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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful and refreshing POP treat., November 28, 2008
There is a sense of acceleration in the pop process, exemplified by the breakneck rise of Kate Nash.
The story goes that the London Brit school of performing arts graduate wanted to go to drama school, she didn't get in and ended up falling down the stairs (not due to the drama school result) of her home and was bedbound for a fair while.
During this time, while recuperating from her broken leg, she picked up the guitar her parents bought her and started writing songs.
She made demos utilising the ubiquitous computer recording program Garageband and posted them online, where she was endorsed by Lily Allen, starting an internet buzz.
Kate released an independent debut single in February 2007, signed a major deal with Universal in March, reached number two with her second single in July and went to number one on the British Chart in October with a rush-released album, "Made of Bricks", by which time she had just turned 20.
It is hardly surprising, then, that her album, though delightfully individual and charged with energy and invention, seems only half-formed and over-crowded with generic Garageband samples.
Musically, the confection of breakbeats and old reggae samples that has become Lily Allen's trademark is nowhere to be found on "Made of Bricks", which is noticeably scruffier-sounding and more diverse: it stretches from a trip-hoppy blend of double bass and dramatic Bollywood-ish strings.
Anyway, this album is full of the kind of pop crossover hits that will march to the top of the charts like all the other songs about umbrellas and stuff.
"Pumpkin Song" is one that stands out, notable for its almost R 'n' B overtones and Amy Winehouse jazz in the background. It's catchy and will have people who ache for music credibility extolling "oh I love Kate Nash too!"
"Foundations" still seems like the most innocent and likeable pop tune on the LP, but it's in able company with "Mouthwash", "Skeleton Song" and "Pumpkin Song".
"Skeleton Song" in particular is impressive, with Kate going off on a screaming tangent three minutes in.
"Birds" is another strong track, the kind of traditional story that Nash does well; very much similar to "Foundations".
Girl meets boy, boy jumps over ticket barrier because he's got no money, they get on a bus with yesterday's travelcards, get together etc etc. It's acoustic throughout, with Nash crooning about how "the boy liked her" which was all she wanted. There's an amusing tale about birds pooing on your head as well.
There are a handful of moments when a genuine wit and way with words peeks through, not least on "We Get On", a depiction of unrequited love that affectingly spins out of control from sadness to anger to get-a-restraining-order.
You can't help thinking there might have been more of them if Kate Nash had been given a bit of breathing space, a bit of time to develop what she does: she's clearly not without talent, but equally clearly, it's not fully formed.
Overall, Kate has delivered one of the pop albums of the year, memorable, cringing, sweet and above all, full of radio gems.
Tim's House
19
Spirit
Drastic Fantastic
This Is The Life
Back to Black
Alright, Still
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, fresh, honest and an utterly priceless debut..., October 8, 2007
I think the best way to really explain the feeling you get when listening to Kate Nash is this way...it feels like reading the diary of a teenage girl, poetic yet familiar, mature yet in a very childish way filled to the brim with her ideas of heartbreak, true love and loneliness. With that said I must say that `Made of Bricks' is probably the best album I've heard this entire year. From start to finish it's engrossing and completely entertaining. Kate Nash has a way with words; she makes them sound so inviting and so expressive. That's what I love about this album. Like I mentioned, her terminology is at times childish but it's poetic at the same time, very expressive and mature.
The album opens with `Play' which is less a song and more an introduction of interlude of sorts. That's all that really needs to be said about that. She repeats "I like to play" over and over for a little over a minute. The album really begins though with the single `Foundations', a song about trying to salvage a relationship that is falling apart at the seams. The first verse is so relatable, I think everyone has witnessed this almost exact experience or at least known someone who has. Using phrases like "you said I must eat so many lemons because I am so bitter" is a perfect example of the simplistic and or childish terminology I mentioned earlier. Her next single `Mouthwash' is even more enjoyable. I just love the feeling behind her music here. `D***head' is actually brilliant in its simplicity. It sounds just like the something you'd hear come out of a venting schoolgirl's mouth. It's the most vulgar song here and in the end it may be one of the most powerful. The interlude `S*** Song' kind of carries this same weight, expressive in its vulgarity.
The song `Skeleton Song' to me is a track about loneliness, a song about finding solace in oneself, say the fascination with imaginary friends with children. It's about finally growing up and realizing that you have to eventually let go and find that solace in the ones around you. It may not really be about this subject, but that's the impression that I get from it and so that's what it means to me. `Mariella' is probably the best track here or at least very close to it. It tackles to subject of being true to oneself and the innate desire to be ourselves and not conform to the wishes of others. Nash recites here her desire to be like a girl she knew named Mariella who glued her lips together so she would not have to speak to anyone, who refused to wear the clothes her mother tried to enforce on her and who relished in herself and couldn't care less about what the other boys and girls felt about her. It's a very catchy and impressive track.
`Birds' is one of those tracks that sounds much like a poem or short story that a very young child would write, the chorus especially. It's an acoustic track about a young girl and boy who run away together and they express their love by singing about birds. It's actually quite funny.
`We Get On' to me sounds like British Motown to me and I just LOVE it. It's not like any other track on the album but it's so bubbly and infectious, Nash does it so much justice. `Pumpkin Soup' is another track is different then any other. It's very hip-hopish and it really works. It's a song about the strange behavior of those in love or at least in deep infatuation with another. `Nicest Thing' though is probably the most distant from the rest of the album. It's a very beautiful and touching song about being in love and not having that feeling returned. The violins compliment Kate's distinct vocals. Her lyrics are so poignant and moving. She closes her album with `Merry Happy' which is just a brilliant way to close the album, very happy, very intoxicating with its poppy feel. It's one of those songs that you need to sing along to.
So, all in all `Made of Bricks' is a downright perfect album, just amazing for a debut which scares me a bit. I've seen this happen with Damien Rice, when you're debut is just so impressive, so brilliant that you can't follow it up with anything that can top it. Here's to hoping Nash really develops her sound and blows us away again with her sophomore album, whenever that comes around. Until then we have `Made of Bricks' and honestly it's brilliant enough to hold us over until she's ready to give us more.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Little Angry Girl!, July 22, 2008
Kate has that lovely Brit accent that's so 'fetch!' Her angry songs are mixed with the sweetest little hymns like the perfect martini. The baby-girl voice and rowdy profanity is an intoxicating mix when you're mad as hell, but want to be nice and feel better! It's angel versus devil; you have to listen to determine who wins...
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