Review: Johnny Foreigner | You Can Do Better

"Last night you told me: tomorrow we shall have to think up signs, sketch a landscape, fabricate a plan on the double page of day and paper. Tomorrow, we shall have to invent, once more, the reality of this world." -- O. Paz, trans. E. Bishop, Jan. 1, 1975

The blunder many may make when it comes to Johnny Foreigner's brilliant new long-player You Can Do Better is to consider it only in terms of what it is not, instead of the glorious what that it is. The Birmingham, England-based noise pop legends' prior record, the titanic, immersive third LP Johnny Foreigner Vs. Everything, casts a gigantic shadow, to be sure, and birthing that one, according to a recent interview, substantially sapped chief songwriter Alexei Berrow's creative energies for months ("Tbh I spent a good 6 months not wanting to admit I didn't want another record," Mr. Berrow told GoldFlakePaint). And just as Vs. Everything became an obstacle for Berrow, something similar could conceivably befall fans, whose brows perhaps furrowed with the announcement of the new collection as they pondered just how Johnny Foreigner could possibly top itself. It's wrong-headed thinking. The fact is that the band's fourth record You Can Do Better is a powerful, diabolically catchy set, a compact firecracker of a record that ably and convincingly delivers the band's intelligent brand of bash and pop. The music is as dramatic and as emotionally vital as ever. The Brummies have stared down the challenge of its own album title.

You Can Do Better is packed with bracing guitar anthems. Opener "Shipping" bursts into being with careening guitar and thunder from the rhythm section, smoothly interpolates quiet reflection, and then surrenders to a boisterous pre-chorus. "Le Sigh," which leads a parade of tunes that each could be standout singles, touts blissful feedback, engaging vocal harmonies, and no small amount of shouting. A fully realized version of the crushing, meditative ballad "Riff Glitchard," which appeared in a more skeletal form on last year's Manhattan Projects EP, breaks the pace of the new collection. Its helpless lyric "I might as well be an organ in your body, the damage I do, when I do nothing," is even more beautifully rendered here by bassist Kelly Southern, whose voice takes center stage more often on You Can Do Better than ever before. The last half of the record breathlessly blows by, from the blinding "Stop Talking About Ghosts" and its desperate revelation ("the hardest part is letting go"), to the lethal hooks of "Wifi Beach," upon whose lyric the album's fixation with an imaginary, dream-like metropolis turns, and through to the thrumming, majestic and self-aware closer "Devastator."

Rather than casting a shadow, one aspect of Vs. Everything actually illuminates You Can Do Better: the alternate universe / timeline / reality. The subject drove a substantial portion of the narrative to the former LP, and particularly its transcendent ballad "Alternate Timelines Piling Up." And, in a way, Berrow manifested just such an alternate reality in retooling his songwriting post-Everything for the band's new four-piece configuration (second guitarist/master propagandist Lewes Herriot officially joined the band after the recording of the third LP). Something about that change fired his imagination, and allowed it to escape the insatiable gravity of Vs. Everything. The result is a loud, clever and entirely thrilling noise-pop album, one that ironically echoes not the oft-cited prior record, but the band's aggressive and ambitious first LP, Waited Up Til It Was Light. In essence, and via a not small amount of mental jiu jitsu on the part of Berrow (again, to GoldFlakePaint: "I guess the simple answer is that I lied. In as much as an actor or author lies. I created like, an alternate universe me, that could make decisions and do whatever I told him to in order to reveal greater truths."), Johnny Foreigner has been reborn as a better version of a younger collective self.

