Managed by the same team that brings you StephenKing.com and the SKDotCom_News feed on Twitter, Stephen's Facebook page is a convenient source for official news and information about Stephen's publishing career, new releases and more.
The Constant Reader should also be sure to check out Stephen's extensive timeline and share their thoughts on everything from Carrie to The Wind Through the Keyhole. Enjoy!
The start of the year heralds reams of ones to watch lists (like this, perhaps?) and new music tips, so you can think of the first Music Alliance Pact compilation of 2013 as a global version of that tradition, all with free samples.
My pick for this month is one of the most hard-working, energetic and fun-to-watch acts in Scotland - The LaFontaines.
[Edit: the whole post was taking far to long to load, so I've split this into separate parts; see below for navigation]
As is usually the case with me, I've somewhat missed the boat on this. Most other music based websites and blogs (you know, the ones run by organised people) usually post their "Best Of" lists in December. But it's taken me three weeks to put this post together, so I'm publishing mine in the second week of January, dagnabbit, and if no one reads it, well that's just too bad!
Anywho, I've embedded a Spotify playlist below that includes most of the albums I'm featuring on my list of favourites for 2012, so feel free to have a listen, or read on after the jump for an "in depth" listing on each of the 44 long players that were my absolute favourites last year.
No music writer am I, so in most cases I've included a review from elsewhere around the Interwebs, but this is kind of pointless as I firmly believe that no amount of critical writing can effectively convey what an album is really like ("dancing about architecture" and all that) and musical taste is so individual anyhow that anyone else's opinion counts for pretty much squat! So, with that in mind, I've also taken the time to embed a SoundCloud player featuring some of the tracks from each of the albums (or the whole album, if available) so you needn't make up your mind based on my say so, nor on the wordsmith-ability of the reviewer, but rather based on your own feelings of aural-connectedness to the tunes in question.
The IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC that Lenovo says is the first "interpersonal computer". Photo: AP Photo/Lenovo
Dismayed that family members are spread out over the house, each with a separate PC or tablet? Lenovo has something it believes will get them back together: a PC the size of a coffee table that works like a gigantic tablet and lets four people use it at once.
2011’s debut set from Denver-based husband-and-wife duo Tennis, Cape Dory,
was the sort of sweet but slight affair which delighted for its
duration but quickly escaped the memory. This follow-up, recorded in
Nashville with The Black Keys’
Patrick Carney, looks to take the step from home-recording project to
band proper. And it’s largely successful in transplanting the pair’s
fine ear for a melody onto rather meatier arrangements, pieces which
flex with more pronounced muscles and leave slightly deeper impressions
than their forerunners.
That’s not to say that Young and Old is going to send Tennis into the
highest stratosphere of indie acclaim – while this is an improvement on
its predecessor, the band’s MO remains much as it ever was, with
originality at a premium and focus placed on charming the listener with
songs that one can hum along to before a first play is through.
Toe-tappers aplenty present themselves: the single Origins swells with
Stax-like soul volume, over which vocalist Alaina Moore wonderfully
stretches herself – think Carly Simon if the New Yorker’s best years came right after The Strokes’
breakthrough – and Petition possesses percussive clout that’s much in
keeping with the work of Carney’s day job. Elsewhere, High Road’s a
bright and breezy bopper every inch as sun-kissed as the escapist,
ocean-going fare of Cape Dory, and both Take Me to Heaven and Traveling
feature organ licks reminiscent of so much 60s soul. Indeed, Moore has
described this album’s sound as "Stevie Nicks going through a Motown phase".
It’s no damning by faint praise to call Young and Old a nice, pretty
long-player, as it’s just that. These 10 tracks aren’t going to start a
revolution on any stereos, but they’re unlikely to be jettisoned anytime
soon, either. Written in three months and recorded in three weeks, it’s
a collection that feels fresh and clean, uncomplicated by
over-thinking. It’s the sunny pop any listener caught in winter’s grip
needs to have on their MP3 player: it’ll be over before you know it, and
the songs might not stick, but at its close you’ll feel a whole lot
warmer deep down.
Tourist History is a tough act to follow. Indie-rock trio Two
Door Cinema Club’s 2010 debut had all the makings of a pop-perfect
album; each song was a pleasant combination of clear, upbeat vocals and
irresistible rhythms. Now the band is back with Beacon, and the album is anything but a sophomore slump.
Where Tourist History’s every song was overflowing with hyper energy, Beacon
takes the time to slow down. Tracks like the opener, “New Year,” still
sport the band’s cheery tone, but have a new element of sweetness. “If
you think of me, I will think of you,” sings Alex Trimble shyly. On
“Sun,” he is suddenly soft and uncertain. “Ocean blue, what have I done
to you?” he begins, leading into the album’s slowest track. The tone of
each song is often steady, but not always the same in its approach;
Trimble isn’t afraid to play with his words. In “Wake Up,” he stretches
his words until each syllable collapses into the next. Every breath
feels confident and controlled.
Beacon gets back on its feet with its quicker tunes, found in
the ever-charming “Someday” and the fast-tempoed “Sleep Alone.”
“Someday” is a hard track to skip over. It’s repetitive in nature—almost
to a fault—but its melody is intricate enough to keep your attention.
“Sleep Alone” is another track that’s pushed along more by its
instrumental sound than its vocals; Trimble’s voice is as appealing as
ever, but it’s often bowled over by the background noise. When it does
come through, “Sleep Alone”’s vocals feel like a snug fit for the song’s
mood.
Beacon isn’t a step up from Tourist History, but rather a
brother to it. The band returns with tunes that can operate as
low-volume background noise or pumped-up danceable beats. There’s very
little progression or change in their sound, but that doesn’t
necessarily have to be a bad thing. Fans that loved Tourist History, prepare your mp3 player; this will be your favorite album. But if you haven’t already fallen for TDCC’s dance-ready, bright-voiced Irishmen, you won’t find love here.
It’s been a little over a year since The Vaccines burst into the musical consciousness with their debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?,
eleven tracks of sixties pop inflected indie rock delivered with posh
accents and a confident swagger. After somehow managing to keep their
heads above the cloud of hype and commercial success that they fell into
the middle of, they have returned with another eleven tracks to tickle
our catchiness taste buds, and provide us with another soundtrack to the
summer. Despite their recent insistence otherwise to any music press
that would listen, The Vaccines Come Of Age isn’t so much a
drastic change in sound, but rather a refocus of influences. So, don’t
worry if you’re a fan of three minute pop songs, they are certainly here
in abundance. Come on, what did you expect from The Vaccines?
If you’ve never listened to The Vaccines before and your only knowledge
of them comes from what the internet or the music press has put before
you, try to forget everything you’ve heard. The Vaccines have been
victims to quite a lot of unfair criticism none of which is directly
related to their music. Whilst The Vaccines might not be trailblazers
within their scene, they are certainly ahead of many of their peers, and
having done the impossible of breaking away from the blogosphere and
into the musical mainstream, they have managed to pen a handful of the
catchiest indie tracks this year with their sophomore album, The Vaccines Come Of Age.
The album kicks off with single, “No Hope”. Justin Young’s trademark
drawl, has a little more character in it, and has vastly improved from
their debut. The track displays the band’s more punkish side, with a
pogo-inspiring melody and simple but anthemic lyrics. It’s on tracks
such as the opener that The Vaccines are at their best. Songs like
"Teenage Icon" and "Aftershave Ocean" are filled with the ingredients
that make The Vaccines the great band that they are. Spiky guitars,
witty lyrics, and sugar sweet melodies are what The Vaccines do right.
