MUSIC
ZONE Mae
— Singularity (Capitol)
Saurabh &
Gaurav
AFTER two
successful projects, Virginia Beach rockers Mae take their
lustrous space-rock to the next level, Singularitybeing
their first major-label effort. The quintet’s 12
radio-friendly tracks make for a superb entrance, though we’re
not sure we would have chosen Sometimes I Can’t Make It
Alone for the first single. We like its fresh phrasing, and
front man/guitarist Dave Elkins sounds strong and confident, but
it’s not one of the album’s standouts. The mesmerising Brink
of Disaster opens with a swift snare kick, and keyboardist
Rob Sweitzer pumps out irresistible synth rhythms that bring you
to Elkin’s soaring melody line.
The bouncy rocker Crazy
8s follows with sheer unapologetic fun, running along the
same brightly fluid lines of On Top and Waiting,
each track highlighting the merciless skin skills of band
co-founder/drummer Jacob Marshall. Rocket shows a more
aggressive side of the group, with the guitars gunning more like
Velvet Revolver. Closer Reflections is Mae at its best,
all pulsating rhythms and soaring vocals. Its pace is slow but
the swaying rhythms trap you in its web of eccentricity, as does
its mystery-wrapped-in-an-enigma lyrics.
Best track:
Crazy 8s
Worst track: Sic
Semper Tyrannis
Rating:
***
Milenasong —
Seven Sisters (MKA)
Berlin-based
songwriter Sabrina Milena sounds natural lodged deep inside a
grim dirge. Thirsty, the third song on her full-length
debut, is the record’s quintessential track, the guitar and
banjo sounding like they’re walking uphill on a dirt road and
collapsing at every other step from exhaustion. And Milena’s
deep voice, reminiscent of Jessie Sykes’ nicotine-stained
croon but with more quivering vibrato, staggers a couple of
steps ahead, bound for someplace dark. The production of Seven
Sisters is a complete package, the electronics and samples
combining with acoustic instruments and odd synths in the way
artistes Monika and Tomlab always seem adept, but the real draw
is Milena’s voice. Milena has succeeded at constructing an odd
and original gothic mood piece, but the headspace of Seven
Sisters is the sort we’d only want to visit occasionally.
Best track:
Thirsty
Worst track: Standby
Rating: **
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
— Trip The Light Fantastic (UMVD)
It’s been a
while but anyone with a taste for cool pop tracks, hooky
choruses and a distinctive British accent will remember and
idolise Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She’s morphed from sharp-suited
Indie princess in The Audience to Ibiza dance diva with Groovejet
before giving her own unique take with brilliant tracks like
Get Over You, Take Me Home, Mixed Up World,
Murder On The Dancefloor, I Won’t Change You and
Music Gets The Best Of Me. All of which emerged from two
classic albums, Read My Lips and Shoot From The Hip. Sophie’s
long-awaited third solo album arrives after a life-changing
break during which she married Richard Jones, bassist with The
Feeling. Trip The Light Fantastic sees her in sparkling form –
as she says of the album, "It’s an invitation to
dance!" Having worked with some of pop’s finest names on
the album, including Fred Schnieder from The B52s, Cathy Dennis,
Dan Gillespie Sells from The Feeling and Xenomania, Trip The
Light Fantastic includes the classics-in-the-making Catch You,
Love Is Here, China Heart and New York Lights.
The album signs off in grand style with What Have We Started?
— a powerful, epic lament with Walker Brothers overtones and a
modern spin on Phil Spector’s trademark wall of sound.
Best track:
Love Is Here
Worst track:
If I Can’t Dance
Rating:
***
Album
of the month
Korn —
Untitled (Virgin)
Since losing
guitarist Brian "Head" Welch to Christianity,
Korn have embarked on their most productive musical spree
since their nu-metal days. This is the true successor to
the 2005 See You on the Other Side, where they jumped ship
from Epic to Virgin and worked with the Matrix in an
attempt to give the band an electronic makeover.
Throughout the album, chewy keyboard atmospherics by Zac
Baird lend warmth to Davis’s self-consciously creepy
child-catcher vibe. I Will Protect You is a summary
of Korn’s career in retrospective. Starting out with
random noises, the song quickly picks up into Davis
whispering in front of a xylophone and some random guitar
twinges. Amazingly talented drummer Terry Bozzio brings a
fresh, huge and very different sound to the mix, while
keyboardist Zac puts forth a sparse ambience that is very,
very similar to what Trent Reznor has been doing since Hurt.
