Methyl Ethel
Everything Is Forgotten
4AD
ESSENTIALLY the solo project of Jake Webb, eked out for touring purposes by the addition of a bassist and a drummer, Methyl Ethel return with the follow-up to well-received 2015 debut Oh Inhuman Spectacle, self-recorded by the Australian in his coastal home town.
On Everything Is Forgotten the tunes remain solid, the lyrics bright and occasionally startling, the guitar parts still pleasingly complex and the titles still screamingly pretentious – two are in French, another nods to Alfred Jarry's cult play Ubu Roi – but the psychedelic, echo-laden feel of the debut has been replaced by something crisper and more dancefloor friendly. In that respect it bears the imprint of Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford, who has been enlisted to produce and add instrumentation following his work with Foals and Arctic Monkeys.
If the “shoegazer” label Webb won with his debut still applies, the footwear in question now looks more like a pair of Huarache Lights, the Nike trainers beloved by clubgoers and hymned by Hot Chip in their song of the same name. Whether all this enhances or subverts Webb's natural inclinations is a moot point. But it certainly adds sheen and lustre to his intricate compositions and to what is a beguiling second album.
Methyl Ethel play King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, tonight
Barry Didcock
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