Not From There - Sand On Seven

YOURZ

We haven't got really close to this kind of music in our collection, although The Mint Chicks fall somewhat in the zone.  And that zone is what is known as noise rock or post-rock, to some.  I can't admit to being a fan of a lot of what there is to offer but I know what I like.

Not From There chiefly came to the attention of Australian fans with the song Sich Offen, first released as a single and then with this album.  That the lyrics are sung mostly in Austrian didn't seem to make a difference to the listeners.  It's a grinding burst of dance-friendly rock.  I remember seeing the band live back around the time this was released and it was great to see the beard-strokers and the ravers mix it up.

Their follow-up album, Latvian Lovers, is a lot more playful with less of the vaguely Teutonic soundscapes this  album uses as padding.  But there are still a few gems to be found.  Hurricane Charlie opens the album, bursting out of the speakers like a siren.  This is followed by Juanita's Cocktail Party, a gear-changing piece of distorted mania while The Corkscrew builds on a distinct snare break and distorted vocals until it explodes in a wall of distortion.

I remember really liking all of this album at one point but now it just sounds a bit too wanky and conceited.  And I know Mine is going to be pretty damned impressed too, so lets...

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT 

MINE

Well, it started OK.  A well-paced, rocky opener... and then it all went south.  Tweets and buzzes, singing in German fer gossake. That deeply indie I'm-not-really-singing-this-is more-like-beat-poetry-set-to-music stuff.  Wanky is the word.  I have to admit I didn't really listen to much of the album, as I'd get about 30 seconds in to each track before screaming loudly and pressing the "next" button.  So I guess I'm going to be predictable here.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT or off a high cliff...

For more information go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_from_There (we know its Wikipedia but this is all there is, folks).

In our collection we also have Latvian Lovers

A Gun Called Tension - A Gun Called Tension

MINE

Sometimes I feel sorry for the bands I've never heard of, when they get to pass my ears in this relentless pursuit of CDs I'll applaud, be bored with or scorn.  Particularly when I have a headache, as A Gun Called Tension found recently.

I'll have to admit the band's name made me view them with suspicion even before I'd heard a note.  Band names are a tricky business.  When I was young, I was very fond of a group called Penguins on Safari (not that I ever saw or heard them) because the name made me smile.  And for ridiculous names, AGCT has a long way to go before challenging my special favourite, People With Chairs Up Their Noses (not that I ever saw or heard them either).

Anyway, I pressed play, and heard - some interesting music.  There's some annoying monotonal rap, not shouty but with that next-to-nothing background that eventually makes it akin to the water torture.  There's some cool electronica and some next-to-rock (you know, it's kind of rocky but not quite) along with some OK lyrics in some songs.  And ordinarily I'd welcome this sort of genre-shifting, but in this case it just doesn't seem cohesive.  Although I only skipped two or three tracks after listening to about 30 seconds' worth, there wasn't anything here that made my ears prick up.  Not one song.  And nothing that made me want to look up who these people are.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

I'm not surprised Mine doesn't like this.  I completely agree with her about the cohesiveness of this self-titled debut.  The band, made up of members of various other bands including Modest Mouse, The Beta Band and others, have put together a challenging album (which, as we all know, either means difficult to listen to or a bunch of crap).  It sounds more like a hastily drawn-together compilation album than a cohesive band effort.  That they use various MCs probably doesn't help either. 

There are a few tracks on this album that are actually worth it, although a few tracks hardly makes an album.  Gold Fronts sounds like a long lost Moby track (in fact, it sounds better than most Moby tracks, as far as I'm concerned).  Treason comes out of nowhere, sounding more like a post-rock track from a New York band, with screamo vocals and a fat, indie bass line.  Foundation, featuring Roots Manuva, is probably a better example of his work than mostly anything he has done for himself.

This is another of those CDs I got thinking I might learn something about production as it is produced by Phil Ek, one of the best indie producers around and came with a glowing recommendation from a source I usually trust.  I have since learnt to be more discerning (at least I like to think I have, anyway).  The only track I'd bother keeping or listening to with any regularity would be Gold Fronts (the video is great).  The rest won't be missed, not in the slightest.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/agct