Alt-J Album Review

This week, Alt-J’s debut album, “An Awesome Wave”, won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize and has since featured on the cover of NME this week. Personally, I’d missed the album and a combination of the two factors above made me think I must listen to this album! Thank goodness that I did, this album really does deserve the recognition it has received. This year, so many fantastic albums have been released by fantastic bands and artists but this album is definitely one of the most original and well and truly on of the best.

Alt-J are a band from Leeds who met at University. They formed in 2007 and for the early days didn’t reveal their identities to their fan base. The name “Alt-J” comes from the Mac shortcut for the Delta symbol (Δ) and their early recordings were developed on the Mac programme, Garageband until 2011 when the signed for Infectious Records. The album was recorded in Brixton even though they currently take residence in Cambridge.

Onto the album then! For me, the album is so affective because it is so fresh and new but I could still associate it with other bands and pick out possible influences for the album. The only way I can easily describe “An Awesome Wave” is that for me it seems like a mix between Dry the River’s “Shallow Bed” Kasabian’s debut album “Kasabian”. The reason I say this is because there are incredibly intricate synth parts like Kasabian in tracks like “Ovary Stripe” but also combine it with beautiful guitar parts and haunting vocals like Dry the River. The album as a whole, unlike a lot of Indie I’ve come across, has a chirpy feel to it meaning they aren’t being moody long haired young men who are pissed off about their endless encounters with heartbreak.

"An Awesome Wave" album artwork.

They are adventurous with their music which refers back to what I said about the album being “fresh and new”. The second track “Interlude I” is completely acapella and is very basic (in the sense that a higher instrument does a main melody and a lower instrument does the harmony, the song reminds me of a piano in a way because the higher voice, the right hand, sings the more intricate melody line where as the lower voice, the left hand, does the longer and more drawn out notes) and reminds me of traditional African music. In “Taro”, there is a flicker of Indian influences in the music with the use of Tabla, Sitar, Indian style vocals and Bansuri which when mixed with Western instruments, gives a really nice feel to the piece.

I love songs that have many different melodies and the album is so polyphonic and thick, you could chew it. Every time I listen to the album, I discover something new; it’s wonderful because it’s so busy and you get the sense the whole thing is alive.

Behind all of the songs, apart from the acapella one, is a brilliant beat. Unlike a lot of bands in their genre, the beats on this are almost hip-hoppy and again adds to that list of things that make the album so new and different form the rest of them. I love this album because it’s so geeky; I get the idea of the band sitting in a dark room tapping different things into their Macs until it sounds good (which relates to me because that’s basically what I do with my weekends, only I don’t have the privilege of owning a Mac).

Going back to the feel of the album briefly, overall, the album has a nice chilled feel about it. When I listen to the album, I feel myself feeling relaxed and it’s very tempting not to get lost in the layers of music.  

If I had to give a negative, I have to say the clarity of the vocals isn’t 100% my cup of tea. Being a vocalist myself, I do prefer clear vocals. I wouldn’t say it was anywhere near enough put a downer on the album, in fact the more I think about it, the more I think it is a good thing because traditionally, vocals will always be the most important than the rest of the instrument but it seems to me, Alt-J have tried to bring the vocals down to the same level as the rest of the instruments so they’re all as one instead of vocals with accompaniment.

This really is a very good album and if you’re hesitating to buy it, hesitate no longer. It’s fresh, fun so amazing. You will be captured in every single song and I promise, it will soon become a regular replay album on your IPod/IPhone/MP3 player etc. BUY!

9/10

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Muse - The 2nd Law Review

Happy Monday everybody. My friend Peter is a massive Muse fan and seeing as Muse aren't one of my priorities at the moment, I couldn't refuse when he said he would review their latest album "The 2nd Law". Please enjoy the works Peter Wisher!

Muse's "The 2nd Law" album artwork.

The one thing that defines Muse as a rock band is that they have never been afraid to do something radically different. Take The Resistance for example: a few virtuoso musicians had delved into a neo-classical style before (Yngwie Malmsteen, your cue to stand up), but who would have thought it possible for an alternative rock band to write a three-part symphony? Being a skilled pianist, maybe frontman Matt Bellamy felt it was instinct (one of Muse’s earlier hits Plug In Baby‘s riff quoted Bach’s Toccata in D minor). Although I regarded The Resistance as a bit of a let-down, Muse has clearly built on their experimental nature for The 2^nd Law.

Another thing about Muse is their style is instantly recognisable. At least it was already. In the days of Absolution and Origin of Symmetry, while never repetitive, there were always ridiculously heavy guitar riffs, Bellamy’s melodic falsetto and brilliant tunes that they are revered for today. But their sound has evolved since, as The Resistance showed, and The 2^nd Law features influences from (traditional Muse fans, brace yourself) funk, synth pop, 80s pop, dubstep, electro, house.... but don’t click away just yet, it’s still worth a listen and I can tell after listening to it repeatedly that the trio from Teignmouth have largely pulled it off.

