After endless stunning singles and EPs, Wolf Alice are releasing their debut album ‘My Love Is Cool’ at last on June 22nd.
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.
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.
With Mini Mansions’ sophomore album ‘The Great Pretenders’ landing only yesterday, the moment we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Cue Alex Turner.
With Arctic Monkeys frontman, Alex Turner, providing a cameo for the second verse of album track ‘Vertigo’, he kindly took the time to make a brief appearance in the official video which you can view below or here.
Staggering around (or should we say swaggering) with what we believe to be a small measure of Diet Coke, Alex Turner delivers his trademark verse with all the attitude of a seasoned frontman. It’s just a shame he was eventually upstaged by an ocean of boobs.
Shuman said of the track:
“The night before the shoot we played this strange private party for Saint Laurent with Bleached and Sky Ferreira, where we each played 15 minute sets. So there was plenty of time for debauchery afterward. Us and Alex managed to stumble onto set for the shoot at 9am with a half dozen naked ladies waiting to partake in the shoot. I’d say it was a pretty ideal setup for the making of this video.”
Just another average day in the life of Alex Turner then.
Having only just recovered from seeing Muse live at Manchester Academy, Muse unveiled ‘Dead Inside‘, a track that has more twists and turns than your average helter-skelter.
Matt Bellamy describes this track as “where the story of the album begins, where the protagonist loses hope and becomes ‘Dead Inside’, therefore vulnerable to the dark forces introduced in ‘Psycho‘”. Whilst I may need to assume the crash position upon hearing the phrase ‘concept album’, I’ve undoubtedly succumb to the dark forces of ‘Dead Inside’ already.
Sporting a beat that initially sounds like a HAIM record, robotic bass and Matt Bellamy’s vocal acrobatics are all that’s needed to drive this hard hitting, musical wake-up call. With a wailing guitar interlude right after the first chorus, ‘Dead Inside’ takes no prisoners in its clinical execution.
With an outro more uplifting than a Wonderbra, Matt Bellamy’s voice soars over a flurry of frantic guitar chords, clean basslines and relentless percussion. With Matt Bellamy promising that our protagonist will be “defecting, revolting and overcoming these dark forces later in the story”, it’s difficult to not to wonder what lies ahead on ‘Drones‘. If ‘Dead Inside’ is anything to go by, I think they might just pull it off.
With the presence of Johnny Marr now feeling like a distant daydream, The Cribs have certainly come a long way. But with the release of ‘For All My Sisters’, it’s incredibly clear that the Jarman band of brothers have truly found their niche.
With riffs that hark back to the likes of ‘Glitters Like Gold‘, opening track ‘Finally Free’ is a guitar anthem to truly sink your teeth into. Yet this track and its successor, ‘Different Angle’, somehow gives a sly wink to their new and old material simultaneously. The vibrant melodies of ‘The New Fellas‘ and ‘Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever‘ are present, but with a new-found complexity that simply leaves us in awe.
‘Burning For No One’ moves at a surprisingly leisurely pace with uncharacteristically clean, rhythmic guitar driving this offensively melodic affair. A clever change in time signature on ‘Mr. Wrong’ grants it a gratuitously heavy, head-bangingly-epic chorus with a euphoric guitar solo throw in at no extra cost. And who could forget the chugging chords, monstrous bass and contagious lead we first heard on ‘Ivory Hand’? With Ryan Jarman forging a multitude of melodies that wouldn’t be too out of place on Guitar Hero, ‘For All My Sisters’ is undoubtedly some of his best axe-work to date.
‘Simple Story’ gives us time to catch our breath with ‘City Storms’ filling us with all that Cribs nostalgia we first encountered over ten years ago, somehow still managing to remain fresh in 2015. The relentless riffs just keep coming as supporting vocals on ‘Pacific Time’ try to maintain the pace; with an outro not too dissimilar to the likes of ‘Arena Rock Encore With Full Cast’, it’s a triumph. It’s hard not to constantly worship Ryan Jarman’s lead guitar work as it ceases to steal the spotlight, with following track ‘Summer Of Chances’ being no exception. It becomes a task in itself to make it through ‘For All My Sisters’ without desperately wanting to replay each song in sheer disbelief; much in the same way you’d pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming.
