‘Monster’ is about as far from Skinny Love as, well, a Winsconsin woodland cabin is from downtown New York.

Justin Vernon’s, aka Bon Iver’s, contribution is disappointingly brief but his clipped, soulful voice proves the perfect foil to the ferocity of the rappers. Kanye bursts out of the speakers with fury, Jay-Z with typical eloquence, while Nicki Minaj swings from what seems to be an MIA impression to hypnotic madness.

Vernon has reportedly recorded ten tracks with Kanye so this could be an exciting taster of more to come. It’s also another present from West, who’s promised to release a new song online every Friday until Christmas.

Download ‘Monster’ here:

It takes a lot to convince me that a band should stay still between records, usually because most artists don’t have the writing talent to release two albums with very similar sounding songs without the whole project running out of steam. Maybe I have a short attention span but I want to hear new ideas and some attempt to grow and push things on.

But in the National’s case, I’ve now come to realise that following the musical template set out on their last record only works to High Violet’s advantage. There’s a place for the new, exciting and experimental, but hearing something familiar, warm and secure has its own appeal.

The songs on High Violet don’t sound like tired copies of ‘Fake Empire’ and ‘Slow Show’. Rather it’s as if you already know them before you’ve listened to them. Like you’ve bought a new pair of shoes that feel as comfy as if you’ve been wearing them for months.

Of course it helps that Matt Berninger’s baritone is as comforting as a hot drink on a cold night, and reassuring even in the face of desperation. And the lyrics on High Violet are wonderfully strange as to make you laugh out loud despite their creeping darkness. ‘I was afraid I’d eat your brains,’ Berninger softly calls on Conversation 16. ‘I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees,’ he says on Bloodbuzz Ohio.

High Violet isn’t a progression but a sequel, entrenching not moving forward but in a way that confirms The National as a top tier band producing some of the most darkly beautiful music you can hear today.

The initial signs are good. The press release for ‘The Age of Adz’ calls it an “explicit pop-song extravaganza, augmented by heavy orchestration, and maybe even a few danceable moments”. Dreamy and delicious preview track ‘I Walked’ suggests Sufjan may have ditched the banjos for layered vocals with crunchy synths and drum machines.

But an album isn’t the only new material we’re getting because Sufjan has also released an EP, ‘All Delighted People’. Whether it’s a taster of things to come or just a way of getting something out of his system is yet to be seen. After the first few listens, however, I’m hoping it’s the latter.

It’s experimental, impressive and charming in places, but sprawling, bombastic and occasionally dull in others. Though it’s called an EP and only has eight tracks, it’s actually an hour long – a double album in vinyl terms – and, really, that’s far too long.

It’s built around two versions of an extra-long title track that begins with a haunting homage to Simon & Garfunkel but quickly grows into an overbearing mess of orchestra, choir and random noises like a crazed Phil Spector was let loose with ‘The Sound of Silence’.

Most of the other songs take a more familiar and manageable approach, but lack the balance of fun and beauty that made Illinois so special. Though that record was no shorter or less ambitious, its success was in bringing together its varied parts like a well-selected bag of pick’n’mix, with each sweet morsel complementing the last. By comparison, All Delighted People struggles to find a coherent voice and ends up sounding like a record for all the songs that had no other place, not least the final 17-minute epic prog track ‘Djohariah’.

But perhaps that’s what this record is: a showcase for Sufjan Steven’s diverse talent and vision that whets the appetite, even if it doesn’t always see him performing at the top of his game. And if it leaves room for something more perfectly formed next time I’m all for it.

All Delighted People EP is out now on CD, vinyl and MP3 on Asthmatic Kitty.

You can stream it for free here.

The Age of Adz will be out on CD and MP3 on Asthmatic Kitty on 12 October.

You can stream or download I Walked for free here.

Spark (thanks Wikipedia)

The vibrant synths and layered vocals of tracks like ‘Shut Out The Moon’ are instantly catchy, but Spark’s backing band (well, drummer and bassist) also play a vital part in bringing these songs to life. There’s a mass of energy on stage tonight, something you can picture being lost on record when the producer favours dialling up Spark’s admittedly powerful singing at the expense of the rhythm section.

There’s always a chance that any London-based 18-year-old alumnus of the BRIT school might be a polished, shallow starlet. But while her pop-star qualities shine through, Spark has an endearing freshness to her performance – and she seems genuinely excited that 40 people have turned out to watch her.

