Beulah
"popular mechanics for lovers"
(Shifty Disco)
review by Ruth
As Beulah return with their third album, our first hint of what's to come is
this
little lost love lofi, erm, song. Full of gorgeous plinky piano and Beach Boys
harmonies, a sprinkling of Magnetic Fields references and ambling half-Hawaiian
pop
disguising sad smiles between the white teeth. The sweet sound of broken hearts.
3.75/5
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Clearlake
"Something to Look Forward To"
(Dusty Company)
review by Ruth
(Something to look forward to/Daybreak)
There's a phenomenon in the music which for the sake of argument we'll call the
Lamacq
effect. It's where you hear something on the radio, and you think "hey,
this sounds
really nice; let's go out and buy it". Enter Clearlake. When this was first
played on
Radio One last year, it sounded quite nice and shiny with chirpy cockney vocals,
and so
lovely and summery an' all. But now like the song says, "the novelty is
wearing thin",
and it sounds a bit bland and shite, to be honest. I'd get more kicks from
listening to
the.embassy - now that's something to look forward to.
1/5
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Clinic
"The Second Line"
(Domino)
review by Ruth
With Levi's reputation for using number one hit singles as themes to their
advertising
campaigns, maybe we'll never know what possessed them to go leftfield for their
last one.
The Second Line is an experiment in the limits of a human beatbox and scatting
not seen
since, erm Scatman Joe? Mellow guitar and laidback tension explodes into a
whining of
harmonica and kazoo noises. Basically it sounds like something the weird quiet
kid at
the back of the classroom would have come up with at music lessons in Primary
school -
weird, worrying, and utterly brilliant.
5/5
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