For a band that only formed a few years ago, DMA’s have built a strong and loyal following. With a couple of UK tours already under their belt, the trio look like they’ll be one of Australia’s next big exports with their début release. With one EP and a few singles, DMA’s have been on high rotation on Triple J for some time now, making Hills End one of the most highly anticipated records of 2016. The album was mostly recorded in guitarist Johnny Took’s bedroom in Sydney and the band have come together with individual influences and produced a likeable, upbeat guitar pop record. Listening to Hills End, you’ll feel a sense of nostalgia; the 90s Brit pop influence appearing throughout the album making you feel all warm and fuzzy.
Timeless is a great introduction to the album. The snappy riffs and lead singer Tommy O'Dell’s smooth vocals will instantly grab you. Lay Down, Delete and Too Soon are definitely standout singles. Delete is a slow acoustic gem and the catchiness of Too Soon is a hit perfect for the big stage. In The Moment is a slow burner with a huge injection of that aforementioned Brit Pop influence and one of the memorable on the album.
One of the more interesting tracks on the record is Melbourne; its spacy melody builds gradually and ends with a frantic rocky finish. One would hope to see it included in future set lists – the energy it projects would get any crowd excited. The last few tracks are dreamy, laid back and Play It Out is a fitting finale for an album that demands several spins on a lazy Sunday afternoon. 2016 looks to be a big year for DMA’s. In support of the album the band will be touring Australia with the Laneway Festival circuit in early February, following with a stint UK and North America including SXSW and Coachella.
January may be the bleakest part of the year: full of post-Christmas dejection, wet and windy weather, sometimes snow and ice, and in 2016, the devastating loss of some of the world’s most innovative geniuses.
With the bleak days of winter in mind, many would argue that it is the perfect month for a Daughter resurgence. Debut If You Leave went hand-in-hand with a permeating dark, fragile, and ghostly nature about the arrangements. However, despite the obvious continuation of the underlying sense of sadness, the subtlety and serenity of the first album is not brought through to 2016. Rather, new album Not To Disappear is much bigger; bringing with it extra dynamism and ambition.
Nestling away after touring their 2013 debut, the indie folk trio have certainly taken their time about this, their second and superior record. Whilst cleverly maintaining the gripping melancholy and gossamer constructions that we fell in love with, the band have pushed away from the “frozen hearts” Elena Tonra lyrics (which has been sometimes criticised and described as a hushed and departed take on idols Ian Curtis and Jeff Buckley) and centred their new sound around Remi Aguiella’s drums. Very much like The XX, I feel, Daughter are meticulous. They won’t drastically change genres or scrap guitars for keyboards in order to gain attention; it’s more of a working progress. Not To Disappear seems like just a platform to the next, and on the way the band will clip, carve and sculpt their way to a perfect masterpiece.
Created at both Cable Street studios in London and in New York (working with Nicolas Vernhes [Animal Collective, War on Drugs]), there is a sense of bustle and commotion which couples the routine plethora of feelings. At times, we feel immersed in Tonra’s unashamed “sad person brain” and affinity to humanity; while in others we are hit straight between the eyes with frenetic indie, thumping post-rock, glum shoegaze, and sparkling dream-pop. Culminating in a delicious cocktail. Maybe not as smooth and as consistent as before; but leaving a spicy kick and warrant us to try some more.
Opener ‘New Ways’ welcomes you like an old friend, holding you and not letting you go – just as beautiful as before, but with a new found edge. The simplicity of a recurrent drum beat and an unassuming reverb runs through the song as it picks up the breadcrumbs left behind by If You Leave. Following this is the lead track ‘Numbers’, which opens with a mysterious deadpan sneer – “Take the worst situations / Make a worse situation” – and is quickly trailed by an insensitive note on the filthy charm of “pulling” culture. “I’ll wash my mouth but still taste you”, Tonra laments before peacefully echoing the hook like “I fell numb in this kingdom”. What’s impressive is the preservation of the intimacy, despite a quickly evolving and somewhat wild (by Daughter’s standards) beat similar to something heard on a Florence & the Machine record. Swiftly after is arguably one of the best tracks on the record, ‘Doing The Right Thing’ – the single released at the end of last year. It plays out like a masterpiece of existential narrative that wouldn’t be out of place in a cult classic film, or as backing to a rolling scene in theatre. We are met with powerful lyrics, nostalgic guitars and an overall pared-back composition. What is surprising is the realisation that Tonra is speaking as the voice of an Alzeimer’s sufferer. With lyrics such as “I have lost my children, I have lost my love, I just sit in silence, let the pictures soak out of televisions”, it’s probably something you won’t want to listen to on a hungover morning or when emotionally delicate.
Rolling through the mid-section, ‘How’ swings back and forth in providing the closest thing to an anthem, while ‘Mothers’ is accurately placed to give us a half time break. Slow and heart-breaking, it bridges the gap between the real slog of mundanity, and the potency of memories when times are dreary. Through a bold, developing theme of motherhood, it is only fair that we are treated to relationship references – whether this be the challenge of emotional distance (‘Alone/With You’), the now ordinary insecurities (‘To Belong’), or both as seen in ‘No Care’: “Oh, there has been one time where we fucked, and I felt like a bad memory”. ‘No Care’ is a mixed bag, upping the tempo at an odd time, and briefly getting drowned out by exuberant backing percussion. However, ‘To Belong’ brings us a perfect fusion of the seamless suffocation we loved on If You Leave and a new grime and determination in the form of dissipating grooves.
Personal favourite, ‘Fossa’, unlike its anatomical name sake, is not hollow and overly depressing. Effortlessly crafted layers are piled up in a precise manner to take you on one final journey, leaving you unable to nod and tap along wherever you may be. Closer ‘Made of Stone’ takes us back to 2013, in a comforting yet dark release: the calm after the storm.
Growing in stature, Daughter show a growing brewing in this second album. An organism, that certainly knows itself better. An organism with a future to evolve and emerge as a more vibrant being.
