Staff Reviews

Miles Kane - Colour of the Trap

Review by James Atherton

The sound of a confident yet respectful songwriter.»

User reviews

• 8/10 by Habzy1234

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miles kane releases his eagerly awaited debut album, 'colour of the trap' on columbia records. recorded in london with dan carey (franz ferdinand, hot chip) and san francisco with dan the automator (gorillaz, kasabian), 'colour of the trap' is a glorious exploration into the darker corners of vintage pop, psych and blue-eyed soul sounds by miles; half boy-next-door, half charisma-firework, all instantly loveable star quality. starting work on the album in the famous konk studios in hornsey, this natural frontman went on to bunker down with producer dan carey in streatham for four action packed weeks. the wirral bred singer songwriter then travelled to the west coast of the united states to hook up with dan the automator, who lent additional production to the lithe, lean r&b flavoured funk of 'come closer', the album's first fully available single. the infectious 'rearrange' as well as the erudite groove of 'counting down the days' were also honed with the gorillaz collaborator. for such a stellar record, it's perhaps fitting that this 12 track collection boasts an all-star cast. miles' last shadow puppets sparring partner and full time arctic monkey alex turner worked with miles on the aptly named 'telepathy', while super furry animal gruff rhys provides backing vocals throughout the album and co-wrote the turbulent moody blues of 'kingcrawler'. noel gallagher appears as well, helping out with harmonies on 'my fantasy'. the breathy, psychedelic romance 'happenstance' features another guest: french actress clmence posy, best known for her roles in in bruges and harry potter and the goblet of fire. 'rearrange' is a finger-snapping instant classic complete with guitar effects of which joe meek would be proud - a reference kane happily accepts. "a friend of mine did say it was like the modern day telstar in a weird way." further knowing nods to musical greats feature in 'better left invisible', which opens with a direct and purposeful reboot of the riff from john lennon's 'cold turkey', while 'inhaler' is a tribute to one of miles' favourite acts - los angeles' psychedelic garage group bonniwell music machine. very much a modern man, most of miles' accomplished material comes in the form of love songs, lyrically encompassing everything from the sleazy and seductive to the fragile and heartfelt. joined by a brand new band, featuring jay sharrock from the sand band on drums, singer-songwriter eugene mcguinness on rhythm guitar, ben parsons and phil anderson from cherry ghost on keyboards and bass guitar respectively, 'colour of the trap' is just as scintillating live as it is on record.
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