The album wears its influences on it’s sleeve, "I Always Knew" sounds
like the sort of ballad that The Beatles would have written and ‘All In
Vain’ is amazingly similar to cuts off Pet Sounds.
It’s when The Vaccines stray away from their main influences that they
suffer. "Ghost Town" is slightly Cramps-esque and is by far the worst
song from the release. Sounding almost like a novelty, the track
contains some of their heaviest riffs, however the song holds no weight
amongst the rest of the album.
Overall, The Vaccines have released a great album in the form of The Vaccines Come Of Age.
Whilst it’s not going to change the world, it is certainly worthy of
praise and any popularity that comes their way. So, if you want some
catchy indie rock that will keep your attention, The Vaccines have
certainly come of age.
Halifax,
Nova Scotia’s Wintersleep have a knack for building on where they have
been. Following the relatively significant commercial success of 2007’s
"Welcome to the Night Sky", it was fairly apparent that they took the
best efforts of that album and expanded on them, but "New Inheritors"
(2010) was by no means an attempt at the recreation of their previous
achievement. It might have cost them some publicity, but it is highly
doubtful that it cost them any of their fanbase they have built over the
last decade.
Enter "Hello Hum", Wintersleep’s fifth full-length album: an effort
formed once again on strong points of their previous work, and filled
with focus on musical timbres that had only minor influence in past
compositions. The album title track commences the album like an
introduction song, very experimentally. Wintersleep has been no
stranger to building ambience in their sound, and "Hum" remains true to
this. It is sure to catch some off-guard in the first couple minutes
with its panning feedback-like synthesizers and sporadic percussive
rhythms.
"In Came the Flood" seems to provide the real kickoff to "Hello Hum"
with a flood of guitar hammer-ons in a mild coating of effects, and
while the first three tracks have a nice flow to them, "Resuscitate" is
where the album undoubtedly picks up. Seemingly complex keyboard leads
melded with bizarrely fitting guitars (both rhythm and lead) and
wonderfully catchy chorus vocals, provided not so much by the lyrics but
the melodic contour itself. Listeners might find themselves whistling
along and bobbing their head once the chorus pops.
The album seems to taper off a bit energy-wise with "Permanent Sigh" and
"Saving Song", until "Unzipper" plays out, which packs the usual
indie-rock punch that Wintersleep seem to include at least a couple of
times in their albums, and from this point on, the album is consistently
solid in quality. "Someone, Somewhere" brings a much lighter and
radiant feel to it, comparable to a song by the Beach Boys or the more
recent Miracle Fortress. "Smoke" and the interestingly named "Papa
Time" finish the album on an acoustic high note. The finishing track
also includes some sensational trumpet accents and a clap-along bridge
section, leaving the listener feeling just as good as when they started
the album.
There is namely one consistent shining point within "Hello Hum" worth
mentioning, and that is the vocal performance of Tim D’eon. Not much
has changed of his highly distinguishable voice, but now it seems to
resonate and grip at frequent points, similar to what Thom Yorke’s voice
is capable of on a Radiohead album. D’eon provides the foreground and
the background in an ever-sincere and polished likeness throughout the
50-minute run, showing his best capabilities yet as a vocalist.
While Wintersleep might have been known to some as moody, haunting,
and/or downright ominous, the evolution of their sound becomes very
apparent in this album. Moments are seldom with the aforementioned
emotional qualities, and the majority of the work plays out colourfully,
albeit with the same originality the band is reputable for. It is a
refreshing and engaging addition to the band’s strong discography,
without the exception of it needing a few attentive listens to get the
full effect. Those who are interested should do themselves that favour
at least, if they had the patience to read through the album’s review.
Another band for whom finding much in the way of useful information or actual album reviews proves to be somewhat beyond the capabilities of Google, My Heart Belongs To Cecilia Winter hail from Zurich, Switzerland and have one of the best band names around (though I've no idea who Cecilia Winter may be).
To date they've put out two albums, 2010’s Our Love Will Cut Through Everything and last year's Midnight Midnight, both on Chop Records. Being a Swiss label, the website is in German, so here's the Google Translate version of their writeup for the bands latest release:
Thewait is over. My Heart Belongs toCeciliaWinterisback. The new albumis called"midnightmidnight"andasthefirst harbingers's noisyuptemposingle"departureand arrival." According tothe eleven songsof thebandactsecondcompact ofgetaway cars, twilight, rarecloudsconstellations, beautifulscar, the 1997Sexandthe impendingdoomsday.
At the beginningof therecordingswasthe pressure to succeed: The debut albumof the ZurichTriohas been hailed bycritics and audiences. Comparison withthedebutofInterpolandDeath Cab for Cutiehave been pulled.What does one dowhen oneispractically overnightfromnationaltointernationalhypedsecrethope?"Breathe deepshort, tying shoes, backto the studio tocontinue working," says drummerKusiGerber. Andthey haveworked: Abouta half years, the recordingswere stretchedoutin the BaselAlternaStudios, punctuated bythetoursinGermany and abroad.
Now it'shere. Eleven songsstrong,spanningan arc from thesphericalalbumopener "Airplane window" onanthemicnoise-pop songs like "battlescar"or"the windthat movesthe clouds"to theMHBTCW-typical, heartbreakinglo-fiballads"Shadowsong" and"isee your housefrom my window."
New arethe people behind thebuttons: Mixed Michael Patterson(Trent Reznor, Black Rebel MotorcycleClub, Ladytron) isin Los Angeles, wasresponsiblefor masteringValgeirSigurdsson(Björk), Reykjavik. Also new are themanykeyboard instrumentssuch asWurlitzer, harmoniumCelestaund. The songshave become more complex, theband's soundlouder, thedecisivegesture. Adult, perhaps? After thedreamydebutis nowthe soundtrack toyoungadult lifefull of chaos andurgency?
And for something a bit more readable, here's the introductory spiel to an interview The Line of Best Fit did with the band back in August:
From the moment you first take a look at My Heart Belongs to Cecilia Winter,
before even listening to the songs, you know you’re in for something
exciting, something romantic. I mean, the name of the band hints at
love, probably unrequited, kindled for the first time in formative
teenage years. Then you see how Thom Luz, Betty Fischer and Kusi Gerber
look: it’s Leda and the Swan come to life through Central Saint
Martins. It’s dramatic and theatrical and perfectly matches the
grandiose yet incredibly intimate music the band makes.
Some comparisons are made to Arcade Fire, but those appear to be wide
of the mark and too simplistic, made just because MHBTCW share an
interest in costume and unusual instrumentation. There’s a bit of Beach
House in there via shimmering, fragile guitar and organ playing, but
then there’s also a huge Spector-esque drum sound (no hi-hat, classy),
powerful bass, and Luz’s deeply romantic croon (and lyrics) holding
everything together.
In early 2012, Daniel Radin (one of the masterminds behind electro-indie outfit Magic Man) jumped back into the studio with The Novel Ideas to record their third effort, Home. Hot off the wild success of their Kickstarter campaign,
the foursome officially released the album back in April. Needless to
say, the investment by the backers was well worth it, as the album
stands as one of the most varied, vibrant records of the year.
Having only heard Daniel’s work in Magic Man, Home shines
light on a new dimension of his sincere brand of songwriting. Most of
the time, the album treads rather lightly, but carries with it an air of
anti-pretension, always remaining accessible while also retaining its
depth. The magnificent vocal work (both by Dan and many other bandmates)
seems effortless in its presentation, ranging from soft and soothing to
urgent and concerted all without seeming contrived.
