London Grammar - If You Wait

Usually when the music world finds a band that they deem to be the "next big thing", there's a relative amount of hype surrounding the release of their debut record. Not so with London Grammar, a British trio who recently released their first album If You Wait after just one EP released in February 2013.

Source: Allmusic

It's slightly baffling to see how London Grammar, a fledgling band, have managed to leap from relative anonymity to reaching Number 2 on UK and Australian charts. It's no mean feat. Part of the success is down to the stripped-back instrumental backing, meaning they have a slightly ambiguous style, thus allowing them to appeal to any music fan. It does also mean, however, that they don't ever really allow the songs to grow at any point, and they remain on the same level for a lot of the time.

It's due to the problem that, like quite a few emerging artists who are scared of doing anything to jeopardise commercial success, they are too unsure of themselves and their sound, so they stick to what they know and are comfortable doing. It means that they never properly allow the songs to move anywhere else, anywhere different or surprising. As an emerging artist, it's their right to show off with what they can do. London Grammar seem too focused on catching the public eye to reveal the true extent of their talents. In their single Wasting My Young Years, vocalist Hannah Read sings beautiful, moving lyrics about her ex-boyfriend in a beautifully moving way, and the chorus builds up momentum gradually, although it then dies back down again straight afterwards, reverting to what it was before. Daughter, who have a similar style to London Grammar, manage to do both introspective and demonstrative at the same time, so it's not a question of whether or not it can be done. It's a question of whether or not they can do it.

That said, they are quietly insistent in their music, which is mainly due to Read's extraordinary talent as a vocalist. Her voice soars above the rest of the songs and really makes them complete. Nightcall is a very good example of this; it seems as though the rest of the band are there to provide a backdrop to Read's centre piece. Although it is a brilliant song, the lack of growth in the piano and guitar means that the song can't ever reach its full potential.

There's no denying that the basic structure of the songs and the band is good. But they're lacking in something other than their vocals to make them stand out. They need to flesh out other areas of the band in order to make them, not just good, but very good indeed.

Rating: 5-6

Recommended Tracks:
Nightcall
Hey Now
Strong

Peace - Live

Having been ranked 14th on NME's 50 Best Albums of 2013, nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2013 poll and doing several major headline tours both in the UK and USA, it's needless to say that 2013 seems to have been a pretty good year for Peace. Their debut album In Love, released in April this year, broke in at number 16 on the charts in its first week of release. Don't seem bad for a couple of rookies.

This may be why, on their first night of a double bill at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, the crowd outside are so keyed up and rearing to get in there. In fact, when they do, the lucky few were literally elbowing past each other, sprinting to get to the barriers. They seem to have attracted an unlikely bunch; obviously you've got your indie kids (only to be expected, it is a Peace gig after all) although there is a group of girls standing behind me, wearing nothing but crop tops, leggings and hoodies for warmth, enthusing over the greatness of helmet-haired You Me At Six. Brilliant. But no matter, everyone's equal in the fight for a front row view.

Superfood

This motley crew of fans started piling in very quickly, and even before Superfood, the first support act, came on they were piled at least 10 deep. By the time Peace actually do get on stage, all tiers of seating and all of the stalls were full to the brim with eager, sweaty fans, craning their necks to get a glimpse of the performance on stage.

Superfood acted as a sort of aperitif for the evening. Owing to their limited material, they lasted only half an hour, but it was everything you expect from them: awkward, brilliant, raw. Superfood preceded Drenge, the second support act for the evening. Drenge, two brothers from Derbyshire, were great. If the fervent nodding of Peace drummer Dom Boyce (who gave a cheeky look-in from the side of the stage) was anything to go by, it was going very well. As a band, their self-titled debut CD can't hold a candle to their live performance.

Drenge

As the stage is set for Peace, excitement gradually mounts. Then, the music drops, the lights go down and they swagger on stage with all the confidence their new-found success has given them. The opening number is Waste of Paint, which sets the tone nicely for the songs to come. Peace aren't very engaging as performers, preferring to shut their eyes, stare at their shoes and instruments and generally make as little eye contact with the screaming fans as possible. The between-song chatter is kept to a minimum, although as Harrison Koisser, lead singer and guitarist, attempts to throw a towel out to the crowd, he remarks in the most nonchalant way imaginable "I was born to throw. High." as said towel stops just short of the barrier.

However, all of that doesn't matter. The strength of their material makes up for their slightly self-conscious performance. As they bound through the tunes from the album (notably Follow Baby, Higher Than The Sun, Toxic, Float Forever, Lovesick and Wraith) they manage to stick in a few surprises as well: halfway through Harrison introduces one of their new songs, entitled Money; they end the main set on 10-minute trippy anthem 1998 and even stick in their recent cover of Wham!'s Last Christmas during the encore.

