Songs from September
If all the girls in the United States of America got together and decided to write songs, what do you imagine they'd sound like? Well, the answer perhaps lies with one US girl hailing from Illinois. Meghan Remy is the creative brain behind the band U.S. Girls and she's doing her best to create intelligent and dramatic music. The kind you'd be hard to nail down as being part of any specific genre. Meg is married to one half of the duo Death From Above, and that may help you to understand some of the musical space she plays in.
The album explores challenging themes relating to abuse and gender inequality told over an engaging soundtrack that at times screams out for your attention, for example on track 'Damn that valley' while elsewhere, the closing track 'Woman's Work' resembles a grittier, angrier version of MGMT's finest indie pop.
The record label 4AD describes Half Free as 'an enchanting document of life at the point when it feels most on its knife-edge' and you can sense that from the tone throughout. 'Woman's Work' gives you a flavour of what you can expect from the album. In a country as vast as the USA, U.S. Girls is the latest export we should all be paying attention to.
BORROW
The Libertines - 'Anthems for Doomed Youth '
Album out this week
Recommended single - 'Gunga Din'
The Libertines - 'Anthems for Doomed Youth '
Album out this week
Recommended single - 'Gunga Din'
Are our youth doomed? Well Carl and Pete from The Libertines seem to think so and they've kindly written a full album of songs to help the said youth to get through their days and nights. Rewind back to 2004 for a moment to a time when they released their second album full of raucous, exciting anthems that rocked a music world overrun by the likes of Keane and Snow Patrol. They looked like they were on the verge of something big and then of course they split and since then we've seen various side projects which never quite hit the mark.
Fast forward to June this year and the band surprised Glasto-goers with their much anticipated return. Three months on, are we getting the album many of us had hoped for? In short, I'd say 'almost'. 11 years on from their best work, The Libertines have delivered songs that show they're far more interesting than most things you'd hear in the charts at the moment but by their own high standards some of the songs feel like they're simply giving us a more mature and safe version of the wild angst of youth.
Anyone who has heard the title track 'Anthems for Doomed Youth' and 'Glasgow Coma Scale Blues' may have already come to the same conclusion that this feels like The Libertines running the 100 metres with 3/4 effort, knowing their days of taking the gold medal are now behind them so there's need to go all out and push themselves. Saying that, when it's good, it's very good, and early single and my chosen track 'Gunga Din' suggests there's fight in the boys yet. If they channel this level of creativity, any future releases could see them returning to their once rightful place as the biggest band in the UK.
I'd definitely recommend that you borrow 'Anthems for Doomed Youth' off your mates. It's out now but if you still haven't heard any new songs, check out 'Gunga Din'.
In a month where lots of albums are being released, I've opted to celebrate the dying art of the single release with my top choice for the month. I'd hazard a guess that many people reading this right now were, and indeed probably still are, big fans of the band The Coral. Hopefully they'll be pleased to hear that former Coral guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones has recorded a new album and more importantly for us, it's being trailed with a catchy little single 'Two to Birkenhead'.
With the opening line of 'Take me somewhere I'm not likely to forget - two singles to Birkenhead' following one of the most memorable intros you'll hear this year, you can't help get caught up in an enjoyable 4 and a half minute musical journey. In fact I'd question whether anyone has ever had a more enjoyable trip to Birkenhead. With echoes of Graham Coxon in Blur's Coffee and TV, I think Bill Ryder-Jones has produced something his former band mates would be proud to call their own.
I'd recommend playing the full song so you can fully appreciate its delightful whirring conclusion, so head to your online musical checkout of choice and make 'Two to Birkenhead' your essential purchase of the month. If this whets your appetite then keep both eyes and ears open in November when the full album 'West Kirby County Primary' is released. And did I mention he's touring the UK in October and November? So now you have no excuses to get on board with Bill Ryder-Jones this autumn.
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