Half-written plagiarisms

(Morning Star, Friday 25 August 2006)

ALBUM: Kasabian - Empire
(Columbia)

THE rock world loves a band who walks the walk and talks the talk.

Liam Gallagher? A voice rougher than a badger's behind, but he loves himself, so he's a winner.

Bono? An eejit who got a lucky break at 18 and has a God complex at 45. But so loved!

Kasabian? Well, they are very confident and people do seem to like them. Now hear this.

There is more than enough good music out there without regressing to listening to this nu-baggy nonsense or whatever it is.

Take the single, Empire. The most astounding thing is the bizarre half-tune that kicks in after verse one. It's not quite in tune and completely sends the rest of the rhythm out of whack.

After three party-time singles, one might have been persuaded to have a positive reaction. What foolishness.

Empire is an album speckled with half-written plagiarisms and overplayed dirges, specifically Stuntman and the abomination which is British Legion.

Here's what to do. Go to your local record store. Buy the Stone Roses debut album.

Dance your rocks off, baby, because Kasabian will never outdo this magic.

Average attempt at mimicry

(Morning Star, Friday 18 August 2006)

ALBUM: The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men
(Transgressive)

YOU know them, you've seen them peering out of the pages of all the indie magazines.

These prankster nu-pop-punk-alt-indie darlings are a little of the try-hard variety, hailing from Ashby-de-la-Zouch and bedecked in tweed.

If pretension is the death of modesty, then the Young Knives think that they're the dog's, if you'll pardon the expression.

Maybe all that tweed's alright in the capital, but how quick would they get kicked in in the provinces? They'll find out on their mega tour in October, but, in the meantime, there's a record to be had.

The angularity characterising the coolest of guitar bands is all present and correct here, but Part Timer makes for a somewhat weak album opener.

In fact, the singles on here are the true stand-outs, from Weekends and Bleak Days (Hot Summer) to Here Comes the Rumour Mill.

Weekends and Bleak Days offers vocals reminiscent of PIL-era John Lydon with a repetitive guitar part to give even the most eager of axemen RSI. With the maxim "hot summer, hot hot summer" it's a mite out of place this August, but very catchy nonetheless.

Similarly, Here Comes the Rumour Mill is bright, light and indie-disco-tastic, but, again, the plod through the fillers until She's Attracted To - a tale of parental disapproval and punch-ups - is a bit much.

The Young Knives definitely have something - a recent cover of Kids in America displayed the filmic claustrophobia of a David Lynch movie, if vocally a little strangled.

Their new wave, spikey style is executed with precision. But the sum total of this record is an average attempt at mimicry and not a lot more.

A bawdy wit and charm

(Morning Star, Friday 11 August 2006)

ALBUM: Lily Allen - Alright Still
(Regal)

BEST known for being the daughter of Keith and having a particularly gobby way about her, 20-something Lily Allen's debut exhibits a degree of wisdom well beyond her years and far outweighing her seemingly obnoxious persona.

Alright Still is packed with the sweetest sort of summer music - with one foot firmly in the pop camp and a lyrical poetry that falls halfway between the Arctic Monkeys and Maximo Park, Lily's crisp observational tone is much like, bear with me, a female Streets. But don't let that put you off.

On opener and number one single the gently reggae Smile, Lily's washing that cheating man right out of her hair with a wry examination of their failed relationship, less woman scorned, more woman relieved.

High points on the record would have to be the '60s-styled Everything's Just Wonderful, which details the modern world from Lily's point of view, registering disgust with everything from the inability to get a mortgage to the state of the dating game.

The sweet and cheery Alfie, which details Lily's concerns for her waster brother who spends his time smoking in his room. The "oompah" backing gives Alfie a magical nursery rhyme feel, as the relationship between brother and sister is cheerfully examined.

Allen is nothing if not bawdy and her lyrics, while sweet and charming, are peppered with swearing and colloquialisms.

But the magic of her music is none more recognisable than on LDN - an ode to London for the text generation. She notes the pimps and chavs filling the streets of her beloved capital with a dry pseudo-intellectual glance.

An album for the the heartbroken and the hopeful, Allen runs the gamut of human emotions and comes up with a record with about 100 times the sincerity of anything that Coldplay could dream of.

As they possibly say in Islington, nuff respect.

Fun and games

(Morning Star, Friday 11 August 2006)

ALBUM: The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
(Memphis Industries)

THE dazzling wonder that is the Pipettes cannot be overrated.

From the alien voices chanting "we are the Pipettes" on the intro to the song of the same name, Riotbecki, Gwenno and Rosay rock and roll their way through The Ronettes' back catalogue from an alternate universe.

Packed with harmonies and humour, there's no escaping singing along with all of your heart. Their basic pop tunes clobber anything from the MOR also-rans clogging the airwaves.

The Pipettes' positivity is contagious, but don't think that they are merely vacuous flirty pop vessels - the substance comes from their knack with a good tune and a finely-turned phrase.

Were it fully legal, this reviewer would volunteer to distribute copies of We are the Pipettes to all readers, but, instead, recognise the nudge to discover the incredible joy for yourself.