Rihanna - Unapologetic (Album Review)

Having never been a big fan of Rihanna I approached this album with hesitant curiosity. Talk That Talk felt like a slightly confused and rushed effort, peaking with some epic pop tracks but more often than not falling somewhere in middling territory as a throwaway full-length consisting of some great singles and some truly forgettable tracks that leant little to the overall experience. Unapologetic is a much better full listening experience, the songs here feel more developed and there's a surprising amount of experimentation. It's a perfectly fitting title, Ms Fenty will no doubt get a lot of flack for duetting with her abusive ex Chris Brown on the sticky sweet Nobody's Business as well as mining a variety of influences to construct the tracks here.

What marks this particular album apart from her previous output is the emotional vulnerability that comes across, in stark contrast to the defiantly confidant Rated R. Stay featuring Mikky Ekko is perhaps one of the most unlikely Rihanna tracks I have come across, a subtle introspective and nuanced ballad, yet it's absolutely exquisite with an undeniably strong vocal performance. What Now features a belting vocal with a great melody and suitably epic instrumentation; it's the kind of track you would expect to hear on a Beyoncé album, and while Rihanna doesn't have the vocal chops to match the beloved Bey, she certainly gives it her all and it works.

The latter half of the album delves deep into emotional territory, dealing with the complications of intense love and flawed relationships while the first half is much more experimental and interesting in terms of production. Switching from woozy sonic trips and drug-referencing lyrics recalling The Weeknd to aggressive electro and dubstep courtesy of Chase & Status and David Guetta. Guetta's hyper masculine beats are always most interesting when paired with a strong female vocal and Rihanna does a good job with him on Right Now and it's interesting that instead of attempting to create another We Found Love this is the only four-on-the-floor club-ready song here and yet it's the second shortest track, clocking in at only three minutes and acting as more of a transitional cut rather than any kind of centrepiece.

Unapologetic moves on from the power pop and dance of Talk That Talk in favor of more hip-hop influenced beats and hazy RnB. Get it Over With's paired-down beat and lush string sounds bring Rihanna into more left-field territory, at any moment you'd expect Abel Tesfaye or Frank Ocean to join in, as do the vocal pitch effects and sonic manipulation on Numb. The Brandy-esque vocal turn on Jump wears its influence on its sleeve and the use of Genuwine's Pony lyrics is unexpected but when the dubstep drop hits the audacity of it is grin-inducing thanks to the slick and assured production. It's true that the album pilfers unashamedly from other artists, from The Weeknd to Michael Jackson, and you get the feeling that a lot of drugs were involved in the creation process, more specifically Marijuana and other downers. It's a dream-like experience, most notably on Loveeeeeee Song (just in case you didn't know this was Rihanna's 7th album there are 7 'e's in the spelling of Love here of course), and perhaps the production outshines Rihanna herself at times, but it's impossible to deny Unapologetic's strong points.

With album number 7 Rihanna branches out musically and reveals a more vulnerable side which expands her overtly-sexualised persona and adds more depth to her as an artist. Personally I think this is one of her best efforts, certainly her most dense and varied, and I'd rather see her take more interesting leaps such as this than rely on bubble-gum pop as she served up on Loud. Unapologetic is just that, an uncompromising entanglement of musical styles laid down with equal amounts of fun and raw emotion and it hints at a longevity and crossover appeal that I wouldn't have previously expected Rihanna to have. If she continues to try new things and bring in more interesting influences to her work without watering them down the way she did previously then the future could be even brighter for this troubled star.

Menomena - Moms (Album Review)

Boulder Canyon, you made a son out of me, I had a mother who swam in your streams, I know the ending yet I'm faking suspense...

Menomena return with their fifth studio album Moms, minus founding member Brent Knopf and with a bigger and bolder sound than before. There's less of the cut 'n' paste approach to crafting songs that's become their trademark, ironically despite one third of the band departing this is the most unified and confidant they have ever sounded. Previous album Mines was perhaps their most serious, ditching the overarching playfulness of Friend and Foe for a tense and moody atmosphere. Don't let the title of Moms fool you though, this album is a powerful beast of chugging riffs, crashing percussion and intricate sound design and this time around the playfulness, experimentation and bizarre tendencies of Menomena's earlier work have crept back in to the foreground, married with a rejuvenated exuberance that makes this their most exciting and perhaps best record yet.

Opening track Plumage is an immediate, upbeat and catchy reintroduction, complete with handclaps, fuzz guitar, arpeggiated synths and quirky lyrics; "I once was tragically hip and beautifully fine, now my beautiful hips are tragically wide." Capsule begins with a sleazy strummed guitar on maximum overdrive before being snatched away and replaced with a stuttering beat and tight bassline. In just over four minutes the track incorporates blues influenced chords, lush piano, booming sub-bass, prog-rock breakdowns complete with woodwind flourishes and more of those quirky lyrics; "no more trophies as the consolation fantasy, like a nervous random stranger at a gloryhole." There isn't a single song here that doesn't showcase something new or reinforce the band's knack for left-field songwriting and composition.

