. Core Vetiver band members Brent Dunn, Sanders Trippe, Otto Hauser and Kevin Barker are joined by a large cast of gifted collaborators such as Dave Scherr (who contributes some memorable pedal steel) and folk icon Vashti Bunyan, who sings backing vocals on the gorgeous Sleep A Million Years, which is ironically a cover of another recently unearthed singer-songwriter called Dia Joyce.

If all of these tracks were originals – and to be honest, without the press release and the tracklist I doubt I would have known otherwise – this would be a hugely enjoyable record. But this being a covers record, there is an added bonus: like a skilfully crafted mixtape, Thing Of The Past provides an introduction to some very interesting artists, many of whom (like Joyce, for example) are barely known outside of Cabic’s circle of friends and conspirators.

Take the opening track, Houses, for example. This was written by a Canadian singer-songwriter called Elyse Weinberg around forty years ago. Neil Young played guitar on it, apparently. I hadn’t heard (of) it but Vetiver’s version – a dreamy, country-tinged ballad that recalls, and pretty much eclipses many of Wilco’s recent efforts – has encouraged to try to find out more about its author. Thankfully her only album, 1968’s Elyse, was re-released in 2001 by Orange Twin. I doubt it’ll be an easy find, but it’s going to be good fun trying to track it down. Finding Dia Joyce’s album – which even she didn’t own a copy of until Cabic sent her one – could be a trickier proposition, but isn’t that one of the joys of being a music fan?

I could sing the praises of each and every track, I could dig up pages of information about the original composers, but the truth is that finding out about the songs on Thing Of The Past is almost as fun as listening to them. And I don’t want to spoil the fun. It’s not all wildly obscure, mind you – there are tracks from the likes of Loudon Wainwright III, Townes Van Zandt and even Hawkwind on here – but even the most knowledgeable of music fans will find countless new things to enjoy here. And even if you recognise all of the tracks on Thing Of The Past, I’m sure you’ll gain something from hearing Vetiver’s stunningly rendered interpretations. This is a great album, possibly the finest covers record in recent memory, and it’ll take some beating in 2008. (9)

Album review published on NORIPCORD.COM

Panda Riot – “She Dares All Things” (Self-released)

Inspired by a short film they were working on at the time, Brian Cook and Rebecca Scott formed Panda Riot in 2005 with the goal of creating melodic, shoegaze-influenced indie-pop.  The band’s first full-length offering, She Dares All Things, seems to pretty much satisfy this brief.

Dreamy indie-pop is nothing new of course, and Panda Riot has clearly not deviated far from the templates laid down by bands like My Bloody Valentine (at their most ‘pop’), Slowdive and Lush nearly two decades ago. When Panda Riot is at its best, the songs are pleasant, enjoyable affairs; nothing here will make your spine tingle like You Made Me Realise or Sometimes but, in fairness, how many bands even come close to touching upon that kind of greatness? Not many, as every reviewer who’s seen the words ‘My Bloody Valentine’ in a press release will surely attest.

But there are two major plus points here. The first is Rebecca Scott’s gorgeous vocals, which sit an exactly the right level in the mix to exude character without destroying the ethereal mood of the album. Indeed, her vocals act as the perfect foil for Panda Riot’s other secret weapon, Brian Cook’s versatile guitar work. Clearly a disciple of shoegaze pioneers Neil Halstead and Kevin Shields, Cook recreates the sound of that great era with impressive accuracy, utilising his effects to excellent effect without ever straying too far into the limelight. The finale of Like Flowers at Night provides an excellent example of his skills; it’s also a definite album highlight.

If anything lets She Dares All Things down I would suggest it is the percussion. Programmed beats reign supreme throughout and there are parts where the tinny sound of the drum machine is detrimental to the power of the songs. The title track is a prime example; with a skilled human drummer propelling She Dares All Things along it could be an absolute belter. Instead it’s merely an impressive effort.

Ultimately, She Dares All Things is a flawed but enjoyable debut album. If you like your indie-pop buried under a few layers of fuzz and delay then you might find something to love here. If you’re offended by the concept of ‘shoegaze’ or ‘dream-pop’, however, you’re probably better off looking for your pop fix elsewhere. (6/10)

Album review published on NORIPCORD.COM