Introducing: Jake Bugg

When an eighteen year old from Nottingham creates a couple of tracks that imitate the youthful intuition of a young Bob Dylan or Neil Young, an insightful serendipity is sparked.

Rapidly becoming a known figure in the folk genre after a performance on Later with… Jools Holland in April and numerous national radio plays in recent months, Jake Bugg’s potential and talent as a singer/songwriter is beginning to be extensively acknowledged in the public sphere.
His unique blend of contemporary and 1960s folk styles outlets a rekindled model of original rock’n’roll, refreshing the current musical climate.

Two tracks really epitomise Bugg’s aptitude as a singer/songwriter, ‘Lightning Bolt’ and ‘Someone Told Me’. ‘Lightning Bolt’, his most recent single released, combines a generic country rhythm with vocals that emulate The Clash’s ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’. ‘Someone Told Me’ is vastly different; a lot slower tempo with a melodic riff that emphasises Bugg’s skill as a technical guitarist as well as a songwriter.

Brought up on a large council estate in Nottingham, Bugg seems largely positive about his new rendezvous with minor stardom stating, “You get tired of the same old streets,” he says. “If you want to live your dreams, you have to get out.”

The young guitarist is definitely ‘getting out’, playing at many big name festivals over the summer and starting his first official UK tour in November . His debut album is due for release on October 22^nd and with many anticipating him to be the next big thing, it should definitely be worth a listen.

Labrinth, And His Imminent Debut Album

In light of the upcoming release of his debut album next month, it seems commendable to acknowledge the impact that Timothy Mckenzie, Labrinth, has had on pop music over the past year.

His forthcoming album, Electronic Earth is a record of high demand at present, with many waiting to see what the youngster from Hackney can produce in his first solo project.  With many big names looking to collaborate with the 22 year old and his signing to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco last year, it seems that Labrinth’s career as an artist has begun to scale, therefore making the next couple of months vital to his future success.

Labrinth’s rise to fame has come from a mixture of his gifted production values alongside his diversified originality in terms of style and showcase. The distinctive stylistic duality he possesses, blending electronic ensembles and soulful accompaniment, has sparked a large fan base for the producer, now solo artist, building his reputation with every track he releases.  His unique sound can be heard on the preview of his future album, particularly in the modernised cover of Express Yourself and the more serene track, Beneath Your Beautiful, featuring a duet with Emeli Sande.

One criticism often made of his work,  is regarding his vocals. Notably he does not have the best singing voice, yet Labrinth plays to his strengths and uses his vocal versatility to fit different tones to certain songs. For example in the tracks, Last Time and Vultures, both contain a different style of vocals however, both suit the trend of the track and the added vocal effects emphasise Labrinth’s brilliance in mixing his song-writing with his, what seems, unlimited supply of artificial trimmings.

It is clear why Labrinth’s work has erupted onto the music scene almost instantly since his career began in 2009 and the acknowledgment from peers and associated artists has no doubt boosted his reputation. Although for a man of such talent, the number one selling featured artist has remained largely absent from the public eye aside from his music. Yet, this has paved an image of modesty and professionalism for himself throughout the music industry. Therefore, high expectancy is only natural from speculating critics and Labrinth appears the type of artist who can elevate his own capabilities in his own time; evidently with producing an inventive pre-view to his new album. It’s therefore a matter of time to see whether his possible potential as a multi-million album selling artist will be achieved, starting with the release of his debut album next week.

His new album is released on the 2^nd of April, get listening.

Sleigh Bells- Reign Of Terror

After a strange yet confounding first album for the band, possibly leaving many critics very inquisitive about this new release of theirs, Sleigh Bells return to the music scene with their new album Reign Of Terror. On first impressions, Reign Of Terror appears to have the same equivocal outlook as their first album yet, it disappointingly lacks any distinct direction in regards to musical quality.

