Laura Marling’s second album has a fair amount to live up to. Her debut LP was Mercury nominated, critically lauded almost universally – rightly so. It was a quiet, sometimes fragile album with many moments of wispy beauty. At times on her debut her youth revealed itself; her wonderful voice at times hiding amongst the shadows.

The follow up is more strident, from the title onwards. Marling’s voice is front and centre throughout, stronger and clearer than before – and it is still an instrument that belies her age. This set of songs is more emotionally hard-hitting too, built around her recent breakup with him from Noah & The Whale. There’s so much experience evident on this album that at times it leaves the listener thinking if Marling is performing a songbook; these tracks could be Carole King’s, Joni Mitchell’s or any of the alt-folk luminaries you’d care to mention.

The highlights on I Speak Because I Can are many, from the almost fairground-esque swells of Alpha Shallows to the beautiful Goodbye England; the first – and destined to always be the best – track to recall our recent deep freeze. My favourite is the slow burn of the coruscating Hope In The Air, building from a simple guitar line to a full-blown, teeth-bared tirade. All the tracks are underpinned by a cleaner production than on her debut, which suits her fine guitar playing, the backing from Mumford & Sons, and both her delivery and subject matter.

All this leaves Marling with a potential millstone, with two albums this good so young what can it possibly leave for the future? Leaving that sobering thought aside though, I Speak Because I Can is a tremendous album – one that propels this young star way ahead of her contemporaries. Stunning.

Rating: 5.5 out of 6 stars

Laura Marling – Alpha Shallows (mp3)

Buy I Speak Because I Can

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Tindersticks don’t play London gigs often, which was why the dedicated were out in force tonight. The notoriously chatty Shepherds Bush Empire (which Stuart Staples professes a dislike for) was almost totally without back whispers. It was quite a nice change.

The group arrive on stage with the self assurance of a band with nothing left to prove. They may have experienced a few line-up changes, but they play with supreme confidence. It’s almost as if the audience isn’t there – that’s not a bad thing, it creates a kind of intimacy; like you’ve snuck into a private performance, where everyone concerned is playing as if no one is watching.

The set list unsurprisingly is made up mostly of tracks from their new album Falling Down A Mountain. However, fans of all periods were appeased with at least one track from every long player, although not necessarily an obvious one. Although known for their dark brooding songs, it’s actually their more (relatively) uptempo numbers which get new life on stage. They start off with the new album opener and title track, and tackle it without restraint, making it a more chaotic, more raucous mixture. They even manage to get the crowd dancing for new number Harmony Around My Table and for the classic Can We Start Again, which turns into one of the real highlights of the evening.

In contrast the slower brooding ballads, for which the band are more widely known, become more restrictive. They must remain wrought and carefully restrained. Stuart Staples’ elegant howl remains tender and beautiful; his performance sometimes tugging hard on your heart strings. But several of these slow ballads together, begins to make the audience a little restless. They save the tracks from their most adored albums, 1 and 2, till the latter portion of the set, but patience is rewarded in the encore, with a couple from album 1, City Sickness and Raindrops, which both go down a treat.

But a few minor complaints aside, this was a triumphant performance. A good live show should leave you with a greater appreciation of a band’s music. Tonight Tindersticks gave their music volume, what might seem quiet, sparse, restrained on record, was lively and full bodied live, even danceable.  It was a different experience; and for that it was worth every penny.

Rating: 5 out of 6 stars

Tindersticks – Keep You Beautiful (mp3)

Photo: Maurice @ Paard van Troje – The Hague, Netherlands, 03/10

Setlist:

Falling Down A Mountain
Keep You Beautiful
Sometimes It Hurts
Bathtime
The Other Side Of The World
Dying Slowly – Can Our Love
Hubbard’s Hill
Peanuts
Factory Girls
Marbles
Black Smoke
A Night In
Harmony Around My Table

No Man In The World
Can We Start Again?