Now, onto the album, track by track:

Supremacy-

Opening track ‘Supremacy’ is probably what most Muse fans were hoping to hear. The Zeppelin-esque octaves open into a metallicious, 7-string riff, which builds into Matt shrieking ‘YOUR SUUUUUPREMACYYYYYYYYY!!!’. Meanwhile the verses are the exact opposite, subdued with militaristic drumming from Dom complementing the mood. A cracking opener to the album- 9/10

Madness-

Matt described this track as ‘back to basics’ and I can’t help but agree: an electro snare beat and sparse synth are all that it is there for the first verse and chorus. Guitar finally enters in the second verse, but is not made prominent until an doubled guitar solo that could easily come out of Queen’s discography, that sounds like an outburst of emotion more than a bombastic high of say, Knights of Cydonia, but it is effective in linking the piece from quiet to emotionally loud ‘I need your love’ ringing out that will make you want to play this over and over. Absolute brilliance- 10/10

Panic Station-

Ah, a funk tune! This song features a full horn section (including musicians that played on Superstition, the Stevie Wonder classic), an infectious riff, and typically for the band Matt going crazy on his vocal line (a touch too OTT?) The music is spot on though, and is incredibly catchy! – 9/10

Prelude-

A throw-back to The Resistance, even if it’s only 57 seconds. A relaxing piano and strings interlude- 8/10

Survival-

Ever since this was revealed as the official Olympic song, and the lead single, eyes have rolled in distaste. For the benefit of those of you who couldn’t give a damn about the Olympics, this song is a thundering anthem that harks back to gladiatorial combat, with full choir backing, an unconventional structure and a screeching guitar solo to conclude. I can see why people don’t like it, even I didn’t like it at first, but it does grow on you. So what the lyrics are simple? It’s meant to be simple, because the song is about a simple thing: winning. It isn’t perfect, but still... the final breakdown kicks ass- 8.5/10

Follow Me-

It’ll be interesting to see the reaction to this up-tempo dance track. Touchingly it begins with Bellamy’s newborn son’s heartbeat, and follows on this theme with heartfelt vocals about fatherhood. Dance duo Nero helped on production for the song, and it is evident throughout. Die-hard fans will most likely want to cry after hearing this, but the more open-minded listener will regard this as a good effort from a rock band to get some electronic grooves going- 9/10

Animals-

This song also grows on you with every listen as well. While appearing to be one of the album’s quieter tracks, this is dispelled by ending with what sounds like a riot! Delay-ridden guitar, 5/4 cross rhythms and visions of humanity descending into chaos do make depressing listening though- 8.5/10

Explorers-

Muse said in an interview beforehand that they would include a lullaby on their next album, and this seems to be it. This song is probably the closest they have ever come to a ballad, yet lyrics telling of overpopulation of the planet add to the melancholy air the album has given us so far. Almost relaxing- 8/10

Big Freeze-

A Stadium stomp! ‘Big Freeze’ is one of the more up-tempo tracks that Muse have produced lately, which compares to a song U2 would compose and ‘Map of the Problematique’ from their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. Personally this is one of my favourite tracks on the album, and even includes a noisy guitar solo for good measure- 9/10

Save Me-

This is the first song that bassist Chris Wolstenholme has written for a Muse album, and he sings on it as well! Chris suffered from an almost fatal alcohol addiction for many years, and ‘Save Me’ is a testament to it. The mood of the song is captured by a mournful guitar figure in the bridge and a clashing minor harmony in the chorus. I would say it drags on for a bit too long, but this a sad number that will almost certainly make you cry- 8/10

Liquid State-

Another Wolstenholme-sung and written production, and arguably the heaviest song on the album, ‘Liquid State’ is also about his addiction. The opening riff screams prog metal-QOTSA fans, listen to this. Rather the opposite of ‘Save Me’, it ends rather abruptly after the second chorus, but I’d say this actually works rather well with the suspended atmosphere created by the song; the fans of Muse’s heavier material will lap this up- 8.5/10  

The 2^nd Law: Unsustainable-

Utterly bizarre. This track features a sinister stringed introduction; followed by what appears to be a science lecture; which abruptly cut off by a robotic shout of ‘UNSUSTAINABLE!’ a dubstep-style section then follows. What’s nice though is that Matt is using his guitar to create the dubstep noises, even if his guitars are heavily-modified. Despite the new direction on this track the dubstep is half-decent, but a warning to all: brace yourselves- 8/10

