Album Review: November's Top Of The Pops

A quiet month, as the 'Greatest Hits' syndrome attacks most high street stores. Here's the run-down on the best November had to offer:

Editors: 'In This Light And On This Evening' (rating 6/10)
Two steps forward, one pace back? That remains to be seen, but for now if NME-E fancies some Editors it'll be coming from albums one and two rather than this. Read more.

The xx: 'XX' (rating 9/10)
From the moment 'Intro' springs to life, The xx's sound, quite frankly, captivates the listener. The more you hear, the deeper you are drawn into their lair and once you're in there, forget about escaping.  Read more.






Read October's summary.

Album Review: Editors

Editors: 'In This Light And On This Evening' (Kitchenware Records)

1. In This Light And On This Evening
2. Bricks And Mortar
3. Papillon
4. You Don't Know Love
5. The Big Exit
6. The Boxer
7. Like Treasure
8. Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
9. Walk The Fleet Road


Birmingham boys Editors return with their third studio album, having marvelled most with previous efforts 'The Back Room' and 'An End Has A Start'.

It must be a difficult decision to make when your first two albums receive such critical acclaim; do you churn out more of the same and run the risk of becoming monotonous or do you go down a new route and, possibly, head for deadendsvile?

Most opt for somewhere in between and this can be seen throughout 'In This Light And On This Evening'. Ultimately this is a solid album, far darker and moodier than its predecessors, which hit harder where it mattered. Tracks like 'Bricks And Mortar' or 'Papillon' aside, which provide you with the sort of power surge you've come to expect from Tom Smith and co., the remaning seven tracks are a little slow and too intricate - the 'Sparks' are missing, as it were.

Two steps forward, one pace back? That remains to be seen, but for now if NME-E fancies some Editors it'll be coming from albums one and two rather than this.

NME-E rating: 6/10
Top Track: 'Bricks And Mortar'




Last 5 NME-E reviews:
P.A. Meirelles: 'UBM/MBU (2005-2008)'
Overspill Poets: 'Thompson Falls'
Cybiont: 'A Trilogy Of Random Thoughts And Considerations'
Muse: 'The Resistance'
The Cribs: Ignore The Ignorant'



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Album Review: Bombay Bicycle Club

Bombay Bicycle Club: 'I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose' (Ume Imports)

1. Emergency Contraception Blues
2. Lamplight
3. Evening/Morning
4. Dust On The Ground
5. Ghost
6. Always Like This
7. Magnet
8. Cancel On Me
9. Autumn
10. The Hill
11. What If
12. The Giantess

Having initially come to the fore after winning the 2006 'Road To V' contest, Bombay Bicycle Club have been cautious ahead of their debut release 'I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose'.

Has it been worth the wait? The answer is a more than convincing 'yes'.

The North London four-piece boast an intriguing combination of wicked riffs, majestic melodies and vicious vocals which result in an 12 track album which will rank among the best 2009 has to offer. After a brief musical introduction with 'Emergency Contraception Blues', the album sets its stall with the no nonsense 'Lamplight'. Indeed, the early tracks are a pretty gritty affair altogether, albeit interrupted by some lovely rhythm changes and catchy riffs, where 'Evening/Morning' is a prime example - It might remind listeners of Editors or Arcade Fire.

'Ghost' is wonderfully and appropriately haunting and the calm before the stormy mid-set ups the tempo a little with some really contagious guitar-driven songs which grow on you with every listen - 'Magnet' and 'Cancel On Me', in particular.

The run-in is no turkey either. In particular, 'What If' hits you where it hurts and culminates a thoroughly excellent first effort.

North-LondonDog Millionaires? Who knows what the future has to offer 'Bombay Bicycle Club'. For now, the present is bright enough.

NME-E Rating: 8/10
Top Track: 'What If'



Last 5 NME-E reviews:
The Temper Trap: 'Conditions'
Fanfarlo: 'Reservoirs'
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Cooper: 'Aeropuerto'



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Myspace Magic: The Scholars

The latest band to appear in the Myspace Magic section hail from the Midlands. If groups like Editors, The Cinematics or The National take your fancy, then you will definitely like this quintet; a quick visit to their myspace page will soon make you see why. Having been in touch with them recently and on backing them on their Road to V, NME-E was ablew to chat to the lads and find out a bit more about this more than interesting bunch. Here's what they had to say:

NME-E: Who are you and how did you come about?
Sch: The Scholars spawned from the songwriting of brothers Adrian and Chris Gillet, forming the basis of vocals, bass and guitars. From the ashes of previous bands, Adam Clarke became the drummer shortly after a few songs were written. We went into the studio to produce a 10 track demo in January of 2008. We didn't really start working seriously until about April of 2008 - we soon expanded into a quintet due to the constraints of live performance. Thanks to friendships and connections Tim Mobbs became rhythm guitarist in April 2008 and Josh Herring became keyboardist in November 2008 and have gigged extensively for almost a year.

