Journalism Portfolio: featuring words for Gigwise, Middle Boop Mag, FrenchEntrée, Mixmag and from a variety of my previous University's student publications
Radio friendly. Soft rock. One for the mums. These are some of the connotations that your mind may subconsciously throw up at the mention of Kodaline, and you could be forgiven for this for it’s certainly how they’ve been packaged. You’ll probably recognise them from tracks like ‘High Hopes’ and ‘Love Like This’, which are played religiously on the hour, every hour on Radio One.
Essentially, the Irish four-piece are all of these dreadful things, but (hang on in there) they were bloody good live, and their album In A Perfect World is bloody fantastic too, despite it all. They’ve been compared with Coldplay, Muse and The Script, so they really are a mixed bag of what some people might call 'easy listening'.
The gig was comprised of 30 something’s and swooning teenage/a little older girls. Their album washed appreciatively over the crowd as they fiercely and some a little too intensely (listen to ‘High Hopes’ and imagine the person next to you wiping a tear from their eye and singing along in a rather wobbly voice) lost their minds to their biggest hits.
It was easy, it was pleasant, and for a gig on a Monday night after a rather messy weekend, they were just what the doctor would have prescribed, if doctors dabbled in events based remedies. I entered the building jaded, over it before it had even begun. I left a fan, and listened to the album on repeat for upwards of a week. To all your high-brow muso's out there, initial thoughts deserve to be cast aside on this one.
The Disclosure brothers, Guy and Howard Lawrence kicked off their eight-date UK tour at Bristol’s O2 Academy on Saturday night. The pop/house duo have been extremely busy since the release of their debut album Settle (which reached number one in the UK back in June) and their smattering of top 10 singles including ‘Latch’, ‘You And Me’ and ‘F For You’. The pair also played just about every summer festival going, and have just finished off a string of US and European dates.
Support came from Aussie music whizz- kid producer Flume, could there have been a better warm-up? Flume set the tone of the evening with his experimental and avant-garde beats, and took it beyond a gig, coupled with the fact is was a Saturday night, his tracks ‘Sleepless’, ‘Insane’, ‘Holdin On’ and ‘On Top’ went off in a huge way.
Disclosure’s sound was crisp, their set flawless, yet there was noticeably a certain lack of atmosphere. The boys didn’t really talk much between tracks, and it felt as if they were hammering through their set in the same fashion a check-out operator might idly scan through someone’s grocery shopping. It lacked a certain something, and although a joy to hear all of their summer infused tracks in succession, it felt as if you may as well be hearing them in some club played out by the resident DJ.
The highlight of their set was on last track ‘Latch’, which debuted at number one in the UK back in spring. Vocalist Sam Smith came to join them on-stage and his silky smooth vocals echoed around the room. The Disclosure album seemed to divide opinions, some found it amazing, some even stated it the best thing to happen to current dance music, others found it monotonous and sterile. This difference in opinion may well be true of their live shows too, but coming from a huge fan of the album, it was overall rather disappointing.
Originally published in the print edition of French Entrée: November/December 2013.
Pink Martini, fronted by China Forbes, formed in 1994. Get Happy is the groups’ sixth album, and sees the self titled ‘little orchestra’ doing what they do best, playfully genre hopping from classical, latin, jazz and classic pop.
‘What‘ll I Do?’ is a highlight, with its spine tingling romanticism. Legendary singer/composer Rufus Wainwright also lends his delectable vocals on tracks ‘Kitty Come Home’ and ‘Get Happy’.
Their glamorous blend of cafe culture ambience is nothing short of remarkable, with lyrics in German, Spanish, Japanese and Turkish. Get Happy is eclecticism at its very finest, to be enjoyed with a crisp glass of white on many a dusky summers eve.
Originally published in the print edition of French Entrée: November/December 2013.
Author and journalist Richard Wiles is famed for a succession of DIY books, and was previously Senior Editor of Ideal Home Magazine. After a failed marriage and the loss of said job, Wiles felt compelled to embark on an ultimate DIY adventure all of his own. He, along with new partner Al, decided to renovate an uninhabitable, rodent infested barn in the picture perfect Limousin region.