The looping riffs of ‘Diamond Girl’ continue this theme of sheer disbelief; how can so many memorable melodies can be condensed into one modest-length album? In turn, the sombre acoustic melodies of ‘Spring on Broadway’ explode into a full-blown assault, with a sinister chorus that hypnotically captures your attention. The melancholic, spooky riffs of ‘Pink Snow’ mark the beginning of the end, as this seven minute journey erupts into one of the most theatrical moments of ‘For All My Sisters’.
Each song plays to The Cribs’ strengths, but each track has an undeniable, distinguishable personality of its own. It’s no surprise that Gary Jarman takes lead vocals a hell of a lot more than we’d expect on ‘For All My Sisters’, but with Ryan Jarman competing for ‘World’s Most Underappreciated Guitar hero’, that’s not a change we particularly object to. ‘For All My Sisters’ is a string of consecutive hits which, to the untrained ear, could easily be mistaken for their 2013 ‘greatest hits’ album, ‘Payola’. It’s undoubtedly the best thing we’ve heard all year. 4.5/5
But yesterday on the first night of their Psycho UK Tour, Muse finished the evening with an exhilerating live debut of the track ‘Reapers’ taken from ‘Drones’. Belfast’s Ulster hall was in for a treat of deep cuts, new tracks and Muse classics. Belfast, your ass belong to Muse now. Listen below.
Charlotte Emma Aitchison a.k.a. Charli XCX dominated pop charts in the U.S. all last year. Now that we’ve had time to digest what her style and sound is, revisiting her second (but basically debut) album is a worthwhile endeavor.
‘Sucker’ dropped late last year and Charli XCX has been slowly releasing singles ever since. With in-your-face girl power lyrics and classic pop music patterns she has quickly become the newest pop punk vixen. And she does it all with a middle finger in the air.
1. Sucker
The first line of the first song on this album is, “FUCK YOU SUCKER.” Sucker being pronounced “sucka” due to her British accent of course. Bonus points to her for not Americanizing her voice to try to sell more records. This intro song is a nice electronic-y dance anthem to get listeners psyched for the rest of the album.
2. Break the Rules
This song is the first of many ‘classic’ songs on this record. Classic as in, there are a lot of songs that have similar themes, lyrics, etc. It comes with being a pop artist. This track is the ‘high school sucks’ song. It starts out with a school bell ringing which matches lyrically with what’s being said: she doesn’t want to go to school, she wants to break the rules. I really love the old school line that’s thrown in, “Going to the disco tech/ getting high and getting wrecked.” I think Charli XCX was the type who probably got kicked out of class quite frequently…
3. London Queen
‘London Queen’ is simply about her transition from Britain to America. She sings funny quips about driving on the wrong side of the road and former president John F. Kennedy. The beat on this sounds like early HelloGoodbye if they were manned by a British punk princess. It also reminds me of when Avril Lavigne came out with ‘Girlfriend‘ and everyone saw a new side to her.
4. Breaking Up
Another lyrically classic song, this one being the ‘boys suck’ song. She gets a little below the belt saying she hated her ex’s friends, family, band and tattoos. Yikes. This song leaves us wondering why she’d date him in the first place.
4. Gold Coins
‘Gold Coins’ isn’t far from what you probably expect it’s about. She sings about money raining down from the sky and living a lavish lifestyle, all while peppering the track with money jangling in the background. This song is my least favorite on the album, the song just isn’t ‘her.’ It sounds like we’re at a bad EDM concert or stuck in a broken arcade game and can’t get out.
5. Boom Clap
This has been Charli XCX’s biggest hit so far seeing as the song was part of the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack. The repetitive chorus on this track is catchy and not annoying like some of the others on this album. There’s a fine line but she succeeds here. This is also the only song on the album where she shows some depth which is why I think it’s her most popular song. “You are the light and I will follow/ You let me lose my shadow/ You are the sun the glowing halo/ And you keep burning me up with all of your love.”
6. Doing It
‘Doing It’ is the only collaboration on the album and it’s with fellow British songstress Rita Ora. Their voices mesh together really nicely but the song is nothing special. The lyrics make no sense. “Do it like we’re doing it,” what does that even mean? One good thing about this song is that the beat reminds me loosely of ‘Changes’ by Tupac/ ‘The Way It Is’ by Bruce Hornsby. Very cool old school homage.
