Journalism Portfolio: featuring words for Gigwise, Middle Boop Mag, FrenchEntrée, Mixmag and from a variety of my previous University's student publications
The Watford punks are here once again, but are devoid of their iconic front man Frank Carter. He was controversially replaced after their previous album, with Wade MacNeil (from Alexisonfire) who is Canadian. The Gallows were frank (or should I say without Frank) and open when interviewed and made no apologies, stating that this chop and change was a vital milestone in their evolvement and an exciting challenge for the band.
Lead single ‘Last June’ whet the appetites of Gallows fans, and for the vast majority, was a promising sign from one of Britain’s most important bands. This album is in one word – noise. Finely tuned, menacingly angry, noise... and it is glorious.
The opener ‘Victim Culture’ begins with some sinister sounding spoken word. The first half of the album is an explosion of anger paired with some indisputably catchy choruses. ‘Outsider Art’ and ‘Vapid Adolescent Blues’ are tracks that are the obvious choices to the cherry pickers amongst us.
‘Gallows’ is different from their previous albums, as that illustrious cockney bravado is gone and with it, so is Frank. All 11 tracks are outstandingly produced, and the record leaves you hungry for more. The Gallows may have morphed into something a little different, but it is hard to fault them. It could have gone so wrong, but they have kept the recipe just right, and with it, added in some new flavours for us to savour.
A phenomenal effort from 22-year-old Orlando Higginbottom, aka Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – or... to the cool kids T.E.E.D (which is a little less of a tongue twister). Once you’ve got past all the riff raff - ‘Trouble’ is quite possibly one of the best albums to come out of 2012, and the perfect response to the current influx of dance beats that have surged their way into most genres in recent times.
T.E.E.D is of a dreamy Oxford background, and has been DJ’ing in the flourishing Oxford music scene for years. He’s released one EP prior to the album titled ‘Prehistory’. The album is a heck of a lot more refined, and I’d imagine would sit much easier on a lot more ears, the EP was very hard, this is soft, bubblegum dance music.
Every track on ‘Trouble’ shimmers and sparkles with electro, samba infused house, and you get the distinct feeling that every moment of the album is very personal to him. He is not only a musician, he also pens and sings the lyrics as well as donning ornate dinosaur come Indian headdresses at his live shows.
Opener ‘Promises’ is pure Balearic chill out house. If you like bands like Friendly Fires you will love this album. T.E.E.D is signed to major label Polydor, either way you could definitely cite Hot Chip as another reference point for him.
‘Trouble’ (which is one of the singles) goes, “you make me happy, I’m in trouble now.” T.E.E.D marries the perfect blend of earnest lyrics with beguiling house. It’s all very crisp and clean cut , whilst ‘Shimmer’ soars into tropical spirals and echoey vocals.
‘Household Goods’ has an incredible drop – it’s kind of like what Example does, but with more taste. ‘You Need Me On My Own’ is less of a dance floor filler, but is one of my favourites. It’s swoony dream pop with a new wave edge. It seems Orlando’s heartache is a recurring subject in each of the tracks. ‘Garden’ (which has been made famous by the Nokia TV ads) is probably the most well known out of his songs and ‘Closer’ is one of his more obscure moments, but still screams his signature sound.
T.E.E.D strips the hedonism from house, and acts almost as a serenador to the heartbroken on the dance floor. It’s likely to strike a chord with both indie and dance music fans. In my opinion, this is not just a good album, it’s an absolute masterpiece.
And the award for the least catchy album title ever goes to... John Maus– the American avant-garde musician and composer who has two, yes two PHD’s. Multi skilled Maus also plays keyboard in Panda Bear, Ariel Pink and Animal Collective and has released three solo albums thus far, all of which have gained him some major cult status. He cites Medieval and Gregorian disco as key influences - I bet that’s something you’ve never heard before.
This isn’t your typical album, and Maus isn’t your typical musician. He has a very dissentient approach to what he does. When I first played the album, Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Emperors’ New Clothes’ instantly sprung to mind. The album cherry picks the best tracks from his 11-year career with two new and unheard ones thrown in: ‘Lost’ and ‘Angel Of The Night’.