The record begins very promisingly with a live-styled opening that portrays a raw, dynamic new style of 80s punk-metal, suitably named ‘True Shred Guitar’. However, the standard of the album descends from there, with monotonous vocal progressions, an outdated punk appeal and a number of hollow tracks that offer very little to the remainder of the album. One track that represents the potential that Sleigh Bells possess is Comeback Kid. The track consists of a well designed and memorable riff element, succeeded by a slower, lighter breakdown of harmonious dream-like electronic techniques. Despite the track being one of the more gifted on the album, singer Strauss’ vocals do begin to grind ear drums after much high pitched clamour, You Lost To Me being a typical example. The vocals become rather insipid on many of the tracks and from Comeback Kid onwards, the tracks show little diversity in terms of style or tone. It just seems the album lacks any type of positive innovation in comparison to their debut album, Treats. The sad noteworthy issue with this promising second album is that there are tracks that Sleigh Bells could have modelled off of in order to create a consistently likeable album, i.e  True Shred Guitar, Demons and, to an extent, Crush. These were the sort of tracks I expected to be more prominent and therefore, save the album’s credibility slightly.

All in all, disappointment seems to be the defining feeling towards Reign of Terror. When the crowd screamed ‘more’, it appears the crowd has only got ‘bore’ this time. Nevertheless, with the sundry attitude music lovers have with alternative indie genres these days, I’m sure an album like this will spark a trend with some form of 80s metal/electro renaissance cult in due time.

4/10

 

 

Enter Shikari- A Flash Flood Of Colour

The unorthodox, post hardcore-electro  quartet that is Enter Shikari return to the music scene this week with their third studio recorded album, ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ and the one word that springs to mind on first impressions is  ‘versatility’.  After a three year stint of alternative focus on other projects, the St Albans based boys have returned with a very impressive new selection of rhythms and effects, redeeming much of their initial success that was gained from their first album ‘Take to the Skies’ in 2007, after a generously mediocre second album in 2009, ‘Common Dreads’.

The beginning of every album is usually essential in telling the band’s current position as an artist and with ‘A Flash Flood of Colour’, the opening tracks ‘System…’ and ‘Meltdown’, Enter Shikari  demonstrate their highly talented technical approach to their electronic composition blended with their natural aptitude as musicians. The return of drop C tuned guitars and fast trance beats seen in previous work is most noticeable, but a certain unconventional difference in their structure of tracks is evident too. The range of styles that have been immersed into each track really defines the album as a record of resourceful genius.  Its underground appeal would have really increased now with the rise in popularity of dubstep and drum’n’bass styles in the past couple of years, possibly a reason for the band’s return at such a suitable instance. Amongst the exhilarating beats and rave-style tenacity a serious undertone of political standpoints  focused on contemporary ideas is witnessed in ‘Stalemate’ and ‘Gandhi mate, Gandhi’. Plus on an album that grabs your attention as much as ‘A Flash Flood of Colour’, this lyrical nuance is definitely clearer to acknowledge than on previous albums.  One problem with the arrangement of tracks on the album is that the last few tracks really weaken the album as a whole. From ‘Warm Smiles Do Not Welcome Here’ onwards, it seems as if the final tracks fail to offer anything beneficial . ‘Constellations’ is quite a weak track to end on and therefore suggests that ideas became limited, but the soft aura that this final recording protrudes does complete a very impressive, unexpected and unprecedented return to the music scene for Enter Shikari.

The band have successfully created an album that consistently sustains their best work to date, with a flurry of techniques and ideas that have amalgamated a range of styles and genres. This once again questions the bands true genre and retains their distinct and unique style. Also, the band’s recent hiatus has offered a beneficial retrospective review on their previous work, using many of their best aspects  and then taking that next step to effectively electrify and emphasise these qualities.

8.5/10

Smith & Burrows- Funny Looking Angels

December is upon us and the Christmas festivities are beginning to take shape. The bells are starting to ring, the presents are swiftly being bought and most importantly for writers like myself, the arrival of new Christmas albums to the charts and shop shelves has commenced. Smith & Burrows, consisting of Tom Smith of The Editors and former drummer of Razorlight, Andy Burrows, have offered music listeners a new festive album for Christmas 2011, whilst leaving out the pandemic, commercialism that has scorned (and celebrated) Christmas classics of the past.

The album consists of a number of newly constructed wintery tracks that highlight the time of year’s traditional climate, with also adding a dimension of political issues that have plagued  the world in recent months, most notably seen in the track, When The Thames Froze. A number of Christmas covers also feature on the album, from Yazoo’s Only You to Mel Torme’s The Christmas Song. Smith & Burrows cleverly add a seasoned glisten to these new renditions of old tracks, making the tracks more appealing to the contemporary age, though highlighting the time of year. This new version of Only You is particularly impressive.

