Open your Fucking Ears

::My Latest Novel – Wolves [2006]







Artist: My Latest Novel
Album: Wolves
Release Date: 07 March 2006 Worldwide
Country: Glasgow, Scotland


It’s rare, that one can listen to an entire album without skipping any tracks that isn’t that appealing. And it is more likely to happen when you just got a brand new album, from a fucking new band that you have never heard of, and had no idea what their music are like. However, this is not the case with Wolves, the debut album from the Scottish five-piece, My Latest Novel. From the beginning to the end, every second is worth listening to, but that is not to say there are no dull moments.

No bands can escape from being compared to their peers and their seniors. My Latest Novel has been dubbed the Scottish Arcade Fire and has been compared to Belle and Sebastian, which is slightly uncomforting. I do agree to a certain extent, maybe it’s the violin that happen to appear in every single song, maybe it’s their style as art-rockers, that draws the similarity with Arcade Fire. But, I mean you have to be good enough to pull this shit off, and I think My Latest Novel is fucking brilliant.

"Ghost In The Gutter" is a grand opener for My Latest Novel first timers. It starts of pretty slow but gradually builds up in volume – applying largely cello, violin and drums, this song is mellow but explosive at the same time. “Learning Lego” works in a similar way – kicks off with slow acoustic guitars with layering of vocals – this song finally explodes in the last 30 seconds with heavy measured drumming and children’s choir. The first single off Wolves, “Sister Sneaker, Sister Soul” is a mellow love song which is arguably the best song off this album. “Wrongfully, I Rested” is another heart breaking ballad off this album that is hard to miss out.

My Latest Novel’s story is plain in simple – their intention is to tell stories with their songs, wrapped up in mellow but haunting melodies – weaving of violins, cello and vocals are the main elements at work and quite frankly, they pulls it off perfectly. There is something agonizing but at the same time about this album. It is intimate, and genuine, probably the most sincere record I’ve heard. Wolves is a very promising debut album and it’s one of the best this year too.

Beaker's Verdict: A+

::TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain [2006]







Artist: TV On The Radio
Album: Return To Cookie Mountain
Release Date: 03 July 2006 Worldwide
Country: New York, United States


It’s not often to come across material this neat; Return To Cookie Mountain, a sophomore release from TV On The Radio delivers a genre that is quite hard to file. It’s falling somewhere between tribal and post-punk, but then, it offers so much more than that. Return To Cookie Mountain is an album with soul and rhythm as well as musical beauty – but at the same time, it pushes boundaries and constantly keep the listener of the edge of their seat.

However, there is one thing this album may fall short – it is hardly accessible. While it may offer pretty rhythms, this album is dense, very dense instead. It may be a rewarding listen, but most of the time it’s disturbing. The lyrics are frequently indecipherable, up to a point where you can only enjoy the music more that the actual content of the songs. But then there is no argument here, difficult things are beautiful, and so you can say Return To Cookie Mountain is beautiful to a certain degree, just like a beautiful piece of artwork that the meaning remain mysteries.

TV On The Radio may have just produced one of the best single yet this year, at least it’s already my favourite song. Opening track Playhouses is unarguably the best thing Return To Cookie Mountain has to offer, and it definitely is one of the best track that you’ll hear in the past few years. The upbeat tempo and the urgency of the track are flawlessly executed, and it’s like nothing I’ve heard before. Having said that, Playhouses would probably be the only accessible thing here, the rest of the album did not manage to capture my attention like Playhouses did. They are decent, but at the same time, it’s too hard to comprehend.

In a nutshell, Return To Cookie Mountain is an album from a band that have grown from strength to strength, band with a combination of impressive musical talents so odd that you don’t often find in other bands. Unmistakably, Return To Cookie Mountain sounded more cohesive than their debut, they’ve pushed the boundaries a little, and sometimes it’s thought provoking.

Beaker’s Verdict: A

::The Streets – The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living [2006]







Artist: The Streets
Album: The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
Release Date: 11 April 2006 Worldwide
Country: Brimingham, United Kingdom


This is Mike Skinner, The Streets’ one man show front man’ third release, not the best, not the worst. I might not have came out sounding as fresh as A Grand Don’t Come For Free, but it certainly came off more assured and mature. The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living is an album basically about fame and everything about it, the drinks, the money, the paranoia and etc etc.

The strength of the album is probably the way Skinner have always delivered his songs, sappy, cynical, pathetic, and sometimes annoying but then this is all the reason why people love this record. Because Mike Skinner is low, without self-pity, and lyrically brilliant. This album is the way it is and it’s pretty in your face if I must say. There are many memorable moments to pick up on in this album. The songs are pretty consistent, which means they are pretty well developed and neat, and there aren’t any songs that sound too far out throughout the album flow.

There is no competition that anybody else could pull off something like this, even if they tried. Like his previous album, The Hardest Way To Make an Easy Living takes place entirely in his own head, and with his personal narrative, it’s a brutally honest statement about his life.

But then it all comes down to one question – are the listeners really that interest to know about his life?

Well, it’s either dig it or ditch it.

Beaker’s Verdict: A


::Film School - Film School [2006]







Artist: Film School
Album: Film School
Release Date: 24 January 2006 Worldwide
Country: San Francisco, United States


Third album from San Francisco’s art musicians Film School, the art work is a perfect visual presentation of the band’s music – the striking coloured red blooms fades into a dark background. First impressions of the quintet are extremely good, confidence and self-assured. They deliver an edgy beat, often surrounded by dark aura, revealing a spacious and cinematic texture that stylizes the album. The guitar work is clean and atmospheric, the vocals light and poppy and the rhythms playful to reflective. The only problem with Film School is their lack of originality – their tunes being constantly drawn in comparison with Joy Devision, The Cure and Interpol, but then what hasn’t been done before. However, Film School manages to produce a good album without crossing any boundaries, an album that sound familiar but yet at the same time fresh.

Beaker’s Verdict: B+

::Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere







Artist: Gnarls Barkley
Album: St. Elsewhere
Release Date: 02 May 2006 Worldwide
Country: United States


Everyone has heard of "Crazy", this year’s biggest single yet – is the collaboration work between Danger Mouse and Cee-Le, better known as Gnarls Barkley. Everybody is going crazy for "Crazy", but what about other songs in the album. This by far the most common error that it’s often made in a record. "Crazy" might just be the most ambitious undertakings in St. Elsewhere, while most of the remaining songs remain in a whole different league. The thing is having a song as vibrant and as thick as "Crazy" show the weakness of an album is it wasn’t properly executed. This is what happens with St. Elsewhere. There is a big inconsistency with the arrangements. After "Crazy", which is the second track, the album is going down with each track. At it’s best, St. Elsewhere pushes boundaries, and created a genuine genre blending music that only the both could pull off. It may fall short for some instances but as strange as it sounds, no one could possibly escape the funky rhythm and the fun-loving album art.

Beaker’s Verdict: B-