The Crookes - The Lucky Ones

Sheffield's The Crookes feel like a brand new band every time they resurface with new material for several reasons. Firstly, THEY NEVER AGE!!!! Secondly, and more importantly, they continue to add layers to their 50's rock n roll via The Smiths sound.

The previous album 'Soapbox' had their hardest guitar sound to date and was without a doubt, the most free-spirited they have ever sounded. New single 'Lucky Ones' continues down this path but the levels of experimentation have been upped with the inclusion of synths and fuzzy basslines.

As ever though, it’s the carefree attitude of The Crookes which makes them so appealing. As the chorus breaks joy, love, and hope are brought back to life in the alternative pop world.

When frontman Wait sings 'Oh come on / Don't you wanna be the lucky one / It goes on and on / Like staring at the sun / Do you wanna be the lucky one' the feeling that lovers are on a journey or best friends are making plans no-one else will understand looms large. Their ambition, quality, and infectiousness cannot be ignored for another album, can it?

The dream of being a great poet and a life-affirming band doesn't appeal quite so much now big record deals are off the table. The Crookes though, buck this trend, and this new single are demonstrating just how much can still be achieved.

The Last Shadow Puppets – Bad Habits

Miles Kane and Alex Turner returned this week with the first single of their forthcoming album ‘Sophomore’.

The bombastic nature plays to the strengths of Kane. It allows him to exude his aggression naturally and channel Richard Ashcroft on ‘Come On’ which live, he does better than anyone today but not always on record.

Turner meanwhile, has developed his most interest sound since ‘The Age Of The Understatement’. The twisted and hostile sound generated on the guitar has is as though Pixies or Nirvana have been re-recorded by a 60s British psyche artist.  

A big part of ‘The Age Of Understatement’ were the grandiose string arrangements. The strings here are courtesy of Owen Pallet but grandiose they are not. They too, echo a more deranged sound which is conjuring excitement at TT towers for the album. 

Pete Astor - Spilt Milk

Any fans of Astor's early work with The Loft and The Weather Prophets will be delighted with his return to the jingle-jangle indie spectrum. After two decades of more experimental music, 'Spilt Milk' is a welcome return home.

The opening two tracks, 'Really Something' and 'Mr Music,' could easily be part of the Kinks’ greatest hits collection due to Astor’s fine vocals. 'Really Something' is a simple and beautiful number that will have fans of Real Estate drooling.

'Mr Music' is the star act on this album. Astor nails the Kinks classic 'Waterloo Sunset' vibe so well that you'll believe you have heard this song a thousand times before on first listen. ‘Mr Music’ is more than just a Kinks pastiche though. Astor’s skill of supplying wit, charm, and melancholy in character within a song gives him a great identity.

Astor’s sombre route continues with ‘Perfect Life,’ which has a healthy dose of Ian Brown’s ‘Deep Pile Dreams’ about it. Switch off mentally, and you'll mistake this for a love song. Dig a little deeper, and the sarcasm and bitterness come to the surface as a partner continually lets an unwanted third person into a relationship.

'Oh, You' closes the album with more straightforward pop brilliance. The opening riff is similar to Lemon Jelly's classic hook on the 'Staunton Lick' and as the track meanders along it conjures memories of Belle & Sebastian's glorious 'Boy With The Arab Strap'.

With the deaths of Lemmy, John Bradbury, and Bowie within two weeks, Astor's foray into his past delivers richness and warmth much needed in the alternative music community. They say timing is everything, and this mid- to slow-tempo pop music is the perfect tonic for the recent swelling of sadness.

Paul Smith & The Intimations - Contradictions

'Contradictions' is the 3rd solo effort from Maximo Park frontman Paul Smith. On this occasion he has the hired help of Peter Brewis (Field Music), Wendy Smith (Prefab Spirit), Rachel Lancaster (Silver Fox) and Andrew Hodson (Warm Digits).

Smith described the record as 'an alternative pop record' to the NME last year and for the most part, this is true. What it demonstrates more is, Smith's prowess as a lyricist as he reflects on love and life.

Maximo Park fans tentative of Smith's solo work should dive in with the second track 'The Deep End'. It's a perfect bridge between what the two try to achieve. It has the classic indie guitar sounds of New Order and The Cure combined with the nostalgic melancholy often featured here. The production has the blissfulness of Bloc Party's 'So Here We Are' which is a great juxtaposition to Smith's confession that 'all my dreams are contradictions'.

Former single 'Break Me Down' continues in this vain. It is the perfect vessel for Smith to wrap his distinctive North East vocals around. The fragility Smith reveals here is where the real beauty lies though. The line 'break me down / It wont be hard' acts as the nail in the coffin for the relationship Smith is reminiscing upon as a lost opportunity. We are all for the Liam Gallagher standing fearless on stage but, the sense of 'what might have been', especially with a loved one is something more of us can emphasise with.

Perhaps the finest lyrics of Smith's career to date appear on 'All The Things You'd Like To Be'. The use of poetry paints brilliant grey landscapes of Smith's North East roots. The chorus of 'the office blocks of asbestos rocks / the corporation that fed the family' depicts the world which most us fall into to survive superbly. Not content with a great chorus, Smith's verses are littered with industrial reference points where he and a lover discuss what their ambitions were. This is without doubt a triumph of working class song writing and one that should be lauded from the rooftops.

Sadly this album only stacks up for the first 9 songs. The final four tracks fall a bit flat and ironically, you are left with a feeling of what might have been. The pop sounds dissipate and whilst the lyrics have their moments, they lose their impact without the power of the music to back them up.

Nevertheless, put the blinkers on and stop the album after 'People On Sunday' and you are left with a solid to good indie album with with some great lyrics. 

The Coral – Chasing The Tail Of A Dream

The Coral's release 'The Curse Of Love' seems to have reawakened the band's darker side and this continues with their latest single 'Chasing The Tail Of A Dream'.

The wonderful guitar solo will evoke the melodic genius of the 'Butterfly House' album, but the tinge of Edwyn Collins' 'Understated' and the apocalyptic drums give this song the edge they so richly needed.

Their new album 'Distance Inbetween' is released March 4th with UK and European tours in March and April and on this showing, the album and tour are not to be missed.