Well then! 2015 was a pretty diverse year for music! So much so, I've decided to just give up on pulling together a definitive list of 'this years must hear sounds'...
Instead, I've listed 25 tunes you might have missed. They're in no particular order, nor are they necessarily the artists' definitive songs. What they are though, is an introduction to artists that might have otherwise passed you by. Below you will find a wide enough selection of songs & genres to peak most tastes at least once. You can thank me later.
25. Wolf Alice - Freazy
24. Daredevil [Netflix 2015] Theme - John Paesano
23. Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm - Stare (Max Cooper Remix)
22. Georgia - Nothing Solutions
21. Kelly Lee Owens - Lucid
20. Eagles of Death Metal - Save A Prayer
19. Bec Sandridge - In The Fog, In The Flame
18. The Gazette - Incubus
17. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better
16. Crystal Lake - Prometheus
15. The Tallest Man On Earth - Darkness of the Dream
So, here are what I consider to be the top 10 anime titles of all time, as ranked by their opening themes or signature tracks!
Don't agree with me? Let me know which titles and tunes you would include on your list in the comments section below!
10) Pokemon For many people this is the sound of both hope and youth...
9) Porco Rosso Surprisingly chilled and jazzy.
8) Akira One seriously apocalyptic score
7) Death Note (Series 1 and 2) Grungey, dark and full of metal
6) Knights of Sidonia (Series 1 and 2) ElectrOrchestral
5) Apreggio of Blue Steel Energetic synth rock
4) Bleach (Series 1, 2 and 5) Consistently strong and catchy openings (collectively earning 4th place).
3) Tokyo Ghoul Emo yet powerful
2) Attack on Titan Rouses you to action!
1) Princess Mononoke Simply magical
There we have it! Princess Mononoke is my number 1! Do you agree? Let me know!
***
Notable mentions, but not quite in my top 10
- Tank! Cowboy Bebop Bongos! Not in my top ten, partly because I haven't watched Tank yet, but mainly because it feels like animated Spy comedy 'Archer' has given Tank a nod in its own theme, somewhat diluting the original charm (for me personally).
- Rurouni Kenshin The Ruro Ken/Samurai X series didn't quite make the cut, as they have had a few incarnations with subtle differences/tonal rebrands. Plus, the live action films have arguably made use of better music. Don't despair though, if this wasn't a music based list, Ruro Ken would be far higher ranking.
- Spirited away Because Joe Hisaishi can't be the entire list
- Dragon Ball Z Obviously a classic, but there's only so many times you can listen to this...
- Psycho Pass Great music, but equally Bloc Party could have supplied the tunes, and show would have retained its vibe... Should this matter? Probably not, but meh.
- Terror in Resonance
Another quality tune, but the chord changes remind me a lot of Royksopp, who I could also hear soundtracking the opening. Perhaps unfair to down grade it on these terms?Again... Meh.
One day, back in early 2012, a friend introduced me to an unassumingly cool little website called 8tracks.com. Personally, I have always taken great pleasure from recommending songs to friends and family - as well as trying to get ahead of the popular music curve. I will happily spend valuable hours discussing musical trends and movements with likeminded, sonically engaged, individuals. It has always been apparent to me that music just has some inherently fulfilling quality about it.
When a talented artist invests some semblance of themselves into a track, music becomes something more than organised sounds. Music becomes a pure art form; supremely expressive and exploratory. Just a few seconds of music can cheat the rules of time, and transport you to different eras and memories.
Music is power.
The more you listen to life, the more you realise music is everywhere, and it is always playing a role. Its no wonder that I started to ask myself questions like; what effect has music had on me? Has the music I listen to defined me? And if so, why and how?
These are difficult questions to answer.
It seems music is now perhaps the most outwardly obvious foundation of my own identity. I latch onto ideas and world views embedded and vested into lyrics; and I score my own life to the interplay between the bass drums and chord changes that I find resonate. Essentially; music paints the landscape in which I walk, whilst also defining the pace at which I observe and enjoy it.
To better understand the impact music has had (and is continuing to have) on me, I decided to paint an audible self-portrait. A self-portrait painted by using of the works of others.
Every month I made a playlist, took a photograph, and wrote a small amount of text inspired by the time and place within which I then existed. The results of these efforts you see below. So, without furthermore ado, I present to you a year of my life (June 2012 to June 2013), time-locked into 12 playlists.
I skipped my monthly 8tracks mix for November because apparently November's purpose is advertising December. The songs in this mix aren't Christmas-y. We're celebrating November in December. Pow! Take that logic / world.
A mere month after the Mayan time keeping device was defeated by people doing absolutely nothing, we usher in yet another new year. We reclaim our liberty and freedom to once again listen peacefully to the sounds of life. Here is a celebratory mix for 2013.
Time marches, and we find ourselves in the month of March already. How did we make it this far so quickly?