It would be safe to say that Bloc Party are one of my favourite bands of the past 10 years, so if this review seems a little bias then I'm sorry! The story of how this album starts way back when Bloc Party MK1 (the original Bloc line up with Matt and Gordon) ended during the period between their biggest headline date at Earls Court in London and Latitude Festival in late 2013. Matt had already left the band and Hot Chip's drummer was a short-term replacement, and in mid 2015 Gordon announced he left the band to focus on other projects. SO what of it? Well this left Kele and Russell, the FOUNDING two members of the project that we call Bloc Party, and after meeting way back in 1999 at Reading Festival their relationship was as strong as ever.
They moved forwards into the latter half of 2015 with optimism, Kele stunned Bloc Party fans by performing a new song called "Exes" on Triple J by himself then he announced that a fifth record was in progress, and as you'll about to find out, this has been a breath of fresh air for Bloc Party MKII.
The album opens with the dance-rock track "The Love Within", with screaming and torched guitar sounds the track initially wasn't one I was a fan of, but this is Kele and Russell let loose and it could herald a start of what's to come, apart from the fact that this might be the fasted song on the whole LP. As we move into "Only He Can Heal Me" it's laden with licks on piano, some lovely guitar tones in the latter third of the track, it really takes you back to their second album in ways.
"So Real" sees Kele take up a new instrument, the keyboard and piano, it's a slow track with a big focus on Kele's new ivory plaything, with some brooding bass-lines and a catchy chorus this cut seems like it's destined for those late night trips home after a bender, keep an eye out for Russell's solo around the 3 minute mark, it's nothing spectacular but I'm just pointing out to those fans who dig at Bloc Party for not having guitars in their songs any more, it's there! As proven with the following track, "The Good News" which features a choir as well as some bluesy guitar riffs.
(R-L) Kele, Louise, Justin & Russell
As we move into the second half of the LP we hear a stripped back synthy track called "Fortress", it sounds like "Montreal" if it was written with Keles solo work in mind, this has a massive whiff of a Kele solo track about it, unlike what's up next, maybe the best track on the whole album, and possibly the best track they've released for the past 5 years. "Different Drugs" really reminds me of "Signs" meets "Ion Square", it's an epic track, both in sound and length. It's sonic synths and reverb laden guitars provided by Russell give it a massive presence and as soon as the bass hits it's brimming with noise. The build-up is simply to die for, just give this a listen first if you're a bit sceptical about the album.
The next two tracks, "Into the Earth" and "My True Name" sounds like they were written a few years back as they sound like they'd fit perfectly into their last LP, "Four". They both feature the guitar (once again) as the prominent instrument and showcases a gentler side of the band, showing that they're growing up and are taking things slowly. Where as "Into the Earth" is a gentle song, "My True Name" has a dark bite to it, one thing is for sure, the production on this album is stunning, just turn up the volume on this one and take it all in!
As we're at the end of the LP next the band decide to throw in a curve ball, as you start to think it's all relaxed you have "Virtue" to listen to first, if anything the next single as this seems to be written for Radio 1 and Radio X, it's got a very big dance-vibe going on and seems to be yearning for a big remix, Kele's solo is much to be desired but all in all Russell's interesting guitar pedals give it more body and an extra angle.
"Exes" and "Living Lux" are the last two songs on the standard version of the album, and what a way to end, as you might know, "Exes" is widely regarded as a fan favourite now after Kele performed an acoustic version back in 2015 and the full band version more than lives to my expectations, apart from the weird guitar slide around the three minute mark this track has set the bar high for any future Bloc Party ballad. And as we end the latest Bloc Party album we part with a track that sums up Bloc Party MKII in a great way, synths, uplifting vocals and a mighty guitar. It builds and builds, and ends with just the echoing of Russell's guitar.
Bloc Party have really hit the nail on the head here, it's a progression that had to be done, every band does this but while to some this isn't 'Bloc Party' it certainly is. They always like to be different album to album and with the new members on board now they've got a bigger pool of influences to choose from. After the rocky "Four" LP this is a lovely turn, and after listening to it for the past week I've come to love it and accept this as a genuinely brilliant album, and like I said at the beginning... I'm not bias.
The highly anticipated album from Spanish garage-rock four piece Hinds is finally here! ‘Leave Me Alone’ is the début LP from the girl group and it does not disappoint. Forming back in 2011, co-lead vocalists and guitarists Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote started out gigging together in Madrid. By 2014, (still as a duo) they recorded and released their ‘Demo’ (made up of two tunes: ‘Bamboo’ and ‘Trippy Gum’) on Bandcamp which received numerous amounts of praise. The success of the tracks triggered the naming of the band ‘Deers’ as well as the addition of bassist Ade Martín and drummer Amber Grimbergen. Due to legal issues at the start of last year, the band had to change their name to ‘Hinds’ (which is equivalent to a female deer) and continued releasing singles under their new title. The non-stop triumph of Hinds has been evident over the past couple of years, with their cover of ‘Davey Crockett’ being produced by Árni Árnason from The Vaccines as well as now having a sensational début album under their belts.
‘Leave Me Alone’ is undeniably a breath of fresh air. The antisocial title immediately indicates that the album is a youthful album, brimming with emotion, vivacity, feelings, passion, an epitome of growing up. Considering the LP is 12-tracks long, it is certainly bursting with the true authenticity of Hinds’ vibrant personalities and still effortlessly conveys the distinct sound that has provided them with so much recognition in the musical domain.
The album launches with familiar favourite ‘Garden’ which initiates the garage-rock sound from the start, comprising of vibrant and laid-back guitar strums which carry the melody through. Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote complement each other perfectly with the co-lead vocal, echoing each other during the verses and communicating their animated enthusiasm through the lyrics ‘I can take you dancing’, ensuring that their youthfulness and energy is expressed from the opening. ‘Fat Calmed Kiddos’ promptly follows, with the witty title explicitly stating Hinds’ humorous side. An undoubtedly fast-paced chorus drives the tune along lyrically and musically. ‘Why are you always on my mind?’ is the rhetorical question repeatedly asked by the two vocalists whilst Amber Grimbergen ensures that the percussive sounds are top notch throughout the track, ending with a fitting jangly section which sums up the tune excellently. The guitar riff at the beginning of ‘Warts’ supports the principle melody comfortably, resulting in a more chilled-out song with clear instrumental sections. Lyrically, the words express the anger one has at another woman who is in a relationship with someone known. ‘Don’t let her waste your smile, don’t let her curse your eyes'. The unquestionably catchy ‘badadada’s’ ensure that one can easily sing along and participate with the song in a live atmosphere.
