The Vaccines - English Graffiti (Album Review)

The Vaccines are an indie-rock band that fomed in West London. The quartet consists of; Justin Young on lead vocals & guitar, Freddie Cowan on lead guitar, Arni Arnason on bass guitar and Pete Robertson on the drums. The Vaccines have recently released a new album on the 25th of May 2015 called 'English Graffiti'; in which I am going to review. The Vaccines are renowned for many songs off their previous album such as; 'Post break-up Sex', 'If you Wanna' and 'Teenage Icon'. 

The first track to introduce the album is called 'Handsome' and surprisingly it is the most successful song off the whole album. Straight away it swipes you off your feet with the upbeat and busy atmosphere that the guitars and drums create, whilst simultaneously being accompanied by the chirpy vocals of the lead singer; Justin Young. Personally, I am very glad that they have chosen this song to open up the album as it is short and sweet; which then prepares you for what is yet to come. I think that the track is not too serious, and in all fairness it sounds like perhaps they are trying to mock somebody?

"Lonely, bored & bad thank God I'm handsome. I'm as awful as they come, oh what a pity. So I thank the Lord above that I am pretty (so pretty)"

After that chirpy track, the mood drastically changes once it is followed by the second song called 'Dream Lover'. This song appears rather eerie and mysterious as when the introduction of the guitars and drums begin; it is very slow, yet sharp. The instrumental of this track sounds heavily influenced by some of Arctic Monkeys work off their new album 'AM'. However the contrast between 'Handsome' and this track does compliment the album. On the other hand, I find this track a lot more contagious compared to 'Handsome' with the repetitive lyrics of:

"When I shut my eyes, I got another dream lover. Somewhere in the dark, I got another dream lover."

I liked it how the pace and tempo increases on the chorus then it begins to mellow again when it goes back to the verse.

'Minimal Affection' is the third track on the album, and it has a rather groovy and techno beat to it. The song sounds quite soft, however that is due to the actual depth of the song being very despondent.

"Anyone, anyone, anyone, anyone, anyone? Is there anyone there? Fall back and into the quiet where I've wanted you for so long."

I think the message that the Vaccines are trying to portray is that they will always find a fault when they meet somebody new, because no one will compare to the partner that has just left. 

"Moving on, we don't have a lot in common."

So therefore, he concludes that he would be better off alone.

'20/20' is the fourth track on the album and it enters with a fast and rhythmic introduction. Followed by a catchy, repetitive chorus consisting of :

"I'm through thinking 'bout you."

Then the rhyming introduction is the last verse of the track, followed by the contagious and upbeat chorus which then closes off the song.

"You can cut the cord on me, but I got plenty. And hindsight sees in twenty-twenty."

This song is probably my favourite track off the whole album, due to the repetitive simplicity that it consists of.

Surprisingly the song to follow '20/20' brings the mood back down again, exactly the same way that 'Dream Lover' brings down 'Handsome'. The piano is played gently in a simplistic and constant rhythm; followed by melancholic dream-like vocals. The melancholic atmosphere within the song is the rooting cause to the drop in mood. This track is called '(All Afternoon) In Love' which is pretty evident towards the end of the song as that is all what Justin Young says. I think that they were aiming to try and make the track sweet and simple, but personally I just think that it appears as boring and bland.

'Give me a Sign' is another one of the strong tracks within the album. The vocals are very innocent and gentle on the verses, then it almost sounds like a different person singing the chorus! Young projects the chorus very prominently, therefore the contrast between the rise in volumes compliment each other very well. This song just creates a vivid image in your imagination of everyone at a festival projecting the contagious chorus back at the band, like their life depended on it.

"Give me a sign, give me a sign."

To me, the track 'Undercover' is just compeltely pointless. It's an empty instrumental with no structure, no vocals and to me it has no point. This track is the most pointless song that I have ever witnessed on any album, a complete and utter disappointment. There is no music for the first 28 seconds, then it follows with a constant and boring piano beat. Which is then accompanied by an almost-silent drum beat, until the guitar kicks in; leading to the guitar going silent because the drums and violin decide to overpower it. There is nothing 'undercover' about this track whatsoever.

After that appalling and pointless excuse of a song 'Undercover' I had developed high expectations for the next song which is supposed to resemble the album as a whole and that is called 'English Graffiti'. This is another slow and gloomy track. Although it is rather heart-warming, due to all of the little things that you notice in somebody that you love, being included into the song;

"And if on occasion I chew off your ear, it's just cause you tell what I wanna hear."

