Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, or, your name is Madeleine McCann, you’ve likely heard or at least HEARD OF Columbus-based chart botherers TWENTY ONE PILOTS. While the lads have been at it for a while now, it wasn’t until 2015 that they made their big breakthrough with “Blurryface” after signing to Fueled By Ramen…but when I say breakthrough mind you I don’t just mean they got a little bit famous; HELL NO…I mean they were EVERYWHERE. In the charts, on magazine covers, on posters, you name it; you could find Tyler Joseph and Josh Dunn on it…

Not since the likes of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE or early FALL OUT BOY had an act accumulated such an intense and loyal following in alternative circles, and their quirky concept album about metal health and personal struggles found legions of young rock and pop fans identifying with the characters and concepts contained within. Now, just a couple of years later and after a brief period of media silence, the duo are back with the hotly anticipated follow-up entitled “Trench”…another concept album following on from its predecessor with a sense of fluidity and continuity…but does it meet expectation? Let’s jump in…

We open up with the title track and things are going pretty swimmingly truth be told; fueled by a thicc (Yes thicc not thick), bass-line it surges forward with a super infectious groove, coupled with some subtly layered electronic elements, which are balanced well with Tyler’s laid back, often delicate vocals. Appearing to peter out, we get a soft piano transition, before the track re-erupts with a bassy climax with Tyler's voice tearing into an intense rage. Conceptually carrying on from the success attained by their last record; the new place he sings of, is where he finds himself surrounded by fame, and the pressures they’ve essentially put themselves under creatively; stuck in a trench battling with their own success. It’s a solid start, and really speaking so is the first half of the album in general.

“Levitate” transitions in smoothly too and here we shake things up stylistically, as Tyler embraces his hip hop and rap influences, delivering some slick bars over a classic ghetto beat. He speaks of cowards only showing up when everyone’s sleeping, suggesting that those without confidence or a set of balls don’t want the attention, only acting when people aren’t looking, but here Twenty One Pilots knew all eyes were on them in anticipation…this was always going to be make or break time and it’s been handled brilliantly, they’re very self-aware. This is backed up on “Neon Gravestones”, continuing the on-going theme of handling mental health with some very EMINEM-esque vocal delivery, though restrained it’s a well-paced hip hop ballad.

As I said the first half of the album unfolds very well, with further tracks like “Morph” which utilises a super smooth, soft-jazz R’n’B inspired chorus with brass elements, while “The Hype” harbours a simple yet effective, soft indie vibe almost plucked straight out of 90’s Brit-Pop with a very THE VERVE-esque structure. Sadly, the latter half of this new 14 track album does sadly limp over the finish line with some generally unexciting content. While the strength of Tyler’s songs does lay within his lyrics, it does help if the songs warrant listening to from an aesthetic standpoint and sadly here they don’t. “Cut My Lip” has some interesting Reggae influence and “Pet Cheetah” is just, well…I mean Jason Statham? What the fuck? Aside from that, it becomes a very flat and frankly tarnishes what was looking to be a properly strong album. The excitement generated around their return and the strength of the initial singles sold this record don’t get me wrong, fans lapped this up, and this initially looked like it was going to be a superb sequel, and it DOES start off that way, but they should have gone for a less is more approach. I know they called it “Trench” but they didn’t need to give us the fucking Mariana…[6]

Beige; such a vibrant colour…it’s got so much depth and character, it’s such an interesting and thought-provoking colour…said absolutely NO ONE ever. Beige is usually only found in the unused dust covered section of the B&Q paint chart, or in the mug-shots of Burberry-clad young offenders, but more often than not it’s used descriptively as a negative, aimed at only the blandest, most unexciting things you can think of…and this is where today’s band comes in; let me introduce you to a band called SCRATCH.

Yep, that’s right, Scratch…just Scratch, what an utterly unimaginative name…people mock HIM but at least that’s representative of the occult, but Scratch? I mean, scratch what? My arse? I dread to think of the names you thought WEREN’T good enough! Anyway we’ve only just scratched the surface…see what I did there? THAT’S ABOUT AS GOOD A USE FOR YOUR NAME AS ANY! PUNS! I digress…the band consists of members Ruzbeh Irani and Avinash Lalwani, (Ruz and Avi for short) and not only are they band mates, but childhood friends, yet what DOES make things interesting, is the fact they live thousands of miles apart, in New York and Perth, Australia respectively! This however, is literally all the info we’re given…you may think they were keeping the initial email brief, but no! I’ve checked their Facebook profile AND their actual website and that’s ALL the information! Even their bio is beige! It’s like they aren’t even trying! I’m losing interest already, but, it IS their debut EP so I’ll put it down to inexperience…what’s the EP called…”Scratch”…it’s self-titled…DAMNIT ARE YOU THAT PROUD OF THAT NAME!?!?! Let’s check it out before I burst a blood vessel…

We open up with “Soak” (I'm surprised it wasn't "Sniff") and initially it’s as though we’re heading into country blues-rock territory, but it quickly erupts with a grandiose post-rock dose of tinny guitar and percussion…the vocals are interesting in the sense that, while initially weak, they are belted out in the chorus, giving the track multiple personalities. The pitch of the backing vocals in places however is excruciating, and over its five minutes it crams in a fair amount of style, simultaneously sounding like it’s lost somewhere between U2, RADIOHEAD the PSYCHEDELIC FURS, there’s a very alternative 90’s vibe to this. “Newer Things” follows up and continues the soft vocal delivery over some light indie tones, before again cranking it up for the chorus, allowing for more vigour and general energy from the instrumentation with a slightly more distorted guitar sound, it’s quite 50/50 really.

Next up we have “I Don’t Mind” and they’re happy to point out that it’s the first song they wrote as a band and that it’s one of their favourites…carrying forward the initial soft country blues tone to the guitar, coupled with the mellow vocals, it’s got that saloon vibe to it…you can picture the montage right now; the lone outlaw slowly strolling into town at dawn, drinking liquor and smoking cigars…the subtle attitude of the electric guitar creating an aura of suspense and this is easily the best track on the EP right here, before we finish up on “The Key”.  A slow, methodical and utterly lifeless track that just drones on pointlessly with a repetitive riff and a grating, brassy guitar tone, seriously it’s so drowsy…that is until the intense almost punk-rock flurry of the chorus, but sadly these elements don’t complement each other, oh no, this song just feels broken…descending into a barrage of noise at the tracks climax. Was the key in question referring to the intake of cocaine? Because this song literally sounds like they did a studio take of before and after sniffing…ultimately Scratch sound like a band with a multitude of influences, but they’ve yet to settle on an idea as to what they want their sound to be…this sounds very trial and error. Truthfully they’d make a genuinely decent shoegaze based, blues country outfit should they keep things mellow and melodic, but the jarring rock instrumentation and rough vocals don’t benefit them at all. I guess you could say that, they should…start from scratch, which reminds me…FOR THE LOVE OF FUCKS SAKE CHANGE YOUR NAME! [3]

Now, if you’re from the UK then you are BOUND to know someone, who, when you merely mention the Polish, that will go all South Park on your ass and start shouting “Dey terk er jerbs!!”…but we’re not here to highlight immigration fearing UKIP voting redneck folk, no, we’re here to talk music, and today’s band just happens to be from Warsaw, Poland; Let me introduce you to THE FREUDERS. The four-piece (Consisting of vocalist / guitarist Tymon Adamczky, guitarist Olek Adamski, drummer Jacek Lodi Piatkowski and bassist /programmer Maciek Witkowski) got in touch with me via email and asked me to check out their newest EP by the name of “Omniform”…the tracks have been described as being 4 atoms, distances apart but ready to collide together to exude the powerful force that is this EP, emanating in a metaphorical black hole, sucking you in to the music. That’s a pretty bold statement! Where did they produce this; the fucking Hadron Collider? Let’s check it out…

The EP opens up with “Rhino” and just like the hulking animal itself the idea is that it charges at you with its duel socio-political message of combating terrorism and the idea of lady justice; the government’s that live vicariously through her via means of war and conflict…an incredibly deep track that musically takes on a morose, grunge-fuelled post-rock tone channelling influences such as AFGHAN WHIGS. Mostly spoken word, but thankfully it does come to life for the chorus salvaging something at least from a listening perspective; it’s a decent start. “Alter Ego” follows up and it’s like a constant battle between warring split personalities, like Tymon is speaking of the allowed consumption of his one side by the other, almost singing to himself, but again, aside from an bold yet fuzzy, classic-rock guitar solo at the tracks climax it’s still just another slow, monotonous offering for the most part.

“Brotherhood” continues this approach with another sluggish, grunge-based, mostly spoken work piece, only offering slight melody with the brief chorus…slightly droning, even layering what sounds like whale-song inspired instrumentation within the latter half of the track, allowing for a somewhat shoegaze experience but it still feels and sounds lazy, before closing track “Shipwreck” takes you on a nihilistic journey through the zombified mind of a sailor going through the motions at sea…fed up of his Captain’s seemingly endless quest, the voyage at sea becoming bleak, the repetition pushing him to almost breaking point…the mantra of “we sink – we drown” the only thought seemingly keeping him going, veering off at the end like he secretly wishes to end his existence in the cold sea below. With the grunge elements still driving the music there’s also subtle prog influences here too and at points you can hear the bands appreciation of TOOL creeping through, giving us the EP’s only other notable point of interest really.

