Do not cross The Bridge

○○●●●

SOULFUL new singer Melanie Fiona, who aims to link classic soul with modern R&B with her debut album The Bridge, makes the crossing to the UK on Monday.
The neo soul album's keystone, the Zombies-sampling lead single Give It To Me Right, starts the LP off to a promising start, followed with the poppy Bang Bang and the toe-tapping Monday Morning.
Sadly things get rickety for Fiona, real name Melanie Hallim, quite quickly after this.
From Please Don't Go (Cry Baby) onwards, the whole affair is largely forgettable, a bit cheesy, and hardly likely to leave the listener in a state of suspension.

Classic thirty five - Princely Fresh

○○○○○

SLY And The Family Stone's 1973 masterpiece's title Fresh remains as apt as ever.
Because despite more than 35 years passing since the funk LP's release, the album still is.
When you think of funk, you think of irrepressible grooves like Funkadelic's One Nation Under A Groove, Parliament's Up For The Down Stroke, Sly And The Family Stone's Dance To The Music, and just about anything by James Brown.
But Fresh takes that base and builds on it.
From opener In Time with its brooding basslines, to all-time classic tracks like If You Want Me To Stay and Skin I'm In, the funk here grows from a groove, and lives and breathes fusing with elements of soul and jazz.
Put simply, if you want an album that stands the test of time, you want to get Fresh.

Crimea X rated average

○○○●●

CRIMEA X play disco-flecked house music - if it was a house that just happened to have been built on the moon!
That's right, they play deep house - deep space house, that is!
In fact you could say that the Phoros EP is house music that's out of this world!
You get the idea.
The Italian dance outfit's debut, which is a meeting of minds between creators DJ Rocca and Jukka Reverberi of glam post-rock band Giardina di Miro, is a steady flow of house laced with piano and 1970s sci-fi sound effects they describe as "cosmic disco".
And backed by a set of Seaside Resort remixes - on the Sea Of Tranquility I'm guessing - there's more than enough here for an enjoyable short break to their hedonistic house world.
Spacious rather than insistent, while Phoros isn't exactly going where no dance act has gone before, you can rest assured that you'll be jetting off to a good place.

Mercury Prize fighters

THE 12 album shortlist for the Mercury Prize 2009 has been revealed.
Contesting the competition this year are -

● Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
● Florence and the Machine - Lungs
● Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
● Glasvegas - Glasvegas
● The Horrors - Primary Colours
● The Invisible - The Invisible
● Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Aslyum
● La Roux - La Roux
● Led Bib - Sensible Shoes
● Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew
● Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy
● Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Twice Born Man

From the list, I'd like to see Kasabian walk away with the gong.
What are your thoughts? Comment below or head over to Sound Off and let me know.

Token Four - Look out for The Invisible

○○○○○

MIXING the ecleticism of jazz with elements of alt-rock, electronica, soul, funk and countless others, supergroup The Invisible's self-titled album is not one to be overlooked likely.
The work of jazz singer Dave Okumu, Polar Bear bassist Tom Herbert and Hot Chip drummer Leo Taylor, The Invisible is as hard to pin down as Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
The group have been labelled as a British TV On The Radio - imagine if you nobbled Bloc Party and Prince with horse tranquilisers, tied them all up in a big sack, and threw said sack into a canal, you'd be halfway there.
As a result the LP, released back in March to little fanfare, is probably too far removed from trad jazz to constitute a token inclusion - but in a few hours we'll find out...

Late Of The Pier dates disappear

CASTLE Donington rockers Late Of The Pier are taking a break from playing live shows.
But in the meantime the band plan to concentrate on running their own label, Zarcorp Inc.
Band member Andrew Faley said: "We're going to take some time out from Late Of The Pier live shows for a while. Figure things out properly. Do it bigger and better next time.
"In the meantime we're going to be working on a heap of other projects, one of which is dedicating a lot of time to setting up our label Zarcorp Inc, something that'll allow us to present other records and artists we're involved with, love, wish we'd made or simply just honest music we feel deserves to be encased in time.
"It'll also be the way we release all physical copies of future LOTP records.
"We're doing everything from our bedrooms, completely DIY, meaning we have complete quality control, selling it entirely via paypal on the MySpace - and a few copies will be stocked in Escalator Records in Tokyo - and processing/posting them all from home."

Token Three - Acoustic Ladyland land

○○○○○

MOVING away from folk, another group I'd like to see on the shortlist would have to be the ever-amazing Acoustic Ladyland.

No strangers to the Mercury Prize, having seen their alter-ego oufits Polar Bear nominated in 2005 for the album Held On The Tips Of Fingers, the group's fourth album, Living With A Tiger, was released earlier this month.