Not only do the covers have a traditional veneer smothered over them, but even the newly recorded tracks hold an anthemic, aura-filled drone that is consistent amidst the album. This is owed a lot to Smith’s vocals that appear to really suit this music genre. Smith’s vocals help many tracks convey a homely atmosphere amongst the orchestral instrumentation, as seen particularly with In The Bleak Midwinter and The Christmas Song. With a good array of instrumentation, the piano, strings and bells add to the albums authenticity as a true Christmas composition.

To summarise, the duo of Smith & Burrows have successfully created a well-rounded Christmas album that succeeds in not getting on your nerves after being played on repeat, something hard to come by if you think about many Christmas albums of the past…sorry Sir Cliff. Funny Looking Angels shares a new breed of Christmas album that acts as more of a seasonal release. However, its status as a Christmas album limits its success to the holiday season, and with no previous work to their name, Smith & Burrows may just slip under the radar on many music listeners radar this December. Nevertheless, the album contains many positive elements and gains bonus points for not promoting the festive commercialism that surrounds Christmas, like many albums before have been known to do.

8.5/10

Frank Carter Reveals 2012 Plans For New Band ‘Pure Love’ Subsequent To ‘Gallows’ E.P Date Release

Just as the Gallows prepare to release their new E.P, Death is Birth, on December 5^th without their former iconic, hell-raising frontman, Frank Carter, Carter has coincidently proposed new plans for the turn of the year for his new band, Pure Love.

Carter’s separation with the Gallows earlier in the year regarding a disagreement on the band’s future, has allowed him to direct his intentions of heavier hardcore-filled prospects onto a blank canvas, grounding the creation of his new band Pure Love. This left the Gallows adopting Canadian Wade MacNeil (formerly of Alexisonfire) in to the band, in an attempt to replace the wild, rampant Brit behind the mic. With the Gallows previously representing a new age of British punk-rock, it seems the disappearance of Carter’s coarse, cockney vocals will symbolise a fresh start for the band, placing them at evens with Pure Love, providing both bands with a need to prove themselves.

Carter has revealed today that Pure Love will play their first official live show on February 14^th at London’s Bush Hall, as part of the NME Award Shows planned for early next year. With Pure Love also in the process of producing a debut album for release next year, it begs the question; who will steal the limelight in 2012? A now less-British Gallows? Or Pure Love, a new creation of Carter’s darker, hardcore-punk aspirations?

Snow Patrol- Fallen Empires

A band of the highest consistency, Snow Patrol, return to the music scene with their 6^th studio album to add to their growing discography. Their new approach to a slower tempo style of music since their album Eyes Open in 2006 has not given the band the success and ‘top of the chart’ status that they probably would have hoped.  Nevertheless, the orientation of Fallen Empires, seeming a rather internationally aimed collection with tracks such as New York, Berlin and The President, may boost their global appeal, particularly in the United States.

The album itself tends to veer to a more Coldplay style of song-writing, incorporating much instrumentation whilst sticking to the slow paced mannerisms seen on their previous album, A Hundred Million Year Suns. The album therefore lacks any real dynamics to it, with only a few tracks expressing a surge of energy at best. Thus, the common problem of sluggish albums becoming bland and monotonous, in comparison to many other mainstream examples,  tends to appear throughout this fourteen track drone. Also, unlike many other of Snow Patrol’s previous albums, Fallen Empires fails to have any noteworthy tracks that typify the album or any song that would cast the band into a media frenzy. Though despite the negativity, Fallen Empires does encase a lot of good elements amongst its variety of harmonious techniques. The lyrics, written by frontman Gary Lightbody, are very well composed as always, particularly on This Isn’t Everything You Are and Those Distant Bells, each providing an awe that offers so much potential if tweaked slightly with more dynamics or a bolder texture. New York being one of the high points of the album, is a really well written track and the budding climax adds to its plea. However other than New York, many of the slower compositions fail to significantly impress, making Fallen Empires plummet below its expected potential.

Like many bands with distinctive sounds, Fallen Empires shows that Snow Patrol have also had difficulty asserting a new style of song-writing to their acclaimed catalogue of hits. The bands real fame comes from their anthemic, middle of the road hits that are so memorable to the extent that you fail to recall the artist. Yet, I feel Fallen Empires has limited itself to too much easy listening, and not enough forceful dynamics to create these types of tracks, therefore failing to spark a real phenomenon in contemporary popular culture.

4/10

Ten Things I Love About Muse

No doubt about it, Muse are one of the epitomes of modern day music. To achieve world renowned respect in the music industry does not come easy and here are ten reasons for their status at the summit of musical recognition.

