Lovespeake - DNA - Album Review

Whether it is in their oil wealth, their comprehensive welfare state or their general “good guy” persona Norway is pretty much most people’s second favourite country and this seems to be spreading into their music, especially electronic, with people like Röyksopp, Kygo and Lemaitre all being amongst the most innovative, most popular and most fun music out there. It would appear that Lovespeake are firmly joining in with this Nordic feel good spirit.

Born from the ashes of previous project “Eye Emma Jedi” Lovespeake appears baring many similarities to their previous iteration despite a dropping of the indie rock vibes replacing them with some cool blippy electro sounds. This is a smart move and allows Lovespeake to feel far more direct and unique. Their disco influenced psych pop is infinitely danceable and throughout this record its light electro beats are competitive amongst the very best in the business.

The lead single also titled “DNA” is the most out and out pop record on this album and its disco focused beats can easily see it at home on the radio or blasting out of festival speakers.

“Dreamer” also impressed with its high pace and distorted vocals sounding like a more commercial Grimes song which is far from a bad thing.

Unfortunately however the album does suffer from a bit of repetition in places, tracks like “Every Day Electric” with its much slower 60s inspired pace and “Hello’s” minimalistic electronic sounds that allow the soaring vocals to shine through shows the ways in which the album could have been more varied. It would be good to see a differing sound throughout this album that can let every song’s qualities shine through to an even greater extent.

This album shows a hell of a lot of promise with a high chance that due to the accessibility and infectiousness of this record you will see many of these tracks being the background to many indie summer moves and advertisements in the months to come. Lovespeake have shown some impeccable beats and impressive production and I am very excited to hear more from them in the future.

I would recommend you get a physical copy of this record.

Dominic Allan.

The 1975 - I like it when you sleep etc. Review

Perhaps the most efficient way to review this record would be to describe the aspects of it which

aren’t horribly misjudged or insufferably smug.  There are a handful of passable instrumental parts, and whoever made Matt Healy’s vocals sound remotely listenable deserves an award of some kind.  That’s about all I have to say that’s remotely positive about the obnoxiously titled “I Like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it”. 

Opening with what sounds like a choral excerpt from “The Life of Pablo” that was deemed too pretentious for even Kanye, the album is instantly too grandiose for its own good.  Things take a nose dive as the album segues awkwardly into “Love Me”, on which Healy displays his ability to be putrid pretty excellently.  Lines like “you’ve got a beautiful face but nothing to say”, really make you wonder what kind of ego he’s sporting, especially given the subject matter of the song being as hypocritical and desperate as they come.  This latest attempt by a pseudo indie band to tap into the “real music wanker” mentality has managed to even transcend music, and finds Healy railing against just pop-culture in general, in an attempt to make himself seem like the talented and astute outsider, but falls flat in almost every self-satisfied line.  The instrumental for “UGH” doesn’t help his case by being about as basic as pop music comes. 

“A Change of Heart” contains some of the most ham-fisted and jarringly awkward lyricism I’ve ever heard.  “Was it your breasts from the start?  They played a part.”  Smooth Healy.  Smooth.  He later seemingly justifies a break up with the line, “You used to have, a face straight out of a magazine, now you just look like anyone.”  “She’s American” has a pretty infectious groove to it, and is actually probably the highlight of the album, given that the lyrics are basically functional.  Healy’s vocals are slightly grating at times, but that’s essentially unavoidable.

For the most part, my issues with the album lie as much in the pseudo visionary instrumentals as the lyrics.  “Please be naked” is one such piece of drawling ambient pop that leave the album feeling bloated and more than a bit pompous.  “Lostmyhead” may as well fall into this category as well given the lack of remotely interesting or substantial lyrics. 

In fact, the approach to every song past the halfway point on this album seems to have been how can it be made as needlessly long and bland as possible.  “Somebody Else” and the title track are as meandering and directionless as any pop song I’ve heard this year, and the former has some of that classic Healy narcissism.  Things get somewhat back on track with another of the passable songs “The Sound”, on which the catchy instrumental does just enough to hold my attention until the end of the album, despite the closing end being as dreadful as the beginning.

If the laughable sexual posturing of their debut wasn’t for you, then, like me, you probably don’t need any more reason to dislike this band.  If you totally bought that Matt Healy was an androgynous sex icon, then stop reading this review and go away.  I’m surprised you’re even still here.

