TRACK OF THE DAY: SKATERS "Mental Case"

Whilst we’ve been outside tanning our bodies to the next shade of the Dulux colour chart all summer, SKATERS of NYC have spent their summer in the studio. Their latest track ‘Mental Case’ is certainly worth fake tanning for.
Clocking in at just under two and a half minutes, &...
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15 Of The Funniest Reactons To Taylor Swift On NME Magazine"s Front Cover

At Manchester Piccadilly Station last Friday, I picked up a copy of the ‘new’ free NME with Taylor Swift on the cover. Wait, or was it actually a copy of Smash Hits?
After a quadruple take (and eighteen overexaggerated coffee spits) I can confirm that it actually was a...
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5 Reasons To Listen To The Bohicas" "The Making Of"

1. It’s ‘To Die For’.
Get it? Because it’s the title of one of their songs? *ahem* Terrible jokes aside, ever since The Bohicas appeared on the scene in late 2013 with the double-edged blade that was ‘Swarm / XXX‘, this album was always worth holding your...
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5 Things We Learned From Listening to Spector"s "Moth Boys"

 1. Good things come to those who wait.

I still remember the first time I heard Spector‘s ‘What You Wanted’ in my local River Island whilst looking at women’s shoes (I still have the Shazam entry to prove it). And that was in January 2012. I have to be honest, after three years later with the standalone ‘Decade of Decay’ and a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ bridging a very vast gap, I was pretty sick of waiting. It sort of felt like your mate popped out for a loaf of bread and after two years you sat there thinking “Where the hell is he? Has he died? I’ll give it another year and re-evaluate the situation.” Fortunately, with ‘Moth Boys’ finally arriving on August 21st with more bangers than your average plate of bangers and mash, I can safely confirm that it was worth the wait.

2. It’s still possible to release a second album and not be a total let down.

I’m not gonna name names but let’s just put it this way: the last band I remember to release a decent follow-up to their debut was Arctic Monkeys and that was in 2007. (If you noticed that I actually did just name a name despite saying I wasn’t going to… then screw you!) It’s refreshing to see Spector take the strongest elements of their debut and building upon them, striving to develop them into something refreshingly challenging without simultaneously alienating their existing fan-base. It isn’t ‘more of the same’ and it doesn’t obliterate the Spector mould, it’s just plain awesome.

3. I was wrong. An album without ‘Reeperbahn’ can still live up to ‘Enjoy It While It Lasts’

Let’s just get this straight, ‘Reeperbahn‘ is possibly the best Spector track ever. When I found out that it wasn’t going to even be on ‘Moth Boys’, charged with living too much in the world of ‘Enjoy It While It Lasts’, I almost choked on my chia seed and quinoa latté (if this actually exists, then I don’t want to live in this world anymore). But having listened to the album in full, I felt a little ashamed when I realised that I never even noticed it was even missing. I imagine this is what I’ll feel like as a parent when I realise that I left my son in the freezer aisle at Tescos… TWO WEEKS AGO.

4. A hint of Dev Hynes is good for your health.

If you thought ‘Decade of Decay‘ was good, then just wait until you hear ‘Cocktail Party / Heads Interlude’. It’s easy to accuse iTunes of suddenly going on shuffle and having landed on Blood Orange’s ‘Cupid Deluxe’ as Hyne’s signature 80’s style percussion comes into play. Yet as MacPherson’s vocals set the tone of the track, it remains undoubtedly Spector through and through. With a little touch of Hynes’ soulful vocals throughout, we can only hope that Spector adopt his amazing dance moves next.

5. Fred MacPherson’s hair is the source of his power.

His hair grows longer. His songs get better. Coincidence? WE THINK NOT. Perhaps if he grew a beard, all of One Direction‘s fan-base would ‘make the switch’ to Spector? ‘Moth Boys’ is a phenomenal album and it just makes everything else sound bad by comparison.

5 Things We Learned From Listening to Spector"s "Moth Boys"

BAND OF THE DAY: X Ambassadors

When Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons tells you to sign a band, you sign the band – and that’s precisely what Alex Da Kid did. The group? New York-based alternative rockers X Ambassadors, who deliver a dark and captivating mix of acoustic and electronic, percussion-heavy music.

