Album: Machineries of Joy
Record Label: Rough Trade
Serene and nuanced, "Machineries of Joy" is the Brighton quintet's finest since "Do You Like Rock Music?"
Despite their name, something about British Sea Power’s peculiar
brand of eccentric Britishness has always been firmly tongue in cheek. This is
no bad thing, and actually has turned BSP into a force for valuable British
music, something that is well defined on “Machineries of Joy.” A cynical,
sarcastic outlook on the semi- destructive nature of the coined “British
Culture”, “Machineries…” is part some of the most nuanced song writing they’ve
ever achieved (the title track, “What you need the Most”) part epic (“Monsters
of Sunderland”) and part the serenely organic (“Radio Goddard”, “A Light Above
Descending”). All in all, it stands amongst BSP’s finest work.
Key tracks: Machineries of Joy, What You Need the Most, Monsters of Sunderland
For fans of: Pulp, Brakes
8/10
Artist: The Dillinger Escape Plan
Album: One of Us Is the Killer
Record Label: Party Smasher Inc./ BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
The New Jersey mentalists protrude even further into the side of expert weirdness
When on the verge of beginning to listen to a new album by
the Dillinger Escape Plan, it is imperative that the listener remembers but one
thing: “Expect the unexpected.” It’s not really possible to have a “Dillinger
by numbers” album, but if it was it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing,
because “One of Us Is the Killer” is them doing what they do exceptionally
well. Opener “Prancer” and the more jazzy “When I Lost My Bet” are two of the
most frighteningly precise pieces of Metal you’ll hear all year. Greg Pruciato
croons over the spectral but doom- laden title track in a silky falsetto,
whilst “Understanding Decay” is a brilliantly constructed example of how
seemingly impossible sonic matches can work. Expertly produced and expertly
performed, “One of Us Is the Killer” has all the traits of Dillinger’s best
work.
Key Tracks: Prancer, When I Lost my Bet, Paranoia Shields
For fans of: Mr. Bungle, Converge
8/10
