One of Vek’s best effort gets a smart ‘Madchester’ remix from Paul Epworth. Love the sound of those old Oakenfold productions? There’s enough euphoric pianos here to last you another decade.
NYC’s finest return from their suspiciously long hiatus with a Ewan Pearson/Paul Epworth-twiddled track about nothing really that sounds, well, pretty much like The Rapture. Good to dance to and nice to have them back and all, but we were expecting a little bit more.
Track after track comes out of the speakers, nipping at your ankles like some overexcited dog that you can’t shake off no matter how hard you try. The production from Bloc Party/Futureheads man Paul Epworth is sparkling and the songs wed pop and punk in perfect manner, all delivered in the deliciously broad Newcastle tones of singer Paul Smith. It reaches a crescendo with the glorious ‘Going Missing’, at which point it seems that Maximo Park can do no wrong. Unfortunately, from then in they start to struggle a tad.
He used to be the ultimate indie no-hoper. But now JACK PEÑATE has discovered Krautrock, nu-rave and world music and released one of the year’s most engaging, and surprisingly accomplished, records. He talks about cultivating his eclectic side and discovering an outsider sensibility he describes as ‘joyous melancholy’.
She’s a mouthy young Londoner who knows how to strum a guitar and isn’t afraid to diss ex-boyfriends in song. Just don’t call Kate Nash the new Lily Allen.
