| The Short Stories |
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‘Small Mercies’ (LP, The International Lo-Fi Underground) • A lo-fi thrum of songs documenting relationship break-ups and despair: you might expect Short Stories’ third long-player to be suitably downbeat, but in truth it’s a joyless, turgid affair. Soporific voices and clunky lyrics gnaw at your bones like a persistent ache: the stop-start indulgence of ‘Tiger In A Zoo’ is pure hair-tearing anathema; ‘Vampires’ is a tuneless aberration of sixth-form poetry put to music. The accompanying press blurb claims that most great records can only be fully appreciated after three listens. Despite numerous spins, ‘Small Mercies’ remains inordinately tedious, hugely underwhelming and impossible to love. (Vic Dada) www.myspace.com/theshortstories Copyright Vic Dada 2011 |
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Gary Numan
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Philharmonia/Ashkenazy
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