"Starts out narcotized and builds up to some prime universe-crushing riffage". If only, Tom Breihan. For me, 'Mothers Of The Sun' suffers from the same problems as Black Mountain's previous work: essentially, neither "narcotized" nor "universe-crushing" enough. As the video suggests, they seem torn between seriousness and silliness - although it certainly proves that The Besnard Lakes aren't the proggiest outfit on the Jagjaguwar roster. At least Amber Webber is front and centre here.
9. 'Ochansensu-su' - Tricot
Given Battles' love of Japanese trio Nissenmondai, you'd imagine they'd be as rabidly keen on their compatriots Tricot as the Clwb Ifor Bach crowd was at the beginning of March.
8. 'Summertime' - Ringo Deathstarr
The woozy encore from the Texans' March gig in Oxford - mollification for both our battered ears and those of us who were desperate for something from the back catalogue.
7. 'Swastika Eyes' (Jagz Kooner mix) - Primal Scream
If there was an upside to having to endure Screamadelica for Episode 2 of Sounding Bored, it was finding myself prompted to rediscover the joys of XTRMNTR, Primal Scream's only decent album (in my view), and its furious, pounding lead single in particular.
6. 'Disappointed' - Field Music
Disappointed? Absolutely not - or, at least, not by this track and the others clustered together early on Commontime. Unfortunately, the album is rather front-loaded and as a result struggles to retain my interest all the way through. With a bit more careful consideration of song sequencing, though, it could have been a gem.
5. 'Xed Eyes' - Holy Fuck
Has it really been six years since Latin? One listen to 'Xed Eyes', from the forthcoming album Congrats, is enough to convince that we shouldn't just be welcoming the Torontonians' return to action with open arms but by throwing all-night parties in beachfront bandstands.
4. 'I Am A Poseur' - X-Ray Spex
X-Ray Spex have never really been on my radar - until, that is, watching Thurston Moore's edition of Artsnight and Zillah Minx's rockumentary She's A Punk Rocker UK in quick succession. 'Oh Bondage! Up Yours!' is their most famous track, but 'I Am A Poseur' was adopted as the theme song for Minx's film and it's bloody great. Poly Styrene is the female yin to Johnny Rotten's yang, and I'd never have thought a saxophone would be quite so effective in an old-school punk song.
If that title isn't enough to win you over immediately, then the track itself certainly should be - a playful mathy take on Iron Maiden (yes, really). The undisputed highlight of their recent appearance in Cardiff in support of the aforementioned Tricot.
2. 'Cecile' - Pumarosa
If Pumarosa had turned out to be one-trick ponies, I wouldn't have minded - last year's 'Priestess' was one hell of a trick. 'Cecile' is almost as good, though - not as long, but similarly rhythmically hypnotic. This installment's second example of a saxophone put to superb use. Of all the latest additions to the Truck line-up, they are the ones who particularly caught my eye.
1. 'Changes' - Charles Bradley
As Pitchfork's Stephen M. Deusner has said, "it's a wonder nobody has transformed 'Changes' into a stirring soul anthem before now". Credit to Charles Bradley, then, for seeing the potential and for executing it so perfectly. It's not much of an exaggeration to say that this does for the Black Sabbath ballad what Johnny Cash did for Nine Inch Nails' 'Hurt'.
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