Innocent Bystander cranks into gear pretty easily
with another guitar-led rhythm but a lot louder. The
chorus is surprisingly random and spontaneous but manages
to capture the feel of the song very well. Hold on,
We Got A Problem and Love & Luxury are
one of the stronger tunes and it wouldn’t have been
misplaced on an album like Follow the leader. Killer work,
and this is how Korn should sound.
AFTER two
successful projects, Virginia Beach rockers Mae take their
lustrous space-rock to the next level, Singularity being
their first major-label effort. The quintet’s 12
radio-friendly tracks make for a superb entrance, though we’re
not sure we would have chosen Sometimes I Can’t Make It
Alone for the first single. We like its fresh phrasing, and
front man/guitarist Dave Elkins sounds strong and confident, but
it’s not one of the album’s standouts. The mesmerising Brink
of Disaster opens with a swift snare kick, and keyboardist
Rob Sweitzer pumps out irresistible synth rhythms that bring you
to Elkin’s soaring melody line.
Berlin-based
songwriter Sabrina Milena sounds natural lodged deep inside a
grim dirge. Thirsty, the third song on her full-length
debut, is the record’s quintessential track, the guitar and
banjo sounding like they’re walking uphill on a dirt road and
collapsing at every other step from exhaustion. And Milena’s
deep voice, reminiscent of Jessie Sykes’ nicotine-stained
croon but with more quivering vibrato, staggers a couple of
steps ahead, bound for someplace dark. The production of Seven
Sisters is a complete package, the electronics and samples
combining with acoustic instruments and odd synths in the way
artistes Monika and Tomlab always seem adept, but the real draw
is Milena’s voice. Milena has succeeded at constructing an odd
and original gothic mood piece, but the headspace of Seven
Sisters is the sort we’d only want to visit occasionally.
It’s been a
while but anyone with a taste for cool pop tracks, hooky
choruses and a distinctive British accent will remember and
idolise Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She’s morphed from sharp-suited
Indie princess in The Audience to Ibiza dance diva with Groovejet
before giving her own unique take with brilliant tracks like
Get Over You, Take Me Home, Mixed Up World,
Murder On The Dancefloor, I Won’t Change You and
Music Gets The Best Of Me. All of which emerged from two
classic albums, Read My Lips and Shoot From The Hip. Sophie’s
long-awaited third solo album arrives after a life-changing
break during which she married Richard Jones, bassist with The
Feeling. Trip The Light Fantastic sees her in sparkling form –
as she says of the album, "It’s an invitation to
dance!" Having worked with some of pop’s finest names on
the album, including Fred Schnieder from The B52s, Cathy Dennis,
Dan Gillespie Sells from The Feeling and Xenomania, Trip The
Light Fantastic includes the classics-in-the-making Catch You,
Love Is Here, China Heart and New York Lights.
The album signs off in grand style with What Have We Started?
— a powerful, epic lament with Walker Brothers overtones and a
modern spin on Phil Spector’s trademark wall of sound.
Since losing
guitarist Brian "Head" Welch to Christianity,
Korn have embarked on their most productive musical spree
since their nu-metal days. This is the true successor to
the 2005 See You on the Other Side, where they jumped ship
from Epic to Virgin and worked with the Matrix in an
attempt to give the band an electronic makeover.
Throughout the album, chewy keyboard atmospherics by Zac
Baird lend warmth to Davis’s self-consciously creepy
child-catcher vibe. I Will Protect You is a summary
of Korn’s career in retrospective. Starting out with
random noises, the song quickly picks up into Davis
whispering in front of a xylophone and some random guitar
twinges. Amazingly talented drummer Terry Bozzio brings a
fresh, huge and very different sound to the mix, while
keyboardist Zac puts forth a sparse ambience that is very,
very similar to what Trent Reznor has been doing since Hurt.
Innocent Bystander cranks into gear pretty easily
with another guitar-led rhythm but a lot louder. The
chorus is surprisingly random and spontaneous but manages
to capture the feel of the song very well. Hold on,
We Got A Problem and Love & Luxury are
one of the stronger tunes and it wouldn’t have been
misplaced on an album like Follow the leader. Killer work,
and this is how Korn should sound.