Who said our music tastes have grown too cynical for a bit of pomp? Britpop's original floppy-haired fops, Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler of Suede, have recently reunited as The Tears, bringing hope of something to match the colossal, lovelorn beauty of 1994's Dog Man Star. And before you can say "cold machine music like Kid A doesn't do it for me any more", Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood is composing music for the BBC Concert Orchestra. Meanwhile, "King Fop" Rufus Wainwright has become an icon for the metrosexual masses.
So much has been written about Wainwright's relationship with his father, the sonic legacy of his parents Loudon and Kate McGarrigle, his celebrity fans and his drop-dead gorgeous looks that little emphasis has been given to his ever-impressive songwriting. His new album, Want Two, features such idiosyncratic gems as the hymnal "Agnus Dei" and the gentle love song "The Art Teacher", in which Wainwright's voice is at its dark, mellifluous best.
The album is on Napster (you have to search the US database if using iTunes). Newcomers are compelled to buy the highlight of last year's Want One album, the breakthrough single "Oh What a World" - a song that manages to be "Cabaret", "New York, New York" and "Rocks Off" all at once. Only better.
Provoking further fringe-swishing and mass weeping in the aisles are sudden press favourites the Arcade Fire. Having endured three family deaths and an in-band wedding over the past two years, their full-length debut, Funeral, has been setting British hearts alight since it arrived late last year. The Canadian seven-piece produce the kind of hyper-emotional, string-laden rock that shames Polyphonic Spree for the befrocked gimmick they are. Go to www.mergerecords.com for three brilliant free tasters from Funeral. Download "Wake Up" and "Rebellion (Lies)" at the very least, and bow down to the Roman-amphitheatre proportions of their sound. This is huge.
Post this article to
We want to encourage people to comment on our content and to exchange views with other readers and hope this will be done on a courteous basis. However, if you encounter posts which are offensive please let us know by emailing comments@newstatesman.co.uk and we will take swift action where necessary.