Mind you with that said it, doesn’t take away from the fact that, overall, the seventeen minutes of music that makes up this EP is arguably some of the dreariest you’ll likely hear all year…even instrumentally, aside from a few interesting guitar licks and ideas, it’s just a really lacklustre listen, both uneventful and unexciting. They may share a name with Sigmund Freud, historically possibly the world’s foremost leading name in neurology and psychoanalytic research, but even he would struggle to find motivation here, sadly this EP really is that boring. [3]

The rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle…very much akin to that of any Santa Carla vampire really; you know…party all night and all that malarkey…well it turns out, a couple of UK bands didn’t get that memo last year! Maybe it’s just coincidence but both YOU ME AT SIX and today’s band, DEAF HAVANA (Despite charting favourably) pretty much underperformed and underwhelmed with their previous albums “Night People” and “All These Countless Nights” respectively. They may have been children of the night but oh what music they DIDN’T make…well this year both bands are aiming for redemption with swift follow-up records. I’ve already covered YMA6’s new one “VI” over at www.allabouttherock.co.uk but here I’m going to be looking at Havana’s new LP entitled “Rituals”.

Written with a fresh, interesting approach; here we found front-man James Veck-Gilodi throwing out the usual Deaf Havana rule-book to jot down no more than just some potential song names first. He would then write songs according to those titles, fitting the lyrics and music around those ideas and concepts, with the band then completing them in the studio once satisfied. The end result? The 13 tracks we have right now making up “Rituals”…let’s check it out.

The album rather appropriately opens up with “Wake” and while a completely separate body of work it’s still as though there’s this redeeming narrative that both aforementioned bands are focusing on; the morning after the night before, referencing the previous albums. No more than a 40 second intro with the words “You can fall” repeated in a choir-esque fashion…very hushed but slowly climbing in volume and presence, before cutting off and leading into first track proper “Sinner”. An incredibly jovial track combining elements of soft indie-rock and boy-band pop melodies; an incredibly light-hearted take on James’ own personal past experiences; a song of admittance and acceptance delivered with a very British stiff upper lip, but it’s very easy listening and enjoyable.

This general tone musically carries through the album fairly consistently…even conceptually as far as the single-word song titles. “Holy” utilises a subtle, underlying funk-inspired feel coinciding with the already established indie-pop vibe, backed with more choir accompaniment courtesy of the London Contemporary Voice Choir…”Worship” too with its percussion-driven acoustic tones and minimal synths makes for a very laid back listen, which can also be said for “Fear”, while album highlight “Pure” is rich in rhythm and delivers a simple yet effective chorus, even teasing at James’ grittier vocal qualities, highlighting his passion as a singer.

Some of the tracks do plod along, barely escaping 2nd gear towards the end of the album mind, with “Heaven” again utilising the help of the choir, providing gospel-inspired gang vocals over a generally slower, stripped back track, while the albums longest offering “Saint” makes you wish you had the patience of one. God it’s so slow and boring…I mean it’s touching, but boring…and who really wants to feel bored when touched? I’m getting off topic now…ahem…that sadly too leads us into the closing track “Epiphany” and it’s here I had a sudden realisation; this track is also sadly a bit dull, as well as feeling abrupt and almost unfinished. “Rituals” as a whole isn’t bad; it’s got its pleasant pop qualities, James is still a fine story-teller, plus it’s got more energy than its predecessor…and credit to them for experimenting with their entire approach to writing this time around. The only thing I will say is that know James can properly belt out the vocals when called upon with grit and conviction, he’s done so in the past, and this album again does lack some of that edge…other than that it’s a decent album. Now if you’ll excuse me I have my OWN rituals to sort out…these puppies aren’t going to sacrifice themselves…[6]

When you casually commit your time to reviewing bands, what CAN happen is that, you’re so invested in the to-do list in front of you and going through emails that, you tend to miss a certain amount of stuff going on in the scene around you, and end up missing the boat with some artists. This is exactly what happened with today’s band…THE HUNNA. The Hertfordshire based quartet (Consisting of vocalist Ryan Potter, guitarist Dan Dorney, bassist Junate Angin and drummer Jack Metcalfe) formed in 2015  but have quickly garnered a level of hype among young alternative fans, with appearances at Reading & Leeds Festival and backing from BBC Introducing, and their debut album ”100” broke into the Top 20 too…from what I understand. This year saw the band release their hotly anticipated follow up album “Dare” and it’s here they entered my ears for the first time…let’s see how it went…

Now I’ll be honest…I judged a book (Or CD sleeve in this case) by its cover and it’s safe to say I was a bit…wrong. With the classic ‘Parental Advisory’ logo, the misty, back alley at night background and perception of gang-mentality I went in to  this expecting something along the lines of like, the alternative hard-rock stylistics of EIGHTEEN VISIONS or ATREYU and maybe you could say I was expecting too much? The album opens up promisingly with some fuzzy guitar and a gradually building opening verse, before it erupts into this genuinely catchy, soaring melodic chorus. It’s got a great pop-hook and an infectious groove and though while the track does end on a more breakdown-inspired instrumental segment, this is far more up-beat and up-tempo than I was expecting, but it’s a decent start nevertheless.

This overall tone is continued on tracks like “Fever” which again is an incredibly light-hearted affair which utilises a strong indie-pop feel; more melodic guitar tones and big on chorus, in ways akin to the likes of YOU ME AT SIX in delivery, while “One” easily reflects the bands affection for artists such as KINGS OF LEON, it’s so easy to imagine this played in the same set as “Sex On Fire”, the influence is quite clear…which I guess can also be said for “Summer” too. Closing track “Y.D.W.I.W.M.” (Which stands for ‘You Don’t Want It With Me’…I was relieved to not have to play some sort of Mock The Week type guess the headline game with that let me tell you) does utilise more of that fuzzy, bass-heavy guitar tone, almost grungy and more resembling of artists such as DRENGE which makes for a grittier listen, but this is generally as heavy as it gets.

​Several of the tracks opt for a considerably lighter feel such as the FOALS inspired “Babe, Can I Call?” which is a sickly sweet love song, “Lover” is a morose anti-ballad that’s both powerful and bold while trying to tug on the heart strings, while “Mother”, arguably the weakest track on the record plods along, ending on a repetitive note, really making you hope he was put up for adoption just to end YOUR suffering. Ultimately while there are some decent pop-rock cuts on “Dare” with a fair share of infectious melodies and enjoyable choruses, I really was expecting something with a bit more substance….ideally the hunna gunna’ wunna’ dare to show more fighting spirit next time around as, though while I’m not expecting a sudden switch to anything remotely metal, their songs really could do with a bit more attitude. [6]

That awkward moment when your girl asks you over for ‘Netflix & Chill’ but the Netflix is so good that the chill doesn’t happen…this, my friends, is what happens when you discover “Stranger Things”. Only two seasons strong, the Netflix original has garnered one of the strongest cult followings in recent TV history with its throwback 80’s tones and quaint sense of pop-culture nostalgia, combining sci-fi and low-key horror with classic teen-flick vibes, all wrapped up in homage to the likes of Stephen King. One of its main strengths is it’s incredible young cast and today we’re going to be focusing on one in particular; Finn Wolfhard. Now still only 15 years old the Canadian has shown some incredibly impressive acting chops not only with his drama and emotional skills in Stranger Things, but also in the remake of the aforementioned Stephen King’s “IT”, where he got to embrace a more comedic role and pulled it off brilliantly.

This isn’t Cinemassacre however and  we’re not here to review movies, but luckily Finn is a young lad of many talents and it’s here I’m going to point you in the direction of a band by the name of CALPURNIA, which he somehow finds the time for between film and TV! Founded in Vancouver just last year by Finn (Who’s on guitar and vocals) plus drummer Malcolm Craig, the band is completed by guitarist / vocalist Ayla Tesler-Mabe and bassist Jack Anderson, and they have already released a debut EP of original content entitled “Scout”. The question is, at their young age, do we find ourselves with another HANSON or heaven forbid, AARON CARTER? Let’s find out…

The EP opens up with a track called “Louie” and to my surprise we’ve got this restrained, stripped back, blues country type piece, but it also utilises a subtle, almost Caribbean tone; rich in its tinny-guitar and lulling ambiance. It’s an unexpectedly mature sound (Unless it’s been inspired by Spongebob) and nowhere near the energetic, colourful indie-pop I was expecting. The rawness of the track is hammered home by Finn’s vocals which here sound their weakest from a production perspective, but it only adds to the tracks character, really embracing the original feel for minimalist bluegrass. “Wasting Time” maintains the overall tone musically but here we have a little more of that energy I expected, embracing more of an early rock ‘n’ roll feel and it’s got a genuinely solid guitar solo to boot; this is much better.

