LPreviews CDreviews Richad Ashcroft & The United False Llghts fromthe land, EP Dark Night of the Soul WeAn NationsofSound Richard Hawley, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, Sor.nrdt EMl,/Parlophone{995 EMIlMute Records {595 Capitolt395 t* *** *** Thatbanging Richard Danger on the keys, Hawley's Mouseisthe thatclack- uncommon tallerhaHof clacking baritone, as theoddcou- background, reminiscentof pleGnarls andthat ballad-eers Barkleywho jangling... the likeRoy gaveusup- We'rea jangling. From the firstnote of Orbison and Pat Boone as it is of tempohits inspira the sullen and lyrical Lenny this record, it's thatjangling that lke " Cr azy" wtd"Rtsn" . On D ark isduel grabs you.It's the same sound Cohen, is brilliantly captured on I,{ieht of the Sotll,however, Brian IerryLr that made you sit up and make EMI's new audiophile-grade vinyl Burton teams up with melancholic appear note of a Brit rock band named records. That isn't to imply that I\4ark Linkous aka Sparklehorse and KholKr TheVerve. Andyes, Richard Paul Hawley's brand of rock, part folk nighfrnare-director David Lynch to 'Jailho "Verveguy", partgospel, is Ashcroftis that who dated; his create- a sound-and-vision project. songth made shoegazing an art form. The songwriting and production mark Burton's trademark snap-crack- in1957 Verve may have gone down as the him out as the creativepeer of le hip-hop rhythms are conspicu- themrx most volatile band after Oasis, bands like the Arctic Monkeys, ous by their absence. It s like Loyha, and after a thirdbreakup in 2009, Radiohead and REM, even if his Linkous poured the glacial strum- clearth that Verve guy gathered a few brand of music makes for rather ming of folksy guitars all over them bigate sessions artists to forge RPA & more mellow, reflective listening. and they congealed into slowly muse,i The United Nations of Sound. Withfourtracks on it (anda plodding dirges. Then L5,nch pro- melodir Surging and subversive, this playing time of just over 20 vided the lurid visuals to accompa- Dharm double-LP debut album of The minutes), the EP opens with the ny these morose waltzes, bringing in"Aar UnitedNations of Sound (released wistful "Remorse Code" (from them to life like Dr Frankenstein. rockan inJuly this year) explodes with Hawley's earlier album, The result is the perfect soundtrack feature "Are You Ready?" - a fiery track Tru e I o u e' s Gu t t e r), lacing to slit your wrists to. makes' that's bound to keep playing in sparkling acoustic twangs with You could also just shoot your- acigar< your head after a few spins (not the subdued notes of a lyre. The self, the way the koubled and "llame unlike The Verve's "Bittersweet tracks that follow - "Shallow prone-to-drug-overdose Linkous thesan Symphony"). But, unfortunately, Brown" and "The Ellan Vannin did before this album was released. theset there's little more here that might Tragedy" - are both dominated by If you'd prefer to go like Nicholas 2008si compel asecond listen. The 11 the acapella entourage of The Cage did in ln au ing La s Ve g a s, do stillnol other tracks are all written or co- Smoke Fairies. The former is an it while listening to "Everytime I'm twosor written by Ashcroft, and another old sea shanty, interpreted on a With You", a paean to sahrating Aasma name you might recognise from breezyblues note, while the latter one's liver with unpardonable lev- Theme thecredits is thatof NoID, who is a droning, haunting take on an e1s of alcohol. Wantto drive off a foraha has in the past served as producer old folk verse (with some clifF Play "Pain", which sounds on Kanye Wes t and lay -Z fi acks. ponderous cello work by Colin like the inside of a manic-depres- Aasha In "This Thing Called Life", Elliot). "There's A Storm A sive's head - the ang4, punk rock Soundt Ashcroft reprises much of the Coming" has Hawley heading rhythm of drums and electricgui same angst with which he first back to a bourbon-soaked temper; tar beautifu l1y juxtaposed with the found fame, but the album winds set to afifties one-step waltz, the cheery tinkling of a harp. up in contraflows with "Life Can closing track makes for a glowing Linkous has sung just one of the be So Beautiful" and "Let My Soul windup to the EP's despairingair thirteen dirges on this album and Rest". In between, he takes time to of heartbreak and the prevailing it'scalled "Daddy's Gone". The dish out cheeky sloganeering themeof shipwreck. others feature the dreamyvoices of ("America") and cheesy defiance The False Lights fromthe Land The Flaming Lips's Wayne Co1.ne, ("Royal Highness"), leaving you EP (a ten-inch record in this case) Suzanne Vega and Lynch himself. groping for an anthemic overture was released inJune this yearby "Pain:I guess it's a matter of sensa- that you may have expected, but EMI and Mute Records, and to tion," sings Coyne on the album's freshn never arrives. It isn't the strained make a point about the revived opener. "Revenge" sets the stage pointu genre crossovers that end up format, they've also thrown in a for a surreal t[6-minute-long jour- tisehk beingannoyingasmuchas CD version of the EP inthis ney into a dark and morbidly like"Cl Ashcroft's narcissistic hangover package; you're urged to wager on seductive wor1d. "The more I try to Mohit( from The Verve. He doesn't seem telling the two apart on a decent hurtyou, the more it hurts me," havepr to have grown out ofprophesying, soundsystem, and if your Coyne confesses remorselessly. scoret and at some point, you're likely to experience is anything like ours, But regardless of whether you're halftk be put off by his bellowing, "One you'llfind Hawley's voice coming about to kill yourself or someone fullcor life! One nationl Musicl through significantly warmer, else, don't listen toDarkNight of songsr Dedication!" The only thing left to deeper and more resonant on the the Soulfuom start to finish in one like"A do then is to flip the record over, record./S sitting. You'll only end up confu sed suspici for another listen of the opening EMI's new line of a inyl re cor ds is about how exactly you want to end of thef track.Jaideep Sen auailablB at Reliance Tirneout. it all. A dity a Kun dalk ar Abrah, 72 www.timeoutbenghluru.net August 2O - September 2 2OLO.