Though the band abides in well-worn
indie-rock territory, it by no means fails to present its own meaningful
perspective on it. While leaning toward the pop end of things, Home
puts the band’s best foot forward, with some strong lyrical and
compositional sensibilities. Subtle use of the slide guitar, banjo and a
small brass section widens the breadth of the album; helping to
fabricate the back-country, rural atmosphere that is so succinctly
described in its title.
The album generates a yearning for the
familiar. It very accurately transcribes into music the unavoidable
homesickness felt in an unknown place. In Home, The Novel Ideas
has created a testament to this epiphanic emotion and wrapped it into a
digestible nine-track beauty. Their unique blend of fast and slow,
upbeat and down, makes for a distinctly memorable listen, reinforcing
the notion that this is an album, not a slapped-together group
of tracks. And although certain songs might sound similar to each other,
the band does a good job of pacing the album.
I look forward to not only more music
from the band in the future, but also to the exploring of their
back-catalog. From the sounds of it, this just might be the perfect time
to jump on The Novel Ideas train. I can’t wait to see what their next stop will be.
Oh pg. lost, the ever forgot child of the post-rock genre; always
slipping under the radar with music so unassuming that it is almost
painful. A bad band? No, not in the least. A forgettful band? Yes,
most certainly. You see, pg.lost jumped on that bandwagon that has
since taken a toll on the genre. You know, the twinkly, crescendo lade
post-rock that reared its head around ever corner. The very same
bandwagon that allowed reviewers and music fans to attach "RIYL:
Explosions in the Sky" and the ilk. Well, that's pg. lost in a
nutshell. But I digress.
Key, the band's latest attempt at relevancy is actually a big,
big step in the right direction. It's still the same band, but tweaked
to the point where some ideas truly feel inspired without feeling too inspired.
What stands out more than anything is its focus on drama, rather than
contrived attempts at profound musical eruptions. Builds lack subtlety,
but in a way that's even more evocative. Instead of loopy, twinkly
guitars playing softly for four or five minutes, songs like "Terrain"
feature groovy, rocking lines that just never let up. It's fascinating,
especially considering how tired the formula of build-explode-repeat
has become.
One could divulge into the most minute of details in regards to how well pg.lost sound as a band, but the real focus of Key is
songwrting. And as mentioned above, the boys have come a long way in
making interesting pieces to flesh out their album. The band's third
album is devoid of filler--every moment feels vital. From the heavy,
dense passages, to the dynamic bursts of intensity, Key is full of memorable moments that one will want to revisit often.
Okay, okay pg.lost, as a once jaded detractor, I am now listening--listening and sincerely impressed. Key is
as exciting a post-rock album as any other this year. There is so much
to hear that one cannot simply listen once. This is truly a
thoughtfully put together album that fans of the genre need to hear.
On their 2012 album Observator, the Raveonettes take a step back from the darkly gloomy, intricately produced sound of 2009's Raven in the Grave for something stripped-down and much more intimate. With the help of longtime mentor Richard Gottehrer, the duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo
spends a portion of the album taking apart the band's guitar-heavy
sound and reassembling it piece by piece, sometimes leaving things out
(like the drums in "Young and Cold") and sometimes adding new elements
(the hip-hop drum loop on "Curse the Night" or the stately piano in
"Observations"). The carefully half-finished-sounding production works
to bring out facets of the Raveonettes
that are usually easy to overlook, like their often stunning vocal
harmonies and the strength of their melodies. The first half of the
album is made up of these precisely arranged songs and it provides an
interesting sonic departure that only gives more power to the noise pop
that makes up the bulk of the second half of Observator.
Even those songs have some quirks that the duo's earlier work didn't
have, and the noise and fuzz are much more arranged. "You Hit Me (I'm
Down)" has a sophisticated yet simple arrangement that sounds like a
wonderful combination of their early work and Raven; "Dancing in the Street" frames Wagner's
poignant vocals with a misty, twangy haze of guitar; and "The Enemy"
has a cheesy drum machine pulse that contrasts nicely with the grey wall
of guitars and Foo's open-hearted vocal. The songs that are the most straightforward and traditionally Raveonettes-sounding,
like the ultra-hooky "Downtown" and "Till the End," benefit from the
off-kilter production and arrangements, too. The whole record has the
feel of being quickly recorded yet fully thought-out, and it's one of
their best albums to date. From starting out as almost a novelty act, the Raveonettes
have grown into a band that constantly surprises listeners and takes
chances that almost always pay off, while still retaining a core sound
that is unmistakably theirs alone. Plus, as Observator
proves again and again, they write really, really good moody pop songs.
The record may not be their masterpiece, but it is an important piece
of a surprisingly strong career.
From a name which manages
to be both a naff joke and slightly creepy, to leader Roy Stride’s
disappointing sideline as a writer for One Direction and Alexandra Burke, not to mention some decidedly ropey lyrics, there’s always seemed something a little too calculating about Scouting for Girls. One suspects their appetite for chart success will always prevail, whatever the costs.
But sometimes it’s necessary to shed cynicism and take a step back.
It may be annoying, but shark-eyed ambition isn't a crime, and the
Ruislip trio’s eponymous debut of 2007 and its follow-up of 2010, Everybody Wants to Be on TV,
were as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as perky pop music can be. Both
overflowed with instantly memorable yet long-lingering pop gems, but, as
if Scouting for Girls were desperate not to be seen as lightweight,
they were underpinned by a pop-punk musical muscularity.
Naturally, you don’t need to be the unlikely lovechild of Nostradamus
and Russell Grant to predict that album number 3 might follow roughly
the same course. And so it does, but they’re honing their chiming,
piano-pounding art (Without You rumbles like Bruce Hornsby’s The Way It Is) with every release.
With its hint of estuary and its easiness with an anthem, Stride’s
voice is ideal for what sounds very much like an album of cheery
singles, plus the 80 relatively experimental seconds of The Light
Between Us. These über-optimistic, impossible-to-dislike tales take in,
yes, shark-eyed ambition (these seem to detail the rise of a certain
Ruislip trio), nice-ish girls, and the weather. And if there must be
songs about the British summer, they might as well be as sunny as
Summertime in the City.
Perhaps the key to Scouting for Girls is how they dig in and how
literal they are, so Rains In L.A. has the windswept feel of a
Californian freeway; Rocky Balboa is 12 rounds of pummelling melody; and
Downtempo is indeed relatively down-tempo, its football chant chorus
notwithstanding. There’s no edge, no side, just pop music in excelsis.
Sometimes, that’s enough. With Scouting for Girls, it’s more than
enough.
Have you ever listened to a record or a band and thought, “Why haven’t I
listened to this sooner?” As a fan of indie-rock, I’m always open to
listen to bands I’ve never heard of, and CA outfit Sea Wolf is one of
those said bands. I had never listened to this band in my life, but I
came across them out of the blue one day a couple weeks ago, when their
new album Old World Romance came out. I was not familiar with this band
in the slightest, but still decided to check this album out,
nonetheless. Well, I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. I was
also wondering why I hadn’t listened to this band much sooner. This
record is exactly the kind of indie-rock that I enjoyed. However, I did
decide to do a bit of research, and Sea Wolf has been around for about
five hours, thanks to creator Alex Brown Church. This is the band’s
third full-length record on Dangerbird Records, but the first record
I’ve listened to personally. For a band I’ve never listened to before,
Sea Wolf is a wonderful band.
The record starts off with “Old Friend,” and immediately, I’m instantly
sucked in. An acoustic guitar begins the record, and it’s very soothing.
