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charlesubaghs has written the following articles:

hadouken album cover

Hadouken! - Music For An Accelerated Culture

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Will negative press slow Hadouken!’s ascent? For the time being no, but they should be wary. As those of us above a certain age know, today’s adolescent obsession is often tomorrow’s embarrassing musical past»

chromatics

Chromatics at London Cafe 1001 Warehouse, Sat 19 Apr

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Italians Do It Better can seemingly do no wrong since After Dark, but tonight marks key act Chromatics' UK live debut. The start of something special? It just might be»

clinic do it

Clinic - Do It

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Do It is simply a case of Clinic once again doing what they do best, but with a new-found vigour that rediscovers the confident swagger of earlier releases while building upon realms explored on later excursions»

white denim by rachel lipsitz

White Denim at London Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, Thu 03 Apr

Review by Charles Ubaghs

With just one release, the Let’s Talk About It EP, White Denim have generated a considerable level of buzz over the past year, slotting them neatly into the category of Ones to Watch»

the death set worldwide

The Death Set - Worldwide

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Best advice for approaching The Death Set's Worldwide? Stick to moderation. Small doses thrill, but consume too much and you’ll find yourself in need of a dark, quiet room»

black kids ian witlen

Black Kids at London ICA, Thu 13 Mar

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Black Kids positively drip with pop savvy in a shows that's as much ‘Tutti Frutti’ as it is ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, with a dash of ‘Raspberry Beret’ chucked in for good measure»

presidents god times

The Presidents Of The United States Of America - These Are The Good Times People

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Honestly, in the wake of current global events, if These Are The Good Times People is really meant to be a sign of ‘the good times’, then the end days just might be closer than any of us think»

Growing - Lateral (EP)

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Time to surrender to the new noise, then? Probably, because with the sounds of Growing and their like-minded voodoo workout-rocking comrades-in-arms, it looks like these twisty drones are here to stay»

Sargasso Trio Burnin

Sargasso Trio - Burnin' Burnin' Burnin'

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Despite promising an electrifying cultural stew, Sargasso Trio stick to a palatable new-folk that merely flirts with samba or bargain-bin keyboards for results that are just a little too easy-listening for their own good»

yeasayer by andy malt

Yeasayer, Psychedelic Horseshit, Pink Reason at Barden's Boudoir, Hackney, Tue 04 Mar

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Adored by many since the release of All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer take to the stage with a rapturous welcome from the audience, and zip through their ‘jams’ with a crystal clear sound»

Quaristice

Autechre - Quaristice

Review by Charles Ubaghs

The best advice with Autechre's Quaristice: give it time. Its layers require a level of repeat digestion far removed from the instant gratification and heart-on-sleeve emotions dominating the musical landscape»

sixes & Sevens

Adam Green - Sixes & Sevens

Review by Charles Ubaghs

In an interview with DiS, Adam Green brushed aside criticism that including 20 songs on Sixes & Sevens could prove difficult. It proves his point: this is perfect fodder for shuffle-happy listeners»

left lane cruiser

Left Lane Cruiser - Bring Yo' Ass To The Table

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Best look elsewhere if you’re after something with a bit of raw blues muscle, as all you’ll find on Left Lane Cruiser's Bring Yo Ass To The Table is a limited range of clichéd grunts and groans aimed squarely at the traditionalists»

kitsune maison 5

Various - Maison Compilation 5

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Half good, half bad and almost entirely disposable, Kitsuné’s Maison Compilation 5 has only one certainty going for it: you will hear this pumping through the speakers at your local skinny jeans outlet in the very near future»

spokes cover

Spokes - People Like People Like You

Review by Charles Ubaghs

The rulebook may not have been re-written on People Like People Like You, but you’re bound to find a well-worn, dog-eared, carefully studied copy of it on Spokes’ shelf»

heartbeast diebold

Diebold - Listen To My Heartbeast

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Conceived and performed by A Silver Mt. Zion’s Sophie Trudeau and Ian Ilavsky, Diebold’s debut release, Listen to My Heartbeast, is one of those primal servings of experimental rock ‘n’ roll that’s completely indebted to the moment»

discovered

Various - Discovered (A Collection of Daft Funk Samples)