7. Body Of My Own
This is my favorite song on the whole album. And not because it’s about masturbation. Yes, that’s right I said masturbation! It has the best beat on the album and the lyrics speak for themselves. “Yeah I can do it better when I’m all alone.” This is why Charli XCX is on her way to being the next Lily Allen. In the words of the Spice Girls: “Girl Power!”
8. Famous
This track is like Ke$ha singing over a Foster the People song. It’s all about crashing parties uninvited and falling down stairs and generally not giving a flying F about what people think. I can’t put my finger on what this track sounds like but it’s definitely close to another song I’ve heard before. Then again, lots of songs go, “oh oh oh oh ooohhh oh/ oh oh oh oh oooooooh oh.”
9. Hanging Around
This track was co-written by Rivers Cuomo of Weezer. I’ve loved Weezer my whole life but I hate their song ‘Beverly Hills.’ This song sounds like a clone of ‘Beverly Hills.’ Therefore I hate this song. The lyrics are so boring I turned the song off halfway through. There’s better tracks on this album, don’t waste your time. #disappointed
10. Die Tonight
This song is more in the vein of ‘Boom Clap’ where the repetitive chorus is catchy and not annoying. I can already see the music video now- kids running through a hotel, wreaking havoc, breaking down the door to the roof top where we see a beautiful lit up cityscape and everyone dances and laughs in the moonlight. The song is definitely a ‘movie song’ too. Preferably for a scene with a guy running down terminals looking for the love of his life before they get on an airplane. Cheesy but good.
11. Caught In The Middle
The only thing I can say about this track is that it has a lot going on. I can only find a live version to listen to online but it’s great. At first listen it has a smooth R&B vibe reminiscent of the late singer Aaliyah. Charli XCX echoes the word middle like in Aaliyah’s song ‘Rock the Boat.’ On second listen I feel like The Cure would have loved this dark, melodic beat back in the day. And lastly the chorus sounds a lot like Smallpool’s, ‘Dreaming’ which leaves me wondering what type of beautiful multi-genre music am I listening to?!
12. Need Ur Luv
‘Need Ur Luv’ is Charli XCX’s (most likely) next single. She performed it on David Letterman…while wearing Victorian lingerie…on top of a piano like a lounge singer. She’s with Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend and his influence in the music is obvious. The song is a small glimpse into Charli XCX’s softer side and it’s really not terrible.
If we look at the album as one whole story we go from “fuck you” to “I need your love.” People who put on the toughest exterior usually aren’t so tough on the inside. They just want to love and be loved- like everyone else. The themes on this album go from punchy and sweet to jazzy and crude. Charli XCX has a lot going on here and I don’t think she plans on stopping any time soon. 3.5/5
‘Montage of Heck‘ will be the first official documentary which shines a spotlight on the life of legendary Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain.
Featuring ‘never seen before’ footage, ‘Montage of Heck’ will be directed by Academy Award-nominee Brett Morgen and produced by Kurt’s daughter, Frances Cobain. The documentary originally aired at Sundance Film Festival in Utah, USA.
It’s an eight-years-in-the-making labor of love right from childhood up until Kurt Cobain’s darkest moments. However, director Bret Morgen has stated that the documentary will not dwell on Kurt Cobain’s death. At Sundance Film Festival he explained: “I didn’t want to make a celebration of death…I wanted to make a celebration of life.”
The documentary is scheduled for release in cinemas across the UK on April 10th, and will be available via digital download on April 24th. Blu-ray and DVD will follow on April 27th. It will also air on HBO on May 4th.
The documentary centres around interviews with Courtney Love and Krist Novoselic, amongst others, and covers the entire span of Kurt’s life. What do you think of the trailer so far? Tweet us or send us a message on Facebook letting us know your thoughts.
In the early rise of 2015, Tame Impala announced the release of their muchly-anticipated new album; after the psychedelic hurricane that was 2012’s ‘Lonerism’.
With ‘Lonerism’ featuring tracks such as the hungover, baggy vibes of ‘Mind Mischief’ and the anthemic watercolour splashes of ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’, the new release has something to live up to. Yet as always, the Aussie outfit have pulled it out of the bag with the waterfall meraki that is ‘Let It Happen’.