1. Versatility

Many say that the band holds a one dimensional fashion to their music: piano solos and high-pitched singing. Nevertheless, Muse is one of the few bands that can bring success in that degree and many others. Muse’s ‘Origin of Symmetry’ exploits Matt Bellamy’s exquisite talent for piano and guitar. ‘New Born’, being a key example, with a recurring piano progression, followed by a, somewhat, metal thrash exhibition for the remainder. Plus, the likes of ‘Citizen Erased’ and ‘Plug In Baby’ also venturing away from the spacey, melodic approach appearing on later albums.

2. Texture

How many three-piece bands can recreate the same dynamics and texture as Muse? Not many. Maybe Rush? Or even the Jimi Hendrix Experience? Still, it’s arguable that this texture comes from an onslaught of superficial techniques, but to blend these techniques together with well designed rhythms and riffs suggests the band does not solely rely on these effects. ‘Exo-Politic’ and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ are good examples of this balance.

3. Live Performance

Muse, 16^th June 2007, Wembley Stadium- I can safely say was one of the stand-out live performances of my constantly growing gig experiences. The HAARP tour, as it was called, gained the approval of over 50,000 voters on Wembley’s own website as ‘Wembley’s Greatest Event’, impressive, I know.

4. Surreal Escapism

Muse are a band that create a warped sense of reality to the listener. Similar to other bands, their subject matter remains predominantly political, whilst adding a futuristic, space-like aura to their electronically aided tracks. Their latest album from 2009, ‘Resistance’, being a good barometer of Muse’s ability to create a bizarre, distorted fantasy through their music.

 5. Matt Bellamy’s Guitar Playing

Matt Bellamy is one of the few figureheads of modern guitar today. In my opinion, it seems only Tom Morello of ‘Rage Against The Machine’ would be a sincere counterpart to compare him to in recent years. Bellamy’s innovative expression through his guitar creates a new dimension to the band. His originality in experimentation, particularly with new modulations and intonation, has revolutionised electric guitar playing in the last 15 years, putting him up there with some of the all-time greats.

6. Killer Riffs

Not only do some of the lead guitar riffs hold a quality that only Muse could share with music listeners, but also some of Chris Wolstenholme bass riffs have created anthemic, memorable compositions. For instance, only last week the bass line from ‘Hysteria’ was voted ‘the best bass line of all time’ according to NME, and without thinking too hard, I’d agree.

7. Electricity

Muse have the ‘wow’ factor. Aside from their most recent album, it can’t be denied that if listening  through the entirety of one of their four previous albums, there isn’t something that doesn’t absorb you into the music through sheer astonishment. Having such a vast array of techniques to engage listeners, understandably adds to their popularity.

8. Indefinable

They are a band that has not conformed to one genre and seems will always delve between styles to create a sense of mystery about their music. This is why I feel it is wrongly justifiable to compare them to such bands as Radiohead, as neither band shares an exact stance in music. To compare them would be like comparing the Lord of The Rings books to the Star Wars films…similar traits yet both are classics in their own right.

9. Consistency

Five albums down the line and Muse are sitting comfortably at the peak of their career. Each album containing singles that get in touch with the musical norms of the time and thrive on media attention. Therefore, with Resistance reaching number one in nine countries, it has to be questioned, when will their success end?

10. Limits To Success?

This leads to my final point, is their success limited? With the likes of other supergroups such as Coldplay trying new ideas to maintain their reputation and Oasis breaking up last year, it seems Muse will be reluctant to leave their position at the top of international recognition. Nevertheless, Muse are a band that always produces a high standard of music, leaving it up to the critics to decide if/when their incandescent appeal will begin to crumble.

40th Anniversary: Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin…even today, the name sounds cool. Who’d have thought that a band with the name of a theoretical lead aircraft would’ve gained so much popularity and recognition through the early 1970s? In particular, a band who played their own style of 1950s Rock’n’Roll, off the back of the hippie culture of the 1960s. But they did it, and with the turn of a decade came the turn of the music scene, centralising Led Zeppelin right in the mix of it.