‘Easy’ possesses a discontinuous rhythmic flow, however, this aids the overall feeling of the track. Leading up to the main instrumental sections which consist of clear guitar solos, one can truly appreciate the musicianship of these four girls. The ramshackle and randomness of old favourite ‘Castigadas en el Granero’ (Punished in the Barn) emits a sense of thrill and exuberance. Americanised words such as ‘candy’ and ‘mall’ incorporated within the lyrics provide the tune with an impression of American rock and roll. Carlotta’s huskiness in her vocal is extremely evident and gives that extra emotion of youthful energy and rebellion with phrases such as ‘Let’s Get Out!’.
‘Solar Gap’ is perfectly placed in the LP, it is a time to pause and think about what you’ve listened to and appreciate some authentic 4-piece band music-making. It depicts what it states and it allows a short instrumental section in the album to take control. Armed with a laid-back guitar part, the summery vibes of the track are extremely evident. Promptly, the break ends and in comes serious toe-tapper ‘Chili Town.’ Youthful passion and frustration is spilling out all over the place, ‘All I’m asking for is you to make a move!’ The warmth of the continuous guitar riffs allow you to be transported into a summer of amusement and recreation. Memorable bass lines from Ade Martín are distinct in spirited track ‘Bamboo.’ The chemistry between Ana and Carlotta is apparent throughout the entire melody line, with lyrics complementing each other as well as echoes and thoughts from one to the other. A clean guitar chord finish gives a sense of accomplishment on this vibrant track.
Endless smiles are spread all around during catchy rock’n’roll number ‘San Diego’. Equipped with a main theme that is truly unforgettable (‘Im saying I’m staying, doodoodoodooroodoo’), you cannot help but sing along to this electric, sun-kissed recording. An emotional relationship is recounted in ‘And I Will Send Your Flowers Back.’ However, the contradictory ‘I’ll Be Your Man’ reveals the true power of the female in a partnership, saying that she will be the ‘guide’ if ‘you close your eyes’. The variety of tones used for the duration of the track offer a more relaxed and sincere mood, allowing the listener to examine and reflect on the true meaning of the lyrics. ‘Walking Home’ is most definitely the perfect title for the closing track on the LP. Depicting a journey, you can relate to the voyage this remarkable young band have been on in order to create such a fantastic piece of artistic material. Cheerful guitar parts are heard for one last time. The track sums up the album as a whole: smiley, energetic and fun. A fade out at the end contributes to the atmosphere which explicitly indicates an album full of enthusiasm, vibrance and pure authenticity.
Hinds’ début album ‘Leave Me Alone’ is a genuine musical diamond in the rough, packed with unique eclectic tracks that are brimming with American rock and roll and pure sunshine. Joy and emotion embellish each number faultlessly and ultimately express the chemistry and true musicianship that this band possesses. Hinds are the real thing and one cannot cease to be impressed by this outstanding garage rock quartet.
'Leave Me Alone' is out today via Lucky Number records. Hinds are also touring the UK in February in numerous cities, make sure to catch them whilst you can!
My old Music teacher has been young ever since I got in touch with him. For me he still sounds the same, looks the same, I simply can call him by his name Roger now. BUT my horisont about his musical empire has changed with his newest band NEW POLARITIES. I received a beautiful 10" of their new EP and Side A is massively sounding like U2 in their peaktimes let's say late 80's. We also hear some nice late Pink Floyd Influences. I much enjoy their title track. It could be right out of Gilmour's handwriting. It's great 80's Pop with a touch of slight-psychadelia-harmonies.
Side B consists of Rogers phenomenal vocals and Piano-skillz. Listen to "UFO" and you got to dance with moody jazz-anthems and sometimes on the right side, beautiful slightly-distorted guitars. It's a record to make love to. It's sounding rather like a live-version album than a studio album but that's ok. Who wouldn't like to have a live band in their own room while making what ever comes to your mind. I guess I must say I'm really proud he was my teacher for a short period of time and Talk Talk, TheEdge, David, Klaus Dinger would be proud too. Thanks for an amazing individual record. I'm not only enjoying it very much but also singing along already... Good sign baby!
So with Foals being one of the biggest 'indie' bands in the world, their fourth effort was an album everyone was excited to hear. After the mathy "Antidotes", the grown up "Total Life Forever" and their third effort "Holy Fire" all doing well they've evolved again and have came up with a cracking LP.
Its heavier opening track "What Went Down" was a great entry to the album, with a harder edge to their songs, similar to that of "Inhaler" that was on "Holy Fire", the fourth studio album by the Oxford via London quintet might be their best album opener so far. Songs that I can see them playing for the rest of their career will be "Mountain At My Gates", with that jangly guitar entry and the uplifting chorus it's up there with the best.
With the third track - "Birch Tree" - it takes in a flavour of Red Hot Chilli Peppers-esque bass at the beginning before they put their own sound, y'know, that guitar thing they do, low down the kneck and funky! It's a more relaxed side of the band, with "Give It All" also adding itself to the list, but this cut is more anthematic than the previous one, akin to that of "Spanish Sahara" this just gets bigger and better as it goes on!
"Albatross" sounds like another one of those singles ear-marked for a single release, with a bouncy chorus to it, sing-a-long worthy verses and an explosion of sound towards the end, Foals have really hit the nail on the head here, and it's a great classic example of wonderful song-writing. "Snake Oil" is one of those heavier tracks, but with some qwerky licks to it, for example the intro and some of the bridges, just keep an ear out in the latter third of the track, you hear Foals just going mad, performing a track they want, not one that'll sell, this is raw!
