Album Review: Villagers - Becoming a Jackal (3/5)

Last stop on the Mercury Prize tour bus brings us to Villagers, an Irish entry in this year's contest with their debut album. Released in May, Becoming a Jackal became an instant hit in their homeland, topping the Irish albums chart. The album is a lush set of mostly acoustic songs with lovely melodies. It opens dramatically with “I Saw the Dead,” lushly scored with multiple pianos, followed by the lighter vibe of “Becoming a Jackal,” the album’s first single. “Ship of Promises” sails in on a grand guitar and synths melody before being lifted with a prominent bassline.

Although band frontman Colin O’Brien is noted for his dark lyrics, many of these songs have bright melodies. “That Day” is a bright, piano-based rocker, while “The Pact (I’ll Be Your Fever),” is a an organ-backed love song, albeit with some odd metaphors (“you be my master and I’ll be your fever”).

The minimal, distinct beat of “Home” recalls the work of the XX, a fellow Mercury nominee, it proceeds with Villagers’ typically lush guitar melody. “Set the Tigers Free” has a particularly lovely melody—a mix of acoustic guitar, piano and drums.

Some of these songs are pretty mellow, with mixed results. I like “Twenty Seven Strangers,” which strolls slowly with a mellow beat and acoustic guitar. The sweet piano and strings of “Pieces” have a retro feel. It’s a decent song until the over-the-top ending complete with wolf howls. The sentimentality gets to be too much “The Meaning of the Ritual,” whose prominent string and acoustic guitar melody come off a bit cloying. An the closing track “To Be Counted Among Men,” is a bit of a snooze, consisting almost solely of an acoustic guitar and a vocal.

Overall not bad, but not a knockout. Probably my least favorite of the Mercury nominees I'm familiar with.

Best: Ship of Promises, I Saw the Dead, Set the Tigers Free

Album Review: Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can (4/5)

Continuing with the Mercury Prize nominees brings me to I Speak Because I Can, the second album from British folk singer Laura Marling. The focus here is on contrast. As the album progresses, it alternates between more uptempo tunes and mellower, reflective songs. While this wouldn't normally be my kind of thing, I actually rather like it.

The fantastic opening track, “Devil’s Spoke” has a muscular, dark melody—a heady mix of acoustic guitar, banjo, bass and strings. It’s followed by “Made by Maid,” a gentle reflection on the cycle of life, with the singer finding a “babe” in the woods and taking him under her wing, only to have him blame her later for everything that goes wrong.

“Rambling Man” is a folksy number with mellow verses that highlight Marling’s gentle voice against energetic choruses of guitar and banjo. “Blackberry Stone” employs dramatic use of strings and guitar (as I sit here writing this, I’m watching the ocean, and this music is the perfect backdrop to the cloudy, gray day).

“Alpha Shallows” at first exudes a quiet drama from repetitive guitar chords, guitar plucking and other stringed instruments. Its darker melody is marked by higher peaks and valleys of relative quiet. “Goodbye England” is a gorgeous piece, with a warm tune reflecting on a love born in the snowy winter of the English countryside. “Hope in the Air” has a brooding piano melody that churns like a storm through this darker track.

Most of the closing tracks are pretty mellow, like tender “What He Wrote,” and the acoustic guitar-backed closing title track. “Darkness Descends” has a little more pep and is pretty upbeat, despite its title. Since I’m not a big folk listener, it’s hard to compare this to other acts. It reminds me a bit of Bat for Lashes, although not as strange.

Best: Devil’s Spoke, Alpha Shallows, Goodbye England, Rambling Man, Blackberry Stone

Album Review: Foals - Total Life Forever (4/5)

Time to review a few of the contenders for this year's Mercury Prize, to be awarded September 7. I already reviewed The XX last year, Corinne Bailey Rae earlier this year and I Am Kloot recently. Time to dig deeper.

Foals are a five-piece band from Oxford and Total Life Forever is their second album. It has a laid back but playful feel and moody underpinnings. First track “Blue Blood” lifts its chorus with cascading guitars, while darker “Miami,” has touches of synth pop. “Black Gold” clatters along during its verses but smoothes out for the choruses when the synth chords push to the fore. I also particularly like “After Glow,” which combines moody guitar playing with scratchy synths.

Some songs have a certain amount of quirk in a similar manner to Vampire Weekend, but with less fuss over instrumentation. Like on “This Orient,” which mixes playfulness with Bloc Party-esque dance textures. Others are just mellow and moody, particularly the final tracks, “Alabaster,” “What Remains” and “2 Trees,” which nonetheless builds up to a big climax.