Not long ago, the band’s Keyboardist Jay Watson stated that the new album will be “less rock and more electronic’” it’s certainly clear in ‘Let It Happen’ that this is the case. With the distinctive lack of lead guitar yet charming charisma of crescendoing synths and the old other-worldly vocoder, the track is an absolute success. There comes flair alongside a band that can strip away any complexity and fill 8 minutes with orphic yet kaleidoscopic simplicity. The Aussie outfit have sprung back with a track that showcases what is thought to be a gateway into a new platform for Tame Impala. ‘Let It Happen’ seems to be their attempt to flaunt a simple taster of what’s yet to be developed and if this is only the introduction, I wonder what the climax is going to be!
The band has a reputation for eleutheromania; they want freedom and diffidence in their work hence the song’s motif “let it happen, just let it happen”. They seek out some sort of natural solitude that beckons you in with a breeze, only to be graced with the aroma of pine and pure earth. ‘Let It Happen’ is almost cosmic and seemingly unadulterated, peaceful isolation. As Parker croons “all this running around, trying to cover my shadow”, the lyrics seem to speak of a need for independency and finding happiness in spending time alone; it’s a topic that I don’t believe is pushed enough, hence why bands alike Tame Impala seem to strive when we look for our more adventurous side.
Laced in 1960’s/1970’s psychedelic-rock revivalism, ‘Let It Happen’ is sure to be a luxurious detox of a crowd-pleaser at future UK dates such as End of the Road Fest, Bestival and the (sadly) few dates scattered in Liverpool and Glasgow. Hopefully we’ll hear more of the new album in the near future – how about a full UK tour soon, eh?
Sleeping With Siren’s latest track ‘Better Off Dead’ features on their forthcoming album ‘Madness’, released in the UK on March the 16th. The UK leg of their world tour with Pierce The Veil commences on the 29th of March, 2015 at Norwich UEA LCR.
Muse are returning to their heavier roots with ‘Psycho‘, with fans instantly divided on how they feel about the matter. Featuring a riff that’s so heavy, it has its own BMI rating, ‘Psycho’ marks Muse’s return to the music world.
Whilst we all enjoyed tracks where a stuttering robotic voice repeated the word ‘madness‘ until our ears bled, I for one instantly feel like tearing my vest off and taking a day off work tomorrow. Yes ladies, I can be pretty reckless.
Based on a riff they regularly played live, ‘Psycho’ harks back to their ‘Origin of Symmetry‘ and ‘Absolution‘ days; it immediately brings back all the nostalgia of being an awkward teen with godlike music taste. These days, I’m an awkward adult with a music blog. Is that an improvement? Probably not. ‘Psycho’ feels less like a song and more like a five minute assault that constantly slaps you for listening to anything other than Muse whilst they’ve been gone.
It’s almost as if Royal Blood shone the Bat-signal after being the only rock band at the Brit Awards and Matt Bellamy arrived in tight leather pants (to be fair, he usually is wearing tight leather pants anyway). Whilst their forthcoming seventh studio album ‘Drones‘ is more than likely to have its fair share of indulgently long piano interludes too, anyone who can fit “your ass belongs to me now” into a credible song needs to be aggressively celebrated. Bring on ‘Drones’.
Mini Mansions latest track ‘Vertigo‘ is a mini masterpiece, aided by the tongue-twisting vocals of Alex Turner. Having recently performed at Tom Rowley’s wedding, I’m beginning to wonder if he might also be available for birthdays and bar mitzvahs too.
Los Angeles trio, Mini Mansions, are no stranger to the Arctic Monkeys frontman, having performed ‘Vertigo’ live multiple times across their American tour in 2014. However, we needn’t squint at grainy, motion-sickness-inducing YouTube videos any longer: ‘Vertigo‘ has been immortalised in all its psych-pop glory.
Opening with eerie synth and spooky piano, electronic percussion sets the pace for this undeniably danceable affair. The chorus chugs along with playful falsetto vocals and a bassline that’s somewhat hypnotic in its execution.
Alex Turner’s effortlessly sleek vocal performance is the icing on the cake of an already ambitious record: as he whispers “run for cover”, it’s hard not to get an immediate chill down your spine. It’s a collaboration that just works.
Los Angeles based band Mini Mansions have been doing the rounds with ‘Vertigo‘ alongside Arctic Monkeys frontman for several months now.
With a staple line-up of Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman along with Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford, Mini Mansions feature the one and only Alex Turner for the track ‘Vertigo’. Their debut album is due for release on the 23rd of March and they’re currently touring the UK as support for Royal Blood, who have also supported Arctic Monkeys in the past. It’s just one big happy family. Their remaining tour dates are as follows:
