Reviews March 2008 Page 1 Brain Police - Beyond the Wasteland (Small Stone) When playing the popular parlour game “Countries the Belgians Look Down On”, the republic of Iceland being the smallest sovereign state in the whole of Scandinavia, is often offered up as a suggestion. Fuelled no doubt by the vexed issue of fish and an entirely reasonable reticence in respect of active volcanoes this is usually followed by the philosophical enquiry: “I mean, what is the point of it?” Traditionally this is a tough one. To the best of my knowledge no Icelander has even come close to winning Eurovision, much less topping the bill at Download, and frankly its list of contemporary artists in any complexion is hardly charged with distinction. Sigur Ros with their funny noises and made up words might have their advocates (most of who are being adequately Cared for in the Community), while tens if not hundreds more still pray for the day when Minus will actually deliver the decent album they’ve threatened for so many years. Bjork on the other hand is much harder to forgive, not just for her fur parkas, funny frocks and unpredictable outbursts, but more for having the bad taste to stick around for so sodding long. As Council for the Defence, however, I now produce Exhibit A: “Beyond the Wasteland”, the fourth long player by Brain Police, their first on the impressive Small Stone label, and un-coincidentally the first to slip away from the icy wastes and into the clutches of the transatlantic consumer. And a good thing it is to. Suffused with a healthy regard for seventies rock traditions the band throw up a veritable wall of sound including a slew of dense but highly accessible heavy blues numbers including “Black Tulip”, “Human Volume”, the aptly named “Thunderbird”, and opener “Rooster Booster”. “Hot Chicks and Hell Queens” is fast and furious, while “Snake” echoes Slade’s 1972 rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Move Over” (in a good way). It’s not all full throttle though. “Mystic Love” is a pounding and insistent rocker but has undeniable psychedelic flourishes, “Leo” builds up steadily to reach epic proportions a la Mastodon, and “Sweet Side of Evil” is hypnotic, haunting and menacing. Vocals are subdued in the mix to emphasise the massive instrumentation, but nonetheless Jens Olaffson is possessed of an expansive and sometimes spectral voice which provides much added character to an album which demands to be heard, even in places where the temperature doesn’t fall to -38 degrees. www.smallstone.com Neil B. - Barry Adamson - Stranger On The Sofa (Central Control) A welcome return from Adamson, who is now comfortably ensconced on his own Central Control label, after several years (and releases) with Mute. Long-time fans will be encouraged to hear that a change of label in no way means a change of style; he’s still making epic cinematic soundscapes for films that exist nowhere but in his own head. There’s a hint of earthy, folky goodness to some of the tracks, though they compliment the electronica and orchestrations rather than take over, and it’s less instrumental than his earlier works, with Adamson providing the vocals throughout. Indeed, both “The Long Way Back Again” and “Theresa Green” boast excellent chops, and are beautiful examples of intelligent, grown-up pop. www.centralcontrol.co.uk Rob F. - Steel Pulse - Door Of No Return DVD (Voiceprint) Steel Pulse are undoubtedly the finest reggae band to come out of the UK, and what’s more, I reckon their first three albums are as good as any reggae band anywhere have produced. They return now to movies and DVDs with their Door Of No Return documentary, which includes concert performances in the USA, interviews with band members and a trip to Goree Island, off the coast of Senegal, where slaves were shipped from, never to see home again. Directed by Michel Moreau, the film has an epic quality, and may well be the definitive release from the band, certainly on celluloid. The film opened The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival on October 27th, 2007, and a trailer can be found here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_ZXEHX70r4 Rob F. Next Page Past Reviews: March 07, April 07, May 07, June/July 07, Sept/Oct 07, Dec07, Jan08, Feb 08