‘Castles in the Grave’ is very Bowie/ Human League. ‘Big Dumb Man’ conjures up the image of Maus sat alone in his basement executing his demons, and having a right old go at himself. ‘Lost’ (a new track) is pretty comical, sounding much like the musical creation of a crackpot intellectual, again the image of a crazy professor bashing away at the piano springs to mind. ‘All Aboard’ is soaring synth pop, and in my opinion Maus’s finest hour.
‘This is the Beat’ is possibly the most annoying song I have ever heard, you won’t even know the meaning of the word repetitive until you’ve heard this one. There are many points in this album where it seems Mausis somewhat of a tortured genius, and an equal amount where he just seems downright mad.
This album sounds like the soundtrack to Quantum Leap or some other grainy 80’s VHS sitcom, which I thinks’ rather cool. Maus wears his influences on this sleeve and you can’t help but compare his signing style with that of Ian Curtis. There is many a moment where there seems to be little method to his madness, or just maybe that’s the beauty of it...
After the London trio’s debut self-titled album was Mercury Music Prize nominated back in 2009, a great deal has happened to The Invisible. Front man, Dave Okumu describes the album as a “love letter of grief” following the recent death of his mother. Not only that, but the poor bloke was electrocuted whilst performing a gig in Nigeria this year, an experience that shook him to his very core. Overtones of mortality rear their head constantly on this record, and what they have gone on to create on Rispah, is an artistic and spellbinding manifestation of woe.
This is an instance where the albums back-story is integral to understanding and appreciating the album, animating and making sense of their sharp cornered swerve in sound. The album is partly inspired by traditional spirituals sung at Dave’s mother’s funeral and the hauntingly beautiful songs are sampled throughout.
The pain, tragedy and confusion bleed through every song. ‘Wings’ and ‘Lifeline’ scream Radiohead, but maybe a little too loudly. The Invisible are going down a more interesting path than their debut, alas it’s hard not to miss that happy space pop that characterised their previous LP. That said, this is a very mature and emotional record that is a fascinating listen.
The Brooklyn outfit Bear In Heaven are back with their third LP, ‘I Love You, It’s Cool’. It would be an easy and somewhat lazy statement to accuse the trio of simply jumping on a bandwagon with this record, but it deserves much more analysis. After giving the album a generous number of spins, there were only a few tracks that stuck, but when they did, they stuck hard.
Since the debut LP ‘Beast Rest Forth Mouth’ they’ve unapologetically decided to make worshipping at the altar of New Order more of a full time thing. This is not a criticism. That atmospheric shoe gaze sound is still very relevant, as it is becoming more and more apparent that whether we like it or not, synth pop is running miles ahead of guitar music presently.
Opener ‘Idle Heart’ washes 80’s nostalgia over you and brings the drama that their sound commands. ‘‘The Reflection Of You’ is larger-than-life, mixing the perfect blend of emotion and lust served up with synth dream pop, “If you dance with me, I think you will like my moves”.
‘Noon Moon’ is reminiscent of their debut LP and the song is like a happier version of The Horrors. It’s refreshing to hear some variety, but Bear In Heaven are at their best with the more clubby tracks. ‘Sinful Nature’ is an instant classic, its chorus soars whilst the tracks intertwined elements snowball spectacularly into the best track on the album.
This is an album that is more than enjoyable to listen to the full way through. Unlike their shoe gaze counterparts Neon Indian – this album keeps focus and is careful not to go off on some obscure tangent half way through. So what they are drawing inspiration from early 90’s British music, what better place to draw inspiration from? This record, although not completely consistent, does set Bear In Heaven apart from all the other wannabe hacks.
What is it about the Swedes and their aptitude to create simply delectable pop music? After coming fifth in the BBC Sound of 2012 poll, the Stockholm duo have gone on to expertly fashion an album that has embodied the status quo perfectly – the omnipresent rebirth of pop (which to many remains a dirty word). Yet it’s back in a manner that isn’t tawdry as the word ‘pop’ does typically connote, this sounds whimsical and anthemic, how true pop music ought to.
The record borrows strong influences from early 80’s post disco and plays through like a greatest hits album, an extraordinary feat for a debut. After receiving colossal support from Radio One and the music press with singles ‘DJ Ease My Mind’, ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Mother Project ’ and ‘The Fox’ a great deal of hype surrounds the album. It would be fair to say that Niki And The Dove are at their most excellent when going hard, ‘DJ Ease My Mind’ and ‘Tomorrow’ remaining their finest hour, sounding gargantuan, fresh and dazzling.
