This album has been a major pain in the arse. There I was, all busy writing in some mildly ridiculous manner about my favourite musical emissions of the past twelve months, happy in the knowledge that my top ten had been pondered on long enough during idle (i.e. working) hours so that I hadn’t forgotten anything. Then I finally remembered to get hold of the second album from Thee More Shallows.

Y’see, this is the only goddamned thing I’ve heard all year that I’ve liked that isn’t almost entirely instrumental/huge swathes of drones/bizarre free improvisation/enormous bouts of riffage [delete as applicable]. It’s almost normal. The gorgeous half-whispered vocals are your focus, empowered by the only lyrics I’ve been interested in outside of an Anticon record in years. The music underneath is generally understated and gorgeous, subtly using complicated rhythms and fascinating textures. The recording is absolutely sublime too – everything is warm, well-placed, and fits together beautifully. Fuckit man, this what I dream pop music would sound like all the time.

“It’s almost normal.” Actually, I should modify that: It’s almost normal. Which is maybe the best thing about TMS – they can start an album with a completely incongruous opening of mildly cheesy electronic drums and synths, and after a couple of listens you won’t even blink an eyelid. There’s the jarring realisation that they’re singing about mass graves in the midst of the album’s most touching musical moments in “Ave Grave”. There’s the second of the record’s awesome one-two punch of middle tracks “Cloisterphobia” and “2am”, which features a high ringing toy piano picking out the lead melody with a sound that woke me up with a jolt after I had slumped asleep drunk and emotional listening to the album for comfort one night, and for a good ten seconds I was convinced that I was stuck in hell, and this was the soundtrack of my eternal misery. Somehow, this traumatic event has failed to temper my enthusiasm for listening to this song whilst sober. And then the last track, “House Break”, which builds oh so imperceptably yet inevitably… and just when you’re thinking it’s about to kick in for one glorious tallyhooing farewell hurrah, TMS have the gall to undercut your expectations, and end this record how they want to – not with a bang, but with a whisper. Which is both gorgeous and utterly appropriate.

Damn these guys. As if I didn’t think highly enough of their first record, they have to go and top it with this effort. My minor quibbles about ‘A History of Sport Fishing’ – sometimes I think perhaps it’s a little overlong and occasionally unfocused – have been not so much addressed as obliterated this time around. Clocking in under 40 minutes (a good 20 less than their debut) and with a laser-sharp focus on music, lyrics and mood, I’ve found myself listening to ‘More Deep Cuts’ at least once a day since it arrived on my doorstep. I just can’t help myself: this is pretty much perfect music. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Bastards!

P.S. I hear word that they’re coming to Europe in Spring 2005. I suggest you attend, if only to prod them into playing Joy Division’s ‘Disorder’ again.

www.theemoreshallows.com

www.monotremerecords.com

When entertaining eight drunken libertarian musicians/madmen from Massachusetts, don’t take them to a takeaway run by Turkish and Iraqi Kurds and let the two parties commence debating the merits of the USA’s 2004 Presidential Election candidates. It’s waaaaay more complicated than you could ever imagine.

(However, the encouragement of purchasing copious amounts of food in this situation is still recommended)

Sooooo…moving on.

I went to see Trail of Dead the other night for the first time in ages. I went along with some trepidation since I had heard rumours the new album wasn’t very great (and thus avoided hearing it til after I had seen them to avoid any difficult conversations, hah). Luckily they played lots and lots of old stuff which sounded better than ever, thanks to new two drummer action (is there any band that hasn’t sounded better with two drummers?). Some of the new songs sounded okay but they seem very unmelodic which has always been TOD’s strong point for me, I’m listening to the new album just now and, well, hmmm. The first single off it is shocking bad. Oh dear. I then managed to get lost in the fog during a 4 block walk home. It was very thick fog and it was dark and I had been supplied with beer, what can I say?

I was more successful going to see The Incredibles the next night, apart from the six hours of adverts and Disney trailers beforehand. Not to mention the horrifically awful short film beforehand which I can’t bear to remember enough to describe. Pixar, what were you thinking? Luckily the proper film was good enough to block out the horror so that I’d forgotten about it until reminded by Nic after. Arrive 30 minutes late and you should be okay to catch the beginning. There was even a trailer for a CGI film called ROBOTS which sadly looked rubbish. What a wasted opportunity.

But, aye, The Incredibles was fantastic fun with some amazing animation. The plotline was pretty good, if a little cliched, a kind of Spy Kids (if it was good) meets Spiderman. And stay for the credits which are brilliantly stylised snapshots of various points in the film. I was agape at them.

I’m now half way through the TOD album and the best thing yet is still the stupidly fun Lord of the Rings epic intro music. Fred Durst, I’m blaming YOU.