And the album is a electrifying return to the riff-based jazz of their sophomore album Last Chance Disco, which was one of my Albums Of The Year 2005.

Combining a punk ethos to making music with funky sax riffing and deliciously manic grooves, Living With A Tiger is beast of an album.
● You can grab a copy of Glasto, one of the tracks from the new LP, by clicking here.

Token Two - Lau is wow

○○○○○

WITH the Mercury Music nominated albums due next week, I figured the time is nigh to finally blog about some albums already out there that could sneak onto the shortlist

Every year the Mercury's 12 picks invariably include token albums from the worlds of folk and jazz - last year for example saw nominations for Rachel Unthank And The Winterset's The Bairns and Portico Quartet LP Knee-Deep In The North Sea.

For 2009, from the world of folk I'm tipping Jim Moray, whose album Low Culture came out last year and is my Token One, and Manchester trio Lau.

The group, who brought their fabled live skills to Loughborough Town Hall just over a week ago, are surely in with a shot.

Their current album, Arc Light, is a glorious slice of 21st Century folk music - which welds together trad warmth, sizzling musicianship and irrepressible rhythm.

In folk terms, Lau is now.

Pictures provide backdrop

FORMER Hefner frontman Darren Hayman has put out a new live LP recorded with Wymeswold band The Wave Pictures.
Madrid was recorded by a technician unknown to the singer and band at a gig in Madrid in 2007.
The 12-track release also features one Hayman track, The Genesis Rock, that is previously unreleased.
Hayman said: "I had a tour to do in Spain and Sweden and because they were Hefner fans I thought I could get them to be my band for cheap.
"They said 'yes'. The tour certainly had its ups and downs. Hard drives, some sparse gigs.
"They made me feel old, with their energy and optimism.
"One night I was watching their set and I realised that they were really, really good.
"This show was recorded by the desk engineer on the Madrid show of that tour, a happy accident. It has its faults, that's why it's cheap."
To order a copy click here.

Shaping up nicely

○○○○●

THE dance music on Rec Tangle's Heavy Maple is not the sort to get you throwing shapes.
Instead, the Brighton-based Frenchman's debut album has a Kid Loco-style lushness to it more suited to soundtracking someone lying prone on their bedroom floor than someone on the dancefloor.
There are uplifting moments, here, granted, but it's when Tangle - real name Adrien Rodes - colours the air with his brooding, threatening palette that Heavy Maple shines.
With an organic feel that surely comes from playing nearly all of the layers live, tracks like opener Square One, Anima's Lament and The Meadow Green flower into swirling, threatening beasts of chillout tracks.
Heavy.

Sparks fails to ignite

○○●●●

I MUST point out first that I've made my feelings on American Idols abundantly clear previously, here and here.
That in mind, I really tried to give Battlefield a fair crack of the whip - but sadly Jordin Sparks failed to spark a change in my opinion.
Sparks straddles a line between being a 'big' singer, doling out a emotional ballads a la Mariah Carey or Leona Lewis, but there's also a fair amount of dancefloor diva too, competing with the likes of Rihanna and Ciara.
And when these two combine - such as on the majestic Battlefield or Let It Rain - Sparks is on fire, it's just sadly not balanced right on most tracks.
So while Sparks may have won several battles over my prejudice here, for me Battlefield is a failed campaign.

Wave hello, North America

THE Wave Pictures are set to tour North America as part of a birthday bash.
Record label Moshi Moshi, home to the Wymeswold band, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
To mark the milestone, a tour of American and Canadian cities will take place next month, with The Wave Pictures alongside Slow Club and Casiokids.
You can see the Wymeswold troubadours playing in Toronto on August 5, Montreal on August 6, New York on August 7, Los Angeles on August 8 and San Francisco on August 10.

Divine

○○○○○

IF YOU only listen to one gospel album this year, then Christ almighty, make sure it's this one.
Although What Have You Done, My Brother? is Naomi Shelton And The Gospel Queens' debut album, there's clearly a lifetime of music spilling forth here.
Shelton has a rasping lived-in quality to her voice, and although the basis of the collection is organ-and-choir gospel, a large swath of the LP has been soaked to the core with a Motown soul groove.
Out of a genre that most people would consider a stagnant backwater, Naomi Shelton And The Gospel Queens have delivered an album that's uplifting, optimistic and worthy rather than an homage to the past.
Amen to that, I say.

Forum back up

SOUND Off is now back online - apologies to everyone for the downtime.

Technical difficulties

THE Sound Off forum seems to be down - although I have no idea why.
I apologise for the problems, I shall try to sort them out as soon as I can.

