STACK #128 Jun 2016

MUSIC

REVIEWS

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Bob Moses All In All Bob Moses isn't a person: it's the collaborative project of Tom Howie and Jimmy Valance, and collectively they have enough ideas for a whole team of producers. All In All is an excellent opportunity to catch up on their extensive and imaginative output. It rounds up the duo’s early EPs and singles, showcasing an interest in a range of modern dance, experimental pop and electronic styles. There’s the blues-inflected post-club jam I Ain’t Gonna Be the First To Cry, plenty of deconstructed club beats, and spacious R&B influences throughout. It’s a successful balance of melancholic and energetic moods, finding a path between haunting ambience and upbeat grooves. (Domino/Unversal) SimonWinkler

Leftfield Alternative Light Source Now down to lone member Neil Barnes, seminal English dance act Leftfield return with their first album in a decade and a half. It’s flooded with frazzled warmth and features guest vocals from TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Poliça’s Channy Leaneagh, and Sleaford Mods. The sheer strength of the vocal tracks, like the terse spoken-word of Head and Shoulders and the La Roux-esque Bilocation , actually make Dark Matters and the title track feel like instrumental filler by comparison. But despite its lulls, this is still a worthy comeback. ( PIAS/Liberation/Universal) DougWallen

Shilpa Ray Last Year's Savage

It’s terrifying when you hear a relatively new artist and then try your darndest to kick yourself in the head for not knowing them earlier. A throat emitting so much honesty and aggression with a sassy sadness you’d swear it was owned by a young Stevie Nicks, incognito, holding court in a last-drinks karaoke bar having shot

an ex-lover earlier that night. A bloodletting cabaret of regret and reflection (Pop Song For Euthanasia ) with sudden bursts of joyous clarity ( On Broadway ); no matter it’s still embedded and stinging you long after, like a bee’s final gift. Then there’s Nocturnal Emissions . SOLD! Buy this album, kids. No, it’s not your usual fair of radio-friendly shite that excites for 15 minutes, akin to one of those wretched burgers sold by a clown; instead you must chew upon it diligently, like an olive, avoiding irreversible teeth carnage. Bravely ingesting this robust and sensory offering, knowing the indisputable fact one will never be the same afterward, is the penultimate goal we all seek – if indeed you’re a true seeker of all that challenges and bolsters an already insatiable desire to run faster, jump higher and live fuller than all in your wake. ( Red Eye/MGM) Chris Murray

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Hudson Mohawke Lantern After producing for huge names like Drake and Kanye West, Hudson Mohawke returns with an aptly titled album full of neon synth hooks. Even the grimier tracks yield an expansive brightness, and most of the guest vocalists go for big emotional release. That makes for painfully sentimental entries from Ruckazoid and Miguel, though it’s fascinating

Herbert The Shakes

The Vaccines English Graffiti

Gateway Drugs Magick Spells

It's difficult, if not impossible, to adequately describe the creative range and ingenuity of Herbert’s work. His career in music is innovative in every sense, from conceptual to technical. He’s an expert producer, articulate provocateur, and an electronic music revolutionary. It was no surprise he was named Creative Director of the re-launched BBC Radiophonic Workshop – an institution known to push boundaries. So any new release is greeted with anticipation, and The Shakes is no exception. It’s a return of sorts to Herbert’s dance music roots, combining intricate sound design with irresistible rhythms; percussive and playful tracks written in singular style. It’s pop, and a redefinition of what pop can be. (Caroline/Universal) SimonWinkler

West-London power pop is seemingly alive and well – it’s The Kinks for the iPad generation with simple catchy hooks and all the right FX pedals. But will you be still listening to it in 50 years? The secret to this sound’s boat shoes without socks and spending a lot of cash on hair care products to truly exude a timeless ‘hit’ that will stand the test of time and space. Still, it’s a great soundtrack to browsing the Internet for the latest trends while you text all the URLs to your BFF for validation. (Sony) Chris Murray longevity is fiery angst and subliminal subversiveness. The Vaccines are wearing

Wow – what a lovely razor-cut of slick, seductive and loose garage- groove richness are these four LA pranksters. Is it power-pop, is it rock, is it fun? Yes to all, as you slide through a ripped-shirt night of abandon scored to an impending wall of guitar hailstones. Sonic Youth arm-wrestling for food with BRMC is the welcome mood experienced on Mommy , then you’re flung to the back of the pseudo doo-wop bus with ‘ Till You Come Home . Seemingly able to conjure dark wonder at every step, Black Wine of the Owl is a prime example of extreme polish with manic strains of skin-scraping sexuality. Get it before everyone wants one! ( CookingVinyl/Universal) Chris Murray

to hear Antony Hegarty’s swooning purr lodged in distorted beats on Indian

Steps. Hud Mo shows off his range by flirting with classical music on Kettles , but much here could have more weight. (Warp/Inertia) DougWallen

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