You Can Do Better will be released by Johnny Foreigner's longtime label, Oxford, England's Alcopop! Records, Monday in the UK. There is as yet no public plan to release the collection in the U.S., but what Alcopop! is offering is, as always, very hard to beat: You Can Do Better is available as a 12" LP, CD or digital download, and depending on how fast one acts additional premiums include sparkle vinyl and a poster-size map of an imaginary metropolis that is apparently central to the record. There's probably even other stuff that we forgot; click through to the Alcopop! store to apprise yourself of your full slate of commerce options. Johnny Foreigner's You Can Do Better tour of the UK begins March 13. The quartet will perform all-dates with South African fifth man/keytar assassin Ben Rausch, and primary support for the tour are labelmates Radstewart. Full tour dates are posted right here; European dates are being finalized and please God Please GOD PLEASE let's have the band back to the U.S., yeah?

Johnny Foreigner: Internets | Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud | Tumblr







Prior Johnny Foreigner Coverage:
Review: Johnny Foreigner | Names EP
Review: Johnny Foreigner | Johnny Foreigner Vs. Everything
Cut The Rope And Jump Off: Johnny Foreigner On Alternate Timelines, Optimism And Everything
Review: Johnny Foreigner | Certain Songs Are Cursed EP
Review: Johnny Foreigner | You Thought You Saw A Shooting Star But Yr Eyes Were Blurred With Tears And That Lighthouse Can Be Pretty Deceiving...
Review: Johnny Foreigner | Grace And The Bigger Picture
Review: Johnny Foreigner | WeLeftYouSleepingAndGoneNow
Review: Johnny Foreigner | Waited Up 'Til It Was Light
Review: Johnny Foreigner | Arcs Across The City EP
That Was The Show That Was: Johnny Foreigner | Bowery Ballroom

Today's Hotness: Joey Fourr, Poledo, Owls, Speedy Ortiz

>> Loyal Clicky Clicky readers last year no doubt noticed our regular coverage of the releases from Exeter, England-based Art Is Hard Records, a little label that had a terrific 2013. The concern Wednesday announced its latest endeavor, an ambitious split 12" to be issued in tandem with Glasgow imprint Reeks Of Effort. The LP -- the existence of which was first tipped in the NME in early December -- is cheekily titled Art Reeks, and it features songs from rising UK noise-pop heroes all Radstewart, Joey Fourr, Pinact and Poledo. Each of the four bands has a pair of songs on the 12", and two tunes, Joey Fourr's "Born Slippery" and Oxford-based Poledo's "King Of Cool," are available to stream now ahead of a March 3 street date for the set. We've followed the meandering musical path of Joey Fourr pretty closely around these parts, and while a recent very grungy release felt a little hollow, the yearning strummer "Born Slippery" featured on Art Reeks is understatedly urgent and wholly affecting, touting a simple, danceable beat and some tidy harmonies. Poledo's preview track is a guitar-heavy and shouty blazer that, despite the band's Dinosaur Jr.-referencing name, seems to instead take a page from the Superchunk playbook. Which we think everyone agrees is a good thing. Reeks Of Effort, for those not in the know, is a small indie run by members of the white-hot noise-pop combo Joanna Gruesome; that act's Weird Sister LP was among Clicky Clicky's favorite releases of 2013. Incidentally, Joanna Gruesome also contributed two tunes to Art Is Hard's first quad-split, the Family Portrait 7" issued in June 2012 (which also featured Playlounge, Gum and Keel Her). Art Reeks will be pressed to white vinyl in a limited edition of 300 relatively flat circles and placed in hand-numbered sleeves. Pre-order the set via this link, and stream "Born Slippery" and "King Of Cool" via the embeds below, and sit back wait to see what voodoo Art Is Hard comes up with next.





