Harry Young - Pretty Girls

‘Pretty Girls’, as the name suggests, deals with the cliché of popular music. If it’s not breakups or longing for someone you can’t have – It’s the vacuous personality of the horde of girls you have had. This cliché isn’t necessarily something I’d advise songwriters to steer clear from because the subject matter usually comes from at least some level of personal experience but it is something that risks being lost in a turbulent sea of obscurity. Harry Young, however, has constructed a genuinely interesting piece from the opening jaunty, plucked acoustic guitar to the pleasantly surprising introduction of a melodic guitar accompaniment just after the two minute mark.

I was fairly disappointed that there were no ‘stand-out’ lyrics to really analyse as this makes it difficult to work out how personal the song is to the artist. A song that’s lyrics allow every listener to substitute themselves in place of the artist may be a commercial dream but it can come at the cost of real personal input from the songwriter; and the song in this case has quite heavily succumb to this possibility.

The merit of this song comes largely from the instrumentation. It’s a fairly simple arrangement but less is more when, like Harry Young, you can consolidate all the elements together in such a tight fashion. The lead guitar following the melody of the vocals in the latter half of the song is reason enough to disregard any of the doubts you may have had up till this point. The repeating of “Make it stop…” simplifies the lyrics so the listener can appreciate the guitar at this point; a sensible move, as counterintuitive as it may seem to simplify an element while trying to convey your talent this shows an awareness uncommon in young artists.  One time where Young’s awareness does seem to lapse, however, is after the volume of the lyrics builds and the melodic lead guitar cuts he, for some reason, decides to utilise Gregorian chanting-esque vocals on the “Hold on me” lyric. I’m not sure my experience in reviewing equips me to critique this genre but I will say that it just seemed out of placed and changed the pace of the song too much to transition to, or from, smoothly.

This is only Young’s debut single so there is no album for me to recommend as of yet. I do, however, recommend you stream this song from his Soundcloud linked below. Hopefully an album appears soon, as for better or worse he seems at least able to experiment with various techniques giving him promise as an emerging artist.

Nathan Beck

https://soundcloud.com/harry-young-7

Lemaitre - 1749 EP Review

There are many confusing elements surrounding Lemaitre. They are entering their 6th year of existence, having consistently created music for that entire period, their success has led to them being able to relocate to LA and get signed by Astralwerks, home to a relentless amount of talent and innovation in the Electronic music scene. Despite this success they have yet to release an album and could potentially be described as unknown upstarts.

Confusion aside, Lematire and Astralwerks seemingly have their own plan. 1749, their LA house number and title of their 6th (6th!) EP tucks itself in as just as slick, fun and great as all previous. Their influence despite is clear with groups like Galantis becoming bona fide pop superstars off the back of having two songs that kinda sound as good as a Lemaitre track. I have no reservations in saying that if the best of Lemaitre's 5 EP's were released in an album you would be looking at one of the most defining electronic albums of the decade. 

"Not to Late" the first track has all the key elements that define the Lemaitre sound, however most notable about it is the excellent vocal performance. The vocals sound less like the DJ peering from behind the desk and more like a real performer, this is likely a testament to the confidence gained over they years the band have been performing.

"Closer" is already Lemaitre's biggest song ever. The piano opening is a great sample and the horns throughout show the band still able to explore and create new sounds that leaves them as always unpredictable and exciting. It's accessibility and soundcloud plays show this.

My favourite from the album however is easily "Day 2." The lyrical content is genuinely affecting and personal which is highly impressive. This backed by more beats and samples that have a cute disco groove.

If I was going to be disappointed by any part of this album it would be Nishio 2. Unfortunately for myself it didn't carry the weight and power that its predecesor did however I still did love the "Im so happy" sample and truly matching the original is a mammoth task.

Lemaitre deserve more attention. Will this EP be the record that gets them that attention? Probably not. I'm not even sure if they will ever reach the sort of commercial potential they could (Or more importantly, if they even want to?) but for everyone who has had the pleasure of discovering Lemaitre keep on listening.

Seriously though make an album soon, God.

Dominic Allan.