As we end up in the final third we're given a throwback, "Night Swimmers" sounds like a track that was cut off their second LP, and with elements from their third, here it's another 'heavier' affair - if you can call it that - but features Edwin a lot more, with the synths a lot more recognisable than ever! Next up is a powerful ballard, "London Thunder", the less I write about this the better, I want you to listen to it with an open heart and fall in love with it.
As we end with "Lonely Hunter" and "A Knife In The Ocean" you're left stunned. With some incredibly well produced tracks they leave you wanting more, especially the closing track. Fuck me Foals have done it again, it does range from the good to the OH MY GOD THIS IS GREAT. But the bottom line is that most of "What Went Down" is a great example of not conforming to the record label and the tremendously exceptional talent that is this quintet - FOALS - expect to see a lot more of them!
A tip would also be... buy the deluxe edition, the CCTV and Poolside Session versions of the tracks are worth the price alone!
If there's one band out there that regularly makes me question my indie loyalty it is Germany's Frittenbude. August 21st saw the release of their fourth album - with legendary Hamburg label Audiolith. "Küken des Orion" combines a wide range of sounds and styles to create an energetic rhythm punctuated by thoughtful calmer moments. I especially like the fact that "Küken des Orion" takes off where Frittenbude left their fans with their last album "Delfinarium". While their old albums featured quite aggressive electronic rave beats their recent work has opted for more melodic audio patterns with a whole range of experimental sounds being used. This change in style has left the band unable to perform as a trio leading to them being joined by two additional musicians for live shows.
The combination of the album's tracks is as wide ranging as the individual songs. Songs urging the listener to rave and party feature alongside tracks full of lyrical references to problems in society. Unfortunately for non-German-speaking listeners Frittenbude's lyrics are one reason for their immense popularity. "Küken des Orion" at times sends motivating, powerful shocks through one's body before songs like "Padmé" transport the listener to the calmest place their mind could wander to (especially at night).
"Es ist wie es ist und wie es ist ist es richtig", singer Johannes Rögner claims. Alles an eurem Album ist so unglaublich richtig, Frittenbude.
Benjamin wrote this review just after exploring Tokyo's Shibuya district at night for HØWL London's new travel blog "wander.wønder"
Wenn es eine Band da draußen gibt, die mich regelmäßig an meiner Indie-Loyalität zweifeln lässt, dann sind das die bayerischen Wahl-Berliner Frittenbude.
Verständlicherweise war der Hype und die Aufregung bezüglich ihres vierten Albums "Küken des Orion" (bei Audiolith) extrem hoch.
"Küken des Orion" kombiniert eine breite Auswahl an Klängen und Musikstilen, um einen durchgängigen, vorantreibenden Puls zu erschaffen, der lediglich durch einzelne stille, nachdenkliche Momente unterbrochen wird.
Die neue Platte holt Fans da ab, wo das Vorgängeralbum "Delfinarium" sie abgesetzt hat: obwohl die alten Frittenbude Rave-Beats auf einzelnen Tracks ein Wiederaufleben feiern können, dominiert der neue melodischere Klang, der perfekt zu der Vielfalt an experimentellen Klängen passt, die den Weg in das neue Album gefunden haben.
Eben diese audio Vielfalt hat dazu geführt, dass Frittenbude sich für ihre Liveshows Verstärkung geholt haben - als Trio wäre die neue Musik nicht mehr spielbar.
Die Zusammensetzung des Albums aus den einzelnen Songs ist so verspult und durchmischt wie die einzelnen Tracks selber. Neben Aufforderungen zum Raven und Feiern kommen auch gesellschaftskritische Aussprüche zu Wort, um die/den Hörer*in daran zu erinnern, dass eine Band, die bei Audiolith unter Vertrag steht, sicher nicht apolitisch ist.
"Küken des Orion" ist die Art Platte, die neben Gänsehaut- und motivierenden Heiß-Kalt-Gefühl-Momenten die Seele mit Tracks wie "Padmé" auf Wanderung schickt (vor allem Nachts!)
"Es ist wie es ist und wie es ist ist es richtig", erzählt uns Sängern Johannes Rögner . Alles an eurem Album ist so unglaublich richtig, Frittenbude.
Benjamin hat diese Review nach nächtlichen Entdeckungstouren durch Tokio-Shibuya geschrieben und festgestellt, dass "Küken des Orion" dabei der perfekte Begleiter war.
Mehr dazu findet ihr bald bei HØWL Londons neuem Reiseblog "wander.wønder"
Derby based five piece, WhiteMoor have been working hard over the last few years on their third album and experimenting a bit with their pedal boards to craft a new bunch of tracks from. Formed in 2010 by Barrington Mole, but the band has only been in it's current line-up for the past three years.
So their new album - it's called "Pause and Effect”, and it's which is their third studio album which has a darker edge to it - for example in "Be The Last" and also had a heavier element in it than previous efforts, examples are "Ghosts" and "God Help The Queen". The five piece act deliver a collection of catchy and polished indie-rock stadium ready songs.
The tracks are well recorded with a more refined sound than their last two efforts, so if you like Indie-Rock, with that British attitude to it, then pick up this album now! This isn't a new WhiteMoor, just a refining of their sound already. It's a very good album with some great elements to it and delivers exactly what you want!
When we first heard new music from The Maccabees it was the title track of the album, and I was very excited for the new album right off the first listen! It was a tough album to conceive, with Orlando confessing that they came close to breaking point, but thanks to Jamie T the band pulled together and produced a cracking album that they can be more than happy about.
Starting with the album's title track "Marks To Prove It" you're thrown into familiar territory with a rush of guitars and epic choruses. The album takes a turn next with "Kamakura", with a dark approach and loose guitars flowing through it, it also has a very atmospheric edge to it, this is a track that wouldn't sound out of place on their last LP. "Ribbon Road" features a driving drum-line and some delicate piano keys, Orlando's vocals here are at the best on the album, with him swooning and singing a lullaby love song in your ears.
