As one of the showcasing artists at this year’s SXSW festival a great deal of attention was thrown their way. In May, I saw Electric Guest perform to a sparse crowd during Liverpool Sound City and it’s with their newest single, ‘Awake’ that has the potential to rouse the music aficionados and create a buzz here too. The LA twosome released their Danger Mouse-produced debut LP, ‘Mondo’ ,in April, but unlike their first single, ‘This Head I Hold’, it lacks the upbeat soundscapes that made that single so infectious. What does capture your attention is the funk-led bass line that that you into the track. Front man, Asa Taccone possesses a falsetto vocal that is extremely easy to listen to, especially when the chorus rushes in and it’s at its most prevalent - at times the vocal is almost reminiscent of Prince. About two thirds of the way through where the song has plodded along, it finally reaches its zenith with a slight shift in tempo, signalled by a sound like something you’d have expected from an MGMT track. The falsetto vocal is back again adding that soulful quality, and it’s with this shift that pumps a refreshing spin into the song.
It’s been 3 years since Sheffieldite, Richard Hawley released an album. Even though he teased fans with guest vocals on an Arctic Moneys track earlier this year, Hawley returns with his punchy, Rock ‘n’ Roll fuelled 7th album, ‘Standing On The Sky’s Edge’. And fuelled with Rock ‘n’ Roll it certainly is, ‘Down In The Woods’, his latest offering, opens with a rumbling of fast guitars where he beckons the listener to; “follow me down, down into the woods”. The swirling melee of instruments gradually dissipate but then quickly resurface once Hawley warbles a long drawn ‘I love you’ and then it descends into a cacophony of noise again. Hawley isn’t unfamiliar with his music appearing on soundtracks for film and TV, ‘Down In The Woods’ would be perfect teamed with a high speed chase on a Hollywood blockbuster. Although simplistic and raw, ‘Down In The Woods’, is executed with panache.
Both of these reviews can be found on my author page at Silent Radio.
No comments:
Post a Comment