Issue 804

Movie Reviews with Simon Thomsen

Sonicanimation: Reality By Deception

After coming to attention with the single 'Theophilus Thistler', which bridged the gap between dance and 'alternative' mainstream, Sonicanimation return with their second album Reality by Deception.

A mish-mash of clever pop hooks and house beats make this dance album a winner.

The thirteen tracks take you on a journey from big beat hardcore into an easy lounge style groove then back up again - even before the second track starts. The amusing 'I'm a DJ', ponders 'the superstar DJ' and accompanying ego trips. In fact, most of the album makes fun of the music industry. 'Fatman' leads to a death after the victim switches off the sampler at the wrong moment.

Sonicanimation's satirical edge shows that, like Regurgitator, Aussie bands can produce good music without taking themselves too seriously.

Ewan Williams

Lamb: What Sound

Mercury

Critics of Manchester duo Lamb view their blend of trip hop and classical instrumentation as Portishead lite. But if you prefer your dance beat in songs of love rather than heartache, this is a seductive, shimmering treat. Louise Rhodes and Andy Barlow's third album picks up in a similar style to their first hit, the haunting 'Gorecki' - a slowly building trippy-orchestral-folk anthem of creeping, ethereal beauty. The first single, 'Gabriel', is a heartbreakingly beautiful lament of longing and reassurance.

Rhodes' voice has a smoky lilt that floats across shuffling, stuttering beats, meandering basslines and swelling strings (recorded at Abbey Road). She's the melody, Barlow is the rhythm. On the skittish 'Small' (which samples the heartbeat of her then unborn child, she sings 'And it makes me float free, to feel how small my life must be looking down on the planet while drifting along.' Many of her songs have an other-worldly feel as she contemplate the nature of love. Michael Franti delivers husky backing vocals on subdued 'I Cry'.

Other highlights include the initially fragile 'Heaven' and the electro-bluesy 'Written'. A sumptuous treat while you're waiting for Beth Gibbons to find her lost plot.

Simon Thomsen