Music Reviews: October 2014

Indiana
No Romeo
Album (Sony Music Entertainment)
“These may appear to be love songs but look closer, chip away their exterior beauty and reveal an inner darkness. I am No Romeo.” With these words, Indiana defines the central theme of her debut album, which folds twisted takes on love, loss, betrayal, revenge and regret into sinister, icy, leftfield electronic pop. Unlike Shakespeare’s Romeo, who finds true love but is ultimately destroyed by it, Indiana finds only tainted love, and yet she survives. Even at her most vengeful - “all your sons and daughters will be broken, from now on and ever more”, she pledges on Never Born – you sense an underlying vulnerability, and even in her most vulnerable moments, her power never fully fades. On the cavernous, gothic Play Dead, she could be Juliet, feigning death as a coping strategy. On Bound, she traces a journey from submission to dominance in a way that hints at sado-masochism,“this isn’t love, this is dangerous”; while on the title track, she spurns the whole idea of romantic love, “I don’t need no Romeo… it’s not enough, but it’s alright, I’m sleeping on my own tonight”. Only The Lonely buries an uplifting dance anthem under six feet of soil; Heart On Fire subverts the headrush of falling in love, casting it as a perilous act, like jumping off a tall building. Finally, Mess Around ends the journey with a ghoulish resurrection and a deadly re-embrace, “Your suffering completes me, I’ll take no more, I want no less.” Mike Atkinson

Can B
Don’t Sleep
Album (NG64)
If Can B’s last release, the Octopus EP, had a distinctly cephalopod vibe, his latest outing sees him in full-on vampire squid mode. The Nottingham rapper has fused precise bars, killer beats and catchy hooks for an impressive collection of heavy-hitting hip hop. He’s backed up ably by a talented roster of guest emcees, among them, local favourite Cappo, Ill Citizen teammates A-Double, K-Deuce and Tom G, Motormouf and Delo the Nomad, as well as Bru-C joining on one of the album’s highlights, Home Truth. Can B’s had a hand in the production too, and those beats are some of the standout tracks on the album. The imposing drums on Tell it to the Birds are nicely countered with a birdsong sample, while Piratejam makes deft use of a salty vocal for a pirate-themed banger. Free to download, it’s definitely not one to sleep on. Shariff Ibrahim
Can B on NG64 Bandcamp

Cappo
The Boot EP
EP (Boot Productions)
A stalwart of the local scene for a while, he’s been rather prolific of late but, as this EP shows, quality control is as high as ever, with the rapper currently releasing some of his best work. The production by Dr Zygote and Jazz T brings to mind the work of Madlib and J Dilla for Stones Throw Records and is pure seventies, gritty cop show stuff. Tense horns, laid back beats, warm funky bass that struts around like it owns the place; it throws you straight into a world of top-drawer moustaches, drug deals down alleyways, and police corruption. It works perfectly to frame Cappo’s fluid, crisp delivery. It must be said that Cappo has brought his A-game to this release; he’s sounding clear and on-point, flowing over the top of the tracks with the confidence of someone who has hit a rich vein of creativity. Paul Klotschkow
Cappo on Boot Records Bandcamp

Electric Baths
Achilles EP
EP (Self-released)
There’s no doubt Hymnn man Simon Ritchie is talented, but this solo EP really proves just how much talent is oozing out of him and his musical collaborators. With a knack for an everyman melody along the lines of Oasis and Arctic Monkeys, it was inevitable that every track would be enjoyable, but the hint of uniqueness within the songs themselves is what catches your ear. This is especially evident in Stand Up and Ghost Town, with hints of humour and a laid-back attitude presenting a twist in the music. Not only this, but the flair shown in the production and creating the EP is just as impressive as the musicianship, with a sound of professionalism running through all four songs. With the EP sounding as full as it does, Achilles is about as addictive as music can get. Hannah Parker

Gold Codes
Gold Codes
Album (Self-released)
The beautifully melodic and full-sounding music from Gold Codes is something that’s difficult to dislike. With seven tracks sounding just as strange and wonderful as each other, there’s a lot to enjoy and discover in this debut release from four local lads. Distance and Rewired have a lightly melancholic mood, yet Reborn creates a laid-back mood which is then balanced out with the excitement and intensity of None Swimmers and Melancholia Moves. Adding to this already sonically and emotionally jam-packed album is the texture of standout track Blood Run; its catchy beat seems to last forever, hanging around in your head for hours long after the song has finished. All in all, it’s impossible to fault Gold Codes with this incredibly varied and impressive array of music that quite simply has something for everyone. Hannah Parker
Gold Codes Bandcamp

The Hip Priests
Black Denim Blitz
Album (No-Balls Records/Ghost Highway Records)
With song titles like Motherfucker Superior, Evil Sweat and Zero Fucks Given, The Hip Priests make their intentions pretty clear before the needle even hits the groove. Things get even better when the music does start, with an air-raid siren giving way to a barrage of frantic, screaming guitars as Vodkacoma Casanova explodes into life. Think Raw Power by the Stooges, think Overkill by Motorhead, and maybe even think of Prime Mover by Zodiac Mindwarp: it’s all here. The NME review complained of “imagery that runs the gamut from boorish to potty-mouthed to sexist”, as if that was a bad thing in a punk record. Well, their ears must be painted on because this is as good a full-on, down-the-line punk record as you will hear this year. As Lemmy himself almost said, if The Hip Priests moved in next door to you, your lawn would die. Tim Sorrell
The Hip Priests Bandcamp

Neil Ward
Drift
Album (Self-released)
There’s been a lot of superb pop music to come out of Nottingham in the last couple of years, but it’s also worth remembering the city’s amazing instrumentalists. One of the best examples is Neil Ward, whose second album Drift is a stunning collection of eight instrumental piano pieces. Whether you would call this ‘classical chillout’ or whether it’s simply pop and rock-infused piano, it's an absolutely breathtaking album of songs. Stylistically it’s probably closest to the Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi, but could easily be the score to a Hollywood blockbuster or the backing music in an Ibiza bar at 3am. The Butterflies boasts a stunningly beautiful melody while Sky has a sparser and more dramatic sound but is equally as impressive. Drift may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s one of the best records I’ve heard from a Nottingham artist. Simply fantastic. Nick Parkhouse
Neil Ward Bandcamp

White Finger
Waste City Records
EP (Self-released)
White Finger are a breath of fresh air if you like your air covered in sweat, blood and spit. Waste City Records is a relentless attack on your eardrums. The opening track sounds like Eagulls’ dysfunctional sociopathic neighbours. Black Ritual gives frontman Joey Bell the chance to vent his frustration over a bass smothered in fuzz. “Give me your monnnnnnneeeey” he bellows as the drums batter you in to submission, leaving you in a heap on the floor. And this is only two tracks in. If Wall Street sounds like a night out with The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, then Milk Teeth is the after-party with the Sex Pistols. Based on these sixteen minutes of glorious garage rock fuzz, prepare for White Finger to be pointing out to the pretenders what a real rock and roll band should sound like. Rob McCleary 
White Finger Bandcamp

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