31 July 06                                     [news index]

PRESS: Playlouder invited The Horrors in to review the week's singles, including The Dogs' Home EP. Read on, it's a long article...

"Who are those goths downstairs?" asked our Jeremy last Monday on the way back from one of his many trips to the loo. Why, it was The Horrors of course, having their pictures taken down in the dungeon basement of PlayLouder towers. So we nabbed Horror boys Rhys and Faris to cast their ears over this weeks singles as they prepare for the release of excellent new single 'Death At The Chapel' / 'Crawdaddy Simone' on Loog.

The Knife - 'We Share Out Mother's Health'
(Brille)

Lesbian-beloved Swedish pop folk The Knife return with new single 'We Share Out Mother's Health'. Sadly this one's more a tarnished and blunt thing that'd have trouble getting through heat wave butter than that whistling throat cutter of 'Heartbeats' , a pretty decent beat that quickly becomes rather repetitive while, for some reason, a male vocal starts braying all over the top like he's got pissed walking home, and fallen in a ditch.

Rhys "I don't mind it actually. It's not the kind of thing I'd buy, but I like the grimey kind of beat behind it."
Faris: "It's not how I remember them sounding."
Rhys: "It's a bit like a Lady Sovereign kind of sound. I don't find it offensive, and I think this kind of music can be done in quite an offensive manner. I think sometimes the vocals can be really grating, and if the subject matter isn't particularly strong I just turn off straight away. I appreciate beats as well, and this is half OK."
Faris: "I don't like that vocal. I'm going off it a bit."
Rhys: "I didn't mind it at first, but that vocal... Shall we give them marks out of five? I'd say a two."

Ray Lamontagne - 'Trouble'
(RCA)

He's got a voice like singing peat, Jools Holland loves him, yet Ray Lamontagne still seems to want to release morose and throaty ballad 'Trouble' every ten minutes in the hope of a couple of £1.99 shots from Fifty Pound Man. Still sets us tittering a-plenty because it sounds as if he's singing "I've been shaved by a woman" rather than "saved" in the chorus.

Rhys: "It sounds like something someone's mum would listen to while driving the kids home from school. I can already see the video. I'm getting horrible images of wind turbines. The strings are maybe the highpoint, but even they're not doing very much. I'm trying to think who he reminds me of. He definitely reminds me of someone..."

Not even for when you're old and grey?

Rhys: "I hope not."
Faris: "I think I'd have to go for a one."
Rhys: "I'm happy for one."

Monkey Swallows The Universe - 'Science'
(Thee SPC)

Pleasingly sun-dappled, slightly twee offering from the first of two releases this week from the excellent Thee SPC label. Monkey Swallows The Universe. Think a weeping Belle and Sebastian waving a polka dotted kerchief at a loved one disappearing on a paddle steamer, bound for distant conflict. But what will the black clad Horrors boys make of it?

Faris: "I can't see why anyone would want to do this kind of thing. There's nothing new about it."
Rhys: "Not a winner. Just a half-folky feel that doesn't grab me at all."

Do you need things to be rather louder to get you going?

Rhys: Not necessarily.
Faris: "I think it comes across when a musician is really inventive and dynamic, whatever kind of music it is. And I don't think this does it."
Rhys: I can be moved just as easily by someone playing with guitar and acoustically as I can by a full-on noise assault, this just doesn't move me at all.

A bit twee?

Faris: "Twee isn't always a bit thing, but this... I like it better than Ray, though."
Rhys: "It is a bit soft."
Faris: "I keep expecting the pan pipes to come out."
Rhys: That's a one from me.

Bonnie Prince Billy - 'Cursed Sleep'
(Domino)

The Horrors seem unfamiliar with the also slightly earthily voiced darling of the American alt.everything underground, back with a new single that balances his ever distinctive lovelorn vocals with a meandering warmth courtesy of strings and backing vocals on this, the first song to be taken from his impending new album 'The The Letting Go'. What would they make of the introduction to good Old' Will Billy Bonbon, Hmm?

Faris: "I think the female vocals were a mistake."
Rhys: "I don't mind them coming in there actually. I quite like it, but again I don't think it's something I'd buy. I like the drums and the way the strings come in and I think it's quite nicely arranged. It's almost like a similar idea to the last track, but definitely done better. That didn't have many high points and just plodded along, whereas this has got dynamics and takes you somewhere with it. I like the bittersweet thing with the vocals too. I'd give this one a three, though I think I might prefer it as an instrumental track actually."

The Mardy Bums - 'Who The Chuff Are The Arctic Monkeys?'
Thee SPC

The second promised record from Thee SPC, and heck, it's a comedic one. Apart from, rather hilariously, hoodwinking one online fanzine who criticised this for not being very original, 'Who The Chuff Are The Arctic Monkeys' rather shows up said Sheffieldians supposed genius for not being all that much cop after all, so effortlessly does this spoof record ape their blokey jingle jangle. Nowt to do with Mark & Lard after all, sadly.