As Ellie Goulding and Marina and The Diamonds slip further down the charts, you can’t help but feel a nagging sense of fatigue when you count up how many British women pop singers have broken through in the last few years. But despite her onstage innocence, Spark may just have enough talent and tunes to convince the public to give her a try.

True, there are few surprises in the 12-strong list of the supposedly best British and Irish albums of the last year. And those choices you didn’t see coming (because you’d never heard of the artist) are largely there as token nods to their genre that will never actually win.

But do we really need to see message boards full of comments saying “I can’t believe Joey Sweatrag and The Pitstains didn’t get nominated ­– what a sham”? Especially when not all acts are in the running thanks to the roughly £200 entry fee. And some bands (famously Gorillaz) are so put off by the whole idea they don’t even want to be nominated.

Wild Beasts - Sublime

The annual outcry at the unfairness and corruption of the music industry is partly to do with the fact that no one can agree what the Mercury Prize is for or what it should be. Few people would agree with the official line that winning album is chosen solely on the basis of its music. And the nominations list is even more contentious.

Some see the Mercury as a chance to celebrate the diversity of the UK music scene, justifying the bland pop entries as well as the regular meaningless nods to jazz, folk and classical artists that will never win. Others think it should be a recognition of artists who don’t already have mainstream attention or who are pushing the boundaries of popular music.

And the more cynical claim it’s just a plot by the music industry to get us to buy more records. (Those capitalist scumbags conspiring to force us to part with our hard-earned money on something as useless as a CD. How dare they!)

All of the above are true to some extent. It would be good to look back on this year’s nomination list in a decade’s time and remember 2010 as the time when Biffy Clyro and the folk-inspired indie of Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling made a breakthrough.

xx - Beautiful space

When the Brits and even the NME Awards almost always go for the act that’s sold the most records (which obviously needs the additional recognition), there is a need to highlight the achievements of the wider variety of the UK’s music scene. Corinne Bailey Rae certainly doesn’t fall into that category but if more people are turned on to bands like Wild Beasts, Foals and The XX – and yes, buy their albums – then I’m all for it.

And it’s tough shit that Fuck Buttons didn’t get nominated. Maybe the judges just thought that most of the album was repetitive noise that ran out of ideas three tracks through.

Still no idea why Paul Weller’s on the list though.

Who do I want to win? Two Dancers by Wild Beasts is an incredible album. Dark, powerful and superbly executed, it sounds like nothing else out there right now. A record full of songs that mesmerise one by one but bind into a sublime whole.

Who do I think will win? xx by The xx is the obvious choice. Critically acclaimed, not chart-topping but with enough popular momentum not to be seen as the edgy for edginess’ sake choice. After the car crash of Speech Debelle last year and the resurrected ‘Curse of the Mercury Prize,’ the judges might be keen to get back on the winning streak of Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons and Elbow. Plus it’s a blinder. If you’ve listened to it once and dismissed it I urge you to give it another chance. Empty space has never been so beautiful.

Asher Roth

Imagine the complete opposite of a stereotypical rap star and you’ve got Asher Roth. He’s white, skinny, middle class, suburban and college-educated (hmm, why does that description sound familiar?). He’s not yet released a physical record but he’s taking over America, if you believe the hype.

His backstory already sounds familiar, having been signed after posting his songs on Myspace and gathering further internet buzz when he released the download-only album The Greenhouse Effect in June last year. It was the first record on Drama and Cannon’s influential Gangsta Grillz series by a white rapper. Apparently.

I was excited by my first encounter with Roth, watching his spoken-word recitation on prejudice and hostility (above). It was a rare find for me: a hip-hop artist who was not only intelligent and articulate but someone who wrote lyrics I could really understand and maybe even relate to.

My hopes came crashing down, however, when I listened to his debut single ‘I Love College’. It’s a banal and uninspired ode to getting wasted. I’m not saying that’s not a worthwhile pursuit but there have to be better ways of expressing yourself than: “Man I love college/I love drinking/I love women/Man I love college.”

In the song’s video, he struts around a frat house with all the awkwardness that goes with a white man’s cliched attempts to copy hip hop posturing. He’s like a young, American Tim Westwood and certainly as cringeworthy.

Annoyingly though, the song’s been stuck in my head for the last four days. Its catchiness and the very lyrics I am railing against are what will probably make it a hit. The kids love a song about bad behaviour.