Standout tracks include the emotive lead single Heavy is as Heavy Does, which gradually builds with intensity to an epic climax, the theatrical and twisted Don't Mess With Latexas and the stunning and sublime closer One Horse which features cinematic string arrangements and sombre lyrics; "you always drank alone, you were a one-horse town." Across ten tracks Moms not only reminds us of all the things that previously made Menomena such a special band but armed with a more organically cohesive and confidant approach to recording they have managed to step into new territory and completely own it. It's extremely exciting to see a band maintain such a consistant level of brilliance in their output and judging by this latest LP Menomena are certainly one of the most talented and unique acts around.

Album Review: Always - Xiu Xiu

I've followed Xiu Xiu for a long time now and they still remain one of my favourite acts. While I do feel that they have settled into a slightly predictable format since Women As Lovers, their output is still of a high quality and stands enough apart from any current artists I can think of to maintain their position as a unique and consistently interesting entity. It seems arbitrary of me to review their work, simply put I fucking love Xiu Xiu, but for the sake of promoting their album and maybe helping them gain some new fans here are some slightly more comprehensive thoughts I have upon listening to their upcoming LP titled Always:

Akin to Fabulous Muscles Always mixes aggressive experiments in noise with quiet and ominous soundscapes and whispered vocals. Born To Suffer will probably go down as one of their best songs, Black Drum Machine is the most downbeat closer they've had since Ian Curtis Wishlist and I Love Abortion beats Support Our Troops OH! for most discomfort-inducing Xiu Xiu moment. Lead single Hi kicks things off with an anthem for dysfunction and from beginning to end there is not a single moment wasted across this album; Jamie Stewart packs so many ideas and sounds into every bar of music that you'll either be totally enthralled or immediately daunted.

If you like music that's challenging then you will probably love this, it's more ballsy and far less accessible than previous album Dear God I Hate Myself, but that's not to say that there aren't great melodies and songs here. Honeysuckle has one of the sweetest sounding male/vocal exchanges that Jamie's ever employed, and on The Oldness his voice rides atop a lush piano and synth arrangement that peaks beautifully.Always showcases Xiu Xiu as one of the most arresting and brave acts around, harkening strongly to their earlier work but exhibiting a continually evolving grasp of complex production and arrangement that keeps their sound fresh and relevant. Always is out March 6th. Check out lead single Hi on Soundcloud:

  Hi by Xiu Xiu

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

Out today in the UK on Island Records and tomorrow in the U.S., PJ Harvey's latest album, more than two-years in the making, is an epic and unsettling exploration of war and violent conflict. Harvey stated that she focused on writing the lyrics before creating the music and this is certainly evident in the poetic language and structure of the songs, particularly on the stunning All & Everyone, a career peak for the songwriter, for which Let England Shake marks album number eight. Harvey's high pitched and occasionally shrill vocal delivery rides atop choppy electric guitars and pounding drums informed by folk conventions that have been re-appropriated into a new sound that lies in a no-man's land between past and present. The album is entirely focused on war and its associated themes and indeed it's a dense and difficult work to get through but due to the amount of research Harvey admittedly undertook in preparation for its creation it certainly is engrossing with a bizarre air of authenticity. Let England Shake is undoubtedly a monumental achievement, a brave experimental move but one that has led to the most unique and arresting addition to Harvey's lengthy discography.

Listen to P.J. Harvey on Myspace

Album Review: Weekend - Sports

Sports is the debut album by San Fransisco band Weekend, formed in late 2009 and signed to Slumberland Records (the same label that put out such great bands as Lilys and Black Tambourine in the early 90s) the trio offer up 11 tracks of post-punk noise that sounds best when they're not simultaneously ripping off Joy Division and The Jesus And Mary Chain.