At the center of this album is “Spanish Sahara,” a sweeping nearly 7-minute, multi-part song. It opens quietly with slow guitar strumming and some light distortion like the sound of the sea. Gradually it adds a hushed vocal, then a quickening bass drum. The guitar quickens, synths jump in, and everything gets louder as hi-hat dissolves the song into its second verse. Then at 4:00 the song really builds to its headiest, dance floor moment awash in layers and synth with a guitar solo. It’s a really great musical moment and a definite highlight on this overall rewarding album.

Best: Spanish Sahara, After Glow, Miami, Black Gold, Blue Blood

Album Review: I Am Kloot - Sky at Night (4/5)

Mancunian band I Am Kloot have been around for awhile, but haven't received much notice until this, their fifth album, received critical acclaim and then a Mercury Prize nomination. The album is produced by Guy Garvey and Craig Potter of the Mercury Prize-winning band Elbow. So apparently they know what they're doing.

In Sky at Night, they've helped shape a genteel set of acoustic, almost folksy rock. The lead singer reminds me of a lightweight David Gray. Best: "Northern Skies" exudes warmth and earnestness, particularly during the bridge, when the string arangement kicks in to dominate the acoustic guitar and soft percussion. The lovely guitar melody of "I Still Do" is similarly mellow and quite lovely. "The Moon Is a Blind Eye" is in a similar if too precious vein. "Fingerprints" lights a welcome rock fire under this album, even adding a sinister quality. Its stripped down closing of just strings and vocals is a nice touch, despite highlighting the shortcomings of the lead singer's voice.

The "Brink" in "To the Brink" refers to a pub, the setting for a nostalgic piece steeped in violin-back melancholy. The piano and bit of electric guitar in "Lately" reminds me a bit of Wilco, with its swaggering, gently plucked guitar groove punctuated by vocal and brass outbursts. It's like a late night in a dive bar. These songs are what Arctic Monkeys will be doing in 20 years if they can't stop singing about nightlife in northern towns.

"Proof" is a key standout, pushing up the tempo and percussion during the chorus and second verse, with the melody getting yet another boost from piano during the bridge. In a fairly downbeat album, it's the most "up" moment here. Like a late-night slow dance, old-fashioned "It's Just the Night" sways back and forth with its languid guitar and piano melody. The song is nicely sensual, creating an appropriately intimate setting.

"Radiation" is long--over 6 minutes--and buried as it is near the end of the album, constitutes a nice surprise as the album's most epic cut. First part is just keyboards and a vocal about being bombarded by the radiant energy of distant stars we can't say. Second part kicks off with a quirky transition than blasts in some horns to dramatically lift the song's volume, then drums--for the third part--pick up the tempo on what turns out to be a mostly instrumental number. Near the end, even more instruments enrichen the musical mix. "Same Shoes" can't help but feel a let down after that, but it's laid back manner, complete with horn solos, is a nice way to close the set. I know this band is from Manchester, but this song says "winter in New York" to me.

On its surface, this isn't the type of album that would usually appeal to me. Not enough "umph." But on close listen, it showcases some good songwriting and lovely, gentle melodies. I ended up recommending quite a few tracks here, as they are interesting and varied, yielding up rewards upon closer inspection. Just don't look from them in the top 40 anytime soon.

Best: Proof, It's Just the Night, Radiation, Northern Skies, Proof, Lately, I Still Do

Mercury Prize Shortlist 2010

Well, I didn't get anything right in my prediction of what would be nominated this year. I can't believe I forgot The XX, one of my favorite albums of last year, which has emerged as the favorite in this year's Mercury Prize contest. Of course that means it won't win--the "frontrunner" never does.

As usual, there are a lot of surprises here and bands I hadn't heard of. It was just yesterday thought that I was listening to I Am Kloot for the first time and thinking they were pretty good, so it was cool to see them here. I'm surprised Dizzee Rascal showed up, since Tongue N Cheek represents a pretty mainstream turn for the British rapper.

In the interest of, um, research, I just snapped up 5 of the nominees (in addition to the 2 I already had). So far, I'm really enjoying them. Here's a brief rundown:

Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions. This is the fifth album and first nomination for Scottish band Biffy Clyro. It's a fairly successful album, having scored four top 40 singles, including top 10 hit "That Golden Rule" and the rather gorgeous, dramatic song "Many of Horror," which I happen to really love with its big strings and guitars. Don't have this album, but I'd be open to getting it or least hearing more of it at some point. Check out: "Many of Horror."

Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea. This is the second album and first nomination for the English singer, who drew on the emotions surrounding her husband's death to record this lush, soulful work. I didn't expect her to be nominated, but I love this album, so it's nice to see the recognition for the singer, best known for her hit "Put Your Records On" (not from this album). Check out: "I'd Do It All Again."

