Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks
Release Date: January 8, 2008
Record Label: Fiction
Kate Nash must have a lot of things going through her brain constantly. It’s the only thing that can explain her debut album, Made Of Bricks, which comes across as both focused and scattered at the same time.
The English songwriter has been compared to Lily Allen for various reasons, including their use of wit and inappropriate language in their lyrics, as well as their London accents. But that’s where the comparisons end, at least for this reviewer. Made Of Bricks features excellent instrumentation and a much more eloquent writing style. Bricks was released in the UK this past summer, as it reached the number 1 spot on the UK charts. Finally making its debut on American soil, you’ll either love Kate Nash or hate her, as this album is bound to very polarizing.
Produced by Paul Epworth, Bricks bleeds with tracks that range from haunting piano pop to energetic tunes that’ll never escape your head. Add a dash of electronica, buzzing guitars, and stellar drumming, and you have yourself a cornucopia of different genres fusing together.
“Foundations,” the first single off the album, blazed all the way up to the number two position on the UK charts. Backed by sharp piano strikes and ridiculously catchy drumming, it’s easy to see why this song is huge over the pond. With a fuzzed out guitar pacing Nash’s quick lipped lyrics, the chorus is overtaken by lush instrumentation. “Mouthwash,” one of my favorite tracks, will cater to those who obsess over Something Corporate, that is, if Andrew McMahon was a female. The chorus is huge, with charging drums and piano keys that float and loop up and down throughout your ear drums.
But not all the tracks are as upbeat as those, as songs such as “Dickhead” and “Nicest Thing” are slower paced, as “Dickhead” carries a bit of a blues vibe to it. “Birds” could be a huge radio hit, as it has a unique way of explaining new love behind a gently strummed acoustic guitar. “Mariella” puts on full display how scatterbrained Nash can be at times, with its quirky lyrics loaded in between hand claps and peppy piano strokes. “Pumpkin Soup” is where the Lily Allen comparisons begin, with its trippy horns and bumping bass drum setting the groove. Bricks end with the bouncy “Merry Happy,” which features some “da-do-do’s” (which everyone loves) and ends with Nash proclaiming “I can be alone/I can watch a sunset on my own.”
Other than for one song and few other snippets, don’t listen to this record thinking you’re getting Lily Allen v2.0, because you are getting something much better. Kate Nash has the voice and tunes to make a splash here in the States. Made Of Bricks is genuinely catchy and satisfying, and not some album coming from a major trying to cash in on the popularity of Feist, A Fine Frenzy, and the like. Kate Nash can stand on her own, and Made Of Bricks is the perfect foundation to what is to be a very promising career.
I saw that she was MTV's Artist of the Week last week, which went pretty well since her album was being released last week. I liked her sound, so I may have to give her album a listen. Great review. Very convincing :)
"don’t listen to this record thinking you’re getting Lily Allen v2.0, because you are getting something much better."
Very pleased to read that. This CD is incredibly catchy, and Kate Nash deserves proper recognition for it.
And I'm thinking you are right regarding either loving this CD or hating it...I am in the lover category. The copy I have has a hidden track on it called "Little Red," which is probably my favorite song on the whole damn thing...if you haven't heard it, find it and love it.
"don’t listen to this record thinking you’re getting Lily Allen v2.0, because you are getting something much better."
Very pleased to read that. This CD is incredibly catchy, and Kate Nash deserves proper recognition for it.
And I'm thinking you are right regarding either loving this CD or hating it...I am in the lover category. The copy I have has a hidden track on it called "Little Red," which is probably my favorite song on the whole damn thing...if you haven't heard it, find it and love it.
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