Haim – ‘Don’t Save Me’

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Haim are simply amazing! With a different sound from your average group these 3 sisters from California, Este, Danielle and  Alana Haim (along with drummer Dash Hutton) have the perfect mix of old-stylie music with up to date pop, folk and R&B.

‘Don’t Save Me’ has become one of my favourite songs this year. It’s upbeat and easy to sing along to with the added bonus of integrated claps; this track is perfect to dance to in a completely ridiculous way (arms flailing included).

‘Don’t Save Me’ also has an essence of the 80’s which I can never resist. The vocals are strong and husky. In a way this song (and most other Haim songs) has some ‘life empowerment properties’. Not in a ‘we are the best’ Destiny’s Child sort of way but in more of a hippy, fun and carelessly free way. This is complemented by the lyrics, for example “Don’t save me now, if your love isn’t strong.” Haim’s songs just create a really great atmosphere, they’re happy and a tad eccentric.

So far there aren’t that many Haim tracks out there, with only the EP ‘Forever’ and a couple of singles to get your Haim fix :( Their newest single ‘Falling’ is potentially my favourite Haim song, so check that out as well as it will be perfect for summer (when the sun eventually arrives).

10/10

Bailey Johnson.

Bastille – Bad Blood

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As previously stated in my other reviews on Bastille, this four piece band from South London never seem to disappoint.

One of my favourites from this album is probably ‘Oblivion’ which is a slow and atmospheric track in which Dan Smith’s high pitched vocals are really quite impressive. ‘Things We Lost In the Fire’ is another gentle and catchy track, likewise ‘Get Home’, ‘Icarus’ and ‘Daniel in the Den’ are simple and easy to listen to.

‘These Streets’ is a nice upbeat track with a funny ‘plinky plonky’ background (the technical term escapes me) ‘Laura Palmer’ and ‘Bad Blood’ make for more energetic listening.

Naturally when listening to an album there are songs which I would class as fillers. ‘The Weight of Living‘ is one of these, it’s just a bit of a non event with too much repetition and not much of a clear melody, it also features a strange nintendo-esque riff in the background, which is also present in ‘Flaws’.

For me ‘Overjoyed’ and ‘Pompeii’ still remain the highlights from this album, no doubt due to familiarity. Most likely all the others will become just as enchanting as the others with a little time. All in all this is a good album featuring a nice balance of songs with emotive lyrics to fit various moods, not to mention the lovely vocals from Dan Smith. ‘Bad Blood’ was released march the 1st, so go out and grab it.

8/10

Bailey Johnson

Kid Canaveral – Now That You Are A Dancer

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Here’s the sell: it’s the best of Scottish post-Snow Patrol indie doing the bits of 80’s guitar-driven pop that you’d rather not forget. There’s a often bounciness close to (but not quite) the level last seen on Idlewild’s ‘Post Electric Blues’, matched with a typically Gary Lightbody/Scott Hutchison soundin’ male frontman and a lyrical style which, whilst slightly less inclined to vicious and snappy one-twos, follows the generally anti-romantic trend  – “Cos the heart is a muscle that pumps blood to your limbs, and arms that won’t hold”. But if that wasn’t a contradictory enough package, there’s also an abundance of Edwyn Collins inspired guitar leads, only (if possible) de-cheesified and with sonic reverb added to taste. And (to break the national theme, although I’m sure that we have equivalents) I swear that the female vocalists are  Blondie and Kim Wilde re-incarnate.

It’s odd. With many bands hitching a ride on the Frightened Rabbit train (including, says the cynic in me, Frightened Rabbit themselves), this one seems to be doing something worse than going with the flow – it’s going backwards. Yet this may be one of the best records we see all year.