Therefore I'm sure a lot of people in their mid-twenties will relate to this track as this is the renowned time period where you are allegedly meant to meet your soul-partner. I would not say that it makes up for the previous track, however it is another strong track off the album.

In conclusion, I think that the album is mediocre. I entered with open ears; considering I had no expectations of the album, apart from towards the end. The Vaccines are definitely heavily influenced by the 50's with their slow and dreamy tracks. They also seem influenced by the 80's with their upbeat crescendo tracks. This album contains a whirlwind of mixed emotions and mood swings. As you could probably perceive, the main song that let the album down for me was without a doubt 'Undercover'. Therefore I would not exactly recommend the album as a whole. I would only recommend a few tracks like '20/20', 'Handsome', 'Minimal Affection' and 'English Graffiti.'

Disappointed.

7/10.

Paul Weller – Saturns Pattern (Album Review)

Paul Weller or ‘The Modfather’ as some might say, was the lead guitarist in the legendary mod-revival British band; The Jam. The Jam is well-known for many songs such as ;  ‘A town called Malice’, ‘That’s Entertainment’ and ‘English Rose’. However shortly after the trio separated their own ways in 1982, Weller formed another band called ‘The Style Council’ which was quite successful, but on the other hand they followed the roots of The Jam, and therefore went on to break up in 1989. So in 1991 Weller referred to himself as a solo artist. Saturns Pattern is Weller’s new album of 2015, it is fully loaded with funky dynamic beats and contagious rhythms and lyrics.

The first song to open up the album is called ‘White Sky’. White sky has a rather mysterious-eerie kind of atmosphere towards the beginning of the song, and it begins to tease you with some drum symbols trembling; then Weller’s notorious electric guitar starts, shortly accompanied by the Modfathers rock vocals. This track is a great song to introduce the album; with its contagious and repetitive chorus' it represents how Weller has still got it, and he has never lost it.

“Under a white sky, white sky, white sky, white sky, coming down on me.”

White Sky is also very similar to the fifth track on the album called ‘Pick it Up’ and the second track called ‘Saturns Pattern’.

The second track on the album is coincidentally called ‘Saturns Pattern’ so evidently this track is to represent the album as a whole. With a sharp introduction on the keyboards, you can tell this is going to be one of his typical catchy songs; and it is. This track has a dynamic edge to the other songs on the album and it also has the infectious lyrics of –

“Get up, in a mind to get up.”

However it is rather similar to some of the other songs on the album as I have previously mentioned, and have related it to ‘White Sky’ and ‘Pick it Up’.

One of my favourite tracks on the album is actually the third song called “Going my Way”. This is obviously a love song, which is slightly different to some of the other songs on the album as it doesn’t have such a strong rock n roll theme; it is a lot softer.

 “You following me? Am I following you? Don’t care anyway as long as you stay, with me.”

After this line, the tempo starts to gradually increase; then it fades again and the track repeats the process of increased tempo to fading it out again. This song of love is also homogeneous to the last track called ‘These City Streets’.

‘Long time’ is the fourth track on the album and the contrast works well between this and the previous track of ‘Going my Way’ as that is a lot softer, and this song of Weller’s is definitely one of the strong rock n roll tracks on the whole album. The song enters with sharp and powerful vocals of -

“For such a long time I couldn’t find myself, for such a long time thought I was somebody else.”

Then the title repeats itself many of times within this short track, leading it to be another one of Weller’s contagious masterpieces.

In conclusion I think this was another exceptional Weller album, every song is ridiculously contagious due to the repetitive chorus’. It is worth a listen if you have not already listened to any of Weller’s previous work or this album, it is a mix of rock n roll and psychedelic sounds - bringing back the mod revival in little bits. All in all I really enjoyed this album as I found it rather relaxing, so yeah I would definitely recommend it. However I do think that some of his previous work off the Stanley Road album for example, is a lot better than his modern music. Then again, his main hits were off that album. Even though I think that this album is not his best album;it is definitely not his worst.

9/10

Jamie T –Magnolia Melancholia (EP Review)

Following Jamie Treay’s very successful comeback album, after 5 years; is the new EP ‘Magnolia Melancholia’. This includes ‘Don’t You Find’ off the new album Carry on the Grudge and new tracks such as ‘Marilyn Monroe’, ‘Magnolia Melancholia’ & ‘Riverbed’. However this EP also includes unique covers of the two tracks; ‘Mama Don’t Smoke’ and ‘Bastards of Young’.  As you can tell from the title of the EP, this is not exactly going to be the most uplifting EP; however the title is rather odd as magnolia is a flower with a particular shade of pink, and melancholia represents deep sadness and severe depression; as flowers represent beauty the title is portraying a very big contrast.