Listen to all of Lemaitre's music free on Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/serious-url

Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor (Album Review)

Panic! At The Disco are one of those bands that everyone has heard of, most have heard ‘that one song’ and the band have wiggled their way into music notoriety based not so much on the quality of their music; but because the relentless opinion of their fans that they are without flaw and should not be subject to criticism of any sort inevitably invites people to do exactly that.

‘Panic!’ were never a band that I necessarily disliked although they have, for quite a while, been popular to dislike in the mainstream, the problem I have is they have never shown much development to me. Like many ‘alternative’ branded artists they are simply a parallel running alongside the boring, predictable pop they are trying to segregate themselves from. Their 2016 release ‘Death of a Bachelor’ is all over the place in terms of both consistency and quality which in a way shows they’re up for trying new things and expanding their horizons but it’s been a pretty sloppy attempt.

The opening track ‘Victorious’ begins with a very poppy clap-along beat with a female voice singing about parties and beauty mentioning such extravagance as champagne. As the more rock-based guitar crashes in, however, the rest of the song seems to criticise this attitude which Panic! have pictured as the whole pop scenes mentality. One song in and we already have the dismissive attitude towards pop music. I began to think I was going to have to look up my ‘shitty alternative band thinks the mainstream’s ridiculous and have gave it the finger, put their fingers in their ears, and lalala’d off to make music for people who think they’re special in their own way’ file and hit copy-paste. Fortunately, this album does have some interesting parts even if it’s not an album I’ll be rushing to play on repeat.

‘Don’t threaten me with a good time’ included a pleasant, if completely unexpected sample from B-52’s - Rock Lobster and Hallelujah offered a refreshing change of pace to their usual fast paced tracks showing their ability to craft together intriguing musical pieces even if the lyrics can be lacking. The title track introduces the weirdest part of this album. ‘Death of a Bachelor’ is the first attempt on this album at some pseudo-crooner vocals and I’m really glad that they’ve tried it because it’s a deviation from the norm and that’s how bands evolve. However, it’s absolutely not impressive enough to be the title track and considering it doesn’t give a good representation of the general vibe of this album it was a poor choice as even a single. To be honest the following track ‘Crazy=Genius’ offers a much better amalgamation of nostalgic trumpet flares with big-band drum-beats, and power chords with rock drums. It’s definitely one of the better songs on the album and I think as a single would have attracted more interest.

The stand out song of this album is ‘LA Devotee’ which Panic! were sensible enough to release as a single. Whether Panic! are comfortable with this or not I don’t know but it’s probably the most pop song on the album. It’s catchy, the lyrics are decent and they even included a darker section near the end to ensure that it didn’t become monotonous; simultaneously keeping the themes that attracted their older fans and opening up their scope to attract a more mainstream audience. Maybe it’s because my hopes were raised too high when I reached thus far into the album and landed on this track but after this point the album really begins to flop. Songs like ‘Golden Days’ are more similar to their older work which may please many existing fans but the bass-line and palm muted chords, while not exactly flawed are just not unique enough to be notable. Finally we reach ‘Impossible year’ which culminates the album and for some reason returns, with a slow piano ballad, to the pseudo-crooner personality Brendon Urie seems to have adopted. Maybe ‘Panic! At The Disco’ are really looking to change their sound and the bland songs reminiscent of their older material in this album were simply safe fillers while they cautiously test out their newer sounds with their fans.

Quite a few of the songs on this album may do the job for long-time fans of Panic! but I can’t see them reeling in new ones. I find it hard to comment on the crooner persona but I’ve got a nagging feeling they’re just trying to be vintage because they want to alter their sound and they’re struggling with new ideas. I can’t recommend this album to people who are not currently fans but I do recommend you stream or maybe even download ‘LA Devotee’ because, unlike the rest, I’m going to be listening to this one again.

Nathan Beck

Blackstar - In Memory of David Bowie

Any attempt to critique “Blackstar” seems futile at this point.  Even if it were flawed in any way, the scope of the metaphorical and symbolic message renders all other points moot.  “Blackstar” is the 26^th and final album by arguably the most influential artist the world has ever seen, David Bowie. 