Never forget Elephant Stone album

EARLIER this month Elephant Stone, ex-High Dials guitarist Rishi Dhir’s new band, released a first album, The Seven Seas.
And you can sample a slice of the group's jangle pop by clicking here to download the cheery I Am Blind.

Awash with Basement Jaxx

DANCE duo Basement Jaxx have recorded an album of "bath-time music" to be released after Scars.
While working on their long-awaited new LP, the pair also recorded a second set of material which is less dancefloor orientated.
Former Loughborough schoolboy Felix Buxton said: "There's some Pink Floyd-y, more ambient-y stuff.
"That's going to come out as probably a mini LP afterwards. It's for bath-time music."

Foot Village kick ass

○○○○●

WHO'D have thought a band who sum up their own sound as "drum-n-shout" would turn out to be hard to beat?
Los Angeles group Foot Village's new LP, Anti-Magic, may sound like a shambles at first listen, but their strictly percussion-and-gibbering sound is spell-binding stuff.
From the welcoming Energy Hunters, through tracks like the harrowing Grace's Death and the rhythmic Crybaby, the LP is consistently as inventive, original and affirming as a group of people "all on acid" banging a bunch of drums can be.
In fact, Foot Village's Anti-Magic should be a shoo-in for any discerning listener's collection.

Classic thirty four - 's good

○○○○○

GREAT googly moogly!
The prolific Frank Zappa's back catalogue can seem a little daunting to the uninitiated - after all, there's at least 60 studio albums to work through.
But if you'd like a place to start, then Apostrophe, his most commercially successful venture, is the best place to start, full stop.
It has all the hallmarks of classic Zappa - not least some of highest standards of funky classic rock set to tape, played by virtuosos including Cream bassist Jack Bruce.
And on the first half of the album - side A in old money - Zappa's renowned creative comic nonsense is showcased in an absurd yet brilliant 'concept album' narrative spanning six tracks.
So I urge you, pick up Apostrophe and do the funky Alfonso - you won't regret it.

Wired video out

QUORN born popstar Miss Lynsey, of Electric Dolls, has a new video out.
Check out the Wired promo below.

Bird Names not one to crow about

○○●●●

I REALISE that this may be a cheap shot as it is essentially the basis of music making - but to me Bird Names' latest fledgling Sings The Browns is just some people making noise.
I understand that there's method to the obviously-cuckoo Chicago band's freeform madness, which even sees the group's five members swapping instruments mid-song during live gigs, but overall their studio efforts are a sprawling mess.
That said there's something to love in every track - think of the LP as like the nest of a magpie, with a few glittering treasures hidden amongst a nest-full of unwanted, erm, nest.
Perhaps I'm just too chicken for music this far out.

Joey Negro no go

○○●●●

JOEY Negro And The Sunburst Band's latest LP sees last year's collaboration Moving With The Shakers revisited.

And while the sunkissed soulful house groove with a hint of funk - and I stress just a hint, funk fans - is retained, I have reservations about this double album.

Now I have no problems with the intentions of this collection of remixes from the likes of Dennis Ferrer, Milton Jackson, Audiowhores, Yam Who? and more - it's happy, smiling and laid back.

However as a result there's a tendency towards cheesy vocals.
In addition the beats are pedestrian, obvious house beats, and not one of those on remixing duties mixes this up throughout.

As a result, especially as each track at least hits the five-minute mark, the effect is a cumbersome, slow and unwieldy album.

The Remixes is not a bad album - but for the most part only as a backdrop.

Pwr off

○○●●●

PARTY punks Ear Pwr - which means "Ear Power", and is not a remote Welsh village - release their album Super Animal Brothers III into the wild on Monday.
And the Asheville duo's album is likely to find itself its home among electro disco house party-type habitats, with its throbbing synth-and-megaphone sound.
However the problem with Super Animal Brothers III is that it's a simple pleasure - okay in short bursts, but so simple that over the course of an album, even a short 34 minute one, listening soon becomes an infuriating chore.
The lyrics are inane as well as repetitive - a prime example would be Sparkley Sweater, a song about owning a sparkley sweater - it's no surprise that the best songs here, such as Mexican Newspaper, are instrumental ones.
Simply, it's not big, and it's not clever.

Boom Boom Boom

BREAKING news - according to Twitter, so I'd be more than a little dubious about this announcement, The Outhere Brothers are playing in Loughborough in October.
More news on this sensational coup for the town will follow...