Maybe I can take a guess at why that is. A shake-up in Scottish music isn’t exactly overdue, but think: when was the last time there was something properly new and exciting happening in our music scene? Or perhaps even the British scene at large? Maybe now that we’re entrenched in the internet age and we have the capability to deeply personalise and diversify our music taste to the point that what appears in the charts isn’t indicative of very much, and there can no longer be another pivotal, perhaps genre-birthing shift in the music being made and consumed. Maybe we won’t have another ‘get The Prodigy on Radio 1’ style cultural watershed. But even though I can’t deny that we still have some great bands kicking about – have a read through the rest of the blog and see for yourself – and I am truly glad that these guys are getting recognised for bringing that Scottish quality to an international stage, isn’t it tempting to think that we’ll be moving on from this era of sounding vaguely like Snow Patrol/Frightened Rabbit/latter day Biffy/[insert Scottish indie band of your choice here] sooner rather than later? Kid Canaveral aren’t bringing that revolution. I’d be highly surprised if they ever do (given that I’ve somehow managed to compare them to he of ‘I’ve never met a girl like you before’ fame). Quite the opposite. Intentionally or not, Now That You Are A Dancer ends up being a celebration of what we’ve already got, taking influences from throughout the modern Scottish heritage yet sounding much fresher than certain other big-ticket albums that we’ve already seen in 2013. It’s a work of a national canon reaching maturity, of integrating the old with the slightly-less-old and coming out the end with something that fits. The only thing missing is a sort of magical assurance that a couple of weeks down the line I won’t be thinking that I’ve overcooked all of this and I’m making an arse of myself again: on the other hand, to even be considering spots on the year-end list in March is telling of how much I like this. If we can have a bit more of this sort of sound, then I’m quite happy to keep the revolution on hold.

8.5/10

Scott Reid

Two Door Cinema Club – ‘Next Year’

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With the release of their second studio album, Beacon, Two Door Cinema Club have proved that they are a band to be reckoned with. Peaking at number 2 in the UK Albums Chart, this album has negotiated its way through the pressure of the difficult second album and come out on top.

The third single from Beacon, ‘Next Year’ is an infectious indie track with lyrics which express the sadness of the loss of contact with a loved one, be it a friend, partner or family member and the subsequent plans we make with them which are ultimately broken. The tone of the song strikes the same chord as The Cure’s single ‘Cut Here’: emotionally honest in terms of lyrics but also uplifting and catchy. The track is very much vocally centred, however there are some interesting guitar interludes which keep things interesting and the quick tempo ensures the vocals do not descend into an emotionally stifling nostalgic lament. The song has enough variety for a few listens, with a vocal interlude towards the end and a classic clipped guitar riff which can be expected from Two Door Cinema Club, however it is nothing ground breaking, and better, more exciting indie music can most definitely be found elsewhere. Saying that, it is a nice, easy listen and a good choice for their next single.

6/10                                                                                                                                  Elizabeth Ozolins

A Lack Of Colour – My Life & 8mm E.P.

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There’s always a bit of cynicism when a frontman embarks on a solo project – especially when they produce it themselves. You can’t help but suspect they’re going to do something daft. Without the filters of common sense that are other people, things can get out of hand, and you could end up with something that ultimately, no one wants to listen to other than the person who makes it.

With My Life & 8mm, Kevin Walls (the chap that was in MakethisRelate, now going by the name A Lack Of Colour) deftly sidesteps these potential pitfalls. He isn’t using this as an excuse to chuck everything that pops into his head onto record. The E.P. is a sleek, expertly produced slice of alt-pop. Nothing is overdone or undercooked. All 4 tracks (6 if you order it from his website and ask nicely) are fleshed out with acoustic and electric guitars, drums (from Scott Johnston who also helped with production), the occasional harmony… But ultimately everything is there with the sole intention of adding to the overall quality of the song. That might sound like a weirdly obvious observation, but what I mean is nothing seems out of place, every song has a melodic strand and lyrical theme that is stuck to diligently by every instrument. There’s never an attention-seeking guitar solo, or an unnecessarily exuberant drum-fill. Despite the sometimes laid-back delivery, this is an extremely focused piece of work, and you end up with something that is perhaps worth more than the sum of its parts.