This mix attempts to mimic the march of time by treading both slowly and quickly from Electro vibrations to Rock music - with the mix's final denouement cheating death and time itself.
Spring returns, and brings with it our most primal compulsions. This mix explores the variety of emotions we feel when awaking from a prolonged winter hibernation; celebrating our optimism and hopes for a joyous summer.
May the rain fall, and the tunes pour, May the sun shine, and the music become something more...
A hipster's guide to the 'Sonic Self Portrait'
The sonic portrait above spans a year, and in this time the sitter has changed, not just in pose and stance, but in character. The portrait is dynamic.
Though the portrait will perhaps change more, and mean more, for the subject than for any other viewer, it is drawn from, and draws on the works of others. It will hold countless other meanings for a myriad of anonymous souls, and in turn, these meanings will continue to change as the years pass. This portrait is the embodiment of an endless year.
Despite the portraits dynamism, and its ability to transcend time and audiovisual contexts, there is one constant truth present:
Music and snowboarding - my two great passions. The first
and last thing I think about each day. Effortlessly complimentary, with one
infinitely enhancing the other when a perfect match of track and snow is made.
If you're as much of a musical purist as myself, choosing the
tracks you ride to is no small matter. There’s a lot to think about. After all,
the songs you listen to ultimately soundtrack your truest moments of freedom:
the time you spend closest to nature, and the time you spend defying it. The
tracks you shred to will inevitably score the best days of your life - that day
you conquered the mountain, that perfect power day, the day you stuck the
landing clean, and the days you forgot you had 9 – 5 stresses. No pressure then.
Profoundness aside, I do believe that snowboarding
and music just make each other better. Not only can music help your performance
on the board, it can help you recall and remember the good times with more fondness.
Music can carry you up that freezing chairlift, or give you an energy boost to trudge
through the deepest powder to hit that once in a lifetime spot.As Richard Ashcroft says many many times over 4 minutes, music is power.
As I’m sure you’re all well aware, there have been countless
scientific studies into the ‘power of music’. In truth there are a way too
many disciplines and approaches examining this concept to discuss at length here (though this viral video
is one heart warming example). Extreme sports athletes particularly seem to draw power from
music. Almost every snowboarding video you see these days shows at least one rider directly plugged into their MP3 player as if its an actual power source. Of course, these same riders are then shown dropping some "next level shiz". This isn't merely coincidence, is it?
Pro Vox - Jenny Jones
"Do you have a track you can’t stop listening to when you ride?"
@sirscottofmac two songs from drive soundtrack, rad for first runs in the morning
— Jenny Jones (@jennyjonessnow) January 1, 2013
I personally ride with the
vain hope that the ‘Mozart effect’ will magically help me stomp a perfect switch
back 9, but considering I still find button lifts an unexpected challenge, I
think that this hope is a little bit pipe dream. Nevertheless, our apparent need to harness and utilise the power of music at a personal level has emerged as lucrative
market. Sadly, the technology that enables us put good music to good use is valued much more highly than the music itself. People are more than happy to spend their money on a smart phone or a music player. Disappointingly, many of these people then cringe at music prices, and hunt out the nearest torrent. I do find it a little bizarre that people have such an eversion to supporting the artists and musicians that give such desirable pieces of tech a purpose and a soul. Our society seems to crave technology, but it fails to see that its the creative content produced by artists, not the gadgets themselves, that makes their lives more fulfilling.
2012 was yet another year where music sales struggled, but almost counter-intuitively headphones sales appeared to grow exponentially. 2012 could easily have been dubbed 'the year of headphones'. Snowboarding, like mainstream fashion, has seen a huge
increase in the number of dedicated brands providing stylish cans to wear
whilst you get it done on the slopes. Mercifully snowboarding/headphone crossover
brands, such as ‘Frends’ for example, have adopted more bespoke approaches to audio gear. With snowboarding culture acting as the foundation for these brands, they seem to go about their day-to-day business with a reverence to the unwritten rider's ethos of 'independence'. This is stark
contrast to the Beats by Dre cash cow, for example - a brand which seems to reek of‘look the same’, ‘fit in’ and ‘be like
everyone else / Justin Bieber’.
Dr Dre's 'Beats' headphones gate crashed the London 2012 Olympic games setting the standard for mass audio-fashion
Of course, the 'on board' music experience isn't the only way boarding and music combine. Snowboarding, like skateboarding before it, is cultivating
its own exciting and unique fringe music movements and arts culture. Increasing numbers of
snowsport-centric acts are appearing. Its interesting that whilst the snowboarding community at large continually fights to
maintain its own 'alternative' identity, paradoxically it also appears to be easing itself into mainstream culture. Snowboarding is slowly but surely co-opting big name DJ’s, as well as numerous producers and acts who wish to differentiate themselves from the charts, or be associated with snowboarding's lifestyle choices. Of course some just want to play the unique events and festivals (like Snowbombing for example). It may even be the case that snowboardings' 'counter-culture' is just becoming more accessible. However, this also seems to be true for other 'energy drink affiliated sports' and their unique cultures. Coincidental? I think not.