Fronted by singer/songwriter Sam Harris, with the addition of his brother – keyboardist Casey Harris, as well as guitarist Noah Feldsuh, and drummer Adam Levin; X Ambassadors lays down hard hitting beats and guitar, tops them with rocky electronic-influenced melodies, and then wraps them in the passionate vocals of Harris himself. It’s a combination that makes their style unclassifiable; on one track they’ll sound very folk, and on the next they’ll sound more like pop/alt-rock.

After Imagine Dragon’s frontman Dan Reynolds heard their song ‘Unconsolable’ he convinced their label to sign X Ambassadors. They released their debut EP ‘Love Songs Drug Songs’ in 2012 and have also since been featured on other tracks for artists such as Eminem. Another EP ‘The Reason’ was released in 2014 and contains their now hugely popular hit, which features Jamie N Commons, ‘Jungle’. Having just released the song ‘Renegades’ as their latest single on March 3rd of this year, and dropped a new song ‘Heist’ on March 24th, expect to hear much more from these guys soon. The band is set to release a full length album, titled ‘VHS’, and go on tour later this year.

Need a place to start? We recommend checking out the tracks ‘Love Songs Drug Songs‘ and ‘Unsteady‘. You can find X Ambassadors on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

BAND OF THE DAY: X Ambassadors

TRACK OF THE DAY: Wolf Alice "Giant Peach"

After endless stunning singles and EPs, Wolf Alice are releasing their debut album ‘My Love Is Cool’ at last on June 22^nd.

With a tracklist graced by the band’s classics such as the garage cascade of ‘Fluffy’, the winsome ‘Bros’ and their new feral single, ‘Giant Peach’. They even released a 500-copy limited edition 7’’ for ‘Giant Peach’ to celebrate the new chapter of ‘My Love Is Cool’, including a B-side of the stunning ‘I Saw You (In A Corridor)’. It was snapped up very quickly, selling out in a couple of days – we’ll hear about that later on!

The new track ‘Giant Peach’ flares with abrasive energy from the first second of the long, fuzzy intro; of course in true Wolf Alice fashion, the energy stays at peak level and never dips once. Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell screams rebellion and defiance in her lyrics “I don’t tell lies no more, you know, I just don’t tell the truth” with layers of echoes and sultry whispers. It then quickly drops to a lingering bassline as Roswell delivers a crescendo of desperation, “what the hell keeps me here?”. The tension cracks suddenly into grungy, psychedelic twangs from guitarist Joff Oddie as Rowsell repetitively moans “I’m dark and pretty down” until she bursts into a snarling scream and the track continues into a feral whirlpool of distortion and raunchy riffs.

The video for the track is a sight to behold itself; being a tongue-in-cheek approach with Tony Gardner as the bands absolutely crap tour manager at the centrefold. It features sleaze, gyrating, smashed bottles and a murder as Ellie Rowsell explains:

“Here we are trying out our questionable acting skills once again. It’s almost a sequel to our video ‘Fluffy’ and a look into the future of Wolf Alice – featuring lots of leather, hip thrusting, murder and a very naughty manager. Special thank you to Tony Gardner for being a hero.”

‘I Saw You (In A Corridor)’ follows on the ‘Giant Peach’ vinyl as a B-side; however it reduces to a bare yet beautiful minimum of Rowsell’s dulcetly touching vocals, a metronome and an acoustic guitar. It’s a complete juxtaposition to the previous hurricane with a simple, stunningly mellifluous waterfall of hope in lyrics such as “I should tell you I adore you” and “I want nothing more, nothing different”.

‘Giant Peach’ seems to be highly reminiscent of The Joy Formidable’s ‘A Heavy Abacus’ and has tones of Brighton rock duo Blood Red Shoes. The London four-piece start their 14-date UK headline tour on Monday, starting in Glasgow and finishing in Cambridge; clearly 2015 is brimming with hope for Wolf Alice so watch this space.

TRACK OF THE DAY: Wolf Alice "Giant Peach"

LIVE REVIEW: Muse - Manchester Academy - 22/03/2015

I last saw Muse in 2010 at Wembley Stadium from about 500 feet away alongside 90,000 other people, with Lilly Allen as a support act.

That’s when I realised: stadium gigs just aren’t for me. I’m just not okay with waiting around outside a venue an entire day in advance just to guarantee any kind of decent view. If I’m honest, I struggle to patiently wait for a microwave meal. That’s not to mention the worst punishment of arriving fashionably late – watching the entire performance via a big screen TV. Should I just have waited until the live DVD came out? The entire occasion only leaves you questioning your own integrity when you later tell people that you’ve ‘seen’ Muse.

But having learned my lesson after seeing Muse at Wembley Stadium (well, it could have been anyone considering how far away I was) I jumped at the chance to see them minus the binoculars at the otherwise cosy Manchester Academy. This was easily up there as one of the best decisions of my life, only second to the time that two chocolate bars came out of the vending machine at once. Yes readers, my life is rather blessed.

As Muse entered the stage and exploded into the monstrous riffs of ‘Psycho’, it became immediately clear that my ass was now property of Matt Bellamy (something which I don’t have any particular objections to). With Chris Wolstenholme‘s bass lit up like a Christmas tree and Dominic Howard slamming the skins as though he was still in Wembley Stadium, Muse’s setlist hosted a selection of tracks that gave even the most die-hard of Muse fans a run for their money.

In a move almost as unexpected as Kanye West headlining Glastonbury, Muse threw the ‘The Groove’ into the ring, a rare b-side that hasn’t had been played live since 2008. With circle pits now in full swing, the phenomenal classic ‘Bliss’ followed alongside massive confetti-filled-balloons which rebounded off the ceiling of Manchester Academy. Matt Bellamy of course couldn’t resist demolishing a few balloons himself with the headstock of his guitar, right before bursting into ‘Dead Star’, a track plucked straight from 2002. Nostalgia quickly leapt into the year 2003 (a year when wearing a tracksuit out in public was not only acceptable, but fashionable) as ‘Time Is Running Out’, ‘Interlude’, ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ were consecutively ripped straight out of ‘Absolution’.

Fan favourite ‘Hyper Music’ was followed by the futuristic refrains of ‘Starlight’, ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ and ‘Uprising’, successfully cramming all the intensity of Wembley Stadium into a 2,600 person venue. After introducing Manchester to the exhilarating ‘Reapers’ from forthcoming album ‘Drones‘, Muse parted the stage before returning with the underdog anthem that is ‘Fury’.

After a journey back in time courtesy of the legendary ‘Plug In Baby’, complete with frantic improvised guitar solos, Chris Wolstenholme’s spooky harmonica intro of Ennio Morricone’s ‘Man With A Harmonica’ marked the beginning of the end. Muse finally pulled the trigger with the explosive refrains of ‘Knights Of Cydonia‘ that went out with several bangs.

It was a rare pleasure to see Muse up close and personal, without the gratuitous lighting, effects and bizarre floating UFOs to distract from their offensively epic musicianship. Heavily armed with an arsenal of songs from past and present, Muse demonstrated that even without their usual bag of tricks, they undoubtedly pack a punch that you won’t soon forget.

Muse’s setlist at Manchester Academy:

1. 
   
   Psycho
   
   


2. 
   
   The Groove (First full performance since 2004)
   
   


3. 
   
   Bliss (w/ Hullaballoons; Extended)
   
   


4. 
   
   Dead Star (Killing In The Name outro + Riff outro)
   
   


5. 
   
   Time Is Running Out (Jeff Buckley’s Grace intro;… more )
   
   


6. 
   
   Interlude
   
   


7. 
   
   Hysteria
   
   


8. 
   
   Stockholm Syndrome (Micro Cuts Outro)
   
   


9. 
   
   Hyper Music (Come on you Reds/Voodoo Child riff outro)
   
   


10. 
    
    Starlight
    
    


11. 
    
    Supermassive Black Hole (Burning Bridges intro)
    
    


12. 
    
    Uprising (Extended outro)
    
    


13. 
    
    Reapers
    
    


14. 
    
    Fury
    
    


15. 
    
    Plug In Baby
    
    


16. 
    
    Knights of Cydonia (Ennio Morricone’s Man With a Harmonica Intro)
    
    

LIVE REVIEW: Muse - Manchester Academy - 22/03/2015