Not that there aren’t some extremely impressive parts on show here (sorry, had to). Walls’ vocal is comfortingly Scottish, and sounds perfectly at home whether up against pop-rock riffs, or quasi-crooning over a string section. ‘The Best of Me’ possesses some tight, propulsive drumming, and a sing-along chorus that initially might seem a little uninspired, but will almost certainly have you subconsciously humming along by the end. Kind of like if Sam McTrusty was fronting Weezer. Again, the smooth production comes into play, as the loud/soft dynamic is introduced expertly. ‘Black Market Body Parts’ is different, letting the vocal melody do most of the work. It builds a little here and there. And just after a lovely little fill, when you think everything’s going to crash in… It goes back to the isolated vocal. It works really well, the restraint showing a Death Cab For Cutie-like maturity and respect for melody. ‘You See In Yellow’ is maybe the least impressive of the tracks in that it doesn’t do anything not already displayed by the others. That’s not to say it isn’t pleasant – the main vocal line is quite pretty and as always the production is perfectly judged.

The title track, ‘My Life & 8mm’ remains the most exciting. From the opening guitar twangs, it’s attention-grabbing. It’s pop-rock of an extremely high standard. The recurring stop-start theme and infectious chorus make it comparable to a slightly more conscientious New Found Glory or Motion City Soundtrack.

It’s worth knowing that My Life & 8mm is a deeply personal set of songs. Conceived around Walls’ recovery from orthognathic surgery (Google it, it doesn’t sound fun), many of the lyrics are quite introspective. There’s hope, uncertainty, outright fear… Sometimes there’s an intensity that belies the music’s outright bounciness. It’s an interesting combination. You could look at this as a character study or as a pop-rock experiment. Either way, it’s expertly crafted and inherently melodic.

7.5/10

 

My Life & 8mm is out March 25th, and can be pre-ordered on the A Lack Of Colour website. Have a peek at his Facebook page too.

Alan Henderson

Disclosure – ‘White Noise (feat. AlunaGeorge)’

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I hadn’t heard of either of these artists prior to this track, but my first thought upon hearing it was “This sounds like SBTRKT”. It didn’t come as a surprise to find out that Disclosure had in fact supported SBTRKT on a tour, and AlunaGeorge, although separate, has a very similar style of singing, not to mention a very similar English accent to Aaron Jerome.

This isn’t to detract from the track by referring to it as derivative of SBTRKT, firstly because I really enjoyed the self-titled album by SBTRKT and secondly because it has a much more dance-y feel to it, despite broaching similar genres. That said, I like this song for the same reasons I’d like something by SBTRKT or the somewhat similar James Blake.

The minimalistic track building to a hypnotic fervour with the childlike voice of Aluna dipping in and out of focus is executed to perfection, and even though the topics being discussed by the deceptively young-sounding Aluna are quite disturbing in how adult they are compared to how young her voice sounds, the vocals are quite enjoyable against the bleeps and bloops which comprise the majority of the track.

Even though this is quite clearly music designed for a club, it doesn’t hide that whatsoever, and what’s more, it does an excellent job at being club music. Certainly this track doesn’t do anything particularly new or ingenious, but it is very good at what it does do.

 7/10

Jeffrey Berraoui

Flux Pavilion – ‘Blow the Roof’

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In stark contrast to my other review this week, Flux Pavillion has provided us with dance music which, despite being unenjoyable and dull, is utterly derivative and uninspired.

This track is a dubstep track, but not in the Skream or J:Kenzo or Kode9 sense, but rather the style popularised by Skrillex. Now I personally don’t particularly like that style of dubstep but I’ve not particularly got anything against it and I want to make that perfectly clear before continuing with this review.

My problem here is, rather than being inspired by the subtleties or the art of building the track up, this track seems to be trying as hard as possible to be as loud and energetic as it can be from the beginning, but the sounds used are so tedious it doesn’t feel exciting. The vocal sample “tear the roof off the place” which is chopped up and looped and played throughout the track might appeal to the most brain-dead inhabitants of fraternities across the US, but otherwise holds no appeal. The bass is wobbled back and forth, and horns and “BWOMPS” blare seemingly at random over the track, as though Flux had dubstep described to him by a thirteen year old via instant messenger – it is completely overdone and lacking in subtlety.

