You know when you think you have heard a band before, a song on the radio, or you’ve streamed a track or even seen them as support for someone. You hear the name floated about, their debut or new album is out and there is a lot of hype and excitement. But you don’t check it out because you think you know what they sound like, what the style of music is. You’ve lumped them into a category of band you don’t really like and you don’t really care for them.
I did that. Just the past couple of weeks. I was so sure I knew what Wolf Alice sounded like. I had seen pictures and they were covered in gold glitter and I decided to myself that I knew everything about them. They were one of those bands that like the light touch, summery pop with no substance and yet everyone seems to think they’re the bees knees.
Yet, it was a none stop barrage of news, interviews and hyperbole and it was hard to ignore. So I took a sneaky peek. I read a piece and a word jumped out at me; “grunge”?!?!?!?
Really? Grunge?? Are you sure???
Delving into the recesses of my brain, I remembered that they supported Alt-J at the O2, which sounded like a weird combination for a ‘grunge’ band.
In the here and now, ‘grunge’ might be pushing it somewhat. Certainly when it comes to this record, “My Love is Cool”, their debut L.P.
I had to discover what this lot sounded like. I wanted to prove someone wrong, me or the writer of the article. Turns out it was me.
Whilst I appreciate everything the internet provides us, I’m a purest in some instances, especially when it comes to an album release. I like to listen to it in its entirety, from my own copy. I’ll listen to a single that’s being streamed by the band or on a music website and maybe the odd other video of older stuff on Youtube, but if I like it, I’ll buy it. It harks back to a simpler time, when we had no internet, no social media, no streams, no downloads, not even Napster. You looked on Teletext and bought NME, Melody Maker, Select or Q for your music news. You listened to the radio. You taped the radio. When Oasis were releasing “Be Here Now” I actively avoided hearing the exclusive plays of some of the album tracks on Steve Lamacq’s Evening Session. I walked into Our Price the week before the release and they were playing something I liked the sound of, and then Liam’s unmistakeable voice came out of the speakers. I walked straight back out. There’s something special about having that CD/Vinyl in your grubby mitts and sitting there listening to it in your bedroom/living room for the first time. The exclusive’s, especially if it consists of a number of songs, diminish that moment you first press play or drop the needle.
Therefore, I resisted the Spotify streams, not least as I don’t have an account, or any other provider of the album in full. I did download the E.P’s, “Blush” and “Creature Songs” which became a staple of the morning walk to work.
I’ve listened to so much of their stuff now I can’t remember the first thing I heard. It may have been “You’re a Germ”. The one that smacked me on the head and made me doubt everything I thought I knew was “Moaning Lisa Smile”. There is your “grunge”. The guitar sound is dirty and grimy and crunchy and delicious. Ellie’s vocal is just high enough in the mix to be both perfectly loud and quiet at the same time. When it kicks from quiet verse to loud, distorted chorus, it almost sounds like it’s a surprise to the sound engineer and the vocals are taken along for the ride instead of being pushed to the top. It’s the Breeders with more pop sensibilities and Ellie channels her inner Kim Deal whilst nodding to Hayley Williams.
It comes as a shock that it doesn’t make the album. As lead track on their E.P “Creature Songs” from last year, it isn’t indicative of the other three songs and stands alone as the most straight forward homage to the likes of the Pixies and Nirvana.
If anything, it comes across as being a decision made by the band to not short change the diehard fans and to be constantly pushing forward. Adding any of the eight tracks from the two previously released E.P’s could have been seen as step backwards and for all those who had followed them from the beginning and had those songs, they probably wouldn’t have been happy with a repeat performance. This is despite very early singles “Bros” and “Fluffy” being re-worked for the album.
However, for those of us who are always late to these parties, mainly as we are older and more out of touch and they didn’t have our address to send the invite, if “My Love is Cool” is the first thing you have heard or bought then some of the bands strongest stuff is being missed. Of course you can go back and find these gems, it isn’t hard, but in today’s society we are lazy and fickle and if it doesn’t grab us immediately we move onto the next band. We miss out. They will miss out.
Sonically, “MLIC” is different to the earlier E.P’s. Edges have been smoothed, a production sheen added and the songs are less raw and loud. In some instances. There are glimpses of that side still in previously mentioned “You’re a Germ” and “Giant Peach” with “Your Love Whore” introduced with ever increasing layers of guitar. The album starts in stark contrast, as “Turn to Dust” is all sweet vocals and liquid guitar, very atmospheric and a calm beginning. “Bros” follows but doesn’t take it up more than a notch. It’s a gradual opening that starts to take off with “Your Love Whore” and really gets into gear with “You’re a Germ” but the momentum is lost a little with “Lisbon” that doesn’t take the baton and run with it. “Silk” and “Freazy” are nice breezy pop but when “Giant Peach” goes off the album comes back alive. Despite “Swallowtail” slowing the pace back down it doesn’t actually have the same impact on the flow as it is a slow, acoustic song that changes tack completely and if anything helps the album by adding a moment of reflection after the assault of “Giant Peach”. Although, it does come back in with a final volley of guitars and drums crescendo.
“Soapy Water” has a trip-hop, Portishead sound with a nod to Stereolab and doesn’t seem out of place after the acoustic lament previous but the thrash of “Fluffy” resonates on Elastica. There are many influences on Ellie Rowsell’s voice and she apes a number of them. The sickly sweet “Turn to Dust” has the strains of Joanna Newsom, on “Fluffy” she sounds like Justine Frischman, and on other tracks she can go from Gwen Stefani to multitracked harmonies sounding like Kenickie. "The Wonderwhy" is epic closer with a secret track finding Ellie alone with her guitar asking for someone to teach her rock and roll. Something she doesn't appear to need to learn.
After listening to the two E.P’s and waiting in anticipation for the album as plaudits and praise were lavished upon it, statements such as “best debut album for a decade” just built this record up in my head.
This is a good debut album, it has some great songs on it, but it doesn’t quite hit the heights it should. This opinion has been echoed elsewhere amongst the 8,9 and 10 out of 10 reviews, and it isn’t because this is a bad record or the band aren’t good. They are. Very good. They are brilliant live, and that is just based on coverage of Glastonbury this and last year, and a few sessions. I think the very problem that they released two brilliant E.P’s that would have been the majority of a truly brilliant album is where “My Love is Cool” doesn’t quite step up. The middle three of “Lisbon”, “Silk” and “Freazy” could have been replaced by “Moaning Lisa Smile”, “Storms” and “Blush” and this would have been truly, truly stunning. That isn’t to say that those former three aren’t good songs on their own, but together and in comparison to the latter they pale. Indeed, the U.S version of the album has “Moaning Lisa Smile” in-between “Your Love Whore” and “You’re a Germ” which would have made sense and only improved it.
This record has been on something of a constant repeat for a week or so now and it grows into a snarling beast. It is definitely one of the albums of the year, but if it had the tweaks mentioned above it would be one of the albums of the past of the past 15 years. A melting pot of genres and sounds and styles, spliced and diced and turned into Wolf Alice.
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