Opening track and first single 'Coma Summer' is a completely blissed-out slice of distorted feedback-howling shoegaze pop, propelled by a pounding beat enveloped in dangerously reverberating vocals and guitars that sound like buzz saws threatening to tear away at your ears as lead singer Shaun Durkan casually sings "I awoke from a coma summer/And I found you/I awoke from a coma summer/Tell me you're true." It's so perfect in its eargasm-inducing sensory overload that the album blows its load too soon and never reaches the same gratifying peak across the remaining forty minutes. Durkan puts on his best Ian Curtis impression for second track 'Youth Haunts,' but as is the case with much of the album the buried vocals lose some of their impact when they are not tethered to a strong melody. 'Coma Summer' works so brilliantly because the contrasting elements create a cohesive balance that's instantly engaging and engrossing, and the only other track on here that comes close to reaching the same level of compositional harmony is 'End Times,' with its catchy bass riff and strong vocal hook riding a steady rhythm as waves of guitar noise swell into each other underneath. 'Monday Morning' is a great drone piece that could have been expanded; I'd definitely like to see the band do more of this, and 'Monongah, WV' takes drone influences and successfully injects them into a rousing punk number. Apart from these aforementioned highlights the album is quite a murky, disjointed affair that could have benefited from stronger production but nonetheless, the highlights are so good that I would still recommend it and I greatly look forward to the band's future output. Check out 'Coma Summer' below and be prepared to put it on repeat:

Weekend on Myspace

Album Review: Twin Shadow - Forget

I was in my local Rough Trade record store the other week listening to new releases on their CD sampler and the description of one album in particular interested me quite a bit, so standing there with the headphones on I selected a CD titled Forget by an artist I had never heard of before called Twin Shadow. Within a minute into the first track, Tyrant Destroyed, I was hooked. Sparse electronic drums and somber keyboards in the vein of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone pulse as a low hushed voice sings 'I know you spent some time/From the town to the city/Looking for a life to start/And when you were fifteen /I know what you said/"I'd never let another black boy break my heart."'

Twin Shadow is the stage name of musician George Lewis Jr., born in the Dominican Republic and raised in rural Florida, who recently released his debut album Forget through 4AD. On the album Lewis reminisces about childhood experiences and his own past. The music itself is haunting and sparse, paring down core elements of 80s New Wave, disco, indie rock and R&B. Produced by Grizzly's Bear's Chris Taylor the album is intricate, immaculate and concise; not a moment is wasted over the 11 cuts on offer. Highlights include the aforementioned opening track, Shooting Holes At The Moon, one of the more upbeat songs on the album, Tether Beat, Castles In The Snow and the title track.

I highly recommend this record, the only criticism I have is that there's a lack of variation in the tone and tempo of the songs, and the slick production and minimal composition means it takes a few listens to really get into it as it does sound a little too similar throughout upon cursory review. If you do stick with it though you will find it a highly rewarding listen and in my opinion it's definitely one of the best albums of the year.

Twin Shadow on Myspace

Dear God, I Hate Myself by Xiu Xiu (Album Review by Erol Sabadosh)

Xiu Xiu's latest outing is by far their most pop-influenced album, but while it may be more sonically palatable than previous releases the lyrical subject matter is typically dark and morbid, with songs about eating disorders, self-mutilation and serial killers making up the twelve tracks on offer. As per usual, lead singer Jamie Stewart imbues his work with a sense of pathos, mixing self-deprecating humour with elements of tragedy and horror. Stewart's aesthetic approach is perhaps more consistently maximalist here, displaying less dynamic and textural range, and certainly the album is a far cry from the more foreboding and quietly unsettling La Forêt and lacking the variety of career-peak Fabulous Muscles, but this lends the songs, and therefore the album as a whole, a confidant momentum that carries the listener along a brief but extremely dense half hour.

With Dear God Stewart seems less preoccupied with confrontational and jarring compositions, though there still remains trace elements of these qualities, instead the music is characterized by a more rousing and upbeat sound this time around. According to the press release one of the instruments used in the making of the album was a Nintendo DS, and one track even makes prominent use of a children's choir; it is details such as this that belie the bleak title and make the album fun to listen to. There are also moments of tenderness, such as in the lament of Hyunhye's Theme, about a law student working hard to please their parents, and on This Too Shall Pass Away (For Freddy) where consolation comes in the assurance that "at least you are not alone" in feeling pain and that it is, like all things, transient. The title track, an ode to self-loathing and dysfunctional behaviour as well as a plea for spiritual love, is a definite highlight. Stewart also manages to squeeze in an unexpected cover of Cumberland Gap, a 19th century Appalachian folk song. Dear God, I Hate Myself is an odd but assured juxtaposition of dark subject matter and dense yet melodious music that works brilliantly and makes for one of Xiu Xiu's most exciting releases to date.

The album is released on 23rd February through Kill All Rock Stars, preceded by the release of the title track as lead single on iTunes on January 19th.

Listen to Xiu Xiu

Former Ghosts - Fleurs [Album Review by Erol Sabadosh]

Former Ghosts are a collaboration between Freddy Ruppert (previously of This Song Is A Mess But So Am I), Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) and Nika Roza (Zola Jesus), and their debut album Fleurs does indeed sound like what one would expect from such a collaboration; emotive and introspective songwriting with an aesthetic that blends synthpop sensibilities with industrial influences.

