Lia Ices - Grown Unknown (Jagjaguwar)

A beautiful lone female voice rings to signal in Lia Ices’ Second full length album ‘Grown Unknown’, sure there are plenty of golden voiced female singer-songwriters out there. However, once the sighing counter harmony comes fluttering out of the speakers as the first track ‘Love Is Won’ progresses, it becomes clear this is something worth paying attention to.

Lia’s 2008 debut ‘Necima’ was released on small label Rare Book Room records, so this is the first chance many UK listeners will be able to experience her music as this release comes our through the excellent JagJaguwar imprint.

Stand out track ‘Daphne’ slowly builds up out of a standard finger picked folk song into something quite heart melting as strings swell and counter harmonies build up. Around the half way mark an interruption of swirling noise leads to a stomping piano hook that makes you think the album’s about to go all Kate Bush, which would be entirely welcome. Though this is not the case, the suitably epic vocal swells provided by Justin Vernon (yes, him again) that lead us to the end of the track are suitably compelling.

The track ‘Grown unknown’ begins with a fantastic rhythmic hand-clapped intro that also promises an exciting break from the album’s grounding in slow balladry, but once again the track does not really deliver the Feist like pop promise that the intro sets us up for, merely moving into a pleasant but repetitive guitar pattern doesn’t really lead anywhere but to repeat of the intro that proves less exciting when used again as a chorus.

Overall the album offers a pleasant but slightly underwhelming experience. Some genuinely excellent ideas and songwriting give the impression that once Lia develops the more adventurous ideas that sprinkle this album she could be unveiling an avant-garde pop genius as her writing progresses with future releases.

Words : Michael Woods

Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart (Jagjaguwer)

Surely one of the best things to come out of Canada this year landed in my email inbox in the last month. The musical revelation that has adorned me and has made me apoplectic with happiness is the third album by the wonderful Vancouver outfit ‘Black Mountain’ entitled ‘Wilderness Heart’. If you find yourself to be a disgruntled classic rock fan that has a distinct passion for psychedelia that is largely unimpressed by offerings from new bands, I implore you to give this band a go.

The first track, the amusingly titled ‘The Hair Song’ is one of the best starts to an album that I have come across in a while. The song presents us with a great advertisement of what the rest of the album is going to be like. You have a variety of musical talent on show from the sumptuously balance male and female vocals to the intermingling of the guitar, drum and organ sounds that resonates throughout the song to a fantastic effect.

As soon as ‘Old Fangs’ kicks into life you can feel the pulse that is being to flex through the beat and melody and like a natural bodily instinct, you begin to get ready to hear a great rock song and you do not leave this track disappointed. Even though you are only on the beginning of your journey through this album, you cannot help but realise you have stumbled on something special, a band certainly that needs to be taken notice of and taken seriously.

Track 3, ‘Radiant Hearts’ changes tack and mellows you out in a way that only a fine acoustic number can ascertain. In fact, you can be forgiven at the start of the song for believing you were listening to a sample from electro maestros Goldfrapp. The song ebbs and flows in all the right directions and you can’t help but also pick out a slight White Stripes influence creeping under the surface.

‘Rollercoaster’ and ‘Let Spirit’s Ride’ perfectly compliment each other. The former allows the band to showcase their zest for the Blues and their ability to make the listener really enjoy them ply their trade before setting them up for a classic heavy metal track which would not sound out of place on an eponymous Iron Maiden album during the 80s. Although this song may be considered cheesy to many a connoisseur, I believe it to be an apt homage, a doffing of the cap to a musical genre that definitely deserves more recognition of the talent within.

The sixth track ‘Buried by the Blues' perfectly bookends the previous track as we are given another great acoustic tune that is barbed perfectly with a twinge of Blues.

As soon as the tremelo hits on ‘The Way To Gone’ you know you are going to be in for a treat in the form of this track that tips it’s hat to the American Outlaw songs of the past, especially those who look fondly on Bon Jovi’s Blaze of Glory. It is yet another very satisfying offering from this band who continues to impress musically with consummate ease. Just like earlier, this raw track acts like a pre-empt to a much fast paced contribution in the form of the title track ‘Wilderness Heart’. If ever there was a genre labelled ‘tracks that would sound amazing live and I challenge you not to nod your head to’ this would be it.

‘The Space Of Your Mind’ mellows the album out once again and the vocals are used to a soothing effect as they are underpinned by an infectious guitar melody. For some reason, this track reminds me of ‘Pigs On a Wing’ from Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’ album. As a hardened Floyd fan, this makes this track all the more enjoyable.

The album bows out most gracefully with dreamlike tune entitled ‘Sadie’. Just like the beginning of the album is perfect indication of what’s to come, this song acts as a very fitting conclusion to what has been a great journey with a superbly talented band. As a reviewer, I find myself increasingly harder to impress with every piece of music I encounter but I can say without a doubt, that this album is one of my favourites of this year. One phrase; “Relax and Enjoy”.

Words : Barclay Quarton

Women - Free download here

In the build up to amazing Canadian band Women's second album Public Strain Middle Boop is offering a free download as a mere taster of what a fantastic follow up this will be to 2008's self titled effort.

Eyesore

Black Mountain new Video "Old Fangs"

Here is the trippy new video from stoner rockers Black Mountain. Their third album, Wilderness Heart will be released through Jagjaguwar Records on Monday 13th September 2010.

The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night (jagjaguwar)

The Besnard Lakes hail from Montreal in Canada and are not widely known outside of North America despite having already released two albums, the second of which 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse' was nominated for The Polaris Prize; Canada's equivalent to the UK's Mercury Award. Their third album 'The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night' grasps and enhances their potential and could be the album that pushes them into the limelight.


The album starts off with the first of two two-part suites that appear on the album; "Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Part 1" and "…Part 2". "Part 1" builds slowly and gracefully before the falsetto of Jace Lasek signals the beginning of "Part 2," which over its 7 minutes provides a thrill-ride of undulating guitars and pounding drums coming at you from all angles. The real treat though is the saccharine chorus which must be one of the most successful fusions of power-pop with dream-pop ever committed to tape. This is the first taste of the luscious harmonies that grace this album. Husband and wife vocalists Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas trade vocal duties throughout the album, but it is when they are combined that they reach their pinnacle.



Rarely is there a wasted second on this album; something is always holding the listener's attention. There is a constant shifting undercurrent throughout the album created by feedback, white noise or just simple bleeps, making the album wholly engrossing. Over the top of this the guitars shift effortlessly from jangly to fuzzy; Lasek even throws in a few guitar solos, but they never sound superfluous or exhibitionist, rather they fit seamlessly into the songs. The bass and drums in the songs cut in and out artfully, never more so than on the magnificently elegant "Albatross," making it seem lightweight yet dense.


The slower, more brooding songs make use of other instrumentation; for example "Chicago Train" consists of little other than Lasek's falsetto floating upon a bed of fraught strings before their trusty guitars kick in at the halfway point and take the song down a more familiar path. The shimmering ballad "Light Up The Night" makes delicate use of piano and mellotron to carry it.


Overall 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night' is a triumph. It combines their immense instrumental talents with their pop sensibilities in a formula that provides an irresistible song on almost every occasion. It is rare to find an album that has so much scope yet is so accessible and this is what makes 'The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night' a gem.

Words : Rob Hakimian