The Screaming Target reviews the new music releases to be found in and around the Nerve office these past two months.
Music reviews by Rob Harrison
Cigarettes After Sex – Heavenly and Falling in Love
Singles via Partisan Records
Out Now
Hearing the new single from Cigarettes After Sex sounds like a 4AD trip from the Eighties.
Very lush or his name is alive, apart from the retro trip it’s really good. It’s got a mellow vibe running through it. File under late night listening. Love it.
Kettle of Kites – Supernova
The new single Supernova explores the idea of science fiction folk. It’s an interesting folk ditty indeed, as we ask ourselves is there anybody out there. The KOK crew are trying to sell themselves on the art rock folk tag, which is a fair shout by me as they seem to follow in the footsteps of groups like Beirut and Fleet Foxes.
The new album, which the single comes from, takes its ideas from the sci fi writings of the celebrated author Isaac Asimov. Curiouser and curiouser cried Alice. Nice songs though. Worth checking out.
Holy Moly and the Crackers – Upside Down
Single taken from Take a Bite Album
Out Now Out Via Pink Lane Records
High energy folk punk from Holy Moly and the Crackers. The songs range from indie stompers like Upside Down to ska infused ballads as is Peter is a Punk Rocker. You really don’t know what might be coming next but thankfully it’s all quite pleasant dear listeners. Hopefully the band will be playing near you soon. Check em out or give the album a listen, it’s a cracker, as they used to say back in the day.
Emel Mathlouthi – Wakers of the Wind
Single Out Via Partisan Records
Emel is an experimental singer, originally from Tunisia, now located in Woodstock in upstate New York. Using her impressions of the environment around her she then goes into the studio to create a mythic symphony based around these original music sources.
Blood Red Shoes – Kid Don’t be Shy
Electro groove with blood Red Shoes. Well, actually the blurb for the BRS calls it Industrial Dance, but it sounds like disco to me. The band originally were punk rockers, but have decided to turn their hands to disco, which seems to have worked out for them. look what happened to Sparks. The transformation is complete. Tres bon.
Gazel – Walk on Land
Gazel has been lazily described in various music introductions as comparable to Kate Bush or Bat for Lashes. I think this is not really the case as both of the latter are really quite weird.
Whereas Gazel is firmly rooted in a pop base, that’s not to say her music is not interesting, quite the reverse in fact. I think it’s just the lazy attitudes in the music industry which still prevails to a worrying extent these days.
Gazel’s musical offerings are firmly rooted in her Turkish origins. with a strong world music feel running through many of the songs, while at the same time taking elements of modern Electro music. If anything she is perhaps an English Grimes, using these electro rhythms with pop melodies to produce an eclectic pop mix of styles.