Transcending genre, gender and often even physical form, Bowie was a chameleon in every sense of the word, with every new skin being as enigmatic as the last.  His final form on “Blackstar”, that of a tortured artist facing the end is the heart wrenching and harrowing yet.  Every track is laden with intricate indications and signs, so much so that listeners will be deciphering its hidden messages for years to come.  The esoteric instrumental outro of the title track to the broken finality of “I Can’t Give Everything Away”, Bowie shows he clearly believed he had something to prove.  Unwilling to rest on 25 utterly game changing stellar albums, he provided a masterpiece from his deathbed.

There aren’t many relevant descriptions I can make of “Blackstar” and merely thanking David Bowie for everything he has done for humanity seems insufficient.  While the world will be a bleaker place without him, I wish him all the best on whichever plain of existence he has chosen to inhabit from now on.

Charlie McCartney

Pure Youth - New November

London based four- piece ‘Pure Youth’ have had one of the most favourable beginnings I’ve seen from recent bands. Formed in late 2014 most would still be finding their feet and most likely a sound that suits them. Pure Youth however undertook a mammoth task in dropping their, when formed non-existent, debut EP only two months later. The EP constructs a reasonably varied theme of indie tunes: some are unable to keep their head above water amongst the plethora of new indie music available to us today whilst others like ‘New November’ and especially ‘I Just Wanted You to Know’ are genuinely deserving of a place on the indie world stage which as mentioned would require beating out an unfathomable volume of competition. Their most popular track by far is their recent release ‘I’m Not Yours’ racking up an impressive 170,000 views across their Soundcloud and Spotify accounts earning them a place on Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday’, no doubt aided by their association with some larger acts brought on due to the release in the first place.

Described as Indie-Rock/synth-pop they quite heavily relay the former genre in their material which is unfortunate as there’s only so far indie-rock can propel you. In their single ‘New November’ they make more use of their latter classification giving them an extra ingredient in their music which allows them to tune it to a more complex ear whilst still being an accessible candidate for mainstream radio-play. This track has a groove to it that simply eludes the common indie band, it is this deviation from the traditional four-piece that makes Pure Youth a band of note. They haven’t yet released much material but have more than filled their expected quota for the short time they’ve been on the scene. I look forward to their future releases which I hope embrace the elements that have complimented their Indie-Rock base as they will be all the better for it.

Pure Youth have gained enough recognition that they’ve expanded their portfolio and visually complimented their track ‘New November’ with a music video which you can view at the link provided. I’d advise you visit Soundcloud or Spotify and check out what little material they have – my two songs of note are ‘New November’ and ‘I Just Wanted You to Know’.

Nathan Beck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUqaryqw5Ss

The 1975 - Love Me & UGH - Track Reviews

The 1975 arrived in 2013 under the perfect storm with anything else almost surely not allowing their perplexing popularity to take place. The British public had decided that after four albums of game-changing, lyrically dexterous and truly dynamic Artic Monkeys records that the one that would spiral them into being the biggest British band since Oasis was…AM. Despite lacking everything that made the first four Arctic Monkeys albums great, the lyrics, rhythms and (most importanty) the grounded subject matter that allowed many to empathise and sympathise with them AM towered above these albums in terms of popularity. On the coattails of the Arctic Monkeys infatuation with being from anywhere but Britain came the 1975, clad in the same leather and having even less of the lyrical and musical ability of the boys from San FranSheffield. A strange universe that allows this to be the case is also the same universe in which the 1975 can become popular. 

The 1975’s main conversation point is sex. It’s the title of their first EP and the subject matter of pretty much the entirety of their first album. And like a teenager in a 90s chick flick I don’t think I believe it. That was always the main problem with the 1975 for me. They just sound like pure bullshitters and their songs blatantly aren’t that sexy. 

This opinion was not the minority and the 1975 were one of the critical jokes of the year. Even places that saw AM as genius saw through their weak spectacle. Yet the 1975 are back and their first single, Love Me, received praise from many of the establishments which had shunned them.

And as easy as it is to criticise them it is hard to disagree why. Musically this song is catchy, infectious and properly good. This is proper radio material, from its first instant those chords and hooks grab your attention and they are good for it the whole way through. Even the chorus has a groove to it that is undeniable and great. 

