Trip Out Sensibly

Kap Bambino

_____Cooked in the underground basements of Bordeaux, in a manner similar to that of crystal meth, Kap Bambino gives you two times the rush. Soon after its release, Zero Life Night Vision, its initial form, rapidly became the most desired sound amongst Parisians and other French clubbers seeking something harder than what the clichéd Justice and other soft electro acts had to offer. Such demand led to further releases, and Blacklist gave now-addicted clubbers an even more intense experience.

___It’s popularity has led to many similar substitute sounds breaking onto the scene since. The now more common Crystal Castles are known as the “middle-class Kap“; its slightly more refined sound appealing to younger generations who grew up with the much cleaner sounds of Basement Jaxx and Chemical Brothers. No other non-lethal sound, however, is yet to be produced which can provide a high as substantial as Kap Bambino.

Butterfly Explosion

_____Not widely consumed, Butterfly Explosion are known to be the substitute for cannabis for those who disagree with smoking an organic compound. The effect is slightly different to that of hashish, tracks like Chemistry and Carpark capable of giving a much harsher trip than many of the synthetic stimulants that were sold in headshops until recently.
___In the right environment, however, and with the right frame of mind, Butterfly Explosion can blow your mind in a way that will leave you questioning your previous reliance on weed when you wanted to chill out with friends. And, unlike smoking cannabis, listening to Butterfly Explosion has no adverse health effects whatsoever.



SomethingALaMode

_____Back to France again, for the source of the latest high-quality designer dose of pure aural ecstasy. Where posh French electro-lovers once valued cocaine as the must-have party drug, SomethingALaMode are offering indie kids everywhere a new-age classical alternative. Ingeniously combining strings with synths, SAL have created one of the trendiest sounds since LHD Soundsystem.
___Raves in concert halls, orchestras in warehouses, tracks like 5 AM and Romance In B Minor suggest these unlikely combinations may become a reality sooner than you can imagine. And forget pricey pills and pricier powders, SomethingALaMode will provide unlimited sensational trips on tap.



The Presets

_____Finally, we have Australia’s answer to the ketamine kraze in Europe. While we looked to horse tranquilisers in pursuit of an ever bigger buzz, the Australians found the biggest in the form of The Presets. Traditionally consumed aurally, it may sometimes be consumed through osmosis, or simply shoved down your throat at some of the highest-energy gigs around. Obviously, it is not recommended for everyone, those suffering from heart problems, pregnancy or musical appreciation deficiency should steer clear, but to anyone else, you simply gotta try this shit.



___I must warn you however, The Presets are a highly addictive and dangerous sound. There was outcry when they were left out of the recent illegalisation of many new drugs. Talk Like That alone claimed 31 lives last year in Australia alone, where experts now reckon they pose more of a threat to Australia’s youth than cocaine, ecstasy, and ACDC combined. Consume with caution.

Small But Mighty Album Reviews

Surfer Blood - Astrocoast

_____“Never judge a book by its cover”, or so goes the saying, which is a shame for Florida five-piece Surfer Blood, because their album art is proper slick. I wish I could say the music was as awesome as the gaping shark mouth in which it is enclosed, but, let’s be honest, there are few albums which are. Astrocoast has a fairly decent go at it though, their stunning debut single Swim leading the charge.



___Following closely behind is the fantastic sound of tracks such as the hypnotic Harmonix and the calming Floating Vibes, with other tracks such as Twin Peaks and Fast (as opposed to the less satisfying Slow) Jabroni making their own impressive racket. Listening to Catholic Pagan and Take It Easy, I’m reminded of the first time I heard Vampire Weekend’s debut, and in a way, that’s a good album to compare this to. Astrocoast has that same refreshing feel to it, it’s a kind of music that sounds new. I’m not going to say it’s quite as good an album which featured such hits as A-Punk and Oxford Comma, but don’t be surprised if it’s Swim that’s sound-tracking your summer barbeque this summer.

dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip - The Logic Of Chance

_____Until embarrassingly recently I had this pair down as nothing more than a cool band name, one piece of modern musical genius in the form of Thou Shalt Always Kill, and a terrorist. Of course, I know now that that was completely out of line on my part; debut album Angles has much more to offer than just that one fantastic song.
___So having already made a name for themselves as a truly unique musical act, dan le sac and his bearded friend are back with more rocking beats and passionate lyrics. Smartly so, they haven’t changed much. There’s encouragingly catchy self-help advice with Get Better; there’s rebellious political ranting with Stake A Claim; and of course, there’s the completely odd. Only messers sac and Scroobius could release an album with three songs as diverse as Five Minutes, Snob, and Cowboi on it, sounding like something from The Streets, Hadouken!, and some really fucking weird band I haven’t heard of respectively. Whatever it sounds like though, most of it’s pretty solid, one or two smell a bit gaseous, and some, like Sick Tonight and Cauliflower, are liquid perfection.



Interpol - TBC

_____Ok this album isn’t actually out yet, in fact we only have one song from it so far, but that doesn’t matter, because the fact of the matter is, the follow up to Our Love To Admire is going to be immense. I’d love to say you heard it here for first, but I’m afraid it became common knowledge the moment Lights first reared its dark, powering, glorious head.



General Fiasco - Buildings
_____I heard the name and instantly thought that’ll be another load of indie tripe. Then I listened to album and thought it was another load of indie tripe. But, I’ve delayed deleting it off my iPod for almost a month now, because it’s some of the best indie tripe I’ve heard in sometime.