“Greyhound” is a twee, melodic, up-beat track that’s disguising a certain sadness, as the story finds our character following a break up, travelling to a show alone after buying two tickets, you can feel his disappointment…the accompanying video too has a simple but effective message portraying everyone in life has a different path, but it’s all about the journey in the end as life always tends to work out eventually. Lead single “City Boy” returns to that raw, bluesy tone but has a simple but enjoyable chorus with gang vocals and happy-go-lucky vibe. “Blame” and “Waves” then round off the EP with a quirky, up-tempo indie piece and a more, relaxed, shoegaze inspired track respectively; the latter allowing Ayla to take a more prominent role vocally. Ultimately as I said previously the sound they’ve gone for is far more mature than what could have been expected and I don’t mean that with any sense of detriment…there’s zero sign of any commercial manufacturing here and it shows it’s not just a PR ploy to make Finn even more famous, this is about a BAND, not just Finn and that needs to be highlighted. They’ve written this EP the way THEY wanted it, and while it’s a little rough around the edges, if it’s something they want to stick at, working around Finn’s acting schedule, they have all the genuine potential to be a solid blues rock band; the talent is already there it just needs a little fine tuning. Let’s just hope Finn’s not eaten by a Demogorgon or some shit in Stranger Things season 3, or this project might find itself upside down too. [5]

Word of mouth can be a powerful tool (Crying ‘rape’ being a prime example) and it used to be the backbone of the alternative music community if you will…long before the days of the internet, you’ve heard of how rock and metal fans would have to swap mix tapes and records etc. to keep up to date with what was happening in music, relying on your good friend or source to learn who was up and coming, who was the next big thing, who just dropped a sick EP…well those days may seem like a distant memory, but word of mouth can still introduce you to some wonderful people. Take today’s band for instance; SECOND SELF.

The Cheltenham based 4-piece (Consisting of vocalist Simon Bond, guitarist Janek Davies, bassist Barny Barnfield and drummer Pablo Rodriguez) got in touch with me personally after mutual friend and 50 BELOW PROMOTIONS booker Robert Tite (He puts on some sweet gigs and I wholeheartedly encourage you to go check them out) suggested me, as they were looking for reviews. They’re preparing to release their debut self-titled EP and have kindly asked me to give it a listen…full of second self-worth or should they have second-guessed my handling of it all? Let’s find out…

The EP opens up with “Never Coming Home” and it combines a certain nostalgic, classic hard-rock approach with underlying funk-inspired qualities…it’s all about the simple groove here as the bass carries this track forward, coupled with Bond’s emotive vocal display…this sounds like they’ve taken parts of INCUBUS and merged them with the likes of IN SEARCH OF SUN for a truly bluesy opener; it’s a decent start. “Stepping Stones” goes for a similar approach in ways but it does utilise more consistent guitar melody, so while keeping in theme with the track previous we also get throwbacks to artists such as IDLEWILD from that early 2000’s post-indie scene; clean vocals and hooks but not afraid to throw a riff down where needed.

The opening to “Falling Backwards” has a more subdued feel with the relaxed drum-fill and the bubbly guitar tone, before it delves into this, angst-ridden blend of early emo and post-hardcore…a bold vocal display coupled with some passionate instrumentation allows for an enjoyable, emotional jaunt, before closing track “Eat Your Horse” goes all Tesco ready meal on your ass. Arguably the weakest track on offer, it’s here you notice most that it’s the band’s debut recording and production isn’t 100%, there are a few rough patches which will naturally improve with time but here you can feel the scruffy, demo-quality if you will…ultimately however for a first offering you can clearly hear that there’s promise here from the quartet. With just a bit of polishing you potentially have a solid blues-based hard rock unit in Second Self as instrumentally they’re on the right path, and the vocals will only improve with confidence and experience, once they’ve found their groove by the next record fingers crossed. Second Self? Maybe a case of first the worst, second the best as they say… [5]

I want you to cast your minds back just for a moment, to the year 2009…what a weird year in pop music that was. LADY GAGA exploded onto the world’s music scene with her debut album / virtual hit-factory “The Fame”…inspiring young women everywhere to dress like absolute twats…weeks before his massive come-back tour, MICHAEL JACKSON passes away from accidental overdose, making sure you double-checked your own prescription or else you too would be moonwalking to the morgue (On a serious note that was a bit unexpected)…SUSAN BOYLE became a thing, no really, that actually happened…and a little known artist by the name of OWL CITY would dominate the airwaves with THAT song “Fireflies”…seriously it was everywhere, like a synth-pop plague, going 19x platinum worldwide…you must remember, surely? I digress…following the immediate success of Owl City’s (Real name Adam Young) debut, he seemingly faded away…but he didn’t disappear. In addition to having worked on numerous film soundtracks including “The Croods” and “Wreck-It Ralph”, he now returns with his SIXTH studio album; “Cinematic”…shall we see what owl the fuss is about?

The album kicks off with “Fiji Water” and such is the innocent charm of the simplistic electronica I honestly thought this was inspired by the ‘Human Music’ from "Rick And Morty"…I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Jerry wasn’t singing this himself! Jokes aside, it combines the unsullied tinkling’s of a baby’s cot mobile stylistically with the sickly sweet vocals…the chorus is catchy enough and this is harmless pop music with some pleasant little hooks; a pretty safe start. Speaking of choruses, “Montana” delivers well with what could musically find itself at home on LINKIN PARKS’s “One More Light” album, naturally he’s no Chester but aesthetically it wouldn’t feel out of place, you can easily imagine Shinoda accompanying this.

Despite being known for the easy-listening electronica, there are a couple of tracks that utilise a more guitar driven approach…”Be Brave” being the first offering. Initially a delicate piano led piece, it takes advantage of the slow-build and gradually becomes this emotive, emo-rock track and it’s genuinely enjoyable as it kicks into gear. “Firebird” then swaps the piano for the acoustic strings and again, the hooks on this chorus are pretty infectious, allowing for a clear album highlight. This too can be said for “Lucid Dream” which when it gets going embraces a total European dance-pop characteristic…in the right hands a potential floor-filler this. By contrast then, the cutely titled “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” is a wonderful little tribute to his father via an acoustic ballad; equal parts nostalgic admiration and present-day appreciation.

While the tracks I’ve highlighted have their own charms and attributes…we can’t ignore the fact that, at eighteen tracks long…this is a lot of synth-pop to get through and given the very often butter-wouldn’t-melt level of innocence within the vocals and poppier-than-thou electronica, it can become overwhelming to the point of nausea. “House Wren” for example is just so incredibly corny, lyrically it makes my ears cringe…”Winners Never Quit” ironically made me want to abandon this review but I’m in too deep now…this might even make Charlie Sheen quit and he INVENTED winning! Aside from some alternate versions of tracks, the album officially closes on the title track and essentially it’s like an excuse to use a lot of movie-themed metaphors and analogies…no more. Essentially here, Owl City haven’t really changed one iota…their sweet electro-pop is still on the verge of troubling diabetics…while they can clearly still produce infectious, radio-conquering tunes, this album in its entirety is for want of a better word; excessive. [5]

When it comes to bands succeeding from day one, there are few in recent times who can honestly say they have hit the ground running as hard as FLORENCE + THE MACHINE…the London-born group fronted by Florence Welch dropped their debut “Lungs” back in 2009 and really haven’t looked back since. Multi-platinum sales, Brit Awards, Mercury Prize nominations…and that was just the debut! This form continued as both follow-up records “Ceremonials” and “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” each respectively gave Florence a hat-trick of Number 1 albums and the accolades kept coming…however the style was slowly but surely changing and they were in time becoming more refined…and this leads us to 2018 where Florence released album number four; “High As Hope”. Self-produced by the band themselves, let’s see how the machine is operating these days…

The album opens up with, (Or at least tries to) “June” and I say that because there’s at least a 14 second delay between the start of the track and you being able to actually hear anything, and I honestly don’t know what this aims to achieve, coming across as more of a production error rather than having any beneficial point within the song. When the song IS flowing however we get a piano led, restrained little track, gently accompanying Florence’s instantly recognisable husky, sometimes warbled vocals. It does have a slight, climactic flurry but it’s abrupt ending spoils that completely. Were the spare 14 seconds meant to be this side of the song, instead of being empty? Here it just sounds incomplete; a poor start.

Lead single “Hunger” then follows and admittedly this is much better; with a more up-beat rhythm its sounding far more positive, with encouraging lyrics and a gospel-inspired clap-along accompaniment, coupled with soulful backing gang-vocals, this is Florence as we know her and she’s so easily capable of writing songs that simply ooze with joyousness; this being one of them. This is reinforced by the track “Patricia” which again has all of the classic F+TM traits, wonderfully blending soulful pop with energetic indie…the string sections and bold chorus allowing for a dynamic listen and again it allows for an enjoyable song. Florence has always had subtle gothic tendencies mind you and here it’s showcased by the ultra-moody “Big God”…the almost haunted, deeper tempo with its sultry tones and slow-build gives the album extra character overall and is a definite highlight.