This autobiographical account of their trials and tribulations, titled thoughtfully Bon Courage (which is a French tongue- in-cheek expression, nodding knowingly to the enormity of life’s necessary and unexpected renovations) is a charming, easygoing and insightful read, and serves as great inspiration to anyone who is contemplating their own similar project.
It’s been a year since California’s favourite revivalist duo Best Coast released their second album, The Only Place. Their new seven-track EP, Fade Away, featuring lead single ‘I Don’t Know’, shows Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno carrying on perfectly complimenting one another lyrically and sonically.
Opener ‘This Lonely Morning’ is a sunny grunge gem; Cosentino’s voice coming together with the track’s hazy guitars for a west coast gem. ‘I Wanna Know’, meanwhile, is a romantically yearning, girl-pop number, and in that classic Best Coast way, Cosentino’s self-deprecating charm is executed perfectly once again.
Title track ‘Fade Away’ ironically features the couplet, “I won’t change/I’ll stay the same.” And, that’s exactly what they’ve done. A couple of tracks into the EP, it becomes clear that Best Coast don’t plan on changing a single thing about their direction. ‘Baby I’m Crying’ leans towards more of a classic, sixties pop hue, with Bobb expertly matching Cosentino’s sentiment with each chord wrung from his guitar.
At times Fade Away is very self-indulgent, but it’s real and is a much needed, sun-drenched dose for fans to enjoy; sticking to much the same formula as their previous material. So, as you prepare to delve into the next chapter of Cosentino’s indie rock diary, get set for more heart-on-sleeve lyrics, unrequited love and hating on boys.
New York-based Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion aren’t just sugary pop duo Cults, they were also lovers, but this has recently changed. Static is not just a farewell record, it’s a break-up record: perfectly channelling both sides of their split, but sadly putting a hold on Cults for the foreseeable future.
The pair first brought us their debut self-titled album in 2011. Static however sees them leave behind the twinkling dream pop haze of tracks like ‘Go Outside’ and other xylophone-based gems in favour of darker, more serious coming-of-age tracks.
The fact that they are creatively and quite literally parting ways adds additional intrigue to the aura of the record, and has manifested itself into their sound, pushing starry-eyed optimism out of the door. Second track in ‘I Can Hardly Make You Mine’ flows with that particularly surf-oriented strain of classic-but-treated rock that Best Coast do so well. Paired with shimmering synths and the scrummy vocals of cutie pie vocalist Follin, it has hit written all over it.
‘Always Forever’ is soothing and raw: “We could stay alone//together.” ‘High Road’ follows on in much the same tone, but is laced with a stinging, bittersweet taste. ‘Were Before’ treats us to an intimate back-and-forth vocal arrangement from both Follin and Oblivion, sounding tender and heart-rending.
‘So Far’ and final track ‘No Hope’ are charged, powerful numbers and finish the record on a high. What Cults do best is to skilfully unionise and pay homage to the past while weaving in the best from the current zeitgeist. Every track here sounds familiar but incredibly fresh all at once as a result. Static is a natural progression for them, and they have lost none of their original charm. Get set to be wowed and moved by this incredible collection of raw and incredibly personal love songs.
In June, Bloc Party claimed they were on an ‘indefinite hiatus’, yet fans haven’t been left feeling too starved of the London foursome after the unexpected release of EP, The Nextwave Sessions back in August. Before we knew it, news of another project was already on the cards in the guise of Bloc Party Tapes, an eclectic mixtape produced by frontman Kele Okereke.
The release is part of Berlin based record label’s !k7’s tape series, which has previously featured mixtapes from the likes of Foals, the Rapture and The Big Pink. The mixtape will also be available in a limited-edition cassette format.
This incredibly fresh sounding collection of tracks is a real treat for fans of Bloc Party, and lovers of the more left-field side of dance in general. It’s no secret that Okereke is a bit of a ‘dance head’, the mixtape takes us through his intriguing mind, his love for beats and appreciation of post-rock, Afrobeat, dance, electro, house, and ambient.
The mixtape features a Sticky remix of Wiley’s ‘Numbers in Action’, French producer French Fries’ ‘Space Alarm’ and an offering of Bloc Party’s very own track ‘Obscene’, one of the ‘slow ones’ from The Nextwave Sessions mixed by Okereke himself.
We can rest assured and relax in the knowledge that this second solo venture of his isn’t the end for Bloc Party, but very much the opposite. When describing what it felt like to make the tape he compared it to, “having an affair”, and promised that it was for the, “betterment of Bloc Party”, who have always cited dance as their main influence from the very beginning.
It’s fair to say we all have a little place in our hearts for Chase and Status. They have soundtracked many a pre-drinks session and been the last song played at the sixth form prom, all the while managing to sustain a notable amount of industry credibility and an underground following.
What they have created is an ‘accessible’ underground, which everyone felt like they could a part of without feeling like too much of a dick, or being compelled to attend drum and bass nights and dance like they were on pills to FEEL like a fan. And, it’s for this very reason that their debut album More Than A Lot, absolutely blew up.
Now, three albums in, can duo Saul Milton & Will Kennard still successfully walk the tightrope between commercial and underground? They more than managed to with second LP No More Idols which went platinum, and with tracks like ‘Blind Faith’ and ‘End Credits’, which were just absolutely perfect, was it any wonder?
The first we heard of Brand New Machine was lead single ‘Lost and Not Found’, which is particularly reminiscent of the band's biggest hits. It makes you feel as if life is rushing past in an almost apocalyptic manner, deep sadness set aside whooshing dance beats.
Another jewel is current single ‘Count On Me’ featuring vocals from Moko, it’s a veritable a feast of retro rave euphoria. In a very Chase and Status manner, they have really honed in on that expansive ‘hype’ sound they are famed, for while throwing in a dose of cheesy (albeit earwormingly catchy) 90’s house, something we haven’t ever heard from them before.
What this record embodies is the ability to supply a pick ‘n mix of the many strains of dance music, anything from a bit of techno on the album’s opener ‘Gun Metal Grey’, pop garage on ‘Blk and Blu’ and trip hop which takes centre stage on ‘Heaven Knows’, ‘Like That’, and ‘What Is Right’.
Brand New Machine, as a title, is an almost ironic play on words. It is nothing new, more a homage to dance music from the last two decades, and who better than the Chase and Status boys to take us on this journey.
If you’re from my generation, you could probably be forgiven for not being too familiar with Mazzy Star. As you were probably about six, so unless you were very serious/withdrawn as a child, their blend of narcotic, minimalist blues would understandably have gone straight over your head. After a lofty seventeen-year-hiatus, their most commercially successful track ‘Fade into You’ will no doubt still ring many a bell. The 1990’s saw three very solid LP’s from the Santa Monica pair, and one can’t help but wonder what is it that’s driven the duo to record this album, it must be something pretty special.
Vocalist Hope Sandovol and guitarist David Rodback neatly carved out a unique sound those many years ago. They were special, and didn’t seem to conform or compromise with the times. 17 years since their last LP, they are back with Seasons Of Your Day. A couple of seconds into the album and it is crystal clear that surrealist, dream-pop isn’t going anywhere.
If you’re looking for some modern contemporaries think the vocals of Lana Del Rey, the emotion or Beach House or the stripped back wholeness of PJ Harvey. The record begins with ‘In The Kingdom’ a soft, delicate and extremely flowery opener. ‘California’ ekes of sadness, ‘I think I’m going back’ it swoons, in a defeatist, bittersweet tone.
There are moments where the record takes us to a very chilled, country and western infused space, (‘I’ve Gotta Stop’, ‘Does Someone Have Your Baby Now?’). A standout track would have to be ‘Common Burn’, which manages to sum up the full kaleidoscope of human emotion when it comes to love in a mere 5.10 minutes.
Seasons of Your Day is a delicious slice of bluesy Americana. Mazzy Star’s agenda was clearly not to run with the times and show us that they are Back and ‘Better Than Ever. They are back, sure, but in the same amazingly brilliant way that they first arrived.
Originally published in the print edition of French Entrée July/August 2013.
A la Mod: My So-Called Tranquil Family Life in Rural France Ian Moore Ian Moore is one of Britain’s most beloved comedians, famed for his mod-induced, cynical spin on the world. This earthy grumpiness translates just as well on the stage as it does on the page in his new book, which documents his young family’s relocation from a small suburban house in a cold, depressing town he despises , to the tranquil consign of the beautiful and serene (or so you’d think) Loire Valley. Every mod’s mantra is to ‘look their best at all times’, with their sharp Fred Perry shirts and immaculately polished brothel creepers. What with the abundance of animals his wife and three young boys have insisted on taking in (much to his despair) this neatness is consequentially forced to be compromised. A delightful rendition of adjustment, family, France and the occasional bout of pond dredging, Ian Moore has penned a hilarious yet tender novel to be enjoyed again and again.
Hey IT’S OK to be excited about Kings of Leon again... phew. When ‘Sex on Fire’ happened, the Nashville foursome stormed the charts and unintentionally set up camp on every Yates DJ’s playlist and on every sorry Oceana dance floor - forever. It was of popular opinion that Kings of Leon had royally fucked things up and anyone who thought differently, or dared hum along to ‘Use Somebody’ playing on the radio for the 56th time that day, was a moron. This was not the band we’d once known, this was a stadium filling, number-one-churning, washed-out-machine that even they seemed supremely embarrassed and irritated to be a part of. Phrases like ‘middle of the road’, ‘sold out’ and ‘commercial’ littered their critical reviews. Only By The Night was a good album on the whole, but then Come Around Sundown ‘happened’ and it seemed that we had lost them forever. KoL fans waited patiently, feeling jaded, desperately missing the band they had once loved and hoping for a better day. Well that day has come. It only takes a couple of seconds into lead single ‘Supersoaker’ to realise that everything is going to be all right. Mechanical Bull is their sixth album, and expertly cherry-picks from the finest from their vast body of work, now spanning over a decade.
‘Rock City’ echoes of the rockabilly, Aha Shake Heartbreak days. Think whiskey, long hair and the gleaming red dusky sunsets of Tennessee. Actually, apply this imagery to the whole record and you’ll be set. ‘Wait For Me’ is special, a ballad but not so achingly ‘epic’ as ‘Use Somebody’, it’s feels like almost accidental melancholia, emotion bleeding out of their guitars. ‘Comeback Story’ (ironic?) feels like home, starting with a simple riff repeated, much like ‘Knocked Up’ from Because of the Times. It’s not different and hey, it’s not groundbreaking, it hasn’t been decorated with bells and whistles but it’s what we all wanted, a promise that Kings of Leon have found themselves once more, and are more than happy to be back.
Jagwar Ma, comprised of Gabriel Winterfield and Jono Ma, and hailing all the way from Sydney, Australia, are already turning out to be one of this year’s most interesting new bands. Their debut single ‘The Throw’ snowballed them into just about every platform of the UK’s music press with a blend of dream pop and acid house that instantly turned heads. With their debut album, Howlin, already turning heads, and having supported the likes of The xx and Foals on tour, the antipodean duo look set to only further their cause across the rest of 2013.
PlanetNotion caught up with one-half of the outfit, Jono Ma, to talk their crammed summer of international festival appearances, the isolation of Australia and avoiding dance music when you’re ill – Jono reckons classical is the only way to soothe a bad head…
PlanetNotion: How did Jagwar Ma form? How long have you known each other?
Jono Ma: Gab and I have known each other for years. We both played in our own bands in Sydney prior to us starting to collaborate. I started this side project called FLRL and asked Gab to join in for one gig, and that was the first time we made music together.
A few years later, we were playing each other respective songs we’d been working on, and Gab ended up singing on a track of mine. That was the very first Jagwar Ma song, and we then formed the band after we realised our skills were quite complimentary to each other.
PN :How does it feel to be acknowledged and celebrated across the UK’s music press?
JM: It really does feel amazing. We’d never imagined this sort of reception from the UK. It’s hard enough getting some recognition in our hometown Sydney, let alone the UK – one of the cultural epicentres of modern music.
PN: Did you imagine ‘The Throw’ was going to go down so well when you were writing it? Did you feel like it was a special track from the offset?
JM: We had no idea it was going to be so well received. We generally don’t think about that stuff when we write. It’s quite toxic for the decision making process I believe. It definitely felt like something good was happening as the song was evolving.
PN: You have been repeatedly compared to the ‘Madchester’ acid beats sound, is this purely accidental or was this something you wanted for your music? JM: It definitely wasn’t intentional. We were initially inspired by loads of 50s and 60s R&B, soul, garage, particularly the old records from Chicago and Detroit. But, I really wanted to keep the production and programming side of things quite modern sounding. Somehow it ended up having a bit of a Manchester house vibe, which is fine by us, but wasn’t something we had set out to do.
PN: Australia is readily exporting a whole host of musical talent recently. Have you found the Australian music scene to be much different from the UK’s? If so, what are the main differences? JM: Yes, very. It’s much smaller to begin with. It’s also much more fractured in that each city is so geographically far apart. It makes touring and cross-pollination difficult. I guess as a result there’s a sense of isolation in Australia as a musician, not only from other musicians in Australia but from the rest of the world. Being in the UK, there seems to be much more of a sense of inclusion and cross-pollination and a feeling of being connected with the rest of the world.
PN: What music are you listening to at the moment, new and old? JM: At the moment, in all honesty, I’ve pretty much just been listening to classical. So, only old. It’s strange but I’ve never really committed myself to classical music and I’ve been quite sick lately and wanted to avoid electronic music and contemporary music for the moment because it made my mind so active. I’ve found some great classic compositions that just let my mind drift off somewhere else.
PN: Which new bands/artists are you rating? JM: We love our fellow Aussies, Tame Impala: they’re pretty hard to look past aren’t they. We love Foals, of course. I need to get out and see some more new bands though. We’ve just been so busy touring and promoting.
PN: What kind of responses have you had from your album so far? JM: It varies. Things like: it’s too long; it’s too short; very Manchester; sounds like the 90s; sounds like the 80s; sounds like the 60s; it’s great; it’s late. It’s mostly been very positive stuff so far, though. We’re not particularly nervous about its release, more excited for it to finally be out there.
Disclosure brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence seemingly appeared from nowhere (well, Surrey) and changed the game when it comes to mainstream dance music. Their debut single, the smooth and soulful ‘Latch’, rocketed straight into the Top 20, while follow- up ‘White Noise’, featuring AlunaGeorge did even better, scoring the duo a No.2 hit. Since, the Top 10 has been crammed with first-class dance tunes from the likes of Duke Dumont, and Chris Malinchak, who have delivered first class dance to the mainstream. It feels very much like the Disclosure boys have paved the way for this massive onslaught of deep house and break beats, consequentially hijacking the typically irksome mainstream. Their debut album features an eclectically cherry-picked mix of elite British collaborators including Jamie Woon, Jessie Ware, Ed Macfarlane of Friendly Fires and London Grammar, their spidery baselines and feverish beats providing the perfect backdrop. The album leans very much into the Chicago-house era, with deep UK -garage influences.
‘You And Me’, the third single to be taken from Settle, features Eliza Dolittle (who’s voice, outside of her twee, bubblegum, pop phase is amazingly brilliant) serves as confirmation of their just how astonishing talented they are. It is perfect, summery, expressive and no doubt a future festival favourite. The charts were a baron wasteland of pop tarts and plastic boy bands, David Guetta and Flo Rida. And then, Disclosure happened. Are these guys from space? Their production style is on another level of brilliant, leaving Settle to play through like a greatest hits collection, each track just as entrancing and infectious as the next.
French Lou Doillon is the daughter
of British singer Jane Birkin, having won the genetic lottery (that jaw line...wow)
it seems Doillon has now decided to turn her hand to making music. Already a
model for the likes of Givenchy and GAP and an accomplished actress, let’s just
hope that Places isn't another one of those irritating ‘I want to be a singer
now’ flash- in –the- pans of an album.
The offspring of ‘famous people’ are,
for the most part a rather irksome commodity (think Paris Hilton, Peaches
Geldof and Nicole Richie, for instance). Many go
as far as to actually resent them, as their stature is merely inherited, nevertheless,
there is always that intrigue that that platform creates, are they any good? Do
they actually have any talent of their own?
Her voice is undeniably strong and
atmospheric, perfectly matching her mystique. It has a very classicist allure
to it with its own personal charm. Opener and lead single ‘ICU’ is a song which
Doillon explains she wrote when , ‘desperately in love with someone that I hadn't seen and that I never saw again in my life’. Sounds a little scary, right?
It is however a very bluesy, laid-back track that echoes slightly of Al Greens’
more sombre moments.
Places overall is sadly rather
samey, it is like a similar, mediocre idea that has just repeated on every
track, leaving an overall stale result, missing a certain chutzpah or gens
quoi. Cafe background music , sure, but for a debut, something a little louder
and more colourful added into the mix would have been wonderful.