Dizzee Rascal - Tongue N Cheek. Well, this is a first for the Mercury Prize: a nominee that includes three #1 hits. Not the norm for an award that generally champions lesser-known works. Of course Rascal was a bit under the radar until he decided to embrace dance music a couple of years ago, resulting in him being catapulted from indie-darling rapper to mainstream-hitmaking rapper. So famous is he that he recently scored his fourth #1 hit singing a World Cup ra-ra for England. This is Rascal's fourth album and third to score a Mercury nod; his first, Boy in Da Corner, won the award in 2003. Check out: "Holiday."

Kit Downes Trio - Golden. It's cool that the Mercury Prize often finds room for a jazz nominee. This year its British jazz pianist Kit Downes, performing here with his trio of Calum Gourlay on bass and James Maddren on drums. This is Downes' first album and nomination. Check out: "A Dance Took Place."

Foals - Total Life Forever. This is the second album and first nomination for Oxford, England's Foals. Total Life Forever is a great album. I considered reviewing it last month, and perhaps now I'll go ahead and do so. This is earnest indie rock with lovely, often soaring melodies. Check out: "Spanish Sahara."

I Am Kloot - Sky at Night. Championed and produced by Guy Garvey and Craig Potter of Elbow--the band who won this award 2 years ago--I Am Kloot's fifth album was released 2 weeks ago to some pretty stellar reviews. Their melodic, acoustic approach is quite seductive. I just got this and have only heard a few tracks, but so far I'm liking it. Check out: "To the Brink."

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can. This is the singer-songwriter's second album after 2008's Alas, I Cannot Swim, also a Mercury nominee. My first impression was that this isn't my thing, but then I listened to "Goodbye England" and thought it was really pretty. And then I listened to "Devil's Spoke" and found it appealingly dark and muscular, tinged with folksy banjo and fiddle. I didn't buy this today, but may just yet. Check out: "Devil's Spoke."

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More. Lots to celebrate in a certain corner of British folk music, as Marling's boyfriend Marcus Mumford's band also snags a Mercury nod with their debut. This album is hot right now--it's currently #6 on the UK albums chart. They've even had a couple top 40 hits. Check out: "The Cave."

Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation. The veteran of the pack, rocker Paul Weller (originally of The Jam) scores his second Mercury nomination for his tenth studio album. Not really my thing, but I know that has gotten a lot of acclaim. Check out: "Wake Up the Nation."

Villagers - Becoming a Jackal. This Irish five-piece is one of the least known of the nominees. Again, another one I picked up today and haven't listened to much, but sounds good so far. Check out: "Home."

Wild Beasts -Two Dancers. This is the second album from Wild Beasts, who I'd not heard of before today. This is moody indie rock with electronic touches. Another one I picked up and looking forward to exploring. Check out: "We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues"

The XX - XX. Love that this made the list. Gorgeously understated first album from the London-based duo. Their "Islands" is becoming something of a hit, currently on the BBC Radio 1 "B" list. Check out: "Infinity."

Related Entries

My (lame) prediction article

My review of The XX, XX

My review of Corinne Bailey Rae's The Sea

Mercury Prize Musings

The shortlist for this year's Mercury Prize will be announced on Tuesday. As usual, I expect it will be a mix of things we've heard of and love and things we haven't heard of at all.

So what might be the list that we've heard of?

Usually there's some overlap with the BBC Sounds of poll. I doubt Ellie Goulding could get in, but perhaps Marina & The Diamonds, Delphic or Two Door Cinema Club (a personal favorite).

Of albums that were more popular, Plan B could be a good choice. It came out some time ago, but Muse's The Resistance could be in there.

Other than that, I'm out of ideas.

Klaxons Take Mercury Prize

Newcomers The Klaxons picked up the Nationwide Mercury Prize last night, Britain's prestigious music award that is supposed to honor the quality of the music, as opposed to the Brits, the more mainstream award that also figures in popularity and sales. The Klaxons released their debut Myths of the Near Future early this year. The album has scored four top 40 singles including the top 10 hit "Golden Skans" and their most recent single, a remake of the '90s dance hit "It's Not Over Yet."

Oddmakers had tipped Bat For Lashes' Fur and Gold to win. Other popular nominees included the latest from Jamie T, The View, and Arctic Monkeys, who won the Mercury Prize last year for their debut, Whatever It Is You Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.

The evening's highlight was said to be Amy Winehouse's rendition of "Love Is a Losing Game," from her nominated album Back to Black, during which one British journalist said the room fell absolutely silent. It was Winehouse's first live performance since her recent spat of trouble, which has left her bloodied, in rehab, and contributed to the cancellation of US tour dates and her scheduled appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. See the video below--I agree she is mesmerizing, and it would appear, sober.