reviews: the tivoli vs cabaret voltaire, cibelle, swimmer one

The Tivoli Vs Cabaret Voltaire - National Service Rewind (***)
Cabaret Voltaire don’t need much of an introduction – if they weren’t long-established scene vanguards, Blair Street proprietors might have looked to others for christening inspiration (and no one wants to dance in a venue called Throbbing Gristle). The Tivoli are more of an unknown quantity – an up-and-coming Yorkshire mob who impressed Richard Kirk so much he resurrected the Cab Vol name and invited them to collaborate. Distinguishing their respective input is difficult, so it’s hard to apportion blame for its datedness (Primal Scream circa Vanishing Point/Xtrmntr is a close comparison). One hopes lines like “We are the people/while children are dying on the street” are delivered with tongues in cheeks, but it’s not all so trite. The opening Amsterdam Sam is a well-chosen single, encapsulating all of National Service Rewind’s best facets: a darkly Unkle-like atmosphere, dub-thud beats and a building bombardment that softens the disappointments elsewhere.

Out Now


Cibelle - Las Venus Resort Palace Hotel (***)
Leading with a cover of Dr. No theme Underneath the Mango Tree, pop-nut Cibelle shares 007’s cosmopolitan internationalism. Born in Brazil and residing in London, her oddball compositions journey further still – into imaginary worlds, alighting on myriad genres. The variety is nice, but almost every track ends up sounding a little out of place, not least the guest vocal from Sam Genders of Tunng on The Gun and the Knife. Taken individually, their sinister duet is an eerie delight, but in a sequence that has previously touched upon laidback tropicalia (on Frankenstein), sassy sci-fi (Man From Mars) and sad piano ballad (er, Sad Piano) – and with brash sixties-style belter (Braid My Hair) and neo-folk doo-wop (It’s Not Easy Being Green) still to come – it sounds awkward. But Cibelle’s irreverence is infectious fun, so ignore the concept narrative and tackle Las Venus with the shuffle function on.

Out Now



Swimmer One - Dead Orchestras (****)
Shirking expectations multiple times, Swimmer One are as difficult to pin down as a greased-up eel with a mysterious past. What starts in a vaguely disco-Editors vein (if Editors were less pompous and more marvellous) ends in Blue Nile territory, spun around roughly midway by Here’s Your Train, Safe Home’s gentle, wheezy ballad. The trio’s bubbling creativity is best encapsulated by twelve-minute opus The Fakester Resurrection, which starts woozy with cider (its piano-backed spoken-word recalling James Yorkston’s Year of the Leopard cut) then blossoms with strings, only missing a step during a ‘mobile phone ad’ section of disembodied introductions over piano fills. Andrew Eaton’s Scots Bowie voice acts as a compelling anchor throughout Dead Orchestras, and there are similarities in approach and results to Super Furry Animals’ eccentricities (Ghost in the Hotel sounding particularly Radiator-like). Their diversity yields the odd dud amongst the triumphs, but their tech-packed noir-pop is frequently remarkable, glowing bright with intelligence.

Out 31st May