VV good

○○○●●

ROCKABILLY popstar VV Brown, real name Vanessa, certainly brightens up the charts with her debut album Travelling Like The Light.
The singer and model's musical bow is a refreshingly different collection of songs which straddle old school Elvis style rock and roll and modern soul and R&B.
Northampton's Brown, who turned down both P Diddy's Bad Boy Records and Oxford University en route to this release, sounds vocally assured, matching the conviction to tread her own path.
So while the album does inevitably descend into doo wop shtick, there's enough on Travelling Like The Light - not least surefire hits like Leave! and Shark In The Water - to indicate a promise that could go a long way.

Land a Ladyland track

ISAAC Ashe's Sound Advice favourites, the punk-funk-jazzsters that are Acoustic Ladyland, have a new album out on Monday.
Sadly I have not been able to scrounge a copy of the group's fourth album Living With A Tiger to say if it's any good - but the group have been kind enough to put out some of the tracks as freebies, so I'll forgive them.
Click here to download a copy of Glasto, one of the tracks from the new LP.

Isis is the biz

○○○○○

MY RECENT appeal for Albums Of The Year 2009 to date - which I posted here, on the Sound Off forum and on the Facebook page - saw double figures of recommendations for me to try and work through.
Mastodon, White Lies, Gallows, Wolves In The Throne Room, IAMX, Marilyn Manson, the list went on and on.
I'm still listening through the suggestions posted, but I just had to thank Sound Off member Oakenthrone for bringing Wavering Radiant by Isis to my attention.
The album, the group's fifth studio outing, is a post-metal masterpiece that was originally released in April this year.
With more than a hint of Tool, the group work their way through a slow-burning collection of mesmeric metal tracks that are subtle and hypnotic rather than heavy and confrontational.
It's an engrossing, cerebral experience that'll drag you back for repeated listens - in fact, don't expect me to work through the rest of your recommendations any time soon, I've got Wavering Radiant on heavy rotation right now.

Rumble Strips need shaking up

○○○●●

DESPITE the insinuations of the band's name, this latest album from The Rumble Strips failed to rouse me.
In fact the Tavistock-based Rascals-style indie band's second album, Welcome To The Walk Alone, is a pretty smooth ride from start to finish - as you'd expect from an assured producer such as Mark Ronson.
However what is unexpected is the lack of acceleration at any point on the album - for a group that spawned six singles from their debut, Girls And Weather, it's hard to pick out this LP's killer track.
So while the overall quality is high, it's a plateau from start to finish, meaning as a listener Welcome To The Walk Alone has barely registered before it's saying goodbye.

Play with Basement Jaxx

DID you know that Basement Jaxx's comeback single Raindrops is one of the first of a new type of "interactive" single?

Not only can you pop down the shops and pick up a CD, you can now log on to the web here and not just play the music, but play with the music.
You can do things like add lyrics to the visuals, remix the song by adding or removing elements such as vocals and basslines, and down the line even mash-up the track with other interactive singles.
Albin Serviant, CEO of the technology's creators MXP4, said: “This is a very exciting time for MXP4.
“These are clear signs that the industry is beginning to see the potential for MXP4 to revolutionise the music experience for consumers by allowing them to play with the music, whilst opening up new promotional and revenue possibilities for artists and labels alike.”

Kong kings

○○○○●

MANCHESTER trio Kong, who sound like a spinosaurus tearing through Middlesbrough with predictably madcap results, are a strange beast.
Ferocious in their approach to making music on debut album Snake Magnet, they rip the still-beating heart out of traditional straightforward punk, before toying with it like deranged madmen.
Although the order of the day is brutal punk, there's an almost prog rock-like amounts of changes and shifts within songs, as well as extended electronic freakouts such as on Good Graphics.
But the group go so far with their art, the results are at times rendered incoherent - and I must confess I was at first unsure whether to love it or hate it.
But then I thought to myself, would I listen to it again? And I would, extremely loud, whilst drunk - and I don't believe endorsements can come much more ringing than that.
● You can pick up a copy of the track Sport as a free download here.

A budding talent

DAISY Dares You, who may or may not have taken her name from the Daisy Dares You section of classic children's TV programme-meets-comic ZZZap!, is being tipped as a potential chart topper with her brand of pop with an extra rocky edge.
Think of her as the square to other budding pop stars' triangles.
And you can grab a free track, Daisy Dares You, from the feisty 15-year-old by clicking here to hear for yourself.