The 2^nd Law: Isolated System-

Invariably most listeners will regard this as Exogenesis Part 4- the album closer ‘Isolated System’ is very subdued and understated, with just piano, some strings and the loop from ‘Unsustainable’ playing. Probably the weakest track on the album, but still a decent little piano sonata to listen to- 7.5/10

The 2^nd Law is one of those marmite albums: you’ve either going to love it or absolutely hate it.  Some of the songs are undeniably fantastic, but inevitably some of Muse’s dedicated fanbase are probably going to listen to this then unceremoniously burn it. In my view: so what if it’s different? It’s good to hear a band evolve their style beyond the typical turn-up-to-eleven that a heck of a lot of bands resorts to these days, if they haven’t already turned screamo. Personally I think this album is a return to form after the disappointment of The Resistance. To first-time Muse listeners: This is a good place to start. However, to hardcore Muse fans, I heed one warning.... proceed with caution.

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"Puzzle" - Biffy Clyro Review

Track List:

1. "Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies"

2. "Saturday Superhouse"

3. "Who's Got A Match"

4. "As Dust Dances"*

5. "A Whole Child Ago"

6."The Conversation Is"

7. "Now I'm Everyone"

8. "Semi-Mental"*

9. "Love Has A Diameter"

10. "Get Fucked Stud"

11. "Folding Stars"

12. "9/15ths"*

13. "Machines"

*Tracks containing hidden track "4/15ths"

I thought it was time to do a review of another one of my favourite albums. Last time I did Dry the River's "Shallow Bed" which is a lovely laid back folky album that you could easily play at your grandparents house and get away with it. This album is NOT one of those albums. I love all of Biffy's albums but this is definitely one of my favourites, released in in 2007, it was there 4th studio album in 5 years and was the album that really put the band on the music map.

The album was written when Simon, the lead singer, was going through a very rough time after losing both his mother and his grandfather in the same year. The album does really reflect that and the album cover shows a man with a piece missing this is meant to symbolise Simon's loss.

The album has an explosive start with "Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies", "Saturday Superhouse" and "Who's Got A Match" beginning the record which is a mass of guitars and drums and beautiful orchestral tones throughout (especially in "Living Is A Problem..."). The orchestra is used a lot in this album, Simon has played violin since he was a boy and so has always been good at composing really affective string pieces for his albums. The start of the album really does suck you in, the fat choruses with very catchy lyrics start to capture you in the music.

At track 4 ("As Dust Dances") the album settles down a bit and turns a bit more sombre. "As Dust Dances" is one of the reasons I love this album, my favourite kind of Biffy songs are the slower ones because Simon's skill really comes to light in these pieces. The amount of bands who write songs with a good riff and lots of distortion but don't actually use that much imagination in what they're writing down or playing is so great and it really does make music a bit boring but Biffy Clyro don't do this, especially on this album. The song slowly builds up to the heavy Biffyness throughout the song starting with just the electric guitar and vocals which is very clean and pure and then the guitar is very basic. It isn't until the 2nd chorus when you really start to get a very rocky feel to the song and even then it isn't until the first bridge where you get the distortion coming in. Biffy Clyro really experiment on this album with what instruments they use together and how each instrument is played. The album has a hidden track "4/15ths" which is a beautiful track when put together, it is a perfect example of how Simon blends distortion and an orchestra well having both subtle and very powerful elements to the track.

The middle section as a whole is very pop-y for the Biff. At this point, Biffy Clyro where trying to capture the American market and so had to make their music that way to appeal to the wider audience but it for just seems to be the same as a lot of the songs on "Infinity Land" (their third album) - for example, "My Recovery Injection" has a nice reggae feel to it and is a nice easy track to listen to if you don't like rock. For the first time with "Puzzle", Biffy Clyro were writing songs you could actually dance to. Before, especially with "Blackened Sky" and "The Vertigo Of Bliss", the music was very good but very moody and was more something you would sit down and head-bang to rather than get up and dance to but this album really pushed the band forward. Although the album has quite a dark message about it, it has an overall major tonality about making it more appealing to the wider audience.

There is a beautiful end to this album with two of the most personal song Simon has ever written making up the finale. "Folding Stars" was written about his mother and how her death affected him and "Machines", the final song, is about him starting to be able to pick himself up again after his mother's death. "9/15ths" is an amazing piece of composing, although the lyrics never change (apart from the "4/15ths" bit), the use of strings  and the choir is so affective and it is for me one of the most absorbing pieces on the album.

All in all, this is an amazing album. If you were to ask me which Biffy Clyro album to get, I would definitely say "Puzzle" just because of the variety of music you get on in. This album was the beginning of a new era for Biffy, it was them leaving behind the moody headbanging music of before and saying "hello" to the future of arena tours and no.1 albums. If you haven't listened to this album, listen to it NOW, it is a hidden gem of a record!