Next up is the very quiet and slow "Spit It Out", a track that for the die hard Maccabees fans might not be comfortable with before evolving into a piano lead affair. The next two songs are "Silence" and "River Song". The former is a track I hold in high regard with a change of lead vocals from Orlando to guitarist Hugo, which just shows that the band can now not only rely on Orlando for vocals. The change in singer here is a stroke of genius, the deeper tone of Hugo suits this song a lot more than if Orlando sang it.
"Slow Sun" is yet another example of the band experimenting a little bit, with horns, a lot more piano involved and some soothing female vocals added in for good measure. As I've said before, this track just oozes atmospheric-pop border-lining on ambient-pop. With "Something Like Happiness" following is a change back to The Maccabees' sound that you're all familiar with.
The album leaves you with three stunning parting songs "WW1 Portraits", "Pioneering Systems" and the closing track "Dawn Chorus". "WW1 Portraits" sounds like a romantic song written for the people with a dark side, a slow start the the track moves over to some stunning guitar hooks and riffs, the fact that Orlando is back to his 'shouting' style of singing suggests that the band were after a song to play live here, with a epic ending to the track it will linger with you for a while! "Pioneering Systems" proves to us all that when Orlando said it'll be more stripped back and less guitars he wasn't lying, this is mainly vocals and piano here, and it sounds like something written in the mid-80's by an Americana singer on acid. As the album closes on "Dawn Chorus" you feel like this is a track to reflect the album on, it's a well rounded number that suits the accolade of the album's closer.
"Marks To Prove It" was well worth the band's near break-up the way I see it, it's a lot more stripped back than what I was personally expecting but none-the-less they've made this album without comprise and it's a solid effort from the Brighton band.
Get To Heaven finds some of Britain’s most off the wall eccentrics on their third mission to conquer the indie universe. It may well be third time lucky. Their previous two albums, e-number packed debut ‘Man Alive’, and the beautifully neglected ‘Arc’ are polar opposites but it finally feels like Everything Everything have found their feet.
With ‘Distant Past’ the Manchester outfit are at their finest with one of their catchiest hooks to date and lyrics like, “Soon I’ll be the best around”, they could stake a claim as producing one of the albums of the year. Amongst the batshit crazy commotion though ‘Get To Heaven’ sometimes feels like it’s been dragged through gritted teeth in ‘Regret’ and ‘Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread’. The careless, experimental, cogs flying everywhere type approach feels a bit forced half a decade on from ‘Man Alive’.
The quartet may just have stepped down on their stubbornness for variety and gone for more recognisable melodies. Bring in escalating synths, and a Bloc Party style thrashing of a riff and now we’re talking in the case of bold opener, ‘To The Blade’, which flickers with the intensity of ‘Suffragette Suffragette’. ‘The Wheel’ on the other hand, is Two Door Cinema sun kissed chords galore before taking a tumble back down to Jonathan Higgs reality with dread-filled lyrics, “Do you wanna know how far you’ve come?” being regurgitated back to himself like he’s watching his own twisted version of ‘This Is Your Life’. No lyrics raise an eyebrow quite as much though as “It’s alright to feel like a fat kid in a push chair, old enough to run, old enough to fire a gun” in the verging on trance ‘No Reptiles’.
Higgs distinguishable falsetto and rapid fire syntax are at the core of the quartet once more. ‘Fortune 500’ is a berserk flood of synths which pumps him with power as he chimes “I’ve won, I’ve won, they’ve told me that I’ve won”. In glitch-ridden ‘Zero Pharaoh’ he’s ready to put a full stop on things with commands of “Give me the gun, give me the gun, give me the gun”.
At other points he’s mad with science, probability and castration in ‘Blast Doors’, “Give me a lobotomy and I can be a tutor, open up the blast doors then we can be neutered”. It’s Everything Everything at their finest, firing nonsense from every orifice at full speed, whilst maintaining the high-pitched wailing poetry from ‘Arc’.
The whole thing is a bitter-sweet nightmare in which Higgs and co are left blurry eyed and dizzy. It makes sense though, and despite all its faults and quirky misplacements, on the third time of asking, Everything Everything have found their utopia. 'Get To Heaven' Out of 10: 7/10
Well, I met these Israelic lads on tour in germanys roughest about one and a half year ago: Chemnitz, we played a show together at Weltecho and got along quite fast. I got their attention because they sound live completely different then I heard on the singles and videos I've found on the internet. The funny thing is now, with "Atlantis" they completely changed. On the record I can see them playing in front of me. And that's mainly I want to feel. Listening to music and finally see. It's what making musical art's for i think. The songs are genuine 90's Shoegaze or as you might call it "Forget Peace or Swim Deep". Yea right. Their sound is less HQ but more honest and truthful power. Allthough I'm not much talking about the mixing or mastering but the music they've written. With their heart and full of strength. The mix could be more fixed maybe next time but it's their first record and they are just about to explore. Such more there is nothing I can be stressed of. Maybe only the slightly too low bass-guitar. But hey, it's an old fucked up Guilt (I guess) Bass-Guitar and sounds just like it has to. The modern ears are very challenged. It's more natural. The fight between Loudness & Compression. I thank God Israelic punks don't know about all this. Amazing.
My favorite track is of course the opening track. No vocals but clean clear Fuzz (is this even possible) well, yes, AND also I'm veryy stunned by the harmonics. And how they play with it. The Intro into the chorus of the "Intro Song One" called "NEIMA" is a heavenly part. I really see myself zipping an ice-cold O-Juice in Tel Aviv with Icebuckets around me and straws from the bottom to my mouth. See? I listen to their song and I suddenly feel sunny. You might wanna say "Ha, gayyyy!" but feeling sunny is actually a good thing if you're listening to a fucked up Near-Eastern Country which just brought out a brilliant rockband. You clearly hear the longing for peace and harmonic in "Atlantis". So Soda Fabric ain't something to be happy for too much. They also remind you of the wild youth in which they are living. The revolution might begin. It's up to the young people expressing themselves. Only the right ears must be found now. They got mine. So it's a start. and a start has an end. Always. Thanks SF for "Atlantis" I feel great by listening to it. I also heard people say they gonna sign up with Burger Records, so no myth they will explore more parts of this world.