Florence's pop machinations

○○○○●

WITH a Brit award already under her belt as well as more hot tips than a porcupine in an oven, Florence And The Machine's debut effort Lungs has been waited on with baited breath.
And although not exactly a breath of fresh air, there's no denying that Lungs doesn't see Florence welshing on showing off her talent.
On superb tracks such as Dog Days Are Over, Kiss With A Fist and The Source cover You Got The Love, we see why Florence And The Machine is predicted to rise higher than peers such as Alessi's Ark and Laura Marling.
In fact with a melodramatic Kate Bush flair throughout Lungs, she reels off moody folk-tinged indie pop epic after moody folk-tinged indie pop epic seemingly as easily as breathing.
It's almost as if she's some sort of one-woman moody folk-tinged indie pop epic writing machine...

Duo to Jaxx it in?

BASEMENT Jaxx might jack it all in after their forthcoming album, according to reports.
The group return after a three-year hiatus with a new LP, Scars, in September.
However talking to The Star, former Loughborough schoolboy Felix Buxton, one half of the top dance act, said: "Our record deal is up after the next album and I'm not sure what we'll do.
"If you are in a pop band you can go on and be a grown-up band but dance music is different.
"We want people to be into what we do, we feed off the audience response."

Velodrone

○○○○●

HAILING from London, and not India, Bombay Bicycle Club are a wheely good band.
Their debut album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, whose name is taken from an A Tribe Called Quest lyric, is a promising collection of jangly indie rock tracks which could easily see them following similarly sounding act The Maccabees into the mainstream.
The only thing that's missing here is the standout single to firmly establish the group.
Instead the album is a solid, steady ride - the sound of an act that's slowly but surely moving up through the gears.

Get Lau'd in Loughborough

TOP folk trio Lau are bringing their much-vaunted live show to Loughborough Town Hall on July 10.
Town Hall spokeswoman Libby Aldrich said: "Lau are a formidable trio of three of the finest and most innovative exponents of modern traditional music in Britain today.
"Famous for their incredible live shows, a Lau concert is a must-see experience, brim full of spellbinding energy and musicianship."
Tickets for their concert cost £14 or £12 concessions, available at the Town Hall Box Office on 01509 231914 or online here.

Mando Diao mean business

○○○○○

SWEDISH sensations Mando Diao release their first foray into the UK, Mean Street, on Monday - and I urge you to welcome them with open arms.
Because the group's The Hives-meets-The Libertines sound is a real class act.
Honed over the course of five albums which have gained a cult following in Scandanavia and northern Europe, this testing of the water EP, Mean Street, is an assured stomping slice of ramshackle blues rock.
Hopefully Mean Street will pave the way for a full release of their current album Give Me Fire soon.

Teal returns

JAZZ singer Clare Teal returns to Loughborough Town Hall on Friday, July 3, to celebrate the release of her new album Get Happy.
Spokeswoman Libby Aldrich said: “Blessed with a stunning voice, Clare has the ability to write songs that promise to be classics, while demonstrating a wonderful warm humor and terrific showmanship.
“Clare is that rare commodity - in every way the major star.”
The show begins at 8pm and tickets for the show are £15, available from Loughborough Town Hall Box Office on 01509 231914 or online here.

Half time report - Albums Of The Year 2009 so far

TODAY is halfway through 2009 - my hasn't time flown - so I thought the time was right for a recap.
Because, on average, around half of my Albums Of The Year 2009 should have been released by now.
But however much as I'd like to be some sort of omniscient music resource, I'll wager a lot of damn good albums have already passed me by this year.
So here's my plea - if I seem to have missed any releases you really think I should have covered by now, drop me a comment below or visit the Sound Off forum and let me know your favourites so far.
For your reference, here is a list of my five-out-of-five-rated releases from January through to the end of June -

● ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Century Of Self
● Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve - Re-Animations Volume One
● Bronx - Bronx III
● Daby Toure And Skip McDonald - Call My Name
● Daniel Merriweather - Love And War
● Decemberists - Hazards Of Love
● DJ Food - One Man's Weird Is Another Man's World
● Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
● Fighting With Wire - Man Vs Monster
● Fink - Sort Of Revolution
● Frightened Rabbit - Liver! Lung! FR!
● Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another
● Grammatics - Grammatics
● Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
● Jo Webb And The Dirty Hands - Acrobat
● Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
● Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage
● Marmaduke Duke - Duke Pandemonium
● Mulatu Astatke And Heliocentrics - Inspiration Information
● Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
● Qemists - Join The Q
● Spokes - People Like People Like You
● Wave Pictures - If You Leave It Alone
● We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
● Yppah - They Know What Ghost Know

Keeping track of Omega Code tracks

CHATTING on the new forum Sound Off today I was reminded of Omega Code, the metal band-cum-international art project I blogged about here in February.
And I was pleased remember that I promised then they were set to give away their first release - because true to their word you can now log on to their site and download their EP 0.1 free of charge.
Click here to visit their website, or click here, here, here, here and here to get the five tracks.