If we're honest, its no big surprise that the free market economy has found a discreet way to infiltrate extreme sports' largely defensive and cliquey sense of identity. Its just a little strange the market intruded via the medium of energy drinks of all things. This is not to say the presence of energy drinks is a bad thing, the jury is still out. Sure, they might not be good for you, but they finance a lot within the extreme sporting world. Not only do they sponsor live events, and pump money into action sports, these fizzy caffeine brands also do exactly the same sort of things for music. Energy drinks are essentially a self appoint 'culture fuel'. Red Bull even have a record label. Rather cleverly Red Bull use their own artists to soundtrack whatever "Whoa! Cool!" ad campaign they then wish to push. Case point - AWOLNATION (aka, abuse of caps lock) provides the song for this frankly inspired video / advert in disguise:
As the above video demonstrates, it seems that Red Bull have learnt one thing from extreme sports culture: a good choice of song can make a video edit great, and great videos and great songs get remembered - the Art of Flight, anyone? The awe inspiring big mountain epic / Red Bull über ad? (Who knew helicopters had so much ad space on them?)
Cynicism aside, the soundtracks on shred flicks have always been, and continue to be a point of artistic and personal expression. Soundtracking an edit still remains a
potent channel for musicians to widen their audience reach, or claim endorsement by revered sporting icons. You could also argue these films map the socio-cultural borders of where snowboarding culture and popular culture overlap. The Art of Flight is particularly interesting in this regard, as it is arguably the most commercially orientated pure snowboarding film ever released - its soundtrack indulges popular culture whilst simultaneously thrusting lesser appreciated artists onto new audiences and unsuspecting potential fanbases.
So I know what you’re thinking, “Blah Blah Blah, music is
great, or at least it used to be before I read this long winded obituary of an article. When will this now legnthy article get to a list of tunes I can cruise too?!? Blah.”
Well, that’s a good question, if you’re going for a cruise… What if you’re
hitting the backcountry, or sessioning the park? Music can absolutely make riding
better, but only if you make good musical choices to ride to.
So now, take a quick moment, and ask yourself - what do you need the music to do for you? Do you need
inspiration, or just a beat to hold your flow to? Are you hoping to emulate a hero?
Will riding to the music from their latest vid part really push you to their
level? Or do you just want to loose yourself completely in the moment? So much
to think about… and over think about.
Personally, I’ve found that certain genres match certain riding
styles and moods.So, I have rustled up a couple of ‘Match my mood and/or style
to a genre of music’ info graphics (click here to use them). These hopefully will offer some playlist inspiration, or at least get you thinking. Ultimately, any given day, you know yourself, and your mood, what you want to ride, and which tunes get you going.
So without any further ado, here is my list of:
Scott'sTop Ten Tracks To Ride To
Of course these are just a few tracks from a much longer (constantly evolving) playlist, but they are my
most played. I’ve also put a bit of an explanation about why I’ve chosen each; part
sentiment, part taste. 100% bliss. Enjoy.
Hybrid - Finished Symphony - My first exposure to snowboarding was through playing SSX tricky. I gave the game a go because it looked a bit like skateboarding. This track was used on the back-country level "Untracked". Ever since hearing this song whilst cruising the virtual off-pieste I knew that one day I wanted to do that.
Skrillex - Summit - The soundtrack to my first off-pieste expedition.
Eagles of Death Metal - I Want You So Hard - Something to ride fast and angry to.
Pretty Lights - High School Art Class - Musical inspiration and wishful emulation - this track is used by Torstein Horgmo in an edit for DC. The music made that video part something especially inspiring.
The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary - I first heard this whilst playing Dave Mirra, I couldn't get into BMX but I've skated and snowboarded to this track ever since.
Bon Iver - Skinny Love (Das Kapital Re-Rub) - I first heard this on a short but steezy edit by Torstein Horgmo (he curates his vid's music really well). The beat is big and consistent, and the song has a gentle flow. Its just great to ride to.
Placebo - Every You, Every Me - I first heard this song watching the Flip Skateboards' film 'Sorry'. Mark Appleyard hits a perfect Kickflip over a barrel in his first line, and goes on to hit some of the best looking grinds ever seen. I've associated this song with style ever since. Style is style is style.
Coldplay - Paradise - I guess this will be a contentious choice because it is cool (and easy) to hate Coldplay. I get that. However, when riding in 'all time conditions', its not worth the effort to hate the beat and sentiment of this song. Its soundtracked some good times. Plus, getting Brian Eno in as producer was tantamount to buying surplus cool points so you can give them out free to haters.
Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know - This band is so full of energy they effortlessly breathe an extra few runs into any day on the mountain. In truth, I probably could have chosen any of their songs because they're so hook happy, but 'What You Know' is still the first and last track I ride to from their albums.