This albums primary flaw however, is in fact how stripped back it actually is…as despite only being ten tracks long, it feels a lot longer because of the level of restriction, with an almost shoegaze appraoch utilised. “Grace” whilst on paper is an appropriately titled graceful little piano ballad, it feels incredibly drawn out, and as assertive as Florence is vocally the track fails to hold attention, so too do the albums closing tracks suffer similarly, with “The End Of Love” and “No Choir” rounding things off in lacklustre fashion. Yes the point of this album was a more personal, raw recording and that does indeed resonate through Flo’s vocals throughout, her ability as a performer can’t be questioned, but taking this direction has denied us the proper banger's we all know the band are capable of…there’s no rush and excitement of “Howl”…there’s no drama and climax of “What The Water Gave Me” and there’s no feisty attitude of “Kiss With A Fist”…instead, while we have a well matured album, it’s pretty much just Florence…the machine seems to be on standby. [5]

With the odd couple of exceptions, generally you’ll find that bands who have been together for a lengthy period of time usually start to mellow out at some stage in their career. Only recently I was saying this about the MANIC STREET PREACHERS who have lost some of their original punk-rock attitude in middle age…and this can be said too for artists such as ANATHEMA for example; originally a Gothic / doom metal outfit, over the years they evolved into the ambient, progressive band they are today (Check out “The Optimist” if you haven’t already). Well this can also be said about today’s band; let me introduce you to MANES. Formed in Trondheim, Norway back in 1992, they were originally part of the 90’s black metal scene alongside the likes of SATYRICON and IMMORTAL but over the years they’ve toned down into what’s been described as a bastardisation of rock, electronica and progressive jazz. The last time we heard from them was back in 2011 with what WAS to be their final album; “Be All End All”…but 2018 sees them return with the brand new album “Slow Motion Death Sequence”. Available through Debemur Morti Productions from August 24th…lets check it out…

We open up with “Endetidstegn” which more or less translates as ‘end-time signs’ and thematically kicks off the start of this death sequence on a dark, apocalyptic note. It’s slow and dramatic with minimal electronica and percussion, with vocals soaked in melancholy, though it picks up with some intense, dramatic, looming power chords and double kick drums, and the track develops a serious sense of foreboding…this album isn’t going to be a walk in the park let me tell you…and if it were, it would be at night in the middle of The Purge whilst you’re stalked by sociopaths. “Scion” follows up and it’s more of the slow, cold synths, with vocalist Asgeir Hatlen here giving it an 80’s alternative indie vibe; however its slow tempo makes the track feel like it lasts an eternity, with the repetition not helping one iota.

The album overall is fairly consistent in tone and approach, rarely veering from its path but it does have its few interesting points; “Therapism” utilises a moody, almost darkwave inspired tone…the creeping electronica occasionally pierced by assertive guitars, the use of single chords is simple yet effective and though while it does have a feeling of gradual build it never really puts it’s foot down, while “Building The Ship Of Theseus” returns to that almost post-punk, alternative 80’s vibe, aesthetically in ways slotting in between the likes of  BAUHAUS and NICK CAVE…but sadly the rest of the record struggles to capture much attention. At seven and a half minutes, “Last Resort” sums itself up nicely, as a long-winded dreary acoustic-led piece and I really would only consider listening to this as a last resort…oh how I wished this was a PAPA ROACH cover...wouldn't that be fun...“Ater” then closes the album on what is essentially an avant-garde instrumental bar some minimal lyricism, and it’s a despairingly slow one at that, the last breath of this album escaping into the ether. Conceptually, as a listener I have to agree with the album’s title here because this truly is a slow motion death sequence…for generally it’s such a dull, miserable album…imagine yourself or, someone, anyone, in a time-lapse montage, just sat there, motionless, going from young adult, to being frail and elderly, before just succumbing to time and death itself; that’s what this album sounds like and it would perfectly accompany that montage in tone, for both conceptually are as equally sad and boring as the other. [3]

Having formed in Blackwood back in 1986, over the past 30+ years the MANIC STREET PREACHERS have become not only Welsh national treasures, but one of the biggest bands to ever come out of the UK. Despite the departure of guitarist Richie Edwards back in 1995 (I say departure, he LITERALLY disappeared off the face of the Earth) the now trio have continued to grow and cement their legacy around the world, however in recent years their style has mellowed to accommodate middle-aged life, and their musical output has been increasingly laid-back. 2018 see’s the valley’s veteran’s return for the first time since 2014’s “Futurology” with the brand new album “Resistance Is Futile”…recorded at their brand new Newport studio, let’s see what’s so hard to resist…

We open up with the track “People Give In” and it’s a quaint little track essentially highlighting the fact that we’re all human at the end of the day…there’s a chirpiness to the track; a light, airy feel, backed but the Vulcan String Quartet and some sweeping string sections, while vocalist James Dean Bradfield sings of the up’s and down’s we endure in life and the tone here gives you a sense of ‘It’s OK…just try again’ and it’s an encouraging, positive listen. One of this album’s traits however according to bassist/lyricist Nicky Wire was that it was to capture the essence of both “Generation Terrorists” and “Everything Must Go”, with the sound designed to reflect upon that era of the band, and follow up track “International Blue” does a decent job of this…with Bradfield’s distinct vocals and wailing guitar sequences, coupled with a simplistic melody it’s trademark MSP and an enjoyable listen.

This ideology is proven further by the likes of “Broken Algorithms” which harbors a subtle sense of early punk-rock which made the band famous in their formative years; the guitars having more attitude, with Sean Moore on drums then having more of an assertive presence…the overall tone being more youthful and in typical Manic’s manner they tackle society and its flaws, while “Sequels Of Forgotten Wars” utilizes more gritty guitar and the message of never-ending conflict; “There will be no parades for the likes of us” because the war is never over, the ‘blue screen’ a possible metaphor for the government and how they conduct themselves etc, they can manipulate what they want you to see and know, keeping the war machine going.

Elsewhere “Hold Me Like A Heaven” uses everything from acoustic melodies to lulling synths and gang vocal harmonies to create a truly relaxing sonic experience, wonderfully easy listening, while “Dylan & Caitlyn” mirrors this with an orchestral-led collaboration with THE ANCHORESS, (Welsh singer Catherine Davies) her vocals adding extra character to the albums overall presentation. The rest of the album pretty much captures exactly what Wire set out to do; it’s a modern take on a sound that made the band what they are today and it’s a nice little trip down memory lane for long-time fans. Lyrically astute and instrumentally crisp as always, song writing has always been a strength of these Welshmen and here they prove that yet again, in terms of story-telling through song, they’ve always been among the best. However, despite spawning an impressive five singles, none of them are entirely memorable as instant hits when compared to the level of quality in their back catalog. Still though…13 albums in and they’re still preaching, credit to them. [6]

Back in 2005, a little know indie band by the name of EDITORS burst into the spotlight with their debut album “The Back Room” and it just the beginning of what was to become a new era in British guitar music. Artists such as STEREOPHONICS and OASIS were still riding high in the charts but there was fresh meat on the table and Birmingham’s Editors were among the new specials on the British scene. Ever since they’ve scored numerous number 1 albums and have gone multi-platinum, with their modern blend of indie and throwback post-punk a-la JOY DIVISION and ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, and 2018 sees them return, wind-milling their way through a sea of mainstream mediocrity via album number six; “Violence”…let’s check it out…

The album opens up with “Cold” and we’re met with a slow, subdued introduction consisting of light, repeated keys and Tom Smith’s distinct deeply melodic vocals, extra layered piano and simple percussion take the song out of first gear but thematically it’s appropriately named; very mellow, speaking of loneliness in life’s bigger picture, time will be up for us all in the end, let’s be lonely together, ghost along in life…and there’s a beauty in his melancholy that once again they’ve perfected; a good start here. “Hallelujah (So Low)” picks up next and again we’re given a predominantly steady opening; continuing with more synth, coupled with a hushed delicacy to Tom’s vocal delivery…before gang-vocals lead into an eruption of hard-hitting riffs and crunching guitar. Very much a song of light and dark but it’s balanced brilliantly.

The title track maintains the consistency going forward with its laid back, ambient approach to electronic pop music and is easily an album highlight…a song of disparity, it highlights humanities struggle to coexist in ways, growing further apart, with lyrics like “The last train will pull you through, at night the war still comes to you, it makes it harder to join the dots, the river gets wider in front of us”…the violence itself referring to the state of the world, the track then culminating in a frenzied climax, summing up the growing tensions worldwide and it’s been wonderfully done. Further highlights include lead single “Magazine” which is full of hooks and emotive vocals, as well as some wonderfully gritty guitar segments resulting in a highly enjoyable listen overall.

At just nine tracks long, there’s very little room for negativity here which is something I wish more artists would embrace when compiling track listings for finished records, but if I had to pick anything to bring this album down, it would be “No Sound But The Wind”…a delicate piano ballad and in its own right, it’s a sweet, sombre listen…BUT…it’s a re-recorded track that was once used on the soundtrack to “Twilight: New Moon” and to that I say “FUCK THAT!”…I don’t want to promote any shiny, sparkly vampire shit here! Keeping within the same tone however, the album closes on “Belong” which acts as a wonderfully sad metaphor for hidden passion, burning within but private and secluded…locked within the four walls of your own skin; a constant struggle. Overall it is a very restrained album and has nothing in means of classics like “Blood” or “Munich” but Editors have proven that less can certainly mean more. Sometimes violence CAN be the answer apparently. [7]

Sugar and spice and all things nice; that’s what little girls are made of…but by contrast, banter, pub crawls and the occasional cheeky Nando’s…there my friend, you have the lads; the bro’s, and what bigger bunch of bro’s, than DON BROCO? The boys from Bedford formed back in 2008 and in the ten years that have passed since; they’ve become one of the UK’s most established home grown talents, on a continual ascension with each and every album and tour…from headlining the Kerrang! Tour in 2015, from slowly creeping higher up the charts with each album, and last year they played their biggest headline show to date at Alexandra Palace…2018 sees them continue on their run with their brand new album “Technology”…let’s see how up to date they actually are…

