Oh Land – Oh Land E.P. Review

1. “Sun Of A Gun”
2. “White Nights”
3. “Rainbow”
4. “Wolf & I”

“I want my music to feel like 2050 meets something really classic, like meeting a stranger that feels as familiar as an old friend.” – Nanna Øland Fabricius (aka Oh Land)

Oh Land “Sun of a Gun” from Oh Land Music on Vimeo.

It is not often that one gets to make a first impression for the second time. But, given that less people heard Oh Land’s debut album, Fauna, than have declared their official religion as Jedi, she has a rare opportunity with this eponymous E.P. to redefine who she is, for the first time, again.

Light, rich and symphonic, while still, somehow, retaining a refreshing simplicity about them; the four tracks showcased here are quite simply a delight to listen to. “White Nights” in particular is positively dreamy, like being swept along the skyline on a bed of clouds. Rocking your soul into a gentle, Stevie Wonder-esque, sway as you listen, it is that enchanting.

While each track is dripping in honeyed melodies and elegant electronics, there is also a tantalizing, compelling beat bubbling underneath. Not so prominent it dominates, more subtle; quietly subverting any compulsion you may have to remain still. You will move to this.

It may not sound quite like it is from the year 2050 as she hopes, but there is definitely a warm familiarity about her sumptuous electropop soundscapes. Her songs have a storybook quality about them, fantastical, whimsical; they could charm even the most heartless curmudgeon.

Her US debut album will make use of crack producers Dan Carey (The Kills, Hot Chip) and Dave McCracken (Depeche Mode, Beyoncé,) and is due out later this year. If it is anywhere near as delightful as this E.P. suggests it will, we are all in for a treat.

The Oh Land E.P. is out now in the US on iTunes.
Spotify Premium subscribers in the UK can stream it HERE

C is for Cutback

Cutback – Audio Suicide EP by dpulse

Who?
Cutback, a three-piece indie-rock band from the deepest, darkest depths of Fakenham and Wells, comprising lead guitarist and singer, Chris Sammacicci, bassist, Simon Taylor and the skin pounding talents of drummer, Karl Jagger. They were signed by US label dPulse and have just released their debut album; Patriotism is not a dirty word.

They Say.
“They are a band with an incredible future awaiting them and certainly one of the most well put together, expressive and talented bands I’ve had the privilege of listening to in recent months.” – www.wohomusic.net

We Say.
After the year of pop that was 2010, where rock was proclaimed in some quarters to be dead, it is reassuring to start 2011 safe in the knowledge that Old Yella hasn’t been taken out back just yet. With their debut album, Patriotism is not a dirty word, UK rockers Cutback have delivered a much needed shot of adrenaline to the ailing genre. Wearing it’s rock influences proudly on its sleeve (Foo Fighters, Muse, 80’s Hair Metal and even Fall Out Boy and Lost Prophets, before they started to suck), Patriotism... delivers 11 tracks of high quality, radio friendly rock with a level of energy usually required only when creating the universe.

The guys from Cutback have taken obvious time and care in crafting their debut and that shows in the quality of the production and the fact that the band is tighter than a fat guy in spandex. There isn’t a dud track on the album, any one of the 11 could make it onto mainstream radio playlists and each one appears to have been forged using a mystical alchemy passed down from the rock Gods.

When the album finally eases off the throttle after the thundering, high octane, opening quartet of “Fix”, “One Last Time, “Don’t Want It” and the fantastic “Audio Suicide”, the quality is not compromised in the slightest. “Breathe” washes over the listener like a much needed breeze on the hottest of summer’s days, Sammacicci’s vocals lilting gently over an unexpectedly delightful and gentle arrangement, this is the one that will have crowds swaying and hearts melting in equal measure.

The ideas expressed may not be new but they are delivered with a quality and confidence befitting seasoned campaigners, you don’t expect it from three relative novices. Patriotism... is extremely easy on the ear, full of catchy, hook-heavy tracks that will no doubt be sung back to the band with joy and enthusiasm by large crowds of very happy rock fans.

The album closes with “Sunrise”, and aptly titled anthem in the making that rightly appears to be signalling the dawn of a great new career. Let’s hope so.

Want More?
Check out http://www.cutback.co.uk for news and tour info.
Follow Cutback on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Cutbackrock
Patriotism is not a dirty word is out now on dPulse and is available worldwide on iTunes.

White Lies – Ritual Review

1. Is Love

2. Strangers

3. Bigger Than Us

4. Peace & Quiet

5. Streetlights

6. Holy Ghost

7. Turn The Bells

8. The Power & The Glory

9. Bad Love

10. Come Down

”Bigger Than Us”

Following on from the success of their 2009 debut, To Lose My Life, (UK #1 album, over 1m units sold), it is no surprise that White Lies have gone back to the pseudo goth/new wave sound that served them so well. What is a surprise though, is that, having produced an entertaining and energetic album previously, they should now have created something that is underwhelming at best and outright tiresome at worst.

To put it bluntly, Ritual is an album that takes what feels like an eternity to listen to. The band has evidently decided to ramp up the epic for their sophomore effort, attempting to make every song a monolithic, stadium filling masterpiece. This approach would be fine for a few of the 10 tracks but doing it on each one has resulted only in an album that plods along so slowly that if it raced a Hare and a Tortoise, the Tortoise could take a nap halfway round and still beat it. In “Strangers”, vocalist Harry McVeigh declares, “I got a sense of urgency/I got to make something happen”. If only it were true. The majority of songs clock in at around the 5 minute mark, it feels a lot longer.

That said, individually, some of the songs are not bad. Undoubted high water mark is the lead single, “Bigger Than Us”, which is full of drama and a hook that Duran Duran would’ve killed for in the 80’s. Like a fine red wine, it is rich, textured and full bodied. “Streetlights” and “Holy Ghost” are also fairly decent, moody pop songs, even if “Holy Ghost” opens with one of the worst lyrics you’ll hear this year. “You were writhing on the floor like a moth in molasses/whoever taught you to move your body like that?”

Ah yes, the lyrics. You can’t fault the amount of effort that has been put in to Ritual but often it comes off as a band trying too hard to touch the soul of the listener. The depth and profound intensity they so desperately try to create, plays like bad, angst ridden teenage poetry. “I pressed my ear against your chest/and heard something personal/a whisper that knew my name/is this how your heart/treats all strangers/with love and affection/then I feel cold and empty.” Cold and empty is actually a reasonable description of how you will feel after listening to the album.

Ritual is designed to be a vast album, so epic that no stadium is big enough to hold its aural magnificence. In reality it is nothing more than a very disappointing follow-up to their debut album. The attempt to deliver deep, philosophical songs that touch the very core of the listener has caused White Lies to lose focus of what brought them to the dance in the first place, the ability to write catchy, energetic songs, tinged in melancholia. By trying oh so very hard to create a masterpiece they have only delivered an album that drags on forever and is largely forgettable. Songs like “Bigger Than Us”, “Streetlights” and “Holy Ghost” deserve a lot more support than is offered by the remaining 7 tracks. White Lies are capable of so much more than this, hopefully they’ll learn from their mistakes for their next album.

6.0/10

A version of this review first appeared on 411Mania.com