The Wombats - Tokyo Vampire and Wolves - Is a story about escapism, and feeling free from yourself. It also reminds me that I absolutely need to go to Japan, and sample their back country powder. No, this is not a drugs reference.
So, there you have it. I hope this article has helped you on your quest to enjoy music and riding even more than you may have done before (assuming that was your quest). But, you know what? Sometimes you just don't want to listen to anything other than the sound of your descent - the sound of the mountain, and the tear of snow under you as you ride. We spend a lot of time listening to that which people have made. Sometimes, silence is golden, and other times we should just lend our ear to nature. So, in the exact opposite spirit of this entire article. When you're next riding a majestic unspoilt decent, make time to listen to nature as well.
And now time for an inconclusive, unnecessary and somewhat wanky final paragraph:
Humans may be nothing more than the sum total of all they've experienced in life to date. As a consequence, our personal tastes in music may also be nothing
more than the product of circumstance, society, and nurture. One thing is for
sure, times change, and I know my playlist will change with it. In an age where technology and music can be omniscient we search for our few timeless moments. If we live these moments with a soundtrack, we also compile our greatest
playlists. Let the snow settle, but never let the music settle... until its perfect.
Please comment and
suggest tunes for me to listen to. I’m always looking for new tracks to leave tracks to.
On the evening of Friday the 29th of July I gave my good friend Joe (Aka "Nil Recurring") a ring on the old telephone. We'd both been suffering from a lack of inspiration lately, so we devised a plan to kick start our creativity! A music battle!
To make it a proper contest we laid down some rules...
The Rules:
You must write one original song (from scratch - that means no existing riffs or melodies you've been struggling to use until now)
Tracks must be 2 to 4 minutes in duration.
Any music created must be within the genre agreed when battle was declared- we agreed our battle would be a "Shoe-gaze" battle.
All battles must have a time limit - we gave ourselves 2 days to make the tracks.
Super Cool Music Battle FAQs
How do you know who's won. We just spent 2 days messing around and playing music, we already won. Though, I guess general consensus is an appropriate indicator of who is victorious...
Is there only 3 questions in this FAQs section, including this one?
...erm...yes
The Tracks
Below this text you, the lovely reader, will find a link to both our tracks. Please feel free to make comments and pass judgement (I have also written a little about mine). As you will see, we both approached the Shoe-gaze genre brief with very different ideas in mind.
Joe's Track - "Matter "
My Track - "Stare at the Stars"
About "Stare at the Stars"
I had fun making my track. I do enjoy cutting loose and writing from scratch. However, I really missed my bass guitar on this one. I found it hard to write pure shoe-gazing/stargazing music unable to start from a grungey bass-line. Having said that, I did take the opportunity to play around with an electric piano, break from the norms of my own writing style and the shoegaze genre. I named the track "Stare at the Stars" because firstly, I was feeling pretentious and secondly, it's what I can't do beneath London skies. A glimpse of a single star in London is a rarity, stark contrast to dream heavy skies of the Lakes. I like to think if London had clearer skies its people might be less impersonal. If Londerners had opportunity to wonder at a glassy night sky I believe it would inspire a sense of togetherness. Perhaps it would invoke some sort of common fear of solitude, a feeling of loneliness only felt when you stare to the soul of the universe; a loneliness that inspires only one remedy - peace and camaraderie. Perhaps... I'm feeling particularly Romantic right now...
Anyway, back on track (literally):
I like to think had I written this song 30 years ago it could have been used in the darker scenes of this 80's bond film. I know, I know, its not a perfect fit.
On a side note: Timothy Dalton was the best Bond, and I love the Living Daylights soundtrack. If this musical challenge didn't involve writing original shoe-gaze style songs I would probably just have condensed the Living Daylights into 2 minutes and yelled "SHOEGAZE!" as an outro.
Plus, for the record A-ha are genius (you were thinking it, but I said it).
I also noticed something quite interesting when writing this song, not about music, per say, but more about how I felt about this track when I was writing, and when I was done...
When I write to a brief the music never seems to feel it has as much depth as the songs that I have written I feel I have personally invested in (I'm yet to properly record any of these by the way, they're not yet ready for sharing). I guess the shallow nature of music produced and not lovingly created is sort of to be expected. It probably also explains why the charts are predominantly filled with dancey music and flowery but relatively meaningless lyrics - if you get to serious, or personal, you start to eliminate people who can relate to your emotions, experiences, and tastes. By the end of it you have no audience... or in my case a lot of words in a blog, and no fan base.
I wonder how many musicians regret music they have released into the spheres because it is not representative of their musical aims and ambitions? Or how many musicians regret not putting enough of their self into their art? Is this thought too Dorian Gray? Perhaps. Maybe it doesn't even matter what the recording artist thinks; once the vibrations have been immortalised on recorded and released to the masses who owns that work? These works cease to change, but appear evolving in changing in contexts. Records are static dynamism embodied; a point in time that can be interpreted differently upon every occasion it is listened to and relived, yet exists in only one permanent form.
Music is amazing.
*And yes, the above may be used as evidence of an inflated ego...
When I first got into the whole music malarky, myself and a friend wrote a track called 'super new' (an inspired name I'm sure you'll agree). It was never really very good, but it keeps getting rearranged, and reappearing in a myriad of forms. I think I wrote and recorded this version in about two or three hours... in one sitting. You can probably tell. I just used one guitar and garage band hence the beats (though I did try to be inventive with them). Also, at somepoint I was going to put bass on this track, but I think I forgot I recorded it, so I'm just going to leave it as it is. The next super new reinvention probably will have bass anyway so all's good.
It dawned on me yesterday that I would not be able to make it to an independent record store this Record Store Day. This saddened me. Then, last night (Friday the 15th of April 2011), at approximately 7pm I decided I would compose a song from scratch in less than 24 hours to coincide with record store day (for fun - music is supposed to be fun). A challenge I unexpectedly succeeded in completing much faster than I anticipated (I even managed to have a full night sleep). In the end the below track took me about 7 hours work from idea to internet, working at a pretty mellow pace.
This track as you may have noticed is both short and instrumental. Annoyingly I have misplaced my microphone, if I had not I would certainly have added vocals as well as recorded real percussion. For lack of another alternative I had to settle for garage band beats and loops (hopefully I’ll get my hands on something more pro and interesting sounding soon). Also, I'm pretty sure I could easily extend this song to 3 minutes, but I’m not going to; to do so now would feel force, not mention at odds with the writing process and the vibe of the track.
For anybody interested in 'what ifs', the vocals would have been about the photograph I took that accompanies the track: a frost bitten pier on Derwent Water, Keswick.
Everything you hear (bar the drums) I produced on three instruments – a guitar and bass guitar, as well as a retro Yamaha keyboard – played into garage band. Not particularly high tech.
My Blog now includes all my entries from the NSR (Newcastle Student Radio) Blog. From here on in then it is a solo journey of music scrutinising, starting with Glastonbury. I'll be keeping a Glastonbury Diary, logging all the bands and acts I witness. I'll let you know who was good, who wasn't, and who you should endeavour to check out!
Also, in the coming weeks my musical project should be much further along in the production process. Find attached a cheeky video trailer. Don't forget you can add me on myspace (www.myspace.com/iamconfuciusmusic), add me on twitter (@SirScottofMac) and of course comment on all the Blogs I post.
Like angry shouty men? Particularly, angry shouty tattoo covered men with interesting hairstyles? If yes, you’ll love Murder FM. Simply breed ‘30 Seconds to Mars’ with ‘LostProphets’, add some extra hate of the world, and let it stew in a disco. Murder Fm emerges from the mean rock disco broth to challenge your musical tastes. Though FM do not advocate murder, many makers of musical opinion will argue Murder FM do indeed murder music. ‘Heavy’ music still divides opinions, however, Murder FM are much more than just ‘guitar metal’. Synthesizers and keys, though not the biggest part of their sound, temper something really heavy, and make it much more accessible. Murder FM’s tracks ‘Mrs. Wrong’ and ‘As Beautiful As You Are’ are quite a good examples of metal mitigation. They are in effect potential pop songs that got kicked out of ‘The Charts’ (a high-class nightclub called), and spent a night behind bars for drinking too much and kicking Barbie Girl in the face. Though possibly an intimidating music venture for mellow music fans, Murder FM are surprisingly easy to listen to. Maybe I am guilty of presupposing everybody is as receptive to rock music as myself. Even so, try Murder out. You might well be surprised.
Midwinter Graces has ‘BBC Radio 2’ written all over it. If you like Tori Amos and wear cardigans deliberately to be pretentious this is definitely the Christmas album for you. In ‘Midwinter Graces’ Amos puts her own take on classic Christmas and festive winter songs such as: ‘What Child’, ‘Nowell’, and ‘Star of Wonder’. Amos’ gift to the listener appears to be a simple rearrangement of seasonal songs into a more conventional pop structure. The result is an album of Christmas songs you will probably never play as you opt for the classics, or a pop album you’ll store with the Christmas decorations. Once you’ve dusted off 11months of dust every year you will probably come to realise it is a very good album in regard to musicianship. However, it has no clear purpose, apart from actively and positively seeking musical territory usually filled by failed Christmas number one attempts. Give it to someone who wants to be ‘alternative this Christmas’, or someone who really likes Tori Amos.
