Album Review: In Time to Voices by Blood Red Shoes

Two-piece bands are nothing new. We’ve all had the debate about the worthiness of leaving the bass behind... and from the Black Keys to Frank Black, from Jack White all the way back to Mates of State, I tend to find myself very much a bass kind of girl. But Blood Red Shoes have proven an exception to the rule, especially when it comes to their new album In Time To Voices.

Full Review >>

As Dr Janosz Poha proved in [i]Ghostbusters II[/i], it’s sometimes easy to be captivated by volatile characters. But while he was proselytised by the great mind of Vigo The Carpathian, we’re spellbound by the fiery relationship of [a]Blood Red Shoes[/a]’ Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell. Life on the road can often lead to intra-band tension and, with reports of onstage arguments, throwing in the towel couldn’t have been far from their mind.

Full Review >>

Renowned for their simmering on-stage tension, Brighton duo Blood Red Shoes have always felt like the kind of band who could implode at any minute. So it comes as something of a surprise how harmonious their third studio album, In Time to Voices, sounds. Indeed, other than the quick burst of abrasive scream-punk on "Je Me Perds," there's little here that reflects Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell's recent confessions of in-fighting during its recording.

Full Review >>

This review originally ran in AP 289. The third album from British duo Blood Red Shoes may have been issued in their homeland this past March, but the bulk of it feels like it was first heard in 1992, when the alternative/indie-rock movements were percolating with possibility. Guitarist Laura-Mary Carter and drummer Steven Ansell share vocals, sometimes instruments, to convey a post-grunge landscape that’s teeming with everything from Breeders-esque alt-rock sensibility (“Down Here In The Dark”), a 21-UZI salute to Kurt Cobain (the 88-second “Je Me Perds”), cough-syrup wooziness (“Stop Kicking”) and a vocal vibrancy somewhere between Shirley Manson and Bilinda Butcher (the title track).

Full Review >>

The Brighton-based pair’s pop-rock sound has been refined to an admirably high shine. Natalie Hardwick 2012 From a David Lynch-obsessed boy-girl duo with a background in discordant punk you might expect a musical slant that teeters on the subversive. But while Blood Red Shoes displayed an erratic style back in 2010 on second album Fire Like This, this third feels highly thought-out and polished.

Full Review >>

Brighton, England-based Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell refine their indie rock sound yet again on third album In Time To Voices, which was made available in the U.S. this past July. They also diversify their style to include acoustic guitar ballads and a ‘kick out the jams’ punk number. The end result, while tuneful and solid, is not as spectacularly primal as their initial offering Box Of Secrets.

Full Review >>