The album opens up with the title track and we’re met with a brief but subtle, percussion led electronic sample, but it bursts into this bass-heavy barrage of riffs…it’s deep, it’s got some weight behind it and it’s an interesting way to kick things off. Vocally it’s as you’d expect; clean with a mixture of harmony and swagger as is their style, blending alternative rock with indie-pop charm making for a catchy, rhythmic chorus…it’s a decent opener. The same can be said for the single “T-Shirt Song”…it’s big…it’s bold and it utilises a similar approach to our opener, mixing bass heavy riffs with powerful, melodic hooks allowing for another strong chorus, while the rest of the track balances groove and delicacy well. This is the promising sign of Don Broco on form, as is also proven elsewhere on tracks such as “¥” which follows a similar formula again, delivering a simple but infectious pop-rock master-class riddled with groove…that is until the tracks climax…which descends into a distorted breakdown and despite being brief, it can’t help but bring the track down. The exchange rate for those Yen just plummeted…

The rest of the album however…over the course of its total 16 track run time gradually loses both momentum and point…while there are glimmers of potential found in tracks such as “Everybody”, which sticks strongly to an indie-inspired core sound, slightly funk-driven and rhythmic…there’s “Tightrope” with its sweet vocal delivery and “Got To Be You” which utilises a dramatic, echoed tone to the guitars and an emotive narrative, they are sadly lost among the annoying level of filler found bulking this album up. “Come Out To LA” has a fucking awful hip-hop / R’n’B structure to it which really negates the quality of the song, like it doesn’t know what it wants to be…”Porkies” has vocalist Rob shouting his way through the track and truthfully it doesn’t suit him at all, with the track as a result just sounding off. “Something To Drink” makes you want to drink in its own right with a predominantly dull display…Don Broco aiming for Dom Perignon but reaching white wine vinegar…before closing track “Potty Mouth” which has an annoyingly abrupt ending which is bad enough after what can only be described as a discarded GORILLAZ cut, followed by what is arguably one of the worst hidden tracks ever put to record. It’s a bit of a mess frankly…so to summarise, they could have easily taken a good six tracks off of this album and condensed it down into a simple, manageable listen as strong playlist, but they opted for quantity over quality where in reality less would have definitely been more. The good thing about technology is that, if you opt to buy “Technology” on iTunes you can buy individual tracks and not have to listen to the whole thing. If you have it on CD then you’d better be prepared to smash that skip button. [5]

Do you remember back in 2013, when FALL OUT BOY shocked the world and underwent what many called a renaissance? Their surprise come-back album “Save Rock And Roll” was not only a glorious return to form, chock full of tunes but it was also a mission statement…if you caught them live on that tour, the title track, ironically a moving ballad, was a call to arms…the stage production would show black and white images of icons such as Freddie Mercury, Sid Vicious, Kurt Cobain and many more, as if to say don’t let the music die, literally save rock and roll from the music industry…and everyone thought that this was the beginning of something special; a resurgence in rock music across the board, and in many ways it was…just…not for Fall Out Boy…after the 50/50 reception of follow up album “American Beauty/ American Psycho” which many described as a mishmash of songs lacking real direction, we find them in 2018 dropping another new album by the name of “M A N I A”…this one was delayed because they themselves felt it was rushed…was it worth the wait?
 
We open up with the first single “Young And Menace” and…this is an interesting direction to say the least. After a seemingly dreary, slow build to the track with sombre tones and an impassioned, angst ridden feel, we descend into a totally distorted, techno riddled breakdown of a chorus…it’s positively shapeless…it’s like the chipmunks dropped acid and hijacked a SKRILLEX sample…it’s honestly fucking horrendous! Luckily the follow up track is far more recognisable as the FOB we love and expect…”Champion” has a similarly slow intro but the guitar here is gritty and in ways reminds me of early KAISER CHIEFS…there’s more attitude here and despite the clear pop-production it’s got enough of that early emo-rock feel to stand out as a brand new classic and is bound to go down well live, this is much better. The same can be said for “The Last Of The Real Ones”…an up-beat energetic number with a really enjoyably catchy hook and huge sing-along chorus, this is massive FOB by numbers and the level of quality we recognise…

The trouble though is that, besides these two undeniable tunes, the album falls right back onto its arse and leaves the listener thinking, what the hell are FOB trying to achieve? “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea” just feels like they picked random words out of a hat…granted the message is one of today’s cut-throat culture, the competition for stardom and the spotlight with a really obscure reference to the 1994 US figure skating scandal (And I thought I made weird analogies) but again they opt to utilise a pulsing, bass-driven EDM foundation for the track…”Hold Me Tight Or Don’t” and “Sunshine Riptide” both jump on the bandwagon regarding Caribbean structured pop, tinny guitar, the subtle steel-drum tones and rhythm…it’s something a lot of mainstream artists have done recently so in all likeliness it’s a dig but it still doesn’t make it worth listening to, even ironically. “Heaven’s Gate” has this soulful, gospel inspired blues tone, before closing track “Bishops Knife Trick” ends proceedings on a predominantly lulling note…and another random reference; this time to “Alien”. A song of journey; torn between the feeling of freedom to explore and knowing where you call home, in ways summarising the album from a creative standpoint really rather well. FOB in ways here simply come across as oxymoronic…their save rock and roll gimmick went out the fucking window let’s be clear on that, and this album is almost a parody of itself. It sounds like the band are ribbing mainstream pop culture but the joke flew over everyone’s heads as it just blends in with the very thing they are ribbing…”M A N I A” in ways just reminds me of “Insania” by PETER ANDRE…he thought he had something new, something fresh and exciting but, it wasn’t. [5]

As a Welshman myself I can safely say this without too much fear of backlash but, in reality, if you ever hear anyone Welsh speak, especially on TV (The ones they pluck off the street for ITV news are always the worst) we honestly sound dull as fuck. Really now…we have quite possibly the most equally poetic and plebeian accent on Earth…so the notion of “Cool Cymru” as a pigeonhole for our 90’s musical exports is quite astonishing. Nevertheless it was indeed a thing and we proudly gave the world bands like CATATONIA and SUPER FURRY ANIMALS…and a slightly better known band by the name of STEREOPHONICS. Formed way back in the early nineties in the town of Cwmaman, the ‘Phonics eventually burst on to the scene with their debut album, “Word Gets Around”, in 1997 and they’ve never looked back…having had a stellar career with millions of sales and a back catalogue of chart toppers, we find them in 2017 releasing their 10th studio album; “Scream Above The Sounds”…let’s turn it up!

We open up with “Caught By The Wind” and we welcome the album in with some gentle, melodious guitar tones and light percussion…the hooks utilised here are quite basic but the simplicity is part of the songs charm, it’s quaint, it’s easy listening…it's textbook 'Phonics...there’s an innocence to it and as openers go it’s far from unpleasant, easing you into the album nicely. “Taken A Tumble” follows up and here we have a little more bite, though only fractionally. With a sound based more in indie and classic rock, it’s more stripped back, though with the key changes towards the tracks closing moments we’re given an enjoyable, climatic finish. Sadly however, highlights here are generally quite sparse to be perfectly honest…”Geronimo” for all its outlaw swagger and solid groove ends up feeling stuck in second gear, it lacks an edge and would benefit a strong, hard rock inspired chorus, unlike “Chances Are”…possibly the strongest track on offer, the build up here is wonderful; restrained for the most part, it gradually gets deeper, led by some decent riffs and a little more attitude…it struts its stuff all the way towards its well-executed crescendo, coupled with Kelly Jones’ trademark drawl, this is more like it, this is more like classic ‘Phonics and it’s a joy to listen to.

The rest of the tracks however are…well…lackadaisical at best…“What’s All The Fuss About?” for example is a brilliant question because I for one can’t really see it myself. At near six minutes it’s a yawn inducing dabble in soft jazz with blues elements and it really is dreary, especially with Jones’ painfully droned vocals…the same fate falls upon “All In One Night” and again it’s a monotonous, uninspired soundscape coming across as no better than boring. “Would You Believe?” is another brilliant question, as would you honestly believe these once feisty valleys rockers could peddle such lazily written indie-pop? This isn’t even middle of the road, they’ve pulled over in the lay-by for a fucking nap!…”Cryin’ In Your Beer” does it’s best to reignite your interest towards the end of the album with its brassy, bass-driven lively delivery but really it’s too little too late. Scream above the sounds? A more appropriate title would be loudly tut in disappointment over the sleepy sounds of mediocrity…I expected better…[4]

We’re going to go on a little trip down memory lane right now…back in 2014 when this blog was but a fledgling project with little to no sense of structure (Honestly I’m a little bit of a technophobe)…where my earliest reviews and my first forays into writing were there, posted for all to see in their amateur, cringe-worthy glory, I came across a band by the name of ANAVAE. Formed in London in 2011 and consisting of only vocalist Rebecca Need-Menear and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Finch, they had released a mini-album by the name of “Dimensions” and I praised it for its slick production and catchy, easy-listening electronic rock qualities…now, three years later and after a couple of random singles here and there, they’ve released their much anticipated follow up EP “Are You Dreaming?”…Well? Let’s find out…

We open up with a statement of intent in “All Or Nothing” and the track slowly crawls out of the shadows with some cold, semi-industrial tones…the feeling here is a serious one and the sound they’ve gone for is considerably deeper…the chorus here is still bold, not quite anthemic but it is assertive…coupled with the subtle techno qualities layered throughout, it’s a solid opener but heavier than previous works, an interesting start. Following that however we have the wonderfully quirky “Forever Dancing” and this is the Anavae I recognize…the charm and innocence of the pop melodies, coupled with the positive up-beat tone of this track are delightful…this is the catchy Anavae we are familiar with and it’s a clear EP highlight.

