Author: Aaron Peart

There’s a new arrival on the scene in the shape of Divine Fits. Comprised of Spoon’s Britt Daniels, Handsome Furs’ Dan Boeckner, and Sam Brown of the legendary garage punk band New Bomb Turks, they formed when their respective bands took some downtime. They played a surprise debut at a show in Austin, TX, and haven’t looked back. Their resulting debut, A Thing Called Divine Fits sounds as if Calvin Harris rewrote ‘London Calling”, a brash take on dance music with underlying political statements.

My first reaction, upon hearing my next album review, was “Jesus, not another supergroup”. Then I pressed play. Right away, A Thing Called Divine Fits gets you interested with a synth beat that you can see the Jersey Shore monkeys pumping their fists to. The listener can tell immediately that this isn’t just another supergroup. Would That Not Be Nice has a groovy bassline, and an interminably long middle section (you’ll know what I mean) that you welcome the following guitar with open arms. “For Your Heart” is pleading, and manages to be fragile amidst the frantic music. Their take on Nick Cave’s first band The Boys Next Door, “Shiver”, is the modern day ballad you hope it will be, right down the tenacity in the guitar solo. “What Gets You Alone” is fast and frenetic, definite influence from the 90s.

This album sounded like a lot of fun to create, based on the energy they deliver. “A Thing Called Divine Fits” has brought the spotlight to the trio. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next in their story.

This assignment is why I write music reviews. This is what excites me. Finding a release, out of the blue, that makes sense in its own right. Sink Ships’ “Half the Boy” EP is what country should sound like. It’s not about chicks that drink whisky and smile at you across the dancefloor, it’s not about Texas or trucks, but it’s exactly what country should sound like in this day and age. As a matter of fact, the EP was recorded in Denmark by two Australians (cast Keith Urban out of your mind, please), a Swede and a Dane. It has hallmarks of country, like the wistfulness and homesickness – overall regret of loss – without being bombastic and, dare I say, American, about it.

And yet, you can’t deny its very central tenets are found within Americana. Singer Carl Coleman has youth in his voice with the age of the experienced, particularly on the final track “Roaming”: when his voice cracks you can’t help but choke up just a little bit. Even from the outset, you can tell right away that this is going to be an emotional ride – “On My Way” makes you remember your first girlfriend somehow.

It doesn’t make sense to examine this release song by song as is my usual custom, for two reasons: there’s only 6 tracks, and the total run time is just over 20 minutes. It’s really not much of a commitment to listen to, and you won’t regret it. For a group that hasn’t a single Yankee involved, it fits right in with some of the great, classic country music.

Birds & Batteries are veterans in the business, maybe not in terms of time but certainly in their amount of releases, and their quality. Their website hosts no less than 4 LPs, all of which are playable. The band has this energy that they manage to capture in many of their songs, even the slower ones. You can’t help but move to it. Woven together with some great storytelling and memorable lines (Wild fires will burn out loud/Like a style, burn from bright to black), Stray Light is romantic in more than society’s normal meaning. It’s classic, something you can experience time and again, and notice something you didn’t notice before, like the bending of notes in “Be My Girl”.

The intro hook in “I Want You” draws you in to the song; it’s almost as if the vocals are the back up, and the synth is taking centre stage. “Evolutionary Step” doesn’t take itself too seriously, bouncing along at a good pace. “My Life is Mine” is twee, especially when compared to the soundscape of the final track “Arctic Flowers” that opens your minds eye to a panoramic sunset.

The album is rare in that it isn’t intrusive if you don’t want it to be, but it’s spectacular if you focus on it. A group that is certainly capable of their craft, Birds & Batteries are touring now, and Stray Light is in stores and online now.

One of the more exciting bands to emerge from California in the last couple of years, Fake Your Own Death released their debut album, Invisible and Bulletproof to wide approval. The band has a sound not unlike the Departure, or, more famously, Interpol. With just 8 tracks on the album, this is a nice one to sit down to; you don’t feel like you’re committing a lot to an unknown band. The erstwhile downcast tone of lead singer Terry Ashkinos is offset by some superb bandplay, a tight group that demonstrates clean delivery, while still capturing some nostalgic aspects of life.

All 8 tracks are exciting to listen to, but the highlights are “Reindeer Games” and its drumming intro that dares you not to listen, “Headphones” misleading optimistic feeling that has you singing along by the end of it, and the explosive title track. And no one ever writes about the bass in rock and roll, but “Clever” wouldn’t be as good without the deep dark notes. Truthfully speaking, there is something about the album that escapes words; you could read all the online reviews you can find on Invisible and Bulletproof and you’ll still be impressed when you finally listen to it.

Notwithstanding that the individual artists came from previous bands, this is still a vey strong introduction to FYOD. By all accounts online, their live shows are just as dynamic. It’s clear that the band has a bright future; it feels like they could be one of those bands that blows up. The last time I had that feeling was with a little band called the Killers.

Just throwing it out there.

