Owen Pallett – Heartland

Formerly recording under the moniker Final Fantasy, Owen Pallet has dropped the homage to classic RPGs, affirming his desire to make it on his own.

Not that he needs to – his orchestral and arrangement work for the likes of Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear and Last Shadow Puppets already merit more than a few footnotes in modern music history – but allowed to run free with his own ideas Pallett is a gifted composer of elegant modern indie-electro compositions with a classical twist, clashing the analog with the digital, and knowing it‘ll work.

He’s Patrick Wolf without the constant need to scream ‘LOOK AT ME!!’. For though Pallett may be prodigious with an obvious talent in everything he puts his mind though, ‘Heartland’ is not his ego on display for all to see. Instead, it’s a trip through Spectrum – what would be this artist’s Narnia – as Pallett conjures a deistic dialect for Lewis, an inhabitant of this fictional land, contemplating on his aggressions and confusions.

The music reflects the process, beginning with dramatic, but steady stabs of reflection in ‘Midnight Directives’, then coming to the driving assertion of ‘Lewis Takes Action’, developing the lively fantasy of ‘Flare Gun’ and finding epiphany in the ethereal synths of ‘Tryst with Mephistopheles’.

It’s a bold album, attempting to unite old with new, and literature with music, but it works. Remarkable as both a Fantasia-like surreal electro-opera, or 12 songs of cutting-edge North American indie.

7.8/10

It’s no surprise to learn that Fanfarlo are currently touring with mandolin led acoustic powerhouses, Mumford and Sons.

For like their partners in tweed, this Swedish folk fivesome deliver a fine pop drama complete with bleeding heart vocals and a whole delirious mess of unplugged strings and rampant percussion.

The band’s Scandinavian roots come through in keeping an order though, bringing some a coy sweetness to the affair that would never pass through the natural cynicism of a wholly British band.

Female backing tones on the lead male vocals too make sure things never take full control of the melody, keeping this ecstasy contained, but just as effective.

8.3/10

Release Date: 8 March

Swedish teenage sisters. Three words that must have brought so much happiness to so many men since the invention of the internet.

There’s a purer talent on display here though, with Klara and Johanna Söderberg both so young, yet so adept in creating soulful, beautiful, simple music that soothes like a fireplace after a walk in the snow.

A particular subtle highlight of their début record, ‘I Met Up With The King’ aches with sibling harmonies, assured strumming and soft accompaniment, each purposely old-fashioned in its way.

Two teenagers picking past elegance over modern bombast, and singing like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

8.1/10

Release Date: 8 March

Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here

In an age where revolutions are more likely to be Tweeted than televised, 2010 may not be Gil Scott-Heron’s natural home. Even the way music is consumed in the 21st century is something alien to the jazz/blues legend and hip-hop godfather, urging the listener to forsake their Spotifies and shuffle modes and “Turn off everything that rings or beeps or rattles or whistles/Make yourself comfortable/Play your CD/LISTEN all the way through.”

It’s an issue acknowledged by Heron, albeit via a Smog cover, with the declaration ‘I’m New Here’, returning 14 years after his last record into a musical landscape near unrecognisable from his most successful 70s, when his voice inspired a people, and his style began a genre.

Turning full circle though, Heron may be ‘new’ but he’s still irrepressibly relevant, taking back from the music that owes so much to him. With ‘Me and the Devil’ veers into the dubstep dynamic of the darkest hip-hop, turning the Robert Johnson blues classic into creeping DJ Shadow rhythms. There are nods to the rap elite too along the way, with lyrics, samples and styles that bring to mind West, Nas and Kweli along the way – bringing modern styles to sharp retrospective.

For, though Heron never dwells on the past, he cites its importance, as evident on the ode to his upbringing that is the two-parted ‘On Coming From a Broken Home’ where a grandmother’s love defies the ‘ologists’ and academics. An ultimate sound both new and old, relevant and brilliant.