More questions are asked next with “Are We Alone?” and musically we’re met with a more stripped back, ambient alt. pop sound, there’s a gradual build to this huge chorus before it dies down again, the two elements of the song complimenting each other quite nicely but it ends on an abrupt flat note instead of properly peaking at a crescendo, leaving the listener wanting just that bit more. “Stay” has a similar issue with a feeling of being a little more, reserved or restrained, despite its harmonies…there’s a huge pop hook here, again in a strong chorus and in ways this would appeal to fans of SHINY TOY GUNS to a degree, before we finish up on “Lose Your Love”. Probably the weakest track on offer here, it’s lethargic as though the love truly has been lost; it’s personal…drained of all energy and hope, like she’s given up and ultimately it’s a sad listening experience. While the EP itself it a pleasant collection of songs within itself it lacks in the intensity and stand-out appeal that made its predecessor so appealing. Am I dreaming? No…but at least its not a nightmare. [6]

Tis’ the season to be jolly, fa-la la-la-la, la-la-like-fuck it is….let’s talk about Christmas. Every year we spend offensive amounts of money on food, drink and presents because one day, a little boy was supposedly born very unhygienically in a stable, in a pile of hay, surrounded by animals and a frightening amount of NHS health and safety violations…to a woman named Mary who claimed to be a virgin…(Joseph mate she’s having you on by here and I’d call Jeremy Kyle for a DNA test ASAP…) Yes she claimed immaculate conception and that the father was God, and the baby, who we now know as Jesus Christ, the Messiah (Not Brian, no, he was a very naughty boy) became one of the most important figures in organised religion with a following of over 2 Billion people worldwide and also, the acclaimed host of the call-in show “Jesus And Pals” on SOUTH PARK. All of this…because his mother Mary had an affair resulting in her concocting an ENTIRE RELIGION to hide it from Joseph, who was either naïve or high on animal glue from his woodwork and went along with it. And now that that’s off my chest…let’s talk about a band that links perfectly with my ranting; THE VIRGINMARYS.

Formed in Macclesfield in 2009 and now only consisting of vocalist/guitarist Ally Dickaty plus drummer Danny Dolan, the VM’s have become one of the UK’s most acclaimed up and coming indie-rock artists with several well received EP’s and albums, not to mention Classic Rock awards nominations…and this year they hope to continue in the same vein of quality with their latest EP entitled ”Sitting Ducks”…let’s check it out. The EP opens up with the title track and we’re off to a simple start…with only basic percussion and a predominantly bass-driven intro it takes a while to warm up, but we don’t have to wait long before we’re met with more melody and substance, until the chorus bursts into life with a flurry of passion. The tempo throughout is generally steady and it carries with it a certain swagger aided by that big, bold chorus…the additional guitar solo sequence breaks the track up nicely and there’s nothing to not enjoy about this track once it’s gotten going; a strong start.

We follow up with the lead single taken off the EP “Sweet Loretta (You Know Me Better)” and it’s got a great build up…no nonsense, hard rocking indie that steadily intensifies, utilising a solid groove throughout, for the most part a real foot-tapper of a track but the chorus…the chorus sadly lets you down feeling just a little anti-climactic…it lacks the edge the rest of the track hooks you with and suffers ever so slightly from repetition…it’s a bit hit and miss this. “Through The Sky” then has shades of KINGS OF LEON dotted throughout in some aspects, fully embracing an indie rock tone…its smoother, it’s mellow but the guitar solo here is slick and smile-inducing, eventually ending the track on a mildly chaotic flurry…this is far from anti-climactic and is much, much better. Finally then we close up on “Sleep” and it’s ironic as we’ve got the dreariest track on offer last…though the acoustic harmonies are both quaint charming, and it’s clear the emotions here are raw, the sadness is unavoidable and there are moments where Ally’s vocals simply grate on your ears when he releases his pain…yet beautiful is the suffering. Overall however the four tracks here get you through a very pleasant quarter of an hour and the EP as a whole is an enjoyable listen. [7]

Back in September I ran a review on one of Klayton’s numerous projects on the FiXT roster; SCANDROID, who returned with their highly anticipated second album “Monochrome”…a very nostalgically indulgent project acting as a throwback to the 80’s era of new-wave synth pop, the neon retro glow of early electronic music, with the concept of living in a futuristic cyberpunk neo-Tokyo…it was done incredibly well and proved once again that Kalyton is one of the top electronic artists in the world today…but he’s not the only one dabbling in the past. Fellow label-mate BLUE STAHLI (Real name Bret Autrey) has caught the retro bug too it seems and for his own new project, he’s dropped the heavier, guitar driven EDM for a spot of synth-pop. With the debut album “Starlight” being released December 1st…let’s checkout SUNSET NEON…

We rather appropriately open up with “Opening Title Sequence” which, really, is probably the most straight-to-the-point, generic track title you could possibly imagine…if this was a film score, I would understand but here it doesn’t even have any sense of ironic self-awareness…it’s just lazy. The track itself is just over a minute of otherworldly, spacey soft-synth…it’s like something that may have found its way into one of the scenes on "Stranger Things" and while it’s promising regarding the rest of the album, I’m already distracted now, Netflix is calling me…I regain focus however as first track proper; “Got You” kicks in and this is more like it! It’s rich in bubbly, up-beat disco inspired new-wave indie-pop…the style, the sound, the vibe; it’s all absolutely spot on here…an early album highlight this is something you could easily imagine having been on old-school Top Of The Pops.

Further highlights include the vibrant “Never Dance Again” which wonderfully blends era’s into one light-hearted, happy-go-lucky electronic pop number…imagine KIM WILDE collaborated with CHARLI XCX and you wouldn’t be far off…it’s beat and rhythm are minimalistic while the guitar during the chorus adds a little depth and just a touch of attitude, this is an enjoyable pop song. “You Are The Sun” layers incredibly soft vocals over a relaxed soft-synth backing, akin to early boy bands in ways, while the title track utilises a lo-fi ambience with a charming delicacy fans of SAVAGE GARDEN would appreciate. The real highlight however comes courtesy of “Tonight”…more guitar-driven in tone and in ways more suited to a glam rock band, it’s got more of an edge, it’s pumping, it’s motivational; it’s the kind of song Rocky Balboa would punch frozen cow carcasses to…excellent stuff. Several of the tracks fail to inspire as instrumentals however; “Strut” has this, nu-disco swagger, it’s got funk but it feels like filler…”Metrocenter 84” too suffers similarly, though more laid back and ambient…but the real kick in the childhood comes from the surprise cover of PRINCE classic “Kiss”…merciful god…the original was painfully cringe-worthy with his unique high pitched vocal but it’s worse when imitated…it’s like MIKA and Justin Hawkins from THE DARKNESS had a bollockless lovechild and it attempted to match the track cringe-for-cringe. Ultimately though, the album as a whole has its quaint nostalgic tones firmly set in the lighter, poppier end of the retrospectrum (See what I did there?) and it offers a wholly different listen to Scandroid, though sadly, the songs here are weaker if we compare the two projects…Sunset Neon needs to replace a few bulbs I think. [5]

I want to take a minute to talk about “emo”…but before you get all excited like a wide-eyed eleventeen year old browsing Blue Banana for the first ever time, I mean proper emo…no not the pompous black parade peddling MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE or even worse, BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR (Seriously how are they even a thing?)…I’m talking about proper, original emo. All emo really is…is emotional rock music, that’s where the tag comes from, but it descended into a fashion statement and became more of a trend among youngsters. Bands like HELL IS FOR HEROES wonderfully blended post-hardcore with melodic indie elements to great effect in the early days but were overlooked for the poppier commercial value of the likes of FALL OUT BOY and PANIC! AT THE DISCO as the genre snowballed, and one such band who were resigned to their cult fan base, was REUBEN. The Surrey based three-piece hit their peak with 2004’s “Racecar Is Racecar Backwards” but went on indefinite hiatus following 2007’s “In Nothing We Trust”…this year, they’ve re-released the latter on white vinyl celebrating its 10th anniversary…let’s revisit it…

The album opens up with “Cities On Fire” and after a mellow, softly plucked guitar intro, we hit some feedback and the song suddenly bursts into life with a bitterness; a sharpness with Jamie Lenman’s intense, heavy vocals…he’s giving this his all, switching between soothing and savage you get a real sense of what emo should be…the mellifluous segments find themselves somewhere between SNOW PATROL and LONELY THE BRAVE while the more aggressive elements really add weight and character, balancing it out well, this is a nice opener. “We’re All Going Home In An Ambulance” has some wonderfully distorted guitar tones aiding a frenetic, disjointed musical onslaught…it’s noisy, it’s messy, it’s off-kilter…someone would probably label this mathcore today but whatever you want to call it, it’s wonderful.