However, the message of this song is so cheap, lazy and abysmal that the first time you look at the lyrics or especially, when you view the video which is one of the most shameless attention grabbing things I’ve seen all year you are forced to view the song for what it is. The 1975 trying to get back into everyone’s good books by bashing the easiest targets in the world, popular music. This is not a new tactic with people like Jake Bugg, Catfish and the Bottlemen and most especially Oasis making a career out of appealing to the kind of people that are actually angered when someone listens to pop music. For this reason and this reason alone I cannot recommend this song as this practise is laughable and every band which tries and fuels the “popular music is terrible” cliché needs to have a long hard look at themselves, especially a band which exist only on the back of one of the biggest popular bands in Britain.

The second single from The 1975 on this record does again enter new territory and admitting that they aren’t actually sex gods with lyrics like “I don't have the capacity for fucking” showing that The 1975 do have a bit of self awareness. The rest of the song adds little. Although again some of the musical elements please, especially the electronic blips at the beginning but the song’s story doesn’t interest me at all and they show again for the second time a lyrical weakness. Musically however this song does prove that whoever is making up these riffs and beats actually does have a lot of talent and I can genuinely see The 1975 growing up into being a genuinely good band.

For now though they will be lucky to gain the same knee jerk applause that people like NME get whenever a band has something negative to say about pop and this album will likely come and go with The 1975 continuing to be that band your sister likes.

Don’t bother. Really.

Dominic Allan.

Konsole - Havana (track review)

From the first few bars of Havana you know that you're in for a treat. The staccato strummed, slightly off opening chords ease you into the New Wave sounds the London-based group love to imitate. And the description of an enigmatic protagonist - one who takes towns like a "sixties waster" (?) and "lives life for the denim-wear" - though somewhat cartoony, creates a captivating subject for the song and a reason to listen all the way through.


After setting in motion the themes of the song, the London-based troupe take us on a tour which digs down into the depths of dark, shadowed guitar work in the vein of Unknown Pleasures to piercing synthesized wails which would be at home in any Bauhaus record. The band wear their influences on their sleeve here, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. And this track is great even if they are just trying to create a one song amalgam of Tony Wilson's record collection.

After climbing to lyrical and melodic heights with a cracking line for closure, "I'm out of place/ But the denim suits you" and a guitar solo shot full of Thatcherite Britain bravado and post-punk harshness, the track brings us to a close. We land softly on the ground, shook up but unscathed, at a satisfying 4 minute mark.

This is a fun song sure to please New Wave lovers and add a touch of spice to the lives of those who haven't previously sought out this sound, I recommend to get a hold of it in any way you can.

Jack McGlone

Coldplay- A Head Full of Dreams Review

I like Coldplay.  Apologies to my fellow reviewers for shattering our indie credibility, but I have to be honest.  The atmosphere of misguided and confused pretension surrounding Coldplay has always perplexed me.  Throughout their entire career they’ve at least tried to innovate in some way with each release, from sparse pop-rock of X&Y to the lavish orchestral arrangements of Viva La Vida to whatever they were trying on Mylo Xyloto.  This is more praise than I can give most artists who’ve been around for the same length of time *cough* Noel Gallagher *cough*, and judging by the first single “Adventure of a Lifetime” I could expect something entirely different again in “A Head Full of Dreams”.

The title track is an absolute party anthem, complete with shuddering bass and sparkling guitars.  It’s about as danceable as I’ve heard Coldplay ever be, and manages to retain the kind of grandiosity that worked so well on Viva La Vida.  The pace increases on “Birds”, a song that really doesn’t take off until the chorus, and even then remains pretty lacklustre.  To be entirely honest it has filler track written all over it.  “Hymn for the Weekend” is the most inappropriately named song on the album, as well as the most wasteful in terms of talent.  Any song that resigns Beyoncé to essentially backing vocals and a single token verse isn’t worth listening to, especially if it’s as bland as this one is.  The incredibly saccharinely named “Adventure of a Lifetime” follows, and briefly raises the quality to that of the title track.  It’s the same vibrant dance style, and admittedly it’s the best song on the album.  It’s one of the only two good ones actually…

There are in truth two spirited pop songs on this album, and everything else is a sparse, insipid ballad.  “Fun” is perhaps the worst offender, but then again it does feature Tove Lo so I couldn’t have expected anything else.  “Kaleidoscope” takes itself far more seriously than it deserves to as does “Colour Spectrum” and “Army of One” features the most annoying vocal sample I’ve heard all year.