Little Dragonproduced a superb electro pop record earlier this year, which was also celebrated by the music press and avid music fans, but on the whole their creation did slip under the radar. I hope this album won’t succumb to the same fate, but have a feeling that it shan’t. Their eccentric resonance matched with their interesting and meaningful lyrics, placed over some honeyed melodies and electro majesty are a sure fire winner in my eyes.
After the hipster-approved wave of chill recently descended into our peripheral view with acts like M83, New Look and Chad Valley, Middle Boop Mag couldn’t help but wonder, what exactly is chillwave?
We caught up with one-man show Chad Valley, formally Hugo Manuel in order to answer these questions down at his stomping ground of Oxford. Hugo has toured with Friendly Fires, released two EP’s and is set to release a highly anticipated debut album sometime this year. Hugo is also one third of electronic band Jonquil.
Why did you choose Chad Valley over Hugo Manuel, which I think is possibly one of the coolest names I’ve ever heard?
I never thought Hugo Manuel was a cool name, people find the Manuel bit really hard to pronounce. I guess I use it as an alter ego. It’s very beachy and surferey, I had that sort of imagery in my head when I was making the music. Chad does seems like a very surfer boy name, I like the fact that a lot of people think I’m actually called Chad though, it’s quite funny.
How do you feel about the words chill and wave?
It’s not like I hate it, I just don’t really like to be lumped into the category of just being chill wave, but it doesn’t annoy me as much as everyone seems to think. I love using synths and sampling 80’s pop yeah, but I never purposefully try to sound like anything.
My first EP sounded very beachey and summery, but I’d describe it more as more Lo-fi. I just try to make music that’s rooted in pop. I’m really into traditional song structure. In regards to chill wave, I haven’t really thought what it is that I want to be associated with, but I do like the whole surfer, beach and holidays imagery. This interview is at a stage in my career where it’s hard to say. I’ve just finished a new album and it’s quite different from my previous stuff.
Oh really wow!
Yeah I haven’t really told anyone yet.
Brilliant, breaking news for us then?
Yeah pretty much. I’m just finishing it off now and it’s very different to my previous stuff. I’m really, really happy with it. I think and want the album to shock fans, but hopefully in a good way.
What was it like touring with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Friendly Fires last year?
It was so much fun touring with Orlando (T.E.E.D), I know him from Oxford. We went to the rival secondary schools but have always been friends. He has always been the DJ to have at your party. Friendly Fires’s live show was incredible; I watched them nearly every night.
Hugo has recently just arrived back in the U.K after a number of slots at SXSW. So how was it?
It was really good, I went last year as well, but SXSW is kind of gruelling for musicians. I played loads of shows but it was quite weird, like the whole thing about SXSW is, it’s so awkward. It was cool, but everything was just so commercialised, everything and everyone is sponsored by this or sponsored by that. It’s definitely a completely different experience playing live over there, people can’t wait to come and talk to you after the show.
How does an American crowd differ from a British crowd?
Americans are so open, they’ll just come up to you afterwards and be like ‘hey, that was great’ which I love because you don’t get that when you play in England. When you play smaller gigs, you can just walk off stage into the crowd, so yeah in America people just really want to talk to you. They love to see a British person in America.
What is your take on the current influx of dance music into the mainstream?
Everything is very electronic, there’s a hell of a lot of really awful pop music, and I actually really like it. I think pop music is in a really good place, pretty much everything that Rihanna or Beyoncé release I really like. Even some of Katy Perry’s stuff (laughs) which is weird because I’ve grown up thinking pop was such a dirty word with bands like Steps, that will never even be ironically cool or good in a retro way. I think when people look back that this period, over the last five to six years, they’ll agree that it’s been a very interesting time for music.
Canadian singer songwriter Patrick Watson is back in business with his fourth studio album ‘Adventures In Your Own Backyard.’ With this, his first release on Domino Records it has been three years in the making after the Polaris Prize winning Close to Paradise and its Polaris nominated followup Wooden Arms but is well worth the wait. Watson and is band's experimental nature has shone brightly on this record, using a whole host of influences to create a truly special and touching effort from the foursome.