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Right, let’s just get straight to the point for once. Discovered: a Collection of Daft Funk Samples is one of those records you’ll either be instantly drawn to or it won’t even raise an eyebrow. It’s just one of those that does what it says on the tin. Nothing more»

tellier tyler wolff

Sebastien Tellier at London Rough Trade East, Wed 20 Feb

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Equally absurd and absolutely sincere in his every utterance and sentiment, Sébastien Tellier’s balancing act is as heartfelt as it is occasionally comedic. Even if the man does leave DiS in the cold for a while»

u2 3d bono live

Spot the Huge Ego: DiS's account of U23D

In Depth by Charles Ubaghs

U2 have long embraced epic and ridiculous gestures in their career, so it comes as no surprise that instead of a normal concert film they had to go and make a 3D one. DiS - simultaneously intrigued and terrified - documents its 80-minute run-time»

The Field Sound Of Light

sound of ligh

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Axel Willner’s latest as The Field, the iTunes-only Sound of Light EP, isn’t so much a follow-up to his From Here We Go To Sublime debut LP, a genuine crossover release, as it is a quasi art installation / clever marketing piece»

ebony bones by Rajan Wadhera

CHARLES LIVE REVIEW TO FIX

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Someone once said, “There ain’t no party like a disco party”. It’s been repeatedly pounded into our heads in recent years via a few now well-flogged horses. Electroclash begat disco-punk, disco-punk begat nu-rave, nu-rave begat... well, let’s stop connecting the dots here and get to the point»

vampire weekend

Vampire Weekend at London Astoria 2 formerly Mean Fiddler, Sat 19 Jan

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Stepping out dressed like extras from frat comedy classic Animal House, Vampire Weekend are all white teeth and clean haircuts as they strike the stop-start first chords of album opener, ‘Mansard Roof’. What follows reveals the underlying strain of AOR imbedded in their DNA»

cymbient out on the waves

Cymbient - Out On The Waves

Review by Charles Ubaghs

In musical terms, January is a time where many of us need something gentle to ease our entry into the New Year. Enter Cymbient then with the shining West Coast via Cardiff pop of their sophomore LP, Out On the Waves»

the pen and the letter

HIJK - The Pen And The Letter

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Repeatedly cramming in everything from watered down emo to ‘art rock’, hardcore and full-blown radio pop into the space of a single song, HIJK have strung together every idea they could possibly think of until the sheer weight of it causes everything to collapse into a muddled heap»

numbers now you are this

Numbers - Now You Are This

Review by Charles Ubaghs

For those paying attention, San Francisco’s Numbers are one of those bands who made a favourable mark during the early part of this decade as one of the finer practitioners of no-wave, glitch-driven art rock»

white denim aubrey edwards

DiScover: White Denim

In Depth by Charles Ubaghs

White Denim are a trio from Austin, Texas. They play loud, soul-powered rock ’n’ roll with a fired-up punk energy that sounds like it could only come from the Lone Star State. They also enjoy comfort food and scotch»

Mum 200

Get into the spirit: DiS enjoys a nice pre-Christmas chat with Múm

In Depth by Charles Ubaghs

The ‘most wonderful time of the year’ has certainly become daunting. You’re forced to endure rubbish Christmas adverts for the better part of three months. DiS chats about the seasonal rush with Icelandic odd-pop collective Múm's Gunnar Örn Tynes»

ween la cucaraca

Ween - La Cucaracha

Review by Charles Ubaghs

For those not enamoured with their genre hopping, tongue-in-cheek approach, trying to reconcile Ween’s absurdist tendencies with their musical proficiency can be challenging»

.last exit junior boys

Junior Boys - Last Exit (Reissue)

Review by Charles Ubaghs

Considering they hail from guitar-loving Canada, it’s almost surprising that Junior Boys have proven themselves so adept at crafting rich electronica drawing deeply on the sounds of two-step, garage and vintage synth pop»

mystery jets ponyrock - credit

Mystery Jets, Holy Hail, Friendly Fires, Stricken City at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, London, South East England, Sat 01 Dec

Review by Charles Ubaghs

There’s a snap in the air tonight, but nothing stops the well-coiffed and just-tatty-enough hordes from turning out for a throw down in the glamorous art deco surrounds of Bloomsbury Ballroom»