Then Church’s voice comes into my speakers, and it sounds absolutely
lovely. He reminds me a lot of the singer of Band Of Horses; he has a
very distinct voice that’s quite soothing, and very pleasant to listen
to. The song itself really describes how the 37-minute album will play
out; soothing, and relaxing acoustic folk/indie. The most interesting
thing about this record is that most songs are backed by a drum machine
or synth. It really contrasts with the organic acoustic guitar, and the
other more organic instruments. It does have a nice balance, and doesn’t
hinder the record whatsoever. It’s not overbearing to the point where
the synth becomes the focal point. Lyrically, it’s also a nice track,
and every song on this record does have very nice lyrics. They
essentially tell stories, and it’s absolutely wonderful. The only
problem is most of the songs do tend to sound very similar, but that’s
not their fault, considering there’s not much you really can do.
However, despite that, the record really holds up.
Third track “Priscilla” has a lovely chorus that certainly can get stuck
in your head if you’re not careful. It’s one of the catchier tracks on
the record. Ironically, the next track “Kasper” is another very catchy
track, too; it’s almost like a one-two punch. The drum machine really
drives this track, and it certainly works to its advantage. Despite the
drum machine and synth being used a lot, it just fits. Next track “Blue
Stocking” is a more “folksy” track, which I really do like; it’s a song
that’s much slower, and much more organic than a lot of the others.
Fifth track “Saint Catherine St.” is another highlight of the record for
me, and a lot of the tracks on this record are highlights. There isn’t
one song that I genuinely didn’t like. Seventh track “Dear Fellow
Traveler” is probably my favorite track on the record, because of the
lyrics it has. It really paints a picture in my head, and I love it when
lyrics can do that. It’s a very enjoyable track. Next track “Miracle
Cure” is another one, too. In fact, one of my favorite things about this
record is how the first few songs are so strong, and so great, but so
are the last few, too.
Overall, this is a great record, and I stress great. I was so surprised I
had never heard of this band before, because I absolutely enjoy them to
pieces. As an indie-rock fan, I can’t get enough of this record. Sea
Wolf will surely be one of my favorite bands in the next few months, and
this will be one of my favorite records of the year.
Seems not too many others in music review land are as enamoured of this sophomore album from these Dream Popsters, so here's the spiel from their label:
In just over a year, Seapony have gone from buzzed-about Midwest
transplants to reliable dream pop purveyors, with fans from the shores
of the Pacific Northwest to the neon-dappled wards of Japan. The
September release date for their sophomore LP Falling heralds,
appropriately, the onset of fall. It’s an album primed for autumnal
enjoyment, handily conjuring the placid atmosphere of a Northwest
summer’s twilight days. This is fitting, as the band is entering a new
and more ambitious period in their career, with a sharper-than-ever live
show and a fanbase that grows by the day.
Formed in 2010, Seapony is bassist Ian Brewer and core
songwriting duo—and longtime couple—Jen Weidl (guitars, vocals, lyrics)
and Danny Rowland (guitar, lyrics), who met in Ohio in the early 2000s.
Their coastal relocation has served them well; their debut LP Go With Me was rife with humbly infectious shoreside ebullience.
Falling sees Weidl and Rowland incorporating some of their
live show’s palpable rock energy into Seapony’s patented sun-kissed
sound. With guitars engaged in a delicate, complex pa-de-deux, and
fuller, less-rigid percussion, Falling is a record of disarming grace. Fans of the economic, winsome lyrics of Go With Me
will be pleased to hear similarly relatable poesies set against a
richer sonic palette, one that’s been blessed with a vivid and audible
warmth from the engineers at Olympia’s renowned Dub Narcotic Studios.
Six seasons have passed since Hardly Art re-released the
band’s acclaimed “Dreaming” single, but those intervening months have
felt like one long, idyllic summer. This is the trick of their
expertly-crafted pop: to still time, to make moments feel everlasting
and indelible. Now, at last, the fall is here, and Seapony are here to
make it just as unforgettable.
"Not everyone's cup
of tea" is, for sure, a cliché. A newcomer to Shearwater, I found that to be
the case when I looked into the band's previous work. Some listeners have
complained about founder/composer Jonathan Meiburg's vocals, which are mildly,
occasionally fey, with Celtic folk intonations, and a bit of vibrato in his
resolutions. Shearwater's current label, Sub Pop, sports a blurb admitting that
some of the band's most expansive previous work could have been labeled
"bombastic."
I only know what I'm hearing on Animal Joy. It's stunning. How so? The tactilely round, almost bell-like
guitar tones on "Breaking the Yearlings" sound like something Robert Fripp
might do if I still found his work attractive enough to pay attention. The
track's blend of metallic percussion and nearly falsetto vocals, along with
breath-by-breath pacing, combines the tone and execution of late'70s Prog. Rock
(Bowie with Eno; Peter Gabriel circa his first solo album) with a more
contemporary savvy and despair. That last sentence may not succeed at
explicating the brilliance (the kind that mixes advanced intelligence and
sensitivity with intuition) with which "Dread Sovereign" follows "Breaking the
Yearlings." It's one of the most arresting progressions I've ever heard.
Animal Life is a cinematic journey that
opens doors into a multi-textured; intermittently sublime, parallel universe.
Intimate knowledge of classic Prog Rock (including early Genesis and King
Crimson), a weakness for Hard Rock and effective Stoner Metal, and time logged
with Free and/or Fusion Jazz, along with an openness to sounds that combine or
defy these categories, add up to a reviewer who, in its absence, can forget her
hunger for mind-feeding sounds. Meiburg, with Kimberly Burke and Thor Harris,
has created something capable of feeding the mind, heart, and spirit.
Is it a perfect
album? Honestly, Animal Joy is
almost too intense to bear. Which might be part of anything that could be
called a weakness. When the songwriting doesn't meet the intensity, as with the
last track, "Star of the Age," exemplary sonic art can morph into the
exhaustively ho-hum. Other than its prolonged intensity (a gift to some
listeners; a burden for others), this album is just a few hairs (a couple of
tracks and/or segues) short of being a transcendent gem, or masterpiece.
In any case, my
entirely selfish advice is for Shearwater and his crew to keep strapping on
those wings and flying into the sun.
After nearly a decade of unhurried, frequently majestic music, Sigur Rós’ 2008 LP Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
found the Icelandic band working in its most traditional and commercial
vein to date. Song lengths were primarily under the five-minute mark,
and the lead single, “Gobbledigook,” was like a campfire sing-along
compared to the complex, patiently unfolding epics of the past. (The
album even had a song sung in English.) With a steady stream of detours
and side projects in recent years, it seemed like Sigur Rós’ abstract
side was going to be farmed out to lower-profile releases from here on
out. But with Með’s official follow-up, Valtari, Sigur Rós
delivers a nearly percussion-free batch of ambient soundscapes that may
frustrate fans of its more direct predecessor, but ranks among the
group’s most elegant records.
Dialing back on the melodrama, Valtari feels like an early
Sigur Rós record without the once-inevitable crescendos. The throwback
feel is no accident: Recording began in 2007, and its earliest roots lie
in sessions with a London choir four years earlier. The closest
precedent for Valtari is Jónsi & Alex,
the modern classical and ambient project co-led by Sigur Rós singer
Jónsi that features both choral work and contributions from string
quartet Amiina.
The relative restraint on the single “Ekki Múkk” and other more
straightforward songs like “Varúð” and “Rembihnútur” is a welcome shift
for the group, ditching the bigger-is-better grandiloquence and
predictable arcs of Sigur Rós’ recent work. But the trio of fragile
instrumental reveries that close the record elevate Valtari into
the upper tiers of the Sigur Rós catalog, projecting a sense of calm and
confidently treating mood and atmosphere as worthwhile ends rather than
stepping stones. It’s a final successful gambit on a record full of
them.