As the last notes of Bloodshake echo through the room, I can't help but think that they are truly a very, very, very good band. Not just good, but really rather brilliant. Well worth the sore feet and throbbing ears.

Check out this alternate review of the gig by my friend Georgia

Obituary for Lou Reed

Source: Allmusic

On Sunday 27th October, the world was greeted with the news that Lou Reed, frontman of The Velvet Underground and a brilliant solo artist in his own right, had died at the age of 71. Reed had had a liver transplant in May, and his literary agent confirmed his cause of death was "liver-related ailment". Having been a self-confessed drinker and drug user for many years, it may come as no surprise to some that this has happened. However, to the majority of the music world, it was a very sad day indeed.

Iggy Pop has said it was "devastating news". The Who tweeted "RIP Lou Reed. Walk on the peaceful side". John Cale, fellow member of The Velvet Underground, posted on his website that "the world has lost a fine songwriter and poet... I've lost my 'school-yard buddy'". David Bowie said of Reed, his old friend: "He was a master." For all of these musical legends to say such affectionate things about Reed shows his popular and widespread appeal to anyone and everyone who loved, and loves, music.

Indeed, Bowie, Pop and Reed became relatively close in the early 70s. The two American musicians met Bowie in 1971, when Bowie was just another British musician trying to make it in America. The friendship between the three musicians grew, and in 1972, Bowie ended up producing, along with his guitarist Mick Ronson, Lou Reed's epic first album Transformer. The collaboration of the two Brits on this album undoubtedly gave Reed's creative flow a new lease of life, and gave him a new direction in which to make pioneering tracks. From this album come Lou Reed's most famous singles: Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side and Satellite of Love.

Source: Allmusic

The Velvet Underground made headway into a difficult musical environment by producing guitar driven rock. It helped that they were the proteges of Andy Warhol, but even without his influence it's clear that The Velvet Underground would still have had the same lasting influence on music that they had at the time. In their heyday, the band never really had commercial success. Despite that, the impression they had on many people, musicians or otherwise, is evident and immortal. Their music is so accessible that you could come from any walk of life, pick up their self-titled third album and fall instantly in love. Brian Eno famously summed up their wide-reaching impact by saying "the first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band." Hard to beat that, really.

Although Lou Reed then went on to have a long-lived solo career, it's his first album that sticks in one's mind as particularly brilliant/epic/influential/beautiful (please delete as applicable). With the aforementioned Big 3 Tunes on it, how could it not be? These three songs, Perfect Day, Satellite of Love and Walk on the Wild Side, sum up Lou Reed's career in a relatively succinct and lovely way. Each of them are tragically beautiful, like many of Reed's songs and like Reed's life itself. Take Perfect Day, for example. It starts off with what you might think was typical love song lyrics ("you make me forget myself", "it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you") to then go into the hauntingly bitter repeated line of "you're going to reap just what you sow". That one line is enough to make me stop and think, any time and anywhere.

Source: Allmusic
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On the face of it, Lou Reed's music was, much like his life, rock and roll, baby. Delving deeper, it's plain to see that there's a whole other level of emotional intelligence that's lost upon the average listener. Like getting to know a person, it takes time to get to know Reed's music very, very well. Every time you re-listen to an album, you discover new things about it that you'd previously been unaware of. If you don't believe me, listen to Pale Blue Eyes over and over and I guarantee you'll find something each time.

 Discussing Lou Reed with a friend, we came upon the perfect way to describe him. It's like musical philosophy; one song is enough to make you ponder your entire existence.

Fidlar

Source: Allmusic

Fidlar, or for those in the know "fuck it dog, life's a risk", are the type of band that could not suit their name more perfectly if they tried. They just exude the sort of "look at the number of fucks I could not and would never give" vibe in every song they produce. It's all very skater dude, badass, fun in the sun. Their self-titled debut album almost smells like a dingy garage that's recently been made into a hotbox.

It has to be, then, a testimony to their determination that despite their chilled attitude, there is absolutely no lapse in the energy of the album; every song is charged to the max with an
almost pre-adolescent level of testosterone. It is absolutely perfect headbanging material. Each song is structured cleverly so that you get a small break inbetween the relentless charges of guitar riffs - the large amount of guitar feedback at the end of each song allows for a bit of a breather before the beginning of the next song, when I can guarantee you'll be dancing like a fool.

The lyrical content is generally a defense of their right to be free Stoked And Broke ("I just wanna get really high, smoke weed until I die. I don't ever want to get a job. I fucked up, hey, nothing's wrong"), No Waves ("I feel, feel like a cokehead, I feel, feel like I can't get drunk no more") and Cheap Beer (the chorus is simply "I DRINK CHEAP BEER SO WHAT FUCK YOU". Need I say more.) That's what Fidlar are all about, though: the traditional, simple sex and drugs and rock and roll (mainly drugs with a bit of alcohol thrown in for good measure); it's suitably fitting that their lyrics aren't overly complicated or unnecessarily poetic. How much poetry can you realistically make out of smoking weed?