Tasty treat for fans of Food

○○○○○

AFTER almost a decade in hiatus, DJ Food - who is both a solo artist, Strictly Kev, and a collective of Ninja Tune artists, depending on what period of Food you are sampling - is laying on the first course of a veritable feast in the form of six new tracks.
And judging by this starter, One Man's Weird Is Another Man's World, we're in for a gourmet selection of turntablist hip hop over the coming year.
This release sees extras added to expected sublime use of ingenious samples - where does he find them? - and the trademark atmospheric jazzy breaks.
Brilliant opener The Illectrik Hoax features Broken Keys member Nathaniel Pearn under the guise of Natural Self dishing out Lyrics Born-style vocals over a frenetic beat, while elsewhere Ken Nordine and Dr Rubberfunk join in on Covered In Darkness' parts one and two respectively. It's tasty stuff - in fact, I recommend forking out for this, as well as the next two EPs being dished out soon, ahead of the new album Stolen Moments next year.

Carroll's rock doesn't rock the boat

○○○●●

NOW that's what I call rock!
I say that because Dust Of Rumour, Irish troubadour Marc Carroll's third studio album, ticks all the boxes for being the sort of AOR you'd find three quarters of the way down a Now! double album propping up the track listing.
There's hints of Paul Weller and his Britpop cohorts, nods towards Bob Dylan, shades of The Levellers, a twist of The Edge's epic guitar work etc. etc.
You get the idea, Dust Of Rumour is nothing new - but that's not a massive complaint, because after all, if it ain't broke...

Enjoy the glide

○○○●●

ALI Campbell, the voice of UB40, claims to be Flying High with his new solo album - but it sounds like his pop-reggae is merely coasting.

At first the signs are promising, getting off to a flying start with Nothing Ever Changes and surefire single choice Out From Under.

But then a gaggle of guests flock in, and effectively clip Campbell's wings - the Craig David collaboration is limp, and you can't have Shaggy as a guest artist and expect your album to be taken seriously, surely?

And they keep coming, from all over the place - rapper Sway here, the Soweto Gospel Choir there, disturbing the overall flow of the album, which isn't all that bad overall.

But while the title is Flying High, there's a fair amount of flap here as well.

Saw without teeth

○○●●●

TRENDY young folk singer David Saw's new CD Broken Down Figure is unlikely to cut it in many end-of-year best-ofs.

Because nice as it is, there's nothing here that's likely to make a lasting impression.

The album is mostly sub-Damien Rice, particularly opening salvo Don't Call, Simple Song and title track Broken Down Figure, and when it does pick up on single Buy My Record, it merely heads down an even more regularly trodden path.

So although there's not a lot you can directly say is wrong with this album, David Saw's lack of a cutting edge really lets it down.

Sound Off on more subjects

DON'T forget you can now make noise on all manner of musical topics at the official forum of this blog, Sound Off.
New threads on the site include music videos, one hit wonders and TV theme tunes - log in to join in the discussions.

Killswitch Engaging

○○○○○

MASTERS of melodic metalcore Killswitch Engage's latest eponymous album sees the band as engaging as ever.

In fact, Killswitch Engage might end up being a breakwater for the Massachusetts group - who reach the five album mark with this release.

Because the LP - actually the band's second self-titled effort - is the first with an outside producer in the form of Brendan O'Brien, and as a result the melodic side of the band, too often frustratingly fleeting on previous efforts, has been coaxed out to great effect.

With their ever-acerbic metal laced with just enough of a hook for the length of Killswitch Engage, rather than merely showcased in the singles, Killswitch Engage are continuing to grow with every release.

Eyeing up a download

ISAAC Ashe's Sound Advice has teamed up with Autokratz who have teamed up with Primal Scream to offer you a spanking new download.
The track, offered as part of the promotion for Autokratz's new album Animal, is a scorching remix of Primal Scream's classic track Swastika Eyes.
Click here to grab your copy.

Bad news I'm afraid

IT SEEMS that King Of Pop Michael Jackson has died.
The singer was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation and was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home earlier today, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Sad news indeed, despite the controversy.
He will be missed.

Goodnight good

○○○○●

GOODNIGHT, the second album by experimental folk singer William Fitzsimmons, is a five year labour of love - although it's probably best not to mention love around him.
Not only was the album written about his parent's divorce while he was growing up, during the writing of the LP Fitzsimmons split with his own wife.
So don't expect a barrel of laughs.
However other things you might predict, such as anger and bitterness, are absent from the album.
Instead there's almost a lullaby feel to his low-key Iron And Wine-style guitar, drum machine and voice compositions, which sound like Fitzsimmons laying his demons to rest.

