> Fagan and the People. Admiral
Of The Narrow Seas. Southbound/ Aeroplane.
3 stars (out of five)
Centred on Andrew Fagan, Kiwi rockers Fagan and the People
(co-conspirators include New Telepathics' Darryn Harkness and
US multi-instrumentalist Pete Zorn), release their
long-overdue first album, a discordant affair. The tunes on
Admiral Of The Narrow Seas are as varied as the
line-up - brooding garage rockers such as Branch of the
Tree and Clemency are all cavernous reverb and
chugging rhythms, while Get Light is a mid-tempo
anthem on which Fagan hollers his heart out over standard
jangly guitar chimes. Ultimately, it's a tad aimless, though
it hurtles along at a good rate of knots.
Single download: Religion
For those who like: New Telepathics, Dead Flowers, The
Clean, HLAH
- John Hayden
> Erland & the Carnival.
Nightingale. Full Time Hobby.
4 stars
(out of five)
Simon Tong, formerly of the Verve, Blur and The Good, The Bad
and The Queen, has hit pay dirt again with an infectious set
of beautifully crafted tunes.
Named after his folk-loving Scottish band-mate Gawain Erland
Cooper, the trio is rounded out by drummer-engineer David
Nock. Having twisted British folk standards out of shape on
its 2010 debut, Erland & the Carnival fuses elements of
ancient British literature with Syd Barrett-inspired
psychedelia. Cinematic in scope, Nightingale slinks in
under the radar with an eclectic mix of guitar, harmonium,
zither and layers of lush vocals. It's folk, Jim, but not as
we know it.
Single download: Emmeline
For those who like: The Coral, The Doors, Franz
Ferdinand, The Dandy Warhols
- Mark Orton
> Pink Martini. A
Retrospective. Border Music.
3 stars (out of five)
Pink Martini founder Thomas Lauderdale has described his
Portland, Oregon, band as musical archaeologists, drawing
inspiration from the romantic Hollywood musicals of the '40s
and '50s but with a more global perspective. It's a fair
description, borne out by the eclectic scope of this 21-track
compilation mined from the band's 16-year history. The band's
multilingual repertoire and shared vocal duties make for an
easy-listening variety show of snappy big-band tunes and
slinky lounge numbers that will appeal to those looking for a
soundtrack to a summertime cocktail party.
Single download: La Soledad
For those who like: Lounge and world music; music from
the Golden Age of Cinema
- Jeff Harford
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