We tend to have little truck with "concept" LPs. For
our money, most groups find it a difficult enough concept to make an
album that's any good, so attempts to render proceedings any more
complex are doomed to failure. Having said that, if the band is good
enough, the concept might just work: witness Sarandon's set last year,
MJ Hibbett’s recent opus and even Rotten Sound's visceral suite,
"Cursed". Any road, the concept behind "Hits In The Car" (should you
have wondered where we were going with this) is that it charts over 13
tunes the rise, decline and fall of a relationship, and it does so with
all the sweetness, intensity and sadness required. Not only does the
conceit come off, but as the album progresses it sheds its layers to
reveal no end of individually stonking pop songs: in any order, "Hits In
The Car" could just as well be a 'greatest hits' as a concept album.
While this is Sandra and Laz's first long-player, it's now nearly six
years since the duo first seduced our ears with "Boy In The Bubble Car",
and four since they catapulted onto the Matinée roster with their
rattling "Who's In Your Dreams ?" single ("a happy, gargling stream of
revivalist ba-ba-ba's, of gargantuan guitar melodies, of Bubblegum
Splash-style thudding drum n' bass"). And from the compact, citrus
opener "Do You Crash Here Often ?", which neatly marks an X where Baby
Lemonade and the Mary Chain intersect, "Hits In The Car" is a honeyed
tangle of sunny jangle, Rickenbacker glory and spry Glaswegian indie-pop
zeal epitomised by the singles "Picture Perfect" and "Stop, Look, And
Listen" and the zippy harmonies that lift "Looking Out For Summer" to
completeness. There's also plenty of Laz's easy way with everyday
observation ("everybody's texting / nobody talks") as well as his
unshakeable love of the pun: try "Dining Out In Paris And London" for,
er, starters. One of us (OK then, me) detected just a twinge of cloying
sixtiesness on occasion (I'd cite "What Do They Say About Me?" in this
regard), but another thought the same song rang with the bright chimes
of early Flatmates. Which just goes to show that one man's meat
(whiplash) is another man's (this) poison. There are unexpected
stylistic twists, too. So the duet "You Make Me Shine" is not so much
Jim Reid / Sister Vanilla, as you might expect, but uncannily recalls
Lazy-era Primitives, in the days when both Tracy and PJ took on vocal
duties. "Now I Know It's You" is a singularly appetising slab of miasmic
two-chord shoegaze, closer to Air Formation than any of Strawberry
Whiplash's obvious contemporaries. The two minutes of "It Came To
Nothing" flaunt an irresistible punk-pop flavour, all flailing limbs and
"Billy's Third". And when we first heard it, we genuinely thought that
"Sleepy Head", with its lurching MBV-isms and detuned girl/boy ache, was
the undervalued Spraydog. As if all this wasn't enough, you can put a
good case for the thoughtful, reflective, end-of-the-affair "First Light
Of Dawn" (which even passes the three-minute mark) as being the best
song Strawberry Whiplash have ever recorded. So, showing off songwriting
nous, dashes of musical variety and an effortlessly-harboured story
arc, "Hits In The Car" makes for a truly impressive first album. They've
come a long way from "Boy In The Bubble Car", you know: they might have
been Isetta then, but they're Isotta-Fraschini now. --In Love With These Times In Spite Of These Times
Strawberry Whiplash hail from Glasgow, pay homage
to Strawberry Switchblade and Meat Whiplash in their name, are Lawrence
‘Laz’ McCluskey’s other band (Bubblegum Lemonade is the other) and have
just released their first LP Hits In the Car via Santa Barbara’s
Matinee Records. Strawberry Whiplash are probably many other things as
well, but those are the facts. Listening to Hits in the Car you quickly
realize that they are most definitely many more things as well. For
Strawberry Whiplash, McCluskey still writes the songs, but hands over
most of the vocal duties to Sandra (no surname given). She has a sweet
pop voice that brings to mind Tracy Tracy of Primitives, Sara Cracknell
of St. Etienne and the Shangri-Las. Sugar sweet, but a voice only gets
you so far. Fortunately she has some great songs to sing. McCluskey
seems to have an endless stream of inspiration. Some are classic pop in
the vein of the Primitives and Lovelife era Lush, some mine the same
Astrud Gilberto vein of pop that Beaumont and Arabesque, did while a few
of the songs sound almost shoegazer-ish and one even made me think of
the Ramones (I think of the Ramones quite often even when not listening
to music). I liked the previous EP’s from Strawberry Whiplash, but they
didn’t really allude to how good this record would be. Hits In the Car
is a record that upholds the rich Glaswegian indiepop tradition started
long ago by Orange Juice, the Pastels, Teenage Fanclub and the
Vaselines. Probably 30 years from now, kids will be Tumbling Strawberry
Whiplash songs to each other via surgical implants. Why wait for the
nostalgia trip? Get in on the ground floor! --The Finest Kiss
From 2008 onwards, Strawberry Whiplash, who
feature Laz from Bubblegum Lemonade, have released three excellent EPs
and we have been gnashing at the bit for a full length long player ever
since. So is Hits In The Car, a concept album about the rise and
subsequent decline and failure of a relationship, worth the wait? Well
simply put it's a big 'yes'. Opener "Do You Crash Here Often" sets the
tone with its 1960s bubblegum pop sound which fits perfectly alongside
Sandra's sublime vocals. Tracks on the album's taster single "Stop, Look
& Listen" hinted at the band moving away from those 1960s
influenced roots to a more 1980s indie, or dare I say C86, sound. This
is more than evidenced by the way Strawberry Whiplash manage to out
Primitive the reformed Primitives! Songs such as "You Make Me Shine" and
"Looking Out For Summer" have that Pure (pun intended!) 1980s
Primitives sound. They are Lovely (alright I will stop it now...) They
also get a bit fuzzy along the way too, paying homage to those fine
Scottish bands of the past such as early Mary Chain (Laz gets a bit Jim
Reid-ish when he sings), The Shop Assistants, The Fizzbombs, Baby
Lemonade etc, from whom they derive numerous influences. Check out Now I
Know It's You as an example. There is even a bit of shoegaze in the mix
too, especially on album closer First Light Of Dawn which sounds a bit
al la Lush, transporting me back twenty odd years in time. Hits In The
Car is a great example of guitar driven pop with an abundance of catchy
tunes that will make you want to hitch a permanent ride with Laz and
Sandra. Back to the future? Methinks so! --Sounds XP
The duo of vocalist Sandra and instrumentalist
Laz keep things simple on Strawberry Whiplash's debut album Hits in the
Car. Sticking with the near-perfect blend of jangle and fuzz they'd
displayed on previous singles and EPs, the album sounds like a
well-crafted update on the classic girl pop sound of bands like the Shop
Assistants and Heavenly. Using a basic guitar-bass-drums set-up, Laz
doesn't reinvent the pop wheel at all; he's better at providing a
comfortable bed of sound for Sandra's endlessly sweet vocals. She has a
perfectly pitched pop voice that's equally at home delivering both the
melancholy and bouncing along happily. The songs on the album are split
pretty evenly along those lines, with the uptempo tracks coming off the
best. "Picture Perfect" sounds like a single the Darling Buds wish they
had written, "What Do They Say About Me" has a nice girl group
dreaminess, and "Stop, Look and Listen" has a cute little hook. Though
the record is on-the-nose '90s girl pop worship, the duo manage to get a
little adventurous and drop some shoegaze into the mix on the hypnotic
"Sleepy Head." Hits in the Car won't win too many points for
originality, but thanks to the solid songcraft, the pleasant sounds, and
most of all, Sandra's vocals, the album is a success. --All Music Guide
...and the pop hits keep coming from the Matinee
label. After a few EPs (Who's in Your Dreams and Picture Perfect as
well as the "Stop, Look and Listen" 7"; the title tracks of the latter
two are included here) Strawberry Whiplash's debut full-length is
finally here. The band is the Scottish duo of Lawrence "Laz" McCluskey
and the vocalist known only as Sandra (Laz is also the face behind
another Scottish band, Bubblegum Lemonade). 13 songs here of more of
that sun-drenched jangle (think early Primal Scream, The Primitives,
Heavenly and Jesus & Mary Chain and you're on the right street...