Cheezy Lenka

○○●●●

A FASCINATING Lenka fact, Isaac Ashe's Sound Advisees - Lenka broke into showbiz by presenting Australian kid's TV show Cheez TV.
Perhaps this could go some way to explaining some of the singer's cutesy disposition.
Lenka, full name Lenka Kripac, isn't entirely bubblegum, but she definitely goes pop, and she's a bit too sugary for my taste on her eponymous solo debut Lenka.
A compact collection of pop folk gorgeousness that's fairly consistent throughout, Lenka should continue to make a decent impact in the charts following the success of The Show with a few more of her sweet, Summertime songs - although she's not going to be the toast of my stereo any time soon.

A Unique talent

SEVENTEEN-year-old hot girl Dominique Young Unique is set to take over dancefloors across the globe with her undeniably youthful, undeniably unique talent.
Sadly she's not from Dominique, she's from Tampa, Florida.
Under the wing of female trio Yo Majesty!, the teen rapper is set to release her debut EP, Music Time, next month.
And to celebrate its release, Isaac Ashe's Sound Advice has stepped in to offer a free download of hot track Hot Girl, which will appear on her debut release.
Click here to get it.

Revolution sets Cuban music free

○○○○●

AS WELL as cigars, rum, boxers and communism, music is one of the things that really puts Cuba on the map.
However outside Buena Vista Social Club's membership, most people would be hard-pushed to name any of the country's acts.
Feel free to correct me in this post's comments on this one...
But judging by Revolution - a fusion of young Cuban talent and established UK and US talent dubbed The Revolution - acts such as Orishas, Anónimo Consejo, Ariday Vega Martín and Sexto Sentido might be worth keeping an eye on.
Because working alongside pros such as Norman 'Fatboy Slim' Cook, UNKLE's Rich File, Björk knob-twiddlers Guy Sigsworth and Marius de Vries and Portishead producers Cameron McVey and Jan Stan, and sharing a bill will the likes of Moloko's Roisin Murphy, Lateef The Truth Speaker and Black Eyed Pea-in-a-pod Poet Name Life, the Cuban collective has crafted a vibrant LP that demands a listen.
Obviously with any musical amalgamations, there are hits - such as Cook's brace - and misses - such as the staid house of Dark House Love - but Revolution clearly shows there's enough talent in Cuba to rise up against the worldwide US and UK chart dominance.

Scars in September

ALTHOUGH previously pencilled in for a Summer release, Basement Jaxx's new album Scars has been scheduled for a September 14 release.

Guilty pleasures

A FEW tweaks later, and the Sound Off forum is up-and-running for Isaac Ashe's Sound Advice readers to join.
While things are pretty quiet there at the moment, a few new threads have been started discussing facial hair in rock and guilty musical pleasures, among other things.
Want to know what guilty pleasures I've confessed to?
Log on here and find out...

Gossip get tongues wagging

○○○○●

AHEAD of this review, I must inform you that I've never been a massive fan of The Gossip - but I have to say this album is worth talking about.
My initial impression of the group, when they broke back in 2006 with their third album Standing In The Way Of Control, was they were a poor man's Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
I thought they even looked a bit like Karen O and co, albeit standing in a hall of mirrors.
But Music For Men, with the production assistance of the legend that is Rick Rubin, sees the group winning over even me.
A tight showing from the trio, their disco garage rock sound has been fine tuned here - with a controlled performance from Beth Ditto and no slack from the backing band.
The form shown on Music For Men should ensue that The Gossip remain the talk of the town.

Kong is on

PUNK band Kong sound like a woolly mammoth tearing through Middlesbrough with predictably madcap results.
And the Manchester group, ahead of their debut album Snake Magnet's release on July 13, will also be ripping through your speakers shortly, courtesy of a free download.
Click here to download the track Sport.

Future sounds

○○○○○

PROPER readers of this blog, I mean the hardest hard core of Isaac Ashe's Sound Advisees, will know of my love for Welsh punk supergroup Future Of The Left.
They will know that I had gushingly blogged about their debut album Curses less than 24 hours after this blog's very creation - where I described their sound as "meatier than a pig eating steaks".
Therefore I'm happy to report to my legions of fans - and my casual readers as well, of course - that the group's sophomore album Travels With Myself And Another is here, and it doesn't disappoint.
Actually, despite my undying love for Curses, the new LP marks a real progression for the band.
The trademarks of their first album are here - the thumping basslines and full-throttle guitars, but with an added sheen.
But the major difference is where before the group, made up of former Mclusky and Jarcrew members, sang solely of wierdness - pretty pussies called Colin and elves dining on sausages for example - there's salient points behind a lot of this work.
For example, on single The Hope That House Built they sing "there's a reason for incredible wealth - incredible luck" and "God is just a mental illness", before emploring the listener to join their hopeless cause.
I don't know about you, but I'm in.

