STACK February 2016 Issue 136

69 / 89

On My Speakers
If you were Ty Segall, you'd wear a livid baby mask in your creepy
promo photos too. His new release Emotional Mugger is an Ed's Jam,
so you can see the thing for yourself a few pages in. Meanwhile we've
our feature interview with the spectacular Hayley Mary of The Jezabels,
DMA's have finally released their debut, there's a new Lucinda Williams
album out which will make you want to clink your little spurs together, the
superb Henry Wagons just delivered another wonderful full-length, and
Animal Collective are still extremely weird and innovative and marvellous
on new album Painting With. Zo ë Radas (Music Editor)
Fat White Family Songs For Our Mothers
The mash of mania and sweat and ennui and sex and drugs
that makes up the sluzzy rock that is Fat White Family might be
confronting. It's also hypnotic, like steam off a bucket o' chips.
Out now via Without Consent/PIAS.
Nevermen Nevermen
I played single Mr Mistake to the office without telling them
it was Mike Patton's long-gestating project – think joyous,
slowly stomping, industrial Gorillaz with added muppet voices.
You've got to try it. Out now via Warner.
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Ty Segall
Anew line-up, a deliberate new concept, and no loss of determined independence
from leader Kele Okereke – Bloc Party are fortified with their own brand of
sacramental wine and HYMNS is the reverential outcome. “I was fascinated by the idea
of making a record of modern day hymns,” Okereke tells us, of the English four-piece’s
fifth studio album. “I’m not a religious person, although I had a religious upbringing… I
went back to my parents’ house and I got all of my old hymn books that I used to sing
from in primary school. I was kind of fascinated with this idea of working out what
the function is – kind of, what religious music was. What is it supposed to elicit in the
listener?” HYMNS will elicit something from you whether you like it or not: it’s a careful
mix of electronic and analogue, sometimes resolute and often tender, with beautifully
filtered guitar, synth and organ sounds (Hammond and reed and cathedral – which is a
pipe organ, really, but you can’t help but think of it sitting in some enormous stained-
glassed room), but those organs and their allusions don’t overwhelm the feel. The things
you remember most are the decisive beats, Okereke’s earnest voice (hello Fortress),
and the message of unity. So if it’s not explicitly religious, nor carrying the card of any
organised faith, what is modern spirituality in this music? It seems to involve personal
discovery and the natural environment. “I [didn’t] ‘investigate’ – that makes it sound kind
of formal," Okereke says, "but what became apparent to me as I started writing was that
although I’m not a religious person I have a space in myself that understands spirituality,
and for me, I get that connection with nature. There are lots of references to bodies of
water on the record. Personally,
I’ve always found being by water
quite calming, being outdoors,
being close to the earth.
To daylight.”
This uke-fied folk/punk trio from NewYork deal
primarily in winsome hipster pop, although their
sugary outer coating hides a nice line in sardonic
humour. While they sing mainly about the ups and
downs of young love, they also find room to name-
check cult film star Klaus Kinski (Kiss Me Kinski)
and Law & Order: SVU 's Elliot Stabler (Stabler),
and transformThe Misfits' thrash fave Skulls into
a lovely ballad. Utterly adorable. Read Michael
Dwyer's full review on page 16. John Ferguson
THE PRETTIOTS
KELE OKEREKE BLOC PARTY
Fun's Cool by The Prettiots
is out February 5 through Rough Trade/
Remote Control
03
NEWS MUSIC
MUSIC
The Jezabels music cover image by Cybele Malinowski
Hymns by Bloc Party
is out now through Create/Control.