I’ve never understood the concept of remastering an album only a couple of years after the original release date, particularly when no new material has been included. This is also apparently more and more irrelevant as the Digital age slowly but surely does away with physical copies, and by proxy the packaging so coveted by hardcore fans. Perhaps it’s because The Pineapple Thief (frontrunner for Best Band Name of the Year) has a new album, All The Wars, out in a couple of weeks and a reissue might get a few new fans. What We Have Sown was first released in 2007, and the feel is very English, like Radiohead with a dash of Massive Attack. This is unsurprising considering that the group has been releasing albums since 1999 when the style was heavily influenced by Thom Yorke et al.

Well I Think That’s What You Said has a style that mimics Middle Eastern musical style. It’s, for lack of a better word, cool. Not just “Wow, I like this”, but detached, James Dean kind of cool. Take Me With You starts off like a Pink Floyd track, and West Winds is trippy as all hell. But it’s the truly epic title track that will help you understand this band. Their influences come shining through, and guitarist (and founding member) Bruce Soords has a soaring solo at around the 11-minute mark. What Have We Sown? (the song) is a journey within itself, the ending sounding starkly different from the beginning.

If the plan was to snatch some new fans, The Pineapple Thief has done well to release this. All the Wars will be eagerly anticipated, if only to experience how far away from their previous work the group has moved artistically.

Stellar Winds’ Nights at the Nest came out last month, and it takes a different approach to most other indie rock out there by employing a piano as a main instrument. This technique results in a higher class of EP, something you could listen to in the morning while you prepare for your stressful office job, or to impress the girl you brought back to your place after Happy hour with the guys. And at 7 tracks, it’s just enough to be a taster of something different without committing to a full LP, which could run the risk of becoming boring.

It opens with “Brotherhood”, slowly, but confidently ending. The piano does not hide in this track. Highlight of the album is “The Town”, due to its stark differences to the rest of the EP – regular vocalist Justin Turner and his not-quite-there voice steps back from the mic to let Steve Neal take a more direct approach to their hometown, and in fact all small towns. There is a yearning theme in there somewhere; an old West feel with the whistling in minor key. “Sewn” is a beautiful ballad style, with some stellar imagery like “ I’m sewn to you like gravity”.

This is a phenomenal debut from a band to watch. Iron and Wine better watch its back; Stellar Winds is about to beat them at their own game.

Kids, the 80s was a weird time. Boys were wearing makeup, girls had big hair and padded shoulders, everyone was putting powder up their nose, and computers, while a far cry from the dubstep phenomenon of today, were being used in recording for the first time. Bands like Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and New Order became popular for their somewhat melancholy take on life in England in the late 70s and early 80s. And they were hugely popular.

The Fixx has a history spanning over 3 decades, and they return this week with their original lineup and their first album in almost 10 years. Beautiful Friction is the bands 10th studio outing, and welcomes original bassist Dan K. Brown back to the pack for a decidedly British demonstration. For example, singer Cy Curnin sounds like U2’s Bono, and in the very next line displays a Bowie-esque quality.

The characteristic synth-pop prevails throughout the album, from their opening track and first single Anyone Else, to Small Thoughts, a soothing farewell that leaves you feeling good about your guilty little imagination. Take A Risk has that passion missing in so many modern rock and roll tracks of the last few years (listen to that riff for God’s sake!), and if they can capture even half of the energy displayed here in a live performance, it shows they’re a band worth seeing. It takes a breather with Second Time Around, before amping back up with Follow That Cab. A personal favourite is Something Ahead Of You, the imaginary soundtrack to a film noire directed by the late, great John Hughes.

The Fixx does not show their age on Beautiful Friction. Rather, they explore and celebrate new wave many years after its heyday. If there is a way to introduce new listeners to this style, The Fixx has it.

Delicate Steve’s “Positive Force” is exactly that.

I truly love reviewing albums that have little to no lyrics. As a writer, it’s easy to get caught on what the artist or group is literally saying with words and what they mean by it, rather than how they choose to say it with music. As such, a largely instrumental album such as Delicate Steve’s “Positive Force” allows a writer to flex his or her muscles as an objective critic.

“Delicate” Steve Marion is a virtuoso on guitar; his arpeggios are enviable. Only the second album to be released by his band, it reveals a truly dynamic tour de force. Upon its release, he enlisted his indie music buddies Yeasayer, Yellow Ostrich, Javelin, and many more to each share a song from “Positive Force” on their respective Facebook pages (a full list and links can be found here).

And to top it all off, all of this forward thinking promotion and ingenious community spirit, the subject in question is incredibly technical, musically speaking: one listen of “Big Time Receiver” will reveal to you a guitarist so apt, so confident in his delivery, and so clever in his direction with the album as a whole. It feels like a perfect summer’s day, complete with the clear starry night that is “Luna”, a perfect end to a robust piece of work. ‘Wally Wilder’, to paraphrase a fan, is “maybe the most life affirming track of 2012”, with a traveling beat, something that might be playing as you walk along the road with a big backpack and a thumb sticking out. The title track instantly conjures a better time, an Instagrammed memory of daisies in a field, swinging high on a hot day. ‘Afria Talks To You’ is in your face, and a personal favourite. With a catchy riff that had me hooked by the second verse, it wouldn’t be out of place in a convertible.

Delicate Steve has proved themselves to be almost religiously revelatory, their music, inspired. “Positive Force” is just that – so wonderfully quirky, you can hardly not like it.