On November 8^th 1971, Led Zeppelin released their fourth album, later to be acknowledged as IV but originally untitled to avoid easy media labelling.  The album, that consists of two sides with four tracks on each, begins with an explosion of raw electric guitar riffs and dynamic, fast-paced drumming on ‘Black Dog’ and then ‘Rock’n’Roll’ (a personal Zeppelin favourite of mine). This emergence of a new sound, that was hinted at on their three previous albums, really showed off the band’s ability to produce unrefined blends of different styles, incorporating; blues, rock’n’roll, folk and pop music into one single sound. Then to drop this heavy twang of the first two tracks and feed in ‘The Battle of Evermore’ portrays the band’s well-documented charisma as musicians, illustrating an ingenuity yet to be seen in new age rock. Then (and with great pleasure, I introduce), the fade in of a modern day classic, that is ‘Stairway To Heaven’. One of the true masterpieces of rock music that is worthy of it’s eight minutes and two seconds. From first to last, the song can be witnessed as one of the foundations for the future of rock music with hints of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Eagles, AC/DC and many more amongst the different sections of the track. Led Zeppelin’s lead guitarist, Jimmy Page, puts it right when he notes that ‘just about everybody has got their own individual interpretation’ of the song, leaving its legacy open-ended and perpetual.

Misty Mountain Hop’ starts off the second track with a very 70s feel to it, a ‘Top Of The Pops 2’ sensation, if you will. Then another sharp turn back to the dynamics of ‘Four Sticks’. This track contains a repetitive guitar riff where you’re almost anticipating an enthralling, guitar solo of Page’s, but the track just seems to carry on its one-minded path, leaving the listener wanting more. It lays wake to the soft, acoustic interlude of ‘Going to California’, a track that combines modern acoustics with a dream-like conscious, allowing the audience to drift away with the music. Finally sticking with the back and forth nature of the LP and ending the album with a second extended track , a cover of ‘When The Levee Breaks’. ‘When The Levee Breaks’ combines an irregular blues guitar progression with melodic improvisation on the harmonica of singer, Robert Plant. The track consists of a backward echoed effect on the harmonica and phased vocals, two techniques that were not introduced properly to pop music and until the late 1970s at least.

The album itself contains so many influential aspects to it that can be heard in other band’s music to date and therefore should not be a forgotten recording, even forty years on. Also not only did it develop heavy rock music on a large scale but it also boosted Led Zeppelin’s status in the music business. Therefore, now with many forgetting who the real  pioneers of rock music were from the late 1960s/early 1970s bands like Zeppelin, it seems that the current climate of music followers will merely be born into a world of commercial enterprises that dictate the future of music rather than its history.

9/10

Coldplay-Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay’s credibility as an internationally, multi-million album selling artist has been questioned over recent years and in response Coldplay have answered with ‘Mylo Xyloto’, their newly released fifth studio album. With their four previous number one albums, the expectations for this eagerly awaited fifth album have reached its summit and justifiably, Mylo Xyloto has not failed in its bid for success, wonder and controversy.

So, what is Mylo Xyloto? You ask. Well even Coldplay frontman Chris Martin can’t define it, so I would give up trying to understand that dilemma, before you stumble too deep into it. Despite the issue of the illogical title, Mylo Xyloto contains a number of impressive and articulated qwerks, that only a band like Coldplay could exhibit. From the prominent sustained electronic string ensemble in Paradise to the illustrious piano arrangements of Martin on Up In Flames, the band have attempted to counter their critics in an explicit fashion. It can still be argued that some of the insipid characteristics remain in a couple of tracks, particularly Us Against The World, which sounds like some form of rendition of Jeff Buckley’s hallelujah. Princess of China also shares this problem with its bizarre, mellow rhythm, resulting in only emphasising Rihanna’s overt individualism against Coldplay’s flat, dreary facade pooled by the media. Yet after their previous album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, it seemed to be almost certain that the same vibrancy and levels of intensity would not be once again squeezed from their structured repertoire, as seen on the fourth album. In spite of this, the majority of Mylo Xyloto does express this free flow of vitality. More variety in tempo, vocal styles and instrumentation substantiate the quality of this vitality of some of these tracks, such as in Hurts Like Heaven and the big single, Every Tear Drop Is a Waterfall, thus promoting a new sustained side of Coldplay.

Overall, I feel the album shows that Coldplay have the courage to take on new challenges in re-inventing themselves in order to preserve their international prestige. The bulk of the album contains a number of promising aspects that reflect why Coldplay are still up there with the best, but their never-ending, colourless, picture painting will still be a blemish amongst the rest of their acclaimed anthology.

7.5/10