City Sickness
Raindrops

It is not only the bass that elevates this album amongst its peers – there is some superbly matched vocal performances too. The highlight of the whole record is Anneka’s striking input into the shifting trip of Heart Space, a tune that smudges the very definitions of the genre. There’s variety here too, from the fantastic wavering remixes of Distance’s Fallen and Plaid’s Bar Kimura through to more mechanical shards of closer Nails. The fact that most of the material that makes up Cloud Seed was produced back in 2006-7 is testament to its inventiveness, it sounds still like little else their contemporaries could or have yet produced.

Rating: 5 out of 6 stars

Vex’d ft. Jest – Disposition

Buy Cloud Seed at Norman Records

Oi Va Voi were up first, and an enthusiastic crowd rose to their energetic performance, led by the engaging Bridgette Amofah. Whilst the frontwoman’s vocals ranged across the soul influenced end of the pop spectrum, the rest of the band mined a eclectic seam. There were the obvious Jewish klezmer influences (the band’s name roughly translates from the Yiddish for oh dear!), shot across by the Balkan folk strings from violinist Anna Phoebe, all revolving around a resolutely western European rhythm section. It struck me as slightly too busy, the highlight coming on the relatively laid back Photograph off the band’s recent Travelling The Face Of The Globe LP. Judging by the reaction of the crowd, who joined in clear favourite Refugee, they’d won a fair number of new fans.

Shortly afterwards an array of small amplifiers and acoustic guitars had lined the stage, and the seven members of Tinariwen appeared – clad, as always in traditional gear. As they began their set the band could seldom be heard amongst the hubbub of the more apathetic members of the crowd, sadly a trait that seems to be overcoming even the most expensive of London shows. Despite a quiet start the band quickly hit their stride, with vocal harmonies ringing across the stage. Percussive duties were filled by a single man and multiple hand claps, providing a playful rhythm around which multiple guitar lines wound.

In complete contrast to Oi Va Voi it was easy to place the sound of the band, not needing the colourful imagery of their homeland behind them to highlight its origin. However it was also in complete contrast to Amadou & Mariam, the Malian band I’d seen support Blur a few days earlier, despite sharing the same musical cues. This was undoubtedly the music of the desert, the wonderfully ceaseless and cyclical bass mimicking the never-ending dunes. And yet it fitted the venue perfectly. There was no jarring juxtaposition – Tinariwen deserve to playing venues like this to crowds this size and I doff my cap to iTunes for putting the band on an otherwise pretty conservative bill. A mesmeric performance by the former Touareg rebels.

Oi Va Voi – Photograph
Tinariwen – Imidiwan Afrik Tendam

Watch Tinariwen perform Amassakoul at Live 8 Eden

Morton Valence’s debut is an achingly British slab of pop, so desperate to tell us the story of the title’s namesakes that it comes packaged with a romantic novella. Thankfully, unlike many concept records, the album forms a coherent whole and begs to be listened to from start to finish. It does this whilst constantly shifting in style; dipping from Jesus And Mary Chain style shoegaze on the fantastic “I Must Go,”Said Veronica, “But I Will Always Come Back” through to classic electropop reminiscent of Saint Etienne or Black Box Recorder . The similarities to the latter don’t end there either, with Anne Gilpin recalling the glacial delivery of Sarah Nixey.

Whilst treading the same well worn boards as their pop peers Morton Valence carry the whole thing off with such charm, wit and panache that it never comes across as anything but original. I can’t wait for word to catch on about this glorious piece of work, and I suspect neither can the fans who invested in ‘shares’ of the album to ensure its release. A wonderful album that deserves to be near the top of the pile come the year end reckoning.

Rating: 5 out of 6 stars

For our London readers there are a couple of opportunities to catch Morton Valence over the next few weeks in the city. The first is on June 25 at the last of their Bob And Veronica Book Club events at The Enterprise, and also a chance for a bit of a boat party on July 9 as they play the Battersea Barge.