It was a great show, really moody and earthy. The sound quality was spectacular, and they echoed of that dulcet toned sound that Lana Del Rey's music embodies.
These guys have such a cool aura and vibe. They played London's Heaven the night after, which I'm sure was a much better show for them, this wasn't the greatest of venues for this kind of band.
Here is one of my favourites from their album I Love You, which is out now:
Australia has been unrelenting with its musical exports in the last 18 months or so, take Flume, Tame Impala and San Cisco for instance, who’ve all provided us with startling, relevant and at times avant-garde approaches to their chosen genres.
Betty Who, born and raised in Sydney, is no exception, with her unapologetically pop-centric sound and peroxide blonde pixie crop. Her debut EP The Movement (which is available as a free download now via her Soundcloud) includes just the right blend of stylised pop with deep 80s craters.
Lead single and opener ‘Somebody Loves You’ is awash with sky-scraping choruses, while bubblegum pop courses through its every vein. Yet, just when you think she might, as an artist, be veering too much into that hook and loop-heavy domain, tracks like ‘Right Here’ take us down to a melancholic and perfectly chilled ambiance.
‘You’re in Love’, meanwhile, has echoes of Ellie Goulding’s new Skrillex-assisted sound, but is a stand-alone pop gem in its own right.
Closing track ‘High Society’ leans into a playful teen-pop hue, capturing that starry-eyed anticipation of entering the adult world of parties and staying out late, which for the most part, describes Betty Who’s energy down to a T.
Monday night saw Peace, one the most talked about new bands of the year take to the stage at Bristol’s most intimate venue, The Fleece. The Birmingham band released their debut In Love a couple of weeks back, toured with the NME Awards and have subsequently sent fans and critics into a frenzy ever since. Their astoundingly strong debut has resulted in a near sell-out tour, and this small and personal show was something to be very excited about.
Their backdrop was a large peace symbol, the lighting moody and atmospheric. As the band took to the stage, dressed like 90’s grungers with their starburst electric guitars and shabby hairstyles, they certainly looked the part.
They began with ‘Delicious’, a Stone Roses-like, gently thudding intro that’s chorus quickly sent the crowd insane. The sound quality was spectacular; Harry "Harrison" Koisser, the bands charismatic and incredibly rock n roll frontman revealed to the audience a camera lodged into the neck of his guitar, filming them throughout the show.
‘Follow Baby’ took the energy in the room to an unbelievable level, while they sang, “Follow baby, we’re gonna’ live forever baby,” it felt iconic. As they blasted through their album, thrashing about the stage and kissing each other (a lot) Peace put on a first-rate show.
The frontman then claimed that this was, “One of the best nights we’ve ever played” much to the delight of everyone present. They ended with the 10- minute- long, Binary Finary cover of ‘1998’ taken from the EP Delicious. Normally, if a relatively new band were to drop a mostly instrumental track of this length at a live show it would go down like a lead balloon. Yet, Peace’s rendition had the adverse effect.
The encore was ‘California Daze’, a dreamy, melodic rock track that was written whilst the frontman was promoting a club night in their native Birmingham, standing up all day with one of those big arrows pointing to the venue. They wrapped up their most killer track and biggest hit ‘Bloodshake’, inviting everyone to come and join them at a nearby pub afterward.
It was one of those gigs that just felt special. The kind of show that you will brag about to your friends in the future and say, ‘I was there’.
For someone who has never really bought into that whole ‘Sean-de-Paul and Blue Cantrell’, faux-Jamaican thing, Major Lazer have repeatedly surpassed expectations. Take their 2009 smash ‘Pon De Floor’ for instance, which still gets even the most rigid of movers to lose their shit on the dance floor to this day. But, just what is it about Diplo’s dancehall side project that enthrals even the most cynical amongst us to shamelessly bop along to just about anything they put out?
Think back to 2009’s Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do, a record that put Major Lazer on the map in a big way, attracting the attention of Snoop Dogg (sorry Snoop Lion), Beyoncé and No Doubt. Whilst Major Lazer as a collective rose to the lofty heights of A* notoriety, one half of the outfit, Switch, decided to do just that and quit, citing “creative differences” – that old chestnut – leaving Diplo holding the reigns.