9.5/10

To listen to "Saturday Superhouse", click here.

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Spector Album Review

I have dedicated this week to listening to the albums I'd bought but never got the chance to look at. One of those albums was Spector's debut album "Enjoy It While It Lasts" which as debut albums go, is a nice album.

Spector are form London and is made up of Fred Macpherson on vocals (former vocalist for Les Incompétents and Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man), Christopher Burman on guitar, Thomas Shickle on bass, Jed Cullen on synths and guitar and Danny Blandy on drums. The band formed last year and have been causing a tir ever since.

I will start off by saying, the album is very good for a first go. The thing I like about the album is they are not trying to be anybody new and they are not trying to be something they're not. Nowadays, there are loads of bands who are completely up their own arses about their music and think it's the answer to everybody's problems but Spector are very happy to just go with it. They know for a fact that what they have as a sound isn't any thing new and don't really care, with synths taken straight for the Killers, vocal styles taken straight from the Vaccines and catchy choruses taken from the Wombats. 

Everything about the album screams to me 80s. In my notes, I don't think I went through a single song without thinking that I was back in the days of cool synths and moody song writing. The slower songs are very haunting and the core message of the song does really stay in your head.

Each song has a nice structure to it, if there is one thing this band is good at, it's writing middle 8s. At the start of most of the songs you get a gentle introduction into the song and then they will smack you in the face with a nice big fat chorus that sticks in your head all day and then in the middle they will tone it down into a nice instrumental before building it all back up again. 

The album as a whole has a nice poppy feel to it. This isn't not album for those who want guitars galore, this the album for someone who like to be upbeat and have a good time. If I had to give a negative, I'd say it lacks variety, every song seems to be a bit samey but all in all, a good album and a good band.

8/10

Recommended tracks: Lay Low, No Adventure.

Listen to if you like: The Wombats, The Vaccines, The Killers

To listen to their music, here is a link to their youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/spector?feature=results_main

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Jake Bugg and Mark Knopfler Album Reviews Coming Soon

I am in the process of writing album reviews for both Mark Knopfler and Jake Bugg. These should be done for next week at some point.

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Dry the River - "Shallow Bed" Review

I thought I'd start my reviews with one of my favourite albums of the year "Shallow Bed" by Dry the River.

Dry the River - Shallow Bed

Dry the River are a folk/rock band from London who combine beautiful music with beautiful stories. Peter Liddle, the lead singer, has one of the most melodic voices of the industry and just captures you in your own thoughts for the whole album.

I will be honest, I'm only a Dry the River fan because of Fearne Cotton and Radio 1. My mum heard them one day whilst in the car and raced home to tell me about them, I listened to their only single at the time "No Rest" and I was hooked!

The album starts off with "Animal Skins" which if you ask me, is a bit of a marmite song to put at the start of the album (you'll either love it there or hate it there). For me, the first track is GENIUS, it makes the album seem like it is really working right from the start. The first track just puts you right in there at the heart of the action and leaves a lasting impression on the listener because you can't help but think, it is a very brave move for a debut album.

Through out the album, the band has a massive sense of togetherness. One of the things I love most about this band/album, is they really aren't scared to push the boundaries of folk and rock. Whether it is adding in a distorted guitar with a fiddle or all breaking into song in the final chorus, the are constantly looking for ways to make their sound a lot bigger.

Story telling is a massive part of folk and a huge part of this album. The songs are like poetry and every word that is said in this album is meant.

Religion is threaded through out the album which I think really adds to the poetic element of the whole record. The vocals in the album have a feel of church choirs about them, the delicate tone is in perfect harmony with the power of the record's messages.

The instruments used, range from amazing percussion to intricate strumming of the guitar. The fiddle is always there with horns and creates a beautiful foundation for each song. The use of guitars is really clever, personally, I would have never put an electric guitar with a fiddle but on this album, it really works! It's always nice to hear more percussion than your crash symbols and heavy snare. Although mostly the percussion is a basic drum kit, you get those moments when they use the glockenspiel to give a nice extra something to the percussion section.

This band are absolutely Mumford and Sons for the real music lover. They are just heavenly, it is 100% that album to put on whilst on a long road trip to keep you entertained. This album is like a book being read to you through a melody and considering it is a debut album, I'm so excited to hear what they've got next for us. This is an album to treasure and keep safe forever and ever!

9/10

Recommended tracks: "Bible Belt" "No Rest" and "Weights and Measures"

Listen to if you like: Mumford and Sons, Waterboys, Folk in general!!

Here is a link to their latest track "New Ceremony" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCJ22QQTWtM&list=PL12D61D88D56291F0&index=1&feature=plcp

To buy the album go to - http://www.itunes.com/drytheriver

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