Second single “Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin” has a slower, lethargic tempo but its simplicity is infectious. Its melody is subtle and it’s a far tamer track overall with a solid climatic flurry, add to that an appearance by one Mr FRANK TURNER and we’ve got an enjoyable listen. Lengthy track names became a staple of emo albums, and “Crushed Under The Weight Of Enormous Bullshit” was no exception…for the most part utilising almost “Psycho” inspired notes, it’s an intense, unsettling listen, while “Good Luck” on the other hand is a far more peaceful acoustic led track, featuring guest vocalist Hannah Clark, it’s a lovely little relaxing campfire ballad, providing another highlight. Speaking of which, “Agony/Agatha” is another enjoyably simplistic offering; piano driven, equally quirky and catchy, before we eventually finish up on “A Short History Of Nearly Everything”. Primarily sombre in tone, it’s a fitting closure to not only the album, but their career at the time. Emo may have gone stratospheric in the years that followed and many would argue its core values were more than tainted, but bands like Reuben were properly underappreciated as soon as there was a commercial bandwagon to jump on. Ten years on, this is still a solid listen, while emo itself, was crushed under the weight of its own enormous amount of bullshit. [7]

Outside of the squared circle, wrestlers are very rarely (if ever at all) taken seriously…obviously I mean by people who, don’t particularly care about wrestling in the first place that is…sure there are anomalies, Rock “The Dwayne” Johnson has become a global movie star all credit to him…John Cena is trying too but nobody can see him doing it and Hulk Hogan? The Hulkster is a living legend there’s no two ways about it brother! Say your prayers eat your vitamins and believe in yourself and you too, could land yourself winning millions of dollars in a court case over a sex tape…but I digress…what about music? Chris Jericho has been gradually winning people over with his rock band FOZZY…John Cena, again, remember that rap album? Enough said…and then there’s JEFF HARDY. Hardy is one of the most loved and decorated tag team wrestlers the industry has ever seen alongside his brother Matt, he’s won numerous singles titles too in both WWE and TNA (Or whatever the hell it’s called these days)…but…did you also know that he front’s a band too? Let me introduce you to PEROXWHY?GEN…no that’s not a typo, that’s actually the band’s name (Pronounced Peroxygen) Hardy and co have released several EP’s and albums over the past couple of years and this year they dropped “Precession Of The Equinoxes”…let’s see how far we can get before we tap out…

We open up with “Sphere On Earth” and it’s an interesting one to say the least…it’s a weird, spoken word track, almost a monologue in ways…he speaks of his mother with a poetic adoration and it’s all an ode to her in her passing, this family role model, loved and respected and while quaint, it goes full-on track length at 3:00…it’s really quite artsy instead of being a brief intro and while creative it doesn’t really benefit as being an opening track…an odd inclusion this. The first proper track, “Revived” gets the album going more adequately with a mixture of rock, indie and emo qualities, tapping into that general genre-bracket…imagine bands like AMERICAN HI-FI and that ilk…clean vocals, melodic but raw…it’s got substance this…there are moments where the vocals can come across a touch flat but there’s enough here to carry it forward, this is more enjoyable start. We change gears again though as immediately we follow up with “Occasion” and while we stick with certain, soft-emo tones we’re given a far more delicate track. Heavy on piano and strings, leading into acoustics it’s got an almost semi-country feel and in ways develops into something fans of SMASHING PUMPKINS could appreciate.

At 2:44, “Otherwise” is the shortest track on offer here and while it’s a little disjointed in places, we’re treated to some decent throwback, early 2000’s alternative rock, this could have easily of come out of the nu-metal era listening to this chorus, balancing on a fine line between nostalgic and dated…”Unforgiveable” then retouches certain ballad aspects but here it’s clear Hardy doesn’t have the vocal capability to properly do this justice, he lacks a softness; a sweetness at times which would have taken this track to the next level, before we finish up on another diverse trio of tracks. “Emotionless” has more of that throwback nu-metal influence with its crossover rap metal vibe, “September Day” utilises slow, gritty electronica; coming across as spacey before we close on “Catastrophic” and it’s a weird mixture of trippy spoken word and poor rap…leaving the listener with more of a sense of “Why?” as opposed to “Wow!”. Overall…while I can sit here and applaud Hardy for all the entertainment he’s provided me over the years in ladder matches, musically he doesn’t quite grab my attention so easily, there are genuine moments here that offer a great deal of promise as some of the rockier tracks have potential, and credit to him he's not afraid to experiment, but he needs to iron out a couple of things. One things for sure, it’s not as bad as THAT match with Sting at Victory Road 2011….[4]

Back in 2003 the world of rock music underwent a little renaissance and for the first time in a long time, Goth was cool again…yes black was back and several artists made huge impacts on the world stage. Without a shadow of a doubt, EVANESCENCE stole the show with their chart topping, haunting super-hit “Bring Me To Life”, alternative rock having rarely seen such commercial success…veterans TYPE-O-NEGATIVE dropped the outstanding “Life Is Killing Me” in all of its dark humoured glory…Finnish icons HIM made their UK / US breakthrough with “Love Metal” (Helped ever so slightly by the relentless plugging of Bam Margera) and rock music as a whole found a new heart-throb in Ville Valo…and a little band called THE RASMUS released one of the year’s biggest hits, “In The Shadows”….many thought that the Finns had come out of nowhere, capitalising on this wave of alt. rock popularity but in actual fact they started life back in 1994 while still in high school, and while charting higher than their Scandinavian peers here, the longevity wouldn’t last and as quickly as they became new Goth’s on the block, they ironically slid back into the shadows, eventually going into lengthy hiatus in 2012. Fast-forward five years however, and 2017 see’s The Rasmus return with their ninth studio album; “Dark Matters” but…the question is, do The Rasmus? Let’s find out…

The album opens up with lead single “Paradise” and it finds itself somewhere between ambient acoustics and generic indie-rock…front-man Lauri’s vocals are still honey coated as ever and he sings with an air of innocence as he juxtaposes the idea of one man’s hell being another man’s paradise…it’s a pleasant little song for what it’s worth but for a come-back single after a five year absence it’s a little underwhelming and it doesn’t incite much excitement to start the album…”Something In The Dark” follows up immediately afterwards and here we have this incredibly light, bubbly pop track…musically it sounds like it’s taken influence from modern dance-pop records, lacking only in pace, and the chorus here suffers from being a little flat really, it works as a nice, simple pop song but little else. With “Wonderman” then we’re finally met with some chugging riffs and you’re lead to believe that the album is going to come to life here but, the idea is shot down as the track descends into a soft ballad and it’s massively disappointing…and here we find the album’s primary flaw.

While we know Lauri’s vocals aren’t exactly the strongest, they’ve never been an aggressive rock band…but…we do know they can churn out an absolte banger and he’s capable of delivering, I’ve already mentioned “In The Shadows”, but they also have “Guilty” in their repertoire and hell, just listen to “Life Burns!” with APOCALYPTICA…they can do it, but this album is bereft of life, or even a point at times… despite having certain easy listening qualities, such as the funk driven “Crystalline” and the frankly Eurovision-esque “Delirium” providing an album highlight in all of its catchy pop splendour, the rest of the album is annoyingly lacklustre. “Empire” for whatever reasons deemed acceptable in production utilises a god-awful kazoo-like effect that you’d possibly find in a clichéd R’n’B track…it’s actually horrendous…while “Black Days” and “Dragons Into Dreams” are for whatever reason content with boring the listener into a coma more effectively than an opioid overdose…this album simply fails to inspire on many levels and it’s just an absolute shame…even from a pop music perspective this is relatively half-arsed and lifeless and to make the point clearer, there’s more substance to the last LINKIN PARK record, and look how that was received. Dark matters? Well, this album sadly doesn’t. [3]

While talking about music in the 90’s, it’s easy to just talk about how NIRVANA were the hottest band in the world for a while and say that, alternative rock and metal in its multitude of sub-genres was going through a massive transition but, here in the UK, the scene was so incredibly random…aside from a booming rave culture spanning from the naughty north to the sexy south (God that was a terrible song), we had the SPICE GIRLS wanting all of the zig-a-zig-ah…drugs or sex, you be the judge…we even had MR BLOBBY at Christmas Number 1 in 1993 for fuck sake, but one of the most enduring movements in British music was Britpop…merely a pigeonhole for bands of a certain era, it was made famous by indie-rock artists such as BLUR and PULP but probably the biggest of the lot, was OASIS. Featuring the now iconic Gallagher brothers; Liam and Noel, they became one of the biggest bands to ever come out of the UK, finding rare success Stateside for a British artist, but, sadly you can have too much of a good thing and in 2009, after continuous strain between the brothers, Oasis came to an end. There has been plenty of talk about reunions over the years but other projects have taken priority and now, in 2017, we find LIAM GALLAGHER finally releasing his debut solo album; “As You Were”…is the darling of UK rock ‘n’ roll merely delaying the inevitable or is his story still very much morning glory? Let’s find out…

The album opens up with “Wall Of Glass” and after a harmonica driven country-blues style intro we’re met with relatively simplistic yet catchy indie-rock, the chorus keeps things minimal with some choir-esque backing vocals, accompanying Liam’s distinct voice rather well all things considering, giving his droning Manc accent an added sense of soul, it’s a nice enough introduction really and there’s plenty more where that came from…”Greedy Soul” keeps up the  indie-rock momentum but it’s got one hell of a groove…the rhythm is infectious here but again, kept simplistic much like the opener but bettered, it’s so slick and it’s got a great hook this, an easy album highlight. We revisit certain country elements on “You Better Run” too and in ways it’s like Liam has been listening to  JAKE BUGG to rediscover his mojo here…boosted further by subtle layering’s of brass, it’s good stuff.