If you do as ‘Ou Est Le Swimming Pool’ urge, and dance the way you feel, you’ll probably look like a robotic muppet. However, you won’t care, as ‘Dance the way I feel’ is an electronic delight. You’ll loose yourself in newly discovered electronic recesses of your own mind. It has an infectiously catchy electronic synth riff that accompanies a repetitive, instructive and uplifting chorus. The verse is a brooding indie narrative of a nightclub, ‘Pet Shop Boys-esk’ in feel, unashamedly good electro-pop in reality. Well matched beats, and subtle multi-layered lead and string synthesisers combine to make what can only be described as ‘electro-joy’. Paradoxically the cold wired synthesizers make you feel warm on the inside. You know deep down that the programming of the keyboards cannot compute warm-blooded human emotion, but you remain confused by how close they get. The sentiments in the vocal humanise the near clinical electronica, making clear the ultimate feel good nature of the tune. The Camden trio are increasingly rising in profile, supporting many premier British electro-pop names; ‘La Roux’, ‘Sam Sparrow’, ‘Mr Hudson’, and ‘Reverend and the Makers’ to name a few. They also played no less than three stages at Glastonbury ‘09. If somehow you like you music dancier in nature I’d definitely recommend the ‘Dynamikk’ remix of ‘Dance the Way I Feel’. ‘Ou Est’ are definitely a name to remember. Actually, they make great music just about worthy of accompanying their unforgettable name. Possibly one of the best band names ever.
Potentially more polarising for fans than their last studio album ‘Liberation transmission’, ‘Its Not the End of The World’, the latest single from the Lost Prophets, is a further step away from their pop punk break through material. Fans disenchanted by ‘Liberation Transmission’ will not find a return to the Welsh rockers glory days of ‘Shinobi Vs Dragon Ninja’, ‘Burn Burn’ or ‘Last Train Home’. Likewise, Transmission fans may too be disenchanted. ‘End of the World’, perhaps appropriately, does have a darker feel about it. The darkness, and some degree of emo apathy, must have spilled into the Prophet’s studio as even the sound quality has a shadowy feel. The bass is heavy and dull; whilst the guitars appear to aim for a fussy vs. clean tone contrast. However, they are predominately fussy throughout. The contrasting cleaner tones suffer from lack of volume. In fact contrast is only successfully reached when the song turns ‘Muse-y/ Matt Bellamy-esc’ in the guitar breakdown mid track that seems dramatically different to the darkness of track as a whole.
On first listen ‘End of the World’ is a disappointment (unless it is indeed the first Prophets track you’ve ever listened to). Even the happy choruses and chanting characteristic of ‘Liberation Transmission’ have been warped and seem sinister. In fact, I would describe ‘the woahs’ throughout ‘end of the world’ as uninspired. Akin to a noisy group of idiotic and drunken lads out on the razz; the Prophets fail to produce a convincing or fitting chorus harmony. Saving grace you plea? Luckily there is. In the last 50 seconds there is a moment of sheer quality. Ian Watkins actually unleashes his voice. So good is his voice in these fleeting seconds I will even go as far to say it actually saves the song. Instead of playing the song all the way through, you can, like me, just skip to that brilliantly loud moment over and over. No doubt, this track will continue to cause debate amongst Prophets Fans.
Nevertheless, I believe a complete removal of expectation, and a fresh look at the Lost Prophets is required whenever they release anything. They regularly reinvent their sound, and this must be complimented. Yet, if this was the first Lost Prophets track I ever heard I’m sure I’d enjoy it, but I’m not sure I’d rate it as special. I think on this one the listener should decide.
My Opinion: an on the fence 2.5/5….Ian Watkins’ scream alone 4/5
Unlike many, I had the advantage of knowing Absent Elk prior to being asked to review their track ‘Change My World’; an absolutely lovely and thoroughly enjoyable track. Serene, gentle and composed, ‘change my world’ is very agreeable. The vocals of Kjetil Morland are likewise as agreeable; reaffirming this Anglo-Norwegian five pieces tranquil charm. However, ‘change my world’ is not their strongest song, or the song of theirs I would tout to a friend hoping they become a fan. Though beautiful, it is quite forgettable, unlike, for example, their ubër catchy tune ‘Cannibals’. What I do know, however, is that ‘change my world’ adds credibility and variety to a band sporting a largely indie-pop sound. In the age of x-factor and what I like to call ‘capital orientated crap pop’ (a big general opinion I know) it is refreshing to hear a good band playing and writing good popular music. This track has everything a good pop song needs; likable vocals, pleasant acoustic guitar, strings, and drums that build up but don’t over power. It isn’t even over produced! When the drums kick in you can’t help but smile, and think things like; ‘Wow…life really isn’t all bad, at least we have sparrows…and chaffinches’. Mindless mental wanderings aside, it seems pop has become somewhat of a taboo term, associated with less than ‘indie-cool’ things. If you ask me Absent Elk are indie-cool, yet remain categorically pop. Just looking at the bands Absent Elk have supported gives you an inclination that they are indeed pop act (for those interested Elk have supported: Girl’s Aloud, the Script, Keane, and the Hoosiers). They have also done a pretty good home recording and reworking of Lady Gaga’s Pokerface: available to listen to on YouTube. Unashamedly, as a result of listening to Absent Elk I am happy to say I have some faith in good pop again. If you really wanted to you could describe Absent Elk as Scandinavian folk driven gentle indie, but that’s stupid, it’s guitar pop, and that’s nothing to be put off by. Well done Absent Elk, and thank you for bringing back some pop hope to the ‘scene’ generations (even if that wasn’t your intention).