Rhys: "I dislike this right away."
Faris: "I really hate novelty records. It is the sort of thing that Mark and Lard would do isn't it? I've got no time whatsoever for this."

Doesn't it show up how poor the Monkeys are though?

Rhys: "We're not particularly big Arctic Monkey fans, to be honest. These are terrible lyrics. Can we give that a zero. We compare the Arctic Monkeys to George Formby."
As do we, dear chaps.
Rhys: "That one doesn't count as a song for us."
Faris: "We'll give it an N/A."

The Holloways - 'Two Left Feet'
(TVT)

Wahey! Band we though were going to be shit not being shit shocker! Naming yourself after one of the grimmest stretches of concrete, cheap fag salesmen and crack-crazed mentalists in London was never going to be a good idea, especially if you keep winding up on bills with some of the dreggiest bits of the dreggy London scene. But The Holloways 'Two Left Feet' is anything but, a jaunty and rather shapely indie ditty fiddled along with vaguely early-Levellersesque joy. The Horrors are similarly surprised...

Rhys: "It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Actually, it's a pretty good pop record.
Faris: "Yeah, this one's alright."
Rhys: "They do do that sort of thing I generally avoid, but I'm pleasantly surprised because I thought this was going to be something that I'd absolutely hate. Although I'm not a huge fan it's a nice pop song. I was expecting to think 'oh no, not another one of these' and really hate it, but it's alright."

Do you manage the average indie band rather well?

Rhys: "Yeah. The music that we're influenced by and really passionate about is so unrelated to the majority of guitar bands that have been playing over the last three or four years, especially the whole London scene thing, it never really got me. And the Libertines never did it for me when they were around, let alone in other forms or any of bands who sound exactly like them, so yeah it was never something that I've ever followed at all."

London makes the mediocre bands at the moment - that's why what's going on in Southend sounds so good.

Rhys: "There are so many mediocre groups. That's the thing with Wretched Replica, and these New Puritans. They're bands I'm really into at the moment, and Xerox Teens as well, they really blow you away live and on record."
Faris: "It does seem that there are two sides, there are interesting bands who people are noticing, and there are some terrible bands. I hate to be specific, but The Littl'ans are awful."

The Black Tulips - 'The Dogs Home Lie Detector'
(Scalpel Records)

Ludicrous fairground goth from the lady-led Brighton trio, this sounds like it'd dangle a rotting thigh, still clad in fishnet and feathers, over the side of your ghost train carriage as a skeletal laugh heralds your shocking, grisly, and sordid doom. Tries a bit hard, perhaps.

Rhys: "I think all the ingredients are here, but I'm not sure if it gets the right result. It's a bit too sparse for my liking. I know what they're trying to do, but I think it could do with a bit more of a beat."
Faris: "It sounds like Black Wire in places."
Rhys: "I'm not sure if I like it to be honest, but there's quite a lot of interesting things going on. I like the backwards drums and it'd be interesting to see them live to see what the rest of it sounds like. It's very Shakespeare Sister, actually. There's a few nice ideas, but it's not quite there yet, but I'd want to hear more."

Hot Club De Paris - 'Sometimesisbetternottostickbotsofeachotherineachotherforeachother'
(Moshi Moshi)

Almost certainly the single with the longest title ever to be seen on PlayLouder from the lascivious and hotly-tipped north-eastern fourpiece, who've been wowing audiences up the land with their Futureheadsy jerk and mucky mouths. The single with its skittery stop starts and charming harmonies isn't half bad, but The Horrors seem to be wincing...

Rhys: "I don't like the vocals, but I like this bit. It's got a kind of later Fire Engines style, or maybe a Good Shoes kind of thing. But the vocals put me off, they're too pronounced."
Faris: "We're northern! The music's alright actually. What's he saying?
Rhys: "'It's a norther day'? It's another day!"

So many bands seem to be pronouncing 'O' with an annoying sound at the moment don't they?

Rhys: "With The Futureheads it was more believable."
Faris: "It's like bands think they have to be especially regional to get heard. If it was on the music I'd give this three or three and a half, but the vocals knock it right down."

So The Horrors aren't big on any of the singles this week. Curses! But as we talk the rest of the morning away, nattering about Xerox Teens, These New Puritans, The Creeps, The Violets, it's pretty clear that these are chaps very excited about a host of new bands coming through who are so much more exciting than a lot of your general dross. We'll just have to have them back in a year or so... "There's so many bands who are nodding to obvious groups like Joy Division and that kind of thing, but not doing anything with it and you lose all the impact of the original," says Rhys. "But with these guys you can see it's completely natural, they're not trying to create a sound and it's completely theirs. There was a time a few years ago when London was really exciting, and then it seemed to get to that middle of the road thing where guitar music is bigger, but suddenly there's all this crap that doesn't really mean anything. But now there's a pocket of activity, not just in Southend, going on which is really, really good, and now all that needs to happen is for people to take notice of that, and I think it's happening."

Read the full review on the Playlouder website. You can buy The Dogs' Home EP from our online shop.

 

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