NME-E:Tell us about your releases to date?
Sch: Our initial recording in the studio is called 'Turbulence'. It is a 10 track demo to showcase what we are capable of rather than a conventional album. Saying this, the debut album is in the works as we have written more songs and the summer months will hopefully be the time to record.

NME-E: If you could choose a band/artist to support you, who would it be?
Sch: Our favourite band at the moment are The National, although we'd be more than happy to support them! We're also big fans of Scottish rock outfit The Cinematics - incredible band!

I couldn't agree more about their analysis of The Cinematics. Personally, I think the Scots are far superior to The National. 'A Strange Education' blew me a way and I strongly recommend to anyone who hasn't heard it to get a copy.

NME-E: What's your favourite album at the moment?
Sch: Some disagreement, but the general consesus is as follows: 'To Lose My Life' - White Lies 'Tonight' - Franz Ferdinand 'The Boxer' - The National

OK, will go with that, although White Lies is a bit patchy and I'd put The Cinematics ahead of The National. White Lies and Franz Ferdinand have both been reviewed on nme-e.



NME-E: Finally, what are your objectives/prospects for next 12 months?
Sch: The next 12 months will be pretty big for us. We're tweaking and finalising the songs that we are going to use for our debut album, have a gig packed summer, a battle of the bands final coming up in May, headline slots as we progress, a website on the way, recording to look forward to and a record deal would be wonderful.

On top of all that, they have the honour of entering into the NME-E hall of myspace fame!


A big thanks to The Scholars. Please give them some support and visit their myspace page. If you like their sound you can back them on the Road To V too.

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Myspace Magic: Fly With Vampires

This week's Myspace Magic featured band are a quartet from Liverpool who, despite having formed recently are already making a name for themselves on the local music scene. Fly With Vampires might not mean to much to many a reader at the moment, but they are certainly one to keep your eyes on.

The music is excellent and worthy of a listen - there are currently two tracks on their myspace page, 'Not Wasted On The Young' and 'Tear Dried T-Shirts' which, while different in style, are easy on the ear for all discerning pop/rockers. 'Not Wasted On The Young' is a grower with an infectious guitar arrangement, while 'Tear Dried T-Shirts' is pure power-pop, and reminds me of a band called Puressence, whose album 'Only Forever' really made an impact on me when it was released.

Coinciding with Fly With Vampire's launch, then, here's what they had to say:

NME-E: Who are you and how did you come about?
FWV: We are Kieran and Phil, both on guitar and vocals, The Bear on bass and vocals and Paul on drums. We came together through the love of performing and the buzz we all get from creating new music.

NME-E: Is there a reason behind your name?
FWV: It is a modern and exciting name that stood out to us and will to others.

NME-E: Describe your sound.
FWV: It's a powerful and dramatic explosion of sound. It hits you hard!

NME-E: What are your releases to date?
FWV: It's early days yet, although we are looking to release our first single late June.

NME-E: If you could choose a band to support you, who would it be?
FWV: Editors, The Killers, White Lies and those kind of bands. We really respect them a lot. Although I would imagine we would be supporting them before they support us. haha.

If things take off, you never know.

NME-E: What's your favourite album at the moment?
FWV: Fleet Foxes.

NME-E: Tell us about your objectives/prospects for next 12 months.
FWV: We know we have the potential to go all the way this year. If the right person takes a chance on us i can see us being a regular on the likes of Radio 1.

For now they have made it onto nme-europe. Let's see how far they go from here!

My thanks go out to Fly With Vampires for being kind enough to answer my questions. Please show them some support and visit their myspace page and if you're in Liverpool tonight (14 March) you could do a lot worse than head to the Barfly and see them live as they support Go Faster. If it didn't involve an EasyJet flight, I'd be there too!

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