>> The debut LP from Owls was really the last time we kept close tabs on the brothers Kinsella and basically the entire Cap'n Jazz cohort save for Davey von Bohlen, whose tuneful bands Maritime and the defunct The Promise Ring are unceasingly delightful. We were as surprised as the next guy when it was disclosed two years ago that Owls had re-formed, although we suppose nothing should have surprised us after the Cap'n Jazz reunion shows of 2010. So maybe we're just stupid and/or short-sighted. Whatever our problem might be aside, Owls have finally disclosed it will issue a second long-player, simply titled Two, via Polyvinyl March 25th. Two will be issued on all the currently acceptable media, including vinyl and cassette, and pre-orders -- including a number of compelling bundle options -- are being taken right here. The first 800 copies of Two sold will be pressed to orange vinyl, which around Clicky Clicky HQ is actually a pretty enticing product feature; some additional quantity of records will be available at retail on light blue vinyl. The original Owls LP - which was reissued on vinyl a couple years ago -- is a beautifully jagged collection of post-punk, and one we listened to constantly throughout the early 2000s. Hopes for the new collection are high, and the preview track "I'm Surprised..." is quite promising. The tune feels slightly restrained, in the sense that it is more formal and less loose than the free-wheeling and beautiful weirdness that was the hallmark of the self-titled collection. Fronter Tim Kinsella is reliably odd, but keeps his characteristic caterwauling in check, taking a more contemplative tack and pushing out syllables largely in-time to the chugging bass line. A swell of feedback balloons toward the close of "I'm Surprised," but it politely fails to overtake the proceedings. Even if there is no more explosive fare on Two, it's still a delight to have these guys (or rather, this particular combination of these guys) back. Stream "I'm Surprised..." via the embed below.



>> Honestly, we were going to try to ignore for the time being the release of "American Horror," the second "single" -- which these days is apparently a term equivalent to "promotional track," the latter being a term we prefer here at HQ, because a single to us is a thing you can buy, a thing that carries a catalog number, like FAC-13 or DRYL 11, not just a thing you can hear on the Internet, but we digress, see how we digressed? -- from Speedy Ortiz' forthcoming Real Hair EP, which is due next month on Carpark. We wanted to ignore "American Horror" temporarily because we're weeks away from drafting a complete review of the brilliant quartet's four-song EP, but this song is just so massive we can't help but engage with it at least superficially now. Indeed, we're compulsively listening to the thing over and over. And over. "American Horror," which leads Real Hair, is an explosive and noisy (and, we should say, radio-ready) gem, shot through with unforgettable melodies. The lyrics deal with watching a loved one struggle with mental health issues, and despite the seriousness of the subject matter fronter Sadie Dupuis is still able to forge perhaps her most undeniably sing-alongable chorus since the "Taylor Swift" single, no small feat. "...BABY YOU FEEL SO CRA-ZEEEE..." See? Stream the track via the Soundcloud embed below. And if you still haven't pre-ordered Real Hair, Jiminy Crickets, what the hell is wrong with you? Pre-order right here (more orange vinyl!). Speedy Ortiz is out on tour now and pretty much forever; we look forward to seeing them open up for Los Campesinos! Jan. 21 here in Boston at the Paradise Rock Club.

Today's Hotness: Best Friends, Sapphire Mansions, Radstewart

>> Art Is Hard Records continues to command attention, not only for its fine curation and great taste, but also due to brave and unconventional packaging concepts. Perhaps it's because of their singular methods that we sometimes lose sight of the fact that they still function as a tried-and-true label with a steady supply of CDs, tapes and vinyl. Which, of course, brings us to their latest 7", a stunning double A-side for the manic Sheffield, England quartet Best Friends, due Sept. 23rd. One side of the disc, "Happy Anniversary," reveals the scrappy band wearing a bit more production polish that we've heard from them previously, as well as more mature subject matter (their earlier, surf punk-inspired numbers explored such multi-dimensional aspects of the human condition as "Surf Bitches" and "Dude Love"). While there's still plenty of thick, churning guitars, one can't help but notice the way "Happy Anniversary" unfolds – full of space and a crooned vocal. It evidences a band unwilling to adhere to one approach for too long. After its delicate intro, "Happy Anniversary" introduces a descending surf lead and fuzzy flange on the rhythm guitar that each add thoughtful and evocative texture to the band's brand of bash 'n' pop. Best Friends has consistently exhibited a steady hold on the mid-range of their productions, and this thankfully remains true here: the mix is thick and pleasant, the drums splash along, and the chorus follows the guitar line for a great melodic punch. The flip of the single is quick-paced strummer "Nosebleeds," which -- impossibly -- is even more catchy, melodic and direct than "Happy Anniversary." All of which has us wondering: is this the best single of the year? When all is said and done, it will certainly be a contender. Both sides of the cracking single are embedded for streaming below; judge for yourself. Pre-order "Happy Anniversary" b/w "Nosebleeds" -- which comes packaged with a comic drawn by Nai Harvest's Lew Currie, and the option of adding a t-shirt to the deal, as well -- from Art Is Hard right here. -- Edward Charlton





