Portishead

Week 35: Wolf Alice- The Clearing

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I recall telling you all that I was impressed with their previous album, “Blue Weekend”, which was released four years ago. As we all know, that is a long time in music; therefore, it is easier to be yesterday’s news. However, the period between “Blue Weekend” and “The Clearing” has seen them remain fresh and avoid the block, and they have certainly been working hard to make something special.


Markus Dravs was the producer last time, and this time they have employed another top producer, Greg Kurstin, and dare I say it, but he has bettered what Markus did. We have frontwoman Ellie Rowsell’s soul laid bare in songwriting and fantastic vocals with profound instrumentation. This record, much like “Blue Weekend”, is more autobiographical regarding Ellie, where she delves into her life experiences with utmost honesty.


Wolf Alice have never shied away from exploring new sounds despite them being heavily pigeon-holed in the indie punk category. There are new layers with every song you hear. Even though the band have been together for going fifteen years, the chemistry is still there, and it appears they are tighter than ever.


The opener ’Thorns’ shows their intent. Ellie confesses to being a narcissist and a masochist on this storm-cloud ballad. Quite a surprise to hear her say that. You would never have her down as a narcissist. We then have the confidence of the lead single,’ Bloom, Baby, Bloom,’ featuring a drum and bass element. We then have a track called ‘Just Two Girls’, which celebrates friendship between two females. The intimacy of this friendship is so palpable that it will resonate with the listener, evoking a deep connection.


However, it’s moments like ‘Leaning Against the Wall’ that capture the meaning behind Ellie’s lyricism and just an acoustic guitar on the folk track to drive the point home. Another one that highlights Ellie’s words is ‘Play It Out, which is a highly emotional piano ballad that will certainly move the listener. It addresses Ellie opting not to have children, but maybe as she grows old, she might repent at leisure.


Yes, the album has quite a bit of introspection, but it never becomes overly introspective. We have rock-pop energy in ’Safe in the World’, ‘Bread, Butter, Tea, Sugar’, and ‘Passenger Seat’to lighten the mood. It showcases the band’s ability to transition seamlessly from raw energy to introspection.

The end has two tracks that are in each of the spectrum: ‘White Horses’ offers the energy, and my favourite track ‘The Sofa’ sees Ellie reflect on her life and what she desires over tender instrumentation that is quite dreamy. It is indeed a track that took me by surprise when I heard it on Later…with Jools Holland, in the spring, because it is nothing like I have ever heard them do before.


You will hear several influences, including Florence and the Machine (Markus is known to produce for them), The Beatles, the late Sinéad O’Connor, Portishead, and, dare I say it, Taylor Swift. Having said that, Wolf Alice still maintains their identity. What the band have achieved on this record is how the emotion increases track after track, leaving the listener feeling the impact. Of course, the album is not complete without Ellie’s unmistakable vocals that range from intimate and soul-bearing to the power we hear on the high-energy tracks.


“The Clearing” showcases the band at their most confident, fearlessly displaying raw emotion and delivering tracks that are destined to be timeless. The album’s frank honesty, although it may be slower-paced than their usual style, is refreshing and showcases their versatility. I am certain that this record will receive several accolades shortly.


Song recommendations: ‘The Sofa’, ’Safe in the World’, ‘White Horses’


9/10

Week 19: Arcade Fire- WE

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Win and company took on board the harsh criticism of “Everything Now” and the poor sales to make a more Arcade Fire record. I cannot understand why their previous album, “Everything Now”, was so widely panned by critics because I gave it a glowing review and thoroughly enjoyed hearing the tracks performed on tour. Many say it was a trip into the unknown for Arcade Fire, so it didn’t suit their style. However, in “WE”, the band have returned to what the fans and casual listeners loved them for. They employed the services of the legendary Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, with Geoff Barrow from Portishead, Father John Misty, and another music legend for his production and as a member of Genesis and solo artist Peter Gabriel. Quite a mixture of producers and some contrast between Nigel and Peter.


As you can imagine, the album contains songs that tear off arena roofs and pierce the stadium sky. You have juddering synth pop-rock, which balances elements of the War on Drugs, the Killers, and, dare I say it, Slowdive. Those elements are found in ‘Age of Anxiety I’ and the two-part ‘the Lightning’. I say “two-part”, but for me, it isn’t. Why? Even though some of the songs are split into two parts, they sound more like a continuation of the previous part with a few subtle adjustments in the second part. You then have what can only be described as folk with a pulsating bass for ‘Lookout Kid’. It was ‘End of the Empire I-IV’ where the introduction echoed the late John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’. It may have carried on in the same vein, but after it passes the introduction, you soon realise it is an entirely different song altogether. This is the longest track, clocking in at nine minutes when you combine the two tracks. Given the current landscape within music, the band took a risk by going with a song that sounds like John Lennon might have written it, but then Arcade Fire knew their fans would appreciate it. After all, the band are not known for churning out generic pop.


