And thank fuck for that. So far, 2011 has sucked quite badly. Here's to things improving...
But before I head back up North (I know... wish me luck...), here's a couple of new reviews, all originally published in Clash - which has just had a redesign and looks bloody lovely. See you shortly people.
Tinchy Stryder – Third Strike
After conquering the worlds of grime and fashion you'd think Stryder would be feeling pretty confident, yet much of Third Strike seems preoccupied with addressing his doubters. He doth protest too much. At this point his position as grime's most bankable asset looks unassailable, and this will sell a bazillion. Which is fine, if MOR rap with radio-friendly 'grit' are your thing. The problems come when Stryder strives for soulful, and comes up with Stinking Bishop like the Taio Cruz collab 'Second Chance'. It's all inoffensive stuff. But people of the UK, is that what you want from your rappers?
Rating: 4/10
Roedelius – Selbstportrait 1 and Selbstportrait Vol. 2
Two of the visionary Cluster man's solo releases get a long-awaited reissue. It's quiet, contemplative stuff; with little-to-no percussion, dreamy analog soundscapes emerge from a fog of tape hiss. Hardly the records to put on if you're in the mood for dancing, but two volumes worth of sparse electronic sketches make for an absorbing journey into the great man's mind.
Rating: 7/10
Broken Records - Let Me Come Home
Oh goody, another “new Arcade Fire”. But wait! There’s more to the Scottish sextet’s second album than that comparison suggests. Sure, they share a love of sound, fury and huge emotional peaks, but there’s a vein of gentle folk beneath the bombast.
‘A Darkness Rises Up’ is furiously upbeat and affecting, while ‘Dia Dos Namarados!’ recalls one of Nick Cave’s murder ballads. Over the course of the album, the grandiosity gets wearying, and Jamie Sutherland occasionally sounds like Vic Reeves in full club singer mode. But, at its best, ‘Let Me Come Home’ is a thing of troubled beauty.
7/10
And finally, a link to Telekinesis:
http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/telekinesis-12-desperate-straight-lines
