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13:49on Thursday, September 08, 2011
Thomas Tantrum - 'Mad By Moonlight' (UK Release: 13 June '11) //
Words: Jon Sidwell
'Mad By Moonlight' is the second album from Southampton based four-piece Thomas Tantrum. It is the successor to their critically acclaimed self titled debut record which came out in 2008. Led by the rather enigmatic Megan Thomas, the group can count pop mistress Lily Allen as a fan, with her appreciative musings surrounding the band’s quirky ‘indie pop’ debut helping to promote the band far and wide.
Imagine being referred to as pioneers of what is arguably the most successful strand of electronic music, ever. The 90’s saw a young British duo take their form of dance music, now commonly known as “big beat dance”, to mainstream success not just in the UK but across the globe. That sort of tagline or billing has affected many artists before; they simply cannot live up to their former glories and slide away into the musical abyss. It is no small feat then that 15 years since the release of their debut album 'Exit Planet Dust', The Chemical Brothers return with a brand new album for 2010, still pushing boundaries and certainly all the right buttons.
Blood Red Shoes return in 2010 with their "sophomore" record 'Fire Like This' through V2. It's been a long two year wait for fans of the Brighton based duo since their debut effort 'Box Of Secrets' came out, however with the amount of time the band spend on the road that's hardly surprising - there's 33 dates for their current European tour. Whilst 'Box Of Secrets' gained Blood Red Shoes a core set of fans, it was only mildly received by critics and did little to further their mainstream position. There is therefore a fair amount riding on this second album, for a band who many (well, me at least) thought were one of the most exciting UK rock bands to emerge in the last decade.
The album begins with 'Don't Ask', a track which pretty sums Blood Red Shoes up as a band. Laura-Mary Carter plays her guitar with stark attitude and grit, emphatically backed up by Steven Ansell, who must be one of the most talented drummers around. The tempo is fast, with both members adding vocals to keep things interesting, which is important for a band that only have two instruments. The album continues in a similar vein until 'When We Wake', a much slower and melodic song that emphasises Laura-Mary Carter's voice. A particularly bold song to place so early on in the record. Album closer 'Colours Fade' is my favourite track from 'Fire Like This', led (almost commanded) by Ansell's drums, and really giving off the attitude that Blood Red Shoes are back and looking to make a bigger impression this time round, not only with new fans but with the critics too.
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