Morton Valence – Hang It On The Wall (mp3)
Morton Valence – Chandelier (video)

Band site

Last.fm

Myspace
You can buy the CD version of the album that comes with the novella from the band’s website.

Passion Pit – The Reeling (Wallpaper. Remix)

Photo: Jalapeño

Maxïmo Park: Quicken The Heart
Released 11th May 2009
Warp

I liked Maxïmo Park. I thought the debut album was a pretty damn good record, certainly deserving of being on the hallowed Warp label. Second album was a little bit off colour, but packing enough punchy tracks to bear out repeated listens. Shame then that Quicken The Heart continues that downward trend – this time lacking any songs of flair or interest. The opening four or so tracks pass by without hook or standout. Sadly the band seems to have taken their always-present “big sound” leanings and replicated it over the course of an album. Gone are the stop-start moments that made tracks like Apply Some Pressure so exhilirating; replaced with leaden words and single paced tunes. There’s only a couple of tracks that lifted the monotony, the glittering Calm and darkly raw Roller Disco Dreaming. At times it comes across as lightweight as an 80s synthpop album, only lacking the immediacy and subtlety; all flash no bang. Despite the immediacy there is no pop hook; for all the stadium sound, there’s no shout-along chorus. This places the album in no-man’s land, passing the listener by and leaving nothing behind.

Rating: 2.5 out of 6 stars

Calm (mp3)
The Kids Are Sick Again (Video)

Band Site

Myspace

Last.fm

Buy Quicken The Heart

Photo: Stuart Leech

My date with the night came at the end of a very busy week of shows for me – in fact after the brilliance of Polly and John on the Monday (review to follow soon) I headed into this gig with a little sense of anti-climax. Goodness knows why, It’s Blitz! is a fantastic record, taking the trio’s sound into new and shiny areas. The Empire is packed by the time we get inside, having already missed Art Brut, much more so than the other two shows I’ve seen here over the last week. I guess this is the buzz ticket, the touts outside weren’t selling -  only buying. The anticipation on the floor is heady, people are jabbering, pushing and impatient to see exactly how the band would make the step up to the big league.

The eye from the Zero cover looms over the stage and in a blaze of colour, and not many words, the band appear. Karen is shrouded in fibre-optic style headgear as they immediately launch into Heads Will Roll, whipping the crowd into a massed frenzy. The next few tracks whizz by in showers of glitter cannon rounds and I’m struck just how slick the band has become – they’re putting on a real show. For most of the first half of the set I struggle with the notion in my head, I’m used to seeing the singer writhe around on the floor emitting either wild shrieks or guttural roars. As my companion pointed out it just all felt, well, too rehearsed. Part of what drew me to them as a live proposition was the thrill of the unexpected , the seemingly improvised guitar work.

Perhaps, I thought, it is a symptom of trying to recreate the new tracks and their synth lines in a live setting – it ties the band down to strict routine. Take Hysteric for example, lacking the pace and bounce of the rest of the set, being almost a facsimile of the album version. The feeling begins to dissipate with airing of some of their oldest material, Miles Away sounded as urgent and thrilling as it ever did and Pin equally chaotic. Towards the end of the main set they’re winning me around, the night seems to have picked up pace and they thunder through Zero and Y Control to finish all too quickly.

The encore began with a cloying list of thank yous seemingly longer than the setlist, before lulling into a neat version of Maps. Following that though was the big surprise, and possibly the show’s saving grace, an astonishing rendition of Art Star complete with attempted mic-swallowing, screams and cutesy “do-do-do’s”. It is an absolute blast, as is the closer Date With The Night. In a way, I’m not sure how to sum the gig up. Sure the songs sounded great, the crowd loved it – if the whole thing was a little short. However I couldn’t help coming away thinking that despite sounding great on wax, the new stuff had stripped away the best thing about the band’s live act – spontaneity.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Art Star
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero

Photo: Hidden Shine

Howling Bells: Radio Wars
Released 2nd March 2009
Independiente

It has been a long three years since Juanita Stein and co unleashed their debut, and Radio Wars arrives having suffered delays and the band label difficulties. The signs weren’t particularly encouraging when Into The Chaos slipped out last year, the track lacked the atmosphere and drive of their live performance. This was a common criticism of much of the debut too, there was a few great ideas but when stretched over a long-player it seemed a little one-paced and drawn out. A similar underwhelming feeling pervades Radio Wars, despite it’s shorter length. In fact all the pluses and drawbacks of the debut apply to this second effort. The good tracks (Cities Burning Down, Nightingale) are great; soaring guitar lines and wistful vocals. However some of the record feels forced and leaden, not helped by some poor lyrics (check Let’s Be Kids as a case in point) and uninventive rhythms. That said, the good songs outweigh the bad and this is a solid album – it just needs a little bit more of the excitement so prevalent at their live shows.

Rating: 3.5 out of 6 stars

Nightingale (MP3)
Into The Chaos (MP3)

Band Site

Myspace

Last.fm

Buy Radio Wars

Photo by Dave W Clarke

It is dark inside St Giles, an eighteenth century church deep in the West End, and Anthony Gonzalez has just walked unannounced between the pews. He steps alongside his transparent box of tricks as analogue hiss seeps from the speakers. Slowly Gonzalez builds and tweaks the waves, heading towards a gentle pulsating crescendo. It’s an unassuming yet fixating live introduction, and begins a gig that I have awaited with absurd levels of excitement.

The night didn’t start that well – due to a late soundcheck the doors didn’t open for over an hour, leaving a cosmopolitan queue snaking it’s way along St Giles High Street on a cold December night. Once the doors opened, it was strange to head down the aisle of a church and file into the pews, facing an altar spread with all sorts of wired boxes and synths. To my great pleasure there’s a full drum kit alongside an electronic equivalent. The full band wouldn’t appear for three tracks or so, leaving Gonzalez to demonstrate his prowess with electronic manipulation and a guitar. And when he sings the clarity is amazing – I’d been told the acoustics in the venue were superb, and my source wasn’t wrong.

When the full band did join the noise levels went up a notch, but only from the low dais. Befitting the ecclesiastical surroundings, the crowd remained relatively silent. The first widespread nods of recognition occur when the spoken word introduction to Moonchild echoes around the high space. As with many of the tracks, it gets a live re-working with the crashing drum fill delayed until the midpoint of the song. It doesn’t quite sound as huge as I have imagined it would in concert, but it doesn’t prevent the angelic stabs sending pulses down every spine in attendance.

Unsurprisingly, the set is weighted towards this year’s supreme Saturdays=Youth LP. Even relative lowlights on the record such as We Own The Sky are reinterpreted as windswept epics, pounding beats from the excellent drummer pegging down cyclonic patterns from the two keyboards. Whilst the drummer is excellent, the second guitarist and the female vocalist are equal – supporting and enhancing Gonzalez’s singular vision. The band are tight, rhythmic and clearly enjoying themselves. Gonzalez and his opposite are frequently pumping at the keys, hips thrusting against equipment racks.

As the set builds towards climax, M83 have saved the best until last, launching into the keening strains of Saturdays=Youth‘s highlight Skin Of The Night. Spun out and spiralling it is the peak of the set – the vocals striking incessantly and poignantly, as electronic beats shudder the wooden seats. The set is finished with the unfolding, complex and utterly breathtaking Couleurs, the instrumental pivot that the rest of the album rotates around.

And then it is done – Gonzalez heads back down the aisle to a standing ovation. Whereas coming into the evening M83 had been merely an artist I’ve enjoyed greatly; I leave with it concrete in my mind – 2008 belongs to them.

M83 – America
M83 – Skin Of The Night

Photos: Matt Biddulph