April 2006 / October 2005 / February-April 2005 / November-December 2004 / July 2004 / March-April 2004 / November-December 2003 / June-July 2003 / March-April 2003 / January-February 2003 / December 2002 / November 2002 / August 2002 / May-June 2002 / November 2001 / October 2001 / June-July 2001 / all web exclusives / search

Bearing the most awkward title in recent memory, this is the debut album by a young French quartet who formed in 1999. Betraying that most forgettable of titles, 'I've Got...' is an album that slowly buries itself deep into the subconscious. And just refuses to loosen its grip. Drenched in brooding guitars and keyboards based firmly in the key of moody, Porcelain project an eerie ambience that occasionally spills over into a barrage of noise, with an occasional thirst for the overly-epic. Banish all thoughts of Muse immediately however, there's far finer delights to be found here.



Porcelain have - in parts - inherited Joy Division's cold remoteness, the unearthly edges of Sigur Ros, Radiohead's alternative experimentation and those explosive elements of Mogwai. It's the words that truly intrigue however, or rather the lack of them, always grabbing the attention at the choice moments they choose to drop by. Distant whispers slipped into a constantly rotating background, they seem to be running scared of something or someone, though it's never exactly clear of what or whom. It's a spell that lets you in close, before pushing you a distance away. But that won't stop you coming back for more. Forget that title, remember this music.

Ian Fletcher
March-April 2003

back