What is perhaps most striking about the album is the consistant balance between beauty and ugliness/tenderness and violence that characterizes not only the lyrical content but the sound of the album as well. The title, the French word for 'flowers', is foremoest suggestive of affection and romance yet flowers can also signify death and mourning, and while the majority of the songs here are overtly about love and desire there is an undercurrent of sadness and nostalgia throughout. On album opener 'Us And Now,' as well as the title track, Ruppert expresses feelings of extreme happiness and yearning, while acknowledging the transience of human emotion and, ultimately, life itself, singing "if I could stretch out these moments/I would make them last a lifetime." He exhibits a clear talent for mining romance from melancholia, following a statement such as "it is ok/everything dies" by having Roza sing "who will love you like I do?"; the cathartic elements of the music shine through the darkest depths of despair.

The reverb-soaked and distorted vocals are accompanied by equally reverb-soaked and distorted synths, at times sounding like hissing power tools or bleeping dialysis machines, pounding bass drums and all manner of clicks and crackling sounds. Nonetheless, the harsh timbre and texture of the instrumentation and production is offset by the strong and gorgeous melodies. Roza's voice lends the album a feminine touch, soaring high above the mix with an intense passion on the tracks where she takes lead vocal duty.

Fleurs offers a collection of dense and unconventional love songs that mix celebratory and rousing sentiment with existential awareness to potent results; easy to recommend to anyone who appreciates emotionally charged music with a twist.

Former Ghosts on Myspace

The Life of the World to Come - The Mountain Goats; a positive review by Erol Sabadosh

Three tracks into The Life of the World to Come, the new album from The Mountain Goats, and you may be wondering where exactly it is that songwriter John Darnielle is taking us. Over the course of fifteen full length LPs (The Life of the World to Come being the sixteenth overall and the sixth since signing to label 4AD and moving away from the ultra lo-fi aesthetic of early releases to a more polished studio sound) Darnielle has explored issues ranging from drug addiction to domestic abuse, occasionally from an autobiographical perspective, and has proven to be consistently engaging and prolific in his efforts. While previous album Heretic Pride lacked a strong overarching theme, but was still a great album, Darnielle has opted to place focus on faith this time, or more specifically Christianity (although it is certainly not an album written about the Bible).

Heretic Pride opened with the immediately likeable and rousing “Sax Rohmer #1,” whereas here the listener is treated with the brooding and sparse “1 Samuel 15:23” where Darnielle embodies the character of a crystal healer who believes he is helping people with his supposed healing powers while selling self-help tapes and sewing cloaks. Each song on the album is named after a Bible verse which somehow relates to it and in this instance the chosen passage reflects judgement on the character within the song for rejecting the word of God. Rather than preaching the Bible Darnielle juxtaposes the fictional and autobiographical narratives within his songs with Biblical references in a variety of ways that add extra depth to his characters and narratives; he is not trying to convert people to Christianity, nor is he entirely challenging the Christian faith, he is simply writing songs the way that he always has but with an emphasis on religion or faith as an overarching theme or reference.

The second track is a raucous one compared to the muted opener, recalling the wild strumming and wailing evident in Darnielle’s earlier work, and it’s oddly followed by the most radio-friendly pop song on the album, “Philippians 3:20-21,” which could have just as easily appeared on Heretic Pride. The extreme variation in style of these first three songs proves to be rather jarring, but thereafter the album settles into a predominantly down-tempo and introspective balladry that tends to favour piano and the violin arrangements of Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire/Final Fantasy) over Darnielle’s distinctly rough guitar playing. This places the album in a similar category to his low-key and greatly underrated 2002 effort Tallahassee and the more recent Get Lonely, which may indicate that it won’t be quite as instantly well-received as its predecessor.

Darnielle has made a surprising album, choosing not to pursue the more commercial and accessible pop-potential that marked his last LP while focusing on a theme that may split fan opinions, but regardless of expectations the fact is that there are songs here that will sit comfortably alongside some of his most beautiful and subtle work ("Genesis 30:3" is an instant classic, and "1 John 4:16" is similarly gorgeous). On “Matthew 25:21” Darnielle describes the day he left his tour to visit his dying mother-in-law in hospital, and it is surely one of the most raw and affecting songs he has written, reminding of his ability to convey complicated human emotions through bold and vivid imagery. The album also ends with one of the darkest Mountain Goats songs ever, “Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace,” which features a particularly haunting piano arrangement that glides over ominous bass drones with lyrics that depict the journey of a murdering drug addict who is driving to Mexico through a seemingly apocalyptic storm. The Life of the World to Come is a mature and complex album by an incredibly talented songwriter who doesn’t seem to be running out of steam any time soon. God bless you John Darnielle.

Listen to The Mountain Goats on Myspace