Operating as a unit for over 13 years, Edinburgh trio Kayus Bankole, Graham Hasting, Alloysious Massaquoi comprise Young Fathers. Between them they’ve got a broad spectrum of cultural heritage which they channel through a collision of DIY rock’n’roll and leftfield hip-hop. Their puritanical approach to the industry has led to a press relationship akin to that of a bull being circled by a matador, exacerbated by their cool reaction to winning the 2014 Mercury Prize for debut album ‘Dead’; an album dynamic and exciting as it was felt like more of a creative playground than a cohesive record. As a follow-up White Men Are Black Too is a vast listening experience, weighing in at 12 tracks that are challenging and seemingly abstract for the first few listens. It takes a while to acclimatise to the arching tones and elliptical structures, but there’s a wealth of deft writing and beautiful modern soul and gospel on this record.
Despite some recent class comments, the overriding theme is humanism. Obviously race is the main discussion point, but it feels like something Young Fathers are actively trying to deconstruct; Feasting’s maniacal cry of “I can buy you a new language, ” and the ‘John Doe’ character suggests an erosion of preassigned identity; joy in anonymity. The best songs tackling the matter of race focus are the double-tap of ‘Old Rock N Roll’ and ‘Sirens’ – fury and sorrow back-to-back. The former is an incendiary exploration, bristling with statements such as “I’m tired of playing the good black…/…I’m tired of blaming the white man,” played out over a ramshackle beat skinned with sitar twangs. ‘Sirens’ is gentler but sobering, focusing on the racially motivated police violence that’s been pervasive in the media recently. The beats are warped gunshots and heartbeats; death knells for a generation of young black men. Hastings, who usually exudes passive-aggression in his delivery, has this tired clarity in his voice trying to envisage an end to the institutional racism “Police are on cocaine/And they want to know my name/Said they’ll love me all the same.” Kayus wearily acknowledges that he could be a target and there’d be no justice, and it’s crushing.
WMABMT certainly finds power in darker source material, but can quickly flip into raucous warmth, exercising what Young Fathers call their “interpretation of what a pop album should be”. ‘Nest’ has these huge handclaps and clanging piano strokes and direction on Shame comes from dense electric fuzz and bursts of soul from the Leith Congressional Choir. Lead single ‘Rain Or Shine’ is their best work yet and the closest thing to an anthem WMABMT has, propelled by a rattling organ sample and a dense bass line where tangential effects blossom and mutate before fizzling out. It’s a sound without borders, but this freeform nature could have easily backfired – it’s firmly not a conceptual album, but this isn’t easy listening. From the go its audio chaos - anyone who can enjoy the fidgety structure of a Passion Pit album will be on more familiar ground here as it lurches between blizzards of electric blips and gospel cries.
Yeah there are heavy amounts of pain and anger, but as Everything Everything’s Jonathan Higgs put it, “I think you'd have to be blind and deaf to have lived through 2014 and not shed a tear.” With their sophomore albums Kendrick Lamar and Run the Jewels tried to open a dialogue - instead this is a stream of consciousness; raw emotion and aspiration crystallised in a time of social and political upheaval. ‘Dead’ was pretty badly lacking the frenetic energy that Young Fathers bring to their live show; so it’s satisfying to see them injecting that ‘let’s get fucking mad in front of a microphone’ ethos into WMABMT. Everything is bigger here and more concise, bound together by brotherhood and has the potential to be not only a postmodernist great, but one that redefines the boundaries of pop.
Barely staggering into his twenties and donning shirts you’d expect to find in a Benidorm sun-setters suitcase. On the surface Only Real’s debut album screams Microsoft Paint and GCSE leftovers. Once inside though ‘Jerk At The End Of The Line’ is everything you’d expect and more from West London’s cheeky chappy.
Only Real has only really released a few tracks before but from those alone you could probably predict what this record might sound like. We’ve become accustomed to Niall Galvin’s quick-wit vocals and fuzzy samples in 'Yesterdays' which bare considerable resemblance to the Jamie T of yesteryear,whilst ‘Pass The Pain’ paints a pastel coloured landscape with licks of Galvin’s tongue in cheek lyrics; ‘You hate mornings, it’s crazy right?’ More often than not though, he’s not pointing the finger at others but turning on himself.
Four songs in and ‘Break It Off’ morphs a glittering self-reflection with Galvin’s restless spits, ‘remember me, I’m the cracks in the glass’. Despite the untouchable youth appearance, at his core grumbles are surfacing and he’s down on his luck. Never more so than in, ‘Petals’; a brooding and haunting late night cruise riddling through Galvin’s troubles.
As far as the spotless production goes, the melancholy melodies in ‘Cadillac Girl’ and ‘Can’t Get Happy’ are tainted in Mac Demarco woosey guitars, where elsewhere the effortless, ‘Cadillac Girl’ and ‘When This Begins’ creates murmurs of King Krule - and not just because of his similarly ginger sprouts of hair.
The song which most reflects Galvin’s journey so far though, ‘Daisychained’, weighs up the pop felt ‘oh-woah’s with agitated jitters of ‘they don’t come around here too much’. It brings together a debut record which ties his vibrant melodies to his tongue-twisting troubles and cements Only Real as more than just a twenty-something dressed in angst and Hawaiian shirts.
All We Are aren’t your usual suspects and neither is their self-titled debut record. The trio, originating from Ireland, Norway and Brazil, not only represent diverse nationalities, but also influences in an album that draws comparisons to a number of likely names but often falls short of completing their own package.
Running rather effortlessly from start to finish, occasional relapses into unconsciousness are not uncommon but alerts of bombarding funk hiding behind their shy exterior do get their turn to peek out from behind trembling strings. At times it feels as though the band are on the verge of tripping into a coma rather than conquering 2015 but previously released tracks, ‘Feel Safe’ and ‘Stone’ though, they could be on to something. The latter graces with deep soulful tones provided by Guro Gikling, which verge on Florence Welch vocals that spring free from the restrained shackles of tracks such as ‘Something About You’ which sound more like Snakadakatal on the brink of their break up. Similarly, ‘Go’, never really takes off until it ditches the usually impressive male and female vocal overlaps for the tickles of Casio keyboards.
