Old Simplicity by Ranger3

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As a child of vaguely folkie parents, I was brought up on a diet of Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention, and I’ll admit I was completely nonplussed by the folk idiom. How could I have any connection to the tale of Lord Bateman, or the plight of Napoleonic-era Britons? As far as I was concerned these people were dead, and so was the music.

Years of Refusal by Morrissey

As with many a monumental artist, the prospect of a new Morrissey album poses a dilemma for the critic. Indeed all music should be evaluated as a singular piece of art, yet when the individual in question couldn’t possibly surpass (or even equal) their previous output, how can one deem any new addition as excellent. For Morrissey this is even more intense, as not only were The Smiths one of the most passionately loved bands Britain has ever seen, but his two decade solo career has also produced some undeniably brilliant albums. As I gritted my teeth and settled down to listen to Morrissey’s latest work, Years of Refusal, I was surprised, not only because it was an enjoyable Morrissey album this side of the millennium, but because the man himself achieves this by barely straying from the path he’s been walking for twenty years.

As the album begins, the signs of stagnation are ever present. The glam-rock glory of opener ‘Something is Squeezing My Skull’ is reminiscent of ‘National Front Disco’, from 1992 release Your Arsenal. Furthermore, a brief glance over the writing credits reveals that the majority of the album is written by the same two blokes – Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte, who have been contributing to the Moz canon since 1991. These are all factors which should forebode another forgettable album from the Mancunian wordsmith, yet through being completely succinct and playful, Morrissey has been able to rejuvenate his tired form.

Ever since Morrissey’s first solo album, the unsettling existence of pop filler has tarnished even his greatest successes. Thankfully, a hard edged approach applied to the new material, has made Years of Refusal an album that barely lets you take a breath. Whilst the muscular rock of the album has always been a part of Mozzer’s solo sound, here the need to create balance by the use of slow, brooding, seven minute numbers has been rightfully tossed aside.

Inevitably, a new Morrissey release is always accompanied by every published non-believer, mocking his inability to move on thematically. Indeed song titles such as ‘One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell’ and ‘I’m OK by Myself’ do little to dispel this belief, within this lays a delightful irony. With lines like “Could this be an arm around my waist/Well surely the hand contains a knife” he reminds us of how much humour can emanate from his exploration of celibacy, heartbreak and complete despair.

It remains apparent to even the most loyal fan that Morrissey’s writing has never recovered since The Smiths’ split. Now approaching 50, little of this album’s lyrical content suggests he will ever return to his former literary glory, yet it does showcase his ever improving vocal ability. As the music of the sombre ‘It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore’, descends into full blown rock balladry, his powerful and heartfelt vocal is oddly affecting, which goes a long way to filling the gap his words have left.

From the album’s title, to Morrissey’s be-quiffed image on the cover, Years of Refusal is anything but an innovation. There is not a single song that couldn’t have slotted neatly into any of his previous three albums, yet this release succeeds as it finally makes the most of this established style. Dynamic production and the good sense to omit poor material, has saved this album from the mediocrity of its predecessors. It is indisputable that sheer loyalty and undying love for The Smiths has kept so many of us interested in Morrissey’s output for the past twenty years, yet the fact remains that even at his most mediocre, he’s still the best we’ve got.

Tonight by Franz Ferdinand

Whether you believe it is based on talent or pure good timing, as a band who slightly preceded the indie craze, Franz Ferdinand are revered as one of the better bands of recent years. Despite only being on the scene for five years, the Scottish four piece have for one reason or another, become elder statesmen of the indie scene. However, with long awaited third album Tonight, we see that sadly they aren’t the innovators many confused them for.

When Kapranos and Ko. first appeared in 2004, they were young, new and different. The mission statement that was debut single ‘Take Me Out’, gave British rock fans a band they could throw their arms around. However, whilst their first two releases were brimming with promise, they were by no means excellent. Tonight sees Franz Ferdinand content with their style, meaning the album features barely a song that deviates from their punchy riff heavy sound. To put it in a nifty rhyming couplet, they replicate where they should innovate.

With the opener ‘Ulysses’ you are lured into a false sense of security. The song’s pounding bass and subtle synth gives it all the quirkiness that we’ve come to expect, yet indicative of how disappointing this album is, few of the remaining eleven tracks even approach this frankly mediocre song.

The aptly named album seems to portray the brief moments of beauty, which emerge in a sea of sex, drugs and sleaze, yet the funky aesthetic employed to represent this is an obvious and tiresome choice. On such tracks as ‘No You Girls’ and ‘What She Came For’, the band approach the genre in a painfully clinical way, which only highlights their musical naivety.