hell, you're in the driveway), and while there may not be much sun in
Scotland most of the time, this record will brighten up the sky every
time it's on. Opener "Do You Crash Here Often?" sets the tone perfectly
with the guitars on buzz and Sandra's cooing vocals while the current
news of "Everybody's Texting" and the 50's buzz beat of "Now I Know It's
You" continue the pop onslaught. They slow it down for the male/female
duet of "You Make Me Shine" but then crank things right back up again on
the snappy "Looking Out for Summer." Honestly, there's plenty here to
dig here and the whole thing breezes by pretty effortlessly, which
ultimately shows the strength of Laz's songs. As it says on the inside
"Guaranteed to be 100% Autotune free!" --Blurt Magazine
Okay, no surprise. It’s been foreshadowed. It’s
everyone who is anyone's pick of the week. I exhibit no originality in
this choice. Oh, btw, one more thing...it’s absolutely an amazing
listen. And again. Over, and over. New Release of the Week!
--Indie Pop Saved My Life
If you happen to share a love of bubblegum pop,
jangly guitar bands, shoegaze and indie, you're likely to get excited by
the same bands as Strawberry Whiplash. On this debut album the Scots
have rifled through your record collection, cherry-picked the best bits,
discarded the chaff and distilled it all into a handy pocket-sized
package. 'Hits The Car' is a thrilling whistle stop joyride through your
favourite genres and your most treasured bands, executed in a way that
renders the skip button obsolete. It's all very well making records that
sound like your heroes, but the general outcome is a watered down
version that serves as little more than a reminder of how great the
source material was, but not always, and not in this instance. To throw
in a few names for comparison you could say that 'Now I Know It's You'
lifts its out-of-focus, drifting backing from The Radio Dept., 'You Make
Me Shine' is basically a reworking of The Jesus & Mary Chain's
'Sometimes Always' and you won't get to the end of the album without
thinking of The Primitives or Lush. You could mention a dozen other
indiepop luminaries past and present but the winning formula here is the
lack of padding that may be the result of the record's lengthy
creation. This sounds like a greatest hits, not a debut. Only a brace of
songs break the three-minute mark. There isn't time to get bored and
you couldn't if you tried; each song sparkles briefly, fading away just
soon enough to leave you wanting more. Strawberry Whiplash's magpie
approach to making music seems down to a genuine passion for recreating
the sounds they love rather than a lack of ideas. In fact you couldn't
possibly claim that this album is entirely bereft of originality, as
while the sounds may be borrowed, it's the band's own melodies that are
the life-blood of these songs. From The Shangri-Las to Blondie to The
Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, the combination of classic sounding tunes,
glistening-yet-restrained production and the knack of knowing when
enough is enough have thrown up some shining examples of pop sensibility
combined with a fundamental understanding of what pop music is all
about. If any of your record collection has been mentioned above then
'Hits The Car' is an essential purchase. --The Sound of Confusion
In his justly famous essay The Question
Concerning Technology, über-philosopher Martin Heidegger expressed his
fear that the colonization of the realm of Being by technology (as
techne) meant that everything — from nature to human relationships —
would be enframed, transformed into “standing-reserve.” Technology
becomes not a tool, but a mode of existence. On “Everybody’s Texting,”
Strawberry Whiplash come to a similar conclusion. Despite the trite
nature of the sentiment, it’s interesting to hear a retro-pop song
discuss texting, signals, and information flows — and this might speak
to the increasing inescapability of addiction to devices, to the
outsourcing of the mind, to the masturbatory (lol) self-gratification of
the screen as social mediator. Nonetheless, listening to Hits In The
Car is definitely a (self-) gratifying experience. Strawberry Whiplash
announce their attentions in their moniker, begotten from an amalgam of
pastoral 80s synthpoppers Strawberry Switchblade and similar-vintage
noise poppers Meat Whiplash. (I can’t let this moment go past without
expressing my disappointment, shared by other wags, that they didn’t go
with “Meat Switchblade.”) Hits In The Car is obviously a loving
recreation of the 80s twee pop/noise pop sound, particularly as it came
out of Glasgow, from where our contemporary heroes hail. But it’s done
extremely well, bringing to fruition the tantalizing promise of EPs
Who’s In Your Dreams? and Picture Perfect. (The title track of the
second also features on the present album.) For this reviewer’s money,
the chief, though oft-blurry, subdivision in the twee arena is that,
between clear, ringing jangles, and fuzzy lo-fi, Strawberry Whiplash
tend toward the latter. But if they’re era purists, they’re not genre
absolutists. That is to say, there’s some blurring around the edges of
the template, most notably on “You Make Me Shine” (a duet recalling The
Jesus and Mary Chain and Hope Sandoval’s “Sometimes Always”) and “Sleepy
Head” (a pleasant slice of Isn’t Anything-era My Bloody Valentine
pastiche). The other dividing line that often obtains in this style is
more temporal, between the moment of the crush (exciting and
nerve-racking, but essentially romantic and hopeful) and the
bittersweet, melancholy disappointment of being on the receiving end of a
spurning. Although there are some slower moments tempo-wise, Hits In
The Car traverses the terrain of the first — so get your cardie on and
join me for a bedroom dance! (Not a euphemism in this context.)
