Here’s some old men making beats on computers. That’ll get you reading.
LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening
DFA/EMI
It seems a bloomin long time ago since we caught a preview of James Murphy‘s supposed last outing of LCD yet it’s not dimished our passion for his dance-rock template.
Sure, there’s nothing here to match those early singles which invented a whole form of music on their own and as a complete whole it fails to touch Getintothis‘ album of the decade, Sound Of Silver, but with Pow Pow, Dance Yrself Clean and Home, he’s left a legacy which few can touch.
When he comes slouching back with a whole load of new 45s, we’ll be first in line to see what’s cooking.
8/10
Getintothis review of LCD Soundsystem live in Manchester, May 2010.
!!!: Strange Weather, Isn’t It
Warp
7/10
Holy Fuck: Latin
Young Turks
7/10
Two bands picking up pretty much were they left off last time round. Which is no criticism as the former excel in ludicrous punk-funk good times imploring you to grab your tambourine and get your dance on while the latter slap you in the chops with their hyper-kinetic rhythms like Kraftwerk on speed.
Next time round they’ll have to be a sea change but for now it’s like part two of a winning combo.
K-X-P: KXP
Smalltown Supersound
What a year it’s been for Smalltown Supersound.
Annie, Nisennenmondai, Arp, LindstrÃÅŸm & Christabelle and now this throbbing Guinness advert repackaged for your ears.
Loose, dark and percussive, the team behind Annie’s pop tunes marry an accessible groove with the kind of paranoid death disco only Scando tech-freaks seem able to produce these days.
7.5/10
PVT: Church With No Magic
Warp
Not sure about the name change, how do you pronouce that? And anyways, wasn’t dropping vowels somekind of early 2000s thing?
PVT have seemingly found their religion and their voice on this echo-drenched, slightly less ‘dance’ follow up to O Soundtrack My Heart. Sure, there’s still mountains of clattering terrain but there’s also a stillness and choral quality to Richard Pike‘s deep register.
For all it’s ideas and moody atmospherics it’s a deeply trying listen which doesn’t invite repeated listen.
6/10
Caribou: Swim
City Slang/Co-Op
Caribou‘s Dan Snaith is like some genre-hopping bunny rabbit. Last time out he was dropping lashings of post-modern psychedelia set to sprightly grooves, now he’s inverted the process and applied glass-cutting, featherweight intricate beats amid dark drones and hammering gurgles.
It’s hardly an easy trip but persist and there’s some of the most intriguing crossover music of the year; Hannibal slices up a demonic jazz supergroup applying odd lolloping synth rolls while the soulful Leave House is built round a relentless bottle-blowing loop.
Sun sounded great during those hot days in July and now sounds ever so slightly unnerving as the cold nights draw in while Odessa can lay claim to being one of the opening tracks of the year – a beast of head-spinning rhythms, sharp drops and an outro which sounds like animals escaping in a Moroccan souk.
8/10
Catch Caribou live at the Kazimier, Liverpool on December 8. Details here.