Charlie McCartney

Miguel - Waves (Tame Impala Remix)

Last week, Miguel surprise-dropped a five song collection of remixes of "Waves", a standout (and personal favourite) track from 2015's otherwise hit or miss Wildheart album. Rogue Waves, as it is called, features one version of the RnB number so arresting I felt the need to share my thoughts on both the song and the artist in question.

Opening with a chorus of very dreamy ooh's and ah's, Kevin Parker's interpretation of the track really kicks into gear around the 25 second mark: a pulsing drum fill covered in a thick layer of phaser effects brings in a wave of even more effects-laden guitars and airy keyboards - filling up and tripping out the track in the best possible way. Tasteful synth lines and production tricks are peppered throughout too, and Parker's signature bass lines from Currents return, willing to take their up their role again as a steady anchor-slash-unsung hero to the rest of the song. Through all 4 minutes and 13 seconds of the remix the clarity and precision of the the bass stands out, it contrasts with the hazy wall of sound the rest of the instrumentation has fused into, taking our heads slightly out of the clouds and grounding the production before it becomes overwhelming. 

This heavy focus on instrumentation doesn't detract from Miguel either (even if it does sorta steal the show), his crisp vocals still shine through the cacophonies around him, they've just got a little more reverb added. That alone is proof that this is a masterclass in remixing: as Kevin is able to put his own mark on the product without the original elements which made it great falling to the wayside.

That, essentially, is the beauty of the track, and Tame Impala's music. With Tame Impala, Kevin Parker interprets old musical tropes, genres and cliches - be it Nuggets-era psychedelia or the New Wave music that soundtracked the rise of Reaganomics - and spits them back out as something new, exciting and beautifully produced. His mixing is so good because he understands the history, balance and dynamics of songwriting, he lets every element of the track shine, and he never forgets the basics - and bass hasn't been this cool since Grady Martin plugged one into a fuzz pedal.

I'd recommend everyone check this purely for a blueprint on how remixing should be done, fans of Miguel or Tame Impala are sure to get a kick from this too.

Jack McGlone

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.

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

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

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

Francis - Wake Up! Review

In his debut album Francis presents a cacophony of genres and themes to his already well established audience and, although a studio creation, it includes many excerpts of live performances giving it a unique hybridity. It was a surprise release from a man who has built his career solely on the strength of these performances, never having even a fleeting worry that he would struggle to fill a venue. Although yet to embark on a full blown stadium tour the artist regularly fills outdoor gigs in his hometown and his sparse international dates are always in high demand.
This truly international album features collaborations with artists worldwide. Francis, clearly confident in his fan base’s reception, has no qualms about including a multitude of languages in the track list including English, Spanish, Italian and Latin. Such a bold move gives the opportunity to appeal to a worldwide market but also carries the risk of alienating some who will not garner enjoyment unless a song is only in a language they speak fluently.
The eclectic nature of the album is also rather experimental with slow tempo songs such as "Por Qué Sufren los Niños?" making extensive use of the string section with a recurring choir breaking up the spoken word nature of this piece. In stark comparison to the bon-jovi-esque intro to the first single dropped back in September. “Wake up! Go! Go! Forward!” continues with the simplistic high-hat allowing the listener to appreciate the keyboard melody just long enough before the reverberating guitar notes ease in leading to the inevitable drum fills and power chords. 
It is annoying that this is yet another ‘artist with one name’. Prince, Lulu and Madonna have all beat him to it and it’s no longer a unique feature that can attract people to something outside the mainstream. Francis with his outlandish fashion sense, unfortunate failure to highlight his many collaborators well enough and almost preachy nature does seem to scream “Me! Me! Follow!” rather than “Go! Go! Forward!”. He may be in good company with this self-absorbed public image however, as it has more than worked in favour of fellow musicians such as Kanye West. No matter how harshly some detractors may shout him down.
I recommend you stream the single and then decide whether the album will be at all your scene. Also I’d advise you to keep a lookout for live performances in your country as they can be few and far between. Francis to headline Glastonbury 2016: 3/1
Nathan Beck

