Words: Lee Harlem Robinson & Caroline Manchoulas

Most people know Macy Gray as that girl from ‘I Try’ with the peculiar nasal raspy voice. Hopefully now she’ll be known as the artist who managed to pull off a cover album featuring the most eclectic mix of original material anyone could imagine. ‘Covered’ opens with Eurythmics’ ‘Here Comes The Rain Again’ which in Gray’s drumless version sounds more eerie and ominous than the original. ‘Teenagers’ (My Chemical Romance) is flipped around as Gray sings it from the perspective of a mother of three teenagers. Kanye West’s ‘Love Lockdown’ is performed to the melody of Nina Simone’s ‘Buck’, giving it an upbeat, almost reggae feel. For her version of Colbie Caillat’s ‘Bubbly’ Gray enlists the help of Idris Elba whose deep croon elevates the otherwise forgettable original tune to an adult declaration of love. Gray doesn’t shy away from the big, seemingly untouchable songs either, producing thoroughly enjoyable interpretations of Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. The only track that doesn’t work is Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘Maps’, but apart from that hiccup, ‘Covered’ is definitely an album worth listening to, if only for the comic skits featured in between songs, especially Nicole Scherzinger’s advice to Gray on how to become more popular. Who knew the Pussycat Doll had such a talent for impersonation?

Words: Lee Harlem Robinson & Caroline Manchoulas

Admittedly, my dedication to being strictly indie in 2002 made me frown upon, and consequently ignore, Norah Jones’ debut ‘Come Away With Me’, which tore down the walls between jazz and pop and scooped up many a Grammy in the process. It’s all the more ironic that, since hearing a cover version of ‘Don’t Know Why’ on super-commercial talent show The Voice a few weeks ago, that song has been stubbornly stuck in my head, creeping up on me whenever I feel the need for some music to brighten up my day. (I’ve changed a lot since 2002). For her new album Jones paired up with Danger Mouse — the man with the coolest name in the bizz, who, together with Cee Lo Green, is responsible for ‘Crazy’, one of the best songs ever produced — and that, of course, made my former indie-bits tingle. On ‘Little Broken Hearts’ Jones sings of heartache and loss, something which her soft and dreamy voice, laid over Danger Mouse’s surprisingly mellow and sparse beats, is extremely suited for. Stand-out is the menacing ‘Myriam’ in which Jones boldly threatens the other woman in her man’s life. Perhaps the greatest thing about this record though, is the fact that Jones makes the dark business of breaking up sound almost dreamy and light, making ‘Little Broken Hearts’ the best — and most commercially viable — post-break up album since Adele’s ’21’.

Words: Lee Harlem Robinson & Caroline Manchoulas,

In 2008 The Ting Tings worked their way into our collective music memory with their catchy (if over-used in a variety of commercials) singles ‘Shut Up And Let Me Go’ and ‘That’s Not My Name’. I can’t remember the rest of their first album, and probably neither can you. It took Katie White and Jules de Martino four years to bring out their second record ‘Sounds From Nowheresville’, and unfortunately this one is even more forgettable. It starts out pleasant enough with electro-tinted opener ‘Silence’, but goes downhill from there. Not one track sounds like single material, ‘Hang It Up’ and ‘Give It Back’ are poor attempts at ‘That’s Not My Name’ catchiness. ‘Guggenheim’ is a spoken word track you expect to explode into a powerful chorus, but just turns into White shouting irritatingly. In ‘Soul Killing’ the duo make a tolerable enough attempt at reggae, if it weren’t for the sound of a squeaking chair scratching our eardrums over the rest of the melody. The worst track is ‘Day To Day’ which might as well have been written by a teenage third place finisher on a televised talent search. ‘Now I shall leave without a noise’ sings White in closer ‘In Your Life’, which, after listening to this record, is what I wish The Ting Tings would do.

Words: Lee Harlem Robinson & Caroline Manchoulas,

Rate: 70/100

The least we can say of Sinéad O’Connor is that, in public, she wasn’t ageing gracefully. If one song can redeem her from all the gossip and shameless tabloid headlines though, it’s John Grant cover ‘Queen Of Denmark’, in which she sings, every note brimming with emotion, ‘I don’t know what I want from this world.’ With an honesty almost unseen in today’s music, and that compelling howl of a voice, she guides us through ten songs in which she, quite literally, bares her soul. In ‘V.I.P.’ she decimates modern celebrity and ‘Take Off Your Shoes’ tackles the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church. The album offers a blend of provocative and always deeply personal songs. Single ‘The Wolf Is Getting Married’ is deceptively catchy, as is opener ‘4th and Vine’, which relies on a sunny reggae beat. The lyrics aren’t always up to par with the unique sound of her voice, resulting in some frustrating moments (Not that he’s no wuss / Girls you know his love is serious) but the album, as a whole, is so devastatingly raw and introspective, we can’t help but sympathise. ‘How About…’ marks the triumphant return of a real artist in exceptional form.

