Round-up Tracks: Weezer, SBTRKT, & More

After years of Weezerlessness, it’s easy to see how important ‘Back To The Shack’ is for fans. It’s as though Rivers turned to the crowd with a knowing look and a cheeky wink, plugged in, rocked out, and after three minutes, it’s like they never left. ‘Cleopatra’ is equally important; for one thing, this is an accurate indication of where Weezer are as a band. There’s the little technical flourish of the shift to 5/4 time during the chorus, the Cheap Trick harmonies, the stadium rock production from Ric Ocasek. But they haven’t forgotten their roots either. The guitars chug along during the breakdown, while Rivers proves he can still shred with that classic Blue Album guitar tone on the solo. Why he’s singing about Cleopatra is anyone’s guess, but it’s so catchy that no one will care. (Duncan Smith)

If there’s one running concept that sustains through SBTRKT’s perfect patchwork of a new album, it’s the idea that things aren’t permanent. ‘Wonder Where We Land’ is a record that wraps itself up in the present day. If times are hard, they might get better, it says. And sometimes the situation itself feels like it’s gone miles ahead of the character within. The deepest and darkest of these arrives at the end of the record. A$AP Ferg is mid-drugs binge, just about gaining control of his conscience. “Feel my heart beating,” he begins, before grasping the odd dose of reality and trying to regain a balance. “Don’t wanna be caught like Kurt Cobain / My mind’s a Porsche, switching lanes.” This maddening spiralling process is backed by jaw-breaking drum parts from Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa. Notes shift out of place, almost like a removal man’s picked up a grand piano only to see it career back down to the floor. It’s easy to ignore the message behind SBTRKT’s music, and there’s an option to do so if revelry’s first on the agenda. But this one cuts deep. It’s a terrifying endpoint to a record that rarely reaches positive conclusions. (Jamie Milton)

Carrying the venomous sting of a scorpion that plays #phat synths with its pincers, South-London producer TALA’s new track oozes with a poisonously cool electro groove. Featuring bold samples that recall Ben Khan and a thumping bassline, ‘Black Scorpio’ cants blaring horns and lopsided hooks into something as twisted and addictive as the yolk of a cream egg. There ain’t no getting around the fact that the track is of absolutely stonking proportions; seemingly thousands of different sounds marry together into some sort of sonic monogamy - that shouldn’t work - but sure as hell does. The only thing to do is to place two ears bolt-out; it’ll sting eardrums across the sonicsphere with some potent electro-pop goodness. (Kyle MacNeill)

Considering her affinity for cheery album titles like ‘Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill’, it’s not really a surprise that the latest preview ahead of Grouper’s forthcoming eighth studio album, ‘Ruins’, is an emotionally-charged, devastating beauty of a track. Recorded back in 2011 while Grouper was in Portugal, ‘Call Across Rooms’ falls into the plaintive and lamenting category of Grouper’s wide arsenal, and oozes with a strange, slow-burning sense of longing. Moving away from the ambient, static-covered haze of Harris’ last record, ‘The Man Who Died In His Own Boat’, into a more minimal place, echoing piano keys steal the show. They meandering like raindrops dithering down a windowpane. Emotionally Grouper’s latesst is a bit like a Sim stuck in a swimming pool with a missing ladder. Dark, sadistic, and weirdly enjoyable, there’s no way to escape the murky deeps. (El Hunt)

Everything North London four-piece Gengahr have shared up to now shares one running trait: There’s a sinister, creeping sensation bubbling beneath the surface. Nobody calls a song ‘Fill My Gums With Blood’ without being able to balance good versus evil, and new single ‘Powder’ points to a band intent on being anything but a cushy, sweet sensation on the ears. This is raw to the extreme, even if Felix Bushe’s vocals coo, even when the melodies teeter towards major keys. Intentionally rough around the edges, ‘Powder’ leaves a sharp aftertaste. It stays in the system and leaves a permanent trace. That’s in large part owed to guitarist John Victor, who essentially stampedes towards a fairly friendly song and wreaks havoc. It’s already common decency to compare his style to ‘The Bends’-era Jonny Greenwood, or a more ravaged Russell Lisack from Bloc Party’s ‘Silent Alarm’ days. ‘Powder’ is a song that toys with psych, maybe even the odd hint of Britpop, but it belongs on its own platform by the time its closing section steams through. Victor’s solo spans just over a minute, pouring hot acid over a pretty picture. If Gengahr really are sinister creatures, they’re manifesting this characteristic in brilliant ways.

Electro-wizard William Arcane might’ve made a name for himself crafting straight-up hookworm melodies in a make-shift above a South East London boozer, but lately his musical exploits have taken him in a thoughtful, more experimental direction. It’s been a busy old week for Mr Arcane what with a collaboration with The Acid’s Nalepa out in the wild too. It’s ‘Sunfades’ that really feels like a special personal moment. The experimental trailblazing of Caribou, Thom Yorke, Four Tet and Forest Swords might form the sinew around what William Arcane is about, but on this newest song especially, the musical bones are laid bare. Far from being ‘Reckless’, his forthcoming EP, out on Pictures on 20th October, looks set to be a painstakingly assembled beast, and William Arcane one of the brightest new names in electronic music. (El Hunt)

Some songs are so clear-headed, so distinctly huge from the get-go, that their path’s already laid out before they reach the chorus. 18-year-old Bridie Monds-Watson’s new Soak single, ‘B a noBody’, is chock-full of potential to go huge. It’s bittersweet, piercingly sad and strangely uplifting all at once, the kind of song talent show judges would wet their pants for, the type to kickstart a career. Not that Soak needs any encouragement. Her early days have seen her scouted from the age of 14, releasing an EP under the wing of Scottish gems Chvrches’ own label, before inking a proper deal with Rough Trade. On stage, Monds-Watson’s pretty happy, easygoing to the extreme. She’ll take her sweet time between songs, engage with the audience, cheekily grin before launching into another breathtakingly sad song - but when she gets behind a microphone and starts singing, she delves into completely different emotions. ‘B a noBody’ is the start of Soak becoming a real somebody. (Jamie Milton)

Tags: Gengahr, Grouper, SBTRKT, Soak, Tāla, Weezer, William Arcane, Listen, Features, Tracks