I wont go so far as to say the music is offensively bad, but it certainly feels dirty, as though it was hastily made to capitalise on the popularity of that style of dubstep as quickly as possible before the hype for it died down and people moved onto the next musical trend. It pains me to admit that I’ll like be needing to write reviews like this about trap tracks by the end of the year.

2/10

Jeffrey Berraoui

James Blake – ‘Retrograde’

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Yet another electronic track, this time by one of my favourite artists from England, and the artist behind one of my favourite albums of 2011, James Blake.

Having recently announced his new album, Overgrown, for release in April of this year, Blake debuted this single on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 segment a fortnight ago.

If you are familiar with his previous work, this track will immediately strike you as far more R ‘n’ B inspired, and you will notice James has a distinctly more gospel sound to his voice as he hums the main riff. When he begins to sing, his voice is as ostensibly British as ever, but clearly shows development both as a singer and an artist.

Despite being seemingly more minimal than the already minimal tracks he has produced, his signature synth-layering becomes noticeable about a minute into the song, and two minutes in the song practically swells with their wavering cries, managing to even drown out his soulful declaration “Suddenly I’m hit!”

More interesting to me is the context of this piece within his upcoming album, as both his shift in sound and the Dark Ambient-esque fade out on this track begs a lot of questions about the sound of Overgrown.

Regardless, this track is my favourite released by any artist thus far this year, and has me extremely excited for his upcoming album.

10/10

Jeffrey Berraoui

The Youth and Young – The Youth and Young E.P.

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It’s not unreasonable to argue that Scotland’s music scene is currently in excellent shape. As I write, Biffy have just come off of hitting number 1, Frightened Rabbit have invaded the top 10 and CHVRCHES are on the vast majority of popular ‘ones to watch’ lists. Oh aye, and Emeli Sande’s done pretty well, if you’re into the whole sales and awards thing. There are also countless bands and artists simmering away under the radar, producing some really exciting stuff. I might be biased, but I’m not sure there’s anywhere else I’d rather be. However, I don’t know if anybody in Scotland can claim to make music as unashamedly uplifting as that made by Dunfermline’s The Youth and Young.

Sure, you don’t have to look far to find bands that make anthemic, exhilarating, pure beastin’ tunes. But these guys are different. That’s not to say they’re necessarily better than every other band in Scotland – jeepers, it’s only their first E.P. – but they have a sort of immediate freshness that’s eyebrow-raising in the best possible way.

Let’s get the obvious comparisons out of the way. The male/female lead vocal combo sounds a bit like the one in Of Monsters and Men. Not only are any guy and girl who sing soaring choruses together now destined to be compared to them and/or Arcade Fire, but certain harmonies and lyrics sound like they could fit on My Head Is An Animal. Perhaps the other main point of reference is first-album Mumford and Sons, before they decided that every chorus should consist of a massive banjo-wank and a couple of vague, shouted lyrics. The Youth and Young only pilfer a little from the best aspects of Mumford – the emotive strings, the cheeky bits of brass and a couple of shameless ‘woah-oh’ refrains.

So yeah, that’s a starting point. However, what really makes The Youth and Young exciting is that they clearly haven’t tried to sound like anyone, they’ve just made the music they really wanted to. It’s entirely without pretension, and entirely charming. There’s even a good old-fashioned eponymous opening track – Alice Anderson starts with a folksy, melodic, understated yet soaring intro, before Ryan McGlone roars in, with disarming sincerity, “A song for my sweetheart and here’s how it goes…” Except, when he sings it, it sounds much cooler than it looks as it’s written there. McGlone’s vocals are probably the biggest revelation on the E.P. It grabs you. Probably the biggest compliment you can give a singer is that they can take otherwise unremarkable words (not that THaY’s lyrics are unremarkable) and make them sound like they’re somehow vitally important. He turned in plenty more-than-competent vocals for People, Places, Maps; here he’s a singer. Here, he’s legitimately comparable to the likes of Scott Hutchison and Roddy Woomble.

