ALBUM REVIEW: Cults - Static

Originally published at Notion Magazine: http://www.planetnotion.com/2013/10/15/album-review-cults-static/

New York-based Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion aren’t just sugary pop duo Cults, they were also lovers, but this has recently changed. Static is not just a farewell record, it’s a break-up record: perfectly channelling both sides of their split, but sadly putting a hold on Cults for the foreseeable future.

The pair first brought us their debut self-titled album in 2011. Static however sees them leave behind the twinkling dream pop haze of tracks like ‘Go Outside’ and other xylophone-based gems in favour of darker, more serious coming-of-age tracks.

The fact that they are creatively and quite literally parting ways adds additional intrigue to the aura of the record, and has manifested itself into their sound, pushing starry-eyed optimism out of the door. Second track in ‘I Can Hardly Make You Mine’ flows with that particularly surf-oriented strain of classic-but-treated rock that Best Coast do so well. Paired with shimmering synths and the scrummy vocals of cutie pie vocalist Follin, it has hit written all over it.

‘Always Forever’ is soothing and raw: “We could stay alone//together.” ‘High Road’ follows on in much the same tone, but is laced with a stinging, bittersweet taste. ‘Were Before’ treats us to an intimate back-and-forth vocal arrangement from both Follin and Oblivion, sounding tender and heart-rending.

‘So Far’ and final track ‘No Hope’ are charged, powerful numbers and finish the record on a high. What Cults do best is to skilfully unionise and pay homage to the past while weaving in the best from the current zeitgeist. Every track here sounds familiar but incredibly fresh all at once as a result. Static is a natural progression for them, and they have lost none of their original charm. Get set to be wowed and moved by this incredible collection of raw and incredibly personal love songs.

INTRODUCING: Betty Who

Originally published at Notion Magazine: http://www.planetnotion.com/2013/05/02/introducing-betty-who/

Australia has been unrelenting with its musical exports in the last 18 months or so, take Flume, Tame Impala and San Cisco for instance, who’ve all provided us with startling, relevant and at times avant-garde approaches to their chosen genres.

Betty Who, born and raised in Sydney, is no exception, with her unapologetically pop-centric sound and peroxide blonde pixie crop. Her debut EP The Movement (which is available as a free download now via her Soundcloud) includes just the right blend of stylised pop with deep 80s craters.

Lead single and opener ‘Somebody Loves You’ is awash with sky-scraping choruses, while bubblegum pop courses through its every vein. Yet, just when you think she might, as an artist, be veering too much into that hook and loop-heavy domain, tracks like ‘Right Here’ take us down to a melancholic and perfectly chilled ambiance.

‘You’re in Love’, meanwhile, has echoes of Ellie Goulding’s new Skrillex-assisted sound, but is a stand-alone pop gem in its own right. 

Closing track ‘High Society’ leans into a playful teen-pop hue, capturing that starry-eyed anticipation of entering the adult world of parties and staying out late, which for the most part, describes Betty Who’s energy down to a T.

ALBUM REVIEW: Major Lazer - Free The Universe

Originally published at Notion Magazine: http://www.planetnotion.com/2013/04/24/album-review-major-lazer-free-the-universe/

For someone who has never really bought into that whole ‘Sean-de-Paul and Blue Cantrell’, faux-Jamaican thing, Major Lazer have repeatedly surpassed expectations. Take their 2009 smash ‘Pon De Floor’ for instance, which still gets even the most rigid of movers to lose their shit on the dance floor to this day. But, just what is it about Diplo’s dancehall side project that enthrals even the most cynical amongst us to shamelessly bop along to just about anything they put out?

Think back to 2009’s Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do, a record that put Major Lazer on the map in a big way, attracting the attention of Snoop Dogg (sorry Snoop Lion), Beyoncé and No Doubt. Whilst Major Lazer as a collective rose to the lofty heights of A* notoriety, one half of the outfit, Switch, decided to do just that and quit, citing “creative differences” – that old chestnut – leaving Diplo holding the reigns.

Did this deter him from putting out another record under the guise of Major Lazer? Of course it didn’t. One can’t help but wonder though, how the outfit would fare without it’s other half? ‘Get Free’, Free the Universe’s lead single was an absolute summer smash last year, with its gentle thudding and dreamy, low-fi sound. Opener ‘You’re No Good’ lends vocals from the magnificent Santigold, and albeit repetitive, is what any Major Lazer fan would no doubt have been striving to hear.

The album boasts an eclectic list of collaborators, including Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend on track ‘Jessica’, an unexpected union that somehow works. There are also appearances from Shaggy and Wynter Gordon on ‘Keep Cool’ and Laidback Luke and Ms. Dynamite on ‘Sweat’.

It has been one very long winter, but who’s first in line to provide a string of summer jams to accompany this welcomed and greatly needed shift in season? Why it’s Major Lazer, of course. Working just as well solo, Diplo has efficiently served up another dose of beguiling and genre-colourful dance floor bangers.

ALBUM REVIEW: Allah-Las - Allah-Las

Originally published at Notion Magazine: http://www.planetnotion.com/2012/11/22/album-review-allah-las-allah-las/

Allah-Las are a psych rock band who formed in Los Angeles back in 2008, priding themselves on their LA-centric, geographically enhanced laid-back style. Having released their debut EP Tell Me (What’s On Your Mind) earlier this year to rave reviews and the impressive approval of Patrick Campbell-Lyons, Allah Las are in a great position to release a full-length album. They also gathered masses of interest from the trendier American blogs and some UK ones after they turned heads at this year’s FYF Fest hosted in LA.

One wonders why it has taken the four-piece four years to collect up the tracks for their debut, but as the album unfolds it is clear that many a heartbreak has been woven into each track, carefully crafted with love and longing.  The record teems with nostalgic jangle-pop, hints of garage, psych and groove. The fuzzy, harmonised backgrounds and sundrenched guitars wash over you in a haze of blurry dream rock.

Allah Las are a band that wear their influences on their sleeve, with hints of Byrds, Love, The Kinks and even The Rolling Stones. They have that expansive sound that instantly draws the listener in, much like the more recent Tame Impala. The album has such classicist influences that one could be forgiven for mistaking it for an old dusty LP from the ’60s dug out of a record store.

Opener ‘Catamaran’ instantly transports you to a chilled out day on the LA sea front. The band are surfers as well as musicians, an obvious sway over the tone of their music on tracks like ‘Busman’s Holiday’ and ‘Sacred Sands’.  This album begs to be enjoyed in a social setting and is perfect background music. ‘Ela Nevega’ is an ambient grooving instrumental, a necessary break between the other more vocally led tracks.

There is nothing avant-garde about this record – it is more a loving homage to LA and it’s dusty pavements and gleaming seascapes, attributes that make it one of the most alluring places in the world. The album blurs through expressively and is nothing short of spectacular, unionising the bright sunshine and waves with the inevitable heartbreak that even the enviable setting of LA can’t quite soothe.