Conscious of the innovation they are expected to produce, the band do make several attempts at genre fusion, yet once again these emerge as another of the album’s weaknesses. The techno epilogue of ‘Lucid Dreams’ or the piano intro of ‘Bite Hard’, only tease the listener with creating an insight into how good the album could have been. Appearing at the beginning or end of the track, these brief spasms of pastiche often upstage the song itself, leaving one to wonder if incorporating these into the main structure, would have provided the variety and innovation this album so desperately needs.

Alas the cynic in me doth despair, as indeed the album is not a lost cause. The likes of ‘Twilight Omens’ do in part breathe new life into the Franz form, yet even the most promising tracks never quite approach greatness. It would seem the band have exhausted their stripped down structure, as the shortcomings of Kapranos’ lyricism means that there is simply nothing to fill the gap the music leaves.

Don’t get me wrong, Franz Ferdinand aren’t nearly annoying enough to spark my dislike, but Tonight remains an album only hardcore fans will enjoy. For all the promise and for all the hype the long wait has created, all albums are essentially a sum of their parts, and when you add poor lyricism, with mediocre song composition and a staunch refusal to do anything interesting; you get Tonight by Franz Ferdinand.

Red Face's Albums of '08

This article has been published by Spiked Magazine.

To read it go to http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6067/

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Across musical genres – from hip-hop to nu-folk, from rock to soul – this year was never short of tuneful delights. From the innovative soul of Gnarls Barkley to the mature lyrics of Beck, 2008 was the year that some of today’s greatest musicians reinvented their genres – and themselves.

The Albums I talk about are:

- Low Culture by Jim Moray
- Modern Guilt by Beck
- Dig Out Your Soul by Oasis
- The Odd Couple by Gnarls Barkley
- The Renaissance by Q-Tip
- Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie

Gig Review: Billy Bragg

Ever since a pentagram of fire called Maggie back to daddy (forgive me for being obvious), and Major bowed out to a then youthful Tony Blair, the insights of Essex Troubadour Billy Bragg have seemed less and less relevant. As an outspoken Socialist, and all round lefty icon, he represented the excluded liberal youth, but as soon as his fans grew up and voted Labour, Bragg’s political protests became nothing more than songs. Yet now, with another financial crisis looming and a conservative buffoon waiting in the wings to fuck it all up, it would seem 2008 is a year ripe for Bragg’s return. His 22-song set at Shepherds Bush last Monday, saw the 51 year old perform with a youthful tenacity, as these trying times return meaning to his words.

No longer backed by The Blokes, Billy took the stage with nothing but a silver Telecaster and a mug of tea. Whilst Bragg naturally felt the need to promote his latest album Mr Love and Justice, the nostalgic joys of ‘To Have and To Have Not’ and ‘The Milkman of Human Kindness’, saw the most grey-haired heads nodding to the voice of their youth. As is expected with any act past 40, the show was in effect a greatest hits, though thankfully room was left for some more unexpected additions to the set list. Whilst Woody Guthrie cover ‘I Ain’t Got No Home’ was fairly predictable, the inclusion of The Shangri-Las’ ‘Give Him A Great Big Kiss’, with help from Kate Nash, was a delight.

Indeed Bragg is ever capable of keeping it light, and in between songs documenting heartbreak and injustice, he remains able to be genuinely hilarious. His infectious humour even crept into the songs themselves, as one altered lyric on ‘Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards’– “John Sergeant proved the public will vote for a clumsy fuck/Old Gordon Brown can’t believe his luck”, was met with riotous laughs from the audience.

Whilst a second encore teased the audience with the prospect of leaving out fan favourite ‘A New England’, Bragg’s performance remained near flawless. It would be easy to see his highly political material as pretentious and boorish, yet his saving grace is that despite this, he remains completely relatable and genuine. He won’t change the world, he knows it, but who cares? He’s Billy Bragg, and he’s back!

Image Courtesy of Bryan Kremkau - www.skapunkphotos.com

Day and Age by The Killers

I will admit that when The Killers rose to stardom with 2004’s Hot Fuss, I was one of the few unconvinced by the Vegas foursome. With a talent for pop balladry, a smack of eyeliner and a conventionally handsome lead singer, they were everything I despised in a band. Yet even I, as irrationally judgemental as I am, couldn’t help but be impressed by The Killers’ talent for the three-minute pop song.