8.8/10

Release Date: 8 February

Drawing obvious comparisons to the latest batch of American folk revivalists, with Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear and Band of Horses the more obvious boxes to tick, Local Natives have a hard job sticking out from a critically adored crowd.

But though have no animals in their name, these Californians are just as adept in the Neil Young obsessed, plaid-shirted balladeer stakes.

Like a lumberjack choir (though without the cross-dressing), ‘Airplanes’ give the band a chance to roll through grand US landscapes, all Redwoods and woodchucks, keeping things harmonious and glorious.

Throw a furred creature in their moniker, and they’d be every indie kids new favourite band.

8.3/10

Release Date: 1 Mar

And once again Scroobius Pip emerges as the voice of moral reasoning on that part of the UK’s youth who don’t mind a bit of thoughtful polemic with their percussive loops and simple, melodic synth dance.

For when Dappy from N-Dubz shines in stupidity with mixed messages of abusive texts and anti-bullying campaigns, this duo become beacons of intelligent analysis in modern UK rap.

Aware of the bleakness of “small-town syndrome” and a lack of understanding in sex and alcohol, ‘Get Better’ encourages a genuine positivity in educating their audience, emphasising choice and self-motivation.

An over-simplififed outlook maybe, and not quite as anthemic as ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ but few catchy four-minute pop songs will offer more this year.

7.7/10

Release Date: 1 March

I’m only giving myself 25 minutes to write this. Mainly so I don’t go on and on and take useless digressions that uncover nothing but tedium and irrelevance. Like this one. Mock the Week’s on though in a bit and, even though it’s now five sevenths terrible now that Boyle’s left, I like to treat my brain to its own version of Angel Delight sometimes. Even though it’ll probably vomit. Here are my thoughts on something much better though.

I’m talking about A Prophet of course (or Un Prophet, Ya Bastard as the French would say). Why? Because I saw it the other day. And also cos it’s got more praise than Allah.

It’s good too. Not the magical trip through humanity many are portraying it as, but an interesting and engaging look at man’s (and I mean ‘man’ as ‘man’, not as a synonym for ‘human’) relationship with his fellow man.

For, being a prison setting, there are very few women who show. A prostitute appears and grunts for a very brief spell, and there’s the partner of an inmate who is released, but, essentially, neither matter. Both are very hot though, so that’s cool.

I don’t know why I got onto this? I wanted to talk about the film specifically, not its underlying themes. I gave up fundamentally unnecessary academia a year ago now.

No, the duelling roles of young vs old, father vs son, teacher vs pupil – all purely male and testosteroneo fuelled, decisions decided by actions not words, full of violence, respect and repression – are all vital to understanding the wider arc of this very clever film. But it’s not necessarily why it’s good.

And that’s what a review should be about really. I’m going to talk about what wasn’t good first though. That works too.

First of all, there’s too much. Not length wise – though approaching three hours, it really flies by. There are just too many characters, thoughts, and significant events, none of which are really fleshed out to satisfaction.

I may be taking an unfair viewpoint here though. I’ve just watch the first season of The Sopranos, and, in a similar way to my experience with The Wire, I have been blown over by just what an immersible world of unique individuals, relationships and revelations a filmed work can have. Of course, this was over 13 one hour episodes though – a grace which A Prophet lacked. If only it was pitched to HBO as a six season masterpiece – I’d have no doubt it would be the greatest television drama ever created.

It’s not though. It’s a film. And, like all films with grand stories and complex inhabitants, voices are lost.

For, plot-wise, a young French Arab by the name of Malik, is sent to jail at 19. Scared and alone, he gets forced into doing a rather horrific deed (I’ll not to mention specific spoilers here, unlike other critics who slightly marred what would have been genuine shocks) before being offered protection by a gang of Corsicans.

And it’s those voices that are lost. We only hear from two of these gang members throughout – one their embittered, terrifying leader, the other – a smarmy lawyer.