​“Come Back To Me” has a touch more of the old attitude we know and love, couple that with more prominent electric guitar, we’re taken on a trip down memory lane audibly, while bonus track “Doesn’t Have To Be This Way” has certain throw-back qualities to the likes of THE LIGHTNING SEEDS in its melody and structure, but it’s not all smelling of stone roses…oh no…for Liam has mellowed somewhat in his age and there are several ballads dotted throughout this album…”Paper Crown” is a quaint little BEATLES inspired acoustic piece, while “All My People / All Mankind” takes a dreary, dismal look at society, lambasting selfies and such of the world around him, declaring his return, no more bullshit essentially and it’s quite a serious track in tone. While Oasis fans are desperate for that reunion, Liam here proves that he’s still one of the most important performers in British music…he may not sound as pissed off as he used to, and to be perfectly honest he probably doesn’t care what you think in that respect, but the important thing is he’s back making new music, and it’s a well-balanced album from start to finish. Now…as you were. [7]

I’ve touched upon certain influences and my own personal inspirations in previous posts, musically or otherwise, but for now we’re going to focus on one in particular; BAM MARGERA. Yes growing up in the MTV era of JACKASS it was always Bam that stood out to me more; the skating, the style...the taste in music…the latter in particular struck me as I noticed he (like myself) was a big fan of HIM which I thought was ironic…and as I watched more of his stuff, I slowly discovered his taste in bands was frankly pretty fucking good! This was cemented when he said he got to pick his own music for his own spin-off show “Viva La Bam”…so when he released his very own compilation record entitled “Viva La Bands” back in 2005, well, you can only imagine my excitement…several of the bands I was already aware of but one or two would become new favourites for life and today we’re going to be looking at one of those very bands…THE SOUNDS. Formed in Helsingborg, Sweden in 1998 and cited as being a combination of BLONDIE and THE CARS, they quickly found themselves a loyal fan-base with their blend of up-tempo rock ‘n’ roll funk with retro synth-pop undertones and earlier this year, they returned with a brand new EP called “The Tales That We Tell”…gather round folks, it’s story time…

The EP opens up with “Thrill” and immediately we’re immersed in their retro disco-pop style…Maja Ivarsson’s vocals distinctive with her combination of high pitch with husky, graveled tones…the rhythm here is simple, allowing her voice to stand strong amidst the synth-led alt. pop…and really there are aspects of this track musically that could appeal fans of both BILLY IDOL and A-HA…a wonderful start this. “The Darkness” follows up and we’re met with a deeper, bass-driven piece here but not in a heavy sense…with a touch of piano sprinkled within the song sporadically and an up-beat chorus with a great hook…for a break-up song it’s rather positive, Félix Rodríguez rocks up with a brief but passionate solo to add a climatic feel to proceedings…it’s equally defiant and delightful.

We take our foot off the gas for a moment with follow up track and EP highlight “Sail Into To Sun”…utilising soft string sections over a soothing acoustic piece, coupled with the subtle inclusion of steel drums, we’re given a truly beautiful little ambient pop record and for four minutes we sail away with Maja’s voice, the mellow tone of the track allowing her vocals to flourish; she excels here, this is lovely, before we finish then on closing track “Turn To Gold” and we return to their preferred mix of big pop melodies with a  funk-driven core sound; with a bold chorus and a superb saxophone solo closing the track, this really is gold (OK it’s brass but you know what I mean) and the EP ends on a high note. While it would be incredibly picky of me to be disappointed here, I can’t but help but wish that this was a new album…these four tracks prove if anything just how consistently good The Sounds are and really it just wets your appetite. Here’s hoping for a new full-length soon but for now, the tale that I’m telling YOU is go and listen to this EP…seriously. [8]

Do you believe in a thing called love? Well apparently you did back in 2003…yes 14 years ago, a little band from Lowestoft in Suffolk called THE DARKNESS ejaculated onto the scene like the most flamboyant of glam rock money shots with their debut album “Permission To Land”…the old-school rock ‘n’ rollers (fronted by spandex-clad mad man Justin Hawkins) instantly became hot property after an immensely successful year (They held off the mighty IRON MAIDEN at the top of the charts and won everything from Kerrang! to Brit Awards…they even had a stab at the coveted Christmas Number 1!)…they were touted as saviors of British rock with a multi-platinum selling album and the world was theirs for the taking…but somehow it all went wrong. In the wake of their follow up; 2005’s “One Way Ticket To Hell…And Back”, Justin left the band, tired of the whole process of recording and touring, coupled with a stint in rehab, and ultimately, the band split up…after such promise, that one way ticket would never find its way back…or so we thought. Fast forward a couple of years and after a reformation, we find them in 2017 releasing their fifth album; “Pinewood Smile”…enduring one-hit wonders or a long lost treasure? Let’s find out…

The album opens up with “All The Pretty Girls” and after a slow-building, droning guitar intro we’re met with Hawkins unmistakable shriek…his falsetto vocals giving the band enough of a unique edge to earn them their popularity early on but over time it’s become sort of a gimmick and detracts from the song to a degree…musically it’s solid rock with a fairly decent solo to boot, one thing that can be said is that instrumentally they’ve always delivered…a shaky start. Follow up “Buccaneers Of Hispaniola” is an immediate remedy however…an early album highlight, it’s got a brilliant rhythm, it’s incredibly slick and some wonderful indie-rock hooks, couple with some enjoyable riffs, this is a quality song and is much better overall, this is The Darkness on form.

As I mentioned, musically, The Darkness have never disappointed…”Solid Gold” capitalises on the classic rock influence, the AC/DC and DEF LEPPARD inspired riffs, but the song has a very tongue-in-cheek feel, attacking the industry and their critics with their trademark blend of humour…speaking of which, “Southern Trains” is a brash and punk-inspired piece…but being so very British, we have a song about delayed services and rail commutes…while “Japanese Prisoner Of Love”…about the uh, intimacies of prison relationships shall we say…dropping the soap and such…is a generally quirky track, albeit random. “I Wish I Was In Heaven” has another strong indie-rock vibe with pop elements, but again those vocals seem like their being milked, we get it, Justin can hit some impressive notes but, here they spoil a generally decent song, before we finish up on “Stampede Of Love”…while yes, it does have Western qualities, a stampede conjures up images of chaos, frantic animals, galloping across the plains…this has all the urgency of a galloping sloth. The deluxe edition has four extra songs…”Rack Of Glam”, Justin’s tribute to tits I guess, while there’s a sweet but peculiar acoustic track about losing his virginity, although nothing entirely memorable. While it’s fair to say, I honestly don’t think The Darkness will ever match the glory of their debut, and to be honest I think they know that too, so really it’s unfair to compare everything they do to that first album…look what happened to LINKIN PARK with “Hybrid Theory”…for what it’s worth it’s a decent record with some enjoyable moments and some good, solid rock ‘n’ roll…but it’s not a world beater…solid bronze if anything…[6]

It has to be said, 2001 was a great year not just for established artists, but breakthrough bands as well. SUM 41 released “All Killer No Filler”, JIMMY EAT WORLD oh so casually dropped “Bleed American”, Aaron Lewis’ STAIND were absolutely everywhere with “Break The Cycle”…and as much as we try to, we can’t ignore the impact LOSTPROPHETS had on the UK scene when they unleashed “The Fake Sound Of Progress”. All of these would go on to become household names…but some bands just came and went…or so we thought. One of these bands was AMERICAN HI FI, and when they delivered us “Flavour Of The Week” off of their debut album, we didn’t think that’s literally all they would be. Sure, they released a few more albums down the line, but they never truly took off after that initial hit. However, 2014 sees them back with a fresh new album, “Blood & Lemonade”…is this their year?

Starting off with “Armageddon Days”, its evident the band retains their ability to write catchy hooks around seemingly serious undertones. The track is subtle but a real foot tapper, a great, simple yet effective chorus and as a whole, there’s plenty of rock ‘n’ roll swagger here. It’s a good start. “Golden State” sounds more familiar, a pleasant dose of radio friendly rock, the bands signature sound unchanged inducing a welcome nostalgia trip, resulting in an enjoyable listen.

“Wake Up” is a far livelier effort, which is fitting, with its almost punk style guitar driven intro. Front man Stacey Jones’ vocals remain soft and melodic however keeping everything on a more pop based tone, but it’s a highlight track. “Amnesia” takes things up a gear yet again with some great bass driven rock, musically it’s probably as heavy as you’re going to get with the Boston based 4-piece and it’s a welcome change of tempo. “Killing Time” and “Portland” keep the album ticking, before we end on “No Ordinary Life”. The longest track on offer here, it’s a sombre rock ballad of sorts, but it does include some slick 6-string work courtesy of Jamie Arentzen.

“Blood & Lemonade”, despite its charm, will never live up to that song thirteen years ago, we can’t deny that, the band were lucky AND unlucky enough to have such a hit, people always seem to remember the song before the band, but, credit to AHF, they’ve stuck at it through an ever changing landscape in musical trends and they’ve written another simple yet enjoyable album. This may not catapult them into superstardom, to be fair I think they’re past that now, but it’s still very much worth a listen. [7]

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