Album Review: All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone

Explosions In The Sky's track record of creating mesmirising sonic violence is almost unparalleled, but one thing that has eluded the band - until now - is the ability to translate the majesty of their hypnotising live shows to record.

All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone changes that, marking as it does a huge leap forward for the band, ditching the somewhat crystalline production of its predecessors in favour of broader instrumentation and more focussed, asperous production. With increased intensity than even its ferocious predecessor, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone almost completely blurs the lines between Explosions' recorded output and their extraordinary live shows.

The Birth And Death Of The Day clashes and coruscates like not just the beginning and end of the day, but the beginning and end of the universe. It's Natural To Be Afraid roars with a fierceness that few, if any, bands can match. The addition of piano on So Long, Lonesome and What Do You Go Home To? creates a beautiful, meditative picture, while the machine-gun snare on Catastrophe And The Cure is nothing short of incendiary.

Proving once again that bass, guitars and drums still allow for infinite possibilities, Explosions In The Sky manage to speak with more emotional resonance than a million bands with singers ever could.

Gibson backs McClaren - What Do You Think?

Steve Gibson's defence of Steve McClaren has got the panel talking this week.

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Anti News under new management

After creating the column and writing it since the inception of ComeOnBoro.com, I won't be responsible for the Anti News any more.

I'm definitely going to remain involved with ComeOnBoro.com but, right now, I'm looking at other pieces that I can produce regularly and enthusiastically.

Toby Higgins is taking over the column and I'm sure, under his watch, it'll be (nearly) as good as it ever was.

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Massimo savages McClaren - What Do You Think?

The panel give their thoughts on Massimo Maccarone's widely reported fax to The Times.

Georgina Cole wins for me this week.

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Boro sign Korean ace - What Do You Think?

The latest offering from Red Eye is up on ComeOnBoro.com.

Ronald Goode's response made me chuckle something awful.

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Album Review: Can Cladders

For years, The High Llamas appeared to be a band steadfastly resistant to change. Having charted a course that remained unflinchingly true to their intentions of re-channelling late-`60s Beach Boys records through a filter of Steely Dan-styled soft rock and Stereolab-esque electronic cleverness through their first six albums, 2003's Beet, Maize & Corn, was, therefore, something of a curve ball.

With the rhythm section of the band replaced with a rich orchestral backing, the album marked a radical departure for the band and, given how critically celebrated it was, one which fans might have assumed would be permanent.

In fact, it appears that Beet, Maize & Corn was merely a stylistic vacation, as Can Cladders has Sean O'Hagan return to his regular modus operandi of crafting bouncy and jaunty pop music. So, while the album starts with a wonderful strings arrangement on The Old Spring Town, it's soon replaced by the harmonies of Winter's Day, which, of course, are ever-so-slightly reminiscent of the Beach Boys. Later, Bacaroo has the same graceful, gossamer feel of an early Free Design record.

As ever with The High Llamas, the comparisons with the Beach Boys are undeniable and, yes, a little bit lazy. But ultimately, it's meant as a sincere compliment, because Sean O'Hagan isn't far away from equalling Brian Wilson's genius.

Album Review: The Amber Gatherers

Having showcased his interpretive skills with a selection of traditional folk songs on 2004's stately No Earthly Man, former Appendix Out front man, Alasdair Roberts, this time shifts his focus to illustrate his original material.

The Callander-born songwriter also eschews the unadorned acoustic guitar of the previous album, instead employing a full band, with brushed drums, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, synthesizers and accordions, courtesy of Tom Crossley, Gareth Eggie and Gerard Love. That Roberts allows electronic instruments to permeate his work doesn't mean that he has altered his seemingly anti-modern ideology, however.

Even though The Amber Gatherers consists entirely of original material and has more diverse instrumentation than any of his previous albums, Roberts, with his anachronism and use of obsolete language, still manages to make the recordings sound like they've existed since the Dark Ages. In less expert hands than Roberts's, the chiasmus of The Cruel War or the time-worn drinking song of I Had A Kiss Of The King's Hand would surely prove unwieldy.

The hand-drawn map of the UK, which trades cities for song titles, affords the package a yet more rustic feel, but it's the tuning guide that perhaps best indicates Roberts's intentions. Having spent three albums tackling traditional folk material, Roberts is encouraging his audience to interpret his songs on their own, with the hope of expanding the public space in which his songs exist. With songs this captivating, Roberts may yet get his wish.