The story gets so involved with Malik, we lose of what the world he inhabits is made up of. He’s on screen for 95% of the time, and though this is ultimately his gospel, you can’t help but feel cheated that only the most important figureheads ever have a say.

Things get muddled plot-wise too – characters are rarely introduced in an effective, rational way, instead popping up from nowhere, seemingly already having formed a relationship with Malik along the way. And the final 20 minutes, though stunning in their tension and direction, are never explained to be rational or believable. I may just be an idiot though.

Those are my only gripes however. And they only stand out because in all other respects – in dialogue, in morality, in acting, in storyline, in direction, in soundtrack, in set-design, in power, in drama, in emotion, in intensity – this film is utterly flawless.

There’s just too much talent on display. The two leads – Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup as new inmate and old gang-hand/son and father, are awesome in its more definite sense. There was awe, I had some. More than some.

Rahim matches Pacino’s vicious growth from civil civilian to demon don in his journey from petty street criminal to conniving gangster. And Pacino had two films to do it in. Bloody long ones too.

And Arestrup may look like Antony Worrall-Thompson , but finds both the terror of Walken and the patheticness of Edmonds. Superb.

They carry a film, built on their relationship, delivering lines with suitable murk, both scared but even more scared to show it.

My 25 minutes are up. I’m not really sure what you’ll get out of these words. I hope they’re useful for something though. See it anyway and make your own mind up.

Mixing Underworld exhilaration with the minimalist indie of The xx, all with lush Siouxie Sioux vocals, smothered in echo and effects, Esben and the Witch know how to create atmosphere.

You can nearly taste that moistened steam on your tongue as ‘Lucia and the Precipice’ bubbles up a potion of tension, lust and chills.

There’s a Gothic romance too – more Shelley or Stoker than Twilight – that gives maturity to this young Brighton lot, who, with warrant, should be heading to critical acclaim in a music press enraptured with anything a clever synth.

A song of edge to enthral, perfectly paced in devilish ambience.

8.6/10

Release Date: 8 Feb

White Rabbits – It’s Frightening

For a record so reliant on Jamie Levinson’s skilled, thoughtful drumming (and Matthew Clark too on occasion when one kit just isn’t enough), it’s odd to find this rhythm section somewhat of an afterthought when it comes to the production on White Rabbit’s second full-length effort.

Instead of the velvetine lush of fellow New Yorkers The National or Interpol, who have built their own dark sounds around similar tight beats, on It’s Frightening what should have been the domineering force to drive this album is reduced to tinny, weak amateurism.

Opening track, ‘Percussion Gun’ is reduced to irony, despite the clear imagination involved, wit an otherwise faultless array of melodies and musicianship not enough to turn this sound around.

The talent though is obvious in ‘Rudie Fails’ and ‘Right Where They Left’ which take exciting twists in turns through the world of American indie, blending the Okkervil River ecstasy with the cornfield sunshine of The Shins, all augmented with a more natural regimentation akin to the aforementioned Interpol. And it works on the whole, despite the obvious, out-laid grievances and paradoxes.

With a bit of polish, this could have given White Rabbits their teeth. Right now, that carrot’s just a bit too tough to get through.

6.1/10

Release Date: 25 Jan

If there’s one thing any mainstream pop blockbuster needs, it’s a chorus that sweeps away all thoughts of reality, inspiring only positivity, excitement and maybe a little bit of sweat.

It’s what seperated the likes of Florence and La Roux from Little Boots in 2009, and Marina and her Diamonds look set to take on the next leg of female fronted power pop reliant on that central hook, simple in structure but dynamic in its execution.

There’s a cynicism too shared with The Ting Tings’ Katie White (though without the silly indie girl annoyance) making verses crackle with a confidence of someone who wants this pop world for their own. One for the A-list.

8.3/10

Release Date: 1 Feb