‘Don’t you find’ is the first track on the EP, and the second track on the album. I have written an extended review on this track already, on the album review on my blog –

http://musicblog89.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/jamie-t-carry-on-grudge-album-review.html

However, this track is one of my favourite tracks off the album as it is such a relatable song.

The second track on the EP is one of Treay’s new songs and it is named ‘Marilyn Monroe’ like some of Treay’s old work, the track has a very upbeat atmosphere; with a constant rhythm throughout. This song does not have any notorious Jamie T rapping in either, it is a lot like his new album; a lot more singing than expected. The addictive chorus goes as follows;

“Well I know nothing; I see no nothing at all. When the beat of the drum gets you down gets you back up…”

The only relation that I can identify which is linked to Marilyn Monroe in the whole track is when Treay mentions;

“Well it’s just like the movies…”

As obviously, Marilyn Monroe was a very well-known actress in the 1950’s/1960’s due to her sexual prowess, which is probably where the ‘Magnolia’ in the EP title has come from as she was a symbol of beauty, much like a flower.

‘Mama don’t smoke’ is the third track on the EP which is a cover from the 90’s band ‘Bran Van 3000’. From start to finish of the song it is very soft and subtle with an acoustic entrance, accompanied by Treay’s quiet vocals. This track is only short with only 1 minute and 45 seconds to it; however it remains very effective and distinctive on the EP. With its short, repetitive verses and chorus’ this song is hands down my favourite track on the EP, the song basically consists of;

“Mama don’t smoke that much dope, don’t you worry about me? I only get high about twice a day; it helps to keep my blues away.”

The simplicity of the song flatters the EP as many of Treay’s songs are fully packed with adventurous and intriguing chorus’ and long intricate verses, however this track just repeats the same lines over and over again; whilst in the meantime still allowing Treay to keep his reputation for catchy chorus lines, even if it is not his own written song.

The fourth track on this exceptional EP is in fact the EP title ‘Magnolia Melancholia’ this track comes straight in with confrontational vocals of;

“Nice to meet you boy, I know your momma knows; I fell in love with her, seven thousand summers ago.”

As I related the title to beauty and depression, the chorus explains as to why he chose the title as it is related to love. The beauty perhaps being the woman that he fell in love with; ‘magnolia’ being a pink flower represents that the person is female, as pink is related to femininity and the beauty relates to the appearance of the woman. And obviously the 'melancholia' comes from the many side effects of love, like the negative demeanour which also comes with love and heart-break such as depression.

“Magnolia melan-call-it-love, magnolia melancholia, magnolia melan-call-it-love, magnolia melancholia.”

‘Riverbed’ is the last new track on the EP. The song enters with an acoustic instrumental and then it starts to pick up a bit more, gradually introducing the drums. The track sounds rather innocent until you hear the dark and meaningful lyrics;

“Down by the river, saw the preacher rape. Down by the river, saw power take. And it was down by the river you know the cause was to break, and that no man speaks for God.”

I think the river started off as a good memory and perhaps a happy place for Treay, as the start of the song said;

“Riverbed be soft, be a soft landing”

Then as he got older he became more aware of what went on, and the river flooded him with all of the negative things that have happened to him and the unfortunate events that have taken place throughout his life;

“So if this river carries evil away, why do I shiver at mistakes I’ve made? I guess this river will always stay running through my veins.”

The EP closes off with ‘Bastards of Young’ which is a cover from The Replacements. This is a song being thankful to how the times have changed, even though they are still unsatisfactory.

“Income tax deduction, what a hell of a function. It beats pickin’ cotton and waitin’ to be forgotten.”

However certain aspects of modern day have not changed from history as;

“We are the sons of no one, bastards of young. Not the daughters and the sons.”

This gloomy contrast seals the EP nicely, and on a low-key atmosphere.

In conclusion I think this EP speaks for itself really. It definitely represents melancholia, but the choices of songs were picked very wisely as they all have a relation to each-other. I would definitely recommend that you give it a listen if you have not already.

10/10

The Charlatans - Modern Nature (Album Review)

The Charlatans are an alternative rock band from the West Midlands, and they have been around since the late 80’s. They have recently created new album called ‘Modern Nature’ which was released on the 26^th of January 2015. With the classic hit of ‘The only one I knew’ The Charlatans have a non-stop growing fan base. Understandably, they have been off the music scene for the past 5 years after their drummer; Jon Brookes unfortunately discovered he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, after mysteriously collapsing during a performance in the US; shortly followed by the drummer’s death a few years later.

