Single Review: Jack White, 'Lazaretto' (2014)

The first official single from the album of the same name, 'Lazaretto' finds blues-rock's very own vampire once again indulging his hip-hop fantasies - and with sophisticated, brazen results. Following the same jam-session aesthetic of the Lazaretto reveal track 'High Ball Stepper', it's a stubbornly uncompromising affair; swaggering through effortlessly cool riffs and strutting tempos at its own leisurely pace, it simply demands your attention - and not the other way round. White's menacing vocals are similarly captivating; blending a mixture of singing, spitting and rapping, they sound at times strikingly, bizarrely similar to fellow Detroiter Eminem. Then threaded between the swaggering rhythm, Super Mario soundbites, impenetrable lyrics and bassline hook, it results in an inimitable mash-up of blues-rock and hip-hop influence White previously showcased on Blunderbuss' 'Freedom At 21'. And in truth, it's the kind of musical casserole only Jack White could have the audacity and talent to pull off - and the kind that reminds us why seven years after the White Stripes curtain-call Icky Thump, White stubbornly remains such a vital figure in alternative rock.

LISTEN: Jack White, 'Lazaretto'

Review: PS I Love You - 'FOR THOSE WHO STAY'

Fleetingly brilliant but all too often decidedly average, PS I Love You's third LP For Those Who Stay is a turgid and tiresome affair.

  It’s not an encouraging sign for a band that three albums down the line, they still sound like they’re still finding their feet. However, it’s a suspicion simply you can’t shake listening to Canadian duo PS I Love You’s third LP, For Those Who Stay. While not without merit, it is rarely an engaging listen; and its simplistic, straightforward take on fuzzy indie-rock proves increasingly mundane as the record progresses.

  While there are sparks that break the monotony and boasting a relatively strong opening act, For Those Who Stay otherwise sounds like a continuation of the same mid-tempo, synth-sprinkled fuzzy indie anthem; and quickly becomes a tiresome listen. This isn’t helped by Saulnier’s yelping, Frank Black-cum-Robert Smith vocals; an overtly, artificially styled performance that is frequently grating – and on occasion unlistenable.

  That said, curtain-raiser ‘In My Mind At Least’, ‘Limetone Radio’ and the album’s centrepiece ‘For Those Who Stay’ are all captivating songs, and proof that when members Paul Saulnier and Benjamin Nelson stray from their epic indie anthem comfort-zone, they are indeed capable of moments of genuine inspiration. ‘Limestone Radio’s calculated yet maniacal riff proves For Those Who Stay’s most gripping moment, and the unsahekably Smithsesque ‘In My Mind At Least’ is an excellent start, subtly channelling ‘The Headmaster Ritual’ and anchored in Saulnier’s Marr-aping jangley, intricate guitar lead. Then the record’s title track is a similarly 80s tinged highlight, echoing both Joy Division and MGMT in a sprawling effects-pedal laden epic, and all grounded in a mesmerising, sombre piano hook. But it is also telling that For Those Who Stay’s best moments occur free from the yelping shackles of Saulnier’s draining vocals.

  If anything, the album is a lesson to its members to dip their toes in more expansive musical water. While it’s opening act provides some fleetingly brilliant highlights, as a whole For Those Who Stay is all too often decidedly average – and very much the turgid sum of its monotonous parts. Sure, there is enough on this record to assure us that when they set their minds to it, PS I Love You are indeed competent garage-rockers... but it’s just too indulgently bloated, too lackadaisical and simply too convinced of its own epic greatness to amount to anything more. Ultimately, it's a sad indictment of the record that such impassioned indie-rock should leave its audience so cold, but it’s a census that becomes increasingly painful the louder PS I Love You wail.

4/10

 @_jamesgale

Single Review: Lana Del Ray - 'Shades Of Cool' (2014)

If the upcoming Bond 25 is lacking a signature theme, then MGM needn’t worry – Lana Del Ray’s new single ‘Shades of Cool’ is surely a worthy contender for the role. Underscored by a guitar coda unshakeably reminiscent of the franchise’s iconic theme, it’s awash with all the OTT drama and eerie passion of all the great Bond songs. But it’s Del Ray’s vocals that really steal the show (so long as they really are hers and not the result of an autotuning masterclass, as previous ‘questionable’ live shows have highlighted – see the infamous SNL performance of Video Games), sweeping between ethereal yet eerie, sweetly-sinister verses to the swooning, soaring passion of the chorus. With lyrics like ‘My baby lives in shades of blue/blue eyes and jazz and attitude/he lives in California too/he drives a chevy Malibu’ and drenched in production values probably not far off those of the next Bond flick, is it a style over substance affair? Of course. But then, what else do you expect from a Lana Del Ray record? While Nick Cave it ain’t, when the style is this stylish, its an engaging, irresistible listen. And for Lana Del Ray, it’s the sound of an artist playing to their strengths. 

@_jamesgale

LISTEN: Lana Del Ray, 'Shades Of Blue'