Absent Elk’s album is out now, and ‘Change my World’ is released as a single on the 30/11/2009.
The combination of hook heavy lyrics and droning guitar, force the Joy Formidable to your attention, if nothing else. Yet, it is somewhat darker than their 2008 offering Austere. Admittedly this is not every body’s cup of tea, but it engenders a reaction similar to said cup of tea being thrown into your face. Perhaps this is the reason the trio are supporting the likes of: The Editors, Passion Pit in the UK, and then are on a European tour with the Temper Trap; all this after a mini tour of Japan. The guest vocals of Paul Draper (of Mansun fame) compliment the now industrial tones of a band born in the welsh country. All this, and energetic live performances indicate they should be monitored for chance of future success.
I do however have a few issues with the recording itself. The Vocals, though undoubtedly catchy in the chorus, are blurred in the verse; blending the vocals into the body of the music as whole so that they are eventually lost. Those of you wanting poetic sentiments throughout will also be disappointed. Furthermore, if you are that annoying person on facebook; the one who loves to quote inspired song lyrics as their status, you too will not find what you are looking for. However, if you love household appliances you are in luck. The vocal-less ‘bridge section’ towards the end of the song sounds like a washing machine drumming and whirring to the ambience of a kitchen radio. Check them out, but this I have to say is largely an injustice to their live quality.
If the Arctic Monkey’s were more soulful and Swedish, or if the Hives decided they wanted to ‘become more mature’ (which they should never do) you might end up with Mando Diao. ‘Give me Fire’ is their 5th Studio Album. Upon first listening this album peaks, and troughs. There are, however, some absolute standout tracks. Tracks including ‘Gloria’ which subtly incorporates strings and female backing vocals into Mando’s ‘boyish garage rock’ meets ‘gospel’ sound. A sound I’m lead to believe in the past was driven by bass lines, choppy chords, distorted guitar riffs and dancey rock /indie beats. This less produced sound perhaps best epitomised by their breakthrough 2004 album ‘Hurricane Bar’. In many respects, not a whole lot has changed, though there is indication of further diversion away from the sound of albums gone by. Perhaps the pop highlight of the album is ‘Dance with somebody’. It’s the kind of track that should, and probably will, echo around national radio for months. It has ‘sing-along-able’ lyrics, and words that will most definitely stick in your head. Stick to the extent you’ll have to beat them out of your mind with concentrated doses of Britney Spears ‘womanizer’ (or something equally repetitive) which conveniently you’ve crafted into some sort of mind baseball bat. Mercifully it’s not all just mindless pop dribble. After two or three listens you start to get what this album is all about. The in your face indie pop tracks, though still enjoyable, take a back seat. Tracks such as ‘Maybe Just Sad’, show that amongst the gospel Mando actually do have something to preach; preaching with the innocence of language only a Swedish band singing in English could. Mando frame themselves as sort of working class heroes. You can see why with reoccurring references to ‘the upper classes’. If this isn’t your political view, don’t worry, everyone can relate to death. Mando Diao’s track ‘Crystal’ is amongst the most pleasant I’ve heard dealing with the subject of the afterlife. I don’t feel this album will be the death of the band; in fact quite the contrary. ‘Give me fire’ looks set to bring Mando Diao to the attention of a fan base that has thus far eluded them. I just hope current Mando fans enjoy it. Stick with it, and give it a few listens when it’s released.
Like a shot of bourbon to the eye, Kill It Kid’s debut Album (self titled but known as ‘Songs of Love and Loss and Debauchery’) is as hot as an iron prod to cowhide. They are probably the first band of 2009 to leave the listener branded. Not your generic blues, indie, folk or even country sound. In fact many arguments will be had trying to define them. The lead vocal is nothing short of breath taking. The blues and country influences in this album are manifest and self-evident. However, this album does not give the listener a one-genre handle to grasp. Unique male vocals, raw guitar, and dynamic fiddle playing are mellowed by heartfelt piano and soulful female harmony. Even the lyrics are educated and catchy, far from mindless. There is so much to grab your attention it is easy to overlook the thundering drums; drums which at the same time are finely balanced and produced. Highly evocative tracks such as send me an ‘Angel Down’ and ‘Private Idaho’ gives the album a softer and at times beautiful core. A necessary contrast to furious tracks such as the albums hard-hitting opener ‘Heaven Never Seemed So Close’, and the electric bluesy feel of the ‘Troubles of Loretta’ and ‘Burst it Banks’. In fact the album is filled with controlled out pourings of emotion. Emotion expressed through the music’s variety of pace and tone, and not forgetting Chris Turpin’s unbelievable voice. The song’s layouts even have more depth than your standard formulaic pop. Nothing I write can adequately describe this bands truly massive and exciting sound. You’ll struggle to choose a favourite track by them. Honestly, this is the best album I’ve bought in a long time. Not bad for five young guns from Bath.