Source: Allmusic

What I really love about Fidlar, though, is their music. That is going to sound incredibly obvious and a little bit stupid, but let me explain myself further. Their riffs are really, really good. The drum parts are really, really good. Everything about the music is really, really good. It's not as though the music is particularly original or outstandingly game-changing, but there's something about it that's quite vibrant in the way that they piece the music together. The shrieks in Cheap Beer, for example, suit it perfectly, and Whore feels complete with its two verses and a bridge on repeat. They've got just the right amount of whatever it is that makes their music rebellious enough to be cool, but have held back just as it tips over into the verge of extreme. Balance is certainly everything.

On first sight, Fidlar appear to be reckless pothead skaters who exude the sort of fuck-it vibe you could only dream of. That's what they are. There are no hidden meanings or secrets to Fidlar. What you see is what you get. Sort of refreshing in a way.

Rating: 7/10

Recommended Tracks:
No Waves
5 to 9
Blackout Stout

Arctic Monkeys - AM

Arctic Monkeys broke radio history when their fifth studio album, following the pattern of the previous four, went straight to No 1 on the UK album charts, making them the first band to have all albums reach No 1 immediately. I think this must say something about the album itself. It does. It's fucking brilliant.

Source: Allmusic

The band have undergone a rather dramatic change of style over their 11 year career. They've gone from mod-y punk to QOTSA-esque dark, heavy rock, to this. An apparently hip hop-influenced album with an essence of seventies rock around it, AM wears its influences very obviously on its sleeve. It's all the better for it, it means you can trace the development of Arctic Monkeys, and even get inside their head by guessing what they were listening to whilst writing the album. At least that's how I imagine it.

Some of the songs are so different that it's hard to see how they fit onto the same album. For example, Mad Sounds has a very Lou Reed-esque sound to it, as though Alex Turner has listened to the entirety of Transformer and just summed it up in a singular song. It's about songs that make you love music, and it achieves exactly what it describes; it's not particularly technically difficult in any way, but the sheer brilliant timing of "then out of nowhere, somebody comes and hits you with an ooh la la la..." It could not describe any more perfectly the ability of certain songs to comfort you or cheer you up when you most need it. You can just picture Turner sitting in the corner of a room with some headphones on, listening to his favourite songs and having the time of his life. We've all been there, Alex.

The album contains some brilliant singles. I don't think I could forgive myself if I wrote a review of AM and didn't mention Do I Wanna Know? as it would be a heinous crime indeed. Fuelled by a riff penned by Jamie Cook, the song feels as though it could go on forever, and as a listener, it's all you want it to do. Suffice to say, it's a little bit bloody brilliant. Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? has pretty much every female up and down the country screaming "YOU CAN CALL ME ANYTIME ALEX". Notice I'm not excepting myself in this description. R U Mine? pretty much has the same effect; it's very similar to Do I Wanna Know? in it's driven by a brilliant riff, but eases off into a relatively chilled chorus. Snap Out Of It is your typical rock single that has an amazing beat, a catchy chorus, and a great melody. If you haven't pretended that Mr Turner isn't singing this to or about you, then you're lying.

Source: Allmusic

That said, the softer side of Arctic Monkeys peeks through on occasion. No. 1 Party Anthem slightly draws on the figure portrayed in You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights... - the "certified mind blower" to whom you can't quite muster up the courage to speak. Apparently it's based on a real person (ooh, cheeky Alex) and the genuine emotions are brought to the forefront in this song; it's not written about a caricature or a stereotype, it's based on a real experience, allowing the song to reach a different level of emotional intelligence. I Wanna Be Yours has lyrics taken from a John Cooper Clarke song, written in around 1983. The extreme British banality of the lyrics (for example, "I wanna be your vacuum cleaner... I wanna be your leccy meter") only make it all the more romantic; the translation from the commonplace to the tender is given by the next line, detailing what Clarke would be able to do for the object of these desires. "I wanna be your setting lotion, hold your hair in deep devotion, at least as deep as the Pacific ocean" suddenly becomes poetry, because it perfectly describes every girl's dream without the need for poetic language.

There are some typical Turner lyrical gems in there, as well, showing he hasn't lost his flair in the slightest. Arabella: "I helter skelter round her little finger and I ride it endlessly". Do I Wanna Know?: "I've been wondering if you're heart's still open and if so I want to know what time it shuts". One For The Road: "from the bottom of your heart, a relegation zone". I could go on for a very long time. Like somebody once said of David Bowie, Turner writes the cosmos in the bus stop.

I don't quite know how to finish this. It's amazing and I love it. Perhaps I ought to leave it there, because I could go on for an inhuman amount of time about this album. It's a fucking good 'un.