___While I’m almost moved to tears upon hearing the first line of Ever So Shy it’s so adolescently lej; “Let’s get wasted, it’s all we ever do”, but the song’s my favourite on the album. I’m full on moved to tears when I realize that I will probably never get Sinking Ships out of my head. I would be moved to tears, only I have none left, by the time Dancing With Girls comes around, cause I know that, when I’m off my face at some festival this year, there’s a distinct possibility that I’m going to decide to give someone like The Gaslight Anthem a miss and go see this lot instead.
___But I know deep down that deleting them now will solve all my problems, so it’s what I’m going to do. Just not right now…

The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards

_____Horehound was one of my favourite rock records of last year; Treat Me Like Your Mother, Hang You From The Heavens being some of the best stuff Jack White has ever written. Now, Sea Of Cowards has followed suit in easily being one of my favourite rock records this year; Die By The Drop, Blue Blood Blues being some of the best stuff Jack White has ever written. [Pattern repeats for anything Jack White touches].



The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

_____I could not possibly communicate how much I loved this crowd’s second album, The ‘59 Sound. I didn’t even bother downloading their debut because I knew I wouldn’t like it as much. So obviously I feared that it would be a similar case with this, their third full-length record. And it was, completely.
___There’s some cool stuff on there, the opening title track makes it worth sticking on the album for that first three and a bit minutes before switching over to Great Expectations. Songs like The Diamond Church Street Choir and Old Haunts are almost as good as the least awesome track on The ‘59 Sound. And I suppose, I wouldn’t be too pissed off if I had to wait a few extra minutes to hear Old White Lincoln because they put Orphans into their live set. Can't justify playing anything off the new album though, when there's a chance some of you haven't heard this yet.



___But, unfortunately, if you compare it to its predecessor, which you kinda have to, it’s about as invigorating as watching the fly in my room try to fly through the impermeable window pane. Not quite as amusing though.

Foals - Total Life Forever

_____Before we start, I want to make it perfectly clear that I despise Yannis Philippakikikippikiss with a white-hot passion. Everything about the guy just drives me up the wall. Everything, that is, except his music. As much as it pains me to say, I sort of love Foals. Their debut album, Antidotes, and I hit it off so well, that I decided to download the entirety of their backlog of pre-album singles and B-sides, something I’ve only done with a handful of bands on my iPod.
___But I’ve always craved more. Whatever about human nature and always wanting more than you, this was an extra special case, as even with all the sneaky singles and bashful B-sides, I still only had one hour of Foals material. I had more of The Blackout on my iPod. So, as you can see, this second album was desperately needed. Total Life Forever has arrived though, and my thirst for their unique Oxford-fag sound has been quenched. After almost two years of waiting for some new material, Spanish Sahara’s premiere on Radio One late last February was like music to my ears.



___The song is quite different to what we heard on their debut album, a bit less finicky, a bit more caressing. In contrast to Antidotes’ angular precision, Spanish Sahara demonstrated that the band has slowed down with this album. As if they’ve moved on from a sick concoction of Ritalin and Speed, and are now experimenting with only the finest Lebanese Hashish. Having rudely grabbed attention with an in-your-face debut, they haven’t needed to force the sound on this album, they’ve just let it happen. The question is how good is this Lebanese shit…

_____On first listen, I was a tad sceptical. Then I listened to it a second time, and a third, and a seventeenth, and I couldn’t figure out why I was so sceptical, because it’s fantastic. I’m still not sure why I didn’t take to Total Life Forever the first time around, the only explanation I can think of is that I accidentally listened to Fionn Regan’s disappointing follow-up to a thoroughly superb debut again, and got the two mixed up. But regardless, what’s important is that Foals’ second album is something to get excited about.
___I mentioned above how their sound had certainly progressed with Total Life Forever; as well as Spanish Sahara, a bouncy title track and the smooth 2 Trees would have stuck out like a sore thumb on Antidotes, yet they fit in beautifully here. Even alongside some classic-Foals sounding tracks, the chirpy Blue Blood and recent smashing single This Orient being perfect examples, they fit like a glove.
___I prefer Total Life Forever to its predecessor. I’m not completely sure why, I just think there’s just a more complete sounding to this record. However, there’s also this to consider, I imagine this might have had a pretty substantial part to play.



_____I still hate Yannis though, despite his second successful LP, so I’m obviously going to enjoy pointing out flaws in this particular album. Firstly, Fugue, what on earth were you thinking? Forty-eight seconds I could have spent in an infinite number of alternative ways, each and every one of them infinitely more meaningful. I’m not all that sold on Black Gold and After Glow, either, but the former is slowly growing on me, and the latter is followed by Alabaster, so that sorts that problem.
___My biggest problem with this album, however, isn’t to do with its flaws as such, but its strengths, the problem being they’re just not strong enough. I really like all the songs named above, but going to their gig on the 14th, Miami is the only one off this album that features in my five top songs I’m praying they’ll play. Record-closer What Remains is brilliant, but it’s just not quite up there with Cassius, Astronauts and All, etc for me. And that’s the case for a lot of the songs on the album.

_____Overall it’s a better listen than Antidotes, but I find myself thinking that some of the songs, while truly fantastic, are oh so almost something even greater. Haven’t the slightest as to what it is they’re lacking, but maybe an attitude check and a clearing of his anal passage for their singer might be a start.

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