Pick of the
Week 53 – Gareth Emery featuring Christina Novelli
Hardly
obscure, with 18million+ views on YouTube, but Christina is one of my favourite
trance vocalists. Here she showcases her mellow tones and soaring tonsil gymnastics in this tantalisingly commercial euphoric trance floorfiller. It’s
well worth checking out some of her other vocals, some obscure and others monsters, but she always delivers.
I hate
soundtracks and this one doesn’t change my opinion any. After his stunning
debut at number one in last year’s festive fifty, I had high hopes for this
offering from space rock pioneer, Celldweller. Sadly however, the whole thing
falls flat on its face. It’s basically one song from the last album ‘Voices in
my Head’ which is great, but I’d heard it before. And then loads and loads of
chugging guitar based instrumentals.
It’s like
listening to the soundtrack of some mildly engaging video game, but without
actually playing the game! I’m guessing it’s a soundtrack for a mythical game
that exists somewhere inside Celldweller’s head. It’s not offensive but it
really doesn’t work for me.
Buy the song
‘Voices in my Head’ instead and you won’t be disappointed.
Another high
quality Songlines compilation focusing on music from Norway, and more
circumspectly, beyond Norway. Lovers of Scandinavian music will find no
surprises in the Norwegian selections. They’re stark, fiddle driven ditties
that could just as easily been sung by an attractive Scandinavian witch in a
hut with turf for its roof or by a snaggle toothed sailor on the bow of a
Viking longship. I think being ginger gives me a predisposition to like this
kind of stuff, it’s a genetic throwback.
Sadly this is
a game of two halves, as the ‘beyond’ Norway selections are much weaker and
break the flow and atmosphere of the CD. But that’s a small criticism as
there’s so much to enjoy here.
My personal
favourites are the timeless ‘L’Autre Jorne’ by Five Men in a Boat, the ultra
stark ‘Stev’ by Gunhild Tommeras, and the eerie ‘Tankens Runer’ by Bodil Haug.
Best of all is the nasal sea shanty from Jon Anders Halvasen ‘Skomakarvisa’.
It’s another
low key, slow burning Scandinavian gem from Songlines and well worth hunting
down from www.emcd.co.uk.
After
buying their first album ‘604’ in 2001 I never returned to Ladytron until now,
which is strange as I’ve always had a soft spot for them. For some reason I’ve
gone out of sequence and bought 2005’s ‘Witching Hour’, but I’m so glad I did.
This is a return to simpler more innocent times when a decent indie tune and a
melodious voice was all I needed to be away with the fairies. It’s solid, but
gorgeous unspectacular indie tinged with flecks of electronica and it’s like a
breath of fresh air in 2014.
It’s
an uncomplicated album, unfazed by fashion or expectations. Guitars, base and
drums intertwine with subtle synth rhythms and the girls’ voices lash the whole
thing together ribbons of pure digital clarity. There’s a nod to the old
Russian influences on 604 but by and large this is indie music at its simplest
and most organic.
‘High
Rise’ will take most of the plaudits with its robust soundtrack complete with
delicate vocal like a more accessible and direct version of My Bloody Valentine.
It sets the tone for the rest of the album with its uncompromising beauty.
‘Destroy Everything You Touch’, ‘International Dateline’ and ‘AMTV’ are all
worthy of a mention, but every track is a winner.
A
great album from a great band rediscovered. Now to search out one of their
other albums for next year.