Rating: 10/10 (note: if you're an Arctics purist, you will most definitely disagree with this)

Recommended Tracks:
Mad Sounds
Arabella
Do I Wanna Know?

Born Ruffians - Birthmarks

Source: Allmusic

The Toronto group are almost notorious for making their fans wait for their next album. Forming in 2002, it was then 4 years before their self-titled EP was released, another 2 before their debut album Red Yellow & Blue was released. This time, a 3 year gap has elapsed between 2010's Say It and this year's Birthmarks.

This time, they've moved on from their traditionally indie rock sound to a more considered sort of a sound. They're clearly playing around with their sound, fooling about with drum machines, vocal effects and distortion on Rage Flows. However, they still manage to maintain that intrinsically raw sound of their previous two albums; the plain lament of Needle's "I belong to no one" reminds one of the plaintive "oohs" that start off Little Garçon. Perhaps it's the minimal backing at the beginning and the voice of Luke LaLonde that manage to remind me of Fleet Foxes whilst I'm listening to it. Maybe that's just me. Needle is that type of song that every album needs to have. It's got the catchy chorus that anyone can pick up within 2 (minimum) listens; it's got the anthemic "A WAY" repeated several times for good measure; it's got the echoey, stadium-like backing vocals to emphasise the fact that you should and will like this song. It's got all of that and more; it's a pop song with an indie twist.

Source: Allmusic

Ocean's Deep is another one of those songs; one that offers a "deep" message put to a catchy pop tune. That wasn't meant to be sarcastic or sceptical, although it's been so overdone that it's hard not to be when you first listen to the song. As you keep pressing the replay button, though, the story portrayed in the song becomes more apparent (LaLonde's voice requires straining ears to decipher his lyrics). One particular lyric that stands out is "when she goes, she hopes you'll meet a woman who will fill those holes that she shot straight through you". It exemplifies the level of maturity that Born Ruffians have reached in their songwriting and lyricism. They've become much more direct in their style, not beating around the bush; they no longer need the minute-long intros to define them, as their songs are now able to speak for themselves.

In this, their third studio album, it's clear to see how Born Ruffians have refined and perfected their style, whilst delving into new areas altogether and still managing to sound like Born Ruffians. All of the songs seem to be uplifting and upbeat, and, whether it's the lyrics or the melody that achieve this, it's bloody working. I'm grinning like a fool at the computer screen and I'm being given funny looks. Fuck it, Born Ruffians make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, what you gonna do about it?

Rating: 7/10

Recommended Tracks:
Ocean's Deep
Needle
Golden Promises

Swim Deep - Where The Heaven Are We?

Photo courtesy of Allmusic

And so it arrives. The new album from Brummie lads Swim Deep is finally here. Having built up an impressive fan base largely comprised of dreamy females either in the throes of adolescence or in their 20s - I by no means except myself from this crowd - Swim Deep come from humble beginnings; lead singer Austin Williams and guitarist Tom Higgins met stacking shelves in Morrisons'. Perhaps that's why their album is so full of wistful riffs and escapism.

For Swim Deep, it's all about escapism. Their name itself evokes fantastic imagery of beautiful underwater scenes and, to some extent, their music certainly lives up to that. Each and every track contains some hint of wishing for a better life. In Honey, it's "don't just dream in your sleep, it's just lazy". In King City, it's "fuck your romance, I want to pretend that Jenny Lee Lindberg is my girlfriend". In Colour Your Ways, it's "life ain't beige so colour your days and see it in the right light". It's got the catchy tunes, the hazy images and the wistful romance needed to make for the perfect summer album.

Source: Allmusic

Many of the old favourites, like King City, are still just as brilliant in their composition. However, Swim Deep seem like good-time guys, they're all about having fun. On touring with Spector and Two Door Cinema Club, they say it was "just touring with your best friends for 30 days. It was insane" - hence the fantastically dreamy outlook of the album. You do get the feeling, though, that if they'd spent a bit more time on a few of the songs, the album wouldn't just be good, it would be incredible. That's the only criticism I have to make of this album; it's a little frustrating, as there is huge potential for many songs. Soul Trippin', for example, has the beginnings of a brilliant ballad, but if they'd only tweaked little bits here and there, it could have become an amazing one. As a listener, there are points in the album where you wait for the songs to take off and they just don't.

That said, each song has its own merit, whether it's the wonderful lyrics that urge you to make something of yourself (Colour Your Ways, The Sea and Stray come to mind) or the fantastic bass or guitar riff. I adore Swim Deep, and I am incredibly proud of their debut album. I can only hope that they'll continue on this upward trajectory with the next ones.

Rating: 7.5/10

Recommended Tracks:
Soul Trippin'
Make My Sun Shine
Intro