Overall it certainly isn’t anywhere near as bafflingly bad as Mylo Xyloto, but it really isn’t very good.  At all.  To raise the bar so high on the single and title track and to then not even match the tempo of those tracks is a strange decision to make, and one that leaves “Head Full of Dreams” feeling slow and mundane.  I would however recommend listening to the title track and the single.

Charlie McCartney

Dizzy Bats - Until We Die EP Review

The term “Pop-punk” has always been a fundamentally flawed one in my eyes.  Punk is essentially the term used to describe any art or media that subverts mainstream cultural norms, and pop is quite literally the antithesis of this.  Even the majority of the usual adages associated with the genre (whiny vocals and lyrics, simple musical structures) annoy me.  Having said that, Dizzy Bats negate much of my usual criticisms, using a mixture of deeply charming humour and wit. 

The opening song “With You I’m Dead” opens with the kind of lyrics that I imagine could genuinely improve the entire genre were they widely noted.  I have a theory it’s perhaps a step too far for Billy Joel Armstrong to come up with a lyric as darkly humorous as, “You’re a ten and I’m just a Chinese six, what a masochist”.  I genuinely laughed out loud at that line.  It’s an absolute subversion of perhaps my main grievance with pop punk – self-deprecation that is utterly devoid of introspective depth or intelligence.

Title track, “Until We Die” actually puts me more in mind of The Fratellis than any pop-punk band I can name, with a catchy Brit-pop guitar tone making up the main riff.  The lyrics here are either, from what I can deduce, a rather nihilistic deconstruction of family life or about growing up in general.  Lines such as, “Pour it out, no more weed” find Connor Frost bemoaning the new found maturity being thrown upon him, and the trials being an adult leave him facing.  The perceived negativity stems from the repeated phrase “When we start to count down”, which, when paired with the title, implicate a deeply pessimistic view of the ageing process. 

The pace is at its most exciting on the final track “Count My Sheep”.  I was actually most impressed by the intricacy of the guitar passages on this track, as towards the end it rattles and soars above the main melody. 

Dizzy Bats have certainly proven me to be wrong in generally going into any album that describes itself as pop-punk with low expectations.  The facetious dark wit on display here is something I’ve admittedly never associated with this genre, but I welcome it as a positive component to throw into the mix.  I can certainly recommend that you stream this EP, and maybe even download it when it’s available, this band deserve your support.

Charlie McCartney

Cutters - both // neither EP Review

Self-described ‘ambient punk’ four piece ‘Cutters’ have brought a fairly unique release to the table with their rather solemn 3 track EP. Built around some rather personal trials, an integral part of the album’s structure is clearly focused on the vocals, a feature that at some points risks drowning out the potential creativity of the instrumentation.

Opening track ‘List of People Buried at Arlington National Cemetery’ is, and it’s clear from the first few seconds, an extremely fast paced angst ridden anthem. It's easily as punk as this album gets; the following two tracks slow in pace and just don’t have the same punch that is most recognisable as punk. Absolutely not a criticism, however, as if anything this opens their EP up to a wider audience and doesn’t make the mistake of constraining it to a narrow genre with a finite fan-base. Although they deal with various related themes a combining feature is the lead singers struggle with gender-identity fairly prominent in the first track with its opening line “I was born right in between, both and neither, king and queen”. I’m sure many interpretations could be drawn from the song and its lyrics, as is the nature of music, but personally I picked up on the unusually long title’s reference to the respect and grandeur regarding people who have fought physical battles. Perhaps highlighting the discrepancy in how people fighting internal battles are treated and in a community where depression and suicide is prevalent simply pointing out the abhorrent and often needless loss of life. Whether my interpretations are accurate or not, it does show that the author of this song has done a large part of his job in at least making me think.