Heidegger was not a Luddite technophobe; he concluded that, in order to
avoid the danger inherent in the modern relationship to technology,
humans must recognize the claim being made upon them by this mode of
existence. In doing so, they recognize that their Being is not a
Being-alone, but always a Being-with; so, with this knowledge in hand,
we can stop our subservient “sleepwalking around with our heads to the
ground” (“Everybody’s Texting,” again). According to Heidegger, this can
be done if we remember to “listen, but not obey.” In the present case,
however, I’d turn the equation around: Obey me, and listen to Hits In
The Car. --Tiny Mix Tapes
It’s strange to think that Hits in the Car is
truly the debut record for Strawberry Whiplash; seems like I’ve been
posting their singles or B-Sides for years now. Regardless, this
collection of thirteen great pop tunes is pretty spot-on for a debut,
going between infectious indie pop and noisy janglings; its all worth
every minute of time you invest, and one can only suspect that you’ll
get more back the more you put in. Perhaps one of my favorite attributes
of this sort of pop is the simplicity of both the entire construction,
from song title to the execution of the track itself, it’s no small feat
to pull this off as well as Strawberry Whiplash does. Take, for
instance, “Everyone’s Texting,” which might seem like sort an arbitrary
song, as we’re aware everyone is definitely texting. But, from the
slight jangle in the guitar work, to the steadying drum beat, the song
is more than just plain commentary; it’s pristine pop. For me, one of
the best things about Hits in the Car is the effortless playfulness that
seems to coincide with the group’s work. You can listen to “What Do
They Say About Me” and hear that nostalgic swirling guitar, but Sandra’s
vocals, purposefully stuttering at points, show both the fun and
attention to detail that goes into pop like this. Even smashing hit
“Stop Look and Listen” plays with the vocal delivery, which either
demonstrates the fun they’re having, or just their reliance on capturing
the perfect hook–it all works for me. Even more promising is some of
the slight experimentation that comes into play on the album, showing
that Strawberry Whiplash have other places they’re willing to go,
musically speaking. ”It Came to Nothing” has this great little
power-pop swagger to it, as Sandra sings gently atop it all. Or you can
listen to the band as they dabble in the noise-rock territory, one of
the few songs where Laz takes control of the vocal duties. The other
track where he features prominently is “You Make Me Shine,” a song that
sounds remarkably like something you’d expect the Magnetic Fields to
craft. You’ve got to credit a group that aren’t willing to be
pigeon-holed by their own sound, or the masses for that matter. When it
boils down to it all, you can easily write about each one of these songs
as great singles, and assuredly that’s what the group intended with the
titles Hits in the Car. What’s surprising is that they pulled it off,
rather successfully. You can listen to Strawberry Whiplash’s new effort
bits at a time, or as an entire collection, but no matter what, you’re
going to find yourself loving it. It’s simple, it’s poppy, it’s
experimental; really, it’s just a gem of a record. --Austin Town Hall
Scottish duo Strawberry Whiplash has been
releasing fun little twee pop singles for the past several years, and
now finally a full-length is available through California indie label
Matinée Recordings. Entitled Hits In The Car, the album is loaded with
light, fizzy late 80s hook-filled jangle pop. Most of it is light,
breezy, and fun, but “It Came To Nothing” adds some moody noise and ends
up sounding closer to Colleen Green or the Vivian Girls. Great stuff.
--Get Bent
You will hopefully recall the Cats On Fire track
from a while ago and today another sugar-coated band from the Matinée
label. They are Strawberry Whiplash and for those of you who remember
Lush and think they were a better band than they had credit for, well
you will like Strawberry Whiplash. The older members of this gathering
will also remember The Shangri-Las and they are also clearly an
influence. Hailing from Glasgow, Laz McLuskey drives things and records
such as Bubblegum Lemonade, releasing a cracking album last year,
“Sophomore Release”. Back to Strawberry Whiplash however, and they have
released a few singles/EPs over the last four years and now, hot off the
presses, is the debut album “Hits In The Car”. British Summertime
officially starts today and the attached slice of dream pop should
encourage you to look forward to some carefree days in the sun, even if
today’s weather suggests otherwise. --God Is In The TV
After a series of EPs, Strawberry Whiplash
finally has its full-length debut out with Hits in the Car. It’s an
immediately catchy indie-pop album, strong on melodies, with the right
amount of fuzz and reverb texturing things up. Given the bright feel of
much of the album, the narrative progression might not be as immediately
apparent. The disc tracks the life of a romantic relationship in
two-and-a-half-minute nuggets. There’s a emotional drain in the album’s
second half, but it’s hidden in sugar like “Stop, Look and Listen”,
which seems musically in denial (or at least surprise) at the couple’s
inevitable future. If it sounds bleak, keep in mind there are only a
couple songs that actually sound bleak. And then you can just skip back
to a cut like “You Make Me Shine”, one of the gems of the year. --Pop Matters
If you take a look back to the glory days of C86
(if a aesthetic so famously and intentionally shambolic can have ‘glory
days’), one of its defining characteristics is the consistent lack of
LPs—if you stop to think about it, the C86 catalogue is probably 90% EPs
and Peel Sessions. It’s a common tale, really, not simply reserved for
80s indiepop (just look at all those now priceless 1960s garage and
northern soul recordings, or the Oneders), but it’s long since become a
hallmark of the DIY aesthetic. I’m happy to say, however, that it is not
a trait that has been passed on to their more recent descendants—a
trend most recently defied by Glaswegian pop proponents, Strawberry
Whiplash. Over the last few years, Strawberry Whiplash have released a
string of picture perfect EPs on Matinée Recordings, most recently the
unforgivably catchy Stop, Look and Listen 7” (December 2011). With
nearly every recording a sure pop hit (if, in an autotuned universe, it
were actually possible for this sort of thing to become an RIAA-approved
‘hit’), it would be entirely possible for Laz and Sandra to hang their
hats on the occasional cluster of fuzz pop gems. Instead, much to my
delight, they have released their first LP, appropriately titled, Hits
In The Car. Hits In The Car is a collection of 13 mostly new tracks
that tell the story of a relationship from the initial spark of
attraction to the eventual decay and dissolution. I say ‘mostly new’
because, tucked in among a baker’s dozen sparkling fuzz pop gems are
some tracks from previous EPs, like the aforementioned ‘Stop, Look and
Listen’. They serve, of course, to further the narrative, but hearing
the irresistible melody of the once eponymous ‘Picture Perfect’ in a
new context also serves as a pleasantly unexpected reminder of just how
much you’ve always loved Strawberry Whiplash. Alongside the classic
Whiplash are several others destined to assume their rightful place in
the cannon. The opening one-two punch of ‘Do You Crash Here Often’ and
‘Everybody’s Texting’ offer the perfect hybrid of late 70s post punk and
the shoegaze classics of the late 80s, while the crunchy guitars of
‘You Make Me Shine’ set up what proves to be a glistening duet between
Laz and Sandra which includes a short but oh-so-sweet solo guitar
bridge. The pivotal point in the album narrative, ‘What Do They Say
About Me’, is the sweetest bit of paranoia you’re likely to hear on a
pop record, and, like all good forms of doubt and suspicion, it’s
infectious. The penultimate track, ‘Sleepy Head’, once again sees
multi-instrumentalist Laz McCluskey assume lead vocal responsibilities.
It is also, fittingly, a far cry, stylistically, from the vast majority
of Strawberry Whiplash tracks, being driving, dissonant, hard-hitting
bit of shoegazing and the perfect foil for Sandra’s resolute and oddly
soothing closer, ‘First Light Of Dawn’. Strawberry Whiplash could have
easily contented themselves with being a phenomenal singles band like so
many of the acts from the flash-in-the-pan scene whose torch they bear.
And, up to this point, they have been. But with Hits In The Car, the
band have proven that they can be—and are—so much more than that. This
blog has, in many respects, grown up alongside Strawberry Whiplash, so
they will, of course, always have a special place in my heart. But with a
band so consistently easy to love, I suppose it was bound to happen.
--The Indie Handbook
Just heard this indiepop duo from Glasgow — which
has become a fertile breeding ground for such bands — a couple days ago
who recently released their full-length titled Hits In The Car on
Matinée last week, and I have to say that I’m completely smitten with
them at the moment. The duo comprises of Lawrence ‘Laz’ McCluskey,
who’s also in the band Bubblegum Lemonade (we’ve mentioned them before,
but my archives are kaput, unfortunately), along with Sandra who does
the singin’. While their description pegs them as a noise-pop group,
which may be true at times, actually listening to them you’ll realize
they are anything but. I mean, look at their name, Strawberry Whiplash!