Despite my disappointment, I’m still keen on hearing more from Roth. It’s not that often you hear of someone in the certified hip-hop fraternity who’s got more in common with an indie kid. Even Roth himself maintains he’s not really a rapper. I wish he’d shave off that ridiculous bum fluff though.

The Crying Light: a lesson in how to take guyliner too far

Who: Antony Hegarty, the British-born, New York-based transgender singer/songwriter and his band, The Johnsons.

What: The Crying Light – their third album and the follow up to 2005’s Mercury Prize-winning record I Am A Bird Now.

When: 19 Jan 2009

Critical reactions: Antony and The Johnsons have always been critical darlings and the new album has garnered lavish praise from most quarters. It’s even become Allmusic’s album pick for the band. But Rolling Stone gave the record 3/5, as did the Guardian’s Alexis Petridis who makes a valid point when he asks: “How many albums about anguish, death and body dysmorphia, sung in a tremulous, mournful, Nina Simone-inspired voice, does a person need?”

First impressions: Since entering semi-mainstream consciousness as a Mercury Prize-winner, Antony Hegarty has done disco and Dylan: the former by collaborating with pansexual New York dance group Hercules and Love Affair; the latter by contributing a sublimely tear-inducing cover of ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ to the soundtrack of I’m Not There (the Bob Dylan quasi-biopic where six actors portrayed the legendary singer).

With The Crying Light, however, Antony and The Johnsons seem to have deviated little from the blueprint of their last album. Even the cover image bears a striking familiarity, a black and white photo that’s at once disturbing and strangely beautiful.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y30PCFVTyDQ]

Inside, gentle piano and strings underpin melodies that ache with melancholy even when the lyrics take a more positive or at least ambiguous tone. The words still have the power to make you feel both captivated and uncomfortable at a simple turn of phrase. ‘Epilepsy is Dancing’ sends shivers down my spine just as ‘Cripple and the Starfish’ from the band’s first album did.

Dominating everything is Antony’s haunting voice and at times we are reminded of how devastatingly beautiful it can be, such as on the sparse ‘Dust and Water’, which sounds as if he stood alone in the desert at night to record it.

In interviews, I’ve always had the impression that Antony lives in something of a fantasy world, that he wants to be even stranger than he really is. His surprised reaction to winning the Mercury Prize over hotly-tipped young bands was something along the lines of “I’m old enough to be their grandmother.” Well, not really. You’re only 38.

Pretentious statements about his art probably seem perfectly sensible in his own head but down here they make him appear self-aware and without any real insight. It may be I’m drawing unfair conclusions based on quotes taken out of context, but where The Crying Light falls down is in a similar failure to go deeper. For all its moments of brilliance, it doesn’t achieve anything its predecessor didn’t and carries itself with less grace and fewer memorable songs.

Best tracks: Dust and Water, Another World

Catch Antony and the Johnsons on tour:

21/05 Brighton Dome Concert Hall (Brighton Festival) SOLD OUT

22/05 Birmingham Symphony Hall

24/05 Bristol Colston Hall

27/05 London Hammersmith Apollo

29/05 Gateshead The Sage

31/05 Dublin Vicar St SOLD OUT

01/06 Belfast Waterfront

04/06 Edinburgh Playhouse

03/07-04/07 Manchester Opera House (Manchester International Festival)

A quiff and peanut butter: sure signs of the cutting edge

Continuing my exploration of the state of music in 2009, I thought I’d listen to some of the acts that have been touted as this year’s next big things.

First up is London-based Essex boy (Ben) Esser and band. This guy’s name has been floating around for ages but I’ve only just forced myself to listen to him. Formerly the drummer in now-defunct jerky pop group Ladyfuzz, he’s now writing and recording songs under his surname (worked for Morrissey I guess).

Esser might not be a newcomer to the UK music scene but there’s a sense of DIY bedroom production to his work. That’s not to say the tracks aren’t slick, just that you can imagine them being pieced together from numerous loops and samples on a laptop.

Electro-pop is thrown together with the odd bit of noisy guitar in the kind of gently funky combination that Radio 1 usually loves. Plus the lyrics have got that essentially English Saturday night simplicity to them: “I love you but I don’t know how to tell you,” Esser tells us on repeat on the conveniently titled ‘I Love You’.

Possibly his most inventive song, ‘Satisfy’ has something of The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’ about it, which is surprising as it starts off with a piano stolen from a 1920s French café. But there’s just something a little too unremarkable about Esser to make him stick. The tunes just aren’t catchy enough; the beats are often a bit tame. And he forgets the golden rule of sampling: if you’re going to repeat yourself, say something that’s worth hearing again.