Their first single on the album is called ‘Talking in Tones’ and once the music video was released; all the girls were non-stop talking about it. And the reasons? Nico Mirallegro. Nico Mirallegro enticed the majority of the attention to the music video, due to him being the teenage heartthrob that he is; whilst simultaneously promoting the song.

Talking In Tones – The song introduces itself with a consistent beat assisted by a soft grunge tone. Followed by Tim Burgess’ gloomy, melancholic and rhythmic voice with the line:

“I never liked the fact, and I don’t like to moan. I thought we had a pact, talking in tones.”

I thought it was clever how Burgess managed to weave the title into the first verse of the song, instantly attracting your attention.

So Oh – The second song on the album, again manages to weave the title into the opening verse of the single. This song has a very relaxed vibe, similar to many of The Charlatans songs. Perhaps my favorite song from the whole album? Mainly due to the fact, that the majority of the song is instrumental with only a few words sung in Burgess’ soft voice, which gives it that relaxed atmosphere that they were obviously aiming for. I have taken such a strong interest to this song as it is so cleverly spread out, from  the beginning to end of the record which gives it that unique edge. However The Charlatans are notorious for their contagious, repetitive chorus’ in which this song also provides for you.

In The Tall Grass – They have re-created that African soul beat with the bongos and acoustics for the instrumental within this track, shortly accompanied by the vocals of;

“ooooooo”

To create a mysterious, 90’s discotheque and melancholic atmosphere...

'Emilie' is one of the more upbeat and fast tracks on the album along with ‘Lean In’. The contrast between the speedy instrumental and Burgess’ slow, melancholic voice works ever so beautifully.

“Emilie, just in case I miss you; pass this way again.”

Every album needs a love song, and this gives the album just that.

Need You To Know – Heavy guitars and sharp drums introduce this song, with a rather long instrumental. Surprisingly, I thought this may be a rock song; a complete paradox. But instead it was similar to some of the other songs on the album, with that Pink Floyd 70’s feeling.

In conclusion, I like this album – however for such a notorious band it was mediocre. On the other-hand. I would not necessarily call it over-rated as it has not been spoken about a lot since its release. The only song that has really been spoken about is ‘Talking in Tones’ due to Nico being in the music video. This album has not lived up to its expectations, but I would recommend you give it a listen if you want to relax; as this album reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd due to the melancholic atmosphere they create whilst you’re listening the album.

7/10

The Big Moon - NME's new band of the week

The Big Moon are a female indie-rock quartet from London who formed just over a year ago. They have released 2 singles on soundcloud called Sucker and Eureka Moment. The quartet are heavily influenced by the Palma Violets, as they are part of the reason to what inspired and motivated the lead singer - Juliette Jackson to want to be in a band.

Their first track is called Sucker and the introduction is a steady melancholic beat on the guitar followed by further percussion – shortly accompanied by rhythmic vocals and a catchy first verse. The song works well for the quartet as the repetitiveness isn't too much and that is what makes the song so contagious; especially the chorus of:

“And it got colder every day, but I wouldn't change my mind. It got darker every night, but I wouldn't change my mind.”

However, even though this song is about the struggles she’s having with her companion and the bad times that have occurred within the relationship, she only explains that she’s a sucker for her partner towards the end of the song.

Their second single is called Eureka Moment, this track is a lot more upbeat than ‘Sucker ’with a less relaxed, longer and a more energetic instrumental. As the word Eureka means the sudden, unexpected realization of the solution to a problem. However, a revelation is a surprising and previously unknown fact that has been disclosed to others or it could be categorized as the divine or supernatural disclosure to humans of something relating to human existence according to Wikipedia.

Therefore I think what Jackson was trying to say is that there is potentially a very intelligent individual who is perhaps a bit of an introvert, but if they unveiled out of their shell - could potentially change the world?  As they have sussed this unknown fact that we are unaware of throughout the song, but are too shy to reveal it to anybody but everyone around them knows that they’re hiding something. However, this is just the way that I perceive this song.

“So you could have been the voice of your generation, but then you never had the nerve of revelation.”

I have chosen to have written about The Big Moon as they were on NME’s ‘new band of the week’ category and they've definitely lived up to their expectations! I will be tracking them on soundcloud and will be keeping myself updated on any new releases of theirs. The tracks have both been very well structured and well put together and have gotten very well-thought out lyrics too. Therefore I think that the female quartet could potentially be the next new trend?

9/10

The link to their soundcloud is as followed:  soundcloud.com/commoonicate