>> We recently noted the head of a certain terrific American indie label recommending to the attention of friends an act called Sapphire Mansions; the label is constantly putting out first-rate stuff, so we thought we'd best have a listen. Brooklyn-based pop upstarts Sapphire Mansions are preparing to self-release Oct. 23 a debut six-song EP (eight songs if you buy the cassette, or even more if you buy a CD-R) titled Over America. Despite its title, the short set's hazy but spare indie pop suggests the influence of decades-old U.K. and even Kiwi acts as much as it does bands closer to home like The Ocean Blue and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Sapphire Mansions distinguishes itself via the unconventional application of mixing EQs and reverbs, something that makes the quartet's EP a compelling listen. Often the tracks feel at arm's length, squeezed and swirled, so that what would otherwise seem conventional production assumes a foreign quality via, for example, the mysterious, hissing treble in fronter Jay Hough's vocals, or the mechanistic whooshes surrounding drummer Josh Feldman's snare beats. The overall flavor is one of slight unease, giving Over America an intriguing tension, even a sense of danger, despite the sturdy pop skeleton underneath. The EP is refreshing and definitely worth pre-ordering, so that blasting it on the hi-fi can become a reality come late October. Be the first kid on your block to own one by pre-ordering it at Bandcamp; click through the embed below to find out how. -- Edward Charlton



>> This reviewer often takes a sharp turn in terms of rock music consumption once summer starts to inevitably wind down. Gone are the gleeful and blissed records that encouraged lazy afternoons. Instead -- as if in preparation for the cold -- the harsh, aggravated noise of detached garage singles and the cool, mechanical precision of post-punk suddenly seem the best aural accompaniment. Our good and perhaps telepathic friends at Alcopop! may be feeling the same way, based on its recent announcement that it has signed and will release an EP in October from the spectacular Cardiff, Wales-based slack-core foursome Radstewart. The year-old act -- part of the aforementioned Art Is Hard's constellation of acts, as well -- is just the kind of band the world needs right now. Mixing a sense of The Fall's humorous and wordy motorik antics, a pinch of the Velvet Underground's taste in chords, and the goofball chemistry of early Pavement (which, we suppose, also comes by way of The Fall), this young Cardiff unit has hit upon the perfect indie cocktail. The promotional single "Beer Swindlers" is a fuzzy, grinding bit of tongue-in-cheek noise-punk. The singer's deep but nasal speak-drawl imbues the recordings with an agreeable and easy character, not unlike that of popular American peers Parquet Courts (who have seen great success with their updated, millennial take on the roots of punk and DIY). "Beer Swindlers" can also be found on the group's superb self-released and about-to-sell-out three-song CD, the last five of which are on offer at the band's Bandcamp here. If that short disc (and this video for the sublime "Hot Dog") is any indication of what Alcopop! has in store for us, be ready for greatness; we advise keeping an eye on the Alcopop! store for the appearance of pre-order details. Radstewart have landed a plumb spot supporting Sky Larkin's fall U.K. tour, the dates of which one can inspect right here. Listen to "Beer Swindlers" via the embed below. -- Edward Charlton