UPDATE: Second impressions, 19/03/09

I think I may have been unduly harsh on poor Esser. A day later I find there’s something inescapable about a song like ‘Headlock’, even if it’s not a pop masterpiece. Esser’s songs are inventive, playful and honest. And that is a great quiff.

To judge for yourself, listen online via myspace.com/esserhq or Youtube to:

Headlock

I Love You

Work It Out

Satisfied

If you like him, check out the album Braveface when it comes out on 4 May on Transgressive records.

He’s also live on tour next month:

16/04 Leeds Cockpit

17/04 Glasgow King Tuts

18/04 Middlesbrough Empire

19/04 York Duchess

21/04 Manchester Deaf Institute (oh the irony of having concerts here)

21/04 Wolverhampton Little Civic

23/04 Bristol Thekla

24/04 Southampton Joiners

25/04 Exeter Cavern

27/04 Brighton Komedia Basement

28/04 Colchester Arts Centre

29/04 Norwich Arts Centre

30/04 London ULU

So it’s time to play catchup. Over the next days and weeks I’ll be giving my first impressions of this year’s new releases and new artists, thanks to the wonders of Spotify. (If you don’t know what that is then you must be even more out of it than me. Check it out. Your life will change for the better.)

Merriweather Post Pavilion: trippiest cover ever

Who: Animal Collective: Baltimore-based group beloved by indie snobs. Only one of them is an animal – Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) – but their record label is called Paw Tracks.

What: Merriweather Post Pavilion: the band’s eighth album released since their formation in 2000. According to Panda Bear himself, it’s their best yet. Named after an outdoor concert venue in their home state of Maryland.

When: 6 Jan 2009 (this shows how out of the loop I am)

Critical reaction: Just one week into 2009 it looked like the critics had found their record of the year. With near universal acclaim (89%), Merriweather is the top ranking album on Metacritic so far this year. Pitchfork gave it 9.6 – their highest rating since Arcade Fire’s Funeral back in 2004.

First impressions: I’ve struggled with Animal Collective in the past. I often found their last two albums, Feels and Strawberry Jam, dense and unfriendly even if they were obviously brimming with neatly ordered ideas. Now I think I should have given them more time.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is not only the band’s most accessible album to date; it’s also the most joyful record you’re likely to hear this year, this decade, whatever. The songs here will make you tingle with delight and you’ll have to restrain yourself to stop from joining in with the pounding drums and chorus of “oooh” on the shimmering single ‘My Girls’.

The term ‘baroque pop’ gets thrown around a lot, but when the harpsichord-esque sound of ‘Daily Routine’ kicks in, you know this is a band that make their art out of the intricate. Their keyboard riffs could sometimes be taken from a rave track and their layered, echoing harmonies are pure Beach Boys. There’s even what sounds like a didgeridoo in there.

And yet the reason Merriweather breaks through where its predecessors have stalled is its simplicity. The arresting melodies are strong enough to be heightened, not hidden, by all those beautiful production tricks. I’ll always have time for something that creates this much bliss.

Best tracks: My Girls, Bluish

Animal Collective: they'll hypnotise you with just a wave of their hands

M83 – ‘Kim and Jessie’

Recreating rich sonic soundscapes in a live arena is never an easy task and tonight M83 don’t always replicate the all-encompassing sensation of their recorded output. They also suffer from the same problem as many of their electronic counterparts in that watching artists press buttons on laptops just isn’t that interesting to watch – it looks a bit like they’re checking their emails and if you wanted to see that you could just stay at work and stick your headphones on. But lead singer, songwriter and chief musical architect of the band, Anthony Gonzalez, still gives it all he has and at least ends up looking like he’s engaging in a particularly exciting online gaming tournament.

Having said that, the band still carry off an exhilarating and varied set, relying not just on the synth pop of their latest album but also throwing in the shoegaze, dance and ambience from their earlier records. Things even get a bit prog-rock at one point, helped in no small way by the enthusiasm of whoever’s running the Scala’s lighting rig this evening. The climax of the show comes with an outstanding encore Saturdays=Youth‘s centrepiece, the instrumental ‘Couleurs’. I’m left invigorated and wishing they would play on just so I could continue to dance away the energy that M83 have so skilfully injected me with.

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