Purpose - Justin Bieber Review

Long gone are the days Justin Bieber was simply a young teen star spouting simplistic pop anthems to an unspecified female crush, a trick that built an entire career on the “oh my god this song is totally about me” mentality. Justin has never really ‘needed’ much complexity in his music for success; he’s incredibly attractive, he’s got quite a nice voice and he can dance which has been enough – till now. The ‘Biebs’ is now a 21 year old man and he just might be maturing. 
It’s been three years since his last studio album so the wait for his fans has been a long one but in all honesty debut single ‘What do you mean?’ makes up for it. This dance tune’s simple metronome intro is instantly layered upon by the songs signature infectious beat opening up brand new audiences for Bieber.
While people are still processing Biebers new sound ‘Sorry’ the second single of his album drops. Again this song’s very accessible to people who have vowed against Biebers music in the past. Biebers always been a ‘love or hate’ musician but now he’s dropped two songs in a row that, if you’re at all a fan of modern dance-pop, you’ll love. The upbeat rhythm, background vocals and trumpet flares are reminiscent of the almost ‘exotic-ness’ of massive tunes like Major-Lazer’s – ‘Lean on’ showing just how big Justin’s new material could become.
The problem with the quality of these singles, though, is that they pretty much eclipse the rest of the album. Nothing on the album is actually ‘bad’ it’s just that compared to powerhouse dance tunes like the first single, and unusual yet intriguing pop songs like ‘Sorry’, songs such as ‘Company’ and ‘Purpose’ are simply lacklustre.

There are some other songs of note on this album however, particularly ‘Love Yourself’ which has a slightly different vibe and tone, courtesy of co-writer Ed Sheeran making it stand out from the rest of the album. It’s very simple but it works. The basic guitar throughout keeps it grounded and the trumpet interlude elaborates on this. On its own it may be a bit bland but if you like to view albums as a whole rather than cherry pick tracks then you’ll appreciate the songs inclusion because it just gives the album something a little simpler, a little slower and a little different.
What may be one of my favourite things with this album, however, was the involvement of Skrillex as a producer on five of the albums songs including second single ‘Sorry’. Bieber’s music has always been heavily produced by a plethora of people but none have quite teased the right bits out of Biebers music to give him that edge. Skrillex has come as close as I’ve seen and while not perfect it is most definitely interesting. I strongly recommend you download the two singles released from this album and would urge you to check out anything else Skrillex had a hand in in this album.
Nathan Beck

Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood Trilogy Review

With his latest releases Troye seems to be bringing to the table the most personal of concept albums. His Electropop Ep ‘Wild’ includes two thirds of what he calls his ‘Blue Neighbourhood Trilogy’ with the third being released separately. The three songs: Wild, Fools and Talk me Down tell some version of Troye growing up in a small town as an ‘out’ individual and the trials and tribulations people face due to an ongoing stigmatisation of the LGBT community focusing on the impact of this on himself.
‘Wild’ documents the foundations of a relationship with someone that he has grown up with. It describes the long waits they endure to see each other while keeping their relationship a secret, eventually culminating in an intervention which ends it all too soon. This song is about confusion and emotional chest pains, to put it bluntly, with phrases such as ‘white noise’ and my personal favourite, as the music cuts out to leave a few solitary reverbing chords in the background highlighting the vocals, “You make my heart shake, bend and break. But I can’t turn away and it’s driving me wild”. The song implements a choir of children during the chorus with a breaking up of the word ‘Wii-i-i-ild’ cementing its childish innocence and catapulting the cliché of puppy love into the 21st Century.
‘Fools’ takes us a wander further down this path of despair opening with a much more melancholy piano contrasting with the children’s voices and deep bass drum intro of ‘Wild’. The song begins almost unsurely, unconfidently. In the first few lines the feeling of emptiness is clear “I need time to replace what I’ve gave away”. As the lyrics move to the future instead of dwelling on the past the music crescendos with them, the conservative delayed drums aid the build-up and finally as the lyrics plunge into self-doubt and regret, the synth plunges with them, leading to a hypnotising crash of music and emotion. Unfortunately rather than adding more to this story from here the song simply keeps the music as it is from this point on and doesn’t dare take it or, or the lyrics for that matter, in any other directions. It is one of my favourite songs of his so far simply for the genius build up early on in the song but I am disappointed that he seems to have ran out of ideas for this song from there and moved on to the next.
‘Talk me Down’ continues the self-doubt theme and describes Troye unable to cope by himself: “Cause you know that I can’t trust my 3am shadow”. It shows Troye as a terrified little boy, one that’s dangerously starting to recede into his own head to deal with things he just can’t face head on “I’d rather fuel a fantasy than deal with this alone”. This is precisely what I love about this song. It’s so raw. It’s so bare. It’s so honest. The music is very, very basic, don’t expect to dance to this or happily whistle along to the melody while doing the dishes. Expect to have your mood drop a little then hear a line that specifically hits you, makes you sit your arse on a chair, crack open the wine and play the song again. It’s grim, I know, but heartfelt songs like this that don’t need catchy riffs to get your attention open up numerous roads for Troye to take. If he can really make you pay attention with something as bare as this song I can’t wait to see what else he can produce with a few more years and a few more life experiences.
I have few complaints with this trilogy, there’s the odd lyric I dislike such as using “you like stick I like aerosol” in ‘Fools’ to show the insignificant things the object of Troyes desire uses as reasons to claim they’re incompatible. I tried to justify this in my head but it’s just a bit over the top is it not? I think Troye spent ages looking for the perfect line, overthought it and missed the mark. There’s a few clangers of ‘misheard lyrics’ such as “Too long till I drown in your hands” in ‘Wild’ which takes away from the innocent nature of a song that tries to break ground by portraying a gay relationship as something other than purely sexual. (I’ll keep this review clean but seriously go listen to the song and tell me the way he sings ‘drown’ isn’t ridiculous). 