Sound Off here

I CAN'T be the only one with an opinion.
So if you want to make your voice heard, head across to the brand new Sound Off site, the official forum of this blog.
You can talk about any genre or artist you want, plug your own band or website, say what you'd like to see on the blog, suggest Classic Collection additions and much more.
Click here to join the community.

Late Of The Pier Like Summery Songs

CASTLE Donington's finest Late Of The Pier have put out a free Summertime soundtrack.
As part of their appearance DJing at Dance On Glass in London, the band have compiled Like Summery Songs, a free 70-minute mp3 mixtape.
Click here to download a copy, and bask in its rich warmth.

Promised Jetpacks - here you go then

RECENT Decent album These Four Walls by the sensational We Were Promised Jetpacks was released this week to rapturous praise from critics including me.
But if you haven't bought a copy yet, then let me twist you arm further with a thrilling track lifted from the album, completely free.
So click here to download Ships With Holes Will Sink, and if you like what you hear, buy the LP, damnit, I can't lay it all on a plate for you.

Young Knives to play label's fifth birthday party

YOUNG Knives are set to play a special birthday bash in September for their label Transgressive Records.
The record company, which turns five this year, will line-up the Leicestershire band with Esser and Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man for a gig at gay club Heaven in London on September 24.
Other acts playing gigs to celebrate the landmark later this year include Graham Coxon, Jeremy Warmsley and Foals.

Who dares to Dream Theater?

○○○○●

NEXT week sees the curtain raise on Dream Theater's 10th studio effort, Black Clouds And Silver Linings, and over the course of their previous nine LPs the group have gathered a bit of reputation for prog-rocking out slightly more than your average act.
After all, any metal band can write a 20-minute track - though not many as technically brilliant as a Dream Theater opus - but not just any metal band can take this to that next level.
To demonstrate this, look to follies such as them starting one album, Train Of Thought, with the ending chord of the previous one, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, or them carrying musical themes across decades' worth of material - for example The Shattered Fortress here is the final track of a five track Twelve Step Suite, which carries across as many albums, telling the story of drummer Mike Portnay's alcoholism.
And these are a mere drop in the ocean of examples I could have chosen.
Couple this with their Joe Satriani-esque penchant for virtuosity over content, and despite enjoying a lot of their previous work I approached this album with a little trepidation.
Luckily Black Clouds And Silver Linings is some of the group's most accessible work to date.
The metal riffs really chug along, the frequent time signature changes rarely jar, the solos while blistering as ever are still enjoyable to listen to, and in A Rite Of Passage and Wither the band have what almost pass for a brace of singles.
While Dream Theater have perpetually been under the mainstream radar, they are no Dumpy's Rusty Nuts, and in a climate where Metallica and Mastodon can trouble the charts, surely it's time for the general public to wake up.

Spanish acquisition

WYMESWOLD'S Wave Pictures are set to release two new tracks through Spanish record label Acuarela's new Singles Club venture.
The band will put out a limited edition 7" Watching Charlie's Angels on July 1.
The release will feature previously unreleased track Swimming as a b-side and be limited to 1,000 copies.
Other acts taking part in Singles Club include Agent Ribbons, Darren Hayman, Nick Castro, Mount Eerie and The Wowz.

Anti-Pop Consortium, apparently

THE Anti-Pop Consortium are back, apparently.
The innovative experimental hip hop group are set to release a 17-track "robot-funk" album Flourescent Black later this year.
And as a taster, you can click here to grab a free mp3 of their new track, Apparently.

Cool for 'Kratz

○○○●●

IF AUTOKRATZ were an animal, they would be a dog.
Probably.
Reliable, solid, if not the most exciting, the London-based duo's full debut album Animal won't let you down, unlike, say, a penguin, lobster or koala.
The album, the follow-up to last year's hype-inducing mini album Down And Out In Paris And London, is a sturdy collection of breaks tinged with a distinct Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and Erasure influence - in fact I swear the intro to What You Want, What You Got? is ripped wholesale from Love To Hate You.
So when I say they'd be a dog, we're not talking pedigree, more a mongrel hybrid of modern beat makers and electronica's pop pioneers.
While this journeyman dance is not going to steal many shows, don't let me dictate to you - for fans of breaks, Autokratz's album could be a man's best friend.