Mausi are a quintessential Indie, University band experience. The Band however has ruined my flattering and ‘Punny’ review by changing their name (apparently for ‘legal reasons’). Formerly Paper Planes, they are now ‘Mausi’. Nevertheless due to my need to use aviation based metaphors, and as I haven’t seen them under their new name this review will still put across their high-flying nature. Though ‘Mausi’s can’t fly, unless you strap them to seagulls. I digress.
Despite only being a relatively new band they have a good range of original material and covers. Brother and sister (Thomas and Daisy) alternate between lead vox. Both have unique sing styles. As a consequence Mausi draw from a huge range of musical styles, and frequently delve into many genres. The truly take songs and make them their own. Set highlights include: the Planes own delightful compositions ‘Should I’ (enjoyable in both its acoustic and amplified forms), ‘What You Did Boy’, and a cover of Corrine Bailey Rae’s ‘put your records on’, a song that suits Daisy’s voice to a T. Daisy’s voice seems the kind that probably wouldn’t be out of place in a ‘50s speak easy. It has an effortlessly rich tone. Daisy’s harmonies also give Thomas’s ‘Indie style’ vocals a level of sophistication not usually encountered in grass roots music. Furthermore Mausi do not restrict themselves in the presentation of their live performance. [Cue ‘Plane’ based analogies] Mausi seem to ride thermals just as easily as an acoustic three piece or an electrified four piece. Ben and Benji (the bands lead guitarist and drummer) make Mausi’s decibel level comparable to that of a Boeing 747. The band might only be taxi-ing the runway at the moment, but they look destined to take of soon: unlike my metaphors. From now on I’ll be quiet as a ‘Mausi’…lame.
I could talk about Passion Pit for hours. Oh wait, no I can’t; that was definitely a lie. Musically Passion Pit were impeccable, bar the technical failure resulting in no music for 20 minutes mid set. Oh, and the fact they were dependent on a backing track on a laptop. Oh yeah! I nearly forgot how intensely boring they were on stage. That aside they were very very good. It might appear a contradiction, but I would definitely watch them again, given the opportunity. The singer, what’s his face? I can’t say his name let alone spell it. Anyway, he was very good also, in a high pitched sort of way. In fact they were so good it was like watching a rehearsal; one in which the crowd was still a hypothetical situation yet to be encountered. In the mean time, the crowd still being a fiction, the Passion Pit boys concentrated on getting the music as close to a complete note perfect recital of their album as possible. It is fair to say they lacked stage presence and a quality that would let me believe their performance was all live and happening, and that I was one of the lucky few in Northumbria getting to witness it all! Like poetry read in a monotone voice, passion pit came, played, and left with no personal investment beyond that put into writing the music in the first place. A direct contradiction to ‘the Joy Formidable’: who delivered yet another powerful performance. They also further reaffirmed their position as a live act to be watched out for; hopefully they will figure out how to capture their live quality on record. I know! Let us as a society with a vested interest in getting the most out of bands (and pushing the boundaries of new music), lock Passion Pit and the Joy Formidable in the same room until they take for themselves respectively the best traits of the other i.e. the ability to record and perform! Hmmm…
Now! MAX TUNDRA! I could literally try and describe him forever. The coolest performer I’ve seen in yonks. He may in fact be the least cool person in the world, but the fact he doesn’t care and does his own thing makes him pretty darn cool in my humble opinion. He’s like your Dad dancing to happy hardcore whilst absolutely off his face on acid (or something equally hallucinogenic) but on a stage! In front of all your friends, and he’s embarrassing you, but somehow you conclude you still love him, and then you realise that everybody else in the crowd thinks that watching the mad man dance it is nothing short of the best thing ever! Finally, you realise he’s actually quite good at playing music, all be it weird, and not linear or simple music. His songs are predominantly electro and synth based. He sort of sounds like a bad scat singer’s impression of music, but twisted so you’d expect to hear at cabaret night on a cruise linear; but played on a synthesiser, to dance beats. That is actually as close as I can get to describing him without sounding like a nut job. He simply is crazy, hard to listen to, but somehow brilliant. You know you are in for a good show if one man is playing dance remixes of the sound of music with a variety of crazy instruments that look like they’ve come from a 1960’s toyshop. Youtube this guy’s live performances, for laughs if you want, but you might like myself discover something you like.
