SOUND JUDGEMENT
THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
IT’S hard to believe that this is Brooklyn rockers They Might Be Giants’ 20th studio album – and it’s just as fresh sounding as they were back in 1986 with their self-titled debut.
TMBG found their sound early on – and they are sticking to it. With many bands this could be a bad thing, however for TMBG their bouncy, fun melodies paired with some often dark and melancholy lyrics, the output never seems to fade.
There is no one else out there that can hold a light yet stark philosophical candle to John Flansburgh and John Linnell. A pleasure to blast out and sing along to.
BELLE & SEBASTIAN
OPENING with the rousing Show Me The Sun, the latest in a trilogy of Belle & Sebastian EPs ranges from themes of fatherhood to the metaphorical falling of kingdoms.
The heavier Cornflakes uses repetition in both lyrics and production to reflect on using imagery and experience in creating music while I’ll Be Your Pilot is Stuart Murdoch’s beautiful ode to his young son with frequent references to the Sahara.
Short and sweet, perhaps, but it would be remiss to disregard these mini-releases as stop-gap creations.
Their peculiar manner of issue is perhaps more a reflection of Murdoch and co’s attitude towards the current music industry, as well as definitive pieces of art in their own right.
FALL OUT BOY
IT’S impossible to pigeonhole Fall Out Boy as being of one particular genre – they have been constantly evolving since their first album in 2003.
Seventh studio album Mania is pure pop. It is not pop-punk, stadium rock or emo – at least not sonically.
Once you come to terms with that (especially if you are a fan of older, rockier albums) you can enjoy Mania for what it is.
There are soaring vocals from lead singer Patrick Stump and typically sardonic lyrics (“I’ll stop wearing black/when they make a darker colour”) heard on Wilson (Expensive Mistakes).
It might not be what you expect, but it’s still better than what your average pop-star churns out.