There are a few flirtations with other sounds like ‘Age of Anxiety II(Rabbit Hole)’, which seems to change from the first part entirely and head into dance territory. Even with their experimentation, they kept the listener interested, which they failed with on “Everything Now” (I need to revisit my review to see if I concur with the consensus.). To my astonishment, the songs were also poorly received during the previous tour, which I cannot quite fathom. I enjoyed the majority of the songs on that tour.

The only element kept from “Everything Now” is the lyrics. The band once again aim at the adverse effects of the internet. Some of the songs are just dire. For example, ‘Age of Anxiety II(Rabbit Hole)’ with ‘Rabbit hole, plastic soul, born into the abyss, new phone, who’s this?’. I mean…wow. It’s not going to be nominated for an Ivor Novello, right? The instrumentation rescues the lyrics, which is a shame because I have heard their iconic songs with deeper meanings, and the lyrics are more polished. This reminds me of what Liam Gallagher tends to write when he isn’t getting assisted by other songwriters.

I enjoyed “WE” for most of the listen, but then I enjoyed listening to Arcade Fire. They looked at the previous record’s reception and took action to ensure they were not forgotten about or relegated to a lesser stage at the festivals. The band has ensured they will remain high up the bill at festivals by going back to basics, save for the lyrics. 


Song recommendations: ‘End of the Empire I-III’/End of the Empire IV(Sagittarius A*), ‘the Lightning I/the Lightning II’,
‘Age of Anxiety I’


7/10

Week Thirty-Eight: Doves-Universal Want

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My first experience (Knowingly.) hearing the band from Manchester was while I was playing FIFA 06 in October 2005 when “Black and White Town” came on the official soundtrack. Not my favourite of theirs, but it did pique my interest and made me want to check them out. I was probably intoxicated at the time, but I had heard them three years back on Later…with Jools Holland, even before then, if I am being honest. Their songs “Cedar Room” and “There Goes the Fear” were everywhere, from radio to television adverts. Those two being my personal favourites of theirs. Not forgetting their acid house classic “Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)”. Pardon? Yes, that’s correct. Doves started as Sub Sub in 1991 until 1996, when they worked with New Order’s Bernard Sumner. Since then, the members of Sub Sub decided to change direction with their sound and formed Doves in 1998, just after releasing “Delta Tapes” as Sub Sub.

Anyway, this is their fifth album after eleven years on a break, which initially was supposed to be the end of the band after 2009’s “Kingdom of Rust”. Jimi Goodwin even suggested during a gig in 2010 that it would either be one of their last or their last. But he was constantly dropping hints that maybe it wasn’t the end of Doves, a bit like the Stone Roses (Fucking hell. That’s the fourth Manchester band mentioned so far.) it looks like they have split again, but there is no confirmation on the official site or any announcement made. It’s just like Ian Brown with a cryptic quote, but he wants to concentrate on his solo career now. Jimi had been dropping these hints for six years and leaving cryptic messages via social media that maybe Doves were returning. And this year, they announced a string of gigs supporting various artists, but no mention of a new album that features the production of Dan Austin, who did their previous album. This one has been recorded at Frank Bough 111 Studios.

Now, I will do something different than usual with these reviews and do a short but sweet track-by-track review. Kind of a summary, if you will:

Carousels: Reminiscing about childhood experiences, especially at fairgrounds.

I Will Not Hide: Great vocals with a spine-tingling guitar solo. It’s very psychedelic over chill-out style music.

Broken Eyes: Doves, the Smiths, and Toploader. Save for Toploader, it is that typical Manchester sound.

For Tomorrow: Inspired by Portishead with the trip-hop.

Cathedrals of the Mind: a Hymn-like anthem dedicated to the late David Bowie.

Prisoners: Funk with remnants of “Black and White Town”. One that is ready for their setlist for when they go back on tour.

Cycle of Hurt: Returning to their debut album “Lost Souls” in 2000 with this ballad.

Mother Silverlake: An autumnal track that is very much country funk.

Universal Want: A segmented track that goes from acoustic guitar back to their acid house days and into old-school techno.

Forest House: A mellow ending.

Song recommendations: “Broken Eyes”, “Prisoners”, “Universal Want”

8/10