Words: Lee Harlem Robinson & Caroline Manchoulas,

Rate: 85/100

Of all the specialised music press lingo I’ve heard Visions described with (chill-wave, witch-house, cyborg-pop) I like the straightforward ‘gloriously experimental pop music’ the best. Canadian Claire Boucher’s third album is nothing if not a thrillingly nostalgic (glorious), bravely futuristic (experimental), subtle ode to everything that is good about popular music without compromising on credibility or creativity. Vocally Grimes reminds me of a more acrobatic Robyn, the kind of poppy, accessible voice that worms its way into your long-term memory and has you humming along to tunes you didn’t even realise you knew. Single ‘Genesis’ kicks off after the intro with simple yet effective synths, topped with deceptively girly-sounding, haunting vocals. The ‘oooohs’ that run through ‘Oblivion’, and wrap it into sugary perfection, contrast the dark lyrics (If someone could break your neck/Coming up behind you always coming and you’d never have a clue) and are a perfect example of this album’s tensions, proving that this kind of instantly likeable, melodic pop doesn’t need to lack substance. In a perfect universe, where quality was the only natural common denominator, track six ‘Vowels = Space and Time’ would top the charts for weeks (and some daring promotor would invite Grimes to play in Hong Kong.) If you like your pop savvy, clever and a little bit scary, let Visions be the soundtrack to your spring, my bet is it will last long into summer.

Words: Lee Harlem Robinson
One of my best musical memories is sitting on the grass in the sun at a summer festival and knowing my musical horizon was being broadened. The band playing at the time was Goldfrapp, on tour with their very first album Felt Mountain. The atmospheric melodies and operatic voice were simply breathtaking. Twelve years and four albums later the duo made up of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have released a compilation of singles that showcases their long voyage. From the dreaminess of their debut album’s Utopia and Lovely Head to the synth-laden dance on Black Cherry and Supernature with Strict Machine, Train, Ride The White Horse and Ooh La La, through the toned-down sound of fourth album Seventh Tree, A&E and Happiness being the two tracks featured on The Singles, and back to full party mode on their fifth, Head First, with lead single Rocket. In addition to this retrospective we get two new tracks, Yellow Halo and Melancholy Sky, that seem to indicate the duo are returning to the loungey feel of their beginnings. While we wait for their next opus, The Singles is a great and thorough look at one of the most talented and entertaining bands around.

Words: Lee Harlem Robinson
Me, I’m an indie girl. Give me something lo-fi over a slickly produced R&B track every day of the week. I would even take it so far as to say that I don’t really know anything about modern R&B, except the usual cliches: a smooth-voiced mixture of cringe-worthy, stale lyrics, self-glorifying David Craig look-a-likes and lazy beats that bore me to tears. So, what am I doing reviewing Echoes of Silence? Well, it started as a mistake. The Weeknd as a band name sounded like a Brooklyn hipster collective that cleverly forgot to put the last vowel into their name, just like that iPhone app that stands in the way of intelligent conversation with most of my gay friends these days. When I heard the first track (D.D.) my eyes literally popped out with surprise. “Is Michael Jackson back from the dead?” I asked my iPod? And what’s with this falsetto? Is this Dirty Diana? Oh yes, Abel Tesfaye has the balls to open his latest album with a Michael Jackson cover, and it’s nothing short of spectacular. What follows is a brilliant, slightly disturbing, at times lyrically monstrous, but satisfying album.

Words: Lee Harlem Robinson
The first time I heard Video Games I believed Hollywood sadcore was invented for me. Foolish of course, because the entire internet was falling for Lana Del Rey and her sultry nostalgic vocals by then. Now that her first album is out, the music press would have us believe she was the biggest internet bubble since the dot com hype, but Born to Die does have more to offer than repeat plays of Video Games. Blue Jeans oozes romantic melancholy (the kind I like) and Summertime Sadness will be a perfect post-beach playlist song once the Hong Kong summer hits us hard again. The drama of title-song Born to Die, the melodic sweetness of The Lucky Ones and the way Video Games has already etched itself into our collective song memory, make me a believer. The album isn’t perfect. I can’t understand why, for instance, the mediocre Diet Mountain Dew made it on instead of super-seductive b-side Yayo, and not every track of the fifteen on the (deluxe) album is distinctive enough to stand out, but as far as pop music goes, Born to Die is damn exciting and Lana’s honeytrap of a voice is surely addictive. Call me shallow, but I still believe the hype.

Words: Dai Man

Hot on the heels of the arrival of A Collection which I reviewed in the last issue of DS, comes the news of the imminent release of 1992–2012 The Anthology. In my previous review I mentioned that the best way to enjoy Underworld’s music is to listen to the original versions of their classic tracks and legendary remixes released over the years. And now it couldn’t be easier as this 3CD collection includes 25 awesome Underworld moments. Fans will recall the double CD set 1992-2002 released in 2003. Many of these originals remain and have been re-mastered and are followed into the third CD here by some of the more memorable moments from the last decade of their career. If you’ve heard some of this act’s tracks and want to get a better sense of their output, or if you’re not yet familiar with Underworld this is a great place to start. By adding last month’s A Collection, across 4 CDs you’ll have an impressive collection of some of the best electronic music ever released by a single act.

Words: Dai Man

Another interesting British act that hasn’t been in the news for a very long time is Stereo MCs. Hailing from late 80’s London they are best known for their massive 1992 hit Connected. The follow up to that came nine years later and Deep Down and Dirty was also a fairly big hit. Paradise in 2006 and Double Bubble in 2008 were not well reviewed and failed to repeat earlier successes then last year saw the release of their most recent album Emperor´s Nightingale and again it came and went without much attention. It’s a pity really because Emperor´s Nightingale contains enough good tracks that should have ended up on people’s iPods. Fortunately the latest single off the album, Sunny Day has just been released and it’s one of the better remix EPs I’ve heard in a while and serves as a reminder that if you missed the release of Emperor´s Nightingale last year then maybe now is a good time to pick up a copy to hear how Britain’s oldest electronic rap act sounds today.