Chew Lips - 'Unicorn'

Much has and will be made about the fact that Chew Lips make electro pop and have a female singer. They have been chastised for sounding like so many acts who emerged in 2009 by people lost in a desperate bid to latch on to the ‘Sound of 2010’.

Fronted by the charismatic and stylishly detached Tigs, Chew Lips are perfectly placed between radio humping commercial pop and underground electronica. Bridging the gap between these two worlds means the band can borrow elements from both to create a sound that is familiar but contains enough invention and intrigue to ensure repeat listens. Speaking of intrigue Chew Lips have made the decision to ommit their two previous singles from ‘Unicorn’. This means that fans of ‘Salt Air and ‘Solo’ will have to cling on to their 7”’s extra tight as they are now part of the bands past.

Once inside ‘Unicorn’ you’re greeted by a stark vocal and glacial atmosphere. The curtain is soon whipped away however as pulsating beats make their entrance and power ‘Eight’ through to a triumphant climax. Chew Lips knack of writing a killer pop track is not to be underestimated. From ‘Toro’ to ‘Play Together’ by way of future smash ‘Karen’ this is a band who know how to marry a floor filling beat with memorable choruses and incessant hooks.

Hopefully the country’s obsession with their twisted concept of what is new will not scupper Chew Lips shot at the big time. Maybe they are treading a similar path to La Roux et al but they are doing so in their own way and you get the feeling this is the album the three members of the band would have made regardless of the past twelve months.

Ignore the critics, dismiss their opinion and forget their words for they are talking rubbish. Chew Lips are great and surely everyone knows electro pop is the sound of 1984 not 2009?

7/10

Originally for Gigwise.com

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For The Record: January 2010

January has been a fairly good month all in all. I've started up interviewing bands again, spending some quality time with Alexis Hot Chip, 4/7ths of Los Campesinos, Jack from These New Puritans, Delphic and Vivian Girls too. Gigs have been thin on the ground but that's partly due to my poverty.

In terms of album there have been a host of great releases chiefly 'Hidden' by These New Puritans. An uncomprimising and massively adventurous record it will no doubt be a mainstay throughout the year and hopefully elevate the band to a higher pantheon, something they richly deserve.

Albums of the Month: January 2010

Vampire Weekend - 'Contra'
Surfer Blood - 'Astro Coast'
These New Puritans - 'Hidden' (Album of the month)
Charlotte Gainsbourg - 'IRM'
Chew Lips - 'Unicorn'

Other notable relases: Beach House, FourTet, First Aid Kit, Delphic.

To download the best of January's MP3's visit the link to the left of this post. There you will find stuff by Dum Dum Girls, Everything Everything, Summer Camp, Memory Tapes, SBTRKT and much more.

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Kitsune Maison 8

French label and fashion house Kitsune have spent the best part of this decade curating their own compilations that have acted as a sort of ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ for hipsters. Now onto their eighth collection the name is a brand and recognised as breaking the biggest names in electro-pop and providing a launch pad for those looking to cross over into the mainstream.

On the strength of this effort however Kitsune might be losing their cultural cache quicker than the electro-blog-house they bore, bred and helped mutate. Forgoing their previous tactic of mixing the tracks for the listener this array of tracks feels superfluous and tacky. The album certainly does have some plusses though, no doubt about it. From Memory Tapes trippy sand dune inertia on ‘Bicycle’ through to Midnight Juggernaughts charming refusal to let go of the techno threshold Kitsune show that they still know how to string together the best sequence of party jams this side of Berlin. They also show their keen eye for a future star too with guest spots from label starlets Two Door Cinema Club and Delphic. The Molineux remix of Two Door’s ‘I Can Talk’ takes the peppy sugar rush of the original and makes it a intercontinental strut with melodies interspersing hooks and a killer breakdown. Delphic meanwhile still sound a bit like Keane going on Stars In Their Eyes as New Order but as long as they write songs as good as ‘This Momentary’ success won’t elude them for long. Finally the whistling Ayrian poster boys of The Drums purse their lips and blow all over ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ which rides the wave between infuriating and undeniable perfectly.

That’s the good though, the bad is so much worse. It’s the sort of thing a Nathan Barley reference toting naysayer would hold up as an example as all that is wrong with Warehouse parties and Hype Machine overkill. From Crystal Fighters to Heartsrevolution by way of Le Corps Mince De Francoise there is more filler in ‘Volume 8’ than a typical ageing Hollywood star. There is something so cheap and disposable to this music when it is done badly that by three quarters of the way through this hour long record you actually start to become a bit depressed. Much of the reason 2009 has been dominated by acts such as La Roux and the ride of Urban Pop like N-Dubz is that indie guitar bands over spent themselves and pushed people to breaking point. In much the same way Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight acted as a back breaking straw for commercial indie this lacklustre Kitsune outing reflects the demise in a musical style that has dominated the underground for years. From Klaxons to Simian Mobile Disco so many have benefited from the rise of Kitsune that a fall was inevitable and collections like this show why the appetite for dub and bass acts like Joy Orbison and Gold Panda has risen to mouth watering levels recently.

If this is the best Kitsune have then they may well need to go back to the drawing board and start over. If it isn’t then why didn’t we get to hear it instead of being left with this rag-tag bunch of club kid hangers on?

5/10

DrownedinSound.com

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Liverpool Sound City- Friday

///Gigwise///

Worst thing about festivals, be it in a field or a city, is band clashes. Forget your tent collapsing or giant queues the realisation that you can't see your two favourite acts of the moment as they are on stage at the same time as each other is a killer blow. Sadly that happens tonight as Leeds thrash heroes Pulled Apart By Horses are on at Korova at the same times as Patrick Wolf plays the University. Decisions, decisions.

Opting for The Bachelor extraordinaire Patrick Wolf means sadly missing PABH on the Gigwise stage- reports all round confirm we missed an amazing show. Mr Wolf however was spectacular (LINK) and ended at a convenient time to grab a taxi and make the beginning of Gigwise's headline act Ipso Facto. Playing to a healthy crowd (including Steven and Laura-Mary of Blood Red Shoes) they race through their set with buoyed with the confidence of a band fresh from supporting Last Shadow Puppets and Magazine in large halls, filtering that size performance into a small room such as this is an impressive sight. Critics dismiss them as style over substance but what they are missing about Ipso Facto is that the two are inextricably linked. Their black and white look works as the backdrop for their gothic pop hits such as 'Balderdash' and 'Harmonise' perfectly. Occasionally their monochrome turns monotone but 'Six and Three Quarters' proves that this band haven't quite said all they have to offer yet.

One girl who could do to keep her mouth closed is Chew Lips singer Tigs. The electro three piece play a late set at the Barfly and largely impress with their bleep-pop leanings and forceful beats. However their frontwoman's attitude throughout is ripe with disdain and arrogance. "You can sing along if you want to, it's what most people do" she says before 'Toro'. It's a shame really as the bands songs themselves are fantastic: new wave pop mixed with emotive electronics making for excellent bed partners and, like Metronomy yesterday, Chew Lips have the art of writing a memorable hook down to a fine art. None more so on the set closer 'Solo'- a contender for single of the year already, it sounds superb, however as soon as Tigs finishes her vocal she drops the mic and walks off stage leaving her band to finish the show somewhat ironically, solo. In some acts this type of behaviour is exciting and rebellious, this evening however it just came across as ungrateful.

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