Album reviews - Hot Chip and Midlake

Midlake
‘The Courage of Others’
(Bella Union)

USUALLY a case of ‘back to the drawing board’ comes when a new idea is needed, a better one than has gone before. On this album, The Courage of Others, American indie band Midlake have produced something completely different to their preceding, breakthrough album, The Trials of Van Occupanther.
It is not quite a case of re-inventing the wheel, rather more Fairport Convention than Fleetwood Mac, but it is nonetheless admirable from a band that built up quite a head of steam with Van Occupanther, their second after 2004 debut Bamnan and Slivercork.
It would have been easy to make version two of that record but the band have said they refused to do that, “pushing for a newer sound and emotion”.
Where Van Occupanther had the excellent, pulsating soft-rock track Roscoe as its calling card, the steady throb of folk-inspired tracks such as Winter Dies and the Wilco-esque Small Mountain form the centrepiece of this album.
Rather than the mid-70’s Fleetwood style rock they channelled on their last album, Midlake have mined the trad-tainted folk sound of early British and American folks bands and added a druggy, prog-rock element, with the result producing a gently undulating, yet gripping acoustic-folk rock album that is a joy from opening track Acts of Man to closer In The Ground.
Of these, the epic, Jethro Tull inspired Small Mountain - featuring a heavy, throbbing guitar line that Wilco fans will devour - stands out as one of the finest, while the superb Children of the Grounds builds to a stirring finish.
Themes of nature and vivid Americana populate this album, which is a dark and often mournful offering, vocalist Tim Smith retaining his instantly recognisable drawl.
Rulers, Ruling All Things is a mournful epic, but it is on the deliciously country-esque The Horn and the short, trippy burst of Fortune that Midlake achieve heights not seen on their previous offerings, vindicating their decision to go back to the drawing board.
Rating 4/5

Hot Chip

‘One Life Stand’

(EMI)

THERE IS SOMETHING triumphal about the opening to Hot Chip’s new album One Life Stand, as a single drum beat gives way to a spacey, bleep-filled wonder featuring some of the most heart-felt lyrics founding member Alexis Taylor has written in the band’s relatively short life-span.

This is the happiest and most-structured Hot Chip album of the four that the London based electro-pop/dance outfit have released, a journey that began with the release of their debut Coming On Strong in 2003.

Where they made their big breakthrough with Made In The Dark, released in 2008, it was in fact their most unstructured offering, a dark and at times indecipherable album that didn’t stand-up to the test of time, at least in the eyes of this reviewer.

For all of their big dance floor numbers, Hot Chip’s greatest successes have been the softer, heart-felt songs, of which there are many on this superb album, most notably on the aforementioned opener Thieves in the Night, and the Joe Goddard-sung Brothers, a delicate and melodic offering that sounds like a tribute to Goddard’s bandmates.

The addition of drummer Leo Taylor and in particular, the Trinidadian steel player Fimber Bravo, add an extra oomph to this album, the sing-song steel pans on the dancey I Feel Better and the rather delicious One Life Stand really standing out.

Live favourite Alley Cats is finally included on record, and is a delight, its soft electro tones supplemented by a gently undulating beat.

Taylor has declared that this is the “most warm and soulful sounding record” Hot Chip have recorded, and he wasn’t wrong.

It is also the most cohesive, and a much calmer and inventive collection of songs that will give people plenty to dance to, but will also leave them with plenty to think about after listening to it.

RATING 4/5

Interview with Hudah of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

LIKE MANY people, when I saw the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect. Nine guys, all from Chicago, touting battered brass instruments - tubas, trombones, trumpets - swaying and swinging as they performed their unique brand of tight, highly composed hip-hop/jazz instrumentalism.

Standing on a cold December day on Cruises Street last year, where 20-30 people gathered to see Barack Obama’s favourite band perform a taster before the Trinity Rooms gig that would come later, it became plain that their moniker is no fallacy - their playing very much hypnotic, as the name suggests.

Is this the most unique band in the world today?

The success the band has had in the last year would imply that they are; the eight sons of legendary Chicago jazz trumpeter and Sun Ra Arkestra founder member Kelan Phil Cohran, plus drummer Christopher Anderson, supporting and playing with Blur at Hyde Park in July, as well as Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, appearing on Jools Holland and releasing their debut album on Albarn’s record label.

Success and plaudits aside, to see these musicians perform live is to be literally hypnotised, an aura of telepathy surrounding them, a fact that Gabriel Hubert - aka ‘Hudah’ - puts down to the fact that they grew up living and breathing music.

We enjoy creating music - you have to fun, that is not the main element, but it helps,” says Hudah, on the phone from a Glaswegian hotel.

“The thing that makes our sound so unique is that we have been playing together since we were kids. We have been hearing these notes since before we were born. Our sound is more of a cosmic and spiritual connection than a physical connection - it almost can't be put into words, because it is bigger than our personal egos and feelings,” he adds.

The band are returning to Limerick this Sunday night for a very special early gig in Trinity Rooms, a pitstop on a whirlwind tour that is indicative of their growing popularity.

“In the last 20 days we have been in South Africa, Japan, Turkey, now we're in Scotland and then coming to Ireland,” says Hudah.

“We love coming to Ireland, it is a non stop party country, the people are very honest and true, you wear your hearts and souls on your sleeves and you receive that energy when you get there. The reception for us in Ireland has always been great and it can only grow. The more and more we come out the bigger the buzz grows.”

Asked what it is about the band that has seen them grow in popularity, the trumpeter is confident in his response.

“Overall we have a unique sound, style and brand and are a unique entity that grabs people when they don't want to be touched, it is something that you can't refuse. If you listen for two seconds, you are there until we let you go.

“We come from a strong family and our father taught us to believe in ourselves and knowing that it is something that only you can bring to the world, we have that sense definitely in our music, our approach to business, in every endeavour in our life.”

He adds: “We sacrifice a lot so that we can get our music out there, so we can be on top of the world at some time”.

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble play this Sunday night in Trinity Rooms nightclub, please note that this is an early show and doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster or directly from the Trinity Rooms.