‘Airs & Graces’ is beautiful, once you get past the disarmingly Ballroom Blitz-like drum intro. Anderson’s counterpart harmonies start to sound a little too wispy towards the end, but generally she compliments McGlone’s burr really nicely. ‘Blanket’ might be the least immediately gripping of the six tracks on offer, but lyrically it’s one of the strongest, voicing romantic self-consciousness perfectly. They hit the ‘epic’ button with just over a minute to go, and if the ensuing mish-mash of trumpets parping and reverb-laden electric guitar leads to the only brief moment you think they might have gone a little over-the-top, all fears are gone by the time the next track gets into gear. ‘Live Without a Lot’ is the clearest “single” on the E.P., doing everything an anthem should. ‘Unsung’ is the introspective ballady-type one, which occasionally drifts towards the ‘cringe zone’ (yes, that’s a deliberately cringey expression) with its “you’ll always be a hero to me” motif, but there’s just enough sincerity there to keep it afloat. Closing track ‘The Colour Upstream’ is, if you’ll pardon the vernacular, a beezer. Anderson and McGlone seem to acquire a whole new level of passion. It’s busy and exhilarating, but leaves enough space for all the separate parts to contribute effectively.

The Youth and Young completely fit in with the archetypal folky, rocky, emotional bands that seem to have gained an astonishing amount of commercial success. What makes them so impressive though, is that they sound like they’ve reached that stage completely organically. While their debut E.P. isn’t perfect – as no debut E.P. is – it’s interesting, sweet and properly uplifting.

8.5/10

The Youth and Young’s debut E.P. is available FOR FREE (at the time of writing) from their bandcamp page.

Watch a teaser video for the E.P. here.

Alan Henderson

The Pictish Trail – Secret Soundz Vol. 2

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I’m a bit fed up of Secret Soundz at the moment, but that’s mostly my fault. It was an album that came with its own mythology: a one-man project recorded on the isle of Eigg, accompanied with some suitably kaleidoscopic artwork, it was setting itself up as something unusual and demanding.

It begins in a way that you’d almost expect it to, a bizarre and dense opener of conjugating synths, an entirely instrumental piece carried by keyboard rhythms both intricate and rudely fuzzy. So far, so psychedelic. I was expecting this to be the shape of things to come, with layers upon layers of fuzzy, vibrant synths awaiting me in a high-density and highly abstract parsing of whatever primal elements this music had all been drawn from. Turns out that this set-up was misguiding. For one thing, the album becomes much more introspective from this point onward – the vocoder-touched musings of Johnny Lynch seems to be meant mostly for no-one but himself, no sing-alongs or common experience to be found here. There’s the abstract, and then the intangible: one is communicative, the other isn’t. Secret Soundz, fittingly enough given the album’s name, fits in the latter category.

So my dilemma for a long time was that this ‘intangible’ was something that I just wasn’t getting after repeated listens. This was what all the early signs and my experience with similarly unusual artists had pointed me to. It took me a while, perhaps far too long, to realise that if there’s anything to get in the first place then getting it isn’t the point. At least, Lynch doesn’t seem particularly concerned if we do or not. We can guess that most of what he deals with is domestic enough – aside from the pointed lack of direct storytelling this is country music awash in illuminescent synths – but nothing is straightforward or made plain. Well, perhaps it may be to the auteur, but to the listener -casual or otherwise – the specifics are indiscernible. There’s no thread to tease out here.

That it’s not directly relatable is a bit confounding and at the moment it’s difficult to appreciate that – objectively speaking – the album is beautiful. The acoustic leads remain wonderfully un-gimmicky in spite of their computerised companions, and once you stop suspecting it of being pretentious or accepting that you aren’t going to get those pretensions it feels completely unpretentious. In a way it’s the closest thing we have to a one-man Scottish Wilco, acoustic blended with the ethereal elements of, say, ‘Handshake Drugs’. I’m beginning to realise that people aren’t excited for this for reasons of grandeur but because it’s refreshing and excellent music. Perhaps to say that using this sort of sound not for purposes of the gimmick or the conceptual is liberating, but that’s would be us getting back into treacherous theoretical territory and I already know how misleading all that can be.

8/10

Scott Reid