Did this deter him from putting out another record under the guise of Major Lazer? Of course it didn’t. One can’t help but wonder though, how the outfit would fare without it’s other half? ‘Get Free’, Free the Universe’s lead single was an absolute summer smash last year, with its gentle thudding and dreamy, low-fi sound. Opener ‘You’re No Good’ lends vocals from the magnificent Santigold, and albeit repetitive, is what any Major Lazer fan would no doubt have been striving to hear.
The album boasts an eclectic list of collaborators, including Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend on track ‘Jessica’, an unexpected union that somehow works. There are also appearances from Shaggy and Wynter Gordon on ‘Keep Cool’ and Laidback Luke and Ms. Dynamite on ‘Sweat’.
It has been one very long winter, but who’s first in line to provide a string of summer jams to accompany this welcomed and greatly needed shift in season? Why it’s Major Lazer, of course. Working just as well solo, Diplo has efficiently served up another dose of beguiling and genre-colourful dance floor bangers.
Three years on and the almighty Cold War Kidsare back once again, with new albumDear Miss Lonelyhearts, named after a classic Thin Lizzy track. The Californian foursome have also added in Modest Mouse’s guitarist Dan Gallucci, to which most will agree is something to be very excited about.
Now, four albums into their career, have Cold War Kids managed to scrape back that poignancy and poeticism that their first two sublime records brought to the table, or will it suffer the same fate their past album Mine Is Yours did, disappointing fans and critics alike with its overall mundanity?
After first hearing lead single ‘Miracle Mile’, all seemed right with the CWK’s, and their brilliance seemed somewhat restored. With its thwacking piano and supercharged vocals, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts became unbearable to wait any longer for. They set the bar exceptionally high with this track, and one wonders if they might have shot themselves in the foot by putting it as the albums opener. We live and pray.
‘Lost This Easy’ is okay-ish , sounding moody and woeful with a playful experimentation of electronic backing beats. One of the best things about this band is the vocalist Nathan Willett voice, which remains as characterised and raw as it always did. However, on multiple listens (almost unrelenting, wanting the record to click to be able to dub it ‘a grower’) there is alas, no such response.
‘Fear And Trembling’ has echoed vocals and a retro saxophone element, but whilst listenable, doesn’t give you much of a knee-jerk response. There is however another flutter of brilliance towards the end of the record with ‘Jailbirds’ which is powerful and crisp, showcasing Gallucci’s musical input astutely. Whilst the album is highly polished and heavy on production, it does lack the quintessential rawness and soul that made Cold War Kids initially so relevant and prominent amongst their peers. Better luck next time we hope.
Hurts' debut album Happiness saw the Manchester duo experience reasonable success in the UK - but build a huge fanbase in Europe, where their slick image and ice-cold synth sounds hit home with continental music fans. With a cameo from Kylie Minogue and production expertise from the likes of The Nexus they fully deserved the success they achieved with Happiness. But does Exile live up to expectations?
Opener ‘Exile’ could be mistaken for a Muse track, while Lead single ‘Miracle’ is an instant anthem, with its lofty chorus and raw lyrics you can’t help but to click repeat.
‘Sandman’ is a tricky one, while the concept of the song (in which the sandman, y’know the man who comes in the night and sprinkles sand in your eyes) is threatened by Hutchcraft, “He will be sorry when he comes to my house, I’ll show no mercy till the lights go out”. It’s obviously a metaphor, or is it? Absurdity aside, the track unfolds into one of the best on the album.
Other highlights include ‘Only You’, ‘Cupid’ and the amazing ‘The Crow’. ‘Blind’ is another awkward one, where Hutchcraft begs an ex-girlfriend to cut out his eyes and leave him blind as he can’t stand to see her happy, be it alone or with someone else. Ex from hell? Yet again though, a mad notion that is somehow flipped on its head, and actually turns out to be startlingly good.
Exile remains powerful, polished and refined, but doesn’t quite reach the heights of their debut. Think back to ‘Wonderful Life’, ‘Stay’ and ‘Blood Tears and Gold’. Not one of Exile’s tracks is nearly to that standard. It’s certainly not dreadful, but it isn’t a progression, and if anything it’s a slight and disappointing dip in Hurts’ proceedings.
