Prattle

This has been an incredibly rewarding album to live with since its release in the Spring of 2010. But it requires some patience and, perhaps, some concentration. Miles Kurosky has had a terrible run of luck with illness since he and his Beulah bandmates went their separate ways. But it’s clear that during his extended period of incapacitation, he was thinking of all sorts of musical ideas.

The problem for many people, I expect, is that he put all those ideas into one album. But after a couple of listens, this is probably the reason it’s so impressive.

It’s incredibly richly textured, with layer upon layer of instrumentation, vocals and sound effects. It has humour, tragedy and the occasional disco escape ladder. It’s worthy of studying as well as just listening, and I’m overjoyed that Kurosky still exists.

Enormously twee, but sometimes it’s worth lowering the defences. Some outstanding tunes (admittedly “reminiscent” of tunes by other people, occasionally), and some absolutely brilliant and beautiful lyrics. If you can’t stomach the following lines, you’d best stay away;

We make believe that our hearts are never shot,
and somehow you’ve convinced me that I’m pretty when I’m not.
Everybody I know wants to be your friend,
but I just want to hold you when the music ends,
that’s all, all I ask.
Is that too crass?

Sometimes it’s just nice to experience a sugar rush.

I didn’t really expect this. OK, so it’s Nina Persson, whom I somewhat adore. I can listen to Cardigans albums for hours. But the first A Camp album was a bit too downbeat and sparse for my liking. Not so this second album, which adds some relative energy and variety of emotions to the outstanding lyrics and immaculate vocal performance.

I first listened to this on a plane in January, while reading an overly-gushing review of it in Word magazine. I decided they were wrong, with their Abba references. But eventually I came to agree. It’s beautiful, and there are no tracks which I skip, providing I’ve got the time to listen to it all. It might have taken a couple of transatlantic flights and 3 or 4 listens, but after that first encounter a year ago, it never really shifted from being my favourite album of the year.

POP! Not sure why this never really took off. The estate of Biggy Smalls forced him to re-record his first radio hit (Hypntz became Symphonies), with instantly-diminishing returns, but it remained a great song.

There are some great singles on this record, and “Alone” remains one of the finest singles of the year, I think. For some time, I found the excellence of these tracks distracting, and was unimpressed by the rest of the album. But once the initial obsession had worn off, those other songs made a stronger case for themselves. Listened to on a long drive home from wherever, or played live at his bouncing gigs, this is a bloody brilliant album.

Harlem Shakes - Sunlight
Now, this reminded me of Primal Scream. It’s mainly the vocals, I suppose, which are reminiscent of Gillespie in countrified/stones mode. You’ll disagree.

Southeast Engine - Black Gold
I find myself going off bands when it looks like they’re proud Christians. It’s harsh, but it just doesn’t sit right, for some reason. Don’t know if this lot are, but their album does contain quite a lot of Bible references. I should scrutinise their lyrics before hurling them asunder. This one reminds me of Ben Kweller (before his total transformation into a bloody country singer).

Art Brut - Summer Job
No. No, Art Brut. I liked the Pixies too, and perhaps 3 or 4 of Frank Black’s later albums. But his sound of late has been extremely drab. And now you’ve got him in to produce your new album. It sounds like Frank Black & the Catholics. You’ve ruined it. Still, crawling from the near wreckage come the songs Alcoholics Unanimous and this one, Summer Job. That wailing at the start isn’t Jack Peñate, is it? Don’t make me unfollow you on Twitter, Argos.

The Decemberists - The Rake’s Song
Most disagree, but my favourite Decemberists album is unquestionably Picaresque. Full of singles, and featuring an absolutely fantastic sea shanty. They seem keen not to return to such easy listening, but the new album (Hazards of Love) is certainly closer than the last. This song’s been around for a while now, but I still like it.

Doves - Winter Hill
Given that Elbow nicked Doves’ act, I don’t quite understand why I like Doves, but can’t warm to Elbow. I should like Elbow. I’ve seen them in concert twice, but was bored rigid. Anyway, Doves have returned with another almost brilliant album (may graduate to true brilliance with further listens), containing an excellent lead single. And this must be the next one, surely.

Goldie Lookin’ Chain - By Any Means Necessary
Yes, they’re a joke that, if ever it was funny, probably isn’t funny any more. However, this is has got a fantastic hook. Really addictive.

Dan Black - Alone
Pop. Yes, I suppose The Kids are liking Dan Black. Maybe not the cool kids, though. Anyway, this heavily-processed bubble of pop offers immediate satisfaction. Or your no money back.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
Hang on, this is “Take me, I’m yours” by Squeeze. Good, though. It’s an album full of this 80s synthpop, sounding fulsome and tuneful almost entirely throughout. Good album, I think.

Oops
I meant to put Polly Scattergood (Other Too Endless) here, but messed it up. Here’s some blah, along the lines of what I might have said if I’d included it - blah Joanna Newsom blah blah Brit school, blah blah, blah blah blah!!! Blah, Kate Bush blah blah, blah blah blurgh.

Mod Amish - September
Sounds like Biffy Clyro. No, wait. Come back. It’s only his voice, really. Nothing new, utilising the old loudquietloud technique, but I’m very much drawn to this. They’re almost entirely under the radar, it seems.

King Creosote - Coast On By
Whenever King Creosote put(s) out an album, I tend to really like one song. I’ll hear it on the radio, but I won’t remember what it’s called. And then I never hear it again, because I get confused by all the folk and fail to make it through entire albums. Tried harder with this new one, and ended up really liking this one. I like that it builds a bit.

The Lonely Island - Sax Man (featuring [cough]jackblack)
Hmm? Oh, nothing. Seems to be a comedy album from regular Saturday Night Live contributors. We all know that Saturday Night Live is only funny about 10-20 years after it was on, so if these blokes ever want to be any good, they’d better leave. If, in fact, they haven’t already. This was the only track on the album that I enjoyed, even if it’s childish. It’s a bit sweary, if you’re bothered by such things.

Click here to download the file directly. I’d rather you subscribed, though, so I can see what platforms people are using, etc. Feedburner seem to have changed their service, so you might just have to copy the URL (http://feeds.feedburner.com/Prattle) into your chosen RSS reader or Podcast software e.g. iTunes.

Et la. I need a holiday or a better job. I’m sure now’s a great time to go job-hunting. I’ll doubtless have the pick of th… oh, the world appears to have gone to hell in a hessian bag-for-life.