steven.vu

Weekly Media – May 27th 2005

It has come to my attention that you perhaps are not aware of my music tastes. This may seem like a trivial matter, but when you are reading what I have to say about all these different albums and different types of music, you might like some idea of my subjectivity when dealing with the reviews. If I had to be pegged, I would class myself as an indie fan. My favourite bands ever are Radiohead, Muse and Interpol and really, if you feel inspired to listen to them, pick any of the 11 albums between them and you won’t go far wrong. But enough, and on to the second big release of the year….

The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

The Black Keys – Thickfreakness

Engineers – Engineers

Mint Royale – On The Ropes

2005 looks all set to be a fantastic year for music. There has already been a phantasmagoria of superb releases and these next few weeks marks the return of the biggest names in music today. I reviewed the Oasis album two weeks ago, which comes out next Monday and the Monday after that sees the arrival of the new albums from Coldplay and the new album for this week from the White Stripes. With the release of ‘Elephant’, the White Stripes became huge. Jack White was the saviour of blues music, rocketing it forward into the present day with the use of dirty blues guitar and simple yet effective pounding drumming from his sister Meg. The question of the next album did therefore beg the question, where to go from here? The answer lies in ‘Get Behind Me Satan’ and it is, lose the guitar. Aside from single ‘Blue Orchid’, the brash cocksure scuzz of the guitar is notably absent, most songs relying on bluesy piano and occasionally, marimba. It is both a step backward in terms of technology and a step forward in progression for the band and it is good to see them making music for themselves, rather than anybody else. The songs are far less immediate and much deeper than on ‘Elephant’ and there is a fascination with the cult of celebrity dealt with during the songs. The White Stripes have taken a massive step forward musically, delving deep back into America’s roots and it sounds all the better for it. An intriguing album, and there’s even a bass on it.

It felt apt therefore in a review of the White Stripes that I also mention the Black Keys. Already the similarity in name is obvious and there is also a similar furrow ploughed in terms of musical bent. The Black Keys deal in fuzz filled blues rock and each song comes covered in a voice that sounds as if it’s been soaked in whiskey for the last 30 years. As with the White Stripes again, the Black Keys haven’t overpopulated themselves with musicians, there is just a guitarist/singer being driven by the powerful beat of the drummer. However their sound is much deeper, richer and earthier than that of the Stripes’ and ‘Thickfreakness’ has both gloriously dirty riffs combined with lament filled ballads that sound as if from a different era.

Now to move from one vocal extreme to another, we have Engineers. They deal with hushed tones melding with ambient, slow drifting lullabies and the results are nothing short of fantastic. They have managed to locate an atmospheric midpoint somewhere between Elbow and The Beta Band, filled with a slumberous groove that gives to way to stark, placid beauty. With summer approaching, this album just begs to be played in the slight dusk between sunset and dark. Beatific.

Finally, the sun is out and there is a palpable heat in the air. Pale pallid legs are being exposed to the air and sunglasses are being dug out. Mint Royale have made an album that fits alongside these summer items so well that you cant help but sway along to the sugary sweet pop melodies. This is simply the happiest album I know and every song has something to love about it. It is dance meets electronica meets pop sensibilities filled with catchy looped vocals and you just cannot go wrong with it. Use sparingly as an after party pick-me-up.