‘Honey’ comes out of nowhere. It’s an indie dance floor gem strutting in platform shoes across a 70s dance floor shimmering in Bee Gees spandex. ‘I Wear You’ takes more of a backseat approach, luring to the plucky bass of Metronomy and the forward yet smooth lyrics; ‘I wear you right up on my shoulder, I wear you like this is all we had’. This awkwardly clingy nature finally blossoms as soul ridden rock riffs ooze from a shy guitar fret board. The hesitant vocals only continue in, ‘Keep Me Alive’, with lyrics, ‘I need you baby, to keep me alive’, left ringing in the ears like an uneasy outcome of a couple’s marriage therapy. If the slower tracks sounded more like a heartless break-up, this is the mending of the pieces to form an unstoppable sound.
Perhaps the most intriguing turn of all though is, ‘Utmost Good’, where funk weaves into deep psychedelic plunges and vocals are kicked way out of reality. Tame Impala lethargic wooziness comes to mind, but above all, it shows that on their debut album, when All We Are really reach out, they’re worth holding onto.
I guess we can all agree on the fact that road trips are exciting and fun - provided you have the right soundtrack to accompany you. Hamburg band Wilhelm Tell Me may well have provided just that. Their EP "A Short Story for the Road" was described by singer Henning Sommer as an EP produced with wanderlust and memories of past trips firmly in the band's minds. (You can read our interview with the band here). The EP kicks off with a 43 second long intro. "Where are we going?" asks a female voice. The first stop on the journey is "Let Me Take You Away". The song kicks off powerfully with Henning's verses leading up to a sing-along chorus with him telling us listeners that he wants to take us away. Up next is "The Cool Kids" which was the first single from the EP to be released and sports a tremendously catchy tune. A slow, looped build up gives way to yet another sing-along chorus.
"Growing Younger" is next on the list, with a tune that will instantly have you whistling along and will stick in your head for hours to come. This song doesn't focus on love, as the previous ones have, instead celebrating youth and the act of feeling young. My personal highlight fromthe EP is "Tourists". "All these roads we drove together / Tracing state-lines with a finger / Promises of places made of gold", perfectly sums up the EP's road trip feel. The synthesiser sounds push the listener on and on through the journey that is "A Short Story for the Road". The final stop on the trip is "Crashing Planes" which is by far the quietest and most melancholic track on the EP. It's a very untypical song for Wilhelm Tell Me, as it doesn't contain their usual catchy, light pop sound.
All in all "A Short Story for the Road" won't go down in history as one of the deepest or most complex EP's of our time, but then again it doesn't have to. It showcases what Wilhelm Tell Me do best: catchy, light, feel-good pop songs.
If you wanna praise a band who sounds excactly like Queens Of The Stone Age but without that prickHomme, you gonna find the way to listen to Rebel Squad. The opening track holds on a dancy middlepart within some classic standart riffs. Nothing special, but sometimes you don’t search fort he special moment, you just want to listen easely and chilled. The mild taste of the following tracks „Sea“ and „Wasteland“ are super-choired pieces on where you can find some melancholy. Technically it isn’t a fully wasted album but it has it’s pieces on where your ears might get bored and numb of it.
If the band gets the chance to work with another producer on where he hopefully puts some more dimension and pronounciationfocus, they surely can hit the other 30% I’m missing on it’s rather Heavy Rock Alternative cloud on where they’re hovering. It seems to me the band has so much punch to proceed, but they still hit the wall. Now the last piece „Turning them into the right direction“ is missing, I’m sure they will find the last puzzlepieces to get more reflection. You will get better by time not by 1000 tries. That’s what John Lennon said. If not, I still don’t care, as I’m a free person. Like Rebel Squad – Dear RS: Show what you got. I know there is more.
It's easy enough to forget where Ben Howard's been. After an illustrious eighteen-months that followed his mesmerising debut album, 'Every Kingdom', the gentle pitter-patter lead up to his second, 'I Forgot Where We Were', has gone almost un-noticed.
The pace was set by 2012's single 'Oats In The Water'; a disturbing and trembling alteration in sound, flattening a new landscape to lead smoothly into this latest album which instantly oozes even more intriguing, thicker twangs from the guitar in 'Small Things'.
Much like the album artwork itself, 'I Forgot Where We Were' sheds the light and darkness upon Ben. With that said, 'Evergreen' is not exactly what it suggests, containing the bleakest and most sombre moments of the album rather than an ever blossoming nature that we've become accustomed to. 'Rivers in my Mouth', tries to keep up the momentum behind 'Keep Your Head Up', but gracefully inverts back into a spiral of nostalgic obscurity. 'She Treats Me Well' on the other hand, wields a catchy riff with a straight cut blues edge to it, likening to the work of fellow British triumphant, Paolo Nutini.
Slipping away from the moral preacher and chanter of 'keep your head up', he's decided to rid himself of his worries on this record. From the opening cries of 'has the world gone mad, or is it me?' to 'The End Of The Affair's harrowing tale of forgotten love and climaxing yells of 'what the hell?' are the most powerful segments of Ben Howard to date. Whilst these firework finales verge on breath-taking, the more fragile ending moments, such as the final strums of 'Conrad' are modest and also quintessential to the makeup of the album.
Where ‘Every Kingdom’ could be accused of portraying everything through rose-tinted spectacles, this album pushes the boundaries to the polar opposite. It’s a slow and honest process of peeling away the human layers, backed up by a refined grip of the guitar. Add in the more serious undertones from lamenting strings and shuddering drums and it's an album befitting to pour into the grandest settings around.
By Joshua Shreeve
Ben Howard - I Forgot Where We Were Out of 10: 8/10
Ex-Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore is back with a new album to be released on October 20th. Moore's new album 'The Best Day' will be his fourth solo release. On the release of the LP he is set to do a short UK tour in November. Though Moore is straying away from Sonic Youth, 'The Best Day' is not far different from Sonic Youth's distinctive sound. Here's what we think...
