Album of the week
HOUSE Of ALL
The band formed of alumni from cult Manchester greats, The Fall, make an impressive debut that very much recalls their old group. Bizarre abstract poetry set against a backdrop of infectious groves; all swirling guitar lines, and driving, repetitious rhythms that drift into mesmeric psychedelia.
Tunes of the Week
Stallion Dunquis – New Morning
Firstly, Stallion Dunquis is a great name, which is why this initially caught my attention. It conjures up images of a flamboyant, be-robed wrestling character or maybe even a French cartoon horse. It’s the alter ego of Brooklyn-based songwriter, Colin Keane (slightly less exciting name). He’s put out a few songs to date, and this latest release had me impressed.
My overwhelming thought was that this sounded kind of like someone slowed down a classic Strokes track (that’s meant as a positive BTW). Dunquis’ vocals have a bit of that half-robotic Casablancas drawl about them, and the guitars aren’t a million miles off Someday, albeit a very toned down version. The first half of this has an almost lullaby quality to it, before things take a sharp left turn (careful your volume isn’t too loud because you might get a shock).
He does have a suspiciously large social media following which feels like a potential red flag. But as long as the tunes are as good as this, I can forgive any shortcuts he may use to get himself noticed.
Angharad – Postpartum
This is the second single from Welsh songwriter, Angharad. Previous single, Because I am a Woman, was a critique of female experiences in the music industry, dressed up as a big shiny disco pop anthem, driven by upbeat horns. On Postpartum it’s as if that brass section is falling apart. The music here provides a harsh backdrop of noise representing the subject matter. At times that noise can be taken as if quite literally mimicking a baby’s cries, but more metaphorically the noise reflects a mental state; a whirr of stress and conflicting emotions. Musically, it borders on a slightly difficult listen, but it’s worth it for the matter-of-fact lyrics, which feel like exactly what you’re not supposed to say in a pop song.
I thought I needed a female perspective on this one to really appreciate the context, so I asked my partner for her thoughts. She said it didn’t resonate with her experience and that it was horrible music. Then we had an argument about whether there was such a thing as objectively good and bad music… Well, maybe that’s my fault for siring such excellently behaved offspring and anyway, I like slightly horrible music.
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