This album is a deliberate attempt at a more “personal” aura than its predecessors’ With Watson and his band aiming to create music that 'we would want to listen to at home' which makes a whole lot of sense as it was recorded at his Montreal home and really does suit the 'home music' vibe very well. The leading track‘Lighthouse’ is stunning and ethereal. There are touches of R&B in ‘Morning Sheets’. ‘Step Out For a While’ starts with humming and transcends into Watson’s sumptuous vocals, which wash over your ears like a summer breeze with their seductive Spanish guitars riffs.
‘The Quiet Crowd’ incorporates some classical piano. “Would you rather be part of the crowd or just a single sound’ – it embodies the eeriness of Gary Jules’s ‘Mad World’ but much more lavish and dramatic. For me personally, I like the whole ‘concept’ of the album - it is like an adventure, and the title connotes what you unveils throughout the album.
Their versatility is astounding and for an album that sounds so minimal, delicate and beautiful, there is a hell of a lot going on.
Very obviously one of the most greatly anticipated albums of 2012, Hot Chipare back with their fifth studio album, 'In Our Heads'. After finishing off their three album deal with EMI, the band have swapped labels to Domino which is made up of friends and supporters.
Those classic overtones of happiness that ring true in Hot Chips previous material are still apparent on their new album – but they have embodied a more expansive sound. Various members of Hot Chip have been involved in a range of side projects over the past few years with Two Bears and Joe Goddard coming into his own recently with his solo material, receiving the band further notoriety and recognition.
Opener ‘Motion Sickness’ is happy and bouncy. Alexis Taylors illustrious vocal style provides that instantly recognisable Hot Chip sound, and the track sours into electro splendour with a simple four bar loop.
According to Joe Goddard, “We’ve tried to make something joyful and alive.” They’ve cracked it. ‘How Do You Do’s’ layered vocals are uplifting and catchy and ‘Don’t Deny Your Heart’ highlights some wonderful falsetto vocals, continuing to keep the record on track for an enriching journey.
Touches of RnB trickle through ‘Look at Where You Are’, there is a rather comical part of the song with a collection of O’ing but it is undoubtedly very catchy. ‘These Chains’ is an absolute highlight, and needs no more explanation than twinkling electronic brilliance.
They have reached that comfortable stage in their careers where gimmicks and trends don’t even come into question; luckily what they create naturally is still incredibly relevant and sounds exceptionally good.
The immense thing about Hot Chip is that they produce music that is emotive. So often dance as a genre takes us to a catchy domain - but it lacks meaning and sometimes emotion. Loop patterns and bass line hooks are albeit catchy, but Hot Chip manage to bring the whole shebang to everything they do - funk, emotion and bass. This for me, is enough to keep this album spinning on repeat for the foreseeable future.
Make way for Alabama Shakes, with their harem of famous fans
including Adele and Bon Iver and Russell Crowe. This album is pure neo soul with
classicist influences. There are moments of Jack White, Al Green and Tina
Turner. This album is a spectacle, and in my books –an instant classic.
They met at high school and have been a successful covers
band for a few years – covering the likes of The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC
to name but a few. So in essence, they have spent time imitating the greats, doing
their homework and drawing inspiration from an array of iconic sounds. The studying has paid
off, and this is only their debut album.
Every once in a while you hear a song and think you've heard
before somewhere. Why is that? This rings true for ‘Hold On’, the album opener that
is also their debut single. This has received loads of airplay and huge support
from DJ’s.
Brittany Howard is lead vocalist –her androgynous voice is
iconic in itself, similar to the strength of Amy Winehouse with the character
of Jack White. ‘I Found Out’ is magnificent, and ‘Rise to the Sun’ is my
favourite, sounds a little like Macy Gray, the spangled guitars twinned with
her voice are a winner.
‘You Ain’t Alone’ is a ballad, it’s so delicate and
emotional, “Are you scared to wear your heart on your sleeve, are you scared of
me?” ‘Hearbreaker’ sounds enormous; it reminds me of Al Green’s ‘How Can You
Mend a Broken Heart’. ‘Be Mine’ is silky and smooth.
The album has the feeling of being at an intimate gig in a
bar, sounding so raw and crisp. Her voice is spectacular; I do doubt without
the unstoppable Brittany Howard, they would still be playing cover band slots.
I foresee that this album will appeal to a wide range of demographics, and no
doubt be the soundtrack to many a summer barbeque this year.