How can you not be anymore twee than that?! Their namesake apparently
comes from Scottish bands Strawberry Switchblade (a new wave band from
the 80s) and Meat Whiplash (one of the first bands signed to Creation
Records). Check out “Now I Know It’s You” with its fuzzed out guitars
and understated vocals. While this may be the band at its most subdued,
the rest of the record makes up for it, as many of the songs are at
times upbeat, infectious and so very jangly. Just as we like it here at
TYS. --The Yellow Stereo
Anyone who has followed the career of Glasgow's
Laz (Lawrence) McCluskey knows he is a master guitar pop craftsman. For
both his Bubblegum Lemonade project and our current focus, Strawberry
Whiplash, he creates hook-filled melodies embellished by the jangle and
fuzz of his guitar. And with Strawberry Whiplash, we get the added treat
of Sandra's pitch perfect vocal delivery. Building on their foundation
of three singles since 2008, Laz and Sandra have just released their
first full length album -- Hits in the Car on Matinée Recordings. The
album comprises 13 tracks, arranged along the concept of the life of a
relationship from the original pickup (the 59 seconds of "Do You Crash
Here Often") to the final kiss-off (the touching "First Light of Dawn").
While a concept album is an ambitious task, especially for a debut, the
duo are fully up to the challenge. Heard as a concept or as single
tracks, you will be charmed and entertained. The songs are concise pop
nuggets -- only one exceeds three minutes -- and they echo the
influences of The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Shop Assistants, The
Primitives and Phil Spector produced girl groups. "Picture Perfect"
appears when the subject relationship still is on track. And as things
slide further towards breakup, Laz and Sandra hit us with this glorious
tumult of fuzzy guitars, reminiscent of their Glasgow forebears The Shop
Assistants: "It Came To Nothing." Hits in the Car is the real deal--no
poses or pretenses--just expertly crafted and delivered noise pop that
exists for the right reason: They like to perform it and we like to hear
it. Fortunately, unlike the relationship at the core of the album,
you'll be able to listen to the songs over and over.
--When You Motor Away
Laz and Sandra's long-awaited debut album is
delivered, after three EPs, in typically cool indie pop fashion. 'Do
You Crash Here Often?' is as catchy as the Primitives' 'Crash'. It is an
arms in the air indie anthem, very short and sweet and to the point.
'Everybody's Texting' is syrupy sweet, 60's flavoured but with a modern
viewpoint of the world we now live in. 'Now I Know It's You' shimmers
along like Talulah Gosh covering a Kitchens of Distinction number, while
Laz and Sandra's vocals joyfully linger over the top. 'Picture Perfect'
is again reminiscent of the Primitives and has a massive Rickenbacker
sound. 'You Make Me Shine' is a perfect duet, which sounds like a 21st
century 'Sometimes Always' by the Jesus and Mary Chain or better still a
jangly Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra. 'Looking Out for Summer' is
indie pop as it should be done with sparkling vocals and jangling
guitars that let the sun pour right in. 'What Do They Say About Me?' is a
jolly number, a song to make you skip around and smile at everyone in a
dumb fashion. 'Dining Out in Paris and London' comes over like a jangly
version of early Stereolab, while 'Stop, Look and Listen' is a moshing
number for indie fans to lose their shyness to, and to grab the girl of
their dreams whom they have fancied for forever and pull them up onto
the dance floor. 'Another April' in contrast is slow and moody, but soon
picks up pace and gets faster. 'It Came to Nothing' is reminiscent of
the Shop Assistants with its punky energy, while 'Sleepy Head', sung as a
duet, is much more indie then indiepop and darker-toned in texture.
'First Light of Dawn' is as gentle as a Sarah Records number, and brings
the record to a surprisingly quiet end. A great record for the summer,
if we ever get one. --Pennyblack Magazine
After three fun singles in four years, Glasgow,
Scottish popsters Strawberry Whiplash realize their potential on their
debut LP. The Whiplash is visited on the necks of those who followed
1984-1994 UK pop; Hits shows a band with feet planted on the post-Smiths
C86-era outbreak, as well as the post-My Bloody Valentine’s dreampop
explosion on a few tracks. Inevitably, with a sweet-voiced singer in
Sandra, who sings like a mom to a toddler (SW’s bio suggests Astrud
Gilberto, and I think of the 1966 duet Gilberto did with her little son
covering Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice’ in general,
Sandra sings with a similar, pleasant inflection as the bossa nova
star), one thinks of such sunny femme-led groups as The Darling Buds,
Primitives, Flatmates, Shop Assistants, Talulah Gosh, and Outskirts (and
Lush, Curve, and Cocteau Twins for the shoegaze stuff). And they’re so
good at this, the derivative tag matters not. It’s all so lightly
fuzzy, puppies and ice cream on the surface, and lyrically more
interesting on deeper inspection. For instance, ‘Dining Out In Paris
and London’ references a truly remarkable book on starving and
inhumanity, George Orwell’s 1933 classic Down and Out in Paris and
London, and ‘Everybody’s Texting’ capably laments the lack of human
connection all around you, which slavish devotion to insular electronic
devices prevent, trading the visceral for the virtual. But mostly
you’ll get swept up in Laz’ guitar candy (also in his Bubblegum Lemonade
releases) and Sandra’s lulling la-la voice. --The Big Takeover Magazine
It's been a long time coming but the new
Strawberry Whiplash album has finally arrived and I don't mind saying
it's probably the best record I've bought this week. It's called "Hits
In The Car" and features thirteen tracks of pure pop brilliance.
--Burning World
Here’s a record I’ve been meaning to write about
for a while. It might not feel like it but this is, as a matter of fact,
the first full-length record from the Glaswegian duo Strawberry
Whiplash. After about six years, three EPs and numerous compilation
appearances (“Summershine” being my favourite to this day), it’s high
time for Laz to prove that Strawberry Whiplash is more than a side
project to Bubblegum Lemonade (as whom he has already released two
albums). Hits In The Car does just that, with strong songwriting, just
enough humour to not tip into the comedy abyss, and essentially,
variation in the material. With clever nods to pop history icons like
The Monkees as much as forgotten footnotes like The Velvelettes, Laz is
not the kind of person who’s averse to calling a song “Surfin’ USB”. On
this record though, it feels like he’s laid off some of the referencing,
both literal and sonic (usually JAMC fuzz, Byrds jangle) and just lets
the songs shine. It’s still hard not to get a Jim Reid déjà-vu as he
sings his parts in the duet “You Make Me Shine” with lead vocalist
Sandra. But as much as it reminds me of Reid & Sandoval’s “Sometimes
Always”, it’s a timeless feel that has been tapped into way before Lee
& Nancy perfected it. There’s something for everyone here, from the
simple upbeat “It Came to Nothing”, to languid maj7-heavy “Dining Out In
Paris and London”. “Sleepy Head” would probably make even Kevin Shields
satisfied. In all, it’s a versatile record with a full sound, combining
real drums with drum machine to the effect of a convincing band
recording. No real standouts (in a positive sense), but if I had to
choose one it’d have to be “Everybody’s Texting” which is cleverly
heartbreaking and melodically melancholic. Or perhaps melancholically
melodic. Hits In The Car was preceded at the tail end of last year by
the excellent 7? EP Stop, Look and Listen, whose title track is also on
the album. The 7? is well worth picking up with the same order, for the
two excellent b-sides. --Record Turnover
Summer is near, and so are those small juicy
yummy fruits called strawberries. Jangly Scottish duo Strawberry
Whiplash know the way to make their hometown proud. Honoring the likes
of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Lush and The Shop Assistants, they finally
release (highly anticipated) debut album ”Hits In The Car” (Matinée).
Dreams and pictures dressed in red. --Candy Bar
With three singles in the last four years, it’s
high time Glaswegian two-piece Strawberry Whiplash finally unleashed
their debut LP Hits In The Car. Renowned for their jangly indie pop
sound, the duo keeps strong their ’90s throwback vibe, beckoning
influences like Mazzy Star and The Jesus And Mary Chain. --Records Abroad