Neither of the following tracks gave me the same desire to ponder their deeper meanings but second track ‘Wicked & Divine’ is my favourite track from a strictly musical perspective. Where the opening track’s aggressive vocals did perturb me, ‘Wicked & Divine’ provided a more pleasing tone and I genuinely enjoyed the vocals in this song. At less than two minutes long I do feel it could have been longer as the only acceptable reason for a song to be as short as this is when an upbeat anthem leaves you so physically drained from dancing it has to cut itself short. This clearly isn’t the aim of this song and I’d have been capable of enjoying it for twice the time it actually lasted.

Third and final track ‘Fade to Black’ is a slow song with more emphasis put on the instrumentation than either of the other tracks giving some credence to their description of ‘ambient’ but rather uncharacteristic of ‘punk’. Its melancholy tone is quite different to the opening track of the EP and as mentioned, but worth repeating, ‘Cutters’ avoid constraining themselves to a pre-defined genre and this gives them the potential to progress with any future releases.

‘both//neither’ does risk turning away some listeners with the acquired taste of its opening track but I definitely give the track merit for having depth. The following songs are much more easily accessible so I feel most people will garner some enjoyment out of them even if their length is lacking. I do recommend you give their EP a listen at the link provided and make your own mind up on whether it’s something you enjoy enough to buy. Maybe one to watch for future releases and see if they make something of the potential they’ve shown.

Nathan Beck

https://cuttersmusic.bandcamp.com/album/both-neither

Fallen Arches - Footprints EP Review

Fallen Arches is a solo project by fresh face Colin Bell. He appears out of the ashes of previous three piece outfit Sneaky Pete and from a brief glimpse at their work his solo project is more revision than revolution. The synth groove beats of his previous project have been mutated however, into more uplifting indie rock. Throughout the EP his distinctive Scottish voice firmly channels fellow countrymen like Snow Patrol and Twin Atlantic to develop an admittedly highly derivative lyrical sound. This sound can appear grating to many people but looking past it there is still a lot to admire.

The production and instrumentation included in this EP are really excellent. The little orchestral and piano elements again seemingly harken back to Snow Patrol and Coldplay in their big worldly pieces that feel massive, yet retain modesty and never veers into vain, elaborate self-congratulation. As musical pieces they sweep you up somewhat and even with the bane of modern pop rock, the acoustic guitar, being fully utilised this still leaves the instrumentation being sometimes very impressive.

My particular favourite track is probably "Footprints" with its cute piano piece which is highly, almost hopelessly optimistic which I think carries on through the theme of the song. Its choral outro also leaps out and wouldn’t be out of place with a crowd being the choir.

Despite this the main fault of the EP that is apparent throughout is the lyricism. It is to be honest pretty shockingly bad throughout. It is a shame really, in that it takes away so much from the nice instrumentation that is on show. It makes it really hard to recommend this EP as the lyrics do not feel like a forgotten part of the piece that aren’t to be harshly criticised but feel more like an integral part of the music that Bell is deeply affected by. This is why it is even more unfortunate that it went as wrong as it did on this record.

Even with the rather terrible lyrics, the instrumentations shines through and with every note written I can see Colin Bell and the Fallen Arches project growing in strength. I would be lying to say I recommend this EP fully though and would advise you to listen with trepidation.

Dominic Allan

Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood Review

With a career in theatre and film alongside titans such as Ian McKellen and John Cleese, and a consistently run Youtube channel forged in late 2012 - it’s hard to claim that Troye Sivan is inexperienced. This being said, singing as part of musicals and penning novelty songs to post on the internet are a long stretch from crafting a thoughtful, emotional and personal album; a creation that gives a rare glimpse into the soul of an artist often denied in popular music due to public demand centralising on catchy hooks and dancefloor beats.

The angel-faced Australian’s debut album was always bound to be picked up on the pop scene after the success of the pre-ceding EP ‘Wild’ which hit number 1 in his homeland while breaking top 5 in four other countries including the UK and US. The majority of the EP re-appears on the album and it appears in its entirety (along with other bonus tracks) on the deluxe edition. With the recycling of so much material the risk was run that the album wouldn’t be worth a standalone purchase, that it would have that ‘seen it all before’ cloud hanging over its head. However, Blue Neighbourhood brings to the table an array of musical accomplishments. It is as brutally personal as any I’ve heard – a theme raised in the EP and simply expanded on and deepened in the album - an album unafraid to venture off of the beaten track and experiment, as is the fundamental duty of any electronic or electropop based music.

First thing I need to highlight right off the bat is that ‘Cool’ is one of – if not ‘the’ – ‘shoulda been a single’s of 2015. It begins reminiscent of Troye’s ‘TRXYE’ EP of last year and matures into the more complex style he’s adopted as it moves into the full on danceable, sing-alongable chorus establishing it, in my eyes, as the flagship tune of ‘Blue Neighbourhood’. The memorable choruses appearing throughout this album across songs such as ‘Wild’, ‘Fools’, ‘Youth’ and ‘Heaven’ would normally be comfortably asserted as the ‘defining feature’ but this album has too many genuinely good parts. I struggle to pick a defining feature not as a negative observation but because it would be akin to asserting the Eiffel tower as the defining feature of Paris and simply skimming over the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and Sacre Coeure without giving them the credence they so deserve.

After the songs we’ve already heard from ‘Wild’ the track list leads us through ‘Cool’, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Youth’, with ‘Heaven’ really bringing back the intense emotions we’ve already followed Troye through. This isn’t emotion as in generic break-up songs putrefying the charts. This is emotion as in a philosophical quandary weighing down the soul of someone who shouldn’t have to understand it never mind live it. Self-critique of the soul doesn’t usually scream ‘successful pop song’ but that’s the beauty of this album – everything screams successful. As is life, this album has a mixture of emotional focuses, next up is ‘Youth’. ‘Youth’ presents a hopeful attitude of the possibilities of giving yourself completely to another person, and does so to what would be a clichéd bubble-gum pop soundtrack if it wasn’t for the immaculate trademark that is the ‘sound in wave-motion’ that Troye has pioneered in songs such as this and ‘Fools’. The overlapping and crashing of different layers to a pop setting is a notable pillar of what holds this album up on its well-earned pedestal and refuses to even grace simplicity with a look in.

At this point I must admit most of my favourite tracks have past – we must have favourites. However, this doesn’t mean the remaining material is empty or derived. Far from it. Anthems like ‘Lost Boy’ with its high pitched synth gives the song an unexpected dance element. One that usually appears with a remix of a song that sacrifices other elements this track combines an effective hybrid of the two, one of the reasons I can see this album reaching high commercial success. Other songs like ‘Suburbia’ use more traditional methods of beefing out the track with strings in the background which while complimenting the light percussion and waves of piano in the foreground don’t take away from the style Troye is going for. It’s expertly produced to not let any instrumentation impose itself and simply let the entire effect carry you away as a whole.

The only things I can really pick at in this entire album is the odd clichéd lyric – which is more than repented for with lines such as ‘we make shades of purple out of red and blue’ and ‘All my time is wasted, feeling like my hearts mistaken’ – and the curiously similar vocalisations in the choruses of ‘Cool’ and ‘For him’. Other than that this album is an incredible progression in modern pop music and uses electronic elements to bring more emotion to the surface than most genres could hope to elicit from its audience.

Released in an infuriatingly short standard version and a deluxe version that doesn’t even make the hour mark, Blue Neighbourhood is ‘still’ a must buy album. The deluxe version includes all the tracks from the ‘Wild’ EP and even if you’ve already got that it’s still worth buying to experience the song ‘Blue’ in which co-writer and producer Alex Hope lends vocals just kind of rounding off the feeling that everyone involved in this album had the same goals and really worked to produce a flawless joint effort. If you want a run-down of some prominent tracks I omitted in this review have a read of my ‘Blue Neighborhood Trilogy’ review where I covered ‘Wild’ ‘Fools’ and ‘Talk me Down’ and then go buy this album or wait and get it on vinyl January 19^th.

Nathan Beck

Sunn 0))) - Kannon Review

2009’s “Monoliths and Dimensions” was a bristling mire of tortured strings and shuddering guitar.  There wasn’t a moment of respite from the constant sense of imminent doom, making it a draining experience that stripped you of every emotion but intense depression and fear of the impending cosmic horror that was about to befall humanity.  As much as I respect them for achieving this level

of emotional involvement and physical interaction, I can’t say I was exactly “looking forward” to Sunn 0)))’s latest project “Kannon”.

The first track “Kannon Pt. 1” begins with a rather hopeful ambient tone, one far less distorted and dense than I was expecting.  However the droning guitar eventually creeps into the instrumental, dousing it in nihilistic atmosphere.  The creaking growling vocals instil the same sense of dread that “Monoliths and Dimensions” did, as they slink in and out of coherence, always lurking somewhere in the depths of the gnarled morass.  The song essentially never shifts in tone or pitch, there are no moments in which the listener breaks the surface of the instrumental, and this is perhaps its main problem.  

Bands like Deafheavan are able to keep a consistent tone whilst exploring other means of delivering it, whether that be through vibrant shoegaze and dream pop sections or otherwise.  Sunn 0))) generally don’t offer anything remotely deviating from the slow droning doom metal they’ve become so accustomed to. 

“Kannon Pt. 2” suffers from the same symptoms.  While these songs are certainly creative in their own way, variations of distorted droning over the same three or four chords for two albums now doesn’t constitute the kind of progression I’d hoped for.  “Kannon Pt. 3” is more of the same. 

It may be that my ear simply isn’t astute enough to decipher the intricate details that change throughout these songs.  But as far as I can tell, not only is “Kannon” a much shorter and less involving album than “Monoliths and Dimensions”, it’s also pretty much identical in the small amount that it does offer.  If you liked “Monoliths and Dimensions” then you’ll have no issue with “Kannon”, I would however only recommend that you stream it otherwise.

Charlie McCartney

Adele - 25 Review

If any artist was going to steal the limelight from the return of Justin Bieber, it had to be Adele.  No one else could inspire the same kind of obscene clamorous fervour that “Hello” has left the
Internet reeling from, as it broke all of the records known to man.  There hasn’t even been a sufficient replacement for Adele in the same way it could be argued there has been for Bieber.  Sam Smith was perhaps the best comparison and challenger for her throne, but his claim lies in tatters after the release of “25”, an absolute titan of modern pop.

The singles “Hello” and “While We Were Young” were already burned into the public consciousness, both intelligent and emotional insights into a past relationship.  Instrumentally it’s exactly what you’d expect from Adele, nothing short of flawless vocals and imposing, melancholy orchestral arrangements.  Subtle differences can be heard in the form of modern percussion patterns on the former.  “I Miss You” and “Remedy” fit this description also, and could be described as somewhat formulaic, with the latter actually being dangerously close to the kind of bland ballad the Script could turn out after the lazy ten minute brainstorm I imagine constitutes their song writing sessions. 

Deviation can be found on the oddly upbeat “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”, which may be my highlight of the album.  The sleek acoustic guitar gives this song a more accessible edge and intrinsic groove that could benefit Adele’s music to no end.  The chorus bursts into life with and instantly memorable and catchy melody, making this song fairly distinct.  The maturity on display can be seen in the lyrics, “We both know we ain’t kids no more”.  It’s a theme that puts “25” at an instant advantage over the often self-pitying and stalker-like “21”.  The acoustic guitar is the main focus again on the stylish Mediterranean “Million Years Ago”, a song that shows that Adele writes better Bond themes than Sam Smith even when she’s not trying to.  The closing track “Sweetest Devotion” showcases Adele’s vocals in their purest form.  Often strained, but always astounding, the album finishes on a driving and uplifting piece of flawless soul, and truly cements Adele’s place as one of the great talents of the modern music scene, if it wasn’t already clear.

“25” dwarfs “21”, both in observant maturity and instrumental grandeur.  The singles are phenomenal, the deeper cuts are extremely interesting, and almost everything on this album is a testament to Adele’s new found sophistication and talent.  I recommend purchasing this album on CD.  It’s not like you can stream it anyway.

Charlie McCartney