Hot Hot Heat mellows out with limited Happiness, Hard-Fi makes a useless statement, and Siouxsie returns from the dead... metaphorically of course
Hot Hot Heat - Happiness LTD
Did Steven Bays break up recently? Because that's really the vibe I'm getting from this album. It's much more dour and downcast then their three previous efforts, lacking the breakneck pace. Even the lead single, "Let Me In," doesn't hold up to the Make Up the Breakdown and Elevator lead-offs "Bandages" and "Goodnight Goodnight," while "Waiting For Nothing" just whines without going anywhere. "Give Up?," the re-recorded "5 Times out of 100," and "Conversation" rampage like the best of their previous albums, with the former's chorus almost sounding like a disco-western. While the slower tempo and generally safer arrangements may be alien to some of Hot Hot Heat's more ardent fans, it's not all bad. The title track's odd keyboard effects and the cleverly stupid "Harmonicas and Tambourines" give the album some odd flourishes which make up for the break down (sorry for the pun, for those who get it) in speed and recklessness. So it's a disappointment, ultimately. Hopefully Bays' mood will improve for full length number four.
Siouxsie - Mantaray
So, there definitely is a backstory here that needs to be explored. So, here, click here and explore it.
Phew. Okay so now with all that history, Mantaray arrives. There certainly is much to be said about the circumstances in which the disc arrives; if it fails, she reveals herself as having been at the mercy of her collaborators all these years. But if it succeeds, she gives her 30 year career a new lease on life. Thankfully, the disc is firmly in the territory of the latter. She succeeds in showing her many musical descendants (Goldfrapp, Placebo, etc.) exactly how the consummate professional does it. It opens with a noisy, dissonant squall and progresses into an anthemic glam declaration of turning "into a swan." It's not as much of a cliché as it could have been in the wrong hands, thanks to the weathered but still powerful voice behind the lyrics. After the opening glam assault, the album begins to reveal its restlessness. "Here Comes That Day" charges into the fray in full on goth-cabaret that sounds like Dr. Dre collaborating the Danny Elfman in Hell. "About to Happen" boasts a guitar riff and keyboard squiggles that would make Muse proud, and the restrained "They Follow You" is simply beautiful. A pair of ballads, the rousing, autobiographical "If It Doesn't Kill You" and the stately "Heaven and Alchemy," throw a wrench into the rampaging glam, while the harrowing "One Mile Below" hints strongly at her past while paving a way forward.
Hard Fi - Once Upon a Time in the West
First impressions are important. For many, the first impression they'll get of Hard Fi's sophomore effort Once Upon a Time in the West is the awful title and the mind boggling artistic "statement" of the cover art - a plain yellow backdrop against which the words "No Cover Art" glare.
Excuse me?
So, rant aside, is the album on par with their amazing debut, Stars of CCTV? Yes. From the chest-beating of lead single "Suburban Knights" to the synth-strut of "We Need Love," Once Upon a Time... certainly scales the same politicized yet personalized heights of CCTV. The band is able this time around to slow their sound without hindering the momentum of the album. The devastatingly beautiful and simple "Help Me Please" and the downbeat strings and clever melody of album highlight "Watch Me Fall Apart" show the band stretching outside their anthemic comfort zone. Richard Archer's lyrics are still the best when he stays personal, and the band does the best when they achieve their blend of dance, rock, and punk, as on the brassy, arresting "Little Angel."
Did Steven Bays break up recently? Because that's really the vibe I'm getting from this album. It's much more dour and downcast then their three previous efforts, lacking the breakneck pace. Even the lead single, "Let Me In," doesn't hold up to the Make Up the Breakdown and Elevator lead-offs "Bandages" and "Goodnight Goodnight," while "Waiting For Nothing" just whines without going anywhere. "Give Up?," the re-recorded "5 Times out of 100," and "Conversation" rampage like the best of their previous albums, with the former's chorus almost sounding like a disco-western. While the slower tempo and generally safer arrangements may be alien to some of Hot Hot Heat's more ardent fans, it's not all bad. The title track's odd keyboard effects and the cleverly stupid "Harmonicas and Tambourines" give the album some odd flourishes which make up for the break down (sorry for the pun, for those who get it) in speed and recklessness. So it's a disappointment, ultimately. Hopefully Bays' mood will improve for full length number four.
Siouxsie - Mantaray
So, there definitely is a backstory here that needs to be explored. So, here, click here and explore it.
Phew. Okay so now with all that history, Mantaray arrives. There certainly is much to be said about the circumstances in which the disc arrives; if it fails, she reveals herself as having been at the mercy of her collaborators all these years. But if it succeeds, she gives her 30 year career a new lease on life. Thankfully, the disc is firmly in the territory of the latter. She succeeds in showing her many musical descendants (Goldfrapp, Placebo, etc.) exactly how the consummate professional does it. It opens with a noisy, dissonant squall and progresses into an anthemic glam declaration of turning "into a swan." It's not as much of a cliché as it could have been in the wrong hands, thanks to the weathered but still powerful voice behind the lyrics. After the opening glam assault, the album begins to reveal its restlessness. "Here Comes That Day" charges into the fray in full on goth-cabaret that sounds like Dr. Dre collaborating the Danny Elfman in Hell. "About to Happen" boasts a guitar riff and keyboard squiggles that would make Muse proud, and the restrained "They Follow You" is simply beautiful. A pair of ballads, the rousing, autobiographical "If It Doesn't Kill You" and the stately "Heaven and Alchemy," throw a wrench into the rampaging glam, while the harrowing "One Mile Below" hints strongly at her past while paving a way forward.
Hard Fi - Once Upon a Time in the West
First impressions are important. For many, the first impression they'll get of Hard Fi's sophomore effort Once Upon a Time in the West is the awful title and the mind boggling artistic "statement" of the cover art - a plain yellow backdrop against which the words "No Cover Art" glare.
Excuse me?
So, rant aside, is the album on par with their amazing debut, Stars of CCTV? Yes. From the chest-beating of lead single "Suburban Knights" to the synth-strut of "We Need Love," Once Upon a Time... certainly scales the same politicized yet personalized heights of CCTV. The band is able this time around to slow their sound without hindering the momentum of the album. The devastatingly beautiful and simple "Help Me Please" and the downbeat strings and clever melody of album highlight "Watch Me Fall Apart" show the band stretching outside their anthemic comfort zone. Richard Archer's lyrics are still the best when he stays personal, and the band does the best when they achieve their blend of dance, rock, and punk, as on the brassy, arresting "Little Angel."
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