With the unbridled success that was 2006’s Sam’s Town, the boys silenced any talk of a difficult second album. Now, following the pattern of so many before them comes Day and Age, a third instalment that aims to take an established sound in a new direction. However, this album sees The Killers dragging their synth drenched style kicking and screaming into new areas, resulting in dizzying highs of pop perfection and painful lows of forced pastiche.

From the opener ‘Losing Touch’, it feels like business as usual, as subtle synth mixed with Flowers’ quivering vocal, eases the listener into another Killers outing. However, as the track builds to an impressive middle eight, it would seem that The Killers have incorporated a pure 80’s sound into their material, with greater success than any of their contemporaries.

As the album progresses, it would be easy to see the flurry of saxophones, harps and elaborate orchestration, as painfully over-thought for the indie quartet. However, the sheer audacity of say, the steel pan motif on ‘I Can’t Stay’, is a delightful novelty. Instead, the album’s downfall appears to be in its half-baked attempts at genre fusion, as opposed to its outlandish instrumentation. The jaunty ‘Joy Ride’ comes to mind, as this attempt at funk/indie fusion feels wholly unnatural. The only solace to be taken in such songs comes with a bridge or chorus, where The Killers stumble back into their old style.

Clearly, Day and Age is not without its disappointments, and whilst there is many a heartfelt track, the likes of ‘The World We Live In’ or ‘This is Your Life’ are the definition of filler. After splashes of monotony, such tracks as ‘Neon Tiger’ or ‘A Dustland Fairytale’ do standout, but painful sentimentality or Flowers’ nonsensical lyricism soon disappoints.

Nonetheless, it would seem that The Killers are ever full of surprises, as just when it would appear they’d fallen into mediocrity, they snatch victory from the mouth of defeat. On even the most painful track, the attentive listener can find something to enjoy. A simple riff or a joyous chord progression provides relief for a failing song, reminding us of their gift for pop melody. The epic closer “Goodnight, Travel Well” is indeed a redeeming finale, as this delightfully bleak song, provides ample relief for an otherwise upbeat affair.

The public and critics alike expected Day and Age to be one of two things: a glorious passage into pop perfection, or a disappointment of epic proportions. However, the ever unpredictable Killers, provide neither one nor the other. With the likes of ‘Losing Touch’ or ‘Spaceman’, we see a developed sound they haven’t approached before, whilst the album’s equal measure of mediocre material takes the shine off the proverbial apple. Day and Age remains a good, if at times over ambitious album, and if its high points are anything to go by, the fans shouldn’t have to wait long for the seminal Killers work.

Gig Review: Death Cab For Cutie

Whilst their legions of be-fringed disenfranchised fans, and a collection of hits akin to the Grey’s Anatomy sound track seem to suggest otherwise, I have always persisted that Death Cab For Cutie aren’t an ‘Emo’ band. Always seeming more sincere than their ‘Emo’ counterparts, Death Cab’s melancholic lyrics always seemed due to their influences as opposed to convention. Nevertheless, last Wednesday’s set at the Brixton Academy, seemed to prove that at the very least, Death Cab For Cutie have the tunes to hang with the big boys.

As Walla, Gibbard, Harmer and McGerr jogged on stage to the usual riotous applause, the now skinny as a rake Ben Gibbard took the spotlight and quipped “What’s goin’ on?”. Whilst the choice of opener; ‘The Employment Pages’, was a lacklustre ease in to the show, it didn’t fail to captivate the adoring audience. As the lads settled into what was to be a typically laid back set, it was nigh impossible not to be struck by a mix of their absolute sincerity and flawless instrumentation.

Being a band whose sound is largely defined in the studio, one would expect that their intricate songs would be impossible to recreate on stage. Armed with only two guitars, a bass, drums and an organ; Death Cab managed to perform the likes of ‘Soul Meets Body’ seamlessly, whilst still maintaining a delightful spontaneity.

Just when you thought they couldn’t be upbeat, Narrow Stairs’ ‘No Sunlight’ and Plans’ ‘Crooked Teeth’ brought movement to the crowd. Then Gibbard took the spotlight alone with an acoustic guitar, and sparked the most intimate sing-along of the night, with ‘I Will Follow You into the Dark’.

The post encore treats including the sombre piano ballad ‘What Sarah Said’, and the beautiful ‘Title and Registration’. The epic ‘Transatlanticism’ in all its eight-minute glory, closed what was a quietly powerful set.

They may not be the biggest live act in town, but through their at times sedate performance, shines an aching sincerity. Their music isn’t designed for stadium rock, nor will it ever be, yet in a setting slightly more intimate, their song writing shines.