Ireland’s MMOTHS, formally Jack Colleran, is an electronic musician who managed to bag a support slot on The xx’s most recent tour. This – without having anything but a single released – stands up as pretty good going for a virtually unknown, 19 year-old bedroom producer. His fans also include superstar DJ Annie Mac, who featured his track ‘Over You’ on her esteemed Annie Mac Presents compilation released late last year, and with a nod of approval from Flying Lotus too, his future is looking startlingly bright.
Diaries draws its title from a succession of photographs that Colleran (a keen photographer) took, one of which is the EP’s artwork. At six tracks long, it serves as a sumptuous spectrum of his multifaceted abilities, showcasing his alt-electronic dexterity flawlessly.
The EP’s debut single – and one of the two only vocally led tracks – ‘All These Things’ is rich in experimental technique and resonance, borrowing vocals from Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Holly Miranda; its clangs and echoed vocals resonate an acute sense of emotion. Meanwhile, opener ‘One’ sounds very much like the xx, constructing an entire atmosphere within a few seconds – and keys – of its introduction.
‘For Her’, which features Young & Sick, is a chillwave gem with a treated vocal; a technique employed again in the EP’s final track ‘Too Real’, which sounds like a throwback from the 80s, but maintains an incredibly fresh and crisp stance.
Colleran’s music finds itself in much the same vein as acts like Kodiak, Roosevelt and Aussie producer Flume: executing an infinite aptitude for creating multi-layered and interesting beats, but it’s art – and not just music – that resides in his mind’s eye.
I was recently asked to write this book review for a French lifestyle magazine, to showcase my work.
Alex
Pierre
Lemaitre
£12.99 Maclehose Press
Parisian
screenwriter and author Pierre Lemaitre is no stranger to delivering dizzying
plots with anxious thriller tendencies. His new novel Alex follows suit, with complex apologues running through its every
vein. Lemaitre gave up a literary teaching career to pursue writing full time
resulting in a string of successful novels. This is the first of his creations
to be available in English, translated by the talented IFFP-shortlisted Frank
Wynne. Alex is a twist and turn novel with the intention of
unapologetically gripping its reader and begging for complete attention. It starts
with a kidnapping and the horrific treatment of the captive. However, the plot unfolds
startlingly shocking and unanticipated details, leaving behind shattered
expectations of its ending. Lemaitre has a highly accomplished writing style,
small instances that initially appear minor are then divulged as crucial red
herrings to the plot. For crime and
thriller lovers alike, Alex is
certainly a contender for a future classic.
It’s
not often that a band all the way from snowy Iceland grace the stage of The O2
Academy Bristol. The blissful Of Monsters and Men played this venue as part of
their 10 date UK tour. Their debut album My Head Is An Animal was released last
year and peaked at number three in the UK, number one in Ireland and Austria
and a succession of other high positions across the globe.
The
band, who have been together since 2010 were signed to Record Records after playing a number of dates in their native Iceland
and being invited to perform on the radio station Iceland Airwaves.
It was
an opportune time to unleash their brand of thoughtful and beautiful folk music
upon the world, in the wake of bands such as Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers,
our ears were ripened to these dulcet and sensitive tones.Their
singles ‘Mountain Sound’, ‘Little Talks’ and ‘Dirty Paws’ were received with a
burst of adulation from the crowd. The six-piece frequently interacted with the
audience in their very Icelandic manner, being softly spoken, thankful and
humble.
Co-female
vocalist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir,
sounding much like a softer Florence seemed almost startled by the crowd, but
her rendition of ‘Skeletons’ by The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s was unexpected and
chillingly superior. They had hired a young, blonder haired girl to tour with
them, and every five minutes she would change instrument, from a big drum to an
accordion to a trumpet.
Co-male vocalist Raggi" Þórhallsson was
also a pleasure to behold, a favourite moment was when he told the crowd, “This
song is about a very tall man, a lake and a house, and it’s called...
Lakehouse.” As a band, and their music says the same, they seem very innocent
and unspoilt, possibly a product of their rural and simplistic upbringings in
Iceland. It must have been a culture shock to tour the UK.
Of Monsters and Men were played absolutely
blinding set, and there was a strong sense of pleasantry and peace amongst the
crowd. On the way out, all that could be heard was how amazing they were live,
and how it more that exceeded people’s expectations.