Of course these are very minor infractions, I really can’t seriously complain about what I’ve heard so far. All the words that come to mind to describe these songs personify them - and that’s exactly the point. When you realise how well this trilogy is crafted to elicit certain emotions from you, you’ll truly appreciate that you’ve been swept up in a tide that’s carried you on its journey and you’ll be as eager for the next wave as I am. I look forward to reviewing his album in full when it’s released, the material I’ve already heard has made me more excited than I’ve been in a long time. I recommend that you download all three tracks. Nathan Beck

One Direction - Perfect (Track Review)

The reaction to losing a band member is something which varies wildly. An implosion usually follows soon after following a few failed singles and a distinct feeling of a missing piece. Some bands transform totally, essentially becoming a new band but the choice that One Direction have taken is, smartly, one of ignorance. For those that care enough to miss Zayn Malik their love for One Direction as a group surpasses that of a single band member and those that aren’t particularly interested simply still enjoy the incredibly solid works they have been releasing as of late.

The post Malik years of One Direction are seemingly going swimmingly.

Despite the loss of probably their most likable member they are still filling arenas, at the forefront of media attention and most importantly still releasing always solid, sometimes excellent pop songs. So far their content certainly peaked with their last album “4” which disappointingly was also their least successful being their only album not to clock a number one. Despite this “Steal My Girl” remains by a good margin their best song with its powerful, anthemic rhythms seeming to be a statement of intent from the band that, with the departure of Malik, sadly will likely never come to fruition.

The post Malik era’s third song “Perfect” sees a return to the more “Classic” One Direction sound, a contrast to the hugely popular “Drag Me Down” which was a major departure. The song itself will almost certainly be a massive hit. It’s promising synths throughout never really lead to anything and it doesn’t add anything really new unlike most One Direction songs as of late. This is a disappointment but there is still very little to actually dislike about this song.

Its lyrics show a humbleness that although being ever present in their material is something which is not focused on in the slightest and is greatly shown here and some of the irony in the song “And if you're looking for someone to write your breakup songs about, Baby, I'm perfect” is clever and a welcome addition to an almost painfully optimistic pop scene.

Despite this some of One Direction’s bad habits have started to slip in. The acoustic guitar from the abysmal “Little Things” returns as does the annoyance of never referring to this “perfect” girl by name instead opting for catch all terms like “baby” to of course allow girls to fantasise them singing about them.

This song is alright but with the heights that One Direction have reached in the past they can be doing better than this however I remain excited for their fifth record “Made in the A.M” and would recommend you give this one a stream.

Dominic Allan.

KID NORTH - Rip Tide (track review)

KID NORTH are connoisseurs of French electronic music.  They’re very clearly steeped in the genre’s intricacies, resulting in their music being as artfully crafted and stimulating as any synthpop I’ve heard all year (I’m looking at you Purity Ring).  However the clearest influence here is danceable indie pop of Phoenix, and given their lack of output of late, Kid North are an extremely welcome substitute. 

From the immaculate, driving electronic bass to the palm muted guitars reminiscent of the latter Strokes releases if they were good, “Rip Tide” is a perfectly organised piece of pop.  It’s depth is fully displayed by the forlorn, Depeche-Mode style vocals, and the exuberant bursts of rapid synth notes that lead into the infectious chorus.

This single does it’s job pretty much perfectly.  KID NORTH’s upcoming album “New Waters” is certainly worth getting excited for, and I recommend streaming this song.

Charlie McCartney

The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness Review

When Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye came onto the scene in 2011 it played out in such a way that somehow encapsulated everything the new alt-R&B project was about. It wasn’t the head-first dive into the pool of round the clock radio-play and sellout venues that has become typical of pop newcomers, this was something far more interesting. There was no sensational single shooting its way up the Billboard numbers; or endless promotion from musical hype-machines (à la NME). Rather a series of concise highly thought out releases in the form of three EP’s sporadically set out and left to fizzle through the underground music blogosphere.

Thursday, House of Balloons and Echoes of Silence championed a new darker style of R&B. Brooding sedated beats underpinned angelic falsetto vocals crooning about an Eyes Wide Shut type world of seemingly never-ending drug-infused, sex-crazed hedonism. Abel juggled moments of ecstasy with sections of nightmarish paranoia, and people loved it. Before long the Trilogy was garnering rave reviews from MTV and Pitchfork alike, doubling as both a critical darling and a [somewhat] commercial success. 2011 became the year of the Weeknd.

Since 2011, however, much has changed. Tesfaye was promptly taken under Drake’s wing, signed to a major label and began to step out of the depressive underground shadow he had been lurking behind. Debut album, Kissland, was released to a lukewarm reception, although it was a certifiable profit smash – entering the Billboard top 200 at number 2.

Since then the music press has been waiting in trepidation of the next Weeknd release: Would he fully commit himself to the mainstream pop world he’d been quietly courting? Or return to his underground roots? Another set of totally new game-changing EP’s were in store perhaps?

Unfortunately for most, it was the former. Whereas Kissland straddled the lines between the traditional Weeknd sound and more conventional beats, Beauty Behind the Madness is a bona fide pop album. You only need to look at the big name collaborations to clock this. This is also a watershed moment in Abel’s approach to production: almost every track is bombarded with layers of punchy, heavily polished pop beats (handclaps and all) unseen on a Weeknd work before.

The best example of this new approach to production is "Can’t Feel My Face" – my personal favourite from the album. This groove-based pop banger plays out like a contemporary homage to Off The Wall era Michael Jackson – with a Nile Rodgers-esque guitar section and fantastic funk driven bass line guiding the song through Tesfaye’s double entendre-laden lyrics based around his infatuation with hard drugs. Modern synth chords and subtle inflections bring the track into the 21^st Century. And one’s first reaction upon listening the whole way through is to lunge at the replay button.

Other examples include the downbeat "Tell Your Friends", a typically introspective reflection on the playboy lifestyle Abel loves to hate to live. Rich piano chords and vocal overdubs actually enhance the contemplative nature of the song as well as making for a fuller sound.  

Trap-heavy "Often" and "The Hills" (both titanic singles) are unflinchingly sinister in terms of beats and lyrics. The latter, presumed to reference Pop world’s newest sweetheart, Ariana Grande, builds to a particularly visceral chorus – putting the vocals in the backseat and allowing the pulsing synths to speak for themselves. These are both standout tracks.

Though sadly this new gung-ho approach is more often than not counterproductive. There are too many instances of songs being so overladen with effects that it becomes homogenized to the point where they become nothing more than a standardized pop number or, even worse, a skip-track.

Cuts like "Real Life" and "Acquainted" embody all that is flawed about this new method, so much cluttered instrumentation and convoluted production sounds are crammed together to the point where it is hard to get through a full listen. 

The collaborative tracks too (barre a generally solid track with Lana Del Rey) are underwhelming. The worst song of the album is Ed Sheeran backed "Dark Times", in which the two artists attempt to play off each other in a competition of edginess. Needless to say Sheeran is out-schooled from the get go, and the two come off less of a power-couple and more a massively lopsided wingmanship.

Abel's voice is still stellar, his lyrics still unashamedly explicit, but I just wasn't feeling this record. Unless you're a diehard Weeknd fan or pop devotee I’d recommend you stick with the fantastic singles and avoid the pretty drab deep cuts off this album. 

Jack McGlone