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Reviews ist Phillip Frobos and guesting Izzy Glau
dini, complete with lyric “Pump, Pump, Pump up your Pyramid”. On ‘Common Mistakes’ you can almost hear the music evolving through the song, moving from say 1979 to 1981. The Clash bassline replaced by a more pop electronic sound, yet our unlikely music history lesson only lasts 1:50. ‘INTL Waters’ is about hunting down oligarchs and them meeting their demise in international waters, perhaps given the ‘dating’ of the album it could have been about Robert Maxwell. Its final verse is delivered with increasing frenzy and is a highpoint of the album. So successfully do they pull off sounding like a band from the very early 80’s, ‘Double Negative’ sounds like a band, Franz Ferdinand might have name checked as an influence. ‘PG’ pulls off the same predating trick for Metronomy. On an album full of fun and absurdity the last track ‘Compliment’ is more earnest and sincere. It’s probably their best vocally drifting toward Bowie and the guitars have a wonderful weight and patience that nudges towards Pink Floyd. As much fun as I had ripping through a faux forgotten new wave/no wave Souvenir, one wonders if the last track hints at even greater things to come. DC. A WONDERFUL WEIGHT AND PATIENCE THAT NUDGES TOWARDS PINK FLOYD PAGE 14 Def Nettle - DN001 Glen Brady’s globespanning, storied musical journey has culminated in the excellent debut from Def Nettle, the funk punk outfit he fronts and produces. On DN001, the Dubliner has crafted a compelling snapshot of his remarkable history, moments akin to former collaborators like LCD Soundsystem and inspirations like Beastie Boys form a core from which flirtations with proto-punk and indie form a cohesive whole. Bradys uniquely evocative lyrics are delivered between a distinctive Dublin drenched baritone and spreschgesang, which perfectly complement songcraft that is deeply appealing to someone like myself, raised on The Clash and cursed with a begrudging appreciation for the 80’s goth rock of the Cult and The Cure. The legendary and dearly departed Andy Rourke of The Smiths lent his unmistakable talents to ‘War Machine’, where The Devlins’ Graeme Slattery also provided guitar duties, lending the track a more elegiac air. This pastiche approach to personnel sees names like Jay Oglesby of Liquid Feel and Ronan Carroll of Grouse adding their , but with Brady at the helm, the many collaborations and contributions are corralled into a remarkably diverse yet integrated record, with constants like co-vocalist Lisa Doyle helping to make such disparate pieces work together. Bradys background as a DJ, his collaboration with Dolores O’ Riordan and Rourke D.A.R.K. and his explorations in electronic music, all conspire to inform the eclectic, earworm laden sound he’s devised here. Imbued with a real authenticity and a deep knowledge of intention and craft, Def Nettle stand primed to become one of the more compelling new projects to look forward to over 2024. AOC. Naomi Berrill - Inish From the off kilter cello plucks that open ‘Sea Warrior’, it’s clear we are dealing with one of those rarefied musicians that marry a lifetime of learning with a real invention in their approach to the instrument. Artists like Joanna Newsom, Ireland’s inimitable SELK or French art-pop savant Camille spring to mind, though only for how singular the sound is. A sumptuous section beginning the latter half of the stunning ‘Galatea’ is ethereal, truly a masterful approach to composition and tone, while an almost west African percussion opens the balmy ‘Heron’, wherein a beguiling melody and weaves between voice and vibraphone. The music on offer here may be diverse, dragging from sonic elements the world over, but it is brought together with cohesion, intention and a sense of clear vision behind its wide palette. The short, beautiful poem that ends the album is a subdued and thoughtful way to close a remarkably accomplished piece of work. AOC. The Smile - Wall Of Eyes To nobody’s surprise, ‘A Light For Attracting Attention’ sounded a lot like the music a band made from the two primary composers of Radiohead would make. Not saying that it wasn’t an absolutely incredible record, but “a sort of proggy, stripped down Radiohead” wouldn’t be an unfair assessment to make of it. This may have had something to do with longtime Thom Yorke accomplice Nigel Godrich also helming the album. Wall of Eyes by contrast, marks the furthest Yorke has ever sounded from those weighty, heady milestones he has so casually dropped throughout his career. New producer Sam PetsDavies certainly makes a bold, definitive statement with his treatment of this new batch of songs. This is not to say that the band’s ability to pen a masterpiece has changed or diminished in any way. A tint of 70’s krautrock production brings to mind Popol Vuh and CAN, a far cry from the complex electronic sounds