Opening with the eight and a half minute long 'Speak To The Wild', you seem to find yourself captivated to Moore's unique sound. Sonic Youth were very well known for their experimental post-punk anthems such as 'Teenage Riot', 'Schizophrenia' and 'Superstar' and Moore's solo work carries that same distinctive sound. Track two, just shy of twelve minutes long, includes long instrumentals of sounds that are simply a bit strange yet work so perfectly.
Lyrics wise, Moore seems to have taken a little more personal approach to this album compared to some of Sonic Youth's angst-fuelled anti-sexism bangers. The distorted and slightly out of tune guitars mixed with his husky voice makes an angry sound in songs such as 'Detonation'. 'Detonation' is a song that let's steam, with powerful and harsh lyrics. It is followed by much slower 'Vocabularies' that starts with a two and a half minute long instrumental with acoustic guitars. When the vocals come in it remains a dark, grungy intense song.
The long instrumentals continue in 'Grace Lake', a song that you can feel taking over your mind. Moore's distinctive guitar playing style accompanied by edgy drum beats creates a song that is crying for a mosh pit. The whole song feels like a massive build up. A lengthy build up of distortion to an explosion of psychedelic punk-rock goodness. Just when you think the seven minute long instrumental is over, it re starts it's self for a final minute of a calm and unforgettable guitar riff before coming to a slow yet monumental end. It's probably the best instrumental song you will ever hear.
Finally, the LP ends with 'Germs Burn'. With a heavy riff accompanied by punk-esque vocals and featuring a guitar solo that could either come from a Nirvana classic or an eighties hard-rock band, 'Germs Burn' is the perfect head nodding jam to close a brilliant album.
It is possible that 'The Best Day' could be one of the best albums to be released this year. Moore's future after Sonic Youth is looking very healthy.
The track listing is as follows:
Speak To The Wild
Forevermore
Tape
The Best Day
Detonation
Vocabularies
Grace Lake
Germs Burn
Out of 10: 9/10
You can steam Thurston Moore's 'The Best Day' over at NPR Music by clicking hereand pre-order it here. Check out his tour dates here.
'Carry On The Grudge' is doing just what you'd expect after a five-year gruelling wait for another album from one of Britain's most upfront indie-poets. Half a decade on from his last album, and Jamie Treays, now a slightly more matured 28 year old, has barely budged; still a frustrated, angst ridden individual whose more refined view on life has produced an album worth waiting for.
Opening track, ‘Limits Lie’ is the re-awakening from the five-year long grudge, of which Jamie is about to lump onto his back again for another twelve track journey down some of London's bleakest streets, exposing more insecurities and grit than ever before. Lyrically, the album is undeniably Jamie T, but they expose a more decayed, self-loathing state; ‘I’m sweating in a carcass, I’ve given up on me’ is a more broken and deteriorated soul than the sprightly youth we’re used to. His song-writing too has delved much deeper beneath a potentially tormenting few years with comeback song, ‘Don’t You Find’. Creeping right out of a tattered, cigarette stained sofa, its brooding nature is far removed from merry days of ‘drinking under age’ and ‘lightweight pricks’.
Having had rumours of his death circulating over recent years, it’s amusing or maybe essential that ‘Zombie’ should rekindle an aura not felt since 'Sticks 'n' Stones'. Although it reveals some of his poorer lyrics, it's able to resurrect the cheeky chappy within him, as if it'd never left him. The ashes still lingering around from his past two albums are evident too, particularly halfway through the record. Those unimpressed with Jamie’s more laid-back approach on parts of the album, will be more than sufficed with an almost familiar trio of tracks. 'Trouble' is where 'Kings and Queens' left off with quick wit, nonsense lyrics, ‘doop de doop, doop doop doop, it’s trouble’. He’s clearly not had trouble thinking of more catchy ditties which ‘Rabbit Hole’ also attains, leaving you dizzy in its bullish trails. Elsewhere the scratchy ending to ‘Peter’, a snarling track about Jamie’s filthy alter-ego, is almost parallel to the jittery climax of 2009’s ‘Castro Dies’.
The tender moments are a step away from the upbeat anthems of Jamie's yesteryear but the wailing backing vocals, provided by his new band, are still about. 'Turn On The Light' and 'The Prophet' peel back the layers and deliver lullaby chorus’ befitting for Jamie’s more heartfelt tales. These tales of course, would not be complete without their characters. In 2007 it was Sheila and Stella, 2009, Emily and Jilly and now Jamie’s having a pop at Mary Lee and Marcus.
It’s an album which although slightly altered in its sound, still addresses the real people and situations of Jamie's blurry world. Five years was a long time to wait, but he must be praised for returning with a record that’s as realistic as his last and firmly establishes him back in the game.
Back in May (2014) Superfood set out on a mammoth of a UK tour supporting Wolf Alice. Needless to say, we were excited for that tour. We were excited to hear Superfood’s unique and funk sounding tunes live and of course they delivered a very polished set but since then we have been even more excited about their debut album ‘Don’t Say That’ which comes out November 3rd. I have had the pleasure of listening to the band’s forth coming release and here is what I think.
Opening with ‘Lily For Your Pad To Rest On’ you get exactly what I mean when I describe the band as funk. A quirky and bouncy song starts off the 13 track LP that includes ‘TV’ and ‘Melting’ from ‘MAM’ EP and singles ‘Mood Bomb’ and ‘Right On Satellite’.
In recent years it has been very clear that bands in the indie scene have been battling it out to sound individual and to get out of the indie niche. Superfood have done exactly that. There is nothing in the album that is generic. A new wave in the scene is just round the corner and Superfood are leading it. With feel good songs such as ‘You Can Believe’ and more edgy rock tracks that are crying for a mosh pit like ‘Superfood’ the album is a perfect recipe for success.
‘Don’t Say That’ closes with three sing-a-long anthems that could shake any tiny club or any arena sized venue. I suspect it will be the latter. There are big things coming for Superfood so when this album comes out in November, do not sleep on it! It’s one of the best albums to be released this year.
You can catch them on tour this October/November. See dates here.
